Billy Mays

I am genuinly sad about this guy's passing. For the past few weeks my husband and I have had fun watching his show "Pitchmen" and its hard to believe he's gone. It was far more believable that Michael Jackson's life ended... I never could see him growing old. But this guy! He was fun to watch... super high energy and it made you want to buy anything that he was pitching. He will be missed by a lot of people including myself.

California dreaming...

I just got back from spending 16 days in Southern California... amongst the surfers, hang gliders... and two blocks from the Pacific Ocean. It was nice... and primarily I went there to spend some quality time with my mother who was recently widowed. We saw movies, ate at great restaurants, visited friends, and in general had a restful time. One of the movies I watched was UP by Disney/Pixar. It was a great little film... I even watched it in 3D... my favorite characters was Dug the dog and that cute chubby little boy... Anyone who has kids should see this with them... adults will love it too. One of the reasons I love Pixar films is that they aren't just flat cartoons with repeating backgrounds and characters with no personality... but actual characters that have individual personalities... and the animations are so great that you forget your watching what is basically a cartoon... with the added bonus that parents and kids together enjoy them. So I'm really glad to be back home. Hope your summer is as nice as mine has started out to be!

Finished crochet scarf

It took two weeks but its completed. I love how it turned out... the little bells on the ends match the varigated colors in the yarn. This was crocheted with Red Heart yarn, color is Wildflower. It was inexpensive to do and I think it looks great. I am considering selling it in a little shop downtown in the Plaza. A lot of folks from back East vacation here during the summer and maybe the perfect person will look at this and visualize how warm and cozy it will be during a snowstorm!

Retirement party

Here are a few photos from my retirement weekend. My best friend Diane drove down from Denver, my sister Lindsey and her hubby Spencer drove down from Colorado Springs, and my mother, my sister Terri and my brother Chris flew in from California. It was the best time I believe I have EVER had! One of these photos shows both sisters, myself, and Diane in matching blouses but in rainbow colors... one photo is of myself with my mother, and one is of myself with my brother. Whew! It was a blast!

Amazing crocheted tree

I stumbled across this awesome photo of a tree that someone crocheted a rainbow around the branches... I would love to do this (but with a smaller tree)... I love it!

Retirement

Well... this is already my third week in retirement. It still feels strange not to be heading out the door at 7:45 am for a work day. I've been enjoying this time... cleaning my house... walking my dogs every day and not just on the weekends... and taking afternoon naps! What luxury! At my retirement party I was awarded my retirement bearhead plaque thats given to all Game and Fish people when they retire. For me it symbolizes a lot of effort, and just hanging in there thru a lot of tough times. I will be posting photos of my party soon. Please forgive the glare on the plaque... I still haven't completely figured out my camera!

Movie review: Doubt

This movie clipped along for me. It was adapted from a play therefore there is not a lot of action... but the dialogue more than makes up for that. This is a movie for thinking adults. If you are willing to invest a few hours in it, you will reap a huge return. If you are only looking for a light-hearted hour of entertainment, you might want to avoid this one. But, then, you will have missed the Best Picture, the Best Actress, the Best Actor, and the Best Supporting Actresses of 2008. Another thing... you will miss the fun of trying to guess if the priest is guilty or not. This is a 4-star movie.

Crocheting and a movie review

This has been a wonderful first week of retirement. I've finished many household jobs that I have had to put off for ages now. Its so nice to know that I have all the time in the world to keep up my house.


Heres a photo of my scarf project I just started. I have so many UFOs but this one I plan on finishing by end of this month. It will have tiny little bells sewn on to each end. Perhaps a nice Christmas gift for someone? I'll post a photo of it when its finished.



I also just saw "The Soloist". I have mixed feelings about this one. The acting was wonderful... give Jamie Fox a oscar nomination... and the story was interesting... and sad to see the homeless people in the film... I'm pretty sure most of the extras were actually homeless folks. But for some odd reason this movie just didn't grip my soul. Don't know why. The theme of the movie is one I would usually just live with for days. But it is worth seeing and I give it 3.5 stars.

First day as a Retiree!

This is my first day as an official retiree! I am so excited. I spent the morning cleaning my floors, playing with the dogs, doing my grocery shopping... and just took a nap! I still have to pinch myself! I'm expecting my VBF, my mother, my brother and two sisters and a brother-in-law in for my big retirement party tomorrow! I'll post pictures! Till then...

ALMOST THERE

I'm retiring this week. Hopefully I'll be able to devote more time to blogging. I've missed it but have been so busy that it just seems to fall by the wayside. Three more day!

bounding bunny pins

I decided since I was going to be meeting four little great-neices at my fathers memorial in California I would make them all little Easter pins. This is a quick little craft project. You can get the pattern at: allsorts.typepad.com

Thank you to everyone who expressed their sympathies to me regarding my father. It was greatly appreciated.

My father

When I was four my father was killed in Korea. Two years later my mother re-married. He adopted me, and my two sisters and became a father for us. They then had three more children of their own. My step-father never treated any of us differently and loved all six of us equally. He was such a strong father that it feels strange even referring to him as a step-father. He retired in 1974 from the FBI... he was an agent for 26 years. He passed on yesterday. A regret I have is that I was not able to be closer to him in the past 20 years. I live 1,000 miles away. I'll never forget his goodness and his spirit. Bye daddy... I love you.

Movie Review: Wendy and Lucy

This is a very slow and a very simple story but beautiful told and acted. A young woman named Wendy (the amazing Michelle Williams) and her dog Lucy hop in her beat-up Honda and leave Indiana for Alaska, Wendy's hope for a new life. But when her car dies in Oregon and Lucy goes missing, Wendy faces hard choices and a tired and financially stressed America that keeps closing doors. I won't say more, except that director and co-writer Kelly Reichardt (Old Joy) is a true cinema poet who works miracles in miniature. And she finds the perfect collaborator in Williams, an actress of grit and amazing grace. I give the film five stars.

Movie Review: Australia

This movie takes place in Australia, right before World War II. An English aristocrat travels to there where she meets a rowdy hard drinking man and reluctantly agrees to travel with him in order to save the land she inherited. Together, they endure a journey across hundreds of miles of the outback, only to still face the bombing of the city of Darwin by the Japanese forces that attacked Pearl Harbor. There is a lot more to this movie than what I have said. This was a loooooong movie... endless... and just when you thought it was over it started up again. There are several parts of it I did like... especially the little boy... I could not take my eyes off him.. he was magical to watch. Thumbs down on Nicole Kidman... she did nothing for me in this film... I felt she had no chemistry with Hugh Jackman. But the scenery and photography were outstanding and made the movie worth watching. I give it 3 stars... and just wish Hollywood would stop placing actors in roles that they are unsuited for! Oh... by the way... check out the scene toward the beginning when Hugh Jackman pours water down his chest. Hmmmm... yes. Definately one of the worlds sexiest male actors.

Movie Review: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

I've been on quite a movie run... thanks to Netflix!

This was a tense, disturbing and depressing movie. The acting was by far the best I have seen this past year (where was this movie when nominations for the acadamy were given?) I love both of the child actors... in particular the young jewish boy. It broke my heart to see this young and innocent face so terrified every minute. I won't go into any detail about this film as the story is too rich and disturbing to discuss. Its well worth seeing but be prepared to come away thinking about it for days afterwards.

Movie Review: House of D

This film is about an American artist living in Paris who is trying to make sense of his troubled adult life by reflecting upon his childhood. There is a flashback to Greenwich Village in 1973, as thirteen-year-old Tommy (Anton Yelchin) is on the brink of becoming a man. While his grieving single mother (Tea Leoni) mourns the death of his father, Tommy escapes grief by causing trouble at school and making afternoon deliveries with his best friend Pappas (Robin Williams), a mentally challenged janitor. Following the romantic advice offered by Lady (Erykah Badu) - incarcerated in the infamous New York Women's House of Detention for shadowy reasons - Tommy experiences his first taste of love. Yet when an unexpected tragedy radically alters his world, Tommy must take a life-defining choice - one that will compel the adult Tom Warshaw, thirty years later, to confront his unfinished past. I loved most of this movie but felt that the ending fell flat. Its hard to watch Robin Williams and believe he is anyone other than Robin Williams... his real character shines thru every film character he plays. This could have been a better film if someone other than Mr. Williams played the part of Pappas. Anton Yelchin is a remarkable young actor and you felt this kids pain. I give it 3 stars.

Movie Review: Strange Planet

This 1999 film is a comedy and takes place over the course of one year - opening on New Year's Eve of one year and closing exactly one year later. The film focuses on three women living together in a house in Sydney and three male best friends. The men and women at the film's start have not yet met, but it is obvious that all will get together by film's end. The three women are all ending nowhere relationships with married men, older men, or just life's losers. One of the men is just a shy law graduate, one is a sexual conqueror who has just learned one of his conquests is pregnant, and the last is facing a breakup of his marriage. Through various events, each of the two trios end up together at the turn of the year. I think this may be one of Naomi Watts first films... I am a huge fan of hers and it was fun seeing her outshine all of the others in this film. It was also filmed in Sydney Australia. I lived for a short while on the east coast of Australia... a small town outside of Brisbane... so I am always thrilled to see any Australian film. They do make wonderful movies there. I give this 3 stars as some of the characters were silly and the plot was fairly transparent. But I still enjoyed watching this movie.

Movie Review: Pittsburgh

I loved this movie... and it had me wondering what was real and what wasn't. To secure a green card for Jeff Goldblum's Canadian fiance he's agreed to do a 2-week regional theater production of The Music Man in his Pennsylvania hometown. Now he's faced with grueling rehearsals, a furious agent, good friends (Ed Begley Jr. and Illeana Douglas) with their own troubles whom he's convinced to costar, and the very real prospect of a song-and-dance disaster. Moby, Conan O'Brien, Alanis Morissette, Craig Kilborn, Tom Cavanaugh, and Skip E. Lowe appear in this real-life 'mockumentary' about one Hollywood superstar's public fame and private life colliding head-on in Pittsburgh. Art and life continuously roll back and forth in this comedy that documents Goldblum's real experience with musical theater and his ability to poke fun at life in the limelight. I give this 4 stars and recommend it for just a pure fun viewing.

March First!

I can't let the first of the month go by without even a post! Not much going on in my life. Weather here in Santa Fe has been dry, windy, and brown. No moisture relief for over six weeks. Its been one of the dryest winters in my memory. I really don't like it at all. Puts me in a brown bad mood! Heres a cute little video that can help lighten up any bad mood!

And this award goes to...

Juanita's award continues on... I will name only eight bloggers that I love to read. This isn't easy as I have far more bookmarked that I read daily!

This blog invests and believes in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. Check up on these writers!

The rules are: This blog award should be sent to your favorite eight bloggers and they, in turn should forward to eight of their favorites.

You should include the text for Proximidade (above) in your announcement blog.

So here goes...

http://twocrazycrafters.blogspot.com
http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com
http://yarnydays.blogspot.com
http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com
http:www.crazyauntpurl.com
http://redshirtknitting.com
http://scrumptiousliving.wordpress.com
http://krisknits.blogspot.com

Thanks to all of you for keeping me entertained daily!

I got an award!

Juanita of Juanitatortilla.blogspot.com just awarded me a notice on her blog site! If you have never checked her blog out you should... its a fun blog to read and she is always chock full of ideas and observations. One blog she has mentioned is http://jessicarodarte.blogspot.com/... Jessica is having a color swap which looks like loads of fun. So check out Juanitas blog and Jessica's blog... both great places to enjoy. And thanks Juanita!

Movie review: Man on Wire

I just watched this film and really enjoyed it. I liked the fact it dealt with a man who had a dream and pursued it and was successful at it even tho so many people thought he was nuts to try to attempt this 'project'. Its a documentary so if you don't like documentaries you may not like this film. I liked it a lot. Three point 5 stars.

I LOVE COMMENTS!

A use for my new bowl

I'll use my new crocheted lace bowl to hold grapes! Its a perfect fit for a single serving of grapes. Cute isn't it?

LittleBit

Heres a picture of my new little chihuahua... named LittleBit! I had named her Abbie (which I still love) but my husband kept calling her LittleBit. When I asked him why he said because he loves her a little bit! So I caved in and she is now coming to her new name. We are both totally over the moon with her. I adore my other three but this little one really grabs at the heart! She was housebroken in just a couple of weeks. Perfect!

lace bowl for Valentines Day

Heres the cute lace bowl I crocheted for Valentines Day. I don't really know what to put in it yet but will find something by tomorrow!

Happy Valentines Day

I hope everyone out there who has a sweetie enjoys tomorrow... and if you don't have a sweetie be sure to grab yourself some flowers and celebrate yourself! I was single until I was 45 and thats how I always enjoyed this day. Treated myself to a movie and dinner out and flowers! No time in this short life to feel alone!
These cupcakes are for my co-workers. I have 76 days left until retirement (I guess I'm counting!) so holidays with co-workers will be the thing I will miss most of all.

Weekend report and movie review

I had a nice relaxing weekend. Did some baking (made these outragious raspberry chocolate bars... too rich for me so my co-workers are now enjoying them)... made a pot roast for dinner Sunday... and finished knitting two more valentines day dish cloths. I also finished crocheting the cutest lace bowl. Its stiffening up right now but when its ready I'll be sure to post a photo of it.

I also saw this wonderful movie. Its the second time I've rented it from Netflix... I loved it enough to want to see it again. Its about rebirth. Filmed in Wawa, Ontario, Snow Cake is a drama about the friendship between Linda, an autistic woman, played by Sigourney Weaver, and Alex (played by Alan Rickman) who is traumatized after a car accident involving himself and Linda's daughter. I don't want to reveal any more in case you do see this. It may be out in video stores.

We may be headed for a snow store today. I can only hope!

Cuteness

Check out these adorable birds! They are a free download from this website: www.nanibird.com

They are a lot of fun to cut out and glue together. I was thinking of opening them up in photoshop and typing names on the top of their head for placecards for my next family get-together... Enjoy!

My little friend Kylie

I am not sure if any of you have ever seen Kylie's website but it is something worth seeing. You can find it at www.kyliedog.com/ I have been very sad the past two days as Kylie has passed away. She was a remarkable dog. She touched something in me and even tho I have never met her I felt a strong attachment to her. Her mother, Glenda, was a remarkable owner. There was nothing Kylie ever wanted for. She led a magical life and traveled far and wide. Glenda got her from a shelter in Hawaii when Kylie was only 4 months old. Kylie had been a street dog. X-rays showed that she had 2 bb pellets lodged in her. Some people can be so cruel.

So this is my way of saying goodbye to her... my inadequate form of a memorial. Kylie will be missed by myself and hundreds of others every day.

A cute video of my new dog Little Bit...

This dog is so adorable... she dances on her back legs when she's begging for a treat. Heres a short video of her 'frantic' begging... I have no idea why this turned out so blurry!

Another movie review: The Wrestler

Whoa... if your easily disturbed by sex, violence and blood be sure NOT to see this one. Micky Rourke is definately hard to look at... but he does take this movie and run with it. I am NOT a fan of wrestling and there were many times I had to look away from the screen. I am still glad I saw this movie... it was an experience. I am very glad I have never had any desire to be interested in this form of 'sport'. In one scene when he is talking with his daughter I was in tears. Its hard to see a person do so much violence to their body. I give this movie 4.5 stars... and again... only see it if you really want to.

Movie review: Revolutionary Road

This was a very sad movie. The acting was amazing... especially Leonardo DiCaprio. He just shined in this role. I fully believed he was Frank and forgot who he really was. His last line to his wife towards the end of the movie brought tears to my eyes. I recommend this movie... but be prepared to be saddened by it.

Valentines dish cloth

I just finished this cute little valentines dish cloth. I am now knitting two more. These patterns are adorable and are available from www.krisknits.blogspot.com. This one took a while to finish as its pretty large. Most of her patterns work out much smaller and are quicker to knit. She has one dishcloth with lips and another one with a heart necklace... just so cute!

quilted baby bibs

I just finished sewing up several little bibs for a co-worker whose wife is expecting their first baby... a little girl... named Isabella... I love that name! Since money is tight these days I decided to make gifts for them. Along with the three bibs I'll be giving them one of the cute little caps I knitted last fall... a pink cap with white roses on the top. Homemade gifts are always better aren't they?

Video worth watching

Awesome video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM

Joyous Day

Finally. A new era. Its gotta be better than the last 8 years! Go Mr. President! Oh... the one image is of a sculpture someone did inside the eye of a needle of our First Family! Awesome!

Movie Review: Slumdog Millionaire

Well... after everyone I know seeing this movie... and after the awards this movie has already won... I decided to see it. I wasn't disappointed. Before seeing it I couldn't figure out for the life of me how this could be good. Its premise was based on a television show I never liked and never watched. I was surprised and found out it was interesting, sad, riviting, and well worth watching. It also showed just how tough kids can be when left to raise themselves. The two young actors who played the children were adorable and I wanted to take them home, feed them, wash them, and just take care of them. Anyway... it did bring out maternal in me! I give this movie 4.5-stars... I wasn't wild about the ending... otherwise it would have been 5 stars. But do go see this movie. You won't be disappointed.

Movie Review: Sense and Sensibility

I loved this beautifully filmed and very romantic movie. The acting was wonderful and I enjoyed the clothing that people wore in that era. If you love romantic beautiful movies this one is for you. A bonus for me was Alan Rickman played a key role in this movie... as a very gentle and wonderful man. A great valentines day film.

All about me

I realize this post is horribly self-centered. Normally I'm not. Really. But I got this idea from reading another blog and thought it interesting to learn a little bit about another blogger. So here goes.

1. I get confused when I think of God.

2. I believe that when my father dies, he’ll go to a wonderful farm where he can plant and grow beautiful vegetables. There will be a lot of animals on this farm and he will have dogs…many dogs. And a quiet pine-walled room where he can read in front of a fireplace in peace and quiet.

3. I am scared of the police, even though I don’t tend to break the law.

4. I’ve only been officially drunk 4 times.

5. I love gray zebra finches.

6. I had a crush on a girl once. But it was really a romantic and non-lustful love, and she didn’t know me and nothing ever came of it.

7. I’ve always had very vividly characterized imaginary boyfriends.

8. My first “boyfriend” was Davy Jones of the Monkees.

9. My current one is Alan Rickman.

10. I would love to have a weekly cleaning lady… it is the ultimate bourgeois dream…

11. Even tho I have always been part of the workforce, I really wanted nothing more for myself than to raise children and keep house.

12. To my shame I use Splenda and flavored creamer in my coffee.

13. I am deeply ashamed of my rampant materialism.

14. I’m a gossip.

15. I’ve always loved jeans and one of my dreams is to be able to fit into a pair of 501s.

16. I love reading true crime, but have a moral and ethical aversion to my own prurience.

17. I love television.

18. I love yarn with a love that borders on obsession.

19. I love glass with a love that borders on obsession.

20. I am an Anglophile. I get all shy and groupie-ish around people with English, Scottish, and Irish accents.

21. I’m an Alto.

22. I love tiny little things in tiny little boxes.

23. I define myself as politically liberal.

24. I hated high school

25. I am not a prude. In fact, sometimes I think I’m as far from a prude as one can be.

26. I am trying not to cuss, and failing miserably.

27. I am very uncomfortable if I take the Lord’s name in vain. I’m trying not to. Seriously.

28. I HATE when people crack their gum. It drives me insane.

29. I don’t like any kind of fruit pies.

30. I adore Taco Bell.

31. I have White Trash in me from my mother’s side. I embrace it.

32. The best moment of my life was the moment I pushed my son out. Who knows, maybe it was the endorphin rush.

33. I am pro-choice, but sickened by partial-birth abortions.

34. I have frequent dreams about flying, and frequent anxiety dreams, both.

35. I enjoy getting worked up about big issues.

36. I’m scared of toddlers; I think they’re a bit sociopathic.

37. I love prescription tranquilizers.

38. I think the greatest love story ever told is the courtship of Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder.

39. Green is my favorite color.

40. I have no good memories of adolescence.

41. I wish now that I had gone to law school and become a lawyer.

42. I’ve never been in a physical fight, but I firmly believe that no one should tangle with me; they won’t easily win.

43. I use my Kitchen-Aid mixer all the time.

44. I am appalled with teenagers addictions to cell phones.

45. I get road rage; I just don’t act on it.

46. I love being the driver.

47. I’m not that into Thanksgiving.

48. I love Christmas.

49. I value books above all other possessions. I own hundreds of them, and collect more all the time. I wouldn’t feel at home in a house that wasn’t crammed full of books.

50. I’ve never worn makeup.

51. I’ll only ever use Macintosh computers. I’m a Mac snob.

52. I am hearing impaired and have been since age 35.

53. In museums, I prefer to sit in one or two spots near things I like to look at than to walk around.

54. I’m good at math, but was very lazy when I studied it in high school, so it didn’t become apparent till later on in my adult life.

55. Although I complain a lot, most of the time I’m glad to be alive.

56. I’m not afraid of death, but I’m afraid of the physical act of dying.

57. I like to believe I am intelligent but at times question it.

58. I like to think about how the universe is materially finite.

59 I love my four dogs and 2 cats completely.

60 After 18 years I still don’t understand Microsoft Word.

61. I love clothes and shoes and wish I could spend thousands of dollars on them.

62. I love to give gifts to people, especially to make things for them.

63 I love my little brother unconditionally.

64. I only wear sensible shoes.

65. I love snorkling in Hawaii.

66. I most always scrape the frosting off of my peice of cake.

67. I’m nervous about my rapidly approaching retirement.

68. I like to think there is other life beyond our solar system.

69. I am loyal to my friends and family.

70. I am endlessly curious about other cultures and other countries. This means I do a lot of web searching.

71. I tend to be controlling. Just ask my husband.

72. I still vividly recall being a child.

73. I am so glad that I’m a woman but often wonder what it would have been like to have been born male.

74. I love sad movies.

75. I adore my mother.

Pic Du Midi

I love this photograph and have it as one of my desktop pictures. I would love to spend an evening here. Its a goal of mine. This dreamlike view looking south from the historic mountain top Pic du Midi Observatory combines moonlit domes, a winter night sky, and the snowy peaks of the French Pyrenees. Lights from the La Mongie ski resort illuminate the mountain slopes nearby while the glow along the distant horizon is from urban areas in southern France and Spain. The night sky features stars of the constellations Orion and Gemini with a bright planet Mars very near the top edge, left of center. Click on this picture to see it in its full beauty.

New Mexico rain storm

Heres a nice little video of one of New Mexico's very rare rainstorms... taken late last spring. I love it when it rains here as its always unexpected and so needed. I'll be posting some photos of projects almost completed soon. My striped seed stitch blanket, a knitted baby jacket, and a cute valentines dish cloth.

Angel... wee little puppet man

I am a follower of the Angel and the Buffy series. In Season 5 Angel is turned into a puppet by demon forces. Throughout the show he is desperately trying to turn back into a big Angel. This is about the funniest and most clever show I think that the series has done. Heres a photo of the cute little guy...

One more post about Alan Rickman and no more... I promise!

I'd just like to emphasize it one more time--lots and lots of people have a thing for Alan Rickman.

This becomes startlingly apparent anytime one searches for "Alan Rickman" on Facebook--155 groups, people. One hundred and fifty-five. (For reference, there are 208 for Patrick Dempsey [not that I think he's particularly attractive, but he's moderately popular right now] and only 9 for the guy who plays Henry the Accountant on Ugly Betty. Colin Firth beats Alan Rickman with 175, one of which is named "It's Too Bad Colin Firth Has 3 Kids, Cuz I Could Definitely Handle Him Just Being Married." Sadly, that group only has three members.)

But it's not so much about the numbers as the themes of these Alan Rickman groups. Here's a sampling:

Alan Rickman is sexy!

Alan Rickman is really, really sexy and I don't care if he's old!

Alan Rickman Could Make a Dictionary Sound Sexy

Alan Rickman is a Sexy Beast (1,451 members)

I wish Alan Rickman would love me back!

Alan Rickman Can Impregnate By Touch Alone (837 members)

Alan Rickman Gives Me Unrealistic Ideas About Love

alan rickman is the sex

I want to have Alan Rickman's babies

. . . and others that are dirtier than I feel prudent to repeat here.

Obviously I have become quite enchanted by this actor. It has made my boring job and day-to-day life a little less boring. I am have a lot of fun googling this guy... and oogling also! Who knew how sexy a man of 62 years could be?

Just because this makes me melt

Copy this link and watch this video... who knew Alan Rickman was so sexy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7A_bJFZNXE

Another sad movie

Well.. this isn't the way to start a new year... watching so many depressing movies! This one was very sad. Its a story about a youths first love, disillusionment, and loss. Very intense sexual scenes so its not for youngsters. The acting was wonderful. It also presented a different viewpoint on the people who worked in the concentration camps during the war in Germany. Because of its dark nature I give it 3 stars... good but not excellent. I need to go see a light-hearted comedy!

Movie review: Marly and Me

Well... this was a sweet movie... but just so sad at the end. The reality is that we generally outlive our dogs. Dogs have such short live spans. I own 4 dogs and one is now considered a senior... I can't even get medical insurance for her! So the ending of this movie is the natural way of things. It doesn't make it any easier to see. I didn't care for the casting of Jennifer Aniston... she just seemed too glamourous for the role. But the beach scenes made me want to move to Florida! I recommend this to anyone who thinks they can tolerate an audience full of crying people. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Sharing a great photo with you

One of the officers in the field took this wonderful photo of a female cougar with her three cubs. I love this picture and may use it on my Mothers Day card!

Looking towards 2009

Happy New Year! Be safe. Stay home. Snuggle up in front of a fireplace or a television. Pop corn. Sip a glass of wine. Call your parents. Toast that glass of wine at midnight! Talk to you all next year!

Getting ready to say goodbye to Xmas

Here is my very decrepit coca cola crate. I ordered it off EBay last year and have loaded it with a lot of cute little Christmas things. I hotglued the items so I can pack it away and not have to go through putting them in each little compartment next year. I love the way it turned out.

Wow... 2009 is right around the corner. This year has just flown by! Its hard to imagine retirement and not having to be somewhere for 40 hours every week! I've turned in all of my paperwork to our state retirement agency and am now waiting to hear back from them. I'm nervous but also excited. I anticipate long visits with my parents and siblings in California.

Have a Happy New Year!

Benjamin Button review

I went to see this movie today. I found it delightful... sad... funny...and romantic. The biggest problem was it was TOO LONG. Three hours is just too long for me to sit in a theatre any more. It also was a bit too 'talky' for me. I predict the makeup will win an academy award as it was just really awesome. Brad Pitt aged from around 90 to 15 and he looked believable all thru the age changes. I give this movie 3.5 stars. I would have loved to have given it 5 stars but as I said it was just too long. Also... this movie was filmed mostly in New Orleans which was fun to see.

My sampler is finally finished

I haven't posted a blog in a while... no excuses... just haven't been in a real blogging mood lately. BUT... I now have something great to post... I've finally finished the memory sampler I started last August for my girlfriend. I love the colors. I've been having a tough time framing it so am taking it to professionals to have it done. She won't get it until after Christmas but when she does get it she will be thrilled.

I'll try to get more into the mood of posting again. Just so much going on...

A new dog in the house

May I introduce you to Abbie? She's a 1-year old chiwawa (I must learn how to spell this!) I just adopted from the shelter. This is the best picture I have of her... she is really active! So far the other dogs are tolerating her... and once again the cats aren't pleased at all! But in a few days everyone will settle down and she will be a part of our family. We are now a family of four dogs and two cats!!! The more the merrier!

Christmas is here already!

This year has flown by. It seems like just a few weeks ago I posted about packing up Christmas... and here I am unpacking again!
First photo is of my next project... a swiffer duster made out of leftover fleece... such a great idea. It saves money on buying the toss out kind. These just go in the wash

This next photo is of my brother Chris (who refers to himself as Gus in my blog comments... he's a real character)... he's with one of his close friends Tanya who is a mighty talented singer/songwriter (she should try out for American Idol)... you can check out her music on CDBaby... she is part of a couple... Kit Smith and Tanya Livingston... you can find her music by searching their names... you won't be disappointed... beautiful music they write!

This last photo... its Abraham Lincoln's chamberpot! Its in some museum in Illinois where they have a lot of his memoriabilia... I found this fascinating... an article of furniture used everyday... and something we never give a thought to!

Work tomorrow :(

Take care... I'll be busy decorating today!

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm really enjoying my day today. Its gray and rainy outside and I am warm and busy inside... fireplace going... food being prepared. This day will be in my memories for a long time.

My Thanksgiving Day menu:

Spiral honey baked ham
French green beans with lemon
Hawaiian sweet potatoes
brussel sprouts
whipped potatoes
cranberry sauce
rolls

I have so much to be thankful for... my husband, my friends, my family, and my retirement right around the corner.

Just also received great news that my little neice, Leah, who has been married for a while now, has finally announced she's having a baby! I am also overjoyed at this news as I know she has wanted a baby for a very long time now.

Have a wonderful day bloggers!!!

Craft show not a success!

Here are a couple of photos of my table at the craft fair. It was a lot of work... packing up everything... driving out to where the show was... then walking what felt like miles with all of my stuff to where the actual show was. Once I got everything set up I ended up sitting and reading an entire book for two days. I only made $12. No one was buying. All of the sellers were as disappointed as I was. I have one more craft sale for next Saturday. This time its at a busier place and I have hopes to sell more items. What a disappointment and a waste of two days! Oh well... if I am left with all of this stuff at least I know where my Christmas shopping will take place... at my own table!

Slow blogger lately

I've been busy... too busy to do much blogging. I did finish the cross stitch sampler and its being framed so no photos of it for a couple more weeks. I am now getting ready to sell some of my projects at two different arts and crafts fairs. Which means getting things finished and ready to sell. Don't give up on me bloggers... I promise to have more to post soon. I also have a trip to California planned for the first 12 days of December so will have fun things to talk about when I get back. In the meantime here is a really fun blog to visit... the blogger is Quinn Cummings... a former child actress (remember that smart aleck pigtailed little girl in The Goodbye Girl?) and she has developed into a very humorous writer... her blogs crack me up! Check it out:
http://qcreport.blogspot.com/
Till later...

Dogsitting

My husband and I are dogsitting for two weeks! My other three dogs are excited and having a blast chasing and playing with their new friend. My two cats aren't happy at all! They are pretty much holded up in the bedroom to avoid "Buddy". Heres a cute photo of him... he's a Boston bull terrior and is about the friendliest and sweetest dog I have been around (besides my own)...

I'll have a couple of new project photos to post soon. The cross stitch sampler I have been working on for three months now is just about finished. It'll be a gift for my friend Diane. I'll post a photo of that this week... have a good rest of the week bloggers!

No picture on this one.. but I LOVE BLOGGING

Don't you all just love this? A real community of like-minded folks. I am so happy to have a change in our government. My brother Chris said "Imagine this... a young black family is moving into the White House which was built by slaves"... its just so awesome and such a postive turn for all of us... anything is possible now... maybe even a woman Commander-in-Chief someday!!! I didn't care for Sarah Palin at all... and hope she stays out of the picture in 2012... but HOORAY!!! Even my old republican loving mother voted Obama! Ya Mom!!!

Hours later and I'm still stunned

Awesome

Movie review: The Changeling

I did not love this movie, but I did like it. The acting is very good. It’s too bad Angelina Jolie has the whole famous-thing going on because she is a good actress. She has a particularly challenging scene in which she meets with a psychiatrist. How do you act sane in front of someone who thinks you are insane in order to prove to them you are sane? There also is another gripping scene that really had my imagination going. Its the scene in which some LAPD cops go investigate a desolate, abandoned farm/ranch. I loved how realistic these 1920s scenes were. Old Los Angeles. I also enjoyed seeing how corrupt the police department was (probably still is) in the 20s and how they ended up being dealt with. I give this movie 3 stars and suggest renting it.

Happy Halloween and thank you

Thank you everyone who has sent their concerns for me over my little kitty Gracie. Every one of your comments was wonderful to read. Isn't blogland just a wonderful tool to reach out and communicate with others? Even though I will probably feel badly about losing her at such a young age (3 years old) I know at least she isn't going to suffer another seizure. And your responses helped me more than I can say. So thank you all.

And... to lighten up this blog... heres a photo of my scary front yard... this draws kids to our house every halloween... and we end up with over 150 kids here... I've actually counted! Its a very busy 3 hours... but a lot fun... I have never forgotten how much I loved halloween as a kid. Have a good night everyone and happy haunting!

Gracie

My little cat, Gracie, passed away last night. She was such a sweet and gentle soul... she was cursed with epileptic seziures since she was 6 months old. At first they were occasional episodes... but a she grew older they became more frequent. I had done a search on the web about seizures in cats and learned that they weren't painful to the cat... and that nothing much could be done to prevent them except give them drugs which would dope them up and they would end up sleeping a lot. So we opted to just be there for her when they happened. Last night she had a violent one... the worst one... and it killed her. Perhaps she is better off? Who can say. I know I'll miss her every day. We always called her our little handicapped kitty.

A unexpected gift from Twyla

My blogging friends Twyla and Lindsey from Twocrazycrafters.blogspot.com sent me this "Weight Loss Wand"... they know how much of a struggle it is to lose weight and this was so supportive of them. I was very touched. Twyla lost a large amount of weight several years ago and has kept it off which is really inspiration to me. If you read this thanks again Twyla!

Five personality-rich Ruby dolls!

I've also just finished stitching and adding adornments to these little dolls. If you want to download the pattern and make yourself one you can find the tutorial at www.oneredrobin.com... these were fairly easy to sew up and a lot of fun to adorn. I am also thinking that maybe selling each for around $15 would be a good price. I'm gonna be busy this next month! Also... for a closer view of these little dolls just click on the picture.

Knot bags... a bakers dozen!

I've signed up for two holiday craft bazaars next month and I am working my tail off completing several jobs... I've stitched up 13 knot bags which I hope to sell for $20. If that seems too high please let me know! I am thinking that $15 would be a better price and would move these along. Sigh... I am very bad at pricing things! If you could please comment and let me know what you think about pricing these bags! For a closer view of these bags and their varied patterns and fabrics just click on the photo. Thanks.

Zombie jar swap swapped!

Heres a couple of photos of the jars that Ginger of http://www.lovestodream.blogspot.com/ and I swapped... The jar that Ginger sent me is the spooky bride with the cute felt dangles. The jar I sent Ginger is the skeleton jar. This was a fun swap and even though my jar arrived in shambles (which she was able to put together again) it was worth it. Now I have an adorable zombie jar for the holidays!

Movie review: In Her Shoes

This was such a GOOD movie! I loved it! I can't believe I missed it when it was out three years ago! I love Toni Collette...and just about everything she is in. This movie was heart warming, funny, sad, and just entertaining every minute. Its about two sisters... their total opposites... but love each other even though they don't agree on anything. If you have a sister you love then you will identify with this movie. Its 4 stars.

Movie review: Wonder Boys

I think that the title of this wonderful movie is a big reason why it wasn't successful... or that many people don't know about it. I was amazed at the depth of the characters... especially Michael Douglas's character... an tired older writer/literature professor. Its a sad and funny movie... very touching. Katie Holmes is in this... she was much younger back in 2000. If you see this at your video store try to rent it... or its available thru Netflix.

Movie Review: The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn

Noah Dearborn (Poitier) lives a simple life. He uses no electricity, even his car's an antique. He's never been married. He only had a dog once. What means the most to Noah is his work and his land--and an out of town developer wants to buy the land to build a shopping center. He refuses to sell his loved land.

Then the developer gets it in his head that anyone who won't sell their land to him is 'crazy'. That's when he calls in his girlfriend, a psychologist to agree that his is crazy to get Noah committed and have the County seize his land.

His girlfriend quickly realizes that there's really nothing wrong with Noah. I won't go any further with this... but its a really great family movie. Watch this with your kids.

Video of my little poodles

Heres a cute video of my dogs... the little black one with the gray chin is Lucy, the thinner larger one is her son, Macintosh, and the apricot one is Annie. I was driving them crazy holding out a treat!

Paul Newman... you were so loved!

Here is a really wonderful story about Paul Newman:

A Michigan woman and her family were vacationing in a small New England town where Paul Newman and his family often visited.

One Sunday morning, the woman got up early to take a long walk.After a brisk five-mile hike, she decided to treat herself to a double-dip chocolate ice cream cone.

She hopped in the car, drove to the center of the village and went straight to the combination bakery/ice cream parlor.

There was only one other patron in the store: Paul Newman, sitting at the counter having a doughnut and coffee.

The woman's heart skipped a beat as her eyes made contact with those famous baby-blue eyes.

The actor nodded graciously and the star-struck woman smiled demurely.

Pull yourself together! She chided herself. You're a happily married woman with three children, you're forty-five years old, not a teenager!

The clerk filled her order and she took the ice cream cone in one hand and her change in the other. Then she went out the door, avoiding even a glance in Paul Newman's direction.

When she reached her car, she realized that she had a handful of change but her other hand was empty.

Where's my ice cream cone? Did I leave it in the store? Back into the shop she went, expecting to see the cone still in the clerk's hand or in a holder on the counter! No ice cream cone was in sight..

With that, she happened to look over at Paul Newman.
His face broke into his familiar, warm, friendly grin and he said to the woman,

'You put it in your purse.'

A mess of knot bags

Today is Sunday and my day has consisted primarily of sewing... a dozen knot bags! I am hoping to sell them at a Christmas Bazaar next month. I also plan on making a bunch of adorable rag dolls... and other various items. This is fun but is still a lot of effort! I'll post a photo of the finished bags next week. I also joined a zombie jar swap a couple of weeks ago and managed to finish my jar today. I think its cute and hope my swap partner likes it! I'll post a photo of it once my swap partner receives it.

Halloween is here! BOO!

Happy Halloween everyone! I haven't blogged this week... nothing much going on here. Just working and trying to survive our governments mishandling of our economic woes. As I am heading towards retirement this has made me a little more than nervous. I can only hope it won't impact my plans to have a life for myself!

I love this time of year... here in New Mexico we have all four seasons and fall is my favorite... leaves turning and the smell of pinon smoke in the air! We are also starting our 2-week Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque which is 60 miles south of Santa Fe. Occasionally some balloons will drift over our homes and it just sets off the dogs... they go absolutely crazy when they see them! I wonder what goes thru their doggie brains when they see one?

I just finished decorating my little house... I forget from year to year just what it is that I have packed away (I have many senior moments!) so its always like getting little gifts when I unpack and see my goodies.

I also paid a visit to our farmers market and brought home these delicious apples. I feel an apple pie is in my future!

Have a good weekend!

Movie review: Angel Eyes

At this point in my blog I will only be reviewing movies I feel are worth the time and money to watch. Anything I see that I feel is a very bad movie won't get much of a mention. This was a good movie.

Its is a story about a two people who cross paths under life-threatening circumstances as though they are destined not only to meet but to save each other's lives. Not once, but twice.

Officer Sharon Pogue (played by Jennifer Lopez) is an good cop but she has no personal life. She has been estranged from her family for many years.

Somewhere in the same neighborhood a man who goes by the name of Catch (James Cavazal) is living his own half-life. A a lonley and sad man who sleeps in an empty apartment, he spends his days dispensing little gifts of goodwill to anyone in need. If it starts to rain and he notices a car window open, Catch will roll it up; if a stranger passes by, Catch will offer a smile. Twice a week he delivers groceries to a disabled woman named Elanora Davis (Shirley Knight). He and Elanora exchange the same light banter every time he stops by but she has learned not to ask him the kinds of questions he doesn't want to answer.

Like Sharon, Catch has no personal life.

This story is about conflict between isolation and connection.

After years of dealing with their pain in the only way they knew how, Sharon and Catch must make some difficult decisions and risk losing each other if they are going to move forward and reclaim their lives.

Both Lopez and Cavazel do a great job with their characters. This was a heartwarming movie and had me from the first five minutes. Another one I recommend.

Movie Review: Shoot the Moon

I remember seeing this movie about 26 years ago... and really liking it alot. I decided to rent it this week to watch it again and it was every bit as good as I remember. Its about divorce... how it affects children... and the acting is excellent. The older daughter in this film... Dana Hill... passed away in 1996 from complications of diabetes. Very sad as she was an exceptionally gifted actress. If you get a chance try to catch this movie. Five stars.

My little dogs

Twyla of Two Crazy Crafters wants to see my three dogs! She has a little cutie named Spencer.. also a mini poodle. I love the poodle breed... as a friend once told me "I will never own a poodle... I don't want a dog thats smarter than me!" These dogs are so smart that they can talk with their facial expressions. Macintosh is on the left, Lucy is in the middle, and the little apricot one is Annie. Macintosh is the one who was lost last year for two weeks... and someone found him wandering in the desert. You can't imagine the relief and joy I felt when he was back home safe and sound. Lucy is my senior dog. She is also Macintosh's mother. She is 12 and I am enjoying every moment with her. Dogs just don't live long enough. Annie is not a pure poodle... and think she has some terrior in her... (I like to say some terror in her!) I can't imagine my life without these babies!

My mom's rice, artichoke and chicken recipe

This is one of my childhood favorites... here is a version that has slimmed down a bit from the original. 40 years ago there was no LOWFAT anything!
I wish I knew how to take great food photos but I don't... this is as good as I get! But if it doesn't look appetizing to you just trust this recipe... its a good one.

1 pkg chicken flavored rice
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 green pepper,small dice
10 stuffed green olives, sliced
1/4 tsp curry
1/3 cup lowfat mayonnaise
1/4 cup lowfat sour cream
2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cooked and diced

Cook rice according to box instructions but omit butter. Cool.

Mix artichokes, 3 green onions, green pepper, olives. Mix in separate bowl mayonnaise, curry and sour cream. Mix both together along with rice and diced chicken.

Here comes the fun part. Press into jello mold (I like ring molds) or separate fancy molds and refrigerate. When ready to serve just turn upside down... it should slip from the mold. Sprinkle with fourth green onion.

If using a ring mold its fun to put salad greens in center. This is great as a salad or an entre... Enjoy!

Movie Review "My Brilliant Career"

I want to share with my bloggers something about one of my top ten favorite movies. Its called “MY BRILLIANT CAREER”. This is an older film (1979) and also an Australian film. This movie is about Sybylla, a young woman living with her parents on a remote farm in the bush in Australia. She dreams of living a more intellectually and culturally rewarding life, and is writing a memoir. When she goes to stay on her grandmother's estate at Caddagat things improve somewhat, and she is also courted by Frank Hawden, a rather conceited English immigrant, and Harry Beecham, a young landowner. She is attracted to Harry, and is faced with the choice of trying to pursue a "brilliant career" or getting married.
Judy Davis, whose performance makes Sybylla totally convincing and never allows her high spirits to become annoying, is awesome in this movie. I believe I read somewhere that this was her first film.
I’m posting a couple of stills from the movie that I found on the web. If you ever see this in your local video store please do rent it. You won’t be sorry.

An interesting photo

This was supposedly taken in Texas after the big storm... sort of sad isn't it?

Thanks Twyla and Lindsey... your too generous!

I received my winning give-away box today from Twyla and Lindsey of TWO CRAZY CRAFTERS and it just knocked my socks off... so I put my new slippers on :) This was such a generous box that I kept pulling out one item after another... each one cuter then the last... and they even wrapped them in pattern peices... they sent me several vintage items... an adorable apron, some old cards that just took me back 50 years... vintage fabric, a lovely hand embroidered tea towel.. and a package of vintage hem facing with the 59 cent sticker on it! Just amazing... that items used to be so inexpensive! Only 59 cents! And I'm not through yet... there was a spool of white lace, a few yards of wide pink luscious satin ribbon (real satin)... several fat quarters, a knitted dish cloth, crocheted coasters, those pink slippers I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, and a colorful crocheted granny square pot holder! Boy did I luck out! Twyla and Lindsey have become good friends thru our websites and I was so happy to have won this give-away. Thanks again for your thoughtful and wonderful box! Here are some photos of all my goodies!

Better Butter

I found this easy way to make homemade butter. It only took about 20 minutes! I think the key was pouring a quart of heavy cream into the bowl, covering it and letting it sit for about 5 hours... to slightly sour. Then when I started whipping it... the butter came together almost immediately! I was also left with over a cup of buttermilk. After whipping it (when it starts to look like cottage cheese) you drain it in cheesecloth (the liquid that drains out is buttermilk... save this)... and squeeze the buttermilk out of the butter... I then rinsed the butter a few times... and sprinkled it with about 1/2 tsp. of kosher salt... and then started folding it and smearing it against the side of the bowl.. until all of the liquid had drained away... I've now patted it into a block and was told that it is best the next day... when the flavors mature. I still spread a little on some homemade wheat bread... deelisious!!!

Book review

This is a wonderful and entertaining book. Check out this website to get an idea of what it is about:http://www.ararebreedoflove.com/
Puppy mills are a disgrace to this wonderful country.

Santa Fe Fiesta Pet Parade fun

Santa Fe invites the children of Santa Fe to parade through the streets with their pets during Fiesta. The parade can look pretty casual, with some paraders ambling along costume-less, casually holding their pooch’s leash as if a friend has just said, “I know. Let’s have a parade!” This is small town entertainment at its best. Click on the photos for a larger view.

Husband 1.0 not working correctly

Dear Tech Support,

Last year, I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications (which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0).

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5 and then installed undesirable programs such as NBA 5.0, NFL 3.0 and Golf Clubs 4.1. Conversation 8.0 no longer runs and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. I’ve tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail. What can I do?

Signed,


Desperate

———————-

Dear Desperate,

First, keep in mind Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package while Husband 1.0 is an operating system. Please enter command: “ithoughtyoulovedme.exe” and try to download Tears 6.2 (and don’t forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update). If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the application Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5. But remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1 status. Please note that Beer 6.1 is a very bad program that will download the Pot Belly Beta.

Whatever you do, DO NOT install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (It runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.) Also, do not attempt to reinstall Boyfriend 5.0 program. These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend Cooking 3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7

Good Luck,

Tech Support

A post about Nie Nie recovery

Theres a world-wide auction of beautiful items donated to help a fellow blogger who was in a terrible accident with her husband... she was burned over 83 percent of her body and her husband was burned about 36 percent. This is the web address that explains whats happening: www.nierecovery.com

And this is the address where you can bid on wonderful items... with all proceeds going to the Nie Nie recovery fund. I am donating my birdie sling bag and hope it brings in a little help so bid here: http://todayscreativeblog.blogspot.com/

This couple has four children. The siblings were interviewed today on the Today show... we can only pray for their recovery. Here is a photo of the bag I am donating. You can bid on it at the website above.

more fun photos and video to follow...

Here he is burning...

The burning of "Zozobra"

Zozobra is the man of gloom and doom - every year thousands converge on Santa Fe for the burning of Zozobra. He is an eighty foot moving puppet who groans and waves his arms as the audience chants and screams "Burn him! Burn him!" ... eventually the fire sprits at his feet light him; and it's all down hill for Mr. Gloom after that. Fireworks explode and people cheer. It symbolizes the burning of the years gloom. Small children growing up in Santa Fe usually are frightened by 'Old Man Gloom"... but as they grow older they love the celebration... and the community spirit. The town of Santa Fe actually string speakers all around the downtown plaza area and when he is burning you can hear his groans... sends shivers down your spine! Here he is before burning...

Viva la Fiesta

Its been Fiesta weekend here in Santa Fe New Mexico... I've been busy attending parades and visiting with my VBF who is down here from Denver. I have a lot of cool videos and photos to post tomorrow so tune in then!

A post about Gus

To my blogger friends: Gus... the guy who is leaving odd but funny comments on my blog.. is really my little brother Christopher.. he has a great but odd sense of humor.. I understand his comments and hope no one is ever offended by them! He's a great guy and one of my favorite people in the world. Here's my little brother showing his weird sense of humor! He's imitating me.. and what I look like when I wake up. What a joker!

my knot bag and other goodies

My little brother sent me a goodie package and in it... besides a Colin Hay CD (I love Colin Hay) was all sorts of little things... some Martha vellum tags... and these two items... I have no idea where he got them from... they are really old...I can remember these when I was a kid! Also... yesterday I finished a cute little knot bag... made from some Amy Butler fabric I had left over from another project. This is where you can get the free pattern
http://www.curbly.com/DIY-Maven/posts/5008-FREE-Grab-Bag-Pattern-
I love it and plan on making several of these for Christmas gifts.

Movie Review - Still Breathing

This is a little-known film and its a shame. Its probably one of my top 25 favorite movies of my lifetime. I own it. I've watched it several times. I guess I am.. sadly... slightly obsessed with it. I limit myself to watching it only once a year. It was filmed in 1997 so its not a current film. You can find it on Netflix or on Amazon. I can't say strongly enough that if you rent or purchase this movie you will be moved by it and love it also. I watched it last night. Sigh. Romance.

homemade buns and a glass project

This past weekend was a good one. Not only did I finish that impossible purse.. I also made homemade hamburger and hot dog buns... and finished a mosaic project! The buns turned out to be real tasty and were a lot of fun to make. The sunflower mosaic lazy susan was also a nice project. That took me a while to complete. I work with glass and have a bunch of shards separated in clear boxes. So I decided to use some up and decorate this very boring wood lazy susan. It really sparkles and lights up my table!

Amy Butler nightmare bag

This was the toughest sewing job I have ever done. I've made wedding gowns... furniture covers... been sewing for over 40 years... but never have I ever been so confused over a pattern. I don't know if it was poorly written or if it was me... but I truely struggled with this project. Also... the timex lining was so difficult to sew that I ended up having to hand sew the top edge and the handle edges as my sewing machine needle just couldn't punch thru it. And pushing that needle thru the timex was a real challange. I poked my fingers a dozen times yesterday... but I finished it... I plan on keeping my cross-stitch projects in this thing. If anyone wants a free Amy butler pattern let me know. First one to show an interest in it I'll mail it to you. I won't be making another one!

Whose that knocking at my door?

Some interesting photos were sent to my Department a couple of weeks ago. It seems that a bear tried to enter a homeowners house! These three photos tell the story and were taken by the poor frightened woman. She call the Game and Fish Department... we dispatched an officer out to her home... they trapped the bear... and relocated it. We keep trying to pound it into homeowner's heads NOT to leave birdseed or trash outside! Poor hungry bears are trying to pack on pounds for hibernation. Hopefully this guy found something to eat besides what was inside the homeowners cupboards! Just wanted to share these interesting photos.

A lap blanket gift for my VBF

Heres a picture I can finally post of a little lap blanket I crocheted for my girlfriend's birthday gift. This started out as a knitted vest... then was frogged and I attempted to crochet a vest... then was turning out to be a disaster.. so I decided to just turn that great yarn into a blanket... and I think it is very pretty. She opened up her gift this weekend so I can now post a picture of it.

ANOTHER BLOG!

Can you keep up with this? Three blogs today! I just had to post a movie review... I netflixed this great little movie... about a 9-year old boy whose mother went over the border a few years earlier to try to earn a living and send for him. He was left with his grandmother who took good care of him... then she passed away and the rest of the movie shows his adventures crossing the border and trying to make it to LA to find his mother. I loved this movie!!! See it if you can! Its subtitled... but after a few moments you forget your reading it... and just enjoy it.

I forgot the most important photo!

Heres one of my other little gatos... his name is George... his sister's name is Gracie (get it? George Burns and Gracie Allen!)... wow... I'm showing my age! Anyway... I got both George and Gracie from a woman in Texas... they were wild little barn kittens... but now are totally domesticated! I JUST LOVE MY PETS!

requested photos of projects

Here are a few projects that I had mentioned in my last blog. The granny-square blanket is a Cath Kidson pattern... the other striped blanket is going to help clear out some of my yarn stash... and the sampler is for my girlfriend to honor her mom. I work on the sampler during my breaks and lunch at work... and the striped blanket in the evenings. The Cath Kidson blanket is pretty much on hold for a few weeks... until I get over how tedius it had become... and feel enthusiastic about it again. Here you go Two Crazy Crafters! These photos are for you!

Meet Mitzi the bird terrorist

A One of my cats... my beloved little terror Mitzi... pictured above laying on my printer... has turned into a bird killer this year... almost every day she brings me a dead bird... feathers flying everywhere... 9pm last night I looked into the bathroom and there she was chomping away... so I chased her out of the house and proceeded to vacumn up the evidence of the slaughter... I do have a "NO KILL" bib around her neck which is supposed to help keep her from being able to catch birds... but she's learned the past few days to actually be able to get at them. Sigh. I would keep her in the house except my dogs are trained for their dog door... so Mitzi gets in and out on her own. Very frustrating! Come fall the birds will be gone and she'll have to survive on cat food again. I'm making light of all of this but its very disturbing to me as I love birds and feel frustrated that theres not much more I can do to keep them safe. I don't have birdseed or bird baths around the house in order not to draw them... but they are still in our trees. I'm looking forward to fall for many reasons... this being one of them. About the photo... she does have a purple bib on but I drew it in the picture to give you an idea of what it looks like... she doesn't wear it in the winter... when this photo was taken.

This week has flown by... I've spent a large part of this week cleaning our rental. We have a new person moving in... she's from Florida... driving across country to start a new job here in Santa Fe at our Community College... I'll meet her this afternoon. Thats exciting! She sounds like a very nice person. So we have really cleaned and enhanced her living space and I hope she likes it enough to stay a while! Cleaning in between tenants is HARD!

Then... I rented and watched for the first time "The Golden Compass" and even tho I loved the animal graphics and it was richly animated and presented... the story to me was convoluted... I had read that Christians were offended by this movie... for the life of me I don't know why... unless Christians are more in tune with symbolism than I am... I just saw it as a fantasy... nothing more.

I have a few projects I am in the middle of... I'm cross-stitching a sampler for my girlfriend whose mother died a couple of weeks ago... I'm also knitting a striped blanket out of all of my left-over yarns... and am also trying to finish the Cat Kidson blanket I started over two months ago... its a granny square blanket and I fall asleep every time I even think about working on it!!! Tedious... but will be nice when its finished.

I'll post a picture of the sampler tomorrow... I think its going to be very pretty when its done.

Have a good Wednesday bloggers! See you tomorrow!

Movie Review: Lars and the Real Girl

I loved this movie... heres a review that describes it well:

Ryan Gosling stars as Lars Lindstrom, an extremely shy young man living in a small town. He purchases a realgirl doll online and proceeds to introduce her to his brother and sister-in-law as his girlfriend. Despite the concerns of his friends and relatives, a local doctor notes that since Lars otherwise has a highly functional personality that threatens no one, this delusion is a sign that he is working through some personal issues and his loved ones should play along in the meantime. With some persuasion, the entire town eventually participates as well with growing enthusiasm for this unusual, but enjoyable, activity as Lars continues to pursue what he perceives as a deep and meaningful relationship with the doll

I won't spoil it by saying any more about this movie... and even tho it sounds silly...it's far from that. I've always thought that Ryan Gosling is a fine actor and he does this role justice. As for the movie... I only rented it as I had heard several people discussing how good it was... before this I has thought it sounded ridiculous. It's not. Rent it if you can... I promise you that you'll enjoy every minute of it.

Back to reality

I had a nice two days... got to hear some interesting stories about game officer adventures... and where wildlife management is headed in the future. What started out as just a job 20 years ago somewhere along the line turned into more than that for me... I love animals, and working closely with the Game and Fish Department has given me several opportunities to be able to be close to wild critters. Here I am holding an orphaned cougar kitten...

This is the first meal I had when I drove down to Albuquerque for the conference... mmmm... yummy... chile rellanos, cheese enchilada, beans, rice, and sopipallas... all with green chile... my hubby dislikes chile so its a rare day when I can enjoy this type of food.

Then... the next morning my division had a staff meeting at a cute little place called 'le peeps'... and these are the people I spend more time with then I do my husband!

Its hard to believe that after 20 years of interacting with some of these people every day that soon I may not see much of them in the future. Retirement is a wonderful thing but scary at the same time.

Hope your week was a good one!

OH OH OH... before I forget...

Yup... I saw it... I broke down and saw it... I wanted to wait a couple of weeks in order to avoid the packed theatres... and it was worth the wait. And in all honesty... Heath Ledger made this film the great movie it was... how very sad this young man with SO MUCH TALENT wasted it on a life of drugs... he certainly gave his all in this role... and deserves the award posthumerously... so I say go see this movie... its a great one.

Gone for three days

The Department I work for is having a three day conference this week so I'll be out of touch for that long... will try to post photos and blog something interesting when I get back Thursday night... in the meantime have a great rest of the week! I plan on having Indian food, mexican food, and taking it easy between sessions... and it'll be nice staying in a fancy-schmancy hotel! So my week looks good.

I resemble this remark!

I was munching a few Hershey Kisses last night and came across this!

Too busy... Just too busy!

Chrissie from Where the Bluegrass Grows commented that I haven't blogged in a few days... I know.. I do love blogging but life just seems to jump up in my face and I can't hardly find the time to sit down and think of something wonderful to blog! Sadly my VBF's mom was in a serious accident on Monday and is in ICU... and not expected to make it. Diane (my VBF) is extremely close to her mother so this is going to be such a tough life experience for her to have to live through. I love her and it just saddens me that I live so far from her and cannot be more of a support to her. Sigh. I also have a three-day conference coming up next week... and this will sap my mental strength for sure! I am also having a garage sale Saturday and Sunday... and you know how those are! Intense heat, people trying to get something worth $5 for 25cents... yuck. I'll be really glad when the next 7 days is over with! In the meantime if any bloggers out there want to send a prayer out for Ilsa I would appreciate it so much! Heres a photo of Diane and her son... taken quite a few years ago.

Removed Madonna

Oh my stars... I was so sick of looking at Madonnas prune-face that I just had to remove it!

Susan Andersons rosebud baby hat

I had this leftover yarn from Crystal Palace... and decided to knit a baby cap from it... I also wanted to make it look unique and added the white rosebuds and green leaves on the top... I love how this turned out and plan on making a big grown-up version for myself!

And the pinspinner pins go to...

Rachael from her blog All The Way From Bloggy Creek and Chrissie from Where the Bluegrass Grows. Since there were only 7 comments left I decided that I would pull a name and that I would let my husband pull a name! Now if you ladies would give me mailing address I'll get a goodie box off to both of you! This was a lot of fun and won't be my last one! Thanks everyone for commenting and joining in!

Home-made cheese - YUMMO

I saw this recipe in the latest issue of Sunset Magazine and thought I would give it a try. This very small peice of cheese was made from 2 cups of whole milk and the juice of one lemon. Not much to show for that much liquid... but let me tell you... its delicious. Has a creamy lemony taste.. I also threw in a pinch of pepper and salt... I'm going to do this again but maybe with a gallon of milk... this is going to be a great spread for crackers.

The plate my cheese is sitting on is called "a thousand faces"... one of the few things I have from my grandmother...it was produced in Japan during occupation years... I love this plate.

I'll pick the winner this afternoon for the give-away! Thanks to all of you who joined... this was fun... and my first.

Pinspinner pins and a new birdie sling bag!

I admit it... My name is Leslie and I am a Birdie Sling addict! I now own two of them... I found this adorable fabric at Hobby Lobby last weekend and before I knew it I was cutting, ironing, sewing, and now enjoying another bag! The only excuse I have is that the fabric was on sale... and I had to have it! Also... here is a photo of a few of the little pinspinner pins that I have made today... they were so much fun to make... easy and fast! I'll have fun sending one of them off tomorrow to be enjoyed by one of my bloggers! Have a nice rest of the evening!

Book review: Hopes Boy

This was a wonderful read... and I teared up at the ending. Its about a boys love for his mentally ill mother and his life in the Los Angeles foster care program. I read this in 10 hours and could hardly put it down. I recommend it highly.

Susan Andersons cupcake hat

I sure wish I knew a baby to pose with this cute little hat! Its supposed to be a cupcake hat... and I am really happy with how it turned out... its the first knit item that I finished without having to FROG all the way thru it!

I'm excited about my give-away!!!

pinwheel pin giveaway

This is a photo of the most adorable pinspinner pin... I got this great idea off of this blog: http://mcillecespot.blogspot.com and I want to make one for a give-away. Just leave a comment on my blog and Sunday I'll draw a winning name! This should be fun... Maybe I'll ask the winner what colors that they would prefer to be in their pin! Maybe I'll throw in some other neat stuff! Lets play!

Book review: The Pact by Jodi Picoult

I'm in the middle of a pretty good book... The Pact is the story of two teenagers who grow up next door to one another from birth, their parents are the best of friends and have always expected that their children's friendship will blossom into love which it does.

The book jumps from both Chris and Emily's perspective as well as both sets of parents - it deals with a suicide pact gone wrong and the aftermath (as well as what has lead up to the central moment). If anyone has ever learned devastating news or lost a loved one then they know what it can do to a person as well as a family and I thought that The Pact was unbelievably realistic.

This was made into a Lifetime movie a couple of years ago but I missed seeing it. I checked Netflix and they don't have it... so I am going to search Amazon and buy it.

Gifts for a couple of special people

I dabble in stain glass and have made these two wall ornaments for two special people. The two young women on the left are my neices Stephanie and Becky. Stephanie... the dark-haired one... was diagnosed recently with breast cancer and after a mascetomy she is undergoing chemo. She's an amazing young woman and has a very positive attitude about her life-changing experience. The other photo charm is my best friend Diane and her son Quatro. I took that photo in 1975 on the top of a steep hill in the Pecos Wilderness. It was a big climb but we were young and made it to the top! I don't think I could do that climb today! So I've made these two glass wall charms as gifts for them. The back is a peice of stain glass. They were fun to make and are even more fun to give!

Movie review

This movie is a dated one... from 1996. But its a four-star one.

This movie is about Muriel, who is a plump and unhappy woman... she dreams of escaping to a new and better life through marriage. She's dumped by friends who look down on her. Muriels best friend Rhonda is confined to a wheelchair after sudden surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in her back; Muriel's father leaves her mother. I won't go further in reviewing this movie but do recommend it. I heard the actress Toni Collette (whom I just adore) gained 40 pounds in 7 weeks to play this role. That must have been some fun binge eating!

Book review

This is a review of the book I just finished.. called The Slow Moon... I didn't write this review but it pretty much sums up the book... and this was a very good book.

The author conjures up an exhilarating mix of damaged teenagers as they try to shoulder their respective secrets and burdens, facing the moral dilemmas of living in this world. Bobbie's lost father is found, and Crow's own father, his real one, had been lost, while Carl tries frantically to toughen the bookish Johnny up by encouraging him to practice what he views as masculine outdoor pursuits.

These teenagers are on a barely drifting edge of sexuality. Obviously eager, these boys think they are men,. They are not, yet, and just don't want to think about the price it takes to be men. These are also months of anguish for Carl and for Sophie as she yearns desperately to remember her assault. When she finally does, the central family and friend relationships are tested to the limit.

The Slow Moon is a deeply haunting journey, where teenagers act shockingly and irresponsibly but are in the end trapped and ensnared by the endlessly self-absorbed behavior of those around them.

A cute cap and a ugly cap

Well... the striped cap is the one that gave me such fits while I was knitting it last week. Hrumph! I think it was too big a challange for me since I am not good at knitting yet. Some of the stitches called for in the pattern I couldn't figure out for the life of me so I substituted with just a simple garter stitch... so even tho the panels are all supposed to have different stitches most of them are plain knit or garter. And knitting the panels together as I went along was real challenging... when I retire I plan on knitting until I'm good at it.

The other cap was very easy to knit in the round... I bought the homespun and dyed yarn at our farmers market... looks like orange sherbert... that was a lot of fun to knit... simple... and turned out beautifully...

Sadly... there are no babies in my life so I had to use a coffee can for a modle!

That was my week last week. I'm off work today and plan on cleaning house. I've also posted on Craigs List a ton of beautiful stamps, books and other things to sell... I need more room in my work space! After this stuff is gone I am going to organize!

Reading instead of knitting

I'm in the middle of this great book... so right now yarn and fabric and hooks and needles are put away so I can finish this. I recommend this book... a wonderful womans book.

Its Monday... again...

Well... needless to say I don't like Mondays! The good thing is hubby got home yesterday afternoon and none too soon.. I spent four days eating, sleeping, shopping, eating, sleeping, shopping... that thats about it! No crafting... but I did buy some really cute fabric I intend to make another birdie sling bag out of for winter. I also did manage to finish knitting a baby cap out of Susan Anderson's itty bitty hats book... this was a nightmare challange for me... everytime I picked it up I had this lurch in my pit of my stomach... and knew I had a battle ahead of me for yet another panel (this cap was knit in panels)... I'll post a photo of this thing when I am ready to look at it... right now its living in my bottom drawer and I don't really want to see it for a while.. its full of mistakes... and a major disappointment for me. Knitting is a real challange for me. Maybe I should just give up on it... but I love knitted garments... and the meditative feeling of actually knitting. sigh.

Single for 4 days!

And I plan on doing just that! Even though I will miss the big lug its still gonna be nice to do what I want... whenever I want... I plan on eating out... watching movies... and cleaning house! Those two weekend days are gonna fly by!

A crazed balloon-eating Jack Russell

This video is a crack-up... I love this dog!!! After my last risque post I thought I would post something a little more wholesome... enjoy this!

Were all adults here... aren't we?

Well... I sure hope this photo isn't offending anyone... its just an innocent carrot! I sat down to dinner tonight and this was just staring up at me!!!

Owls sighting

Hi my blogger friends! I was out walking my dogs the other day...I take them to my workplace... its out in the country away from traffic and people... so I can take them off-leash which they love. As I was approaching the building I looked up and there were two Great Horned Owls watching us. They were really looking closely at the dogs... and I am thinking they were trying to determine whether or not they would be worth having as a little snack! It was quite a thrill seeing them!

Movie review

I guess by now you have figured out that I love watching movies. While crocheting, knitting I love watching movies. It beats summer television.. or television any time of the year! This is a movie I just finished... for the FORTH time! One of my top 100 favorites... its lovely... romantic... and deals with the issue of world poverty... a relevent and romantic flick... another 5 stars.

Beautiful weather and great 4th of July!

Here in New Mexico the weather has been typical. Our monsoon season startes the first week of July and usually lasts a couple of weeks. Every afternoon it clouds up, rains for about 20 minutes, and then dries up. It lowers the tempature and by evening the air is balmy and clean... one of the things I love about Santa Fe.

I took a picture of my shoes that I have been wearing non-stop since May! My favorites... and comfy. They are Keen shoes...

Also... here is a nice little photo of one of my three cats. May I introduce you to Gracie. She is a little bit different than any cat I have ever had. Poor little thing... she has occasional seziures and is also very slow. But we love her and deal with her slow mentality and her seizures. We call her our special cat.

Last but not least... saw an AWESOME movie this morning. Its called "Reservation Road" and I highly recommend it. Its five stars and has Joaquin Phoenix in it... an excellent actor. This movie was never promoted by its production company therefore not many people have seen it. But it should be seen.

Well.. tomorrow is Monday. Sigh. Back to work. Only 6 more months to retirement and I am counting the minutes!

Movie review: Nanny McPhee

I loved this movie. I had never seen it before but it was on cable last night and I enjoyed every minute of it. And Colin Firth is always fun to look at! I guess you bloggers can tell I am bored to death today. No work! So I've been blog searching... and posting!

Cute pincushions

I made up a few of these this past weekend... adorable aren't they? I'm starting to get ready for Christmas! This is where you can get the the tutorial for these: http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/quarterlychallenge/APQ_QtrlyChal2.pdf

zero-calorie cupcakes

Let me see... theres a lemon, a raspberry, vanilla cream, pistacho, cherry and grape frosted crocheted goodies! I love these pincushions. They were a snap to make... took less than an hour for each one... perfect Netflix viewing project. One is definately going to a friend for one of her birthday gifts.

Movie review: The Happening

Well... this movie sucked. It just didn't 'happen' for me at all...lousy acting... poor plot... silly silly premise. I give this NO stars! Not recommended!