Watch Wednesday

Why not?

Watch Wednesday

Just too good!

Watch Wednesday

Watch Wednesday

Scale of 1 to America - how much do you love this?

Watch Wednesday

I'm just grooving on this song right now!

2017 in Review

2017 was an excellent year!  Besides a lot of crafting and reading there were a lot of adventures and trips!

Books read with my rating of 1-5 stars.

The Sirens of Titan - 1

The ghost in mr peppers bed - 4

One Fell Sweep - 5

Abby Copper Physic Eye -5

The winter over - 1

I'm a vampire - that's why - 4

Dark Currents - 1

We have lost the president - 1

Sands of Time - 3

Eat, pray, die - 3

Web of Lies - 4

Red Hope - 3

Storm Warrior - 5

The hunger pains - 3

Books listened to:

Cast in peril - 4

Hard days knight - 5

Dark Debt - 5

The kracken project - 5

Blow me down - 5

Cast in Sorrow - 5

Cast in honor - 5

Over Sea & under stone - 5

The importance of being Alice - 5

The dark is rising - 5

The kasari nexus - 5

Cast in flame - 5

Greenwitch- 5

We are Legion - 5

For we are many - 5

All These Worlds - 5 

Skinwalker - 5

Blood cross - 5

Cocaine Blues - 5

Cast in flight - 5

Much ado about vampires - 5

A tale of two vampires - 5

Roving Spun - 1856 yards

Knit - 11973 yards

I did the Tour de Sock this year (sock knitting competition).  It meant I got back into knitting socks and really enjoyed it.

Watch Wednesday

Because this girl is so freaking cool!

https://youtu.be/1GEVoQXpc4A

2016 Year In Review

2016 was a great year.  Loads of vacations, travel and fun.  I have also made a plan to start half decade birthday adventures.  45 is coming up and I either want to go treking or run a fun marathon.  Now to just decide and plan!  I know that 2016 had a lot of emotional ups and down for folks with elections and change, but for me - it was a centering good year.  Some of my totals are below:

Books Read (13)

Ghouls just haunt to have fun - 4

Ghouls gone wild -4

Travel - 1

English as a second language - 3

Ghouls, ghouls, ghouls - 5

Ghouls Interrupted - 4

Fire Touched - 5

What a ghoul wants - 5

Emperor's Edge - 3

The ghoul next door - 3

The Perils of Effrijim - 5

The first truth - 3

A girls guide to ghouls and murder - 4

Audible Books (22)

Cast in court light - 5

Cast in secret - 5

Forged - 5

Sweep in Peace - 5

House Rules - 5

In the company of vampires - 5

Nightwalkers - 5

Written in red - 5

Cast in fury - 5

Murder of crows - 5

Biting bad - 5

Cast in silence - 5

Kicking it - 3

Wild Things - 5

The Atlantis Plague - 4

Cast in chaos - 5

Magic Stars - 5

Visions in Silver - 5

The Adventure of Tom Stranger - 5+

Cast in Ruin - 5

Dragon storm - 5

Dragon Soul - 5

I knit 8,854 yards and again didn't spin.  The spinning upsets me because I have been knitting with a lot of handspun this year and I do so love it.  I think this next year I'll have to spin more.

On tap for adventures this year - another trip to Hawaii, more camping and a lot more hiking.  I think that Z is now old enough to start putting in some serious miles!

HAPPY 2017 everyone.

Ten on Tuesday - the 5 edition

Carol asked us for this week:  5 best things I did this summer and 5 things I'm looking forward to this fall.

5 best things I did this summer would be:

1. Hooking back up with only friends

2. Camping and fishing with hubby & Z

3. Outdoor yoga

4. Getting back into hiking!

5. Glorious time in our back yard!

5 things I'm looking forward to this fall:

1. Cool weather - hand knits!!

2. Halloween!

3. Warm baked meals

4. Starting up the wood burning stove

5. All the smells and colors of fall!

Colorado Fun

We spent the past week in Colorado.  Ouray -> Salida -> Denver -> Salida

It was incredible.  The leaves are starting to change color.  There was a light dusting of snow all over the mountains.  The best part was seeing old friends.

A raccoon got into our car and tore it apart - but that is what adventures are made of!

A few things that I've noticed on this trip.

1. My kid loves maps

2. We all love rocks

3. Pink eye spreads really easily

4. We need to figure out a way to help a kid who can't write journal

5. The wilderness must be explored!!

Ten on Tuesday

I've decided to take back up with Carol's Ten on Tuesday.  Her question for this week is 10 things I did this weekend.

1. I picked fruit from my trees.
2. I made peach, pear, ginger butter.
3. I took my kid to gymnastics.
4. I got over a cold (thank goodness).
5. I had a bbq with great friends.
6. I reorganized my jewelry.
7. I cleaned (who ever gets away with a weekend of not cleaning?)
8. I finished a book (it was so-so).
9. I've been cleaning out closets and thinking about project 333 again.
10. I finished a pair of mittens.

Next time I promise to have a few more photos!

2015 Year In Review

It is that time again.  2015 has come to a close and I look back on what an amazing year we had.  Besides all of the adventures and family time I did manage to get a bit of reading in this year.

Books Listened To (I don't count these are reading) **** 33****

Up in smoke - 5 stars

Immune - 5 stars

Book of the dead - 5,

The wheel of darkness -5

Envy - 5

Wormhole - 5

Me and my shadow - 5

Mind games - 5

The unbearable lightness of dragon -5

Sparks Fly - 5

Stolen Dreams - 5

One bite with a stranger - 5

Monster Love - 5

Derik's Bane - 5

Rapture - 5

Cemetery Dance - 5

Big Bad Wolf - 5

Phantom shadows - 5

Forever - 5

Some Girls Bite - 5

Friday night bites - 5

Twice Bitten - 5

Dragon Fall - 5

Second Hand Souls -5

Men in kilts - 4

Drink deep - 5

Time thief - 5

Magic shifts - 5

Forsaken - 5 

Biting Cold - 5

The art of stealing time - 5

Sorcerers Stone - 5

The Atlantis gene - 5

Books Read ****10****

Lost Empire 2

Zen and the art of vampires - 4

Nancy Drew Secret of the Old Clock - 5 

Crouching Vampire Hidden Fang - 5

Aphrodite's Kiss - 5

Nancy Drew Hidden Stairs- 5 

Aphrodite's Secret - 3

Love, lust and pixie dust - 5

Aragon - 3.5

A Charmed Death - 4

8158 yards of knitting

I started off 2015 by trying to knock out the needle point I started in 2014.  I made it to October and decided to wait and finish the last two months.  Maybe I'll get on those this year.  Of the knitting. I made 4 sweaters, a handful of hats, mittens, sewed up a shirt and 2 dresses.  I also took up needle punching and latch hooking.  Over all a bit of a crap shoot for projects, but good.

In other news I did a massive destash this year and finally feel like my collection of yarn is under control and totally knitable.

I didn't spin at all this year.  A goal for 2016. 

Garden Update

Well this year was okay for the garden - but not fantastic.  A number of seeds just didn't grow well.  The beets, cucumbers and peas all did terrible.  Potatoes, herbs, pumpkins and squash did well.  The tomatoes were just sad and tired all summer.  Too much rain I think.

 In other growing news I pulled out the front bed of our house - which was just bushes and planted flowers.  It will take a 

while for it to fill in ... 

But it will get there!

Garden time

Zooey and I like to spend a lot of time in the garden.  Mostly picking bad bugs off and weeding.  But today we harvested in the cool morning air!

Spring

The garden is planted and weeded.  Let's see what grows!

Raising a Family

Part of my issue with social media is the competitiveness it gives each and every one of us.  You see people climbing, biking or doing whatever and you feel the need to compete with this.  The worst, currently for me, is parenting.  Too many parents compare their children.  I see them using Facebook, Twitter or blogs to basically talk about how their kids are the greatest children on Earth.  Each of us loves our kids like no other (um hello - they are our children).  But, comparing them is wrong.

Each person has strengths and weaknesses (even as children).  There is no perfect human and even if your kids is the smartest one in this city or state, I can guarantee you there is a smarter child somewhere in the universe.  Learning humility, compassion and love are more important than learning you are the smartest or prettiest kid out there.

Too often I see kids tearing other kids apart for their faults, instead of seeing what the other child has to offer.  They have learned this.  They learned it from you parents out there.

My kid is special and perfect and neat to me because she is my kid.  I don't expect, nor want, others to feel the same way.   Parenting is hard.  Each time a kid changes or grows you face new issues.  Working and raising a family is a crazy amount of work that requires focus and dedication (to the family, child and yourself).   No parent needs other parents picking their choices or ways apart.  How about I raise my family the way I'd like and you do the same?  Let my child be wild and crazy and keep your comments to yourself.

In particular, in case you aren't getting the point, my special message to other mothers out there  .... you can be catty, bitchy, mean and aggressive but in the end what does it get you? 

I'm here to raise a strong and passionate daughter who will help other women, not tear them apart.  Please take the hint!

The English Language Part 1

There are a lot of things about the English language that drive me nuts.  There are also a lot of things I just don't understand the where, why and how it came to be.

Lately there is a sign when I walk into my building that says "Ensure the door closes behind you."

Ensure: to make sure, certain, or safe :  guarantee (Webster's)

But what about assure?

Assure:  to make (something) certain

Left with more questions than answers I use the all powerful Google to find this cool site and reference:
Insure: protect with an insurance policy, as in Insure the car before your trip. To “assure” a person of something is to make him or her confident of it. According to Associated Press style, to “ensure” that something happens is to make certain that it does, and to “insure” is to issue an insurance policy.

When I see it put like that I know I have it.  And then I can ensure that the next time this comes up I'll use the wrong word.

Have a question about the English language you want to investigate with me?  Drop a comment.

Organic Cotton

I have a general question.  If you were to look at 2 t-shirts and one was organic cotton and the other was just cotton which one would you buy?  Would you spend a bit more for the organic cotton shirt?

I have a set of pjs and a shirt that are organic cotton.  They feel great, although I will honestly say they feel just like "regular" cotton to me.  Not softer and not too stiff.  But, here is my issue.  Both items (which I spent more than I would normally spend) have small holes throughout them now.  I wear and wash them just like my normal regular cotton clothing and out of no where there are little holes.  Is this something to do with it being organic cotton or just these items?  I don't have a good answer for it, but it makes me not want to buy organic cotton again.

I started wondering what is organic cotton. (from Wikipedia)
Organic cotton is generally understood as cotton and is grown in subtropical countries such as Turkey, China, USA from non genetically modified plants, that is to be grown without the use of any synthetic agricultural chemicals such as fertilizers or pesticides.^[1] Its production also promotes and enhances biodiversity and biological cycles.^{[2][dead link]} In the United States cotton plantations must also meet the requirements enforced by the National Organic Program (NOP), from the USDA, in order to be considered organic. This institution determines the allowed practices for pest control, growing, fertilizing, and handling of organic crops.^[3][4] As of 2007, 265,517 bales of organic cotton were produced in 24 countries and worldwide production was growing at a rate of more than 50% per year.^[5]

 

After reading what organic cotton is, I think I want to buy it more.  But, I'm worried about the longevity of the items I purchase.  I'd be interested to know if other people see the same small holes appearing in their organic cotton items.  Reading this thread hasn't helped at all.  I'm going to guess maybe small aliens are eating my clothing!
 

Things To Note on Hump Day!

#1. I like my tea in a massive cup.  I like the tea to water ratio to be more water than less.
#2. I like my coffee in a tiny cup.  I like it hot and strong and I like to drink it fast and then drink a lot more of it.
#3.  When eating fondu do NOT drop hot cheese on your arm.  It burns.  FYI


Happy Hump Day!

Moon Dog ??

The other morning I walked out to see a moon dog.  I of course didn't know it was called that.  I said, "Hey Mike, check out this really cool ring around the moon."  He looked and informed me it was a moon dog.

From the web:
A moon dog, moondog, or mock moon,^[1] (scientific name paraselene,^[1] plural paraselenae, i.e. "beside the moon") is a relatively rare bright circular spot on a lunar halo caused by the refraction of moonlight by hexagonal-plate-shaped ice crystals in cirrus or cirrostratus clouds. Moondogs appear 22° to the left and right of the moon.^[2] They are exactly analogous to sun dogs, but are rarer because to be produced the moon must be bright and therefore full or nearly full. Moondogs show little color to the unaided eye because their light is not bright enough to activate the cone cells of humans' eyes.

Turns out there are also sun dogs (which I've seen before as well).

Just thought that for a Wednesday we should all learn a little something.


Moon Dog also sounds like a yoga pose.