Here’s the obligatory family photo shot of Dad with his grandkids and his birthday cake. Because, well, I have to!

We had a nice, family day today. Relatively quiet, except for the chaos of Chappy’s busy, happy greetings when my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew arrived. (My niece, of course, was already here since she came on Friday.)

Naturally, there were presents and cake.

Not to mention pot roast, mashed potatoes, and salad. And breadsticks that my sister brought. Everything was yummy, and Chappy is exhausted–pretty much a perfect day. We even cleaned his toy basket out.

See? We emptied the whole thing out onto the floor and sorted through them, weeding out a few of the, um, ready-to-move-on toys that he either never plays with any more or who were falling apart. I rather startled him, in fact–he jumped when I dumped the whole thing out.

He really did seem pretty happy, though, surrounded by all of his toys. And, really, it was kind of fun. And definitely fun watching him do the, “Hey, I remember that toy!” when we’d pick up one that had been at the bottom of the basket for months. And, every time I would put one in a pile for recycling, naturally, immediately, that was the one that he had to play with.

Kids.

There was even a little spinning, too–I finished my “Vineyard” singles and now just have to ply them together. I love how very different both bobbins look–it’s like the vines and the fruit are separate–one has a lot more brown and green, while the other is mostly shades of purple with some gold. I look forward to seeing how they ply together.

Oh–and, if you’re remotely a Jane Austen fan, tonight is the first night of the Complete Jane Austen over on Masterpiece (Theater) on PBS. I know that I’m looking forward to it immensely, but then, you already know that I adore Jane Austen, right?

Speaking of television, does anybody remember the show Cupid, created by Rob Thomas (of Veronica Mars fame), starring Jeremy Piven and Paula Marshall? I loved that show, but it was cancelled midway through its first season through no fault of its own. Well, a week or so ago, the TV critic of our local paper reminded folks of it as part of his “Strike Survival Guide” and provided links to You Tube where some kind fan has uploaded every episode. I’ve watched the first couple episodes again for the first time since 1998, and I’m telling you, they’re fabulous. You might want to check them out.

We’re supposed to get snow tonight, which Chappy is just thrilled about. We’re just wondering how much and how much it will interfere with the commute tomorrow morning.

Tags: Family, General by --Deb
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Just a quick little post, sans pictures (since Flickr is apparently getting a massage).

Really, though, I don’t have that much to tell today. My niece came to visit for the weekend, which made Chappy very happy. Those of you who’ve met him know how much he loves having guests, and my niece is one of his favorites. It also made him very anxious to get up this morning, so he could say hello!

She had a gift card for the Fye shop at the mall, so we went up there this morning and she bought two CDs. We stopped at a grocery store on the way home and then ate lunch, took Chappy for a walk, and then I baked a cake and all four of us more or less went to “read.” As in, three of us sat down with books, but all ended up taking a nap. Mine was only about 10-15 minutes long because I had to check on the cake and the get up to start the meatballs for supper around 3:30. Which I did, along with starting the sauce, and then figured, I was tired and wanted to get the cake done, so I made the frosting so that wouldn’t be hanging over my head after supper. Tomorrow is the family birthday celebration for Dad. We’re all looking forward to it.

And now? I’m going to go make a cup of tea and then Mom, my niece, Chappy, and I are all going to watch Camelot. Not the so-so movie from the seventies with Vanessa Redgrave (who can’t sing), but the recorded-live-on-Broadway version from 1982. I mean, either way, you’ve got Richard Harris (yes, Dumbledore), and he made a delightful King Arthur. And, really? I can’t tell you how much I used to adore this musical. Just writing about it, I’ve got any number of the tunes going through my head. I’m really quite looking forward to watching this tonight. We actually saw it live on Broadway during Richard Harris’ short stint doing the role and it was just wonderful–one of my first Broadway shows, in fact, and I think I might still have the souvenir book, too…. Sheer magic, that show.

Tags: Family, General by --Deb
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Yes, another tiny little box via Etsy. This time, from Kathryn Riechert‘s Etsy store.

Because I decided I needed a talisman in these troubled times. (You know, those scary money matters I’ve referred to.)

Because who couldn’t stand to bring a little Hope with them wherever they go?

Brought to you by:

Tags: Eye-Candy Friday by --Deb
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Mom’s a little jealous today, though. I got an envelope from Martha’s Vineyard, and she didn’t. (And you know how she loves Martha’s Vineyard.) But, see? It’s my shareholder’s certificate from my CSA share. I said to Dad, “If she’s this jealous that I got an envelope, how is she going to feel when I get a box?”

And then, I thought this was interesting. There was an “educational” page in the newspaper this morning talking about textiles. It talked about weaving which is something that I don’t know much about, but the section on the spinning? Um….

“…Later, spinners found that if yarn was wound on a stick with a simple flywheel was added at the lower end it produced a spindle.

“A low table held a mounted wheel with a flat rim. A belt would spin the spindle, onto which the unspun yarn would be drawn.”

Clear as mud, huh? I feel SO enlightened!

Today is Dad’s birthday, and see this cute card that Mom made for him? She made it herself with some help from Susan Branch stickers. Isn’t it cute? I particularly like the drawing of my Dad on the front.

We made lasagne for supper, and followed it up with Peach Melba. Chappy, as you can see, was more than happy to clean the glass when Dad was done. My sister had come down today to take Dad and Mom out for lunch, and Mom mentioned to her that we were making peach melba for dessert, and my sister said “Oh good, because I was thinking about bringing some down for him.” “Um,” said my Mom, “How were you going to keep the ice cream from melting?” “Peach Melba has ice cream?” Really, all in all, it’s just as well that Mom and I made the Peach Melba.

Tags: Family, General by --Deb
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Well, in addition to all this computer stuff, I have been knitting.

See? Here’s the proof. That’s the completed back and two fronts of my Phildar cardigan. The sleeves are taking a little longer, but are about 3″ long now.

Really, this is just a gorgeous sweater. And the Karabella Aurora 8 yarn? So, so soft and squishy! Springy and plush and just a delight to knit with.

If you haven’t, head over to Norma’s to commiserate, or tell a joke or something.

And then, to cheer you up after you read her sad news, watch this video my Dad forwarded to me–about the differences in the way men and women think. Very funny.

I’m still having troubles with my RSS feed. (For those of you who don’t use “readers,” that’s the code that lets things like Bloglines or Newsgator know when there’s a new post.) Or, rather, the feed seems to be working, but I can’t get statistics. The WordPress plugin–the one that works just fine for Punctuality Rules and Booking Through Thursday–doesn’t work at all. According to it, I’ve had not a single person reading this blog since Saturday. And, well, I know my numbers have gone down because of the move, but they’re not that low! Because, well, I’ve gotten comments, so I know at least some of you are reading!

I don’t know what to do about this, but I wonder if it has something to do with the old Typepad blog? Even though the domain name chappysmom.com no longer “maps” to that, I wonder if the fact that Typepad publishes a feed is confusing things? I DID turn that feature off over at Typepad, and noticed that, immediately, my Feedburner subscriber count dropped from 100 to 59 . . . but, I wonder what need to do to be able to get real statistics again? I don’t obsess on them, but it is nice to know when I’m done something particularly popular (grin). And, of course, the not-knowing how many people have successfully followed me is kind of nagging at me.

Edited to add: Hey, fixed! Turns out, my blog template was missing a line of code. I added it to the Footer template, and poof. Stats!

Okay. It’s almost 7:00 and I have to go take my shower so my hair will have time to dry before bed. You know, since I did this switchover and have had all these troubles (including still not being able to figure out how to redirect my Typepad links to WordPress), my schedule is such a mess. I’m getting later and later about taking my shower, and I’ve been up a lot later each night, too. And, really, it’s January 9th and I’ve only finished three books this month. I mean, really, talk about a world out of whack….

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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I gave you a glimpse of this lovely stuff just before the move on Friday, but felt you should have another look.

This is the merino/tencel blend from the Spunky Eclectic club in September. I wanted to spin it immediately, but managed to restrain myself, don’t ask me how. It was the first time I’d spun tencel, so it’s not as perfectly drafted as I might wish, but, gosh. It sure is pretty to look at. And look how it reflects the light from the camera flash!

Remember a week or two ago, I mentioned the Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm and its CSA share for wool? It’s the very first fiber-based CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) group, and … is anybody surprised? It’s got its own Ravelry group now. (The CSA shares are sold out, but you can still get some of their wool on Etsy. I’m glad I caved and opted in while there was still time–Martha’s Vineyard cormo . . . drool. I’d feel guiltier about it, but, well it’s drool-worthy AND I just helped make sure those sheep and goats have hay for the winter. CSA is a good thing!)

Hey, Chappy says that he knows it’s not him, but that you should go watch this video of several rather cute Boykin Spaniels. (His words, not mine.) I mean, of course Chappy is cuter, but these boys are cute–and the video’s pretty entertaining, set to music, and everything. I have already reassured Chappy, though, that he is definitely still the cutest (grin).

And, is it just me, or does this Bookchase game look like fun?

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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All this converting is exhausting! And, folks, don’t forget to re-subscribe to the new feed. There’s a link right up there on the top right to make it easy for you. Because you know I want you to find your way back!

Now, for the fun part. I was very popular with our assorted mail-carriers and delivery services today.

See? Here’s my loot all nicely piled into one box for easy carrying up the stairs.

Top of the list? My extra Karabella Aurora 8 in the correct dyelot, from Flying Fingers yarn (located in Tarrytown, NY). Not only was there the yarn I ordered (did I mention it was in the right dyelot?), but there was a hand-written note thanking me for my order and a skein of bonus yarn. I admit, it’s a little “novelty” for my taste, but I’m not objecting because I think it was awfully nice of them anyway.

Then there were the stitch-markers. Had I mentioned that I got a copy of Cat Bordhi’s new sock book for Christmas? Well, alphabetical stitch markers were definitely going to be helpful, so, I ordered some from Hide and Sheep on Etsy. And also one of their increase/decrease markers, and a five-row row-counter, just because. (Yes, I know, I’m trying to save money, but, well, you have to make the postage worth the effort, right?)

Then there was the Lamb’s Tail Strand Holder from Fibre-Art. (And, hey, leave me alone. It was only $10….)

It’ a clever little gizmo that holds the strand of fiber you’re spinning when it’s time to take a break. Don’t ask me why it photographed in two such different colors, though–in real life, its color is closer to the first picture. The second picture is so you can see it in action. I need to shorten the yarn tying it to the wheel, though–it’s too long and it kept wanting to play with the wheel . . . that could cause trouble!

Anyway, as you can see, I was very popular today. Certainly it brightened up the Monday. Although I can’t complain about the weather, it was just gorgeous today. 65 degrees and sunny is almost unheard of in January.

Hey–question for you. The links in this post? They should be blue until you’ve clicked them. When you hover, they should be underlined and green . . . but after they’ve been viewed, they should be a dark bluish-purple and underlined. On my computer, at least, the “viewed” settings don’t seem to be working. To me, once clicked, the links are dark, dark blue and just blend in with the regular text, making it hard to find them again. Is this just me? And, why would those settings not be working correctly?

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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Well, we’re starting to feel a little more settled-in, now. And, meantime, I wanted to give you a closer look at the spinning I did with Kim yesterday. Because this IS primarily a knitting blog, after all! I promise I won’t be talking about the rigors of my digital move for much longer. I DO seem to have lost a lot of subscribers, though. I’m assuming that part of that is because I did this over a weekend, but if those of you who followed me here want to mention the new home for anyone who skimmed past that post in their Bloglines, well, that would be neighborly of you!

What do you think of the new look?

There are still things to do. The e-mailing comments thing, thankfully, is fixed (though how, I still don’t know, since I didn’t change anything.) I haven’t yet tackled what I need to do to make sure all the internal links–and external links–pointing to the old, Typepad blog now come here (because, frankly, that looks awfully complicated for me). And, if any of you programming mavens out there understand what needs to be done in these instructions, please let me know. Ideally, I want to shut down the Typepad blog altogether, but I am SO not a programmer, so the whole bottom half of those instructions might as well be greek. And, my God, all those picture links, too . . . yikes!

Frankly, I’m pretty impressed that I was able to follow the instructions for getting everything over here in the first place. (For the record, that was 1,185 posts since Jan. 15, 2005.) I’m feeling pretty chuffed, too, that I not only designed a new header which goes with this theme, but even figured out how to get a Favicon up and running. (That’s that tiny little blue “CM” box that should be showing on the title bar in your browser.) There’s a widget for being able to subscribe to comments, too, in case I get some hot, fascinating, informative conversation going on that you don’t want to miss. I don’t know how often any of you will really want to take advantage, but it was a cool little new toy for the blog, so….

But, really, that’s enough for one weekend, huh? I think Chappy likes the new setup, too, although he’s been spending his internet time elsewhere lately . . . see? He was a guest-blogger over at his Grandma’s blog.

Oh, and in other news, let me point you to the comments in this military blog at the Rocky Mountain News. The soldier who was writing it was killed this week in an ambush. It’s worth noting, though, because he had written a posthumous blog post to be published in the event of his death, and it is a truly moving thing to read. What an eloquent good-bye.

Tags: General by --Deb
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Well, this was a welcome break from going “Arrrrgggh” at the computer screen.

Kim came over today for some spinning. We had originally thought about doing this last weekend, but other social events came up for both of us … I mean, it was New Year’s … so we postponed to this weekend.

And, as I say, it was a much-needed break. I’m still not getting my comment-notification e-mails which means that, well, I apologize. If you’ve left me a comment since the big switchover, I’ve read it, but I haven’t had an easy way to answer it–for which, again, I apologize.

I’m a little cranky and frustrated about this, I admit. I’ve been scouring the WordPress forums for help, but the answers seem to contradict each other (or are too complicated for me). But maybe it’s just too many late night in a row, fighting with the computer, huh? Meanwhile, I’ve been busily adding things like sidebar elements and trying to tweak the theme . . . I’m still not entirely happy with this one, but haven’t really seen one I like better, either. And, of course, not being anything like a programmer, trying to make changes is … challenging.

(Really, is it any wonder that I haven’t dared try to do whatever I need to do to make sure internal links stay HERE, instead of going back to the Typepad blog?)

Anyway, it was good, good, good to see Kim today. I got half a braid of Spunky Eclectic BFL in “Vineyard” spun, which was just a delight. And look at the pretty Vesper roving she brought me! I love the colors–and I’ve already had the pleasure of spinning this fiber before, and really enjoyed it, so this is going to be very nice indeed.

Thanks again, Kim! For the good company, the fiber, AND forcing me to get away from my computer for a couple of hours today. I needed it.

(Oh, and you know how, periodically, I have trouble with one (random) keyboard key? Guesssss which key is sssticking now? Ssssigh.)
Added: Hurray. I got comment notifications! Now, if only I knew how I’d done it….

Tags: General by --Deb
11 Comments »

I know. I’m having trouble with the RSS feed . . . I think it’s fixed, though!

I’m trying to figure out why I’m not getting comment e-mails, too!

Moving is hard work!

(Do you think I used enough exclamation points? No? Well, here’s another!)

Tags: General by --Deb
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Phew! That was the hardest (aka scariest) part . . . getting all the posts, comments, and pictures transferred over from Typepad.

Now, I just need to find a theme I like and unpack, arrange my stuff, find a good place for Chappy to sit . . .

That will come, but for now, at least I’m HERE!

Tags: General by --Deb
15 Comments »

Just something pretty to look at while I wait for the new hosting to kick in…

Don’t forget–you’ll need to visit me at www.chappysmom.com . . . any day now….

Brought to you by:

Tags: Eye-Candy Friday by Deb
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Hey, folks. I bought the domain name www.chappysmom.com a year ago.

If you haven’t yet, you might want to make sure that THAT is the address you use to get here, because, you never know, there could be changes coming. I wouldn’t want you to be unable to find me!

(Hint, hint.)

Okay . . . hold your breath!! Here we go….
And, I’m closing comments until we get to the other side…

Tags: Uncategorized by Deb
4 Comments »

Well, it’s as good as it’s going to get, I suppose.

Yes, the fit is just about right. (It’s good to know my math skills still work, even if my knitting gauge slides.)

But, also yes, it still looks a little odd along the seams because of the multiple layers of fabric in what should have been seamLESS, but now has actual seams.

And, also yes, the underarms are rather low.

Really, though, I’m just so thankful I moved the neckline UP, since, with my modification and my wonky, ever-changing row-gauge, it ended up just about where the pattern had put it in the first place.

It does look pretty, though. When I’m standing still…. (Again, too, ignore the weird way my skin looks–this camera does NOT like taking pictures of people, don’t ask me why, but I didn’t feel like going downstairs to get my other camera from my purse.)

Did you know that J.K. Rowling was named Entertainment Weekly’s Entertainer of the Year for 2007? Go read the wonderful article that explains, once and for all, why Harry Potter really IS that good.

And, yep, we’re gaining on that 10,000th comment. Phew!

Tags: Finished Knitting by Deb
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Okay, for Kay:

In the beginning, all the recipe cards were hand-written.

And they lived happily in their card box, with hand-written dividers to keep things organized.

But, as life got busier, The Cook started taking short-cuts. Like, cutting recipes out of magazines and taping them to index cards.

Then the whole thing started to snow-ball, and The Cook just folded the recipe page into approximately-index-card sizes and stuck them in the box.

With the advent of the internet, though, things really got out of hand, and The Cook began to just fold them in half and pile them.

Sure, she could have used a 3-hole punch and a loose-leaf binder, but she had actually tried that and ended up with an even worse mess . . . not to mention recipes in two different locations–the recipe box in the kitchen and the binder in with the cookbooks. And while it’s one thing to know that, if a recipe you need is in a cookbook, you need to go to another room, it’s a totally different story to try to remember what size and format a given individual recipe is so that you can find it.

Which brings us to where we are today. An overflowing tupperware container (originally intended for photo storage) overflowing with somewhat unsightly, recipe goodness. It’s not a fancy recipe box like some people have, but it’s BIG. Which, when you think of it, makes the fact that it’s overflowing that much more surprising, huh? I really need to do something about that one of these days….

Happy New Year, everyone!

And, Jen and La? Chappy’s tail is going a mile a minute. You really made his day!

Added:

Obviously, all I needed was some extra incentive. You’ll be pleased to know that I went through and organized all of these recipes after lunch. The pile of paper are the copies and cards for recipes that I decided I really didn’t need anymore, and all the others are IN the box. Granted, each individual section may not be alphabetized at the moment, but at least everything is in categories!

I mean, really, that lid hasn’t been completely flat in months. (And, granted, it’s not closed, but some of the cards are bigger than 4×6″ and don’t fit as well as they should. That’s not the point!)

Tags: Baking by Deb
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Here’s my reading list from December:

1. LOCKED ROOMS by Laurie R. King (495 p.) The most recent of the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes books, and my favorite of the later books. In this one, she and Holmes visit San Francisco for the first time since her family was killed a decade earlier, but someone seems to be trying to kill her–could her parents’ deaths not have been an accident?

2. CAPRICE AND RONDO by Dorothy Dunnett (539 p.)House of Niccolo book 7. Having met with disaster at the end of book 6, Nicholas tries to make a new life in Poland and the Slavic states, travelling with his old friend Julius and his wife Anna . . . while back home, his estranged wife starts looking into his past….

3. PAT OF SILVER BUSH by L.M. Montgomery (278 p.)
4. MISTRESS PAT by L.M. Montgomery (277 p.) These two are a pair of books by the author of Anne of Green Gables and tells the story of Pat, who dearly loves her home and wants nothing more than to stay home forever and care for it.

5. JANE OF LANTERN HILL by L.M. Montgomery (217 p.) Jane is growing up miserably in Toronto with her mother and her cold grandmother, then one day, she gets a letter from her father, inviting her to Prince Edward Island for the summer, where suddenly, she blooms…. Sweet story.

6. CONRAD’S FATE by Diana Wynne Jones (375 p.)
7. PINHOE EGG by Diana Wynne Jones (515 p.) Two of her YA fantasy books in the Chrestomanci world. Light, fun, entertaining.

8. HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE by Diana Wynne Jones (212 p.)
9. CASTLE IN THE AIR by Diana Wynne Jones (299 p.) Two more YA fantasy books, based on traditional fairy tales, kind of, but with her unique outlook and sense of fun.

10. PEGASUS IN FLIGHT by Anne McCaffrey (290 p.)
11. PEGASUS IN SPACE by Anne McCaffrey (373 p.) So, suppose it was the not-too-distant future, and futher suppose that psychic gifts like telepathy and telekinesis were real, measurable talents. Now, throw in a world-wide effort to build a space station, and a base on the moon, and a powerfully-motivated paraplegic…. I’ve always liked these books, precursors of her “Talent and Hive” series.

12. EXILE’S SONG by Marion Zimmer Bradley (493 p.)
13. SHADOW MATRIX by Marion Zimmer Bradley (556 p.)
14. TRAITOR’S SUN by Marion Zimmer Bradley (534 p.) A trilogy written by Deborah Ross and the late Marion Zimmer Bradley, taking place on her world of Darkover, a “backwards” planet with psychic gifts . . . a complete surprise to Margaret Alton when she returns to the world of her birth for the first time after spending most of her life at a Terran University.

15. GEMINI by Dorothy Dunnett (672 p.) The eighth and final book in the House of Niccolo Series. It’s a huge book, both in pages and in scope. It ties up loose ends to the series that you didn’t even realize were loose until you read them. A massive undertaking, and quite the cap to an amazing historical fiction series. I always say that nobody wrote historical fiction like Dorothy Dunnett.

16. RUN by Ann Patchett (295 p.) A Christmas-present book by an author that pretty much never disappoints. I very much enjoyed this. Two black boys were adopted by a well-off white family and have grown into handsome, intelligent young men. Then one snowy night, a car almost hits one of the boys, but he’s pushed out of the way by a woman and, when she’s when she’s taken to the hospital, they step up to look after her daughter. Awful description of a really good book.

17. TALK TO THE HAND by Lynne Truss (202 p.) What has happened to manners these days? Respect and consideration for other people? Any semblance of civilized behavior? Well, here’s your answer… Enjoyable and informative.

18. PERMISSION MARKETING by Seth Godin (240 p.) A discussion on the difference between traditional, “interruption marketing” where ads and marketing schemes try to distract your attention to make you buy something and “permission marketing,” where you build a relationship with your potential buyers and never pressure them to buy.

19. KNITTER’S BOOK OF YARN by Clara Parkes (252 p.) Exactly what it sounds like–a discussion about yarn. Fibers, spinning methods, plies, and the characteristics of all of them. Good reference and some good patterns.

20. LEAVE ME ALONE, I’M READING by Maureen Corrigan (184 p.) A retrospective journey through books the author’s read and loved over the years. Enjoyable tone, nicely written, and it doesn’t really matter that I’d never read many of the books. Sometimes, in books like these, it matters a lot because the author will mention the title and then go on as if you’ve read the book as many times as she has . . . this author doesn’t do that, so it’s possible to read about her feelings on, say, Dashiell Hammett, without having ever read any of his books yourself. Good book.

Tags: Monthly Reading List, Reading by Deb
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