Max

Our sweet Max went to doggie heaven on Sunday, February 28. He was one day away from his 9th birthday. If you've been following along you probably read about his cancer here and here. He was in remission for a few months and doing great. But on February 11 he started declining....very rapidly. And I was taking care of a very sick boy again. So, this is why I've been "extra-strength flakey" lately - and why e-mails and newsletters and blog posts and sewing projects have been delayed. But I'm starting to "come back to life" and get back into my normal routine. And thank you for all the kind messages and prayers and happy thoughts that were sent Max's way - I know he really appreciated them. He was a great guy and will be missed by everyone who knew him.

Jenny

P.S. I'll have a happier post for you next time!

Calgon.....Take Me Away!

Hmmmm.....I don't even know where to begin. If you've been following along you know that in the first week of November (November 2 to be exact) we found out that Max had a very dangerous tumor in his abdomen. He had to have a major surgery on Nov 4 and was recovering well for about a week. I had to close the shop for a few days to take care of him and drive him back and forth to the specialist one and a half hours away in Pensacola, FL. I'm laughing at myself now because at the time I thought it was such a horrible week. Silly girl! I had no idea what was coming next.

Last week (November 11 to be exact) he began having some complications. Very serious complications. He was in really bad shape. I won't go into all the details but he ended up having a second surgery. A much scarier surgery. Five hours away in New Orleans. It was one of those "knock me over with a feather moments." A friend of mine took the day off work to go with me. We left at 5:00 a.m. and didn't get back until 8:00 p.m. Ouch!

He had to stay in the hospital for several days. And then on Monday (Nov 16) it was back to New Orleans to get him. We're sooooo glad he's back home now. It's been a rough two weeks for my sweet boy. And Emma has been trying to help nurse him back to health....And steal the food that he drops when that stupid cone gets in the way.
Anyway, I'm trying to get to the point here. I want to say I'm sorry for totally neglecting the shop and the blog and everything else lately. I'm getting all caught up and hopefully things will be back to "normal" soon. I'm looking forward to getting back to talking about fabric and patterns and sewing and baking and all the good stuff in life.

I also want to take a moment to mention how wonderful my friends and family have been. Everyone has been so incredibly supportive and helpful! I'm so lucky to know so many kind and generous people!

Thank you to everyone!
Jenny

Emma's Pick - Sick As A Dog

Well......I debated whether or not I should do a post about this. But I have to explain why Emma's Pick Of The Week is canceled this week (but it will be back next week). And why I basically closed the shop for a few days this week. And since I don't think I've ever met a sewer/crafter who isn't also a pet lover I know you will understand.

On Halloween, Emma slipped a disc in her neck. I know - my poor baby! Emma was seen at the vet on Monday and is now blissfully enjoying her pain pills. She's slowly improving but it will take a few weeks before she's 100%. So, she wasn't in the mood to do a photo shoot and a blog post.
It was also time for Max to have some routine "senior dog" tests so we did that on Monday as well. The test results were shocking.....especially considering the fact that Max is acting completely healthy. But they showed that he has an extremely large (almost the size of a football!) and very dangerous tumor in his abdomen. So, the next thing I know I'm rushing him over to a specialty surgery and emergency center an hour and a half away. He was admitted to the ICU and got surgery today. There were no complications and he should be able to come home soon.

Yup. My week has been kind of a blur. And I now fully understand the expression "sick as a dog."

I'll keep you updated,
Jenny

Emma's Pick Of The Week...With Max!

Hey there, it's me Emma Jane and my big brother Max. He wanted to help me with my pick of the week. This week we're really digging Amy Butler's Martini fabrics from her Midwest Modern II collection. She has an amazing ability to make a fabric look modern and vintage at the same time. And since Max's full name is Maximus Martini he totally agreed that this has to be the fabric of the week. Max's favorite is the Brown Martini Fabric.

My favorite is the Grey Martini Fabric.

And we both really like the Midwest Modern II Pink Dahlia Fat Quarter Bundle. We think Mommy should make us a new patchwork dog bed using these fabrics. Don't you agree?

And no, we didn't get to have the Martini after the photo shoot. But we did get paid in dog cookies!

See ya next week!

XOXO,

Emma Jane

Where's Max?

Oh no - Someone just asked me where's Max!!! Everyone has seen Emma but I've been a bad Dog Mommy and forgot to put up a picture of my boy. So here he is having an amazing time playing on the beach! Max is an 8 yr old Golden Retriever and he LOVES to swim in the water and roll in the sand. He taught Emma everything she knows about being a dog! And he's such a good boy and he's already forgiven me for forgetting to put his picture up earlier. Thanks Max!

Happy Sewing,

Jenny