Less is More {but not at my house . . . sigh} ~

I admire those who can simplify.  Those who can purge.  Sadly I am not one of them and probably never will be.  I start to bring the Christmas boxes down from the attic and just can't help but put most of it out.  That does not include the boxes and boxes that I have not used in years.  Do I know what's in those boxes?  Well, uh, mostly no.  Can I part with anything?  Most likely not.  So . . . I will decorate and decorate and decorate some more.  At least Thanksgiving was early this year and not working does make it easier to get things done. 

 

Thanksgiving was nice.  I don't know if I mentioned but my California son came home for for ten days.  He hasn't been here that long since he moved away.  It's wonderful to have him home.  Think good thoughts that he will be moving back to Las Vegas soon.  He is so ready.  He is just not the California guy.

 

I could not get my sons to move close enough to get them in one picture.   (Plus, I don't know how to set the camera to compensate for the light coming in the windows.)

 

#1 bad boy

 

#2 bad boy growing his
"winter face"

My brother Bill and his DSO Lyn host Thanksgiving each year.  For the last 5 or 6 years, Bill has been measuring Jake and my great nieces.  Unfortunately, this was the first year the girls were unable to come in from Chicago.  I knew Jake had grown a lot, but had no idea he had grown 4 1/2 inches in the last year.  He is no longer a little boy.

 

 

 

I am still hooking gifts and hopefully will have a couple finishes to show you soon.

 

I hear Pretty Girl is doing great in her forever home.  I sure do miss that little stinker.

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Furever Home ~

Pretty Girl went to her furever home yesterday.  She has a new mom and dad, four two legged brothers and sisters and three cat siblings.  When we arrived at her new home, the first thing she did was find the cat food and begin to devour it.  When that was taken away, she had great fun chasing the cats.  I hear she and the cats have already reached a truce and are calmly sniffing each other.

 

 

So many of you have wondered how I could give her up.  Let me tell you, it is one of the hardest things I have ever done.  I am head over heels in love with that little wild child.  Fostering is very bittersweet.  It is so hard to let them go, but I know there will be another furbaby that needs my help.  Does that make any sense to you? 

 

The way she sometimes sat just cracked me up :)
{Please ignore my UGLY floor.}

 

I am happy to report that I didn't cry until I got in the car.  My house feels so empty, but Ernestine kept me company for a few hours today.

 

 

One of the last pictures of the girlz together.  They really got along great.

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Christmas Hookin' ~

 

This year I am determined to get a few Christmas gifts hooked.  Of course I should have started long ago . . . sigh.

 

Here is a freebie snowman by Kelley Belfast that I have hooked before.  I think this is the third time I have hooked it.  It is such an easy hook :) 

 

Pretty Girl has to be part of the action.

 

I had to physically move her to get a picture.  The rug on the left is Kelley's original that I was so fortunate to win on her blog.  She does the best green backgrounds!  Mine is slightly smaller and less primitive.

 

 

Currently on the frame is a pattern by Maria Barton of Star Rug Company, titled Red Belsnickle.  It is only 7 1/2" x 14".  Thankfully I was looking through my pattern stash.  I had completely forgotten that I had purchased it in the spring.

 

Ernestine is visiting and they were sitting patiently outside the computer room.  They are so different looking but both so darn cute :)

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Still Bloomin' ~

 

November 7 and I still have a few flowers blooming.  You will get no complaints from me :)  Living two blocks from Lake Erie benefits me in the fall.  We get our first frost/freeze later than inland, and this year has been exceptional.  Unfortunately it will most likely end in the next couple of days, but it has been wonderful while it lasted!

 

DSO is a voting poll manager, so since he had to be at his polling place before the crack of dawn, Ernestine spent the night with us.  That's her on the right.  She and Pretty Girl get along so well and are usually only a few feet apart.   Both of them follow me everywhere.  I joke that Ernestine is the good twin and Pretty Girl the evil twin.  They look very different but each one is so stinkin' cute.



Pretty Girl



Ernestine

 

I finished hooking Christmas present #1 today.  I thought I would be done with it days ago.  If I am going to get all the gifts made I hope to, I'd better get busy and hook a little (lot) faster :)  Once From Our Hands is over on Saturday (I am vending), I will have more time to hook ~ at least I hope so.  Stop by if you are in the area.  It is a wonderful show.

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Peter Pan of Pugs ~

Pretty Girl is like Peter Pan ~ she will not grow up.  A six and a half YEAR OLD puppy.  I have never met a pug quite like her.  She makes me laugh all day long with her antics.

 

Whenever anything is put on the floor, she has to get on it.  I was packing for Hooked in the Valley and set my lap desk on the floor and she was on it within seconds.

 

She is in to everything.

 

 

One of my favorite pictures of her beautiful face.

 

 

She loves to lay on clothes.

 

Climb on to DSO's end table (or jump on the coffee table).

 

 

 She needs to empty the entire toy bucket.

 

She jumped on my hooking frame before I could even get the cover off.

She is very much like a cat.  She love to get in bags . . .

 

. . . and take a little snooze.

 

 

 

She went from my bed to the nightstand.



Pretty Girl would not go down the stairs in to the basement ~ that is until Ernestine followed me down and she was not going to be left behind.  One day she went down on her own and found a garbage bag full of snippets.  What a mess she made of that.

 

 

I admit my basement is a mess.  (The pile on the right will be donated.)  PG had to stand on a clothes basket and check out what was on the shelf.

 

 

Another day after I emptied the dryer she looked inside and saw the dryer balls. 

 

Next thing I knew the little stinker jumped in and started chewing on one.

Looks are deceiving.  She looks so angelic.  This was after I made her stop chewing on the pillow.  She also likes to do some very unladylike things to pillows!!!

 

 

Pretty Girl is one special pug.  She is going to make someone very happy.  That someone is not me.  At this point, I don't believe I have the option of adopting her, but I will enjoy her as long as she is here.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Class with Cynthia Norwood ~

I was fortunate to get in a class with Cynthia Norwood at the ATHA biennial.  Since reading Cynthia's first book, I knew primitive was the way I wanted to hook.  Our class was titled "The Beauty of Primitives".  Everyone was hooking the same pattern but we got to choose our wools for each element from wools Cynthia brought to the class.

 

Cynthia's rug ~

 

 

Close up ~



Cynthia ~

 

The first worms I chose ~

 

Getting started ~

 

Hookers hard at work.  Those standing in the back were choosing their optional background wool.

 

 

Class throw down.  Similar yet each one different.

 

Pretty Girl approved :)  It's been a very long time since I've been hooking pug hair in to a rug . . . lol.

I pulled my final loops this evening.  The finished size is 13 1/4" x 20".

 

 

There is a strip of antique paisley hooked in the flower (and one in the basket).  I'm sure I would never have chosen the wools hooked in the flower, but I am loving it.

 

 

I was so happy to finally have the opportunity to be in a class with Cynthia and it was wonderful.  Unfortunately I had to leave class an hour early to head south to Hooked in the Valley.  More on that later.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren