February...

Today ends my birthday month...and what a nice month it really turned out to be.

Monday, I took myself up to the quilt store. They always send a $10.00 gift certificate - (and of course, one always buys a bit more)...so I got 3 black and white fat quarters, a black with lime green batik (fat quarter) and 3 - 1/2 yards of a gorgeous floral, a brown with red, and a gold batik.

Then I took myself to lunch at Molly's which had sent me a $10.00 off my meal plus a free dessert card. I enjoyed a wonderful Caesar salad, Bacon Cheeseburger with fries, cranberry juice, and a huge slice of NY style cheesecake!!!!

For gifts I received money from my mom & sister, a microwave, some beautiful quilt related magnets, and a gift certificate to Amazon which I used to purchase the Yarn Harlot's newest book (which isn't out yet) and the Mason - Dixon Knitting Book.

We had our first huge snow storm in February...and it looks like March is going to roar in on Friday with some kind of a storm...either lots and lots of snow or one of those wintery mix things...

On the knitting front - I finished my red sweater!!!! Now just to block it and put it together.

Have about 1/2 the foot done on my first Cabin Cove sock...

And, quite a bit on the turquoise scarf...

Life is Good!!!!

Hey, Susan...I answered your questions...

1. What time did you get up this morning? 8:30; I get up by 6:30 M-F and sleep in on the week-ends

2. Diamonds or pearls? Neither - Amethysts and Sapphires

3. What was the last film you saw at the movies: Eight Below

4. What is your favorite TV show? It's a toss up between Gray's and Crimminal Minds

5. What did you have for breakfast? Scrambled eggs

6. What is your middle name? Maria

7. What is your favorite cuisine? American - sometimes French...

8. What foods do you dislike? Green Peas! I hate Green Peas!!!!

9. What are your favorite chips? Wise Potato Chips or Lay's Classic

10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Rod Stewart - Still the Same

11. What kind of car do you drive? A Daewoo Nubira Station Wagon (lots of room for yarn & fabric)

12. Favorite sandwich? Reuben

13. What are characteristics you can't stand? cruelty to animals

14. What are your favorite clothes? Sweats, jeans & sweater

15. If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would it be? Tough call - Paris, France or Vancouver Island, BC

16. Favorite brand of clothing? Are sweats fashion clothing that come in brands??? If I were rich and had a gorgeous body - Bob Mackie...

17. Where would you want to retire? Right here in New Hampshire...have a big city an hour away; 30 minutes away is Dartmouth College...and Hanover with funky shops, and Dartmouth Book Store.

18. Favorite time of day? Evenings when I can relax and knit or quilt...

19 Where were you born? Philadelphia, PA

20. Where have you lived? Philadelphia, PA; Aquadilla, Puerto Rico; Tampa, Florida; Jonesborough, Tennessee, and Claremont, New Hampshire.

21. What is your favorite sport to watch? Golf (PGA or LPGA)

22. Coke or Pepsi? Pepsi!!!

23. Beavers or ducks? Ducks!

24. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Night Owl

25. Pedicure or manicure? Manicure (Nobody touches my feet!!!)

26. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? I am going to learn how to knit on DPNs!!!!

27. What did you want to be when you were little? A famous writer ... or a teacher....

28. What is your best childhood memory? Having a pet goat (Comet) and pet pig (Porky) when we lived in Puerto Rico on a small farm.

29. Piercing? pierced ears

30. Ever been to Africa? No

31. Ever been toilet papering? Yes

32. Been in a car accident? Yes

33. Favorite day of the week? Don't have a favorite - like them all - they are all different and fun.

34. Favorite restaurant? A good steak house or Seafood Restaurant

35. Favorite Ice Cream? Butter Pecan

36. Favorite Fast Food? Sweet Tomatoes - a chain restaurant in Florida - just salads, soups, bread & dessert. They would have several house salads that changed (like a Crunchy Chicken Salad, Caesar salad) and then all kinds of fixings to make whatever kind of salad you wanted. It was a fun place to go, reasonable, and good for you...what a concept....

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? None

38. From whom did you get your last e-mail? Paul

39. Which store would you choose to max out your Credit card? Yarn and Quilt shop

40. Last person you went to dinner with? Scarlett

41. What are you listening to right now? Rod Stewart

42. Your favorite Color? Purple (any shade), Red, and Turquoise

43. How many tattoos do you have? None

44. Favorite magazine? Interweave Knits and Quilters Home

My brain is what?...

Your Brain is Purple

Of all the brain types, yours is the most idealistic. You tend to think wild, amazing thoughts. Your dreams and fantasies are intense. Your thoughts are creative, inventive, and without boundaries. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking of fictional people and places - or a very different life for yourself.

What Color Is Your Brain?

A Year of Simple Things...Week 7...

My favorite ice cream...Edy's Butter Pecan!!! Such a simple thing...

Let It Snow...and then some...

Valentine's Day was spent quietly at home with Mother (whose Day-Out Program was cancelled due to SNOW) and the babies. When we awoke yesterday morning - there was lots of snow! Actually, it was the most snow that I've seen since we moved here three years ago. It is beautiful!

The babies don't know how to act...the sink to their chests in it...and hop like bunnies trying to make their way through it. Everytime they need to go out (which is about every two hours) I have to shovel the snow away from the door...and you can't see their previous foot steps! Last night they stated that we had 13 inches of snow - and now it is past that - 16 was the last I heard!!

Following Sprite's Challenge, I called a few of my friends that I had not talked to in ages and sent a couple of e-cards to others that I had not been in touch with in a long, long while.

I hope all of you had a great Valentine's Day that was filled with joy. You were thought about in this corner of the world!!!

A Year of Simple Things...Week 6...

The ability to sleep on one's own bed!

My friend, Dave and others have been discussing how important a comfortable bed can be in making sure that one gets a good night's rest. A comfortable bed is such a wonderful simple thing...

That is Rupert, our nine-year-old babyon his new bed.

The Flu...

Here I was fine as could be and suddenly I was out for the count - just like being hit by a semi - with this miserable flu thing...it hit me early Thursday and I think I finally got it together sometime late last night...so, needless to say - I got Nada done...oh..well...

The Childhood Book Meme...

My buddy, Erica tagged me to do this childhood book meme...and it looked like fun...

List 5 books that played and important role in your childhood and explain why. Then tag 5 others.

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. This book had to be my most favorite book of my growing up years. It was one of those books that was read over and over and I did. The March girls, Meg (the sensible one), Jo (the tomboy), Beth (the sickly one) and Amy (the pretty flirty one) became my best friends.

2) Nancy Drew Mysteries by Carolyn Keene - Read every one of them! It's really strange how many mysteries I read as a child - yet they are not my favorite type of fiction now. It was always an adventure and you got to go along for the ride. What else could a child want?

3) Hardy Boys Mysteries by Franklin Dixon. (gosh actually remember his name). Same as with Nancy - got all those great adventures and they all had such cool parents that let them go out and investigate all this neat stuff.

4) Cherry Ames Series by Helen Wells and Julie Tatham. Cherry Ames was a nurse (and what little girl didn't want to be a nurse) but she also did a little bit of detective work on the side...

5) Trixie Belden - Julie Campbell. Another detective! One of the things I noted in looking over the books I read as a child is that all the girls were strong and not afraid of things.

My days were spent reading and I mean reading a lot. My mother would have to chase me out of the house to play...and then I'd hide a book and go sit up in the mulberry tree, eat mulberries and read.

I rarely tag anyone - but, if you want to play - just let me know in the comments so I can see what you had to say....

The Day After and Tax Time...

What a wonderful birthday I had yesterday...My daughter called, had a nice lunch out, and received some nice gifts, cards, e-mails, and comments from so many of you! Thank you so much for making my birthday so special!!!

I know I am way behind in e-mails - but, hope to solve that in the next day or so...

Mother is home sick today and for the rest of the week she will not be attending her day-out program. Seems some pizza didn't like her...

And, there are taxes to be done...not to mention some knitting on socks and a red sweater, so by the end of the week-end, I should be all caught up with everything...

Everyone have a great day and enjoy the sunshine (if you have any where you are - WE DO!!!)

61...it's just a number...

Today is my birthday!!! Sixty-one!!! There were days when I thought that was "old" - now I know better!!! Over the last few years I've come to realize that it is all relative...and that it is just a number...

What counts is that one feels good about themselves, about their life, and about what they contribute to the world...and I do...

It's been a nice birthday...and I've been able to share it with family and friends - including all my blogging friends...

Project Spectrum - February/March...

What a great color of turquoise! I found this yarn in my stash - and it is perfect for a pair of socks. Have two full skeins - and a little bit...The yarn is Brunswick sport weight - (do they make that yarn any more???) and 100% wool!!! Once these socks are finished they will meet the Project Spectrum, Yarn Life Challenge, and Knit from your stash categories...now that's getting stuff done!!!

Knitting My Cabin Cove Yarn...

Is this yarn not yummy! I have the socks cast on and about three rows done so far...but, tonight is Superbowl - so, I'll do a bit of knitting. I have no socks that translate as "dark" - so, I really needed to knit these...

Saturday Sky and Snow...02/03/07

About 6:00 last night, snow started to fall...when I awoke this morning this is what my back yard looked like! But, look at how beautiful and blue the sky is in each of these pictures!
As you can tell we got quite a bit of snow...just check out the bannister and the table. The cauldron (yes - I said cauldron) is also overflowing with snow.
Had to clear a space for Flood and Apollo to eat breakfast. Zeus came out, looked around, and went back to bed in the garage.
This is taken from my front porch...the yard is so pristine...my neighbor was here early this morning snowblowing me a path to my car and the walkway from the house to the curb. He is so sweet...he goes out and does the snowblowing for several of us.

Flashing My Stash...

Of Cabin Cove Yarn that is...the larger skeins are sock yarn and the beautiful brown one is lace weight for a shawl.

Red Sweater KAL...

Here is the front of the sweater. Not sure if you can see the detail in the pattern...but the photo should be clickable...I still have to figure out how to block it...but, I'll worry about all that when I get the sleeves done. By the time I got around to knitting the front I was a little fonder of the yarn...Cascade 220.

A Year of Simple Things...Week 5...

One of the simplest things I can think of is being able to take a walk in my safe, quiet neighborhood (usually spring, summer and fall - although I've gotten braver and walked in the winter with snow all around). This is exactly what my street looks like most of the time...there is rarely traffic, yet we live right off a main street. One can always tell when school is out as my babies start barking at the children walking home.

CaC: Laughter

This would be Zac in his winter outfit...and while he looks rather normal here just standing or sitting- it is hysterical to watch him walk in this snowsuit...he doesn't seem to understand that there is something on his back legs. Watching him just brings lots of laughter...

Project Spectrum Time Again...

Last year Project Spectrum was such fun that I just had to sign up this year again...but, this year, I will be finishing UFOs and/or working with yarns and fabrics that are in my stash as well as keeping my committment to the Yarn Life Challenge (knitting a pair of socks every two months). Think it will be such fun - and already the ideas are looming.

February and March: Blue, White, Gray. - Socks in Turquoise Blue...100% wool.

April and May: Green, Yellow, Pink

June and July: Red, Black, Metallics - Finishing a quilt block in Redwork.

August and September: Brown, Orange, Purple - a pair of purple socks for sure...and maybe a small Halloween quilted wall hanging.