Cold weather & warm fur babies

I finished reading Thirteen Moons ... and, I really liked the first 1/2 to 2/3 of the novel. And then, IMO, it just wasn't as interesting. So -- stick to Cold Mountain!! It is the better of the two IMO.

Beatrice (lt) & Button (rt)

We are in a snow advisory until 8pm. If it keeps up at this pace, we should have quite an accumulation.
Beatrice (lt) & Button (rt).

It is Official ...

Heard from Tori via e-mail. She continues to hang on to her cold. Or, as she put it:

Sounds like the boys are all sick. ew. I'm still doing this lovely thing called coughing. As my resident Katie likes to say, I'm coughing "like it's my job."

All three of our children have colds. Brrrr ... the wind is whipping in from the West and the snow is blowing sideways. Good day for indoor activities.

The bouquet of roses are beautiful! They are opening up slowly.

Two of our cats

Thanks for asking about the cats. I have pictures of 2 of them -- our oldest cat, Button, is sleeping on the heater vent in the bathroom. Cutie pies. At the end of the month, I'll update my pet photo album.
A few days ago, I took Alex to school (must have been Thurs a.m.) & ran a couple quick errands. When I came home ... the cats had curled up in the bedlinens.
Took this picture of Prince Nikki, in the recliner, a few minutes ago. It is snowing [lake effect] like crazy & the sun is shining. It is an odd combination ... and the cat prefers to sleep thru it.

Buddy

It is difficult to get a "good" picture of Buddy ...

Thanks Nicholas

I've been listening to this novel -- audio books are the best! I can stitch & listen at the same time.
While DH & DS were at the grocery store, Nicholas went to the floral area & selected these for me. Aren't they beautiful?

Couldn't resist adding my opinion ...

IMO -- This is the one Oprah should have chosen:

And, I browsed some on-line articles & found some like-minded people:
What should Oprah read?

See the entire article at this link

Charles Frazier [fan club expands by one reader]

yes, it really is THAT GOOD! Read it. i think one reason I kept putting it off was my general attitude that "war is hell" ... and I have not changed my opinion on that! yet, this book is beautifully written & C.Frazier is quite the storyteller. One nice web site link is here has book excerpts & additional information about the inspiration behind the book.






I have this from the public library & look forward to reading it. In the back of my mind, I cannot help thinking, "How can it be as good as Cold Mountain?" -- yet, the reviews are in ... and said reviews are good! web site link here.

***************************

And, let me tell you about Mrs. Mom Cat .... yesterday, I was in my room & kept hearing some very "odd" noise. Couldn't figure out what the 'rattle' was. THEN, Mrs. Cat screeches down the hallway with a christmas light bulb!!! You know, those dinky bulbs with the green plastic bottoms??? I took it away from her -- fearing she'd bite it to bits & do herself harm. next thing I know -- she is zooming around the dining room with ANOTHER light bulb. I'm thinking ... WTH ... didn't everything get packed away! OK, she hears me coming & is UNDER the love seat with the thing. Eventually, I get the SECOND light bulb. Get where this is going??? 15 minutes later -- the THIRD light bulb. Another hour passes ... the FOURTH light bulb. And -- I'm on the hunt for the SOURCE.

OK, under the love seat is a plastic package with 20+ teeth marks and a couple tears -- seems she found the pkg of replacement bulbs.

Fast Forward to around 6:30pm when DH is home.

DS says "What is this?"

DH says "it is a fuse"

I'm like "WHAT?" That darn Mrs. Cat had this teeny tiny fuse, too???? And probably was playing with it the rest of the afternoon -- that darn cat thinking "naner naner naner"

So -- I show the guys the torn up pkg & tree lights ... and DH shows me the teeny tiny fuse I missed. I am so freaked out. My mind screams into all the horrors -- the "what ifs" -- that darn cat.


And she sits here, near the computer, content as can be. Like 'nothing happened' ... ARGH!!!!

Alex's Report

Alex switched books for his report.

He said this book is confusing to him. I've already read it & told him to keep reading & things will fall into place. He said the characters are popping out of nowhere. [which made me laugh]. I told him to get thru the whole book & we'd chat.

I think his report is due mid-February. And, if all else fails, there is Spark Notes.

As for Cold Mountain, I have a few more pages to read. And, then ... I'm going to check out the movie from the public library!!! The boys want to watch it with me.

Took Alex to Show Choir rehearsal before school began. Went into Valp & it was snowing -- a lot. Here, we have sunshine & blue skies ... it is about 15 degrees. I hear we have snow in the forecast today & colder temperatures are heading our way. Brrrrr ....

Berthi's Birdbath

Berthi's Birdbath

This FREE pattern is available The Workbasket web site.

This is a motif from a 1776 Dutch sampler.

Other fine Dutch samplers can be viewed onBerthi Smith-Sanders web site.

As it snows ... I continue to read ...

Alice Hoffman books do not disappoint! I finished this one around 4am.
One of my favorite quotes from this book: "She thinks of her empathy as a flaw, like a scratch on her soul that lets in vibrations."

Enjoyed this mystery. I'll have to check the library listings for more of her books.

Actually, I need to get more audiobooks -- that way, I can listen & get things done around the house ... or stitch & listen!! We still have flurries from time-to-time. They are in the forecast for the next several days.

I cannot believe the Superbowl is Chicago vs. Indianapolis .... or Indianapolis vs. Chicago. Both of these cities are so close to us. If I listen to Chicago news, I hear all about the Bears ... if I tune in to the South Bend news, it is all about the Colts. Go Heartland!!

Mysteries

I don't usually read mysteries; however, picked up Catering to Nobody. It is easy to read & fun.

More info on the Diane Mott Davidson Web Site

Light snow

Woke up to some more snow ... and it keeps on falling. Alex is out on his sled.

What I'm reading

Loads of info on this novel can be found here.

I just got Cold Mountain from the public library [which has been on my 'to read' list awhile]. I'm nearly done with the Alice Hoffman book, too. Finished my re-read of the Scarlet Letter.Two other books I'm working on are: Vivian Lives & Wicked. I will never learn to read them one-at-a-time. Why is that????

Alex needs some help with The Ox-bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark -- and I swear, I've never heard of it before .... hmmmmmm

Sunrise in NW Indiana

We have lake effect snow in the forecast ... an additional 4-6" thru the day. Last night, I took Alex to Show Choir rehearsal & drove 20 mph d/t blowing snow. Alex wants more snow for sledding -- and for a 'snow day' from classes.








This is my latest stitching project:



Yesterday, I added three more motifs: Top row - tree; Next row - floral & bird. More progress pictures Game Board Sampler SAL Blog. The idea is to continue stitching at least two squares per week thru 2007.

Reading two books now ...

I started the 2nd of the 'vivian' books.






And, I've been re-reading Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne. [I have a hardcover book - and see it is also on-line).

I was catching up on reading blogs ,,, and noticed on Anna's Blog a post on quotes re. needlework.

"Methinks it is a token of healthy and gentle characteristics, when women of high thoughts and accomplishments love to sew; especially as they are never more at home with their own hearts than while so occupied."
Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Marble Faun, 1859

I recalled, a whole chapter in The Scarlet Letter called "V. Hester at Her Needle" :

couple quotes: "She possessed an art that sufficed, even in a land that afforded comparatively little scope for its exercise, to supply food for her thriving infant and herself. It was the art--then, as now, almost the only one within a woman's grasp--of needle-work.

"Women derive a pleasure, incomprehensible to the other sex, from the delicate toil of the needle. To Hester Prynne it might have been a mode of expressing, and theefore soothing, the passion of her life."

"Mom, watch it with me"

OK, Alex received this DVD from his Grandmother. Wheeler High School is going to have six performances in March [over two week-ends]. Alex said he is one of the skateboarders (which made me laugh). He said the Director is moving people around, and he may do other things in the show.

I asked Nick if the Band was getting involved & I got 'the look'. I'm not sure what that is all about....

And, yeah, it was really cute & I enjoyed the DVD. OK Alex??? I said I like a DVD. Mark it on the calendar.

Tea Time ....

Is this one of the neatest looking sets? A cup & saucer from MIL - it makes the Twinnings, Lady Grey tea taste better : ) I've been laying low since yesterday [woke with sore throat & a half]. Been nice to go on-line and catch up on blogs. That is, when Blogger was thru with their maintenance. Lots of my blogger pals were very busy with holiday merriment. Still, enjoyed seeing pictures of the stitching projects underway, finishes, gifts, etc.

How can stitching be considered a 'quiet' hobby, when stitchers have a lot to talk about???? hmmmm . . .
I finished this book earlier today. There are three books. I didn't realize it was an on-line thing, too. My Sister suggested it. I wish I'd have read this in my early 20's. I laughed reading about Vivian's boyfriends.

quote from the book "He was in a frat, was always out and about, but still, big into his studies. Probably the only guy who i found attractive who did not, even once, ever make a pass at me. And this was because, I later found out, he didn't like me "that way." Not a bit, so instead, we grew to become "friends." We'd meet after class, hang out in the library, chat each other up at the local bars. But I was always the girl he'd talk to about other girls. And that drove me nuts, maybe it was his plan all along. Basically forcing me to broach the "Hey, how about me?" topic so that he would never be at risk--who knows! But that's how it started. And I guess i was too focused on the challenge of snagging him to see who it really was that I was just about to land."

quote from the book "When someone asks why I'd ever be with a guy like him, it surely, on the outside, was a huge challenge--that's what I always think of and answer first.(Why did I stay for so long? Well, that is something I still haven't quite figured out.)"

LOL - The ending is a scream !!!

OK, this is the first book I've read this year. What a hoot. Anybody else sick of football?

From my sister:

I received a wonderful birthday card from my sister. Included with all the 'news' were book suggestions. She suggested "Vivian the V Spot" by Vivian Livingston & Sherrie Krantz AND "The Second Assistant" by Clare Naylor & Mimi Hare. Come to find out there are THREE "Vivian" books ... so, I requested all three from the public library. Lucky me, the Second Assistant is at the library, too. These will be the first four books on my 2007 list! Thanks Peggy.

NIKKI!!!

No! No! Nikki!


WHAT? SHE did it ...

Who Me?

Thanx Penny + Gary

Imagine my surprise! Nicholas visited his Aunt & Uncle x 1 week ... when they brought him home, they came in the door with Spring Flowers. Oh my, tulips in January : ) The cut flowers make a beautiful bouquet.

Made by Juanita H

I think this is charming. A pillow made by Juanita H - purchased from the craft show at my Mom's church.

Here is a photograph - dated 1965 - when Jeanie was alive, we were starting a game of checkers. Jeanie was Juanita's daughter who had an undiagnosed heart condition & died quite suddenly one Summer afternoon.

(Jeanie on the right - me on the left) This is the only photograph I own of the two of us.

Happy New Year!

Roses from DH. awww .... aren't they beautiful?