I just need me a man!

Hans only found out yesterday that while he's been in Germany these past two weeks, I moved another man into the apartment.

Okay already! I admit it, I'm weak!

Anyway this new guy is a charmer, and in addition to being adorable, he's a sweetheart and loves to cuddle.

I was pretty sure that Hans wouldn't approve, and during our many overseas conversations he had no idea that another man had usurped his territory.

But last night I caved and spilled the beans.

He wasn't thrilled but I convinced him that my decision was sound and that I (and my male guest) have been very happy!

I also told him that by the time he gets home tomorrow I'll have this fellow and his belongings out of the apartment.


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!









Tell me, just tell me that you would turn down a chance to have this handsome devil spend a few days with you!

I didn't think so!

After all, he was on Pitter Patter again this week.

Vet Tech Girl is out of town and while her new roommate agreed to watch him, I wanted Duncan to myself for a few days.

And oh, have we had fun!












Even though he knows he's not allowed on the futon, that's exactly where I found him when I got out of the shower yesterday.

And he refused to get off.

But that was the last time he pulled this stunt and he's been a good boy ever since then.

In an effort to keep Duncan off the futon I put a pillow and blanket on the floor and like the good boy he is; he used it.









We made a trip to Petco and got him a Kong and some treats. Unfortunately we didn't get out of there in time to avoid the very large Pit Bull who found Duncan to be very desirable and tried humping him right there in the middle of the store.


Later that afternoon we ran into the same problem at a park that has signs all over the place that state all dogs must be on a leash.

Shortly thereafter a family arrived with two dogs not on leashes and their very large pitty mix also thought Duncan was hot stuff, and mounted him several times. I got tired of shooing this horny bastard off Duncan and ended up having to leave.


This leads me to believe that Duncan has been dabbing my perfume behind his ears before heading out for the day.






I've run this boy's butt off all week long. Even tonight, after having cleaned three huge houses, I took him for a run.

I don't think he's used to so much exercise and tonight he bypassed the blanket and conked out in his crate at around eight PM.











Oops! The flash on my camera awakened Sleeping Beauty!

But don't worry, he fell right back to sleep.

Damn!! I'm gonna have a hell of a hard time giving him back.

More Down and Dirty Cleaning and a Cover Dog

It's always a thrill to see my granddog on Pitter Patter! Here he is at about 8 weeks of age, and this picture appeared on their site yesterday.

Well, today I headed back to Vet Tech Girl's apartment for some additional cleaning. Vet Tech Girl has a new roommate and I thought it only fair that the place should be, well, less noxious is the only term I can think of right now.

I could go on and on about scrubbing baseboards and walls, vacuuming and mopping floors... screaming when I thought I sucked a mouse into my sweeper (cat toy), but I won't.


I will, however, tell you what happened when Duncan met Molly, Roommate's adorable cocker spaniel.

Oh yes people!!! Another dog is getting tossed into the tiny apartment mix.

But at least it's a mix that's minus a rabbit!! Hallelujah!!!! Rabbit went to live with some other rabbits yesterday and I'm sure it will be very happy now that it doesn't have a pit bull as a playmate anymore.

I was busy cleaning when Roommate introduced me to Molly, and oh my what a pretty little blond girl she is. Then Vet Tech Girl came out of her bedroom where she was just waking up after having worked the overnight shift at the clinic and Duncan was hot on her heels. Duncan had yet to meet Molly and he never missed a beat and went straight for her.


There was a lot of hysterical barking, growling, snapping, biting, and chasing.

I kept screaming, "Oh My God! Oh My God!"

Vet Tech Girl kept screaming, "Shut up Mom! Shut up!"

But cocker spaniel Molly, ran pit bull Duncan's butt all over that apartment. With tail tucked firmly between his legs Duncan tried to escape, but couldn't.

Vet Tech Girl took over and made Duncan (held him down is more like it) sit still so Molly could approach on her own volition. It took awhile and even though I think Molly's face is going to freeze into a permanent snarl I believe they may become friends. At one point they both entered the kitchen at the same time, and exited, without a skirmish.

But Duncan kept entering Molly's space and taking her favorite toy, which caused Molly to tear after him, which only made him run with glee, because OMG he has a new friend!!!

And that's what Duncan is all about; making new friends.

And who wouldn't want to be friends with a handsome devil such as him?


I mean really!

Good God what a day!!!

One thing I love about my new job (professional house cleaner) is that we don't work Mondays. I mean, what's better than that.

So after breakfast I called my daughter (Vet Tech Girl) and asked her if she would like to go on a shopping spree to The Good Will with me.

It was supposed to be a fun day.

A day of no work.

I'm now feeling a bit like Alice in Wonderland and I believe I fell into a huge rabbit hole because it's now a quarter to ten (yes 10PM) and I just sat down.

We had a very successful shopping trip (I picked up the tab).

We discussed her new roommate and I tiptoed around the 'odor issue' that Roommate's mother detected upon delivering Roommate's furnishings.

Vet Tech Girl just couldn't understand what the problem was, because she can't smell anything! And for the first time in four years she invited me into her apartment (which is the lower apartment in our duplex), and for the first time in four years, I entered it.

I immediately took her to Lowe's and we got an air purifier and next week we may need to get another one. I also picked up a new garbage can, and some floor mats for outside entry ways.

I told Vet Tech Girl that if she'd start some picking up and moving around of furniture (for carpet steaming) I would take Duncan, my exquisitely beautiful and brilliant granddog for a long walk and hopefully blow off some stink (and steam).

Actually Duncan doesn't stink but I think the effect of 5 cats, a rabbit (minus the rabbit that died a couple of months ago), and a dog in a tiny one bedroom apartment, with a girl who's not overly concerned with cleaning, isn't going to smell like a meadow.

Once back from the walk I dug out my cleaning supplies and got to work. The tiny kitchen itself took hours. Around seven o'clock I called for pizza delivery and pulled a cat off the counter top dishwasher that I'd just scrubbed. In the bathroom I cleaned around cats that slid from the sink to the tub with reptilian stealth. They then proceeded to hide behind the shower curtain where I think they hold kitty cat caucuses. I learned which cats love each other (the one's in the bathtub) and which cats hate each other (the one's who fought).

I can't and won't go into gory details but I'm astonished that this new roommate actually came over, looked at the apartment, and agreed to move in.

She's very sweet, and college educated, which leads me to believe she's in the witness protection program, on the lam from the law, or just plain crazy, and we'll probably learn she holds animal sacrifices every full moon and has hit the jackpot with Vet Tech Girl!

I'm going back on Wednesday for round two and I've been promised that the rabbit is going to a new home.

He'll hopefully go down that hole I went down today.

I just hope he doesn't come back!!!

Here's my little man looking so fierce with his restrainer.

He had such a good time except one little dog called him all kinds of names! Duncan was a gentleman and kept right on going and never once barked at the rotten little provoker!

And with his best friend.



Even Duncan thought this was funny!!!

Doggies, kitties, and a little bit of sewing

I made this doggy coat as a Christmas present for a friend's dog. However, as careful as I was in my measuring, it was still too small. That poor fat dog! The band that goes under the belly was so tight that when she modeled it for us it hiked her back end up in the air and she walked on her back tippy toes. She looked so embarrassed and I'm sorry but we couldn't help laughing at her. Anyway, the coat is back here in the apartment awaiting alterations and we decided to put it on Duncan just to see how it looks.

It's too big for my boy (actually if the bands were made smaller it would fit) but it doesn't matter anyway because he hated it! He ran in circles, nipped at it with his teeth, and I'm just lucky he didn't tear it. Vet Tech Girl says he doesn't like it because he feels like he's not in control. Hmmm, as far as I've ever noticed, he's never been in any kind of control.

This is another Day Bag. A Vet Tech friend of Vet Tech Girl wanted one so I managed to finish this on Christmas Eve.

It's black corduroy and if you want to drive yourself nuts go ahead and sew BLACK CORDUROY!!!!! I remember laughing at a grandmother who complained about how hard it was on her eyes to sew black fabric.

Well, God is getting even with me.

And in addition to killing my eyes, the lint brush got a heavy workout, thanks to Chlorox.

Once again, the hard bottom that I like so much!

A view of the inside.

Last week the lady I work for, and I were cleaning a house that has two cats.

Two cats that hate us.

One is an ancient torty who growls at me, and the other is a long haired gray kitty who hisses at me.

Not exactly Welcome Wagon material.

Anyway, a contractor was there working on the steps in the foyer and somehow the cats had escaped from the basement where they were to spend the day.

"No problem," we said," hitching up our pants, and readying ourselves for battle. "We'll take care of it." We then spent about 15 minutes setting up barriers and planning our strategy. My boss was to flush the kitties out, and I was to shoo them down the steps. I wasn't worried because the cats always bolt for the basement as soon as we get out the sweepers or heaven forbid talk to them. But something went wrong because they ran in hysterical circles, jumped over our barriers and disappeared into thin air. It does embarrass me that the torty, who is old and fat, and runs like an old woman whose shoes are too tight was able to get past me.

"I don't think we're going to be able to add cat herding to our resumes." I told the owner and we got back to work.

I needed to get my boss a gift for Christmas and decided a bottle of wine would be nice. I was going to just whip up a fabric sleeve for it when I remembered that a couple of the double wine bags I made were still hanging around.

That meant I would have to get two bottles but it still made my life easier.

Even though I love wine, I have absolutely no idea of what's good and what isn't so I look for fun labels.

Hey, it works for me.

I was just getting ready to grab a couple of bottles of Little Penguin when I spotted a label that stopped me cold.

Check it out.

Herding Cats!!!!!!

Can you believe it???!!!

I bought a red and a white.

Here's what it looks like when you're carrying it.

The bottles are very snug and don't bang into each other.

Needless to say when I gave it to her and she pulled out a bottle of the herding cats, she screamed.

Herding Cats will do that to you!

We survived Christmas

I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't even wrap presents until Christmas Eve. I used to complain that if I only had more time, I'd have everything done ahead of time.

Well I do, and I didn't!

I didn't even buy name tags so Hans had to improvise with this.

I think he did a fine job!

Christmas isn't relaxing to begin with but it was even less fun to drive a nerve wracking 2 hours in 'almost' freezing rain to my parents' house. Since I'm the kind of back seat driver that can make even Hans (the most patient man on the face of the earth) want to toss me out of a moving vehicle, I drove.

Even in the pouring down rain all the highway signs still had festive icicles hanging from them which made me nervous, and also made for a very tedious trip.

Look at the smug face on Miss Kissy Pooh, my parents' obnoxiously spoiled doberman.

She's quite pleased with herself because she ended up causing a scene and getting her cousin Rambo in trouble.

BTW, that's her Christmas present lying there between her legs. It's a squeaky duck, and as always she opened her present all by herself.

Here's Rambo the offender.

This sweet and very meek guy got into trouble for 'attacking' Kissy Pooh.

But I bet I know exactly what happened.

I think Kissy Pooh stuck her tongue out at Rambo and said, "NaNaNa!! I got a present from Sandy Paws and you didn't!!! I got a toy, and a sparkly gold collar, and I'm pretty, and I have an expensive supply of blood at the vet's because the people I own think I'm a hemophiliac even though I've been bitten by woodchucks, and one time by a muskrat, and I have yet to 'bleed out', and I get birthday cakes every year..."

And that's about the time Rambo the Husky had heard enough, and fixing his icy blue eyes on her said, "I'd hate to see that blood supply go to waste." And he charged her.

That's it. Nothing happened but, oh my what an upset! What a commotion! Kissy Pooh was stunned! She nearly turned herself inside out, and then my dad ran to my mother and tattled on Rambo. My mom burst into the room, and with a cigarette hanging out of the side of her mouth she shouted, "Goddamit! We don't put up with bad manners in this house!" And Rambo got sent upstairs for a time out.

Smoky the cat was the survivor of the day as far as I'm concerned.

Here he is on the kitchen table (his favorite hangout) after a wild bout of wrestling with the green catnip mouse that Sandy Paws brought him.

"Man, that was some good stuff." he said.

My parents' TV was on full blast all day long and I caught Hans doing this just about the time Ralphie and his Red Ryder BB gun was playing for the umteenth time.

Hans and I don't appreciate the same movies and I forced him to watch Ralphie (he'd never seen it from beginning to end before) the previous night.

Poor guy.

While Rambo was in time out, the ever innocent Miss Kissy Pooh checked out my niece's birthday cake. Her birthday is on Christmas day and when she was little she used to say, "Jesus was born on my birthday." She's never lacked self esteem.

I'm glad to report we had a much easier time on our ride home. Hans drove, and after he informed me that he knows how to use his high beams, I shut up! After unloading our junk we fished a very upset and crying Countess von Chlorox out from under the bed, and I have no idea what was wrong. Even the lure of Greenies wouldn't budge her.

All is now well, I've had my bourbon, Hans his beer, and The Countess finally ate her treats and even purred a bit.

Next up; New Year's Eve!!!!

I can't wait.

A new and hopefully better doggie coat.

I recently tried my hand at sewing a coat for my granddog Duncan.

I didn't have much success.

I did what I always do the first time out, and that's follow the directions.

After altering the pattern to accommodate Duncan's big pit bull chest and small waist, I whipped up a coat that I was happy with. Then I saw Duncan wearing it, and what a huge disappointment.

I should have known that one single layer of fleece would stretch out of shape in a heartbeat (but remember I followed the directions!). Then the little stinker kept yanking at the upper piece of Velcro near his neck so it would end up gaping open.

The whole thing looked cheap and homemade.

Taking a picture of Duncan is very difficult. I get him to sit still, focus my camera, and just before the flash goes off, he leaps and jumps all about.

Like here.

Just before I took each of these pictures, he was posing very nicely.

Really.

See how the neck of the coat is slipping down his back? That's because the front neckline is open.

There he goes!

Here's my wild man! See how the top is undone? I think he wants to change his name to Guido, wear gold chains, and hit the clubs.

So today I made a new coat, and this one is for a friend's dog. This time I didn't use a pattern and I used two layers of fleece with two layers of quilt batting in between.

This gave it great structure and makes it much warmer too.

There is a strap that goes under the belly, and a strap that goes around the front of the chest from shoulder to shoulder. I'm using buttons for the closures and not Velcro!

Here it is lying flat.

Now pretend this pillow is a dog (at least it sits still and I don't need to walk it!) and you get the idea of what I'm trying to accomplish.

However, I'm not sure how happy the dog owner will be with this choice of fabric.

Our 'Stillers' have been a bit of a disappointment this year!

OMG!! My Granddog is on Pitter Patter!!!

I'm not kidding when I say I screamed like a girl when I saw this!!!

Please make sure to take a good look at the packaging around the football.

Now before you start foaming at the mouth and sending me nasty emails, please bear in mind that we bought this football years ago before Mr. Michael Vick let us see his ugly side.

As I was preparing to sell my house, I was emptying it of all my junk. This was purchased for one of my kids' graduation parties but for some reason it was never used, and
Vet Tech girl nearly choked when I whipped it out and showed it to her.
Duncan, who in this picture, was still stuffed in his too small coat that I made, probably wondered what he did to deserve so much abuse in one day.

My quandary at this time is; what to do with it.
I thought maybe I should pass it on to other pitty owners with the stipulation that you post pictures of your pitty doing something 'appropriate' to the football (chewing, leg lifting, etc...) and then passing it on to others. This could go on until it's destroyed.
But I don't know if that would work.
Does anyone have any ideas?

I wonder what people plan on doing with their Tiger Woods golf clubs?

I'm so stinking tired, but happy Thanksgiving anyway!

I so wanted to post a picture of my grand dog Duncan, modeling the coat I made for him. But Vet Tech Girl has a very hectic schedule, which means she will be spending Thanksgiving Day at work. Anyway she told me that even though Duncan looks great in his coat, "He doesn't know what to do with it."
Yes, that would be my grand dog.

I had an unbelievably grueling time at my job this week. Two huge houses per day, complete with the crashing sound of glass at the 'house of memorabilia' (I thank God that I wasn't the one involved in that disaster) and we still have no idea what the insurance claim will be!
Post construction clean up at another house....
I feel like someone is wiggling a serrated knife in the small of my back .

Thanksgiving Eve is supposed to be a fun, going out and meeting your friends night... but I crawled home, took a hot bath, and drank too much!

Then I found out that my former Mother-in-law is going to start receiving hospice care as of tomorrow. She has been battling ovarian cancer for about a year and a half and this is not a shock to me but my kids and their dad are having a hard time with it.

Tomorrow we head back to my little swamp town to have Thanksgiving at my parents' house, and then the next day we're off to Toronto to visit Hans' baby brother.

Even when times haven't been very good for me, I've always been thankful. If you have your health, a place to live, and just one person who gives a hoot about you, then you're very lucky indeed.
Sometimes I almost feel guilty but I've got to get past that!

I hope everyone here in the US enjoys this holiday weekend !

And as soon as Duncan figures out what the hell he's doing in his coat, I'll get a picture!

A Little Bit of Sewing and a Big Ass Purse.

Today I ended up slashing and enlarging the heck out of the doggy coat pattern from yesterday's post.

I took pictures of the altered pattern, and then sewed up a new and bigger coat. But I went and gave the finished project to Vet Tech Girl without taking anymore pictures! She was getting ready for an overnight shift at the Vet Hospital and since she was in a hurry I didn't even get to see Duncan trying it on.

Unfortunately I don't see Duncan as often as I'd like but I bet if I wave my checkbook around the apartment a bit, Vet Tech Girl will smell it and I'll get a phone call.

If my scheme works, I promise to take many photos (of Duncan, not my checkbook).

I know you can't wait.


Here are the altered pieces.

I lengthened the body, and added a couple of inches to the chest area. That meant some collar and waist band fixing, and then I was done.

I only wish I knew if it fit!








Here is the underbelly/chest area on the pattern.


It looks like a full bust adjustment doesn't it?

Anyway, a week or so ago I mentioned that I was making a purse. And I was shocked because some people didn't like my choice of fabric!!

Sniff!

But I made it anyway and here it is.





Lying on the floor.













Look at this thing! It's huge.

I immediately started toting it around, and what I found to be surprising was the lack of comments--from women, but I got quite a few compliments from men. One man at the grocery store nearly turned inside out, and yelled for everyone to look at it.



Hans thinks it looks like something you'd buy from a store and that's why women haven't made any comments. I don't know, I guess it's just vanity on my part (c'mon, I'm never going to climb Mt. Everest, or find a cure for cancer, or win an Oscar) but I think it's fun when people take notice of things I've made.

I now use it for work since it can hold my water bottle, lunch, etc... and the lady I work for said, "Wow, that is a typical big 'burgh purse!"

But, it does hold a lot, and I also use it when I go to the gym (water bottle, towel, apple...), and since the gym is above our library I can also check out a couple of books with no problem.

I probably won't make it again but at least I don't need to buy a new suitcase anytime soon.

Damn The Big 4 and Their Pattern Sizing!! #*!^%@

If the pattern companies have to be so far off with the sizing of human patterns, couldn't they be just as 'off' with their pet patterns??!!

The answer is NO!

I made my first attempt at sewing a doggie coat yesterday.

Why am I surprised that it didn't fit?

I'm talking about McCall's 5776.

I bought this pattern (sizes S thru XL) specifically for my grand dog Duncan. I then bought a half yard of fleece for the medium size that I figured he was. He's a very fit and trim 45 pound pit bull (I only wish I had his little wasp waist!).

I managed to get the little stinker to sit still long enough to get his measurements and that's when I found out he's an Extra Large.

Extra Large? What about bigger dogs, like Labs, German Shepard's...?

So now I have a half yard of fabric and I need three quarters, and yes it makes a difference damn it!

Then the pattern cutting layout didn't include the collar. But there is a collar. I ended up piecing it together (off grain no less) but in the end it didn't matter.

And since when does a doggie coat need so much bias tape? Honestly, every stinking opening and seam, needed bias tape.

Unfortunately I have to sew something from the directions the first time out before I can figure out how it can be done differently. The next time, the only seam that will be covered in 'bias tape' will be the neck/collar seam, and I will probably just use a piece of the same fleece.

By the time I was done I didn't need Duncan there to realize that his coat was going to be way too small. Which is funny since when I sew outfits for myself I have to use patterns smaller than my measurements.

I made Vet Tech Girl drag Duncan up to my apartment and together we crammed the poor bewildered thing into his new coat. I can't imagine what he thought we were doing to him, and he was so patient!

He looked like The Incredible Hulk. We couldn't fasten the Velcro at his chest and it was all we coud do to yank the damned thing over his shoulders.

Poor Duncan. He's kind of embarassed in his ill fitting coat. It doesn't look half bad in this picture but believe me it's all an illusion.

Just sniffing around.

He knows that strange cat, The Countess von Chlorox lives here.

(She was hiding under the bed)

A very blurry picture of my poor Guinea pig.

Big smooches from our sweetie anyway.

I tore that coat off Duncan and told Vet Tech Girl to give it to a needy dog at the clinic, and then I went out and bought a full yard of fabric.

I was thinking about trying to enlarge the pattern but I'm not sure if I can do it properly. My brain doesn't compute very well in that area.

Then I got online and found a couple of very cute coats that some sewists have self drafted. One lady is a very thrifty recyler and she turns ugly old people coats into cute and fun pet coats!

So tomorrow I think I'll give this coat thing another try.

Hans is puzzled and says since dogs already have fur they don't need coats.

He just doesn't understand and even if I were to suggest it, I doubt he'd go outside in nothing but his birthday suit in frosty weather to take a whiz.

If he did, then I think he might understand.

Let's get busy with a new project.

Halloween is over, Helga has gone home, and I picked up an on sale pattern.


Like I really need any more patterns.


I had yesterday off so I spent the day cutting out and assembling a new bag.
At least I tried to.
I cut out the pattern in the living room and then I headed to the sewing room. But where the hell were the facing pieces? I couldn't find them.
Anywhere.
I must have some PMS kicking into gear because I threw a fit and at one point accused the Countess von Chlorox of stealing them. Poor Hans even tried to help. I went through the pattern envelope countless times, and even looked through the Halloween Costume pattern envelopes just in case I stowed them there.
No go.
C'MON!!!!!
We then went through the garbage can where I'd thrown my pattern scraps.
Nothing!
I then felt just like a co-worker from years ago who came to work one morning and relived a fight between her and her husband that occurred when she misplaced a carving knife. After an evening of tears and meltdowns, the knife was found behind the faucet, where it had slipped earlier.


Anyway Hans finally found piece # 14 completely balled up in the garbage. Only after 3 more forages through the same damned garbage I came up with piece # 13.
Then I couldn't find my glasses. And where the hell did the cap to my erasable pen go? This happened over and over again.

By the time I had my ducks in a row I could have had the damn thing done.
Then I discovered that the flap is a continuation of the back piece and therein lied my problem. The fabric I wanted to use has words printed on it and for it to flip over the top as a flap meant that it would read upside down.
Can I ever for once in my life do anything the easy way??

Long story short, I made the front and back from the same piece and created a separate flap to be sewn into the back seam so that when it flips over to the front it's not upside down!



I'm using the purse in the lower left corner.

It's huge.

It should probably have a lot of structure.

I'm out of interfacing.



















The white handle is for sizing only and won't be on the finished project.



I'm beyond tired.

I got home from work (2 huge houses), met with Vet Tech Girl and my exceptionally smart, grand-dog Duncan the Pit Bull, who can sit, shake hands, and high five, (although not necessarily in that order) had dinner and a bath, and was in my pajamas by 6:15.



Once again I'll blame PMS because I didn't even go to the gym!




I'll think about the structure and stabilizing tomorrow if I have the energy. One of the houses I'm due to clean is a massive 3 story home full of marble and stainless steel!

This whole working thing is interfering with my sewing!

What's up so far this week

This is what I should be working on.

A second apron to go with my first.



But since I have some time left to get this done, I started another project.








See the paw prints?

What is it and who could this be for?


If you guessed a purse for Vet Tech Girl then you're right.







Here is the paw print with some matching corduroy, zippers, and thread.

Since I made a Messenger Bag for Baby Girl I decided I should make a purse for Vet Tech Girl.

This is going to be a version of the Day Bag with a zipper, and flap closure.

I just bought the fabric tonight and it's already been washed, dried, cut out, and partially sewn.




On Sunday I got to see my Granddog Duncan.
I hate to admit that Duncan might not be the brightest bulb in the box.
I took him for a run and what a nut! Besides the fact that he wore me out, it turns out that he's afraid of almost everything including: seagulls, and Muzak.
When we weren't busy sniffing light posts and shrubs we were running like the very devil was after us everytime he heard the slightest noise. I walked him on a trail near some restaurants and everytime we went past one with music being piped outside, he was horribly confused and once again we'd be off and running.





This is from Thanksgiving but I'm betting that he looked a lot like this yesterday after his big run.

I know just how he feels.

Happy Thanksgiving

First of all, if I'd known how easy loading a video was, I'd have done one a long time ago. This is my granddog Duncan and his cousin Rambo. Both are around 6 months old and this is what they did for, I bet, over an hour, thus entertaining us one and all this Thanksfgiving day.

I only wish that I'd taped my Beast, chasing Duncan all over my family room last night. Poor Duncan only wanted to play and he just couldn't grasp the fact that Beast wanted no part of his idea of fun. But I have to hand it to The Beast, she never backed down. Actually I think she enjoyed standing her ground. She refused to leave the room and each time Duncan approached, she would raise a paw, and when this warning was ignored, she would then launch herself (no easy feat for a 20 + pound cat) into a hissing and smacking frenzy and chase poor Duncan clear across the room.

The same thing happened at my parent's house today. When Duncan and Rambo weren't rolling around on the floor, one of them would chase poor old Smokey the cat. Except at one point I was washing dishes when a tornado roared through the kitchen. It was Duncan being chased by Smokey and Duncan couldn't run fast enough.

So, while most families bring new grandchildren to holiday gatherings, we bring new granddogs.

Wadda Weekend!!!

A slow spell at the inn resulted in my going to the Big City this weekend.

Which is ok with me.

I knew Hans had a poker game to go to on Saturday and I didn't want to just sit around watching TV so I brought this fabric, my Amy Butler Messenger Bag pattern, some fusible batting, and my iron.

After a 4 mile run I got down to business. I mentioned in a previous post that this pattern's pieces are used for multiple parts of the bag. For example one piece may be needed for 2 exterior pieces and 1 lining piece BUT then you need to fold it thus creating a new pattern piece and then you may need it for 2 lining pieces, 1 exterior piece, and a fusible batting piece. Keep in mind that you need to label the already cut pieces as you don't want to go "OH MY GOD, WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE ANYWAY??!!!!

You must be sober during this process.

I told myself the first time I made this that I would make individual pattern pieces for any future endeavors and now I'm sorry that I didn't. It took about 4 hours to cut this out but I'm sure it didn't help that I kept looking at the TV and watching the Donald Sutherland version of Invasions of the Body Snatchers.

I love that movie.

But I did get the bag cut out and fused the batting to the proper pieces and I'll start sewing it next week.

Today my daughter Vet Tech Girl granted me a visit with my Granddog Duncan. I could hear her coming up the stairs and suddenly I found myself on my back and feet in the air as I fought off a huge bundle of slobbering muscle named Duncan. My goodness that little boy has grown but his manners leave a little to be desired.


So here's the Big Boy with his Grandpa Hans.

As you can see, the tongue never stops. I only wish I could figure out how to take pictures without the red-eye issue!

I guess when all else fails you can just ask your subject to "close your eyes!"