Moments | Our Little Family

It's been 4 weeks since our little family got a little bigger and I'm happy to report that things are going very well. Rollo and Logan are playing to their hearts content and bonding over digging holes together and then getting in trouble after. They really are a very cute pair, even when they're naughty.

Now that we've all settled in a bit, here's the story of how this all unfolded... 

To be clear, we weren't planning on adding to our family and this was all quite a 24-hour whirlwind for us. We had seen Rollo (previously Olaf) on the Dodge County Humane Society Facebook page back in July and had a soft spot for him. We almost went to meet him, but then he was adopted and I was happy for him. Then a few weeks later, he was on the Facebook page again and I just couldn't get him out of my head (or heart). I mentioned to Mike that he was back and even forwarded his photo to my cousin in Colorado, yet I insisted that we weren't going to get him. I'm awfully foolish sometimes. 

Without knowing that we were already interested, a friend emailed his photo to me. She's a volunteer at the Humane Society thought of us for the husky named Olaf. I tried to resist, but as the day progressed she filled me in and my heart melted hearing that he was depressed, not eating, and in need of a family that understands huskies. She also said that a family had been coming out to take him for walks with their huskies, brought him some food, and they had sponsored his adoption fee - obviously this little guy was very special and we had to meet him.

With all of this, it just seemed "meant to be" and met Olaf (soon to be Rollo) that night. We fell in love, the boys played, and we turned in our adoption application. I was, of course, on pins and needles waiting for the "approval" phone call the next morning. I picked up our new boy that afternoon and he has indeed, found his Forever Home.

As you can see, he's settling in very nicely.

Even though Rollo's adoption fee was sponsored, both Mike & I felt it was important to still donate to the shelter to help them care for the other animals and help them find their Forever Homes. Everyone we worked with at the Dodge County Humane Society was so kind and it's clear that they love the animals and are passionate about making their lives better - many thanks to them and to the dear family that cared for our boy before we met him.

All of our pups have come from a shelter and they've all been so special, including our dearly missed Joey. It's been one year today since we said goodbye to our handsome boy and we've thought of him frequently with our new addition. We will always miss him, but I can't help smiling because Joey would love Rollo and I laugh thinking of the trouble that they would get themselves into, with Logan not far behind.

Cheers!

Journey-Along | 2 Weeks To Go

 

We're down to the last two weeks of the Journey-along and I'm happy to report that my Inland is finally off the needles, washed, and currently drying on the blocking mats. Woo hoo!!!!

I had hoped for it to be ready for my trip out to Colorado a couple weeks ago, but when I checked the weather and saw it was going to be 75 and sunny, the motivation was gone. But that was okay, because a bulky sweater isn't necessary with weather like this...

After I got home, I went into power knitting mode and knit most of the body this last week.

Well, I *did* have a little "help"... our new guy, Rollo, loves to get right on top of the knitting - you know, just in case I forgot he was there.

Inland got a bath on Monday and as soon as it's dry, I'm going to sew on the buttons! We're off to northern Minnesota this weekend and I'm sure it will come in handy since it probably won't be 75 and sunny there in early November.

I haven't decided yet if I'm going to push myself to knit Antrorse in the final 14 days (I'd also like to finish up my 3rd pair of Climb socks), but we'll see... Do you have any final Journey projects to wrap up before our deadline of November 19th? If you haven't uploaded finished projects, you still have time (don't forget to tag with #journeyalong).

Be sure to check back, I'll be posting details on the final fabulous giveaway in just a few days! And... there will be a few more projects making their way to my needles - including at least one Jane and Shannon's new collection, SEASONLESS: Volume One, and some other fun upcoming KAL scheming.

Stay tuned... Cheers!

Leisure Time | Port Huron Brewing with guest Mr. Yarnista

He goes by many names - hubby, Mr. Yarnista, and (of course) Mike... - and today he's our guest here on the blog! Mike is very passionate about supporting small businesses and beer, and this year for his birthday he got to do both!

Here he is to tell you all about his special day. Enjoy!

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This ended up being way late for a whole bunch of reasons, but mostly because I procrastinate... just like in school. I guess some things never change. I hope my boss doesn't fire me. Anyway, to the blog post:

Well, I did it again. I got older. It almost always seems to happen around this time of year. Summer is coming to an end, kids are going back to school, and I get older. For those of you that might want to send a gift the next time I get older you can reference the contact info on fireflyfibers.com.

When Alisa asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday this year I pretty much had an idea in mind. A couple of years ago an old high school friend opened a brewery in Wisconsin Dells. I’ve been wanting to visit since he opened, but for various reasons it never worked out. Tanner and I were both in the percussion section of the high school band. We also played drums in the jazz band. I was a Senior when he was a Freshman, but it wasn’t long before he was a better drummer than I was. I knew that the percussion section would be in good hands after I graduated. Wait a second…what was I talking about? Oh yeah, the guy with the beer. We invited a couple of good friends to join us, and, as she does every Saturday at 3, Alisa closed up the shop & we were off to Port Huron Brewing Company.

When we arrived we found Tanner sweeping up the tap room floor while his wife worked behind the bar serving up pints and flights. After a quick chat and introductions we sat down at the bar and ordered our first round of drinks. As we drank our beer the tap room continued to fill with people arriving for the 4:30 brewery tour. Then, Tanner grabbed a Pepsi and we were off to see the brewery.

If you’re ever in Wisconsin Dells I definitely recommend stopping by for a tour of the brewery. We’ve been on other brewery tours, but Tanner has a way of explaining the brewing process in plain English that non-brewers can understand. And, he puts a lot of his personality into it. You can really tell that he has a passion for his work.

Not only did we learn how beer is made, we learned how beer is made at Port Huron Brewing Company. PHBC has only one full-time employee, and Tanner is it. The bottling process generally takes 3-4 people to run smoothly. At bottling time he calls on friends and family to help him out. At the end of the tour Tanner talked about how everything got started. He went to school to learn about brewing (which included time in Germany) and then worked for a couple of local breweries, including Capital Brewery in Middleton. It was during this time that the joking from his friends and family started. “You should open your own brewery,” they said. Pretty soon the jokes weren’t so funny anymore as the business plan developed. Financing was obtained through those same friends and family who showed their faith in his desire and ability.

And he’s good at what he does! I don’t consider myself a “beer snob” by any means, but I appreciate a good beer. So, next time you’re out on the town and find yourself in a place that sells Port Huron Beer you should buy a whole bunch of it because it’s delicious and Tanner is awesome.

To find out where you can buy Port Huron beer you can click here, here, or over here and the Engine House Tap Room at Port Huron Brewing Company is currently open Friday's 3-9 PM and Saturdays 2-9PM (days and hours change seasonally, so visit the website before heading out).

Cheers!