Rudy is Distraught: WHAT HAPPENED TO JULY?

After a month of new playmates, Rudy is back to just Cuddle Buns and me. He wandered from room to room this morning looking for his new playmates. They are gone. Back to Germany. They kissed him goodbye yesterday, but I just don't think he understood the gravity of the situation. They won't be coming back for awhile.

No one here to constantly squeak his toys to get his attention. 

No one locking him in a room or a closet so that he won't play with anyone else. 

No one pretending to be a dog to get him to obey. 

No playing tug from dawn 'til dusk. 

This is a picture of when Rudy first met Maddox. Maddox is the dog man. 

Hayden didn't want to be, but became one.

Rudy desperately misses them both.

Kennel Crud

This is Rudy Patootie when Cuddle Buns picked him up from the spa. If looks could kill!! He found out we were here:

Without him. 

Having fun. Without him.

Looking at fish through crystal clear water.  Without him.

There's 3 feet of water there. It really is crystal clear. Promise.

Playing in that water. Without him.

And having all kinds of other adventures. Without him.

Poor Rudy. He came home from the spa with a touch of Kennel Crud. I think he's faking it to make us feel bad. We went to Okoboji. Without him.  (We had a BLAST!  Missed you, though, Rudy!!)

For Women Only

I had to have a couple of scans yesterday. The kind that I don't mind. You just lay back and have them scan their magic technical wands over you to see if you are loosing all of your bones or to see if your thyroid has doubled in size. Very unobtrusive tests. But as I was almost snoozing on the table, thinking about the other female tests that are NOT unobtrusive (as a matter of fact, they are downright OBTRUSIVE) I got to thinking about how if women ran this whole medical fiasco (from the start....not just coming in late) we'd have a spa for this kind of thing. Between procedures you could have a massage or pedicure. Maybe make it a girlfriends overnighter and bring your knitting or scrapping or reading or whatever you wanted to do in peace.

Don't get me wrong....I'm not saying our husbands don't let us do our thing in peace. Cuddle Buns is very accommodating, as I've mentioned before. I'm just saying that only our female sisters know what we're really doing when we go in for that pap smear. Right? OK...there are  probably some male gynos out there that get it. Doubt it comes up as a serious topic in the locker room, though.

The tech asked about the possible need for biopsy during the test. I know I'd want my husband there. But I stand by the fact that the females in my life would be more support. Still need to work on this aspect.

And along that same topic, I think the procedures would be different if women developed them AND that the test results would be immediate.

So, when you are checking out hospitals to give birth, make sure you find out if they have a masseuse on call. Or a nail tech. Or maybe someone to teach a class on making embellishments using paper scraps and all of those shape makers you've been collecting. Or on knitting baby booties. Or on deep breathing techniques while your legs are in the stirrups.

Game On!

When I worked, I rarely made our bed. It is pretty safe to say that it only was made when the sheets were changed. Now that I'm home, I like the bed made every day. I like coming in to the bedroom when it is neat, and I love getting into bed at night with the sheets all smoothed out and the blankets just so.

Rudy has made up a new game to HELP me make the bed. He jumps on and off trying to catch whatever I'm pulling up or smoothing down. Guess he knows I'll give him a little belly rubbing for helping me.

Now if I could get him to put his toys back IN the basket...

Rose Colored Glasses

Those of you reading this most likely all know where I was today since my readership consists of people I see or talk to on a regular basis. And, despite the fact that you are all most likely interested in Rudy, today's post is about a new obsession I've found. (Actually, I decided tonight that I really only  have two obsessions. Scrapbooking and Fiber. The Fiber Obsession can be broken into three categories for me now: knitting, spinning, DYING. Rudy is an obsession, but different from those requiring 12 steps.)

Barbara and I met up Friday evening in Navasota. Her oldest son used to work in Navasota while at A&M and couldn't imagine why we would want to go there. Foolish children.

The WC Mercantile is there. And these lovely ladies.

That's Super Steph on the left and her mom, Petra, on the right. Super Steph owns the Mercantile. Petra taught a class on fiber dying that Barbara and I took today. (Just to set the record straight, Petra did not name her daughter Super Steph. Although it fits appropriately, and although I don't know her full name, I do know that Super Steph is what I call her because that is her Ravelry name. If you don't know what Ravelry is...you probably don't know who I am either.)

We each started with a skein of sock yarn that the girls had prepped for us. We hand painted dye onto it.

Rolled it in plastic wrap. And nuked it. (I'm sure this is how the pioneers set their dye.)

Everyone's technique was different. Everyone's yarn looked wonderful! Here's mine:

I used sapphire blue, chartreuse, and a golden color to make big stripes. I now have to purchase a whole set of different tools. Dyes. Crockpots. Vinegar by the gallon. Plastic Wrap. Rubber gloves. And then DIFFERENT dyes for my plant fibers like bamboo and milk fiber. These things, truth be told, are cheaper than the spinning wheel, fiber,  and yarn I've collected.

It was mighty nice to come home and have Rudy so excited to see me that he wet on the floor. 

Betrayal

In the past, when Darling GrandPrincess spent the night, she slept with Cuddle Buns and Me. Crazy thing has happened. There isn't room in our California King bed for the four of us any more. So, the last overnighter she slept in the guest room. (I know, I know....she should have been there all along.)

Problem is, Rudy wouldn't leave her. He slept with HER and not me. I can't tell you how hurt I am. We may just have to put up with two adults, a growing cuddler, and Rudy in one bed. I can't take the rejection.

I'm Sorry, So Sorry....along with Happy Birthday To You!

Read this with Brenda Lee singing in the background of your mind. For the first half of the post. Then the Birthday Song for the second half.

Through a series of unfortunately timed events (Mother's Day. The release of Iron Man 2) Rudy's first birthday came and went with not one piece of cake. I feel like the worst mom in the world. But since it is my Care Bear's birthday TODAY, I'm going to have two Hostess Cupcakes. One in her honor. One in Rudy Patootie's. It is the least I can do.

To both Rudy and Care Bear: Where does the time go? It seems like only yesterday you were a baby. 

Thankfully, some of us grow.