Emptyknitster

These are the cutest little Easter critters I've seen in a long time! They take about an hour to make and if you have some DK in your stash the only cost is the chocolate egg. There is plenty of time to make all four before Easter, so get hopping! Pattern: Jean Greenhowe's Easter Egg Treats Yarn: Easter colored DK Needles: Size 6, size 2

The school district I work for is the 20th largest district in the state. There are approximately 1200 students K -8. We are in three separate buildings and the primary, intermediate and middle school teachers seldom see each other. For the last four Tuesdays a delightful assortment of eight teachers have been meeting in my room for a math/knitting class. My student/teachers have been so enthusiastic! They have spent time learning to knit and using that skill to practice: skip count, estimate, average, find area and perimeter, patterning, mass, and figure cost of a project. They've learned so much and we've had a great time... It's been a great reminder to us -"This is such a good lesson. I think I feel just like the kids when they learn a new skill and are having to work through their frustrations and then persevering until they succeed." Great application - "I can't even count and keep the number of stitches I need on the needle!" A new ap...

After a very cold and snowy winter it's nice to see the sun shining on our first day of spring!  Although this is the time of year that all Montanans know in their hearts there will be at least one more snowstorm, we also know that the worst is over. We begin to bring home plants for our gardens and decks, knowing in our hearts that it is to early. Just looking at them on our dining table or in a corner of the living room makes us joyous.  I bought a new hibiscus yesterday. It's the same type as my hibiscus Mom had given me years ago but it has a solid braided trunk. I'm hoping I'll have it for many years.  Hubby was looking for a new thermostat for the furnace and instead of going straight to a hardware store, he was sure that he could find what he needed at HIS favorite store - Costco. He was wrong and so we went to his second favorite store, Sam's Club. Still no luck, he was wrong . Finally, still not wanting to go to the hardware store, he found success at W...

Today Hubby requested meatloaf for dinner.  Usually people just put a little of this and a little of that in their meatloaf then pop it into the oven. But next time YOUR hubby requests meatloaf, give this recipe a try. Many years ago my sister-in-law, Linda, gave me a cookbook with the best meatloaf recipe ever! Truthfully, I think two things make an outstanding meatloaf: good quality hamburger and horseradish.  Marvelous Meat Loaf 1 cup bread crumbs 2 T wheat germ 1/3 cup minced onions 1 T minced green pepper 1 egg, slightly beaten 1pound ground beef 1T horseradish 1 1/4 t garlic salt 1/2 t dry mustard 2T milk 2T ketchup Mix well, shape meat into loaf and put in shallow baking pan. Spread to with 1/4 cup ketchup Bake 60 minutes at 350 degrees. Usually I have baked potatoes with this but today we're having pasta salad and asparagus. Enjoy!

Last week I knit socks. I had a lovely emerald green yarn, I knit one sock and knew they would be perfect for Saint Patrick's Day. Then I bought more sock yarn and just wanted to see what it would look like knit into a sock. By the end of the week I had two great completed socks and four days before the big day. Where is the "Luck of the Irish" when you need it... or a little Leprechaun to do some knitting? I just couldn't get the second sock done but don't despair, I created a pair for the day: A Rainbow over the Emerald Isle!

For over a year I've been searching for gold yarn. Finally, Vanna was successful where my beloved LYS failed me. While walking down the aisle of Michael's, shining up at me was a lovely skein of Loin Brand Vanna's Glamour in taupe. The hat turned out quite nice and I can't wait to see Brynna wearing it. This pattern is a keeper, and although I love the pink, a future hat will be knit in a royal purple for the next prince or princess that makes an appearance! Princess Brynna's Crown Hat Pattern: Princess Crown by Alison Stewart-Guinee Yarn:Plymouth Yarn Dreambaby DK Solid, pink          Loin Brand Vanna's Glamour, taupe Needle size: US 4 and 5 I also completed the pair of socks I started on the plane. In the pink socks Pattern: Donna's Easy Sock Pattern Yarn: Paton's Kroy Socks Stripe Needle size: US 2 This sock craziness has got to stop, I've also started two more pairs but have completed only one in each yarn just because I wan...

The perfect screen saver...

Each day was wonderful on Paradise. But all good things must come to an end.... Tidal Pool sunset, across from our house Observatory sunset... Hapuna sunset... Kona Coast sunset... Mauna Kea sunset... Kona sunset... If you lived this everyday what would you have to look forward to?

We were enjoying an open air market in Kona when Hubby heard another tourist talking about a "really great tour" he had taken to the lava fields. Hubby was unable to resist this adventure, there is something about the combination of fire, being a male and a fireman that got his blood flowing... First thing the next morning, we were on the road to the volcano. It's a beautiful drive, from the west side of the island - dry and full of beaches, up to Parker Ranch - lush and green, to the east side - rainforests and cooler.  We went to the summit of Kilauea and checked out the crater. The crater inside the larger crater of Kilauea We visited a park were you can see the devastation caused by earlier flows into the ocean. Owners of the land prior to the eruption are now just beginning to rebuild, although a home was lost last month because of the lava. The end of the road... A brave soul, with an ocean view and a "glow in the evening"... Then on to finding...

As far as animals were concerned, there were several firsts on our vacation. At the beginning of our stay we woke up to some very familiar bird sounds.... Knock, knock. Who's there? "Your friends - the turkeys, and it's a hella'va lot nicer here than in Montana!" Why did the turkey cross the road? To get to the beach, silly! We had never seen a manta ray at Hapuna Beach, so that was very exciting to be able to swim with one, and there was also a turtle at Hapuna which, although not a first, was still exciting. On other beaches we saw many pretty birds, turtles, sea cucumbers, sand crabs, whales, and just hanging loose were the geckos and mongooses.

One of the great things about this vacation was just relaxing on the beach reading. I packed Pillars of the Earth by Follett and lugged it on the plane across the country thinking that this one book would be my entire two week vacation read. I was off on my estimation and instead the book turned out to be only an eight day read. In hindsight quickly finishing a book shouldn't have been a surprise when reading is your only activity other than: 1) rolling over every 20 minutes to ensure an even tan 2) moving under the umbrella to avoid a burn  3) dangling your toes into the ocean If you like historical fiction, England, and books that span over many years of a medieval family's life, this read is a must. I was glad to have finished any book. I hadn't read a book since summer, but there were 6 more sand filled days to go before we flew home, hmmmm...    We were staying in a house that had a small bookshelf. While snooping, I hit pay dirt! At the time, I thought ...

Hubby is a very hard guy to buy a gift for but the gu rls outdid themselves! For his birthday, knowing we were going to make this trip to Hawaii, they bought him a tour to the Mauna Kea Observatory. Lucky me, it was a ticket for two!!  We meet our tour group at three o'clock in 83 degree heat. The tour guide was a geologist and while driving up the mountain he talked nonstop about the island. Great information! Until the drive up we didn't know that there a re two types of lava rock:     "...pahoehoe (pa-hoy-hoy) and a'a (ah ah). Pahoehoe lava comes out smooth and dense and can form large areas that resemble flat parking lots or smooth bumps. A'a, on the other hand, forms individual rocks anywhere from a few inches to many feet in size. The rocks are porous and very jagged. In general, pahoehoe is very easy to walk on and a'a is very difficult, if not nearly impossible, to walk on (at least without getting hurt)." Or this tidbit: "Mauna Kea...