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Monday Musings – Dogs, Vignettes, and God

May 22, 2017 by Patti 25 Comments

Summer came in earnest on Saturday with the first REAL humidity of the year.  The kind that leaves even heat lovers like us seeking air conditioned spaces.  Then in the night came thunder, and lightening, and a real downpour that my yard gladly drank in.

Spring is my favorite time of year in the South.  The yards are so green and different varieties of flowers are blooming daily.

May seems to be the month for magnolias and gardenias. 

I’m musing today on the complexity of doggie relationships . . .

. . . as I consider why this perfectly behaved ten-year-old dog of ours would suddenly begin leaving nasty little messes in the house.

Oh I know it has something to do with the new puppy entering her world, but I’d like to get in her head and understand her WHY?

Because maybe if we knew the WHY we would know the answer to the problem.

In the meantime, she received a good scolding this morning and I do believe she is smart enough to think twice before trying something so foolish again, especially on the oriental carpet 🙁

I’m musing as well today on why my funny seems to have left me of late.

Hubby and I discussed it a bit this weekend and I came to the conclusion that my funny feeds off of other funny people and I haven’t been around enough of those types lately.

I know, a lot of people say that Mr. OTN is funny.  But he’s funny in a different kinda’ way.  Like the smart guy who acts goofy kinda’ way.

Right now I just might be hoping hubby doesn’t read this post. Click To Tweet

It’s all good honey.  It’s like Disney’s Goofy.  You like him, right?

My kind of funny is more like this: 

At times I'm shocked at the brilliance of my words. Then I try to get out of the car with my seat belt on. Click To Tweet

I think I need time with some of my quick witted friends to get my funny back.  Soon gals, soon. 🙂

Today I’m also musing on the message we heard in church yesterday about how we can be certain to know God’s will when we don’t allow ourselves to be conformed to the world’s views, but are instead, transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1-2).

  We renew our minds when we spend time in God’s word and in prayer, getting to know Him, and when we deliberately focus on whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, and on all things good, excellent and worthy of praise (Phil. 4:8).

It is so important to be careful about the things we allow our minds to settle on isn’t it?The more we fill our minds with toxic thoughts, the less room we have for God. Click To Tweet

And the less room we have for God, the less we know His perfect will for us.

I don’t know about you, but I want to know and walk in God’s will for me, because I know it far surpasses anything I could plan for myself.

As a bonus, and to keep you engaged while listening to my musings, here’s a little Spring vignette I created for my kitchen dining nook.

Thanks for stopping by 😉

Blessings,

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!

Sunday:

TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace

Monday:

IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, TheDedicatedHouse, Dwellings, ProjectInspired,  InspireMeMonday, BetweenNapsOnThePorch, CelebrateYourStory, Making Your Home Sing Mondays, What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings, Darling Downs Diaries, The Art of Homemaking, SmallWonder, MomentsOfHope, Glimpses, SittingAmongFriends

Tuesday:

TalkOfTheTown, HomeStoriesAtoZ, AStrollThruLife, CoastalCharm, CedarHillFarmhouse, TuesdaysAtOurHome, TheWinthropChronicles,  Rich Faith Rising Unite Linky, Testimony Tuesday,Cheerleaders of Faith,Tell His Story

Wednesday:

SavvySouthernStyle, Posed Perfection, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesdays, ChristianBloggerLinkup, Mom’s Morning Coffee, Women with Intention, Coffee for Your Heart, MessyMarriage, ThreeWordWednesday

Thursday:

ShareYourStyle, ImpartingGrace, EmbracingChange, HaveADailyCupOfMrsOlson, MyRepurposedLife, ADelightsomeLife, KatherinesCorner,  I Choose Joy,   Thought Provoking Thursday, SincerelyPaulas, ThankfulThursdays, ThoughtfulThursday, Tune-inThursday

Friday:

FrenchCountryCottage, TheCharmOfHome, RootedInThyme,  TheDedicatedHouseAnythingBlueFriday, ShabbyliciousFriday, Sweet Inspiration,  Faith’nFriends, Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays, Dance With Jesus FreshMarketFriday

Saturday:

FunkyJunkInteriors, OneMoreTimeEvents,  SaturdaySparks, TheInspirationGallery, Make My Saturday Sweet

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Filed Under: Antiques and Collectibles, Christianity, Dog Love, farmhouse glam, Flowers, Inspiration, My Husband, Rustic Glam, Spring Decorating, Tablescapes, Vintage Tagged With: Antiques and Collectibles, China, Christianity, Dog Love, Farmhouse Glam, Flowers, Inspiration, My Husband, Rustic Glam, Spring Decorating, Tablescapes, Vignettes, Vintage Lace

Finding the Happy in the Grief

January 7, 2017 by Patti 56 Comments

We lost another dog this week.  Cozy.  She was sweet, spunky, loving, needy, beautiful, anxious, and more than anything she was MY dog, who followed so closely on my heels that I often tripped over her laid-out-flat body.  As much as I loved and grieved her mama Snoopygirl, the grief I feel over Cozy is different.  More intense.  I told Mr. OTN that I think it is because of their personality differences.

Snoopygirl was a strong and independent Beagle.  She was smart and intuitive.  She sensed our moods and was always there to offer comfort. 

Cozy, on the other hand, was not so intuitive, anxious and needy from the start.  When you would reach over the dog gate to pet her she would wrap her paws around your arm and hang on for dear life.  When any of the family members would lie down she took that as a clue to climb right up on your chest where she would knead like a cat with her front paws while at the same time pressing her head into your face (sometimes a bit too hard) seeking to be as close as she could be! 

We gave Cozy the head kisses she longed for and hubby and I always equated her persistence with our own need to be persistent in pressing in for more of God.  She taught us lessons, that one.

When Cozy starting going downhill she declined quickly.  Her always wagging tail hung limp, she stopped eating as vigorously as a normal Beagle does, she lost weight, and even lost the energy to follow me from room-to-room.  Finally she stopped eating and drinking altogether and preferred to stay put on her bed in the kitchen.  We knew it was time.  On her last day we took turns holding her like a baby as she pressed her head into our shoulders receiving comfort.

I believe that the difference in the intensity of our grief is this:  Snoopygirl gave comfort, Cozy received comfort, proving the point that it is indeed more blessed to give than to receive.

We fight against pain, trying to suppress it, getting busy to forget about it.

But why do we tend to think happy is the only way?  Do we not know that happiness can be felt more intensely when we’ve experienced grief?

Some positive things about grief:

  • I consider myself blessed to have loved a dog like our little Cozy.  If we hadn’t had sixteen good years with her there would be no sadness to feel, but we also wouldn’t have happy memories to cherish.
  • I’m thankful for the things Cozy’s neediness taught me.   As Ann Voskamp says in her book, The Broken Way, “The only way to abundant life is the broken way of risk.”  We take a risk when we give our hearts away but abundance comes in giving ourselves in love.
  • Times of great sadness can also be times of great closeness to God, if we’ll seek Him.  Scripture tells us in Psalms 34:17-18 that God hears the cries of the brokenhearted and He moves in close to share in the pain.
  • I know that God can use every sad life experience for a higher purpose.  We gain understanding through experience and II Cor. 1:3-4 says that we can comfort others with the same comfort we’ve received from God.  Not only can God use our hurts as a means for us to pour into the lives of others, but when we pour out, He fills us up again so we can give some more. 

Now I know that there are other, more painful things in life than the loss of a pet (especially for those of you who may not be pet people).  Mr. OTN and I have experienced and are even now experiencing some of those “other” things, but we have come to accept that we can’t expect for life to always be happy. 

When we feel the need to pursue happiness at all costs that can lead to all sorts of other addictive behaviors . . . but that’s a post for a different time.

Know this.  It is brave and even healing to allow yourself to fully feel grief and brokenness.  Sharing that brokenness with others makes you more authentic and real.  I’d much rather be with real broken people than fake happy people.  How about you?

If you are experiencing brokenness of any kind in your life, I pray that God will speak to your heart today.  Our hope is in God alone.  He alone is perfectly faithful in love toward us .

“Don’t cry because it’s over, SMILE because it happened.”

New Year’s blessings to you my friends,

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!

Sunday:

TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace

Monday:

IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, TheDedicatedHouse, Dwellings, ProjectInspired,  InspireMeMonday, BetweenNapsOnThePorch, CelebrateYourStoryMaking Your Home Sing Mondays, The Beauty in His Grip What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings, Darling Downs Diaries, The Art of Homemaking,SmallWonder, LifeGivingLinkup, MomentsOfHope, Glimpses, SittingAmongFriends

Tuesday:

TalkOfTheTown, HomeStoriesAtoZ, AStrollThruLife, CoastalCharm, CozyLittleHouse, CedarHillFarmhouse, KatheWithAnE,TuesdaysAtOurHome, TheWinthropChronicles,  Rich Faith Rising Unite Linky, Testimony Tuesday,Cheerleaders of Faith,Tell His Story, IntentionalTuesday

Wednesday:

SavvySouthernStyle, TheBlissfulBee, Posed Perfection, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesdays, ChristianBloggerLinkup, Whole Hearted Home, Mom’s Morning Coffee, Women with Intention, Coffee for Your Heart, MessyMarriage, ThreeWordWednesday

Thursday:

ShareYourStyle, ImpartingGrace, EmbracingChange, HaveADailyCupOfMrsOlson, MyRepurposedLife, ADelightsomeLife, KatherinesCorner, PrettyPreppyParty,  The Deliberate Mom/Shine Blog Hop, I Choose Joy,  Live Free Thursday, Thought Provoking Thursday, PartyAtMyPlace, 100HappyDays, SincerelyPaulas, ThankfulThursdays

Friday:

FrenchCountryCottage, TheCharmOfHome, RootedInThyme,  TheDedicatedHouseAnythingBlueFriday, ShabbyliciousFriday, Sweet Inspiration,  Faith’nFriends, Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays, Dance With Jesus

Saturday:

FunkyJunkInteriors, OneMoreTimeEvents,  SaturdaySparks, TheInspirationGallery, Make My Saturday Sweet

 

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Filed Under: Christianity, Death and Loss, Dog Love, Friendship, God's Grace Tagged With: Christianity, Death and Loss, Dog Love, Dogs, Friendship, God's grace, Grief

Looking Back While Looking Forward – Top Posts of 2015

December 31, 2015 by Patti 12 Comments

Another year draws to a close, and while most people have already put away their Christmas pretties, I linger.  I sit beside the fire in the den sipping hot tea and gazing upon the figures on my woodland themed mantle, dusted with shimmering snow.  I see the glow of the Christmas tree lights in the living room behind me reflected brightly in the den’s windows before me.  The rains pour down outside my windows and the dark clouds have cocooned my home in darkness.  Here in my den I find shelter from the heavy winter storm.  

Shhh . . . don’t remind me that the temperature outside is in the 60’s and that Christmas is over.  Let me spend a little more time enjoying the Wonder of Christmas.

Looking back on 2015 today I’ve compiled the most viewed posts of the year.  They are in two categories, Home Decor and Inspirational, since my blog is comprised of both!  If you choose to see more of any of these posts you can simply click on the pictures.

Here’s the countdown:

Drum roll please . . . because I’m kinda goofy like that!

Dining Room Reveal10. At Long Last Dining Room Reveal

Fall Porch 20159. Southern Etiquette & How to Make Your Neighbors Jealous of Your Front Porch!

Spring Basket8. My Secret to a Great Looking Arrangements Using Faux Flowers

Weathered Baskets 7. Giving Baskets a Vintage Look With Chalk Paint

Greenville Gardens Tour 1086. Southern Gardens Tour Part I

Screened Porch5. Spiffin’ up The Screened Porch The Easy Way

Preserved Boxwood 4. Decorating With Preserved Boxwood

Living Room Reveal3. Living Room Reveal

Twigs Easter Table 0022. One Fantastic Easter Table

 French Country KitchenAnd finally, in the Home Decor category,

1. Ideas For Adding a French Country Look to Your Kitchen

Next is the Inspirational category which was special to me.  It wasn’t just the traffic that caused me to share the top three, but there were also personal emails and stories shared behind the scenes that blessed me to no end as people related to the words God inspired me to write.  Whenever I wonder if I should include these posts on my site (because most people don’t want a Home Decor site that is “preachy”), the response I receive back confirms that I am to continue to speak what God lays on my heart.  I am probably more blessed than anyone who reads one of these posts by the feedback received.

So, moving right along, the top three Inspirational posts are:

welcome-sign3. Freedom Friday – on Hospitality

San-Simeon-Hearst-Castle2.  Freedom Friday – On Forgiving Yourself

Finally, the top post in the Inspiration category was the most heartbreaking for me but also a blessing to have been loved by a dog this good.

Snoopygirl1. Freedom Friday – Wise Words From a Dog Named SnoopyGirl

So, looking to the year ahead, I am excited that I’ll be continuing as a contributing author for Faith’nFriends (I hope you’ll all go over to the website and show some of the other writers some love), my friend Debbie Kitterman and I will be teaming up to teach on online course about starting a Mastermind Group, as well as getting our own group off the ground, I’m praying that I will have the opportunity to attend another writer’s conference this year, I’m looking forward to being on the launch teams of a couple of different books that author friends will be releasing in the new year, and I will also be plugging away here at home as I work on my own book and #write365.  Of course I will continue to make home improvements to share on Old Things New.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the year with me.  I have certainly enjoyed meeting new friends here on the blog and continuing relationships with those of you I’ve come to know and love through this wonderful job I get to do called blogging.  I am MOST blessed of the Lord!

Happy New Year and abundant blessings to you all!

My Signature

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:

 TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, NiftyThriftyThings, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, Sunday Stillness

Monday:
 IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor,  ModVintageLife,  TheDedicatedHouse, HuckleberryLove, CarrieThisHome, Dwellings, ProjectInspired
InspireMeMonday, BetweenNapsOnThePorch, Making Your Home Sing Mondays, The Beauty in His Grip What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings, Darling Downs Diaries, The Art of Homemaking
Tuesday:
HomeStoriesAtoZ, AStrollThruLife, Elizabeth&Co, CoastalCharm, CozyLittleHouse,  NaptimeCreations, CedarHillFarmhouse, KatheWithAnE,
VMG206, TuesdaysAtOurHome,
TwirlAndTakeABow, TheWinthropChronicles,
Dream.Create.Inspire.Link, MeCoffeeAndJesus,Rich Faith Rising Unite Linky,Time Warp Wife,Solo Deo Gloria Sisterhood,Testimony Tuesday,Cheerleaders of Faith,Tell His Story
Wednesday:
SavvySouthernStyle, IvyAndElephants,
TheBlissfulBee, Posed Perfection, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesdays, A Little R & R, Whole Hearted Home, Mom’s Morning Coffee, Women with Intention, Coffee for Your Heart
Thursday:
ShareYourStyle, ImpartingGrace, EmbracingChange, HaveADailyCupOfMrsOlson, MyRepurposedLife, FromMyFrontPorchToYours, ADelightsomeLife, AKAWeekendRetreat,
KatherinesCorner, PrettyPreppyParty, YourTurnToShine, Serving Joyfully/Thriving Thursdays, The Deliberate Mom/Shine Blog Hop, I Choose Joy,  Live Free Thursday, Thought Provoking Thursday
Friday:
FrenchCountryCottage, MissMustardSeed, ThirtyHandmadeDays, CommonGround, TheShabbyNest, TheCharmOfHome, RootedInThyme,  TheDedicatedHouseAnythingBlueFriday,
 DIYVintageChic,  ShabbyliciousFriday, TheCreativeCollection, Christian Mommy Blogger Fellowship Fridays, Blessing Counters,Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays,Faith & Fellowship Bloghop, Grace & Truth Linkup, Grace&TruthSharingRedemption’sStories, Dance With Jesus, The Weekend Brew
Saturday:
FunkyJunkInteriors, 
OneMoreTimeEvents,  SaturdaySparks,
TheInspirationGallery, Still Saturday, The Weekend Brew, Recommendation Saturday, Make My Saturday Sweet

 

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Filed Under: 2015, Blogging, Craft Ideas, DIY, Dog Love, Easter, Faith 'n Friends, Flowers, Freedom Friday, French Country, Friendship, God's Grace, Home decorating, Hospitality, Inspiration, My Home, Screened porch, Southern Living, Spring Decorating, Summer, Wallpaper Tagged With: Blogging, Boxwood, Craft ideas, DIY, Dog Love, Easter, Faith 'n Friends, Floral Arrangements, Flowers, Freedom Friday, French Country, Friendship, God's grace, Home Decor, Hospitality, Inspiration, My Home, Screened Porch, southern living, Spring Decor, Summer, Top Ten of 2015

French Grain Sacks & a New Doggie Bed

July 17, 2015 by Patti 25 Comments

My experience has been that good often comes out of bad.  This post began with a melted dog bed . . . 

Dog Bed 025

This is my favorite bed for our dogs.  We bought it in a specialty shop and it wasn’t cheap, but then we are pushovers when it comes to our dogs.  This bed has a zipper closure so the cover can be taken off to launder, a MUST as far as I’m concerned . . . but it’s also a must for the cushion itself to be able to be cleaned . . .

Dog Bed 53

. . . because old doggie smell is doggone unpleasant!

Anyhoo, this particular dog bed cover wasn’t waterproof and the dog bed insert wasn’t washable or dry cleanable.  I tried washing it as carefully as I could anyway and the thin cheesecloth-like cover holding the stuffing inside disintegrated into Swiss cheesecloth!

Right about that time Pillow Cubes contacted me (after seeing my Pottery Barn knockoff Jingle Pillow) and offered to send me a dog bed insert if I would write a review of their product.  Since my dogs were still trying to lie on their empty dog bed cover on the hardwood floor . . . 🙁 I KNOW . . . I was happy to try out their product! 

 I’ll be telling you more about their pillow inserts later but for now, let’s get on with my French Grain Sack Dog Bed tutorial,  because really who couldn’t use another cute cover for their dog bed?  Like I said . . . pushovers.

Dog bed 013

Disclaimer:  I am not a seamstress or a pattern maker, so please don’t expect expert sewing instructions here.  The main thing I want to show you in this post is how to create the French Grain Sack look on fabric.  You can use this application to make a tablecloth, curtains, a pillow, or a dog bed.  If you do want to make a dog bed cover and you’ve had some sewing experience you’ll probably do just fine with my feeble instructions.  If not, you can still use the French grain sack design but you might want to find a “real” pattern.

  My dog bed insert from Pillow Cubes measures 30″x 40″ from seam to seam.  I decided to make a box shaped dog bed, like my other one, so I cut two 31-1/4″ x 41-1/4″ rectangles (this allows for a 5/8″ seam allowance on each side). My fabric was a pre-laundered painter’s drop cloth  (a bonus, as this makes it naturally resistant to leakage).

Next, with my large sheet of drop cloth I was able to cut one strip long enough to go around three sides of the bed (110-1/4″ long by 7-1/4″ wide).  The shorter side (a 31-1/4″ x 7-1/4″ strip) will have the tie closures.

Note: If your fabric isn’t large enough to cut a strip this long you can piece together the sides of your bed.  I’d recommend doing it at each of the four corners for a nicer look.  Remember to allow for a 5/8″ seam at each corner.

For the three ties, I cut six long strips, approximately 18″ long by 1-3/4″wide.  The length of your ties is really a personal preference and based on whether you want to tie bows or (k)not(s)!   I used vintage ticking material that came from my mother-in-law’s old sewing supplies.  SO glad I hung on to it!

French Grain Sack Dog Bed 001

Here is a picture of all my fabric pieces cut and ready to begin.

 French Grain Sack Dog Bed 006

Before sewing I painted deep blue stripes on the top of the dog bed cover to give the bed the look of a vintage French Grain Sack. I used a multi-surface acrylic paint that was labeled as a permanent paint.

French Grain Sack Dog Bed 005

I began by laying down painter’s tape and sealing the edges well so the paint wouldn’t bleed under the tape.  This really doesn’t seem to be an issue with drop cloth fabric though.

French Grain Sack Dog Bed 007

Using an inexpensive sponge brush, I dipped it in the paint, dabbed it on a paper towel to remove the excess and worked it into the fabric in a daubing motion.  I kept working in it until the paint was pretty dark, but a more washed out look can also look nice if that’s your preference.

French Grain Sack Dog Bed 011

After the center stripe was dry I added more tape for the side stripes and painted those as well.  One reason for taping, painting, and taping some more was so I wouldn’t get confused as to where I was supposed to paint and mess things up!  Wisdom comes with experience . . . and age!

French Grain Sack Dog Bed 012

After the paint was dry I removed the tape and VOILA!!!

French Grain Sack Dog Bed 006a

The last thing I did to make this look more like an authentic French Grain Sack was to sew a tight zig zag stitch on either side of the center stripe.  I think this really finishes it off well.

French Grain Sack Dog Bed 021

The next step was to make the ties.  Here are a few pictures of how I folded the raw edge of one end under (the other end you won’t have to worry about),

French Grain Sack Dog Bed 022

 folded both long edges in to meet,

French Grain Sack Dog Bed 026

then folded them together again and sewed them closed.

Dog bed 004

At this point, I added the ties to end of the pillow.  Rather than try to explain this process I thought you’d appreciate seamstress Margo Price’s great video tutorial for adding tie closures to pillows.  That can be found right HERE. 

Good instruction right?  I really couldn’t have figured this out without her!

Dog bed 006

After adding the ties I pinned the pillow sides to the pillow top and stitched the parts together (though it would seem logical to do so, I didn’t sew my corner seams together first because I wasn’t sure my measurements would be perfectly accurate).  Next I pinned the bottom of the pillow cover to the side strips and sewed those in place.

dog bed 001Finally, I sewed the corners closed.  I did end up having a little extra fabric which I simply trimmed away.  Your corners will look like this when turned right side out.

NOTE:  I double stitched all my seams for extra strength, sewing a 5/8″ seam first followed by another seam about 1/8″ away from the first.

French Dog Bed 001

You can see here how when everything is sewed together one flap slightly overlaps the other.

Dog bed 010Here is my new dog bed all stuffed and tied!  Can you see how great Margo’s instructions turned out?

Before I show you the finishing touches on my French Grain Sack Dog Bed let me tell you a little about the company Pillow Cubes.  The inserts made my Pillow Cubes are 100% American made, by hand with commercial sewing machines, and double stitched for strength.  Their pillow inserts come in various sizes with your choice of filling material, down feather, synthetic down, polyester, even Eco-friendly recycled fiber filler.

Dog bed 002

 As you can see from this picture the pillow inserts from Pillow Cubes are full,

Dog bed 003

and the quality is obvious!  I’ve purchased many pillow forms in my time and I can honestly tell you that these are superior to anything I’ve ever used.

This makes me quite happy to partner with Pillow Cubes in writing about their great products.  These pillow inserts are dry cleanable and with proper care will last a lifetime.

Dog bed 006a

 Back to my pillow cover and the finishing touches.  Because I have female dogs, and because crowns are a Frenchy kind of thing, I traced a crown on my pillow top using a white fabric pen.  I already had a pattern to use but The Graphics Fairy has free crown printables that could easily be traced onto cardboard, then onto your fabric.

Dog bed 020I used white acrylic, permanent paint to fill in the crown.

Dog bed 017

Dog bed 019

Dog bed 010a

I’m kind of excited about the cuteness factor of my new dog bed cover and I love the plump and cushy look of the Pillow Cubes insert.

Dog bed 003a

I really feel that this French Grain Sack Dog Bed fits well with the other touches I’ve added to my French Country Kitchen,

Dog bed 022but I think the dogs may be even happier than I am.

One last NOTE:  We live in the land of red clay here in South Carolina.  Even though drop cloth fabric resists leak-through I used Scotch Guard to protect against stains on the surface of the bed.  I’ve already seen some red clay paw marks on this bed but once they dried they simply disappeared!  To me, that makes a fabric protectant well worth using.

Dog bed Tute

I wonder, do you think I’m becoming an “Old Dog Lady”?  Do any of you have pets whom you love to spoil?  Ah well, love me, love my dog!

La Creperie 005

In my next post, I’ll be back with another tutorial for creating authentic looking Rustic French Signage.  I do hope you’ll join me.

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I hope you enjoyed this tutorial .  I’d love for you to Pin it or Tweet about it to your friends.

Thanks for visiting and blessings to you,

My Signature

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:
 UnderTheTableAndDreaming, TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive,
 NiftyThriftyThings,
SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome
Monday:
 IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor,  ModVintageLife,  TheDedicatedHouse,UncommonDesigns, HuckleberryLove, CarrieThisHome, Dwellings,AnExtraordinaryDay,
InspireMeMonday, BetweenNapsOnThePorch,
Tuesday:
HomeStoriesAtoZ, AStrollThruLife, Elizabeth&Co, CoastalCharm, CozyLittleHouse, NaptimeCreations, CedarHillFarmhouse, KatheWithAnE,NotJustAHousewife, 
VMG206, TuesdaysAtOurHome,
TwirlAndTakeABow, TheWinthropChronicles, 7Alive,  Maison de Pax,VintageInspirationParty
Dream.Create.Inspire.Link
Wednesday:
SavvySouthernStyle, IvyAndElephants, TheStyleSisters, 
SomedayCrafts,  TheCityFarmhouse,
TheBlissfulBee, Posed Perfection, Inspiration2
Thursday:
NoMinimalistHere, ImpartingGrace, EmbracingChange, HaveADailyCupOfMrsOlson,AllThingsWithPurpose, MyRepurposedLife, FromMyFrontPorchToYours,ADelightsomeLife, AKAWeekendRetreat,
KatherinesCorner, PrettyPreppyParty
Friday:
FrenchCountryCottage, MissMustardSeed, ThirtyHandmadeDays, CommonGround,TheShabbyNest, JenniferRizzo, TheCharmOfHome, RootedInThyme, TheDedicatedHouseAnythingBlueFriday,
 DIYVintageChic,  ShabbyliciousFriday,  Fabulous Friday, TheCreativeCollection,
Saturday:
FunkyJunkInteriors, It’sOverflowing, BeDifferentActNormal,
OneMoreTimeEvents,  SaturdaySparks,
TheInspirationGallery
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Filed Under: Crafts, DIY, Dog Love, Drop Cloth Projects, French Country, leftover fabric, Pottery Barn knockoff, uses for leftover fabric, Vintage Tagged With: Crafts, DIY, Dog Love, Drop cloth projects, French Country, Leftover Fabric

Freedom Friday – Wise Words From a Dog Named Snoopygirl

April 30, 2015 by Patti 33 Comments

It was one of the most difficult times of my life.  Some of you know the story.  Others may have seen a snippet of it on the Vimeo on my ABOUT page. Suffice it to say that Mr. OTN and I have come through some dark times and we are so grateful to Father God to be where we are today.

 Welcome to FREEDOM FRIDAY – A devotional, emotional, spiritual and sometimes hysterical series that I will be sharing on occasional Fridays, in addition to my regular Old Things New posts. Why?  Because though once bound in chains Christ has set me free –  FREE to live, to love, to dance, to sing, to be who God created me to be!

Fifteen years ago . . . It was a struggle to get through my days at work with a smile and an upbeat attitude. Then it was home to cook dinner for my girls while trying to put a positive spin on the situation we found ourselves in the midst of.  All the while, the ache inside was deep and I longed for was an end to each day so I could get into my bed, pull the covers over my head, and sob into my pillow with all of the pent up emotion I held inside.

It was during that three month period that a different sort of relationship began between began our young beagle Snoopygirl and myself.

YoungSnoopy

A young Snoopy, looking more like a pointer than the daughter of field trial champion beagles.

 Snoopygirl was the most sensitive dog I’ve ever known.  She seemed to discern human emotions of pain and responded with compassion. When I cried she looked concerned . . . and when I cried like my heart was breaking she crawled in as close to me as she could, burrowing beneath the covers to press herself into my heart.  It was like she was crawling inside my pain to share in it, in an attempt to bring healing to my hurt.

What a gift from God this little dog was to me during that time.

Eventually life moved on, as it always does.  My husband returned home after three months away and we began to work toward healing in our lives, separately and together.  There were many ups and downs.  Sometimes we didn’t know if we would make it.  But we held on to our hope in God to perform a miracle . . . and He was faithful.  Eventually Snoopygirl had pups of her own and was required elsewhere.  She was ever aware of the emotions swirling through our household though and vigilant to come close when needed.

Several years later, our Soopygirl was diagnosed with cancer.  The doctor performed surgery to remove the tumor but said it would come back.  Not wanting her pup Cozyanna (a very needy girl indeed) to be alone, we adopted Sasha, a gangly boxer/lab mix to add to the pack.  That was eight years ago.  The cancer never came back but Snoopy moved into a different position in the family, a bit overshadowed by the younger two, but never less loved.

Snoopygirl, having a special day at the beach without the other dogs!

This last year was the roughest for our Snoopygirl.  Her hearing failed and her eyesight became dim.  Now an old lady of 17 her legs became too weak to climb the stairs to the bedroom at night.  Eventually she didn’t want to be with us in the bedroom at all, but preferred to be alone, on her bed in the kitchen. 

Snoopygirl lost her young beagle good looks.  Her fur became thick and fluffy from the medication she was taking, she had tumors on her body that would grow, recede and grow again.  Her eyes were weepy and her nose drippy.  She lost muscle mass and became so thin that it hurt to look at her.  Her legs became so weak that we had to carry her outside to do her duty and sometimes she would growl at us when we lifted her, because of the pain.

Snoopygirl 021

Snoopy feeling loved.

Last week we spent our last morning with Snoopygirl and it was very sweet.  Hubby spent some time sitting on the kitchen floor with her in his lap while she snuggled in.  Something she really hadn’t wanted to do for a long, long while.  We made the trip to the vet’s office where they had a room ready and told us to take as much time as we needed with our girl.  As Kelly held her, wrapped in a blanket, I put my face next to hers and touched her muzzle with my lips.  She breathed in the warmth of my breath on her face and gave my nose a tiny touch with her own doggie nose.  I wanted so much to press myself close to her heart like she’d done with me so many times and let her know that it was okay.  She couldn’t hear us as we spoke our last words to her but she could feel us close and  she looked at us with peace in her cloudy eyes.

Goodnight sweet doggie.

17-My backyard 009

Snoopygirl last Fall, exploring the yard at our new South Carolina home.

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Snoopygirl’s Words of Wisdom:  “What do your people need when they are sad?  Not a lot of words or promises or frantic activity.  No . . . the very best thing is to press in close . . . right up next to their sad ol’ hearts . . . and share their pain.”

Blessings,

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OldThingsNew

I am Perfectly Imperfect Patti, daughter of the King, wife to the amazing Mr. OTN, mom to two grown daughters, a great son-in-law, and companion to two spoiled dogs. At Old Things New I share DIY’s, budget friendly home transformations, as well as posts about how God transforms our souls. I myself have been made new and I love to share what I’ve learned through WRITING and SPEAKING. To view a short Vimeo of “Our Story” (Mr. OTN and I) please follow the link at the top of the page.

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