A Blogtoberfest Meme…

Saw this on Leah’s Blog and thought I’d play along.

What Big Cat Are You?

 

You Are a Cougar

You have more strength than most people, and with it, the ability to inflict a lot of harm. Your power gives you confidence, and you find leading others to be easy.You believe that you need to the best, and you are very driven to excel. Most people immediately admire you, but some people feel very envious of your abilities.

Hmmm…. okay.  Sounds like I’m a bit of a nut case.  Good thing I don’t put much stock in these things.

Don’t worry folks… the giveaway will be posted by the weekend.  I’ve been working to add to it…   I just am having too much fun with it.

 

Some sky-candy for ya…

 

Blogtoberfest 5 – My music, A to V-W-X-Y-and-Z?

Well, I’m going to resort to the suggested list of topics today (although out of order)… because I’m still at work, and will be deep in work for quite a while, so no great pics of things I’m working on.  So, music… As others have said, music is a wonderful way to get to know someone.  Here then are the most recent artists I’ve listened to in iTunes, that start with the letter “A”:

Aaron Neville, Acoustic Alchemy, Al Jarreau, Amy Grant, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin

And those that start with V, W, X, Y, or Z:

Various Artists (hee, hee), Vince Guaraldi Trio, Wicked Cast, Wynonna, Wynton Marsalis, Yo-Yo Ma, Zac Efron

Wow, this is wild.  Here are the albums that start with “A”:

American Bandstand Library of Rock N’ Roll (Mr. Various Artists Himself), All For You: A Dedication to the Nat King Cole Trio (Krall), All the Best (McCartney), All This Time (Sting), Anne (of Green Gables soundtrack), Anthology (Diana Ross), Awake (Groban)

And those from V, W, X, Y, and Z:

Variations on a Sacred Theme II (Azevedo), Very Best of (The Spinners), Very Best of (Patti Austin), Waiting for My Rocket to Come (Mraz), We Are in Love (Connick, Jr.), Weekend in LA (Benson), Welcome to the St. James’ Club (Rippingtons), What’s Inside (Eliot), When You Know (Reeves), Wicked (Original Broadway Cast), The Wild Places (Fogelberg), Windows and Walls (Fogelberg), Yentl (Streisand), Yesterday Once More (Carpenters), You’ve Got Mail (Original Movie Soundtrack), Your Secret Love (Vandross)

I suppose this is a really random way to expose my musical tastes… and I must tell you that my iTunes collection only represents about 1/4 of all of the CDs and old vinyl I own, and only generally represents the music I listen to on the weekdays.  I have a lot of classical, religious, broadway, soundtracks, more jazz, more rock, more soft rock, some country, a little punk, and lots of old disco.  Anything but that rap or grunge stuff, really.  But, my tastes are showing my age too.  I’m a musical child of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.  I’m a music nut.  My sixth grade graduation present was a pair of headphones, and I was ecstatic when my dad brought home an old stereo system with the turntable attached to the top of the receiver that he found in an apartment he was cleaning out.  I used to put three or four records on my turntable and listen to them in succession… they would drop on top of each other, and I would be in my room with my headphones on listening until late in the night, long after I should have been asleep.  The first album I ever bought was by Neil Sedaka and it cost me some pretty dear babysitting money… that was closely followed by Earth, Wind & Fire’s Greatest Hits (when I say album, I mean those big spinning pieces of vinyl folks).  I never, ever, in my wildest dreams thought that I would be able to buy a shiny disc with whole double albums on them, let alone carry my music around in a little package smaller than my calculator (or abacus if you really want to know how old I am AND just how inspired I think this iPod thing is).  So, in honor of this very telling post about myself, here is a pic taken just a few days ago, while I was carrying on my tradition of listening long into the night…while working in my home office.

 

I think this shows just too much about how tired I was… oh well.  And, here’s a pic of the fence-building crew, and said fence, mentioned in  my last post:

 

That’s all for today!

 

Happenings on the Farm (a finish too!) – Blogtoberfest 4

At home, I have a really big garden. (thus the “farm” reference in the title of this post).  I’m thinking of hanging a plaque and calling it the “Lulie Blackham Memorial Garden” for a dear friend that always had a huge garden… Now that she’s left this spinning globe for heavenly pursuits, I’m sure she giggles a bit to know I’ve spent so much of my time this year digging in the dirt and wishing I had asked her questions like “Which varieties of corn do best in our area, and what in the world can I do about all these grasshoppers?” before she took her trip.

I have a great new cedar fence that divides my garden (street side of property) from the rest of my backyard thanks to some great youth in my area, so that I have some privacy, and can create an outdoor living space over the next year or so.  I have a vision.  I will accomplish it.  No matter how many good intentioned neighbors offer to help me just lay the whole backyard with sod.  (Why would I want to water and mow just as much sod in the back, as I already have in the front to take care of… in an arid, desert climate?).  I do hope to get a gate built before the winter sets in, and – cross my fingers -get the whole thing cleaned and stained… not sure I’ve enough time before the snow falls for that though.

We also had some wonderful friends come for a quick visit from Nevada.  David and Jane came calling on a Sunday, and left Monday night.  While it was a short visit, it was a whirlwind visit.  I think Mom’s still recovering.  We had a big barbeque with all of our family on Sunday night, then we talked until late.  I went to work for a few hours, and then we hit the road.  We went to the Cheesecake Factory in Salt Lake for lunch, and then to The Wool Cabin, and Pine Needles at Gardner Village.  That was fun.  I was pretty pleased with myself.  I only bought two hanks of Malabrigo worsted (a navy with lime, and a burgundy with green to light green), and two skeins of Happy Feet sock yarn at The Wool Cabin.  There were many things that tempted me though.  Jane picked up some really nice yarns, and I think she will have a great time making something out of them!  She also found some really fun things at Pine Needles.  I bought a few small items.  Since that little jaunt to Salt Lake, I’ve been back a few times, so my pride in having some self-control was short-lived.

I have had my job re-written at work, adding more umph to my role, so that I can be more empowered to do some things that need to be done… vague I know.  But, it’s a good, and CRAZY TIME GRABBER thing.  So, I’m glad the garden is about finished for the year.

I have made more time for stitching and just being creative most days.  There isn’t much time for that, but I have been working on several pieces that I’ll show you over the next few days.  And, I’m at the point where I create the heel for my first-ever knitted sock.  It’s been in that state for a bit, but Jane’s visit was fun, because she knits socks like a fiend, and actually brought several with her just for me.  Jane told my mom, “It’s probably a good thing Laura and I don’t live closer…we do too much damage to our pocketbooks together.”  It’s so fun for me when I find someone who loves fiber and needles (any kind: knitting, tapestry, sewing, etc.) as much as I do.

I’ll leave you with a couple of pics of my recently completed “Lo, How a Rose” by Brightneedle.  I used the Weeks Dye Works threads called for on Antique White Belfast, except I switched out the Chablis and used GAST Old Red Paint instead. 

Finished!

 

That’s it for now.  Aren’t you glad?  This is getting to be a long one!  I hope you have a creative day!

 

Blogtoberfest!

Small Token

Okay, I’m one day late, but I just found out about this blogtoberfest thing.  I’m excited about this.  I have wanted to spend more time on my blog. And, I have been working to spend more time every day noticing something new around me.  So, here goes!

For my first post, I’ll just get you caught up on one of my latest stitchy finishes.  Last weekend, I started and finished the stitching on Blackbird Designs’ “Small Token”.  I had a little ornament cut of a Lakeside Linens “second”.  So, the color doesn’t have a name.  I really, really like this piece.  I used the threads called for, one strand on 40 count.

Sorry it’s a bit blurry… it’s late and I wanted to get the color right so I had to try it without the flash at a slower shutter speed.

Well, that’s it for today… Watch this space for some blogging shenanigans this month. I feel like I ought to have some sort of sign off like Al Roker’s “Here’s what’s happening in your neck of the woods…”  Hmmm.  I’ll have to think about that.  Ta ta for now!

 

Off to Portland

I’m going to be in Portland, Oregon for a few days at a conference.  I’m going to miss my mom’s birthday, but we celebrated Friday and yesterday.  We went to Chile’s… but I just have to say, I’m not that impressed anymore.  It seemed everything on the menu was a spin off of something else on the menu.  Or maybe I just need some good old cold cereal for a change!  We did run up to Salt Lake yesterday to grab some threads I needed for the Lizzie Kate Boo! flip-its project that I’m starting for mom.  My friend also needed some charms and buttons to finish a few ornaments. She’s been stitching up a storm.  I’ll have to get some pics of her finishes and post those.

I’m almost done with “Lo, How a Rose” by Brightneedle.  I’ll have to snap a pic when it’s completed.  It’s too late to get good lighting.  I have put some stitches in LHN’s “Hearts of America”, Blackbird Designs’ “My Quaker House”, and my “Mary Busby” reproduction sampler in the past few weeks. I have also started my first sock!  Knitting it, that is.  It’s been fun so far, and I’m looking forward to mastering this, so that I can knit them up quickly!  I’m a sock fiend, so I’m probably more excited about these things than anyone should be…  I know, you’re just enamored with the whole idea too, right?

I’ve also been in a cleaning frenzy.  Well, as much of a cleaning frenzy as I get into.  It’s been so hot, but I love the fact that we have central air.  We can just sit in our icebox of a house and really get things done.  The garden has suffered just a bit.  I’ve watered and pulled a few obvious weeds here and there, but no serious work.  We did pick our first batch of green beans.  We got a gallon freezer bag full.  Anyway, back to the cleaning bit.  I am determined to de-clutter each of my rooms here in the basement of chez Busby before snow falls.  I figure that’s a reasonable goal (even though I’m including our laundry/storage room, which is totally UNREASONABLE in itself).  I still have tons of work to keep up with in the garden and yard, but while the heat is prohibitive for my lily-white (read that WIMPY) complexion, I’ve been sorting.  I know, “sorting” really isn’t cleaning.  But, it’s the precursor to cleaning.  And, I’ll think a lot about the “sorting” while I’m away.  So, really, I’m making a lot of mental progress.  And, I spent about six hours in my bedroom yesterday “sorting”.  You DON’T want to know what I found in there.  Sometimes I think I must be channeling my inner teenager.  Okay, it wasn’t really that bad, just dusty.  It’s a wonder I don’t have asthma or something.  And, I found the missing half of one of my favorite pair of shoes.  Wouldn’t you know it was in the closet!  I now have a healthy pile of items for Deseret Industries, I actually dusted some shelves, and all of my laundry, except for my pile of sweaters, is clean.  Not put away, but clean!  So there.  I’m calling the mission a success.  And, when the whole basement is ship-shape, I’ll tackle the upstairs.  That will take some planning, because there’s another person up there who thinks she runs the place.  Hi mom…

Well, enough of my exciting life.  I need to finish packing and sorting the remaining piles of paper in my family room.  Whew…  come to think of it, I’m really looking forward to having someone else clean my room and make my bed for a few days.  A good few days in a hotel, with at least one room service event, can change my whole view of the world.  It may be just what I need to face the rest of the basement and the upcoming harvest season…

Hope you have a great week wherever you are, and that you take time to be creative.

 

100 things… because I’m bored.

I’ve seen this around the blog-o-sphere… It’s my turn.

Things I’ve already done: in bold
Things I want to do: italicized
Things I haven’t done and don’t want to - no emphasis

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band
4. visited Hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity
7. been to Disneyworld
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo
11. bungee jumped – Does being placed in a bungee slingshot by my nutso dad, looking out over a canyon when I was a kid count? No wonder I have a fear of heights now.
12. visited Paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the statue of liberty
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked – Are you nuts?
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping
27. run a marathon – the 5K FELT like one…
28. ridden a gondola in Venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run
32. been on a cruise
33. seen Niagara Falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. seen an Amish community
36. taught yourself a new language (does a programming language count?)
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied – it’s not the money really, but the management of it!
38. seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen Michelangelo’s David in person
41. sung karaoke
42. seen old faithful geyser erupt (the road to Old Faithful was closed when I was at Yellowstone!)
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. visited Africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance
47. had your portrait painted [drawn]
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. been to the top of the Eiffel tower in Paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theater
55. been in a movie
56. visited the Great Wall of China
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited Russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold girl scout cookies – but I buy plenty!
62. gone whale watching
63. gotten flowers for no reason
64. donated blood
65. gone sky diving – Again… are you nuts?
66. visited a Nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a check
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the Lincoln memorial
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt (a few blocks… but the entire quilt is coming soon!)
73. stood in times square
74. toured the Everglades
75. been fired from a job – I think a lay-off counts here…
76. seen the changing of the guard in London – but, I’ve seen the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington.
77. broken a bone – not yet, but I’ve sprained everything.
78. been on a speeding motorcycle
79. seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. published a book
81. visited the Vatican
82. bought a brand new car – still driving it 13 years later.
83. walked in Jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. read the entire Bible
86. visited the White House
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating (I helped pluck the turkey on pioneer trek, does that count?)
88. had chickenpox (my senior year, just before graduation!)
89. saved someone’s life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous
92. joined a book club
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby
95. seen the Alamo in person.
96. taken a road trip
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee
100. met the love of your life (where the hell are you?)

 

I’m dreaming of a green spring…

 or a warm summer sun as I work in the yard… it’s been so cold for so long.  I am tired of snow, and the ache in my hands!  And I’ve misplaced my camera, so I can’t take a picture of my “Lo, How a Rose” progress, or anything else!  (I’m sure I’ll find my camera soon.  I think it’s at my sister’s house!)

So, rather than concentrate on the chilly air, I thought I’d share a picture from last summer.  It is a picture of the hollyhocks in bloom at a restored pioneer home.  I was there with our young women and young men for an overnighter.  The home was really fun, and if I close my eyes, I can feel the sunshine.

So, I’ll find my camera and get a pic up of my progress.  Until then, have a great day and enjoy the sunshine, no matter how little there is in your corner of the world.

 

Weekend Update

No, not the Saturday Night Live “Weekend Update”. Although that would be funny. It has been a busy week back at work. I spent the first two days in training all day, while trying to double-task and triple-task, because the new semester started on Wednesday. There are always lots of things to do just before the semester starts, but especially when everyone is coming off of a holiday. It’s pretty amazing that our enrollments have increased so much again this semester, especially in light of recent and looming budget cuts. If you live in Utah, write your legislators. Especially if you value education, both higher ed and K-12!

Okay, off of my soap box and onto some progress pics. First, I have pulled out Mouline Rouge again. I just love this piece, but haven’t made much progress since I first started. So, I have vowed that I will stitch on it once per week, and I have been able to stitch a portion of another motif, which is the motif you see on the far right. I am using Gloriana Rosewood silk, and R&R Park City Blend linen. The colors on these pictures aren’t great, but you get the idea.

Mouline Rouge Progress Pic

Second, I have been knitting.  I have a pic of one of the hats I’ve completed.  These are for my nieces, and were intended for Christmas.  I finished one for my nephew Riley, which was red and gray, and I hear he is wearing and loving it.  The pic below shows all of the colors I will be using for the four total hats.  I will use each color as the main color for one hat, and the remaining three for the stripes.

Lime flap cap

I have nearly finished “Naughty or Nice” by Lavendar Wings and I have a pic of that.  I also have LHN’s “Heart of America” and La-D-Da’s “All Our Troubles” in the mix.  I am stitching “All Our Troubles” with the Weeks Dye Works colors called for, on 40 count Meadow Rue.  I really like how it’s turning out. I’ll get pics of those pieces for next time.

Naughty or Nice?

And, I’m working on an exchange item, which should be fun. Homework has started though, and there are other things to be done around the house as well.  One thing I surely need to do is to get more firewood in from the woodpile.  Our 18″ of accumulated snow in the yard is melting fairly quickly now, so I don’t lose little Chloe when I take her out to do her business.  We did have a nice snow ball fight the other night though.  How do you have a snowball fight with a Schnauzer?  You gently toss big snowballs on them, so that they break apart, and they run around and around in circles.  I’d better leave you now, so that I can get back to stitching and knitting asap!

 

The post-Christmas post!

I hope that everyone had a great Christmas holiday!  I was able to finish my nephew’s hat, which was actually my first complete knitting finish.  He loves it, and so I’m happy.  I owe four nieces similar hats.  I’ve finished one and have three more to go.  They are quick knits, but I will probably not finish them all for a couple of weeks.  I wish they were done, because it’s so stinking cold here in Utah, and I know that they’d be wearing them if they had them!

I have set up the serger and sewing machine and have been able to make a minke blanket for my mom and serging lots of linen.  I found a great deal at the Craft Center. They had some linen odd and end packages for five bucks each.  I bought two, and came away with some pretty nice pieces for ornaments and small projects.

Of course, the hats and the blanket, as well as some other items were to have been finished for Christmas.  Thankfully, my family and friends accept IOU’s, which is what most of them got this year.  School, work, and everything else were just too much, and I determined to follow my motto: “If it’s not done by now, it’s not going to get done in time, so just chill!”  I’ve learned that when I have too much on my to do list, it’s nice to know that everything doesn’t HAVE to be done.  Just the important things.  And that’s what I focused on this year.  I still have neighbor gifts to deliver and I’ve decided that they will be delivered in January.  I’m going to adjust the note on them, and just enjoy the leisurely deliveries… after this cold snap though!

I am back to work tomorrow after almost two weeks off.  I think this was the most relaxing two weeks I’ve had in a long time.  And, while my to do list was hardly touched, I did take care of the things that matter most.  So, I wish all of you a happy stitching year, and hope that you and your loved ones are safe, healthy and happy.  I’ll post pictures of some of my stitching and other progress in a few days.