Temptation: a fact of life

My pal noted some yarn on her blog a while back so I decided to check it out. Boy does that girl have good taste! I check out Lisa Souza’s site and was so excited over all the great yarn and beautiful colorways she had to offer at not so bad prices (especially considering the yardage you get)

I ordered a special colorway just for her but when it got here, boy was it hard to do the right thing. The yarn is beautiful and I want it for me, myself. It needs to be mine; living here with me, basking in the beautiful wonderland I keep for all my sock yarns…
Would it be such a bad life to bask in the shade with other breathtakingly stunning yarns living an elite life, collected and relaxed until the day you were summoned to glide over brand new rosewood double pointed needles

and manipulated into a luxurious garment perfectly tailored for finely lotioned then delicately powdered manicured feet?

You see,I would do you right, I'd treat you so good if only you would just stay with me...PLEEEEZE don't go; say you'll stay with me forever---er, sorry-lost my mind for a minute
Look at this, you know…you go in intending to do something nice but then it backfires. Why o why o why o why o why o why?!

BTW, I placed the order at 5:15pm on Thursday evening and at 5:20 Lisa emailed me to let me know she processed the order and would have it out to me the next day. I got the yarn Saturday….homegirl was not messing around over there; she has my business that is FOR SURE

Still amazed...God has really kept me

Just a day ago I found out a guy I used to be involved with is in jail for murder. Yup, it's true. After the shock wore off I had an epiphany because my first reaction was to thank God for my Matty. I kinda realized it before but this confirmed it for me that God has really saved me from myself so many times. Here's a look at the last few guys I invited into and tried to hang onto in my life

1. ST- murdered before 20 yrs old; involvement in less than stellar activities and people
2. JA- ex drug addict & alcoholic (to date); 2 kids before 21
3. DT- jail drug dealer and probably a pedophile since he was dating me
4. SP- drug addict; dead of anurism (sp) before 21 yr old

No I'm not the black widow or anything..
Even my first real kiss, JM ended up being a crackhead, literally. Anyway, I think there are a zillion reasons why I chose these type of guys. I do know that there is a part of me that believes in the very best in people even if they or no one else really see's it. I feel connected in the soul to the good qualities or intentions of a person quite frequently. I am also the type of person who has a tough time even computing the evilness that some people/things really possess even though I've been the very witness to it. I'm the person who is constantly shocked and ever soul struck by the evening news (which is probably why I don't watch that often).
Anyway, all that aside I know that underneath my past choices have stemmed from 1) my self assessed self worth/value 2)family history.
My mother died of cancer before I turned 7 years old but not before she passed on her horrible legacy of choosing the wrong men which I'm sure was passed on to her by the women in her life....
Anyway, by the time I met God in high school I had already told him, myself and my grandparents that I wasn't getting married. That I would rather just live with whoever and kick them to the curb as necessary...because apparently it would inevitably be necessary.Didn't quite work that way, I ended up going thru some hard times and really clinging to God and in turn my life and who I was totally changed. I learned who I was by God's standards and started to believe in good things for myself and in my life. It wasn't something I accepted overnight. I still wrestle God to this very day but ultimately he won my heart and showed me just what he could do with it. He sent me Matty in my youth and we grew into adults together stumbling thru and mastering what it really meant to love one another...purely might I add. It never ceased and has not ceased to amaze up how incredibly blessed we are to have each other. For all you skeptics out there I'm just going to say it because it's true that they do exist...Mateo is my soulmate. And just to freak the rest of you all out some more let me say God one more time. God God God... he made me a new creation and has richly and deeply blessed my life ever since.

Stupid inner dialogues...

DELTA!!!!!
I’m afraid I might need to rip it. This sucks. I’m pretty sure I messed up the instructions for the decreases on several rows but I keep telling myself that as long as I have as many stitches on my needle as the pattern calls for and my gauge is still good there shouldn’t be any problems…..it is bothering me though. I should rip. Should I rip?
My edges aren’t looking so hot and I want this top to be nice. The little voice inside of me keeps nudging saying, “Better to rip it now in the beginning” or “ if you’re going to do it you’d better do it right.”
Frick

Last Sockret pal package is in the process ….

I'm using that antibacterial Tofutsie's SWTC sockyarn I got at Darlene's. It is very splitty but I'm managing.
As you can see I'm going from the toe up and I've decided the sock will be in garter rib stitch. This would be my first time doing any type of pattern in a sock. I'm really enjoying myself. I had to go up to a size two needle. There was lots of swatching. It's probably why the third and final swatch ended up being so small. I should have knit the swatch like I did for Delta.
Anyway, I'm on my way now and that's what's important.
My sockret pal will just have to look at these socks as a sentimental mark in my sock knitting career. One day I'll knit socks like Stephanie Pearl McPhee but today...today is not a sock harlot day. Today I rip and started the toe over approximately 5-7 times and even now I won't say I'm satisfied but guess what...this is what your getting sister! lol

Mo' movies, mo'movies, mo' movies

11. Brokeback Mountain- The movie was definitely complex and I think it did a really good job of showing the taboo of it all, especially in that time period and setting of the country. Heath Ledger was really impressive in his portrale... I have to tell ya, it was tough for me to watch this movie and I really only caught it in passing on HBO. On a personal level the attraction just seems so foreign to me and I can’t understand it. I could have empathy for the characters on screen but I could never really make the connection because I just don’t understand it. In real life I am one of those people who does a double take like, “What is going on over there?” if I walk past two males or two females holding hands. It’s always startling and a surprise to me so to try to get down with it in a movie was….tough. Anyway, my final conclusion is that above all else for me the movie was deeply thought provoking and I believe this was part of the purpose of the movie. While American culture is working hard at mainstreaming homosexuality a movie like this is a catalyst to get people seriously thinking and talking and truly facing/examining themselves and what they believe.

12. DreamGirls- Matty and I saw this in the theatre a couple of weeks ago. It was good. Matty even really liked it. He was fighting me on it originally especially when I told him that it was a broadway musical type thing. BTW, they did a great job of making it a movie and a musical. Everything about this movie was good. Good singing, good acting, good set design, good wardrobe. Jennifer Hudson was impressive in her acting especially for a first time appearance. She was really able to get her emotions to transfer over the film quite naturally. Her singing wasn’t bad neither! Though she did play a big role, it wasn’t the Beyonce’ show either. Eddie Murphy deserved his best supporting actor award. I thought he was simply amazing. Honestly, I was just glad to see his face on the silver screen again. I think that he can be over the top at times but the man is truly brilliant. It was a stellar cast honestly. They couldn’t have done a better job on that. The movie did an great job of depicting the industry’s relationship with blacks in that time period. Did I mention the set designs were really perfect? They also did a great job in developing each character and their storyline while incorporating the music. I think this is a must see for everyone/anyone and so it is my recommendation of the week.

13. My Super Ex-Girlfriend- A goofy movie. I like Uma Thurman and the Wilson brothers, that’s why I rented it in the first place. I wouldn’t waste my time a second time but it was amusing enough for me not to start wishing for an ending halfway through the movie. Luke Wilson, who I usually think is a clever little cutie pie with his whole manjaw going on, actually looked kinda chubby in this movie. It was weird.

14.The Covenant- This movie was cheesy. The very beginning scene I said to Matty “Huh, have you ever seen the Lost Boys?!” The beginning scene was so familiar to that movie for me. Actually the whole “bad boys” of darkness thing was amusing and I have to include that every frame of the movie tried to be gothic/gotham city esque. The college was all very stone and gates and gargoyle. The rich-bad boys houses all looked like huge haunted mansions. Most of the scenes took place in the evening or with a “misty fog” around. It all seemed so cliché’ and over overdone. The special effects and fights were a joke. It almost looks like they’re throwing water balloons at each other. Finally, I’ll end this by saying that it was all quite predictable too.

15. Mission Impossible III- There was a good amount of action. It was an entertaining movie to say the least. Didn’t Michelle Monaghan remind you of Katie Holmes just a little bit? The whole content of the movie that pertained to his love interest and their relationship felt like a subliminal statement to me actually. Anyway, if you’re looking for some action this would still be a very good choice. Storywise and actingwise I definitely think that Mission Impossible II with Thandie Newton was better. (Anyone seen the Truth about Charlie? Very clever movie with her in it)

Picked some cheap cotton

AC Moore was having a sale on some discontinued SnC cotton.
$.075!
I figured since I’m knitting along every month on the yahoo dishcloth group I might as well pick myself some $.75 cotton.
I think I’ve got more than enough now. This is my whole cotton stash now with the new additions.
23 skeins! It’s so tough to pass that stuff up when it’s on sale even if I’m not sure if I like the colors. Ususally when it knits up I end up liking it and even if I don’t somebody is bound to. Such perfect little gifts.
Here are my cloths from January














The first one ended up being a star/snowflake thingie. It was pretty exciting to see this one developing and realize what it was. I’m glad I knit it in white; it goes with the whole snowflake theme thing. You can see I got mixed up halfway thru and changed from right side to wrong side in the pattern. Did I rip it out? No, it’s a dishcloth! I’ll just have to knit another one the correct way ...one day. This one was kind of major crap anyway. I was testing out different ways to hold my needles, wrap the yarn, stitch quicker etc etc for the purl stitch. I finally figured a way that is most comfortable for me yet still makes good looking purls toward the end of the pattern. I had come to realize that purling was not my favorite thing so I wanted to make it easier on myself. Anyway…

The other pattern was a cabled dishcloth. I’ve never knit cables before so this too was pretty exciting. I felt like a knitting pimp; it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. Imagine that. Nevertheless, I really disliked the design of the cloth. I don't want to use it (have it in my house) and I don't want to give it away. It was strictly a learning experience I guess. It's a shame too because I've seen cables I really like it's just that this particular design was not my favorite.
Now, wouldn’t you know during the famous dishcloth knit a long I only got 4 done. Needless to say I was eating the dust of some of the other dishcloth maniacs in the knit along. But now after the KAL is over I’m upping my dishcloth game! 
Still it was around the same time that I signed up for the Dishcloth a Month Club. It’s a group on yahoo (they have a blog too). The host sends out about 7 or 8 lines of a dish cloth pattern every few days. You end up knitting about 2 dishcloths a month. It sounds old lady but it’s actually pretty fun because you have no idea what you’re knitting and it’s always something different using a different technique. BTW, it’s free and the ladies are nice, welcoming, and super helpful. I’m convinced that knitting dishcloths will help you develop your knitting skills, besides they are great gifts.

Why am I not asleep?

I ordered this yarn from Knitpixie at like 11:00 at night the other day and it came a couple minutes later. They are not playing around about shipping over there folks. Anyway, it's 100% Bamboo yarn from SWTC. I think the ball band said something like 240 yds to a skein. Don't hold me to it, I'm shooting from the hip.
Nevertheless every since I saw the FREE pattern on Wendy's site many moons ago I've wanted to knit it...as a scarf for a friend I'm thinking. She knit it as a headband do-dad thingie.
When I saw this yarn (made out of bamboo) in this color it all came together so perfectly. I decided it can be the project I could work out when Delta is getting on my last nerve (apparently this scarf will be done in no time) I forgot to photograph it but I got this yarn in a variegated green colorway too.

YOU ARE AWESOME SOCKRET PAL

Today you get two post in one day. I went to the main office at my apartment complex this morning because the mailman left me a note saying i had a package.
My sockret pal spoiled. me. rotten.
Every single item was just absolutely perfect for me. EVERY ITEM. I felt so special when I opened it up. There were two cooking magazines because I love to cook. I will most likely be subscribing to both of those mags now. I've actually been meaning to subscribe to COOKS for some time now. My sockret pal just made it official. She also sent bath confetti which is perfect. Did I happen to mention that my new home has not one but two garden tubs and since I haven't been working yet I've been taking advantage of using them in a major way. I can't wait to use that stuff. It smells wonderful. She sent a lovely random acts of kindness fridge magnet. I thought that was just too cool. If it doesn't offend I was thinking I could explain to my next pal that she too has to do something wonderful for her own pal and send her the magnet if I send it to her. Who knows maybe it will get back to one of us if we keep the magnet going with our random act of kindness. Just a thought...you know what they say about karma. Wait, I hope I haven't lost you all because I'm not done...
My wonderful pal sent me a lovely post card in honor of black history month. I found this particularly touching. I have to say my heart melted and eyes dared to water up at the thought of another person appreciating and seeing the beauty in my heritage. It really touched my heart pal, you're freakin' awesome. Us knitters, we rock!
Ya'll know if I was about to cry receiving my post card when I saw my handknit socks I just went over. The colors are perfect, the pattern is amazing, the fit is incredible. It was wonderful to slip these handmade beauties on my feet and just think, "someone invested their time in these for me." They even came with a matching candle(which I love).I know I'm being all gushy but it's all true! You know what else my socks look like me and my style, check it out I gave them a tour. Thank you so much sockret pal you could never know how much it meant to receive your package. Awesome.

6. America’s Sweethearts- I think I’ve only seen John Cusack in one movie (Runaway Juror- ) that was not a romantic comedy. Maybe I should start keeping a list of the actors that seem to be so severely type casted-it's like watching groundhog day over and over again just with a different title. Ok, maybe I am being a little severe but there is truth in it. Anyway, it was a good enough movie. Nothing to write home about. It ended the way I expected. I felt like all the actors (Juilia Roberts, Catherine Zeta Jones, Billy Crystal) had done this type of movie so many times that even they were tired of it all. Wow, I hadn’t realized just how many good/decent movies JohnC had been in until I brought up his profile…DANG DUYU!
7. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- Man o Man. Johnny what have you done? I use to love the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and maybe this is where my problem begins. I found this version to be way too weird for my taste. It followed all of the original antidotes (which was actually disappointing) but it was almost let’s say….morbid. I guess that’s the Tim Burton special huh? Johnny why? I still love you…
8. Mr. and Mrs. Smith- This has been running and re-running non stop on cable. I actually saw it in the theatre the first time. I can’t help myself from liking this movie. As much as I want to be mad at Brad I have to admit that he and Angie have great chemistry together. It's not a comples movie but it sure is fun. It's definately an updated, cooler, sexier True Lies (in a way) at least that's what it reminded me of-just better.
9. Stomp the Yard- Matty really wanted to see this. I was against it. It was too “You got Served” – (Go home and stop akin lika ho’-sorry just had a flashback) looking to me. I went anyway. I loved this movie. First off let me say that unlike up north there were all genre of people in the movie theatre and it was packed (not even opening day) checking this movie out. I really liked that. We went to see it on MLK day and I felt very “I’m black and I’m proud” afterward. There were a couple of things I just LOVED aside from the great dancing.

1) The movie depicted black men in a positive light. The men in this movie weren’t only severely attractive but they were smart, educated, and going places.
2) It took time out to really help the viewer identify the pride and heritage that comes along with attending an all black college and belonging to a sorority/fraternity.

Definitely my recommendation for the week and it is a movie for everybody so try and get out of the house. I’d actually like to go and see it again…Matty and I got to the theatre late and had to sit in the first row…some things might have swished by too quick for me to catch!
10. Banditas- This was a BMS (Big Matty Special); it had Salma Hayek AND Penelope Cruz as western bank robbers! It was cute but not very good. Salma and Penelope looked like they were trying not to bust up laughing from having so much fun thru the whole movie. Salma does get to yell out “Long live Mexico!!” I know that must have felt special to her.

Delta

I decided to finally knit my top from Denim People. It’s called Delta. Could I be the only hepha who likes this pattern? I can’t find anyone who’s knit this...

Oh, actually no, I found this site and from there I found her and her. It’s seems to be pretty old but still, how exciting because I have some questions that maybe someone could help me with because it kinda seems like Rowan skimped out on the instructions.

O yeah, sidenote: Does anyone know how to stick buttons on the “new” blogger? Please tell me it’s easy.
I bought the yarn for this project probably a little over a year ago and now I seem to be a skein short of the amount I need. I know I had all of them before. Guess that’s what I get for moving. I’m going to wait to order another one just in case I need to order more than that missing one. I’m not even going to fret over the dye lot. It’s gone, it’s probably BEEN gone for a long time now.

Anyway, I finally got gauge so I’m casting on and am on my way now. Size 6 and size 3 needles. I knit my gauge swatch in three different sizes and obsessed over the right gauge and measuring and what not for longer than I care to let any of you know. I honestly think that subliminally it’s been all the knitting books that I’ve read.
Every single one I’ve ever read mention over and over again how important gauge is so whenever I knit something now I’m all pent up and stressed out and worried and pretty much just freaking out and obsessing over the freakin’ gauge. I used to not be this way. I need to go exhale.

That's probably what I get...

for trying to rip off Asylum. I made another gift for a friend that she will probably never see. I got the idea when I was in Annapolis, Maryland last summer. Matty and I were walking around the dock stores and went into wake*skate*snow (Asylum) (they have really cute surfer/skater/snowbunny) type stuff there.
I saw a really cute hat there and upon further inspection of the $19 dollar price I said to myself “I could make that!” I shamelessly drew a little picture of the details I figured I’d need (in the middle of the store)and went on about my business.


A zillion months later (now that I have the time) here it go!
That’s Lion Brand Jiffy yarn in an ecru color, knit on 10.5 sized clover bamboo needles (circs). It was just suppose to be your standard hat with a 2 x 2 rib, seed stitching, and a stockinette pocket...


I didn't even bother to make the pocket because the hat came out funny :-( Maybe the pocket will save it. Huh!

Darnyarnit! Crazy Colorful yarn store

I’ve been trying to get myself acclimated to living down here. Two Monday’s ago I went to my first knitting group meeting. There was a good amount of people there. I was the youngest person there (and I ain’t that young) but I still had a blast.
Knitting just gives you something in common with everyone no matter how old or young you are. I thought it was pretty cool actually. Besides, some of those old ladies are ‘bout it.
Last week we took a trip over to Darlene’s Knit Shop over in Opelika, Alabama. I know what you're thinking and yes, I live in Georgia. Alabama is literally 5 minutes down the street though. As a matter of fact I accidentally drove to Alabama just a couple weeks ago trying to get to Ft. Benning. I have to admit I was a little terrified and almost had a panic attack for a minute. My grandparents warned me about Alabama and Mississippi. And I know ya’ll have seen Mississippi Burning. I was exposed to that at a very young and tender age….Anyway, no worries, I got a hold of myself and exited Alabama safely..,Lol
I had a fantastic time at Darlene’s store. The ladies I went with were a crack up and just a blast to hang out with. Iactually probably like my old ladies more than the young wives group I've been attending weekly! Anyway, back on track, the store was full of color and excitement. Darlene had plenty of personality and she opened her shop specifically just for our group (15 of us and that was b/c there were only 15 slots and we were the swiftest 15!). She sat out hors d'uveres and everything. Darlene invented a technique that her and her daughter call con-cording; she gave us a demonstration of the technique. It was intriguing stuff. We definitely all felt like a VIP’s.

I got some sock yarn to knit my sockret pal’s socks and of course some for myself. I also got a little sumtin’ sumtin’ for my pal 9 who I severely neglected through the exchange and some size 1 double pointed needles for myself. I’ll definitely go back Darlene’s again. She carries a whole rack of stuff (a lot of novelty) but I’m mostly interested in her Cascade, Debbie Bliss, and Karabella stuff- not that I’ve used any of it before but I hear it's good and she sure does have a lot of those brands.
Anyway, the hospitality and service was awesome, the prices were “fair enough” and I had a blast. Oh and here's my sock yarn...SWTC Tofutsies, supposedly it has shellfish matter included that make the yarn naturally antibacterial. I'm guessing that's a clever thing for sock yarn.

I came, I saw…

…and it wasn’t that bad. Here’s the latest list of movies I’ve either seen in the theatre, was sick through, knit through, or relieved my boredom (our shipment didn’t arrive until over a week after we moved here) There were plenty more but I’ve decided to only list maybe five-ish a week and include a featured presentation because it’s my blog and I can. We’ll see how it goes.

1. John Tucker Must Die- Very Mean Girls-esque. Cleverly done like Mean Girls. These type of movies have been a dime a dozen –they’ve came and went and didn’t go as well. Still it is the typical teen movie. It goes a lil sumtin’ like this…“Let me make a dare to like/change/embarrass you etc., oh BUT WAIT! I actually really like you now that I know you, OH No! let me confess it all at the big dance at the end of the movie”. Exactly like that.
2. 40 Year Old Virgin- I didn’t go to see this in the theatre with everyone because I didn’t want to waste my money and I never looked back on that decision. Now the other day this happened to be on cable and it was freaking hilarious…I had a bunch of laugh out loud moments. There were several funny (and inappropriate) sketches in the movie but by far the most hilarious and uncomfortable ones to me were with Andy’s (Steve Carrell) female boss. She was all about “subtly” offering to take his virginity. Nevertheless, overall I thought the ending was sweet and being that Matty and I waited until marriage to "consummate" things, I respected it being put in print even if it was for comedic purposes.
3. Bamboozled- So good. Poked right into the stereotypes blacks (and collectively-all races, as a society) endorse (and have endorsed in the past) in the entertainment industry in order to get paid. Actually, in order to work period. There was a lot of actual footage from old movies, actual toys and figurines depicting pickaninnies and such. It's so crazy to wrapped my mind around that time frame when these images were acceptable and the norm. Funny enought, some of the content reminded me of what Hollywood Shuffle tried to bring light and humor in the eighties (I love that movie too) The pickaninnies particularly hit home with me in relation to a conversation I had with my in-laws last year. Anyway, it’s a fantastic thought provoking movie. It’s directed by Spike Lee and has Savion Glover in it. White and black people all over the world should watch and try to understand. It’s more of a film than just a movie.
4. House of Sand and Fog- I loved this film. Aside from it being beautiful to the eye the acting is great. The story is great. Now here is a warning: This movie is a tragic story but a unique one. I also felt it had civil lessons to take away with also some very cultural ones as well. Out of all five I would recommend this one as number one. Did Jennifer Connelly win something for this movie? She should have. She carries it off perfect. I’m also convinced that every frame in this movie could be a still picture that you could capture and put on your wall somewhere. So interesting. Also, if you rent it know it’s not a funny or action type movie and that it is for more mature audiences. It’s drama, so if you rent it and don’t like that kinda thing don’t come back over here harassing me, I warned ya.
5. The Producers- Had a few clever/funny parts. Had many set similarities and looks close to those in Chicago (I loved Chicago). The musical numbers were amusing for the most part. Still, this film movie musical was not my cup of tea-- although the depiction of “Hitler in Springtime” was unbelievable. I just sat there laughing out big “WOW’s” with each passing swastika. When Hitler finally popped up I did find it pretty amusing.

Surprise, I’m a little late

Almost forgot, I went to the bookstore upon arriving here at the beginning of January. I had a gift certificate from Christmas and I picked up a couple of things. Of course I’m late posting them and now I need to pick up the new IK and the new Knit.1 because they are both packed full of things I like. I was peeping the new IK online the other day. There's some really cute stuff in there! Never mind all that.
Vogue Knitting has this really cool cabled Bolero that I would love to knit- that I will knit come hell or high water.
Knit.1 was just cute; nothing I just had to put on the list.
I really liked the style of the writing in Domiknitrix. It’s by Jennifer Stafford. Her book reminds me of Stitch n' Bitch. It's more straightforward and direct. (I found out she has a blog too-apparently I was the last to know)There are a couple of patterns in there that could come to fruition…but probably not.
There's just way too many things on the knitting wishlist these days and the only thing out of this bunch that made it on was the cabled modular bolero thingy from Vogue.
I. Want. That.Now

Banana Margarita's anyone?

Matty had been out in the field since last Monday until this Saturday afternoon. So yesterday, I organized and participated (with some of the other wives) in providing the first hot meal the guys had had in 6 days. We ended up doing hot dogs and all the stuff that goes along with them. We served the whole B Company (4 platoons) which was roughly about 150 guys. It was fun and I forgot to take pictures.
Nevertheless, afterward Mateo came home and took a LONG shower (he wreaked) and we went out to eat together. We were both starving and ordered tons of food. I even had a banana margarita- a flavor I had never tried before (I usually get mango). It was all so delicious. We went to La Azteca restaurant in Columbus, Georgia. It’s right off exit 10 on Interstate 185. I had a chicken and cheese quesadilla, a taco, a chile relleno, and refried beans- so much for eating clean that day!
The cheese dip and quesadilla wasn’t as good as El Charro’s back home but it was still pretty good. The chile relleno and taco was much better however. The price was definitely right too! If you’re ever in the area I say check it out. It was an above average margarita too!

Pick up...

…where we left off shall we. Surprisingly I got the entreloc Danica scarf done. I was DREADING weaving in those ends ya’ll. It only took a couple of hours of Tivo’d American Idol to get them all woven in. I used a crochet hook!
I even blocked it!







And off it went….





I used 3 skeins Lion Cashmere (1 ½ blk, 1 ½ grey) and some scrap Debbie Bliss cashmerino on size 8 Susan Bates needles- aluminum straights.
I felt like a knitting superstar making this. It looks difficult but it wasn’t. Aside from Matty this is one of my first knitted gifts. I hope the recipient really likes it. I’d hate for it to be one of those things people sit out or dig up simply because you’re coming to visit…

Like a fine wine

I went to a wine tasting tonight with two of the other Army wives; Misty and Brittany. They are both around my age. I had a really good time. I think we are all going to get together Wednesday of next week and hang out. I may have made two friends.
I tried 6 different wines tonight:
1. Quail Ridge Chardonnay
2. Quail Ridge Merlot
3. Quail Ridge Cabernet
4. Santelmo Malbec
5. Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc
6. Columbia Cellar Masters Riesling***
I am trying to "develop" my taste for wine and meet some folks down here. I think I accomplished both. I've come to believe that I prefer white wines over reds but these are the only 6 wines I've tried so don't take that as gospel. I'm going to another one on the 15th of Feb.
If I absolutely had to pick a red out of the bunch it would be the Cabernet. It had a good smoky aftertaste. I was impressed with myself that I could tell that. I even swirled the wine around the glass like I was some kind of professional who knew what they were looking for. I will probably buy the Cabernet for now just to cook with if it is not expensive.
Out of the white wines the Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc was deliscious but I loved this wine the most...

Digging the Dixie

I'm back and in a new location. After the holidays, hubby and I moved to Columbus Georgia from Northern VA (DC area). I miss my old life and all my friends and family but there are many things to love about the south. The change of pace for one. I like our new home (apartment) even though we don't own it and I like the area. There is so much to do around here. I am just exploring and making a home for us again.
I have got the house mainly in order now and that is a good thing. I can be normal again. The move and everything else took a lot longer and was more work than I expected it to be....i didn't expect to be so home sick either. :-(

Scaring myself

32. The Guardian- Liked this movie, it didn't get great reviews but again just another reason not to listen to those folks. It was a great story and it was eye opening to the job of Coast Guard rescue divers- a lot of respect. A lot. Did I mention Kevin Costner was in it? Yeah, Kevin Costner. He's in it :-).
33. Flags of Our Fathers- Another well done movie by Clint. I liked the way he told the story and how depicted the characters. It's not you're typical "war" movie. I liked it. It's long and is a tad slow in development.
34. The Lost City- Loved this movie. It told the story of communism in Cuba, it was beautifully done, the characters are awesome, there's real footage included, the music is amazing (as a matter of fact the story is almost completely told thru the music) and I loved the depiction of the culture. My best friends mother is from Cuba and a lot of things she mentioned actually clicked for me while watching the movie.
35. Three Times- I don't know where I was when I read about this movie. It's foreign. I thought the concept of telling the same love story in three different time periods was a neat idea. The movie was kinda slow but I held on eager to see what would unfold. I had to get use to the style. It's shot very....minimally. The camera's don't move much. In a lot of the movie the camera is set on one part of the room and that's all you see; the characters move in and out of that room but all you see is what happens to be going on in that one spot. Something else that struck me was how lovely Qi Shu is. She's the chick from the first Transporter. I liked the movie enough; I still liked, and I liked the characters. I would not watch it again though. Once is enough.
36. Deep End of the Ocean- Apparently I had seen this before and didn't realize until seeing certain parts of the movie. I really like Michele Pfieffer, she doesn't do many movies anymore. This was a good storyline; it might have been good enough for it's time but after watching it the other day I really felt like more should have been done. I felt like they depicted the emptiness in the relationships but didn't build enough on each characters position. Had just a little something missing. Nevertheless the movie was still suitable.
37. Casino Royale- My o My. I will say that this was the best Bond film made in recent day. Daniel Craig did what should have been done with the coming of each new casting of the Bond roll. He made it his own. There was plenty of action, subtle humor, flair, and skin. Funny enough Bond himself was the "skin" attraction not the Bond girl as it so usually goes (Halle Berry anyone?)
Also, nobody told me he would be naked. Have I not warned you folks that my husband has been away? Thank you Sony...

I truly do love the eighties

Ultimate '80's Rock quiz Your Result: YOU ROCK!! you definately know your '80's rock! Eddie Van Halen would be proud. Go out, buy your first real six-string and play it 'till your fingers bleed. if that's not your thing then go put on a good rock tune and play air guitar until someone makes fun of you, at that point tell them to go screw themselves and get ready for the guitar solo!!!
YOU SUCK!!!
Ultimate '80's Rock quiz Create Your Own Quiz

How could I forget?

1. Running Scared- Another Paul Walker movie. This one was not very family friendly at all. It was violent and the characters were all kinda weird. Actually the characters were all kind of video game esque. The movie reminded me of Grand Theft Auto or something. It was a cross between that video game and Sin City the movie. That's what it reminded me of. It was rough and harsh but I actually liked it.
2. Casablanca- This movie is still good. I didn't realize how much I never picked up on when I was younger. There really is a lot going on in this movie and I just love that era of movie making anyway. Thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie again. The gun scenes were actually hilarious to watch this time around for some reason. i guess because to compare it to movies nowadays it was so...awkward, even the actors seem uncomfortable holding/using the guns-it was a big deal to have a gun pulled on you. Movies now it's almost like, "where are the guns?" Anyway, ya'll should rent an old classic...it will feel so good to watch it.
3. Before They Were Kings- Before they were kings some of these guys were boring. Take DAve Chappelle for instance...he seems reallyuncomfortable in front of the audience- Keenan Ivory Wayans was a yawn too surprisingly. I think a lot of it had to do with the type of audience too. The audience was pretty dry, it seemed like a lot of the comics were holding back or uncomfortable.
4. The Departed- I saw this movie in the theater. I have to agree with my buddy miah when he says he's "all about the Boston accent." The cast was a pretty stellar list of males. It's one of those movies that you have to watch a couple times to pick up everything from all the characters or at least I feel it is. It's like 12 Monkeys or Oceans 11 or The Thomas Crown Affair- you get it but you want to see it again to see how it's done...with eyes wide open because it's just so clever or shocking.

Enough Already

1. The Island- Not as bad as I had previously believed it would be. Alright plot and clever twist in the typical storyline. It's not a waste but it's not a must- see if ya know what I mean. Anyway, this was pretty much my first time taking a look at Scarlett Johanson. I usually don't buy into the whole blonde hair, blue eyes=beauty thing but that girl is lovely. Her voice is surprising gruff in this movie...wasn't expecting that. Will see her in other things soon to form an opinion.
2. Shopgirl- This was an unexpected story. It was somewhat slow and it was weird seeing Steve Martin be a love interest and....starring in a movie with such mature content. It was totally different from anything I'd seen him in prior. Oh, it just hit me why this movie is so weird. Me and a girlfriend rented Pink Panther. I couldn't even sit thru half of it. It was horrendous. Huge contrast in movies.
3. The Prizewinner of Defiance Ohio-
This movie....hmmm. It was so clever and there were several things that I could pick out of it that I thought were interesting. I liked the way they tied the jingles in, showing how maybe they were developed from the Ryan family history. I thought the depiction of "don't cry over spilled milk" was stellar. I don't know, this movie did something for me but did nothing for me...I know confusing. I guess I just get irritated with movies where the characters are so clever yet so dumb without proper explanation. I need to understand why the character makes silly choices despite how smart they're suppose to be. I don't know....check it out for yourselves
4. Proof - Once I saw this movie and decided that I liked it I thought I had to see A Beautiful Mind because in my mind (since I hadn't seen it) maybe this was the same movie. I was wrong. Two totally different movies. Both good. This one's quirky and I found myself irritated a lot. For someone so smart these people sure put up and allow a lot of stupid crap. Her sister would have started the movie out with a good slap in the face...silly writers.
5. The Pink Panther- Don't do it even if you think you can.
6. Polyanna- My boss is always referring to me as Pollyanna and told me I should rent the old original if I really wanted to see why. It had the chick from the Parent Trap (Hayley Mills) in it. I was excited once I found that out. What a splendid little movie. I actually really enjoyed it and it broke my heart when Pollyanna tried to climb back into her window....and to my boss; it never hurts to be grateful, thank you very much.
7. Friends with Money- Slow, long, drawn out. I was continuously waiting for something in all of the characters to develop....the development was dumb, the ending was dumb. Of course me being me could pick out some elements I enjoyed about it. There was a little humor and irony but when it was over I felt like I wasted my time. Why Jennifer? Why?

I don't know, it feels like I'm forgetting a couple. I'll have to go back through the receipts

More movies

1. Annapolis- I didn't find this believable enough and too many things reminded me of "An officer and a gentlemen." However, it was entertaining enough for me to keep watching. Also James and Tyrese are in really good shape. Tyrese, tyrese, Tyrese. I was glad to see it. :-0
2. Layer Cake- I was glad to see this too. (Can u tell my husband's been away too long- my hormones are out of control!) Nevertheless, I liked the movie (Layercake). The final outcome was pretty much what I expected but it sure was exciting getting there. If you don't like violence u won't like this btw. I can't wait to see the New 007 in Casino Royale . Think I'm going sometime this week or this weekend.
3. In Her Shoes- I liked this. It was a clever storyline and the characters carried it off. Toni Collette's face is a tricky one. Sometimes she looks like the extreme ugly duckling and then all of the sudden you wonder, "Is she actually attractive?" Tricky Tricky. Her teeth pretty much made me cringe the whole movie. It was good though, look past it- see the beauty within....
4. Some Like It Hot- I've been wanting to see this movie for a while. I really liked it. Dude, Marilyn Monroe was totally making out HARDCORE withTony Curtis on the boat. I had never seen a movie from that time period were the folks are just making out like that. Pretty much it was always the scrunched up face kisses and then the characters would retreat to different bedrooms in a respectable way. It was pretty amusing too. Tony and Jack dress up like chicks to hide from the mob. Sounds like the theme of a lot of modern day movies. It had a lot of good humor. I liked the closing line on the boat. "Nobody's perfect" Wow.
5. Chocolat- Good movie. Pretty entertaining, wish there were more Johnny it. Anybody notice the hot chocolate in this movie? It is like literal melted chocolate. Just think melted Godiva. Some of you chocoholics might just like the movie for the confectioners porn.
6. Captain Corelli's Mandolin- I liked the movie, I liked the love story, I liked relationship between the penelope and her father, there was just so much to like. I liked this movie. Knitpickings I did not like: I realize that for character and time period sake it made sense but Penelope sure does have a lot of underarm hair in the love scene. It just kind of jump up there and shocked me. BOO! lol
Oh, and Nicky Cage has a pretty horrible Italian accent then again anybody remember the horrible southern accent he had in ConAir? Boy o boy.
7. Finding Neverland - Did I mention that I love Johnny? I was terrified that the relationship was going to go wrong the whole time. This turned out to be a really sweet, great story. Thumbs up :-)
8. The Breakup- This didn't get good reviews either, people didn't like the ending. I thought the ending was fine. For some reason when the movie was out I caught one of those Thumbs up/Thumbs down type shows and they were going on and on about how obnoxious Vince was, that the story was ridiculous, etc etc etc. I personally found the movie entertaining. In the beginning scene I couldn't help but laugh out loud at the singing brother. There was some laugh out loud humor and some funny entertainment but then they brought it around to the seriousness and drama of things. I thought it was well done. It was a Jennifer Aniston movie that I didn't go away with the "well, ok, alright" feeling...
9. Casanova- I think Heath Ledger is a really good in this genre/time period of film. A lot of his stuff is Shakespherian or medival with a modern day twist. Suits him well. This movie was so clever and had those little humorous punches. I'm not mad at you Heath.
10. A Beautiful Mind- Oh how I wanted everyone else to be proven wrong in this movie. I just wouldn't liet myself believe it for like the whole first half. This was an interesting movie. What a story. Jennifer Connelly looked great in this movie. I found myself thinking what does she even see in this guy in the first place...maybe she's a spy. Too much ALIAS for me!

Movie Time

1. New World- It didn't rate well, but I liked it. There wasn't much dialog but I like it that way. The characters relate their affection for each other through touch and looks. It was kinda sexy...I'm just saying. What I didn't like was the orchestra selection (score) in the beginning & end. It sounds like a horrendous bunch of jumbled mess- especially on surround sound.
2. Take the Lead - Anyone seen Dangerous Minds, Stand and Deliver, Save the Last Dance, or any of those other dancing + rough side of tracks meets a more distinguished world type feel good movies?
3. Aquamarine- I was curious. It was a mistake
4. Click- Funny. Very predictable. The minute they showed him lounging on the bed in the beginning I started quoting BiggySmalls "It was all a dream..."
5. 8 Below- This movie is a yes for a couple of reasons...Paul Walker is hot. Might not be much of an actor but I can sure look at him. Puppies (actually dogs but they are beautiful and smart). Disney. If you rent this for your family it's a Bambi tear jerker dude. Boy those shorts are dangerously low...btw-neither of these pictures have anything to do with the movie. 8 Below is a nice wholesome movie.
6. ATL- From the previews I thought this was going to be Boyz n' da Hood, Jason's Lyric, ghetto love story rise above the odds material but it was actually a lot softer than that. The acting was ok- TI was actully alright, everyone else seemed to be really mediocre. Of course there is some rough neck in it but think more along the lines of "the Wood" or "Barbershop" than New Jack City.
7. Rumor Has It- I liked it. I must say that I want to like Jennifer Anistons movies sooo much, because I really like her but they usually leave me kinda like "blah, ok, alright".
8. Elizabethtown- this was a cute little movie. While I liked Orlando and Kirsten together, from the very beginning i thought "Tone it down girlfriend". WAAAY too peppy and a little odd. Nevertheless, I like the storyline and depiction of the family. It's humorous and I love the progress his character makes. I like the trip too (rent the movie if you're curious), I thought it was great closure.
9. Upside of Anger - I like this movie. There is soooo much implied but never said and I actually came to like it that way by the end of the movie. I kept thinking the big climax scene would be when all of the family secrets come out. It wasn't what I expected. As an aside, I've watched quite a few Kevin Cosnor movies (I think he's a really good actor who has picked some horrendous rolls -Postman or Waterworld anyone) and as a 1)young and 2) black female I have to say that there is just something appealing about good ol Kevin. I think he's sexy- he's not even that handsome but he's got the something about him factor. It's probably another reason why I liked Rumor Has It. He's in that one too. He's in a great scene with Joan Allen in the bedroom later in the movie. She locks herself in the bathroom....the delivery is priceless.
10. Prime- I liked this one too. The acting in this movie is well done. It's an interesting story; I was disappointed in the ending but it was still good. Bryan Greenberg does a good job in capturing the responsible but youthful/naive/inexperienced thing that a lot of us have going on when your the young-somewhat mature type and trying to come into your own. I've decided that I really like Uma too. Uma and Bryan- Uma and Meryl all have really good chemistry too.

Family Ties

My Thanksgiving was wonderful. I went to New Jersey to see my family. Most of my uncles and my grandmother live up there. I spent half my childhood there in BrownsMills. It's a tiny little town and everybody really does know everybody. Everyone has been living there for generations and even though it's kinda old and raggety sometimes, it's always home. I hadn't been there in ages yet I still felt that comforting feeling when we rode into the city. My heart swelled up. All those memories just flood you as you ride thru town. Hardly anything ever changes and if it does theres some town story that goes along with it. :-)
This is a picture of my brothers and sister. It would have been cool if our other sister was there too. Nevertheless, this was the crew and we sure did have a good time. Do notice the handknit socks my sister has on. You know she had to tell EVERYONE she knit them herself...:-) She's too cute....
(Left to right: Philip, me, Janet-aka Black Purl, Baby Glynn)
PS- I got some knitting done...I'll show you later.

The Cookies are gone

When I got home several weeks ago. There was a package hanging out in the cold by it’s lonesome. When I opened it I found amazing gifts from my teaswap partner!
She sent me soap, homemade chocolate chip cookies, chamomile tea balls and a gorgeous hank of sock yarn.

Look at these colors. It’s 330yds of superwash merino wool

I love teal/ turquoise blue. LOVE it. These pics just are not capturing it's essence and it's such a shame.
In fact here are some of my favorite items to show you how dead on my teaswapper was. (This was literally a few quick snaps around the house. Lets not get into jewelry and accessories, skirts, socks etc etc etc. I love these colors.


THANK YOU SO MUCH. I am sorry it has taken me half a year to say so nevertheless, from the heart THANK U.
I have absolutely nothing left to show for the cookies at this point
My hubby took them with him Ft. Benning Georgia when he visited. We loved them and so did several of the guys in the barracks. They were sooo freakin’ delicious even after having sat outside for a couple of days!

Back on post.

Boy have I not been good lately. Between the being sick and being out of town or having someone in town and trying to catch up from all of that my blog, life, emails, phone calls, work, laundry, knitting, myspace, bloglines, house have all been severely neglected. It's a wonder I put up the two measily post I did manage.
Nevertheless, I'm back now. I'm still answering zillions of emails, etc and trying to catch up on my bloglines. I am really touched that some of you guys reached out to me to make sure I was ok or just tell me you missed me. That meant alot. Thank you so much.
I have plenty to catch you all up on but I can tell u up front that I haven't gotten much knitting done at all. It's really quite terrifying. I guess in the end the word is that not everyone is getting a knitted gift for Christmas. :-(
I still need to finish the Danica scarf. Once I do that then I'll feel good to move on with life.
Tomorrow, I'll show you what was waiting for me on my door after the first time I went out of town to see my Mateo.

Feeling Blue and Purple

Dear Celie,
I'm sure Mr. is the only one who still checks the mailbox but in case it's you. I am not dead.
Luv
Nettie