Ok, I'll Play...

I've been seeing the Pay it Forward going around on a lot of blogs lately and I finally decided to join in via Chan's blog. So, here's the scoop...

It’s the Pay It Forward Exchange, based on the concept of the movie “Pay it Forward” where acts or deeds of kindness are done without expecting something in return... just passing it on, with hope that the recipients of the acts of kindness continue to pass it along as well. You all know I’m already a PIF type of person. Here’s how it works: I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I do not know what that gift will be yet, and it won’t be sent this month, probably not next month, but it will be sent (within 6 months) and that’s a promise! What YOU have to do in return, then, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

So who will my 3 lucky peeps to join me in PIF (if you comment among the first 3 and don't want to play, just say so... no pressure!)?

Speaking of exchanges, I received my Virtual Vacation Swap (I went to Virginia!) package on Monday and my Dog Days of Summer box yesterday... and promise to post info & photos very soon! Both of my spoilers, Robin in VVS and Nicol in DDS, were super duper treaters!!! I absolutely loved everything and both of them really got to know me, which always adds that extra little touch when you realize your spoiler actually read your blog and took the time to learn what you like! You'll see soon...

Mom is now home, resting comfortably and happily knitting away! She has a visiting nurse twice a day and will be back to see Mr. Surgeon the end of next week. She thanks everyone for their well wishes, notes, cards, thoughts and prayers! I also wanted to publicly thank Heather for the wonderful knitting goody bag she sent for her (which I photoed but they're still on the camera), blogless Karen for the yummy See's chocolates she sent and the incredibly caring Grace for the beautiful shawl she sent. I can't wait to see my Mom wear it and will get photos when she does - but for now I tracked back a little on Grace's blog and found this and this (its the stunning Cherry Tree Hill / Mr Joe Montalpulcino shawl). Mom loves everything!

We had a bit of a scare with Mr. Teutul this week when he came to us on Sunday night with hives all over his head and his snout swelled up to about 3 times its usually size (he looked like a Rottie!). Off we raced to the emergency vet clinic where he received 2 shots and we were told it was an allergic reaction from "something" (well yes, thank you for that insight - the vet seemed like she was quite new and funny thing was, Tut knew she was not his "doctor lady," didn't really want much to do with her and even refused to get on their scale!). So, we were sent home, told to wake him at 2am and check for hives. Nothing then, but he woke me at 4am with them so I got up and gave him Benadryl, as they said to. He woke me again around 8am with move hives (including a bunch around his eye), so I called our wonderful vet and raced him down to see her before she went in to surgery... Another shot and a prescription of Prednisone, then it was back home (and he happily got on the scale there, sat right down ... aren't they fussy children funny how they know who their doctor is and all??!!). By then he had hives all over his body, so much that he looked like a wrinkly shar-pei... another dose of Benadryl... since then we haven't seen any hives, he takes the Prednisone for the next week or so (you have to start out with 2 a day, then 1 a day, then every other ... oh how fun!). They still can't tell for sure what he got in to or what made us worry like crazy about the baby boy, but we're leaning towards either a bee sting or maybe a spider bite. He had been rubbing his face on the couch & dog bed about an hour or so before (we thought he just got his face wet and was using the "couch napkin" like his sister does) the hives appeared and since that was the only time his snout swelled, that's my uneducated guess........ so, I ended up not getting all that I had hoped to get done on my day off on Monday... then I got sick yesterday... oh the joys! But I promise to download pics from the camera and get to some prettier blogging shortly!!