Auntie M's home!

Dakota & Lilly were very excited to see a familiar white car pull into our driveway Saturday afternoon: Amanda (or Auntie M, as we call her to the pups) is here to visit for the weekend! She and Kurtis are spending time with the 'rents, family and friends. But Mandy made a special trip over to say hello to her favorite dogs. (If you look closely, you'll notice that Dakota, at left, is holding his beloved lamb in his mouth.) It's the first time Mandy has been back to Ta Town since she moved in mid-July.

A good animal aunt and dog trainer, Mandy reviewed some of her favorite tricks, including speak, sit, turn around, lie down and up:

So cute!

We didn't plan this, part 5

Today was an especially matchy-matchy day at work. First, Suzanne, Karen and I were classy-cool in black and white ...

... and Diane and Lori were pretty in pink:

After work, Brian and I enjoyed a free party at the Brickyard before we made an appearance at event No. 1 of my 10-year Maize High Class of '97 reunion. Wow. Some things never change, eh? We told everyone that we invented Post-Its. Just kidding. (Can you name that random movie reference?)

In other "We didn't plan this news," Brian and my high school friend Mindy joked tonight that they both were wearing jeans and red shirts over white long-sleeve tops. Weirdos.

They've seen better days

Remember Dakota & Lilly's new toys, the stuffed lamb and puppy? Now that it's been a few weeks, please allow me to refresh your memory, with before and after photos:

In addition to the fact that they don't bark and baa anymore, there are several things to point out here, including puppy's missing right ear and left leg.

And little lamb isn't looking so white anymore, as these before and after photos illustrate:

Also, lamb and pup look rather, well, crunchy from doggy drool. Yep. Tasty.

Such is the life of a beloved toy. (Remember the children's classic, "Velveteen Rabbit," when the bunny's coat had worn thin and threadbare from hugging?)

Shedding shuffle

In our furry household, we love lint rollers:

So you can understand why I got a kick out of this frame, which I saw this evening at Hallmark:

Tuits

Tonight at quilt guild, member and presenter Barb (whose completed projects include a quilt with this gorgeous Mariner's Compass pattern) taught us a great new term for UFOs (unfinished objects): tuits. As in "Someday I'll get tuit." Example usage: I started a similar Mariner's Compass quilt, but it's now stacked up with my other tuits.

I was telling Brian about how clever I thought this was, and he was astonished that I'd never heard of a "round tuit." I Googled it and found that there are lots of companies that sell cheesy tuit token gifts. That way unsuspecting recipients can proudly proclaim that they finally got a round tuit. Barf. So, in my mind, the term went from cool to consumer kitschy in no time flat.

Extra! Extra!

My co-workers gave me some grief for bragging that I brought in more than $100 on the street corner before heading in to work, but, by golly, I ain't ashamed of it and neither is my momma! Today was my third year in a row participating in Taking It to the Streets, a fundraising campaign for United Way. The 6 a.m. start time was beginning to wear on me when a generous woman gave me a $50 bill for a 50 cent paper. I asked her if she wanted 100 papers. She politely declined. A few seconds later, a man gave me $10 for a paper. I was feeling lucky!

A few insights from my morning hawking newspapers:

• Thank God I never had to work as a newsboy.
• About 80 percent of people do these things while driving to work in the 7 o'clock hour: smoke, drink coffee, eat fatty breakfast sandwiches, talk on cell phones.
• I'd never before seen someone drinking coffee out of a Pyrex measuring cup.
• Some people will avoid eye contact at all costs.
• For every impatient driver, there was a kind driver who smiled and waved.
• I'm glad my mornings don't always start at 6 a.m.