DUCK IN A TRUCK AND OTHER STUFF ~ ~ ~

Actually, this was last weekend's fun, but I was so busy this past week that I had no time to post!!  This cute duck (I thought it was a goose and was going to title my blog "GOOSE AT THE MOOSE' but someone set me straight who personally knows about this duck!) was sitting in a hot truck parked at our local Moose club, on the lake, where we had lunch last Saturday!  Sonny and our friends suggested that maybe I drank my lunch but they were with me and knew better!!!  This poor duck was panting and beside himself with the heat even though the windows were open!  I had bottles of water in our car and our friend, John, reached in poured water in the duck's glass (he had his own in the cup holder) and the duck was dipping his head in there and splashing and I swear I could hear him quack a little 'thank you'!!!!!!  It was pretty darn good entertainment but also pretty upsetting that someone would go in and have lunch and leave his duck in the truck!! 

Karen and I had actually just come from a local quilt show and this beautiful quilt was the first one we saw!  I only had my phone to take the photo but  the color was gorgeous and the piecing very intricate.  From one of the vendors, I bought a cute tote bag pattern that was stamped right onto the fabric with the instructions and soon I'll make this into a beach bag ~ hold your breath, cause it will be on here shortly!!!!!!  Well ~ maybe don't hold your breath just yet!!  And I almost forgot that I won a door prize at the quilt show ~ a quilting book, several patterns, notecards and a small color wheel!!  Since I don't quilt, I may have to gift someone with my bounty!  I thought I was signing up for a quilt!   

This beautiful sunrise greeted us that same Saturday morning!  I actually jumped out of bed and ran downstairs to get the camera and capture this gorgeous sight!  It was worth it ~ the sky was a combination of orange and aqua and purple ~ really breathtaking!!

These three hands are showing off our brand new Friendship Bracelets made for me, Grandpa, and Adeline by grandson, Cam!   Adeline is Camden and Jakob's grandma who was visiting from Florida and they all came over for pizza one evening last week!  I love my bracelet ~ a double strand, no less ~ after Sonny and I wore ours for a couple of days, we cut them off and I'm going to hook them into a rug ~ that will be a nice way of saving them.  Adeline stayed with us last Sunday at the lake, too.  We always meet them for dinner when we're in Florida ~ our kids were married to each other until recently  and we share two grandsons and we'll always be friends! 

And one more photo!!  Such bounty I have received lately!!  I won these from two different blog drawings!! Yay!! The purple is from Corrinne Burke at Momz Wool and the orange is from April Deconick's Palette dying!  Love both of these and will find just the right rug to use these great colors!  Thanks, girls ~ it's always fun to be a winner!

This past weekend, our friends, Chris and Mike, were up!  We don't get to see them much but we had great fun on Saturday driving around and looking at things we've never seen!  The sign to Sonny's Beach is one we've seen for years and we followed a little gravel road back to this dilapidated building ~ we were shocked!  Somehow, we thought this was a happening place ~ maybe once, it was ~ but now it's definitely a thing of the past!  I love this picture that Mike took ~ I bet sometime it ends up as an 8 x 10 glossy in a frame ~ perfect for my old guy ~ thank goodness,  he's in much better shape than this building!! And thank you, Mike, for the photo!!

Last week was hectic here for oh, so many reasons!!  We decided to rent the little house we've had for sale for months ~ I had shown it a lot in that time and after the 'for rent' sign went up a week ago, I was showing it again.  Finally, we have it rented!!!  But of course, not without a lot of checking and verifying ~ in these crazy economic times, I feel the need to be so much more careful than in times past ~ you just can't be too cautious!  So the phone has quit ringing so much ~ and on Friday, the new tenant will move in.  Maybe now with that off our plate, I can get back to hooking and gardening and putting my life in some kind of order!!  Wish me luck!!!

Hope your summer is going well ~ only one more month left ~ it has gone so fast for us ~ it's like I'm a time traveler ~ jumping from one month to the next and wondering where it all has gone!!  Take care ~ come back, again!

Alice 

FINISHED "TOM" ~ ~ ~

Well ~ I did it!!  I finally finished off my 'wild-cat' rug better known as "TOM" ~ he's Barbara Carroll's design.  He got pretty wild in color but actually, as everything got hooked in, the colors toned down a lot.  And here in our dark house, he doesn't look that wild at all!  He's ready for binding and I'm hoping to find time for that this weekend.

It's gonna be a scorcher here in Ohio this weekend ~ mid 90's with a heat index of over 100 deg.   Woo hoo!  I'm so looking forward to that!  This big girl can hardly take the heat so hopefully all our fun functions are inside ~ next to the air vents!!!  Can you believe how hot our summers have gotten?  I swear there must be something to the global warming thing!

Ta ta for now ~ happy weekend to you wherever you are!
Alice

O HAPPY DAY ~ ~ ~

That was yesterday ~ I hooked most of the day!  It was a  Great day!  I haven't hooked since the Kingwood hook-in and before that, it was in April when I started this pattern at Barbara Carroll's!  That's a long time to be away from the frame!  And I'm on my way back to the hooking room as soon as I finish this post!  Another happy day!  It is so easy to get out of the habit when 'life' dictates that we do other things.  On my sidebar, there is the logo of the "10 Minute Rug Hooker" and I definitely have not adhered to that at all ~ I thought about taking it down but it may serve as inspiration to a reader or even to me!

This morning, I took a picture of all the Black Eyed Susans ~ they're everywhere!!  Years ago, I planted a 6" pot from the greenhouse and if you have them in your garden, you know what happens!!  But they're such a bright spot, that you have to love them, no matter where they choose to grow!   This morning, I deadheaded some hostas and pulled out the wilting May apples ~ there was no  garden work all while the Seattle kids were here or last week on the 90 degree days!

These three guys are my three sons ~ Ted, Chris and  the little paleface is Tad, my oldest, who lives with us!  That boy goes outside rarely so this was just a great day for him ~ he got in the pool and had a great time ~ they even got him to go in Lake Erie!  While the Seattle crew were here, we spent three days at the lake with all their kids. One of our trips was to African Safari ~ what a scream ~ the kids loved it and so did I!  If you're ever in the Port Clinton area, you should gather up a carload of kids and go!  A lot went on that week ~ we had a cookout for all the kids ~ 25 of us ~ and had an 11th birthday party for Hunter, who has never celebrated his birthday with us here in Ohio!  We went to a family reunion for my former husband's family ~ they invite Sonny and I every year ~ we haven't been for quite a while but since all my kids were going, we did, too!  I always say that they can't get rid of me ~ we had a good time! 

In between paragraphs, I went to the hooking room for an hour and got quite a lot accomplished!  I could finish that rug, if I could hook the rest of today!!  Oh, well ~ off to take care of banking and then get my nails done!  I have to show that little house later today ~ I hope this is the new owner!!!!!!  A lot going on here, as usual!  We spent a really quiet weekend at the lake ~ quiet for us, anyway!  We did meet up with a group of people from home (Nancy, Martha, Ginger, Bev, Carole, Darby and Gene and Linda ~ it was great seeing all of you!)  on Friday night and that was very fun ~ went to garage sales on Johnson's Island on Saturday morning ~ that wasn't very much fun (we went around 11 a.m. and all the 'good stuff' was gone or maybe they never had any good stuff at all!)!  Johnson's Island was the site of a Confederate prison during the Civil War and has a Confederate soldiers' cemetery that is an interesting place to visit.  There are lots of cottages and big beautiful homes there ~ those people have the same kind of odds and ends to get rid of that we do ~ somehow, I thought it would be 'good stuff ' !!!  Then Sunday, we drove to Cleveland for a birthday party for our friend, Dick ~ hotter than hades ~ but fun to see him enjoy his day!!  Little League season is over so we have been game free for a couple of weeks ~ until last night's All Star game ~ grandson Jakob is playing but sadly last night's game didn't go so swell!!  One more chance on Wednesday! 

So that's our week in a nutshell ~ big shell ~ but I can't seem to condense my words!!  Happy summer to you!!
Alice

P.S. The MSHAW patterns are selling well ~ thanks girls for ordering!!

MSHAW PATTERNS ~ ~ ~

Finally ~ here are the MSHAW patterns that I have available now. 

This is Two Cats with Star ~ 22 x 34 linen for $56.00.

Flower Basket Hen ~ 22 x 30 linen ~ $52.00.  SOLD

Sunflower Crow ~ 12 x 18  monks ~ $22.00   SOLD

Rabbit Over Carrot ~ 12 x 18 linen - $26.00 SOLD

                                   12 x 18 monks - $22.00 (two)

Flower Basket ~ 12 x 18 linen ~ $26.00

Hen House ~ 12 x 18 monks ~ $23.00

                      12 x 18 linen   ~  $26.00  SOLD

Sunflower Crow Chair Pad ~ 12" round monks ~ $18   SOLD

Cat Chair Pad ~ 12" round monks ~ $18.00

Rabbit Chair Pad ~ 12" round linen ~ $24.00

Long Flower Basket ~ 6 x 36 monks ~ $39.00 (these two long ones would make good stair risers or door toppers!)

Pineapple House ~ 6 x 36 monks ~ $39.00

Sunflower Crow with a One of Kind Border Design ~  18 x 23 linen ~ $35.00    SOLD!

So, these are the patterns I have in my shop right now ~ one of each except for two of the Rabbit over Carrot that I noted in parentheses.  Email me at gfraizer@neo.rr.com and let me know which ones you would like ~ I'll add tax and the shipping and let you know the amount by return email, send me a check and your package will be on it's way!  I'm really happy to have some of Margaret's patterns ~ I will order more as we go along and if there is something in particular of hers that you would like, she will draw it for me! 

Happy Hooking ~ Alice

THE SILENCE IS DEAFENING ~ ~ ~

Just a quick post with no pictures!!  I just couldn't do it ~ after, I wrote this, I had to add some garden photos just to liven things up!! My Seattle kids have been here since July 3 and left on Monday ~ it has been a whirlwind of activity and it's amazing how quiet the house is now!!  Yesterday, I just listened to it! They were on a mission to do as much as possible in 9 days and we were right behind them for most of it!  We did opt out of a trip to Cedar Point on a 98 deg. day ~ how smart are we??!!! 

So I'm getting the house put back in order, laundry done, and back to the daily stuff of office work and gardening.  And I have new patterns to show you ~ patterns from MSHAW and I just got a shipment of patterns from Deanne Fitzpatrick ~ I love the work of both of these pattern designers.  As soon as I get my feet back on the ground, I will list them here on the blog and on my website, too!

I hope you're having a fabulous summer ~ it has been pretty hot in Ohio ~ cooler the last week but I hear the 90's are on the way!!  That 's it for today ~ more to follow!  And by the way, no hooking ~ I haven't hooked since the Kingwood hook-in ~ I need to get back to it! Have a great day wherever you are!

GARDEN PHOTOS, ETC. ~ ~ ~

This pink hydrangea is so beautiful right now!  And the wonderful thing about it is that it hasn't bloomed in years!  I mean lots of years!!  It was blue when we planted it, then turned pink in the next few years (they need a certain kind of acid to stay blue) and then it just quit.  This spring, I thought about transplanting it ~ deciding that it didn't get enough sun ~ and lo and behold ~  it came alive!  I just love these beautiful blossoms!

Along the front and side of the house, is this hydrangea hedge that I planted one by one.  If you double click the picture, the close up shows it much better ~ another source of garden joy for moi!

And all of that hedge came from this one plant ~ I call it the Mother Plant!  You can pull a stick of this plant out of the dirt with some root system on it, plunk it in the ground and soon, you will have a really nice plant!  It's amazing really how good it takes hold!  In front of this Mother, is gooseneck loosestrife just beginning to bloom. It's an interesting flower if you like something that spreads ~ everywhere!  The blossoms do look like little white gooses stretching their necks ~ pretty ~ but very invasive!

And one more garden photo ~ oakleaf hydrangea!  The blossoms are cone shape and the leaves oakleaf shape ~ imagine that!  We brought two pieces of root home from a friend's house in Cincinnati and now they are two big beautiful bushes.  I gave my friend, Vivian, a couple of pieces ~ I wonder how they're doing? 

Last week, I went to an auction in a neighboring town of this beautiful big mansion!  See all the people?  That was about a third of the crowd there to watch this home sell.  It was built in 1898 and has had only two owners ~ now it has three!  On his way to a golf outing that morning, Sonny mentioned that he hoped I wasn't going to buy that house!  Sure!  I was curious to see what it sold for and hoped to get inside.  There was a line a half block long to take a tour and when I was about 20 people from the door, they ended it so the auction could start!  It sold for $340,000, which in this economy and in this area, was really good ( it would cost way over a million or maybe two, to build today). I'm sure the family was happy for someone to make this their new home!  I didn't stay for the furnishings ~ beautiful for sure ~ but very Victorian to match the house!  Of course, I saw people I knew ~ it was an entertaining morning!

Saturday afternoon, Sonny's niece got married in a field by a creek on the family farm!  They moved the wedding guests out to the site on wagons with hay bale seats ~ pretty interesting ~ most of us stayed right there for a bird's eye view of the ceremony!  It was such a hot day ~ we had been to two of those beloved ball games that day and this was late in the afternoon.  I had too much sun ~ got a case of the vapors ~ and had to go home early!  I left the old guy there for the kids to bring home and retreated to my air-conditioned house!!  Years ago, I had a sunstroke, of all things, in Aruba and I haven't been the same since!  The sun and I aren't very compatible ~ even with a hat ~ which I wore to the wedding ~ and my dear husband just loves!! 

I'm getting ready to pick up four grandchildren ~ we're having lunch and then another field trip!  It's a beautiful day ~ sun shiny ~ mild ~ it'll be great!  Tonite, a ball game ~ Jakob got chosen for All Stars and we're very proud of him!  Saturday, my Seattle kids are coming home for 10 days!!  I better rest up! 

Hope your summer is fun and going swimmingly!  Ta ta for now!
Alice

P. S. To my Canadian relatives, and readers ~ HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!!!!

MORE KINGWOOD HOOK~IN ~ ~ ~

This is my version of the birdhouse pattern from the Kingwood hook-in!  Most everyone did theirs as a rug but mine is a bolster for the bed.  We got these patterns last year ~ I started hooking mine last Monday before the hook-in ~ I made it into a pillow Saturday morning before we left!!  Procrastinator is my middle name!  But it turned out really cute ~ I work well under pressure ~ most of it self-imposed!

Rarely, do I win anything but Saturday was my lucky day!!  They had a Chinese auction with really nice prizes but I put all my tickets in this drawing and Happy Day! I got to take it home!  It is really large ~ my hooking frame is inside ~ and is made out of beautiful fabric!! 

And this sweet girl, Rhonda, is the one who made and donated that great bag to the auction!  Rhonda of My Glory Stars blog (the link is in my blog list to the left) is a good friend of Katie's and helped at check-in all day!  I love this frame bag and love her generosity!  Katie had wonderful door prizes that day, too, and we each got a cute little wool favor as we checked in!  A great day was had by all!

Some of the blogs tell about their thrift store finds ~ this is mine!  There is a new little shop in Port Clinton with 'gently used' high-end household decorating items ~ these pillows were $6 each ~ they look brand new and are striped on the other side.  They'll work great for the benches on the deck ~ in case we have a party ~ or even get to sit out there!

Last night, we went to Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk to meet up with my nephew from Florida who is a dragracer.  We had a little family reunion of sorts ~ his sister and two of my other nieces came ~ it was fun.  My son, Tad, even stepped out of his comfort zone and joined us for a cookout ~ Scot took him on the golf cart as he guided various family members back to his motorhome ~ it was a fun evening ~ in between some really wild thunderstorms ~ Scot told me today there is a big tree down where our car was parked!!  Glad we left before that started! 

That's is for today ~ it's 1:20 a.m. ~ seems like it's time to turn out the lights!  Have a good day!

Alice