It could only have happened at Wal-Mart

On Saturday I took my three and my nephew shopping at Wal-Mart. Alex had a gift card to spend. Eli and Trey were in the cart and Olivia and Alex were looking at some clothes about 6 -8 feet in front of me. They came rushing back and said that a man was on the floor and scared them. Not knowing what kind of perv might be trolling the boys dept of Wal-mart, I went to check it out. I looked around the corner and there was a young man with a beard and ball cap, down on his hands and knees watching. I somewhat loudly asked "what are you doing, are you hiding from someone? You really scared my children!" He looked at me and whispered "Mam, I am store security." I took a few steps back and it did seem that he was watching a woman try clothes on a young boy.

I don't know if I blew his cover or what, but when you scare my children I am going to call you out.

Dogs on Thursday

Hutch is ready to play!

Starsky loves to chase the ball. He doesn't always bring it back to you tho.
This is their favorite place to play and lay. They love the cool dirt. They are between the garage and the shed.

Starsky follows me everywhere, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. I went in last night to brush my teeth (we only have one bathroom). John was in there taking care of the last pitt stop before going to bed. Starsky was waiting for a drink from the tub, his tail was wagging 100 miles an hour, hitting John in the back of the legs every time. John starts laughing, a black hairy tail ended up between his legs and he peed on it. I thought I was going to pee my own pants laughing so hard :)

Hutch is my sweet fancy boy.

Starsky is a riot.

I won a contest, can you believe it! moosieknits had an easy contest.
Look what I won....For some reason I am having a terrible time taking a picture of the cuteness. So I borrowed the photo from Moosie herself.
THANKS!

Tuesday night Knitting

We had a great time at knitting. Ruth is due in just a few weeks, so we had a little party for her. Only people missing were Stacy and of course Lora.

Tabitha is knitting her Emma a sock. Now to finish the second one.

This is the back of the awe inspiring sweater that Holly is making.

Look at the incredible sweater Ruth has knitted for her baby boy. He will be the best dressed baby anywhere.

Ravelry

I'm in, I'm in!
Sonniebk3

Birthday boys

A big Happy Birthday to Alex and Hutch! As of yesterday, Alex is 10 years old and Hutch is 1 year old. Hutch got a bath for his birthday. Alex had 4 boys come for a birthday sleep over. Daddy was in charge. The boys had lots of fun, not too sure about how much fun daddy had. Aren't they cute? Alex let Hutch wear the better birthday hat. I cut the top of the photo off. The pink hat is an old b-day hat of Olivia's. It says princess.

ponderings

Emotions are what makes us feel alive, separates us from lower species and can make life unbearable. Love, joy and happiness will make you feel as light as air, almost like you could float away. Anger, sadness and despair feel like the air that is around you is crushing you, and that it is impossible to put one foot in front of the other.
There are varying degrees of all these emotions and they can change from day to day or even minute to minute.
Then there is guilt. Guilt can be the most debilitating of them all. A person could drown in "I wish I had, why didn't I, what if."
When guilt is present all logic goes out the window. Nothing is reasonable, and no matter how many times and ways we say "I'm sorry" it is never enough to ease that feeling. So then it may turn to anger "well if you had, what were you doing, why didn't you move." Anger is easier to feel than guilt. Anger can be projected, because face it, we don't want it all to ourselves.
Guilt can take days or weeks to start fading away.

I loved the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Oh my, you would not believe what just happened here. Serious mayhem was averted and all children and dogs still reside here. I just new I was not seeing what was about to happen. Eli loves to play with Starsky. Starsky has had a stuffed tigger since he came to live with us. He loves it. Eli threw the tigger and Starsky chased it, sliding into the curio cabinet. His flea collar got hooked on the handle of the lower door. He was stuck and freaking out.
I jumped up from the computer chair, at this point the curio is leaning forward, and put my shoulder against the cabinet and unhooked the collar while yelling shit over and over again. John, hearing the curses, comes out of the bedroom to see what is going on.
He took the handle off of the lower door so that will never happen again.

Just a few things in the curio cabinet. A Waterford crystal vase, purchased 12 years ago while in Waterford Ireland. Two small bottles of more than 12 year old Irish whiskey. Lots of small glass breakables, wine glasses, a glass eggplant. Don't ask, it was a gift. German tea cup and a wooden wind up toy from Switzerland.

Dogs on Thursday

Life is never dull with dogs. Always there to welcome you home, big slobbery kisses, tail wags that clear the magnets off of the fridge, pee on your feet. Yes, that was pee on your feet.
If I stay up late or can't sleep then the dogs are up late too. A few nights ago I took them out really late maybe 2am. I walked down the the little sidewalk in the backyard and stopped. Starsky walked over and stood next to me. A few seconds later I feel this warm wetness on my foot. He was peeing on my foot! Apparently he was too tired to take one step to the grass. I'm surprised I didn't wake the neighbors with the yelling and cursing. I rinsed my foot off with the hose, went inside and stood in the shower washing my foot and leg with soap and hot water.

This is what they should be doing at bedtime.

Once again, the striking difference between the two dogs. Hutch would never ever pee on me.

Added later-I know most of you are laughing. Feel free, I would be laughing if it was one of you!

Added a little later- If someone would tell me they were pissed off I always say "Better pissed off than pissed on". Now I can truly say it is better.

Tuesday night Knitting

We didn't do much knitting, but we did lots of visiting.
Wait, Holly did some knitting. She is almost finished with the second sock.

Stacy joined us for the first time since Audrey was born. Audrey is about 4 weeks old now.
We had lots of fun taking turns holding her.
Look at that baby, she is precious. Lora, that is your mom holding her. She was the best baby while at the coffee shop. Hope she didn't cry during the long ride home.

A dishcloth and a contest

Look at this dishcloth.
Anne has an easy contest going. Knit this great dishcloth pattern and tell a little bit about it and you will get your name in 4 times. Suggest a cool name for the pattern and get a 5th chance to win.

Classic Elite Flash-color ? (lost the band along time ago)
size 6 straights (just because I was missing one of my size 7s)
This yarn is a little smaller than Sugar 'n Cream or Peaches n' Cream, maybe a light worsted.
8 inches x 9 inches
A continental knitter
I have not been able to come up with a name, but the design reminds me of the the safety flags used in boating.

This one will be the first to be donated to the "kitchen" themed auction basket.

Thanks Anne!
Added later: My Aunt Janet suggested "Pennant Race"
I think that is a perfect name for the pattern.

FO Friday

Not this week. I have three things that could have been finished, but alas, it was not meant to be. One of the items has to be finished by 2pm tomorrow. It is a baby shower gift. Saturday and Sunday will be set aside to finish the dishcloth and a hat that are OTN.
The school has a Fall Festival and each class has to put together a basket that will be auctioned off. It can get pretty pricey, especially with three kids in school this year. Some notes came home today and I was jumping around and laughing. The kindergarten class is doing a "kitchen" themed basket. Three or four dishcloths and I am good to go! The fourth grade is doing a"girl's fun" basket. I was stumped for about three seconds, then fun fur boas to play dress up in!
I am getting off so cheap this year. I just hope that the second grade gets a baby basket or something similar.

Dogs on Thursday-the pooch plunge

Starsky loved the kiddie pool area, he was unsure of the big pool. He met lots of other labs and lab mixes. All of the dogs there seem to enjoy the water. Only a few were like Hutch. I saw lots of playful owners then a few that were not so nice. If the big dog does not want to get in the big pool then he should not be thrown in. When I carried Hutch in it was in the kiddie part and only his feet should have gotten wet. But he laid down like he was trying to sink into the concrete. He constantly barked at Starsky. I'm not sure if he was warning him of impending doom or telling him he looked like a fool hopping around in the water.


Starsky would barely hold still for pictures. At least I got his tail. Hutch was carried in for just a moment. Just deep enough for his fancy tail to get wet. We did find out that it is not just a fear of water it is a full blown phobia. He got all panicky when saw all the water and turned and dug against the concrete that he made two of his nails bleed. I let him off the leash and he did fine. At one point he walked near the water to see another dog.
It was hard to keep them out of the sand volleyball court. They were running around digging throwing sand everywhere. They were a mess.
We all had a great time. I really enjoyed watching all of the dogs playing.

Someone thinks I am cool,

and has named little ole me as a Rockin' Girl Blogger.
"I would like to thank Tabitha and the academy and all of those that voted for me. I will not forget the little knitters I have met along the way. I would like to thank my mom, dad and wonderful husband......." Oh wait that is a different award. This one is so much better because my good friend Tabitha bestowed it upon me.
I hear this title holds a couple responsibilities. One, that you remain a Rockin' Girl Blogger once nominated, and the other, that you nominate more Rockin' Girl Bloggers!
So here I go....

Mae is a rockin' girl blogger! You have to go see the coachella she knitted. It is incredible. The tattoo is cool too.

Cris is a rockin' girl blogger. She shares the best photos and has two boys that could be twins to mine. Oh and crazy enough she lives about 45 miles from me.
My other picks have already been tagged as Rockin' Girl Bloggers.


Thanks again Tabitha!
By the way, Tabitha is a newish blogger so go over and say "HI" and tell her you want to play "pay it forward" with her.

Tuesday night Knitting

Loretta, Holly and I had an enjoyable evening together. We would have had more fun with more people... Holly was working on the mate to the beautiful cabled sock she finished up over the weekend. She bought some great yarn for her first sweater. A stunning cabled sweater from a recent magazine that I cannot remember the name right now.

Loretta had taken a small hiatus from knitting, so she cast on for a dishcloth in a slip-stitch pattern.
I worked on a dishcloth also, because I do not have the right needles to finish up the hat I had been working on.
But I was able to borrow some size 7 dpns, so I should have an FO for Friday.

Not nearly as exciting as some, but that was my Tuesday night at knitting.

FO Friday

If this looks familiar it is because I just love this pattern. This is the Amanda lace pattern. It can be found over at Gina's blog. This is the second time I have adapted this pattern to my liking.

I gave this to a friend for her birthday. She had watched me knitting the stole for Lora and commented how much she like the green.

I felt like she needed a splash of color, so I cast on and knitted the first 4 rows with a pink mulit-colored yarn. I did the same at the other end. She was very pleased with it and even wore it in this heat. I have several WsIP that I hope will become FOs very soon.

ADDED LATER-I knitted it with Di.Ve' Teseo
Fiber: 53% Wool / 47% Micro Fiber
Yardage: 10 X 50gr / 98 yds
Gauge: 4 sts=1" / #10
Wash: Hand wash and lay flat. Color Grape Leaves
It is a wonderful self striping yarn. They have some really great colors. I have been keeping my eye on a blue shade that is sitting on a shelf in the Grinny Possum.

Your chance to pay it forward

I saw this over on the Prairie and decided to jump on the wagon. Sorry Katie, it was just too easy. You know sometimes I laugh at my own jokes. Focus Sonya!
And now I am inviting 3 of you to play it with me.
Now for the fine print: This is the "Pay It Forward" exchange, based on the concept of the movie where acts of kindness are done without expecting anything in return...just passing it on, with the hope that the recipients of your kind acts will pass it along to someone else. Here's how it works: I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don't know what the gift will be yet, and it won't be sent this month and maybe not next month either, but it will be sent within 6 months and that's a promise!
What you have to do in return then is "pay it forward" by making the same promise on your blog. I think this will be great. You never know when someone needs a pick me up. I can tell ya it is really wonderful to find something in the mail that brightens your day. Ok, who will be first, don't be shy.
And whether or not you are playing this game, why not pay it forward in real life and do a random act of kindness to someone this week? Amen

Dogs on Thursday

Starsky has some big plans this weekend. It should be a real hoot.

The entertainment factor alone is worth $4.



















I have a problem keeping water outside for the dogs. At first I did not know what was happening to the water.





Now we all now why the water bowl is always empty.
If you aren't sure from the photo, he is splashing all of the water out.
Hutch is my fancy boy. Just look at that tail, don't you think it's fancy?




When I took the photo I had no idea that Starsky's head was in it..It is a little creepy. After all of that doggy fun and cuteness, something disturbing. I found this over at Lapdog Creations



Officer Accused After K-9 Dies In Hot CarTemperatures Reached 109 DegreesUPDATED: 11:42 am EDT September 6, 2007PHOENIX -- Authorities arrested a Chandler police officer Wednesday in the death of a police dog that was left in a hot patrol car for more than 12 hours, KPHO-TV in Phoenix reported.

To read the entire story please click here
I am almost speechless. I know that this unfortunately happens too often, but this man is supposed to know better. He works with the K9 unit, WTF!

If you are so moved click here and fill out a complaint against this officer. We must let them know, that the dog loving public will not sit back quietly and just ignore such actions. We will be loud in telling all that we can.
I know that everyone is human and humans make mistakes. But this human is a police officer and we expect (and assume) that they are good upstanding people. Police officers are supposed to be kind, reassuring, helpful and most importantly of all smart.
This is most definitely not the kind of police officer I want protecting my rights.

What a lovely surprise!

I have never been gifted with something so beautiful. This is a faraway friend saying "hi how are ya I have been thinking about you, here is a hug from me"

A nondescript yellow envelope in my mail box held this lacey goodness. My friend wishes to remain anonymous. So here is a huge
THANK YOU!
You know who you are!

Tuesday night Knitting

was very lonely until Holly arrived. Four of our regulars were otherwise occupied.

Earlier in the day I had taken two books to Office Depot and had them spiral bound. Staples does it cheaper but there is not one in town. I thought $2.79 a piece was well worth it. I had a mocha freeze, see it in the corner of the picture. It was really good.

Holly is at it again with some amazing stuff.

The pattern will be available soon for you brave souls that want these mittens.
I love the socks. I was so happy that you could see the detail in the photo.

Hopefully we will have a full house next week and I will have lots more to show you.

What did you see today?

My best friend, Jemima and I were witnesses to a crime today. It was domestic violence.
She and I had gone out for my belated birthday lunch and movie. Jemima took me back to my car in the Lowe's parking lot. We sat and talked for awhile. I looked up and said" Jemima look that car door is open". Then we saw a foot dragging the ground and soon more of the leg, we thought she was going to fall out and be run over. The car pulled up near the garden shop and the womans' legs were on the ground like she was kneeling. Jemima and I thought that he must have had her by the hair. He let go and started to get out, she ran towards the garden shop but he caught her and dragged her back to the car. By this time we could hear her screaming. A man walked closer and said something to them, then he walked away. I called 911 and as I was talking to them the car left the parking lot and crossed a main thoroughfare into a Walmart parking lot. All of this occured in less than 10 minuets. I was not the only one that had called 911. The police took my info and told us to wait until I got a call back. After about 30 minuets a police officer called and said they found them in the other lot. We do not know if the man was arrested or not. It was very disturbing to watch. I just pray that nothing worse happens to her and that she is able to get some real help.