Mythbusters and Scary Movies

Anybody watch Mythbusters? I really enjoy that show! How else would I know that my box of Kleenex in the car won't kill me during a car wreck. That you can't be electrocuted to death by peeing on the middle rail of a Subway. A bullet shot straight up won't come back down and kill anyone. And....most interestingly.....pants soaked in herbicide can explode. :)

Gotta love Mythbusters!! I tivo it all the time, and watch it at night while I knit. :)

What a cool job!! Totally awesome to be able to spend all day planning out all sorts of neat devices, and getting to blow things up and create mayhem.

I caught another very interesting show the other day: 100 Scariest Movie Moments. It was a 4 part show counting down the most frightening horror movie bits. For the most part I agreed....and I made a list of several movies that looked really scary that I haven't seen before.

I like horror movies. More psychological or thriller horror than the awful slasher movies. Those don't scare me....they're just gross. But movies that mess with your mind.....very very scary!

My top 10 differs a bit from theirs:

10. The Fury. Psychic teenagers in an experiment go nutso and cause lots of trouble. This movie scared the **** out of me when I was a kid. Definitely a bit late 70's, but still scary!
There is one scene where the boy is spinning a woman around and around and around about 10 feet off the ground....it's the creepiest scene in the entire movie.



9. Resident Evil. The sound effects in this movie were the most scary for me. The first time I saw it every time the zombies attacked someone I had to plug my ears. Didn't their mamas teach them to chew with their mouths closed??



8. It. I HATE clowns -- they scared me as a child, and I've never grown to like them. Ugh. Killer demonic clown that can talk to you through your shower drain.....oh, definitely scary for me.



7. Blair Witch. This is a movie you have to be able to immerse yourself in the first time you watch it. The first time I saw this movie, I kept thinking about what I would do if I was lost in the woods with all that weirdness going on. It was creepy, and something totally different. But it only works for a one-time viewing. When I watched it again, I couldn't get that feeling back, and it seemed silly. So, definitely a one shot movie.



6. Dark Water. A Japanese horror movie about an apartment building, and a child who died there. Very creepy. Great horror effects. It's subtitled, but a great movie!



5. The Others. Nicole Kidman was great! Very cool twisty ending.



4. Ghost Story. Weird, creepy story about a circle of friends who are hiding something. I think this was Fred Astaire's last movie.



3. Pet Semetary. After the accident, when you realize what the father is going to do.....oh my! And the deranged cat......eeeeek!! Great movie to watch in the dark!



2. The Grudge. Remake of Ju-On, a Japanese horror movie. The attic door scene about made me wet my pants. Scenes where someone turns to find something directly in their face make me jump about a foot every time.



1. The Shining. The original, not the remake. Watching Jack Nicholson go psychopath crazy, and the big empty quietness of that hotel. Big time creepy!! All work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy.



Anyone else have any to add???

TTFN!

Knittin' a Tube and Curiousity Wet the Cat

Last night, I started on a knitted necklace pattern I've been planning to make for a few weeks. It's for an accessories swap I'm in at C'ville. It's a fun pattern, and is giving me a chance to try something new. I have never done double-knit (also called tubular knitting), so it's been enjoyable figuring it out.



I'm using Omega baby yarn which has such a pretty sparkle to it. It's about the size of #3 thread, heavier than lace weight, but less than most sock yarn. Size 3 straight needles work perfectly with it. :) So far so good! The pattern I'm using is from KnitNet magazine, which is totally worth the subscription fee! It's my favorite online knitting magazine. They have sample patterns available for free from each issue, but the necklace pattern is part of the paid subscription patterns. And for a bit extra, you can get a CD with a year's worth of their patterns. No affiliation here....I just enjoy their net mag!

I did make one boo-boo. The tube is formed by alternate K and sl 1 purlwise stitches. If you mess up and get them out of order, your tube doesn't open all the way. Guess what I did?? lol. Kinda a bit of a brain drain to tink back double knit....you have to get the stitches back on the needle in exact order and not backwards once you rip back. Took me two tries to get it done right, but I managed it. :) I also learned that tinking frustration can be healed with a nice hot cup of Chai!

It's fun learning something new. This is the first time I have knitted a tube without using double pointed needles.

The tube is knitted to 36 inches long....gonna take me awhile! lol. I'll post more pictures when I get to stage 2 of this project!

Not much else going on around here today. But then again it's only 10 a.m. as I type this. :) Anything can happen in a household with toddlers, kitties and teenagers in it. :) The baby is playing in the tub, along with his usual furry visitor. Morning bath time is a big draw for overly curious kittens!

Kato the kitten loves to play in the bathtub. He drinks out of the faucet and plays in the tub when it's empty. And, when the baby takes his bath, nearly every time he has a little furry companion, who 90% of the time ends up falling into the tub. That doesn't deter him. The little imp is not afraid of the water at all.

This is the 2nd cat we've had that doesn't mind water. Our Pixie Bob, Fooful, when he was younger used to hop in the tub with my now 15 year old son. :) How that he's 5 years old, Fooful has grown too fussy about his fur to think of hopping in a tub.

We get a good laugh out of Kato's antics. He's definitely feisty, and he thinks he's a person. Josh just loves this little kitty. :) They are inseparable. Kato even takes naps with little Josh. And he and Josh get into evvvvvverything!

If it's not the 2 year old breaking things, it's the kitten! I find myself saying "Boys, if you don't settle down I'm going to put BOTH of you in time out!''


~The 2 "kids" playing together~


~I won't fall in this time....really I wont!~


~Tub toys are FUN!!~

The FO Challenge

The month of June is nearly over, and I've been hard at work on my challenge to finish up all my unfinished craft projects and swaps. :) I have made progress, but still nowhere near done. So, that means the yarn diet will continue for the month of July. When the old projects are all done, I get to go shop for yarn!!

This is rough!! I'm a yarn addict. But I'm sticking to my guns. Gotta get all the bags, boxes and closet shelves cleared of unfinished projects!!!

I did finish one project this morning! The garter stitch diagonal pillow I've been working on:



The pattern came from Easy Knitting's Spring issue. :) When I have all my UFO's done, I'm going to make the other 2 pillows from the same issue. :) I used Red Heart variegated in "Pinata'' for this pillow. I think it came out cute! :)

Here's what the list I posted at the end of May looks like now(updates in orange):

UFO List - All Crafts

Knitted diagonal pillow from Family Circle Easy Knitting - all done!
Cable sweater vest - started months ago. Two fronts done. Back and finishing left to complete. Haven't worked on this yet. It's for my MIL, so it's first on my list for July.
Sequin applique/embroidered Christmas tree skirt -- about half done. Started in 1999 and packed up for a move. Never unpacked. lol. No work on this yet.
Kitten latchhook kit - started 1999. About 1/2 done. Packed up for a move -- never got unpacked. Did some work on this....still ongoing.
Scraps of Beauty crocheted afghan -- started 3 years ago. Color change every two rows...got annoying. But very pretty pattern. About 1/3 finished. Will look great on the couch when it's done! No work on this yet. But I did find the pattern, and it's ready to be worked on.
Kitchen swap for C'ville - Sent and received.
Bookmark Swap - Need to make several cute bookmarks for c'ville swap, plus bookmark/book swap group. All bookmarks done. Just need to mail them out.
Baby scrapbook - scrapbook stuff bought, and pictures/baby stuff in box marked "scrapbook''. That's as far as I got. LOL. Gotta get this done before joshua is 27. No work on this yet.
12" square swap - Have about six more crocheted squares to make. All squares, plus some extras for replacement squares done and ready to mail out.
Items for SP8, c'ville SP, and Knitting Pal swaps - Finishing up a felted totebag, and other items for my swap pals. :) Sent 2 c'ville SP, one SP8, and one KP boxie. Almost done with all 3!
Accessories swap - making 2 jewelry/accessory items for swap at c'ville. Not done yet.
Knitted scarf - in LB wool from Scarf Style pattern book. No work on this yet.
Branching Out scarf from Knitty in multicolored mohair Only a bit done on this.
Ankle Socks - pattern from Bernat site.One sock done, one to go. Pretty knitpicks variegated sock yarn. Not done yet. I will work on the sock and the cable vest first in July.

I made some progress in June, but most of the list is still not finished! This yarn diet might still be plauging me in the Fall. Sigh.

Here's my plan of action: For July, I am going to work on the cabled vest and the 2nd ankle sock first. And I will finish out my swaps. One more c'ville SP box to go, one more SP8 box to go and one more KP box to go. I have all my 12" squares done, plus a bunch of replacement squares to send out. All my bookmarks are ready to go into the mail. And I'm working on my accessories for the accessories swap. :) Then I will move on to the scrap afghan (I have nightmares about weaving in all those ends, with the color changes coming every 2 rows or so....lots and lots of ends!) And then I will concentrate on the Christmas tree skirt and the latch hook kit.

Whew! I got a whole lot of crafting to get done!! I think maybe by the end of August I can have everything finished! *Crossing fingers!*

And, I can say that I have not cheated!! I went to Hobby Lobby the other day, and I only bought BEADS. No yarn. I'm being a good girl! :)

Now, I can't say that nobody has given me any yarn! That doesn't count! :) It's those little unexpected yarn snacks that are keeping me focused! I could never go cold turkey!

Speaking of gift yarn, a big THANK YOU to my friend Karla for the wonderful RAOK package she sent me! Karla sent me a deep blue/purple skein of mohair (such a yummy color!), a big package of fruit flavored tic-tacs (which the kids devoured quickly!) and a wonderful card which sits on my computer desk now! Thank you so much Karla!!! :)

TTFN!

Friends and Flowers :)

Today I just felt like taking pictures! So I did!

Lookie what I saw outside!



He stopped long enough to pose for a picture!

Then there were two daddy longlegs hangin' out on the porch ceiling.



Ok....Ok....I will show you something that isn't a bug. ha ha.

My gladiolas, petunias and roses are blooming. At least THEY like the hot, humid NC summertime!







After snapping my pics outside, I came back in and folded laundry.



Everyone knows laundry fresh from the dryer is just for kitty cats! :)

Here's the little blue glass elephant my husband gave me a few days ago. :) I collect decorative glass of all sorts. :) He has a nice new home with my other pieces.



I wanted to see how much detail I could get with my digital camera. It did great! :)

Here's my lil' devil -- he'll be two in just a few days!!



My teenage son and I had a good laugh over the red eyes. :)

And the possessed kitty of course too.....



Kato is a sweetheart, but also very feisty! He believes all things should be pounced and killed. And that all humans are his pets and exist only to feed and scritch his ears. :)

But then again, I can still feel superior because I don't have to do THIS:



Ewwwwww! lol.

Well, that's my pictorial post for today! Tomorrow, it's back to crafting!

TTFN!

Gimme Your Stuff!

Found a cool website today called "Gimme Your Stuff.'' You swap stuff from your area of the world with others located in other countries. Sounds like a hoot!




I'd like to offer some things for trade through the Gimme exchange:

Postcards from North Carolina
Stationary/notecards
Craft Supplies - wool, beads, buttons, charms, etc
Craft, fashion and other magazines
Candy/tea/coffee/snacks made in USA
Other little US items -- Burt's Bees lotions, lip balm, candles, potpourri, figurines, etc.
Charms for Charm bracelets
Funny t-shirts (sizes S, M, L or XL)
North Carolina related t-shirts

I'm flexible. We can work out a trade of some sort, even if you aren't a crafter! Just make me an offer! The main things I'm looking for are craft supplies of any sort, but especially interesting yarn, beads and buttons, sock yarn and glass beads. T-shirts in black in Men's size Large -- funny, interesting logos, or foreign wording is a plus. My 15-year old would love anything along those lines! I enjoy books of all sorts. I collect old or interesting glass items. I have a collection of pretty colored bottles, vases and colored glass in my front room, along with several pretty tea cups and tea pots. :) But if you have other things to trade, that's cool too -- just give me a list and we'll work something out!

TTFN!!!

Felted Gym Bag!

Don't you hate it when your knitting needles are too long to fit into your knitting bag? Or when they poke through the bottom or sides of your bag because it just isn't large enough?

Or, have you been looking for a distinctive bag to take to the gym with you??

Then check out my newest pattern!

The felted gym bag! Or, the knitting bag that can handle any size needles! :)



My son was nice enough to model the bag for you!



**The usual disclaimer: This pattern is my original, copyrighted work, and is meant for your personal use and enjoyment. Please do not distribute or sell copies of this pattern or present it as your own design or Guido the knitting design enforcer shall visit you in the night. :) Please don't post the pattern itself to other websites, but feel free to link to this page. :) **

If you like this pattern, or the other original patterns posted at my website, please take a moment and vote for my site on the Crochet & Hook List. Just click on the link in the left hand margin of this webpage! Thank you for your support!!

Here's the pattern!

Supplies:

2 contrasting colors of 100% wool – feltable
1 22 to 24” zipper in coordinating color
Coordinating sewing thread and needle
4 large buttons
Size 10 24” or 36" circular knitting needles

The pictured bag was made using Lamb's Pride Wool in Amethyst, and Lopi wool in Emerald. It is best to use the same brand wool for both colors to ensure comparable shrinkage in felting. But, you can use other brands if you do a felted swatch. Lopi and Lamb's pride felted at very close to the same ratio when I swatched. The bag stripes are only 3 rows wide and spaced 6 inches apart, so some difference in shrinkage is acceptable.

Pattern:

Using Color 1 (main color), CO 60

Work in garter stitch using Color 1 until piece measures 5 inches. You will be knitting flat (rather than in the round).

Pick up and knit stitches around – example: I picked up 15 on side, 60 across bottom, 15 up other side. 150 stitches. Now you will be knitting in the round. Place stitch marker on first stitch to mark beginning of rounds.

**NOTE: These stitch counts are what I got using the listed yarns and needle size. Your stitch c0unt might vary due to the # of rows or tension differences. On the sides of your 5" starting piece, each 2 rows create a bump in garter stitch. Pick up one stitch at each bump (# of rows/2). That will be the # of stitches you pick up along each side. Mine was 15.....yours might be different. Adjust accordingly. That will make all stitch counts in the pattern come out slightly different. To adjust the Make One instructions in each row, find a low number like 4, 5 or 6 that comes out even when divided into your stitch count after picking up stitches, for row 1, use that # and for each odd row, add 1 to that first #.)

Knit each round in garter stitch until sides measure 4 inches.

Row 1: *K5, make one* repeat all the way around. 180 stitches

Row 2 (and each even # row through row 14): Garter stitch around.

Row 3: *K6, make one* repeat all the way around. 210 stitches.

Row 5: *K7, make one* repeat. 240 stitches.

Row 7: *K8,make one* repeat. 270 stitches

Row 9: *K9, make one* repeat. 300 stitches

Row 11: *K10, make one* repeat. 330 stitches

Row 13: *K11, make one* repeat. 360 stitches

Row 14: garter stitch around.

Row 15: At beginning of round, tie on color 2 and place stitch marker. Knit 2 stitches using color 1. Carry unused color in back. Pick up color 2, knit next 2 stitches using color 2. Drop color 2, pick up Color 1. Repeat alternating colors all the way around. **When carrying unused color along back of work being careful to pull it close enough to not have kinks or loops, but not tight enough to pucker.**

Rows 16 and 17: Repeat row 15 two more times, starting each new row with the alternate color. Row 16 will start with color 2. Row 17 will start with color 1. This will create a checkerboard type effect.

At end of Row 17, break off color 2 leaving a 5 inch tail to weave in.

Continue with color 1 in garter stitch for another 6 inches. Then repeat rows 15-17.

Continue with color 1 as before, for another 6 inches. Then repeat rows 15-17 again.

Continue garter stitch with color 1 until bag measures about 30 inches in height. Bind Off. Weave in ends.

Using either Color 1 or Color 2 , make two 6 foot sections of I-cord. Do not attach until after felting.

Felt bag and I-cord. Let dry. Sew in zipper and attach handles. Sew buttons where each end of both handles attach to the bag.

Most likely, the bag opening will be a few inches longer than the zipper. Center the zipper on the opening and sew just below lip on each side. Then sew open space closed by folding in excess length in towards zipper end like this:



The tip of the fold should touch the end of the zipper. Secure the two inner edges with thread. Tack the end of the zipper down securely to this inner fold. Then fold outer lip of bag over and secure. See photo. :)



TTFN!!!

Bookmark! And Wonder Product!

I received a great bookmark (c'ville bookmark swap) from Anna today! Thank you Anna!! It has the prettiest shade of turquoise blue -- one of my favorite colors!



And thanks for the great tea as well!!! I'm going to have to find the Pomegranite tea in a local store -- sounds yummy! Tonight I'm going to try it!

And, I found a product that I just have to tell everyone about!!!

Our front room rug is light beige -- and shows every stain, mark, blemish and imperfection. You breathe too hard in the room, and the rug gets dirty.

Light colored carpet + 2-year old + teenagers = stained carpeting

It was in a bad state -- I thought we were going to have to pull the rug up and replace it. Our 2 year old has spilt every fashion of drink and food product on the floor at one time or another, and I had just given up on even trying to get the spots out. I wish I had taken a before picture. I truely thought the rug was a goner. But I got out the carpet shampooer yesterday (Bissel upright model -- I love it!) and thought I'd give it a try. Went to Lowe's and bought spot treatment. I figured I would try, and we'd probably end up having new carpet installed in the near future.

But, oh my! The spot remover I bought is a wonder product!



It took out grease stains (Josh played with daddy's bicycle chain and wiped the grease off on the rug), koolaid stains, red North Carolina dirt stains by the door, all of the traffic marks, and even road tar. I am totally amazed!

The rug is CLEAN. It looks NEW. I can't believe it. I just wanted to clean it enough to where I could stand it a few months more until the budget could stand purchasing new carpeting.

If you've got a stained rug (or stained upholstery), I highly recommend FOLEX. It doesn't smell bad. It costs about $5 a bottle. And I can attest to the fact that it WORKS.

I still can't believe it. I don't often gush about a cleaning product, but I am just so HAPPY. We just saved the cost of new carpeting -- easily $800 or more.

And, no, I'm not affiliated with the company at all. I had never even heard of Folex until yesterday. I'm just a very happy Mom! Now I know what to do when Josh spills spaghetti sauce or koolaid. :) I don't have to flip out! :)

Another neat use of a cleaning product. My husband gets grease and gook on his work uniforms all the time (he's a phone man), and Goop hand cleaner will get out just about any stain on clothing! Grease, blood, sweat stains, koolaid, etc -- even if it's been washed and dried, or if the stains are old. Goop even got formula stains out of Josh's clothes when he was a baby.

Great stuff!!

OK...I'm done trying to be Martha or Heloise. :) Just wanted to share!

Fussy Face

Josh will turn 2 in just a few days! His birthday is July 7th. :) Mine is on the 11th, so we always call it "birthday week.'' :)

Baby Josh is definitely growing up. He can talk more now, and is doing more on his own every day. It's just amazing how fast they grow up! And he's definitely feeling his age. LOL. Fuss, fuss, fuss. Look at this fussy face....lol. It was definitely nap time!!! :)



But most of the time he is a smiling happy little boy. He's getting to the age where he's a lot of fun!

I started knitting up the "Branching Out'' scarf from Knitty last night. I've been wanting to try that pattern for some time. Having fun with it so far. Since it's the first time I'm trying out the pattern, I'm using some yellow baby yarn I had on hand.



So far, so good. I've only done two reps so far.....so lots to go! It does work up quickly since there's only a 10 row repeat.

Still working on the felted bag. It came out of the washer just great! It's still drying. I'll finish it up today. The I-cord handle didn't seem to want to felt, so I had to get a bit testy with it. I popped it in a glass bowl and microwaved it for 4 minutes. Worked perfectly! The cord felted up nicely within a few minutes.



The microwave smelled like wet sheep for awhile afterwards, but it sure did wonders with felting the cord!

A big THANK YOU to Jen from C'ville for a great bathroom swap boxie! She sent me some scented lotion and shower gel, several washcloths, a candle, some bath salts, cute note cards and a purple bath poof. :) I love everything! Thank you Jen!



Another big THANK YOU to sallenlouise, my small toy swap partner from c'ville. Here's what Josh received from her:



TTFN!!

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Which one is the lion? :) It's hard to tell!! Kato kitty is SO feisty! Our other cats breathe a sigh of relief when he's asleep. He's like Dennis the Menace with fur! :)

Kato is named after the butler in the Peter Seller's Pink Panther movies, because he attacks and pounces EVERYTHING! We're forever saying "No, no Kato! Do not attack me tonight!'' My husband is the only one that gets anywhere close to that outrageous French accent though! :)

TTFN!!!

The Wash Cycle of Truth

It's a felting night tonight. I'm not sure how the bag is going to turn out as the pattern is an experiment....so hours of knitting hangs on this wash cycle. Here is the tote bag as it looked 10 minutes ago.....



Now imagine it tied in a pillowcase, soggy wet and smelling like a mix of lemon scented detergent, baking soda and wet sheep. That's what it's like right now slushing and slogging around in the washing machine.

Always makes me nervous to flip that washer knob onto the hot cycle and shut the lid, especially when its the first felting of a new pattern. I'm trying for a new look with this totebag. I've only had one felting related fatality -- I koolaid dyed some yarn and the colors ran in the hot water. All my other felting projects came out fine..... *knock on wooden knitting needles*

So I thought I'd blog and sip some chocolate flavored coffee to take the edge off my growing urge to go peek. :)

A big THANK YOU to my awesome SP8 Secret Pal!! When I came home from shopping today, there was a big box waiting on my porch for me! And Ohhhhhhh what goodies she sent!



She sent me 2 drop spindles and some rovings to go with them! Some of the roving was in a cute round box. That will be perfect for beads or sewing notions! She also included a great sci-fi book and the cutest bookmark, some knitting notecards, sock yarn (I adore sock yarn!!!!), and a big white teddy bear.

The baby claimed the teddy bear as soon as it was out of the box. They shared naptime. :)



THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! What a thoughtful box of goodies. I love everything you sent! I'm not quite sure how to use the spindles yet -- but I will learn and put them to good use!

And.....the washer just stopped.....gotta go peek!

**Made it through wash #1 perfectly.......back in for wash #2**

I'll post some pictures tomorrow......if it comes out cute. :)

TTFN!!!!

New Craft Books!

I bought a couple new crafting books! :) Lots of neat stuff to look at!



I will definitely be making lots of things from these! Great patterns, and really neat ideas!


Thank you to my c'ville pal. She sent me two skeins of yarn, and a children's crochet hook in a cute red color!



TTFN!!

Le Chat Noir

I found some neat information on wikipedia about Le Chat Noir. I bought a plaque at a thriftshop the other day with a black cat on it, but the wording was in French. I wanted to know what it said. Turns out that it's a reproduction of art by Theophile-Alexandre Steinlein advertising the club.

Here's what wikipedia said:

Le Chat Noir (French for "The Black Cat") was a famous 19th century cabaret in the notoriously bohemian Montmartre district of Paris. It was opened on 18 November 1881 at 84 Boulevard Rouchechouart by the artist Rodolphe Salis, and closed in 1897 (much to the disappointment of Picasso and others who looked for it when they came to Paris for the Exposition in 1900). Its imitators have included cabarets from St. Petersburg (The Stray Dog) to Barcelona (Els Quatre Gats).
Perhaps best known now by its iconic Théophile-Alexandre Steinlein poster art, in its heyday it was a bustling nightclub - part artist salon, part rowdy music hall, partially due to an illegal piano. The cabaret published its own journal Le Chat Noir. It began as a small, two room affair, but within three and a half years its popularity forced it to move into larger accommodations a few doors down. Salis most often played, with exaggerated, ironic politeness, the role of conférencier (post-performance lecturer, or MC). It was here that the Salon des Arts Incohérents (Salon of Incoherent Arts), the "shadow plays" and the comic monologues got their start.
According to Salis: "The Chat Noir is the most extraordinary cabaret in the world. You rub shoulders with the most famous men of Paris, meeting there with foreigners from every corner of the world."
Famous patrons of the Chat Noir included Adolphe Willette, Caran d'Ache, André Gill, Emile Cohl, Paul Bilhaud, Paul Verlaine, Henri Rivière, Claude Debussy, Erik Satie, Charles Cros, Jules Laforgue, Charles Moréas, Albert Samain, Louis Le Cardonnel, Coquelin Cadet, Emile Goudeau, Alphonse Allais, Maurice Rollinat, Maurice Donnay, Armand Masson, Aristide Bruant, Paul Signac, Yvette Guilbert, August Strindberg, and George Auriol.

Very Cool!!!!

TTFN!

Tea's here!!

My Knitters Tea Swap package arrived yesterday!! I was so excited! And I LOVED everything that Jaime sent me!



She sent me a cute notecard, a small tote bag (perfect for holding a knitted sock-in-progress!), sunflower sticky notes, a cute teapot spoon rest, butter shortbread cookies, a bar of organic Dagoba dark chocolate, lemon ginger tea, organic chai, Tazo's Wild Sweet Orange decaf, and Spring Cherry green tea. :) Not only that, but she also included 2 skeins of wildfoote sock yarn in Rhapsody! Such a pretty color combination -- I love it!!!

Thank you Jamie!!

And I'm finally getting around to flashing my tea stash....lol. Better late than never. :)



I have a piggie tea pot. :) Bija Cranberry Rooiboos and Deep Cleansing herbal tea, organic Chai by LongLife and Yogi Cocoa Spice, along with several loose teas by Adagio Teas. Plus all the great tea that Jamie just added! :)

I received a bookmark yesterday from Donna. It's the 2nd one I've received in the Crochetville bookmark swap.





Isn't that pretty?? Donna also sent me a small ruler. That will come in handy for swatching!

My first bookmark was from Heidi. I'm using it already in the book I'm reading. :)

Speaking of books I'm reading -- I've gotten started on the Summer Reading Challenge! I read like I knit/crochet though....I'm reading 3 books at once. lol. I just can't seem to start one project, or one book, at a time. :)

All 3 books I picked up at the thriftshop. Two are old short story horror books:

These paperbacks have been around for awhile! You know they're old when the original price was 45 cents. :) The stories in both books are very good psychological horror. One includes the story The Birds by Daphne duMaurier -- Hitchcock's movie was based on this short story.

I also found a book by Brian Jacques that I didn't know he had written. It's called "Castaways of the Flying Dutchman.'' I'm familiar with Jacques' Redwall series. My son had every one of the Redwall books when he was younger. This book is not part of the series, and is about a boy and his dog that are on the Flying Dutchman when the crew is cursed for blasphemy. It's great light reading with some interesting plot twists. :)

The day I found my books at the thriftshop, I also found a really neat black cat plaque. Can anyone translate French for me??

I know chat noir is black cat....but the rest is French to me. :) I tried babel fish, but it said something like "the dirty black cat is coming soon.'' Gee, I really hope that's not what it says. LOL. Cute plaque anyway! If anyone can translate for me, I'd appreciate it!

I also bought something recently to make our neighbors wonder about us even more. Hee hee. I know they already think that we are strange, so why not give them something to talk about over their coffee?? They're favorite pastime is gawking at us. Not a very exciting life to sit out on your porch and spy on the neighbors. I figure I should do them a public service and be weird.

So I nailed a face to the tree in our backyard. We're the only house on the block with an Ent!

I should start talking to the tree. LOL. Now wouldn't that get the neighborhood buzzing? Or sit out in a lawn chair and crochet my husband a willie warmer.

Evil people like me should not have nosy neighbors. It is just TOO fun!

TTFN!!!