For the past few days I have been bogged down with doing taxes. I won’t bore you with details, but between the husband’s business, the move back from Florida and all I have at least 5 sets to file.

Long, deep sigh.

So to help lift the spirits I am trying to focus on appreciation today.

First a call from the husband…”You want some dirt?”

Bad photo of the dirt and the 71 Volvo.

He was working on an article out in Powhatan, a good 45 minutes away, and had come across a guy selling dirt, well, for dirt cheap (sorry, couldn’t resist). So he called, I said yes, and in the middle of the day he brought home dirt.

That’s the kind of guy my husband is. He’ll take a time out of an overcrowded day to bring home a huge truckful of dirt for our vegetable garden.

I am and always will be a nerd. Majored in math. I enjoy doing taxes. I teach computer science. It’s not my fault, I was born this way.

So I thought I’d share my two favorite new websites:

• www.stikkit.com -this site lets you create “sticky” notes. It can create categories, contacts and to do lists. Fun! Plus I can access my to do list at any computer. I am so into categorizing the endless stream of things I gotta do.

This is my stickkit to remember my next cool site:

• The Pocket Mod - This site lets you create a small fold-able book to fit in your pocket. It has fun templates, like graph paper and SuDokus. You print it out, two folds, one snip, viola! Handy tiny organizer.

The girls love the storyboard pages…they draw a picture then write a story.

I haven’t really worked on anything for me lately, which is fine. I have had a ton of fun knitting and sewing projects to work on. However, in a few weeks I need to start on the spring/summer sewing for the girls, so now is my last chance for a while.

I have all this great Peruvian Collection Highland Wool yarn from Elann, this is from a contest I won last year. I thought it was going to become Rogue from Girl from Auntie. But as I look at the color I don’t think the color is quite right. I think I want a light blue Rogue.

So now I am fixated on the idea of a cropped jacket for spring.The swatch is on size 6 needles…if I could only find my size 6 circulars I’ll be all set.

Howdy folks!

Here’s a map of all the visits to the blog this week. The big surprise? Four from Croatia!

Zdravo Croatia!

(Let me know if I didn’t get that right…)

So I ordered these on Thursday…and they are here! Two days!

I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am. Sewzanne’s Online Fabrics is amazing. I think this is hand down the fasted internet delivery I have ever had.

Plus, they sell this:

This is a Heather Ross fabric. Is it not amazing??

And my favorite Heather Ross fabric:

Wouldn’t this be amazing as PJ’s? I’m saving my pennies.

Here’s a shot of the Ottobre designs…not enough to violate any copyright, but enough to get an idea:

Look at all those lines!!

Well…I am off sweets for Lent. I try to cut this out every year. Sugar is my one true vice.

So I am trying to find other ways to treat myself. Especially since I am currently mired in the husband’s corporate taxes.

So, what’s my treat? Ottobre Design Magazine

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These are from Finland (don’t worry, they publish in English). If you haven’t seen them it is really worth a look. Lots of great ideas. I love that you get so many patterns for only $14.

I ordered them last night from Sewzanne’s Online Fabrics. I just got an e-mail saying they are on the way…can you beat it? One day turn-around!!

Big-sis has announced her new favorite color is blue, so she wants some Capri’s. Little-sis is still obsessed with pink, so we know where that’s going.

Next stop, the fabric store!

I have a thing for corny historical plates. The top is Abraham Lincoln during the Lincoln Douglas debates. This one hangs in the girl’s bathroom which is pink, green and black.

This is the home of Martha Washington, mother of George. It’s hard to see in the photo, but around the edges are scenes of her garden and her drawing room.

I have visions of eventually having a whole set of president plates…the ones with all the presidents heads, like George through Eisenhower, or Nixon. Hilarious!

So happy birthdays Abe and George!

And if you are interested, here’s a sheet on George Washington I made for big-sis. Print out and enjoy.

Is anyone else missing the You Knit What? blog? It’s been such a grey few days I need a good laugh.

View from our front door

The husband is sick. The girls have been locked in for days now, so I have been trying to get them to play in the basement so he can sleep.

These are the socks I am working on fro the husband…sort of a late Valentine’s Day gift. He has the world’s widest feet, so they are taking a while.

For the record it is very hard to get semi-interesting/visible pictures of gray socks. This is Wildfoote yarn I got last weekend from The Yarn Lounge.

Nothing else of note, so here are some interesting blog posts from today:

• Knitting while Reading: Note the snappy bee-hive (too cool)
• 1870 Pearl: Recipe for Apple Cobbler
• Dim Sum Knitting: Look at the color on this hat:

We have officially entered birthday season. Little sis and I just got back from one today. We have 2 more this coming week.

As always, our budget is pretty well stretched. I also prefer homemade gifts. So this year we are giving Busy Bags.

These are just bags I made from leftover fabric. Then the girls and I pack them with things to keep kids busy…crayons, blank books, stickers, plastic animals, etc. I got a great deal on all this stuff from Michael’s a while back, so we are fully stocked.

These are pink and white stripped on the outside, ad blue gingham inside, left over from Halloween 2005:

The girls in Florida

I decorated this one with silk flowers. I remove them from the stem and sew on with a button.

I might redo this one…I want one for myself!

OK, I realize I am trying to force spring to happen. Daffodils and now this.

I am used to being very organized. The difference now that I am back to work after staying home with the girls is that I am no longer willing to bring home hours of work each night to finish.

So I decided to list every current project, personal or work:

I eventually ran out of post it notes

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I got this idea from skimming “Getting things Done” by David Allen. Apparently he’s a guru of such things. I didn’t even know such things had gurus. What can I say, I broke up two girl fights in the past week, I don’t get out much.

Then I grouped everything into three piles…must do, maybe and manana (later). The idea is you develop a system to track all ongoing projects so that you do not have to actively think about it. You create routines to check your system, and have a less cluttered brain.

My poor brain needs all the dusting it can get. I have to teach recursive algorithms next week…enough said.

I needed to focus on. In the middle of the pictures is the calendar I use to organize house and kid stuff. (click here to see it better). I might eventually try to rework it along the lines oprojects.Anyone

Anyone else have any ideas? I can’t be the only one a bit overwhelmed with the to do list…