Happiness is.....

a surprise from my Secret Pal!

It came in yesterday's mail. I was on my way out and there it was - all the way from Australia! A little ray of sunshine on a rather grey day! Such a pretty card! And look what was inside!



Stitch Markers!

My pal made them just for me! They are so pretty! I've already put them to use. The smaller ones with the blue and red beads went right on to Ribby. The larger ones with the green beads are going to be put to use on my poncho that I set aside last month.

I keep making Chris look at them. Their charm is lost on him.

Chicken Athenos

Last night's dinner. It was so yummy and a big hit with the entire gang! We had it with a big tossed salad.

Chicken Athenos

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette dressing (I used fat free)
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
pepper to taste
8 slices of tomato
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Brush the chicken with the dressing and sprinkle with Italian Seasoning and pepper. Place on a broiler pan. Broil about 4 inches from heat for 10 minutes (or until cooked through), turing once.

Top each breast with 2 slices of tomato and the cheese. Broil 2-3 minutes longer, until the cheese is slightly browned.

Blog Housekeeping

It was brought to my attention that comments could not be left unless the poster was a registered user (?) That has been fixed. Now anyone and everyone that wants to tell me how great I am, can! Just kidding, but really anyone that wants to comment will now be able.

You may also notice that over there on the side where is says "Reading" nothing is listed. My book has just been sitting on the night table - unopened. I had to take it off my blog because it was just staring at me, mocking me. I really love to read. I just haven't been lately. I WILL rectify that very soon. I promise. After all, I need to keep my mind active!

I have also joined the Secret Pal 4 Web Ring. I have been having lots of fun hitting the "next" button and the "random" button and seeing all the other blogs. There are a lot of creative ladies out there!

Speaking of SP4, I neglected to mention that I got a lovely e-card from mine this week. (I did email her to thank her so I am not completely ungracious!) We've exchanged several emails and I'm really enjoying getting to know her. She seems like such a sweet person. I am happily anticipating my first package which she has told me is in the mail. (Such a tease!) Of course that means I am stalking the postman again! And my package to my SP recipient has been mailed off to an undisclosed location. I hope she likes it!

The last bit of blog upkeep will have wait. The picture at the top of my home is no longer my home. The picture stays for now though. I don't have a nice picture to replace it with and I need to decide what to do about my blog name. I'm not really living on a hill anymore. I'm open to suggestions on the matter.

Now I need to attend to the regular housekeeping. I have a sink full of dishes calling to me!

On the blocks!

I actually made this Spiderweb Capelet about a month ago, but I am just now blocking it. (And might I add, what a difference that makes!) I really love the way it came out. I had a lot of fun making it and I am enjoying wearing it. I used 1 skein of Katia Ingenua and size 15 needles. I added an extra repeat of the pattern to give it more length and I think that if I make it again, I would add an extra 2 or even 3 instead of just 1. The fluffy mohair is like a soft cotton candy hug every time I put it on!

Fox in Socks

Ok, so it's only one sock - but he IS a fox! That is my very first sock being modeled by Chris. He loves that it is custom made for his foot! He's so sweet that way.

I had a lot of fun making that sock so the partner should be a breeze. Edmund has already placed an order for a pair - preferably in greens. Of course I'll need to make some for myself and I'm sure the other 2 boys will want some too!

This one is Lion Brand Magic Stripes in Stonewashed Blue. I used US#3 DPNs and just followed the pattern on the yarn label. It was a very easy pattern to follow and I will definitely use it again.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The boys and I made yummy cookies in honor of the day!

Feel Good Friday

(obligatory crappy shots in front of the mirror)

I put on my favorite jeans this morning (fresh from the dryer, thank you!) and they are too big! I have to wear a belt, not for fashion, but to keep my pants from slipping. They are also looking a bit sad and baggy in the backside. Not such a sexy look - but it sure does feel good!

I'll step on the scales on Sunday and see how I am doing but for now it doesn't matter - MY JEANS DON'T FIT!!

Today is going to be a good day!

Success!

I did it!! I got that nest untangled, divided and wound in to hanks! It was a tedious undertaking but it is done. Can I get a little "Woot!"

They remind me of loaves of fresh bread. I wonder if I have any yeast. I suddenly feel an urge to bake!

Laundry Woes

Our new home came with a (very old) washer and dryer. I have my own - they are maybe 3 years old, very efficient and I love them! Unfortunately the dryer that was here is hard wired in so we need to have an electrician come out and take care of that. In the mean time I am using what was here. I have so much laundry! I need to wash everything we own to get rid of the oil smell that just sort of seeped into it all. I was going to take a picture but seeing all those baskets down there kind of made me sad.

The problem I am having, though, is the current dryer is not a very good one. It takes 2-3 HOURS to dry a load of laundry! I've been doing a lot of running around, too so I am not here to keep turing the dryer back on. I'll never get caught up at this point. I may have to hit a laundry-mat. I wonder if I can find one that has drop off services??

It could be worse. I could have to do it all by hand!

Oh the Tangled Web.....

How is that for a mess? That is 1 skein, 223 yards, of Patons Classic Merino that I wanted to wind in to 2 balls. I'll do it too - eventually! I'm persistant that way. For now though, it is nothing more than a big knot.

I think I need a hot cup of tea first.

Wants, Wishes and Needs

Since I don't have a nice little ball winder and I wanted a center pull ball, I improvised. I found an old wooden post and created a nostepinde. It worked really well, but boy did it take FOREVER! I'm not sure how often I'll have the patience for that - especially when I have a lot of skeins to wind (like for my Ribby!) I'll need to think about finding a (real) ball winder!

And while we are talking about wishes and wants, I've created a wishlist at Amazon. Actually, I apparently already had one but it was in need of a little updating. Now I just need to find a cute little wish list button for the side of my blog.

I've also been seeing all these wonderful handpainted yarns on the 'net. I have to have some! I love that each one is so unique and the colors are so rich!


Wants, wishes and needs - they are all the same aren't they?!

Back online!

Our move has gone well for the most part, and as you can see, I am "connected"! I still have some work to do in the old house but it is mostly tossing things in to the dumpster. Ahhh! What a great feeling - letting go of all that clutter! I've learned a lot with this sudden move. Mostly that I hang on to WAY too much nonsense. Pictures of the house to come soon - when it looks a little less 'just moved in' and a little more 'welcome to my home!'

Hi there SP4!

I'm so excited! I got a nice email from my secret pal! If you are reading this, I just wanted to say Hi!

Books and Boxes

I had a store credit for a local book store that I needed to use. SO yesterday while doing errands I stopped to shop for me. They didn't have a tremendous selection of knitting books but I did find one that looked good. There are a lot of fun projects in this book as well as other nifty tidbits (like a list of movies with knitting scenes, a recipe for a dreamy cup of hot chocolate,and tips on decorating with yarn to name a few) I have several projects already planned from this book.

In other news, we are definately moving. We actually started moving on Sunday. I'm spending this week getting packed and we have a mover (provided my the landlord, thank you!) coming to move the big stuff on Friday. I'm so overwhelmed! I guess that is to be expected though. We are staying in town but the boys will have to switch schools. They are not thrilled but they'll be fine. February vacation is in a couple of weeks so they'll make the change then.

Back to the boxes......