Sister Hazel Rocks Again!

Andrew Copeland

Ryan Newell dripping sweat on me.

Andrew, Ryan & Ken

Cardboard versions of the guys came out first.

This is the playlist for the concert that was on the stage by Andrew's feet. We were leaning against the stage so I could read the whole thing. I didn't even zoom in to get this pic, that's how close we were.

Brett leaning against the stage waiting for the concert to start.

Signed CD inserts.

Me & Ryan Newell, lead guitarist.

Me & Ken Block, lead singer.

It was another great Sister Hazel concert. These guys never disappoint. Very talented musicians indeed! We got to meet Ken, Ryan and Jett after the concert. They were all really nice and very appreciative of our support. When I pulled out my CD inserts every one of them thanked me for buying all of their albums. They actually seemed surprised. Great guys, great night! :)

We also got to meet the opening band, Shawn Fisher and the Jukebox Gypsys. Never heard of them before but they absolutely rocked the house. Shawn has a little Steven Tyler in him for sure. Really nice guys too. We bought their CD (and had is signed of course) and I have listened to it about 15 times already. They have some new fans!

The Great Dumpling Disaster

So this past wednesday was Nancy's (aka Nana's) birthday and I thought it would be nice to cook dinner for everyone. I know she likes my salad bar setup and chicken and dumplings and I've made that recipe so many times that I know it works. Or so I thought. So we have eight adults and six kids over for dinner and I'm running a little behind but not too bad. Got the salad bar up so everyone can make salads and wait for the dumplings. Got the dough made, got it all balled up and pinched off into the broth. Wait about ten minutes then add the chicken and egg back in the pot. Wait another five or ten minutes and test a dumpling just to be sure they are done before I tell everyone to grab a bowl. OMG! They are pure flour in the middle. I'm talking bite it open and loose flour falls all over your mouth. What in the world???? So I cook and cook and cook .... add water and cook some more ... I'm talking these things boiled for over an hour, if not closer to two. And they still were not cooked. I have never had this happen and I just don't understand it. I was ready to order pizza but everyone said they would eat them anyone. They ended up cutting the dumplings in half and let them absorb some juice. This was the strangest incident I think I have ever had in the kitchen. The recipe that I always use calls for self-rising flour which I never have on hand so I add in the salt and baking powder to make it self-rising. Well this time I happened to have a bag that we bought for something else and didn't use. This is the only difference between this night and the probably twenty other times I've made this recipe. And of course this would happen when I have a house full of people to feed. I really just don't understand it. Could the flour be bad in some way? Has anyone ever had an experience like this before? I totally puzzled.

Bad Blogger

Here's something to enjoy while you wait for me to get back to family blogging. Come cruise down the Santa Fe River with us for about 25 seconds. :)




And here's Tiki chilling on the boat. She is in heaven at the river.

Are Those Gloves? Or Heads? Hmmm....

This is what happens when the kids play in my fiber room while I'm photographing and listing yarn. I don't know how those dyeing gloves turned into heads. Silliness all around. :)

A Few Pictures from My Reunion Weekend in Bradenton

Please excuse the lack of blog posting lately. I've been busy as a bee.


Friends from the "old neighborhood".


Catching up at the Meet 'n Greet.


The view from our hotel room.


Us with my cousin Eric and his wife.


Goofiness.


Me and my cuz.


Rose and I have been friends forever.


Sandy and I have also been friends for even longer ... since we were about 7 or 8 years old.


My brother doing what he does best ... and Brody right there with him.


At the pool with Grandma.


Houston was so excited to ride his bike in Grandma's neighborhood without training wheels. Never even fell down!

Florida Etsy Street Team Ads

The Florida Etsy Street Team (etsyFEST) is putting together a catalog. I was an ad angel and made an ad for two of my teammates. I am no graphic artist and all I had to work from was their etsy shops and a few pics in a photobucket account. I think they turned out okay though. Any thoughts?

Endeavor Set to Launch ... again

Let's hope launch attempt #6 at 6:03 pm today is a go. We drove three hours to Titusville on Sunday for the boys to see a launch up close. Got scrubbed with about ten minutes to go due to weather. We had a great meal at our favorite restaurant though so it wasn't a total loss. MMMmmmmm.... rock shrimp! It was a nice little trip down memory lane as well. I sure do miss living down there.

What Have I Been Up To?

The Tour de Fleece 2009! See the Rocket Yarn Blog for details. Here are a few pics to give you an idea...

Birthday Reflections

To me a birthday is much like the first day of the year. It is a time to reflect on life ... where you've been, where you are and where you are headed. It works out well for me that my birthday happens to fall smack dab in the middle of the year. It's also a time to celebrate life and all that you have ... friends, family, accomplishments, etc. Because if you don't celebrate your own life, nobody is going to do it for you.

I had a great birthday weekend. We spent Saturday on the river with family and had a really nice day. Nancy made me a really yummy birthday cake and everyone sung happy birthday to me. Sunday morning Brett made me a yummy veggie omelet. Then that afternoon I had my knitting group here in Lake City that I started back in October. It was a really great meeting. We had some guests from the Gainesville group and we even had a new member join us. Diane moved here two weeks ago and found us through Ravelry. (Yay Ravelry!) I even got birthday gifts! I was blown away by that ... totally unexpected. Really gave me the warm fuzzies. :) Starting this group is one of the best things I've done for myself since we moved to Lake City. It has brought all kinds of friendship and happiness into my life. Then Sunday evening we drove to Gainesville to meet up with our friends Andre and Stephanie and baby Simone at Chuck E. Cheese. Yep ... I went to Chuck E. Cheese for my birthday ... and you better bet I played some ski-ball!






I racked up quite a bit of birthday money this year too which is greatly appreciated. Apparently it was burning a hole in my pocket because I already spent it. I ordered a motor conversion kit for my drum carder along with a bunch of angelina and firestar to make some artsy batts with. Yay sparkles! :) I'm on an art yarn kick for the Tour de Fleece. If you want to know what i'm talking about ... go check out the Rocket Yarn Blog.

Our First Wine Making Adventure

Mashed up blackberries that Brett and the boys picked out in the yard along with sugar and lemon ...


After primary fermentation...


Strained and ready for secondary fermentation ...


And now in the final stage ... secondary fermentation

Interesting Article About Friendship Among Women

UCLA Study on Friendship Among Women

Very interesting article that I think all women need to read. The older I get, the more I realize how important (and necessary) female friendship is. This article makes so much sense.

Fun Pictures

I finally took Brody for a haircut yesterday and we had some fun with the camera when we got home.



Houston loves taking pictures and took about twenty of me & Brody before I finally wrestled the camera back from him. He's actually getting very good at getting it focused and not chopping my head off in the frame.





Here's one from a couple of nights ago. The boys blowing out candles on a cake they decorated.

A Little Knitting Update

I feel like it's been forever since I've posted any knitting on here. Need to fix that right quick. Here are my three current works in progress.

Handspun Socks ... Toe-Up Magic Loop (2-at-a-time on one long circular needle)


Just started these last night. Gator felted clogs for Brody. Almost done with the first one.



Handspun Alpaca Revontuli Shawl ... haven't had much time for lace knitting lately but hope to remedy that soon. I'm loving this shawl so far. Great pattern.

Houston's Surprise!

So I got home from World Wide Knit in Public Day yesterday (which was a smashing success, btw) and Brett and the boys were out in the front yard. Houston says "hey mama, look what I can do" and takes off riding his bike ... without training wheels! Brett told me the story later in the evening and here is how it goes ...

Brett was working in the yard and saw Houston going in and out of the shed a couple of times with a wrench in his hand. He went over to check it out and Houston said in a very frustrated voice ... "Ugh, I keep getting the wrong size". Brett asked what he was doing with the wrench and he said he was taking the training wheels off his bike. Brett told him he would help him as soon as he finished what he was doing. So fast forward 15 minues or so and Brett goes to walk around to the front of the house to help him out and here comes Houston riding his bike like a pro with no training wheels! So much for us teaching him how to ride a bike ... he just did it himself.

World Wide Knit in Public Day

When: Saturday June 13, 2009 from 1-3 pm
Where: In front of The Coffee House in the Lake City Mall on US HWY 90 in Lake City, FL
Bring: Your knitting and/or crochet project, a folding chair if you have one, some cash for drinks and snacks, extra yarn and needles to teach passers by to knit. :)

I will have extra goody bags from the Jacksonville Stitch 'n Pitch. One can be yours for a $2 donation to the Needle Arts Mentoring Program.

Official website here.

Happy 3rd Birthday Brody!

We had a fun day today, including cupcakes with breakfast, lunch and dinner. Blueberry picking in the morning. Fun at the river in the afternoon. More details and pics to come.