knitting jewelry?

kintters love dual purpose jewelry. a ravelry friend introduced me a new piece via a give away (no, i did not win). leslie wind is a knitter, a crocheter, and a maker of great jewelry!

but i had to show it to you. isn't i beautiful? this is it:

Cable Needle Necklaces™

The Heart Cable Needle Necklace™ measure about 2" high by about 2 1/2 wide. The sterling heart is slightly less than an inch including the loop for hanging.

The Sheep and The Cat measure aprox. 2" long X 2 1/2" wide. The sheep and cat are sterling and cut out by hand so each is unique. The needle is bronze and is between a #2 and #3 size due to the hammering.

Engraving of a short message on the back is free. Each Cable Needle Necklace™ comes with its own silk pouch and a 36" black leather cord.

i love this...and if you want to give me a present... (how's that for a subtle hint). i promise to do nothing that does not have cables in it!

so where can you find it? here

yarn sale

my friend sandra singh is having a yarn sale!! it's a great site and she is a class lady who is really helpful for those who want it...translate to good customer service.

Summer Savings 10-30% Off Your Favorite Yarns

Malabrigo Yarns - Merino Worsted,Silky, Lace, Sock & Chunky	Berroco - Ultra Alpaca, Cotton Twist,Inca Gold, SOX and more!
Cascade - 220 Wool and 220 Superwash	Karabella - Aurora 8 and Aurora 4
Schaefer - Laurel Free Pattern with Purchase	Wendy Peter Pan - Velvet Touch
Lorna's Laces - Grace	La Lana Wools - Streakers
Cherry Tree Hill - Supersock Merino,Supersock DK & More	LANG Yarns - Joke

Plus 10% Off any Yarn that is Not on Sale with Coupon Code: june01 Offer not valid for La Lana Wools' yarn & kits or combined with any other sales.

travel to san antonio

i love the alamo city so start here and then read on my friends as you make your summer travel plans.

travel to san antonio (wineries?)

ok, we have wine near here in grapevine and out near lubbock. but did you know about the texas wine trail? well, go check it out here! (hey knitters - there is a sort of yarn/fiber trail around there too. two favs ~ wine and yarn)

travel to san antonio (the parks)

There are 18 listings for Parks.

Brackenridge Park (sandy loves!)

3910 N. St. Mary's St., San Antonio, TX 78212

Phone: (210) 736-9534

San Antonio's Brackenridge Park is 343-acres and was created from land donated to the City of San Antonio in 1899. It houses the San Antonio Zoo and the Brackenridge Eagle miniature train...

Casa Navarro State Historic Site (a place i missed? next trip!)

228 S. Laredo St., San Antonio, TX 78207

Phone: (210) 226-4801 / Fax: (210) 226-4801

Casa Navarro is nestled in downtown San Antonio. The half-acre site is the restored home of Texas patriot José Antonio Navarro (1795 - 1871). Today, visitors can tour Navarro's adobe home...

Choke Canyon State Park (missed this too but the area is so beautiful...i gotta get back)

PO BOX 2, Calliham, TX 78007

Phone: 361-786-3868 / Fax: 3617863414

Enjoy birding or viewing a breeding population of alligators and many species of wildlife. Fish include sunfish, catfish, bass, carp, drum, and gar. Camping picnicking, boating, fishing, hiking and a...

Dog Parks (did need them when i lived there a hundred years ago)

4700 Old Pearsall Rd, San Antonio, TX 78242

Phone: (210) 207-6141

An abundance of fire hydrants. Water fountains just off the ground. It s a dog s dream now available at two city parks: Pearsall Park, 4700 Old Pearsall Road, and the newly completed McAllister Park ...

Eisenhower Park (i don't remember this one but, you know me)

19399 N.W. Military Hwy, San Antonio, TX 78257

Phone: 210-564-6400

Five miles of trails for hiking, jogging, and nature study. 320 acres of Texas Hill Country landscape, including wooded dry creek beds and rocky canyons. Barbeque and picnic facilities are available....

Friedrich Wilderness Park (note the handicapped trails!!)

21395 Milsa, San Antonio, TX 78256

Phone: 210-698-1057

This 232-acre hilly and heavily forested wilderness park has 5 miles of hiking trails (including the region' s most improved handicapped trail). It is a neighbor to Six Flags Fiesta Texas and is loc...

Government Canyon State Natural Area (another pretty area...don't forget to bring your camera)

12861 Galm Rd, San Antonio, TX 78254

Phone: (210) 688-9055 (210) 688-9055

Government Canyon State Natural Area is an approximately 8,622-acre area in Bexar County, just outside San Antonio. The canyon was on the "Joe Johnston" Road from San Antonio to Bandera which was bla...

HemisFair Park (it's cool...not my fav but it's cool)

200 S. Alamo, San Antonio, TX 78205

Built to host the 1968 World's Fair, the parks lushly landscaped areas and dramatic, cascading waterfalls offer a refreshing retreat from city streets. The park houses several historic buildings, a p...

Japanese Tea Garden (my fav)

3853 N. St. Mary's St., San Antonio, TX 78212

Phone: 210-207-7275

The Japanese Tea Gardens, adjacent to the Sunken Garden Theater in Brackenridge Park, features beautiful floral displays, a waterfall and a safe habitat for new Koi and aquatic plants. It is an extra...

Main Plaza (don't miss it)

115 Main Plaza, San Antonio, TX 78205

Phone: (210) 225-9800

San Antonio's historic Main Plaza, at the heart of the city, dates back to the early 1700s. The city lovingly restored it in spring of 2008. This innovative public space, with huge trees, bubbling...

Mitchell Lake (think of what it was like way back when)

10750 Pleasanton Rd, San Antonio, TX 78221

Phone: (210) 628-1639

Mitchell Lake is a 624-acre complex has a mixture of brushland, grassland, mud flats, shallow ponds, deep ponds, and a deep water lake. The lake is positioned on a natural migratory bird route and se...

River Walk (Paseo Del Rio) (another fav)

110 Broadway, Suite 440, San Antonio, TX 78205

Phone: (210) 227-4262 / Fax: (210) 212-7602

20 feet below street level and steps from the famed Alamo, the Paseo del Rio, better known as the River Walk, awaits you. Aside the meandering San Antonio River, stone pathways connect shops, restaur...

San Antonio Botanical Garden (and another don't miss)

555 Funston, San Antonio, TX 78209

Phone: (210) 207-3250 / Fax: (210) 207-3274

This 33-acre living museum entices visitors with seasonal floral displays, a serene native forest walk, exotic plant specimens from around the world, modernistic glass pyramids and even an authentic ...

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (you know i love this)

2202 Roosevelt Avenue, San Antonio, TX 78210

Phone: (210) 534-8833 / Fax: (210) 534-1106

The chain of missions established along the San Antonio River in the 18th century is a reminder of one of Spain's most successful attempts to extend its New World dominion from Mexico. Representing...

San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department

Phone: 210-207-PARK

The San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department operates the City's recreational and cultural programs and maintains 212 City-owned parks including swimming pools, gymnasiums, cemeteries, sports faci...

San Antonio Zoo (one of my top 5 zoos in the world and old enough to have lots of shade trees)

3903 N. St. Mary's St., San Antonio, TX 78212

Phone: (210) 734-7184 / Fax: (210) 734-7291

The San Antonio Zoo is ranked as one of the best zoos in the nation exhibiting over 3,500 animals of 600 species. Located at the headwaters of the San Antonio River, the Zoo encompasses 35 landscaped...

San Pedro Springs Park (a don't miss)

1315 San Pedro, San Antonio, TX

Phone: (210) 207-PARK

Full of rich history, San Pedro Park is San Antonio's oldest park and the second oldest park in the United States behind Boston Common. It's a beautiful place for a family event or nice afternoon str...

Woodlawn Lake (this was after my time)

1103 Cincinnati, San Antonio, 78201

Phone: 210-207-7275

Woodlawn Lake Park is a beautiful 62-acre facility located just northwest of downtown. A city park since 1918, Woodlawn features an artificial lake of about 30 acres in size. It's popular with walker...

taken from online sorce.

travel to san antonio (the other missions)

ok, you all have heard about the alamo but, read this from an online brochure on the other mission:

Mission San José

While the Alamo is the most widely known and visited, travelers shouldn’t make it their sole stop inside San Antonio Missions National Park. The San José, established in 1720, was a model for other missions--and the most prosperous.

Located just south of the Alamo, this “Queen of the Missions” represented a social and cultural center. Its 300 residents sustained themselves by raising livestock and tending to vast fields. The mission had its own gristmill and granary, which have been restored.

At the church, look for flying buttresses, carvings, quatrefoil patterns, polychromatic plaster and the famed “Rose Window,” a superb example of Spanish Colonial ornamentation. Explore the stairway that leads to the belfry and choir loft; all 25 risers were hand-hewn form a single log and assembled without the use of nails or pegs.

Mission Concepción

Arguably the most beautiful mission church, Concepción looks much like it did in 1731 when it hosted many religious ceremonies. The structure is, in fact, the oldest un-restored church in America. While its exterior paintings have faded, guests can view conserved interior remnants of wall and ceiling paintings.

Mission San Juan

The San Juan’s fertile farmlands allowed for a self-sustainable mission, and its surplus helped supply the region with produce. The chapel and bell tower are still in use. Note the typical Romanesque archway at the entrance gate and the remains of a half-completed, more elaborate church. Guests can also tour a self-guided nature trail that leads to the river.

Mission Espada

This mission contains the best-preserved segment of the acequia (irrigation system) that was used to bring water to the fields. Today, part of the acequia operates the Espada aqueduct and dam. Also noteworthy are an unusual door and stone archway.

All five missions are accessible via the six-mile Hike and Bike trail. When visiting, keep in mind that the San Jose is an active parish, and mass may be in session.

this is just a part of one of my favorite cities.

parental logic?!

if i could poll kids, i wonder how many would question it.

why do parents ask questions they are going to ignore the answers to, or they already know the answer? or kid's answer, they either will not like the answer!

example: why did you do _______ (fill in the blank parent). kid answers: i don't know. (would ignite my mom every time! and if i didn't answer, that would get her too. it's a definite lose/lose situation for a kid.)

i once wrote a letter to my dad stationed overseas. the pen ran out of ink. well, what's a kid to do. fill it. had i done this before? no. did things turn out well? no. you see when you pull up on the lever a nossell like thing came out (something i had not see when mom and sister did it). the next thing the bottle of peacock blue in tipped over! ink, permanent of course, was all over the lace (like crochet) table cloth and onto my mom's expensive (what else) wool carpet. i did the best an 8yo could (not a good job) and went to bed.

now, i was an early riser who had to get up when she woke up. i did not want to get up that morning. i played like i was asleep until i had a horrible headache. if i didn't get up, i would die. the odds were i was not longed for the world anyway. so i got up.

some rotten kids of a friend of hers were visiting. they told me i was going to get it bad! finally we faced one another, me and my mom.

i didn't get killed! she said she knew i didn't do it on purpose and that i had suffered enough (it was after 12 and i used to be up by 6:30 or 7). then she said, "honey, next time just come to me when you have done something you weren't supposed to. it will be lots better."

time passes.

my younger sister and i were doing something in the bathroom when her jade bowl landed on the floor. it broke in 2 pieces and there was face powder all over the floor. we gave each other the look of "we're ganna get it now!" but wait, remember what mommy said? so we elmer glued it together and scotch taped it together so the glue could set (so not the right type of glue or tape). then we scooped as much of the powder as we could and put it into the bowl (who'd have thunk about any dust bunnies. not us.). we swabbed down the floor.

when our mother came home, we were ready! secure in the knowledge all would be well! we were there to greet her and i, the older of the two, told her the entire story; what had happened, how sorry we were and how we had fixed it.

how can i tell you how wrong we were! that is when spankings were not considered child abuse but more a behavior modification technique. we got clobbered!

decades later, i used this as an example of how she confused me. she didn't have an explanation. but i can tell you that at the age of 9 or 10, i learned....parents expect us to know why we do things inconsistently when it turns out they are as just as bad. and they have selective memories of what kind of stuff they did as a child and how their parents reacted to their hijenks.

how to input a blog roller the EASY way!

Angie Knutson of my four monkeys gave some simple instructions for making a blog roll (they are from an email). you don't know how hard i have tried to figure this one out. she has made it so simple for me (sorry i can't make it as much for you), i want to share it with anyone else with bald spots from the hair pulling (can't help with the nashed teeth but the hair grows back. i promise).

now i have to get inventive to give them to you, as the last time i tried to input the data, everything started scrolling (stop laughing). please read the text below which is struck through...i can't get it out!

You got layout, click on add element, select Add HTML code, and paste it there. The great thing is you can go in and add and move around the order of the buttons whenever you want.

arrowleftcenter arrowrightarrowleftdiv class="textwidget"arrowrightarrowleftmarquee direction="up" width="200" onmouseover="this.stop()" scrollamount="6" onmouseout="this.start()" height="400" align="center">

Sandy: i put two spaces in between each code set (button text) for easy on eyes and ease on problem solving with a particular button.)

this is where the buttons/code text goes

arrowleft/marqueearrowrightarrowleft/divarrowrightarrowleft/center>

ok, arrowleft should be < ... arrowrightarrowleft should be <> ... got it, replace the highlighted words with the correct symbol.

and now we see if it works! i think it does, but if not, let me know your email address and i will send a copy of her email.

handbag from Elliott Lucca! giveaway

mommy googles has is giving away a this handbag from elliott lucca. i think it is pretty...well more than pretty which is why i entered her giveaway. go here if you want to enter also.

have you watch the nanny?

if you have, you have heard her talk about the time out stop. well, kids, win the naughty spot time out pad giveaway! momstart has so found one of the best gifts out there. but more importantly, she has pointed us to a wonderful group of people who have come up with some of the best products parents could ever want.

if you have ever lost a child to sids, you will want to check out the egg! a troubled sleeper, check out the sleeping bags!

i read about every product they have. i think you will want to as well! BUT read momstart's review of the naughty spot first! very instructional!

things that strike me funny

as i still can't figure out how to get a video on here, i will give you this access. i laughed.

how about 100 famous move lines in 200 seconds...go here

have fun kids! (ps, i hijacked these from someone else's blog..shhhh, don't tell)

a question for the day

shannon on her blog the mommy files posed this question: What is a tv show you just can't miss?

i could not answer. i am such a tv addict! can you answer?

Phat Fiber Sample Box: Tactile Fiber Club Giveaways!

YOU knitters, spinners, crocheters, fiberholics!

pay attention! you don't want to miss this! just looking at the pictures with make you want to reach thru the screen and grab anything your hands touch!!!

and you could WIN SOME!!! (well, unless i win it.)

Phat Fiber Sample Box: Tactile Fiber Club Giveaways!

365 by Joanna: DAY 163: Growing Up

365 by Joanna: DAY 163: Growing Up

go and see...awsome pictures.

the old grey house ain't what is use'ta be

once upon a time this was a grey brick house with a brown door at 401

the door is now blue, house yellow

moon over our house

clouds over our house

those now blue doors used to be a sliding door...note dog door bottom right. that ramp is supposed to be replace with a permanent concrete ramp.

this is the bottom of the garden. i painted the bird houses. (apparently the birds were not impressed as we have never seen any of them go near even one of them)

this is from the driveway. that is a vitec tree that in summer has lovely lavender blooms that butterflies and bees love!

clouds over the garage. aren't they magnificent?

and more clouds.

we love our little house. the white van has become a piece of driveway sculpture (engine is broken beyond repair...sniff)

chocolate!!!! that is healthy for you!!!

"Chocolate is hardly ever synonymous with the words, weight loss, but Celebrate Life Nutrition has introduced Celebrate Chocolate Truffles as an indulgent way to satisfy your hunger and control your appetite. ..."

that is a quote from blessing abound as she begins to review celebrate life nutrition. and she follows it with a giveaway...what a win win...chocolate that helps your weight!! WOW! yes, you bet i entered!

new green book & contest

go here for all the details that dkmommyspot has about the contest and the book,

“Sleeping Naked is Green” by Vanessa Farquharson

Megans Cookin: A Contest and A Giveaway!

I have one that I want you to have.

And with it, I'll throw in these recipe cards and
a jar of my fresh made Chocolate Raspberry Sauce.
Just made it Monday! It's delicious.

You'll be eating this stuff out of the jar. It's that good!

Read more:http://meganscookin.blogspot.com

Megans Cookin: A Contest and A Giveaway! go, it's a good thing and she needs our support.

spinners! great sale!!! ends tonight!!!!

from phatfiber:

You all know I'm a huge Extreme Spinning fan. Well, she's got an amazing sale going on in her shop right now, and I just had to let you all know about it. It's a buy one get one 60% off! It excludes here spin along listing.
If you're not into spinning- CJ's handspun yarns are out of this world. Even if you do spin, you should really experience them!
Everything in CJ's shop is created in small batches and she does a lot of limited run colorways. Pictured above are a sneak peek at June's samples! The top photo is Milk fiber!! A generous sampling of creamy, silky milk fiber in her "Sable Island" colorway. She also sent in some scrumptious batts- pictured is "Lobster for dinner". Since CJ is originally from Maine- maybe we should say Lobstah!
CJ is gearing up for a huge fiber release on Saturday with lots more listings ( a little birdie told me silk, milk, and lots more hard to find fibers!) but what is in her shop now will be gone! You can find out more at her blog.
We're giving away this wonderful roving (20.5 micron means soft like buttah!!) to a random commentor below. Just visit Extreme Spinning, find something you like and write about it below. We'll be drawing for a winner tomorrow and incidentally, tomorrow is when her sale ends (midnight).

from PillowThrowDecor.

"Get your geek on" with these decidedly nerdy pillowa from PillowThrowDecor. The Geek Pillow is part of the Luxe and Found Collection, which focuses on eco-chic pillow designs that utilize remnants, upcycled materials and other "throwaway" items.

and if they don't get it for you, how about some pocket pilllows:

yep, she is my pillow popping pal!