Granddog & my favorite Power Ranger

~ ~ ~ Welcome Friends ~ ~ ~

Thanks for dropping by!

My granddog (a Newfoundland) is now 7 months and already weighs in at 71#. She was spayed last week and was the lucky recipient of her personal "lampshade". Honest, Selene, we weren't laughing at you, we were laughing with you.

Selene and grandson Jake getting ready for Trick-or-Treat.

Isn't he just the cutest Power Ranger you ever did see?

What a beautiful day in Ohio. It's 64 degrees and sunny and tomorrow looks to be even better. I finally got a few bulbs planted that I had accidentally dug up and I think I'll get the grass mowed one last time tomorrow. Ya' gotta love Indian summer.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend ;-)

Pug hugs :)

Lauren

I Give Up ~ ~ ~

Welcome friends :)

I guess I was not meant to blog today :( I have been trying for the last hour to upload some photos of my granddog ~ and for whatever reason only part of the picture will upload. Sorry! Blogger wins. I give up!!!!!!!!!

I was able to successfully upload a pic of the progress I've made on my cat rug, so here it is. (Of course I have not captured the true colors. They are much more muted.) I'm getting close to finishing it. I need to get busy and plan my next project (a present) since Christmas will be here long before I am ready. Christmas does fall on the same day every year ~ you'd think I could plan for it ~ but it always gets here before I am ready. Go figure.

Thank you for stopping by and come again soon. Hopefully my next post will be a little more interesting.

Pug hugs :)

Lauren

What a Difference a Day Can Make ~ ~ ~

Welcome friends. Thank you for stopping by. I know I say this every month, but where did last month go?

There is a saying in Ohio, "If you don't like the weather, stick around for a few hours and it will change". Friday was an absolute glorious day here on the north coast. Sunny and mid 70's. Perfect in my book. I needed the air in my little SUV Friday evening ~ ~ ~ Saturday morning I had the heater on. Normally Friday's weather would be considered Indian Summer, but since we have not yet had a frost, technically it wasn't. That all may change tonight. It is already down to 35 degrees. It's been great while it lasted ;-)

Here's my neighbor's ginkgo tree. I could not get an unobstructed view. It turns the most wonderful yellow/gold color. It is a hoot because one day, almost on cue, ALL the leaves fall off and the ground is a carpet of yellow/gold fan shaped leaves.

I must share with you the goodies I won from Janene's blog give-away. (www.janene-primitivelifestyle.blogspot.com). My box was just overflowing with goodies. Thank you so much Janene!!! I'm sure I will find a special place for all the items. I especially love the little 3 drawer chest.

I wish I had remembered my camera today. Ohio Pug Rescue was set up at a Moochie pet store in the Cleveland area. Eema was there along with the most handsome 4 year old boy named DJ (short for Don Juan). DJ just sat like a baby in foster mom Beth's arms charming the many admirers who stopped by our table. DJ has the most wonderful tongue that doesn't quite fit in his mouth. Everyone just loved him. Many people acted interested in adopting, and hopefully Eema and DJ will have someone apply to adopt them and love them forever.

I'm sure many of you hate the time change just as much as I do. It was dark by 6pm tonight and it will get worse before it gets better. GGGGRRRRRRR!!! Give me sunshine.

Please stop again soon!

Pug hugs :)

Lauren

Last minute Halloween craft & a great fall dip recipe ~

WELCOME! Thank you for stopping by. It's hard to believe that Saturday is Halloween. Fall is just flying by. Tomorrow is supposed to be a magnificent day here in northern Ohio ~ sunny and mid-60's. I do love that kind of weather.
Here's a super easy Halloween craft. This is made with one of those little peat pots from the garden center. Just sponge on some orange paint, add the facial features and outline with a thin black marker. Antique lightly if it's too bright. Add a wire hanger and you're done ;-)

Today was "dip day" at work. This must have been quite yummy since I had 4 people request the recipe ~ and it's super-easy to make (my kind of recipe!).

PUMPKIN DIP

5 oz package instant vanilla pudding (I used sugar free)

15 oz can pumpkin

1 1/2 T pumpkin spice

12 oz Cool Whip (I used low fat)

Mix the first 3 ingredients together.

Add Cool Whip and mix well.

Serve with vanilla wafers. I think graham crackers would be good too.

YUM!

(The original recipe called for 16 oz of Cool Whip (that's a lot of Cool Whip!) and 2 T of pumpkin spice, but I thought that was way too much to make.)

Pug hugs :)

Lauren

9.5 & a Weekend Update ~

~ ~ ~ Welcome friends ~ ~ ~

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you have had a fun, productive weekend.

I must thank April DeConick over at Red Jack Rugs. A few of months ago, she started a rug challenge. The challenge was to find 10 minutes a day to do anything related to rug hooking, whether it be pulling loops, color planning, dyeing wool, etc. In the past, my goal was to hook 30 minutes a day, and if I couldn't find 30 minutes, I didn't hook. Needless to say, it was very hard to find 30 minutes, so I'd only hook 3 or 4 days a week if I was lucky. Now I am proud to say, I have actually pulled loops for at least 10 minutes a day since the end of July (except one long weekend when I was out of town). It's usually only 15 or 20 minutes, but I am hooking on a regular basis which is a good thing because I must be the world's slowest hooker!

Here's my latest project. I must be on a cat kick (this is my third cat item in the last few months), and as you all know, I am a pug person. (The last cat I had went to the rainbow bridge when she was about 18 years old.) A couple of weeks ago, I had just finished a Christmas gift that I hooked (can't show you in case "she" checks my blog) and did not yet have my next gift planned. I needed something to take to the monthly hooking at the library and the first thing I found was this cat, something nice and easy and rather mindless. When I purchased my Townsend cutter this summer, I purchased a 9.5 cut blade. Did I tell you I absolutely LOVE my Townsend? If someone tells you it cuts wool like butter, believe them. Anyway, back to my rug. This is the first time I have hooked with the 9.5 strips and I really do like it! The rug is about 14.5" x 19".

As many of you know, my latest foster is a little 7 year old puppy mill momma named Eema. She is the sweetest little thing and so loving. We are working hard on the potty training and I think we are making some progress. She gets a special treat when she does her "business" outside and it seems to be working. She will make someone very happy when she finds her forever home.

I spent some time this weekend cleaning the basement. I am one of those people who just can't keep a basement or garage clean. Maybe it's because when I don't know where to put something, it's easier to put it in the basement or garage rather than dealing with it! It feels good when I get them cleaned ~ it just doesn't last. Maybe in my next life, I'll be one of those people who gets rid of things if they haven't been used or worn in a year. Nah, not me. I'm somewhat of a pack rat and I come by it justly ;-)

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Fall on the north coast ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ WELCOME FRIENDS~ ~ ~

It was the perfect fall day here on Ohio's north coast.

70 degrees with sun and a gentle breeze.

Oh, how I wish it would stay

this way until spring ;-)

Thank you for stopping by. Please come again soon!

Pug hugs :)

Lauren

Do you know how to blacken beeswax? & my first foster ~

Do you know how to blacken beeswax or where to find instructions? I've searched the Internet without success. There are many items for sale, but I'd like to know how to make my own. Years ago, I made beeswax ornaments, and the smell of melted beeswax is heavenly.

Since it seems very strange to post to my blog without any pictures, I thought I'd share a couple of pics of my first foster, TeeJaye. In August of 2008, I got a call asking if I'd be willing to foster a female pug that was in a shelter. Barb wanted to pull her from the shelter, but could only do it if she had someone lined up to foster her. She knew nothing other than it was a female. I himmed and hawed and reluctantly said I would. At that point, I wasn't sure if I wanted to foster. Fast forward to the same evening. Barb and I met and she handed TeeJaye to me. The word that came to mind when I saw her was "skanky" (if that's a real word!). Poor thing was missing about 25% of her hair. She was skinny and so pathetic looking. I thought how could I ever care for this girl when I didn't even want to touch her! The loss of hair was due to a bad case of fleas (which thankfully were gone by the time I got her). The hair immediately started to grow back, she put on some weight, and she was the most loving girl and a real beauty. Here she is in her "street walking" costume....

...and all decked out for fall!

This young lady ended up stealing my heart and she came very close to being a foster failure. Luckily, I had met the lady who ended up adopting her, so I knew she was going to a good home. The day she was adopted, I took a half day off work and spent the day crying. I knew I was doing what was best for TeeJaye but it still hurt.

I am now fostering pug #6 and each and every one has been special. They have all taken a little piece of my heart when they've been adopted.

Please, if you are thinking about a pet, consider adopting or buy from a reputable breeder. PLEASE do not buy from a pet store. My current foster Eema has spent her entire life in a cage having babies! Her baby days are over and my hope is that she will soon go to her forever home where she will live with the dignity she deserves!

Thanks for listening and I'll get off my soap box now!

Pug hugs :)

Lauren