Well, if I don't start getting some work done pretty soon, we can all blame her!  This little cutie pie has the worst control and wants out 3 or 4 times every night.  THEN, she wants up permanently between 4:00 and 4:30 a.m.  Ron and I are exhausted all of the time but it's hard to be upset when you look into that little face.  My model stitchers are going into overtime to help me so that the Little House press doesn't come to a halt!  No, that wouldn't happen. . . . .I'd stitch with one eye open if I had to!  Hopefully Miss Gracie will mature a bit over the next few weeks (month) so we can go back to life as we once knew it.   In the meantime I'll be spending a lot more time designing and less time with needle and thread.

Once again I have a very special project that will be available through Hoffman Distributing at the Nashville Needlework Market in February.  The design is called "Needle and Thread" and will be featured on a very unique accessory from Impie, Hattie and Bea with Crescent Colours thread.  It's adorable . . . . a project I'm sure you'll love.  More information will be available in the weeks ahead.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I took this 9-1/2 week photo of Gracie today.  See the shadow of dirt on her nose?  Well she and her brother Luke spent almost two hours outside early this morning, tumbling and playing the way pups do.  But they also had their noses everywhere which explains the dirt.  Her face doesn't have that real baby look any more and her legs are getting longer. 

The good news is that she hasn't noticed my needlework project and thread yet.  I dread to think what may happen to a model if I were to forget to put my project bag up when I'm not stitching. 

I can't stop taking pictures of the puppy.  It's a serious addiction.  Having had puppies before, I know how fast they grow so I'm trying to capture this fleeting moment in time.

In other news, I started one of my photography props on fire today.  I had a candle buring next to an ornament and I was snapping away.  No, the ornament didn't burn (thank goodness!) but the pine cone above the candle did!  I saw the red ember in my lens and smelled the smoke at the same time.  Someone should take my matches away!

This is a rare sight in Tucson.  Snow this low on the mountains isn't something we see very often.  When I walked outside yesterday the air was wet and crisp and the view gorgeous.  A nice treat for those of us who live in the desert. 

Today I plan to take photos of a new ornament and finish work on a design for May.  I hope the sun stays shining.  If it does, then Gracie's dirty paws can stay out of my kitchen sink!

No more Sleeping Beauty. . . . . now you see her as we usually do. . . . playful, cute and every bit a doll baby.  She'll be nine weeks old tomorrow and I can see she has grown in the short time we've had her.  The vines behind her in the photo have become a favorite spot.  She crawls in and hides.  The first time she did it we thought we'd lost her!

Here is Sleeping Beauty.  Is she in her bed?  No.  Is she on a rug?  No.  Gracie likes to find a spot on a foot, on feet, between feet and just go to sleep.  You have only a matter of a minute to move or you're stuck (unless of course you want to wake her.)  So these are Ron's shoes.  He stopped briefly to chat with me and she did her thing.  Maybe she has separation anxiety! 

Oh I sure hope not. . . . . .

It seems to me I have the hang of blogger.  :) 

I've added a few links, a way to follow and post to the site and I "prettied" it up.  So now it's time to go cuddle little Gracie who probably feels I neglected her today. 

One more thing. . . . . . you can expect ornaments from Nikki and I in both the JCS ornament preview issue and the regular ornament issue that come out later this year!

Though it isn't a full sized image, it is still a preview of the fourth ornament in our monthly series.  This one is my current favorite and I loved the simple finishing.  You can get the supply list off of the LHN web site under the heading "Ornament of the Month".

I have started a new blog but will keep the old one up for a while.  I'm hoping that this one will be easier to use and more WYSIWYG friendly than the one I've been using.  Feel free to become a "follower" and leave comments.  I think I've enabled them for viewing (be nice! lol. . . . . ) so you can "talk" to me and each other.  Give me a chance to get used to this one!  Hopefully the learning curve will be fast and easy!
Diane