Happy Dance GIVE~AWAY

~ ~ ~ WELCOME FRIENDS ~ ~ ~

Today it is me doing a little happy dance :)

I have hit a milestone...

150 followers...

so I am having a little give~away.

Just in time for Valentine's Day

is this little hooked heart mat.

It measures about 7" x 8".

It is not nearly as bright as the picture shows.

(I'm glad to know it is not just me.

Several other bloggers have commented

how difficult it is to capture

the true colors of wool.)

Entering is simple.

Leave me a comment on this post

or

drop me an email with give~away

in the subject line.

You don't need to be a follower

but I'd really appreciate it if you were :)

I will pick the winner Sunday

around noon.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Monday Mumblings ~

Welcome everyone. Thank you for stopping by on this cold winter Monday.

I thought I was doing so well completing my January goals, when I suddenly realized that February is next week! If I have a productive week, I just may make it. If not, oh well, oh hell!

It shouldn't take me much longer to finish this little mat. I was asked to hook this for a fellow Ohio Pug Rescue member a year and a half ago. She said she was in no hurry to get it. Obviously that was the wrong thing to say to me. She's probably given up on ever getting it :)
I purchased a $4 single flat sheet at Walmart to try my hand at a toothbrush rug. By the third row I was finally getting the hang of it, but I'm having a problem with curling. I'm guessing it's because the tension was not even on the beginning row. The start is very awkward. I'm sure this is one of those crafts that once you know what you are doing, it would be very easy and mindless to do. I purchased a couple of patterns ~ one for a rectangular and one for an oval rug. I don't think the instructions are very well written. Luckily I found a couple free instruction videos on the Internet. I found them much more helpful than the written instructions, so if you ever decide to give it a try, don't waste your money buying a pattern.

I got an email from Hopscotch's new mom after her first night there. All was going well and I hope it still is! It is very quiet around here. I must say I do not miss walking a puppy at 6am in single digit temperatures!

Stay warm.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Doing a Little Happy Dance ~

Hopscotch went to her forever home last evening, and I'm sure our Loocie is doing a little happy dance! Hopscotch (aka she-devil, goofy & who-ha) is all puppy and wanted a playmate. Loocie, even as a puppy was not that active and now at 5 1/2 wanted nothing to do with Hopscotch.

Here's Loocie hiding under the coffee table...
...and under the dining room chair. She really doesn't understand the concept of hiding!

{{I've posted this picture just 'cuz Loocie is so darned cute :) }}

Hopscotch found her hiding place...

...and again found her. I swear, in this picture Hopscotch has an evil look on her face. Hopscotch just couldn't leave Loocie alone!

Here's Hopscotch playing with daddy one last time before her adoption.

Hopscotch at her forever home ~ making herself right at home.

Her new mom is Heidi and even her new two-legged sister Heather stopped by to welcome her to the family. That's Hopscotch in her mom's arms and her new pug brother Elwood (black) and sister Rhoda (fawn) are being held by Heather. Both Elwood and Rhoda are around two years of age so still very much the puppy. The three of them had a grand time playing. She also has a fenced yard to run in. That will make her very happy!!!

I'll get on my soapbox one more time and remind you that if you are considering a pet, please consider adoption. Please DO NOT purchase a pet from a pet store. These animals come from puppy mills, and puppy mills are not nice places!!!

In yesterday's mail, I got the most delightful package. These items were sent to me by Dolly, the wonderful lady who adopted my Eema (a former puppy mill momma!!!). How sweet of her. Dolly, I know you read my blog ~ THANK YOU! She even sent Loocie a gourmet treat in the shape of a palm tree. They are wintering in Florida. Lucky them. I hope they will send a little warmth north.

I hope everyone is staying warm. It is a balmy 16 degrees out as I type this. I know, I know. I live in Ohio and should expect this. It doesn't mean I have to like it.

Thanks so much for stopping by and please come again!
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Technologically Challenged ~ Part II

Thank you for all your suggestions on how to download the pictures from my phone to my computer. I don’t have the capability of sending or receiving pictures on my phone. When I got my phone about a year and a half ago, I checked in to it, and at that time it was about $15.00 a month to add it to my plan. Heck, for $15.00, I can buy almost a yard of new wool! As for the cable… if I had one, it is nowhere to be found.

Lucky for me my Sweetie came to the rescue. He stopped over on his way to school (he teaches adult education in the evening). He put the memory card in my phone, figured how to save the pictures to the card and then downloaded them on to my laptop. Woo hoo! I love that man :)

So without further ado, here are the rugs from the small but mighty group last evening.

This is Lisa's rug being hooked in a 9 cut with the most wonderful black background.

Arlene's Mary Comstock.
Carole's adaptation of an antique rug featured in this month's issue of Early American Life. This rug is HUGE, maybe 3 1/2 x 5 1/2. As I've said before, Carole is hooker extraordinaire!

A little closer view...the blue is an as-is wool that is beautiful!

Karin, eBay seller Primitive Spirits, is working on a Maggie Bonanomi design.

And last but not least is Deanna's rug, started at a Deanne Fitzpatrick workshop. Deanna says the rug is not really "her", so she is hooking it for a friend :)

Sylvia, an amazing knitter, spent the evening working on this grey cape. Oh, the yarn was so soft!

That's it for the rug (and cape) show.

I hope everyone is staying warm. It is supposed to get frigid here on Ohio's north coast for the next few days. How many days until spring???

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Technologically Challenged ~

Tonight was hooking at the library. There were some amazing rugs being hooked and a gorgeous shawl being knitted. I forgot my camera and was so pleased that I figured out how to take pictures with my phone, something I never do. Well, the pictures are on the phone and I have no idea how to get them on the computer. GGGGRRRRR!!!!! I hate being so challenged!

I will share the few little mats I have been working on. This little mat has the binding sewn on but still needs a label.
This has the binding partially sewn on.

These two heart mats are hooked and not yet steamed so they are a bit curled. The grey is actually more of a black color.

Here's a little mat I was asked to hook a year and a half ago. I finally started it tonight (and it is one of my January goals :).

That's it for tonight. I hope I will be able to share the wonderful rugs at a later date.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Monday ~

It's a rather cold Monday here on Ohio's north coast, but I have the day off work so no complaints from me :)

Saturday DSO Fritz and I decided to take a few hours and head to an antique mall about an hour from here that I had not been to in a number of years. We checked the Internet and it said that it was open 10-5 daily. We got there just before noon and could not figure out why there were no cars in the parking lot and it appeared to be closed. Well, the sign on the door said that they closed in September ~ ~ ~ of 2007! Sure would have been nice to know!

The nearest antique shop/mall I could think of was the one I had been to just a couple of weeks ago, so off we went. I had seen this last time I was there and this time decided it "needed" to come home with me. It's not something I would normally buy, but what the heck ~ it's a pug on a pin cushion. Everyone ought to have one of those, right?

I also picked up a few plastic snowman ornaments from the 50's. Not too exciting but it's always fun to come home with something.
Since Jake did not have school today, we had a sleepover. I couldn't resist this picture of him. He almost looks like he is faking it, but he didn't even flinch when I took several pictures.

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope your week is off to a good start and you are staying warm. How many more days until spring?

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Before & After ~

WELCOME to my little corner of blogland.

Thank you so much for dropping in :)

FINALLY!!! My Christmas decorations are all boxed up and have been hauled to the attic. It has never taken me this long to get everything boxed up and put away. But I'm done. Woo hoo! I am doing a little happy dance. About 80% of my "normal" things are now back in place. I must have spent a half hour looking for 2 of my hooked rugs. Now, I must confess, I was re-blonded last night, but how do you lose hooked rugs? (Actually, I still haven't found a hooked rug that I put away at Christmas at least four years ago. One of those mysteries that may never be solved!) I finally found the rugs, but still cannot find one of my framed cross stitch pieces that I need to rehang.

Here's a few before pictures...

...and after...

I had about given up on my amaryllis blooming. I planted them before the end of November and by Christmas they had not grown an inch. I was hoping to find the receipts (highly doubtful) and return them to Home Depot. Well, lo and behold, they are starting to bloom. The stem on the one in bloom is only about 6" tall. I've not had luck getting them to re-bloom again so I just buy a couple new ones each holiday season.

BFF Belinda and I finally got together to exchange our gifts and she got me this sweet little penny mat. She tried to tell me she made it but I knew better...lol!

She also gave me these Halloween items. I just love the stack of pumpkins.

Oh, dear little Hopscotch has been full of pi** and vinegar lately. Our Loocie is 5 1/2 and VERY laid back and Hopscotch just torments her to no end. Hopscotch wants so bad for Loocie to play and for the most part, Loocie will have nothing to do with it, but poor Hopscotch just won't give up! Isn't she just too cute?

I have been busy hooking my little mats and I've completed three of them and two of them have the binding sewn on. Woo hoo, I'm on a roll. Maybe my hooking mojo is returning? I certainly hope so! I've also done the little cross stitch piece, but only the stitching is done. Hopefully I'll have pictures to share soon.

Time to get back to work.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren