blogger, shmogger; snow shmow

What's up with the updated blogger? It is supposed to be easier, but I can't figure out how (or where in the template) to add things with html code. Mainly I would like to add my flickr badge back in. Anyone know how to do that? Other than that I have made a few small updates to the blog appearance...(not very exciting stuff)

This weekend I went to the Twin Cities. The plan was to meet Blue (who was riding with a friend), and for us all to attend another friend's wedding. Unfortunately, the crazy winter storm prohibited travel starting late friday night (I headed over friday afternoon).
Another twist occurred; the friend I planned to stay with had a baby Friday evening (contractions started that morning). She wasn't due for another week, but they arrive when they want to. So I called up my cousin and arranged to stay with her and her family. I had a great time there, they fed me the best food and I got to play with their adorable baby the whole time.

I went to the hospital on Saturday (before the wedding) to check out the newborn. She was really cute (surprisingly- they usually just aren't that cute). Then I attended the wedding, stag. It was fun and nice to see old friends. There was no dancing for me, even if I had someone to dance with, I am pretty sure the new knee isn't up for it quite yet. I called it an early evening and headed back to my cousins, the accumulating snow made the drive back to my cousin's long and treacherous.

On a knitting note, a few petite gifts were given to the babies - small socks, little square booties, and a hat.

(delicious cream puffs made by my cousin's husband, photo by one of them)

Kiwi money

Blue's mom was able to finagle some New Zealand dollars (ordered from a bank, I believe) especially for us. She gave them to us as part of our going away present. Aren't they pretty? There are little translucent windows in them.

Old photos

My mom recently acquired some old family photos. I have no idea who any of the people are in these particular photos or when they were taken, but maybe I have some new found ethnicity that I never knew about??? Check out the birds on the wires!

Exchanges

Blue and I were across the state on VD, but exchanged a few items the next evening while we drank some delicious Zin and enjoyed each others company. He got me the most exquisite and well presented chocolates I have ever seen (or tasted) from Candinas, a small chocolatier in Verona, WI. I just had the chocolate raspberry truffle, mmmm.

I made him a few toys, the scotty dog, and a cow (or bull) finger puppet (Last year he got the burro). These little finger puppets are cute, and although not really that technically difficult to make, they are challenging due to their inherent smallness. So although blue's most prized knitted items are toys, he only gets them on special occasions. There are 10 finger puppet patterns (I think) in the Weekend Knits book, I only have 8 left... (maybe 8 more vdays will do it)

Things that made me laugh today

- after i got to the dentist this morning, i noticed my new coat still had the tags on it- oops :)

- thinking about a story my mom told me this weekend about a drunken trip to a brewer's game that had many hilarious twists and turns but the kicker was that on the way home, shortly after making bedroom voices to truckers on the cb, her best friend got sick. So they pulled over and she ended up misjudging her step and rolling, head over heel, down a steep and tall embankment (the bf, not my mom), oh it still kills me.

- yoga, and trying to do the splits... and seeing that only 2 people in the room are even remotely close

- a story i read a couple weeks ago about yoga and being banned from gyms because farting is still funny ( crazy aunt purl), it keeps making me laugh, especially when people start snoring during relaxation at class

Links instead of pics...

Today I found lots of neat sewing related pages, mostly linked off HELLOmynameisHeather. She has a tutorial on a new (to me) anchor knot for hand stitching, a tutorial on fabric yo-yo's - which make way cool quilts, and a free pattern for baby booties. I have seen oodles of these baby booties on people's flick'r pages and they are so cute! There is also a link to a beautiful fabric gallery. This site has lots of fun little stuff too (free patterns!). ...Makes me want to become a full-time toy maker.

I was also happy to hear something on the news today, supposedly naps reduce the risk of heart problems. That's what I like to hear! Hopefully all my recent napping will pay off in the long run and help me ward off an encroaching flu... grrrrrr.

Is it just me or does this bunny have really wide hips/butt?

The Windy City, and then some

This weekend was spent in Chicago. I had a friend who needed to be visited and my little sister had a graduate school audition at Roosevelt University, so we combined the two. Saturday afternoon we went to the Museum of Science and Industry and viewed the Body World 2 exhibit. It was about what I expected, very interesting and a little disturbing. The skin and skin with hair on it were really the worst for me.

The weather in Chicago this weekend was atrocious, it was below zero and there were wind gusts up to 4o mph. Because we spent quite a bit of time downtown, the full force of the wind and cold were fully grasped. The natural elements also helped to kick in a lovely cold+fever that I think could have been fought off otherwise.

The chilling temperatures also occurred in Madison (and all over Wisconsin) which contributed to the temporary immobilization of my vehicle, but after some heet, gas, jump #1, lots of time, and jump #2, it started again and I was able to drive home today. With a little more rest and some knitting we should both be up to full strength in no time.