getting excited about October

Every year, I promise myself that we're going to make the most of October. I'm going to start some of those Halloween quilts I've got planned and we're going to carve pumpkins, and visit the pumpkin patch, and bake yummy things... and before I know it, it's Christmas and we've skipped half of the things I had wanted to do.

I'm going to do better this year. We've already baked our first pumpkin recipe --

According to the kids, they were oily and "not as thick as the ones on the box." I don't think I'd make these again. But that's one of the great things about having four kids -- whatever we bake is gone in the blink of an eye and I've got an excuse to make something else.

We had a fun ghost hunt the other night...and that's just the very beginning of what's going on this month.

The Leafs Me Happy blog hop kicks off on October 1. I'll be showing off my own block on the 2nd.


Ebony's Big Little Book of Fabric Die Cutting Tips comes out at the end of the month. I'll have a copy to give away to one of my readers.

I should be able to show off the Nancy Drew quilt soon -- there's a fun giveaway to go with that, too!

Weekly Stash Report

Fabric Used this Week: 10  yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 52 3/4 yards
Added this Week: 0  yards  
Added Year to Date: 440 yards
Net Added for 2012: 387.25   yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 830 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 3900 yards
Net Added for 2012: 3070 yards

I made a big quilt, start to finish, this week. That's all -- but I think that might be enough! To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times.

have a Halloween ghost hunt!

A pre-Halloween ghost hunt is just the thing for a couple of little boys who love all things scary and creepy.

I started by making a bunch of ghosts. I was thinking that I'd have to come up with a ghost shape myself, then I remembered that I have the Ghosts #2 die for my Sizzix. I'd never suggest buying a die just for a project like this, but you might as well use what you've got. Or trace around a cookie cutter, or find some clip art online, or make little ghosts by wrapping Tootsie Pops with tissue paper...whatever works for you!

I sent the boys outside to play with the big kids, then set up our ghost hunt by taping ghosts around the house. Some were easy to spot. Others were in high corners or on sides of furniture that aren't in our usual lines of sight. Once the house was full of ghosts, I took a picture of the ghost on the fireplace, took down that ghost, and went out to call my boys.

"Come here....quick! I saw something in the house..." Even the twelve-year-old came to see what I'd found.  I showed them the picture on my camera and told them that the ghost from the picture had flown away, but there were lots more. The whole house was full of them. And someone had to catch all of those scary ghosts...

I really didn't expect to get such a reaction from die-cut paper ghosts. It was probably all of Mommy's screaming and shaking and terrified reactions that they loved. As soon as they found all of the ghosts, we had to hide them again. And then someone stuck one on the cat. Now they tell me the cat is possessed.

I wouldn't try this game with little ones who might be scared by the idea of ghosts in the house, but my boys aren't too concerned about things that go bump in the night. Once Halloween is over I think we'll try it with paper bugs -- they're both huge fans of Billy the Exterminator and the Turtle Man!

We have honey!

Last Monday (has that much time flown by already - how did that happen?), we extracted honey from the oldest of our four hives. The three new ones need all of their honey to get them through the winter and, honestly, I'm not anxious to get too close to those three hives again after what happened when we installed them this Spring.

I didn't get too close to any of the hives while my husband was removing the frames, except for that one time he called me over, handed me a piece of equipment, and told me to RUN with it back to the house. There were no stings, though. Not until a yellow jacket flew up my skirt four days later.

I meant to get pictures of the whole extraction process, but once we got going, Hubby, Teenage Daughter and I were all using both hands. These are the frames -

You use a heated knife to slice off the top layer of wax, then put the frames into the extractor, which is like a big metal bucket with a rack inside that holds the frames and a crank on top. Crank the handle and it spins the honey out, then the honey drains through a spout at the bottom.

Sounds easy, huh? And it mostly is. Except there's no stand for the heated knife so someone has to hold it, and there are a whole lot of other things that need to be held and balanced and it took three of us working together to get it all done.  Next year, we're hoping to have more honey. The boys will be bigger, so we'll also have more helping hands.

This post is linked to Farm Girl Friday at Deborah Jean's Dandelion House and the Homestead Barn Hop.

on my needles - still that same baby hat

The Nancy Drew kick continues -- I'm reading The Ghost of Blackwood Hall (that's the one with the fake seances), and just finished The Secret in the Old Attic (that's the one with the pointing skeleton and the black widow spider.) I think these are my two favorite books from the series.

Before the trip, I started a NICU hat with some baby yarn that has been sitting in my stash since 2004. That date implies that it was supposed to be a sweater for Quinn, who was two months old on that shopping trip. I'm glad that yarn doesn't come with expiration dates and can always be re purposed for something else.

Today I won't be knitting or reading. I've got a quilt to finish!



And check out On the Needles over at Patchwork Times.

wfmw -- is this cheating?

I've written before about whether not using spice packets counts as cooking from scratch, and whether or not it even matters if I'm cooking from scratch or not.

For a while, Safeway had breaded chicken fried steak at their meat counter. The kids and hubby and I love chicken fried steak, and sometimes it would be on just enough of a sale that I could justify it. I don't make chicken fried steak from scratch and hubby, who makes the best chicken fried steak ever, only does stuff like that on his day off.

They haven't had it at all for months. I've been making special trips to check.

What they did have on sale was cube steak. I can handle an egg wash and seasoned bread crumbs from a canister... now the teenager claims I'm cheating for using cube steak instead of pounding the heck out of it myself with the meat tenderizer and loosening the top of our dining room table. (Now that I think about that, maybe I should be pounding meat and kneading bread and dreaming up some other table weakening recipes...



I do need to find out how to make gravy from scratch instead of relying on hubby to do it for me. That would be worth the learning curve... anyone know a good tutorial?

I'm having fun!

My poor Janome probably doesn't know what hit her -- it's been months since I spent this much time at my sewing machine. The plan is to get the Nancy Drew quilt done fast, before life throws any fun new challenges my way.

I'm managing to mostly ignore the yellow jacket stings. They've swollen up a lot more than my last batch of honeybee stings did, but they didn't leave me with that awful flu-like feeling... and they aren't on my face. That definitely makes them easier to ignore.

This fabric I'm playing with is a wonderful distraction. The little glimpses of cover art and the book spines keep conjuring up fragments of happy memory. I couldn't tell you what happened in most of the books, even if I did read them multiple times, but I know I was happy while I was reading them. And I'm having a blast re-reading them.

To see more design walls, head over to Patchwork Times.

a honeybee did not fly up my skirt

I was cleaning up the car yesterday, taking some trash to the garbage can, when I felt a sharp little pain just above my tailbone. It couldn't have been a bee sting. I'd brushed up against a stray blackberry thorn. That or I was imagining it.

Then I sat down in the car. That one was definitely a sting.

I had a yellow jacket up my skirt. The difference between honeybees and yellow jackets is that yellow jackets can sting more than once. And apparently their stings itch a whole lot more.

Weekly Stash Report

I added a wonderful lot of fabric this week -- about 260 yards, judging by the weight of the bags. And that's after Grandma went through and pulled out everything that wasn't cotton. I would've loved to have seen that garage sale for myself, but I'll be happy with the fabric, which seems to be mostly the small scale prints I love for my scrap quilts. I can't wait to start playing with it, but I've got a couple of deadlines to meet before I let myself get distracted by pretty new colors.

Fabric Used this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 42 3/4 yards
Added this Week: 277 yards
Added Year to Date: 440 yards
Net Added for 2012: 397.25 yards

Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 830 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 3900 yards
Net Added for 2012: 3070 yards


To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times.

what to do with all those scraps...

What's a quilter with six big bags of new-to-her scraps to do on a lazy Saturday morning? Look for ideas for new quilts!

Film at Five would be a great way to play with scrappy squares. And there's a tutorial coming!

A couple of years back, I saw a Keep Calm and Carry On t-shirt at Walmart. I wanted it, but I convinced myself to be good. And of course when we went back a few days later, they were all gone. I still haven't found myself one. Now I'm thinking, I want to make a quilt. This one is themed for graduation, but look at those colors and picture Keep Calm and Carry On. Isn't that just what a mom of four needs for those bad days?

This Low Volume Scrap Quilt is making my heart go pitty pat. I think I need to start pulling fabric for my own low volume quilt.

I was thinking of cutting a whole ton of Drunkard's Path units and playing with layouts. This one would make a really cute baby quilt.

How about these butterflies from the row along at Bee in my Bonnet?

And just because dilapidated old buildings are so fascinating, take a look at this old train station...

Get a Clue with Nancy Drew

It doesn't take much to get me geeking out about vintage Nancy Drew books. But these aren't books. These are fabric!

It's one of the prints from Moda's upcoming collection, Get a Clue With Nancy Drew, and it's got my heart going pitty-pat like you wouldn't believe. I can't tell you how giddy I am that Moda is letting me make them a quilt with this stuff.

There's a panel with six of the book covers. The colors are just incredible.

Of course I had to stop at the library and pick up one to compare to the fabric. Because my own copy of Ghost of Blackwood Hall is one of the blue bound ones.

The images in this print come from the book covers. I can recognize The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes and (I think) The Mystery of the Fire Dragon. Does that mean I read these books too many times as a kid?

Even the selvages are cute.

Did I mention that I'm excited about this fabric?

It's been a year since I went to the laundromat!

I'm almost afraid to write this post for fear of jinxing myself...but I've also been counting down the days to this anniversary.



I've had my new-to-me washing machine for just over a year and it still works. That means that my $30 Craigslist find, which was manufactured in 1988, has outperformed its predecessor. I've already complained about that one enough, so I won't repeat the whole saga again now. There were many, many visits from the repairman, and many, many trips to the laundromat with four kids.

Not only does my new-to-me machine work when it's supposed to, it also gets the clothes cleaner. There is something deeply wrong with that. Not that this machine works, but that the one we bought brand new after doing tons of research and listening to the opinions of that publication that's supposed to steer you in the right direction, didn't.

This washer makes me very happy. Not to the point that I truly enjoy doing laundry, but I don't dread it nearly as much as I did!

Sunk Without a Sound

I'm not sure life has actually slowed down any, but at least it feels a bit calmer. I've had time to pick up an actual book instead of just listening to one. This week, it's Sunk Without a Sound : The Tragic Colorado River Honeymoon of Glen and Bessie Hyde by Brad Dimock.

I first saw this book at a gift shop in a national park a couple of years back and was intrigued by the description. It's the story of Glen and Bessie Hyde, newlyweds who disappeared on a journey down the Colorado River in 1928. Even after an extensive search, only their sweep scow was found, in calm water, fully loaded. Forty years later, a woman claimed to be Bessie Hyde and a skeleton thought to be Glen's was found...and later there was another possible Bessie. How could I not be intrigued by that story?

Our local library didn't have a copy and I forgot all about it until I saw it in the gift shop at Dinosaur National Monument and scooped it up. So far, I'm enjoying the read. What really surprises me are the pictures of Bessie Hyde, taken in 1928. With her cute bobbed hair and happy smile, she looks like a Mommy Blogger.

There was another book in the gift shop I wanted, but I restrained myself. Maybe I can order it from Amazon after I finish this one. I'm trying to break my bad habit of buying books and not reading them. (Not the free downloads for my Kindle -- those are still okay!)

wfmw - leverage (and zombies!)

I had to return the honey extractor this morning and since I was already making the drive I decided to make a shop hop of it. There were three shops I wanted to visit - two that I'd been to years ago, and one that came highly recommended.

The shop I hadn't been to before was a disappointment, especially since they'd moved and I was looking for them on the wrong end of town. It wasn't worth driving back across town to find them. I don't know if the shop was more impressive at their old location, or if the person who told me I should stop there saw something I didn't.

I hadn't been to Mindy's Needlepoint Factory since the days when I only had two kids. She'd moved, too, but just to another shop in the same block. That shop is like an Aladdin's cave of colorful threads and buttons -- and she doesn't scowl at you for bringing children along. (We did have one terrifying moment when a wall of flosses beside my oldest son moved. Turns out it was a door and the employee coming through it felt really bad for bumping my child. We were just relieved that it was her and not him who made the wall open up!)

And Something to Crow About was even better than I remembered. Shop samples on every available surface, and I think I wanted to make them all.

So, how do I shop hop with four kids? Bribery. Teenage Daughter had already asked if we could stop at Voodoo Donut, since we were going to be in the right city. The boys wanted cherry filled donuts shaped like voodoo dolls -- and they also wanted to stop at the Living Dead store to look at the zombie stuff.

If they behave themselves while I do what I want (or need) to get done, I'll go out of my way to do something special they want to do.

Today, it was looking for zombies.

Moda Bake Shop

Have you been to the Moda Bake Shop? If you haven't, you should. Right now, they're having a Love it, Pin It, Win It! contest. To enter, you just pin your favorite Bake Shop patterns with the tags #modabakeshop #modafabrics #lovepinwin. The grand prize is a set of the ingredients to make your favorite recipe. Wouldn't that be nice?

There are so many Bake Shop projects I'm hoping to make. Here are a couple of my favorites --



Peaks and Valleys by Jo from Jo's Country Junction would be a great scrap quilt. I've even got the ruler for it, somewhere.



Hexagon Park by Lynne from Lily's Quilts is a bee quilt! Or it will be, if I make it with the colors I've got in mind.



1800's Vintage Quilt by Sheryl Johnson of Temecula Quilt Co has been on my to-do list forever. This, I just realized, is what I was going to do with that charm pack I wound up using for Do Not Put Your Elbows on the Table.



Lonely Teardrops No More by Rebecca Roach of Frybread Quilts is just the cutest thing ever. I want one!

And of course, I wouldn't mind if you pinned one of my own Bake Shop quilts!

it's hot again...

I thought I had a solution to sewing when it's warm out -- spend a week or so in the desert, tromping across slick rock with your husband and kids and it'll feel a lot cooler at home!

The first few days after we got back, I was actually almost chilly. But now the weather here is warming up again. It probably doesn't help that I've got a pot roast simmering and had the iron going earlier. But we've got to eat and I've got to get some piecing done. And it'll cool down soon enough.



I've got a glimpse of something brand new to show you this week. These little three inch blocks are just a small part of something bigger.

To see more design walls, head over to Patchwork Times.

gates suited for a haunted house

If I could think of a way to justify it, I'd try to talk hubby into buying me an old wrought iron gate. Aren't they pretty?



Of course, they also cost more than I can justify spending, I don't have the slightest idea where we'd put one, and the kids would probably get tetanus from licking it. But they're fun to look at.

Weekly Stash Report

Fabric Used this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 42 3/4 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 163 yards
Net Added for 2012: 120.25 yards


Yarn Used this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Used year to Date: 830 yards
Yarn Added this Week: 0 yards
Yarn Added Year to Date: 3900 yards
Net Added for 2012: 3070 yards

No changes this week, but there's a huge pile of scraps headed my way. I got a peek at it this afternoon and I'm just dying to get my hands on it. I saw lots of pink, just what I've been after to make that quilt from Bonnie's new book.

To see more weekly stash reports, click over to Patchwork Times.

I need some new washrags

I find it satisying to use up and wear out my hand knits. The few dishcloths that are still kicking around the kitchen are getting pretty faded and bedraggled. Maybe it's time to knit a new batch!

In the past, I've made the Knitted Round Dishcloth, and the Crimeny Jickets Garterlac Dishcloth, a Pinwheel Dishcloth,and the 4-Corners Dishcloth...wonder where all of those have gotten to? For a while, I was churning out so many Ball Band Dishcloths I could do them from memory. Now there are patterns for a Mitered Ballband Dishcloth & a Pear Shaped One. I might have to try those.

Would you believe that Ravelry has more than 8000 dishcloth patterns listed? Filter it to just the free knit patterns and you still get almost 3000. Which I waded through to come up with my own to-do list.

Just in case you like short rows and lace and interesting construction techniques as much as I do, here are my choices. I've tried to link directly to the patterns when I could.

Fancy Schmancy Dishcloth
Grandma's Favorite Heart Shaped Dishcloth
Doily Style Dishcloth
Watermelon Slice Dishcloth
Vortex Dishcloth
Center Squares
Diagonal Owl
Argosy Dishcloth
Pineapple Dishcloth
Big Kiss Dishcloth
Prime Rib X or Swirl Dishcloth
Really Fierce Dishcloth - knitted on ruffles in a contrasting color
Short Row Rectangular Wash Rag
Owly-y Dishcloth
Yvonne's Double Flower Cloth
Double Diamond Circular Facecloth
Shell Spa Cloth
hex-a-cloth
Round Cotton Washcloth
Playful Plaid Cloth
Painted Sun Washcloth
Pinwheel Cloth
Optical Illusion Cloth
Circular Facecloth With Lace Edging
Greek Key Cloth
Circle Cloth
Lacey Cabled Sweater Washcloth
Sand Dollar Washcloth
Melonaid
Cotton Leaf Rag
Keyhole Sand Dollar
Seamless Circular Cloth
Heptagonal Wash/Dish/Anycloth
Around We Go
Modular Lace Cloth
Four-Square Mitered Dishcloth
Berry Basket Dishcloth
Sunburst Dishcloth
Citrus Slice Dishcloth

Do you have a favorite washcloth pattern?

I should have packed my quilt

I should have thrown Moab or Sedona into the van with the sleeping bags and blankets. But I didn't, because I didn't know we were going to Moab. We pack the car, then decide which way to head and what to do when we get there. And we didn't head for Moab until we'd finished Dinosaur National Monument. We've been waiting for them to reopen the quarry so we could take the little guys.

Just before we reached Moab, I saw what I must've been remembering when I named the quilt. Blue hills in the distance....yellowish grass and rocks...red rocks in the distance.... I took a picture, but the colors didn't come out right at all. But trust me -- they're there!



I seem to be raising a tribe of mountain goats!

We slept in our comfy old sleeping bags and did our favorite things. What is it that makes me decide it's a good idea to clamber three miles across slickrock and sand to see dinosaur tracks -- which turned out to be underwater because the reservoir was full? And that was after I managed to twist my knee on our very first hike. Have I mentioned that I'm not a very good camper?

on my needles this week

I needed something to knit while we were on the road last week, some mindless stockinette that would keep my hands moving while I watched the scenery. Before we left, I grabbed a couple of skeins of sock yarn from the sewing room and had to scramble for a set of good dpns. A dozen sets of Harmony sock needles (there's a reason for that) and I still had to pull a set from the toe of a sock I don't even remember starting....another sign that I need to get my knitting stuff more organized!



The yarn is Bernat Sox, in Pink Camouflage. I think this is the yarn I picked it up on clearance at Joann's months and months ago because the price was right.

The yarn is an acrylic/nylon blend. I like acrylic. I do most of my knitting with acrylic, unless it's lace or socks or something I'm going to felt. But I'm not loving this stuff. The colors are great, but the texture is bugging me a bit. I've happily knit and worn acrylic socks before, so I'll see how they turn out. Now that I'm home and can look at my knitting, I've got other projects I'd rather work on.

The Whippet Hotel is a strange place full of strange and mysterious people. Each floor has its own quirks and secrets. Leo should know most of them - he is the maintenance man's son, after all. But a whole lot more mystery gets thrown his way when a series of cryptic boxes are left for him . . . boxes that lead him to hidden floors, strange puzzles, and unexpected alliances. Leo had better be quick on his feet, because the fate of the building he loves is at stake . . . and so is Leo's own future!

While we were on the road, we listened to Floors by Patrick Carman. My daughter is an absolute genius at picking out books that will entertain the entire family -- six year old, seven year old, twelve year old, teenager, and both parents -- and this one was no exception. I can suddenly see why my oldest son has been reading every Patrick Carman book he can get his hands on!



Check out On the Needles over at Patchwork Times.

Guest Post - Jo from Jo's Country Junction

Hi I am Jo from Jo's Country Junction. I hopped over to Michelle's blog for the day while she was busy with the kids.

For Christmas, both Michelle and I got Kindle Fires. Awhile back we both reviewed them and talked about things we liked about them. Here's a link back to my first review and here's a link to Michelle's.

I think it's time for an update. I am still crazy about my Kindle Fire and my daughter Kelli is even more crazy for hers. She uses hers just like a computer to surf the net. Recently Kelli's quit charging. She called in to Amazon and told them about it. Within a couple days, there was a new Kindle on her doorstep with no hassle at all. That's wonderful service and I am all about wonderful service.

Awhile ago my daughter Kalissa introduced me to "Words with Friends".



I love it and play all the time. If you aren't familiar with it, the game is like Scrabble.



It can be played on a smart phone too but I love it for my Kindle Fire.

For those of you who are new to "Words with Friends" it works a little like this. I invite a friend to play. It's often my sister in law. The game board comes up. I play and then she plays. We are 130 miles apart yet we can play and each of us sees the same game board.

The game board all stays in place. It's sometimes hours or even days between moves but that's what I love about it...that and no pieces to clean up.

If you don't have a Kindle Fire, the game can be played on your computer or smart phone...

I love my reading books. There are so many free ones or ones that are free with Amazon Prime. A person can read for a long time and never pay for a book. I am happy to say my local online library is Kindle friendly now too. I love it! Rarely if ever do I pay to read.

Can you tell I am happy? I am happy and I still recommend a Kindle Fire.

finishing cross-stitched bookmarks

When the time came to finish my cross stitched bookmarks, gluing felt to the back just didn't seem finished enough...

Here's the technique I came up with.

With a rotary cutter and ruler, trim the finished piecee 1/2" larger than the stitched area.



Cut a piece of quilting cotton slightly wider and longer than the stitched area. Fold under the short ends and press.



Layer the cotton on top of your stitched piece, wrong sides together. Fold the long edges of the cross stitch fabric 1/4" over the raw edges of the cotton. Press. The short edges will be fringed later.



With the stitched side facing up, use your sewing machine and matching thread to sew around the whole rectangle, two squares outside of the stitched area. Fringe the short edges.

protecting my children from dangerous pickles

This is a jar of my great-grandma's sweet pickles, made by my grandmother this year. Pickling them is a lengthy process involving a heavy stoneware crock and several weeks of time. I've made pickles myself, but not these pickles. And these are, in my opinion, the only real pickles. I'll eat store bought pickles, but they aren't these.



About a decade ago, Grandma made what we were warned was her last batch of pickles. The jars were divided up among the family and carefully hoarded in the backs of our pantries. I think a few might have been used as currency.

So this brand new jar was a happy surprise. I haven't had any of these in ages.

According to that food preservation class I took at the County Extension office years ago, it's only safe to use recipes that have been officially tested. Old family recipes are unsafe.

So, if I keep the whole jar for myself, it counts as protecting my precious children, right?

waited too long

This little Happy Jack quilt sat kitted up in my sewing room for years. Mom and a friend got together and made it for themselves and then gave me the pattern, along with the pre-cut squares to make my own. They even packaged it up in a pretty black box with a picture of the quilt on the top.

At that point, I was absolutely in love with the project and had every intention of making the quilt. I carefully tucked it away in the sewing room, fully intending to have it finished by the next Halloween.

Years passed, along with my usual cycle of "can't find it...found it, but it's three days after Halloween...lost it again....found it but don't wait to work on it right now..."

I found it again during my great sewing room excavation and brought it downstairs, fully intending to have it done by Halloween. Then I opened the box and took a good, hard look at it. This isn't my type of quilt. The pieces are huge.

So what do you do with a project like that -- put it away for next Halloween quilting season? Try to foist it off on someone else who might want to make it? I briefly thought of giving it to Teenage Daughter, but I don't think she sews with pieces this big, either...

Seems like a lot of stressing over a project that only took a day to make, doesn't it?

Can that go in the microwave?

My vintage CorningWare is not allowed in the microwave. I saw what happened to Mom's set back when microwaves were new, and I didn't care to repeat that experience with my own estate sale finds. The FAQ at Pyrex Love says the microwave is fine, but not the dishwasher...maybe that was the culprit.

Whatever the true rules are, I didn't want my dishes in the microwave. When Hubby showed me that the bottom said "for range or microwave" a couple of months ago, I was baffled. I bought that set in its original boxes, so I know it's old, too old to be labeled microwave safe...

I solved the mystery when I was cleaning out some kitchen cabinets. Apparently I have two identical casseroles, with different markings on the bottoms.





I have no memory at all of where the newer one came from. And now I've got to re-train the family to read the bottoms of the dishes they're using.

it's a jungle in here

We've been having evening visitors lately. The apple trees are full of fruit and the deer have rediscovered them. I've got to wonder what this guy thought of the noises coming from inside the house.

Tarzan Escapes was in full swing and the volume on our old television had crept up enough that those lions were really loud. Do deer not care about African lions? (I assume they must care about the local variety!) Or are they able to tell human voices from the sounds on television? Anytime we spoke above a whisper, he'd stop and turn his head in our direction. The screams from the movie, he ignored completely.

Suddenly, I'm on a Tarzan kick. We watched the handful of movies that were on AMC, and now that those have run out, I'm ordering the rest from Netflix. And I've downloaded the books to my Kindle. It all started with a documentary Bill was watching. And then the kids drug out the animated Disney version.

Life's been busy, so I'm starting some projects that I can work on in quick spurts of time. I'm loving the baby hats, but it seems like as soon as I cast on and figure out what I'm doing, it's time to start planning the next one.

Stockinette socks seem like a good plan for the next couple of weeks.