RUG RAVE TOMORROW ~ ~ ~

Yes, it is almost here!! Rug Rave for Heather! Our numbers are small ~ seven ~ but no less sincere in the support we want to show for our English friend and her Rug Aid program! If you're close by, give me a call and come on down, up or over ~ we have lots of room!

My "Whatnots" rug is almost finished ~ I thought it would be done by tomorrow but once again, my sense of how much I can do in an allotted amount of time is not so good. But I'm liking the look although I might change the border. On the upper left corner I have hooked a very subtle border ~ on another corner I'm going to hook the background wool as the border and I think this will work better. I think a borderless rug tends to look older and this pattern lends itself to an antique rug feel. Tomorrow will tell the tale!

This is the result of one morning's dying ~ a nice dark green ~ very mottled!! I let it sit in the pot all day ~ so easily, do I get sidetracked and later in the evening, I remembered it sitting out on the deck!! Yikes!! I would like to get a pot of red going today, but we shall see! I'm organizing the hooking room, making soup, and washing wool that just arrived yesterday ~ and blogging, of all things!! Tonite, we're going to the Holiday Fair opening at our local Art Center - lots of gift items made by artists ~ and rides in a carriage with a horse named Nick!! Sounds like fun!! Nick belongs to a friend of ours and last night, he told us that Nick kind of ran away with a cart this summer!! I don't think I'll be able to go in the carriage tonite!

Here we are! Some of my favorite people!! I have other favorite people who weren't there but these are our lake friends at Paper Moon Winery last Saturday afternoon ~ mid November in Ohio and we were outside on the lawn sipping wine and dipping rosemary bread in oil!! A great day with friends! Our friend, Mike, lassoed some lady to take our picture ~ she had just arrived and wanted to go drink her wine ~ we had to hurry!! I tried to get in the back row so all you could see was my head ~ but there wasn't time!

Last evening was our annual Homebuilders auction with the proceeds going to adopt local needy families! It was a rousing evening of bidding on huge gift baskets, a huge lantern and wreath, a HUGE bear, and lots of Ohio State stuff! I bid on this nice "Girls Night In" basket put together by my daughter-in-law, Cheryl. Very cute ~ in an ice tub ~ martini glasses, liquid to put in them, a chic flick, two pairs of cozy holiday socks, muffin mix, popcorn, candy, cocktail napkins and a game of Pajama Party Charades!! We bought a lighthouse quilt throw and a primitive tin angel ~ lots of auction bounty for us! Rather than donate all those dinners like last year, we contributed in a different way this year! The auction earned $4200 ~ in this economy, and all our members are in building related industries ~ we feel quite blessed to be able to earn this much cash to help out so many! A good time was had by all for a great cause!

Before I go, I have to get on my soapbox ~ for just a minute! This week, some task force somewhere has come out with new guidelines regarding mammograms and pap tests! And I think they're ridiculous!! In a time, when there seems to be more cancer than ever, to encourage women not to do self exams, and stretch out the time between testing is just horrendous. Women ~ we need to be in charge of ourselves ~ and regardless of what these task forces say ~ we need to continue our yearly check-ups and testing and self exams ~ we need to do all we can to protect and insure our own health ~ not give women an excuse to let these things slide!! Okay, I'm done now!! Thank you for listening!

Have a good weekend and come to the Rug Rave, if you can!
Alice