Crazy Pets

I forgot to mention that I found my "Houdini" Hunny Bunny again. She got out of her hutch early in the morning, and I found her later that evening. Peter and I walked around the block yelling "Huuuuunnny Buuunny" (me feeling quite foolish), and sure enough, out she hops from a bush, looking as fat and placid as could be. She's very tame, so she didn't even try to run away from me (or perhaps she was just too full from all the grass she must have eaten.)Crazy rabbit. Her hutch is located in the back yard, only 10 feet from my vegetable garden which is LOADED with yummyness for rabbits. Does she stay in the fenced back yard? No.

However, her days of freedom are over, and she's back in incarceration again.Speaking of crazy animals, Hunny Bunny and my cat Rhapsody are good friends now. At least, they seem to enjoy antagonizing each other in a nice, friendly sort of way. Here's Rhapsody on the neighbor's squirrel feeder. I don't think she's going to catch any squirrels this way.
Crazy rabbit. Crazy cat. They do fit in well with this family, though, don't they?!

Monday Magic

Thanks, thanks, thanks for all the wonderful people who commented such nice things about my last post. I was really feeling down, but trying not to be down, you know what I mean? Sometimes I wake up with a clear picture of how I wish my day to go, and then life happens, and the books are all piled under the couch, and the kids are fighting, and the house is a disaster . . .

Anyway, it was a wonderful lesson in patience for me (hooray, I didn't blow my stack, as I was sorely tempted to do!) and a great reminder that God's plans are not always my plans, and His are always perfect. After a quick (okay, well, a bit longer than "quick") attitude adjustment, the rest of the day was off to a much better start.

I still haven't found "Houdini" Hunny Bunny (as Diane jokingly commented), and I'm so praying she'll show up. I saw two large dogs roaming the alley out back, but I didn't see anything soggy and white hanging from their slavering jaws, so I'm hopeful she's alright. I was pretty ticked off at Andy, because when I tearfully called him to tell him about my beloved bunny, his reply was; "Well, I told you I figured it'd only last six months . . .". As he's usually MUCH more sympathetic and kind, I'll do my best to forgive him for such poor timing (plus, Renee's post about being over-sensitive immediately came to mind; thanks, Renee!)

On a happier note, I got lots done around the house. The laundry is on the line, the house is (relatively) picked up, dinner is in the oven, I've finished teaching lessons, and best of all, I officially BLOCKED MY FIRST KNITTED ITEM!!! Woo hoo for me!! This a detailed picture of the falling water pattern, and the colors are nearly right, but not as vivid as the real thing.

At first, as I was sticking what seemed like a million pins in the front, I felt like muttering that blocking was a complete waste of time. However, as the detailed photo shows, I guess blocking truly does bring out the beautiful stitch details. Let's hope I did it correctly, and that I can keep my long-haired cat off it!

Also, I decided to scrap the idea of Peter's blanket being knitted of squares. After consideration, I figured that having to make sure every square was exactly the same size (but the pattern different) was way too much work. I surfed the wonderful web for a free pattern, and came across exactly the right one. Plus, I really enjoy doing cables, so this blanket is right up my alley.

Here's what I've done so far. I can't seem to get the colors right in the photo, but it's actually a lovely forest green. I let Peter pick out two colors for his birthday blankie, and to my consternation, I discovered that my son is a Slytherin. Ah well, as long as he doesn't start making Horcruxes, he'll be okay!

Garden Stuff, and the Missing Rabbit

I'm not really having the best day. Hunny Bunny is missing again, and I'm hoping she's somewhere nearby.

Perhaps she's playing with Rhapsody . . .


These are just some random pictures I took of my flowers and garden, as I'm feeling rather blah today and not up to serious blogging.

Here's another reason why I'm feeling a bit down. I thought I was done cleaning the living room, but then I heard a crash . . . More work . . .

I've never seen a gladioulus look like this before, so I thought it was interesting. I'm not really a huge fan of glads; my SiL is much better at them than I am.

I'm really hoping my Bee Fields will show up in the mail, and I'll pick up my needles and my mood will pick up too!

Hope you're having a better Monday than I am!

Visiting

A dear friend of mine, Breanna C. just came up from Florida to spend a few weeks up here visiting with family and friends. It was nice to spend an afternoon with her yesterday, catching up on past "happenings".

The two "Breanna's" (well, actually it's Brianna and Breanna; I think my Breanna doesn't like having competition for the name!)

She has two little boys and a girl, but yesterday she only brought the two little guys, as Isabella was playing at a friend's house. The kids had so much fun "swimming" in the pool Grammy and Bompey bought them.

"I'm the man!"


"I tell you, they just don't make these freeze-pops like they used to!" (That's an empty freeze-pop container flying through the air.)

Whenever I'm outside for a little while, I let Hunny Bunny out of her cage to hop around the yard. She has a collar, which I attach to a short rope so I don't have to worry about her bolting away. Amazingly, she and my cat, Rhapsody, get along fairly well together. Bunny and Rhapsody are about the same size, and Hunny Bunny has made it clear she's not taking any flack from the cat.

"That's right, kitty. You just remember who big bunny is, and we'll get along just fine . . ."

The Return of the Bunny

I guess the title doesn't sound quite as imposing as "The Return of the King", but I can assure you, I was just as thrilled to see Honey Bunny as I was to see the last of the "Lord of the Rings" movie (yes, I'm a LOTR geek all the way).

Oddly enough, it was Andy who found her. Andy wasn't working yesterday, and so he did some repair work around the house, including putting up new soffits (whatever those are). Well, he was up high on a ladder, and he saw a little white thing peeking out from under the van. Apparently, Honey Bunny thought she could camouflage herself under our white vehicle. We easily caught her, and she's back behind bars.

Thanks for all the kind wishes!

Oh NO!

I was horrified to discover this morning that Honey Bunny's cage door was wide open, and no Honey Bunny inside. I'm not sure when she made her escape, but I feel absolutely sick about it. Our neighborhood has a lot of cats roaming around, and . . . .I haven't found any sign of her yet, so I'm hoping that's a good thing, and she's just hiding out in the backyard somewhere. We have a fence around the entire backyard, but she could have wiggled under one of the three gates. I've already made a fairly thorough search of the backyard, calling, "Hooooney Buuuunnnny", which is really stupid, as I don't expect her to sit up and answer. However, I'm feeling desperate so I don't care. How well could a white rabbit hide?

I haven't told the kids yet. I feel sick. Please pray for us in our time of sorrow. (Seriously, I am feeling pretty sad this morning).

Garage Sale Goodies

I hit the jackpot today with garage sales. At first, I was a little disappointed, because I wasn't able to find what I was looking for. I desperately needed summer clothes for the kids, especially Breanna, who only has 1 short-sleeved shirt and one pair of shorts.

However, right before I got home, on a whim, I stopped at a garage sale right near our house. (Note: do not read further if you suffer from garage sale envy. Reading further is damaging to your nerves).

Oh. My. Goodness. (Drum roll to announce the highlights . . .)

Huge set of toy pots and pans (so maybe they'll FINALLY leave mine alone);

Like new Old Navy outfit - $.50;

Weed eater that actually spins and lights up (finally, a noisy toy that stays OUTDOORS!);

Tea set with tea pot, tray, and sugar bowl;

BRAND NEW in BOX Union Bay shoes for Andy (Father's Day present, I think);
Chocolate, one of my favorite movies (warning: do not watch this movie if you are trying to lose weight or trying to stay away from chocolate.)

Like new Gap outfit - $.50;

Huge set of plastic toy food, so the kids can at least play with their fruits and vegetables, even if they refuse to eat it;

Stroller for Breanna's baby dolls;

Movies for $.50;

Old Navy outfit, like new, for $.50;

Picture of Honey Bunny, just because she's so cute;

Like new Old Navy and assorted brand name shoes, $.50 each;

Then, the coup de resistance, Skechers shoes, like new, and AirWalks, also like new, for $1 each.

I got a ton of really nice t-shirts for the kids for 10 cents each, as well as a free bicycle for Peter (I think his other bike is a tad small for him) and a bunch of other free toys like airplanes and such. What a find!

Want to know the grand total? $20 for their entire summer (and some fall) wardrobe, for two kids. (Doing happy dance, now).

I'm floating on the clouds!!!!!!

Honey Bunny

On Sunday our little family spent most of the day in Lena at the park. While Andy cooked the bratworst on the grill, the kids played on the playground and worked up a fine appetite.After we finished eating and cleaned up everything, we stopped at Grandma and Grandpa's house to say a quick hello and to pick up a rabbit hutch. Yes, we are getting another addition to our family.

Meet Honey Bunny (Peter named her). She actually belongs to my mom, who will be picking her up sometime in July. Meanwhile, we are doing our best to keep Honey Bunny happy in her temporary home.Of course, the kids are simply fascinated by this friendly little lop-eared rabbit.And since we are talking about rabbits, and I have to have some knitting content somewhere, let me show you a new angora sweater I picked up at a garage sale for $1. I was planning to unravel it and recycle the yarn, but as I'm looking at it again, perhaps I'll just keep it as it is. It looks a little big, though. (The knitter in me is saying, "Yes, definitely too big. Must be recycled and knit up into something else . . .").

Garage Sale Heaven

On Friday I went with the kids to Lena to go to the Lena-wide garage sales. I love to go to garage sales, but with the two kids, it's pretty difficult. However, when there are a lot in one area, I just load the kids in my wonderful double-jogger-stroller, and off we go!

I think I walked through half of Lena, but wow did I get some deals! I'm still high about it! First on my list of "gushing greats", is this incredible bag for my scrapbook stuff. I was seriously considering buying a Creative Memories rolling tote, but it's $110, and that is a bit high for me (sorry, Lynn). However, I saw this great rolling cooler, and thought that it looked about the right size, and it is! For $10, I got the most wonderful sturdy rolling tote that fits all my scrapbooking stuff! I couldn't resist taking a load of pictures, because I'm so incredibly excited about this find. Plus, since it's a cooler, it's insulated and waterproof (or coffeeproof, Andy would say).

Then, for $5 I got the nicest Fischer Price train set. After replacing the batteries, I found out that it has a controller, goes to different "stations" along the track, plays music, and more! The kids are so thrilled with this new toy, and even the cat has been checking it out. I always feel bad that my kids have mostly icky toys, but at least this garage sale find is a good one!

I hit the jackpot of ladies clothes, because I got at least 12 shirts and a few pairs of jeans/capris, all for $.75 each! The incredible thing, is that it's all Gap, Old Navy, or Express stuff, and a few things still have their tags! This cute Old Navy skirt is even reversible! How cool is that?

I also got the cutest baby rabbit for my mom's classroom. The bunnies are still too little to leave their mother, but they'll be ready by June 3. I'll "have" to watch the little bunny for my mom until she comes in July. (I haven't mentioned this to Andy yet. I'm waiting for him to have a rousing "Settler's" win, or else have a really good meal . . .). I was thinking of naming it "Honey". You know, like "Honey the Bunny" . . . corny, huh?
Then, to top off a perfect day, I got some yarn in the mail that I'd ordered a while ago. It's to go with the "Column of Leaves" scarf that I started and then realized I didn't have enough yarn for. (I just love getting yarn in the mail. It's like Christmas!)
Then, I broke down and bought some yarn from Verna's yarn shop. I was pretty good all month, and didn't buy a thing (I think). For some reason I found the variegated colors in this yarn appealing, and I plan to knit something with it.
To top of a perfect day, I even got my last item from the Arbonne order I placed a month ago. What a great day!