We docked in Tortola for the day and our destination was The Baths at Virgin Gorda. Above, the nondescript entrance to The Baths.
After hiking down to The Baths, you're met with this spectacular beach, Spring Bay.
In The Baths, you walk through huge rocks that have formed passageways, pools, and coves. There were some really tight squeezes in these passageways, but you're rewarded with some breathtaking sights.
These stairs don't look difficult to tackle, but when you're wet and the stairs are wet, they're tricky.
Once you're through The Baths, you get to enjoy this beach, Devil's Bay, which had the clearest, most perfect water we saw on the trip. Not a bad place to spend the day!
We hiked some trails around Devil's Bay and found some smaller, rockier beaches. Just lovely!
If you're ever in the British Virgin Islands, you must get to The Baths!
Our day, last Friday, April 7....
2:30 am - wake up.
3:30 am - leave for the airport.
4:05 am - park car at the airport, catch a shuttle to the terminal.
5:00 am - pick up McDonald's breakfast to eat on the plane.
5:45 am - plane leaves for Miami, on time (thank goodness!).
At check in, the very nice lady got us onto an earlier flight from Miami to San Juan. Our ten hour layover was reduced to two. Yay! On top of that, she forgot to charge us the baggage fee. Awesome!
9:00 am - land in Miami.
9:15 - 11:00 am - I work on....work. Yes, unbelievable.
11:35 am - flight leaves for San Juan. I spend it all working on a massive spreadsheet. I'm such a dedicated employee!
2:05 pm - land in San Juan.
2:40 pm - arrive at and check in to our San Juan hotel.
3:00 pm - walk to the beach (see below) and then to a Walgreens for various supplies.
4:15 pm - sit down at our favorite restaurant in SJ...order our first pina coladas of the trip! And eat way too much.
5:30 pm - back to the hotel to relax. Exhausted! But, wait! I finish my spreadsheet and email it to my boss. Work is now done!
8:30-ish pm - go to bed. We'll sleep for ten hours straight.
The fun begins the next morning!
We leave for our second cruise of the year on Friday. In other, somewhat random, news, there were a lot of storms in DFW on Tuesday. Perhaps you heard of our tornadoes?This morning, at 4:45am, my phone rang. I didn't get to it in time and dismissed the call....until Mr. Higgins' phone rang. He answered his, to be informed by American Airlines that our flight to San Juan was canceled. W...T....F.We got up - 45 minutes early - to get on the phone with AA. After 45 minutes on hold, when every good and worst case scenario had already run through our heads, we finally talked to a representative. She was super nice considering it took her an hour to get us booked on different flights. But at least we're on flights.We're leaving at an hour of the morning that I'm still not fully capable of processing (it's so early) and will then have to wait ten hours in the Miami airport for our flight to San Juan. Our first and only concern: luggage. What do they do with checked bags for ten hours? Perhaps we should check them only to Miami and re-check them to SJU later on? I love vacations. I love to travel. But there are always variables....like tornadoes. Here's hoping this is the only hiccup in our trip. It happened last time - we sat on the runway for three hours - and will hopefully be the same, and work out, this time.
My new knitting friend and I went to the local Fiber Fest on Saturday. I'm so glad we did! This fiber, of course, is not the kind you eat; it's the kind you knit. Yarn!
I hadn't been in four to five years so I was super excited to have someone to go with this year. And boy, had the fest grown since the last time! It was about four times bigger! So much yarn!! Our favorite booth was a locally grown alpaca yarn company. Have you ever felt alpaca? There's nothing softer! I spent way too much on a skein...and could have bought a lot more!
I also bought some bamboo, which I adore. How do they get bamboo so soft?! I avoided further temptation and was amazed that I stayed exactly within my yarn budget. Yay! Such a good day!
Pattern: Umbilical Cord Hat by Jennifer L. Jones (in Stitch n' Bitch)Yarn: Knit Picks Comfy Worsted
Needles: US 7 and 8 circs, US 8 dpns
Made for: Baby Juliana
Time to completion: 3 days
Cast on 72 stitches for a bigger baby!
I needed a simply, quick hat to make for a 2-month old. I ordered some yarn from Knit Picks...only to be a bit disappointed in the color. Oh, well. It feels good, at least! And I learned something new: how to do an i-cord. It seemed strange but was super easy and came out great! I love - successfully - learning new things!
As Mr. Higgins and I plug our way through season six of West Wing, I've been knitting every evening this week. It's amazing how much more productive I feel at the end of the day! I've even been making progress on this project from long, long ago.
It was a good knitting week!
It looks like the decision of my future boss has been made. Of course, I had no input in that decision. However, I think the right person is getting the job.... Unfortunately, I don't think that person is going to be the easiest person to work for.
This entire selection process has been a nightmare from the very beginning. Then, after the candidates were decided, we found out the hard way that some were never really prepared to move and fill the position. Why then, pray tell, did you apply for the job to begin with?! They wasted our time and their own by pretending to take this job search seriously.
In a time with so many people out of work, this makes me sick. It also undermines a tedious search. Here's how it works.... An academic department posts a job. Applicants apply. A committee narrows it down to about 20-25 candidates who are interviewed for half an hour at the annual national meeting. After those interviews, they narrow it down to 10-12 candidates. The entire faculty decide to bring 3-4 candidates to campus for a 3-day long interview process. This interview is not fun for anyone; it's grueling, especially for the candidate. After this, the faculty vote on who gets the job.
This entire process takes a year. So, you can imagine everyone's frustration when one - or a few - of the final candidates never really wanted to move to assume the position. Arg!
And now I have to move one boss out and another in. Fun times.
We had a Game of Thrones, Season 1 marathon over the course of the last two Sundays and now I'm really looking forward to season 2, which starts this Sunday.
Few shows have been done as well as GOT. HBO, though obsessed with showing as much skin and sex as possible, does a great job with their shows, especially the period pieces. GOT is fantasy, which causes even more obstacles with the effects needed to create another world. If any network can handle fantasy, it's HBO.
Mr. Higgins and I blazed though all of Martin's Song of Fire and Ice last summer. Whenever I read something that quickly, I forget a lot of the details. So, the second season will be full of suprises and "oh, yeahs."
I can't wait!
Mr. Higgins and I have been watching some of our favorite movies from our childhoods. It's been a lot of fun!
I think the most interesting of them all was BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS. I vaguely remembered bits and pieces of this movie so it was a delight to fill in the gaps. For instance, I had completely forgotten the Nazi plot line!
ANNIE was something I thought I remembered pretty well. However, I did not remember the bad language...and how the ladies' dresses were very revealing when they were dancing around! Geez! I must have watched this on TV back in the day, where the language was cleaned up a bit.
Of course, I'd seen THE SOUND OF MUSIC several times but it was fun to watch it all the way through on Blu-Ray. And it's always a joy to watch Julie Andrews.
They really don't make movies like they used to, do they? I was going to say that a lot of children's movies of today have political overtones....but so did all the movies I mentioned above. The Nazis play a part in two and doesn't Annie meet with FDR and talk about the New Deal? And look at the significance of Daddy Warbucks' name!
After watching these, one thing is for sure: the music will stay with you for days and weeks after. Ha!
Is there anything worse than the dentist? I've gotten to where I try to forget my dentist appointments just so I don't worry about them for two weeks in advance.
So, I was slightly alarmed to remember that I had to have a filling this week. Ugh! Ever since my first cavity (at the age of 20) turned into a root canal, I've been a little nervous about any and every filling. Yesterday, the dentist got out that needle to stick in my gums to numb them and I quickly closed my eyes, determined to not even see the dreaded contraption. The shot took too long and hurt too much. Then, he got another vial and that needle came towards my mouth again! I closed my eyes and kept them shut so tight that tears threatened at the corners of my eyes. This one took too long, as well. How long does it take to inject that stuff?
And why is the shot to numb the area worse than the actual drilling? Geez!
I wouldn't agree with my dentist that the cavity was done "in no time" but it was relatively easy. My mouth stayed numb way too long, however, probably because of the double dose. Actually, my jaw still hurts from the shots.
I hate the dentist!
I guess it's that time. Many of my friends are having babies. When friends of friends find out that I don't want kids, the response is a vehement gasp, "why?!"
Let me just say that not wanting kids does not mean that you're strange. It means that you're responsible enough to make a decision that goes against what many in society view as the norm. From an early age we're told, "you'll be a mother some day," and "one day, when you have kids, you'll understand..." It's drilled into us that we're supposed to have kids. Our lives are supposed to follow a typical road - get married, have 2.5 kids, have even more grand-children.
I never thought I'd have kids, I never wanted kids, and I always argued when someone said, "you'll change your mind." I've never changed my mind. Kids are not something I need for my life to be complete. I want other things out of life.
This is not wrong. As I said before, it's responsible. There are enough people on this planet. There are enough people chipping away at our natural resources. I'm tired of people. Therefore, why in the world would I attempt to make more?!
I admire those who start families these days. It's not easy in this world, with this economy. I wish them luck. I'll be happy to knit them baby clothes. After all, baby clothes are less time consuming than adult clothes! And I'm perfectly content being an aunt only. That's the way it's supposed to be.
My knitting has sat, sadly neglected, for over two weeks. I picked it up for Knit Night on Wednesday and was happy to get to knitting again.
The fingerless gloves are coming along, though they probably won't be done until fall or winter. The pattern was much more complicated than we - my knitting buddy and I - thought. But I made the thumb hole and am happily knitting the hand. This happiness will end, I'm sure, when I have to knit the thumb. Ha!
There are so many things I want to knit for newborns and my friends who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. There are, literally, not enough hours in the day for me knit and craft all I want. It's very frustrating!
But I love it!
Last night, I had three overripe bananas and wanted to bake something. I thought about banana bread but something held me back....possibly the two cups of sugar required for my family recipe.
I started looking around the internet and found Becky Higgins' recipe for Black Bottom Banana Bars. It sounded interesting. I haven't had much chocolate banana stuff and was curious to see if I'd like the taste. So, I whipped it up.
Yum! I would in no way describe this recipe as bars, though. Mine came out as cake....moist, yummy cake! I don't know if I did something wrong (I can't see anything I screwed up) but the result is definitely to my liking. And that's all that matters, right?
My best friend's wedding ended up going off without a hitch. I've known Stephanie for twelve years now (!!) and I've never seen her so happy.
The rain held off until the reception, thank goodness! I still got soaked when we left, though. Let me tell you.... Running around in the rain when it's 45 degrees in sandals with no hose and a chiffon dress on is not my idea of a good time. I thought I would surely get sick....but, thank goodness, that hasn't happened.
The wedding was gorgeous. Stephanie was stunning in her dress, her skin glowed with happiness. The minister messed up a few times but we laughed it off. I always like it when someone makes a mistake...it causes everyone to take a deep breath and laugh, ending any stiffness in both the audience and the wedding couple. Everyone seemed to have a good time at the reception - so it was all good!
I now Stephanie is glad it's over and so am I. The stress was getting to all of us, I think. Now the bride and groom can enjoy each other.
I've not been sleeping well this week. It probably has to do with my best friend's wedding on Saturday. I'm not worried or stressed....but obviously some part of my brain is.
Perhaps it's the rain... The forecast for Saturday keeps getting worse. We're now up to an 80% chance of rain. It's every bride's nightmare and one that, as a bridesmaid, I'll have to help her get through with her sanity intact. When I got married we had a saying that kept me calm: "no matter what, you'll be married by the end of the day and that's all that matters." It definitely helps put things in perspective!
This cute video made me laugh yesterday and I hope it will do the same for you! See you next week!
I'm helping out a professor by meeting with his students to discuss their writing. They've been assigned a book review of The Kite Runner and I'm supposed to help them with the topics they've been told to discuss.
After reading about seven papers, I've made a few observations.... I really like copy-editing! I'm actually not supposed to worry about grammar (the Writing Center will help the students with that) but I can't not correct something that's obviously wrong. I'm too OCD! But I actually like it! I'd considered copy-editing before and actually interviewed for and was offered a job that would have led to a career including copy-editing....but the pay was way too low. Even then, I thought I'd be bored to tears doing what I'm currently really enjoying! Wow!
That being said, I'm saddened to report that there will probably be very few coherent books published from this current generation of college students. Literature is dead. The writing is just too awful. Granted, these are freshman, but I came across a girl who had no idea what a pronoun was....or how to use it! It was very tedious inserting "him" and "her" throughout her paper.
This is proof that the American public education system has failed. There is very little hope, from what I see on a day-to-day basis.
Isn't that a cheery thought?
In case you haven't figured it out, I work in a religion department. My colleagues are extremely intelligent people who have broad religious interests and understandings. They teach tolerance to college kids who probably have ever known one religion.
So imagine my surprise when I heard not one, not two, but FOUR digressions on their part on the absurdity of the Catholic Church yesterday. Really?
Most of you know that I'm Catholic. While I have some issues with my Church, and while I'm not the most faithful of Mass attendees of late, I will never be anything other than Catholic. Why? Because it's the oldest form of Christianity; it's the root of all Christianity; and I believe the purest form of anything is the oldest form.
Most of my colleagues know that I'm Catholic...and I'm amazed that I'm the only Catholic in my department (we are in the deep, Protestant South, however). I couldn't believe what I was hearing yesterday! I know that none of them meant to insult me personally. I know that none of them gave it a second thought....and that's the problem. Everyone is so self-absorbed that they forget that what they do affects others.
And I expect this from most people....but not the intelligent among us. Especially those who open so many young minds to the religious variety of our world.
P.S. Just because Rick Santorum is crazy and Catholic, doesn't mean the rest of us are. That's like assuming all Protestants are members of the Ku Klux Klan.
It has been an incredibly mild winter here in Texas. Given how harsh it was last year, I don't mind the change. High temperatures are now hovering around 70-75 degrees. Nice!
To celebrate the lovely weather, Mr. Higgins and I went on a picnic yesterday. We picked up sandwiches for dinner and sat out to enjoy the glorious weather. It's funny how we forget to do this....to enjoy something so simple as great weather. In Texas there is very rarely a transition period between too hot and too cold to be outside. This year, however, seems to be the exception.
Last year, the harsh winter transitioned to the hottest summer on record. I'm really hoping our mild weather will continue through summer.
In the meantime, Mr. Higgins and I have vowed to continue to get out and enjoy the weather as long as it continues to be nice. It was nice having a date night in the middle of the week; it really breaks up a long work-week!
I'm helping a professor with a class where the students have to write a review of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I had seen the movie a few years ago and was more than willing to read the book. It was good to see that the movie closely followed the book; usually, Hollywood screws up the story!
And it's such a good story! Taking place in Afghanistan, it shows a world few of us have ever seen or fully understand. I love the history involved and seeing Kabul before the Soviet invasion through the eyes of a young boy. It's heartbreaking to see it after the war, through the eyes of a grown man. But more than anything, this is the story of friendship, betrayal, and guilt. I laughed and cried throughout this novel for these are emotions we are all familiar with.
This is one of those books that should be required reading for all Americans....and Afghans. It shows that we are all human and we share the same emotions and heartbreak...despite our differences.
My best friend is getting married. Being a bridesmaid in her wedding, I co-hosted (with her maid of honor) a shower for her on Saturday.
The maid of honor found the idea for these favors and then found the old classic books (for dirt cheap) to wrap. I took it from there and designed the library card, holder, and tea bag. I think they turned out pretty well!
It's been an insane two weeks at work since the cruise. I don't think I've ever had more stress than during these two weeks. Let's just say that I'll be very happy to live through February and see March.
In March, I should also find out who my next boss will be. My job is primarily working with one person - and one person only. So this is a big deal. I'm not actually stressed about the process of finding out as it's completely out of my hands.... But it will be stressful when the time comes to finally work with this new person. I've spent six years with my current boss and he's pretty awesome in his absent-minded professor ways. A new boss brings all kinds of possibilities and uncertainties with him. (And, yes, it will be a him.)
So, stress. And more stress. This year has definitely been one very long emotional roller-coaster at work.
When we first booked this cruise, I was ambivalent about the stop in Labadee, Haiti. This is Royal Caribbeans private island - or chunk of peninsula. Then Mr. Higgins described it as a carefree beach day. Then he told me about Labadoozies, the drink they sell there that is so, so good. Before I knew it, I was looking forward to Labadee! Above, the beach (to the left) where we spent the day.
Royal Caribbean has built a lot here - a zipline, a roller coaster, cafes, shops.... They even bring food off the ship (and the Labadoozies) for a cookout! It was a great day!
We found a nice place to spend the day, complete with hammocks! It was very relaxing!
That's about it from the cruise. We made a lot of incredible memories with our family and had a very enjoyable, relaxing time.
After two days at sea, sailing south in the Atlantic (which meant a rocking boat - fun) to the Caribbean, we arrived at St. Maarten. Mr. Higgins had been here before and took us to his favorite beach: Mullet Bay. 
Mullet ended up being my favorite beach of the trip. The water was amazing - just look at those colors! - and there were just the right amount of waves to make things fun. 
Almost all of us got in the water that day and it was a blast. 
After Mullet, we went to Maho Bay, which is truly unique. The airport sits just to the other side of it's sandy shores, so the planes come right over the beach. We sat at a restaurant/bar for an hour or so and watched the planes comes in. 
At the end of the day, after all the excitement, we had something else to look forward to: cheesecake! They had so many delicious flavors during the week: Kahlua, Irish Cream, raspberry, strawberry, passionfruit, and plain.
Yum!
Here's a teaser picture from the cruise last week. Pretty, huh? I should have more pictures for you later this week, once I get a chance to sort through the 700+ pictures we have from everyone who went on the trip. Ha! We had a great time and my mom seemed to really enjoy her birthday cruise - her first cruise!
More tomorrow!
I'm off this evening on a flight to Florida. From there, I'll board the ship above with Mr. Higgins, my parents, and his parents on a Caribbean cruise to celebrate my mother's sixtieth birthday.
She's been wanting to do a cruise ever since she heard me go on and on about the one Mr. Higgins and I did in 2010. Mr. Higgins and I found a good itinerary out of Florida (most of the good, exotic cruises leave from San Juan) and my dad agreed to finance the trip...though he's a little unsure of the whole cruising thing. Ha!
It's going to be an adventure. Mainly, surviving an eight-day cruise with my father. We'll see how it goes. I'm determined to have fun, though, and the timing is perfect: both my mom and I have had very stressful months at work. We need warm Caribbean breezes, girlie drinks with umbrellas, and pristine beaches.
See you in ten days or so!
Here's the status of my fingerless gloves. Well, actually, I'm a little further along than this...but this is the most recent picture I have. I like the fake cables, though the stitch took me quite a while to get the hang of. I'm now up to the thumb gusset.....and I'm getting nervous about the thumb. Thankfully, my new knitting buddy is knitting along with me, so she can help.
Speaking of, I've had to put the glove aside until she can help me fix the mistake I made last week....and so she can help me with the dreaded thumb.
I'm inspired to knit, however, and just finished all the pieces to a baby cardigan I started long ago in a class. Now I just need to sew the pieces together. Then it's ready for a baby boy....of nine months or so. Yay!
A few weeks ago, Mr. Higgins and I celebrated our two year anniversary. In honor of our first date, we went downtown (seen above from the parking garage), where we met for the first time.
I can't believe it's only been two years; it feels like five! In a good way! So much has happened these two years, so much happiness has blossomed, so many dreams have come true... It all feels surreal, almost. I never imagined this would happen; I never thought to find someone who understands me so well yet still loves me; I never dared to hope I would marry and be this content.
Not a day goes by when I'm not thankful for this man, my soul mate, and all the blessings he brings into my life.
The other day, I finished reading The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman. Here's the review I posted I Goodreads:
This book is quite unique. The subject matter is gory, the main character's profession risque, the setting filthy. Yet I loved Gustine the moment I met her: a fifteen-year-old who works two jobs - one of which is that of a prostitute - to provide for her son.
The setting is historically interesting.... It's nineteenth century Britain and cholera has finally made it around the globe to land in Sunderland, England. This plague will ultimately kill thousands and will set the poor against the rich. The doctors frantically look for a cure...with no cadavers to examine and learn from.
This was a fascinating - and graphic - account of one woman's harrowing journey through the cholera epidemic.
Knitting is like an abusive boyfriend. I get so excited to see it, and it kicks me in the you-know-what. I love it and it knocks me down. I try to improve it and it tortures me. And after all this abusive, I keep coming back.
Last night, I was on a roll with the fingerless gloves. I was making good time and making no mistakes. Then I actually looked at the pattern....and my knitting. I'd knitted too far! I had to take out two rows to get in line with the pattern. Okay, deep breath. You can do this.
And I do. I take out two rows, slowly but surely. I try not to panic when a stitch drops; I just grab the crochet hook and get it back on the needle. Then I come to the section where I've been adding making stitches. And it all goes wrong. Suddenly stitches that should stay stitches are disappearing. What the heck?! I didn't add them on this row so whey are they coming apart on this row?!
I couldn't fix it. I'll have to wait until a Knit Night with my super-smart knitting buddy.
I hate that I can't fix these crazy mistakes by myself. I can fix most things but not the crazy things. I hate that something everyone says is relaxing is usually very stressful for me. I hate that I look forward to knitting SO much and so often come away completely dejected. And I hate that it makes me feel dumb; I can't think myself out of most knitting mistakes.
So my knitting confidence is rock bottom. I guess that's nothing new. But it would be good to feel like I'm doing something right every once in a while.
I am loving Project Life!
It's so easy! It's so cute! I'm in love!
I love that it's making me taking - theoretically - a picture a day. I love that it's cataloging everyday life - something difficult to photograph much less scrapbook. I love that it's a journal, of sorts, and a scrapbook. I love how it inspires me to be creative - without stressing me out!
So many people who use Project Life are mothers. It's a great way to show your kids' day-to-day activities. But people without kids can do it as well! I love making a not of what I was reading or knitting when.... What Mr. Higgins was doing that week... What cute thing the cats did... What we did for our fun Friday night out... It's just a great way to tell your story.
I love it!
There's some stuff going on at work that has put the entire department on edge. Feelings have been hurt. Lines have been drawn in the sand. As someone said yesterday, "it's been a nightmare."
All of this stuff directly involves me and my position. Yet I am given no say in the matter; I'm the silent non-member of the departments, as always. It's not a fun situation to be in. Professors talk a lot about inclusiveness, collegiality....but when it comes down to it, they're on a power trip just like everyone else on this planet. In the long run, every man cares only for himself.
I don't have many friends in the department - people who I make an effort to connect with. But I thought I had one. Now it turns out that that person is not looking out for me behind closed doors. Like everyone else, this person cares only about himself.
I should have known better than to make a friend at work. When you get stabbed in the back, it hurts worse when the stabbing is done by a friend. I should have learned that from Caesar! But no. I wanted a friend.
Yes, it's a nightmare, for sure.
The fingerless gloves that I'm making with my new knitting buddy are coming along....slowly but surely. It's definitely a challenging pattern for me....but I need to challenge myself! Too often, I become complacent in my knitting, which is not good.
We met earlier this week at a Panera close to my work for our knitting session. It's usually a quiet place to knit....but it wasn't on Monday. Students, newly returned from their Christmas break, were out in force. The cacophony of noise was deafening. At one point, when I was trying to do some tedious stitches, we became surrounded by a group of people, excitedly greeting one another. I suddenly felt very claustrophobic. It was not good.
Next week, we're meeting at my house to knit. There, the only cacophony is the pitter patter of kitty feet!
I finally finished Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. This is a 500 page book about the career of Thomas Cromwell as he climbs the ranks in Henry VIII's court.
Let me first say that this book was shoved at me by a professor - "you must read this if you like historical fiction." This professor knows very little about me and I'm a bit annoyed that she would loan me a book. I know it sounds horrible, but I hate being pressured into reading something; it always feels too much like an assignment with a due date.
That aside, I've also gotten a bit saturated with the Henry VIII topic - it was never something that intrigued me and it's become too popular for my taste. In my opinion, that time period should be known as the Dark Age of Britain.
So this is how I went into this book. The bright spot was the focus on Thomas Cromwell - someone who I knew little about, mainly because his story so often gets lost in the chaos of Henry VIII's rule. Mantel's story was an interesting one. I liked Cromwell; I hated Henry VIII (go figure). The other main character was Anne Boleyn - who is presented as confident yet paranoid, jealous yet commanding. I did not much like her but that's to be expected.
Mantel is a gifted writer - of this, there is no doubt. But the story went on and on....and on. It ended with Cromwell scheduling a trip for Henry to visit the Seymours. No good will come of that, we know.
I'm glad I was able to get through this book - proud that I was able to do it. Mantel is supposedly writing a sequel. That book, I'm guessing, will not send so well for Cromwell.
This spring is going to be a busy one. One of my best friends is planning a March wedding while my other best friend is due to give birth to her first child in May. Whew!
On top of that, Mr. Higgins and I are trying to plan out our travel for the year. He loves cruises so we've been looking at a lot of those. We actually already have one booked - the family is taking my mom on a cruise for her 60th birthday next month! We can't wait!
We were then planning on doing an Alaska cruise in June.... But the prices have not come down and are just too much right now. (Airfare is astronomical, too.) Though we were planning on this cruise, we've started looking at other options should we have to change our plans.
This is made difficult by a conundrum. All - well, 99% - of the cruise ships stop running good Caribbean routes in mid-April. They go to Europe for the summer. Good Caribbean routes do not resume until the end of hurricane season. There's no way I'm getting on a ship until hurricane season is well and truly done - so in December. That means no cruising from mid-April to December. So, we're looking at cruises in April....which is not that long after our February cruise.
Such a conundrum! But I'd rather be discussing travel options than to have no options all together!
At Knit Night last week, I started my first pair of fingerless gloves. Me and my knitting buddy are doing a knit-along with the pattern....and thank goodness! The pattern is far outside my knitting capabilities!
In fact, on one part of the pattern, the stitch is so difficult that - after hours of trying to get it to work - I busted out the crochet hook and did an entire row with it. Much easier! I like pushing myself with new knitting techniques but I'm hoping the hardest part of the pattern is over..... But, wait! I still have the thumb to go! Eeek! And another glove!
Wish me luck. The yarn is so tiny and I'm constantly afraid I'm going to break my awesome wooden needles... But I'm determined to persevere and make it work!
I finished these baby socks before Christmas. I used the same pattern as the previous pair - so cute! And I love the cotton yarn!
Pattern: Baby Socks by Joelle Hoverson
Yarn: Knitting Fever Cotton Candy
Needles: US 5 dpns
Made for: someone
Time to completion: 20 days (the holidays didn't help)
Yay!
As a recap for 2011, I've decided to follow Donna's lead and put together my version of The Archies....or, my top things from 2011. To be fair, I first encountered The Archies on The Secret Knitter's blog a few years ago. I put together a list in 2009 but was too overwhelmed to do one in 2010...which was a great year to miss. Such a shame!
In 2009, I did 51 so this year I'll do 52. Here we go....
1. marriage to Mr. Higgins.
2. a wedding to Mr. Higgins, presided over by my favorite absent-minded professor, DG.
3. Dallas Mavericks' championship year - GO MAVS!
4. Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, and Tyson Chandler.
5. Ayaan Hirsi Ali and her biography, Infidel.
6. in-laws and new family!
7. knit nights.
8. Jekyll Island, GA.
9. a new house with Mr. Higgins.
10. Dooku the Cat.
11. sunsets seen from Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI.
12. cooking in my new kitchen!
13. pretzel rolls.
14. Yosemite National Park.
15. George R. R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice.
16. HBO's Game of Thrones.
17. Lois Lowry's The Giver.
18. homemade apple pie.
19. pizza on St. John, USVI.
20. X-MEN: FIRST CLASS soundtrack.
21. Amos Lee's Mission Bell.
22. zumba.
23. food blogs.
24. knitting baby socks!
25. the Avett Brothers.
26. Max Brooks' World War Z.
27. Game of Thrones theme song. For an cool, unofficial version, go here.
28. AMC's The Walking Dead.
29. Kate Middleton's wedding dress.
30. Community.
31. yarn wreaths.
32. bushwackers (think alcoholic milkshake) on St. John.
33. an end to the Harry Potter movies - finally.
34. Mafolie Hotel views of St. Thomas.
35. Michael Fassbender in....anything.
36. pulled pork.
37. ranunculuses - especially in my wedding bouquet.
38. Dorie Greenspan's Corniest Corn Muffins - delicious!
39. Greenberg Smoked Turkeys from my hometown.
40. Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.
41. Container Store's Elfa Shelving.
42. frozen yogurt - so many places have opened up here!
43. In-N-Out in Texas.
44. cake mix cookies and muffins.
45. chocolate gingerbread.
46. Shaw's Burgers and Shakes.
47. Jekyll Island Club - the perfect setting for a southern wedding.
48. CAPTAIN AMERICA.
49. Pizza Inn's buffet.
50. pumpkin scones.
51. Wilco.
52. a best friend's engagement.
Wow, there's a lot of food on here! That comes from having a new kitchen to cook in and finally get settled into. 2011 was such an incredible year, full of changes. 2012 will be even better!
It's now 2012! I can't believe it! 2011 was an amazing year! Let's recap what happened...
- I married Mr. Higgins.
- I bought a house with Mr. Higgins.
- We had 80 days of 100+ temperatures.
- We had an especially snowy/cold February...with a snow week!
- I got to spend a week on St. John, USVI (honeymoon).
- We traveled to Lake Tahoe and Yosemite for my 30th birthday.
- Oh, yes, I turned 30.
- My best friend is pregnant with her first child.
- My other best friend got engaged.
There was also sadness in 2011...but we were lucky to not lose anyone close to us. I had to give up my cat, Sybella, but she's in a loving home. She's also become quite the indoor/outdoor kitty - she apparently catches snakes and chases away dogs! That's my girl!
It was a truly great year - the best of my life, actually. I'll never forget it and how blessed we are.
Happy 2012!
Mr. Higgins and I are packing up and getting ready to head out of town. We'll stop at my parents' for a few nights and then head to Tennessee for a week. It's always a challenge packing at Christmas - the car ends up overflowing with presents!Along with holiday festivities, my best friend is now planning a March wedding. I'm trying to help in any way that I can so I went dress shopping with her yesterday. That was quite an adventure! She ended up with a lovely dress and I couldn't be happier for her.
The next few days will be hectic so when I next talk with you, I'll probably be in another state!
Merry Christmas!
Because Christmas trees are fun and kittehs are cute, I offer you the photo above for your morning amusement. (That's Dooku under the treeskirt.)
Over the weekend, I went out my parents' house for some baking with my mom. I always love baking with her; we inevitably have tons of fun.....and make yummy cookies. Every year we make gingerbread and sugar cookies. I love gingerbread - especially our gingerbread (which is actually Betty Crocker's gingerbread). We found out early on that the key to these cookies is the molasses. It can't be full flavor or else all the ginger-y goodness is covered up by the taste of molasses. So, we use Brer Rabbit Mild Molasses. The cookies come out great - better than any I've found in stores.
Less than a week until Christmas! I can't believe it!
I'm finally feeling caught up with the holidays. Time - and the month of December - has just flown by.
Together with Christmas, we have two family birthdays in December, which always makes gift giving more difficult. I love giving gifts but this year I felt very uninspired for many people on my list. I love coming up with little things but big gifts....well, my inspiration was lacking. My progress has been good and I hope to be done - or close to done - by the end of the weekend. Yay!
It's a busy time of year but I hope to have more for you tomorrow!
I had a busy and productive weekend. The best part of it was hanging out with great friends. The second best part was eating really good food!
These Chicken and Cheese Taquitos were on the menu on Saturday and....oh, boy. They were incredible! Mr. Higgins inhaled most of them....so I really want to make some more and soon!
On the baking side of things, I made Victorian Tea Cakes, which my mom and I have been making for the past five Christmases. They're not Mr. Higgins' favorite but I like the soft spiciness and lightness of them - a change from other Christmas cookies. They've taken the place of sugar cookies for me - being a step up from those.
As if I needed more sweets, I made my mom's fudge. So good, so easy, and so delicious!
On Sunday, I headed over to a friend's house to make a German cookie that my dad likes - and hasn't had in years. They're not exactly widespread in US bakeries; they're called springerle. We didn't use hers (we used a German one), but it looks as if Martha Stewart actually has this recipe. It's got more ingredients than our "authentic" German ones, but it's the same idea - an anise flavored, stale cookie. I have no idea why my dad likes them - though he does like licorice.
It was a productive weekend! I love Christmas!
I promised pictures of the kittehs under the tree....and here it is. There are more pictures but I'll save some for other holiday posts. Thankfully, the kittehs have not climbed the tree lately. Let's home they keep up this trend!
I love to scrapbook. My sister first got me into it when she sold Creative Memories. This is when I was in college. To this day, I still only use Creative Memories products to scrapbook, finding the selection of products in other stores and on other sites completely overwhelming.
Soon after I got the scrapbooking bug, I realized I had a problem. My OCD-self wanted all my pictures in a scrapbook. I had no problem scrapbooking trips but what about the other stuff? I did a Christmas album and a first-year graduate school album... But there are tons of pics in any given year that are not from trips or theme-related. Mr. Higgins has also been insistent that we take more pictures of settling into the house together....doing normal things like cleaning or hanging pictures. This is a great idea but, again, not having these pictures organized drives me crazy.
Recently I stumbled upon a solution to my OCD problem: Project Life by Becky Higgins. The concept is simple: an easy approach to scrapbooking day-to-day activities. The products are simple but great: sheet protectors that are designed specifically for pictures and journaling cards and that fit in a three-ring binder. The Core Kit gives you journaling cards, stickers, title cards....everything you need to complete a year-long album. A lot of people try to take a picture a day and then do a two-page layout for a week.... But there are many ways to do Project Life that will fit any of your needs.
I'm going to do it! I wish I had known about PL during the busiest year of my life - this year! - but I'm still excited to get started on January 1. I can't wait to combine all my day-to-day interests in one place - reading, knitting, crafts, work, pleasure. Now, instead of having all of my info spread between my journal, knitting journal, and reading journal, it will all be gathered into one place - my PL album. How cool is that?!
To see some PL layouts, click on Mish Mash and Ali Edwards on the sidebar. These ladies and their designs really inspire me!
This past weekend was cold and dreary. We got tons of rain, which we desperately needed, and I stayed mostly inside. I made 30 Christmas cards....and about 30 cookies...
I saw this recipe last week for Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies and was immediately tempted. It sounded SO good! I'm happy to report that they taste as good as they sound! They even got Mr. Higgins' seal of approval!
There were a few substitutions I made... There was not an orange to be found in the house so I substituted a teaspoon of orange juice for the orange zest. The cocoa I used was Hershey's Unsweetened. And the finely chopped chocolate.... Well, I have nightmares of finally chopping chocolate, so I used mini chocolate chips (semi-sweet)...and the cookies are delectable!
I highly recommend this recipe, especially if you're not the biggest fan of traditional gingerbread! And if you love traditional gingerbread - like me! - you'll enjoy this different version of the yummy cookie!
I made my first batch of Christmas cookies this week: Martha Stewart's Chocolate-Espresso Snowcaps. I adore these little cookies!
I have a lot of baking to do this year. Since we're going to see Mr. Higgins' family in Tennessee for the week of Christmas, all my baking needs to be done and eaten before we leave. Eek!
Other cookies on the baking agenda:
1. Victorian Tea Cakes
2. Gingerbread Men
3. Chocolate Gingerbread Men (new recipe!)
4. Triple Chocolate Cookies
5. Gingersnaps.....perhaps
All this baking must be done while I try to lose the few pounds I gained at Thanksgiving...so I can gain them back at Christmas! Ha!
