Short Story Long

>>Warning: creepy-crawly picture below.  (I believe I was previously asked to give fair warning.) << Thanks for all the positive feedback on the baseball gloves!  I feel like I have only been on here lately to wish the new month hello and the old month goodbye.  We've been busy!  BFJ took this week off, he'd requested it a month ago, and then as it turned out, his parents moved from two blocks away to two hours away so we've been helping them move.  Today we spent some time exploring the shopping district of their new town and my mother-in-law and I discovered they have a quilt shop, yarn store, bead store and scrapbook store.  What more do you need?  Flowers at the new house:  Yesterday, I came home from the closer house, tired but inspired to get some of my own projects done before I someday-move and wonder why I never got anything done.  Therefore, I spent the afternoon in my shed "puttering around" as ...

School's closed and we are all home today.  I'm catching up on laundry, Lost, and knitting projects.

I've had this idea for a knitting pattern in my head and it's finally come to fruition!  I am still polishing up the pattern, but here's a quick peak:  PS:  There's more than one size and this one is too big for me but it was the only one I had "stitched up."

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  We've had a busy weekend and I didn't get any good green pictures so this will have to do:  sweet potato vine and coleus from last year's summer pots.  Lots of lovely greens! Thank you all for commenting on your favorite books; lots of great recommendations.  I picked the next book for the book club, Possession by A.S. Byatt.  I've read it before but it's been a long time.  Once, I was discussing books with one of BFJ's best friends and he was listening so intently to me about this book, I couldn't believe it.  Finally he said, "So... no one gets possessed?"  Ha! no wonder; it's not that kind of possession, its about (fictitious) writers.  Anyway, I look forward to exploring all the books that are your favorites.  And I would just like to say that I would have responded to your comments directly but most of the comments did not have return emails.  Although Shawn, I neglected to reply to you ....

I love books.  I received several books for my birthday and Christmas in December, mostly knitting, at least one gardening.  I have a friend who's recently moved her office and cleaned out some books and gave them to me, and my in-laws are moving.  They are cleaning stuff out and giving us books.  While BFJ snoozed on the couch the other night, I stacked the books up on the mantel.  Actually, I still had half a box to go when I quit.  Here's what I've been given in the last three months:  And in case you've always wondered, here's the top of my bedside table:  Oops, I didn't draw an arrow to the one I'm reading, that would be The First Circle by Solzhenitsyn.  I also usually have a Bible and a glass of water on this table, too.  I love having a bunch of different books to look at before bed, especially if I'm not in the middle of a gripping story.  And I have a stack of quilting and knitting magazines and seed catalo...

If you knew how old my kids are, you'd probably think it's sad that my kids have never been rollerskating before.  Luckily someone invited us to a rollerskating birthday party this morning, and BFJ and I found that Skate City has not changed in twenty years.  I think some of the laces on these skates may be that old, too!     We were amazed how well The Bruise did, here he is out in the middle by himself.  I haven't meant to be so neglectful of my blog.  I like to blog, and I love reading your comments.  However, everyone in my house has been sick at least two separate times in the past two weeks.  It has not been fun.  Also, I spent two hours last night listening to a "half-hour long" presentation on what is apparently the world's best vacuum.  The kids thoroughly enjoyed that, though, and what else is Friday night for but fun family time.  At ten o'clock, I finally had to step out and put the ki...

I already posted today but I wanted to tell you about something.  I recently stumbled upon Geninne's Art Blog and was reminded how fun it is to draw.  I especially like that she shows how to carve your own stamps, and also tells all about her tools and why she likes them.  I've always wondered what a linoleum cutter looks like.  Her bird drawings are beautiful as well.  I dug up some of my old pencil line drawings from my one college art class:    I think we should have a weekly family-sit-and-draw-and-color time, as everyone in our house is very artistic.  This morning I went downtown and was inspired to stop at Meininger's .  (The website is not as much fun as the store.)  I bought a birthday gift there, and a just-because gift for a little comic book artist I know, and I bought myself a really sharp Xacto, which I always think I need!  I was tempted to buy a linoleum cutter and a carving...

Nineteen days until Spring!  We checked our seeds yesterday and they all had sprouts so hurray! that will save me a little money on the gardening project.  Here are the marigolds:  Unfortunately, there was also a lot of mold growing in the little seed checking packets so I threw them all away.  The only ones that didn't have any sprouts were the nasturtiums but I suspect they needed a little more time; their seed coat is a lot harder than most of the ones we were trying.  It is nice and sunny here today, and should be for a couple of days.  I wish it weren't soggy and muddy out, I am just in the mood to go out and do some garden prep work.  And we have a lot this year.  Yesterday, the boys and I went to a couple of our local garden center / nurseries to see what's going on.  There was not a lot to look at but it was nice to see they are getting things started in their greenhouses.  We saw this interesting plant, or perhaps I should ...