THE DAY THAT WILL STAND STILL......

It's 25 hours until the Big Game--Destiny in the Dome, Battle of the Bayou--the National Championship will be decided.

Win or lose, Alabama is my team.  But I believe they will win this one!

ROLL TIDE!



HAPPY NEW YEAR, MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY THANKSGIVING.....

Did I forget any? I am SO bad. I'm so attached to Facebook that I forget I should stop by here more often.

This is a crazy place. This morning it was 28 degrees. When I left the nail salon at noon it was nearing 70. And it's going to be warmer for a few more days. Then we start again.....That's why everyone stays sick around here.

I have to be glad this year is over. It doesn't top the list of the finest! The worst was in July when David's mother died. She was 98 and would have been 99 in another month. It truly was one of the cases of where it was time. The only enjoyable part was seeing family that we hadn't seen in awhile. We went back to the cemetery to check on things before we came home. Guess Michael got a little tired in the heat!

My favorite LNS has closed. Last Saturday was the last day. I will miss indulging my addiction so often, but I think the worse part is not seeing Diane or any of the other girls so often anymore. Of course, there's enough stuff in my stash to last me several lifetimes. Then again, Houston and New Orleans are nearby, so I'll get a fix every now and then.

I was 65 this year. Where did it go? And I've already had the first visit to the doctor for the year.  I've had back trouble for years and during the Christmas holidays it went south! Sooner or later I will have to have it fixed and I really dread it. Sometimes back surgery makes things worse.

As far as crafty stuff, I will try to get some photos up. I've been knitting a lot and have pretty well focused on two stitchy projects: ByGone Stitches Christmas carol sampler and also Anniversaries of the Heart. My goal this year is to catch up on my LHN's ornies. I have a lot done, but need to catch up as I stitch the ones for this year.

Linzie is still the light of our lives. She is so cute and so smart and doesn't like fireworks. She has us trained beautifully! Giselle and Mia still spend a lot of time with us. And I'm glad to report that I didn't see too many of our resident serpents this year. Not that I looked for them.

Since my back has had me waylaid for a few weeks, I've been obsessing on Cranford.  Don't know how many times I've watched both series. Now if  Downton Abbey will just start..

So that's about life here. Dull, I suppose, but keeps moving along. I'm considering setting up a cooking blog. Well, baking, mainly. I'm still thinking of names and how I will organize it.

We're all anxious around here. Monday night is the BCS Championship game. LSU vs. Alabama. We all know where I stand. We lost to them in November, but I don't think we will this time. ROLL TIDE!

Until then, smooth sailing ahead for all of you.

TUSAL

Here's the last for the year. Almost forgot! It's a little unusual because I've been knitting more than stitching.

TUSAL AND SOME KNITTING....

Here is the latest edition of my TUSAL. There's actually some knitty stuff in this one as well as some of Linzie's hair (I trimmed her tail) and some thread labels.  The goody is the background is a bit of stitching that I finished a couple of weeks ago. It was supposed to be an Altoids tin topper, but I used larger fabby and some trim from my stash and made a label to hang on the candy jar.

Ta Da! My very first pair of knitted socks. The first one nearly put me in the hospital but the second one knitted up quickly and smoothly. It's Patons sock wool, knitted on Size 5 Needles and they fit great ( I have chubby legs, but don't tell anyone.). I'm about to start the second pair as soon as I finish a hat I started a couple of days ago. They are really more colorful than the photo shows.

David Beckham, eat your heart out! This is the slouchy hat I stitched up this week. It doesn't really look like it, but it fits pretty good. I'm working on a beret now. I did this one for the game next weekend, but it looks like the weather is going to be pretty bad, so Michael may inherit this one. It's in crimson and white, of course!

One week from today is the Showdown in Ttown. Bama vs. LSU. We're supposed to be there, but David has been in bed for two days now with a really BAD earache. And we're hearing that the weather is going to be very cold and rainy. That means I probably won't go to the stadium (the game is at 7PM). I would like to go to the Quad that afternoon. But Dave is also saying that we just may stay here in BR. We could sell those tickest for a LOT of money. We'll see. I think Alabama football will win in the end!!

Hope you all are staying warm!

ROLL TIDE!

It's finally beginning to get a little chillified here, and it's great! We can finally go outside without breaking into instant sweat. But........."the" season isn't over and there are a couple of storms out there that may or may not see out shores. I think one of them is headed for the Yucatan. Not wishing anyone bad luck, but.....

It's about time for the Big Game. Nov. 5th is the day. It's Alabama  vs LSU. Both teams are undefeated and you know for whom I pull! We'll go up for the game, of course, and the weather will decide whether I'll go to the stadium or not. The game has been moved to prime time, so it will be COLD. That maybe I can handle. Rain along with that I can't. Tickets to that game are going for BIG bucks. But we are diehard Bama fans, so I'm  thinking we'll keep ours.

We also have a new member of the family in Tuscaloosa. He's an eighteen year old gelded Arabian named Robbie. Michael says he's super smart. Responds to hand signals and can be ridden easily without a saddle. I'm looking forward to meeting him. Planning to take some carrots, apples, and peppermints with me.

I've been knitting a lot lately. Just finished my first pair of socks. And I've finished a slouchy hat for the game. I've started a scarf in Christmas colors. There are about a million free knitty patterns on the internet and I've really enjoyed looking at all of them. I do need to take time out and work on some quilty Christmas presents. Think I'm going to make candlemats. They are quick and easy to do and look really great.

In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy this beautiful weather!

Well, I really am still around. Time gets away from me and, I have to admit, Facebook is a quicker fix.

Since the last time we met, I have turned another year older. I'm Medicare-official now. I was 65 on October 3. It is better than the alternative, though. I don't feel any older--sometimes--but I see clear evidence of my face and other body parts dropping daily.

Michael, my 37 year old baby son, has returned from the Philippines. He left on October 2 and returned on the 17th. I can't wait to see the photos. He's a Dive Master and that was the purpose of the trip. He has one of those mongo underwater cameras and told me he took more that 700 photos. I was doing pretty good until he told me about the sea snakes. Something like 3 times more deadly than a cobra. Not doing a happy dance here!!

This is a snap of  him enjoying the scenery.

It's finally football season and things are stepping up.LSU is No. 1 and we are No 2.The big standoff is two weeks from now in Tuscaloosa and I'll be there.The winner of this one will go to the BCS. Then in another couple of weeks we have the annual shootoff with It's Alabama all the way for me. I'm fairly sure we'll really mess them  up this year. The game is in Auburn, so we'll have to make do with the tv.

I've actually done a lot of stitching. And......I'm on a knitting binge! Haven't  picked up the needles in years. I'm about to finish my first pair of socks and I've knitted a boa. On the stitchy side, here are a couple of finishes:

Can't remember if I've shown you this one. The chart is by LK. The premade sack was a little expensive, so I got out the old imagination and the sewing machine and came up with this. I'm going to do a few others because they will made great gifts.

This one was a long time in finishing. It's by Grilles de Maryse. I stitched awhile and put it down awhile. Stitched, stopped. I finally got it out and decided to get me out of my misery.  I found the tray at Hobbly Lobby and painted it to match. The first go-around I got it in the tray caddywhoompased. I took it out and tried again.

So.......this is my world as of today.Hope all is great out there for all of you. It's Fall and the weather is great. Football season is here. And I've got my stitchy bag here and my Linzie nearby. Let it snow!!!!

TUSAL: BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!

I'm late again, of course. It took forever to download this from my iphone!  And, again, a lot has happened. We'll talk later.