I’ve been spending a fair amount of time on Facebook lately.  I like seeing what my friends and family are doing throughout the day.  I like seeing photos and updates and books that they are reading.  I don’t particularly like all the silly quizzes and games but when I saw this “Getting to Know You” one circulating the other day I thought I could use it as blog fodder. I eliminated a couple of the questions as they didn’t really work for a blog post (as in, who will you tag, who won’t answer, etc) but for the most part this is the original list.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6am
2. How do you like your steak? medium
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
4. What is your favorite TV show? Desperate Housewives
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? anywhere warm.
6. What did you have for breakfast? english muffin with peanut butter and banana
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Mexican
8. What foods do you dislike? liver and lima beans
9. Favorite Place to Eat? home
10. Favorite dressing? parmesan peppercorn
11. What kind of vehicle do you drive? Jeep Wrangler
12. What are your favorite clothes? jeans and a flannel shirt
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Italy
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? 1/2 full!
15. Where would you want to retire? Plymouth
16. Favorite time of day? early morning
17. Where were you born? Stoughton, MA
18. What is your favorite sport to watch? women’s college basketball
19. Bird watcher? definitely!
20. Are you a morning person or a night person? morning
21. Do you have any pets? yes, a dog and a cat
22. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share? I think you all already know any news I might have.
23. What is your favorite childhood memory? Spending summers at the beach with my family.
24. Always wear your seat belt? yes, always!  See #11.
25. Been in a car accident? yes but it was many years ago and I wasn’t driving.
26. Any pet peeves? when people use “your” and they should use “you’re”
27. Favorite pizza toppings? pepper & onion
28. Favorite Flower? tulips
29. Favorite ice cream? peppermint stick
30. Favorite fast food restaurant? Taco Bell
31. How many times did you fail your driver’s test? none
32. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? L.L. Bean
33. Do anything spontaneous lately? went to a ball game.
34. Broccoli? yes!
35. What was your favorite vacation? when Dale and I went to Maine on our honeymoon
36. Last person you went out to dinner with? Dale
37. What are you listening to right now? The View
38. What is your favorite color? red
39. How many tattoos do you have? 2 so far
40. Coffee Drinker? yes.  black, please

And there you have it.  Did you learn anything new about me?

When we visited Hillary and her family last February we had a wonderful dinner prepared be Hillary.  The star of the meal was her Lemon Chicken and it was really delicious.   I’ve made it several times since watching Hillary do it and my family loves it just as much as Hillary’s family does.  I figure you all might like it, too, so I’m going to show you how to make it.

I use boneless skinless chicken breasts, the same as Hillary.  In the morning, throw ‘em in a ziploc bag and pour in some lemon juice.  Put that in the fridge and go to work – or whatever it is that you do all day.  When you’re ready to cook dinner take the chicken out of that ziploc bag and put them in another ziploc bag.  This one will have flour, salt & pepper,  and paprika in it, too.  Shake that chicken all around until it’s coated with the flour.

Now heat up some oil.  I like to use my cast iron fry pan for this part.  It makes me feel old-fashioned.  And it also is just about the best thing ever for frying chicken.  And steak.  In butter.  There is nothing like steak cooked in butter in a cast iron fry pan.  Mmmm.    Oh wait, sorry, we’re talking about chicken.  So fry your chicken on both sides in that oil.

Slice up some lemon.  You know what sliced lemon looks like but this picture is pretty so I’m showing you.

Once your chicken is browned on both side put the pieces in a baking dish.  Sprinkle the top with a bit of brown sugar and then put a couple of lemon slices on each piece.  Pour some chicken broth in there, enough to come up about an inch or so.  Cover the pan with foil and put it in a 350° over for about 45 minutes.

The chicken is moist and flavorful and lemony.  I like to serve it with rice and broccoli – which is what Hillary served it with, too, I think.  And yes, I forgot to take a picture of the finished meal.  I just couldn’t wait long enough to gobble it up!

I hope you’ll gobble it up, too.  Enjoy!

It’s no surprise that winter makes for tough blogging. The days are short and that makes it difficult to take pictures. It’s cold outside and there aren’t a lot of sightseeing opportunities. Weekends are good for holing up in the house – relaxing and comforting – but not great for producing interesting blog posts. So, I swiped this from Julie because I had nothing else to blog about it looked like fun.

Use the first letter of your name to find a word for each of the following:

Your Name – Carole
Four letter word – coin
Boy name – Chuck
Girl name – Caroline (this was supposed to be my name but my mom decided it was too “long” for such a tiny baby. I once asked her if she didn’t think I was going to grow. Ahem.)
Occupation – clerk
Color – chartreuse
Beverage – cocktails
Something found in a bathroom – comb
A Place – Cape Cod (a twofer!)
Reason for being late – car trouble
Food – cake (My maiden name began with the letter S and whenever we played that “I’m Going on a Picnic Game” I always brought cake and strawberries.)
Something you shout – crap!

Your turn!

I saw this list over at Beth’s yesterday and thought it would be perfect for today. I know it’s kind of long but I hope you’ll read it. I also hope you’ll answer the questions on your own blog because I think lists like this are fun!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper with homemade bows if it’s something in a box. Gift bags for the oddly shapped stuff.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Real because Dale insists but I grew up with artificial and wouldn’t mind switching over. They are easier to care for, don’t require an annual investment of $35-$50 and don’t involve lots of pine needles so I’d really prefer artificial.
3. When do you put up the tree? Right before Christmas because we have a wood stove and that dries the tree out pretty quickly.
4. When do you take the tree down? As soon as possible. Please see numbers 2 and 3.
5. Do you like eggnog? I can take it or leave it.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I remember getting a play house that was all set up when I came down on Christmas morning. I don’t know if it was my favorite gift but I remember it clearly. And then I announced that I was going to open all my gifts inside the play house. That idea was vetoed pretty quickly by my mom.
7. Hardest person to buy for? Definitely my father-in-law. What do you get for an 82 year old man? I usually pawn this one off on Dale but I don’t feel too guilty about that since I do all the other gift selections myself.
8. Easiest person to buy for? Dale. I usually remember things he says throughout the year, plus he’s really easy to please.
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, I cross stitched one on paper years ago. It’s held up pretty well.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? We mail them but this is probably my least favorite thing about Christmas.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? My ex-husband gave me some pretty bone-headed things over the years but I can’t think of anything specific.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite but we always end up watching A Christmas Story at some point. I really like Elf, too.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I pick up things year round if I see something special for someone but I shop in earnest in October and November.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don’t think so. Maybe some wine or something.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Polish Tea Cakes. The recipe is on my blog here.
16. Lights on the tree? Of course! They are colored lights because all the other lights (in the windows, around the doorways) are clear.
17. Favorite Christmas song? My favorite religious one is “O Come All Ye Faithful” and my favorite pop one is “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” The part about through the years we all will be together makes me cry every time I hear it.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We stay home as all our relatives are in the area.
19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Sure, but I’d have to sing to do it.
20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We used to open one on Christmas Eve and the rest in the morning but we’ve pretty much saved them all for Christmas morning the last few years.
21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Christmas commercials! Every kiss beings with Kay . . . need I say more?
22. Favorite ornament theme or color? I’m pretty traditional and things are red and green at my house. I have a snowman collection so I guess that’s a theme.
23. What do you want for Christmas this year? I’d like a flash for my camera. You got that, Dale?
24. Angel on the tree top or a star? It used to be a Father Christmas but now we have an angel.
25. Favorite Christmas dinner? I really like to have beef for Christmas dinner. Pass the prime rib and yorkshire pudding, please!

Sandy tagged me for the Sixth Picture Meme and I’m so glad she did.

The rules:

* Go to your Sixth Picture Folder then pick your Sixth Picture.
* Pray that you remember the details.
* Tag 5 others.

I knew this could be an interesting experiment and I was right. Here is my sixth folder’s sixth picture:

I took this photo last month when Dale’s friend Arthur was here. You see, Arthur lives in Hawaii but he comes home to visit his mom at least once a year and he always comes to visit Dale and I, too. This last time he visited he asked us for a special favor. He asked us to go bowling with him. It seems his friends in Hawaii have never heard of candlepin bowling and he wanted to bring home some photos to show them that yes, there really are teeny tiny bowling balls and tall skinny bowling pins.

I was happy to bring my camera along and take some photos of moving objects. I learned a few new things about shutter speed and aperture that night and we had a lot of laughs while bowling, too.

I’m betting some of you have never heard of candle pin bowling either. I think it’s pretty cool that playing along with this meme is also educational to my readers. I’m just here to serve, after all.

I woke up this morning and realized that I forgot to prepare a post for today.  I have never ever done that before.  Oh sure, I’ve pulled some crap together at the last minute but yesterday I just completely forgot.  I blame this on Socktober, too.

Anyway, when I switched over to my new server I found this post that I wrote and saved as a draft back in June.  I knew it would come in handy at some point.  Hope you get a kick out of reading it because writing it brought back some pretty fun memories.

YES/NO GAME RULES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

You can only say yes or no. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages you and asks!

Over 18? Yes
Danced in front of your mirror naked? No
Ever told a lie? Yes
Been arrested? No
Kissed a picture? Yes
Fallen asleep at work/school? No
Held an actual snake? Yes
Have YOU Ever run a red light? No
Ever drink and drive? Yes
Been suspended from school? No
Ever been fired from a job? No
Totaled a car/motorbike in an accident? No
Sang karaoke? No
Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t? Yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? No
Ever laughed until you wet yourself? Yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes
Kissed in the rain? Yes
Sang in the shower? No
Sat on a rooftop? Yes
Thought about your past with regret? Yes
Been pushed in the pool with your clothes on? Yes
Shaved your head? No
Blacked out from drinking? No
Had a gym membership? Yes
Been in a band? No
Shot a gun? Yes
Liked someone with nobody else knowing about it? Yes
Played strip poker? Yes
Been to a strip joint? Yes
Donated Blood? No
Liked someone you shouldn’t? Yes
Have a tattoo? Yes
Have or had any piercings besides ears? No
Made out with a complete stranger? No
Caught someone cheating on you? Yes
Skinny dipped? Yes
Regret any of your ex’s? Yes
Been to a rodeo? No
Been to a NASCAR race? No
Been in Love? Yes

It seems to me that on this date, the anniversary of a terrible day, it’s important to focus on our future.  To remember that there are good things in our lives – family, friends and so much more. It’s entirely appropriate to look back with sadness but I think it’s even more important to look forward with hope.  And what could be more hopeful than the upcoming birth of a baby and the opportunity to cover that baby in woolly goodness?

This is my first Baby Surprise Jacket and I doubt it will be my last. I’ll admit that I didn’t think I was doing it right for a good part of the process but I just kept the faith (and my trust in EZ) and worked my way through. I wound up with this:

Pretty funny looking and sort of hard to picture becoming a baby sweater, I think. But lo and behold, a simple fold or two and I had this:

Now we’re cooking with fire! I sewed the shoulder seams and added some buttons and wa-la:

A Baby Surprise Jacket!

The yarn is Hello Yarn Fat Sock that Adrian custom dyed for me last year. It’s wonderful and squooshy and the colors are just what I wanted.

It was a fast knit, too. I started late on Saturday and finished Tuesday night. That’s fast – even for a baby sweater. It must have been because of all that help from Mason.

Babies are hopeful. Babies are our future. And babies wearing hand knits, well, they are just about the best thing ever.

Today’s post is a meme about sock knitting. I saw it at Cookie’s and then I saw it at Terry’s and now you’re seeing it here. Just so you know, the mosaic is a compilation of the last 16 pairs of socks I have finished. It dates from late Dec 2007 to the present and it gives a pretty good visual to go along with the meme.

When did you first learn to knit socks?
I started knitting socks in the spring of 2002.

What’s the first sock you ever knit?
The first sock I ever knit was a pair of socks for Dale. I knit them for him to wear at Civil War reenactments and I used what I thought was a period correct pattern. It wasn’t, as it turns out, but it was a good first sock. Well, except that I used Lopi Lite and they were so scratchy he never actually wore them.

Favorite Sock Pattern?
My go-to sock is a plain stockinette with a picot edge, heel flap and round toe. I use 72 stitches if they are for Dale, 64 stitches if they are for me and 56 stitches if they are for Hannah.

Favorite needle method?
I’m a Magic Looper but I learned on double pointed needles and I still use those if I’m at a reenactment.

Favorite sock needles?
Addi Turbos size one or zero.

Who do you knit socks for?
Most of the socks I knit are for me but I do knit socks for Hannah and Dale occasionally. Sometimes I knit socks for other family members but socks take a lot of time so I like to make sure that they will be appreciated – I’ve been burned in the past. I also participate in sock swaps now and then.

How many pairs have you knitted to date?
Since I started blogging I’ve knit 75 pairs of socks. I don’t think there were more than a few pairs before that so I’m going with ~80.

What is on your sock knitting to-do list?
I’m signed up for the Trick of Treat Sock Swap so I need to pick a design for those. I’m leaning towards Nutkin at the moment.

What kind of socks to you like to knit-
Striped? Definitely. You’ve seen my stash of Vesper sock yarn, right?
Colorwork? I’ll save the colorwork for mittens.
Plain Stockinette? Way too often.
Cabled? Certainly, I love cables.
Lace? Oh yes!
Anklets? Nope!
Knee Socks? Hannah really wants a pair of knee socks and I imagine I’ll get to it one of these days.
Solid colors? Yes, especially if I’m using a lace or cabled pattern.
Bright and crazy? Ummm, did you see the mosaic up there?
Faux Fair Isle (the yarn doing all of the work)? I’ve done this but I mostly stick with the handpainted yarns these days.

Tag a few sock knitters here: You know the drill. If you’re a sock knitter and you need some blog fodder then consider yourself tagged.

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
Dale and I were just about to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary. My mom had died in March so I was still reeling from that. I was working full time as director of our town library and trying hard to be a good wife, mom and step mom. I was not yet a knitter.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?
It’s Thursday so that means payroll and next week’s schedule. I have some paperwork to do, I need to stop at the grocery store on my way home from work, and I also need to finish up some test knitting.

3) Snacks I enjoy:
cheese and crackers, pita chips and hummus, popcorn, wasabi peas

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Quit my job, pay off the mortgage and various other things, travel, set up trust funds for my kids, and buy a beautiful spot for all my fiber friends to gather.

5) Places I have lived:
Ummm. Massachusetts.

6) 5 peeps I wanna know more about:
No tags. I think everyone has done this by now but if you haven’t, feel free!

Happy Thursday, it’s almost the weekend.

The drama and trauma of the past week have drained my blogging mojo, I think. So, today you get the movie meme that everyone else has already posted. Hello, bandwagon.

Just in case you’ve been under a rock, here are the rules:

1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them on your blog for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. Looking them up is cheating, please don’t.

Here we go!

1. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. When Harry Met Sally, identified by Maryse
2. You get a nervous mother, you could wind up in a doctor’s office. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, identified by Wendy
3. Roll, roll, roll in ze hay. Young Frankenstein, identified by Jessie
4. Couldn’t go on? You’ll give the performance of your life. All About Eve, identified by Liz in IN
5. No! Not both of us! Not all of us!Gettysburg, identified by Robin
6. You’re overwrought, madam. I’ve opened a window for you.
7. That’s cool baby, you know how it is, rockin’ and rollin’ and what not. Grease, identified by Wendy
8. As you wish. Princess Bride, identified by Jessie
9. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a knife, and our lives. To Kill A Mockingbird, identified by Blogless Jan
10.I fart in your general direction. Monty Python and the Holy Grail, identified by Jessie

Have at it – and good luck!

ETA: Wow, you guys are fast! All ten movies were identified in less than an hour and a half. I guess I don’t watch very obscure movies. Either that or you’re all way more into movies than I realized.