March 23, 2008

Happy Easter


Webshots photo
Easter caught me off guard this year. It is earlier than usual.



A favorite Easter dessert for me is Carrot cake. This picture above is from the epicurious website of the recipe Tropical Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting. Oh man that sounds good. You can find the recipe HERE.



I found these knitted Peeps a couple of days ago on Kat’s blog. She posted the pattern last year. Even though I am a little late for Easter I think I might still make a few of these. They are so cute. You can find the pattern HERE.

My plan today is to do whatever I feel like doing. Next week is going to be busy for me, so I am claiming today for myself. My day will probably consist of wondering around the blogs catching up on what everyone is up to. Possibly do some sewing. I just picked up the DVD Atonement and might loose my self in romance while working on current knits.

Palm Springs Photos
I will leave you with some photos from my trip.


Palm Trees of course

No shortage of palm trees.



Bougainvillea
These were everywhere, growing up light posts & fences.



Here are some more Bougainvilleas. Breathtaking.



Alicia and I spent a lot of time at the outlets, but when we managed to break away from shopping we did find a couple of good places to grab some cocktails and good eats. The photo above was taken at Taps Fish House & Brewery. This place was conveniently located at the Promenade shops in Corona. We popped in for happy hour cocktails and some appetizers. Another restaurant we found that was great is called Chez Philippe French Bistro. This place was walking distance from our hotel downtown Palm Springs. It was a bit spendy but well worth the cost. They had an outdoor seating area which was great for people watching.



A red Ferrari & a green Lamborghini behind it. I spotted these two while walking up the streets in Palm Springs. The people around here like their cars.



Lemon tree



Bird of Paradise




Here are a couple of horses out to pasture. All the locals had mentioned they had gotten lots of rain this year and that is why all the hills were green. Most of my photos were of the flora in the area. It was so nice to see everything in bloom. The air smelt of spring.

March 17, 2008

Happy St Patrick's Day


Top of the morning to you. May your day begin with green eggs and ham and end with a pint of green beer. I decided to go through my stash and pull out all the green yarn and fabric. Not much green. The photo above is all I found.

Favorite Leprechaun Movie

My all time favorite Leprechaun movie is Darby O’Gill & the Little People. Here is a photo of King Brian the head of the Leprechauns.


Sean Connery is in this movie and actually sings a song titled “Pretty Irish Girl”. This is a fun Disney movie to watch on St Patrick’s day or if you are in an Irish kind of mood.



I made it home from Palm Springs. The weather was absolutely gorgeous with temperatures in the 70’s. I will share more photos of the trip when I get a chance.



I did manage to find a yarn shop near Palm Springs. The store was Knit Affair and you can go to the store site HERE. Pictured above yarn on the left is 2 skeins of Plymouth Happy Feet in color #12. On the right are 2 skeins of Cascade Yarn 50% Llama & 50% Wool in color #54 Pastaza Purple Jewel Heather. I have no idea what I will use these for but I couldn’t leave the store with out them.

New Baby

Finders Keepers finally had her baby. I got the call from Chris on Sunday the 9th while I was in Palm Springs. I wanted to get right back on a plane and fly home. He is a little dark chocolate boy. He has the same coloring as his momma.


He is a running fool. I am tempted to call him Forest Gump. With a name like that his prospects with the ladies later on might not be so great, so I will need to think of a studdly name.



Cookie’s baby is doing great; she gets more beautiful every day. We went ahead and named her Honey Buns. For such a sweet girl she had to have a name as sweet.


Keep your eyes open today and be on the look out for any Leprechauns. Don’t hesitate grab him and don’t let him go until he grants you three wishes. What would your three wishes be? I know one of my wishes would be anytime I snap my finger my entire house would be clean. 8)

March 07, 2008

Girlfriend Getaway


"Shopping by the Sea" by artist Marianne Haas

I am meeting up with my girlfriend Alicia from Oregon for a girlfriend’s getaway. Every couple of years we plan a trip together. This time we are heading to Palm Springs. I have never been there. To tell you the truth I would be happy going anywhere. I am looking forward to putting on some lipstick and feeling like a girl again. My focus this week was to try not to get any large bruises while working on the ranch. The weather around here has been bitter cold, so I am utterly excited about the forecast in Palm Springs with Highs in the upper 70’s.

Reading Material

These are the two books I am bringing on my trip. The one on the left is Mrs. Mike by Benedict & Nancy Freedman. The book on the right is Snow Flower & the Secret Fan by Lisa See. Both books have been on my list of must reads for awhile. I think this will be the perfect trip to finally have time to read them. I am also bringing along the diagonal scarf I started.

Projects awaiting my Return

I recently cleaned out my closet and found a few old wool sweaters no longer in style or in good shape. I plan to felt them and possibly use the fabric to make some bags, and possibly some other crafts. If you have any ideas or links feel free to send them my way.

When I get back I should be rested and ready to take on the rest of winter. There is a twinkle of hope since day light savings time starts Sunday. I love it when it gets lighter later.

March 02, 2008

Exotic Bloom


One of my Amaryllis bulbs finally bloomed. This one is Amaryllis Cybister Chico. The colors are just amazing. I plan to dry this bulb out when it is done and try to get it to bloom again next year.


Here is a close up of the flower.

Cup a Tea

I am a big tea drinker. Last year I weened myself off of cafeine. That was a little torchersome. I had a terrible headach every evening for about a week. Now I’m on decafe. There seems to be less of a selection of decafe coffee & teas. I thought I would share my 3 faves at the moment. This one above is Celestial Seasonings Honey Vanilla Chamomile.



This is Stash’s Apple Cinnamon. I tried this for the first time last Thanksgiving while visiting family. I have been hooked ever since.



This one is from the Bag Ladies Blossom line of teas. The flavor is Evening’s Comfort. It is a mix of chamomile & almond. You can find this tea HERE.


New Knit Book

I spotted this knit book at my last trip to town. It is Kitty Knits projects for cats & their people by Donna Druchunas. It is a cute little book. Some of the projects are a little dorky but it does have a handful of ones I like. I do like the hat & the little felted mouse toys on the cover.


I also liked this embroidered baby blanket.


Another pattern that caught my eye is this felted applique pillow. Overall a cute knit book filled with great photos & cat quotes and writings. Any cat lover that knits will like this book.

Baby Love

The little one born on Valentines is doing great. We have not come up with a name yet. I have been calling her Honey Buns, because I like to say this is Cookie Dough’s Honey Buns. LOL Of course I have not won over Chris with that name. I have been trying to think of some kind of confection or sweet of a name to go along with her mothers name. Plus I am still waiting to see what kind of baby our other one will have and I might give them a name pairing.



She just gets more beautiful every day. She has great conformation, and if she packs on a fleece like her Momma we might even bring her to a show and see how she does.

Have a Great Week!