CUTEST...SPIDER...EVER

Our little spider, Dylan, just turned one!

The spider's Mom and Dad:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM 44TH STREET FABRIC!

FIRST A TRIP TO THE JACK-O-LANTERN STORE!

THEN COSTUMES!!

HERE'S CHARLIE'S PUMPKIN HAT (HE WON'T WEAR THE ACTUAL COSTUME)

AND LOLA'S LITTLE WITCH HAT (DITTO FOR NOT WEARING THE COSTUME)

AND THEIR LITTLE BULLDOG AND PUG FRIENDS--WHO ARE WEARING THE COSTUMES BUT ARE CLEARLY WONDERING WHY THEY MUST CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAY THIS WAY!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM 44TH STREET FABRIC! HOPE EVERYONE HAD FUN!!!

44TH STREET FABRIC BLOG GIVEAWAY FOR HAPPY FABRIC! WINNER ANNOUNCED 10/31!

Here's the next 44th Street Fabric Giveaway! Our winner will receive SIX 1/2 YARD CUTS (TOTAL OF 3 YARDS) of their choice of Happy fabrics! I've put pics up of just a few of the Happy fabrics--we have the entire line! The winner will choose which patterns and colors he or she wants from the 24 Happy fabrics! I've shown some of the reds and yellows but this line also has purples and teals, along with black. It's an awesome line and I love it!

Winner of our last giveaway for charm packs and a pattern is Gene Black. Congrats to Gene! Please email me with your mailing address and I'll ship your winnings!

Here are the rules for our Giveaway: It’s kind of like “Find Waldo” but you will be looking for a photo of our owner, Jason, in one of the listings for the prizes shown above which are listed in our Etsy shop. We call our contest “Find Jaso”!

FIRST: Go to our Etsy store (just click on the link above). SECOND: Look for the Happy fabric. Jaso’s picture could be hiding in any of them! THIRD: Leave a comment on this blog entry and tell me the listing in which you found Jason’s picture. Easy-peasy and you will be entered to win! Comments will not be shown on the blog until after the contest is over but you will be entered. Be sure to leave your email address on the entry so I can notify you if you win. Winner will be announced on Sunday, October 31! Because of issues with my email which apparently cannot be resolved, I cannot access your email from the web so be sure to leave your email on your comment.

If you Twitter about our contest and and put the link in a comment, you get an extra entry. If you blog about our contest, just put the link in a comment and you will get 2 extra entries. Let me know you are a follower and you will also get another entry. The winners are chosen at random by www.random.org. Let me know if you have any questions and GOOD LUCK!

PERI AND AUSTIN ROWING - OKLAHOMA CITY REGATTA - FUN!

A beautiful fall weekend...the Oklahoma City Regatta. Gina, Peri and Austin competed!

PENCIL SKETCH OF ZOE

Just for fun...

OCTOBER IS "ADOPT A SHELTER DOG" MONTH!

In honor of ADOPT A SHELTER DOG MONTH, we are letting Lola tell her story:

My Story by Lola

My name is Lola, I am a shih tzu and I want to tell you my story. I was born in a place called a puppy mill. I lived there with 40 other doggies. We all shared little pens that were built originally to be rabbit hutches. They were up off the ground and had chicken wire floors. We didn't get to go outside our pens very often. When we did, we were taken into a building called a garage and there we were bred to other pups. I was always afraid. My friends and I always got excited when people came around but that wasn't very often. We drank our water out of bottles suspended from the cages. My eyes hurt a lot and I had thick yellow fluid in them and it was hard for me to see. I had some sores and lots of skin problems. I also had a bladder infection. I was very sick. I was grateful that I was not at the puppy mill alone but I was sorry my dog friends had to live this way too.

One day some people called animal control officers came to the puppy mill with some policemen. The people who owned the puppy mill ran away from them. The animal control officers found a big pile of dead doggies that weren't even buried. We were all so happy to see these nice people but were a little afraid of what might happen to us now! We could not understand why the animal control officers and policemen were crying when they saw us. They took us to a place called a shelter. Then some people called volunteers and vets and vet techs came in and they were really nice to us. They gave us baths and hair cuts. That was really scary! They gave us physical exams and even gave us shots. They were very sad that they had to help 20 of us go to the Rainbow Bridge. Those 20 doggies were just too sick. I was sad to see my friends go away.

This is not the end of my story though! Some people from a place called Pets and People came and got us! They called everybody to find us forever homes! They called my Mommy and told her about me and she came right away and took me home! I was so sick that during the first few days I don't remember much. I know I made 4 trips to my very own vet those first 3 days. The medicine I got from the vet made me start feeling better.

I have a brother named Charlie who is also a shih tzu! He was not very happy about me coming to live with him! Everything was new and scary! I did not know how to drink from a water bowl. I would lay down with my paws on each side of the bowl, take a deep breath and plunge my face in the water! I have learned how to drink like a big girl now. I did not know how to go down stairs and had some close calls learning how! I also had never been on grass! Boy, that stuff was weird! I have been watching Charlie closely to learn new things! He does something called playing. That's what I am learning now.

It is hard for my Mommy to take my picture cause I want to be touching her all the time. It feels good to be next to her and I am learning not to be afraid of the people I meet. We went to a place called the dog park and it was very hard for me. It brought back memories of the puppy mill and I was afraid my Mommy was going to leave me there. I know Charlie would not have minded too much if she had. I still shake a lot and new things scare me but I am what Mommy calls a "trooper". I wish I could thank all the people who saved me and the other 19 doggies that lived and found forever homes. I wish I could thank all people everywhere who rescue doggies and kitties from terrible situations and find them homes. They are true heroes. I have to go now. My adventure continues! Charlie has something called a greenie. I'll bet there is a greenie for me too.

Life is good!

Lola's story was written in August of 2002. She knows how to play now and is loved and cherished. She and Charlie are great friends and she's afraid of nothing now. If you are getting a dog, please get a shelter dog! If you aren't getting a dog, please consider adding a no-kill rescue to your charity list. If you don't have the money to donate or a way to help your local shelter, please pray for these little ones. Thank you from the lucky Mommy of Charlie and Lola.