I'VE HAD A BABY!

Well, okay, I didn't exactly have a baby...
What I did have, what I do have is a new puppy!

Excuse me?
What??
I said that I would rescue any dog, but no more puppies??
No 'mam, not me, too old for a puppy, too much work, noppers.
Give me a house trained mutt that needs a home and I'm there.

Then God introduced me to one of my dearest friends, Pam Warden, a (licensed - woohoo!!) artist with an amazing gift and a heart unlike anyone I know.
So, her dogs, a Yorkie and a Cairn, get married and have puppies.
She sends me pictures, I fall in love and claim "that one!".

When I drive up to my mom's in Michigan after Christmas, I make a detour through Madison, Wisconsin, to meet Pam and John, her husband, and snag the newest member of our 'kennel'.

5 weeks old

We had a great evening and breakfast the next morning. They were in Madison for an art show and because they drove through blizzard-like weather to get down to Madison, we didn't have as much time to spend together. But, it being the first time that Pam and I had met in person (we had been emailing and talking on the phone for what seems like forever) it was a wonderful time! We noticed that we both tended to talk at the same time and I told her it was because neither of us stopped talking.

See that one sharp tooth?? She has FOUR of those - we call them razors.

When I picked her up she was this wee little thing and she couldn't have weighed more than two pounds. Cutest thing you ever saw 'ceptin' for my boys.

Beautiful little girl in pink (is there any other color??)

It's been amazing watching her change color since I picked her up. When I got her, she was pretty much a little black girl. Now, she's getting that Yorkie coloring on her legs, neck, face, and, well, okay, her behind. That means it always looks like she just took a poop and got it all over herself when I look at her from behind real quick. It makes my heart skip a beat thinking that she's had yet another accident. Then, I realize that it's just her coloring.

Well, sometimes it's not just her coloring. Sometimes I can smell that it's not just her coloring.

8 weeks old and I'm totally smitten!

Did I mention that just God and I knew about this new addition to our family at this point? Just wondering if I had mentioned that I was planning on surprising the Tank with our new puppy. No?? Well, that was the plan, so when it was time to leave for home with my mom in tow I also had mom's darling Maltese, Sophie, in tow, but also the new puppy for our very long trip home. I must say that the first hour and a half in the car with puppy in the kennel in the backseat of my convertible and me in the front seat wasn't very pleasant for anyone within hearing distance (and it wasn't me screaming - it was HER!) But, after that initial period she settled down and the rest of the trip was great.

I was really, really glad she got over her separation anxiety because I was NOT looking to have another appendage - my laptop's enough.

Finally home and finding peace in chewing on a throw-away box instead of mommmy's *bloody* hand.

She is settling into ranch life just like you would expect a puppy to.

She bugs Ben until he shows his teeth though he's now too old to growl (Ben's a dog).

She plays with Killer and Baxter which lasts about 5 seconds until they run for the couch *because she can't reach it*.

And, she is making Maytag, the cat that thinks she is a dog, neurotic. She will not leave her alone and the poor kitty doesn't have any claws in her front paws. (However, if I WAS Maytag, I'd swat the heck outta that puppy - I think it'd just take one time...)

Oh, and by the way, boys, this is your little sister. hahaha

As you can see, we are starting to look alike - both laughing a LOT!

I haven't told y'all her name, have I?

Her name is Sister.

Sister Mary Tina after my precious friend, Tina Wright.

Oh, and she's Catholic.

Blessings, y'all, from the kennel!    

I love you!!

Jan

     

                                                            

P.S. The Tank went to hug and kiss me when I walked in when we got home and I was holding a wiggling Sister behind my back and when he reached his arms around me for his hug he felt her.

His reaction?

"Uh, oh, I KNOW what that is!!" hahaha - he loves her and wasn't a bit surprised:)

$300 LIPSTICK RANCH SHOPPING SPREE!

On September 5th K.C. Willis of Lipstick Ranch will draw a name for $300 worth of art of your choice from Lipstick Ranch. You want to be sure and enter!!

And, her 2009 and 2010 workshop schedule is up and running - you can link to the workshop schedules on the Studio Retreats page. Along with K.C., Joanna Pierotti and Sarah Fishburn (to name just a couple) will be teaching there which is very exciting! AND, workshops paid in full up front get 20% off and until the drawing is held on September 5th, those same paid workshops get one night of their hotel free in lovely Longmont, COLORADO.

Kinda makes me wish I would have waited to sign up for my workshop at K.C.'s until this week! - just didn't know about the shopping spree drawing when I signed up!

I encourage you to check out K.C.'s Lipstick Ranch and her Studio Retreats page - her art will blow you out of the water! I am so, so excited that I made the decision to take one of her face to face workshops. I admire her greatly as an artist and as a person.

Thanks, y'all, ALL of my faithful readers for your support, your love and your comments:)

XOXO, Jan

POOR BAXTER

I was pulling up this particular post for a friend of mine tonight and before I sent it to her I re-read it for like the hundreth time and found myself still laughing as I finished it.
I've re-posted this once before but it's been a long time ago so, knowing we could all use a laugh right now, I'm re-posting it again.
Enjoy yourself and pee before you start reading...just sayin'.

*disclaimer: this story is a lot like the short stories I used to write in the past......a bit of sick humor........if you have a love of animals that is so strong that it would not allow you to see the humor in a story entitled "Poor Baxter" knowing that Baxter is a family pet, a dog, then don't read this.
If however you can appreciate me laughing until my stomach hurt and I couldn't breathe, read on and enjoy yourself......

*do not look at the pictures yet.....first read this:*

 

POOR BAXTER

We own a dog named Baxter. He was found running around the Office Max parking lot in Kerrville in the middle of the summer about three years ago and a friend picked him up because he had no collar, no tags, and it was over 100 degrees. To make a long story short we ended up adopting the little dog.


This was Frank the Tank's idea, not mine.

Baxter didn't seem quite right and I couldn't get past the fact the he never closed his mouth and his tongue was about 1/2" too long so you could always see it.

Oh, and he had an underbite.

He looked ridiculous.........he had these Fruit Bat-like ears, too, and he walked like an armadillo (really slow and rocking-like) - he was a goober.

I let Frank keep the little mutt but I got to name him. Thus, his name "Baxter" *from Anchorman*.

This afternoon I was working in my studio and a friend stopped by - Amanda Jones. After we finished visiting and she was fixing to walk out the door to the driveway she looked out the window in the door and said to me *as she giggled*,

"Baxter looks dead!"

NOW YOU MAY LOOK AT THE PHOTOS BELOW

I looked out the window and sure enough, Baxter was dead.

You can see by where the truck is parked that Frank evidently hit him when he pulled in to park going his usual 110 miles per hour.

Oh, my gosh, Baxter was dead.

Oh, wait.
No he wasn't.
That's just the way he looks when he sleeps because his mouth never closes, his tongue always sticks out and his underbite shows.
It's quite confusing to visitors, but Baxter was simply napping.


The visual, however, was enough to send Amanda and myself into a fit of giggles.
I couldn't breathe.
And I was using stomach muscles that only get used when I laugh like that - um, at least once a day!
Oh, my gosh. We were dyin' here.


Why, we must share this reason for laughter; what with Hillary and Obama duking it out for the presidency we are always looking for reasons to laugh.......what could we do?


Oh, I know what we could do.
We could make Frank think he had run over Baxter and killed him.
Oh, stop it. It was funny.


The problem was that Amanda wouldn't run into the living room where Frank was, yelling, "Frank, Frank, you ran over Baxter and he's dead!!"
Well, I couldn't do it, I'm married to the man.


What could we do????
Oh, I know.
We could prank the boys!
Craig's home for the weekend and he and Clay were both home.............
I knew I could handle this because I wouldn't have to look in their faces as I pranked them - I could just yell through Clay's bathroom at them.


And that's what I did.
"Craig, Blake, Craig, Clay. HURRY!! Baxter's dead!! He's been run over!!!"


Craig comes running.
Amanda and I have taken up our "backs to the room" pose at the door hoping that he would think our shoulders were shaking because we were sobbing....
Craig is followed by my mother who is followed by Clay who is followed by Frank.


They all realize that it's a joke after Baxter raises his head and looks at all of us crowded around the window.

"BAXTER! PLAY DEAD!!"

We're all laughing.
Oh, okay, my mother wasn't laughing but I know she thought it was funny because she had a wee bitty grin on her face.
We're all looking out the window at Baxter who is sitting there with his mouth open, his underbite glistening in the sun and his tongue showing about 1/2" too much and we're dying.


In the middle of our laughing Frank says, "Let's shoot him. Make sure he's dead."


We were on the floor.

The End - tell me you laughed.

I love you!! Jan