Road trip time ~

 

This procrastinator is breathing easy!  Everything is packed that can be done ahead of time.  Tomorrow morning I need to stop at a hooking get together that I scheduled for the guild.  It is the first time we are meeting and it would be pretty rude if I did not show up!

I am not heading to Sue's until mid afternoon so I will have a few hours for all the last minute stuff.  Sue lives and hour and a half south of me and we will leave bright and early Thursday morning for the two day drive.

I still haven't figured out how to blog from the iPad . . . but if I do will pop in to say hi.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Back to Reality ~

My weekend getaway passed all too quickly.  It's always good to get away, but also good to get home.

This is Tallmadge Road Mercantile in Clayton, Ohio, a great primitive shop of 24 dealers.  Just as we were leaving a storm was rolling in.

My only purchase beside an old spool of white string (which I will use) is this little addition to my flock.  There were a few other items I considered and now am sorry I did not buy them. I guess that will be my excuse to head back down there sooner rather than later.

On the right is my dear friend Wink.  Can you believe we actually met in Spain MANY summers ago?  I was an undergrad student taking classes in Madrid and she was in the master's program. That's Melinda of Merry Wind Farm on the left. We've only met twice but it seems like I've know her forever, too :)  She lives in the most wonderful home, the earliest part built in 1804, I believe.  

Melinda is an incredible cross stitcher, rug hooker, seamstress, gardener. Her work is perfection and I was gifted this absolutely wonderful pin keep. Lucky me!!!  It is beautiful.  

Many years ago as a joke, I started Wink a salt and pepper collection.  The criteria for purchasing a pair was that they had to be cheap and tacky. You can read about it here.  In retaliation, she started me a shot glass collection.  Not just any old shot glass, but ones that were souvenirs of states.  This time I was gifted with Montana and Colorado.

She also gave me a little porcelain pot to add to my small collection.  I believe they are mostly English, and tooth powder, cold cream and the likes came in them.  

Two of Wink's grandbabies came to visit before I headed home on Sunday.  Savanah and Clayton are just a couple of cuties who are lucky to have such a sweet grandma!

Thanks so much for stopping by.  In my next post, I will share Wink's incredible coverlet collection.

Pug hugs :)

Lauren

Off to Play ~

Remember I mentioned I how thankful I was that I work in an office with A/C?  Well, the air was down yesterday and it wasn't until mid-morning today that they got it back on.  Oh, how spoiled I have become.  (I grew up with no A/C anywhere.) Today I left work early to go play.  As soon as I finish this quick post, I’m heading south . . . south of Columbus to visit long time friend Wink, do a little antiquing, and stop over and visit Melinda at Merry Wind Farm.  Life is good.

Last evening at hooking, I got lots done on the pumpkin.  I probably could have finished it if I hadn't taken the time to eat a ginormous cheeseburger (cooked perfectly medium rare) with bacon and blue cheese.  Oh, and did I mention the home made potato chips?  The scale hated me this morning but it was worth it : )  I'm hooking with hand torn strips . . .

. . . and the more I hook, the more I love plaids and textures!

Gotta run.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs : )

Lauren

Underwhelmed ~

Unfortunately I must say I was underwhelmed by my day spent in Waynesville.  There didn't seem to be as many antique shops and many of the shops were filled with imported items.  I also found some shopkeepers to be nothing short of rude.  One shopkeeper spent all her time talking loudly on the phone (I was the only one in the shop) and hardly acknowledged my presence.  At another antique store, the gentleman (I'll be kind) behind the counter was too busy with his computer to even have the courtesy to say hello!  Needless to say, very little of my cash was left in town.

I thought these items made from license plates were really neat. 

Saturday Wink and I headed to a large prim shop in a town not far from her.  There were some wonderful primitive items, but once again many imports.  There were some hooked rugs at the shop that were very poorly made and screamed "import" from a block away, but then there were some very nicely made ones that I was sure were American made.  Boy was I ever fooled!  There was one rug, a geometric, 3' x 5' that was priced $449.  I thought that was a great price for an American made rug.  Guess what?  Made in India!!!

I did come home with this great pumpkin on a bed spring.  Wink bought it for me.  Thank you, dear friend :)

 

After the prim shop and a yummy lunch, we decided to stop at one antique shop before I headed north.  I'm so glad we stopped because I got a FANTASTIC deal on three clusters of vintage stone fruit grapes.  I was so excited.  I got all three for much less than one bunch normally costs!  I also found some silverplate spoons to make necklaces.  They were more than I wanted to pay, but I figured it was better to buy them than to run out of them.  Then as luck would have it, I found a number of spoons at the local Goodwill for a great price!  I guess I'd better get busy and make some necklaces!

 

Last evening Katie from Kidl'-de-Divey Woolens had her first hook-in at the Chairmaker and Friends, a shop that recently moved to Vermilion, Ohio.  What a wonderful shop that is.  I could do some serious damage to the pocketbook there.  There were just a couple of us there and Katie was so sweet and gave us some bits of wool.  If you are anywhere near Vermilion, be sure to join in the fun!  I was working on my horse mat (almost done ~ woo hoo!) and Katie was kind enough to draw me a flag pattern that I am going to hook in monochromatic colors. 

As (bad) luck would have it, tonight I broke a tooth that had been repaired years ago.  GGGRRRRR!!!!  I sure hope I can get in to the dentist tomorrow because about every ten seconds, my tongue gravitates to that spot and it is so annoying.

Thanks so much for stopping by and please come again soon.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

The Bean ~

While in Chicago, my son said he wanted to see the Bean.  I had never heard of the Bean.  According to Wikipedia . . .

"Cloud Gate, a public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor, is the centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park within the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The sculpture and AT&T Plaza are located on top of Park Grill, between the Chase Promenade and McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink. Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed "The Bean" because of its bean-like shape. Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams. It is 33 by 66 by 42 feet (10 by 20 by 13 m), and weighs 110 short tons (100 t; 98 long tons)."

Here we are at the entrance of Millennium Park.  For those of you who have mentioned my son never smiles in his pics, here's one for you.

Here's the Bean.  Isn't it just too cool?

That's me at the very bottom taking the picture.

Can you find me again?  (Kind of like Where's Waldo?)

There are two identical fountains at the Park maybe 200 feet apart and the area in between has several inches of water for people to wade or play in. Periodically, faces are projected on to the fountains.

The eyes open and close and the lips move . . .

. . . and every so often they spit water simultaneously.

 

The kids had a blast.  Here's Jake with his 5 year old cousin Alexis.

Getting kisses from Tessa.

We had a great family trip to Chicago.  How nice to spend time with two of my favorite people, visiting some of my favorite people.

Thank you for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Monday Mumblings ~

Happy, happy birthday to my #1 bad boy, Bill.  Here he is all decked out in his mining gear.  Exploring mines in Nevada and California is a favorite past time of his.  I can't believe he is 32.  Geez, if he's that old, what does that make me?

Our trip home from Chicago was thankfully uneventful.  Son J drove the entire trip home so I got to work on a little punch needle piece I started on the trip out.  It rained about 75% of the way home and I was hoping the rain would make it to Ohio, but unfortunately it did not :(

Even though I am working on a fall piece, I am not wishing that it gets here anytime soon.  Oh, how the days are already changing!  It is now dark in the morning when I walk the dog and by 9 pm, it's quite dark.  The crickets are getting noisier and I am seeing more grasshoppers ~ definitely signs of fall on Ohio's north coast.

While I was in Chicago, Lulu spent the time with DSO Fritz and Loocie.  She and Loocie had "words" a couple of times.  These pugs can be as bad as kids!  She seems to be settling in and is a bit calmer.  She is now allowed to sleep in bed and today I left her uncrated when I went to work and she seems to have done just fine.  She hates when I leave, but hated the crate even more.  In a few more days when she is off her ear meds, she will be put on the ready to adopt list. 

Thank you so much for stopping by and a big THANK YOU to all my new followers.  

Pug hugs :)
Lauren  

Lincoln Park Zoo ~

Yesterday we took a trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.  Here's Jake with his cousins Sophia and Alexis who reside in Chicago.  As soon as we entered the zoo, they wanted to take a little train ride.

Here they are checking out the sea lions.

 

Jake's favorite exhibit at the zoo was the polar bear.  Mine too:)

I don't remember the name of this bear.
 

The kids loved the "smashed" pennies that they could make at the zoo.  Actually, the first coin is a smashed quarter.  I had never seen it done with quarters before.  The kids loved smashing the coins and it is a very inexpensive souvenir to remember their day at the zoo.

The Chicago skyline as seen from the zoo.  That's the Hancock Building in the background.

My son J and Jake.

Jake really loves his cousins!

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Road Trip ~

Tomorrow my younger son J, grandson Jake and I are heading to Chicago for a long weekend to visit my niece and her family.



Jake is SO looking forward to seeing his cousins Sophia and Alexis.  This picture was taken two summers ago, but I just love it.  It screams "happy kids" to me.

A big thank you to my new followers.  I was stuck at 195 forever and then lost one.  I just picked up a few new.  Woo hoo!  I'm closing in on 200!!!

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Please be sure to let those you love know it.  Give them a hug and tell them.  You never know what tomorrow holds.  The wife of a mechanic in our maintenance garage was fine Monday morning, complaining only of a sore leg over the weekend.  Tuesday her funeral was being planned.  She was only 43 and leaves behind not only her husband, but a six year old daughter.  Please say a prayer for them.

* * * * *

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

What Happened....

...to the last week? I was going to do a quick post before I ran away for the weekend, but I ran out of time. Tonight I was going to post about my weekend, but I've run out of time. I thought I'd better post something before you all forget who I am...lol!

Just a quick Linnie update. We are doing pretty good. She really is a sweet girl who just has an occasional poop issue :) She just breaks my heart but seems to be happy and adjusting to life with me. She does look quite comfortable, doesn't she? {{I hope when I am old and decrepit, someone will still love me....sigh.}}

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Play Day ~ ~ ~

I thought I would take a vacation day today and have an extra-long holiday weekend. I decided it would be a good day to go play. My BFF couldn't come, so I went to play by myself. About 2/3 of the way to my first stop, I was pulling on the highway and my little SUV filled with smoke. Now, I'm not mechanically-minded at all, but I know this can't be good! I quickly pulled off the side of the highway and my first instinct was to check my oil. I have been having some problems with burning oil and I had an oil change this week. Plus, checking my oil is the only thing I know to do (besides filling the gas tank!). I got out of the vehicle with cars and trucks whizzing by at 65+ MPH. That's kind of scary. I checked and I had plenty of oil. How nice that a good samaritan also stopped to see if he could be of assistance. He double checked my oil - probably figured a blond didn't know what she was doing! So the oil is okay and the smoke is gone, so I proceed to the first exit and call my Sweetie. Now, he is a real car guy ~ spent his career as an engineer with GM.

He said, "What did the smoke smell like"?

She said, "I don't know".

He said, "Did it smell acrid or sweet"?

She said, "I don't know. I don't think either".

He said, "What color was the smoke"?

She's thinking smoke is smoke but of course does not say that.

Anyway, he suggests that I turn around and come home. I say I'm more than halfway there. He says it really would be wise to go home. So, I don't listen very well and continued down the road! Thankfully I had no more problems, but it is a mystery as to what happened. I'm sure he will pop the hood tonight and try to figure it out. I am so lucky to have such a handy guy :-)

My first stop was Seville Antiques is Seville, Ohio. What a WONDERFUL shop. I have not been to a shop with such high quality antiques in a long time. Of course, the prices reflected the quality. I actually did not buy anything, but did drool my way through the shop!

Many of the dealers had their antiques set up in room settings.


There were quite a few antique samplers.

The dry sink in the back was reasonably priced and a very nice piece of New England origin.

I just love the bullet holes in the cow weathervane!

Lots of smalls.

A few hooked rugs.

If money was no object, this corner cupboard would have come home with me, but with a $4600 price tag, I thought I'd better pass. It was such a nice small size. The pewter-filled cupboard was pretty nice, too.

After Seville Antiques, I stopped at a couple more mall/shops. I bought a lidded picnic basket. I keep buying these with the intention of hooking small rugs for the top. I am getting quite the collection of baskets, but have yet to hook a rug for one, but for only $9.50, it was a bargain. I also picked up one small Christmas gift. I then made a quick stop at the A.I. Root Candle outlet store (they have the best burning wax candles) before heading home.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren