Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Bruschi: Part Dog and Part of the Family


My dog Bruschi was the best dog any one could ask for, from the summer of 2004, until March of 2010. I was only nine years old when he first came into our family. He fit right in, and we all loved him from the start. Bruschi went through so much in our family and everyone will forever miss him.
Our dog was named after the now retired New England Patriot, Tedy Bruschi. He was different from any other dog, and I don’t think that any other dog could have fit into his place as well as he did. Bruschi was a yellow-lab-mix, but was really small for being part lab. His big brown eyes would always look so sad when he knew he did something wrong, it was the cutest thing ever! Bruschi wasn’t the type of dog who liked dog food that much; he preferred “people food,” like carrots, lettuce, and steak. That’s not all he ate, though, he had some CD’s, glue, tons of gum, and more but live through it all. Bruschi was a dog that loved to lie in the sun all day, or play in the snow in the winter. He was afraid of water, and if there were the smallest puddle on the ground he would have to walk around it. He definitely could get annoying with his barking, but the whole family loved him anyway.
A few months after we got Bruschi, he was out playing in the yard and got really sick. He was lying down and very weak. We rushed him to the animal hospital where he had to stay a few days. We were all really worried about him and thought we might lose him. It turns out he ha eaten some bad mushrooms growing in the woods, which caused him to become sick. We noticed his being sick soon enough so we were able to save him. We paid a lot of money to make sure he was healthy again. After that scary incident we watched him much more closely when he was outside.
Getting a dog was a great addition to the family. We would take him with us when we went on short vacations, too. He loved going for rides in the car and sometimes he didn’t even want to get out. Bruschi hated when anybody hugged in front of him. He would go crazy barking, thinking that somebody was getting hurt. Bruschi wasn’t exactly a guard dog, though. When people came over he would run up to greet them, and act like they were only there to see him. Bruschi was a fun dog to have around; he could always make you smile.
Although Bruschi was really my Mom’s dog, everyone loved him. Bruschi liked my Mom the best out of everyone, too. He wouldn’t even eat unless she was the one to put his food in his dish, like it would taste way worse if someone else fed him. Bruschi would always run straight to the door to greet us the second we came home, and he would be standing by our feet whenever we were cooking. He really was a great dog, and unlike any other.
One day we all noticed that something wasn’t right with Bruschi. He was shaking like crazy and just didn’t seem himself. Since it was winter we thought maybe he was just cold, and shivering. But, soon enough we found out that wasn’t the case. He had stopping eating, and whenever he would drink water, he would throw up. Bruschi became very weak, very fast, and we were all really worried. We felt so bad that he was sick, but through research on the Internet we had no idea what was wrong, so we took him to the vet. Bruschi’s kidney failed. There was one procedure that could be done, but the results might not have helped him in the end. We decided it was best, due to his suffering, to put him down, the night of March 7, 2010.
Bruschi was such a great dog, and was loved by everyone. He was the cutest dog who could make your day so much better. We all miss him so much, just knowing that he won’t run to the door to greet us, stand by us while we’re cooking, or bark at us for no reason. We will miss him, and remember him, always, as he was a member of our family.

Written by my daughter.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

My Amazing Son



I've been bullied into removing the blog post about my son. Apparently having a pharmacy screw up & give him a double dose of his medications & being hospitalized due to an overdose was too much to share.

Just know that my son is amazing in all he has been through the past few years. Strong, funny, & wise beyond his years.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Etsy Twitter Team

Today's blog post is all about the Etsy Twitter Team! Please take a moment to read it! It's short :) First, I have been celebrating my One Year Etsy Anniversary! From August 14th through September 14th everything in my shop is 25% off! And, after discovering a fellow Etsy Twitter Team Member has been battling cancer (read more below) I have decided that with every purchase made until September 14th, that 25% savings you are getting I will donate to Joyce in order to help her out! So please take a moment to visit my shop, Dee Jay Photography and help me help out a friend!



A treasured fellow Etsy Twitter Team Member, Joyce Richards, of Wild Orchid's Beads of Glass ,is going through a very difficult battle with cancer right now. This wonderful Etsy Twitter Team has banded together in support of Joyce, trying to get the word out about her shop by doing a Sneak Attack (trying to buy everything in her shop in one day), as well as many other talented Etsy Twitter Team Members donating proceeds to help her. This beautiful Ivory Bridal Pearls Lampwork Necklace Set pictured above is just one of the stunning pieces you will find listed.

To read more about Joyce and how you can help please read this excellent article on Handmade News.




This week's Etsy Twitter Team Shop of the Week is Nikky Lee Designs! Here you can find beautiful photography as well as stunning Handmade jewelry. Pictured here are

Bracelet and Earring Set - Charming - Sterling, Glass and Semi Precious Stones made of genuine Rhodenite, Cherry Quartz, and Miyuki Beads.

And here is a lovely photograph of

Pink English Holly Hocks - FREE SHIPPING -11x14 Fine Art


Take the time to peek in her shop! You'll be happy you did :)

Monday, July 27, 2009

Sooo Kids...



The rims before...


(here is a second draft of this post! Worked on
it forever but computer froze & I lost it all-here goes again!)

I was inspired by Macaroni & Glue's Dear Kid Sunday series she has been posting http://macaroniandglue.blogspot.com/2009/07/dear-kid-sunday_26.html but since there are 3 of you I figured I'd change it up a bit and here is the start of Sooo Kids...



Grinding the rims...

Sooo Kids,

This past week has been full. I finally quit my part time job that I was beginning to resent and am so thankful for that! Hopefully no more naps for me and I can actually drive you to & from friend's houses again :)

I'll start with Nic: You've come a long way baby :) I'm very proud of you! You have been very busy working on your 1987 Jeep YJ! You started last Sunday by grinding down the aluminum rims-wow, that was a lot of work! You got 2 new wheels put on the rims, we just need to get the other two done now!

After all the grinding came the primer, only to find out that Dad picked the wrong primer for aluminum! So, off with the primer and on with the correct one! Then it was sanding, adding Black Gloss, sanding, adding Black Gloss, etc., I think you ended up with 4 coats before they looked great! Then you were on to taping so you could add the red! I must say, even with your shaky hands you did an awesome job, especially filling in the skinny "Jeep" on the rims!



Primer



2nd coat of Gloss Black.



First coat of red.



Getting ready for all the concrete!

Then, Dad needed help with the concrete for the pad at the bottom of the deck stairs as he was sore after falling off a ladder this week (he was lucky!). You moved, mixed, and poured twenty three 80lb. bags of cement on one of the hottest most humid days we've had this year! WOW!



The finished pad!

And finally, you finished off the week by putting the wheels back on the Jeep and giving it a bath for the first time since you purchased it in December, I think it looks so much better! A little elbow grease goes a long way :) Keep up the good work! I love to see you motivated about things :)



The rims made it back on the Jeep :)



The dirty Jeep-dirty from being in the garage!



All cleaned up and looking good :)

Next I'm on to Linz: You had a pretty quiet week. Baking cookies and brownies and cookies (oh and breakfast on Saturday!) Then Dad finally brought home the ice cream you'd been asking for and you made ice cream sandwiches with the cookies! Yummy!! You also decided it was time to clean your room, and really clean it! You're doing a great job.....but now I have bags & boxes of stuff to go through :0 Oh, and I put the A.C. in your room even though Dad said no A.C. this year (don't blame him since we are just now getting summer weather!) But, you're Daddy's Princess and he didn't argue with me after I told him we couldn't even put the screen back in your window-so not even a fan would work! You all got The 99 for dinner and had a fire while listening to Big Al :)

And finally, my little Punk: You are a social butterfly! I think you stayed home once this week and that was because I made you (oh the horror!). But the best part of the week was going to the Nickelback, Hinder, Papa Roach, Saving Abel concert with you! I loved it! But then, you just had to go "up" the Cape with your friend's family. I think they have adopted you or something as they see you more than we do! I guess that's sort of OK, just no more sunburns! Oh, and invite her over here more often so it's more "even" as far as welcomes go :)



Two concert tickets: $80
Concert shirt: $35
Italian Sausage, Fries, & Soda: $18
Beer: $24
Going to the Nickelback concert with my Punk: Priceless!
Happy early birthday Buddy!!!

I love you all...

Friday, July 24, 2009

Friday Finds!




So today I've found a few cute things on Etsy! First, these firestarters from DECAcandle are super! I've used some in the past, but I think it's time I bought some more after all the rain we've had! I like this better than the kid lighting the fire with gasoline! Talk about SCARY!

You can see a lot of other wonderful items in DECAcandle's shop by clicking here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7351960 so check it out!



Then, there were all sorts of "Geeky" things in this great shop Geek Details! You really need to see all the cool items she's come up with! I was cracking up, loving it all ~ OK, so maybe I am a Geek :) The Vampire's Suck pin was one of my favorites! Then the Alice In Wonderland inspired decanter set, Pour Me, Drink Me! So many great wonderful geeky items can be found be vising Geek Details Shop Here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6183139

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Let's GO GREEN!


Today is the start of the Etsy Twitter Team's Go Green event! For complete details about this event please visit our blog at: http://etsytwitter.blogspot.com/

But in the mean time, I just wanted to share a few tidbits! Search Twitter for #GGETT to find out about some of the sales, tips, and products our team is offering! There are some great recycled, upcycled, green items in handmade! Some shops are offering a sale, some are offering free shipping, etc.

We are offering a special Scavenger Hunt with prizes! Please click the link above to our blog to see how you can win prizes as you GO GREEN WITH THE ETSY TWITTER TEAM!

For me, I've always recycled as much as possible, all of our returnable bottles I've always returned~usually when I have about $50.00 worth~that's a lot of cans & bottles! We also have recycling bins on the deck for plastic, metal, & glass, the paper & cardboard stays in the house! The paer & cardboard are usually used to start fires~our family has fires indoors & out all year round. There's nothing like chilling out by a campfire roasting marshmallows & chatting with the teens~yes, they still hang out with us :) Or sitting by the fireplace on a frigid winter night to warm your toes! A lot of the cardboard is also used for shipping packages, making templates, etc.

I have a compost pile where shredded paper, grass clippings, leaves, kitchen waste (fruit & vegetable peels, leftover or over-ripe fruits & veggies, coffee grinds, etc.) go into and eventually gives me wonderful compost for my veggie garden! Our family of 5 usually has 1 bag of "trash" per week because we recycle so much!

I also try to give away as many items as possible that our family has outgrown (everything from clothes & toys to books or kitchenwares) Freecycle is a wonderful way to keep items out of the landfills! Search for a local Freecycle in your area! You can give away items you no longer need or want as well as get items from others that they no longer want! Recently I received literally thousands of dollars of darkroom equipment from Freecycle! I got everything from enlargers (yes plural) to tanks, timers, books, vintage cameras as well as vintage lenses! I'm very excited to get to build a darkroom & start developing my own black & white film! That was how I first found my passion for Photography, when I saw my Grandpa's own developed works as a child. I've been hooked ever since :)

Also, my son goes to our local recycling center with his uncle and they have found everything from bikes, tablesaws, tools & lawnmowers to computers! All of these items were "being recycled" but they only needed a little work to make them "new" again! I can't tell you how much they have "rescued" but it has been a LOT!

These are a just a few ways my family tries to be "Green". How about you?

For my part during the Go Green With The Etsy Twitter Team, I have added a new "EARTH Friendly" line in my shop! A few of my "Green" items are also listed in my Christmas in July section, with more items being added soon (I'm working as fast as I can!) And I'm offering FREE shipping for the rest of July!

So go click on our team blog link above to see the wonderful shops participating and see how you can win cool prizes from the Scavenger Hunt!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Sunday Sampler






Here are a few samples of what the Etsy Twitter Team has to offer for our Go Green event! Check them out! Search "EtsyTwitter Team" on Etsy with the words recycled, upcycled, green, etc. to see so many more wonderful "Green" items! We are having the Go Green With The Etsy Twitter Team Event starting July 21st!

From top to bottom, these items can be found by searching these handmade sellers on Etsy:
PrettyCheap
scrapwithstyle
InMyHead
DeeJayPhotography
SalonDarte

Sorry I don't have clickable links, but I need to get up at 3AM and am really needing my pillow :)
Avançar
 

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