It's almost Thanksgiving!

Ohh I love this time of the year because of the food (definintely not because of the weather)! My parents and sister will be coming into town today! Caiti can help me make up my deviled eggs and pumpkin rolls! That's all I'm required to make for Thanksgiving! I've been running around the house doing some cleaning, getting things in order and making room for the new arrivals! Not only is my family coming, but also their 3 dogs! We look like a dog pound when everyone is here! It's great though!

We've been working on the house a bit more! I bought some "cornor" pieces for the crown molding because we realized (after an hour or trial an error) that the room is not square! Suprise Suprise! So the normal 45 degree cuts to make the crown molding square wasn't going to work! I'm hoping Mikie can get them put up today, probably not before my family gets here, but just the same!

I have finally come to terms with the fact we can't find a piece of panneling (which I truly hate) to fix the one piece (where the old window was) we need on the wall. So I went and bought the cheapest piece of panneling to put up. It's wood, but not the same as the rest of the walls. I will either have to paint or wallpaper that room...eventually. But atleast there wont be a huge hole in the living room. Since that's the room you first walk into when you enter the house, it's so obvious!

Lane is excited because his "moomaw" and "poopaw" are coming! He loves to spend time with them and I'm greatful that they only live 7 hours away! They can spend time with their only grandkiddo!

We will be venturing to Nana's house to eat tomorrow probably at noon and then again around 6. You can never get enough Thanksgiving! Mom and I will be doing some Black Friday Shopping on Friday morning and it's supposed to rain. Lucky us? Maybe that means more people will stay home! Hey I can hope right? Friday night we will go to the Lion's Club Park where they do the lighting of the Christmas Trees in Jefferson and it will kick off our Candle Light Tour!

Monday is the Christmas parade. We have decided NOT to ride in the parade since it is after dark and we're not sure how the horses will take to that since we rarely ride after dark! BUT I plan on taking Lane to see the Santa Train that is stopping in Jefferson! Santa will be there along with reindeer! It'll be really neat (atleast I hope so) and then we will venture over to town and watch the parade!

Lots of great things planned. Not a lot of knitting going on (I always seem to wait to the last minute for those christmas presents)!

Off to go clean something else! GAR!!!

~danielle~

It's cold in Texas!

Today I had a chance to just sit down and knit! Lane and Mikie decided to nap and I didn't feel like I really needed a nap so I caught up on a few shows (Ugly Beatty, Grey's Anatomy and 2 episodes of Dr. Phil) and I knitted! I finished my section on the "smurf" oddball blanket for our SW region and I knitted my part on the "Kitty Cuddles" pet snuggle! I was glad to get them both done as I know I still have a lot to knit before christmas!

I was happy to just curl up and watch my shows today too! I have so much on the DVR I need to catch up on. Now that the weather is getting cold I'm sure I'll have more time to do that!

My family will be coming into town on Wednesday! I'm excited. Thanksgiving is always so much fun here and everyone EATS like crazy. I'm supposed to make 3 pumpkin rolls (my grandma O's receipe) and a couple dozen deviled eggs. Not too bad for thanksgiving!

Not too much going on with me. I've still got this head cold and now that the weather is cold that surely doesn't help. Mikie was able to shoot 2 doe last week, so we will have plenty of deer meat in the freezer again this year! He's been duck hunting a couple times, which he loves! It's just way too cold for me to be out there! So I'm happy to kiss him at 4am, tell him I love him, to be careful and have a great time. He usually gets home around 10am. So it works out well for me and for him!

I watched a movie called "in the land of women". It was uhm.. weird? I'm not sure why I thought it would be good, but I did. It wasn't anything to write home about. Kind of slow in parts and really just didn't go anywhere. Ahh well. Bring on another movie from Netflix!

Guess I'll go read, or watch tv, or knit or sleep. Or who knows what. I'm a bit bored. Getting the blues I think from being in doors and cold. BRR. Can it be summer yet? :)

~danielle~

Mittens for Afghans for Afghans project!

I knitted these mittens for a project called Afghans for Afghans! They were collecting 300 pairs of wool mittens to send over to Afghan. It's part of a project that the US does to show support to the Afghans. http://www.afghansforafghans.org/. They also send blakets, socks and other "warmup" items.

I knitted these from some left over Cascade 220 I had when I knitted my nieces their princess hats! They are made in a size small in wool so they will be nice and warm! I hope they warm the hands (and the heart) of a small child this winter!

~danielle~

Lane Vs The Mudhole!

Lane decided he wanted to build a "house" yesterday. The weather was beautiful so I let him outside. I didn't realize that the huge flower pot (it once had a water garden in it) was filled with water from the rains we had last week. Lane used his wheel barrow to gather the water and dump it into this hole he dug. His tractors had to work in it and he had to work in it. Before long he was nothing but a muddy mess. Well I decided he was already dirty, I might as well let him continue to play. It was in the lower 70's yesterday, so it wasn't as though he would catch a chill from the mud/water.

He played and played and played in there until I finally had to pull him out at 3:30 to race to town to get to the post office before it closed. Who knew mud could be so much fun? I'll have to go out and try to fill in the hole later. It's much cooler today (in the 50's for the high) so we wont be going out to play in the mud. I'll have to be sure to empty that big pot as well or he'll just create another one!

BOYS!! :)

~danielle~

Boy I don't like to be sick!

I've had this headcold for going on 3 weeks now. It has just taken up residence and refuses to leave! I guess I'm going to have to send an eviction notice or something! Geeez. Oh to breathe again! LOL!

Our church has collected 16 Samaritan purses. They are hoping to get to 25 by next Sunday. I turned mine in and was quite happy. I know a little girl out there will be quite thrilled with the items Lane and I put together for her. I don't think he quite gets the concept of giving yet, but that's ok. He will eventually!

The weather has turned colder so we're having to bundle up more! I dislike being cold. But maybe it's not so bad, I'll get more time in for reading and knitting since I'll be curled up more!

I'm mailing out a pair of gloves I knitted for Afghans for Afghans. They are collecting 300 pairs of mittens to send home with an Ambassador from Afghan. I think it's to show the love and the support the US has for the children there. They are purple! I was quite pleased with how they turned out!

We will be riding in the Jefferson and Harleton Christmas parades this year. It will be a lot of fun. I'll be exciting to see how he does in a parade envirnoment and with a lot of other ruckus going on! The Jefferson parade is at night at 6pm on December 1st. The Harleton parade is during the morning on December 13th at 11am. Both will be fun I'm sure!

I've put in a few applications to see about going back to work. I don't really want to, but I know we want/need to get the addition done and the area finished for the horse and Mikie works hard, but there's just so much that needs to be done. Maybe his dad will give him a raise or will split profit with him from time to time and I wont have to go back to work! LOL here's to that thought, right? One day he'll run the business and hopefully things wont always be so tight! We hope to start looking for land or a house this time next year. His red work truck will almost be paid off and we'll only have my car payment! Plus we hope the economy is better so we can get a good interest rate!

I finished reading Flying Changes by Sara Gruen. A very nice sequal to "Riding Lessons". I was pleased with the ending. I thought it a little strange that is was able to take in her ex-husband's and wife's new baby like that. But I guess when you've longed for another child and he has no other place to go, you do what you have to do. It'll be for the best because she is a wonderful, caring mother! Definitely a good read.

I started Courting Trouble by Deeanne Gist. I saw her speak at Books-alive 2008 at the church and just loved her. She's so inspiring when she speaks and I'm sure I'll feel the same way as I read her books!

Time to go curl up and relax for a bit. I'm getting cold! I took a 4 hour nap today (not on purpose) so I'm no where near ready for bed at 9:30pm!

~danielle~

Making Parrot sweaters!

My aunt sent me a link from bestfriends.org website about knitting/sewing/crocheting for parrots! Evidently they are in need of "flashy" sweaters to help protect and distract the parrots that would usually pluck out their feathers (usually b/c of stress).

So I've made a post on my knittinghelp.com site and I'm hoping a few others will pitch in and make a parrot sweater! I have 5.5 pairs of clogs left to do so I'm not sure it'll be there before christmas, but I'm sure they'd be happy with parrot sweaters any day of the week!

A pattern has been given for knitting and now how to make one out of an existing sock! I hope others will make up a few sweaters for these beautiful birds! The patterns are located at the bottom of the page within the comments portion.

http://news.bestfriends.org/index.cfm?page=news&mode=entry&entry=637EA3C1-19B9-B9D5-9D969085FEBFB91B&utm_source=delivra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Ripple+effect

~danielle~

Good Samaritan boxes!

Our church is handing out Good Samaritan Purses (boxes) http://www.samaritanspurse.org/ for us to fill and bring back. I didn't do it last year and felt sad about it later. The boxes aren't huge and it doesn't take a lot to fill one. So I grabbed one! I'm doing it for a little girl age 2-4.

I included some suckers, tootsie rolls and peperment sticks, these are things Lane can eat! I put in some samples (I hope this isn't tacky) that I had for Huggies bath and body wash (I figured I could include more items if not everything was store bought). There is enough for a week's worth of baths. I put in a blue fuzzy teddybear and some little noise maker toys. I put in some cute colored rings, a pair of chenile gloves, and little beauty kit that includes a mirror, comb, brush and an aloofa with it's on storage unit.

I am going to get a few items at walmart: Coloring book and crayons, hairbows/ties, toothbrush and some toothpaste.

I put in two pairs of socks that I crochet beads around the edge (size 3-5 years). One is pink the other is purple. I am also going to knit up a little pink hat (with fun fur if I have the right color) to include.

I'm not sure what else to include in this box. I'm not thinking much else will fit in there! Please if someone thinks the samples of the shampoo/body wash is tacky, PLEASE tell me! I don't want to look like a total goof!

I think I might include a little christmas letter/card (I will hand make it) in there for the receipent and her parents! I know she wont be able to read, but she might enjoy a little letter telling her about her items and a bit about our family!

~danielle~

Rain, Rain, go away!

This the 2nd day of rain! It's cold and wet and gives me the BLUES?!! I'll be happy when this rain moves on out of here!

I went to Books-Alive on Saturday! I only stayed for the morning session, I just didn't feel very good! I heard some great authors speak! I picked up a book by Deeanne Gist called "Courting Trouble". Another friend at church picked up the 2nd book and we decided we'll switch off so we can both read the series! I look forward to finding other books she has written as well! I also heard a couple other authors I would love to read books by such as Kitty Chappell, Marcia Gruver, Jayne Joudan, Laura Flett and Suzanne McLeannan! If I would of had the money I would of bought books from all of those authors! I'm hoping some of the other ladies at church bought them and I can borrow them! :)

Last Thursday night I went to a scrapbook "class" at Roys Toys and Trains in town. It was a lot of fun! I met a few new people and hope that I can start "cropping" with these ladies once or month or so in the near future! Maybe that will get me working on my scrapbooks again!

I have been working on clogs! I have grandpa's 2 knitted up (will felt them all later) and one of grandma's knitted up. I found a good deal on the patons sws yarn today at michaels 2 for $3. They are usually 5.99$ a skein! So I have all the yarn I to complete mine, mikie's, lane's, my dad's and my mom's. I will do 7 pairs when it's all done. I'll post pictures soon!

I have this head cold I can't seem to get rid of. It has taken up residence and it's really time it find a new place to rent! I have such a headache in the morning when I first wake up from all the pressure that just builds up! UGH!

I am currently reading "riding lessons" by Sara Gruen. Great book so far. I also found the sequel to it! My shelf is building again on the books I want to read! It's always building though :)

I hope I can join the book club in my area next year. I'd love to be able to talk about the books I read and find great recommendations!

Alright, I should cook some dinner and call my mom. I called earlier and my sister answered.... I'm assuming my mom never got the message! SISTERS?! :)

~danielle~

Playing catch up!

It seems like ages ago since I made a post. We've just been so busy I haven't had time to sit down and post! The trunk or treat at church was a blast. Lane, Alli (my niece) and Aj (my nephew) had a wonderful time! They got lots of candy, were able to jump in the bounce house and played lots of games. What more could a kid want?

Lane really enjoyed going trick or treating this year. He really understood what it ment, and why, who doesn't love candy? He didn't understand why we couldn't go on Saturday night! Ahh to be 4 again!

I finished the book "Dark Roots and Cowboy Boots" by LuAnn McLane. I LOVED it. Her southern humor was hilarious and poor Jamie Lee, that girl has problems! I mean, two hot men, one flashy and all LA and the other tall, dark and manly. How in the world can that no be the icing on the cake?! Plus she manages to get herself in such pickles! I can't wait to get ahold of the sequel where Macy (her best friend) finally lands Luke (Jamie Lee's brother). There are a few other in the "southern" series that she has. Definitely a great author!

I read "The Rustler" by Linda Lael Miller. This is part of the Stone Creek series. It's about Wyatt ( I really like that name), which is Rhowdy's brother. I was a little disappointed with the end. It just kind of ended. I felt the last 30 pages were just too rushed. There was no big, finale like I expected. Overall the book was good though. I was glad to revisit old characters and glad to be back in the little town of Stone Creek. I look foward to reading more from her!

I started "Riding Lessons" by Sara Gruen. I saw it in Books-a-million one day and thought it looked interested. It's about a girl, Annemarie Zimmerman that was a very accomplished rider. She suffers a terrible fall and finds her self paralized (temporarily) and the horse she loves had to be put to sleep. I'm very excited about this book as I've found a new love for horses and riding.

I have been reading a lot and not so much knitting. I need to get back on my knitting horse I guess. It's so hard to balance the two! I can devour a book in a day if I'm really into it. I guess I will have to go back to knitting/crocheting while I watch tv/movies and reading when I'm not!

I thought I would add a picture of my horse! His name is Royal Kings Doc, or Vandal as I call him. He's 13 years old. He's a sorrel gelding. He's about 14.2 hands and he's just wonderful with me. He works well with leg pressure and very easy on the reins. We seem to be working well as a team! I've joined the AQHA riding club and I'm logging my hours each week. My goal is to ride 2-3 times a week , which accounts for about 4.5-5 hours of riding a week. There are milestones with this program. At 50 hours you receive a gift certificate to Drysdales and then at 100 you have the option to buy a windbreaker and so on. I'm very excited about this. Karon (my step-mother-in-law) and I are having so much fun.





~danielle

Doesn't he look beauiful in pink? One day I'll get a picture with the full getup! :)