Livin' La Needle Loca

...I feel recharged and ready to take on my Christmas tasks! Thanksgiving dinner was a hit. I tried a new appetizer of sauteed mushrooms and melted brie in a sourdough bread loaf. It was very tasty. The turkey was wonderfully flavored from the spicy brine (I used the Williams-Sonoma brine mix) and everything else turned out great. I tried an apple galette for dessert -- aside from apple juices spilling over into my oven, it was pretty painless to make. On Friday, we took our annual trip with friends to a Christmas tree farm. They have been making this trip for over 30 years. We tag along to enjoy the company and the munchies, but don't buy a tree because they don't have a large selection of Douglas firs (which we prefer). We'll probably get our tree next weekend from our favorite place. The rest of the long weekend was filled with knitting or quilting while watching movies. Since our daughter was visiting friends, going to her HS reunion, etc., she needed a car. Needless ...

...let the cooking begin! Of course, the most important thing that happens today is that my kid comes home! I pick her up at the airport (ugh) this morning. On tap today is making the stuffing (well, dressing; I never stuff the turkey anymore), the desserts, and prepping the yams for the casserole tomorrow. Oh yeah, and getting the bird in the brine. I'm making a variation of my wild rice and bread dressing. I'm using more brown rice plus the white and wild rice mix I usually use, and I'm using some whole wheat bread with the white and sour dough breads. I can't vary it too much because the family likes it as it is. The dressing has sauteed apples which give it a nice flavor. I also need to do the final mop and cleanup in the kitchen, but that won't happen until tonight. As promised, I have a photo of the mitten, such as it is. It's hard to take a picture of something gray, so you don't get the full effect of how wonderful this color is -- take my word for i...

...house is cleaner; the turkey is defrosting; cranberry sauce is cooked and chilling; and I only work one day this week! I took Tuesday and Wednesday as vacation days, partly to unwind after the last big project and partly to just have some extra time to prepare for Thursday. My husband and I both decided that some purging was necessary in the kitchen, so I spent a good part of going through cabinets, setting aside stuff for Goodwill and dumping out-of-date food, spices, and the like. We always seem to acquire 3 or 4 glasses from Art & Wine Festivals every year (that we don't need), so we got rid of about 30 glasses, plus some cups we never use, and so on. I unearthed my daughter's bedroom, so she can actually sleep in there. The cats were thrilled that I had given them a clean place to hangout... My husband requested new towels and rugs for his bathroom, so I got to go shopping for that... such a hardship! Since most of my time was spent cleaning, I didn't do a lot o...

...and you get two pictures because I missed last week and I couldn't decide between the two of them. Yesterday, this is what greeted me when I went out to get the morning paper. Fortunately, I had my camera close by and was able to get the picture. (I'm sure my neighbor thought I was nuts...) When I left for work around 8:30, this is what it looked like: I'm really surprised that my little Kodak camera took decent sky pictures -- I haven't had much luck taking pictures outdoors. On tap this weekend: Clean the house and get the turkey! My daughter comes home on Wednesday and I thought it might be nice to unearth her room from all the extra stuff that seems to find its way in there. If I have any spare time, I'll work on her mittens or Christmas presents.

Yes, I'm still here! Finished my big project--the major milestone was last Friday and I delivered an update today. Now, I'm pretty much done and I can move on to some smaller projects. I spent a nice Saturday shopping and relaxing. I needed a few things from Sur La Table and Williams-Sonoma for Thanksgiving dinner (I'm doing the cooking). Plus, I wanted to check out Full Thread Ahead to see what their Alpaca yarn selection was like. I'll be making a couple of scarves for my daughter's friends and I wanted to find a sport weight alpaca for the flip-top mittens she requested. I had a blast shopping for Thanksgiving stuff...actually, I had a great time shopping, period! I'd forgotten how much I loved shopping for holiday stuff! I bought the kitchen stuff, a Christmas present, and I treated myself to the new JD Robb book "Born in Death" (I've already finished it!). And, you know I found yarn...here's my alpaca haul from Saturday and a couple from...

...or being very crafty. Once my work project is over, I'll have more time (and energy!) to get back to it. I need to work on those Christmas presents and a pair of mittens for my daughter. OK, back to work!

I was too busy during the day to do this earlier. So, here's my Eye Candy Friday entry a little late . This is the silk embroidered top of my new file box. I'm using this box to store my shawl and sock knitting patterns. I don't have a lot of plans for the weekend...a little knitting, a little quilting, a lot of rest. Have a good weekend!

..first, goodbye to October. Here's my Halloween pumpkin. Not the best one I've ever done, but at least it was "done!" I took the picture last night, so the white "ray" at the bottom is really a reflection of the lit candle in its holder. Next, here's a picture of the latest installment of the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock Club. Isn't it pretty? (I don't know when I'm going to get to this one!) So, the October recap: Finished: Kitty Pi bed ( still need to post a picture of this) Purple Alpaca scarf Worked on: Central Air socks Hydrangea socks (still!!) Paint It Black quilt (I'll probably rename this quilt...just haven't come up with anything better yet) Organizing my soap recipes and materials Started: 2 Christmas presents (can't say what they are or for whom!) Sangria lace shawl Didn't finish much, but at least I finished something! Considering that I haven't felt overly crafty lately, finishing two things is ama...