Cathy Santarsiero The Christmas Corgi

LOST CORGI ANDY

2012-01-26T09:32:00.001-05:00

Please watch this video. This little guy who was visiting my area from Massachusetts is lost! Dogs have been known to travel many, many miles and through many states. Please watch and keep your eyes open for this little man! xo xo Cathy

The week between Christmas and New Year

2011-12-28T16:15:00.007-05:00

There is something very calm about the day after a holiday. I find the week between Christmas and New Year's Day especially calm and peaceful. Maybe it is because everything still looks so pretty, all decorated. Messes from wrapping paper and cooking and baking have all been put away, but the lovely goodies and gifts remain. The sense of urgency is replaced by a little bit of tranquility. Warm feelings of seeing or speaking with loved ones and friends cling to your heart. Knowing a few days more will bring another holiday along with a fresh new year, I don't know, just seems really nice to me.

Speaking of new fresh starts, I've been watching my Corgi puppy Harley grow these past weeks. He is a funny little guy. He makes me smile every day. He has big paw prints to fill that the lovely dogs in his line have left behind. Last night when I bathed him, I think he finally dropped the last of his puppy fur. His big boy teeth are in now too. He is growing up! I love having a boy in the house again. The girls are great, but there is just something about a boy. They are sometimes a little more 'mushy' and 'lovey' to me.

Do take a peek over in my Etsy shop for a little something new as well! Two new prints plus a fresh new supply of some favorites are in stock. I've also listed a few on eBay as well. The Hedgie Hullabaloo in my previous post is now available in a signed fine art print as well as this new one which I call "Curiouser and Curiouser" It is Corgis set in Alice in Wonderland!

I've listed some on eBay and in the Christmas Corgi Etsy Shop as well. Prices and shipping are identical in both Etsy and

(click ebay icon for my listings there)

Take a peek! Enjoy this week! xo xo

Warmly,

Cathy

New Original Corgi Painting on eBay!

2011-11-15T21:12:00.004-05:00

Come and take a peek into the new Original painting "A Christmas Corgi Hedgehog Hullabaloo." Listed on eBay. Three day auction ending this Thursday. Hedgies and Corgis. Super cute prickly fun. Here are just a couple of the greatly enlarged images from this 8" x 10" painting which I think will bring many smiles. Click on over.

Lots of changes have been going on here at The Christmas Corgi. The biggest one was a move which I'll tell you about soon. I'm still trying to find everything! Pictures soon. I promise. My new puppy, Harley, has been a little ray of sunshine here. More about him in the days to come as well.

I've missed everyone during this little hiatus. But, I'm back. And I hope you will still have me! Love you all. xo xo Cathy

Joy Comes To Reinwood

2011-08-17T01:17:00.010-04:00

After a year filled with loss and heartache, I am pleased to announce that Reinwood Corgis has been blessed with a beautiful litter of Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppies. Almost a year to the day that we lost our beautiful Bridget, her grand babies were born to her lovely daughter "Cash," Reinwood One For The Money.

These photos were taken this week. They are 4 weeks old here. In the mail that day Mary Elizabeth and I received a notice from the AKC that Bridget had qualified and was invited to enter the Eukanuba Championship show in Orlando, Fl. A bittersweet day. Bridget had won Best of Breed at that show with our friend Joan Scott a few years back. I know that our gorgeous girl is looking down on her grand babies and hopefully has sprinkled them with some of her magic.

Our lovely Cash is out of Bridget (BISS CH. Heronsway Two For The Show) x Gabe (BISS CH. Tallyrand No Greater Love, ROMX).

The stunning sire of these gorgeous babies is "Isaboo" who is CH. Pembury House Be Still My Heart. I just adore Isaboo. He is as loveable as he is beautiful.

Without further ado, here they are, 3 girls and 3 boys, fresh from heaven:

Harley

Trouble

Little Jack

Picassa

Rev

Rebel

The wee babies are all doing well. They are fat and happy little wiggle butts. Cash, like her mother Bridget before her, is a fantastic mom and loves all of her babies.

Thank you to all of my followers for being patient with me during this hiatus. Your support means more to me than words can express. I love you all. xo xo ♥ ♥ ♥ Cathy

Farewell Hannah Banana

2011-06-01T13:44:00.008-04:00

Windcrest Zip'N Rave Review, CD, AX, AXJ, NAC, NJC, CGC, RN
12/30/97 - 6/1/11

It is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that we had to say goodbye to Hannah Banana this morning. Hannah,or "Hannah Banana" or "HB" as those who knew and loved her would call her, had to leave us behind to find all of her friends at the Rainbow Bridge. She was truly Mary Elizabeth's side kick. If Mary Elizabeth was going out, HB just assumed she was going too. In fact, one of the funniest things about Hannah was that she would literally get her nose out of joint if you didn't do something she thought should be done. She would twitch her nose to one side and give you 'that look.'

Hannah Banana was not only an official bed warmer, had her own seat in the car, but was a fantastic athlete. Her obedience and agility prowess was amazing. She loved Mary Elizabeth and wanted to please her. Being with her was her bliss.

Such a big presence in the house for such a little dog. You stole Mary Elizabeth's heart
on the day you were born, and continued to steal hearts of everyone who met you.

We love you HB. We cherish the little paw prints you leave on our hearts, forever. Sleep well little angel. Run free. xo xo

Pass me a tissue....

2011-04-29T09:48:00.007-04:00

I know I'm not the only sappy girly girl who tears up at weddings. Could there be a more stunning couple on the planet today than Prince William and Kate Middleton? I think not. Wow, Britain you certainly know how to put on a royal wedding!

A kiss on the balcony...Prince William and his princess bride, the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Has a nice ring, eh? Well I guess we'll all get used to it.

I love that Prince William gave Kate his mother's ring. I'm sure Princess Diana was right there with them today. And so very proud. I have a sneaking suspicion that she just may have had something to do with getting them together in the first place, working her magic from heaven.

I feel the need to wear a tiara today. For the rest of the day I will be Princess Catherine of Reinwood. You may address us as Your Royal Corginess. (tee hee...)

Have a happy weekend, my lovelies! ♥ CS

New product causes strange reaction in Corgis.

2011-04-01T10:49:00.003-04:00

I don't know what happened. We bought a new conditioning spray that was supposed to give them the most beautiful show coats EVER. We tried it last night for the first time. This morning, instead of the usual barking we heard shuffling around the kitchen and something that sounded like 'brains....brains.....' The Corgis seem to be having a bad reaction to this spray. I must say though, their coats do look fab.

April Fool! (insert evil laugh here) ♥ xo xo ♥ Cat

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T10:56:00.004-04:00

Here is a photo from St. Patty's day past. I think that is Amy on the far left, and Stella is second from the right. (I know, too much cuteness in one little fleecy bed!)

Here is Stella all grown up.

She still can't hold her licker.

Happy St. Patty's, my lovelies!

Kiss a Corgi for luck and be sure to wear something green so ya don't get pinched! xo xo Cat ♥

Eggplant Parmigiana, Corgi style.

2011-03-08T10:52:00.024-05:00

Here I am in the kitchen. Can you find five hopeful Corgis? They are just waiting for something delicious to drop. I've mentioned before that most of my friends and family are what I call 'kitchen people.' That is, we all love to hang out in the kitchen. Even if there is a party set up in another room, somehow we always end up in the kitchen. I think it is probably because the kitchen tends to be the heart of the home. I enjoy having people around when I'm cooking. Especially if I can recruit a few helpers. There is something so relaxing about preparing a meal. It is kind of like painting for me. Your mind becomes focused on creating something from your heart and it is fun to share that with someone. Even if no one is home, there are always wee beasties here who are willing to supervise the cuisine du jour.

Vice President in charge of Quality Control.

Let's make an easy eggplant parmigiana, shall we?

I see I have your attention.

First, you will want to get your sauce started. If you are from an Italian house, you may call this gravy. Don't be confused. It's just the way it is. In a heavy saucepan, lightly saute a few cloves of minced fresh garlic in a good drizzle of olive oil, just until soft. Add two large cans of tomato puree, (love the San Marzano tomatoes) and a small can of tomato paste. Swirl the puree cans with a smidgeon of water to get all of the tomato out. Add a few pinches of sea salt, a crank or two of black pepper, a few good pinches of dried oregano that you rub between your palms before you add them to the pot, a pinch of onion powder and a small pinch of dried basil. You may omit the onion powder if you mince one tiny onion and cook it with the garlic, but Mary Elizabeth has no love for onions so I left them out.

Open a nice bottle of red wine. Pour a bit into the sauce. I like this nice Beaujolais Nouveau for this. Pour some for yourself too while you're at it. When I make sauce for eggplant parm, I like to make it a little bit sweeter than the sauce I normally would for other dishes, like pasta. I do this because sometimes eggplant can be slightly bitter and I just like the balance it gives. I add a spoonful of sugar after the wine. Chiffonade a nice bunch of fresh basil. Stack together a few leaves at a time, roll the stack lightly and then slice across the rolled leaves to create thin ribbons. Stir the basil into the sauce. Cover and simmer on low.

Peel the skin off of your eggplants. Some people leave the skin on, I personally prefer it without. I used two nice sized ones for this 13 x 9 inch pan. Use a vegetable peeler rather than a knife and you will lose less of the eggplant as you peel. Cut the eggplant into slices approximately 1/4" thick. Dip the slices into a mixture of beaten eggs (start with 3, you can always add more) and a little milk. Immediately dredge the wet slices into a mixture of seasoned breadcrumbs and flour, a 3 to 1 ratio. Let the breaded eggplant slices rest on a plate while you get them all ready to fry. Having two large frying pans makes this go faster. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the skillets and warm them up on a medium flame. Do not burn the oil and be careful not to burn yourself. You want the oil hot enough to brown the eggplant nicely. Too hot and it will burn, too low and the eggplant will absorb too much oil. Cook them until they look like this.

Drain them on a dish with paper towels until they are all done. Keep a fork handy
to poke people who want to eat them all just the way they are. They will just have to wait until you have assembled your pan for the oven.

Recruit loved ones to help. Promise them fried eggplant for their service.

Do the Corgis need to go out to *twinkle?*
Recruit handsome husband for the job.

Reward him with fried eggplant. And smooches.

While everyone is helping, go outside and get yourself
some fresh air since it is so hot in the kitchen.

Everyone can amuse themselves for a minute or two.

Ignore Corgi who knows there is a plateful of delicious fried eggplant on the counter.

Do not stare into her eyes or she will put a spell on you.
Sometimes they use their powers for evil.

I'm just sayin'.

I know some people like to bake their eggplant rather than fry it. I happen to like it fried and well drained on paper towels better. Turn on your oven to 350 degrees. Cut up about a pound of fresh mozzarella cheese into small thin pieces. Try to use the fresh and not the packaged if you can. It really makes a difference here. Something about the fresh mozzarella and the fresh basil are important to this dish. Sometimes you can get away with using the packaged one or just the dried basil in certain dishes, but trust me on this one.

Start to assemble your eggplant parmigiana into the baking pan. Ladle some sauce to coat the bottom of the pan and then add a layer of your fried eggplant. On top of the eggplant, sprinkle some good grated Parmesan cheese and about a third of the mozzarella. Ladle some of your sauce to cover the eggplant but not so much that it is swimming in it. Add another layer of eggplant, Parmesan cheese and more sauce, followed by a final layer of eggplant, sauce, and the cheeses last. Don't try and stack up your eggplant slices perfectly. Remember they are round and vary in size, so just space them on each layer the best you can so you can cover the pan. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake for approximately 35 minutes and then remove the foil and bake for approximately 10 more minutes until the cheese is nice and bubbly and starts to brown. Remove from oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before you eat it to let it settle.

Tell everyone to be patient. Give them more wine. And more fried eggplant.

Don't fuss over anything that may fall to the floor.

There's an app for that.

This is the last thing a delectable morsel sees before its demise.

That's it. An easy eggplant parm. The Mister's grandma used to add extremely thin slices of potato in between her eggplant layers. That is very delicious also. You can also shake things up a bit and make an eggplant rollatini by slicing the eggplant lengthwise rather than in circles before the frying process. Roll each slice around a spoonful or two of a mixture of ricotta cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, a pinch of parsley and a beaten egg. Add the sauce and a bit more mozzarella to the top and bake till hot and bubbly.

But for now, this will do.

Yes, I think this will do nicely. :)

Have a happy day, my lovelies! xo xo Cat ♥

A Corgi's Haiku

2011-02-24T09:48:00.002-05:00

Snow is all around.
Where is the toy I buried?
Spring, please hurry back!

xo xo -CS ♥

Snow Day

2011-01-24T11:21:00.027-05:00

Have a wonderful week, dear reader. xo xo -CS ♥

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T23:45:00.006-05:00

Hoping you are having a lovely Christmastide.
Remembering all of those we love and those we lost and will always love in 2010.

And looking forward to what is to come in 2011.

We're here on Cape Cod visiting Lou and Barb. The Corgis are having a great time, too!

Wishing you all the most wonderful days to come in the New Year.

With all my love, Cathy xo xo

E Reading Little Women

2010-12-22T08:01:00.014-05:00

"Jo was the first to wake in the gray dawn of Christmas morning. No stockings hung by the fireplace, and for a moment she felt as much disappointed as she did long ago, when her little sock fell down because it was so crammed with goodies. Then she remembered her mother's promise and, slipping her hand under her pillow drew out a little crimson-colored book. She knew it very well, for it was that beautiful old story of the best life ever lived...." Beginning of Chapter 2, A Merry Christmas, from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

I have a sneaking suspicion that Santa might bring a couple of E Readers here to the Santarsiero household for Christmas, you know, Kindle, Nook and the like. I downloaded Barnes and Noble's Nook for the PC just to see what all of the fuss was about. If you don't have a Nook you can download and use Nook for the PC right to your computer for free without owning the actual device. There are loads of free books you can get in an instant. I must say that I am impressed. I resisted the notion of ever being able to take pleasure in reading in an electronic format. I love books and glorious magazines. The old fashioned paper kind. I love the feel of them, the smell of them, the way they look stacked up on a shelf or table just beckoning me to take a break and escape into a story. No one that I know loves books as much as my 19 year old daughter, Laura. She is constantly writing and reading. She takes more books out of the library than anyone I know (yet still loathes the Dewey Decimal System) and spends every dime she has on books. She agrees that no electronic device can ever replace a real book for a true bibliophile.

Having said that, last night while The Mister was outside with the cable guy trying to figure out why our internet connection was screwy, I had the Nook version of Little Women up on my computer screen. After a few minutes I felt the familiar presence of Laura reading over my shoulder, drinking a hot cup of tea. I call her the 'grammar nazi' because she is constantly criticizing me when she sees the way I sometimes send out emails or instant messages with no capitalization, punctuation, etc. Homeschoolers! Sheesh! Anyway, even she was intrigued by the E Book. Within minutes she was reaching over my shoulder to get the mouse and clicking on all of the highlighted footnotes and annotations throughout the page to discover more information, definitions, and the like. Very cool indeed. So many of the classics and others are available and for free! I can see what a wonderful resource this could be for students who need to read books for book reports for school assignments.

Anyway, getting back to Little Women, I especially enjoyed the notes in the beginning of the book with the introduction and The World Of Louisa May Alcott. If you love Little Women, check out the Nook version. I think you will enjoy it if you have never read it before. It might come in handy on those snowy Winter days like this!

P.S. Do you love The Pioneer Woman? Who doesn't? Here's a link to a wonderful printer giveaway over on her Tasty Kitchen blog!
Have a happy day, my lovelies!
xo xo ♥ CS

Huzzah! I'm EBSQ's Blogger of the Week!

2010-12-07T15:09:00.006-05:00

Thank you to Amanda Makepeace for inviting me to be interviewed for Art Meets Blog over at EBSQ! Wanna see? Pop on over here! ♥ xo CS

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus - Must See!

2010-12-03T12:35:00.005-05:00

I dare you not to smile and clap at your screen
after watching this. Be sure to pause my playlist
on the left sidebar before watching! Thank you to my
AHA friend Suzanne for sharing it with me!

Love, Cat xo xo ♥

Dear Piggie

2010-11-22T10:15:00.006-05:00

Dear Piggie: What do you suggest we add to the Thanksgiving meal this year for the corgis? What would be their favorite special treat for that day?

Patti Kleven
Lismore Pembroke Welsh Corgis

Dear Patti,

I would suggest you add seats at the table for your corgis, or at very least allow them to sit on your laps in order to fully experience the Thanksgiving festivities!

However, if those seating arrangements aren't an option, then you should definitely make sure they enjoy the feast by sharing ample amounts of turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes with gravy, and pumpkin pie.

-My siblings and I have never actually been allowed those accommodations, but you can be certain we would enjoy and appreciate the Thanksgiving holiday more fully if provided these luxuries!

Happy Thanksgiving and Bone Appetit!
XO Piggie

Ms. Piggy,

How do you feel about a similarly named corgi in the Emily Carmichael series?

~Angela

Angela Kau

Dear Angela,

It is a great honor to have a corgi named after me in a literary series, especially since this book was written before my time!

XO Piggie

"Ooh Piggy you are so sweet. My dog bounces 5 feet off the ground when she wants to go "OUT" to do her "bizzy bizzy" How do you let your owners know to open the door?"

Wendy Gould

Dear Wendy,

We have our pet humans well trained. They usually leave the back door open for us so we can go in and out as we please; however, they're also familiar with my specific disapproving look (and growl) whenever it's time to go outside.

XO Piggie

Dear Piggie:

When my pet humans come home from work at the end of the day, they are supposed to change into casual clothes and spend the rest of the night at home. However, they sometimes decide to go "out to dinner", or so they say, and this extra coming and going at night disturbs me. How can I discourage this behavior when they should be eating dinner at home like I do?

Sergeant Bobo

Dear Sergeant Bobo,

Pet humans are sometimes difficult to train and have a tendency to misbehave. They should know better than to leave home without our protective supervision.

This situation calls for a detailed team intervention in order to prevent them from leaving. In our household, each corgi has a specific job.
One particular example might be as follows: 1. Piggie loudly alerts the others in regards to the escape attempt; 2. Norah Jones runs interference by trying to trip them on the way to the door; 3. Buzzy Bear acts as a door block (with a very sad expression, of course); 4. Dottie Hinkle sprints out the door as a distraction, forcing them to chase her down, therefore causing such frustration that they give up their escape plans altogether!

Naturally this requires teamwork and cooperation with all involved. This needs to be a well-rehearsed plan, executed with speed and precision, to achieve maximum effectiveness.

Good Luck!
XO Piggie

Dear Piggie,

Why do corgis FRAP?

Love, Carter
Winddancer Inside Track

Dear Carter,

I believe that FRAP is an acronym for Frequent Random Acts of Play, and all corgis need LOTS of playtime each and every day in order to maintain their joyful and rambunctious disposition.

XO Piggie
Send your questions for Piggie to christmascorgi@gmail.com with "Dear Piggie" in the subject line. She stands ready to solve all of your problems. Piggie's fans can peruse her shop for Piggie approved gifts.

Happy Monday, my lovelies! xo xo ♥ CS

Ask Piggie

2010-11-12T09:16:00.006-05:00

Good morning, dear reader!

We are pleased to welcome a very special regular guest

here at The Christmas Corgi.

Meet Piggie Von Espie.

Advice columnist extraordinaire.

Her motto: "It's all about me and what you're eating."

Piggie is owned and loved by Tom and Diane Blakeley.

She will be available for taking questions on life, love and daily mayhem from you and your Corgis and other critters.

Fair warning: She may give you her look of disapproval should she need to set you on the straight and narrow path.

Send your burning questions to Piggie at christmascorgi@gmail.com with "Ask Piggie" in the subject line.

Happy Friday, my dear Corgettes! xo xo ♥ Cathy

Quick chili for burgers in my favorite little Le Creuset

2010-11-07T18:38:00.016-05:00

Him: "Hey Cat, you know what I could go for?"

Me: "Umm, no."
Him: "A really good burger on the barbeque. Can you make some chili?"
Me: "Coming right up." Hey, he's cleaning out the garage. Huzzah! His wish is my command.
Me: (again, this time to the to the Corgis who amazingly find their way under foot the moment I begin cooking) "Ground beef? Check. Olive oil? Check. Onions, garlic, tomato sauce, tabasco, spices? Check check check check check."

But first things first. I'll need my favorite little cooking pot.

Isn't she beautiful? She knows she is. She also knows that when I enlist her
amazing enamel coated cast iron loveliness that I feel like a cross between Julia Child and The Pioneer Woman. This is a two quart Le Creuset Dutch Oven. The color is called Kiwi. Isn't it cool? I am also in love with the color called Caribbean. The next Le Creuset I buy will definitely be that color. And bigger. I love to mix things up around here. Le Creuset is a little bit spendy, but oh so worth saving up for. It cooks everything evenly, browns beautifully, simmers delightfully and is oven safe. Clean up is surprisingly easy. I always let my pots cool down before washing them. A short soak in warm soapy water and a non-abrasive nylon scrubbie keeps them looking brand new. I never use anything in my Le Creuset other than a wooden spoon. Be good to her and she will be your friend for life.

Now, let's make that chili for The Mister.

Chop a small onion and a clove or two of garlic.

Put a splash of olive oil in your pot.
Remember to tell her
again how much you love her.

On a low flame, slightly brown the onion and garlic in the olive oil.

Add about a pound of freshly ground beef and brown with the onions and garlic. Drain
excess oil if you have any. Lean ground beef = not greasy chili.

You'll need about a tablespoon of chili powder. I also add a pinch of sea salt, a few cranks of
freshly ground black pepper, about a teaspoon of garlic powder, a teaspoon of dried oregano and a half teaspoon of cumin. Stir in a small can of tomato sauce or use a squeeze of tomato paste with about 1/2 cup of water if you'd prefer. We're not going for chunks of tomatoes and peppers and beans and things and cooking for hours. We also do not want too much liquid. This chili is intended for topping your burger and while the chili should be juicy, we want most of the liquid to eventually evaporate. We're going for flavor and a little heat.

Add a few splashes of tabasco

Add some crushed red pepper flakes for a little more heat.
Just how much you use is a purely personal thing.
The Mister and I like it on the hot and spicy side.

Set your timer for 10 minutes so you won't get distracted if there happens to
be a Hugh Jackman movie on TV.

Give it a little stir every now and then.

That's it! All done. This freezes well too, so you can store the extra if you have any left over, or make a double batch to keep on hand.

Here's John's burger. A simple supper can be perfect when you use the very best and freshest ingredients. A lightly grilled bun, a burger grilled to perfection, white Vermont cheddar cheese, topped with your yummy chili. John will add ketchup to this, and a slice of onion for sure. (After dinner smooches might be iffy...) Maybe a little salad on the side?

Do you use Le Creuset? Which pieces do you have? What do you love to cook in it? If you are even thinking about getting one, I highly recommend it. You will love it today, tomorrow, and always. Cooking.com is where I bought mine, (and lots of other great things.) Their selection is fantastic and I really like their customer service. Fan them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter and be the first to hear of great specials Have a wonderful week, my lovelies! ♥ CS

Go Zenyatta!

2010-11-06T12:48:00.003-04:00

I get all teary eyed just watching this magnificent, beautiful filly.

Run like the wind, big girl! Be safe and win big at Churchill Downs! ♥ ♥ ♥ xo xo CS

The Watching: A Corgi Puppy's Christmas Surprise

2010-11-04T09:27:00.003-04:00

Would you like to help Corgis and get a fantastic Christmas book?

I am so proud to be a part of this lovely tradition. On a personal level, doing my illustrations this year was especially cathartic after losing my beloved Indy and Bridget and her puppies. The story is a complete delight, and my fellow artist friends will enchant you with their work.

Here are the details:

The Watching: A Corgi Puppy's Christmas Surprise

By Millie J. Williams

With original art by Lyn Hamer Cook, Sari Davies, Sue Duffield, Kay Folk, Karen Howell, Kim Hundley, Susan Jacob, Chris Landers, Ginnie Mickelson, Linda Ozelis, Diane Puntenney, Cindy Read, Cathy Santarsiero, John Scarinci, Barbie Sonnett, and Milllie J. Williams

“Everyone has a gift, they told the little corgi puppy called Twice, but hers certainly wasn't singing. Thrown out of chorus practice, Twice found solace with her friend Grandfather Oak and a flock of mismatched birds that he had helped her rescue. But with Christmas coming, Twice soon joined the rest of the corgis and other animals at the Castle in preparing for the Watching. This was the first year Twice would be old enough to attend this mysterious and magical event, so she didn't quite know what would happen in the field far beyond the Castle walls. She had a few secret plans of her own, however!”

The annual version of “The Watching” by Millie J. Williams, usually released for Christmas Eve, has become a tradition in corgidom, enjoyed each year by thousands of readers. The 2009 story―The Watching: A Corgi Christmas Tale―was published to wide acclaim as a beautiful full color paperback book with dazzling artwork. Now we are happy to offer the equally wonderful 2010 book, The Watching: A Corgi Puppy's Christmas Surprise.

This new book will ship beginning December 1, in time for the holidays. Pre-order now to be sure you have your book in time for Christmas. Orders placed before December 1 will receive a bonus bookmark with original Watching artwork.

Coming December 1: A special two-week-only eBay auction of the original art created for The Watching: A Corgi Puppy's Christmas Surprise.

Also Coming December 1: New holiday ornaments from CorgiAid's CafePress store featuring art from The Watching: A Corgi Puppy's Christmas Surprise.

All net proceeds for these books (after printing and shipping) benefit CorgiAid. The books are only $20 each, which includes shipping, so order extras as gifts for all your animal-loving friends, young and old. International orders are $27 each.

Click here to order your copies!

Have a happy day, my lovelies! xo xo Cat ♥

Boo!

2010-10-30T21:16:00.001-04:00

A New Christmas Corgi Trinket Box!

2010-10-30T08:26:00.003-04:00

Now on eBay! xo xo Cat ♥

~Bliss~ New Original Corgi Art!

2010-10-23T03:35:00.008-04:00

What brings you bliss? Acting on small little creative sparks are one of the things that bring me bliss. Meet Cinderella. She usually holds tape measures and ribbons and Corgi leashes in my studio. I decided to deck her out for Fall. Who can resist sparkly orange lights and frothy black tulle? Not I. Doesn't she look smashing? She knows she does.

Say hello to my little friend Twiggy who is hanging around in my studio for Halloween. Yes, she has a tinsel boa around her neck. (Don't you judge me!)

Someone really needs to feed her. (hee hee)

Here is Bailey posing with my newest creation. Bailey just turned 14 years old a couple of weeks ago. I think she really misses Indy and Bridget. It makes me sad. Stella and Amy literally run circles around her and I think they make her crazy. They are wicked Corgi imps.

Bailey got prime rib on her birthday. ♥ She said it was pure bliss. Which leads me to my painting. I've entitled it simply "Bliss." It looks like a Corgi full of sheer joy and contentment. A little reminder for us all to seek out that which bring joy to our lives. Or as Tasha Tudor always reminded us, to "Take Joy!"

I have gone from one extreme to the other in creating this piece. What I mean is that usually I work in miniatures and my Corgis are typically about 2" tall. This piece is a BIG one, for me. It is 16" x 20" and I am completely in love with it. What do you think?

Click here to take a peek at the new listing or to place a bid.

Have a fantastic weekend, my lovelies! xo xo Cat ♥

Reinwood Lady Jane

2010-10-07T22:07:00.004-04:00

A Bridget granddaughter, daughter of Stella and James, here is "Jane." I hear she is a little imp! Watch for her tearing up the agility ring in the future with Beth and Jon. For now, watch her here in her video debut. Pure cuteness. Mary Elizabeth and I are very proud of these awesome babies. Feel free to press the pause button on the red music box on my sidebar here to listen to Jane's theme song! xo xo ♥ CS
p.s. if you are reading this in
CreatingTheHive.com - Arts & Crafts Community you'll need to actually visit my blog to see the video. For some reason videos don't seem to show up in the imports! Sorry. (insert big sigh here...lol)

Three

2010-09-15T21:36:00.010-04:00

This is my baby. OK, so he's really my baby's baby. But I call him my baby.

I also call him my little man, my little munchkin and my cutie pie.

Grandmas can do that.

His parents also call him "Goo" or "Goo Goo" or "The Goo."

We are SO going to confuse this cherubic child.

I just happened to have my mom over on the same day that I was going to babysit for Liam, aka the goo goo munchkin man. It was also his third birthday. We decided to have a little early afternoon mini birthday celebration for him. Complete with little presents and cupcakes.

Yes, he is wearing a pink birthday hat. Sorry, John. It was that or

the Corgis' Christmas reindeer antlers. We went with the pink.

Really? I can open another one? Cool.

Umm, yes, that is frosting on his face.

And these are the coolest markers from Crayola.
They only color on their special paper.
Not on the walls. Or on your clothes. Or your skin.
♥ Awesome. ♥

My mom always decorates her cards with the coolest stickers and things...

We had lots of fun.

Because when you are three, happiness is all about singing Happy Birthday,

blowing out the candles,

the noisiest party horns, and opening the presents.

OH! Yes, and the sprinkles on the cupcakes.

♥ CS

American Holiday Artists Giveaway Winner!

2010-09-12T19:36:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to "Miccosukee" who the Random Number Generator says is the winner of my Corgi Art prints. Please email me at christmascorgi@gmail.com so I can get your signed art prints mailed out to you straight away. Hopefully there is a way to contact you on your comment!

Remember to visit the AHA Studio Marketplace every month on the 25th for new and exciting artworks by a wonderful juried group of holiday artists. Thank you to everyone who has visited the new site so far and for all of your lovely comments and emails about it. We are all very excited and so happy to be a part of it!

Warmly,
Cathy

Mutiny

2010-09-09T11:56:00.004-04:00

The wicked imp Corgis have been removed from the studio so I can work in peace. They are all grounded. They are in separate rooms doing chores and making the house sparkle. Hopefully, they have learned their lesson. I doubt it, but hope springs eternal. Have a happy day, my lovelies! xo xo CS ♥

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn!

2010-09-06T08:55:00.010-04:00

It has been quite a miserable Summer around here and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy to see it go. I'm missing my Bridget and Indy terribly. I'm looking forward to Fall and everything that comes along with it. Apple and pumpkin pie season, sweater weather, seeing far away friends, old friends and meeting new friends at the PWCCA National Corgi Specialty, the holidays, and let's not forget less frizzy hair weather. This morning I could tell I would need a sweatshirt because John and I were fighting for the covers and we were surrounded by wee beasties who were trying to snuggle down to keep warm. The Corgis were stirring so I got up to take them out so he could sleep in (a very rare treat for The Mister.) I made some coffee and turned on the computer.

Every once in a while I receive an email from Jane Dewey that I know is going to make me smile. Long time readers of this blog know that her Corgi, "Diva" enjoys dressing up and hamming it up for the camera. Here are a couple of photos of Diva.

Just look at her with that net veil hat.

She knows she looks smashing.

And who else could pull off wearing a spider on her head? Not many of us, I tell you.

And lest you think 'the Diva' is all fluff and glitter,

here is a picture of this little athlete during her MACH run.

Not to be outdone, here is Nelson, another of Jane's Corgis.

He is sporting his Sherlock Holmes outfit.

How can there be so much cuteness in one little body?

Elementary, my dear...

Enjoy this Labor Day, my lovely Corgettes! I hope you are doing something fun or relaxing. I'm finishing up some new original artworks which I'll share with you later on. Give your Corgis a cookie and a big kiss on the nose for me today, will you? xo xo -Cat ♥

Celebrate Tasha Tudor Day with Marjorie Tudor!

2010-08-28T06:52:00.048-04:00

The Tudor's expert gardener, Jenna, with Tasha Tudor's last Corgi, Megan.

Megan aka "Meggie" Tudor

Greetings, my lovelies! I am so pleased to welcome you, my dear reader, here this evening! Here at The Christmas Corgi we are celebrating Tasha Tudor Day, on this what would have been Tasha's 95th birthday. I am having a cup of tea in Tasha's honor right now. Earlier today, the power went out, as it often does here in my neck of the woods. Rather than embrace the darkness, I went to get a manicure, complete with bright red nail polish. Not a very Tasha Tudor thing to do, I know. But all of my fellow artists will surely appreciate the few and far between manicures we manage to get. We usually have our hands full of paint and clay and so on and so forth. Tasha was famous for her love of her turkey red tablecloths, so when I look at my shiny red nails (which I'm sure will only last for a day or two) I will think of her.

I am thrilled that Tasha Tudor Day is really catching on, as I truly believe that Tasha was a national treasure. She has influenced me in so many ways. When I was a little girl, I remember seeing Tasha's Corgi illustrations and I thought that Corgis were magical creatures. Now, having lived with them, I know that I was right all along. Tasha had so many fans for so many reasons. Her fan base continues to grow. Some people love her for her art and illustrations, some for her famous green thumb and fabulous gardens, some for her lifestyle. She truly incorporated much of her love and appreciation for the 1800's into who she was, from the way she dressed to her daily life. She did what she loved and as Thoreau said, followed confidently in the direction of her dreams. If you are unfamiliar with Tasha, please spend a little time learning about her. You will be so glad that you did.

I am so happy to have Tasha's dear Daughter-in-Law, and artist extraordinaire, Marjorie Tudor here to share some special things with us on The Christmas Corgi Blog today.

Hello Marjorie!

Here is Marjorie with Agatha Kitty.

Marjorie has been as busy as a bee. She just returned from Northern Vermont to spend some time with her colleagues from Boston Children's Theater, with whom she collaborated on last year's adaptation of The "Velveteen Rabbit." Marjorie said, "I had a fabulous time with Burgess, Toby and Daniel. Burgess Clark is the Executive Artistic Director of Boston Children's Theatre, Toby Schine its Executive Producer, and Daniel Blake the Musical Director. BCT is the oldest theatre of its kind in New England and this past year extended its outreach to young folks in the Greater Boston Area from 800 to almost 10,000. I am so pleased to let you know that "The Velveteen Rabbit" is being relaunched for the upcoming 2010 Christmas season, and Burgess Clark's charming adaptation of this classic children's story includes live actors on stage as well as talented puppeteers. It's a wonderful show, so am very pleased. Boston Children's Theatre is over sixty years old. Burgess Clark and Toby Schine it's Executive Artistic Director and Executive Producer, respectively, are working to make it an international presence, which it already is in Germany. We eventually hope to bring this particular show to Japan. Puppetry is very popular in that country. Here are some photos of my Velveteen Rabbit adventure last year, which involved live actors as well as the eleven puppets I made. Of the eleven, four were the Velveteen Rabbit, one of them old and worn out from being loved up by the Boy. The little girl, Lucy, is holding one of the three Wild Rabbits...very soft and wild looking" said Marjorie.

And here they are!

Who could resist such cuteness?

This is where the magic happens at Marjorie's house.

It is her artistic workspace. Isn't it lovely? Below that is her "trusty

non-electric Singer sewing machine made in Scotland in the fifties.

I love it! A beautiful machine!" says Marjorie.

Among Marjorie's many talents is doll making. Here is one of her dolls, Elsie that she made and just could not part with.

Elsie is a twelve inch doll. She has carved and jointed basswood arms and legs. Her head and chest plate are modeled from Pro Sculpt. She is in the collection of Hannah Tudor Wyman.

Marjorie gives doll study retreats at her home. Classes are small, with two or three students at the most, and it is a two or three day deal. She also gives marionette making workshops. Marjorie said, "I just finished one with a delightful thirteen year old girl last week. We had so much fun, and she made a really lovely doll. I was impressed with her work." We will have to have Marjorie back on the blog to tell us more about this and to share more photos of her other crafts that she has made and some more lovely Tudor family traditions ( I'm thinking maybe Christmastime, Marjorie? )

Happy faces with their cut wool owls.

Students from Japan with their cut wool bunnies.
A marionette workshop student.

Tasha Tudor has done so much over the years to delight Corgi lovers everywhere. One of the most coveted prizes that is given out by the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America's regional clubs is "The Tasha Tudor Certificate" for winning Best of Breed at a Corgi Specialty Show. Tasha was a member of the Mayflower Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club in New England, and it was well known that she was very impressed with anyone who dedicated their life to the protection and welfare of the breed she loved so much. I remember having the opportunity to ask Tasha once what was the greatest number of Corgis that she had at one time. With a twinkle in her eye and and impish look, she said, "Oh, twelve, I think. But one can never have just one Corgi." But, as Tasha headed into the Winter of her years, she did have but one sweet Corgi at Corgi Cottage.

"After Owyn passed away," said Marjorie, "Tasha wanted another corgi, and she wanted to get one from an English kennel. So, I researched and found one (whose name has completely escaped me), which offered pups with super dispositions. Winslow, Amy and I drove Tasha down to Logan airport to pick Megan up. What a little angel she was...and in perfect condition. We were sure the stewardesses had pampered her on the flight over. Tasha sat in the back seat with Meggie on her lap all the way home. This sweet little pup never whimpered or fussed, just snuggled up with Tasha until we arrived back home in Vermont.

After Tasha passed, Megan came to live with Seth and me. She is a very good, healthy, and happy little girl and quite a character - keeps my two kitties in line and never leaves my side. Her favorite adventure is to go for outings in my car, and of course, she is the perfect gardening companion, whose self imposed job routing out marauding voles (Timmy Willies), she enthusiastically pursues.
Here are some amusing photos my son Benjamin took of her in a red jacket during hunting season last year. She looks super cute...and also the watercolor I did of her for a Valentine card. Was thinking of offering corgi watercolor portraits at some point. What do you think?"

Umm...that would be a great big YES from me, Marjorie. ( Let's hold her to that one, my little Corgettes. If you haven't signed up for the lovely Tasha Tudor and Family newsletter, you can do so from their website. Some of Marjorie's work and lots of other wonderful things can be found there, so you will be the first to know what is new!)
　
Here is Meggie.

I think she agrees that she does look 'supercute' in her red vest!

Here is the watercolor Valentine Marjorie did of her.

More Valentines.

Be still my heart!

Winslow Tudor and Megan.

I think Tasha is very happy knowing that her Megan is loved so much.

"I often think of Tasha, often stroll through the old gardens surrounding Corgi Cottage... so many memories" says Marjorie. " We were neighbors for thirty-five years, my children's Granny. To be perfectly frank, that's how I think of her, always ... our Granny. She was my mother-in-law, my friend, my teacher. The knowledge she shared with me, whether it was a gardening tip, or instruction in the arts of watercolor, doll and marionette making, or cooking is priceless. I cherish her memory, not just on her birthday, but every day, and join with, not only our family in the celebration of her remarkable life and legacy, but with all her dear fans. Tomorrow there will be a special celebration at The Rookery. Winslow, no doubt, will bring a yummy cake along with some hand cranked ice cream. Meggie and Annie, Elizabeth Rose and Christina's, Sophie, will be there enchanting us all.
Tasha had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to laugh. I'll share a memory about something she found rather amusing. Tea time, one afternoon around four o'clock in early April, Lazarina, the dove, swooped down from her perch on Tasha's shoulder and landed "plunk" in the middle of a delectable chocolate cake. It was very funny, and we had to disengage the discomfited bird, who had sunk completely into it and wash her carefully off. She fluffed her feathers dry on the warming shelf of Tasha's old cookstove while we drank lukewarm tea.
So, dear friends, I say to you, as Tasha Tudor, herself, would say to you ... "Take Joy" and "To thine own self be true."

Jennifer Tudor Wyman, Hannah and "Granny" Tasha

A photo Tasha took around 1963 of her corgi puppies, and below that, Thomas Jefferson corgi. (Recognize him from the Valentine above?)

David Austin's Heritage, One of Tasha's favorite roses.
Thank you, Marjorie, for sharing a glimpse of your creative life, for all of the wonderful photographs, and especially for celebrating Tasha Tudor Day with us. Those of us who hold a place for Tasha in our hearts are truly kindred spirits. ♥ CS

P.S.Be sure to visit the links in my previous post to Storybook Woods and all of the other blogs celebrating Tasha's birthday today. If you are reading this from a feed, just click on over back to my blog for all of the other links. Here are a few links to our past TT day posts. 2008, 2009.

Celebrate Tasha Tudor Day With Us!

2010-08-26T13:16:00.003-04:00

Saturday will will be celebrating Tasha Tudor Day along with Clarice, Suzanne, and all of our kindred spirit friends. Do pop back here for a special post featuring Marjorie Tudor, Tasha's Daughter-in-Law. In the meanwhile, hop over to visit Natalie at The Rookery. There is a very special giveaway over at Tasha's to celebrate the day. The Corgis here are getting ready to party in Tasha's honor. xo xo ♥ CS

American Holiday Artists Welcomes You To Christkindlemart!

2010-08-25T15:27:00.021-04:00

***Christkindlemart in August?***

5pm EST with the GREAT AMERICAN HOLIDAY ARTISTS BLOG GIVEAWAY! American Holiday Artists Studios Marketplace debuts August 25th (today!)

We’re three years old and counting! The American Holiday Artists group expands beyond ETSY and eBay to better serve our collector base with a new Marketplace! Our artist members offer fresh-one-of-a-kind- heirloom-quality seasonal and holiday theme art-from hooked rugs, to whimsical papier-mâché characters, cloth dolls, folk art, fantasy- art, paintings, one-of-a-kind ornaments, artist patterns and more!
All this, straight from the artist’s studio to your home year round, made with you in mind, by award-winning and respected artists. Visit American Holiday Artists Studio Marketplace at http://www.ahaartistsstudio.com/,. Opt in and subscribe to our mailing list and receive our free monthly newsletter-you’ll keep up with new monthly-artist members, new work, artist challenges and future events. New arrivals featured the 25th of each month. And for weekly updates, drop in at our blog: AmericanHolidayArtists.com

To celebrate the debut of our new online Marketplace our artists invite you to indulge in a time out, grab a steaming mug of hot cocoa-okay it’s August- how about an iced caramel latte? Virtually stroll among our members blogs i.e.- “holiday markets” to enter a chance at winning a handcrafted or limited edition work. In the spirit of Europe’s old world marketplace tradition known as Christkindlemart, our artists beckon your arrival to their (blog)“tent”.

So shut your eyes for one brief moment and-

B E L I E V E.

Step into the crisp winter air, the evening stars light your way around our festive town square. Take in the scent of freshly baked gingerbread wafting from the local bakery. Caroler’s gather under the warm glow of a gas-lit lamp. Can you hear the Corgis singing? Ornaments and candy canes, dot the center’s tree, glistening snow flakes sparkle as they spiral down to brush your cheek. Then here you are at our first artist’s tent, share your own experience of this magical night with our artists; leave your comment at each (blog) tent:

Alycia's Art

Back In The Day Originals

Elysian Field Originals

Fantasy Whispers

Folk `n Fiber

Folk Art By Penny

Folk Art From The Heart

Ginny Diezel Studios

Granny Wolf Originals

Grunge Goddess Primitives

Howling Mood Designs

Lowell Country Designs

Mother's Dream Artworks

Seasonal Whimsies

Skellyton Art

Smirking Goddes Studios

The Christmas Corgi

The Goode Wife Of Washington County

The Snippets

Whimsical Endeavors

Wings And Paws Whimsies

At each of these AHArtists sites, you will find a post today about a little GiveAway to celebrate the launch of our new marketplace. All you need to do to win is to leave a comment at the GiveAway post on each blog. That's it! You can win more than once if you are lucky! Each artist winner will be randomly chosen from all of the comments on each blog. Do hop over to visit my new page in our brand new AHA Marketplace Studio. Have fun browsing all of the artist's offerings. We will each post a new original piece on the 25th of each month. Can you guess what mine is for the launch? You'll have to hop over and see!

For my GiveAway, I have decided to offer not one but three prints to a lucky winner. I have chosen 3 of my favorites, but if you already have any of these or would prefer a different print(s) from my Etsy shop, just let me know when the time comes and your wish will be granted.

My three prints are:

"Flying Lessons"

Signed. 10"x8" on a lovely 11" x 8 1/2" Epson matte art paper.

"Jack O'Lantern"

Signed. 3" x 3" miniature print on 8 1/2 " x 11 " lovely Epson matte art paper.

And,

"Mini Corgoyle"

Another miniature print from my Original painting. Signed. 3" x 3" and printed on a lovely 8 1/2" x 11" Epson Matte art paper.

Good luck, my little Corgettes! Winners will be chosen on September 12th. Thanks for your support and for visiting all of the American Holiday Artists! We are so thankful to be able to continue to bring you art from our heart and soul. xo xo CS ♥

Exciting News and American Holiday Artists Giveaway

2010-08-25T08:00:00.004-04:00

I belong to a wonderful juried group of talented artists who create the most amazing things. Our love of creating art, especially for Holidays, binds us together. We have been keeping a secret under our collective hats, and well, today is the day to let the cat out of the bag! Announcing the Grand Opening of American Holiday Artists Studio Marketplace! Come back right here at 5:00 PM EST for the link to the Marketplace. But what would a Grand Opening be without a giveaway? How about LOTS of giveaways? Oh yes, my little Corgettes. To celebrate this momentous occasion all Artisans are participating in an online "Christkindlemart" Blog Give-away!

This Give-away will run from August 25th through September 12th. The rules are very simple, and you have a chance to win more than one prize. Here's how it works. First, each Artisan has posted a picture of our give-away prize clearly marked on our blogs. Next we have all chosen a random number. All you have to do is post a comment under each prize picture. Now, if your comment corresponds with the Artisan's chosen number, then hooray, you win the prize for that blog. So, the more comments you post, the more chances you have to win! Easy peasy lemon squeezy! Each of us will have listed our fellow Artisans on our blogs, so all you have to do is follow the list from blog to blog, find the prize and comment. What could be easier?All contest prizes will be posted today, August 25th at 5:00 PM EST. Good luck and Thank You for participating in the American Holiday Artist's Studio Marketplace Great Give-away! -CS ^..^

Goodbye, My Sweet Indy

2010-08-19T14:01:00.007-04:00

My dear Indy lost his heroic battle with lymphoma yesterday. He died peacefully in my arms at home. He let me know it was time. I made the difficult decision to put him down that evening, and then went outside and prayed. Sobbing, I asked God to please take him now because after losing Bridget too, I just didn't think I had the strength to do it, even though I knew it was the right thing to do. I came back inside and laid down with him, held him close and kissed him as my tears fell into his soft warm fur. Just like so many times before when he's been there for me through different events in my life. Except this time, my tears were for him. God answered my prayer. Indy looked at me and I told him that it was OK to fly to heaven with his angels, not to be afraid (he could be a chicken at times) and that I would be OK ~ he was my protector. John couldn't even kiss me without a big woof from Indy. Within fifteen minutes or so, I felt his breathing change and felt the strong, beautiful heart of a champion slow down. His ears that had twitched with every teardrop that fell on them, suddenly stopped and I knew he was gone. I held him for what felt like forever. I put him on a soft cotton baby blue blanket and covered him with a little blanket with hearts. He still had his little plush Christmas toy in his paws that he would not share with the other Corgis. I lit a candle next to him and waited for Mary Elizabeth to come over so she could say goodbye to him too. Indy always answered to 'Sweetie.' And a sweetie he was. My heart is broken and I can hardly breathe. Dear God, please take care of my boy until we meet again. Find Bridget, Indy, she won't be too far ahead. Run free little man. Run free. ♥ CS

CH. Windcrest Zip'N Indiana Jones

"Indy"

12/30/97 - 8/18/2010

Indy, you taught me so much. So much.

You were the BEST dog a girl could ever have.

I will love you forever.

Morning Rain

2010-08-05T13:35:00.001-04:00

Need a little rain? Here...I'm sending you some of mine. Serious frizzy hair weather here in the woods. xo xo CS

Chinese Brush Painting With Susan

2010-08-01T08:59:00.016-04:00

A couple of days after the tragic loss of Bridget and her puppies during her c-section, my friend and artist/film maker extraordinaire Susan Jacob called to say that she was going to come over to have a 'studio play date' to help pull me out of sobbing in my dark room and pajamas. I resisted her efforts for a few days, but a real friend knows when to keep nudging. Sue finally said, 'that's it, I'm coming over, and I'm bringing stuff to play with.' She and her mom, Linda (a talented artist as well) came over on Friday. Linda brought her laptop and worked on some of her graphics for her original jewelry designs. And what a bag of tricks Sue brought! She has been studying traditional Chinese brush painting for quite some time. I have never tried it and Sue is a fantastic teacher. I love learning something from someone who loves what they are doing.

As soon as she set up everything I realized why she wanted to come and share this with me. The tools of this craft are gorgeous. I loved looking at them all. The first thing we did was to make ink. Even my daughter sat with us to do this. This intricately painted black stone is what makes the ink. You use a tiny bit of water and in smooth circular specific motions ("wax on, wax off, Daniel San...") you 'grind' the ink bar on to an ink stone for a very long time and it makes the ink. I can't tell you how much I loved this part. It was very soothing, relaxing, and really loosens up your arm for this kind of painting. Art therapy is good. Really good. The scent of the ink was heavenly. Sue said that ink recipes are closely guarded secrets that have come down through generations and each one incorporates certain herbs and 'medicines' into each unique formula. I did recognize patchouli in this one because my son always buys some for me at the Renaissance fair. You need to be aware of your posture, your hand, your arm and wrist and your breathing when you make ink. It is awesome.

Chinese brush painting takes years and years to master. There is no 'print making' in this artform. If they want more than one of the same painting, by the time they may want to duplicate it, they have mastered it and can reproduce it. You can't go back to correct anything, everything is done with one stroke. How it is when you lay the ink on to the paper with your brush is how it will stay. You have to leave it alone. It is what it is. I had to retrain my brain to think about what I was doing. As it dries, it slightly changes, getting lighter, revealing more characteristics of your stroke. You have to leave it alone and let it be. It is very freeing. I'm sure there are many life lessons to be learned from this.

Learning my strokes

Gloves must be worn to handle this red cinnabar seal oil, as it is poisonous.

Nosey Stella and Sue with one of my favorite paintings. Sue had made this one a few years ago and its been hanging on my wall. We realized that she hadn't signed it, so she signed it and sealed it with her name in Chinese, which she had translated from the master artist who has taught her this ancient art.

John brought us pizza and salad and beer and wine when he came home from work, which we were SO ready for by the time he got there. (Thanks, honey xo xo)

You can find Sue's contact info at http://www.ambershift.com/ . She will be creating more awesome Corgi and other Chinese brush paintings. Be sure to check out the amazing jewelry she and her mom create which can be found in their Etsy shop which can also be found at that link. One of my favorite pieces from them is their 'dogs rule' cartouche, an enameled piece written in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. I know that Linda is working on more fantastic pieces for this collection which is already on its second casting. I'm saving up for one of their Celtic Corgi necklaces too. (hint hint, John....)

Have a happy day, my lovelies! (I apologize in advance that you will not be able to get the Kung Fu Fighting song out of your head today :) !!) xo xo -Cat ♥

New Original Art

2010-07-29T20:57:00.008-04:00

A wee miniature Original painting on canvas.
Comes with its own tiny easel.

"He never really had a desire to go on a safari. Sure, he enjoyed watching the NatGeo channel and such when there was nothing else on TV. But it was when he was in Bloomingdale's trying on a pith helmet from their safari collection and the hot salesgirl told him how spiffy he looked in it that he decided to work the helmet for real. He booked the trip to the Serengeti faster than you can say Welsh Corgi Cookies. He was pretty confident (which was evident in his studly swagger )until a group of pretty young girls walked by when he was standing near a tall giraffe. The contrast did nothing for him except draw attention to his short little legs. Since he looks hot in his speedo, he decided that his next vacation will be a cruise."

2" x 4" Christmas Corgi signed original.
Will be listed for sale in the shop tonight at 9:30-ish EST.

Sold! More in the works...stay tuned

Thank you all for the love during these past difficult days with losing Bridget, and for all of your support and patience during my hand surgery. Corgi people are THE BEST. I remain forever grateful my friends. So grateful. Love & Corgi kisses, Cat ♥

Goodbye, My Beautiful, Beloved Girl

2010-07-19T19:37:00.012-04:00

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean.

She is an object of beauty and strength, and I stand and watch until at last she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come down to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says, " There she goes! "

Gone where?

Gone from my sight . . . that is all.

She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and just as able to bear her load of living freight to the place of destination.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone at my side says, " There she goes! " there are other eyes watching her coming . . . and other voices ready to take up the glad shout . . . "Here she comes!"

Farewell, my beloved Bridget

BISS CH. Heronsway Two For The Show

7/25/03-7/18/10

My heart and soul.

John and I & the kids & Mary Elizabeth are overcome by waves of crushing sadness and tears. We are so deeply grateful for all of the calls, notes, emails, posts and flowers. I can feel your hugs. I can't imagine going through this without the most wonderful friends in the Corgi community. My heart is broken and I am paralyzed with grief and guilt right now. But I promise to get back to each of you when I can breathe again. With all of my love, Cathy

Fourth of July Party

2010-07-06T13:57:00.015-04:00

This was Sunday's annual 4th of July party at our friends April and Rich's house.

I'm not quite sure how it happened, but one minute we were all eating and the next there was a fierce competition in the deep end of the pool. It started with graceful diving and then moved into belly flops and wild antics. The girls at poolside were the 'judges.' Too much fun.

A very popular man that day. A wizard with the blender.

Or should I say 'whizzard.'

That's not fog. Richie installed these awesome 'water misters' off the back patio to keep you cool.

Completely awesome.

Sam & Lisa. Sam was born on the 4th of July :) Perfect name, right?

Say 'cheese' Wendy :)

Daniela recording the 'diving competition'

I would have taken more photos but I was too busy having fun.

It is wicked hot here in NY today. Remember to check on your little old neighbors and to give your Corgis lots of water. Stay cool, my lovelies! xo xo CS ^..^

Happy 4th!

2010-07-04T13:12:00.009-04:00

I recently read that our founding fathers wanted us all to whoop it up every year on this very special holiday. Join me in celebrating everyone and and everything that makes the United States of America all that she is. I feel truly blessed to live here. Here are a few photos I had taken in Philadelphia at Independence Hall and some from a local Revolutionary War battle re-enactment. Notice Stella headed toward the 'reflector oven' or 'tin kitchen' with the chicken roasting on the campground. Typical Corgi! Happy 4th of July, my lovelies!

God bless America! Huzzah! ♥ CS

Wicked. Sinful. Decadent. Delicious. Proceed with caution...

2010-06-30T11:04:00.016-04:00

Take a beautiful bunch of wonderful strawberries. Rinse them and let them dry thoroughly.

Get a bottle of Grand Marnier. It is a lovely orange cognac. We will be injecting the strawberries with a syringe and then dipping them in chocolate. Oh yes. (insert big sigh here.)

I use a sterile syringe with the sharp needle attached. I keep a box of sharps to vaccinate the puppies, but if you don't have one, you can ask your doctor or vet for one rather than buy a whole box. (Unless you plan on making these on a regular basis. In which case I may just show up at your door.) If you do an internet search for Grand Marnier chocolate covered strawberries, you will not find them made using the sharp needle. They tell you to use a pastry injector or a syringe without the needle, which I'm sure work fine too. I've never tried them that way. Doing it my way you can inject the liquor into the stem-top rather than through the red berry part and it helps keep it from oozing out.

The size of your berry will determine how much Grand Marnier you will draw up into your syringe. There are 5 cc's in a teaspoon. Start by drawing up 5 cc's and inject the needle into the top of the berry, right next to the stem at the top. Go slowly. The slower you go, the more you can get the berry to accept. When it starts bubbling at the top, you are probably done. Put the berry down and finish the rest. You are just going to have to taste one to know if you have enough Grand Marnier. It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it.

Now for the chocolate part. I am partial to dark chocolate, but you can surely use your favorite. Basically, you want to get the very best chocolate you can like a Valrhona or Callebaut but you can use chocolate chips too. Melt the chopped up chocolate slowly in a double boiler with a scant teaspoon of vegetable shortening added in. You can add a tiny drop of heavy cream if you like, if you are using good chocolate but it is not necessary. Don't use the microwave. The chocolate can seize up. You want your strawberries to be dry as well. Any moisture will cause the chocolate to seize up and get dry and grainy. When the chocolate is nice and smooth, grab the berries by the leaves and dip into the warm chocolate. Let them dry on a wax paper covered tray. You can put them into the refrigerator to set. I leave them in the fridge because I like them cold, but you can leave them out for your guests unless it is too hot or humid in the room.

You can also buy packaged 'dipping chocolate' in the produce section. Bakers' chocolate even came out with one which you can find in the baking supplies section of the grocery store near the chocolate chips. These can be microwaved in the containers they come in and are pretty good too. Follow the instructions and resist the urge to heat them faster than 30 seconds at a time or it will seize up. Chocolate is timing, my friend.

While we are talking about sweets, a little known fact about The Mister: he loves marshmallows. I found a bag of gigantic marshmallows in the store the other day. They are the size of tennis balls. After working almost 12 hours in the heat and humidity outside, John thought he would finally get to take a little rest on the sofa and watch a little TV with his marshmallows. Little did he know that two impish Corgis were nearby, watching, waiting, ready to pounce....

Photos are blurry, I know. But too good not to share....

Bridget trying to French kiss John.. Again. ♥

Stella knows she has John wrapped around her little paw.

For who can resist a Corgi's charms? Not I.

♥ CS

Midsummer's Eve

2010-06-21T19:36:00.007-04:00

Today, June 21st is the Summer Solstice, or the longest day and the shortest night of the year. It is a magical night for Corgis everywhere. Don't be surprised if you find your little faerie steeds among the missing in the wee hours of the morning. They are probably out flying all of the tiny fay ones to parties amidst the fairy rings in gardens all over town. The Corgis will adorn themselves with lovely wreaths of flowers and ribbons. I heard that the faeries have been preparing magical little feasts for days. On the menu are big juicy strawberries, mint iced tea and lemonade, fairy cupcakes with lots of frosting with little edible flowers covered in sugar, and freshly baked cookies for their honored Corgi friends. Tonight there will be parties with dancing to ancient Celtic reels and glowing glass jars filled with hundreds of lightening bugs by volunteer Corgis. The little fireflies will surely be set free when the party is in full swing by other Corgis and faeries who have sampled too much of the Midsummer's Eve punch.

Let your tired Corgis sleep in tomorrow morning for after providing transport for the fairy realm and partying all night, they will surely need a few extra winks. Never fear, for after a good sleep they will be right as rain once again.

Happy Summer, my lovelies! xo xo CS ♥

Whip your bras off.

2010-06-04T10:55:00.006-04:00

Did I grab your attention? I know, bad Cathy. I probably got my husband's attention, for sure. Actually it is a line from one of my favorite movies that does have a connection to my post this morning. Last night my lovely friend Wendy in Rhode Island sent me a couple of photos of Yogi in her garden. You've seen Yogi on this blog before. I just love him. Who can resist the charms of such a handsome fluffy subject? Not I. Outside this morning, the sky is as blue as Mel Gibson's eyes and there are bees and butterflies and birds and everything is green and flowery and so pretty. Flowers just make me happy. So I thought I'd look up a few quotes for all of us who get intoxicated and giddy when in the presence of lovely flowers. There are so many. Here are a few which struck my fancy:

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." ~ Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

"There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." ~ Anais Nin

"The Earth laughs in flowers" ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"A Morning Glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books. " ~ Walt Whitman

"I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers." ~ Claude Monet

"Bloom where you are planted." ~ Mary Engelbreit

"If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in Spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom. " ~ Terri Guillemets

"When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other. " ~ Chinese Proverb

Oh yes, and about the bras. Probably one of my favorite flower quotes comes from a 2003 film called Calendar Girls:

"The flowers of Yorkshire are the like the women of Yorkshire. Every stage of their growth has its own beauty, but the last phase is always the most glorious."

The movie stars Helen Mirren, Julie Walters, (I ♥ these actresses) John Alderton and Cieran Hinds. I'm not even going to go on here about the film or the plot, which is bittersweet, lovely, sad, happy, funny and original all rolled into one. It is based on a true story. Click over to the link and watch the trailer. It is worth renting the movie for the scenery alone. Or if you want to find out why the bras are getting whipped off. If you missed this one in the theater, go and get it and stock up on some popcorn for the next rainy day or sleepless night. You'll be glad you did. Let me know how you like it.

Have a happy Friday my lovelies! xo xo ♥ CS

Decoration Day

2010-05-31T21:19:00.009-04:00

A Soldier's Burial
by General George S. Patton

Not midst the chanting of the Requiem Hymn,
Nor with the solemn ritual of prayer,
Neath misty shadows from the oriel glass,
And dreamy perfume of the incensed air
Was he interred;
But the subtle stillness after fight,
And the half light between the night and the day,
We dragged his body all besmeared with mud,
And dropped if, clod-like, back into the clay.
Yet who shall say that he was not content,
Or missed the prayers, or drone of chanting choir,
He who had heard all day the Battle Hymn
Sung on all sides by a thousand throats of fire.
What painted glass can lovelier shadows cast
Than those the evening skies shall ever shed,
While, mingled with their light, Red Battle's Sun
Completes in magic colors o'er our dead
The flag for which they died.

My grandparents always called Memorial Day "Decoration Day." In trying to find out some of the history of the origins of this day I have read that there are over a dozen towns in the USA that lay claim to be the first to honor those who have given their lives in service to our country. Decoration Day was so named because the graves of our fallen war heroes were decorated on this day. Today we also remember all of those who have died in service to our country, not only on the battlefield but in our own towns and cities, our firefighters and police officers. Here in New York, it seems that everyone knows someone whose lives were forever changed on 9/11/2001. Time may ease the pain but will never erase the memory. We will never forget those who died trying to save the thousands who died in the towers. Heroes who ran in when others ran out.

Yesterday I watched this movie again. It was on HBO. I know it is on HBO on Demand again this month. I encourage you to watch it if you can. You can probably rent it if you don't have HBO. It is so well done and on this Memorial Day it is a good reminder of the sacrifices so many have made for us all. It is a good reminder that so many brave men and women serve and protect us now. May God bless them all. ♥ CS

Splat

2010-05-26T11:42:00.003-04:00

This is how I feel today. I just want to lay on a big soft bed with a cool pillow and sprawl out and chill. So many things need my attention today. I need a clone. And a butler. And maybe a massage (achy fibromyalgia day, ugh!) But instead I will fortify myself with a glass of iced tea and a passel of wee beasties and press on. What do you do when you do when you are feeling less than motivated and you need to attack the list of things that need to be done? -C ♥

Gnome-body here but us chickens

2010-05-13T15:56:00.003-04:00

...And maybe a Corgi or two. xo xo ♥ CS

Corgi Fur Can Save The World

2010-05-10T01:02:00.009-04:00

Or at least help save the sea.

Corgi owners often joke how we wish there were a use for all of that fur that comes off of a shedding Corgi when they are blowing coat or during grooming. We've put it out for birds to make soft warm nests. Some people have even spun it into yarn to make interesting things. Here's a fantastic opportunity for everyone to help clean up some of these massive oil spills that are all over the news and happen every day. It is such a simple solution and makes sense. We shampoo because our hair and fur collects oil. The organization Matter of Trust takes boxes of donated hair and fur and makes mats or booms, which you can see in the video below. The fur absorbs the oil out of the sea. I can just imagine a few boxes put out at a dog show grooming area for exhibitors to put all of their brushed out and scissored fur clippings and then sent to Matter of Trust.

From their website:
"Pet owners: Fur, horse hair and wool is fine. Fur is curly which helps more in making mats. It does seem that human hair has less natural oil and is more efficient in soaking up oil. So, we are finding the sweet spot of ratio fur to hair! Pet hair doesn't have to be shampooed - but we ask that it not be filthy, please."

Some people get very creative with their boxes!

Here is a link to the recent article in the New York Times regarding this effort.

Visit www.matteroftrust.org for more information and complete details on how you can collect and send your fur for this innovative effort. CS ♥

Calling in the Marines

2010-05-07T11:16:00.014-04:00

Some of you know that the past few months I've been struggling with a ruptured tendon on my right hand, an injury which I inflicted on to myself by rushing one morning and whacking it on a broken garage door while going out to the chickens. It has never been right so I had to have surgery to repair it last week. With some physical therapy my surgeon expects it to be fully functional and strong again. He knows I am an artist and work mostly in detailed miniature scale and I need my hand. He promised to take good care of me. In the meanwhile, I'm limited to what I can do by myself. For example, yesterday I needed to give one of the puppies a shot. Our friend Matt came over to help me. Matt was in the Marines and then studied to become a nurse. My daughter says that he is now someone who can give you your medicine and kick your butt if you don't take it. I believe he is also planning on becoming a firefighter. Any fire department will be lucky to have him. So lucky!

Yep. Sometimes you have to ask for help when you need it. Asking for help is not something I am good at since I tend to be somewhat of a control freak and I am much more comfortable helping others than asking for help. But so many of us, especially mothers, are like this. Don't you think? But I am getting better at it. It is easier to accept help when you need it when you have good friends who know you well enough to know when you need it, even if you are a stubborn ass like moi who thinks you can do it all by yourself. I am learning that it is OK to let someone help when you need to take care of yourself or need to heal. And that the world will not fall apart if I can't do everything exactly when I want to. Everything may not be perfect but letting go of some of that perfectionism is very humbling. And humble is good.

In the midst of dealing with my hand, right before Easter my heart was broken. My Corgi, Indy, was diagnosed with lymphoma. I knew something was not quite right. Even though he is no Spring chicken (he will be 13 in December) he was feeling lighter to me when I picked him up. You couldn't see it but I could feel it. I noticed that one day his face seemed a bit swollen. Thinking he was stung by a bee, I gave him a benadryl. The swelling went down some, so the next morning I gave him another and then put him on the table to examine him. His lymph glands on his neck and under his arms were swollen. I brought him right over to the vet and he asked me what I thought it was. I told him lymphoma. He examined him and felt it was as well, so we drew blood and he aspirated each lymph node. The next day his diagnosis was confirmed and we started chemotherapy. He responded well and within days his lymph glands were less swollen. We are taking it a day at a time and are hoping for remission. The last blood test showed that his red blood cells are rejuvenating, which is a good sign. He is tired and has a bad day here and there but all in all he is feeling good and in no pain and is happy and hungry.

Keep my little man in your good thoughts and prayers, will you? I love him so much and I know he wants to be here as much as I don't want him to leave. We are not ready to let each other go.

The day after my hand surgery, a big cold box was delivered to my door. It was from my friends Stephanie (Matt's mom) and Sylvia. Who, by the way I called on my way home from the recovery room when I was feeling no pain. They thought it was pretty funny (and so did my husband) that I was flying high before the drugs wore off. What can I tell you. I was feeling good. Until that night. Then I realized why the doctor had prescribed two different pain killers for me. OMG. I have fibromyalgia so I'm used to dealing with pain pretty much all the time. But this was wicked. I couldn't sleep for a few days even with the pain killers. But I did catch up on all the episodes of The Tudors (not for young viewers) on Showtime. Wow. That King Henry VIII was something else, wasn't he? I'm just sayin'...

Oh yes, back to the box. Inside were the most delicious chocolate covered strawberries. I've made them myself many times but let me tell you, these are really, really good. I'm a bit of a chocolate snob. It is my mother's fault. She only bought really good chocolate so I come by it honestly. I called the company to tell them how much I enjoyed them and when I mentioned that I would put a note on my blog they gave me this link for my Christmas Corgi Blog readers so we can all get a 15% discount! I have also put a box on the left side of the blog with a link so you can find it easily anytime. The discount comes off after you have added your item to the cart. Fair warning: these will call you from the fridge and you may not want to share.

Happy Friday, my lovelies! ♥ xo xo ♥ CS

LouLou and Jack

2010-04-27T10:23:00.004-04:00

Here are some wonderful people who are a part of the Reinwood Corgis family.

This is Lou, a firefighter and paramedic on Cape Cod, and his new little shadow, "LouLou." Lou's 15 year old beloved Corgi, "Welshkins" recently went to the Rainbow Bridge and left a Corgi shaped hole in his family's heart which they opened up to sweet LouLou. They already love her dearly. I'm sure Welshkins is watching over them all with a big Corgi smile.

Meet Ashley and Andrew from Rhode Island. A fantastic couple who fell in love with "Jack" as soon as he began giving them kisses and wiggling his little bunny butt at them. I think Jack chose them rather than the other way around. Here he is after Andrew tired him out before the trip back home.

While it is so so so hard to let them go, I know that both of these Corgis are going to have such happy lives. ♥ CS

Evidently, Corgis and Kitties have different views on the new iPad

2010-04-17T08:13:00.002-04:00

Have a great weekend, my lovelies! ♥ CS

Sprouting Seeds

2010-04-06T14:10:00.008-04:00

Do you like sprouts? Have you ever tried them? I love sprouts on sandwiches, wraps or in a good stir fry or salad. Sure, you can buy sprouts in the grocery store, but why not grow your own? They are inexpensive, fun, clean, fresh, nutritious and delicious. Plus, if you have been snowed in all Winter and have been dying to get something fresh from the garden, sprouts are a perfect little something to grow indoors all year round.

I bought this little Burpee Seed Sprouter. It is just the right size for us, but you can surely buy bigger set-ups or make your own. This one comes with 3 seed packets: broccoli sprout seeds, mung bean sprout seeds and zesty sprout seeds (which are a combination of broccoli, radish and cress.)

You just spread a small amount of seeds over the clear trays of the seed sprouter.

Rinse the seeds thoroughly under the tap.

Next, you simply stack the trays, placing the shallow tray on top. Slowly pour water through the shallow tray into the seeds below and drain the excess water from the base tray. You just need to rinse and drain the sprouting seeds twice a day and in 2-7 days your sprouts will be ready to eat. Sprouting seeds can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Of course you may want to keep the nosy Corgi out of the seed sprouter. ♥ CS

Happy Easter!

2010-04-03T00:56:00.002-04:00

Here is Nadine who lives at Mary Elizabeth's house. We all wish you a joyous, blessed, Happy Easter! All of the Reinwood Corgis are hoping the Easter Bunny stops by. I think they have a pool going to guess who can herd him into the corner and grab all of his eggs first. (Remember to keep the chocolate away from the Corgis!) xo xo -CS ^..^

Love Love Love

2010-03-28T08:23:00.006-04:00

Here is another of Stella's babies who has a lovely new home. This is Mary Rose and her new puppy, Jasper. After playing hard while we filled out all of the paperwork and went over his daily routines, he just fell asleep right in her arms.

When he woke up, he was greeted by his new friend, Izzy, the Queen of Mary Rose's house. She let Jasper play with her favorite toy. Here's a photo of Izzy and Jasper sharing dinner the next day.

Mary Rose owns a completely awesome Zumba studio in Connecticut. I hear Zumba is lots of fun and great exercise. Izzy regularly visits the studio and something tells me that Jasper is going to be learning some cool Zumba moves before long as well. Have a happy life, Jasper! Happy Sunday, my lovelies! xo xo Cat ^..^

Lucky

2010-03-17T11:06:00.007-04:00

Top of the morning to you! It is a fine day for the wearing of the green. I thought I'd share a few photos this morning of some very special people who will be part of our Reinwood Corgis family. "Lucky" is how I would describe these little Corgis for having such wonderful people to love them. Blessed is how I would describe how I feel when one of these wee beasties that we have raised and loved finds that perfect home. It is always a bittersweet day when they leave (yes, I always cry) but knowing they are loved makes it OK. Here is Winter with her puppy "Hodgins" and Julie with her puppy "Hope." Winter made the trip to pick up Hodgins with her future Father In Law. Julie came down with her husband David, and may I add that we were all freezing that day! It was soooo cold. Both lived pretty far so when it was time for the puppies to go home with them, we met each of them half way so they wouldn't have to make another trip to us.

Such lucky little Corgis!

I'm so happy that the sun is shining in all of her glory today. We have had such wicked weather these past few days, rain and wind knocked out power and knocked down trees everywhere. And I think everyone has had about enough of the snow around here, too.

After the last snow storm, I went out to run a few errands. The plow had come by and scooped up most of our gravel driveway with the snow. It happens every time. Such a pain. When I returned home and pulled back into the driveway to park my car, the driveway was barricaded by a dirty snow alien monster. My parking space (see behind snowman) was blocked. My daughter and I were sitting in the car laughing and wondering, 'what the heck???' when suddenly out from behind the minivan, came my son (my 26 year old son) with an armload of snowballs with which he began pelting at us, one right after another and then when the armload was empty, reached down behind the minivan for the rest of his stash. We never knew what hit us. This was his revenge for me thinking I was so clever in wacking him with a snowball on my way out the door when he was shoveling the ramp in the front of the house. While we were out, he found bits and bobs of things to make this trojan horse of a snowman. A broken Christmas ornament, a tennis ball, an old garden trowel, drumsticks, etc. Desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess. So while we were pondering his snowman distraction, we were massacred by snowballs. His evil plan worked.

Of course Bailey had to get in the photo. She thinks every time the camera comes out there will be a cookie for her. (Yes, she got a cookie....)

Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day, my dear reader! Remember to wear a bit o' green so you don't get pinched! xo xo -CS ^..^

Bed Hogs

2010-02-28T00:08:00.002-05:00

I'm cracking up at this photo Mary Elizabeth just sent to me. When we go to dog shows, we always go back and forth about the temperature in the hotel room. She is usually dressed like Nanook of the North, and freezing. I usually want the temperature turned down low. Would you like to see some of her adorable little bed warmers? Let's see....left to right, Brazen, Grant, Kaizey, Emma, Hannah Banana, Feisty and Halo.

Happy Weekend, everyone! -CS ^..^

Drumroll please....

2010-02-16T00:10:00.004-05:00

Wowie! The One World One Heart blog event was really fun. I wish I had started visiting everyone's blogs earlier, and had signed up earlier. But there's always next year, eh? Anyway, thanks to everyone who visited me and for all of the nifty comments. The winner of a little Christmas Corgi original ornament is Gini Owen over at A Little Bit Of Shiny blog. I don't think she has a Corgi, but I smiled after I saw that the random number generator had chosen her as she called him a 'gorgeous fox in sox.' Congratulations, Gini! I plan on visiting everyone in the days ahead. Is there anything better than morning coffee or tea and visiting your favorite blogs? It is snowing here again. Fire in the woodstove. Milk. Cookies. Bed.
Nighty night, my lovelies! xo xo -CS ^..^

One World One Heart Blog Event

2010-02-07T22:51:00.007-05:00

This is my first time participating in this lovely blog event. It is hosted by Lisa over at A Whimsical Bohemian. I love the whole idea of this event! Do stop by her blog and read all about it. I thought since my blog and art business is called The Christmas Corgi that I would offer one of my signature wool felt hand stitched and needle felted Christmas Corgi ornaments, similar to the one in this nifty photo. I know that there were a few people who wanted one of these at Christmas and didn't get one. I had wacked my finger really well and tore the tendon in my right hand, taking a little piece of the bone with it. It still is a bit wonky, but it is getting better. We'll see what the orthopedist says at this week's appointment. Anyway, enough of my phalange woes. If you like my little Corgi and want one for your very own, all you need to do is leave a comment here on this post. That's it! For those of you who may not know what a Corgi is (horrors!) think Queen Elizabeth's little sidekicks. Big ears, no tails, small dogs the color of foxes. Think Tasha Tudor. They are truly enchanted magical wee beasties. Legend tells us that they are faerie steeds found by children in Wales. I can't imagine not having a Corgi, and now you can too :) Here's what the backs of my Corgi ornaments look like:

His little furry 'pants' as we call them, are needle felted from wonderful wool from a friend's sheep. The wool felt used for the entire piece is wonderful. There are embroidered touches on the ornament as well. This little Corgi is made with love from my own original pattern. On February 15th as soon as I get my act together (ie: menagerie fed, errands done, blah blah blah...) the old random number generator will choose a winner from the comments below. Comments made up through the announcement of the winner will be included in the drawing. Good luck and thanks for stopping by! xo xo Cathy ^..^

Happy Groundhog Day!

2010-02-02T10:01:00.003-05:00

While my Corgi prognosticators have determined that there will be six more weeks of Winter, to find out more about the prognosticator of prognosticators, Punxutawney Phil (who has seen his shadow this morning) visit his website where you can make little e-cards like this one. CS ^..^

Corgi puppies in the snow

2010-01-28T17:50:00.004-05:00

We had a little bit of snow today so I snapped a few photos of the

wee beasties frolicking in the frosty wonderland before the sun went down.

Fluffy and Fabulous

Did someone say "cookie?"

Can we come inside now?

Three little fluffies....

Have a happy day my lovelies! xo xo CS ^..^

Help for Haiti

2010-01-16T12:30:00.003-05:00

Watching the devastation in Haiti just saturates my heart with grief and a feeling of helplessness. When disasters happen I want to help and sometimes I just don't know the best way to help from my little corner of the world. I hear about so many scams when a disaster strikes and I wonder if money I send will actually get to the people I intend it for. I'm sharing with you a link that I believe in my heart to be a good place to send help. All my life I have attended and been a part of Corpus Christi Church and School. The Salesian Sisters are good women and I know many of them personally. From their website: "The Salesian Sisters are mobilizing to assist the earthquake victims in Haiti. Our Sisters have six (6) works (schools, boarding schools, orphanages, welcome centers for street children, literacy centers, oratories and youth centers) in Port Au Prince and their houses and schools have suffered major damage. Thank God, all are alive and only one Sister is in the hospital.
The neighboring Salesian Sisters communities in the Dominican Republic are also sending groups of volunteers to Port Au Prince to assist the Haitian Sisters in the relief efforts." I have seen these Sisters stretch a dollar like you would not believe. I am confident that any money sent to them will be put to good use to help in this disaster. Bad things happen in this world. They just do. One thing I've learned through these Sisters is that God uses us all to help put back the pieces and bring His comfort and peace to those in need. I invite you to visit our dear sisters at http://www.salesiansisters.org and help them bring relief to our brothers and sisters in Haiti. Warmly, Cathy

Happy New Year!

2010-01-12T16:45:00.005-05:00

Everybody and every-doggie and wee beastie at my house and Mary Elizabeth's at The Christmas Corgi and Reinwood Corgis, wish you all the Happiest New Year!

We woke up this little guy, "Seeley" to show you one of our

new babies who has been keeping us very busy around here.

Yes, I will kiss him on the nose for you.
xo xo

-Cat

A New Horse For Mary Elizabeth

2009-12-30T12:51:00.006-05:00

Say Hello to "Toby." Toby is an 8 year old QH/Draft/paint cross. Height 15 hands approximately. A premarin foal rescued by Frank Weller eight years ago in Canada. He arrived USA soil moments before the World Trade Center was hit. As a result of this rescue Frank went on to rescue more foals over the years thus starting up an organization called Equine Angels Rescue Sanctuary (E.A.R.S).

Here is a photo of Toby when Mary Elizabeth first saw him.

I think it was love at first sight.

Here he is meeting his new friends, Deejay and Willie.

I wonder what they are telling him? Probably about all the treats

Santa was going to bring for Christmas.

What a happy life Toby is going to have!

Have a happy day, my lovelies! xo xo CS ^..^

Christmas Movies

2009-12-23T02:46:00.020-05:00

There are so many Christmas movies and specials out there. I can never resist watching them when they are on TV. There are some that I just seem to turn to again and again. They are as familiar as the special ornaments that get unwrapped each year to place on the tree.

Here are a few of my favorites. Some are new, some not so new. While my list could go on and on, I'm posting those that I've watched in the past couple of weeks.

Christmas in Connecticut. The classic starring the stunning Barbara Stanwyck. It makes me smile every time I watch it. I love her outfits in this movie. What a movie star she was.

Take Peace, A Corgi Cottage Christmas with Tasha Tudor. OK, OK, yes, I do watch this one all year round. I admit it.

A Charlie Brown Christmas. I love that Linus recites the real Christmas story from the Bible in this and tells Charlie Brown what Christmas is really all about. And Snoopy. When he decorates his house? Come on...that is awesome.

Prancer. So sweet. I just want to hug Jessica and take her home with me.

All the Rankin Bass movies from the 60's...especially Rudolph and Santa Claus is Coming to town...as a little girl I was always enchanted by Kris and Jessica's wedding scene in the woods with the Winter Warlock. I still am.

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch. Mmm....maybe not so mean after all, eh? Just a little misunderstood. Plus, my fellow artists and crafters, we must accept him as one of our own. After all, he did make his own Santa suit and reindeer, did he not? Crafting genius at the top of Mt. Crumpit.

While not technically a Christmas movie, "Little Women" with Winona Ryder is one of my favorites. Its got enough Christmas scenes to qualify for a spot on my Christmas movie shelf. Who wouldn't want to 'go a-wasailling' with the March girls?

"A Christmas They Never Forgot" Little House on the Prairie movie. It is a compilation of 'rememberings' by the characters as they are snowed in at the Ingalls one Christmas. It includes the part of the Little House pilot movie where Mr. Edwards crosses the creek to bring Mary and Laura their red mittens just like he got when he was 'just a sprig in Tennessee' and they each got a 'cookie made like a heart and sprinkled with white sugar.' (Insert blissful sigh here...)

The Muppets Christmas Carol. Michael Caine as Scrooge. Classically narrated by Gonzo. Fun musical numbers. Kermit and Miss Piggy. What more do you want?

Love "The Holiday" with Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Cameron Diaz and Jude Law. I especially love the relationship between Kate Winslet and Eli Wallach's characters in this film. Oh, yes, and Iris's cottage. I believe it was built for the film. Love love love....

Of course, Its A Wonderful Life. My Corgi, "Bailey" was named after George Bailey in this film. Does that tell you how much my husband and I love this one? He still cries at the end every time he sees it. (Which is one of the reasons I love him so...)

What are some of your favorites? Whether you can steal away a few minutes from your Christmas preparations or settle in after the big day with a big bowl of popcorn I hope you get the chance to enjoy a few of these or your own special favorite holiday movies. Let me know if you see a good one! xo xo CS ^..^

A Long Winter's Nap....

2009-12-14T09:52:00.002-05:00

I know, I know! Can you stand the cuteness?

xo xo -CS ^..^

Visions of Sugarplums...

2009-12-13T14:14:00.005-05:00

...or maybe just of mom.

xo xo xo -CS ^..^

OK, NOW I can deck the halls...

2009-12-12T10:54:00.006-05:00

It has been a bit of a whirlwind of worry around here since Thanksgiving. Even if Jacob Marley came to my door clanking every chain he's got, it couldn't have scared me more than what we've been through these past few days. My dear Daughter-In-Law to be, Renee, (Liam's mom) was rushed to the hospital with blood clots in her lung and leg. She is not completely out of the woods yet but doing well, so your good thoughts and prayers are most appreciated! My son John was just beside himself with worry about his true love. The house is a bit of a train wreck and I'm a little behind in my Christmas decorating which I normally start the day after Thanksgiving. Oh well, who cares. Renee is going to be OK and that is the most important thing, right? Right.

These past days I've lit some holiday scented candles (I like to light candles all the time, but especially when I have lots of praying to do...12 years of Catholic school, what can I tell you?) and have had Christmas music playing constantly. It is amazing how you can decorate your heart with Christmas even without a single decoration up. Having said that, I am SO ready to decorate now. I do rotate which ornaments I hang up each year because our place is rather tiny and I love to collect Christmas decorations and things and I'm always making or finding something new to add to my boxes of treasures. Well, they are treasures to me :) It is kind of fun to do that because it never looks the same.

Oh! And "How are the puppies?" you ask? They are two weeks old and doing great. Here's a few photos. I promise to take more. Their eyes are opening and they are really crawling more and more, exploring their whelping box. Most of the time they look like they are in a little Corgi mosh pit. Stella is doing great and is a brilliant mom.

Have a happy Saturday my dear Corgettes! xo xo -CS ^..^

Meet "Minnie"

2009-12-05T15:38:00.004-05:00

Made entirely by hand from my original pattern, "Minnie" is an original Christmas Corgi Art Doll Ornament. Incorporating stitching, embroidering and needle felting, she is made from wool felt, wool and wool roving from a friend's sheep, and other little embelishments. She would love to come and be a Corgi-cuteness part of your holiday traditions for years to come.

She has even been kissed for luck by a baby Corgi puppy, fresh from heaven....

On Ebay now. 3 day listing ends Sunday evening. xo xo -CS ^..^

p.s. do check out the CorgiAid Original Watching Art auction as well. Link in previous post below.

Original Art To Benefit Corgi Aid On Ebay Now!!!

2009-12-04T11:41:00.004-05:00

OK, I want them all. All of them I tell you. Please click over to eBay and bid with all your heart on the lovely Original illustrations from The Watching. All of the artists donated the Original artworks to CorgiAid and 100% of the proceeds of these auctions will benefit Corgis in dire need of love and care. Here is Bailey watching over my illustration from Chapter 7. Please note the seller ID is not mine it is CorgiAid (one word) if you need to do a search. There are many charities that we just don't know how the money is spent or where it goes. All of the money that is raised and donated to CorgiAid (all grassroots efforts by kind hearted Corgi lovers which includes fairs and picnics, donations and raffles, auctions etc.) helps Corgis in need of medical care and attention that otherwise they would not receive. THANK YOU so much for your generosity! xo xo -Cathy ^..^ p.s. **you will find Barbie Sonnett's lovely sculpture from The Watching at this link rather than the one above.

Thankful

2009-11-29T20:26:00.010-05:00

Is it too late to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving? I don't think so. Even though Christmas preparations are well underway, my heart is full of thanks for so many things this weekend. The Mister and I took our little grandson Liam to pick up our Thanksgiving turkey at Gozzi's turkey farm in Guilford, CT. Long time readers of this blog will recall the Easter egg dyed colors of the turkeys that the Gozzi family has out in a huge pen in front of their store. Liam got a big kick out of them as you can see from his face. Gozzi's never changes. Inside the storefront is a simple counter and on the wall to the left are old competition ribbons and awards.

We were expecting a litter of Corgi puppies this weekend from Stella and James. You can see them on our Reinwood Corgis site if you like. Princess Stella had other plans. She required an emergency c-section on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for seven beautiful puppies 4 boys, 3 girls. Thankful that emergency c-section went well and mom and pups are doing fine. Thankful for my gallant husband who was more concerned with getting Stella to vet than brushing his hair (we're talking pre-coffee here people...) Thankful for a kind and caring vet who called me Tuesday night to see how Stella was doing and to let me know he would cancel his own eye doctor appointment for the next morning if we needed him. Thankful for having a friend like Mary Elizabeth to share puppy breath (and breakfast!) with. Thanksgiving may have been on Thursday, but my heart is still full today.

Did I mention that I was having everyone over here for Thanksgiving Dinner? Gulp. Somehow with John and Laura's help I managed to get it done. These pies were baked in the wee hours of the morning. While the pumpkin was in the oven, Laura was washing dishes (it had to be about 1:30 AM at this point) and I sat at the table weaving a lattice pie crust and cutting little leaves out of pastry dough. Adrenaline from the day did not wear off quickly that night. Laura was right, I did burn the tops of the apple pie crust but it still tasted pretty good. Her brother tells her that she should be a food critic and combine her love of writing with her dinner commentary. "I only say it to help you perfect your cooking" she likes to tell me with her impish grin. What a pip I raised. Homeschoolers! Sheesh. Let me tell you though, when my head finally hit the pillow I crashed and slept soundly, even though it was only for a couple of hours. Don't you love that feeling when you are extremely tired and you get into your bed all snuggly knowing you've accomplished a ton of work that needed to get done? Even though you are exhausted it is a good kind of tired. Do you know what I mean? Everything was made from scratch. Let's see...what did we have? Turkey and gravy, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, corn pie, stuffing (one without onions for Mary Elizabeth and my Mom) cheese platters, shrimp cocktails (one hot cocktail sauce and one mild for Laura and Mary Elizabeth...hey...I want happy diners here!) baked ziti, filet mignon which John cooked outside on the BBQ, snowflake rolls (OK, I didn't make those, I ordered them from the bakery but somebody made them! LOL) apple ciders, pies and chocolate fudge. Did I forget anything? By Thursday Stella was feeling perky and excited about her babies. She was given many delicious treats and has decided that Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday.

Here is Stella and her new babies on their birthday. All are doing well so far. I will post more photos soon!

May I say one more thing that I am thankful for? I am thankful for you, my dear reader. It means a lot to me that you choose to spend a little of your time visiting here and following this blog. I am grateful for those who follow and collect my artwork. I am grateful for your friendship and lovely comments. My heart is full. So full. Happy Thanksgiving!

For those who have been asking, I will have a bunch of brand new Christmas Corgi ornaments and things for sale all this week. I will keep you posted as they are done!

Now, how many days till Christmas? xo xo CS ^..^

Art For Your Christmas Tree

2009-11-24T14:19:00.005-05:00

Just finished this new miniature ornament. Now in the shop on Etsy. xo xo -CS ^..^

*sold! more on the work table! xo xo

Happiness Is A Warm Puppy

2009-11-16T08:36:00.007-05:00

Mary Elizabeth took these photos over the weekend of Halo and James' puppies at 10 weeks.

Don't you just want to kiss them all on the nose? (You know you do....)
Happy Monday, my lovelies! xo xo -CS ^..^

My New Apprentice?

2009-11-14T23:23:00.009-05:00

Some of my Corgi friends have already seen this nutty impish Corgi of mine performing her antics. I thought I'd share these with you as well. Here is Weebles, mild mannered (ahem) kitty. She is convincing Amy to jump up on to the table where I was working on a few paintings. Amy does not require much convincing.

She regularly will move and jump up on to chairs both inside and outside on the patio to get on to tables. I know, I know. I need to train it out of her. The problem is that she usually does it when she thinks no one is watching.

You've heard of a blue moose in a china closet? I have a sable Corgi on an art table.

Watch the video clip below to witness her making one hot mess. I put a fresh cup of painting water out (which she helps herself to) and left for a minute only to return to find her skulking around my paints and things. Luckily John had just put batteries in my camera and it was handy. I must warn you, do not let your Corgis try this at home. At the end it seems as if she leaps from the height of the table. She usually gets on and off from the chairs which are all around. You will see her trying to avoid the other Corgis who are surrounding the table, not as adventurous as she. She actually leaps to a short table with a fluffy dog bed as soon as the other Corgi moved off of it. No Corgis were harmed in the making of this video :) *you may pause my bloggy music on the player in the left sidebar before playing video if you prefer. xo xo Cathy ^..^

Thankful.

2009-11-11T20:19:00.005-05:00

Saturday morning I headed out early to run a few errands. I wanted to pick up a few things for the kids. I headed to a couple of stores a few towns over. I thought I went out early enough to beat the Saturday shopping crowds but evidently everyone had the same idea. The first store I went into had shiny Christmas displays of decorations and things right at the window, so you know I had to go in. Completely distracted from my original mission I spent over an hour browsing through aisles of gifts and goodies. In one little corner was a sad and lonely small shelf with little bits of marked down Halloween stuff. Can Halloween have past already? Sheesh. Where does the time go? While browsing and being squished into an aisle of interesting decor, a woman in front of me pointed to this gigantic green wreath-looking thing made of feathers and, laughing, said something to her husband in what I believe was Italian. She and I looked at each other, obviously both amused by the shimmy-shaking-green-feather-wreath thingie. Only one word came to my mind when I saw it and I said it out loud. "Grinch." The couple began to giggle while the husband began to hum 'You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch' and we all laughed. I left there thankful that some things, especially Christmas things, are just understood by all in any language.

After leaving that store I went to the Walmart next door. I always feel like a deer in the headlights when I go into these big stores. It is like shopping overload. I started looking for what I had gone out for in the first place. I finally based my decision on choosing the item that was made in the USA even though it cost a few dollars more. It made me sad that 9 out of 10 items I saw are not manufactured here anymore. I wandered over to the CD's. I have an addiction to holiday CD's. I can't resist buying them. I even saw one in the Post Office the other day when I was mailing out a commissioned piece. I'm sure I'll add that one to my collection soon too. I don't even know what songs are on it. Somebody stop me. I had 3 in my hand that day, the new ones by Andrea Boccelli, David Archuleta and Josh Groban. I went with Andrea Boccelli's but something tells me I'll be back for the others or will order them online. At the check out, I had the nicest chat with the check out lady. She couldn't wait to buy this CD as well and we talked for a few minutes about how much we love his voice and then about other Christmas CD's. I left there thankful for a pleasant check out lady who seemed to enjoy her day. I'm sure everyone who met her that day was a little better for it.

That evening, I went to see the new 3D movie A Christmas Carol. Check out their website for some fun online games and things. The computer animation is incredible. As soon as I heard that Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman and Colin Firth were in it, I knew I would see it. Go and see it if only to get to wear the 3D glasses. Make sure you turn around in your seat to get a look at everyone wearing theirs. It is something silly that you don't get to see every day. On the way home I realized that the last song, "God Bless Us Everyone," on the Andrea Boccelli CD I had bought earlier in the day is in the end credits of the film. One of my favorite film versions of A Christmas Carol is A Muppet Christmas Carol, but whether you read the original Dickens ghost story or watch one of the many 'Scrooge' films, the timeless message is the same. Guard against Want and Ignorance. Remember those less fortunate than yourself. Be compassionate. Be joyful. Redemption...where there is life, there is hope. Keep Christmas in your heart not just on Christmas Day but all year through. Be thankful.

Today is Veteran's Day here in America. My heart is full of love, thanks and appreciation for all who have served in our military, from colonial days to the present. You make it possible for us to spend our days in freedom, shopping for Grinchy feather wreaths and Christmas CD's. You gave us the freedom to be able to sit in a theater wearing silly glasses or whatever else we choose. We are truly the land of the free because of the brave. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU. xo xo -CS ^..^

Night Baking

2009-11-02T10:52:00.005-05:00

Last night during the Yankees/Phillies game I was asked (badgered? begged? nagged?) to make a pumpkin pie. So I did. No one even waited for it to cool and then wondered why it was steaming on their plates and the whipped cream was melting. Yes, I know the crust isn't so pretty. But in my defense it was 10:00 pm when it came out of the oven. No potpourri could ever make the house smell as good as the spices baking in the pie. I'm going to have a sliver now. If they saved any for me....

Happy Monday, and Happy November, everyone! xo -CS ^..^

Something Wicked This Way Comes

2009-10-30T15:43:00.009-04:00

"Look into my eyes....deeper....deeper...."

"When I say 'Woof' you will put all of your Halloween treats into my little pumpkin...."

Happy Halloween my dear reader! xo xo -CS

America's Next Top Model?

2009-10-29T10:07:00.003-04:00

Wow! One of our Reinwood Corgis is a model in this month's Oprah Magazine! Mary Elizabeth and I are just thrilled to see our "Kaizey" (they spelled her name wrong) in print!

We heard she was a very good girl during the photo shoot.

Doesn't she look smashing in her jacket with faux fur trim? She knows she does.

Here's the cover of the November 2009 Oprah Magazine where you can spot Kaizey.

Oh...and the human model's boots aren't too shabby either :)

Happy Thursday, my lovelies! xo xo -CS ^..^

The Watching

2009-10-27T22:58:00.010-04:00

Would you like to help Corgis AND get a lovely Christmas book?

Then please read on, my dear Corgettes! Read on!

The Watching, A Corgi Christmas Tale

By Millie J. Williams

With original art by

Evie Anderson, Kay Folk, Robert Holst, Kim Hundley,

Chris Landers, Ginnie Mickelson, Diane Puntenney, Cindy Read,

Cathy Santarsiero, John Scarinici, Christian Slade, and Barbie Sonnett

The annual version of “The Watching,” usually released for Christmas Eve, has become a tradition in corgidom. Millie Williams wrote the original story in 2002 for the Corgese list on Yahoo Groups, and since then it has been enjoyed each year by thousands of readers on Corgese, Corgi-L, WheelCorgis, and other e-mail lists. Each year, people have looked forward to the new story, and in 2008, “The Watching: Misty” was published, with photos, on the Web. Now the 2009 story―The Watching: A Corgi Christmas Tale―is being immortalized in a more permanent form, published as a beautiful full color paperback book with dazzling artwork.

All net proceeds for these books (after printing and shipping) benefit CorgiAid. The books will be shipped beginning December 1, so pre-order now to guarantee you’ll have your copy before Christmas. Books ordered by November 15 will include a special bookplate, signed by the author herself. The books are only $20 each, which includes shipping, so order extras as gifts for all your animal-loving friends, young and old. International orders are $27 each.

Click HERE to order online or by mail.

Coming December 1st: A special two-week only eBay auction of the original artwork, created for The Watching: A Corgi Christmas Tale, by Evie Anderson, Kay Folk, Robert Holst, Kim Hundley, Chris Landers, Ginnie Mickelson, Diane Puntenney, Cindy Read, Cathy Santarsiero, John Scarinici, Christian Slade, and Barbie Sonnett.

Coming Soon: A limited edition series of holiday ornaments featuring original art created for The Watching: A Corgi Christmas Tale.

My Little House On The Prairie Birthday Surprise Weekend

2009-10-26T12:59:00.020-04:00

A very excited phone call came on my birthday over the Summer from my friend Tracy who lives on the Jersey shore. She said not to make any plans over a certain weekend in September because I was 'hers.' By chance, she had just seen a postcard advertisement for the upcoming musical and that she and Kathy were taking me there for my birthday. Knowing how much I have always loved Little House on the Prairie, and that Melissa Gilbert would be playing "Ma" in the show, she knew I would love it. If you are a regular reader of this blog you may recall this post about my Little House envy. So John and Laura held down the fort (a.k.a. took care of the dogs and the house) so I could drive down on that Friday.

Kathy and Tracy

Tracy is the best cook I know.

One of my favorite things she makes is her blackened tuna with her

fresh pesto. Doesn't the breaded asparagus look just fantastic? They were.

She always makes everything look as good as it tastes. She

made the most of the last of the basil in the garden. Fresh mozzarella

salad with a touch more pesto. Mmmm.....

We also had some very delicious 20 year old port after dinner.

Our tickets were for the Saturday matinee. Kathy's friend, Dana, also came with us. She met us at the theater. She is really nice. It was so exciting to see Melissa Gilbert take the stage. The audience cheered. In our hearts she will always be Laura Ingalls, but after a few moments in character on the stage, she transformed into 'Ma.' At the curtain call when the young girl who played Laura came out with Melissa Gilbert side by side, we all got a little teary eyed.

We are such a sappy bunch. No, really, we are.

I adore little buttons so I had to buy these tiny pins after the show. And a hooded LHOP sweatshirt for my daughter. She loves it.

After the show we went to a really good Martini bar restaurant near the Paper Mill Playhouse.

These were our Martinis. Mine was a Flirtini (yum) and I had to taste Kathy's just because it was blue (I liked mine better) but I don't recall what the others were. But they must have been good because we had a few. The Martini menu was huge.

This is Tracy on the phone with my Mom at the restaurant, telling her all about the show.

Best friends do that.

Our very nice waiter took this photo of us. Toasting before dessert

with glasses of 30 year old port. I honestly don't recall ever having

port before but after all the port over that weekend,

I can tell you that I like it.

A lot.

Dana, Me, Tracy and Kathy

Everything we ordered was beautifully presented, fresh and delicious.

Like this shrimp with pea risotto....

and this delightful creme brulee....

After the perfect afternoon, we went back home and played Mexican Train Dominos (so fun) until the wee hours of the morning. And we laughed. And laughed. And laughed.

Thank you to my Tracy & Kathy for the most wonderful made-for-me weekend.

I love you both. xo xo xo -CS ^..^

P.S. The Little House On the Prairie Musical has a nice web page with a free downloadable PDF study guide if you click on 'learning center.' Great for homeschoolers, teachers or anyone who just loves pioneer days and Little House. Enjoy!

Special Birthday Girls

2009-10-24T10:25:00.005-04:00

Here are a couple of photos from our Bailey's 13th birthday this month.

Can you find the corgi in this photo?

I can't believe she is 13 years old. Where does the time go? Her softly greying fur reminds me of how precious each day is with my sweet angel corgi girl. But when I look into her eyes I still see the same little puppy that stole my heart those many years ago.

Sometimes you just have to help yourself to more birthday cake.

"Betony" belongs to our friends Cindy Read and Nancy Boyd. Betony has a special place in the Santarsiero hearts as she has stayed with us many times. She is a snuggler and never forgets where the toys are. I had to put her in this 'glamour girl' frame because she looks like she is saying, "You KNOW I'm cute...!" Plus, even though she is spayed, for some reason all of the boys always buzz around her and find her irresistible. Betony is an amazing corgi. She has overcome many health challenges this year including losing an eye. (We think she should wear a sparkly eye patch and be a sexy pirate for Halloween.) Her spirit is amazing. Here are a couple of her 11th Barkday photos from this Spring.

Birthday dessert....yum....

Bailey and Betony....we love you with all of our hearts. xo xo -CS ^..^

Billy Ray Cyrus and The Charlie Daniels Band. Woot! Woot!

2009-10-20T13:51:00.004-04:00

I just realized that I've got a few pics in my camera from the Summer that I can share with you. If you are a regular reader of this blog then you know how much I love Billy Ray Cyrus. Not only is he a wonderful musician and talent, but he is a genuinely nice person who 'gives back' which I love. He has always supported our troops and I was so excited when our kids gave us tickets to the Freedom Concert in Jackson, NJ because he was on that tour along with The Charlie Daniels Band, who we also love. The Mister and I have seen the CDB a few times before and they never disappoint. Always fun. I've never seen Michael W. Smith before and he was wonderful as well. Lots of talented musicians and interesting people at this show. The best part of it is that all of the money raised goes to the Freedom Alliance which provides scholarships for children of our troops who have been killed or seriously wounded in their service to our country. The show we went to at Six Flags had about an hour delay due to some equipment failure or something, so when it was Billy Ray's time to perform, the fireworks in the park had just begun and were incredibly loud and close. Inspired by the 'rockets red glare,' Billy Ray handled the situation with grace and started to sing The Star Spangled Banner which of course had the entire crowd on their feet. It was lovely. John and I stayed at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza overnight (the upside of earning all those points when going to dog shows...) and we had a really nice time. -CS ^..^

Munchkins

2009-10-08T13:24:00.005-04:00

I have a thing for the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz. She used to scare the bejeezus out of me when I was a little girl. She, along with the giant glowing wizard head in the Emerald City would cause me to watch with one eye peeping out from under a blanket. Now I have a little Wicked Witch collection. It started out as just the Wicked Witch of the West but now I seem to pick up any Witch here or there that strikes my fancy. My favorite is one that is a porcelain likeness of Margaret Hamilton in full makeup and in the most exquisite black layered dress and pointy hat. I love her. You can see her if you scroll down to my Halloween decorations from this post. I came across this recent interview of 5 of the remaining Munchkins from the Original movie. I love this clip. I love how they love the movie and how they loved Judy Garland. I hope you will enjoy it too. Scroll down on the left to my music playlist to pause it before playing the clip. Do watch it...or (insert wicked laugh) I'll get you my pretty....and your little dog, too! xo xo -CS ^..^

No More Corgis at Buckingham Palace? Say It Isn't So, Your Majesty!

2009-10-05T21:24:00.008-04:00

Can it be so? Is it possible that it is the end of the Royal Line for the Queen's Corgis? Here's an article (including photo above) by Jane Dryer from the UK's Daily Mail Online today from a May article. Thanks to my friend Cyndi Rusakovitch for finding it! What do you think? The resident Corgis here are having a discussion as to why they do not get daily scones and their own Royal Footman. I smell mutiny. -CS ^..^

Furry Friends

2009-09-25T08:19:00.004-04:00

Such little sleepyheads!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone! xo xo -CS ^..^

New York Lottery Sweet Million "Sleepy Time"

2009-09-18T19:01:00.001-04:00

Is this the cutest commercial ever made or what? Just look at those little Corgi puppies in their pj's. And those little pigs! Be still my heart! xo xo -CS ^..^

Remember

2009-09-11T11:20:00.004-04:00

The lesser known of New York's canine heroes, comfort dogs, such as this golden retriever, help soothe those affected by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Similar to search-and-rescue dogs, comfort dogs travel to disaster scenes to aid relief efforts. Studies show that people experience physiological changes—such as a drop in heart rate and blood pressure—when they pet animals.
(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Zip USA: 10013—After the Fall," September 2002, National Geographic magazine)
Photograph by Ira Block

Farmers Market Booty

2009-09-04T21:11:00.004-04:00

The weather has been completely lovely here the past few days. Today was a perfect day to poke around the Farmers Market in Ridgefield, Connecticut. What a beautiful bounty of fresh, local fruits, veggies, baked goods, fish, honey, eggs, flowers, maple syrup and jams were to be found today! I love buying things from our local farmers. There is nothing like biting into a piece of sweet, crisp corn that was picked just a few hours earlier or freshly picked giant blackberries and peaches. I don't usually buy many baked goods in the stores, because I like to bake, but the things at the Farmer's Market are really yummy and too good to pass up. I did resist buying a sinfully delicious chocolate walnut pie that I did have a little taste of though. My daughter wanted a peach pie but they sold out so she got an apple pie instead. What did we buy? Let's see....corn, some basil, a couple of different eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, bee pollen and a little beeswax votive candle (I adore the smell of real beeswax candles!) molasses cookies, apple pie, a frosted scone (cranberry or citrus...I can't remember) a crumb bun, challah bread and another organic sweet delicious bread...hmmm.....I think that's it. Do you have a Farmers Market near you? I encourage you to stop in and buy some fresh delicious things from them. It is nice to get a smile from the person who actually grew the produce you are buying. You can see how proud they are of what they present. And well they should be! -CS ^..^

New Original Christmas Corgi Art Doll Ornament

2009-08-30T01:05:00.004-04:00

A little belated treasure from Christmas In July, my lovelies. Now on Ebay! xo CS ^..^

*Sold!* More original ornaments and other goodies in the works! xo xo -CS ^..^

Happy Tasha Tudor Day!

2009-08-28T17:20:00.004-04:00

Today, on her birthday, we remember and honor the life of our beloved Tasha Tudor. This image is from her book "A Time To Keep" for August. The quote at the top of the first page by Christine Rossetti reads, "My heart is like a singing bird." The page continues: "August brought your mother's birthday which we celebrated at night by the river. The table was set with birch bark plates and gourd drinking cups. There wee favors made from walnut shells and families of wooden animals in little baskets and meringues made in the shape of toadstools. But best of all-the birthday cake came floating down the river."

Happy Tasha Tudor Day to everyone who is celebrating the life of this American treasure today and keeping her memory and magic alive! xo xo -CS ^..^ p.s. visit Clarice's Storybook Woods blog for more Tasha Tudor day fun.

Breakin The Law

2009-08-25T08:53:00.001-04:00

Scroll down and pause my music playlist to the left of the blog and turn up your speakers before playing this video! It is a riot. -CS ^..^

Another Star In The Sky Tonight

2009-08-18T20:38:00.005-04:00

"Kelsey"

3/6/95-8/18/09

This morning, Mary Elizabeth had to say goodbye to Kelsey. Kelsey was the sweetest Corgi ever. Mother to our Indy and Hannah Banana and Grant, she was loved by all and brought little bits of sunshine wherever she went. Click here on our Reinwood Corgis pages, then to 'the girls' to see her in her younger days. Run wild and free, sweet Kelsey. We love you with all of our hearts. xo xo xo

Caught in the act.

2009-08-15T07:36:00.003-04:00

Happy Saturday morning, my lovelies! Lest you think that the Reinwood Corgis and other critters (whether the ones who live here with me or with Mary Elizabeth) are always so well behaved, I submit to you evidence which is quite to the contrary.

Here is Mary Elizabeth's tale of woe last evening:

"Apparently during the night Shady the cat must have been playing with my pen that I left on the computer table. While playing it must have fallen onto the floor where Brazen got a hold of it and chewed it and then shared it with Hannah Banana; as the two were seen with the most obvious evidence...blue stains on paws and cheek! I am sure Shady the cat was laughing in the background as I scolded the dogs and cleaned up the awful mess!"

Such wicked, wicked little monkeys!

Enjoy your weekend, everyone! xo xo -C ^..^

White House Puff Balls

2009-08-09T14:15:00.010-04:00

I love cookbooks. I especially enjoy reading old cookbooks. My friend Steph stopped in the other night and brought me a fun book for my birthday. It is "The Original White House Cookbook 1887 Edition" Inside it says Cooking, Toilet and Household Recipes, Menus, Dinner-Giving, Table Etiquette, Care of the Sick, Health Suggestions, Facts Worth Knowing, etc. etc. A Comprehensive Cyclopedia of Information For The Home by Mrs. F.L. Gillette and Hugo Ziemann, Steward of the White House.

I'm having great fun with this book. Some of the recipes are a real doozy. Some of the recipes are so intense and things I would never eat in a million years. But some look very interesting, if you can translate them to today's cooking ingredients and measurements. My Mom was here a couple of days ago and as soon as I showed her the book she found this simple recipe for Puff-Ball Doughnuts and decided that we would make them. We didn't know what they meant by 'sweet milk' (we thought of all the sweet milks like condensed, etc) but then my daughter googled it and found that in the 19th century it simply meant whole milk. Perhaps there are other types of sweet milk that were intended but this is what we used for our doughnuts.

Here is the entire recipe.

It is actually written as a paragraph as most of the recipes in the book are:

Puff-Ball Doughnuts

"These doughnuts, eaten fresh and warm, are a delicious breakfast dish, and are quickly made. Three eggs, one cupful of sugar, a pint of sweet milk, salt, nutmeg, and flour enough to permit the spoon to stand upright in the mixture: add two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking-powder to the flour; beat all until very light. Drop by the dessertspoonful into boiling lard. These will not absorb a bit of fat, and are not at all rich, and consequently are the least injurious of this kind of cakes."

So rather than use lard we used canola oil to fry them up. I didn't have any fresh nutmegs on hand so we used a pinch of cinnamon and a capful of pure vanilla. We used a pinch of salt also, since the recipe didn't specify. We decided that the next time we make them, we will drop them a bit smaller into the oil as they do puff up as they say. I think the size of a Dunkin Munchkin would be perfect with these. You want the oil to be very hot, that is why they do not absorb the oil. We thought that next time we might use a bit of cream with the milk and add more cinnamon or do the nutmeg instead. Rolling them in the sugars was a good idea. The only thing, we did not agree that they are not at all 'rich.' These are not light donuts. Your kids will want a tall cold glass of milk with these for sure.

So here is my Mom whipping up the puff balls. I made her wear one of Natalie's Tasha Tudor aprons while she was making these.

It just seemed like the required couture of the moment.

When they came out of the oil, we put them quickly on paper towel lined plates for a second or two and then rolled them immediately in either powdered sugar, granulated sugar or a combo of cinnamon and sugar.

Then my brother Gary and niece Hayley stopped by for a bit.
They were visiting for the week. My lovely Sister-In-Law Katy was shopping for a dress for a wedding. They live Los Angeles so I miss them.
A lot.

Here's our mom (Grandma Annie to our kids) giving Hayley some cheese.

Isn't she just the cutest princess ever?

Hayley loves her Daddy.

She thinks he is number one.

He's a fantastic Daddy, but he's still a nerd. (I'm supposed to say that,

he is my brother after all...)

xo xo

-Cathy ^..^

Shameless Sleepers and Weekend Adventures

2009-08-04T10:23:00.005-04:00

My friend Stephanie came over last weekend and no sooner did she put down her bag then Skittles and Weebles decided it was the place to take a cat nap. Steph and I are actually related by catness. Our sons had rescued two kittens whose mother was hit by a car. She took one (Punky) and I took the other. Goku is ours, the big black cat (not in this photo) who looks like an eggplant from the back when he is sitting.

What a week it has been! My great aunt passed away. It is sad to see all of the old ones in the family say goodbye. The funeral was on Saturday which happened to be my birthday. It was good to see my cousins. Why is it that we don't realize how much you miss someone until you see them?

Later in the day, we did come home to have a little party complete with ice cream cake. My parents gave me the absolute coolest chandelier (it is wildly colorful) for my little studio. I promise I'll show it to you as soon as it is hung up.

Sunday, Mary Elizabeth and I left the house at the crack of dawn to bring a Corgi to Maryland who will be headed to Indiana by way of North Carolina. The weather was wicked. I expected to see Miss Gulch on her bike fly by. There was flooding on the roads and we arrived just in time to have a tornado warning on the radio telling us to get into a basement or under something. Yikes. When that passed, we headed home.I had my muck boots on, but Mary had to take off her socks and shoes to get through the water back into the van. We felt like we were on a log flume ride most of the time because of the way the van went through the water on the road. Then we hit the traffic from people coming home from the Jersey shore. Lots of cars pulled over on the sides of the road, lots of families and kids at the rest stops. At one of the rest stops, Mary Elizabeth opened up her cooler in the back of the van. She brought us a veritable feast! We had a picnic in the car with the rain pounding down. I think she practically brought the entire contents of her fridge with her. We made really good wraps in the car. Mine was fresh mozzarella, tomato, fresh basil, avocado and a spritz of vinaigrette. She even made fruit salad for us in two giant covered Pyrex bowls which we munched on in traffic.

My Brother, Sister-In-Law and niece flew in from Los Angeles too. I even got to spend some time with them on Sunday after the wild ride. My niece is getting so big, she is such a cutie pie, crawling all over the place.

So that was my weekend, my lovelies. How did you spend yours? xo xo ^..^

Here Kitty Kitty

2009-07-22T14:35:00.006-04:00

Bridget thinks my new Hello Kitty toaster must be hers just because it is pink. She is such an imp. Doesn't she look like she's popping out of the toaster? Actually, the toaster makes a Hello Kitty face on the toast, if you toast it dark enough. And who couldn't use a little Hello Kitty on their toast? Well, maybe the Mister who just rolled his eyes when he saw it. But Laura and I love it anyway. And apparently, so does Miss Fancypants here. You know you want one.
xo xo -C ^..^

Corgi Art Ornaments!

2009-07-19T21:37:00.006-04:00

The tiniest of Cardigan Welsh Corgis....

The tiniest of Pembroke Welsh Corgis!
2" x 2" painted on canvas original Christmas ornaments in the Etsy shop now.

Sleep well my Corgette friends. May visions of sugarplums dance in your heads. xo xo -Cat ^..^

*Sold! More ornaments on the work table. Stay tuned. xo -C ^..^

Ornaments tonight!

2009-07-19T12:17:00.004-04:00

Shhh.....don't want to waken the mouser but had to pop in to let you know that more Christmas Corgi Ornaments will be in the shop tonight. 9:30 PM EST. Happy Sunday my lovelies! xo xo -Cat ^..^

We have a winner!

2009-07-15T23:37:00.002-04:00

#12, Tanya! You win the "Hairy Pawter" framed tile! Email me christmascorgi@gmail.com

Thanks for your comments, everyone. Must go to bed. (yawn) xo xo Cat ^..^

Cathy Santarsiero The Christmas Corgi

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