Thanksgiving in a week

Wow! It's hard to believe we are at the back half of November already. Thanksgiving is in a week. Wrestling scrimmages start next weekend, too. It seems like just yesterday it was September and the semester was just starting. We thought there would be so much time to do all the stuff we needed to do - papers to be written, stories read, knitting to be completed - where has the time gone?

So here is a list of things I want to get accomplished before next Wednesday. What are my odds?

1) Rewrite a paper for my British Lit class. Right now, the paper is a high B and I'm hoping to pull it up to an A. I think I can do that pretty easily.

2) Write a proposal for my Canon paper - I believe I am going to petition to add Queen Elizabeth's writings to the class. I think we kinda glossed over that time period and I love her poetry. Her sonnets bring me to tears with the heartbreaking thought of her dual life.

3) Put together my new bookcases and set them up in the corner of the living room. This will help to clean up the stacks of books in the living room.

4) Wash the filing cabinet in the garage and put it in the laundry room. This will take care of the rest of the stacks - all the paperwork that needs to be kept.

5) Finish knitting Baylor's fornicating deer hat and Mom's stuffed turkey. I am loving the turkey. He looks so cute and cuddly. As for Baylor's hat, this is a little more of a stretch.

6) Make up Christmas stockings for our student workers. I need to have this done by Tuesday!

7) Come up with a menu for Thanksgiving and go shopping. I hate shopping. Hope this works out well.

Vote today

Please vote today! Make your voice heard. No matter what you stance on an issue, please vote.

Our country is being run by the minority. Why is that ? Because people who can make a difference don't vote. Don't think that your voice won't be heard - it will. The last few local elections have been won or lost by very small margins. If the issue didn't go your way and you didn't vote, you could have made a difference.

So get out there and vote people! And if you haven't registered, do it today so you are able to vote in the next election. Go to the county board of election web page to get a registration form, register at the county fair, call a neighbor for information, whatever it takes to get out there and take the country back from the craziness!

From summer to fall

All in one swoop. Today is only 20 days from my last post - when it was 90 out. Today, it is cloudy, rainy (as it has been for two weeks) and in the 60's. There was no subtle change, just one day our low was our high and at night it crept down to the 40's. Great weather for sleeping, but I could use a little sun to brighten my day. All this grey is so damn depressing.

I believe we could have some sun this weekend, which would be great.

We went to the Wool Gathering in Yellow Springs a few weekends ago. It was a lot of fun. Our friends from Indiana came in and we had a ball. We made body doubles on Friday night. Saturday, we went to the Wool Gathering. Our tiny group (Kelly, Jessi and I) had to leave early because Jessi had to work, but we were done anyway. I got some beautiful (if overly expensive!) yarn to make Baylor's hat in the colors he wants - Cat yellow and black and Allis orange and black. I'm doing the deer side in orange and the pattern side is yellow. It should look pretty cool. Additionally, I found some perfect peacock color (actually it's called Smoky Teal) that matches the sweater almost exactly! I'm totally excited about this baby set for Steph. Anyways - all that yarn is from Fiber Optics. I love their colors - so vibrant and rich. You can see, if you look closely, varigations of anywhere from yellow- orange to deep pumpkin in the orange and the yellow has a lovely halo of orangy-gold that tones down the yellow a bit.

I also bought 3 skeins of Hydrangea from Knitting Notions. I like her colors, too. I should have gotten the Chili Pepper, though. I kept thinking I had some of this color in my stash and sure enough, I now own six skeins of lace weight Hydrangea. YIKES!

I need to add some fringe to the afghan for baby Liam. I could probably do that tomorrow night at SNK. I need to get it to him before he's in school. Finish the hat for Steph, then cast on the hat for Baylor. It's next on my priority list!

I found a few items I want to make for Christmas, but we will see. It's hard to believe we are a third of the way through the semester and we have about 3 months till Christmas.

On that note, British Literature has been a lot of fun. We are working in the Renaissance and it is really interesting. I loved Medieval British Lit. It was a lot of fun. We had a test last week but I haven't received it back yet.

Well, just a few more days this week. Baylor is getting Senior Photos done on Saturday (hopefully) and it should be great. Dan wants to have him with his hunting gear to get some photos.

Labor Day

So this weekend was Labor Day weekend. What does that mean to me? Well, it means an extra day off for the weekend and usually a mandatory (and not always well received) picnic that 'has to take place because it's the last of summer'. Somehow I managed to avoid this scenario, although I am not sure how.

So here's how our weekend went:

Saturday I walked with the church for the Inner City Ministries - a good cause. I walked because its the right thing to do. I walked and knitted a sock. I walked and sweated like a pig in the 90+ temps. It was hot. Steve was going to meet me at the church - he volunteered for food duty. I was at the park talking when I got a call.

DH: What are you doing?
ME: I'm still at the park. Why?
DH: Come over to the church right now.
ME: OK

So I go to the church and TJ, my dog, runs up to me with his face bleeding. What the heck!?!?! Steve used the flatbed truck to bring the grill to the church and TJ loves to ride on the flatbed, so Steve thought it would be all right. On the way to Urbana, the grill shifted, throwing or pushing TJ off the truck. Luckily, it was just a little road rash and nothing serious. He was just scared. I took him home, got him some chicken nuggets and stayed with him.

Later Steve and Baylor decided to go to Illinois for the weekend. Or rather Steve decided that he and Baylor were going. Some day he will figure out his children are adults and need to be asked what their plans are. Baylor, although he knew it would be fun, had other plans that had to be cancelled. Of course he won't tell his dad that he has plans.

So off they went - TJ and I staying home. TJ with injuries and me with class on Monday. That's OK. I spent the weekend finishing up swaps and studying. I got to watch what I wanted to watch on TV, went to a bonfire at the Newmans and never once did I have to put a toilet seat down. It's the little things that make us happy.

Saturday night it poured rain! Lots of wind, rained over 2 inches, blew the door open, etc. I stayed up until the worst went through and went to bed about 1:30. Since I was feeding the steers, I had to be up by 8.

Sunday it continued to rain. I studied, knitted, and cleaned out the fridge. It was glorious. I finished the Mermaid shawl, started a water bottle cozie. just had a great time knitting and reading and doing what I wanted to do. TJ seemed to feel a lot better. Still not 100%, but just stiff and sore.

Monday I had class at 10:20, then I went to Hobby Lobby and the grocery. By the time I got home, the boys were home. Of course Steve was mad because the tarp had blown off the hay outside and Vern didn't even check it. Not my day to babysit! I had a great, if quiet, weekend, so it's all good.

More fair photos

Some photos of our time at the 2011 Clark County Fair! It was a lot of fun.

Baylor at barn set up:

Our booth : Our 4H club at the ice cream booth:

Baylor, asleep at the fair: Piggie love:

Baylor and his steer. He won the sign competition!

The annual flood. We had 4 inches of rain in 1 hour. Up to 18 inches of running water by the expo center. Of course, Ethan has to do something goofy, so he rented a scooter for the afternoon. They had a BALL with it!

2 days until fair

Everyone has been working hard. We've had Skillathon and Miscellaneous judging. Last minute details are being completed, including open class and booth decorating. With that, I bring you the hard working crew who worked outside in 100+ degree weather to bring you the Livestock Unlimited booth. I cannot wait until we assemble all this hard work into a beautiful booth.



Priscilla came on Saturday to help with painting. She, along with many others, worked their magic with the hot knife - cutting out the shapes we needed to make our vision come to life.

Leslie and Tina worked on the cow. It's really cute.



Tina worked on our 'gigantic duck', too. It's HUGE! Almost four feet tall.




Stephanie worked on lots of things - painting, cleaning up, designing. She will be an 'official' 4H'er next year and I'd bet she will be as great at it as her sister.



Our pig, Dusty. He's not 'dusty' here, but he is now.

The rabbit... he's about 2 foot tall.

We worked again on Tuesday night because we ran out of cardstock and such. Good thing we still had plenty of paint and styrofoam for designs. This is going to be so much fun!

Bayley working on painting... I don't know if she liked painting the flowers, but she loved painting my picnic table.

Sarah came out to help as well. Leslie (in the background) was in charge of lettering. She did a great job.

Kelly can't help herself. Out of 4H for four years now, and yet she loves helping design and come up with ideas for the booth.

Taylor and Brooke working on stuff. Brooke was winding down and Taylor enjoyed working with the hot knife.

The flowers turned out really pretty. Love the colors.

And my picnic table is definitely much more colorful. It's nice to see something other than the old dirty wood.

Tonight we go to the fairgrounds to set up the barns. Friday we set up the booth and open class. After Saturday, it's all relaxation and showing. YEAH!

Berry picking, county fair and camps

The last few days have been overwhelmingly busy. There is so much going on with the fair coming up in 3 short weeks, Steph's baby shower coming up, Baylor away at camp, and berries coming ripe, although I think the berries will be low on my priority list.

I've been out picking berries in the evening for two days and have barely gotten a full gallon. Last year, I could pick a gallon in one spot. It looks like we lost a lot of the canes last winter, but there are lots of new ones coming up for next year. That's fine. I'll pick when I can, but didn't yesterday and won't today. Yesterday I had a training session for 4H and today is knit night!

The county fair is almost upon us. Just three short weeks from Friday, we will be moving in and setting up. It's an exciting time. I love fair week. I need to send in my entry today and get started on finishing things. I have a photo I am taking. There are a few more projects. Here is a list of things I need to do before fair:

• Make Baylor's scramble steer sign.


• Work on decorations for the booth


• Come up with an inexpensive quick adult make n take craft


• Get prizes together


• Ballots for the lamp contest

Hmmm... that's all I can think of right now.

Finally, it's 4H camp week, well the end of it anyway. Baylor's been gone to camp since Saturday. He'll be home today. Can't wait to see him. I hope he had a great time. It's his first year as a counselor, not a CIT. He was so excited when he was leaving. Packed up some Christmas lights and stuff to decorate the cabin. Was stopping to get more decorations at Crafts 2000 and goodies at Ollie's. He almost quit, but he was really glad I talked him out of it.

Summer is always so busy at our house, but it's fun. This weekend is the 4th and it should be a great time, with the fireworks and such. Cannot wait!

My baby is 18!

Sunday was Baylor's 18th birthday. It's been a tough way to go, but he made it to adulthood. Sort of. He still has a year of high school and then some college, but as far as the law is concerned, he is an adult. He is intelligent, funny, respectful and hard working. What else could a mother ask for in a son? I love him. He's my baby!

Actually, I am quite happy with this situation. All of my children turned 18 without having children of their own. I believe that is an accomplishment anymore. They are all individuals with various tastes and opinions, no two of which are the same. It's pretty amazing when you talk to these young people who grew up in the same home but are so very different. Baylor obviously enjoys being the life of the party:

In other news, it is hot in Springfield OH. Very hot. We have had 5 90 degree days in the last two weeks. Another 90 degree day today. People who know me know that I have a fascination with sunshine, though. So here's a photo of the sun setting behind our silo.

Wow! Can you say long distance knitting?

I just read the Yarn Harlot's blog about being 'underyarned' on the trip from Toronto to Washington for Sock Summit. Let me just say 'wow'! That woman knits like the wind! She had a sock to finish and a baby sweater she'd barely started. Now I'm not a fast knitter, but I am a tenacious one. First, not at the place where I am making baby sweaters, and I like it that way. Second, it would take me half the flight to finish the sock.

As I said, not fast, but consistant. So what would I have packed for a cross country trip? Probably what's in my bag now, which is more than I can do in several cross country trips: My mystery shawl that is ALMOST DONE!!! Twelve more rows and it is complete. I am being very careful not to rush and muck it all up now. The white stole I have yet to start for a special gift. The tidepool heather yarn and a sock pattern for grins and giggles (and to get something with some color in my life!) and the Knitting Daily Coney Island purse pattern that I think I may have to dye yarn for. I have TONS of cotton and I could overdye some for some really cool tonals. I just really like this pattern and am itching to start it. These would get me through several cross country trips since it takes me about 40 minutes to do one row of the shawl, at about 270 stitches now.

Yes, you heard me right. I only have one item on the needles right now. After years of polygomous knitting, I am trying monogymy. It's not all it's cracked up to be, although you do see results quicker. I put aside the Socks of Obscure Reference (AKA Caladras) because it is all ivories and browns and I was BORED with the lack of color. I am seriously considering Tadpole for the tidal pool heather. It should be pretty. But tonight, I will go home and dye... some cotton yarn... or rather overdye.

More babies
Just an FYI, after the debacle with Diedre Sue (sorry, girl, you were a great cow and will be missed as Mooetta's second in command), we had good news. Ronnie had her calf last night. First, YEAH! another mom that coughs and has calves. Second, it's a girl! Drag out the pink ribbons, we have a girl, a little heifer. Haven't seen her yet and Baylor said Ronnie was not happy about his 'assistance' but I will take photos tonight. Since this was Ronnie's first, she had the baby in the mud and the poor thing was cold, wet and muddy. Baylor got her inside in a nice clean bed, and cleaned her up.

Now we gotta keep Flapjack and Delmar from teaching her bad habits. They've taken to escaping from the pen and just wandering around the barn lot. Flapjack was out last night and Baylor put a lead on him and put him back in the pen. Apparently he was fussing about going in because Baylor said Roxanne was challenging him when he got to the pen.

Good stuff abounds

Well, as upsetting as some of the bad stuff of last week was - this week abounds with good and fun stuff.

Ok, so loosing a cow/calf isn't the end of the world, but Kelly's friend Robyn lost her grandmother. She'd had cancer for a while and didn't even look like herself, but it's bad anyway. Then we lost the van as well. The engine mounting brackets rusted through and the engine fell out on the road. Luckily, Steve was driving and wasn't driving fast. He was leaving Fastenal and it fell out.

Well, this week's good news : Ford is buying the van back from us. Now I get to get a new (to me!) vehicle. Granted, it won't be a new car, but I didn't like the van overly much anyway. Now, what do I want?

School Stuff
Sara Gruen who wrote Water for Elephants will be on campus April 7th. Guess what? I am going to the president's house to have dinner with her! How exciting is that? I picked up a copy of the book so I could read at least part of it before our meeting. I thought I would make her a bookmark with elephants on it. Is that cheesy? I think it would be fun and small enough that if she was like 'eh', it wouldn't really matter. I'm sure she gets lots of cool little goodies from fans, but I just thought it would be cool. Maybe do it in double knit so its two sided. We'll see.

Wrestling
Yes I am still talking about wrestling. Winter sports awards were Wednesday. Baylor was honored with Most Improved as well as 20 pins for the year. The math says that of all his varsity wins (89), 56% were by pin. That's really cool!

Knitting
I am almost done with clue #3 on the mystery shawl and finally got yarn (white) and a pattern for the stole. I have got to get on it! But I need a few little things on the side, to keep my interest. I am so tired of neutral colors. I need something BRIGHT and interesting to knit, at least for a while. I think I'll find some cool colors for the elephant brigade. I have plenty of the varigated from the slippers left, that could be cool looking.

What's new!

Spring is in the air. Today is a balmy 66 degrees, a far cry from the 20 we had three short weeks ago. Classes are nearing the end and pushing their final push. Winter sports are over and awards are this week. It is going to be a great summer.

Sick people in my life

OK, so sick isn't the exact proper way of putting it. More like unhealthy. No, not that either. Steve had surgery on his collar bone and part of it needed to be removed, since it was infected. He has a picc line in and requires IV antibiotics 3 times a day. It's a PITA.

Now Mom isn't doing so well, either. She has some kind of rash all over her arms and legs, she's lost about 20 pounds, and her sugar count is skyrocketing. Her dr. is trying to treat symptoms until she gets the bigger picture.

So they are not 'sick' people, just health challenged. None of this is prohibiting their interaction with the world, they just need a little help.

Good News- Wrestling style

Baylor did really well in wrestling. He finished out the season well and made (wait for it!) First Team All County Wrestling Team!!! YEAH! Baylor, Cameron and Levi all did. Second team included Jessi, Devin, Justin, Marcus and Cole. It's a great thing to be there.

Spring Classic

Baylor didn't show Bar B Que(er) at the classic. The steer was acting crazy and Sam wouldn't let Baylor show, but the calf was there and it was a chance to see everyone. I'm glad I went because Rachel was so sad over her dad's death, this was the first time he wasn't at the show. We talked about how it's usually cold and rainy and how beautiful the day was. She said her dad always commented on how crappy the weather was on Spring Classic. I told her the beautiful day was his gift to her to let her know he was watching. She really liked that. It really could be.

Calves and cows

I shouldn't have been bragging. I told someone we don't often loose cows, and what happens? Diedre ends up strangling on a gate. Baylor finds her. It was bad. She didn't have her calf yet. Moo had a pretty little smoke colored calf Steve named Delmar. Roxanne had a pretty little red bull Baylor calls Flapjack. They are cute as can be. Here is a photo of Delmar:

Knitting and such

I received a beautiful swap package from Anne in Grosse Point MI. It was WAY over the top. Don't you hate it when you KNOW you haven't sent in kind? I feel kind of bad, but will enjoy the Malabrigo yarn she sent. A beautiful deep cherry red. The painted yarn is beautiful as well. Peacock colors - teal, navy, yellow, etc. Beautiful. A book on toe-up sock knitting, a copy of a knitting magazine. Way too much and WAY WAY more than my mere $30 box. And the felted slippers in turquoise blue. They are so comfy.

I am working on a shawl for the Golden Splendor. I am using Creatively Dyed yarn and I am pretty sure I'll get it done, too! Then I will be working on a stole out of KnitPicks yarn, either Tidepool. Tranquility or White. Then, just to get to the $50 and free shipping mark, had to get some of the Chroma in Rollerskate colorway. I know, I didn't need more, but I am working on a particular project and needed certain colors.

School

It's going OK, even with all the distractions. Hopefully we'll be through them soon and I can concentrate on what I need to concentrate on. I did get a check+ on my last paper returned. That's a good thing. I get a re-write on my paper that Dr. Richards has now, so I'm happy to hear that. Otherwise, midterm tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Laura

Happy birthday to my younger sister Laura who turned 50 today. Hope she had a great day and enjoys many more birthdays.

Marching on into March

March 1, the first day people consider as spring! And it's a beautiful day... sunny crisp and blue skies here in SW Ohio. According to legend, when March comes in like a lamb, it goes out like a lion. The Farmer's Almanac calls for Unsettled conditions on the 20th - 23rd and rain, snow and squalls at the end of the month. We'll see how it goes, but the Almanac is usually accurate.

Steve had surgery on his collar bone (clavical) and got the staph infection sucked out. Now he's on IV antibiotics for 6 weeks. It should be fine, but I had a moment this morning when I was feeling really defeatest. I was crying and knew I had a paper due today that I didn't get done. My prof was great about it and gave me an extension. I need to have the paper done by Friday, but I feel so much better, even though a first draft of a bigger paper is due on Thursday. I can do this! I know I can.

In projects completed, I got Sally the Eco Fairy completed. She looked great heading off to MA. I also completed a great WTS - the fairy rose sock, complete with teeny tiny fairy hiding among the leaves. It turned out better than I hoped. Now to get the mystery shawl completed for the Golden Splendor. I need to contact Tony and be sure he wants Bistro 2 Go to cater the event. I didn't get to the meeting, because I had a 4H meeting. Cannot believe it's starting already. I am so excited.

The surgery nightmare continues

We went to the hospital last week to have surgery. About 10 minutes before Steve was scheduled to go in for surgery, they notice his white cell count is elevated and his clavicle is tender. He's been telling the doctors about this for three weeks and this is the first time they looked at it as a different problem, not part of the disk problem.

Needless to say, surgery was postponed until we could find out what this is. He had a nuclear bone scan and a CT scan that was inconclusive. In other words, they don't want to say what it MIGHT be for fear of being sued.

Tuesday we went in for a biopsy. We were supposed to go back for results today, but apparently they are not done with the tests yet. I thought it was pushing the envelope when the hospital said 72 hours and the doctor wanted us in there in 48. It's hard to tell how long it will be before we have the results.

In other news, knitting is still progressing fine, with lots of stuff needing to be completed. I have got to get things done this weekend to move on. I need to read for class. This injury cost me two class days and I feel so out of the loop in class. We have moved on to the Taming of the Shrew. Hopefully I can catch up in the next two weeks. That's what I am giving myself - two weeks to catch up.

In wrestling news, well, it wasn't as good as we hoped. Baylor finished 3rd. He was seeded 2nd. Hopefully this weekend will prove to be a bit better, but if he ends up 3rd, he moves on. That would still be good. Tomorrow night, we are at Sidney Lehman for the sectionals.

Knitting and surgery

Steve herniated two discs in his neck. He messed around and tried to heal them without surgery. Now he has to have surgery. I'm sure right now he was wishing we lived in a Star Trek world where they don't have to actually cut you to heal you. He can barely move. His shoulders and neck are in constant, throbbing pain.

Yesterday we drove to Cincinnati to the Christ Hospital. It was difficult to get down there, since we hit rush hour traffic just as we got to Cincy. Got to the hospital for pre-op testing - blood work, EKG, etc. The doctor didn't like the EKG, so she scheduled a chemical stress test for later in the afternoon.

Went to his doctor's office at the Spinal Institute of Cincinnati. Talked over everything having to do with the surgery. His doctor seems really nice and straight forward.

Next stop, the Brace Place for a neck brace. Of course, they moved so we had to find them. Peek a boo! Where are you?

Back to the hospital for the stress test. They wanted Steve to lay down, but he can't since it hurts to bad. Got that worked out. The nurses and technicians were wonderful. Seth manned the ultrasound machine - he's from Ghanna. Ashley and Laura all worked hard to make this as easy as possible. Really, everyone I met at the hospital was wonderfully helpful - from the nurse who walked us to the registration desk, to the people who I asked questions of. They were great helping us through this part of the surgery. Will let you know how it all goes after the weekend.

Wrestling update

The team wrestled at Washington CH this past weekend. They kicked some serious butt! Baylor went 4 - 1 with all 4 wins being pins. He pinned the kid from CH and was so excited he ran around the mat and into Cameron's arms. I love it when they are excited! It was great. Tomorrow night, they will be wrestling against KR and Urbana. The weekend was made better for Baylor since his beloved Packers won the Superbowl!

Knitting update

Still working on the mystery shawl, the calahdras socks and they winter forest mittens. Added the Sally, the Eco Fairy in the mix, just for fun. She's so cute.

Kyle Maynard and Marie de France

Well, this week has been interesting. We've had wrestling meets, wrestling superstars, knitting, papers and reading, lots of really cool reading.

Last Saturday was the Wapak tournament. We usually do pretty good at this tournament, but this year, not so much. Our team only had 2 or 3 practices in the two weeks prior to the tournament and just seemed flat. Everyone who placed, was a place or two behind their seed, so it wasn't good. Baylor placed 5th, but he wasn't real happy. Overall the team placed 7th.

There was, however, knitting and reading at the tournament. I knitted my KnitPicks mittens - the February ones - without thought of gauge. I mean, they tell us to use size 1, it should work, right? WRONG! The gauge (after working 2 inches of ribbing and 2 inches of colorwork) is WRONG!!! Major wrong. Like the gauge is 30 stitches to 4 inches and I have 40. I went up a needle size and am STILL not getting gauge. But I am swatching! The swatch is looking good and I hope that once I take it off and block it a bit, it will be OK. I mean, it's about 34 stitches to the inch, so we'll see.

The socks-of-obscure-reference (or the Caladras socks as their official name is) from the Lord of the Rings Sock Club is still being knitted. Obviously, I have no clue how big my foot is, so I started over with the smaller patter. I am almost to the heal (again). Hopefully will have one of them done soon.

And the reading and papers part? Well, we are reading the Lais of Marie de France. Beautiful poetry about knights and ladies and courtly love. I read them at the wrestling meet and wrote my paper on Lanval. The semester is starting out pretty good.

Which brings me back to wrestling. Kyle Maynard was at NE this past Monday. The wrestling team LOVED it. They had some really good conversation with him and Baylor said it was a great time. Kyle is an amazing young man born without arms and legs, yet he has spent his life involved in sports: wrestling, football and now MMA. His life motto is 'No Excuses'.

It's always good when teens find someone who truly inspires them to be better than they are. The team was still riding that high last night when they went to Shawnee and beat both Greenon (66 - 9) and Shawnee (54 - 27). Baylor won both his matches. It was great.

So this weekend we have Ben Logan. Tonight is Knit Night and you know what that means! Chick time!

New Year Resolutions

I love to blog, I will admit that, but I am a terrible blogger. It sits out in Cyberspace and I forget about it, like anything that isn't right in your face all the time. I like writing, I just seem to forget with all the other writing I do.

So on to resolutions. I am going to try to post on my blog at least once a week. I have stuff in my life, stuff that's not all that important in the big scheme of things, but it's important to me and that's what a blog is all about.

Another resolution - I need a bracelet, a bracelet with beads. Not a Pandora bracelet, necessarily, but something a little more personal. What's the bracelet for? Well, there are a lot of people I know that need a little extra boost, someone thinking about them, someone who needs a little extra prayer. This way, I can remember who needs what and go through them.

One more - limit my knitting swaps. I think last year that's all I did. They are tons of fun, but it's marathon knitting. I want to do more KAL's so I have Christmas presents completed. I have one done (YEAH!) and have to create a mate for it. I haven't started anything new, although I am itching to. I bought the Knit Picks Winter Woodlands mitten set and it sits in the box, waiting patiently for me to work on it. I couldn't resist these gorgeous mittens.

So on to 2011, may it be better for everyone!