Felt Like Knitting

Paperwork

A belated "Merry Christmas" to those of you who celebrate.  We had a nice, relaxing day.  In fact, I didn't change out of my pajamas until I decided to get a shower in the late afternoon.  And then I put on pajamas again!  Nice...

We had a white Christmas this year.  According to what I've heard, it's the first one here since 1882.  It sure made it pretty outside.  Church was cancelled yesterday so I got two pajama days.  :)

And what did I do?  Watch movies - no.  Knit - no.  I cleaned!  Two of my brothers are coming down and I got ready for their visit.  I've mentioned before that I tend to move piles of stuff around when people come.  This time I finally attacked some of the junk.  Yesterday I went through two boxes of old school papers and here is part of what I had to recycle...

What a relief to have that sorted out.  Now I'm on to another bedroom, getting groceries, putting a roast in the crock pot... and I just got a text that they are only 6 hours away.  Time to get back to work!

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Last Minute Gift Ideas

It seems my good intentions of making gifts always fail me and I end up trying to come up with Plan B.  I may not make it to ten ideas for last minute gifts, but I know I'm looking forward to Carole's blog to see what other folks come up with.

1.  Give yourself - A few years ago I was reading on the Advent Conspiracy site about giving more of yourself.  Visiting with relatives, calling friends, etc.  I gave my mom and dad a coupon for one phone call each week.  I used to call them but not at a set day/time.  Last year I added my brothers.  This is the best thing I have ever done and it's been as much of a gift for me as for them.

2.  Make candy or bake cookies - This toffee recipe is my favorite and it's so quick!

3.  Advance knitting - About a month ago Steve hinted that he wouldn't mind a pair of hand knitted socks.  I didn't get to that project so last night I made a coupon that promised to knit him a pair of socks in the color of his choice.  

4.  Gift card with shopping date - I recently saw this idea in a magazine.  Give a gift card but say it has to be used with you.  That way you get to spend time with your loved one.

5.  Candles - You probably remember that I love these candles.  They also have candle sleeves which I like, too.

6.  Charity - Donate to a charity in honor of a friend.  We have friends who are very concerned about the people in need in our area.  My plan was to give our local charity a monetary gift in our friends' honor.  Unfortunately, we exchanged gifts before I could get to the charity.  But I think this can be done online, too - much qucker!

7.  Ornaments - There are so many pretty ones to choose from and almost every store has them.

8. , 9., 10. - I'm drawing a blank!  Time to head over to Carole's to get more ideas!  What last minute gift ideas do you have?

 

To-do Lists

Today's Ten on Tuesday topic is Ten Things on Your To-Do List.  Great topic but I can't make myself type one up.  There are just too many things to do.  And yesterday a few more things got added to my list.

     

      

The toilet in one of the upstairs bathrooms has apparently been leaking for a long time.  The freezing temperatures are actually a blessing for us because it allowed us to see that there is a problem.  

While I am upset about this and I'm not sure how much it will cost us to fix the damage, I am thankful that...

- it's not something that will keep my brothers from visiting over Christmas

- it's something that we can repair

- even though my house is "broken," I do have a house to keep me and my family warm and dry.

I've been a little down about this but I'm going to try to snap myself out of this funk.  I'll put some Christmas music on and finish decorating the family room.  I will feel better having something done and it's dry in there.  :)

 

Looks like I picked the wrong month...

...to not keep up with my blog reading!  Several people participated in NaBloPoMo and now others are posting every day in December.  (Are you an Airplane! fan?  Steve is and my post title reminded me of some quotes from it.)  I've scanned through most blogs - only a few left to catch up on.  

Speaking of catching up...

Here are the mittens that almost weren't.

I started out with these.  Trying to use a heavier yarn wasn't working well.

Then I knit a pair but one thumb was too short.  I made an unsuccessful attempt to rip it out and ended up with this.

How can an experienced knitter have so much trouble making one little pair of mittens?!

During my mom's visit I finished her slippers and gave her the cowl I knit for a Christmas gift.

         

I have a couple of projects on the needles now that I'll show later and I have a recipe to share with you soon.  But now I have to get my day started.  Have a good one!
 

 

Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

Are you looking for something different to serve guests?  Try these rosemary shortbread cookies.  They're delicious!