Well, Christmas is over and the bathroom walls are turning pink. Yes... Pink. Really, it's a very nice pink. And I'm not desperately trying to convince myself. Really.
It'll dry darker.
Right.
Anywho... We're clearly renovating here. Neil's put up two new light fixtures in the bedroom and stripped 30 years of paint off of the bathroom window frame to restore the wood. He's also bought all kinds of wood that he planned on turning into a bookcase, a coffee table and a snow wall. The snow wall on our back door has gone up, but the other two projects have suffered because he got sidetracked helping me in the bathroom. There's only one day left in our holiday time.
And speaking of things accomplished.... the nice lady over at Two Sheep (who's name I haven't yet managed to figure out) has inspired me with a summary of her 2005 accomplishments.
Although I'll have to cast my mind back and remember the last year, I've started a new memo on my christmas present PDA so I can keep track of all the good things I accomplish in 2006.
- started the blog in April
- bought a digital camera shortly thereafter and began having loads of fun with it
- expanded my gardens yet again, particularily with a trip to Richters Herbs for medicinal and dye plants
- took a vacation, a real one, in early September to the east coast
- spun lots of fiber, and finally got the hang of drafting as I go instead of the slower park and draft method
- weaved a bit more on the damned twill
- naalbinded quite a few things - socks, hats, etc.
- dyed lots of innocent fiber with a wide variety of natural dyes, some of which I grew myself
- took on the job of Canton Arts and Sciences officer for the SCA
- entered the Kingdom Arts and Sciences Fair
Hmmm... seems like there should be more. But heyla, that's what the new list on the PDA will do for me next year. Organization, gotta love it.
Anything new y'all are taking on this year?
Karen
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
'Twas the day before Christmas...
.....and all through the house, wafted the smell of freshly baked pies.
I volunteered myself into baking pies for both of the upcoming family dinners. I have three pumpkin pies and two apple pies cooling, and one more planned. By special request, I'm going to attempt one of Neil's family recipes for something called "Flapper Pie".
The tarts I made a few days ago turned out quite well, by the way. This dough that I'm using can last for quite awhile in the fridge. Good to know.
Presents are all wrapped, and under the tree. Neil says if I'm good, he'll let me open one tonight. :)
Merry Christmas,
Karen
I volunteered myself into baking pies for both of the upcoming family dinners. I have three pumpkin pies and two apple pies cooling, and one more planned. By special request, I'm going to attempt one of Neil's family recipes for something called "Flapper Pie".
The tarts I made a few days ago turned out quite well, by the way. This dough that I'm using can last for quite awhile in the fridge. Good to know.
Presents are all wrapped, and under the tree. Neil says if I'm good, he'll let me open one tonight. :)
Merry Christmas,
Karen
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
tonight is tart night
Tonight, I bake tarts. I've had the fillings and dough leftover from two weekends ago in the fridge and I must use them now.
I wanted to use them last night, but after spending all day making a Christmas present for the hubby that I'm just dieing to tell y'all about - I conked out at the thought of all the dishes I still had to do to make the kitchen clean enough to roll out dough in. *sigh*
Tonight I find out just how long pie dough can reasonably last in the fridge anyway.
One or two tidbits left to pick up for others and I'll be done. Okay, a little more wrapping, and a few pies to bake....and time isn't really running out, is it?
It's Stephanie's fault, really, that I'm starting to get a little anxious about finishing the Christmas stuff on time, and I'm not even knitting. I had to order an extra book, you see, to get the free shipping from Chapters so I threw in Yarn Harlot (Stephanie's book) and it's pretty darned funny.
I'd get off this mad Christmas whirligig if I could. But with 4 very young nieces and nephews, and attending familial expectations, it's a little difficult.
Speaking of Christmas... have a Happy Holiday :)
(Hey, if it was good enough for Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra in 1957, it's good enough for all of us today as well.)
And don't forget that ye old Solstice is coming up in just a few hours. Light a candle for the return of the light in the shaded areas of your life tonight.
Karen
I wanted to use them last night, but after spending all day making a Christmas present for the hubby that I'm just dieing to tell y'all about - I conked out at the thought of all the dishes I still had to do to make the kitchen clean enough to roll out dough in. *sigh*
Tonight I find out just how long pie dough can reasonably last in the fridge anyway.
One or two tidbits left to pick up for others and I'll be done. Okay, a little more wrapping, and a few pies to bake....and time isn't really running out, is it?
It's Stephanie's fault, really, that I'm starting to get a little anxious about finishing the Christmas stuff on time, and I'm not even knitting. I had to order an extra book, you see, to get the free shipping from Chapters so I threw in Yarn Harlot (Stephanie's book) and it's pretty darned funny.
I'd get off this mad Christmas whirligig if I could. But with 4 very young nieces and nephews, and attending familial expectations, it's a little difficult.
Speaking of Christmas... have a Happy Holiday :)
(Hey, if it was good enough for Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra in 1957, it's good enough for all of us today as well.)
And don't forget that ye old Solstice is coming up in just a few hours. Light a candle for the return of the light in the shaded areas of your life tonight.
Karen
Friday, December 16, 2005
Not much to see here
On things fiber-y:
I've been naalbinding quite a bit. The sweater might be turning into a poncho for me instead. I can't put my brains to figuring out the sleeve holes on a sweater. If I don't abandon the project altogether because it appears stiff. I can't imagine it draping properly, and I don't want to waste that much wool. And I've been making hats, because they are easy. The socks... sucked. So I haven't finished them.
There's also fiber and a drop spindle sitting on the coffee table waiting to be picked up and spun.
Other then the above, I don't have much on the go.
I guess that means the weaving has managed to put itself in the background again. *sigh*
On things election-y:
The NDP (New Democratic Party) has come up with a fun new thing for tonight's english language debate. I wonder if they have any idea just how easy it would be to turn this into a drinking game. Hey, it's a friday night... no work tomorrow.
On things Christmas-y:
I'm almost done. Enough that I'm not feeling anxious about what I still have left to do before the holidays. Pies, tarts, more pies. Organizing the pizza lunch for the staff that stick it out 'til the very last day. Buying a few more presents for the nieces and nephews, and Gram, Mom and Dad, and the Brother.
Although I suppose I should get on the Bro's present sooner, rather then later. He's off on the other side of the country. I really wish he'd come back to Ontario - I miss him.
I'm even reasonably resigned to the travelling to other people's houses for multiple Christmas events. A month ago, projecting this travel in my head had me in a really foul mood. I'm a curl up at home with the hubby, dog and cat kinda gal.
Speaking of dogs and cats... you should go and check out Diane's new friends at Piffle. Adorable. :)
I am so looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow.
Karen
I've been naalbinding quite a bit. The sweater might be turning into a poncho for me instead. I can't put my brains to figuring out the sleeve holes on a sweater. If I don't abandon the project altogether because it appears stiff. I can't imagine it draping properly, and I don't want to waste that much wool. And I've been making hats, because they are easy. The socks... sucked. So I haven't finished them.
There's also fiber and a drop spindle sitting on the coffee table waiting to be picked up and spun.
Other then the above, I don't have much on the go.
I guess that means the weaving has managed to put itself in the background again. *sigh*
On things election-y:
The NDP (New Democratic Party) has come up with a fun new thing for tonight's english language debate. I wonder if they have any idea just how easy it would be to turn this into a drinking game. Hey, it's a friday night... no work tomorrow.
On things Christmas-y:
I'm almost done. Enough that I'm not feeling anxious about what I still have left to do before the holidays. Pies, tarts, more pies. Organizing the pizza lunch for the staff that stick it out 'til the very last day. Buying a few more presents for the nieces and nephews, and Gram, Mom and Dad, and the Brother.
Although I suppose I should get on the Bro's present sooner, rather then later. He's off on the other side of the country. I really wish he'd come back to Ontario - I miss him.
I'm even reasonably resigned to the travelling to other people's houses for multiple Christmas events. A month ago, projecting this travel in my head had me in a really foul mood. I'm a curl up at home with the hubby, dog and cat kinda gal.
Speaking of dogs and cats... you should go and check out Diane's new friends at Piffle. Adorable. :)
I am so looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow.
Karen
Monday, December 12, 2005
more election mutterings
Admittedly, the Political Science degree is many years behind me and I haven't been paying attention to the details lately.
So imagine my annoyance when my darling hubby found this little tidbit on declining ballots with a judiciously applied google search.
Google is my hero. I worship Google.
Now I don't mind terribly that my hubby found it so much as that the good people on the phone at Elections Canada couldn't answer my question after all, and tried to tell me that Section 284 actually did cover it.
The long and short of it is that one can not legally decline one's ballot in Federal elections. It's an option that simply isn't available in the legislation covering Federal elections. Most provincial governments have this option, but not the Federal government.
So now I'll have to make an actual decision on election day. Phooey. None of them deserve my vote.
And apparently, the current government has been in power for 18 months or so. Longer then a year... like I said, haven't been paying attention.
On the fiber front - I've been naalbinding a fair bit. Hat, socks, and now ...maybe, a sweater. Wish me luck on that one. I've never met anyone who's tried to naalbind an object as large as a sweater.
Karen
So imagine my annoyance when my darling hubby found this little tidbit on declining ballots with a judiciously applied google search.
Google is my hero. I worship Google.
Now I don't mind terribly that my hubby found it so much as that the good people on the phone at Elections Canada couldn't answer my question after all, and tried to tell me that Section 284 actually did cover it.
The long and short of it is that one can not legally decline one's ballot in Federal elections. It's an option that simply isn't available in the legislation covering Federal elections. Most provincial governments have this option, but not the Federal government.
So now I'll have to make an actual decision on election day. Phooey. None of them deserve my vote.
And apparently, the current government has been in power for 18 months or so. Longer then a year... like I said, haven't been paying attention.
On the fiber front - I've been naalbinding a fair bit. Hat, socks, and now ...maybe, a sweater. Wish me luck on that one. I've never met anyone who's tried to naalbind an object as large as a sweater.
Karen
Monday, December 5, 2005
Current Weather Here is...
The current weather in south-western Ontario is.... colder then Iceland. Alda says it's only 3°C in Iceland. It's currently -7°C here, with a windchill factor making it feel like -16°C.
Doesn't it just kill you? Iceland. The name says it all.
Anyway... the current political weather here is no better. The dofuses-that-be have decided that Canada should undergo yet another federal election. There's nothing quite so heartwarming as politicians wasting our tax dollars on elaborate popularity contests, twice in one year.
I've been a strong supporter of the New Democratic Party for years, but I fear this time I'd rather decline my ballot then vote for any of them.
Interestingly enough, I was on hold on the phone with Elections Canada, attempting to find the section of election legislation that deals with declining one's ballot in order to link that bit in the paragraph above, when a coworker dropped in and said "vote Liberal".
When I asked why, the answer was "so the Conservatives don't get in".
*sigh* While I do sympathize, because I don't want the Conservatives to win either, I want to vote positively. For the party that best reflects my views.
That used to be the NDP, but it might now be the Green Party - I'll have to make myself more familiar with them.
Although I do have to admit that it might be nice, just once in awhile, to vote for a party that might actually have a hope of governing someday. While the NDP has managed to win elections and govern at the provincial level, it's yet to have success with federal politics.
I could go on - I did my degree in Political Science after all - but why bore you? Everyone's got an opinion.
On the bright side, my coworker and I just put up the Christmas tree in the lobby. So, it's official now....
"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...."
Come on and sing along.... you know you want to. :)
Karen
Doesn't it just kill you? Iceland. The name says it all.
Anyway... the current political weather here is no better. The dofuses-that-be have decided that Canada should undergo yet another federal election. There's nothing quite so heartwarming as politicians wasting our tax dollars on elaborate popularity contests, twice in one year.
I've been a strong supporter of the New Democratic Party for years, but I fear this time I'd rather decline my ballot then vote for any of them.
Interestingly enough, I was on hold on the phone with Elections Canada, attempting to find the section of election legislation that deals with declining one's ballot in order to link that bit in the paragraph above, when a coworker dropped in and said "vote Liberal".
When I asked why, the answer was "so the Conservatives don't get in".
*sigh* While I do sympathize, because I don't want the Conservatives to win either, I want to vote positively. For the party that best reflects my views.
That used to be the NDP, but it might now be the Green Party - I'll have to make myself more familiar with them.
Although I do have to admit that it might be nice, just once in awhile, to vote for a party that might actually have a hope of governing someday. While the NDP has managed to win elections and govern at the provincial level, it's yet to have success with federal politics.
I could go on - I did my degree in Political Science after all - but why bore you? Everyone's got an opinion.
On the bright side, my coworker and I just put up the Christmas tree in the lobby. So, it's official now....
"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...."
Come on and sing along.... you know you want to. :)
Karen
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