R 'n R Fantasy, Part 2

Andie discovered this waiting in her MySpace mailbox this morning:

Apr 28, 20093:19 AM
Enter The Haggis
Replied
RE: Hi!!
Date:
Apr 28, 2009 3:19 AM
Subject:
RE: Hi!!
Body:
Thanks Andie - nice picture, haha. See you next time we're around!-Brian-----------------

"Brian", as in Brian Buchanan, the lead vocal of Enter the Haggis.

The photo he mentions is Andie's new MySpace profile picture:

Also, here are a couple more photos that I overlooked yesterday. All of the band members signed the t-shirt and CD we purchased at the festival. :)

HAGGIS HEAD

Andie's Rock 'n Roll Fantasy

Andie and I spent Saturday, March 25th, at Sedalia's Celtic Festival as volunteers. We went there, happy to help out, and hoping to enjoy ourselves a little too. Well, WE ENJOYED OURSELVES THOROUGHLY to say the very least. There was an amazing band, Enter the Haggis, that played at the festival. They were phenomenal! The band members were charming, nice, incredibly talented and they turned the festival into a first-rate party.

What I also enjoyed was Andie's reaction to it all. She danced, clapped, carried on and "fell in love" for the first time. All I can say is that I left the festival thinking, "We will survive these teen years and have fun together as adults."

\m/ Rock on! \m/




Andie w/Brian, the lead vocal, after the day show.

And again, after the evening performance.

(If any of you relatives mail a copy of this to Dad/Grandpa/Edward, I will hunt you down).

March & April

The month of March can be described as "sick, sick & more sick." I had pneumonia, Mohamed had both the flu and bronchitis and the kids had "the crud." We're all better now, but it was a long, germy, miserable month. On the bright side, however, here's the fun & happy stuff from the last six weeks or so.


1) A Nana Sadie Rose Posy bag. I had coveted this tote last summer at Knitters Knook, but I kept telling myself, "No more bags!" Finally, I caved (and happily).

2) Dianne gifted me this BEAUTIFUL Mission Falls 1824 Cotton shawl. I've already worn it more than half a dozen times and I adore it. Thank you again Dianne!

3) With my NSR sock monkey bag in hand, I have finally started knitting socks again. I'm using this lovely, hand-dyed fiber that Jadie gave me at Christmas.

4) My BIL asked me to make as obnoxious a warmer as I could for his younger brother. It's a gag birthday gift.

This is his six-page-spread Playgirl centerfold/professional model brother....LOL

5) I redid the buttons on my first cable knit pillow and I'm much happier with the results.

6) Mohamed liked my pillow so well that he asked for one of his own.

and finally, 7) The Sedalia Spring Fiber Festival 2009. I am SOOOO excited for a variety of reasons. We've been working our fannies off, but it's going to be wonderful. Saturday, May 16th, here I come. :D

Knit Nights - April 7th & 28th

New Photos

Trevor and his little sister earlier today.

This one's for you Julie. :) (His name is Calvin).

And Marianne & Dianne...here's yours.

Have a great day everyone.

Kreativ Blogger Award

Noolie was kind enough to pass this award to me. Thank you very much; I do appreciate it! :) I really liked what she wrote about introducing "some blogs that you haven't discovered yet." That said, I'm passing to the award to eight others and I'm going to visit each of the blogs that Noolie listed in her post. Here goes....






Dianne at Purls of Wisdom
Jessi at Jadielady
Robin at Knitting Coop
Sallee at Knitnana
Lara at Spinning Lara
Becky at Displaced Knitter
Marianne at Marianne's Knotminding
Angela at Rupert Everett



Rules:
As a new nominee, you are encouraged to: 1. Copy the award to your site 2. Link to the person from whom you received the award. 3. Nominate 8 other bloggers. 4. Link to those on your blog. 5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominated.

Have fun, kick back and enjoy!

Yes, even more...LOL

Briana Again :)

Briana and I at the hospital early this morning.

Napping

Briana's finished Pinwheel Blanket. (Muriyea, my neighbor, taught me how to crochet the edges).

Briana's Christmas Stocking (aka Dana's first sock). :)

Briana Jeanne Lee

She's here! It's a blurry photograph, but that's all I have right now.

Briana was born 2/19/09 at 9:18 p.m. and weighed 8lbs. 8 oz.

(Notice that she's already sporting an Aunt Dana handknit, a Cascade newborn hat). :)

F.O.s' and a Family Event

I finally finished the cable knit pillow I started a while ago. As I was knitting it, I thought that there was no way the sides would meet up over a standard 14 inch pillow. Well, as usual, I was wrong (note to self: trust the pattern, Dana). I'm really happy with how this turned out and I definitely want to make more. See the leafy buttons?

These are "gauntlets" for my dad. Due to the medication he takes, he bruises and get scratched very easily. He asked me to make him some washable arm protectors.

Denise and Briana (due 2/11/09) had a baby shower two weeks ago. It was a great little party and Denise was very, very surprised.

Check out the table's centerpiece - - it's a "diaper cake."

And last (and least), the ladies who hosted Denise's shower are also planning two bridal showers this spring. The grooms-to-be are avid hunters, so as a gag shower gift, I knitted a pair of infamous "willie warmers."

Have a great weekend everyone! :D

Scattergories

I'm mimicking Noolie here.

Your Name - Dana
Four letter word - Damn
Boy name - Dawson
Girl name - Delilah
Occupation - Doctor
Color - Dandelion (I had to go to the Crayola site to find this) :D
Beverage - Daiquiri
Something found in a bathroom - Diarrhea
A Place - Denmark
A Reason for being late - Deer (in the road)
Food - Donuts
Something you shout - DUMBASS!

Sweet Friend

I received a box in the mail from the one and only Marianne. She enclosed an amazing letter and offered a "tour" of the tissue-wrapped contents. Here they are:

a WIP sock tube

a "warshrag"

a skein of Mountain Colors in the "Painted Rocks" colorway

a sock book

this classic magnet

Below is part of the thank you message I sent her :

"The tissue wrapped package. I opened it up and was dumbfounded. The GULP/knot in my throat was the size of a tennis ball. I couldn't breathe, literally. I lifted out the Swallowtail and was awestruck and touched in a way that words cannot express. The thought of it, the memory of opening it, still brings tears to my eyes. It's so lovely, Marianne, and I don't know how to thank you enough. Whenever I need a hug, a boost, a bit of reaffirmation or comfort, that shawl is going to be there. I can't begin to describe how much it and you mean to me. I can only say thank you from the very bottom of my heart and I love you dearly too. And the color? Yes, you did get it right. :) Thank you so very, very much!"

More Christmas Goodies

Dianne, Lara, Linda and I had a wonderful post-Christmas lunch on Monday afternoon. We met at The Station and I had a great time. It was so nice to just sit, chat, laugh and catch up. After the meal, we exchanged Christmas gifts and I was floored by my friends' generosity. Linda brought back an excellent, Rhinebeck mug that reads, "Yarns Knit Friends Together," a gorgeous skein of Katia, the sparkling snowman and

a car magnet that I had been coveting. :) Again, many thanks Linda!

From Lara, I received a bar of "Knitter's Cream" soap from Bradeen Farm in Maine. It smells good enough to eat and feels wonderful on my skin. The sheep & cart are now atop my yarn shelf in the corner of my living room and book thong (with attached teapot charm) will soon be used on a new book. Beneath these gifts is a Noro Iroho neck warmer (the likes of which only Lara could knit). :)

And last, but not least, a Lantern Moon sweater for my key chain. Thank you so very much Lara!
I was overwhelmed and again, Dianne, Lara and Linda, thank you!

I've been hard pressed to find knitting time lately, but I did manage to work on a couple of projects between Thanksgiving and New Year's. I cast on and have gotten this far on a pair of "Warmest Mittens." It's Classic Elite Skye Tweed on size 4 and 5 needles. I'm such a loose knitter that when I actually have to go something "tight," I switch to significantly smaller needles.

The pink pinwheel is all but done. My friend and neighbor, Muriyea, is going to teach me how to do a pretty crochet trim to finish off the blanket and then, at long last, I'll be done.
For the Knit Night I missed, I started a button flange cabled pillow. It looks very orange-y here, but it's a terra cotta color.
And then I indulged in a bit of 50% off sale yarn. Over Christmas, Andie ate hard candy and popped two of her braces-related rubber bands. Since I had to drive to Lynchburg to get the bands replaced, I made the trip worthwhile by stopping at Backstitches. The big red "SALE" sign was the hook and I just couldn't resist.

The four skeins are Cascade's Bollicine (wool, acrylic & alpaca) and I'm going to use them to make either mittens or man scarves. I also bought some red sock point protectors and a pair of scissors. The Fantasy/Dark Horse yarn is for more Pine Ridge Afghan squares.
I hope all of you have a wonderful New Year!

Christmas Weekend

Christmas was spent in Maryland (yeah, the sister pulled the "I'm eight months pregnant now. Are you really going to make me drive five hours to your house?" card), so the kids and I piled back into the car and had a great weekend in Calvert County.

I spent the weekend playing with Trevor (during battery charging periods). The highlight of his Christmas was his new truck.










Dad came up from Mississippi, all the kids were together and it was wonderful! Hope your holidays were great too. Happy New Year!