magpie49

My daughters, my friends, my spouse.

I have posted offerings to the Con Or Bust auction. Go look.

Mine are the least of many fabulous offerings

http://con-or-bust.livejournal.com/93037.html

Oh, and here are mine:
http://con-or-bust.livejournal.com/118398.html
http://con-or-bust.livejournal.com/118563.html
http://con-or-bust.livejournal.com/118851.html

I promise* will do my best to make something handmade for the first five people who comment. They must are encouraged* in turn post this and make something for the first five people who comment on their status. The rules are it has to be handmade by you and they must receive it before 2012 ends...who's in with me?!

*I copied gnomi's changes from the original (via jennythe_reader) because I feel uncomfortable promising in case I default, and I don't like making people participate in memes if they don't want to. Also, I'm interpreting "handmade" liberally.

You might also get a bonus if you sign up, a bar of small-batch goat milk soap made by my daughter in Oregon.  I love the stuff.
=available scents:
Unscented (my favorite);  Cucumber melon;  Chocolate;  Peppermint;  Lavender; Patchouli

The slots:
1) jennythe_reader
2)
3)
4)
5)

PS. Jenny's is here if you want to play.

Hey, I think it's cute; and I've said more than one of those things myself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuCgkjUXBtQ

It sleeted last night, with wind, and banging noises from unsecured items going for a roll, or a fall.  I am a light sleeper, so the weather didn't encourage a good night's sleep.

It's up to 40 currently.  Not real warm, but relatively so. At least the relative warmth keeps us from having to shovel the precipitation.

Happy New Year to all of you who are reading this.  I sincerely hope that this year treats you kindly, and brings health and happiness, and those few awesome moments of WOW!  that make it worth being here.

Speaking of WOW!, I'm surprised how happy a little noise can make me, especially when that noise is the reverberation of a small woodpecker drumming on my roof or nearby structures.  He's a Downy Woodpecker, and he showed up last winter.  With his mate.

I was thrilled to see a woodpecker in the city. Thrilled I tell you!  Yes, I live near the river, where there is a stretch or relative wild growth, but I have a city address, and on a day when the weather is kind, I can easily walk to the city center.

I'm happy all over again, today, because I was sitting quietly and heard Mr. Downy drumming.

*smiles*

A woodpecker in the city.  I love it.

. . . and now I'm off to see if I can find my suet cakes and suet feeder to put out for the visiting Mr. D and family.

I got a Christmas card from Margret last night.  It was signed " with love Margret".

I was going through a box that had Christmas cards left over from other years, partial sets, a little of this a little of that... and found a few that Margret had signed, but not sent.  It made me happy and sad at the same time.  The every day stuff gets easier, but this is only the third Christmas I'm spending without her.  It isn't like the first Christmas with her gone.  The pain of her absence was so much worse then.  I'm gonna be OK.  I have my husband and my family and you guys; and I have lots more hats to make before I go too.

<a href="http://flic.kr/s/aHsjwQubST">Photos on Flickr</a>

I'm home again, both from a lovely Thanksgiving with family in eastern MA, and from a separate trip to spend some time with my daughter and granddaughter.  The hope was that I might keep granddaughter amused long enough for daughter to do a little catching up on things that didn't do well with the help of little hands.

Let me point you to my flickr page to see some of the crochet things I've been making in the run-up to Christmas.  Here:

Now I need to feel better, and finish up some other projects.

And the box is full of shinies!  And a book!

SQUEEEEE!!!!

The historical interpreter featured in this video clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMRrZK2TdIo
was at the Bethlehem Public Library on Saturday, interpreting Mary Todd Lincoln.

Earlier in the week my husband had asked if I wanted to go see something at the library, and I said sure, although I wasn't completely positive I wanted to go.  I am SO glad I went!

It was a wonderful experience; I could almost believe it was Mary Lincoln herself standing in front of us, taking us through her life and times.  I wanted to go up to her, hold her hand and console her when she told of her son Eddie's death, as the loss of a child is a terrible loss for any mother to bear.

I learned things about Mary Lincoln that I hadn't known before, plus I was much entertained.