My Empowe(Red), Inspi(Red), and Desi(Red) Mamasita

One person can make a difference, three can make a larger difference, and together we can change the world.

Christmas morning Mamasita brought down three presents wrapped in gift bags. She handed one to my brother, one to me, and kept one for herself. When we opened the bags we found one red t-shirt and one red bracelet's. Mamasita explained the current promotion going on with many brand names right now and a movement called Project Red. Our shirts were from the Gap and they said "INSPI(RED)" across the front. Mamasita explained further that 50% of the profits from these products will go to helping women and children with AIDS in Africa. You can read more about it here. These were our first gifts of the morning and we wore them all day long.

I want to congratulate Mamasita. She has always been an inspiration for many people other than just her family. She often tries to purchase thoughtful gifts that will give back to the world. Like buying goats from Heifer for a 3rd world country in the name of someone else, or donating money to PETA in honor of someone's pet for the holidays, etc. She has spoiled her children and provided the necessities for a comfortable lifestyle but she has always offered the idea that we are some of the few who have been lucky enough to have a comfortable life. It is this yearly reminder that allows us to be truly grateful not just for what we have in our way of life but also for Mamasita.
Thank you for a wonderful holiday Mamasita!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Christmas is over and while I am fighting off the post Christmas blues I am fondly looking over all my photos with complete happiness.

Our family Christmases have always been a happy time. There have been years when my little brother got sick or I was having cramps but we always managed to continue on with our traditions and it's these traditions that make the 364 day wait worth it.

This Christmas was just as wonderful as those in the past. On Christmas Eve my little brother and I decorated the tree/ decorated ourselves and Sally our dog. Can you say "next year's Xmas card"?

We spent the evening with Denny who is like a Dad to Dylan and I and a good friend of Mom's. We all went to church because my little brother had to play the piano for the Children's Choir. I have never attended the Children's Mass at any church and I can honestly say that I hope to never do it again. Why? Because it is LOUD!!! Screaming babies and little children dressed in robes screaming lyrics about Christ's birth is not my idea of a good time. However, leaning over to my Jewish brother when the priest said, "Father, Son, Holy Spirit" and saying, "Specticals, Testicals, Wallet, and Watch" is my idea of a good time. My 16 year old brother then informed me that I was bad for his work rep. Probably true.

We had a lovely feast later that evening and exchanged gifts with Denny. He seemed to be really happy with the griddle I gave him and I was equally excited to receive the presents he brought, espeically this new fancy knitting book!


We all grew tired as the clock ticked forward and Miracle on 34th Street played in the background. It was that time, to get to bed and wait for the big man to arrive. Preferrably Santa.

The morning had come, the time was here and my little brother and I were very excited! There were lots of presents and Mom got up when we did so we didn't have to wait too long! I was very excited to receive my brand new Camera! It's a Canon SD600 and I have spent 2 days trying to learn how to use it. My brother recieved many fabulous things but since this is my blog and I have been holding off on showing what I was making him I will only talk about one thing he received. It was the hat I made for him! Doesn't he look handsome!?


Santa was very good to all of us!







My Christmas day always ends at my father's house with my step mom, Barbara and her parents and usually some other friends of theirs. This year one special guest in particular was very excited to be with us! Please meet Chick, this is her first Christmas. She is on 10 weeks old and suffice to say that all the excitement that comes with Christmas just plain tuckered her out.

Hope you all had equally exciting and exhausting holidays!









Happy Knitting!

Christmas for Me!

It's almost Christmas time and I couldn't be more excited! I've got all my shopping done and just a little bit of wrapping left to take on. Yesterday I made 4 batches of cookies and started yet another last minute knitting project!

Here's a little survey that I stole from Kelly B.


Egg nog or hot chocolate? I can drink hot chocolate all winter long so I would have to say Egg Nog or Spiked Cider ( my new found love!)

Does Father Christmas wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Gifts from Father Christmas are always wrapped in paper featuring himself and signed by him!

Coloured lights on tree/house or white? White lights, please.

Do you hang mistletoe? Not recently.

When do you put up your decorations? The day after Thanksgiving.

What's your favourite Christmas dish? Mom's morning pancakes and mimosas!

When and how did you learn the truth about Father Christmas? I think this is probably tramatizing for all kids but I was probably around 10 or so and it was actually Easter. I was just about to go to bed, had on my footie pajamas and all, so that the Easter bunny could bring me my basket when my Dad turns around and says to me "Hey Hon, do you wanna stay up and help Dad with the Easter Baskets?" Then his girlfriend told him to be quiet and my Dad said, "What? She doesn't believe in the Easter Bunny anymore." Then I screamed, "Well, I did!!!!!"

I didn't cry but I did get mad at him for squashing all the magic out of the fun holidays. And I pretty much figured that if there was no Easter Bunny there was probably no Santa.

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? No, I did when I was a child but now I wait till the Day.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree? I decorated my own tree this year with my friend, Bridget. I'll decorate my Mom's tree with my Mom and little Bro. We usually end up hanging ornaments on each other, or wearing antlers and blinking noses while listening to Christmas music.

Snow! Love it or dread it? Love it!

Can you ice skate? Define "ice skate"

Do you remember your favourite gift? Probably my Cabbage Patch Doll, I was about 5.

What's the most important thing about Christmas for you? Being with my family.

What's your favourite Christmas dessert? Figgy Pudding (JK)

What's your favourite Christmas tradition? Waking up on Christmas morning with my little brother before my Mom wakes up and comes downstairs. We take the comforter off of my bed and get out stockings which have several little wrapped items, curtousy of Santa. I make some coffee and my bro. makes some Coco. We turn on TNT's 24 hours special of the Christmas Story and snuggle under the comforter while we drink our warm beverages and not only open but show off to each other what Santa brought us. Then we pack it all up in our stockings and wait for Mom to come downstairs. When she does, we take everything out and display for her to see like she's never seen it before. It's a lot of fun!

What tops your tree? A green fairy.

Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving.

What's your favourite Christmas song? Baby it's cold outside .

Candy canes? Yes, please!

Please steal this and fill it out and let me know that you did... I'd love to hear everyone's Christmas memories!

Awesome Secret Pals!

It has become more apparent this week that when the holiday season starts all blogging is put on hold. All the blogs I regularly visit have been put on hold with warnings placed in their last blog post. Something along the "working on secret knitted gifts, can't talk about it, no time to post" has been posted on many knitting blogs. And I am here to say "Me too!" I'm too busy to post. I'm working on like three things currently and I can post pictures of none of them. They are keeping me busy and I promise photos of all current projects will post after the holidays.

So, while I have no pictures of projects to show I do have some pictures of my 2nd awesome Secret Pal package! Pretty, pretty green yarn to begin with! It's a nice finger weight wool, perfect for warm winter socks! Once I opened the entire package this is what was included:
Yummy, yummy cookies, cute note cards, place markers by Lion Brand, a cute Christmas note pad complete with pen, fun Christmas bear soap, and my most favorite thing of all...a handmade needle holder! I can now stop storing my needles in my sewing bag held together with a rubber band! Yay for organization!







Thank you Secret Pal! Thank you!

Happy Holiday Knitting!

What's in a Name

Sara Kirby -- [noun]: A dance involving little to no clothing 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Defeat

I was not raised to be a quitter. I was raised to recognize my strengths and to have the knowledge to know when I've been defeated.

Meet my competitor and the victor of this Sweater Tank Competition:

First Place goes to the Brown Sweater Tank who wore this lovely two toned shade of Chocolate Cascade Yarn.






Personally, I don't think this sweater ever wanted to be created. As a result, it made knitting it as difficult as possible. First there was the two purl stitches instead of knitted in the ribbing portion of the sweater band. Then there was the time that I dropped a stitch and unraveled about 10 rows thinking that was the only solution. Then I ran out of yarn (I had used 2 skeins given to me by my SP8) when the pattern said I would only need 2 skeins. So I order more yarn and cannot really tell untill about 5 more rows in that the new yarn is a different dye lot and the color is so incredibly off that I won't be able to wear the garment. I am not detered though and decide that I will finish the garment anyway and it will be my first hand made knitted garment and it can be a rough draft for a future perfect one.

However, after all the knitting, and the blocking, and the buying, I am defeated in the final stages. I did not see this coming. It has never been a problem in the past. Apparently my binding skills are lacking. I bound off the neck band and can't get the darn thing over my head! I ripped it all out last night and re-bound off the neck and still no better.


So I give the winner's metal to the brown sweater tank. Perhaps another day, another yarn, closer to spring, but for the winter my friend I consider myself defeated.


Happy Knitting!

Ornaments are fun!

This is my brother holding a tree ornament. When I asked him what he was doing he very dryly said, "I feel like a giant"

Cats and Christmas Trees

I'm not quite sure what it is about cats and Christmas trees but a lot of Xmas movies have cats chewing wires or knocking down trees. Perhaps it is just that Christmas in general is not meant for cats...and maybe they know it! I mean it's the only time during the year where everyone wants to bring pointsettas into their homes and FYI, cats can die if they eat pointsettas.

My cat would definitely die because he has to eat all plants in my house. As a matter of fact I don't even keep plants because I know that Bobi is going to try to eat them. I have three bamboo stalks that my aunt gave me as a house warming gift in June and now instead of green they are yellow and all their leaves have what appear to be little teeth marks. Personally I think it is Bobi's way of picking on living things that are smaller than him. Humans pick on Bobi, Bobi picks on plants...and goldfish.

Anyway getting back to my point about cats and Christmas. Well this is what Bobi did four years ago:
Yup, that tree is knocked over and there is Bobi to the right looking like "I don't know what your're talking about. This big green thing fell over on it's own."





So here is this years Christmas tree and so far Bobi has only attempted to drink it's water. I've batted his nose each time I've been around and told him "no" but he just seems to think that any available water in an open container is meant for his enjoyment:
I don't think he'll be able to knock this tree over.








He's been spending most of his time climbing into the bay window and knocking over fake candle lights and other such breakables. Once again flexing his power over things smaller than him, especially if they are in his way.
Happy Knitting!

FO's and Turkey Day Part Deux, note: very picture heavy.

When you celebrate the holidays spending time at all your relatives' homes but not your own you often find yourself with the "I have no left over's" Syndrome. It is because of this that my girlfriend Bridget and I decided to have Thanksgiving Part Deux!

Here's a lovely shot of the turkey pre-cooking and then the basting of :












Then it was time to carve and sit down to our lovely second meal which was so full of leftovers my mother suggested that I freeze some!









Happy Thanksgiving Part Deux!

So, last night I finished two projects! I was so excited. I started like 50...or 5 projects all in the same month and knew it was going to take a while to get through them all. I can now officially check Odessa and the Red Scarf project scarf off of my WIP's list!

Here's what I learned from my Odessa:










When you are afraid you might run out of yarn, don't shorten the project by about an inch just to see the finished project, you should use all your yarn and see if you can finish the project. I ended up doing this and now Odessa could fit a child's head but not not my monster cranium! Also, if your ears stick out at all, this is not the hat for you. My left ear, which is not shown in this picture, tends to have a bit of a Dumbo effect to it and it totally popped the other side of the hat out.

And here is my Red Scarf: pre-block
It's really quite thick but I am going to block it and stretch it a little.

I think it drapes nice though and will be plenty long enough for whoever receives it.




Here's a close up of the design:

Happy Knitting!