My Only Sunshine

Are you Santa?

No, you probably aren't, but just in case this is what the Girlies have asked for:

Both of them have asked for this, EyeClops.  You attach it to your TV and then use it as an electronic magnifying glass.  Can't you just imagine the kids carrying everything they own into the living room in order to get it close enough to the TV to view through this device?  My kids would go bug hunting in a flash.

Next we have a magnetic mosaic kit.  I'm betting this one was chosen by Bug but I would bet they would both love this.  They are both so artistic and creative.  Oh, and Bit LOVES patterns.

The desire to know it all?  That is Bug in a nutshell.  She loves facts so what could be better than a book full of them?  Do penguins have knees?

Games are always a hit at my house.  We find we prefer the brainy kid kind of games.  Two player games like Gambit are good for when the kids need to play without "the parents".

Ringgz is another good strategy game.  We've been meaning to buy this one for a while, maybe this Christmas is the right time.

These are the kinds of coloring books my little Girlies love.  I would guess that's why Bit has asked for every one of the books in this line.

The Girlies have also asked for a marble run, which is good because I was already planning on getting them one. I'm just not sure which one yet. Does anyone have any suggestions?

The Nutcracker

Last year I didn't get to post much about the Nutcracker until January.  Having two ballerinas in my family means that Nutcracker time is a big part of the year.  Last year I had one mouse and one russian doll.  This year things are moving up.  Both Bug and Bit are mice in all three performances (Bug even gets to have a death scene) and have also been asked to be faeries.  That's a pretty big deal since it means they will both get to be in Act 1 and 2 for all three performances.  Once they get to wear their costumes I'll show you some pictures.  For now, I have a picture of the head pieces the petite faeries will wear.  I'm gluing the bits that have fallen off, back on.

Pretty Pictures of Ruidoso

This is a house down the road from where we stay.  Isn't it pretty?

 

 

Did you figure it out?

Did you see the picture of the lit pyramids?  That was the ceiling of a fancy McDonald's in Lubbock, TX.  We had to kill some time while we were waiting for Bob's flight to land in Lubbock so we went to a McDonald's with pleather sofas and fabulous pictures of Texas Tech sporting events.  It was pretty cool.

The reason we were in Lubbock, you ask?  We were on our way to Ruidoso, NM for Thanksgiving.  Bob flew from Tulsa to Lubbock and we picked her up there.
We stayed in my grandparents' cabin where the girls had a wonderful time making, "Dead Nature Salad."  I do not have the exact recipe for this delicacy but I can tell you it involves twigs, leaves, pinecones, and small rocks arranged in interesting patterns on the front porch.

While we were in the mountains we took a day trip to White Sands National Monument.  It's an amazing place to see huge amounts of sand, that largest field of gypsum sand in the world actually.  This dune field is very dynamic, moving 30 feet a year, and has it's own drain basin called the Tularosa Basin.  For geology types like we are it can make for some interesting sand collecting.  It's also great fun for kids to play in and sled down.

The girlies had a great time playing at White Sands but they had just as much fun playing in the snow right outside the cabin.  They wished for a white Thanksgiving and that is exactly what they got.

To get to Ruidoso from my house takes a 12ish hour drive.  You know what drive time means don't you?  Yepper, knitting time.  As I mentioned in the last post, I was able to finish the Hemlock Ring Blanket.  What I read wasn't wrong, the bind off took FOREVER.  It's lovely though.

If I had the yarn I'd cast on for another today.  I did two extra repeats because I knit tighter than I should and worried it wouldn't be large enough.  I think it could have used a few more repeats but I'm very happy with it.

I have a little of the very nice Ecowool left and I am wondering if I can make a small neck warmer out of it. I think I saw a picture of a nice manly buttoned neck scarf recently that was ribbed and had a small touch of cabling but I can't seem to find it. Anyone remember seeing it?

All the way back

It has been WAY too long since I have updated.  Bob has mentioned it many times but I just haven't been in the mood or had anything I felt was ready to post.  Now I do and I don't know how I will get it all into a post.  It's the end of November and I haven't posted the Girlies and their Halloween costumes yet, so here we go.

Bitty decided to be a "Cute Witch" for Halloween and I think she pulled it off brilliantly.  Bug was a pirate, somewhere between Captain Jack and Elizabeth.  As you can see, she had a hard time keeping her swashbuckling crocs pulled up.

You'll be surprised to see that after Halloween I did something crafty.  I know this blog doesn't always show it, but I've always got some project or other going.  Everyone knows by now how much Bit loves rabbits.  The funny thing is that when I started Hilary Lang of Wee Wonderfuls' Big Footed Bunny pattern Bitty wasn't the one who said she wanted it.  Bug claimed this rabbit and named her after herself.

She's made from wool felt and is 100% hand stitched.  I could have used my wonderful Brother sewing machine but for some reason I just didn't want to.

I think she turned out pretty cute and Bug loves her.  The pattern Hilary wrote is brilliant and I can't wait to make another one.

Not only did I made a stuffed bunny, but I have also been knitting!!!  Over the Thanksgiving break I was able to finish a project, which is rare for me.  Like so many others, I fell in love with the Hemlock Ring Blanket the moment I first saw it.  I loved Jared's update to the old classic so much that I bought the exact yarn he used and started right in.  I'm not a fast knitter and always have too many things going on but a couple of 12 car rides helped me get it wrapped up and I am very excited about it.

This was it this morning sharing a photo shoot with the rabbit.  A bit lumpy isn't it? 

It has been soaked, spun out, and is now lounging on my bed with half a billion pins.

I'm pretty sure I didn't do the best job of pinning it out but we'll see how it looks after I take the pins out.  While taking pics earlier, Bug's rabbit was willing to hold my next project for me.

After knitting the wonderful Hemlock Ring I though some more bandwagon knitting would be a good idea so here's the Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted gifts.  Stay tuned for the next post to see our Thanksgiving Vacation.

Happy Thanksgiving

White!

Can you guess where I am?