The Year In Pictures

January:


February:


March:


April:

May:


June:


July:


August:


September:

October:


November:

December:

A White Christmas

Well, ok, this is as close as we came to a White Christmas this year.

Jake pulled all the stuffing out of his new toy. This is what it looked like by the end of the day.

And by the end of the next day, it was completely demolished.

But I didn't really come here to tell you all about my destructive dog. On to the topic at hand, knitting.

It has been a gloomy, rainy day all day today. I've spent it working on my Queen Anne's Lace. I'm half a round from being done with chart three, but it's gotten to the point where it's so bunched up on the needle that I can't get a decent photo of it.

So I'll show you these. This is the first Falling In Love sock which I finally got finished. It's not a bad pattern, but those knit 4 togethers are a pain in the patootey to get done.

And I finished my Cowboys hat.

I made it to match my I Love My Cowboys Scarf, which I'm seriously considering redoing.

The nature of the heart motif makes the scarf want to fold in half, and that just irks me. I want to be able to see the pattern. So I'm thinking of ripping it and making a garter stitch border at the bottom, which the original pattern didn't call for. If it still wants to fold in half, I may have to do a few rows of garter stitch in between each heart motif. Since they are interlocking, I'm not sure how that will work out. I may just see if I can find a non lacy heart to do it in. I don't know yet. Just let me finish QAL, then I'll figure it out.

My Christmas cactus is still blooming, wonder of wonders. It is absolutely covered in buds.


It hasn't bloomed this much since I've had it. I don't know why it suddenly decided to bloom, but I like it.

Christmas Day

Ice Queen Revealed

The finished Ice Queen, revealed, in all it's glory.

A close up of the stitch detail:

Stretched over a towel, showing the stitch pattern and scallops.

The lucky recipient admiring it.

And modeling it

Christmas Eve

B and J's Christmas tree.

They had a pre-lit tree, and when they put it up, one of the strings of lights was no longer working. By the time Christmas Eve got here, a second string was no longer working. J said they just aren't worth it. I had a pre lit tree, too and ended up just cutting all the lights off and using regular strings.

Our snacks. There weren't but 4 of us, but we had enough to feed an army.

J handing out presents.

Cody wanting more...

What could be inside?

Hook 'em!

B looks so serious

but she loved her Ice Queen

Cody got mostly clothes, like this bleeding guitar shirt

I got an electric griddle. Cooking pancakes in a skillet is not fun.

And here's Cody's Hook 'em Horns shirt. And that was our Christmas Eve.

Wildlife

OK, Y'all...I was walking Rylea this afternoon, and we hadn't gotten very far from the house when I heard a screech--like a bird screech. I didn't think too much of it, because we have red tailed hawks all over the place. They screech at me all the time. Imagine my surprise when I looked up and it wasn't a red tailed hawk. It was a flippin BALD EAGLE!!!!!

Of all days for me not to have my camera. It wouldn't have done any good anyway, because all I could do was stand there with my mouth hanging open, saying, "that's a bald eagle!" And there was nobody to tell. I finally had the presence of mind to dig out my phone and try to take a photo with it, but by that time he was too far away.

I knew they lived around here, because they have that eagle census down at the lake every year, but this is the first time I ever saw one. It's the first time I've ever seen a wild eagle at all.


One day earlier this week, I was letting Rylea out very early in the morning. A weird noise was coming from the woods next door. As soon as she heard it, Ry took off barking that hound dog yawp she has, and whatever it was screamed.

"Dadgum," I thought. "That sounds like a panther!"

It sounded like this: Cougar Sound, especially that last bit.

A day or two later, I was walking Rylea. We walk down this dirt road, and we're always seeing tracks. Dog, and coyote tracks, deer tracks, possum, raccoon, rabbit...even snake tracks. Anyway, this day, I spotted something that was very unusual. It was kind of like a dog track, but not exactly the right shape. It was wider than a dog track, and had no claw marks. It was also a lot larger than any of the dogs around here. The track was about as big as my hand. It looked a lot like the sketch found here.

I stopped and looked at the track, and said out loud, "That looks like a panther track!" I kept my eyes open, but didn't see any more, and I haven't seen one since. Now, I don't know that there are panthers in Mississippi. Maybe what I was hearing and seeing was a bobcat--a very big bobcat, but I don't know. I just keeps getting curiouser and curiouser.

Bless Us One And All

Bless us all this Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

That's What Christmas Is All About, Charlie Brown

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. [And] this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

And when they had seen [it], they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard [it] wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered [them] in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Busy Busy Busy

There's a scene in the cartoon version of Frosty the Snowman, in which Santa tells the evil magician that if he writes "I am very sorry for what I did to Frosty" a hundred million times, he just might find something in his stocking Christmas morning. At that point, Professor Hinkle says, "Sorry to lose and run, but I've got to get busy, busy, busy!" and dashes off to do his lines.

That's what I've been today. No, not losing and running, but busy busy busy.

The first order of business was removing the provisional cast on and picking up all the resulting live stitches in Ice Queen.

This is what took up most of the day, but it was top priority. I finally got the thing bound off, and here it is in its pre-blocking state:

Once that was done, I was on to other projects. I worked a little bit on my hat, but this picture is mostly to show you progress.

And I made stamp cookies,

and Scotch cookies.

I also got the peanut butter fudge and Turkish Delight made, but they aren't cut up yet, so I didn't take photos of them.

Tomorrow looks to be just as busy, so I'm heading off to bed, now.

Oh, just one more thing, Santa begins his annual flight in just about two hours. You can track his progress here, at NORAD Tracks Santa.

Happy Winter

a day late, that is. Yesterday was the first day of winter, and I completely missed it. So Happy Belated Winter to all of you.

Yesterday was also Jake's 4 month birthday. He's almost as big as Rylea, but he is going to be a big dog. I was going to post about how he's beginning to be less of a pesky little brat dog, and into more of a companion, but today his peskiness is out in full force.

One bit of football news. The Cowboys have cut struggling kicker Nick Folk, who missed what would have been the game clinching field goal against New Orleans, and replaced him with struggling kicker Shaun Suisham, who was cut by the Redskins two weeks ago after he missed what would have been the game clinching field goal against New Orleans. Yes, the same Shaun Suisham who had already been cut by the Cowboys twice in his career. I only hope when it's time to start adding to the 80 man roster in the spring, Folk will still be available, and they can resign him. I think once he gets a full offseason workout, and a full training camp--which he didn't this year because of his leg surgery--he will pull out of this slump he's in and be money once again.

Today was my last day of work until January 4. I just relaxed this evening, and will start the rest of my baking tomorrow. Oh, and I've got to bind off Ice Queen and get it blocked, too.

Merry Christmas Rant!

Once again, Zo says exactly what I want to say, only he says it so much better. I've never understood why people let someone else's view of Christmas influence their celebration of it.

"Christmas is too commercial" So? Does that mean YOU have to be commercial? No.

"Christmas is too stressful." Then don't get stressed over it. ENJOY the holiday.

"Society takes Christ out of Christmas." Society takes Christ out of a lot of things, but that doesn't mean YOU have to.

Jesus said, "I have come that you might have LIFE and have it more ABUNDANTLY". Doesn't sound to me like he wants us to be sour old prunes.

On that note, let me take this time to wish each and every one of you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

A Day Of Baking and Knitting

After church, of course, I got started on my Christmas baking. I made snickerdoodles.

You would be surprised at how many people, upon seeing these say, "Oh, sugar cookies with cinnamon sprinkled on them." I reply, "No, they're snickerdoodles." Then they say, "What are snickerdoodles? Are they sugar cookies with cinnamon sprinkled on them?" At this point, I just sigh, and say, "No, they're snickerdoodles" and leave it at that.

Then I made chocolate chip cookies--always a hit.

Cream cheese mints

and chocolate fudge.

I made up a plate to take to work, but most of it, we're keeping for our family Christmas.

I've still got peanut butter fudge, Turkish delight, stamp cookies, scotch cookies, and sandies to make, but I'll make them later in the week. I only got started this early because I said I'd take some to work.

In knitting news, I finished the Ice Queen, except for binding off and blocking.

That blue yarn hanging out of the bottom is the provisional cast on. I have to remove that, put the live stitches on a needle, and bind off using the picot bind off. This is the last Christmas present I have to finish. Upon completing it, I decided that by golly, I was going to knit something for me. So I cast on a hat, using Cowboy colors, of course.

I plan on making it gray with a blue stripe. I've just spit spliced the blue to the gray, but haven't started knitting it yet.

See that nasty looking little wad of stuff in the lower right? Somebody was wanting me to play with him.

That is all that is left of his rope toy.

Since the Colts played Thursday, and the Cowboys played yesterday--handing New Orleans their first loss of the season, by the way--there was a dearth of football today. I did watch Atlanta and the Jets, then I watched Green Bay lose to Pittsburgh, and part of Minnesota and Carolina, but it just isn't the same when you have no vested interest in the teams.

I've got two days of work this week, then I'm off until next year. Since I haven't figured out how to make 4:30 come any later, I guess I'd better head for bed.

G'nite.