NASCAR recap

A little recap of my NASCAR weekend, "in pictures..."

This is one of the first things we saw on the way in to the track on Saturday...

Notice his hind leg and what exactly he's doing to Kyle? HA - I love it. The real beagle was there too, but I didn't snap a pic. However, a little later we met this most adorable big guy...

This is Duke, a 160 pound, 3 year old Great Dane who was out for a leisurely stroll with his owner when they encounter NASCAR-arazzi! Duke was a huge hit and I swear he had his picture taken more than Jeff Gordon that day! Awww... I just adore big dogs!

Okay, so yeah... we did finally get in to the track and see some actual race cars too!

Aric Almirola & Tony Stewart during Happy Hour...

Greg Biffle (who went on to win on Sunday) & Ryan Newman...

The very overcast sky on Saturday...

And the melee that went down after the Craftsmen Truck race (click here to see a video) ... directly in front of us! This was the first time I've seen a real brawl on pit road... real punches and all!

The on Sunday, it was all about the rain... and puddles...

Fortunately, once the green flag flew, the rain stayed away! I didn't bother with too many pics, but here are a couple...

Not So Black Monday...

We may've lost our king, but we still have the Cassel!

Let's Go Racing Boys!

Yes folks, race weekend is upon us here in New England... the second stop for NASCAR at NHMS and the first in the Race For The Chase. That means there will be... driving back & forth to the track tomorrow & Sunday... tailgating & knitting... yummy food & drink... hoping the rain stays away or passes quickly... and no weekend blogging or etsy shop updating (sorry for those of you awaiting the new fall stitch markers, but I will get that done at the beginning of next week).

Since I never got around to actually posting about our trip to Charlotte in May (except for the all important LYS review), I'll use this opportunity to share some pics...

The Girls ~ me, Brenda & Teri...

Self Portraits of Matt & I on Pit Road at LMS...

My Mom should be proud... I didn't even ask

Juan Pablo how to say "you suck" in Spanish!

The one and only, Coach Gibbs...

This is when JJ Yeley was still in the

#96 (don't get me started on that...)

I'm probably the only girl who gets more excited about meeting & hanging out with Killer (aww, be sure to click the links, I love that pic!), as opposed to his Daddy...

But, what's not to love about this beautiful boy? He's adorable, cuddly, hugable, handsome ... and he doesn't talk back!

Hope everyone has a great weekend... and hope everyone around the Houston area stays safe!

silence

A moment of blog silence...

Since it is Dogs on Thursday, we'll do pictures only today...

REVIEW: Tag, You're Knit!

Tag, You're Knit! Colorful Knits for Kids
by Mary Bonnette & JoLynne Murchland
Paperback: 112 pages
Publisher: Lark Books (September 2, 2008)

Lark Books has really put out a great collection of knit & crochet books this fall and Tag, You're Knit! Colorful Knits for Kids is no exception!

Geared toward all levels of knitters, Tag, You're Knit! includes the usual (yarn selection, gauge, tools, abbreviations, basic techniques, etc.), plus a few pages of design options, embellishments and chart reading know-how. The illustrations are all large, clear and easy to follow, making it a great book for the beginner knitter eager to jump right in, knitting for little ones. The photographs are whimsical and colorful - making each project really jump off the pages!

The 26 patterns encompass a wide variety of projects for all of the boys and girls on your list - from tots to tweens, there's something every child will think is a "must have!" It's easy to satisfy your child's - or your own - fashion passion with fun projects!

Hats, mittens, scarves, socks, slippers, belts and more - you'll find them all in Tag, You're Knit! Want something a little different? How about the adorable Leo The Lion, Halloween Loot Bags with a skull or pumpkin (I just might have to knit myself one), the Perfect Pillow for sleepover fun, the Funky Fanny Pack for your toy toting toddler, or your little Princess' first Little Black Bag. While I still try to grasp the amount of technology kids have these days, you can knit your niece or nephew a Listen Up! MP3 / Cell Case (should I mention that I still do not even own an MP3 player?).

Have a youngster on your list that likes to keep things handy? How about knitting him my personal pick, the Pick Pocket for Boys, or for her, the Pick Pocket for Girls (a bit more frilly, of course)? The scarves are super cute and well, I adore the name! I also adore the felted Sleepover Slippers - any kid would love keeping their piggies warm this winter with a pair!

This is definitely a book worth picking up for the inevitable cutsie knit moments, especially if you have kids in the family - remember, there's something for most, from tots to tweens! This might just be your go-to book for little gift giving holidays this year!

About the Authors: Mary Bonnette & JoLynne Murchland are the owners and creative force behind The Sassy Skein, a yarn and pattern company specializing in designs for kids.

The winner of the Planet Dog Cozy Hemp Adjustable Collar from a previous review was drawn via random number generator... Congratulations Criquette! It looks like Scout will have a new collar (and you bet I want to see pics!)!

Music Meme

This one has been popping up on quite a few of my friends blogs and well, since its right up my alley (I used to work for Musician Magazine, I've done pr work for both local & national bands, I used to do music reviews, I've run 3 different music fanzines, most of my friends are musicians and my other half plays in a band...)... and like Chan (who gets a much cooler song list than me!) says, music makes my world go 'round... (although I admit I can't place half of these songs by name!)

The rules:

A) Go to musicoutfitters.com
B) Enter the year you graduated from high school in the search function and get the list of 100 most popular songs of that year
C) Bold the songs you like, strike through the ones you hate and underline or italicize your favorite. Do nothing to the ones you don’t remember (or don’t care about)

Top 100 Hits of 1992/Top 100 Songs of 1992

1. End Of The Road, Boyz II Men
2. Baby Got Back, Sir Mix A-lot (can't help but think of that episode of Friends with Rachel singing to the baby)
3. Jump, Kris Kross
4. Save The Best For Last, Vanessa Williams
5. Baby-Baby-Baby, TLC
6. Tears In Heaven, Eric Clapton
7. My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It), En Vogue
8. Under The Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers
9. All 4 Love, Color Me Badd
10. Just Another Day, Jon Secada
11. I Love Your Smile, Shanice
12. To Be With You, Mr. Big
13. I'm Too Sexy, Right Said Fred
14. Black Or White, Michael Jackson
15. Achy Breaky Heart, Billy Ray Cyrus
16. I'll Be There, Mariah Carey
17. November Rain, Guns N' Roses (picking a fave was tough, but this is a great tune and now Carrie Underwood rocks it live!)
18. Life Is A Highway, Tom Cochrane
19. Remember The Time, Michael Jackson
20. Finally, CeCe Peniston
21. This Used To Be My Playground, Madonna
22. Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough, Patty Smyth
23. Can't Let Go, Mariah Carey
24. Jump Around, House Of Pain
25. Diamonds and Pearls, Prince and The N.P.G.
26. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, George Michael and Elton John
27. Masterpiece, Atlantic Starr
28. If You Asked Me To, Celine Dion
29. Giving Him Something He Can Feel, En Vogue
30. Live and Learn, Joe Public
31. Come and Talk To Me, Jodeci
32. Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
33. Humpin' Around, Bobby Brown
34. Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, Sophie B. Hawkins (brings back memories of blasting this one in the Musician Mag office... it was on one of the sampler CDs we produced)
35. Tell Me What You Want Me To Do, Teven Campbell
36. Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg, TLC
37. It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday, Boyz II Men
38. Move This, Technotronic
39. Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen
40. Tennessee, Arrested Development
41. The Best Things In Life Are Free, Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson
42. Make It Happen, Mariah Carey
43. The One, Elton John
44. Set Adrift On Memory Bliss, P.M. Dawn
45. Stay, Shakespear's Sister
46. 2 Legit 2 Quit, Hammer
47. Please Don't Go, K.W.S.
48. Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes), Mint Condition
49. Wishing On A Star, Cover Girls
50. She's Playing Hard To Get, Hi-Five
51. I'd Die Without You, P.M. Dawn
52. Good For Me, Amy Grant
53. All I Want, Toad The Wet Sprocket
54. When A Man Loves A Woman, Michael Bolton
55. I Can't Dance, Genesis
56. Hazard, Richard Marx
57. Mysterious Ways, U2
58. Too Funky, George Michael
59. How Do You Talk To An Angel, Heights
60. One, U2
61. Keep On Walkin', CeCe Peniston
62. Hold On My Heart, Genesis
63. The Way I Feel About You, Karyn White
64. Beauty and The Beast, Calms Dion and Peabo Bryson
65. Warm It Up, Kris Kross
66. In The Closet, Michael Jackson
67. People Everyday, Arrested Development
68. No Son Of Nine, Genesis
69. Wildside, Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch
70. Do I Have To Say The Words?, Bryan Adams
71. Friday I'm In Love, Cure
72. Everything About You, Ugly Kid Joe
73. Blowing Kisses In The Wind, Paula Abdul
74. Thought I'd Died and Gone To Heaven, Bryan Adams
75. Rhythm Is A Dancer, Snap
76. Addams Groove, Hammer
77. Missing You Now, Michael Bolton
78. Back To The Hotel, N2Deep
79. Everything Changes, Kathy Troccoli
80. Have You Ever Needed Somone So Bad, Def Leppard
81. Take This Heart, Richard Marx
82. When I Look Into Your Eyes, Firehouse
83. I Wanna Love You, Jade
84. Uhh Ahh, Boyz II Men
85. Real Love, Mary J. Blige
86. Justified and Ancient, The KLF
87. Slow Motion, Color Me Badd
88. What About Your Friends, TLC
89. Thinkin' Back, Color Me Badd
90. Would I Lie To You?, Charles and Eddie
91. That's What Love Is For, Amy Grant
92. Keep Coming Back, Richard Marx
93. Free Your Mind, En Vogue
94. Keep It Comin', Keith Sweat
95. Just Take My Heart, Mr. Big
96. I Will Remember You, Amy Grant
97. We Got A Love Thang, CeCe Peniston
98. Let's Get Rocked, Def Leppard
99. They Want EFX, Das EFX
100. I Can't Make You Love Me, Bonnie Raitt

Doggy Bloggy Award

How cool is this? Gaylen presented me with this awesome Dog Lover Blog award earlier this week. Thank you G!

There are no rules associated with this little reward and the only requirement (according to Gaylen... and I second that) is that you love dogs - especially your own, and you share your blog with them. Since Gaylen already awarded this to both Chan and The Princess, I'll take the liberty of passing the award on to five more amazing women... drumroll... in no particular order, Criquette, Natalie, Bernie, Dianne and Paula. I think that leaves plenty more of my fellow dog loving bloggers for everyone else to tag...