My Tot wanted to share her valentine with you today. Have a special day.

Friday night kicked off with craft night with a couple of friends. All of us worked on our own crafts while we ate snacks and drank wine. It was nice. I worked on my loom knitting (the only kind of knitting I can do!) while others worked on origami and felting. Here's little Nessie playing the piano and the beginning of my circle scarf.

I like how fast the loom knitting works up. I'm almost done now and I can't wait to show you guys the results. Saturday morning, I went to yoga class. It's one of my New Year's resolutions to do yoga at least once per week. I have been enjoying it, even though having a male instructor is a little strange. After yoga, I met up with a friend for lunch. I met this cute little girl (below) Saturday evening when I went to a housewarming party for a couple of friends. I came baring an antler for her (Copley) and we soon became fast friends. Have any of you played Cards Against Humanity? I'm one to hate card games and this one rocks. Highly recommended!
After early afternoon on Sunday was taken up by going to the dog park and dog snoozing, I headed to Cambridge to enjoy some vegan diner eats before a coupon expired. (Yeah, I love a good deal!) It was amazing and left me so full that I ended up taking the majority of it home for lunch the next day.


Doesn't that look amazing? The Kendall Square Burger (aka arugula with a mushroom and chickpea patty and onion rings), an arugula sandwich, potato salad and baked mac n cheese. All vegan. Om nom nom! I also wanted to show off a new pair of pants that I purchased on Thursday from a local shop. Aren't they awesome! I wore them today to work (since it's the first time in over a week that we haven't had subzero temps) and they are so comfortable. It's like having a bit of Spring in Winter.

Now that it's Monday, I actually feel pretty good. It was nice to have a weekend full of friends and different activities. Although it doesn't substitute for Ryan being gone, it was still a nice weekend to have.

field roast!

my ryan, eating his t-giving meal

post meal walk

mmmm...cinnamon rolls

waiting desperately for treats while we drank hot cider and coffee

how i know he's home...camera and law books

on our walk

apple pie

It was so good to have Ryan home for the long weekend. I am looking forward to seeing him for Christmas break too. Tater played so much that after Ryan left, she slept all day. Had to make up for the naps she missed, I guess.

Now that Thanksgiving is past, don't forget to sign up for my ornament exchange! I will be assigning partners this coming weekend and I don't want anyone to lose out. Click here to read more about it and sign up. Thanks!

I was so excited to get Tater Tot's doggy gift exchange present this week. The personal touches with her name embroidered on the handkerchief and the plush bone toys are great and she loves the treats too. Oh, and the rope toy is the best because she loves tugging it and it is stretchy.

Thanks for hosting the exchange, Diana!

My coworker invited Tater and me over for Halloween night. We enjoyed a chili dinner and passing candy out to kids of all ages.

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween.

I spent part of this weekend with Tater at a Doggy Halloween event at a nearby farm. She had a lot of fun smelling all of the dogs and eating treats. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the event:

The bulldog and "sheep" are my favorites. Hehe. Even though Tater did not win in any of the categories, she did have a lot of fun and she won one of the door prizes. She could pick the prize and she chose...a rawhide. Big surprise there!

What did all of you do for the weekend? Any fall activities? Spend time with your companions?

 Well, it certainly wasn't my intention not to blog for a week. I couldn't believe it when I looked at my last post and it was over a week ago that I had written it. Oh well. There hasn't been too much happening this week, other than a lot of work time.
Since those pictures aren't as interesting, here are some of Tater Tot. The second photo made it to Chelsey's favorites in the photo challenge this week. Tater rediscovered her raw hide this morning and is whining with it in her mouth, trying to find a place to put it. She is truly adorable and a great companion.
My cooking during the week was almost non-existent, but I made up for it yesterday by making a stir fry with more produce from the farmer's market. This one features kale, leeks and carrots. I also threw in some tofu, but I cannot get that from the farmer's market.
I worked on some monster-patterned baby booties for a party this week. I cannot wait to see the photos from it. Even though I haven't made a pair in a while, it was amazing how quickly it came back to me and I didn't have to look at the instructions once. It makes me proud, as I am pretty much a beginning sewer.
My scarf exchange partner, Diana, mailed me my scarf and I received it this week. I love the pattern and the colors...should take me into fall very well. It is from Michelle Brusegaard's shop on Etsy. Check it out when you have the chance...there are tons more scarfs, stationary and odds 'n' ends. The photos above are from her shop. I'll take photos of my own...eventually.

I decided that I am going to have a summer sale of items in my shop to make room for new/fall/winter/holiday items. It will be effective in the next couple of hours, so check it out when you have the chance.

What have you been up to this week?

I don't buy rawhides for Tater very often. For one thing, they leave white marks everywhere that she slobbers on them. For another, she will chew them until they are gone, which leaves her digestive system pretty backed up for a day or two. Today I decided to buy her a couple and it was pretty adorable to see her try to bury the "bone" in the couch, floor and closet. She didn't really become interested in chewing it until I started taking photos of her with it. Go figure. I linked up with the Paper Mama's photo challenge for the week--Toys. Enter yourself!
I know that it is not even October yet, but as I plan to make the majority of my gifts for others this year, I have been thinking about Christmas. However, there are some things that I do not know how to make and so I like to "window-shop" while online. I had found the blog the Curious Pug through YB+YB and quickly fell in love as she walked her readers through her crafts, dog and a shop she was soon to open. The online shop opened on Labor Day and is called Happy Sprout Pet Boutique. You can see her ad proudly displayed on the right of my blog under "Affiliates". Click over when you get the chance; you won't be disappointed! My favorite item? This sweater right here:
Look at that happy face!

This is my fur baby in the morning. I let her out of the crate and she gets to spend some more sleep time on the bed (the post-sleep nap). No, I did not catch her between blinks. This is her, trying to keep her eyes open for me while I took a few shots. She was SO sleepy this morning!

This post was entered in Chelsey's weekly photo challenge. This week's theme is "morning".

Ryan got a new camera last week and was able to test it out at a 4th of July BBQ last week. I absolutely LOVE this shot. I love how in focus her eye is. The new camera is definitely a keeper!

A Tuesday night photo challenge? You bet! Chelsey at the Paper Mama is having a pet photo contest at her blog. Check it out to enter your sweet fur baby.

I made a few more chalkboards for our shop. You may find them here and here.

This weekend, we took Tater to the woods and she had a grand ol' time tromping through the long grass and attempting to swim through shallow brooks. Isn't she beautiful? The next three photos are by Ryan.
I can definitely see the bulldog in her in the first photo. In the second, she is more herself (smiling). We picked at least 12 ticks off from her once we got out of the woods. Thankfully, she was patient and still loved us afterwards.

I also washed mounds and mounds of laundry this weekend. Believe me, we don't need pictures of that up here. I feel like I'm caught up in most domestic spheres and ready to start the week.
This is Tater rolling around in the river on a hot day. She does like to roll around on our carpet as well as the grass...I just never pictured her rolling in the water. What a funny capture.

badass

 After winning my first giveaway, I seem to continue to win! Not everything, mind you, but now that I have won my third giveaway my excitement level has only increased. This giveaway was put on by Restless Hearts Yonder for Pussycat Vintage. I just started reading Nicole's blog and I have already fallen in love with her honesty about all that she does as well as her gorgeous dogs.
Aren't they sweet? I especially love the brindle and motion of the foot. So precious. To read an interview with Nicole, click here. Here are a few photos from her blog (all photos in this post are by Nicole and her family). Be sure to check out the rest of her blog!
I am so appreciative of being picked! I won a shop credit to her shop, Pussycat Vintage. I can choose from all the items in her shop...here are but a couple that caught my eye:

If only my feet were a size 5.5!

Living vicariously through other people's tattoos.

Ok, and one more photo of her fur babies. I cannot help it!
Tomorrow my flight leaves for a vacation home. I need to pack my last minute necessities everything tonight and then I'll be on my way.