Introducing Archie

I have a new guy in my life... he's so fun, loving and smart.  He has the most gorgeous eyes and his hair is all cute and fluffy on top :) He's been taking up all my time these days I'm afraid.

Luckily, hubby is just as smitten with him.....

Meet Archie, the new addition to our family (which now has double the number of four-legged members that two!). He's a mini Australian Shepherd, and he's 12 weeks old today. We got him four weeks ago, on his 8 week birthday, and since then have been in a whirlwind of potty breaks, treats, snuggles and play time. Our smart little guy already knows how to sit, stay (most of the time lol!), lay down, come, shake and is working on speak. We're very proud puppy parents :) We can't wait to start taking him out on adventures and nice long walks, but we have to wait to finish the vaccinations so he's all protected- according to our vet, our county is the worst in the US for Parvo so we have to be extra careful.

I've not been doing much crafting for obvious fluffy and cute reasons, but really want to get my craft room organized again after the Christmas rush for my business Oak Valley Crafts & Gifts. My coasters did so well over the holiday season, I was so happily surprised, and rushed off my feet! Now things have quietened down a little I have been able to focus on building up my inventory at Gallery n Gifts, the local store where I sell my items, and now I'll be working on building up the inventory in my Etsy store too. I really want to find some time for card making too, and get back into entering challenges and maybe trying submitting to a couple of magazine calls. During one of the crafts shows I did at a local vineyard, I ran into Maile Belles! If you read Papercrafts, or Cards magazines you will have seen loads of her work published, and it turns out she lives just around the corner from me. We had a nice chat and she inspired me to get back into cardmaking again and enter the world of submitting :) So, next week hubby is moving to day shift and will be home in the evenings to watch the pup and I plan on getting some crafting time in a few times a week again :)

In other news, I'm now working part time at a local Credit Union, and loving it! After a year of taking time out to look after myself following all the surgeries and issues I had been dealing with regarding my Endometriosis, it feels so good to be back in a place where I am well enough to work and contribute financially to the household again, and get my brain working again! It's a small branch in a small town, so it has such a friendly atmosphere and I am loving getting to know the regular customers, and my co-workers are really lovely too! I was worried I wouldn't like working in an office environment, as I have worked retail since I was 16 years old, but I think I may have found the perfect fit for me. My favourite thing about retail was meeting people and helping them, and at the Credit Union I get to do that, all while sitting down most of the time- which really helps when I am having a rough day pain wise if my endo is playing up.

Speaking of the endo, I'm still doing well as I mentioned. I have started getting some pretty strong aches and pains again, but that's probably due to me being so busy right now with working and then looking after the puppy by myself when I get home until hubby gets home at midnight. When he starts on day shift next week it will mean I can take it easy if I am having a painful/exhausted day once I get home from work, and he can keep Archie entertained and get dinner etc. I'm so lucky to have such a great hubster :o) As soon as Archie is old enough to go to doggie daycare for a day, we'll be making an appointment down in L.A with my specialist to check in with him and talk about what comes next. It's been almost 18 months since my major surgery, which was the last time we saw him in person. He emailed me a while back with some ideas for my treatment plan going forward, so I'm excited and nervous to meet with him and start putting things in motion.

Oops, looks like Archie needs a potty break, so that's my cue to close!

Lynsey x