Miss Cup

We have three dogs living here at the cottage and you can read their doggie profiles on my Dogs Page. They all have interesting stories to tell but today I want to tell you about my fourth dog, my Granddog. Back in 2005, my daughter Brittany was 15 when her Grandmother, Sweet Ella, passed away unexpectedly. Britt was so sad.


A family friend asked if she could give Britt a puppy for Christmas. We thought it would help her through her grieving. She named her new puppy Reese Cup, AKA Miss Cup. She is a chihuahua mixed with fiest. When Miss Cup was delivered, she was so tiny and didn't weigh more than a few pounds.


My younger daughter was holding Miss Cup when all of a sudden Miss Cup jumped out of her hands and fell to the hardwood floor. We all rushed to pick up Miss Cup to check her for injuries. My Mom was here for Christmas and she picked up Miss Cup first. Mom is a RN and knew Miss Cup was severely injured. Miss Cup went lifeless and quit breathing. Both my daughters were crying. Brittany cried out, "do something MawMaw." Mom sprung into action and began giving Miss Cup CPR. She gave her a few breaths and chest compressions. Miss Cup started breathing again. Whew...things were very turbulent there for a few minutes.


We knew Miss Cup was still in danger because her breathing was very labored and raspy. Each breath seemed like it could be the last. We decided to take her to the Emergency hospital for pets. The doctor said there wasn't much hope but they could try admittng Miss Cup and putting her on IV fluids. Her chest and head were severely bruised. Well...we didn't have the money and told them we would take her home. A few minutes later, the Dr. came back in the room and offered to "put her down" for $60.00. This was very upsetting for a 9 and 15 year old to hear. When we refused, they tried the guilt line of...It's cruel to let her suffer like this. Girls are crying...I asked them to prescribe something that would possibly help Miss Cup recover at home. They sent us away with an antibiotic that maybe would help her not get pnemonia because she had possibly aspirated fluid in her lungs. We went home pretty scared. Every breath Miss Cup took was painful for her and us.


Britt cradled her puppy all night. She didn't get any sleep for 4-5 days because she was afraid Miss Cup would die. Slowly, Miss Cup recovered. She will be five years old this Christmas. We all love her so much. She is spoiled rotten. When Britt went away to college in 2008, she was so lonely without her baby. She only lived in the dorm for one semester. She then rented an apartment and came home to get her car and Miss Cup. I want to share a few pictures.

Miss Cup living the good life. Myrtle Beach ~2011

 Miss Cup and Britt. Myrtle Beach ~ 2011

I get to keep Miss Cup when her Mom goes out of town. It's my pleasure. ~2011

Miss Cup at home in Chapel Hill, NC ~2010

Miss Cup with Aunt Mara. ~2009

 I painted up this little doll bed for Miss Cup.

A bed fit for the Princess that she is!

Christmas~2009

Ms. Cup's Profile

Miss Cup giving her Momma some love.

Thank you so much for reading about our dear sweet  dog...Miss Cup. I am linking up with Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Night Special Pets link up in honor of her dear Beethoven. Go on over to read about beautiful Beethoven and more sweet pet stories.

Screened Porch Love

Hi and welcome to my porch. It was nice and warm this morning so I decided to have my coffee out here (while checking mail, blogs etc.) I live in a little country cottage and the porch is a very relaxing place to be. Since my wren family left the porch last week, I've been wanting to get out here and enjoy. You can read about my wrens here and here. (I'm so proud of those babies.)

Homie loves sitting out here.

Its a great spot to eat too.

Yes...its a big bowl of cereal with strawberries. And I ate it all!

This little screened porch is in the trees. It feels so nice when a breeze is blowing. I tried to keep accessories and furniture to a minimum because the porch is not too big and I like the focus to be on the natural beauty.

See what I mean about the trees?

The house is on a big hill. The banks are steep and covered with ivy.

This hardy hibiscus is coming along great.

The nandina is really nice on the side of the porch and the hostas always put on a big show with large leaves and flowers.

Look at the nandina flowers. It's an evergreen and produces clusters of bright red berries in fall and winter. Some call it invasive but mine is well behaved and I call it beautiful!

Oh look...a Gerbera daisy is coming back. Last year I planted three around the lamp post as annuals. I was jumping up and down when I saw it this spring. I didn't expect it to be a perennial in zone 7B.

This is a perennial bed to the left of the porch. It was grass but not any more.

A reflection of the porch and gravel path.

Stella de oro daylilies waking up.

Lookie here...a columbine volunteer.

This is another shot of the perennial bed. Not much blooming yet. Wait till next month though! There's knock-out roses, garden phlox, blanket flowers, yarrow, russian sage and coral bells. I like it much better than grass/weeds.

We can go back in this really old porch door.  I think it is sweet.

The mondo fern is trying to fill out. I said trying...

Looking out to my white bank garden. There's a white rose bush, white gaura, white shasta daisies, white mums, white salvia, lily of the valley and hostas in this area. It will explode in a few weeks with all white blooms.

Thank you so much for visiting my porch. I thank God for blessing me with all of this beauty that I enjoy every day.

Lets go to Kate, the Centsational Girl's Outdoor Party and to Tootsie's for Fertilizer Friday.

Who Cares if it Doesn't Work

Hello ladies (and men if you are out there please give me a hint.) I need to come clean. I have a serious disorder. Its a lamp disorder. I fall madly in love with my lamps. I love them dressed up, dressed down, naked, tall, short, working or not. I love them so much that I don't even bother replacing bulbs in overhead lights.  The overhead lights in my little rental cottage are not the pretty kind anyway. 

ALL of my lamps have been gently loved before. I can tell. There's too many lamps to properly describe today but I will show you MY FAVORITE of all my lamps (for now.) The lamps are not jealous of each other because they all get their shining moments and time with me. Just like one of my other thrifty lamps that I posted about here just the other day and that just happened to be FEATURED by Rhoda yesterday at Southern Hospitality!  Thank you Rhoda!

Let me tell you how me and this lamp got together. The Christian Outreach Thrift Store was having a yard sale. You know the price is going to be right if the thrift store is having a yard sale. However, when I pulled up, it was not a pretty scene. A bunch of shopping carts and boxes were just lined up outside the door. Mostly clothes. Boo. Nothing was displayed or organized nice at all. I took a quick glance around so I wouldn't look snobby. Not seeing anything of interest and feeling defeated, I started to leave. Whoa not so fast KK...Is that something Sparkling? Metal? Clear Glass? Yes, Yes and Yes! I had to look closer. It all happened so quickly. As soon as I saw her, she was MINE.  I asked how much? The lady said, "It doesn't work. You can have it for $2.00." Oh my Goodness!

So Without further Ado...here she is...insert audience clapping...

Her thin little cord was frayed and very old but her round, clear glass body is upheld by a narrow glass pedastal which stands upon a beautiful marble base.

The hardware is brass with a beautiful aged patina. I usually don't like brass but she is different!

I like her so much that I display her as she is. Non-working and nakedly beautiful with her harp showing proudly.

I think she fits in flawlessly.

I do love my lamps. More lamps are coming soon! It is so cold and rainy today (as you can tell by the dark pictures.) I need to go upstairs to get my thrifty quilt out. Come on up to my bedroom in the trees. (You can get a sneak peek at my bed that I painted.)

I love listening to the rain and looking out my bedroom window while in bed. The bedroom is 2.5 stories above ground and feels like a tree house. OK...back to the quilt.

I found this beautiful quilt at The First United Methodist yard sale last year. I love going to church sales. The ladies usually have the nicest stuff. I can't remember how much I paid but it couldn't have been much. Trust me.  I believe it is queen size. The tag is JC Penny Home Collection. The quilting and fabrics are perfect. I think the pillow I found at the Salvation Army for $2.50 looks great with the quilt.

Look at the colors and stitching.

Time to lay down and listen to the birds singing in the rain.

Thank you for stopping by today. Do you love your lamps? Do you love quilts like me? Listening to birds sing in the rain?
KK

I'm linking up with these fun parties. Come on lets Party:

http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/2011/05/mantel-makeover-and-wow-us-wednesdays.html

    

2nd Time Around Tuesday at A Picture is worth a 1,000 Words