Saturday Morning Book Review

The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton

It has been several years since I initially read this book and I think that I enjoyed it more this time than the first. I downloaded The Custom of the Country from Librivox.org and listened to it on my way to work and when I walked. Undine Sprag has got to be one of the most misunderstood characters in literature. She is the ultimate product of her society. She can also be looked at as the poster child of what happens when parents do not set boundaries for their children. It is always said that there is no manual for parenting, but Custom comes pretty close. If the Sprag's had from the beginning sat boundaries for Undine, her life, their life, her son's life and the lives of all of husbands (and the death of one), would have been completely different. I highly recommend Custom as both a great read and a great listen. I will add an Amazon link in Favorites-Book Review.

Remember that Christmas is close and an Amazon Kinder would be a great present for any of your loved ones. Just follow the link to the right and get more information.

Peace,

Laura

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Yey, Amanda! I can't wait to see your scarf and then I know you can go on to crochet anything.

Peace,
Laura

How is everyone. It is finally turning cooler, never cold here, and I love it. Next week is Thanksgiving and then Christmas. I am not ready.

On the Crochet/Knit Front Marly of Yarn Thing is back for her next season. You need to check her out at www.yarnthing.blogspot.com and you can also subscribe on itunes. I have so enjoyed her podcast. I currently have many works in progress and none are what I would like to be doing. I have a baby blanket for my cousin and the baby will be here next month. I have a blanket for my son and I have my Clapotis from www.knitty.com . The only thing I would like to be working on is the Clapotis, but I know it will have to wait until after other things are finished. My family is having a baby boom and I have a blanket that will be due in March, May and June. I swear I am going to start handing out birth control pills. The good think about all of these blankets is that I am getting to listen to a lot of great books as I am knitting/crocheting. You need to be ready for lots of book reviews and I promise I am going to start posting pictures of all of my finished objects. I have a scarf that I need to take a picture of and I promise you are going to love it.
The blanket I am making for my cousin is out of Plymouth Baby DK and I am using 4 colors; purple, blue, celery green and a variegated that has all of the colors. I am crocheting this one due to the time constraints and I can crochet so much faster than knit. My cousin is having a boy so the border is going to be the blue color. I love making blankets for babies that are close to me, but when this one is finished, I am not starting another until after the first of the year.

Have a great week and I am so glad that I am back. I have so many great things to share with you.

Peace,
Laura

I know that you have probably given up on me, but please do not I am still here and I am just trying to find my balance between all of things that this blog is about and work. So I am going to get back in this habit.

Saturday Morning Book Review

Metatropolis by various Sci Fi Authors

This has got to be the best near-future Sci-Fi I have read/heard in a long time. Metatropolis is a compilation of five novellas, each written by a different author. However it is not just a jumbled up anthology. The difference, the authors came together and built the world that they would write about. So, each novella is set in the same world, not the same city, but the same world. Each story shows a different aspect of what life might be in the near future. There is political intrigue, but you understand it because it is only about 50 to 100 years in the future. There is reference to events that have happened in your lifetime, like 9/11, our failing economy, our job losses, climate change and much, much more. Metatropolis is how this group of authors sees how the human race could deal with each of these issues and survive. At the first I refered to "hearing" this work and I did. I downloaded it from Audible, www.audible.com , and this is a work that, I think, needs to be listened to. The best part is that one of the stories is read by the actor that plays Ty on Battlestar Galactica (the new version) and another story is read by the actor who plays Dee from Galactica. So this was a nice little respit from the Galactica season break (I am not sure what I am going to do when it ends for good next year). Stefon Rodniki is also a reader and he is always one of my favorite Sci-Fi voice actors. Check Metatropolis out and let me know how you enjoyed it. I have added the Amazon Downloadable version to Favorites-Book Reviews.

Peace,
Laura

WE SURVIVED IKE

We went to our nephew's northwest of Houston and it was the best decision I ever made. They graciously opened their home to us and it has been wonderful. This is one of the few homes in the Houston area with power and it is a true blessing. Our home faired well. Our fench is down and of course there are limbs and so on, lots of clean up. We are not supposed to have power for two to three weeks and, as of tonight, the water in our city has been turned off. Luckily I don't have to go to work yet until Wednesday, but I don't know how I am supposed to be ready for work without water or electricity. I guess we will figure this all out as we go along.

On the Knitting/Crochet Front Since I have had time on my hand, I have mastered the Cat Borhdi sock method. I have also finished a baby blanket, and a pair of monkey socks that I had sitting in the knitting bag that I brought with me. Maybe one day I will get some pictures posted.

I will try and blog tomorrow about out the storm recovery is going. If you live in the Houston area, let me know how you are doing.

Peace,
Laura

Yes, it has been forever since I have posted, but with worrying about hurricanes and work and everyone having a birthday, I have not had much time. I have been knitting though and I will soon have a finished pair of socks to show, Monkey by Cookie A. I have also been watching Battlestar Galactica, the new one. I have just started season 4 and I think that it is the last of the series. Overall I have enjoyed it very much. I am a Star Trek fan from way, way back and I have never really gotten over my love for space sci-fi. One of my favorite book series of all time is the Ender series by Orson Scott Card. If you have not read it, make sure you do so in order and, if you can, listen to the series instead of read it. Card, himself, says that he writes his books to be read as a performance. I will be sorry when I am through with Galactica, but I am then going to start on the Stargate franchise and there are many, many seasons of them.

I know that you may be wondering why I am spending my time on sci-fi when the new school year has started. Well, I really like my new job and right now I am going to concentrate on becoming a Certified Research Administration Accountant. I begin the University of Houston System certification classes this month and I can't wait to get started. I guess I am returning to the skills I already have and at 45 I am ready to embrace this career and then be able to spend my free time doing things that I truly love, like knitting, crocheting and being with friends. I will still be reading the classics and reviewing them here. In fact, I hope to find a good online classics book club to join.

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend and remember to send comments.

Peace,
Laura

On the Knit/Crochet Front I have done it, as I am watching the closing ceremonies, I have on my Ravelympic Sock Put Socks. As soon as I can get the camera from my husband I will take pictures. This is a great way to have incentive to actually finish a project in a certain period of time.

On the Weight Loss Front I got a Wii Fit for my birthday. It is so much fun. The whole family is enjoying it. So much so, I have to fight for my own present. I have done the yoga, downhill skiing, and the ski jump. This is a great way to exercise without it being exercise.

Hopefully I will get back now to more regular posts. Leave comments and let me know who you are.

Peace,
Laura

On the Knit/Crochet Front Tonight I attended my first Knitting Guild Meeting. It was great. The Guild that I am a member is the Knit at Night Guild here in Houston. They are a great group of women and we learned how to fix our knitting mistakes. I think the wisest thing our teacher said was to learn what you are willing to live with. If the mistake is a the top of a sock that no one is going to see then don't drive yourself crazy. My two cents is that this is a hobby and most of us do it to relieve stress, why add more stress. On the other hand, I will be the first one ripping back to make it match the pattern whether anyone can tell or not. If you are not a member of your local Knitting or Crochet Guild, join. This is art that we are talking about and it is art that we do not want to lose.

Also, my Ravelympic socks are coming along great. I may actually get them finished by the extinguishing of the flame.

Peace,
Laura

On the Knit/Crochet Front The Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games start tomorrow and, more important, the Ravelympics starts tomorrow at 7:00 am for those of us in the Central Time Zone. What is Ravelympics some may ask? Well you should take up knitting and crocheting, join Ravelry and you would know. But, since there are some out there who never will, so, Ravelympics is the knitters and crocheters version of Olympic Games. The rules are that we can not cast on until the Opening Ceremonies begin in China and that is at 7:00 am my time, and you must be completed with you project by the time the Flame is extinguished. I am in the Sock Put event and tonight I have come home from work, taken my shower, put on my training clothes ( PJs, of course) and I am now in training. I am watching Battlestar Galactica and I am balling my beautiful Lorna's Lace Shepherd Sock in a wonderful red color way. I will not be able to cast on at 7:00 am as I will be on my way to work, but as soon as I make it to my local SNB tomorrow night, I will. Let the Games begin.

Peace,
Laura

On the Green Front I am not sure if Global Warming is caused by man or is a cycle of nature, but there is no denying that every year it gets hotter and hotter. I found the following article on CNN and thought that it was interesting enough to share.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/07/30/canada.arctic.ice.ap/index.html

On the Crochet/Knit Front For those of you on Ravelry, join the Ravelympics. The rules are that you have to cast on during the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, and you have to be finished with your creation by the time the flame is extinguished. I am in the Sock Put Event and I am going to complete the Cookie A Twinkle Toes Socks, see link to pattern.

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/shows_dkng/episode/0,2046,DIY_18180_49938,00.html

I am going to make them out of some wonderful yarn that should be on its way, I hope, to me from WEBS yarn store, www.yarn.com , see link below. It is similar to the Daffodil color way on this page.

http://www.lornaslaces.net/colors.asp

Send comments.

Peace,
Laura

I am for all things "green" and I am for saving the planet, but I want individuals to do it because they to see the need, not because it is legislated. I just read the following linked article on MSNBC and I can not believe it. How much more are we going to let government get control of? Government should not legislate morality, speech, and certainly not the food that you eat. Read the article and send in your comments.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25896233

Peace,
Laura

Saturday Morning Book Review

No Sheep For You, Knit Happy with Cotton, Silk, Linen, Hemp, Bamboo & Other Delights
by Amy R. Singer

The headline on the back of this book says it all: A World Beyond Wool! There are many people who are allergic to all things sheep and animal, but still love to knit and crochet. Until now these unfortunate individuals have had to use acrylic. OH MY! (No offense to acrylic yarn. It does have its place, like for baby things that need to be able to be washed often, but I am becoming a yarn snob.) Today things are much better and this book details them all. There is bamboo, organic cotton, hemp, flax, linen, soy fiber, silk, milk fiber, fiber make from bananas and sea weed, and much, much more. Of course, milk fiber and silk are not vegan yarns, but there are so many more, that even if you are a strict vegan, you can have a stash that any fiber artist would be proud to call their own. I have personally worked with bamboo and soy and I loved both. No Sheep For You also has some really great patterns to support these wonderful new and old fibers. Even if you can wallow in 100% mohair, you need this book to expand the fibers you can work with and to make up some of the great patterns. I am adding a link to it under Favorites-Book Reviews.

I got to buy this great resource with the very nice gift certificate to my LYS, Yarns 2 Ewe, my dear husband gave me for our anniversary which was on July 4th. I went for the first time to the Friday night S&B last night and had a great time. It is so neat to sit surrounded by yummy yarn talking with others who don't look at you like you have lost your mind when you cast on a sock on things that look like four tooth picks, who know you by your Ravatar and who don't ask you what a Clapotis is. I love my family and friends dearly and always want to be with them, but there is nothing like being with another group of people who would think that it is completely normal to have bags of yarn and WIPs placed as decor in the family room. If you have not joined a knit/crochet group, I highly recommend it.

I had another great treat today, my dear niece treated me to Starbucks. I love you Emilee.

Peace,
Laura

Athenian Scarf and items

Athenian Scarf and items
Originally uploaded by lsam400803

This is the Athenian Scarf for the Shakespeare Ravelry group. It is crocheted and done in the broomstick pattern. As you can see the colors are great and it has been fun to work on so far.

Peace,
Laura

I know that it has been forever since I have posted, but with the new job and giving my dear son a graduation party, I have been very busy. I have been keeping up with things though and when I can collect my thoughts I will write a more meaningful entry.

Have you noticed the Bush counter. We have less than 200 days of having him in office. I hope the next one is better or I will put up a counter for him.

On the Green Front If you are out somewhere or if you are having a party away from home, make a box for all the recyclable items to go into and carry them home to recycle, that is what I did at my son's party. We do not have a way to recycle at church so I just kept up with all of the items I could and put them in my recycle bin when I got home. I am sure that our pick up people are going to love me this week. This also took little or no extra effort on my part. Think about what you can do at your next function.

On the Knit and Crochet Front I am currently working on a baby blanket for a friend due in October and I am working on a scarf for the Shakespeare group that I belong to on Ravelry. I want to let you know about a great new site that I have found, www.knittingdaily.com . There are dozens of free patterns for both knit and crochet and there are some very popular ones to buy. I think that this site is someway connected with Interweave Press which of course is the best thing out there for knit and crochet. Check out www.knittingdaily.com . I will also add a link to it on the right.

Peace,
Laura

Saturday Morning Book/Movie Review

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

I know that this is supposed to be a book review blog today, but I have not finished any books this week, but I did watch the movie version of Ethan Frome, which I reviewed earlier, this morning. It stars Liam Neeson and it follows the book very closely. I thought that it was done very well and I highly recommend it. I have added a link on Favorites-Book Review. As usual though, if you can, you should read the book as well. There is no way that you get the same effect from a movie as you do from reading a book and seeing your own screening in your mind.

On the Knit/Crochet Front I have finished objects. The first is the yoga mat bag that I made the first week I was back at work. I am really enjoying my job and the people are great and the fact that it is with a University and I can practice yoga at lunch is just a bonus.

I crocheted this by loosely following this pattern http://www.joyfulabode.com/2007/07/05/shavasana-yoga-mat-bag/ . This is also a great blog, so check it out. I used some cotton yarn that I got on sale on our trip to New York and I changed up the pattern a bit by adding a round of cross stitching every so often. It was a quick project and I just love using it.

The next fo is a vest that my Mother commissioned me to make. We bought the yarn on the way home from our New York trip, somewhere in Tennessee. It was very nice to work with and as soon as my Mother returns from Florida, I will take more pictures of her modeling it.

Please send comments and join my group on Ravelry.

Peace,

Laura

I know that has been forever since I have posted, but life has been very busy since I have gone back to work. Lots has happened since we last visited. I finally got to start the yoga class at work. It is so great. Everyone moves and modifies for their needs, but our teacher includes some advanced stuff so that we know what we are working towards. She starts class with a great breath work and then ends with some great meditation and corpse pose. The Fitness Release Time that I get as a benefit has got to be one of the best benefits I have ever received at a job before. I can go to yoga and not have to watch the clock for a one hour lunch. We receive up to 3 hours per week to work out, but at the most, I will only need 1 1/2 hours per week. Oh and having my cute yoga mat bag to carry my mat in it great also. As soon as I get batteries for the camera I will take pictures and post.

On the Crochet Front Saturday I participated in the Houston area meet up of the World Wide Knit ( and Crochet ) in Public Day. It was held here at a local mall and we had over 80 knitters and crocheters. I think the local mall crowd wondered what had invaded their territory. I met some great yarn crafters, saw some beautiful yarn and found a new local yarn store. I can not wait until next year.

On the Weight Loss Front I am now exercising more regularly since I have more scheduled days and since it is encouraged at work. I have not lost any weight though and it is getting very discouraging. Maybe next week.

Let me know how it is going for all of you.

Peace,
Laura

This video is a little different than what I normally have on this blog, but to borrow a line from Larry the Cable Guy, "I don't care who you are this here is funny." And in some very sad ways true.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Mc3GQmGGms

These guys have a ton more as well and I am going to watch them later.

Peace,
Laura

Saturday Morning Book Review

Measure for Measure, by William Shakespeare

Shakespeare has done it again. Is it that human nature as always been the same or that he just knew the very souls of men. In Measure for Measure the message is an old one straight from the Bible; “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone.” (Holy Bible KJV 8:7) People should think about their own indiscretions, before they condemn others. I guess New York governor, Eliott Spitzer, never read this play, because if he had, he surely would not be in the trouble that he is in today. And, as always, you have to ignore Shakespeare’s treatment of women and look at the big picture meaning of the play. I have to remember every time I encounter Shakespeare that he did not know any better. This is the way women were treated and if we don’t continue to visit these classic works, we run the chance of forgetting how much progress we have made as women. We also need to remember that there are still places in this world were women are still treated as property with little or no rights. Measure for Measure is a great read and a good watch. I will add links to both the Folgers Classic version and the BBC video to Favorites-Book Review. You can also read it for free at www.gutenberg.org.

Peace,
Laura

I know that I have said this before, but I really thought that if Hillary wanted to be president she would be. I am truly stunned that it is over and she is not. Maybe we can now move forward and beat McCain. I want a change. This country needs a change. Let's make a change.

Peace,
Laura

I have made it through two days of work and I am still alive. I have to say that it has been kind of tough. My dear son cooked dinner this evening, it was very nice. I will hopefully get back into the blogging mode after the work life gets normal.

Peace,
Laura

OK, did the Dems figure out anything yesterday? I listened to most of it and the most intelligent thing I heard was from Carl Levin, I think, and he said something to the effect of, "the way we pick a presidential nominee is stupid." I agree. I am so afraid that if the Dems don't get their act together, McCain will win. Let us all start practicing our "OH Canada" and "Aye" so that we will be ready when we go to live there.

On the Weight Loss Front Tomorrow I start my new job and one of the benefits is 3 hours a week to work out. There is a fitness center on campus and a new Yoga class starts in one week. I am hoping to sign up tomorrow. It has been a long time since I have actually taken a yoga class, I can't wait.

On the Work Front (yes, a new front) I have organized my work clothes to the first part of my closet and, sadly, moved the jeans and capris to the back, but I am now ready for in the morning. I have not decided what I am going to do about cooking at night since I have gone back to being a veg and of course husband and dear son are not. I am going to address that another day. I think that I am ready and I am looking forward to learning new things and getting involved in the academic setting.

On the Green Front I thought that it would be easier at check outs since all stores are not selling their own reusable bags. I went to Target this afternoon and I even have a Target bag and the poor checker still had no idea how to just had me my items so that I could put them in my own bags. Oh well Rome wasn't built in a day so I guess we just adjust on checker at a time.

Send comments.

Peace,
Laura

Saturday Morning Book Review

Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton

Before listening to Ethan Frome, the only book I had read of Wharton’s was The Custom of the Country and Frome is very different. From the beginning you just know that poor Ethan just never has a break in life, even his name sounds depressing, but you hope and you do glimpse into his happier moments. I think that one of the messages you get from Wharton’s writing, is to be double and triple sure before you marry. Marriage is for life, and for better and worse, so try to pick a partner that is going to give you a life of more better than worse. This is another work I listened to on Librivox. It was read by the always talented Elizabeth Klett and really does not take that long to listen to. You can find the recording at www.librivox.org or you can read it for free at www.gutenberg.org. I will also add a link for purchase at Favorites-Book Review. Get out there and read or listen to some of these classics, they are so well written and although you can find lessons in them for today, they also take you back to a different time where there were different values. It is always good to know how our societies have either evolved or maybe slid backwards.

Peace,
Laura

Happy Memorial Day

Let us all take a moment to remember those who have lost their lives to protect our freedoms. We owe them everything we have today.

On the Green Front Remember to use reusable items at your cookouts today. It does not take that much time to wash dishes in the dishwasher when you get back home. No paper, No plastic. Also recycle what you can. Enjoy the outside if it is not too hot and, most of all, enjoy the loved ones and friends that you are with.

On the Crochet Front I still have not taken any pictures. I know that you are about to give up on me or think that I really have done nothing, but I will get my act back together soon.

I have spent the weekend enjoying the sales since I have had to put together a work wardrobe after 9 years of wearing denim capri pants. I found some really great deals and I think that I am ready to hit the new job running.

Send comments. I know you are out there, let me hear from you.

Peace,
Laura

On the Green Front I am so excited, our town finally gave out recycle bins for plastic and cans. I even dug out of my current trash to find the items that could be recycled. This is such a large step for our very none green town. I feel like I am now part of the rest of the world.

Starting June 2 I will be going back to work since being out of the work force since 1999. It is accounting, but a different specialty so I get to learn totally new things. I am trying to get everything in order at our house, and it will be interesting to see how things work. I do know that as long as I am employed, I will never clean my house again. That is the best part.

I still have not had time to take pictures of all of my vacation yarn stuff, maybe this weekend. I still have not washed all of our vacation clothes and I think the family would rather have clean undies rather than me having great blog pictures. I just don't understand their priorities. lol

Let me hear from you.

Peace,
Laura

We are home and I am buried under a mountain of laundry. Hopefully by tomorrow or Wednesday I will have things more in order and will be able to do a post with pictures of all of the great yarn and things I got while we were gone.

Peace,
Laura

We have one more day on the road and we will be home. Yesterday I could not blog because the internet connection was less than perfect. All we did was drive though. Today I was surprised by getting to stop at a local yarn shop in Tenn. I am not sure what the name was, but it was great. I got some sock yarn and my mother bought the yarn for the vest she wants me to crochet for her. I also got a bamboo crochet hook. This is the first one I have ever had and I love it. I told everyone in the car that that is what I want for all presents now are bamboo crochet hooks to replace my plastic ones.

We are at a less than perfect hotel tonight in Arkansas, a Super 8. I have stayed in Super 8s before that have been fine, but my husband even went and bought Clorox wipes and has cleaned the sink and bathroom. Mother picked. Hopefully we will live through it.

I hope to be blogging from home tomorrow with my kittys all around me. I miss them very much. Of course then the real world returns and I have to do mounds of laundry and clean the house. I am sure certain friends and family will be glad to hear that (you know who you are) as the last time I really cleaned house they all got to come over for dinner (I'm not promising anything).

Peace,
Laura

Today was fun. We visited another local yarn store, Homespun, and I picked up a great sale on some cotton for my stash. I also got some more great sock yarn. We had a fun picnic at Buttermilk Falls (see picture in post below) although today they were doing some clean up work there and we had the picnic while watching a back hoe in front of the falls. It was quite interesting. We also went to a park near some water and there were hundreds of baby geese. They were so cute and fuzzy. We fed them the rest of the bread from our picnic and I think we were the hit among the flying creatures in Ithaca. We are heading home tomorrow and I will be sad to leave. This is a great place to visit, I just don't think I could ever make it through a winter.

Peace,
Laura

Today I visited a great local yarn shop recommended to me by my friends on the Ithacan Ravelry group called Knitting Etc. It was great. I got some bamboo sock yarn in a yellow/gold colorway. I also met some really nice people. We ate at Moosewood today as well and I got the Moosewood Deserts Cookbook on this trip. I will add a link to in on Favorites-Book Reviews. Here are some pictures of some of the sites we have seen:

This is me posing with my next car (lol) at the Corvette Museum.

This is Buttermilk Falls

I can't say or spell the name of this Fall, but it starts with a T.

This is Ithaca Falls and it is right in a neighborhood. It is so big and beautiful.

It rained on us some this evening, but the guys were able to play golf.

One a personal note, I was able to access my grades tonight and I made A's in both of my classes, even Literary Theory.

Peace,

Laura

Today we went to Cooperstown to the Baseball Hall of Fame. My husband was in heaven. I actually saw one man knell down to the Babe Ruth sculpture. I guess I should not be too hard on them, I did drool over some yarn yesterday and I did tell God that he could take me home after I visited the Hershey Plant in Hershey, PA. I figured at that point I had been to my Mecca so I was ready to go. Anyway the weather has been great and it is so beautiful up here. The flowers and trees are unbelievable with color. Tomorrow we are eating at Moosewood and I am going on a yarn crawl. I have also picked up some good books along the way so be ready for some great Saturday Morning Book Reviews.

Peace,
Laura

Yesterday was a total travel day and now we are in Ithaca. We saw 4 waterfalls and did a 1 hour hike today. It was so fun, but I am not sure my mother will be able to move in the morning. We ate at a restaurant on Seneca Lake today. It was in Watkins Glen and reminded me a lot of Bar Harbor. We also visited a Local Yarn Store in Watkins Glen as saw and felt of some great locally dyed wool. I wish I had an unlimited yarn budget. I did purchase the Summer Interweave Knits Mag. We also visited one winery and drove around the Cornell Campus.

On the Weight Loss Front I have walked everyday that we have been gone. Yea!

Peace
Laura

We have made it to outside of Columbus, Ohio tonight. We are planning on visiting the Ohio Amish country tomorrow. I have always been fascinated by the Amish and when someone did the family tree on my father's side of the family, we came to America from Germany because we were Anabaptists and could not practice our religion. So, if my ancestors had not left Pennsylvania, I could today be living in a house with no lights and wearing plain clothing. At times I think that might be a better life.

Peace,
Laura

I have lots to tell. Yesterday I went for my first job interview in 9 years. It was not bad at all, in fact I think I did well. It is for a Research Accounting position at the university I received my bachelors degree from and where I have started my masters. If I get the job I can continue to go to school and have a real job as well. It will be funny because if I do get the job, it will mean that I will be going back to work as soon as I graduate my dear son from home school, now I wonder how many moms have done that. I will have been away from work just long enough to school him. The group seemed really nice and I think it will be a great place to work.

On the Crochet Front We left this morning for our family vacation. I have either slept or crocheted since 6:00 am this morning. I have the back of the vest I am working on 3/4 of the way finished. I hope I don't run out of yarn before we get to Ithaca because I won't be able to find Ty Dy yarn until we get to a real yarn store. I am planning a yarn crawl in Ithaca and I can't wait. I hope the weather holds out because we have a lot of outdoor, walking things planned and of course my dear husband and dear son want to play lots of golf. Lots of golf means lots of yarn stores and book stores and organic coops, I can't wait.

On the Green Front We are doing nothing green since we are driving all the way to Ithaca, but we do have 4 people in the car. I did bring a reusable mug and I take it into the quicky mart at the gas station with my tea bag and get hot water to make tea and I have not had to pay anything all day. This is great, I wish I had done this sooner. Free tea with every stop. Try this tip and also take your own water mug as well. I know these are little things, but little things really add up.

Send comments.

Peace,
Laura

School Is Out For The Summer

On the Crochet/Knit Front I finished my sweater and here it is:

It is made out of Lion Brand Wool Ease Grey and I think it is going to be very nice for our upcoming vacation to Upstate New York. I am so excited, my first knit garment and it actually looks like a sweater.

Send comments.

Peace,

Laura

Saturday Morning Book Review

Persuasion by Jane Austen

I listened to Persuasion by Jane Austen as a Librivox recording read by the very talented Elizabeth Klett. This is an Austen book that I have not read and I just loved it like I do all of her novels. I so wish that I could have lived then, but only if I had a high social status and money. (Maybe not though, had indoor plumbing been invented yet? I draw the line at time periods where I would have to go outside to the bathroom.) Like most Austen novels the heroine, Anne, has a high social standing, but her family is not as wealthy as they should be. This novel follows Anne through her trials at finding love because, like any Austen heroine, she is of high moral fiber and will not settle for just anyone, no matter what his name is or how much money he has. The words are beautiful and the civility is unlike anything that we could hope for today. If everyone would read Jane Austen on a regular basis, I just know that we would all start having card parties, think before we speak, and just treat each other better. I am not saying that all Austen characters are saints, I am just saying that the world would be better if we tried to be civil and thoughtful and appreciative to one another.

If you have not visited the Librivox site yet, it can be found at http://librivox.org/ . All of the books are read by volunteers and all of the works are in the public domain just like the Project Gutenberg site. I am sure that you can find a copy of Persuasion to read at http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page , and I will add a link to Favorites-Book Review of the book and the movie.

Happy reading,

Laura

Happy May Day

I can remember when I was little, we would make flower baskets and give them to our teachers on May 1st. Does anybody do that anymore? or Does everyone just consider this a Communist/Socialist holiday now? I want to remember the flower baskets.

On the Crochet/Knit Front The sweater will be completed in time for our trip and I should have pictures posted any day now. It looks really good and I had no problem blocking it. I want to give a shout out Marly at Yarnthing Podcast, www.yarnthing.blogspot.com , for her podcast anniversary. It was a great show Marly. Keep up the good work. Also I have started a new group on Ravelry, www.ravelry.com . It is called Low Fat Knitters and Crocheters. I have had a great response so far. If you are a member of Ravelry, join in our discussion of low fat cooking, recipes, health issues, weight loss and of course, what is on our hooks and needles.

On the Green Front The Spring/Summer issue of Vogue Knits is all about "green" yarn. I am so excited. I have been buying some bamboo and organic cotton for my stash and would love to go completely to "green" yarns (I would not mind if they were even all different shade of the color green as well because that has always been my favorite color.) I will add a link to the issue on both Favorites-Crochet and Favorites-Green since it fits both categories.

I thought I would let everyone know that I made an A- on the terrible paper I had such a hard time writing. I am very excited because this should be the only class of this type that I will have to take in my Grad School adventure.

Peace,
Laura

I just calculated my family's carbon footprint and it is not pretty even with the green things that we do. The average US carbon load is 97,838 lbs., ours was 116,971 lbs. I wish our town would start the recycling program they are trying to put in place, that would help, but our main problem is my dear husbands commute to work everyday and our various other car trips. My husband has to go to work, but I am trying to only go to school and back and trip chain when I am going into Houston. Trip chaining is where you plan to do several errands or appointments on the same day in the same area. example, I do not make special trips to Whole Foods, I go on a day that I am already in town. Think of all of the things that you can do to make your carbon load less and share what these ideas are. You may think that they have already been thought of, but they may be new to all of us.

Peace,
Laura

By the way I have given up on the political race. We are all doomed. Maybe I will get some enthusiasm later.

On the Green Front I was watching this afternoon's NHL playoff game between the NY Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins, and an old NHL star Mike Richter has and affiliation with a new company where you can buy carbon offsets for the carbon footprint you are leaving. The NHL is now going "green" so I thought you might like to check out the company. It is called Green Life and can be found at http://www.greenlife.com/ . I have never purchased carbon offsets for anything, but I know that people do it for all kinds of reasons, the biggest being airplane flight. The one neat thing on the site that I am going to investigate when I have more time is the Carbon Offset Calculator. I think it might be scary to see just how bad we are. If you do the calculator, send me your score. I will post mine when I get a chance to do it.

Peace,
Laura

Saturday Morning Book Review

Beloved by Toni Morrison

I just finished reading Beloved by Toni Morrison for the African American Women’s Novelist class that I took this semester. This is a very difficult book to read, not because of the words used, they are very simple, or because of the sentence structure, again it is simple, but because of the subject matter of slavery and the images that Morrison paints so skillfully. This book will affect you and will make you think, but the material presented is material that better affect you and it is material that needs to be thought about. We read several books concerning slavery and the African American past this semester, but this novel was the most thorough. Morrison shows what it was truly like to be a slave. I will place a link to the book in Favorites Book Reviews and I will also add a link for the movie which I highly recommend watching but only after you have read the book. The movie stars Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover.

Happy reading,
Laura

On the April 15th blog I gave you information about the Air Car. I have received some additional information since then from the original inventors of the Air Car. Please check out the following information:

Hi, just to let you know, the official site for the inventor of the Air Car is http://www.mdi.lu. I made a fan website with the most current information on the 2010 North American model, the Citycat. The other models are from the 2006 prototypes that they have been road-testing in France. Our air car will be a 4-door 6-seater sedan.
Contact zeropollutionmotors.us for the Official U.S. representative.

Some of the information is in French so if you can't read it you can still see how cute the car is. I am still making my van hang in there until some of these new things come out and I can try them.

Peace,
Laura

PS Saturday Morning Book Review coming later in the day.

At the first of the year I said that one of my goals was to entertain once a month. I have sadly only entertained twice, I think, but I am changing that. We are having friends over tonight for my famous Mexican Soup, corn bread, salad and cake. Not fancy, but it is always eaten and enjoyed. I actually cleaned house on Wednesday and so this is the perfect time to have company. I have lavender essential oil in my diffuser and with the soup in the crock pot the house smells great. Why don't we all have friends over more often? I am going to change.

Mexican Soup

1 lb. ground beef, browned
2 cans ranch style beans
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans minestrone soup
1 can mexi corn
1 can beef broth

Put all ingredients in the crock pot on low and simmer all day. Serve with tortilla chips or cornbread.

Fix a pot for your family and have a movie night or invite some friends over and enjoy some good conversation.

Peace,
Laura

Happy Earth Day

I don't have time for a real post, but just wanted to commemorate this day in some way. To celebrate Earth Day, I want each of us to change just one light bulb in our house to a CFL. You can make that small change I know.

Please send comments on you bulb changing ceremony.

Peace,
Laura

You will be happy to know that I will be finished with this semester soon and will be back in blogging mode. Sorry for the spotty posts, hang in there.

Peace,
Laura

On the Green Front Tuesday is Earth Day Check around your area for different events that are occurring on Saturday. I know in my area there is an electronics recycling drop off event which is exciting. It is very important to make sure that your old electronics get recycled and not just thrown away to become part of the landfill. Electronics like old computers, old cell phones, old TVs and so on have a lot of icky stuff in them that needs to be disposed of properly. We don't want this stuff to get in our water supply and our soil. So check your local paper and see if there is not something like this happening in your area.

Also tomorrow is National Hanging Out Day. For this one day hang your clothes to dry outside instead of in the dryer and enjoy the smell of sheets air dried. There is nothing like it. I have to say that I have never hung anything outside to dry. I don't even have close lines, but my grandmother did and I can still remember the smell. The information for National Hanging Out Day can be found here http://www.laundrylist.org/education/NHOD.htm .

There seems to be so much cool stuff happening on the "green" front. I want everyone to know that it is not just about the environment, it is just a healthier way to live. Some of us are very sensitive to chemicals and living "green" just makes us feel better. So if you don't buy into Global Warming, think about you and your families health.

Peace,
Laura

Tonight Hillary and Obama are going to go at it in PA. It should be interesting, but I don't think very informative. I think that this debate will be a true slug fest and that gets us nowhere and McCain everywhere. McCain will not win this election because he was the countries choice, but because the Dems are giving it to him. I just don't think I can stand 4 more years of what we have now, but I am trying to at least understand that the possibility is there.

On the Crochet/Knit Front I still have no pictures as I am in the middle of writing a major paper for school and still have not finished anything. I will tell you this, when I did take a break last night and knitted on my sweater for a little while, it was just long enough to realize that I had knitted two right sides to my sweater. I had to frog back to where I had started the arm hole indention and start from there to make it the left side of my sweater. Maybe I should have just kept working on my paper and maybe that was God's way of telling me.

On the Weight Loss Front I walked last night and it felt great. I have got to do this every night. Tomorrow if I can I am going to see what it takes to work out in the facilities at school, but all depends on this paper. At this point everything in my world is revolving around this dang paper. I am determined that I will finish it today, but I said that yesterday as well.

Peace
Laura

Happy Tax Day. Are we all happy that we are having to give our money to an institution that spends it on a war nobody supports, not even the country we have supposedly freed? If Iraq is happy to be free then let them take over the fighting and let them pay for it with their own oil money. Surly with the price of oil these days they would get a whole lot more value compared to it being paid for with US dollars that fall on a daily basis. I wish that we could let them know what we want to pay for with our dollars. Like little boxes we could check and that is were our money would go. If that were the case it would be interesting to see what the majority of the people would want their money spent on.

On the Green Front The Air Car. Yes, it is real. A car that runs on air and the exhaust is cold air that can be directed back into the car for air conditioning. I think this is the coolest thing yet. Check out these links and keep up with, what I hope, is the wave of the future.:

Air Car Factories http://www.theaircar.com/acf/
A great article http://www.gizmag.com/go/7000/
Another model from autoblog.com http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/01/worlds-first-air-powered-car-introduced/

I even think they look cool. They look like the cars of the future we have been promised since I was a kid. At the Air Car Factories site you can even sign up to be one of the first to have an opportunity to buy one.

Peace,
Laura

Remember tomorrow is Tax Day. Don't forget to send in your return and all of your hard earned dollars to a government that has no clue how to balance a budget.

Peace,
Laura

I think Hillary and Obama are about to implode on each other and we are going to be stuck with McCain and this country is, at the very best, not going to get any better, but at the worst, it could get a whole lot worse. Can't the Dems just kiss, make up and try to beat McCain? Please let's hope they turn things around before it is too late.

On the Weight Loss Front I am not losing, although I just found out today that I can work out at my college campus for free. I wish I had checked into this sooner, but live and learn. I am going to see what I have to do to sign up this afternoon. I am sure I am paying for it in all of my fees so I should take advantage of it and at least 2 days per week I can come early enough to work out before class. Also, a few days ago I told you about the cute site Hungry Girl, well her book site is up now with a sneak peek at the recipes and the WW points associated with them. Check it out at http://book.hungry-girl.com/ .

On the Crochet/Knit Front I have now completed the back and right front of my sweater. I have cast on the left front and have close to half of it completed. And the most exciting part is all of the pieces look like a garment. I can't wait to complete it.

Send some comments.

Peace,
Laura

Hopefully the second time is a charm. I was writing this great blog post when I accidentally turned off the computer. So here I go again.

On the Weight Loss Front I found this great new site with great tips and recipes, Hungry Girl. It can be found at http://www.hungry-girl.com/ . It is a really cute site and I think you would like checking it out. Personally I have practiced yoga 3 days in a row now and I walked last night. I am taking this one day at a time.

On the Crochet/Knit Front I am sorry that I did not post pictures yesterday, but I don't have any finished projects. I am coming right along on my sweater for our vacation. It is looking great.

On the Green Front If you do not want to buy reusable bags for shopping, make your own with any stash material you have lying around or go to garage sales and pick up other peoples stash that they sale for a song. Here are some great patterns:

http://www.burdastyle.com/patterns/show/261

http://www.burdastyle.com/creations/show/2226

and, My own creation:

I use 1 1/2 yd of cotton fabric. Fold in half selvages together. Cut 2 2" strips. Place strips right sides together and sew with a 1/2" seam on each side. Turn. Press. Top stitch 1/4" down each side. Cut in half. Handles made. Fold remaining material in half, right sides together, with selvages at each end. Center a handle at each in and pin on the right side with handle facing inward. Sew around with a 5/8" seam and leaving an opening on the side to be able to turn bag. Turn bag by reaching into the opening and grabbing handles and pulling them through the whole. Make sure to turn corners square. Smooth out and press. Top stitch 1/4" across each end. Fold in half and sew down each side with a 1/2" seam and then again inside with a 5/8" seam. Your bag is now complete. You can fill the whole thing up with canned goods and, if you can lift it, it will not break. I will try and make a video and post it so the instructions will be easier to follow.

Peace,

Laura

Good morning all. I am supposed to be doing school work right now, but I just thought I would pop in and tell you how much fun I had this weekend.

On the Green Front My dear husband and I went to the Houston Green Consumer Expo this weekend. It was not very big, but Houston is not very green, yet. All of the electric providers were giving away free CFL's. We collected as many as we could and gave them to my Mother who has not switched any of her bulbs yet. I also found out really how expensive solar panels are and so I am over ever having them on my house unless I win the lottery. For a 1500 sq ft house it would cost over $80,000. We did not even pay $80,000 for the house. So I will just continue to do all of the green baby steps I can do since I can't afford to make a giant leap. We got to see and sit in a Prius Plug In Hybrid. It was really nice and will be on the market in 2011. I hope my van makes it that long. Now for the funny part of the day, my dear husband was less than enthusiastic about going with me to this Expo, but God was looking out for him. In the same building, the Texas Golf Expo was going on, so, yes, we had to go to it after we went to the Green Expo. The good thing that came out of it was that my husband won a closest to the pin contest and should be getting two free rounds of golf. He lives a charmed life.

On the Crochet/Knit Front I have cast on a sweater to take with me on our vacation to upstate New York. It is a very, very easy pattern and I have already made quite a bit of head way on it. I am using Lion Brand's Wool Ease, #9 and #10 needles. It is going really fast and I can't wait to say that I actually completed a knit garment. I will have exact details tomorrow in the crochet blog.

Send some feedback.

Peace,
Laura

Hi all. I know two days in a row, that is almost a miracle.

On the Yoga Front I have not had a yoga post in a while because I have been very bad and not practicing, but that changed this morning. Sunday I got Quick Start Yoga for Weight Loss by Gaiam instructed by Suzanne Deason. I actually got my sizable rear out of the chair and practiced this morning. This DVD/CD combination is great. The work out is 30 minutes and very intense. It is split between standing and sitting poses and emphasizes breath work. There is breath work at both the beginning of the practice and the end. The DVD is 50 minutes long and includes both a 30 minute total body practice (that is what I did) and a 20 minute energy balancing practice. The CD is 15 minutes and guides you through a morning mini yoga practice. I will add a link for this to Favorites-Yoga. Pick up a copy and check it out.

Peace,
Laura

I have so much to talk about. Saturday I spent the entire day at my Texas Democrat Senatorial Convention. I arrived at 8:00 am and did not leave until 6:00 pm and all we did was pick a delegate and an alternate for Obama to go to the Texas State Democrat Convention in Austin. I did a lot of knitting, crocheting, and people watching. The time thing was not because they did not know what they were doing, it is just that no one knows what to do when people actually show up to participate in the process. I thought it was all very organized and civilized for the amount of people who showed up. Our precinct was close though, 190 for Obama and 150 for Clinton. I still don't know what is going to happen, but I sure hope that McCain does not win because the Dems did not have their act together.

On the Green Front Saturday I am going to the Green Consumer Expo here in Houston. I will report back what I found. At Targets today I found some new "green" products put out by, of all people, Clorox. The brand is called Green Works and can be found at most stores. The price point was very reasonable as well.

On the Crochet Front Congratulations to Marley of The Yarn Thing Podcast, www.yarnthing.blogspot.com , she is going to have one of her designs published in the Fall 2008 Interweave Crochet Magazine. I can not wait to see what it is. If I start another thing without finishing something, I should be shot. It is like everyday I feel the urge to start something new. I have projects all over the house. As I finish them, I will take pictures and share.

Please send any comments and pictures of your completed works.

Peace,
Laura

Sorry so spotty lately, but my aunt is in the hospital and I've had a lot of school work, plus I have done a lot of crocheting, but:

On the Green Front My most embarrassing "green" moment. I went to Lane Bryant on Saturday to buy bras and Spanx, I left my bags in the car, and, when I came out, there were men working on a front end loader right out the front door. There I was holding 2 bras on hangers and a Spanx envelope. I was not parked very close either, but I just looked straight ahead and went to the car and got in. Maybe that is enough to make me not forget my bags again.

Peace
Laura

Happy Easter

This is not the best Sunday to do a weight loss update since I just had chocolate pie at my aunt's house for Easter dinner. And it was good. I have started Weight Watchers, again, but this time I am going to make it. I am even counting the points for today's Easter lunch. I think everyone knows that Weight Watchers is the best way to lose weight, it just is not a quick fix, which is what everyone wants. I am doing Weight Watchers Online, www.weightwatchers.com . I am down about 1 lb. but have a long way to go. Lets hope I am giving you an update next Sunday instead of giving up.

Peace
Laura

Saturday Morning Book Review

The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare

If you like Science Fiction, you will like The Winter's Tale. You may say, "All of Shakespeare's works have some form of weirdness to them," and you may be right, but in the play the seemingly non-real elements take you by surprise. I did not enjoy this play when I first read it about 6 months ago because of the male chauvinist main character, but as I have had time to live with it and revisit it, The Winter's Tale has grown on me. In fact, I am writing a 12 page paper on different critical views from just one scene of this play for Literary Theory. There is also a very good video by the Royal Shakespeare Company of this work. You can find this play, like all of Shakespeare's works, in many ways; from www.gotenburgpress.org, from Amazon (I will add a link on Favorites-Book Reviews), and in audio form from www.audible.com. Even though the TV writers have gone back to work, please don't spend all of your time catching up on your favorite shows. Spend some time as a family reading the classics like they used to do before TV.

Happy Reading,
Laura

Sorry about yesterday. I had to take my mother to doctor appointments and that ended up taking all day. Nothing wrong, just routine. She did buy me 2 pairs of shoes for the trouble so I think it was a day well spent.

On the Green Front. I have found a website with the coolest eco friendly clothes. It is called Rooted to Nature and can be found at http://www.rootedtonature.com/ . They carry both men's and women's natural clothing and accessories, and they go to size 1x. I have contacted them about carrying at least up to 3x and they said that they get this request all of the time, but nobody makes 3x eco wear. If we can find them some they said to let them know, and they are working with manufacturers to let them know that there is a need that is not being filled. Maybe we can get something going for us less than petite individuals. They have a cool radio show that you can listen to from their site; I have not figured out if you can podcast it or not. If you figure this out let us all know with a comment. Check them out and give them some business if you see something you like.

On the Crochet Front I have got lots of pictures.

This is a picture of the blanket that I am making for my son. He and his friend wanted me to make them blankets for their graduations. They wanted something with a bowling motif, but I could not find anything and the one I was designing would have had way too many ends to weave and it just was not turning out right. This blanket is done in I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby. My son picked out the color and it will have a black border and is worked with a 5.5 crochet hook. When I have completed it I will post the pattern.

This is a eco friendly yarn made by Rowan, Rowan Pure Life. It is organic cotton and natural dyes. I am going to use it to make Ophelia from www.amingledyarn.wordpress.com . I can't wait to get started on it.

This is Ty-Dy yarn in a green colorway and a pink colorway. I am going to use it for the Christmas scarfs that I make for a couple of people each year. I am using a pattern from the 2008 Spring Interweave Knits magazine. I will add a link to that on Favorites-Crochet.

This is my first Lorna Laces. I have no idea what I am going to start with it, but it may be a bag.

This is just some really cool yarn that I found, and I had to have it for my stash.

Leave me comments and let me know what you are crocheting or knitting or whatever else you do to be creative.

Peace

Laura

Happy Anniversary

Five years ago today we invaded Iraq. In that 5 years we have lost 3,990 American lives and have spent $406.2 Billion on the effort. I want you to think about this and let it sink in. What have we received for this loss of life and price tag? The US economy is tanking by the minute, investment banks are going under, the price for a barrel of oil is higher than ever, I think I want my money back. Yes, it is true that we have not been attacked again on US soil, but how do we know that they were even planning another attack this soon. Remember, these groups seem to wait between attacks and they do have to raise funds between attacks. Maybe it has all been worth it, but I just don't like war and I don't see anyway out of this one. Every month that we stay in Iraq it costs $12 Billion. I am sure that $12 Billion could help a lot of families who are being forced out of their homes because of foreclosure, or the people who are not able to afford their medicine and food in the same month, or the person who is forced to not have a medical procedure done because their HMO won't approve it. We have got to have a change and the only way we can do that is with our votes. Please, please, please vote this year and vote for change. I don't think we can make it another 8 years with what we have now.

Sorry about the rant, but it is how I feel and I think on this anniversary it needed to be addressed.

On a lighter note, I will have a big yarn, crochet, knitting blog tomorrow. I will be taking pictures the rest of the afternoon to prepare.

Peace
Laura

Since I have not posted a book review in a while, I thought I would post a Saturday Morning Book Review today. The book that I am going to review is Kindred by Octvia E. Butler. It is a time travel book and the time that the main character, Dana, travels back to is the South during the time of slavery. Dana lives in 1976, she is black and she is married to a white man. As a white woman, this book has deepened my disgust toward my race and what they were capable of doing to other humans. This is not to say that if I had been born in the South during that time and this was all that I knew, that I would not have been part of the problem, but I would hope that somewhere inside of me I would know that this was wrong and work to make it right. This is a book that you will get caught up in and you will not be able to put it down, you have to know what happens next. This book is so intriguing because it looks at slavery from a black point of view, but from a modern perspective, yet it does so through a very captivating story. I think it makes this subject accessible to more people. The reason why this is such an appropriate book for right now is because of all of the racial topics being raised because of Obama's campaign. So in honor of his speech today, get a copy of Kindred and enjoy the story. If it also provokes inward thoughts, then sit a moment in silence and let yourself examine them. I think we all could use a little self-examination these days.

Send comments. I have added Kindred to Favorites-Book Reviews.

Peace
Laura

I am so bad. I have been so busy. I promise a long, regular post tomorrow.

Peace,
Laura

I have a very busy weekend and I will not post again until Sunday night or Monday. Sorry, just busy.

Peace,
Laura

Quick post. Here are my latest completed projects:

This is my dear sister-in-law's scarf.

This is my dear sister-in-law's hat (not on my dear sister-in-law's head).

And finally, this is my dear niece's hat that goes with her scarf which I have already posted. It is the chocolate and vanila frosting scarf.

Post more tomorrow.

Peace,

Laura

Good afternoon. Motto for the day: "He without sin, cast the first stone." I don't know if that is an exact quote, but close enough. It is from the Bible. I am referring to the Governor of New York who got caught with his pants down, so to speak. They say he was a tough guy and brought as many on Wall Street down as he could. He should have made sure that his own house was in order. I think it is kind of cool that the guy taking his place has been blind since birth. That goes to show that if a person tries they can do anything since running the New York is like running a country, and not a small one at that.

On the Crochet/Knit Front I am weaving in the ends of my sister in laws scarf. She also requested hats for herself and my niece. I will have to think on that when the scarf is completely finished.

On the Green Front Let's talk about plug-in hybrid electric vehicle or PHEV. How do they work and how long will it be before we can get one? Toyota is set to offer a plug in Prius by 2010 and the Chevy Volt will be debuting at the same time (I hope my dear van can hold out that long.) Both the Volt and the Toyota will be fueled by lithium-ion batteries. These are the type of batteries you have in your digital camera. They can hold a charge longer than normal batteries. These cars are charged by being plugged into a normal power outlet (I will be forced to clean out my garage, at least I have until 2010.)

"Each charge, which takes about four hours, uses the equivalent of 2.7 kilowatt hours of electricity, said Jaycie Chitwood, a senior strategic planner in Toyota’s advanced technologies group."

GM said that the Volt would be able to go about 40 miles on one charge, so even if you can not charge your car at work, at least one way to work will be on electricity so that should cut your gas usage in half. If you work close to home or just tool around town running errands, then it will all be electric. The only downside is the increase in need for electricity which could be produced in less than ecofriendly ways, such as coal. There are always trade offs so before you buy you need to do your homework. In the long run we would at least become less dependant on foreign oil.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/business/14cnd-plug.html?pagewanted=1&WT.mc_id=BI-S-E-YH-NA-NA-hybrid_toyota_news&WT.mc_ev=click&ei=5087&en=eea2fe9f71f77972&ex=1215925200&WT.srch=1&excamp=OVBUhybridtoyotanews
By MICHELINE MAYNARD
Published: January 14, 2008

On the Weight Loss Front I worked out yesterday even though I said I was not going to. Today I am not going to. Yea for yesterday.

Peace,
Laura

Today I have no pictures to post of finished crochet and knit projects. I am working like the devil on a scarf that my sister-in-law needs by Thursday, when it is finished I will post pictures.

On the Crochet/Knit Front I would like to let you know about a great new blog that I have found. It is called A Mingled Yarn and can be found at http://amingledyarn.wordpress.com/ .
I have added it as a link in my links group. This blog deals with sewing, knitting, and books. Right up my alley. The blogger has some great original knit patterns for some beautiful tops. Check it out.

Long ago when I did my blog on goals for the year, I said that one of my goals was to have company more. Well we have friends coming in tomorrow and I am no more organized or prepared for this then I ever have been. Today is my housewife day and I am cleaning and getting the house ready. My husband and son are helping which is great.

On the Weight Loss Front I did not work out yesterday and I doubt I work out today, but I will get back on tract tomorrow, hopefully. I have really been watching what I eat.

Send comments.

Peace,
Laura

On the Green Front This is interesting, the Vatican is going green and has named eco sins as some of the top sins.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Thou shall not pollute the Earth. Thou shall beware genetic manipulation. Modern times bring with them modern sins. So the Vatican has told the faithful that they should be aware of "new" sins such as causing environmental blight.

You can read the whole article at http://green.yahoo.com/news/nm/20080310/hl_nm/pope_sins_dc.html

I am not sure how I feel about this. I am not Catholic, but I feel that environmental issues are socio-political issues not religious. I feel that if you do believe in God and you are a person of true faith, you will want to take care of the world that God has given us to live on, but that, like any other point of faith, is personal between you and God. Fight environmental damage by being an example and supporting political legislation that helps, but it should not be part of our churches. Weren't the pagan religions based on Mother Earth?

On the Green Front 2 Have you heard about drugs in the drinking water? You can find out all about it at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,336286,00.html . It is not enough that we are being drugged by eating meat that has been shot up with steroids, growth hormones and antibiotics, now we can't drink water either. Check out the article.

Send me comments and questions about any of these items or anything else on your mind.

Peace,
Laura

I am sorry about the late blog today and no Book Review yesterday, but I have got a lot of school work and other things to get done, which leads to:

On the Crochet/knitting Front My dear sister in law saw the Chocolate and Vanilla Frosting scarf that I knitted for my niece and she had to have one too. I have to have it finished by Wednesday. I am working hard.

On the Weight Loss Front I worked out at Curves 4 days last week and I plan to go tomorrow. I am really watching what I eat as well. At least I feel better. I am currently making some yummy bran muffins to have ready for breakfast next week. I just tried one and they are great. It was the Make Ya Go Bran Muffin recipe from How it All Vegan. I love this cookbook. There is one of the best brownie recipes ever in it and, yes, they are vegan brownies, not an egg in sight.

On the Green Front I had to take out a whole basket full of yarn and things that I bought at Hobby Lobby yesterday. I don't know why I can't seem to remember my bags there. I will have to work on that.

Peace,
Laura

Not much today. I joined Curves again yesterday and had a great workout. I am going to go here in a minute. I made lots of progress on my son's blanket and it is looking great. I also made some progress on my sweater and I can't wait until it is finished. More tomorrow.

Peace,
Laura

I caucused last night. Some of you may have seen on the news that some of the Texas caucuses got a little wild, but ours was very orderly, just long. We were there until nine o'clock. I was chosen as a delegate to go on to the District Convention, I will report back how that goes. I still can not believe that Hillary took the Texas popular vote, because our caucus was overwhelmingly Obama people. I still wonder about the accuracy of the voting machines. We should go back to paper or have some kind of double counting system, like paper against machine. In accounting, which is my Bachelors Degree, every number has a check and a balance, shouldn't counting our votes be held to at least that standard?

On the Green Front If you have not signed up for the Ideal Bite e:newsletter yet then shame on you, but just in case you have not I want to share their article on filing your taxes, April 15 th is not that far away. Here is the article and, remember, go to www.idealbite.com and sign up:

Need happy pills to get you through tax filing?
The BiteChin up. Filing taxes online makes the ordeal a lot less suicide-inducing. If we all do it, we'll save major paper and postage - plus filing online slashes the (typically taxing) wait for returns.
The Benefits
Easy does it. Web programs and PC software guide you through the filing process. Bonus: no standing in post office lines with other last-minute filers.
Rapid returns. If you e-file, you can expect to get your return in about half the time it would take with paper.
Not wasting W-2 much paper. The IRS processes over 2 bil sheets of paper each year. E-filing means fewer forms, and getting your refund deposited directly in your account saves even more paper.
It's accurate. The IRS says e-filing is 99% accurate, versus about 80% accurate with paper.
Personally SpeakingWe admit that saving the environment didn't cross our minds when we first e-filed - we just want our refunds, stat.
Wanna Try?
IRS E-file - 24-7 federal filing online; free if you make less than $54,000/year. (Note: the IRS may send you info in the mail with a code you need to enter on its site.)
Federation of Tax Administrators - see if your state offers online filing.
TurboTax Deluxe Online - tax software that makes filing even easier than IRS e-filing. Also: simpler, free edition for people with straightforward assets and income ($60/federal and state).
Tax Incentives Assistance Project - if you saved energy at home or with a fuel-efficient car purchase in 2007, you could be eligible for a tax credit.
Mint - free, online money management software so you can prep for a richer 2009.


Look into filing your taxes in a more "green" way this year. I have used Turbo Tax forever, www.turbotax.com , and I love it. We get our refund back in about 2 weeks with direct deposit.

On the Crochet/knit Front I got to knit a lot last night at the caucus, there is a lot of just sitting around. I kind of liked that part. Let me know what you have on your hooks and needles.

On the Weight Loss Front I am going to go and rejoin Curves this morning and make myself go. I think I felt better mentally when I worked out there, even if it was just a couple of times a week, just because I had to go and I had to sign in. It sounds stupid I know, but weight loss is a mental game. I will let you know tomorrow if I really do it.

Send comments.

Peace,
Laura