Touching is our friend!

We have graduated to full body contact! I went a wee bit crazy with the picture taking but, well hell people, this is monumental! I even tried getting all clever with the ones that are out of focus. Ha! The plan for tomorrow is to go completely psychotic while hiking Superstition Mountain. Get ready.

These teeth are made for biting and that's just what they'll do!!

Today was a monumental day for Tabitha. She proved she is now big enough to make her own decisions and reap the consequences. I was carrying her

Side Note: Chastise away for carrying a dog that is going to grow to heavy for carrying. The way I see it is I can eat this up as much as I would like. I frequently pick the little one up and I am going to continue doing so until I can't. Okay fine, until it looks foolish. As of right now, she is so freaking cute I can't stand it, and that equals the occasional jaunt with her up in my arms. That said...

and doing what we do. You know, funny faces, kisses, la la la Tabitha is so cute la la la, come on lets go over here! YAY! When she decided she didn't like something and had a little tantrum.

Side Note: Tabitha's tantrums are NOT so freaking cute. They're annoying, pushy and getting old. They are stopped as soon as they are started and she's getting the point. Sometimes she spends the rest of the day complaining about the end of the tantrum. That is so freaking cute and funny to boot.

Of course I told her to stop and her fast thinking solution was to bite me in the fucking face!! GIVE ME STRENGTH! Knee jerk response was to fling the sharp jagged mouth from me but lucky me (and her for that matter, we were surrounded by nothing but concrete), I have cat like reflexes and that knee jerk ended up being interrupted and fine tuned. Let's just say Tabitha did not fare well (and for those of you aghast in horror picturing me putting a beat down on my puppy, get ahold of yourself, your mind is a cruel sick tricky thing). However, we now have a nice new outlook. She's so big and mighty? No more help from us. Get in and out of the car yourself, listen when we say something (the first time we say it), no more cute puppy mouthing of hands (or anything else for that matter) and when I catch you chewing on something of mine (when the entire fucking house is LITTERED with dogs toys) you are going to understand exactly how shitty that can be. Just last night I was saying to Mr. F that I have a hard time coming down on a puppy and once she looks like a dog it's boot camp time. That was pre face biting. Boot camp here we come.

I just wish Jimmy had been there so he could laugh at her while the whole thing went down... damn.

1, 3, 2, etc...

Since I am still waiting on the clasp for the second bracelet/earring creation (a fruity/leafy one, you'll see), I made a bracelet for my mom. It's bitchin! Here are some pictures. I like the one of it in the natural lighting. I might have to always be sure to have at least one of those eh? Do you love the paper towel backdrop?

Still more to come. The clasps that are coming in the mail are sweet. I also found some bad ass gift boxes on ebay for tiny cash. If anyone ends up buying my jewelry, they'll be taking it home in STYLE. I don't want my jewelry going home in some who cares blah gift box. Pretty is as pretty does... and I do. So does ebay. It's right up there with Craig quite frankly. And Costco. I am so still digging Costco.

For those of you that are wondering, Tabitha is doing GREAT. She's in a stage where she's learning at the same time as she's pushing every button possible. It's a fair trade. I have got to get pictures damn it! I weight her every other day and she's always up by about 1 - 1.5 pounds. Holy shit is right... Don't worry, James is still THE MAN.

Joy is full of creativity

BEHOLD! Ladies and gentlemen I present the first pieces of jewelry to be entered into the art show!!

Pictures are not doing these any justice but it's the best I can do. I'm staying with this style for the most part. I like it and it's fun to make. Done deal.

Stay tuned! More to come!

Oh shit

I always forget the crappy parts of my plans. Literally. Tabitha eats a lot. In return I am picking up mass quantities of waste and disposing of it "properly". I have a hard time wrapping something biodegradable up in a non-biodegradable item. It just seems so wrong. I don't want to go on some spin about how "green" we are. We're not. The environment is f-ed and I'm not doing my part to help. Although, I am that person who buys biodegradable dog poop bags. I am also the person who has a hard time controlling my thoughts and this leads to the issue of spending money on something that picks up shit running screaming through my head like an out of control banshee. So. After googling the shit out of "dog waste products", I found this helpful item. If it doesn't work with clay like soil Mr. F is going to put gravel around it so the leeching capabilities are not hindered. I love a man that knows how to make shit better, don't you?

Ahems duly noted. The yard is such a disaster right now it's not even worth taking pictures of. It resembles a construction site. Once the leaves have been collected and the (now wet) bedspreads brought in, I will make it a point to catch the needed images. The patio came out great and sitting next to the glowing embers of the fire pit cannot be beat. I'll have to get that shot for you too. It's coming, stop clearing your throat and being so freaking impatient. Nah, it's cool. I'd do the same.

I did get some shots of the cleverly done up plant pots. The rock one is a finished product and I am in love with it. The sea glass one is work in progress. Very slow puppy ladened progress. Contact cement is now right at the top of the list under super glue. I have to get some more pots and the matching bottoms so I can work my pot making magic for the art show. Do you think they are cool enough to display or am I just caught up in my awesomeness? It does happen frequently after all. There is no jewelry yet but the supplies are on the way and you *know* that is bloggable material. Enjoy the pictures... I'm off to hike away the day with dogs at Squaw Peak. Did you know Squaw is now considered a "bad word"? PC people, you have been warned.

Oh yeah! I almost forgot. I AM VICTORIOUS!!! Remember hearing about the four little dogs next door to me that bark at nothing all day non stop?? I hate them with a passion. The barking was driving me insane and something needed to make it stop ASAP. After having a very healthy vent/bitch fest at Mr. F, talking to the neighbors about it and even inviting them to come over so they could hear what I was talking about (they were horrified and then did nothing), I called the one person I knew would back me up when it comes to what others might deem unacceptable or general bad behavior. Once the moral support was firmly under my belt, the "training" began. Every time the little fuckers would come out and start barking I would turn on the hose, yell "GO INSIDE" and give them a moment to process. The barking would of course begin again in earnest, but I was ready. You know those hose nozzles with 150 different spray options? Have one. I would then yell GO INSIDE again and immediately commence spraying it over the wall, soaking them all until they ran into the house. One of the more daring critters thought he could out do me by coming back out, ignoring the spray and barking anyway. Hello jet spray. He started getting a (very well aimed if I do say so myself) face full of water as soon as he came back out. Good bye oh little brave one, in the dog door you go! Now when they come out and start barking, all I have to do is yell GO INSIDE and I am met with the scramble of little feet while they all try to beat each other back into the house. YAY!! I don't want to use the title "dog whisperer" as Cesar got it first but I'm pretty satisfied with my canine manipulating skills. Go me.

I hate folding socks

This weekend has been so aaaaaaaaaah with all the alone time. The only scheduled event was a puppy play date for Tabitha. Besides work, this meant making the house look B E A uitful and taking the dogs for long walks. At first the walks were not what I would call enjoyable or fun. They sucked out loud. There was Tabitha dragging along behind fighting her harness and Jim up front dragging me about by his harness. For a little while I contemplated tying them to a tree and walking away but then I remembered that's how the James came about to begin with. And I promised I would never do that because I am better than that and we can work through anything. Sigh. After the second walk of horror my brain was working over time. What if I just went for walks myself and pretended to have them with me? Weak. Ooo! I could ship them to Iowa and Mr. F could walk them! To expensive. I could amputate their legs and have them replaced with little rubber all terrain wheels. Does creativity ever void out moral issues? Well, it should. After dreamily thinking of ways to blow my dogs up without getting caught or making noise, I got a little more practical about the whole thing. You know that little metal circle that holds the harness straps together on the chest? I put the leash hooks there. TA DA! Tabitha no longer has anything to fight because she is now being lead by her chest. She can dig in, but stopping is not an option. Jim is also controlled by his chest so pulling is out of the question. He steps forward to much and he's headed back to me. Ha! He also HATES the feeling the leash makes when it rubs up on his shoulder. Good. Enjoy heeling you bastard.

I know I am not inventing anything new and you know I am not inventing anything new, but have you ever used those front clasp harnesses? No? Yeah, don't. They suck. I personally feel the design of them is lacking. The front ring the leash hook attaches to comes out from the harness making it sit to low and the harness itself goes on weird. Don't get me wrong here, the theory behind it is a great one. Like I said, I just don't like the construction. Whatever. Million dollar idea. Good for them, blah blah blah. The end result is that we have gone on walk after heavenly walk and it's so pleasant and I so enjoy walking the dogs now. Sure, Tabitha's little legs make it more of a saunter but this gives me time to spy on the neighbors while looking totally innocent of such nonsense. Sweet.

I built a tiny little spring pole tug thing for Tabitha. It is the cutest. It's a little larger than the spring size you'd normally use for a screen door. She can barely get it stretched. I attached it to the leg of the futon in the living room. I didn't think hanging it up in a tree was appropriate. It's kind of scary when Jim takes it from her because he'll be on one side of the living room with this spring stretched as far as it'll go. You know he's going to let go at some point. Just thinking about getting whacked in the leg by a fast moving metal spring led by a big heavy rope toy makes me agitated.

I have decided the back yard needs a flower garden along the house. A nice xeric flower garden. Here are the flowers I have chosen:

"Rocky Mountain" Pensemon

Sedum Autumn Joys Blatant name abuse alert!

Centranthus Ruber (Valerian)

Agastache "Desert Sunrise"s

They all do well with about 10 inches of rain per year. Uh huh. They all do well with brutally hot, full sun all day long. Okay. They are all capable of growing in less than ideal situations. Yup. They all grow well in below average soil or clay like soil. Hello? Does that not sound so like my flower garden?!?! I am going to use some of the left over bricks as a nice little border. I am starting them from seeds since it's less expensive. I know I can start plants from seed because I have my chia pet herb garden on my new work space. Very green. Very chia.

Time keeps on slipping, slipping slipping...

Mr. F, Mr. C and his brother are Iowa bound. I dropped them at the airport this morning at 4 a.m. I want to think this is a big deal but we have been getting up around 5 as of late so it worked into the schedule beautifully. This however, means I now have two dogs to walk in the morning. Maybe walk is the wrong word. Definition of walk: Slowly walk 10 feet. Stop. Cry. Look as sad and as cold as you can. Cry some more. Get up. Shake. Cry. Shiver. Rinse. Repeat. We "walked" two city blocks in about an hour. Yeah... I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to tomorrow morning. I shouldn't be so negative. This is giving the James time to practice not dragging me all over the place. That's right, I'm a dog training multitasking fool. Sometimes I feel like there is an emphasis on the fool. Hmm.

I am PUMPED about this art show. I have eight weeks and nothing but innovative energy flowing. I am gathering jewelry making products from ebay and once it's all here I am going to go ape-shit creating some of the most beautiful jewelry you have ever encountered. That's the plan anyway. Oooo... I might even enter some of my new plant pots. I have to get some pictures on here of them. They're so rad.

On another totally unrelated to the art show note, I'm starting a book. I know I have mentioned this before, but now that I am up with (or before) the sun, putting time on my side, I totally see this transpiring. Who knows, maybe I'll be a famous author someday. I'd like that. If I end up in your area due to my book signing tour and you aren't there ready with a copy of my book in your hand, I don't even know what I am going to do, that's how bad it is. That said, I am wasting perfectly good time blogging when I could be gathering information and jewelry. But you know, I like blogging so I am not going to worry about it. Yet.

Because I can...

Did I tell you about the art show I am going to be in? Well, my work will be in it. I'm not sure what I am going to do yet but the woman putting it together told me to bring a bunch of stuff. Ten items per person. It doesn't have to be one thing. This works for me. Mr. F will b making unique shelves. We are also going to be printing out some of our photos. I have some killer ones I took while driving here so I am going to go ahead and enter a couple. I keep thinking I should make jewelry. Suggestions? Remember, it has to take little overhead and little time. It also should be something I can bring to Boston when I go. Hence the jewelry idea. Brilliant!!

Now that Tabitha is running rampant just like all puppies do, I have little time to blog. It bums me out. However, Tabitha herself is very bloggable. Let me show you... Since we picked her up she has been the model pup. She's almost got the housebreaking down pat. Only pee accidents so far. And it hasn't been more than ten times I think. Awesome. She knows sit and does it well. She also knows her name now! YAY! We practice by calling her from one side of the house to the other and when she is with the other person we change positions and she has to come find us. Treats are involved. She's a pig so this works out well. Jim is also finally taking to her. He's not putting up with any shit and he clearly thinks she's the dumbest thing he's ever encountered, but he can be grudgingly convinced to play. She watches his every move and this is helping tremendously. He's the best dog ever but I don't want to sit here and state the obvious so I'm off to bed.

Here are some more pictures of loveliness to fill your brain.

What we have compiled so far...

There is more and better to come, don't you worry. Enjoy the cuteness. We certainly are.

Really? Seriously? BRING IT!

So yesterday consisted of cold, overcast and some rain. Not exactly picture taking weather. :F It's fine. If it's war mother nature wants, war she gets.

Speaking of war... We are listening to the audio book of The 33 Strategies of War. Highly recommended. Next we are going to listen to The Art of War. Audio books are the new black.

Do puppies also poop time?

I know! I know! Pictures! Blogging!

Time is scarce right now. Puppies are fun fun but they eat time (along with everything else it would seem). Also, the batteries for my camera refuse to hold a charge. I am off to get new rechargeable ones. Tomorrow is the day for going out and having a blast while taking tons of pictures of the cutest thing alive (after my shoot we'll be focusing on Tabby HA!).

BTW, James is proving to be a very decent big brother. He's not all that interested in Tabitha and constantly looks at her like she is the most stupid tiny dog he's every come across. But he's willing to teach her limits and boundaries. That's important. He's awesome.

I'm so excited, I can't even believe it!!

I have been withholding information because it seems like every time I go jumping the gun, everything falls apart and I end up standing there alone, cold, empty handed, forgotten, neglected, crying in the dark. That might be the slightest of exaggeration.

WHO CARES!! WE'RE GETTING A PUPPY!!! AHHHH!!! SHE'S SO FREAKING CUTE!!! I found her while doing the petfinder thing. What? I like to look at puppies! Back off with all your judgement!! ANYWAY... there she was and I was all awww man come on!! The next thing I know I'm filling out the application for her thinking it would be nice if we got her. Mr. F is all for it provided it's a bully breed so I knew when he saw her little mug, he'd fall. He fell hard. NICE!

I got the call not 24 hours after sending in the application. WE'RE IN!!! We're picking her up tomorrow at 5 p.m.. This is so cool I can hardly take it. Get this... We were picked out of (count them) 3freaking00 applications! 300! Holy shit! I AM THE MASTER APPLICATION FILLER OUTER!

Here's everything I know so far. She's 9 weeks old, full of herself, sort of crate trained and good with kids, cats and dogs. She's in Tucson and that's a haul but I think we all know by this point I don't mind driving if it's for a good cause right? She is the best cause I can think of at this moment. I can't wait to see Jim show her the ropes. A new little sister? Jim's going to be the best big brother ever! Hot damn!

Here she is. We're naming her Tabitha.

There's nothing like a clean canvas...

Happy 2008!