Working this morning on cutting out all the little applique pieces for more Hobo bags. This is such a tedious process!!

I set up in the bedroom and cut like a madwoman while Wally watched Caillou and Word World. (By the way, I love Word World, but it seems like there are only 3-4 episodes and we just see the same things over and over and over. Wally doesn’t seem to mind, but I get very bored.

Thanks to everyone who posted last week in response to my request for delurking!!

I put the names of all commentors into a bowl and drew the winner.

 Barbara

Barbara, please contact me with your name and address and I’ll get your goodies sent out right away.

The prize package includes: A fun apron with a winter design, a corduroy zip-close cube, and two fun zip pouches. I use my zip pouches all the time, so I hope you’re able to find just as many uses!

Machine’s in the shop this week (just for a tune up), so I’m turning my energies elsewhere this week. Prepping a few projects for myself that I’ll complete when the machine comes back. (like this quilt’s bigger sister)

Lots of cutting in anticipation of sewing binges when my machine comes home. Some scrapbooking. Knitting. I’m trying to finish up a pair of baby pants so I can get started on the three-hour sweater.

I haven’t forgotten about the promised package of goodies for a delurker. I’m putting together the package this afternoon, then I’ll post a picture as well as the randomly-drawn winner.

Assuming that I’m able to get and stay on top of orders in the coming weeks, I’m hoping to participate in this month’s Challenge over at Craftster.

Craft your Resolutions. “Your challenge this month is to craft something that helps you with any of your New Years Resolutions.”

My resolutions? Less waste, less plastic, exercise, manage stress, and make several specific changes to my eating habits. Oddly, crafting to a deadline kind of ADDs to stress, so I could technically participate by NOT crafting anything for the challenge. But that’s no fun. I could create something using my scraps. I could sew up a fabric shower curtain to enable us to ditch the plastic one. I could make myself a yoga mat for the exercise and stress components. Hm. I shall have to think on this.

OK, I don’t know when Delurking Day is. The closest I can find, it was last week. Who knows for sure? I sure don’t. So, I’m declaring this Delurking Week at any blog of which I am a part.

Read here? Take a minute, post a comment. Just say hi. Share your thoughts. Post a recipe. Whatever. I’ll be sending some sort of fabulous gift to one lucky commentor. Considering that I get so few commentors here, if you DO comment, you stand a VERY good chance of being the lucky winner.

I was intrigued by Kristina Brousalias’s admission in the Whip Up blog that, until recently, she could not imagine knitting in public. I’ve seen several other posts around the internet about this subject lately, too, so I guess I’ll hop on the train (so to speak) myself.

Personally, since I learned to knit, there’s not been a time that I did not knit in public. Just as when I’m not knitting, I always have a book or a notepad with me to provide a “downtime” activity, when I am knitting, I usually have my knitting with me. On Black Friday, for example, I packed my current project up and took it with me to JoAnn Fabrics, planning to knit while waiting in the cutting line. (As it turns out, I had near perfect timing and didn’t have a wait at all, and was actually a little disappointed to miss an opportunity to knit for a while. Last year, I had about an hour in line, and spent that time pretty much finishing up the book I’d brought.) All was not for naught, though, as I was able to complete about 8 rounds on the bag I was working on while I waited to take my mom home from her doctor’s appointment. And then another 10 or so rounds while waiting for my husband at the store.

I completed about 30 rows of a pair of knitted baby pants during the Iowa Caucus (perched on the teacher’s desk at the front of the room, no less). One wool bowl and one water bottle holder during my mom’s surgery in December, and half the knitted baby pants while sitting with her in ICU. I’ve knitted at the park, in the mall, at an indoor playground, in the car, at doctor’s appointments, at a craft show, during downtime at a baby fair, and while waiting in all sorts of lines.

My slightly OCD tendencies really grate on the husband, actually. I seem unable to leave the house without a project or my organizer or at the very least some reading material. But I hate to be forced into a situation where I’m stuck just doing…nothing. And, really, the knitting tote is so small. Just a ball of yarn, some notes about the pattern, and the needles. Quite portable, perfect for those little moments when there’s nothing else to be doing!

Well, the Iowa Caucus is this evening - in about 28 minutes, actually - and I will be heading out momentarily to attend. My first caucus ever, I’m pretty excited.

Oddly, I don’t yet know who I’ll be voting for. But I still have 26 minutes now to figure it out, so I’ve got time!

I’ve been chuckling at the media recently “We’ll be here in Iowa as long as it takes to bring you the results as they come in.” the hidden message there is “and then we’re out of here faster than you can say ‘Hawkeye State.’” I read a Hillary Clinton quote, she was being asked about her lack of emotion and the fact that she doesn’t cry much. She did almost cry, though, she said, when she woke up at 4 am in Des Moines. Nice. But we all know that all the candidates, their entourages, the media, and everyone else will be gone by this time tomorrow.

And, frankly, I can’t wait. I had 7 messages on my answering machine when I got home today. Romney, Huckabbe, Romney, Huckabee, the car repair shop, Romney, and Guiliani. I’ve started telling them when the phone rings that, whoever their candidate is, I’m not voting for them. Before this most recent strategy, I had been just rotating through the candidates, naming whichever one came to mind first, whenever anyone called to see who we’d be supporting.

Well, it’s 6:38, and time to head out. Hopefully, I’ll have decided by the time I get there!

My grandfather passed away on Sunday, and his funeral was this morning in Alta, Iowa, where he lived. He was in his 80s, and had COPD for many years, and it was certainly not unexpected. But it was still a sad time, particularly for my aunt and uncle, both of whom lived close by, and for my mom, who is still in the hospital here and was unable to travel for the funeral.

The VFW was in attendance, and the presentation of the flag was quite emotional. Military things always make me cry, and it pretty much did in everyone else in attendance, as well.

The visitation and funeral were, for me and most of my cousins, an experience of mostly pretending to remember who people were, and saying the same things over and over. “Yes, one son, he’s almost four.” “Oh, mom’s making progress. She sure wishes she could be here.” And of course the inevitable “No, we’re not sure when Wally will get a sibling.” (sigh.)

My grandmother is doing quite well, all things considered. They had fortunately moved both of my grandparents into an assisted living facility in the fall, and she just loves it. So at least she’s already settled in, and doesn’t have to make any difficult transitions during an already difficult time. She looked beautiful as always. (Frankly, I think I have a pretty good looking family, and I can say that since I’m not actually genetically related to any of them. My grandparents were both lookers - particularly, the pictures of my grandfather in his army uniform.)