Happy Halloween!

Booga Bag and Pizza Dog!

I really do knit! Today I finished the boring icord handle of the Booga Bag and will felt it all tomorrow. I really enjoyed the knitting of the bag part - straight knitting in the round, which made for a very easy pick up and knit project for on the go. I used Noro Kureyon yarn and at first didn't enjoy knitting with it because of the uneven weight and width of the yarn. But once I got used to that aspect I really liked it and love the color. I've taken measurements of the handle and bag prior to felting and will do the same tomorrow after felting so that if I decide to do another bag in a different size I'll be able to figure out the shrink percentage. The little piece of yarn at the top is how much was left from two skeins of yarn on the bag.

I think my next project will be to finish up the turquoise belt for Lynne' that only lacks about two inches of knitting and then attaching the buckle.

Hopefully by then my order of sock yarn will arrive and I'll start those later this week. It was hard to get excited about knitting socks all summer long while I go barefoot, but the last few days it's been cool enough outside that I've been wearing my little boots and having to put on - gasp! - store bought socks!!! Now I'll be knitting my little heart out trying to get some finished to enjoy with my boots.

Poor, pitiful Joe! Lynne' worked late and heated up some leftover pizza for dinner. He is just convinced that if he looks cute enough she'll give in and give him a bite. She's pretty strict with him though since he's on a diet and doesn't fall for it.

We'll be working on his Halloween costume tomorrow while watching the Nascar race. He always wears a costume and loves to visit the treat or treaters on Halloween night. This year his costume will cover more of his head and I'm not sure if he'll like that or not. If he doesn't like it I'll just put one of his previous costumes on him for the festivities - if he can still fit in them!

~ Elizabeth

Mix a little foolishness with your serious plans; it's lovely to be silly at the right moment.
- Horace

Lunch With The Ducks

Yesterday at lunch James, Loni, Shannon and I went through the Taco Bueno drive-thru and then headed to a nearby park. We had a big bag of stale popcorn, bread and crackers to feed the ducks and had a wonderful time. In addition to the ducks, there were turtles and catfish that came up to feed at our "buffet". The weather was perfect and it was such a great break away from work. What was really interesting to me is that this park is back in a neighborhood near our work and I never even knew it was there. It had this big pond, a covered picnic area, tables and a really nice playground for kids. Nice to know it's there for the future!

~ Elizabeth

Simul justis et peccatur (We are at one time both saint and sinner.)
- Martin Luther

My Grand Kitties

Emma and Cheeto - aren't they precious???

Brisk Fall Morning!

We woke up to 41 degrees in North Texas this morning! Luckily Keith lit the pilot light last night and the heater did come on. I dearly love brisk mornings like this and hate to get out of bed. I did get up though (!), fed the boys and started the coffee pot, because a cup of coffee on a day like this just completes the morning.

Fall is also one of my favorite times to decorate the house. This little guy is new and sits happily atop our mantel. I love his jaunty smile!

I've decided that Monday mornings are not really all that bad as long as you have a great weekend behind you. Keith and I got up Saturday morning and went out for breakfast for the first time in months (due to his previous job schedule). Seems like we're able to solve all the world's problems on these breakfast outings. Then I cropped all day with friends and met some really nice new people. I actually finished a 2 page layout except for some computer work even! I did a lot of the printing last night and will probably finish that up this evening.

Sunday morning was a fabulous service at church that really spoke to me. I just love going to this church - the music, the sermons, the people - it's all good! We got back home and watched some of the Nascar race and I was able to knit on the i-cord handle of my Booga Bag. I've got maybe 2 feet of it finished now and am looking forward to the felting process as I've never done it before. Oh and Saturday I took pictures of a knitting project that I designed myself and submitted it to an online design contest! I'm just tickled silly that I was able to do it and the contest is totally secondary to my sense of accomplishment.

We did take Joe to the park yesterday afternoon and did quite a bit of running, which wore me out way more than it did the dog! He really loves the cooler weather as well and acted almost like a puppy. Makes me smile every time I see him playing at the park.

This is the other thing I love about fall - candy corn! My absolute favorite candy in the world even though I know full well it's probably all sugar. One of the gals at the crop Saturday said that if you mix candy corn and salted peanuts together in a bowl and eat them that way it will taste just like the Stuckey's pecan rolls, though I haven't tried that yet. And I really like my little candy corn crock that I got from Longaberger a couple of years ago. It's especially nice when filled with candy corn!

~ Elizabeth

Life can't be chicken livers every day.
- Max

Lynne's Birthday

Ahh....Friday...what a blessing it is each week! Today it is finally cooler and feels like fall outside. I am especially fond of Friday mornings because I am able to work from home today. I feel so blessed to have a company willing to work with me on my illness and making it to where I'm able to continue working. God is good for sending this company to me! Fridays I'm able to stay in bed an extra hour because there is no drive time - and that means no stress as well. Today I gave Joe a well deserved bath and after work today I'll use the Furminator on him. What an awesome invention that is - I highly recommend it for anybody with hairy dogs. And I've already had my bagel and coffee and sat in my room reading and enjoying the calm of the morning. After my morning surfing I'm heading back to my chair and will knit for the remainder of the time before work. Thank you God for Fridays! :)

And last night was so nice. Lynne's 20th birthday was Wednesday (she's an adult now!), but she worked late that night and James and Loni had class Wednesday, so she decided to wait and celebrate Thursday. We went to Buca di Beppo, an italian restaurant for dinner. Lynne' had been there twice before, but none of the rest of us had ever been. Really good and they serve their food family style, so we ordered 3 small entrees and everybody dished up some of each. We still had leftovers, so lunch today is something to look forward to!

She looked so cute last night! Wednesday night she'd gone shopping with some friends and bought a new outfit - a short, plaid skirt, a little black top and the white top to wear over it. I really wish I'd gotten a picture of her whole outfit, but will have to wait and do that another time. We did cut into her birthday cake before bed, too, so healthy eating did not happen! I had stopped at Carvel on the way home from work Wednesday to pick up an ice cream cake since she is an ice cream fiend. MMMmmmm......

~ Elizabeth


Then You Grew

When I held you in my arms for the very first time,
I thought I could never love you more...
but then you grew.

In those precious baby times --
through your first smile,
your first tooth, your first steps,
I thought I could never love you more...
but then you grew.

And in those sweet toddler times --
the endless days of curiosity
and adventures and discoveries,
I thought I could never love you more...
but then you grew.

And in those wonderful little girl times --
those days of hurt knees and hurt feelings,
of making friends and taking in the world around you,
I thought I could never love you more...
but then you grew.

And in those lovely young woman times --
those times of moods and mysteries,
and joys and heartaches, I
thought I could never love you more...
but again, you grew.

And still, always, day by day,
you keep growing...
more and more beautiful. . .
nearer and dearer to my heart.
- Unknown