Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Hard to believe it's Spring with this weather - they are calling for flurries tonite and snow and rain on Friday - Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr is all I have to say about that!

I am finally picking up my hook for more than moving it to another location.

I hooked two more of my "eggs"...

They have gone to live at the Cinnamon Stick.   So hopefully Judy will be able to sell them to someone that needs some eggs!

I also took a piece of linen and drew up about 8 little mats and have 6 of them hooked - Image that - me hooking!  Even my husband comments "Wow you are hooking again" - He got the hairy eyeball!

I do have some legitimate excuses why all 8 of these aren't done...

Someone just loves to be either in my lap or on my frame!

And speaking of the kitties, Jonesy turned two years old on March 12!   It's hard to believe I've had him almost two years.  When I adopted him he was 3 months old and I adopted him on June 12 so that's why I made his birthday March 12!   He's still such a sweet little boy!

Riley, my big boy Bengal, turned FIVE years old on March 24 - Can you believe it - My Riley is 5!  I know his exact birthday because he came from a Bengal breeder.   I'm finding this funny, Riley is very active and always into something - you just never know what to expect with him, well the last month or so he's become such a "kitten" again - he runs around and plays more than ever and he's always trying to engage Jonesy into play yet Jonesy has become a lazy loaf!   He just wants to lay in a lap or take a nap.   Riley has also become so much more affectionate than he ever was - he's always there with "kiss" and rub!  Cat behavior is always a learning experience - I am learning that nothing I was ever taught about cats is true - they are truly little toddlers in fur!

The other day Jonesy had control of the remote....

Riley wasn't going for the program Jonesy picked out....

No worries - I took over the remote - popped in a DVD, picked up my hook and they cuddled on my side.  All is good in their world.

Yesterday was a fun day - Judy and I went out "antiquing" and "junking".   We started out going to an antique place and worked our way back - I had her in and out of the car at all these places I'll talk about and she never gets a chance to visit! LOL We did a huge "circle" - had a nice lunch and it was a sunny (but chilly) day!  Fun fun fun.  I only managed one treasure and it was with a 1/2 price sticker (just love a bargain).  Will show you one of these days - I want to "refinish" it and maybe I'll do a give-a-way if you can guess what it is - Kathy and Judy will be excluded cause they know now what it is!  

Today I've been in the kitchen since 8:00 this morning - making a huge mess and baking and cooking.   Oh I have to either give this up or get a new oven - I am so disgusted that my "baking" looks like c*^p!   My oven sometimes works fine and other times only half bakes! Today it was half-baked!  Well I think they will taste good and they will still be used - too much work and too many ingredients to toss it - but just not so pretty!

Tomorrow I want to go to Grant Street for the hook-in - Have to wait to see what the weather is - supposed to snow tonite but then be rainy and partly clear tomorrow and snow and rain on Friday - so I may be able to sneak over there between rain drops.  We shall see!  I'm packing everything up and planning on going - let's hope the weather cooperates!

Hope everyone is having a good week!  Take care!

To Find a Friend

Okay the sun is back shining - yesterday morning however there was sleet and cold rain - but it did manage to brighten up some.  The beautiful days of the end of the last week really spoiled me - that's all I want now!

Sunday was another feather tree class and I could kick myself for forgetting my camera.  The class was held at Just Cross Stitch in Lederach, PA.  We had a full house everyone seemed to enjoy it - Lots of beautiful trees being made and Carolyn, the owner, couldn't have been nicer.  Thank you Carolyn for the opportunity to show your stitchers how to build a tree!  Lots of inspiration around the store too - if you are a stitcher and live in the area, be sure to check it out - it's one stop shopping for the cross stitcher!

What's with computers - some days they work with no glitches or cybersnots and other times nothing works right.  A friend of mine told me I was messing with her head because I sent the same email to her three times! Well Kathy, as much fun as it would be to make you more nuttier than you are, I didn't do it on purpose - only one on my sent file! LOL  Couldn't comment on blogs either yesterday! Weird!

The past few days my mail box has been offering up some really nice surprises.   I have the nicest and best of friends, some I have met and some I haven't except through an online group or blogland. 

Again, I want to thank each and everyone of you for your friendship and generosity!  I am always overwhelmed....

A packet of Spring arrived from Ginger...

A beautiful plaque and this wonderful framed punch needle piece from a wonderful woman I have only met thru "blogland".  This pic does not do this justice - "older looking" in person - thank you so much!

A surprise gift from Courtney.  Chocolate bunny (mmmm can't wait to bite off the ears!), a sweet swan pin cushion (Did you make this?) , a notepad, a hanging crow, and a cool star basket.  As you can see, Riley was impressed - his nose was all over everything!  Thank you! 

A gorgeous huge piece of hand dyed blue wool from Joan - Joan - thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers about Miles!

Again,want to thank everyone for all their thoughts and emails and comments regarding Miles.  It's still hard as he is surely missed but we are at that point where we can remember the best things about him and I'm going through a lot less tissues!

And just a side note - again not trying to be morbid or anything.  When I picked Miles' ashes up he was put in a little cardboard box with a label and a card.  This one wasn't shrink-wrapped but the ashes I received back years ago for Sid and Nicky were - so I had just put the boxes in the cat-faced memory box.  Well my husband came home and he said "I'm opening it just to see".  Me, I had no desire to open the box and look.  Well anyway - I'm glad my husband did.  Inside the cardboard box was an actually cherry wooden box with his name embossed on the front! Who knew - I thought if we opened the box it would be just a baggie of ashes or something - something I didn't want to see!   So I ran and got a scissors and we opened Sid and Nickys' - same thing!  Oh my!  Now the wooden boxes are sitting in the memory box without the cardboard boxes - much nicer now!

 I was unable to go to Grant Street last week because my husband was in Memphis for a few days  but the other week I had nothing started so just took scrap wool and some linen - this is what I hooked - two Easter eggs (this is before they were steamed!).  Seems every year, I made a few of these redware eggs - this time I did one with some dark tan and scraps and then another redware one.  I finished whipping them last week.  Going to try to hook a few more this week.

I had some plans today but they fell through around lunch time - otherwise I could have had another fun day doing something else!  Oh well, maybe another day!

Hope you are all enjoying the beginnings of Spring!

I Don't Do Floors

What a beautiful few days!  Just love this weather - hoping it stays this way yet they are calling for rain/snow next week - hope it doesn't happen.

  Yesterday the car my husband drives needed to be inspected  and he's away for work so I had to go pick it up.  My Pop came over to drive me to the garage and I got a nice walk in - I knew the route he would take so I walked until he drove up! So beautiful out - I almost felt I could have walked the 8 miles to the garage (well maybe not!).  Next to the garage is our Vet.  So I decided to go in and pay the bill from last week.  Well my little Miles (ashes) just came back a few minutes prior to my arrival so I got to take him home (wasn't prepared but I did hold up by talking to him on the drive home)

I have him in this box

alongside his brother Sid and Nicky.  I painted this box and hooked a little prim cat face for it.  I mean really, not to be morbid or anything - but what do you do with these little boxes you get back from the Vet?  My husband is the one that wanted his ashes back and he had them in the boxes sitting on the dresser for a long time.  I couldn't take looking at them so that's why I  made up this box.   I would bury them but this (i hope) won't be our forever home.

Anyway - got a lot done the past two days - the house has been totally neglected.  All the laundry is now done - all the bedding is washed - the house is presentable -even if it's for a moment - the dining room table is CLEAR,  there is nothing on the steps to go up or down, there is nothing on the side of the stairs to be put away, there are no clothes laying around waiting to be put away and things are in their place.  Let's see how long this will last!  Okay - tomorrow I'm sure things will start cluttering again!  I also have everything ready for another feather tree class on Sunday - that stuff is sitting on the floor  just waiting to be loaded in my car.

Riley of course had to help fold laundry...

Look - this is the biggie - I do have a floor in the hooking room - seriously - it was hard to walk in there - I've just been dumping stuff in there.  (I won't show you how sloppy my wool rack is though!)

All this hard work today and the fact that all the doors and windows were open and sun beams to chase and neighbor cats to talk too just wore out these too....

Jonesy is ready for bed...

Riley is off duty from supervising all my activities today...

Hope you all had a great day.  Just a few days of sunshine can put some pep in ones step.

The Long and Winding Road

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and comments and friendship.  I really appreciated it this past week after we lost Miles.  For those of you that are pet owners I know you know how I feel.  It's something that is sometimes hard to explain but they become such a presence in your life and are there with their love unconditionally.  No matter if you having a great day or a bad day - they are always there with their love. 

Miles was born on July 1, 1993.  He was an Abyssinian.  A man I used to work for that breed abbys tried for years to get me to "show" one of his abbys and would "give" me one if I would do that.  I declined.  I'm too much of a wuss to be stern and train an animal to love a cage and behave while being stretched and photographed.  Anyway, he decided to gift me with Miles.  Miles was 4 months old when he came into our lives in November of that year.  At the time, we had two cats Sid and Nicky.  This little guy took over our lives and our hearts.  Abyssinian are extremely active and always the clown.  I so wish I had some pics on this computer of him in his "heyday" - He was always into something and just made us laugh.  He also gave the best hugs in the world - he would "massage" your neck or back as you held him!

Monday we decided he has fought the fight long enough so I made the call to the vet.  He had a myriad of problems and I didn't want him to suffer.  We were both there with him at the end and let me tell you - he was completely at peace - no more pain for my little guy.

Here are some pics from his last afternoon.  Oh and for those of you that asked the pic of him in the previous post was of him a week prior when he was sound asleep on the bed.

My skinny little guy....

 

Miles loved shrimp - absolutely went nuts over it.  I had some raw frozen in the freezer so I made him a handful - He looks funny in this pic - he's chewing on his shrimp.  He ate every piece!  Look at that paw, no one was going to take that shrimp from him!

I just woke him up - it was almost time to get ready to go --

He is at peace now and no longer in pain.  We miss him terribly.  I keep expecting to see him laying on his comforter on the bed and often stop to pet him but he's not there. 

On the Riley and Jonesy front.  I'm not sure if they even miss Miles, as you know Miles was a dominant male and so is Riley.  Miles did not like Riley from moment I brought him home and he just tolerated Jonesy.  Jonesy was a little afraid of him I think and just left him be.  Riley however would still try to be friends and often would nap alongside Miles whether he wanted him to or not - I honestly think he was looking out for him.  Anyway - these two are fine and thank goodness Riley and Jonesy are best of friends.

On Monday amidst all the "waiting" to take Miles in the afternoon and I will admit I was crying more than not on and off all day, I managed to fall down the steps and turn my ankle.  I'm thinking of great, I'm leaving for New York on Saturday and walk everywhere.   Then I thought this doesn't hurt that much - so went about the day.  After coming home from taking Miles to the vet (i drive a 5 speed) I could barely push in the clutch on the last few miles.  By the time I got home it was hard to walk and my ankle was swelling up! 

So I spent the night on the couch with my foot up - ice pack on - and two little tigers taking care of me..  This would be me legs/lap where they held me down.  (Oh and I have to mention what a great guy Riley is - the tears were flowing all day and night and when I was sitting Riley would come over to me and several times would put his paw on my cheek - He knew it was coming I think and I think he was trying to comfort me!)

A long exhausting day for everyone...

Tuesday I woke up and felt like I had a hangover without the drinking!  

Wednesday I called Linda and Kathy and told them I was coming to Grant St.  So I packed a small bag and off I went.  It was almost easier being away from the house for a few days.

Thursday was the hook-in. 

It was great seeing Bonnie and Jackie again - Bonnie hooking some eggs.

Genny looking for "snow" colored wool for her rug...

Jackie taking a break looking thru books...

Kathy having lunch and the nerve of her hiding from the camera! And Barb...

Linda making carrots under Kathy's supervision - oh wait - Kathy is sucking up the heat from Linda's heater....

Carrot factory...

Kathy and Nancee color planning Nancee's next rug...

isn't this cool- Nancee's latest rug - she finished it in like 10 minutes I think! She's fast!

Sherri was fondling her wool....

There was a package in the cauldron for me from my Secret Pal!  Lots of St. Patty's day goodies in green...

And if my secret pal reads this - let me tell you - the toy was a hit with the boys - I was swinging it around for them - and after I put it down they were still playing tug of war and swinging it around themselves!

So thank you from me and the tigers

I came home on Friday and then had to pack for New York - I got New York with a friend annually.  Can you believe I took my camera and didn't take one picture while there!  Oh my!

Saturday morning I drove to the city to pick up my friend and we drove to NJ to the train station and boarded bound for New York.

Saturday night we saw the play "Catch Me If You Can" - I loved it - it was light, fun musical.  Maybe you remember the movie (which I didn't care for) it's the story of a boy who between the ages of 16-18 impersonated a PanAm pilot, a doctor, a lawyer, and was a counterfeiter.  Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks stared in the movie.   The man went on to serve time and then worked for the FBI.  Anyway - the play was great - lots of singing and dancing.

Sunday we had two events lined up.

First was another play (non-musical) called "A Perfect Crime".  It was a thriller type play.   Very good - small theater and apparently it's one of the longest running off-Broadway plays around.

Sunday night was the ABC Daytime Broadway/Equity Fights Aids 2011 Event.   This was the 7th year for this event and the final.  I have been to every one of them!  Always a good time - The performances are wonderful and it's always so much fun.

Monday it was back home and back to reality!

I've been trying to change up a few things in my house - tired of the same old same old!   I bought this smaller quilt rack from the Cinnamon Stick last week and decided to put it in front of my fireplace (We haven't used the fireplace in years. What do you think - does this look stupid?

Oh had to take this picture of Riley for Jo from my group AAPG. Jo sent us a little St. Patty's surprise.  A doubloon, some great wool strips and a card.  Riley knocked the card out of my hand and decided it was all his - maybe because the wool matched his eyes?  Or did Jo roll the card in catnip first?  Just too funny what they take to and what they don't.

Thank you for your notes, cards (Thanks JoJo for the sweet card), and comments about our loss.  I felt all your hugs and it helped.

Have a wonderful week

I Don't Want to Say Goodnight

I love you little Bean, you have brought so much happiness and laughter to my life and heart...  goodnight, sleep tight...

Miles

July 1, 1993 - March 7, 2011