It's (another) girl!

2010 (and 2011) are going down in my books as the "Year of the Girl".  So far, all of my friends who are expecting or have given birth have had girls!  It's amazing and strange and wonderful.

This has meant (and will in the next few months), the creation of baby girl blankets for each of them.  You may remember my knitting project from the summer... the new owner loves having it over her lap while sitting in her swing, from what I hear.

Here's my latest project.  How fun!  How easy!

I completed it earlier this month, but since I didn't give it to Mom till today, I thought it best to wait to post it (in case she visited the blog before today).

This is definitely not my last "no-sew-throw"... especially since there are more babies on the way!

12-of-12: December 2010

Mmmmm, it's Sunday.  A day for rest and relaxation after a very busy week.

Today's also the 12th - the day we have fun snapping pictures of the day as we participate in Chad Darnell's 12-of-12.  So, off we go to our favorite place - the Erie County Forestry - for a nice hike.  It was 40-degrees today and a little rainy, but that didn't stop us.

First, we make our way to the top of the hill...

My girl's paw prints and my size 6s

Sap lines are up and ready for the Spring thaw

 The kids are way ahead...

Mackie

...but stop and wait at the bridge.

This next shot is a repeat from a previous 12-of-12; October 2009

Believe it or not, some trees still have their leaves

Stubborn Beech

... and the water is really moving today from rain and snow-melt.

So peaceful... we had the woods all to ourselves.

TaterBug

Here's one more October 2009 repeat...

Now we're home... snugged up inside with a nice fire and mug of tea...

... and another favorite winter activity... puzzle-making!

A View from the Porch:
The start of December brought our first significant snowfall of the year.  Since then, it's snowed on-and-off, leaving us with almost a foot of snow.  You wouldn't know it today, however.  The rain and temps in the 40s has made everything a soggy, melty mess.

You can even see "steam" rising from the snow in this shot.

So, that's the end of the 12-of-12 for 2010.  I am happy to say I was able to participate every month this year!  I'm also happy that Chad is going to continue the 12-of-12 tradition at least another year.

All the best for a happy & healthy holiday season.  

See you next year!

Turn the Page... Tuesday

Okay, I know.  It's Friday.  I had every intention of getting this post done on Tuesday, but I just couldn't swing it.

Let's just say, it's been quite a roller-coaster of a month so far.  Maybe I'll blog about it later... but not today.

Today is for books... yet another piece of my life I've neglected recently.  I'm back to reading for enjoyment instead of reading for obligation, so I hope I'll have some good stuff to share next month.

For this month's TTP...T, however, I simply get to say that I (finally) finished River Horse: Across America by Boat by William Least Heat-Moon.

As the title suggests, this is the journal of a man (and his crew) who cross the United States via the American waterways.  They stopped at various towns along the way and comment on noteworthy or historical places & events (Lewis & Clark's expedition is referenced often.)

The story was interesting, and enjoyable, but not very exciting.  Now, if I was on this trip, I would have hoped it would be rather uneventful.  No run-ins with wild animals or bad weather, no overturned boats or seasickness.  But, as a reader, it was a bit of a chore to get thru the voyage.

We read this for Book Club; our meeting was last week.  Out of 30 people, 1/2 did not complete the story due to the "bore factor."  The other half seemed to agree that it was a story of a man's indulgent trip, not very thrilling to the reader, but interesting nonetheless.  Average rating was 3 out of 5.  This was my rating as well.

So, if you're looking for the meandering read of a unique travel book, you might like River Horse.  If you're looking for action-packed suspense... this is definitely NOT the read for you.

Again, sorry for my delay in posting.  Thanks to Adrienne at Some of a Kind for leading this virtual book club every month.  Join in next time!