Happy Valentine's Day

Or if you're not a fan of cupcakes, help yourself to a cookie.

Soon, very very soon, I will actually have a garden related post. I promise!

Trash Picker

Last week you met Our Lady of Perpetual Stench. This week let me introduce you to the Trash Picker, aka Flash the Wonder Dog. The mutt is at this moment whining and pouting because he cannot go outside because it's trash day. He and the garbage man have a running fued. When left to his own devices, Flash will tour the town and see what's in everyone's trash. And my trash man is more patient than I am and has been known to pick up behind Flash. I am not so easy going. I was not happy the week before last when Flash brought home someone else's bag of trash and "inspected" it-- all over my front lawn. So, they stay in on trash morning. And oh the whining and crying that is going on this morning! Last time I tried to tie them up, Lady chewed thru the rope and came to find me on the other end of town.

Another Sweater Post

Seems like I told somebody somewhere that I'd post some more pictures of knitting porjects. I don't remember who that was. So, the rest of you will have to bear with me. This sweater was knitted specifically to be a spring/fall sweater, only I didn't get it done until winter was upon me, so I have not had a chance to wear it with the skirt that it goes with. And even when the weather does warm up a bit and I can wear sweater and skirt together, I can't find shoes to go with the skirt. And then I can't wear the whole outfit and be seen in public with any of my children because they will roll their eyes and say "you're not wearing that???" "Yes, I am wearing that." "You just live to embarass us, don't you?" "Yes, I do."

For those of you who care about such things, the sweater is made of Cream n Sugar cotton yarn. It makes a nice soft sweater, but I don't recommend using this yarn for sweaters because I don't like the way it is wearing. The skirt is cotton sateen. I was too lazy to sew it myself so I had mom sew it for me. Thanks mom.

Our Lady of Perpetual Stench

I was sitting here at the computer and suddenly thought the end of the world as we know it had come. The supply of available oxygen had finally run out. The vapors swirling around me would surely end all life.

And then I realized.......those "vapors" were emitted by That Dog. Actually, being emitted at fairly regular intervals.

I ask myself, how can something smell that bad and still be alive? What do they put in dog food that creates that kind of stench? What does she eat outdoors (because she is an outdoor dog) that makes such a gaseous cloud?

And all the while she has this expression on
her face that is just the picture of innocence.

Ha! If I knew how to edit and add to photos,
I'd add a big green gas cloud above her. And
notice too that she seems completely content
to lay on my dirty laundry. Just drapes herself
right over it so she doesn't have to lay on that
hideous cold carpet!

First Sweater

In the last year and a half or so, I've gotten into knitting. I learned when I was a little kid, and absolutely hated knitting. I tried picking it up again as a teenager and didn't like it much better, though I did manage to finish a sweater. The sweater ended up fitting my brother not me, so of course that sort of put me off knitting again for a long time.

I picked up the knitting needles again when I was pregnant with one of my children. I don't remember which one, that's all been years ago. But I do remember knitting slippers for everyone. Ugly slippers, but warm. And then because knitting goes so slowly for me, I gave it up again and took up with my first love- crochet.

Then Darling Daughter #1 came home from college wanting help with the scarf she was learning to knit. So I sat down and knitted a scarf with her. And promptly gave up knitting again.

Fast forward a couple years and for whatever reason, I got inspired to make another scarf, and suddenly all the pieces fell into place and I was knitting and it was fun. The first sweater I made doesn't look great, but it's warm and I wear it a lot. It's worsted weight cotton yarn that has worn quite well. I wear it nearly all year long except in July and August. Of course it is made in my very favorite color. :)

Beads and Baubles

I finally got the big tree put up. Of course "big" is a relative term in our house. We have a living room so tiny a tree barely fits and I was tripping over my husband all afternoon Saturday while I decorated it.

It would seem that over the last couple years I've accumulated quite a few purple ornaments. And I put every last one of them, plus some gold ones on the tree. Decided not to put anything on there but the purple and gold balls and I'm happy with the way it turned out.

Of course that means I have a huge box full of icicles, and gold and white themed ornaments.

The tree itself has a little story. My dear step-daughter wanted a Christmas tree. Her father, being the less than enthusiastic Christmas sort of person (ok, let's be honest and call him the Grinch) bought the cheapest artificial tree he could find.

A year later when I came on the scene, I said, "Next year we're getting a nicer tree."

And next year we had the same old tree because I couldn't afford a nicer one. And the next year I was unemployed and so on..........

So, last year as I dragged out the scraggly little thing

again. I decided, it's got too many memories now to

get rid of it. I just challenge myself to fluff and assemble

and decorate the puny little thing so you don't realize

how sad the tree is. It's sort of like Charlie Brown's

Christmas tree.

And it's been very fun accumulating those purple

and lavender decorations. Some of them came from

the thrift store I always shop at. The clear lavender

ones were an after Christmas clearence when I was

shopping with my daughter. And this fall, that same kid

who wanted the tree in the first place mailed me a

package that contained a dozen great big ornaments

all in shades of lavender and purple.

Vintage t2t

This little picture frame, about 5x7 around the outside, was this weeks craft project. I've had it in mind for quite some time. Last weekend I went thru some boxes and culled some ugly, old or broken jewelry for this.

Originally I had intended to totally cover the picture frame, but I ran out of gold stuff to cover it with. Anything I would have added next to those big brooches on the two corners would have detracted from them. And I really like the goldish wood showing thru.