Sundays with Fritz-The Case of the Water Boy-Part Two

Saturday night, Mommy and Daddy and me went over to our friends house to have a 'last BBQ' before we move and won't get to see them as much anymore. At our friends house, there is a huge yard for me to go all crazy and run around in. I can't wait to be in our new house with the big yard too! Too bad the end of summer will shorten my time to play.... oh well. I guess I will have to wait!
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Anyways... I noticed that they had a big shiny ball lying in the grass. I thought it was mine at first, as I have one identical to it. Well, not identical I guess. Mine is a smaller version. In my confusion, though, I ran over to get it not realizing that the sprinkler was in my way. Ahhh, who cares! I had to get that ball at all costs, nevermind a little water!
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Luckily, Mommy has a spare set of dry clothes that she keeps in my bag at all times. However, she did realize that it was time to update the spare set as the pants were too short for me now!

Just Poppin' In

I have been putting tags with prices on all of the scarves! So scary! I can't believe that a few years ago, when I went to my first Fall Festival here, I thought 'I could do that'.... And now I finally am! Only a couple more weeks to go to finish my goal. But, I have been having some bad luck with finding the yarn to finish off the two blankets I have been working on. Unless I can find them, I will be forced to NOT finish those (oh, darn).

Have a great weekend all!

Wednesday Craft Update

It's been a very busy, crochet week! I completed five scarves this week! Two are not pictured, as one is a double of last weeks school color scarf, and the other was just finished off as the last picture downloaded. AND... I have just started on another one.
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Where am I finding the time, you ask?
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Who knows! With all of the packing, and getting the moving organized, and playing with Fritz, and cleaning, and somewhere in there I am sleeping a little bit, I have found a few moments late at night. But, I have also been neglecting my blog reading. Sorry! I suspect that the lack of keeping up to date on blogs will only get worse. So I will apologize now. Hopefully things will settle down in late October. 'Course, then the Holidays will be sneaking around the corner.
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Black/Gray Mix Fuzzy Scarf

Lilac Fuzzy Scarf-No Fringe

Leftover Multi-Colored Scarf
(Leftover because these were the last bits of color from yarn, and I didn't want to toss them. I figured, why not collect them over the years and make a scarf. I believe I started this scarf seven years ago?)

Just Ride

People in this town are serious about riding bikes. Of course you see the summer time riders, or the University riders, but they are so serious about it that you can often see them in the dead of winter on slick, iced roads going for a spin.
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I used to love to ride a bike. I received my first adult bike when I was around ten. And that was only because my older sister had one, so I had to get one just like hers (duh!). After a few years of riding it, I knew it wasn't the one for me. A couple of years later, my parents bought me a mountain bike that I used until a few years ago. In the tiny place that my husband and I live in, there was never any kind of good storage for a bike. So outside it stayed. Poor little bike. It didn't take well to all the different kinds of weather. One snowy day, I saw foot tracks that led up to my bike. The culprit then walked my bike about two feet, dropped it and left. It was too crappy to even have been stolen!
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Now I have dreams of owning one again. There will be plenty of storage at the new place and open roads galore surrounding us. I can't wait!
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Side note.... I am muti-talented on a bike. I can read a book and pedal at the same time. No wrecks on my record!

Sundays with Fritz-The Case of the Water Boy

It was Hot, Hot, Hot! on Saturday, so Mommy and Daddy busted out my little pool for me to take a dip and cool off. They kept telling me that they wished it was bigger so they could cool off with me too!

I even had my own private jacuzzi bubbles! Daddy was playing with me and squirting me with the hose, until I stole it from him to have all to myself.

I got tired of sitting in the water, as the hose was much more fun to play with then water that didn't really go any where. Mommy didn't let me play long, 'cause she said my teeth were chattering too much from the cold water coming from the hose. I got pretty mad at her for wrapping me up in a towel and taking me back inside. She did promise that the next warm day we have, I can come out and play again!

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Fritz signing off.....

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P.S. Sunday was crappy and rainy all day. I had hoped so much to play with the hose again, but now I have to wait!!

Out My Front Door

Swimming in colors of orange, I stood on my deck a few nights ago, just being, just breathing. Letting the last bits of setting sun swarm over me, body and soul, I calmed my mind and let all thoughts of stress of the upcoming months slide away.
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Closing my eyes and letting the glow of the sunset slip through my lids, I was reminded of one of my most favorite places in the world. Somewhere that always wraps myself in peace. In this place there is a beautiful meadow below the towering mountains, that fills with wild flowers and grass every summer. So many times did I find myself walking out of the trees of the forest to wander down to the sunshine, to find a rock or the wet earth, and sit. No technology, no cars to bother me, only pleasant quiet sounds of nature in all it's beautiful symphonies.
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It has been many, many years since I have been back to that specific place, and although I miss it terribly with each passing year, it's still there. In my heart, in my memories, always there for any moment that I need to steal a piece of time, and just be.
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In the comfort and confines of places we live, when the world gets to be too much, all we need to do is find that somewhere out our front doors to have those healing breaths, and to feel the sun or moon, the wind or rain, and be. Just be.

Wednesday Craft Update

I received my application in the mail today for the festival next month! AND... I finished four (3.5) scarfs today! The .5 is because I need to add more fringe to one that is not pictured as I did not have enough to finish.

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The first one below is a local schools colors. I hope that I can do two or three more like this as the school is in the town where the festival is.



Another blood red color one, and for some reason my camera still hates this color. This picture was the only one that somewhat resembled the actual color. The red is not as bright as the picture is showing.

Next is a soft blue with twinges of light green mixed in.

Since the application will be in the post tomorrow, now I really feel the pressure of completing my goal of 50. I am up to 37 so I am pretty confidant that I will make it, but the goal was to complete two smaller blankets as well. The blankets might be the difficult part!

So Many Ideas

Blah, plain, and boring all came to mind when I first viewed our new house. No character, no stamp that says "I'm a cool house". So many thoughts and ideas are running around in my mind as to how to make the front of the house more appealing. I would love to add either a bay window or a balcony over the largest (living room) window, and maybe an awning over the front door. And definitely a new color to spice things up.

I find myself thinking constantly about the changes that I want to make on the outside and inside, and I can't hardly wait to get started. It's a love affair. If I could, I would make a career out of flipping houses. Turning beauty out of ugly. Ahhh...

Sundays with Fritz-The Case of the Cranky Boy

Mamma was going to let me post last night, but then she told me that I was too cranky and had to go to bed early. What????? I don't need to go to bed early!!!

But I do have some cool news to share. My cousin Jackson was born last Monday! He lives far, far away from me, so I don't know when I will get to meet him and play with him, but I hope it's soon!

And... Mommy and Daddy are so proud of me as I have finally mastered the art of walking! Yep, I'm a walking machine now! Of course there are the few times still when I don't know how to turn on the brakes and I tumble to the ground. So far, I have only gotten two bumps on my noggin. I think that's pretty good for only going at it by myself for less than a week. Now I can really chase the kitties!!

Bubbly For Us!

Great news!!! We bought a house today!

It all started last night as I was looking online at listings. I noticed one that had just came on the market yesterday, and I knew...just knew that was the one. I called our agent to see if we could see it today, and since the Hubs was over working in the town that we were looking for a house in, I knew that he would be able to look at it too. Of course Fritz wasn't excited about the drive as it is two hours away, but I reassured him that if this was the one, it would be worth it.
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We got there right on time and were very surprised with the awesome view that the house has of the city. Quiet neighborhood, views, a nice house....perfect! A half hour later we knew that we could not pass this one up. We put in a bid an hour later, and twenty minutes after we got home our agent called with the good news! I am so relieved that the search is over, but now the real fun begins (a.k.a. more stress with now the actual moving).
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We have plans already for updates and things we want to change and buy, and I am sure it will be awhile before my brain will shut up enough for me to fall asleep tonight!
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P.S. Notice the gorgeous roses in the picture? Yep, the Hubs. He was sweet this week, and came home with them to surprise me one evening!

There She Snores!

My sweet Melba. Ahh, sometimes she could wake the dead with the racket that comes from her sleeping peacefully. Peacefully not, however, for others around. I giggle with delight at the fact that my cat snores, and any time she does, I stop and listen.

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Do your animals do any crazy sounds when they are sleeping?

Wednesday Craft Update

It feels like I have been gone for so long on blogger. I went missing somewhere there, haven't found myself yet! It has been crazy busy the past week, and I am still trying to catch up with all of the projects going around our house and my head. We made an impromptu visit to my parents house this past weekend to help them finish a few jobs and to get ready for their trip out east to my sisters house. There was a bit of a rush as they will be gone for a couple of weeks and had plenty to do to get ready.
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Along with the weekend flying by, the house hunting is a continuous adventure of trying to find the perfect one for us. I found one late at night online, only to find out the next day it was under contract! It was perfect for us, and I am secretly wishing that the people buying it now, their deal falls through for us to buy the house!
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We were able to 90% finish a house project that we started two weeks ago. Putting in a new front door doesn't sound too hard, but yep it was. All I have left to do is paint it, so getting that done puts a big slash through my 'to-do' list. Sometimes it would feel handy if I could put Fritz in day-care for just one day so I could tackle what's left of the list and finish it! But since I cannot do that, I will just have to term him my helper. Hmm... maybe not.
------------- Well, after all that has been going on, I was somehow able to finish one skinny black scarf and almost complete another fuzzy one. The soft blue one should be done by tonight or tomorrow, as long as I can somehow stay focused long enough and not get tempted to work on other projects lying around!

Wednesday Craft Update

Ahhh... to finish a new scarf. I am quite in love with this one. It is 3/4s gray and then 1/4 pink. What can I say? I'm a funky kinda gal. I have started a new one, and here's hoping that I can finish it by next week!

At the National Gem & Mineral show this past weekend, I also scored some new beads. Some (real) purple amethyst and lapis lazuli, along with some aqua colored glass ones. I am so excited to make necklaces out of these! Now, it's just finding that extra time to do so.

But I did have to pass on all of these... Boo.

Take a Bite

But if you do, prepare yourself for a trip to the dentist! These fish are carved out of rock. Not very tasty I would guess.




We were at the National Gem & Mineral show in Billings, MT this past weekend. The local club has a show every year, but this time it was the National gathering. For us weirdos who love rocks, this was awesome!
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The display below is one that my parents put together from some of their collection of fabulous rocks. The one in the middle only comes out for public view for these special events. My late uncle found it along the Yellowstone river a very long time ago. It is a Montana Moss Agate and weighs in at 63 1/2 pounds. I'm sure that many of you may not know what an agate is, but they are incredible rocks that when cut open, can have many wonderful "pictures". If you find a good one it may weigh in at 5 to 10 pounds and depending on what's inside can be sold for hundreds of dollars. This big monster? It will never be cut, and we cannot even fathom what the cost would be on the market. Although my parents have never contacted the Guinness Book of World Records, they know for a fact that this rock would be number 1, as the current one (if memory is working here) is only around 30 pounds.
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We told Fritz when he looked at it, that it would be his when he is old enough to lug it around!

The show also had the Moon rock that is usually at the NASA museum. It was loaned to the club and was a big hit! How amazing to see something that you normally wouldn't!

And of course, there was some shopping to be done. The Hubs came away with a fossilized fish from a million or so years ago, from Wyoming (which we have wanted to plan a trip to dig these up for ourselves sometime). And I fell in love with the below pictured lapis lazuli ring. I haven't taken it off since Saturday! Every show I go to, I try to come away with a different kind of stone, and years past I have kicked myself for passing up the lapis. Lapis means stone in Latin and Lazuli is the passed down name for the ancient mine (mostly mined in Afghanistan) that these stones were found in. It's funny that the stones name is "Stone from Lazuli"!

In Color

On the walk that Fritz and I took the other day, I couldn't help but notice all the wonderful colors surrounding us. I love this about the world, how in different seasons, all you have to do is take a peak to see pallets of colors swirling around. Even in the white of winter there is much to see.
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Here is a Bed and Breakfast hotel. I have always wanted to stay in one of these, and before we move away from this town I hope to give this one a go. It is listed on the National Historic Registry, and is such a darling house. I really enjoyed how much the landscaping gave privacy to this house on a busy street.

It truly thrilled and amazed me to see this tree with it's gorgeous deep red leaves. I walked upon it and smiled when I noticed these tiny green leaves mixed in. The green leaves looked lonely, as they were the only ones mixed in with the red. Makes them seem more important somehow.

I have seen this house before, and always take a moment longer to stare at the wonderful use of color that the owners have given to the outside. How brave for them to not go the traditional way. Actually, there are quite a few houses here that seem to be done like this. Across the street from my Grandparents old house, was one painted in vibrant purples. Of course my Grandfather shook his head at this, but I found it fascinating. Houses painted like this are saying to the world, I will not conform.

Sundays with Fritz-The Case of the Park Day

A couple of days ago, Mommy said it was such a nice day out that we should go to the park! When we got there, there were tons and tons of kids and adults around. So much for me to see and do!

The swings were packed with kids so Mommy asked me if we should go on a walk around the neighborhood first. It wasn't hot out yet and the sun was shinning nicely on us. It was a perfect day to explore new places.

After our walk, we checked back at the swings and Mommy saw that there was one free for me to have a go with. Back and forth, back and forth. Woo Wee!!! It was so much fun. I didn't get to play very long on it as other little kiddies needed a turn, so Mommy and I found a nice patch of shaded grass to hang out in and wait for another turn on the swings. I told Mommy that she needs to make a date with me every week to come back. I don't think she really understood me, but then she mentioned it herself. Yippee!!!