I am....

Which Twilight Character Are You?

Jasper Hale You're Most Like:Jasper Hale You tend to be off to the side, you are soft-spoken, But you get the job done, not to mention you never fail to cheer a Friend!

How do you compare? Take this test! | Tests from Testriffic

Will the Real John McCain Please Stand Up?

OMG!!

Can Sarah Palin be any less informed? I'll get back to you???



I think the McCain camp is really trying to play political games. McCain says he's suspending his campaign and wants to delay the first debate. So...they need to get 4 debates in during the next 19 days...3 presidential and 1 vice presidential. If they have to delay the first presidential debate, they will most likely have to cancel another. Now....which debate do you think they will cancel?? Obviously not a presidential debate!

DO NOT BLINK BARACK!!!

Mr. Risk

Does anyone find it a wee bit terrifying that the man who wants complete and total control of almost a billion dollars of our money with no oversight was known as MR RISK while he was at Goldman?? That he increased their debt ceiling from $20 million to $100 million? That he walked away in 1996 with over $50 million in salary and bonuses? And this is who we want to trust?

I Can Honestly Say I'm Scared and Depressed

I find that in recent days I am always close to tears when it comes to the continual news of the economic collapse of our country and the class warfare that is going on. I used to laugh about it but I can't anymore. I'm sad and depressed, and feel totally and completely helpless. This country is being completely looted by the rich and hyper rich. There will be NOTHING left when George W. Bush and his criminal cronies leave office. And, the prospect of McCain and Palin stepping into those shoes and continuing the policies that have brought this entire country to the brink of bankruptcy terrifies me. We don't need to be concerned about foreign terrorism...we have homegrown terrorists in the shape and form of our elected government officials. We are being asked to trust those very people who have brought us to the brink of total destruction.

The Constitution has been completely gutted and We, the People, have had our rights taken from us. We are supposedly fighting a war to establish a democratic government in a country that has no desire for and/or knowledge of a democratic government, but at the same time our rights have been spat on.

My assets are diminshing in value and I am going to be asked to pay to put money in the pockets of the hyper wealthy and lobbyists. This country cannot afford to fund education and health care for everyone, but we can afford to bail out these financial institutions.

And, once this bail out is completed and we are all line up to file bankruptcy, will the Republicans turn around and spin this to say look how we saved Wall Street? When we all line up to file bankruptcy, and discover that under the Bankruptcy REFORM Act we can't get out from under our debts, who can we look to to bail us out? Isn't it ironic that Wall Street can make all kinds of bad investments, huge bonuses and gold parachutes to CEOs, and walk away scott free, but those of us funding the bail out cannot get out from under our debts.

Where is the help for all the students who are burdened with student loans? For the people living on social security disability who cannot afford to rent an apartment, buy medications, etc. For the elderly living on fixed incomes? For children whose schools are failing? Where is the help for 99.9% of all Americans?

And how can anyone in this country say they are undecided????

Thank You John McCain

This was made by a friend of Aimee's. Pass it on!

PBS Poll

PBS has a poll on their website of whether Sarah Palin is qualified to be Vice President. What is scary is that right now "yes" is winning. I really want someone running the country who, after attending 5 different colleges, finally got a BA in journalism. Wow..that will impress world leaders, won't it?

http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll-435.html

Is This A Nightmare?

So today Sarah Palin and John McCain were in Cedar Rapids, IA. Sarah was a little confused geographically since she thought she was in Grand Rapids. Nevertheless, she was enthusiastically telling everyone what a Palin-McCain Administration would accomplish. Did I miss something? When did she become the Presidential nominee?

If this is a nightmare, someone PLEASE wake me up!

Sarah Palin's Impressive Education

Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in journalism

Definitely the educational experience I want running my country!

Who's An Elitist?

The Republicans love to call Barack Obama an elitist. Vanity Fair has now figured out the cost of the outfits that Laura Bush and Cindy McCain wore at the Republican convention:

Laura Bush:
Oscar de la Renta suit: $2,500
Stuart Weitzman heels: $325
Pearl stud earrings: $600–$1,500
Total: Between $3,425 and $4,325


Cindy McCain:
Oscar de la Renta dress: $3,000
Chanel J12 White Ceramic Watch: $4,500
Three-carat diamond earrings: $280,000
Four-strand pearl necklace: $11,000–$25,000
Shoes, designer unknown: $600
Total: Between $299,100 and $313,100

ONE OUTFIT VALUED AT MORE THAN MOST PEOPLE EARN IN A YEAR!!

A Week of Relaxation and Creation

Last week Deb and I attended the annual Needlework Guild of Minnesota retreat in Buffalo, MN. It's a week we always look forward to anxiously and bemoan when it's over. This year we went a day earlier so we could have time to settle in and make more than a quick trip to the local yarn shop. We again had the Garden Room as our independent study room. We weren't happy about that because we had a bad experience there our first year. But this year it was just fine; I can actually say I enjoyed it. The light during the day is wonderful because of all the skylights and glass wall overlooking the lake, but in the evening it's not so ideal. Still, we both had our Ott lights and that helped. We staked our claim to a table and remained there the entire week. I was busy working on knitting a pair of socks for Aimee as part of Ravelympics and Deb was working on one of the most gorgeous Quaker samplers I've ever seen.

I took 3 classes from Lauren Sauer (Forget-Me-Not In Stitches). This is one of my favorites. It's called Key to My Heart. The heart is stitched in wonderful silks. When it is opened, it contains an antique key. On the inside, the heart design is simply back stitched; on the back the heart design has some color; and the front is in full color. It's very easy and so very pretty.



One of the things the Guild did for a fundraiser this year is have a silent auction for 18 handmade aprons the Guild used in the past for something or other (I can't remember the original purpose of them). When the Guild moved about a year ago, they were going through all they had accumulated and ran across the box of aprons. They were going to simply throw them out until someone thought of auctioning them off. The aprons were displayed on a clothes line stretched over the stairs going from the entrance of the retreat center to the lower level. Some of those aprons went for BIG bucks! One woman also took all the aprons and photographed them individually and made them into an extremely beautiful calendar, which they also sold as a fundraiser. Of course, I had to get one!



During Show and Tell at the annual meeting, 9 Guild members brought the neighborhood round robin they had worked on for the past 2 years. They were SO beautiful! This was my favorite, done by the "infamous" Kathe Lyndsley...stitcher extraordinare.



One of the things that I love most about this retreat, besides the opportunity to do nothing but stitch, eat and sleep, is the peacefulness of the retreat itself. We saw some of the most spectacular sunsets this year. I'm already anxious for next August to roll around!

The Big Read

Let’s see how many you have read from this list. This is what you do:

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Reprint this list in your own Blog



1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton **my all-time favorite book!**
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

What Starbucks drink are you? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as White Chocolate Mocha You are mostly like this drink because this drink looks like regular coffe on the outside, just like you seem to be normal. In really, you are both really great and sweet White Chocolate Mocha 75% De-Caf Latte 63% Espresso Shots 56% Frappacino 44%

Can't quite see myself as White Chocolate Mocha..seeing as I don't particularly like chocolate and never drink mochas. Oh well....must be because I'm so sweet!

Fireworks

What Your These Fireworks Say About You

You are focused, single minded, and intense. You don't let others see your intensity often, and when they do, they are quite surprised. You burn brightly, but you also burn steadily. You have the endurance to get the one thing you desire most.

The Fireworks Test

I'm A Failure...........

20 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Poor (Failure) Take the test!

It must have been those crooked seams in the hose....or wearing pajamas instead of a nightgown....

Starbucks and Yarn Questionnaire

1. Full name: Neila

2. Ravelry ID: Neila (I know..original but easy to remember.)

3. Email address: bezweesh@aol.com

4. Blog address (if you have one): neilasnotes.blogspot.com

5. Handmade item you desire in the swap (bag, cup cozy, etc.): I am actually okay with any of the items. I love to be surprised.

6. Starbucks item you desire (gift card, mug, beans, etc.): I absolutely love Starbucks mugs, but anything would be wonderful.

7. Favorite Starbucks beverage/bean: I'm a nonfat no whip latte girl. I absolutely LOVE pumpkin spice lattes but they are only a fall/winter specialty drink. I also like gingerbread lattes.

8. Favorite snack food: Without a doubt, popcorn! I also like hard candies, particularly anything black currant or rhubarb. I'm not a chocolate person.

9. Favorite color(s): Blues and purples..think peacocks!

10. Favorite fragrance: Lilac and jasmine, or spicy fragrances, like clove and cinnamon. I am very into Yankee Candles and my favorite is harvest.

11. What types of things do you like to knit? Mainly socks, but I also enjoy bags and sweaters.

12. Do you spin? No

13. Do you dye your own yarn? No, but eventually would like to learn

14. Favorite yarns: I don't really have a favorite. I love them all!

15. Favorite needles: I love the Knit Pick Harmony needles, but am up to trying something new.

16. Do you have any allergies? Yes, cats and dust mainly

17. Would you be willing to prepare an angel kit if necessary? Of course

18. Do you have any special requests? No, other than lots of communication and lots of fun.

19. Do you have any pets? No

20. Is your home smoking or nonsmoking? Nonsmoking

Mosaic Meme

Go to Flickr.com and type your answers to the following questions (one at a time) into the Search Box.


The questions are:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favourite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favourite colour?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favourite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favourite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.


Choose 1 image from the FIRST page of results, remember the image you choose doesn't have to be exactly what you were looking for - just the image you like best from the first page.

Copy your URLs to the Mosaic Maker here and publish your mosaic to your blog.

I tag Aimee, Jennifer and Debbie.

Coffee and Yarn....

...........what more could a girl want? I've joined another cool swap called Starbucks and Yarn

Check it out and join us if you enjoy the goodness of Starbucks and the warmth of yarn!

And the Winner Is.........

All season long we have been spending Tuesday evenings at my brother's house watching American Idol in his "theatre room" (complete with 105" projection TV screen and incredible surround sound.) We would have dinner while AI recorded on the DVR. Then we'd settle and got comfy. It was almost like being in the theatre itself. Everyone appeared almost lifesize. We had a friendly pool going among a few people and we all had our favorites. My brother and sister-in-law bemoaned Carly Smithson's exit, and I pouted when Jason Castro went.

This week we changed the plans and had a big American Idol Winner party with most of the pool participants (except Aimee...but she was invited!) We had burgers and dogs on the grill, potato salad, baked beans, chips, and all the makings of a summer picnic. The weather was absolutely perfect and the atmosphere was electric.

Around 800, we finally settled in to watch the 2 hour finale. It was fun to see the Top 12 again and relive the season. The guest performers were great...Seal, Donna Sommer, ZZ Top, George Michael. LOVED the Guitar Hero commercials done Risky Business style...David Cook definitely won that competition!

Finally, it's the end of the show. David C and David A stood together on the stage. David C, who seemed like a big brother to David A, had his arm around David A's shoulder, almost like he had to hold onto him so neither of them fell over. They both looked so nervous, so anxious, so apprehensive. Even among our party participants you could feel the tension. The envelope was brought out and certified that the voting had been the highest in the history of the show...over 97 million votes!! (I cast 20 of those.) Ryan Seacreast opened the envelope, looked at the two Davids, and said "The Winner of American Idol Season 7 Is........"

AND THE DVR RECORDING ENDED!!!!

Yes, the recording ended!! There was a moment of silence in the room and then we all, in one voice, screamed "NO!" We had no idea who won and no chance to see the final performance! Diane ran upstairs to see if the recording she was making on a TV upstairs had recorded the end only to discover that that, too, had stopped at the same point. (DAMN COMCAST!!) So, Diane then RAN to the office where she got on the internet. There was a V-E-R-Y L-O-N-G period of anticipation before she yelled "DAVID COOK!" Then there was more celebrating!

So much drama!! We have decided that Mike's tombstone is going to say "And TheWinner Is..."

Anyway, here is the finale:

Join the Hogwarts Express!

The last Hogwarts Express leaves Platform 9-3/4 on May 14th. If you'd like to join the Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap, be on board!

If you enjoy knitting socks (or would like to try knitting socks...or just collect yarn!), lots of animated conversation, making great friends (and occasionally rivals), Quidditch contests, House Quizzes and creating and exchanging sock kits, then HSKS 5 is the place to be!!

Check it out at HSKS 5