Two Lovely Days....

Well it's been a long time since I have written anything - a VERY long time. I think that the pressure of having to write the "right" thing and busy life has kept me away - but I decided today - to hell with it. I can just write whatever I want here knitting or not knitting related, personal or not so personal. Anyway...

It has been a lovely two days. Christmas was wonderful - one of the best ones I have had in my adult life! I spent the morning opening gifts, having yummy homemade waffles, hanging out in front of the Christmas tree and the fireplace chatting, laughing and napping with the Studly Boyfriend and his sister. The off to mom's for a yummy dinner, some more gifts and time hanging out. Overall the day was just so nice because it was so laid back. People were in a good mood, enjoying one another, having good food and the nice gifts didn't help. :) It was just a great day!

Then today - another lovely day! I slept in, did some day after Christmas shopping (just a little gift wrap for next year), relaxed a bit more and then went for a lovely evening at the Spa. It was so nice! I had a fabulous hour long massage and then soaked for over two hours! I went all by myself and really enjoyed my company! (something that I would not always have been so keen on doing). I was there till almost midnight and then headed home. So relaxed.

Tomorrow is easing back into the grind of things... easing being the key word!

That's my Cousin!!!

Take a look at THIS! It's my cousin! She rocks!

You Go Girl!

Secret Pal Angel

My Secret Pal Angel is the nicest pal ever!

Last night I got home from work SUPER LATE (as is the trend lately) to find a box for me sitting outside....

When I opened it after dinner I found all sorts of goodies inside- patterns, needles, candy, a handknit bag, a cute soap shaped like a moose, hot chocolate, magnets, and LOTS OF YARN! (and other stuff too!!!)

I PROMISE I will share more about it later.... and that I WILL share a picture. But I am getting sleepy.... very sleepy....

Bad Blogger....

Ok, I admit it (maybe again) I am a bad blogger.

I need to post about so many things - my vacation to New Orleans, my latest knitting, my haircut/donation and

The WONDERFUL things my secret pal angel sent me in the mail.

But I keep putting it off because I feel like I need to have pictures. And they are in the camera... on the memory card... that I am always too tired/lazy to get when I am finally home and finally have a moment to myself.

Maybe I should resign myself to becoming a picture-less blogger.....

more to share in a bit....

I HEART The House on Bayou Road!!!

We made it! After a LONG day of traveling we've arrived in New Orleans. We actually got to our B&B around 3 AM last night. There were good and bad parts to the travel - good part: we voluntarily gave up our seats on the plane and got travel vouchers we can put toward another trip; Bad part: the new plane we were on broke - literally - the electric system went haywire and of course they left us all sitting there for awhile and then we all had to get off the plane and go to a different gate where we got a new plane and eventually took off. That ordeal made us get in a couple hours later than we had hoped - but when we got to the airport it turned out all of the itsy bitsy cars like the one I had reserved were out so we got a free upgrade! :)

We used the Studly Boyfriend's laptop GPS system to safely (and enjoyably) guide us to the drugstore and then to our residence for the week. I was a bit unsure when we started to drive through the mid city neighborhood as it is still pretty messed up from Katrina- but we pulled up in front of an oh-so-cute house and got directions to our room.

I think I squealed as I walked in - it was SO CUTE!!! I'm not sure that I've ever stayed on vacation in a room with 15 foot ceilings. The room is lovely with a hallway as you walk in complete with an antique hall tree for hanging your coat (I should have brought a warmer one - it's FREEZING here) and assorted other antique furniture. The four poster bed is comfy with a feather bed and oh-so-soft cotton sheets. The artwork is beautiful, the gold paint on the walls is beautiful and I LOVE the fireplace!!!!

Oh yah - then there's the bathroom! You open the cute little double doors to a pedestal sink and a vanity table complete with bench and place to apply your lotions and potions. There was a rubber ducky sitting on the bathtub cheerfully greeting us, the towels are fluffy and large and even smell good! Plus - how often do you get to take a shower in a room with 15 foot ceilings and where you can look up at the chandelier! I LOVE IT!!!! We aren't even in the fanciest room (I asked to see a couple others this morning just cause I was curious). Some of the others are even bigger with huge sitting rooms or soaking tubs.

But wait! There's more! This isn't just a regular hotel - it's a Bed & BREAKFAST right?! Um OK I was thinking maybe we would get a little continental buffet breakfast thing... but nope! Wrong! Not at The House on Bayou Road! This morning we wandered over to the main house - past the pool and hot tub and pond to a lavish and delicious cooked just for us breakfast! We sipped coffee and OJ while eating grapefruit garnished with a decoratively cut strawberry as we listened to jazz and I could hear sounds of the lovely chef - MAKING OUR OMELETTE'S! She then brought out the main course consisting of ham, English muffin and pepper and cheese omelette's. SO GOOD! We enjoyed every bite and had the pleasure of meeting the Manager who filled us in on the in's and outs of HOBR and offered us general tourist info.

Then we went back and took a nap!

So far I LOVE The House on Bayou Road and WILL stay here again!

Bye y'all! We gotta get ready for some parades!!!

Magic Loop and Duet Sock Yarn!

I am LOVING my latest purchase! My duet sock yarn arrived a bit ago from a swell yarn shop and I wanted to save it to knit on my trip but I figured I HAD to cast on and try to figure out the pattern so I wouldn't run into problems on the plane.....

So anyway.... I picked up a copy of The Magic Loop at my LYS and knit a little to get the hang of the technique (It was a snap! Why didn't I try this earlier!?!) Then after a few tries I figured Knitty's Magic Cast On for toe up socks (I hated it at first but when I realized it really is.that.simple I liked it a lot). The socks are going great (ok yah somewhere I dropped a stitch and kind of made up the fix) and are a blast to knit so far!

I'll update you on my progress as I continue - and if you haven't tried the Magic Loop - JUST DO IT!

Note To Self -

Get a flu shot next year.

At least I seem to get getting back to the land of the living a little bit.....

It's coming soon.....

Yippee! I am so excited! We have all the reservations and I can't wait to go!

What the Book Says....

So I was checking out Tasha's blog and she inspired me to play this little game:

The Instructions:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next four sentences on your blog, along with these instructions.
5. No cheating by going for a "cool" book...it has to be the nearest one.

My Results:
1. It is validating for someone to have thoughts and feelings identical to our own.
2. It feels wonderful.
3. Eventually, though, perceptions will differ.
4. How this is handled is critical for the relationship.

~Stop Walking on Eggshells, Paul Mason and Randi Kreger

I find this somewhat ironic given who I got the idea for this post from... ;)

Finished and Bought!

Finished: Baby Hat from One Skein - hoping the pictures aren't lost as the hat has already been given to my friend's sweet new baby boy! The pattern was pretty easy and fun to do!

Bought: Duet Sock Yarn in Candy Hearts - This yarn was SO cute I couldn't resist ---- I don't really like to make socks but now I MUST. I wanted to try to make two socks at once but I tried it last summer and it just ended in a tangled mess!

I am off to google how to knit these socks - the whole pair at once... and maybe to look for deals on a yarn swift! I REALLY need one!

Found!!!

Photos of the Jumping dress!