the 's' sisters

Sheryl and Sherry: fosters 2 &3

Sweet sisters too small to play with poor Winston... they were too scared of their big foster brother- but they were fantastic lap puppies- which puts a smile on my face :) Winston's feelings weren't too hurt as long as his mommy took him for some special mommy and me time at the dog park!

Sheryl and Sherry are 6 month old female terrier mix puppies who were rescued from down South. We were lucky enough to help them with their journey to their forever home!

Having 2 fosters along with Winston and of course Lincoln and Lola- well let's just say the husband was thinking we lived at a zoo! (which I know that this does not qualify us as zookeepers- I grew up with 3 cats, 1 dog, 2 hamsters, 2 rabbits, 2 mice, and 2 guinea pigs)

Having 2 foster dogs was never talked about- it just kind-a happened....It was a transition for me to learn how to walk all THREE dogs at the same time. I'm sure my neighbors were looking at me and thinking I was a crazy person the first few times I did it- crazy dogs with tangled leashes :) But with some time and teaching- we were down to walking all three leashes in one hand (with the other hand free to carry all three poop bags of course- yuck!)

Sheryl and Sherry were only with us for a short time- a little over a week. The 2 lucky ladies found a wonderful woman who recently lost her beagle and who was looking for a smaller pup to cuddle with... well she found TWO to cuddle with!

I was thrilled the girls went together to their furever home- because they were attached at the hips!

<3 will be back with some updates on school!

gotta have a lil' Hope

 

Oh my is summer really over?! I feel like it just started. I did not get nearly HALF of the things done that I wanted to- which always makes you feel a bit disappointed... with the house and working part time I didn't have enough free time to focus on my hobbies like sewing/playing piano/crafting! All of my crafting/creative energy went into painting rooms and deciding where things should be placed/hung. It's fun- but I'd much rather be creating other things.

Another task that has been taking up some of my energy is fostering/volunteering. This takes an enormous amount of time and dedication- but the rewards are priceless :)

Meet Hope...she is a 1 year old female - thought to be some sort of terrier mix. She was a happy, go lucky gal who was a lil' shy- but willing to go out on a limb from time to time! She warmed up quickly- but was still a reserved lady.

She honestly did not possess one bad quality- well maybe her CRAZY hair!!! haha I brushed her and bathed her and it seemed that nothing would tame those unruly locks of hers!

She fit in perfectly with our little family. So much so...it was almost impossible to let her go!

 

The only reason I was able to give her up was because my best friends mom was adopting her. Which means I get to visit with her as often as needed :)

I'm so thankful Hope was apart of our lives! Even if it was only temporary.

Sir Winston

Hi all.... happy summer :-)

I'm so excited, busy, overwhelmed, happy, and thankful! We have officially moved in. Phew... that was the hardest move yet (each time we accumulate more c-r-a-p!)We are pretty much unpacked, but are still finding out what works best where and I'm sure we'll move things around 8 times before we figure it all out. I still have yet to hang up anything- no pictures/artwork/decorations....I really want to take my time setting up the house and don't want to jump the gun on anything (although I'm planning my hubbies 30th bday party at the house so it DOES need to be done by September). I have been keeping busy taking care of our 1 acre yard, painting, furniture shopping, working part time (as a nanny), and volunteering! Oh and.... being a puppy mom!! I'm thrilled to announce we have officially adopted a puppy :-)

Meet Sir Winston....

This summer I started volunteering with a local no-kill animal rescue organization called All 4 Paws-  where I help out with puppy bathes, cleaning kennels, working adoption events, and fostering! Hence, our newest addition. You know you can't foster your first puppy and not keep him ;-)

Well it did help that he was an amazing dog who is extremely laid back and easy going- he fit right in! He started off extremely shy- but has slowly opened up and his personality is the cutest. He came in not knowing how to go up the stairs or play with a toy :-(  But with a little bit of patience and love he is learning and having a blast. He now knows how to sit, stay, and come!

Since he's a rescue pup his heritage/age is unknown, but we guess he is about 6 months old and a shar-pei, lab, pointer mix. The cats have adjusted well- Lola could care less about him- but Lincoln still hisses and warns Winston to not come too close-but in time I'm sure they'll be cuddle friends.

There's something special about a rescue animal- somehow they know you've rescued them and they are forever thankful. We are expecting our next foster dog this weekend and I will keep you posted how he/she adjusts to our family :)

*please visit the website to see all available animals in need of loving furever homes!* <3

home sweet home....almost

Settlement is right around the corner! Ever since we found our house I've been surfing the Internet coming up with ideas for our new space :)  I've even created a document with pictures and links to all of the furniture I want to buy! Crazy...I know...

I've been sitting on my wallet for the last month and a half because "I'm not allowed to buy anything for the new house until we actually HAVE the keys in our hands!"  :-(

I get the whole "you never know" thing, but seriously it's torture! So in the meantime...here's some inspiration...



3rd years a charm

Today is our 3rd wedding anniversary :-) We're lucky enough to be back in the same area we had our wedding, so we were able to have a sentimental dinner at the same restaurant we had our rehearsal dinner! The Duling Kurtz.....a beautiful inn located 5 minutes from where we live.

I can't believe we've been married for 3 years already....isn't this when the "honeymoon" phase is over?! Not sure what that means...I remember when we were moving in with each other right after college graduation- everyone said that this was when things would start getting tough and the fighting would begin. But call me crazy- I thought moving in with each other was a simple, smooth transition. There was no 'getting used to' each other or any other crazy, quirky things either of us had to adjust to. It was just simple. And that's been consistent....here we are 6 years later- 3 years married, and things are still running smoothly :-) and we're still in our 'honeymoon phase' <3

spring fling... derby style

This past weekend we had our school's annual fundraising event...the Spring Fling. This is the only fundraising we do- so you can imagine that we go ALL OUT!! The parents donate all sorts of items to make this night possible. Everything from the country club rental, to silent auction baskets, to live auction items. This years theme was the Kentucky Derby and derby attire was 'encouraged'!

You know what that means- crafting time. I had to make sure I had a chic hat to match my chic dress...my chic dress I borrowed that is- because with the new home purchase- frivolous spending has been put to a hault! (thanks dear)

I scoured the internet for inspiration...

made a few trips to Michael's and JoAnn's with my dress in tow...

and voila beautiful derby hat emerged!

I used black, teal, and gold feathers along with a peacock feather and some black ribbon. I arranged the feathers into a decorative bunch and used the ribbon to make a few added details. I stitched a running stitch and pulled the thread- gathering the ribbon. Then sewed the ends together making a little flower-like detail. I then folded the ribbon a few times (like a waterfall) and glued the ends to make another decorative feature for the hat. I looked for some black netting to add- but had a hard time finding it in my time crunch (I decided last minute that I was going to make my own hat!). But in the end I was satisfied :-)

On a not so happy note- our school has had a break out of the rotovirus- so the next few days will be spent with a closed school and tons of bleach! We are all going in to clean and sanitize EVERYTHING and those of you who know Montessori know that there are thousands of teeny, tiny objects/materials to get to. It's a big job...wish me luck!

terrariums and such

So it's been a bit since I've stopped by (I wonder how many of my posts start off with this statement?!)- but I assure you I'm still around, alive and doing well :-)  Truth of the matter is we're doing really well- we finally found a house and are waiting for settlement!!! It was a looooong 6 months of hunting but well worth it. It will be another long 3 months of waiting for settlement but at least there is light at the end of the tunnel.

In the meantime I have been busy wrapping up the school year and trying to fit in tidbits of craftiness along the way....

We celebrated"Father's Day"- well I actually came down with that awful stomach bug the day before and was out of commission for the celebration and the 2 days after... but I heard it was wonderful :)

We finished studying animals in winter and moved to study the red-tailed hawk along with celebrating St. Patrick's Day. (I took plenty of pictures and had every intention of sharing- but time got the best of me!)

I finished up my last round of P/T conferences and am on the home stretch to graduation!


As for home life- Steve and I have stumbled upon an amazing outdoor/indoor garden studio that we adore.... called Terrain at Styer's. If you like anthropologie- you'd LOVE terrain! They are a bit pricey- but it's a great place to get ideas.... and...if you find stuff on sale it's a pretty good deal. I've collected a few things since our initial love connection...

This soap dish I paid full price for- but fell in love with it at first sight! It's going to look wonderful in my powder room :)

This cow door stop I bought online on sale and it is truly sublime! It's wrought iron and has a family of cows on it- so me!

This wall hanging tear drop terrarium I bought at full price- but it was totally affordable and adds a peaceful aura to our living space.

These terrariums Steve and I made! So cool right?! We took a terrarium workshop this past weekend and it was such a fun, funky date-day activity. He made the one with the woodland plants and I made the one with the succulents.

Creating terrariums is so addicting- I want to make another one! Stay tuned as I plan to have a terrarium workshop party this summer after we settle in to our new home <3