Here she is, our latest addition! She is a 9-week-old golden retriever. I never thought I would ever get a dog, but knew if I did, it would be a golden retriever, and luckily, all family members agreed, especially our middle girl who has really been campaigning for a puppy for a long time. Hey, you only live once, right? She has a wonderful temperament, calm, friendly, and quiet yet also playful, and not too nippy. Of course, they do not come house broken the way cats do (have I mentioned I'm really a cat person at heart?), and we are now doing the arduous task of training her to let us know when she needs to go. Luckily, she will not mess in several key locations in the house and we are crate training her at night and when we are out, but when she is inside and not sleeping, a family member needs to be assigned to following her around and making sure she does not have an accident. This is our first full week of puppy care and my husband is away on business (have I mentioned he's the dog person?), making me the primary puppy trainer. This is exhausting and time consuming, but I am hoping it will be gratifying in the end, when we can take her for walks on the bike trail and hiking nearby. She will surely (eventually) be a fun and reliable companion for all of us.
Meanwhile, between chauffering the girls to and from camp, my busy summer work schedule, and my husband traveling, there has not been a lot of excess time or energy for creativity. Earlier this month I made three more charm bracelets using real metal chains instead of macrame`, but unfortuately I gave two of them away as gifts before I photographed them! I hope to post pictures of them at a later date. I am also continuing to produce the little 4x4 swap pieces. I am about halfway through that project (we need to make about 30 - hope I can get the rest done next month! My schedule should be a lot lighter in August...)