What's Goin' On...

Outside my window: Still dark at 5:30 a.m. It's going to be another cold day---only a high of 45.

I am thinking: How much I have to do before heading out on Thursday for our Eads girls weekend. The Eads #1 girls come from St. Louis and us from Nashville. We meet in the middle at Kentucky lake. We'll scrapbook, stitch, do a lot of talking and laughing, plenty of drinking and eating. It's something we all look forward to every year. 

I am thankful for: That I got my closet cleaned out. It's so nice to walk in there now. Plus, I discovered all kinds of new clothes that I forgot I had!

From the kitchen: Getting ready to make chocolate chip cookies for the weekend. Plus, pasta salad, cranberry orange muffins (Sandy's recipe), bacon wrapped crackers and pimento cheese. 

I am wearing: Still in my robe.

I am hoping: to get all the things done on my "to do" list so I can kick back and stitch tonight. Karolyn and I are on the second day of a 2-day workshop. The project is a lot of fun. I'll post photos later. Right off, I got "in trouble" for cutting one of my fibers wrong. 

I am reading: The Paris Wife. Still lovin' it. Ernest Hemingway and his wife lived such a bohemian life within an artist community that included Gertrude Stein, James Joyce and Scott Fitzgerald (they don't mention the "F"yet).

I am busy creating: Here's a little something that I did in preparation for this weekend and next. Stephanie is having some friends over for an Easter craft. 

I love old wooden spools. I basically copied what I did for Valentines day, except substituted eggs for the hearts. The charms are little bunnies, eggs and chicks. I think the girls are going to love it. I got the eggs at Michaels for $1.00---5 on the stem. Hot glue them in to the top of the spool. Tie up with cute ribbon. Add ribbon around the spool, pin on charm. Voila! The Eads' girls are going to do it this weekend too.

I'm bummed: I hate the fact that the news media here in Nashville always choose to interview the people with the least amount of teeth and that can't put three words together in proper English. I promise---EVERYONE I know have teeth and can speak properly. All southerners are NOT illiterate hicks! 

I am hearing: The local news on tv. Good Morning America won't start for another hour. The big story is about the first Pope since the middle ages to step down. Tomorrow is Pope Benedict's last day.

Around the house and garden: I'm finally happy to unveil our newest project. I make that sound like we did the work. We didn't. I saw a picture online and emailed Christy. I simply said: "This moulding, I want it. Call me." She made it happen!! 

I had the moulding put on every plain surface. It looks really nice. Of course, that called for re-painting. I love white wood! Notice the old window hanging on the wall? When I first put that up about 8 or 9 years ago, my brother said, "what's up with the old window?" Sometimes, guys just don't "get it."

In other news: Connie and I have started a new "freezer club" with a couple of gals from our book club. We're starting small to see how it works. Then we might add a few more people. Basically, you double a recipe, divide it by 4, put it in freezer containers and then trade. We each have 4 frozen meals to use some time during the month. Right now, it sounds pretty easy and fun. I'll let you know how it goes. It may become another obligation with a deadline. At least it sounds good for now.

One of my favorite things right now: 

I got these for Christmas. I always said that my feet start freezing about the end of September and don't thaw out until May. I used these for the first time the other day. You put them in the microwave. I did it right before my reading/nap time. I put them on, then leaned back in the recliner. My "ahhhh" quickly went to "oooohhhhh!" I got them a little too hot. I had a hard time getting them off fast. I was all tangled up in the chair and afghan. Luckily, no permanent damage. Now I know to "cook" them for s shorter time. Apparently, 90 seconds is too long.

I appreciate -Ancestry.com. I got notification that someone posted a photo on Butch's tree. It's a lousy picture---it was really tiny and I couldn't blow it up. It's of his great-great grandfather. We didn't have any pictures of him. I've emailed the person who posted it and asked them to email it to me, but so far, I haven't heard anything.

I remember - how much I loved my friend's regular hair! She's much too young for grey. I'm glad she went back!

I forget -how much I love babies until I'm around one. They all like me. Who wouldn't? I always do such goofy stuff.

I regret -that I misunderstood how much this needlepoint workshop really cost!! It was a shock.

How the weekend is shaping up: Packing tonight and loading the car. Steph is going to pick up my car tomorrow morning before work. Butch will take me to bridge and Steph will pick me up. After a brief stop at Bread & Company, we'll be on the road! Mindy won't get home until Friday night from Chattanooga. Butch is going to drive her to meet us so we'll only have one car. Isn't that sweet? He's going to make a 4 hour--round trip drive---just so we can all ride home together. He falls under the "I appreciate" category!

One last thing. A shout out to my sister, Jennifer. She won't let me post what it's about, but I have to say I am so proud of her. She doesn't understand the internet and social media and is leery of it. She probably won't like that I'm posting this picture. But, oh well....

She's the one standing in the rear next to my brother. Congrats, girlie!!

A final note---I got the layouts from A Year of Memories posted today. Click on the AYM link on the right to see them.