So we were running errands on Saturday and my sweet hubby suggested we stop by the knitting store since he knew I was hankering for a project (yes, hankering) but I didn’t know what. I needed something more advanced than scarves but I’m not ready for tiny-needle socks. Thank goodness for local yarn stores! The owner at Omaha’s String of Purls is so kind, she pointed me in the right direct — pun intended — and I picked up this book on knitting finger puppets! You can buy it here on Amazon for less than $14 (I paid $19 in the store but supporting my local yarn store is so worth it). This way, I can get used to size 1 needles - double pointed, no less - but only have to work with a few stitches instead of a whole sock. I began the Baby Monkey last night and it turned into a mouse since I was using gray yarn…a very bumpy mouse…I practiced french knots all over the body! Now that I have the techniques down, I’m going to give it another try!

Before we checked out, I saw another book lying on a table and remembered that I wanted to knit our Christmas stockings someday. I couldn’t resist this book, either. I haven’t started this one, yet - have to get the right size circular needles. Looking forward to it as well as another trip to the yarn shop (I just never seem to get there enough!).

The knit doughnuts are from Fawn & Forest. The knit elephant, leopard and zebra are from Polka Dot Patch. So cute and inspiring - great giveaways or wrapping accoutrements for Christmas!

I was waxing a bit philosophical late yesterday so, let’s have a little fun! After all, Thanksgiving is just around the corner and you might need a good cookbook. What is it about cookbooks? I love them all. I have an entire chicken-coop-turned-cabinet in my kitchen full of ‘em. That is why I’m parting with this one as an online giveaway; it’s a great cookbook, I just have not had a chance to try any of the recipes and I thought someone else might really enjoy this just in time for Turkey Day (aka Thanksgiving)! This is Mary’s “Queen of the Kitchen” Cookbook and it includes biscuits, wafers, chowder, ribs, lamb, turkey, shrimp, waffles, pineapple cake. The pies alone include: Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pie, Farmhouse Walnut Pie, Apple Cinnamon Crumb Pie, Strawberry & Lemon Tart, Deep Dish Apple Cranberry Pie, Nectarine & Blueberry Cobbler, Caramel Baked Pears and Double Pear Crisp. Ooooh, there’s Peanut Brittle Fudge Sundae…oh, crud, did I really want to part with this one??? It’s up for grabs! Rules: One entry per email/person, just make a comment on THIS post. Winner will be chosen by random.org in two weeks. Last day to enter will be midnight on Wednesday, November 19th. Value of this giveaway is approximately $19.95.

“The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself - the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us - that’s where it’s at.” — JESSE OWENS

I really enjoy quotes from runners because they always seem to be like the jester in a Shakespeare play: The truths they’re talking about have so many levels and layers of meaning. Running is such an accurate metaphor for the journey of life. I know I have learned much from running - just in the course of 2 years - that I don’t think I could have learned any other way and have it so deeply written on my heart. Patience. Trial. Perseverence. Gratitude. The depths and different applications of those emotions are astounding.

The best movies and books, in my opinion, come from the stories of man vs. himself. I know many teenagers enjoy man vs. man (or alien vs. alien) and things along those lines but for me the best stories include subtle action within the heart and mind. There is another literary category of man vs. nature — and this, too, is valid, enlightening and entertaining — but I truly believe that even with man vs. man or man vs. nature, the true enlightenment comes from within those experiences. Those situations all eventually point back to, and reflect, the struggle within yourself. It may begin as a struggle with another person, situation, or nature but it comes back to what is within you. I think those situations help shape who we are mentally and spiritually but I don’t think you can truly discover who you are if you forget the physical element. All of them work together to create who we are.

Some philosophers believe that the body is to be cast off to achieve enlightenment. Don’t tell that to a runner. Runners KNOW that BODY + SPIRIT = SOUL. I’m convinced that the greatest wars are waged within a single human being and it is reflected in the world around us. It’s not a control issue - it’s more of a self-control issue. Balance is the key - nurture, demand, selfless, selfish, experience, knowledge, truth, joy, humor - there is so much to experience. I think that there’s no adventure so profound as the one wherever you are sitting right now.

I’m having a slow morning. Can’t think of anything to write or recommend — in fact, I’m kind of on an anti-shopping kick right now. I read a quote yesterday something about ‘everything I have is all I need’ and I couldn’t help but agree. Since I don’t have any good shopping to recommend, I figured I’d share with you a line from a funny article from one of my favorite writers, Pam Houston (you know, author of Cowboys Are My Weakness and Sight Hound, to name just two books), from this month’s Women’s Adventure magazine. There were a couple of passages so funny that I had to read them out loud to my husband (apparently men can also enjoy women’s adventures, well, at least I think he did!). One of my favorite lines from the article is, “What treatment naturally follows an exorcism in a health-and-wellness plan?” You simply must read Pam Houston’s past articles here. I don’t think the current one is available but probably will be after the next issue is published. I think I would really like her sidekick, Cindy. If you’re interested in the mag, you can subscribe here. Don’t forget to check out the giveaways here, too!

I just finished a 1970 copy of a MIDDLE SCHOOL text called Close Up: A Collection of Short Plays. I enjoyed it immensely! It was better than a magazine - each play was short enough that I could read it in little bits of time but feel liked I’d watched an entire drama. These one act plays are fantastic. If you’ve never read short drama, I highly recommend it. It leaves so much to the imagination and is a very cunning and concise craft. What bothers me is this: Why is this textbook withdrawn and why are our children reading much less interesting and much less thought provoking, easier texts today? I visited my son’s 7th grade reading classroom at the middle school’s open house and discussed what was going to be read this year with his reading teacher. I was delighted to see Shakespeare’s Hamlet among the reading list. I was not delighted to see the dumbed down version they were reading. I was appalled - the original text on the left hand side with the easier, new version on the right hand side of each page. What?!? This is someone’s interpretation. It is not Shakespeare. Every nuance, vocabulary, contextual usage, etc., will be completely lost. What kid is not going to prefer to read the easy side? This makes it seem that Shakespeare must difficult to understand since we’re being provided a comprehensible version. Nothing could be further from the truth (this reminds me of the Barbie that said, “Math is HARD!”). Give ‘em the real deal and I don’t think the reader will let you down but you have to let them discover and help them through discussion - NOT replacing the text. We truly demand so little of our kids these days; whatever happened to excellence and enlightenment? Nah, it’d be easier just to excel for them and make it easier on them because we love them, right? Geesh. Rant over, for now.

I love entering giveaways online so I thought I’d finally host one of my own. BLISSFUL BROWNIES is a fabulous cookbook, published in 2007. More imporantly, here are some of the different types of brownie recipes: Chocolate , Fudge , Pecan, Double Chocolate, Sticky Chocolate, White Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Cappuccino, Mocha, Ginger Chocolate Chip, Sour Cream, Walnut & Cinnamon, Banana Cardamom, Black Forest, Toffee Apple, Rocky Road, Apricot, Marbled Chocolate Cheesecake…just to name a few. It also includes an entire section at the back on bars, e.g. Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars, Almond Bars, Macadamia Nut Caramel Bars, + MORE! All you have do to be entered to win is leave a comment on this post before midnight on Sunday, October 19th. The winner will be randomly drawn from the comments. Oh, and, shipping is on me (contiguous 48 states, please).

Yummy “candy” centered apple circles!

I have a bushel of apples so I’m getting good at thinking up treats for my kids. We exhausted the caramel apple dip recipe over the weekend and here is another.

Mix 2 T. peanut butter with 1/4 c. uncooked rolled oats and about 1T. honey (or to taste).

Core your apples and stuff ‘em with the mixture.

Slice into desired thickness and eat - it’s like having a “candy” center! My kids love this. I used my Pampered Chef Crinkle Cutter today but it’s absolutely not necessary - but cute.

I am so sad. Somebody illegally distributed Stephenie Meyer’s latest book she’s working on via the internet. This book is really interesting, too, it covers Twilight but from Edward’s perspective — very thought provoking to go back and hear the same conversations from his thoughts! To combat the illegal copy she has posted her own online copy here. Read about it and weep. We may never see the book in print!

Field trip to Barnes & Noble last night. Always dangerous, pocketbook-wise. The kids each got to choose a book and I walked out with two issues of a British pub: Photoshop Creative. Very nice! At $15 each, not cheap but great content. I was looking for ideas for a catalog cover on my plate this week. I don’t scrap but, oddly enough, found some of the best cover from the latest issue of Digital Scrapbooking magazine. Who knew? Fun stuff!

If you know me at all, you know I find the BEST SALES online so I just had to share this one! I don’t even do jewelry but there were some gorgeous looking wire wrapped bead things in the lot. If you love any kind of craft-ery you will love this sale. The books are NOT pristine but have a nice discount. If your books look like mine when you’re done with them, the newness will not matter to you, either. I already purchased a few…I can feel the smooth pages in my hands now… If you want to get some for yourselves (or just browse the titles), click on the pic above and enjoy!