Knitting & Football - A Winning Combination

Is it really Friday already?  Although, I will admit, back on Tuesday it sure felt like it should have been Friday!  After that, the rest of the week seemed to scurry on quickly.  I wish I could say I got a lot of knitting time in, but I did not. 

Last Saturday I worked on a very mindless knit hat while watching the world junior hockey games on TV...

When I got bored working rounds of chunky rib, I picked up  - and finished! - this Petal Dishcloth.  The yarn is Bernat Handicrafter Cotton in the pinky stripes colorway for breast cancer.  I came across it by accident while ordering a paper trimmer on Kmart.com and needing to use up a gift card balance.  Sure, I figured I would just added a skein or two of cotton and easily hit the balance... 20 minutes later I had added 6 or 7 skeins.

I do plan to get in some quality knitting time this weekend, as I really need to finish up the twin baby boy hat #2 for Monday!  Therefore, Sunday has been reserved for playoff football and knitting!  Let's Go Pats!

Lola Update: So far, so good with the prednisone.  She is showing the typical symptoms, but none of the bad ones... which is a good thing.  And, yes, the lumps are clearly shrinking!  Woot, Woot!  I'm not sure she's the happiest she could be (would you be if you had to pee all the time and were constantly hungry?), but she's getting lots of extra treats and loving!

REVIEW: Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops

Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops

Where to Find: Pine Brothers

When I was given the opportunity to review Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops, I thought I was going to be trying a new (to me) brand.  However, when the box arrived I was pleasantly surprised and instantly brought back to my childhood!  I used to buy a box of these cherry throat drops at my bus stop (a local Mom & Pop pharmacy) at least once a week after school.  I remember how much I loved the soft (but not gummy) drops and the tasty cherry flavor.  And yes, as a kid, I probably did eat them like candy (don't judge).  Somewhere along the line, I grew out of my obsession and then the "softish" drops disappeared from store shelves.  Now, after 15 years, Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops are back!

Ulysses S. Grant was President, the population of America hovered at 39 million, and the telephone was still a pipe dream, when in 1870 J. Herman Pine hung out a confectionery shingle on 8th Street above Walnut in Philadelphia and, along with his brother, sold their first batch of what they called 'Pine Brothers Glycerine Tablets.' In an attempt to relieve his own sore throat and those of his family members, Mr. Pine, a former German confectionery maker, determined that by combining the soothing natural qualities of glycerin with the healing properties of gum acacia, he could sooth and mitigate the mild discomfort of a sore throat. Add in some natural flavoring and a sweetener and voila, Pine Brothers Softish Throat Drops were born. "I have discovered something," Pine wrote, "which will give quick throat relief to thousands afflicted as I was." He added,"Perhaps I won't make much money out of this. But I can make people happy, and that's more important than money." Mr. Pine was being unduly modest, as his "discovery" would become one of the most successful, most delicious and most unique throat lozenges in the world. Nor has the recipe changed appreciably since it was first introduced to the public over 140 years ago.

I tend to always have some combination of throat or cough drops in my bag all year round, but even more so at this time. Besides using them to sooth sore throats and coughs, they're also a relief for when the air is dry or at the end of a very long evening. Typically, I'll just grab a handful and toss them in my bag, which can sometimes make it difficult to find one when you really need it.  Enter the Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops puck -- genius!!!  The round, refillabe puck contains 26 drops and easily fits into your bag, pocket, glove box, desk drawer or just about anywhere!

Of course, Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops are also available in a more traditional bag of 32 drops.  They are currently available in two pleasing flavors, Natural Honey and Wild Cherry.  A third flavor, Lemon-Citrus is in the works and a fourth, Licorice was available in limited quantities during the holiday season.

In 1930 Pine Brothers was sold to the Life Savers Company and continued to flourish. Known for its 'soft drop consistency,' Pine Brothers lozenges became a favorite of adults and children alike. The product, which attracted healthiest sales in the eastern and northern states, due to its icy winters, reached its peak popularity in the 1970's. The company was sold by Life Savers, and then, having been re-sold and acquired a number of times, found itself essentially rudderless and under appreciated; this despite a legion of loyal consumers. Cost cutting changes were made to the original recipes, packaging became stale and marketing non-existent; Pine Brothers began to be made overseas. Sales declined.
 

Pine Brothers was most recently acquired by Victoria Knight-McDowell, the creator and former owner of Airborne.  Her new company, 3 Sisters Home Products, has put much time and effort into locating the original Pine Brothers recipes, redesigning the packaging, and creating a new look. I'm thrilled to see my favorite childhood drops back and even more excited to know that they are once again being made in America! 

A trusted brand since 1870, the unique softish/chewy drops have amazing taste, are easy to give to children (over 3 years of age) and are only 5 calories per drop.  And, as just mentioned, they are made in America!  What more could you ask for?  Pick up a bag or puck of Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops today! 

You can learn more about Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops, as well as find exclusive coupons and special offers, on their Facebook page, Pinterest and Twitter. 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Got Peanut Butter?

Time to get Wordless again!



Resolutions vs Goals

I'm not one for making New Year's resolutions, in fact I flat out refuse to make them. However, I do make (and work to achieve) goals all year long. That "resolution" thing just seems like too much pressure to me... and they are usually destined to fail.  So, when I read today's Ten on Tuesday topic - 10 Goals for 2013 - I was happy to see that our host thinks along the same lines as I do!  My goals are...

1. Finish putting my Cricket loom together and figure out how to use it.

2. Read more books.  I have a Nook (the "old fashioned," original one... which is fine by me because I wanted this as an eReader, not a mini laptop!) and really need to use it more.



Knitting projects waiting to be cast on

3. Enjoy more quality time with my knitting needles, and continue knitting from the stash.  I have plenty of projects just waiting to be cast on.

4. Continue on with the "do I really need it, or can I live without it?" mentality that I developed in 2012.... which translates into spending less!  (It also translates into purging stuff that we don't use)

5. Repurpose!  Whether it be using a pretty cookie canister to store craft items or turning old t-shirts into dog beds, my goal is to repurpose and reuse whenever possible.

6. Organize my house... by doing small projects here and there, because we all know a huge task never gets done.  I did some reorganizing of my kitchen cabinets a few weeks ago and found some food items from 2007!  They had gotten pushed to the back in a very unorganized cabinet.

I love my Camelbak bottle

7. Get healthy.  Sure, that translates into loosing weight, but the ultimate goal is to be healthy and fit.  This includes making healthier food choices and making sure to have good snack options and water on hand with me throughout the day. 

8. Write in my new "One Line A Day" five year memory book... every day!

9. Make homemade dog treats.  I've done it once or twice, but with a 4-dog household, I really should do this more often.  Not only can I save money, I will know exactly what my dogs are munching on.

10. Find a new, full time job... and hopefully it's one that I love, or at least like a lot. 

What are some of your goals for 2013?

Lola Update:  She had her stitches out last night from the second biopsy.  One of the cultures has come back negative, and the other one is a more-than-likely going to be negative (they typically allow 2 weeks for any growth, but as of last night nothing had even begun to show up).  The pathologists are all still scratching their heads and calling all their industry friends.  They even told our vet how hard they really tried to make this cancer... but it's just not.  We're now at a point of it being a rare autoimmune issue.  They can't pinpoint exactly what it is, since there are characteristics of different things showing up.  Our vet seems to have it narrowed down to either sterile granuloma and pyogranuloma syndrome or a severe histiocytic inflammatory infiltrate.  She seems to be leaning towards the granuloma however.  We started Lola on prednisone last night and it may just be Mama's wishful thinking, but I swear some of her lumps have already gotten smaller.  We have a check-up with our vet early next week...

REVIEW: Planet Dog Winter Items

Planet Dog Winter Items

Where to Find: Planet Dog

If you're a long time reader, you already know how much the Lapdog household loves all things Planet Dog... and the winter toys are no exception!  The Lapdogs have actually been playing with them for a couple of months now and we're (blush) a little embarrassed that so many things got in the way of us posting this review before the holiday shopping season.  However, we know there are lots of 4-legged winter birthdays, and many folks make sure their pups are treated to Valentine's as well...



We received a Slobber-Wick Wishbone, Squeaky Snowman Buddy, Squeaky Gingerbread Buddy, Orbee-Tuff Bulb with Treat Spot and Orbee-Tuff Twinkle Bone. Just look at all that fun lined up in the photo above... and the nose sniffing them out!


My dogs especially love the squishy, squeaky Planet Dog toys and all 3 of the new buddies were instant hits.  The Slobber-Wick Wishbone is Lola's absolute favorite.  I'm not sure if it's the different shape, the quick drying material, or perhaps my girl just loves red, but she snatched the wishbone up immediately and still carries it around the house several times a day.  The Squeaky Snowman and Gingerbread Buddies have received equal amounts of love from the Lapdogs.  Not only have all 3 of these new toys passed their chomping, tugging and licking tests, they've passed the human-approved test as well.  That means all 3 buddies are not only still stuffed, but they're still squeaking as well!  Which is a lot to be said in this house for a toy that's been played with for over two months (especially with a Sophie in our pack... ah-hum).


If you love Planet Dog like us, it's probably safe to guess that you have at least one Orbee-Tuff toy in your home.  Some dogs love them, some dogs would rather play with the squeaky buddies... which is the case for the Lapdogs 90% of the time. They tend to play with a new Orbee toy for the first day, then forget all about it hours later.  However, if you've got an Orbee lover in your pack, these next 2 toys are for them!

Released in time for the holiday season, the new Twinkle Bone features the same signature bone shape as was originally launched 15 years ago, but with a little added pizazz... or twinkle!  It is currently available in 2 colors (translucent red and translucent blue) and 4 sizes (x-small, small, medium and large), so that all dogs are sure to be able to get their bling on!

The buoyant, minty Orbee-Tuff Bulb with Treat Spot is a long time favorite in the Planet Dog line.  The treat spot even allows you to share some leftovers with your pup!  Available in red or green, the Bulb comes in regular and lil' sizes.

The Lapdogs have given the Planet Dog winter items their Official 16 Paws Up Seal of Approval and the humans give the additional thumbs up as well!  Not only are the toys made in the USA, but Planet Dog donates 2% of every purchase to the Planet Dog Foundation (PDF) to support canine service programs nationwide. PDF provides cash grants to programs throughout the country that train, place and support dogs who help people in need. Since January 2006, PDF has given away more than $875,000 in cash grants and in-kind product donations.

Disclosure: Planet Dog sent the toys noted above to Lapdog Creations, free of charge for review purposes. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Black & White Sunday - R 'n R Style

Black & White Sunday = Time for a little R 'n R

A Princess and Her Squeaky Credit Card

Happy Friday... please excuse the drive-by post, however it's been another one of those crazy where-the-heck-have-the-hours-flown-so-fast week!

For the Fiber Arts Friday crew, there was some knitting going on this week!  I completed the first of two hats for a set of baby boy twins who are due next month (but more than likely will make their debut before the end of January).  I'm using one of my go-to baby hat patterns, the Rolled Edge Cap from Cascade Yarns, and a skein of Bernat Baby Jacquards in a pretty blue/green/white colorway.

I also picked up my Just Enough Ruffles Scarf and worked a couple of rows.  I'll get back to it after I finish the second twin hat.  I love the Malabrigo Rios yarn!

I'm still waiting on the results of the cultures from Lola's second biopsy and we're seeing more of Zeus' "old-man hacking" back again... which means we may be looking at another test for him soon.  In the mean time, everyone has been playing with new toys...

The girls are showing off the toys I won during a BlogPaws Twitter blogpawty.  Take note, the Princess claimed the squeaky credit card!  It's actually her new favorite toy in the whole wide world...

Here are the boys playing with our new doggy brain stimulator toy from Kyjen, which was one of their presents from Santa Paws. 

Happy Friday - hope you all have a great weekend and get to chill out like Tut & Lola on New Year's Day....