ten on tuesday: the clean edition

Carole posted her "honey do" list for Dale today as a 10 on Tuesday. In our house, we don't really have a honey-do list, but there is a BUNCH of stuff around her that needs to get sorted. So, here's on the Spring To-Do list :

from this (not my stash--- some random photo from the internets)

to this. Also, not my room... but you get the idea. 

1. The yarn stash. Yup, time to "turn it over" and see what pops up.
2. Fix the yarn cabinet. I need Dan for this one... maybe I can get him to do it this weekend.
3. the sewing area. I need to go through stuff, toss fabrics I don't want and get creative with the storage of things.
4. Two closets in the back room. Time to toss out that which we are squirrelling away back there.
5. Bedroom: strip ,beds and clean off dressers. DUST. Move a lamp.
6. windows. Mine are filthy and it's starting to bug me.
7. Fridge and oven. I need to clean them both soon, but I hate cleaning the oven b/c it gets so darn hot.
8. the back room--- remove two chairs and clean a rug. There's a couch-fold out bed thing from Ikea I want to put in there.
9. new book cases for Dan--- we have a wobbly one and need a better one. I'm looking now for one with doors for him, to keep the dust out.
10. Get the veggie garden in out back. The raised bed needs to be weeded and the hanging baskets need to be set up. Oh, and I need to go get some plants.

ten on tuesday

So, I live in a cubicle, so my whole world, from 8;30 to 5pm is a bulletin board. So, here are some of the highlights:
1. A prized "motif #1" photograph that my best friend Sylvie gave me for my birthday a few years back. I love it. When i'm in a bad mood, I look at it. It's my perfect day: slightly cloudy, but bright, and autumn.
2. a labbit. I can't really explain this one.
3. an lolcat that I adore: my grumpy button, you're pushing it.
4. a bag made from a newspaper, gifted to me by my boss's sister in Ireland who I've never met, but is super crafty like me.
5. a cartoon of me from the company outing in 2010.
6. a sign from PC that says: "Promise me you'll always remember: you're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh
7. a straw ornament and pink umbrella from my friend at work, Mary. She works in VA now... and I miss her.
8. colorings from Olivia, Remi, Chloe, Tori and Brooke.
9. Jack (my nephew) in his soccer uniform... love this photo.
10. and my reminder for humility and humbleness in this world: "And I'm no theologian, but I'm pretty sure that if you hold a press conference to announce your philanthropy, it cancels out the gesture in heaven"  (quote from Jennifer Graham, a freelance writer for the Boston Globe). I saw this in December 2010 and it just resonated with me so clearly.

Luckiest Auntie

You know those friends of your parents? The ones who were family, even though you weren't related? Well, our Noodle is our "niece" but her mom and I are not sisters, in the traditional sense.

Today, I got to share the day with Mari and Noodle at the Gore Sheep Festival in Waltham, Mass. No yarn, still on my diet, but I did get some new bling. Hope your weekend was full of fun, fiber and friends, too.

10 on Tuesday: vacation

Today's 10 on Tuesday is pretty appropriate for Carole...I'm guessing her #1 is "not visiting battle sites." Mine are pretty "specific"  as 99% of PC and my vacations are camping. Camping is great and  I love it,but  it's not a worry free or stuff-free vacation.

photos to show what we love about camping

So, top 10 things about coming HOME from vacation...

1. Showering inside. And without flip flops. Our favorite campground doesn't heat the bathrooms, so our May and October camping trips are plagued with eye-opening showers. 

not Dan.

2. Sleeping on a real mattress. Off the ground. Our double height air mattress is great, but after a week? i'm ready for my bed.

not quite, but i do have a rug. 

3. prep space for cooking.We have a camp stove, a camp grill and a camp kitchen that we take on weeklongs... I love them all,but I miss my island. 

mine is very close to this

4. the right tools for cooking--- i have most of what I need, but limited to 1 pan, 1 pot. 

yumm....beans

5. TV for rainy days. Yup, I love camping,but when it's dark and a rainy night, sometimes you miss the good old tv. I love to read, so my nook gets a hefty workout when we're camping.

6. Not having to hike to find the bathroom. Our favorite campground has 2 bath houses... neither of which is next to our favorite sites. 

our camp has these, but they aren't in use. But they have them!

7. The cat. Yup, I'm one of those... I miss Pumpkin when we're away. She doesn't miss us, though... she's at PC's parents house, living the high life.

Pumpkin as a baby

8. Having everything in one place. When you camp, you end up moving stuff. Alot. Like the coolers into and out of the cars (bears).

9. Air conditioning.... last year, we camped during the hottest week in N.H. history. With a 3 year old. Granted, we were by the lake all day, but still... barely a breeze and even the shade was hot. 

10. planning the next camping trip!!!

our first site at Cove Camping Area, Conway Lake... 7 years ago. 

great stash knitdown

The 2012 great stash knit down continues. To date, I haven't purchased a single skein or ball of yarn in 2012. Imagine that? Even when Kim at Woolen Rabbit announced her yarn club. (my heart sank) Or when Webs decided to inundate my house with reminders that the anniversary sale is NOW! (and Cascade 220, my go-to standard, is on sale for like $5). Or when I sat down at Iron Horse Farms in Natick with Dora and flipped through pattern books. And helped her buy yarn. I bought two pattern books, a set of needles and a knitting basket. But no yarn. :) And, as an aside to the lovely owner of Iron Horse-- she respected my wish to shop the stash first, my commitment to knitting with what i have... never pushed. I will be back. Not my favorite shop, but it will get my yarn dollars just for that. Oh, and the kitchen table to sit at and flip through pattern books.

What's on my needles? Finishing up a Molly scarf in Noro Silk, a sweater for a bambina (! a girl!) on the way, sweaters for next fall for her brothers... and some hats, mittens, fingerless mitts. Yup, i'm busy and I have two quilts that need to be 1) quilted and bound, 2) designed, pieced, layered, quilted and bound.

I'm a busy woman!

"Don't put me down until I'm dry. Ok?"

"If eyedrops and medicine mean 2 cookies, what does a bath mean? My own chicken?"

I leave you with adorable cat-washing photos... Pumpkin was very well behaved during her bath. Not a meow, a hiss or growl to be heard. She resisted, but she really liked being dried off in a warm fluffy towel. And she's cleaner now. And, hopefully, less dandruff-y.

on my game...

You ever have one of those days where you feel like you really have it all together? My house is clean (not the craft room, just the house), I made two of the recipe below (one for tonight, one for the freezer) before I left for work (put in the oven, take shower and dry hair, remove from oven, cool while eating breakfast), took out the trash/recycling, grabbed 3 bags of clothes to donate after work... it's a good day.

Today, I want to share with you a recipe that is one of my go-to meals when we're 1) saving money on groceries or 2) having one of "those" weeks where dinner just needs to be ready whenever someone is home. (for the record, we're experiencing both this week)

Crustless quiche

5 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup of milk
5-6 ounce ham, diced (leftover Easter ham would be good)
1 cup asparagus pieces (leftover roasted asparagus is divine in this)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Place the ham, asparagus and cheese in the bottom a pie dish, coated with cooking spray. Beat milk into eggs and add to pie dish. Using a fork, move the contents around so that the egg settles throughout the dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Eat hot or let cool.

We'll have ours tonight with a green salad and french bread. And probably a beer. I said it's been one of those weeks, didn't I?

I have knitting to show, but I've decided to write up the pattern (it's simple,but we all need beginner patterns at some point, right?) so you'll see photos tomorrow. And pattern by the end of the month. If you want to test-knit, leave a comment and your email address. or email me at kskaare (at) gmail (dot) com.

hello, 1991

I got this from Classic Elite today in my inbox:

I know the yarn is "Florida themed" but this is a little "Golden Girls?"

An ad for their new line of yarns, Sanibel. The yarn looks great, but the associated patterns? Hello, 1991...am I right? Now, I will admit, that with the new creative leadership at the helm, I've been staunchy shying away from CE designs, but I do still love their yarn. And, one of the patterns is cute, but the yarn takes away from the cuteness!  

cute, right? In a solid color, this would be adorable. 

Maybe it's just me, but I'm really hoping that we see something better for Fall 2012. 

Tea, cookies and quilting

Amazingly so, but I was up at 5:39 this morning, making Christmas cookies. Yup. Work is having a bake-off today and this is my entry: kringle. (Pronounced kring-lah)

It's a simple sour cream tea cookie, kind of like the Stella Dora "s" cookies. I will put the recipe in a bit.

Next, I took a quilting class on Saturday: tea leaves with Michelle Poor, the pattern designer. It was my first class with an actual designer and it was fun to hear how the pattern evolved. (She liked cathedral windows but didn't like the fussiness of the pattern). It is not too bad for my first attempt. This simple table topper took 4 hours, start to finish.

Knitting tomorrow.

I'm back, baby...I'm back.

Moving On Up

Ten on Tuesday is what it's going to take to get me back in the blogging world? I guess so. 

My top 10 tips for moving:

1. only one person per room. I'm serious. One person packs one room. 

2. Label boxes how YOU need to remember them. Our last move, the boxes had random words and "hello my name is..." stickers on them. The stickers said "kitchen, bath,etc" and the other writing was the contents.

3. Hire movers. I don't think you need to hire someone to pack, but someone to move... yes! Moving is stressful enough without worrying about whether you should go down the stairs forward or backward when moving the dresser. Let the pros do it.

4. Invite your best friend/sister-in-law/mom... anyone who knows you the way only they can know you (and not be sleeping with you). Have them be at the "next house" to receive the moving stuff and be the cleaner of new place. My bff, Sylvie spent an entire morning in my new apartment, cleaning floors and wiping down the bathroom. B/c honestly, who wants to clean the house when you move in?

5. take pictures. Of the old place, the new place. We're renters (and proud of it!), so we do the whole digital camera with the time/date stamp on to document any moving company snafus, new apartment issues, etc. It's easier when you have proof that you didn't crack the bathroom tile, when it comes to security deposits.

6. Start early. I was out of work the last time we moved, so I took 3 full weeks of packing every day, for about 2 hours per day while PC was at work. 

7. Sort and toss. We threw out 38 bags of garbage from our old apartment when we moved. And donated 50 boxes of crap--- kitchen, clothes, dishes, knick-knacks.

8. Have someone watch the pets. Moving is stressful and Pumpkin would have never survived a day with open doors, new houses, strangers and MOVING... so we had PC's folks take her for two days and they brought her to our new house the day we moved in.

9. Know the local pizza/take out # for the night you move in... we were lucky, my mom and dad came over and brought us (and our friends) pizza and beer. 

10. split the work: PC cleaned at our old place while I organized the move at the new place. then we switched the following day. 

Cathartic...

Linda Carter: I bet she never had to pick up socks or figure out for the umpteenth time what was for dinner.  

I had a really interesting visit with my nutritionist, Paula, this morning. I've been feeling in a slump, very discouraged by weight, lack of energy, etc. It started me thinking about how I always feel guilty about taking "me" time. Like I'm not worth the effort to get in shape, eat better. I'm worth it.  And how I'm starting to resent PC when he takes a whole day to watch football and I spend the whole day meal planning. Sure, I do my share of knitting, and sitting... and he has been known to cook a meal and run the vacuum, but why on earth do I feel like I need to do it all?

(*note to PC: this is NOT about you, it's about me and perception and stress and pressure. NOT you.)

Anyway. So, I'm hear to say "I'm not Wonder Woman." I cannot do it all. I can't .

• I can't work 50+ hours per week.
• I can't be the perfect girlfriend. 
• I can't be the perfect housekeeper. 
• I can't be the personal chef. 
• I can't keep it all together with the bills. 
• I can't knit 25 baby sweaters b/c I feel stupid giving a gift card. 
• I can't keep up with the laundry. 
• I can't find time to head to the gym.
• I can't find the strength to trust that this lifestyle change will work. 

With help and support, what can I do?

• I can make an hour each day for me to go to the gym/walk/pilates/spinning class.
• I can make an hour each day to knit. 
• I can ask for help with meals and housekeeping.
• I can stop making excuses for not asking for help.
• I can find room in the budget for some "help" with the house.
• I can have 2012 be the year I only knit what I want-- no 'orders'
• I can have the courage to say "this is me, and only me... I cannot be anyone else."
• I can insist on sharing responsibilities, both at home and at work.
• I can make my dietary changes stick.
• I can make healthy meals for myself and PC. 
• I can take charge of my life and LIVE!

What can't /can you do?

Brr... 10 on Tuesday

I have a HUGE long, photo-heavy, post about my weekend (it was Ah-Mazing) for you, but it needs to wait until tomorrow. Yes, woe is you. I'm even working on a tutorial of sorts for you all. With photos. Hello-another woe. 

Until then, I have 10 things to do when it's too cold to go outside.

1. Knit. Surprise! Knitting is my favorite thing to do when you can't leave the house!
2. Movie-a-thon. So far in our (omg- 6?) 6 years of happily unwedded cohabitation, PC and I have had a Lord of the Rings weekend, a Star Wars weekend, a Pillars of the Earth (Showtime, all 12 episodes, in one weekend) weekend, a Harry Potter weekend (to catch PC up before the 1st last movie) and we'll be having an Indiana Jones one soon... and a season 1 of Game of Thrones. 
3. cook. Yup--- those are the days for roasting veggies, cooking giant hunks of meat, simmering a soup... 
4. clean. If you are trapped in the house, you will see how gross it is... cleaning helps.
5. nap. PC naps, I don't. On occasion, I have napped on a snow day... it's the only time I feel like it's a good thing to do.
6. "not nap." (wink, wink... nudge, nudge). You know, the OTHER thing you can do in the room with the bed that is NOT napping. We have no kids and I think this might be harder to do with other people trapped in the house with you. 
7. read a book. I have a nook color, so as long as i have wifi--- i'm in endless books (and endless debt. Hello bn.com-linked credit card!) and PC, well...he has a book habit like i have a yarn habit.  Just sayin'. 
8. Scrabble. Or cards. Or any game. We like Scrabble and cards. Rummy 500 to be exact. 
9. Call friends. My friend, Dora, is great to chat with on the phone... and well, by the time I'm up to HERE with PC (day 2 of a snowed-in weekend), she's at the same point with her hubby. We commiserate. :) 
10. Think ahead for some blog ideas... this was #1 on my list this Sunday!

Animal crackers in my soup....

Photo credit: www.eatthinkandbemerry.wordpress.com

 Carole challenged us to come up with our 10 favorite soups. This is a significant challenge for me because, well, I love soup. Not just like soup, I love soup. Soup is my favorite food. It's good, cold in the summer, hot in the winter. Soup fills you up. Soup warms you up. Soup makes you feel loved. Soup is, for me, the perfect dinner. Or lunch. And I've been known to eat it for breakfast.

It's cheap, it can be healthy and if you have guests show up, well, you just another another cup of water to the pot. 

Ten on Tuesday's Top 10 Soups:

1. French Onion Soup. Soup Onion gratin. Very specifically, I love all french onion soup, but the 99 Restaurant does french onion soup the best. And, this place called "le central" in San Francisco, between Union Square and the financial district. Delish. 
2. Roasted tomato gratin soup at Sel de la terre. Oh, how i dream of this soup... I would eat vats of this soup. 
3. Minestrone Soup. Not surprised are you? My sister-in-law, Jess, makes the best minestrone soup. It's hearty, it's packed with veggies and it's made with love. 
4. Pasta fagiole (macaroni and bean)--- I like the Progresso one. Yup, canned, loaded with salt, but oh my... delicious.
5. Ring'O'Noodle. The Lipton packaged stuff in the envelope. When I'm down, sick or just having a crappy day, this soup can make me good again. It likes a grilled cheese accompaniment, but it stands alone just fine.
6. Kielbasa, kale and bean. I just made this last week for dinner. PC's not a soup fan (he doesn't think it's 'food' and therefore there has to be something else with the soup), but he loved this. My recipe was a bit salty but i know how to fix it for next time. Parmesano Reggiano rind, cannellini beans, kielbasa, healthy kale,...what's not to love?
7. Soup at Hands--- i love them all. Each is under 100 calories, and i keep 3 in my desk at work at all times. Forgot your lunch? Got it. Need a snack and don't (shouldn't) want cookies? Got it. Running late and didn't eat breakfast? Got it. 
8. Good ole chicken noodle. My mom used to make it with the birds' nests (if you grew up near or as an Italian, you know the birds' nests), so each bowl got it's own nest. All white meat chicken, sweet carrots... yum.
9. Carrot ginger soup. I have a great recipe that I adore, but I need to put it away for a while. It's 2lbs of carrots, 1 small potato, 2 inches of fresh ginger (minced), 6 cups veggie stock. Cook for 45 minutes. 
10. Lentil soup. (in my lunch today!) I make mine with carrots, celery, onion, tomato paste, and red lentils. 

my four quilts

I had several comments asking  "which four quilts?"

1. Bear Paw Quilt (moda bake shop). I love this quilt. I'm hoping to use up some of my "autumn" fabrics for this one. With stark white background.  And lots of meandering quilting.

2. Jelly Roll star quilt. This might be the first one I make. It's for my bed.

3. Zig Zag quilt from purl bee. Simple, yes, but I'd love to do some awesome shadow quilting in the "white space" (though mine might be black. Yup. BLACK.)

4. Irish Chain. *sigh* gorgeous, right?

My ambition is high and not all will be bed sized (we love a good snugglin' quilt in this house!) and not all are for me... :)

10 on Tuesday: 2012

Carole made a comment that she doesn't "do resolutions" but that she does goals... I like that. I'm pretty good at resolutions, but not great at keeping them.   Some big things happened in 2011, some good, some bad... and it had me thinking from October (my 34th birthday), that some things need to change. Some of it you'll see on the blog, some I'll allude to (and if I feel it would help me, share with you all) and some, well... some you have to know me "in real life" to be in the loop.

But, here are 10 things I want to do in 2012:
1. knit more socks.
2. knit myself 2 sweaters
3. lose weight. A significant amount of weight... like three digits worth. Eating better and believing that it can actually work would help out.
4. get moving... swimming, pilates, kicking things at my trainer... by December 31, 2012, I want to be physically active 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
5. save money... yup, here comes a yarn diet. (note: no one can have a baby between now and December--- I don't keep baby friendly yarn in stock)
6. reduce the stash by 60%
7. make 4 quilts-- I already know which 4 I want to make too.
8. Be a better friend... when my life gets out of control, i shut down and internalize... and I need my friends more than ever!
9. Shake it... take a zumba class, or use the wii  or kinect dance games.
10. buy a kayak and start paddling!!!

New year, resolute.

Day one of 2012 will be a quiet post, as 2011 ended terribly, so we are quietly welcoming the new year, not unlike not wanting to wake a sleeping giant.

What you see here is a new sweater for PC. Navy blue berrocco vintage, us 7 bamboo needles....an EZ seamless hybrid.

10 on Tuesday... the Final Push

Today's 10 is "10 things to get done by the weekend"--- timely b/c this weekend is solstice, Christmas and Hanukkah.  My list looks fairly tame considering that for the past 2.5 weeks, I've been running to and from a hospital. My mom got very sick, it complicated her COPD and we are in the midst of a very long exacerbation, currently  at rehab, but started December on a ventilator and with prayers. Needless to say, my normal, exuberant Christmas spirit went right out the window. Even now, we have the tree up and decorated, some of the decor done, but honestly? I kind of just want to get through the weekend (and perhaps a 1 day pass for my mom on Christmas Day, so my brother and SIL can bring up the only grandkid for a few hours to see his Nana). PC and I host Christmas dinner, so there is that to attend to, but he's handling 90% of that task.  And, friends? PC has been a godsend through this. As happily unmarried as we are, you know that you have a true partner in life when he's taking care of everything in the house, so when you get home at 10pm from the ICU, you can eat, cry and sleep.

But, for now... I still have a wee list of things to get done:

1. buy asparagus and Brussels sprouts for dinner

2. clean the bathroom and kitchen. Again.

3. finish wrapping... i have one gift left to wrap. Oh, no... three. Whoops

4. pick up a gift for my dad from my mom (and a few card options too)-- yup, she's a sneaky Santa even when sick.

5. make dinner plans with friends for next week (Sylvie, this is you)

6. buy thank you cards 

7. find something for my brother's kind of girlfriend (??)--- i never know what to get her, and she's sorta kinda still with him.... it's all very complicated.  

8. get my second wreath up on the door

9. make fudge. two small batches, unlike the 12 or so I normally do.

10. finish up a thousand and one little things at work. 

The hostess with the mostest

I love giving hostess gifts... so easy and so thoughtful. After dining in friends' homes a number of times, I don't usually bother (so many friends stop being "company" after a few years), but it is nice to have as you approach the holiday party season.

My mom taught me that a hostess gift should be "what it is: a gift for the woman who did all the darn work!" So... here are some of my ideas:

1. Flowers. In a vase, even a cheap one. (Never make a host/hostess hunt for a vase when they are mid-meal prep).
2. Plant. No vase needed and can perhaps be transplanted to the yard.
3. Candle--- go with pretty and unscented unless you know them really well. And their allergies. Soy candles are great.
4. Hand towels or dish towels. A nice dish cloth or hand towel (embroidered, or having a design) is a nice gift and always handy!
5. box of chocolates. I always add a note "for you to enjoy later," so they don't feel the need to share it with us.
6. seasonal or themed notepads, sticky notes, etc. 
7. a favorite coffee or tea--- make sure the coffee is already ground. 
8. an ornament for their Christmas tree (this is pretty easy this time of year)
9. a coffee table book or a book for the hostess to read
10. a centerpiece--- who couldn't use a nice holiday centerpiece

Also, my top few things to avoid bringing the hostess:

1. A bottle of wine. yes, it's traditional, but if the hostess has already paired the wine with the meal, she may feel pressured to open your bottle, even if it doesn't complement the meal. If you bring wine, insist it's "for you, for later."
2. cookies/dessert: unless asked to bring something. As the girl hosting a cookie swap on Friday, the last thing I need in my house is more sweets.
3. salad, side dish, etc... you may think your helping,  but parties & dinners are usually pre-planned when it comes to food, so again, unless you are asked (or it's a potluck)...

As the hostess, let's review a few things about receiving a hostess gift. 

1. Acknowledge the gift. 
2. Say thank you!
3. Set is aside.
4. open it later. 

Ten for Tuesday, Holiday edition

Holiday edition and holiday traditions. My family has a bunch of holiday traditions, many that haven't been done since we were kids, but I remember them...

this is the exact nativity and creche that my mom had when we were growing up

1. Dan and I buy our tree from the local Catholic Church, Our Lady's in Newton. I've never bought a tree from an organization that wasn't benefiting from the sale and I probably never will. Even this one, the attached high school, Trinity, rents the space to the tree seller, so they get the rent each year. The tree can be no higher than the top of my hand when i put my arm up. Otherwise, the topper will never get up there.
2. Making fudge. Nana J's secret recipe... and it's delish.
3. Sending cards. My SIL has the right idea- if they send an e-card, they are off the Christmas list.
4. Christmas eve at my parents. Everyone laughing and raising hell, drinking a little too much, eating WAY too much.
5. Meatballs and sauce on Christmas eve at my mom's... everyone's got a piece of bread dunked in there throughout the day... just waiting for it to be 'done'.
6. Opening stockings and presents on Christmas eve... what can I say, we're Norweigan!
7. Finding the LifeSavers storybooks and Tootsie Roll trees in our stockings... like we're still 5. And we hide them immediately to prevent theft.
8. Blue-tin cookies... you are a definite north-shore-er if you know the blue-tin cookies
9. Midnight Mass. It's poetic and mystical and soothing to me. Our church has the holy spirit knock on the door and the congregation invites the spirit into our church and our lives. It moves me.
10. My cookie swap... it's silly, but fun and everyone has a great time.

Advent Calendar for Jackson Robert

A few weeks ago (pre-Thanksgiving), I started discussing Advent calendars with my sister-in-law. Yep, that sister-in-law, the one who loves anything I make for the buggy one and is also very crafty herself (can't wait to smell her new cinnamon wreath--- she says the house smells like Christmas now).  I wanted it to be different, personalized... definitely say "made for Jack by someone who really loves the snot out of him."  But it needed to be quick! Advent was impending! I hadn't a lot of time! 

So, I dropped my knitting needles and grabbed the felt, scissors and embroidery needle and off I went. To my chair, in the living room, drinking hot tea and cutting, assembling, adorning mittens. 

Love these little mittens, #25 is the only white one and the only one with red letters. The rest are gold. 

Each mitten is a pocket for a toy, ornament or candy. I used the dimensions from creating his 2010 mittens (see here) and made his own hands the mittens! I used a quick running stitch in a contrasting color to create a hand-made cozy feeling. And, every few mittens, I'd trim with the pinking shears. Each mitten has a date (1-25), all hand embroidered with embroidery floss.  

At the corner of each mitten, I strung them with embroidery floss and tied in 3-7 small jingle bells, so it makes noise as he runs down the stairs :) 

And, here they are hung over the doors of my china cupboard. 25 little mittens just waiting to delight and surprise one special little boy. 

The verdict? He loves it! 

little hiatus

My short hiatus got pretty long. The sore throat/cold thing turned into double ear infections, sinus infection and strep throat. Which PC got too. The week of Thanksgiving. So, our Thanksgiving week was, let's say "interesting." I had some unexpected time out of the office (which is never good because my office is pretty unforgiving when you use the time off they give you. More about this later.)  and it resulted in very little knitting. Last Tuesday, I slept for 19 hours. No knitting there.

Thanksgiving was pretty good, but I still can't hear out of my left ear. I've got to see if I can get into the doctor on Saturday.

The 10 on Tuesday is  "ten favorite musicals." Hmm.. i've never been a HUGE fan of them.

1. Legally Blonde, the Musical. I saw this a few weeks ago for a Girls' Night Out and it was great!
2. Christmas Carol, but ONLY by the North Shore Music Theater in Beverly, MA. Anything else is just not good. (David Coffee as Scrooge is BRILLIANT)

3. The Who's Tommy. I remember liking that one, but the crack-whore scared me.
4. Wizard of Oz... is this a musical? Or a movie with songs?
5. Lion King--- PC took me one year and it was pretty awesome.

6. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreancoat

7. Hair
8. Rent
9. Sweeney Todd
10. Le Cage