Felted Bag Exchange . . .

I'm doing a felted bag exchange on Ravelry beginning March 1st. Wish we could start right away. I'm excited to be creative and excited to see what I get from my person. Some of the bags I've looked at really hard are the 98-48 Felted Bag With Flap http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/98-48-felted-bag-with-flap; the Lucy Bag http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lucy-bag; the Oregon Tote http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/oregon-tote; and the Damask http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/damask. Favorite bag I think is the Damask. So much so that I think I'm going to try it in brown, although the heather grey shown in the picture is really pretty! Love them all . . . :O)

Today . . .

I went to Steffanie's farewell dinner tonight. I'll miss her alot. She opened the bookstore and I've been working every Sunday morning opening the store at 8:30 a.m. since. I'd pretty much made up my mind around the 1st of December that it was time for me to take a hiatus . . . I needed some space for awhile. I didn't know when I'd decided to do that that Steff would be leaving the bookstore. So I hope Cindi, the new manager doesn't think she's the reason I left the store. However, I haven't really left--I'm working Tuesday morning after the men's Bible study so the guys can shop after Bible study. I think Cindi was glad I volunteered. She's a sweet hearted person who I think will do a great job.

I most knitted today. I'm still struggling with the baby surprise sweater. The KAL starts tomorrow, so I think that'll help ALOT!!!

Gracie is the best dog ever. She's so sweet and loves us so much. She's doing really well about pottying outside. I'm really glad we have her!!

Ok, I'm outa here. I'm tired am it's time for bed!!!

Hmmmm . . .

I love some of Gwyneth Paltrow's literary picks (or rather, the picks of her friends) http://goop.com/newsletter/18 . . .

Anna Karenina . . . I read this so many years ago . . . maybe 30. It has been my favorite, or maybe second favorite, book of all time. It is an unbelievably beautiful tragedy, love story, emotional journey. Really a fabulous book. Leo Tolstoy was, clearly, a gifted writer. I wonder at how fragile his mind must have been to have been able to release the powerful thoughts and words it did. Wow.

Love In The Time of Cholera . . . I read this book about 10 years ago. It knocked my socks off. If you haven't read this one you really need to treat yourself. Very, very powerful. I couldn't put it down.

Pride and Punishment; Jane Eyre . . . both of the same genre but so totally different. Both are excellent and if you haven't read them you should!!

Crime and Punishment . . . I'm struck that the reviewer here "first" read it back in high school. My experience was the same . . . and I have read it several times since. My take on the book, though, is that the story and feelings I got from the story changed each time I read it . . . more or less mirroring my stage in life. Wow, how profound is a book that it changes with the reader? This is my FAVORITE book of all time. It's an easy read and so, so powerful!!

So, there, Gwyneth Paltrow. These are Mary's recommendations.

Rosemary

Here's a picture of Rosemary, the dog we rescued from the Carrollton shelter yesterday. Elizabeth, Riann's friend, adopted her. I went and did the paperwork and officially "adopted" her, but she's Elizabeth's dog. She picked her up from the vet today, where Rosemary was spayed and had her teeth cleaned, compliments of her new mommy, Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a treasure to adopt this older dog who would, had she not been adopted, be getting ready to be euthenized at this very moment--in 20 minutes or so, she would have been gone--forever.

She's a sweet girl who KNEW she was headed for a better life--I could see it in her eyes. She was SOOOOOOO happy--I promise I could see it in her eyes.

Welcome home, Rosemary!!!!!

Organizing

I spent several hours today trying to get my knitting/sewing/office organized and useable. Yikes. What a mess!!!

My circular needles were so out of control it was ridiculous. I've tried several methods, but I finally pulled out a "Blessing Ring" I'd purchased awhile back for organizing cards (birthday, Christmas, Mother's Day, etc.). In case you're interested, here's a link to show you what a Blessing Ring is: http://www.heartsdesireonline.com/blessingrings.html I purchased it at the Bookstore/Gift Shop at my church (http://christchurchplano.org/). I marked 1 quart Ziploc freezer bags with the size and length of the needles, then hole-pinched the bags in the top left corner, and hung the bags in order on the Blessing Ring. I'll probably get a different ring, but for now they're organized, out of bags and boxes where I couldn't find a thing. They're organized and easily accessible. I might also the the same ring to organize my double-pointed needles. I have them in a long wooden box now and they're neat and all in one place. But finding a set isn't all that easy. I think I can do better. I joined the "organization" group of Ravelry and have started reading those ideas. The best one, I think, was for a worm organizer from Bass Pro Shop. Sounds like it's the best way to organize these. But I'm happy with what I've done so far. Next job is to get my stash organized.

Lost Camera

The link to this site was on the Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm blog. I thought it was really sweet and wanted to share it in case anyone reads my blog.

http://basinfoundcamera.blogspot.com/

Angel Food Ministries

I was snooping around in other peoples' blogs today and came across Angel Food Ministries, a food ministry that I'd forgotten about, but had actually used several times years ago and have passed on this information to many people. It's a great deal, so pass it on . . .

I pretty much copied from another post . . . but this is what you get:

Regular Box
1.5 lb. Sirloin Strip Steaks (4 x 6 oz.)
2 lb. Tray Pack Chicken Breast
1 lb. Boneless Pork Chops
2 lb. Breaded Chicken Nuggets
28 oz. Salisbury Steak Entreé
12 oz. Sliced Bacon
1 lb. All-Meat Hot Dog
1 lb. Stir Fry (Broccoli, Red Peppers & Onions)
1 lb. Carrots
10 oz. Peanut Butter
32 oz. 2% Shelf Stable Milk
35 oz. Crinkle-Cut Fries
7.25 oz. Mac ‘n Cheese
1 lb. Rice
1 lb. Bean Soup Mix
Dozen Eggs
Dessert

And there are other boxes that you can add on! Don’t miss this great opportunity to buy in a co-op! Here is what the location I pick mine up from has to say about AFM:
Angel Food Ministries only sells food that is the same high quality that you would purchase at the grocery store – its not damaged or outdated food. In each box there are both fresh and frozen items with an average retail of $60 – you will be able to purchase a box for only $30. There is no limit to the number of boxes that can be purchased and there are no applications or qualifications. The last day to order for February is Monday, February 16th and the pick up date is Saturday, February 28th.
Get your box…check out www.angelfoodministries.com