Happy Halloween ~

My heart goes out to all those who have suffered through Hurricane Sandy.  I cannot even begin to imagine the effect it has had on so many lives.  I lives 500+ miles from the Atlantic coast and the wind and rain we received was impressive.  Last evening about 6pm I ventured down to Lake Erie to try get a few pictures of the waves crashing on the breakwalls.  It was still so windy I could barely stand and could not hold the camera steady.  On Monday they were predicting waves up to 30' and sustaining winds of 50-55 mph gusting to 70-80 mph, and this was 500 miles to the west!!!  Many trees and power lines came down.  I was fortunate that my power was restored in less than a day.  I must say it was mighty chilly sleeping Monday night and for once I was happy to have Annie as a pug blanket and the hot flashes were most welcome!

Have you ever seen sea gulls sitting in a strong wind?  They all point in to the wind.

When I tried to get closer for a better picture, most of them decided to take to the air and I decided to quickly return to the car and not have any fly overhead :)

I will leave you with a few of my Halloween decorations.  I can't believe it's already time to take them down and bring out the turkeys.

A gourd I painted years ago.  Please excuse the shadow but the one taken with the flash was much too bright.

Gifts from dear friend Wink.

Happy Halloween!
Thanks for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Shades of Khaki ~

How many shades of khaki can there be?  WAY TOO MANY!  With names like Outerbanks, Barcelona Beige, Urban Putty, Safari Vest, Tatami Mat, Gobi Tan, Woven Straw . . .  Do paint makers have staff that do nothing but make up paint names?

For the last couple of years I have wanted to switch out my hooking room with my larger guest bedroom.  I wanted to paint before making the switch, but finding/making the time never happened.  I now have the problem called TMW (too much wool) and the hooking room is totally out of control no matter how often I try to clean it.  (It's a terrible problem to have, you know!)  I finally sweet talked, cajoled, bribed, hired my son to do it.  Which leads to the shades of khaki.  I want something very neutral as a backdrop because I hope to finally get some rugs hung.  J (short for Jason) likes Sherwin-Williams paint, so I've finally decided on Outerbanks for the walls and Urban Putty for the ceiling.  

The guest room is almost emptied and boy was there a lot of stuff.  It is now in the bathroom, my bedroom, the upstairs landing area . . . sigh.  I really don't like living in chaos!  

On a neatness scale of 1 to 10, I am normally about a 9 (at least in my mind!), so I can't believe this is what the hooking room looks like and I am really showing it to you!

I did finish one of my little pumpkin mats.  It ended up being about 10" x 12".  I like the look of the beading though I still find it awkward to hook.   

I used wool to bind the edges

It is a blustery, cold, rainy day here on Ohio's north coast.  I hope and pray that Hurricane Sandy does not wreak havoc on those of you to the east.

Thanks for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Hooking at the Farm ~

Last evening I headed a bit south to spend a couple hours hooking at the farm ~ That'll Do Farm.  There were just a few of us but many laughs were shared.

Melissa has been a hooking fool!  Love these two Betsy cats she made in to pillows!  (Of course the colors are much more muted in person.)

She is currently working on Anne Nichols' turkey as a gift for her parents.  She will change the date to the year they married.  She also has hooked rugs for her three sisters for Christmas and on each one put the year of her birth.  What a great sister!

Andi is making great progress on her Deanne Fitzpatrick rug started in a Katie Allman class at the Farm a few weeks ago.

Of course I've waited until the last minute to hook a couple small mats needed as gifts next week.  When will I ever learn?  {Probably never!}  The pumpkin is hooked in an 8.5 cut and after hooking so many pumpkins with hand-torn strips, I felt like I was hooking with spaghetti.  I did go to a 9 cut for the background.

A few pics from around the farm.

 

I'll leave you with this picture of Annie taken earlier this evening.  It just cracks me up when she sits this way!

Thanks for stopping by.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

New Co-Worker ~

The office where I work is in a former toy factory and not the nicest place.  You've all met Sam, the work cat and resident mouser.  

Last year we knew there was "something" in the ceiling, but when a trap was put there, "it" somehow managed to steal the bait and to our knowledge did not return . . . until recently.  Never before was there any sign that he was anywhere but up above. Last week we found evidence of another four legged creature, but not just above.  Here is one of the walls where he came down.

This print (and many more) were found around Sam's cat food bowls that were nearly empty.

When we arrived at work Monday morning, our newest co-worker was already there.  Meet Rocky Raccoon.  I know, I know.  Not very original but it's the best I can come up with.  He was not too happy but neither were we.

{{Did you know that raccoon scat (don't you love that word for poop?) can be fatal to humans?}}

He was taken FAR AWAY from the building and released, but I have a feeling he has relatives and friends who are NOT FAR away.

Now for another creepy critter.  Oh, wait, just Spiderman.  Spidey and I went to Boo at the Cleveland Metropark Zoo Friday evening.     

He just thought he was so cool with all his muscles!  The weather wasn't the best, but we still had a good time and most of the rain held off until the last hour.  

Nothing else exciting in my life.  Tomorrow is hooking at That'll Do Farm so I hope I'll have a few rugs to share.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

White Knuckle Flier ~

I've mentioned before that my DSO built his own airplane, a Vans RV-12 experimental light sport airplane.  

I've also mentioned what a chicken I've become and for me to fly he has to promise me there won't be turbulence.  Like he can guarantee that, right?  In my MUCH younger days I did loops and spins in small planes and even jumped out of them.  NOT ANY MORE!  Today I put on my big girl pants and brave face and went up for only the third time.  We headed west to Port Clinton, Ohio, to the Tin Goose Diner located at Erie-Ottawa Regional Airport.  It is an authentic 1950's diner originally located in Jim Thorpe, PA.

Adjacent to the diner is the Liberty Aviation Museum where they are restoring a Ford Tri-motor airplane, also known at a "Tin Goose".  (Sorry for the grainy photo.  It was snatched borrowed from the internet.)

Flying over the fall foliage at about 2,000 feet was breathtaking.  The pictures don't do it justice.

Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio.

Johnson's Island, a private island in Sandusky Bay, is home to a Confederate Cemetery that is open to the public.

Flying over Lake Erie made me a bit nervous.  I only had to grab him once when we hit a few (minor) bumps and when he wanted me to take the joy stick, I absolutely refused :)

It really was a beautiful day for a flight!

Thanks for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

It's All in the Timing ~

~ and my timing is L.O.U.S.Y!!!  I know real estate values are down just about everywhere and I live in an especially depressed area, or at least it seems that way to me.  Most major industries (shipyards, auto plant, etc.) left years ago and what was once a booming downtown is now nearly a ghost town.  We have a beautiful lakefront, but no one seems to look to the lake.  Every six years the State of Ohio mandates that each county have a general reappraisal of every piece of real estate.  I just listed my mom's house last week and this week the reappraisals are out.  The house has lost an additional 19+% of its appraised value.  Maybe good for a buyer, but not a seller :(

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On a positive note, I have finished my Deanne Fitzpatrick rug, Poppies on the Edge of Town.  I guess I'm okay with it but not too happy with my windows.  I won't say I'll never hook DF style again (NEVER say never!), but I probably won't in the near future :)

  

I took the easy way out and finished it "Deanne style" ~ no binding just turning the linen over and stitching it down.

Thanks to everyone who suggested where I might find some inexpensive frames.  I do not have good luck at the thrift stores, so I don't go often, and since I don't go often, I normally don't find anything.  It's a vicious cycle . . . lol!  I have on occasion found a frame or two at a thrift store or antique show, but not smaller square ones.  I did find a site on Etsy that sounds promising and one person left a comment saying they are a good source so I will have to give them a try.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Can You Say Boring?

I feel as if I must be the most boring blogger around.  I've tried to think of something ~ anything ~ to blog about, but it seems I've done a whole lotta nothin'!  I'm so boring I went to a pumpkin carving party on Saturday (thank you, Jane!) and didn't even carve a pumpkin.  I mean, really!  I have been hooking, but you've seen plenty of my pumpkins with the hand torn strips.  I swear I have a little OCD in me.  I think I am hooking pumpkin #10.  I sold two (YIPPEE!) and the rest are being given away and I keep thinking of more people I should make one for.  I do believe I am hooking the last one ~ at least for now.  I am getting mighty tired of them!  Tonight I hope to finish up my Deanne Fitzpatrick mat.  

I have a question for you stitchers out there.  I am looking for some primitive looking frames, about 5 or 6 inches square, and some about 5" x 7", 6" x 8", 8" x 10".  I found one style, a 6 x 6, at a local shop, but I don't want to spend the $40 she was asking for it.  Do you know of any source?  Even if they are unfinished I could paint them.  Thank you in advance!

Thanks for stopping by and reading the most boring blog post ever!
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Vintage Halloween ~

~ ~ ~ WELCOME ~ ~ ~  

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I've bound my Cathy G sunflower rug and have hung it from the cupboard door.

If I was hanging it on the wall, I probably would have just used a couple small nails, but did not want to nail it to the cupboard door.  I didn't have a dowel, so I sewed a chopstick to the binding and hung it with fishing line.  I guess it works!

I've probably shown many of my Halloween decorations in years past, but for those newer followers or those like me with CRS, I will show some again.  Here are vintage tin noise makers . . .

. . . and vintage papier mache.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Pug hugs :)
Lauren