Bee in My Bonnet

Every year at around this time I get this itch to spruce things up a bit. A bee in my bonnet for sure. I'm sure many people do. Sometimes I feel the need to garden, others it's redecorating. Rarely is it both but this is one of those years. All last week my head was buzzing with ideas and Saturday I enlisted DQ and we went out to pick up a few things. By the time we returned home, there was a tree hanging oout of the passenger window and my trunk was overflowing with stuff. Oy!
The rain postponed my gardening so I spent a good part of the weekend sprucing up the upholstery in the house. It's amazing how little money it took to take the old, stained, and hard seats of four chairs in a pattern that I never liked and make them softer, and way more appealing. The new, blue seats make a huge difference and were pronounced a hit by the whole family.
I tackled other indoor projects too with similar success. Today I feel very accomplished but so achy. Who knew that using a staple gun could make your hands hurt so much? I need to flex my hands today because tonight I want to take on the next indoor project - painting! I am on a roll.
Another thing that I've added to my plate recently was a pair of swaps. The first was the Wee Tiny Sock swap which was nice for it's simplicity and modest demands. I enjoyed making the little sock that I sent out and, on Friday, I was happy to see mine arrive. I have had a red mini sock hanging in my car for quite a while and it was time for a change. The old sock was red but this sock is striped and springy.
The other swap I'm doing is the Special Swap and the theme this time is Sweet Treats. I'm so excited for this. What a great theme. Lynne sent out a little questionaire for us all. Here it is:

1. What were your three favorite treats in your Halloween bag? Do I have to choose just 3? I love the Smarties, Hershey Bars, M&M’s, red licorice (I love tying knots in shoestring licorice), Skittles….
and
2. What were the three treats that you would trade away? Anything with nuts or peanut butter in it.
3. Do you bake? I love to bake and generally start from scratch. My favorite tools are some that I inherited from my grandmother but my collection has grown a lot. I’m considered a fairly skilled baker and have even made one ornate wedding-type cake for a shower.
4. Do you order dessert in a restaurant? If so, what is your favorite dessert? I don’t always order dessert in a restaurant but, when I do, it’s often crème brulee or an apple cobbler.
5. Tell me about your favorite Candy-colored yarns, and what candy are they inspired from? I never really thought of my yarn in terms of candy before. I do have a bunch of chocolaty looking yarn and there are a few that remind me a bit of red licorice.
6. When you knit a special "icing on the cake" accessory for your outfit, would you knit ...... socks, a scarf, a hat or a bag? I love to knit socks. They’re like a special little secret peeking from under your cuffs. I do enjoy felting bags and I think it would be great fun to do a Noni bag one day. I love the flowers – pansies, chrysanthemums, cherry blossoms… I love them all. My biggest problem is choosing just one.
7. Describe the perfect ice cream sundae. When I was younger we always went to friendly’s and I always got the same thing – One scoop mint chocolate chip, one scoop black raspberry and strawberry topping. Whipped cream and a cherry are a necessity but no nut please.
8. Are there any knitting treats that you would love to add to your collection? I am always up for more knitting treats.
A book you would like for your library? There are a lot of good books out there that I’d love but The Natural knitter, The Knitters Book of Yarn are on my list. I’d also love a really good book on natural dyeing.
A knitting gadget for your notions bag? A wpi tool or a really good needle sizer would be cool.
A sweet yarn? I can never have too much yarn. I love them all except for self striping. I love subtle color changes.
9. Think about the best homemade dessert from Mom or Grandma. Do you have the recipe to share? I really can’t think of any. Mostly I use cookbooks for sweets.
10. What local or regional treats would you insist your swap partner try if she visited your town? How sad is it that I can’t think of any?
11. Cupcakes....talk amongst yourselves. Yum… cupcakes. I just love making cupcakes because they’re like a little canvas for wonderful creativity. I make cupcakes for my girls to take to school on their birthday’s each year and I try never to repeat myself. It’s a challenge but it’s been so much fun.