Back Home!

Well, I did it. I quit my job and moved back home to Florida! I just couldn't stand being stuck in Alabama another day. I need sunshine and sand between my toes!

I had a huge yard sale and downsized big time. Then I packed up my stuff and moved to Cocoa Beach Florida! I'm renting a little one bedroom apartment that is just 4 blocks away from the ocean! I love it here!

My recent projects have been to paint my entire apartment and some of my old furniture. I found this daybed on Craigslist and painted it white. The comforter was $2 at "my" new favorite thrift store here. 

I have had this table for years. I painted it a pretty coral and now it has a new life too. This photos shows how I installed the doors upside down. I fixed that and now it looks much better. I'm also painting some other furniture, inspired by Jane Coslick's Happy Colors. 

I have some sad news to tell too. My sweet Dylan went over the Rainbow Bridge on June 6th. He was 14 years old and my little buddy. His cancer had spread and he was having difficulty walking. He seemed confused at times too. I know it was the right thing do but I miss him so much...

 

Nugget misses Dylan too. Because the weather is so nice here, I'm taking Nugget for long walks twice a day. That has been good for both of us and we are having fun exploring our new little beach town neighborhood. Dogs are not allowed on the beach here but sometimes we walk up there early in the morning to watch the sunrise. Just looking out over the ocean makes my heart sing!

We also see dolphins playing in the river that is just at the end of my street. There is a great gray heron who seems to enjoy spending time in a neighbor's yard. Of course there are palm trees and tropical plants everywhere! You know how I love palm trees! :D

It's been fun being "retired" but I really need to find a part time job! I've been looking everywhere but so far I've had no success. Please pray that I find something soon.

I'll be back with more photos and hopefully get back to work on my miniatures. Hope you have a beautiful day!

Dylan, Drapes and Lamps

Thanks for all of your sweet and encouraging comments about Dylan. He is taking his antibiotics and seems to be doing well.  He is one tough little doggie!

I stopped by my thrift store again last night. I found this twin size sheet for $1.99 and a pretty lime green dust ruffle for the same price. Lots of fabric to work with for four bucks! I'm going to use it to add trim to my white sheet drapes.

I have two glass lamps that my mother and I made years ago. They are both completely filled with sea shells and are very heavy!  I'm going to take all of the shells out of the lamps and wrap the posts with bubble wrap before putting the shells back inside.

I love this little 1:12 lamp that Kris at 1 Inch Minis made.  So cute!

I know it is not as heavy as mine. :D




I took my lamps apart and spray painted the lamp parts with Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze. Now they look brand new. I'm also going to use this paint for my electrical conduit curtain rods.

I'm hoping to find some pretty shells inside my lamps to use to make finials. Love these!

Image from Landi Designs Etsy

I've got my work lined up for today. What are you planning to do this weekend?

My Little Friend

This is a photo I took of my sweet little Dylan. It was taken two days after his cancer surgery in January. He has been doing great.  :D

Dachshunds are known to be stubborn and determined. He wasn't about to let a "little" surgery get him down!  He has been right by my side every minute. I can't even take a shower without him in the bathroom with me. He runs around the house, plays with Nugget and Henry Cat.

Of course he cuddles right next to me at night.  I think he likes to feel me breathing right beside him. I know I do...

Last night I discovered that Dylan has developed a small open wound on his chest. I felt something damp under his arm when I picked him up to help him outside.  It is right where his surgery was done months ago.

We're going to the vet this afternoon. Being a nurse, I imagine all sorts of horrible things...  I hope it is a localized infection that can be treated with antibiotics.  I know it is probably something else.

Please pray for us. We knew the time would come eventually. I just hope it's not right now.

Dylan's pathology report came back today. It is a "subcutaneous liposarcoma with necrosis and hemorrhages. There are also a few areas of suspicious vascular invasion. It is an intermediate grade of malignancy. Tumor cells are seen in the borders of the sections examined. Prognosis for these tumors is usually guarded. Wide surgical excision is the best approach."

Dylan has had his "wide surgical excision." He has survived a post-op hemorrhage. He has improved day by day. He is comfortable and at home where he needs to be.

Dr. Weber said his wound looks as expected after the radical surgery he had. I can cleanse his wound with antibacterial soap, rinse it and apply antibiotic ointment. I can feed Dylan whatever he wants. I can hold him and hug him and tell him what a wonderful little dog he is. I will continue his pain medication and antibiotics. Right now he is happy and comfortable. I plan to try to keep him that way as long as possible.

We will just take each day as it comes. I don't believe that dogs know when they are sick. They just keep on loving you with their unconditional love.

Some dogs make a special imprint on your heart. Dylan is one of those dogs.

Dylan at six weeks. So sweet.

♥

Update on Dylan

I took Dylan's sweater off this evening to examine his surgical wound. It looks infected. There is redness, swelling, some drainage and some separation of his sutures. It does not seem to hurt him.

I plan to take him back to Dr. Weber tomorrow.  I still don't know the pathology results. Hopefully, Dr. Weber will have them by tomorrow?

Dylan is still acting like his normal self. He is taking his medicine and eating well. I don't want him to have to endure more surgery. I know this is not good and I am very concerned. Dr. Weber told me that  he was unable to remove Dylan's tumor completely. He also told me that part of it was necrotic = dead tissue.

While I am not surprised by this complication, I was hoping that Dylan would be strong enough to fight this.
I was hoping that his surgery would help. I was hoping he would have more time.

Has anyone heard of Birkdale K9 Critical Care Supplements? Their website promises miracles. To me, that means they must be too good to be true?

I am sad this evening. I am anxious about tomorrow. Tonight I will cuddle my little friend and pray for the wisdom I need right now concerning him.

I will let you know more after we see the doctor. Wish I had better news. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, once again. Thank you.

Simple Solutions

Yesterday morning Dylan found his sutures and started licking his wound. Not a good thing. The vet did not give me a "cone of shame" for him. I doubt he would have worn it anyway. He is much too proud for that.

My solution was to put his sweater on him. He likes to be warm and now he can't get to his incision. Problem solved.  :D

I am happy to report that Dylan is doing better each day. Last night he walked around the backyard for a few minutes sniffing everything as usual.

My daughter found some Greenies Pill Pockets that Dylan really loves. It is not a problem giving him his medicine now. Even Nugget thinks they are treats so he gets a piece of one too. If you have a dog that doesn't like taking pills these are a great solution!

Lundy from Villa Lagoon Tile emailed me yesterday. She said "of course you can use our tile!"  Thanks Lundy! I'm happily working on my new bathroom floor now. Hope to have it finished soon.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Back to Work, Back to Minis

Dylan is doing well today. He seems comfortable. I have to go back to work today. I can come home at lunchtime to check on him. He will be under the watchful eye of his little brother, Nugget, while I'm gone.

Last night Dylan gave Henry Cat a quick bath. It was so cute to see him doing normal things again. :D

I started working on the Garden Center bathroom floor yesterday. I made one floor with woven paper but wasn't happy with the result. Here I'm trying one of the tile patterns I found at Villa Lagoon Tile.

Sorry for the blurry photo. If you click on the image you can see the details better. The one inch tiles are too large for this room. I think it will be perfect in 1/2 inch size? Each tile has a black border so I will be using black paper for the background. Lots of cutting and pasting to do here!

I haven't asked Lundy for permission to use this tile yet, but she has always been gracious to allow me to copy their wonderful tiles to use for my projects. I will email this photo to her today before I continue, just to be sure it's okay.

Thank you so much for your love and concern over these past few days. I really appreciate your kindness. ♥

A Better Day

Dylan and I want to thank you for your prayers and concern. Today is a better day. ♥

I think Dylan was still sedated from the anesthesia yesterday. He is still very weak but doing much better. We all slept nine hours last night! That is a record for me!

This morning, after a quick trip outside, Dylan drank some water and ate an almost normal size breakfast. I'm feeding him the prescription food that Dr. Weber gave me when Dylan was sick before. He seems to like it. I'm happy to see him eating again. I'm sure that will help him heal and feel stronger.

My dear daughter brought me dinner last night. Dylan wagged his tail for the first time when he saw her coming in. :D  Of course Nugget wanted to be the center of attention. He has been so good with Dylan. I'm trying to spoil him too. Lots of hugs, belly rubs and treats for Dylan's little brother.

I hope you have a good day. Again, thank you so much for your comments and prayers!

I need to try to do some laundry and housework today. I miss working on my miniatures, but right now I have a beautiful little dog to love.

I wish you could see my smile right now! As I was writing this post Dylan somehow walked all the way from the living room here to where I am in my workroom! I didn't even hear him coming! Now he is sleeping in his bed right next to me where he always wants to be. So sweet!!!

Update on Dylan

Today is the day. I will be taking Dylan to Dr. Weber this morning to have surgery this afternoon. We decided not to do a biopsy procedure first, but go ahead and try to remove this lump on his chest now.

I woke up this morning at 3 am. A little earlier than usual. Of course Dylan and Nugget think it is time for breakfast! No breakfast for Dylan. I did let him have some sips of water but he can't have anything else.

They are both barking at me and begging for food! Dylan seems fine. He is his happy, tail wagging self this morning. He just doesn't understand why I am not feeding him! Last night I grilled a T-bone steak and made a baked sweet potato for dinner. Both of the dogs loved it and so did I. 

The lump doesn't seem to bother Dylan much but it has grown larger over the past week. I am going to ask Dr. Weber if I can observe the surgery. I'm hoping that since I am a nurse he will allow me to stay. I will promise to stand quietly aside and not move or say anything. I just want to be there.

Right now I am going to give Dylan a warm bath with baby shampoo and then try to go back to bed for while. There is nothing I like better than cuddling with my little friend. ♥

I hope Dylan will do well and the lump can be removed completely. Thank you so much for your sweet comments on my last post. Please keep us in your prayers today. I will let you know how things go later. 

Dylan

This is my #1 canine companion, Dylan. He was a spontaneous puppy purchase at a flea market booth 13 years ago. He is AKC registered by the name "Dylan Vaughan Hendrix." A true rock star!

He has grown up to be a beautiful dog and my best friend. Every night he sleeps right next to me under the covers, along with Nugget. They both like to give Henry cat a bath when he needs one. See how they all love each other? So cute! They loved Toby too...

Yesterday I took Dylan to the vet because he has a rather large lump on the right side of his chest that seems to be growing at an alarming rate. He is not in pain and is acting like his normal adorable self.

I wasn't surprised when the Doc said he was concerned. I am too. He recommended that we biopsy the lump and send the specimen off to the veterinary pathology department at Auburn University here in Alabama. Because of the holidays, they are closed until after New Year's Day.

Next week I will take Dylan back in to Dr. Weber for the biopsy to be done. Then we wait. Doc said it will take about 4-5 days to get the results. After that, he said, we will need to remove the lump.

We discussed Dylan's future. What would be best for him? I asked Dr. Weber what he would do if Dylan was his dog? He didn't hesitate and said, "Dylan is one of the most healthy older dogs he has seen. If he were my dog, I would remove the lump right away."  "Regardless of whether it is benign or malignant", he said, "it needs to come out as soon as possible."

Dr. Weber is a down to earth older country vet. No nonsense. No frills. He doesn't take appointments other than for surgery. People just bring in their animals, then sit and wait their turn to see him.

I've come to trust Dr. Weber. He saved Dylan's life last year when he was sick. I hope he can do it again. I asked how much the surgery would cost? I nearly cried when he said it will only be $150!  Most veterinarians charge thousands of dollars for surgeries! Dr. Weber is a precious man with a caring heart, a love for animals AND their owners!

In the mean time Dylan is going to be treated like the king of his castle! He will have steak for dinner and as many treats as he wants! I will keep you posted on his condition.

I will try to get back to mini-making soon. Right now, I am caring for my little furry family. :D

We Have A Winner!

I called my son, the Graduate, today and asked him to pick a number between 1 and 103! That's how many people entered to win my Follower's Give-A-Way!

Tim picked number 78. The winner is Flor from Flor & FF. Congratulations!!!

Flor has a wonderful blog! Please go visit and congratulate her. Her little house will be sent to her unfurnished, but Flor makes beautiful furniture! Go see! :D

I had hoped to post a photo of the completed house today but real life has gotten in the way. These are my two best friends. Dylan and Nugget.


I had to take my older dachshund Dylan, back to the vet this afternoon. They were boarded there this past weekend. Dylan seemed fine when I picked him up up this morning.

The news was not good. Dylan has a ruptured disc in his back. He can't walk without his back legs folding up underneath him. The vet told me that this usually happens when they jump but Dylan isn't a jumper. When he couldn't climb up the back stairs to get back inside I knew something was wrong. Then I saw that he was having trouble walking.

For now, it will be wait and see how he does with the steroids the doctor gave him. He is not allowed any exercise at all. I have to carry him everywhere and not let him try to walk.

Dachshunds are prone to back injuries and I feel so helpless. There is one veterinarian here in Birmingham who does back surgery on dachshunds. Sometimes he is able to save them. It is a very expensive procedure and there is no guarantee.

It saddens me to announce the the give-a-way winner and then follow that with this news.

As I am able, I will finish Flor's little house, post a photo and then send it on its way to Mexico!



Thanks to everyone who entered my give-a-way! I am so excited to see my follower's list grow and meet so many new miniaturists. WELCOME to my new friends and thank you to those who have been there from the beginning!

Please pray for my little friend and for me to have the peace to make the right decisions for him.

Dollhouse Siding Experiment

This is a photo of my real dollhouse in Florida. It was built in 1920. I loved this porch!

I've been looking at photos of this house and trying to figure out how to make siding for my new dollhouse. Here is my first attempt.


I cut strips of heavy cardstock. Then I added a smaller strip to the back and glued them onto another piece of cardstock. It looks "okay."

Here is my second attempt. I cut some pieces of a free bamboo blind that I have. At least they are wood. They are too thick to overlap correctly. I guess I could use my Dremel to sand down one edge?


Casey told me her friend Jo used strips of upholsterer's cardboard strips for her dollhouse. Another possibility?

I am just too cheap to purchase ready made dollhouse siding. It would be very expensive to do an entire house...



While I was looking at my old photos I came across this picture of Dylan sleeping in the sun.

He could care less about dollhouse siding!

Hope you have a really good day!
Blessings,
Kathi

I Couldn't Wait

I just had to buy this beautiful conservatory kit on Ebay! I got it for a great price too!

I think it will be fun to build and decorate!

PS. Dylan seems to be okay this morning. I hope he will be able to eat something later? I wish he could talk to me and tell me how he feels... Right now he's back in his bed asleep. Thanks for all of your get well wishes!

I think my hot water pipes are frozen? I sure hope it warms up soon!!

Blessings,
Kathi