Go Figure!

On Friday, I bought a new rug for Pumpkin's bathroom.

Saturday night when Pumpkin went to bed, a few hours later than me, look what he found! He was a bit sleepy, walked into the bathroom and thought it smelled like Buddy. Sure enough! Buddy was sprawled out on the new rug sound asleep. I would not have believed it if Pumpkin did not show me the picture he took on his phone.

Buddy hasn't been back to that spot - yet.

The Big Guy keeps commenting that Buddy's got some cat/dog in him. He likes to find his own spaces just far enough away from the crowd.

Wish us luck! Buddy and I are headed to the graduation of our first obedience class. We'll see how well he performs this morning!!!

Cupcake Pincushion

I got to see my sister last week. Her birthday is not until next week. I actually planned ahead and made her a little gift that I could give to her in person.

I used Susan B. Anderson's cupcake pincushion pattern. Fortunately, there was lots of college basketball on and I got to knit away. This was so much fun to make and I used yarn right from my stash. This was my first time knitting baubles. What fun! I found the heart pins at JoAnn's and thought they'd add just a bit more love to the pin cushion.

My sister has one of those fancy embroidery sewing machines. I hope this little treat brings a smile to her face when she sews. I may just make these for a few more birthday gifts. I happen to know a few more folks that like to sew!

Happy Birthday, Gina! A bit early at that...

Spring Break 2010

The boys had last week off of school. And, the Big Guy took a week of vacation.

We headed to Cincinnati to see my family. Buddy joined us. This was the first trip with all of us in the CR-V. There was just enough room for Buddy. He was so excited to go that he jumped in before the car was packed!

We had to stop a few more times with him to walk him around.

The weather was beautiful in Cincinnati! We took advantage of it and got out in the yard. The boys tackled an old tree stump.

The gloves came out a bit late. We all ended up with blisters on our hands.

Bud Bud was not too much help! He was the best dog, though.

The Big Guy said this was his favorite memory from the trip - working hard on the stump with his boys. He was pleasantly surprised that none of them gave up. A little break for a Skyline lunch did the trick!

Look at that stump! They got it out. Boy! The yard looks nice w/o it.

On the last day, Peanut and the Big Guy did the Dayton Donut Dash. It is a fundraiser for the UD triathlon team. They passed on any donuts. The course was pretty hilly. The UD campus is much prettier than I thought.

Pumpkin wanted to curl up in Buddy's spot and take a nap. Teenagers!

After the race, we waited around for the awards. The donut king ate 20 donuts! He was a little guy. How gross is that? I wonder what kind of sugar crash he had.

We stopped in Beavercreek and played at my nephews' school Jamboree. It was fun to see their school getting an idea of where they spend their days. Then, we loaded up in the car for the ride home. With the dog in tow, meals are a bit different. We stopped for subs and ate them with Buddy. He loved it.

The week flew by. We had a great time together, watched lots of basketball and got to hang out with family. Now, we are back into the school routine!

Projects

I finally got the dishcloths on their way to Hong Kong. They may even have been delivered today. I added a treats for the kids. I love how the dishcloth on the left turned out. I started another one but the colors are not as difinitive. The pattern is easy but you have to pay attention. This is not a dishcloth that I can knit while I am talking to someone.

You might remember that I knit these slippers for the Big Guy.

I finally felted them. I love the idea of felting but my high efficiency washing machine makes it a challenge. I used my inlaws and they fit perfectly. We are just waiting to see how long he can wear them as it does get pretty hot here!


I was hooked on the bulky yarn. It is a rather fast knit. I bought some more Lamb's Pride and used up most of it to knit this Felted Market Bag by Kristin Nicholas. Her pattern calls for worsted wool. I went ahead and used the bulky yarn. Yes. The result is a very big bag! I have to admit I got kind of bored knitting all those stitches. I was able to felt the bag. It is wonderful. A finished picture needs to wait for the handles. I am going to order them today. I am thinking about lining it too. It is a bag that makes me smile. I'll post photos when I get it completed.

Bike Ride Sunday

The weather was wonderful - a great taste of spring - wind included!

We dug out the bikes and went for a ride. I won't tell you how far behind I got trying to snap these not-so-great photos!

BTW, pumpkin was fast asleep and did not join us. He opted to stay up almost all night with a friend. Teenage boys!

A Few More - Breaststroke

What a face!

Love the hands and the water. I wonder if that hair sticking out of the back of his cap slows him down!?!

I am so thankful that a team mom took these photos. It makes me yearn for a fancy shmancy camera.

Southeastern Championships

Pumpkin and I were back in Nashville this past weekend for the Southeastern Short Course Swim Championships. It was his last time to compete short course as a 14 year old. All in all, it was a good weekend. I see him spreading his wings a bit. I keep telling myself that that is a good thing. He swims lots of yardage at these events. A team member's mom took lots of photos. I snagged few. Here he is getting ready to swim the mile, his last event. It just makes me sick to think of swimming a mile. Pumpkin has this little ritual of shaking his arms when he is behind the block. It is just his little thing.

Here he is getting ready to step up on the block. I like seeing his teammate in the background warming up for his event.

Trust me. His hands and arms are still shaking!

I wonder what is going through his head at this point. He's got the entire race in front of him.

Look at those muscles across his back.

He did trim time. But, he wanted to trim more.

I love this shot and the droplets of water.

The next week or so will be easy going on the swim front. I don't know what Pumpkin will do with his extra time. When he gets back in, it will be long course. That wall will seem like it is so far away!!