Your gifts

Thanks, Ellice! Taj is gorgeous, not that any of them aren't. Chatelaine has a BB on Yuku with groups for all the designs and pix of WIPs and finishes. I've also finished Alhambra and Weeping Willow Keep, which isn't a Mandala. They're so much fun to stitch! Happy last day. Time to scrape wax off the counter.

Sara

I expect so - it's a rare occasion when people bring foods that those bars do not turn up. I avoid them like the plague, because if you have one, you KNOW you will have more and then feel sick because they are soooo rich !

Maybe she called them Chocolate Bird Bars because of the Birds Custard ?

We prefer Brown and Polson to Birds. It's an long-established item, see the recipe for "savoury custard" in the 1861 version "The Cook's Guide and Housekeeper's & Butler's Assistant" . I don't think I could have managed to complete the Christmas Dinner described at

I'd just have as much of the rich stuff as I wanted and then stick to carrot sticks for the rest of the night.

With Wineva, who the heck knows. I'm freckled, but my freckle-less sister was Freckle-face. After Sis (her oldest daughter) passed, we've lost touch with that branch of the family.

This as made me think of one of the joys of the time we spent there. They had a farm - potatoes as a cash crop and hens for "pin money" for the women. For some reason, there were several hens that laid double and triple yolk eggs. Getting a double yolk hard boiled egg meant you didn't have to do your dishes at lunch and the triple meant no chores.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Cheryl

You're welcome. Martina and I had spoken about which piece I was going to do a while back - when I was still managing the shop. She's really nice - and I loved the last release - with the box. But, one of these days.

I'm LOL about the wax - my menorah is on the mantel, so it can be seen from a window - kind of - and has lovely wax covered aluminum foil under it. However, as we were wasting time downtown on Friday night (between DH reffing a hockey game and going back into the arena for the "real" game) we wandered in the very upscale Bed Bath & Beyond (attached to Verizon Ctr. On sale - lots of holiday stuff, including a Hanukah section - and there was not only a sports menorah - with a hockey player - very tempting - but...actual Drip Trays. 2 different ones - with tasteful designs. Someone finally thought of it - but of course - well, maybe next year. Last night as we were driving along Constitution Ave heading home after the game we ended up passing just in time to see the National Holiday Tree, and Menorah - both lights on....then go out - tree first, then the Menorah. They were out by 11:10 - but it was nice to see.

Ellice

They sound very similar to "magic cookie bars"

Oh, oh, oh - I haven't made Nanaimos in several years. Now, you've got me thinking I need to make a batch (and, of course, eat most of them myself). I do have my tin of Bird's for those, and for my DH's custard sauce.

MargW

Watch the waistline lol

I was sitting here thinking of your post about knitting lots, and wondered why I don't do much any more. And it occurred to me that wool is prohibitively expensive (in my circumstances, that is) and it just isn't fun to knit and worry. And then I thought how nice it would be to make my own wool (you know what I mean) and THEN.... I remembered that about a year ago I bought myself a spinning wheel!

So I guess I have no excuse! I'm going to start on my stash which, as a result of moving 7 times in 5 years, has been somewhat ignored in favour of cross stitch. The yarns in my stash are mostly a bit old-fashioned, as it's a good 10 years since I last bought any.

So, if anyone has stash they'd like to send to Africa, I'll be a willing recipient!

Catherine

I have this really strange (or so I'm told) way of knitting - I tuck the needle under my arm. The right needle. In fact, now I come to think of it, it may be both, but I'd have to knit something to be sure. This means I need really long needles in order to be comfortable. I've been complimented many times on the neatness of my knitting, and it may be this habit that makes it so even. I also have to use one size larger than the needles recommended in any pattern, as I kit quite tightly - again, probably because of this habit of mine.

Catherine

When I was in Wales (many years ago) I knitted myself a pullover with the most stunning bottle green and black mohair. It was awful to knit with as the little green hairs appeared everywhere and made me most unpopular in the hotel I was working in. The pullover was knitted kind of up and sideways - you started at the bottom and ended on the side, like going round a corner, in fisherman's rib, and looked wonderful. BUT! The weight of the yarn pulled it in such a way that one side hung right down and the other side stayed put, giving the whole thing a lopsided look!

I have spent many years thinking of pulling that pullover out, and making something else, but can't BEAR the thought of fighting with mohair. It may have been washed once, but certainly no more than that, but it doesn't have to be washed at all in order to make it hard to unravel.

Catherine

I just went to the Heaven and Earth site to see what designs you may be talking about, and there is a notice there that her husband passed away yesterday.

It isn't that strange, it is the way I was taught to knit, as a girl in the north of England. Everyone there used to knit that way. Although, I tend to be a more loose knitter and usually have to use needles two sizes smaller than the pattern recommends. When I started using circular needles, I found I can only use them by knitting Continental fashion, with the wool held in my left hand.

Olwyn Mary n New Orleans.

I had sent DD a link to several things I liked at Nordic Needle and she got me almost ALL of them!!! The best is a purple bead and silver Kitty scissor fob and matching counting pin :-). There were also several leather sleeves for the ends of scissors and also some of the plastic point protectors I can use when I make my own beaded "do-hickeys" as gifts for my friends. Ciao Meow >^;;^<

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

Yikes, thanks for sharing the sad news. They were always nice to deal with.

Ellice