New Book!

Fabulous! Nancy Queen's new book, The Chicks with Sticks Guide to Crochet, is available for pre-order from Amazon.com! It is available in April and I am so excited to see it in print. Nancy and co-author Mary Ellen O'Connell have worked countless hours to get this book, and the second installment The Chicks with Sticks Guide to Knitting due out in August, just right.

I have three patterns featured in the Crochet book, a surfer girl hat, great zebra stripe slippers and a top down raglan cardigan.

Go ahead and order it!

Being self-employed doesn't help

An economic stimulus plan that won't stimulate me. The main stipulation to getting a check from the government is having received a paycheck. I unfortunately have not had a paycheck in over four years. No stimulation for me. (Besides, I don't think it will boost the economy they way the government expects.)

Read more, here.

Taunting the relatives

There's nothing like being able to say, "I went to the beach today." I love to say that when my freezing friends and family call to complain about the frigid temperatures of the East. Mind you it was only 60 degrees at Del Mar dog beach today, but I still didn't have to wear a Thinsulate lined coat, two scarves, mittens, a hat and other miscellaneous cold weather accouterments.

How could you not love that face? Look at all those excited paw prints in the sand. Escape from the cold seems to be a necessary factor. Dooce and her family are fleeing the bitter Utah cold and coming to our wonderful micro climate and are especially excited about the doggy paradise.

Henry and Lola were so excited to get to the beach. I swear Henry knows the freeway exit. Once we got there and took off their leashes they were so excited, they ran and jumped and came back to thank us.

Henry surveyed the world.

And finally recovered from her sick tummy, Lola was having a blast.

Here she is shaking off.

We had a great time. I did have to wear a hat, but a hat while wearing flip-flops is not THAT bad.

14 degrees? No thanks.

This week I started my vegetable garden, planted sweet peas, hand picked tangerines, oranges and lemons, and enjoyed the blooming desert plants in my garden all while the East Coast enjoys a blast of Arctic air.

Here's my babies enjoying the sunshine. Making sure I don't do anything rash like suddenly whip Milkbones out of my pockets or hop the fence to play with a coyote, Henry carefully guards my every move.

Here's Lola (did I mention she's shedding because it's so warm?) enjoying the sunshine, chasing lizards and just being gorgeous.

Now we're off to dog beach. I'll take my camera along just in case I didn't get my point across.

One for Mom

Click here.