Happy Friday!

TGIF... and boy do I mean that this week!  It's been one heck of a doozy.  I had planned a nice review and giveaway to correspond with Fiber Arts Friday, however since time got away from me, how about some Friday Fill-Ins instead?  (Stay tuned for the good stuff next week!)

1. I was looking for a nice rock to crawl under earlier this week.

2. Catching up with friends over coffee/lunch is one of my favorite ways to socialize.

3. I looked at the clock and could not believe it was really time to get up and start my day already.

4. Roller-glide or gel ink is the type of pen I most prefer to use.

 
5. What in the world happened to politeness, customer service and being rewarded for your loyalty?

6. Tripping over things, including my own 2 feet, seems to happen to me often.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to shipping up to Boston with the Dropkick Murphys, tomorrow my plans include catching up and Sunday, I want to cook a fabulous corned beef & cabbage dinner!

Oh Happy Day!

Happy Friday... and it really is a happy day around here!  I got the phone call from our wonderful vet this morning and my smile couldn't have been bigger... Zeus' liver levels have gone down!  They are still above the "high norm" range, but they've gone down!  And, they are still a tad higher than when we originally discovered the elevated levels at his check up in February, but they've gone down!  We will keep the big guy on both samE and milk thistle, and retest the levels again in September.  Do you think he was happy to go for a r-i-d-e to the v-e-t yesterday?

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!  Does anyone have plans to knit in public tomorrow?  I thought World Wide Knit in Public Day was just one day, but I see it's actually being celebrated for a full week, June 9 - 17.  There are a couple of events happening in my area tomorrow, however I'll be busy celebrating my anniversary and possibly having another dog park play date with a former foster pup!  I think I make up for it however, as I knit in public nearly every weekend at a race track somewhere in New England (this is one of two off weekends we have between now and October).   

I haven't gotten much actual knitting accomplished this week... a couple inches on a baby hat that I don't have photos of is about it.  I received this in the mail and got a little distracted thumbing through it...

Did anyone else snag a signed copy of Knit Red: Stitching For Women's Heart Health by pre-ordering it through Jimmy Beans Wool?  I'm going to borrow the description from Jimmy's website for those of you who haven't heard about the book yet...

"Jimmy Beans Wool is proud to present Knit Red, an instant classic and must have coffee table knitting treasure for every knitter. This book contains 30 fabulously red garments and accessories designed and donated by celebrity designers who openly share their personal experiences with Heart Disease and tips on how they stay heart healthy!"

I'm a long time supporter of the "Go Red" campaign and immediately knew this was a must-have book for my collection.  Not only does Knit Red feature some beautiful patterns, but there are quite a few recipes as well.  What I love even more, however, are the designers' personal stories and tips!  It doesn't hurt that I am quite partial to the color red and have quite a bit of red variations in my yarn stash.  Now... what to cast on first?

Stormy Sky captured earlier this week...

Enjoy the rest of your Friday... looks like we've got some more rain coming in (of course we do, the sun tricked me into taking my truck through the car wash earlier today!).  I'll leave you with some Friday Fill-Ins...

 

1. I knew it was love when... he said it first!

2. My heart can be broken but you always know how to mend it.

3. A dog is unconditional love.

4. My how you have sunk to a new low (additional confirmation that a former co-worker was never my friend).

5. Can you see a rainbow through all this rain?.

6. And the song remains the same.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to getting some knitting time in, tomorrow my plans include having a fantastic 17th anniversary and Sunday, I want to get some things done around the house - after all it's a very rare no-race weekend for us!

Happy Friday

Happy Friday.... and happy start to your Memorial Day Weekend!  Is anyone traveling, camping or doing anything particularly fun this weekend?  We have a race tomorrow night and may be heading to a friend's cook-out on Monday.  I'm hoping to get some knitting time in as well, especially I don't have much content for Fiber Arts Friday today. 

In my quest to get my 1,001 WIP's finished, I dug out the Car Seat Blanket (yes, I really did start this in 2006!).  And hey, look... there's my original Zeus needles!  I worked a few rows while sitting out on the deck with the dogs this week when I realized why I stopped working on it before... I started the blanket before I knew that working such a project would be better on circulars than super long straights with heavy tops.  Oy!  But, it's about 3/4 done and I plan to finish it up to gift to an expecting Mama.   

I got some fun shots of my growing container garden on Instagram this week. Unfortunately, when I went out to get those 3 strawberries the next morning, they were gone... I'm not sure if it was one of the dogs or a chipmunk, but something sure did enjoy them!

Friday Fill-In Time...

1. These three words describe my significant other: dedicated, loving, (my) rock!

2. Receiving a hand written note or card via snail mail is a delight!

3. Oh, how I adore puppy breath (it looks like Belle - will be leaving us tomorrow for her forever home... I'll post more about this lovebug next week).

4. Life is a little sweeter if one takes time to be friendly.

5. Inevitably, karma will catch up.

6. My Mom is someone who never ceased to encourage me.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing at home after a wonderful lunch with friends today - nothing like good food & good company, tomorrow my plans include Saturday night short track racing and Sunday, I want to bbq and hang out with Matt & the dogs!

We hope everyone has a fantastic long weekend... Sophie & Belle hope you all get in a little nap time as well.

Another Friday, Another WIP

I swear I was just typing about how it couldn't possibly be Friday again already, wasn't I?  Where did the week fly away to?  It sure was a rainy, dreary one here, but the sun is shining today... at least for the moment anyway.  With all that rain you'd think - once again - that I'd have some knitting to show for it, right?  Yeah, not so much... I did get a Spiral Hat off the needles, but no photos.  I managed a few rounds on this Baby Breeze Block Hat at the track on Saturday (track projects must be as basic as possible since I'm always getting interrupted).  I adore this pattern and deciding to experiment with Bernat Baby Stretch...

I hope you are having a fantastic Friday and have a fabulous weekend ahead.  Happy early Mother's Day to all (those with both 2 legged and 4 legged children, of course).  If you've been following the story of Lilly (on my blog or in the news) the past few days, I'm happy to report that they have far surpassed the money to cover her vet bills.  Last check, they were up to $70,000 in donations!  The excess will be used to treat other animals in similar circumstances at Angell Animal Medical Center! 

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

1. What a beautiful day!

I Instagramed the Morning Sun...

2. I need another bag like I need a moth in my yarn stash, right?  However I find myself eyeing Jordana Paige's beautiful L.J. Kaelms tote in green.

3. It's no surprise Rachel and Dave won The Amazing Race... although I was pulling for Vanessa and Ralph after Mark and Bopper were eliminated.

4. Letting go wasn't easy, but it makes life so much more joyful.

5. I like to try new recipes, especially with fresh veggies from the farmer's market.

6. "Drive By" by Train is one of my most favorite songs right now!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to the season finale of Fringe (I can't believe next season will be the last one though... no!!!), tomorrow my plans include hopefully a trip to the NH Sheep & Wool Festival and Sunday, I want to enjoy a great day with our NELCAR family at the race track!

May the Fourth Be With You

Happy Friday... wait, is it really Friday again already?  ... checking the calendar.... Yup, it is Friday.  It's also Star Wars Day, so may the fourth be with you fellow knitters, doggy parents and race fans!  What will you use the force for today?

It's also Fiber Arts Friday!  Despite it being cool and rainy all week, my knitting sure doesn't account for that.  Baby Boy hat #2 (here's a link to #1 for the yarn/pattern info) came off the needles last night.  Here it is, still a WIP...

Another also... it's Friday Fill-Ins...

1. After a while, it's easier just to walk away.

2. I know I tried, at least.

3. Well, anyway, that's why you can pick your friends, but not your family.

4. True friends mean the world to me.

5. I always have cravings for comfort food when the weather is cool and rainy, which resulted in a lasagna and Paula Deen's "Aunt Peggy's Cucumber, Tomato & Onion Salad" (a new go-to side dish for me - loved this!) on Wednesday night.

So easy to make... So delish to eat!

6. Coffee... lots and lots of coffee keeps me going.

My Instagram photos seem to be tying in nicely this week...

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing at home, tomorrow my plans include a race in Maine and Sunday, I want to see some family & friends at a race in Massachusetts! (this is a rare two race weekend for us)

Friday Fun

Well hey, would you look at that... Friday snuck up on us again!  Before I get to the good stuff... Who else out there uses Blogger and have you experienced some PITA issues with the new format lately?  I'm still cursing out the new posting format every time I use it and each time I schedule a post to auto-publish at a later day/time, Blogger simply decides not to publish it.  And don't even get me started on it not accepting my Flickr photo links in "compose" mode... ugh.

Anywho, onto the good stuff.  Happy Fiber Arts Friday.... what's on your needles this week?  I had cast on 200 stitches for the Just Enough Ruffles Scarf last week and finally got around to working a few rows... in between baby hat knitting and some Nook reading.  I'm loving how the Malabrigo Rios is knitting up.

Speaking of reading, the UPS man brought this yesterday...

Stay tuned for my official review, but oh how I adore the crafty Tori Spelling.  Did anyone else catch her on the Rachael Ray show promoting this book last week?  Seriously, how can you not adore Tori?  A crafty chica, great Mom and all around funny gal who I could truly see being party of my circle of girlfriends.  Who wouldn't love to have Tori at their next knitting retreat?   

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!  I'm going to be spending part of it bringing my container garden (aka potted veggies) back and forth from the deck to the sunroom.  Our beautiful days and hot temps got my green thumb going, even against Mom's warning, and now with we're back to nights dipping into the 30's.  Boo!

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

1. Ah, me... and my "ability" to speak my mind.

2. Deciding what to do job/income wise is what's on my mind most lately.

3. When I talk to my best friend, I can't help but smile.

4. Coffee, knitting, hanging with my dogs and a little guilty pleasure TV (hello Judge Mathis and Peoples Court) is what's working for me lately.

5. I recently saw Water For Elephants (loving borrowing DVDs from the library lately).

6. Paying it forward fills me with joy!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a quiet evening at home and a new episode of Fringe, tomorrow my plans include hanging out with our NELCAR family for some road course racing at NHMS and Sunday, I want to enjoy a visit with the Harper at the dog park!

Wooooooo!

No, the "Woooooo!" isn't necessarily because it's Friday (although we won't complain about that), it's for my Bruins taking game 1 of the playoffs in OT last night!  Yes, it's that time of year again... playoff hockey is here!  For those of you non-puck loving friends, please bare with me over the coming weeks... hopefully you'll be hearing alot more Wooooo's! Let's keep the Cup in Beantown boys! 

Speaking of my B's, as an unemployed a person with some extra time on her hands lately, I've had the chance to go watch open practice a couple of times with my cousin.  The second time I went, the majority of the team was doing "off ice" practice, however, I was okay with boring on ice activity when Milan Lucic decided to bop through the arena (and yes, I did feel short!)...

The boys aren't allowed to stop and sign autographs for fans outside the arena anymore, however that didn't stop Dennis Seidenberg (aka the nicest guy in hockey... the first time we went to practice, he came over and gave his stick to the little boy that my cousin nannies for) and Tim Thomas from stopping for a few moments...

I was bummed I didn't make it over in time to see Timmy closer, but of course... only me would manage to capture a photo of the goalie God in the same shot as a random dog. 

Hope you enjoy your Friday and have a fabulous weekend!  Leaving you with some Fill-Ins today...

1. Speed safely.

2. Playoff hockey is what I've been looking forward to!

3. One of the things I like most about traveling is doing things I wouldn't otherwise do... whether it be trying new foods, meeting new animals, or just going out of my comfort zone of everyday life.

It's not everyday I get to have a Tiger climb on my shoulders!

4. Last night's terrible events in Greenland NH makes me think life is too short. 

5. A road trip to NC would be nice... we haven't been down there in a long time.

6. Homemade breaded chicken tenders, roasted potatoes and salad is what I had for dinner last night.

Tut helping his Daddy get the race car ready for practice

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a quiet evening at home, tomorrow my plans include NELCAR practice day at NHMS and Sunday, I want to get our patio set out from storage and on the deck!

Roaring Friday

Happy Friday!  I'm in the middle of a busy few days, but wanted to pop in.  I'm hoping to get outside later and snap some photos for reviews - so stay tuned for some great doggy products next week! 

Sake was outside this morning working on her best Lion King roar... I think she was excited it's Friday too!

I haven't done this in awhile, so how about some Fill-Ins...

1. Eggs are fun to color - and hunt - this time of year.

2. The Chocolate Moose in Salem, NH is awesome!

3. When I look in the mirror, I realize it needs to be cleaned.

4. Lobster and filet mignon,  these are the things I like for a special dinner!

5. Currently, I am watching Sake run her Daytona 500 laps around the house.

6. Quit playing mind games.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to taking Sake to meet a possible forever family, tomorrow my plans include displaying the #8 Legends car at NHMS and Sunday, I want to enjoy a nice Easter dinner with Mom & Dad!

Filling In...

Happy Friday!  I'm wasting way too much time on Pinterest catching up on downloading photos and should have some uber cute puppyness for you next week (and maybe even some fibery goodness too)!  But now it's time to wind down the week with Fill-Ins...

1. Finally, I stopped at the library and renewed my card today.  I even checked out a couple of books (knitting and weaving) and a DVD!

2. Unemployment and the great job search sure takes some getting used to!

3. Dad says: whatever....

4. Moosey is my favorite nick name for Zeus.

5. It took a long time, but I finally have my Cricket Loom together and am ready to teach myself how to weave.

6. "I am involved in dog rescue: my wallet and gas tank are always running on empty, my house is never quiet and free of dog hair, nor is my car, my inbox is full of ongoing despair and misery, but my heart and soul are replenished with unconditional love, loyalty, and joy that can only come from a rescued dog!" (author unknown) - though I wouldn't have it any other way.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a quiet evening at home and another new episode of Fringe, tomorrow my plans include a quiet evening in watching The Bud Shootout and Sunday, I want to knit... or maybe weave!

Knit, Play with Dogs, Repeat...

Addison

Happy Friday!  It's 45 degrees out, I have a couple windows open trying to get rid of the germs in the house and we have snow on the way... gotta love New England! 

We have a cute little house guest coming tomorrow and her name is Addison.  The rescue has this "A" liter listed as rat terrier / dachshund mixes and they are oh-so-cute!  Little Miss Addison has already been adopted, however her family is away until later this week... which means we have the pleasure of her puppy breath for a few days!

It's Fiber Arts Friday and although in theory, I currently have more knitting time on my hands, my needles haven't exactly been on fire.  However, I do have a couple of FO's to show off. 



I used my basic go-to hat pattern for both hats, which were birthday presents.  The pink alpaca blend on the left went to my sister and the multi-color wool blend on the right to a dear friend.  Happy Birthday Ladies... keep those noodles of yours warm! 



I do have several WIPs going right now, so hopefully you'll be seeing some more FAF entries in the coming weeks.  And on that note, I hope to get some knitting time in later today and will leave you with a little Friday Fill-Ins...

1. When it comes time to make a decision, I like to make an informed one.

2. "Don't borrow trouble," that must be the new rule - thanks Chan!

3. Ma says, "give 'em hell".

Addison

4. Peanut butter and chocolate at the same time is my little slice of heaven. 

5. I never saw any of the Harry Potter movies.

6. Knitting is not a new invention by any means, but it's always fun when your hobby is a current trend.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a new episode of Fringe... it's getting quite interesting again, tomorrow my plans include picking up Addison and Sunday, I want to knit, play with the dogs, repeat!

Filling In

Happy Friday!  It's time for a little Fill-Ins... and yes, this is what my lap looks like right now, only the furry head is much larger.

1. It's time to move ahead to bigger and better things.

2. Bring me some Shabby Chic cupcakes please ... and don't forget the chocolates!

3. I'm trying to to accomplish a lot today.

4. "Let's all go out to dinner and hang out" that was the last funny comment I received.

5. Please send good job search vibes.

6. Settle on in boys and girls, cause I'm in it for the long haul.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a new episode of Fringe, tomorrow my plans include some quality knitting time on hats for Project 16 ::: The Littlest Warriors and Sunday, I want to see Team Chara win the NHL All Star game!

Happy Friday

Happy Veteran's Day!  The Lapdogs and I are sending out special woofs to all those who have and/or continue to serve and protect while we get to go about our daily lives and do the things we enjoy.  Thank you.

It sure has been a long week... TGIF!  Doggy parents, don't miss the Arenus Animal Flower Essence giveaway - you can win any one of the formulas you'd like!

Time for a little Fill-Ins...

1. Turkey is yum-o.

2. The peach raspberry pie from Apple Acres Farm is the best.

3. On and on and on we go about a Kardashian failed marriage and whether or not Bieber is a Daddy.  Can't we please report real news?

4. The last time I saw my niece Amber was in July... Happy 7th Birthday to her today!.

5. Can you believe Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away - gobble gobble.

6. I need a clone to help me catch up on reviews, downloading photos, knitting Christmas gifts and work.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to beef stew that's in the slow cooker, tomorrow my plans include the NHMS Road Racing Series banquet and Sunday, I want to get my holiday spirit on with TSO.

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!  It's time for a little Fill-Ins...

1. Beware of wolves in sheep's clothing.

2. We got snow.

3. And since we got snow, we also lost power last night... ugh.

4. Wine or spirits?

5. Where did October fly away to so soon.

6. Beef stew is one of my favorite meals when it's cold out.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a relaxing night at home, tomorrow my plans include cooking something to bring to the NELCAR banquet on Sunday and Sunday, I want to enjoy the day catching up with everyone at the NELCAR banquet.

Is Your Dog Cool?

Happy Friday!!!  I'm in the middle of a super-crazy-busy weekend that started last night... or actually, Wednesday night if you count staying up past my bedtime to watch the Bruins win the Stanley Cup!

My Brown Newfies reminded us about My Dog is Cool and the pledge today.  While we have taken the pledge, we haven't taken our pictures yet, but will do that asap. 

Will you join us in pledging to keep your pack safe, as well as to help educate others?  I printed off these flyers to keep on hand last year and have just done the same again.  I am glad that I only had to leave a handful on cars last year, and just hope that number doesn't increase.  There was one instance when I had to go inside of a store and have a woman paged while another good samaritan tried to break into her car to get the poor little painting dog out on a sweltering day.  The woman was none too pleased and swore at us, told us we didn't know what we were talking about, her overheated dog was just fine, etc.  But you know what?  When I followed her to the next store, ready to call the police if she left that poor dog in the boiling car again, she got out, looked at me as if to say "OK, I get it" and took her dog into the store with her.  Hopefully the education lesson stuck with her. 

OK, time for some Friday Fill-Ins...

1. One of my favorite birthday presents was my emerald ring that we had custom set in white gold (instead of yellow)... or wait, was that a Christmas present???  oh boy... .

2. Thomas saved and we won 4-0, it was as simple as that.

3. The moon always rises.

4. The NHL.com order I placed yesterday morning includes our Stanley Cup Champions official locker room hats, a keychain and a few tees for me.  (Dear NHL, please ship ... fast!) 

5. I was tempted by ice cream.

6. Explore, see/do new things, eat the local cuisine, relax and find a LYS (where they hopefully have some locally spun, dyed or otherwise made yarn or notions to take home) are some of the things I like to do on vacation.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to catching up on sleep, tomorrow my plans include a parade and a fundraiser and Sunday, I want to have great weather for a great day of racing!

Happy Friday

Happy Friday!  Are you ready for the Stanley Cup playoff game tonight?  Zeus sure is... go B's!!!

  

Zeus and his siblings participated in the 3rd Annual Bandana Day over at the Portuguese Water Blog.  This year's color was green and Mama might have spaced a little on getting the Lapdogs photo shoot completed in time... so we improvised a little with pictures from the past.  Be sure to click on over and check out all the doggies sporting green... you might make some new friends!

Speaking of dogs, in case you missed them, we did two reviews this week, Chew 'n Tug antlers and The Natural Vet’s Guide to Preventing and Treating Arthritis in Dogs and Cats. Scroll back if you missed them...

Time for some Friday Fill-In fun...

1. I remember when I first heard the blood curdling shriek of a fox in our yard in the middle of the night.

2. Rain was showering down on us like it was the end of the world.

3. Most humans will never understand why "the more people I meet, the more I love my dogs".

4. Just do it ...sound familiar?

5. I was inspired by the colors and fibers at my LYS.

6. Still looking for my knitting mojo... who knows where it flew to now!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to the Bruins game, tomorrow my plans include errands... lot & lots of errands and Sunday, I want to get stuff done around the house!

At some point either tonight or tomorrow, we'll go out for our anniversary dinner that we skipped last night due to the storms.  I'm looking forward to a nice dinner out... one that I might even have to dress up a little for.

OK, one last shot for good measure... and because I love Zeus' "look" in this one.  GO B's!!!

Caffeinating... Please Wait!

Hey look, it's Friday again!  I love it when that happens!  I also love it when I find fun stuff in my mailbox...

This morning it was my new "Caffeinating ... Please Wait" coffee cup cozy from Sew Tara.  If you're a fan of the etsy page on Facebook, you might have seen these featured last week.  I ordered one right away and Tara personalized it for me with purple (including the sweetest purple button closure on the back).  I can't wait to use it! 

I have nothing to report for Fiber Arts Friday, except that I hope to actually get some knitting done this weekend!

Friday Fill-In time...

1. Fringe is my favorite TV show (or movie) because it really keeps you guessing... and Olivia kicks butt.

2. Go to page 45 of the book you're reading or of the book closest to you; go to the 6th paragraph and make a sentence out of 7 words from it: Gidget with a I'm a big dog attitude (ok - that's 8, but there are two a's... stay tuned for my review of A Famous Dog's Life!).

3. I am an Irish/Portuguese girl with little patience and strong opinions.

4. I need to start taking some long walks.

5. Take some time to stop and smell the puppy breath.

6. The customer service industry needs a bit of rebooting - whatever happened to "the customer is always right?".

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to my B's sweeping Philly, tomorrow my plans include race day and Sunday, I want to wish all the Moms - including those with 4 legged children - a Happy Day !

Royal Friday

Happy Royal Friday! 

It's almost race day... 2nd race of the 2011 Nelcar Season.  I better get some shots from Matt's first race in the Legends car up now.  I wasn't going to share too many until we get the car wrapped / painted and it looks pretty (and has our sponsors logos on it), but that hasn't happened yet.  So for now, please picture the #8 in Bruins black & gold colors...

These are from a very cold April 16 at NHMS... it even started to snow!

 

Practice laps...

In the pits...

I finally broke out my Simpson crew gloves (needed them to keep my hands warm).  Here's my view from inside the trailer at some point during the cold, windy day...

Did I mention it was cold that day?  I had on 3 layers, including 2 sweatshirts, and was still freezing.  I hiked it a mile or so to the infield snack shack for hot chocolate.  NHMS has been working on replacing their scoreboard and I happened upon pieces of the the old one on my way...

Apparently they just used new panels to cover up the old Winston logo for the past few years.  That's the big fancy new scoreboard on the right.

Here's a few cool shots from Chris at rpm.printroom.com ...

    

  

Hope everyone has a great weekend.  I'll leave you with the Friday Fill_Ins...

1. I love to snuggle with my honey and the dogs.

2. A laugh and a smile.

3. It's how you handle the battle, not whether you won or lost this game.

4. You can't argue with unreasonable people, so don't tell me to even try!

5. Well, would you look at that, it's Friday.

6. Go away spring peepers, bring back my fall and leaf peepers.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Fringe, tomorrow my plans include "hey, hey ... it's race day!" - hopefully I'll get some knitting time in this week and Sunday, I want to hang out at home with the dogs, knit, relax...!