I try to put it in words

I have this friend and she's awesome.  She inspires me, encourages me, and always gives me hope.  She listens without judgement, laughs without reservation, and gives of herself without expectation.  I swear, she is one of the most wonderful souls that I have the blessing to know and I truly believe I would be more than a little lost without her.

My friend has had a less than stellar year thus far - dealing with sickness, loss of loved ones, and now even more sickness.  The kind of sickness that makes you want to stamp your feet and scream to the heavens "enough already!" but you're so worn out all you can do is shrug.

I love this friend dearly - she is part of my family of choice - and the thought of recent events dissolves me to tears.  Me, not her.  Do you know what she does instead?  She simply finds the brightest spot in the day and cherishes it.  A giggle.  A gesture.  A helping hand.  It doesn't matter how small one might think it is, she will never miss the beauty in it.

I was looking for a quote to lift my friend up today but nothing fit.  They were all too gloomy or just left of center when it came to her.  This one doesn't even fit in the way I was hoping but it resonates with me because she is the Christopher Robin to my Winnie The Pooh.  She is the one who is everyone's cheerleader.

So while I may be feeling like a bear of very little brain today, I hope that knows how much she is loved even when things don't turn out just as you envisioned them.  While she is busy being the rock for everyone even though her own personal storm is raging, I hope she knows that I am always here to give her a great big bear hug and to do all I can to give her a giggle that brightens her day.

Friends.  Forever.  and Always.

Sunday Snaps

I spent the first part of the week adding new inventory to the Zazzle Store for y'all...

I've been plugging away on my future great niece/nephew's blanket...

I even started tinkering on something else and the best part... it's for y'all!  Any guesses?

I've been a busy beaver around here this week.  Designing new items for the shop, working on things for future new family members, and collaborating on something fabulous for y'all... all while going through the hours of training that come with the promotion I got at work.  Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.

I also want to give a big thank you to all y'all who have been shopping in the Zazzle Store.  Every time one of you purchase a little something it just makes my heart sing.  If there is something that you've been wanting to see that I haven't created yet, please let me know!

Time to get started on the day.  I hope y'all have had a wonderful week and that an even more beautiful one lies ahead for you in the days to come.

This, that, and the other thing

My allergies have me feeling like such a space cadet during my little weekend here.  I know it will pass but by golly I do hate feeling like I have a head full of cotton and the seven dwarfs are mining their way through my face.

I finished my book last night.  I picked up Divergent while I was at the store the other day and I started it on Monday morning, reading all the way up until I had to go work, then I didn't have time to pick it back up again until last night after supper, when I finished it.  It was really good.  So good actually, that while Pokey and I were out and about Tuesday he bought me Insurgent so I'm good to go on the second one tonight or tomorrow.

All my little projects, lined up in a neat little row.

Today was spent on the sofa since I felt puny.  I watched Leap Year and Robin Hood (the director's cut) while I worked on a blanket for my niece and nephew-in-law who are expecting their first child in May.  She doesn't know what she's having but I do so I am doing my best to make it so when she opens my present it doesn't blow the surprise.  The colors are green, yellow, and peach which would work for either a boy or a girl so I think I did alright.  I need to run out to the store once Pokey gets home tonight so I can get more yarn.  I need to pick up at least one green and hopefully a yellow but if not, then I'll get a second green which will work out fine because I have two more skeins in a fabulous green, grey, and blue colorway waiting to be made for our sofa.

I also started a hat to help work my way through my stash.  I have the band and about 6" of hat done but the pattern calls for 10" so I'm plugging along.  It's the same pattern that I made my OWL hat out of last term over at HPKCHC.  I love the pattern but the crown decrease was never awesome to me so I'm going to do my own thing once I get to that point.

We're having sloppy joes for supper tonight because they just sound good.  You know how when you feel kind of icky, certain things just sound perfect?  Welp, initially I was going to make a meatloaf but then I got to thinking and I really wanted sloppy joes so Pokey is bringing home buns, kettle chips, and ice cream so that I can have my comfort food supper.

I think I'll get caught back up on my American Idol before tonight... I forgot to vote so I'm hoping that Dexter, Alex, and Caleb rocked it.

21 Years... Really?!?!

This little superstar surprised us all and had us wrapped around her finger from the very beginning....

21 years have gone by and while they may not have been perfect, I've loved every single one.

Happy birthday, Peanut.  Thank you for the blessing and the honor of being your Mom-E.  You have grown into a wonderful woman and I love you more than words could ever begin to express.

My last day of Spring Break

This was the present I couldn't share, a fox scarf for Peanut!

The past few days have been a super whirlwind of fun.  Today we go back to normal life.  Pokey had to go to work this morning, I've got cleaning and chores to get done, and Hobbit has a little list of To-Dos as well.  We are getting back into normal life, slowly but surely.

On Wednesday, we went to the store and picked up two new movies - "Saving Mr. Banks" and "Frozen".  We had a lovely steak supper and watched the first movie.  I love all things Disney and since I knew the historical facts surrounding this film, I was really pleased with how they portrayed it on screen.  It took me a bit to get immersed in the fact that Tom Hanks was my beloved Walt but once I was able to get lost in the magic of it, it was just wonderful.

Thursday, we went to Dade City and did a bit of antiquing with my folks and Peanut.  It was fun wandering around the shops and having a late dinner with everyone.  My folks took Hobbit for the night so Pokey and I went for a wandering drive on the way home.  We spent the rest of the night just enjoying the quiet because we were honestly tired from the events of the week at that point.

My little Peanut is now an honest to goodness adult - what?!

Yesterday, we went up to my folks' house to celebrate Peanut's birthday.  She turns 21 on Monday and I can honestly not believe it.  At 4:45 am tomorrow, my baby will be an official all grown up adult.  Wowzers.  We had a fun little family party and after supper, cake, and presents we went home for the night.

Today, like I said, is about chores and getting back on track because I go back to work tomorrow.  Oh yeah, and I got a promotion while I was on vacation.  Yep, my boss called and asked if I would like it so I took a day to think it over, pondering all the possibilities and noodled through my fears, but the end result is my accepting the position.  Training starts on Monday apparently so wish me luck.

Our week, in progress

We're in the middle of our Spring Break and we've been having a blast!  Today is an easy day since we've been running since it all began and we'll be running on Thursday and Friday too.  We're thinking of heading to the store and getting "Frozen" and "Saving Mr. Banks", having a double feature and just relaxing today.

Here's a quick peek at what we've been up to...

We escaped the raging thunderstorms of Monday with some ice skating...

Yesterday, we decided to take it easy and simply go around the world.

We saw fabulous gardens full of magic and wonder.

Flowers doing things that you never thought possible.

We saw beautiful waterfalls...

Magnificent vistas...

I even managed to find some yarn!

The beauty of the day was not lost on a single soul.

We even managed to share a few secret with some of our nearest and dearest friends.

Sunday Snaps

Not sure how often I'll be popping in this coming week, as we are on Spring Break and enjoying a staycation.  There will be ice skating, park hopping, antiquing, and family gatherings so we'll be needing a break to recover from our Spring Break, I'm sure of it.  As soon as I'm done with my itty bitty shift tonight - 8 pm until 12 am - it will officially be party time in this house.

Here's what we've been up to at our little house this past week...

Hobbit's allergies have been kicking her tail this week, though she did her best to suck it up and move on.

Birthday crafting for Peanut is in full swing and thankfully is almost complete as I'm running out of time!

I made a most fabulous Orange Blossom Honey Lemon Chicken and shared the particulars so you can enjoy it too.

I finished my Mission and promptly frogged it to reclaim the yarn I love in order to make something I love.

I received my first month of the Disney Yarn of the Month Club.  This one was dedicated to Alice in Wonderland.

I made a new social media banner that show what makes me "me".  Cooking, crafting, designing, and my family.

I also taught Hobbit how to knit on Friday and she's produced over a foot of scarf in her endeavors to master it.

It's been a busy week but this coming week is going to be even busier... but in an even more fun way!  I hope y'all have a fabulous week and I'll pop in soon to share our adventures with you.

Weekend Wonderment

I can't show you my project because it's for Peanut's birthday but I can show you someone's work...

This someone has just learned how to do something fantastic and absolutely wonderful this morning...

As you can see from the constant tongue action, it takes a great deal of concentration and effort...

Hobbit learned how to knit today!  She's going to spend her Spring Break making her first knitted scarf!

Awesomeness in chicken forms

Yesterday I made a chicken for supper but I tried something new.  Normally, I put it in my roasting pan, with the lid, and cook it at 350 for about an hour and a half.  It usually splits the breast but the meat is so tender, I don't care.  It isn't for the Queen or anything so a split breast is a decent sacrifice for such juicy meat.

Well, my husband made a comment that he misses having crispy skin on his chicken.  I don't normally eat the skin so it never dawned on me that there was a difference.  To make Pokey happy, because it's my duty to keep him pleased as punch, I decided to cook my chicken last night in a different fashion.

I first took two lengths of aluminum foil and rolled them length-wise so that I had something to rest the bird since my normal roasting rack did not fit in my dish.  This lifted it up just enough that it wasn't sitting directly in the juices while cooking.  After that was all set, I washed the bird and set it in the dish on the foil bits.  I took my orange blossom honey and drizzled it over the entire bird.  I then sprinkled on some lemon peel, celery salt, pepper, and parsley.  It looked fabulous -

That is one beautiful bird right there!

Even before it went into the oven, I thought it was beautiful.  I honestly sat there and stared at it for a goodly bit thinking that Gordon would be so proud of it if he could see... Paula would tell me to add butter but in my cooking daydreams, Paula is always telling me to add butter to everything.

So I preheated the oven to 275F and placed this gorgeous bird on the middle rack - mine are actually marked A-D so she was on B for her holiday in the oven.  I set the timer for two and a half hours and went about my day.  When the timer went off, I temped her to make sure we were on target for supper time.  She was a big girl at just over six and a quarter pounds so timing was important.  I then covered her lightly with aluminum foil so she didn't burn and placed her back for another hour.  The final results were amazing!  Have a look -

I had to run and grab the camera to get a picture because Pokey couldn't wait to dig in!

It tasted absolutely delicious.  I will admit that the breast meat was not as juicy as it is when I cook it in my covered roasting pan but it was still good.  It didn't dry out at all, like I feared it would.  All I know is that Pokey and Hobbit were very happy and I have two more bags of leftover chicken to use in the freezer from this baby which will yield me a total of four more dinners. 

Like I always say, you just can't beat a good roaster when it comes to getting the most bang for your buck.  This awesome bird was just over $13 so we'll call it $14 for the sake of argument.  That means I got five meals for $2.80 a meal.  You just can't top it.  Just because you are feeding a family on a budget doesn't mean that you have to eat cheap boxed meals.  Good food, when you purchase wisely, can actually save you money and feed you well.

Oh, what was I doing while the chicken was cooking yesterday - finishing up my Mission... which I am promptly going to frog now that I have turned it in.  I love this neon yarn so I am going to turn right around and make something else with it, I just didn't care for the excessive fluffiness of this particular item.  The chicken bag though - well, that's just awesome no matter how you look at it.

See how it drapes like curtains, not a fan.  I'm going to frog it though and make something fabulous.

Off to spend my morning rewinding yarn and searching patterns.  I hope y'all have a wonderful day.  This is Hobbit's last day of school before Spring Break so I'm going to enjoy my last day of quiet for the next 8 days.  On the super up side, Pokey and I were both able to get vacation during her Spring Break so it will be a week full of family fun!

Two decades plus one

I sure hope she likes it... I'll share what it is next Friday.

Peanut will be 21 in exactly two weeks' time.  I can hardly believe it.  My precious little girl is going to be a full fledged adult.  Where has the time gone?

While I adore this girl... errr... woman (?!?) with all my heart and soul, she is really difficult to buy presents for on special occasions.  Her tastes are as unique as she is and constantly changing so it makes present shopping a real adventure.

This year, I have taken all of the guess work out of it and I'm making her something that is a unique, fun, quirky, and creative as she is so hopefully she will love it.  Naturally, we'll be tossing in a gift card as well but I always like to have a little something homemade too.

She appreciates the homemade things and she respects the artistry and time involved since she is an artist herself.  My only concern is that it might be too quirky for her... now that she's an official 'grown up'.

Here's hoping she loves what it is because I know she'll love it simply because I made it for her.

Happy endings and new adventures

I finally made the time to finish the third book in the Hunger Games series.  I must say, since rereading it with fresh eyes and a different perspective on Katniss, I honestly loved it.  It ended just as I had hoped and it even had enough surprising twists to keep it interesting but not annoy me with a feeling of prolonging the story for the sake of additional pages.

I won't share the ending in case there are those who have yet to read it but I must say that I love it when a trilogy can capture my heart in such a way that I honestly get emotional for the characters.  The first time I read it, I simply loathed Katniss so much that I didn't make it through the second book before I just gave up.  I then sat through the movie because my husband loved the books and wanted to see it... wow, did Jennifer Lawrence change my perception of that character.  I picked up the first book and reread it with a better understanding of who Katniss was and the stories came alive for me.

I'm in that mourning phase now -  you know, the one where you were so invested in the characters that you are sad you completed their stories.  I have a few books on standby for my next adventure so we'll see where I land next week.  In the meantime, I'm going to pick up the next movie in the series tomorrow since it comes out on video then.  That should help with the transition.

Tonight I am going on a culinary adventure as I'm making my first ever curry.  I was originally going to make Butter Chicken from scratch but there were so many new spices and ingredients that I wasn't sure I wanted to invest my funds into something we might not ever use again.  In light of this - and the sheer cost of it all - I opted to go a different route.  We are still having Butter Chicken but I am using a jarred sauce from the U.K. crafted by Sharwood's.  They have a ton of recipes and ideas but I'm simply making this over rice and we'll see how it goes.  It's one of the best selling curries in the U.K. so it has to be good, right?  I have an emergency $20 tucked away for pizza, just in case we don't like it.

Now, I am going to go and spend some time enjoying this deliciously lugubrious day.  I managed to make up ground last night from the frogging that took place the day before and I'm hoping to finish this section of color changes to see where it falls before starting the cuffs for the whole sleeve idea I have.  This is where I'm at now...

Almost done with the first round of the round (and skein) of orange.  It's extra fluffy for the sleeves.

Naturally, when a project is on the floor it needs to be joined by Tinkerbell who helps model.

Though apparently she only works alone... poor Buddy, he lives with such a diva.

Wednesday Wound-Up

I finished my Herbology homework and I think he's stinking cute.  A friend asked me for the pattern so I'm going to write it up and when I do, I'll post for y'all as well.  It's a Pig in Shmud.

During my lunch break, I frogged the last three rows of my Mission.  See how I attempted to change up the pattern I was working - yeah, hated it.  Now I've got some ground to make up!

Not a lot of crafting has gone on this week, though it should have.  Tonight I'm making my first ever curry - Butter Chicken.  Fingers crossed, it turns out well but if not, I've got some leftovers in the freezer to cover us.  Although, Pokey is off tomorrow so I might pull some steaks out to let him cook and I'll do the curry on Thursday.

Fruits of our labours

Pokey and I used to be horrible savers.  We aren't fabulous now but we've been doing better.  I adopted a new financial plan for our family back in October of last year and by sticking to it - no matter how hard it may be some days - we managed to repurchase our annual passes to Walt Disney World and yesterday, we got to go for the first time!

Here are few highlights from our trip yesterday - proof that even though you might want to cheat on whatever long terms plans, keeping your eye on the final prize is well worth it.

We all worked really hard not to cry over how happy we were to be back.

We decided to start where the magic began...

Our goofy group hanging out in the queue to get our permanent passes.

One of the pretty ferries that take you to the Magic Kingdom.

Hobbit was super excited!

Playing in the queue for The Haunted Mansion.

We had a blast at the Country Bear Jamboree.

I love Big Al.

Hobbit did not enjoy Big Thunder Mountain at all - tears and fear of death so we promised never again.

I saw this and just had to take a shot... it just speaks to me.

Yes, we forgot a bathing suit but she had a fabulous time being soaked in the afternoon.

Weekend Wonderment

I have to work tonight but hopefully I will find a few spare moments today to get some work done on my Mission. I'm debating a whole sleeve situation or simply working in reverse from the neck and crafting a cowl. Time constraints will dictate my end result. Nothing says I can't go back and frog it if I don't like it but since I had to withdraw my OWL, I'd like to complete my Order of the Phoenix Mission. The chicken purse is done so this piece is all that is left.

I was able to get the extra yarn I needed and now it's full steam ahead on my Mission. Only have 2 weeks to finish!

Plus, once I get it done, I can then start on something from my new pattern book and magazine.  There is a fox accessory that is calling my name... and begging to be morphed into a cat which is calling Peanut's name - perfect birthday present idea too.

When I got my yarn, I picked a new pattern book and my absolute favorite crochet magazine.  Every pattern will be made!

Couldn't sleep to save my soul so I started a few things.  Hobbit is always sitting on the floor, which is tile and I imagine not very comfortable, so I'm going to take all my worsted weight scraps and make her a floor tuffet to sit on.  I even figured out how to stuff it so it won't come out - stuff an old pillow case first!  Oh yeah, I'm pretty stinking smart when I can't sleep. 

Couldn't sleep so I found a use for my scrap yarn - I'm going to make a floor cushion for Hobbit.

Feeling the need for instant gratification, I designed this handy dandy little bookmark which doubles as a headband when you're reading.  Hobbit loves it and hasn't taken it off all morning.  Let me know if it's something y'all would like and I'll write the pattern up for everyone.  It's super simple and looks really great.  Plus, with it being 'adjustable' it will fit practically any size book and the permanent loop means it won't fall out.

I just made this bookmark that doubles as a headband while you read - pretty clever when I can't sleep.

Tomorrow, we will be spending the day at the Magic Kingdom - a complete surprise for Hobbit since she thinks we won't be able to go until September.  Pokey and I even wove a beautiful tale about how he has to go to a meeting at a different office but she and I are going along so that we can spend the afternoon together playing in a park when he's done.  She knows that his work has an office that is two hours away because he worked there for a short time during the transition this past summer... and it's not a complete fabrication.  We do have to meet with the passholder window to get transfer our etickets to actual passes and then we will spend the afternoon playing in a park.  I know, we're sneaky but nothing will beat the joy watching our Hobbit enjoy everything from Mickey opening the park to the Wishes firework spectacular at night.  We are a Disney family and we've missed it this past year so it will be the perfect amount of pixie dust to get us through to Spring Break.

I hope your weekend is turning out to be just as magical and I promise to share pictures of our adventures when we get home.