Frost

And Traditions

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Ah as I sat in my Nook this morning I could see a light skimmer of frost over all the bushes, trees and the water saturated ground from last weeks flooding. It was magnificent My Sweetie bopped into the Nook and mentioned as well how beautiful it was out there. “ Are you going to take some pictures?’ he queried. I smiled.

First things first… 1. Had to wake up TOTALLY. 2. Feed George 3. Feed the outside cats 4. Let the Kittens out for a romp 5. And THINK about the next move I should make.

This week has been something else. Of course this time of year IS hectic. Now that the Stockings have been found and the Angel is atop the tree things seemed to be getting better.

I still have not had the time to get the Embroidery thread, nor do some last minute shopping… UN encumbered from needs of others I am squirreling myself away to accomplish STUFF!

Here is the picture of the WVU Felted Door Decoration, still needs more “things” sewn on. Then to complete the College Football Excel Sheet… enter my picks, then enter the other participants. Heyya the First College Bowl Game is TONIGHT! Utah vs. Navy; Dec. 20, 9 p.m.; ESPN HD; San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl!

Oh yes Football and HA HA, me! This too is a family tradition and a fun one at that.

George and Willow got into the Act; I took 80 pictures just of them ;)

I did manage to get the homemade gifts that we give to some of the local business people in our town. I just finished actually. This year I mixed the Dry ingredients for

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Gingerbread Waffles *** Recipe at end of Post @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

What I will do with the Waffle Dry Ingredients is add the information for the wet ingredients in the Gift bag. The people to whom they are given have an opportunity to share with their families whenever it suits them.

@@@@@@@@@@@ No ordinary breakfast, gingerbread waffles are an easy indulgence and best served with tangy sour cream and tart lingonberry preserves (although, truth be told, they're delicious with any type of berry jam). For a special touch, use a heart-shape waffle iron.

@@ I might cheerfully add, just doing that has my Christmas Spirit topping the charts. @@@@@@@@

I remember years ago when I was a little Girl, Daddy would leave a Fifth of Vodka out for the Waste Management people… Mom on the other hand always added homemade bread or cookies. Think Mom was sorta against the Vodka, But bottom line the bottles were always gone as well as the food and a hasty note left saying MERRY CHRISTMAS and Thank You.

Gingerbread Waffles

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Ingredients Makes 10.

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2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 4 large eggs 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1 cup whole milk 1/2 cup sour cream, plus more for serving 3 tablespoons unsulfured molasses Lingonberry preserves (or other berry preserves), for serving

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Directions 1. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs, butter, milk, sour cream, and molasses in a medium bowl. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, and whisk until smooth.

2. Heat a waffle iron. Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each mold, and cook until golden brown. Serve warm waffles with sour cream and preserves.

Copyright 2007 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

And a good Yarn it is

Christmas Felted WVU LARGE Stocking for Door Decoration ~~~~~~~~~~~

The next will be the more traditional Christmas Colors of Red and green.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ First things first

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On the Table

Sock it to me! Spoken by the English actress Judy Carne who became known as the Sock-It-To-Me Girl on _Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In_ (NBC-TV, 1960s [Jan 22, 1968 - May 14, 1973]). She would appear and chant the phrase until -- ever unsuspecting -- something dreadful happened to her. ...The actual phrase was taken from a hit record entitled 'Respect' (1967) recorded by Aretha Franklin, which featured a chorus repeating 'Sock it to me' quite rapidly in the background. The phrase 'to sock it to someone' originally meant 'to put something bluntly' (and was used as such by Mark Twain). Black musicians gave it a sexual meaning, as in 'I'd like to sock it to _her_.' From _Dictionary of Catchphrases_ (1995) by Nigel Rees

The Model deciding how to display the socks finest features? Trivia: Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In

OH Man this dude is WEIRD

YAWN and SIGH

Tomorrow the Finished product!

Antenna???????

…and / or Tom Swifty (or Tom Swiftie)

*** Do not NOD off! Snickering **** HA a Niddy Noddy? How kewl is that word.

*** More about that further down the post.

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A Tom Swifty (or Tom Swiftie) is a phrase in which a quoted sentence is linked by a pun to the manner in which it is represented as having been said. Tom Swifties may be considered a type of Wellerism. Examples include: "Pass me the shellfish," said Tom crabbily. "Can I go looking for the Grail again?" Tom requested. My favorite one is: Who discovered radium?" asked Marie, curiously.

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Not Jonathan Swift [ Jonathan Swift (November 30, 1667 – October 19, 1745) was an Irish cleric, Dean of St. Patrick's, Dublin, satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for Whigs then for Tories), and poet, famous for works like Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal, A Journal to Stella, The Drapier's Letters, The Battle of the Books, and A Tale of a Tub.]

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Then I thought of this: How I FELT!

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Aarrgghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

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Etymology:

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Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German filz felt, Latin pellere to drive, beat

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Date: Before 12th century

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A cloth made of wool and fur often mixed with natural or synthetic fibers through the action of heat, moisture, chemicals, and pressure b: a firm woven cloth of wool or cotton heavily napped and shrunk.

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Felt is the oldest form of fabric known to humankind. It predates weaving and knitting, although there is archaeological evidence from the British Museum that the first known thread was made by winding vegetable fibers on the thigh. In Turkey, the remains of felt have been found dating back at least to 6,500 BC. Highly sophisticated felted artifacts were found preserved in permafrost in a tomb in Siberia and dated to 600AD.

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There is : Felt were a 1980s British alternative rock band, named after the way Tom Verlaine enunciated the word "felt" in the Television song "Venus", and led by Lawrence (his surname, Hayward, was never listed in any record credits or press). Lawrence and drummer Gary Ainge were the only constant members (though Ainge is not featured on Felt's first release, recorded solo by Lawrence before the band formed).

************** OK OK more AARRGGHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Lets see how this all began…

*********** Sweetie came into the dining room and saw my Swift…

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COMMENT: "Cute TV Antenna"

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AARRGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

**************************** At that point I was on a ROLL

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YA another AARRGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AKA Ball winder… Tee hee should I be SHEEPISH now?

NOPE! Back to Umbrellas: Early domestic tasks often included holding a skein of yarn in outstretched arms while our mothers, sisters, or aunts expertly wound the yarn into a ball. If a gentleman suitor was willing to hold skeins for his beloved, marital bliss was almost guaranteed. ************** How it Works *********** The basic niddy noddy shape is simple: There's a centerpiece with a "T" at each end, pivoted so that they're at opposite angles to one another. This gives you four ends around which you can wrap your yarn, creating a loop of yarn that's significantly longer than the length of the niddy noddy itself.

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The Almighty Niddy Noddy.

See where is this going?

******** AH

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More tomorrow about today… ;)

Froggy day today

Finally I got it to work after three attempts. I tried to begin this weekend BUT! My Sweetie was working on a project that required electrical saws and the like, so the noise level did not aid in my concentration.

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I am a rather new knitter, only my third year. So Deep concentration for me is a must. Having just completed the KNITTING part of a baby blanker for my Niece, and needing to wait until it is blocked before I can complete the project I start a new project.

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Which brings us to FROGGING: If you make a mistake in your knitting and don't notice it for several rows, the best course of action for fixing it is to remove the work from the needle and simply rip out the rows you have completed since you made the mistake.

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This process is known as frogging because you have to just "rip it" and move on. Get it Ribbit? Tee hee!

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It's not much fun to have to frog your projects, but you'll be glad you did rather than leaving in a mistake you could have fixed. Also Known As: Ripping ;(

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I have learned this much, one can learn as much un-knitting as one does knitting. I can even read most of the abbreviations now.

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The Wedding Shawl I made our eldest daughter.

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Better picture of the WEDDING SHAWL PLUS

daughter after she opened it at a Bridal Shower

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That was a labor of LOVE especially for a new knitter.

Tee hee like YO!

[Sometimes you'll want to make an extra loop on purpose. This is a way of increasing and leaving a hole for a fancy pattern. Try it now: *K1, bring your yarn to the front between the needles * (this is called a YO, yarn over). Rep from * to *. You will have twice as many sts on your needle when done. P the next row across on every loop. Watch carefully to see what that YO looks like. Beginning knitters often make these when they don't want to. ] TOG! [Together]

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Beg

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[ha ha like a dog NO it means beginning]

Then the ever-dreaded psso

GAG

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Check here for other knitting abbreviations!

I finished it!

“laughing gas”

Yup I just cast off the last stitch. I breathed a sigh of relief… Next step is to take the ends of the yarn and slip them back into the project. Last step will be to block it prior to sending.

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I will tie the loose ends in on Saturday… ;) because I have worked on this, my first baby blanket during all of the WVU football games. Seems fitting and proper I finish it on the day our regular season is over.

************** Not that doing so will insure we win, just a good story my Niece might one day tell her daughter.

********************* Picture of that once it is blocked. One of the most important skills for knitters to learn is blocking knitting. Blocking refers to the process that makes knitted objects square and even. Blocking knitting is vital to making sweaters fit right and to making blocks for a project all the same size. As they say the Finishing TOUCHES.

***************** HA HA another Football term BLOCKING. Snickering.

********************************************* I figure Game time is the perfect time for the project to RELAX, as for sure I will be on pins and needles. Sat, Dec 1st, 2007, ESPN, 7:45 PM Home game against Pittsburgh. The 100th Backyard Brawl!

************************************** Then there is the story about Douglas and Holly as well as meeting GUS.

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Today the dentist, while always difficult for me to endure, today the nitrous got a tad out of hand…

*********************** Nitrous oxide (also called dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula N2O. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a pleasant, slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anaesthetic and analgesic effects. It is commonly known as "laughing gas" due to the euphoric effects of inhaling it, a property that has led to its non-medical use as an inhalant drug. It is also used in motor racing to increase the power output of engines. ********************* Well my motor was racing MANY RPM’S

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Got a good snort of the stuff and thought I heard my answering machine go off. WOW what a trip. Not only that but before we all knew something was amiss, I swear I could smell Sushi

****************** It gets better, I think. I had to pop into a shop for another item, and while I was there the owner and his son and I discussed the placement of the Christmas tree in his shop. During the 2 hour lovely chatty visit the son said. Now remember this is a young man that recently returned from Iraq, and I have seen him grow up.

*************** YUP SUCKER on my forehead…

**************************** Just Say N2O HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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It seems Josh cannot keep his year old cat in his apartment, because the landlord wants to up his rent significantly a year…damage prediction…

************************* Wellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tomorrow afternoon, we will open our home to a spayed female that I believe is a longhaired light brown named TUNA. Neat name we shall keep it.

************************** As for Doug, Holly and GUS will tell about that tomorrow.

It was a DARK and CLOUDY Night…

While not quite Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter… The moon was more of a sight than the game. Alas and Alack. No. 18 South Florida Tops No. 5 West Virginia: College Football ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sigh!

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October 6 at Syracuse…TBA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OK Onward and UPWARD…I am going to go KNIT!

Plus get ready to go see our DAUGHTERS and first son-in-law, Whooooo HooooooooooooooooooooLook out DC here we come!

The Booty

I got my Sweetie some to die for Chocolates, cheese, wines and a new Rooster. The Rooster will be in the kitchen as we have a Monet thing going on there. The Chocolates are totally his while we will share the rest of the bootie. The first I choose was a Cranberry Wine The second a Blueberry Wine The cheeses were procured from Figi’s. The cheeses I chose were Wisconsin Blueberry White Cheddar Cheese Cheddar cheese regular style, an Australian Cheddar and upon the recommendation of the clerk, a processed American cheese with Onions. She said it was awesome on grilled hamburgers. HA guess what’s for dinner this evening? Hamburgers with our own tomatoes and lettuce and the last cheese mentioned. How kewl is that? This excerpt was taken from the web page and I found it to be totally true. As you walk the main street lined with small shops, you'll find people greet one another with a smile and more often than not, a name. You'll meet friendly, hard-working families who produce the wonderful cheeses, meats and fresh produce Wisconsin is known for. This is the birthplace of Figi's Gifts in Good Taste, and the neighborly, small-town feeling is an inherent part of the way we do business, and of who we are. We dined at Meg Swanson sisters Restaurant, The Kitchen Table, the food was incredible and the people mirrored the comment above. My friend Lucy had the Greek Omelet; it was too early to eat that much for me so I had the granola and fruit. DANG it was good. Ha now to replicate what my friend had. Drats and I had a chance to buy her Cookbook and didn’t. Geesh as it was I purchased @ 13 pounds of books! As for the Rooster I got for my Sweetie, and of course Frogs for me [NO BRAINER THERE , a maven if you will…An expert, connoisseur, or enthusiast. [From Yiddish meyvn, from Hebrew mebhin (one who understands).] They came from the Hosta Gardens I visited.

The last night of camp

I toured the local Veterans Park so lovely. Ah – 1S Cobra San Diego Aerospace Museum Some History A Virtual Cockpit I also took me to Foxfire Botanical Gardens which is an official National Hosta Display Garden for the American Hosta Society, and one of the Midwest's hidden gems. I needed time away from camp to ingest all that I learned, saw, touched etc.; just time for me to assimilate these last few days of intense and wonderful STUFF called knitting. I got a new frog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :0

Drool Time

Camp Pictures

Sneezing and Telling

It was so LOUD, all six or seven sneezes, being the shower seemed to make the sounds reverberate around the bathroom walls here at the hotel. I really try to be quiet, since I am the first to get up. I fear that I am not. My sneezes are like tsunami’s, one needs to seek immediate cover. Today I present my “Show and Tell” to the campers. Of course I will be showing the “Wedding Shawl” and one of the evening bags I made. Check out YO-K-TOG-PSSO and wish me luck as I am just this month a knitter for two years only. The people here have far more experience and knowledge than I. News and pictures at Eleven…

By George I think I’ve got it!!!

I am dead dog pooped. Today, the first ever, my hand cramped from kitting too much. Go figure. Here I am learning two new techniques and trying to pay attention at the wealth of information that is all around me. Today vendors came in with scrumptious temptations of yarns beyond belief. I now know what my next project will be as well because there were also wonderful books. I was well balanced I do believe…$ for $ equal on yarn and books and WELL within the amount I set as a goal. More pictures that are not getting to the blog so when I return I shall insert where appropriate. Today was shall we say intense I felt like a tepee and a wigwam all at the same time. Seriously though, words cannot begin to explain what I have learned, seen, heard and all the rest of the senses tantalized to the extreme. All a good thing! I had pre planned sending my Sweetie flowers. Yes Men Like Getting Flowers. The bouquet is in the last post, ‘cause Sweetie sent it to me, and therefore he likes it. News on youngest daughters’ coat, I am proceeding, with better results than I anticipated which pleases me no end. Have pictures for that but it at my home PC. For relaxation this evening I shall take it to the next stage. They feed us quite well here, the menu is always varied. The people are so nice. Amazing group of knitters, staff, Wait staff, All employees of our hotel as well as the local grocer.

Getting carded is still a thrill

Last evening I walked across the street to the local Super Market for a few odds an ends. Since we have a fridge in the room as well as a microwave I got some small containers of fresh fruit for tomorrow or whenever. I of course scoped out the spice aisle for anything different. I even did that when I was in Japan, and have the pictures to prove it. [Silly tourist] After procuring deodorant, more Ziploc bags for the new projects and finally real cigarette lighters [I was tired of sucking sulfur] I checked out the local wines. I inquired of the young cashier if she knew of any local wineries; she deferred me to the manager. Task accomplished I proceed to check out, after inquiring if the other items could be taken care of with the wine. All was good to go UNTIL she asked for my I.D. Needless to say the look on my face was that of incredulous amazement. Store policy she told me, but she called the Manager that had assisted in the Wisconsin Wine selection and he gave an all clear. I walked back to the Hotel beaming quietly to myself! The people I have met here in this area are wonderful and so very friendly. A lovely town it tiz!

SIXTY SIX and we are not speaking of Trombones

Knitters all around A Book in Progress What History I learned today …Vogue, Meg, Joyce and Amy…what amazing women. Let alone Elsa Schiaparelli whose original works are being re-created by Schoolhouse Press. Meg Swanson On…Armenian Knitting Intarsia Knitting kinda like BUT not like the Armenian knitting that I am attempting. It is safe to say I know very little about this at the moment. Armenian knitting tends to look like woven material. At the moment I am working on making a cap for the Armenian style of knitting. As well as getting a start on Double Knit reversible bicolor headband, both projects will be attended to tomorrow. Tonight Amy will help me tonight to FINALLY complete the coat for my patient Sarah. Pray for me!

The plane had problems…

BUT I made it. I GOT UP AT 1:10 am ‘cause I was excited. OK I said it… It was pouring rain, the thunder rolled around like a bad grape looking to escape down the gullet of a sick raccoon. Our flights were to be together, but after Detroit that was not going to happen. So I got to wait in the airport for a splendid 4 hours. Let me digress. It was raining when I left. I saw a 7 point buck cross the road before I picked Lucy up. Then as I was getting closer to her home he rain turned into a mist, as a bunny scampered across the road. The further we traveled South the rain would be non existent in some areas and then in others pick up for a few minutes. That was before we reached the outskirts of Charleston. Then it rained beaucoup buckets might as well add a few cats and dogs to the mix. I deposited Lucy at the entrance to the airport and then parked the car. My rain coat sucks. By the time I walked about 300 yards the legs of my jeans were wet up to my knee pits. The “COAT” did not dispel ANY Agua…my shoes were a joke as the water flowed over and thru them like it was high tide. On the first leg of the flight the AC was so high and I was water logged that it was very uncomfortable. The flight attendant got a blanket for me and I quickly fell into a dull, cold sleep. Lucy was not wet. By the time we got to Detroit I was dry and somewhat wrinkled. HA! Her flight took off within 10 minutes. I amused my self with people watching and every now and again reading my book. So I board the flight, sitting next to this delightful woman originally from Holland. She next to the window would comment on what she could see, which was delightful. That is UNTIL the pilot announced a SMALL problem with one on the planes controls. Well what could one do other than sit and wait for the plane to return back to Detroit. We had just gotten over the edge of Lake Superior and the sun and clouds were beautiful. The deal was, so saith the Pilot, that if the “problem” could be fixed we would turn around and fly back out to Wausau. HA! As I turned out we were told to sit tight and things would workout. That being that the problem was not going to be a Quick Fix and we were to change planes. BUT, that took time…Here is the disgusting part. Two men of enormous height and loudness decided to stand in the isle for the interim. Big deal? Well ya, one was standing just in front of me in the aisle, and the other one decided to stand just behind me. So my VIEW was disgusting. We boarded the new plane and the BUTT man said to me, “Umm I saw a lady that looked just like you on my last flight. I was so proud of me as I immediately responded, “oh I am so sorry for you!” As it was obvious he DID NOT GET IT, he added the comment to my seat mate from Holland, “and you too lady.” I answered for her saying she, my seat mate was doubly sorry for his stress. Bottom line we are here and all is good.

Tomorrow… Marshfield

New picture I just HAD to put in! The Cities of Marshfield & Wisconsin Rapids of Wood County were ranked 14th in America, 3rd in the Midwest and 1st in Wisconsin as best cities to live in. Marshfield is also ranked as the 8th best "Dream City" in America. Elevation: 1280 feet Land area: 12.7 square miles Do not know if we will have time to do anything more than knit: BUT I found a Botanical Garden close by! And we all know how I love gardens, ha ha ha! Foxfire Gardens - privately owned gardens named for the ghostly, bluish light sometimes seen over marshes and graveyards. Foxfire is a garden dedicated to ponds, waterfalls, stonework and many different varieties of hosta. Then there are also the famous Cheeses that quite possibly could be shipped home. Now there is a thought. Bottom line is that now I am packed the car cleaned out and loaded so now I can sit back and relax? Got some awesome rocks for our Koi pond today from the Honeymoon trip and goo gobs more wedding pictures. I will be posting them when I return. Of course I shall also be taking pictures of our stay there. The weather is as HUMID there as it is here! It will be hard to get me up at 2 am so I can slowly wake up and drive Lucy and I to Charleston. It is overcast here now and I am dreading fog on the road to Charleston, let alone deer bounding about. Travel PC is packed so there is a chance I will have time to play with new pictures and of course Blogging. HA HA!

Lalia’s evening bag

When I finally sat down after preparing the Bridal Breakfast and to sip my second Mimosa [the second one for Linda, inside joke, but if she reads this she will know]. I noticed one of the evening bags I knitted for the females in our daughters wedding. It was kinda of neat actually. Lalia got the second one I had made, picture I hope will appear with this post…[had problems yesterday]. She asked how I knew and I explained that I had my friend Vicki, who makes jewelry; work up dangles that would match the bracelets that our daughter gave them the women. This way if they used the bags at the wedding they would be able to tell them apart, as the dangles were all different. Also I experimented with some of the bags as far as rows that would allow different placement for the dangles. Sarah R chose to take her dangle off and place it on a chain and she wore it for the wedding, which I had told them to feel free to do. Now I can share the pictures of that project with my friends, needed to wait until the evening bags were given. ‘)

picture for Carmona’s WARPED Marguerites

My Mentor