My First Sock!

I started knitting my first pair of socks! Little did I know when I chose the funky fiber that it would knit into such a cool pattern. I went into the shop and said I wanted to knit socks and asked to be pointed in the right direction. I knew I didn't want stripes so I picked colors I liked...and look what is developing! I'm SO excited and very surprised. I thought I'd just get random colors. There are mistakes in the sock so don't look too closely,but I consider this pair my learners socks. I can only get better, right?

We had a heavy rain and lightening storm during the night on Friday. When I woke up Saturday morning the sky was such a strange color of yellow. I looked out the door at the house across the street and I could see the rising sun hitting the very top of the trees a block over while the trees closer were still in the shadows. The air smelled so good and the colors were so intense. I then walked outdoors and found a beautiful trio of leaves on the ground. I do love fall! I love all the colors and the crispness in the air. I love caramel apples and pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. I do NOT look forward to winter, however. I wish it could just stay fall until spring arrives.

Scotland Day Two

Day Two found us enjoying our first of many "full Scottish breakfasts". Our days always started early with breakfast being served between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. A full Scottish breakfast usually consists of juice, cereal, yogurt and fruit (usually canned) to start if you want. The main breakfast is your choice of eggs, fried tomatoes, fried mushrooms, baked beans, sausage, bacon, toast (either white or brown, i.e., white or wheat) and black pudding. I usually skipped the mushrooms and baked beans...and I'm not about to eat something where the first ingredient is pork blood (black pudding)! Actually, in the US it's commonly called blood sausage. My mother absolutely loved it, but it's not something I even want to imagine eating! The bacon in the UK is incredibly delicious! It's almost like thinly sliced ham. It's the meaty part of the bacon we have in the US without the fat. After breakfast we thanked our hostess and hopped back in The Bubble for our drive into the Highlands. And what an awesome drive it was. The scenery is breathtaking. We drove through thick forests and open areas where the hills were covered with heather. It wasn't long before I was officially in love with the Scottish Highlands!

Our first stop of the day was Blair Castle. The blackwork instructor I took a class from at the MN Needlework Guild retreat highly recommended it so Aimee and I put it on our agenda. I'm so glad we did. It has become my 2nd favorite castle in Scotland. The day was beautiful...blue sky, warm and not a cloud in sight. Because Blair Castle is still lived in, we weren't able to take photos inside but, believe me, it's beautiful. I love all the extremely high ceilings and elaborate woodwork. The highlight was the collection of antique stitched samplers along the hallways. They are so beautiful and so well preserved. I even gave Aimee a brief history of Scottish samplers and what made the unique. I wish I could have photographed the other needlework at the castle. I'm not even going to attempt to describe it, other than to say I've never seen such exquisite needlework in my life. I recommend anyone interested do an internet search for Lady Evelyn's needlework at Blair Castle.

The grounds at Blair Castle were amazing. Like Scone Palace they have a Pinetum called Diana's Grove (after the Roman Goddess of hunting, fertility and the moon) with giant Douglas Firs. It was originally laid out in 1737 and has been added to over the years. We were surprised to find California's Giant Redwoods growing there. We also had our first visit to a proper walled garden -- Hercules Garden. I can only dream of ever having a garden as lush as this! I think you can see how thick and lush the grass is, almost like a carpet. The little building in the photo is for swans. There are rows of fruit trees as well as beautifully tended gardens. We learned that in the late 1800s the pond within the garden would freeze and there would be curling matches on it. Beyond the bridge in the backgroud is a "warming house" called McGregor's Folly.

After leaving Blair Castle we stopped in a small town to fill The Bubble and ended up making an unplanned stop. It's an old military barracks called Ruthven Barracks. It's really just a shell so there isn't much left to see (although Aimee and I do love figuring out what each room was and, in the process, discovering how the barracks probably operated. It was used in the 1700 to keep the Highlanders in line. It is on top of a very steep plateau (that path you see is what you walk up to get to it) and the view from up there is amazing! You can literally see for miles in all directions.

Our next stop was Ballindalloch Castle. Again, this castle is lived in. Amazingly, it has been lived in by the same family (Macpherson-Grant) since it was built, which was in the 1500s. The current Laird (Lord) is a woman..the first female Laird in history. When her father died, passing the home to her, she petitioned the government to keep her father's name rather than taking her husband's name. Her son has taken the Macpherson-Grant name in order to carry on the tradition. There are handwritten signs and stories written by her throughout the Castle.

I don't know how many of you know that Aimee is clairvoyant....she "sees" ghosts. While we were on a staircase looking at an old mirror, Aimee turned to me and said that a "ghostie" had just walked past us down the stairs. She said it was an older female wearing pink. She couldn't tell what era she was from, but she felt that the woman had definitely lived in the castle at some point, loved the castle and considered it home. We were extremely surprised when a few rooms later we were reading about the room and it said that the ghost of a woman is often seen by spiritualists and mediums. I also got goosebumps myself when I read that! I told Aimee that she had to mention it to the woman at the entrance when we left. Aimee doesn't often like to share the fact that she can "see" ghosts with people, but I encouraged her to do it. When she did mention it, the woman was extremely excited and asked quite a few questions. They seem to like to hear the impressions of people who have experiences in the house and she said she would be sure to let the family know.

By that time it was getting to be quite late so we had to skip our stop at Glenlivet Distillery because it was already closed. We continued our trip to Urquhart, the little town about 6 miles from the northern coast of Scotland, where we checked into The Old Church, our "home" for 4 days. What a beautiful old building in a breathtaking area! I would stay there again in a heartbeat. After checking in we went to a town on the North Sea called Lossiemouth for pizza. By that time we were starved!! After eating we walked along the sea wall...with Aimee far too close to the edge for my comfort...and watched people surfing! Yes...surfing in the icy cold North Sea! The drive back to The Old Church was interesting -- in the pitch black on a road not big enough for 2 cars, lined with forest. We definitely slept the sleep of the dead that night!

Quiddith Trivia 2

1. In Deathly Hallows what does Harry step on when exiting his room to wash his cut?
A TEACUP

2. Which two members of the Order of Phoenix came to escort the Dursleys to a safe place?
DEDALUS DIGGLE AND HESTIA JONES

3. In order to throw off the Death Eaters,several of Harry's friends take Polyjuice Potion to resemble him and each Harry goes with a different member of the Order of the Phoenix to a different location. Where do Ron (disguised as Harry) and Tonks go?
AUNTI MURIEL'S HOUSE

4. At Bill and Fleur's wedding, Harry must disguise himself by taking Polyjuice Potion and takes on the appearance of a redheaded Muggle boy from Ottery St. Catchpol. He was introduced to wedding guests as Cousin...
BARNY

5. Kingley sends a message via Patronus to warn the Weasleys and wedding guests of the coming Death Eaters. What form does his Patronus take?
A LYNX

6. In the Half-Blood Prince what drink does Romilda Vane try to give Harry?
GILLYWATER

7. What is the name of the person that heads the Holyhead Harpies?
GWENOG JONES

8. What tatoo is Harry reported to have on his chest?
HIPPOGRIFF

9. What color robes do the staff at Weasley's shop wear?
MAGENTA

10. Where do Nicolas Flamel and his wife Perenelle live?
DEVON

Transsiberian Orchestra

YAY! I just heard an ad on the radio that tickets go on sale Saturday for Transsiberian Orchestra. I am definitely going to be in line! My husband gave me tickets last year and I was absolutely blown away by the performance. I was going to take Erik, but he had had knee surgery 3 days before the performance and he obviously couldn't go. I'll have to take him this year. I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL DECEMBER!! I hear they have a new CD as well. You know what I'll be out buying this weekend. I HEART TRANSSIBERIAN ORCHESTRA!

Stitching Update

Here are just a couple of my works in progress. The first is "Boo" by The Trilogy. I just love these kits! I would like to finish this one as a block but, since I've never done one, I have no idea how they are made. So...if anyone has some good instructions, please email me!

And this is an update on the Christmas stocking I'm making for Ellie. For anyone not familiar with the story, I originally stitched this stocking for her a couple years ago but when I went to put it together for her, I couldn't find the stitched piece. I have the silk for the back, the lining and the trim....just no stitched piece. I've searched and searched and searched to no avail. So, I decided to just stitch it again for her. I just love the window on this piece. When I finish it I am going to have to start stitching one for Ellie's new sister who is due December 1.

When I Last Left You...

...we had picked up The Bubble and were on our way out of Glasgow. In spite of the fact that I had studied the atlas and knew generally where we were headed, my navigation skills failed when we got to Perth. I was having problems reading signs and locating where we were on the map and, consequently, I directed us in the wrong direction. But..I quickly recovered and found an alternate route to where we wanted to go. In the process we stumbled upon the Wal-Mart (which goes by a different name) that Aimee remembered being in Perth. So we figured the detour was meant to be...vbg. We stopped at Wal-Mart because I wanted to buy a curling iron (or tongs as they are called in Scotland). I have such baby fine hair and I need all the chemicals and help I can get to give the impression that there is a HINT of body in my hair. I could have brought my own curling iron but I would have needed a converter, so I decided it was just as easy to buy a cheap iron in Scotland. Now, where would you look for a curling iron? My initial thought was health and beauty aids. By the hair products? Hmmmm....there it is! By the clothes irons!! And I had the choice of ...oh, three! We also picked up some snacks and Aimee found Coke Orange....yes, it looked like an orange Coke bottle. She decided she needed to try it and said it was horrible -- like Hi C or any other orange soda mixed with Coke. We got back on the road and saw signs for Scone Palace (pronouced SKOON). It wasn't on our list of places to visit but we decided since we had time we would stop. I'm SO glad we did. We pulled up and parked in the car park (or parking lot as affectionately known in the US) and went to get tickets. While Aimee was waiting in line for the tickets I was taking in the beautiful location and the "Highland Coos". They are such magnificent animals. There were also peacocks wandering around, including white peacocks which I undestand Scone is known for.

We then walked up the long drive to the Palace itself. A little bit of history...1500 years ago it was the capital of the Pictish kingdom and the center of the ancient Celtic church. It has been the seat of parliaments and the crowning place of kings. It has housed the Stone of Destiny upon which all British kings/queens sit when crowned. The Stone was last used at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Scone Palance was immortalized in Shakepeare's Macbeth. It is still the home of the Earls of Mansfield. The interior is incredible and the imagination runs wild thinking about what it must have been like to live in such a place.

After visiting the Palace, we decided to walk the grounds. They are so beautifully maintained with gardens and extremely lush lawns where peacocks wandered freely. We saw Moot Hill which was the Ancient Crowning Place of the Kings of Scots. It is immediately in front of the Palace near a Gothic Chapel, which is still used for special occasions. We wandered through an ancient cemetery and Aimee, of course, had to climb on the walls of the cemetery. We then set out to explore the Wild Garden and Pinetum. Absolutely incredible!! There were beautiful gardens set in clearing of trees. Aimee decided it was where she was going to hold her wedding reception! Of course, she had to attempt to climb one of the huge trees. I can't take her anywhere! (In the past I've had to peel her off one of the smokestacks on the Queen Mary.) She tried to get onto the huge branch but it was too high (or she was too short!) She took a run at it and attempted to jump but only managed to knock herself to the ground when her chest hit the branch.

The trees planted in the Pinetum where breathtaking. It originated with the planting of coniferous trees in 1848 and further trees have been added over the years. I have never in my life seen trees as tall as these. Aimee is a mere speck among the trees and you can't even begin to see the tops. I also do not have the words to decribe what it felt like to be in the Pinetum. The floor was covered with pine needles and it was soft to walk on and absolutely silent. The peacefulness of the spot was overwhelming. It truly made me feel small in the presence of God. Being in such a place was very moving to me.

After leaving the Pinetum we took on the Murray Star Maze. I'd always wanted to get lost in a maze and this one was tough! We kept wandering and wandering and could hear the fountain in the middle, but couldn't find our way to it. We finally made our want out of it and went up on the bridge over the maze at the entrance and figured out the proper route....all along the far edge of the maze. Finally we made it to the center!

After spending several hours at Skone Palance and wandering the grounds, we again hopped in The Bubble and continued our trip to Pitlochry. We stayed in a very cute bed and breakfast where our hostess was very accommodating and friendly. After checking in we walked into the town center where I had my first dinner of fish and chips...YUMMMMMMM!! Then it was back to the BnB for a shower and a good night sleep.

Scattergories

GOOD LUCK....THIS WAS TOUGH !!!

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following...they have to be real places, names, things...nothing made up!

You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

What is your name?: NEILA
TV show: NCIS
4 letter word: NICE
Boys name: NORMAN
Vehicle: NOVA
Occupation: NOVELIST
City: NAPLES
Girls Name: NANCY
Something you shout: NOW!
Drink: NECTAR
Something you wear: NAIL POLISH
Celebrity: NATALIE WOOD
Food: NECTARINE
Something found in a bathroom: NIGHT LIGHT
Reason for Being Late: NAUSEOUS
Cartoon Character: NATASHA (as in Boris & Natasha)

Who's next?

Halloween

Have I ever mentioned that I love, love, LOVE Halloween? It is, without a doubt, my favorite holiday. I don't get to dress up much any more except in my mind where I wear the most outrageous costumes. I am truly a Halloween addict! I would love to decorate my entire house, inside and out, in Halloween all year round, but I might get a few complaints. Maybe when I FINALLY get my own craft room, I'll have to decorate it like Halloween 365 days a year (or Victorian...can't decide).

One of my favorite Halloween memories is when I was 12 years old and lived in a suburb of Denver. I dressed as a vampiress (is that a word?) A favorite neighbor helped me get dressed, and probably helped develop my love of Halloween. I wore a black skirt, black tights, black blouse, and black high heels. My neighbor cut open a black velvet skirt and let me wear that as a cape. She then applied white make-up and LOTS of black eye makeup. I remember feeling so WICKED! My friends and I started trick-or-treating early and stayed out until after 10:00...back in the day when it was safe for kids to stay out that late. I filled 1 pillow case with candy and went home to get another. At one house, the people invited all the kids into their back yard where they had a cauldron of water with apples we bobbed for. They also gave us hot apple cider. (We'd probably get arrested if we did that in this day and age.) At several houses we had our photos taken.

Yes, Halloween is my favorite holiday. I think I have more Halloween framed cross stitch projects than any other theme and my to-do pile is mostly Halloween. I just can't resist!

I hereby declare myself the Queen of Halloween! Who wants to be in my court?

Driving in Scotland

Driving in Scotland can be a challenge in other ways besides the obvious difference of driving on the "wrong" side of the road. Fortunately Aimee has an incredible road atlas put out by AA, the UK's equivalent of AAA in the US. It literally shows each and every road in the country, as well as the location of all the roundabouts. It was easy to navigate (IF you kept track of where you were and realized that each little lane was on that map...I didn't always do well). There are basically 4 types of roadways: (1) major freeways (blue in the atlas), such as the M8, M80, etc.; (2) "dual carriageways" (red) like the A9, A93, etc. These roads are well maintained 2 lane divided highways with occasional "crawler lanes" which allowed faster traffic to pass slower vehicles and passing places on the side of the road to pull off the roadway; (3) 2-lane highways (yellow) which are narrower with fewer crawler lanes and not divided; and (4) narrow single-track lanes (white) where there is not enough room for 2 cars to pass. When 2 cars approach from opposite directions, the first car that reaches a passing place must pull over and stop to allow the other car to pass. Our trip took us on all 4 types of roadways, but we seemed to travel mostly on the dual carriageways. Most of the roads in the Highlands were very narrow and VERY twisty and turny. It was necessary to always be alert to see if you were meeting other cars and be prepared to pull over.
Here are some examples of now narrow some of the streets could be. Some of the most gorgeous scenery was along the smaller roads. Driving through forests that came right to the edge of the road or farms and field with sheep and cows grazing right next to us was phenomenal, very beautiful and incredibly peaceful and idyllic.
Many bridges are only wide enough for 1 car so the streets were often painted with white lines (think cross walks) indicating who had to "give way" and who had the right of way. In some places, particularly when going under low, narrow bridges, there would be lights indicating who had the right of way.
Roundabouts are tricky until you understand how they work. For anyone not knowing what a roundabout is, it's a central island where vehicles travel around it in one direction. I'm not sure they would ever work well in the US with our rude drivers, road rage, impatience, etc. A driver must yield to cars already in the roundabout because they have priority. Then, you have to know what leg (street) you want to take off the roundabout in order to determine where you want to be in the roundabout, i.e., outer edge, inner edge, etc. If you are taking the first leg, you want to be in the outer edge; if you are taking the third leg, you want to be in the inner portion of the roundabout. I actually think they work well and traffic flows nicely.

Scotland - The Adventure Begins

Aimee began her trip at the crack of dawn on Saturday, September 8th. She flew from Burbank to Denver to Minneapolis. We were crossing our fingers that she wouldn't have any delays in Denver. Her last couple trips through there haven't been the best. At Thanksgiving time she "only" had about a 4 hour delay. Fortunately this time everything worked out well and she landed in Minneapolis almost a full 30 minutes early. We picked her up at the Lindberg terminal and Chuck then dropped both of us off at the Humphrey terminal where we checked in for our flight on Iceland Air. We had about a 3 hour wait which would have been okay if there was something to do in the Humphrey terminal! It's a very, very small, quiet terminal with only 1 small shop and a coffee shop. So I got coffee (what is life without coffee!) and we bought a couple large bottles of water for the plane. Our flight to Iceland was nice and smooth. The flight was just under 5 hours. We got a hot meal on the plane (meatballs of some kind of mystery meat and rice plus a very bizarre salad of some sort that neither of us could eat). We landed at Gate 9 in Iceland and our connecting flight to Scotland was out of Gate 8. We thought that was convenient. Little did we know!! When we got off the plane we went down an escalator and around a corner where we waited in a long line to go up another escalator. At the top of the escalator they confiscated our water, which we thought was strange. Why are they confiscating unopened bottles of water when we're connecting to another flight? The next thing we know we're going through security....shoes off, bags x-rayed, etc., and then our passports are checked. Yes...we are ENTERING ICELAND! But wait...we don't want to enter Iceland! We just want to connect to our flight to Scotland. After we've cleared immigration we went through the door, around the corner and got in another line to (you guessed it) LEAVE ICELAND!! We had our passports stamped twice..once to enter and once to leave. We waited at Gate 8 (virtually where we started). Aimee noticed that the overhead screen said "Go to Gate" for our flight. All of a sudden people just started boarding. There were NO announcements of any sort....we just boarded as a herd.

Here's Aimee with both stamps in her passport. The flight to Scotland was only about 90 minutes and we again jumped through the hoops at immigration. It was pretty painless, except for the HUGE group of people ahead of us in line who spoke no English. There were only 3 guys working in immigration and they were having quite the time with this non-English speaking group. Eventually it was our turn and we breezed through. We stopped to change some money and then went in search of Enterprise where we'd reserved a car.

We finally found the booth (after wandering around the airport, both inside and out) only to find a sign telling us that we had to go outside to their facility. We had no idea where it was so we started wandering in the area where we saw other car rental places. Finally we saw Enterprise in the furtherest corner from the airport terminal...but we were on the wrong side of a fence. So we climbed over the fence with our suitcases and FINALLY got there. They had a car ready and waiting for us.

Here's our little car (at Scone Palace) which we affectionately nicknamed The Bubble. We heart that little car!! I have to said that Aimee can drive with the best of Scottish drivers! She definitely impressed me. She is a PRO! She handled all those roundabouts like she did it every day. We hopped in The Bubble and headed out of Glasgow toward our first stop...Pitlochry.

To be continued..................

Pay It Forward

It’s the Pay It Forward Exchange.

It’s based of the concept of the movie “Pay it Forward” where acts or deeds of kindness are done without expecting something in return, just passing it on, with hope that the recipients of the acts of kindness are passed on.

Here is how it works.
I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I do not know what that gift will be yet, and it won’t be sent this month, probably not next month, but it will be sent (within 6 months) and that’s a promise! What YOU have to do in return, then, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

Remember, it's the first THREE who comment on the blog that they want to participate in the PAY IT FORWARD exchange.

P.S. If you don't have a blog or a google account, please email me if you want to participate. I don't want anyone to be left out!

I'm Back!

Did you miss me? Aimee and I returned Tuesday night from our WONDERFUL vacation in Scotland. Of course, my body clock is now SO out of whack. I hardly got any sleep Tuesday night so I was a total and complete zombie at work yesterday. I did manage to push myself to stay awake until 930 last night by knitting a dishcloth from start to finish. When my head hit the pillow I was totally out and surprisingly slept to 530 this morning. Eventually I'll get back on track. I was also pleasantly surprised to find I was not overwhelmed with files at work. My boss doesn't hire anyone to take my place when I'm gone; he just keeps dictating! I put a HUGE dent in what was waiting for me (even in a sleepwalking state) and should be able to finish off the rest today. Not bad, if I do say so myself!

Wouldn't You Know It...

We are leaving for our long-anticipated trip to Scotland on Saturday and I have come down with a cold. BOOOOOO!! I am loading up on vitamin C, zinc, and echinacea. I'm eating all the chicken soup I can consume and drinking gallons of fluids. I haven't had a cold in years...why now?? But I am determined to fight it off and enjoy my trip.

Now, the next question is, am I going to be brave enough to actually drive in Scotland? I absolutely panic when I have to drive in a city I don't know..let alone a country where the people drive on the "wrong" side of the road! Aimee says she's going to force me to do it. I hope it's when we're out in the middle of nowhere and there are no cars on the road. I do have Aimee's atlas and I am working on navigating our trip. That I know I can do (once I figure out all the round-abouts).

Now I just have to pack and probably stock up on more tissue!

What a Weekend!

I spent the Labor Day weekend in CA. I flew into the Burbank Airport and arrived about 230 on Friday. Aimee met me and, since neither of us had had lunch, we made a stop at Corner Bakery. Because it was SO hot (at or near 100 degrees) we went Aimee's office at Disney where we sat in the Tiki Lounge, watched TV and stitched. I was knitting dishcloths for Darcy for Christmas and Aimee was working on handsewing the binding on a quilt she made for Darcy to celebrate 5 years of being cancer free. Yes, it was 5 years ago that she was diagnosed with breast cancer and we're planning to celebrate. This was only Aimee's second attempt at making a quilt and the finished result is breathtaking! I know Darcy is going to cry.

Saturday Aimee and I drove down to my cousin's condo in Huntington Beach. We had to pick up our packets for the Disneyland Family Fun 5K at the Disneyland Hotel by 900 pm. Neither Aimee nor I had slept well Friday night because of the heat so we decided to get out of the Valley and go where it was cooler. Gail has gotten into beading and has made some beautiful pieces. I wanted to make some stitch markers so Gail and I made a run to a bead store. She picked up pearls to make a bracelet for me and I got what I needed. We hightailed it out of there as fast as we could to get away from the very "WITCHY" shopowner. What is it with shopowners who have to make a shopping experience miserable? I can name a few cross stitch shopowners who are just as bad. Aimee's friend Holly arrived around 500 pm and we all then headed to Disneyland to pick up our packets and eat dinner.

We were up bright and early Sunday morning because the 5K started at 700 am. To our surprise, we were on time. I can't say we were all awake...but we were there. Aimee and Holly ran the race while Gail and I walked. I must say, Gail and I kept up a good steady pace and finished in a respectable time. BUT IT WAS SO DANG HOT!! We were all drenched when we finished. Holly left to go home and Aimee, Gail and I changed clothes in the car in the parking lot before heading back into Disneyland for breakfast. While eating an earthquake hit SE of LA, but none of us realized it until we went to ride a water ride in California Adventure. We then found out that the ride was temporarily closed for inspection following a 4.7 earthquake and we all mentioned that we had all felt our chairs either moving or being bumped while eating. Must have been the quake.

It got so incredibly hot during the day at Disneyland. I bought a hat to keep the sun off my head. I also bought a bottle of water early and kept refilling it. (The "trick" is to go into First Aid and fill your bottles with very cold filtered water AND pick up their iced towels.) Unfortunately, Aimee didn't rehydrate herself properly after the 5K and by 300 pm she was feeling very, very ill. She was chugging water but it wasn't helping much. She waited too long to take in the fluids. We left Disneyland and went back to Gail's condo so Aimee could get a nap and cool off. By 500 she was feeling much, much better and we drove back to Burbank. We had planned on opening-and-closing Disneyland, but because of the extreme heat we weren't able to do it. So that's our plan for our annual Girls' Weekend this fall.

Now to get my clothes washed and repacked for our trip to Scotland which begins on Saturday!! YAY!!

TEsting

This is a test. This is only a test.

If this was a true emergency, this message would be followed up by another message that would be scarier.

AAAAAAHHHHHH RUN FOR YOUR LIVESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

Hogwart's Sock Kit Swap Questionnaire

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into. RAVENCLAW

2. List your favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length. Or would you prefer circulars? BRITTANY; SIZE 1-1/2; 5"

3. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length? I HAVEN'T TRIED MANY OTHER BRAND NEEDLES SO I'M VERY INTO TRYING A NEW NEEDLE. I DO LIKE 5".

4. If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference? I PREFER THE COLORS IN THE BOOK, BUT HONESTLY EITHER IS FINE.

5. Do you have any allergies? YES, CATS, BLOOMING FRUIT TREES, AND DUST

6. If you are swapping scarves - what is your desired length for the pattern? This will help your partner find the pattern that is just right for you and buy yarn accordingly.

Only a few more hours......

.....and the weekend begins. I am so ready for it! After work tonight I'll stop at Weight Watchers to weigh in (and hope for some good news), before jumping on the train and heading to downtown Minneapolis for the last Vikings preseason game. Chuck got me partial season tickets for my birthday this year. Yes, I do bleed purple. Then it will be back home to pack a suitcase for a weekend trip to California. Aimee, my cousin Gail and I will be taking part in the Disney Family Fun Run at Disneyland on Sunday. (Aimee is running...Gail and I are walking.) The route of the fun is through Disneyland and California Adventure, and we have to be finished before Disneyland opens for the day. Aimee and I will then spend the entire day at Disneyland. It's been a while since we've done an open-to-close. I have to look for High School Musical 2 stuff for Ellie, particularly a backpack. Who knew that at 6 she'd be too old for Princesses and into HSM? Then it's back home on Monday only to repack the suitcase for Scotland. Aimee and I leave on Saturday, Sept. 8 for 10 days. I can't wait! We're going to be mainly in the Highlands this time around with a special emphasis on visiting whisky distilleries! We will spend a couple days in Edinburgh though. I do love that city. Gotta take at least 1 ghost tour and we have reservations to eat at The Witchery. Now I just have to be patient and get through today!

WE HAVE POWER!!

Now the purging of food begins......

Day Two....

...and still no power. Have you ever tried to stitch quarter stitches by candlelight? Not an easy task. And, I can't use my curling iron. Enough to make a girl super crabby. I did get quite a bit done on the sweater I'm knitting for my new granddaughter who is due December 1. It's turning out very, very pretty. I decided to do it in a size 1-2 years instead of a smaller size so she can get more use out of it. Besides that I'm in the dark about most things..........

Another Storm....Another Power Outage

For the third time in the month of August we've had a storm during the night and have ended up with no power. This is getting OLD. There are trees down all over the city, including one just around the corner from us which fell partly across 81st Street. The wind was horrendous, the rain so heavy it was one solid sheet of water, and the hail violently pelted everything. How long are we apt to be without power this time? I hope it's not 2-3 days like in the past. I might just as well empty my refrigerator and freezer and start over. (At least I could get them cleaned!) I decided just to come into work early (me? early? ROFL!!!) so I could at least read my email. I look so "lovely" since I couldn't use my hairdryer or curling iron and was putting my makeup on in shadows.

Garage Sale Treasures

Chuck and his friend Jerry have spent most Saturday mornings this summer at garage and estate sales. Jerry looks for tools that he can turn around and sell at his booth at a Sunday flea market. Chuck basically tags along for the fun of it. In the process he has brought home some wonderful finds, including an incredible 5" cedar chest in perfect condition for $75, a big old trunk which I can refinish for $5, a beautiful china hutch (which he is refinishing) for $10, and lots of miscellaneous cut glass, one thing I collect. A couple weeks ago he came home with 2 cross stitch pieces that he got for $.25 each, including this one. They have 1929 written on the back. I love this piece and am considering recharting it.

I am spending lots of time putting the final plans on the trip to Scotland Aimee and I are taking in September. We have almost all the lodging in place, except for one area and hopefully I can get that finalized today. One place we are staying is an actual old church. Check it out! www.oldchurch.eu I'm really excited about that one. I'm still trying to find some needlework shops to visit in Scotland. I visited Nifty Needles in Linlithgow when we were in Scotland last time and LOVE that little shops, but I'm not having much luck finding any other fun shops. There must be more!! I keep asking but so far I'm not getting any answers. (Like I need any more stash!)

Drama When a Wannabe King Comes to Town

What a joy getting home from work was yesterday! It took me 45 minutes longer than usual. Why you ask? Wannabe "King George" was in town for a fundraiser. And, of course, why not land at 4:30 in the middle of rush hour and completely close off a major freeway?? Particularly in a city where we are already down one major freeway because of a bridge collapse. I knew "King George" was coming, but had no idea what time, so I happily started my trip home. I get off 35W on the 76th Street Exit (which is actually 77th Street but who cares). Normally there isn't much traffic on 77th when I get off, but last night it was very slow. I figured there was probably a traffic light out because of all the thunderstorms lately. I eventually cross Lyndale Avenue...that light is working fine but the right turn lane isn't moving. Hmmm....I think. After sitting in stop-and-go traffic I finally cross Nicollet Avenue..that light is also working, but I notice people in the left lane are making U-turns. Okay, I figure they are just type-A personalities who are impatient. Between Nicollet Avenue and Portland Avenue the traffic came to a total and complete stop, a virtual parking lot, and there are oodles of cars turning onto 77th from small sidestreets to my right where there is rarely any traffic. Now it's starting to dawn on me that something is amiss. Are we without power again? Is there major gridlock somewhere? I called home only to be told by Chuck that ALL city streets CROSSING I-494 were closed and that I-494 itself was closed because of "King George". So there I sat...nowhere to go. I couldn't get home because I had to cross over I-494 and NO streets were open to allow me to do that. Just as I was about to completely lose my patience, I saw that a bus had turned onto Portland Avenue and it appeared to be moving. YAY!!! "King George" was going to allow me to get home! Now, don't you think it would have made sense to let people know earlier in the day that the streets would be closed? If I had known, I could have decided to stop at Borders and browse or meet Chuck somewhere for dinner. Instead I sat in a traffic jam fuming. My head hurts.....

Stepping Outside the Box

I've decided to attempt something new and have joined the Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap. I'm an avid Harry Potter fan and this sounded like something fun to do. Not sure what it's all about yet, but I'm sure I'll learn. Oh....I'm a first year Ravenclaw. Where's Hermoine when I need her? And when do I get my wand?

Variety of Stitches

I have gotten in the mood to knit after visiting a wonderful yarn shop in Buffalo last weekend. Debbie discovered a fun pattern for a scarf she wanted to knit and I decided I needed it as well. The yarn is soft and fantastic to work with. I've never had to follow a diagramed knitting pattern before so I ended up ripping it all out a couple times. Finally Debbie came to the rescue and emailed me the pattern in "normal" knitting terms. SO much easier! I am planning on taking the scarf to Scotland with me when Aimee and I go in September. You never know about that Scottish weather!

And here is how far I've gotten on Ellie's Christmas stocking. I stitched this for her a couple years ago. I have a gorgeous silk for the back and a matching lining fabric, plus cording for around the stocking. I went to put the stocking together for her two years ago so she could could hang it on the fireplace in their new house, only to discover that the bag contained the silk, lining fabric, cording, thread...BUT NO STITCHED PIECE! I have searched this house from top to bottom, back to front. I've been through every bag, box, drawer, shelf I can find and no stitched piece. So, what does a grandmother do for her first granchild??? She stitches it again! Yeah, nuts, I know. But the stocking is SO Ellie and I want her to have a stocking she can keep forever. Plus...I have to do another stocking for her baby sister who is due December 1st. I don't think that one will be done in time.

MN Needlework Guild Annual Retreat

This past weekend I attended the MN Needlework Guild Annual Retreat. Actually I was there for 5 days, and could have stayed much much longer. I guess time flies when you're having fun. We laughed until we cried, stitched until we couldn't see straight, and ate until our stomaches ached. My friend Debbie and I were lucky to be put in an independent study room with 4 friends...what a pleasant surprise for us all. We didn't end up with some of the personality squabbles that some rooms experienced. Our room posted the "rules" that conversation was encouraged, rowdy was required and wearing orange was strictly prohibited.


I only took one class this year...blackwork taught by Marion Scolar. I enjoyed the class immensely and even managed to finish the class project (see above). Marion is such a Lady (capital L intentional) and an incredible teacher. One of the first things she taught was that it didn't matter what the back of your work looked like...it wasn't meant to be looked at! She is English and graduated from the Royal School of Needlework. She's been teaching needlework for 50 years, which was so hard to believe. She said she gets irritated with American stitchers who believe the back of the work must be as neat as the front...and I admit I am very guilty of that.

The theme for next year's retreat will be mermaids. I love all the mermaid charts available and am already looking for something to make a mermaid name tag. I am also going to attempt to do a Little Mermaid blackwork piece to enter into the "best use of the theme" competition. I had already thought of stitching something from Little Mermaid for my granddaughter's new bedroom since she LOVES Ariel. I have a coloring book of Princesses I got at Disneyland and there are some great Ariel images in there I think I can use. We'll see!!!

Marion told a great story during class. When she first started teaching she taught in a very, very rough section of London where most of the girls were older than her, were the illegitimate children of American soldiers and English women, and most of the girls were prostitutes. They could out swear most men! One day she had reached her limit with the coarse language so she told them that vegetables were much more effective. She slammed her fist on the table and yelled PEA PODS! Most more explosive....SPINACH! I guess it got their attention and all weekend when we were frogging stitches we'd used explosive vegetables!

And, somewhere along the way, I think I lost my mind and might have voluteered to co-chair the 2010 retreat. Actually, I said I'd seriously consider it. We did spend an evening brainstorming in our room and have decided that the theme will probably be peacocks...unless someone takes that theme in 2009. Heaven help me!! What have I gotten myself into!

Cake or Death

This is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time...the combination of one of Eddie Izzard's funniest skits and legos.

Family History Update

I recently attended the Midwest Scrapbook Association convention in St. Paul. One of the workshops I took was on making heritage pages since I really want to put together a heritage scrapbook to share with my family. This is a page I made using the wedding photo of my grandparents Lillian and Sam Ege. They were married on February 20, 1925. According to a handwritten book my Grandmother gave me, it wasn't a big wedding. They went to Moorhead, MN and only their 2 attendants were present. She wore a "beautiful blue dress" and "We has very little money so spent two days in Fargo. We ate at nice eating places, went to movies, drove around and saw interesting places which to us was very special. We hadn't been to Fargo before so to us it was exciting."

I have been doing a lot of family research the past 9 months. Yesterday I met with a distant cousin for the first time. His grandfather and my great-grandfather were brothers. My great-grandfather, Hans Ege, immigrated to the US in 1893. Reinert, whom I met with yesterday, came to the US when he was 11 years old; he's now 87. His father, Sam, had immigrated a few years earlier. Reinert was aware that there was a relative who was a "farmer in North Dakota" but he'd never met him; he'd only met Gustav, the brother who had settled in Duluth. He wasn't even aware that Hans had another brother, Tonnes, who settled in western North Dakota or a sister, Martina, who married and eventually settled in the Monterey, CA, area. He did have lots of wonderful photographs of family members in Norway, including one of the family patriarch, Sem, on the family farm in 1907. There were several photos he had gotten from cousins in Norway and he asked me if I could identify any of them. By process of elimination, I think we figured out that one of them was Tonnes Ege who none of us had ever seen. Reinert is still in touch with cousins in Norway and will be contacting them for more information. I am hoping that I can get some names and addresses of some of these cousins in Norway to further my research.

At the same time, I've been contacted by another distanct cousin in Wisconsin who is related through my Irish great-grandparents. My great-grandfather and her grand-mother were brother and sister. I knew very little about this side of my family since my parents divorced when I was small. I never knew many on my father's side. In fact, until starting this research I never knew I was 25% Irish or that my great-grandmother, Elizabeth Hogan Delaney, was born and raised about 10 miles from where I presently live.

Don't Forget To Say I Love You

Yesterday was a horrendous day for the City of Minneapolis with the collapse of the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River. At this point there are 4 reported dead, including a 60-year-old professional women who was the mother of two college daughters and a 29-year-old Hispanic man who left 3 small children surviving in Mexico and an infant in Minnesota. Names and faces are being put to those who died. There are also 20-30 people unaccounted for. The divers are having problems getting to the submerged cars because of strong currents in the river. They are using the locks to try and lower the river level, but they aren't able to get it low enough. On top of that there is bent and twisted metal both above and below the water, and the bridge is still shifting.

When I was first married, I drove that bridge at least twice daily because we lived near the University of Minnesota. We've all driven that road to get to the northern parts of the city. People traveled over that bridge daily to get to downtown Minneapolis to work, to go to sporting events and concerts, to enjoy theatre events and restaurants.

This photo was taken last fall of Aimee and I with Aimee's friends Robin and Debbie. We took a segway tour and are stopped on the Stone Arch Bridge, an historic stone bridge. In the background is the Central Avenue Bridge; we are facing the I-35W bridge that collapsed. The Mississippi River is criss crossed with bridges. Tonight there is one less. I've been on the verge of tears all day. As I drove to work this morning on I-35W the sign over the freeway read "road closed at 94". I read that and my stomach turned one more time as my eyes held back the tears. I've watched disasters on TV in the past and felt sorry for those involved, but to recognize the area where a disaster happens and to know that possibly someone you know could have been on that bridge, was almost more than I wanted to bear.

Were those people able to tell their friends and families that they loved them? Did they leave home without saying I'm sorry? Did they think I'll take care of it tomorrow? We never know when our time will come. So I want to always remember to take the time to tell those close to me that I love them and value them.

STITCHING UPDATE

I have recently put the finishing stitches in two Loose Feather projects. I really like the blackbirds/cherries project. The colors are so vibrant and the blackbirds seem to have such arrogant personalities.

Unfortunately, I'm not as fond of the "grape" project (as I call it). The colors are just too muted for my taste. I did love doing all the grape eyelets though.

I get all the Loose Feather projects automatically from Shakespeare's Peddler and I can proudly say that I am getting each of them stitched before the next one comes. I've even framed a couple. I do my own framing as long as I don't use a mat. I haven't learned to cut mats yet but it's something I'd like to learn. Maybe I could go into my own framing business....hmmm.

Now I'm anxiously awaiting the newest Loose Feather. It looks like one I will enjoy.

One of the things I enjoy most, other than the shows and the city itself, at the Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival are the street performers. This year we saw some marvelous living statutes...or whatever they call themselves. The angel and gargoyles were truly incredible. They were on stilts and wandered through the crowds with ease. They gargoyles would chase people and then all of a sudden all 3 (gargoyles and angel) would stop and strike a pose...usually of the angel slaying the gargoyles.

My favorite, though, was the female angel. She was absolutelybeautiful....so calm and serene with a mischiveous grin. People could go up to her and have a photo taken. Three little children went up and stood in front of her. What they weren't aware of was that that the angel moved and made rabbit ears behind their heads. I'm sure the children will be surprised to see that! Someone brought a baby to her and the angel squated down and took the baby in her arms. It was gorgeous!

JUST FOR LAUGHS COMEDY FESTIVAL

I spent last weekend in Montreal at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival. Among other things, my friend Maria and I saw Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood on Friday night, followed by Eddie Izzard. Eddie added a second show at the last minute so we were able to get tickets and see him again on Saturday night. We got autographs and photos both nights as well. I was lucky to be able to thank him in person for the email he sent my nephew Brandon 18 months ago after Brandon's horrendous car accident and Eddie remembered sending it. I asked if I could give him a hug to thank him and he said, "Of course." He is truly a very nice, compassionate person ~ as well as one funny guy!

8th Grade Education in 1895

Show this to kids who think they know everything. What it took to get an 8th grade education in 1895...

Remember when grandparents and great-grandparents stated that they only had an 8th grade education? Well, check this out. Could any of us have passed the 8th grade in 1895?

This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina , Kansas , USA . It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina , and reprinted by the Salina Journal. 8th Grade Final Exam: Salina , KS -1895

Grammar (Time, one hour)

1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.

2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.

3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph

4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of "lie,""play," and "run."

5. Define case; illustrate each case.

6 What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punction.

7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.

Arithmetic (Time,1 hour 15 minutes)

1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.

2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?

3. If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1,050 lbs. for tare?

4. District No 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?

5. Find the cost of 6,720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.

6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.

7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per metre?

8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.

9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?

10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt

U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)

1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided

2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus .

3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.

4. Show the territorial growth of the United States

5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas .

6. Describe three of the most prominent b attles of the Rebellion.

7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton , Bell , Lincoln , Penn, and Howe?

8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.

Orthography (Time, one hour) [Do we even know what this is??]

1. What is meant by the following: alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication

2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?

3. What are the following, and give examples of each: trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals

4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.' (HUH?)

5 Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.

6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.

7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.

8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, f are, last. 9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane , vain, vei n, raze, r aise, rays.

10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.

Geography (Time, one hour)

1 What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?

2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas ?

3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?

4. Describe the mountains of North America

5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia , Odessa , Denver , Manitoba , Hecla , Yukon , St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco ..

6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.

7. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.

8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?

9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

Notice that the exam took FIVE HOURS to complete.

Gives the saying "he only had an 8th grade education" a whole new meaning, doesn't it?!

Also shows you how poor our education system has become! and, NO! I don't have the answers!

Stitching Update

This is a recent tabletopper I finished stitching. It's by Dutch Treat and is one of my favorites. The chart called for stitching it all in red, but since red wouldn't go with anything I have, I decided to do it in a more friendly color. This one is called Java and is in browns, black and pinks...very pretty. I liked stitching this tabletopper because each square was different, unlike all the others I have done.

And on a more humorous note, I have proof in my garden that there are such things as male tomatoes!

Another Monday

Bah humbug...another Monday. As much as I like my boss, I really hate coming into work, particularly on Mondays. I so need a new job with new challenges, but I'm not going to make any changes until after Aimee and I get back from Scotland. I have a good thing going now with only working 4 days a week, being able to take days off whenever I want and get paid for them, being able to be late (this morning it was 20 minutes) and not getting in trouble. I'm just burned out in this job. I have so many other things I'd like to be doing with my time. Our lease is up on our office at the end of February 2008 and I'm thinking that my boss may retire at that time.

On a more positive note, I spent Friday and Saturday at the Midwest Scrapbook Convention in St. Paul. It was held at RiverCentre which is huge so there was lots and lots of space to get into the booths (where I spent too much money, of course). I took 3 classes which were all fun ~ and I won doorprizes in 2 of the classes., something that NEVER happens! One of the classes was using normal office supplies when scrapbooking and it was a lot of fun. I wanted to make a beeline to Office Max!! They used name badge holders tied together with a ribbon as additional photo holders or journaling pages. I also took a heritage class in which we made 4 - 12x12 pages plus a magnetic canvas. I loved that class and got so many great ideas for making the heritage album I intend to make as a result of my family research. And I found Lego brads which will be fun for all the photos I have of Tony and his Legos, followed closely by photos of Ellie at the Lego Store at Mall of America.

Sunday I spent a good portion of the afternoon stripping wallpaper from the kitchen walls. I'm so glad I thought to put sizing on the walls before I hung the wallpaper oh so many years ago. It's making stripping it fairly easy. Unfortunately I ran out of stripper solution so I had to quit. It was almost harder cleaning up the mess afterwards than stripping the wallpaper itself. I have the paint for the kitchen walls. I'm hoping it is the color I want....kind of a cafe au lait color. We have picked out the silestone we want to use for the new kitchen counters. Now to decide on a sink and fixtures, whether to paint the cupboards or not, etc. In the end, whatever we decide on will be a definite improvement! Then it's on to painting the exterior of the house.

Happy Birthday to Me

Yesterday was my birthday. My birthday present from Tony and Darcy was tickets to the Children's Theatre for Ellie and me to see High School Musical. I had originally planned to take the day off, but at 400 on Monday my boss got a call from an attorney on the other side of a divorce proceeding and we needed to have a Marital Termination Agreement prepared for signature on Tuesday (and in the end it didn't happen anyway) so I volunteered to come in until noon. I got the MTA done and then went to Lakeville to pick up Ellie. She was wearing the High School Musical shirt I bought her at Disneyland and was so proud of herself! We headed off to the Children's Theatre. She was so excited because she loves High School Musical and because we got to spend the afternoon together. We had seats in the 4th row and really enjoyed the performance. Darcy takes her there a lot so she knows the routine. She was telling me that there was a "little break" and we could get cookies. So when intermission came, she headed right for the cookies! After the show, I bought her Sharpay, one of the dolls (the size of a Barbie). She was so excited! As we were leaving I told her that was the best birthday present I had ever had and she said, "I knew you would say that. Sometimes I think I'm a genius." We decided to stop at Target on the way home and get the movie. Ellie then decided that we should see if they have more dolls because if we got the Gabriella and Troy combo then we could have a "mom, dad and sister". She has everything figured out!! And at Target we did find the movie and Gabriella and Troy. As we were leaving Target she was beaming from ear to ear and she said it was a High School Musical day. She got a shirt, she got to see the play, she got 3 dolls and she got a movie. It was almost her "best day ever."

We then went back to our house where Chuck was busy grilling. He made hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken breasts; he had picked up some salads and a birthday cake from Cold Stone. Tony and Darcy arrived shortly after we got there. During dinner Ellie decided that she and I would celebrate my birthday together every year ~ and next year we'll celebrate it at Disneyland! Tony and Darcy were laughing so hard that Darcy had tears rolling down her face.

Besides the Children's Theatre tickets, Aimee sent me a BEAUTIFUL bouquet of pink, white and lavender roses with a balloon; Erik gave me a gift certificate to Coldwater Creek; and Chuck gave me a 5-ticket package for the Minnesota Vikings including the Green Bay game. Erik also gave me his Blackjack phone which he has only had about 2 months because he got an iPhone. Chuck said if he could have found an iPhone he would have gotten me that because I really want one. I had so much fun playing with Erik's.

So I had a nice birthday. Tonight Erik and I are going to see Harry Potter. I've seen all of the movies on opening day and didn't want to break the tradition.

OH...I got a call from Ellie this morning to tell me that she's going to have a sister!!

I COLLECT COLORS

I read recently in my friend Jenn's blog that she liked colors and that got me thinking. The more I thought about it, the more I became aware that I also love colors. The best part of school starting each year was when I got my new box of Crayolas, and to this day I love opening the boxes in the store just to look at the rows of different colors. Whenever Crayola comes out with a "new" collection, I want a new box of my own.

The last couple days I have been working on sewing crafter's aprons (a take-off on carpenter's aprons) which I will (hopefully) sell at my table at the Minnesota Needlework Guild retreat in August. In preparation, I started going through the bins of fabric I have collected over the years (or in some cases inherited!) and realized how much I love just handling the fabric and looking at all the shades of color. I washed up oodles and oodles of pieces and, being conscious of the heat and the demand for electricity, I hung all the fabrics on the clothesline to dry. I found myself being drawn to the window or door to just look out at all the colors floating in the gentle breeze. Fortunately I am finding a use for some of the wonderful pieces of fabric I've collected. The question is...how much of it can I stand to part with?

That got me thinking about the massive amount of paper I have accumulated for scrapbooking and how, again, I love to just lay it out, sort it by color or design or whatever. And again I am atrracted to the colors. I love buttons and floss and fibers and paint swatches and beads.

So, yes, I think I am in love with color!

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!

So far today, after making the requisite run to Starbucks for my daily caffeine, I have spent cooking. I haven't quite figured out how I end up spending half a day in the kitchen for a meal at someone else's house, but it seems to happen. Darcy wanted me to make potato salad since she says my potato salad is the "world's best". It's just potato salad...nothing special. I just make it the way my grandmother taught me to make it. Then I made a new "fruit surprise" for Ellie. This one is made with lemon pie filling and Cool Whip ~ and all the fruit I could pack in. I thought a lemon fruit surprise would be a refreshing change. And, since Tony is planning on grilling chicken breasts, I made baked cinnamon apples for Ellie, a la Famous Dave's, her favorite restaurant. Nothing was complicated; it just all took time. Now we're off to Tony and Darcy's for food, fun and fireworks!