April showers

 

Here in the San Juan Islands it’s been snowing in big fat drops.   I found these flowers buried in partially-melted snow this morning. 

All this cold weather coupled with very windy conditions make it absolutely freezing!  I prefer hat and sweater weather, myself.

This picture of the first snowfall reminds me of the book cover from Snow Falling on Cedars (which takes place in Puget Sound, WA). 

 

Crochet pictures to follow.  There’s really nothing to show today since I’m working on the Swap Swap Gals purse-themed swap and testing a pattern.  (Thanks for asking me Mellissa!)

*That’s cool* a random fact

Naturally occurring organic compounds called thujaplicins give cedar wood it’s distinctive smell that is highly unattractive to insects, moths and pests.   

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Seven random things

 

Wondermommy tagged me! 

The tag rules are:

1. When tagged, place the name of the person and URL on your blog

2. Post the rules on your blog

3. Write 7 things about yourself

4. Name 7 of your favorite weblogs

5. Send an e-mail letting those bloggers know they have been tagged

So here are 7 random things about me:

1.  The sunshine on bright, sunny days gives me headaches.  Even with sunglasses, it feels like I’ve been looking directly into a bare lightbulb at the end of the day.

2.  I gave myself a haircut when I was three.  My mom put a ribbon in my hair for the picture below to keep the short hair on the top of my head from sticking straight up. 

3.  I love fresh ground pepper – lots of it.  I even put it on popcorn.

4.  At restaurants, I tend to shred, tear or strip my paper napkins by the end of the meal.  It’s very bad manners, but I always make sure every piece is scrunched up on the plate before I leave. 

5.  My public high school graduation ceremony was at the Roswell Street Baptist Church in Cobb county, Georgia, the same county that had the famous ‘evolution is theory’ sticker controversy.

6.  I love going to those cheap matinee movies where there’s five other people and you get to put your feet up.  The theater on this island only plays two shows a week in the evenings, so I don’t get to do this often.

7.  I have a tiny scar under my left eye from when I was a toddler and an older kid at daycare threw a record at my face.

I’m tagging the following 7 people:

Andrea, Angela, Ashley, Cami, Christina, Lesa, and Nikki.

*That’s cool* a random fact

When trade was monopolized by the Portuguese in the Middle Ages, pepper was worth more than gold by weight.

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You make my day

          

         

         

Angela, Ashley, Cami, Christina and Lesa were kind enough to give me the ‘you make my day’ award.  Thank you for the award and to all my readers everywhere!  I’m just excited that a few people find my craft world interesting enough to follow.  

The rules of the award read: “Give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times.” 

I’m passing this award on to the following ten blogs:

Melissa on A Mess Put Together Nicely 

Umme on ummeYusuf

Angela on My Tangled Threads 

Ashley on Crafty Ashley

Andrea on Knits and Knots

Christina on Crafty Christina

Paula on Hookandyarn

Niki on Knockout Niki Crochets.

Cami on Crochet Cami

Lesa on Lesalicious Style and Life

 

While we’re on the topic of blog fun, I saw this on Mary’s Little Craft Corner:

Anyone seen the BAND MEME going around? Basically, you go to three sites to randomly select your band name, album title, and cover art.

1. Go here for the band name: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
No matter what the title of the article is, that’s the name of your band.

2. Go here for the album title: http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four words from the very last quote on the page makes up the title of your band’s album.

3. Go here for the cover art: http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/
Whatever the third picture is, that’s the cover to your band’s album.

~here’s my results~

Name of my Band:
ITM2C

Title of my first Album:
“To Be a Hundred”

Cover Art:

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Raw potential

I visited Lopez Island and all I got was this lousy picture. 

Seriously, Lopez was so frigid and overcast I didn’t get any nice photos.  The clouds were dark and the rain made everything damp.  I just remember trying to stay warm and endlessly drying the camera. 

I’m so tired from shivering today!  Please excuse the rushed blog and the lack of essential details.  If you’re curious you can see a slideshow of the day’s trip over at Photobucket.  (Bonus points if you can spot a glass house hidden in the landscape.)  Otherwise, enjoy the plastic finger puppet picture from my dash.  I swear the blurry greenery is a genuine Lopez Island backdrop!

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Get lost

I got lost walking around in Seattle today.  I’m very good at getting lost but luckily my brother was with me.  We were on our way to visit our cousin Erika in South Seattle, but made a pit stop around Pike and 6th to have a look around. 

Isn’t this manhole cover pretty?  I wanted to take a clear picture but felt kind of silly on my toes, holding a camera at arms length, so I took the stealth way out and settled with a blurry version.

After sightseeing and stopping to play a few games at the Gameworks Video Arcade we got a little turned around.  We were able to back track with the help of a few friendly Seattleites, but by my estimate I would say we walked around for three hours, one-third of that in a confused state.  If I have learned one thing today, it’s that Seattle is not a flat city!

*That’s cool* a random fact

Seattleites buy more sunglasses per capita than any other city in the United States.

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Good tidings

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On the window sill

 

Look how dark the landscape is!  This was around ten in the morning and the water was almost black.  The sun is hiding somewhere behind that big gray cloud.   The horizon isn’t level, but considering I was on the car deck of a very rocky ferry boat I’ll consider it a win.   Wow, was this boat rocky!  Usually there’s just a slight sway or nothing at all but this ferry ride caught every wave.  Bleh. 

So I went off island to visit my grandma in Salem with my mom.  We had some business to take care of regarding my late uncle.  (Thanks for the comments everybody.) 

Below is her tomato pincushion complete with pointy needles.  She is an excellent quilter currently working on an applique project.  I felt the need to picture this veggie in it’s natural habitat.  See the purple plant in the background?

   

My grandma is an African violet aficionado.  She has over twenty blooming in her room of all different colors.  They are all lined up on the window sill, soaking in the few light rays Oregon has to offer.  Her secret technique is watering them from the bottom with hot water.   

In first grade I got a little chive seedling from Mc Donald’s.  Weird, huh?  I wonder if they’ll ever bring the gardening theme back to Happy Meals. 

Anyway, I grew it with my mom on the dining room window sill.  When it outgrew its tiny pot the chive plant went live on my grandparent’s farm in Yamhill.  My grandma planted it in her garden and kept it alive for about ten years.  Nothing says ‘I love you’ like fostering a Mc Donald’s chive plant for a decade.   

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Festival of tree lights

I learned something about the nighttime setting on my camera – hold still.  The setting must have a really long exposure time, but I didn’t really pay attention to the results until it was too late.  All my picture were super blurry.  On the upside I got a nifty shot above of the local Christmas tree in all its glory.  The effect reminds me of those swirly star pictures of the sky.  

I was at the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the local park to get this shot.  Tons of people were there.  Okay, not Times Square on New Years Eve ’tons’.   ’Tons’ as in more than I see at the Island Market on a Sunday afternoon.   

Santa Clause and the missus even managed to show up.  They visited with the kids while the band played Christmas music. 

I got some yummy mexican wedding cakes and piping hot apple cider with real cloves.  The latter was greatly appreciated since it was C-O-L-D and I wore flip flops.  (In my defense I did have a crocheted hat and scarf.)

This little boy was in my line of sight while I waited, freezing cold, in line for my provisions.  He was so enthralled with the music tent.  He stood very still with these wide eyes.  I was actually impressed with how long he could stand still. 

 

I guess I could chock it up to the holiday season and his inevitable meeting with Mr and Mrs. Claus.  Kids seem to become oddly well behaved for short spurts when they are reminded their Christmas present turnout is in the balance.

*That’s cool* a random fact

Thirty-six apples will produce one gallon of cider and a single apple needs the energy from fifty leaves to grow.

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Meme tagapalooza

Crafty Christina tagged me!  (Has anyone noticed that she is a commenting machine lately?)

38 things about me that you may or may not want to know.

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night?

My Jack Russell terrier, Biscuit.  She’s eleven years old and couldn’t jump onto the couch so she kept doing this half-hearted hop until I scooped her up.  She thanked me by laying all over my crochet blanket wip.  She needs one of those Doggie Steps I guess.

2. What were you doing at 0800?

Zzz…  I’m a night owl.
3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?

Looking for my lost size I crochet hook.  All I found were dust bunnies and a ball point pen.

 4. What happened to you in 2006?

I played Guitar Hero for the first time in a Best Buy.  They had special chairs and a 60 inch widescreen tv.  Somehow playing at home isn’t quite the same.

5. What was the last thing you said out loud?

“Where’s my crochet hook?” 

6. How many beverages did you have today?

Three: Diet coke, Gold Peak ice tea(the best!) and ice water.  I like my drinks cold… brrr!

7. What color is your hairbrush?

Pink, one of those Ouchless Breast Cancer Awareness brushes by Goody.

8. What was the last thing you paid for?

A size I Boyle brand crochet hook from Poppies for $2.25 plus tax. 

9. Where were you last night?

The Village Stop.

10. What color is your front door?

Dark wood.

11. Where do you keep your change?

My pink piggy bank.  

12. What’s the weather like today?

Mostly cloudy with sprinkles of liquid sunshine.

13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor?

Spumoni, especially when the red part is rum flavor.

14. What excites you?

A few hours at a really big Barnes and Noble in a big leather chair with a gingerbread iced coffee in my hand and stacks of crochet books at my feet.  There are no Barnes and Noble chains in the San Juan Islands so this is a very rare occasion. 

15. Do you want to cut your hair?

Need or want?  I need a trim, but I’d rather not.

16. Are you over the age of 25?

I’m still in the 18-24 bracket.  I can buy hard a, but I still can’t rent a car. 

17. Do you talk a lot?

Yes, when on the phone.  Sorry phone people. 

18. Do you watch the O.C.?

One day I might. 

19. Do you know anyone named Steven?

Not currently.  My deskmate in fourth grade was named Steven.  He used to drag a dirty pencil eraser across his eyeball.  Otherwise he was very nice.

20. Do you make up your own words?

Rarely.  I mostly leave that up to Jim Halpert.

21. Are you a jealous person?

About Ravelry yarn stashes?  Then yes. 

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter “A”.

Aimee.  I used to forget where the ”I” went. 

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’.

Katie, also known as Katiekins and Katydid.

24. Who’s the first person on your received call list?

My 24 yr old cousin Erika who lives in Seattle.  She tried to get me to agree to watch the tv series Heroes and I tried to get her to join Second Life so we can go see a movie together, but not together.  We both are not budging.   

25. What does the last text message you received say?

“@ $1.50 movies- jealous?”  The Gateway Mall in Springfield, Oregon has a $1.50 movie theater.  A pickle costs $3.00 there.  And yes, I was jealous. 

26. Do you chew on your straw?

No, but I resist the urge to gnaw on Styrofoam cups.  I must have been a hamster in my last life.    

27. Do you have curly hair?

Ringlets, but only when it rains.

28. Where’s the next place you’re going to?

Off island.  Burlington doesn’t have a Barnes and Noble either.   

29. Who’s the rudest person in your life?

My 21 yr old brother.  He enjoys demonstrating the finer points of a satisfying burp.

30. What was the last thing you ate?

Carbonnara, spinach salad, garlic bread, and butter pecan ice cream.

31. Will you get married in the future? 

My magic eight ball says “ask again later”.  

32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks?

28 Weeks Later.  It’s just a tad gory. 

33. Is there anyone you like right now?

Like-like, or just like? 

34. When was the last time you did the dishes?

Um, I recycled my Gold Peak iced tea bottle today.  Does that count? 

35. Are you currently depressed?

Nope. 

36. Did you cry today?

Not a crier.   

37. Why did you answer and post this?

I was compelled by blog karma.

38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey.

Wormie, Eva, Rina, Alyssa, Alma

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A toothy grin

I carved pumpkins with my brother with the Pumpkin Masters kit left over from a past Halloween using the stencil method.  Above is his pumpkin.  The title of the pattern is ‘fangs’ and you can sort of tell that he still has one tooth left.  This pumpkin weighed over 30 lbs and had a lot of gunk inside him.  Plus, the walls of the pumpkin were really hard to carve.  This was one solid squash!  The poor pumpkin got carved a little rough as a result but he is oh so cute at night. 

Check out his gold tooth!  What’s not to love about that face? 

I like the how the thumb turned out on my ‘fright this way’ pumpkin, with the darkened nail.  It almost looks like it was painted black.  The meat of this pumpkin was considerably easier to carve than the one above, so I was lucky!   

If my printer wasn’t on the fritz I would have made another pumpkin using one of the patterns on Pumpkin Glow.  There are patterns on the site that call for carving the pumpkin only half way through so you have a darker portion and an added dimension.

Also, if you have some creepy Halloween photos you can enter it in the Photobucket Freakin’ Friends Halloween Slideshow Contest     

*That’s cool* a random fact

Pumpkins are a fruit and come from a Greek word meaning large melon.

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