I’m moving back to blogger. In fact, I’ll be posting on the original blog that I started for the cats, since they are so much of what I photograph. And clean up after. And spend my money on. And love.

So HERE is where you will find me.

PS. I think I win the who moves their blog the most contest.

I’ve been watching marathon Lord of the Rings this weekend, or rather mostly listening to it while I crochet. Then last night I decided to start listening to my audio book.  I love listening to it.

My favorite book has long been The Hobbit, followed closely by Lord of the Rings. Many years ago I found The Hobbit, unabridged, on audio CD. The narrator is Rob Inglis. Quite simply, his narration is fabulous! I searched far and wide for the audio LotR narrated by Rob Inglis and finally! Finally I found it a few years ago.  I began re-listening to the first CD last night, which basically is the first chapter. The audio book is about 54 hours, so I’ll be listening to it as I crochet and while I am working on the computer pretty much all this week.

Peter Jackson and crew did an outstanding job in the movie-making of LotR but as much as I love watching all 3 of the movies, they pale in comparison to the book – where the story is told in its entirety and just exactly as J.R.R. Tolkien wrote this masterpiece.

I am excited because the long-awaited movie, The Hobbit is currently in production, again directed by Peter Jackson. Even better, many of the actors from the LotR whose characters also appear in The Hobbit are back. The Hobbit is still filming and due to be released in December 2012. This one is being filmed in 3D and I will be making the trek to the theaters to see this one!

Are you a LotR fan? If so, care to see what your Hobbit name is? Here is the Hobbit Name Generator. My Hobbit name is Rose Underhill. Rosie became Samwise Gamgee’s wife and mother to his 13 children, after he returned from his great adventure…. quest… thing.

I hope your day is full of whatever makes you happy!

I don’t know about you but I was still too full to eat much of anything yesterday, although for lunch I did take a couple of the leftover dinner rolls and stacked a bit of turkey, a spoonful of stuffing, a dollop of mayo and some fresh cracked pepper… Wonderful little slicer snack sammiches. MotherDear said I should have put gravy on them and heated them, but I thought they were very nice cold! I will have a dinner plate of leftovers tonight. I’ll be hungry by then!

I’ve been crocheting up a storm for the past few days while watching movies. It’s a pleasant change from working on my web site, although I will have to get back to that sooner or later. But not just yet.

My parents made a Walmart run yesterday – on Black Friday – for a few everyday items. They came back and told me the store was deader than they have ever seen it! What?!? Perhaps I will run in today to return a bunch of fancy yarn I bought the other day. It unravels much too easily and is a bother to work with it, too. I’ll exchange it for yarn that doesn’t put up a fight!

That’s all that’s going on here at the Swamp. Warm weather and blue skies. Can’t ask for better actually. I hope your day is lovely, too.

Let’s see a show of hands… Who else went to bed before 6 o’clock?

My neighbors ended up coming over much earlier as everyone had the same idea… go to bed early! And only 3 people had dessert.

I don’t even want to think about how many WW points are on that plate.

Do you want to hear something that literally made me say bad words as I flew out of my bed, out the door and down the hallway to the kitchen last night about 5:30?

I forgot to feed my cats their supper before I went to bed. I usually feed them about 4:30-5:00 so they are fed and full before we sit down to dinner. Except since Daylight Savings… they have been harassing me and meowing at me beginning about 3:30. Their stomachs have not yet adjusted to the new time. Anyway, with the early dinner and all of the excitement, I totally forgot to feed them. And the little moochers had Uncle Al giving them bits of turkey so they didn’t even remind me!

So it’s a long weekend for some but not me. I am working today and even Saturday! It’s the one Saturday a year I am open because it’s Small Business Saturday. Hey, I’m here anyway… If the phone rings and somebody wants to place an order, I’ll sure take it!

Enjoy your day! And don’t forget to put some YAY in it, too!

I was reading a post on Tewksbury Patch, a blog from my hometown, Tewksbury, MA. This particular post began:

“Thanksgiving Day, senior year.

Family and friends are nearby. The stands at Doucette Field are packed with fans. Arch-rival Wilmington is lined up across the field. The atmosphere is always electric.”

And a flood of memories came rushing back to me.

I remember MotherDear busy in the kitchen, preparing a feast. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Bowls of fresh fruit. Dishes of nuts and nut-crackers. Leaving the house for the football game. Getting a whiff of the roaring fire in the fireplace in the den while I grabbed my coat.  Running out the back door, still buttoning up. Slipping on the crunchy, frozen snow on the back steps. The Tewksbury-Wilmington game. The snow. The bleachers. The freezing cold. Realizing I had forgotten my Chapstick. My hat, scarf and mittens not fitting quite right. The biting wind. Wishing I had worn my boots. Slipping on the ice…

I remember coming home. Opening the back door. Feeling the wave of warmth envelop me. Taking in all the smells of the Thanksgiving dinner. Hearing my brothers and sisters singing “Over the River and Through the Woods”.

And I remember thinking that I always, always, always wanted to remember that moment.

Home. Family. Love.

And I do!

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving Day.

I have decided to make something else for Thanksgiving because I haven’t made this pastry in far too long and I love it.

If you want to make a dessert that is scrumptious, something that absolutely everybody will love and something that will have them thinking you slaved in the kitchen all day long making it, when it actually is so easy peasy you can not believe it… this is the one to make.

It is fabulous just to have with coffee or tea, too!

It is also very easy to finish in different ways to fit the occasion. For instance, I often chop red & green maraschino cherries during Christmas time. Sometimes I use slivered almonds. I have used lemon extract or lemon juice for the almond extract in the topping and vanilla extract in the glaze, then garnished with lemon zest. Mmmmm… So many ways to make this pastry and it’s always delicious!

Try it! And let me know what you think!

This year instead of the traditional Thanksgiving desserts, Apple Pie and Pumpkin Pie, I am making a few of these fabulous Swedish Apple Pies from the recipe I got from my niece – I do believe it is THE best apple pie I’ve ever had. Luckily, MotherDear agrees! I am also making  some Red Velvet Cupcakes with Peppermint frosting and PW’s Pumpkin Spice muffins.

Coffee and Dessert will be later in the evening, when it gets dusky dark… long after Thanksgiving Day dinner so we’ve had a chance to feel hungry again.

It’s on my patio. There will be me, the parents, some friends and a few of the neighbors. Y’all come!

Well, that was the view using a new iPhone app called Pixlr-o-matic.

This is how it really looks.

First thing Saturday morning I ran in to Walmart to pick up a bunch of yard. As you know, the bulk of my Saturday was getting the new used washer squared away. She managed to belt out 4 loads yesterday with no issues. I think Gert must be a bit of a diva. Just saying.

Anyway… I spent all day yesterday crocheting in bed and watching movies.

I watched a bunch of RomComs and then I started watching my own version of a Lord of the Rings trilogy, the extended cut. I watched the Fellowship of the Ring and part of The Two Towers. Guess what I’ll be doing today?

Hopefully, I’ll have a good many interruptions by people who want to order rollers.

Hope your day is lovely, too!

Well, I was all ready to tell you how fabulous my new used washing machine was…

but after doing 4 loads without incident I had all kinds of Door Lock error codes on the 5th wash. After googling it, I’ve discovered that this particular error is quite common with this model.

Bugger.

Well, we’re well past halfway through November and as great as October was for my business, November stinks! I have no clue why that is, but I can tell you that I am not loving it. Historically, December is THE worst month of the year for my business so there’s not much to look forward to, is there? Perhaps this year things will be different. To help make that happen I started a big promotion on my web site and blog to try to get some of that year end tax spending tossed my way.

So today is get a new used washer day hauled over and installed, followed immediately by everybody doing a bunch of laundry! I suspect the laundry room will be bursting with activity all weekend!

Assuming the new used washer actually works, of course.

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful parents! My sisterdear Janice wrote a poem for them a few years ago, based on childhood memories of them and their love for each other and how they have always signed their cards to each other… ATLITUA. I did a graphic based on the poem which sisterdear Lynda is having printed, matted and framed for them.

I don’t have that image on the iMac yet, so here is a screenshot of the first draft. I had to reformat it to a ratio that would fit in a standard print/mat/frame. Click on the image to read it embiggened. No need straining your eyes.

First, here’s the forward Janice wrote:

Don’t forget to put some YAY in your day!