My pretty flower garden. Every year, I take a day to sow seeds into the ground with my children. I have done this since they were very small. I love to watch the delight in them when the seeds pop their heads out of the ground and grow. One year, our sunflowers grew to be at least ten feet tall and the flower heads were gigantic. My children and I marvel at the "little miracles" that God gives us. This year we did a long row of Zinnia with Sunflowers mixed in as well. I cut them all summer long for bouquets in our home and they also are beautiful to look at along the house when we sit outside with our morning coffee. With the coming Winter (which I say with disgust), my flowers are slowly leaving me. I took some pictures so I could look at them (even if it is just on the computer) when they no longer are outside. Sigh......... Spring and Summer go much too fast for my taste. The one thing I must say I do like about Winter is that I knit more. I read and knit much more and I love that. It's a time to cuddle up on the couch with a warm cup of coffee and knit something I have had yarn for and was wanting to do, but just didn't since we were so busy swimming and playing on the beach. My project at the moment is a new knitted/felted bag. I like it because when I am finished with the knitting there will no need to sew and seams. That is my one thing I don't care to do. I love to just pop it in the wash and see what comes out. So, this Fall and coming Winter, I have some plans to make quite a few new projects. Let's see if I really can get them done!

Even in the turtle world......

This is Crush and Charlie. Although we don't know what they truly are, (boys or girls) we are convinced that the one on top is Crush (the boy) and the little one he is stepping all over is Charlie (the girl.) Get your mind out of the gutter because I don't mean it that way. I am just saying that this "boy" turtle has a lot of nerve. A couple things we have noticed about our turtles. Crush always gobbles up all the food so Charlie has to really move if she wants to eat. When it comes to sunning themselves, the little girl turtle will go on the rock and immediately, Crush feels the need to step on her to get the sun thus forcing her to be left out of the warmth. He is not a nice boy. The last straw to this saga is that we found that our little Charlie was missing a few toes one day and realized that Crush was nibbling them off. Sadly, we had to separate them. I think Charlie is happier now, but we do find her hiding completely UNDER her rock in the morning. She needs some therapy after being abused for too long. They are the cutest little things though. Easy for me to take care of. Our beloved kitty died last year, so we opted for these guys. We started out with three that we got while on Canal Street in NYC. The area where you can get a "Gucci" or "Marc Jacobs" bag for $20. Yeah right. Well the turtles cost us $15 and the kids love them. One, sadly, passed away while we were on vacation and Grandma and Grandpa had them. Grandma was extremely upset when she lost one while they were on her watch. Figures, right? Sorry about that Mom.

The dumpling gadget.....

Two posts for the same day. Sorry, when it rains it pours. (And yes, it's pouring, so it seems appropriate.) This little gadget came over when Linda did because she has a gadget for EVERYTHING! You know that friend that says, "I have one of those!" when you are in need of something to get a project done? Well, if you don't have a friend like that, I am sorry for you. (I would share Linda, but I am selfish.) Anyway, she brought this little ditty over and showed me how to make dumplings to go along with my Chicken Paprikash. (Hey Lin, if I am spelling that incorrectly, let me know.) The dumplings come out so nice because this thing makes them on the small size. She tells me you can just drop them in by the spoonful, but it went so fast using this thing. O.k., here is the dilemma. She got it from her Mom. Her Mom got it from Hungary. Are you following me here? Anyone reading this have a Hungarian friend coming to visit you soon? And I mean, straight from Hungary since Linda tells me that's really where to get one of these guys. I didn't think so. So, now, I will be on the hunt for this nifty little gadget. I don't make my own dumplings often and I am not a gadget person, for the most part. But, I do make a lot of different soups and now that we are heading towards the colder weather... (No, I refuse to say "winter!") this gadget would be a nice thing to have. Linda had a name for it, but I couldn't pronounce it let alone spell it. Suffice it to say, it's really cool!

On to the next project........

Hi! Here is my finished purse. I thought I took a better picture of it to show the inside since I really love the fabric I found to line it with, but I don't have a shot of it. So, this one will have to do. I did make this pattern once before and it turned out much smaller. A nice purse, but too small for everyday use. This one is modified, since I added CO stitches and used Lamb's Pride (that has mohair mixed in with the wool) as opposed to the Paton's 100% merino wool I used on the other purse. I like the mohair, but it sometimes looks too fuzzy and you need to give the bag a shave every once in a while. My new bag, I am working on is coming out good, except that I ran out of yarn. (Can you hear my heavy sigh from there?) God knows I have a stash the size of Manhattan, but no yarn to go with my project at hand. Soooo, I went on line and yes, I could've ordered it. But, the shipping would have been more than the yarn and I really wasn't in the mood. You know how you really have to be in the mood for a project once you get it going. This one I am on the fence about. (Pictures to follow.......)

Today, on the first rainy day we have had in a long time, I spent my morning with my good friend Linda. She is an awesome cook and many times drops off her yummies to my house. The last time she did that, my kids were literally licking the container she sent to us. It was THAT good. So, I bought all the ingredients and she came over to show me how to make her famous, "lick the bowl," chicken paprikash. She is 100% Hungarian, so let me tell you, this girl knows how to make a mean chicken paprikash. I can't wait for my kids to get off the bus and smell our house. YUMMY! Now if only I can do it when I am on my own without her here! Cross your fingers......

Hi there Karen (since I know you are probably the only one reading this!) Thank you for the information on deleting those slimy comments from one of my posts. I trash canned them! I always love to read people's blogs. All that knitting fun. Your blog is always a great one. Have a nice weekend and hopefully I will get that picture on here of my bag finished. It came out nice. I have a few in the "hopper" I have to finish and I am working on one now.

It's been a long time..........

Hi there to my friends that read my blog. (Alright, I know of two that read this and I haven't written in months so I am probably writing this for myself alone......) Anyway, one of the reasons I haven't written is that the good weather hit and I was with my children as much as possible. And then the summer came, and I was with my children as much as possible. And the other reason is that I got some slimy comments to my last post and it scared me. I was afraid to open them since I don't want a virus in my computer and then I wondered, who would write such slimy things to a persons knitting blog? Don't they have better things to do than to harass poor, unsuspecting knitters like me? In any event, the bus will be here in a minute and I need to get outside, so this will be a brief posting.

Do you like my "Sebago Bag?" I knit one every year when we go to our place in Maine and then shrink it when I get home. Picture to follow once I upload it to my computer....

I have to also tell you.... I went to "A Stitch in Time" today in Bethel, CT. OMG!!!! (That's what my kids do.) I felt like I had died and gone to heaven, or at least "fiber heaven!" It is a BEAUTIFUL store and has everything you could imagine. I was overwhelmed by it all because I just wanted to stand there and touch all the yarn. It's a bright, cheery store with so many different things to offer. Great yarn (of course!), terrific books and pattern packets, samples knitted all over the store, and the NICEST women working there. I met the owner, Eva, and she was super-duper kind. I felt like I had found a new home! So, it's official that "A Stitch in Time" will be my favorite yarn store.

O.k., got to get the bus now............ See ya!