It Might Be Considered Cheating

I made an executive decision last night and when I went to the grocery today I bought a week's worth of frozen dinners. Lean Cuisines so they fit with WW but it's still not suppers that I've cooked. I have one more week (and maybe a day or two more) of Investment Cooking meals in the freezer but right now I'm not in the mood to cook for days. So I'll feed myself this way for a while. It's not exactly cheating since there's no real rules but it feels a little decadent. I like it.

This morning a few Mourning Doves showed up in the frosty grass pecking around for fallen seed. The feeders were all completely empty but there must have been some morsels they could find because they were busy.

After going to the birdseed store, Michaels for a frame for IT's school pic, and the grocery, I filled the feeders and this squirrel was the first to arrive at the small amount of seed I spilled while filling the round feeder.

It quickly climbed the crook and contorted itself around so that it could nibble away at the newly filled suet cakes feeder. It had quite a time figuring out how to position itself to eat and not fall off but it managed. Then it went up to the suet nuggets and was much happier.

I watched the next video in From Beginner to Full Sketchbook and really enjoyed it. First we drew bears' heads, then painted them with watercolor, then painted a floral frame around them.

Next we used markers to draw cats, used a fineliner to outline them, and more markers to add markings. I confess I like the bears more than the cats but thought I'd show you both.

These two small washcloths were my airport and hotel knitting while I was away. The scrap one was first and I still have a bunch of the pink and yellow yarn. The sherbet colored one came next and I've started another one with that yarn but I know I'll have enough to make a whole washcloth out of what's left. Maybe I'll make one out of the leftovers of the pink and yellow and the sherbet. Time will tell.

As I suspected my UPS deliveries that never showed while I was gone somehow ended up in my USPS mail hold so they were delivered today with the mail. This picture is of the front and back of the bookmark. I like the way it looks. It's a little crowded but I still like it better than the old ones.

After supper I cast on Alpaca Mitten #3. I want to make another pair to go with the second Alpaca Warm One hat (or maybe they'll go with the first Alpaca Waffle Hat). Anyway, I got the first six rounds of the cuff knitted so I'm just about a third through the cuff ribbing. I enjoy knitting mittens more than I thought I would, especially using this pattern which is called The World's Simplest Mitten Pattern. And I think it is!

I got all my thank you notes written and out in the mailbox today so the mailman will take them tomorrow. There was an unexpected Christmas card from a cousin in the mail so I wrote one to her too. I finished unpacking and carried the suitcase back downstairs too. I'm about at the point where I'm going to cut up some more watercolors and make more embossed cards. The remaining ones are just so-so and I want to make more that I like better. Maybe I'll sort through some paintings tomorrow to see what I can find. It's very satisfying cutting up the ones that didn't turn out so great and making the halfway decent parts into note cards. People seem to like getting them too.

--Barbara