Pens, Paper, & Ammo

This time I am really going to do it - 365 pictures.  Here’s today’s:

I joined the $10 swap group on Ravelry.com and this was what I received!  This month’s theme was reusable shopping bags.  Being the tree-hugging hippie that I am, I just had to join.  I love it all!  Thanks Ceraphina!

I had such a nice day of warm weather, walks, and yummy, yummy Indian food only to be surprised once again when I got back to our apartment! This came all the way from Australia!

Baaammmbbooooo! Is this not the best swap ever?!  Lookit all the cute things - a rhino eraser, foot-shaped paper clips, adorable pens!

Ooo! It’s all so wonderful… and green! I can’t wait to start searching for a project to make with the wonderful, wonderful yarn! And that washcloth is about the softest thing in the world! Thanks so much, OzKnitter!

 /walks off to solve the puzzle pen

I just got back from dropping off my partner’s box at the post office. I really hope she likes what I picked out. Her color scheme was a challenge for me, but I tried to get as close as I could.

I’ve also been working on some other little projects, but I’ll post those a little later. I need to dig out the camera…

And since I can’t leave an entry picture-less:

It’s not a new pic… but it sure is cute, isn’t it?

I really can’t wait to meet her! Only 88 days to go!

I figured I might as well post this before I forget:

Favorite Color Swap Questionnaire

1. What are your top three favorite colors?

–Lime green and almost all shades of violet and blues

Examples!:

And I love this colorway from The Yarn Pirate:

2. What crafts do you really enjoy?

–I love knitting and crochet most of all, but I do a bit of scrapbooking on the side. Because of my super-short attention span, small projects are ideal.

3. What products do you really covet?

–Nothing specific. I do enjoy products from KnitPicks and nice, soft, baby-suitable yarns. I’ve also recently found myself hoarding bamboo yarns.

4. What other activities do you enjoy besides your favorite crafty things?

– I’m a pretty big video game geek. Right now, I’ve been playing a lot of Smash Bros. Brawl and I dabble in MMORPGS like World of Warcraft and Guild Wars from time to time. Other than that I enjoy watching a little TV in the evening while knitting. My current favorites are The Office, Lost, and Mythbusters. I have and will always love Mystery Science Theater 3000 dearly.  I also love taking long baths by candlelight.

5. Is there anything you collect?

–Rubber duckies, psychology/brain-related stuff, calla lilies, and Peeps things (the little beanbag stuffed animal ones they have out now are adorable!). I have odd tastes.  I also use candles at an alarming rate.

6. What is your zodiac sign and/or Chinese zodiac symbol?

–I’m a Cancer and Rat, as will be my daughter!

7.What are your favorite…

…scents/smells?

–Vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate, gingerbread… pretty much “food” scents. =)

…types of music and/or bands?

–I listen to just about anything on the public radio stations near Philly. I do enjoy The Beatles and disco-y type music.

…authors?

–Oliver Sacks, Augusten Burroughs, Terry Pratchett, J.K. Rowling… I’m pretty open to new authors though. I enjoy psychology-based books and/or real-life memoir-sy type stuff.

…animals?
I love my kitty-boys and have always found ducklings and rats to be adorable.

…places to shop?

–I’m really not a huge shopper, unless its for gifts. When I do get the desire, I usually find myself at “bargin” stores like Big Lots, book stores, or crafty places like A.C. Moore.

…season?
–I always have a hard time answering this one. I love autumn for the crisp weather and serenity it brings, but I can’t say I’m in love with the colors (at least not in yarn form and/or for clothing). Spring is a close second and I love the colors associated with it.

…yarn/fabric/paper/other craft supplies?
–I hate to admit it, but I use a lot of acrylic yarns (as long as it’s not eyelash or “novelty” yarn) for the washability. I do enjoy using (non-superwash) wool for diaper covers though. As far as other crafting supplies, I love the Jolee’s scrapbooking embellishments and stickers!

…candies or goodies?

–Oh, don’t even get me started! Because it’s near Easter, I must say that Cadbury eggs and Peeps have been at the top of my list. I enjoy a nice dark chocolate during the rest of the year and *love* sour and/or gummy candies! Chocolate mixed with peanut butter or coconut are also very high on the list. I know it’s not really candy… but I love, love, love Indian food. Mmm, vegetable curries…

8. Do you have any wish lists?

–I do have a few registries going for baby stuff, if anyone is interested:

Walmart registry

Nicki’s Diapers cloth diaper registry

9. Are you allergic to anything?

–Smoke makes my head stuffy, but I don’t have any other known allergies.

10. Do you have any pets? What are they?

–I have two 4-year old kitty-boys, Sergio (gray) and Houdini (orange). They’re mischievous, but I can’t imagine life without them.

11. Please include anything else you would like your secret pal to know about you- anything that would be helpful in finding you little gifts that you will really enjoy.

– My husband and I are expecting our first child in early July - a girl! I must say, I love receiving cute baby stuff! =)

Also, if you have a Ravelry ID, please include it here.

–Mrsthallium

Someday… someday I might actually post a craft. Until that fateful day, here is yet another quick recipe:

Spicy Turkey Pasta Sauce

I can’t think of anything witty to say about this picture.

Yet another recipe that was born out of speed and necessity. This is a simple meat sauce, so the recipe might seem really familiar.

• 1 package hot turkey sausage
• 1 large can of your favorite tomato sauce
• 1-2 tbsp brown sugar
• Black pepper to taste

1. Remove the casing from the turkey sausage and brown in a large pan.
2. Add the tomato sauce and heat until everything is warm.
3. Season to taste. Pour over pasta and top with lots of cheese.

It’s not groundbreaking or very original, but it tastes amazing!

Recipes aside, I recently started doing a few little swaps on Swap-bot.com. This is the lovely bag I was sent by my partner Noodleroll:

Cute!
Also, the Mechahubby now has his very own blog. Check it out at World of Whatcraft!