Sunday, November 29, 2009

Redwork Sampler ~

Welcome and thank you for stopping by ;-) I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and had much to be thankful for.
My niece and her family are safely back in Chicago and my house is back to its normal quiet self. My son from Las Vegas is still in town. It has been so good to have him "home"!
Tonight I thought I would share with you one of my antique samplers. I believe this unframed redwork sampler to be British because of the crown. I purchased it because my intials are LF. I have it pinned to a piece of an old coverlet hanging on the back of an antique Windsor chair, next to a stepback cupboard in the dining room.

This evening I started to haul the Christmas boxes down from the attic and hope to start decorating soon. The weather has been so unseasonably mild on Ohio's north coast, it has been hard to get in the Christmas spirit. I hope I get the spirit soon.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ HAPPY THANKSGIVING ~ ~ ~
May your stuffing be tasty,
May your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!
May you have family and friends
to share your day with.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving!
Pug Hugs :)
Lauren

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Killer Dust Bunnies ~ ~ ~

Welcome one and all and thank you for stopping by. It was another beautiful day today on Ohio's north coast. We are getting spoiled here, but I'm sure we're in for a rude awakening soon! When out on a walk with Eema, we came across a yard where violets were blooming. I intended to go back and get a picture, but forgot all about it until just now :( I do miss my mind!
Once again I mowed the lawn ~ easier than raking or blowing the leaves. It was so nice to be outside.
Yesterday I spent the day with Alice ~ A Day in the Life Alice. She hosted a Rug Rave in honor of Heather Ritchie's 65th birthday. You can read what it's all about it on Alice's blog post of October 1. We had a yummy lunch ~ Alice made the best potato soup ~ and others brought meatballs, salads, and of course, a birthday cake. The rest of the day was spent hooking. I am working on a Christmas present, so I have nothing I can show you.
Since I played yesterday, today was a busy day. I didn't realize how long it had been since I swiffered, but once I saw the dust bunnies, I knew it had been a long time. My niece and her family are coming from Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with us and they stay with me, so I thought a clean house would be nice...lol! What a great tradition. They've been coming for over ten years. My mom will be so happy to see them. My son is also coming in from Vegas and it will be wonderful to see him ;-)
I hope everyone has the happiest Thanksgiving ever, spent just how you like it!
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Dyeing to show you ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ my first attempt at dyeing wool. I have many yards of wool that I have bought ~ and I've never even felted any of it. Somehow, the thought scares me.
Every year I gather black walnuts ~ just in case I want to dye something. This year I'm lucky I had any left to use. I had the nuts in the garage and whenever the door was up, those danged squirrels would sneak in and steal them. Years ago when I was a basket weaver I stained all my baskets with black walnut dye that I made. I bet I haven't made a batch of dye in over 20 years. I decided to get brave and here's the results. I probably should have left the wool in the dye pot a bit longer, but you can see a subtle difference. I believe this is Heavens to Betsy wool.
Here is some white wool I bought on eBay several years ago. It came out slightly mottled. This wool is a bit thin, so I'm not too sure how it will hook up.
Overall, I'm pleased with the results. One of these days, I just may get around to felting some more wool and in my next life, may get really brave and dye wool with commercial dyes.
Thanks for stopping by.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

~ Gobble ~ Gobble ~ Gobble ~

~ ~ ~ Welcome Friends ~ ~ ~
Thanks for stopping in! I hope your week is off to a great start. Tomorrow it's hump day already. Where do the days go?
Today I thought I would share my collection of turkeys with you. Here's my gaggle of paper mache turkeys. (It's a gaggle of geese, but what is a bunch of turkeys? A herd? A flock?) I believe they are all from the 40's, and they are all marked Germany, except for the one on the left with legs which is not marked. Two of the large ones are marked "Made is Western Germany, US Zone". Several are candy containers and two of the smaller ones have the original price tags of 10 and 15 cents.
The turkeys in the next two photos are wax candles. I'm guessing these date from the 60's.

My dear Mom made the large ceramic turkey and the pilgrim couple. The turkey has the most amazing paint job. I'm sure she spent many hours painting this and I will cherish it always. The cornucopia candle holders were painted by yours truly in 1975. I think I must have been only 3 or 4 when I painted them...LOL!
Please stop again soon!
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Sunday, November 15, 2009

One Feisty Broad!

Back in September, I believe, I introduced you to Duchy who I was pug sitting for a few days. Duchy's foster mom and dad were heading to Seattle to visit the grandkids, so Duchy came to stay with me again. Don't you just love that face? Duchy is about 13 years old and came from a shelter back in May 2008. She's a tiny little thing, weighing only 12 or 13 pounds. She's missing an eye, has a tongue too big for her little mouth and has unsteady feet due to a defect in the cerebellum affecting her fine motor control. (Whew! I stole that directly from her medical record ~ so much for HIPPA...lol!) This is a female who knows what she wants and makes no bones about it. Overall, she was on her best behavior (mom and dad had a talk with her before they left), but once or twice when Eema got too close when Duchy was cuddled up to me, Duchy went into attack mode and acted like she was going to rip her throat out. (There is a video at the end of the post of Duchy that is just too cute. Unfortunately, Blogger won't let me move it.)
Yesterday, Ohio Pug Rescue was invited to an elementary school that was having a holiday shopping event for children and adults. The pugs were a big hit and over $200.00 was made for the rescue. Here are just some of the foster pugs hoping someone will fall in love with them and apply to adopt them.
A member of OPR bought this little rug I made with the proceeds going to the rescue.
Here's the video of Duchy. I hope it loads okay. I've never added a video to the blog.


I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Once again we've had gorgeous weather on Ohio's north coast, but the plants are getting confused. I trimmed a few branches on my forsythia bush, and there was a flower bud opening!
Thank you so much for dropping by and come again soon.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

~ Thank a Veteran ~

WHAT IS A VET?
~ by Father Denis Edward O'Brien, USMC ~

Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye.
Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg - or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's ally forged in the refinery of adversity.
Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem.
You can't tell a vet just by looking.
What is a vet?
He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel.
He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel.
She - or he - is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang.
He is the POW who went away one person and came back another - or didn't come back AT ALL.
He is the Quantico drill instructor who has never seen combat - but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other's backs.
He is the parade - riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand.
He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by.
He is the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep.
He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket - palsied now and aggravatingly slow - who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come.
He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being - a person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs.
He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known.
So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say Thank You. That's all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded.
Two little words that mean a lot, "THANK YOU".

Remember November 11th is Veterans Day

"It is the soldier, not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier,
Who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag."
Let us all take the time to thank a veteran for the freedoms that we have.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Something's Terribly Wrong Here ~ ~ ~

BUT I'M NOT COMPLAINING!!!

(Sorry ;( I didn't mean to yell.)
Today is November 8. I live in northern Ohio. It should not be 74 degrees outside. I am lovin' it. {{grin}} We have only had one very mild frost this fall and it did not kill any of my flowers. I know it's coming, but I am going to enjoy it while it lasts.
Today I was outside painting my house. (Did I mention that it's November 8th and I live in northern Ohio?) My house was built in 1940 and has the original wood siding. I am having a problem with peeling paint. Of course all summer I put off taking care of a few spots that needed scraping and painting and since I had procrastinated for so long, I thought I'd have to live with it all winter. Today I got it done. Woo hoo!!! What a great feeling. Of course it is one of those 50 foot paint jobs ~ looks great from a distance of 50 feet ~ lol! Plus, I even got my grass cut one more time.
These pictures were taken yesterday and today.
Annual geranium ~
Perennial geranium ~
Wave Petunia ~
Marigold ~
I think this is called Dead Nettle ~
Primrose ~
Eema was outside soaking up the sunshine.
I am pug sitting a senior gal named Duchess. Perhaps you'll recall a post about her a few months ago. I'll post more about her later in the week. Here she is with Eema, napping while I type.
I hope you, too, have experienced some beautiful weather this weekend! Thank you so much for stopping by. I do appreciate your visit and to those that leave a comment, I enjoy reading each and every one of them.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Granddog & my favorite Power Ranger


~ ~ ~ Welcome Friends ~ ~ ~
Thanks for dropping by!
My granddog (a Newfoundland) is now 7 months and already weighs in at 71#. She was spayed last week and was the lucky recipient of her personal "lampshade". Honest, Selene, we weren't laughing at you, we were laughing with you.


Selene and grandson Jake getting ready for Trick-or-Treat.

Isn't he just the cutest Power Ranger you ever did see?
What a beautiful day in Ohio. It's 64 degrees and sunny and tomorrow looks to be even better. I finally got a few bulbs planted that I had accidentally dug up and I think I'll get the grass mowed one last time tomorrow. Ya' gotta love Indian summer.
I hope everyone is having a great weekend ;-)
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

I Give Up ~ ~ ~


Welcome friends :)
I guess I was not meant to blog today :( I have been trying for the last hour to upload some photos of my granddog ~ and for whatever reason only part of the picture will upload. Sorry! Blogger wins. I give up!!!!!!!!!
I was able to successfully upload a pic of the progress I've made on my cat rug, so here it is. (Of course I have not captured the true colors. They are much more muted.) I'm getting close to finishing it. I need to get busy and plan my next project (a present) since Christmas will be here long before I am ready. Christmas does fall on the same day every year ~ you'd think I could plan for it ~ but it always gets here before I am ready. Go figure.
Thank you for stopping by and come again soon. Hopefully my next post will be a little more interesting.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Sunday, November 1, 2009

What a Difference a Day Can Make ~ ~ ~

Welcome friends. Thank you for stopping by. I know I say this every month, but where did last month go?
There is a saying in Ohio, "If you don't like the weather, stick around for a few hours and it will change". Friday was an absolute glorious day here on the north coast. Sunny and mid 70's. Perfect in my book. I needed the air in my little SUV Friday evening ~ ~ ~ Saturday morning I had the heater on. Normally Friday's weather would be considered Indian Summer, but since we have not yet had a frost, technically it wasn't. That all may change tonight. It is already down to 35 degrees. It's been great while it lasted ;-)
Here's my neighbor's ginkgo tree. I could not get an unobstructed view. It turns the most wonderful yellow/gold color. It is a hoot because one day, almost on cue, ALL the leaves fall off and the ground is a carpet of yellow/gold fan shaped leaves.

I must share with you the goodies I won from Janene's blog give-away. (www.janene-primitivelifestyle.blogspot.com). My box was just overflowing with goodies. Thank you so much Janene!!! I'm sure I will find a special place for all the items. I especially love the little 3 drawer chest.
I wish I had remembered my camera today. Ohio Pug Rescue was set up at a Moochie pet store in the Cleveland area. Eema was there along with the most handsome 4 year old boy named DJ (short for Don Juan). DJ just sat like a baby in foster mom Beth's arms charming the many admirers who stopped by our table. DJ has the most wonderful tongue that doesn't quite fit in his mouth. Everyone just loved him. Many people acted interested in adopting, and hopefully Eema and DJ will have someone apply to adopt them and love them forever.
I'm sure many of you hate the time change just as much as I do. It was dark by 6pm tonight and it will get worse before it gets better. GGGGRRRRRRR!!! Give me sunshine.
Please stop again soon!
Pug hugs :)
Lauren