Helping Hands

Two weeks ago, Jeremy and I were heading back home from spending time at my sister's house with my grandma and aunts. I was looking forward to an afternoon nap, Jeremy was looking forward to watching some basketball.

I was driving south on Western Avenue, which is one of the busier streets in Chicago. We were almost to the Western/Diversey/Elston intersection when we spotted a beagle running down the street, heading right for this very busy intersection. 

I told Jeremy to hop out and try to get to the dog before he got to the intersection. By the time I parked the car, the dog had safely made it through the intersection, but Jeremy was stuck at a red light. 

When we made it across the intersection, we found the dog in a gas station parking lot, where two guys were trying to corral him. I bought a stick of beef jerky and we calmed the dog down enough to lay down and let me pet him. He was terrified, and wet and cold from running through the slush.

The guys called animal control, but had to leave. Luckily, a girl getting gas spotted us and had a friend who works for an animal rescue shelter, Furever Rescue. She called her friend, Natalie, and Natalie started working to find someone to pick up the dog. 

We waited about an hour and a half with that little guy. People were so kind. Everyone asked if he was OK. People gave us towels and blankets and helped us wrap him up.

Natalie couldn't find anyone to pick him up, so she came herself. She asked us to name him, and we chose Elston, after one of the streets in the intersection. 

Natalie brought him to the vet and sent us pictures and updates throughout the evening. The next day, we agreed to foster him until a family could be found.

Then, fate (and social media) stepped in. Jeremy had shared the story of finding Elston with some people from work. When he shared it with one girl, she said that her husband follows a Facebook group, Lost Dogs Illinois (see link here). A beagle named Snoopy had broke out of his collar in her neighborhood, just north of where we found the dog.

Jeremy checked the picture, and sure enough, Elston was actually Snoopy! Jeremy called the owner. She was so relieved! She started crying, thanking Jeremy, and telling Snoopy's story.

Snoopy had just been adopted 3 weeks earlier. He was an abused dog that was abandoned because he wasn't good at hunting. He was so scared, he wouldn't let anyone but his new owner near him. 

Natalie brought Snoopy home. I spoke to the owner a couple days later. She said that Snoopy was doing great. Through the whole ordeal, he had actually become LESS nervous, and was letting others pet him.

Jeremy and I were so glad that we were able to help, and feel so grateful to Furever Rescue and Lost Dogs Illinois for getting Snoopy home safely!

Now for helping my hands stay warm on our SLOW transition from winter to spring, I knitted some fingerless gloves this week. I used the leftover yarn from my scarf.

I followed the directions from this youtube video.

They were pretty quick and easy to whip up. Each glove took about 2 hours for me to do. They turned out pretty cute!

I am on Spring Break the next two weeks. I've already enjoyed the slower pace, and am looking forward to sleeping in, seeing friends, and visiting my parents.

Until next time, keep crafting.

SB

Love: Infinity Scarf

During the month of February (and now March), I've decided to create a series of posts based on the different real life love stories that inspire me. I'll be featuring friends and family, and their different types of love.

Without really thinking about it, I picked the perfect month to feature love on my blog. The theme started off because February is, of course, the month of Valentine's Day.

What I hadn't considered at the beginning of February is how much I would be seeing my family and how they carried me through a very difficult and stressful month at work, simply by being around.

I started working on this scarf in January, right about when things started to get stressful at work. I actually started working on it the last time we saw my parents before they went on their yearly winter trip (this time to Florida and Dominican Republic).

I continued to work on the scarf as we took our trip to Texas to see Jeremy's sister and family. I took a break from the scarf and the stress of work on this trip. 

I feel so lucky that I ended up with a second family (in-laws, if you will), that make me feel so at ease, relaxed, and carefree.

My cousin, Kristen, and her son, Colton came to stay with Emily, Tony, Sofia, Jeremy, and I the next weekend. I picked Kristen and Colton up from the airport after a particularly disastrous meeting at end of a Friday. Had Kristen and Colton not been in town, my weekend probably would have been spent wallowing.

But, after Kristen, Em, and Tony lent a sympathetic ear, the weekend was spent having fun, hanging out together at Emily's.

And spending time at the Children's Museum at Navy Pier.

I also have been helping out a couple evenings a week with Sofia. Tony is out of the country with his family, and it's truly been the highlight of my weeks to spend evenings with Sofia. (Plus her early bedtime has given me a lot of time for knitting.)

Last weekend, I spent time with friends that have become family.

Maggie's husband, Mike and daughter, Grace, with Sofia.

And my Gram, Aunt Cindy, and Aunt Judy came into town for the day on Sunday. Emily hosted with a fabulous brunch. We spent time laughing at Sofia grabbing ice cubes out of Aunt Cindy's drink and enjoying watching Sofia grow.

And all month (really almost two months now), there has been Jeremy. Always quietly stepping up to the plate, ready to back me up when I need it the most. Taking care of the dog, grocery shopping, making meals, always there, quietly helping.

Things are getting better at work; they've just started looking up this week, just as I was finishing my scarf.

Fittingly, the scarf has some unexpected twists and turns (from a knitting error I made, it's more of a figure 8 than a circle), and things at work has taken an unexpected twist with a slightly different role than I was expecting.

But, with the love of my family, everything turned out just fine.

Thank you family!

Until next time, keep crafting.

SB

Love: Freak Flag

During the month of February (and now March), I've decided to create a series of posts based on the different real life love stories that inspire me. I'll be featuring friends and family, and their different types of love.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Jeremy and I are so lucky to have our friends. They all mean so much to us and play such an important role in our lives.

We are especially lucky to have couples whose company we both really enjoy.

Lindsay and Tyler are one of our favorite couples. They live in Michigan, we live in Chicago, but due to long weekends of visiting each other, we probably spend more time with them than any other friends.

They came into town earlier this month.

Tyler and Jeremy went to the same high school. They became friends in high school and college. They are two peas in a pod. They enjoy a lot of the same things, namely, putting things on their heads that are not hats, drinking beer, playing video games, staying up way later than anyone in their mid to late twenties should, cooking, and dancing (yes dancing, and yes, there is always alcohol involved). 

Tyler and Lindsay started dating about a year before Jeremy and I. When I came on the scene, Lindsay and I soon realized that we were also two peas in a pod. We enjoy many of the same things, namely, laughing at the boys' shenanigans, drinking red wine while discussing (or watching) Harry Potter, passing out on the couch mid conversation way earlier than anyone in their mid to late twenties should, and eating the food the boys have cooked.

Since we stay with them when we are back home, and they use our apartment as their Chicago home base, we've come to realize that despite of because of our personality quirks, we get along quite well. It's pretty difficult to hide these quirks when spending days at a time with another couple, so we all unofficially decided a long time ago just to let our freak flags* fly when we are together.

for those of you unaware of the meaning of the term "freak flag": A characteristic, mannerism, or appearance of a person, either subtle or overt, which implies unique, eccentric, creative, adventurous or unconventional thinking.

Together, we all enjoy watching our mismatched dogs.

Mosby and Frank: best buds

discussing our favorite TV shows, dreaming of taking a vacation together, trying new foods,

great French restaurant, Restaurant Week 2013

and letting those freak flags fly.

From Tyler's Facebook, at another friend's wedding

In honor of our fellow freak flag waving friends, I made a Valentine's Day banner.

It's a more simple, no sew version of my Give Thanks Banner.

Again, I started with cutting a triangle out of paper. I found that if I cut the paper in half first, it's much easier to get even sides.

Then, I cut out the fabric.

I used hot glue to glue the fabric to some twine.

And here's a look at the finished product.

Next time, I hope to finish up my Love series.

Until then, keep crafting.

SB