Celebrate the Weekend!!

Are you ready for some football??


The weather's not going to be very good...I'm sick...I'm ready for football!!

...and knitting!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Male Invasion!

Boys-boys everywhere! It seems that for the past 2 years everyone I know has had or is having a baby boy! There is only 1 little girl born this past August that I know of!!

So as of late my knitting theme has been BLUE!

Some of my "Baby Boy" knitting~~





I love Mason-Dixon's One Piece Baby Kimono...so quick & so easy!

Come on ladies....we need to even out the gender race! Let's have some baby girls!!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Whiskers on Wednesday

All is right in the world....



...Rudy who?



Mr Ace is doing much better with the new addition to the family.
There was a very *BAD* moment that happened a couple weeks ago where the aggression was turned on ME. With no provocation while lying in his favorite spot on the couch (behind my head and in front of the heat duct--as pictured here) I turned around to talk to him when he struck me in the face, nearly hitting me in the eye! Drew blood...and lots of it.
So we went on a little "valium therapy" which has turned him into his normal self again!

Funny thing is he no longer wants treats...he meows at the medicine cabinet!! Have we created a monster or a druggie? Keep your cats inside...he may start selling on the streets!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Sixth Photo Meme

While blog reading Carole had this interesting Meme posted...so I thought it'd be fun, I kept my fingers crossed that it would be a picture I WANTED to post (no shots of me sleeping with drool on my pillow)!

The rules:

* Go to your Sixth Picture Folder then pick your Sixth Picture.
* Pray that you remember the details.
* Tag 5 others. (I'm not tagging anyone, if you wanna play along I'd love to see your picture)

This was taken in April of 2002 on a drizzly, chilly day at the San Diego Zoo. I took this shot as these Capybara seem to be snuggling up against the elements.



Sweet faces!

Fiber related stuff:

I haven't had the spinning wheel out since Rudy came to live with us...but I will!

My spinning from our beach trip this past September I worked on fiber I had purchased from Scout called "Prepster". I navajo plied the first bobbin of singles and came up with this~



165 yds of DK weight. I only have about 2 ozs left to spin up of the fiber.

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

December Already??

WOW...time really does fly! I'm going to try to get this train back on it's track, so I pick the busiest time of the year to do so!

I keep telling you I've been knitting...and I swear I have, but I first want to tell you about the Drumstick Dash! ...and of course show you some pictures.

Talk about cold...it was below freezing when I awoke Thursday morning and by race time it had only gotten up to about 32 degrees! But it was all for a good cause. With almost 5000 people registered,both runners & walkers I'd say it was a great success. (at the start of the race they announced that there were 4800 people registered with people still registering as the gun went off)


I met up with my running/pace partner and friend Dani at registration~~can you tell we're freezing? And she's from Canada.



Gratuitous Rudy shots...My little cheering section came along, doesn't he look smart in his little sweater!




Here we are at our starting spot...which by the way next year we'll move further up. The bottleneck was pretty bad and slowed our time down some.



My faithful Hubby and Lil Rudy are waiting for me at the finish, and of course I was Rudy's human salt lick as you can see.
I didn't get any pictures but among the walkers were my daughter, Mom, brother, SIL, favorite niece and their 2 dogs...Daisy & Duke.
Afterwards...I felt NO guilt about filling my plate and stuffing myself!

All in all another great experience. I didn't place nor did I expect to but I did better my previous race time by 4 minutes and my mile time by a whole minute!
Hmmmm, the Jingle Bell Run is in 2 weeks...can I do it? Hmmm.....

Oh...about the knitting, that'll give me something to blog about later this week!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hope all those in the US has a wonderful Thanksgiving day...for others just think of something you are thankful for, afterall...that's what it's all about. It doesn't have to be one day out of the year, Thanksgiving can be everyday!

So you ask why have I been to busy to post? Well, besides being a new puppy mom and working on my Christmas knitting...I've been in training!

Today I'm running my second 5K race, which is also a fundraiser for a major local charity organization...the Roanoke Rescue Mission. This annual event is called The Drumstick Dash and has a great moto:

"Move Your Feet So Others Can Eat"

Courtesy Rescue Mission website

I'm not expecting any great gains in my previous time, but I do expect to eat as much turkey dinner as I want later today! Many members of my family are doing the "walk" part, my brother chickened out on the "running" part with me! Yeah, I can say that...because he doesn't read my blog!
I was so worried the weather was going to be cold & rainy, that's been a major factor in my training for this event...but today's going to be a beautiful day.

I am concerned I'll be too pooped to play in our annual "Granny Bowl" football game this afternoon...we'll have to wait and see!
Then, we're leaving for Eastern Va to visit Hubby's family!

Happy Thanksgiving...

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

WoW

Yeah, I know I've missed a couple weeks...

This is disturbing:



Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!
Since my days are numbered I'll try to get as much done as possible!

It's Me Again...I'm trying!

Blog Fodder...sorry, it's all I can come up with. Things are just too busy these days!

The things I have done are in BOLD!

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightening at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (ran my first 5K this summer)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (ALMOST!)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (with today's economy, are you kidding?)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (indoor)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (not killed but prepared!)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (I donate blood!)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Rode an elephant

Hey...my list ain't half bad. There are some things I WILL fill in but others you won't catch me doing...like bungee jumping!

What about you?

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

BIG day!

Yes, you are seeing correctly...2 posts in one day.

Today is a VERY special day! It's Milo's 1st birthday~~

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday Dear Milo!
Happy Birthday to you!

Believe it or not Rudy and I went to the card store together to pick out his cards. I was surprised when the shop owner allowed us to "shop"...but then again how can one say "no" to such a sweet face? Well, I have to just about everyday...it's hard but there are those times when "NO" is a must!
Since we had sort of a muddy backyard...Rudy signed his card all by himself!

Here's the picture of Milo on his birthday with his present & cards!


Happy Birthday Sweetie! See you next week!!!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!!

Opening Day

....is 5 months away! No knitting content this time either!

I'm SO excited!!! (Yes, I am a Baltimore Oriole fan...but team #2 is The BoSox...because of Son#2, not to mention I have to have a winning team to cheer for) It'll be a lot of fun when the Frederick Keys come to town!

It was revealed yesterday...the new team logo.
(courtesy of WDBJ7)

Hubby went out to see the 2004 World Series Trophy yesterday.


The guards wouldn't let him touch it!

I love the new name Salem Red Sox

In my lifetime there's always been a MLB farm team in town, but it's had many different names & affiliates:
Salem Rebels (Pittsbrg Pirates)
Salem Pirates (Pittsburg Pirates)
Salem RedBirds (St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers)
Salem Buccaneers (again Pittsburg Pirates)
Salem Avalanche (Colorado Rockies)
Salem Avalanche (Houston Astros)
till present time!

We've had some pretty major stars play here too including Boston's Tim Wakefield (he was in the Pirates system back then)...oh, I could name others but I won't bore ya!

We already have our tickets for opening day! 5 months and counting....

Maybe I can knit some socks for the new upcoming season?!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

The Rudster!

We've been having such a great time with Rudy...this is a heavily photo laden post!


Here he is peeking into BlogLand!

Just a gratuitous close-up of the most precious face!



He has his first "hand-me-down"...the sweater I knit for Milo!



Have you ever seen those "fainting goats"?



That's the exact reaction he had!

He had his first bath last weekend...


Is this not the cutest face you've ever seen?



Then after all the playing is done~~

...we CRASH!

Ace has surprisingly accepted him...to a point, Rudy's not allowed near his bed! Especially since Rudy has several of his own to choose from, Ole Cat has ONE favorite bed (that currently is so nasty I need to wash it). They sniff each other and Rudy wants so bad for "the black & white thing" to play with him, not gonna happen Dude! It's really funny when Ace does the "scratchy box"~~Rudy will get on it after Ace and try to figure out what the big deal is!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!!

Tap-Tap-Tap.....

...is this thing on? Hey...remember me?

Yeah, I'm still searching for the lost mojo. While I hunt I hope you'll enjoy this bit of BlogFodder!

This one happens to pretty much hit the nail on the head! Well, with the exception of me being shy & withdrawn.
Besides the fact Blueberry muffins are my favorite!

You Are a Blueberry Muffin

You are a nurturing, domestic, homey person. Of all the types, you are the most likely to make your own muffins at home. You don't like to rock the boat, and you're most content when you're making everyone else happy. You are very loyal. You'll defend your family and friends, even if you secretly disapprove of what they're doing. You tend to be a bit shy and withdrawn. You don't make friends quickly or easily. But once you do make a good friend, the chances are high that you'll be friends for life.

What Kind of Muffin Are You?

Rest assured everything is fine here at The Coop, I'm just spending lots of time playing with Lil Rudy. We've been taking lots of pictures to post. Please hang in there with me...I promise to be back!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Whiskers on Wednesday~~Halloween Edition

It's that time of year again, the night for "black" cats - NOT black & white cats!
Personally friday night is my night to hide, besides who can sleep with all those knocks and "trick-or-treaters" at the door...little demon children, you know the ones I'm talking about! Yes, I'm a long tailed cat and that's the first thing they want to do is grab it!

Oh...and not to mention Mom who wants to dress me up every year! I heard her talking this year about some multi-colored clown wig for cats, I haven't seen one yet--geez, I hope she doesn't pull something on Friday night! Then there was this costume she tried to find:

She thought it would go "nicely" with her blog name! What am I...a dog? I haven't heard her talk about getting Rudy a costume! She said he already looked like an Ewok, what ever the hell that is!

I dress up the same every year...a cow, utters and all! I was born dressed as a cow and I happen like how I look, even if Mom calls me "fat boy"! Just don't get me near Ben Stiller (from Meet The Parents) he said he could milk cats!



Happy Halloween Everybody!!

I Can't Find It!

Help...I've lost my blogging MoJo! I think of things to post all the time, but I simply don't do it.

I missed 2 weeks of Whiskers on Wednesday, my 3rd Blogiversary on Saturday...my BIL's birthday (he'll ALWAYS be older than me) and my DD's 21st Birthday yesterday. There's so much going on here, I'm just not feeling the "bloggin' vibe" at the moment! Please hang with me...tomorrow is Whiskers on Wednesday, so maybe I'll have a good Halloween post to blog about?!?

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Queue....

...the death march music!

In the morning an event will take place that I've been avoiding for quite some time now. Only the inevitable has come to pass~~

I've consumed a pretty good amount of wine this evening (the idea was to go out for Margarita's but my stomach's been tied up in knots all day), I have my valium prescription in hand and ready for the morning. The cabinets are stocked with plenty of "liquid diet" items (yuck) and I hubby has the ropes ready to hog-tie in order to get me in the car in the morning (awww, get your head out of the gutter...nothing kinky going on).
What's going on you ask? Here I'll show you...



So what happens this week? I get a head cold! I've pumped myself up for this and feel pretty ready for it...except for the fact I'm a BIG baby when it comes to pain in my mouth (I can honestly take pain anywhere else pretty darn well). They told me today that if I can't breath our of my nose or I'm running a fever they won't do the extraction. Please-please let me get this over with!

To make a long story short...I have an impacted wisdom tooth that needs to come out! Please think about me tomorrow--send me positive vibes!!

In the meantime...
Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

Can you say Retreat?

I spent 3 days looking at this view...

While he was at his conference I spent plenty of time knitting and reading...even took a run and hiked up to this overlook...


I love this time of year, the crispness to the air and the color change in the leaves. It's really funny to see a ski resort when there's no snow, you do get a whole new perspective! We were treated to a winery tour, as well.

I'd also like to ask you to welcome the newest member of our family, I think Ace eluded to it in his post on Wednesday.
Meet Rudy~~




Milo helped pick out his own uncle! Isn't he cute!!! Of course the cat isn't so happy about these turn of events. More pics to come...

I swear I am knitting!

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

YES/NO Game

My buddy Carole posted this game and since I'm out-of-town I thought it'd be fun to post up.

YES/NO GAME RULES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

You can only say yes or no. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages you and asks!

Over 18? Yes
Danced in front of your mirror naked? No
Ever told a lie? Yes
Been arrested? No
Kissed a picture? Yes
Fallen asleep at work/school? Yes
Held an actual snake? Yes
Have YOU Ever run a red light? Yes
Ever drink and drive? Yes
Been suspended from school? No
Ever been fired from a job? Yes
Totaled a car/motorbike in an accident? No
Sang karaoke? No
Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t? Yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Yes
Ever laughed until you wet yourself? YES
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes
Kissed in the rain? Yes
Sang in the shower? No
Sat on a rooftop? Yes
Thought about your past with regret? Yes
Been pushed in the pool with your clothes on? Yes
Shaved your head? No
Blacked out from drinking? Yes
Had a gym membership? Yes
Been in a band? No
Shot a gun? Yes
Liked someone with nobody else knowing about it? Yes
Played strip poker? Yes
Been to a strip joint? No
Donated Blood? Yes
Liked someone you shouldn’t? Yes
Have a tattoo? No
Have or had any piercings besides ears? No
Made out with a complete stranger? No
Caught someone cheating on you? Yes
Skinny dipped? Yes
Regret any of your ex’s? OH GOD YES
Been to a rodeo? Yes
Been to a NASCAR race? Yes
Been in Love? Yes

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!!

WoW~~

Hello...Ace here, Mom seems to be too busy to blog these days. Somethings going on I tell ya.

This is a shout out to all my feline friends out there. How many of you are being put through hard times? They go on vacation during your 16th birthday? Are they changing your food? Moving your bed? Changing things--like moving furniture? Having a little Shih Tzu come stay in YOUR house.

Yes, Milo came to visit...again!
I hiss and spit, but he just won't listen...he down right ignores me, he's not afraid of me--am I losing my power?! This time he got on MY bed, you know the big one I let "them" sleep in. Anyway, I couldn't believe he would just jump right up there while I was sleeping.
So what do I do? Hiss & spit...no reaction from him, is he stupid or something? He's supposed to be afraid of me, run yelping and screaming. Instead he ignores me...me the King!

Now I'm hearing something about a Rudy...who?

I think I'll show them, I won't eat, drink or poop until they listen to me! Do you think it'll work??

FELINES UNITE STRIKE FOR UNFAIR LIVING CONDITIONS!

Martha White Flour Presents....

(the title comes from the days of the Porter Waggoner show)



Kay & Ann are a HOOT!

Being a Southern gal I just had to share! (found while reading JanuaryOne's blog)

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!! Yee-Haw....

WoW~~

Here we are again...an apology is necessary, I completely missed last week! The re-entry into reality really was tough!

I did have an opportunity for a photo shoot before we left for the beach, with very "cat-like" responses!

Things started out as normal as you can get...with a cat who HATES the camera!




No lie...after the first shot he stood up, turned around and repositioned himself!



Then...



I was shot with the Evil...I'll vaporize you this very minute...eyes!

So, I put the camera away!

I will add that after being gone for a week his attitude has changed BIGTIME! He's affectionate (to a degree), follows us EVERYWHERE, eats whatever we put in his bowl and has pooped in the living room floor! So much for being nice...

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'