once upon a time...

... life got complicated.

There was a time, when dad would take care of all those little sad moments, family problems and basically your average pains. Kiss my boo-boo, make it better, "daddy, fix it!".

Do you know about "Franken-Barbie"? ahhh... Well, when we were kids, lived in France, our dad traveled to the US a lot, for business. Needless to say, he brought us back some really cool toys, that our friends didn't get. So, our house was a popular playground. One of these toys was a really neat Barbie. She had the latest fashion designs, cool hair, etc... So, we all wanted to play with her. So much that it broke! Yep, right in the middle of the neck, it just broke, naked with no fancy outfit on.... So, being a kid, I naturally ran to dad, handing over the broken pieces, saying "dad, look.... Barbie's sick, can you help fix it??????". Dad being a fixer, looked at me, and said "oh sure, be right back". He goes into the garage, where all them fancy tools are at.... We hear some banging, sawing, drilling, phew.... all sorts of good stuff in there... Get this, Dad comes back in, all smiles.... hands me the "new" Barbie and says "look, all better!". Uhhhh.... WHAT IS THAT!? Barbie had this huge-ass bolt and screw in the middle of her neck! How in the hell am I going to play with her, and you know, dress her up? Well, we grew up learning to appreciate what we had, so I thanked my dad (even though I was more than super disappointed) and went back upstairs.... After morning our loss, we decided to call her FrankenBarbie..... Yep, I think Mom still has it somewhere in the attic... Still naked! LOL

Now that we are adults, there is no do-overs and reality can hit pretty hard. I have a strong family, I am a strong person and I have an amazing circle of close friends, who I know I can count on. That's priceless.

I guess this post is all about appreciating what I have, counting my blessings and re-evaluating what I may have taken for granted for years now.... I don't practice much, but I am Catholic and do believe in Him. I know He works in mysterious ways, but man... sometimes, it's a hard pill to swallow! ... So, I pray... I pray for strength, for happiness, for recovery, for everything to be ok where it really counts.

Everything is going to be ok.

Zumba!

Our workplace rocks, right... We have many benefits, and one of them is a fully equipped gym (newly renovated). There is a full line of classes offered throughout the week, and since last week, a Zumba class!

Don't know about you, but I'm pretty much as white as can be when it comes to dancing.... hehe. I have rythm (from my years of playing piano and being harrassed by my metronome) but I can't seem to get my body to "shake it" and "jiggle it" (well, I take that back, everything does jiggle and it's scary!) like the instructor... She makes this looks guuuuud baby! :)

So, today, I tried it. It's actually lots of fun, even if you have no clue what you're doing! hah! My BFF and I tried it for the first time. Let me tell ya... it'll work ya! phew... I'm sure we burnt some serious calories...

I definitely didn't have the energy I wanted to fully get myself going, but with time I think I could enjoy this... Have you ever tried it?

PS: I would get my butt kicked to next week if my Physical Therapist found out I exercised on my bad ankle, so don't tell.... shhhh ;)

Bread and potholder

This weekend was a comfort-oriented couple of days... I haven't been feeling 100% lately and since the weather was all in my favor (gloomy, cloudy and awesome!), I thought I'd cheer myself up by baking.... who know how I got to that thinking, but this made sense, right?

So, here I am, looking in the pantry for all the necessary ingredients to make my favorite banana bread. Sorry folks, no nuts in my bread. Oh, and of course, I used my super blender... LOVE THAT THING!

Well it turned out super yummy.... A couple of slices later and a nice big cup of hot tea, I was in Haven!

What to do next? well, hey... why not make a potholder! so I did (picture represents potholder just finished, not yet blocked).... hehe.... I had this neat little pattern for a dragonfly motif potholder, that I've been wanting to try. I ended up making 2 of the same, so I could double side it and make it thicker. The yarn used was a little too bulky (Red Heart soft), so the potholder turned out a little larger than I imagined... but I don't mind, I might use it as a trivet instead... A multi functional little dragonfly!

So, what did you do this weekend?

There's something about tea...

A few years back, I discovered how much I trully enjoy drinking tea. So much in fact, that my boyfriend got me this awesome Chinese teapot and super yummy Lychee tea from the Mountain View Tea Village (awesome place BTW, you should check them out!).

Anyway... After enjoying that tea and discovering the many health benefits to drinking tea, well it became yet another of my favorite obsessions... Besides yarn, of course.

my own monster...

Now, I can't live through a day without tea, or else... major crabbiness occurs... WARNING! hehe...

Today, browsing... I mean, working really hard during business hours (ahem...), I found the best and super coolest coaster! Yes, I have a serious dorky side, it's ok... I don't plan on getting help for it.

Anyone who knows me, knows I can have a bit of an attitude... oh come on, I'm really not that horrible, most of the time... hehe...

Can't wait to get my coaster.... and warn people!

30-day picture challenge...

Normally I wouldn't be one to follow the crowd and get on board of a challenge like that... It's just not really my thing, but I do enjoy watching others' postings... that said, I gave in this time around and started the 30-day picture challenge.... could be fun, right?


The "game" started simple, post a picture of yourself with 10 facts... ok, no big deal, I can do that, right.... hehe.

So, here I am, day 4.... post a picture of "your night".... uh, what is that? my artistic interpretation of what night is? Since I wasn't sure, I took it literarily: what do I do in the evenings....

For me, ya, simple enough.... Play with yarn, sip tea, watch some TV and read my kindle... Boring, I know, but that's what I call a good relaxing evening... So, that's what I posted...





Then, I thought.... People are gonna think I'm a dork. Well, they most likely already do, if they even know me just a tad... but how boring is my little life, HA!

Anyhoo... what do you think, maybe you think I'm boring, or... maybe you're a busy mom/worker bee who would really looooove a mellow night like mine?

My evening always has to include something about yarn.... Whether crocheting, knitting or shopping for new yarn, or visting my favorite shop, Green Planet Yarn.
As the evening progresses, I love having a nice cup of hot tea, most often from my stash of Chinese herbal teas... even if the weather is warm, it relaxes me and helps me with late night cravings... after watching some of my favorite TV shows, I can then shup down and go read for a while before passing out.... ahhhh...

Christmas 2010

This past holiday season, I spent it with my family in New York City. The trip was filled with family traditions, from my dad's pate, the creche de Noel, to spending time with my sisters by a cozy fire.

My sister, Stephanie, took us to visit some great sights, and one of them was the Purl Soho yarn shop.

The shop was beautifully arranged, with rows or fabrics, yarn and accessories. I really enjoyed walking through it, picturing how excited I would be to tell my friends back at home, on Wednesday, during knit nite!

My sister, Stephanie

My sister, Clothilde

The shop...

Sock it to me...

About two weeks ago, I started a class on how to crochet socks, toe-up. The pattern is simple enough, but for some reason, I never could master how to make heels, and so couldn't finish socks. Now, I get it! Sort of like an Eureka moment, hehehe.... Well, I finally finished the first one and I love it! For a first sock, it's not too bad!

The yarn used is beautiful... MadelineTosh sock yarn, color: Nebula.
I was going to use my absolute favorite, you know... Malabrigo, but my buddies at Green Planet Yarn suggested I try this one instead. Well, it turned out awesome and I'm thankful for their advice.