A few days ago, Terry and I visited Van Dusen Gardens in Vancouver to take in their annual holiday light show. It was cold, clear and rain-free that night, so we bundled up warmly and grabbed the camera to snap a few pics of  get ideas for festive lighting at Chez Lazar-Schuler next year.

Van Dusen Festive Lighting Event
Exerpt from Van Dusen website: Santa’s secret holiday recipe: mix together 1.4 million lights with seasonal music and community choirs, gently add children’s wonder and a large measure of delight, stir up with a hearty "Ho, Ho, Ho", hot cocoa, flickering candles and you get enough holiday happiness to serve everyone.

Vancouver’s favourite holiday tradition, VanDusen Botanical Garden’s Festival of Lights, is back bigger and better than ever for 2006. Running December 8th through 31st from 5 to 9:30 pm every night (except December 25th when the Garden is closed), Festival of Lights creates an enchanted wonderland illuminated by more than 1.4 million lights spread over 15 acres of the Garden.

Here are some of my favorite shots and ideas we will be incorporating into our holiday lighting next year:

We’re definitely making these next year… Take 2L and 1L pop bottles and cut flower shapes below the neck of the bottle, tape to light bulb with electrician tape and voila… magnolia and tulips in winter!

I dove into some much needed art therapy today, to help combat the blues from Baby Mack’s recent passing… and to perk myself up from the post-holiday blues.  So today, I dissected and reassembled the cutest chipboard purse from Creative Imaginations Bare Essentials Sonia Purse.

The purse is made from sturdy chipboard panels, has a vinyl handle and is built in a fairly simple design. So, instead of covering up the original purse, I thought I would be creative and try to replicate the purse structure using some chipboard I had kicking around. Not too hard at all[SNORT!]. All it took was just a little measuring, drafting up a plan [knew my structural drafting education would come in handy someday LOL!], cutting up the chipboard and assembling the CI-Knock-Off Sonia Purse.

In all, it took about 1 hour or so to cut and build the purse.  Here are my plans below:

Assembly Directions:

1. Using duct tape [for side supports and flexibility], assembled the top, bottom, front flap and back panel as a series of hinged joints [see adjacent example]
2. Add the side panels to the back panel
3. Add final front panel to finish the structure
4. Stain or add patterned paper to the inside of the purse structure, as desired, to hide construction
5. Adhere patterned paper to the outside of the purse structure, making sure to cover all construction taping
6. Add embellishments and stamping as desired

Here are some shots of the completed CI-Knock-Off Purse:

Tomorrow I’m going to add a Ribbon Handle to the top to complete the project. I think it turned out pretty cute… what do YOU think?

Products used include:
Poppets(R) Places and Clear Stamps from Lazar StudioWERX [Rolling Hills paper and Doodled Flowers Stamps] | Maya Road Fresh Chipboard Flowers | Maya Road Chartreuse Velvet Rickrack | Rhonna Farrar Rub-ons doodled flowers | Making Memories Bling Brads | Kroma Acrylic paint in Quinadricone Magenta and Titanium White | Sharpie Markers | Heidi Swapp Chipboard letters   

We just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanza and whatever other seasonal holidays you may be celebrating. May you eat much, give generously to others and take a bit of time to create art that celebrates the holiday.

We hope the spirit of the season blesses you and your families, during the holidays. Merry Christmas everyone…

Love,
Christina, Terry and Kodiak

I have been reluctant to post over the last few days with Mackenzie’s condition, considering this is supposed to be a happy time of year… but today has been a difficult day and an end to a sweet, loving life.

Mackenzie took a turn for the worse late yesterday and with much sadness and heavy heart we took her into the vet today. Her condition had deteriorated quickly over the last 24-48 hours and our vet confirmed this morning that she had more fluid in her abdomen, it had moved up into her chest and was creating difficulty in her breathing, she was weak and very tired.  It was a matter of time, and she would probably have a traumatic episode of respiratory failure in within the next day or so.

Terry and I made the difficult and heartwrenching decision this morning to let our dear, sweet furgirl go.  We did everything we could to save her. She passed away with dignity, in my arms, at 11:45am. She was 3.5 years old. We loved her for 3 years. We are heartbroken.

Goodbye sweet Mackenzie [aka Mack Mack, Baby Mack and Dooters]… We miss you already.
You have left a permanent paw print on both of our hearts. We love you.

Here’s a fun, easy project if you’ve got nothing else to do this week [yeah, right!]

Sequined Christmas Trees:

Materials:

• 6" and 9" styrofoam cones for the tree shape
• small-medium round tins for the base
• pearl head pins [about 400 for two trees]
• color coordinated sequins or large paillettes

Technique:

1. start at the bottom and anchor the first sequin with a pearl headed straight pin
2. overlap the large sequin/paillette with another sequin and pin in place.
3. REPEAT until one entire row in complete around the tree base adjusting the overlap to accomodate the tree’s diameter
4. begin second row overlapping the bottom row slightly and continue adding sequins the same way as step 2 and 3
5. continue all the way up the height of the tree until you reach the top, extending the final row of sequins OFF the top of the tree like a crown
6. add one sequin to the flat top of the cone to finish off the top

These trees are great in clusters, or lined up along a mantle!
Happy Holiday decorating…

Vet visit today for status update on Mackenzie. She’s stable and status quo at this point… no worse, but no better either. We’re visualizing her eating on her own and willing the medication to work but for now, at least she’s home, safe and loved.

Thanks to everyone sending the well-wishes and love. She, and we, didn’t know so many people cared!
Thank you.

xoxo
Christina

So we have our Mack Mack home, since Thursday night and as much as we are happy to have her home… we also now know how much love and effort it will take to get her through this disease.

On Thursday night we got our first taste of syringe feeding a kitty. WOW! Who knew a sick little kitty could muster up and possess that much strength?!? I’ve seen glimpses of it in the past with minor antibiotic treatments [which is just ONE syringe], but magnify it by between 6-8 syringes and it can be a bit of a fight.  Not to mention, messy LOL! We got through it ok, did two feedings and let her sleep the night through.

Friday I asked my supervisor if I could work at home, Marcus compassionate man that he is agreed, and so I was head feeder and cleaner-upper all day, on my own. The first feeding was in the morning and Terry helped before I dropped him off at work. The next three were solo efforts, and it took a whole lot of misfiring [me and Mack wearing much of the squishy cat food!] during the first one to figure out a trap and inject technique that was both quick and accurate. I was quite proud of myself. Terry was my co-pilot for the evening feeds which was great!

Today, Saturday she got more feedings… Terry tried one on his own and as with my first foray into syringe feeding - a lot hit the floor, table and the side of Mack’s face. We did the bulk of them together for the rest of the day. He’ll be doing another solo feeding flight tomorrow, since I’ll be back to work on Tuesday and he’ll be at home for a few days.

She seems to be ok for the most part. Taking the feedings relatively well; has peed numerous times and pooped too [this is a very good thing!]; her hydration seems ok [I’m doing the back-twist test]; she’s pretty tired and still quite lethargic and has taken to hiding out under one of our living chairs in the relative darkness [but that could be because every 3-4 hours were trying to feed her - I’d be hiding out too!]; and her belly fluid hasn’t increased since last night.  We’re trying to be optimistic and are praying that the meds do their job, loving her and doing what we must to make her well. Yes, even if that means getting squishy cat food under my finger nails, in my hair and on my clothes [note to self: wear CRAPPY t-shirt for feedings!]… We’re doing this for the greater good of Baby Mack’s health.

Anyways… that is the update for now. 

There will be more non-kitty stuff tomorrow related to Christmas crafts and decorating ideas. Just too tired to take a decent photograph LOL. The projects are easy, not too expensive and can be tailored to any color scheme. Catch you tomorrow! For now, I leave you with this…

I’m just waiting for terry to leave his office, I’m sitting in the lot waiting for him… Then we’re off to bring home the furgirl! Yay!

I went to one of our pet superstores today and picked up some welcome home treaties for mackenzie… Two fun and colorful catnap toys and a tiny pink “preppy” sweater. Truth be told I was hoping for argyle… But preppy fit the bill just fine! It’s pink with blue and white stripes on the “waistband” and sleeve cuffs. So cute!

I got cause she’s all shaved and I don’t want her to get cold… Plus it may be the only time I can her to wear it LOL! I will have camera at the ready once it is on her and will take some quick snaps in case it comes off as quickly as it went on. I’ll post those later tonight.

In the meantime, it will be a cozy cuddly evening on the couch with my mack mack and the family Lazar-Schuler will be complete again.

Christina Lazar-Schuler Lazar Studiowerx Inc.

The dreaded test results have finally come in… the abnormal liver and kidney cells tested negatively for lymphoma so that means no cancer in her body. The Titer test for FIP showed a very high level of antibodies for the disease and based on the range of antibody levels, as accepted by veterinary  pathologists, there is a 90% probility that my sweet furry girl has FIP.

I just wanted to post a quick update about Mack’s condition for all of you who have been caring enough to ask. So, FIP… here’s what that means:

• She will be medicated with aggressive antibiotics for a period of time to see if there is any change in diagnosis
• If there is no change in her condition, we will move into pallative care scenerio and will keep her comfortable and happy as long as possible [could be 4 weeks up to 1 year] until she starts to shows signs of suffering

The good thing is that we get to bring my sweet girl home tomorrow, she’ll be with us through the holidays, there is still a 10% chance that she doesn’t have FIP and that the aggressive antibiotics WILL destroy the disease that is slowly consuming my Mackenzie. While I will hold that 10% chance in my heart and have faith that she will be one of the lucky few and survive this illness, I can also begin preparinge myself in case the unthinkable happens.

Thank you again my friends, who have shown us such love and support, we ALL appreciate your kindness and encouragement. 

I’m generally not the most patient person in the world… always wondering what’s in the box, what the test results show, when are we going and when can I leave? So today, as I not-so-patiently wait for Baby Mack’s ultrasound and additional blood test results, my legs are vibrating under my desk like a caffeine addict, my fingers are nervously drumming on the desk and mouse and my stomach is in knots. I hate waiting… particularly when it comes to the health and well-being of my sweet furbaby Mackenzie.

I expect a phone call this afternoon with 1 of 3 results…

1. Mackie has a blockage [definitely the preferred news and a treatable health issue!] and there will be a surgery in the next few days for her
2. Mack has cancer and there may be surgery with chemo to follow [2nd choice in news and also treatable we believe]
3. Mack has FIP [NOT what I want to hear at all…] which is terminal illness and basically we will have to choose palative treatment options.

Edited: THE phone call came while I was typing this…
Mackie was tested and the mass found on the ultra sound in in the lining of the gut between her abdominal wall and tummy. So the vet performed a aspirated [needle] biopsy and removed some abnormal cells from the tummy mass, her kidneys and liver. It is looking more like a lymphoma situation then FIP and if that is the case it is treatable with medication - YAY! FIP tests are due back tonight or early tomorrow, so we’ll be able to rule that out once and for all tomorrow morning.

So a little relief on the horizon and I am visualizing a funny, shaved Mackenzie sleeping in my lap at home by the weekend. She WILL be home, happy and on the road to healthy by Christmas…

To all who have sent in their well-wishes, prayers and love for this truly sweet, furry girl - thank you! It has bolstered my spirits and has helped tremendously in dealing with our family health crisis. Love to all of you from Me, Terry, Kodiak and most of all Mackenzie!

Edited 10:45pm: We visited Baby Girl at the vet’s this evening for a while. She was a little dopey from the gas she received during the ultrasound and biopsy… but otherwise she’s stable. She is now shaved in three spots on her body and the patches of naked kitty are getting larger LOL!

Her front leg is shaved where the IV was placed; there is a patch about 2"x2" on her neck that was shaved for blood tests; and yesterday there was a 4" wide shaved strip across her belly for the pain patch she’s wearing. The pain patch is a great thing! Basically, instead of having an IV and receiving the drugs/pain meds by needle, the pain patch is like the Nicoderm patch and Mack can receive her meds subcutaneously. Brilliant! Although she does look hilarious with a tensor wrapped around her tummy and a shaved belly peeking out, it’s a great thing.

Today  we visited for a while, gave her a good rub and saw her in all her nudie, shaved glory LOL! For the ultrasound and subsequent biopsy, Mack’s entire belly, from stem to stern, was shaved. She looked a little embarassed showing us her tummy and all it’s velvety smooth, fuzzlessness - gotta admit, it was a bit odd and wrinkly looking LOL!  So, since we expect to have her home by this weekend, I’m going to try to pick up a cute little sweater for her to wear until the fur grows back in, so she’s not cold [and so I can take photos of her in the sweater!]

It’s  also sounding like Miss Mackenzie will be coming home on the weekend… and we’ll be taking over the feeding and hydration until she starts feeding on her own. That means syringe feedings every 3-4 hours round the clock, along and monitoring her hydration. It’s a big responsibility, but were just thrilled at the idea of having her at home finally and getting her on the road to recovery!

That’s it for now… will post again once we get the final results and prognosis.