Adjusting...........

There have only been a few peaceful moments like this since the arrival of Max. He is all DOG!
So things have been lively- he does not back down when Bitsey goes Alpha on him- he plays like a puppy with Chug- and he wants to go outside constantly. If I had five cents for every time I have said "Stop before someone gets hurt!" I would be rich! Normally he does not sleep on a dog bed with the others. He prefers a laundry basket or a kitchen chair as his bed! Eli was always neutral in arguments, he was a peacemaker or a buffer. Max will make an alliance with Chug or Bitsey and team up against the man out. We have to be careful when feeding them or war will break out. Chug loses his mind if Max cozies up to me. Things do seem to be getting better - a little bit at a time!

Thrifty Thursday - Three Thrifty Pumpkins

I really do not need anymore Halloween or Fall decorations at the Swamp. I have boxes that I don't have room for (but can't quite get rid of!). I do need "Craft Therapy" so I made 3 different pumpkins for very little $$$$.

The first one is my Dictionary Pumpkin. It is a Dollar Tree carvable pumpkin -$1. I sprayed it white but was not happy with the line around the middle that stuck out. So I covered it in paper towel paper mache. I also cut out the stem and stuck in a branch.
Then I covered it with torn pieces of dictionary pages and Mod Podge. I used 3 entries from an old picture dictionary- owl, jack-o-lantern, and witch.

I used a pipe cleaner and some floral ivy leaves to make the vine. In the end - it just didn't look grungy enough so I dabbed on some antiquing glaze over everything -even the pipe cleaner.

Next is the old book pumpkin. I saw these first last year at the Country Living Fair in Atlanta. There have been a few in Blogland lately that reminded me I wanted to make one. I did not have to spend any money at all for this project- everything was around the house.

I took an old Reader's Digest Condensed Book off the shelf. Removed the cover and any pages with color. Folded each page (573 of them!) in half. Used a glue gun to join the spine in a circle. Added felt eyes and mouth, ribbon stem and bow. DONE!

The last pumpkin is made just like #1 except I covered it with toile tissue paper from Hobby Lobby!

I didn't put the glaze on this one.

So my total for all three projects was $4. I love thrifty decorating! Join with me at Leigh's place for more great ideas tonight!

Thrifty Thursday -Altered Art Project

I wish I took a picture of this when I first got it - but honestly I felt like a was in a race to save it. I found this canvas at an early morning yard sale a couple of weeks ago. It was on the ground and damp. The photo was falling apart - pieces were missing already. At first I just walked by it. I even got in the truck with my other loot. I just could not get her face out of my mind! Much to my Hubby's dismay I jumped back out to the car and ran back to buy her...for a quarter. As I carried her back to the truck I had to stop and gather pieces that were falling off! I had a vision of her in a spooky Halloween vignette.....

I put her in the sun to dry, then began to piece her back together. I had to restaple the canvas to the frame and glue the pieces back down. I used Mod Podge. I gave it 2 top coats and even coated the back of the canvas. I put some ruffled black ribbon around the edge of the canvas to hide my staples. I shopped my craft room for scraps to dress her for Halloween. A piece of an old doily on the corner and the ribbon with "BOO" cover most of the missing pieces of the picture. The crow covers a puncture. His feathers came from an old hat. The creepy black fabric came from Dollar Tree.

The crow and "BOO" came from Graphics Fairy. I printed them on brown mailing paper.

The accessories are not glued on because I am already thinking of dressing her for Christmas. I just used handy tack to stick them on! Total cost of project = $1.34 (most of the supplies I already had)

We named her Charity Violet. I have not been very crafty lately so this little project was great therapy.

After a long absence I will be linking up to the Thrifty Thursday Party at Bloggeritaville!

When One Door Closes....

Thank you for your sweet words about Eli! We are truly heartbroken, he was a special dog. For sure the most even tempered and gentle of our dogs. He was mischievous as a puppy but outgrew that to be the best behaved of the herd. There is not a room in our house that does not have a pillow or picture of a pug on it. Everywhere we look is a reminder! I told my Hubby at first I did not want another pug yet, I needed time to grieve, but I was sure that we would have one some day. For one thing we still have a pug- Bitsey -who was also grieving and a chug -Chug- who is still high maintenance. Bitsey has taken it harder because they had always been together. She has had some temper issues with Chug and even bit me trying to attack Chug!
I told "The Boy" that we just could not trust Bitsey with a puppy right now. Things needed to settle down for a while.


But, you can not always plan your life and you have to take a leap of faith sometimes......

And when one door closes another one opens.....

So when these "circumstances" happened, we just had to believe it was meant to be,,,,,


When my Hubby had to call our original vet to tell her the sad news, she hesitated to tell him of a Pug who had to be "rescued" - His owners divorced and one could not have pets- the other did not want him. He was living outside - in the South-in the heat. They were going by each day to feed him. He is six years old and 17 pounds (bigger than Bitsey). Good with other dog, cats, children.....You can see that he fit our family...... it was meant to be. He will not replace our Eli, but he will make his own place in our hearts!

So here is our MAX!




He has been the first of our herd to go right into the pool. When he lays down he has "frog" legs sticking out behind him. He has a big tongue, but does not give kisses -yet. He can sit for a treat. He has a big personality - the other dogs are a little bit in shock- he barks and runs and chases balls. They all missed their afternoon nap today trying to keep up with him!

Eli Earned His Angel Wings

Walter Elias Carter 2002-2011









It is another sad day here at the Swamp as we said good-bye to our beloved Eli. He responded to the meds for a few days and we were confident that he would get better. Then things began to go downhill again. We got a second opinion and then were referred to a neurologist at the AU Vet School. Before his appointment he began to suffer more, the pain meds were just not working. My Hubby took him to the Emergency Room at the Vet School and they got him more comfortable. He had the best diagnosis team and equipment available. They found that he had prostrate cancer which is rare in dogs and very fast growing. It had already spread. They offered us some treatment options that would only buy him 2 months at most and would not give him a good quality of life. He had to make the hard decision to let him go over the Rainbow Bridge. My Hubby said he was at peace at the end and licked his face as if to let him know it was OK. Oh! How we loved that dog! Our hearts are broken but we could not let him suffer. Bitsey and Chug are sad, they remained at his side while he was sleeping for 2 weeks and you can tell they are grieving as well. I hope they serve carrots and chicken over the Rainbow Bridge!

Eli, The Patient

He may look grouchy here....but believe me...he is feeling much better today than he has been. Eli has had "stiff" legs from time to time. The vets have checked him and he has never acted like he had any pain. He has been better in the last year. Then suddenly about 2 weeks ago he could hardly walk. So a trip to the vet was in order. His bloodwork came back normal and he did not get any worse. He just was not happy. He walked in baby steps, head down, did not play with toys. He did not miss any meals. But we were worried! Then Sunday night he began to whine, turned down food, and his ears and tail were down. I spent most of the night on the kitchen floor with him. Monday morning it was back to the vet. X-rays and meds and 2 days at the vet. He probably has a bruised disc and will require bed rest and meds for 2 weeks. He feels 100% better.

He is playing with his "babies" and walking so much better!

Our pockets are empty but the curl in this wagging tail is priceless!

Thrifty Thursday -Merry Christmas!

My yard sales, estate sales and thrift stores this week have all had a theme... Vintage Christmas! This must be the time of year to start collecting these cuties! I wish I could find the room to keep them all but, my house already could qualify for the "Hoarders" TV shows!

Found these three cuties out in the country at a little church yard sale...

From the thrift store came Frosty...

And this Santa mug with tiny vintage balls....

Some of these also came from my favorite thrift store.... I love the details of these teeny vintage wooden ornaments- that piano is so cute!

And look at that clock!

I think this one came from an estate sale.....

Most of these angels came from an estate sale....

Of course I want to keep them all but Hubby says they are destined for ebay and etsy...What will I sneak away? Well, this little angel is broken so I will give her a home...she is missing a bird but that does not bother me!

But my favorite thing this week is this baby angel found at that same little church sale!

After I got her home I found that she had been passed down a family.....

1947 to 1968 to 2001.... She will be at home here for as long as I'm around!!!

So now I'm off to what other thrifty treasures are turning up at Leigh's Thrifty Thursday!