More Pug Pics ~

I am often asked how I can give up a pug after fostering her.  My answer is always the same ~ it is very bittersweet.  I grow attached very quickly but I believe they become attached to me even more quickly.  Sometimes they come from loving homes and have to be given up for a myriad of reasons.  I was present when a man surrendered three pugs due to an illness in his immediate family.  The man had a hard time not crying, but the tears could not be hidden.  Then there was TeeJaye and Linnie who came from god-awful shelters.  All they wanted was to be loved!

I have fostered eight times and seven of "my" pugs are in loving homes.  (My poor Linnie Lu had health issues and is now running fast and free at the Rainbow Bridge.)  Below are the two pugs you've heard the most about and the forever families who have kept in touch with me.

Eema, a former puppy mill momma, was with me for 11 1/2 months.  She just returned from a month in Florida.  Here she is with sister Cher who was also adopted from Ohio Pug Rescue.  Eema's the one with the sweet gray face in back :)

Hopscotch (nka Midge) was with me for one short month.  That's her in the middle with pug brother Elwood and sister Rhoda.

I'd say they are getting along marvelously!

Thanks so much to Hopscotch's mom Heidi and Eema's mom Dolly for sending me pictures.  I just love seeing how happy the girls are. 
It's 33 degrees, snow is melting and spring arrives in 36 days.  WOO HOO!!!  Life is good.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Rug Label Dilemma ~

I was inspired by Alice at Folk Art Primitives to label a couple of my rugs.  When I make a square or rectangular rug, I just use a marker and write on the binding, but with a round or oval shape, that is out of the question.  I have used the printable fabric in the past, but this time decided I would try ironing weaver's cloth on freezer paper and running that through the printer.  I don't have the beautiful penmanship that Alice has, so I just used a font I like.  I was very impressed how easy it was and how nicely the fabric printed.

But then I accidentally got some water drops on it and it ran.

The next time I tried spraying the fabric with a matte spray, but when I got it wet it still ran a bit.

I ended up using the printable fabric which does not run.

Has anyone used this method of printing labels on their own fabric and not had it run?  Any advice you can give me would be most welcome!

I hope everyone is staying warm.  We are supposed to get in the 30's in a couple of days.  It's going to feel like a heat wave!
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Fitting In ~

 Welcome friends! 

Thank you for stopping by

on this frigid night.

I am so happy to report the Hopscotch

(now known as Midge)

is fitting in very well

in her furever home. 

New mom says

she acts like she's been there forever.

Here she is in front

with Elwood snoozing in the middle

and Rhoda sneaking a peek in the back.

(Snug as three pugs

in a rug!)

 I love the look on the cat's face!

Thank you so much for stopping by.

I have actually made a bit of progress

on my horse rug.

I hope to get a little more done

before sharing with you.

Stay warm!
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

The Waiting Game ~

In October, I am going to the ATHA biennial in Lancaster, PA.  Woo hoo!  I am excited.    I've signed up for a couple of classes (I have NEVER taken a class!) and now the waiting game has begun.  I sent my registration in on the first day, but I have no idea how many students are in a class or how long it will take to find out if I've gotten in either class.  Does anyone have any idea when I will hear something? 

Can you believe I still have not found the little cross stitch sampler I put away for Christmas?  I guess it is one of life's little mysteries.  Recently I purchased this hooked mat on eBay from Kelley ~ Kanknchester.  I bought it not knowing where I'd put it.  Well the perfect spot is where the missing sampler was hanging :)

I hope everyone is staying toasty warm!

Pug hugs : )
Lauren

Six Inches of Partly Cloudy ~

 I've heard it said that a weatherman's worst nightmare

is waking up to six inches of partly cloudy.

That was the case yesterday

though it snowed during the day

and not at night.

Thank you for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Report Card ~

 ~ Welcome Friends ~

Our weather did not end up nearly as bad as predicted and I believe the bulk of the snow has fallen.  The temperatures are now falling and I believe we are in for a couple of frigid days, but we fared so much better than many other parts of the country.

I guess it is time for my January report card.

• finish taking down the Christmas decorations and get it all hauled to the attic. I started at the beginning of the week and I am tired of living amidst chaos.   DONE
• cross stitch a little Valentine pin keep   The stitching is done but it is not assembled.
• learn how to make a toothbrush rug  I learned the technique but stopped working on my project because the beginning tension was all wrong and it would never be square or flat!
• bind the little cat mat I hooked  The only thing left to do is add the label.
• finish the hit and miss mat I am working on  The hooking is done and the binding is half done.
• hook a little mat I was asked to hook 1+ years ago  It is hooked but needs to be bound.
• hook a small Valentine mat as a gift  It is hooked but still needs to be bound.  Do you detect a pattern here?
• hook a minimum of one hour on my horse rug ~ for some unknown reason I can't make myself finish it, so maybe if I spend an hour hooking on it, I will be inspired and can continue on.  I failed miserably at this one :(  I didn't even get it out of the basket to even think about hooking on it.
• HAVE A GIVE~AWAY  DONE!  I just need to mail off the third item.

I also hooked two other little mats and made a number of the woven wool hearts.  I am VERY happy with all that I accomplished!

Now on to my February goals ~

• go through my mound of paperwork that needs to be filed
• start on my taxes (I always put this off until the last minute)
• clean the basement (now my idea of a clean basement and your idea may be totally different!)
• clean the bottom of my closet (how does it end up looking like that?)
• bind and label the little mats that are hooked
• construct the Valentine pin keep (hopefully before Valentine's day...lol!)
• hook a little mat for a friend
• make a birthday gift for a friend (what to make???)
• have another give~away
• FINISH MY HORSE RUG!!!  (at least the hooking part)

Well friends.  There you have it.  I hope I am as productive in February as I was in January.  For me, it really helps to write things down and all of you can hold me accountable :)

Thank you so much for stopping by.
Stay safe and warm!
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Blog Buddies are the BEST!

Welcome friends.  Thank you so much for stopping by on this nasty February night.  We woke up to about 5-6 inches of snow ~ not too bad ~ and for the most part of the day we were without precipitation.  That changed a couple of hours ago and we are getting freezing rain and it's just supposed to get worse.  Even if the city shuts down, I don't have the luxury of staying home because I work for the Street Department and we spent the day fielding many complaints concerning snow removal.  I have a feeling tomorrow will be worse :( 

I got the most wonderful surprise in the mail yesterday from Cathy over at Acorn Hollow.  She recently became a first time Grandma and I sent a little gift for her new granddaughter.  She sent me the most beautiful card, a yard of wool and this Sampler and Tapestry Embroideries book.  It is a republication of a book originally published in 1913.  How cool is that?  Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Cathy!  Like I said, blog buddies are THE BEST :)

In just a few days I have gotten so far behind in my blog reading and wonder when I can get caught.  I miss reading what is going on with all my friends.  I'm guessing I am having some computer issues this evening because of the weather, so I won't be doing much catching up tonight.  Maybe tomorrow???

I can't believe it's February already!  Today would have been my Mom's 91st birthday.  I have a funny little Mom story.  My Mom was always a feisty one and the older she got, the fesitier she got.  Until the week before she died she could still communicate a bit.  One evening when I was leaving I told her I loved her and I'd stop by the next day.  She told me "bullshit"!  That is the last thing I remember my Mom saying, and if you knew that great lady, it was a perfect ending.  Love you, Mom.  Happy birthday!

Pug hugs :)

Lauren