Sunday, December 31, 2006

Feliz Ano Nuevo (with bonus weirdness)!

On this New Year's Eve, I give you a post rife with variety. Photos which must hold you, dear readers, for the next few weeks as my camera is going on a cruise with some other Dear Readers (details to follow), holiday tales (grab an eggnog or something stronger), and a meme--I'VE BEEN TAGGED! I'VE BEEN TAGGED!





Here is the most beautiful tree we've ever had. (This phrase is repeated each year by the Murphy family regarding each tree, whether it looks like the darling little one in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" or not.) (But this one is really fabulous.)












And what to my wondering eyes should appear in the mailbox but a brown cardboard box (sans the tiny reindeer). It Came From Paris (but it's not a monster flick). It's the loveliest box of le swag from my Pincushion Swap-giver, Valerie! I have a tres charmant Tour Eiffel pincushion, some darling little frogs, and tasty biscuits and chocolate! (Both of which have undergone strenuous taste testing and received approval from the Homeland Snack Security Council--namely the hubbo and girl-chick). I'm actually working on learning French, and so visiting Valerie's blog is delightful and a bit brain-twisting--go take a peek, she makes really creative stuff.









Do you see what I see? YES, it IS Navajo Churro Wool! Last year, I heard that one of the local Farmer's Markets in Phoenix would be visited by ladies spinning and selling this gorgeous stuff. We didn't get to it then, but earlier this year, we went and found the market. The ladies weren't there then, but my dearies snuck off one Saturday morning this month and met up with those spinners spinning! The grey is goat, the black is lamb, and Seth tells me that the woman who spun them knows the names of the animals from which came the fleece. Sweet! The luxurious goldeny one was dyed with wild carrot and the color is out-of-this-world. I just sat with them cuddled in my lap for the remainder of Christmas morning after opening the package. Thank you, my sweethearts!

Here's an interesting gift from my dear Della: Six Weird Things

THE RULES:Each player of this game starts with the ‘6 weird things about you.’ People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.”

I like weird.

1. I'm perfectly happy to tell anyone and everyone my age. 44! (And I'm stealing a bit of Della's list in that I, too, think my grey hair is cool. I've earned it!)

2. I unashamedly adore my in-laws. (They're getting temporary custody of my wee digital camera for their cruise thru the Panama Canal, and I'd gladly do anything for either of them.)(And the other-in-laws? The brothers- and sister-in-laws? Just as top-notch.) (I'm lucky.)

3. I love opera, but have never attended one. Perhaps in 2007...

4. At work, I can keep many balls aloft and wear five different hats and prioritize and keep calm in the midst of chaos. At home, I'm a slob and a sloth. Really.

5. Sandwiches must be made so that you can get a bit of each ingredient in every bite. If they aren't constructed properly, demolition and re-building will commence at once.

6. I drive with my toes instead of using my whole foot.

And with this tagging, I say ditto to Della's proviso that you should only play if you want to. (But come and play! It's fun!)

I tag:

KT
Emily
Mindy
Kathy
Bec
Debra
Martina

Ok, so I chose 7. It's in honor of 2007, and I LIKE odd numbers! So sue me!

Happy New Year, everybody!

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Just popped in for a minute...

Here's our tree, pre-decor, but with the added bonus of a little pixie peeking out from beneath...

Did your tree have one of these?
































And here's my hat, taken from Lemony Lemonade (who is on blogging hiatus)(*sob*)
by way of a slight change from SouleMama's pattern. If you're interested, comment and
I'll link you up. I made one of these for a co-worker's wedding earlier this year and
fell hard for the pattern. Recognize the yarn, Della?



















Happy Christmas again!

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Happy Christmas!

Here's a little gift for you, just in time for the big day........

http://www.elfyourself.com/

courtesy of my uber-fun sister-out-law.

Going to sign off now until after Monday. I'm not getting as much time off as anticipated afterwards, so I must go and make merry now!

Thanks to all of my friends out there for your comments and inspiration and your many kindnesses. Wishing us all peace and health and happiness and lots of knitting and crafting joy in the coming years. Talk to you soon!

Friday, December 15, 2006

Good to be back

To welcome back those of you who still pop in, I present the latest

"Wacky Springer Spaniel with stuff on nose" photos.

Spot really is a treasure. He's got a funny sense of humor, and if I could
hang around the house all day with my camera, my Flickr set of Stuff on Spot's
nose would be enormous. Unfortunately, he's very camera-shy, and
usually either rolls over so his snoot is not visible or licks off whatever
has come to rest there.

Anyhow, here are a couple of fun snaps:

































And I TRULY love this one.














Many posts back, you saw the early stages of my Pincushion Challenge
project. Here is it completed! Monique collects lovely china, which gave me
the idea, and I figured that you should have biscuit if you're having tea, so
I added the little needlebook. They arrived safe and sound (if a bit tardy)
to her home in the Netherlands. Go take a peek at her blog! She's a crafty one!











I have decided to ditch the part-time work. I've been doing transcription from my office, and it doesn't really take that long, but it cuts into my crafting/relaxing in the evening time, so I'll stop after the holidays. Turns out it didn't really earn me all that much extra loot, and it became something I dreaded in the evening, so there you are.

We're all sharing a cold--swapping symptoms on an almost daily basis. Fortunately we're almost ready for Christmas. My mom was kind enough to give me her sewing machine, and I've been noodling about with it today. I have a few plans for some craft items which may or may not be ready for Christmas, but that's ok.

I sent off my 2 Caps to the Capital, I sent off 4 hats to Rabbitch, and I'm making a hat for me! More details as it progresses. I hope that everyone is enjoying the holidays in whatever way pleases you most. Be well and have fun!

Friday, December 01, 2006

Why yes, you MAY have my autograph!

Ok, soozs, I'm with you! Maybe we can be the next Brittany & Paris of bloggerland!

(heh-heh)

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