One thing about Thanksgiving...

...that I found very cheering on a dull, tired, gloomy Monday morning: making breakfast, moving a bunch of bananas out of the way, and finding that my banana had a sticker with "Bobby Banana" in a pilgrim hat:
It adds some humor to a Monday morning, something generally lacking. And it even cheered me up a bit now, typing this, even though it's very cold out, it was raining a few minutes ago, it started getting dark about four o'clock because it was cloudy, and I have a headache. I took some tylenol, the headache's going away, and my cousins are coming tomorrow, but I still have a bunch of cleaning to do, most of which has to be done tomorrow, and I still haven't gotten my science test done, nor will I until my head feels better.... oh well, doesn't Bobby Banana look cheerful? Which is more than I would be if I was a banana, and likely to be eaten or rot in 4-5 days if I wasn't...

Miscellaneous

I have a terrible time thinking of titles for my blog posts...but if you don't title them, they don't show up in the RSS feed. Bother!

Anyway, yesterday wasn't too bad, I didn't get any schoolwork done, but we did get a lot of other things done!
We went to the church about 11:15, and got started on arranging things. The men had arranged the tables when they were there Wednesday night, but we found out we needed two more tables, so I carried two more tables out, and rounded up some more chairs. My arms are a little bit sore today! Then we had to get them all in place, which wasn't easy, because we really had the minimum of space for all the tables, two rows of three tables, and then another row of two, and the two food tables. Luckily I'm used to arranging things in my bedroom and figuring out just how much space can be used for something, and that was helpful! Leaving enough room for people to walk and for chairs to be scooted out took a little measuring. We finally got the tables in place and tableclothes on them, then the Beasleys(the pastor's family) got there with the decorations, and the girls and I got them all arranged.

Then we got home, had a late lunch, got grocery lists ready, and left for the grocery stores.
Mom and I went to two grocery stores to get groceries for the dinner this Sunday, and also for Thanksgiving. Then we hurried home, got all the groceries unloaded as quickly as possible, then we were off to pick up Dad from work. I felt like I was going non-stop all day! Then after we picked Dad up from work we did various other errands and stuff. I got to drive a lot, but goodness people were driving badly! I don't know why, but it was crazy! And when we were going to pick Dad up, I saw so many people without their headlights on. And around here it gets dark right about 5, so at 5:15 it's certainly dark enough that you should have your headlights on. Well, we survived even with all the crazy driving!

I got a hashbrown casserole mixed up and in the fridge for tomorrow. I'm also making green bean casserole, and I would have mixed it up too, but Dad said there wasn't room in the fridge. So I'll mix it up tomorrow afternoon while the hashbrowns cook.

If I have time tomorrow, I'll caulk around my sink, because it will have time to cure while we're gone, but I don't know if I'll have time. Hopefully I will, because I don't know when else I will have that much time without it getting wet and I need to get it done before Wednesday, plus I have some touch-up painting to do after I caulk. I've already done my shower and toilet, but the sink's almost always wet! If I can't get this done before our company comes, I just won't. But I'd like to get it looking nicer, and I'm going to be busy Monday and Tuesday cleaning!

They've been busy too...

This is a tower that my dad and brother built, at least, Dad built it, and Colin handed him blocks! :)
It's built with Kapla blocks, that are made to balance well. Their website explains how they're made.

So far the tower is still standing, but if Colin keeps admiring it, (very closely) it'll be going down soon! :)

And this would be why Colin loves Saturdays: Daddy's home!

Busy day today!

Today's going to be pretty busy, but I thought I'd post a quick post before I'm too busy!

Our church Thanksgiving dinner is this Sunday night, so Mom and I are going to meet the pastor's wife over at the church and get the decorations set up. That's this morning, and since we'll have the car, we have a bunch of other errands to do as well! Probably not much schoolwork getting done today...bother. But I'll get to drive!

I got a lot of stuff done yesterday though! It was my night to cook supper, and I got started about lunch time. We had a whole cut-up chicken, and I didn't want to waste it, so first I browned the chicken and made chicken soup. The chicken cooked the rest of the way in the broth, and when it was done, I took it out, shredded it up (ow! hot!) and put half of it back in the soup, and the other half I saved for what I was really fixing for supper, chicken pot pie with biscuits on top! So we had pot pie with really flavourful chicken, and we have soup to eat for lunch today. And it will be nice to have something ready for lunch, because we'll be getting back from the church about lunchtime.
I also made brownies topped with mini chocolate chips, coconut, and caramel sauce...mmmmmmmmm....it was a new brownie recipe, and it was SO GOOD!!!! Yum!

In other news :) I can't figure out how I would set up a photo album for my finished craft projects, so what I think I'll do is set up another blog that shows a picture of each thing, and I'll link it in the sidebar of this blog. I'd like to have something where there was a picture of my latest project, said "Finished Projects" underneath, and would open an album when you clicked on it, but I can't figure that out, so I guess I'll go with what I've got!

Part 2: Stitching, knitting, and hiking

My knitting:
I haven't been doing a whole lot of knitting since the fair, but I was wanting to make this:
With that yarn <--.
But I don't have enough of that yarn, which is a shame because it's a really neat, coppery-colored, chenille yarn, and I think it would look nice in that vest. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to figure out something else to make with it.


I'm planning on making this, with the yarn I got a few months ago. I had started on another pattern using that yarn, but it was a sleeveless top, which I was going to wear as a vest, and it was made of dozens of tiny knitted squares. I got about 14 squares done and realized I couldn't stand to do a hundred-some more! So I'm going to make this other pattern instead.

I also want to do a pattern from the latest Interweave Knits magazine I got the other day. It's called "A Cardigan for Arwen"...I don't quite get the LOTR reference except that the hood is sort of pointy, elf-like? I really like the celtic-knot looking cabled border:
It calls for a hideously expensive merino/cashmere yarn, and 14 balls of it, so I think I'll be finding something just a bit cheaper. I'm not paying over a hundred dollars for a sweater, especially if I still have to knit it!
I got a good deal on 19 balls of yarn on eBay last night, it's Jaeger Siena and usually goes for about 6 dollars a ball, and with shipping I got it for about $2 a ball. I have a Jaeger pattern book already, and now I can make two sweaters from it.

Hmm...what else have I been up to? Let's see... I found a pair of reasonably comfortable dress shoes on sale last weekend. I say reasonably comfortable, because: 1. very few dress shoes are totally comfortable, 2. I have very picky feet, and 3. I don't like to pay a lot. Which all adds up to it being hard for me to find shoes, but I actually found some at Kohls, and I had giftcard from my birthday, so I was able to spend it, plus get two nice fall kitchen towels that they had on sale...yay! ....all for about 26 dollars. Successful shopping.

I also realized the other day that I'm ready for Christmas already. It's not even Thanksgiving (which I'm looking forward to also), and I'm all ready to start decorating for Christmas, and making Christmas food... Maybe I should do some Thanksgiving decorating...

I made a triple batch of pie crust last night, and put together an apple pie today to freeze for Thanksgiving. So now we have a pie ready to pop in the oven, and four pie dough rounds to make pumpkin pies from. Not that we'll have four pumpkin pies, but if I can find a mince pie recipe, I'll probably make one, and that will take two crusts. I don't like mince pie myself, but my grandpa does, and I thought he might like a homemade one, as opposed to a frozen one. And who knows, I might like a homemade one too! Now I just have to find a recipe, because I don't want a real mincemeat pie with meat in it. I think the frozen ones usually have apple, raisin, and maybe something else...I'm not really sure what all they have in them!

I had a chance to play my guitar some last week, and I actually played something that sounded roughly like it was supposed to! Yay for small achievements! ...then I had to sleep with a soft sock over my hand because my fingertips were killing me...you don't notice the pain until you stop playing and the blood starts really flowing through your fingers again...ow. I need to play some more before the calouses wear off again...since the almost blisters turned into light calluses... (calouses, or calluses? Neither looks right, and the spellcheck doesn't like either)

If I ever get my room cleaned up, I'll post pictures of the finished decor. Right now I'm in the middle of switching out winter clothes for summer ones, and I have boxes, clothes, schoolwork, and the ever-present miscellaneous craft stuff spread all over my room...oh well, I'll get to it someday...hopefully before we have company for Thanksgiving. I'm also thinking about starting a few more hobbies, so I have library books on various subjects in big piles on my floor as well!

Well that's all for now, and I'll try to update more often than I have been!
Here's a picture of the falls we hiked to. Lower Cascades at Hanging Rock State Park:Psalm 19:1- The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handywork.

Part 1: Stitching, knitting, and hiking...

...not all at the same time though!
I know I haven't posted for a while, sorry about that. I thought I'd have time last week since Dad had taken the week off and I had it off too, but when Dad's home we've got lots of projects, so I didn't have time after all. It was nice to have a week off though, we all went up to the mountains on Tuesday I think it was, to see the fall color and hike some. The trees were all very pretty...We hiked to a waterfall that was really pretty, the trail wasn't all that difficult until you got near the end, then it was all steps down to the falls. Probably about 50 steps (at least) probably more. Whew! I haven't jogged for a while and I could feel it going back up all those steps! But that was fun, and I got to drive on the way back, and that was even more fun! Seriously, those signs that show the little squiggly road, well when you're in the mountains, they sure aren't kidding! There were two ways to get back home from the state park, and we were going to go back the way we came, until we got behind a school bus.... which was then behind a tractor... I turned around... and then later got behind some people going about 30 in a 45 mph zone. And I don't like driving slow...

On Wednesday, Dad and Colin and I went and played miniature golf in the cold...this isn't exactly the best weather for golf! Dad won of course, but only by two, and Colin had about 30 more than either of us, despite his amazingly lucky hole-in-one! How a five year-old got a hole-in-one, I don't know! And his face was hilarious at the last hole where the ball just goes down a tube into an underground box. He was shocked, worried, frantic, and got down on his hands and knees to look down the hole...and still looked devastated when we tried to explain it to him! Ah...five year-olds...
Then Dad and I played a game of air-hockey (which is the best game ever) and nearly got deafened, because it was an all-metal table, so the puck went 'Pinging' off the sides of the table with deafening pitch. Almost enough to make me not want to play air-hockey... almost.

I've been working on my cross-stitching more since the fair, and I got a chance to get some done while watching ballgames, until my shoulder started hurting anyway. Speaking of ballgames, I guess you could tell that the Cardinals made it to the world series, and beat the Tigers in games: 1,3,4, and 5. And thus won the world series (I'm still not sure whether that should maybe be capitalized?). Anyway, back to the stitching, I've been working on Celtic Banner. The letters are supposed to be done in four different greeny-gray colors, but I decided to do them in an orange variegated instead. There's orange in the piece further down, so I thought it would balance it better anyway, plus not look so blah.

Well, I didn't get to my knitting, or various other things, but this is pretty long and I need to get to bed, so I'll finish this tomorrow.