My Day.....(shamelessly stealing from another blogger's idea)....

Outside my window...there is a soft blue sky - the sun is shining - the wind is gently blowing - and it is a tad chilly....

I am thinking...that it doesn't feel any different to turn 65 today...

I am thankful... to be turning 65... the alternative leaves a lot to be desired - LOL!

I am wearing - the black sweater I had on earlier when we went out to the mall - and an old pair of taupe pants...

I am creating.... oh, so many knitted scarves of various styles!

I am wondering...if I'll be able to eat dinner out tonight - just not all that hungry!

I am reading.... tons of books!  I always have at least 25 or more going at one time. And I bought some more new ones today!

I am hoping....that the coming year will be peaceful - and filled with unexpected (but good) moments....

I am looking forward to...going out to the yarn shop tomorrow to buy some yarn to start another scarf!

One of my favorite things is....is finding out that my niece Sara is knitting her very first scarf! Wish we were closer so we could knit together!

 

me thinks I need to do a root touch up - ha!

Wow!

 Hard to believe it is already over....it goes so quickly...

  Hope you all had a lovely Christmas Day... Happy New Year to you and yours!

Ahhhh Paris....

Every year, I have a tradition of going to Barnes & Noble on Christmas Eve day. I used to go to another location that was right up the hill from the library where I worked. Well to be truthful, I went there at least 3 times a week!  And Christmas Eve day on top of all of that! The parking lot was always a zoo, so I usually left my car in the Staff Lot and walked... Saved on my sanity and gave me some more exercise - especially on the days when it was really cold and windy, and I ran up the hill...  But that location closed two years ago (due to rent wars) - and I am still grieving....  I miss it - I miss the people that worked there...
So now I go to another one.... This year I decided to do it today and beat out the crowds that will be there tomorrow.  Not that they were not there today in full force, but at least there were parking spots!
In my browsing, I stopped over in the travel section to look at the books on Paris. I so love anything Paris related - and hope to travel there one day (if someone can drug me up so I sleep for the entire flight)!  I found this beautiful book and cannot wait to look at it later tonight!

Stacks of books in a row....

These are just some of the books I'm reading or re-reading.  Well, only two are being read for the first time!  The Night Garden and The Long Way Home....

 

 

 

 

How now....

blue cowl.... I've been on a huge cowl knitting kick lately... I think I've almost gotten it out of my system.  Almost....

Old Photos....

My cousin Jimmy just sent me this old photo he found. It was in 1942!  The woman to the left front of the picture is my Mom.  About 7 years before I was born!  The guy across from her is my cousin's Dad!  So fun to see this!

Rainy Day Ramblings....

Raining and cold and chilly today. So of course, I decide to go out and run some errands!

First stop - the grocery store... Somehow, along with the catfood and birdseed, these two items slipped into my basket!

Then onto Starbucks for a hot chocolate.  Trying to juggle the umbrella, car keys and hot chocolate without dropping it all while getting back into the car was a riot.

Then onto Michaels - where I got a tree topper and some Christmas cards....  I already have my Christmas cards mailed out - but can always use more (says the person with about 40 or 50 or more boxes stored in the other room!  Everytime I go into a Michaels store now - I think of my sister. We had so much fun when she came for a visit in September - visiting every Michaels around me!

Then onto Home Goods where I got these yummy smelling treats....

My tree is up.....

What is it about men and umbrellas - never using them that is!!

I got to use my new umbrella today..... another thing I have tons of! I'm addicted to them and have a hard time passing one up!  Especially when it is as cute as this!

Oh, did you know that every day at Michaels is Senior Discount Day!!  I didn't know that - but the lady in front of me asked and we found out about it. Wish I had known before - since I go in there many times a month... I'm not sure of the age you need to be.  But I qualify! You just need to show your driver's license....

I got home and was trying to figure out why the left cuff of my jeans was soaked, but the right was dry.....

And then of course, right as I pulled into my driveway...the rain stopped....

Don't Hate Me....

but I've already mailed off all of my Christmas gifts this week!  Which leaves me more time to read and knit...

This is the second book in this series.  And I've got the third on my shelf and waiting already!  I am actually liking the second book better than the first. But I liked the first enough to try the second. Still with me? LOL!
This scarf is being done in Manos Del Uruguay.  It is the wool/silk blend (worsted or DK)... And I believe the color is Wildflowers....  I have two others on the needles using this same pattern. One is being done in Lion Brand Heartland acrylic (in green). And the other is being done in Cascade Venezia - another wool/silk blend... (in red).

Wednesday Weather Haiku....

Mother Nature Confused
Pouring Rain Which Turns To Snow
Think I'll Bake A Pie

My week...

....grocery shopping
....replacing a dead car battery
....clothes shopping at the mall...somehow two pretty scarves and some earrings got put into the mix
....book shopping at Barnes & Noble
....phone calls with my sister
....emails with online friends
....reading blogs
....curling up with a good book
....searching for knitting patterns on Ravelry
....messing up knitting projects
....restarting knitting projects
....and a visit from this little creature....

Wednesday Weather Haiku...

Bright sun and blue skies
Squirrels and birds beg for food
Freezing air greets me

One of the books I am reading...

well, actually I'm re-reading it....    I found it so good the first time around that I want to revisit it and see if it stands up to a second read!

It is The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood.  Check it out - you might like it as much as I did/do....

Wednesday Weather Haiku...

Wednesday already...
Fog greets me as I awake...
Soon chased by the sun...

Things We Collect - aka Ten on Tuesday....

I've collected many things over the years - some collections became larger than others.  My top ten things I collected (and some I still do collect) - in no particular order -  are:

1.  Angels
2.  Primitive Snowmen
3.  Primitive Santas
4.  Silver baby cups - many with the names and dates engraved on them
5.  Coffee mugs
6.  Umbrellas
7.  Raggedy Ann - no Andy though
8.  Beanie Babies
9.  Teddy Bears
10. Oil lanterns - especially love to find the smaller ones.... (the ones in my collection are mainly antiques)....

The most recent item added to my collection was a silver baby cup with a name on it.  I haven't found one of these in a long time - mainly due to the fact that all the antique places I used to go to - have closed down....

Wednesday Weather Haiku...

Wednesday has arrived
Just like a broken record
Cloudy skies abound

Three down....

 

 

nineteen to go.  Leaves that is.  I'm making "Saroyan" - a little "shawlette/scarfette  (free pattern on Ravelry).  I like this pattern because it looks difficult, but is really quite easy to do. I also like it because you can choose the amount of leaves you want to do - thereby changing the size of it.  I am doing this one in worsted weight yarn. I am going to do another one in sock yarn that I bought today in a light burn orange color...

Another yummy meal....

 

 

This is an easy meal to fix! And it is yummy!  If you can do the prep work the day or night before, or the morning of -  it helps. 

Chop up 2 green peppers
Chop up 2 red peppers
Chop up an onion
Cut up a smoked sausage (into chunks).  I used Ekridge smoked beef kielbasa I think....
And have one 16 ounce jar of chunky salsa - mild, medium or hot! I used medium.

Brown your sausage for about 4 or 5 minutes in hot oil.  Then add the peppers and onion.  Cook until they are tender. I sautéed them for a bit and then covered the pan for a few minutes.  Then add your salsa - stir and heat through.  Serve it with mashed potatoes or with baked potatoes or rice - your choice!  Enjoy!

Do yourself a favor...

and read this series.... (if you haven't already)... I adore it!  Yesterday I rushed out to buy my copy of the newest book in the series.  It brings me much comfort and joy to curl up in a cozy spot and visit with Mma Ramotswe, her assistant Grace Makutsi, and all the people that make up their individual lives.... 

Wednesday Weather Haiku.... 10.29.14

Sun peeks out her face
Some blue pushes through the clouds
Rain will win the day

An easy to fix and good to eat dinner....

 

 

 

Get bone-in pork chops
A box of Stove-top stuffing for pork
A can of whole berry cranberry sauce
Some brown sugar
Some barbecue sauce (I use Kraft original)

Brown your chops about 5 or 6 minutes on each side.  Preheat oven to 350.  In the meantime, make your stuffing per box directions.  Then mix your cranberry sauce, two tablespoons of brown sugar, and 3/4 cup barbecue sauce.  When the stuffing is ready, stir it into the cranberry mixture. Then put your pork chops in a 13X 9 inch baking dish - and spread the stuffing/cranberry mixture on top of them.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes... and enjoy!  I like to have this meal with fresh green beans too!

Wednesday Weather Haiku....

Gray skies over my head
Birds frolick in the rain drops
Chill winds revive me

I fought the fight....but lost....

and I'm not complaining!!

What was that fight you ask?  Trying so hard to not start this book! I wanted to start it the moment I bought it - which was the day it came out in August. But I knew if I started it, and then gulped it down, it would be a long year or more before the next one came out. But I couldn't stand it anymore!  And the other day, I picked it up and delved in. I'm parceling it out though - just reading a chapter here and there. That way I can sort of have "my book" and "read it too"!  Or something like that - LOL!

I love the village of Three Pines. But even more, I adore the characters who inhabit it....

Ten On Tuesday...

ten things I did last weekend....

1.  Knitted - a lot!  started about 5 or 6 or more cowls!

2.  Read - a lot!  finished two books and came close to finishing another. The two I finished are Little Bitty Lies and Lie Still - both good!

3.  Colored my hair...

4.  Went to the library to drop off some donation books....

5.  Went to a little get together at our neighbor's house....

6.  Changed the bedsheets...

7.  Watched the NASCAR race (fun fights between several of the drivers at the end had me cracking up and yelling at the tv)!

8.  Bought some more knitting patterns on Ravelry...

9.  Bought a Xmas gift for my Dad....

10.  Went to B & N for some book shopping - mainly got things for my husband to read!

Comfort Reads....

 

 

Every year in October (for a long time now), I have started a re-read of this book, Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher.  October also happens to be the month that the story begins.  I pick up the book from time to time - reading a chapter or two (I almost know it by heart by now)!  I usually finish up my re-read in January - about the time this story ends....  I can't explain why I love it so much - I just do. It is one of my great "comfort reads" and perfect for cozying up in a comfy chair with!

Ahhhhhhh...

 

 

 

 

 

that feeling you have when you finish a really good book!  One minute I would find myself wanting to read faster and faster in order to find out what happened! And the next minute I found myself wanting to read slower and slower so the book wouldn't be over. Finally read the last page of this 458 page book this morning.  Loved every word on every page!

Wordless Wednesday....

 

 

 

A Busy September Winding Down...

visit from my parents the first week of September
eating out
trips to all 3 malls
spending time sitting in their hotel lobby
finding ink for my Dad's Mont Blanc pen (made him very happy)

visit from my sister
11 days of shopping for yarn
11 days of eating together
11 days of knitting together
11 days of starting new knitting projects
11 days of talking and having little spats
11 days of sleeping in the same room
11 days of listening to her snore
11 days that went by in a heartbeat

With Words Wednesday...

Thought I'd change this Wednesday up and have words! I'm a rebel that way - LOL!

"Every leaf speaks
bliss to me,
fluttering from
the autumn tree.

---Emily Bronte

Wordless Wednesday....

 

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Without Words Wednesday....

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Have A Cat....

I have a cat who gets disturbed if the routine is changed (he is just like his Mom)...
I have a cat who gets upset if there is discord in the house...
I have a cat who cries for you to come and sit in the "potty room" with him...
I have a cat who has to have me sing rock-a-bye baby to him each morning while I hold and rock him (he will follow me around until I remember to do it too)...
I have a cat who thinks if I put a spoonful of cat-food on the floor for him - it is a people food treat...

I have a cat who loves me so much and who I love so much too...

Without Words Wednesday...

Wordless Wednesday...

 

 

 

 

In Common....

A coffee mug
An umbrella
Paris themed items
Notepads, journals, memo books

What do these 4 things have in common?  They are things I have to really fight hard to keep myself from buying when I spot them out and about!

What about you? What do you have to fight to keep yourself from getting?

Walking Around My Block...

I've taken a walk around this same block between 4 and 7 times a week - for as long as we've lived here. Which is 1978....  One time I will turn right when I leave my house - and the next time, I will turn left.  Our street is a loop with two entrances - and is a mile long. It is a nice mix of flat and hilly...  You would think I would get bored walking this same walk every time - but for some reason, I never have.... come along with me for a bit...

I'm going to go right today..... are you with me?

Now we are starting up a gentle slope. Okay, it is getting a bit steeper as we go along - stay with me!

 

 Ahhh a bit of shade - can you feel the coolness?

 

I'm not sure what this bush is called, but I love looking at it each time I go by. Watch out - the big bees like it too!

This used to be the biggest old beautiful tree. But sadly, for some reason, this year, it died... I was so sad when I saw them cutting it down. I actually wanted to go over and hit the people doing it!  But I restrained myself! I know you would have helped me do it tho! LOL!

Ahhh, we are back home... Now for a big glass of water!  And join me again the next time!

A Balancing Act...

It always seems to be a "balancing act" between reading and my other crafting (knitting and cross-stitch)... Sometimes I want to knit more and read less.... or read more and knit less...  Right now I'm craving reading!  I always read a bit every day - but with these long hot days, I'm feeling that rush I got growing up when I would sit under the tree in my front yard - or inside in front of a fan - and read and read and read!  And since I never travel... I do it via my books. Thought the one above would be a good pick to "take me away somewhere" so to speak!  They don't go to Paris in the book - but I just had to use my Paris postcard as my bookmark!  I like to try and match my bookmark to the book I'm reading - yes, I'm odd!

What about you? What are you reading on these hot summer days?!

Ten On Tuesday....

This week's Ten on Tuesday prompt is 10 movies you can watch over and over and never tire of. Here is my list....

1.  Hope Floats
2.  Little Women (the one with June Allyson as Jo)
3.  You've Got Mail
4.  Pretty Woman
5.  Ghost
6.  Steel Magnolias
7.  When Harry Met Sally
8.  Dirty Dancing
9.  The Bridges of Madison County
10.  Parent Trap (the original one with Haley Mills)

How about you? What is your list of 10?

Knitting - Reading....

Wrapped up in knitting this dishcloth. Just wanted something easy to work on when I'm too tired out to work on something complicated...

Wrapped up in this corrugated baktus (pattern free on Ravelry). It looks like corrugated cardboard in real life...

 

Wrapped up in reading this book.  Not too far in yet - but so far so good...and yes, that is a cat paw to the right!

 

 

 

Unwrapping a few of these here and there for sustenance and energy......

 

Good Bye Sweet Bug....

 

You were a good sweet girl and I will miss you....my Katie Sue Bird...
Say hello to your sister Lacey for us - and even though you never met them - say hello to your brothers Flim Flam, Darth, and Jessie for us...

Pondering....

Just some things I've been pondering on....

Why do they leave the toilet seats up when they are showing houses on House Hunters?

Why does it rain the whole time I'm out doing errands - and then the minute I pull into my driveway at home, the rain stops and the sun comes out...

Why do the mirrors in the dressing rooms at the stores make you look so awful in the clothing? Are they trying to make you NOT buy stuff....

Why do birds sing outside my window (loudly) when it is still dark out...

How do you answer someone who asks you what your most favorite book in the world is...  that would be like asking  me who my favorite child was (if I had children that is)....

What Makes A Knitter...

a knitter?

what they knit?
how often they knit?
that they knit?

Row 37 of....

359!!  I really love this design (on Ravelry - Vittorio) and I really want to finish it - but will I?  That is the question...   It is a really easy pattern - well written out (and charted).  And it is so beautiful in the finished project. I just hope I get to that point - LOL!  I try and do about 12 rows every time I pick it up..... So slow and steady gets the worm - or in this case - the shawlette!

Four on Me....

Spent part of Sunday and today reading two books that have me "caught up" in the story!  Quirky characters, lots of descriptions - ahhh my favorite things in a book... They are "Visual City" and "That Part Was True"....

I made the decision that I'm tired of not knitting something because I don't know how to purl front and back! So today, I taught myself and I've started a pattern (free on Ravelry) called Corrugated Baktus. I must be doing the stitch right, because it looks the way it is supposed to - so far anyway! Oh, and another thing that was keeping me from knitting some shawl patterns - the ones that have the "garter tabs" as the first part. I could not get that into my brain. The guy that works at my LYS showed me, but I still could not get it... but I practiced and eventually my hands did what they were supposed to!

I sunk into the "black hole" of Ravelry yesterday!  You, who go on there, know what I'm talkin about!

Closed my eyes, and got on the scales this morning.  I'm maintaining the same weight that I got down to when I was sick last summer (lost 20 pounds).  I was hoping I had lost some more - but just seeing I hadn't gained was enough of a boost!  I am shooting, however, to lose another five pounds by the end of September. No reason for that timeframe - just what I picked in my mind today....  But if at the end of September, I'm still the same weight I am now - that is good too. I just don't want to gain the weight back that I lost!

Ten On Tuesday!

This week - it is 10 foods that "go together".  I took this in an off the wall manner - and am telling the 10 foods that go together according to my taste - but others might find a little icky!

1.  Breakfast sausage or links with catsup (this is one of the only two things I eat catsup with (the other being onion rings).  I hate catsup on other stuff!

2.  Fritos and peanut butter....

3.  Cold, left-over pizza and chocolate milk...

4.  Cottage cheese with salsa...

5.  Ritz crackers and a bit of chocolate bar (at the same time)....

6.  French fries and mayo....

7.  Chocolate ice cream - all gooshey and melty - and then scoop it up with ruffled potato chips...

8.  Cold mac n cheese and cottage cheese - mixed in together in each bite...

9.  Cheesy garlic toast with a fried egg and a slice of melted American cheese on top....

10.  Salty cashews and a glass of really cold tomato juice as a chaser....for breakfast!

True or False...Here is the Reveal!

Numbers 6, 8, and 10 are false! I'm afraid of horses, so no way am I riding them (or getting very close to them)...

I never worked at the FBI building - but it would have been interesting I'm sure!

And I hate hate HATE peas!

Ten on Tuesdays.... Is It True.... It Is Up to You to Decide!

Our ten on Tuesday for this week (in honor of April Fool's Day) is to tell 10 things about ourselves and then let you guess which are false....  I will make it a bit easier and tell you that three of these statements are NOT true....

1.  My Mom left me on the beach once when I was a child... she was watching from above - but I didn't know that.  I went up and down the rows of people asking "do you know where my Mommy is"...  She quickly ran down and grabbed me!

2.  I don't like to talk first thing in the morning...

3.  As kids, my husband and I lived right around the corner from each other (even played with some of the same siblings) - but didn't find out about this until years after we were married....

4.  As a child, I once sang "Let Me Go Lover" with my sister at a family reunion...

5.  I named our first poodle "Flim-Flam" and our second "Darth Vader"....

6.  I love to ride horses!

7.  I am an introvert....

8.  I used to work at the FBI building in Washington, D.C.

9.  When I was younger, my Mom used to sit on our front porch and play her accordion. She especially loved doing this when my dates were going to arrive to pick me up....

10.  One of my favorite vegetables to eat is peas....

On The Hunt....a photo scavenger hunt that is!!

I found out about this photo scavenger hunt on some blogs I read.  Decided to try out the March one!

                                M is for....my Mom as a little girl....

 

 

9:00 A.M.

 

 

Berries .... (fake ones, but still...)

 

 

 

Lit up...

 

 

 

Grate....the doors on my jewelry box

 

 

 

Working...making ice....

 

 

Brickwork....

 

Cutlery....(and overflow of coffee mugs which I'm addicted to)...

 

 

Flowers....(locket I received after my Aunt's death years ago)....

 

Crisp....

 

 

 

yummy cookies and a good book "Still Life With Breadcrumbs"...

 

Ticket....$2.00 winner!!

 

a colored door...my spice cabinet that I got in Cape Cod...

 

 

Hope you enjoyed my scavenger hunt! I did!!