1.  It's not like I eat like this all the time.  Actually only about twice a year, the days after I serve corned beef with all the accoutrement.  After delays due to what appeared to be the flu (fat lot of good all those flu shots did us), we finally were able to get together with the rest of the family (Hi Mom and Dad!) to have our rather belated St. Patrick's day celebration.  Anyhow here are the ingredients for my corned beef hash breakfast and, oh, it was so good.  Not pictured, vinegar to drizzle over the steaming concoction.



2. And now from the files of   "What?  Was that irony?" 

Here is an ad we received in the mail earlier this week.  I call your attention to the asterisk at the end of  where the ad proudly exclaims, "NO EXCLUSIONS!".  They appreciate us so much that they used an exclamation mark and there will be NO EXCLUSIONS  to this sale.  None. 



Well, except.....



I believe that  even if you list exceptions in itty bitty print, it doesn't change the fact "exclusions" and "exceptions" are synonyms.  And saying "NO EXCLUSIONS" and then listing the exclusions is a bit silly and made everyone in the family chuckle.  Probably not the desired effect of publishing the ad.     Of course, giving the powers-that-be at JCPenny the benefit of the doubt, maybe they feel that their customers have lovely countenances and smell just fine and need no extra help in those areas and are gently encouraging us to spend our money on other items.

3.  On the knitting and spinning front,  I finished the first pair of socks ever with my own hand spun year and I'm totally in love with them.  The colors look just like the setting sun and they feel great.  So I went from this yarn



to these socks...
       

Fiber:  The Sheep Shed, 4 oz merino/tencel bought at Rhinebeck in Oct 2008
Yarn:  2 ply fingering
Needles:  US 1
Amount: I had about 360 yds and I used about 300 yards
Gauge:  7 1/2 stitches/ inch
Pattern:  Ann Budd's textured rib from Fall 2007 Spin Off magazine
Mods:  Changed the ribbing to K2 P2 for extra stretchiness.

I like their fraternal twin-ness.  (Yes, I know that's not a real word

And one last closeup.