Friday, October 31, 2008

FO Spooky Day

Happy Spooky Day!

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Sure, that photo of my little devil is 6 years old, but I still adore it...

Now lookie here... another finished object, just in time for FO Friday! I finished the Bulky Open Work Scarf last night (destined to be a Christmas gift)...

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I used one skein of Knit Picks
Wool of the Andes Bulky Hand Dyed in the Field Mouse colorway - the entire skein... I'll admit that I had to cut off a piece of my cast on tail to make it through the bind off! Guess I should've left out that last 8 row repeat?!?! I do still need to weave in the ends and block it, as you can not see the really cool crochet-like open pattern in these pics, but they will do for now. I have a couple more of these scarves on my planned Christmas Knitting list, so speak up if you like (or don't) it... you never know what's on the list for you!


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Mail Call! I received my first place prize from Emily for Dish Rag Tag: The Sequel!

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My team (Deuces Wild) finished first and we each received a small project bag (made by Emily's mom), a set of adorable sour cherry stitch markers and a matching tape measure (adorned with an antique button from Emily's Great Gran's box) - you can click the above photo to enlarge for detail. Thank you Emily - for being crazy enough to host the tag a second time and for an amazing prize package!

Since I didn't get Tut's birthday photos downloaded in time for Dogs on Thursday this week, I'll wait to post them next week, but in the meantime, you can have a little teaser...

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Yes, my boy loves his sheep... and was playing a bit of keep-away with his little sister.

I'll leave you with some Friday Fill-Ins...

1. My favorite food seasoning is Pampered Chef's Rosemary Herb.

2. Bon Jovi is music to my ears.

3. Lucky is Jimme Johnson (please... not 3 years in a row!).

4. Animal Welfare & Rescue is something I take very seriously.

5. Many people have found me on Facebook this week (find me on MySpace too!).

6. Kleenex, mini Babybel Cheese, snack size bags of chips, Advil, a dog bed, dog treats.... (need I go on? I went to BJ's during lunch break yesterday) was the last thing I bought at the store.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to doing nothing (we don't get any trick or treaters at our house), tomorrow my plans include going to CT to meet up with Teri & Brenda for the WVU vs UCONN football game (so happy to see Teri more than once this year!) and Sunday, I want to get some cleaning & organizing done at home (read: purge!)!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

No Spooky Pooches Here...

Another work week almost over, and another Doggy Thursday (hop on over and check out the Doggie Halloween Parade - Sophie is included in her "yoda costume") upon us! If you only stop by on Thursdays, take a second to scroll back to Tut's birthday post and the Paco Collars review.

The damn rain & windy has come (along with bbrrr cold temps) and taken down the majority of the foliage this past week. However, I did manage some cute outside shots earlier...

Miss Lola... {as always, click on their linked names for even more pics}

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Zeus the Moose...

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Princess Sophie on the hunt...

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Teutul the birthday boy...

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I know he's barely in that second photo, but the artistic side of me really loves that shot...


Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

REVIEW: Paco Collars

Paco Collar
Where to Find:
Paco Collars

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Paco Collars specializes in high quality, custom made leather dog & cat collars, as well as leashes and matching human bracelets & belts. Founder Ana Poe was "adopted" by Paco, a beautiful pit bull who had a hard start to life, and out of that friendship & lasting bond, Paco Collars was born...

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Here at Lapdog Creations, we received a gorgeous PBRC in brown for review. As you can see, even though the size is a bit tight for Zeus and loose for Lola, it is quite stunning (side note... we hope that Zeus slims down a touch to wear it proudly, as opposed to Lola beefing up)! Are you wondering just what PBRC stands for? No, its not some weird form of public broadcasting... this particular collar was designed for Pit Bull Rescue Central, which is just one of the wonderful organizations Paco Collars supports. $5 from the sale of every PBRC collar is donated to the organization! Kudos to Paco Collars!

Quality & chic comes with the need of some patience... Paco Collars are custom made for each and every order, so although you might have to wait a little while (typically 6 - 8 weeks from the time an order is placed), it will be well worth it when your pooch is the talk of the dog park! As if being the ultimate in doggy style isn't enough, Paco Collars come with a lifetime of free repair (there are some restrictions... if Fido is a chewer, they can't fix that, but anything resulting from product failure is surely covered).

There are so many cool and unique styles to choose from - from tough guy to urban cowboy to girly girl. I think my favorite is the Uba, which features some bad ass skull & crossbones! For a softer side, I also adore the Sybyl Lilly with its beautiful celtic heart design. I won't forget about the kitties - Paco Collars currently has 3 styles of cat collars to choose from. The humans aren't to be left out either... we can choose a belt or bracelet to match our 4-legged furbaby!

Have a special dog (or cat) mom (or dad) on your holiday list this year? Think about Paco Collars... or better yet, put them on your own wish list! And remember...

Happy dogs love Paco Collars!

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Monday, October 27, 2008

Kennebunk, Maine

It was great to get away (even if only for a few days) and to have a little vacation where nothing was planned... we could do whatever we wanted and not be on any schedule. We did some shopping, sight seeing, walking and lots of eating...

The perfect New England pictures, taken off of Cape Porpoise Pier {click links throughout the post for some more cool pics}...

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We stayed in Kennebunk Lower Village, just on the end of Dock Square. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect spot - a very short walk to all of the shops & restaurants - and we had a very cool room.

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Isn't that a cool bed? I was spoiled with the jacuzzi tub & dual shower heads in the bathroom (yes, we have a hot tub at home, but its not the same as a big jacuzzi inside).

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We stopped to play tourists at the Bush Compound (yes, that one)...

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I really love lighthoues, after all I did grow up in Gloucester, MA, which is technically an island. In my quest to view a new one, we decided to drive out to Cape Porpoise Pier and see Goat Island Light. The view from the pier was great and we found a fantastic place for lunch there too.

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On the way home, we stopped in York and visited Nubble Light, which is one of my favorites. Its also one of my favorite picture taking spots, but it was soooooooo windy we could barely stand outside for a couple minutes, let alone think about getting a decent photo of us...

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I found this rather unique one in Dock Square, at the entrance to The Shipyard Shops...

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Notice the bear bottles around the top? The reason is Federal Jack's Brew Pub, which is part of the Shipyard Shops. We had a yummy dinner there... the Haddock Chowder was especially good, as was their 19th Hole drink (melon vodka, unsweetened iced tea and a splash of pink lemonade... so refreshing!).

Kennebunk is a dog loving town and I found lots of doggy stuff, making sure to stop shop at both Scalawags and Digs, Divots & Dogs. We met lots of great dog loving people & friendly doggies (I might've made a new best 4-legged bud at Scalawags) and I picked up some yummies for our kids (including a bag of these politically correct treats), doggy note cards, cookie cutters and some rather cool Christmas gifts for friends (I even managed to find something I'd be searching for at least a year for Chan... although it wasn't in one of the doggy stores!). Here's another perfect New England picture (located at the bottom of the stairs leading up to Scalawags)... dig the lobster & doggles?

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I also found yarn... and a very lovely LYS, The Custom Shop.

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The shop was very lovely, well organized and a delight to poke around in! Since I have enough yarn in my stash to cover me for at least 5 years of being trapped inside the house didn't really need any yarn, I went in with the intentions of only picking up local stuff. I grabbed 1 skein of a local handdyed sock yarn and 3 skeins of Maine alpaca. I promise to photo that for you all to oogle soon..... that will come later this week, along with Teutul's birthday photos. Until then, I'll plug along at work and wish I were in Maine... I think I have found my new favorite annual fall getaway!!!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

From My Dad

My Dad sent this note and asked me to post it for every to see... his wish is my command!

Just a short thank you to all the wonderful people out there that are concerned about my health.I deeply appreciate all the things that are said and to those who have sent my wife and I some gifts.I wish I could thank everyone in person,so that is why I am taking this time to write this message.
I am very proud of my daughter for what she has done in her life.Not everyone is as lucky as I am of having her as a kind and most giving person as well.I know she will go far in her achievements.She has a great partner Matt who I really like and would be always like a son to me.
I am starting to ramble so I am going to say one more time Thank You all for your kindness toward me and my family.

Dad goes for his swallow test on November 5 and then he has a PET scan on November 8 (please keep sending good vibes for a clean PET scan)! My Mom goes in for a follow up CAT scan on November 25...

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Look Who's 5 Today!

Happy Birthday Teutul!

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My baby boy and his brother Tango (who lives with my good friend Tanya) are 5 years old today.... hard to believe, they grow so fast! Look at what cute little boys they were in TN!

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You can take a peek back to last years' post if you want, but now let's take a look back at the past year... in photos of course!

Even when Sophie joined our family, Tut wanted to make sure everyone knew he was still the baby...

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Big smiles and snowy fun...

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2 of his favorite things... snuggling next to on his Daddy & helping Mommy with blog reviews...

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Posing with The Bark August 2008 issue, which he & sister Lola were in...

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Looking cute...

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He just got his toys, a big sheep and an air kong...and we have cake for later tonight.

Happy Birthday Tut & Tango... and a belated birthday Woof to Sissy, who appropriately enough has a brand new sister of her own this week!

Friday, October 24, 2008

FO Friday!

TGI-friggin-F! I'm celebrating with a finished object (and proof that I actually do knit!), my Shetland Wool Hat (sorry for those not on Ravelry... but if you're not, what are you waiting for??)...

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This is the wool/silk blend I purchased from Painted Knoll Farm on last year's Wool Arts Tour. It was sold as a hat kit and they had included a small amount of the brown/grey wool in case there wasn't enough of the grey wool/silk for an adult hat. So... I decided to play with it a little bit and throw in 2 stripes. I am really pleased with the way it turned out and I couldn't have gotten it off the needles at a better time... It was 24 degrees this morning when I left for work! Look at the frost on the trees!!!

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Of course I got some 4-pawed help in the modeling department. Teutul managed the best shots this time...

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Lola tried but was interrupted by her pesky little brother...

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Hope everyone has a great end of the week... I'll leave you with a little Friday Fill-In...

1. Right now, I'm feeling head-achey.
2. At home knitting is where I want to be.
3. How does one keep up with the rising costs of everything?
4. Matt keeps me on track.
5. Please don't give me any more of your hypocritical, self-righteous bull...
6. The unconditional love of my 4 dogs fills me with joy.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to just hanging out at home, watching Ghost Whisperer of course, tomorrow my plans include watching Matt run a 100 lap endurance kart race and going to dinner with friends and Sunday, I want to do absolutely nothing, but it looks like we're going to watch some more kart racing (I really should find some cleaning time this weekend...)!

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