It's beautiful and sunny today but still cold. (Don't come home yet, Nancy & Don!)

This has been a busy day!  Just finished baking 2 dozen cupcakes for the 4-H Roundup in Spencer over the weekend.  Easy enough because I don't have to decorate them.  That is what they want them for; a cupcake decorating contest.  The roundup is to create interest in joining a 4-H club.  Seems like Jolly Homemakers is always doing some community service project like that.  I'm serving on the cheer plate guidelines committee right now at Jolly and that is interesting; deciding who gets a plate of goodies that the Surgeon General of the U.S. would undoubtedly frown on.  (I gather that this is a very important subject to some of our members ...)  Also serving on the Nominations Committee and that should be easy because everyone seems happy with what they're doing right now.  Upcoming on the extension homemaker front is the Owen County Extension Homemakers National Day/Cultural Arts Day combo where I serve as chair of the C.A. component.  In March I'll try to visit each of the county clubs to drum up enthusiasm for entering their hand-mades in the contest.  I really enjoy doing that.

While I was making cupcakes I looked at the counter (I had 3 eggs laid out to reach room temp for the cupcakes and was getting lunch ready, too) and there it was ........ (drum roll)

GREEN EGGS AND HAM!!!

Wendell laughed out loud (and those of you who know him know, that's loud!).  I couldn't help but whip out my camera.

We have been enjoying fresh eggs a lot lately -- a friend at church gives them to us regularly, then last Sunday night Randy & Benjie gave us a dozen, too.  So we've had scrambled eggs, pickled beets & eggs, egg salad, etc. etc. etc.  Yummy.

Wanted you to see what my sweetie got me for Valentine' Day / Wedding Anniversary ...

Lovely!  Thanks Wendell!

Along the same lines, for Becky S., here's the lovely poinsettia I bought from your women's council way back in early December.  They are staying so beautiful!  I recommend the Christian Church's poinsettia sale to anyone who is interested.  Will try to keep this plant alive and see how it does in the ground this summer.  Anyone have any tips on that?

They are a beautiful ivory color with a hint of pale pink. 

We went to Washington the other day to do some errands and just on a fluke went to Dailey's Furniture Store.  We found a pair of chairs for the living room! Yeah!  Been looking for a long time to find just the right thing for the room and something we can agree on (sound familiar?).  Sales lady had one on the floor and said her computer showed that there was a duplicate in the warehouse.  Well, the next a.m. Wendell loaded up our old faithful chair and ottoman and took them to the Sun Shine Shop in Worthington (because we were expecting to get those 2 chairs) and wouldn't you know, she called and said "someone" had sold the one in the warehouse so we'll have to wait for about 3-4 weeks until they can get us two new chairs.  Oh well, it's probably just as well.  Who knows how many people have been sitting in "my chair" there in the store!  LOL!  So things look sort of spare in the living room just now.

While we were in Washington, we had to go to the farm store and there's a flea market next door, so we went there, too.  You see and hear some interesting things in those places ... well, really, lots of places.  That makes me sound prejudiced.  But I digress.  Here's my question: who would nickname their toddler "Booger"?  and actually call him by that name in public?  is it legal to sell a used toilet seat?  does anyone still buy 8-track tapes???  is there a dress code anymore? anywhere?  Just askin' ...

Actually, I've been looking for a poster like this and I'm always on the lookout for stuff like that in flea markets.  btw; I'm "Greek", what are you?  [You just took off your sock to look, didn't you?]

We plan on going to see Monuments Men this weekend sometime.  Also have to go sometime and get some groceries (yeah).  Jeff and Jane are planning on coming down, and so is a snow storm.  I am sooooooo over winter.  But not Jeff & Jane.

This was a new one to me ... funny? sad? It's my life in Greene County.

I am so over this winter ...

Wendell and I celebrated our 51st wedding anniversary yesterday.  We had planned to go to Bloomington and have a nice lunch and take in a movie but since it started with the freezing rain deal as we drove out of the driveway, we only went as far as Spencer.  And if you know Spencer, you know there is not a very good selection of places to eat there.  (sigh ...)  But we had our lunch there anyway.  And I had a very good bowl of loaded baked potato soup.  Yum!  It was the highlight of my day.  (What does that tell you?)  But just making it past the 50 year mark is a very good thing and a lot to celebrate.  Talked to both of "the kids" in the last two days so I'm content.  Sigh!  I am blessed.

We have been laughing and making fun of ourselves a lot lately.  And asking each other deep, profound, meaningful questions lately such as ... Why are we here (this winter)?  Why is it snowing so much (on us)?  Why is my arthritis bothering me more this year?  Will our propane last till spring?  What's the meaning of life? .....  Yeah, like that.  

On Valentine's Day we started driving to a winery in Illinois and ended up turning around in Terre Haute and coming back home because of a heavy snow.  (Well, we did do several errands while we were there ...)  We were in the car!  We got all of the way home and Wendell (who had only been driving since we stopped for gas in Jasonville!) got stuck in our driveway!  Like I said, you gotta laugh.  Thank goodness he has the 4-wheel drive truck to pull us up the hill ...

I've been cleaning and clearing again and I gotta say I have made more trips to Goodwill and the Re-Store this winter than any time in my life.  Of course, you know how that goes.  Some day soon I'll be looking for something I donated and have to go buy another one. 

I'm reading, hooking, weaving and crocheting.  Keeping busy.  That's what I've been up to.  How about you?

Snow snow snow ...

ARGH!

So tired of snow.  It snowed more last night and it is snowing right now (lightly ... nevertheless it is snowing).  Was supposed to go to the Bloomington Quilt Guild last night with a friend but the speaker cancelled due to the snow so we didn't go.  Tonight hooking is scheduled in Worthington and that is doubtful for me because I don't want to risk getting stuck on our road in a drift.  

I have kept busy around her though.  Been working on the loom for an hour or so at a time.  This is the first rug on this run.  I used some upholstery selvages I bought at Great Northern Weaving.  Don't think I'd use them again because I don't like the look.  I have enough left to do another but think I'll pass them along to my mentor to give a try.  (That light color is just a filler to hold in the header.)  Now, on to something more interesting!  I use the little space heater down there to keep my feet warm because it is colder than upstairs.  This winter it seems like my feet are always cold!!! 

Sort of a shaggy look ... the edges are hairy looking, aren't they?  First time it's washed and dried I'd hate to see the lint filter!

Also been hooking on a rug that is different for me ... it'll have a hooked background around the sheep that I'm going to hook in chunky wool yarn.  My first plan was to hook the sheep in roving but changed that after some experimentation with the two looks.  Here's what the background looks like so far ...  I have a long way to go.  I'm taking my time hooking this background because it's difficult for me to make a hit and miss look spontaneous.  LOL!  That doesn't make sense, does it?  "They say" you should just dip your hand into a bag of wool and use whatever comes out.  Me?  NO WAY.  I just can't do that.  Maybe some day...

Here's the rug I'm hooking right now.  I guess it will actually not be a rug for the floor but a piece to be hung on the wall.  I've only hooked a couple of wall hangings in my life; most of mine are for the floor or table.  Her face and legs will be brown.  The gray is an outline to hold the yarn and in fact may come out at the very end and replaced with more yarn ... we'll see how it goes.  It is much brighter than this picture makes it look; the yellows are nice and clear yellow.  I'm liking this background.

I just finished reading a very interesting book by Doris Eaton called A Lifetime of Rug Hooking.  She's from Canada and has been hooking for years and years.  Her life story is remarkable.  Plus, it shows lots of pictures of her rugs and the story that goes with each one.  Now, her style is not mine, but her story is so very interesting.  Also, getting lost in another Mitch Rapp book.  So I'm keeping myself entertained, although feeling trapped.  

But that's my life so far this winter ...