Sophie launches the construction and decoration of her new doghouse. She is particularly excited about her dotted Swiss lace curtains! Read all about Sophie's adventures with the design Dream Team, and about her housewarming party. Sophie Gets Curtains! By Adelene Keeler Smith AuthorHouse Copyright © 2010 Adelene Keeler Smith All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4520-8943-0 Chapter One Sophie has just turned two years old! She is a wire fox terrier. This is an auspicious occasion for Sophie because she now gets a new doghouse with curtains! Her owners, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, promised Sophie that when she passed the stage of playful chewing and zealous shredding, Sophie could have her very own place! This would be a very special place, indeed — an exclusive doghouse fashioned in the same architectural style, British Colonial, as the main house on the property. Sophie's design dream team was composed of the following people: ? Mr. and Mrs. Smith, financiers ? The accomplished and thoughtful architect, JC Haas, AIA ? The dynamic and energetic engineer, Alby Urban, PE ? The charming and ace landscape site developer, Willie Ryan ? The handsome and nifty builder, BB LaRue ? The flamboyant Dorothy Drapery and the refined Mark Hampty-Hammer, famed interior decorators While consulting with her decorators, Mrs. Drapery confidently voiced, "Sophia, darling, your space just calls out for black-and-white checkered flooring (in linoleum, of course!), and voluptuous, breezy, dotted Swiss lace curtains!" Mr. Hampty-Hammer agreed. But he desired to tone things down a bit with a subtle, elegantly tailored, loose cushion sofa with an exclusive English fox decorative throw pillow. He also suggested framing the room with commanding crown molding and customized wall sconces for accent lighting. Sophie was very excited about every aspect and detail of her new house! She especially liked Mrs. Drapery's idea of the black-and-white linoleum floors (a puppy friendly material), which mimicked the marble floors in the main house. She felt the dream team captured her lifestyle and happy disposition in their designs. Sophie knew she was loved and a very valued member of the family to receive such a marvelous doghouse with curtains! During the construction and installation phases of her project, Sophie planned for her housewarming party and sent out engraved invitations to her best puppy friends. The Puppy Invitation List   Charlie, the schnauzer (Freeway's cousin) from Los Angeles, California   Cheddar, the boxer from Madison, Wisconsin   Freeway, the schnauzer from State College, Pennsylvania   Miss Maggie, the Columbian poodle from Boston, Massachusetts   Sally, the bull dog from Atlanta, Georgia   Tyler, the poodle from across the street   Yogurt, the buff-colored cocker spaniel from Denver, Colorado The out-of-state puppy guests decided to meet in New York City to see the hit Broadway show, "Who Let the Dogs Out!" The following morning they enjoyed breakfast at the Plaza Pooch Porch Café, and then went shopping for housewarming gifts. At Bloomie's the puppies purchased a monogrammed throw and a wall clock, then found an exclusive set of unique dog bowls at Sak's Fifth Avenue! After their excursion to the Big Apple, the puppies chartered a plane and flew together from LaGuardia Airport to West Palm Beach, Florida, where Sophie lives. Sophie and her best friends enjoyed a fabulous party and weekend reunion sleeping, eating, barking, and playing. Sophie is settling comfortably into her new home with cozy curtains. Her favorite pastime is diving for squeaky toys behind the sofa cushions! Do you think this might be Sophie's imaginary foxhole? (Perhaps an inherited trait from her foxhunting Scottish ancestors?) The End (Continues...) Excerpted from Sophie Gets Curtains! by Adelene Keeler Smith Copyright © 2010 by Adelene Keeler Smith. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.