Kool Aid Dyeing...Oooooooooh Yeah!

After finally…FINALLY…turning the corner with this cold, I attempted something that I’ve wanted to do for about a month now.  Kool Aid dyeing!  It’s more simple than I imagined.  I read a bunch of different tutorials, to see how others were making it, then finally just said to “heck with it” and just jumped right in.

I pulled off several yards of Patons Classic Wool Yarn in Aran color (creamy white) that my Dad's cousin in British Columbia sent to me and tied it off in about four places with a small piece of the same yarn.  I soaked that in clear lukewarm water in the sink for a few minutes, while I mixed a packet each of Berry Cherry and Black Cherry into a pot with lukewarm water.  Once every thing was mixed fully, I gently laid the yarn into pot and gently pressed down with a spoon to fully immerse it, but not agitate it (didn't want it to start felting!).

I turned the heat up on the stove to just over midway and waited for it to just start to bubble.

I turned off the heat and let it cool for about an hour (I was doing something else and actually forgot about it...oops!).  The color in the pot had turned almost clear, as the yarn had absorbed it all.

I poured the water out and gently rinsed out any leftover color in the yarn in cold water.  Then let it hang off the facet to drip dry above the sink.

It lightened up considerably more than I expected and is almost a pinkish color now. Its not a horrible color, mind you, but not the color I was going for. I think next time I'll use more than two packets of mix and see if that results in a deeper color.

Oh, and note to self: don't leave yarn where a bored black lab puppy can reach it. She didn't chew it up...but she did pull it and another skein apart, so I had this lovely yarn display stretched across the living room to the kitchen door. She also chewed apart a plastic cord that was hooked to her training clicker, a bottle of cold medicine (that she thankfully didn't puncture), a bag of Funyons that was almost empty.  All of which HAD been on the coffee table.

I love this dog. I love this dog. I love this dog. She's just a puppy and this phase will pass.  I have to keep reminding myself of this!!

Meet Ripley

Two weeks ago, I emailed a rescue about two lab puppies and wanting to set up a meet and greet with them.  Only, they never got back to me. I was bummed, but I thought, "Well Nick's on call and I would have had to drive an hour to see them by myself. Maybe this is for the best."  Then a thought popped into my head - check the local animal shelter.  It's hit or miss with the animal shelter when it comes to dogs...only because once they get a dog in, that dog is typically gone in a day...especially puppies, so I wasn't holding my breath that I would find the lab puppy that we all so wanted.

But there she was - a 7 month old black lab mix, recently arrived from Georgia. I told Nick (who was getting bombarded with work) that I was taking Shorty and we were going to meet her that day.  We got there 10 mins before they opened and I just knew.  This 30 lb, hyper, happy, kissy, cuddly, sweetheart was supposed to come home with me.

It took us a while to come up with a name, but finally decided on Ripley, after Sigourney Weaver's character in Alien.

What she lacked in manners and training, she more than made up for in personality! She wasn't house broken. She chased cats (much to our fours' dismay). She fought with Ted...or rather, Ted fought with her (small dog syndrome!). It's been a challenge, to say the least.  

But here we are, 11 days into this journey and she's starting to get it. Ripley is so very smart! The potty training is getting easier. She's realizing that this is her home now and that we are her people. The cats have started to mellow out and understand that she's just a big goofball, who is often in need of a good smack on the nose with a paw to make her realize that they (the cats) are not play toys. Ted is...well, Ted is still adjusting.  He liked being the only dog and really hates sharing attention with this yeti-pawed oaf (his words, not mine)!

And Rip is really adjusting to her new home. As you can see, she's quite comfortable here.

We've all really missed having a big dog. Sometimes you don't realize just what size the hole in your heart is until you refill it. Apparently mine was the size of a black lab.

It's Official...We're Insane!

And by we, I mean me and my husband.  We used to say no more big dogs. They're messy, always in the way, expensive and just big pains in the butt.  Then we lost Sadie in April and Plato in August. And their loss has been palpable.

For a month, Nick and Shorty have been vocalizing their want of another big dog.  I finally gave in. We went to see dogs at a local shelter, but none of them clicked, much to our dismay.  So doing what I do best, I jumped on the internet and started searching all the humane societies in Maine and then hit upon a lab rescue who is having an event this Saturday.  I put in the application for pre-approval, they called our vet and our references this morning.

Now we just have to wait for notification from them.  If it comes before Saturday, I'll find myself checking out black and chocolate labs that morning!

We really are insane! I'm just over 4 months pregnant and we're looking at getting a freakin' lab!

UPDATE: We've been pre-approved!! Buuuuuut, where we have such a busy day Saturday, we're going to hold off until next weekend to check out dogs.  Hopefully, this guy will still be available!

Saying Goodbye to Plato

This evening we said goodbye to our sweet, goofy Plato. Our personal Florence Nightingale who watched over us (while laying on top of us) when we were sick, who loved snuggles and serenading us. We couldn't have asked for a better dog.

  

Plato came into my life two years ago, when Nick moved into my house. His very large presence was a major disruption to my two cats and two dogs, but eventually everyone got along...except for Ted...but Ted's a little Napoleon.

 

Plato, whom we called the Sausage Roll because his fat rolls would flop when he ran, made me realize just how amazing Yellow Labs were.  I had always been a staunch German Shepherd girl, but those floppy ears and big dopey grin won my heart.  

 

Two dogs in a matter of months.  My heart is broken.