Wordless Wednesday: A Queen, A Train & 4 Pooches

Happy wordless hump day!

Ten On Tuesday: 10 Patterns You Could Knit Again... and Again

I haven't played along with Ten on Tuesday in quite awhile, but I thought today's topic was a fun one: 10 Patterns You Could Knit Again... and Again, and Again.  In no particular order, here we go...

1. Airy Summer Infinity Scarf - This was a recent finished object that I adore... just the right size to wear as is, or wrapped and it makes a great nearly-all-weather accessory.  (And it doesn't hurt that my baby boy looks stunning modeling it)

2. Snow Cowl - I whipped up one of these for a friend's birthday earlier this year.  Totally an instant gratification project!

3. Cable Footsies - When it comes to regular socks, I tend to lean towards simple patterns, especially because I may have a pair of socks on the needles for a year or more (I work on them in between many other projects and never tend to put them first).  But when it comes to a more quick-knit sock, I love this cute cabled pattern.  Using worsted weight yarn, they  knit up fairly quick and make the most comfortable pair of house socks, perfect for New England fall-winter weather!

4. Misti Chunky Ribs & Ruffles Scarf - I have knit several of these already and will knit more.  Because it uses chunky yarn, it's a fairly quick knit scarf, perfect for gifting. 

5. Ribbons - When it comes to baby items, I love finding un-typical patterns and Susan B. Anderson's "Itty-Bitty Hats" book is great for those special hats.  I had so much fun making this one for a favorite little girl, especially when it came time to pick out the ribbons.

6. The Amanda Hat - A functional, yet un-boring winter hat.  Knit it up in super soft malabrigo and your friends will be happy to wear it all winter long.  

7. Magic Slippers - It's been awhile since I've knit a pair, but these cute envelope-like baby slippers are a great use for sock yarn leftovers.

8. Cross-Stitch Scarf - This is another scarf I've knit and gifted several times already.  I love the dense woven-like fabric created by the simple pattern. 

9. Gift Card-igans - Because sometimes a gift card truly is the perfect gift... and these little numbers really dress 'em up! After the recipient has opened her gift card, she can use this pretty little pouch as a business card holder or even as a small wallet.  Plus, it's another great left-over yarn pile buster!

10. Clapotis - I've only knit it once thus far, and that was 6 years ago.  But... I have some yarn stashed that is destined to be another (and another, and another).  I took mine on our Alaska cruise last summer and it made a perfect scrunchy neck warmer to have on hand.

Monday Mischief: Where Have Our Humans Gone?

Happy Monday! Last week was a very busy one, which left the Lapdogs wondering where their humans kept running away to... without them.  There was a concert (Queen + Adam Lambert), and then the pups' Grampa Dan & Gramma Sue came to town.  Since then the humans keep running in and out... 

Sophie was most certainly not impressed.

I'm sure she'll be much happier when she realizes that Grampa Dan & Gramma Sue brought along not just one, but four bags of their favorite treats from Charlotte.  We haven't had a chance to dig into them just yet, but we did open up the package that arrived on Saturday morning...

I scored a great deal on a huge orthopedic dog bed from Groupon and boy do the Lapdogs love it!  If they offer it again, we're definitely going to have to get at least one more.  

Black & White Sunday: So Long July

Well, would you look at that, just a few days of July left. While Zeus and I would both prefer to skip right to hand-knit-wearing, apple-picking, pumpkin-loving, leaf-peeping weather, we are hoping for a comfortable August here in New England. 

Thankful Thursday: I Love My Seniors

Happy Thankful Thursday.  

With 3 out of 4 Lapdogs sporting grey hair and double-digit ages, I'm always thankful.

My Senior Babies: Lola (12), Teutul (10 1/2), Zeus (13)

I love when they get to just hang out and chill on our deck.  But I love it even more when my two old-men and their old-lady sister start romping and wrestling out there!  We had some great action going on this past week, but sadly I didn't think to take some video. 

Of course, I'm always thankful for their "baby" sister as well.  Sophie's going to be 8 in December, so I guess she's technically a senior now as well.  How did that happen?
 
I love it when I get a chance to snap a candid "youngest & oldest" pic. 

In case you don't stop by regularly, I'm also thankful for the forever families who continue to share photos, videos and updates with us.  Fostering is never easy, but the joy I get from their updates is part of what makes the tears all worth while!  Check out the pics I shared on Monday of some of our foster babies.

Wordless Wednesday: Summer Fun

It's that time again... let's get wordless!

 

 

Tasty Tuesday: Infused Water?

I had planned to bring you another delish (according to Teutul) treat review and giveaway today, however even the best laid plans go astray sometimes.  So, I guess we'll just have to talk about some human Tasty Tuesday treats today!

Sometime late morning-ish on Saturday, I decided it was a good time to brew some sun tea and got out my gallon-sized glass jar.  After digging through the tea stash, I decided on a custom blended pineapple something/blueberry something-else.  As I was trying to decide how best to use the loose tea, I remembered purchasing a herb infuser from Pampered Chef last year (the rubber green thing floating in my tea).  I was quite proud of myself...

Only thing I didn't have?  Sun. Darn thing decided to disappear just as I was setting my jar on the deck.  And, you know, you kinda need sun to brew sun tea... 

I left the jar out there the rest of the afternoon, in the dingy overcast, cloudiness....

While it didn't really "brew" as nicely as I would have liked, I ended up with some yummy infused tea-like water.  (Note to Self: check the forecast next time)

Just before I got the urge to infuse my water, I was clearing some clutter off of the kitchen table and came across a beer bread kit with a "best if used by" date of July 31.  I figured since it wasn't a scorcher of a day, I'd better get my bake on while it was comfortable enough to turn the oven on.  I grabbed a can of one of my favorite local brews, Hell Yes (as in Helles) from Moat Mountain Smoke House & Brewing Co., and got to work.

After the bread came out of the oven, I remembered one thing.  I made beer bread once before and hated it.  I haven't tried this one yet.  But back to the beer... Moat Mountain is in North Conway, NH and owned by a racing friend who always has the after-race adult beverages ready to go when we're at NHMS!  My personal favorites are the Hell Yes and Miss V's Blueberry.  If you can find Moat Mountain beer near you, grab a can or two... you won't be disappointed.  And if you're in the North Conway area, be sure to stop by and enjoy a cold one with a fantastic meal!

My Saturday treats didn't stop there.  I also made peanut butter cookies for racing on Sunday... but somehow forgot a photo.  I had planned to make the now-quite-popular-at-the-race-track s'mores bites, however I was lacking butter and didn't restock in time.  Those are on the menu for this week.

As for the doggies, stay tuned for that review and giveaway....