52 Weeks of Happy-Week 52

It's hard to believe it's the last full week of 2013.  All in all, I was pretty successful with keeping up with my weekly blogging of happy moments and it was a really effective way to keep focused on good things throughout what was a crazy year.  Here are my final photos for 2013.

I was extremely happy to get home and have my own coffee in my own mug in my own kitchen after being gone for a week.  Not to mention sleeping in my own bed.  This made me VERY happy!

We got hit with icy weather at the beginning of the week but luckily it was not bad for us.  I was very happy about that.  Unfortunately, those farther north were hit really hard and it has taken quite a very long time for power to be restored.  I snapped this photo on the grounds at work. 

I was very happy to spend Christmas with my family.  My nieces started us off with mustaches which mad us all laugh.  It was a wonderful holiday as usual with the usual shenanigans and shared laughter. 

My BIL - featured in 2 of the photos above - made this phenomenal cinnamon rolls from a Guy Fieri cookbook and they were just out of this world delicious.  I was very happy to partake and "know" that anything eaten on Christmas day has no calories.  LOL

We had some winter sunshine today and I was happy to take a walk with my furry friend.  They are forecasting more snow Sunday into Monday and fiercely cold temps by the end of the week so I was sure to try and get my vitamin D while it was relatively comfortable outside.

And I was happy to visit the library today to pick up some winter reading.  Given that the weather is going to be wintery, it will be great to have some good books to focus on while it's stormy outside.

52 Weeks of Happy-Week 50

It's been a bitterly cold week here and it doesn't look like there will be any relief any time soon so this week's post is focused on very seasonal things that made me happy this week.

Finding new winter boots that are both warm and stylish.  I'm loving this purple color!

Supporting a local singing group through the purchase of a holiday wreath.  It looked quite festive with a dusting of cold snow one morning this week.

Finally dining at a restaurant I've been wanting to try and sharing a great meal with 3 wonderful ladies.
Sorry the photo is so bad.  This was a yummy house cured salmon appetizer.

Remembering to look for egg nog at the grocery store and capping off the evenings with a tasty seasonal libation.  I love egg nog!

Hope you had a great week full of happy events.  It seems this time of year, it's harder to focus on the happy with so much stress and chaos going on around us. 

TUSAL and 52 Weeks of Happy - Week 49

Hello again!  As you may have noticed, I've not been around much the last few weeks.  I've been in a bit of a funk as far as having anything to do with the computer and so I've stayed away.

I wanted to extend my thanks for all of the kind comments I received from my IHSW progress.  I really appreciate friends stopping by and commenting especially considering how bad I've been about doing the same.

Here is my TUSAL update for November stitching.  I put in quite bit of stitching on Christmas@HRH so there were quite a few ends added during the month.  And I've also been working on Plum Street's Mary's Sampler.

As for my 52 Weeks of Happy blogging, I kept forgetting to take photos of things so I didn't have anything to share!  This week I was a bit better so here goes:

My work team had a holiday get together that was also to say goodby to some team members leaving us this month.  We gathered for dinner at a local restaurant and it was beautifully decorated for the season.  My poor photos don't do justice to the beauty of the decorations.

We also had a Yankee swap and I took home my first swap win which included a bottle of wine and some wonderful Lindt chocolates.

Next up may seem like a funny "happy thing" but it is my garage.  I've lived in the Northeast for almost 14 years now and this is the first winter where I've had a garage.  I have to say it's absolutely wonderful not to have to scrape off the car in the mornings and it's never quite as cold to get into as it would be if it had sat outside all night.  I'm loving having a garage.

And finally this morning, we had a little snow on the ground.  It's been remarkably warm for November and December and this is the first of the white stuff to really sit on the ground around my house.

 Thankfully, the sun was finally out today after a gloomy week so there was a lot of thawing as well!  That always makes me happy.

I'm amazed at how few weeks there are left to 2013.  I hope you had lots of happy things in your week and that the coming week will be filled with even more!

52 Weeks of Happy-Week 44

With November here, there are not that many more weeks left in the year.  Here are my happy things for week 44.

Finding a new website (thanks to my sister) that has deserts with the Weight Watcher points calculated for me.  These are Pumpkin Nut muffins and they were delicious!

Getting out the crock pot for fall and filling the house with the wonderful smell of cooking.  I love it!

Starting back on a running plan.  And finding that I can actually do it with the dog and not get one or both of us killed!  He seems to really be liking it.  I'm using a Couch to 5K app and have just completed week 3.  I'm not sure if he will hang in there until we get to the 3.1 miles but I'm going to see.

Picking up the last fruit share for the season and getting some extra goodies - some apple cider donuts and a new calendar.

 An unseasonably warm start to November - this was my dash thermometer on Friday night!  And this is a photo taken at the farm on the ridge where I get my fruit share.  It was a lovely, lovely day.

I hope your week was filled with happy and that you're ready to start another!

52 Weeks of Happy-Week 43 & Giveaway Reminder!

I didn't take many photos this week so I only have a few happy things to share this week.

First off was finishing my mitts.  I knit the 2nd one tighter than the first and it fits much better.  I will probably try these again using one size smaller needles and see how they turn out. 

The color is gorgeous and I have already put them to good use as it's been down in the low 30s the last few mornings.  Ugh!  They are predicting 20s for the start of the week.

I was able to get pants on my male caroler and that made me very happy.  I just may be able to finish this block by the end of the month.  Or at least come really close!

And today I finally stopped procrastinating and washed and blocked my Cosette shawl which was finished earlier this year.  I hope it will dry quickly so that I can begin wearing it.  I like the colors I chose but if I knit this again, I will choose colors that contrast more sharply with each other.

The picot edging used up a LOT of pins and took quite a bit of time to pin out.  I sure hope it retains it's definition.

Tomorrow I will be pulling the final two names for my last breast cancer kit giveaway so be sure to leave a post if you're interested in being entered. 

52 Weeks of Happy & WIPocolypse Update

I only have a few photos for my happy things this week so I thought I'd combine it with my WIPocolypse update because my progress on it makes me happy too!

I started a new knitting project recently that wasn't a sock and I finished the first part this week - a fingerless mitt.  I also managed to start the 2nd one and I hope to get it finished quickly as the first one knit up surprisingly fast.

I also completed the week 3 stitching on Mary's Sampler.  I am looking forward to what will be added when the next part is released tomorrow.

 This is where it was for the September update photo and below is where it is currently. 

And finally, my WIPocolypse update photo of Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow.  I am working very hard to finish this by the end of the month but I'm considering switching to my PS Halloween piece because it's October and tis the season!

52 Weeks of Happy-Week 40 and Giveaway Reminder

We had the most perfect fall weather week this week and it was just glorious.  I took a day off on Thursday and went to the Fryeberg fair which I will blog about separately.  My happy things for this week are as follows:

I found these news shoes at the JL Coombs store in Portland on Saturday and they are the MOST comfortable shoes. It is so hard for me to find shoes that look fashionable and are comfortable at the same time that I plan to buy this style in brown as well.  I know I will be wearing these A LOT.

This was the view out my sliding glass window on Thursday.  It's taken a while for the trees back here to catch color but the were much farther along this morning.  It's amazing how quickly they change once they start.  Many have already fallen and if you were planning to leaf peep in New England, you'd better get here soon!

I mentioned I went to the fair on Thursday and this is the only fair food I bought.  It was the most amazing apple crisp from a local church.  I ended up eating the whole thing and not having any room for other things.

I have a niece by marriage who is a sophomore at Bates College in Lewiston.  On Thursday evening they had a game against the University of Southern Maine in Goram so I took a ride over to watch her play. They won which was a much needed victory for the team as they've had a tough season.  It was a great night for watching a game.

 The Front

The Back

And finally, I was able to finish up the punch needle project from the class I took in August.  Now I just have to figure out how to finish it off.  I think the shape will really challenge my finishing skills but I plan to take it slowly.

And just a reminder about my October giveaway for Breast Cancer Awareness month.  I will be drawing the first two winners tomorrow and then posting the next two kits to be given away on Monday.

52 Weeks of Happy - Week 39

Lots of happy moments this week and I tried really hard to take pictures throughout the week.  Thank goodness for cell phone cameras!

On Sunday I traveled down to Salem, MA to the Peabody Essex Museum to visit the special Faberge exhibit that was due to end today.  It was a great way to spend a rainy morning.

Although Salem is most famous for being the sight of the 17th Century witch trials which draws a lot of people to the town, it has a lot more to offer!

 I also managed to finish the pair of socks I've been working on for a while and it's just in time because we had some very chilly mornings this week and I'm sure I will be reaching for my wool socks VERY soon.

Those cool nights and the warm days we've had have really turned on the trees and this is one I quickly snapped.  No photo can truly capture the magic of the colors(or at least one with me pressing the buttons!)

This was definitely the week to be in Maine for leaf-peeping as many of the sugar maples are already dropping their leaves and I think after next weekend, the color will have gone by.  Today was perfect with blue, blue sky and brilliant sunshine.

And finally a truly fabulous dinner at a great restaurant in Portland with some wonderful family members.  I ate beets and loved them which is saying something as I have never liked beets.  If you get to Portland, make a reservation!

52 Weeks of Happy - Weeks 37 & 38

I've not been very good about taking photos of my happy moments the past few weeks so I'm combining last week and this past week.

I attended a Greek church festival in Lewiston and although I resisted the loukoumades, I couldn't resist buying a two pack of finikia. 

Doing these well is a skill as they can end up dry.  These were PERFECT and so delicious!  After I had them with a cup of coffee, I wished I had bought a lot more!

I have a friend at work that is a fan of a particular author that I like to.  A new book came out and my friend's husband ended up ordering her two copies.  She so generously gave me her 2nd copy and we've had some great discussions as we read through the book. 

We don't work in the same areas so we catch up as we can and I think we both look forward to finding a minute to chat.  I know I do!

This week was a full harvest moon and it was so gorgeous and clear when I got home from a meeting on Wednesday evening I had to snap a picture.  Not a great one, but you get the idea!

And the week ended today with my finally getting to attend the Common Ground Fair up in Unity.  This was the first time I made the trip up (2.5 hours north) and the day couldn't have had more perfect weather. 

It started foggy at the start but by the time I reached my destination, it was sunny with a crisp breeze and about 68 degrees.  I will write a more extensive post on this but here's this year's logo on a bag I bought.  I LOVE it!  I bought a long sleeved t-shirt as well.