I promise, I'll get back to crochet really soon. But in the meantime, here is Chief squirting uncle Joe with water. Here's Chickee flying high through the air, thrown by uncle Jim. Talk amongst yourselves, I'll be back in a few days.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Summer Fun
I promise, I'll get back to crochet really soon. But in the meantime, here is Chief squirting uncle Joe with water. Here's Chickee flying high through the air, thrown by uncle Jim. Talk amongst yourselves, I'll be back in a few days.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Chickee gets Jonas bros tix
This is the smile you get when you give an 8 year old tickets to see the Jonas Brothers in concert. Priceless.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Gallery Page
Check out my new Gallery Page! All my published and self-published patterns with links for the ones that are for sale! It's so nice to have them all in one spot! I'll post the link in the sidebar soon if I haven't done it already.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Raspberries
The raspberries have been so delicious this summer I have been eating a whole container full at a time. Can you see how these berries filled up with water when I rinsed them? They are like little cups. Yum. They look like little popcorn stitches.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
YouTube Video of TNNA Fashion Show
is HERE
Actually, it's several little videos because there were somewhere around 100 items in the show. Take a look!
Actually, it's several little videos because there were somewhere around 100 items in the show. Take a look!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Secret Weapon
Chickee decided to join the swim team this past week... three weeks into the season... So we had to rush around and find a plain black swimsuit in time for her first meet Thursday night. Chief didnt' want to swim on the team or practice with the team, so we didn't sign him up. Thursday night arrived and after a 2.5 hour rain delay the meet got off to a start. Chickee placed in 3rd with her relay team and she got a "best effort" ribbon in her individual freestyle race. She did great and we were so proud of her. She is going to develop into an excellent swimmer. When the boys in Chief's age group got on the blocks, Chief said he wanted to swim too. The coach grabbed Chief by the hand and put him on the blocks and bang they were off! I couldn't believe it! I was so thrilled that he wanted to swim and thrilled that the coach took advantage of the opportunity and let him! Chief wasn't really eligible to win anything, but he got a "best effort" ribbon and was happy. So now, Chief is the swim team's "secret weapon", so secret that not even the team knew about it! He didn't notice that he was the only one wearing a bright blue lizard print swimsuit amidst all the black speedos.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Fiction
City of Thieves by Dan Benioff
Written from the point of view of a teenage Russian boy during WWII, this story was almost bizarre. The young boy is taken into custody of the Russian police and offered his release if he is able to complete one task: Find 2 dozen eggs and return them to the commander within a week. The seemingly pointless task must be a comment on the pointlessness of war? Anyway, I was curious how it would end and I did indeed finish it, but I found myself skimming at times (especially the graphic war parts) looking to "get on with it."
Gardens of Water by Alan Drew
Again, not a light-hearted read. This story is set in Turkey during and after a catastrophic earthquake. The story then is about a family struggling to cope with the aftermath and a group of American relief workers who are there to help. It challenges the concepts of East meeting West and what role religion plays in relief. The characters struggle to relate to one another with the cultural issues when humanity issues arise. It was intriguing and well written but somewhat grim and left many philosophical questions lingering in the air.
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Who would have thought that the world of the Geisha in the lifetime of the 1920's to 1950's would be so interesting? I didn't. This work of fiction is so completely mesmerizing it is hard to remember that it is fiction and not a true story. I know that I am really enjoying a book when it interferes with my crochet. This book did. I had to just read it as fast as I could so that I could get back to work more quickly. I was worried that the book would read too much like a history lesson, but really this was more like a conversation with an extraordinary woman. It takes you through the transformation of child to adult, through her lessons to become a geisha and all that it entails. It was much more elegantly depicted than I expected for the topic. Excellent.
Mr. Muo's travelling couch by Dai Sijie
Ok, I tried. I read two chapters. I pulled this book off the "Librarian's choice" shelf at the library. I thought, hey, it's about a psychoanalyst, maybe I'll find this interesting, given my former profession as a mental health counselor. Nope. It was too scattered for me. I didn't finish it. Maybe you'll like it, but it didn't engage me. Off to read something else.
Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck
What a tear-jerker. It was a great book, easy to read, short and quick but Oh my goodness, I had to put it down several times to compose myself. My friends, if you have any issues with grief at all (and who doesn't?) this book will force you to heal just a little bit more. Reading it was the kind of pain that's like putting a dislocated bone back where it belongs. You know it's going to hurt, but you know it needs to be done, and in doing it, you'll feel better in the long run.
Written from the point of view of a teenage Russian boy during WWII, this story was almost bizarre. The young boy is taken into custody of the Russian police and offered his release if he is able to complete one task: Find 2 dozen eggs and return them to the commander within a week. The seemingly pointless task must be a comment on the pointlessness of war? Anyway, I was curious how it would end and I did indeed finish it, but I found myself skimming at times (especially the graphic war parts) looking to "get on with it."
Gardens of Water by Alan Drew
Again, not a light-hearted read. This story is set in Turkey during and after a catastrophic earthquake. The story then is about a family struggling to cope with the aftermath and a group of American relief workers who are there to help. It challenges the concepts of East meeting West and what role religion plays in relief. The characters struggle to relate to one another with the cultural issues when humanity issues arise. It was intriguing and well written but somewhat grim and left many philosophical questions lingering in the air.
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Who would have thought that the world of the Geisha in the lifetime of the 1920's to 1950's would be so interesting? I didn't. This work of fiction is so completely mesmerizing it is hard to remember that it is fiction and not a true story. I know that I am really enjoying a book when it interferes with my crochet. This book did. I had to just read it as fast as I could so that I could get back to work more quickly. I was worried that the book would read too much like a history lesson, but really this was more like a conversation with an extraordinary woman. It takes you through the transformation of child to adult, through her lessons to become a geisha and all that it entails. It was much more elegantly depicted than I expected for the topic. Excellent.
Mr. Muo's travelling couch by Dai Sijie
Ok, I tried. I read two chapters. I pulled this book off the "Librarian's choice" shelf at the library. I thought, hey, it's about a psychoanalyst, maybe I'll find this interesting, given my former profession as a mental health counselor. Nope. It was too scattered for me. I didn't finish it. Maybe you'll like it, but it didn't engage me. Off to read something else.
Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck
What a tear-jerker. It was a great book, easy to read, short and quick but Oh my goodness, I had to put it down several times to compose myself. My friends, if you have any issues with grief at all (and who doesn't?) this book will force you to heal just a little bit more. Reading it was the kind of pain that's like putting a dislocated bone back where it belongs. You know it's going to hurt, but you know it needs to be done, and in doing it, you'll feel better in the long run.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Boo!
I'm afraid July is going to be full of off-topic posts. There is just too much that I can't show you. But never fear, I'm still crocheting like crazy, more than ever. How's your Floating Ripple Blankets coming along? I need to post a photo of weaving in the ends, don't I? That's still on the to-do list. In the next week, I am designing and stitching two garments and a hat. I'm all caught up on my pattern writing. My crochet room looks like Armageddon, and desperately needs some organization. The room is busting at the seams at the moment. I use laundry baskets to carry all my yarn stuff from room to room when it's not sitting next to the couch. The crochet room is now so full you can't even see the carpet and there is barely a free path that leads to my printer on the far wall. Shameful. It's shameful. (shakes her head in disgust).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
