1 Sharkey! Come quick! Look what I swiped - er, uh, what I found!

2 It's the packet for the 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show! G.K. has been gearing up for this for months!

3 You're not going to believe what's in here!

4 Two press tickets! One for you and one for me!

5 We need to sneak in and surprise G.K.! How great would it be for us to be there, cheering him on! He'd be sure to win with our support!

6 This yellow area shows us where the photographers get to be. Right up front! How do we get in there, Sharkey?

7 Franny, I'm one step ahead of you! I found the special press passes in the kitchen!

8 They're for Martha's TV show. Her crew will be there filming G.K. at the event! See Franny, one is a photo pass, so we can get into that photographers' ring and take great shots of our brother!

9 There, we'll walk right in! Just pretend we're with the media! Wait, Franny, we ARE the media! We do have our own blog...why wouldn't the Daily Wag be at the Westminster Dog Show?

10 Don't worry, Sharkey. Just let me do all the talking! I'll get us right in!

11 Right, and I'll take Martha's Canon S95 camera and take all the photos!

12 Francesca, we need a plan. Let me look through the judging program to find when G.K. will be showing.

13 Let's see, the schedule says that the Chow Chows are in Ring One on Monday at 10:15am...so that's where we'll find G.K.

14 Sharkey, how are we going to get to Madison Square Garden in New York City for the show? Oh wait, I know! Let's call Uncle Carlos! He'll be sure to take us!

15 Sigh, Uncle Carlos isn't answering his cell phone. And besides, it's already Monday and it's after 10:15! I wonder if G.K. won?

1 I've been doing a lot to prepare for Westminster next week, like staying in shape in Karen's exercise yard.

2 There are lots of toys for me to play with here, as well! Toys keep dogs minds stimulated, keeping us sharp and smart!

3 There are also other Chow Chows for me to socialize with at Karen's house, which also prepares me to be around all the other dogs at the show, both big and small!

4 It's hard to believe that the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show begins on Monday! We've just received all of our official documents for the show.

5 This is my offiicial identification card.

6 As a precaution, Karen took me to the Blue Ridge Veterinary Office to get microchipped. I was a little nervous because I wasn't sure what that meant, but Vet Tech Melani Bowman and Dr. Carol Filchner made me feel at ease!

7 Another vet tech, Lisa Wenner, filled out my paperwork and explained that a microchip would be implanted under my skin between my shoulder blades. If I ever get lost, a vet can scan the microchip and find out who I am!

8 It's a very common practice these days and more reliable than tags. I don't usually wear a collar around the house because of my thick fur and a microchip clearly states that Martha is my owner!

9 First, they scanned my body to make sure I didn't already have a microchip. Like I'd forget about having a microchip!

10 The microchip is smaller than a grain of rice and fits inside a syringe. I thought it was going to hurt - who likes getting shots? The vet techs were so nice and quick, I didn't even feel it!

11 The vets showed me a photo of Martha holding a Jack Russell terrier who is owned by Dr. Edward Shelly from the veterinary clinic! What a small world! By the way, all kinds of pets can get microchips. It's a really good idea!

1 Sharkey, what are they guys doing in the vegetable garden? It usually doesn't see much action this time of year! Let's investigate!

2 Normally, in the depths of winter, the ground is so frozen you couldn't possibly dig like that. Plus, it's usually covered with snow!

3 That's right, Franny! This has been an exceptionally mild winter, allowing for the guys to get a head start on garden preparations for the spring!

4 At the start of every growing season, the garden gets turned over, meaning the first ten to twelve inches of soil is dug up and flipped.

5 But, before that happens, any weeds are cultivated out and discarded in the compost pile. There, those weeds get 'cooked' by the heat of the decaying organic matter, killing their seeds.

6 Once that job is done, the digging begins, a process that aerates the soil. You could even spread a layer of compost first to incorporate more nutrients into the soil. You can smell that this soil is very nutrient-rich!

7 Phurba, you're doing a splendid job! Franny, aerating sounds like a good idea, but it seems like so much work. Why is this done for the garden? Isn't it just...dirt?

8 Think about it, Sharkey! This isn't just dirt, it's what plants live in! Aeration helps replenish nutrients and provides a loose soil for vegetable roots to grow deep and strong.

9 Right! It's all coming back to me now, Francesca. It also helps with good water drainage. Is this the next section to turn?

10 Yikes!!! No way, Sharkey. This is Martha's prized asparagus and rhubarb plot. This section never gets turned!

11 Sharkey, all this talk about vegetables and nutrients has made me hungry! Let's go find a snack!

1 Sharkey! Did we have another awful storm when I wasn't looking? Why are there so many branches on the ground?

2 Francesca, a storm would leave tree branches in such neat piles!

3 These branches are from December's Christmas trees! Instead of putting them in the trash, Martha has them cut and placed on top of garden beds as a type of winter insulation. Nothing is wasted around here!

4 Plus, Ryan and Wilmer have been spreading mulch on top of all the garden beds. A thick layer of this fluffy organic compost will protect all of those confused spring bulbs that have been sprouting.

5 In natural forests, fallen autumn leaves create a protective layer on the forest floor for all the wild plants. But, we make our own organic composted mulch, which works great here at the farm.

6 Composting is a fascinating subject! I can smell each and every thing that went into this batch! Francesca, let's go take a look at the gigantic compost piles!

7 Sharkey, we certainly have enough composted mulch to keep us in business for quite some time! I feel like I'm mountain climbing!

8 These piles are a combination of ground up grass clippings, wood, and animal manure from the horses and donkeys. Manure is especially good as fertilizer because it adds much needed nutrients, like nitrogen to the soil.

9 Ryan, you and Wilmer are doing an excellent job top dressing all of the gardens! Everything looks great!

10 But I'm glad you're not too busy to stop and give me a nice scratch!

11 A thick blanket of composted mulch makes the perennial beds look nice and neat and it's comforting to know that it really is a blanket to protect and nourish the plants beneath it.

1 What are you looking at, Sharkey? That looks like a posting on Martha's blog from 2007!

2 It is, Francesca! I noticed that Martha had put her namesake orchid in the kitchen and it prompted me to look up some information about it!

3 Oh right, I remember this! Art Chadwick, Sr. and his son Arthur, from Chadwick & Sons, appeared on Martha's show to present her with the orchid that they named for her. Let's take a closer look at it in the kitchen!

4 Here it is! Wow, look how large the flowers are! I don't think any of Martha's other orchids blossom this big!

5 The botanical name is Laeliocattleya Martha Stewart and is registered with the Royal Horticultural Society. It's a cattleya hybrid.

6 Did you know this type of hybrid takes seven years to bloom, Franny? After that, it will bloom every year. You're seven years old. Can you imagine waiting your whole life to see it blossom?

7 That's sure one special orchid! Cattleyas are a tropical flower, right? They typically grow in South America.

8 That's right Franny. They are often used in corsages, but I think this one would look nice behind my ear, don't you think?

9 They are characterized by three narrow petals and three wide petals with ruffly edges. They also have a lovely sweet fragrance. Smell it, Francesca!

10 Oh I did, and now I have pollen all over my nose! Achoo!

1 Francesca! The temperatures are certainly dropping these days and I feel that it could snow at any minute! Let's check on the sheep to be sure that they are keeping warm!

2 There they are - the Black Welsh Mountain sheep! Maybe we should enter their paddock and ask them if they're warm enough, Franny!

3 Silly Sharkey! The sheep are fine in cold weather. After all, they are covered with wool fleeces, which, by the way, have grown quite thick.

4 Plus, Sharkey, they have this little house where they can find shelter from falling rain and snow!

5 I've also noticed that they have been packing on the pounds lately, as extra body fat helps to keep them warm. The ewes tend to be around 100 pounds and the males, called rams, are usually around 140 pounds.

6 In some breeds of sheep, both sexes have horns, but not in the Black Welsh variety. Rams grow curved horns while the ewes do not. The females are referred to as polled, meaning without horns.

7 Oh Franny, you're right! I almost forgot how thick their fleeces grew last year and how Martha sheared them in the spring! Say, whatever happened to that wool, anyway?

8 Here it is, Sharkey, in the craft room! Look how many skeins of yarn were yielded after spinning!

9 Black Welsh mountain sheep produce black, short, and dense wool. If the sheep are exposed to a lot of sunlight, their coats turn a reddish shade, called Cochddu.

10 The fleece is first cleaned before the plying process, or when two or more pieces of wool are twisted together in a spinner. A strand of yarn is really a bunch of small pieces of wool fiber wound together.

11 I have an idea! Let's get out the knitting needles and ask Martha to knit us some sweaters with this warm wool so we can stay toasty like the sheep!

1 Francesca! Come up to the craft room! We need to work on our holiday card!

2 I think we should use this great photo taken of us wearing our holiday sweaters from PetSmart.

3 What do you think, Francesca?

4 Great, Sharkey! And now we'll print it out. Doesn't it look nice on this glossy paper?

5 I'll use this Martha Stewart Crafts paper cutter to cut out the photo. Franny, go find some card stock!

6 Already ahead of you! I'm using this bone folder to make a really nice crease!

7 A little glue to the back of the photo...

8 It's looking good, Francesca! But is there anything else we can do to make it a bit more festive?

9 I found this snowflake border paper punch!

10 Did you know that sending holiday cards is somewhat of a recent practice? The first card was designed by J.C. Horsly in 1843! They caught on in England because, at the time, it only cost a penny to mail them!

11 Wow, doesn't it look great? Come on, Sharkey! Let's run and give this to Martha! She'll be so proud of her little Frenchies!

1 Hey, Franny! Why don't you join me in the stable kitchen where I'm looking at Martha's collection of antique copper molds?

2 Copper molds, like these were quite popular during the Victorian era. They were used to make cakes, savory pies, mousses, jellies, and other tasty delights.

3 Antique molds were also made from tin, ceramic, and even wood, but copper is the favorite for collecting, and for good reason. They're really beautiful, don't you think?

4 Copper has long been used for pots and pans because it's an excellent conductor and retainer of heat. But, because it's quite costly, some pots are made with only copper bottoms, making them more affordable.

5 Martha uses her fish-shaped molds for her famous salmon mousse! BTW - The recipe is in her very first book, Entertaining.

6 Francesca, what do you suppose this beautiful mold is used for? Owl mousse? I hope not!

7 Wow, Sharkey, I've never really spent any time looking at all of this copper. It's great! Take a look at this large copper storage bin next to the Aga stove!

8 Francesca, to be precise, this is an Aga four-oven stove. Each oven is heated to a different temperature. Martha uses this kitchen when she has parties in the stable, and this Aga is very versatile.

9 Aga cookers have been around since the beginning of the 20th century. This model has two hot plates for stove top cooking.

10 When this stove is fired up, the covers feel warm to the touch. But, the surfaces beneath them are sizzling hot!

11 And this, Sharkey, is the warming plate, where pots of food are placed to stay warm until ready to serve. I wonder when the next stable party will be? The last one was sure fun!

1 Oh, Franny, I know there's a lot to do around the farm, like helping with the boxwood burlapping and hanging holiday decorations, but I'm just feeling so darn sleepy!

2 However, I feel guilty, so I must get up! I hope I'm not coming down with a cold! A lot of people don't realize that dogs can get colds just like humans!

3 Well, Sharkey, the symptoms of a dog cold are similar to human colds. Have you been sneezing or coughing? Do you feel congested? You do seem like you're feeling a bit run down.

4 You can often tell if a person has a fever by feeling his or her forehead. Determining if a dog has a fever is more difficult, as our body temperature is naturally higher than humans!

5 It's very important, for both pups and people, to get lots of rest when you are sick. I'll make sure your bed is nice and comfy.

6 Just a few more fluffs! Hey, this fleece blanket is so soft! It sure feels inviting.

7 Sharkey, maybe I have what you have because all of a sudden, I don't feel working either!

8 Well, Franny, now that I've gotten up and moved around a bit, I'm feeling much better! Perhaps the rain today is causing my sluggish mood. I think that sluggishness may be contagious!

9 You may be right about that Sharkey, because my eyelids are suddenly very heavy!

10 No worries, Franny. We, Frenchies, are such proven hard workers and we deserve to act like dogs every once in a while! Lazy is good, but it's a good thing Martha isn't around to hear me say that.

11 You silly, girls. One thing's for sure - there will still be plenty of work tomorrow, but you'll have to do it without me, as I, the Grand Champion, will be off to another dog show! Now let's all get down to some serious napping!

1 Francesca, where did Martha find reindeer to the pull her gift sleigh on the show? Wait, those aren't reindeer!

2 Why, that's Betsy with the donks, Billy, Clive, and Rufus! The donkeys are wearing reindeer antlers and Betsy has on a Santa hat! That's too funny!!!

3 Why do you suppose they got to go to the show and why we got left at home?

4 Come to think of it, Francesca, I didn't see the donkeys in their paddock when we made the rounds this morning. I was looking for them so I could get in a good bark or two.

5 That's it, Sharkey! They didn't invite us because they knew we would bark like crazy! Let's check out the computer to see if Martha uploaded any photos of the donks visit to the TV studio yet. I'll just log in.

6 Ah-ha!!! There they are in Martha's office! Isn't it weird to see them standing inside like that?

7 And now Rufus is getting a little hair and makeup! Look! Even Gyurme went along!

8 Producer Barbara Fight looks like she really loves Clive and it looks like he's digging it, too.

9 They certainly are getting a lot of attention, but it's not like you see donkeys at TV every day.

10 What if they have to....you know what? That would be a big mess to clean! That is carpeting, after all!

11 And now they get to pose with Martha. I hope they don't step on her toes.

12 She really loves the donkeys, just as she loves all of her animals.