hand eye crafts

Have you heard of  adjustable straight  knitting needles?  I saw some in a magazine the other day, and am a little bit fascinated.  I have several pairs of jumper needles, which are just like these except for the moveable toggle.  They're fun to use, especially with a large number of stitches.  You know, too many for straight needles, not enough for circular. Looking through magazines, looking through catalogs at this time of year sometimes gives me ideas for gifts I can give.  This year, Talbot's is offering a sweater that I think is cute, so it will be today's entry in the 24 Days of Greed. I've never had many Christmas/holiday sweaters.  There were a few in my closet when I was teaching preschool, and when Briton was little, but generally, they have never been much of a part of my wardrobe. You?

I was brought up with books, by a woman who loved books.  Therefore, my Christmas "if" for today is bookshelves. Here are just a few images that enchant me.

Your Christmas gift "requests" are a delight to read.  I must say, you're dreaming bigger than me at this point, but I have some days left. Today, something I've wanted for as long as I can remember: a turquoise squash blossom necklace: As for my Christmas tree "woes," it appears that someone has come up with and is selling half-trees for those who want to give in to both their pets' destructive tendencies and their own wish for a tree. As for this house, Tap would consider that a challenge: "So, you think I won't be interested in this?  Don't forget that I have young legs and mad jumping skills."

There'll be no Christmas tree here this year, due to Master Tap.  There is no way any tree or any lights or any ornaments survive his, shall we say, energy. On the one hand, no tree is sad.  On the other, it certainly takes a significant amount of pressure off me.  I'm not sure what I'll do with gifts, as they wouldn't go untouched, un-jumped-upon, or un-gnawed-upon either. On the subject of presents, my choice today is The Compleat Bloom county. I do love Mr. Opus.

December 1st is a trigger date for me.  Although I start decorating for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving, the first day of December is when I start working on Christmas/holiday cards, I start wrapping presents, I begin opening the advent calendar(s) that I have, I start playing Christmas CDs in the car. I did watch a Christmas movie the other night: "The Man Who Invented Christmas" on Amazon.  It's the story (not sure how accurate it all was) of Charles Dickens' creation of "A Christmas Carol."  I enjoyed it, in no small part because Christopher Plummer was Scrooge. Would you mind playing a Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Winter Solstice game with me?  Pretend you can be given a new gift every day between now and Christmas Eve. Think only about yourself here --- nothing for your partner or child(ren) or the country or the world.  If it helps, think of it as "Twenty-Four Days of Greed.) See how I inadvertently tied my game idea to S...

My other product to try this month was Temptations Cat Treats Holiday Dinner "Edition." When I give Riley treats, I usually give Maddie some pieces of her kibble, which seems so unfair.  I have been giving her these, though.  (Don't tell the vet, K?) Maddie gobbles them.  Riley --- my hand on this --- eats the green ones first.  Like they were M&Ms.  The treats are "turkey and sweet potato," but I don't know if one color is one flavor and the other the other, or if all of them are the combination.  Whichever way, Riley prefers the green.   Kids, huh? I am part of the Chewy.com Influencer program, where I am allowed to try one or two products monthly in return for my honest review(s).  There are no monetary transactions.

A couple of days ago, Tap hit on a spot in the side yard and started digging. Now, I didn't have a clue what all the fuss was about.  He was determined, though, so I found myself torn between stopping him lest he uncover some sort of. . .  I don't know. . .    thing , or let him dig away.  He was fast and he was focused and the thought crossed my mind that maybe digging would tire him out. Every.  Single.  Time he and I went outside, he tried to make a beeline for that spot.  (It's far enough away from the house to not pose a danger or threaten the "landscaping."  Besides, he was building up a nice pile of red Georgia dirt;  it wouldn't be difficult to fill the hole back in.) By the way, I think "red Georgia dirt" is a more pleasing phrase than "cellar door." Yesterday, he had gone so deep, his entire head fit in the hole: I told you he was fast and focused. He started sort of whining and wagging his ...