Love, Joleen Photography Blog

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They say simple minds and all that, but this little thing has brought me great pleasure - a little gift from my favorite store and a genius marketing tool if I ever saw one. I'm sure you'll be seeing this adorable little fabric envie in some future project. ;) Of all the gorgeous things to use this birthday discount on, here are a few I'm swooning over:

Pugs 'N Pals

Last night I remembered something from the Pug Meetup message boards; a local Pug rescue called Pugs 'N Pals. We contacted them about our situation and they have worked swiftly to help us. I really cannot say how relieved I feel for Peyton. This afternoon I picked her up from our vet here and took her to the animal

hospital the rescue uses. They have immediately begun treatment. This photo of my beautiful girl was taken en route. It was very hard to leave her again but I know in my heart of hearts that it was the responsible thing to do. Pugs 'N Pals will take care of her immediate needs and facilitate her adoption. The adoption process is thorough and there is no doubt in my mind that she will go to a loving family.

At the bottom of the website is a button/link to make a donation to Pugs 'N Pals. I would be ever so grateful to you if you could make a small donation on Peyton's behalf. Any denomination is accepted and appreciated. Thank you so much. xo.

And just like that...

It's gone to hell. This always seems to happen, doesn't it? Yesterday, approximately two hours into a four hour shift, Peyton trapped herself into the downstairs guest bathroom. Freaked out, bored, or both, she chewed through the [exposed] water hose to the sink. By the time I got home our new neighbor (moved in two weeks ago) alerted me to her garage (under my living room (I live in a townhouse)) where she had water damage to the ceiling and and all three walls. Completely panicked I ran upstairs to find that my bottom floor was flooded. Thankfully most of the floor is tile. The carpet in the living room was trashed. I called Alex who came home from work. We  boarded Peyton at her vet. We got the furniture up, purchased a wet/dry vac to get the excess water and rented a high power fan. This morning the home owner came and contractors have been here all day fixing both our water damage and the neighbors. For our home it means new carpet in the living room and baseboards on the entire floor. No idea what this means for us  financially but here, have a gander:

We've been planning for Peyton to go to a new home since we've had her back.. it was always supposed to be temporary. This morning I received a phone call from a technician at the vet who says that Peyton has a really bad ear infection in one ear from the water she was in when I found her yesterday. They've also found a lump under one of her nipples and are suggesting it be biopsied. I am really upset and don't know what to do. Of course I am worried for her. I am also pretty panicked about what this may mean for us financially. Part of our decision to find new homes for our dogs was financially based and this could possibly be very costly. My other concern is what to do.. with her.. I mean we probably can't place her in a home not knowing if somethings wrong with her and after this serious damage she's caused we can't keep her. She is being boarded for now but we can't board her for long and she can't come back here.

So, anyway, I really just wanted to share. I have had moments today of panic and being overwhelmed but for the most part we're just trying to deal with one thing at a time. To end on a happy reflection.. I went to a scrapbook crop/meetup on Sunday for a few hours. Here are a few layouts I created with photos from my recent trip to Georgia. You can click on the full layouts to see them larger. :) Hope your week has started off better than mine! ;) xo

Why, Hello

Well they say time flies when you're having fun. ;) It's been a busy and great couple of weeks. I've been off enjoying my life which is always nice. I had a wonderful visit with family while in Georgia. Tomorrow I'm going to a scrapbook crop so I'm sure I'll have some related layouts to share. ;) This is a mini book I made for my grandparent's anniversary which we celebrated while I was there:

{click any image to view larger}Here are some highlights since I've been home:
♥ We had some "weather" and then I left for work to see this above my home (wow!):

♥ We enjoyed a day at the beach:

♥ I took C + V to disneyland... which was interesting + challenging. ;) Here is a photo of me and miss C:

Can you believe how old she is already(4)?! It seems like yesterday we were taking these two photos.
♥ V turned 3 years old!

♥ I have officially passed the 25 lb. loss mark.. I have lost 27 lbs total.. and 19 of those since we moved here. :D 27 lbs. = 3 gallons of milk and 8 sticks of butter. Disgusting. I'm glad that's gone. Ha!

♥ I finished my 5th book (goal=30/year) of the year so far. Reviews / feedback coming soon.

I Heart You Cards

I'm supposed to be packing for my trip to Georgia right now but I wanted to share a couple more projects I did using the new kitschy kit. These two Valentine cards are for my youngest sisters. I have one more project to share (a mini album) which I will upload in the next day or so. I'll be home next Monday but I'll probably stop by to say hello. Happy day! xo

Kute Kitschy Kits

It's been a couple of months since I've done anything for Kitschy Digitals and I figured if I didn't hurry up, Danielle just might kick me off the design team. ;) She's provided plenty to work with recently, churning out one cute kit after another. These are her two latest kits (Kawaii Cute Fruits is my favorite kit to date!!):

Here are a couple of samples I made using the kits. Fun, right?? I can't wait to play with the labels. Also, I haven't done it yet but here's an idea.. what about printing the fruit onto sticker paper, cutting them out and applying Crystal Effects (a la epoxy sticker)?

Below is a page I created last week using the Feather Accents and Woodland Book Lovers kits (along with other digi elements).

The Return

When I was in Kansas last month I received a message from Peyton's new family that they needed to give her back. Apparently, even after a month, she was going through bad separation anxiety and barking through the night. She's been back with us for about a week and a half and so far, so good. I'm not really sure what the problem was there because she seems a lot mellower and we haven't had any problems with excessive barking. Since we've been back my work schedule has changed a bit so I've been able to spend more time with her and take her for walks regularly. We've talked about Peyton going to live with my FIL and fam..but everyone is still considering everything. I don't want to uproot her too much but it would be nice for her to be with family and great dog lovers/owners I know can properly care for her. I will keep you posted.

PS- I think this film was left in the car or something.. It came out really dark and grainy.. weird.

Thirteen Point One

You may recall me telling you last Summer about my plans to participate in the Surf City Marathon (the half marathon = 13.1 miles). Candice and I have been training for months and months - it seemed so far away and then all of a sudden it was here. Our goal was not to "race" but to complete it.

Today was just gorgeous - 60 degrees, breezy and sunny, on the beach. What more can you ask for? The energy was electrifying! The people there came in all shapes and sizes and everyone just slightly insane if you ask me! ;) I mean who pays to get up at 5 am and run for goodness sake. ;) There were a couple times during the event the I was moved almost to tears. Taking in the inspiring atmosphere and feeling so grateful for a body and health that could move me so far- it was such a powerful experience and I can see why people get hooked on it.

I didn't win any awards by any means but I have achieved some serious personal goals and I couldn't be prouder with myself. My finish time was 3:08:35 (Pace 14:23). Not bad for a newbie, I reckon. xo