It's DarlySor's birthday todaaaaaaaaaay!

HappyHippoHippityBippityBirdday!!! With extra Bangs!!!! And ice cream! And Dancing! And Cheese! Have so much fun that there's enough leftover for me to feel all the way down here! i love you dearly! *hugglebugglewuggles!*

Well, the Transition Ceremony went fabulously, Benjamin survived, and many many pictures were taken, but this is by far my favorite. I might get around to uploading the rest of them but this one i had to share straightaway ^_^



And sure, that's an adorable picture, but it's especially sweet because for the past few years Z has never readily allowed B to hug him and it had turned into a rather intricate game of cat and mouse between the two of them: B trying to get hugs and Z thwarting him. But this evening, when everyone was giving B his congratulatory hugs, Z spontaneously came up to B and gave the above bear hug. It was the Best Present anyone could have given B. And you can just see the joy on his face. ♥ :'D



. o O(and also my mom begged off ostensibly because of the heat, so we were free of her negativity :D)

In light of all the strife, sorrow, & loss in the world today, i offer a flower to cheer you all up.

There. Totally got that jinx out of the way in my subject! i keep trying to avoid saying things like, "I hope 2011 goes better than 2010 did. It couldn't possibly be worse" to avoid the Universe feeling obliged to show me just how worse it could be.

And along those lines, i'd like to post here what the leader of my String Thing group started over on Ravelry: An Anti-Resolution List. Basically, instead of making a bunch of resolutions that most likely won't get kept, she made a list of things she already does well and is proud of and to quit fussing. i also agree with notion of being aware that of course there always is room for improvement but the days are already filled with lists of things that ought to be done and how about starting the year differently. i am all for that.

Here's what i stuck onto that thread:

1. I complete crocheted/knitted Xmas gifts for teachers and family on time every year.

2. I make my own lip balm and soap (which also go in the giftys in #1) and haven't bought any commercially for almost 2 decades.

3. I use open source software (and support Creative Commons) whenever possible and am Mostly successful at this.

Hippo Gnu Deer, Everybody!

So, the day was weary but i got all my present wrapping done and am pretty much ready for the day.. i even got the way late packages i wanted to send to people into the mailbox before the mailperson came by...

...and when i went to collect said mail having seen the packages safely off, what should i find but this loverly card waiting for me from futuresoon!

On the outside!

Edward Gorey! However did she know??? ♥♥♥

And on the inside after a loverly wee note, i really fell into a heap of ferret glee for i found this:


. o O (and she said she was having creative burn-out, hah!)

Thankee againgain, Talia, it made my day :D

There isn't all that much overlap between this the Dreamwidth/Live Journal Universe and my Durham String Thing/Ravelry Universe so feel obliged to let all you people who read my thing here know what a wonderful thing one of my String-Thingers made for me:

( A Cheer Harena Up Gifty, In Fact: )

When she gave them to me at our meet up on Sunday, i nearly cried, it was such a sweet thing to do! i am totally in love with them and have worn them every day since! i can even knit & crochet wearing them! :D

lyrwen sent me a map! it is not shiny??? Click on the image for the super-duper-sized version for a close up view! :D