I have been working soooo much lately. I haven’t had my full 3 days off [My ‘weekends’ are 3 days off every 6 days on. Well, nights, really.] in nearly 3 weeks now. This last ‘weekend’, I didn’t get any days off, so I’ve now been working for 12 days straight, with 3 more to go. I’m starting to feel like I live here at the office. My house is a wreck, I can’t sleep for the heat, and I’m starting to need more than a cuppa tea to keep me going at night.

So knitting has been slow, and slow has everything else. I have Clue 1 completed in the Mystery Stole, and have half of Clue 2 done. As in, one of the two sections. Since I only have one ball of yarn wound at this point (need to drag in some unhappy helper to aid me in winding another ball), I decided to just move onto half of Clue 3 instead of cutting the yarn and doing Clue 2 on the other side. It’s looking gorgeous, but I don’t feel yet like taking another photo.

I’ve recently gone on a tea ordering fest! I ordered 5 teas from Adagio - which are soooo wonderful! I ordered just 5 little sample tins, which are each $2, and I’m terribly happy with all of them. Tried the Irish Breakfast tea tonight, which is incredibly yummy. Will have to get more.

By the way, if you’re interested in trying some of Adagio’s teas, let me know, and I’ll send you a $5 gift certificate by email! :) I can give out an unlimited number of these to first-time buyers, so feel free to beg even if I don’t know you. I like to be nice. Honest.

Then I ordered 5 teas from The Tea Table, which is a company in Colorado that produces a billion teas. Huge variety here. They also have free samples - you can order up to 5 with every order (as long as you don’t abuse the system by making multiple small orders to get a billion samples at once), and the samples contain enough tea for around 3 cups! Perfect! From here, I also got some paper filters, and a real “tea spoon” - for measuring the amount of loose tea for a perfect cup. Lovely! I’m happy with their teas, too!

I sent off my YA package, and it’s been recieved by Bev! She tells me she loves it all! I hope she really does. I tried to send her an email saying “you’re welcome” about a dozen times, but it kept coming up with errors for some reason. So I tried sending one to myself, and had the same issue. But the email to myself went through othewise, so I fear she’s gotten about a dozen of the exact same message from me. Eeep.

Other than that, I’ve done very little lately, except begin making wonderful food for myself, like tacos based on a taco bell recipe (very good, if a little spicier than I like), and oh! the best mac n cheese ever. It’s the Down Home Mac and Cheese recipe from All Recipes. Wonderful. The Italian seasoned bread crumbs added a lot! Even A, who hates homemade mac and cheese ( is she crazy? ) loved it.

Okay, so it’s Friday morning. Close enough, right? *groan* Tonight I’ve been plotting my menu and planning grocery trips. These are on the list for the next couple weeks.

Thirteen Meals for my Table

1. Dirty Rice
2. Oven-Fried Parmesan Chicken
3. Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese w/ Bacon
4. Steakhouse Burgers (even better, on Mom’s grill!)
5. Tonkatsu
6. Roast Chicken, if the temp drops enough to actually use the oven
7. Spaghetti
8. Mac & Cheese
9. Sicilian Pizza
10. Nachos
11. Potato Cheese Soup
12. Cheeseburger Pie
13. Shepherd’s Pie

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. Cindy
2. Jenny
3. Wolfbernz
4. Geggie
5. MInTheGap
6. Staci

Wow. The postman has been good to me this week!!

You wouldn’t believe (or maybe you would) all the wonderful stuff I got! I recieved one of my 2 DIY kits - the Visual Journaling one, which is quite inspirational! Next up was two small handmade journals, which are uber cute, and then an absolutely gorgeous tote bag for the Summer Bag Swap. *drool* It’s huge and lovely and I am already packing all my stuff in it.

Finally, the most shocking of all, was receiving the Yarn Aboard! box today! *gape* Sir Francis Drake stopped off at my doorstep this morning, and I’m terribly excited! I just hope the yarn I ordered for my pal gets here in the next couple days! *gulp* I have everything else I need, just waiting on that yarn delivery!

But now, let me gush about what was in that cute box! I got two skeins of lorna’s laces, which is soooo soft, and sooo pretty! I can’t stop touching it. *laugh* Also, a nifty fiber trends pattern that I can’t wait to try out! It’s kinda lacey which makes me even more excited! On top of that, some yummy looking trail mix and notecards that are just adorable. And of course, a postcard! I love postcards. Without further commentary, here’s a photo:

Isn’t it lovely?! I really like the box. I’d kinda like to keep it. Did I ever mention that I’m an unfulfilled klepto at heart? ;-) Much as I like it, though, I will send it along as soon as my order arrives!

Next up, some more swap goodness photos, in random order:

Another Thursday gone before I could think. *laugh* I attribute this utter inability to actually post TT stuff on Thursdays to my wacky night job. I’m always a day off one way or the other.

Up this week is some spiritual thoughts!

Thirteen Core Beliefs

1. I believe that all life is sacred and meaningful - from precious unborn to the lives of those who do henious things to the animals we surround ourselves with.
2. I believe all life is interconnected - we are all dependent upon each other for survival.
3. I believe that we should all have the right to live our lives in peace, free of harassment, fear, and negativity.
4. I believe that diety is more than we can comprehend, more than we can imagine.
5. I believe that religion and science are not mutually exclusive.
6. I believe that good and evil are just two different sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other. I believe in balance.
7. I believe that meaning of life is simply to live, to be alive, to relish these brief 75 years we have in our hands while we can.
8. I believe in freedom - for everyone, not just those who share our beliefs.
9. I believe that children are people, too, and deserve to enjoy the same respect and protections that adults do.
10. I believe that we can change anything, if only we try.
11. I believe that we should all have more compassion, more tolerance, and more love for our neighbors, and less fear, hate, bigotry, and ignorance.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)