Friendly Swap

I work with a very fine lady.

She is rather talented.

I don't know her very well.

But man, can she craft!

So, for Valentine's Day, I proposed a little swap.

I would make her something,

and she would make me something.

I WISH I would have taken a photo of my gift to her.

A throw pillow.

With a dachshund silhouette and red pom pom fringe.

You can imagine it.

My friend made me THIS wonderful bag:

And inside was THIS:

for holding scissors, and this:

for my tissues and THIS:

which opens to this:

and finally, this adorable "tweet",

too adorable to open,

filled with chocolates.

What will she think of next?

Recession pricing

Sister is 12 1/2 and has lost her LAST baby tooth.

When I asked her what the tooth fairy brought her,

she said disgustedly, "One dollar".

"That's all?" I asked.

"Yeah, I guess it's the economy," she declared.

Spring?

Cincinnati has record-breaking snowfall this year.

The weather outside looks like this:

All winter I have sworn I have seen robins.

No one believed me.

Until today.

So, aren't robins the first herald of spring?

Is this robin a sign?

Or just lost?

Chilly

The weather outside is rather cold, but more importantly, we are having RECORD snow! That's right! In the month of February alone, Cincinnati has more snow than the average snowfall for the season. I LOVE IT!

It is impossible to portray the beauty of the cold ice crystals but here is my feeble attempt.

The sky seems so much brighter on these crisp winter mornings.

In the Mail

This is my oldest friend.

She is not really OLD, but I have known her longer than I haven't. We are like sisters. We still giggle insanely when we are together. We met in sewing class. She was a straight "A" student. Not in sewing class. I did her sewing to help her pass. That's right...we CHEATED. In SEWING CLASS.

We grew up 2.3 miles apart, in a small city.

I am a reluctant suburbanite who has lived in big cities.

She lives on 40 acres with a mule.

I still love to sew. I love to knit. I love the satisfaction of giving a gift that was made with love by my own hands. I love the process of taking one fine strand of yarn and weaving it into something someone can wear.

She loves it too. But she loves it BETTER when I do the work. She is one of the few who really appreciates the work that goes into the crafting. And so, for her birthday (36, just like me), I have knitted her THIS red hat and scarf.

The hat pattern is from Real Simple magazine, about 8 years ago. The scarf is a simple garter with ribbed ends.

I love how even my knitting has become.

Sister (12 1/2 years) is a reluctant model. You can hardly see her face.

That's how it is when you are 12 1/2.

Or so I am learning.

Happy Birthday Farmer Sue!

$10,000 worth of toys...

And she builds a dollhouse with the Valentine candies...

Pretty useful

I have a boyfriend. I was introduced to him by friends in France. His name is "George". We are in love, and even Mr. loves George. He makes THE BEST cappuccinos. He also creates counter clutter, which I don't like!

One quick trip to Michael's and this lovely jar later, we are as happy as the day we met.

We call him "George" because George Clooney is the spokesperson for Nespresso in France.