Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Easter Cookies
Thought you might enjoy this.... Interesting recipe.
Cookies for Easter to be made the evening before Easter.You will need to preheat oven to 300 degrees (this is important - don'twait until you're half done with the recipe)!
1 cup whole pecans1 tsp. Vinegar3 egg whitesPinch salt1 cup sugarZipper baggieWooden spoonTapeBible
Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the woodenspoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus wasarrested. He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.Read John 19:1-3.
Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. Vinegar into mixing bowl.Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegarto drink. Read John 19:28-30.
Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave Hislife to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.
Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brushthe rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tearsshed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.Read Luke 23:27.
So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing.Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesusdied because He loves us. He wants us to know andbelong to Him. Read Palms 34:8 and John 3:16.
Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutesuntil stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents -- inGod's eyes -- the purity of those whose sins have been cleansed byJesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.
Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet.Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' bodywas laid. Read Matt. 27:57-60.
Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.
Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus'tomb was sealed. Read Matt. 27:65-66.
GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb wassealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.
On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie.
Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow!
On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed tofind the tomb open and empty. Read Matt. 28:1-9
Share The Easter Cookie Story With Friends and Family

Sunday, March 15, 2009

We've been busy!

We have been busy at our house


Sassy had to go back to the same vet twice and then he didn't do her any good so we took her to a younger lady vet whom I just luv. She is a good listener and explains things well. She was dismayed that the vet before only gave her ointment that she, of course, was just licking back off. Erika gave her oral antibiotics and a cortisone shot and here 2 days later she is just about as good as new.


My sewing has kept me busy especially now (more later on this). I got orders for 2 hoodies, 9 dresses and 3 vests all at once and I am trying to keep up while trying to maintain a clean house and cook too.


There is a new member of your home. Last Sunday Sassy got a sister. Mattie is a little doll but the housebreaking is not going as well as with Sassy so sewing is difficult at times. There is a photo of Mattie.

Poodles are like potato chips, you can't have just one, lol.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Poor little Sassy had a problem today

My poor baby began scratching in a private area last night and by today the poor baby was miserable going around in circles and biting and scratching at herself so we took her to the vet.
She has a little vulva infection from one of several causes. It could be from grass, a bacteria she picked up in the yard, as a result of her recent first heat or a bug bite.

While we were there we also got her rabies shot. She was such a good little trooper, sat on the table backed up to mom, (me) and never moved or flinched. The vet also checked to see if she has retained any baby teeth and she has not, that is good. He checked her little ears, I use a good ear wash once a week but she won't let me pluck the hair out of the canal. But, she sat still and let the vet do it. He said her ears looked great inside so our ear wash works.

Everything else about her was perfect and everyone there had a fit over how cute and how good she was. She got a lot of treats fed to her there.

The vet also said that she has one of the best coats he has ever seen on a poodle. She really has thick coat.

We have some ointment for that itchy infection and she doesn't act at though the shot bothered her at all.

What a good girl I have!

Friday, February 20, 2009

The beautiful blocks I got from Pat Jones


I just received the blocks I won from Pat's give-away and I am so excited and so proud of them. I think I am going to frame them, they are 8 X 10 I think without measuring and so pretty. Here is a photo of them. Thank you so very much, you girls just have to check her blog.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Posting a Thank you to some nice ladies!

Imagine my surprise when I received not one but two prizes from entrees to drawings I put here right after I started blogging.

Thank you "Just Between Us Girls" for the blocks. I am going to be very excited to get them.

Also, a thank you to "My Attic of Treasures" for the lovely earrings. They are just beautiful.

I never win anything so this was a nice surprise for me!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

I have been so busy ladies!




Most of you know that I just began a new venture in designing and sewing for toy poodles. Well, my business has taken off with a surge and I have been doing little except sewing.

I wanted to show you a couple more simple dresses I made. Now I am working on a poodle dress and a dress for a little 4 year old girl to match. I will post the little mint green poodle dress here and when I get a picture of the two of them dressed up together I will post that also.

The mint green dress is for little Sugar, part of the matching set.

I also made a set for two sister poodles this week and they are posted at the top. I wanted that photo here but this is where the upload placed it. If any of you know how to replace a photo please tell me.
I am totally booked through mid March already. I hope to get some more time to drop by here.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Feb. 7th Sophia in her new Valentine dress!


I finished the little dress I was working on for Sophia Loren in Georgia. Here is the little darling modeling her new dress. Isn't she just so beautiful? Sewing for my fur baby friends is so much fun. Once I ship them I can hardly wait to see them in their attire.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Sunday was a good day!

My husband is not a avid sports fan but he did watch the Superbowl today and so I had a quiet afternoon to sew. I made another fur baby dress for a lady on my poodle forum. It is a bit different from the other two and I still want to add some pearls or something to it so I will post a photo later. Sassy hates it when I sew as she cannot sit beside me or in my lap, lol.

I love canasta and I have a friend near Chicago and we play several games a night and on weekends we play afternoons. I love playing on Pogo.com and like the sounds as the cards are shuffled and played. We played a lot today. It is so relaxing.

If you drop by my blog here, be sure to look at my little fur baby dresses on my other one. I will be adding more soon.

http://caninecouturesfromsassys.blogspot.com/

Saturday, January 31, 2009


My day was not how I planned it. My fibromyalgia and arthritis have been worse due to more snow in the mountains just behind us. So, I decided to sleep in and then bake some pies. My thought of doing a good house dusting and dog grooming today went out the window.

Apples are very available here in the "apple valley" in Yakima. We get all we need free year round. I also have frozen peaches that were locally grown and I have not had peach in some time. My husband loves apples but is not that crazy about peach since he picked peaches for spending money as a child. I decided to make one of each.

It smells to good in here and I can't wait to slice into that peach pie. Pull up a chair, sit yourself down and share a piece of pie with me won't you?

Tomorrow I will catch up on what I didn't get done today. For now I am just going to relax.


Thursday, January 29, 2009

Friday

Friday I have to get busy and sew again as I have an order for one more Valentine dress for a beautiful little poodle.

I am having so much fun with this. Although I have always sewn I never thought of desiging, lol.

Today I got my laundry and house done so that I can just devote my time to this project Friday.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009


Today I finished that little fur baby dress that I had so much hassle over the sewing machine with. This one is for my secret Valentine on a poodle forum that I belong to.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Ever have one of those days?

Have you ever had one of those days when you started out just knowing you were going to accomplish great things and then everything went down the tubes?

Today was one of those days for me. Some time back I "thought' that my sewing machine was out of time. I have not gotten out in the cold to take it to the repair shop but NO problem. My sister-in-law gave me hers as she does not sew and said she never wanted to see it again. So fine, I have an alternative machine and I have to finish the project I am working on for my secret Valentine on a poodle forum I belong to so that I can mail it Tuesday when we go into town.

I sat up my table and my iron, everything I needed to jump right in. I have my project about 3/4 done so I am thinking this is going to be easy. Wrong! At the first stitch my SIL machine (now mine too) decided that its wheels are going to lock up solid and that is that.

I worked on it, my husband worked on it until we were both blue in the face. At this point knowing mine has not worked in months I decide that I will try it one more time. By this time 3 hours have passed. So, I drag everything out of my closet to get to my sewing machine and get it set up.

A little voice goes off in my head, "Look at the manual, just perhaps you have it threaded wrong." By this time I am nervous and frantic but I get out the manual and sure enough, all these months all that was wrong with mine was one tiny misplaced threader I had not seen.

Tomorrow morning I will finish my project and the next time I will certainly read the manual. And we say men don't read directions, lol.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Winter 2008-09 in Washington State







I love the snow, always have. When I was younger I loved to walk in the deep snow even during a driving snow storm. I don't do that these days, but I still love the snow. If it is going to be wintry, dark and cloudy then I say let it come! These days I'd rather sit inside in my comfortable recliner not far from the wood stove and just observe.

We've had quite our share in Washington state this winter already and at last it was beginning to slowly melt away. But, this morning we got up to freshly fallen snow and more is on the horizon later this week.

I've posted some photos to share for those of you who are interested and for those who love it and are not living where they can enjoy it.

This was Sassy in her first attempt to go outside. I think she was excited because as you see she jumped straight up into the air.

The snow is quite deep in our driveway as you can see from our Jeeps. The other photo is the view from my recliner near the window.






Saturday, January 24, 2009

My wonderful online friend, Michelle!

I have a good friend that I met online playing canasta on Pogo one night. We have so much in common although she is about 22 years younger then I.

Since then we have met online almost every night to play canasta. Sometimes we play until wee hours.

We do a lot of chatting while we play and have such a good time. They are trying to plan a trip out next year to visit us. I sure hope they get to come.

I have met and made so many wonderful friends online over the years and have gotten to meet several of the women in person and even had them come to visit me.

If you read this Michelle, you are the best! You have become a very important part of my life since I am mostly homebound during the winter months. You are the next thing to a second daughter to me.

Luv ya!

Friday, January 23, 2009

Today was both good and bad!

WOW, fibromyalgia and arthritis are not fun. On top of that my tummy was acting up. So, I decided to spend a lazy day and stayed in my robe until way past noon.

Both my wonderful husband and my little Sassy can sense when I am feeling bad. These days are days when Sassy makes every step with me or cuddles me all day. In between the cuddles she has to stand in my lap and kiss mommy and get kisses back and loves to be hugged.

My dear husband, of course, wants to pamper me by going to ice cream or whatever makes me feel good. I get lots of hugs here too so I have had a good day in that aspect.

We are possibly expecting more snow so the weather is affecting my health. I hope tomorrow will be a better day.

Today I started my second blog!

Fashions seem to be the in thing with small dogs today. I have been doing some sewing for my toy poodle and for a friends toy poodle and have decided that I may as well turn this into a small business for myself.

The name of my second blog is: Canine Couture From Sassys. I have decided to start creating a line of fashions for fur babies everywhere. I know this will be a big endeavor on my part to discipline myself to work a certain amount of hours each day but I also know how much enjoyment I get from each creation.

From the simplest of house dresses to the holiday, party and special ocassions, I plan to cover it all. Each fashion will be hand created for you fur baby by giving me your neck, girth and length measurements.

For now I will only be shipping in the United States and perhaps Canada.

I am placing the link here although I have not posted there at this time. I plan to begin work on it later today. The link is: http://caninecouturesfromsassys.blogspot.com/

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Today I have an idea that I plan to pursue.

I have begun sewing again after many years. I was once a sewing instructor for Singer Sewing Co. when I also did retailing for them.

I love to design my own patterns and have done quite a bit over the years.

So, today I have decided that I am starting a second blog and the name of it will be: Canine Couture. I will be designing dresses, vests and other products for those canine lovers out there.

I'll let you know when my new blog is done. In the meantime and even after I design this new blog I will also be keeping this one up.

Designing Fashions for Toy Dogs


I love crafts and designing fashions for toy dogs. This is a hobby that I just started and I hope to draw a lot of fur babies and their mommys to see them as I create more. I will be selling them and you can contact me if you are interested. I will use what ever colors and bling you want.


I mostly design for small breeds. I specialize in poodles, but I can to them for Yorkies, Chihuahuas or any other small breed.


Here is a photo of Sassy modeling her new dress for Valentines Day.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009


Today I feel the need to reflect back on how I came to be here in Washington state and all of this part of my life led up to owning the sweetest little poodle this side of heaven and the best friend and husband a girl could have. Here is a photo of my husband Bill. A lot of people think he looks somewhat like John Denver.


My Incredible Journey *


To some of you this may not seem incredible, but for some like me it has made me a true believer in my heavenly father, not that I wasn't already. I believe that God presented me with this journey at a time in my life where I felt as though I was in a very deep dark place.

Twenty three years ago I married a man 15 years my senior, he was good to me for the first 12 years of that marriage and then his life began to fall apart in his eyes. His family was considerably wealthy, they owned 13 large ready mix plants, a concrete pipe plant and were the first in the U.S. to make and install concrete floating boat docks. There were 5 brothers and 3 girls, and the brothers could not get along. To make a very long story short, his dad got cancer and the youngest brother, the only one he got along with, took over the business. He believed in him, trusted him, although I warned him. It turned out my gut instinct was correct and his youngest brother managed to get the father to sign every thing over to him without realizing it, and he stoled everything and fired his brothers.

By this time, my husband was about 57 years old. No one in our city would hire him as they figured he would wind up going back to work for his brother. This never happened and my husband was out of work 16 months.

He finally convinced a friend to hire him and we were transferred to Kansas City. The job was great, the pay was better, we had it all. At least we had it all for 3 years. Life was so fine.

Then one night he went to work to find a letter posted on a bulletin board that the company had sold out and was not keeping the older employees.

This combined in with the tragedy with his brother turned my husband from a wonderful loving caring person, into an angry, bitter, resentful person I did not know. He repeatedly told these stories over and over until no one wanted to be near us. We lost all our friends, he hated everyone and that included me. He with drew from me, we had no relationship other then him snapping, grumbling and shouting at me all the time. His kids talked to him, no matter what anyone said he only became more enraged.

I spent the last 8 years with him in a living hell. It became so bad that with my illness (I have fibromyalgia and severe arthritis) I began to think suicide was my only way out. We had sold our home, bought a new R.V. as that is what he wanted was to travel. I thought this would make him happy, I hated full time R.V.ing and the seclusion and his anger.

WHAT HAPPENED THEN WAS A MIRACLE IN THE MAKING. I belonged to a support forum online for FM/CFS with 8 million members worldwide. I got to know a lot of them and even got to meet about 8 of the women.

By now most of my time was spent on the computer in the R.V. while he picked up part time work as a school bus driver, I was too ill to work anymore. I had no friends and no life.

On that forum of 8 million members I was acquainted with several people whom I would reply to but didn't really know.

One person drew my attention, a man from Washington state, divorced and lonely. I saw in him something I cannot explain. There was a softness, a gentleness and a true old fashioned kindness and the ability to help others. He was SO different that I felt as though I was in a time and place far back in time.

He was always reaching out on there to help others, never asking for help for himself. What struck me most was every post he wrote he signed: Blessing b/c
He was 5 years younger then I.

For 3 years I had been hiding money back when I could out of grocery money etc with the intention of leaving my misery behind. I had decided that when I had saved enough to live for 1 year on my own I would divorce and leave my husband.

I prayed about this to God. I ask God if there was a reason I had found this person on the support board. I prayed some more. This continued for months. We began posting more as I knew him better. He had been alone 8 years after his wife of 20 had left him for someone else. He was heart broken and had vowed never to date or be with anyone again.

I was writing an article on FM/CFS for a magazine and I wanted to get both male/female sides of how they coped with this illness and how it affected men differently then women. I finally ask him if he would give me his email address and give me the men's side of the story. He was not sure at first but he did finally agree.

We began to email and over a period of months I was drawn to him more and more. Of course, I had not met him, he was in WA and I was in MO. There was the feeling of a connection that I could not explain and all this time I continued to pray about this.

He felt like the best friend that I had ever had in this world and I have had a lot of friends.

I began to pray more, and I ask God if this was in his plan for me, it seemed so strange that I met someone like myself on a forum of 8 million.

I prayed for a sign and then many began to come to me. By this time our friendship was so binding that I felt that if I reached out and touched my computer screen I could almost have felt his heart beat.

I realized that all my life this is what I had hoped for dreamed for. I didn't know what to do, but I knew I had to do something, and so I found his phone number and called him. We had a wonderful chat but I knew he was bound to his promise to himself.

We then talked many more times. I could feel his loneliness, his sorrow. One afternoon I decided to take a plunge and write him an email and tell him what I was feeling. I told him that I knew he was the soul mate I had wanted all my life.

I knew he might bolt and run. I feared it. And, I was almost correct, but I ask him not to as I needed him to be my friend if nothing more. I did not hear from him for 5 days. Then he wrote and told me he would not leave the forum.

Later we talked by phone and I told him again how I felt. His reply was, "No Pat, I am not your soul mate." I ask him how did he know. He had no answer.

I continued to pray, that night I cried myself to sleep. I knew he was my last chance for happiness at my age and with my illness.

The more I prayed, the more answers came to me. I relayed them to him and there began to be a glitter of hope.

This took place over a matter of about 8 months.

In April of that year, now 3 1/2 past, I filed my own divorce papers without an attorney. I knew the man I was married to would never let me leave, and though I hate a liar more then anything in this world, I had to lie. I told him that we needed the money, which we did, as that was part of his anger. He had always had it all and now we were barely scraping by. I told him that if I filed for divorce, I could move into a small place and get my SSI. He agreed.

On June 23 my divorce was granted. I had ask Bill if I could come to WA to meet him when my divorce was final. By this time he thought that I might be his soul mate too. His sister and I were emailing by now too.

We told one friend on that support board, only one. She was a friend to both of us. I had her email him and ask him what he really thought about all of this.

His reply to her was this:

"I always liked to fly. So I took my wind glider to the edge of the cliff and dove off, but someone shot me down, I pulled my parachute strings, but someone cut them. (He was talking about his ex wife.) I began to fall and landed on the ground with only minimal damage. So, I walked to the top of the cliffs again and was about to turn and walk away forever when I met this beautiful person whom I think can teach me to fly again. I will never hurt her and I know she will never hurt me."

He agreed that when my divorce was final that I would come to WA to meet him. I was granted my divorce the 26th of June and left that next day to come to WA. I packed everything I owned into my new Ford 350 club cab truck and the long bed and headed to WA.

Since I get dizzy and no longer drive, I had put an add in the Eureka Springs, AR. Geekfest forum that I needed a driver and that I would fly him/her back. I did this 3 weeks prior to my divorce. I was so terrified that I would not find someone that I could trust. You see I knew so many people in Eureka Springs as we had lived there and I had managed hotels there for about 9 years.

I got 4-5 emails from men who wanted to drive me to WA. I was sceptical of all the replies I received until a younger woman wrote to me that her fiance was so trust worthy and that he sometimes drove people other places and that she would gladly have him help me.

It turned out to be wonderful and so I left one early morning on my journey. Richard turned out to be a perfect gentleman, polite, a fun travel companion who might belt out a song if I seemed to be too quiet or worried. He referred to me as his boss or employer when people inquired along the 3 day trip when we would stop to eat or sleep.

I arrived in WA on June 29th 3 1/2 years ago in June. Bill was everything I knew he would be. We were married on December 13th, his birthday.

He is a wonderful caring, compassionate man. He has FM/CFS too so he understands all my needs. He takes such good care of me. He picks me roses when I am down, makes me laugh when I want to cry from the pain.

If you see him in my photos here, that was taken about 9 years ago before he became ill. You can see the kindness in his eyes.

This was certainly the journey of my lifetime.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Yes We Can!! Inauguration Day 2009






I couldn't let today pass by without noting this important day in history. It may go down in history as being one of the largest events ever in our United States


This is a change that has been a long time coming. It is my belief that it will be a change for the better. Our country has been failing in many ways and it is time for new leadership and time for the people's of our great country to unite.
God Bless the United States of America!

My how they grow


It seems like it was only a few days until she was larger already. This photo was taken when she was about a month older. She was just sitting there like a little lady all prim and proper refusing to look at me or the camera. By now she has shed her black baby fur, well actually they don't shed, she has had her first haircut showing her silver hair.
I wondered if she was sitting that way because she knew she was pretty and she wanted to show off that beautiful coat.
She looked so soft and lovable that I had to scoop her up and smother her in kisses. She is definitely a heart tugger.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

January 18, 09 My first posting


Today is the first time I have entered a blog or even had a blog for that matter. I wanted to begin a place to track our life with a tiny little girl we call Sassy. Sassy is a silver toy poodle. She is the second silver toy that I have owned but it took me 18 long years to find her.


The very moment I saw the ad I knew she was the one. She resembled my little Tiffany that I had many years ago. I knew she would never be Tiffany or even replace that particular spot in my heart. I was not even sure that I could ever love another the way I had Tiffany. But one thing I was sure of is that I wanted that tiny baby.
In this photo she was about 11 weeks old and weighed a whopping 1 1/4 pounds. She was mostly black as they are born that way and gradually turn to silver.
We called the breeder and I had to wait an entire 4 days to go see her. Those were the longest 4 days I can recall.
She was so tiny, standing only about 4-5 inches tall and no longer either. We brought her home and thus began our life with Sassy.
More to come......