Random notes

1. Thanks for all the nice comments about the tree.

2. Heather, the Swedish Star ornament is not from you. I acquired that one year at our church's Fall Bazaar. I believe that was made by the very dear Mrs. Howard, who has since passed away. (She was a fascinating woman who had been a journalist back when a woman journalist was rare indeed. She always used the Italian pronunciation of my name which is much more lyrical then how most everyone else says is. I miss her very much.)

3. I'm so glad at least 1 other person is going to start decorating. (Mindi I want to see pictures of your decorations too.)

4. I'm not sure why people see my pictures and think I do good finishing work. I do passable finishing work. The cube actually has some problems, like the bottom is kind of rounded. I've apparently overstuffed it. I don't care, there's no way on this side of heaven that I'm taking it apart and changing it in any way. It's done, I figure after some time the batting will settle and the bottom will become less rounded.

5. My family has great stories and they need to be written down. Apparently my mom, her sister and some cousin's gathered at my aunt's house when mom & dad were in WV. Also apparently they got to talking about growing up in a little "town" (and I use that word very loosely) in the same state. Understand, my mother was born in a coal camp and lived in the same house until her father died in WW2. They then moved less then 10 miles to Allen Junction. You won't find it on a map, at least I doubt you will. It's small, but things happened there. Things like people playing pianos and singing songs while houses burned. (Oh yeah, there was alcohol involved with this.) They also have stories about visiting their grandmother's sisters back in VA. These are the stories that need to be written down and I think I should do it. They would make you laugh and cry and then laugh some more. (Don't even get me started about the wake where they laid the dead man on the top of the bar and he raised up during the festivities.)

6. When you want to find something, it will remain hidden. (This is just a given. Probably part of Murphy's Law.)

7. Apparently I make someone smile. (BTW, this is my first blog award. How cool is that?)

Or at least I make Heather smile (which is good since she always makes me smile!) So now I have to give this to 10 other bloggers who make me smile. I have to admit, this was kind of hard. There are a lot of blogs out there that make me smile for any number of reasons, but here goes. In no particular order (as they say on DWTS)...

* Knit Kimber Knit - mainly because she has a dog named Snoopy and she puts up such great Mike Rowe pictures.

* Yarntender - she just rocks and she taught me to knit!

* Knitting for Amazons! - anyone who admits to having a WIP named "The Dead Bride" is ok with me.

* Contemplaing my needle and thread - what finishes, what great stitching!

* What's Up with Wyora? - Mindi's logic is always worth a smile or 2.

* Karoline's Corner - well lately because she's having a little alien of her own and that's just way cool.

* Not A Beginning Knitter Anymore - Ok, she doesn't post often (cough, cough) but when she does watch out.

* How Raven Lit the World - pretty yarn always brings a smile!

* Notes from Carol's Stitching Nest - another occasional poster, but she always has such beautiful finishes that are inspiring.

* Blog A Go-Go - I adored her 1st book and wait anxiously for her 2nd (which should be coming soon!). Until that happens I smile to see "in which" way things will develop on her blog.

That's 10, I didn't duplicate any of Heather's entries, so you should check out her list as well. There's a few on there I get a smile or 2 from on any given day.

8. Have I mentioned that I am a huge Jane Austen fan? I actually kicked around the idea of getting my Master's in English Lit because of the Jane. (I like to think a very horrid spell of mono. derailed my quest, and it probably didn't help, but in all actuality I wanted to make a paycheck so I could pay off my student loans and used the mono. as a handy excuse.) But I digress...Jane Austen is wonderful because when you read her books you either see yourself, or friends and relatives, or all three at the same time. That's why this quiz was interesting to me. If it is to you, then see what it says about you. As for me, it seems that I'm the most like the following character...

Take the Quiz here!

Interesting huh?

9. I found another sign that Christmas is upon us. Publix (that's my favorite grocery store for those in other countries or parts of the U.S.) finally has Egg Nog ice cream in stock, their brand. The yummy goodness came home with me tonight. It's ok, I have it on excellent authority that there is only so much Egg Nog available each year, so you have to drink (and in this case eat) what you can before it becomes extinct again. (This also goes for mincemeat and home made rum balls. The latter can get you in more trouble though so you do have to be a bit careful with them.)

That's it. My random-ness is tired and craves some sleep.