~There's always something to knit!~

~Two Miles~

I took my new bike out for a spin last night. My bike has a sweet little odometer on it, which does make a bit of a clicking noise, but it's oh-so-very-nice to know how far I've gone! It shows milage in the 100ths!

I made it back home in one piece too! I totally think it needs a basket now. A cute little one right on the front will do just fine! I just checked e-bay and found some options:



The woven basket is more expensive, of course, being that it's the one that I'd really like! LOL It will probably be awhile till I get a basket for my bike!

~Can someone please tell me...~

How do I post a YouTube video on my blog. Not the link, but the actual video?

A million thanks in advance! =)

~I'm killing my flowers with water and dirt~

My impatiens aren't doing as well this year, as they did last year. I've had four or five plants just completely die. Just like that, they're dead! I had to buy some more plants to fill in the holes in my flower bed, and while I was at the nursery, I got a little help. First of all: too much water. Secondly: I mixed in top soil and I guess that was a bad thing to do. It holds the moisture in, which doesn't seem like a bad thing to me, but I guess it is if there is too much moisture to hold in.

I'm glad that:
a) Nothing is eating them. I couldn't imagine what it might be.
b) There were plenty of red impatiens still at the nursery. I can fill my holes in.
c) The people at the nursery were helpful. I simply can't stand to shop somewhere if you know that you're not going to get any help.
d) I don't have to water so often! It's nice to know that I can go a day in between waterings. Last summer I had to water every day.

~Anne Quiz~

How Well Do You Know Anne?

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You know Anne very well! Good job :)
Take this quiz!



This quiz covers Anne book knowledge as well as things found in the movies. It has been a while since I read the books, so two of the answers I gave were just lucky guesses. If you take it, let me know how you did!

~Wheeeeee~

This evening while we were out on an errand, we passed a yard that had several bikes in it for sale. I've been wanting a bike for a little while, so I asked if we could stop on our way back home and look at the bikes.

This one immediately caught my attention:
(Sorry for the blurriness....it's too dark to get another picture!)


I ended up bringing it home with me! Now I have no excuse not to get out and get some exercise! But...after riding it 'round the block just once, my legs feel like jelly. Uh oh. Looks like I've got some work to do!

I just love the vintageness of it! (Is vintageness a word?) It is mostly all original, including the paint, seat, handles, etc. It brings back fond memories of my second bike, which was a blue Schwinn that my dad bought and fixed up for me. It also brings back fond memories of riding my bike up and down the street for seemingly hours, and not feeling any muscle pain afterwards. Ah, those were the days! LOL

~So if you pay $800 for the haircut...~

...how much do you give for the tip?

Seriously, there is a hairstylist who charges $800 per haircut. Yes, really.

~News Flash~

I'm very excited to announce that I now have an apron in my Etsy Shop. There will be more to come!



I love this apron so much! Kevin wondered if it were possible for me to sell it, I like it so much!

~Linky, Linky~

Have you ever remembered a quote, yet had difficulty remembering who it was by, or you needed to know the exact quote? This site is a great tool! While I was there, I enjoyed reading through Benjamin Franklin’s quotes. Some were quotes I’ve not heard before.

I thought this was funny:

“A countryman between two lawyers is like a fish between two cats.”

and this is oh, so true:

“A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over.”

Mrs. U is celebrating her blog’s first anniversary in style! She is having a give-away filled with all kinds of neat stuff! To enter, click here.

I’ve been enjoying some craft and knitting blogs for a while. I thought you might enjoy looking at them too. Please note that by linking to these blogs, I am not giving a blanket endorsement of everything they say!

Sew, Mama, Sew!
All This By Hand (I want to make this quilt top! It looks so fun and easy!)
i have to say
Posie Gets Cozy
Primrose Design

Do you have any other craft/sewing/knitting blogs that you enjoy?

If you’re interested in being frugal, here’s a blog with great ideas! Every Friday The Mother Load has links for free samples and free products. My mail carrier must love me. (LOL) The samples have been arriving regularly since I started reading this blog. I’ve gotten everything from tooth paste to cereal to laundry detergent. It’s nice to try out a new product without having to buy it! And if you have an Aldi store nearby, check out Amy's Aldi blog as well.

Have fun clicking! *Grin*

~Ah, sleep!~

I have to say it is remarkable what a good night’s sleep will do for you! I got at least nine hours, if not nine and a half hours, of sleep last night, and it was much appreciated and needed!

I need to stop this late night early morning stuff. Even the Bible says it isn’t good:

“It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late” (Psalm 127:2a)

And Benjamin Franklin said:

“Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

Since I’m not accomplishing much by staying up late, I have no true reason to stay up! Thank you for all the kind comments in my previous post. I appreciate them!

~Well...since I thought today was Wednesday~

...I'm doing pretty good. Two posts in a row.

But today isn't Wednesday. It's Thursday. At least it's not Friday or Saturday!

Work has been busy, and I'm tired all.the.time. I'm starting to wonder if something is wrong. But then I remember that I go to bed at 11 o'something most nights, and sometimes 12 o'something...and maybe that is why I'm always tired?

This is kind of a whiny post, which I don't typically do, but I'm too tired to think straight. I'll probably take this down tomorrow.

I think I'll go to bed early tonight!

And maybe in the morning I'll feel a little more intelligent and come up with something witty and wonderful to post.

OH I don't quite know how it happened, but my flower pincushion tutorial link is making it's rounds amongst French blogs. It's cool to check my site meter and see all the foreign hits!

~Cinnamon Rolls~

When I saw the link for “Land of Nod Cinnamon Rolls” on Mrs. U’s blog, I knew that I wanted to make these! They sounded so easy, and so good!

Here’s the recipe I followed. Mrs. U made her own dough, but I opted for the frozen dinner rolls.

This recipe is incredibly easy, and if you host a breakfast/brunch, or you need something for your husband or you to take in to work, this is the perfect item. These are so, so good!

They really aren’t that expensive either. I bought the Meijer brand dinner rolls for $1.49, used half a package of vanilla pudding mix ($.50), and one quarter pound of butter ($.71). Since I already had the brown sugar and the cinnamon, I spent a grand total of $2.70.

I will be making these again! Next time, I might consider cutting the brown sugar down to ¾ cup instead of 1 cup. My only modification to the recipe this time was that I mixed all the ingredients together before I sprinkled it over the top of the rolls in the pan.

Mmmm, mmmm good!

~Tea Cozy~

Last November, Jodi posted about "window shopping" for tea products, and it further enhanced a desire I had to have a tea cozy.

My sisters and brother gave Kevin and me a beautiful tea set for our wedding. They purchased it at an antique store, and it includes: a teapot, a sugar and creamer, six teacups with saucers, a serving plate, and six plates that are a bit larger than the saucers.

I think the tea cozies here are just lovely. They seemed so expensive to me, especially since I can sew.

I purchased a pattern at JoAnn's when they were on sale, and thought about what fabric I would like to use. Remember the fabric I won from Sew, Mama, Sew!? One night I yawned and dragged myself out of the living room to get ready for bed. The next time Kevin saw me, I was sitting on the sewing room floor, with a huge smile on my face, cutting out fabric! LOL It dawned on me that the fabric just might work for a tea cozy!

And it did:



Won't you have a spot of tea with me?

~Big sigh of relief!~

The phone lines are up and running as of this morning! Whew! Still have to figure out what's going on with the fax machine, but that's ok. We can deal with that!

In other news, dinner last night was so good! *Grin* I browned a pound of ground beef, and made enchiladas by rolling ground beef and cheese in tortillas. I topped the enchiladas with mild enchilada sauce (canned), sliced tomato, and some olives. Yummy!

~Just a note~

To the person who keeps searching for "Cleanliness is next to godliness" as a Bible verse: I'm sorry, but you will not find that in the Bible. It is an an adage, or proverb.

Thanks for visiting my blog, though! *smiles*

~Modern Technology~

It's so handy, isn't it? Except, when it doesn't work right, and then everything is out of whack!

Our phone lines at work went down yesterday afternoon, and were down all day today. That meant no one could call, fax, or e-mail us. How nice, a quiet day, right? Well, not exactly! Thankfully we were able to get all the calls routed to my boss's cell phone. I, being the primary phone-answerer, of course answered all the calls. I had to explain a *gazillion* times about our phone system being out though!

We had one fax that had to go out today, so my boss took it to Kinko's. Do you know how much it cost to send a four-page fax? Five dollars! Wowsers. And no, it wasn't going overseas! LOL

I'm hoping that the lines will be back up tomorrow! It would sure make life easier!

I was thinking today of the early pioneers. They left their friends and family, and many of them never saw their family again. They couldn't pick up a phone and chat with them, or send out a quick e-mail either. Their only means of communication was by letter. It makes me thankful that even though I am over 2,000 miles from my family, I can still e-mail, talk to them, and see them every once in a while!

~Pizza~

Pizza for dinner.
Pizza for breakfast.
Pizza for lunch.

Someone needs to go grocery shopping!

LOL

Last night we ordered pizza since we had a lot of things around the house that we needed to do. I got my garden bed ready for planting, but nothing planted. I got some housework done. I was totally bushed, so I didn't end up going grocery shopping. So now I'll do it tonight.

I cooked a corned beef brisket in the crock pot last night, and pulled it out and stuck it in the fridge before leaving for work. So at least I have dinner half-way finished for tonight! (No more pizza! LOL)

I also have a dental appointment this afternoon. I'm hoping for no cavities!

Have a great day!

~I spy with my little eye...~

Can you see anything else but sand?

*Shudder, shudder*

(This is the very last picture from our vacation trip!)

~View from Fort Mackinac~

This is a "stitched" picture, from about four or five pictures I took. I love this program that came with my camera! (Click on the picture to enlarge it.)

I have one more vacation picture to post, and then that's it! *Smiles*

~Bleeding Heart~

Seen on Mackinac Island.

~Yardwork~

Today I accomplished quite a bit of work out in my yard!

I trimmed my lilacs back. It appears that they have never been trimmed before. I didn't really know what I was doing, but I had about 20 bushes to practice on! LOL Most of them turned out just fine. A few look like a shorn lamb. Poor things! I pruned the suckers away from the plants up on the hill, but I didn't feel like climbing up into the hill to get the tops; I'll get them better next spring!



I went to the nursery and got my tomato plants, and while I was there I got a few perennials. I got a shasta daisy, two carnations, and a dwarf bleeding heart that blooms all spring and summer. I'm hoping they take off! I planted them along with a few mums I have, some gerbera daisies, and an echinacea plant I got from my neighbor.




Next up: my vegetable garden! I think that will happen on Monday!

~Miscellany~

I think today is the last day for contests, but make sure to visit Life is Like a Lunchbox and enter in all her marvelous apron contests! I should have linked earlier this week!
***
Regarding the sunset picture I posted: I've had to laugh at the comments a little, because the picture I posted of the sunset on the Lake does not do the setting justice. There were mosquitoes e-v-e-r-y where, and we swatted and smooshed mosquitoes the entire time we were watching the sunset. Yes, we did enjoy it, but we sure didn't enjoy the mosquitoes! *grin* The mosquitoes up north could just about carry a body away!
***
Tomorrow (I hope!), I am going to finish getting plants in the ground! I have yet to plant my vegetable garden. I can't wait much longer, or it won't be worth it to plant anything! Watch out weeds, here I come!!!
***
I realize I'm not a mother, so I suppose I can't fully appreciate potty-training posts, but it just seems that every.single.blog I read that has a potty-trainee has full-blown descriptions of the progress. I just don't see the purpose. LOL Poor kids...no privacy at all!
***
I'm gearing up to be a better blogger and blog visitor! I've been so tired lately; physically and mentally. I have still been reading lots of blogs, but not commenting on many of them. I think I'm coming out of my slump though! I think our little vacation helped me feel so much better!
***
You may have noticed the drop-down menus in the side bar. Do you like them? I hope it makes things look a little less cluttered. I just had so many links running down the side of my blog, it seemed like so much to look through. Tell me what you think, and if you want to add them to your blog, you can find the code at flooble.com.
***
My afghan has been sadly neglected for a week or so. I picked it up last night and worked one lonely little row. I am not tired of the project, by any means. I guess I just needed a bit of a break. I've been knitting instead, on a gift. This time around I will post the pciture after it is gifted. *Smiles*
***
Everyone, have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

~Sunset at the Lake~

~A few questions answered~

Thank you so much to my blog readers for the comments you leave for me. Each and every comment is read and enjoyed. I have been *so bad* lately and haven't kept up with answering questions!

Joyce asked:

I love the island and the town. Did you go to the fort in the town?

Yes! We did go to the fort. We had a great time there! They didn't have many people about in uniform though, since it isn't the peak time for tourists. There were a few soldiers walking about.

Trixie commented:

It sounds like you have a tradition of a nice trip on each anniversary.

We haven't always gone on a trip for our anniversary, but we have for the past three years. Some years it hasn't been in the budget, but it is nice to have a little get-away in the middle of the year!

Heather asked:

What does the U.P. mean?

Oops...as I was typing that I was going to go back and type in "Upper Peninsula" but I forgot to! Look at a map, and you'll see that Michigan is comprised of two peninsulas...the main part which looks like a mitt and then the "U.P." =)

Deb had a great idea:

Now that you won't have a yarn store to spend your money in...here's an idea. Save up for a plane ticket, fly to Virginia, and go with me to my yarn shop. :)

I'd LOVE to come for a visit! =)

There is another yarn store for me to shop at, roughly the same distance away as the other one was. I just recently read someone's blog post about yarn shop owners typically being rude and unhelpful to their customers, and I was shocked. Judging from the comments the post received, it wasn't just her opinion either. Well, the store that closed down had AWESOME customer service! I was in there a week before they closed, and the gal who helped me was asking me about a project I had purchased back in November. I have been in one yarn store where the shop owner was rude to me. She acted as though I had just walked into her home without ringing the doorbell. LOL But otherwise, I've had positive yarn store experiences!

~Houses on the Island~

Here are some houses we saw while we were on Mackinac Island.

Cottages close to the downtown area:




This one just made me wish that I knew the person who lived here. The open gate was so beckoning; I would have loved to go through it and into the house! *Smiles*


These two houses were overlooking the shore. We saw them while we were on our carriage ride.

~The Five Senses~

On Friday through Sunday, Kevin and I went on an anniversary excursion to Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island. We've lived in Michigan for three years and didn't know until our visit that both the city and the island are pronounced the same...just spelled differently. (It's pronounced with an "aw" at the end).

Keeping in mind Randi's "Get Real Monday", I took some extra pictures of our vacation for this post! I have a few more pictures I want to share, but I'll post those in another post.

See:
One thing we saw was the fort at Mackinac Island--


Hear:
The clip-clopping of the horses on the island. No automobiles are allowed on the island, which makes for a lot of walking or bike pedaling! Horses and bikes are the only mode of transportation throughout the island. We rented a horse and carriage for two hours. It was so much fun, and a very relaxing way to see a large portion of the island. These hooves belong to Beth, our horse who behaved quite well, considering the fact that she has tourists directing her about all season long!


Smell:
Lilacs! The island's Lilac Festival is next weekend, but the lilacs were in full bloom, and it was just heavenly to walk under the tall tree-like bushes!


Taste:
A pastie...I had never heard of them till we went north. It was fun to try one! (They are a U.P. specialty--pastry wrapped around meat, potatoes, and vegetables, and served with gravy).


Feel:
The sand and water beneath my feet!


We had such a wonderful, wonderful time! It was just so relaxing! We got to Mackinaw City on Friday afternoon, and went to the island on Saturday. We had planned to spend much more time on the island than we did, but we were exhausted by 3 p.m.! Today we went to church in the morning, and afterwards viewed a few more things, and then headed home. It rained all afternoon. We were very thankful for the wonderful weather we had while we were on the island on Saturday!

~Seven~

Seven years ago today I walked down the aisle and wed the love of my life. It's amazing how fast the years go by!