There goes February!

If you’re not a knitter, you need to know this: Several knitters out there kick off new knitting projects during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, with the goal of finishing those projects before or during the closing ceremonies. Some knitters take this quite seriously—joining knitting teams and signing on for certain “events” depending on the type of project they’re attempting to complete.

I didn’t join a team this year, because with freelance work and kids home from school and parent/teacher conferences and I’m full of ridiculous excuses, I didn’t think I would be successful.

Do you remember when I did that meme/hat giveaway thing at the end of January? Well. Mommy Mae won the hat, and after a few e-mails back and forth, we decided that she would look quite fetching in a Gretel. Because it just sort of worked out that way, I started the hat during the opening ceremony of the Olympics, and I actually finished it yesterday afternoon.

Please know that I’m not presenting a black and white photo in an attempt to be artsy. I’m presenting it because Mommy Mae has no idea what color the hat truly is, and I want to keep it a surprise. So, here I sit empty-handed, but deserving some sort of Olympic medal, I suppose. What a difficult life it can be for a knitter with no team!

On Thursday evening, my book club met to discuss “My Life in France” by Julia Child. At the meeting, we each brought a dish prepared using one of Ms. Child’s recipes. I chose the Clafouti. (The recipe is here, and is really super easy and Good.)

The host of the meeting prepared Boeuf Bourguignon, and side dishes included fresh green beans with a Swiss cheese sauce, tomatoes stuffed with garlic and Saint-André cheese, and roasted potatoes. Perfection. (Also? I was thrilled to hear that I’m not the only person in the world that craved more Julia and Much LESS Julie in her Julie and Julia. I could have done without Julie altogether, actually.)

For those who asked, the adult makeup I purchased is Lorac, which I just learned is pronounced LeROCK and not LORack. Specifically, I got the oil-free makeup (currently marked down from $30 to $7.50), the oil-free wet/dry powder makeup, and a set of really crazy glittered lip glosses that were marked down from something like $38 to something like $7 and are no longer on the website, meaning I’m definitely not the ONLY person in the world walking around with a bedazzled mouth, and you would be surprised how much my mind is eased knowing that There Are Others.

I’ve been commissioned to knit a sweater for a dog. And after finding this pattern, I really couldn’t be more excited.

Oh! Oh! I almost forgot! Leah Peterson is one of the most creative people I know. It seems that she always has some sort of amazing project going on, and I’m in love with her writing, photography, ideas, etc. Her latest creation is a magazine titled LP Creative Humans, and the first issue is now available. AND, I submitted something. (Very reluctantly. Someday we’ll talk about my complete lack of confidence when it comes to writing outside of Fluid Pudding. Yeesh.) And wheee! I made it. (Wait a second. There’s my Olympic medal!) If you’re interested in browsing or purchasing, feel free to go here! (Or hit the MagCloud button in my sidebar.) ((I like to give you options.)) ‘ ‘ ‘text/javascript’>