Periscope Pug

Louie is Allen's best buddy. They walk together and play fetch in the house. Allen will sit on the floor and toss and toss and toss and toss and toss and toss the toy of the moment. He can't seem to understand that either Allen or I might want to do something besides give him our full, undivided attention. I play with Louie and walk him, but Allen is the man!

Here is the Heart and Home quilt. I loved finding three handmade heart buttons (on three of the appliquéd hearts) and some packs of German buttons for the rest. My elephant quilt has a handful of buttons too. It's time to start something new. I found a pattern I would love to do using my batiks, and I probably have enough fabric to cut Shannon and Nathan's bed quilt. I also found a pattern which I like for hand sewing, so I will try to get that together to take with me to Colorado in March. Oh, and then I need to think about what to make for Baby Boy Everette. Meghan, any color preferences?

Chewie Louie

This is what Louie does when I work on the computer, that is if he isn't off causing trouble or sitting on my lap helping me type. He loves his chews, but they usually taste better is someone holds them for him. Louie didn't really help me finish the Heart and Home quilt last night. He was having too much fun making Allen play fetch with him. He has more toys for a little guy than you would imagine! The quilt is finished, and I guess I like it. It is a bit bigger than I pictured, and I think it looks a bit more "country" than I thought it would. I seem to be stuck in the color scheme too, but I really like some of the fabrics. They say if you learn something making a quilt then it doesn't matter what it ends up looking like. I really like the little doorknob buttons. I'll take another picture after I hang it up. It will be on the dining room door until after Valentine's Day at least. Yup, Louie is still drooling on my foot while he chews on his rawhide.

"Ouie" Louie

"Ouie" loves Bridger, but not as much as Grandma and Grandpa do! It is hard not being able to see Bridger, Meghan, and Justin more often, but when we do we have a wonderful time. When they were here for Christmas, Bridger and Louie got along fine as long as Louie wasn't stealing a block or jumping up on Bridger. When I talked to Meghan on Friday, she told me that Cooper the Basset Hound sometimes scares Bridger because he is so loud. We are probably going to visit next month (no, Louie, I don't think you get to go along this time), and I can't wait to see what new things Bridger says and does. We want to visit at least one more time before baby brother makes his appearance in April. Bridger chatters in the background when I talk on the phone, and every once in a while he will talk to me. He has his ABCs down, and his mom says this week he sang "London Bridges" for her. Meghan also says bedtime is hard these days, but then being two is a tough job.

Big Help

Louie loves to help around the house whether it is putting dishes in the dishwasher, protecting Allen from the vacuum, picking up shoes off the family room floor, or getting that Bounce fabric softener sheet out of the dryer. I can't imagine what we would do without all of that help! I have no clue why he likes the dryer in particular, but if we are doing laundry, he is right there to look inside. He ought to be really happy this weekend helping with the six loads we accumulated this week! His other big excitement will be a trip to get his nails clipped. We've tried doing them ourselves, but it is worth the expense at Petsmart to have them done. Who knows -- maybe he will have the first bath of his life today too.

Thursday night was my Mountain Gap bunco night. We have been playing together for something like seven years, and I love my girls' night out. This month, it was Louie's turn to help host. He provided entertainment, while I provided the baked potato bar and apple crisp. It was his first time to have a house full of ladies over, and I was glad that the only real trouble he caused was stealing a napkin and the tissue from the bunco gift bag. He only ripped the bag a little. I hope my Bunco Babes had as much fun as I did. We tired Louie out. He was ready for bed as soon as everyone left. One of his best tricks is running full speed ahead to his crate when I say, "Go to bed, Louie."

Louie in Trouble

Louie, Louie, Louie! What are you into now? Oh, that is a basket in my sewing room, and it seems that the lint remover is more interesting than dog toys, dog chews, dog beds, dog anything. I never had to baby-proof the house when my girls were little, but it seems like I have to with Louie. I missed getting the picture of him with about thirty feet of toilet paper dragged through our bedroom and into the hall. Never fear, there will be a next time. However, to his credit, I was not home until 5:00 today, and he seemed to be just fine. Happy to go out, but fine. Tomorrow night's bunko will be a fun filled party held just for him.

Quilting Buddie

Louie is my little quilting buddy. If I leave the sewing room door open, he steals something and runs, or he goes for the toilet paper in a downstairs bathroom, turns an area rug completely over and chews on a corner, or finds a stray shoe or magazine to claim. If I close the door and keep him with me, he pulls the stuffing from his dog bed, scratches the door, or most exciting, chews on my foot that I use the control the foot pedal of the sewing machine. I almost never sew with shoes on. For some reason, I feel like I have more control without a shoe. The best is when he steps on the foot pedal when I am not expecting it, and the machine accelerates magically. You can see in the picture that last night's pug adventure involved an appetite for a quilt pattern.

Even with the distractions, the little quilt is finished. It is about 9 x 13 inches made from a pattern in a Fons and Porter magazine. This is the smallest quilt I've made, and I learned that tiny apparently doesn't mean fast or easy. I had fun using up some reds and blacks and then embellishing with red and black Swarovski crystals that Allen ordered from his bead catalogue. They are actually spacer crystals, I think, but I thought the shape would be easier to sew. I used all but five from the two packages, so that is 91 crystals. I think Crystal Pinwheels is a good name for this little one. Thanks for all of the help, Louie!

Pug Mischief

Yes, that is indeed a wad of toilet paper. Louie has had a great day so far, but he is entering the pug part of the day when he can find mischief in every corner. At the moment, he is protecting me from the many dangers lurking just outside the kitchen window, barking ferociously. What would I do without his great guarding ability?

Today is Martin Luther King Day, so no school for me or work for Shannon. We had a fun trip out to lunch and Target. Of course, my trip to Five Points to pick her up (and drop off leftover chili for Nathan) would not be complete without a trip to Patches and Stitches. I picked up a few fat quarter batiks for a future quilt, a few reds for my next big quilt (a bed quilt for Shannon and Nathan), and a couple of handmade buttons for my current winter Heart and Home quilt. I love my school and teaching, but days at home are heaven.

Meet St. Louis Louie

Meet Louie. He is one crazy pug! Louis (St. Louis Louie Etheridge) is an AKC registered pug born June 28, 2007. We got him from a breeder in Decatur, http://www.luvurpug.com. He is now almost seven months old. He is as sweet as can be, when he wants to be. Louie is a morning dog. That is, he stays out of trouble best in the morning. He has a little routine that he follows every day. First, Allen or I get him out of his cage and take out for his morning constitutional. He does his thing and then expects to be picked up to be on our bed. He gets his daily vitamin and his peanut flavored reconstituted rawhide chew. Next, he wants a few toys or chews to choose from, but then he will settle in for a good snuggle. His favorite is to sit between us while we read the paper. Of course, chewing or digging on the bed might be fun too. If no one is able to puppy-sit while I shower, he will most assuredly get into something, whether it is eating a paperback or a catalogue or chewing on the rug. On a typical day, Louie eventually gets to eat his cup of puppy Eukanuba, take a second trip outside, and then settle into his cage. All I have to say is, "Go to bed," and he makes a dash for his little home. How cute is that!