Seven...Seven...Seven!!!

I've never been a chain letter gal - but that was usually because it cost money to send all those stupid letters out. I really liked this virtual chain letter I was "tagged" with by my knitting guru.

The Rules: Each person tagged gives seven random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs seven facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know today so I thought I would reciprocate.they have been tagged and need to read your blog.

1. I am an old show TV junkie, and this is best illustrated by showing what I do during the day:
--When I am stretching in the morning before my run, I watch "Saved by the Bell". I can tell you what episode it is within 15 seconds of watching it!
--When I return from my run and stretch again and also eat breakfast, I watch "Boy Meets World".
--In the evenings, I like to catch "Home Improvement" if I have cut out of work early.
--If I have cut out of work very early, I revel in "Beverly Hills 90210".
--On the weekends when I am working in the office, I catch up on my "Full House" and some more "Boy Meets World".

2. I absolutely, positively, 100% do not like melted cheese. Now this is qualified a bit because I do like Italian dishes like lasagna and manicotti, so I tend to despise most Americans, cheddar, Swiss, and anything else that is not in Italian food. The smell of Hot Pockets heating up in the microwave makes me sick to my stomach and I have to leave the room. Even the way melted cheese looks on a hamburger is disgusting. My future children will only have mac-n-cheese if their father will make it for them!

3. I tend keep to a pretty healthy diet, but there are two things I will never be able to stop enjoying. I take each of them in moderation because I know they are bad for me. But I have learned the key to a healthy diet is to have a few vices:
a) Soda - I have to have one soda a day and diet soda is the most disgusting thing ever created (with the exception of melted cheese).
b) Potato chips - I enjoy potato chips several days out of the week and again none of those fat-free or baked things.

4. I cannot go a week without talking to at least one of my sisters or my parents...I'm much happier if I can talk to all four of them! When I am gone on vacation, relaxing at the beach, without a care in the world, I still have to have contact with my family. I feel like I have to keep up-to-date on what's going on in their lives or I get really agitated. When I can't get a hold of one of them when I need my "fix", I will continue to badger them until one of the finally is able to call me back!!

5. I have a secret (although not anymore) crush on Alan Rickman. He is amazing as a villian, particularly the Sherriff of Nottingham with his threatening spoon and Professor Snape with his fiery wand. But, he can also pull off the broken-hearted and love struck Colonel Brandon who will carry you in his arms through a torrential downpour. YUM!

6. My most prized possession is my sock monkey, Mildred. Every lost piece of stuffing and hole that has been darned is the result of my undying love and devotion to her.










7. I have the most difficult time remembering my husband's birthday. It's not that I get to that day and forget it...I can't remember whether it's June 10th or 11th. The only way I can keep it straight is to think of the other day that wives never forget...our anniversary! We were married on the 10th of July, so I know then that his birthday is the 11th of June. I know, it's backasswards, but it works. However, this is still not automatic for me. I have to stop and consciously run through my mnemonic device!!

I am tagging my blogging sisters Kate and Ann, as well as my cousin Kelli. I will then hop over to MySpace and tag the BFB, Allison, Michael, and Jason.

Out of My Hands

This has to be the largest project I have ever undertaken in the short 6 months that I have been knitting. And while it took FOREVER to complete, and there were a few mishaps that I had to correct, it turned out so beautiful that for about 2 seconds I wanted to keep it for myself. Then, I remembered why I made it...

Because my sister is AWESOME!!!!

I started working on this shawl (aka Clapotis for the knitting community) for Kate back at the beginning of March. I wanted to make her something because she's an amazing woman, sister, and now mother! Her babies had received all of these gorgeous handmade gifts, and I felt that she deserved something too. I truly believed that I would have it finished in time for Easter and worked furiously on it throughout the whole month of March. But, I didn't realize until I got into the pattern that there were three sections, each over 144 rows long. As you can tell from the picture, this piece is ginormous!


So, last week I finished the last row, pulled out the last rung of dropped stitches, and wove in the last end piece. I must say that I love how it turned out...and Lucy approves as well.



Currently, I am blocking the shawl on our spare bed so that it will come out all nice and straight. It took over 100 pins to nail it down to the bed, and we're going on 36 hours that it has been drying...with a fan blowing on it.

There are a number of ways that Kate could use her new Clapotis...













But those are just the ones I could come up with at 11 o'clock at night. I'm sure there are many others ones...including some that involve the 2 most adorable twin nephews ever!

Hope you enjoy it, siser! I really enjoyed making it for you!! *smoochies*

Savanna Flowers

For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of either living in Columbia, MD or staying with the lovely folks at Casa de Fred, it can be hard to understand how amazing our neighborhood is. Columbia is a planned community, and I believe the first of its kind, so it has all these wonderful villages and neighborhoods with names like Hickory Ridge, Clary's Forest, and Wilde Lake. The city association takes great pride in keeping the foilage lush and green, even though it comes at the expense of having numerous rules and regulations about what homeowners can do on their own property. Putting aside the restrictions, it is amazing to see how beautiful everything can be year round.

We've also been extremely fortunate to move into the most amazing condo building where we have met and made some of the greatest friends since moving to the east coast. Our first experiences in MD were not filled with friendly neighbors, and we had started to believe that east coasters were just not interested in who lived next door to them. Then, we moved to Columbia and were astonished how warm and inviting our new neighbors were. There have been birthday parties for adults and children, many nights with the grill going and the Maker's flowing, not to mention the many many many games of cornhole! While we are both looking forward to moving back to be closer to our family, we know that moving away from these friends will be very difficult.

I have a variety of different routes that I take on my morning runs, but there is one street that I have made it a point to run down every day this week. There is this amazing lilac bush right along the sidewalk that someone has obviously taken some time to cultivate over the past years. It is quite large and all week it has been in FULL bloom with more flowers than I have ever seen. The strong fragrance rushes through my nose and instantly I am reminded how much I love the spring flowers!!!

As I ran past this wonderful bush on my way back to my home, I thought that I would put to the test once again just how much I love this town. After I finished getting ready for the day, I hopped in my car and headed out to work. I stopped by this house, walked up to the front door, and knocked. A woman with a small son answered the door and after introducing myself I expressed how much I love running past her lilac bush every morning. I asked if I might cut a few sprigs of the blossoms. Her face lit up with a huge smile and told me that I could take as many as I would like. She introduced herself and her son and shook my hand, saying again that I was free as many blossoms as I would like. Once again...the people in Columbia turn out to be some of the nicest folks I have met since moving to the east coast.

Thank you to my neighbor for brightening up my day and filling my office with the most wonderful lilac fragrance. Thank you my new friend!