Lots of fun and hectic-ness in our world still. I think I need to get used to it as a way of life as opposed to an occasional thing!!

I got my Spring Blossoms yarn swap package on Wednesday from Heather (YarnFeather) - some very cool yarn included! Some TLC Wiggles, Sugar 'n Cream, some eye lash yarn, and some rovings, which I had never seen in person before. Take a look:



Brendan had his first baseball game on Wednesday. They won 15-2 (or 3, or 4, not sure) and their sponsor (a local seasonal ice cream stand) gives the kids free ice cream when they win. But he turned it down to go to the last 40 minutes of Cub Scouts again - we'd expected him to miss it, but when he found out he could still make part of the meeting he opted for that! I thought that was a very grown up decision for him to make.





On the house front - whooooeee, what a situation. We're still waiting to have a copy of the signed contract in our hands, but they have accepted our offer and now all the fun of inspections and actual mortgage applications begins. Yippee!!

Here's a pic of the house ...

Your Linguistic Profile:

50% General American English

35% Yankee

10% Dixie

5% Upper Midwestern

0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Finished a project today - this is a commissioned poncho, size 4. I'm working on another one since it was for two matching ponchos for two very special little girls. I'll post a pic of them together once the second one is done.

Scrunchies Galore

We are in the midst of the waiting - negotiating part of buying a house. Yes, we put in an offer on Saturday on a house here in our neighborhood. I was on edge yesterday - so I sat and made scrunchies everytime I sat down. There are actually several different designs there, but it's hard to see in this picture.



Have a few pictures to share - not much to write about, but lots of pictures. Hopefully we'll have good house news soon and I'll be able to post pictures of that!!

Justin & Betsy:



Andrew & Justin (actually co-existing peacefully!!)



Cool Dude (Andrew):



Brooding (sulking?) Brendan:



This one speaks for itself (look at J's feet):



Some of you may remember a picture from when Andrew was younger and wanted me to "do" his hair like I did Betsy ... well, here's Justin's "do" lol!



Hope you enjoyed the pictures! :)

Busy, so busy ...

So I'm from the moon, hmmm ...

You Are From the Moon

You can vibe with the steady rhythms of the Moon. You're in touch with your emotions and intuition. You possess a great, unmatched imagination - and an infinite memory. Ultra-sensitive, you feel at home anywhere (or with anyone). A total healer, you light the way in the dark for many.

What Planet Are You From?

More house hunting. I am finally feeling much more like myself, which is wonderful. Still not much crocheting, although I did make a headband for the flower for Betsy. I'll have to get a picture of it on her later. I have a couple of projects that I started a while ago that need to be finished.

Have you ever noticed how straight children hold themselves? I've never seen a small child walk with their head bowed and shoulders curved - since it is a natural thing, it must be the way we balance best - I've never seen a child in some of the mannerisms you might see a teenager or adult. Watch your children walk or run, or even stand - you might just learn something about how you could change your posture. My neck doesn't hurt nearly as much, or as often, since I started emulating my children more. :)

What a month!

It has indeed been nearly a month since I've posted anything. I've been sick - laryngitis or very hoarse, along with accompanying symptoms for nearly a week and a half; healthy for a few days, then a cold that turned into bronchitis, which mixed with seasonal allergies to give me a humdinger of a sinus infection. I'm now on antibiotics and some prescription allergic stuff, and while I feel a touch better finally, I am NOT up to much - I attempted to take the two younger boys to walmart this morning for a few things we need and did not even make it through my list - I was still shaking nearly two hours after we got home. Needless to say, I am resting as much as I can today. Hopefully, though, with the antibiotics, I am finally on the mend and will soon be back to normal.

We've also been doing a lot of house hunting. We've been inside quite a few houses now; have a bunch to see this weekend. We're both hoping that we will find "our" house soon, possibly not at the higher end of our budget??? It is wearing on us both. The housing costs around here are nuts.

I haven't been crocheting much. I seem to be in a bit of a slump on top of just not having the energy for it. I did finish a poncho - just have to weave in the ends and I'll post a picture - and today I picked up my hook for the first time in three weeks and created a flower. Not fancy - not big - but something. It feels good but even that was tiring lol!



Here's a recipe we tried this last week:

Asparagus with Parmesan Crust

It went over fairly well; the flavors were very good (well, I couldn't taste it, lol, but Mike and the two older kids liked it) - the one thing I would suggest is to not overcook it - mushy asparagus is just not overly appetizing. I'll be trying it again at some point, being very careful to check it periodically so it doesn't overcook.

There are other new happenings around here - like Justin chatting up a storm and potty training, or Brendan starting to learn to roller blade, but that's going to wait for a more energetic afternoon. Have a good one!

What a week!

The last week has been crazy. Absolutely certifiable.

Last Friday was Chad & Cilla's wedding. Betsy (on the left) was a flower girl ... aren't they beautiful? Classic kid moment ... they're walking down the aisle and Betsy stops so Daddy can snap this picture, lol!



Brendan dancing wth Cilla during the dollar dance ...



The whoooole minute Justin sat still ...



The rest of the reception he spent in the bathroom. Yes, that's right, the bathroom! He would go in, climb on the toilet (no potty training yet, but he's obviously been observing), flush, wash his hands, come out, go back in ... and start all over again. Let me tell you ... it gets old fast when you do it for hours, lol! The upside is we're potty training now and he is doing very well.

Brendan now has his bobcat badge! The ceremony was so neat - and he is so proud of himself! Next step is working through the wolf badge and seeing if we can get some belt loops. They had a magician there (it was the blue and gold banquet) and I don't think I've ever seen him sit still for so long w/out his gameboy in hand!

Miscellaneous ... we found an "offering" on our front stoop yesterday. Cinder likes to try and sneak out (not a hard task with four kids who don't always pay attention when they open the door) and she's made some kitty friends. So, yesterday I got back from picking up B&B from school and there was a dead bird there, laid out nicely on the door mat. Now I'm positive it didn't just fly into the door ... and there was no blood or guts ... so my bet is it's some kind of an offering, lol.

I experimented and ended up with a yarn doily - I've been struggling with reading patterns, and I saw a doily I liked the other day but I am afraid of thread crocheting (I don't think my wrists will take to it very well) so I decided to give it a go with some sport weight yarn and an E hook - and I was able to go right through it! No frogging! It's not perfect, I didn't figure out how to get it to lay right (ie. not pull to the left) until the last few rows, but I am still very proud of it. Imagine learning a new language and realizing you've just read a story for the first time without having to translate, break down, or manipulate it in any way to unerstand - and you'll understand my elation. Big step for me.

Here it is ... a doily that is really a super fancy doll blanket!



Pink ... the perfect color for a doll blanket - or a barbie rug ... not so much a "showing off" project ... here's where my dd put it ...



Say "Cheese!"



Wish us luck - we're in the midst of getting approved for a mortgage. Our dreams of owning a home are finally within reach - now to just finish the process - and go house hunting!! We just need to find a big enough house, on a big enough lot, in an area with good schools, at a price we can afford, where the commute isn't too bad. (Doesn't everyone? LOL!)

I'm sure there are things I'm forgetting ... but that's a pretty lengthy post for one day. Have a good one!

Must make the cat happy!

Okay, so I do want the cat to be happy, but that's not why I made this:



I want to make a round ripple blanket for my godson, Ryan ...



Isn't he precious?? Anyway, I started one a while ago, didn't get far, and then when I tried to work on it again today, it was ruffling. Which I really didn't want. So rather than frog and try again (I'm using caron simply soft and you can only frog it so many times before it starts fraying), I took some yarn I didn't know what to do with and played around with it until I figured out how to get it to lay flat. Cinder's kitty mat is the result ...



And, since I couldn't make one for Cinder and not Daisy (aren't cats like kids? have to play fair you know!), here's Daisy's:




I think I've figured it out. In any case, I need to stop playing around with new projects and get Chad & Cilla's afghan done, since the wedding is only - gulp - 4 days away and I STILL have that 13 hours to get done on it.

Take a peek at this picture of Betsy & Justin:



You'd never guess they were related (yes, I'm being sarcastic)!! Good grief, Justin is almost a mini-Betsy. They're a lot alike personality wise, too, and in the things that interest them and hold their attention. Both are creative and bookie types.

Goldie's Poncho

It's finally finished! I don't know why it's taken me so long. This is basically the lion brand granny poncho, sized down for a 4 year old/size 5, and the yarn is red heart "beach". I used an "I" hook (I crochet small, I think most people would need a "G" or "H" hook) and used this for the chain.





Now to get the afghan finished - that one has about another 13 hours on it or so. The kids don't have school this week, and Betsy is in a family wedding on Friday night, so I expect to be scarce.

I'm going to be using my crockpot a lot this week - here's what just went into it, with today's variations:

To Die For Beef Roast

2-3 pounds beef roast (I just used some cheap steak cuts since I will shred it later and this makes it much easier)
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 packet Italian dressing mix
1 packet brown gravy mix
1/2-1 cup hot water

Place roast in crockpot*. Sprinkle with dry mixes. Pour hot water down the side of the pot (you don't want to wash the seasonings off the meat). Cover and cook all day on low (if you have a "newer" crockpot, you will only want to cook this for about 5 hours on low). Serve with mashed potatoes and carrots. You can make gravy with the juices if you like - this makes wonderful gravy!

*Using steaks, I did this a little bit differently. I mixed together the mixes in a small bowl, then layered the steaks in, sprinkling each steak liberally with the seasoning mixes. I used about a cup and a half of water - when it's done, I will mash the meat into the juices and thicken it with some cornstarch (add a slurry of 2 tsp cornstarch and 2 tsp cold water an hour before serving). We'll have it with noodles and some broccoli. It will cook a little bit longer than usual - about 10 hours - since that will break down the fibers and allow me to shred it quite easily. Is also very good served on rolls with the juice in a bowl on the side to dip, yummy!

You can also put the meat in frozen, just turn to high for the first hour then down to low as usual.

Still no new crocheting

I haven't done any since Saturday. I really need to get myself in gear and finish the afghan and poncho.

Betsy liked her poncho - I did get a picture of her in it, but I couldn't get her to stop fiddling with it. She wears both (this one and the one she got for Christmas) as often as I'll let her, lol.



I heard Justin in the kitchen, and with camera in hand, I went to check on him. This is what I saw:



He was STANDING on my counter digging in the cupboard!! Needless to say, he stayed there just long enough for me to snap a picture and then he was banned from the countertops. He certainly has a monkey streak in him! I think he would sleep in Brendan's bed (top bunk of the bunk beds he shares with Andrew) if I'd let him.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I had a nice day ... Mike took me (and by default, the two younger boys) out for lunch (NY style pizza - had romano, parmesan and gorgonzola ... MMMMMMM ... then out for supper, too at Applebee's. Excellent meal, excellent service, despite the goofs - we hadn't gone in a while because the service and food had not been impressive, but I think we'll be going back. I got some beautiful roses, too, that now grace my dresser. I will definitely enjoy them.

You Belong in 1972

1972 If you scored... 1950 - 1959: You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in! 1960 - 1969: You are a free spirit with a huge heart. Love, peace, and happiness rule - oh, and drugs too. 1970 - 1979: Bold and brash, you take life by the horns. Whether you're partying or protesting, you give it your all! 1980 - 1989: Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day. 1990 - 1999: With you anything goes! You're grunge one day, ghetto fabulous the next. It's all good!

What Year Do You Belong In?

I don't quite agree with it ... but it's interesting. Hmmm ...

Hello ...

Nothing exciting to report. I was browsing through some pictures and came across one that is too funny to keep to myself.



That's Cinder in the pink one (Betsy's) and Daisy in the blue (Justin's). So if you ever need a kitty "spot" just purchase one of those folding "sports" chairs!

We didn't go to Andi & Nick's today - I guess we'll have to reschedule. I'm disappointed, but at least we got a few really nice conversations out of it. :)

Weekend Mumblings

This has been a lazy, uncomfortable day. I did something to the muscles in my back, Mike is getting over a cold, and it's just been a strange day. I worked up yet another poncho using some leftover LB Homespun in Covered Bridge - it's not quite as bright a red as the picture (have I mentioned I can't stand my camera?) but I love the way it works up in this pattern. It ended up a size 4/5 and will be going in the mail to a friend for her daughter.



Here's something interesting ...

You Have A Type A- Personality

A- You are one of the most balanced people around Motivated and focused, you are good at getting what you want You rule at success, but success doesn't rule you. When it's playtime, you really know how to kick back Whether it's hanging out with friends or doing something you love! You live life to the fullest - encorporating the best of both worlds

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

I'm hoping we can make it up to see Andi, Nick & Alex tomorrow - we'll have to see how Mike feels in the morning. I don't want to expose Alex to any of our germs.

Another poncho ...

Betsy reeeeaaaaally wanted the poncho I made yesterday, but she thought it was too short (it's not for her anyway, lol) so I whipped this one up - I can't believe how quickly it works up!! She'll get it the morning of Valentine's Day because I KNOW she's going to want to wear it - with the outfit I put it over, probably.



I haven't posted a "food" recipe in awhile - here's one of Mike's favorites. These reheat pretty well, too.

Faith's Barbecue Chicken Wings

3-4 pounds chicken wings, tips removed*
salt & pepper
garlic powder
3/4 cup Hunt's Hickory & Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce
enough brown sugar (see recipe)
1 tsp worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 400F (or 425F, see notes)

Lay wings on a foil lined cookie sheet, "finish" side up. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes. Flip wings, sprinkle with salt and garlic powder. Bake another 20 minutes.

To make sauce: place barbecue sauce in a glass measuring cup, add enough brown sugar to make 1 cup sauce total. Add worcestershire sauce and stir to dissolve brown sugar.

Brush wings with sauce (you don't flip them this time). Bake another 20 minutes. Remove from oven, flip, and spoon over or brush with remaining sauce. Bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and serve - delicious with broccoli & rice!

You can bake these at 425, at 15 minute intervals. We like them better in a 400F oven (slightly more tender) but sometimes we don't have that extra twenty minutes!

*Don't toss the tips!! I save mine in a gallon freezer bag in my freezer, adding the tips every time we have wings. Then when it's full, I toss it in a pot with a quartered onion (don't peel, the skin gives it a beautiful color), a quartered and peeled carrot and some quartered celery stalks, cover with water, and simmer for about an hour. They make very rich chicken broth! If you're worried about the fat, after you strain out the solids, stick in the fridge and chill overnight. You'll be able to lift off the fat in the morning.

I see that I've been tagged by Trish ... so I'll answer the first four questions, then figure out who to tag ... I'm going to have to slow the game down and tag Sunday because my day is about to get veeery busy and won't slow down until then!

1. Total amount of music files on your computer: On mine ... none. Dh has a bazillion that we have playing all the time - exactly how many? I've no idea.

2. The last CD you bought was: A flute cd ... let's see ... Rhonda Larson, Free As A Bird

3. What is the last song you heard before writing this message? Something off the backyardagains (hey I have little kids, lol!!)

4. Write down 5 songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you:
Couldn't tell you. I'm either hearing kids' music, or playing classical (in the van). One of the most meaningful (more contemporary) songs for me is probably Sarah Mclachlan, "Angel."


5. Who will you pass the torch on to (3 people) and why?
Will do this as soon as I have time ...

Musings on a rainy Thursday

The weather today reminds me of Syracuse, with a little fog thrown in. Drizzly rain ... just cold enough for a rain coat to not be enough, but not cold enough for a winter coat.

I've made more progress on my filet afghan, but have decided not to post any more pictures until it's finished. Motivation to finish, maybe? I've got 6 of the motifs done, 4 left.

Justin has reclaimed his blanket - the cat was laying on it (again) yesterday, and out of the blue he suddenly decided it was HIS and he wanted it (he has developed a very possessive streak the last few weeks). He slept with it last night and I snapped this (very) early this morning.



This is one of Chelle's Lacy Poncho pattern - I decided to give it a shot after seeing so many of the posted on Crochetville ... I needed a break from the longer projects I'm working on. I used a strand of simply soft, white, and some light blue boucle with a black thread through the middle (ebay win) and an N hook (remember I crochet tight, folks, this is an L or M hook for most people). I couldn't believe how quickly it whipped up - it was about 3 hours, even with making lunch for the kids, assorted diaper changes, and all the other distractions little kids provide. I'm still not in love with the triple crochet stitch but by the time I finished it was at least going smoothly lol!

Here's Betsy modeling it for me (yes, I'm aware that hot pink is probably not the best option for showing off white and light blue, lol):



And here's my inseparables (Brendan and Betsy):

GO PATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I promise there won't be many sports references in my posts ... but I just had to stick in a word for my favorite football team!

I'm slow to pass along that the kids got their report cards (second marking period) ... Betsy had straight As again, and Brendan had As and one B (again). Both improved on their "work habits" progress report part of it, too. I'm so proud of them both!! Betsy is turning into a bookworm, I think - she tries to read everything that crosses her path. Brendan is starting to appreciate books more but he'd rather do something hands on. He is in Cub Scouts this year - I just started taking him to den meetings and we are BOTH having a blast. They made slime last Wednesday and it is the neatest stuff. Here's the recipe:

This is what you need per recipe made.

Equipment needed:
two bowls or containers (minimum 2 cups for one, and 4 for the other)
2 plastic spoons
1 glass measuring cup with measuring markings (at least 1 cup)
1 cup measuring cup (plastic/dry measure)
1 teaspoon
heavy (freezer weight) ziploc bag, anything bigger than a sandwich bag

Slime ingredients

warm water
elmer's white glue
borax
food coloring

In smaller bowl:
Combine 3/4 cup warm tap water with 1 cup elmer's
Add 2-3 drops of food coloring, and stir with 1 spoon carefully until combined

In larger bowl:
Put 1 1/3 cups warm tap water in bowl. Add 4 teaspoons borax, and stir gently with a clean spoon until borax dissolves completely.

Pour contents of smaller bowl into the larger bowl. DO NOT STIR!! Let stand for at least one minute. Reach in and pull out your slime!!

Store in heavy weight ziploc. Be very careful not to get into clothes, hair, or the rug, and wash hands before and after using.

THIS IS NOT EDIBLE!! Keep away from small children.

Andrew is now wearing a size 10 and a half shoe ... not really noteworthy, except that it is the same size as Betsy's shoes!! I have a feeling that in about six months, he'll be wearing a size larger. We'll have to see. He is finally showing an interest in drawing - he made Mike the neatest picture the other day; one side had people (circles with stick arms and legs) and the other side had rockets. It was really, really neat.

Justin is talking a lot more. He's starting to string words together, and he's been trying to count ("1, 2, tee (3), pi (5), sis (6), 8, 9, 10") - we're missing four and seven (and sometimes "tee" and 8, depending on his mood) but they're always consecutive and this is all in the last 2 weeks - the highest he would count then was two. One, two, two, two, two ... lol. He's very "into" Blue's Clues right now - he carries around a notebook and crayon all the time and searches for "coo-coos" constantly.

I've made a little bit of progress on the filet afghan ... not as much as I would like, I took a few days off when I had a migraine. It's currently measuring 65 1/2 inches long by 19 inches wide - I thought each motif was 6 inches but it's actually only about 4.5 inches. So it looks like it's going to take a bit longer to get it as wide as I wanted than I expect - it's a good thing I started it in plenty of time!

Here it is now - I spent the superbowl doing the fourth motif! This has been a really relaxing project to work on.



Other WIPs:
blanket for Ryan (round ripple, just started)
Goldie's poncho (about 50% finished)
Betsy's poncho (about 15% finished)

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Latest project

Here it is - this is two "motifs" completed. I need to do 6 or 7 more (I'll decide when I get closer to finished how wide I want it to be). I love this filet crochet thing - I don't think my wrists could handle it with thread, but this afghan is a blast - satisfies something in me, lol. The whole side to side thing - instead of top to bottom - is wonderful, too. I really like that. This is the first project I really did a proper gauge on - I need a K hook, the pattern calls for an I. Never thought of myself as a tight crocheter but that appears to be the case!

This afghan is a wedding gift for a wedding later this month.



This is a project I finished a couple weeks ago - I'm very proud of it. THe poncho is a revamped Lion Brand pattern and the hat is all my design. Not bad for someone who's been crocheting for 3 months!!



Andrew and I are baking some cookies. I pulled a handful of cookie dough balls out of the freezer from my last "monster cookie" batch, we put them on the pan and tossed them on the oven. I have to say again that I LOVE my freezer - it has saved me so much time and frustration! There's a lot of shopping and cooking involved in feeding 6 people, and between that and my pantry, I've been able to stock up and not have to run to the store for something or other a few times a week. It has been a real blessing.

I made these the week after Halloween and used chopped up Halloween candy instead of the candy and chips in the recipe - a total of 4 cups of chopped candy. The embarrassing thing is that barely touched the candy - I still have a bunch of it in the freezer!!!

Monster Cookies

1 dozen eggs
4 cups white sugar
2 pounds brown sugar
1 pound margarine
8 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 pounds peanut butter
18 cups oatmeal
1 pound M&Ms
1 pound chocolate chips

Beat eggs and white sugar. Pour into a LARGE bowl (a 42 oz mega bowl works). Beat brown sugar, margarine, baking soda, corn syrup and vanilla. Pour into your LARGE pan. Add peanut butter and mix well. Add oats, m&ms, and chocolate chips and mix well stirring to bottom of bowl. Hands work best. Drop onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees until cookies are brown around the edges and dry on top. The length of time depends on the size of the cookies. A heaping tablespoon will take about 10 minutes; frozen, add 2-3 minutes. Don't overbake!

I freeze these by using a portion scoop and flash freezing the balls. Some people do logs but I like being able to go straight from the freezer to the oven. Oh, and sometimes these are called kitchen sink cookies - it may actually be easier to sterilize your sink and mix the cookies in there! I know people who do it!

Love bacon - hate the spattering pan? Here's a tip (besides going to turkey bacon ) ... line a cookie sheet with foil. Place a cooling rack (like for cookies) over the foil. Take your bacon slices, and lay them on the rack, overlapping so that the fatty side is on top of the lean. Bake at 400F for about 45 minutes or until the crispness you prefer. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels, cool, and freeze or use immediately as desired. Perfectly cooked, mess-free bacon!

I decided to play around in photoshop again - I'm not that skilled at this point, but I like to fiddle around with it. Besides, I had the need to make myself a button, lol. Here it is ...



Enough blabbing from me ... I'm off to

Blizzards, blankets, and ...

Okay, I ran out of "b" words. I swear the brain starts to go after you have children.

We cleaned out under the couch this morning - Andrew, Justin and I - and it was frightening. I found both of Betsy's lunchboxes (missing since Tuesday and Thursday of last week), her missing glove, AND her missing backpack. My daughter cannot seem to keep track of anything, despite multiple reminders ... I think we've gotten her five pairs of gloves/mittens this year and still she wore a pair of mine this morning.

Here are some pictures from the blizzard last weekend ...



To put this next one into perspective, the round thing on the right of the picture is our garbage can - you can just make out the fence in the background. That snowdrift was about 5 feet high - but if you went to the other side of the house, you'd see grass. Some of the winds we had were around 70 mph ... it was amazing.



The kids made a "tent" over the boys' bunkbeds ...



The big kids wouldn't let Justin play ... he was going to throw a temper tantrum, but had too much fun playing on Mommy's trunk instead.



And a picture from Brendan's birthday part - this is him and his requested heath bar cake!



One of my favorite pictures ... Mike caught this one of me and Andrew.



And my latest project - it started out as a blanket for Andrew, but Andrew wants orange and purple in his blanket, so this one became Justin's. Well, it's supposed to be Justin's, but Cinder thinks it belongs to her ... hence the "red thing" which will eventually be a kitty mat, if I ever finish it. I'm not to happy with how it's coming out - too lightweight - so I may scrap it. Now that I understand how to increase for ovals properly I may pull out some leftover homespun for hers.

It's been awhile!!

It has been a crazy few weeks! Christmas, a trip to Vermont, my eldest son's eighth birthday (and all the hoopla that entailed!), and a night in Boston for a BSO concert and meeting James Galway. Plus, in my spare time, a little crocheting.

Christmas was wonderful - it was a joy to watch people open the things I'd made them. Never having experienced it before - there's nothing like it. It really was a gift - for me - to see the pleasure those people got out of it.

Vermont - was my Christmas present from dh. He'd arranged for the kids to be taken care of, then whisked me off to spend a few days in VT with some good friends. Out in the midde of nowhere, the house we stayed in was built by our friend's dad and was stunning, both inside and out. It was a few days of relaxation and fun - we went to the Cabot Cheese Factory (so much fun!!) and Ben & Jerry's (a bit of a disappointment). Thanks again to Todd and Jen for making it extra special, and helping Mike work out the details - and for pushing our car up the hill.

Brendan is now eight! He is TALL for eight, he's already less than a foot shorter than I - up to my shoulders. The thing that stood out this year was all the pokemon "stuff" he got - that is his "thing" at the moment. He had a day at Fantasyland, a special supper and cake on his birthday, cupcakes at school, and a family party. DH and I are still trying to put together a surprise bowling day with some of his friends - we'll have to see. I never knew that January and February could be so busy!

I think the highlight of the recent weeks was our drive into Boston for a BSO concert. I had never heard them perform live before, so that was pretty special - I was excited, though, because it was featuring Sir James Galways (only the best flutist in the world!). I have, for as long as I can remember, wanted to see him perform live. So, my Christmas present from my dad was tickets to this concert. He added a surprise in: a friend of his help him get in touch with Mr. Galway and we had TEA with him before the concert!! Then afterwards, we went backstage and I got to see, live and in person, his flutes. I have never been so shell shocked in my life - kind of embarrassing now, but it was one of those out of this world experiences. I will never, ever forget it. It still takes my breath away, thinking about it.

A picture from after the concert - from left to right, my dad, me, Sir James Galway, and my dh:



Oh, and one of my dearest friends had a baby last week - a little girl, so beautiful! Congrats and much love to Elizabeth and family! It's for her baby that I'm making this blanket - still have about 3-4 hours to go, but it is almost done. I'm very eager to get it finished and on its way, since I can't go myself! I'm stuck on how to edge it - one side curls up a tiny bit, and the other side down, just a touch. Urgh, lol!



Well that's all for today - just trying to get caught up a little bit. Better updating from now on!