Mr Buck and Mr Maddux!

Well lucky you! A double update. Maddux seems to have turned the corner so to speak. He drank on his own for the second time in 6 days. I know that doesn't sound like much, but to me it is! He has a little spunk in his step today. Even begged a little for some people food! I pray this is a good sign, I think it is! Lets hope he continues to improve and gets back to the little man I love. Thank you everyone for your prayers and well wishes. Its nice to know so many people care. You don't think he is a wee bit spoiled looking at this picture do you? NAH!

Mr Buck got a little work done to him last night. His surroundings are filling in a little more now. I don't know why, but I am putting off finishing off his ears and antlers. I am not quite sure on the colors for his antlers, so maybe that is why I am putting it off. Who knows! I feel like some weight has been lifted off my shoulders too, so maybe my creative side will kick back in instead of my nurturing side. I nice balance of both would be good.

A couple people have asked me how I picked Maddux for my precious dogs name so here is how the story goes. I am a big baseball fan. I started off being a cubs fan back in the 80s. They had a rookie pitcher named Greg Maddux. I was never one to watch soap operas so when I started seeing lots of Cubs day games, I became addicted to baseball, Greg Maddux in particular. he still pitches today, although I dont get to see him much on his new team. When i got my boy, I knew I wanted to give him a sports related name so his AKC registered name became LuckyWun Cooperstown Bound (Cooperstown is the baseball hall of fame where I am confident Greg Maddux will be someday) and of course, his call name is Maddux! That's it in a nutshell. Nothing exciting, but maybe interesting for some? Have a wonderful day and lets hope my boy gets stronger everyday. Thanks again (especially Lynn and Carol) HUGS!

Update on Maddux

The test results are back and its not the best of news. His kidneys and liver are working fine as of now, but the tests showed he is in the very early stage of kidney failure. This is not at all what I was hoping for. We now have him on several medications to help keep amyloid plaque from building up in his liver and kidneys. Sometimes the medication can keep this disease from becoming full blown amyloidosis, sometimes it does not. The prognosis is guarded at this time. He did take a drink of water for the first time in 5 days last night. I am forcing Popsicles, broth, pedialyte and anything else I can think of down him. He is at least well hydrated at this time. He is still lethargic today, after a brief burst of energy last night. Thank you everyone for your support during this rough time. We are praying we will have much more time with Maddux, but being realistic that we may not. It is heartbreaking. I will continue to post new information as I get it. I will also post a beady update tomorrow. I haven't had much time for beads lately and my mind has not been able to concentrate on anything but my Maddy. I think it would be therapeutic for me to try to do a little work on my page tonight. Blessing to you all!

Maddux

Gosh there are so many nice people out there in the bead world! I want to say a personal thank you for all the well wishes for Maddux. I wish I had good news to report, but so far I dont. We are heading out to the vet again today at 3:30 my time. He has developed a cough now and is walking stiff legged. I dont know what this means. The 1000mg of antibiotics seems to be holding the strep virus at the same level it was on Sunday. That is good news. We are just praying he is not in kidney or heart failure. He is only 4. He is just the sweetest dog in the world. He cant be this sick. I thought he would be getting better by now. Lets hope the Vet gives me some good news today. Cross your fingers!

Mr Buck is moving along!

I am pretty happy with the way my buck is turning out. I like the way the beads resemble actual fur on the body of the deer. I have decided not to put grommets on this page. I am planning on framing him to put in the computer room - the one that has the antlers on the wall:( to remind myself of happier things. I try not to pay to much attention to the various mounts my husband has in this room. He is proud of them, they make me sad. I guess you only have the right to make decisions for yourself, do what you feel is right. I cant force my beliefs and lifestyle onto someone else. We (my hubby and I) agree to disagree on the hunting issue. I have to accept that.

So now I have the choices to make on what I am going to do with the background on this one. I think I want to do some pine trees, birch trees and maybe add in some of the oranges and reds of maple trees. I think that would be really pretty! I love all the fall colors. they make me happy.

On a personal note, I have had a very stressful weekend. Friday night my dog got sick. I took his temperature and it was 107+ off to the vet we went with an emergency call. Maddux got IV fluids under the skin. He is still sick today, but I have hopes he will get better. This illness he has is called Shar Pei Fever Syndrome and it can lead to kidney failure, so this is very scary. He is my heart dog and only 4 years old. He could use a few prayers.

Poodle no more...

No more poodle look for this guy. He is finally actually looking like a buck to me! As you can see, I added some birch trees in as well. I am not quite sure where I am going with this background yet. The nice thing is, I am really not committed to anything! I have visions of what I want it to look like, but am not sure about the execution of it. Time will tell huh?

I want to also say thank you to Lynn of beading heart art for all the help she gives me. If you haven't looked at her blog, you should! She has such talent, and makes the prettiest wallets and other beaded goodies! I have asked her for help on various techniques she uses, and she has always guided me in the right direction. I can also say the same for Pam T of beads and other things She has helped me as well and I want to say thank you! The people in this group are so giving, encouraging and helpful, its a wonderful thing to be a part of! I only hope I can be of help should someone ever approach me in the manner I have approached others! I will try.

A Buck or a Poodle?

Right now I am leaning towards poodle! Or maybe Boodle or Puck? Seriously though, I know I have to give it a chance, but so far this is not looking like I had imagined. I wanted it to have a textural look like the hair on a buck. Not sure this is it! I am also re-thinking the pine trees in the background as I have it drawn now. I think I may sketch in some birch trees as well to break it up a little more. That's the beauty of this medium though, you aren't committed to anything until you stitch it! Not really even then, as you always have the option of ripping it out and starting over.My poor mind is always working, especially when I should be sleeping. I wake up with ideas in my head that excite me, then have a hard time going back to sleep. Its a sickness I tell you! Of all the sicknesses there are though, I am glad so far, this is mine! Thanks for looking my friends!

Tagged...Not flagged!

Silly me! When I saw I was tagged by beadbabe49 my first thought was why? What did I do wrong...lol. I was confused thinking it was the same thing as being flagged by someone on Craig's List which is a no-no! Anyway, since I have absolutely no clue what I am doing, I will do my best to follow the rules! Forgive me if I mess it up! I need to post 7 unknown things about myself. Evidently I need to also tag 7 people who I would like to know more about and link to their blog. SO, the following people are now tagged by ME!

Lynn of beadingheartart
Kassie of The Beading Butterfly
Kim of running on ink
Julie of Angelamps
Rosalie of Beading with Rosalie
Pam of my sweet cherry blossom
Victoria of artntheheart

So now to the 7 little known facts about me:

1. I was married the first time at 16!
2. I am scared to death of centipedes and June bugs....shudder!
3. I love forensics shows and medical shows
4. I could spend every cent of money I have on home decorating supplies and would secretly love to be a professional decorator
5. I am very insecure about my bead work
6. I am a HUGE procrastinator about paying my bills
7. I wish I could have another baby (kind of too old now at 49!)
Man that was harder than I thought! Sorry to the people I tagged! Hugs to you all!

Close, but no winner!

Well you were all right on one thing, it is an eye! It is actually an eye attached to a whitetail buck! That is what my page this month will feature. The reason I went with this as my subject matter is that November is a hard month for me. I am an extreme animal lover. I understand all the reasons for deer hunting. I understand that the population would explode and there would be more car-deer collisions, more crop and property damage, starving deer etc. I understand all of that, and my husband is an avid deer hunter too! What I don't understand is the pleasure people get from killing a magnificent animal. My husband relives his kills and gets this look in his eyes that I only see when he talks deer hunting/killing. He becomes obsessed! He watches these shows about deer hunting and I just cringe. The narrator on the show says "Isn't this a beautiful buck" and I want to yell NO, its not beautiful anymore, its DEAD! It is one thing my husband and I don't see eye-to-eye on. So, for this page i am celebrating all the beautiful live bucks and doe out there! Sorry if I have offended anyone on my view on deer hunting. Its just my opinion!

A Mystery for you...

What is this? Can anyone guess? It is just a snippet of my November piece and I thought it would be fun for you to try and figure it out! Please give as detailed a guess as possible. No cheating Kim - you already know what it is...hahaha! You too Jess & Courtney! Seriously, if anyone guesses correctly, I will send you a small surprise in the mail! Limit 1 guess per e-mail! I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend. Mine should be quiet and relaxing, unless things change dramatically overnight! Guesses excepted until Midnight Sunday. Give it your best shot!

TA DA!!!!!

It is done! I am very please with my finished piece for October! I learned quite a bit with this one. Some real trial and error went into this months page, along with starting over due to a miscalculation with space planning and a little trouble with removing some beads and tearing my fabric. I cant promise I wont do it again. Sometimes I have to be hit upside the head a few times to get it through my thick skull. Haha! My Mother always said I was stubborn. Who? Me? I think not!

I had a nice day with my 3 girls today. We all get along so well and truly enjoy each others company. Had some friendly kidding with each other and some good laughs. Time sure does fly when we are together. I hope you all have a beautiful evening! I am off to work some more on Novembers page. I think I may have to do 2 for that month. Otherwise, I will run out of projects before the end of November gets here. We will see! Hugs to you all.

Another progress report!

I am really moving along on my page! I will be done tonight or tomorrow. Unfortunately I have yet another trip to the dentist today, so that will cut into my beading time! I hate when that happens.....haha! Got my November page drawn out yesterday. I have to confess, I did a little work on that as well. I will post those pictures after Octobers is finished. This cool, rainy weather is ideal for staying inside and working on beads. With my hubby working 11 hour days, I get my housework done early and have the rest of the day to do whatever I want to do! I have to confess, I am liking it! Happy Humpday!

October, winding down

This page is really moving along, nearing the completion! I am kind of sad about that! Silly isn't it? I have really enjoyed the creative process for this months piece. I have tried some new techniques and stretched my creativity a bit too! I think the BJP has made me think outside the box, to expand my horizons so to speak. Already ideas for November are swirling around in my head. I have a plan. I don't know if it will work, but I am planning the piece in my head during my sleepless nights. I did the same thing last month. Can you say obsessed?

We have A Winner....

Jacquie! Please e-mail me at need2bead247@charter.net with your mailing address! I will send it out as soon as I get that! Congratulations! Thanks to everyone for joining in on this give away. Watch for more in the near future. You just never know when I will slip one in here...lol.

Oops! Forgot update!

I was so excited about the freebie, that I forgot to post my latest update on my October BJP! I haven't updated all week, but that doesn't mean I haven't beaded! Here is my progress to date. I am liking the effect of the background so far....

Its Freebie Friday!!

This weeks give away is a pair of Sterling silver pumpkin earrings along with a 2 drop peyote stitched pumpkin pin! The basket is for display only, and is not included! This pin is my own design, beaded with delica beads. All you have to do is leave a comment on todays post between now and Sunday midnight! Thats it, no gimmick! I will assign a number to each name and draw a winner on Monday October 13.

Dark And Gloomy...

Thats how I think this piece is turning out! Really, it is exactly what I was hoping for adding this type of background. I am a little disappointed in how the tree is somewhat lost against the backdrop, BUT isn't this what Halloween is all about? I am thinking the moon is going to really "pop" once the background is done. We can only hope for a clear star studded night on actual Halloween for all the little trick-or-treaters out there! I have some ideas of what to do after my background is filled in. It could either make or break this page.....stay tuned for more updates! I have lots of time this upcoming week for beads, so it should move along rather quickly at this point. I say that now, but life has a way of changing in the blink of an eye, doesn't it?

TGIF!

I survived my trip to the oral surgeon! I am very thankful that is over. Now to heal! I don't know about you, but when my mouth hurts, I am miserable and cant think about anything else. I really hated to lose the tooth, but had no choice.

Anyway, I was able to get some more work done on my page for October. I tried a couple different things with this page. I learned how to add texture by using 3 beads at a time to make the bark of the tree look more textural and realistic. I also used some size 8 beads and instead of stringing them on the thread and laying them flat, I attached them 1 at a time and put a size 15 bead and went back through the size 8 so it lays flat. I really like this look. I am really learning lots as I go along on this journey! Have a wonderful weekend, I will try to do the same!

Got Some More done!

Here is my update for last nights beading! I am sorry the picture isn't better, I didn't realize when I took the picture how bad it was! Anyway, you get the idea of how its looking. I am not real sure about the background yet. Not sure I am really liking it. I just think the blacks I am using are shocking against the white of the stiff stuff I am using. Maybe I will like it better when more is done? I plan on a few hours of beading today as long as my back holds up that is! I hope everyone is having a wonderful day! OH!! I almost forgot! Friday October 10th will be the next Freebie Friday! I will post the piece I am giving away then....Same rules, just leave a comment and I will draw a winning name on the 10th!

Yet More Progress

I am home after an unexpected trip to the dentist. Ughhh, broke a molar on shredded wheat last night! Looks like a tooth pulled on Friday. Not fun. I can think of a thousand different things I would rather do. I worked awhile last night on my page. I thought it sounded like a good idea to put some swish type marks on my piece that would signify wind....Well, that's what I get for thinking! It looked stupid, so out they came! You can still see the marks left behind! I am trying to come up with an idea that would look better than those stupid Nike looking swishes! Here is my progress so far. I wish I knew how to make my my page resemble a rectangle! Looks square in my camera viewfinder!