Sugarwings – Page 36 – Karla's Cottage

Sweet Sioux

By Karla Nathan / May 28, 2009

We're back from Sioux City, and it was an emotional trip, as well as being filled with all sorts of Sugarwings Fun.

When I was a young, divorced, and penniless, mom with two rambunctious sons, my Mom took us in. She had been transferred to Sioux City, so my sisters packed us up in Indiana, and drove the boys out to her home in Iowa, since I didn't even own a car at the time.

My Mom has been gone a few years now, but I will be grateful all of my life for the help she was to us when I really really needed her. She not only took us in, she helped take care of my wild and crazy boys while I worked and got back on my feet. To do that, she sold her cozy little one bedroom cottage, that was just perfect for her, and bought this beautiful, old brick palace with space for a family.

That house was so stately and special. Going back to see it again was heart wrenching, but was the first thing I had to do when we got to town. The house meant a lot to Mom too, she'd been through some rough times, and not so nice men in her life, so owning a house like this and being able to support us when we were desperate for help, was a boost of confidence for her. She was so proud of how hard she had worked and this house was kind of a symbol of all she had done for herself to get to that point. And was she was even prouder to be able to say that she did it "without a man".

Dear Abby and Ann Landers had been raised in this house. (I'm sure I could have used some of their advice at times while I was a single mom) And it had once been a fantastic neighborhood. But the area seems to be going down hill, now. It made me very happy to see "our" house so well cared for and tended to. It looked like a huge, and multi-generational family lived there now, with a grampa in the garden and babies on the porch. That seemed fitting.

While in Sioux City, we visited Palmer Candy. Sugarwings was pretty happy with that part of the trip….

We bought a case of their Cherry Twin Bings, as souvenirs to give to family and friends here at home.

Down along the river, a monument to Lewis and Clark has been built in the years since we lived in that town. The fairy grand baby figured it was part of the playground equipment.

Since we were doing a lot of driving around and sightseeing, we promised to stop at all the parks we passed for Sugarwings to get out and stretch. My husband's mom is a kid at heart too and she was happy to do more than just stretch when we made park stops.

Traveling with a two year old meant lunches at places like Chuck E Cheese instead of quaint roadside diners my husband usually prefers. Usually, we tryto eat local cuisine, like Iowa loose meats, but for this trip, it was a lot of hotel food and kid friendly restaurants.

Honestly, we didn't care what the meal was, just spending all that time with our little one and doing things she loved to do made this trip one of the best of our lives. Finding a hotel with a water park was the best part of the trip for her, we stayed at a Holiday Inn downtown Omaha that seemed to be empty except for us. We had the whole pool area to ourselves.

And right now, Holiday Inn has a special. Stay 3 nights at any hotel they own, and get a 4th free in August. We plan on going back to Omaha in August for Sugarwings birthday to stay at this one again. I threw my back out on this trip, and didn't get to play in the water park. I sure enjoyed the hot tub, though. When we go back in August, I look forward to splashing around on all the slides.

Since I hurt my back, I won't be going to see Aunt Caroline this week. Thank you all for the well wishes and prayers for her health, it sounds like she is doing well. I hope that I can go to Florida to see her for her 101st birthday in June instead.

The Blue Bird of Happiness has moved in with us at the Cottage

family, flowers, Food and Drink, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / May 21, 2009

Today felt more like Summer than Springtime, and while I was hit with guilt about not having my bedding plants out yet, I was sure enjoying the perennials and so glad that we have such well established beds that can be completely and totally ignored and still look good (well, that is if you look away from the grass growing in the iris)

It was such a pretty day, we took lunch outside to eat.

Doesn't everything taste even better outside? Especially when served off of a princess plate.

The day was too nice to stay sitting at the table, Sugarwings wanted to explore.

And of course, she had to make sure that Grammy was following her. This is a wooden bridge that I found in a dump 15 years ago (don't ask how I drug it out and got it home myself). I always liked the little bridge, but this fairy grand baby just adores crossing it. She always stops to check underneath of it for trolls.

If only iris bloomed all summer…. I just love this time of year, I'll miss these when they are done, they bloom and fade too fast.

Sugarwings is learning the names of the flowers, she calls quite a few of them iris or snowball bushes, though. She thinks that the peonies are snowballs like the viburnums. I have to agree with her, they do look like big white snowballs.

But the peonies smell better.

The best part of summer coming? We can paint outside! (yes, she is still a paint taster, although it looks like she has moved on from blue to black paint now) Last year, there was a photo of her printed in "Where Women Create" all covered in blue paint.

But now, it is MY turn to be a model!

Yep, I am gracing the pages of a trade magazine that showcases New Holland Tractors, along with my niece, Shelli. Hmm, should I add this to my list of publications that I've been in? Probably not…

As if things weren't happy enough around here, most days, at least- look at this! The blue bird of happiness has come to live with us. Its a gift from Cindy and I just love it. Thanks, Cindy!!

Packing up

fairies, Sugarwings, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / May 12, 2009

Oh, I am so far behind! I'm leaving Thursday for Jenn's event- En Le Jardin and had hoped to make up goodies to take to the mini market that Jenn is setting up for us during part of the weekend. But between Sugarwing's Daddy being ill, and a few other unplanned issues, I've got nothing ready.

Some weeks, there just isn't enough time in the days. Well, most weeks.

I thought I'd make up some tags, some wallpaper packs and then bring a bundle of bling. Vintage jewels are always a hit! But, even though I ironed and sorted wallpaper and made up a couple dozen tags, and piled up some old jewels, none of them are quite ready to go. Pricing and packing are holding me up.

Creating never seems to be the problem, that is the fun part to squeeze in! Its the marketing that gets me.

My revised plan, is to just get my necessities packed and ready to go. Then, if there is time (and space in the suitcase!), I'll gather up some of these goods and toss them in the bag.

Some how, I doubt there will be time. I have the fairy grand baby for most of this week till I fly away to Atlanta with my good buddy, Carol.

Plus, its a vacation! I don't want to stress out about getting ready. This is going to be fun and relaxing, I don't think I want to turn it into work. Plus, its not like these tags will go to waste. I listed a few in my Boutique already, and can add the wallpaper and the rest of the tags when I return from the Deep South.

This trip is something I have been looking forward to for so long, I can't believe that it is already here! I really do need to pack. I have about 12 hours straight tomorrow with Sugarwings, who can pull things out of a suitcase as fast as it goes in, so I should pack early and get it done tonight after she goes to bed.

She has been so funny this week. Life with her has been a parade of one costume after another. Here she is as "Glenda" from Oz. Its really just a princess dress from Target, but to her, she is a Good Witch now. I've had her helping me with potions too, we are making up all natural bug repellent.

I really dislike the smell of citronella, and don't want to use pesticides on her, so here is what I came up with, water in a spray bottle, with some of each of these essential oils plus some no-foam biodegradable soap. I'll let you know if we end up covered and chigger and mosquito bites anyway.

Besides taking care of Sugarwings and her poor, sick Daddy, then making tags and cutting wallpaper after her bedtime, I've done a little sewing. Yes, I know, I complain about sewing a lot, but I do it anyway. It isn't as if I like the action of doing it, I like the stuff I get out of it.

So, I put up with the stupid machine.

Remember when Scarlett O'Hara made a dress out of drapes? I feel a bit like that, decking out a tee shirt with doilies.

I figured it was appropriate for visiting Georgia.

This one is made from a couple of vintage pictures I downloaded and printed onto fabric and sewed onto the shirt. I sewed the girl onto the butterfly to create a fairy.

Then, I further goobered it up with dye markers, glitter pens and ribbon. Oh, and a ritzy rhinestone button from my hoarded stash of old buttons. I hate clothes. I hate shopping for and buying clothes, and really hate packing for a trip. All I like to wear are tee shirts, so I thought I'd foof a few for the trip.

But on the other hand, I am worrying that I am turning into my mother who used to sew quilt squares and appliques onto her sweat shirts. Scary thought. I love my mom, but I really don't want to dress like her…..

Happy Mother’s Day!

Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / May 10, 2009

Our Mother's Day tradition is that the guys in the family help me with garden work, and spreading mulch. Now, why is this a gift for me, instead of something that they just do anyway because they are grown men and mulch is heavy? Well, it started when the boys were just boys, and instead of shopping for a gift, they helped with projects. Now, it is a tradition that we all spend the day together and work in the yard.

Of course, that means I work too, and I am beginning to wonder what it would be like to have a pampering style Mother's Day instead of a grueling, hard working one.

We are trying something new this year with the garden. I've laid out this 100% recycled brown paper, cut holes for the plants, then covered it in grass clippings. Of course, with Sugarwings helping, I wore more grass clippings than I spread, or so it felt. She had a great time throwing the grass up in the air and running through it. Or tossing it my way, and I must have had a bushel of it in my shirt when we were done.

I'm hoping this brown paper helps with weed control. I have tried black plastic in flower beds and that was a disaster for me. This paper is supposed to biodegrade and turn to compost to be plowed under. Sounds good, if it works.

Sugarwings and I have the next three days together. I'll be watching her a little extra this week before my big trip to Georgia to go to Jenn's gathering. So, please forgive me if I don't get to answer comments. I promise I am still reading and enjoying them, when I get a chance, but probably won't have time to respond. My husband will be out of town and it will just be me and the little one for most it. We'll have a good time, but not much of it will be spent checking emails, I'm sure!

Hope all of you mommies and grammies are having a lovely day. Happy Mother's Day to you all!

The right way to get the day you really want!

antiques/junking, celebrations, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, give away, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / May 6, 2009

Thanks for all your happy birthday wishes! It was a fun day, I invited some pals over for a tee shirt embellishment day and for birthday cake. There were some issues with the transfer paper, we never did figure it out. But I had bought a bunch of different types of printable fabrics to try too, and those worked out well. For this brown tee, I added a copy of one of my favorite vintage paintings, then some velvet and lace trim under it. To finish off, it got old seam binding around the neck. The shirt is Lycra, so I stretched it as far as I could and straight stitched the ribbon to the neckline. When I let go of the pulled fabric, the ribbon ruffled just like I hoped that it would!

Everyone brought their own shirts or bags to work on, and then I had an assortment of goodies for them to go through and add to them, as well as a bunch of pictures I had downloaded and printed onto fabric. Of course, nothing was exactly right for what they needed, and we spent most of the day going through my supplies and my folders of images to see what they wanted to use for their pieces. Isn't that how it always goes? The stuff set aside for a project is never quite what you want, something buried or squirreled away is much more intriguing.

The crystals and glitter pens were popular though. Well, dur! Of course crystals are great to use!!

After the group left for the day, I sat down and worked on a couple shirts for myself, it had been hectic earlier with so much going on and I wanted to wear a new shirt when my boys and I went out for dinner. Ryan and Sugarwing's Daddy took me to my favorite Italian place, then we went to see Wolverine. Hugh was my favorite Xman before, but after this movie, I love him even more! And Ryan Reynolds is a fave of mine too, so it was fun to see Van Helsing take on Van Wilder.

Thanks also for your get well wishes for poor little Twinkle's toes. She is no longer whining and whimpering, and is back to running around, so I'd say she is feeling better.

Especially after a visit from one of her puppies, Bella.

Sugarwings (who by the way, is an excellent helper when it is time to blow out birthday candles) was glad to see Bella too.

Are you noticing anything different about my blog today?

Guess what came as my birthday gift! The CANNON REBEL!!!!!!!!! yep, that one. The one I've whined about and wished for. And you know who gave it to me? I did.

The best way to have a wonderful birthday is to throw it for yourself. I bought a cake, invited friends over for a craft day, supplied the crafts, picked out the restaurant and movie to to take my sons to, and bought the gift I wanted for the last year. The perfect birthday, perfectly orchestrated by me. Everyone was happy to have the burden of what to do for mom lifted from them and I had exactly what I wanted. Now, why did it take me 51 birthdays to figure that out? I guess wisdom comes with age.

Good camera, huh? What a nice gift!!!

I realized that I never showed you the goods that I bought last week at the flea mkt, so I'll leave you with a few photos from my OLD camera of my finds.

Can you see the difference?

Now, that wasn't a horrid camera, and I will still be using it quite a bit. It fits so nicely into my jeans pocket. But I love my new Rebel XSi!!!

Well, that photo sure isn't very good. I wonder what makes me show them any way, when I know they are bad?

Last week's shopping trip was a day for figurines and babies, as well as millinery and jewels. Lots of small things, I liked not having much to carry in at the end of the day.

Before I go, I need to announce the hand painted Birthday Cupcake Charm-

Claudia

And to say thanks again for helping make my day special with all of your kind comments!

Finally photos of the April Giveaway, before May comes!

give away, housework, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / April 24, 2009

Finally, I have a photo of the April Giveaway. And how far am I into April by now? Just about May?

If you have left a comment, you entered the drawing for this two sided charm. One side says "Inspire" the other is a rose that I painted. I used metallic paints, so it is kind of a unique effect. You can add it to a charm bracelet, use it as a pendant, or tie it onto a craft project. Like an altered bottle or tag.

While I am at it, I'll show you a teeny tiny cupcake charm too. These are less than an inch long and are painted onto paper added to an existing charm, then coated with Paper Glaze for a durable finish.

The cupcake will be part of a giveaway for my 51st birthday on May 5th. 51 doesn't seem as fun and exciting as 50 did, so I'm going to have to create some fun for myself. And you know I enjoy wrapping and sending gifts!

All comments between May 1st and May 5th will go into a drawing for the cupcake. The rose is open to all comments the entire month of April.

And why was I too busy to take a simple photo of a gift all month? Well, Miss Frenchie's was sure taking up some time. And after that I decided to treat myself to a new cabinet for the studio with some of the loot I made at the sale. This great storage piece is over 8 feet tall and has sooooo much space in it!

Of course, it inspired a full studio redo. I'm still in the middle of that, but did take some time today to get photos of things I'll be listing soon, as well as getting purchases packed and shipped. Usually I am more on the ball than that, and get them out faster. But this week, I've mostly been on a cleaning binge. First, the house, then a bit of the yard, and now the studio.

Uhm, it might have needed a bit of cleaning….

This is the after for the sink area in my storage corner of the studio. I am taking all those half cans of paint to the Habitat for Humanity store for reuse and I rearranged the rest so I could get to the sink without scaling a junk pile.

The other end of the room was just as bad.

But is so much better now! Not exactly gorgeous, but hey, it is storage. The best I can go for is functional. I'd let it really get away with me, and hadn't taken the time to put anything back in its place.

One cute thing that I have in my closet (which really isn't a closet, it is just a corner of the room, that I blocked off with doors and furniture) is this old postal cart. I store my shipping supplies in it, seems fitting for that purpose.

The studio is coming along. I really didn't think I'd spend so much time on it, but you move one thing, that starts an avalanche of other things that need moved too. So, day three of the big clean up and I am close to done, but not quite.

Of course, I've had this little person helping off and on. Right now, she is sound asleep, napping on the floor of the studio, but I hear her stirring. I'd better run, its probably just about time for a play dough break.

Hoppy Easter!

celebrations, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), family, Food and Drink, holiday decor, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / April 12, 2009

Happy Easter! We've had a fun one so far, lots of egg hunting excitement, and we've decided that instead of Sugarwings, the fairy grand baby's new name is "Sugar Rush".

She might have had one too many jelly beans today! Although, her Daddy did buy organic ones and only hid one treat in each egg, she was insistant on opening them up and devouring the treat the moment she found it.

After all the eggscitement, she has been tucked in for a nap (well, we HOPE she'll take a nap- tucking in Miss Sugar Rush was like trying to convince a Tasmanian Devil to get some rest).

We are having a small dinner tonight, only about 9 of us, so we'll fit in the dining room. I didn't have to clean the studio after all!

My Handsome Husband is smoking a pork tenderloin, stuffed with apples and brown sugar plus a turkey breast, I am making baked mac and cheese, and Sugarwing's Daddy has whipped up vegetarian beans in the crock pot. My sister-in-law is bringing some other dishes. Aren't pitch ins the best meals ever?

Sugarwings did her part of preparing dinner by helping to decorate this cake. And it has taken over her mind, even with all the jelly beans she has consumed, all she can think about is this cake she created. Every other sentence she speaks includes something about Easter Bunny Birthday Cake.

And I don't blame her! This cake is a candy lover's dream! Sprinkles in the batter, as well as 3 kinds of sprinkles on top, 4 colors of sprinkled sugar, edible glitter, peeps, and little coconut nests filled with Cadbury eggs. I can't wait either!

Here is a tip for making coconut nests, I had never done it before, but figured out how to do it.

Mix one cup of sweetened, flaked coconut with a few drops of green food coloring

Add a splash of milk

Stir in a 1/4 cup of powdered sugar

The trick to make it work, was the powdered sugar, that and the milk make the coconut easy to form into nests. Kind of like play dough.

My home is now covered in pink Easter grass, but I think I kind of like it. I was going to clean it up before dinner, but its festive, so I'll probably leave it all over the floor. But I do need to go and put together my mac and cheese casserole and set the table. I hope you are having a wonderful holiday too!

Presents from the Lollipop lady, Loot from the trip, and a SALE in the Boutique

antiques/junking, Etsy Goodies, Miss Frenchie's, Moving to DC, Sugarwings, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / April 6, 2009

There is no place like home! Especially when I come home to this little girl. And waiting for us was a lovely box from my pal, Barbara. It was filled with fairies and treats and crafting supplies, and on and on and on!! She really went over the top on this "Just Because Box". Sugarwings and I will be serving PINK hot chocolate at our next tea party, thanks to Barb.

(There is nothing wrong with the fairy grand baby's eyes, that is a weird editing problem that happened when I tried to get rid of red eye, so don't worry that she got into some horrible glitter accident and was blinded)

Did I mention that I found a couple of hats in Virginia? The Hat Whisperer strikes again! I swear, I can sniff these little vintage nuggets of blooms anywhere I go. And JACKPOT, these are mostly roses. And all were bargains.

Of course, on Wednesday, I had the help of another hat lover, Andrea. She took me to all of her haunts in Frederisksburg. I was able to snag a couple there, but most were found in Manasses.

One of the very first things I unpacked when I got home, was the floral egg that Andrea gave to me. Its under a cloche in my bedroom now. Bethand I always say that things look more important under glass, but this little poof of foof looks very important even without the dome!

Another of my favorite purchases was thanks to Andrea too. She took me to a shop that was holding a pink sap bucket for her, and after she picked the one she wanted, she was fine with me buying the rest. Have I ever mentioned that I can't stop at just ONE of anything? Or did you notice without me mentioning it?

I'll use these buckets at my Miss Frenchie's sale, and what ever is left over, I'll be happy to keep in the studio.

By the way, Deb has updated the Miss Frenchie's Blog! Check it out for new photos and a list of the artists and dealers.

Andrea sent me this photo of our luncheon at Pinkadillys. Next time I go, I'll want to play dress up with the stash of millinery in the back room that is available for tea parties. And yes, I'll be going back, for sure!! Maybe I can organize some sort of blogger tea party for a group of us in that area? If you live out that way, let me know if you are interested.

On our way to Gettysburg, I was able to squeeze in a sneak visit for a few minutes each at Luckettes and at that pink polka dotted shop down the road from it.

Sorry, I can't remember the name of the shop, but I know that if you have ever been to Luckettes, you have also stopped at the polka dotted barn. If not, you must be so excited to be heading toward Luckettes that you have tunnel vision. Not that I blame you, that place is special, but look at this one!

Every time I go, I see the prettiest stuff. But this time, I noticed (as leaving, and already too late) a sign that said NO PHOTOS. oops…. I'm thinking that these are grandfathered in, since I had already snapped them??? Rude of me?

On the other hand, why would they object to me telling hundreds of people how beautiful their shop is? Maybe because I can't remember the name of it?

Downtown Leesburg, on the way home from Gettysburg, I mentioned to the other people in my group that there was a cute little Irish pub around the corner. They all immediately were ready for a break and pulled over. I ran down to the antique mall that Sue has a spot in and had a few minutes there before it close up at 5:30, while my traveling companions were swigging their beers.

Sue (Vintage Rescue) had the BEST daily blog postsfrom Rountop.

Well, I'd better get back to work. Today is my catch up day. Looks like I will probably need a few more, one doesn't cut it.

I'm adding to the Etsy Shop and to the Boutique, but mostly, I have been marking sale prices. To get ready for Miss Frenchie's and the aftermath (lots of new listings from that huge pile of inventory) I'm clearing things out of the Boutique. Today, I marked clearance prices on over 30 items.

That Sewing Blog

give away, how to's, jewelry, Sugarwings, the Boutique at Karla's Cottage

By Karla Nathan / March 13, 2009

Yep, I sewed some more. Hmm. Something weird is going on here.

While going through my stash of old aprons for a swap I joined (details later, I only have a short time before the baby gets up and we start our day) I came across this gingham check one. Sugarwings is Dorothy's biggest fan, sings all the songs from the Wizard of Oz, and sleeps with a Dorothy doll. So, when she saw this, she wanted to wear it and "be Dorothy".

Whats a Grammy to do? I had no choice, it was sewing time again! That apron was way too big for her as is. So, I cut off the waist band and tie first, with pinking shears Beth left over here. I need a pair of those, they really are wonderful to work with.

But no, I don't!!! What am I saying??? NO MORE SEWING, I do not need more sewing supplies. What does it man when I start wanting my very own pair of pinking shears???

After cutting off the waist band, I cut the skirt part almost in half and sewed the waist band and tie back on. Then cut around the pocket, and used that square as the bib of the pinafore, sewed to the top of the replaced waist band. To that, I sewed scraps that I had cut into straps to go around her neck. That was the most simple way to do it, to attach straps that just tied behind her neck like a halter.

Sugarwings was pretty happy with the outcome. Of course, she isn't a big critic, anything she sees that is gingham sparks her imagination and transforms her into Dorothy. The other day she found a pair of pink gingham shorts that were about 5 sizes too large for her (in the hand-me-down box of things she will grow into someday) and was wearing them on her head, dancing around and singing Over the Rainbow. Apparently any scrap of gingham will do to "be Dorothy" as she calls it.

The short cut pinafore didn't take long to make, and I spent the rest of the day piddling around getting a few (not many) things listed in the Boutique.

Here is something you might like. As I work on a collage project, I can't bear to toss the scraps of vintage papers. I keep a box near my desk, trim the bits up and save them. Its handy to flip through the box for small projects, so I don't have to cut into a large sheet of old wallpaper if I am making something like a tag or greeting card.

I thought some of you might like having a scrap back of ephemera too, so wrapped up a couple of mixed bags with bits from what I made my journals from last week. They are $6 each, and I have two listed.

There are also some wallpaper journal kits, and folders listed. The journals will be in the next Somerset Life and the folders were in an issue last year.

Thanks for all of your kind comments about the necklace that I have offered as the March Giveaway prize. Its one that I made. This week, I have made a ton of jewelry and will show some photos later. I also came up with the PERFECT display idea for selling the jewels and was cackling out loud with glee last night after the fairy grand baby went to sleep and I was able to tag all the earrings that I made.

But for now, I have to run, I hear some one stirring over the baby monitor.

I feel like I deserve Dorothy’s house to land on me

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / February 27, 2009

One last puppy post. All the babies are gone, and gone to good homes. Brenda, who was in our Puppy Love swap, and who I met through this blog drove all the way down from Minnesota to pick up Millie yesterday. Her plans are to train the pup to be a Hospice dog and comfort patients. This baby will be well loved, and is going to do a lot of good in her life.

But that didn't seem to make it any easier for us.

We dressed the puppy up in a polka dotted ribbon foofed up with a Kansas Sunflower and planned a going away party for her with home made muffins and tea. Sweet Brenda and her adorable family came bearing gifts, to take Sugarwing's mind off of losing the dog. It worked for a while, the new baby doll and balloon kept her pretty happy till we waved good bye as Millie drove away.

Then, Sugarwings laid her head on my shoulder, with tears rolling down her cheeks and said, "I sad."

We held each other and cried a bit. She surprised me, it wasn't a typical, 2 year old's dramatic tear fest. This was quiet, and deep felt.

She then, lead me over to the puppy pen, pointed to the bed and said, "Puppy go there now, please". In a toddler's world, "please" is a magic word. Great things happen when they say please. But not today. She sadly and softly said, "Please, please, please, please". But her wicked witch of a Grammy couldn't bring the puppy back at that point. I have never felt like such a horrible person in my whole life. What was I thinking??? She is way too young to understand losing her pets.

I've raised many litters of Yorkies in the last 10 years and while it is not fun to see the pups leave, sometimes it is a bit of a relief after the weeks of constant care they require. Not this time. My sons were in high school when I first found homes for litters of puppies. But a teenager's reactions can't be compared how a toddler feels about losing a fuzzy little baby dog.

It was heart wrenching to see that little girl stand in front of the puppy's bed and ask gently, "Please" to have her puppy back.

These little girls sure stole our hearts. We loved every second of having them here and I am so glad they all went to such loving homes. All the money we got from selling them is going into Sugarwing's college fund, since Twinkle is her dog.

So, lots of good came from the pups. That is just hard to remember today when we are all missing them so much and the house seems so empty without them.