Wild Things

We have had some wild weather lately.

Fog for days.

Then yesterday we had early morning rain and an afternoon dust storm.

But the sky this morning was filled with color.

 Unfortunately, it turned hazy again as the day progressed.

This little white-eared Bulbul has been visiting for the past several days.

He actually landed right on top of the balcony door which opens into the tv room.

I'm so glad he hightailed it right on back outside as I don't know what I would have done with a wild bird flying around the house.

  Directly across from this morning's colorful sunrise was the moon.

Not so full anymore, but bright and beautiful just the same.

(The hazy picture above is actually of the setting sun ... while below is the setting moon.)

And here's the yarn that my husband brought back from Bangkok.

I thought he would come home with 3, maybe 5, skeins of yarn.

But he arrived with 25!

Yikes!  And I'm supposed to be stash busting!

Now I have to come up with some nice projects for all of it.

This week ... heck, this whole month, has gone by so fast!

The last day of January is tomorrow.

My oh my how time does fly!

Have a wonderful Wednesday (or Thursday depending on which side of the world you are on).

Something to Warm Your Heart

My husband shared this video with me a couple of weeks ago.

I've watched it many times and today was reminded of it again when I read Meredith's post.

Have a beautiful day!

Bright Spots

There's a bright spot in every dark cloud.

Bruce Beresford

We've had gray and gloomy weather for the past several days now.

Of course, it suited me just fine as I was happy to stay in cooking, crocheting, baking and blogging.

(Today it was back to school. And boy did it ever go fast!)

As you can see ... 

Jingles had her own fair share of personal entertainment.

My husband sent me these pictures from a yarn shop in Bangkok yesterday.

He's been away on a business trip and asked what I wanted.

I told him to choose anything he thought I would like so

I'm curious to see what he comes home with tomorrow.

Last night the Full Wolf Moon arrived.

I didn't think I would see it through the clouds and fog,

but there it was, shining bright for all to see.

May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night and a smooth road all the way to your door.

(Irish Blessing)

Best wishes,

Moments

If you surrender completely to the moments as they pass, you live more richly those moments.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Yesterday was a holiday so we are enjoying a lovely three-day weekend.

I love waking up early knowing that I have the whole day ahead of me to do with as I please.

Although today started with a colorful sunrise, within an hour's time, the weather quickly changed.
I haven't quite figured out yet whether it's fog or dust, but it certainly makes for a perfect pajama day.

Yesterday I did some much needed cleaning.

Not my favorite thing to do, but sometimes very, very necessary for peace of mind.

Of course, there has been more merry heart making.

And some baking, too.

My plans for today: enjoying every moment of a quiet day at home.

Have a fabulous Friday!

Merry Hearts

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine ...

I found out who my swap partner is for the I Love Hearts Swap organized by Shelley at all4meggymoo, so there are lots of heart-y items in the works.

 There are even hearts being eaten.

Only 6 grams of sugar per serving.

Wishing you a healthy, happy day!

Unwinding

We had a very foggy drive to school this morning.

A far cry from Friday's lovely walking weather.

Over the past two days, I've been slowly trying to make my way through all the participants in Vicki's Grow Your Blog party.  (Only a few hundred more to go :)

 And after visiting with Heather  recently, I was inspired to use this heart pattern again to crochet some pretty little heart sachets.

My work at school has been so crazy busy lately that by the time I get home, all I want to do is veg.  So blog hopping and simple crochet projects are a great way to unwind.

Hope you are having a lovely day!

Grow Your Blog Party

Welcome to the Grow Your Blog Party hosted by Vicki at 2 Bags Full.

My name is Tammy.

I have a husband named Sam.

Two teenage boys.

And a cat named Jingles.

In July of 2009, my cousin, Gwen, asked me to give blogging a try.
I was hesitant at first, but 3-1/2 years later, I'm still here.

I've met so many wonderful new friends.

Some actually in person, like

Susan from A Circle of Buttons.

And Maureen from Daydream Living who recently moved to Dubai, just a hop, skip and a jump away.

We've lived in Kuwait for the past 18 years,

which has afforded us the opportunity to travel to so many wonderful places around the world.

I'm vegetarian.

I love baking things.

Making things.
And walking.

My blog is about life in general and the simple, every day things that I'm grateful for.

As a thank you for your visit, I will be giving away a Days of Hope diary and two crocheted doilies, along with a few other items I will collect between now and February 1st.
One winner will be chosen from all comments left on this post.
(Update February 1st:  The winner is Olympia from the blog Old Things.)

Thank you, Vicki, for all your hard work in putting this party together.
And thanks again to all who visit.
Wherever you are in the world, I wish you a beautiful day!

Tea Time

Last night I made raisin scones.
They are perfect for breakfast or as a snack along with a hot cup of tea.

The ginger in this Twinings brand is nice and zingy.

Preheat oven to 425. Combine 3 cups of flour, 3 TBS sugar, 1 tsp of baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt. Cut in 6 TBS of butter until mixture resembles fine meal. Add 1/4 raisins. Mix in 1 lightly beaten large egg and 3/4 cup of buttermilk to form a soft dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface and pat to 3/4 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutter and transfer to lightly floured cookie sheet. Brush tops with a bit of buttermilk. Bake about 18 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

Over the weekend I came across this page of potholder patterns and decided to do the teacup. I thought by using cotton yarn, it would come out much smaller and could be a cute motif or coaster, but it turned out to be a whopping 8 inches by 6 inches.

Not sure what I will do with it now but at least I can say I did it.

My 14 year old son had me playing a game online with him and his friends tonight.

It's called TypeRacer.

Each guest has a little car that they race to the finish line by typing a paragraph.

It tells you how many wpm you type and your accuracy rate.

I must say, it was quite addictive and fun.

Hope you are having a terrific Tuesday.