Okay....I'm day dreaming to avoid studying for a math exam.....

Okay, so I know that all of you teacher types will kill me for even admitting the fact that I am really not in the mood to study for the math exam that I am taking tonight. The weather is just plain yucky and I don't feel like looking at one more math equation. Simple and straight to the point!

Instead, I am daydreaming of these.....



and these



and this



and this




I know......no gifts will be exchanged this year, but how can you resist chocolate pearls and chocolate diamonds? This will most likely be added to the growing birthday/Anniversary/Christmas wish list. I would look so much more beautiful in Chocolate Pearls and Diamonds.......

Back to my math exam and to my real day job......

Okay, so Valentine's Day is coming....

Okay, yes Thursday is Valentine's Day. It is also Munchkin's 22nd birthday.

I'm not sure what any of you have planned for that day, so I'll just let you know a few things that I know will be taking place around our humble abode.

We have agreed that we will be hiring a stone mason to lay crushed aggregate and crushed granite paths in our back yard. He and his crew will clear sod, lay the weed block, place the metal edging where it goes, lay sand, and then the stones. We will be getting a few rows of 18" x 18" patio stones added around the patio and the house for more usable space as well. All of this so that the yard is more environmentally sound and ready for Munchkin's graduation. This is the last piece of the garden development that was planned. It will center the certification, as we will not need to use any chemicals or have the mower anywhere near the pond and the gardens. The stone mason is even going to help me upgrade the existing pond by adding a cast iron tub. I wish I could say that I could manage that without him, but I would need an army of many to just move it.

Why am I telling you this? Because, normally I am very spoiled. I would normally get something you might see on this website. But I agreed to forgo the normal gift exchange so that we could get this last piece done. I will be happy about it, but I will miss the flower delivery to the office and the stares that they cause when I don't offer who they are from.

I have been advised that there is a special dinner planned, so I am not altogether unhappy. Just a bit grumpy. It was my idea, but I am wondering who took over my body and when I will return to normal. I do get to open my gift from Be My Valentine Swap 2008 (Ravelry). I know that it is from Luci. And I also saw pictures......I know how yummy it will be.

I promise to post pictures. I also have almost completed meadow and should be able to post pictures here and update Ravelry. I have been working on some other things that I will psot about tomorrow.

Longing for Spring Swap

Questionnaire

1. Do you knit or crochet? How long have you been at your craft? – I can actually do both, but I prefer knitting. I have been crocheting for thirty-six years and knitting for thirty-four years.
2. What are your favorite yarns/fibers? What are your least favorite yarns/fibers? - Living in a humid climate, I tend to like materials that breath. I love bamboo and silk and cotton blends. I have been using some soy blends as well. I am not really a yarn snob. I like to think that every yarn has a place and a project. I use Red Heart yarns for a lot of the items that I make for the hospitals becasue they are easier for them to wash and care for. I just am not too fond of fur and eyelash yarns....
3. What are your favorite colors? What are your least favorite colors? – Blue (all shades expect pastel), Purple (especially regal purple), and mixes/color ways. I am not too fond of anything in the orange family or neon colors.
4. What ‘warm weather’ project are you looking forward to making this year? – I will be making a second Sahara with some wonderful Brown Sheep yarn in a Robin’s Egg Blue that Wifey picked. I will also be making a wrap to wear to the Munchkin’s graduation. I haven’t picked out a pattern yet, so I am open to suggestions.
5. What are you favorite scents? Least favorite? – I love vanilla and musk and have been know to wear patchouli at times. My favorite perfumes are Opium, Obsession, and Shalimar. I really don’t care for really sweet and frilly smelling things. I am also getting fond of the Brown Sugar and Fig at Batch and Body Works…. – thanks to Wifey.
6. What is your favorite flower? – Hands down it would have to be the Rose, followed by bearded irises. From there I would add stargazer lilies and calla lilies. I also love most bulbs, especially the Amaryllis.
7. What are you favorite spring time hobbies/activities? – Garden rejuvenation followed by bike riding, golf, camping (when we can) and knitting in the evening on the patio while watching all of nature wake up. I have also been known to be busy snapping pictures too. I love spring pictures.
8. Do you have a garden? If you do, tell us a little about it. Do you like to plant flowers or vegetables? – Our back yard is a certified wildlife preserve, so I guess I can safely say that I garden. We have a mix of native plants and flowers, as well as shrubs, trees, and vegetables. Most of the items were planted for the visitors, but some of the veggies and flowers are for us too.
9. What are your favorite sweets? – Chocolate (Dark/White/Milk) and Necco Wafers, but I have been known to grab a Milkyway Midnight to satisfy all the needs/cravings. I also love peeps and cherry sours and the gourmet jelly beans….odd mix I know.
10. Do you collect anything? – Depression Glass, Elegant Glass, Hull Pottery, Vintage Knitting and Sewing Patterns, and knitting needles (too much stuff according to some of our family and friends).
11. Do you have any allergies? – Only to artificial sweeteners (Equal/Splenda)
12. Do you have any pets? – We have one dog (Onyx and she is 8) and two cats (Eraser who is 5 and Sassy who is 3). We also have a musk turtle (Pipsqueak) that lives in our pond.

Of couse, if you are the lucky person to get me as your partner, just ask me anything that I didn't cover and I'll be happy to "enlighten" the subject.

Wow....what happened to the weekend?

Wow, the last thing I remember was that I posted that I would add more when I got off work on Friday. That seems like an eternity ago. Why?

Well, I got home and it was a beautiful afternoon. I threw on work clothes and edged the front and back yard, trimmed the hedges, cleaned out the weeds from one flower bed, and mowed the back and front yards. I started at 1:00 PM and finished at 5:30 PM. I was so tired. Wifey graciously treated me to Vietnamese for dinner and I think that I fell asleep by 9:15 PM.

Saturday jolted me into reality again. We had a golf date with the Special Couple and they arrived at our house at 9:15 AM. We played eighteen holes of golf and got home at around 3:30 PM. We cleaned house a bit, and the Special Couple arrived back at our house for a Steak and Crab dinner at 5:30 PM.

Sunday, we had a birthday brunch to attend, so we actually slept in until 7:30 AM.....shocked aren't you?! After the brunch we had several errands to do, one of which was getting pet food for the cats, the dog, and the turtle. More on Pipsqueek later. We were slated to attend a Super Bowl get together at the Special Couple's house and be there by 4:30 PM.

I am pleased to say that the Back of Meadow was completed during the Super Bowl and the Front should be finished tonight. That will leave the neck bands and the armhole bands and then the shoulder seams. Pictures later this week.

By the way....I will be posting about some swaps that are on Ravelry later this week as well.

Blog Renovations

Not much posting from me this week....I have been working on my Dreamweaver tutorials and Paint Shop Pro tutorials.....

I have also been working on the goodies for the Scavenger Hunt Swap.

Also....take a look see at the Longing For Spring Swap button on the side bar. I designed the button and the banner for Amy. There are still plenty of open spaces in the swap, so go check it out and get tempted.....

More later after I get home. I get off work in 35 minutes.....