Thank you, thank you, thank you Secret Pal for the beautiful flowers that arrived today!! A FedEx van stopped in front of my house and I was wondering who would be FedEx’ing me; then I was handed a box that said “Fresh Flowers” and I was really starting to wonder. What a wonderful surprise when I opened the box and saw a lovely Friendship Bouquet and a sweet card from my Secret Pal!

My Secret Pal e-mailed me yesterday and let me know that she hasn’t forgotten me and that she did, in fact, send a package. Since it hasn’t arrived yet, I’m assuming the Postal Service is the one to put the fault on this situation. So, Secret Pal, I’m sorry if I sounded ungrateful in Wednesday’s post. I hope things get better for you soon. *hugs*

I’ve almost gotten my scarf package ready to mail. There are just a couple more little things I need to do, then off they go to my swap partner. Hopefully she’ll get the package in a reasonable amount of time…

I’ve started working on Sami’s gift for her first birthday. I decided that, girly as she is, she should have a baby of her own. I ordered the Pretty in Pink Doll from Mary Maxim some time back and it just came in a few days ago (what’s up with their shipping lately?!). I’ve got the back part of the dress finished~~except weaving in those blasted ends~~and I’ve started the front. The complete outfit is a dress, cardigan, romper, booties and bonnet. I’ve decided for safety reasons to omit the feather trim on the baby’s bonnet. After all, this is for a child who will be one in less than two months.

In other crochet happenings, I’m working on the reveal package for the Pal I’m secret to. I really hope she likes what I send her. I haven’t heard from her in a while, so I’m hoping she’s doing okay. *hugs* I bought the amount of yarn specified in the pattern, and ran out!! So now, I have to head back to Wal-Mart and pick up some more. Grrr…and I bought the wrong size yarn to begin with, so I’m working on a different pattern than what I had originally planned. C’est la vie.

I’m also working on the Green Shrug from 4 Stunning Crochet Shrugs. Instead of using Leaf Green Lustersheen, though, I’m using Grape Lustersheen. I prefer the purple over the pale green used in the pattern. I’ve also got some Sage Green Lustersheen on its way from Herrschners to make another shrug from the same pattern. I really like the look of this particular shrug and want more than one color. I’m also getting the yarn to make the Verigated Shrug from the same leaflet~~but instead of Autumn Leaves Incredible, I’m using Blues Incredible. I have 5 balls (bought Wal-Mart out last night), but I still need 4 more to make a shrug big enough for me.

Blue Squares Too has boxes and envelopes of crocheted grannies coming to my house. At last count, I think I have received squares from 10 people. I’m not really worried about it, though. The postmark date is October 20, and sorting week begins November 1. I still need to get on the sticks and get my squares done in time for sorting to begin! Keep those boxes coming ladies!

Secret Pal, if you’re out there, please know that I’m feeling left out. I’m not trying to complain, but I do enjoy the cards you’ve sent and would like to know that you’re still out there. I haven’t received any packages from you, even though I was told one was on its way.

I joined the secret pals swap to get to know other people~~if you’d take the time to just e-mail me, you’ll find that I’m very conversational and like talking to “total” strangers and getting to know them. I’ve had a great time getting to know the lady I’m secret pal to, and I still keep in touch with my pal from the summer swap.

If you didn’t feel you could give attention to a pal, why did you sign up for the swap? I keep reading about all the attention everyone else is getting from their pals and wonder why I got a pal who doesn’t give attention.

*sigh*

We’ve been camping! This last weekend was the annual Forest Park Balloon Race in St. Louis, MO. We packed up the van, the kids, and the tent and headed out Thursday night. Friday morning, we arrived in St. Louis, headed to McDonald’s for breakfast and playtime, then visited the Zoo and the Science Center before heading over to Babler State Park to set up camp. My feet and back were killing me by the time we got to the park, and we still had to set up the tent! With Samantha on my back, I helped Del set up our tent (for the first time!) at our reserved camp site. It took us an hour and a half to get it set up. We roasted marshmallows Saturday night, and cooked brats and portabello caps Sunday night. There’s just something about cooking food directly in an open fire that makes it taste so much better! Mmmmmm….The kids were all very excited about the tent the first night, but after that, I think the novelty wore off. Oh, well. It was a nice change to staying in a hotel.

Samantha is still trying to walk~~she’s gotten to where she’ll stand unsupported for a while before grabbing something or someone for support or sitting down. Also, she’s taking a couple of steps back and forth on her piano walker/play center, so I’m fairly confident she’ll be walking soon. Tomorrow marks 10 months for Sami! She’s been playing Pat-a-Cake fairly regularly, and now starts games of Peek-a-Boo. New words this week: bye-bye, DaDa

Tuesday of last week (the 13th), I whipped up a tether for my nephew’s pacifier. I made the starting chain too long, so I wound the end around itself and made a car shape! I sent my idea to Annie Modesitt for the 2007 Crochet Pattern a Day Calendar, and she’s interested!! I can’t tell you how excited I am!!!! I’m now planning a “boy” version (car) and a “girl” version (flower) of the pacifier tether; I just need to write my pattern and get pictures of each version!

Here’s the first one I did (click for bigger view):

Jonas wasn’t too happy about the tether at first, but now, he’s very possessive of it and won’t let any other baby touch it! LOL I did a car design because he really likes his cars. I’ll keep my blog up-to-date about my submission! SQUEEE!!

If you’ve ever had a doubt about why things happen the way they do despite what the general public has been told, then you should read Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. In their first collaberation, Levitt and Dubner set out to uncover the hidden side of everything, from Roe v. Wade to the KKK to gun control to the falling crime rate to crack dealers to the meanings behind many of the names given to children.

Levitt and Dubner use anecdotes throughout the book to illustrate their points and data sets and field studies to support their stand. This is not your conventional economics study write-up~~on the contrary, it is a study that goes into what the politicians and other government officials don’t want you to know about. The authors clearly state that the book is not about the morality of anything that they’ve discussed; it’s just about the real reason behind a lot of theories. Their book is easy to read and keeps the reader’s interest throughout~~I read the book in about 8 hours total over 3 days.

Whether your skeptism is just barely there or you are skeptic about everything (like Levitt), then this book is definitely a good buy and worth reading more than once. The book is well written and explains the issues presented in a way that anyone can understand yet not feel insulted.

I give this book: *****

I know; it’s been a while since I’ve posted about crochet. I have some progress to report, though, so it’s all good.

I mailed off my dishcloths today. I can’t wait to see what I get in return! I had so much fun making the dishcloths this time around; I tried some new patterns (new to me) and found some I really like and some that I’m not sure about. I worked up an ice cream cone, a couple of different angels, a ripple, and a bunch from my Big Book of Dishcloths. I even did a heart, a partial star (still working on that one), and a few from a new leaflet. I’m working on a couple more from the leaflet to pay for it.

I bought some new toys today as well. I finally broke down and bought a copy of Hip to Crochet and some really nice yarn for one of the patterns. I’m using Plymouth 24K in Brown (that’s what my receipt says anyway) to make the Timeless Tank Top. I’m also going to sew a black satin ankle-length skirt and crochet inserts with the 24K to sew in from the knee down on the sides. If there’s enough yarn left after that, I’ll crochet a skinny scarf to top off the outfit.

Off to watch TV with the hubby. ‘Night!

“Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge

“When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food and water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

“The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing: they miss someone very special to them; who had to be left behind.

“They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. The bright eyes are intent; the eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to break away from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. YOU have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

THEN YOU CROSS RAINBOW BRIDGE TOGETHER…”

Please visit Rainbow Bridge for more information.