Lunch Break

Today has been a really odd day. It started out with snow....that's right, snow. Big, beautiful, fluffy flakes drifting slowly down....only to melt on contact with the warm North Carolina ground. My home state is notorious for odd weather, but it really was quite pretty. I think this weather has put everyone in a rather quiet mood.

This past weekend was quiet, rainy and dreary.  Perfect for sitting around watching movies and working on the Starry Night Wrap. On a side note, if you get a chance, I strongly recommend the movie The Tourist, with Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp.  It has several clever moments and a lovely twist.

This is actually a picture I took at lunch today.  I decided not to go anywhere, but eat at my desk and work on this.  Don't you just love the colors of the yarns?

Here's another picture of the yarn, up close and personal because that's how yarn is. I cannot get over how pretty this yarn is and the fact that I only paid $1.00 a skein. It's very lush looking.  It can be tricky to work with because it has a tendency to stick to things, but the final product will be well worth a little aggravation.

Here are some pictures of the actual motifs in the different colors.

I'm afraid I took these pictures with my phone, so they aren't the greatest, but you get the idea. It's moving along rather quickly.  I've already gotten two rows completed - see, told you it was a dreary weekend!  The thing that is going to take the longest is weaving in all those ends......Ugh!

Here's a quick question for everyone...How many of you go straight from one project to another?  How many of you have more than one project going at once?  I do both and was just curious to see if this is normal or just me.

Now I want to take a moment and thank everyone for their sweet  comments when I was in my little funk.  It's like I told a friend, I think it's just all this rainy weather coupled with the tragedies taking place all over the world.  I think we are all just feeling the World's pain.  I'm doing much better, but I do appreciate all the warm thoughts you sent my way.  I'm sure they are the source of the improvement in my mood.  

Well, my lunch break is over, so I better get back to work.  I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

New WIP

Hello Everyone!!  I hope you are all doing well!  That's my Mickey Mouse mug that my sister got for me filled with my latest obsession, Chai Tea.  Yummy!  This picture was taken at work, where you get a small glimpse at my messy desk.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful week. It's already Thursday, which means the weekend is almost here.  What do you have planned?  I think we are going to wing it and see what happens.

As the title implies, I've started a new project.  It's from Kristen Omdahl's book Crochet So Fine.  If you ever get a chance to, be sure to check it out.  She has some of the most beautiful designs and the ones in this book are all done with lighter weight yarn.

The one I'm working on is called the Starry Night Wrap.  I found this really pretty lace weight mohair like yarn at Big Lots for $1.00 a skein!  It's an acrylic yarn, but doesn't feel like it in that the yarn is sooo soft.  Here's a picture of the first few motifs. Unfortunately, you really can't see the colors in this picture, but I'm using two separate colors and alternating them.  We've had some rain, so the lighting was terrible.

Speaking of books...I met Tuesday night with my friend Dawn to share a little hooking time and met her friend Melanie.  I was in desperate need of some estrogen time (girl time) since I'm surrounded by males all the time.  We had a wonderful time and I think we might actually get Melanie to put down the needles for a little bit and turn her into a hooker like us :-) Anyway, back to my original point of books....Dawn purchased a new crochet book this week, sat down to look at all the pretty things and get inspired and realized that she already has this book!  Instead of taking it back to the store and getting her money back she brought it with her Tuesday night and gave it to me! It's Crochet Inspiration by Sasha Kagan and it contains a TON of eye candy.  Aren't I so lucky!  Isn't she so sweet?!? I can't express how thrilled I was to receive this!  I don't know how many of you are part of a knitting or crochet group, but I have to say, I'm really enjoying being the new kid with these ladies.  They are so sweet, hysterically funny and we speak the same language....we share a love for yarn porn and that's a wonderful thing.

Since my Sainted Mother's birthday has come and gone, I can finally show you what I was working on for her.  I was afraid to post anything earlier for fear she might pop in and see it - Yikes!  I would have hated to ruin the surprise! The pattern is Blue Curacao by Doris Chan and is in her Amazing Crochet Lace book. I used three different variegated yarns and if I do say so myself, it turned out beautifully!

Well, I think I'm all caught up in telling you what's been going on around here.  I'm off to see what the rest of you have been up to.  I hope you all have a wonderful week and get to enjoy your week-end!

Fabulous Frankie

Isn't that one of the sweetest pictures?  That's my Sainted Mother and her man Frank.  They are possibly two of my most favorite people in the world.  I've already mentioned (on several occasions) how wonderful my mom is, so it only stands to reason that she have a wonderful man.  This is their profile picture on facebook.  Mom has her half as her picture and Frank has his half as his.  Too cute!

Yesterday was my Sainted Mother's birthday.  I won't tell her age...that's just not done.  Besides, even if I did, you wouldn't believe me.  Let's just say it was a big one, so the Fabulous Frankie, my step daddy, went behind her back, contacted all of her closest and dear friends, and threw a surprise party for her.  And boy was she surprised!  He did such a wonderful job. Got the cake, picked out the menu for a sit down meal, picked out the wine...all of it.  Amazing!

My Mom and Dad were divorced a long time ago.  Like most kids, I was upset by the whole process, but I was old enough to recognize that their marriage wasn't healthy. I was asked once if I still wished that my parents were together and I said yes and no.  Yes because most children of divorced parents wished that their family was what it once was and no because I would really hate to have missed out on knowing this wonderful man who has made my mom so incredibly happy.

Look at that picture again.  Look at her smile....'Nuff said.  That's why he's fabulous.

The Dumps and Disappointment

For the most part, I'm a pretty cheerful person.  I detest being depressed and would rather laugh any day.  But, for whatever reason lately I find myself in the dumps.  I know part of it is due to a couple of disappointments I've suffered lately.  Disappointments are unavoidable and just a part of life.   But it doesn't take the sting out of them - The thing you  you were reaching for, but is going to remain out of reach through no fault of your own.  The people who are not what they seem or worse yet, not what you thought they were...Ouch.  But life moves on...Couple that with all the disasters around the world and the dreary weather we've been having and I've managed to come up with a good old fashioned case of the "Blahs."  The rain seems to be suiting my mood.  I just want to curl up under a blanket for a little bit and tell the world to go away.

The problem is that my life isn't suited for my mood.  I don't have time to wallow in the blahs. No self pity allowed here.  I have a job, two precocious cats, two very active boys and a wonderful husband, all of which require love and attention. They don't know how to react to me being "down in the dumps."  This means they make comments about me being grouchy or short on patience and they are right on both counts. I know this.  I don't need it pointed out to me. Trust me, I'm much harder on myself about this than they could ever be.  I've been telling myself it's time to put my big girl panties on and get over it, then something stupid happens and throws me right back to where I was - Blah

It will pass.  It always does, but I'm hoping all this will improve soon.  I'm taking tomorrow off from work.  Car Guy and I are spending Saint Patrick's Day with some wonderful friends.  We are going to celebrate a birthday boy (man) and toast him with green beer.  It's supposed to be a beautiful day, so hopefully this little mini break will give me a chance to "get it back together." And if not, then I will find a corner this weekend, my blanket, a cup of tea and have a good old fashioned cry.  Never underestimate a good old fashioned cry.

Smokey and Oreo

Occasionally, I get some cute pictures of my kitties.  Mostly of Oreo because evidently, Smokey is camera shy. But every once in a while, when they've had a little cat nip, I can get some cute pictures.  I apologize for the picture quality because these were take very quickly with my phone.

Most of you don't know this, but Oreo has a shoe fetish. He likes to lay on them, stick his head in them and generally be near them. And it doesn't matter if there are feet in them or not.....

He likes to nuzzle....

And cuddle....

wave hello.....

And generally be cute.....

All this arouses someone else's curiosity.



And allows me to get this....Hello Smokey!

So I'm guessing, and I've heard this is true, that his brother's funny behavior, mixed with a little nip (cat or otherwise), makes some people, umm...cats a little less inhibited.....

Wonderful, Dreary Weekend

Happy Monday Everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful week-end.  I know I did.

It started out Friday evening by sitting in the bleachers at the High School to watch Number One Son play in the LaCrosse Game. Number Two Son was at a sleep over and missed out while My Sainted Mother, Car Guy and I froze our buns off.  It was freezing!  On top of that, I don't know anything about LaCrosse other than they throw the ball with these funny sticks with nets on the ends and they want to throw the ball into the goal at the other end of the field...that is my very simple view of the game. So you can imagine my surprise when I hear one mother complain that the other team's player had "penetrated the crease." What?!?! I found out that the crease was the circle that surrounds the goal and no one is allowed in the crease other than the goalie.  Whew! Glad we cleared that up!

Photo courtesy of Dawn's Blog

Saturday morning looked kind of gloomy, but was a wonderful day.  It started with me "getting my knit on" by meeting a new friend at Panera Bread, which is coffee shop/cafe.  I met Dawn at 9:00 am and we spent a couple of hours getting to know each other and teaching me some basic knitting stuff.  Dawn came in wearing the GREATEST tie died jeans. OH how I wish I'd had my camera and had taken a picture.  They were so fabulous! Dawn is an incredibly talented lady and I so enjoyed spending time with her.  You can check her out here.  She does beautiful work and her little snow people are too cute for words as you can see from the picture I pirated from her blog.  (I don't know all the legal jargon, but that picture is the property of Dawn's, is her creation and I am in no way claiming it as my own.  I think that covers it because I ain't no thief. )

After a morning of knitting, I rushed over to the craft store to get more yarn and some circular needles.  We'll see what kind of damage I can do with those after I finish my sweater.  Speaking of my sweater, I've been working on my knitting and I've just about completed the back.  Not too shabby if I do say so myself! (I will post pictures as soon as I take some!) One thing I did learn this weekend is that I knit like a lefty and since I'm self taught, for the most part, I thought that was pretty funny. Since I've only ever knitted two scarves I don't know if this will cause problems with patterns or not.  I guess we'll find out soon enough.

Saturday afternoon, Car Guy, Number One Son and I went over to my friend Sue's house so that Car Guy could help them try to fix a problem with their son's car.  We had a wonderful lunch of Tortilla soup.  I've never had it before, but it was YUMMY!  Some chicken, peppers, avocados, tomatoes, lots of spices all served over tortilla chips and cheese. It was a wonderful treat.


Saturday night we went to our friends' house for going away party for their son, who left this morning for Texas for Air Force basic training.  I know it's a bitter sweet moment for them as they are very proud of their son, but will miss him terribly. We wish him the best of luck

Sunday morning we woke to pouring rain and flash flood warnings in the low lying areas.  We got dressed and the whole family went to the Oakcrest Family Restaurant for brunch. After brunch, we went home, I got my  list together and headed to the grocery.  I have to say that grocery shopping on a rainy day is no fun.  But I got all my shopping done, went home, made some home made, baked macaroni and cheese...Yum!  It's the perfect meal on a yucky day. Then we settled in to watch The Real Housewives of Orange County marathon that led up to the season premier.  I swear, that show is like watching a train wreck. You just can't turn away.  I have to admit that after watching all that drama, I feel pretty good about my life, my friends and family! At last check, I don't think I have a knife protruding out of my back but I have a pretty good idea that those ladies would cram one in rather quickly if it would benefit them in some way! With friend like that, who needs enemies!

Well, that was my weekend.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Monday!  I'm off to see what you've all been up to!

Show and Tell Time!!

Andrea's Paper Pine Cone

In case some of you haven't figured out, I LOVE to laugh.  I think laughter is one of the most WONDERFUL activities in the world.  And a good, almost pee yourself, can't get enough air, tears streaming down your face laugh is the BEST. And every once in a while I find someone who does this for me.  Car Guy is one of those people.  He comes up with stuff that cracks me up and I never know when he's going to roll out these little gems of his.

Well, for March's Pay it Forward, I wanted to share someone else who makes me laugh like this and I don't have to cook for her, clean her house, help with the mortgage payment or sleep with her for that matter....sorry, TMI.  Her name is Andrea and she is The Creative Junkie.  A friend suggested her blog to me and anytime I need a good laugh, I go visit.  I've never personally met Andrea, but her snarky, sarcastic, biting humor is wonderful.  Fair warning, in her own words, she's "prone to letting an expletive or two fly." so if you are the least bit sensitive to four letter words, don't go visit. As I'm not easily offended (because I live with a bunch of guys) I didn't notice until I read a section out loud...oops! Her blog is not a craft blog, despite the name - although she did blog about the beautiful Pine Cone that she made (pictured above). She hits just about every topic in the world and is just as random as I am. She even shared her great wisdom with  What's She's Learned About Facebook. That Facebook post was the first one of her's that I ever read, and I literally did just about pee myself.

So go check her out, say hi and have a good laugh because we all need a good laugh!

I'm Knitting!

Holy Cow!  Check this out!  Thanks to all those who encouraged me.  I know the picture isn't great (Wow! Didn't know my thighs looked that big, Ugh!). The colors are a little off.  I took it with Car Guy's iPod, but I had to show you the progress.  I'm still really awkward.  I'm having a hard time figuring out how to hold the yarn, but I'm getting there. Evidently, I make funny faces while I'm knitting

I'm afraid I'm being a little ambitious...which may be my downfall...but this is going to be a sweater. No scarf here.  No sirree! We are going to start out big....which means it may end up in a basket.  I hope not.  I'm meeting with a friend of a friend on Saturday and she's going to help me out. I'm so excited!

I'm off to try to get a few rows done before bed and I still have to get my bread in the oven. I'll be back soon with March's "Pay it Forward." I can't believe it's already March?!?!  Good Night!

Dreary Day

It's a dreary rainy day and I think Oreo has the right idea.  For the most part, rain doesn't bother me but for some reason, I want to go home and hide today.  Probably because this has been a long stressful week.  Too much to do and not enough time or energy. I'm wanting to relax and savor the weekend.  Hope everyone gets the chance to do that!  Happy Friday!

Geese

We are fast approaching the season change.  Bulbs are starting pop up in yards.  I'm seeing green patches in the grass.  The leaves are budding on trees....and......the geese are pooping all over the driveway again.  This used to bother me.  Hose off the drive...check your shoes before entering the house.....hose off the shoes....warn guest to check shoes...clean the poop out of the carpet......clean the poop out of the floor board of the car.....

That all changed last spring.  You see, there was this male goose and he had an injured wing and couldn't fly.  I felt so bad for him because all the other geese would fly off and there he'd be, all by himself, by the pond.  It got to be a daily habit for us to check and make sure he was still there.  Then one day, he had a guest with him.  This guest would disappear, but always come back.  Evidently, she really liked our injured goose, because she stuck around and the next thing we know, there were five little downy geese hanging out at the pond with them. They hung around until the babies were big enough to fly and evidently that was enough time for our injured goose to heal because one day, the whole family was gone.

Every time I'm feeling a little down, I think about that goose.  At first glance, he was an injured bird, all alone in the world.  But he really wasn't. He had a full life that we weren't even aware of. So many of us are like that.  There is so much more than what's on the surface, you just have to get past the poop.

Happy Friday!!

It is currently midnight, so I can wish everyone a happy Friday!  I should be in bed, but I wanted to stop by and say hello to everyone.  It looks like The Boys and Car Guy are finally healthy - YEA! Just in time for the Regional Wrestling Tournament this weekend.  While they were recuperating, they had to have something to amuse themselves, so they pulled out Car Guy's Scalextric Racetrack that I gave him for Christmas when The Boys were little. Car Guy bought a huge piece of plywood and put it on top of the pool table and he and The Boys set up the track.  All three boys had fun with it.

 While everyone was sick, I had to do something to keep busy, so I did a lot of crocheting for the store.  I'm afraid that the picture color isn't great, but I made a granny square baby blanket, a little girl's hat and in the picture, you can see the beginnings of a scarf.  I finished the scarf up tonight.  The yarn is Vanna's Choice which is a soft acrylic.  It's much softer after it's been washed and the reason I use this yarn for the items I make for the store is that it is machine washable.  So many people don't want to have to take the time to hand wash items any more.

I also finished the star baby blanket. I think I'm going to have to make a bigger one with heavier yarn for Number Two Son.  He really liked this one.  Of course, since he's now almost six feet tall at the age of fifteen, it's going to have to be a lot bigger than this one.

And finally, I made another little girl's hat and scarf.  (Again, I'm not crazy about the picture.) This one has fuzzy, fun yarn around the edge of the scarf and the brim of the hat. Very frilly.  I think that Car Guy and The Boys weren't feeling well because their masculine world had been invaded with pinks, purples and other frilly items while I was working on these projects. They just aren't used to a lot of froufrou in their lives.

So, between the sick men, work and hooking, I've managed to stay out of trouble....that just doesn't sound right.  Now I'm working on another hat...this time, for an adult.  We'll see how it turns out.

I'm off to bed now.  You probably won't hear much from me this weekend as I will be sitting in the bleachers at a high school yelling at my child to "Pin Him!!!!"  So I hope everyone is enjoys their weekend, takes good care of themselves and is sure to drink plenty of water (Denise)!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

I hope this lovely day finds you well and happy.  Don't you just love that picture?  Those people so lovingly embracing are my paternal grandparents.  This is possibly one of my favorite pictures because my Grandfather was very old school and stoic, but I never once doubted that he loved my Grandmother. This is one of those pictures that is timeless in it's beauty and the emotions it conveys.

I am happy to report that the icky sickness has left our house, except for the occasional sniffles.  The Boys are back to school and Car Guy is back to work.  I managed to get through all this with just a cold and can honestly say that I'm quite happy that's all I had to endure.  I don't know that dealing with sick males and being sick myself would have gone over too well. As you all know, Mommies aren't allowed to get sick....

I was able to get quite a bit of hooking done and hope to get some descent pictures to post tomorrow. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful day and receives lots of love!

Quick Note

Just a quick note to "Hi!"  I'm still alive and working in the infirmary that my home has become. There are three very pathetic, sick males in my house at the moment and one mom who's not allowed to get sick.  There is a lot of '"not feeling" going on right now.

The baby blanket is done, along with a really cute hat and some booties! I hope to post picture soon.....once I'm able to quit my nursing job. 

 
Hope everyone else is able to dodge the flu bullet.  Take care!!

February's Pay It Forward or Good Old Fashioned "Show and Tell"

It's so hard for me to believe that February is already here!  It seems we spend so much time rushing the week, wanting the week-end to "Hurry Up and Get Here" and then wonder where the week went.  I guess it's just one of those crazy paradoxes of life.

So it's time to introduce everyone to a "new" blog.  I've probably spent way too much time browsing the blog world and I've come across some really great ones. I think, at the rate I'm going, my list is so long that I might start doing two a month. I do have one question for you.  I've noticed that there are a lot of blogs where people used to post regularly, but aren't anymore.  They have some really neat information contained in them, even if they aren't currently active and some of them have amazing "eye candy." Are you interested in seeing those as well?  I could possibly make those a mid-month "Show-and-Tell."  I would love to hear back from you on this one.

Drum roll please.......

Elaine Thronton's Cosmic Earth Beads

This blog comes to us from Elaine Thornton and is ChatElaine Jewellry.  I don't know Elaine, but we share a love for lamp work beads. It's been a few years since I've made any, but it is a beautiful craft to be involved in and this lady makes some really beautiful beads.  That is some her handy work over there.  Love the swirls!  She also makes some really cute ghosts, angels and Christmas tress. Pop over and take a gander. And if you have a little money to spend, she has an Etsy store too! She also is participating in the "One World One Heart" Blog event.  

The "One World One Heart" Blog event is kind of like a blog world open house.  I just found out about it and am a little disappointed that I didn't know about it sooner because over 1000 bloggers participate from around the world. If a blog is participating in the event, they will be displaying this lovely little badge somewhere on their blog.

"Joyride and The Muse" by Lisa Swifka

This leads me to that other blog that I want to share with you and it belongs to Lisa Swifka at A Whimsical Bohemian.  She is the host of the "One World One Heart" event and also an amazing artist in her own right.  I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE what she is trying to accomplish so I greatly encourage that you pop over to her blog and read about this wonderful event she is hosting. She created this lovely little character to the left, (Joyride is the bird and Muse is the rider) and Lisa is giving them away as a door prize.  Aren't they absolutely quirky and adorable!  Also, before I forget, click HERE and this will take you to a list of blogs that are participating in the "One World One Heart" event. 

I hope you enjoy nosing around with these two beautiful, talented ladies.  Be prepared to sit for a while and be mesmerized. I'll be back to my regular posts soon with the normal wrestling updates and a ta-da moment for the baby blanket.  Have a joyful day!!!

Challenger

Photo credit EPA/NASA

Twenty-five years ago today, I was a senior in high school.  My future was brightly in front of me and I was full of optimism and so ready to face it head on.  Life was good.  It was lunch period.  I remember it distinctly.  I was walking through the front commons of my high school when Julia, the editor of our school newspaper, rushed past me and said breathlessly that the Challenger had exploded.  I stopped and probably looked at her like she had grown horns.  What?! I was a features/editorial writer on the paper and was headed to the classroom.  Julia asked that I turn the television on in the class.  She was going to track down the rest of the newspaper "staff."

I got to class, turned on the t.v., watched, waited and cried.  I remember everyone quietly coming into class, putting down their belongings and sitting on the huge layout table.  All of us unable to turn away. Then our adviser came into the classroom.  She was unaware of the situation and promptly turned the t.v. off and proceeded to start lecturing us about how many times she told us we weren't to be watching during class.  Scott, one of the sports writers and athletes, walked to the television, reached over the teacher's head and turned it back on.  He very quietly said "The Challenger just exploded.  I think this qualifies as a news worthy exception."  Scott wasn't one to openly defy a teacher, so we were all pretty surprised.  The teacher walked over to her desk, set down and stared at the television in shocked silence.

I remember the school being incredibly quiet for the rest of the day.  The normal boisterous vibe was missing.  For a lot of us, I think it was the first time something of this magnitude had every happened.  We all remembered the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan, but he was fine, he survived.  This was a situation where seven lives were ended abruptly, without warning.  On top of that, the pilot, Michael J. Smith, was a North Carolina native and Ron McNair was a graduate of North Carolina A & T State University and there was a teacher, Christa McAuliffe, on this mission.  So in some way, shape or form, we could all relate.

I guess the thing that affected us all the most was that we realized that nothing is guaranteed. In high school, we have the tendency to think we are indestructible and an event like this makes us realize that we truly aren't and that life can change in a split second.  We all grew up a little bit that day, whether we wanted to or not.

So twenty-five years later, I remember the crew of the space shuttle challenger: Commander Dick Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith,  Mission Specialist Ellison Onizuka, Mission Specialist Judy Resnik, Mission Specialist Ron McNair, Payload Specialist Gregory Jarvis, and Payload Specialist and Teacher Christa McAuliffe.  They inadvertently taught me how precious this life and this world is.  Thank you. I wish I could have learned this lesson another way.

What Day Is It?

I wish I could say that I've spent the last few days being incredibly productive and I have...sort of.

First of all, thanks for all the prayers, good vibes and warm fuzzies sent this way.  Our friend is going to make a full recovery and looks like he's going to swear off motorcycles for a while. I understand the allure and they sure are fun, but this is a prime example of why I don't ride them since I've had children.

Now to the fun stuff...

The wrestling tournament was a HUGE success in that Number Two Son came third place in his weight class - Yea!!!! To me, that's the most important thing.  He was pleased, so that means I was too. On the downside, only half the teams that were supposed to be there showed up, so we didn't make the money for the team that we had hoped to make.

Unfortunately, I'm sure due to the crazy hours, I went from having a sniffle to having a full blown bug.  YUK! So I didn't do anything on Sunday but lay around and be pathetic.  I got up Monday, thinking I was doing better and decided that I was actually worse, so after only a couple of hours at work, I came home and went to bed.  I was back at work yesterday and am now feeling some what human. I know this is because I've been living off of chicken soup.  It's one of the best comfort foods in the world.

So that leads me to "What day is it?"  It can't possibly already be Thursday?!?  Where did my week go?  I have two small finished items....

See, they are small.  A lady I work with needed something for a friend who is adopting a baby.  The new mom-to-be is a cardiologist, so my friend wanted to get her something that she couldn't just go out an buy and was special and hand made. Oh my!  This made me feel very special.

And I've made pretty good progress on the baby blanket.  I hope to be able to deliver it to the store by this week end.  I think I'll have enough yarn left over to possibly make a bonnet and booties!







Me and Sue - Isn't she lovely!

Last night was "Last Wednesday" with my dear lady friends.  They are such a wonderful group!  We are talking about getting a group together for a pilates class...my muscles are protesting at the thought!

To the right there is me and my friend Sue.  She's one of the ladies at "Last Wednesday."  Whenever I spend any time with her, I'm reminded of what a truly amazing friend she is.  Not only is she gorgeous on the outside, but she's also such a stunning soul.


I hope everyone has had a wonderful week!  We have another wrestling tournament this weekend, but things are starting to wind down.  We'll get a couple of weeks off and then spring sport try outs start.  Number One Son is trying out for Lacrosse. This should be interesting : ) Lots of bruises and sore muscles. I'll be sure to post the blanket when it's done. We're off to a wrestling match and to eat some yummy hot dogs.  Have a great evening!

Update

So it's 10:30 on a Friday night and I don't have my pictures ready for you.

Here's why....I'm lazy...Ha Ha...not. The Boys have a wrestling tournament tomorrow and our school is hosting it. As the hosts, we have to provide a hospitality room with meals for the referees and visiting coaches. This means that I have made a HUGE pot of Chili for the crock pot and just finished frying bacon and scrambling eggs that will go into biscuits tomorrow. Don't worry, I won't be serving my traditional "hockey pucks." I was smart and bought a mix that I've used before and haven't messed up yet. Those will be baked in the morning and have to be at the school at 6:45 am. UGH!

So I'm sitting here looking at the complete wreck my kitchen is and having a glass of wine when I should be cleaning everything up and going to bed.

I also just found out that a friend's fiancee was just in a motorcycle accident and was airlifted to a major hospital. Please send thoughts, prayers, well wishes, healing vibes or anything else this way that you think might be helpful. It's greatly appreciated. I'll touch base tomorrow and will hopefully be able to post pictures tomorrow evening.

I must go, the mess and then my bed awaits...Anyone want to come help clean? I pay with food and wine. I'll try not to snore too loudly...sigh. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

Family Resemblances

Just a little something that I think is cool.  This is a picture of my maternal grandmother.  The genes run strong in our family because if you look at this picture of her and then look at this picture of her daughter....

 And then look at this picture....

You can definitely see a family resemblance...between all the women....No way am I insinuating that my Sainted Mother or Grandmother resemble Car Guy and his goatee....Oh dear! He is rather cute though....Back to the topic at hand.  I think it's the smile.  What do you think?

***Just a little FYI - I have a couple of FO's and an update that I'll try to post tomorrow.  The Boys have wrestling matches tonight, tomorrow night AND a tournament Saturday.  Busy, busy, busy!***

Flattering!

OH!  I feel a gushing moment coming on!  I'm so flattered! Denise over at Knitting Kitties just awarded me the Stylish Blogger award - in a totally random way that suits me just fine....TaDa!

 So now I have to tell you seven things about me that you don't know......Hmmm....

1.) I have an older sister that is a make up artist in LA.  My family calls her Ni because Number One Son called her that as a toddler and she is totally cool.  She gets to meet famous people and make them gorgeous.  I live vicariously through her when I feel like my "Mommy" life is a little dull. She's worked on several well known movies and television shows and my one brush with fame is due to her work...that's a story for another time.
2.) I HATE housework. I think it's because it's never done.  Once you finish, you turn around and there is more to do - like laundry.  Fortunately for me, Car Guy cleans or we'd be in a world of hurt.
3.) When I was younger, I wanted to become a Cordon Bleu Chef.....I wanted to go to Paris and learn how to make all that delicious froufrou food that has tons of butter in it.  I LOVE food of all kinds.
4.)  I'm a frustrated musician.  Like all good southern girls, I took piano lessons growing up.  I took for 10 years and was quite good, but I'm an acrobat of the key board and am just shy of being tone deaf.  Playing by ear is out for me and I can't write music to save my life....OK.  I could write some music to try and save my life.  It would just be really BAD music.....It would probably end my life.....Dogs would be crying....
5.) Speaking of crying dogs, I can't sing.  I try on a regular basis and I'm terrible.  Silly me keeps trying and my family keeps asking me to stop.....such love! There is no karaoke in my future, no matter how much alcohol is poured down my gullet.
6.) I love to read...everything.  Suspense, romance, historical, factual, fictional.  I love that you can take a trip and not leave the house.
7.) I have an unhealthy obsession with the store Anthropologie....Oh wait, you know that...hmmm.......just one more thing.....Oh, the pressure.......I know!  I can make glass beads...with a torch and glass rods.  I love doing it, but I have to do it in Car Guy's garage...which currently has a Porsche 914 in it with the transmission being replaced. Lot's of car parts all over the place, so there's no room for a crazy woman and her torch :) Time permitting, I'd like to get back to making them.  It's a very therapeutic hobby.

Now I'm supposed to name fifteen blogs that deserve this award.......talk about pressure!  There are so many out there and as I go peak at them, I see that so many of them have already won this award, so I'm going to be lazy and only name a few.....let's see......here they are, in no particular order (I'm using my deep, important announcer voice now)......

Erica - Crochet by Day - She uses lots of pretty colors. Her latest project is mind boggling.
Teddy and Bunny -  Lots of great old photos, vintage items and a wonderful sense of humor.
Amanda - Manda's Challenge - She makes some of the most beautiful squares for SIBOL.
Sandi - Sandiart - Sandi knits and is just learning how to crochet (quite well, I might add) and makes beautiful paper crafts.

Well, that's all for now.  I've got lots of paper work waiting on me...Such a glamorous life!  Have a wonderful week!

Crazy!

Holy Cow!  How is everyone?  We have had some crazy weather! Snow and ice and so much of it that my office was closed yesterday! I've worked for the same company for the past 5 years and this is the first time that they have ever closed due to weather. I had a wonderful day at home with My Boys and Car Guy doing a lot of nothing.

I did crochet the Go West Wrap from Crochet Today.  It turned out to be a very pretty and warm wrap/scarf.  (I wore it today, just to make sure.) I used the "All Spice" color of the Curly Q yarn and it's a very beautiful autumnal mix of golds, maroons and greens.  The yarn has a lot of stretch to it, so you have to watch your tension.   This is one that would be a great gift for someone because it looks so impressive but is so easy. I literally worked this one up in a few hours.

I've started working on a baby blanket for my friend's store.  She sold that last one and needs a replacement.  I'm trying something a little different and working in a star pattern that increases with each round. I think it will be pretty when it's done, but I also think that this one is going to take longer than the standard baby blanket.  I chose gender neutral yellow and green and I do like the way the compliment each other. Since this picture was taken, I've completed another green section.  I'm afraid that this is moving so slow that I might switch from double crochet to triple crochet. What do you think?

Well, it's late and I need to go to bed.  Work tomorrow at the "normal time."  Yay! Back to the ol' eight to five.  Stay warm!