Happy Friday

Wishing everyone a Happy Friday!  Please excuse this drive-by posting, but life is a bit chaotic right now.  My real world job is changing on August 1, which has meant lots of training and transition this week.... and stress!  I promise a post about our foster Bentley soon, but in the meantime make sure you enter our contest to win Nature's Logic dog food!

I'm sure I'm not the only one who could use a little stress relief today, so enjoy the flowers.... 

Buzz, Buzz

Happy Wordless Wednesday!  We've had several of these very large, super cool black and white dragonflies in our yard this summer.  Isn't he (or she?) gorgeous?!?! 

GIVEAWAY WINNER! The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook

Thank you to everyone who entered to win a copy of The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook!  This is truly the "fiber bible" and is sure to be a favorite for many years to come.  

The winner has been selected by random number generator...

    Here are your random numbers: 6

Timestamp: 2011-07-26

Congratulations to Jessi! I know you're going to love this one!

Thank you again to everyone who entered...
stay tuned for more reviews and giveaways coming soon!

REVIEW: Washable Ewe

Washable Ewe
Where to Find: Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller

The press kit for Washable Ewe, the newest addition to the Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller yarn line, has got to be the most creative press kit I've received in a long time!  Washable Ewe is a 100% super wash, worsted weight wool and the marketing executives sure did have fun with this one!  They placed a "laundry basket" inside of a cute little "laundry bag" and packed it full of goodies.  Along with one full-size skein of Washable Ewe, there are fourteen mini-balls, one of each of the vibrant shades Washable Ewe is available in.  To round out the laundry theme, clothes pins, a sample of Downy fabric softener and a couple of soak samples were cleverly included.  

Featuring the same kinds of bright, fashion-forward color shades that the Stitch Nation yarn line has become known for, this versatile yarn is ideal for fashion, baby, kids, accessories, and home décor projects. Washable Ewe is perfect for both knit and crochet projects, and it is guaranteed to be a long-lasting favorite! 

"I am really excited to introduce the new Washable Ewe 100% natural wool fiber yarn that is 100% machine washable!" said Debbie Stoller  "Now crafters can have the best of both worlds - a machine washable, easy-care yarn that is also completely natural fiber. I'm so happy with the colors, and all the stylish, free patterns we‘ve created that are available for both knitters and crocheters."

The Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller website features several free knit and crochet patterns for Washable Ewe, as well as the other thee yarns in the line - Bamboo Ewe, Alpaca Love, and Full o‘ Sheep. The collection was developed in partnership with Red Heart. All Stitch Nation yarns are medium weight and come in generous 85 - 100 gram balls, which retail for under $5 each.  Stitch Nation yarns are an affordable option in today's fiber world.  

As mentioned, I really admire the creativity associated with this press kit.  As if it wasn't cute enough already, check out the label inside the "laundry bag."  It's a "Cheapy Tote" from EnviroTote and carries one of the best "made by" statements I've ever seen: "Made with American materials by American hands."

Sophie sniffing out the Washable Ewe

Sophie says if you're looking for a washable wool for all of those hats, mittens and doggy sweaters you're planning to make for Christmas gifts this year, look no further than Washable Ewe.  However, she's wondering why they have Kitten, Duckling, Dragonfly and Robin's Egg colorways, but no Puppy?

GIVEAWAY! Nature's Logic Natural Dog Food

Nature's Logic Natural Dog Food
Where to Find: Nature's Logic

Win FREE Nature’s Logic 100% Natural Dog Food!

"If you are like most pet parents these days, you are looking more carefully at what you are feeding your dog. Dogs thrive on foods high in animal protein, rich in natural nutrients, and free of common allergens like corn, wheat, rice, soy, tapioca and potato. Nature’s Logic^® is committed to providing the highest quality and safest nutrition for the furry members of your family. The company has created the first and only full-line kibble, canned, and raw frozen pet food in the world with no chemically-synthesized ingredients. All Nature’s Logic foods are 100% natural with no man-made ingredients." 

Who doesn't want to feed their dogs the best possible ingredients possible?  The diagram above says it all - 100% all natural ingredients from whole foods and 0% man-made ingredients, chemical preservatives and artificial flavorings & colorings - plus, no corn, wheat, soy, rice, potato, tapioca or glutens, making Nature's Logic the perfect choice for many special needs diets. 

I am very excited that we have the opportunity to review Nature's Logic dry kibble and canned food in the coming weeks.  But you don't have to wait for our review!  While the Lapdogs do their testing, you and your pooch have the opportunity to win some food of your very own!
 

To enter this giveaway, visit Nature’s Logic and select the food and flavor you’d like to receive for your dog. Choose one option: a) one 4.4-lb bag dry kibble; b) one 3-lb bag raw frozen; or c) five 13.2-oz cans. Leave that information in your comment below. The winner will receive a Free Food Voucher for selected food, to be redeemed at any Nature’s Logic retailer.

1) Visit Nature's Logic and select the food type and flavor you’d like to win.

2) Leave a comment below with your choice of type (dry, canned, or raw) AND flavor of Nature’s Logic food.

3) For an extra chance to win, follow the @NaturesLogic twitter account, and let us know you’re following in your comment.

4) For an additional extra chance to win, follow LapdogCreations.com publicly (see "Followers" on the right hand side bar) and leave a separate comment saying that you do. If you are already a follower, just leave a comment stating so.

Deadline: This giveaway closes August 1, 2011 at midnight.  The winner will be announced here on this blog.

Restrictions: One winner will be selected at random among all entries using random.org. This giveaway is open to readers in the US and Canada only.  Winner will be notified via email that they have won and will be asked to provide an address to where they would like their prize sent.  Winner will have 48 hours to respond.  If winner does not respond within 48 hours, an alternate winner will be chosen.

Thank you to Nature's Logic for providing Lapdog Creations

with this giveaway offer for our readers!

Our First Big Wreck

Happy Friday and Happy end-to-a-crazy-busy-hot-as-heck week!  I'm so glad the weekend is here!  My day job is changing as of August 1st, which has made for a hectic, stressful week and I expect at least the same for next week...  Matt wrecked the Legends car in the opening laps of last night's race, which means we will more than likely not be racing at NHMS tomorrow and have a busy repair weekend ahead of us.  I still have to get my photos uploaded, but in the meantime here are a few shots from Finish Line Photography...

The wreck...

The aftermath...

The #8 was left with quite a bit of front end damage and as I mentioned, it means we won't be able to race at NHMS tomorrow (more about last weekend's big race on the morning of the NASCAR Cup race there later... need to get those photos uploaded as well!).  So guess what we decided to do.... here's a hint:

Triplets

Happy Wordless Wednesday!  This Spring, Beech Hill Farm welcomed a rare set of triplet goats... 

REVIEW: Dogswell Treats & Food

Dogswell Treats & Food
Where to Find: Dogswell.com

The Lapdog household has been a fan of Dogswell products for years, so we were very excited to be able to review some of their products and share our thoughts with you.  The good folks at Dogswell sent a bag of their brand new kibble, Nutrisca, as well as some Happy Hips Chicken Breast and Vitality Chicken & Apple treats.

All Dogswell products are made from premium, natural ingredients and come in a variety of functional formulas that are healthy for your dog and cat (yes, they make cat treats too... but sshhh, don't tell the Lapdogs!).  Dogswell uses natural meat and poultry with absolutely no added hormones, processed gluten, artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. All of their products are free of wheat, corn, soy and flour.  Additionally, Dogswell  food and treats do not contain BHA, BHT or Ethoxyquin, artificial preservatives that extend the shelf life of a product.

Happy Hips Chicken Breast treats are well known by the Lapdogs.  With Zeus' arthritis and joint issues, we turned to these years ago as a tasty supplement.  The Happy Hips line is specifically formulated with glucosamine and chondrotin to help maintain healthy hips and joints.  What I like best is the fact that the Chicken Breast strips have just four simple ingredients: cage-free chicken breast, Vitamin E, Glucosamine Hydrochloride and Chondroitin Sulfate.  The Lapdogs go nuts for them!

The Vitality line is formulated with flaxseed and vitamins to help maintain healthy eyes, skin and coat.  The Chicken & Apple variety was another huge hit with all four Lapdogs.  Like all of the Dogswell treats, the ingredients are simple and wholesome: cage-free chicken breast, apple, Vitamin E, flaxseed and Vitamin A.  The Chicken & Apple variety had everyone rolling over and high-fiving for a treat!

Nutrisca kibble was a brand new product to us and boy did the Lapdogs, as well as their Mama, think it was amazing!  Nutrisca is one of the only grain free recipes without potato or tapioca, which are high on the glycemic index and may contribute to weight gain. Instead, low glycemic chickpeas and peas are included as excellent sources of protein, fiber and folic acid. Low glycemic ingredients provide better digestibility for sustained energy. 

Nutrisca's balanced protein levels, antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables and chelated minerals provide optimum nutrition and palatability.  As an added benefit for multi-dog households such as ours, Nutrisca is approved for all lifestages! 

The Lapdogs tested the Chicken and Chickpea variety and judging by the way they gobbled it up, I'd have to guess it's quite tasty.  The formula also includes apples, carrots, cranberries, blueberries and apricots and with fruit-loving pooches, I can see why they loved Nutrisca so much. 

Dogswell has received the Lapdogs' Official 16 Paws Up Seal of Approval!  In fact, they've all been begging for more treats as Mama types up their review.

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook

The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook
More Than 200 Fibers, from Animal to Spun Yarn
by Deborah Robson & Carol Ekarius
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC (June 1, 2011)

The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook is the ultimate coffee table book for fiber fanatics!  The visual guide covers more than 200 breeds of animals and the fibers they produce for spinning, knitting/crocheting and weaving.  Along with the beautiful, full color photos, you will find all the information you could ever possibly want to know, including the characteristics of each fiber-producing breed, as well as the qualities of each fiber.

The 448 page Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook is organized into two main parts - Sheep: Oodles and Boodles of Wool and Other Species: The Rest of the Menagerie.  The Sheep section has 11 categories including Cheviot Family, English Longwood Family, Merino Family and Northern European Short-Tailed Family.  The Other Species section is broken out into 4 categories; Goats, The Goat Crosses, Camelids and Other Critters.  I personally find the "other critters" to be one of the most fascinating sections, as it includes such animals as bison, dogs, wolves, cats, horses, rabbit and yaks. 

The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook is truly a one-of-a-kind encyclopedia for the fiber world.  This one lives up to the hype and there is no other book out there as extensive as this!  Each entry includes information on the species, a facts section and photographs of the animal, samples of the raw fleece, the cleaned fleece and the yarn spun from the fleece, as well as samples of the yarn knit and woven.  Not only will you find everything you want to know about the animal, you'll also find out about the density, strength and natural color of it's fleece, plus get recommendations on how to process, as well as use it.  

The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook is the book that no fiber lover should be without.  Add it to your bookshelf today or give a copy as a gift.  Leave it on your coffee table and I'll bet that even the non-fiber enthusiasts in your household will find themselves thumbing through it for hours on end.  The book is fascinating for those young and old.... after all, who doesn't love fuzzy, furry creatures?  (I take no responsibility for the hours you'll spend caught up in the book while sipping your favorite beverage this summer!)

GIVEAWAY! How would you like to win your very own copy of The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook? Storey Publishing, LLC is allowing us to give away a copy to one lucky reader! To enter:

1) Follow Lapdog Creations publicly (see "Followers" on the right hand side bar).
2) Leave a comment here telling me what animal / fiber you are most interested in learning more about.

You must complete both steps to enter and you must be a US resident to win.
You can get extra entries by sending your friends here to enter (be sure to have them mention your name).... blog, Tweet, Facebook and text away!
Winner will be selected by random number generator.
Deadline for entries is Monday, July 25th at midnight.

Rosie's Big Adventure

I know I still owe an actual report on Rosie and Sookie's adoptions to their forever homes (and, if you know me at. all., you know I have plenty more pictures of them to share), but in the meantime I thought I'd share some photos from "Rosie's Big Adventure" - aka the 4th of July BBQ at my parents' house!

Being a puppy is exhausting... all that go-go-go and then crash.

My niece & nephew absolutely loved little Rosie, which was a wonderful sight to see from two kids who are rather leery of dogs...

Look at that smile... unfortunately after spending all day playing with Rosie, her allergy to dogs was confirmed.  But we will be on the lookout for testing her with some of the hair breeds for sure!

The BBQ was where Rosie met her forever family for the first time (friends of my parents), including her big sister Rascal, a 9 month old Boxer.

 

There was another furbaby Princess at the BBQ, my Aunt & Uncle's dog Kaya. I think the second photo totally says "Surf's Up Dude!"

Rascal doing her best "Mama & Dada, can wez kepz it? huh, huh, can weze???" look...

We truly miss Rosie, but think she & Rascal make quite the adorable pair...

I've only received one photo update so far... two passed out pups!

Speaking of updates on past fosters, I just received this photo of Jack in "Attention Class" today. Isn't he such a good boy (he's front and center in the pic)?  His Mom said his tail is blurry because he was wagging it soooo fast.....



I've never said fostering was an easy thing to do, but getting updates and photos is so rewarding and always puts a smile on my face.  I really needed that smile today, so an extra big thanks to Jack's awesome Mom!

Baby Girl Turned 9

Queen Lola celebrated her 9th birthday on the 4th of July and of course we had a birthday cake pie and toys to celebrate!  Little Rosie was still hanging out at our house and got to help celebrate as well.

Instead of the usual cake, Woof It Down had these Pup-Pies so we tried something different...

"I turnz ta lookz at da camera and lookz wut hapenz Ma... da lil one is gonza stealz my piez!"

Everyone getting in on the sampling...

Foster pup Rosie thought birthday pie was THE best thing EVER....

Lola got Mr. Cowsie (a bottle buddy) for her birthday...

Rosie loved Mr. Cowsie so much that I think I might go pick one up for her to take home when she comes for a stay at the Lapdog Bed & Breakfast next month...

Lola was so good about sharing with little Rosie too!  Have I mentioned how well the wee one fit into our pack and how much we all miss her?  Our living room floor was pretty much one big toy pile while she and Sookie were here (the photo on the right only shows about 1/5 of the pile).  They were so cute, dragging all of the toys the Lapdogs haven't played with in years out of the baskets...

More birthday fun...

 

Tut wishing Mama would hurry up and cut that pie up for everyone his sister a Happy Birfday and Rosie enjoying some pie...

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!