New addition! Bolt!

I write this post in between bouts of getting up and rescuing some article of value or another from my new dog's mouth. At almost three full years of age, he is the oldest "puppy" I have ever seen! He has two speeds, on and off, on being one million miles a minute and off being sleeping. Trace and I have been taking Bolt on walks or to the huge empty field across from my apartment EVERY day, and that buys us a few hours of relative peace and quiet. Then it's back to bouncing around the room again!

I rescued Bolt from Fort Worth Animal Care and Control last Wednesday. He was one day away from being euthanized, and if I hadn't come into the picture, less than one day. I brought Trace with me to make sure it wasn't a huge mistake, to see if there was even a remote chance that my first dog would accept a second one. Trace saw Bolt through the windshield of the car and barked once, then whined a little. I got him out and brought him over to the chain link fence where Bolt was enclosed with his friend Tiffany. Bolt and Trace took to each other right away, with Bolt taking a playful stance on one side, pointed ears back, and Trace whining and barking playfully on the other.

A few minutes went by, and behind my back another dog came around the corner, on leash with a worker from the shelter. Trace went ballistic, pulling me over on his leash. The other dog, Capone, was a real sweetie according to Tiffany, but Trace did not think so. He may have been barking at both the person and the dog, I don't know. There were a couple of other encounters in which Trace did not do so well, but when Tiffany, Kristen, Lauren and I (the other wonderful volunteers) brought Bolt out to the parking lot, Trace did great again! He walked on leash with Bolt by his side when both the volunteers and I held the leashes.

So we loaded Trace up into the back seat and Bolt into the passenger seat, and off we went, three now and not two!

Now Trace is engaging Bolt in a round of play that I have not seen yet since I brought them both here. Yay! Bolt is running circles around Trace, but Trace is holding his own. He's used to being the younger, faster model, so this is new for him and it's taken a little bit for him to adjust to Lil' Bit.

I'm giving it a trial period to see how they both do. Bolt is very energetic and not used to being inside much I think. As long as they get along, I think Trace and I can keep up with Bolt and we will all be very happy!

Follow this blog!

So, when designing this blog apparently some of my favorite gadgets aren't going to work on this new awesome template.  I like the template you see here, but the twitter update feed isn't working.  So.... if you want to find me on twitter (it's lots of fun, I hope you do), my name is gfstitchery.  I tweet pictures of my dog and whatever craft I'm working on, in advance of posting here, and also some handy retweets of household tips, how-tos, and more.
BUT, one of the greatest gadgets that IS working is the followers button.  It's docked on the right hand side of the blog and you should totally click on it!  It'll help you find your way back here for more of my posts in the future, which are going to be so inspiring and cathartic, let me tell you!  I hope you will also find them useful, well-written, and maybe a tad humorous.... Stick with me and we'll get it done!
I hope you'll also find me on facebook, my page is called Grass Floor Stitchery.  It's just getting started, but in the future I don't doubt that there will be fun things like giveaways and of course right now you can use it to stay updated on everything I'm doing at GFS.  One of the things I've learned about me so far is that (maybe because I have bipolar disorder) every day is different.  So one thing is certain, it's sure to be a fun ride! 

New blog, new job, new start!

Hi you guys!  You've found me.  I was at hollysewsandcrafts.blogspot.com, but now I'm HERE!  Yay!
So to start off this great new fresh idea I've got, let me tell you a bit about the Grass Floor Stitchery.  The rest will unfold as we go along, but I want to incorporate more of my life, love, and writings here on this new blog.  Make it more "me," so that it'll reflect more of my bliss and more of my passion and more of my self. 
The Grass Floor Stitchery is a place where you can be barefoot as you sew and craft, in the open "air," with your friends and pets and loved ones all nearby, and everyone can enjoy a democratic circle of ideas and knowledge and experimentation where knowledge ends.  Get it, grass floor, like grass roots, and like ground floor?  Yeah....
I've also started a new job, the first job I've actually gone to in over seven years.  Yep.  (I'll get back to my other jobs that I haven't had to "travel" to in a minute.)  It's perfect, almost heaven.  Three days a week you'll find me at Quilter's Stash quilt shop in Hurst, Texas.  And sometimes, at the Southlake store too.  We're an authorized Bernina sewing machine dealer, so I am very excited to learn all I can about what all those awesome things can do!
I just hope and pray that every day I am there I do the best job I am able, so that I can earn money to throw towards this new fledgling project, Grass Floor Stitchery.
So that's two of my current jobs, and another of my current, never-ending jobs, is taking care of myself.  I have significant bipolar disorder I, and will have to be on medication for the rest of my life.  But I've come a long way, it's been nine years this month that I have been diagnosed.  And since it's usually latent or undiagnosed for about ten years before diagnosis even occurs, I've been living with this for nearly two decades.  I didn't talk about this aspect of my life on my previous blog but it's been a major aspect of my life, although with the help of my really and truly expert, God-sent doctor and a great new therapist, plus with a new attitude that has come from starting over in a new place, it's becoming less so. 
I've been blessed with a great, never-let-you-go family that has saved my stubborn behind more than once, and as mentioned, great doctors, case workers, and therapists as well.  There have also been some that weren't so great, and I've learned important things from those experiences too.  So I really have a lot of experience and firsthand knowledge that I can share (free of charge, of course) to those who need/want to hear it. 
So this blog will be about sewing, quilting, all my many jobs, crafting, people, and living with bipolar disorder while dealing with all of the above!  Oh yeah, and my stubborn-as-I-am border collie, Trace, too, for good measure.  He doesn't listen but he is my only companion and he loves me fiercely.  I also do yoga and that will be peppered in too.  And smoothies, and, and, and. 
Thank you for being my audience!  I love you all!