Growing Up

My little furbaby is starting to look like a real dog. Just when he grows out of the cute puppy stage, we will have a new one to 'awww' over. Monty's prospective little brother is about 3 weeks old and has just opened his eyes. It will be great when there are two of them, and they don't need quite such undivided attention from us. Monty is definitely an attention leech. :) I have a few new beads waiting to photograph, and its market week this weekend. The beads for this new bracelet were inspired by Fox Glacier, that I was lucky enough to visit in January.

Growing like a weed...

It's been about 6 weeks since I said I'd keep the puppy pics to a minimum. I think that shows a fair measure of restraint, so it's time for a Monty dose. He's grown a lot, almost doubled his weight, and instead of being a round fluffball, he looks really lanky at the moment - hasn't grown into the new long legs yet.... Getting grotty at the park....

Which means bath time!

Oh, the indignity of it all....

All beautiful again. :)

Life's Good

One week down, into the new school year. With how stressed and 'over it all' I was at the end of last year, it's a bit of a surprise to be able to say I had a fantastic first week back. I defy anyone who says teachers get too many holidays to sit in front of a class of year 9's for a term and not be ready to kill for their term break. But holidays did what they are supposed to, and I am refreshed and ready to tackle a new year. One that is off to a very good start. The kids have been great, the program is going well and we were successful in our application for a rather large grant for ICT. Work life is good.

On the glassy front, I have 2 new venues - the market, and I signed up for an Artfire account today. I was hesitant to commit to a new site, but it seems to have potential, and I was determined not to miss the bandwagon again, like I did with JustBeads and Etsy. So, I'm torching more, which is great, and I'm hoping to attend some classes in the US later in the year.

1.5" Lentil - both sides of the same bead.

And at home, there is a little bundle of fur and energy who alternates between amazing us with his smarts (and cuteness) and trying to tear me limb from limb. We have a slight problem with over excitement leading to puppy fangs embedded in skin.....

I have an appointment in the morning, and the staff have requested puppy pics, so the easiest thing is to post them here. I promise to make an effort not to over indulge in the puppy pics in future... I promise.

The Full Monty

Our new arrival is finally here - and it is amazing how much laughter a puppy can cause in a home. Despite the hard work and frequent frustration, little Monty is certainly a joy to have around. And you have to admit, Kees puppies are pretty darned cute - only a hard heart could resist this face......