The Year In Pictures

January:

February:

March:

April:

May:

June:

July:
August:

September:

October:

November:


December:

One Of Those Days

It's been one of those days. You know, the days when absolutely nothing interesting has happened. Well, unless you want to hear about my semi-annual dentist appointment. No new cavities, but I do have a couple of old fillings that need reworking. Nothing interesting there.

After the dental appointments, Cody and I went by the new pet store that has opened up here in town. I wanted to find a stand to put Scarlett's new tank on. I was looking for one that would hold Blaze's tank on top, and Scarlett's on bottom. They didn't have one, but the owner is going to look online and see if she can get me one. If not, it'll be back up to Southaven. Cody wants a ferret, so he looked at ferret cages. But Cody and I talked about it. I told him that he might ought to wait until he gets his own place, because I was afraid Rylea might kill it. If you could see the way she goes after the squirrels in the yard... Anyway, the short version is Cody has decided to wait on a ferret.

Our final stop of the day was Wal-mart. I got a few Christmas things on clearance, including this


Dallas Cowboy tinsel. No bandwagon fan here. I'm in it for life.

The Trekking scarves are coming along nicely. I've gotten them both the same length and now I'm doing them two at once.


I found this pattern of hearts for my Dallas Cowboys yarn. I'll link it later. Ravelry is acting kooky right now.


The scarf is knit in two pieces and grafted together in the center so that the hearts are right side up when you wear it. The pattern calls for bulky weight on size 15s, but I'm doing it in worsted weight on size 10s. There is a garter stitch border, but the scarf was curling anyway, so I am blocking it to see if that helps. If it still curls after being blocked, I'll have to rip it and add a wider border.

Now, a new feature of my blog. I enjoy listening to audio books and so I thought every so often, when I've heard a particularly good one, I'd review it briefly here.

Listening to: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson When this story was first published in 1948, it shocked and frightened a lot of people. Despite the fact that sixty years later, we have become desensitized to death and violence, but this story is still creepy and disturbing. I first heard it in 11th grade. It had been removed from the textbooks, but my English teacher that year read it to us anyway. I read it again a couple of years later in college, but haven't read it since. However, this is a story that just stays with you. There is some discussion before and after the actual story is read, but it is brief and fairly interesting itself.

Movie Review-

The Christmas Miracle Of Jonathan Toomey

Based on the book of the same name--which I have not read--this movie will become a classic, at least in my house. The story centers around a ten year old boy named Thomas, whose father was killed in a war. To add insult to injury, after the father dies, the mother is forced to sell their house, and they move in with the boy's aunt out in the country. During the move, Thomas loses his treasured nativity set, which he and his father had always set up together.

In the community into which they move lives a woodcarver named Jonathan Toomey--nicknamed Gloomy Toomey by the local children. He is a dour old fellow who mostly keeps to himself, and seldom speaks except when he absolutely has to. After seeing some of Mr. Toomey's work in one of the local stores, the mother contracts him to carve a new nativity set for Thomas. She also asks if Thomas can come watch him work and Mr. Toomey reluctantly agrees.

What happens next, well that's the Christmas Miracle Of Jonathan Toomey. I won't tell you any more. I don't want to spoil the surprise.

The movie stars Tom Berenger as Jonathan Toomey, and that in itself is worth the price of admission. I absolutely loved this movie. It is touching without being cliche, and though the story is just a tad predictable, it is so well done that it feels fresh and new throughout. Plus, there is a little surprise at the end that is guaranteed to make you smile. Oh, and it is a good clean family movie that you can watch with the littlest children without having to fear what might be in the next scene.

My Rating: ***** Five Stars

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My Heart

is sick and sad.

44-6. It doesn't get much worse than that. But look on the bright side. At least we aren't Detroit fans.

Well, the season is over for Cowboys fans. I guess I'll go to bed and start dreaming about next year.

Road Trip

A short one at least. The money I'd gotten for Christmas was burning a hole in my pocket, so I had to go spend it before it got away. Or before Cody ended up getting it for lunch money like he did my birthday money. So off to Southaven we go. First stop, Hank Of Yarn.

I only bought two skeins of sock yarn, Cherry Tree Hill Supersocke:

This one is Cherry Blossom.

This one is Cabin Fever. This one had a bit of a mishap. They'd asked me if I wanted them to wind the yarn for me, and I said, "Please" thinking that they had a swift and it would be much easier for them to wind it instead of me dealing with a tangled mess at home. Well, when the lady finished winding this one, instead of lifting it off from the bottom of the cake, she kind of lifted it by the sides. This resulted in a bit of yarn barf coming out of the middle. Instead of rewinding it for me, she just shoved the barf back up inside the cake of yarn. When I rewound it after I got home, the center of the ball came out on one big glob, so I had to deal with a tangled mess anyway. Nevertheless, we persevered and all is well now.

I also went by the pet store and got Scarlett a new tank.

She is way overdue for one. This week's project will be 1) figuring out where to put the thing as it won't fit where her old one is, and 2) getting it set up and her into it.

In knitting news, I've been working on my Trekking is for Necking scarf.

Once I finally figured out the pattern, I liked it so much I wound my other skein of Trekking and started another.


The funny thing is, I only had one set of these particular size of needles (US3), so I'm using the same needles for both scarves. I'll work mostly on the blue one until it is the same length as the orange one, then I'll do them both together. They'll probably end up being next year's Christmas gifts.

I completely forgot it was Saturday, but I've about decided to stop doing Saturday Sky anyway. It's been 3 years, and it's gotten a little old. I'll try to think of something new and fresh to post in its place.

Gentlemen,

this is a football.--Vince Lombardi

It is also the name of the new book I received for Christmas. It is a book of football quotes complied by Eric Zweig. For today's post, I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you.

It was a time mix up. We started playing at nine o'clock, and the kickoff was at eight. --Houston Oilers Head Coach Bum Phillips

Detroit's so bad this year that they might lose their bye week.-- Comedian Dennis Miller

They overwhelmed one, underwhelmed ten, and whelmed one. --Sportswriter Red Smith writing on the Green Bay Packers, who finished 1-10-1 that year.

When in doubt, punt.--John Heisman

Football doesn't build character. It eliminates the weak ones. --University of Texas Coach Darrell Royal

Pressure is something you feel when you don't know what the he** you're doing.--Peyton Manning

If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, wouldn't it be a Merry Christmas.--Don Meredith

The pads don't keep you from getting hurt. They just keep you from getting killed.--Defensive End Chad Bratzke

People get hurt all the time in football. It's part of what we do.--Linebacker Lawrence Taylor (most famous for breaking Joe Theismann's leg)

We try to hurt everybody. We hit each other as hard as we can. This is a man's game.--Linebacker Sam Huff

Football is not a contact sport. Football is a collision sport. Dancing is a contact sport.--Duffy Daugherty

When he goes on safari, the lions roll up their windows. --Offensive Line Coach Monte Clark on Larry Csonka

We're going to win on Sunday. I'll guarantee you.--Joe Namath

This one wasn't in the book, but I thought I'd add it in here, since it's one of my personal favorites:

We will win the ball game, and you can put it in 3 inch headlines. --Jimmy Johnson

Christmas in Pictures

I didn't really take a lot of pictures this year. Here are the ones I did take.


Our gifts:

These are mostly Cody's presents. Yes, he did get an electric razor. He used it, too. He came into the kitchen and asked, "Notice something different about my face?" I replied, "You shaved! Awww, and I wanted to take videos!" Sneaky little devil.

These are mostly mine. Notice the lineup of jerseys across the back of the couch. Notice also that Cody got the good ones from NFL.com. Mom got the cheap knockoffs from Wal-mart. Isn't that usually how it goes? (I just noticed--the Peyton Manning jersey is not in the picture. He was already wearing it.) But Mom did get this:

and this
and this
I think that was a fair tradeoff, don't you?

We went over to B and J's for Christmas dinner. On the menu was

Turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, broccoli casserole, corn casserole, dressing, strawberry banana jello, broccoli salad and cranberry sauce. For dessert (which I did not get a picture of) there was pumpkin pie, cream cheese pie, and buttermilk pie.

Mmmmm, doesn't it look good?

Afterwards, I came home and put on my Man of Steel jersey --uh, that would be Jason Witten--


watched Cody's new movie, Hancock, and knit a while. Later that evening, my sister in Alaska called me. She just loved the shawl I'd made for her. She said she couldn't wait to go to church Sunday so she could wear it.

Funny enough, I didn't realize until now that I didn't get a single knitting related gift. I guess Santa thought I had enough yarn. However, I did get some money, so a trip to the yarn store just might be in order.

That was our Christmas. I wish we could have had more family here, because that always makes holidays better. Still, it was a good Christmas, and I was sorry to see the sun set. I hope yours was just as good, and remember, as my old auntie once said,

"You can Merry Christmas all the way up until New Year's".

It's Christmas Eve!

But first, I have to show you what I did. This is it:

So, what's the big deal? I'll tell you. I made my own pie crust! I've never been able to make a decent pie crust. I was rather proud of this one. And here is the finished pie--pumpkin, of course.

Now, on to the festivities...



We went to B and J's as usual. It was just the four of us, because Dennise's boss won't let them take vacation around the holidays, so they couldn't come. There was lots of food--all of it eggless--

but before we could eat, we had to take the obligatory family photos:

Yes, I did get into some of the pictures, but they are all on B's camera. Well, except for this one when Cody grabbed the camera.

"Don't you take my picture", exclaims B.

The food was all so good, and I ate way too much. Then we played a quick game of charades, in which Cody was perpetually it.

J read the Christmas story from the Bible,


and after a quick prayer for our pastor (who, as you may recall, recently lost his wife of 49 years to cancer), we passed out the gifts.

We kept things real simple, as money is tight for everyone this year. Still, J was thrilled with his LSU mug, and has already drank from it several times.

B loved her Clapotis and wrapped up in it after the house grew chilly.

"Cool!" Cody seems to be saying, as he looks at his new, wind up radio. With alarm. And flashlight. And siren.

He put his LSU hoodie on and has hardly taken it off since.

And grandma sent him money, which is always a hit.

"Where is my present?" asks Annie.

My gifts were a Grenada Band cookbook and a keyring which holds digital photos--which ironically enough, I didn't get a picture of.

And that was our Christmas Eve. I'm going to bed now, to wait for Santa.

Merry Christmas!

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