February Color

 Somebunny is working on an old cross stitch project again.  Stitching on linen isn't as easy as stitching on the Aida stuff.  Oh well.  I am making a few counting errors, but I think it's okay.  I bought this at least twenty-five years ago.  I was loving bunnies then.  I still love them but I don't have a lot of bunny stuff around the house anymore (must have been major breakage in the meantime).  I guess this proves that I save stuff.  
Last Monday I went to Whole Foods and spied this lovely flower.  Wow!  It tasted like any cauliflower. 

 Timothy continues to enjoy cozy early morning naps.  Right now he is napping on my quilted laptop case.  I think he's pouting. 

 Birdie turned 11!  How can it BE?  We went shopping (I tagged along). She bought clothes with all of her birthday money and then we lunched at P.F. Chang.  Following the Weight Watcher's guidelines, I was allowed about six bites.  

 I like to tuck Tim in my fluffy robe.  He tolerates. 

 Aw!  My Valentine is so sweet. 

 We ate lunch with dear Brad again.  I ate beans (zero points) and chicken.  Qdoba is a Weight Watchers-friendly place but it didn't taste that delicious.  Okay, no more WW talk - I'm boring myself! 

 I think Lizzy's paintbox makes a pretty picture, don't you?

 This was VERY tasty and just the right amount of food. 

 Every time I pick up this little shortie sock knit I think of my elementary school because the "Vikings" proudly displayed green and gold.  

 This was Tim and I this morning.  It's been warm but tomorrow I shall wear slippers.  The weather is switching it up again. 

 I am making progress on my Sockhead hat. 

 I'm still poking away at my Penguono sweater.  I tried it on today and it's quite a sight.  I'm still not sure if I'll wear it much (maybe at home when wool sweaters are required because of the cold) but I've learned a lot making it and I do want to finish soon.  

What have YOU been up to?  Are you a February person or are you itching for Easter?  I DO love the Easter stuff at the grocery store, but I shall try not to buy any of it because I do not have space for one more cute thing.  I'll try.

Thank you for popping in.  I hope you're feeling fine, thinking about the beauty of your heart and soul, and giving yourself to others often.  We need quiet to commune with God and then we need good and meaningful conversations with others.  I hope you're accessing some sweet connections. 

(BIG HUG)

Snow Covered Sunday

 (My Hotel Room in Paris by Augusto Giacometti 1938) 
It's winter and it's cold . . . brrrrrrr (remember that little tune from Sesame Street?)  I decided to go out in it this morning.  For heaven's sake, I have LOTS of wool to bundle up in and if I don't wear my boots on days like today when WILL I wear them?  I listened to a podcast (an interview with Wendell Berry) and trudged around my small walking loop.  I wore the alpaca vest I finished last year, a yellow pixie hat I made long ago and my old down jacket.  I was warm enough and the air smelled like sparkles.  I have the sleepy hibernating feeling today.  I am a bear.  I am going to crawl back into our fleecy bed later on.  It's the Sabbath, you know.  

 "Every mile is two in winter." ~ Old English Proverb

 "Sunshine cannot bleach the snow; Nor time unmake what poets know." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

 Now don't look to closely or you will see that Amelia Bedelia needs to wipe baseboards (scrub) and sweep.  Tim likes cold days when warm air blows out of the air vents.  

One of my "why's" as Kelli and I continue with Weight Watchers is because I want to feel calm and relaxed whenever I can.  Extra weight weighs us down (duh) and makes us feel a little off kilter (not calm!) so I mean to remind myself that feeling relaxed and peaceful will make me feel more like myself, the "myself" that my Creator intended in the first place.  

Different foods make us feel certain ways, too.  What do you think "calm foods" might be?  Tea?  Eggs?  Soup?  Do tell.

Last night I placed two whole chickens on cans of tea (we have wire things that are made for this purpose) and covered them with a honey garlic rub.  They were tasty!  I made gravy because Kelli and the girls were here as well as Jenny and Scott and their girls.  It was good.  I used to think gravy was super tricky because meat drippings are a must, but it turns out they really aren't a must.  Simply browning a bit of butter and flour can take the place of drippings, add water and a seasoning cube (very salty, I know) and there you have it! I had a package of country gravy mix which looked ugly in the picture, but actually tasted pretty good.  I added that, too.

Are you going to bake heart cookies for Valentine's Day?  I am not.  They make me feel seasick, but they ARE beautiful. 

Happy week to you, sweet reader. 

I hope you give and receive heaps of LOVE. 

Knitting and Sewing

 I'll start and finish with Timothy because he is never far away.  Only once in a blue moon does he find a place to hide.  Most of the time he is very near.  He's a comfort cat (not a comfort peacock - did you read about that?)

On Sunday I decided to make a hat for Kelli.  I knit and knit all day, but some of the hand painted roving yarn is too fat and sticks out too much.  I'm so picky about finished objects.  I rarely love what I make.  Why is that?

 You must see that I look like a beehive head.  Oh well.  

Sometimes with sewing, I'm less picky about outcomes.  My neighbor gave me two little doll quilts so I incorporated them into the polka dot plans I had for Miss Bug's doll bed.  Ann had to try out the bed. 

I finished one of my #100actsofsewing outfits.  I had this purple plaid fabric left over from a "maybe" dress 20 plus years ago.  Can you see the pants?  I've always wanted to wear long dresses with pants showing at the bottom.  I wore this yesterday and felt kind of conspicuous because at the coffee shop I was at with a friend people were wearing tight jeans and boots.  Ha!  I asked Bill what he thought and he said, "I like you better in tighter clothes 😍 but it is YOU!"  So funny.  I asked him if it looked like something Raggedy Ann would wear and he said, "Yes."  I guess I'm kind of a chicken.  Sorry the photo is taken in the bathroom (the loo as Annie Nana Go Go says) but we still don't have a full length mirror. 

 My niece who has four kids and a busy pastor husband uses this cookbook.  I like it, too.  Although, as I am trying to transform into a skinny person who EATS like a skinny person for the rest of my life, some of the recipes are a little too hearty.  I guess I can adapt some of them so they are more Weight Watcher friendly.  I do miss some of my junky food habits.  I wish cake wasn't so high in calories.  Ha!  So does everyone else!  Silly Pom Pom. 

 I'll end with our sweet furry baby!  He is such a blessing.  I love cats.  I don't want more than one though because then I stop appreciating them (too much cat box clean up).  

I had lots of fun with my family in Washington.  I didn't take any outside photos because the weather was pretty dismal.  I'm not used to rain and grey skies anymore.  I'm thankful for sunshine. 
Thank you for coming by to say hello.  I missed you!