Free Time

I hope you can see this and can tell what it is. It is made out of pretzels in 7th grade, during Home Ec. I actually bit all of them into those shapes and then glued them onto this paper. I just had to throw it away because the pretzels were starting to disintegrate.

I told some of my friends about this and how I kept messing up and ate way too many pretzels. It was very thirsty work. My friend said he could picture me furiously biting pretzels saying, “God, I’m so thirsty but I just love Smashing Pumpkins so much!!!!!”

Tidings of Joy

This picture is a little dark but I just had to share it. My cats love my bra, they always hide in it. In this particular picture, I was getting ready for bed and threw my clothes onto my sleeping kitty. Instead of getting up and moving, she just snuggled up. And she is looking directly at the camera. You just can't get much cuter than that.

I hope everyone had a good Holiday. I had a great time with family and good food. Brad got me hand held tape recorder to record my verbal lists and ideas, and Super Mario Bros. for Nintendo DS, which I haven't been able to put down. I got a new tent from my Mom, so now I actually have to go camping instead of just wishing I could. My dad got me a big travel crock-pot which I love. I have already made beans in it. I will definitely use it more, now that Yami has moved in with us.

Yami is Brad's best friend and a great guy. I'm glad we had the room (and needed the extra income) for him. He eats way too much Top Ramen, so I am looking forward to turning him on to fresh ingrediants and cooking for another person. He also has a 16 month old daughter that will visit sometimes and I am looking forward to that.

Holidays

Well my camera is missing at the moment so I can't bring you pictures of my current crafts. By missing I mean, I haven't even looked for it and it is in a pile of stuff on my dining room table.

Here is a cute holiday survey that I found on Knitting Iris:

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? I love both, but Hot Chocolate I can drink anytime I feel cold, but I love me some egg nog during the holidays.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Growing up, wrapped. I think when I start my own traditions, I

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Well growing up they were always colored. This year my own tree is colored because the lights were free. But I may have to change next year to all white lights. My mom got a new tree this year and all the lights are white and I like that better because you can see the ornaments better.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No, though it would be fun!

5. When do you put your decorations up? Sometime during the weekend after Thanks

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Well I can't choose, I adore food. Probably cookies, all kinds. Amber's Molasses cookies.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Well I remember when my sister and I would lay in bed with my Mom and could not go to sleep, we were just too excited to see Santa. So we would close our eyes just to pretend to be asleep, but then we would actually fall asleep.

8 . When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? My parents used the same wrapping paper for

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes. Always.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Well beggars can't be choosers. This is my first year having my own tree and all I have are hand me down colored lights and no ornaments (my cats like 5 of them before I just took them down). I think next year (if I have more money) I will make some of my own and use white lights.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I dream about having a white Christmas, but I don't know if I could handle it. I don't have any memory of being somewhere while it was snowing. I have been in snow, after it is on the ground but never seen it snowing. I live in Phoenix, Arizona.

12. Can you ice skate? Yes, but I have only been twice at a skating rink

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Not really.

14. What's your favorite thing(s) about the holidays? Sitting in front of the fire, listening to Christmas music, being with my friends and family.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Cookies

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Decorating the tree with my mom.

17. What tops your tree? A hand me down Angel from my mom (not a keepsake), but I think I will change to a star next year.

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? I like giving. One thing I don't like about the Holidays in my family is that my parents ask me what specifically I want. So then when I get it on Christmas day it is not a surprise. I wish we could all get to know each other better so that they would know me well enough to know what to get me. I like gifts better when there is love and though put into them.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? Last Christmas-Wham or Baby, It's cold outside or The Christmas Song, or....ok, pretty much all of them.

20. What is your favorite holiday book? I don't think I have one. Just another tradition I will have to start when I have kids.

21. Candy canes yuck or yum? They are yummy but I can only have like one a season, or I get sick of them.

21. What's number one on your Christmas list this year? An Ipod, which I am getting handed down from Amber. A mixer for my kitchen, a Mr. Bento, knitting supplies.

To Come

Look forward this weekend to pictures of some finished crafts and a mind numbingly cute picture of my cat.

Quiet

I really enjoy Christmas time. But it has just not kicked it completely. I kept trying to chase it by watching Christmas movies like, The Grinch, Miracle on 34th Street, and A Charlie Brown Christmas. But nothing was working.

I have been bombarded with TV the last few months. I was have been pulled thin between work and school and when I get home, I would just veg in front of the TV for hours at a time. Thankfully school ended for the winter break this week and I already feel the difference.

We went to the library, I actually got my sewing machine fixed, I have been knitting and I pulled out my lonely quilt that has not been worked on for at least 6 months. I have been doing crafts without the TV on and with the Christmas tree lit. This makes me stop and think about the feeling I want for Christmas, and I am actually starting to feel it.

This weekend will seal the deal because I am going to my Mom's to sit in front of the fire, knit, and think about the spirit of Christmas.

Parenting

I hope to have children someday, but the more I think about it the more scared I become. I have only recently started to be around babies. I never babysat or was around young children. Thanks to SouleMama, I have a jumping off point.
She recommended this book, You are your Child's First Teacher, by Rahima Baldwin Dancy
It is very easy to read and is teaching me a lot. I don't know much about the Waldorf Education philosophy, I think it is more a homeschooling thing, but I'm not sure. This book is just my jumping off point for research, so any ideas would be helpful.

Jive Turkey

Ok, I really am probably the last person to see this:

http://www.gizoogle.com/

Check it out. If you can't think of a website to translate, use mine URL.

So funny