Life

So, I've been letting things get away from me. Everything from my friends and family to my spoiler/spoilee duties. And all because of a little thing called the 2009 ERA Awards Program. That's right folks, and awards program has come between me and all of you.

You see, there's only one of me and close to 300 entries. All of these entries have to be entered into the database and the nominators have to be charged. I have to arrange for volunteer judges, make sure that all of the materials (commercials, questionnaires and ballots) get to the judges and then make sure the ballots get tabulated. I have the help of a Task Force, but that task force is more bent on getting their own agenda across than helping me. So, this week was the week to get all the materials out -- and I did it, but the skin of my teeth! Well, I got the long form judging materials out. Monday (or Sunday if I can drag myself into the office!) I'll email the short form materials to the judges. Suffice it to say all of my other duties have kind of fallen down on the priority list! I think that I can get back to it though now that the materials have gone out. At least that's what I'm hoping.

So, now you know why it is that I've been so neglectful and absent minded lately. I hope you understand! I hope you're all enjoying your summer... I want to hear all about it!

Talk to you soon!

Walloon Lake, MI

My dad's family has a cabin on a lake in northern Michigan. We have been on Walloon Lake for 75 years now - which of course called for a big family celebration. So, June 19, I made my way up there and began a week of rest and relaxation on the prettiest lake you'll ever see! The best part? Seeing all of my uncles, aunts and cousins. I hope this will become a tradition!

Most mornings began like this. Kind of eerie isn't it?

But they always ended up like this. This is how most days went... reading and getting sun on the dock! Oh the good life!

But first we had a little party to celebrate our diamond anniversary. This is Uncle Stu, my grandpa George's brother and the unofficial head of the family.

We went out to dinner one night as well. Here's my dad and me.

And dad with Elizabeth.

I also had a chance to meet the newest member of the family, Aaron Leo. Here is with Susan, my stepmom. So cute, right?

There was also a bit of cornhole being played.

But it all comes back to the lake. This has to be my favorite shot I think. It was taken around 10pm on the Summer Solstice. God how I love this lake!

All in all it was a fantastic trip. Lots of fun, food and frevolity. Just what I needed right before work got crazy busy. Can't wait for next year!

What's your greatest fear?

So, for the the 3rd game at HSKS8 Camp, we have to depict how a boggart would change for us and then how the spell to get rid of it would change the fear.

First, we have my fear... falling!

Next, we have the change. Instead of plunging to my death, I'm now falling onto a water trampoline. Nothing makes me smile and laugh more than playing in the water and jumping up and down!

HSKS8 Game 2, Part 2

So, the second part of the game was to solve the quote below using the answers from the first part. The idea is that the first number cooresponds to the numbered answer and (I assumed) the second number was the letter in that answer, i.e. 14-1 is H. Well, when you do that, the quote you get is "Phen gn doubt, go to the lgbrary." Which SHOULD read, "When in doubt, go to the library." One easy fix would be the 18-1, it should be 18-2. The 20-1 though, I don't know what that is. The only other explanation I can come up with is maybe something was wrong with Ron Weasley when he said it? I can't quite recall what was going on that prompted that quote. Maybe it's SUPPOSED to read like that then?! Anyone remember?

20-1, 14-1, 9-6, 3-3
P-H-E-N

18-1, 3-3
G-N

19-4, 11-2, 9-3, 8-5, 15-9
D-O-U-B-T

7-1, 11-2
G-O

15-9, 11-2
T-O

15-9, 14-1, 9-6
T-H-E

13-8, 18-1, 8-5, 16-3, 6-5, 16-3, 5-3!
L-G-B-R-A-R-Y

Secret Pal 14 Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? My fav yarn is probably Malabrigo, but I like just about everything. Ella Rae Classic and Cascade 220 are my go-to yarns. I'm not a big fan of acrylic and novelty yarns though.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? Right now I'm using a small LYS
bag... I really need to get something better.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I learned about 4 years ago, but only recently started really getting into it. I would put my skill level at advanced beginner.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? I have a very old and outdated Amazon wish list under my email address: ashley dot cavell at gmail dot com. I also have an etsy favorites list and there's a small list on my blog.

5. What's your favorite scent? My fav perfume is Happy by Clinique. I really like light and citrusy scents.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? I do have a sweet tooth. I like chocolate, but I'm trying to eat more fruity/chewy candies, like twizzlers, starbursts and skittles. My favorite candy though are Peanut Butter M&Ms. :)

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I scrapbook occasionally and am getting into making my own cards and stitch markers

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD). I like singer/songwriters like Jason Mraz, KT Tunstall, Duffy, James Morrison and the like. Andy yes, I am MP3 ready.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? My favs are blues/greens/greys. But I really cannot STAND oranges and some yellows.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I'm a single lady with no animals. Wow... that sounds a little sad.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I am more inclined to wear hats and scarves. I do not wear ponchos at all.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? I love to knit hats, dishcloths, and bags/purses. I'm really into felting right now.

13. What are you knitting right now? I'm working on a February Lady sweater and my CPH. A lot of things are in my queue and I don't know what to start first.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? I love receiving handmade gifts.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I prefer circulars and LOVE my Denise Interchangables! So, plastic is favorable, but I also like bamboo.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? I do not, but my roommate does so I'm fortunate enough to be able to use hers.

17. How old is your oldest UFO? My oldest UFO is the basic sweater I started in September of 2005.

18. What is your favorite holiday? What winter holiday do you observe? My fav holiday is 4th of July because I LOVE fireworks. I celebrate Christmas.

19. Is there anything that you collect? Do books count? I really can't say no to books.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I have bought Knit Picks Harmony needles for others, but have not yet tried them myself, so would LOVE that. I have only recently REALLY gotten into knitting, so don't own any books or subscribe to any magazines.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I would LOVE to learn Magic Loop!

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? I am in the learning stage still of sock knitting. I wear a size 8.5 shoe.

23. When is your birthday? December 22

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID? dramaqt99

Summer Camp Game #2

In the second volume of the HP books by JK Rowling, The (#1)Chrome Cab Festers, we continue to learn the incredible adventures of Hogwarts student (#2) Parry He Trot and his friends (#3) Oral Weensy and (#4) Angering Her More. Belonging to the house of (#5) Dry Off Grin, they attend Defense Against the (#6) Ark Darts taught by Wizarding celebrity (#7) Oracle Dorky Light, a none-too-bright fellow who cannot even handle pixies!

In The (#8) Chrome Cab Festers, we also meet Dobby a (#9)See Flu Oh for the first time. Determined Dobby seeks to sabotage the return of (#10) Parry He Trot to Hogwarts and is pretty persistent but is unsuccessful. After a few weeks at school, the deceased Ravenclaw student who haunts the girls lavatory, also known as (#11) My Molten Grain, shows (#12) Parry He Trot and (#13) Oral Weensy an old empty diary that dropped through her ghostly form out of thin air!

Many nifty things continue to happen for the next several months… we won’t go into all the juicy details right now… however, the ending is prime reading indeed!! (#14) Parry He Trot finally kills Tom Riddle’s (a.k.a #15 Mold Voter) sneaky diary (which we now know is a #16 Crux Rho) and saves the sister of (#17) Oral Weensy, (#18) Gayly Nine Sew!!!
Oh! Of course, we must mention that the thickheaded (#19) Oracle Dorky Light unintentionally erased his own memory, so he won’t be back for book three, The (#20) Snob In A Froze Parka…

1. Chamber of Secrets
2. Harry Potter
3. Ron Weasley
4. Hermione Granger
5. Gryffindor
6. Dark Arts
7. Gilderoy Lockhart
8. Chamber of Secrets
9. House Elf
10. Harry Potter
11. Moaning Myrtle
12. Harry Potter
13. Ron Weasley
14. Harry Potter
15. Voldemort
16. Horcrux
17. Ron Weasley
18. Ginny Weasley
19. Gilderoy Lockhart
20. Prisoner of Azkaban
    
    

Vacation

Right now I'm just giving a brief update of my vacation in Northern Michigan. I have some great pictures that I want to include and will give you a more in depth update when I have those ready. However, I CAN tell you that I WAY over packed. I would have been just fine with my swimsuit, a cover-up, two pairs of shirts, a few t-shirts and a simple dress. Also, I brought knitting (I was going to start Rusted Root (Rav Link)), but got caught up in a GREAT book (yet another post to write). Also, Walloon Lake is the most beautiful place on earth and I have the pictures to prove it. Finally, my family is amazing, funny and the best a girl can ask for. Seriously... couldn't have asked for a better week and I can't WAIT to tell you all about it!

3 Truths & 1 Lie

In order to get to know my bunkmates better and to give them a little insite into me, I'm listing three truths and one lie. They'll guess the lie and I'll guess theirs. Should be fun!

1. I can touch my tongue to my nose.
2. I am one of eight kids... mixed, not all related though!
3. I have been to almost every continent.
4. I have lived in VA my entire life.

So, which one is the lie???? Can you figure it out?

HSKS Summer Camp 09 - Week 1 Games

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you... The theme for this week's games are to help us get to know our fellow campers and for them to get to know you.

Part 1: "What's in your trunk?" List 10 items beginning with the same letter as your first name that you brought with you to camp.

Cassie C is bringing....
Chairs
Croissants
Candles
Candy
A Cat
Camphor Oil
Cheese
Camomile tea
Calamine lotion
Cookies

Part 2: WINGO! Wizard Bingo

Get WINGO! by finding fellow campers with these unique attributes all in one row or column of the WINGO board. **I have gotten all of the O's so far, but will add the other columns as I get them.**

O1: Emma Gorodok
O2: Emma Scamander
O3: Pandora Phelps (antique glass)
O4: Cassandra Grubbly-Plank
O5: Bevin Rae Mooney

Part 3: Get to know your Spoiler & Spoilee

Go through your spoiler AND spoilee’s projects on Ravelry (I think everyone has at least 1 thing I’d hope!) and comment on or favorite something you like. This is another way to get to know them better.

• My spoilee is Selena Starfire. She has over 100 projects... so many lovely things to choose from. I'm going to with her Hey Teach (Rav link), because she worked especially hard on it and it came out BEAUTIFULLY! Way to go, Selena!
• My spoiler is Prendolyn the Weird. She is both a knitter and a crocheter, wich I find super cool. I have tried and tried to learn how to crochet, but just can't get it. My fav project of hers is the Chinese Chomping Cabbage (Rav link) since it's just so gosh darn cute!

15 Books in 15 Minutes

Saw this question on another blog that I read and thought it would be great to answer.

“This can be a quick one. Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.”

1. A Swiftly Tilting Planet - Madeleine L'Engle

2. Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban - JK Rowling

3. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

4. House of the Spirits - Isabele Allende

5. Just as Long as We're Together - Judy Blume

6. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

7. The Eight - Katherine Neville

8. The Boxcar Children - Gertrude Chandler Warner

9. Starring Sally J. Friedman as Herself - Judy Blume

10. Labyrinth - Kate Mosse

11. The Velveteen Rabbit - Margery Williams

12. Sophie's World - Jostein Gaarder

13. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

14. Nickle & Dimed - Barbara Ehrenreich

15. Herland - Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Down River Review

Down River by John Hart


Rating: 4 of 5 stars

After two of the bookstore emails I get recommended this author, I decided to pick up his first book. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it at the store I was at, so I opted for this one instead. And let me tell you, I'm not sorry I did! This book definitely lived up to its Edgar Allen Award worthiness. The characters were flawed and passionate and the plot kept you from putting the book down. I am a fan of mysteries and can, from time to time, figure out who did it before the story is over. With this book though, that was definitely NOT the case. I love a good twist at the end (as long as its not TOO out of left field!) and this was a great one. Even better was the fact that not everything was completely resolved at the end. You knew that these people's lives were still evolving and I really like that.


View all my reviews.

Vision in White Review

Vision In White by Nora Roberts


Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Surprise, surprise... Nora Roberts got back into the swing of things! I wouldn't go so far as to say she's back to her old level of excellence, but she has CERTAINLY improved upon her last two trilogies. The two main characters were well developed and extrememly charming. The plot was well thought out and went at a good pace and I'm actually really looking forward to what will happen next. I'm still not sure if it was worth the trade paper price, but I'm not feeling like I want my money back! Thanks, Nora! :)


View all my reviews.

What a difference a day makes!

I have a beautiful dogwood tree in my front yard. It's in bloom right now, so I snapped some pictures to show my mom. You see, her tree is a little sickly and never quite looks like it's going to make it. Well, as many of you may know, the DC area (and beyond) has been showered upon for days and, well, the tree has taken a hit. So, here you have it...

Before:

After:

So, there you have it. In less than a week, my tree went from being lush and lovely to... well, not so lush and lovely. Ahh... Spring is here!

I'm Number One! I'm Number One!

Lucky you! You can be Number 1, too!

Mad Lib Time

Ok... here's the story to go with the list.

I have to tell you about the pretty time I had in Diagon Alley last weekend! My friend Agatha Vablatsky and I decided that we really needed some new stitchmarkers and had to get over to Diagon Alley immediately. Agatha put on their belt because it was huge and did not want to get a cold. I grabbed my keys and we headed to the trains.

While waiting for our train to Diagon Alley, we chatted with Callisto Verity and Thalia Tinkwych who were planning to visit Gringott’s. Thalia did not want to go alone because she was collecting a hydrangea bush and that was very purple and brought Callisto along for their excellence in protecting spells.

The train arrived and off we went. Our seats were very comfortable and the train sped along towards Diagon Alley and we were there in a flash! Before heading to the Yrsa’s Yarn Shoppe, we went into a house that sells the mean cakes!!! As we neared the house, we noticed quite a lot of commotion! The house owner had set the cake-making machine and it had gotten stuck! Cakes were boring everywhere! I ducked as a cream-filled cake came boring right at me and it fascinated into Professor Flitwick’s hat just as they walked through the door! A buttery cake did a nose dive and splattered all over the window most elaborately! We made it out of the store just as a cake frog and a kettle of Bertie Bott’s every flavor beans collided in a rainstorm of goo!

Since we were still blank, we walked the 28 blocks over to Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor! I decided on a cone with sour ice cream and Agatha got the hot fudge sundae with extra fudge! Yummy! Professor Flitwick had made his way over there as well after the incident at the cake shoppe and had chosen a butterbeer float.

After that, we passed Gringott’s and headed to Yrsa’s Yarn Shoppe! I tried not to look at the beautiful skeins of silk and bamboo and wool and instead, headed toward the stitchmarkers while Agatha stopped to swim the stitch markers. I found a silly stitchmarker made out of steel and made my purchase. Agatha kept hedging between the stitchmarkers she came for and a pattern for a scarf. She chose the scarf pattern and we walked the back towards the train station just in time to make the 12:30 train.

After sitting down, we noticed Callisto and Thalia were on the train as well. Thalia looked quite smart to have the hydrangea bush with them. Callisto however did not look smart at all. While waiting to go into the vault, a baby goblin waiting in line with his Mommy, had drank on Callisto getting chocolate all over their clean robes! The smell really was just horrendous! Apparently, Callisto’s protecting spells don’t work well against chocolate!! We made our way to a less smelly compartment and talked about how we were going explain missing Professor McGonagall’s lecture on the valuable ways thestral’s are working with the Department of Mysteries in solving unsolvable Londons!

More Homework

1- Pretty
2- Agatha Vablatsky
3- A stitchmarker
4- A belt
5- Huge
6- Keys
7- Callisto Verity
8- Thalia Tinkwych
9- Hydranga bush
10- Purple
11- House
12- Mean
13- Cake
14- Boring
15- Fascinated
16- Professor Flitwick
17- A hat
18- Buttery
19- A window
20- Blank
21- 28
22- Sour
23- Fudge
24- Butterbeer
25- Swam
26- Silly
27- A scarf
28- Smart
29- Drank
30- Chocolate
31- Professor McGonagall
32- Thestral
33- London

One last quiz

I'm off to Blacksburg this weekend, but before I go, here is one last quiz. Can't let my fellow Claws down!

1. This “Harry Potter” character’s first name comes from Roman mythology. The mythological character’s twin brother is named Romulus. What is the Harry Potter character last name?
a. Black
b. Lupin
c. Pucey
d. Finnigan

2. Which “Harry Potter” character’s first name is the Roman equivalent of the Greed Goddess Athena?
a. Evans
b. Malfoy
c. McGonagall
d. Flitwick

3. In ‘Harry Potter’ World, this wizard has created the Philosopher’s Stone (called the Sorcerer Stone in the US). The historical figure from the 14th and 15th centuries was a scribe and a manuscript-seller who became famous as an alchemist. Who is this individual?
Nicholas Flamel

4. What is the first name of a character whose last name is the name of a Bulgarian leader from early 9th century who doubled the country’s territory?
a. Theodore
b. Cedric
c. Viktor
d. Vincent

5. Which character’s name is the name of goddess in Indian mythology?
a. Creevey
b. Patil
c. Zabini
d. Vane

6. “Where the Wild Things Are” tells the story of Max, a young boy sent to bed without his supper for his wild antics. Who created this winner of the Caldecott Medal?
a. Maurice Sendak
b. Chris Van Allsberg
c. Ezra Jack Keats
d. John Steptoe

7. What was NOT one of the unexpected defense mechanisms that Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Griphook encountered in their attempt to rob Gringotts?
a. The Flagrante Curse
b. The Thieves’ Downfall
c. Anti-summoning Enchantments
d. The Geminio Curse

8. What was Snape aiming at when he cut off George’s ear?
a. Another Death Eater’s back
b. George’s wand hand
c. Another Death Eater’s wand hand
d. George’s face

9. How much older than James was Lily? (Referring to Harry’s parents, not children).
a. James was older
b. 6 months
c. 1 month
d. 2 months

10. Food is one of the five exceptions to what magical law?
a. Grimp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration
b. Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration
c. Gamp’s Law of Fundamental Transfiguration
d. Grimp’s Law of Fundamental Transfiguration

Picture Hunt

George

McGonagall

Patil

Where the Wild Things Are

DC Requirement

The picture below seems to be a requirement for this time of year if you are a DC area resident. Yes, that is a cherry blossom. However, it's not from one of THOSE cherry blossom trees, it's from a tree close to my office. I did not head into the craziness that was The Cherry Blossom Festival this past weekend. Instead, I headed out to Berryville to take my little brother to his art school audition. You see, my stepdad had to have his appendix removed, so I took care of Noah so mom could take care of Michael. Afterwards, I went to my BFF Jamie's for a girl's night of wine and chick flicks. Good times. Oh, and even BETTER?! I FINALLY lined the bag for my HSKS7 spoilee! Oh man am I glad to have that off my plate. The package went out on Monday. Once Pandora gets it, I'll share some pictures, but until then, it's still a secret!

The pretty cherry blossoms near my office.

Fabulous things await!

It came, it came! Oh happy day it came! "It" being my reveal package from my SP 13 pal -- Brooke! And let me say how fabulous this package is and how worth the wait it was! I really don't the words to justify it, you'll have to just see for yourself.

Here is the box right after I opened it. Looks promising!

This was under the pattern and letter. Look at the pretty pink cloud of yarn!

This is the tea cup and saucer that is to be used for chai tea. I am instructed to drink while I peruse the patterns or book she also sent. I think that is an EXCELLENT idea!

Ok, so the pretty pink cloud was the "buddy shawl" that she started for me. She got me to about the half way point and I'm all set to finish. The yarn is so delicate and soft -- I'm loving it!

Here is the shawl with the pretty little jars of pampering goodness. We have body whip and body sugar. Both smell divine!

Here is a new pair of Crystal Palace circs and a super cute mint candy tape measure. Love it!

She also sent along the premiere issue of Debbie Bliss magazine, the pattern for the Fiber Trends felted hat and some more lace patterns.

A hank of Cascade 220 in a pretty shade of brown -- I think I'll pair it with some soft gray Cascade 220 I have to make a felted hat.

This is two hanks of Handpaint Originals in some really pretty blues, reds and oranges. Super soft stuff!

And finally, here is the whole package all together. The book she sent was In Her Shoes. I really enjoyed the movie and can't wait to read the book!

Brooke, thank you so much for such a generous package! I know that this has not been the easiest time for you -- which just makes these gifts all the more special. Thank you for being so kind and I wish you nothing but the best. I feel really lucky to have had you as my Secret Pal and I hope we can now be pals period! Thank you!!!

Scrambler

This week's Ravenclaw homework was to take the word Ravenclaw and make as many words as possible out of it. There were two caveats however. One, each word MUST contain the letter "R". Two, the only letter that can be repeated in the word is "A", since it is the only one that appears twice in Ravenclaw. Also, as a bonus round, you can list all of the words you can think of that DON'T contain an "R". So, here we go.

Words with an "R"
Wren
Raw
Crave
Crew
Care
Arc
Car
Crawl
Craw
Arena
War
Care
Lear
Real
Ran
Vernal
Craven
Carnal
Raven
Wane
Acre
Carve
Crane
Ware
Near
Carnal
Warn
Arcane
Waver
Renal
Learn
Lacer
Aware
Race
Wear
Rave
Area
Earn
Ear
Larvae
Clear
Narc
Earl
Rev
Raw
Era
Are

Bonus Round
Valance
Lance
Calve
Warn
Wave
Veal
Vane
Nave
Lawn
Lava
Lace
Clan
Lean
Lave
Elan
Lane
Claw
Anew
Wan
Van
New
Awe
Acne
Law
Venal
Navel
Naval
Clean
Canal
Vale
Cave
Cane
Awl
Can
Ace