Posts from the ‘Personal’ Category

Saying Goodbye to Benjamin, 1999 – 2012

A few months ago we found out that Benji was sick with cancer, that had progressed.  Benji is a very special sheltie.  Benji was the inspiration for rescuing our little Biscuit.  Without Benji coming into our lives, we would not have rescued Biscuit.

He was always in a good mood.  Benji always had a smile on his face and he was always up for going on a walk, going for a ride in the car, and eating some popcorn, for example.

This past weekend we took Biscuit with us to say our final goodbye to Benji.  It was very difficult to say our final goodbyes to Benji, as we cannot imagine him not being here.  When we last saw Benji, he was excited to see us and he had a huge smile on his face, the way that we will always remember him.  Benji has left a permanent paw print on our hearts.  We are so thankful for meeting this wonderful furry friend who captured our hearts.

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”  ~ Josh Billings

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from Biscuit!

The weather is so nice here today and the light was wonderful this morning.  In the image below, Biscuit is walking in our neighborhood dog park earlier this morning!  Biscuit is all bathed and groomed and ready for some turkey!

I made a sweet potato casserole to take for Thanksgiving dinner today!

Gratitude.  It turns what we have into enough.

~Unknown

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Biscuit – Christmas 2012

This week I ordered Biscuit some holiday antlers – hopefully, they fit him and he will like to wear them long enough for me to get a few photographs of him!   I ordered him a size small, as he has a tiny head!

Doug and I were talking and trying to decide what to get Biscuit for Christmas this year, and we have settled on another large Orvis Dream Lounger bed with orthopedic memory foam for our bedroom.  He likes his large sage color Orvis bed in our living room so much, that we are going to get him a matching one in beige/ivory color to use in our bedroom!  We want to make sure Biscuit is comfortable, especially with his arthritis.

Below is a photograph of Biscuit taken last December sitting near our Christmas tree!  I think that Biscuit knows when he is being photographed!

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Birthday, Nick!

Yesterday was Nick’s birthday — he turned 6 (we think)!  Nick is my parents’ rescue papillon mix dog!  Pictured below on his birthday, he is wearing the embroidered sweater  we gave to him to keep him warm during the cold winter months in Michigan!

Nick does not always look so serious – below is a photograph of Nick that was used to make the painting of Nick that we gave to my parents last year.

Happy Friday!

Le Biscuit Totem!

Below are few photographs of the Le Biscuit Totem!   Laura Johnson of Le Animalé made the Le Biscuit totem from photographs that I sent her showing multiple perspectives of Biscuit so that she could create the three-dimensional Le Biscuit Totem! 

For those of you who have met Biscuit, he loves to raise and give his paw in exchange for his prescription kibble, which he loves!  Biscuit is on a prescription diet due to health reasons.  It seemed fitting to show Biscuit smiling and raising his paw — his trademark!  Each night after we go to the gym, Biscuit loves to sit with us on the sofa and give us his paw for his kibble!  We think Biscuit thinks it is Halloween 365 days a year!

The stats for the Le Biscuit totem are:

Handsome
Head Strong
Hungry
Happy

Laura also made the Le Cheetah and Panda Totem that I gave to Doug for our wedding anniversary gift this past October.  You can read more about Laura here, and you can visit her website as well!

Happy Thursday!

Making Holiday Photo Cards!

I cannot believe that the Holidays are already upon us!  This is the time of year when I usually start thinking about making our Holiday card.  I take pride in making our Holiday card, even though the paper card has become more obsolete with the use of electronic transmission and electronic devices.  However, people, including myself, enjoy receiving actual cards in the mail, which brightens one’s day!  It also provides an opportunity to use some of my photographs while highlighting the year.  I think people are visual, and enjoy seeing photographs on Holiday cards, which also makes a nice keepsake.  I try to complete and order our Holiday cards prior to Thanksgiving, which allows for additional time if needed.  Usually, I put something together and revise and continue to revise until I get the card just right!  Then, Doug reviews and gives his feedback.  Then, I make the final changes based on his feedback and he proof reads one last time!  I, of course, address all of the envelopes!

Even though it takes me quite a bit of time culling through and selecting photographs and designing these Holiday cards, I enjoy making our Holiday card highlighting the year.  Hopefully, people enjoy receiving them as much as I enjoy making them!  Last year’s highlight and theme of our card was the introduction of Biscuit into our lives.  I like to coordinate our Holiday card so everything flows together and is cohesive.  I like cards that are simple, elegant, and tasteful and printed on good quality matte heavy card stock.  Below is an outline of what I made last year, as I keep this in mind while I am working on this year’s Holiday card!

Card: Last year, we sent out this flat card printed on matte heavy card stock from Minted shown below.  (We also wrote a message and included a family photograph with Biscuit on the back of our Holiday card, which is not shown below).  I was quite pleased with the way our Holiday card turned out, and the Minted customer service people were quite helpful with answering questions.  I am already working on this year’s Holiday card and I will use Minted again.

Stamp: Last year I made a custom stamp featuring the above photograph of little Biscuit!  I plan on using a custom stamp for this year’s Holiday card as well!  It really adds an unexpected fun and personal touch to the Holiday cards – at least I think so!

Seal: Last year I made a custom sticker to use as seals for the envelopes on our Holiday cards using the above photograph of Biscuit!  I also plan on making a custom seal for this year’s Holiday card!  The seals are helpful and it is a great alternative and time saver to using a wet sponge and/or licking the envelopes!  The seal also adds a nice personal touch.

Return Address Label: I use a simple return address label using black text on a clear/transparent label for my Holiday cards.

I hope that this was helpful for those of you who savor photographs and cards.  Have fun making your photo Holiday cards this year!

Happy Friday!