Hats off to the Blizzard of 2011!

Last week's storm was one for the books- we got a total of 18 inches. I finally got a cell phone pic downloaded.

This was taken from our bedroom window. The curtain partially detached itself from the gutter today. Luckily, DD20 wasn't standing or parked under it.

Last night, I finished Baby Rhonda's #2 birthday pressie: The Froggy Hat!

DH got such a big kick out of it, he played with taking pics of it for the rest of the evening!

The Froggy Hat is my adaptation of Meow! by Adrienne Enriquez

I'm hoping teh Frog fits;  I will get Baby Mommy to send a pic of the hat in action soon!

These are next on my list of to-do's, for Easter:

Marshmallow Bunnies Socks by Debra Baker


I wanted to join the #silentwriters on Twitter last night, but DH had other plans, which included pestering the carp out of me.
I was hoping to have an hour of  uninterrupted silence with which to blog. It wasn't going to happen, and this was the end-result of my evening. And nope, I did not get to blog.

Looks like a Frazzle-tini is in order!

What's on tonight's menu: Near East falafels with cucumber yogurt sauce! Awesome and good for you!

I had a cucumber and some fresh yogurt, grated up the cucumber, squeeze-drained it, added a clove of chopped garlic, a dash of salt, a tsp of vinegar (lemon-juice is nice too) and sat back to the bestest meatless burgers in town!

Now, all I need is an Espresso, La Preferida-style!

Bon Apetite!

KNITPICKS KNITS PATTERN: Marshmallow Bunnies Socks from KnitPicks.com

Hippety Hoppety, Easter's on its way! Time to get busy and whip out a pair of Marshmallow Bunnies Socks. I'm going to get some yellow and make a pair of Marshmallow Peeps Socks© too!

Marshmallow Bunnies Socks from KnitPicks.com Knitting

What To Do With a Book (Besides Read It) | Away with Words

I found this blog post interesting, and it reminded me of the Flower Vase my neighbor made me for Christmas, using a book~

Make a pocketbook out of a pocket book? check this out!
What To Do With a Book (Besides Read It) | Away with Words

RIPPLES IN THE SNOW | Baby Granny Stripes Blanket

Caron International | Free Simply Soft® Project | Baby Granny Stripes Blanket

As some of you may know, outside of my current knitting craze, I'm a HUGE crochet fanatic, with mostly doilies in my Portfolio. If you are a member of Ravelry, you've likely seen some of the many doilies I've made over the years, and there are even a couple blankets I've posted.
I haven't put everything in there yet, but I have been known to make quite a few Ripple afghans in my day. My mother was big fan of the Ripple pattern, and together, she and I have probably made over 100 afghans, in every possible 4-color combination, for family and friends.
So, when I saw this baby ripple, I had to grab the link, so I can come back to it later.I love the soft color palette, and the ease of construction. Makes me want to pick up my crochet hook again, and start one. They go so fast, one can easily be done in about 2 weeks, give or take.
So, if I get bored or need a change in routine, I am thinking this one is right up there on my list!

RECIPE BLOG: Sean's Falafel and Cucumber Sauce Recipe - Allrecipes.com

We love these so much, I'm almost positive I've posted this before. If not, well, here it is!

Sean's Falafel and Cucumber Sauce Recipe - Allrecipes.com

I make these often-they are an excellent summer recipe for those warm evenings when you're done working in the yard. A few sprigs of your home-grown parsley add the finishing touch.

Best yet, the pita's are easy peasy to make!

Traditional Pita Bread Recipe - Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees to 115 degrees F)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in salt and enough flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Do not let rise. Divide dough into six pieces; knead each for 1 minute. Roll each into a 5-in. circle. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Place upside down on greased baking sheets. Bake at 500 degrees F for 5-10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

You can sprinkle a little Penzey's Pizza Seasoning before baking, for a twist!

Freeze pita pockets in a zip bag and take out as you need them, they fit in a toaster! They will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months-once thawed, use as soon as possible.

Bon Appetite!

Bridges

Friendships can be such a strain on the emotions-

Take my neighbor ...

She's gone through some things recently I've never encountered in my life, and has fought back with the strength of 10 million Army ants. Shes a Cancer Survivor. I don't know if I could do it, hope I never have to find out.

During this time, we've shared more in the last 6 months, than we had in the 8 yrs we've lived here. I chalked it all up to trials by fire, and tried not to dwell on trivialities. But as is the nature of my Beast, I let things get to me and in one flash-in-the-pan moment, took a simple comment out of context. The end result was, we both had to take a break, step back, and ponder our choices.

I've learned some things are just not worth all the fuss and had to put my pride aside. Tonight, I doused the flames with a word of kindness, and will wait and see if there is anything left amidst the smoldering remains...

What I learn from this,  will carry me through the remainder of my days. Today I chose to never to have to live with regrets.

Agatha Cardi, to the 5th Power

I have decided my "lucky number" is 5. Why, you ask? Because it appears I must redo e-ver-y single thing I start, 5 times, to get it right. BAH! Whoever came up with the saying "third time's the charm" was a twit~

 It's either that or pattern writers automatically assume that everyone must understand it if it says less. Simple, right?

Not so, for me. I have to think, and re-think things over and over, until the concept either jells, or simply slides through the cracks in my skull and pools at the base of my neck.

I finally managed to cast on the body of Agatha. YAY, me!

Here's the end-result of 5 reedoo's over a 2 day period.

The arrow  marks the center back seam (Kitchener join) of the 2-part lace panel that the body is cast on to and worked. The 5x1 rib branches show the increases at the sleeve caps. It was only after I got this far into the increases, that it began to take shape, literally, and then it made sense.

The pattern is more obvious as seen on this, the Right Side. The person who is modeling the Agatha is in fact, wearing it Wrong Side out. The beauty of this pattern is, it's REVERSIBLE!

The Green Bay Packers won 21-14 over the Chicago Bears last night! Sunday, Feb. 6, we go to the SUPER BOWL!! WOOT!!