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I’ve got my shopping done, but have to wrap and send out the Christmas cards.  I always wish I had thought ahead at Thanksgiving when everyone was here to take a Christmas picture.  Then I waste time looking through the years pictures to see if I have one, but I never do.

My grandchildren helped me get out all the Christmas Decorations and decorate the tree last weekend.  Then I got sick.  My first sinus infection of 2008.  Feeling better but tired.  I finished a book about WWII and the internment of Japanese Americans entitled When The Emperor Was Divine.  Now I’m reading a John Connelly book, White Road, about the character Charlie Parker. It’s a sad commentary on the early (or as late at the 60’s) southern folks inhumanity to man.  I also finished the Truman Capote book Summer Crossings.  I think the material was Capote all the way. 

Today I am on the Tyra Banks show and if my son-in-law has recorded it I hope to embed it here!  My loot is starting to come in.  I went back to New York on 12/9 and took Ryan with me.  My daughter, Kate, got tickets to see “Shrek the Musical” and it was wonderful.  We got into the city via Metro North (using Stationstops, my son-in-law’s blog) to navigate the schedule and had time to visit the top of the Empire State Building and American Girl to check out the Doll stuff before the show.  One of the fun things was take a train, pedi-cab, taxi and ferry, all things that you don’t find in Farmington, CT.

I finished the February Lady’s sweater class but not the sweater.  Arms are in order..  I also snuck a class in a Celtic cable neck warmer and am fascinated by it.  I have startitis with 4 projects going.

I am going to do one thing on my to-do list and then go to Radio shack to see of I can get some printer to USB converters.

It very very cold and the wind sounds like a freight train as it whips by the side of the building.  Our room is near the end of the hallway and you can hear it make the turn, if you can imagine that.  The wind is blurring vision and the evergreens are bending.  It even looks cold out the window.

 I’m glad I did my exploring yesterday.  The area is so rural that I thought I drove 100 miles but it was only 40.  I had to find a CVS and then I found Diana’s Yarn and Craft store.  As you can imagine, I’ve added to my stash by purchasing some cascade 220 for the next project - an ear flap had and some more sock yarn.  I left them in the car and haven’t put them on Ravelry yet.

I’ve all but finished the Australian wool sweater.  Here it is handing on the shower curtain  at the Hotel.  It still needs some weaving in and the i-cord and buttons.  98.9%  finished and guess what, IT FITS! 

I’ve made some project with the February Lady’s Sweater.  I think each section of the pattern is 2″.  I’m planning to do some more tonight.

I’m reading Kidnapped again and find it as exciting as it was the first time. 

I LOVE TYRA BANKS

 TYRA, TYRA, TYRA, TYRA, TYRA

On Tuesday I took a train to Grand Central, a bus to the Jersey Ferry to visit my daughter.  The purpose of the visit was to appear in the Great Giveaway Audience on the Tyra Banks Show featuring an entire audience of unemployed people and we all had to wear red t-shirts that said “unemployed”.

Wow, what a day!  I added the list quickly in line for the “loot” and it was about $4000.00 worth of stuff including a laptop.  She said she knew we didn’t have much money for gifts and wanted to help us this Christmas.  Here’s a picture of the stuff, some of in the form of Gift Certificates/vouchers that have to be redeemed.  I don’t know if you noticed or not, but there is  $100 bill from Western Union folded like a shirt on the lower right!.

In addition everything was packed in this bag:

and we got a rolling Reebok bag to take it all home in.

My daughter and I walked down 42nd street and I hopped a bike cab and headed to the train she took the bus to the ferry.  I cannot believe how lucky I am.  Now if only my daughter get the job on Friday, life would be bliss.

It seems kind of mundane to report on my WIPs, but I have assembled that wool sweater and am currently working on the shawl collar.  I ran out of the yarn and had to buy 3 skeins of Mission Falls wool to finish.  I made it 22″ long and if I had made it only 16″ I would have had enough, but, live and learn.

The February Lady’s sweater has been handing on the closet door since before Thanksgiving as I haven’t had enough “quiet time” to do the rest of the lace.  I’m taking it to Turning Stone Casino this weekend and should get quite a bit done.

 I brought my socks that are on the needles to Hoboken and worked on them - maybe 3 inches to go. 

I’m itching to cast on an ear flap hat.