TGIF

Have you ever had one of those weeks when you think WOW - at the end.

Not mentioning details - but this was one week I started at one end of the emotional spectrum - and ended it at the other end.

It was a crazy-busy week - 12 - 14 hour days at the office - man was it worth it!

This weekend will be my reward for a week well spent. Have my eye on two things on Eb*y - one for me, one for a holiday gift - wish me luck - I love the hunt!!! 3hr 38 min left for my item....15hr 55min left on the gift....ooh - I cannot stand it -

Gotta run - House calls!

Thursday eye candy

HOLD THE PRESSES~!!!

NEW AND FAB movie added to the Holiday list -

I literally just got home from seeing what is a great holiday movie - some chuckles and some 'aww's' and some sniffles -


...

wait for it.....


wanna know?








Fred Claus. It was funny, endearing, cute, sarcastic and all around a good holiday movie! Go see it. I think I want to see it again!

Holiday faves

Amy asked on her post today - what are some of our fave holiday ads and movies - here goes:

All time fave movie - The Bishop's Wife. Cary Grant, David Niven, Loretta Young, Monty Wooley and James Gleason. Cary Grant plays an angel sent to help David Niven's character find guidance he needs - and it isn't necessarily the guidance he is hoping for.... bad angel...all I have to say. You may have seen the remake - The Preacher's Wife - with Denzel and Whitney - a good flick - just not better than the original....

Another good holiday movie is A Charlie Brown Christmas - the music and characters always make me smile - I even have the soundtrack!

Another one on my list...The Muppet Christmas Carol - CLASSIC!

And one my friend Bob (vacation buddy earlier this year) helped me add to the list - Die Hard. It IS a Christmas time movie, after all!!!

There you have some of my faves - yeah - White Christmas, Holiday Inn, Miracle on 34th, Nightmare Before Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas are all on the list....just not the top 4.

Well- there is one more series to add to the list - The Lord of the Rings trilogy!! Every Christmas morning - Bob and I would get up early and be there when the theaters opened...while others were at services, Bob and I (and a few other regulars) would be at the theater celebrating the holiday together - then going home to start the preparations of our roast beast. To this day - I never get tired of watching any of these movies... I miss the anticipation and excitement of getting a new installment of the series each Christmas. ...and I miss Bob.

Sense of impending....

...something...

The last day of vacation. Ugh. On the bright side, I only have two weeks before I go on vacation again.

Still.

It was hard to get up this morning. And I know I was not the only one. Amy had the same issues too! But the sweet smell of Dunkin Donuts cinnamon coffee perking got me moving in the right direction.

Luckily, I am still making positive progress on the downward trending on the scale. Whoo hoo!

Spent the afternoon with Michelle and family! Her mom made a FANTASTIC dinner and we watched some TV and got some knitting done! Plus I got to play with 2pac - the cutest kitten! And he has a gorgeous black and white big bro as well!

And just like Amy - I am cranking my new, super secret wip out of Noro Silk Garden. I am even using Color 37!! Amy - I have been in love with this yarn in this color for the last year. I thought 37 was discontinued - where did you get yours? Luckily, I still have about 5 skeins left...so far I have done a pair of non-matching fetching for myself and a short-row curvy scarf. Plus the super secret project - I am about 1/3 of the way done already.

And thanks go out to Michelle and her mom (again!) - I found a 16"cord when I got home and switched to Knit Picks Options circ's. MUCH easier than the dpns I was fighting with earlier today~!~

Santa - please put these on my list this year!

OK - gotta go hit the hay to get ready for re-entry tomorrow am!

Nice mindless day...

Today was a good day -

Spent time with the 'rents ...shopping with mom - yarn, bread, pastries, more yarn...followed by brunner (combo of brunch and dinner) of french toast (made with fresh sourdough bread bought earlier in the day....from Panera, of course)....then some quality time with Michelle - more shopping...catching up on tv and other stuff...and knitting!!

Cannot wait to finish my new project - yes I cast on something new - but with the really cold weather - I discovered that the attire I own for my head is lacking.....and the sweater I was working on may not fit pretty soon - so it will most likely get frogged later this week..then re-cast on (is that a word?).

Anyhoo - nice relaxing day - looking forward to tomorrow....who knows what will happen...hmmm

Monopoly!

I had a total BLAST playing monopoly tonight ... When was the last time you played a board game with friends???

I dare you.

I double dog dare you!

It was way too much fun!


p.s. Enid is a total Monopoly SHARK!!! The gauntlet has been thrown - I know I can take her at UNO.....hmmmm heh heh heh

Thanksgiving

I am thankful for so much in my life - my friends, family, job, puppy....and so much more. I am so lucky to have such great friends who understand me and the things I am addicted to..I mean.... like to do.

I had a fab day with the clan today....The home made stuffing & bourbon mashed sweet potatoes with pecans and marshmallows were great; the turkey was amazingly moist; the punkin pie was FAB.....and I got a wild hair this a.m. and decided I needed to make these rosemary cheddar proscuitto biscuits - they were definitely the hit of the morning with some streudel coffee that Rachel sent me for the coffee swap - YUM!!



Happy Thanksgiving y'all!

The Magic of Creating

I love knitting b/c it is almost magical - taking sticks and string and coming up with something warm to use or wear.

Cooking is the same thing for me - you can start with items like this:


And end up with this!


YUMMMM


Then I made a sausauge, onion & cheese quiche for dinner - FAB!

Baking season has begun!

Amazing Coffee Swap Batman!!

Wow!

My secret pal Rachel TOTALLY spoiled me!! I cannot believe how amazing the box of goodies I got tonight were - I have enjoyed talking with her and getting to know her through emails and her blog - well - she REALLY got to know me....

I opened my box and the first thing I see.... This amazing little sheep! ITS A BUTTON - his legs move too!!! Too cute!


Then the warning not to read further if I like surprises - so the card gets placed to the side for now...


The top package is carefully unwrapped to uncover a hand-crocheted mini wall hanging - of a sheep!! And it is softer than you can imagine! I thought it looked familiar - it is from the new Knit Simple magazine - one of the panels of this amazing afghan (which I did covet from afar... who knew I would get my own little lamb?) I adore her! And she is perfect...
(I have the issue of KS Rachel...thanks for thinking of me! )



The box is still chock-full-o-goodies as you can see -


And the little gauze bag catches my attention next - WOW - stitchmarkers


...and HOMEMADE Ginger Snaps!!!!!!!! (with the little sheep button lurking...) I cannot wait to try the cookies - probably Weds am to celebrate the start of my vacation!! They smell delish!



A candle....it matches the sage color in my den!!



Yummy coffee comes next! (The little button sheep is hanging out with all the goodies)



Then - magnets for my fridge - not just any magnets -- but magnets of MY ARTWORK!(and the Coffee Swap 3 Logos!)! Are you kidding me? How cool is that? I LOVE IT!!! - and nifty stripey magnet/memo pad for the fridge too!

MORE handmade goodies - coasters that match the sage of my den PERFECTLY!! and a scrapbook to log some memories and a little Tinker Bell bag (how the heck did she know)!

And in the Tink bag....CHOCOLATE~~~ need I say more?


And last, but most certainly not least by any stretch of the mind...some gorgeous alpaca silk blend in a solid and a variegated (Rachel noticed almost everything I have done is variegated) and an equally gorgeous skein of wool - with a pattern for felted coffee cozies....hmmmmm



Rachel - I cannot thank you enough - I can only hope that you will enjoy the goodies I got for you even half as much as I like my goodies! I can honestly share that I am thankful for my new friend who spent alot of time and thought on this!

Friday Eye Candy

Dinner tonight at PF Changs - great dinner - with my 'rents and the sister! It was great seeing her - cannot wait till vaca with her in Feb!

Any hoo - here is your Friday Eye Candy - no pics of dinner....but a pic from dinner...look at it small - sorta fuzzy big - will have to go and try to get another one....

Fiber, Fest & Flavor! Pt 3 of 3!!

As promised - more pics from this weekend.

When I last saw you, dear reader, I was telling you about all the fab people who were at the Kid N Ewe event. You have seen the spoils of my plundering....what is left?

Ahh...fret not - there is still more - the weekend was filled with fun...

Sunday I went to Wurstfest in New Braunfels. There was singing, dancing, music and food!

The singing was by the New Braunfels Kinderchor - (you thought it was me?)


Dancing was done by the Kinder Tanzer (again - not me!)



Music was by The New Braunfels Village Brass Band (they were amazing!!)...



and what would a German Wurstfest be without accordion music??? And lots of oma's and opa's singing and drinking beer?



And some spectacular curly spinny things....


And the food was great - no pics - sorry - but the funnel cake, wurst and beer rocked! I had a blast! The company was not bad either!

More pics tomorrow of some of the more artistic views from Kid N Ewe.

And my box for my coffee swap partner goes out in the post in the am!

This is only a test

I know I promised part 3 for tonight - but this posting has been pre-empted by a dinner with my CEO - he came to visit our site and I was hijacked to attend a fabulous dinner at Antler's at Hyatt Hill Country Resort.

The meal was amazing - I had the Sea Bass...with succotash - I ate lima's and they were good!! Jalapeno bacon wrapped scallops and a fresh salsa for appetizers and a house salad. With some of the house merlot.

This foodie was in heaven.

And the discussion was fabulous! A wonderful time was had by all. I am looking forward to our meeting tomorrow.

More on last weekend's events tomorrow.

TTFN

Fiber, Fest & Flavor! Pt 2 of 3!!

As promised - pics of all the people at Kid N Ewe!


Chris petting yarn at Amanda's shop - boy is she happy!














Amanda, me, David and Chris!













Brenda as she is arriving to bldg 2!


Jodi and Linda (Janna's Sis) with Starbucks in Hand!!













Amanda and Kim - all smiles!













Juanita as she shops Amanda's booth.













Amy and David - Amy was taking a brief retail therapy break and David was secretly celebrating his birth-anniversary!













Nhel was spotted on Friday and Saturday!

Fiber, Fest & Flavor! Pt 1 of 3!!

So - lots of activity in the last few days -

First and foremost - Kid N Ewe. Wow. Fiber everywhere...and alot of it made it home with me... still don't know if that is a good thing or not. Here are some of my pretties.... BROOKS FARM!!!!

From left to right. Mas Acero - for cardigan for me. Primero - dunno what it will be yet. Fourplay - for a Crapotis. Fourplay - crapotis. Acero - sox.






Next up.....

Plain & Fancy Sheep and Wool Co. From Henderson, TX - FAB yarn! Reasonable prices. I even bought some solid colors - someone recently pointed out I do mostly variegated work..hmmm I guess I do.





The solid colors will end up being fingerless glove/mitten combo for moi...to match My So
Called Scarf...






And last, but not least - my new drop spindle - isn't she pretty - Texas Ebony..



Tomorrow - pics of the people at the Fiber fest - then pics of Wurstfest on Weds!

Wurst day of the week.

OK - so I fell asleep whild doing my post last night...oops.

More pics later tonight and tomorrow from Kid N Ewe. Lots of fibery goodness - and I have taken the first step to becoming a spinner...eek! I now own a drop spindle from Wyatt's wheels!

Heading out for some Bratwurst and german music today -

More later!

FIBERRRRRR!

Today kicked off the 3 day event - Kid N Ewe in Boerne.

Amanda's booth is rockin' with fabulous fiber-goodness.

Here is my score from her booth!

First - Roving - Burning Autumn is the color - 100% wool.



















Second - a project bag - both the interior and exterior fabric rocks!!



















Stop by and check out her stuff! Before someone else gets it.....

More pics tomorrow of the event and my stash enhancement!

More to be Thankful for....

My friend Michelle - she keeps me sane. Listens to all my stuff...never judges...always cares...

My friend Amy....she shared that GINGERBREAD LATTES are HERE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

My friend Enid is fine and recovering!!!!

My work week is officially OVER!

I am spending the weekend surrounded by fiber.

Brownie goodness is still a skill for me - here they are in all their glory. They are going to be going to Kid N Ewe with me!

To quote one of my favorite singers - Jamie Cullum - in his song Photograph....

It's just another story caught up in another photograph I found.
and it seems like another person lived that life a great many years ago from now,
When I look back on my ordinary, ordinary life,
I see so much magic, though I missed it at the time.

I am taking the time to make sure I am not missing it now.

Here - you can hear him sing it for yourself!!! (Embedding was disabled - so you have to click on the link - trust me - worth it - this is the best version!!!!!!!!)

It's beginning to look alot like...

Nope.

I can't say it.

I WON'T say it.

Remember the good ole days?

Tonight I have seen no less than 5 commercials for that holiday with a jolly old elf. [see - I still cannot bring myself to say the holiday yet.]

I was taught that the 'C' season did not begin before the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade ended and that guy dressed in fur from his head to his foot, his clothes all tarnished with ashes and soot- shows up.

Thats THE RULE!

But NOW - you walk into stores before Halloween, and there is all the stuff...the trees, the lights the candy???? Who wants candy that is over 2 months old? Methinks that it is all getting more and more commercial.

Where is the good old days?

There you have my rant for the day. What do you think?

Should there be rules or no?

TGFB

Thank God for BEER. After a day like today - I am thankful there is a wonderful blend of hops and water that just makes the day seem better. That and good friends to enjoy it with.

Tomorrow will be better.

It will.

Make new friends, but keep the old...

One is silver and the other's gold. So goes the song that I learned when I was in Girl Scouts.... It was sorta corny at the time (as we sang it in rounds).

Just before I went to AZ, I decided to see if I could find one of my friends that I used to hang out with - we were virtually inseparable. We did pottery together for eight years, worked for competing financial institutions and went to movies and plays and museums all the time. When I moved to TX, we lost touch. And I always missed her.

Well.

I was lucky enough to be able to find her brother, who forwarded all my info to her and we connected! We talked several times during the week I was there for an offsite meeting. Friday we met (at Joes - yummmm see below) for dinner and we stayed up almost all night! 4am we fell asleep watching a movie and then up at 630 to go to the BEST little dive for breakfast - Carolina's - and then to the airport so I could fly home.

I wish I had more time to spend with my friend - I cannot wait to see her again! We had so much fun..Here we are after dinner getting some FABULOUS gelato at a little mom-n-pop store...

November

Is a time for thankfulness...or so my manager says.

I am thankful for my friends - they are the best group of people - supportive when I need, challenge me to do things I don't think I can (but I always seem to be able to when I try it) and get me out of my shell. - thanks guys...

I am also thankful for my family and my Tigger - she has been velcro puppy all day today - she truly seems happy that I am home....

Dorothy was right.

Call Me Dorothy

"There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home."

Tap. Tap. Tap.

I am HOME!! I am not the only one who is glad that I am finally home!

Can you guess who else is?

Friday Eye Candy - & - "It's a Dry Heat"...yeah right.

Lets start with the Eye Candy....before and after versions!
















OMG....

The locale is Joe's Real BBQ in Gilbert, AZ. They make HOMEMADE rootbeer! 3 glasses were consumed by yours truly. Brisket with mac and cheese. The potatoes were sacrificed to the hunger of my pottery buddy Cindy who I had not seen in at least 5 years. And the food at Joe's was FABULOUS! Snaps out to my cousin Lee and family - they treated us to dinner!

The evening was cool because it was like Cindy and I had seen each other just yesterday. We were up alll night talking - only after she took me for some evil gelato - pics to follow once I get home.

And what is this crap about it being a dry heat? My skin cannot take it - I had my hand split open this morning and started bleeding. FOR NO GOOD REASON!!!! I have been drinking water faster than I can...well, you know...(sorry tmi) and slathering on lotion - but noooo. I still have my skin split on me. Time for me to split this dry town and get back to some humidity!! It's November for $#$*# sake - and it is over 90 degrees. And these weirdos are puttin on sweaters - what is up with that? There is something wrong with the water if you ask me. They are giddy with this 'fall' weather. BAH. BYE. I am taking my yarn and going home.

Talk to y'all tomorrow. From TX!!!