abbey’s scarf

This is the scarf I made for Meredith’s youngest daughter, Abbey. I think it’s the best one I’ve made so far. It really curls around a lot. I think it has something to do with the yarn ~ this particular yarn is a DK weight. The other yarns I’ve used are all worsted weight. I’m going to play around with different size needles to see if that makes any difference. I’m still crocheting these scarves ~ I haven’t worked on the knitting pattern yet. I think I just have an aversion to knitting right now; I don’t know.

I need to stop making scarves for a while though ~ I’ve GOT to get Angie’s wedding afghan done. She and Ashley will leave for Costa Rica (where they’re getting married) in a few days. I won’t have the afghan finished and mailed to them before they leave, but I would like to have it waiting at their apartment for them when they get home. I imagine after spending some time in Costa Rica they’ll need a nice cozy afghan when they get back to Denver.

more knitting and crocheting

I ordered the yarn for Meredith’s curly-twirly scarf and the hat I’m going to make for one of Holly’s daughters who’s too young for a scarf. For the hat I’m going to use the “stars” pattern from Susan B. Anderson’s Itty-Bitty Hats, with a few modifications of my own.

I ordered GGH Samoa for Mer’s scarf and Sydney’s hat. Mer’s scarf will be apple green/lime green:

Sydney’s hat will be lavender: I’m hoping the yarn will arrive this week, even with the New Year’s holiday. I would like to get Sydney’s hat done before we leave for Colorado since I have to follow a pattern. I can do the twirly-curly scarves from memory, so they’ll be easy to do in the car on the drive to Colorado. Although, at the rate I’m going right now, there won’t be any curly-twirly scarves left to make on the drive to Colorado. What I really need to be working on is Angie’s wedding afghan ~ I’m enjoying making the scarves so much though because they’re so easy and so fast. It’s all about instant gratification, don’tcha know!

tso

One of the things Sawyer put on his birthday wish list this year was tickets to the Trans Siberian Orchestra performance in Little Rock. They play in LR every year, but yesterday’s performance was the first one we’ve attended.

We stood outside in line, waiting to get into the arena, for over an hour ~ and that was with pre-purchased tickets! Once we were inside and found our seats, the lights dimmed and the performance began.

To be honest, the concert wasn’t what I was expecting. The “Orchestra” part of the name is a misnomer ~ they had 6 violins, a cello and a bass. I’m not sure what the official criteria for an orchestra are, but in my mind 6 violins, a cello and a bass don’t make much of an orchestra! The strings were all tucked back in the corner except for one violinist who had WAY too much energy, bounding here, there, and everywhere else on the stage. Out front were 3 electric guitars and a synthesizer. Another synthesizer and a set of rockin’ drums were also set up towards the back.

The performance began with a man telling a story about an angel flying over the earth on Christmas Eve and the different situations he encountered in different countries. The music tied in with the story. There were 4 male singers and 4 female singers ~ one of the male singers reminded me of Bob Seger. One of the female singers reminded me of a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader who just happened to be able to carry a tune in a bucket! She danced all over the place, swinging her hair around and strutting her stuff ~ during one song she did a sort of yodeling part ~ it was very interesting. One of the other female singers sang a solo that was very good. She sounded like a country music singer, and did her best to keep up with the dancing and hair-swinging of the (what I call) Dallas Cowboys cheerleader yodeler.

The light show was huge, and they made good use of strobe lights and pyrotechnics. The concert was really more like a rock band concert than any orchestra performance I’ve ever seen. The group relied heavily on the electric guitars, synthesizers and drums ~ the strings were sort of an afterthought.

Overall the music was decent; there were some fun parts, to be sure. I’m glad that we had the opportunity to go, but I don’t think it’s something that I would go to again. I tried really hard not to show my disappointment ~ until after the concert was over, the lights came up, and Sawyer said, “Well, that was disappointing.” !!!

I think next year we’ll spend the money we spent on TSO tickets to attend an Arkansas Symphony Orchestra performance.

national treasure 2

We went to see National Treasure 2 this afternoon. I give it about a 2 1/2 out of 5. At one point I got totally lost and couldn’t follow the storyline. I still don’t understand how finding the treasure will clear Benjamin Gates’s ancestral good name.

It’s not one I’ll go see again at the theater. Even though seeing a movie twice in the theater is not really unusual for me, National Treasure 2 didin’t rate high enough on my personal movie scale to pay movie theater prices to see it again. That’s a bummer for me, since I’m quite crazy about my little hometown movie theater’s fresh popcorn and frozen Coke (yes De’Etta, I agree a big bag of M&Ms really completes the movie theater snack pack ).

Christmas gifts

We had a wonderful Christmas. I was very negligent with the camera ~ my mother-in-law got pictures as we opened our gifts, but I didn’t get a chance to download them to my computer before she and her husband left this morning. So, instead I’ll just share photos of some of the gifts I received:

Added to my Pirates collection (yippee!):
Patrick and Sawyer have heard Roger and me tell stories of how we would stay up until 1:00 or 2:00 am playing their Super Nintendo when they were kids ~ Patrick and Sawyer were in bed, of course. Roger and I loved playing Donkey Kong Country on that Super Nintendo. I think we ended up giving it to Airman’s Attic at Pope AFB when we moved to Arkansas the first time. We had so much fun playing that thing! The boys decided to get us a replacement Super Nintendo. We’ll be looking for that Donkey Kong Country game on eBay and other places ~ if you know of one that’s reasonably priced and works correctly, let me know!
I received a new Vera Bradley purse:

Our niece and her fiancee’ sent us this fantastic stack of goodies from Harry & David ~ it came topped with a beautiful bow, but the bow has been lost somewhere in the sea of wrapping paper…..

The new Blue Tooth Jabra will come in handy when I’m driving back and forth to Patrick’s school and have an hour and a half to chit chat…..
I’m not sure you can see it in this photo, but this sweatshirt has the Lazy EA Ranch logo embroidered on it, along with my first name. Roger’s dad’s ranch in Colorado is the Lazy EA.

This beautiful box……..
contained this beautiful gift…….
Roger bought these tanzanite and diamond earrings for me on his trip to New Jersey last month. And yes, he went to Jared!

Roger also got me Bare Minerals with a club subscription. I asked for the Bare Minerals because I have pretty much stopped wearing makeup altogether, even though I would prefer to wear some sort of light foundation ~ I should be able to wear the Bare Minerals without feeling like I’m wearing a heavy mask.

This year I decided to do 12 Days of Christmas gifts for Roger. He gets a gift every day of the 12 days of Christmas. He was surprised ~ I’m not sure he liked the idea right at first, but I think he’s warming up to it now. I gave him an insulated travel mug on Christmas Eve with a card explaining he would receive a gift every day for the next 12 days. Yesterday morning he opened a gift of new slippers and a bathrobe; this morning’s gift was a grilling cookbook.

Our tradition is to open gifts on Christmas Eve ~ probably born of giving grace to overly-anxious children ~ and then we open our stockings on Christmas Day. We had prime rib, mashed potatoes, gravy, steamed zucchini, and dinner rolls for dinner on Christmas Day, with blackberry cobbler and vanilla ice cream for dessert. Yum, yum yum! We used the leftover prime rib in our steak and egg burritos for breakfast this morning before Norma and Larry headed back to Colorado.

I have some photos from Sawyer’s birthday that I will post when I have a little more free time. Roger and I are having a pajama day today. Tomorrow we’ll put our noses to the grind again and do laundry and dishes ~ but for now, I’m going to go back to the living room and watch TV or a movie with my hubby (who’s home from work until January 3!)

merry christmas

Roger’s mom and step-dad (Norma and Larry) are visiting for Christmas ~ we’ve been very busy with not being busy! It’s always a treat when someone comes to visit. I have promised to make Norma and Larry their very own stockings to match the stockings I made for Roger, Patrick, Sawyer and myself. It’s my way of bribing them to continue coming to our house for Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

finally, a poncho

A couple of years ago, when ponchos came back into fashion, I started looking for a poncho to make for myself. I can’t even begin to tell you how many books, magazines, and websites I have searched looking for just the right poncho pattern. I’ve probably looked at hundreds (and hundreds) of patterns. Finally, I have found what I’ve been looking for!

I wanted to make myself a poncho that I could just throw on anytime I needed something over my shoulders to keep them warm. My fibromyalgia causes my shoulders to hurt a lot, almost constantly. I have found if I keep my shoulders warm they don’t ache quite as much. I’ve been using the ThermaCare patches that are made for the neck and shoulders as portable heat pads basically ~ but they are a bit expensive (I cut one patch in half and use a half on each shoulder, but still…).

There are a LOT of poncho patterns out there, let me tell you! I’ve been looking for one that is cute without being trendy OR too old fashioned, warm without being solid, light without being too airy, and long enough to cover my shoulders without being too long or too short. I know, it’s a tall order to fill. This morning I had some time to sit at my desk and fiddle around because we were having our carpets cleaned, so I started looking at poncho patterns (again). It doesn’t really matter to me whether it’s a knitted or crocheted poncho ~ I figure I’m being picky enough as it is about the poncho itself, so I can be a little bit flexible as to which method I use to make it.
During my search this morning, I came across the pattern for this capelet:

It’s perfect! I’ve already started crocheting it.

It’s not everyday that I come across a crochet or knitting pattern that has a stitch or step in it that I’ve never even heard of, much less done. I don’t mean that as a brag ~ it’s just that I’ve been knitting and crocheting for 30 years, and there aren’t a lot of things that can be knitted or crocheted that I haven’t tried. Well, ok, I admit I’ve never knitted or crocheted undergarments or a bathing suit, but that’s about it! This pattern calls for a double-base chain, which I’d never heard of before. I followed the instructions, and actually it’s really easy once you figure out what you’re basically doing is making your beginning chain out of single crochet (sc) stitches. Weird, I know, but it works, and I’ve learned something new!

I’ll post a picture of my new poncho/capelet once it’s finished.

joanne’s scarf

(NOTE to Joanne, Holly and Meredith ~ if you want to be surprised when you receive your scarf in February, you’ll want to skip this post!)

As requested, here are a couple of pictures of the curly-twirly scarf I made for Joanne .

As you can see, my “model” was less than thrilled about this: (but, he’s a good sport!)

It will look super cute folded in half with the ends tucked through the loop that’s made by folding the scarf in half. Plus, Joanne is tall, so she has lots of options (short people like me have to be careful about how long our scarves are ~ I won’t be making Holly and Meredith’s scarves quite as long as Joanne’s since they’re not as tall)

I used about 3 1/2 balls of Tahki’s New Tweed in #046 Dark Red. The color is gorgeous, and the wool/silk blend make a really nice scarf. Holly’s scarf will be dark green, but I’m going to have to use a different yarn since this particular yarn doesn’t come in dark green. Meredith’s will be either lime green (#051) or sage green (#045) ~ I just haven’t decided which color to use for Mer’s scarf.

I’ve enjoyed crocheting these scarves so much that I haven’t gotten around to working on the knitted pattern for them yet. I will though. I may play around with it and figure it out over the next week or so. I still have scarves to make for Joanne, Holly and Meredith’s girls (they each have 2 girls), so there’s lots of scarf-making yet to be done!

I’m still looking for a good yarn to use for the girls’ scarves. I tend to like to use wash and wear types of yarn for kid’s items. But, I may just go ahead and use the same yarn that I’m using for their mom’s scarves. Pinks, purples and blues seem to be the consensus with the girls’ scarves.

first acceptance

Patrick has received his first college acceptance letter/package! He has been accepted to Drury University, which is in Springfield, Missouri. AND, even better, he has been invited to attend the Trustee Scholarship weekend ~ that’s a pretty big honor; even though it’s being held the weekend of my birthday (the big 4-0, no less), I can’t imagine that we would pass up that opportunity.

so forgetful

I’ve been extremely forgetful lately. I’m not sure what’s up with that, but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s related to the fact that I’ve had a horrible migraine for the past 3 days. I’m working through it ~ that’s what moms do, mostly (plus, I have lots of experience with working through pain on a daily basis……)

Yesterday I took Sawyer to chemistry at Kathryn’s house, and brought along my knitting bag so I could keep my hands busy while chatting with Kathryn and 6 of my most favorite girls (aka Caitlin, Paige, Elizabeth and Grace + Kerry and Charne’). I was working on Joanne’s curly-twirly scarf (I can’t wait to show you a picture of it, but I’m not sure I want to spoil the surprise for Joanne……) and had the almost-finished scarf and remaining yarn in my bag. Before I left to do some shopping with Caitlin I hung the bag on the back of one of Kathryn’s kitchen chairs. I just plum forgot to grab the bag when I brought Caitlin home. It has been driving me crazy all day because I had planned to have Joanne’s scarf finished last night so I could start on Holly’s scarf. (sigh) I’m having lunch with Kathryn tomorrow ~ I need to put a sticky note on the steering wheel of my Suburban so I won’t forget to grab my knitting bag from Kathryn’s kitchen!

On a happier note ~ after my lunch with Kathryn tomorrow I’m going to pick Patrick up and bring him home for Christmas break. He has finals this week, and I think he’s about ready to come home and take a break from school. He hasn’t been home in a while, so I’m glad it’s time for Christmas break ~ I’m ready to have him home for a while.

semi-formal

Ariel was sweet to send me some pictures of her and Patrick at their school’s semi-formal dance last weekend. Patrick’s camera’s memory card died, so I’m thankful Ariel took pictures.

I’m not sure why Patrick looks like he’s half asleep………

heirloom yarn

A while back, my in-laws were raising sheep. Merino sheep. And these merino sheep produced ~ you guessed it ~ merino wool (or roving). Very, very nice merino wool. The sheep were amazing. Norma had sheep coats made for them so they wouldn’t get their wool dirty ~ they looked so cute with their little coats on! Norma and Larry would take their ewes and rams to state fairs all over the country, and one ram in particular won a lot of ribbons.

Norma searched and searched for hand spinners who could spin her sheeps‘ roving into yarn. After shearing, she would send the wool off to hand spinners to have it hand carded and spun. Once the roving was spun into yarn, the yarn would be sent somewhere to be hand dyed. One year Brown Sheep Company dyed her yarn; another year Koigu did it. The yarn is exceptionally beautiful.

You may recognize some of Brown Sheep and Koigu’s color patterns in the picture. These are a few of the skeins & hanks of her yarn that Norma gave me. The photo just doesn’t do them justice. The colors are much richer than they appear in the photo. The heathered yarn is simply beautiful, and it’s very soft.

Norma and Larry would take their yarn to the different state fairs and set up a booth. I think they did pretty well with it, and it was fun for them. It was hard work, but they enjoyed it. They went to a big fair in Taos, New Mexico every year ~ I think Norma enjoyed that one the most. They met several famous people who stopped by their booth to buy their yarn.

One time, while we were in Alaska, I took a few skeins of Norma’s yarn into the local yarn shop. The owner asked me where I found the beautiful merino yarn, and where could she get some? I think I sold about 45 or 50 skeins of yarn to the owner, her daughter, and one of the employees of the yarn shop.

A few years ago Norma and Larry had to give up their sheep. It was just getting to be too much for them to handle any longer ~ way too much physical work, especially when lambing season came along. For about 2 weeks every spring Norma would live in the barn with the ewes while they lambed. That’s really hard work. It broke their hearts to have to find their sheep new homes, but it had to be done.

Norma sent me some of her yarn when I became a serious yarnaholic. Growing up I would never have guessed that as an adult I would develop a fascination with yarn. I mean really ~ yarn?! It sounds boring, unless you’re a knitter. Then it can become quite consuming. Beautiful yarn is a thing of passion for many knitters, including myself. We love the feel, the texture, the colors ~ cheap yarn becomes a thing of disdain, and we become yarn snobs. I admit it ~ I am a yarn snob. I dislike acrylic yarn ~ give me all-natural fibers, particularly real wool. I love soft merino wool, and alpaca can be to die for.

When Norma had to give up her sheep, it also meant giving up the products of those sheep. No more merino wool, which meant no more gorgeous yarn from that wool. She had some hanks of her yarn left over from her state fair days, but there won’t be any new yarn to replace the old once its gone.

I have quite a bit of Norma’s yarn. I call it my heirloom yarn. Once it’s gone, it’s gone ~ it can’t be replaced. So I have reserved the yarn for only very special projects. It probably sounds selfish, but I just don’t give away what I make with Norma’s yarn. I’m saving a lot of it for when I have grandkids. They will receive special items that I make with their great-grandmother’s yarn.

curly-twirly scarf (crochet version)

I’ve been whipping up some super cute, super easy curly-twirly scarves. They curl back on themselves around and around, and are just adorable. So far I’ve only crocheted them, but I’m going to work on the knitting pattern for them this weekend. For now, here’s the crochet pattern:

340 yds. worsted weight or light bulky weight yarn
crochet hook size H
crochet hook size I

gauge isn’t all that important since it’s a scarf

Scarf:

With smaller hook, ch 141.

Rnd 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across to last ch, 3 sc in last ch; working across opposite side of foundation chain, sc in each ch across, working 2 sc in last ch; join with sl st in first sc. Turn. (282 sc)

Rnd 2: Change to larger hook; ch 2, turn; hdc in first st, hdc in next st, *2 hdc in next st, hdc in next st; repeat from * around; join with sl st in top of turning ch. Turn. (423 sts.)

Rnd 3: Change to larger hook ~ repeat Rnd 2 (635 sts).

Rnd 4: Ch 2, hdc in first hdc, hdc in next 2 hdc, *2 hdc in next hdc, hdc in next 2 hdc; repeat from * around; join with sl st in top of turning ch ~ 847 sts.

Fasten off. Weave in ends.

It takes me about an hour to make one of these scarves. They’re quick, easy, and exceptionally cute!

Once I’ve figured out the knitting pattern I’ll post it. I’ll try to get some pictures to post, too. I’m fighting a fever and migraine today, so I probably won’t get around to that until tomorrow at the earliest. I’m going to go rest now!

January 5, 2008 ~ I’m finding that the lighter weight worsted yarns work best with this project. The yarn that has given me the best curl so far has been Bernat Soy. I used a G hook for the foundation chain and first 2 rounds, then switched to an H hook for the last 2 rounds.

i’m done but one

I can’t believe it myself. All of my Christmas shopping is done except for one person! I still have to get something for Roger, but I just might be able to take care of that this weekend. There’s nothing to wrap and send because we ordered everything online and had it shipped directly to the recipient. Boy, I love shopping on the internet!

it’s not what I thought

The shots Roger had Tuesday weren’t what we had originally thought they would be. They were actually a nerve-block, injected into the joints in the lower back used for bending and twisting. The doc said that if Roger got at least a 70% improvement for 3 hours or more on Tuesday the shots would be considered a success. Then they could schedule more shots that will do a more permanent job. He did have considerable improvement ~ for exactly 3 hours and 10 minutes. He said his back hadn’t felt that good in 15 years. That’s a pretty good improvement, considering 15 years ago he was 25 years old!

So, he’ll be scheduling the next round of shots which will actually do a more permanent job of blocking the nerve endings in that area of his back (basically “burn” them).

On a lighter note, we’re starting to make plans for our visit to Colorado and Wyoming this February/March. Our niece is getting married in January, but the wedding is being held in Costa Rica. We really, really want to go, but unfortunately there’s just no way for Roger to be able to leave the country at that time. The wedding reception is being held in Denver on February 29 though, and we will be able to attend that. Patrick won’t be able to go with us ~ he can’t take 10 days off from school if he plans to graduate this May! We’re planning on having a lot of fun, so I’m sorry Patrick will have to miss out on it. We’ll spend a couple of days at Winter Park so Sawyer can snowboard, the wedding reception is looking to be quite an event, and I’m going to get to meet 3 of my favorite bloggy friends in person! Then we’ll head up to Wyoming to spend a couple of days with my mom before heading back to Arkansas. I’ll have lots of traveling time to get lots of projects done. I should have my snowmes (snow gnomes) pattern by then ~ I may get some Christmas presents knocked out in February. Oh, and all of this will be happening right after my 40th birthday (February 22), so I’m looking at the trip like it’s a birthday present ~ therefore, I shall be shopping for more clothes!

cute little snow gnome

Susie Anderson posted a picture on her blog of a cute little snow gnome she has knitted. She was bombarded with questions about where to get the pattern for this little guy:

You know, people amaze me sometimes. I did a small bit of research on the internet using Google and was able to find the information about ordering the pattern for the gnomes in about 3 minutes. If you’re interested, here’s what I found:

http://www.simplyknitting.co.uk/page/simplyknitting?entry=alan_dart_s_gnomes1

I’m not sure why people won’t/don’t/can’t do the research to find something as simple as a knitting pattern or book on their own. Honestly ~ less than 3 minutes!! Anyway, there’s the link if you want to order the pattern and make one of these incredibly cute gnomes for yourself or a loved one. I think they’d make great Christmas gifts. I ordered the pattern, but it won’t be here until after Christmas, so I just might start working on them as gifts for next Christmas. When I knit or crochet gifts, I have to think WAY ahead!

what’s new

There have been a lot of things going on behind the scenes at our house lately that I haven’t posted about yet. The big scare was when Roger was informed that he had been non-volunteered for a 365 day tour in Iraq. Since he has yet to do a tour in Iraq, and he’s been in the Air Force for 18 1/2 years, we sort of thought he would end up going over to the desert before his retirement. We didn’t expect it to be a 365 day tour, though! (No worries, read the rest of the story…..)

Roger has had back problems for a very long time. He tweaked it really badly when we were in Arkansas last time, and then again while we were in Alaska. Since we got back to Arkansas, his back has been bothering him even more. He has a couple of bulging discs, along with degenerative disc disease. He has had x-rays and MRIs, but they can’t find anything majorly serious, other than the bulging discs.

After Roger was notified that he was going to Iraq for 365 days, he had a doctor’s appointment. He saw a different doctor than he had been seeing for his back (no surprise there ~ it’s not very often you get to see the same doc more than twice in a row in the military). When Roger told the new doc he had a tour of Iraq coming up, the doctor immediately put him on non-deployable status. Apparently the military medical establishment has been getting a lot of flack for sending people on deployments with medical issues that are not resolved before they ship out. They’re having to send a lot of people home early because they have medical problems that can’t be treated overseas. So now the docs are being overly cautious about sending people on deployments. This doc looked at Roger’s records and determined his back problems are bad enough to keep him from going on any kind of a deployment ~ 365 days, 120 days, whatever ~ he just plain can’t go.

To be honest, that was a big load off my shoulders. We’ve done overseas tours before (just not to the desert) when the kids were little. It was very difficult. A lot of the difficulty was probably that the kids were little ~ it was very hard dealing with a 6 year old and a 4 year old all by myself. I have great respect for single parents and working moms. I don’t know how they do it all and stay sane!

Despite the fact that my kids are now 17 and 15 (in a week and a half), I really was not looking forward to going though Dad not being around for a significant amount of time. I know that almost all military spouses have to go through that ~ unfortunately some have to go through it many times over ~ and I was/am prepared to do what I look at as my part of Roger’s service to our country. That doesn’t mean I’d be thrilled about it, or that it would be easy.

So, for now Roger is “safe” from overseas deployment.

Tomorrow Roger will have an epidural steroid shot in hopes of helping the back pain. He has gone through a couple of months of going to physical therapy 3 times a week ~ it didn’t help at all. If this shot works, he’ll have another shot that will hopefully take care of the problem long-term. If it doesn’t work (relieve the pain), then I don’t know what they’ll do. The docs have told him that right now his condition is not operable. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

My Suburban is on the fritz ~ again. The mechanics had it for a week, I just got it back Friday, and it started making another noise Saturday. We took it back to the mechanics today ~ hopefully they’ll be able to fix the problem quickly (and with as little cost to us as possible!).

Norma and Larry (my mother-in-law and father-in-law) are coming down for Christmas, which we’re thrilled about. We love having them visit.

I’ve been knitting and crocheting up a storm. I’m working on a pattern right now that, if it works like I want it to, I will post when I’m done with the item.

Our church had its annual Christmas production this past weekend. They did “The Gospel According to Scrooge” ~ a musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. We attended Saturday night. My friend Kathryn played Mrs. Fezziwig, her daughter Caitlin played young adult Belle, her son Christopher played Tiny Tim, her daughter Paige had a speaking part, and her daughters Elizabeth and Grace were in the main choir. Everyone but Mr. Arkanblogger was in the production! Their home was filled with lots and lots of hot rollers, hairspray, stage makeup, and 1830’s/1840’s period costumes!! They all did a marvelous job ~ Kathryn had a small solo part, Caitlin had a good-sized speaking part and sang solo, and Christopher had several solo parts as well as lines. He even had a brace on one leg and a wooden crutch. He got into character quite well ~ he practiced with that brace and wooden crutch so he would have the character of Tiny Tim down just right. Pretty amazing for an 8 year old!

I’m getting my hair cut next week. I know, I know ~ I said I was going to grow it out. And I am. Only not all one length. Roger said (and I agree) that my hair is getting too heavy (or full) right around my cheekbones where the shortest layer hits. I’m going to keep the length, but have the top layers cut. I found a picture in a magazine, which is a first for me. I have such funky hair ~ it’s very full, very thick, and has a natural curl that starts once it’s about 3 or 4 inches long. Plus, there’s a lot of gray, which makes it hard to work with. I don’t do high-maintenance doos, so this one will have to be cut just right. My regular hair stylist, Angie, was blessed with a granddaughter today (congrats, Angie!), so I won’t be seeing her this week. Actually, I had to make the appointment 2 weeks out, and she squeezed me in to the schedule during her lunch break. What a gal!

Patrick and Sawyer both have finals next week. We’ll start Christmas break on December 20, the day before Sawyer’s birthday. This year he asked for tickets to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra performance in Little Rock, and we actually managed to get some. Pretty good seats, too.

It’s looking like it will be another minimum sleep night. Hopefully I’ll be able to get some sleep before Roger and I have to leave in the morning for his surgery (that’s what they’re calling it, even though it’s a shot). He’ll get some happy gas, then a local before they do the steroid shot. I’m tellin’ ya, this shot better hurt more than getting an epidural while you’re birthing a baby! Happy gas ~ I wish they’d been able to do that for me when I was in labor. That would have made things a lot better!

christmas slide show

Instead of posting individual pictures, I made this slideshow of some of our Christmas decorations……

the ornament tour

y bloggy friend Meredith has posted about her favorite Christmas tree ornaments. I thought that was a great idea ~ so here’s my contribution to what I’m calling The Great Ornament Tour:

My parents received this ornament from friends in 1970.

Roger bought this ornament for our tree after we moved into our house in Arkansas. The photo doesn’t do it justice ~ it’s porcelain, and handpainted in goldleaf.

We bought this ornament at a booth at a huge flea market in Canton, Texas. We also bought the welcome sign that sits next to our front door on that trip.

My mom gave Roger these 2 ornaments ~ aren’t the adorable? I love the little pilot Snoopy!

I’ll post a few more later. We don’t have a ton of ornaments, but the ones we do have all have very special meanings or memories attached.

there’s a brazilian steak house in dallas, too……

oger made it home safely from New Jersey. Two weeks away from home is more than enough to make you really appreciate how much you love your own house and your own bed. I think he was anxious to get out of there! He drove to Philadelphia yesterday so he could stay in a hotel close to the airport and get on the first available flight out to Charlotte this morning. Roger was not impressed with New Jersey (sorry all you people from New Jersey ~ nothing against you personally, we’re just northwesterners) ~ he wasn’t impressed with Philly either (sorry to you folks, too). However, Roger did find one thing he loved:

Last night, he went out to dinner with a couple of other guys. They went to a Brazilian steak house ~ it was a major meat fest! Roger was so enthralled with a place that had guys in gauchos walking around with skewers of meat, lots and lots of meat, of all different breeds, all done in different marinades ~ and the gaucho guys would just cut off a slab of any meat you wanted and leave it on your plate! Not only that, but you get this little coaster-like thing ~ one side is red, the other is green. When you want meat, you put your coaster green-side up. When you have enough meat (is there such a thing?) you turn your coaster over to the red side. BUT, when you’re ready for more meat, you turn your coaster back over to green and the gaucho guys with the big skewers of meat practically run each other over trying to get their meat to you!

LOL I think my husband enjoyed his trip to man-fantasy meat land.

patti’s first christmas ornament ~ 1969

thank you, amy!

y mail carrier brought me a box today. It was from my November Homeschool Blog Awards SWAP buddy, Amy. It had the cutest little notebook, a 2008 planner, and a journal inside, accompanied by one of the sweetest notes I have ever received. Thank you so much, Amy! They’re beautiful!!

There was also a box of decaf Earl Grey tea, which is one of my favorites. As a matter of fact, I think I’ll go make a cup of tea right now to warm myself up ~ it’s damp and chilly here today. Hot tea is exactly what I need. Amy, you’re a doll!

let the fun (sawyer’s birthday) begin

wo weeks from tomorrow Sawyer will celebrate his 15th birthday! I thought I’d go ahead and get an early start on embarrassing him. (Note to Paige & Caitlin, you know all the other kids from co-op and youth group want to see this ~ spread the love!)

desktop backgrounds

he Better Homes & Gardens website has some really cute, free, desktop backgrounds. Click here to go to BHG.com ~ off to the left there will be 3 drop-down menus where you can choose which desktop backgrounds you’d like to see. There will be a couple of “Subscribe to our magazine” pop-ups, but they’re not obnoxious ~ just click Close and go on with your viewing. The backgrounds are worth battling through a couple of subscription pop-ups!

patti & the peanuts gang ~ 1970

bfs #11

his week’s Blogger Friends School assignment is to visit our classmates’ blogs and let them know we’re praying for them. We’re also supposed to leave a few prayer requests for others to pray for.

This week has been a tough week physically. My fibromyalgia has been pretty bad, and the migraines are having their fun cycle as well. I would appreciate prayers for my health. I don’t often truly explain to people the amount of pain I’m in ~ it seems somehow invasive to me to let everyone know about my chronic illness. I’m a very private person. I want to live my life somewhere in the balance of being honest without being whiny. I know several people who have chronic illnesses, and to be perfectly honest, it can be very difficult to be around them. When the focus is constantly and completely on how that person feels ~ rather than who that person is ~ it can get very tedious . I want my focus, and the focus of those who are around me, to not be on my illness, but on the glory of God. Yes, I have pain, and yes, there are days that are very bad. But God is good, and He has given me the fruit of the Spirit ~ love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Those are the attributes about me ~ about God living in and through me ~ that I want people to focus on and remember, not my illness.

I appreciate your prayers for me. I will be visiting my BFS classmates.

I would also like to extend an offer to those who are not participating in Blogger Friend School for whatever reason ~ may I pray for you? It would be my privilege and an honor if you would allow me to come before our Almighty God with you and for you in prayer. You may leave a comment if your prayer is not too personal, or I would love to receive an email from you with your prayer needs. Please click here to send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

bluegrass peril

‘ve posted a synopsis of Bluegrass Peril by Virginia Smith on my book review blog.

the new look

hank you to Dawn @ Barefoot Blogs for my new Christmas template! Yay ~ I think it looks great!

finding father christmas

‘ve posted a new book review ~ Finding Father Christmas. (click on the link to read my review)

and the winners are…..

he winners of the For Parents Only drawing are:

Kristen from Ohio

Amy @ In Pursuit of Proverbs 31

I will be emailing each of you ladies. Thanks to everyone who entered! Check back often as I have frequent giveaways ~ you could be the next giveaway winner!

last day to enter

This is your last day to enter the drawing for a free copy of For Parents Only by Shaunti Feldhahn and Lisa Rice. I will be drawing the winners (two names) tomorrow when I get home from co-op!

i’ve still got it

mexican chowder

Those two words don’t really go together, do they? Mexican + chowder. When I think of chowder, I think of the yummy bowls of hot clam chowder I would always order in restaurants every year up and down the coast of New England as we made our way to Maine for vacation.

I have been freezing all day. The temperature dropped about 20 degrees from yesterday to today (and the fibro is acting up a bit). So I’m thankful Sawyer has offered to make us one of his favorite dinners ~ Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder.

This is an absolutely fantastic chowder. It’s not at all bad for you (she said tongue-in-cheek). Since Sawyer and I like this soup so much, I thought I’d share the recipe with you. This is a recipe I received from my friend Cheri quite a few years ago. We’ve made some modifications, and this is our version of that original recipe Cheri gave me:

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

1-1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size chunks
1/2 C. chopped onion
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbs. butter
2 chicken bouillion cubes + 1 C. hot water, OR about 2/3 can of chicken broth
1/2-1 tsp. ground cumin (feel free to add more ~ yum!)
2 C. half & half
2 C. shredded Colby+Monterey Jack cheese
1 (11oz.) can Niblets
1 (4.5oz.) can chopped green chilis
fresh cilantro, fresh tomatoes, & hot pepper sauce for garnish

Saute’ onion in butter until it turns translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 or 2 minutes, but don’t let it burn! Add cut up chicken; cook until chicken is no longer pink on the inside. Add chicken broth (or chicken bouillons + hot water, if using) and cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover; simmer 5 minutes. Add half & half, cheese, corn, and chilis. Cook on LOW , stirring frequently, until cheese has melted and chowder is warmed through (don’t boil).

Offer chopped fresh cilantro, chopped fresh tomatoes, and hot pepper sauce as garnish.

I’m looking forward to warming up with some hot Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder tonight!

homeschool blog awards voting

Voting for the Homeschool Blog Awards has begun! Please be sure to vote for your favorite homeschool blogs.

Unfortunately there has been some controversy about this year’s HSBA contest rules. I am a contributor to HSBA ~ I write the Thursday Thoughts post every other Thursday. It has been my experience with the other ladies who are also contibutors that each and every one of them has been ethical and aboveboard regarding this year’s awards, even through some nasty mudslinging, false accusations, and just plain meanness that was directed towards them (us) and HSBA. The policies and proceedures for the awards have been established, approved by legal council, and posted on the site. They are there for your perusal.

On another note, Dawn from My Home Sweet Home and Barefoot Blog Designs has written a post on her blog addressing some of the questions that have arisen and been addressed. She did a marvelous job ~ please read her post here.

rosebud cardigan

I got the cutest pattern for a little sweater for one of my teddy bears. It’s the Rosebud Cardigan by Susan B. Anderson, and it matches one of the hat patterns from her book Itty-Bitty Hats. Since I am a lover of all things teddy bear, you know I just had to have it!

Isn’t that absolutely adorable?! I started it this morning, but only got about 2 rows done before it was time to head to church. You can rest assured that I will be working on it this afternoon!

This is the first pattern of Susie’s that I’ve used ~ I have Itty-Bitty Hats and Itty-Bitty Nursery on order (they should be on my doorstep early this week). The first thing I noticed about this pattern is that it’s very well written ~ very easy to understand and follow. The next thing I noticed is that Susie actually admits that she ties knots with the ends of her yarn when she changes colors or finishes a project. I’m sure Elizabeth Zimmerman rolls over in her grave everytime someone does that ~ but I absolutely have to applaud Susie for having the guts to actually admit in her writing what we know we all do but are too uptight to admit! I laugh when I tell my knitting students that I actually tie off the ends in my knitting ~ trust me, that’s supposedly a huge no-no in the knitting world. I’ve done it since I started knitting though, and I’ve never had any problems doing it. I’ve been knitting for 30 years now ~ I started very young ~ and honestly I’ve found that my pieces look better when I tie off the ends rather than weaving them in.

If you’re looking for a cute project, this one fits the bill. I’m considering getting the pattern for Susie’s Surefire Hat, but I’ll probably save that for another day when I’m “jones-ing” for a new project.

Now all I need to do is teach myself how to knit Continental style. After 30 years of knitting English style, I’m not sure I can learn Continental well enough to actually do a project and have it turn out looking good, but I’m going to give it a try. Someday. For now I’ll continue with my English style, even if knitting in seed stitch takes me twice as long as it does for someone who knits Continental. I really do want my teddy bear sweater to turn out well!

blog friend forever

Tamara at Training Hearts has blessed me with the Blog Friend Forever badge. I am honored to be able to pass this badge along to other bloggers!

I have searched and searched, but I can’t find any official “rules” for this badge. That’s ok ~ because here’s what I would much rather do: everyone who reads my blog is welcome to this badge. Just click on the image of the badge at the top of this post ~ the image will pull up in another window. Then you can right click on it and save it to your computer! (It finally dawned on me how to put a picture on my blog that I WANT people to be able to copy to their computers even though I have the No Right Click code.)

I really do hope you will take the badge and put it on your blog. You’re welcome to link back to my blog, or not ~ it’s totally up to you. The badge is just my way of saying, “Thanks for reading my blog!”

mr. magorium & clothes shopping

Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium rates a B+ ~ I enjoyed it, but it’s one of those movies that I won’t pay to see in the movie theater again, and most likely I won’t buy it when it comes out on DVD. It wasn’t bad, really ~ if you’re looking for a sweet movie to pass some time, it’s a good choice. I heard 1 distinguishable swear word (well, what I consider a swear word) ~ Sawyer heard it too and thought it was hilarious. What is it with boys and mild swear words? (The word was cr-p, which in my book isn’t a good word, but it seems to be a word that a lot of people use nowadays.)

I did some clothes shopping today as well as going to the movie. Honestly, I dislike shopping for clothes. I’m a flannel pajama pants and sweatshirt kinda gal at home, and old fashioned running pants (the kind with the stripe down the side that are loose and comfy) when I’m going just about anywhere except church or a nice restaurant. Seriously ~ I own like 10 pair of running pants, and about 12 loose comfy t-shirts to wear with them. That’s what I wore all summer ~ I gave up wearing crop pants unless we were going somewhere fancy.

So, today I went out and bought some new clothes. I got a few pair of jeans, but only one pair is actually blue jeans ~ I bought some khaki jeans and black jeans, too. I got a bunch of new long sleeve loose t-shirts, two with really cute Christmas prints on them. That’s unusual for me ~ I’m mostly a plain Jane. I also got a cabled pull-over sweater and a cabled cardigan. Nothing fancy ~ I just can’t do fancy most of the time.

My aversion to “fancy” clothes ~ which in my mind amounts to anything that’s not loose and stretchy ~ comes from living with fibromyalgia. All of my life I’ve been what my doctor calls “a stripper.” The moment I walk in the door of my home, if I’m wearing anything other than loose stretchy clothing, all the “fancy” clothing comes off and the comfy clothes go on. I can’t even begin to explain how uncomfortable regular clothing is to me. I honestly thought clothing was supposed to be uncomfortable, until I realized that regular clothing isn’t necessarily uncomfortable to most people (those who don’t have fibro). Pantyhose are torture devises, as are business suits, pant suits, and any kind of shoe other than slip-on Birkenstock sandals or their clog-like shoes. MEN invented pantyhose and high heeled shoes, let me tell ya! I think MEN invented make-up, too, since I find that extremely uncomfortable as well.

So now I have some clothing that actually entails buttons and zippers. Unheard of in my world! We’ll see how often I actually wear them. I would like to find a couple of skirts that are comfortable and aren’t too long for me (I’m 5′ 2″ ~ 5′ 3″ on a good day. It depends on which leg I’m standing on ~ one’s longer than the other! LOL). I’ve seen a couple of places online that are small home-based businesses that make lovely modest clothing. I may look into ordering a couple of skirts from one of them. But don’t count on it ~ I’m really not a skirt wearer since they are uncomfortable to me. We shall see……..

mr. magorium’s wonder emporium

We’re off to see a movie this afternoon ~ Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (I think I spelled that correctly). Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy going to movies at my little hometown theater? Oh, I have! Well, nonetheless ~ watch out big tub of hot, fresh, buttery theater popcorn and gunga-size frozen Cokes, here I come!