All I Want For Christmas

Meet the Sawyer family who were so generous to open their hearts and home to both Reese and Rachel!






All I want for Christmas I got yesterday. . . .officially every Snooty Giggles Rescue Dog is in it's forever home for the holidays!!!!!!!!! Well, with the exception of Giles, who is feeling much better and has found the glory of a fireplace here at our home, so for now. . .he is where he should be.

So. . .since my doggie wishes came true with a little help from Santa. . .here are the next things on my list:

1. Warm Socks. . .seriously, I think I was the only child that truly enjoyed opening up a box of new socks on Christmas morning and I still love it!!!


2. A New Garbage Can for the Studio....for the life of me I cannot find the dang thing. . .where in the world would a large paint covered garbage can have disappeared to?


3. Lens Covers for my camera. . ..someone should make these disposable because apparently I think they are anyway and then I wouldn't feel so guilty.


4. A Case of Lysol with Bleach Spray Cleaner (the green bottle). . .enough said.





Hmmmm.....looking at that....I'm not a very exciting person, huh? But. . ..easy to please if my husband ever bothered to read my BLOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

December Days

Marching homeless dogs in the Liepers Fork Christmas Parade. . .this was all kinds of down home fun!!!!!!

My oh my. . . .December has brought with it all the craziness of the holidays and just a little bit more!!!! Nash, my oldest turned 17!!! Oh man. . .and with him on his new adventure to finish high school a year early so that he can start college in the fall "at sea". . .it has really made me sad. . .thinking that next year he won't be home for Thanksgiving...he won't be home for his 18th birthday....uggghhhh. Why is it that when something is so exciting for our children, we can't help but feel a selfish tug at our heart? Sometimes I feel like I already miss him.

Then. . .the day after Nash's birthday. . .I turned 39!!!!! The last year of my thirties. . . .I can't decide exactly how to embrace this year....with fear or free will. I keep thinking, how will I dress a year from now, when I'm 40 and probably too old for leggings and cowboy boots?....what will I do with my hair....will I be way past a pony tail? I then I wonder....what does it say about me that these are things I fear with my 40's? I think I have severe Peter Pan syndrome!!!!!

At the shelter pulling dogs ready for the journey "home".

AND THEN. . . .to make it all go away. . ..we rescued dogs. . ..that will take your mind off of anything!!!! A trip to Bowling Green in the cold rain to bring back some pooches that couldn't wait to get to a forever home. . .ahhhhhhhh... .now I am at peace again. Because these dogs. ..honestly, they could care less about what I'm wearing or how my hair looks. . .they are just so blatantly happy to have been saved I could be in a clown costume and they would never utter a negative word!!!!

Sheila was a bit afraid of being in the crate for the ride back.

The trips home are always interesting. . .this time Michele made it with me, always nice to have a buddy along. You never know who is going to be okay in a crate. . .who is going to cry....who is going to get car sick. ..or who thinks they should be driving down I-65 instead of you!!!! Luckily, no one got sick and most were content to just hang in their crates and sleep through the journey...except Oscar. Oscar is an amazing Pomeranian who Michele described as "entitled". I'm not sure how this guy ended up homeless because he had obviously been spoiled and well taken care of. . .his manners were impeccable, his heart huge. . .his car etiquette had been serioulsy entertained before as he was quite certain that A. We had made a huge mistake in crating him because B. His steering skills were quite superior to my own!!!!

Giles before his trip to the "spa".

Everyone has been placed in a forever home with the exception of Giles. . .Giles was a senior silky terrier mix who had bad teeth, bad cataracts and was completely deaf. He had been infested with fleas, needed a good grooming, and was very thin. However, he is the epitome of sweetness, wanting nothing more than to be with his human...but, Giles has been very sick since he got home with an upper respiratory infection. I feel like he has started to turn a slow corner, but hopefully will be well soon and we can search for his forever family. Should the perfect family not be found then Giles will spend his golden years with us and that will be just fine. It is hard with the seniors. Most people don't want the hassle of possible medical issues nor do they want to think about the short time they may have with a new pet in his/her elder years. ..but I think senior dogs are the best dogs of all. They are so happy and content to just have a warm spot to sleep, someone who cares enough to make sure they can chew their meals. . .and a soft touch to let them know you are there.

They adapt so easily to their "disabilities". Though Giles cannot hear a thing, he manages just fine. . .his sight is nowhere near perfect, but he never bumps into a single thing and still enjoys watching the other dogs out the window while perched on the arm of the couch. . .I think that what saddens me the most about Giles is that he is truly missing something. ..and I know what that something is. Giles is missing his "little boy". Somewhere along the way Giles was the companion to a young boy. . .I know this because the only time he has truly perked up since he has been sick is when Gabriel comes to visit. Gabriel is the 10 year old son of our dear friends Montie and Sallee. . .and somehow this deaf and blind dog knows when Gab has entered our home and will come immediately to him. For those moments. . .Giles is a puppy again, playing with Gab in a way that we just can't get him to do with us. ..not even my sons (who are both teenagers). It is so odd for a senior dog, especially in his condition to react this way to a child. ..no fears, no intimidation. ..just sheer faith in the scent of a little boy.

So. . . .there we have it!!!! It's mid December and the craziness is just beginning to wage a war against my heart and my head!!!! But, I have so many new ideas for the new year. . .in art, in business, in dog rescue. . . I can't wait to get started and that is what is going to get me through the insanity of the holidays!!!!

Peace and Puppies Y'all!!!!

Look Who's Coming for Thanksgiving Dinner!!! I'd like for everyone to meet Snurt!!! Snurt was sitting in a shelter for several months with no hopes for adoption, but we changed that and decided to bring her "home for the holidays"! Who knows what all is in Snurt's DNA. ..I definitely see a little Pekignese, but my oh my. ..what else? Some Doxie, some Bassett. . ..I don't know, but it's all kinds of good and silly that's for sure. She is about 3 years old and is just settling in here, so I don't know much about her personality yet, but I think she is destined to be a Diva!!!!! Hopefully over the weekend we will get to know her better so that we can find her a forever home in time for Christmas!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. I will be enjoying the Feast, as my son's have always called it, with my parents, brother, nieces and nephews (along with my crew). . .and all the family dogs and cats. We are fortunate to live close together so travel is limited to a 10 minute car ride. ..we feast, we clean, then we head back home. . .easy breezy!!!

Much love and blessings to you all!

Big Black Dog

Those of you who know me well know that I always present the happy side of rescue. . .not the sad stories, but the happy endings. But today, my heart is broken and I just have to tell it like it is.

Meet Moose. Moose was really just " a big black dog", but my rescue friend Valerie gave him a name, even though she hadn't even met him. . .she gave him a name because he deserved it.

Moose was an old man. . .around 10, who found himself in a local shelter. He was old and missing lots of hair from fleas. Unlike many shelter dogs, Moose didn't seem sad. I'm guessing that's because the shelter was probably the best place Moose had ever been.

A kind and caring volunteer called me to see if I could help Moose. The shelter was too crowded to even put Moose up for adoption because they had "younger, cuter, more adoptable dogs already waiting for space in the adoption runs". . .Moose didn't have a chance in hell. Moose was big and old, a mutt of mutts, and his hair was in bad shape. . . .why would anyone want that when they could adopt a young, cute little fluff ball . . .why even try right?

Well, Valerie and I tried. Money wasn't the issue, the issue was where could he go during the interim. Valerie has her fosters, I have mine. . .neither one of us have a "quarantine" option where Moose could be outside/inside. But, we tried. . .we tried to find someplace temporary to buy him some time until we could figure it out. But we failed. And tonight, an old dog that still had a lot of love to give, still had a smile and a wag for anyone he met, a dog that thought the shelter might just be the best place he had ever been because maybe it truly was. . . .that dog died on a stainless steel table all alone, with no one who gave a damn holding him tight. . .no one to whisper in his ear that they were sorry and that it would be okay. No one.

And it's killing me.

Moose is not the only old dog that died today all alone on a cold steel table. Thousands of dogs with similar stories, all across our country have joined him on the other side of the rainbow bridge on this very day. Old dogs that no one wants. Old dogs whose joints are a little stiff, eyes are a little blurry, and well, they may only hear what they want to.. . .but they are amazing nonetheless. They are truly the bottom of the barrel in the world of rescue and I cannot stand the thought of an old dog that still has not given up hope dying with no one.

Take the time to say a little "something" out loud or in your heart for all the dogs that died today because they were simply "unadoptable". . .may they find the peace they so deserve.

IT'S OVER!!!!!

It's over and it was successful and we (meaning my family) survived it all!!!!!!!! Oh man, thanks to everyone for making the Holiday Open House for Silo Studios such a success. I can't imagine that it could have been any better!!! Okay, I probably could have made about 100 more Christmas Lazy Susans.. . .or 60 more pieces of tin yard art (constructed from the tin from the barn that was once where my house is!). . .but, all in all....it was a huge success!

Fun Ornaments for your tree or anytime of year for anyplace you want!!!!

It was so much fun to take this old mirror and make a functional piece of furniture with it!!!!! It reminded me of something from Alice and Wonderland, so we titled it the Cheshire Chest. . .I keep thinking when I look in it I'm going to see a grinning cat looking back at me!!!

I'm going to have to build myself one these guys. . .fun and convenient!!!!

These All Lit Up Coffee Tables really did light things up!!!!! A great glow for a nightime showing!!!!

OMG!!!!!

Working on some new ideas for holiday ornaments. . .wouldn't work around here if it wasn't a dog or a mermaid!!!!

I can't believe it!!!! My new website is finally up. . .much more grown up, just like me (not)!!!!!!!! I'm so excited because now I will be able to manage it myself and keep my customers updated. . .AND IT WILL FORCE ME TO MAINTAIN MY BLOG!!!!!!!! And. . .soon, you will be able to do a little shopping right there in your home!!!! Same address (www.silostudiosart.com) Different look!!!!!

Busy, busy, busy it has been and now it is time to get ready for the Holiday Open House!!! I couldn't get in the mood, but now the temps have plumetted and apparently the sun is never, ever, ever, coming out AGAIN!!!! So, it feels a bit like Christmastime around here!!!

There is a new addition to the family, and no it isn't a dog (though, I'm sure that will change soon as it looks like Maisie might have a forever home!). . .it's my grand niece (I'm not really that old, but my siblings are much older!). Her name is Kimber Capri and she is quite honestly the most beautiful little girl I have ever had the pleasure of holding in my arms. Sweet cheeks, all ruby red and covered in peach fuzz. . .oh. . .she is simply delicious!!

Why My Customers Should Not Leave Furniture Here To Be Picked Up At A Later Date

I was so proud of this groovy 1952 two piece modular sofa that I found at the the flea market. . . .

Both pieces looked like this one before Billabong discovered it in the driveway. . . .thank goodness it was going to be re-upholstered anyway. . .

Unlike this piece which had already been re-upholstered and as ironic as it seems. . .I was at the fabric store when Billabong decided to have his way with it. . . .

Originally it was in great shape like it's stronger companion.

Sometimes words just can't explain things. . .