hand eye crafts

So, Ann Curry began a "movement" on twitter: 26 Acts , where you are encouraged to do 26 random acts of kindness in honor of the 26 victims of the Newtown murders.  I got to it sort of late, but am really enjoying coming up with ways to randomly surprise people.  And I'm going to try to get to 27, as the shooter's mother was as much a victim as anyone at the school. Things are proceeding well here for Christmas.  For as long as I can remember, I've liked to wrap one present a day leading up to Christmas.  It extends the spirit, and it's fun to watch the stack of gifts grow every day. Hannah's new kitten is doing well.  He was "in quarantine" for a week, so yesterday was the first day he was allowed to walk around in the house.  He's very interested in Riley (the feeling isn't mutual), and is of great interest to Finn.  Unfortunately, it's hard to get a clear picture of the little guy --- he's surprisingly fleet afoot.  So her...

Halloween, that is.  This comes from a mother who loathed  it, who complained loudly about having her evening interrupted by a bunch of silly children dressed in costumes. As you can imagine, I didn't go  trick or treating much --- I remember exactly two times, and one of them once spent trying to cut two simple eyeholes in a sheet so as to be a ghost.  My mother and I fought over that for some reason --- viciously.  Either she didn't want a sheet ruined or she felt I was cutting the holes in the right way and/or right place.  I threw on a v-neck sweater, borrowed some pom-poms from a neighbor, and tried to pass myself off as a cheerleader. I wondered what would happen when I became a parent, and how the event would be handled.  Our firstborn was so shy, so withdrawn, that even the mention of Halloween would put a look of abject terror on his face.  Plus, he didn't like candy that much.  Problem solved. Until secondborn.  Wh...

Don't know what the Vegas bookies' odds were, but we have made it successfully through our first week of Knitters' Hunk / Knitters' Chick.  The voting turnout has been tremendous --- thanks to all of you who are getting involved.  And there is more yet to come! In fact, later today, I'm going to sit down and do a little math to see if having 4 pairs a day might significantly speed things up a bit.  There are still 28 first-round pairs between the two competitions, so we're looking at a couple of weeks no matter how we go.  Those of you who've been through all this before, what do you think?  First-timers, what's your opinion? Let me re-emphasize that as long as someone you nominated is still in the tournament, you are still in the running for the grand prize.  If I'm remembering correctly, there's only one person who's in imminent danger of elimination, so everyone is pretty much on equal footing. If you've missed a day, or j...

For the past couple of Knitters' Hunk contests, my son has been saying I should have an equivalent contest for women.  A "Knitters' Babe," if you will.  So, this year, to keep the harumphing to a minimum, I am going to do just that. Announcing, in conjunction with our Knitters' Hunk contest, our first annual Knitters' Chick competition.  Basically, the rules are the same for KH --- 3 nominations per person, a tournament-style contest decided by a plurality of votes, and a prize package going to the person who nominated the winner.  For the Chick nominations, think a (famous) woman you'd like to be best knitting friends with, someone who would gladly go on a yarn (not "yard," as I typed on facebook) crawl with you, maybe someone you have a secret girl crush on. This will be nothing if not interesting! So spread the word about this little venture, too!  And use today and tomorrow wisely for choosing your absolute tip-top, A-Number-One ...

The knitting group I started met for the first time last night, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.  There were 7 of us in all, and the time just flew by. We are "Heart Nest Knits" --- an anagram of "Athens Knitters."  We meet again in two weeks.  I'm looking forward to it already.

Like any disease, once you are diagnosed with severe chronic depression, you learn the warning signs.  Those clues that your body gives you that say, "There's a storm a-comin'."  Mine, for all these years, was simply wanting to sleep all the time.  Or, at the very least, stay in bed all the time.  When I would get to that point, I knew it was time for a medication change or a dosage tweak. In the past month or so, however, my depression has become genuinely physical.  I feel it crushing me from all sides.  My body aches from it, and the only relief I can find is lying down.  Not sleeping, necessarily, but getting off my feet.  Horizontal has been my only comfort. All that to say that depression is insidious.  It drains you of joy.  It steals your energy.  It wreaks havoc on your will.  It is easiest to stay inside your house because you don't have to make an effort to shower, or get dressed, or have a conversation. ...

For a lot of years, when I've thought of my perfect place, it has been a small, beachside house where I could throw open the windows to let the breeze and the sound of the water in.  I'd sit near the window and read or knit or write, I'd have a big, plushy, comfortable bed for naps, and a cute little kitchen to keep the Dr. Pepper cold. Save for the kitchen, and the additional din of hotel guests at the pool just below my balcony, this is  my ideal.  I want this.  I have to do all I can to save money to make this happen.  I am so relaxed and calm and content. The hotel. Generic seagulls. Generic barnacles. A freakin' pigeon? Scarf crocheted in under an hour with Berocco Ric-Rac yarn.  Easy, easy, easy. I see these colors with jeans and turquoise jewelry. . .