Indulgence.

The holidays is a time for indulgence, don't you think? After what seem like months of working on my research project, and studying for another Botany exam, and working diligently on my holidays knits, it is time for a little "R & R" and succulent dyed fibers.

I dub the left one "Safari," and the right one "Gypsy." I experimented with water-painting, starting with a base color and adding new ones to the pot, and voila! Something exciting and filled with an abundance of colors within colors. If you were to hold these skeins in person, you would see many different colors of green, violet, blue,...you get the picture. I can't wait to knit these skeins up!

What else have I been up to?
Well, I finished reading The Rescue, by Nicolas Sparks. It was a great read-definitely a "chick choice." The plot was a little predictable, but it lived up to the page-turner type. I recommend this to anyone who likes romance, chick-flick movies, heart-string pullers, and just plain 'ol good writing. I also just finished another book today while sipping coffee at Caribou Coffee (read out-of-order in my series like the other two books): Death on Beacon Hill, by P.B Ryan. It's a really good series, if you are interested in 19th century Boston storylines that has a slowly flourishing romance between two of the main characters. Uh! I know "Will" is just a character, but man is he hot! (and rich! But that shouldn't matter.)

I started knitting the pattern I just designed for the "Winter" installment of our sockclub. It's interesting, fun to knit up, and simple on the noggin'. You can't get better than that. Plus, I think that the pattern really compliments the colorway Liz dyed up. I'm about 3 inches through the leg.

This year, I have devised a system for maximum good-eats:
1. If you've been standing by the snack-food for over 15 minutes, you are already in trouble. If you ate a whole plate's worth of snack-food...you better save yourself some effort and loosen your belt right now.
2. First scour out the important "must have" food items that you couldn't live without. Put a nice portion of each item on your plate. BUT WAIT! Don't put too much. If your plate is completely full at this time...you were a little zealous in your "hot-item" endeavours.
3. Take less mashed potatoes. They fill you up way too much. Place a small heap on your plate and move on! If you still want more, eat the leftovers.
4. Corn... Corn??? In my house, it's cooked so long that there aren't even nutrients left in the darn golden things. Take a very small serving. And not too many greenbeens either. (Same problem.)
5. ONE roll. I repeat... ONE ROLL. Two will do you in. Rookie mistake.
6. Eat slower. Do some quality talking with your family and let your stomach tell you when it's full. That way, you can still eat dessert before midnight.
7. If you are drinking milk with dinner, you better loose the mashies.
8. If you need two regular plates for dinner, you know you aren't going to have room for dessert.

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!
I'm in charge of cranberries (simmered in Red wine & sugar) and my "mini pumpkin cakes" for dessert.