Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, he's hella cute! I'd make it to Allison's, if it weren't so darn early!!! Who made the law that yard sales HAVE to start at 8 in the AM?!?!?!?!?!

I'm in!!! That baby is the cutest, ever. Have a great weekend!!!

Have a wonderful weekend, Laurie! Thank you and Allison for the contest!

And by hella cute, I mean your leetle bro. But also, the embroidery stuff. But not the leg warmers. {{shudder}}

Did you ever use that liquid embroidery stuff on patterns like that? My mom and I used to use those to decorate everything in the 70's1

Your little brother is getting too cute. Be careful!

Wow, I just finished reading your book! It was great btw. So, I thought I'd come and check out your blog. :)

Don't know why that came up anonymous!

MonkeyGurl, last time we had a yard sale people were arriving at 6:30 in the morning!!!! It was crazy!

"Crackerass McCracker punk girl" I just laughed so loud, people down the hall came to see what was so funny. I'm from Louisiana, so I call it the Country Comes to Town phenomenon. Wow! Target has an escalator for your cart!!! We don't GOT escalators for your carts in Looosiana! I need to get out more.

Oh man is he CUTE! Did they name him and i missed it? our tri-colour is Brenhines Afiona, welsh for Queen Eve. though she answers to Avi and a myriad of nicknames lol

i am loving those embroidery sets! my mind is whirring (ok, that's the hamster wheel up there) with ideas for them. fun!

Wow, I was just thinking the other day that I'd like to try my hand at embroidery. This is such good timing...if I win, of course! Thanks for the contest.

I love your little brudder. So snorglable. Any plans to knit him a sweater or jaunty beret and scarf set?

Cutest. Puppy. Ever! Just look at those stubby little paws! Love the embroidery give-away, too. I have my fingers crossed. And, Liz R, I used that liquid stuff in the 70's, too. It was strange and I went right back to the needle and thread!

I covet your brother.

That is the cutest puppy ever! I want one!

I think I might have to own a corgi dog again, you little brother is so adorable!

That should read "your little brother." hee. Got excited.

Hey. I was wondering if there was ever going to be a second book. Like a second book by you. Possibly involving that Armando guy? Hmm.

LOl Samantha. Yes, there is a second book. It won't be Katie & Armando though. Lord only knows what will happen to them!

TS -- they named him Chevis after their drink of choice LOL. Obviously I am from a family where we think southern drinking humor is hee-larious.

Liz -- I don't even know what that liquid stuff is! I grew up out in the sticks, though, maybe they didn't have it where I was. But it sounds funky!! LOL

Hand over the Dawg and no one will get hurt.

transfer paper? That sounds perfect for my plan to get someone else to embroider for me.

Here is the site for Tri-Chem paints: http://www.trichem.com/techniques/artofdecorating.html
It was embroidery-ish for lazy people. The real thing is definately the best! Unfortunately for me I am french-knot-disabled. I used to use beads instead when I used to cross-stitch.

That embroidry pattern is sooo cute would look cute on felted bag, red? gift? just finished my first project and loved it its sooo neet to put it in the wash and take out something differnt!! Puppy brother is cutest thing ever!!!! I think that liquid stuff might be Tri-Chem?? My mom and G-ma both had kits. Pick me Pick me I LOVE sushi (ok not really opening a can of tuna is sushi for me and my three catkids) Love your blog makes me smile ;0)

OMG Liz I do think I used that!!!!

The 70s were a wild and wacky time. Do you remember that toy, it was just plastic stuff that came in a tube and it came with a tiny straw and you'd put a glob on one end of the straw and then blow through the other end to make these psychedelic bubble things? And it had this crazy plastic smell that had to be killing our brain cells....

Thanks :D cute name!

I'm excited about a second book too!

*still has fingers crossed about Kindle access*

C.D.I.A. (Cutest Dog in America)

Do you mean Super Elastic Bubble Plastic?? I got some on my mother's couch when I was a kid and it was banned from my house forever! the smell was unbelievably poisonous.....how did we survive??

BTW, I grew up in the sticks, too. My high level of sophistication came in my adult years when I moved to NYC. (yeah, right)

Laurie!

Super Elastic Bubble Plastic!

I'll bet you had a set of Fashion Plates just like me, Laurie!

I want to eat that puppy. I'm serious -- not crazy-Hannibal-Lecter-like, I mean I just want to swallow him down whole and carry him around in my belly all day. He could keep my front butt company. He could also feast on the pounds and pounds of cheese I stuff down my gullet all day, and feel the cool breeze when I ride my bike home from work. There is a saying where I'm from that when your kids (pups, kits, etc.) are babies, they're so wonderful you just want to eat them up... and by the time they're adolescents, you wish you had. He looks yummy!

Super Elastic Bubble Plastic!!!!!!!!!! Ok, why don't I use this here website for things like that more often? You have no idea how often I sit awake at night remembering up crazy stuff that I don't know the proper name for!

And I coveted Fashion Plates!! We didn't have money for stuff like that growing up, so I used to draw my own LOL. Country Fashion plates ... made of paper and cardboard ;) I did have Colorforms, though, I got a box of them for Christmas and had a ball.

Jen, I say that all the time, too! I am always telling my cats they're so damn cute I want to eat 'em up.

y'all are killing me. Super elastic bubble plastic. My mom thought it would be a good idea to buy my kids some of this crap a few years ago. I could have killed her. It was everywhere.
On the other hand, I do still have my fashion plates. Because I'm cool that way.
I love those patterns. If they are downloadable I might have to order some (because downloads don't break my rules of nno more stuff in the house)

One year for Christmas my older brother got a Jaws game ... anyone remember that? It was a big plastic replica of Jaws and it had all this stuff you tried to fish out of its mouth like tires and boots and so on (if you think on it, boy that was a creepy toy!) and my brother never let me touch it. I remember looking all over ebay for it once and never found it. I did find him a vintage Merlin game, though, one year for Christmas I sent it to him and he drowned in a puddle of nostalgia ;)

Here is the Jaws game he loved so much:
http://www.retroland.com/pages/retropedia/toys/item/2327/

My favorite thing to do as a kid was to have some pencils and/or crayons (or those scented markers in the box with the big smile opening) and a brand-new pack of (what we used to call) typing paper. Hours and hours of drawing rainbows, puppies, kitties and horses. Oh, the good old days.

Liz -- how come everything in the '70s and '80s was scented and nothing in the 2000s is scented! I miss scented markers, scented glue, scented stickers, scratch 'n sniff everything!!

I loved my fashion plates. Sigh. . .

Okay, wait, an ESCALATOR for your BUGGY? No way! How cool is that?

I bought a cross stitch kit on my honeymoon, thinking what a great memento it would be. HA! I momentarily forgot that I hate cross stitch. My hubby ended up doing the sampler - and he did a fantastic job.

My guess? All that scented stuff was probably really bad for you! I loved those scratch and sniff stickers! There were some though that were absolutely disgusting! Remember "leather?" Blech!

Can you tell us more about your new book?? I'm doing cartwheels over here just thinking about it! (cartwheels in my mind of course; I no longer have a cartwheel kind of body anymore.)

We had that Jaws game! I totally forgot about it until you mentioned it. That is too funny.
you can still get scented stuff-my 11 yr old daughter is into 'smencils'. I guess they are popular in middle school.
I loved scratch-n-sniff stickers.

Liz, uh... well. It's a mystery. It is all a big mystery right now LOL.

I loved scratch 'n sniff stickers so much! Remember how even all the Strawberry Shortcake dolls (and clothes) were scented? And how swatch watches were scented?

OMG! The scented Swatch watch. I had one, of course.
All of SS things smelled like strawberries though. And so did everything else it came in contact with.

What is wrong with geese in bonnets?

Ok, I am sorry I know I am brain-dead today and all but where did I talk about the escalator at Target? Have I forgotten so soon? Anyway yes the Target in Sherman Oaks is one of the two-story kind (you have to build Up, not Out in these parts) and it has an escalator for your cart, you get on the escalator next to it, it's very fancypants. I always take the elevator though. The Wal-mart in Pacoima has one, too. They build up so you can have a parking structure or there's no way to shop there!

Laurie, do you remember Strawberry Shortcake dolls? They were scented too. My cousin's mom still has their Strawberry Shortcake dolls, and they STILL have the strawberry smell...and the blueberry smell!

I have the Strawberry Shortcake dolls crochet leaflet. I should get that out and make the dolls for my nieces. I also have the Carebears crochet leaflet too.

Jann, geese totally don't like bonnets. They are way more into baseball caps. I have heard this from many geese in my time.

From their bills to my ears.

I love your little brother! Better watch out or he'll become the favorite child!! (if he isn't already) :)

Aiii! I had a Strawberry Shortcake doll! Actually, I had the Lemon Merengue doll I think. When we were little my sister and I have footie pjs that were called "Jammies in a Jar" - they came in a plastic container and they smelled like strawberries, even after you washed them (though storing them in the plastic container may have contributed to that). This was probably around 1980. I don't remember scented swatch watches though.

I had the Coolest Pencil Ever when I was about 8. It was plastic and fruit-scented, and when the point was dull you pulled it out and stuck it in the back and a new point popped out! Where do they come up with this stuff?

I still have one of my Swatch watches! I loaned my sister my first Swatch...she lost it of course. Everything she borrowed from me either got lost or broken.

I think I'll go see if my surviving Swatch watch is still scented or not.

OMG Becky I remember that pencil! And Also Becky -- he is already the favorite child :) All us other kids are waaaaay down on the totem pole.

Oh I had to come back because someone mentioned Carebears. My sister had Carebears, But I had... My Little Ponies. Lots of them. Regular ponies and unicorn ponies and seahorse ponies and baby ponies and pegasus ponies and ponies with butterfly wings (which were different from the pegasus ponies...) I saved up my allowance fastidiously to buy ponies. Some of the ponies had clothes. Some of the mommy & baby ponies had *matching* clothes. I remember one set in particular - mommy & baby *rollerderby* clothes, complete with roller skates. I wouldn't lie about such things.

We finally sold off the herd at a tag sale about 10 years ago, after I was out of college. In retrospect, I probably should have saved all those ponies! Some day they will be "classic". :)

Remember that the baby Cabbage Patch doll's heads smelled like baby powder? I was very disappointed when my babies did not smell like that. My kids smelled more like poop and vomit with a baby powder chaser.

LOVE the sushi cat! Two of my favorite things!

Laurie, I think I have Adult ADD. I just spent an hour sorting through all the knitting projects I have going and I have NINE on the needles simultaneously. I made a list of all the projects I have yarn and/or a pattern for, and I'm up to the year 2011. I'm starting to scare myself.

Of course, part of these come from Frank - who has decided it's really cool to have a wife who knits and - oh, hey! look at THAT cool yarn! I have a sweater and a pair of slippers on the needles for him, and now he's asking if I can design him a sweater with Robbie the Robot from Forbidden Planet on the front. I haven't the heart to tell him I am terrible at intarsia. Projects for spouses don't count - do they?

My knitting group at work all learned how to knit socks last week. You don't want to know how much sock yarn I just bought.... Oh well. It's STILL cheaper than a therapist.

OtherLisa, it sounds like married life suits you :) And it's good for your stash!!!!

I had a doll that was called "Baby Alive" (I think I named her "Sam", because all my dolls were either "Sam", or "Joey".)

Anyways, Sam Baby Alive, had batteries in her back. And she ate food. Special baby food that came in packets in the box with her. You'd add water to the "food", and then feed it to her. And, she "pooped" it out a little while later.

The novelty wore off after I gave her some chocolate pudding that my mom made, and she "pooped" it out, and her batteries went bad and leaked acid all over Sam's back, and she got fuzzy stuff coming out of her butt that smelled suspiciously like chocolate pudding that got nastier and nastier as time went on.

Obviously, she was a special needs doll and needed more care than I could give her.

I'm pretty sure that my dad put Sam Baby Alive up for "adoption" and the nice garbage man gave her a new home somewhere.

I still have a Cabbage Patch doll (still in the box!) that my aunt gave me about 15yrs ago. I should get that doll out and use it as a model for crocheted doll clothes for my cousin's 4yr old's dolls.

Oh yes. I had a Baby Alive, too! I loved that doll to death... literally....

Yep, had the colorforms (still have some!), the Fashion Plates, and...Weebles! Weebles wobble, but they don't fall down!

Suddenly, I feel old...!

Baby Alive's didnt seem to live very long, did they?

I cant find my swatch watch! I know I still have it! If I can find it, I have to know if it's still scented! Plus, I might go buy a new battery and wear it again. This one was the clear one that you could see the watch movements inside, and the band was sort of clear...in an opaque way.

I took my Weebles apart when I was about 7 or 8. (I was constantly taking things apart) They had a nice lead weight in their butts.

I'd take the Weebles apart and then put them back together with the wrong bodies on the wrong butts.

Did the same thing with my old Little Peoples. (before they made the Little Peoples bigger and fatter) Switched their little heads out. Put the construction worker's head on the pink girl's body.

I love Sublime Stitchery designs, what a fantastic sweepstakes!

I loved that plastic goo. Just the thought of the smell makes me think of summer, hanging out at the pool with other 8 yr old girlfriends, birthday party goody bags...thanks for the memories!

The last time I had a yard sale, people were in my front lawn before dawn digging through boxes using flashlights! Never underestimate the power of used junk!

I had a Baby Alive doll too.

And Breyer horses coming out my ears. i made horse trailers out of my legos for them.

and btw, does anyone think that the poor cat in the Hartz ad is cross-eyed?

Your little brother is just to cute!

Oh.My.God. You people are making me feel like the OLDEST PERSON ALIVE...I had a Chatty Cathy doll...circa early 1960s...and I have NEVER heard of most of the toys you are describing!

Of course, like ErinLindsey I took everything apart, so my Chatty Cathy did not last too long :)

Cute puppies make everything better!

Although I see no family resemblance, your baby brother is ADORABLE!

Oh, I LOVE Sublime Stitching's little stitch-packs! I ordered four of them a few months ago and they are wonderful, and thank you so much for the chance to win a few more! :)

Oh, and also? Your little brother is cute as a bug. I love his big old ears!

SO CUTE! All of it, embroidery, puppy. Thank you!

Yay for demographics! I had Weeble Wobbles, my sister had fashion plates [which, she is a tomboy and never played with them], aaaaaand I still HAVE my Merlin game in my dresser. woot!

Your baby brother is so cuuuuute! He looks like he has Nancy Sinatra's white go-go boots on!

These boots are made for walking!!!

(or is it just me that thinks that!)

Awwwww! I'm sorry that Allison is moving! I'm very happy for her and her family but it's always so sad when a really good friend moves far away!

Enjoy your weekend, sweetie! I can't wait to hear about your new secret book. I'm so proud of you!!

I'm sorry she's moving, too, because I'll miss her. But I am also really happy for her -- her family is all in Philly and she'll have support with Evan and Jeff got a great job. So I am happy and sad all at one time :)

Have a great weekend!!

Sally - I had a Chatty Cathy, too! And I can peg the ages of many of the other people leaving comments based on when my daughters acquired My Little Ponies, or Cabbage Patch dolls, or whatever.

I also had an original Barbie. Sadly, she got "lost" by my mother in a move. We went to summer camp when we were 6 or 7 and came home to a new house - no forewarning. And no Barbie.

Do you ever have occasion to wear mittens in California? I live in Canada and...inquiring minds need to know.

Regarding resistance: I am doing the no-buy thing as well. I found a way to ease the desire to purchase. I created a folder in my email, and every time I think I want something, I send myself an email that goes to that folder. I figure I have everything in writing, and I can look at that folder NEXT YEAR. By then, I probably will not even want most of the items I listed in my emails.

He is as cute as a button, lol!

I love those embroidery patterns. I went through the embroidery phase too. Then I did a cross stitch phase, then a crewel work phase. I guess now I'm in my knitting phase? My mom still does a lot of embroidery, I should have her do a table cloth for me with the sushi patterns.

Oh, and your baby brother is sooo cute!

OMG!!!!! your little brother is just so adorable!

I still have a stitchery stash and can't pass by some good embroidery or counted cross stitch kits or patterns. These are cute! I went through my allowance every summer walking down to the dime store, (yes, I am that old) buying squares and floss and making dishtowels! I have one more chapter to read in your book....gotta go! (Now write us the next one now!)
Sara

Laurie--your new little bro is tooo cute (& this from a "cat person"...but, being a Sag. I love all critters!)

Hope I win the new contest/drawing...becuz I can actually embrod. (as opposed to knitting, which eludes me),,.also, the sushi cat is a "good luck cat" in Japan!!! Folks put a ceramic cat like it in the entry-way of restaurants to bring them good fortune.

As for the scratch & sniff dolls...my almost 2-yr-old step-niece twice removed (it's a southern thang) actually looks (bless her heart) like a Cabbage Patch Kid (& has since the get-go)...and the sniff thing...well, never y'all mind. Lord, what do those folks feed her?

Everyone out there...Laurie, especially, have a great weekend!!!

K.

Oh my god....the cuteness...who can STAND it!!! The cats and the SUSHI...and I don't even eat sushi...but I have cats and I have a giant stash of embroidery floss from my days of cross-stitch..and I used to do embroidery as a kid...then I too scared my parents. So I must win!! thanks for a great Friday post!

Laurie...will you post more kitty or baby brother puppy pictures this weekend. I need something to look at and go "Squeeeeee!" over. We had a tornado tonight, and my neighborhood got bitch-slapped by Mother Nature.

I'm in a hotel and playing with the wifi internet while I can. (power is out at home) If I get to stay here for a few days, I'll be bored to death and knitting/crocheting like a crazy person.

Hopefully the power will come back to my house soon...and I'll be able to squee over your kitty/puppy pictures in my own home soon.

POST MORE PICTURES!!! I need to see more cuteness!!!

Here in Sacramento, on one weekend before Christmas, we have the opportunity to mail christmas cards via Pony Express. The real, actual, official Pony Express picks up the mail at one spot and delivers them to a post office some distance away. (Not several states. I think it's a few miles.)

On actual ponies. For real.

I love your blog.

However

(yeah you knew that was coming!)

Today I see an ad for Hartz flea products.

Hartz makes bad flea products. Cats have died from the use of Hartz flea products. I hate to think that you might be using them on your cats! Personally I use Advantage on mine, but Frontline and whatever that other one is, is good too. But Hartz is seriously dangerous!

Aw, those short little legs nabbed me right by the heart strings.

Jill, thank you for posting about Hartz! You beat me to it!

oh my lawdy that dog is CUTE!!
And I wanted to let you know that I did my part and took advantage of the Supercrafty sale to, um, enhance? my sock yarn stash. thanks!

Wow I love the iron on embroidery. My grandmother used to get Workbasket magazine and these would come free every month (I'm a tad younger than God and just a hair younger than Regan)! I had them on everything! As a 70s gal they rocked! Missed out on legwarmers, can't keep pulling those up while you're chasing toddlers. Just lived vicariously through my little sis. Thanks for the memories.

PS: Little bro may need his own blog. too cute!

PS (after reading the other comments!) Liz R- I can empathize- I seriously hurt myself last year before realizing cartwheels were no longer an option...
Laurie- thanks for wondering about the Target comments- I had NO idea what folks were talking about either, but up here in my neighborhood in the Bay area we also have the two-story Target with the cart-o-vator; I just love that thing. And thanks to whoever mentioned the Jaws game- what a blast from the past. My baby brother had that crazy thing- it was kind of creepy. And lastly- ErinLindsey you are a HOOT!!

I'm seeing this as a pattern for a couple of scrapbook pages .. (particularly for the chopsticks... my son is currently in China .. and they will be perfect to stitch on a page or two!)

Keeping my fingers crossed that I'm one of the winners!!!!

The embroidery -so cute. My daughter loves anything Japanese. And I kinda like it too, especially the kitty.
And little brother -yummy cute. I'm another one of those people who say that someone is so cute I could eat him up. I used to nibble on my babies' toes and now I tell my cats that I'm going to eat their to-toes. You want to see a teen-aged son roll his eyes in disgust?
And thanks for putting that Styx song in my head. I can hear Eric Cartman singing it now.
And I had a Chatty Cathy doll, too! I remember that my sister's and my dolls were wrecked either by our cutting their hair or our dog chewing up their hands and feet. Poor crippled dolls!

/

Lynne, I get weird when I get all excited about tornados ripping trees out of my front yard, and hailstones the size of small puppies are falling from the sky. (too bad the "puppy hail" wasnt all cute and fuzzy and all squirmy when you want to go Squee! all over it. (I'd have been out there collecting puppy hail then)

The Target down the street from me got some massive damage from the storm last night (which has been determined to be straight line winds and not an actual tornado....90mph - 110mph winds!)

So, our Target is closed until further notice. Eeeek!! What am I going to do when I want an Target brand pizza for dinner? My Target is closed...and so is our Baker's (kind of a high end Kroger's)

Your little brother is adorable!

Oooh yeah, count me in on the contest. I am of the personal opinion that feedsack dishtowels with cute chazerai (ask Faith) embroidered on them are the best. Also, I have a pet thimble, dontcha know, which has been considerable itchy of late. I have some serious Embroidery vibes coming on. Sally - I hear your Chatty Cathy and raise you my Tiny Tears! For my part, I still prefer toys without which you need batteries and stuff (for kids; you can't pry my laptop outta my cold dead hands). Also - here's your Amazing Toy History Fact for the day: You know Lincoln Logs? (THERE is a mighty fine toy). Are you sittin' down? Invented by John Wright - THE SON OF FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT!! So Lincoln Logs are from Wisconsin, and 'cause I know you're all going to be shouting "Thank you!" all over, I'll just say "You're welcome" right now.

Thanks for the sweepstakes! And thanks for writing this blog. I went back to work at the beginning of May, and have written a grand total of one blog entry since then. How do you manage to work, commute, AND write such great blog entries on a regular basis? I am impressed, Laurie. And reading your blog makes me think and laugh, two things that don't often go together. Thank you.

PS: Your little brother? I *do* see the fambly resemblance, and got both a "Squee!" AND a "woot!" from me. (May I also, while admiring his sweet self, say that Corgis are said to have exceptionally dear personalities, and they were the favorite of Tasha Tudor (now of blessed memory). Laurie, next time you're home, get her delightful book "Corgiville Fair" outta the library and read it to him. You'll both love it.

Your baby brother is adorable! Also - I love those stitch patterns. I just saw them for the first time at a store here in Seattle. I *definitely* am putting embroidery on my fall project list (summer being already taken over by unfinished knitting projects that need to get done, pronto).

Ok...the puppy is the cutest thing ever. I think the embroidery patterns are actually sort of cute. I haven't done embroidery in a very long time. I did buy some yarn that has nothing to do with the yarn I used when I was quitting smoking before. It was sad yarn, and will go to the Good Will or something so someone can have fun with it and not have the memories. I have new fun, pretty yarn and I'm not sure I'm ready to start knitting. I got the sewing machine out today to make a little curtain for the bathroom that matched the ones I had put up and had to alter. I'm so domestic I can hardly stand myself right now. Makes me want to go drink a beer and sit around in an undershirt or something. If I don't win the books, I might just order one or two.

Oh, man, I am loving these brother pics. My family had a corgi growing up, and she was seriously the sweetest dog you can imagine. It was very sad when she left us, and every time I see a corgi, it makes me happy to think of her. :)

Your brother is way cuter than you are. I hope displacement issues are not bothering you too much, but apparently not, since you are happily posting his picture for us to adore.

I don't do much embroidery these days, although I did enter the sweepstakes. For portable summer knitting I prefer socks. (I gotta do that mitten thing, though.)

I remember, way back in the late 60's early 70's embroidering everyyyything. And then pre-embroidered designs came out that you could just iron on or stitch on...yikes. I loved french knots very much. Very cool contest.

Hmmm - sorry I keep posting so late - was on vacation for a week, and can't catch up.

I'm way too old for Strawberry Shortcake, but I have some plastic hangers that I got years ago that still have a peach scent to them. Very weird to go around with your shoulders smelling like fake fruit....why do people invent this stuff, instead of just using a sachet?.....