12/22/08

I want some snow!!! Every blog I read they are talking about snow. All we got was some stupid rain!!! But we got LOTS of stupid rain. I came downstairs and sat at the kitchen table Saturday morning, and GOT RAINED ON!!! ;-( The kitchen table is below a bathroom, so of course, the first thought was the toilet, YUCK!!! But it was the vent in the roof. The water was leaking around it, running down the pipe and dripping out of the light fixture over the kitchen table. We now have a temporary repair on the roof. Of course, this happens right after we buy a new truck and replace the heating system, and preparing for Christmas. Can you spell BROKE!!! We don't think we will have to replace the whole roof, but nothing with a roof is cheap.


I finished my Christmas socks, before Christmas. Amazing!!! Last year I finished my Halloween socks for Christmas. They are my standard toe up K3P1 sock. Knit with Christmas yarn from Yarn Yard in Scotland. Nice knit, nice wear!!!










This is the Prairie Braid scarf, with Karioke from Southwest Trading. Yarn feels yummy!!! Fun knit. No ends to weave in, because it is short rows.










This is my wimple. The pattern and yarn came from www.CaryllDesigns.com. It is 100% Qiviut in Lupine. One skein makes this warm and SOFT wimple. The lacy pattern doesn't show well in this picture, but it is there, really.

I have finished two more books. Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher. It is the story of a teenage girl who commits suicide (before the book starts). She has made tape recording about the 13 reasons (people) she did it. It was very good. Started out great, ended great, dragged a little in the middle. But overall a very good read. Not a cry fest, but why. Most of the reasons, today as an adult seem pretty petty, but if you think back to what jr high and high school were like, they were a big deal.

Then I read The Tales of Beetle the Bard by JK Rowlings. I hesitate to even count this one as a book. It is 5 short fairy tales. It is referenced in the last Harry Potter book. JKR wrote it as a charity project. It was a fun read. Took about an hour.

I am now reading Vampire Academy, another Young Adult book. I have gotten in to these YA books!! This on is about the academy where young vampires and their protectors train. Very different from the Twilight Series. This is also a series. I am about half way through this one, I have decided yet whether this is a "read the whole series book" yet. I feel like we are building to some big climax, but only reading time will tell.

The world's scruffiest Westie dog wanted to say Merry Christmas to everyone!!! Especially his friend Annie!!!

Chat later

Susan

12/10/08

Just a quick report on the stitching weekend. We had a great time as usual. There were many projects underway. Some of us change the project we are working on about every 15 minutes. Don't make much progress that way, but you do not get bored. Our next scheduled gathering is the end of January. Not here then. At a local quilt shop.

I always enjoy these weekends, but feel like I have been hit by a truck afterwards. Not only when it is here, but anywhere it is!!! I just can't seem to adjust to all this sitting down!!! ;-)

I need to take some Christmas decoration pictures for y'all. I'll try to get that done this week.

Chat later
Susan

12/4/08

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!!

Had a great Thanksgiving, so thankful that my whole family is still here and reasonably healthy. What else is really important? Of course, the economy improving wouldn't hurt!!! ;-)

Have gotten some of my WIP or UFO's finished. Of course, then I develop startitis, so I still have a bunch of on going projects.

This is the Cable Pleated Skirt from Lanas Puras. It fits great, has a little flare that makes it flattering. Now I just need something to wear
with it. I used the recommended yarn, Lanas Puras Melosa Fingering. It is a very soft, lightly twisted single ply yarn. I wouldn't use it for socks since it felts, and I am too lazy to hand wash my socks. But I really like the feel of the skirt. The only change I would make if I reknit it, is the cables alternate which way they twist. I don't think soul, who hasn't knit the pattern would know that. I would twist all the cables the same way so I don't have to keep track of which one goes which way.





This is the Interlacements Beaded Scarf, I bought it originally as a kit. This is a second one, with my yarn and beads. The yarn is Scout Swag, don't recall the color (it was part of a sock club, I think), and can't find the label right now. This is a pretty mindless knit, even with the beads, once you get the bottom loopy beads done. It takes one skein of sock yarn and like 2,600 beads.






This is the detail of the bottom of the scarf. With all the beads, if you need a weapon while you have it one, you can just hit your attacker with the end!!!

You knit it in two halves, starting at the looped bead bottom, and then graft it together in the center.





This is the Simple Yet Effective Shawl, it is a free internet pattern. Easy to knit. I used one skein of Noro Kureyon Sock yarn, alternated the end I was using every 4 rows. I was able to run the yarn up the side so there were no ends to weave in (YIPPEEE). By using sock yarn instead of the recommended chunky yarn it is more scarf or accent shawl size. I love the colors!!!






These are my standard toe up, K3P1 gusset heel sock, based on Wendy Knits generic toe up sock pattern. Yarn is Lisa Souza What-A-Melon. They were knit from both ends of the skein at the same time. Notice the difference in color from one end to the other of the same skein.







I have also been working on some secret Christmas present items, that can't be talked about yet!!! So don't even ask!!!

I have read two books. The Great Crash 1929 by John Kenneth Galbraith. As I said last time, it was written in the 1950's about the 1920's but so much of it applies to today. It really is a lesson in "if you don't know history, we are destined to repeat it". It isn't a very long book and not a real technical book. The layman can read it with ease.

Then I read one of my nephew's (12 yo) young adult books (I like the YA books!!!). It is Atherton: The House of Power, it is the first book of two, I think. It is a boy in a fantasy world that is in 3 levels. He is the only person on the whole world that can climb from level to level. It has some vague similarities to Gulliver's Travels, without as many underlying lessons. I want to read book 2, but I will get it for my Kindle!!! ;-)

Have I mentioned how much I love my Kindle!?!?! ;-)

I finished up my tax class. I really enjoyed it, but am glad it is over, and I have my life back.

This weekend, I have a bunch of folks coming over to knit and quilt for the weekend. I think we are going to have about 12 folks. It will be loads of fun. I have a HUGE pot of soup cooking for Saturday nights dinner.

Exercise/Weightloss: Don't even ask. January 1st if coming.



Did I mention that I have Siamese Twin Scotty Dogs? Blue collar is Chad, pink collar is Chelsea. They are litter mates and even at 9 years old, they are still "joined at the hip". They have never been separated for more than a couple of hours. When I took them to be "fixed" when they were 6 months old, I asked that they be put in the same cage. And, no, that are not the least bit spoiled!!!

Chat later
Susan

11/13/08

Well, this is a no picture post, since I have finished NOTHING since my last post. Guess I posted too much at one time. I am working on 2 scarves. Guess I am feeling quick and easy!!!

I finished the two books I was reading and started the Great Crash 1929. It was written in the 1950's, but could have been written over the last year. That crash started with a real estate crisis too!!! Scary. We really do need to remember history better.

Tax Prep School is almost over. Just one more week. I have told them I am not working. The teacher is not very happy about that, but they pay so poorly it isn't worth my time. Besides with all that goes on in my life, when is there time for work???

I am off to the Outer Banks today to take my parents, my aunt and uncle (that own the house down there) and my aunt's sister to see the Christmas musical at the theater down there. It gives aunt/uncle a chance to check on the house, since neither of them drives anymore and nobody is going down this time of year. I usually go in October and November, but with school and moving my parent's this year, I haven't had time to go. Maybe after the first of the year.

Puppies are doing good. Chad seems to have a stomach virus, but he has always been my "throw-uppy" puppy. They escaped and went on walk about the other day. Luckily my neighbor saw them and played with them until I could get home and "trap" them back in the yard.

Off to the showers and the Outer Banks.

Chat later
Susan

10/28/08

I see that Macklin highjacked my blog earlier. He really is a creative little dog. How many dogs do you know that can type??? But he really is smitten with Annie!!! He gets this dreamy look in his eyes every time he sees her. So, he doesn't get his picture on MY update, since he already did his own!! ;-)

A lot has been going on. I know I say that every update, but this one has been particularly busy. We have sold my parent's house. Almost finished the addition to my sister's house for them, and moved them. They are pretty much settled except their kitchen cabinets have not come yet. We will have to finish the kitchen area once they arrive. The first of October, I started the H&R Block Tax Prep course. It really is a good course. It is 3 days a week, 3 hours a time, plus about 3 hours of homework for each class. It is pretty intensive. I have a really good teacher, so that helps. I have been obsessed with CNBC since the stock market has been so crazy. So haven't been doing as much reading as usual. If I have a few minutes, I am watching TV or doing homework, not reading. But I do have a few books to report on later in this update. After all the pictures. Of course, the election is driving me crazy. I will be very glad when it is over.


This is the Hexagon Afghan from the Bernet book. Made with Bernet yarn. Fun to crochet, not as fun to sew together. I will make another on though. I loved doing the hexagons.












Beaded Flag bracelet. I took a 2 hour class at Beadworkz in Suffolk, to learn this one. It took about 4 hours to make in total. I have been wearing it a lot. Not sure I am still going to be proud to be an American after the election.










These are plain K3,P1 socks. Made from Ellen Cooper yarn with real silver in it. They sparkle, you really can't tell from the picture. They are SOFT. Have some silk in them too. Got the yarn at Knitting Addiction in Southern Shores, NC.









Here are the 25 center blocks of the Charming Leaves quilt. I still have the dogtooth borders to go, but these were fun. Just need to do some applique. I seem to do more of it when I am away from home, than at home.











This really does look better on than laying on the couch!!! It is a ChicKnit pattern with Buton d Or yarn. Needs blocking. I need to hold a blocking party. It is getting cold and I have 3 or 4 sweaters that just need blocking and I could start wearing them. Plus a shawl and who knows what else needs blocking.





Exercise has been on a back burner. With class three mornings a week and trying to get my parents moved, it just hasn't gotten into the schedule. I will do better soon. I keep promising myself that!!!

On the reading front:
Sarah: How a Hockey Mom... by Keylene Johnson. Good intro to Sarah Palin.

Tan Lines by JJ Salem. Women's bonding book. A group of college friends that get together in the Hamptons years later. How their lives have diverged and converged. Good, not great. Has a murder mystery woven in.

Perfecting Amanda by Bonnie Dee. This was a free book for my Kindle (have I mentioned how much I LOVE my Kindle??) It is a story set at the turn of the century (1900). A pen pal bride goes to get married to a man she has never seen. When she gets to town, she is picked up by a man you makes her believe he is the fiance. After they spend the night together, he lets her know he isn't!! Should she tell the new fiance or not??? Good story. Light reading. Quite sexy!!

Murder on the Candlelight Tour by Ellen Elizabeth Hunter. This is another in the Wilmington NC murder mystery series. They are light and fun quick reads. Revolving around the same historic home restorer. I think there are 8 in the series. I will eventually read them all.

The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes. This is the story of the Great Depression. It is very good. Scary, how much it mirrors this current economic crises. Gets a little heavy at points, but I am enjoying it. Only have 2 chapters left so will finish it soon.

Murder at the Azalea Festival by Ellen Elizabeth Hunter. This is another of the Wilmington NC murder mystery series. Reading this one when Forgotten Man needs a break. Not far into it yet, but it is as good as the others in the series.

When I finish these two books, I will have read 47 books this year. My goal is 52 by the end of the year. Once the class is over the end of November, I will be able to read faster, since I won't have homework, so I should make my goal.

I think that gets things pretty much updated. I will try to do better about updating, but no promises!!!

Chat later
Susan

To Annie from Captain Macklin

Just in from a mission.













Mom said I could use this blog update (which is long overdue) to send my girlfriend, Annie a note.

For those that don't know Annie, you can learn about her at ://pennysanford.typepad.com/penny_sanford_porcelains_/ She is a beautiful Westie and another member of the Westie Special Forces. She lives with several other Westies, one of them being Major Mackie. I saw her pictures on Penny's blog and fell instantly in love.

Annie have no concern about being a small town, now country Westie. I was born, and lived the first year and a half of my life in a SMALL town in North Carolina. They don't even have a traffic light and they park in the middle of the street. My then Mom got very sick and was not able to look after me. They took her to some place they called a hospital. There was no one home to look after me. They were talking about "rescues" and "shelters". I don't know what they mean but I didn't like they way they sounded. Anyway, I got lucky (as did you) when my "now Mom" heard about me from her cousin, she drove the 2 hours to get me the next day. I came to live with my new human parents and my Scotty brother and sister, Chad and Chelsea. I miss my first Mom, but have a really good place to live now.

We have moles and squirrels and all sorts of invaders that must be guarded against. As you can see from the picture at the top of the post, I had been out on a mission. I have a doggie door so I can go in and out. Sometimes when I catch a vermit, I bring its dead body in to my Mom. She really doesn't seem to appreciate my hard work. She promptly discards them.




Here I am resting between missions. (Mom says don't look at the dust on the lamp).

Annie, don't worry when Miss Penny takes your picture when you aren't brushed. You still look beautiful to me. I am a rough and rugged Westie. I don't think brushing is necessary for a Westie most days!!!

Now you know a little more about me. Hopefully you will be more comfortable with your long distance beau.

Best wishes to all of your Westie Special Forces Team. Wish we could meet in "person". Sniffing is always good.

Captain Macklin

9/15/08

No picture post since I am on the Outer Banks without my camera. I will have a few finished things when I get back to take pics of, so that gives you something to look forward to....

My sister, my 2 nephews (12 yo) and I rode the 50 mile Between the Lighthouses Bike Ride on Saturday. We all finished. They boys were the youngest to ride that distance, so they have something to be really proud of. My knee "went South" on me at mile 45 and I was very unhappy the last 5 miles, but I made it. I also burned my lower lip!!! I have never burned my lip before, and I don't recommend it. Today it has a scab all across it and is still swollen. I am so afraid I am going to split it. I won't do that again. I will always remember my lip sunscreen!!! Of course, it was a record high temperature day, of course.

Have done some reading. Araminta Spookie #5, a continuation of the young adult series about a witch who has a vampire as an uncle. Really cute and a super quick read. It is by Angie Sage.

Unknown Waters by Alfred McLaren. This is the story of the submarine, the Queenfish, that mapped the area under the Arctic icecap in the 1960's. Since my husband is a retired submariner, this was very interesting to me. It had a little too much of the Navy alphabet shorthand, but other than that it was very readable.

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. This is the first in the Southern Vampire series. I think there are 8 in the series. It was very good. I look forward to the next one. It is another of the "politically correct" vampires books where vampires don't bite people!!!

Epicenter by Joel Rosenberg. This follows the book of Ezekiel and it's predictions of the future as compared to what is happening in the world today, and how close we are to the end of days. It was very good until the last chapter. Then it became a little "too" religious. More like a sermon than a book. But overall it was very good.

Mayday by Nelson DeMille and Thomas Block. Very good, but DeMille's books always are. This is a subspace passenger airliner that is shot by a Navy missile during a secret test. Very good. Hard to put down.

Now I am going to read the draft of Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyers. This is the Twilight series from Edwards prospective. She was writing the book and someone leaked it on the internet. She is so upset, she isn't sure she is going to finish it. But of course, I have to read the draft. I sent the pdf from the internet to my Kindle, so I could read it. Bad, I know!!!

I have been appliquing on the Charming Leaves quilt. I have 3 more blocks and the borders. So if I would work on it, it wouldn't take long!!! It is the working on it thing!!

Well off to the showers!!

Chat later
Susan

9/7/08 Just for Fun

The Big Read is an NEA program designed to encourage community reading initiatives and of their top 100 books, they estimate the average adult has read only six.

*Look at the list and bold those we have read.
*Italicize those we intend to read.

Share this list in your blog, too, if you like.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (Tried but couldn't get into it)
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo


That's 39 of 100 for me. Guess that isn't so bad, since they say the average is 6!!! I may read any of the ones not marked. Who knows?

Have fun with this

Chat later
Susan

8/27/08

Got to go to Nags Head, had a great long weekend. My mother's second cataract surgery went just as smoothly as the first, so that is behind us. The next family trauma is getting my parent's new living space finished and them out of their house by the end of October. The construction schedule is so tight, that if anyone sneezes we won't make it!!! Then they are homeless!!

No new FO knittng/crochet projects to show. I have been on a reading jag, so not much handwork done!! I have a four day quilting weekend this weekend, so will get some stuff done then. Hopefully the next update will include a load of FO pictures.

Have been doing a lot of bike riding. Did a 47 mile ride on Saturday and hope to do it again this weekend. We are expecting leftover rain from the tropical storm this week, so hopefully it will clear out so we can ride. The Between the Lights bike ride is September 13th. It is 50 miles on the Outer Banks. That is what we are training for.

I have given up on the Rock and Roll half marathon. I was planning to walk it, but have been having a lot of trouble with leg pain after walking anything over 2 miles. So have had to give this up in favor of the bike. I hope to spend some time with a personal trainer soon to try to work out the leg pain problem.

On the reading list:
Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett - This is the second time I have read this book. It is excellent. Long but you really get lost in it. There is an Earl who is a sadist so there is a bit of sexual violence that was troubling, but I think it is probably true to the time. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys political intrique.

Murder on the Ghost Walk - Ellen Elizabeth Hunter - This is a murder mystery set in Willmington, NC. It is light reading, and interesting because I knew some of the places she was talking about. I read it in one day on the beach. It is the first in a series of mysteries set in Willmington. I plan to read them all.

The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency - Alesander McCall Smith - Light mystery. Great character development. You really feel you get to know them. It is a series of short mysteries, not one long involved one. I prefer the long involved mystery. But enjoyed the insite in African culture. This is also a series of books. I will probably read more. This is another book I read in one day, sitting on the beach.

Dog Eat Dog - Laurien Berenson - If you are a dog lover, this is a must read. Murder mystery with a ton of dog stories thrown in. How can you not love a book that almost has more dogs than people in it. Another series. I will be reading more!!! Another one day beach read.

Under you Spell - Lois Greiman - I started this the last day on the beach. I read 100 pages only because I didn't have another book. I would have dropped it in the trash on the beach, but I wanted to make a note of it, so I didn't buy any more books by this author. This is very unusual for me to not finish a book. I just couldn't slog through it. The language was cumbersome and the story wasn't moving. Enough said

Septimus Heap:Queste Book 4 - Angie Sage - If you like Harry Potter, you will like Septimus. He is an Ordinary Wizard in an apprenticeship to be an Extraordinary Wizard. Great fantasy. I have abou 50 pages left. What will be next..............

Told you I had been reading a bunch!!!!

Hopefully I will get something to take a picture of finished by next time.

Puppies are fine. They are still loving the screened in front porch. Sometimes they even sit out there without me!!! I am dreading the weather getting cold and me not getting to sit out there. Of course, then I will so some hand work instead of just read.

Chat later
Susan

8/9/08

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Kindle. After holding an almost 800 page hard cover book, now holding the lightweight Kindle is so much nicer!!!! I have almost finished Lady Killer. It isn't as good as the other Lisa Scottoline that I read, but still very good. I will continue to read her books.

I leave for the Outer Banks on Weds (hopefully). Not sure if I will take the Kindle or a real book for beach reading. I can just put the Kindle in a ziplock bag, but I am not sure I am comfortable, just sticking it in my bag and going for a walk!?!?! Not sure I really want to hold a real book, though, is that lazy or what!?!?! ;-)

I know I said I was doing UFO's in July and August, but I started a quick V-neck tank. Hopefully I can finish it to wear at the beach. But I have to quit reading long enough to do it. OR practice doing both at the same time.

Chat later
Susan

8/6/08

A bit calmer week, this week. It was time for one.

No new knitting/crocheting/appliquing pictures. I have been sitting on the new screened in front porch reading!!! I LOVE the porch. I have finished Back on Blossom Street. This is the third in the Blossom Street series. Good, quick, chick lit read. It is about a knitting store and the customers that frequent it. The first two books are Shop on Blossom Street and a Good Yarn. All three are good light reading.

I am about 3/4 the way through the fourth book of the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyers, Breaking Dawn. I was a little shocked by this book. It is a young adult book and has gotten into some issues that surprise me for that level book. I won't give details because I don't want to spoil it for anyone that is going to read it. It, like the rest of the series is very good.

Next book, I think, is Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline. That will be the first full length book on the Kindle. So far I love the Kindle. I have a TON of "real books" so am trying to read several real books for each Kindle book, to whittle down the piles!!! My nephew (who also loves to read) had declared that I have a BOOK ADDICTION!!! You think??? ;-)

We have ridden the bikes almost 100 miles this week. T is doing much better with his new road bike versus his old mountain bike. Hopefully we will be ready for a 50 mile ride by early September. Not sure if we are taking bikes to the OBX next week or not. My sister and her family are leaving Friday for the beach. I am not going until next Weds or Thurs. My mother is having cataract surgery on Weds and I am going to stay here and make sure that goes well. Hate for both of us to be gone when it is done. It is rarely a problem, but don't want to be away during it.

Well back to the porch, before it gets any hotter, to finish my book. Puppies LOVE the porch also. As soon as I head that way, they are running to get out there too!!!

Chat later
Susan

7/30/08 Part II

Macklin in his hiding place guarding his bone. The pile on the drawer is my magazines that I need to go through!!! Why am I always behind?












On the Reading front, I have gotten a lot done, I finished the Septimus Heap book. They are much like Harry Potter, a boy wizard in a magical world. I have one left to go in that series of the ones that are out. Not sure how many there will be in total. Then I read the Araminta Spookie series by Ange Sage (same one that wrote Septimus Heap). This is a little girl who lives with her magical Aunt and Uncle (vampire). Cute quick read. Young Adult kind of stuff.

Then I read Andrew Gross's second book, Dark Tide. I think I liked it better than the first one. Murder mystery, set against a background of the diamond districts (NYC) dealings. Very good.

Then came Killer Smile by Lisa Scottoline. It is the first of her books I have read and it certainly won't be the last. Legal drama, all female law firm. Verges on Chick Lit, but not really. Had more substance than what I usually put in that catagory.

Now I am reading Another Shop on Blossom Street. This is from the knitting series by Debbie Macomber. Haven't really gotten into it good yet. But the others have been very good.

Big news on the reading front is that I bought a Kindle. E-book reader from Amazon for those that aren't familiar with it. I love it. I can carry 250 books in the size and weight of one paperback. It is tied to what they call the Whispernet, so I can download a new book in about 2 minutes. It is amazing. A whole book downloads faster than one song from iTunes. Can't wait until I get some reading time in my swing.

I almost forgot the Stitching Weekend, here at the house. It was great. I think everyone had a ball. I know I did. We will do it again, someday, but not until my life settles down a little!! Just too much uncertainty right now!!!

Now for some puppy pictures. Of course, Chad and Chelsea are NINE tomorrow, so they really aren't puppies anymore!!! ;-(



The trio guarding their toys and milkbones. From left to right, Chelsea, Macklin, and Chad.













Chad in "his snack corner". They have all chosen their own special spot to eat their treats.













Chelsea guarding her "rescue puppy". She loves her balls and stuffed animals.













Macklin, in his "treat spot". This is the step between the kitchen and the den. He can keep track of both places from here. Yes, there are more pictures of Mack than the other two. I am not showing favorites, it is just much easier to get a cute picture of a white dog than a black one. So many I take of them, they just look like a black outline.

That should get me all caught up for July. Hopefully it won't take a month before I get time to post again. I really am enjoying all the time with my nephews and I will miss them a bunch when school starts back up, but I get NOTHING done when I am running them all over the place all the time. I need to treasure this time and not feel guilt about things like blogging, not getting done!!!

Chat later
Susan

7/30/08 Part I

July has been one of the craziests months in history. Thanks to those who sent wishes that all was well. It is as well as it ever is, so thanks. Just a long line of craziness. Early in the month, my sister had a week on the Outer Banks. I was supposed to go for the week, but with one of my nephews playing All Star Little League Baseball and my parent's house on the market, I ended up going down Monday morning, coming back Tuesday night, going back Thursday morning and coming back Friday night!!! I should have known that with the first day of the month going that way, that it was going to be a crazy month.

My parent's aren't able to keep the house in "showing" condition, so I go clean twice a week. My sister's two dogs stay over there almost every day. Both of them shed like crazy, so I have to vacuum twice a week to keep the hairballs to a minimum. Do you think I clean my house that well? NOT!!!

The third week in the month my brother-in-law had to go to Georgetown for CyberKnife radiation treatments. It was a weeks worth of treatments. Nephew and I went up on Monday and stayed until Wednesday night. Then my sister came up and stayed the rest of the week. Nephew and I went to the Smithsonian and the zoo and the Spy Museum while b-i-l was doing the medical stuff. The Spy Museum is great by the way, I had never been. Lots of interactive stuff.

While all this was going on. DH tore the front porch off the house and replace it from the ground up and screened it in. I LOVE my Screened in porch, with a swing. Fabulous place to knit and read!!! IF only I had time to do that!!!

And of course the Tour de France was going on. I am not a big sports watcher, but I do love the Tour. I got to watch all of it thanks to DVR's. When I got back from Georgetown I had 20 hours to watch, not counting others programs that were taped. I am still not caught up and they are replacing my DVR on Friday, so I have to watch all I can or they will be gone.

On the exercise front, I am bike riding with my nephew and still walking trying to get ready for the half marathon. Nephew and I are doing a 50 mile bike ride early in September. I can ride way better than I can walk. I have a lot of pain after walking. I am afraid I will have to give up the half marathon. I don't see much point in doing something that I KNOW is going to hurt, a lot.

Now on the knittingcrocheting front:


This is Poppy be Elsebeth Lavold. Knit in Cotton Patine. I love it. It will look way better after blocking and finishing. One day I will get that done.












This is a ripple afghan I started in April 2007. It was SO BORING. I finally finished it during the Tour de France. It is not large, just enough to snuggle under on the couch. But I don't have to have UFO guilt about it anymore!!!

This is the Tidal Wave pattern from SWTC. I did it toe up instead of by the pattern, but used the "wave" pattern on the cuff. I really like them. The yarn is Sockmania. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her stuff!!! The second picture is the whole pair of socks.

This is a kitchen cotton wash cloth. I like them for face clothes. They exfoliate gently, not like the scratchy pads they sell for that.

This is the Lacy Little Top knit from hemp, from Hemp for Knitting. I really like it, but I have to reblock it wider, to see if I can get a little more "boobage" room. Hopefully it will relax a little with wearing.

Noro sock yarn, knit two at a time on two circs, toe up using WendyKnits basic pattern. 3 x 1 rib on the cuffs. Not sure I love the Noro yarn. Not sure the thick/thin nature is going to hold up well in socks, but LOVE the colors.

Check Part II for further update. This is just getting too long for one post

Chat later (or right now)

Susan

6/26/08

When I stopped workin "outside the home" thought I would have all the time in the world to knit and quilt and read and just enjoy life. I had NO IDEA, just how busy I would be. Looking after my parent's (whose house is on the market, so requires a lot of cleaning), feeding them since we aren't allowing them to cook in the clean house. Fetching and toting my nephews, one playing baseball all-stars and one on a swim team. With 5 practices a week and 2 swim meets a week, this takes a lot of fetching and toting and the baseball games haven't even started yet!!!

Occasionally, I do get to sit and stitch. I will have some pictures soon. The Noro socks are done and the Lacy Little Top is finished. I am working on my ripple afghan right now because it is easy to pick up and drop quickly.

I am getting some reading done sitting at practices. I finally finished The Host. It was good, but my least favorite of Stephanie Meyers books so far. Her new vampire book is due in August. Hopefully that will get back to her really good stuff. I am now reading Septimus Heap: Physik
this is the third in a series similar to Harry Potter. Easy reading, great for sitting by the pool.

We have really started training for the September bike ride. The smoke from the dismal swamp fires is slowing us down. I don't think we should be out exerting ourselves in visible smoke. Plus it is supposed to be 99 degrees today!!! ;-( Walking and prepping for the half marathon is slow. I have a muscle problem that is causing pain if I go over 5 miles. I have stetching, strengthening exercises to work on that, but don't know whether I will be able to do the walk or not. Time will tell.

Well off to finish preps for the stitching weekend at my house this weekend. Oh, I forgot to mention that I have 14 people coming to my house all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday to stitch and bitch. It will be loads of fun, but this house cleaning thing is for the birds!!!

Puppies are all fine. They don't get to see me enough, though

Chat later
Susan

6/09/08

The main thing I have to report is that it is HOT!!!!! We are at almost a week of almost 100 or over 100 degree days. In this time frame, I have spent a day at Busch Gardens, one day at Kings Dominion and the heat of a day at a little league ball game. And I had one day that the air conditioning didn't work, of course, one of the days I was home. It was 96 in the house by the time it was fixed. I feel very well cooked!!! Spots of my body have a nice tan. Of course, it is a farmer's tan and mostly on the front of my body. You look a little foolish laying on your stomach at a little league game!!! Today, I have swim meet to go to. That is another 4+ hours in the heat, starting at 4:45PM, so the heat of the day!!! ;-(

I have gotten a little knitting and reading done, but haven't finished anything!! I am trying real hard to finish the knitting projects I have started instead of starting new ones right now. I am planning to use UFO's for my Tour de France and Knitting Olympics projects. If I could finish what I have started in that 2 month period I would be thrilled. Then I could start all new stuff!!!

The dogs are hating this weather too. They keep reminding me that they have to wear fur coats, that they can't take off!!!

Hopefully by next week, I will have finished a book or a knitting project or something!! I am feeling very unproductive.

Chat later
Susan

5/28/08

I didn't post a puppy picture yesterday, so thought I would upload this one of Mack, aka Captain Mackie!!! He has such a hard time getting comfortable. I am amazed he ever gets any sleep!!! NOT!!!

Chat later

Susan

5/27/08

I really haven't dropped off the face of the earth, even though it seems that way.

We have cleaned out my parent's house, had a yard sale and put the house on the market. Two pack rats really shouldn't live together for almost 60 years. We found some real treasures, but some real junk too. They even kept broken stuff too!!! My sister is adding an in-laws suite to her house, so they are going there. They just aren't able to look after this large a house and yard anymore. So now the house is on the market, we just have to hope it doesn't take forever to sell.

I also spent a week on the Outer Banks. Great stitching time. Not much sunning time, it again rained at least half the time I was there and it was chilly. But I did get a lot of applique done.

The center blocks of Dear Jane are done. These are the blocks that haven't been pictured before. Now I have the borders and all the sashing. I still have the 169 blocks to square-up so I can sash them. Not fun!!!

I haven't been knitting a whole lot recently. The only thing I have done is turn the heel on my travel socks. I have been working on them since January. Just the cuff left to go.

I have been renewing my addiction to applique. I took the Charming Leaves class and have been working on it incessantly. In this picture there are seven blocks. I now have 15 of them done. There are 25 in all. Then the dog tooth border. I am loving it. It is such easy, mindless applique. I think I am in an easy, mindless phase of my life. There are too many other things going on to work on a hard project.

After the dogs stayed home with DH for a week, they were programed to get up at 4:30AM. Which is when he gets up. If they didn't eat before he left they were hungry. I am still trying to reprogram them. I like to get up between 6:30 and 7:00AM, NOT 4:30!!! We are making progress. We slept until 6 this morning. But it is nice to be home with them. I can talk to DH on the phone while I am at the beach, but I can't do that with the puppies. I miss them.

I have been having a ball, e-mailing with http://pennysanford.typepad.com/penny_sanford_porcelains_/2008/05/guest-blog-major-mackie-special-forces.html

She has a Westie named Mackie. (She actually has a whole pack of westies she has rescued) I have a Westie named Mackie!!! Her's is Major Mackie, mine is Captain Mackie. It is fun talking about the Westie Special Forces!!!

The exercise update is easy. NONE!!!! I really have got to work on this, but with all the manual labor of cleaning out the house, there hasn't been much energy left for "dedicated" exercise.

We saw two movies this weekend. The new Indiana Jones movie. Good, not nearly as good as the old ones. I would have liked to see more about the stories that surround the crystal skulls, but they are almost secondary to the action. We also saw the new Narnia movie. I didn't really care for that at all. I thought is was very slow, then a lot of fighting. Just couldn't get into it.

I have gotten a fair amount of reading done. Messed up my back, so spent a lot of time not moving much. I read Last Jihad, by Joel Rosenberg. Good political thriller. It is classed as Christian lit, but I didn't see it. I just saw a political thriller. I have ordered the next book in the series, hopefully it is as good as the first one. I also read Swine Not, by Jimmy Buffett. How can Buffett do anything bad. It is hysterical. It is about a family that lives in a NYC hotel with a pet pig. The story is written mostly from the PIG'S perspective. Quick read, well worth the few hours it took. Last night I started The Host by Stephanie Meyer. I loved her young adults series about the teenage vampires. I haven't read enough of this one to get into it yet. But based on her other writing, I will love it. I'll let you know.

Last, but not least, my orchid is in bloom. I started with nine. I have two left alive. "This one is blooming. This is the first one I have ever had bloom under my care.

I will try to not be gone so long next time.

Chat later

Susan

4/25/08

Sorry no pictures yet. Look at the bright side, when I get the camera working again, I will have a lot to show you. Since I don't have a reliable laptop, I have been doing a lot of stitching. Working on Dear Jane, and my new project Charming Leaves. Haven't had knitting needles in my hands in over a week, just applique and sewing.

I finished all seven books of the Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson. They are good light reading. I very much enjoyed them. I like his writing style. Very short chapters so you don't have to stop in the middle of a long one. I don't like to stop in the middle. I am now reading the Blue Zone by Andrew Gross. He co-wrote several of Pattersons books. Very good. Heavier then Women's Murder Club, but very good.

I have been walking, trying to get ready for walking the half marathon. I do hope my hips hold out. They don't hurt while I walk, but after they are miserable. Not sure how this is going to work out. I also have to start riding my bike. Nephew and I are doing a 25 or 50 mile bike ride in September. Hopefully my hips will do better on the bike!!!

Laptop is doing better. Adding software slowly. Windows has been reloaded 3 times, as we add software, it dies again. So doing it very slowly this time. Hopefully in a few days I will have the camera back.

Chat later
Susan

4/19/08

Haven't forgoten you!!! My laptop has died, so no camera link until that is fixed. Also, my internet connection STINKS. The last week or more has been horrible. I can't stay logged in long enough to write a post.

See you when the technical issues are solved.

Chat later
Susan

4/6/08

Wow, where have I been? I had no idea that it had been so long since I posted. T, you usually remind me to post. Where have you been?

I have been working on Dear Jane. Here are another 21 blocks. I now have 120 of 169 center blocks done. I started it last May. I had hoped to finish the center in a year, then a year for the border. Don't think I will make the first deadline.

I am blogging from the Outer Banks so have been getting a lot of stitching time since it has been raining and cold the whole time I have been here. We got 4 1/2 inches of rain yesterday!!! I have 2 more blocks of Nature's Chorus done and am working on the next block of Expressions of Morris. No pictures, I didn' t think to grab the camera when I was packing. I had taken this picture earlier and uploaded it, that is the only reason I have that one.

Had a quilting weekend last weekend at a LQS. Had a great time. It was wonderful to have one of those that I wasn't in charge. I got to enjoy and shop instead of being the hostess. We hope to have one a quarter. I really got a lot done. That is when I finished 10 of the DJ blocks and started one of the Nature's Chorus blocks.

I finished the Hemlock Ring Throw I was knitting with my personally hand spun yarn. It needs blocking really badly. I hope it looks better after that. Right now it looks like a pile of mess. I started a Cabled Pleated skirt. Hope it is big enough it looks awfully small. I need to get enough knit so I can try it on. It is knit top down so at least I can try it on.

I am up to the 5th book in the Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson. These are really quick reads with short chapters. I am enjoying them. I had hoped to sit in the porch swing while at the beach and finishing the series of 7. The weather is not cooperating. It is supposed to be 54 and windy today. Not really porch swing weather. So not nearly so much reading getting done.

Exercise is also suffering because of the weather. I don't do rain!!! And I don't have a treadmill here. Weather needs to improve so I can train. Not sure what I am going to do if it rains the day of the half marathon!!!

Soapbox time: I am pissed with Paypal. I have had an account since 2002. They are now requiring that I get verified. Problem is, my husband also has an account with them. Our checking account is tied to his Paypal account, so they won't let me tie to the same account. We only have the one account, so I can't have a Paypal account. Seems pretty crappy. Why doesn't my 6 years of being a good customer mean anything? I get through life without Walmart, so I guess I can do without Paypal, but so many vendors will only deal with Paypal!!! ;-(

Well off to the showers, so I can get to stitching and reading and housecleaning. Not much of that last one, I assure you.

No puppy pictures, they are home with husband-unit. They miss me though. I know that.

Chat later
Susan

3/18/08

Sorry for my absence, my Father had the flu and ended up in the hospital. Of course, this was while my sister and her family were on vacation, so I have been very busy. It has taken 2 weeks to get him back on his feet. But he seems to be much better, so I can get back to my life a little.

I finished my toe up socks I was working on sitting at the hospital. My toes were so cold that I put them on with the tails still hanging. (No pictures since they are currently in the washing machine). I started this pair with the new Noro sock yarn. The colors are gorgeous, but I am concerned that I have broken the thinner places twice already, and I am a very loose knitter. Not sure how they are going to hold up. I am using WendyKnits generic toe up pattern with a 3by1 rib on the foot and cuff. I had decided I like the ribbing on the top and the bottom of the foot. With the 3-1 rib it isn't enough pattern to bother the bottom of my foot and it makes the sock snugger. This yarn is getting softer as I work with it, but these will never qualify as world's softest socks.


I finished the Rosalin Fair Isle Hoodie. I haven't worn it, but it fits great. It still needs to be blocked, but it has gotten too warm to wear it, so it is ready for next year. It is a great knit. Pattern is well written and best of all, it is free!!









This is my Ribbi Pulli. I finished it with a turtleneck. I didn't like the thick t-neck wearing it, so I ripped it out and reknit it with a hood. I haven't worn it since I finished. One, it is too warm and two, it needs blocking. Do you see a blocking theme here??? ;-)

I have also been working on the Hemlock Ring Throw. I took a picture of it, but Blogger won't let me upload it for some reason. It doesn't look like much balled up on the needles anyway. I am knitting it with yarn I spun. It is the first thing I have ever knit with MY handspun. It is uneven but it is fun to use my own yarn. Hopefully once it is finished and blocked it will look ok. Even if it isn't great, it in all mine!!!


Here are the next 14 blocks of Dear Jane. I think this gets me to 99 of 169. I will have been working on it for a year in May, so that is pretty good.

Haven't done any applique, just the little bit for the DJ blocks. Need to get back to that, now that things have settled down a little.

Went two weeks without walking or exercising at all. That is no way to train for a half marathon. I got back to walking yesterday, now I have to reestablish that habit.

I got a lot of reading done at the hospital. That is easier, along with sock knitting, than most other things you can do at a hospital. I started A New Earth, Oprah's book club selection, I doubt I will ever finish it. I have read about a 1/3rd of it. It hasn't "said" anything to me yet, and it is HARD READING. If I am getting something out of it, I can deal with hard. But hard, just because Oprah said so, isn't cutting it.

I finished "Losing It", Valerie Bertinelli's book. It was a fun read. It is like reading something aobut someone you know. After watching her on TV all these years, it is like she is someone you know. She has had a tougher life than I realized. The paparazzi wasn't around when she was coming along, so we just didn't know.

I also read Eclipse. That is the third book in the young adult series by Stephenie Meyer, about vampires and werewolves that live amongst us. I have always had a thing about vampires, so this is right up my alley. Easy reading, and quite enjoyable. I pass them along to my nephews when I finish.

I am reading the Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson. I am on Second Chance. I had read the first one before, but reread it before I started the series. I like the tv series. Hopefully it will be back since the writer's strike is over. There are currently 7 books so there is lots of material.

We have also watched the first 3 seasons of Lost on DVD. I had never gotten into the show. It was good to fill in during all the re-runs. They are enjoyable, but I think I like them better being able to watch on DVD instead of in weekly installments. I had Tivo'd the 4th season so far, so now we are working on those. By the time we catch up, new shows will be back on and we will have something to watch while I knit/applique/crochet/etc.



Have to include some puppy pictures. Here is Chad. It is hard to get a good picture of a black dog that likes to sit in a navy blue chair.












Here is Chelsea. She is usually still upstairs in bed when I take puppy pictures, so I snapped this one in the afternoon.














Then there is Mr Comfortable!!! Macklin has no problem getting in a "good spot"!!!

Happy St Patrick's Day late!!!

Chat later
Susan

The Rosalin Fair Isle Hoodie is coming along nicely. I am working on the shoulders then I just have to knit the hood. This pattern is well written and knits up smoothly. Even if you have never done Fair Isle, this is a good project.

My Ribby Pulli that I finished a couple of weeks ago, with a turtleneck, I have decided to frog the turtleneck and knit the hood. I don't like the worsted weight T-neck on my body. So guess that one isn't really finished, OR does it count at TWO finished projects since I finished it twice???



We finished Basketball season with my nephews this week. I also finished my mindless project. This is a scarf knit in the round out of the Skacel 1776 sock yarn. Now I need another completely mindless project since baseball season starts April 1st. Any suggestions?


Training is coming fairly well for the Rock n Roll Half Marathon (walking it), but I had to slow down this week. My hips were hurting a lot. So I have slowed down to a more leisurely pace, that has helped a lot, BUT, I can't finish within the 4 hour time limit at my current speed, so hopefully I can speed back up soon.

My nephew wants to do a 25 mile bike ride in September after the walk in August!!! So as soon as he gets out of school, I will be training for that too!!! I won't be able to walk most days. But I should be in good shape!!!

I got two Dear Jane blocks done this week, but didn't get a picture of them yet. I will put them in once I have a few more done.

No applique this week.

I went to the Mid Atlantic Quilt show last week. I was VERY unimpressed. There were not nearly as many quilts and only a handful were hand done. Most were art quilts, which really aren't my cup of tea. Even the vendors were a disappointment. There wasn't anything new. Every thing is just a "retread" of a couple of years ago. Booths had patterns that I know are 8 years old. I already have those. I go to a show to get new stuff!!! Anyway, I may never go back, which is bad since it is one of the largest shows on the East Coast and I only live 25 minutes from the venue, but why pay $12 to get in to see old stuff and quilts I am not crazy about? I would love to hear what others thought. Was it just me??

Saturday I went to Nags Head to the musical theater to see an Elvis impersonator. It was fun. Took my parents and my aunt and uncle. We had a really good day, except... Daddy came down with the flu on Monday, so now I am sure we will all have it. He had the flu shot, but it doesnt' seem to have helped. With each sneeze, cough, or twinge, I am sure I am next. Wish me luck.


Boys are snoozing in their chair. The sleep all night, each breakfast and go get in their chair. What a life?













And when it rains, Macklin really likes to dig in the mud, notice the "white" paws. That is what I call "terrior toes", he also has "terrior nose", but it is hard to see in this picture.

Chat later
Susan

2/14/08

Happy Valentines Day to all!!!

Chat later
Susan

2/13/08

Two more blocks of Nature's Chorus done!!! That is 26 of 49. I am over half way. So, of course, I have gone back to knitting.

Started the Rosalin Fair Isle Hoodie. Not much to show, still working on the turned up hem.

No progress on Expressions of Morris or Dear Jane, will get back to those one day.

Have had a good week training for the Half Marathon. It seems to be taking a lot of time out of my week, but I need to get in the habit of exercising more, so hopefully this will help. By the time the race comes up the end of August, I hope it is such a habit that I can't break it.

Still reading Murder in the Heartland. Hopefully I will finish it one year!!! It really is good, just not devoting any time to it.

Chat later

Susan

2/5/08

Two more blocks of Natures Chorus are done. That means 24 of 49 are done. These blocks really do go fast. I am enjoying making progress on this quilt. Haven't worked on Expressions of Morris or Dear Jane at all this week.

The only knitting I have done is while riding in the car, at Barnes & Noble, and to get the heel turned, since I like to do that while not in public. I like public knitting to be completely mindless and heel turning requires a little counting.

Reading is still plodding along with Murder in the Heartland. It is a really good book, I just haven't made the time to sit and read except for the few minutes each night when I get in bed. Some nights that will only be a page before I call asleep.

I did commit myself to the Rock n Roll Half Marathon held August 31st. There are 4 of us that are planning to WALK it. Hopefully it will help all of us stay motivated to do our exercise!!! I bumped up the treadmill time starting yesterday. With this commitment made, I can't afford to slack off. The hard time will be if I spend as much time at Nags Head this summer. I find it harder to workout while on vacation. No slacking this year!!!

Not much else to report. It has been a quiet catching up kind of week. I also have to get the tax info together so we can get those done. This will be the last year of the business, so next year taxes will be SO MUCH EASIER. I can go back to doing them myself.

No cute dog pictures this week. They are just sleeping like lazy lumps!!!

Chat later

Susan