A Tour

I don't have a scrap room. Using the word "room" makes one assume that I would have a door. And walls. So I usually call it my scrap area. It's actually a kind of loft at the top of the steps on the second floor of our house. I'm lucky to have a dedicated space to do my thing...but some days I really wish I had a door. With a lock.

Usually when a crafter posts pics of her scrappin' space, she cleans it up first. I decided that I would let you take a peek at my area -- as is. I was in the middle of 3 different projects when I got the inspiration to take these pictures. So if you are offended by anything less than neat or tidy...you might want to look away now. (Don't say I didn't warn you.)

First up is the wide angle shots...so you can see all of the chaos at once...

Here's the right side. On the other side of that half wall behind the units with the drawers are the stairs. We got the furniture from a neighbor who was selling it at a garage sale. It's made of monkeywood from Thailand and was custom designed for her son's bedroom. She sold it all to us for $150. It is beautiful and sturdy. You just don't ever see much of it because it's always buried under all my stuff but it fits in this space perfectly.

The drawers just don't hold all scrapbooking stuff. I have books and office supplies in there too. When this is cleaned off (which is never), this is a really nice place to spread out.

This is the left side where my computer and printer is, along with my ribbon hanging thing that I made myself from a curtain rod and some clips from the drapery department at Joann.

Here's my favorite part of the room.

My Scrapbox. Here is what it looks like when it's closed...and when it's open and organized beautifully:

Now here's mine:

Uh-huh. You see now why I showed you the picture from the website first.

It does fit perfectly in the little alcove at the end of the room. And it does look really nice when it's all closed up. But it makes me sad when I can't see all my scrappy goodies, so I leave it open 99% of the time. I do close it when we have guests staying with us. (Sometimes).

My Expression sits on this little table caddy-corner to my desk, so I can plug my computer into the E when I'm cutting something from SCAL. The drawer underneath holds all my cricut cartridges.

Finally....I decided to share this one last picture with you:

Pictured above is part of our spare bedroom - which is right across from my scrap area. When I run out of space in my craft area (which means I need to clean it up and don't want to) I usually end up in here on the floor between the wall and the bed. If I'm worried about making too much noise while the girls are napping, I set up my baby bug in here to make cuts. That white thing on the nightstand is my makeshift photo box where I use the natural light from the window to take pictures of my projects and my jewelry for etsy. I really do clean this up when we have overnight guests....

I hope you enjoyed the tour of my scrap area. If you have any questions, post them in the comments section and then check back later. I'll answer them there.

Now, I really should make something with all the stuff in here.

Another Non-Scrappy Post

I was outside in the side yard with Boomer this morning, when I noticed the bottom part of the lanai kind of rippling....like something was walking between the shrubs and the lanai and bumping into the screen. I assumed it was a cat and bent down to pick up Boomer before he could see it and give chase.

But the thing that emerged from the shrubbery was SO not a cat....

Being originally from Southwestern Pennsylvania, I had never seen an armadillo up close before (not counting the ones that I see as road kill) and a two foot long creature that looked just like that picture above passed about 4 feet from me.

I'm not gonna lie. It freaked me out. And it came right towards Boomer and me. As I backed up towards the screen door in a panic, numerous thoughts flashed through my head:

*That's the ugliest critter I have ever seen.

*It's wearing armor. Can it get to us through the screen?

*I wish I had my pepper spray. And my cell phone (I have no idea who I would've called. 911? The pound? It's not like I have this guy in my contact list.)

The creature was apparently late for a meeting because it moved quickly and with purpose. Though it came close, it didn't seem to notice us and just cut right through our hedges into the neighbors back yard. *shudder*

Now I have to add armadillos to the list of things I attempt to avoid while outside in my yard. Other things on my list include: Wasps, bees or stinging insects of any kind. Snakes(!!!). My next door neighbors. Large birds with long pointy beaks. Nutria rats. Alligators (not that I've ever seen one in my yard, but it seems like I'm about due.)

Overheard....

Baylinn: "Let's play with this ball Sissy!"

Breena: "Why?"

Baylinn: "Because I said so!"

Hmmm....now where in the world could she have heard that phrase from??!!!

It's Time!!!

Club Ruby is here!

Wanna see what I've been talking about - and working on - the last few months??

Wanna get fabulous scrappy goodness delivered right to your door every month??

Wanna be one of the first in the Club??

Space is limited and the price is right...

Sign up now - HERE!

Hot

Is seems silly to remark about how hot it is in Florida in August.

As I stood outside in a black tank and black yoga pants, waiting for Boomer to do his business, I wondered how long it would take for me to melt into a puddle right in my own backyard. Our temperature thingy says it's 88 degrees. In the shade. At 9:30am.

I'm not complaining. Really. I'm merely documenting this so I can be reminded in January - when my family up north is frozen into ice sculptures - why we live in the Sunshine State.

Need a Laugh?

Watch this video of Boomer and Baylinn and see if you get through the 45 seconds without a giggle....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b0J8rPXxg4

It Might Kill You

....the cuteness that is this video.

But it's so worth it.

My Life Is Full

...of pee.

(If you thought this was gonna be a sappy, mushy blog post about how my life feels full again because we have wonderful kids and a new puppy and blah, blah, blah...then this is obviously the first time you've read my blog....)

Footsteps above woke me up at 5am. I looked at the video monitor just in time to see Breena getting out of her toddler bed - buck naked. I went upstairs and discovered that she had wet the bed and then stripped off her wet nightgown. So I wiped her down, put her in dry pjs, changed the bed and tucked her back in. I attempted to sneak back to bed, but Boomer was whimpering so I went in the kitchen to check on him. He had peed in his crate. I took him outside and then came back in to clean out his crate. As soon as I put his furry butt down, he did a hop and a skip and pooped on the floor. *sigh* More lysol, more cleaning and it was now after 5:30 and neither of us were going back to sleep. Boomer and I crashed on the couch watching Married with Children (an oldie but goodie) until the girls woke up at 7.

I hope to get back to posting about making stuff....soon. We had a NABS crop on Monday night and it was great to be creative again. I'm headed to Joann's later today to get a bell for Boomer's collar (ok, so maybe I'll browse the scrapbook section too) so we can keep track of him a little easier.

His name is Boomer

And we brought him home last night.

He's not a replacement for Bentley....because nothing can replace my Little Dog.

But Boomer is a welcome distraction.

He's a 9-week old, 2lb, micro mini schnauzer. According to the breeder, he should stay under 8lbs. Schnauzers are also hypo-allergenic...supposedly even more so than Yorkies.

He is super-sweet and playful. He loves the girls. He cried and seemed to be looking for them after they went up to bed last night. Even now he is napping on Breena's lap while the girls watch cartoons.

Bentley was my dog. He was gently tolerant of the girls, but he didn't seek them out to play, nap or hang-out. He wanted me to let him out, wanted me to throw the ball, wanted only my lap. Boomer will be more of a family dog...and that's a good thing - a great thing - for all of us.

The girls are old enough to help out with taking care of him. I am hoping he wears them out...and vice versa. Schnauzers are also known to be protective of their homes and owners, so I hope he will help me keep them out of trouble.

Before bringing him home, Brian promised me that if Bentley ever came home, we would have room for both dogs. That was really important to me because I have not given up hope that he will be back home with us one day.

Okay, well....

...I feel better today.

There is some peace in my heart that hasn't been there all week.

My heart still aches, I still miss him terribly. It's just not quite as raw as it was.

My vet's office called yesterday, excited. One of their clients had found a male Yorkie and wanted to know if anyone had reported one lost. The woman who found the male said he was 3-4 pounds and neutered. She would bring him in to get him scanned for a microchip. The vet wanted me there in case it was Bentley...wanted me to be able to take him home right away.

It wasn't. Not. Even. Close. The woman brought in a 10-12 pound, fully-intact, male Yorkie. I stayed while they tried to scan him for a microchip. He didn't have one. Just a collar with no id. And fleas. The woman didn't want him. She has two other dogs and can't afford another. I told her about the Yorkie and small dog rescues I had seen recently on the internet. I asked her not to take him to Animal Services. I couldn't take him home because you just can't trust a dog with an unknown background around small children.

It did give me a renewed faith in humanity. There are good people out there that will try to help lost animals find their homes again.

But I don't think Bentley is lost. I think he was stolen or maybe he was attacked in the backyard by a predator. I will always have a small sliver in my heart that will hold on to the hope that he will be back with us someday.

I miss him.

And probably always will.

Nothing

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts, prayers and support.

We still know nothing. Have heard nothing.

I am patiently waiting to feel nothing. Isn't that the next step in grief? To go from raw, constant pain, anger, and sadness to just feeling....nothing? I want that numbness.

It's hard to be in the house with his things. His bed, his toys, his blanket, his food dish. I didn't realize how many pictures I had up of him until now. His image is everywhere.

He is my first born. My first baby...just with fur.

We weren't looking for a dog when we got him as a teeny puppy 6 years ago. But I knew from the moment I saw him, that he was different from other Yorkies. He was just....special.

It's hard not to smile when you see him. You can't resist bending down to pet him or pick him up. If we have Bentley with us and come across a stranger who doesn't respond positively to him, it's hard to trust that person.

He stayed with me every moment while I was home on bedrest the last 4 weeks of my pregnancy, even though my lap eventually disappeared. And then the twins came and Bentley went from being the top man on the totem pole to 3rd place. He has always been in denial of his new place on the pole. He quietly insists on my attention whenever he can get it. When...and if....he comes home to us, I will make more time for him.

I promise with all my heart.