Date Night ~

Tonight was date night with my favorite redhead.  We started the evening with a visit with Santa . . .

. . . and ended it with a movie.  At the end of the movie, he turned to me and said, "That was good!".  It was very cute.

We had our first snow of the season.  I didn't even know it was supposed to snow, and we received several inches.  I think it will all melt tomorrow ~ and that's okay with me.  They say if you don't like the weather in Ohio, stick around for a day and it will change.  Thursday evening the weather was nice enough for my son to go for a motorcycle ride and today the snowplows are out.  Welcome to Ohio :)

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

Patriotic Christmas ~

With Thanksgiving being so early this year, I thought for once I'd have a stress free time getting ready for Christmas.  I should have known better.  Most of the decorating is done but I still have not done anything with the banister or the bookshelves on either side of the fireplace.  The cards are not mailed ~ heck, they are not even written :)  I still have shopping and wrapping to do and two hooked mats to finish.  Oh, and two more packages to mail.  Yikes!  I think I'm in trouble!

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Tonight I thought I'd share my patriotic Christmas decorations with you.  My stairs leading to the second floor make a 90 degree turn and each year all my patriotic items are displayed on this little landing.

Some of my favorite ornaments.

This guy is one of my absolute favorites!

Santas, nutcrackers and Uncle Sam atop an antique cupboard.

In a small antique cupboard.

Today was grandson Jake's Christmas program at school.  I was able to take part of the afternoon off work to attend.  They sang a half dozen songs and he smiled through the entire performance.  What fun to see the joy on the children's faces.

I really need to pull a few loops before the evening is totally over.

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

More Christmas ~

More of my Christmas.  I really have put out less than in previous years, but I definitely have not "simplified".

On my upstairs landing . . .

In the living room.  All three samplers are antique.

A little tree in the kitchen set in an old butter crock.  The lights are the tiny rice lights that I dipped in silicone.  All the ornaments are old figural light bulbs.

In the downstairs bath, decorated with both vintage and new glass ornaments.  I made the candy canes several years ago.

In the dining room.

I love my light up plastic Santas!

Yesterday Ohio Pug Rescue was set up a dog event.  I was hoping Annie would find her forever home, but it was not meant to be :(

Meet Fred.  He was the coolest bulldog I've ever seen.  So laid back and friendly.  He was a big boy!

How would you like a derriere this size?

An OPR pug, but I don't remember his name.  He was so content sitting on a lap, people and dog watching.

This is Ruby.  She was adopted from OPR about two years ago.  Look at the white tips on her paws. 

Thank you so much for stopping by.  I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  Mine was good.  I got some things done, ran some errands, hooked a little (still must finish that Christmas present!), but of course did not get all done that I had hoped.  I never do . . . sigh!

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Lucky ME!

I was one of the lucky winners of Joanne's most generous give-away!  {Be sure to check out her blog.  It's always a fun place to visit.  She is a very prolific hooker and she has the sweetest kitties.}   Look at the wonderful hooked pillow I received in today's mail.  Woo hoo!  It is wonderful and something I can display all winter long.  THANK YOU JOANNE and a big thank you to her furbaby Jonesy who picked my name.  I think he deserves an extra treat (or two!).

I love how the snowflakes are dimensional.  It looks like she used yarn and made a French knot.  {Am I correct, Joanne?}

I also have a couple of finishes to share with you.  I've finished the pumpkin mat that I started at the ATHA biennial in Maria Barton's class.  Maria has the sweetest patterns.  You can see them all on her website, Star Rug Company.  {I prefer to think I am ahead for next Halloween, not that I missed this year's.} 

The rooster is another Christmas gift.

I'm not quite sure what I am doing with this mat, other than the dog.  I'm sure it will be something rather simple ~ and it better be quick :)

I had plans to hook yet one more mat, but it's not going to happen!

Thank you so much for stopping by.  I do appreciate you taking the time to read my ramblings.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

More Christmas and a Thank You ~

A big thank you to Elaine at Wool Stitches and More who presented me with this award.  It's German for I love you.  I feel honored that she chose me.  I am supposed to choose five blogs and present the award to them to spread the love.  I don't mean to be a party pooper, but I just cannot choose only five blogs to present it to, so I will be selfish and keep it to myself.  Please stop by Elaine's blog and say hi to a fellow hooker :)

Tonight I feel as if I've been spinning my wheels and getting nothing done.  I did get a few more things done, but my decorating list is still quite long.  Here are a few more pictures.  As you can see, I still have not mastered the "less is more" style of decorating.  The snowmen are sitting on a doily that my grandma crocheted decades ago.



Two vintage snowmen ~ gifts from a dear friend.

Celluloid reindeer.

Pretty scary to think that decorations from my youth are now considered vintage . . . lol!  {These are not ones I had as a child, but ones I've purchased over the years.}



The Santa in the back is embossed paper ~ marked Germany.  The bottle brush tree is also vintage.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Tuba Christmas ~

Don't forget to Google Tuba Christmas and see if there is one in your area.  Last year I blogged about it here.  It really is a fun event, especially if you've never been to one.  You just won't believe how many different kinds of tubas there are!  I had forgotten Jake went with us and just recently he mentioned how much fun it was and he wanted to go again.  If you go, be sure to take some jingle bells.  Check out this You Tube video of Tuba Christmas at Rockefeller Center in 2008. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Plbl0fTYAY

I'm still decorating (and will be for quite a while yet) and will have lots more to share with you.  Thank you so much for stopping by. 
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

"Tis the Season ~

A big thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the kind comments regarding Eema.  They mean so much to me and Dolly.  I appreciate each and every one.  

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I am knee deep in Christmas boxes.  I am trying to simplify ~ rather unsuccessfully I might add.  Many of my decorations are gifts and as I unpack them, memories come back and I have a hard time not putting them out.  Annie has been helping me.  Yesterday I brought a 3' tree down from the attic.  I had left the silicone lights and old glass bead garlands on the tree.  Next thing I know Annie has stolen one of the bulbs and is chewing on it.  Now I don't know if I can blame her, but I then discovered half the lights were not working.  I removed them from the tree along with the glass garlands.  One of the strands of garland broke with glass beads flying everywhere and as I'm trying to pick them up, Annie is stealing them.  Thankfully she let me retrieve the one she had in her mouth (without biting me!) before she had a mouthful of glass.  Today I was at the store buying some silicone caulk because I really wanted silicone lights on the tree.  So in between trying to decorate and working on hooked Christmas presents, I am dipping bulbs in caulk.

One of my little repro feather trees.  I cross stitched the piece under it 20+ years ago.

A favorite Santa ~ made in 1990 by Vaillancourt Folk Art.

The first repro feather tree I bought MANY years ago.  The samplers are antique reproductions that I stitched in the 80's and early 90's.

Celluloid Santa and reindeer.

More celluloid Santas and reindeer.

A flock of vintage German woolly sheep.

Vintage glass Santa ornament on yet another feather tree ~ this one old.

I am SO HAPPY to report that my picture downloading problem has been solved.  WOO HOO!  It dawned on me that my problems began when I got my new camera and my DSO figured out that the setting I was using was taking HUGE pictures that were just too large to download easily. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. 

Pug hugs :)
Lauren