Saturday ~

It just doesn't feel like a Saturday.  I know, being retired it is sometimes hard to know what day of the week it is, but with Christmas and New Year's Day being on a Friday, I am totally confused!

Remember Cindy Lou Who, the foster girl, a pug wannabe who I got in December of 2018?  The poor baby who came to me in diapers?  Being treated for a UTI.  TOTALLY misdiagnosed by the vet she saw.

Here she was being taken to another vet because the "UTI" was not improving with the meds she was on.  This picture just cracks me up.  She looks totally pathetic.

It was discovered she had a HUGE bladder stone, filling her entire bladder.

This poor girl must have suffered for years.

She won the pug lottery the day Ohio Pug Rescue came in to her life.  Today she is living the good life with her humans and puggle sister.  Here she is chilling out on her Christmas present.  How I love a happy ending 💖

Hooking and stitching have been extremely slow but I finally finished the cat's paw tree and even got it bound.  It measures 21" x 17 1/2". I am still not wild about it.

A few final Christmas pictures ~

A beautifully painted St. Nicholas by my mom.  One of my most treasured pieces.

USPS finally delivered all my packages, the last of them 2 weeks after they were mailed.  A Christmas card from my brother and DSO who live less than 25 miles from me took 20 days to arrive.  A card was delivered today that was mailed December 10 from Alabama.  I'm sorry, I try to give them the benefit of the doubt, but this is totally unacceptable 😠

And I'll end this post with a laugh ~

Thanks so much for stopping 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

Antigodlin ~

According to dictionary.com, antigodlin (or antigoglin) is an adjective meaning lopsided or at an angle, out of alignment, diagonal or cater cornered.  In rug hooking, it is also referred to as hooking higgledy piggledy, hickety pickety, or as I put it, messy.

Several readers were asking about my background on Antique Floral and the wools used.  I am using 2 as-is wools, one which is reversible, and one overdyed.  

I am hooking it antigodlin style.  I am still finding it a bit difficult to hook in this manner, but I must say I do love the look.

The back looks quite different from the way I normally hook, and it is not as smooth to the touch.  I wonder how it would wear on the floor in a high traffic area.

Got these pictures from Cindy Lou Who's mom.  Here's Cindy soaking up some sun.  It's so nice they have a fenced yard so she can run (or sleep) free.

Isn't this just too sweet?  I am so happy she has a puggle sister to snuggle up to.  Cindy is in the front and Molly is behind her.

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

Besties ~

When Cindy Lou Who got adopted, so many people commented that they could not do what I do.  The above picture is why I do it.  Do I miss Cindy?  LOTS.  But look at her in her new home with her puggle sister Molly.  She is living the good life.  When I received the picture this morning, it made my day.  I am so happy she has a furever family and a "sister".  It is what she deserves.  No more babies.  No more suffering from a bladder stone.  Just love.  That's why, even though it hurts to say good bye, I can do it.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)

Lauren

In the Dye Pots ~

Last week I decided to play in the dye pots.  I dyed 6 different colors.  My stove will only accommodate 2 pots at a time, so it took a good part of the day.

The results.  I sure wish I could capture the true colors.  They are much more subdued and the top center wool is not pinky at all.

I started with these wools . . .

. . . and here is what came out of the dye pots.

The gold is from the Barbara Carroll/Emma Lou Lais book, #40C, Kansas City Bronze.

The red came out okay, but I totally messed up mixing the dye.  It was to be Rusty Red from the Nancy Raybould dye book.  I was supposed to mix the two dry dyes in separate jars and add different quantities of each.  Instead I mixed the dry dyes in one jar.  OOPS.

The blue is a wonderful blue ~ nothing like showing in the picture.  #62 Denim Blue from the BC/ELL book.

And then there were these wools.

 The results.

#26 Bronze Green from the BC/ELL book.  Much darker in person.

Fraktur Black from the Cathy Meyer dye book.  I LOVE how this came out.

And finally, my favorite dye color ~ Emma Lou's Old Putty, #85,  from the BC/ELL book. 

I hear Cindy is doing well, other than a little "falling out" with puggle sister Molly.  Sounds like a little sibling rivalry.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)

Lauren  

A Happy Sad Day ~

A look back at Cindy Lou Who ~

Yesterday . . . Cindy went to her furever home.  A really sad day for me.  Fostering is bittersweet.  I grow attached to each foster and consider adopting her myself (a foster failure), but decide to let her go so I can help another pug in need.

Cindy with her new puggle sister, Molly.  The picture is deceptive.  They are almost identical in size.

Thank you so much for following along on Cindy's journey to her new life.  No more pain/discomfort from a bladder stone.  No more babies.  Just health and happiness.  Godspeed, Cindy Lou Who.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)

Lauren

In Case You Were Counting ~

I forgot to post one other cupboard that resides in the hooking room.  This cupboard holds more wool (shocking) and some other miscellaneous things.

Fun angel by Mona Holland (My Old Crow Primitives) won on her blog many years ago.

Two antique crocks.  The one on the left has serious damage to the base but I've camouflaged it quite well.

Several people wanted information on this pattern.  It is by Terri Leamer, My Winter Cottage on etsy.  She offers paper patterns, which I personally love, as either an instant PDF download or mailed.  When I go to her etsy shop, it is currently not showing up for me, but someone who emailed me for info went to her shop and found it.  I don't quite understand that.  I'm sure if it's not there for you, you can contact her.  Terri is sweet as can be.

Cindy does like her babies.  Sometimes the "thumbprint" on her forehead looks like a heart.  Now how special is that?

Both the girls chillin' with dad this evening.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)

Lauren