Grab a chair and a couple of root beers...

Ahhhh... peace and quiet. The Husbandly One has been off for the last two weeks, so I wasn't kid-wrangling all on my lonesome during winter break. It was nice, really, and it always reminds me of the year he took off from work to go to school during the early years of our marriage. I miss it, but it's nice to have the house back to myself again. After all, more writing time!!

It was an interesting holiday, I must say. We drove into Houston for New Year's and ate dinner at my mother's. Well... tried to eat dinner, anyway. I waited until the next day to ask my mother who actually did the cooking. I mean, I know she made the cornbread, because she told me she did when she exclaimed in dismay over how flat and hard it came out. We decided that the baking powder she used was probably a little old, and she didn't use enough of it, anyway. In spite of that, it was still edible. In fact, the Impossible Son had two pieces and wanted more, but it was all gone!

And I know she made the black-eyed peas, because they weren't saturated in butter, or overwhelmed with garlic.

So, when I asked who actually did the cooking, beyond the black-eyed peas and the cornbread, she sighed and said, "Who do you think?"

And I said, "Mom, can I have Thanksgiving next year? I mean, seriously... the Flaky Sister cannot be allowed to cook for the family any more."

Let me put it this way. One of the dishes that the Flaky Sister served was some concoction of Paula Deen's that consisted of baby red potatoes cut into quarters, and green beans cooked in butter and, you guessed it, garlic. Did it taste like potatoes cooked in butter and garlic?

No.

What did it taste like, then?

I don't know how she achieved it, but somehow, my sister made baby red potatoes and green beans taste like turnip chunks stewed with turnip greens and spinach. I kid you not. How do you make potatoes and green beans taste so... metallic??? I even went to check the pot she cooked it in, sure that she must have used some bizarre pot she'd bought at some chi-chi frou-frou cook shop, but no... just the same old Farberware I use at home, no nicks or exposed places in the pot.

And her ham... GAH!! No, it wasn't as bad as the now infamous Salt Cured Ham-O-Doom of Thanksgiving 2008, but jays, how do you baste a ham... and have it come up dry????

*shakes head again*

Gave my mom her Christmas present on New Year's, and I really, really loved her expression when she opened it! I had crocheted her an afghan using Lion Brand Homespun yarn, which I love because it's thick, chunky, and soft. It was basically just a large granny square, but it came out beautifully, and Mom squeed and held it to her cheek, closing her eyes in bliss, and then she said, "I can't believe you made this for me!!"

Had to laugh ruefully over that one. Mom and I are alike in that we are continually making things for other people, and very rarely ourselves! When I was thinking of what to give her for Christmas, she had just been telling me how she had been working on an afghan for herself, but one of my nieces saw it in progress and begged her for it, so... when Mom finished it, she gave it to her. I realized then that while I had made afghans for my sisters, I had never made one for Mom so... I made one for her, just the right size to snuggle under while watching TV.

Then the Flaky Sister said, "It must have turned out crooked or wonky or something if you're giving it to Mom. Are the sides straight?"

I blinked at her for a moment, then said, "If it had been wonky or crooked, I would have kept it for myself. It's square. If you doubt me, go lay it out."

Of course, she laid it out! *snorts with laughter and rolls eyes* And yes, it was square and the edges were straight, just like they're supposed to be, and yes, that did put her nose out of joint!

Just to even things out, after dinner, I was curled comfortably in a corner of the couch, knitting and chatting with Mom and the Blonde Sister. When Flaky came into the living room to plop down on a nearby chair, the Blonde Sister made a point of picking up the scarf I'm working on and saying loudly, "Wow, look how straight and even this is! And you're just learning how to do this? I'm impressed!"

The Blonde Sister... I just love her so much sometimes!!

Seriously, though, the holidays do serve to remind me why we moved. Or rather, why the Husbandly One decided to take a job transfer that took us three hours away from Houston. Not just to improve my physical health, but to save my sanity, as vicki_sine pointed out on a recent visit. I love my family, don't get me wrong. But they drive me nuts. I can only handle them in small doses. Very small doses!

In other news, my writing is going slowly. After the Mac Melt-Down, I've had a bit of trouble getting back into the groove. Though I am trying to recreate some of the things I was working on earlier from memory, it's slow going, and you know, I'm the type of writer who works on several projects at once, mainly to keep myself interested and to help keep ideas flowing. Once I finish getting my backup set up, I suspect it will get a little easier, and I will be able to finish a few things.

*sigh*

The iMac, though, is still having issues. Namely with the fan. It keeps suddenly spiking and cycling high, and then slowing down, then suddenly spiking up high again. Like, right now, it's ticking along at 1205 rpm, but it will suddenly flare up to nearly 2000, then slow down again. And we have no idea why. Anybody else with an iMac having this issue? Just wondering...

Well, I must get about to my rat-killin', as my dad used to say when winding up a conversation. The dishes don't wash themselves, more's the pity, and towels must be washed as well. Anybody want to come do my laundry for me? Anybody?

Okay, one of the things I like to do is browse crafting sites, because I'm always looking for good ideas. Currently, the Impertinent Daughter has outgrown her bed, and while the Husbandly One and I debate whether to get her a single bed or a double, we also debate what kind.

So, I saw a creative idea for a headboard and clicked it, thought, "Wow, that looks cool, but somewhat labor intensive... and how did they get the books to look so real?"

Then I read the directions, and... was horrified. Because the first thing it said you need was "a large assortment of book covers, carefully cut from the pages using an Xacto knife or something similar..." though it did go on to say they could be found at thrift or used book stores.

She's... defacing books... to make a headboard... because... she loves books????

o_O

Okay, call me crazy, but the thought of pretty much destroying a perfectly good book (even one I hated) just to get at the cover... sorry, I can't do it. I just... can't do it. Maybe my mom was too insistent on my keeping my books "nice" but ... jays, that just squicks me something awful!!

Now, maybe making book covers that look real... I could do that, or maybe (and that's a just barely maybe) I could do it if the rest of the book was pretty much moldy, moth-eaten, and unreadable, but then... the cover would be crap, too, right?

I dunno, but it seems to me that, well, doing something like that rates right up there with people buying "books by the yard" to decorate shelves in their homes to make it look like they're big readers... and they never touch the books, except to dust them, maybe. When this particular crafter says she "loves books," maybe she means it in the "they're so pretty to look at" way.

I love books, too, in the "I love to curl up somewhere cozy and read for hours" way. I'm happy as a cricket in bookstores and libraries. In fact, if you're ever with me, and expect me to be sociable, don't ever let me near a bookstore, because you will lose me for hours and hours, and I might not come up for air until closing time. The books I have on my shelves aren't for decoration. They are there because they are friends. Books that I've read over and over, and over again. I grew up living in Oz, and on Pern, and in the Alps with Heidi, on Treasure Island, and under the ocean with Captain Nemo, and on Mars, and in Middle-earth, with the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, and the Three Investigators, as well as the March sisters. I rode on the Back of the North Wind, and I've been East of the Sun and West of the Moon, I've hung out with both the Little Prince and the Little Lame Prince, gone on adventures with Robin Hood and the Black Arrow... well... you get the picture.

I can't even look at those "turn a book into a treasure box" tutorials. That's just... wrong. Totally wrong!

Maybe I'm wrong, or maybe I'm overly sensitive. I look at books, and I see a potential doorway to something wonderful. Apparently, some people look at books and see... decor.

Excuse me, I'm going to go curl up with some Tolkien and visit Middle-earth for a while. And not use the cover as a ... decoration!!

I finished my first amigurumi! Probably because I was bored out of my mind in bed, but still! It's a bit wonky, and I've learned a few lessons, like ... sew on the eyes BEFORE stuffing and tightening the top.



Oh, guess I should tell you what it is! It's a Makurokurosuke Soot Sprite from the movie,Spirited Away! Did the eyes a little differently than they were done on the pattern I found, because they didn't look right. They were wide apart, and sort of... deer in the headlights. I wanted mine to look more like this...




I think I'm pretty close!

Now to decide what to do with it. Maybe... hang it from my rearview mirror? Definitely going to make more. I've decided I'll keep a handful around, toss 'em into the kids' rooms when they get a little too messy and say, "Guys, when the soot sprites start showing up, it's time to clean your room!!"

*saunters off with a smug Auntie smile*

Here it is, the finished blanket!! You get to see it!!

( Beware, oh users of Dial-Up, for verily, thou shalt wait long, because the picture is nigh, and large )

*is dying, omg, omg, omg*

I found... omg, I found a pattern to crochet a Totoro, and even Calcifer from Howl's Moving Castle HERE!!!!

*is dying of the cute*

I'm sorry, I know I hardly ever, EVER post about my crafting here, but I can't tell you how much my fingers are twitching and itching to crochet Totoro!!!!

And even as I stare at the amigurumi Calcifer, I am mentally calculating how I can do it better... isn't that sad?

If only there was enough time, I would try to do it as a Christmas surprise for Miss Priss and maybe another for Mr. Manzie, but... their holiday starts on Friday, and there is no way I could "hide in plain sight" while making it (which I have done for other projects in the past).

And the EWOK!!! And the DALEK!!! (and yes, I stared at that and thought how I could do that better, too!). I am already contemplating crocheting a Dalek as a joke for Uncle Scientist, who is a huge Dr. Who fan (see, I knew there was a reason I like him and don't kill him when he irritates me!).

Okay, enough crafter squeeing. We return to our regularly scheduled Auntie...