Saturday is St. Nicholas Day!

Why not take a little time on Saturday and celebrate St. Nicholas Day? St. Nicholas taught the story of Christ simply, so all people could understand. He lived his faith and devotion to God in helping the poor and all in need. Pointing to the Babe born in a manger in Bethlehem, he encouraged peace and goodwill toward all—the hope-filled Christmas message.

Set aside some time with your loved ones to have a special tea with a slice of Dundee Cake or other favorite holiday confection. The Dundee Cake receipt (a Tasha Tudor term for recipe) can be found in the Tasha Tudor Cookbook, or here with Jennifer's recipes on the family website. My friend Suzanne over at Blueberry Cottage has a photo of them on this post. I always think about Tasha Tudor on St. Nicholas Day; especially after watching the Take Peace video and watching her climb on the chair (gasp!) to hang her lovely advent wreath with the special red ribbons from her parents' wedding. I imagine she will be taking tea and Dundee Cake in heaven with the angels and her loved ones and Corgis who have gone before her. Can't you just picture it?

Wishing you all a Happy St. Nicholas Day and a lovely weekend!

Warmly,

Cathy ^..^

She oughta be in pictures...

On the way home from the Springfield shows, while at our usual Starbucks stop, Mary Elizabeth mentioned that someone took a photo of she and Amy for a local newspaper while I was in the ladies room changing clothes to take Amy into the ring. We wondered if they would use it and thought even if they did we'd probably not get to see it. Luckily a friend forwarded a scan of the article! Here's Mary Elizabeth and Amy. Don't they look spiffy? -CS ^..^

Wake me up in an hour...

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving yesterday! Whoa...does that huge turkey dinner make you sleepy or what? John had the day off today. Sometimes the best intentions of things we want to accomplish get pushed to the side by the call of the bed and the TV clicker.

He: "Cathy... Look...there's a Mork and Mindy marathon on the Sci Fi channel."
Me: "Oh, cool, I used to love that show."
He: "I know, I've seen your Mork doll in the garage."

(A few moments later)
He: "Wake me up in an hour, OK?"
Me: (yawning) "Sure, no problem. (yawning again) In an hour, OK."

Two hours later, I woke up covered in wee beasties. Most get up when one of us leaves the bed, but there's always a die hard who waits for the last person to get up.


As I watched some of those TV commercials for stores that opened as early as 4:AM today for early shoppers, I think that there would be a snowball's chance in hell of me getting up to shop that early. (wake up like a crazy person to go to a dog show at 4:AM and, oh yeah, I'm right there, but shopping, fuggedaboutit....) Maybe after a grande Starbucks. Maybe. I feel really bad for the sales people who had to be at work that early today. I am glad today 'officially' starts the Christmas holiday though. I do love the whole Advent and Christmas season and everything about it and I tend to start celebrating a bit earlier than most. Did you watch any of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? I'm sure all of the Hannah Montana fans were watching for Miley Cyrus on her Bolt float. I'm not sure which float was my favorite, there were so many really cute ones. I did really like Idina Menzel's float (and her song!) it had the M & M's dressed as Broadway characters. The green M & M dressed as Elphaba in Wicked was really cute. OH! And the new Smurf balloon! How Smurfy is that? So cute. I really liked the Sesame Street float, and the one with Kermit the Frog, too. And the Rockettes, you've got to love them. I marvel at how they are never out of sync. Incredible. Of course, anyone from New York (or anyone who loves Miracle on 34th Street) knows that as soon as Santa comes by at the end of the parade, the Christmas season has officially begun. At least now since it is 'official,' I don't have to hide my Christmas CD's that are in my car. I can eat my Pepperidge Farm gingerbread cookies and pfeffernusse cookies in public and with reckless abandon, and I don't need to think of an excuse as to why Prancer or The Grinch or Rudolph or Christmas in Connecticut or any other Christmas movie is on my DVD player when someone pops in. Huzzah! Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la! Ding Dong Merrily On High! Let the season begin!

Well, as soon as I wake up the Mister, that is......

xo xo -CS ^..^

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you all a blessed and happy Thanksgiving! xo xo

It is raining Cats and Corgis outside...

Good morning my lovelies. I'm back from a weekend of dog shows, the Thanksgiving cluster in W. Springfield, MA held at the Big E. It is usually held the day after Thanksgiving, but for some reason it was the week before which is fine with me. It was less hectic than trying to get it together right after the holiday. Well, it should have been. Mary Elizabeth and I tried to leave 'early' on Thursday, but she had electric problems and I had plumbing problems so we left just in time to hit rush hour. Neither of us had breakfast or lunch. Half-way there we realized how hungry we were but didn't want to stop till we got there. Luckily I had two candy canes in my tack box which we dubbed 'hors d'oeurves.' What a cold weekend in Massachusetts! Saturday night was Mayflower Corgi Club's Christmas dinner and meeting. Dinner was held at the very nice historic Storrowton Tavern and Carriage House. It was so cold that we went in the first door we saw nearest the parking area. We found a few friends who had done the same and were warming themselves by the fire. This warm coziness was short-lived however because we soon realized we were in the wrong building and had to go outside to get to the right one.

The nice thing about having our meeting at Storrowton is that it is right on the grounds of the Exhibition center and if anyone is still running in agility, they can hop right over to the restaurant when they are through. Mary Elizabeth had Feisty, her Border Collie entered and also had to stay in the agility building for a meeting of the newly formed Nutmeg Border Collie Club. I brought some stitching with me to do while they blathered on. None of our dogs did too well this weekend. Knocked bars, missed weaves, 1st, 2nd and 3rd placements in conformation (no points) but it was still fun to see friends before the holidays. When I got home, the Mister was cooking dinner and the house was clean (thank you, kids!) Today it is pouring rain. I think I will bake something and start looking for our Christmas decorations. What are you up to today? -CS ^..^

Meet John-John

He's a new Original Christmas Corgi Art doll ornament. He is completely hand made from my original pattern. Approximately 6" from the tip of his paws to the tip of his ears, he is full of Corgi cuteness. Click the eBay link to see this new listing which ends on Monday, Nov. 24, approx. 9:30 PM EST.

Happy Monday, my lovelies! xo -CS ^..^

Once more with feeling please.....

Is it me? Is it just me? You know those verification letters you have to type before your blog post comment gets posted? Those 'please type these letters as you see them' whatchamacallits? Are they getting freakier, swirlier, more smooshed together? I know that blogger, typepad, etc. are trying to protect us from spammers' comments on our blogs, but wouldn't it be great if there were a feature that let you release regular reader friends from this torture? If any of the powers that be are reading this, I hereby charge you with this task. I'm just sayin'.......
^..^ CS


**p.s. I'm releasing you all, my lovely readers, from this time-wasting verification procedure on this blog. There. I've turned it off. We'll see how it goes. Spammers, beware. Don't mess with me or my peeps or I'll send a posse of tracking Corgis to find you on a day when you are wearing a dark suit and let them shed all over you. Twice.



(thank you!)

Veterans....we salute you!

Today in America we celebrate Veterans Day. It is a day to honor those who have served and are serving in the military today. So, from all of us here, a big heartfelt THANK YOU!!! Because of you and your service we are free and safe and able to enjoy our freedoms in the greatest country in the world.

My husband is an army veteran. So, to honor the Mister, I made homemade pizza (he loves) and salad for dinner. I think I got a bit carried away..... CS ^..^

One of those days....

You know those days. We all have them. Those days when you should have stayed in bed if only the Corgis would let you? I'm talking about the days when the best laid plans of mice and men just go by the wayside...those days. This morning I picked up my mom and had plans of doing tons of creative things. No sooner did we arrive at home when the power went out. Again. Sigh. I called the power company and they said that about 1500 homes in the area were without power. In order to get any type of cell phone service I have to drive about 4 miles up the road. You know 'the spot' instantly because lots of cars have pulled over there. 3:00 ish was the estimated time for power to go back on. Everyone was hungry so we got into the car and decided to find a little place to get a bite to eat. Driving through New Canaan, I spotted a big black dog in the middle of the road. He had obviously escaped from his house because he was wearing an invisible fencing collar. Sometimes a dog will not mind the 'shock' to escape or run after a squirrel, etc. but won't risk it to get back in. Personally, I do not like invisible fence but it is better than no fence, I suppose. He was obviously friendly, trying to get the men in their passing trucks to stop and visit with him. I know it was lunch hour, but I couldn't believe that not one of those men stopped to try and help this dog. We all know better than to approach a strange dog but believe me, this dog was wagging his tail and very sweet. Since I always have a leash or crate in my car, I stopped traffic with my car so no one could get by before I had him by the collar. I was a bit worried because you never know if he was injured or would bite because he was nervous. He was fine. A very big black Labrador Retriever. Not a young dog, he had some grey whiskers on his chin and the eyes of an old soul. He wore a tag. His name was Bear. I called his phone number and left a message on the machine. His address was on the tag so I put Bear into the 'way back' of my car and drove to his house. Did I mention it was raining, he was soaked to the skin and I had a new bag of chicken feed and a stack of new fluffy white towels back there? Lets just say, neither one fared well after Bear got comfortable back there. Finally, a woman stopped and asked if I was broken down. She said she knew someone who knew the people who lived in Bear's house and called her from her cell phone. The woman had the same number as was on Bear's tag. Then she had the brilliant idea (the kind of idea that only a mother could come up with!) to call the school where she knew their child attended as they would probably have an emergency cell phone number. Ta da! Within 1/2 hour of the call, a very grateful man came home to take Bear inside. Hopefully he won't notice the red bits of Twizzlers (the only treats left in my car from Halloween) in Bear's teeth. By the size of Bear, I have a feeling the Twizzlers weren't the first snack he has ever had. By the time I got back, it was too dark inside to do anything really. When it rains here, it is very dark in my house so finishing my paintings was out. Went to Starbucks and just as we got home, the power went on. My email box was full...sorry if you tried to send me a note. Anyway, the power is on, the house is warm, Bear is where Bear should be, all is right again. For now 'anyways'....... CS ^..^

A bye bye and a black out...

Today I had planned to cook spaghetti and meatballs and make an apple pie for dessert. I've been wanting to try this recipe from Alicia over at Posie Gets Cozy as it is very different from my regular recipe. My plan was to make the pie first, then start cooking dinner. No sooner did I finish preparing the pie then the power went out. Here's a photo of the pie before it went into the oven.

My husband and son took a ride up the road to see what happened. A tree had fallen on the electric wires. The power company gave an estimate of a 'few' hours to get the tree up and the power back on. Everything here is hooked up to electricity so the pie baking would have to wait. After peeling all of those apples, I saw a lone orange that should have been eaten days ago, so I made the first orange and clove studded pomander of the season. I love to put them around through Thanksgiving with bowls of nuts and little pumpkins. After Thanksgiving, I switch out the pumpkins and replace them with bowls of juicy Clementines through Christmas and the New Year.

After the clove business, I decided to take down those Halloween decorations. I feel like October just flew by! I even forgot to show you Bailey on her 12th birthday. Doesn't she look cute? I know, fuzzy photo, but she still is a cutie pie. My husband and daughter wanted a Carvel ice cream cake that day so that's what we had. And yes, the Corgis had a piece. Her cake said, "Happy Birthday B" as that's what John calls her.

What can I tell you about these Halloween photos? Well, you can see how much Liam enjoyed dressing up in his lion costume. (!) Renee dressed him in this adorable snuggly suit to keep him warm for trick or treating. I love to decorate with black crows and ravens in October. They were in wreaths, on the mirror with the black leaf garland, even in the bathroom! I also like putting tiny not too spooky touches here and there, like putting a mask on the little Welcome Corgi sign that Mary Elizabeth gave me for Christmas years ago painted by Nancy Oelhof. The Sleepy Hollow Road sign was going to be tossed when the town it came from was replacing the old street signs with new reflective ones. Since John and I were married in Sleepy Hollow, I couldn't resist. The Wizard of Oz Wicked Witch of the West is a porcelain doll from the Franklin Mint. The little mouse silhouettes on my steps are from Martha Stewart at Michaels. They were really fun this year.

The little Corgi wizard is from Barbie Sonnett. The cut wool owl you may remember from this post last year after visiting Tasha Tudor's garden with my kindred spirit friends. All of the Halloween decorations are officially down. So bye bye October! Welcome November! Oh! And the power came back on right after I was done putting everything away. Just in time to cook dinner and bake the pie which, by the way, was delicious!-CS ^..^
p.s. I also worked on something else, an adorable Corgi Christmas ornament which I will show you on Thursday! Sooooooo cute!

Meet "Lizzie," A New Original Corgi Art Doll

Do you ever get the urge to sew something while watching Project Runway? While an artist's doll is hardly the same as a new garment, the basics are the same. Sketch your design, make your pattern and to quote Tim Gunn, "Make it work." She is the second of her kind. The first is mine and is resting on my bed (sans pumpkin~!) Out came the needles and thread to create this mixed media piece. Cotton fabric, wool felt, wool from my friend LaVonne's sheep farm in Montana, embroidery floss and paint covered my work table. I think her pants are my favorite part! What do you think? Click Ebay button to see this listing. Auction ends Monday, November 2. Happy Monday, my lovelies. xo -CS ^..^

Corgis on Animal Planet tomorrow night!

I received a lovely email from Grace over at Animal Planet TV. Tomorrow night, Corgis will be featured on Dogs 101. In case you miss the show, they will put a clip on their website. Check your cable listings for time. Happy Friday, everyone! -CS ^..^

What REALLY happens when we try to photograph Corgi puppies

Let me set this one up for you.
Our mission: Get all of the puppies into the basket and take one decent Christmas photo.
Our reality: The babies had other ideas.

First you'll see a brief glimpse of Cindy Read, saying something like, "Maybe they will get really tired and will stay in the basket." Then you'll hear Mary Elizabeth Simpson telling her something like, "They'll be out playing for a while, then will go back into their pen and will be so tired they should sleep for hours!" Then there's me, talking to our veteran boy, Indy, (Ch. Windcrest Zip'N Indiana Jones) Indy decided it would be his job to try and herd them all in as they jumped out of the basket. **if my blog music is playing in the background, you can pause it. The player is in the sidebar to the left.

Here's Cindy with a fluffy cutie pie...

We'd put them into the basket.....

They'd jump out of the basket....

So we tried to take a few stacking photos....("stacking" is a term used to teach a dog to stand properly for the show ring to be evaluated by a judge at a dog show)

But, they weren't really in the mood for that, either.

So, they found the cheese we were using to train them with, on the log. So much for the beauty photos.

Next, they decided to see what the camera strap tastes like......

Then we put littermates Hannah Banana (on left) and Indy (center) with their mother Kelsey (on the right) HB and Indy will be 11 in December. Kelsey is 14. Where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday when they were the little ones in the basket.

Have a lovely week everyone! xo Cathy ^..^

The Duchess

Last night four of my very dear friends and I decided to go to the movies and grab a bite to eat at the diner afterward. The fact that we all managed to get together on a spontaneous short-notice whim was an amazing feat in itself since the last time we tried to coordinate getting together required at least 100 emails, phone calls and 'Blackberry' text messages back and forth. Sheesh! Well, after seeing The Duchess, I can tell you that this movie does not disappoint. The costumes, scenery and the lovely Keira Knightly are enough reason to see this film. If Ralph Fiennes gave you the creeps as Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter, I will tell you that He Who Must Not Be Named has nothing over the Duke of Devonshire, who is portrayed by Fiennes in this movie. Ralph Fiennes is really good at being bad. Keira Knightly is Georgiana Spencer, The Duchess of Devonshire. She is amazing in this role. Princess Diana was a direct descendant of the Duchess and it is amazing how their lives ran parallel to each other. The movie is very beautiful but very sad. The music is hauntingly lovely. I may just buy the soundtrack to listen to on those days when I need to wallow for a bit in a good cry. But just for a bit. -CS ^..^

Pure Corgi Cuteness

Here's one of the Darby x Halo pups. Mary Elizabeth snapped these pics. Cuteness. Pure Corgi cuteness. Happy Weekend, everyone! -CS ^..^

New Christmas Corgi Original Agility Ornaments!

**update**

Sold! More goodies to come....

CS ^..^

New Original Corgi Art!

Sold! More to come! -CS ^..^

Meet Hayley

I'm an Auntie again! Meet the newest member of our family, Hayley; my brother Gary & sister-in-law Katy's new baby girl. Isn't this just the cutest birth announcement photo? (He's a drummer....) Happy Monday, everyone! -CS ^..^

It's Raining Cats and Corgis out there...

Why is it that the day I make an appointment to have my hair cut, it usually rains? (insert big sigh here....) Shayne, my hairdresser, does such a fantastic job, especially considering I usually resemble Medusa when I walk in. Then I have to go out to my car and it gets so poofy. The rain and humidity combination just release the beast that is my hair, no matter what product we put in or how I try and cover it with a rain jacket. Now now, I know it doesn't affect the state of the union or anything, but just once or twice I'd love to have my hair look like it does when I leave the salon for a few hours. What, do I need to start checking the Farmer's Almanac before I make an appointment? Geez.....


Anyway, I hope the rain lets up soon. The wind and rain keep me thinking about and praying for everyone that was in hurricane Ike's path. Tomorrow is Mayflower's Fall Match being held in Windsor, CT. Details are up on the web site. We are having a conformation match, obedience, rally, Canine Good Citizen test and a fluffy exhibition. Mari Carroll and Judy Pilat are chairing the match. There is a pavillion which we've all squished beneath in the rain before; but the park is so nice, I hope it dries up a bit so we can spread out and not have muddy wet Corgis. See you there? -CS ^..^

Nie Nie Benefit Sale Today!

Friday Afteroon update: First, Second, Third and Fourth batch of items is all but gone. (hurray! everything was sold in like 2 minutes? whoa...you guys are fast!) Morgan will restock the shop this weekend, probably for the final time and on Monday at 7 PM PST, 10 PM EST, the shop will be open and ready to go again. The response was overwhelmingly wonderful to help this family, so she had to extend it a few days to get everything listed. I hope she will take a long nap after all of this is done! Morgan mentioned that my items will be in the Friday sale so if you have ever been inclined to buy one, here's a chance to help a good cause! ***update: my items sold out, but many other artists' and crafters' lovely items will be available on Monday evening. Remember to stop by the sale today to benefit Stephanie and Christian Nielson who were seriously injured and burned in a plane crash last month. 100% of the proceeds will go straight to their care and recovery. There are some really nice items being offered in the sale. I sent over 2 signed prints (Corgi Tea In the Rose Garden and Corgi Mad Scientists) and two miniature signed framed hedgehog prints (Hedgie Fashionista). All of these items are under $20 each, and bonus? Rachele Call has generously donated a free CD of her inspirational music to everyone who purchases an item from the sale. The sale will begin at 10:00 AM PST today. Morgan is working very hard to get everything listed. See you at the sale! Bless your hearts for helping to move some of the clouds away to let the sun shine again for this family in need. Have a happy day! -CS ^..^

"I hate to see it go"

Those were the words of Yogi Berra when asked about the demolition of Yankee Stadium. "I hate to see it go" he said on his TV interview. Tonight the Yankees played the last game that will ever be played in the house that Ruth built. My husband was teary eyed and while watching the game on TV; it was apparent he wasn't the only one. He said "my grandfather took my father, my father took me, I took my son...a lot of memories at that ball park." There were so many touching moments tonight; watching the players and the old timers scooping up dirt from the field and putting it into paper cups and rubbing it on their uniforms; watching Julia, Babe Ruth's daughter throw out the first pitch. After winning the game, Derek Jeter gave a very lovely little speech and a tribute to all of the fans. He said that the Yankees are all about memories and tradition and he hopes that everyone will carry those memories and traditions to the new stadium and pass them on to future generations. I think that he expressed so wonderfully what my husband and so many are feeling. I'm sure the new stadium across the street will be fantastic and luxurious. But still, as for the old stadium, I'm with Yogi. I hate to see it go. -CS ^..^

p.s. There will be a new Christmas Corgi Original Art update this week! I've been busy working on some fun new pieces....stay tuned!

*photo of Babe Ruth from Encarta

Why I can't sleep at night....

I wish The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson didn't have to be on so darn late at night/early in the morning (12:30 ish EST) because it is seriously contributing to my lack of sleep. He just cracks me up. Oh I can make all kinds of excuses as to why I'm up so late....a Corgi needs to go out again....I forgot to shut off the computer....did I leave the garage door open?....honey did you hear a noise?.....but really it is to watch Craig Ferguson. You can watch some clips from his shows here on his website but fair warning, you too may soon be making those late night excuses. One of these days I will have to learn to program my dvd recorder like a normal person. Until then, extra strong coffee in the morning will have to do. -CS ^..^

(p.s. Note to the cheeky monkey: oh yes, we are in awe of your incredible cuteness)

etsy love for a good cause

Visit Morgan Moore for details on an upcoming sale to benefit Nie Nie's recovery.

The Barn Blessing

On Saturday, Reinwood Corgis had a Barn Blessing and Blessing of the Animals in celebration and thanksgiving for Mary Elizabeth's new barn. The Reverend Larry David McCormick (known throughout Corgidom as Father Mack) performed the absolutely lovely ceremony; assisted by Mary Elizabeth, my daughter Laura and myself. We were joined by family members and friends (well, those who were not at dog shows and agility trials!) and we had a delicious potluck lunch in the barn. Mack blessed the barn and all of those present, human, equine, canine, etc...enlightened us with a wonderful homily and lead us in prayer. A good time was had by all! Here are a few photos of the special day at Windcrest Acres. Thank you so much, Father Mack, for making the day one we will always cherish. God Bless us, Everyone!-CS ^..^