The 3 line rule

Are you getting ready for the New Year celebrations? Mr H and I will be relaxing with movies and I of course will need to have my shrimp...always have shrimp on NY Eve...except for the first year we lived out here....another tale to be told. Most of the time I do not watch the great crystal ball fall....just don't. In the past I have mentioned my 3 line rule regarding the car. I have been asked what that is so I will explain. I have never...never...ever pumped gas for my car. When I was single, I had guy friends who would take my car and fill it and wash it and in those days check the oil and I would pay the tab. When I married Mr H, he automatically filled the cars. In the mornings I would check to see which car had the most gas and that was the one I took to work. Are you calling me spoiled?! So it stands to reason that I still do not go to the gas station. When the car gauge looks like this...

off to the station it goes. Yesterday when we returned from PT I pulled into the station and Mr H got out and pumped the gas....he is getting well after all. A few years ago when he was in the hospital for a week, I needed gas and went to a nearby station and had it pumped by the attendant. I think he thought I was a nut case as I was trying to find out how to unlock the cap and did not need too! He was very nice to me.....I do remember the time when I was not with Mr H and driving in Connecticut and stopped for gas. I went into the self service station and politely asked for "help" as I did not know how to pump gas and 2 very nice guys came out and did it for me....smiled and looking a bit confused they took pity on me! So that my friends is the 3 line rule....now aren't you glad you popped in today? I am...thank you for the friendship we share and the kind words...have a wonderful day.

After Christmas

Although we had a very relaxed holiday I have been so tired! There is no reason, just tired....

My Santa Dennis deserved this cat nap after cooking a wonderful dinner. Considering all that has happened this month, he is doing very well.  I thought the hat suited him well. I am looking forward to a left over dinner with the roast we enjoyed......don't you love the left overs after a good meal? I received some wonderful exchanges and a surprise gift....
First exchange was with Cindy

lovely pin pillow and a Mill Hill Santa kit...along with PS Santa and LHN pattern. Thank you Cindy for my goodies. Then there was from Sherry

I love that she found an Ana Lee Santa...and the ornament was made with her grandchildren while visiting at Thanksgiving...the pin cushion is beautiful...thank you Mdm Samm for hosting this exchange. If you haven't visited her blog, please do...you will love it.
Then a surprise gift from Lynda Ruth

Look at the lovely handmade parasol....it will look lovely on my tree...and a marshmallow snowman....yum Love the Santa pattern. Thank you Lynda for thinking of me. Lynda has been participating in our year long card exchange.  Once again my dear sweet Lu sent me

an Ana Lee ...look at his face then go back and look at the face of the snowman from Sherry...exact! Lu (she visits my blog) this guy will be with me all year long in the sewing bookcase...and I will think of you and Stan....I do anyway!
I guess that covers it all....hard to believe the year is almost  to the end....In some ways I will be very happy to see it off. Mr H and I are looking forward to the new year putting this latest medical "to do" behind us. Glad you visited to see my gifts....thank you for the kind words and of course your friendship. Have a great day.

Merry Christmas

Dennis and I send wishes for a wonderful Christmas day to all of you. Johnny Mathis is signing and the roast is in the oven thanks to Chef Dennis and I will return to my stitching. Have a wonderful day.

Oh Brother....are you there?

Here I am finally getting to bake, well make Pizzelle...my cup of coffee at the ready George Winston's December playing in the background.... and the phone rings.... I am always...always so happy to chat with my brother Alan. Although he is 11 years younger than me, sometimes he has been the big brother. After some chatting, he said he could not figure my blog out!? He does not know how to comment...not sure of himself. What!? This a  very smart man...a college grad and holds a job with position. He did get himself to follow but did not know how to navigate after that... we soon got that straightened out. In a short time he will be coming to visit us...his annual visit and we are so looking forward to his arrival. we have some plans but we usually just go with the flow of the day. This year Mr H will have some limits, but I am sure we can work around that. So today, I was the one to help him out. Back to my Pizzelles....

 I have a couple of dozen to have here and to share. Of course I did have to sample to make sure they were okay....Later I will attempt to make some cookies...only meaning if I get around to it. I hope to make Lucy's Pinwheels and Mike's Biscuits before Christmas. Nothing difficult but just to fit it in. I am working on my project and although I wish the scissors were like my original Hardanger ones, these are working out nice. I hate to order sight unseen (on line) so one of these days I will get to The Attic to see what is available. I also contacted my scissor sharpener and he may be able to fix these. So I find that I have some options. Well, time for another cup of coffee and sample another Pizzelle...just to be really sure they are okay. Glad to have you visit with me. Thank you for your friendship and kind words. Have a wonderful day.

New Scissors

They are not as perfect as the first pair, but they will do until I find the perfect pair..

 

see how small and sleek the broken pair is.... perfect for cutting threads in Hardanger. The new pair I bought at the Viking Sewing Center at Jo Ann's this morning. I tried them and they do work.... I really like the original pair. I checked on line and also Nordic Needle and I really do not want to pay $60+ for a replacement. The little pair did cost a fair amount, but at the time of purchase I was given a very nice discount. These cost $29.00 and then a 20% discount. So, for now these will do. I still have not started my baking...what am I waiting for? I really do like to bake at night or very early in the morning...tomorrow is football day so that may be a good day. Remember the socks that I just knit...sent them off to my mom, EvaP for Christmas. What did she say? She carried on about how talented I am and that her friends love them but that she doesn't know if she should wear them. She does not want to spoil them! What! My response is that if she does not wear them I want them back. They are made to be worn. EvaP just celebrated her 89th birthday and is " I should save this/that/these mind set. Really.... Anyway, that's my tale for the day. Happy to have you visit with me. Thank you for your kind words and your wonderful friendship. Enjoy your day.

Chestnuts found!

There are certain foods that I can not find here in Arizona that I really miss Rhode Island for. One is chestnuts when in season. Some years they are here and affordable some not. This year my dear cousin Janice sent me some ...but I needed more. We did find them but even the grocery store had to toss out their supply after we bought some and they were all moldy inside. Then I found them but they were $14.99 a pound! Finally I found them at Sprouts yesterday...for $4.99 a pound

so now I will have them for Christmas....just a tradition to have chestnuts roasted for Christmas. It does not take much too much to make me happy. So many of you did just that yesterday with all the birthday wishes for my guy....he thanks you very much. The doctor removed the staples on Tuesday afternoon..he did wince a bit...I could not look.  He had therapy yesterday and they increased his time to 1 hour and he is doing very well with it. Mr H is walking much better and hopefully the thigh pain will subside. We did not have a birthday cake...

instead we enjoyed pastry; Lobster tail filled with whipped cream and custard filled cream puff. I figured it was a special day...cake just does not mark the 70th like pastry does. It was good to see that he is up to going shopping with me.... I am not used to doing lots of things let alone by myself...very spoiled am I. Today I hope to spend time starting my baking and working on my new project....

I am starting on band 5 and forgot just how much I enjoy this type of project. I just needed a break from regular cross stitch. I do find that I need to stop after each band to rest my hand, but that is just fine. There are 2 more projects in this book but I am not sure if I will do them or look to another book. I do have several in the bookcase.The one thing I need to do is get another scissor for thread cutting...like in Hardanger. My wonderful scissor broke and I have yet to buy another. I will probably look to Nordic Needle for one. Just need a tiny and sharp point. Right now, I need a cup of coffee while I wait for the laundry to finish. I thank you for the birthday wishes for Mr H and for your wonderful friendship. Your kind words make a wonderful day for me. Hope you enjoy your day.

My guy

Today we celebrate Dennis' 70th birthday.....I am so very lucky to have this man in my life. What would I do without him? He is a good cook, he keeps our garden in bloom, he keeps the gas in our car above the 3rd line, he makes me laugh, he makes me happy, he shares my tears and still holds my hand. I love him so......

Making a list...

I make a list constantly...list of to do, list of to get list for this and that....The list I just made was for baking supplies. I have never been as organized for event baking as many of you are...baking ahead. I like to do the baking just before. First of all, when I have baked before, the goodies were eaten rather quickly. Even with just the two of us they would not be around for long. Mr H has a very sweet tooth.... okay, I do too. Speaking of Mr H, today is the day for the staples to be removed..and there are a lot of them. I am hoping we get a good report from the doctor. Yesterday they really worked him long and hard at PT.  I just wish he would not do a few of the not to do things right yet. I, by the way, have been busy...
First, have you ever visited Todolwen's blog? Her creations are divine. Anyway, she recently posted about Drop Cloth Christmas Tree ornaments.....so although I do not have drop cloth, I did make one, my version.

I had a print of strings of lights and thought why not...and then I saw paper snowflakes so of course Iwanted to try them too...

I liked making them using card stock. I prefer the smaller size so I will make a few more even though we do not get snow in The Valley...and I do not miss it. These will be the only snowflakes I will have around me! They will be up and around for January.Then I decided to make

place card angels for me and Mr H for Christmas dinner. I have some old sheet music and thought why not. I used a metallic gold pen for the outline...hard to tell, but it does look nice. I like playing with paper in between stitching. I think these angels will make nice ornaments for the tree too. Finally I gathered my next project and it did not come out of the craft closet...but from the bookcase....

I have the fabric measured, basted, and now on stretcher bars ready to go......a bell pull from this book. It has been some time since I have done a project like this, but I am sure once I get going it will come back to me. This book has excellent directions.All the packages that I mailed out have arrived, with the exception of one   as it was not delivered yet yesterday when I checked. So I will be off to check on it now. Glad you stopped by today. Thank you for your wonderful friendship and you kind words for me and Mr H too. Have a great day.

Getting a bit more festive

I looked around this morning at 4AM and needed to see a bit more Christmas.....

so....out to the garage to see what I could find and this is what I found. The ballerinas were already swaying across the mantel. I think when nighttime falls I will get a better look at how it looks.

a few mason jars filled with lights and giant and small ornaments and of course a bow and it pleases me. As I said, I can tell better tonight as the light dims around the room. I guess I am still not resigned to the limited Christmas decor. Had I known how well Mr H would be doing with ambulation and such, I would have put up the bigger tree. Yes there is still time, but for this year  is what it is. I will get over it. Maybe it is why I am not stitching...no motivation....I spent one hour putting about the craft closet trying to find something to interest me to no avail. I suppose I will try again today.....
Today, well now, it is the 25th birthday of my 2 great nephews...cousins. My Nephew's son Joseph was born in the morning and my niece gave birth to Nico in the evening...same day 2 different hospitals. So hard to say it has been 25 years. I think I need a cup of coffee to sit and remember all the years in between. Good memories of these 2 grown men. So nice to have you stop by for a visit...thank you for your friendship and your kind words....have a great day.

Jo's Christmas Blog Hop

Today is Day 12 of Jo's Blog Hop and it is my day  to post. I really enjoyed stitching my Canyon Santa this year

I love Mill Hill kits. Stitched on all the provided materials on perforated paper. Jo asked that we share Christmas traditions..... Since moving from Rhode Island to Arizona, 3,000 miles from family and traditions, Dennis and live a very quiet holiday life. We have a nice simple meal for Christmas Eve and usually a ham dinner for Christmas day. I bake cookies, although not like I did when the family would gather, but still we need our cookies too! It still seems strange to be dressed in shorts and sandals for Christmas, but I do love it after so many cold and snowy Christmases. Would you like to see a picture from my childhood Christmas Eve?

See the date in the left bottom...December 1950. I was 3 years old, and I am the little face that looks like I have a flower for a nose...that is my sis Linda reaching down to me with my mom and all my cousins (dad's family) All the ladies, mom aunt Easter and aunt Lena were all married to brothers and only my mom is still with us. Of the cousins, one has passed some years ago. This was the children's table in the kitchen of Grandma's house...the adult ate in the dining room. Such wonderful memories. I treasure this picture......Whatever your holiday plans and traditions are, I do hope you have a wonderful holiday. Thank you for visiting and I hope I have made a few new friends. Now remember to stop by Astrid's  tomorrow for day 13. Catch up on the other days at Jo's.

Tree is decorated

Seems funny to have a small tree in the living room.....

This is the tree we bought when we first moved here to Arizona. That first year we were in an apartment so a small tree was best. It sits atop a table giving it height. This year with Mr H needing to be able to get around safely I thought this would be better than the full and tall tree. So, I chose specific ornaments to display since I was not going to unpack the large box to find ornaments. This year one of the new ones is the Southwest Canyon Santa, had to include one of the Mexican senoritas, and an origami star and for added sparkle the beaded pillow. My tree is not complete unless the Christmas Spider is included. A couple of years ago I made and sent out as gifts several spiders. Several days ago while visiting with blogger Heather I spotted one of the spiders I had sent out in her tree....it brought a smile to my face. That year I also sent Heather's little man some reindeer food. the offer for Reindeer Food is open this year for any child...if you would like a packet sent, email me the name and age as well as the mailing address and I will happily send some. I would like to say thank you for all the good wishes for Mr H who is doing splendidly. His therapy went well yesterday and he is starting to go outside to walk. I might add no more walker and he really does not need the cane. There was a special package in the mail yesterday. I received my exchange from Sherry. It will wait till Christmas to be opened. Hopefully my package to her will arrive soon. Well my friends, that about does it for today. So glad we had some time to chat....thank you for your friendship and kind words. Have a wonderful day.

Day of Infamy

On the morning of December 7, 1941 my dad was just coming off guard duty 8 AM Hawaiian time, He was just 22 and remembered looking up to see the Japanese planes coming over Fort Shafter. He ran for cover under bushes until he was able to run to get his gun out of lock up. The initial attack last around 90 minutes but it was a day to change many lives..... 2,403 Americans died  and 1178 were wounded that day.

In this photo you can see a copy of the news paper coverage. The inset of a newspaper is an article that a local paper ran about my dad and a snapshot of him as he was then. The map shows the location of Oahu in the Hawaiian chain. Now living in Arizona, I also remember those aboard the USS Arizona which sank with many of it's crew aboard. For me, the story of this event is as fresh as it was on the day so long ago that my dad and I talked about it. The story of how he enlisted, the time of the event and the years that he spent in Hawaii. In those days news from the "front" was slow to reach the states. My dad's family had a hard time at first learning whether my dad (Army) and my uncle John, dad's brother (Navy) were okay. Grandma Piccirilli told me once that when knew that her boys would be come home she cried for those who would not. Still today we are not really at peace in the world. Thank you for stopping by and reading my thoughts on this which has always been dear to me. Have a good day.

Things are progressing...slowly

Can it be already a week since Dennis had surgery? He is doing well, but needs some prodding to do the PT. He obviously got hungry after 10 PM last night while I slept, cause there are dishes in the sink...he had some soup. Now, how did he manage to get it out of the fridge, heat it in the micro and then get it to the table? Since he is still asleep, I will have to wait for the answer.

So obviously he did go into the garden to feed the fish....(lower right, one of 3 that are around 10-12 inches!) as you can see they are still okay and then checked the plants and as you can see they are fine...that is a sunflower growing in the window box?! Hope today will be a good PT day and I will not have to threaten him! with telling the PT people tomorrow. I know it is painful, but it needs to be done faithfully. Have you made your own ice packs yet? Well...

You take equal parts water and alcohol then add some dish detergent and voila, an ice pack that does not freeze but stays very cold. To be honest, I did not measure just mixed and it is fine. I used a quart freezer bag, then put that in a gallon zip lock and another one for safe measures. Insert into a pillow case and you have a great ice pack. The detergent is for safety..adding a color so you know not to eat or drink I suppose. I recently finished a Christmas ornament but it will be posted on the 12th as I am taking part in Jo's Advent calendar blog hop. Very little decorating around here but I did put up one of the trees... I will take a picture later for posting. Some lights are outside but not our usual display.I managed to get to the Post Office yesterday...more to mail this week and a few to complete packing for mailing. I seem not to have any time recently.....anyway, I am so happy you stopped by today. Thank you for your friendship and encouragement. It really means  so much to me. Hope you have a great day.

What a week...

and it is is not over yet! Mr H had his hip replacement on Monday at 7:45 AM. It took a bit longer because he had excessive bleeding. Finally at noon he was brought to his room. Shortly7 after he was up in a chair and walked a little. So far so good. I am sure you do not want to be bored with all the happenings, so let's just say we are on an adventure. In the meantime, I forgot to check the pond water level, forgot to check the plants so we can safely say I forgot to enter the back yard.Tuesday had it's challenges but we did survive them. Yesterday was a good day and home we came arriving around 3:30 PM. Suddenly it struck me that I was now in charge....all by myself. I just know this will be an interesting if not eventful road we are on. Stitching? you ask....what stitching? I desperately need some stitching to relax with. Today we get to ride in the car to physical therapy...yippee! What about last night you ask? Do you really want to know.........thanks for stopping by to listen. Did I mention that Mr H is not being cooperative today?!

Almost time for the tree....

When do you put up your Christmas tree? How about the outdoor decorations? I generally get things going by the first of December. Why put so much into the decorating for only a few days or so...besides I like to enjoy each and every ornament; some I have had since we got married. A few belonged to my aunt Angie and of course there are the new ones and gifted ones. Today I think I will start the out front lights. Once Mr H has his surgery Monday, he will not be helping and the outside lights are the place he helps with the extensions and such. Inside requires a little rearranging of things for the trees and I hope to do it over the few days he is in hospital. He tends to get a bit too helpful and is under foot. Yesterday I spent some time with my sweet friend Jeanne....and we made...

these simple to sew ornaments. I cut out several circles for her so she can make several.I really enjoy these origami type crafts. The back is ...

plain but pretty too. I have not pressed this one yet. I can't wait to see Jeanne's. I have a few packages to send out. Think I will go on Tuesday morning...the first of the month especially December is so busy there.The temps are a bit cool but enjoyable never the less, and the sun is still hot enough to give a burn. Have you noticed that some of my posts are later and not so early morning...well, I think I am getting old cause getting up and doing in the morning is not as it was. Oh, I am still awake most mornings by 3 AM but not in the mood to do anything butt curl up on the daybed in the sewing room. Ever since retiring...hmm, wonder if that has something to do with it! My get up has gotten up and went. Glad to chat with you today. Thank you for your friendship and kind words. Have a great day.

Enter at your own risk~~~~~

I feel as if I am in running in circles lately. Notes and more notes to myself and to Mr H....trying to remember too many things. It seemed that we had so much time for this upcoming surgery for Mr H now it is literally around the corner and moving in fast. Today will be the last day of things to do as the day is Monday. This afternoon we need to pre -register Mr H at the hospital. This morning a technician from Cox came to visit. I have had issues with connection for some time on and off. We visited the Cox store the other day back from some appointment and they offered to replace my modem free. I guess today was the morning! Here and gone already but then something clicked in my lost mind...the December card exchange! Can you believe we have come full circle from the the start of this ? So, if you want to be included in the last round, please let me know. And do not feel bad if you can not...I do know how busy everyone is this time of year. What must you think of me....this is the first time I did not mail out any cards!!!! I have mailed a card to everyone each month...just forgot with all this hullabaloo happening at Horton House. But I will mail out for December. Please let me know by December 5th. Are you all ready for Thanksgiving? We are, well I think we are and if not we will make do. For us it will be simple turkey and the fixings; a quiet day. Right now, I must check on the wash that I put in and due to my slipping mind have actually have wash twice already, neverthemind, it will be done by now and a much needed cup of coffee will be in hand. Glad you came by today....thank you as always for your friendship and kind words. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you form me and Dennis.

Oh my lucky stars!

Don't know how lucky they are, but they certainly were addicting...

Mr H and I enjoyed a relaxing weekend and sat outside while I folded all these stars. I think they would make great mobiles or banners or just to hang on the tree or anywhere for that matter.

I like how the message comes through on this one....the paper choices are really endless. I have always like origami but never really tried to make anything. Then I did a few and can see how it can be addicting. I must remember to not to do too many at a time because I really had to medicate my hand. I did make a little more progress on SW Santa

He will make a nice addition to my Southwest ornaments. Lots of beading and you know how much I love my beads. We are getting ready for the big day...next Monday will be Mr H's surgery. We have been busy making all the necessary preparations and appointments. Tomorrow and Wednesday are final prep days. It will be hard for my guy to not do the things he does. Silly as it may sound, he will not be happy with me in charge of the garden and the feeding the fish. He says I scare the fish...really. They are lucky I feed them when he has been sick! As for the garden, I am sure he will attempt to be out there. I will have my work cut out for me. I think I better get another bottle of my favorite drink... anyway, so glad you popped in to visit. Welcome to a few new friends and thank you ever so much for your friendship and kind words. Have a great day.

Chilly days are here

Gee wiz, I did not think the chilly air would be here already. the air conditioner is off finally. My hand is really bothering me these last few days so not much stitching. I think my ballerinas did me in, but they were worth it. Spent a couple of hours at the hospital yesterday for Mr H's upcoming surgery...information session. Poor fella was so achy by the time we got back home. I think today will be a rest day indoors and no place to roam. All of a sudden I am remembering that Thanksgiving is next week. Food wise we are ready. This is Mr H favorite holiday. Although it is just the two of us, we will have all the fanfare menu. I need to get to the post office to mail off a few things but do not have the energy this morning...maybe later.  I did start another small project...

 It is Canyon Santa from Mill Hill Santa collection. I would love to get the other 2; Desert Santa and Mesa Santa.
 I have not been a very good blog reader this week so I am going off to visit a few......

There is something about bright yellow daisies to add cheer to the I will leave you with a look at the daisy bunch on my table...day. I am glad you took some time to stop here and thank you for the kind words and your friendship....have a great day.

It's Friday and the 13th too!!!

Now I will say that I am a superstitious person but Friday the 13th does not affect me in any way.... I will be careful while out today. I know it is seriously a problem for some people, but not for me..... I did dust the horseshoe and it is in the proper position. I wonder why cable was out this morning and why the living room TV has issues that are all now cleared up? Moving on......

I have not been able to stitch this week much because I was busy with these gals

yes, 6 ballerina and their skirts all cut and ready to dance to someone's home..... why did I think cutting these all the same day would not bother my hand. The word is think, I did not bother to think! I won't be doing that again. One a day or so if there are more to cut. Yesterday Mr H went to Redbox to get me the movie, Mr Holmes....I love everything Sherlock Holmes, well maybe except for the newer versions. We have a collection of the DVDs which we watch frequently. Anyway, I really did enjoy it. I had read the book that it was based on; A Slight Trick of the Mind some years back. I think I will re-read the book. I have no specific plans for today. I will let Mr H drive if we are out today....The NASCAR race people are in town this weekend so traffic in certain areas will be busy. Good for the economy, but terrible for traffic and restaurants. Maybe some of them are cautious about the date today. I think I will be needing to put together another stitch kit for while visiting in hospital as I have been stitching on the one I did have ready. I really should do a laundry.... or should I. Thank you for stopping by, for your kind words and most of all your friendship. Have a great day.

Snowflake Ballerina's and new ornaments

A beautiful day yesterday so Mr H and I went to The Litchfield Fair..and as usual we were not disappointed. There are three ladies that we look for and always manage to find something....

This is feathers and a moccasin created by Anita Baptiste. Each visit I purchase one of her creations. I love her work. then I found Maryann Hamel who does these

Her creations are metalwork. Both of these ladies are from Arizona. I try to support local artists when I can. It was a pleasant afternoon. I also picked up a couple of ornaments as gifts. Then it was back home to sit outside. All around nice day. I have been busy this morning. Still have not gotten something to stitch yet from the closet. I am almost afraid to go in there. Lately I am finding this and that from ago. I guess it is not so bad, at least I get them finally finished. Have you seen the Snowflake Ballerina? I saw it on Krokotak.com and decided to make a few. I forgot how out of practice I am making paper snowflakes.

I realize it is not the best picture, but for now this is where they are.
If I can manage to make better snowflake skirts, I certainly will. I will be looking for a place to hang them so they can dance in the air. I was hoping to have a quiet day but Mr H is thinking we should go to a musical afternoon at one of the parks.....these last couple of days I have been feeling so very tired... thought today would be a nice rest day...thought!I am trying to make the rounds to visit your blogs. Right now I must attend to the laundry #1 and make a cup of coffee. So glad we had a chance to visit....thank you for the kind words and your friendship. Enjoy the day.

Good and bad mail day

Yesterday my mail was delivered and I retrieved it from my garage drop box. The postal person drives up to my garage and deposits the mail into the slot that fall int my mail box inside the garage. On the occasion that I receive a package, they are suppose to ring the bell . As I said there was mail in the box so I took it int. Later, Mr H was outside to toss trash and found a package on the ground.... mind you, we were both home all day and the bell never rang.

This was my package...my win from Nancy at Victorian Motto Sample Shoppe. They are  simply gorgeous...So many time I have put my name in the draw for her give always, and this is the first time I won. She has many of them so stop by and visit with her.We are having a very cool day today, but that is okay. The smell of the fire is still reaching us but not as bad as yesterday. I rested my hand yesterday so I think I will be looking for a project to work on. I do have one started and at the ready for when Mr H has his surgery and I will be spending time with him in hospital. We expect it to be for only 3 days, but as it happened the last time he was in a week. So I will be prepared! Now my friends, I shall go and do a bit of housework and then into the craft closet for a project. Thank you for stopping by and for your kind words. Most of all, thank you for your friendship....have  wonderful day.

Smelling fire....

It would seem the rain and winds of yesterday are gone today. Sunny and quite cool for us. There is a mulch fire burning North of me along the I-17 area and the smell of that fire is reaching us. I am not sure of the distance...but this fire is a difficult one to fight as there are no hydrants in the area so they must truck in the water...living in the rural/desert can be tough. Yesterday Mr H and I sat outside on the lanai playing Farkle...I don't know about sitting out there today. I rested my hand for a few days and finally finished my sock....

I really enjoyed knitting this last sock. Sorry I waited so long. I always loved knitting since I was a young girl. One of the reasons I do not knit much is that living here in Arizona I hardly wear socks or long slacks or even a sweater anymore. I am thinking of giving these as a Christmas gift...thinking, not sure. I really like the lace pattern. I  forgot to take out my life lines before taking the picture

 I would never knit any lace pattern without them. I might, I say I might check through the craft closet to see if there is any other knitting....might. Mr H has some pretty Marigolds in the yard...

I loved the way Katherine Hepburn said the name Marigold in The African Queen....I think of her every time I see one. These are the giant type. Usually we have the regular smaller kind. These are in a large tall pot outside my kitchen window....

so nice to look out and see this every morning. The smaller pot is also marigold in a lemon color. Well, dear friends that about is what has been doing around here. Some ice for my hand today and looking for the next project. I did stitch the logo for my EGA group, the Desert Threaders, that I  joined in May... just need to finish it and find the right holder for it. Glad you visited with me today and thank you for the kind words and your friendship...have a good day.

BOO~~~~~

Another month   gone by...it's Halloween.....Once again I have participated in Jo's Halloween Blog Hop.  

 my picture is a piece I made last year and my letter for this  is ~~~~~H~~~~~ to find the next letter please visit Cheryl at
http://chaosatlanta.blogspot.co.uk/ . Hope you all have treats and no tricks for the day. Thank you Jo for hosting another fun event.

Clouds make way for sun

Earlier this morning I attempted to post here...no luck. So I gave up and then had computer slow issues. Call to the Geek Squad...for the very first time I had an "agent" who did not seem to know what she was doing...I gave up and restarted the computer for the 5th time.... let's see if this is working now...I tried to show you my sock and could not so here is is so far....

I wish I had finished this one when I did the first. My sock knitting is so ... well I have to keep reminding myself of this or that and I just wan t it to turn out correctly. I am sure I am making it more difficult than it should be but it has been a long time since I did socks on 2 circular needles. The thing is, I hardly wear socks anymore with our mild temps. You can be sure I will wear these after all this.
The sun is bright and the breeze is more windy than not. We are suppose to have rain today into tomorrow. I am hoping for some cooler weather so I can sit outside and knit or stitch. I am taking it slowly because between the minimal yard work I did the other day and this knitting stress, my hand has been a little swollen. This is the first year that Mr H id not put pumpkins out front..... neither of us seems in the Halloween spirit. We did put some nice lighting in the back yard and it looks so pretty at night. Yesterday was my EGA meeting and it was the first time in a few months that I was able to go and now it will be January before I can meet up with them again. That is called life happens. I am hoping that Mr H will be feeling okay by the end of January so that I can attend. The plan is for a Stumpwork class and even though I have done some, I look forward to the class. Well, my dear friends, that about covers my busy morning...time for more knitting. Thank you for the kind words and have a great day.

What a sunset

I have mentioned before my fascination with the sky and the clouds and just about everything sky. Saturday evening....

this is what I saw when I looked to the West toward The White Tank Mountain range...believe me when I say it took my breath away. This is totally untouched...an as it was photo! Last night's full moon was beautiful as were Venus and Jupiter....Today it is another lovely Arizona morning with comfortable temps and bright sunshine. I managed to get a little yard work done so Mr H who should not be doing it right now would not be tempted to do it later. Our growing season is year round and some plants do just that...keep growing. The lovely Snail Vine is looking a bit tired. I did get it to look more presentable. When I went to Cavecreek last week for the pumkin festival I bought myself another Southwet ornament to add to my collection

The artist is Bette Fraser Day. She lives here in Arizona, in Tucson. It is a hand-painted and embellished one of a kind glass art, with Silver and Turquoise pieces. Until the tree is up for Christmas, it will hang with my other pieces of Southwest art. I was lucky to win a drawing from Barbara and it arrived...

it is so nice. I love these scissors. Never have too many scissors. If you do not know her blog To Stitch or Not To Stitch do pop over and meet her. My sock is progressing, started the heel flap and then on to the the heel turning. Since I did start these ages ago and did not expect to put it aside...there are no notes. You know what I mean...on any project we tend to write ourselves reminders or measurements....well, I did not so I am using the finished sock and I hope it  turns out okay. So far so good. With that, I will say thank you for the kind words you send me and most of all for your friendship.....I have learned a good friend does not have to be someone in our daily physical lives. It is that special person who can be miles away. Have a wonderful day.

Enchanted Pumpkin Garden

What a wonderful afternoon Mr H and I had at the Cavecreek Pumpkin festival on Thursday....Very creative display....

These pumpkins were carved and displayed behind glass in cacti throughout the garden. Wonderful detail. It was incredible to see these faces.

there also were many posing pumpkins that were so nicely done. Everywhere in the garden the pumpkins were! I love the one relaxing in the sign.
This was a really nice way to spend the afternoon then we enjoyed lunch at one of the more quiet places out on the patio. The temperature was perfect for walking around the town area later and I was able to purchase a couple of gifts.

I have a few more pictures to share but that will be for the next post....do not want to over load you with pictures!
Last evening I went out with the gals from Jo Ann's for the monthly gathering. I will post a picture next time. Right now I need to get some housework done. This morning was spent in a long line at the post office, then at CVS pharmacy which I still have to go back to get the meds....so, it really is time to get the house in order. So happy that you stopped by to chat...thank you for the kind words and for you friendship. Have a wonderful day.