Goals for a New Year!

I have had the last two weeks off, from work and University and it's been a great chance to stop, take some time to get caught up on sleep, crafting, dog training, family but mainly to do some reflecting. And, in the tradition of New Year's Resolutions, I know I want to set some goals for the New Year as it helps to focus my energy and drive.

I have lots of things whirling around in my mind, as I am pondering what I want to accomplish in the new year. Lots of them have to do with the dogs, but there are lots of personal goals too.

Personally speaking, I want to accomplish the following....
1. Finish my MEd. I could be done at Christmas, next year if I focus and get busy on my research. I only have one class left, then I am on to Thesis work and this is really, REALLY important to me.

2. Work. I need to make some serious decisions about work as I am finding my job to be a little more stressful than I thought possible,  this year. Yes, I am a teacher and I work with Special Needs kids which automatically makes it a difficult job, but I am finding that I am carrying more worry, related to the job than I really should be. So, I need to find ways to let it go or I am going to find myself ill. And, I guess I know I am on the verge of some changes, as I finish up my education and think about my PhD, so I need to figure out the next steps. Do I take a leave from my job next year to focus on my Thesis? Do I take a chance and leave teaching to do something else? It's unclear right now!

3. I need to focus on ME. I am busy, there is no question of that. But, in the midst of that busy life, I have forgotten to take care of some of the things I need to focus on: proper eating, cooking more, sleeping enough, not being such a stressball. So, in the spirit of taking care of me, I want to focus on my nutrition. I want to cook more from scratch and to actually savour and enjoy what I am eating. Hopefully along the way, I'll lose a pound of two as well!

4. Writing. I love to write. This blog is a bit of an outlet for me, but it's pretty raw and thrown together most of the time. I really do love working with words and I want to find some time and space to weave something together. I want to dust off my short story writing and get back to it. It's a big part of who I am, but I've lost it over the last while.

In terms of the dogs, I want to accomplish the following:
1. Spike: I want to actually get a Q in agility! I want to keep on trucking with the agility work and see where he can go! Specifically, I want to teach him directions; Switch with a left/right command. I also want to get his weaves and contacts even more reliable. I also want to work on teaching him some new tricks. I want to continue his therapy dog work and get him certified to work with children as well.

2. Sophie: I want to continue to improve Soph's health. She's happier than she's been in over a year; the sparkle is back! I want to continue to foster that. And, if we can manage to do some Obedience and Agility along the way, that's a bonus!!  I would love, LOVE to get her CD, in Obedience. Sophie is the reigning queen of tricks in this house and I want to continue to work her magic and learn a few new things.

3. Murphy: I want to do some basic obedience with her. She needs more attention and focus, so I figure if I can teach her some basics, maybe I can increase her capacity to focus and learn. As well, I want to continue with agility with her. She's got a LONG WAY to go before I can run her in a trial, but whatever... it's a fun journey training a terrier, right?  I also want to work on some trick training with this poochy of mine.


I have some big ideas of what I want to accomplish in 2011, and I have no idea if I have the ability to actually stick to it, but I know that if I don't spell it out for myself, I won't actually do anything. So, here goes to a new journey.... I have no idea where I'll find myself next fall, or really even next December 31st, but I can tell you this much, I'm hoping to enjoy the journey a whole lot more than I did in 2010. It wasn't an easy year, personally, but I feel like this is a chance to get myself back on track and loving the life I am creating. Here's to health, hope, happiness.  May you find the same things too!

Agility Woman

I HAD to share this one... so funny and perhaps a little bit true?!?

Getting back to normal (or some semblance thereof)

I'm back from my annual Christmas trek home to my parents place. I left Spike and Sophie behind, at Rebecca's and lugged Miss. Murphy with me so at least I'd have some company on the drive. I figured, she's small, how much trouble could she be?

The first day she showed everyone how much... I left her in her crate, while my mother and I went shopping. She was crying when I left and apparently never stopped. It got so mindnumbingly bad for my dad, he let her out of her crate. She insisted on running slightly neurotic laps around the house until it drove him even crazier. So, he attempted to recrate her, which Murph decided wouldn't be happening any time soon, thank you very much. He finally cornered her on their bed where she promptly peed when he reached for her. Sigh. Thank you Murphy, you've made a great impression. He unceremoniously locked her back in her crate, and he hunkered down to wait for my return. The rest of the trip was interesting to say the least; Murphy loved, LOVED playing with my mom's dogs. She spent hours wrestling with Buddy, the Bichon mix. But, when there were too many people around (which was often), she hunkered down under the table with a long cover on it, and hid. Or, worse, would bark from her safe space. I knew Murphy was shy, but this was way beyond what I expected, to be honest. It got so bad, actually by the last day I was there, she decided to stop eating even. Needless to say, she slept most of yesterday, but by last night was starting to bounce around like normal. This morning, she's truly back to normal, jumping around like a Jack, wrestling with Ben and chewing on a bone.

Spike and Sophie had a great time at Rebecca's. Sophie, for some reason insists on eating strange things and throwing up, without fail, the night before she returns home. Rebecca has grown used to this occurence at least and is never really worried about it; she knows all about the labby propensity for throwing up. They were both exhausted yesterday and slept a big chunk of the day as well. That's good, because I'm back on track today with getting Sophie back in shape; she has some serious fetch to play as she continues to rebuild muscle tone.

Ben trundled off to another kennel for the few days I was gone; Bec was full and Joanne had room for a large New Hope dog. Benny had fun, playing with lots of other dogs and continuing to learn about things like stairs and crates and the like.  He's a good dog, but not very food motivated at the moment, so is interesting to work with and teach. I picked him up yesterday and all is back to normal here. He goes for his neuter today, then I am not sure how many days I'll have him. The family he met liked him (if you like labs, there's nothing really here to not love!) so he'll leave for his trial as soon as he's recovered enough from his surgery. They have a very young child so whether Ben stays or not will totally depend on how gentle he is with her. The initial meeting was fantastic, but I keep thinking, I've barely had the boy at my house. Really, I feel like I am still getting to know him so until he goes on the trial and they see how he settles, we won't know.

Anyway, I love being on a complete break from work and school! It gives me time to hang out with the dogs, quilt (yes, all washed and it's starting to fray nicely. It's on my bed now), read books for me (as opposed to research!), even write a little. I am hoping to do some cooking and maybe even a bit of baking. I am a little dizzied by how fast the break is going and while I do enjoy routines, it's lovely to develop a different routine for a couple weeks. Ah well, before I know it, it'll be winter break.

My Christmas Project Completed!

I made my first ever quilt last Christmas break and while I was TIRED by the end, I had fallen in love with quilting. So, when the opportunity came (and a great fabric sale!), I bought the fixin's to do my second which I started in February. I have not had the energy or focus to work on it because of work and school but it seemed a great chance to dig it out, and get it done! So, without further ado, I give you, my quiliting adventure, from start to finish!

Spike and Sophie help me lay it out! Thanks guys!!

All laid out and ready to go! I learned through the first experience it's WISE to take photos as you go, because both times, I referred back to early photos to make sure I was still on track.

Sophie approves of the brown and pink colour scheme.

Ahhh! Cozy for napping.

That's all I managed until this summer, when I did a few rows, but nothing really major. So, once Christmas began and I had the time and focus to work on it, I really got down to business. Here's how the rest progressed:

I sewed the quilt into rows of 12 to begin, then sewed the rows together into thirds. I find it easier to work with it this way. So, that's the first third.

This is the first half, all sewed together. It's 6 rows, by 12 rows.

Second half, before after sewing it together.

Somewhere towards the end of sewing rows into thirds, Murphy decided to cuddle up with the quilt in her way of helping.

The girls both curl up in the chair, next to me to "supervise" the progress. 

Yup, Sophie's keeping an eye on the hard work.

So is Murphy, all cuddled up in last Christmas' quilt project.

And, finally, here it is... my completed, 12X12 rag quilt. I still have to clip the edges and launder my quilt so it begins to fray, but all the sewing is DONE! 

Can't wait to start the next project... somehow, I've convinced my mom to give me her old quilting fabrics so I can try my hand at a "real" quilt; something other than a rag quilt. And, I have scraps from both quilt projects left over to make little quilts for the dogs for in their crates. Might as well use them for a project, right?? It should keep me going for the rest of the holiday, that's for sure.

Play in the yard

I did it. I overcame my fear of "what if?!?" and let Spike and Ben meet. Last night, Spike was allowed a careful, very fast, sneaky sniff as Ben was distracted by something else. No problem. Today, I took everyone out in the yard for a play.  Ben spent the whole time running after everyone. Sophie spent her time avoiding Murphy. Spike spent the time running circles around Ben, barking at him. Yup. it's a good thing Ben just goes with the flow or that could have gotten very ugly.  For now, Ben and Spike will have supervised plays in the yard, and maybe, MAYBE little sessions, both loose in the house. But, that's it. I have no trust for what Spike could potentially do to Benny.

In other news, Ben is meeting a family tonight! If he passes the "I love everyone, including toddlers" he may well have a home already! Cross fingers and paws folks, this boy deserves the best home possible. Poor boy can't go until his ear infection is cleared up as he can't be neutered until it's under control but it'd be nice to know he's moving on to a great family after Christmas. It's my new record for an application on a foster; he was up on petfinder less than 6 hours when the application came in! Way to go Benny, you deserve the best home ever!

Introducing Gentle Ben

Ben is starting to settle in around here. He's a bit of a mystery to me, as he won't eat at this point; he takes treats only but will not eat his kibble. I've never met a lab who wouldn't eat!! However, the poor boy is completely out of his element; he has been taught NOTHING in his short life. He doesn't sit or down on command. He didn't know how to do stairs until yesterday. He hadn't been in a car until 2 days ago. And he's a HUGE (76 pounds worth!) boy but sooo gentle.

It's a horrible pic, I know. He would NOT sit still during his photo shoot and since he can't even sit on command, this was a huge challenge to get anything of him!

Ben is hysterically funny; he bounces in front of me, with a big toothy grin, as if to say "I'm cute! Pet me!".  And he loves Soph already; they've been playing nicely in the yard together. That alone is shocking to me; Soph plays with him. They bounce in and out of play bows, then off to run and body slam each other. It's quite funny. He's even great with Murph! I have to be honest, I haven't introduced Spike yet because he's so big that if something went wrong, I don't know how I'd be able to intervene. That being said, I have no indicators that it would go badly, but I still worry.

Look at me! I'm cute!!  He WAS looking at me directly with his toothy grin but silly boy bounced and moved his head as the photo snapped, LOL

In any case, he's beautiful! He might be a big, black boy, but someone is going to get an gentle giant in this dog. He's truly got a beautiful temperament! If he wasn't soooo darned big, he'd be staying here for sure!

Don't move, don't move! Shoot, you moved. It's blurry now! Sigh.

Pretty boy! I have to get some photos of him with Sophie to show the size difference. She looks dainty next to him!

Smile, Ben!

Oh, wiggle bum! That would have been a great photo, silly boy!

So I didn't get puppies, I got Ben instead....

Alright, it's true. My labby loving heart nearly broke two days ago when the call came for a purebred, Black Lab boy to come into New Hope. He's 15 months old and a gentle soul but his owner, (who also was his breeder) decided that he was a bother as he was trying to move to Ontario, after splitting up with his wife. Said owner never even gave him a name, he just called him Boy. So, I broke down and brought Gentle Ben home. He's a big, blocky lab and is quite a pretty boy. He's laid back and sweet; wanting to hang out and learn about living in a house with lots of attention. Poor boy goes to the vet for his shots this afternoon and to discuss neutering (let me tell you, that has to happen SOON!)  He'll also be getting a bath today as he smells like cigarette smoke. I'm happy we could help this poor boy out; if he'd gone to the SPCA, there's no telling what would have happened. Yes, he's all lab and sweet, but he's scared and not showing himself well. He's really submissive and laid back, but I am sure that would cause people to move on by his kennel run. That's the problem for Big, Black Dogs. They DO get overlooked in the shelter, so I am pretty sure he wouldn't have even made it to Christmas necessarily.

Anyway, stay tuned for Gentle Ben's petfinder page and pictures! I'll get them done today!!