moving my blog

My blog is moving to a new address:  http://blog.themindofpam.com so come join me there!

the second book

A sequel. A sequel was what I was thinking. The problem? I have no clue where it's going. I am floundering around and I think that I will take Courtney's advice (see http://www.courtcan.com) in her blog, where she talks about using an outline or prewriting. It is one thing to finish up the first book and have people say, "Oh yeah, I can totally see a sequel to this." It is quite another to actually figure out the story of the sequel. I think I have to get serious about it, give it my full attention instead of just playing with it. After all, it probably does deserve my attention and focus. I left all those people at a certain point at the end of the book. But they are all still very much alive and kicking in my head, starting to knock around and make a bit of noise actually. Time to find out what they have to say.

Santa's Workshop is in my living room

I feel like an elf.  An elf who crochets.  An elf who crochets like a madwoman.  I have crocheted so much in preparation for Christmas I even dream about crochet projects now.  And wake up in a panic that I haven't finished that project before I remember it was only a project in a dream.  I've truly never had so much fun making gifts--fun which totally outweighs the craziness.  And the only reason there is craziness is that I didn't realize just how long everything would take to finish.

The way I am dealing with an extra amount of crochet time is to watch Christmas movies I have recorded on my DVR, while I crochet.  I now have them all memorized so I don't have to actually watch them very much, just listen to them ;)  If I try to watch movies I've never seen before, I get too involved in looking at the screen and forget to continue with my crochet.  I do love the old movies.  White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, The Bishop's Wife - these are all the older versions, no remakes.  And all the Harry Potter movies up through #6.  So if you are someone who receives one of my crochet projects this year, know that I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure.  Happy Holidays to all!

thanksgiving thoughts

Yes, I am a day late on my thanksgiving blog.  I have no excuse ;)

I was thinking about what I'm thankful for this year and what came most to my mind is the people in my life.  Every time I can talk with family, whether its the grandkids who are so cute and funny, or if its all the rest of the adults (N, B, S you know who you are) it makes such a difference.  Each time I have phone or skype contact with any of them, I feel happier.  Talking to them just brightens up my days.

Then I thought of my friends, and how much they mean to me.  There's my friend in Sweden who makes me very glad I have skype. He keeps me grounded and always manages to make me laugh.  My best friend here in town that I've known for about 14 years, who has supported me in the bad times and been there to laugh like crazy and to have fun in the good times.  She has really been there for me.  And my friend in California who watches basketball with me as we chat about it on facebook. Go Lakers!

These people in my life are why I can feel very thankful this thanksgiving.  Oh and I'm also thankful for the internet for communicating with these guys.

yarn addict

Yes, I will admit it, I'm a yarn addict.  It happened gradually over a few months after I returned to crocheting a year ago.  I found that as I finished a project, I started to feel antsy, like I needed something.  A yarn fix, that's what the need was, and yes I succumbed.  I trolled the internet looking for yarn sales, trying to decide if the colors on my computer screen were possibly close to the colors the yarn would be in real life. I needed to know that soon I'd have a box of yarn shipped to me, that I'd have that moment of delight at opening said box and seeing all the colors.

Over time I realized that I had to have enough yarn on hand to start a new project when I finished whatever I was currently working on.  If I didn't have my safety net of yarn waiting, I'd start feeling anxious, very like the withdrawal symptoms I had when I quit smoking. Of course the problem then became--just how much yarn was enough?  How much did I need to be sure I'd always have yarn available?  I began to search ebay regularly for yarn in lots.  Ebay was risky however, since there might be a distinctive smell to the yarn.  Was it in a house with pets, with smoking?  Eventually I stopped shopping at ebay for yarn.  I didn't like the potential for nasty surprises.

I've now progressed to a comfort zone of having enough yarn on hand to start two projects.  This means I've had to invest in storage containers, but the peace of mind is worth it. I'm a crochet fool and I'm proud of it.  And let's face it--yarn is probably the least dangerous substance I could be addicted to, as it only impacts my budget. ;)

birds on the balcony

This morning was another in a long line of episodes of pigeons invading my balcony.  The poor plastic owl that I have out there to discourage the birds seems to have no effect, and I suspect the pigeons make fun of him.  I don't know why the sound of bird wings is so incredibly irritating to me, but it is.  Add in any vocalization from the damn birds and I find myself longing for either a shotgun or a handful of tranquilizers.  Ultimately, I stood out on the balcony flapping my arms around imitating a demented scarecrow.  That seems to have scared them off for the time being...or until tomorrow.

On the positive side of my life, today I sent the contract in for the book to be published. :)

quiche

Made a good spinach and ham crustless quiche today.  I always felt like the crust on a quiche was pretty pointless as they so often ended up soggy.  This one turned out good.

Spinach and Ham Quiche

diced ham
diced onion
1 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained
4 eggs
1/4 cup cream
12 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Cook together ham, onion, spinach.
Put cheese in pie plate. Add the spinach mix to the cheese and blend them.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Beat eggs and cream. Pour over everything.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until golden brown on top.
Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.