Happy One-Year Anniversary Lucky!

Today is our one-year anniversary of bringing Lucky home from the local shelter. What an amazing addition he's been to our home, I can't imagine our lives without him anymore. He's such a happy, funny little boy, who loves to be loved. We are very grateful to have this wonderful dog.

 Thank you Lucky, for coming to our home!

Autumn is here, time to decorate!

I shared with you last year my love of all things autumn, decorations, cooler weather, football (Go Bobcats!) warm pumpkin drinks; I could go on and on…. 

Everything is back out again and I am ready to share my fall decor again! 

Enjoy your autumn and get your decorations out today!

Lucky has his Martha Stewart sweater on 

he is ready for the fall! 

"It's a good thing."

Pan Protectors and Scrubby's for the Kitchen

A while back I made these red scrubbers for the Kitchen with Red Heart Scrubby yarn. It is easy to knit and it makes great scrubbers to clean up stubborn messes on your dishes. They wash up great and you can use them over and over.

I found this next project on Pinterest to make pan protectors instead of using paper towel. I am using some of my stash up and protecting my new pans! 

Since I got this set of pans I have been using paper towels to separate the pans so they don't scratch.I never thought about knitting these doilies - this is why I love Pinterest! Here is an easy pattern and you can make these while you are watching Lifetime movies or Netflix this summer! The pattern is called "The Almost Lost Washcloth"

The Almost Lost Washcloth:
No. 8 Needles (U.S.)
Cast On 14 stitches and knit back

1.  Knit 4, yarn over, knit, leaving 2 stitches and knit back
2.  Knit 4, yarn over, knit, leaving 4 stitches and knit back
3.  Knit 4, yarn over, knit, leaving 6 stitches and knit back
4.  Knit 4, yarn over, knit, leaving 8 stitches and knit back

Cast off 4 and knit to end – knit back (should be 14 stitches on the needle)Repeat for 14 points - Leave enough yarn to sew sides together and go around circle and draw circle together. - Tie ends in a double knot.

Lucky is very helpful with my knitting! 

Pizza from your garden!

My daughter sent me this recipe for homemade pizza crust. We like to make pizza with our basil leaves and small tomatoes and a little bit of Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese. The basil is growing great this year, I bought the cherry tomatoes for this pizza. I did plant cherry tomatoes this year however I have never had much luck producing tomatoes; although I'm very good at growing the plant. If you have any recommendations please let me know.

Here are the photos of the pizza. Hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we do!

Ingredients:

1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast

½  teaspoon white sugar

½  cup lukewarm water

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 egg, beaten

Directions:

Stir yeast and sugar into lukewarm water, using a fork. Let stand in warm place until a creamy layer forms on top of the water, about 10 minutes.

Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Mix olive oil into four and stir for 2 minutes. Pour yeast mixture and beaten egg into flour mixture and stir to make a stiff dough. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and knead until springy and smooth, about 8 minutes. Place dough into a floured bowl and cover with a piece of plastic wrap wiped with a thin film of olive oil.

Let dough rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down and roll out to desired shape.  

Lucky says have a safe and happy Fourth of July!!

Welcome Lucky!

I have been looking for a new dog for over a year now, after our little Pomeranian Ivy died. She was 10 years old and diagnosed with a tumor, it was a very sad ending. It took me a long time to decide to get another dog. I checked the humane society website daily, I looked at an adorable litter of puppies from the shelter and two year old pug who needed a home, but neither seemed to be the dog that fit. I was not sure that adopting a puppy and working would work for me at this time. I kept looking. I even told everyone at work I was looking for the right dog.  

Two weeks ago a friend from work sent me a text to get down to the local shelter, saying that "There is a cute dog that would be perfect." The old owner turned him in because they traveled too much. I saw the photo, filled out my paperwork, and was the first person at the door when they opened. I was not the only one; there were a total of at least 26 others as well as several calls about this dog. I went in on Friday and saw Lucky, who was very nervous but very friendly. He is a 5 year old white Schnauzer. I left that day thinking that I would not even stand a chance with so many people interested in him. 

My daughter and I were driving by the shelter on Saturday and I said, "Lets go see Lucky. I just want you to see him." We took him out to the greeting area. He was busy marking his territory, but when I called him, he came running and jumped on my lap. I asked them when they would be deciding on who got to adopt him and she said "I just decided and it’s you!" They offered a weeklong "babysitting" trial period which we could see if he liked his new environment and we could check out his behavior to see if we fit. After two days, we knew we wanted to adopt him.

Lucky is now formally adopted, well actually it's more a "re-homing" situation. I feel very fortunate to have this dog in my life.  He has been in our home for two weeks. I'm very glad I waited to find the perfect fit and give this dog a forever home.