Happy Halloween Everyone!!

Hope everyone has a Happy Halloween!!!

Today is my Dad's 75th Birthday! I called him and he told me they have 12 inches of snow in NW NJ! Better them than me! Happy Birthday Dad!!

Everyone have fun trick or treating with their kids, grandkids-be safe and warm!!

The Weekend-a little of this and a little of that!

I am still on the mend from bronchitis. I didn't have a very good night last night but got a nice nap in today. Thanks for everyone's well wishes!

Friday night we picked Owen up and brought him here for the weekend. Jenny and Kevin always have a Halloween party and we offered to take Owen for Friday night, all day Saturday and they would come and pick him up Sunday a.m. Owen must have been having a growth spurt because he slept alot of the time he was here. Maybe that was a good thing because I wasn't feeling well. Here is our little pumpkin with a big smile:

Because Owen was sleeping alot of the time I finished reading the book Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan. It was a really good book, just surprised how she ended the story. I really didn't want it to end!

I also got some knitting in. The Feather and Fan Scarf that I'm knitting is coming along quickly! It looks really great so far! I am making it with one of the skeins of yarn I got at the Fiber Fest last weekend.

Jenny and Kevin then arrived this morning and I made pancakes for everyone! Jenny and Kevin were taking Owen to a Halloween Costume Parade in Megan's neighborhood so they put the hood of the lion's costume I made on him-he looked so cute!

Kevin, Owen's Dad holding the little lion.

Our little lion was roaring/crying here. He wanted to take another nap at this point.

Overall it was a pretty quiet weekend for John and I but a really good one! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

The Shawl I made for Megan.

Here is Megan wearing the shawl I made for her. She wanted all of you to know that she didn't look her best for pictures, I think she looks just fine! I didn't realize the ruffle part of the shawl was curled up either-sorry!

I started this for Megan last Christmas and after 4 baby blankets numerous other things I finally got around to finishing it for her. You can't see it in the picture but there is a slight glimmer in the black yarn, which fits Megan perfectly-she loves glitter, glimmer, sparkles, etc., etc.

Merry Christmas late Megs!! Love you!!

It is Definitely Bronchitis!

I went to the Dr. today because I was having trouble breathing, like something small was sitting on my chest. It wasn't a heart attack feeling just a bronchitis feeling. I was right! When I went to the Dr. he said guess what you have again-bronchitis! I'm glad I went with my gut reaction and called the Dr. to make an appt.

I am on good meds now and rested all day so I should get better quickly. Off to have some tea and rest!

I love these pantries!!

When John, the girls and I lived in our victorian in NJ we had a lovely pantry. I have never had a pantry since that was as great as that one! The pantry we had was just put together perfectly with it's sturdy shelves, a window for light, a really high ceiling so large things could be stacked on the top shelves and a wide plank wood floor. To get to the wide plank floor I had taken up 4 layers of the original linoleum-that smelled just lovely!! I made white curtains for the window, painted the walls white and painted the floor a rich cranberry color. I put a throw rug on the floor to keep our feet warm when we went in there during the winter time because there wasn't any heat in there. I had alot of Longaberger baskets so I used them to store things in there and it looked nice. I hung a peg rack on the long blank wall and hung up my aprons, special dish towels and herbs to dry that I had grown in my garden-it was great! I was looking on pinterest.com today and found some pantries that I wouldn't mind having. Here they are:
(all photos are via www.pinterest.com)

I thought this was a clever idea paint the door with blackboard paint!! I love it!

I love the frosted doors on this pantry.

This pantry is my all time favorite-just gorgeous!!

This pantry is more rustic than the others above, but I liked it too!

This is the perfect country pantry.

Update: I am still under the weather with my throat, so I a Dr. appt. for tomorrow morning. Hopefully they will be able to give me some really good meds! I need to get rid of the fire in my throat!

Everyone have a great afternoon!

A Wonderful Day at SAFF!!!

Saturday I spent a wonderful day with Jenny,friends, fiber and beautiful weather! Jenny and I dropped Owen off at Megan's house at 6:30 a.m.-yes I said a.m.!! We drove back to the Blakeney section of Charlotte to meet our knitting friends Ginny and Julie. We drove up to Asheville, NC, which is about 2 hrs. from our homes. It was a beautiful sunny, clear, crisp Fall day. The leaves in the mountains were at their peak and just gorgeous. We arrived around 9 and we left around 3:30. We walked, walked and walked looking at beautiful fiber, spinning wheels, looms, shawl pins, soaps, hand creams, fudge, Angora bunnies, patterns, etc., etc. It was wonderful!! I bought some fiber and I already started the Fan and Feather Scarf!! Jenny, Ginny and Julie bought fiber too! We will be creating some really beautiful things over the next few months. It was just a beautiful day spent with wonderful friends! Here are some photos of what I bought:

This is the cover from the SAFF booklet.

This yarn is made from 100% Bamboo! I love all the colors in the fiber and will probably make a Spring Shawl out of this.

This beautiful Solo Silk was bought at the Brooks Farm booth. This is a vendor out of Lancaster Texas. It is just gorgeous. I am making a Feather and Fan Scarf for myself out of this. I have already started it!

Here is the Fan and Feather Scarf that I started yesterday.

I love this yarn from Miss Babbs! Miss Babbs is from Mountain City, TN. I love the rich colors of this fiber! I'm not sure what I'll be making with this but I'm sure it will be something awesome!

Ginny, Julie and I bought Shawl Kits from Stream Valley Fiber Farm, Trout Run, PA. All of the kits were different from each other. They consisted of the Pattern for the Shawl, the beautiful fiber (which mine is called Tide Pool) and a handmade Shawl Pin designed and created by PeaceWork Jewelry Design. I just love this yarn and the pattern of the Shawl. The Pin is absolutely beautiful too!

This is the closeup photo of the fiber from the Shawl Kit. I think it is appropriately named Tidal Pool-look at all those blues just like a tidal pool-just gorgeous!!

Closeup of the Shawl Pattern.

I stopped at The Unique Sheep vendor booth and fell in love with their fiber! They are the home of gradient yarn! Just seeing the colors they used for example a beautiful blue going from dark blue all the way to a very light blue all in one skein. Just absolutely gorgeous!! I took their card because I will be ordering over the year from them.

I did not buy this shawl pin but I thought it was just gorgeous!! I love the felted fiber scarf/shawl they paired this beautiful colored wood pin with! I wish I had tens of thousands of dollars because I would have bought whatever I wanted there!

As you can tell I thoroughly enjoyed my day with my daughter and friends! I slept really well that night, I should have put on a pedometer!!

Today I am home from work not feeling well at all. My throat feels like it has a golf ball in it. I will be just relaxing and resting today. Guess I over did it this weekend. It was worth it though!!

Everyone have a great day!

Mama's Got a New Ride!!!

Last night after work John and I went to a Hyundai dealer down the road and we bought a 2011 black Hyundai Sonata!! The sticker said it was Phantom Black, so I have named the car Phantom!! I am so excited!! Here is a picture from google.com that I found of a black Sonata:

I have been driving a Scion TC, which was originally John's car. He was driving a 2002 Toyota RAV 4. The RAV had 197,000 and the mechanic that changed our oil said a whole new exhaust system was in order. That was way more than we wanted to spend on a vehicle with that many miles on it.

So now Mama has a new ride and she is one happy woman!!!

Jenny and I are headed up to SAFF (a Southern Fiber Festival) tomorrow for the day with all our knitting friends!! Can't wait to see and purchase some of that lovely yarn!!! I'll be taking pictures to show you all the beautiful things there. Enjoy your weekend!

Aren't these Penquins cute!!

I was taking a break from my work when I found this article on Animal Talk on the Today Show website. I am so glad they could save these little penquins-they are so cute!!

A good yarn: Knitters make sweaters for penguins after oil spill

Laura T. Coffey writes

It's a sad story with a happy twist. Blue penguins in New Zealand have been soaked with oil after a container ship ran aground near the east coast of the country's North Island earlier this month. New Zealand’s Environment Minister Nick Smith has described the oil spill as the nation’s “most significant maritime environmental disaster.”

A little blue penguin from Papamoa Beach, was covered in oil after a Liberian cargo ship hit a reef, on October 7 in Tauranga, New Zealand.

In their oil-soaked state, the birds shouldn’t preen themselves because their feathers are contaminated. They also need help staying warm before and after rescue workers do what they can to clean them up.

So Skeinz, a knitting shop in Napier, New Zealand, put out a call for knitters to make little sweaters for penguins in need. And boy, have knitters around the world responded. One blog post from the folks at Skeinz.com ran under the headline “It’s raining jumpers.” Another ran with the headline “We have Critical Mass” — but Skeinz is still encouraging determined knitters to send their handiwork along to “keep stocks available for the Wildlife Rescue Team to draw from if required.”

This isn't the first time that penguins have been outfitted with sweet little sweaters. Let's take a waddle down penguin lane to see some penguins in sweaters — because you can never enough photos of that!

Back in 2005 in Australia, tiny fairy penguins Toby and Percina modeled sweaters that were being sent for the rehabilitation of penguins involved in oil spills.

In 2000, a group of penguins were rescued off the coast of South Africa after getting caught in a spill from a sunken carrier ship. Sweaters helped them stay warm while they recovered.

Want to make an adorable sweater for a penguin in a pinch? You can find specifications — (for instance, they must be made of 100 percent wool yarn, and they must be just the right size) — as well as an address to send your creations, here.


AP file

If I wasn't working full time, I would like to make.......

I was daydreaming the other day (I seem to do that alot lately :)!) and I was fantasizing about not working full time. The things I would have time to make would be never ending! I knit and make jewelry now but there is so much more crafty ideas out there! I have been addicted to www.pinterest.com and they have not been helping with my daydreaming affliction-LOL!! Here are a few things on there that I would like to make (even though I work full time):

Aren't these covered buttons the cutest bookmarks you ever saw!!

My oldest daughter, Megan made a few wreaths similar to this a few years ago and it was gorgeous. I love it!

I could use some of these coasters right now!

I thought this sweater was just gorgeous. I think I will try to make it over the winter so it will be already to go next spring and summer.

My Aunt Annette and I made felt ornaments one year for Christmas and they were beautiful. We made cardinals and Victorian boots. I really love these two choices!

I just may have to make the time to make these Santa ornaments with Owen!! Wouldn't they be wonderful keepsakes!

I wouldn't mind one of these headbands for myself. I always have cold ears!

Knitted mittens are always lovely! I especially love this pattern!

My sister, Sue was hinting that she would love a knitted purse someday-this may be the one I will create for her.

I thought these lace votives would be wonderful for Valentine's Day don't you!

Last but not least on my ever growing list is this wonderful yarn ball wreath! I love it. I might have to make this for the yarn shop owner as an early Christmas present!!

I really hope I do get to make all of these things! They are all such wonderful ideas. It is a good thing I don't work from home because I think I would be playing hookey more than working!!!

Beautiful Architecture!

I guess I have always been interested in architecture. My Dad was a residential builder and I work for a commercial construction company. I saw some really beautiful examples of architecture today on www.pinterest.com. I love that site!!!! Most of these architectural photos are things that were built a long time ago, you just don't see much new detail like these lovelies. I thought I would share these beauties with you!

This is the staircase at the Bristol Palace in Genoa, Italy-just a masterpiece!!

This cathedral top window is just beautiful!

I get dizzy looking at this staircase, but can imagine building it!!

Columns have always been one of my loves! This one doesn't disappoint.

I love old world doors. The carving on this door must have taken months if not a year to do by hand.

Wouldn't a bride look lovely floating down this staircase to her groom! Love the leaf color too!

Most people don't take time to look at door knobs and door knob plates, but this one is just exquisite.

There are alot of staircases in Charleston like this. I have one hanging in my office-just so graceful.

Well that is it for today! Hope you enjoyed these beauties!!

Delightful Pumpkins!!

I was on www.pinterest.com (my new website I love, love, love!!) and I saw some cute pumpkins and some really amazing pumpkins. I thought I would share them with you:

(All of the following photos are via www.pinterest.com)

WOW, this house looks like it is on fire with all those lit Jack-o-Lanterns!!

Gotta love the Wicked Witch of the West's legs!

This must have taken hours to create!

I love this "Boo" grouping of pumpkins!

These pumpkins just made me smile-they all look so happy!

What a creative idea-Fall spelled out with old skeleton keys on the pumpkins!

This monogram really looks great on this white pumpkin. I wouldn't mind having one of those!

If you want to have a spooky group of pumpkins, these skeleton arms would work. I love the headstone with them too!

I love the new velvet pumpkins and this one is high on my list because it is in a tea cup!

For some reason I think this pumpkin looks elegant in the cornhusk filled urn. Very festive too!

Well that is it for today! I love all the Fall things on pinterest! Enjoy your weekend!