Felt Like Knitting

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Movies You Want to See Right Now

Rebecca:  We just finished reading this excellent book for book club and now I really want to watch the movie.  There is another version and it might be fun to compare both movies.

Get Low:  Our previous pastor helped write this movie.  It's about his wife's great uncle (or some relation).  They've been all over for film festivals for this film.  How fun for them!

Ides of March:  It was filmed at my alma mater, Miami University.  Can't wait to see shots of the beautiful campus.

The Hobbit:  An Unexpected Journey:  This isn't out yet, but I want to see it when it does hit theatres.

The Hobbit:  There and Back Again:  I'll have to wait even longer for this one.

Twilight:  Breaking Dawn 1:  Emma is over the Twilight thing so we decided to wait to rent this.  Guess we can see it now but we haven't gotten around to it yet.

Twilight:  Breaking Dawn 2:  I'll want to see this eventually, too.  (I know that's not technically "right now" but there just aren't that many movies I want to see right now.)

Lord of the Rings 1, Lord of the Rings 2, Lord of the Rings 3:  I've been wanting to have a marathon LotR viewing but nobody wants to join me.  Guess I'll just have to make a date with myself to watch them.

I'll throw in an extra since some of my movies aren't out yet.

Pride and Prejudice:  It's been a while since I've seen it.  Time to fix that!

There you go!  This was a hard list for me to complete because I don't see many movies and usually don't even know what's showing.  

What's on your list?  Head over to Carole's to share.

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Things You Want to Do in 2012

I feel like 2012 is a gift - all wrapped up like this pretty birthday present and we don't know what's inside.  But we can set some goals for the new year and decide on a few things we'd like to do.

1.  Organize the house - You've already read about this one.  I may not get the house cleaned or complete projects like painting the bathroom, but I will get the clutter purged and under control.

2.  Assist my daughter with graduation and college plans - Ooo, this will be a big part of 2012.

3.  Figure out what I'd like my next career to be - I have more ideas now than I used to, but I'm still not exactly sure what to try next.  

4.  Learn to play the piano - I've wanted to learn to play the piano for as long as I can remember.  Steve and Emma gave me a keyboard for Christmas so I pulled out my adult piano book and got started.  Jingle Bells, When the Saints Go Marching In, different voices - lots of fun!

5.  Get back to Jazzercise - Things got busy in the fall, then Advent and Christmas hit, then I was sick.  If I can just make myself get there a few times in the next week, I can get back into the routine.

6.  Get back to eating healthier - Too many sweets, too tight jeans...

7.  Improve the garden - We need to amend the soil again and I'd like to start more things from seed this year.

8.  Learn more about fitting hand knitted items - I've purchased the Fit Your Knits and Curvy Knits classes from Craftsy.  I want to be more confident about this and I also want to be able to help my students.

9.  Do more charity knitting - I feel so much better when I am knitting for others.  I'd specifically like to knit more hats for the homeless.

10.  12 Shawls in 2012? - This one is still a big "maybe" for me.  I can't decide if this is doable with my schedule or not.

11.  Get together more often with my knitting friends - I'm including #11 since #10 is iffy.  This year I have not hung out with my knitting buddies and I really feel out of touch.  Time to fix that!  And it's time to get back to keeping up with my virtual knitting friends, too!

What do you want to do in 2012?  Stop in at Carole's to share your answers.

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Hostess Gift Ideas


I love today's topic - not because of my list but for what others will be sharing.

1.  Muffins - When I go to a party, I like to take homemade muffins (and maybe some pretty napkins) to the hostess.  I figure that the day after a party, it might be nice to have breakfast ready to eat.

2.  Wine - tried and true...

3.  Kitchen handsoap and a handknitted dishcloth - Lots of nice scents from Bath and Body Works

4.  Candle - from Bath and Body Works or from Pier 1

5.  Ornament - I like giving ornaments at Christmas, especially the Li Bien ornaments from Pier 1.

6.  Flowers - another tried and true hostess gift.  Unless someone is allergic to flowers, I think most people enjoy receiving them.

7.  Plants - if it's spring or summer, I'd give someone a potted herb or flowering plant.

8.  Notecards - I love notecards.  They're so pretty and handy to have around.

9.  Tea - I'm not sure that I've done this, but I think giving someone tea or coffee would be nice.

10.  ??? - Totally drawing a blank here.  This is why I need to read today's list from other people!

What hostess gifts do you recommend?  Check out the ideas on Carole's blog.

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Things You Want to Knit this Fall/Winter

Hello everyone!  What better way to jump back into blogging than to talk about what I want to knit?

Right now I'm on the sleeves of Vonica so I'll count that as my first item.  It will be so nice to have a new sweater to wear when it turns cool.

Having success with Vonica makes me want to knit more sweaters!  Maybe one or two of the following?

Breezy Cardigan or Effortless Cardigan

Evendim (love that collar!)

Eadon (love!)

Crane Creek (but without the pockets) 

Daedalus (maybe...still thinking about it)

or maybe an accessory...

Aestlight Shawl (have the yarn picked out)

Echo Reversible Drop-Stitch Mobius (I think it looks fun.)

Plover (cute hat)

What do you want to knit?

Ten on Tuesday

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Things to Put in a Salad

    

What?  It's Tuesday?  Memorial Day has thrown me off.  I'm laughing at myself because when I read Carole's blog this morning I thought something was off with the posting day - why was her ToT post showing up on Monday?  :)

Lettuce - Most of my salads begin with lettuce.  My favorite is Romaine (right) but we also planted Black-Seeded Simpson.

--Cheese--

Feta - I love feta cheese on salad.  I think this is the favorite at our house.

Gorgonzola - But this is my personal favorite!  It has so much flavor that you don't need to add much.

--Crunch--

Pecans - I love the sweetness and crunch that chopped pecans give to a salad.  Sometimes I throw in candied pecans.

Sunflower seeds - Chick-fil-A puts these on their salads.  Yum!

Slivered almonds - Another favorite but not at the same time as the pecans or sunflower seeds.  :)

--Fruits and vegetables--

Dried cranberries - I've been forgetting to put these on lately but they really make a tasty salad.

Roasted butternut squash - Mary first served this to me and now I love putting warm squash on my salads.  It's filling and tastes delicious with gorgonzola and pecans.

Olives - Again, I think these add lots of flavor to salads.  I usually use black olives but if I have kalamata olives, I use those for a special treat.

--Dressing--

Balsamic vinaigrette - I enjoy other dressings, but if I could only pick one dressing it would be balsamic vinaigrette.

I've gotten to ten too quickly!  I never mentioned tomatoes, cucumbers, caprese salad, ...  What a great topic this was!  To share your favorites or to get ideas, head on over to Carole's!

 

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Favorite Things to do Outside

1.  Praying/meditating - I often feel closer to God when I'm outside in the world He created.

2.  Gardening - Sometimes it can take a lot to get me out there, but once I'm busy in the yard/garden I really enjoy it.

3.  Picking vegetables and flowers - It gives me a lot of joy to pick vegetables and flowers from my yard, especially when I get to share them with friends.

4.  Reading on the deck - I still remember one Sunday where I sat out on the deck and read the whole afternoon.  That doesn't happen often, but it's so nice when it does.

5.  Knitting on the deck - See #4.  :)

6.  Grilling out - Steve told me just the other night that this is one of his favorite things to do - grill our dinner while drinking a cold beverage and catching up on his reading.

7.  Visiting with neighbors - Not much time to do this, but it sure is nice to catch up ona neighbor's porch or out in the cul-de-sac.

8.  Celebrate July 4th - Speaking of our cul-de-sac, we often have a mini block party with fireworks, homemade ice cream,...

9.  Enjoying the ocean - One of my favorite outdoor places

10.  Camping - Around a lake or in the mountains, I love being able to "live" outside.  Even though we stay in a cabin and not a tent, being able to walk out the door and into the woods or down to a lake is wonderful.

Check out Carole's blog for more ways to enjoy the outdoors!

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Favorite Birds

Ack!  Today was really busy so I'm late - and no photo even!  The topic is favorite birds. 

Bluebird - so pretty!

Owl - not sure what kind lives near me, but I love hearing it hoot

Cardinal - another pretty bird

Goldfinch - it's so fun to watch them perch on the heads of flowers to get seeds

Blue Jay - they can be mean but I love their color

Swan - very graceful

Chickadee - don't they just seem really cheery?

Hawk - again, I'm not sure what kind but it's very exciting to see them swoop down on their prey

Hummingbird - so tiny and noisy!

Wren - these little guys are another cute kind of bird

I'm sure I'm forgetting some.  To share your favorites, head on over to Carole's!

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Reasons to Use the Public Library

What a great topic!  I love the library!  I used to work in a library when I was in high school and I still find myself re-shelving books if they're out of order.  :)

1.  Books, books, and more books!  Where else can you get this selection and all for...

2.  Free!  Instead of just wishing you could buy a particular book, you can check it out at no cost.  It makes me feel like I'm shopping and getting a fabulous deal.

3.  Audio books - These are a really great deal because they are so expensive to buy.  I always see books I'd like to listen to but Steve is rather picky in his listening so we usually end up listening to science fiction when we're on a trip.

4.  Movies - There is such a great selection and again - for free!  The other day I checked out My Fair Lady, Gigi, and A Streetcar Named Desire.

5.  Story Time - I went to Story Time when I was little and I took Emma when she was little.  Great memories!

6.  Computer services - I don't have to use this service often, but it's nice to know I have a backup if my computer at home goes down.

7.  E-services - Another great thing and you can use it from home.  There is  more here  than just downloading e-books and it's an area I need to utilize more often.  I also love the fact that I can access my account online.  That saves so much time!

8.  Music and art - When I was growing up, you could check out CDs and artwork.  We would check out a painting and hang it up in our house for a month then go get a new one.  Interesting idea.  I wonder if any other libraries did/do that.

9.  Special events - The library in my hometown had a little art gallery attached to it and there were always neat displays to look at.  Another library I used to use offered a service where patrons recorded books for adult learners so they could hear the words as they learned to read them.  The library system I use now has book clubs, lectures, book sales, etc.  Each library offers more than just books.

10.  Helpful people - I have always had a great experience with the people who work at libraries!  They are kind and knowledgeable.  I've had excellent reference help, heard great kids stories, and gotten some wonderful book ideas.  The people at my library always seem to be a happy bunch!

Why do you use the library?  I'm sure there are many more reasons - like those comfy chairs, study rooms, etc.  To share your list, visit Carole's blog.

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Favorite Smells

Here are some of my favorites smells...

1.  Rain in the woods - I love this smell!  It reminds me of being at summer camp when I was younger.

2.  Baking bread - Possibly everyone loves this smell!

3.  My mom's spaghetti sauce  - Not only do you get a wonderful smell, you also get a delicious meal.  

4.  Clean house - I like the smell after I finish cleaning my house.  Granted, this isn't a smell I often get to enjoy.  :)

5.  Flowers - My favorite flower scents are lilac, lily of the valley, peony, lavender,...

6.  Clean laundry - I don't use scented detergent but the clothes still smell so good when they come out of the dryer.  

7.  Soap/shampoo - There are some soaps and shampoos that smell really nice, too.  My daughter's shampoo and the bayberry soap I bought at Williamsburg are two good ones.  I even like plain old gold Dial.  What is it with the "clean" smell?!  :)

8.  Grilling out - I love when it's finally getting warm again and you walk outside and smell people cooking dinner.  It's even better when it's your own dinner and you're not having to cook it.  :)

9.  The ocean - I wonder if I'd like the smell of the ocean if it was in a bottle like a perfume?  Maybe not.  What I like about the smell of the ocean is being there.

10.  My dog after a bath - Not right after a bath but when he's had a chance to dry off.  I love to hold him then - he smells good and he's really soft!

I know I've forgotten a bunch of good smells.  What are your favorites?  Head on over to Carole's to share your list.

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Things to Like About the Month of March

Lenten Rose

March, how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways...

1.  It's my birthday month!  It's also the birthday month for many of my cousins and lots of people I've met through the years.  I've often wondered if there are so many birthdays in March because of all those June weddings people used to have.  :)

 

2.  Green!  Here in the south, things really start to green up in March.  We're just starting to see it now.

 

 

3.  Blooms!  In front of the backdrop of green is a beautiful array of colorful blooms.

 

4.  Garden time - While it may be safer to plant in April, March is definitely the time to start planning and preparing.  And there is always the cool weather garden to plant if you desire.

5.  Green! part 2 - Green is my favorite color and you can see it a lot in March due to St. Patrick's Day.

6.  Weather - Growing up in Ohio, the weather in March was very unpredictable and often unpleasant.  But in Atlanta it is beautiful and sometimes even hot. 

7.  Lent - While Lent is not my favorite season of the church year, it is a deeply meaningful one.  It is a time of reflection and helps me to take my focus off of myself.

8.  Summer clothes - Around here the summer clothes start coming out in March.

9.  Sandals - Along with summer clothes, it's time to start wearing sandals.  Time to break out the toe nail polish again!

10.  All in all, I start feeling good in March.  Warmer weather, bare feet, beautiful flowers...ahhh!

Why do you like March (or not?)  To post your ten items, head on over to Carole's blog.