30 Days of Happiness :: Tangrams

A couple weeks back, the girls were gifted a tangram set from Laurie. I said, "Thanks." and I smiled. I kept my excitement subdued until after she left.

TANGRAM!!! Woot! Woot! Holy moley mole!!! a FLIPPIN' TANGRAM set!!!!! For FREE!! For US!! To KEEP!!!! FOREVER!!!!

I know. It's kind of sad how happy I am. But it's big-sized and made out of sturdy smooth wood and comes with a whole book on shapes we HAVE to make using all the pieces. It's a super math challenge for the brains. Think of all the spatial geometry skillz we're going to have after hours of enjoyment with this thing. It's making me happy that we're probably going to be mathematical geniuses. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

N

30 Days of Happiness :: Trampoline

My sister's children broke a futon from all the jumping up and down, so she and her husband brought home a trampoline to take the jumping outside. I might have laughed at her. A lot. But she might be on to something. When we visit my sister, our children run straight outside and jump like crazy. We watch them and laugh and cheer. One can not be anything but happy on a trampoline.

But I must admit that up to now, when I thought about trampolines, I pictured an amazed Homer Simpson wondering why on earth someone would give a trampoline away for FREE, and then I see the piles of crooked and moaning children all over the backyard. Now that's funny.

N

30 Days of Happiness::The MN State Fair

We have lived in Minnesota for three years and this is the first year that we've gone to the fair. It's the second largest state fair in the country, after Texas, and boasts the widest variety of food on a stick that you can find anywhere. The MN State Fair is buzzing with people, carnival games, baby animals, and...

...butter sculpting

...french fry covered hot dog on a stick with chili cheese sauce

...a parade featuring the University of Minnesota cheer squad and marching band

...more food on a stick (batter fried scallops + chips = yum!)

...fun with agriculture

...and did I mention food on a stick? This one we did not eat, however it sounded very intriguing. Here in Minnesota a casserole is called a "hot dish" and usually it's not found on a stick but apparently during fair time that's the way to have it. The "Great Minnesota Get-Together" is certainly happiness on a sunny, Sunday afternoon.

30 Days of Happiness :: Cobblestone

I'm happy that he's happy. I'm also happy because now I can move on to the next big project - a sweater for me!!

Mods:

Pattern: Cobblestone by Jared Flood (Interweave Knits Fall 2007)

Yarn: Briggs & Little Heritage (100% wool) Seafoam colourway

Needle: 4.5 circs (two of them!)

Started: November 24, 2008

Finished: August 18, 2009

I have no idea how many skeins I used. I know I started with about 13, so I will have to count how many left - once I find the bag that is.

Well there goes another weekend! Cheers!

N

30 Days of Happiness :: Weddings

The bride knit the white silk shrug which she wore over her bright raspberry pink satin gown! It was a masterpiece!! The light was horrible in the reception room, so although I had hoped for some beautifully artistic shots of the bride and groom, I gave up and sat down to enjoy my time with friends instead. It makes me happy to see my dear friend marry her true love. It has taken many years to come to fruition, but we knew it was inevitable when we met her. She was secretly knitting a big green sweater for her man, and right then and there, we decided that this was real love. And another time, she left a knitters fair ridiculously early because she missed him. We thought she was crazy, but she explained it this way, "You know how much you gals love to knit? Well that's how how I feel about this man." Enough said! I couldn't be happier for my friend. Happy Wedding Day, Maria!

N

30 Days of Happiness :: This Blog

Holy shizzle! Yesterday marked our 500th post! That's making me happy! How come I didn't see that until today?? Remember 3 years ago when you were leaving me forever and you said that you were horrible at keeping in touch? I figured that would be just my flippin' luck 'cause I sucked too at long-distance communication. I think I might have cried while driving away from you on my way to the gym. Well, looky here. We have proven that to be just the opposite. We are very good at keeping in touch thanks to this little ol' blog here and the internets. 500 posts!! Crazy. HAPPY 500 posts to us, mon ami.

N

August Daring Bakers' Challenge

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbookKaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

This was my very first month as a Daring Baker and I have to say, it was a fun challenge. I made the whole recipe all in one day, from the five sponge layers to the chocolate cream to the caramel layer on top, and I probably should have split the work between two days. The sponge cakes came together quite easily and the chocolate cream, although softer than I had envisioned was nice and light yet creamy with a good chocolate flavour. The only part that I had some trouble with was the caramel, which I may not have cooked long enough and so it turned out quite sticky. I was thinking that it should have been a crunchy caramel but since I've never eaten one of these tortes before, I'm really not sure if I made it correctly. Nonetheless Mr. T and I enjoyed eating it and I happily await next month's challenge.