Monday, November 30, 2009

MeMe Monday - Honesty

If we're going to be honest, I should start by admitting this isn't actually a meme.  It's a note I was tagged with on FaceBook.  But isn't that kind of the same thing?  I never got around to filling this out on FaceBook, so I figured I might was well use it for MeMe Monday.

Can you fill this out without lying? You've been tagged, so now you need to answer all the questions HONESTLY.

1. What was the last thing you put in your mouth? An organic banana.

2. Where was your profile picture taken? It was taken on the beach in Westport on our wedding day.

3. Can you play Guitar Hero?  I don't know, I've never tried.  What do you have to do?

4. Name someone who made you laugh today?  Does K.C. count?

5. How late did you stay up last night and why? I was up until 10:30 wasting time on the internet.

6. If you could move somewhere else, would you?  I don't know.  I love my little house.  But a bigger house in a better neighborhood would be nice.  I don't think I'd want to leave New England though.

7. Ever been kissed under fireworks?  I don't specifically remember, but I'm sure Pete and I must have kissed while watching fireworks at Disney World.

8. Which of your friends lives closest to you on your FaceBook list?  My husband, of course!!

9. Do you believe exes can be friends?  I think they can.  Although I'm not friends with any of my exes.  At least not the ones I was very serious with.

10. How do you feel about Dr Pepper?  It's good, but I don't drink it often.

11. When was the last time you cried really hard?  Thanksgiving night.

12. Who took your profile picture? My friend Dave.

13. Who was the last person you took a picture of?  Person?  I guess K.C. doesn't count.  Hmmm, this is a tough one.  Probably the last time I took a pictures of a person was when I kinneared (it is a real word!!) Nikolai Morozov at a skating show in September.  Want to see?



14. Was yesterday better than today?  You bet.  Mondays are the worst.

15. Can you live a day without TV? I'm sure I could.  But why would I want to try?

16. Are you upset about anything?  Of course I am.

17. Do you think relationships are ever really worth it? Of course they are.  What kind of stupid questions are these??

18. Are you a bad influence?  Probably not.  Unless you need someone to talk you out of eating chocolate or buying yarn.  Then most certainly yes!!

19. Night out or night in? Night in with comfy clothes and good snacks.

20. What items could you not go without during the day?  Probably my lap-top computer, my coffee and my cat.

21. Who was the last person you visited in the hospital? My Dad's twin brother.

22. What does the last text message in your inbox say?  I don't text.  But my last email was from Harry, telling me I should spin K.C.'s fur into yarn.  Funny guy, that one.

23. How do you feel about your life right now?  Life?  What life?  I'd need to have a life to be able to tell you my feelings about it!

24. Do you hate anyone?  Hate is a very strong word.  I am displeased with a few people, but I'm not sure I hate them.

25. If we were to look in your Facebook inbox, what would we find?  A message from my brother-in-law.

26. Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass? Absolutely, unless they were screening for insulin or blood pressure and cholesterol medications.

27. Has anyone ever called you perfect before? My husband, but he's very biased.  I am far from perfect, as is any one human.

28. What song is stuck in your head?  I didn't have one stuck in there, but when I read this question Brick House suddenly started playing in my head.  I don't know why.  (You didn't really expect me to link a Commodore's video, did you?)

29. Someone knocks on your window at 2:00 a.m., a secret lover or George Clooney?  Couldn't George Clooney be my secret lover?  Okay then, I guess no one is knocking at 2 a.m.

30.Wanna have grandkids before you’re 50?  That is clearly impossible.

31. Name something you have to do tomorrow?  Get my blood work done.

32. Do you think too much or too little?  Way too much!

33. Do you smile a lot?  I think so.  I also glare a lot.

Bonus Round...

34. How many hours a day do you spend on the computer?  Far too many.

35. If you could be anyone else for a day, who would you be? Hmmm, that's a hard one. Hopefully some one really cool!

36. Facebook or Twitter?  I like them both, but for different things.

37. Chicken or Beef?  Yes please.

38. Mac or PC?  I considered both when I needed a new computer.  Finances made me stick with a PC.  I'm fine with that.

39. Have you ever punched anyone in the face?  Not intentionally, but things happen on a crowded dance floor.

40. Last music received or purchased?  Eeee, okay, I was feeling sentimental and bought The Rose from iTunes.  I'm slightly embarrassed about this.  (Also, no one skates to The Rose - so it's Bette in the link this time!)

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Sunday Snapshots . . .

It's the last day of the long holiday weekend.  And as fun as it's been, I'm pretty wiped out from all of the socializing . . . and eating!!  So instead of going out to snap pictures today, I'm posting some of my favorites from my hard-drive.


I took this picture in St. Thomas during the cruise we took to celebrate our 5th anniversary.   That was my favorite day of the whole cruise and this is my favorite picture.  It takes me right back to our perfect day on that beautiful island.


This is Charlie during the only Christmas we got to spend with him.  He got quite a few presents, including the Kiddy Condo you can see on the far left.  Of course, he wasn't at all interested in anything we bought him.  Instead he decided he loved Pete's new back-pack and would curl up on it for a nap any chance he got!


Of course, I have to follow a picture of Charlie with a picture of K.C.  Wouldn't want her to get jealous, would we?  This was taken within minutes of bringing her home from the shelter.  I was thrilled that she climbed right into my lap.  Knowing her as well as I do now, I think she was absolutely terrified to be in a new place.  But I'm happy that she felt protected by me right from the start.


I LOVE this picture!  It's my Mom, my uncle and my aunt.  It really shows their personalities.  My uncle, hamming it up with that toy gun in his hand.  My mom, carefully trying to balance her birthday cake so she doesn't drop it.  And my aunt, ready to dig in!


Me, at Webs, meeting The Yarn Harlot.  She agreed to hold my sock, and asked me to hold her Traveling Sock!!  For a knitter, life doesn't get much better than that!


And last but not least, my SweetPea.  He emailed this picture they took of him at work getting an award.  He's pretty awesome, isn't he?

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Back to the beginning . . .



Well, it's day 28 of NaBloPoMo.  And I've got absolutely nothing to post about.  Really, I've wracked my brain and I can't think of a thing.  So I decided to go back . . . . way back.  I'm going to re-run the first post I ever wrote for this blog.  I figure most of you have never read it, so it will be brand new.  And it will be fun to see how far I've come.  Hope you enjoy it!!

How It All Began

The first thing to know about me is that I am a Gemini. This is important to know, because in my dabbling in astrology I have found the following traits linked to Geminis: curious and inventive, but also scattered and lacking in follow-through. That about sums up my foray into knitting.

My grandmother always knit, and would have been happy to teach me . . . but no, I wanted to crochet. (I still don't know how). A couple of years after she passed on, I was with my now-husband-then-boyfriend shopping in Boston and came across a knitting book. I suddenly decided I must teach myself to knit. We bought the book, and it sat unread for about a year.

One day I decided the time was right to teach myself. I bought some double-pointed metal needles (what did I know) picked up some acrylic yarn I had saved from my grandmother's stash and began the first project in the book. The Basic Dishcloth. It was a square done entirely in the knit stitch. My journey had begun . . .

As luck would have it, my uncle came up from Tennessee for a visit. This turned out to be a good thing, knit-wise, because we all went for a visit with my great-aunt Stella - my grandmother's sister. I brought along my knitting for advice and help (little did I know how much help I needed).

The first think Aunt Stella did was ask "Why are you knitting on those needles?". Why? Well, there were an awful lot to choose from at the store and those looked nice. She promptly gave me a pair of single pointed needles. She then pointed out that a dishcloth knitted in acrylic would not be very absorbent. (Looking back now, how could I have been so stupid??) She also attempted to correct my technique, which seemed (to quote her) "ass-backwards". As it turns out, she was right . . .

Friday, November 27, 2009

'Tis the Season

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, I suppose it's time to look ahead to Christmas and start getting into the spirit.  How do I make that happen?



By indulging in my first Gingerbread Latte of the season.  It certainly won't be my last!  Some how the holiday stresses seem to lighten up when I catch a glimpse of that little gingerbread man dipping his toes into my coffee.

What holiday treats do you look forward to all year long?  Have you indulged in any yet?

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Giving Thanks

The turkey has been eaten.  The pies have been served.  The thanks has been given.  What two things am I most thankful for?



The two loves of my life!!  What else am I thankful for?  Here's a not-so-serious list . . .

  • all my yarn
  • the fact that while my home-made ravioli were a bunt, my home-made cranberry sauce was a grand slam!  Hey, wait, I'm not into baseball, I'm into figure skating.  Okay, the fact that while my home-made ravioli were a single lutz, my home-made cranberry sauce was a quad-toe loop!
  • the fact that I'm not into baseball, I'm into figure skating.
  • my family.  Even the uncle who told me today how fat I am.  Twice.  Really, he honestly did.  Yes, I am even thankful him.
  • the fact that I didn't cry in front of everyone after talking to that uncle.
  • that there are only four more days left of NaBloPoMo.  Seriously, any more and I probably wouldn't make it!!
  • that both my father's twin and my mother's sister were released from the hospital and got to spend Thanksgiving at home with their families.
  • did I mention all the yarn???
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving too!!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Grandma would be proud . . .

At least, I hope she would!  You see, every year at Thanksgiving, my grandmother would make home-made ravioli.  I don't remember having them at any other time, although I'm sure she must have made them more often for my grandfather.  This year, I decided to try to keep the tradition.  Grammy taught me to make pasta dough, and I've made fettuccine often.  But I've never attempted ravioli.  So, how did it go?  Well, first I made the well of flour.  Then I added the eggs to the middle.



The next step is to mix it all together.   This part is always pretty scary because the eggs want to run all over the place.  I'm getting pretty good at keeping them under control though.  Before I knew it, I had my dough.



Next up, roll out the dough into strips. Then place the bottom layer into the ravioli mold.  My grandmother bought both the pasta maker and the ravioli molds for my mom.  I'm the only one who has ever used them.  My mom isn't Italian - and can't be bothered cooking anything too fussy.



Okay, now it's time for the filling. These are just plain cheese ravioli, but I'm looking forward to experimenting with more exotic fillings once my technique improves. Mmmmm, lobster ravioli!! Once filled, the second layer of pasta goes on and the mold gets rolled with a rolling pin to seal and cut the ravioli.



The last step is to break them apart.  Oh and boil them up for a taste-test, of course!!



In usual "bad blogger" style I forgot to take a picture of them on the plate before we gobbled them up.  So, how were they?  Honestly?  Eeeehh.  Pete thought they were great, but I can see room for improvement.  First of all, I need to roll the sheets of dough thinner.  I was afraid they'd be too delicate and break so I guess I left them a bit on the thick side.  I also need to put more filling in.  Neither of these things were much of a surprise.  I made 60 ravioli when the recipe was supposed to make 72 and that I had a ton of filling left over.  So yes, next time, thinner and more filling!

Are you trying anything new for Thanksgiving this year?

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

It's done, it's really really done!!!

At long last, Hypoteneuse is cast off.  And blocked.  And FO shots have been taken.  (Click on any of them to get a better look!)


Cast on: 14 February 2008
Completed: 25 October 2009
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpaca Alpaca Silk - Spring
Needles: US7 and US8

This took me forever, mostly because I get bored with scarves / stoles.  This was well worth the effort though.  It's so versatile.  I can wear it as a scarf.

Yikes, not sure what's with the big hair.  It was a windy day!!

I can wrap it around my head on a really cold day.


And if I drape it over my arms, I can even fly!!!


Okay, yes, I may have gone a bit overboard with the pictures.


Can you blame me? After all, this was on the needles for almost two years!!  And we found such a pretty spot for the photo shoot.  You'll humor me with one more picture, right??


Monday, November 23, 2009

Meme Monday - Couple's Meme

I saw this MeMe over on Allison's blog.  It's probably more than you ever wanted to know about me and Pete . . . but it is MeMe Monday.  So here we go.


How long have you been together?
Our first date was on June 26, 1999.  We were married on June 26, 2004.  Because I'm dorky like that.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
We met in March of 1999.  It's kind of a long story, but also kind of amusing.  A friend of mine kept asking me to go to a Singles Group with her.  I wasn't interested - I was convinced there wouldn't be any "good" guys there.  She talked another friend into going with her.  They both used to pester me to go with them.  One week, the Singles Group meeting was going to be at a restaurant that made The Best nachos so I agreed to go - just for the nachos.  I met Pete that night and decided the Singles Group wasn't that bad.  The rest is history.  Oh, and those two friends who talked me into going to the group?  They are both still single.

Who asked whom out?
I gave him my phone number.  Actually, I was too chicken, so a friend gave it to him for me.  A few days later, he called and asked me out.

How old are each of you?
Oh geez, you would have to ask.  No snickers, okay?  I am 41.  Pete is 35.  Shut up.

Whose siblings do you see the most?
Pete's.  My brother is in Colorado and we only see him every few years.  Pete's brother was in Virginia.  Then he was in Utah for a while, so we didn't see him much.  Now he's renting an apartment a few towns away from us until the New Year, so we see him several times a week.

Did you go to the same school?
No.  Even if we had grown up in the same town, we wouldn't have ever been in the same school at the same time.  Unless I stayed back a few years or he skipped a few grades - or both.

Are you from the same home town?
We aren't even from the same home state.

Who is smarter?
I'm not really sure.  We both did really well in school.  Pete probably uses more knowledge on his job.  I probably have more common sense and a better memory.

Who is the most sensitive?
Most certainly me.


Where do you eat out most as a couple?
I'm not sure we really have a favorite place.  It depends on what kind of food we're in the mood for.  We are lucky to have a bunch of really great restaurants in this area.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Probably to San Diego last February.

Who has the craziest exes?
I don't know.  Me?  I certainly have the most exes.  (That doesn't make me sound trampy, does it??)

Who has the worst temper?
Me me me me me!!!!  Poor Pete, I don't know how he puts up with me!

Who does the cooking?
I do.  Pete's not a bad cook.  But he's a slow cook.  And a very messy cook.  So I do most of the cooking.  He usually makes breakfast on the weekends though.  And if we want chicken cutlets, he always makes them.  His are a lot better than mine.  Not sure why, but they are always so juicy and yummy.  (Great, now I'm hungry.)

Who is the neat-freak?
That's me again.  He is a slob.  When he had his apartment in New Jersey and we were doing the long-distance thing, I used to take a week of vacation time to stay with him a few times a year.  I always spent the first few days cleaning his apartment.


Who is more stubborn?
I was going to say me again, but he's pretty stubborn too.  In a battle of wills, he's usually the one who gives in though.

Who hogs the bed?
Not me this time!!!  He constantly migrates to my side of the bed in his sleep.  K.C. sleeps on my side too.  I have no room!!

Who wakes up earlier?
On week days, he gets up first and I get up while he's eating breakfast.  On weekends, I'm always the first one up.

Where was your first date?
Tavern On Main. After dinner, we walked on the beach and sat on a bench and talked.  Years later, he brought me back to the same bench to propose.  It's the bench I am sitting on in the picture at the top of this post.

Who is more jealous?
I think it's probably a tie on that one.

How long did it take to get serious?
We had been dating for 6 months when he got the job offer in New Jersey.  I told him the choice was his, but that I wouldn't do a long-distance relationship again.  (I had been in one with my college boyfriend after graduation and it ended in a mess.)  Pete decided the job was too good to pass up.  I decided being with him was too good to pass up.  I think the minute I decided to do the long-distance thing again, it got serious.

Who eats more?
I always give him a larger portion of dinner.  So I'll say he does. 

Who does the laundry?
Me.  But when I was working, we both pitched in and did it.

Who’s better with the computer?
Probably me.

Who drives when you are together?
He always does the driving.  We never talk about it though.  We usually use my car, and I just hand him the keys on our way out the door.


Sunday, November 22, 2009

Sunday Snapshots . . .

Today was a good day.  It started with a big cup of coffee and time to browse through a new magazine that came in yesterday's mail.



Which inspired me to do a bit of baking using one of the new recipes in the magazine.  It was a huge success.



Then there was a walk along the seawall in town.



We all enjoyed the view, especially Chloe, my brother-in-law's dog.  (My dog-niece??)



The walk continued along the beach.



Where there was a sign with a sense of humor!  I loved this.



We even took some great pictures of my latest finished knitting project.  And some not so great ones as well.



I could use more Sundays just like this one!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

"Bee" My Honey . . .



A year or so ago, we noticed something going on in the yard next door.  At first we thought our neighbor was putting in a garden.  Then we noticed some weird box-like things going in.  When we saw him out there in a full beekeeper's suit, we finally knew what was going on.  Our neighbor was raising bees!  I thought it was really cool.  Pea wasn't as thrilled.  He was stung when he was little and his mother rushed him to the ER.  He was fine, but traumatized.  And still screams like a girl whenever we see a bee.  (But that's our little secret, okay?)

As time went on, Pea stopped being so paranoid about the bees.  We really don't see many of them in our yard. After all, they have a bee paradise next door, so why would they venture to the bee ghetto that our yard must be?


Bee Paradise

As we found out yesterday, having a neighbor who raises bees had a big advantage.  That advantage is fresh honey!  Our neighbor brought over a jar yesterday.  We spread it on our toast this morning and it was the best honey I've ever tasted in my life!!


Mmmmmm, Honey

I can't wait to try baking with this stuff.  I already have plans for some home-made granola sweetened with just this honey.  And a couple of loaves of honey-wheat bread.

Do you have any good honey recipes to suggest??

Friday, November 20, 2009

Everything I need . . .

I've got the pattern.  I've got the needles.  I've got the yarn.  (Of course I do - there is no lack of yarn around these parts!!)




Now all I need is a cup of tea.  And my DVR.  And perhaps some chocolate.

Yup, I guess I've also got my mojo back!!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Bloopers!!!!

So it's day 19 of NaBloPoMo and I'm starting to run dry.  Luckily my friend Kerri had a great idea that I'm totally stealing.  Yup, I'm posting a blooper reel because I have no other blog content.

I've done a couple of Diabetes Vlogs.  Unfortunately, before I took my "Making Movies" course, I never saved any of my raw footage.  I always shot in one take because I didn't know how to edit clips together.  If I made a mistake, I stopped the camera, deleted the video and started again.  So the only footage I have to work with is from my hobby vlog.  Luckily, I suck in front of the camera, so there were a few clips just waiting to be put on a blooper reel!!  Also luckily, this vlog was about knitting, so I can get away with posting it here.  And K.C. is featured at the end of the video - and I know she's been the star of this vlog lately.

Hope you enjoy it!!


Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Mojo is a No Go . . .



I have a confession to make.  I haven't done any knitting this week.  And I don't miss the feel of my needles and yarn one bit.

I don't understand why this happens sometimes.  After Rhinebeck and Stitches East I was filled with knitting enthusiasm.  I was happily knitting on projects old and new.  And then, suddenly, bam.  The knitting urge goes missing.

Does this happen to you?  What do you think causes it?  And most importantly, what gets your knitting  mojo going again???

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

At long last . . . .

one of my oldest projects is off the needles.



You might have noticed I didn't say it was finished.  That's because it's been sitting around for a few weeks waiting for a soaking and blocking.  To say I procrastinate a lot would be putting it mildly.  Especially since this was cast on in February of 2008!!  Please do call me out on my laziness and guilt me into getting this blocked so I can do a proper FO post!!!



Of course, I guess I have to steal it back from the "kitten" first!!

** She's not really a kitten - she's about three years old and has already had a litter of her own kittens before she was rescued.  But she's a petite little thing, so I call her "kitten".

Monday, November 16, 2009

Meme Monday - Thanksgiving Meme

I saw this new Meme last night over at Lynne's blog. Is Thanksgiving really next week already?  Well then, I guess I'd better get this Thanksgiving Meme done!  I'll preface this by saying I have never cooked a Thanksgiving dinner.  We always go to my parent's house for Thanksgiving.  I don't know what I'm going to do when their house finally sells and they move to Tennessee.  I just keep telling myself it will never actually happen.  Denial is a great coping mechanism.



1.What are the traditional favorites?  I guess our only tradition is to start the meal with "macaroni".  When I was little, we had Thanksgiving at my grandmother's every year.  The first course was always home-made fettuccine and ravioli.  We still start our Thanksgiving meal this way - although it's usually with either lasagna or those fresh pastas you buy in the grocery store.  Maybe this year I'll make the home-made macaroni just like Grammy did.

2.What new recipes will you try this year? We don't usually try any new recipies for the holidays.  Do you have one to suggest?

3.What part of the meal do you never compromise?  Mashed potatoes.  I HATE THEM and will never ever eat them.  No compromise.  My mom hates them too.  She always makes them for the rest of the family and makes baked potatoes for the two of us!

4.Who gets to carve the turkey?  My dad carves it every year.

5.Family style around the table or buffet style and everyone sits wherever there's room?  We always do dinner family style around the table - but all of the food my mom cooks never fits.  So the salad and pasta is served buffet style from the hutch.

6.How many will be at your table this year?  Unfortunately we'll be smaller than usual this year.  My brother is in Colorado.  My aunt and uncle won't be able to make it down from Maine, because my aunt was recently diagnosed with leukemia and is going through chemo.  So we'll have 7 of us - me and Pete, Mom and Dad, my other aunt and uncle and Pete's brother.

7.Three best pies for Thanksgiving dessert?  Although I don't like Pumpkin Pie, you have to serve it at Thanksgiving!  My favorite are Apple Crumb and Coconut Creme.  My mom usually has all three, and blueberry too.  Yes, that's right, seven people and four pies!!

8.Cranberry sauce...yeah or nay?  Nay - I don't like it.  And it always gets forgotten in the fridge - so even those who do like it don't get to indulge.

9.What time do you eat Thanksgiving dinner?  We usually go to my parent's house around 1:00 and sit down at the table around 2:00.

10.Favorite leftover?  That's a tough one, because I really like all of the leftovers.  I guess my favorites are the turkey and the pies.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Sunday Snapshots . . .

We didn't make it outside for a walk this weekend - rain, clouds and chores washed away any chance of snapping some pretty nature shots to share.  So instead, I'll share some of my favorite pictures of my little kitty cat.  Not that I take a lot of pictures of her or anything.  *grin*


I took this one when I dropped her off at the boarding place before Pete and I went on our cruise.  She looks so cute - but also so small and scared.  Yes, I cried when I left her there.  I cried a lot.


K.C. gets stuck modeling with yarn and knitting quite a bit.  She doesn't love it.  I love this picture because it looks like she's kissing the little yarny cat.  She's probably just trying to knock it off of herself using her head.


This is the day she decided to climb into the entertainment center and hang out for a while. I thought it was pretty funny. After all, she is very entertaining - so I guess the entertainment center is just the place for her.


I love this picture because it looks so ridiculous.  Some how, I caught her in mid-lick.  I love the look on her face.  Her eyes are so big, her tongue is sticking out.  It just cracks me up.


And in this one, she is sleeping peacefully in my lap.  Doesn't she look so sweet?  I melt every time I look at this one.

That's it for Sunday's Snapshots.  Hope you enjoyed it!!