As We Enter a New Decade ~

Can you believe it was 20 years ago when all we talked about was Y2K and all the bad that was going to happen?  Luckily none of it did and those years have flown by.  It was twenty years ago this week that I moved in to my two story colonial I always wanted.  The first thing I was going to do after moving in was remodel the kitchen.  It still hasn't happened :(  I'm hoping 2020 is the year it will.

As another year ends, I have much to be thankful for.  First and foremost . . . my health and the health of those I love.  Surviving a motorcycle accident . . . with minor injuries.  Adopting my Molly.  Trips to Las Vegas to visit my #1 bad boy, Tennessee with dear friend Wink, Massachusetts with DSO.  Many hooking camps, retreats, hook ins and classes taken.  2019 was a good year and I look forward to the same in 2020.

Thanks to my blog readers . . . this is post 1500!  So many of you still leave comments or email me.  Thank you to those who leave comments but are no-reply bloggers so I cannot email you.  Sue S, Brook, R's Rue, Just Gail, Denise, Bobbie B and more.  Your comments are much appreciated.

I will not be making any New Year's resolutions because I never keep them and they are soon forgotten.  Maybe I will go back to making monthly goals like I did years ago.  That seems to work better for me.

May you all be blessed with health, happiness and prosperity in 2020.

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Remember Cindy Lou Who?

Do you remember Cindy Lou Who, the foster I picked up a year ago?  She was bought on Craig's List by a good Samaritan (who I consider her guardian angel).  Listed for sale as an unspayed female pug for only $20, this good Samaritan bought her afraid of who would buy her and for what purpose, even though knowing she could not keep her.  This is a picture I received before picking her up.  Her guardian angel even bought her jammies to wear.  (This "pug" was actually a puggle.)

She had taken her to the vet and the vet diagnosed her with a UTI and put her on meds.  When I picked her up, she was in doggie diapers, a first for me.

Not getting any better, I took her to another vet.  Here we are on our way.  Isn't that one of the most pathetic sights you've ever seen?   

The second vet diagnosed her with a bladder stone.  It was easily felt.  How could the first vet totally miss it?

Thank goodness she was now in the hands of Ohio Pug Rescue (with me as her foster mom).  Cindy obviously had many litters of puppies and this stone had to have been growing in her for a long, long time.  She was spayed and this is the stone that was removed.  No wonder she felt she had to urinate every few minutes.  The stone filled her bladder.  Poor baby had to have been absolutely miserable, but by her disposition and sweet demeanor, you never would have known.

Thankfully she recovered quickly from the surgery.

Early in March she went to her furever home, to her new mom, dad and puggle sister.

 Here she is a few days before Christmas ~

~ and on Christmas Day in her new bed.  Mom reports that everyone loves Cindy and Cindy loves everyone.  How I love a happy ending :)

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Merry Christmas to All ~

~ and to all a good night.

Thank you so much for stopping by.

Sending love and pug hugs this Christmas eve.

Lauren & Molly

Winter Solstice ~

So happy that the winter solstice has arrived.  I appreciate every extra minute of daylight we receive!

Gift wrapping at Barnes & Noble was a great success.  Molly and I worked a double shift.  Here she is with Paisley, a 3 year old fawn girl.  It's hard to tell in this picture, but Paisley is the tiniest little thing weighing only twelve pounds.  (Molly is just over sixteen.)

They charmed the shoppers.

Ernestine came and paid us a visit.

By the third hour, Molly was totally worn out.  It's hard being this cute.  (Thank you Melissa for her darling dress!)

I am happy to report that $1256.00 was donated for the pugs, and being a totally volunteer organization, every penny goes to help the them.

Each year I post about TubaChristmas and what a fun time it is.  This year was no exception.  100 tuba players ranging in age from 10 to 79, including several from out of state.  Next year will be the 25th year one has been held in our city.  It was said they are planning something special to mark the occasion.  

After TubaChristmas we celebrated Jake's Christmas.  Always good to spend time with family.

Tomorrow will be last minute grocery shopping.  NOT looking forward to that for sure.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)

Lauren

Last Minute Finishes ~

Always the procrastinator.  The cross stitch has been done for quite some time, but I waited until almost gifting time to "finish" the pieces.  One I simply turned the edges back and stitched (rather crudely) down.  The other I took the really easy way out and just fringed.  Both recipients seemed pleased.

I cut out the pieces for this applique many weeks ago, but waited until Sunday to begin stitching and was gifting it on Tuesday.  It doesn't look like much but it was many hours of work.  I think he came out rather sweet  :)

Tomorrow is the annual gift wrapping for Ohio Pug Rescue at Barnes and Noble.  Molly and I will be there and Ernestine will be joining us mid-shift.  (We are working a double because not enough volunteers came forward.)  Hopefully we will make lots of $$ for the pugs.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)

Lauren

Shoo Fly ~

This reminds me of my Ellie :(

A couple readers were wondering what a shoo fly is.  It is a rocking horse, dating to around the turn of the last century.

The shoo fly in my living room is missing its rockers, but I have another in the hooking room on top of a wool cupboard.

Another example stolen off  borrowed from etsy.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Finally a Bit of Progress~

Christmas is approaching at breakneck speed.  The decorating has been done and I thought by now all the other tasks would be, too, but try as I may, there is still much to do.  The cards have been almost done for days, but still just almost.  Hopefully they will be in tomorrow's mail.  Wrapping hasn't begun.  Good news, though, the boxes have been mailed.

Not much creating has been going on, but I have managed to pull a few loops and am happy that I have passed the half way mark on the hit 'n miss background.  I have many tubs of worms but have I used any of them?  I'm guessing you know the answer to that one.  I wanted to only use the wools that are in the flowers so . . . no worm reduction.

Remember the shoo fly I bought last year that I had on my dining room table?  Now that I purchased the trencher I had to find a new place for it.  It ended up on the blanket chest turned coffee table in the living room.

I also found the perfect Santa to set in him.  Rhonda (a blog reader and Ohio gal who I have met several times) sells on Early Works Mercantile as Simply Quaint.  Santa is just perfect . . . and his reindeer's name is Elmer.  I'm so happy he wasn't already sold.  

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Gotta Love Texting ~

Last Saturday was the Christmas open house at Seville Antiques in Seville, Ohio.  This is a wonderful shop with true antiques ~ something of a rarity.  If money was no object, I'd need to buy a bigger house :)

I happened upon this antique coverlet and texted this picture to dear friend Wink, a longtime coverlet collector.  She lives not far from Xenia.

Before I even got these next two pictures sent, she was calling me.  (Thankfully she read the text tout de suite.)  Within a minute, she was the proud owner.  And perfect timing.  DSO and I were meeting her and her beau for lunch on Monday a couple hours away.  Sometime technology is amazing :)

I own many dough bowls and a few smaller trenchers.  On my antique bucket list was a large trencher.  I found many I liked, but wasn't sure where I could use one or what to put in it.  I came across this 36" one and fell in love with the old repairs.

Here it is decked out for the Christmas season.  I am so happy it came home with me.   

Grandson Jake has been playing the cello for several years.  Now a freshman in high school, he is in the orchestra.  Not a great picture, but that is him in the middle at last night's concert.  The boys wear tuxes and the girls long black dresses.  Impressive!!!

My decorating is D.O.N.E.  I am so happy ~ and relieved.  The only thing left is Christmas cards and I hope to get those done in the next day or two.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)

Lauren

Simplify ~

 . . . is a word not in my vocabulary.  A glutton for punishment.  My own worst enemy.  I have been knee deep in Christmas boxes all week.  Great progress has been made but still have the BIG tree left to decorate, the 33" antique feather tree and lots of odds and ends.  

I finally found a bit of time to pull a few loops.  Rather mindless hooking which is what I need right now.  

The rug I started in Nola's class in early October has not been touched since class . . . and it was supposed to be a Christmas gift.  I guess I will have to come up with plan B :)

I finished a little cross stitch by Tina Woltman.  Now it needs to be stained and the edges turned under so it can be gifted.

Molly has settled in quite nicely.  She is my shadow.  Here she is getting comfy on some messes that need cleaning up.

She and Ernestine are getting along just fine but we are very cautious with them.  They each have a bit of "pit" pug in them (sorry, pit people . . . I know it's an unfair rap they get) and we are trying to avoid any confrontations.  Yesterday they spent the day together while DSO was in Michigan.

Must get back to work.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Foster Fail ~

For those not in the know, a "foster fail" is what happens when a dog or cat who was only supposed to be a temporary foster is so lovable that his/her human just can't say goodbye, and he/she winds up becoming part of the family.  So basically, it's the best kind of fail :)

I have been fostering for well over ten years.  I have come close to adopting before, but never made the commitment.  I knew if I did not adopt Molly, I would regret it, so she is officially a member of my family.  

She is my shadow.  Here she is while I am typing this post.  I will never again go to the bathroom alone :)

Molly and Ernestine.  Molly looks like a little peanut compared to Ernestine.

Here they suspect food may be close by.

Molly with younger son J. He calls her little puppy (but that is also what he calls Ernestine).  He has the beginnings of his "winter face". 

Older son Bill with niece's dog Izzy.  They look pretty comfy, though Bill claims he was just resting his eyes.  

Grandson Jake with his Uncle Bill.  Jake is now officially taller than his dad.

I survived Thanksgiving.  Thankfully my niece's hubby is a great help in the kitchen so he was in charge of the turkey and gravy.  We had enough food to feed an army.  I do not eat sweet potatoes, but Marly shared a sweet potato casserole recipe with me which tasted more like a dessert.  I must say it was pretty good.  You can find the recipe here.  Thanks for sharing, Marly.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren