Get Well Soon Mr. Nadeau!

Quick post today.... thoughts & prayers needed!

A friend's family member was diagnosed with Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer (ATC) on January 18th. Please keep Mr. Nadeau in your thoughts and prayers and visit his Caring Bridge if you'd like.

If there are any NASCAR fans out there, you may remember that Gerard's (aka Jerry Sr) son Jerry was in a bad practice crash at Richmond, VA in May 2003 where he suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Jerry's recovery has been nothing but amazing - this is truly a family who knows how to win the "race" of life... and we can only hope Jerry Sr. wins this battle too!

Here's Jerry, Jerry Sr and Mom Pauline from a go-kart race a couple years ago (one of Jerry's first racing experiences after the Cup car accident in Richmond)...

Happy Hump Day!

Not too much to say or post today, but I did want to congratulate Joanne of A Knitter's Garden at By The Brook Farm on her 1 Year Anniversary (and also on getting her home page up on the web)! Congrats!!! I'm so proud to have gotten to know you and join the knitting guild in the past year. Joanne hosted a wonderful (and successful) 2-day celebration at the store last Friday & Saturday. I was over there for a couple hours on Saturday..... sipping on hot spiced cider, munching cookies, chatting with Heather and meeting some newbies who stopped by looking for classes. Joanne gave out the most adorable knitting pins for favors and I was hoping to post this with a photo, but that will have to come later (I've been swamped and having computer issues ... oh the joys!). Heather should have a photo of the gorgeous flowers Joanne received. Let me tell you ... you ain't seen nothing yet until you've seen a gorgeous basket of flowers complete with miniature balls of yarn and needles and a card reading "To My Knitting Lady!"

I also have photos of my WIP's to post later on too (hey, maybe some will be FO's by the time I get to posting pics!) ... the Helmet Liner, my ribbed capelet in Wisdom's Poems wool, Sugar On Snow (which is almost complete) and a couple of scarves. The cold, bitter air this week has inspired me to want to cast on some wool mittens and a hat for myself... maybe this weekend (Helmet Liner is taking priority on my list though)... I've been itching to cast on a new pair of socks too... oh I just need more hours in the day... or hey, maybe more "ah-chooo...." sick days home from work... lol!

I'll leave you with this cute photo that was passed along to me in one of those "what people do with photoshop" emails today... inspiring you all to knit on and eat your veggies!

Ice Storms Bite! RIP Smoke4

We've found out first hand just how much ice storms bite the big one! Without electricity for 55+ hours (Monday afternoon until nearly 11pm on Wednesday night), we truly lived in our own little 3rd world country setting. You see, everything in our house is electric ... everything ... heat, water (well pump), toilet (septic pump), stove...

Did I mention no heat? It was frigging cold!

Did I mention no water or flushing toilet??!! Do you know what its like to not be able to turn on the sink for more than 2 days? To not flush unless you absolutely have to (and then to have to go get a big jug of water to pour in the tank)? Yea, it really, really sucked! And to know that not even 1/2 mile down the road they have power? And some fellow knitters in my very own town never even lost their power (Miss Heather, who did invite us over on Wednesday morning to warm -and clean- up, though we had already arranged to go shower somewhere else!). We just might have to move to that side of town someday...

We did go out and buy a new generator on Tuesday afternoon, which then powered a light, the tv and 2 small electric heaters in the living room... at least some "civilization," despite the fact I was huddled on the couch wrapped in many, many layers! Tuesday night and Wednesday evening (until the power came back on and we all did the happy dance) were especially chilly. Speaking of the happy dance... if only I had videotaped Zeus doing his when the power came back! He was wagging his tail a mile a minute and all jumpy and wiggly... don't tell me dogs don't know what's going on! :)

The dogs were pretty good throughout the whole ordeal... Tut seemed to be the only one shivering at times, but we just cuddled up under lots of blankets when needed. He and Lola both had some things to wear. Tut's football sweatshirt looked more like a muscle shirt since the little porker gained some weight (he had his annual vet visit last week and is up to 66 pounds!) and Lola had her Sherpa jacket. Doesn't she look like "Count Lola?"

My little models...

Isn't this the cutest thing you've seen in a long time??

Unfortunately, Zeus has far outgrown anything we may have had for him (though after this, we just might go poke thru the horse section at Pet Smart to see what they have!). He seemed pretty unfazed by the cold though... In fact, on Wednesday the sun was shining and he thought it was a good idea to go lay out in the driveway in his "sunny spot" even though his belly might have froze to the driveway! He also took some time to practice a trick or two...

I think he (and we!) were much more happy to see some snow flurries this morning, instead of ice. It almost feels like a heat wave compared to the past 2 days!! Here's the "Snow Mommy! Snow! Throw me a snowball!!! Snow!" look...

Sadly, our littlest guy didn't make it through the outage. We lost Smoke4 (Beta Fish) sometime on Tuesday.... :( Hopefully he's swimming in some warm, tropically sparkling water somewhere... rip little one...

I was going to share some more icey photos, but I think that's been done by my fellow New Hampshire bloggers already so I won't bore you with more... but I do have a few from this morning when it was flurrying. They also show some of the tree limbs we lost...

Of course it had to be the lovely maples that always break... the darn crab apple trees stand stronger than steel through it all!

I managed to get a bit of knitting done this week, but of course forgot to photo my progress. I have a good start on a helmet liner for Heather's Call To Arms, as well as a capelet/poncho I'm doing with the Wisdom wool from my last post.

I'll leave you with some words of wisdom... Stay warm... and never, ever, ever, ever take running water and the ability to flush your toilet for granted! Oh yea, and no matter how many times you keep dialing the number to your electric company, it won't make them fix the problem any faster... trust me... I know...

2 Week Catch Up!

Could 2 weeks have really gone by without my blogging? Oopsie! I do have photos galore to make up for it though... including some FO's!

First up, the gorgeous sweater Mom-Sue (Matt's stepmom) made for me from Classic Elite Premiere ~ feast your eyes on this super soft, luxurious baby (just don't drool too much!)...

Look at the gorgeous split sleeves - love them! Funny thing is, when we went to see The Yarn Harlot at Webs awhile back, Sue had this pattern in hand and was shopping for yarn to make the sweater for her daughter Aimee ... or so I was told (we knitters are a sneaky bunch, aren't we?) and I absolutely adored the pattern! (In case you're wondering Aimee did receive another sweater this year... just not this one...)

And of course, Sue being a true knitter and all, check out the fancy tag work attached...

Wanna see another super cool and unique Christmas present (though I admit, this is one you have to see in person to really appreciate it!)...

"Huh?" you may ask... well its a lovely flattened Menage a Trois White wine bottle... which happens to be my favorite wine (and no, not for the name... get your heads out of the gutter folks!). My good friend Karen (who's yet to start her blog... ah-hum!) knows me well and found this special little item for us (she also sent a bottle of the Menage a Trois Blush blend which I've yet to find out here - both the white and red blends are wonderful so I can't wait to try the blush too!). We both absolutely love it and will find a special place for it to hang. Speaking of wine, we also got a wonderful wine fridge this year which means I can keep my wine stash growing as well as my yarn stash!

And despite (or maybe because of?) all the wine drinking, I have a finished object! Yup, I finished my Smocked Gauntlets in the lovely Sereknity Rock Lobster colorway...



You like? Speaking of Sereknity and the wonderful Heather, please hop on over to her blog and get involved in her Call To Arms and support her little brother Jay and our soldiers!

I have a few new projects on the needles.... including Sugar On Snow from the Fall '06 Knitty...

I'm loving this super simple "baby cable" pattern and the Knit Picks yarn is a charm to work with!

Also on the needles is this cashmere-blend scarf worked in a twin rib pattern... its from the unfinished Christmas knitting... probably to become a birthday gift.

Last week at Knitting Guild Joanne introduced this beautiful 100% wool yarn "Poems" from Wisdome Yarns... look at this ... compares to Noro, yet only $6 a skein!

Love the gorgeous colorway (which I think will look great with a pair of jeans!) and I've cast on a capelet with it. Also pictured there with a skein are my new Sereknity Sheep needles - love them!

Ready for some more cuteness? Look at my new mini stitch markers from Wee Ones!

There's a set of 4 pug doggies and the cutest little cow. The box they're in is a small jewelry size one ... to give you an idea of the size of the markers. They are perfect for DPN's and other small needles/projects. And guess what? She does custom orders! And you know what that means... lookie here at what is on the way in the mail to me now...

YES - that's my Zeus, Teutul and Lola! I can't wait to get them! If you need some cute little critter stitch markers, check her out!

And to beat the winter blues... here's a little burst of color for your eyes!

Some beautiful flowers courtesy of my honey... though I asked him nicely to not get the flowers with glitter on them next time. Do you know what happens to glitter that comes in the house on anything? It ends up on everything! I'm not sure how... but it does!

And for those of your out-of-towners, we're in the midst of the weirdest New England winter ever... days that have been 60 degrees in the past couple weeks! Crazy... just look at all the lovely bluejays out at our birdfeeders last weekend...

I'm not complaining... it keeps the electric bill down, that's for sure (yes, we're a dreaded NH home with electric heat...).

That's all for now... can't wait for Knitting night tomorrow!

3 Doggy Christmas...

Can you believe its over already? All that work and preparation and its gone in a flash! Geesh...

Not too much time to blog today, but I did want to share some photos of the kids from Christmas...

Here they are posing as best as I could get them to darn stand still for 2 seconds in front of our tree...

Lola and Zeus (where's Tut?!?!)

Miss Lola who just can't wait to tear in to the presents...


Curious Teutul


And in case you hadn't heard, Lola wanted to tell everyone that Santa Paws really does come to all good doggies!


King Tut wanted to tell you too, as he shows off his love of the New England Patriots...


All 3 kids received lots of treats, bones, toys and goodies ... including a stuffed moose and duck which Tut has been zipping around a mile a minute with. Here's Lola making off with her stocking...


And Zeus keeping his eye on the moose as Mommy removed the tags...


And finally after a long time opening gifts, the big guy retreated to the couch to try and lay claim on Mommy & Daddy's goody basket!


That's all til tomorrow ... I plan to post pictures of the absolutely gorgeous sweater that Mom-Sue (Matt's stepmom) made for me, as well as some other fine goodies... Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and here's to a Happy New Year!

Knitter's Christmas Eve

I found this over on Lora's blog and just had to post it here for all of you to read too! Enjoy!

KNITTERS CHRISTMAS EVE

'Twas the night before Christmas and all around me
Was unfinished knitting not under the tree.

The stockings weren't hung by the chimney with care'
Cause the heels and toes had not a stitch there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,but I had not finished the caps for their heads.

Dad was asleep; he was no help at all,
And the sweater for him was six inches too small,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatterI put down my needles to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tripped over my yarn and fell down with a crash.

The tangle of yarn that lay deep as the snow
Reminded me how much I still had to go.

Out on my lawn I heard such a noise,
I thought it would wake both Dad and the boys.

And though I was tired, my brain a bit thick,I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.

But what I heard then left me perplex-ed,
For not a name I heard was what I expected,

"Move, Ashford! Move, Lopi! Move, Addi and Clover!
Move, Reynolds! Move Starmore! Move Froelich
--move overPaton, don't circle 'round; stand in the line.

Come now, you sheep will work out just fine!

I know this is hard; it's just your first year,
I'd hate to go back to eight tiny reindeer."

I peered over the sill; what I saw was amazing,
Eight wooly sheep on my lawn all a-grazing.

And then, in a twinkle, I heard at the door
Santa's feet coming across the porch floor.

I rose from my knees and got back on my feet,
And as I turned 'round St Nick I did meet.

He was dressed all in wool from his head to his toe,
And his clothes were hand knit from above to below.

A bright Fairisle sweater he wore on his back,
And his toys were all stuffed in an Aran knit sack.

His cap was a wonder of bobbles and lace
A beautiful frame for his rosy red face.

The scarf 'round his neck could have stretched for a mile,
And the socks peeking over his boots were Argyle.

The back of his mittens bore an intricate cable.

And suddenly on one I spied a small label,
"S.C." was duplicate stitched on the cuff,
And I asked, "Hey, Nick, did you knit all this stuff?"

He proudly replied, "Ho, ho, ho, yes I did.
I learned how to knit when I was a kid."

He was chubby and plump, a quite well-dressed old man,
And I laughed to myself, for I'd thought up a plan.

I flashed him a grin and jumped up in the air,
And the next thing he knew, he was tied to a chair,

He spoke not a word, but looked in his lap
Where I'd laid my needles and yarn for a cap.

He quickly began knitting, first one cap then two,
For the first time I thought I might really get through.

He put heels in the stockings and toes in some socks.
While I sat back drinking scotch on the rocks.

So quickly like magic his needles they flew
That he was all finished by quarter to two.

He sprang for his sleigh when I let him go free,
And over his shoulder he looked back at me,
And I heard him exclaim as he sailed past the moon,

"Next year start your knitting sometime around June!"

Author Unknown

Some weirdo TAGGED me!

HA HA, just kidding Gina ... but she did tag me with this little game of posting 5 weird things about yourself... so here it goes....

1. I have 3 children ... they just so happen to be the 4-legged kind ... dogs. They are very, very, very spoiled children.

2. I talk to my dogs like anyone else would talk to their kids or friends (and yes, they actually do understand and sometimes answer back in their own weird ways!).

3. I also talk to myself... sometimes I just like the answers better than what I get from other people... 'nuff said

4. I have a lovely master bedroom that is currently a massive storage room as we have yet to "move in" to it after almost 6 years in the house ... needless to say its a must do for 2007 as I really need to get the spare room turned in to a computer room/office/yarn room!

5. I have an amazing memory that seems to cause many arguments with the "I told you this" vs. "You never told me that" or "You said this" vs "No I didn't..." Trust me, if you said it or told me, I'll remember and if I don't remember or know, you clearly never said it or told me. :-)

And now its my turn to tag 5 people, although I think some of them may have already been tagged (sorry guys... we all seem to know the same bloggers, lol!)... Heather, Lora, Lis and I'm even going to go out on a limb and try Vickie and Stephanie.... tag, you guys are "it"... share with us your 5 weird things!