Well, it’s almost here - 2008. What will this year hold for me? Hopefully lots of joy and success for sure. I know that one of my goals for this year is to create more - at least once a week. Whether it be a scrapbook layout, an art project, something! I have committed to doing at least two books this year that I’ll have printed through Shutterfly when I’m done. These will be my digital books. One is for Jack & Daisy and the other is about me. Should be fun and I look forward to doing this. I’ve already got a headstart on the dogs’ book! Here’s another layout that is a letter from Merlin, their angel wishing them hope, joy and many blessings for being in their new home. TOTALLY tough to journal this one, but feels good to do and add to their book:

Speaking of Jack & Daisy, I added a little link up at the top that is “their story” and where I’ll keep their layouts added. I will do the same with one of my own books about me too. Just so you can always easily go back and find it. I figured out how to put my categories back on the blog - down at the bottom. Not sure why this template didn’t have that option. I like doing my website through the blog - totally easier!

Credits on that layout go to Amy Hutchinson designs (Crystal Cranberry) and Jen Wilson Designs - the journal strips.

We’re heading over to my aunt and uncle’s for the evening. Will play some Guitar Hero on Jake’s wii and whatever other board games we do. I haven’t showered today and I need to take the dogs back out before it gets too dark. I can’t let Daisy run free in the dark because it’s too hard to catch her. I never thought I’d get her to come in last night. Thank goodness for fencing, but it’s just too stinkin’ cold out to be doing that. She’s really such a sweetie - she woke up this morning and wagged her little tail and came to me licking my hand. Awww, love her. She is so sweet, but so scared. Jack - my snoring one - lies on his back with all fours up in the air. Will try and grab some shots of that. Will have to crate them tonight while we’re gone. Hate that but Jack would pee all over the house! YIKES.

Have a wonderful evening and I can’t wait to talk 2008 with you!

Much Love,

I’m so happy you love them too! So, they have now spent two nights here. And, Daisy is really beginning to warm up to me. I keep thinking I should be blogging about these two on their own blogs! Like, I might start annoying some people here if it’s all that I talk about! HA HA.

I had them on iPhoto last night so here they are with a quick, live intro. Please PLEASE, do not hold that mess behind me against me. Life is completely crazy right now. I am under a HUGE crunch with design work and any other extra time is spent with these two right now.

[youtube 0JtkoNoJzHQ]

They aren’t really eating much or drinking much. Daisy is completely shy about even going in the kitchen so I find myself bringing her bowl up to the futon nearby and she does nibble some there. I figure if they get really hungry or thirsty they will go in and eat and drink. Jack’s teeth aren’t too great. He had some dental disease when rescued and you can tell some of his teeth are missing. Poor fella!!! He is also a climber. Yes, a climber! Oh my, please don’t let our first visit to Dr. Pollack be for a broken leg because he falls! They slept all night long in the bed again. We got up this morning around 7 and I let them off their leashes in the backyard. OFF THEY RAN! LOL They are so fast!

We went up to Lowe’s this morning to get some cage wire so we could fix any spots in the corners of the fence. I want them to run, but worry only now about digging their way out. If that happens, then we’ll just get some long leads and let them be on those to run. I think we wore them out this afternoon. They are snoozing pretty hard right now.

I have a MILLION emails to answer from this past week and haven’t really done that. I AM SO sorry! I will, I promise. It’s just that we have so much to do for Pink Paislee before we go to CHA in February and I just am feeling crazed!

P.S. - If you take pictures and use any of the Pink Ink Studios products, you should be posting in the Flickr Group that Jeff made us! Why? Because, starting in January, we’re going to be letting you vote on our Pictures of the Day each week for a chance to win a $20 gift certificate to the store. Plus, there’s amazing stuff in that there Flickr Group! Picture of the day are always posted on our blog over there.

So, I need to go to work now - so much to do. I’ll leave you with Jack & Daisy’s first layout made way late last night. Like I really should have been doing that instead of working! EEEK! Credits to Digital Design Essentials (Gina Cabrera), Shabby Miss Jenn and Jen Wilson Designs.

Much Love,

I’m pretty much known for consistently blogging so when I miss a day or two, I hear from people asking if I’m okay. That’s so sweet!!!! Sometimes, things just get too crazy and I forget or don’t have the time to really put into a real post. Though, blogging really is for me, and it’s my method of journaling, I don’t mind sharing my life and what all we do around here with you guys.

So, I’ll get to my busy part of the day yesterday in a second. My book from Apple came yesterday. It is the book I made of Merlin. I posted a few weeks back after he passed away about making this book. Through Apple, and the iPhoto program, you can quickly throw a book together with an entire folder of pictures. Now, the graphic artist in me does have SOME PROBLEM with releasing that control, but I really wanted it done. I just didn’t have the time to lay out a really nice book like I’d want to. So, I opted for this. I chose the biggest and best book they had and really paid a good deal for it. But, it’s COMPLETELY worth it. It’s amazing and the quality is so nice.

These are not watermarked, so please don’t take and claim as your own. THANKS!

If you’ve got a MAC and want to quickly put some photos in a book, this is a quick and nice option! I’m so glad I have this now to look at. Picking the photos and narrowing it down was the hardest part!

Anyhoo - it couldn’t have come on a better day. Because, Friday, December 28th, I brought home new loves. It was almost symbolic that his book would arrive the same day I would adopt again.

Meet Jack and Daisy.

I know what you’re thinking….TWO???? Yes, TWO!!!!

When we went in to the Humane Society, we saw the adult dogs first and then into the puppy room, where smaller adult dogs are also living. I had seen these two on their website since I first started looking and felt so bad that they had been there so long.

Their story is that they were rescued from a neglectful situation with probably around 20 other dogs. They had heart worms and obvious fighting scars on their ears. Poor Jack’s ear is pretty jagged. They were very shy when we brought them into a room with us. Daisy (who was named Sherry by the staff) was so shy and timid. I was really worried about her. Jack showed affection to the adoption counselor pretty quick which showed me he probably just needed to warm up to us.

It broke my heart how Daisy wanted to be with Jack and hid behind him. Like, she needed him to feel safe. I couldn’t take Jack without taking Daisy too. The counselor said she felt that Daisy would be a lifer there because of how shy she was. But, I held her in my arms and she was so gentle. Scared, but gentle.

They don’t bark at all - at least we haven’t heard them bark. The counselor said she hadn’t even heard them bark. Daisy actually spent some time at a foster home. It appears according to her medical history that she was rescued with two puppies which were probably hers. Jack is estimated at about 6 years old and Daisy a little over 2. Daisy wants to be every where Jack is.

I took Daisy to Petsmart last night. I’m going to be looking into some classes at the HSofMO that are for socializing dogs. I don’t know what happened to them and exactly HOW they were treated, but it’s evident. Though, they are so comfortable sleeping next to each other and right by my side. Taking her to Petsmart was hard because she was so nervous, but I really want to gradually get her in environments with other people and animals so she starts to come out of feeling so afraid. It will take some time, maybe even a year or so, but we’ll get there.

They are both Rat Terrier mixes. She is smaller than him and their ears are SOOOO cute!

Jack’s ear from the backside - you can see some wear and tear there. He also has this little wart on there too that we’ll watch.

Jack’s a real ham too. If you give ANY attention to Daisy, he comes and butts right in there wanting love. She lets him. She loves him.

I got Daisy a blingy collar - can you see it? I also got her a harness as they recommended it for her. She can slip out of her collar easily and take off as she did to them. Well, I chased them both down the street right when I got home. Though, if you get Jack, and her attention, she will usually come running because she wants to be with him. PHEW! So, I have to check the fence areas for any openings they can get out before I let them loose in the backyard. For now, it’s a leash (I got a coupler to put them on the same leash).

I’ll take Jack up there tonight probably to fit him for a collar. Taking both would have been too hard at this point as scared as they are right now. I have to pull out Merlin’s old crate and put it together for them. Jack’s already found the litter box. NICE. So, we’ll get a guard for that door so the cats can jump over to it and he will leave it alone.

They slept RIGHT next to me all night long. Never budged to get off the bed. They seem so content with just being asleep and in the same room. Let’s hope that they keep that up. Daisy looked up for her sleep above and her lip was all bunched up. THOSE TEETH! AHAHAHAH.

They are really so precious and I feel so good that I was able to give them a home. It’s fun, but a challenge having two. Jack is peeing on things - I’m sure because of Merlin’s scent. They haven’t touched their food yet…though Jack did get some water this morning. I’m sure they will come around.

Anyhoo - that was my day yesterday. I knew you would want to know too! Expect TONS of pictures of these guys!

Much Love,

Charter Communications makes me so ticked off! I hate that they are some huge corporation that manipulates the area of St. Louis as the only cable company available to us. St. Louis could sure do with some other cable companies coming in here and giving them a challenge! My Internet wasn’t too good all over the holidays and I seemed to have fixed the router problem. Now, even if I step one room away with my laptop, the connection is in and out. Why do I pay so much for this for such crappy connection? I should be on stinkin’ dial-up! We got rid of land line phones here in the house, so we won’t do satellite and add those back again. Anyhoo - thought I’d just let that out to feel a little better.

I have a small sale going on at Pink Ink Studios. If you’re an Adobe Lightroom user, you may want to grab these while you can! Buy my larger set and use this coupon code and you’ll get Vintage and Old School free! Good through January 1st. Click here for details. Oh and all Christmas card templates are on sale for $2.99! Yep, all professional use!!!! What a steal huh?

My throat is bugging me today - but it’s been really gloomy and rainy so I am hoping it’s just the weather and my allergies and not something more.

Alright - sorry, it’s boring today! No photo to post….eek!

Much Love,

Okay, bad attempt at a Kanye West parody to how I feel. I have eaten myself silly. SILLY I TELL YOU! I can no longer be eating in the habit I have been this past week. It’s UNACCEPTABLE! Gross! So, as I eat second helpings of ham and potato salad tonight I remind myself it’s time to get back on my diet. PIG.

Anyhoo - Christmas was nice. Santa brought me a Shootsac and this:

KIDDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No, that’s my uncle’s new puppy, Zoey. Though, I am completely in love with her! She loves to be in your lap and cuddle. Oh my goodness, a dream she is! She’s a Whippet. I could never afford to go with a full breed, but isn’t she the sweetest?

I have been silly crazy though on the Humane Society website and Petfinder.com looking at adoptable dogs. So many. Friday, we’ll probably go to the headquarters to look. I emailed about one dog tonight down in Farmington but she was adopted today. Having another dog with me is so important. I mean, what the heck am I supposed to take pictures of during my off time? HA HA - I joke.

Pirate is fun to photograph, but man, a total lug!

We spent the holiday over at my uncle’s house in St. Charles. Lot’s of good times to be had. In fact, doesn’t everyone deserve to play slots and pinball on Christmas day in the den?

Or, piano anyone?

But, my favorite of the day is this one…gotta love our nutty bunch!

Well, we got word that we are in fact able to go to CHA in February with Pink Paislee!!!! We’ll certainly debut now so that makes us very happy! Are you going to be there? I hope to be at the booth a bunch, but will be wandering around checking out the stuff going on in the industry as well. Let’s start making plans to say hi to each other, k?

Lot’s to do this week! Hope you’re holiday has been fantastic!

Much Love,