WWC--Envy and Triangle

Actually, my WWC is only envy and it's a bit of a stretch. I couldn't think of anything for triangle, but as r.e.h. said last week, I covered triangle with my picture of the cutting mat. Plus, the quilt blocks had triangles in them, so I think I'm ahead of the game!



The WWC is brought to us by the wonderful Tink of Pickled Beef.

I envy the way Cosette can sleep so soundly.





Did you play?

In other news, Al had the winter crud the last few week and is finally feeling better. A lot of people seem to have this, and come to think of it, he had this crud around this time last year.

I had a proud moment on Thursday. We got around 3 or 4 inches of snow that day, after Al went to work of course. I decided that I really should clear the driveway and sidewalks because the sun was coming out and maybe there would be lots of melting. I also bow to peer pressure and most of our neighbors had cleared their driveways already.
But I remembered how last year I shoveled snow when it was extremely cold and I got really sick with MS symptoms. I needed to use the snow blower, but Al hadn't given me my yearly "this is how you use the snow blower" lesson. But Warrior Lass doesn't need some man to show her how to use a monster piece of machinery with huge, sharp blades! No! And I think Warrior Lass needs to make a reappearance around here! So, I got the instructions and followed step-by-step how to use the snow blower.

Less than an hour later, everything was cleared, and with the sun shining on my achievement, I cleaned off the machine and put it back in its place of honor in the garage.

Next, the table saw.

WWC--Soft and Square

Hey y'all, it's time for another round of Weekley Word Challenge brought to you by the creative and talented Tink of Pickled Beef.

Actually, it was supposed to happen yesterday, but you don't expect me to be on time two weeks in a row do you? Silly rabbit.

So, the words were square and soft. And here we go!



These quilt blocks are made up of squares and rectangles that are supposed to result in a square.



This grid is a cutting board for quilters. It's made up of a lot of squares.



This table runner I'm working on is made up of a lot of squares.



Cosette loves her soft toy duck. Usually, she loves them to death. This is her third one.




I got this at the Scottish Games in Kansas City. It's a Highland Cow (or Highland Coo), at least that's what I'm calling it, and it's very soft.



This alpaca yarn is yummy soft.



Did you play? C'mon! It's a lot of fun and no one gets mad at you if you're late.


In other Tink news, she has once again handed out her Golden Spork Awards, and I am the humble and honored winner of the Crafty/Creative Award. Thank you Tink!

WWC--Black and Strange

It's time for the Weekly Word Challenge brought to us by the super-duper Tink of Pickled Beef.

That said, I have a confession to make. I'm cheating this week. I'm using old photos because I just haven't had the energy to get anything new for the this week's words. But you'll forgive me, won't you? At least I'm on time this week, if nothing else.

You see some strange things at Renaissance Festivals. Were there vikings in the renaissance?



We saw some strange roadside attractions in South Dakota



From Mount Rushmore, you can see the Black Hills (and the Badlands in the distance).



I love this picture of Al and Cosette in a black sillouette.



The words next week are Soft and Square. Won't you join us?

WWC--Brown and Pattern

My WWC is late again. This is a pattern with me. Get it? Pattern is one of the words. Never mind.

Anywhooddle, the Weekly Word Challenge is brought to us by the terrific Tink at Pickled Beef. The words this week are brown and pattern. I had all kinds of ideas, but time got away from me, so I'm wingin' it here. Here we go!

My lovely orange mums are now brown.

I love my wool blanket with the pattern of the Ardbeg distillery's tartan.















This is the pattern of the blocks for the afghan I am making for my mother-in-law.



















I'll try to be on time next week. But no promises.

Join us, won't you?

WWC and After Christmas Blow-Out

I'm a little late with the WWC this week. Sorry about that. If you don't know what the WWC is, that go to the amazing Tink's blog Pickled Beef and join in the fun!



With apologies to the vegetarians out there, this is the traditional rib roast with its pink center that I make every year.


Cosette enjoyed this tradition. She smelled the roast cooking for 2 hours, and she was about to hyperventilate from sniffing the air around the oven.


And I'm joining in with others who shared their Christmas tree tradition.


We had a lovely Christmas. It was just the three of us most of the day, then we went over to some friends' house for Christmas dinner. We got up late, took a long, quiet walk with the dog, came back for breakfast (I made scones and eggs and peppered bacon) and we enjoyed a cup of coffee as we read the paper. Then we mixed a pitcher of mimosas (champagne and orange juice) and opened gifts. This is the first year I can honestly say that I did not go overboard. I said I wouldn't and I didn't. It helped that others said the same thing and were sticking to it, so I had to, too. But it was nice and calm and I knew that everyone was going to get what they wanted, and I got awesome things, too. And Cosette got a stuffed leopard that she loves to death, literally. I'll be sewing up the hole in its leg this afternoon.

We capped off Christmas by going to the Mannheim Steamroller concert. It was amazing and a little surreal. I really like Mannheim Steamroller, but I always kind of thought of them as computer-generated, new-agey, techno geek music. So seeing them live, playing their instruments and loving what they were doing was a little weird. But weird in a good way. Chip Davis, the founder, is from Omaha, so they always end their tour here. During the show, they were presented platinum albums for the latest CD. It went platinum in 9 days.

So, New Years, then the gray days of winter. I don't mind it so much, but my hubby hates it. I know this because he tells me at least twice a day. Although it was gray this morning during our walk, the trees were twinkling with ice and it really was beautiful.

WWC--Life and White

It's that time again when I try to think of something other than the obvious for the Weekly Word Challenge. I may not succeed, but I sure have a good time trying.

Weekly Word Challenge is brought to you by the totally talented Tink of Pickled Beef. This week the words were Life and White.



OK, white is pretty easy around here. I, of course, had to take a couple of pictures of the white snow. Look what it did to this tree! Cool, huh?




(and no that's not my house in the background)

This is an early snow, just dusting the greenery on our fence.


And with it being the Christmas season, it's the season for fudge. Here are the white marshmallows for the fudge, even though they don't look all that white in this photo.



And these are my Knitting Girl socks that my friend R sent me. I'm afraid to wear them because I want them to stay white.



And one more, we have white lights on our Christmas tree.



I only have one picture for life, and it's really special to me. When my dad past away 10 years ago, I was in graduate school. My friends gave me this philodendron, which was tiny. But it has grown into this large, rich metaphor for life.



Did you play? Come join us! Yes, join us. Join us. Join us.

In other news, Al got an assignment extension, so we know that we are here until summer 2009. It's a relief and we've both relaxed a little. It's nice to know we don't have to put the house on the market, and he's happy to be staying in a job that he likes.

So, since I know I will be here next summer, I can attend the Kansas City Scottish Games on June 14 and 15. Care to join me? I'm pretty sure Jay will come up, and it's always a party where Jay is. It's a lot of fun, and Kansas City is a great place. We can meet up for a long weekend, watch men in kilts, eat some haggis, drink some scotch, then hang out in the city and eat some B-B-Q and drink some beer at the Irish pup to get the taste of that haggis out of our mouths. Fun, huh? Let's do it! Put it on your calendar now!

I love this plan. I'm excited about this plan. We have to think of something fun to get us through the dreary, gray days of winter.

Oh my gosh, I haven't mentioned Cosette once in this post! What's wrong with me? I'm falling down on my bragging duties. So, here's a picture.

WWC

Brought to you by the wonderful Tink of Pickled Beef, I bring you another thrilling edition of the Weekly Word Challenge. This game really is addictive.

The words this week were Want and Green.



This Scottish Santa does double duty. He sits on our green Christmas tree, while representing how much I want to go back to Scotland.



This is Cosette's favorite new toy--the green thing. It seems pretty sturdy, so I'm hoping I won't be sewing it up every day like I am that duck.



I write a letter to Santa to tell him what I want.



In other news, we've been hit by the winter storm gripping the middle section of the country. Did I sound like a weather forecaster on CNN? I don't think we're getting such a bad hit, but it was bad enough that Al got a snow day. It is so nice that he isn't "essential personnel" any more. Not that he isn't essential, he just doesn't have to be available to run and jump on a plane any more. He's out using the manly snow blower right now. Maybe when he's done he'll actually sit down and enjoy his day off and watch the Muppet Christmas Carol with Cosette and me. All of us sitting on the couch, cups of hot cocoa, popcorn, cuddling under our wool blanket we bought in Scotland. *sigh* Well, a girl can dream, can't she?

In more news, the Mandy Patinkin concert was A-MAZE-ING! He's even better than he was years ago when I saw him in San Antonio. His voice is even richer and more powerful if that's possible. He seems so at home when he's singing and he was having as much fun performing as we were watching him. His voice is different from anyone else's. He can sing in a higher register but can sing such low notes that room resonates, and most of his songs are in those registers with not much in the middle. I don't know how to explain, but if you go here, you can hear him sing one of my favorite songs. He didn't do this song at our concert Saturday night, but this recording is from the current tour. I was going to post the video, but I know on my computer it takes forever for those things to download so that you can watch it and I didn't want to put you guys through that. But go hear him because he's wonderful and that song is so lovely.

For a comparison, you can go here and hear him sing "Cat's in the Cradle." It's not in that high register that "Mr. Arthur's Place" is.

And to cheer up an icky weather day, here are so more pictures of Cosette.

WWC Orange and Landscape

Hello all you crazy WWCers! I'm back. I just couldn't stay away!

So, brought to you by the talented Tink, here we go:



This was our icy landscape Saturday morning.





Most of Cosette's chew toys have orange on them. And she has chewed right through them already.



And, as promised, a couple of more pictures of Cosette.

WWC--Red and Architecture

I knew that I wouldn't be around much during the holidays. But I couldn't let the Weekly Word Challenge go by without joining in the fun!

So, brought to your by the tremendous Tink, I give you the *sound of horns*



There aren't that many trees in Nebraska, but our little corner has a few pretty red ones in the fall.



I just thought this was intriguing and thought it might fit with architecture. At the Kvam Family Farm, the dad was going to throw the screens and stools away, but his daughter saw it as art and she staged them. Pretty cool, huh?



I'm just so excited that Thanksgiving is coming up. My mom and my brother are coming, plus our good friend J, who really is more like family, so I just tell people that my family is coming up for Thanksgiving.

Jay and I have already started making plans of where we should take J to show her the highlights of Omaha. There really is a lot to do. Really!

I'm still working on NaNoWriMo and am trying to finish up a project before the fam gets here on Saturday. So, I'll be in and out this week.

NaNoWriMo word count so far: 17,400. Yeah, I'm a little behind.

Just Dropping Off the WWC

It was another nice Fall weekend here in lovely east Nebraska. So lovely that I am soooo busy with all the things that I should be doing but aren't because I'm too busy enjoying myself, which I think is the best excuse of all.

So, I'm dropping off my WWC pictures, the WWC brought to you by the wonderful Tink, by the way. Then, I'm off to slay some dragons, solve the world hunger problem and create a national medical care program that actually works. Because if I can get all my personal stuff done, I might as well tackle the easy stuff.



The words this week are Old and Blue, plus a Halloween bonus. And here we go!

Old. I love this old water pump at a farm we visited. It was the old-way they got their water.



Blue. When we dog-sat Phoebe for our friends, she was blue and spent the first few hours of their departure waiting for them to return.



Then we gave her a treat, and she was OK.

Bonus pic--Halloween. This is the perfect Halloween tree. Al told me what it was, but I don't remember. Yes, those are giant thorns on that tree!






I may not be around a whole lot in the next few weeks while I prepare for Thanksgiving, write my 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo, pop a lot of aspirin as I get used to going to the gym again, and get in some holiday baking. I'll be checking in on your blogs, but I may not comment as often or post on my own very often. But it's not that I'm not thinking about all of you. (Was that correct or did I just negate a sincere statement with a double-negative?)

And speaking of NaNoWriMo, word count so far: 8,000 words.