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ÌýÌý The morning after Valentine's Day, I found our garage door opened, and from there, I saw our mailbox door was opened, too. Unusual, but not alarming. So heading out on my morning walk, I planned to close both. That's when I discovered the package in the mailbox. A Valentine's gift for me and my husband, Rody. Two Iowa-sized pecan sweet rolls and a handmade card with two sheep. Unsigned.

ÌýÌý "Look what was in our mailbox!" I said to Rody. I put the package on our kitchen counter. "For us. A Valentine."

ÌýÌý "Who's it from?" he asked.

Ìý Ìý "I don't know."

ÌýÌý The weather had changed from wintry cold to warm spring. The morning light bright and yellow. Inviting. I was anxious for my walk and work. And so after slicing Ìýoff a sliver of sweetness, I left all my valentines in our sunny kitchen.

ÌýÌý As I walked, our surprise snagged my thinking. Who was this kind soul? Did they know how hard this year has been for us? A list was started as I passedÌý what just a few months ago was a farm and is now rapidly becoming a Ìýhousing development, the first of two on my walk . With each step forward, a new name was added. So many possibilities, so many good kind friends. Anyone of them capable of such thoughtfulness. But why not let us know? We could thank them.

ÌýÌý Walks are an excellent way of figuring out life's deeper meaning. The longer I walked, the more IÌý thought about my friends and their generosity, and the more grateful I felt about my life and my community. Another gift. A great one. And not just for me, but for Rody, too.

ÌýÌý Our gift was on the counter, alone in our kitchen. I was out on Rochester Ave, Iowa City, Iowa. Rody was probably in his office, checking emails.

ÌýÌý Gratitude. Had we forgotten how to enjoy a gift?

ÌýÌý With a cell phone,Ìý the day's direction was altered.

ÌýÌý "Would you start a pot of espresso?" I asked Rody. "I'll be back soon."

ÌýÌý Wednesday morning I was late getting to my studio. Relishing the mystery, grateful for our good fortunes and our unexpected morning delight.

ÌýÌý Thank you.

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For my Valentines fun, check out to see my three funny valentines!

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Happy Valentines Day! Here's a new card to help you celebrate! .

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Last Thursday, for the first time in a very long while, I bought stamps. Postage stamps. The postcard stamps, Aloha, sport images of Hawaiian shirts. They cost 32 cents each. The letter stamps, Gregory Peck and American Scientists, were 45 cents each. Stocking a supply of stamps was part of my plan to start writing letters again. And more than seven letters and one week later, I read on Knitter's Review about Ìý --a letter a day for month of February. To join with othersÌý in this postal initiative, sign up at the .

Write on! Ìý

NOTES:

For help in writing all kinds of letters, look at. You WILL want to your own copy of this indispensible guide.

If you love stamps, you must see the work of late , the masterful creator of.

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We have a winner. Eric will be receiving his copy of Hereville soon. Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who entered the Hereville Giveaway Contest. I was truly touched by your comments and how passionate you are about the books in your life. For fun, I have assembled a reading list from your favorites; it is available below. ÌýMany of the books mentioned are ones I have overlooked. I'll be taking the Hereville list with me to the library today.

Happy Reading! Strength to your Sword Arm!!

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Hereville Giveaway Contest Reading List

Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (audio book)

Away Went Wolfgang by Virginia Kahl ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Skinnybones by Barbara Park.

Harry Potter (series) Ìýby J.K. Rowling

Bartimaeus Trilogy (series) by Jonathan Stroud.

The Earthsea Trilogy (series) by Ursula K. Le GuinÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Ìý

Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster and illustrated by Jules Pfeiffer

A Hole is To Dig: A First Book of Definitions by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Maurice Sendak.

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol

Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie.

The Chronicles of Narnia (series) Ìýby C.S. Lewis

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake

The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien Ìý

The Pussycat Tiger by Joan Chase Bacon

The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (series) by Robert C. O'Brien.

Maniac McGee by Jerry Spinelli

Little Women, Eight Cousins and their sequels by Louisa May Alcott

The Secret Garden and A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett (with the Tasha Tudor illustrations, of course)

Anne of Green Gables (series) by L.M. Montgomery

The Chronicles of Prydain (series) by Lloyd Alexander

The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge

Linnets and Valerians by Elizabeth Goudge

The Dark is Rising Series by Susan Cooper

Wrinkle in Time trilogy Madeleine L'Engle (yes, I know, but it was only a trilogy back then)-reader's comment!

The Children of Green Knowe (series)by L. M. Boston's

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth Speare

The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope

Swallows and Amazons (the first two, and "We Didn't Mean to Go To Sea")by Arthur Ransome

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (first four in series) Joan Aiken

Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter

The Protector of the Small Quartet and other books by Tamora Pierce

Mr. Putter & Tabby, Henry & Mudge, (series)by Cynthia Rylant

Picture books by Jan Brett

Time for Bed by Mem Fox and illustrated by Jane Dyer;

The Waterhole by Grahame Baes

Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White and illustrated byMegan Lloyd

The Midnight Farm by Reeve Lindbergh and illustrated by Susan Jeffers

All-of-A-Kind-Family (series) by Sydney Taylor

Melendy Quartet by Elizabeth Enright

Little Witch by Anna Elizabeth Bennett

The Cat in The Hat by Dr. Suess

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This week a bitter cold settled over Iowa, a cold that seeped through my studio floors, freezing my feet. So my evenings have been dedicated to knitting and felting the ultimate slippers. My favorites so far, inÌý Lion Brand Alpine wool.

All week, the setting on the Presto Heat Dish in my studio remained on High. Wherever I went--Ìý from the writing table to the drawing table, and then, over to the computer--it went with me. From outlet to outlet. Yesterday, I got to thinking about exploring my electric campfire's other possibilities. Maybe adding a little summer fun to my studio rituals with a pair of chop sticks and bag of marshmallows.

News and Notes:

are on theÌý blog. They are very fast and simple to make. Check out the revised pattern .

The ends on January 22. There's still time to enter. I 'll announce the winner on next Friday's blog.

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My favorites were always the ones with snowflakes. In my grammar school days when the dress code was understood and obeyed with questing—no pants for girls—tights and knee socks were our cold weather essentials. Knee socks were always some acrylic blend, not very warm, really. Still, I adored those with a Nordic pattern, always in traditional color combinations, white with black, gray or red. Snowflakes added a little much needed fun to getting up in the morning and that's why I loved wearing them.

In those days before down jackets and other forms of lightweight warmth, we piled on layers to stay warm. Parkas were thick affairs. Often I wore a wool coat, beige camel hair. Walking to school, and later when we were give bus service, waiting at the bus stop, I do remember being cold. And I remember my red knees—the cold show directly above my socks, my snow flaked treasures which were better suited for cool fall days. Still, there were times when fashion ruled, and the suffering of legs and other extremities, were a small price to pay for the desired look.

Thursday morning we were hit with our first real winter weather. Snow and wind and cold. I headed out dressed in my best cold busters; polar fleece sweater and leggings, smart wool socks, Gore-Tex wind breaker, hiking boots, handmade merino and mohair hat and mittens.Ìý As I trekked down to Hickory Hill Park I saw him, running from one of the cul-de-sacs that feeds into our street. He cut across backyards, seeking the fastest shortcuts.Ìý A few minutes later, I caught his sweatshirted flash moving up the hill, still running. No hat. No gloves. And of all the wintry attire impossibilities, he chose shorts. Khakis. Glowing, a sizable distance from his low cut, white athletic socks, I'm sure were red knees.

News and Noteworthy:

Remember the . Click the share button on and help spread the word. For your 2012 reading pleasure, when the contest is over, I'll post a pdf with all the favorites.

My new Lion Brand essay, Ìý appears iin today's, January 13 newletter, The Weekly Stitch.

ÌýIf you live in the Iowa City area, I hope you'll join me in and others in clebrating children's books at The this weekend.Ìý Do stop and enjoy an author reading.

9:00am - Claudia McGehee - Where Do Birds Live?
9:30am - Dori Hillestad Butler - The Buddy Files: Case of the Lost Boy
10:00am - Wendy Henrichs - I AM TAMA, LUCKY CAT: A Japanese Legend
10:30am - Tess Weaver - Frederick Finch, Loudmouth
11:00am - Kathryn Erskine - Mockingbird
12:00pm - Michelle Edwards - Chicken Man
12:30pm - Jeni Reeves - Pocahontas (Illustrator)
1:00pm - Jill Esbaum - Tom's Tweet
1:30pm - Linda Skeers - Tutus Aren't My Style
2:00pm - Ana Merino - Hagamos Caso Al Tigre
3:00pm - Linda Gerdner - Grandfather's Story Cloth

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At the close of a damp October day the silence of the woods was broken by the sound of a car rattling and chugging on the road behind the cottage. It was a lonely road, and, even in the summer, the city cars took the hill quietly. But this car sounded like a hardware shop on a holiday. It was small and very old, with a rickety trailer swinging crazily along behind it.ÌýÌýÌý Carol Ryrie Brink, Winter Cottage, 1939

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For most of December, I feared it was lost. Right after mentioning it at a lovely holiday breakfast held for a group of local children's book writers and illustrators, it seemed to have disappeared. Could I have lent it to someone? I didn't think so. Not the Winter Cottage. After all, it's one of my favorite books and it's out of print. But searching my bookshelves and all the other ones in the house turned up nothing. Through interlibrary loan I was able to secure a copy. For three weeks. That's when I dreamed up a great plan. I'd type up my own copy.Ìý Just think what I would learn about writing the middle grade novel from that exercise!

Here's the catch. I am a terrible typist. Really terrible. Not only do I peck with one finger, which, if I was I accurate might be efficient, but as some of you may have noticed, I make a lot of mistakes. Finally two weeks ago I gave up and ordered the cheapest used copy I could find. It arrived quickly.With a broken spine and a loose binding, my new copy was vastly inferior to sturdy version I had owned, and am now happy to say, that I found only a few days ago.

Rereading a favorite book always gives you a chance to remember beloved parts and also notice what you might have overlooked in previous readings. ÌýI'm happy to report that I still love the Winter Cottage gang -- Minty, Pop, Eggs, Joe, Marcia, Mr. Vincent, Mrs. Gustafson and her clan.Ìý And ÌýI still love the story â€� a family during the great depression hits hard times and take refuge in a summer cottage. And without giving away too much, I still love the pancake part, too.

Something did change for me on this reading. This time, my knitter's heart ached for Minty, the 12 year old heroine of the book. In the wonderful pen and illustrations by Fermin Rocker, she's always wearing scarf on her head. Poor Minty, surely she suffered cold during that Wisconsin winter. What she needed was a good wool hat. Like the one Clara Parkes is offering over. If you have a Minty in your life, or if you'd like to donate a good warm hat to a group that aids the Mintys out there, check out this fast, warm, and wooly pattern. Hurry, it's a free download only until January 15th. I'll be casting mine on this weekend.

News and Noteworthy:

Remember the . Click the share button on and help spread the word. For your 2012 reading pleasure, when the contest is over, I'll post a pdf with all the favorites.

My new Lion Brand essay is in the works, it will appear in the .

Have you written your 2012 goals and resolution? My New Year's resolution is over at.Ìý Do stop by their , read all the crafter's resolutions and browse about--it's loaded with wonderful crafting idea.

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"Look at me!

Look at me now!" said the cat.

"With a cup and a cake

On top of my hat!

I can hold up TWO books!

I can hold up the fish!

And a little toy ship!

And some milk on a dish!

And look!

I can hop up and down on the ball!

But that is not all!

Oh, no.

That is not all ...

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Little did know that when I wrote the entry qualifier—posting your favorite children's booksâ€� that I would receive a chorus of interesting responses. Honestly, I worried a bit. Did anyone read blogs over the winter holidays? My blog? Would anyone reply? A hearty thank you to those who took the time to share.Ìý The isn't over until January 22, so keep your replies coming in. Ìý

The wonderful book list that's growing on the Hereville post got me thinking about my favorite book, The Cat In the Hat, who turned fifty in 2007. Random House left up their The Cat in Hat birthday with all the bells and whistles, cool music, and Ìý If you are a Doctor Suess fan, be sure to check out , the complete Dr. Suess site. Of course, nothing beats holding The Cat in Hat in your very own hands and reading it aloud.

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Let's celebrate with a contest! Thanks to the generous folks at , I have a copy of Barry Deutsh's to give away. All you have to do is name your favorite children's book in a comment on this post before January 22nd, 2012.Ìý I'll pick a winner at random.

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In caseÌý you missed the buzz about this wonderful middle grade graphic novel, ignore the tongue and check cover claim. Hereville's heroine, Mirka, is not "yet another troll-fighting 11 year-old Orthodox Jewish girl." But Hereville is what Ìýthe respected and very perceptivewrote --"A remarkable little book and, I guarantee, like nothing else you have on your bookstore, library, or personal shelves. "Ìý

Good news! Barry Deutsh is working on Hereville, Book Two.

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I didn't see any at Dick Blick when I was there the other day. They did have . I'm told it sets a new standard for glitter. Pens were in abundance, too. I snagged a couple , which come in the most amazing colors- wine, sepia andÌý sky blue. Blank books, ones I dreamed they would make back in the day when sketchbook choices were limited, filled display cases. I bought one of my favorites, a Beinfang hybrid called , which pretty much defines how I will use it. I scanned the glue aisle, studying the offerings, hoping I might find it there. But even in this age of reverence for all things vintage, a glass jar of glue remains a memory.

Back in the 60's, our school glue, the consistency of today's Elmer's school glue, came in glass jars, with a brush conveniently fit in the center of the lid. Used for all our grammar art projects, we lathered it on construction paper leaves and feathers. The plastic jars, and the plastic spatula replacing the brush, came later. They contained paste. A sticky concoction that had a distinctive sweet smell. Sweet enough for a subclass of the student population to indulge in more than just a taste. The glue eaters. They probably got hooked early on with school glue's close cousin--play dough.

Glass jars of glue. Brush in lid. Perhaps somewhere, in a cosmic corner of our new global retail structure, there's a stash. Till then, we are stuck with glue sticks.

Notes:

Googling hopefully about for this product from the past, I did find. Plastic, of course. But they are sold by the dozen, and you could make and pour it into the jar. A sweet hand drawn label on the front, a block of construction paper and some decent scissors would make a nice holiday gift for a young and old alike. I know I'd like one.