March 31, 2008
90. Stripes galore
My Noro Striped scarf is done! Finis! I love it! (I'm thinking a matching pair of mittens would be a fine thing indeed)
This may be my favorite part!
Or maybe this part!
This did not go over well at all:
Yarn: Noro Silk garden in 3 different colors (I did not keep the ball bands and have no idea of the colors)
Needle size: US 7
Watching the various color combinations emerge? Priceless.
~~~
Day 90 of Blog 365! That is some kind of milestone! I'm not going to do the subtraction to find out how many left. It seems a bit overwhelming still. But 90 is one fine number!
March 30, 2008
The Mermaid Chair
See the Discussion for The Mermaid Chair here: http://www.sandysknitting.com/archives/2008/March.html#001503
89. Ready to read another book?
I thank all of you who joined in on the book discussion yesterday. Please chime in if you have something to say. Everyone should read the comments even if you haven't read the book, they are some of the most intelligent women I know having the most interesting discussion. And not one tomato was thrown. (yet anyway :)
My one regret is that I did not warn anyone that it was coming up. I just sprung it on you and if all of you have memories like me, well, most likely not one of you remembered that yesterday was book discussion day. I'll be better at that!
But the discussion as I said, can go on an on.
Anyone up for another book? Although I do want everyone to have a say in the book choice, I am going to just choose this one too. (Who called me a dictator???) This book comes on the recommendation nay, REQUIREMENT of Bethany. She has read it and has proclaimed a book that EVERYONE should read. So, I'll do my part to share her love of this book.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Anyone with me?
For you book listeners: Book on CD
and an audio download (why are the downloads way more money than the books? that's weird)
~~~
and um, just for fun:
March 29, 2008
88. The Mermaid Chair, by Sue Monk Kidd: book discussion
Secrets. I think that secrets of her mother and father were behind the torment Jessie felt in her life. And yet, she kept her own secrets that were tearing her own family apart. She could not move on with her husband and daughter until her childhood secrets, the secrets of her mother were exposed and dealt with.
I throw that out to get your thoughts on The Mermaid Chair.
I loved the book, although I did not expect to. Sue Monk Kidd's writing was wonderful and full of imagery, the island a special, mystical place living apart from the rest of the world.
I have to admit to being very turned off to Jessie's choices. I am quite staunch in my marriage beliefs. Many women go through the same issues that she is dealing with. In fact, this is why this book is quite timely for me. Grown children, dealing with myself and my husband in new ways after 20 plus years of marriage. Honestly, running off to an island, sleeping with a man in the setting of a tent on a river seems like the chicken way out but that is just me.
So, what do you think? Like it? Dislike it? What did you think of Jessie? Is she someone you would like to have coffee with? How about Hugh? How glad are you that your mother is not chopping fingers off.
Discuss.
March 28, 2008
87. F is for Fig
~Click to see big mosaic~
There once was a time when we had a menagerie of small pets. No cats, though. I was not a cat person. We did have a parakeet named Ernie,who looked like this:
This was the days before digital cameras and I probably have an actual picture of Ernie somewhere, but that would entail hours of going through picture boxes and frankly, I'm overwhelmed thinking about it! So, let's just make believe this is the real Ernie.
And we had a hamster named Bert. (Can you guess about how old the kids were when we got them? Hmm?)You can see what Bert looked like HERE.
So, Ernie liked to fly out of his cage. He liked to land on our shoulders. He liked to eat cheez-its and popcorn and ice cream, oddly enough. Sometimes he liked to bite ears, but that's not for this story. Somewhere along the line, a little friendship budded between Ernie and Bert. Ernie liked to sit on Bert's cage and give his call "TWEET TWEET" meaning, of course, "Come on out, Bert!" And Bert would. Come out of his little sleeping house and push his face right into the bars of his cage and Ernie would stick his beak into the cage and scratch Bert's head. I kid you not. It was a sight to see, I'll tell you.
Bert being part of this story is for pure entertainment value only. He was gone before Fig came into the picture. Ernie sure did miss Bert when he was gone. It was quite touching.
Back to Fig.
One day my neighbor showed up on my doorstep with a bowl, some cat food and a water dish. She told me that her family needed to leave their apartment for a month so it could be deleaded for her kids sake. She wanted us to leave food on the porch for the cats. They would live outside, being June and be no bother. What could I say? I didn't want her kids to get lead poisoning. But I did not want 2 cats. There were 2 cats. Fig and Rocky. Rocky was a 13 year old long haired orange and white sweetie. And Fig was a 1 year old kitten. Rambunctious and raring to go. I had never ever had a cat. Or thought about having a cat. So, now we had 2 confused cats living on our porch. The month came and went. The neighbor brought another bag of food and said it would be a couple weeks more, but she was definitely coming back. They weren't my cats yet, I was just catsitting. On the porch.
Then it turned to fall. And the nights started to get chilly and there was no sign of the neighbor. So, we would put the cats into the basement at night. Sure, it's not great down there, but it's better than outside, right? I mean, the neighbor will be back anytime for her cats. Right?
Every now and then the cats would come into the house, but we'd have to be extra sure that Ernie wasn't out flying around because, well, didn't cats like birds? I mean, especially to EAT?
In October, Rocky got very ill and I brought her to the veterinarian down the street from me. The neighbor had told me that she brought the cats there. They told me that they had no record of the cats ever being there. This was my first inkling that perhaps the neighbor was not ever going to come back. I know, most people would have gotten it by now. But not me. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, long after, even then they deserve it!
So, Poor, sweet Rocky had kidney failure. And incidentally, a tumor under her tongue that was most likely cancerous. We made the difficult decision to put Rocky to sleep so she would not suffer anymore. Because suffering she was. She died without ever seeing her owner of 13 years again. That should be a crime, don't you think? On the way out, I made an appointment for Fig. He obviously needed his shots and to be neutered.
But he did stay in the basement in the evenings until his appointment the next week. When he came home from his :ahem: little operation he was so pathetic looking. Andy and I had a long talk, after we put Fig on the couch to sleep off the anesthesia. We had to give him the loving home he deserved or find a home for him. We glanced over at the cat sleeping there and decided we'd keep him. He was kinda cute. And he was good with the kids.
He never again slept in the basement. Believe me when I say that it wasn't long until he was sleeping on the beds. But I digress.
One day, one of us was leaving the house, not noticing that Fig slipped in the door unbeknownst to any of us leaving. Ernie stayed out of his cage during the day, with the door propped open if he wanted back in. Our foolproof plan had been foiled. For a whole week and a half we had been careful.
Cat in: Bird in
Cat out: Bird out
This time
Cat in: Bird out.
I opened the door about an hour later and Ernie was lying on the floor of the hallway, weakly chirping at me. Fig was sitting down the hall with a look of, well, there's no better way to describe it: Like he had just ate the canary. And he had. I picked Poor Frightened Ernie up and lay him on a towel, looked him over. There were no obvious injuries. We brought him down to the vets office and they pronounced him okay. No broken bones, no gaping wounds, which is a miracle, is it not? I have seen birdies in the yarn that Fig has eaten for appetizers. And it was not pretty. Fig had really just PLAYED with Ernie. So, when I say that he ate our parakeet, it was figuratively, not literally.
Sometime that night, I heard Ernie's bell ring one last time. He had most likely hit his favorite toy on his way down. Poor little thing probably died of fright. There was a funeral. And more than a few tears.
But looking at Fig, I knew he did not mean it. I knew it was just what cats did. If he had wanted to hurt Ernie, he would have. But he only played with him a bit. He did not know that Ernie could not take it.
We forgave. And we even got another bird. Tweety. He was a blue parakeet. But he did NOT come out of his cage. Ever.
That was our last bird.
Bert the second was our last hamster too. When he was dying, Fig lay vigil next to his cage until he had gone. I wondered how Fig knew that Bert needed someone.
Fig has also outlasted Mac the turtle and the unnamed goldfish that lived for years and years.
I think we'll keep him.
(Reprinted from earlier blog entry because the story stands as one that cannot be added to)
March 27, 2008
86. Say OOOOOOOO
I saw Vicki's self portrait and loved hers and got the (bright) idea to try my own. As a rule, along with most likely almost every other adult woman alive, I do not like pictures of me. Too fat. Too weird. Too pale. Too unlike ME. Perhaps it's the 2 dimensional thing that I just can't get over, I don't know. But I always think I look BETTER than photos can show. (conceited much?) Armed with the Vicki hope, I tried anyway. I wanted to Warhol myself too. (Hello my name is Sandy and I'm a lemming from way back!)
The best of the bunch? In my opinion?
Ooooo, you're gonna love it!!
Isn't it attractive? Perhaps I am model material after all??
Perhaps I should make enlargements so the whole fam can get in on the fun, huh? Nothing a teen would like more than an oooooo picture of their dear old mum?
Let's Warhol:
I don't know why the middle me did not show up but I'm not losing sleep over it.
~~
More to OOOOOO about?
I got confused on my blog days yesterday. Why was I thinking Wordless Wednesday? It is ONE WORD WEDNESDAY! Perhaps that word would have been OOOOOO.
March 26, 2008
March 25, 2008
84. Vested
Flyingdales cardigan looking like a vest! I couldn't wait to try it on when I got the shoulder's seamed up with their 3 needle bind offs. And I was a bit disappointed (sound familiar Ruth?) Although I haven't really read ahead in the pattern, I'll be all set if the button bands are about a foot wide. A knitter can hope, right?
Besides the discouraging fit, there's a bit of a shoulder problem that needs to be fixed. It's an easy fix though.
This is the Right shoulder, knit as it should be:
Left shoulder:
I stopped too soon on the welt pattern. So, tonight I'll take out the 3 needle bind off and fix it.
But the wind is sucked out of my flyingdale sails. Pfft.
~~
Believe me, the irony is not lost on me that my post yesterday about eating real food to be more healthy is preceded by a post about cheesecake. But really, homemade cheesecake is REAL food. I know what ingredients are in there. Making it better for me (in extreme moderation) than store bought. And much more satisfying too.
Gotta stay away from cheesecake if I have any dream of wearing the flipping flyingdales though.
March 24, 2008
83. It's all about the food today. Food.
Musings is what you get this Monday. Just wanted to warn you in case you're not the fan of the mind muse.
I went to the store to buy my 3rd bottle of cough syrup this go around (I cannot shake this stupid cough, making me want to murder myself, which is what the people within hearing range of me are feeling. Stand in line!). I went through a bottle of Robitussin and a bottle of Delsym and now? Back to Robitussin. I'm also on my 2nd bottle of cough medicine with codeine at night too, but that is neither here nor there, except for the fact that I may have to write this blog from detox someday! (not yet, but maybe soon, right?). Anyway, back to the Robitussin bought this morning: One of the ingredients? (Noticed after I had cracked it open and swigged a bunch?) Anyone care to guess? My latest rampage?
Yes. High Fructose Corn Syrup!
Oh. My. Flipping, cough studded, codeine hazed, ranting rage at the food people that do it to us, GOD! I cannot stand it! When will it end?
~~
And more:
I'm always trying to "FIGURE IT ALL OUT". Looking for the magic that makes me slim and healthy. But I'm getting more and more to believe that it's not about "diets" but about eating. Real stuff. And along this path of realization (hence my rampages about high fructose corn syrup), I happen to read Jackie's post about a book that changed her life. That is a big claim about a book, is it not? Wonderful reference, if you ask me! And on Saturday, I was moseying my way through Borders Books (because truth be told, I had some gift certificates from there and read something about them looking to sell to help them pay their bills, or some such thing. Made me nervous and thought I'd spend up those gift cards!) Anyway, as I'm in the store, I have this thought about the book Jackie mentioned, but I cannot remember the name. So I think and I ponder. Nothing, of course. I have the memory of a meal worm lately. (food reference) I wander some more and come across a book. Could be it. Maybe not though. So, I pick it up. The first sentence is the one that I remember from Jackie's blog. This is the BOOK! I found the needle in the haystack! (not really, it was in the front of the store) The book is In Defense of Food. The quote I remember is this: Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.~ Michael Pollan.
I don't eat mostly plants, but I'm working on it. It's so far a great book, it gives me lots of :ahem: food for thought!
It's a great journey I'm on. I am finding it fascinating! And one filled with contradiction!
As Andy and I were talking a bit about food, in short the other day, I made the HUGE statement (to my candy loving husband) that I could go my whole life without ever eating another piece of candy again. Ever! I stated emphatically. And I meant it. I did! (Cake? Well, that is another story, one we will not delve into now, mmmkay?)
This came back to me today AS I WAS MUNCHING ON A REESE'S EASTER EGG, that is.
Huh. Maybe I'll start tomorrow?
March 23, 2008
82. Don't look too closely, just eat it!
My contribution to Easter Dessert, blueberry lemon cheesecake bars. The recipe? (FOUND HERE: Tyler Florence's Lemon Blueberry cheesecake bars) Easy as anything! Almost magical in that way. And the taste? Divine! Creamy with a tad of a lemon twist and blueberries which in my book is a recipe for success!
But?
It was getting them out of the pan in one piece that was my problem, even after a night cooling in the refrigerator! I remembered something about running cold water over the knife. That worked. For about an inch. I remembered something about running hot water over the knife. That worked too for an inch.
But?
They don't look all that bad together on the dish. I'm sure the delicious flavor will eliminate any bias against the look. (I hope) But then again, I've never known my family to throw food out because it wasn't picture perfect.
Let's hope there is not a first time!
~~
P.S. It's way too early for Easter. It doesn't feel right.
I'm all discombobulated!
March 22, 2008
81. Wool is for the birds. Yeah, I said it!
See this wool?
It's for the birds!
No, really!
See? Would I lie to you?
Please, for the love of all that is good and holy, please do not visit that link unless you are ready to witness the ugliest, scariest looking vinyl dolls ever seen. Honestly. I'm sorry to them but they are scary.
We'll see if my neighborhood birds have good taste in nest building materials! Really, the birds around here NEED wool in their nest it has been SO cold lately! Poor little things.
But look who doesn't mind the cold and mud:
Grow little tulips, grow!
Fig has something to say about all this, of course:
Whatever!
March 21, 2008
80. Hat for a friend: Koolhaas hat #2
Koolhaas hat #2
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran
Needle size: US7
closeup of wonderful pattern
Decreases on top!
~~
They are like popcorn. Can't just eat one. Today, as is usual, I felt a bit lost as to what I should knit upon, bereft after finishing a project even one as small as this. (I chose the flyingdales, in case you're wondering, still plugging away at it). The knit stitches on the koolhaas hat(s) are all twisted knit stitches leaving me a tad confused and lost feeling when I tried to do a non twisted stitch. I felt like I was knitting wrong.
I have become a twisted knitter. It was only a matter of time!
~~
And did you hear the celebration from your house? Bethany declared this hat to be SOFT. This is the girl who thinks every single yarn is itchy. E.V.E.R.Y. Single yarn ever. Itchier than the last. Has declared Debbie Bliss Cashmerino yarn to be SOFT.
Amen to that, sister!
March 20, 2008
79. Eye Candy Friday edition
My rendition of Eye Candy Friday!
A happy birthday Carrot Cake with yummy cream cheese frosting that in this photo looks a tad lumpy but which was not at all in the mouth which is the only place that counts. Right?
But all of this leads me to my problem, which is a huge problem. IT IS NOT FRIDAY! This is not a great realization for me. It feels like Friday to me. I'm planning on a pizza dinner which is Fridayish. But now? I have to do it all over again tomorrow and I'm not happy about that! I've already had a Friday, thank you, I decline on the repeat!!
Don't you hate it when that happens?
~~
March 19, 2008
78. Imagine.
A huge thank you from Andy to all of you who helped make his birthday a very special day indeed! He was quite surprised and blown away by it all!
And, no he does not have a brother and he is not for rent or to borrow! :D
~~
Honestly, I came THIS close to forgetting to post today. Imagine? I have been battling (still) a cough that is quite annoying and today I tried mucinex tablets. Nowhere on the bottle or box does it mention that it makes you drowsy. And yet....My eyes are about cemented shut. Which has been fine for the last couple of hours but made today one of the longest days ever at work.
March 18, 2008
77. 49
Nephew Steve, Birthday Andy and Bethany
Today is Andy's 49th birthday! I'd like to celebrate by sharing 49 things that makes Andy special to me:
1. he has the most incredible blue eyes I've ever seen
2. he makes his own beer
3. he taught me that beer is not budweiser or michelob
4. he is more patient than anyone I know
5. he is the best father than anyone I know
6. he is athletic, making any physical task look easy to this long time clutz
7. he is good at everything he tries
8. he brings out the trash. And that is icky
9. he is the champion of recycling
10. he saves bottles and cans like no one else and turns them in, not minding the sticky horrible mess and then gets a reward of quite a few dollars.
11. he is incredibly kind to Fig and notices all the little things about him, like if fig is pulling at his paw, he will wonder why
12. he never spoke up during the years of the small animal menagerie that we had going here. We could have started a petting zoo and he never minded
13. he has never said a word against my knitting obsession
14. from piles of wool, errant needles, sock yarn up the wazoo to the half knitted mittens, it's okay with him
15. he is not one of those men that are overly dramatic when they are sick.
16. he is not a whiner
17. he plays poker every other Thursday night, leaving me to enjoy the house to myself for a while. I appreciate this very much
18. he works tirelessly on this old house
19. he will always make a trip to the grocery store when I am too lazy to do so
20. If I stubbornly say I am not cooking tonight, a pizza will magically appear, no questions asked
21. he eats whatever I cook. Always
22. And he never complains about what I cook even though he would have every right to complain about having something AGAIN
23. it is because of him and his financial wizardry that we have everything that we do as I am bad with a budget
24. he will let me watch whatever I want on tv without ever complaining once
25. he makes kick ass chili
26. he can barbeque better than Bobby Flay
27. he eats his vegetables
28. he has a wonderfully wicked sense of humor
29. he is the champion snorer of the world (don't try to dispute this, it's true)
30. he has now and always has had the best ass of any man, ever
31. he is a much more thorough cleaner than I'll ever be
32. he looks adorably cute in reading glasses
33. he has a large group of high school friends that are still a part of his life. I envy this.
34. he is a homebody which is good because so am I
35. he makes the best smelling coffee
36. he loves a good fart joke
37. he is a great role model for our children and many others
38. he does not leave whiskers in the bathroom sink
39. he does not know how to make a bed in the morning (oops, sorry)
40. the hair on his head is remarkably free of gray hair which I am a bit envious of
41. he is a great son, brother and uncle
42. he will throw the lobsters in the pot for me
43. I know that if he does any work around the house, it will be done right. He is a perfectionist in that way
44. he does not look 49 years old
45. he loves cookies more than anyone I know
46. And I think that if I were to serve him cookies for dinner, he would not complain a bit
47. he never forgets our anniversary or my birthday (well, he did once but that never happened again)
48. he wants to be here (story follows)
49. I think I'll keep him!!
~~
When Derek was 1 1/2 years old, he had febrile seizures. 3 of them, to be exact. His fever was very very high, leading to the seizures. It was, I'd say the scariest time of our lives. He was in the hospital for 3 days and enduring so many tests for such a small boy. I was 8 months pregnant at the time with Bethany and was mostly useless.
when Derek was discharged, Andy spent about a week sleeping on the floor next to his crib just in case he had another seizure in the middle of the night and he needed us. I'll never forget Andy sleeping on the hard floor just in case. And that is the thing that I love most about Andy, he wants to be here for us. And he is.
Happy Birthday, Honey! Here's to many more!
Please raise a beer/glass of wine/water/soda to my wonderful husband.
March 17, 2008
76. May you find 4 leaves
The corned beef is simmering on the stove, the cabbage awaits it's turn in the yummy hot "tub". With a last name like Hurley, this is the one day that I can claim to be Irish, even though the only part of me that is indeed Irish is my left ring finger. My wedding ring, that is.
But that is enough to enjoy the yearly corned beef and cabbage dinner. Perhaps a Guinness or two will be cracked open, but you did not hear it from me!
We have an Irish Pub down the street and believe me, I'd much rather be sitting in my kitchen enjoying my own festivities than be smooshed like a sardine in that small pub, nice as it may be on any other day of the year. There usually is a waiting line to get in starting in the late afternoon that curls around the block. Perhaps I should arm myself with my camera and brave the crowd for the blog. I mean, what kind of blogger am I, anyway? The fair weather kind?
~~
When Claudia says Jump, I say "how high". It's true. She is my go to person. And she instructed me to take those mystery photos of yesterday and turn them black and white. So I did.
What do you think? Perhaps I had an unconcious plan all along to show texture and pattern. Sounds good to me!
Claudia still has yet to explain that cheez in a can photo to me though. I'm not sure anyone can explain it in a satisfactory way anyway.
And in the immortal words of all Middle school kids everywhere:
Erin Go Bragh-less.
Remember how funny that was?
March 16, 2008
75. Sometimes, you've got to wonder why!
As I was going through my pictures to find candidates for my F entry, I came across some things that made me wonder. I wonder WHY:
Hmmm. Why?
~scratches head~
and the mother of all HMMMMMMS:
That one just cracks me up while I'm thinking HMMM.
~~
3 of the movies haven't been guessed yet. Here's more clues for them:
Number 3: Mother of pearl, I've swallowed hot lava! And: Del Fuegos! Hide the bikes! Quick! WILD HOGS recognized by Kathleen!
Number 9: (This one is a hard one. I put it in for Norma and she did not even recognize it....sigh) Bite your teeth into the ass of life. And: Sometimes the spaghetti likes to be alone. And: Give people what they want, then later you can give them what you want. BIG NIGHT! Recognized by Jane!!
Number 11: 11. A promise is a promise. And: It's like we're on two different channels now. I'm CNN and she's the Home Shopping Network. AND: I told you I'd share my ticket. I never planned on sharing my heart. Maybe I could get lucky twice today. IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU, recognized by Lori G and by Heather G
Anybody??
~~~
ADDED: All the movies have been Identified! Thanks for playing!
March 15, 2008
74. Pop quiz
Thanks to Terry! I now have a blog entry for today. It was great fun to do, I hope it's fun on your end!
~~
Movie Meme (have I told you how I hate the word meme? )
Ahem. Movie Quiz. There, that's better.
The rules. For every good time needs some rules. Don't get out of hand, or else.
Grr.
:D
~~
RULES of Play:
1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them on your blog for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie. (I'll try to do this but I'm going away for the day, so the striking will be belated. Just pat yourselves on the back for a good job done in the interim)
5. Looking them up is cheating, please don’t. (Or as we always said as kids: Cheat, cheat, never beat: wrap you up in pig's feet. But we did not get out very much)
~~~
And begin:
The movie quotes, from my favorites!
1. You know, I've always wanted a child. And now I think I'll have one... on toast!HOCUS POCUS recognized by Stacey and Brandy
2.Thanks for dinner. I've never seen potatoes cooked like that before. SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE recognized by Brandy
3.Mother of pearl, I've swallowed hot lava!
4.Nora **a**, we're here for Frosty! (name blanked out because I would give it away)CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS recognized by Heather G!
5. Can I refill your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead? (my favorite line ever!) NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION recognized by Jody and Stephanie M!
6. Stop calling me Warren! My name isn't FUCKING WARREN! EMPIRE RECORDS: Recognized by Elizabeth and Brandy
7.'Ello, Poppet. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN recognized by Brandy
8. I'll believe in you all my life. ET recognized by Jody!
9. Bite your teeth into the ass of life. BIG NIGHT recognized by Jane
10.The light concealing cream goes on first. Then you blend, and blend, and blend. Blending is the secret. EDWARD SCISSORHANDS recognized by Elizabeth, BrandyBONUS(es): ( I could not stop)
11. A promise is a promise.
12. I could pee my pants! (NOT Pretty Woman, Sorry Ann!)
13. After all, the wool from the black sheep is just as warm. (Bonus points that are worth nothing if you get this one (WITHOUT LOOKING IT UP) because it's not one of the obvious ones but how could I resist a sheep reference?) I'm Impressed: SOUND OF MUSIC recognized by Christy! GOOD JOB, CHRISTY!!!
~~~
This was great fun! Thank you Terry for the idea (And Lucia for inspiring Terry. And so on)
ADDED:
Movable type does not allow me to STRIKE out the type. Hrmph. So, I added the answer in after the quote. Brandy is the frontrunner so far! (she's good at this game!!)
And, none of them were Roxanne, Steel Magnolias, Mrs. Doubtfire or Peter Pan. But those were some good guesses. Honestly? I'd be BAD at this game. Seeing a quote out of context is a HARD thing to place.
Go ahead and steal this pop quiz.
March 14, 2008
73. All we are saying...
is Give Peeps a Chance!
(lifted from JJ's site, hope he does not mind!) (If he does, I'll take it down. But not before some intense begging and pleading and a bit of crying thrown in. Hey, I'm a 365 blogger~ I get desperate!)
And for your Friday Fun, A PeepsShow.
March 13, 2008
72. Hum if you don't know the words.
All this week I have had the song In My Life stuck in my brain. I wake up with it. I go to sleep with it, I hum it through the day. There could be worse songs. I think that my brain is trying to give me a message, I hope I can get it.
Now? I give it to you. :D
As I searched and searched for my favorite version of the song, by Chantal Kreviazuk, I ran across this video. Now we are talking! A Hermione/Harry Potter memory video along with my favorite song! (If you are not a Harry fan, you have my permission to close your eyes and just listen)
Hum along...
March 12, 2008
71. T is for Thanks, for being W is for Wonderful!
T is for thanks. Thank you for your kind words on my E story. I was, by the way 8 years old when that happened. It is, I would say, one of the defining moments of my life. Of who I would become. And I have never told a soul of that moment, either. Except you!
~~
Now to a lighter subject. Ahem.
Another koolhaas hat! They are like popcorn! This one is also in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. The previous hat was well received and worn on the spot. A knitter could ask for nothing more, could they?
~~
I finished The Mermaid Chair today and sat stunned for quite a while. It was a good book. And I have SO much to say!
:)
~~
71 days into the 365 blog. 294 remaining. I started that sentence like a victory and now? 294. Oy!
March 11, 2008
70. E is for Ear
My left ear and it's scar. Where there's a scar, there's always a story. (This is very, very hard for me because I am a long time ear hater from way way back. My goal as an adult was to get my ears operated on. I hate them. And here it is, for all to see. All for a story that starts with an "E")
~~
I have a cousin named Donald. We called him Donny in our younger days. He was, what we called in the 60's and 70's retarded although no one would dare state those words nowadays. Donny was always the center of attention at the park because he was constantly "playing" football by himself while loudly commentating the game. Most kids gave him attention, which Donny loved but which was masking poking fun at him. I can see that now as an adult.
But this story is not about Donny but his cousin, Elaine, who was also mentally challenged. She was not my cousin but his cousin which did not matter much back then and in a small town. She was my cousin too. Elaine had brown hair that was always in 2 braids and thick glasses magnifying her eyes which gave birth to her "nickname" with the kids. Grasshopper. I never called her that. Truth be told, I thought she was adorable especially with her bug eyes. While I never went out of my way to be nice to her, I never, ever was mean to her or Donny. They were my family. But I did not advertise as such.
One cold December day as I was walking home from school, I noticed a circle of kids ahead. They were the kids that scared me a little. They picked on people and were mean. My best friend Debbie and I referred to them as "naughty". As I neared the group I noticed that they had surrounded someone and were taunting and teasing. I then noticed it was Elaine. They circled her and were all laughing and screaming out "GRASSHOPPER", taking her hat and her mittens. It was awful. I was torn up inside watching them tease her so. She was so upset. Her glasses had slid to the tip of her nose and she was crying and yelling at them. I wanted to be brave enough to go stop them. But I was not.
I turned around and went home the other way. I did not tell anyone, even though I should have.
That night, The Grinch that Stole Christmas was on tv. As it was starting, I ran across the dining room with my Mother yelling out to me not to run, that I would hurt myself and not to come crying to her when I did! As usual, I did not listen, I wanted to see that show!
My feet slipped out from under me and I fell, crashing my ear into the big buffet that had been my grandmother's and that I hated because I saw no use for except that I had to dust it every Saturday. The blood flowed from the top of my ear. My mother yelled at me again, because of course, I did go crying to her.
She brought me to the hospital to get stitches. As we waited, the blood soaked towel on my head getting more and more saturated a Nurse came out and told us that there would be a long wait. A girl had been brought in a while before with a horrible broken kneecap, caused by kids kicking her. I went cold. As we glanced to the treatment rooms, I saw Elaine's mother crying in the hall and I heard Elaine's screams of pain.
Elaine ended up having a full leg cast that night. I ended up with 7 stitches in my ear. And a horrible, hurting feeling in my heart. I had let Elaine down that day.
It wouldn't happen again.
I wear that scar on my ear as one of the most painful lessons I have learned. Don't turn away when others need me. Don't walk away and say nothing. Because my silence made me realize that I was just as guilty as if I had kicked her myself.
March 10, 2008
69. Poutines VS. Poutine
So, cheese curds. I'm holding out hope that the fresh Wisconsin-ish cheese curds are the real deal and not the same as the packaged Trader Joe kind. I tried them and my thoughts are MEH. No squeak (I'm crushed too), kind of a stale, lifeless flavor. But. I will live my life with the goal of finding REAL cheese curds. Everyone needs goals, right?
However, one comment about the cheese curds caught my attention. From Blogless Cyndy: Google Poutine to see what should be done with cheese curds! Curds are also good chilled.
So I did! Not just because Cyndy told me to but Poutines are part of my heritage. It's true!
My first inkling that this was not MY poutines was that she used the word singularly, not ending in an "S" which mine is always always always. Always.
Poutine: (not mine) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine
Wait one Potato ball minute! French Fries covered with cheese curds and covered in gravy? Holy heart attack, Batman! This is not MY POUTINES! My poutines are gray potato balls with pork in the centers, wrapped in cheese cloth! MY MOUTH WATERS! I know it sounds unappetizing! They look unappetizing too~ But I would so eat one right now~ I'd trade my oldest child for one. Or perhaps 2, he is a good kid after all (Young adult, sorry. Not mine to trade anymore. Trade is off)
There at the top of the POUTINE page is the small sentence: This is the Quebec-style dish. For the completely different Acadian dish, see poutine râpée.
So, I did!
Yes, now I remember that MY Poutines are Acadian which is not really Canadian after all! But the wikipedia page is very unsatisfying for describing poutines to you!
This is the whole entry:
poutine râpée is a ball of grated and mashed potato, salted, filled with chicken or pork in the centre, and boiled.
Well, Mr. Wikipedia, please try to contain your excitement!
Cripes!
So, I went off on a little Googling.
Ahh, THIS IS BETTER!
I remember my Memere making these (she looked a lot like those women too). This was quite the undertaking. A huge project. And those unappetizing looking Poutines? They never looked better to me! My mouth waters just thinking of them.
Image found here : http://www.billcasselman.com/canadian_food_words/cfw_six.htm
Anybody eat MY poutines?
(If you are ever in the area of Holy Rosary Church, be on the lookout for their bazaar in the fall where they sell Poutines from the Holy Rosary Poutine Factory!)
~~~
Mmmmmm...PoutineS
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Your invitation to the book club HERE: let me know if you have trouble seeing it.
You're Invited!
Book: The Mermaid Chair
Discussion: here in comments on or about Saturday, March 29th (I'm willing to extend the date for anyone not quite done the book but it is really not a long book and is a quick read so this should be enough time)
Please RSVP by leaving a comment here
~~~
I'm thinking of trying the first discussion out in the comment section. This may or may not work. Who's willing to come along?
March 09, 2008
68. Koolhaas hat
Pattern: Koolhaas hat, in the Interweave knits Holiday 2007 also available for purchase at the website: http://shop.interweave.com/Koolhaas-Hat-P211C53.aspx
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran (which is my desert island yarn: the one yarn to have if I were marooned on a desert island)
Needle size: US7
Made for: a coworker who is suffering through chemo treatments
My thoughts: I love this hat~ LOVE! I don't knit many hats due to my personal dislike of wearing them. This pattern is a fun knit, not hard at all, which I feared when I started it. The cable pattern is easily remembered! This makes me respect a well written pattern!
March 08, 2008
67. Cheese curds and cheese monkeys, I KIDD you not!
Dear Vicki,
I bought Wisconsin Cheese Curds today at Trader Joe's. Now, will you tell this New England gal how does one eat a cheese curd? Is there a "way"? Is it a cracker thing? Does it stand alone? Must I microwave it so it will "squeak"? And I can't help but wonder, they really SQUEAK?
Cheesily yours,
Sandy, cheese curd-less no more!
~~
Have you eaten cheese curds? Tutorial anyone?
~~
I bought The Mermaid Chair and am now ready to read along! Anyone going to read with me? I figure in about a month or so we can have a bit of a discussion? Do you plan to read it? or have you read it?
And how could I resist the other book? The Cheese Monkeys! (this was before I bought the cheese curds, perhaps foreshadowing my Trader Joe's shopping trip a bit) With a title like that, it certainly piqued my curiosity. I gave it the first page read test and brought it home. (I always read the first page of a book to see if I'm interested. Usually, it is spot on)
~~
I'm bitter as all get out about losing that hour tonight. Usually it's not until April so I feel a bit gypped.
March 07, 2008
66. Forty on Friday, lifted from Margene!
1. I love lists
2. I also love being random. Is it any wonder that this 40 on Friday appeals to me?
3. Fig left me a bit of a present this morning in response, I'm sure to yesterday's doctored photo. Thank you, Fig. Everyone is a critic!
4. This had been one looooong week for me
5. My Mom had a knee replacement 3 weeks ago and I have not yet gone to see her due to bad weather on weekends and/or germs.
6. She is doing so great! I am so proud of her!
7. I heard song birds chirping this morning.
8. Song birds make me happy
9. I missed the birds
10. I hope "my" woodpecker comes back
11. I wonder if it's the same woodpecker that comes year after year?
12. A guy named Mike Casino has been paged over and over and over today at work. I have never even heard of him.
13. I wonder if people are paging him so much because his name is so fun to say.
14. I wish I had some banana cake.
15. I do have some bananas ready to go in the freezer.
16. But the cake does not make itself.
17. Our favorite pizza joint closed down about 2 months ago.
18. No warning, just CLOSED one day. I'm still in mourning
19. A new sign is on the old place, new name, new look. I don't know if we should try it. I mean, it can't measure up to Luigi's Pizza, can it?
20. Am I the only one that hates it when another similar business moves in and has to change everything? Seems like such a waste of money to me.
21. I know it's probably trying to get their own image but again, seems like such a waste of hard earned money.
22. I am afraid that the everyday blogging is making me mundane and boring.
23. I fear being mundane.
24. I hate spiders so much. I fear spiders more than being mundane.
25. One time, when Bethany was just a baby, I noticed when I checked on her (which I did regularly when the kids were small. Not to check the breathing but just to see them. To marvel in their being. To breathe in their scent, to enjoy the small sleeping baby sounds) and noticed, somehow, Thank Bob, that a spider had hatched a whole heck load of baby spiders. They were small as specks crawling all over her ceiling. I got a chair and a bunch of tissues and stood there squishing all of them. For hours. I did not want one single baby spider on my baby. Sorry, mama spider. My baby wins!
26. Shudder ...ewwww.
27. I'd do it again, too!
28. But I do have a lot of respect for a well constructed spider's web. Outside, that is!
29. I save the disposable bathroom cup and reuse it until it falls apart. Imagine how many cups I save a year by doing that?
30. The irony is that when I was younger, I used to make fun of several adults in my life that used to do that too.
31. Why can't there be a cough medicine that actually stops a person from coughing??
32. I am almost done with the Koolhaas hat.
33. It is the most exciting thing I've knit in a while!
34. I am going to start another one right away!
35. Not for me, though, I don't wear hats, no matter how exciting! It's for another co worker. Not cancer related though, thank goodness. She just fell in love with it and hinted loudly.
36. I can take a hint.
37. I wear ear muff things when it's really cold out. Not the traditional foofy earmuffs of my childhood but some cool behind the head ones.
38. Friday night is my favorite! So much promise with the whole weekend ahead!
39.Bethany bought an Arizona Pomegranate Green Iced Tea which touts itself as being ALL NATURAL! Those horse's necks put in High Fructose Corn Syrup!
40. I despise the time change that is set for this weekend!
~~~
I have been working on this list all day long!
Thanks to Margene for the inspiration! I do love lists!
(easy reading for the skimmers in the crowd too! No pesky paragraphs!
haha~
Happy Friday. Or whatever.
March 06, 2008
65. A message from a wee one
St. Patrick's Fig is not amused. There had better be tuna after all of this!
~~
Randomly:
(as if a cat wearing a leprechaun's hat is NOT random?)
~Today was wee free
~:)
~I am devastated to hear that Patrick Swayze has pancreatic cancer. That man had the moves in Dirty Dancing! Or even in the Chippendales Dance Off Audition<-----click (please don't open in front of your children. Or your neighbor's children. Or your boss.) Actually? You can't deny that Chris Farley had the moves in that video too.
~I heard a news story about the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway that is collecting seeds from ungenetically altered food, heirloom seeds to preserve the Earth's food supply in case of catastrophic events of any kind. I just love the thought of all of those wonderful seeds being stored in this special, almost science fictionesque place for mankind's future.
Here's to the future of brussel sprouts!
March 05, 2008
64. Thank you, sir, may I have another?
I am feeling a bit more human today. Only half dead, but that is progress! Tomorrow it will be 1/4 dead~ Onward and upward! There was however a very unfortunate incident at work today of a wee bit of an accident that made me go home to change and shower. This is not good nor acceptable.
TMI, anyone?
Yeah. It must be the decongestants! Is there truth serum in them?
So, because I had to work late and I have groceries all over my kitchen floor awaiting to be put away I give you another blog cartoon. I can't resist them!
Click cartoon to see big.
~Pearls before Swine by Stephan Pastis
Will I do a real blog entry tomorrow? Depends.
heh.
March 04, 2008
63. Sneeze, sniff, blow, cough, repeat: my day in a nutshell
A comic for today in lieu of full blog content due to blogger sickness.
Found here: http://toothpastefordinner.com/
March 03, 2008
62. "Another day in the love shack"~a coworker, making me laugh like crazy
I had the most bizarre dream last night. So elaborate and wonderful. I had a dream that my best friend from high school (who is still my best friend) got married again to her husband. I know. It was a dream, I'm not saying it made sense. She had the same wedding gown on as her original wedding, which impressed my dreamy me quite a bit. And her husband and his brother wore complete firefighter uniforms, with helmets and fire coats. Which perhaps makes sense for his brother because in real life he IS a firefighter but her husband is not. But it's a dream, I'm willing to forgo reality.
And of course, I showed up late for the ceremony and was not admitted to the church and had to sit outside which was a high school gym, complete with bleachers. When I found a seat in the bleachers, I started to notice all of the people around me and saw Larry Agnelli, who is someone I went to GRADE SCHOOL WITH. I haven't seen or thought of him in over....huh...uh..35 years! And the funny thing (I mean, besides dreaming about Larry Agnelli?) is that he was aged. A 46 year old man, not the 10 year old that I picture in my head when I think his name! And Richard Breen was there, Julie Manca, Robin Senecal, and Lisa although I cannot remember her last name. (anybody know these people??) They were all there. My dream me impressed them all by remembering all of their names. Heck, I impressed my Non Dream me by remembering all of their names! And putting faces to them!
After having a grammar school reunion in the bleachers, I realized that I missed her reception. (great friend, huh?) and I went into the gym like room where it was held and saw what was left of the cake, which was made with COOKIES!
It was a bizarre thing. But the dream stayed with me as I woke and all day long. It is not often that I can remember with such clarity the details of the dream world.
~~
And to round off the day's weird things (the title being another one of them) is a sign I spotted in a fruit store today. It said
Best "SOUP" in Town~
Just like that with "SOUP" in quotations. Is it soup? Or is it claiming to be "soup"? So called "SOUP"? "Soup" by product? "SOUP"-like? "Soup" stuff? "Soupish"?
~~~
Thank you all for your wonderful, caring thoughts on yesterday's post. I am taking out the references to the indiscretion upon good advice.
~~
Just another day at the LOVE SHACK!