Hail Thor!

"Nay, father. Some of us have been killing giants today and aren't in the mood for a tea party." -Thor Odinson

One of Mike's co-workers in Belgium just had a baby boy and his parents named him Thor. I immediately thought of this pattern and asked Mike if they would enjoy a viking hat for their first born son. Mike, who is very low-key, seemed quite tickled with that idea. I had the pattern and the yarn for the horns and I ordered the other yarn from Knitpicks.com. I finished the horns last night and can't wait for the rest of the yarn to arrive. I mean, the Madmen season premiere is tonight and I would really love to knit that hat while I'm watching Don Draper stride across the board room selling sexist ads, make whoopee with his children's teacher, or giving someone a disapproving look. Ok, so maybe I don't really need my knitting tonight.

Things I'm Digging...

I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am that February is over. I'm not one to wish time away, but the month was filled with so much snow and dreary skies that I'm truly celebrating this new month. March has announced itself in a lovely way with warmer temperatures, a shining sun, and an easy morning routine with the family.

As dreary as the weather was last month, there were things that made it brighter. Our fireplace was put to good use every snow day and I enjoyed tending the fire. Finding a great recipe and making the best banana muffins ever was a joy as well.

A new tradition in our family is to ask people to remove their shoes when they come into our house. However, I don't want anyone to have cold feet so I decided to knit several Pocketbook Slippers to keep them in a basket by the door for our guests. So far I have one and a half pairs done.

There was a time in my life when my nose was in a book all the time. Over the past several years I have had trouble concentrating on reading and have missed it and knitting has never been a good match with reading until this little gem came along, thanks to my knitting buds. Currently I'm reading Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos and so far I'm enjoying her prose and her references to The Philadelphia Story (if you haven't seen it, go and rent it now).

On TV, I'm tuned into LOST and through Netflix I've been watching Six Feet Under, which I can also recommend since every time I watch one episode it's like a potato chip and I just can't stop after one. The acting is good, the story lines are interesting and I'm now a big fan of Michael C. Hall and may have to check out Dexter next.

I'm also getting a package together for Leah at Our Yellow House for our swap, but I can't show you that yet.

Ok, I'm off to make some more muffins.

Ned & Chuck & Emerson & Olive

Every fall season I try to resist the urge to watch new shows on TV. I enjoy Big Love, Weeds, Heroes and Lost not to mention The Office or My Name is Earl. I'm trying to cut down on TV, but then I watch Pushing Daisies and I'm totally hooked. I've never been sucked into any TV show right from the get-go. It's a cross between Chocolat and Joe Vs. The Volcano in 1940's style and 1950's technicolor. It's sweet, it's naughty and they even solve crimes.

Ned is a man who is obsessed with pies and owns a restaurant called The Pie Hole where Olive (Kristin Chenowith from Wicked!) works and pines away for him. Ned has the ability to bring people back to life with just one touch, but they can only stay alive for one minute or else someone close will die instead. (If you're into reality, this show is not for you.) Emerson, a private investigator found out about Ned's secret and is now partnering with him to solve crimes for the reward money. When Ned learns that his childhood sweetheart Chuck has been murdered on a cruise ship, he goes to wake her and learn who murdered her, but after her 60 seconds is up, he cannot bring himself to touch her again so the funeral director dies. Yes, it has a bit of the macabre thrown in as well.

I'm sure I haven't done the show justice, but give it a try. A bonus for you knitters out there, Emerson goes against type as a tough P.I. when we find him in the most recent episode knitting two gun cozies and a vest. Ellen Greene from Little Shop of Horrors and Swoosie Kurtz also co-star as Chuck's eccentric aunts. Pushing Daisies airs on ABC, Wednesday, 8pm EST. (No, this is not a paid post, I'm just really geeked about this show.)

What's Your Superpower?

This Monday I will have some very easy knitting ready as I sink into my sofa to watch Heroes. I can't wait. Haven't seen it? Come on, try it. Everyone's watching it. You know you want to. Seriously, it's good TV.

Everyone in the show has their own superpower like reading minds or being able to heal themselves. I think everyone has at least one superpower in real life. Hubby can make his throat bubble out like a frog. One of our friends has a knack for finding four-leaf clovers. I have so much trivia about movies in my head that I'm frequently able to name the title of a movie after given only minimal amounts of information even though I have never seen the movie. Lame, I know, but it's my superpower.

So, what's your superpower? This is a great time to de-lurk if you're out there but have never commented. Post in the comments, or if you have a blog, write about it and let us know where to find you.

Oh, and on Monday at 9pm (EST) don't bother calling my house because I'll be watching Hiro.

Caillou and Footessa

TV. I am a bit of a junkie. My hope for Buttons is that she will be selective in her viewing. We kept her away from the tube for pretty much her first 2 years. When she had bronchitis and needed a nebulizer we took advantage of a Barney DVD given to us by a friend. Yes. Barney. But you know what? Not so bad. Good lessons, pretty slow pace, certainly not flashy. We started enjoying Sesame Street on occasion and when hubby is not home, the TV is my best buddy when I need a shower. (She sits on our bed which is about 7 steps from the shower.)

Her favorite shows right now are Caillou and The Barefoot Contessa. Yes, that's right. My daughter likes to watch "Footessa" which is a (great) cooking show on the food network. How did my daughter find a love for Ina Garten? Well, it started several weeks ago at 5 pm whenI was jonesin' for some grown-up TV, but wanted Buttons to be able to stay in the room with me. I turned on the Food Network and there she was, a heavenly haven of adult conversation with no adult themes. No explosions, no French-kissing, no fighting. Just food and Ina. My girl loves to cook in her kitchen, so it's no surprise really. But when she asks if we can watch "Footessa" it still makes me laugh a little.

As for Caillou? I really like that show as well. It's animated but it has that Mr. Rogers feel. Slow-paced, good values like sharing and helping others and it's real. Oh, after only seeing Mr. Rogers Neighborhood a couple of times, she dubbed him Neighbor Rogers. I like that.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to head off to The Food Network's web-site to print a recipe for Footessa's coconut macaroons.