Canines and Creativity

Garin - 10-weeks old - 16 pounds

Where did the last month go?? I usually don't miss an entire month of blogging...but I was preparing for puppy...it's not an excuse, it's just reality. I was trying to accomplish as much of my workload as possible before Garin joined our family. I was doing all sorts of needlework finishing, project bag creating, custom designing, and quilting/sewing...knowing that as soon as this fluffy little GSD joined our household, work time would be limited for a week or two (or twenty!).

My holiday finishing/sewing/quilting deadline passed on October 15th...and I am blessed (and a little overwhelmed) to have tables of work to complete before Christmas. Thank you to all my fabulous, loyal customers! Right now, there are 53 holiday needlework finishing items, over 100 project bags, and a pile of custom sewing/quilting pieces...plus a couple design projects lined up on my studio counter...and all those are the "I need these back before the holiday projects" - there are countless others (a HUGE note of gratitude to my patient clients!), all logged in and dated and needing my attention...yes, I will be keeping busy.

This week has pretty much been a lost cause - my husband is out of town again, so I am on solo puppy duty (I forgot how needy/insane Schatzi was as a puppy!)...plus I have been fighting the annual fall head cold and losing the battle. I get small amounts of time to myself when Garin is in his kennel (as he is right now)...and we are outside every 30-45 minutes for house training. So far, he is learning pretty quickly - but I definitely have my hands full. He is teething and everything (I mean everything) on his level is fair game...I need a new set of eyes in the back of my head - if he is alone for even one minute, he can do some major damage (don't let that cute face fool you!). At night, I set an alarm for four hours after he is in the kennel and I am in bed, so we can venture outside - and so far no messes in the kennel - although, I am definitely not sleeping well. He is getting used to his kennel and the whining/crying is subsiding - thank goodness, as it breaks my heart. Schatzi is being a GREAT big sister - she is playing well and sharing all her "stuff" with the puppy...and Garin is copying everything she does and following her around all day long. Yep - it's all the normal stuff that one can expect when they add a puppy to the household. Luckily, my husband will be home Monday morning and will start dog duties, so I can get in a few solid days of work before his next business trip...and hopefully the head cold will be subsiding by then!

For today's creative eye candy, here are a few images of (just a few) sewing/quilting projects I completed in the last month in my attempt to have a handle on things before Garin arrived...I will share some beautifully stitched needlework finishes in my next post...

I'll be back when I can get another moment of quiet time...I have some really fun cross stitch pieces to share (not my stitching, just my finishing work). Thank you for visiting today and I will "see" you again soon....