Sammy, who is residing with us while she is raising her litter, took a little time off her maternal duties to soak in the sun with her mom, sister and nephew:
Sammy looking for interesting stuff while Louie thrones on the slab and Ciara soaks in the sun!
Ok, I was trying hard to ignore that there is still snow… on the ground
Lia, the sun worshipper ! Sammy enjoying the coolness of the .. grass.
And Sammy looking regal ! 
Well there was not much to show this winter except snow, snow, snow… Now it is spring and as it is melting away we have a new addition to our family !
Sammy – Champagne Totally Bewitched gave birth to four fabulous puppies, 2 boys and 2 girls on April 13th. You can follow the little family on their own page Sammy’s Nursery.
The year 2014 started with a lot of promise, our beautiful Lia was bred in January and we were excited to welcome puppies again !
I had also enrolled in classes in genetics and molecular biology, that took a lot of my time but it was really interesting!
In February, Louie came to a show in Halifax, he was hum.. a little non plussed about all the fuss 🙂
Towards the end of February, Lia did not feel well and we soon discover that a puppy had died and Lia miscarried her litter. Poor Lia was devastated and so were we, the little hydrant clip on her bandage made us smile, but Lia took a long time to get over her loss.
Our friend Laurinda was going through treatment for Lymphoma all through last year and a group of her friends managed to do a few silent auctions at dog shows and also an online auction to help her. I donated this fun quilt to be auctioned off..
In March we Celebrated St Patrick’s day and our little Irish Girl’s Birthday.Happy Birthday Ciara !
In April Louie obtained his Elite Championship and a third place group placement at the European style show in Truro !
Well done little man !
The Backyard was brimming with action the Eagles had nested in a pine nearby and we were over run with pheasants!
It was fun to watch the little eaglet take his first flight 😉
Spring decided to show itself, just long enough for the crocuses to come to life!
And along with them, the deers now travelled right in front of the house!
Our favourite artist Michael Steddum wanted to paint our girl Ciara.
See the original and the painting ! Just fabulous 😉
So came June and I took a little vacation with my sister to visit her son who was apprenticing in a Michelin Star restaurant in the Burgundy region of France.
This is Chez Greuze in Tournus; needless to say a most memorable evening , even more memorable as Alex, was in the kitchen! The food was, of course, unbelievable ! 
At the end of our trip, we spent a few days in Paris, I have tons of pictures of a rather ugly old metal tower that dominates the Paris skyline but I though you would enjoy these more! 
The Moulin Rouge, where you can take in a show and dinner, just like in the old days. We stayed in Montmartre, which is a little village onto itself within Paris.
You can actually find a replica of this gargoyle in my curio… the original sits a top of the Notre Dame Cathedrale.
We enjoyed summer and fires in our schnauzer fire pit! And then it was time to harvest and eat the tomatoes!
In August I travelled to Ontario to take in the National Schnauzer Specialty, I took some nifty pictures !
One of our friend got married in September, it was nice to be part of their very special day!
We took a little vacation in the highlands where I got to really put my new knees to the test, or may be the scenery was such that I did not pay attention ?
We need to do more of this 😉
I decided to do a different type of quilt for a round robin project, where several people will contribute to my quilt. This is my backyard with the pond, the eagle and the schnauzers. I had fun trying many different techniques including free hand embroidering Louie !
And then it was Christmas time again …
and Charlie wishes you Happy New Year !
Although I never think I will make it on time for Christmas, it always seems to happen!
Gifts have been mailed and received, food preparations are underway, the tree has been decorated and we even attempted to take a few pictures…. here is one of the attempts!
Make sure to check back in a week we will have the year in retrospective and our plans for 2015 !
Louie, sporting the antlers, Ciara and Lia with their Santa collars, and Breeze very regal in her tartan collar!
It has been a busy time and the months have been going by quickly.
Soon, Louie and his siblings will be celebrating their third birthday !!
I am afraid to ask if anyone has matured yet….. well Louie is on his way… sort of !
Here is a picture of Louie and sis Sofie when their antics could be excused because they were puppies 😉 Do not despair. they eventually grow up !
Champagne Standard Schnauzers 