Thursday, March 31, 2011

Springtime in Ohio ~

It is said
if you don't like the weather in Ohio,
stick around for a day.
* * * * * *
These photos were taken
last night at 10:30 pm.






 And this one was taken today
at 3:30 pm.

This is why
I love snow in March.
* * * * * * * *
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Blah, Blah Tuesday ~


Don't you just love a Photo Shopped picture?  This card from Becky at Primitives 'n Stitchin just cracked me up.  I won a give-away from Becky, she in turn won a give-away from me.  In yesterday's mail I got another goodie from her.  Isn't this necklace just perfect?  I just love it.  THANK YOU so much, Becky.  You are so thoughtful!

Meet Wilma.  She is an Ohio Pug Rescue pug.  I did not foster her, but I did her adoption last year.  Forever mom Darlene just loves her to pieces and occasionally sends me a picture.  Isn't she just too precious?  Wilma has some health issues but is doing okay.  Please keep her in your four-legged prayers :)
Here's my Peanut snoozing on the couch last evening.
She likes to snuggle up to the rug frame when I'm not hooking.  I've made great progress on my Maggie B rug, but I don't think I will get it done by the end of the month.  There's still quite a bit of background on the left side of the rug.  If I'd spend less time on this darned 'ole computer . . . sigh. 
Once again, blogger was giving me fits tonight.  The first time I did this post, some HTML error came up and would not let me preview, save or publish it.  I hope this time I am successful!
Thank you so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Insightful (???) Sayings ~

Steven Wrightisms

I planted some bird seed. A bird came up. Now I don't know what to feed it.

I had amnesia once--or maybe twice.

I went to San Francisco. I found someone's heart. Now what?


Protons have mass? I didn't even know they were Catholic.


All I ask is a chance to prove that money can't make me happy.


If the world were a logical place, men would be the ones who ride side saddle.


What is a "free" gift? Aren't all gifts free?


Someone told me I was gullible and, guess what ... I believed them.


Teach a child to be polite and courteous and, when he grows up,
he'll never be able to merge his car onto the freeway.

Experience is the thing you have left when everything else is gone.


One nice thing about egotists: they don't talk about other people.


My weight is perfect for my height -- which varies.


I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.


The high cost of living hasn't affected its popularity.


If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain whales?


How can there be self-help "groups"?


Show me a man with both feet firmly on the ground and
I'll show you a man who can't get his pants off.

Is it just me--or do buffalo wings really taste like chicken?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

(Blogger won't let me add a picture.  It will download, but it will not show up on the published post.  Is anyone else having a problem?)

Friday, March 25, 2011

Chicken Poop Lip Junk ~

I have to say
this is one of the more unusual
birthday presents I've ever received.
My MUCH older brother
{by 2 yrs and 11 days}
gave this to me.
Grandpa says:
"If ya got dry lips,
put chicken poop on 'em
so you won't lick 'em!"
Under the list of ingredients it says
"contains no poop".  DUH!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Thanks for all you kind comments
on my skating (mis)adventure.
I think I'm even more sore today
than yesterday.
Hard to believe that your butt
can ache . . . lol!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I took the day off today
and planned to accomplish miracles.
It hasn't quite happened.
I slept past 9:30 . . .
I thought I died and went to heaven,
but it sure did cut in to the morning.
Oh, well.
There's always tomorrow.
The sun is shining but it is COLD
here on Ohio's north coast.
We had flurries this morning
but thankfully nothing stayed on the ground.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
As always, thank you so much
for stopping by.
Have a great weekend.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Harder Than I Remembered ~


The skating rink floor, that is.  Jake was holding on to the railing and I thought I was doing okay.  Like I said, kind of like riding a bicycle.  So I decided to go around the rink once by myself.  I didn't think I was skating fast, but rounding the curve, in less than a nano-second, I was down.  I mean down hard!  Butt, palms of my hands, back and MY HEAD!!!  Ouch.  Talk about embarrassing.  One of the rink guys (who looked like he was all of fourteen!) immediately came to make sure the old lady was okay and to help her up.  I mean, it couldn't have happened at the far end where nobody could see me.  Nope.  Right where I had a huge audience.  Thankfully I am okay.  The goose egg on my head is pretty much gone and my back is still sore, but nothing is broken.  Luckily I inherited my mom's good bones :)  Needless to say, the rest of the evening I was very cautious.  The good part . . . by the end of the session, Jake was no longer holding on to the railing and was actually skating!
Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes!  That little bird Julia let the cat out of the bag.  I must have my birthday listed on Rug Hooking Daily.  I had a really funny birthday present to share with you, but my camera won't let me download the picture.  It must be the cable because I couldn't download it to the laptop either.  GGGRRRR!!!!!!  Maybe next time.
Thank you so much for stopping by and listening to my ramblings.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Two P's ~

~ PEANUT ~
She's been with me for
three and a half weeks.
I'm still waiting for this aggressive,
alpha dog to emerge.
In fact,
I'm still waiting for her
first growl.
She is nothing but
sweet, sweet, sweet.
As I've said before,
she's my little velcro dog,
sleeping on my lap while
I type this.

~ PROGRESS ~
I'm pleased with the progress
I've made on my
Maggie B rug.
I started hooking it on March 9.
My goal was to get it hooked this month.
I've never hooked that much in one month!
Maybe I'd better stay off the computer
and spend more time hooking
if I plan on getting it done :)
I'm hooking this mainly with
#8.5 and #9.5 cut and
I'm loving the lack of detail.

Wish me luck tomorrow.
I'm taking my grandson roller skating.
It has been decades since
I've been on skates.
I'm guessing it's kind of like riding a bicycle,
but I remember the floor
being very hard.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Spring has Sprung ~

WELCOME FRIENDS
Thank you so much for stopping by.
Don't you just love spring?
It brings the promise of
green grass,
leaves on the trees,
the scent of a freshly mowed lawn,
and flowers.
We've had enough "brown" . . .
color in the yard
will be a welcome sight.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Grandson Jake is turning six this week
so we celebrated a few days early.
 Here he is trying to read
one of his cards . . .
 . . . and showing off his new
Sponge Bob swim trunks.
 Here are all the March birthday boys.
In addition to Jake turning six,
son J turned 30
and older brother Bill had a birthday, too.
We'll keep his age a secret :)
Has anyone purchased one of the new cutterheads from Beeline Townsend?  Or a compatible head from the Ault's?  I am itching to purchase a #9 cutterhead, but want to be sure the quality is there.
Thank you so much for stopping by. 
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Friday, March 18, 2011

The Girls ~ ~ ~ and a ???

ONLY 2 MORE DAYS
UNTIL SPRING!

* * * * * * * * * *

So does spring begin on
March 20th or 21st?

* * * * * * * * *

I've got some pictures of "my" girls to share with you.  I am so lucky that my last two fosters went to wonderful forever homes that keep in contact with me and send me pictures on a regular basis!
The first is of my sweet Eema.  She is up to her old tricks now that the weather has gotten a little more pleasant.  She went for a walk yesterday with mom Dolly and when she got tired of walking, she fell over and expected a belly rub.  Of course she got one! 
Hopscotch's mom Heidi recently adopted another pug from Ohio Pug Rescue.  She now has four pugs.  That's Gabi on the left and Hopscotch, smiling as usual :)
And here's my Peanut.  She is such a good girl.  It's been three weeks since she came to stay with me and I've yet to witness one ounce of aggression.  I have not heard her growl or snarl even once.  Sunday we were set up at a Moochie pet store and she must have come in contact with 20-25 other dogs and she was as good as gold.  I thought there was an application for her, but I've not heard anything all week.  That's okay by me . . . she is a delight to have around.  Check out that one chin hair!
We've finally had two spring-like days in a row and things in the garden are growing like crazy.  I absolutely adore snow drops! 
The winter aconite are pretty darn sweet, too.
Yesterday before swim class, Jake and I had some time to enjoy the weather.  He found a snake in the grass.  He was a little apprehensive at first.  I am not afraid of snakes {at least not little ones}, so we picked it up {with a stick} and put it in the garden.  It stayed there for the longest time, and when the garden started to get shady, Jake insisted we move the snake back in the grass where the sun was shining.
Thank you so much for stopping by.  I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Pug hugs :)
Lauren


Thursday, March 17, 2011

Happy St. Patrick's Day ~


May the luck of the Irish
be yours today!
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Monday, March 14, 2011

Too Funny Not to Pass Along ~


 
With time,
women gain weight
because we accumulate so much information
 and
wisdom in our heads
that when there is no more room,
it distributes out to the rest of our bodies.
So we aren't heavy,
we are enormously cultured,
educated and happy.

Beginning today, when I look at my butt
in the mirror I will think,
“Good grief, look how smart I am!”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Must be where “Smart Ass” came from!

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Saturday, March 12, 2011

~ ~ ~ Pay It Forward ~ ~ ~

Pay it Forward
has swept through blogland today.
I read about it on Lori's blog
and decided I'd like to participate.

Here's how it works . . .
The first five people who comment
on this blog post
will receive a handmade gift from me.
In return, you must write a
blog post on your blog
explaining Pay It Forward 2011.
You, in turn, will send out a handmade gift
 to the first five visitors
who leave a comment on your post.
Take your time . . .
This should be a fun, joyful experience.
No pressure . . . just enjoy the process
of making and giving as I intend to do.
You will receive something
cross stitched,
needle punched or
hooked.
Let me know if you have a preference
and I will try to accommodate.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Spring Snow ~


Yesterday ~
we woke to a winter wonderland.
I am not a "winter" person,
but I love March snowstorms.
The snow is so wet and heavy
and clings to every twig and branch.
The best part is
we get to enjoy the beauty
for a day or two ~
and then it melts away :)
These pics are from my yard . . .
. . . and down the street.

Only 8 more days until spring!

Pug hugs :)
Lauren


Thursday, March 10, 2011

Useless Information ~




"Stewardesses"
is the longest word typed with only the left hand.

And "lollipop"
is the longest word typed with your right hand.
(Bet you tried this out mentally, didn't you?)

No word in the English language
 rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.

 
"Dreamt" is the only English word
 that ends in the letters "mt".
(Are you doubting this?)

Our eyes are always the same size from birth,
but our nose and ears
never stop growing.

The sentence:
"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"
uses every letter of the alphabet.
(Now, you KNOW you're going to try
this out for accuracy, right?

The words 'racecar,'
'kayak'
and 'level'
are the same whether they are read
left to right or right to left (palindromes).
(Yep, I knew you were going to "do" this one.)

There are only four words
 in the English language which end in "dous":
 tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
(You're not doubting this, are you?)

There are two words in the English language
 that have all five vowels in order:
 "abstemious" and "facetious."
(Yes, admit it, you are going to say, a e i o u)

TYPEWRITER is the longest word
that can be made using the letters
 only on one row of the keyboard.
(All you typists are going to test this out.)

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.
(Some days that's about what my memory span is.)

A "jiffy" is an actual unit of time
 for 1/100th of a second.

 
A shark is the only fish
 that can blink with both eyes.

 
A snail can sleep for three years.
(I know some people that could do this too!)

Almonds are a member of the peach family.

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
(I know some people like that also.)

Babies are born without kneecaps.
They don't appear
 until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.

February 1865 is the only month
 in recorded history
 not to have a full moon.

 
In the last 4,000 years,
 no new animals have been domesticated.

If the population of China walked past you,
8 abreast,
 the line would never end
 because of the rate of reproduction.

Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.

Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite!

Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

The average person's left hand
 does 56% of the typing.

The cruise liner, QE 2,
moves only six inches
 for each gallon of diesel that it burns.

The microwave was invented
 after a researcher walked by a radar tube
 and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
(Good thing he did that.)

 
The winter of 1932 was so cold
 that Niagara Falls froze completely solid.

 
There are more chickens than people in the world.
 
Winston Churchill
was born in a ladies' room during a dance.

Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

Bonus!!
All the ants in Africa
weigh more than ALL the Elephants!!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Julia, Julia. Wherefore art thou, Julia?

Julia ~ I'm still waiting for your contact information so I can mail your little kit :)
My first spring flowers are starting to bloom!  I am so excited.  By the time I took this picture this evening, the eranthis (winter aconite) were starting to close up for the night.
Soon my snowdrops will also be blooming.  Woo hoo!
As you can see, I will have lots of yard cleanup once our weather gets a little better.  My trees lose their leaves so late in the fall that I never get them cleaned up before winter.
It's already March 8, so I thought I'd share with you the progress I've made on my Maggie B rug.  If you recall, my goal is to get it hooked during the month of March.  Uh, oh.  I think I'm in BIG trouble :)
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Pug hugs :)
Lauren


Sunday, March 6, 2011

A Rug and some Pugs ~

~ WELCOME FRIENDS ~
This morning March decided to act like the lion.  Our rain turned to snow about 10 pm last evening and by this morning we had about four inches on the ground.  The wind was howling and it was just not a pleasant day :(
This Sunday evening I have a couple things to share that I have been working on.  I have finished the hooking part of my little tulip mat.  It is about 9 1/2" x 12 1/2" and not nearly as bright as the picture shows.  It will be bound at a {much} later date.
I finally started the birthday gift that was to be done a month ago.  Better late than never, right?
This is a picture of Hopscotch (nka Midge) that her forever mom recently sent me.  Those teeth just make me laugh! 
Here's a picture of the first pug (the black one) that I fostered through Ohio Pug Rescue in August of 2008, with my Loocie.  TeeJaye was dumped at a shelter and when I got her she was missing lots of fur from a bad infestation of fleas.  I almost didn't want to hold her because she looked so awful and at that point I had my doubts about fostering.  Let me tell you, she turned out to be a beautiful girl and the day she was adopted out I took a half day off work and spent it crying.  I was told you will cry when the first foster goes to her forever home, and you will cry when the second foster goes to her forever home . . . get the picture?
And now there's Peanut.  She's foster pug #9.  Since I don't have a fenced yard, I only foster one at a time.  She has turned out to be a total joy!!!  She was an adoption return (after two years!!!) due to aggression.  So far, and I know it's only been nine days, there has not been one sign of aggression.  Not one growl, not one snarl.  She is just a little lover.  The first few days we had some problems with separation anxiety/potty issues.  She is now crated when I leave and she has done just fine.  She is my shadow (aka velcro dog :) and is never more than a few feet away from me.  She sleeps with me at night and loves to crawl under the covers and snuggle next to my belly.  I hope she will soon find her forever home that truly is forever.


It's time to get on my soapbox again and ask that if you are considering a pet (be it a dog, cat, bird, horse or even a skunk), please consider rescuing an animal.  PLEASE!!!  Do not support puppy mills by purchasing from a pet store. 
Thank you so much for stopping by and I do hope you will come again soon!
Pug hugs :)
Lauren