4 year WIP -- done!!

i started this christmas tree skirt 4 years ago -- November 2002. i started a few months after getting engaged, and hoped to get it done in time for our first Christmas as an engaged couple. yeah i know, i get sappy sometimes! anyway, i got a lot of it done in that first month or so, but not in time for Christmas 2002. so i let it languish in the WIP pile and thought maybe i'd get it done in time for Christmas 2003. well by that time the wedding was called off blah blah blah and i was SO not interested in finishing it. in the WIP pile it stayed until this past Friday night. i realized that i was SO CLOSE to finishing it, and decided that now was as good a time as any to "get 'r done!" and here it is, under mz's newly decorated christmas tree:

one word meme -- no cheating!!

this is gonna be a challenge and i'm not sure i'll be able to do it but...here goes!!

(stolen from lisa)

1. Yourself: fun
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend (spouse): who?
3. Your hair: curly
4. Your mother: wise
5. Your Father: calm
6. Your Favorite Item: Yarn
7. Your dream last night: s-e-x*
8. Your Favorite drink: mojito
9. Your Dream Car: tuareg
10. The room you are in: livingroom
11. Your Ex: whatshisname
12. Your fear: snakes
13. What you want to be in 10 years? alive!
14. Who you hung out with last night? me
15. What You're Not: hungry
16. Muffins: blueberry
17. One of Your Wish List Items: camera
18. Time: 11
19. The Last Thing You Did: typed
20. What You Are Wearing: jeans
21. Your Favorite Weather: hot
22. Your Favorite Book: mockingbird
23. The Last Thing You Ate: pudding
24. Your Life: fun
25. Your Mood: content
26. Your best friend: n&n
27. What are you thinking about right now? knitting
28. Your car: pontiac
29. What are you doing at the moment? typing
30. Your summer: Short
31. Your relationship status: single
32. What is on your TV? closer
33. What is the weather like? chilly
34. When is the last time you laughed? earlier
35. Who do you tag? Anyone

* Stash Enhancement eXpedition

all this for $20?

yup, you read that right. i got ALLLLL the yarn in that pile for $20. a friend of mine told me that there was yarn @ big lots, so you know me, i promptly went to see what i could see. there was a big yellow bin with a ton of yarn. it had been pretty well picked over, but i found 20 balls of this bernat galaxy yarn for $1 apiece. here's proof:



i don't remember the names of the colors i got but i now have a bunch of a nice reddish color, some in a dark gray color, and a few in a purply color. i've started knitting up the red in size 15s. i need a nice new looooooooog red scarf. this stuff fits the bill.



i just can't pass up a bargain like this...especially on yarn!

in other news, mz went dancing again last night. had a great time at this little spot called Due Amici. it's an italian restaurant, but they had a cozy little area adjacent to the eating area that had a dj and salsa dancing. the fellow i danced with the other night called me up and asked me if i'd like to go. i did. and we danced. a LOT. i was sweating in places that i didn't know i -could- sweat. but it was soooo much fun. a couple of folks mentioned that we dance well together, which is a fine compliment since i don't think i'm all that good! but practice makes perfect, right? riiiiiight.

speaking of practice, i'd LOVE to go to chicago in february. if at all possible i am SO there!

she's a dance dance dance dance dancin' machine...

y'all might remember that last summer i started salsa dancing on a fairly regular basis. well, like i do on most tuesday nights (as my busy schedule allows), i got dressed and went to the dance hall. i walked in, greeted a couple of friends, and went to the bar. joe, my favorite bartender, made me a deeeelicious margarita and i sat back down at a table. the beginning of the night is usually pretty slow. last night there were LOTS of people, but not many who were actually dancing. so i sat there, sipping my drink, and feeling the vibe of the place.

as i was sitting there in "chill" mode, i saw this tall, attractive fellow that i hadn't seen before. i kept my eye on him as i watched him dance. he was oh so smooth, i could tell he was having fun! yeah, before long i had decided that i'd like to dance with him before the night was over.

not too long after i made up my mind, here he was at my table, asking if i'd like to dance. i said, "sure!" but in my mind i was thinking, "hell yeah i would!" :-) i took his hand and followed him to the dance floor.

wow. this fellow was good. he led, and for the most part i did what he led me to do. it was easy. it flowed. even though he is waaaaaayyyy taller than me (even in my high high heels), dancing with him wasn't awkward. i've danced with tall guys before and it was pretty much a disaster LOL but not this time. he adapted, and it was almost like the height difference didn't exist. all i could think was wow. i wanted to dance with this guy all night...

...and aside from a couple of breaks for cold water and a quick trip outside for fresh air, that's exactly what happened. one dance led to another, and to another and before i knew it, the band was playing the final song of the night.

haha you don't think that was IT, do ya? of COURSE not! we exchanged business cards, and he walked me to my car. we said our good nights, and that we'd look forward to seeing and dancing with each other again soon. too bad he has to work saturday, cuz i invited him to come with me to a friend's house to watch "The Game."

when we got to my car, i handed him my key, and he graciously unlocked and opened my door, closed it once i was in, and waited until my car started. mz just loves it when a man knows how to be a gentleman. that speaks volumes.

so anyway, that's all i will say about that. my feet ache, and my legs are a little sore ... that's what i get for dancing in 3-inch heels all night. but i had a great time!

reading knitting blogs is a good thing!

so i was over at my girl kelly's blog and i spotted this fabulous shrug:




isn't it lovely? methinks i need one in some shade of red!

another FO ... woo hoo!

check out the rainbow toddler socks:



i don't know if i will give these away or keep them. i've decided to start a stash of baby clothes for the babies i don't have yet :-)

the beginning of a baby hat

so last night i finished up my red socks (which my feet totally love, by the way!), and have a lot of yarn left over. i remembered that i have a lonely ball of "forever jacquard" sock yarn that in red, gray, white and black. so.... being the fabulous auntie that i am, i decided that my cuddlebug needs a hat to wear while he's cheering for the Ohio State Buckeyes! here's what it looks like so far:



i'd also like to make a hat for cuddlebug's 3-year-old brother (who doesn't have a nickname yet), and maybe some baby socks for my other nephew who i will meet for the first time christmas (he doesn't have a nickname yet either!).

guess i better knit faster, cuz instead of starting stuff, i'm SUPPOSED to be on a finishing spree to finish up all these languishing WIPs!!!

my red socks are finally DONE!!!

and here's a picture to prove it:



i started these in march 2005 (i think), and finally finished them. they are so warm and cozy...i promise the next pair won't take so long!!

i'm bored!

it's friday night, and i'm sitting @ home, watching tv, knitting, reading blogs, taking quizzes, and posting to my semi-orphaned blog (i promise to get better). i need a life!!

What American accent do you have? Your Result: Philadelphia Your accent is as Philadelphian as a cheesesteak! If you're not from Philadelphia, then you're from someplace near there like south Jersey, Baltimore, or Wilmington. If you've ever journeyed to some far off place where people don't know that Philly has an accent, someone may have thought you talked a little weird even though they didn't have a clue what accent it was they heard. (mz's comment: this is particularly interesting because i'm from OHIO!!) What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

48 things (that you could probably care less) about ME!

I stole this from Amy's blog :-)

1. FIRST NAME? eboni

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? no, but i LOVE my name

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? last week when i was moping around feeling sorry for myself. but i'm SO over that now, thank goodness.

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? yes...most of the time.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? smoked ham. smoked turkey. roast beef.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? hell yeah!

7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? besides my blog...yeah i have a lovely moleskine journal.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yep.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? like whitney houston said, "hell to the naw!"

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? eh, i'm not much of a cereal eater but lately i've been hooked on stawberry fields from trader joe's.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? no, so i untie them to put them on. go figure. i've always done stuff the hard way.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? sometimes.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? i love most any flavor of ice cream. it's one of my many favorite foods!

14. SHOE SIZE? 9

15. RED OR PINK? red. or crimson. or scarlet. pretty much any shade of red :-)

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? my IMPATIENCE!!! i really gotta work on that!!

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My granddaddy.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? no! steal it from here if you want, and put it on your blog...i'll read it there!

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? black v-neck tee shirt, dark blue jeans and white socks. no shoes.

20. LAST THING YOU ATE? slivered almonds. yeah i really need to fix dinner!

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? watching yesterday's episode of "grey's anatomy." thank goodness for dvr!

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? RED!!!!

23. FAVORITE SMELL? i have a lot of favorite smells. right now my favorite is lavender.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? my momma.

25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? their smiles :-) i love when people have smiles that just light up the room...

26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? well i haven't met her but she's a knitter, and i haven't met a knitter i didn't like!

27. FAVORITE DRINK? lots of favorites. iced tea. iced tea w/lemonade. mojitos. pepsi with lime.

28. FAVORITE SPORT? i love watching NFL football. GO STEELERS!!!

29. EYE COLOR? brown

30. HAT SIZE? damn if i know!

31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? yes. since i was 12.

32. FAVORITE FOOD? i love to eat. not terribly picky. hell it's probably easier to tell you what i DON'T like: olives. raw tomatoes. brussel sprouts. beets. avocadoes.

33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? either one. depends on my mood.

35. SUMMER OR WINTER? summer!!

36. HUGS OR KISSES? both. i'm greedy :-)

37. FAVORITE DESSERT? ice cream!

38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? who knows?

39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? i dunno....

40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? the fourth harry potter book. can't remember the name of it.

41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? i don't use a mousepad, i have an optical mouse.

42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? grey's anatomy. great show.

43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? um, if i tell you that would be WAAAAYYYY too much information...

44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Beatles.

45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? London, England.

46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? being a good friend...does that count?

47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Ohio

48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I stole it from Amy's blog.