Once there was a girl with a curl, right in the middle of her forehead...

...and when she was good, she was very, very good and when she was bad,...well, it wasn't her fault because her sockret pal spoiled her rotten!

I hope my sockret pal won't mind but I really want to share the note that was in my parcel, that I received today (Priority post, I feel so special). It was so special and exactly what I wanted to read after a long week back at school.

'Hopefully your lips are happy with Burt and his various bees, (Parisa: in relation to my last parcel, filled with Burt's Bees)
Now they won't be chapped when you're kissing Kolya in the breeze,
For winter is upon us with all its whipping cheer,
I'd hate to send a package that would cause snickers or even jeers, (P: not possible, you are too kind Pal!)
My hope is that these boxes can make at least one day great,
That the stresses from professors and peers evaporate,
That it's contents would provide comfort while your so very far away,
Maybe the items will give relief from the horrors of the day,
So may you have a thousand smiles from my silly gift hunch,
While you nourish the grumbles in your tummy with all the things to munch,
I know school can be horrendous and make downtown sparse,
No need for me to tell you work can be a huge pain in the arse, (P: LOL! 'Arse' I'm so proud, Pal is Irish at heart!)
Yet still something in the winter encourages the spirit,
No matter how crazy know you will endure it,
So may the contents of this parcel keep you alert and warm,
Straight off to Boston I'm sending some Southern charm!'



In the parcel was a box of biscotti, some raspeberry cordial filled dark chocolates, a bag of Starbucks Bold expresso roast, a trio of Starbucks flavoured syrups, a beautiful kitchen set of coffee toppings in lovely glass jars, a Starbucks card (I was thinking of you Brooke, the whole time I was opening this, my fellow Starbucks abuser...wish we could have a coffee morning), the sweetest little sock purse with pink flamingos all over it, and lastly a gift certificate for 'Webs yarn Store' for $25!! I don't know what I did to deserve a parcel like this, but thank you so much. I have quite literally been spoilt rotten by both my secret pals and I am very touched by their generosity, and plan to pay it forward to due course!

THANK YOU!!

So the first week of school is over and I am very tired (think the cold, international travel and getting back into a routine has really taken it out of me) but I am also very optimistic for this semester. I am feeling very happy with lots of my class choices and have really enjoyed meeting my new teachers, feeling a support and reassurance from them that says 'we're here to help'. I hope that my gut instincts with them will be correct and this semester will be a fresh start for me. I honestly feel like I could do very well in these classes, hopefully not jinxing it, but I hope that it will show the universe I mean business.

In order to keep my head straight I have been doing very simple knitting this week, just the mid-January pattern from my mystry dishcloth KAL and it's coming out very nicely. Unfortunately, it means I have been ignoring the socks I HAVE to finish for my Ma (started as Christmas gift, then became birthday and now probably won't be done before Valentine's day!). Also I have been ignoring the socks I am making for my sockret pal (Michelle, she's in my list of knitty friends and writes a highly entertaining blog...definitely drop by for a read), not because I don't love her (I do!) but because I think I may have bitten off more than I could chew and now that I know she reads my blog I can't ask for help without outing the socks to her. She is so sweet though, I accidently outted myself to her months ago, right when the swap started, through an email and she was so kind and didn''t want to hurt my feelings so she pretended not to know for ages, but was secretly reading my blog! She finally told me in December, I was so embarrassed but it is lovely to be able to get to know her properly know, without all the hush-hush. Well that is all the gossip for now. I am off to clean the flat for a 'we're all back in the same place' party tonight. Time for some quality catching-up time!

A little chic goes a long way...

Ain't that the truth. A little haircut makes you feel like a new woman, and here are the photos to prove it. In the 'as the hairdresser did it' photo I am also modelling my latest knitting project, a beret I knit at home, from hand dyed wool that was a gift from my mother. She tends to crotchet way more than she knits but we both had a little project on at the same time and could share the fun of it over a cup of tea and a chat. Social knitting the best fun and truely what knitting is about I feel, a community activity if you will. My Ma made a lovely pale pink, cashmere scarf with ruffled ends and I made this little beret to make me feel a little more chic on those cold Boston mornings when I slept in and had no time for coffee ;)



It matches my handbag! YES!


What happens when nature takes over and the hairdresser is long gone!

I would also like to take this opportunity to public say ' MY SECRET PAL IS BRILLIANT!!'. A truely amazingly thoughtful person who put together one of the most impressive parcels I have ever seen. Enclosed was a lovely Christmassy card, and a big Christmas box filled with a 'Stitch n Bitch' Page a day calendar (OMG, I didn't even know they made those!!), a lovely wall calender filled with homely, flower pictures, soap, little notebook and pen AND three...yes, THREE,...balls of the most amazing yarn. Two balls of Plymouth Yarn Cotton in a deep blue colour (yum!) and one ball of Manos del Uruguay kettle dyed wool in a gorgeous purple, plum and pink colourway. And the best bit of all...my pal had already wound them into centre-pull balls for me because she knows I don't have a winder. How thoughtful!! I am touched thank you so much. My camera died during the photo shoot, but I did get the most important photo of the yarn so everyone can see the wonder. Thank you pal! Any ideas on what I should do with these wonderful yarns please let me know.



Lastly, I recently I heard from my sockret pal after a long break and just want to say thank for getting in touch. SHe's amazing, all her notes to me always rhyme, they're so much fun to read. Hope you are well and rested after the hectic holidays...I understand dropping off the face of the earth during the end of December :)

I'M BAAAAAAACK!

It's my first morning back in Boston and sure I couldn't possibly be here and not blog. Would be unnatural. My bed here now reminds me of blogging and the fact I can charge my laptop without the constant worry of frying its insides with all the adapters needed is a blessing. It actually does feel nice being back. I wasn't sure how I was going to react to it. For the first time I really didn't want to leave home (usually you miss it but are excited to return to college too) and, while we are old hands at it now, leaving DB is getting more frustrating the more I do it. I think that is my heart telling me that it could and would do 2-3 years of long distance but now I really need to give it a break and some tlc...from my DB. Anyway enough gushing from me, I know what you really want to see (you don't love me anymore, you just want them!)....PHOTOS!!


My lil sis (not so little anymore, turning 18 soon!! she's still about 4 in my head) and I chilling at the top of the mountain.


Boulder pushing with friends...this particular rock is thought to have been brought here during the ice age...but the Irish know different!! Giants put it there as far as Irish legend is concerned! It's called Cloughmore Stone and 'Cloughmor' in Irish literally translates as 'Big Stone'....Big Stone Stone..lol!






17th century castle on the coast.





The particular day we went out and took these pictures was pretty much the only fine day of the entire holiday. Gale force winds and lashing rain were the staple and I have to say I quite enjoyed it, curled up by the fire, knitting! I pretty much just stayed in Rostrevor for most of my time and chillaxed but DB and I did manage a quick weekend over to London to see his brother and sister and I met up with Berklee friends from there for a big birthday and reunion. Was fab. Shopped, but was very restrained and only bought one skirt and one shirt in the sales and some goodies from Lush (Yes, I know I got a hat box full of the stuff from DB but there was a sale...I couldn't help it...it's an investment!). We also managed to see a show while we were there, Chicago, and, well, I was just blown away. I am not a huge musicals fan (was raised too cynical for all that) but this was fabulous...quite literally 'fabulous', no other descriptive word fits it quite right. The actresses playing Velma and Roxie were amazing, singing and dancing ridiculously demanding routines at the same time (how? HOW?!). It was so clever how they didn't have any different backdrops but the band was on stage and part of the show...more power to the musicians...even the conductor had lines, and gave it a really authentic vaudeville or cabaret feel. I was captivated for the entire thing, such an enjoyable night out.

Ooh, and I got my haircut. I like getting my haircut, it's like a fresh start or mini makeover or something. It's short, up to my shoulders, with layer all round and my hairdresser straightened it for me so I look all sophisticated right now. Just wait til I wash it for the first time and I get my curls back. Will post a photo when I don't look so jetlagged.

It feels like it has all gone so quickly though. Not sure how I feel about school starting again. Please let it be OK!? I have a slew of new years resolutions that I am determined to keep, the most important one being POSITIVE THINKING and doing more yoga, because everything seems to be better after I've meditated.

To my dear Secret Pal, you parcel has definitely arrived and I am going to pick it up tomorrow. So excited to see what goodies you sent me. Thank you so much. Check back tomorrow for pics.

To My Dear Friends...

Hello everyone, hope your holidays have been wonderful and relaxing. I feel this post will be more like a letter than anything else, a letter to my dear friends in blogland that I have so harshly neglected these last few weeks. Thank you for your lovely messages that you left me in my absence. I appreciate it so much and have been feeling guilty about not posting or even finishing the blog-a-long that I had been enjoying so much. Life has been hectic - a phrase I feel I have worn smooth with so much overuse, but please believe me when I say it's true.

The journey home in itself was an ordeal, and ended with me arriving home and promptly getting sick. It was great to get back though!! Christmas was brilliant, it is so nice ot spend these holidays with my little brothers and sisters. They make it magical for me, just by watching their excitment build and being there for them, to take them out and be a big sister to them. I miss them so much. Santa was very good to me this year (normally we don't do presents really, since the Baha'i New Year is really our big celebration) but I got some lovely things, including a big hatbox full of Lush goodies from DB, a pair of lovely trousers from my sis (who would have known she could shop so well for me)and a gooooooooorgeous knitting book from my Ma called 'Vintage Knits' that I like to read and drool over now! Everyone's been so kind :) Not to say that being home hasn't been hard. It is odd slipping back into that spot you left empty, and getting back into the routine of a house, but still.

Ofcourse you know me and no blog would be complete without a good stress! Have been waiting for my grades to come out and to be honest it has really been playing on my mind the entire time I've been home, but I found them out yesterday and while they are not brilliant, I didnt fail anything and should be fine. 2 A grades, 2 Bs, 2 Cs and one D (it was the class I really struggled with so I shouldnt be suprised). But not that the semester has passed and all is said and done I really want to start fresh, find that vigour and love for my subject that I had before and approach next semester with energy and focus. I feel some new year's resolutions coming on...

As for the knitting, I am currerntly working on socks for my mother that were meant for Christmas but never got finished in time so I'm going to give them to her on her birthday next week. I started a jumper from my vintage knits book all excited and didn't gauge or anything and suprise, suprise I have to rip it all out and start again...was too excited from getting the book. Silly Pari!

I have lots of photos to post of the goings on these past few weeks but unfortunatley my lappy needs charged and I forgot my adapter so have to go buy another one. I'm doing this on the family PC and it's all strange not being on a MAC :) Truthfully I have been staying away from the internet and computers recently, partly because I was scared about the whole grades and school thing and wanted distance but also because I think a break every now and then is good for me.

Here's to a New Year, new attitudes, new energy, refreshed, revitlised...to friends and knitting and the fun we have. Happy New Year and many happy returns!!