White Christmas and Family Visit

We had a Very White Christmas here in Central Oregon. We have a large flock of ducks that enjoy the cracked corn DH spreads for them each evening. The wirehairs go check them out of course. My chickens are not to impressed with the snow so they say inside their little abode until the snow is gone. We had blue sky for the drive over the pass to Eugene. The weather report had been for 7-20 inches of new snow but we escaped this time. The weather was clear for the drive over and then home again. The East side of the cascade was a dryer snow with fair accumulations. Plenty of snow for Hoo Doo Ski Resort to open, we saw a few skiers enjoying the day.

Over the top of the pass and coming down the west side of the Cascades, along the McKenzie River the snow changes to a heavier snow and the trees were beautiful. Only a couple of months ago their leaves were golden. Now they are flocked with heavy snow. I love the mountains and the dramatic season changes we get to experience living close to them. I love this picture, you never know what you will get when you are taking pictures out the window. We had Christmas dinner in Eugene. Our niece had been having pain on her left side and an emergency room visit was inevitable by Christmas morning. We were all relieved that she was good to go home after 4 hours in emergency. She was a trooper and we had the nicest visit.

Joe getting a cheesy hug for my new little silver. Yes I got a new and improved version of my little silver for Christmas. A little pocket camera is a must-have for us bloggers. :))

Our nephews had a wonderful time together at dinner, there own little area to eat. This is the first time we have been together in a few years and these youngins were to little to remember. They had so much fun together, :)) thats what its all about!

And my DH doesn't miss to many photo ops, I think they like their Uncle Joe!

OK , my DH is the oldest but I think he likes being full of antics.............
And their is less than one year between he and #2 son, so he is full of his own antics......

Oh, you know Mom is loving it......LOL... anything to get the girls laughing! We were missing baby brother Dan. You will be with us next time for sure!!!

My sister does beautiful toll painting. We both started our hobbies about the same time. I love quilting and can not draw a stick person. She does the most beautiful free hand painting.

I love her box with the winter scene.... I think she must have spent hours painting on this, each layer having to dry.

Then their is her Amish lamp, simple just like their traditions.

Kindra asked what I do with my quilts. Most of them are given as gifts and my sister has a few. This fence rail was one of the first quilts I made on a machine, it was quilted by a group of ladies at the Baptist Church in Cottage Grove, OR. My grandmother belonged to this group and they quilted for many years together. My grandmother was already passed away when this quilt was finished but we love that her group did the quilting. I gave it to my niece, Beth.

This next quilt is one I made for my nieces school auction. I wish it was bigger but I didn't have enough fabric, it is nice for a wall quilt. These fabrics are some I would buy today if I found them. I just love red and green. The quilt rack was made by my bil.

Another auction quilt made for a church bazaar, my sis is my greatest fan. I did make two of these quilts. I kept one for me!.. Mine is set in barn raising. I like the quilting done on this quilt, the longarm quilter humored me with a log cabin, trees, with smoke coming out of the chimney..... and another quilt frame made by my bil.

I want to wish all of you prosperous and healthy new year in 2009. Blogging has been a blessing to me this year, I am amazed and tickled at all the talent and good humor I find each day.

God Bless each one of you;

Carrie

Holiday Shopping in Seattle

Last week I went to my sisters in Bothell, WA, better known as "Fake Seattle". My mother came up too, we shopped and browsed for three fun days. There are some good outlets in the area, they did have some very good deals. 2 days we sent packages off the Omaha for the triplets. So hard to resist buying cute stuff for those boys. Talbots Kids is closing so there was some good deals. Osh-Kosh has always been a favorite for me, there outlet had good deals too.
Shopping together was so fun, I find shopping alone boring and don't go much.
Mobalks, in Woodinville is one of our favorite stops. They have a large variety of Poinsettia's, and we took this little picture in front of the Poinsettia tree.

We looked at all their wonderful decorations and had a yummy lunch. We went to the Army Surplus in the area and found 4 wool blankets. We were pretty surprised at the selection and they will felt up nicely for wool creations.
My sister took them home and washed them, one of them has a white cross and metal button, we think it may be a salvation army blanket so we wont be cutting it up until we get more information. Does anyone out there know about these markings?
I just love this Santa. It was made by a gal in Sacramento, CA, there is so much detail, definitely a talented crafter. I put a close up of his face on my header, his eyes have such expression.

My sister lived in Texas for a few years and learned to toll paint. Her family room mantle is adorned with painted gourds. Her penguins have their own personality, and the reindeer has wonderful eyes and shading.

I was asked recently what I did with my quilts after I make them. Some have gone to family and my sister has a few. I will show quilts in her home that I have made next time, My BIL loves working with wood, the candle stands on the mantel were made by him. He also makes quilt racks and shelves for her quilts.

We are having a bluebird day in Central Oregon today, but tomorrow 7-20 inches of snow is being projected. I like snow but the timing of this storm will keep us from traveling the pass and enjoying our Family Christmas dinner..... time will tell, the weather has a mind of it own.

Safe travels to all of you and have a Merry Christmas with your loved ones..

Carrie

We are getting ready for Santa!!

My how time flys, the triplets are 4 1/2 months old. Anne is expecting a grandson and when I saw her counter I went over and found one for the triplets... I love it!!!

Oh it is hard being so far away, I am so happy when I get new pictures. I am instantly joyful when I see a picture like this:

The boys are having fun dressing up in there holiday attire!

Hayden in a little santa hat...

Ethan giving his best Santa impersonation...

Hayden and Jaxon watching for Santa and his reindeers out the window, Grandma is checking Orbitz right now for the best airfare...Grandma Teresa made covers for there carseats, aren't they just a hoot... There my peeps!

To Cauute Grandma Teresa, they will stay warm in the cold blowing wind of Omaha...

Jaxon with Uncle Ty, already wearing and adult hat....lol...
I'm just saying, DH, MY GRANDKIDS NEED ME , I GOTTA GO!!!!

Christmas Blessings, Carrie

Log Cabin Mystery, Wanting your advice.

I have been working on this log cabin quilt this fall. I am at the point of needing to choose a setting. I am hoping for some opinions from all of you, my class is Saturday and I am so excited to see all the different quilts in class, but first I must sew this together!!!

I have put two pictures up for comment, I was also hoping for comments on borders. Do you think it needs to have borders? I am loving the applique borders I am seeing on pieced quilts and thought this would be one idea!
#1 Ribbon Star

#2 Fractured Star
OK let me know which setting is your favorite, and your ideas on borders!!
Thanks, Carrie

Slide Girl

Some of our friends say we are crazy, some days I agree. We started in 2000 by getting a new breed of hunting dog. A pointer, to be specific, a German Wirehair Pointer. One of the first things you notice about the GWP is their coat. They have a double coat, a short tight one then a longer wirey coat with facial features. Eyebrows, beards. We call them our bearded ladies. Some family members call them ugly..........WELL!!.....lol......hey there is a company making money off that description... you can buy t-shirts that say " I hunt with an ugly dog." So there......lol......

My DH had such a good time hunting with Daisy Mae ( Joe's Lil Daisy Mae) that after 4 years he wanted to double the fun and hunt two dogs at once. Enters Pepper (CH Proulx's Hot Shot Pepper). Daisy and Pepper have two different hunting styles, so this was not working very well...........after a year of storing telling (whining) I decided I needed a dog, to share with DS #2. I knew of an upcoming breeding that I was very interested in, the Dam's hunting style was very similar to Daisy and the Sire was Daisy's brother. June 5, 2005 the litter was born. Only two pups, but one was a full liver (coat) just like her mother. Perfect, I was falling for this pup immediately!

Look Closely both pups are there with mom.

The two pups were given names after the Dam's favorite ice cream, Hot fudge and Dublin Mudslide. Nicknames Fudgy and Slide...... Oh they were just the cutest!!!

They got weighed in daily and how cute is this, eyes and ears still closed.

They grow so fast and at three weeks they were introduced to the outdoors, a wonderful landscaped area with a stream bed. These two pups had free run over this for the next three weeks, giving them an amazing experience. It was fully fenced so no way to wonder off or let other dogs in. Just a watchful eye out for hawks and Eagles.

I think Slide was looking a bit like a Char Pei at this age. With only two pups to share in the feeding she was very healthy girl.

Growing fast and getting cuter everyday.

Slide and Fudgy were so bonded to each other it was sad to separate them. They had a special place to grow up and they were so fun to watch. But like all animal movies, you know the good ol Disney ones, times change and nothing stays the same. LOL.......I have learned first hand, don't raise two pups together....even though at this time I would have ignorantly done so.....

We brought "Slide Girl" home with us and Fudgy went to live with a family in California. Lucky girl, two veterinarians with two children. Fudgy's name is now River and she has a very good life.

Slide Girl, Black Pearl's Treasure JH, was named after a theme in the breeders home. The Dam's name was High Seas Smuggler, JH. About this time Pirates of the Caribbean was out on DVD, I love the story and Johnny Depp's not bad either!!! LOL... So this is how she got her AKC registered name and we still call her Slide.........hmmmm. I deferred to my son, who loves her too. I was thinking Pearl would be cute, but alas......she already responded to Slide and I was just being a girl......not a practical dog person......lol..

We had a lot of fun introducing her to the one thing she was bred for.........bird hunting. She was just having a blast. One of our first trips was to the Malheur Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon.

She did great and we were seeing she was going to be that hunting mate for Daisy Mae.
At least as far as we were concerned, Daisy had other ideas at first.....
Next big trip was to Condon, Oregon. This beautiful area is steep and full of Chukar. I hunted with my camera and had fun taking pictures of her on point. She was full of natural ability.
At six months of age she was honest and backing Daisy's point. I just love these young pictures of her in her orange vest. Her dark liver color made it hard to spot her and I was not wanting to loose my litte girl......
GWP's make great companions as well as hunting dogs. Hunting season is 4 months, so after the season ends we have fun being involved in new activities. AKC has programs you can get involved in and earn titles for your dog. We are involved in Hunt Tests, Field Trials, Conformation and the latest for Slide and me is Obedience. These are high energy dogs and left alone, well lets just say don't leave them alone without giving them lots of exercise. LOl........you may not be very happy if you do..... LOL... We are active in a local club, German Wirehair Pointer Club of Central Oregon, you can visit the website to learn more about the breed. There are some good links too.

This is a picture of Slide after she passed her first leg of Junior Hunter. You need to pass 4 times to earn the title. Actually not a hard task to accomplish but a good place to start with your pup, and they love having the extra bird time, and working for you.
This is not your best conformation pose or grooming but hey we were hunting......LOL....
Slide won her first Major event for conformation this past May at Walla Walla, WA at the age of three. We started showing her at 6 months and she has always shied away from the judge, so I am pleased this shyness is behind us because conformation gives me hot flashes. I definitely feel out of my elements in the show ring.

Daisy loved going to visit Slide before we brought her home, her favorite spot was watching the Coi on the cool rock. Daisy Mae is one leg short of earning her Master Hunter title.

Pepper is why or is it how we got involved in field trialing, she was a big running, long ranging girl. Joe later declared to Pepper as they lay on a bed together looking in each others eyes.....

"At first I wasn't happy with you, but that was because I didn't understand who you were." Ohhhh.....Pepper was so pleased to have her masters praise.

Ya..... who's smiling now after she took 3rd place in Derby at Nationals.... The next day she won the Futurity. OK he is definitely hooked.....

Slide playing with Jake and Casey. Enters the boys in our pack. DH has two new field trial buddies.

Jake is showing promise by placing second in his first puppy trial, he has beautiful conformation and a major win at six months old. He needs one point to be a champion. Jake came to us from a breeding that we couldn't resist.

Enters Casey, Jake was 9 months old when Casey came to live with us. Yikes, two pups at once, have mercy..........please........ don't let this cute little guy fool you...... We also loved both Dam and Sire and couldn't resist getting a pup from this breeding.......are you seeing the pattern here.....it reminds me of shopping for fabric and wool........you just have to have it.........LOl..

Yep, he is a climber just like his Dam and Sire........

Casey is fitting in well, and we love his coat. A much tighter coated dog and I won't be spending hours at the grooming table. And he is the last GWP that will be coming to live with us for a very long time.......... LOL......We will not be needing anymore for goodness sakes........LOL....

We now feel we have children again..........but we wont be in trouble for putting them in a kennel....lol....

It is hunting season so the wirehairs are very happy......right Casey!!!!! Hunt em up!!!!!

Carrie

Goodbye to my litte silver!

Oh Dear, What is a blogger to do without pictures......

My little camera gave up the ghost......and on Thanksgiving weekend, all those missed family pictures and fun places we visited in Seattle.
Actually as my #1 grandson, Tylor, called it when he was 3....FAKE Seattle. LOL.... Yes, Bellevue, Bothell was declared to be FAKE Seattle. The Real Seattle has the skyline including the infamous Space Needle. After one Thanksgiving we took my daughter to the amtrak in downtown Seattle, she needed to get back home for work, Tylor looked around the city and saw the Space Needle and declared " Now this is Seattle, that other place is FAKE Seattle."" We all got such a laugh at his declaration.....no one was fooling him!!

Here is my now 14 year old #1 grandchild celebrating #14 with us in August.....he came to have a Sushi dinner.......


We had such a good time eating some very different cuisine!!! Kobe beef cooked on a hot rock! That was fun, and his dessert was a triple presentation of chocolate!!!

Yesterday I received a Christmas picture from the Family in Omaha. I LOVED the picture, and I especially liked that my son and daughter-in-law look, well like they used to before 4 months of bed rest during pregnancy.........no sleep...... lol..... Just one beautiful family. I am prejudice, I totally admit!!!! The boys are 4 months old and Ethan and Jaxon are sleeping 8-9 hours, Hayden wakes up after 5 and goes right back to sleep. How cool is that!!!


I am taking this time without a camera doing my Christmas decorations, sewing up my log cabin quilt, JLW projects and a couple BOM projects that I am determined to keep up with.
We have our neighborhood dinner sunday evening which is always alot of fun. It will be held at the Cricketwood B&B directly across the road from us. Jim and Tracy are so wonderful. We love having them as neighbors. They have an 18 hole frisbee golf course that my DH enjoys challenging Jim on. What a fun game it is, we hear laughing coming from there yard all year long as guests and Jim play along.
Next week I am back up to Seattle to visit with my sister and mom. Mom is delayed until after Christmas to make her trip to Yuma so we will have a few girl days in Fake Seattle and maybe to Seattle too.....

Christmas blessing to all of you......

Carrie