Happy New Year!

So, welcome to 2011 and a brand new decade!! I've decided to take it pretty quiet around here today, in celebration and just chill with a couple dogs on the couch and a good book.

I chose to pick up the book "Room" by Emma Donoghue. And, I'm struggling to put it down again. It's the story of a little boy and his mother, locked in a room by a man named Old Nick. The boy has never been outside and has grown up thinking "room" is all there is; everything else is imaginary and not real. Donoghue decided to write this book after she heard the story of Fritzl in Austria who locked his daughter away for 24 years and she had 7 children, 3 of which were raised in a cellar, never experiencing natural light or the outside world.  And, Donoghue has done a masterful job of creating a disturbing sense of what that life must be like, told from the perspective of a 5 year old child named Jack. You should read it, really you should. Beautiful, haunting, awful and will stay with me for DAYS, I am sure!!  In case you're interested: Room, from Amazon

Anyway, in other news, the dogs celebrated the new year with a new collar each. I still make collars and leashes, when I have time and the energy. Of late, I have been hunting around for new trims to sew and I while I need to splurge and order a bunch of new webbing, I still managed to make these yesterday:

This one, above is Sophie's. This photo explains EXACTLY why I don't have a website, selling my collars. It's BRUTAL to get good photos of them, with the camera I have. I own a good little Canon Powershot, but sadly, I have no idea what setting to put it on to get good photos of light coloured collars; they tend to wash out, unfortunately. In any case, Sophie's collar is very pale (any guesses as to how long it will stay clean?!?) and girly. Totally suits her!

Spike's is a cheerful, 70's version of Sophie's. Yup, browns and oranges, but it seemed to suit him better than pale pink, haha. Notice, Sophie wears a martingale while Spike wears a buckle. Really, I don't walk Sophie on collar/leash ever (she wears an easywalk harness) and I like the look of the martingale. Spike can't wear one for Therapy work; it has to be a flat buckle so that's what he gets.

And Murphy's. Yup, it's girly. And, no she's not. I don't care; I've always loved these cheerful polka dots but didn't have enough left for a new collar for Soph, but there was enough for Murphers. So, my non girly- girl, will have to be happy in pink. :)

Anyway, here's to a new year of taking care of me... that includes reading all day, if I choose. :)  So, back to my book I go until I find the motivation to take the dogs for a run (it's REALLY, REALLY cold out here, right now!) and make cabbage rolls for supper. Yum!

Hope you are enjoying your January 1st as much as the crew and I are!