Goodbye Christmas!

The theme for this year's tree is "Silver and Gold", ala Rudolph's Christmas special. Fry and I had fun decorating, while Fry and her dad put the tree together. She was also tall enough this year to put on the angel. My little baby is growing up!

Speaking of the little baby, here she is with one of her presents. She and I had been goofing around in the mall when she found this. Later, of course, I went back to scarf it up for her.



We'd had the little village set up for ages. The little skaters really skate to a little tune. The tune is fine the first few times. It has a volume control or I'd be loony right now.


In the spirit of finding Waldo, find the Bunbun. Bunbun has been Fry's Peter Rabbit since before she was born. He's showing how much love he's been given, and could probably use a bath. Bunbun is being hidden by an assortment of Rowan's Summer Tweed. He's also resting near some Cascade Fixation, a bag of Berroco's Denim Silk, and near something new, Yarn Palace's Graceful. There are also Caps for newborns, ready to go and already gone.





Here's a larger picture of the sale yarn. Also included are some prior yarns, like the Fixation already bagged and waiting for the new stuff to be stored with it. I'm swatching a couple of odd balls of Fixation for a stained glass pair of socks. They're lovely so far as swatched. New in this picture is four skeins of Lamb's Pride in yellow. Toppa wants a bag with a longer shoulder strap than the Elizabeth, plus she wants a happy face on it. I have the black, of course, left over from Chuck's bed, so when I need a watching television project, there you go. Also in the mix is a bag of Lana Gatto's Everest. I'd found some on clearance, all they had, then made up the rest from here, to make a fair isle sweater in 2007. The wool feels wonderful, I can't wait.
Isn't Fry cute, hiding there? The huge box of popcorn is still there from the night before's Fry and Dad movie night.


Jen, Mary, Carol, and I all went on a great yarn crawl. First Knit Wit, then the Yarn Barn. Lots of sales, lots of fun. We have such a great knitting group.

What did I get for Christmas? I'm glad you asked so I can brag. My beloved husband bought me a diamond and emerald ring. The emeralds signal 30 years and the diamonds 60, so he's planning ahead on this staying married thing. Sadly, on Christmas day, one of the emeralds fell out. The most I'd been doing was changing clothes. Considering what else I do while wearing my wedding ring... I was heartbroken, so Hubs took it back to the jeweler, who is fixing it as we speak. Hubs will check on it tomorrow if he doesn't hear from the jeweler. THEN, I can take a picture for all to envy. They're real emeralds, which mean they're small, a bit pale (compared to the lab created ones), and have occlusions. If you click on the above link, scroll down to see the Claddagh. Gorgeous, huh? My father had wanted to buy all of us girls one, a while back, and I remember wanting him to spend the money on him and Mom instead. Not that I wouldn't want one, I'm no fool, but I've got so much and have been able to do so much, that I'd rather my parents treat themselves. Does that make any sense, or does it sound like I'm an ungrateful kid? Who knows? A lot of times I have great intentions and horrible execution of those intentions.

Wow! That was a fun tangent. I also received a lovely necklace from Fry, gorgeous and sweet, plus lots of $25 gift cards from the husband. Yay! Dillards, Red Lobster, Bath and Body works, all the good places. I think Walmart is in there, too, ha ha! Just in case I want beer after all that champaigne.

The native over here is getting restless for the computer and it's 10:44am already.

Yarn, Quiz, and Plans for Friday

Poor Wendy! Who would have thought a bit of a yarn diet could cause such caustic stuff? She's right about the food diet versus the yarn diet thing. There's no grocery stores storming the diet centers. :P

Me, personally, I would NOT be on a yarn diet if I didn't have a yarn ROOM. With that, and the overflow into the living room, there needs to be some sort of using what I've got.

One exception not posted, but is 'assumed' is the yarn for classes exception. I mean, if it's to be used by my students, it's exempt. If it comes from the business account, I can buy it. :D

Fry and I have just been hanging out, doing fun stuff like walking to the grocery store for a free cookie and buying orange juice there. The cookie is an incentive for getting some exercise. Tomorrow, our rounds will include Home Depot, the grocery store, and maybe Hobby Lobby before that. Mainly because Susan mentioned a half off type thing. Fry will hate it, but then, she doesn't like Home Depot, either.

I'm working on a little hat, of course, for the Caps to the Capitol project. I'm also arranging patterns sticky-noted to see if I have the yarn. Planning ahead for 2007, don't you know.

Just for some Friday fun, just in case Fry and I get sidetracked in our running amok, here are a few quizzes.

You Are Bold And Brave

But daring? Not usually? You tend to like to make calculated risks. So while you may not be base jumping any time soon... You are up for whatever's new and (a little) exciting!

How Daring Are You?

You Are 50% American

America: You don't love it or want to leave it. But you wouldn't mind giving it an extreme make over. On the 4th of July, you'll fly a freak flag instead... And give Uncle Sam a sucker punch!

How American Are You?

You Belong in the USA

Sweet! People either love you or hate you And you really don't care what anyone thinks Big and bold, you do things your way

What English Speaking Country Are You?

Ha! I may not be the best American, but I do belong here. Very reassuring, don't you think?

Cripes!

Hmmmm, here are the Yarn Diet for 2007 rules as posted yesterday:

1. ALL of 2007.
2. NO yarn UNLESS for a specific gift, it's a fiber fest, you can't finish without it, or it's your birthday.
3. Yarn gifts are allowed!
4. You can have as much unspun stuff as you can lift.

I'd forgotten about the possible demise of a yarn store in our area. Not that it will happen, but signs point to yes. Also, one of my favorite yarn stores has a 30% off EVERYTHING the day after Christmas every year. Starts at 8:00am and goes to 5:00pm. It's worth my getting up at 6:00am and driving an hour to there for the sales. Usually, I go with a list, and I've not knitted up the stuff I bought last year, thus, the diet.

However, I think rule 2, because it's the exceptions rule, needs a modification. First is the long version, second is the simple one.

2. We will not buy any yarn during that period, with the following exceptions:
2.a. If someone asks for a specific knitted gift that we really and truly do not have the yarn for, and we can't talk them out of it, THEN we may buy yarn to knit that gift. No giving them the evil eye and saying they WANT a huge sweater that may not use all the yarn we need to buy.
2.b. Fiber festivals and store-wide sales of 30% or more are exempt because very few of the people I know in real life go to more than one or two a year. There aren't many events in the midwest, not like on the coasts. Plus, our group does a yarn crawl to Yarn Barn once a year. THAT'S exempt. I mean, once a year for a few hours at most?
2.c. If we are knitting something and run out of yarn, we may purchase enough to complete the project. No need to be silly about it.
2.d. Birthday yarn is an exception, emphasis on birthDAY, not birthMONTH, or birthYEAR, or even birthDECADE. BirthCENTURY is right out.

Simply put, it's
2. NO yarn UNLESS for a specific gift, it's a fiber fest or 30% sale storewide, you can't finish without it, or it's your birthday.

I think that should cover the once a year supersales or the store closings. Like Wendy said about the sock yarn, we aren't made of stone. I'd thought about making the rule: When knitters go in groups of three or more (like to possible store closing), all yarn is allowed. Do you see the downside? I'm sure someone in the group has a minivan, and even that won't contain the knitters AND the yarn they'll binge with. The bed of our pickup is covered and can hold at least 6 people in the cab if we all shower. (insert snicker here)

Now onto water softeners. Susan, you are so right! Day one and already we had a toilet act goofy. The upper tank hose thingy started spewing like a fire hose. Poor Fry flushed and ran downstairs in a panic. Just water and clean water at that, so it's good. There is one leak that's going to get worse, but it's a faucet marked for replacement already. We have the countertops, the faucets, so on Christmas break, Hubs and I are going to bond over plumber's tape.

This year's Red Scarf for the Red Scarf project is off the needles. It feels yummy, and was a TV knit, no thought allowed. Next up are Caps to the Capitol.

I said what? What was I thinking?!

Ok, when Chelle commented, I tried to pretend I never thought of the Knit from Your Stash thing from Wendy. Then, Mary jumped on and, thus, I'm hooked. After all, a gal can't brag that she won't live long enough to knit her current stash without having to put up or shut up.

Is that sentence long enough???

At any rate, I'm posting Wendy's rules first, then my own, since Wendy gives permission to do so. After all, we want this knit from the stash to be fun instead of a drudge.

Knit From Your Stash 2007: Guidelines for L-B and Wendy

1. The Knit-From-Your-Stash-a-Thon will start January 1, 2007 and run through September 30, 2007 -- a period of nine months.
2. We will not buy any yarn during that period, with the following exceptions:
2.a. Sock yarn does not count. What? You think we are made of stone?
2.b. If someone asks for a specific knitted gift that we really and truly do not have the yarn for, we may buy yarn to knit that gift.
2.c. If we are knitting something and run out of yarn, we may purchase enough to complete the project.
2.d. We each get one "Get Out of Jail Free" card -- we are each allowed to fall off the wagon one time.
3. We are allowed to receive gifts of yarn.
4. Spinning fiber of any sort is exempt.

Knit From Your Stash 2007: Laura's Version

1. The Knit-From-Your-Stash-a-Thon will start January 1, 2007 and run through December 31, 2007 -- rather like running through a swarm of wasps, really.

2. We will not buy any yarn during that period, with the following exceptions:
2.a. If someone asks for a specific knitted gift that we really and truly do not have the yarn for, and we can't talk them out of it, THEN we may buy yarn to knit that gift. No giving them the evil eye and saying they WANT a huge sweater that may not use all the yarn we need to buy.
2.b. Fiber festivals are exempt because very few of the people I know in real life go to more than one or two a year. There aren't many events in the midwest, not like on the coasts. Plus, our group does a yarn crawl to Yarn Barn once a year. THAT'S exempt. I mean, once a year for a few hours at most?
2.c. If we are knitting something and run out of yarn, we may purchase enough to complete the project. No need to be silly about it.
2.d. Birthday yarn is an exception, emphasis on birthDAY, not birthMONTH, or birthYEAR, or even birthDECADE. BirthCENTURY is right out.

3. We are allowed to receive gifts of yarn. Said gifts must not be forced from givee to us.

4. Spinning fiber of any sort is exempt, unless you have too much unspun stuff to comfortably lift in one load.

The reason why I've not made sock yarn an exception like Wendy has, is that I have enough to just knit socks for the rest of the year. She can also turn out a pair in a couple of days, while I can't. Also, she is limiting to nine months due to a fiber fest in October.

So simply put, the rules by me are:
1. ALL of 2007.
2. NO yarn UNLESS for a specific gift, it's a fiber fest, you can't finish without it, or it's your birthday.
3. Yarn gifts are allowed!
4. You can have as much unspun stuff as you can lift.

This is going to be way tough when those elann.com newsletters roll around. There's still 12 days to shop for yarn. I'm officially putting me on the yarn diet, just to see if I really won't live long enough to knit my stash. It'll be agonizing at times, but lots of fun, too.

In other, non-fibery news, all my tiles in the kitchen are off!! Woo hoo! There's only one bit of broken skin, too! I know, but really, it is cool. I owe you each 'one'. We bought a water softener system yesterday, installed today. It was nearly 10pm, I'd not had dinner, and I'm blaming the low blood sugar. Then too, the water system is great, they gave us a lot of soap, and the water is like bottled from the tap. I'd always thought filter-smilter, we don't need no stinkin' filtered water, but it is rather good. It's only been one day, so we may still live to regret this.

Speaking of dinner... I need to fix food. :)

Essay Questions!

Call me crazy, but I love essay questions. At the very bottom are some answers to a couple of collections floating around in cyberspace. In the meantime, here are some updates.

Dad's present was finished, and when I showed Toppa, she cruelly laughed. Probably because they looked huge off the foot. But then, when I put one on to show how nice, if a bit baggy it fit, she actually paid attention when I explained turning a heel to her. She DID ask, after all. She also didn't know I teach classes on how to do just that. Toppa also liked Chuck's bed, Chuck being our parent's cat. Toppa also liked her own Elizabeth bag I made her for Christmas. I'll have to get pictures of everything eventually and scan them in. I've been so focused on the making, wrapping, and sending, that I've not done the pictures. All the Christmas presents are done, Elisa's scarf, all that. Now, I'm scouting around for what's next.

First off is the red scarf for the red scarf project. That's already a third of the way through. Then, because Missouri's count is disgustingly low, I'm knitting up a few little caps for overseas babies in the Caps to the Capitol thing. Since the entire box set of Monty Python's arrived in the mail on Friday, Fry and I've not done much else besides watch that. The house is showing our sloth, too. Once she's home from the half day of school, we're kicking butt on the house so we can totally goof off for the rest of the day. She cleans her stuff, I clean mine, and we meet in the middle.

To my shame, our tree isn't up yet. There is a little snow village on the coffee table, plus a wreath on the front door and lights out front. Otherwise, nada. Christmas cards aren't out or even written up, yet, BUT, all the fruitcakes, presents, and cookies have left the building.

Now for some personal essays, a bit of a shower, then crisis housecleaning.

The Christmas Meme first:
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Totally Hot Chocolate. Hubs drinks egg nog by the gallon this time of year and I won't kiss him with his nog breath. Ewwwwww.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?
Santa is in a hurry and throws those suckers and goes. Besides, the kid(s) need something to play with while the parents drink the life-giving elixir aka coffee.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Yes to both. We do colors currently, but I like the OCD-ness of all white.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Heavens no! We don't have time for any more kissing. Seriously, Fry would get cheek burns from me smooching on her all the time. Hubs, too. It's kinda like Valentine's Day, rather redundant.

5. When do you put up your decorations?
In a normal year, right after the Thanksgiving nap. This year, with all the other stuff, we've not got there, yet.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
Asparagus. It's not a holiday unless that's there. Happily, I'm the only one who loves it here, so I could eat the whole thing and no one would mind.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
As a child? Waiting for my parents to wake up as they drank their coffee. Poor kids, they tried to be all 'Wow!' when we showed them the presents 'Santa' brought. Now that it's my turn to deny being comatose, I feel their pain.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I can't pinpoint a time, it was a gradual awakening. :)

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
I don't like to, but can be nagged into submission.

10. What kind of decorations are on your Christmas Tree?
Sometimes, we go with red and gold, then purple and silver, depending on my mood for the year. There are Fry-made ornaments in the mix, which disrupts the magazine effect, but are pretty darn sweet. Then, other years, I do the old fashioned look with tiny wood toys, small trumpets, and other Victorian things.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread?
Love it! Especially since Hubs has a Jeep.

12. Can you ice skate?
I don't think so. I know I can't roller skate since my center of gravity has settled in my torso in a bad way. I'm sure the ice skating is the same.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
I probably did 20 years ago. LOL! Favorite gift of all time? Hmmm, I love them all, really.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Getting everything done before Thanksgiving. Why? So that I don't have to deal with everyone else's unholiday spirit in the rush and crush. It's really nice knowing I never really HAVE to be in a store. Makes the crying babies and bitchy people a lot easier to tolerate. :) It also makes me a lot easier to tolerate, and really, that's the most important for my family.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
Yes. Oh, pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake. Pumpkin ice cream is good, too. I overdid the pecan pie at Thanksgiving, but usually, that's on the list, too.

16 What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Gift giving! I'm not as good as Toppa on the gift selection, but I still love buying gifts for people. Toppa has a talent for the gift thing. I try, but worry a lot over if they'll even like what I've given.

17. What tops your tree?
A star when I was a kid, an angel on our own.

18. What is your favorite holiday book?
The Night Before Christmas.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
Jingle Bells because Fry can play it on the viola when I play it on the piano. :D

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yummy?
Ok. Not my favorite, but good when I need a breath freshener.

Five things you don't know about me.
Like, what on EARTH could you not know? Yeah, there are things that are TMI and that no one should know, but still...

How about we do childhood memories? That'll be fun. ;)

1. I could hold onto monkey bars at shoulder high, then lift my feet up and do a reverse flip onto them. The last time I tried that, one of my bones popped. Not in a bad way, just in a loud, "Don't even THINK about it," way.

2. No tree was safe from being climbed when I was a kid. If it could be, I was up there, the higher the better. Toppa and I also climbed counters and large appliances. I still climb up on things to reach the higher shelves, which alarms Fry, a non-climber.

3. This is true for both Hubs and I, and I think it's from where we grew up. We both love grey, rainy days. Cool, foggy, drizzly days are great. It's probably from living in the sunny arid climate of the great plains. Those days are good excuses for eating soup and hibernating indoors. After a couple of days, though, we get a little stir crazy. A day or two is fine, but a whole week is not good.

4. My sister and I could run on caleche roads while growing up. We had tough feet and walked on rocks like they were nothing. I'm sure she's the same as me, now, in that if there's a tiny bit of anything on the floor, we feel it. No more tough toes.

5. What you don't know is that it's nearly 1pm and I'm still in my flannel jammies. Lunch is heating up, Fry is almost due home, and when she's here, I'm showering and kicking a dirty house's butt.


Is anyone else in the knitting world contemplating Wendy's Knit from the Stash for 2007? I'm kicking it around, and certainly have enough to keep me busy. What do you all think?

No Comment

Pleading the fifth and don't mean to? Blogger Beta obviously has issues. I tried goofing around with the comments, myself, logged in and not. There are definitely problems. The best work around I've found is to be sure you're logged into whatever version of Blogger you use, if you want to go that way. If you type, then log in, there's problems.

I could get all technical on you and say it's their on error logic that needs tweeking, but who needs specifics when there's no money involved? There is a nice thing about Blogger Beta's issues. They have their own "We know, we know" website here: http://knownissues.blogspot.com/search/label/comments

Nothing's more fun than to have a clever little comment typed up, then the section wipes it out with an error.

What's on the agenda for today? Paying bills, mailing the bills, finishing up some UFOs in the knit world, housecleaning, and taking a nap.

Maybe not the nap, although, that is sounding pretty good right now.

Two things I must add to the to-do list are Caps to the Capitol and the Red Scarf project. I've been very remiss on those, and had lots of good intentions. The nice thing is, it's only the 15th, all my Christmas knitting is done, and I don't have to knit black any more. It IS my favorite color, but two things in a row just kills my ADD.

I don't know what we're doing for tomorrow's SSK, for sure. If it's to be a true Christmas meeting or just an ordinary one. Either way is fun. I want to go to both Saturday AND Sunday, but even if gas were free, the hour down and hour back is time I could be wasting by laying around the house, perfecting my boneless chicken impersonation.

But then, in honor of Friday fun, there's this:

Your Holiday Personality is Hyper

Any holiday activity is well suited to you - as long as you keep moving. Shop everywhere and anywhere. Create your own holiday cards. Make everyone on your list a custom stocking of goodies!

How Should You Spend the Holidays?

I also defy anyone to NOT take this quiz. I mean, the title lures you in, don't you think? Also, it seems to be pretty accurate.

What Your Bathroom Habits Say About You

You are a giving soul. Way too giving in fact. You often get stuck doing the dirty work that no one else will do. You spend a lot on clothes, and you tend to be a very nice dresser. (that part is totally wrong and the next is totally right) However, it's hard for you to throw away trendy clothes when they go out of style. You are a little shy and easily embarrassed. You often wonder if you are normal. In relationships, you tend to be very romantic and demanding. You'll treat your partner like gold, but you expect a lot in return.

What Do Your Bathroom Habits Say About You?

I Rule!

My In-laws love the cookies, my beloved Aunt and Uncle have a free and extra fruitcake, and Dad's gift is done! Also, I'm wearing Dad's gift! Ha ha ha!

I would say he'll get his gift when he pries it off my cold, dead, feet, but then, he just might. ;) Not that I'd blame him, these babies are great! The only thing worrying me (and you know it had to be SOMETHING) is that they're a bit big on my feet. They're a men's medium, so I expect the looseness.

I had to spellcheck that. People spell loose as lose and vice versa so much, wrong is starting to look right.

I'd better take off the gift before they get goofed up or something. It's my bedtime, anyway. :)

Taking a chill pill

Not in a bad way, of course. It's nice when I'm expecting a monthly guest, or have a random migraine and can glace at the titles of my blog. Put an X on a calendar and keep it private? Heaven forbid! ;)

Comments are fixed, not that I did anything. Blogger beta is wonderful, don't you think? I'm still not sold on the new template.

Fry's string concert was wonderful. She didn't play a solo, and I saw a few mistakes, but I think she did great. I'm so proud of her, she really is brilliant. As a parent, you always hope your child is better than you, and she meets, then exceeds the standard. Hubs took pictures, which need developing and then posting. :)

Speaking of Hubs, he's taking all the cookies to work tomorrow. The rest are in tins, ready for shipping. I'm calling Mom after this post, to get the Goopa's address. I'm also hoping to link up with Toppa this weekend, come heck or high water. She needs her Christmas gifts, and since she's heading south for Christmas, the parent's gifts, too. :) Hubs is visiting his parents, flying down on a military plane for a few days. For reservists, only the reservist and not the dependants can go, so he wanted to make it before Christmas. I think with his Mom's heart scare, he's anxious to see how she's doing.

Speaking of Moms, I'm calling mine...

7 Reasons You Don't Lose Weight

Gingerbread
Butter
Apricot Shortbread
Apple Cranberriy
Pumpkin
Pecan Sandie
Peppermint

I could walk from here to knit group every week and would still not burn off the cookies eaten. The tins are all full, the rejects are out of the building, so you know I'm eating the good stuff. To help out my poor waistline, I'm stopping by the store for more tins for the remaining cookies. There's tons left, and I've still not had Fry make Mom the Tollhouses. I'd also like to make another batch of peppermint cookies, just because they're cute and yummy.

Is anyone sending out Christmas cards? I've not done mine, yet, and I've only received two. Not that I'm complaining. As postally impaired as I am, I can't complain. We've put up outside lights, but the inside isn't decorated. I know, not even the tree. Heresy, no?

The nice thing is, most of our presents are being delivered instead of mailed. There's two tins of cookies to mail alone, with little Goopa and Mr. Goopa's presents to mail in a bigger box. Which will be a trick since I don't know her new address.

Ooo, I'm turning bitter and sour. Better go eat a few more cookies....

Not really. Makes for a good excuse to finish off the gingerbread, doesn't it? :D I'll be glad when they're gone, seductive little buggers. They have the most gorgeous icing eyes.

Still working on Dad's knitted gift, and am actually making progress! Wow, huh?

Sadly, Hubs strolled by the yarn room. He's now very anti-yarn buying. I'm sure his attitude will change once he's able to walk INTO the yarn room AND the living room doesn't have any more yarn than the current works in progress. The weather is turning balmy later in the week, making it perfect to work in the unheated basement and organize my stash. Hub's not had new socks or a new sweater in a year or two, so I'm sure that's it, too. Once he can see the floor in the yarn and living rooms, AND has a nifty new sweater, all will be forgiven. I might have to throw in a pair of socks, too.

Tip of the day: Never ever sign up for a drawing at any sort of 'expo'. It's a way for them to get your number and telemarket you. Since YOU gave them the number, it bypasses the "No Call" laws. Does anyone ever actually win at one of those drawings? I don't think so.

Fun with faces!

What does a girl do with a blob of dough? Sculpt, of course. This is what happens while messing with butter cookie dough.
Then, when a Fry comes home to a blob of gingerbread, her instinct is to moosh the stuff as well. She had no idea of the Mick Jagger of chocolate butter cookies made earlier in the day. Yep. That apple is hugged up to the tree, it seems.
Once she saw the picture first picture, she wanted me to make another one, so, back to the floured counter. She wanted me to, plus, it's fun!. A nice smooth dough is the best for this, fruits and nuts gum up the complection.

Fry has choir practice with the Northland Symphony today, for a performance tomorrow. Ooh la la, don't you think? Her big performance, both choir AND strings, is December 12th at 3:00pm. She's really good, but needs to practice.

Half of Dad's gift is done, and the other half is started. I'd love to go to knit group today or tomorrow, for the unfettered knit time, but... There are still cookies to make and a cookie mess to clean. The goals are, cook today, pack tomorrow, and ship Monday afternoon. Everybody and their dog will be there Monday morning, so I'm waiting until after the lunch hour.

I'm Spicy!

Good morning! This is the mess I woke up to this morning:

I totally blame the cookies.


Ahhh, much better. Now I'm ready to make many more cookies. That, and lunch in a little while. Once the dishwasher is done, the cookie factory resumes.

Susan, Cardamom IS pricey, I say, go for the small containers. We're lucky to have store brands in .89 containers. Those are what rest in my spice drawer. Yes, they're alphabetized, because I hate hunting for certain spices.


When a little jar goes 'dry', I refill from the spice cabinet. Sometimes, when I'm in a hurry while cooking, this turns the air into a 'spice cloud'. Ha ha!


Am I in a hurry to finish up the kitchen? Yes and no. I'm not tiling or painting until AFTER all the cookies are baked and packaged. There's no need to worry about splots of paint or bits of tile in the sweets, I absolutely promise. :D In fact, I waited until this late in the month to begin, just to make sure I was over my cold. When it comes to germs, I don't believe in sharing the wealth.

Here is the living room. It currently gives me a bit of a panic attack over its messiness. There a big box of kitchen items to return after the finishing, a lot of stuff needs to go to the basement, and we need to put in the bathroom vanity counter. After that, we can peel wallpaper and paint in there, too.


This room is my refuge. When all the rest of the house has gone to heck in a handbasket, this is clean. Whew. I'd like to leave the wainscotting in the living room bare wood, but maybe paint the walls the same olive green.


Steph, I would 'smack' on the kid, but I don't think she reads my blog. Plus, I'm still very bitter over her not replying to an email of mine. So bitter, in fact, that I'm only giving her ONE hand-knitted present, and ONE tin of cookies. Wait. And a piece of jewelry like the one I gave you. Other than that, though, she gets nothing. Sort of. Probably. ;)

What was THAT all about?

or, "Something funny happened on the way to Blogger."

I was commenting on Susan's site, Red Dirt Knitter, when we were hit with a brownout. Odd, huh? Obviously, everything is fine. I'm thinking it was the cookies overloading the oven's circuitry.

What? Cookies? Why yes, the apple-cranberry cookies are done, the gingerbread is cooling for tomorrow's roll and cookie cutter dance. There's several more on the list, peppermint meringues, tropical cookies, something with orange, shortbread cranberry, and so on.

Dad's Christmas is coming along slowly but surely. I've not broke away to knit anything else, since there is a ever looming deadline. The shawl for my cousin is longer/wider, yes. It's a break for my eyes from the constant black of Dad's present.

Fry and I went shopping at Gordman's today. They had a buy five, get one free, which I'd not paid attention to, so I sent Fry off to get a free thing. She picked out a lovely necklace for me! Isn't that sweet? It's a heart shaped ruby surrounded by diamond baguettes. Most of the things she buys me are red, roses, or teddy bears. Isn't that the sweetest thing? Sadly, she was in a terrible snit the rest of the evening because I didn't hop to and get her a cell phone. I can NOT see the need for an 11 year old to have a cell phone. She's either at school or with one of her parents. Once she starts hanging out seriously with her friends, we'll see.

Anything done on the house? Not really. Laundry, dishes, cleaning in general. Most of my time has been spent scouring Kansas City for Dutch processed cocoa. No, Hershey's won't do, the recipe calls for Dutch, so that's what I must buy.

Another thing is, we've all rebooted our diets. We're following the YOU: On a Diet thing and it's wonderful. Odd, too, because it seems like I'm eating all the time. I usually don't eat until after noon, say, around three pm. The snacks are easy to fix, usually, and the desserts are really good. No counting of any kind. I liked South Beach, but like this better.

Dad's gift is calling me to get busy. In the meantime, I must tease my younger sister by talking smack about her: Smack. Smackity smack smack, Toppa. Smackita smackeeta, smacko. Smacka-lacka smacksmoo. Smacksmack, smackola, smack.