I think I missed something

Like most of the month of December. There was Thanksgiving, quieter than expected, filled with parades, football, and too much food. Then all of a sudden, I'm making Yule dinner and worrying that I don't have the presents wrapped. The house is decorated. There is gingerbread cookie dough in the refrigerator waiting to become gargoyles and reindeer. The shopping is done. The cards will be going out late as I have to figure out where I put them last year.
Anyone else looking forward to January?

It snowed again!

This time it even stuck around for a bit. There were still patches in the backyard this afternoon. I loved the way the snow clouds obscured our view, it was like the storm rolled in and ate the mountains.

It's also my dad's 60th birthday. Happy Birthday Dad!

I don't just knit

No, this is not standard flowers and little girls embroidery. While the apron itself needs to be washed and ironed, I was rather pleased with how it turned out. The cupcake was going to be a plain one, albeit purple and green, until one of my friends sent me a picture of another friend's tattoo. We both fell in love with the skully cupcake. So of course I just had to re-work the design so at the very least, I could have a skully cupcake of my very own that didn't involve me running out and getting a tattoo right this instant.
The designs are from Sublime Stitches whose stuff I just adore! My love of their designs vies for my love of good yarn. Which is why the apron is done and a sweater is not. ;-)

Just a bit earlier than expected

These were taken today, a month before we normally get our first dusting. I have been attempting to convince my children that trick or treating in this weather, especially if it continues, will be far less fun, with a decidedly shorter round trip. I would prefer to stay in, eat cheese fondue with homemade bread and a side dish of Halloween goodies.
Most of my plants have croaked, with only the spinach and kale enjoying the sudden drop in temperature, but since they thrive, I continue to garden.
Wool has become a necessity. Maybe I should actually finish a project that isn't lace?

Very Happy Yarn

Finally broke down and bought some Malabrigo the other day. My downfall was actually getting to touch some of this amazing yarn in person. I could resist the gorgeous colors on the screen. I could forget all the lovely descriptions given by other people. And then, I got to pet a skein. It was yarn my darling husband wanted to sleep on, not a standard response to yarn from him. On the same day The Loopy Ewe sent me an e-mail announcing their latest shipment of Malabrigo. I had hubby pick a color he liked, which took awhile as the list of colors he didn't like was much shorter. After much deliberation, he picked Azul Bolita 80, a rather electric blue with purple tones to it. I personally decided on Stonechat 173(deep reds/olive greens/browns) for a little vintage look cardigan that I have wanted to make for ages, but kept putting off the yarn purchase.
The yarn itself really is just beautiful and soft as can be. It's been lovely to work with, because of course I cast on the first of Hubby's two hats almost immediately. My reasoning being two-fold: first, it means there will be no actual addition to the yarn stash as it is immediately being worked up into something, and secondly, with the way the temperatures have dropped recently he could use a couple of warm, wool hats.

That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Finally getting some Fall things done

The picture is of the wreath I finally managed to finish and hang this morning. Very rustic and simple, a little expected and boring really, until you realize that I doused the whole thing in glow in the dark spray paint. I can't wait for this evening! In a few days it will also be draped with spider webs and fake spiders. I'm still trying to figure out how long I might be able to get away with leaving the webs and spiders on the wreath.

I also have to point out that Sense Sensibility and Sea Monsters was authored by Ben H. Winters. I got that wrong last post in my hurried enthusiasm to talk about my new books.

There has been a mass amount of feverish knitting, along with some yarn acquisition brought on by the rather sudden drop in local temperature. Pretty lace shawls have been temporarily put aside, (yes, all of them), in favor of wool hats, sweaters that cover as much as possible, and thick knit socks. Thusly attired I can return to knitting beautiful wisps of elegance that will be perfect once the forecast is a little less frosty.

I do love my books!

I found two books I had been hoping to get my hands on and one that, while an impulse purchase, is a very handy tome to have around. I was squealing in the store as I picked up Pride and Prejudice and Zombies as well as Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters both by Seth Grahame-Smith. The impulse purchase was Alton Brown's Good Eats The Early Years which contains lovely recipes and fantastic tips from the first six seasons of the show Good Eats, much beloved viewing around my house.
Those were just the literary finds on our outing today. We also got our hands on a couple of boxes of maple leaf cookies, an almost perfect pumpkin and a deep red mini hybrid rose with Halloween inspired decorations in it. I also managed to acquire the bits to make my fall wreath whose inspiration came from The Haunted Mansion.
Why yes, this is my favorite time of year! How did you possibly guess?

Fall is in the air

So why is my garden of summer things finally growing? The picture is of a squash. I have no idea exactly what kind it is, as it's from a mixed packet of heirloom seeds. I also have cucumbers, a melon (again no clue as to kind for the same reason as the squash) and tomato plants that are suddenly and unexpectedly downright prolific.
It also is a time of major housekeeping for me. The summer always is rather free form, with warm weather making you think of the beach and picnics, not about what is in your pantry or making mass amounts of stew. Let's also not forget the holidays right around the corner. Menus must be planned, windows washed, painting finished, plus all the standard fall house things of cleaning up the yards and stocking of the pantry and freezer before it gets too cold. All the while trying to finish my woolen winter wear before the temperature drops much more. Did I also mention the much anticipated company that will be arriving in another month or so? I'm really hoping they don't mind the rather informal accommodations!

I really love hiking

I really do! The mountains north of us are just amazing! Full of aspen, blue spruce, wild flowers and the obligatory poison oak. There are chipmunks, squirrels, woodpeckers, ravens, mule deer and black bears (we only saw the bear's tracks) to name just some of the local fauna we came across in our hike. The hike that my Darling Daughter had at the top of her birthday list for things to do. The lovely hike in very cool temperatures at eleven thousand feet. In boots that took the skin off both heels thanks to blisters, (I obviously don't wear shoes enough), while recovering from a seasonal cold, whose cough still lingers. The almost four mile hike, (which isn't really that much) that I may not have enjoyed as much as I normally would so I am thinking we need to do it again. With me in boot socks and band aids from the beginning for starters.

It's that time of year again...

When I am dubbed "cool" for letting my daughter pick a color, putting on a pair of gloves and making it so. She's even more tickled as it matches her favorite nail polish right now. My little fairy gothlette, who would be mortified to find I called her that.

Wine Made with Me in Mind

Yes, it was bought expressly for the label, but how could I pass it up? It's what happens when I wander Cost Plus with no particular purpose in mind. The wine itself was easily drinkable and not pricey, giving it some practical points to go along with the great label and name. You can find Mad Housewife Cellars here
I hope to get much knitting done over the next few days, as I sprained my ankle when I fell off the step stool I was on trying to put a hook on Darling Daughter's ceiling. It does give me an excuse to not run up and down the stairs all day.

The Evil Intergalactic Consortium of Angry Housewives Wants You!

Our goal is to accomplish any of the following (really just getting people to come bearing chocolate would make me happy):

Force husbands to clean through mind control
Make everyone behave in a civilized fashion at the dinner table
To garner respect for aprons in the kitchen
To insure that anyone stepping across the threshold of the kitchen bears chocolate (good chocolate) and understands that things may still get thrown at them
To make known that "What's for dinner?" is not an appropriate greeting
That "Don't put it down, put it away" is etched onto the brains of children (and people in general)
A place for everything and everything in it's place...as long as I don't have to put it away.

We offer exceptionally good homemade cookies as incentive for crossing over to the dark side.

I have been rather busy, with Halloween and Thanksgiving none to far off, but not so busy as to not come up with some very interesting distractions with friends! Join today! All genders welcome, angry girlfriends/boyfriends accepted as interns/sidekicks. ;-)

So very easily distracted

It's sad really. It's not like there aren't enough projects in progress around here, I had to start a dozen more. The handful of projects I had in progress are still slowly being accomplished. Six of the seven towels I've been embroidering are done, but I decided to embroider two half aprons as well due to the "oooh shiny!" factor at Sublime Stitches . The knitting would be under control if the need to design and re-design things hadn't suddenly and rather unexpectedly bit. Technicolor mesh thigh high stockings mysteriously appeared on the needles. A table runner pattern was really lovely, but not quite what I was looking for so I had to design a whole new one. The vintage stocking pattern was nice, but why not make them toe up with a different lace pattern up the front? Mild contemplation of yarn stash led to the mental designing of and immediate need to write down a pattern for slippers.
Top it off with an internal debate about whether to keep my hair decidedly red, go back to natural blonde, or split the difference and go for a strawberry blonde?
Did I mention we started painting as well?

Playing Dress-Up

It's still such a fun thing to do! Especially when it's not something you do very often, you can do it in something you made yourself, and you have a darling husband who likes to play dress up as much as you do. That is my goth Juney dress. I showed up at a friend's house just like that, only with a Tupperware container holding a homemade devil's food cake with real buttercream frosting, dusted with cocoa powder, decorated with fresh mint sprigs held in front of me. Yes. Really. Just like those '50's television shows. Of course it was done on purpose! Even better was the fact that my lovely friend Mara,(whose house we were actually going to for dinner) made me the adorably perfect flowered headband I have on in the picture. I was so tickled I may have squealed just a little. It's one of those things I think I may have to do more often, even if only to go to the grocery store.

Wow. Just wow.

So, we actually did the traditional family summer vacation this year; a road trip that covered a lot of miles in two and a half weeks. It certainly ran the gamut experience wise; an evening get together at a friend's house and family barbecues to braving Disneyland and the San Diego Zoo. Is it any wonder I am rather happy to be home, doing boring, simple tasks like laundry and dishes again?
There will be pictures, though they need sorting through. I did get to wear my goth Juney dress, to rather good effect I think.
I'm already lamenting being so far away from everyone again. I started plans for my visitors at Thanksgiving on the way home. I may be looking forward to having people come see us just a little bit. I'll just have to keep myself occupied till then.

Littlest is no longer so little

My youngest is now twelve. There was exploding soda, comic books and green butter cream frosting on brownies. There were also thunderstorms, but those weren't by his request. All in all, he seemed to enjoy himself quite a bit, so that is what counts.

Isn't he adorable? I think he was worth the effort. He's really a lot of fun to carry around. I admit I haven't finished his drawstring yet, but it's a lot of i-cord when I'd much rather be knitting lace, cables and socks.
I am lamenting the wind today. It uprooted all three of my heirloom melon seedlings that were doing so beautifully. Re-planting is a part of gardening, doesn't mean I have to like it.

I shouldn't have made it

But I so wanted caramel! The little martini shot glass made a perfect serving vessel, elegant, no more than a few spoonfuls. Yes, I was eating it straight with a spoon. No apples or even crackers. Just a lovely little glass, filled with decadent golden goo, to be licked from whatever utensil was handy. It did make me feel better, especially when eaten curled up in bed watching movies I love. Definitely worth it.

Let the sewing begin!

Doesn't this scream Goth housewife? Such a happy print in such dark colors, I love the combination very much. It's the first on the rather long Must Sew list. I've been busy trying to knit up a laundry list of items before mid-June. I keep paring down the list hoping to make it more achievable, but it was really an extensive list to begin with. Sewing is a bit more instant gratification than knitting, so maybe this list of things to make will go just a bit faster. Fingers crossed!

Bad Knitter, No Cookie

I am trying to finish one of these, AlliGator Bag , even came up with a few modifications for it because I can't seem to leave well enough alone. And really, could I possibly leave something like this alone? Of course not, he must be a dragon, not a gator. A little felt for eyes and flame et voila, instant dragon conversion. This would have gone much better if I hadn't been in such a hurry to finish the bag itself. I knew I had the wrong number of stitches. Figured a stitch or two wouldn't be a big deal, the bag is felted a bit anyway, there was some leeway. And then, then I finished the bag. I looked at it laying there, ends not woven in and realized there was no avoiding it. I was going to have to rip out the bottom third of the thing and re-knit it. Blast and Damn. This bag has given me blisters (I knit rather tight sometimes). I've been knitting with band-aids on my fingers. Re-knitting parts of this are very last on my list of things I want to do, but I want this bag so very badly. It's perfect cartoon-like elegance calls to me.
I think this evening will require a few things; deep breathing, a glass of wine, some chocolate and someone else to fold the laundry.

It's Earth Day again

Do you grow anything you can use as food? Have you reduced your meat consumption at all? Can you honestly say you eat at home more often than not? If so, yay! Good for you! If not, why not? Yes, these are things are tend to take an investment of time, a little thought, but they also tend to be much cheaper financially than standard options.
Maybe it's me being a food junkie, but fresh raspberries, picked that morning, rinsed and eaten for breakfast, fantastic! Fresh herbs on just about anything works well, and tastes so lovely! Is there anything better than a homegrown, heirloom tomato still slightly warm from the afternoon sun? Absolutely delicious!
Growing anything is a labor of love. Patience and tending are required for plants to produce wonderful, tasty things for you to eat. For most of us, an entire bush of berries is worth the investment, instead of shelling out far too much money for a plastic container with a scant pint of berries in it that have been shipped in from another state.
If you really are unable to have even a tiny pot of mint or basil on a windowsill, please, find your local farmers' market. Encourage those who do grow these amazing things for you to eat. Try real food a few times. You don't have to go raw or even vegetarian, herb steak is yummy too. Just pick good meat, from a local butcher if you've got one.
Become a food snob! It's better for you and the planet!

Did I mention the yarn?

My biggest birthday present was yarn. Seven entire sweaters worth. One sweater for a cabled pattern that will fit my Darling Husband who is 6 foot 5 inches. That ends up being quite a bit of yarn! One of those sweaters just needs a touch of finishing. It only took me two days to knit up. I'm feeling much love for bulky yarn and huge needles. Only seventeen more knit projects to finish in the next two months. I might be over-estimating the time available to me.

Lately I've been trying to push myself physically. Actually exercising. Eating the way I know I'm supposed to as opposed to the way I would really like to. Custard eclairs and maple bars are not allowed to be standard fare! I want the clothes I am making to fit exactly right. I am so very much my own worst critic. ;-)

My New Froggy

This adorable lamp was discovered by Darling Hubby and Boy while wandering Hobby Lobby on my birthday. One look and they knew I would love him. The very nice lady behind the checkout counter asked if it was for me, (I had been wondering aloud where to put him), when I said yes my grin was threatening to eat my face and there were giggles starting. She laughed a bit herself and got a big grin. Happy is contagious!
He's really lovely when lit. The lamp also suits the decorating theme that seems to be overtaking my house, something akin to a modern eclectic Victorian. Funky, slightly odd with attempts at elegance (which could also be taken as a personal description). :-D

So much to do, so little time

My birthday went well. There was a little shopping, of which I need to take pictures. There was a lovely dinner out that included a large slab of chocolate cake with fresh berries. Every where we went, people were exceptionally nice. Yay! Made for a very entertaining day.

Then we got home. There has been discussion on possibly, definitely maybe, going home for a bit of a vacation this summer. Like nine weeks or so from now this summer. I am still in the midst of my wardrobe re-vamp and getting off my rear after winter hibernation (this is excusable, we had snow last week). I've got nine projects on the knitting needles right now as well as fabric for three sewing projects prepped and ready to go. Which is only half of the projects I think must be completed in those nine weeks or so. Yes, that is twenty two projects of various sizes and mediums in just over two months. It's also going to be time to re-henna my hair, as well as get back to regular work outs and weight lifting sessions. Did I mention the landscaping and victory garden that we are attempting to put in? I've got seedlings of eight types of tomatoes, four types of melons, cucumbers, sweet peppers, beans, sugar peas, and greens. The raspberry we bought last year is coming back beautifully. Then there are the herbs: mint, lemon thyme, catnip and lavender so far. I only have my red geraniums for flowers right now, with black pansies and hollyhocks soon, as well as bright red nasturtiums and cosmos. Did I mention the poppies (California orange and coral Oriental/Flanders)and the marigolds?
At least the kids' lessons are a steady routine. I've started looking into accredited distance high schools for Darling Girl. I'd rather not have her bouncing high schools, which would otherwise be likely thanks to Dear Husband's job. At least I have few months to figure that one out.

By Sock and Sweater or How I Survived the Car Saga part 2

The sweater came into major focus over the 4 days after the car died. Darling Hubby did not take the lack of vehicle well. He worried. He made phone calls, pacing the house waiting for people to call him back. His massive agitation and lack of focus was contagious. Doing more than two tasks in a row was almost impossible. My standard barrel through the house cleaning during the afternoons came to a standstill. Hubby trying to distract himself with games and movies only succeeded in distracting me as well. Knitting anything on small needles wasn't going to happen. I needed instant gratification. Something uncomplicated on large needles with bulky yarn. It's not that I wasn't worried myself, it's that I couldn't be if Hubby was. Someone had to stay calm, remember to make real food, and order the groceries. Luckily, Hubby works with an amazingly sweet man who let us borrow one of his cars so Darling Husband calmed down a bit.
That Friday was a field trip I wish I could have skipped. We all ventured forth to go car shopping. It was a requirement we all go as we had to make sure we would all fit in the chosen vehicle, growing teenagers require leg room. There was the standard obnoxious car salesmen and there were some that were actually decent. More work was done on the sock. I was pleased to note that at least one car salesman was rather disturbed by the sock, even left in a hurry when I smiled at him while knitting. Over that weekend, a car was decided upon. Roomy, comfortable, new and a lovely silver in our price range. Hubby drove it home Monday and things were much calmer. There was still another week of worrying over the old car. What to do with it? This caused a bout of finishing on the sweater as Husband himmed and hawed, finally deciding to sell it off to one of the local scrap metal places. The sweater was completed the day the old car was sold off. So the Car Saga ends favorably; a new car obtained, the old one no longer a worry, and I have a new rockin' sweater that looks even more fantastic on than I thought it would.

By Sock and Sweater or How I Survived the Car Saga Part 1

So, a couple Saturdays ago, Husband took the car into the shop to get a once over in the morning so we could head into town by lunch. Easy. He gets back from the shop and we drive into town. Before we even make it into the first store, someone has pointed out that our car is bleeding coolant. Up goes the hood. It looks like the mechanics just over-filled the reservoir, hood goes down, we head into the store, car to be checked once we come back out. Everyone and our purchases climb into the car an hour later. Husband turns on the car, only to have it immediately begin to overheat. Car goes off, hood goes up, cellphone comes out as the mechanic is called. This takes some time, so I pull out my purse sock and start knitting away. This sock has been my purse project for months and I was still not through the foot of the first in the pair.
We limp to the nearest garage to have their mechanics check out the car. We wait in the their waiting area, inhaling the smell of new tires. It takes them awhile, there are other customers and cars, it's a busy place. I have gotten three inches done on the sock foot. This only seems like a lot when you realize I am knitting with 2.75mm needles and yarn that is decidedly closer to fuzzy dental floss than say, soft rope. The guy in charge comes out and tells us we just had fans stuck. With everything topped off, we pile back into the car to head home(which is about an hour away). Ten miles down the road, the car is overheating again, rapidly. We pull over into a hospital parking lot, contemplating what to do next. Insurance company is called, the tow truck is on it's way, but....the cab of the tow truck holds at most 3 people including the driver. There were four of us in the car. Now what? Husband starts calling people who could give at least two of us a lift. No one is answering their phones. It's approaching dinner time on a Saturday. The one guy we do get a hold of, is on a trip in Montana till Monday. The bullet is bitten, the cab company is called even though we know it's going to cost us more than the tow. Father and son get in the cab. Mother and daughter get in the tow truck. We all get to the house about the same time. Everyone is home safe and dinner is even served on time. Sunday is quiet, the kids spend most of the day outside playing, while Husband broods inside, trying to figure out what to do. We only have the one car, with it out of commission, he's unable to get to work or even get to the train station eight miles away unless he walks. I turn the heel on the sock. As I knit away, I contemplate the food in the fridge and pantry, planning the use of supplies for the week. No car means no random store runs or even calling for take out. Luckily, I take being a housewife rather seriously and my pantry is rarely bare or full of things that are unusable. We make it to Monday with minimal drama. The rest of the week awaits.

Distraction

That is the word for February. I've had the attention span of a gnat. I fouled up the seaming on a sleeve on a top I had mostly completed, so instead of being angry and ripping out the seam, I put it down and started a brand new sweater. The new sweater is over a third done, it's been 3 days. I've bought sock yarn so bright as to make Boyo wince, in colors that make Darling Husband cringe. I rather like them and proceeded off on a tangent to find perfect sock patterns for such demanding yarn, to prove to them both that I picked fantastic yarn. Then, there was the bout of yarn exhibitionism in which I felt the need to photograph and post pictures of yarn stash at hand (not all of it, that would take far too long), with details of how much I have and what colors on Ravelry. I had to convince myself that I didn't need a Coraline sweater with glow in the dark stars right this instant, in colors from the book, not the movie. I've found and hoarded more patterns than I could possibly knit, figured out what yarns to use and calculated costs. Seeds have been started and a tiered raised bed planned and plotted for the front yard. I've finished reading three books, one while making dinner one evening, and have started a fourth.

Has anyone else had this problem? The feeling that you must do everything right now? Or do I just have a really bad case of Spring Fever?

I'd share if I could

As I really shouldn't be eating all this by myself. Darling Husband surprised me with a box, rather early in the morning, on Valentine's Day. Yes, that is a box of Godiva. That day I also made cinnamon rolls from scratch and a bacon spinach quiche(which had a perfect crust if I do say so myself). I suppose I will just have to force myself to consume the sweet lovelies as it would be a pity to let them go to waste.

It was a quiet evening

The kids got invited to an impromptu birthday party across the street just before dinner this evening. The father did face painting and I got brought home a large piece of rather garish looking Hannah Montana cake, but the kids had fun. With Darling Husband off working and the kids at the party, there was no one around to complain when I chose the History Channel as my evening's entertainment. There will be even more time to sit and knit while watching bad movies later after the kids are in bed. Honestly, I have no real excuse to not have at least two projects completed before the week is out. I do have pictures of what Husband got me for Valentine's Day, that I will get posted eventually, which will be keeping me company as I knit.

Temporary reprieve from at least one chore...

My washing machine died yesterday. Three quarters of the way through a load of laundry. Thankfully it was the last one for the week. Admittedly, it means I now have a perfectly valid reason to get a new one and for not doing the laundry for a few days at least.
I spent time yesterday taking advantage of the wonderful spring-like weather we had, scrubbing the outside windows,plotting to re-decorate the loft, and deciding what seeds to start, only to come inside and see the weather forecast. The weather forecast with the ever lovely red mark next to it indicating severe conditions, in this case harsh winter weather due to blow in and stick for the next five days at least. The abrupt change in weather would be more disappointing if it hadn't been so dry here over the last couple of months, we need any rain or snow that's willing to show up. Besides, a few days of bad weather means I have a chance at finishing some warmer weather knitting, before the warmer weather actually gets here. Back to watching re-runs of Bewitched and knitting things without sleeves.

Maybe I should pay better attention

It occurred to me this morning, that maybe I should start working on clothing for warm weather. I realized last night, when trying to find something to go out in, two of my three options for bottoms were at the point of disintegration and most of the top options were for decidedly cooler weather. Maybe the lovely, wool/angora cardigan I've been working on can wait while I finish a lace silk top and sew up some skirts that don't have holes in the fabric. My wardrobe tends to be something I think about all too often, but the last thing I actually do anything about. Besides, I can't get those entertaining looks from the locals around here if I dress the way I am expected to. No, I don't care if they think they are laughing at me, mainly due to the fact I think it's funny that they all dress alike. Kind of like a pair of women in the restaurant we went to last night (please imagine evil smirk here). At this point, I would like to note, it's always the women who are disparaging, the men tend to try not to look too hard (I think Hubby has something to do with that). Maybe it's the waist length red hair and muted red lipstick? Unless I missed something and it was the plain black Doc Marten's with an ankle length (loose fit) denim skirt?
Please understand, I am not trying to be mean and rude, this is really just my commentary on how I stick out like a sore thumb almost everywhere we go. It's just easier to be a touch arrogant about it than lament my inability to conform.

Look!

Dancing plums! Are you distracted? Will you forgive me for days of neglect? I love embroidered dishtowels. They remind of the ones my parents had in the kitchen from their grandmothers. They are the kind of handmade kitsch you are starting to see again. Whether you think it's just ridiculous or you enjoy it, it will make you smile. It's also only about 2 days worth of work done off and on, so it's close instant gratification.
There have been lots of projects completed and sick children dealt with. Along with the endless task of trying to keep the kids' lessons interesting. Darling Girl started Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking today. She finished A Brief History of Time yesterday. Boyo has been reading Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku (good book by the way, lots of fun). Do other people have kids who give Latin lessons to the neighborhood kids just because they can?

It's all my sister's fault....

this time. (insert sheepish grin here) She sent a lovely mug, which I claimed immediately, yummy chocolate, which I shared, and tea that makes me salivate at the very thought of it. The tea was my undoing. I am addicted to it, which is why I feel the need to buy a pound of ginger peach tea from The Tao of Tea. These people take their tea very seriously. I am hoping it will help me keep the knitting timetables I have set for myself this year. Hope being the key word. When it comes to projects, I am easily distracted. Everything gets done....eventually.

I do love my food!

Yes, I took a picture of my lunch. It was just so pretty! It's also raw food of my own devising, I think. Soaked red lentils tossed with a beet, a handful of baby portabello mushrooms, a tomato and a leek sliced thin. The whole mess dressed with a bit of apple cider vinegar, olive oil, dried basil, grey sea salt, and fresh ground pepper. No cooking needed, just a few hours thinking ahead to soak the lentils.
The holidays with all their baking threw me off the raw thing a bit and I got low energy, headaches and insomnia in return. Not fun. My body has spoken, raw it is. Not completely mind, but mostly is definitely still do-able.

Getting things accomplished in the new year

These are my first finished project of the year. I had promised myself I would make myself something as soon as I finished all the gifts for Christmas. I have a true weakness for mitts and gloves, so decided that would be my indulgence into immediate gratification knitting.
I made no resolutions this year. They just tend to get in the way. Yes, there are things I intend to do during the year that I didn't do last year. Things like: having gifts ready and sent before someone's birthday, getting off my rear to exercise more, putting the sewing patterns I have to use, and taking some of my better ideas and running with them instead of putting them off for "when I have time". It's time to push things just a little bit harder to see what results.

Happy New Year!

Since it's New Year's Day, let me finally post at least one Christmas picture. The last two and a half months have been a blur of holiday colored yarn, cookies, and wrapping paper. It was a bit of a relief to open my new datebook and hang the new calender in the kitchen. Today, I look forward to a slow day of cartoons and knitting, with no real demands on me in any way (aside from housekeeping of course, that never ends). Since the kids were up till midnight, (and in bed by ten after), they aren't as full of energy as normal. Even with more than eight hours of sleep, they are content to watch Looney Tunes fairly quietly.

I have to admit, for personal and public reasons, I am really quite glad 2008 is finally over. Last year was a bit of an emotional roller coaster. I am looking forward to what can be made of the new year; wrongs righted, problems solved, lessons learned, the potential is awe inspiring. The question being; How will all that potential be put to use? By me? By you? Part of the fun is trying to figure it out!