Weekend Hooking Fun

Well this weekend was the annual Brandywine Hook-In held in Wagontown, PA. As usual it rained that day - had some breaks in the rain and some downpours - still it doesn't stop anyone from coming out or having a great day of socializing and shopping.

I think was the 5th year and I've gone to every one of them to date. It's fun to see what everyone is working on, looking at their frames and hooks, patterns, and wool bundles. Lots of vendors to shop and touch and feel the wool. Spent the day not working on my project but visiting with friends. I'm surprised my voice isn't hoarse.

This year Pam from our group AAPG came from Delaware and we got to meet her in person. Also Sharon came from New Jersey so it was the first time she and Kathy met also.

Sharon, Pam and Kathy -

Kathy, Linda and Sherry came out from the Shippensburg/Chambersburg area and this group is always a lot of fun!

Here are Sherry and Linda laughing at something. I told Linda she was very quiet that day and she seemed to be getting a lot of hooking done, (Maybe she was tired from all the running around she did shopping the first few hours? You think?)

Caught Sharon in a pose here - think she was checking her pockets to make sure there was room for more wool!

Not sure what Kathy and Sherry are talking about or what Kathy is pointing at! Notice the woman in the background - her jacket is made out of blocks of wool - really cute.

Forgot to take more pictures but it was great catching up with a lot of people I only get to see once in a while. The day went by very fast and there was a lot of talking, laughing and sharing! So it was a great day. It was pouring rain when we were packing up - Kathy's very cozy under her umbrella so Linda had to put on her Elmer Fudd had to stay dry or who knows with Linda, maybe she was making a fashion statement. They were packing the SUV trying to find a spot for Kathy to sit with all their frames and bags and of course the spare seats were full of all the wool they purchased!

Well if it wasn't enough I got to spend the day with friends in a room full of wool, I came home to a big priority box from Chris Moore of Mystical Primitives. I had won a contest for the "house challenge" on AAPG and she was to send me a prize. Well she is one special lady and goes over the top - Chris is a very talented woman - she sent me the most amazing penny mat "Punkins $1.00" and a PN needle prim kitty , along with kitty cat notecards and some lemon soap - Just love them- thank you so much Chris - they will be treasured. Sorry the pic isn't that great.

Oh and to top it off - there were two very happy kitties with Chris' package and her tissue packaging - They are still playing in the box and rustling about the tissue paper - Too funny - these are all photos from different times last night and today and at one point - my big boy Riley squeezed his butt into the box and later Jonesy was in it and Riley was bathing him!

Riley wanting to know what's going on in the tissue paper -

Oh Wow thank you Chris - I just love this tissue paper and twine you sent me it's so much fun to play in.

Time for me nap -

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend and a great week ahead!

Hi Honey - I'm Home!

In my last post I mentioned how quiet it was around here. Well my husband had to go to therapy at 8:00 Friday morning which is about 1/2 mile from the Vet's office so he said he would pick Jonesy up for me and go to work afterwards.

It was a rainy rainy day and Riley and I waited for my husband to bring Jonesy home. Miles was upstairs sleeping. I think Riley was hoping for some sunbeams.
My husband brought in the carrier and opened it and Jonesy took off like a shot checking out everything and meowing at top lung - guess he was letting us know his displeasure at having been away for 2 days. I'm running around after him (with camera) trying to get a hug but he was determined to check everything out...

Now he's in the kitchen probably wondering "where's breakfast" (Oh the vet tech told us that he sure was a big eater! No surprise there! LOL )

I spent the weekend home with him - just being lazy and trying to hook and watch movies. His favorite place to sleep seems to be my rug... (these are all shots from different times of the weekend!)

How can you disturb a cutie like this. My husband would take him downstairs to his "bunker" with him so I did manage to actually finish my rug today! Jonesy would spend a few hours with him and a few hours with me - on and off thru-out the day...

Bath time...

Oh My Riley - Riley who really seemed to miss Jonesy totally treated him badly when he got home - He hissed, spit, growled. I guess it's the "vet" smell - My husband and I spent as much time petting Riley then rubbing Jonesy with his scent, same with Miles and rubbing our shirts on him - just trying to get that "vet smell" away - Someone suggested to use a baby wipe on him but we didn't have any. Anyway - I got up at 6:00 a.m. this morning and Riley hissed at him but finally ate next to him - which is a good sign, then later I found him licking Jonesy's head - then a little later I found him trying to engage Jonesy in play - Thank goodness! It's not 100% normal yet but so much better.

Even though Riley wasn't hanging with Jonesy - he would stay close and keep an eye out...

Jonesy I think is tired of laying around - he's really trying to do all the things he normally does but we keep trying to keep him "quiet"! He looks bored with having to rest - he wants to be off doing what kittens do! LOL

Well anyway - things are getting back to normal - everyone is napping now and I'm so happy everything went well with his surgeries.

Wishing everyone a great week.

It's Way Too Quiet Around Here

Well I have to say it's really really quiet around here.

There is no thunder of kitten paws running around upstairs or downstairs...
There is no one to chirp at me when I come home...
There is no one to meow (loudly I might add) everytime I walk into the kitchen...
The kitty play tent hasn't moved about the living room or found upside down...
There isn't any wrestling matches going on...
When I made the bed this morning it ony took me a minute...
There is no kitten ready to pounce unexpectedly...
There is no one to keep me from hooking....

There is no mini tiger around to take a nap after fishing with his Dad...

There is no one demanding to be held while I'm on the computer...

Riley however is catching up on his sleep....(Well it is a damp and cold rainy day - Had to lift the blanket to get this shot!)

Miles is happy as a clam taking his nap without being bothered....

Yep - it's way too quiet around here. Jonesy isn't home.

Jonesy is at the vet's and has been gone since yesterday morning around 7:00 a.m.

Jonesy is okay and doing really well and has some of the vet techs falling in love with him apparently - they say "how cute" he is! Yesterday he had his surgeries. He was neutered (oouch...) and also declawed... (more on that later). Everything went well thank goodness.

It's amazing how such a little presence leaves such a big hole in our everyday lives without him here. We all miss him so much - Riley walks around looking for his little buddy and howling. My husband keeps calling to check up on him at the vet and I'm missing him like crazy. Miles probably is the only one happy as he would prefer to be an only pet!

About the de-clawing - I know this is a sore subject with a lot pet owners, but please just know that I have done my research and I have a vet I have 100% trust in and he has explained each step to me. You can find a lot of information out that makes it sound like it's torture to the pet but believe me - do the research and you will find this isn't the case. Anyway - it was our choice and I'm sure he will be tearing around the house like normal in a day. I would never ever put my pets thru any torture.

Today besides being very very very quiet around here it's been cold and damp and pouring rain - A truly gray day! I went out today to check out the just opened "Wegmans" - Man you would have thought Elvis came back from the dead and was appearing there or something! Bought a few things - just found it pretty pricey. Then went to the local produce stand for some reasonably priced veggies and bought myself some sunflowers and a fall mix of flowers too.

I came home and made myself a bowl of soup to take the chill off and had some Pumpkin Seed Harvest Cheddar crackers I had just picked up - pretty tasty..

and then attempted to arrange my flowers in my milk can - Okay - I'm still working on it!...

At least the Flowers brighten up the table a bit on this gray day.

Hoping for a much brighter day tomorrow - we can pick Jonesy up at 9:00 a.m. and will be there waiting! I can't wait!

Craft Nite

Monday night i was invited through a friend to a "Craft Night". You can bring any type of project to work on and just sit and enjoy each other's company for a few hours. There are no rules - no stress - whatever goes.

I really enjoyed all the ladies - everyone was working on something different - knitting, cross stitching, etc. I brought my rug hooking since that's about all I do these days.

I'm sorry - I do not remember everyone's names yet but I am happy to have been invited and plan on coming back! Everyone was so welcoming and there was a lot of laughter going on. Seems to be me it's a great way to spend an evening - Friends, Fun, Crafting...

Here are some random pics of the night!

This pic - Janet is "trying on her sock" - She had the cuff done and just got the "heel part done! Too funny -

Louie helping Janet with her "heel"


I believe this is another sock being worked on...

A cross stitched Bib being worked on...

A prim sampler being cross stitched...

More knitting...

Nettie trying to find her "next big project"...

So thank you for including me in your group...

"Worth Learning"

On Saturday, I spent the day demonstrating rug hooking at the "Laerenswaert" Festival at the Peter Wentz Farmstead. Laerenswaert is a German phrase that means "worth learning". This is probably the 3rd year I have demonstrated there during this festival and also their Sheep Shearing. The people that run this event are wonderful - always checking on you wondering if you need anything.


Saturday the weather wasn't the best - it was drizzling and raining when we got there not too cold though - we originally were to set up outside the house in front of the garden. We waited for a bit and then set up in the breezeway between the house and the summer kitchen as people were arriving and it was still raining - nothing worse than "wet wool". After the rain finally abated it got cold and damp and then later breezy and cold. Around 2:30-3:00 the sun came out - by that time I was chilled to the bone and then it was time to pack up around 3:30! Regardless, it didn't stop people from coming out - again lots of interest in rug hooking. There were two of us at this event demonstrating which makes it nicer especially when larger groups come by. We set up a few tables with each of us displaying a few rugs to show them different styles and some books on rug hooking and also our guild made some beginner kits in case anyone was interested.




This is the summer kitchen - I went home smelling like woodsmoke - lots of good cooking going on throughout the day - I can't remember it all but they were stuffing sausage casings and cooking it - they made some sortof cabbage concoction - had a PA German name I can't remember, they made squash cakes, scones, they had pickles, cheese, corn chowder on the fire, apple pie, and lots more - The demonstrators were allowed to go in thru-out the day and eat - all served up in wooden bowls, redware, and wooden spoons.

They give tours throughout the house - I would love love love to live in an old house like this - I peeked in the exit and took this pic of the ladies spinning, inside another room was a woman playing the harp, and different things going on thru-out the house -

It was still raining at this point but here is my table under the overhang - i just started setting up and wanted to be a little out of the breezeway so I would have some light to hook - (Yep the Townsend there on the table looks so authentic doesn't it - ROTFL)!

Across the way - there was some teenage girls churning butter and making sauerkraut

This is the table we set up in the breezeway - Karl makes rugs of tavern signs - on the the table we had some books and info on hooking

Here's Karl hooking away on his rug - it's very large and the lion is so cool on this rug - wish I would have taken a pic - he was almost done the rug (Again there is a Townsend cutter - so authentic! LOL)
It turned out to be a not so bad day - I didn't take my camera when I went for a walk but there was a large garden, other people spinning, chopping wood, tending sheep, log splitting, weaving, tape making and more.

I came home and unloaded the rest of the stuff - I then took a bubble bath to help quell the chill!

Later that evening I decided to keep hooking - but had to give it up since someone took my hook AGAIN -

The nerve - he finally put the hook down and fell asleep but really - he's just way too cute to move at this point!

Therapy at Grant Street

Last Thursday I decided to drive "all the way from the Philadelphia area" (well sort of - I'm an hour from Philly but no one ever heard of my little town) to Chambersburg to spend the day at the Grant Street Woolworks Hook-In. It takes almost 2 1/2 hours but it's only 140 miles which isn't too bad- a very easy drive to get there. Anyway - never having therapy - I can well image a trip out there is better than Therapy. If Laughter is the Best Medicine - then I'm on my way to being one healthy woman! You just never know what the day will bring!

As usual I arrived on Kathy's doorstep in Shippensburg. That was her birthday week so I came in and nosed around all her birthday presents - it's so fun to see the stuff in person that I see on her blog and especially the little hand-dids from the ladies on AAPG - they are so talented!
We then went off to go to lunch and of course saw a sign for a yard sign and had to stop - Nothing really knocked my socks off there - Kathy found a cool little wooden box.

I really have to laugh - have you ever just talked innocently to someone and they look at you like you are from Mars or you grew three heads or have you done that to someone? Seems every time I go out to visit Kathy - a word comes up that we say differently - we always get a good giggle out of it - This time - I dared Kathy to step on the neighbor (to the people having the yard sale - they had their driveway roped off -surprised they didn't have a sign that said "keep out") - anyway I dared her to step on the neighbors "macadam". Well Kathy gave me a look like what? Their blacktop? Hahahahaha - I don't know - around my parts a paved driveway was "Macadamed" - her parts "blacktopped" - just funny and I guess you just had to be there!

Okay - It was off to lunch and after a good lunch we went to Grant Street. Pat, Genny, Barb, and Linda were there working away.


Pat is working on a rug of a Baltimore Quilt - it's absolutely beautiful in person - and large - The picture just doesn't do what she has done justice -



It was Kathy's and Barb's birthday week so Linda ordered a cake (chocolate of course!)

Genny was busily working on her sunflower and birdhouse rug - she's doing a wonderful job even though she works without keeping her backing taut on the frame - I like my backing tight! She was having a good time trying out different frames too - her husband said he will get her one for Christmas -

Hmmm the next picture - I'm not sure - Kathy was chanting - "Give me a "G", gimme a "R", gimme a "A", gimmee an "NT" - what's that spell..... She said they were "strip holders" - i don't know - i think she secretly always wanted to be a cheerleader

Again, as I said - laughter is a given at Grant street - I'm not sure what Linda was laughing at here - or maybe she was thinking of having another piece of that chocolate cake!

Linda had a little tree so i was able to try out my tree skirt I had finished hooking and whipping that night - I tell you - that tree skirt was on my last nerves - did you ever have a project you just couldn't wait to be done with - I'm not good at putting things aside and starting another - I have to finish it and move on - so i was determined that nite to finish it and I did! Anyway it's larger than my small tree skirts I make for the feather trees - this one is approx. 25" in diameter- an experiment!

Okay - have to laugh here - i don't even remember what Kathy was doing in this pic - that's how the whole day was - something silly was always going on...(and you had to remember Kathy was really tired from her celebrations and work all week!)

Sherry was working on her kitty cat rug - Kathy was giving her advice on colors to use I think -

Okay I missed the good shots for this picture - there is a video going around the emails of the "Old Girl's Party" - well Linda was demonstrating to Sherry what was in the video - Kathy and I were laughing so hard we forgot to pull out our cameras until it was too late. Anyway the video had toilet paper rolls one woman held between her legs and the other woman had a toilet plunger between her legs - you do the math...

Well it was around midnite that we rolled back onto Kathy's "macadam" and I ventured out on my road trip home - I got home around 2:20 a.m. - Not to bad. It was worth every mile!