PhotoHunter - Self

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40PC, #5

It's time for 40PC, #5. If you would like to play click on the picture above and see what it's all about! Here is this weeks picture that was taken by Pensieve herself. This week Pensieve told us that she loves Limericks. So I thought that I would try to write one. It was fun and easy to do. I only had trouble with my last line but then it came to me as soon as I left it alone.

A Net, a circle and a square?

Do you think it could really go in there?

Now looking at the sky,

I often wonder why.

Do people out there really care?

SP12 Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I'll start with what I don't like and that's scratch acrylic. I can handle some acrylic but really don't like acrylic that much at all. What I like to knit with natural fibers.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
Store needles??? Am I supposed to store them in something??? hehehe I either can find my needles on a project, in a pencil container on my desk or somewhere in my craft room.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I started knitting after the Christmas of 2004 when my son gave me a teach yourself to knit kit. I learned how to knit and really haven't stopped yet. I would consider myself an intermediate knitter.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Not yet but I'm putting one together! I'll post it in my sidebar once I get it up and going.

5. What's your favorite scent?
Gardenia and Magnolia would be the top two. In fact they are a tie for first.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Oh, boy, do I ever have a sweet tooth! Favorite candy would have to be a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. That and anything chocolate!

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I cross stitch, sew, quilt a bit and try to do just about every other craft out there. I love fixing up things around the house too.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I generally listen to Contemporary Christian music but also love the music styles of the 80's, 70's, 60's, and 50's. Love Classical music too. Oh...and musicals too!

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand
My favorite color would probably be blue.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Married to Andy for almost 17 years. One son, Sam, that we adopted when he was 4 months old, he's now 8 years old. Have two dogs, 3 cats, 1 hermit crab, 1 fish and I think that is plenty!

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I wear scarves, hats, mittens and ponchos.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Favorite item to knit right now is socks! Love to knit socks. In fact I have two pairs on the needles right now.

13. What are you knitting right now?
Gee, I should have read this question before I answered the one before....Socks!

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Of course! Who doesn't?

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
It all depends on the project. I use straight and circular needles, bamboo and aluminum.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Nope I sure don't...but one day I will.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
Probably about a year and a half old. I have a couple of scarves that I got bored of so now they are sitting there waiting for me to pick them up again. I probably will again soon as they will make good summer projects while I run Sam around.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas!!!

19. Is there anything that you collect?
I collect snowmen. Also anything Americana and Lighthouses.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
As far as magazines: Interweave Knits and Creative Knitting are two magazines that I have subscribed to in the past but they have now run out.
As far as Books: I would love to get my hands on: Favorite Socks 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I would love to learn the Magic Loop and also Knitting Two Socks on Circulars.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes, I'm a sock knitter. 8 3/4" is the circumference. I do, however, have a very short feet. They measure in length: 8 1/4" from heal to toe. If I measure to the ball of my foot it's 6". I've never measured for the socks that I make except for the length to make sure my sock doesn't come out to long.

23. When is your birthday?
My birthday is September 19th.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID
Yes I am! My id is MisplacedMidwest

If there is anything else my wonderful partner wants to know please email me and I'll get the answers to you! :)

Busy, Busy, Busy!

I've been busy around here and haven't had much time to not only visit my favorite blogs but also update my own.

The newest news, or at least it's news to Sam, is that we got a pool! I joined Freecycle and posted on several of the local groups that I had a son that loves to swim but we didn't have a pool. I had a lady that answered me and she had one that her daughter was getting rid of and it was mine! What I love about Freecycle is that it is free to join and everything must be free that you are giving away. So I now have an above ground pool that is 3 1/2 feet tall by 14 feet across, the ladder to get in it and the filter and hoses. This type of pool runs anywhere between $200 - $300 in the stores! Andy and I spent this last Friday and Saturday setting it up and Sam was in it late Saturday afternoon. As soon as we got home from church on Sunday he was back in it. And of course he was back in it yesterday. Here are a few pictures so far:
Starting to fill up the pool. Started on Friday evening and finished Saturday afternoon.
Sam checking out the progress of the pool. The wait was about to drive him (and us) crazy!
I asked Sam if he was excited about having a pool and you tell his answer by the look on his face.
Finally in the pool and enjoying himself. I know that I cut his head off in this photo and he's not centered but I still enjoy looking at the expression on his face. Pure happiness!
So far this is my favorite picture. In fact it is now the wallpaper on my computer.

I know that I'll be spending money on the upkeep of this pool but with the cost of gas now I know that I'll be coming out ahead in my pocketbook! Instead of having to drive to a pool or water park, which we still might do, I can walk out our backdoor and have a ton of fun in our own backyard.

Yesterday was Memorial Day and we had a wonderful dinner with two great friends, Beth and Bobby. They came over mid-afternoon and we had a lot of fun playing games, watching Sam swim in his pool, enjoying a wonderful dinner and of course friendship. I actually didn't take many pictures yesterday but do have some of my table and Beth's wonderful dessert.
Centerpiece was from a luncheon that was held at our church. I wasn't the "official" winner at the table I was sitting at but no one else really wanted it. I snatched it up and now have been putting it to use.
All that is missing now is the food!

Beth's dessert was sooooo good. And, Sam took this picture! He did a great job as the pictures I took of it didn't come out very good.

We had two milestones in Sam's life these past few weeks The first one is that Sam got his first Bible. He was very excited about receiving it and loves it. Of course, I had brought my camera with me to capture the moment but then realized that I had to go ring with one of the handbell choirs and couldn't take a picture then. So, I did the next best thing. I got a picture of him and our Senior Pastor after church.

Dear Sam,

I hope that one day you will look back on the day that you received your first Bible and know what a great day it was. I hope that your love of Jesus continues to grow and grow every day. I see you growing every day in your Christianity but probably don't tell you enough, I'll try to do better as you grow. I also wish for you that your children will learn as much from you as you do from them. I learn so much every day with you in my life. I thank God every day for putting you into our lives.

Love you,
Mom

The second milestone is that Sam has officially ranked as a Wolf in Cub Scouts. He had ranked quite earlier but we had the official ranking at our last Pack meeting. He's pretty proud of it and will now be a Bear next year.


I guess that's it for the updates now. I could go on and on with other things we have done but this is getting long enough. Counting today Sam only has 7 more days of school left and I don't know if he can contain his excitement about Summer Break starting. We are on our official countdown. We have a lot planned...but that's another post.

40PC, #4

It's time for 40PC, #3. If you would like to play click on the picture above and see what it's all about! Here is this weeks picture that was taken by Pensieve herself. I had a hard time doing it in 40 words or less this week but I ended up with exactly 40. Enjoy!

Cherry or Strawberry on a stick,

You know you want a lick!

Green fields are pulling me to go play

But the sucker wants me to stay.

Stay and lick it's sugary delight.

Can I make it last till night?

**UPDATE**
Now my son, Sam, has written a poem to go with the picture:

Little Lollipop, pop, pop, pop,
I give you a slurp.

I lick you with delight.
I can not wait till night.

Lollipop, lollipop good night.

And now two more that he just wrote off the top of his head:

It's a fact.
It's a fact.
We know it's really true
How about you?

Butter, butter
I truly adore you.
I like the goo
That is in you.

He really is a creative kid. LOVE HIM!

Friday's Feast

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Appetizer: What is the nearest big city to your home?

Considering that I live in Arlington TX, I guess that I would have to say that it would be either Dallas or Ft Worth TX.

Soup: On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets?

I would have to say a 9 or a 10. It really depends on what the secret is.

Salad: Describe your hair (color, texture, length).

My hair is brown, long (past the shoulders), and very thick.

Main Course: What kind of driver are you? Courteous? Aggressive? Slow?

I say that I am a very courteous driver.

Dessert: When was the last time you had a really bad week?

I really have bad days more then I ever have bad weeks. I can't remember the last time I had a bad week. Guess that's a good thing.

40PC, #3

It's time for 40PC, #3. If you would like to play click on the picture above and see what it's all about! Here is this weeks picture that was taken by Pensieve herself. I wrote in Haiku form again. Enjoy!

TURN DOWN SERVICE

Sweet dark chocolate.

Flowers are a special treat.
Letters from the heart.

White fluffy pillows.

Downy duvet keeps me warm.

Sleep beckons me home.

Summer Reading

I am starting to work on summer activities for Sam like I did last summer. The planning stage is pretty much either still in my head or on the computer and I really need to get going on it since I have about one month to finalize some of them. One thing that I am really looking into is a summer reading program to keep him (and myself) reading through out the summer. I know that our library is going to have one but they won't have the information out until June 1st. So I have gone on the hunt for others. Today I found out that Barnes and Noble and Scholastic both have a good reading program for summer that rewards the kids and other kids in need. Check them out!

Do you have a summer reading program that you do with your kids or have done in the past? If so I'd love to hear about them.

Keeping in mind that Sam is 8 and going into 3rd grade...what are (or were) your kids favorite books?

This one is for me...what are your favorite books/authors? I'm always looking for new ones.

GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLL!

Today during Sam's fourth soccer game he scored a goal! This morning while we were getting ready he came up to me and told me that he thought he might get his goal today. I told him that he needs to restate his sentence and say it like this, "I can and I will get my goal today!"

He did and I guess it worked! He took the ball from the opponents goal and took it all the way down to their goal and shot it in hard. I was so excited at this long run and goal that I forgot to get a picture of it while it was happening. I gook over 60 photos today during the game but not that. Oh well. That memory will be in my mind forever.

These have been low scoring games as there were only enough boys in their age group to make two teams so they play each other every week. They are starting not only to develop more skills but are also learning what the other teams strengths and weaknesses are. It's a lot of fun to watch.

Here is a picture of Sam before the game in the parking lot. Love his shades!

PhotoHunter - Share Any Photo

Today is a "Share any photo" day at PhotoHunter. Since I'm only in my second week I chose to use one of the past themes. I used: Old Fashioned.

**Update** Forgot to mention that although I would love to have this old truck, it is not mine. We saw this truck last year when we took my parents to the Christmas Train (in Jefferson County) in east Texas the day after Thanksgiving. It was a great trip.

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Friday's Feast

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Appetizer: When someone smiles at you, do you smile back?
Of course! Don't you?

Soup: Describe the flooring in your home. Do you have carpet, hardwood, vinyl, a mix?
We have carpet through out most of the house with some linoleum and ceramic tile.

Salad: Write a sentence with only 5 words, but all of the words have to start with the first letter of your first name.
Kangaroos kindly keep kicking kettles.

Main Course: Do you know anyone whose life has been touched by adoption?
ME! We adopted our son almost 8 years ago. He was 4 1/2 months old when we got him and he's been the light in our lives ever since. Of course, all of our family and friends have been touched by adoption too. In fact one of our best friends in Nashville, TN, adopted their daughter shortly after we adopted Sam after they saw how happy we were with our adoption.

Dessert: Name 2 blue things
The ocean and the sky. Those are the first two items that came to my mind.

40PC #2

It's time for 40PC #2. If you would like to play click on the picture above and see what it's all about!

Here is this weeks picture that was taken by Pensieve herself. I can't believe it! I did it in exactly 40 words.

Walking through heaven's doors can be no more than this.

A sight for all to behold, for all to see.

After a lifetime here on earth, this will be bliss.

For this is where you have always wanted to be.

Slow Cooker Homemade Sloppy Joe's

Yesterday I tried my hand at making Homemade Sloppy Joe's. I was in the mood to have them but didn't have my usual packet or can of sloppy joe mix. So to the computer I went to find a recipe because I couldn't find my grandma's recipe. I thought that I had it but if I do it's not with my recipes or in one of the old church recipe books. I found a TON of recipes on the Internet but none that really peaked my interest. So I made it up as I went along. After reading through so many of them I knew the basics and went to town. I am turning into my dad when it comes to some of my cooking because when I make it up as I go along I tend to forget what I did and don't write it down. I used what I had here at the house and if you would like to give it a try here is approximately what I did.

Slow Cooker Homemade Sloppy Joe's

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground turkey
3 tbs dried onion
1 red bell pepper diced
2 tbs of Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic (this is basically minced garlic, minced onion, salt, garlic powder, and chives)
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp chili powder
1 can tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
3 tbs vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce

Brown the meat and just before the meat was completely browned I added in the dried onions. Drain the meat. Return meat to pan and add in the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Put everything into a slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

It turned out so well that we all had seconds! It even made enough that I have leftovers in the freezer for another night.

PhotoHunter - Time

I'm joining in on another Meme....PhotoHunter. This week's theme is Time.

Had It Again

I finally made one of our family favorites again! I've had the ingredients for quite some time now and have been planning on doing it...sometime. Then today was finally the day. Even Andy asked when I was planning on making it. I actually could say, TONIGHT! It is my chicken pot pie and instead of typing out the recipe again you can find it here.

Friday's Feast

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Appetizer: What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child?
I watched quite a few cartoons growing up and they were all wonderful and I don't know if I really had just one favorite. The first one that comes to my mind though is "The Jetsons". Loved it then and still love watching it now with my son. He really likes them.

Soup: Pretend you are about to get a new pet. Which animal would you pick, and what would you name it?
If I were to get a new pet it would probably be a kitten. My dear Abby passed away this past March. We had her for 16 1/2 years...just as long as we've been married. I know I wouldn't ever be able to replace her but I would love to get another cat. But...don't worry I'm not getting one yet. We have enough pets around here. As far as what name I would pick? I generally have to see the animal and see it's personality before I can ever pick a name.

Here is a picture of Abby when we were living in Louisiana. Taken roughly two years ago.

Salad: On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion?
I think it all depends on the special occasion. But generally I do like getting all dressed up for those wonderful special occasions that you wait and wait for to finally come. So I guess I would rate getting dressed up as an 8+.

Main Course: What kind of music do you listen to while you drive?
Generally I listen to the local Christian stations but it also depends on who is in the car with me.

Dessert: When was the last time you bought a clock? And in which room did you put it?
I haven't purchased a clock in FOREVER! The last we purchased was just a simple wall clock to hang in my husbands office. Before that it was a clock for my nightstand. Now what I really want to do for a clock right now is to find an old board game, put in a clock kit and then hang it in my kitchen!

Forty-or-less- Photo Challenge

I'm going to give Pensieve's Photo 40 Challenge a try. I found her blog during the bloggy giveaways and have enjoyed reading it for the past week. She is starting this challenge where she will post a picture on Wednesday and then,

"Inspired by what you see and how you interpret the picture, write:
- A 40-or-less-word caption
- A 40-or-less-word title
- A 40-or-less-word post
- A 40-or-less-word poem
- 40 or less syllables of either!" -- taken from her site rules.

So here is the first one done in haiku style:

Summer is now here.

I'm REJOICING in my life.

Celebrate the day.