Playing Catch-Up

Just a quick post to keep ya'll coming back. Here is the skinny:

1. Penquins lost the 4th game in the playoffs and are out.
2. My guy came home.
3. Hiking was BEAUTIFUL and serene and fun and exhilerating and a life-changing event for me all rolled up in one sunny warm day!
4. Had a lovely cook-out on Sunday with Kay & Bill (my parents) here at our homestead.
5. Returned to work today and was still happy thanks to the great weekend.

Hope you out there had a chance to connect with the earth or some family or friends or whatever it is you are into. Will post later this week on more knitting-related info (the wee one is growing, slowly but steadily and my head is starting to burst forth with new project ideas of my own design).

Appearing Tomorrow...

Appearing tomorrow, for the first time in weeks in Knitsburgh, the biggest and closest star to you! That's right, THE SUN is scheduled to make an appearance, brightening audiences everywhere with his antics. There will of course be plenty of Vitamin D for all. Enjoy!

So the Wee One's cardigan...continues to be a work in progress (aka pain in my butt). I think I may have an ulcer and I certainly have a large zit/cold sore/fever blister type thing near the side of my mouth too. My guy has been away for about 1 1/2 weeks now (lucky him, especially considering the look of this zitty thing). What does this mean to you? Plenty as I don't have anyone nearby in the evenings to complain to and crack stupid jokes with, so you will get some of that here now and really, until his return. I can be pretty good alone and solitary-like for a short minute but I'm starting to get stir-crazy. All the crafts and shopping in the world can't hold me past a week. He needs to be here like yesterday, but he's not so it still is bad. What does a girl do when she is down and the future looks bleak?

She gets down with nature! That's right, a hiking trip with friends this weekend. It's weird but every day the forecast for the weekend improves. Maybe someone out there IS on my side after all...thanks unforseen forces that care! Now if they could only help the Pens a bit with the playoffs, they really need to win the next one...

Good Things Grow Here

How does a vegan pagan Ostara (Easter) look? Like this:




I made some chocolate "nests" with some melted vegan chocolate chips and some chow mein noodles. I formed them in a muffin tin pan. I filled them with "Mom's Chocolate Pudding" from Sarah Kramer's La Dolce Vegan. I then topped them with a few tiny vegan sugar cookies. They not only looked cute and yummy but were the most delicious dessert I have eaten since Creme Brule. And yes, I plan to make a vegan version of this soon too with a little experimentation...

I was up until 2AM making these tasty treats the eve of Easter, as Bill & Kay celebrate the Christian stuff. Which coincidentally is super convenient as it all seems to line up with the pagan stuff too. Hmm, how on earth did that happen? They were worth the time and effort and I can't wait for another reason to make them again. I got smart and froze half the sugar cookie dough so they will be a bit easier to make the next time.

Look who's all grown up now:


It's Original Back plus his sidekick, Left Front II. Born with the correct number of stitches, thank you much.

Here are some of my daffodils:

I can't get this movie out of my mind. The New World, about Pocahontas and Captn. Smith. It was incredibly sad and incredibly beautiful all at the same time. I really loved how her spiritual side was depicted, I would call it a great pagan flick. If you have the chance to see it (I caught it free in the On Demand cable area)I highly recommend it. Just bring the tissue box over to the couch...

Oh, and what make a girl's day even brighter than a vegan pudding nest, blooming daffodilia and Left Front II's graduation? How about a surprise bonus from an employer? REI, here I come...

Vegan Freak

I just read this entry on Sarah Kramer's blog:

This weeks Vegan Freak podcast is probably one of the best yet. I encourage all of you to listen to it and then take a look at your eating habits and make some healthy changes. :)

I have consumed so far today:
iced tea, blueberry & apple granola with soy milk (breakfast)
can of soup and bottle of water (lunch)
two handfuls of Tings (like vegan cheetos for the unaware), 6 squares of dark chocolate with mint and two Strawberry Wheat beers (dinner)

Was she talking directly to me? And if I should consume a vegan multivitamin now, will that be counteracted by the beer washing it down?

Live from Fairbanks...

It's April and snowing and apparently, I must live in Alaska.

Birth Announcement

Mr. and Mrs. Bamboo Needle of Knitsburgh are pleased to announce the birth of their newest creation, Left Front II, born April 5th, 2007 in the Living Room, being 35 stitches in length.

Obituary

Oringinal Left Front passed away on April 4, 2007 due to a shortage of stitches since birth(otherwise known as cast-on). Original Left Front was involved in the Wee One Cardigan Project for the majority of his working life. Original Left Front is survived by his only living relative, Original Back. You may pay your respects here on this blog. A service was held yesterday including a ceremonial frogging with simultaneous ball roll over the playing of bagpipes. Original Left Front, we will miss you and honor your contributions to the Wee One Cardigan Project, which will carry on in your memory. R.I.P.

Blogo-rythm

I'm trying to get back into the rhythm. I really am.

My mood has improved a bit since my last posting but of course, my physical health has declined. It started Friday. Chills, fever, body aches and sore throat. The body ache seemed to stay right on my tailbone and emenated outwards over my trunk to the joints connecting my extremities; I referred to this over the weekend to my guy as the Spinal Tap. It bloomed and blossomed over the weekend and my guy also got some, me being a sharing, giving creature and all. Today I had the Rudolph Nose and had my teeth cleaned. The hygenist put on her magnifying goggles and shuddered when she peered down at my inflamed nasal area, exclaiming, "You DO look like you have a cold." (I had told her I had one, guess she did not believe me until she saw it full force through the goggles). She poked at my teeth and did not stop talking, although she asked me many questions and paused for me to answer whilst her fingers were in my mouth. Do they not get that you can't talk back to them when they are in your mouth like that? YEEESH! I just looked up at her helplessly, trying to nod or participate, knowing it was futile. You either spit on her or sound like a monster or end up with a scrapey-hook in your tonque. It's silence or nothin'.

Here is the wee one's cardi:





We're talkin' back and left front. Which leaves....right front, right sleeve and left sleeve, not necessarily in that order, either. So I'm playing Chicken with yarn: you knit and knit and knit and don't stop or swerve away, the goal being to get to the finish line before your ball or skein ends so you don't have to drive to the store in a sweat, hoping there is more of the yarn you need to finish the cardi you spent at least a month or so trying to knit...

I'm excited about some new things in my horizon of late. I've joined a group in my area and I'm enjoying meeting new peeps and branching out a bit. Here is a picture of some forsythia I brought inside to enjoy:


The bush may not actually be ours. One of the houses next door to us is empty and has been since we moved in and is now for sale. We think we know where the property line is but there is no official word...we need to get a survey. But we decided to spend our hard-earned dough on other things such as the GREATEST GRILL EVER INVENTED FOR A VEGAN AND CARNIVORE COUPLE. It has two seperate grilling areas--one side for meat (YUCK) and one for lovely, nuturing and delicious vegan culinary masterpieces. No more freaking out about possible live meat juice contamination, no sir. Just complete blissfully happy dinners cooked out of doors.

Go look at the gorgeous full moon tonight, it's truly magikal!! Oh, and HAPPY OPENING DAY, PITTSBURGH PIRATES (game is tied right now, they are in Houston).