Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

What better reason for some good Mexican food and drink?



Tomatillas, onions, and cilantro. Wish I had red onions but had to make do with Vidalia.



Finely chopped jalapeno ready for the bowl.



Why yes, it's Tomatillo Salsa Verde. Should be excellent with the steak fajita salad and top shelf margaritas that are on the menu for tonight.

Cinco de Mayo is not much of a Mexican holiday but Mexican-Americans have made it a holiday. It is a day to celebrate the culture and experiences of Americans of Mexican descent.

(Some of) The Cactus of Arizona

On our recent travels in Arizona, I was surprised at the many different kinds of cactus that grow there. I tried to photograph as many varieties as I could. I won't even pretend to know their names. I wished I had been there when they were blooming. If you want to see me up close and personal with a cactus, scroll through to the end of the post. (As always, click on a picture for a clearer view.)



















I was attacked by this cactus. I didn't even touch it. I guess I brushed by just close enough that it "jumped" out to attack me.



Those little quills are sharp, sharp, sharp and are not at all easy to get out. Even through my pant leg they were stuck into my skin. And of course when I grabbed one with my hand, then it was stuck in my hand.





Incredible saguaro cacti.

Take Us Out to the Ball Game

Vacation in Arizona. Cubs Spring Training, March 10. YAY!



Big surprise during one of the middle innings. That's the Cleveland Indians in the outfield. Don't be afraid to click on the picture to see a larger version.



CUBS WIN!!! CUBS WIN!!!
Game winning single in the bottom of the ninth...

Just What a Good Day Should Be

Today was one of those days that just feels good. It was a day filled with good friends, compassionate sharing, and fun times.

The day started with an invigorating two mile walk with Wayne. This was followed by two hours of knitting and conversation with two dear friends.

Next, I delivered these...



58 hats to the local NICU and mother-baby unit. They are easy knitting that makes a big difference to tiny humans.

After that I met up with Wayne for an unusual tour of Annapolis. It was AWESOME! I'm sure there will be more Segway excursions in my future. After just a few minutes I totally had control of my Segway and was surprised at just how much fun it was.

Island Time

Last weekend Wayne and I had a weekend away on an island. A quiet, rainy, companionable weekend. I have missed the ocean during this past long cold winter.

We took some time to see the island wildlife.

Yes, we were at Chincoteague Island Virginia and those are the ponies made famous by the children's story, Misty of Chincoteague. (click on the pictures if you want a bigger look)

There was also knitting. The impetus for the trip was to attend a sock knitting workshop. I enjoyed the weekend of classes taught by my friend Wendy. I chatted with the other participants, some of whom came from as far away as London (yes, UK), Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. I completed every class project. And I knit on another pair of socks. The new Sock Madness 5 pattern was released a few hours after I got there so knitting on them began in earnest that night. I had the pair almost half done by the time I got home on Sunday. I finished them Wednesday morning before my team was full so I will be knitting in the next round too. I really like the pattern but sadly, they do not fit me over the instep so they will be frogged and I will use the yarn for another pair. I may even try to make a pair of these that WILL fit me.

Shockingly bright orange they are indeed!

My Special Valentine

As Valentine's Day approaches I finally put to paper the scrapbook layout that has been in my mind for at least the last four years. Doesn't take me long to make a page, does it? Actually, this page took very little "making time" and most of that was spent looking for a font and deciding on the placement for the four small photos.


My valentines for this year are made and in the mail too. Bring on the holiday. I just need to finish deciding about what special foods to serve my Valentine.

She Really Has Hair

When the children were young, one of our favorite places to visit in St Louis was "The Magic House." Lots of fun things to do and a special favorite was the ball of static electricity. So funny to make your hair stand on end.

Chris discovered that we could create a similar effect here - and the Ladybug, who looks pretty hairless most of the time, does indeed have hair. It's longer than I thought, too. Click on the pictures so you can see the full effect.

Too Many Photos

I just spent most of the morning looking for a picture I didn't find. I found lots of other photos though, and sorted some of them. I am overwhelmed by the sheer number of photos. And those were only the pre-digital photos. What will I do with them all and what will happen to them? Some will be scrapbooked someday, I hope. That is why I was looking for the particular photo in the first place. I had a whole page made in my mind and wanted to actually put it on paper. Without the picture, I just lost interest. Photos and memorabilia are so disorganized in my studio. I really can't get my brain around somehow making it accessible and usable. That's a project for another day... for several other days actually.

I decided today would also be a good day to upload pictures from my camera, organize them on the hard drive a bit, and share a couple here and on a knitting site.

Sunday we celebrated the Ladybug's birthday with a party for her (local) family and friends. It was low-key and fun; just right for a one-year-old.

She had yet another cake to explore... and is probably wondering why this keeps happening to her...




And a big pile of gifts...



I'll end with a photo I love because of the joy on her face...



Mirrors are so fun...

Three Birthday Girls

December and January bring birthdays for our three granddaughters. What a happy time!

The Peanut turned 4 and celebrated with a Minnie Mouse party.




The ladybug celebrated her first birthday with lots of cake.




The princess will turn 7 this week and we had an early birthday celebration in December.

Intentions

Did you notice there is no mention on my blog of resolutions, New Year's or otherwise? I've never been much for resolutions. As a child they didn't make much sense to me. This year I've been thinking a lot about what I intend to do. Semantics, maybe, but it works better for me. So, here's a few...

I intend to...
* post here at least monthly or at least 12 times in 2011.
* use my right brain more and get some of the scrapbook layouts and ideas that in my brain onto paper.
* work at organizing my digital photos and other digital files. If I can get to it, scan some of my older photos.
* manage my food consumption for better control of weight and diabetes.
* continue to build my personal cookbook.
* spend more time with the people I love, savoring all of the small, special moments in life.
* enjoy regular knitting and crafting dates with my friends.
* knit, knit, knit

We'll see how it goes...

Good-bye 2010

Ah, the end of another year. Usually it's just another day to me. But today, I've been thinking about all the ways that I'm closing out 2010.

1. The kitchen floor and my bedroom floor are clean. The rest of the house, meh, not so much.
2. Clean sheets on the bed for our first sleep of 2011. It will be 2011 before we go to bed.
3. Wonderful dinner and conversation with friends.
4. Dirty clothes are almost all washed - they should be all done before we leave tonight.
5. All my hand-knit socks are washed and ready for 2011. There are a few I am going to try to repair because I cannot yet bring myself to part with them. After all that work, shouldn't they last forever?
6. Yarn has arrived for a special project for my MIL and another for my son.
7. Santa's workshop is closed for now.
a. There was knitting - sweater for Bubba for which I don't have a picture; socks for Wayne which aren't quite done yet, and, for the Ladybug...

b. there was sewing - and knitting for the Princess and the Peanut...

And thus ends 2010....

Fall and Santa's Workshop

The other day Chris raked up a lot of the leaves around our house. Turned out to be a perfect photo opportunity... We had to be diligent to keep her from "eating" them.


The neighborhood children had their first opportunity to play and jump in the leaves and their enjoyment was delightful.

Santa's famous workshop at the North Pole has a new satellite workshop in Maryland. Work has commenced and moving full speed ahead. I had to sharpen a few of my skills and practice a few new ones so that I could complete the items for this year's holiday. Very pleased with how it's going so far. No pictures yet since some recipients will be checking in here from time to time. Check back for an update after the big gift opening day!

Prematurity Awareness Day

Today is Prematurity Awareness Day. Medical research and health care today has advanced to the point where babies born younger and younger are surviving and are healthy. But still preemies are born and the United States has a very high rate of prematurity for such a developed country. We need to do more to prevent prematurity.

Why, you ask, is this my post today when I have not posted anything for a couple months. Because today I celebrate the life of my granddaughter, McKenzie born 13 weeks premature and weighing just 1 pound and 12 ounces. It amazes me just how tiny she was and how strong was her will to survive.


This is the first picture of her with her mother - yes, that's Susan's hand touching her arm. She was 13 3/4 inches long and just a few hours old. Can you imagine an arm the size of your finger? The second picture gives me a better perspective of just how tiny she was and she was just 12 days old then.

In two weeks, McKenzie will celebrate her fourth birthday. YEAH! Healthy and perfectly normal in every way. Totally awesome!
You can tell she lives in Texas 'cause she's got the big Texas bow...LOL!

If you want to read the whole story in Susan's words, you can find it here .

I Love to Travel

so when I spotted this clever map, I decided to see how many states I have yet to visit.


visited 40 states (80%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

and of course, some of of these I want to visit again... and again... and again... and again...

As for the rest of the world...


visited 12 states (5.33%)
Create your own visited map of The World

there's a lot of the world yet to explore!