The Happy Needle Notebook

Angela L Place Born: 03-10-1970 Died: 01-27-2011

2011-01-28T21:39:00.002-05:00

Angela has unexpectedly passed away some time in the morning while asleap. She leaves a very large void in the many lives she touched.

http://bit.ly/hCKSkl

Funeral will be held on Wednesday Feb 2 at:
Heffner Funerial Home
1551 Kenneth Road
York, PA

Viewing 5PM-7PM with the funeral to follow the viewing

John C. Place

A Christmas Video Song from the boo & friends

2010-12-25T11:54:00.000-05:00

The boo and his classmates in Mrs. Peterson's room as well as his friends in Mrs. Musone's third grade class wish you all a

VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

The boo is in the front row, first seat on your left in the pink shirt

(sorry daddy, see what happens when you are in Virginia!)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Holy crap! I'm renovating!

2010-11-19T14:51:00.000-05:00

I am so tired, I can barely type. On Monday night I started a bathroom renovation. I watch enough HGTV that I figured in 30 minutes, 60 tops, I would have a fabulous new space. Something that buyers could take a cue as to the potential that laid beneath my 1960's Brady-fabulous home.

HA

So I have slaved, literally nearly every waking moment this week, in order to surprise my husband. I haven't blogged, haven't made it in to the office, and honestly, haven't even showered in 2 days (because the plaster was curing, the paint was drying and I need a new shower curtain.

But at last, I am clean, the room is renovated and WOW -- it is amazing!!! I do not

have a before photo, it was hideous and I was embarassed. I do have a few "in progress" photos on my phone, but since getting my phone would involve moving and moving isn't on my agenda ever again, you will have to wait to see those later.

So, before I go all fetal position or my hands cramp up and refuse to work, I give you.....

MY NEW BATHROOM...

It's not 100% finished. Alex is still doing some finishing of hanging towel racks & such, but at least my portion is completed. I am incredibly thrilled.

I stripped 40 year old wallpaper, applied an artistic plaster layer over all the walls, primed, painted, retextured & repainted the ceiling, filled about a million holes, sanded till I couldn't move, painted the mirror, hung a new picture, installed new towel holders, fixed the light fixture, removed and spackled the old towel holder places, took apart my toilet and cleaned every single piece and put it back together, hacksawed bolts, covered said bolts with appropriate bolt covers, installed a door bumper and basically scrubbed everything cleaner than it has ever been in the 14 years we've lived here.

Yes, I am excited. Now, off to go curl up in a ball for a few minutes before the boo gets home and terrorizes the rest of the house.

FS: STAR WARS COLLECTIBLE PROMO-POSTERS

2010-11-16T08:35:00.000-05:00

I got these when I worked at Borders. They are approx. 12" x 12" square on heavy poster board.

I have two complete sets, although the one Jar-Jar may be a little scruffy on the edges.

$40 per set OBO

DESTASH: Coney Island -- part II

2010-11-15T21:13:00.003-05:00

Same rules apply as on the first post. Forgotten already? Refresher!

LOT 6: HALLOWEEN IN NOVEMBER!

In all seriousness, this orange color is stunning. It is a deep rust that is hard to capture; it just glows. As you can see, there is some fringies; I would think that is just on the very outside in that one spot, but I cannot guarantee the quality of this cone. As you can see, the two black companions are in great condition. Price: $20

~~LOT 7: BRIGHTER & BRIGHT~~

The green color chenille is simply stunning. The bright one is, well, bright. True story, one time I wrapped a package up with a bit of the bright one. Customer wrote to me asking how much of the bright chenille I might have in the stash & would I sell it to her. She wanted to make a sweater out of it. I will sell it to you, but only if you PROMISE to NEVER make a sweater out of either of these. Price: $17

~~LOT 8: LIKE A VEGAS SHOWGIRL~~

Three more super sparkly cones of wonder. A beautiful gold, not a scary lame gold, but a rich, warm glowing gold. In the middle, a true electric blue and finally, a sparkly black evening number. Again about a bajillionty yards here. You could weave or knit along with this for a year and not use it all up. Price: $45

LOT 9: HOWS THAT FEEL???

Three cones with amazing texture. I have no idea what the blue one is made of, but I love it lots & if no one buys it I will secretly be very happy. The middle one doesn't have a ton of yardage but it is rich, vibrant & nice and squishy soft. The tan has tons and tons of character with a very nice hand. It's much more fluid than it looks in this photo. I always imagined this as a summer crochet cover-up or a woven sunhat or bag. The possibilities are endless! Price $22

LOT 10: BEATS ME

Two gigantic cones. The white stuff is, well, odd. But in a good way, like Aunt Gerturde after her second cosmo at thanksgiving. It reminds me of cording for jewelry. It looks like it should be elastic & stretchy, but it's not at all. I have crocheted with it before and it looks great worked up. The brown is, well, like Uncle Frank, Aunty G's reliable husband. You can count on him to dd her home and even though he isn't flashy, he has a soft side when you get up close. Price: $13

~~LOT 11: CLOWN CAR~~

Three cones (ignore the others on the edges, I was running out of room) I love, love, love the orange cone. Hmmm, when I say "orange cone" that makes me think of a highway cone. Trust me, this is nothing like that at all. This is a slinky, sexy, shimmery orange that would be amazing as a lace wrap. The other two, well, that's where the clowns are, I suppose. The one of the left is bright and sparkly & loads of fun. Back in my spinning days This was one of my favorites & it was used often as a base for core spinning or as a ply for fun stuff. And then there is the big tall asparagus looking cone. It is a gorgeous color. I bought it online and about peed myself over the color. But it is NOT next to the skin soft. I've only ever used it once, in a skein of yarn that also contained mood rings crocheted in at various intervals. Yeah, it's that kind of cone. Price: $24

~~LOT 12: BEACH BEAUTIES~~

Three more stunners. All have a boucle type texture to them. The blue and cream are very soft. The gold is rich and vibrant. There is a bit of dirt on the very outside few wraps of the golden cone. I could just unwrap those few yards and you would never know, but depending on how you are using it, you might not care & it might wash off, so I leave it to you to decide. Price: $23

Okay, that's it for tonight. Need to go watch some Monday Night Football; apparently the Eagles are already up 14-0 in the first few minutes.

MORE STUFF I THOUGHT OF; If you see it here, it's still available. Cross-outs will happen when stuff is sold. Everything is sold AS IS, but if you are truly, deeply unhappy with something let me know and we will work something out. I really don't want returns, given that I am moving, but I absolutely wouldn't want anyone to be unhappy. However, I can't imagine you not loving these as much as I do. It is killing me to give them up, but really, how much can one girl use?

Now, go shop & when you are done shopping, spread the word so your friends can join in the fun too!

Oh, and most of all, THANK YOU!!!

DESTASH: Coney Island -- part I

2010-11-15T20:33:00.002-05:00

Let the massive destashing begin!!!

I already sold my Lendrum DT. That one never even made it to the blog -- follow me on twitter for the early announcements: twitter.com/happyneedle

Also, twitter sales get a really nice discount since I don't need to do the work of listing it here.

Okay, on to the good stuff....

Today we have more cones than you can shake a stick at. Not that you would shake a stick at the cones, but.... nevermind....

FLAT RATE SHIPPING $5 PER LOT -- and these are heavy cones in most cases, so that is a HUGE savings for you most likely. FREE SHIPPING for orders over $100!!!

Prices are for the entire lot, NOT per cone. Yes, I am selling these crazy cheap but I just won't have room for them in my new home.

For reference I have included a six inch ruler/needle sizer in each photo. I have not taken the time to figure out fiber content, weight, ypp, etc on any of these. If you are seriously considering making a purchase but need that info, comment me & I will do my best to answer your questions.

~~LOT 1: SISTER GOLDEN HAIR~~

~~4 cones of chenille in golden colors. First cone is thicker than the other 3. That one also seems to have a few loose ends. Price: $28~~

~~LOT 2: SING ME THE BLUES~~

~~2 cones of blue chenille. Similar gauge and would look amazing woven together. Price $15~~

~~LOT 3: SILVER BELLES~~

~~4 cones of 4 slightly different types of yummy, dazzling silver sparkle. Literally thousands and thousands and thousands of yards here. Price: $60~~

~~LOT 4: FLOWER FIELD~~

Two of my favorites; I used these a lot when I was spinning designer yarns. Both are identical save for the color. I think they are a cotton-ish blend and they are very soft with great texture. Price: $18

~~LOT 5: BOUCLE SKIES~~

Three very different and yet harmonious cones in this lot. The gray is light & lofty but not a lot of yardage there. The silvery purple has about a billionty yards and has an amazing sheen that shows through in the photo. The pastel blend has great texture and stunning colors. Price: $16

BE SURE TO CHECK BACK OFTEN.

More lots coming

SOON!!!!!

Seven Things That Make Me Happy

2010-11-08T11:30:00.000-05:00

Since I am officially done my month -- okay, six weeks, but whose counting -- of mourning for the passing of my grandmother I have decided I will devote today's blog post to sharing a few things that make me happy.

1) I am an eternal optimist. I always see the glass half full. Sometimes even 3/4 full. My husband's favorite phrase is "Murphy Says" as in Murphy's Law. This obviously puts us constantly at odds. But you know what, I LIKE being an optimist. I like believing the best in people; that my team will come from 21 down to win (WE ARE......); that most people are intrinsically good; that the toast will land jelly side up and that the tickle on my upper lip won't turn into a cold sore. I want to look through my rose colored glasses and see the world as a pretty place. And I don't ever think that will change.

2) I like twitter. Using the fun page, How Long Have You Been Tweeting, I discovered that I've been tweeting since March 6, 2008. That's 977 days. Wow.

3) Baubles make me happy. Shiny, sparkly, blingy things make me smile. So much so that I started making my own jewelry. Like for real this time, not just a one and done thing. I'm starting my own line, to be called, "BIG GIRL BAUBLES".... primarily bracelets, the bane of every big girl's existence. You know, the cute stretchy kind that, if not large enough, will cut off the circulation in your hand or leave really attractive squeeze marks on your arm, or worst of all pop scattering all your pretty bling to the four winds. Links to the new store coming soon! Meanwhile, here is a tiny sneak peak....

4) I like when the clocks change and it gets dark early. Makes me feel all snuggly inside. And candles with autumn scents; pumpkin, spice, cranberry, sage and all those other warm earthy scents. Yum!

5) My job makes me happy. I have the most amazing job in the entire world. If someone told me to write down my dream job description I would say "Social Media & Marketing for a Yarn Company". How many people get to live their dream? Seriously? I am incredibly lucky to have the opportunity I have been given and I hate the fact that sometimes I take it for granted. Bad, bad me.

6) My Zune makes me happy. I like that I don't have an iPod. That I am not one of the pod people. That being said, I do have serious iPad envy. But I am especially happy that The Mighty Mighty Bosstones "The Impression That I Get" is playing right now as I type this. I LOVE that song!

7) And last, but never least, my family makes me happy. My husband is the most amazing provider in the world. My kids make me smile, make me laugh and make me feel loved. Even when I want to strangle them on occasion, they fill me with an indescribable joy and I am incredibly proud to be their momma.

So, what makes YOU happy?

p.s. Counting Crows "Round Here" just started -- my absolute favorite song ever. See, happy.

Careful, wouldn't want to knock yourself out now, would you?

2010-11-03T12:24:00.000-04:00

I found out something incredibly interesting yesterday. It is possible to accidentally make your own chloroform. Guess how I figured that one out??? Word of warning, when cleaning the grime off an old brass table lamp with acetone, should you find yourself in need of a little brush to get into the crevices, be certain that it is NOT the toothbrush you last dipped in bleach to clean the crevices in the bathroom sink. Just sayin.

I got all woozy and loopy and then had a mother of a headache for the rest of the day. Not fun.

Although it is fun to tell people you accidentally choloformed yourself and then watch their reactions.

I also learned a great way to get out really, really stubborn carpet stains. Spot Shot and a scrub brush (and no, again, NOT the bleach brush). While the directions advise you to wait sixty-seconds for tough set in stains, they obviously do not have carpet in a house with four men, five if you include the cat. I also disregard the advice to not saturate the carpet. I soak the hell out of it, wait about 2 minutes and then attack with my hand-dandy scrub brush. Nary a stain in sight, even those that may have been on the carpet a scary long time.

All this cleaning and prepping to sell the house has left very little time for crafting. I will give you a quick glimpse though of some of what has been happening...

My laundry room got a much needed cleaning & makeover. See, we don't have a basement or a garage (just outbuildings) but we do have a HUGE laundry room. Like 8 x 12 huge. So I took one entire wall and Man-Caved it. It turned out awesome!

I also cleaned out the boys game closet, which was affectionately referred to as The Cupboard Under The Stairs. The allocation of games will begin shortly. I cannot fathom we had so much ~~junk~~ wholesome family fun stuffed down there.

Speaking of "junk", Chumley (nee Luna) got his junk chopped off this week. He is still a bit ginger, but he is recovering.

I did manage to get a bit into the harvest spirit. One very inexpensive autumn wreath was made using nothing but a wicker woven wreath from the dollar store, 3 strands of dollar store wreath garland and 2 bunches of dollar store flowers. No glue, no wire, no nothing else. All that for just $6 and about 4 minutes of work. Amazing.

Oh, and Chum helped.

And on a final purging note I am offering 20 xbox games for $100 or best offer. You can see them all here (there are a few not in cases) as well as a memory card. If you are interested, please let me know.

Happy Wednesday!

GIVEAWAY: "All I Can Handle" by Kim Stagliano

2010-11-01T11:24:00.000-04:00

I don't read "autism books". Having spent every day of the past five years dealing with autism, thinking about autism, living with autism, the last thing I want to do in my free time is read about autism. However, as with everything in life, there are a few exceptions. I do take the time to read medically based books if they come with strong recommendations from my fellow moms dealing with the A word. The other exception is books with a sense of humor. First and foremost among those was Jenny McCarthy's Louder than Words. It blew me away and when I passed it on to my in-laws in completely changed our relationship. They suddenly understood better what I was dealing with on a day to day basis. The challenges and fears that accompany parenting a child you can never begin to understand.

But then there are those people who I can't even begin to fathom what they have to deal with on a day to day basis. Those that whenever I feel sorry for myself I say, "Hey, at least it's as bad as ___________" Today, I want to introduce you to one of those amazing warrior moms who I fill in the blank with. Kim Stagliano has not one, not two, but THREE kids with autism. And three girls to boot. Normally when someone tells me they have three daughters, me, mother of 3 sons, jokingly says, "I'm so sorry." But can you imagine? Three sets of raging girl hormones. And autism to boot. Good Lord!

Kim has shared her journey in a fantastic new book, All I Can Handle: I'm No Mother Teresa (A Life Raising Three Daughters With Autism). I've often flirted with idea of doing a talk or presentation on "The Lighter Side of Autism" or something along those lines. Kim does something similar in her new book. You will laugh along as she describes her dirty little Howard Stern secret. You will cringe as you travel the painful path with her of missed signs. You will experience the frustration of "normal" test results, well-meaning but clueless friends & families, undertrained teachers and a myriad of other experiences.

If you are an autism parent like me, a parent of 3 kids (also like me), someone who is dealing with job insecurities and relocations (yup, we are three for three) or just someone who enjoys a slice of life look at a life less typical, you are sure to enjoy All I Can Handle.

I just realized I keep calling Ms. Stagliano by her first name, Kim, but that's because after reading her book, her blog, her website and being facebook friends for the last few months I feel as if I know her. Not only do I know her, but I like her too. And apparently she likes me a bit as well. Why? Because she gave me a copy of her book to give away to one of you!

Just leave a comment to this post, be sure to give me a way to get in touch with you, and on November 13th (Sparky's 40th birthday!) I will announce a winner. No special requirements, but I would love it if you would hit up one of Kim's sites and give her some love. Because she is no Mother Teresa, but she is a fellow autism mom and we could all use a little more love in our lives.

The past month...

2010-10-27T10:10:00.000-04:00

It has been a month of grieving. I didn't even realize I was grieving, but apparently I was. I stopped cooking, stopped blogging, stopped working, stopped knitting, stopped spinning (because my drive band snapped, but still....), pretty much stopped everything.

I haven't seen my friends, I haven't gone to the library or grocery store, haven't hit my favorite happy hour spot, haven't put any new music on my mp3 player or visited my local coffee shop. Haven't. Done. Anything.

All I could do was put one foot in front of the other & get through the day. But today that is officially over. I have to get my life back to where it was. To the happy place that I have made my world.

And that all starts by getting back into my routine. And a huge part of that routine is blogging. So I am back -- not better then ever, but back at least.

Our regularly scheduled program will resume tomorrow. Thank you for your patience.

moving forward...

2010-09-27T09:47:00.000-04:00

So I am mostly back on my feet after the mind shattering pain that was my grandmother's death & funeral. She died a week ago today. We buried her on Friday. I now understand the saying "wracked with grief". I didn't know it was possible to cry so hard or have my body shake so badly. I've never experienced a headache like the one the day after her funeral. My clinical husband diagnosed me with severe dehydration from crying so much. Things I didn't know were possible.

I am so glad it is over. Not grams' life, but her death & funeral. I can go back to just being her granddaughter. I don't need to be strong or in charge any longer. I don't have to make decisions any more. And most of all, I don't have to worry. That is the most liberating feeling of all.

Her death was much like the last 16 years of her life -- on her own terms. While she had cancer for the past 9 months -- check that, we have KNOWN about it for the last 9 months, but she probably had cancer for years -- she only suffered for the final weekend. And she really only suffered for a few hours before we started plying her with morphine.

At any rate, she is gone. I will never be the same. But I have to move forward. I am actually looking forward to moving forward.

So when I have times like this and all else fails, I go back to my zen. The thing that brings me the most comfort. I break out my spinning wheel. The flow of the fiber through my fingers is a hypnotic, tranquil experience. It helps me to find my center. It brings me peace.

Linkie Love

2010-09-15T09:11:00.000-04:00

I'm not feeling particularly great today. I am filled with the owies.

I am learning all about nerve blocks. Apparently one is in my near future. I just hope it helps.

Since I don't have a ton to say, I'll hit you with some links of some of the people I love...

UnixSage - my husband

For the Love of Cooking - my oldest son's girlfriend

Painted Spring - my boss

Adventures of the Rock Star Dyer - my co-worker

New Horizons - my favorite college freshman

The Fix My Friend Project - me & my bestie

and last but not least, my work blog - Paca-Blog

Go give them some love.

Today's Boo photos...

medium son giving the boo his morning goodbye hug

boo in full sprint, delighting in the day

Still alive & somewhat kicking

2010-09-13T09:26:00.000-04:00

A week with no posts -- gasp!
What happened to that new leaf thing I promised you?

Well, I have a good excuse, a really good excuse, actually.

I spent most of last week in the hospital.

Apparently my body doesn't like me very much. Or I should say parts of my body, namely my anti-bodies and nerve endings don't like the rest of my body.

So I didn't put the boo on the bus last week. The ever-amazing O & A took over all parenting duties as I got poked & prodded, injected & had blood draws, laid on tables & inside big thumping machines. And spent a lot of time just sleeping in a hospital bed. I watched more TV last week then I have probably watched in the past 3 months. And daytime TV really sucks. Now I know why I don't watch!

So anyway, enough about all that. I am home, I am recovering. I am a big fan of pain patches. I now have 3 new doctors; a new surgeon, a new rheumatologist & a new pain specialist. I will go spend quality time with all of them this week. Oh and I need to go have a sleep study done because they are pretty sure I have sleep apnea too. fun.

I did not manage to get a good boo waiting for the bus photo today. Which was a shame because he is quite cute today in his rolled up clam digger pants. I did snap a pic while he was sitting in the bus. Yes, that is peanut butter smudged on his face. All 7 year old boys are allowed to be covered in peanut butter -- it's a rule.

Here is the boo's van, pulling away. His afternoon van is a more traditional yellow special needs van. This one is his morning van. He gets both vans all to himself. Joys of living in the middle of nowhere -- private chauffeur service to school.

Wanted to share a pic of the beautiful flowers my pseudo-daughter, Randi, brought me while I was in the hospital. There were more flowers, but Lunos & the boo enjoy dissecting flowers. Lot's of "she loves me, she loves me not" going on at my house, apparently. Oh, and the cat is not allowed on the table. Not that it matters at all to him, but for the record, this is a forbidden activity.

Remember those lovely Waverly printed dish towels I shared with you the other day? Turns out they are kinda on the tiny side. Too small to hang traditionally. So I hung three of the 4 on my kitchen cabinets. I'm not sure if I like them or not.

Here is a shot from more of a distance. Ignoring the stuff on the counter, what do you think? Oh, and you will notice the cat in the window. Where he is also not allowed to be. Because it involves climbing on the table to get there. As you can see, Lunos completely respects my authority.

Kakuro, Pear Butter & an attitude

2010-09-02T09:52:00.005-04:00

I have a dirty little secret.
I am obsessed with Kakuro. For those of you who don't know, Kakuro is somewhat similar to Soduku, in that it is a Japanese logic puzzle involving numbers. However it is much more math based, involving what combinations of numbers can be filled into a grid in order to make a complete puzzle. I do Kakuro puzzles every night before I fall asleep. I recently picked up a copy of The Little Book of Bathroom Kakuro: 200 Original Cross-Sums Puzzles for Brain-Sharpening Entertainment. Kakuro puzzles are SO addictive. Last night I was up until nearly 1:00am working on these little gems.

There are several websites devoted to the art of Kakuro, however I am a purist who much prefers to work with a pencil. And an eraser; a BIG eraser. If you like logic problems and enjoy making your brain do mental gymnastics in your down time, I highly recommend Kakuro. Just don't blame me if you don't get enough sleep!

Remember the other day when I shared with you the bountiful harvest of pears that Miss Jural shared with us? Well the pears have been well & truly buttered! And wow, is it amazing!!!

I cannot fathom that I MADE THIS. And it was SO easy!!! Of course, in true Angela fashion I have no measurements, but I think this would actually be hard to screw up.

SLOW COOKER PEAR BUTTER

Ingredients:
Enough Juicy Pears to fill your slow cooker, cut into 1" chunks, with skin on. (If your pears aren't juicy, mix them with sugar in your slow cooker and allow to sit at room temp for 8-12 hours to bring out the juice)

approx. 2 cups sugar

approx. 1 T. ground ginger

approx. 1 T. ground cinnamon

Cooking:
Mix all ingredients together. Cook on Low for 12-18 hours.
Allow to cool (this may not be necessary, but it's how I did it)
Puree in food processor or blender.

Serve & swoon!

And finally, we reach the "attitude" portion of this blog post. And of course, it is in respect to the boo. Boo had a fair morning this morning. Not great, not bad, just average.

And then we went outside to wait for the bus.

And some little boy decided that listening to mom was overrated.

And it would be much more fun to run around in the wet grass like a maniac.

And then roll around in the grass.

And get soaked.

As the van was pulling up.

Ah yes, Mother-Of-The-Year Award, here I come!

Rescue mission peek & a recipe: Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie

2010-09-01T09:59:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I ventured to my local rescue mission. I love this building. It's in a old church. The upstairs is devoted to clothing & soft goods as well as all the crafty supplies; the ground level has furniture, housewares, cleaning supplies & pretty much everything else.

My mission, at the mission, was to get some scrap towels for cleaning walls, baseboards, etc. in preparation for selling my house. Sadly, the towel selection was lacking. I did get a few small hand towels/dish towels. But I scored major when it occurred to me that baby receiving blankets could also be used just as effectively for the job. I brought them home for the approval of Paige, my housekeeper/moving consultant and she immediately declared them perfect for the purpose. Yay!

I took a few quick photos as I was waiting at the checkout counter. The first photo shows the "fine china". Check out that Pfaltzgraff Brown Drip! Hard to believe I used to have the better part of an entire set of that stuff. It is apparently quite collectible. I think I gave most of mine away because I thought it was ugly. I'm pretty sure my former mother-in-law still has an entire collection. In the second photo I just love the dozen bowling balls. How fun! Wouldn't they make an awesome display piece in a courtyard or patio. I have no idea what you could do with a dozen bowling balls, but I would love to incorporate them into my decorating scheme somehow. Loads of kitschy fifties fun. Speaking of that, I think my "thing" is going to be flamingos. My bestie collects ladybugs. I've always wanted to collect something, but have never found the thing that felt right. I've flirted with dolphins, elephants, frogs, pigs, and even dragonflies. None of them has ever felt right. I've stayed away from flamingos because in general I don't like birds. But what's not to like? I will continue to ponder the merits of flamingos as a collectible. I know for sure it would be a fun bathroom theme.

Dinner last night was a smashing success. My parents were visiting from out of town. I only see my parents a few times a year, so I wanted to impress them with my cooking while they were here. Growing up my dad was quite the cook & I've taken after him. He says that I have even surpassed him -- high praise indeed. For dinner I took the leftover zucchini stew and added it to a mixture of fresh tomatoes that were sautéed with fresh garlic in olive oil, balsamic vinegar & a touch of white wine. I mixed the whole thing in with farfalle pasta & shredded fresh parm. It was amazing!

The dessert I made was an homage to my dad. When I was a kid growing up we went to Maine most summers. There my mom & I would pick blueberries every morning and then we would feast on Lobster & blueberry everything for two weeks. It was heaven. My dad used to make a dessert with blueberries and vanilla pudding. I stole bits and pieces from his recipe and created this one. It would be MUCH prettier if I had sprinkled some fresh blueberries on top. Presentation fail. But taste -- omg good!

BLUEBERRY CREAM CHEESE PIE
16 oz. whipped cream cheese, softened
8 oz. cool whip, thawed
1 can blueberry pie filling
1 large package instant french vanilla pudding
1 premade shortbread crust (you may substitute graham cracker crust)
In a large bowl mix softened cream cheese with blueberry pie filling. Add package of dry pudding mix. Mix thoroughly. Gently fold in cool whip. Pour into pie shell and chill 2-4 hours or until set.

And finally, today's photos of the boo.

Boo was NOT interested in waking up this morning!

I drug him out of bed about 10 minutes before his van arrived. Threw him into his clothes. I even put his shoes on while he was still laying in bed.

He of course refused to eat breakfast.

Really, I don't blame him.

Finally, Mr. Claire arrived and he grumpily climbed into the van for another exciting day of Second Grade.

update: I got an email from his teacher saying that despite his unhappy start to his day he was doing okay. Of course, the fire drill 10 minutes after the start of the school day didn't improve his mood, but otherwise he seemed tolerant. Yay!

Slow Cooker Zucchini Stew, Book Review & more...

2010-08-31T09:43:00.000-04:00

Wow, did yesterday's zucchini madness turn out yummy! Recipe as follows:

SLOW COOKER ZUCCHINI STEW

1 large zucchini, cut into 1" cubes (approx 3 cups)
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables (I used peas, carrots, green beans)
3/4 cup yellow onion, diced
1 cup tomato sauce
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can cream of chicken soup (or cream of something else for vegetarian version)
fresh herbs OR 1 T. Italian blend seasoning
salt & pepper to taste
optional: butter, Parmesan cheese

Add all ingredients to slow cooker. Cook over low for 6-8 hours.
Serve with butter & cheese as desired.

I don't even like zucchini and I LOVED this stew! Would have been perfect with some small pasta added too, although I didn't have any on hand. Wait, I did have elbows; oh well. Maybe I will cook up elbows and fry some ground beef and mix it with the stew for leftovers. Yum! This also would have been better with fresh tomatoes, but again, I didn't have any on hand. I think I will pick some up today to mix in with tonight's dinner.

My parents will be here for dinner tonight, so it will be nice to have a "real" homemade meal.

I only see my parents two or 3 times a year, so they deserve to be spoiled when they are here visiting.

I finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo last night. Stayed up past midnight reading. I really enjoyed this book and I now understand what all of the 'buzz' was about. I am looking forward to watching the movie & have moved it to the top of my Netflix queue, although I may watching it streaming. I love the fact that I can watch loads of movies online via Netflix.

I've also devised a plan where I watch the movie then give it to Sparky who can watch it while his is in Virginia & return it via post. Then we can discuss either via Skype or when we are actually in the same room on the weekends.

So, onto the book review. I am a fan of the mystery genre and this book satisfied my desire for a slightly intricate plot with a rich variety of characters. While the subject matter was occasionally uncomfortable (violence perpetuated against women) the staging was never glamorized or sensationalized. While it was certainly the underlying theme of the book, the writing didn't become distracted with the subject. I craved to learn more of Lisbeth, the title character, and was initially annoyed with the complex back story; I wanted to get into the meat of the matter a bit more quickly than the author. But the patience was worth it and ultimately I was satisfied when we got to the interaction between the two main characters.

The family tree at the beginning of the book was helpful, but I would have been much happier if there had been a map included. I was constantly getting confused between the island and the mainland. And I also feel that the author could have spent much less time explaining whose house was next to what and it would have been much easier for me to conceptualize throughout the story.

I have not decided if I will read The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest or not. I will probably wait until I finish A Patriot's History of the United States: From Columbus's Great Discovery to the War on Terror. But most likely I will finish the series. And then be annoyed that it is over, as I usually am when a good series comes to it's conclusion.

Of course, is it better to have a series end on a high note or slowly fizzle out? I have been disappointed with Janet Evonovich, Piers Anthony, Charlaine Harris and many others who have pushed their series well, well past the time when the characters should be put to pasture.

What is your opinion?

Finally, today's waiting for the bus photos. Another beautiful, sunny morning in SouthCentral PA!

Summer Harvest

2010-08-30T15:10:00.003-04:00

I am so lucky to have so many generous people in my life. However, did you ever notice the MOST generous ones seem to be the ones who grow zucchini? What is it about these plants? Has there ever been a summer where people don't have too much zucchini?

I was gifted with a bounty of green and yellow zucchini this weekend from my dear friend Jural. Now I don't want to hurt Jural's feelings, but I'm not that big of a zucchini fan. But she asked if I wanted Cantelopes -- Nope. Squash -- Nope. How could I also say no to zucchini? Of course, the easy thing to do would be to make zucchini bread. But I don't have an oven. I know, it's tragic. Especially for someone who loves to cook as much as I do. I will be getting a new oven soon, but until then I live with a microwave, slow cooker and stovetop burners.

So I did some research on slow cooker recipes. And then I did what any self-respecting gourmand does and just said, "I think I'll wing it!"

The crock pot contains one green zucchini (a really big one!), one large bag of frozen veggies, a chopped onion and tomato sauce. I would have added tomatoes too, but I was out. I also added a good bit of herbs & some salt. I think I will make some rice or pasta to go with the veggies. Not sure yet. But it smells good so far!

In addition to the zucchini Miss Jural also gifted us with a huge amount of pears. I think I am going to maybe try to make pear butter tomorrow. Not sure how it will go, but it can't be much different from apple butter, can it? I know you can do that in the slow cooker.

For now I am just enjoying eating the pears right out of the bowl. And looking at them. Aren't they gorgeous with the late summer afternoon sun streaming in on them? It makes me happy!

Speaking of things that make me happy, I hit a score at The Christmas Tree Shops last time I stopped in for a quick visit. The summer (spring?) Waverly dishtowels were on sale $1 for a two pack. So I did some serious stocking up.

I was thinking of sewing them into some sort of small knitting project bag, but I really, really like them. I did get four of each, but I might keep them all for my new kitchen at my new house. I am leaning towards a red toile theme, but I am not sure yet. Guess I have to wait until I actually find a new house before I plan how I am going to decorate the kitchen!

All I know for certain is that it is NOT going to be apples -- 14 years of that theme is enough!

And finally, the boo's picture of the day. This is NOT the same outfit he wore on the first day of school, although it is similar. This one has a Buddhist statue sitting on top of a boom box.

Don't ask me -- medium picked it out for him!

Also I've included a bit of a self portrait. Can you see me in the doorway? Can you see me clutching my coffee as if my very existence depends on it? Yes, that is how I look in the morning!

The practically perfect morning

2010-08-27T09:44:00.000-04:00

I am finally beginning to settle into the routine of the new school year with Sparky living in another state.

This morning the boo woke up at 6am and came over and climbed into bed with me. We snuggled for a few minutes (not nearly long enough!) and then toddled downstairs.

I started the coffee, got the boo his breakfast and logged into skype. Sparky & I chatted for about 30 minutes or so. Then time to get the boo changed & dressed & ready for school.

Outside we go, to wait for the van driver to pull up to the house. The boo gets chauffeured to school by a van. Yes, he rides "the short bus".

Another morning of mom trying to take photos for daddy in Virginia. Today we have a bit of scrap paper with us & the boo is very happy playing with it, waving it about as proudly as if it were a flag.

The bus pulls up and the boo jumps up and down, thrilled to see Mr. Claire arriving. It is so gratifying to see that he is excited to be going to school. He can't use words to tell us, but we can certainly tell by his actions that he is loving school so far this year.

All safely strapped into his seat & off they go. I smile & take a deep breath and enjoy the beautiful morning. The humidity is nice and low, some of the leaves are beginning to get a tinge of red & the sun is sparkling.

I wander back into the house, refill my coffee and begin my day.

Indeed, a practically perfect morning.

What I found in my phone

2010-08-26T17:17:00.004-04:00

So I own a Cliq phone, which I hate, save for the fact that is an android phone, which I love enough to make up for any other shortcomings the phone has. I got the phone in December and I have just now FINALLY figured out how to upload photos using my usb cable. I had tried in the past and failed, but for whatever reason, today it worked. So I went thru and found some photos that I either wanted to share for a while now or some that I thought you just might enjoy seeing.

This photo was taken today. It is me & my kitten, Lunos. Remember when I found this adorable kitten and it's littermates in the middle of the road? And we named her "Luna"? Well, last week Luna's testicles decided to descend, thus making a name change necessary. Sparky calls him "Lunock" when he is evil -- what a good evil sounding name! We also call him "Teeth and Claws" when he is being evil and "Fur and Purr" when he is being sweet. Obviously this morning he was being his sweet snuggly self.

Speaking of Sweet & Snuggly, this is my middle son, Alex, commonly referred to as "medium" or "Calvin" or simply "A". He is shown here with a girl he dated for about 10 minutes. He seldom lets me take his photo, so this will have to do. And yes, she IS wearing shorts, although it is hard to tell from the pic.

And this is my oldest son, O. We really do call him O most of the time, although his given name is Orin. He is also commonly referred to as "large". He does indeed have a red afro & it is indeed epic. It's actually even bigger now than it was in this photo -- believe it or not!

This is me; showing off a necklace & earring set that was given to me. Sadly, the boo broke the necklace shortly thereafter. But it's a pretty good pic of me -- well save for my hand in the photo.

This was a fun night -- my first (and only, so far) fishbowl!!! Sparky & I went to Maewyn's Irish Pub in downtown York, PA. We met fantastic people and had a great time. Any bar that has a frozen rail to keep your beer cold & has all the the brand specific beer glasses is good in Sparky's book. And let me tell you about the fishbowl! What fun! They take the bottoms of all of the bottles and dump them in this HUGE glass dispenser thing. I should have taken a photo of that, since it was much more impressive than the fishbowl. Next time, I promise. Anyway, they dump the bottoms of the bottles as they get emptied (save for the scotch, which would be nasty) and then mix it with fruit juices and such. Who knew want amounts to "bathtub juice" could be so delicious! Oh, and the best part, $5. That's right FIVE DOLLARS. For the ENTIRE fishbowl. Now even I have the potential to be a cheap date!

So, the WikiReader. Have you seen this thing? I am thinking about getting one for my father-in-law, the king of curiousity. If you have a computer, it's silly, but since they don't (nor do they want one, trust me, we have tried), I think he would really enjoy this. From the WikiReader website:

Why Take Wikipedia Offline?

Because how can knowledge equal freedom

if people need a modem to get it?

People don't go to Wikipedia because they want to be on the Internet; they go there because they want to find answers and discover new questions. Of course, the best answers are never ends in themselves. They raise our curiosity and lead us down new avenues. They don't stop conversations but, rather, sustain them.

Similarly, each WikiReader experience is the beginning of something new. With more than three million interconnected articles in a completely offline, handheld package, the WikiReader is discovery, investigation, entertainment, and inspiration all rolled into one.

In keeping with Wikipedia's stated goal of:

“Providing a free encyclopedia to everyone on the planet.”

it has a touch screen that accommodates international keyboards, and uses widely available AAA batteries. And since the WikiReader never requires an Internet connection, it can deliver all of this to anyone, anywhere, at any time.

Turning a WikiReader on is easy. Turning it off is a different story.

SO, what do you think? Do you know someone in your life who would benefit from something like this?

More random; this is my not mounted in-dash GPS. I love my car, I really do. But it is a 2007. Which means it doesn't have any of the built in fancy-schmancy that today's new cars have. But I have solved the problem but jamming my GPS where my fuel gauge is located. And since I am very conscientious about my gas tank levels (don't laugh, I really am!), it's not a problem living there. I am sure I am not doing the cord any favors jamming it in there like that, but for now, it works for me!

And finally, a photo of waiting for the bus, Day #2. As you can see, my ability to get a good photo still is lacking, but at least he is having fun waiting. I am going to try to take one of these photos every day and send them to daddy in the morning. Plus I just like all of his new back to school outfits!

Pheww! That's a lot of sharing for one post! If you made it this far, yay! Go get yourself a cookie -- you deserve it!!!

First Day of School -- 2010

2010-08-25T09:23:00.001-04:00

I actually tried to get a good "first day of school" photo this year.

Taking photos of the boo is tricky at best.

Doing so by yourself when he is much more interested in the outside world makes the task nearly impossible.

Dozens of shots similar to this one, where he is on the verge of a run; undoubtedly running to find another mommy, one who will not pester him with countless requests of, "Boo! Look at mommy Boo-Boo! Smile! Look!!!"

Finally, a halfway passable photo of my pensive little boo, ready to tackle another school year. Go get 'em boo-boo-man! We love you!

Smashed Penny Envy

2010-08-24T20:54:00.000-04:00

Everytime Sparky & I go to a museum or place of amusement we snag ourselves a couple of smashed pennies.
Generally they end up in the coordinating shotglass for the place we visited, but after the blog post I just finished reading I can totally see me making smashed penny jewelry.

Go see the amazing that Jen at EPBOT has created! (as if the CakeWrecks girl crush wasn't enough, she has to be terrifyingly talented & crafty too!)

Here is a sneak peek:

But since I am working on using up everything I have on hand before tackling new ~~messes~~ projects, I am going to content myself with doing some crafting on some hemp jewelry kits I picked up (I think at wal-mart) ages ago. If all goes well, I will have photos to share soon!

See that leaf? It really is turning over!

2010-08-24T16:31:00.000-04:00

I just realized yesterday was my 100th Blog Post! In a way, that's very exciting. But in another way that's very lame when you consider exactly how old this blog is -- so old I don't even know.... let me research...

October 3, 2005.

Wow; I'm almost to my FIVE YEAR BLOG-A-VERSARY!

We will have to do something fun to celebrate. Anyone have any suggestions? A link party? A giveaway? Cake? (there should always be cake, in my opinion.)

Hit up the comments with your suggestions and we will see if we can come up with some sort of shindig.

At any rate, today was the boo's last day at summer camp. Hooray!!! No more spending 2 hours a day in the car driving back & forth and back & forth to Hanover. No more putting 500 miles per week on my baby-car. No more being on the road at 8am. Hooray for school!!!!!!!

Yes, I am a little excited.

I also bought another book today. That's TWO real live foldy page books now this summer. My thought process was this: I've been wanting to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for quite some time. And then I heard a comparison on NPR between Bella from the Twilight series and Lisbeth from the Millennium series. And from that point I've been determined to start on Larsson's trilogy. And the paperback was only $5.97. That's a bit cheaper than on the kindle, so hence, the foldy page book. Plus I think my oldest son may enjoy reading this one when I am finished.

However now I just want to go climb into bed and snuggle in and start reading. It's one of those climb in bed with a good book slightly dreary days. And the boo's new evening nurse has just taken him outside to play. Hmmmmm; okay, the temptation is too great; I'll let you know how far I get into the book on the next post.

Summer Wrap-Up

2010-08-23T20:17:00.000-04:00

Another month without a post. Bad, bad blogger. Although as way of an excuse, it has been even crazier than usual around here:
1) Husband left his job and took a new one working for a cyber security firm outside of Washington, DC.
2) Husband now lives in DC Monday - Friday and is only home on the weekends
3) Beastie (who from here on out will be called "The Boo" to more accurately reflect what we call him here at home) started speech therapy at Johns Hopkins weekly --- this means we leave at 11:30am and get home at 4pm or so
4) I had ANOTHER abdominal surgery; hopefully this one will resolve the problems I have been having since the hysterectomy did not resolve them
5) My surgery recovery has been slower than I expected it to be
6) I am preparing to sell my house, however I have found it is much more fun to search for a new house than to prepare to sell the old one

At any rate, with all of that explained, I now hope to get back to more or less (but hopefully more) regular blogging. The Boo goes back to school on Wednesday, so life should quiet down a bit and blogging should go back to being part of my daily routine.

Since I have been in 'recovery mode' I've been reading a ton of blogs again. So freaking inspiring. You guys have me awestruck.

That being said though, I am going to do my best to impart my little bit of sunshine and wit to the bloggy-world.

I thought we would start by partaking in Admirer Monday, since I admire so many of my fellow bloggers.

Question of the Week: If you could have one talent what would it be?

I've always said if I had one magical power it would be the ability to teleport. I spend (read: waste) so much time in the car traveling from place to place, appointment to appointment. While I don't mind if I can use this as knitting or crocheting time or even time to have nice chats with my husband, I loathe when I am the one driving. I am really looking forward to moving to the city where hopefully I can utilize mass transit or at least have the world a bit more at my fingertips.

But alas, a magical power is not a talent. If I could have one talent I think it would be to be an amazing singer. I can sing -- but I'm not amazing at it; I wouldn't call it a "talent" more like an "I don't suck too bad". If I could make my living at a microphone, belting out the blues, I would consider myself a very, very lucky woman.

the "other" Leigh's wreath

2010-07-11T20:42:00.001-04:00

I visited my other friend Leigh yesterday. Not my best friend, Leigh Ann, but my dear friend and often stand-in mamma, Leigh. Here is the wreath I made for her for the 4th of July, hanging happily on the front door of her beautiful new house!

Lots of Cute

2010-07-09T09:10:00.000-04:00

There has been a lot of cute lately at my house.

My middle child went to prom

and then he graduated

And then we got a kitten

Or actually, she got us. This is Luna. Luna & her half-dozen or so littermates were dropped off at a local farm by someone who clearly shouldn't be allowed to have pets. They were all huddled together in the middle of the road. I herded them off to the side of the road. Except this little girl kept going back in the road and sitting and yelling at me. And look at that face! How could I possibly leave her there??? Obviously I couldn't and she came home to live with us. We have had her for about 2 weeks now and I can't imagine life without her. Our first pet in 14 years of living together. She has managed to get litter-trained and is wearing a collar and I think she is double the size now as she was in this photo. I love her <3