First Snow

Yep - it is starting....this was the first snow. Rocky and Mini are checking it out. Sigh - here we go again!

I won a cup!

We had our Christmas party at work on Thursday and it was very nice to enjoy everyone's company. My new unit traditionally has a $10 gift swap during which you can pick a gift from the table or take a gift away from someone that has already picked. I ended up with the perfect gift - a cup with a nice tight lid so I can get coffee when I go in to work. Well - I did put it in my purse during the swap so no one would remember it was there but it really wasn't actually hidden. If someone would have looked under the table they would have been able to see it.

Almost new puppies!

Patty called me to say that someone had made away with Dodger and Yet-to-be-Named and replaced them with these puppies. Patty isn't sure who these puppies belong to but she likes them very much and thinks she will keep them. Their names are Boo (nee Dodger) and Daisy (nee Yet-to-be-Named). They do look like very different puppies.

All together now....awwwwwwwww....
Boo on the left and Daisy on the right.

Boo

Poster-girl, Daisy


And more Boo...again - awwwwwwwww. This shot reminds me of an advertisement for something... in a magazine, I think.

Patty got a picture of Woody Woodpecker as he came by to pay his respects to the new puppies. I'm sure there were lots of other woodland creatures that Patty wasn't able to photograph. They probably snuck in at night to peek at the puppies through the glass doors. But good catch of Woody, Patty!

Puppies!

Is this just the best? Patty and Rose rescued two little Chinese Crested Powder Puff puppy sisters and brought them to their Forever Home. Patty drove to Dayton, OH, yesterday to pick them up and brought them home. I was lucky enough to get to go over today and play with them and take pictures and spoil them with a few treats. They sure enough need a good grooming - they will be going to see Lori and Todd as soon as it can be arranged - but how sweet they are. I can't wait to take some pictures of them all cleaned up and 'purty'. They are still very shy and not sure where they are or why they are there but they are beginning to feel like they might belong there with Patty, Rose, Tootie, and Crumpet. Their names, so far, are Dodger and Yet-to-be-Named. Patty and Rose are in the process of painting their living room before new carpet is laid but they took a few minutes off for play and pictures!
Dodger:

Yet-to-be-Named:

Sisters.... Yet-to-be-Named on the left, Dodger on the right.

A beautiful picture of Dodger....she looks so calm, cool, and collected here. That is so not the reality!

Here Dodger, Here Yet-to-be-Named.....come get a treat!

Dodger thinks new Mom scratches her ears just right.

Meanwhile, Yet-to-be-Named is snuggled up to new Mom Rose and thinks that is a pretty good place to be, too.

Crumpet isn't quite sure what just invaded his domain. He is used to being the King. Now what? Crumpet - you know we love you best!

Tootie isn't quite sure what this will mean for her, either. She is certain that she does not want anything to interfere with her usual share of pets and lap-sitting.

There will be more later!

Wishing safe travels for my family and friends who are on the road this Thanksgiving

Rocky & Mini have given their wish lists to Santa (aka Uncle Todd, Casper's Dad) and want you to know they are ready to receive any hugs and pets you might wish to bestow upon them! Oh - and any 'treats' would be appreciated. Especially now that Uncle Todd has placed them on diets! It is true, however, that Rocky can barely sausage his plump self through the doggie door now.

And Bubba the Bird is hiding under some paper....waiting to jump out and surprise someone! He will be 17 years old in March and has been quite the jokester all of that time! Some of Cecily's belly scratches are on his wish list!

Intergalactic Bead Show....

Peggy, Laura, and I took a road trip to Cincinnati to visit the Intergalactic Bead Show, have lunch, and then do a little shopping at Jungle Jim's.

Rikki was there to see us off. You may remember Rikki - the bead needle eating kitty cat that lived! Peggy has told the tail and even has the evidence - triple bagged.


You were one lucky cat, Rikki!

No pictures of the show itself but, wouldn't you know, Laura won a door prize! A very fine lampworked bead. The very first one called. The announcer was a little surprised that Peggy and I ran up there and took pictures. I wonder if my SiL can make those! A picture of the lucky winner!

And now a picture of her win - thanks to Peggy's photography talents! Yes, I was trying to steal it but with no luck.

Perusing our purchases over lunch....



Peggy modeling some very fine beads she had purchased - the tiny little ones. Can't wait to see the completed piece. If I am lucky she will let me post a picture of it here.


Then off to Jungle Jim's


And Laura adds her picture in the potty to those of Peggy, Vicki, and I!

So we celebrated....we really should have taken that lady up on her offer to take a picture of all 3 of us in the potty!

We got a lot of good things to eat and drink and then headed back to Indy where Rikki welcomed us home - pretty much in the same spot where we left her. I wonder if she was wondering if had purchased any needles for her.


Such a good idea, Peggy. Thank you for organizing these trips. We missed you, Vicki. I hoope some of the rest of you can join us next time!

Beady-Eyed Bunch!

Thank you, Bonani! Below are some of the pictures Bonani sent me of two new stitches she learned from kits. I wish I could remember where she said she got the kits - I would like to learn the one with the pearls. The spiral stitch looks perfect and I am tickled Bonani has gotten the knack of teaching herself new stitches! It's not easy to puzzle through a new pattern, is it? But it sure keeps you moving right along.

BTW - I learned something new - Bonani sent these pictures to me through Skype. And I actually managed to find them in my files about about 30 minutes of looking. But I will get quicker. I wasn't sure how they would post here but I think it does well.


First her spiral - very well done:

Next, a very nice new stitch - I would like to try it with smaller pearls or other rounds....maybe some 4mm beads that I got from Bead Angels in Broad Ripple. And I might use 14 seed beads around them instead of 11's. Maybe turquoise 4mm rounds with silver seeds. Maybe. I hope Bonani remembers to send me the pattern! (hint, hint)
I asked her to try it as a choker and it looks terrific. Looks like you get to teach a new stitch, Bonani!

Skype is just the coolest - I grabbed this screen shot off of skype when Bonani tried the necklace on as a choker.

Welcome Jasper!

Those of you at Landmark will remember Jasper's father,Steve, who transferred to Lytle when our IT was sent off shore. I thought these were some remarkable pictures and am very happy Steve gave me permission to post them. How sweet! I think Jasper is one very lucky little boy to join Steve and his wife Charity and big sister Daphne. Steve also adopted one of our Aloe plants that we grew in the window at work - but I don't think that was as big an event as Jasper arriving - except to the aloe. I remember being allowed to carry my little brother into the house in August 1965 so I found the picture and scanned it. Daphne - I added a message to you below.




Jasper and big sister Daphne!

Linda and little brother Dan 45 years ago. Daphne, I wish for you that your little brother turns out to be as wonderful a person as my little brother. He is full of character, patience, and honesty and I am so very thankful that I get to spend time with him and my SiL Tammy. One of Little Brother's best accomplishments was convincing Tammy to marry him and brought her here to Indiana....from California...where there is no snow...and no ice to slide down when you are trying to back out of the driveway...but that's another story. I will have to warn you, Daphne, that little brothers can be awfully noisy as they grow up but it becomes more tolerable as time goes on. Annoying his Big Sister is apparently part of being a Little Brother!


My warmest wishes for the best to Steve, Charity, Daphne, and Jasper!

For the Beady-Eyed Bunch

I finally finished another chain using the tri-stitch that I used on the bronze bead chains. I stayed with the idea of making an adjustable chain but I used a bead that was shaped very differently, though, and I think it came out OK - I picked these up at the beadshow in Cincinnati last August with Peggy and Vicki. I've tried to get a picture of the loose beads as well. It was very difficult to get a clear picture of the entire chain for some reason. I tried in various lights and days then decided just to go with what I have. I am also knotting some pearls and if there is a more boring stitch than the tri-stitch then knotting pearls is it!

Working at home is good

As I was walking to work I saw Rocky contemplating a nap in the sun on the nice soft blankets. Does it get any better than that?