More books

Here's some new ones coming out that I really NEED to read. Of course if I'm not up to date on the series, I'll have to read the 'before' books first.

J.D. Robb has her latest Eve Dallas book coming out -- Interlude in Death. I still have a way to go before I get to that one.

The Old Wine Shades, by Martha Grimes -- I think I'm a few behind with the Richard Jury books.

Tomb of the Golden Bird, by Elizabeth Peters; Dark Tort, by Diane Mott Davidson -- I know I'm behind on Peters.

Cherry Cheesecake Murder, by Joanne Fluke -- think I'm still behind on this series.

Oh my God! Jo Pence is due out with a new one -- Red Hot Murder. I have read every single Angie Amalfi books. I remember after reading the first one, I emailed Pence to tell her how much I loved it. She emailed me back and I eventually sent her one of my books to be autographed. She's so nice and the Angie series is so hysterical.

Nancy Martin's, Have your Cake and Kill Him Too: A Blackbird Sisters Mystery -- never read any of them yet but they sound good and they're now on my TBR list.

A Stroke of Midnight by Laurell K. Hamilton -- I'm behind on her too. I can't remember which book I left off with. *sigh* She also has The Killing Dance coming out.

Death of the Party by Carolyn G. Hart -- might be behind here too. Also Dead Days of Summer.

Laura Child's Chamomile Mourning. I haven't even read the first in the series yet, never mind the newest. Mary Dahiem's The Alpine Recluse; and the Alphine Quilt, might be up to date here. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris, I AM up to date here!

The Goodbye Body (a Claire Malloy Mystery) by Joan Hess -- might be a few behind.


This sounds good Charmed to Death: An Ophelia and Abby Mystery, by Shirley Damsgaard -- Don't know how many are in the series or if this is brand new.

Awsome!!

This has kind of been an "old home" week. Denise, my oldest and dearest friend, called me twice and it was great as usual. She's been painting and has emailed me some pictures of her work. AWESOME!!! So before I even saw the pictures, I demanded that she paint me something wonderful for my birthday. And since she loves me so much, she will!!

Today Lou called and invited me over last minute for Dorian's birthday and a late lunch. Her mom made those wonderful ravioli that are about the size of a dinner plate. They were a little smaller this time -- only sandwich plate size. LOL!!!

I bought a new mouse and a printer since both of mine died a long time ago. The mouse is going back tomorrow because it doesn't want to work. It's specifically for laptops and wireless but refuses to work with my laptop. So I'll keep using my mini mouse until I can get to Staples. BJs only had that kind. The printer works so now I can do my printing at home again.

Other than those things, I didn't accomplish anything but catching up on all my bills this weekend. YEAH! Sandy and I went to the casino for the first time in over a year and I broke even. I didn't expect to win so breaking even is good. :)

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I finished reading Delectable Mountains and it was excellent. Not sure what I'll start tonight -- all the books but one came in from Paperback Swap. I love that place.

Quotes

This will be a good place to put quotes that catch my eye. I usually write them on scraps of paper and never see them again.

I love this blogging idea. It's perfect for an airhead like me! LOL!!!

Can any of you, however much you worry, add a single cubit to your span of life? If a very small thing is beyond your powers, why worry about the rest? -- Luke 12:25

My sweater and my exchange gifts

These are my needle holders and my dishcloth and scrubbies and Constant Companion bag that my exchange partner made for me. Her work is incredible!!



And this the five hour sweater -- at least my version of it anyway! Next one will be better!!

Wonderful site

This girl's work is incredible!

monster crochet

I need to really explore her blog. Just putting it here so I can find it again.

I did go to Di's party on Sunday and had a wonderful visit with her and the family.

Finished reading two of the library books and will start the third, Delectable Mountains, tonight.

I received my Holiday Exchange gift yesterday -- a bit late but oh so wonderful! K made me my very own Constant Companion bag and a pair of felted needle covers. She also sent me a quilted or cloth covered basket, a little snowman filled with candy, some star-shaped candles, two bells, a pen from Canada and a beautiful set of knitted dishcloth and scrubbies. It's so much nicer getting it after the holidays because it kind of extends Christmas. :)

On of my knitting forum friends started a Knitting Christmas Club. What a cool idea. I joined it and we have to 'deposit' at least one finished knitted Christmas gift a month in it. That way by Christmas 2006, all those participating will be way ahead of the game. This is going to be fun!

I also need to start working on the spring exchange. I have no clue yet what I want to make.

Done!

The 5 hour sweater is finished and it's really very pretty. I'll have to post a picture.

BUT the seams are so freaking bulky and there's mistakes. It does fit perfectly. I do want to make another sometime but I need to buy size 17 double pointed needles for the neck. I'd love to find size 50 circular needles or double pointed so I can do the whole thing in the round and eliminate those bulky seams.

I think I spent more time weaving in ends -- lots and lots of ends!!! -- than anything else. And doing that made the seams even more bulky. *sigh* I'm still happy with the sweater and as a prototype it will definitely do. :)

Today is Diana's birthday. Not sure if I'm going up there or not because it's getting late and I need to be home by eight or nine.

What I'm doing today

I have the whole weekend to myself and am either going to get things done or just veg out. LOLOL!!

Just sat in bed this morning with a cup of coffee and my cigarettes and finished reading Knitting, A Novel. I really enjoyed it even though it's not a murder mystery and it's not really about knitting. It is what they call chick lit, all the way.

After that I decided to roll all the leftover yarn from my 5 Hour Sweater into balls. I'm procrastinating about putting the sweater together. All the pieces are perfect but something had to have been off in the pattern because adjustments will have to be made around the neck. And I'm great at following directions but really suck at improvising things. It's on my "I Hope To Get It Done This Weekend List". :)

Then I totally emptied out and turned off the refrigerator. I tossed a bunch of stuff. Everything is sitting around the kitchen and when the fridge warms down, I will wash it and put the stuff back. Sadly, there won't be much to put back since I'm just about on empty. I really need to do a massive grocery shop. Maybe next weekend!

Now I'm going to go back to rolling yarn balls and start reading The Sugar Camp Quilt.

Well, the fridge is all sparkly clean inside and there's barely any food in it. No problem. I'm just glad it's nice and clean and there's enough to eat for the week. I've got two more partial skeins of yarn to wind into a ball and then -- maybe -- try and put that sweater together. At least I've accomplished some of my goals for today!

I HATE Insomnia!

Even after taking an ambien, I was wide awake until way after 3 a.m. I was so wide awake, in fact, that I went through the whole apartment and gathered papers and stuff and sorted them all out. At least I should have all my to be read and to be knitted or crocheted lists all in one place. When I transfer them here, I can throw them out.

I called into work around 3:30 a.m. and left a voice mail. No way I'd be heading in this morning. I finally fell asleep and woke up around 10:30.

Found a new sock knitting tutorial. Even though it's cuff down, I'm saving the link. I think it will help me alot:

Knitting Socks Online Class

It's been raining like crazy. Wtf? This is winter, not spring!! What a strange winter we've had this year!

Adding to my to buy or read list:

Blackmores Night

Blackmores Night's DVD with songs on it that I don't have. They're currently one of my very favorite groups. It took me more than a week to come down off the high after meeting and talking with Candace Night last summer. I still can't believe Richie and Candace came to our faire as patrons and then she came into Wizard's Warehouse and visited with us. What a voice that lady has. And Richie Blackmore is just as great as he was when he was with Deep Purple.

Just ordered Shades of Earl Grey, by Laura Childs from PaperBackSwap.com

It's the third in the Teashop Mystery series so now I have to get the first book, Death by Darljeeling

Then I need to get the second book, Gundpowder Green and then I can read the rest in the series!

Paperback Bookswap is an awesome place. Any time I get a request for a book that I have listed there and I send it and it's received, I get a point. I also get a point for each person that joins through my link. The books are used and they're free. All it costs the send is media mail postage -- 4 stamps. I LOVE that place! Each point is a free book I can get.

Ok. I shouldn't have gone there. Just ordered another book. By Elizabeth Peters. I thought I read all her stuff, even under the name Barbara Michaels, but this isn't any of her series stuff under the Peters name. It's old stand alone Elizabeth Peters. If I read it, it was years ago, so I never mind re-reading Peters!

Devil May Care

The Love Talker

And I ordered Love Her Madly, by Mary Ann Tirone Smith, who I just found out lives right here in CT. I have two others in the series so I can start reading those soon. YEAH!!

Also Down the Garden Path, by Dorothy Cannell, the second book in the Ellie Haskell series. I have the first one, The Thin Woman. And finally I ordered Mum's the Word which will give me at least the first four books in the series. I have the latest and one other.

I think I'm finally out of points! LOL!!

How cool is this? I'm watching the Food Network and someone made fish and chips, which I LOVE. And I eat it the traditional way with malt vinegar which makes everything soggy. Well on the show, they had the vinegar in a spray bottle -- the kind you use to spray water on stuff -- and sprayed as they ate. I have GOT to remember to try that.

Library

Went to the library after work and picked up three books from my list of books I want to read.

Knitting A Novel
Delectable Mountains
The Sugar Camp Quilt

I'm starting the first one tonight. The other two are parts of series' I've been reading and I finally found the latest in both. YEA!!

Didn't work on my sweater tonight because I'm too lazy.

Diana is home from the hospital and since she finished her medications she didn't have to go home with an IV. Lots of prayers answered with her.

Herbs

I'm really liking this blog thing. I used to write down links to pages I find interesting, or I'd bookmark them. Well I always lose my written notes and I have so much bookmarked that I can never find anything.

So we were talking about chamomile at a tea forum I belong to and I decided to do a search on drying chamomile. This is what I came up with and I really HAVE to try it.

Relaxing With Chamomile -- it tells you all about the uses and even has recipes to make different kinds of teas. Really cool! I wonder if I can do it?

I try to grow herbs every year and every year I kill them somehow. This year I had sage and lavendar and they were actually still alive after three months. Then my sister decided to help me out by pruning the dead leaves off the sage plant. After I saw it, I almost killed her. I told her the leaves weren't dead and that's what they were SUPPOSED to look like. She insisted it would grow back better. It didn't and the lavendar was so horrified that it died of shock from seeing it's friend, the sage plant, murdered. *sigh*

Progress

I have been in the house since Saturday afternoon except for a quick trip to the grocery store. I'm out of everything and really have no money right now. Used a gift card plus $20 my son gave me. :)

So I think I've made a bit of progress since I didn't leave the house much.

I started the 5 Hour Sweater for the knit along I'm in.

It's actually coming along nicely and I'm using up tons of stash. I finished one side and am half way done with the other. Then I'll just have the sleeves. Hope to finish at least the second side tonight.

I also filed my Federal tax return. Can't do the state one until the 31st. But I'll have a bit of money coming in and that will be great!

My knitting wish list is growing even bigger than my reading wish list. At the rate I'm going, I need to quit work so I can read and do all the things I want to do. LOL!!!!!!!!

Well I found one book that I really need to read,

The Easy Way to Stop Smoking

I really need to quit smoking -- I could use the money for better things like buying books and wool!

Reason for this blog

If I remember, I want to use it as a memory bank. Hopefully I can write things I'd like to remember and also things like:

Knitting projects and their progress
Books I'm reading
Books I've read
What's on my reading list

Ok, so I read alot! LOL!!

Anyway, that's the plan. We'll see what happens.