My new granddog and more flowers

I hope everyone had a great Tuesday. Tomorrow is already hump day...where does the time go? It was a beautiful day on the shores of Lake Erie. Hopefully we will get some needed rain in the next day or two.

Here is my new granddog Selene. In these pictures she was eight weeks old. She is now eleven weeks old and I swear she is almost twice this size! She is absolutely gorgeous and just as soft as can be.

I've been busy working in the flower gardens. As usual, I am behind...lol! I did buy a few more perennials, including two hydrangeas that I planted on either side of my front steps. It is hard to find something to plant there because even though it faces west, it is almost full shade. I originally planted viburnum. They never did too well and one died over the winter. I almost forgot to get my cannas from the basement and plant them. They are the only plants I've ever dug up and saved over the winter.
Here's a few pictures I took today in the yard.

Stop on by Shabby Sheep (shabbysheep.blogspot.com ~ sorry I haven't yet figured out how to link it from here). She, too, is having a patriotic give-away. Don't forget to sign up for mine. There are two great vintage 48 star flags and a Statue of Liberty.

Thanks for stopping by.

Lauren

Patriotic give-away in honor of Flag Day

I hope everyone has had a wonderful day and proudly displayed our great American flag in honor of Flag Day. I hope you will fly it every day you can. If you can read this post, thank a teacher. Since you are reading this in English, please thank a veteran.

In honor of Flag Day, I am having a give-away. Just leave me a comment on why you love America or are proud to be an American and I will enter your name. A winner will be drawn next Saturday, June 20th.

If you are the lucky winner, you will receive the following patriotic items:

• bag clips


• pins


• swizzle sticks


• paper lantern


• socks


• wooden heart

And now for the good stuff:

• two 48 star flags sitting in a gold base ~ this is not a reproduction ~ so it is pre-1959


• a vintage Statue of Liberty


• a gourd painted by yours truly ~ I was going to make it a birdhouse but never did ;-(

Thank you so much for stopping by.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!!!!!

Lauren

Antique show was a bust ;-(

My antiquing buddy Belinda and I headed out bright and early this morning (8:30 on a Saturday is bright and early for me!) for the antique show. On their city's website, it stated that the antique festival, sponsored by their Main Street Association, was from 8am-4pm. Believe it or not, the show had been cancelled but never removed from their website. We heard others say it was also advertised in a local paper. Somebody goofed! So, while we waited for the town's two antique stores to open, we hit a few garage sales. I spent a whopping .50 on a Chutes and Ladders game to play with my grandson. Belinda picked up a couple pretty cups and saucers, a croquet set, and a child's book titled "No, David", a fun gift for her hubby ~ you guessed it ~ David.

For several years I have looked at ruby flash glass and thought I might like to start collecting it. I like the pieces that are dated, but thought that I really didn't need to start another collection. Well, last year I bought this piece dated 1910 and it has been sitting inside one of my antique cupboards. Having only one piece of ruby flash, I can hardly display it all by itself. I always thought you had to have three of something for it to be a collection.

I guess I now have a collection! The three pieces are about 2 1/4 inches tall and were inexpensive, ranging from $5-8. I still don't know where I will display them.

I also picked up this jolly old elf. He is just under 6 inches tall. His face is plastic, not celluloid, so I'm guessing he is probably from the 50's or 60's. He was half price, so I couldn't pass him up for $7.50.

I did get a little yard work done today, but those **** midgies are back yet again. A neighbor who has lived here for decades says she never remembers them being this bad. I also hooked a bit on the cat rug. Now it's time to take little Loocie for her night time walk.

Be sure to stop back tomorrow and sign up for my patriotic give-a-way.

Tomorrow is flag day. Please fly your flag.

Thank you for stopping by.
Lauren

Mini rugs in punch needle

To my first time visitors ~ WELCOME!!! To the kind folks who have visited before ~ THANK YOU!!! I hope everyone has a fun weekend planned. I'm heading to an antique show tomorrow. I can't even remember the last time I attended one. I'm thinking it was last fall. I do hope I find a few small treasures. Hopefully I won't find something too expensive that I just can't live without!

I really should have done some yard work this evening, but instead decided to pull a few loops on the cat hooked rug I am working on. I haven't made enough progress to post another picture of it. Hopefully soon ;-)

Here are a few punch needle pieces I have done and all have been given as gifts. I use 6 strands of DMC floss in all my pieces and I like to finish them as mini rugs. I actually learned to punch from Lori over at farmhousenotforgotten (I don't yet know how to link her from my blog ~ can anyone in blogland help me?). I usually am self-taught when I want to learn a new craft, but thought it would be fun to take a class from her. She has more talent in her little finger than I have in my entire body...lol!

Please stop back on Flag Day. I think that's an appropriate day to start my patriotic give-a-way.

Lauren

#1 BAD BOY!!!

This is my number one bad boy....er, I mean my number one son, Bill. I can't believe he will be turning thirty soon. He has been living in Las Vegas for the last year and a half. He is carpenter and had been working on the City Center project, which is the world's largest privately funded constuction project. Last week he got laid off...again. That's happened several times since he has been there (he says that's not unusual), but he always manages to find more work.

I got a call from him tonight saying he has a job lined up to start in a couple of weeks and he was thinking about coming home. I asked when he might be coming, and he told me to come to the front door! What a pleasant surprise that was. He has already gone out to meet with friends. That's fine with me. It's just great to have him home!

Welcome Home Bill!

Hooking at the library!

Last fall I found a wonderful group of ladies to hook with who meet at the Fairview Park Library. They are so very talented and inspire me! I want to hook like them when I grow up! I have been having some issues with pictures enlarging when you click on them, so I do hope it will work so you can see the detail and gorgeous wools that have been used. The top picture shows Lisa (on left) holding the rug she needs to finish by Thursday to give a friend she will be visiting. Good luck Lisa. Hook fast. With her is Karin.

This is Carol with her unbelievably HUGE rug.

Sylvia is almost done with her oh so sweet bunny.

Deanna is hooking a super long runner in the most gorgeous of colors.

Here's Heidi with her very colorful "Yellow Submarine" rug. Note the Beatles names.

Candy is chillin' with her snowmen rug.

Polly is working on the sweetest rug for her daughter.

Marian is nearing completion on a great fall rug.

Last but not least is Mitsuko's rug, Magdalena's dog and crows. It is phenomenal!

I hope you enjoyed the show.

Happy hooking to all of you ;-)

Lauren

Wine bottle tree

I bought my wine bottle tree last fall at a craft show. I thought I need a little whimsy in my yard. It may be kind of hard to see, but I still need to drink a couple more bottles of wine to fill all the "branches". (Oh, darn!) The little garden was dug after I brought home that section of picket fence from a neighbor's trash pile. The pump is on loan from my brother and the wheel barrow was a yard sale find my mom got me 13 or 14 years ago.

I plant my son's work boots every year with hen and chicks. The last couple of years I have had a real problem with the squirrels taking them and leaving them scattered on the porch, so almost every day I have to replant one or two of them.
Thank you for stopping!
Lauren