Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Darwin Awards ~






The Darwin Awards are out!


Yes, it's that magical time of year again when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honoring the least evolved among us.

Here is the glorious winner:

1. When his .38 caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach , California would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.


And now, the honorable mentions:

2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat cutting machine and after a little shopping around, submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger.. The chef's claim was approved.

3. A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space. Understandably, he shot her.

4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn't discovered for 3 days.

5. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.

6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer... $15. [If someone points a gun at you and gives you money, is a crime committed?]

7. Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape.

8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, “Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole the purse from."

9. The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan at 5 A.M., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast... The frustrated gunman walked away.
[*A 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER]

10. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street by sucking on a hose, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline, but he plugged his siphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had and the perp had been punished enough!

In the interest of bettering mankind, please share these with friends and family....unless of course one of these individuals by chance is a distant relative or long lost friend. In that case, be glad they are distant and hope they remain lost.

Remember....
They walk among us…they can reproduce…and, they VOTE!!!

Sunday, December 8, 2013

The Best of Intentions ~


For a fleeting moment when I posted the first of my decorating on December 1, I thought it might fun to post a quick picture every day until Christmas.  Haha!  Here it is a week later . . . sigh. Maybe if there were a few more hours in the day . . . or if I slept a few less hours . . . or if I was home for more than a few hours a day.  We all know the road to hell is paved with good intentions :)

Anyway . . . I have been busy decorating and have most of it done except for the big tree.  Once again I failed miserably at the less is more concept.  The only thing I did not put up is my antique feather tree with MANY ornaments but I'm feeling a bit guilty about that, so that is subject to change.  

A box of tarnished ornaments purchased at a show this fall for only $1.00.


Now sitting in an old bowl.  I think I need to add a few red berries or some holly.


More old ornaments in an antique trencher with an angel from internet friend Judi ~ a former Buckeye and mom to three pug boyz.  


Plastic Santas and reindeer ~ same vintage as me :)


Snowballs I made 5 - 6 years ago in an old carrier with reproduction redware plate.


Great graphics in an old cigar box.


My mantle.  The samplers and hogscrapers are antique.  The Santas are not.  The sampler with the greens is the first antique sampler I purchased, probably 25 years ago.



I've also started a little hooked mat that I hope to give as a Christmas gift.  It's Maria's (Star Rug Company) latest snowman.  He's only 9" x 12" and cute as can be.


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

Sunday, December 1, 2013

'Tis the Season ~



Well, here we are at December 1.  ARGH!  How did that happen?  (I know I ask that every month . . . lol.) For me, it is always the season of stress and being behind on everything.  The sad part is that it is totally self-inflicted.  You'd think I'd learn after all these years, but even though I love the idea of simplifying, I just can't seem to embrace it. When I start to haul the boxes (and boxes and more boxes) down from the attic, I just can't make myself not put the decorations out.  I planned on making a few more gifts but that may not happen . . . sigh.   Oh, and what did I do yesterday?  Since it was small business Saturday, I wanted to patronize a shop or two and came home with this tinsel tree.  I need another tree like I need another hole in my head, but isn't it great?  Here it is sitting amongst the chaos on the dining room table.


Here is the start of my decorating.  Not much of a start :)


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

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ~



An oldie but goodie :)

How to cook a turkey ~

- Go buy a turkey
- Take a drink of whiskey 
- Put turkey in the oven
- Take another 2 drinks of whiskey
- Set the degree at 375 ovens
- Take 3 more whiskeys of drink
- Turn oven the on
- Take 4 whisks of drinky
- Turk the bastey
- Whiskey another bottle of get
- Stick a turkey in the thermometer
- Glass yourself a pour of whiskey
- Bake the whiskey for 4 hours
- Take the oven out of the turkey
- Take the oven out of the turkey
- Floor the turkey up off of the pick
- Turk the carvey
- Get yourself another scottle of botch
- Tet the sable and pour yourself a glass of turkey
- Bless the saying, pass and eat out


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

Monday, November 25, 2013

Scramblin' ~



You'd think I sit around watching TV all evening eating bonbons the way I'm scrambling to get things done.  Truth be told, I don't have a working TV ~ haven't had one in years ~ and don't miss it a bit :)  People think me strange, but so be it.
My niece and family are continuing their holiday tradition of spending Thanksgiving here in Ohio. What a great tradition it is, and the least I can do is Swiffer up some of this dog hair.  Now Ellie doesn't shed nearly as much as a pug, but I should invest in Swiffer stock ~ or maybe I should just Swiffer more often :)
In between cleaning and work, I did get the yard raked (just about froze my butt off) and have worked on a few things.  I started a little Christmas sampler by Country Rustic Primitives. I love the colors, but I don't know if it's the linen I'm working on (I think it's only a 28 count so nothing tiny) or the drab colors, but I am having a terrible time stitching this. It is small so I'll do just a little each day ~ when it gets done, it gets done.  It will probably just end up in the "needing to be finished" pile along with several other cross stitch pieces.


I'm also hooking a little pumpkin (???).  An acquaintance bought a little mat from me and has requested a similar one to give her sister for Christmas so it's not something I can put off.  Thankfully it won't take long.


I've also sewn the binding on the little heart mat. I love using wool to bind.


I don't think my company is arriving until late tomorrow, so I hope to find the time to sneak to a new hooking group that is meeting for the first time.  That is after I work, go to the grocery store one more time (ugh, the crowds) . . . you know how it is.

Thank you so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Still Lost ~



Well, the proddy tool is still lost, but I found it very easy to add a proddy edge using my Hartman hook.  It's really very simple, but as Gayle pointed out, it does use a lot of wool.  It can be done with strips as narrow or wide as you wish, as long as you want.  It all depends what look you are trying to achieve.

On the mat I just hooked, I hand tore my strips about 4" long.  You can leave the edges blunt or taper them if you wish.  They also can be cut with your cutter or scissors.  They don't have to be exact.  Close is good enough.


When doing proddy with a hook, I worked with the linen on my rug frame.  Insert your hook from the top and pull about half the strip through your backing fabric.


Move over two or three threads and once again insert the hook from the top of the linen.


Pull the tail up and adjust the lengths if needed. It's that easy.  Once you get more added, they will lay better.


From behind, you can see how closely I spaced the proddy edge.


From the front.  I know ~ I should be thinking Christmas gifts, not hearts :)



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

Sunday, November 17, 2013

How to ~



. . . print labels from your computer.

This is how I've done it.  I'm sure there are better ways, too, and I know that Saundra of Woodland Junction blogged about it not too long ago.  (Not sure where to find it on her blog.)

The easiest way is to buy Avery Printable Fabric. Just type the information you want (I use Word), put the paper in the printer and you are done.  You can iron it on or sew it.  It is pretty pricey (I think it was $15 for five sheets several years ago), but if you plan carefully it goes a long way.  The downside is that it's white, so when I've used it I stain it with coffee, tea or walnut crystals and also quite stiff.



7/8" x 1 3/8", ironed on

Another way is to use muslin or a similar weight fabric.  The fabric needs to be treated or you run the risk of the ink running if the label gets wet.  There is a commercial product called Bubble Jet Set.  I've not seen it in the stores but it is easy to find online.  You can also make your own.  Click here to find instructions. Soak fabric as per directions, and after the fabric has dried, cut it on the straight of the grain, slightly larger than 8 1/2" x 11".  Iron it on to the shiny side of freezer paper (found at the grocery store)


and cut to the size of printer paper.  It is now ready :)  I just use Word and type what I want my label to say.  Feed the fabric in your printer (yes, it really works and I've never had a problem ~ knock on wood) and hit print.


I then use a paper cutter (since I can't cut straight to save my soul) to cut to size.  I've attached to the hooked piece in a number of ways.  I've used fusible interfacing and ironed it to a slightly larger piece of wool. 


I've also turned under the edges and sewn on ~ slightly crooked even though I swear I pinned it straight :)


. . . or just sewn without turning under (see picture here).  

It really is not difficult, but I am not too good about labeling my rugs :(

If you have any questions, let me know and I will try my best to answer them.

Happy Sunday to you.  It is like springtime in Ohio today but unfortunately it is not going to last and there is talk of severe storms tonight.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren