Happy Valentine's Day!

Peter & Mia

I loved this picture my brother posted the other day of Mia examining his ear.

New Painting

Here's a painting Mom did of me, Ruthie and Bjorn a while back, set in the old mountain house we had up in Highlands, NC. I love the two little fuzzy black & white dogs at my feet. We still miss Ruthie.

For the Disgruntled Singles on Valentine's Day

We had a blast in Holy Hand this morning. Kevin whipped out his new copy of Hand Job and we all got to work with some down and dirty emotive type. Mike drew this gem and I colored the screws with lovely fleshy tones of pink. Nice, huh? I'd love to do a whole line of offensive holiday cards for folks not in the mood to celebrate.

And speaking of new books about type, I'm interested in New Vintage Type by Steven Heller. Anyone got it and love it? Tell me!

New Buttons

New buttons are ready for display and sale! Yippee!

Beauty Contest

OK Voters: Who wears the hat better? Be ye kind.

Two More Connections

Celebrity Look-Alike

I could not resist the connection!

Norwegian Table Prayer

Here's a new piece of calligraphy I've been working on, the Norwegian table prayer my great grandmother Dagny Davnes taught us. This is done in Blackletter - a meaty, greedy and sensuous face. Quite different from the gentle flourishes of Copperplate. I'm digging the thick strokes and the ability to lay that much ink down on the paper.

Color Palettes

An exercise we did in Creative Muscle this week. Extracting every color possible from an object using Color Aid paper. These would have been much better photos has I not taken them with my dinky camera phone. You get the idea, though.

Hot Pants

The Anton Man gets DOWN with his bad self. Takin' his first steps, standin' and clappin' and meltin' our hearts.

Watermelon

Bookmaking at Binders

Friends,

From February 16 - March 22, I will be teaching a 6-week course on bookbinding at Binders Art Supply. The class is $250.00. We will meet on Saturdays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. All the supplies you need are sold right there at the store. I'm excited!

Please spread the news to anyone you think might be interested in the class. You can sign up for the class on the Binders website.

Thanks and please spread the word!

Ketubah

Here's a ketubah I did for a recent PC grad a couple of weeks ago.

Buttons!

Holly suggested I try playing with sculpey. She's a knitter, too and makes buttons to sell to knit shops. She sews them to a card and the knit shop displays them. My finger's still injured from knitting and I'm going through a kind of panic similar to the withdrawal symptoms I experienced when I really quit smoking. My hands need something to DO.

SO I spent the weekend excessively making buttons. Yay for sculpey!

First Snow

We took Anton out in the snow yesterday for the first time, made a mini snowman and snapped a few pics. Yay for snow!

New Calligraphy

Here's some new calligraphy work I did recently for a wedding. Like it? Want it? Know someone who would? Spread the news!

Rug Hooking

Since my finger is still blue at the tip, I've put down intricate knitting for a while and am looking for a larger craft. Anyone heard of rug hooking? It's an old craft of making your own rug with scraps of fabric pulled tightly through linen or burlap. It's got a heavy folk art feel and is completely charming! This pattern I'm particularly interested in. Meow!

tanks

This disturbing image comes with an endearing message.

Peter, Glo and Mia came to town for the weekend to help celebrate Dad's 70th birthday. Some point in the conversation, we started talking about teeth. Dad flew upstairs and returned to Peter and me with two little jars with our names on the outside. Inside was the stash of two lifetime's worth of Tooth Fairy paychecks: our baby teeth.

Thanks Mom and Dad, for the tooth fairy. For candy and cake and ice cream (see my cavities) and fabulous slumber parties with friends and the best ever birthday parties by far in the neighborhood. Thanks for 2 years of braces (see the 4 permanent teeth with long beautiful roots?) and my retainer and 5 years of art school, 10 of piano lessons and mucho help with grad school. Thank you for tubes in my ears to keep infections away.

Thank you for giving me so many reasons to smile. I love you.

P A N D O R A

Sick of your iTunes library? Go to the Music Genome Project!

Ahhh Chooo!

Well I have nothing clever to say today. Though I am happy, anton and I have been battling colds. After three days of a fever that spiked 104 this morning and three night of little sleep for all of us (yes, I'm dizzy and barely functioning), I took him to the Dr. today. His fever went down again, and he doesn't have any serious infections, though his throat is terribly red and sore. If he doesn't get better in 3 days, we take him back for a recheck. The one benefit from this experience is another chance to seriously bond with Anton. He's never been this sick before. When he feels his worse, he buries his head into your chest and falls asleep there. It is the most heavenly feeling. I relish every whimper and snuggle. He is such a beautiful boy.

He has begun to walk while holding your hands. This is amazing to watch and really fun to see him smile at his own accomplishments.

Other good news, Bjorn's getting better. I walked him yesterday during lunch up and down Peachtree & Bennett and he did really well. Then back in the hallways at school, he walked off-leash with me, never stepping ahead of me. This is a HUGE step. He slept soundly in class and was cheery and obedient the whole day. I am feeling like I can tackle his aggression and make him feel safer around me and therefore safer around Anton. I am feeling like a rock star. I love you BjornMouse!

Mom is keeping Anton tonight so we can get some sleep. I am soooooooo excited.

Dad turns 70 tomorrow and I have this present to give him. My goal is to make him cry. Wish me luck!

I Love Burt's Bees

I have a horrific cold and cough and will post this yummy, girlie post in spite of how I feel.

This limp shimmer in "Champagne" has the tiniest hint of shimmery light pink - a perfect lip gloss in an elegant thin tube. Also tastes and smells like mint.

Yay!

I Love Dexter

Well, we are officially hooked. Hopelessly hooked. Doomed. Forever. We've just finished watching the entire first season and are now into the second. We call them Sode Marathons. What I love most about Dexter is the kernels of truth about life that apply to ALL of us. This truth is laced in between the bloody strands of detail about serial killers. And this one's a good guy. Remember how smart Hannibal was? Only killing the rude or guilty? Dexter's the same way. He deals with loneliness, isolation, and other aches for deeper feeling and meaning in his life, just like we do. So I like this guy cause I see myself in him.

Betcha didn't know I had a dark side, eh?

Our Last Night

Friends!

Well we just had a fabulous dinner of pasta and grouper and a fantastic salad. Tomorrow we begin on the leftovers. God bless Mimi's meatballs and Nonie's make ahead mashed potatoes.

Doug and Mom just went to Ingles on an ice cream run - Doug in his pajamas no less. Dad and I are sitting by the fire he just stoked and are awaiting their return. It has been a fantastic day and a fantastic week. I am thinking of staying the weekend to prepare for the next quarter at PC, writing my syllabi while Mom watches Anton. I will in turn watch him while she finishes a painting she's doing of Dad for his 70th birthday.

It rained ALL day long today. Wonderful, luscious rain. Mom bought me a pair of support hose so I could stand in the kitchen for days and bake all these pretty cookies. My body is falling apart! But thankfully, my spirit is intact.

I have knitted a tremendous amount this past week, so much so that my index finger literally turned blue and numb. I think it's a Repetitive Stress Injury. So I've put the needles down for a while to let my hands rest. I do things pretty intensely and I always have to be careful about taking breaks. Well, I was so excited about being able to knit nonstop that didn't pay attention to my hands. Bad me. Here's a lovely hat I'm trying to finish.

SO, when they return, we will continue our Dexter marathon. We've just rented the first 3 discs of the first season and are hooked. Yay for dark comedy!

Merry Christmas to all of you. More later,

~Anne

New Knitting

I've been able to do quite a bit of baking and knitting while up here. It feels SO good. Here's my latest project: a scarf for Mom. This ones got a lace pattern in between two leaves at both ends. I am using yarn from GGH called Aspen, a wool and acrylic blend. Lovely color!

Tonight we go to La Pachanga, the local mexican restaurant. I will be drinking the Ritas and having a blast!

Merry Christmas!

Check out my big gift this year. We swapped names and Mon drew mine. So she smartly had this necklace custom made for me. Typewriter keys are much prettier around your neck, though I must pay homage to the passing of an era. Will we someday wear apple keyboard commands as jewelry, too? Anyway, check out this designer's site. My necklace is there!

Had a great Christmas morning. We're just about to eat dinner. I am with the finest of company today. The best mother in the world, the best father in the world, the best baby in the world and the best husband in the world.

Peaceful sigh.

Christmas Eve

So it's Christmas Eve and we've just had a delicious dinner of Norwegian meatballs, mashed potatoes and peas. We've had a great day together and I am grateful for everything I have. This time last year, half of Dad's face wasn't working because of a tumor he had removed and I was battling migraines. THIS year we're both feeling a lot better and back into the swing of the lives we've so carefully mended.

Life is good. Look at this little gem in my lap.

I am happy.

Christmas Cookies

Well. This is what I've done all day. And happily. I hadn't made cookies for a very long while, so this felt good. We boarded Bjorn yesterday before coming up to Rabun Gap and I was blue arriving here without him. It just wasn't the same. But I woke up feeling better today. I'm glad. I don't think the Bjorn decision is going to ruin my Christmas. Whew!

Hard Decisions

In spite of my melancholy mood, here's a lovely picture of my blooming Christmas Cactus. It sits in my studio and gets afternoon light. Every year it blooms no matter what happens.

I am thinking of Bjorn and Anton. I just looked at pictures of dog bites in children and oooftah has it affected me. I am thinking that my reasons for wanting to keep Bjorn are selfish. And that's not good. To keep Anton safe from Bjorn I have to keep them separated. That's for at LEAST the next 5 years. No joke. How fun is that? That means Bjorn's away from the family. Listening to us play without him. While he broods in the corner or whines to be with us. And if we want them together, then I have to be literally in between them and make sure neither appears too threatening to the other. It is no fun and very hard work. No wonder I have a headache.

I keep picturing Bjorn at the breeder with all the other toy breeds. Yapping and playing and being dogs together. Bjorn was always a little jumpy around people. When he spent a few months at the breeder's he came back to us confident and more affectionate. He literally rubbed all over us like cats do. I realized that he had adopted that behavior from other dogs. That they were all snuggly and friendly with each other. Puppies together.

I am thinking about whose family is better for Bjorn?
And how would I feel about Anton really getting bitten and living with a scar? I owe him more safety than that.

My reasons for keeping Bjorn are selfish and not good for anyone but my own comfort. He's my teddy bear and I just need to let him go. He was my first "child". I am still in love with him. Still melt at the site of his beautiful face. Still love just the thought of him.

I dunno. I am feeling less guilty as I did a few days ago. No matter how much love or discipline or exercise I give Bjorn, I will never truly be fully confident that he won't try to bite again. If he can bite me, his favorite person in the world, then what could he do to Anton?

What is the more loving thing for me to do for Anton?
Keep him as absolutely safe as I can.

What is the more loving thing for me to do for Bjorn?
Keep him as absolutely happy as he can be.
Does that mean live in a house with gates away from family?

Yes, the training I've been doing with him these past few days has been great. The walking has been really good for him. Good for me, too. Yes, my making sure I walk thru doorways and up and down the stairs first has been great. Bjorn gets it.
BUT he still can be threatened by Anton. He is too little a dog to not to be threatened by Anton's unpredictable movements. No amount of training will ever completely guarantee that he won't bite when threatened.

I cannot have both of these creatures at once. I must choose what's best for both of them.

So I am, at this moment, leaning towards giving him back to the breeder. She is willing to take him.

I just have to be willing to let him go.

Anne. What is the most loving thing to do? The most loving thing to do. I am a good person who does loving things and I can make this choice if I make it out of love and not selfishness, neediness or sad desperation.

Again everyone. Thank you for reading and considering my dilemma.

We go up to Rabun Gap to be with Mom and Dad on Saturday. We will board Bjorn while we're up there. When we return after Christmas, I will really make up my mind.

Any thoughts you have about this loving choice I have to make are still appreciated. Prayers, too. I want this to be another peaceful Christmas.

Whew!

Hello World,

Thank you for supporting me in my Bjorn-Mania. We are trying a new approach. So far, I think Bjorn's happier because I walk him every day and don't let him get ahead of me at the stairs or out the door. But I still have to keep him and Anton separated.

Anton wants to play with Bjorn and vice-versa. But the fine-boned Papillon is too threatened by Anton's aggressive crawling. They will not be able to play together until Anton understands how to be calm around Bjorn.

If I'm going to keep Bjorn, I'll have to do a lot more work to keep him more balanced than he is right now. No more babytalk, No more excessive cuddling. More exercise. More rules. More boundaries.

I am EXHAUSTED. But it's an empowering feeling. Being in charge of two boys. Um, three, if you count Dougie Fresh.

IF, after a few weeks, things have not improved and I have really given this my best shot, I will be able to give Bjorn back to the breeder to live with the pack SANS GUILT. I am going to die trying, but try I must.

I will keep you all posted on my progress.

I had planned on all kinds of Christmasy posts to share with you but am overwhelmed with the task at hand at the moment.
Christmas cookies will have to wait. But I will share our lovely tree with you. It's the first time we've used an artificial tree (gasp!) but MAN are they so much easier. No sap in the house. No sawdust. No needles to vacuum. No more headaches (yes I'm allergic to the real ones and have had xmas headaches ever since I can remember.) No more cursing from Doug as he puts the tree up or down. AND the best part of all? We did not kill a tree. :)

Saying Goodbye To Bjorn

This is a sad post. And I guess what I want most from all of you is reassurance.

You all know Bjorn can lash out when he feels threatened. He felt trapped the other morning by Anton in our kitchen and almost bit him. Luckily Doug got in the way and was able to get Anton away from him. So that's the last straw. We're having to give him back to the breeder. Bjorn will most likely live out his life there with the pack of other small dogs. But he will be happier there than with me. He'll get more attention there and will be with stronger pack leaders.

I just can't risk Anton getting injured by him. I feel so guilty, tho. So inept. A failure. I love that little dog so much. My Monkey Mouse. Bjorn was the first dog I really loved. Deeply. And I feel so guilty and ashamed of my trying to humanize him. I hope he has a happy life in spite of my irresponsibility. I feel it's even more irresponsible to keep him out of my own need to be loved and licked by this sweet creature. I feel so weak. I feel like I've damaged Bjorn. I should have never gotten him in the first place. I'm a better cat person than a dog person.

I am doing the right thing, right? We take him tomorrow. Last night was agony. Yesterday was agony. Today will be worse unless I can think of some positives in this dark situation.

I will miss him so much at school. I will miss him in the car. I will miss him everywhere.

Anton the Happy Busy Boy

peace

I spent the day printing and painting little red birds today. Tomorrow I address. Here's this year's Christmas card! Yay!

Pee & Poo

Simply amazing. For years I've been looking for the right underwear for Doug and now I've found it.