20 Questions -- (More answers to YOUR questions!)

I am so blessed to have had so many opportunities to chat with you all via email.  Getting to know my blogging friends is something that is very very important to me.  Last years 20 Questions post was a lot of fun and I have continued to receive more of your questions!  In fact -- so many that I have devoted an entire notebook to your responses.  SO -- here we go again.  I will answer your questions - both witty and serious -- and as we go, I will share some of our recent travel photos~~



Riding the train to Baie St. Paul, Canada
(we were the only people on the train that spoke English!)



1. How much yarn do you really have?

More than YOU do -- more than anyone you know most likely! Have you been to your local yarn store?  I probably have more than they do!  The real question IS -- DO I KNOW WHAT I HAVE?  And the answer to that is YES!!  Anyone that has a huge yarn stash will tell you that organized or not, they DO know what yarns they have -- even if they don't know exactly where they are.  Most of my yarns are organized by color -- that works best for me in the projects that I do most often.  Ancient Proverbs say --"the person who dies with the most yarn wins. "  Well my friends - that's gonna be ME!! 



Historic fortifications in Quebec City

2. I wish I could be like you and travel to so many wonderful places -- but I have a terrible fear of flying. How do you conquer that? Oh boy -- if you only knew!  I hate airplanes.  I HATE AIRPLANES!!  I hate to fly -- but I love to GO!!  I get a HUGE knot in my stomach about 2 days before I have to get on an airplane and it does not go away until the plane has landed-- then it GONE!! It's not true that I can't do 2 things at once.  When I am on an airplane, I knit and pray, knit and pray, knit and pray. 





Calgary, Canada



3.  Somehow I have in my mind that you always eat healthy foods.  Do you ever eat anything that is just plain weird? Oh yeah baby --I love canned corn.  Just the regular kind that you buy in the store.  The cheap stuff is just fine.  I eat it right out of the can - cold - with crackers.  I get excited and think about it all day when I have this planned for my supper.  I usually only do this when the Gardener is out of town-- somehow I just don't think he'd get it! 



Montreal, Canada
(We don't know who this little girl is!! )
(We ask her parents to take a photo of us and she cried to be in the picture too!)



4.  I have a chocolate stash in my closet-- do you ever stash food? LOL!!!  I have a chocolate stash too -- but I'm not telling where it is because the Gardener usually reads my posts and he WILL eat ALL of my chocolate.  But -- I'm even more weird than that -I hoard elderberry jelly.  I LOVE elderberry jelly.  You should see my stash! I am afraid that the world might run out of elderberry jelly!  I eat a peanut butter and elderberry jelly sandwich every morning before I go to work.  I am ONE with the elderberry jelly. If you run out - don't ask me to share -- I am truly selfish with my jelly!! OK -- on second thought - I WOULD share - but only after I had done a count of my stash!   



Cartegena, Columbia



5.  Who cooks? You or the Gardener? Well--- most of the time, it isn't me! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful "house husband"!! The Gardener is retired, and he is the best little housewife you ever saw-- he does the shopping, the laundry, cleans most of the house (he won't touch the Sacred Yarn Room!!), and he cooks!  How else would I have time to work full time, maintain this blog, AND make your nests???   Actually we both love to cook - and we do take turns, but then we aren't "cook something fancy every night and eat at the table" kind of people.  We grill out a lot in the summer, and eat lots of veggies and soups in the winter.  He is aways wonderful to ask ahead if we plan to go out or if we are having "comfort food" - because he knows that I need to figure that into my diet plan. 

Nice, France

6.  I love that little tag that you put on your handmade baby items.  What does "gb" stand for? Well, when we started to have grandchildren (the best little things that God ever created!!) I knew right away that I did NOT want to be called Granny or Grandma - or any form of that name.  We already had Meme, Nana, and the other forms of Grandma taken in our family -- so I wanted to be different.  Hence - "gb". It stands for Granny Boster but I just want to be called "gb" - little g, little b.  "gb" Cute huh!  The most precious sound I ever heard was when our little babes finally were able to say "gb".  I cried all the way home when our first grandchild Mason first said it out loud.  It's funny -- you just don't get the grandparent thing - until you ARE grandparents. I would give up everything I own just to be able to enjoy hearing our babes say "gb and Papaw".  

Calgary Tower
Calgary, Canada
(sporting my school Marm look!)

7. Name something you are really afraid of~~

I hate elevators.  I hate elevators.  I hate elevators. In order to get to the top of this tower I had to go to the back of the elevator and bury my head against my husbands chest.  Yes - it really is that bad for me!



Lake Louise, Canada



8.  What are your favorite and least favorite things about blogging? This is a wonderful question - one that I am very happy to have the chance to answer!  Let's start with the negative-- honestly, it is a LOT of work.  For example - to do a post like this, I probably spent at least 8 hours at the computer by the time I edited the photos, loaded in the post, did corrections,... there is no way that I can do this any quicker.  Probably I spend about 2 hours a day - some days more - working on my blog.  Somedays -- I spend LONG days at the computer -- so in essence , it is almost another job of sorts.  Having said that - I do this because I love blogging and I love the opportunities that it brings to me -- like having the chance to get to meet all of you. 

My most favorite thing?  Let me show you~

My beautiful friend Maggie lives in France.  On one of our travels this past summer, my husband and I had the opportunity to stop by Hilton Head Island and meet up with Maggie and her sweet husband Roger who were vacationing there.  This was an opportunity of a lifetime for both Maggie and me.  We enjoyed a wonderful dinner -- talked and talked and talked!  On another trip headed south - I also got to meet my friend Silke in Savannah - another wonderful opportunity to visit with a dear friend.  THIS is my most favorite thing about blogging -- getting to know my friends - whether it is by email or on happenstance in person -- it is the most precious and special thing about blogging. 



Quebec City
Quebec, Canada



9. Those beautiful wraps, oh my gosh, and your nests, and your travels ---- How many hours do you pack into a day????  LOL -- well, I do stay up way too late,  especially on work days -- and I really need to stop that!  The gist of the situation is that I really don't ever have times when I am doing NOTHING.  If I am watching TV- I am knitting.  If I am on travels, I am knitting-- sitting by our pool in the summer - knitting.  I am very very disciplined and well organized.  I set deadlines for my projects and I meet them. My calender is full of projects and deadlines.  It's really not an issue for me to get my projects completed - I usually allow myself plenty of time.  You will notice --- that most people wait a year for a nest.  Those who ordered wraps recently -- will wait at least until the end of summer for their completion.  For me it is all about organization -- and I pride myself on being very organized.  BUT --- I do stay up way too late at night sometimes!!



Botanical Garden
Montreal, Canada
(Japanese lantern festival)



 10.  Do you think you will ever get tired of making those beautiful nests?  Please --- not before you get mine made!!! Hmmm-- yes, sort of.  This has been a very busy (actually way too busy) winter for my nesting.  Next winter I am going to keep the list way (WAY!!!) shorter.  I do have a hard time saying NO (because you are all SO nice!) -- but I just don't want to be making this many nests next winter.   I have projects that I want to make for ME!!  I just want to sit and knit -- a dress for me -- a beautiful hat - a scarf-- just sit and knit-- no deadlines.  So -- yes, next winter the lists will be kept shorter for the Woodland nest and Shabby Chic nests. 

 Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré cathedral
Quebec, Canada

11. We love to travel also -- I would love to visit some of the places you have traveled to. You must have packing down to a fine art by now!! Do you have any travel tips to offer in regards to packing?  HaHa!!  My motto is pack early and pack often!  I am not one of these "wait till the last minute" packers like someone I know and live with!  I start early -- maybe 3 weeks before our trip and I keep a list of things that I want to be sure to take.  I wrote a travel feature for Living Better at 50+ magazine and in that feature I outline what I think are the most important tips in regards to packing for travels.  Although this article was written for cruise related travels, the travel tips can be applied to any sort of travel.  You can access my travel features by going to my sidebar and clicking on the icon that says I WRITE -- or you can access it directly HERE. 



Cadillac Mountain
Bar Harbor, Maine
(maybe the coldest that I have ever been in my life!)



12.  I am envious of your weight loss and would love to talk to you sometime about that!  Do you have any "on the go" foods that you rely on to help get you through the tough times? Well I do have a super super secret food -- LOL!  I eat pomegranite jelly beans for breakfast. I eat expresso jelly beans for breakfast.  I eat them together~ 2 expresso and 1 pomegranite - together.  I think it is an obsession. I keep a huge bag of these mixed together in my car and my husbands car.  I allow myself to have about 10 a day -- and -- I DON'T count them into my Weight Watcher points.  Diet rules according to Vicki!! I will grab a few when I am on my way to work - on my way home, running errands -- for me -- it really does help to take the edge off until I can have my lunch or whatever.  I suppose I could just carry around a bag of carrots - but what would be the fun in that! 



Biltmore House
Asheville, TN
(I love the lions!!)



13.  Do you have any new Designer nests in the works?  I am trying to collect them all! So many ideas, so little time!!  You all probably already know that the next Designer nest due out this year is my Breast Cancer Awareness nest.  I am so excited to bring this nest to life -- donating the profits to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  This is a project that has weighed heavy on my heart for a long time, as I have friends who have battled this disease, some are survivors, and one special friend (who is the bravest person that I have ever met), recently lost her battle.

In the works -- yes, of course there are other nests in the works!  You should see my sketch book!! I have waited for over 2 years for the perfect snow - on a day when I was home and had the time to do a photo shoot. That day came a few weeks ago and I spent the ENTIRE day outside taking pictures of beautiful yarns --- in the snow.  You won't see those pictures until NEXT winter --- but like I said earlier -- I have to plan ahead for these projects.  Oh and I almost forgot --- I am planning a beautiful photo shoot later this spring for yet another upcoming nest design.  It's busy, busy, busy here in the Sacred Yarn Room!! 



Montreal, Canada

14.  I read in your blog that you donate the profits from your Designer nests to charity -- how do you choose which charity?  
Oh--- I wish I had a good answer for that question - honestly, I never really gave it any thought-- the opportunities always just seem to  present themselves.  The oil spill on the Gulf coast several years ago just happened to coincide with the timing of my first Designer nest - the Shorebird nest.  It seemed only fitting that the proceeds from that nest should go to help that tragedy.  The profits were donated to a shorebird hospital on the Gulf coast and everyone who purchased one of those nests was more than thrilled to be playing a small part in the treatment and rehabilitation of the wounded shorebirds.  I did not really think about it at the time -- but after it was all over with and the nests were sold -- I thought that surely God must have had a hand in my planning to do that nest at that very moment in time.

When I made my Harvest nests last year, it seemed only fitting that the proceeds would be donated to help those in need when the winter cold arrived - so I donated the charitable profits to a local knitting group that is coordinated by my dear friend Jan.   Actually, I bought bags and bags and bags of yarn and took to the knitting group for them to use in making scarves and hats for those in need of a warm hug. It was such a blessing to be able to help with their precious cause -- I hope to be able to help them again this year.
  
Of course I knew that the profits from my Breast Cancer Awareness nest would go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, -- and I knew that the profits from the Twinkle Twinkle nests would benefit children -- but -- honestly, for those nests that are in the planning stages - I don't have a charity chosen yet .  I think when the time comes --- God will have a plan. 



Reflecting Pond,Biltmore Estates
Asheville, N C.
(one of our favorite places on the estate)

 15.  Does the Gardener have any hobbies besides working in your beautiful yard? Oh yes!!! My husband loves airplanes!  He is a pilot,a certified airplane mechanic and flight instructor.  He owns a vintage plane that he is trying to restore and belongs to a flying club where he owns a plane with the club members.  He is also passionate about model airplanes and twice a week he goes to the "clubhouse" where he hangs out with all of the other guys-- they fly their miniature planes and do what ever old guys do!  Right now at this very moment - there are 2 model airplanes in my living room that he has been building this winter!  In addition to that -- he is just about the best house husband that anyone could ever have!





Riomaggiore, Italy



16.  I've been visiting your Sacred Yarn Room -- I am in love with your bowls of yarn scraps!  Call me crazy- but I would die to have a bowl like that full of all that luscious scrap yarn.  What do you do with it? Well, its true - I do save all of my yarn scraps -- and those bowls are several years worth of accumulations!  My favorites are the knots and tangles and twisty things.  You know - when you start to knit something and you knit a couple of rows and realize you don't like it, so you pull it out - or you try to--- and it gets all tangled up in big knots~~~ I save that. I get excited about adding that to my collections.  I am so weird like that.  What do I do with it all?  Hmmm -- I like to play with it -- sometimes I make little note cards using the scraps, sometimes I use it to decorate packages, sometimes I use it to make little embellishments for scarves and such, sometimes I just like to run my fingers through it and call it mine~~



Banff, Canada



17.  I read in your last 20 Questions post that you are a "coffee snob".  Me too!  What coffee are you drinking now?  My friends all love the Dunkin Donut brands - but they really don't do it for me.

I am a coffee snob.  The smell of good coffee is a sensual thing for me.  My favorite coffee is Selva Negra -- but only if I can get it directly from the plantation in Nicaragua -- and that usually means that someone has to bring it back for me. Needless to say -- that does not happen very often.  I have also enjoyed Three Generations Coffee from Costa Rica - you can order that online.  But honestly -- as of late -- I am pretty happy with the World Market Breakfast blend --its easy to get and if you order or purchase on Wednesdays -- you get double coffee points and that adds up to free bags --- that makes me happy!  I carry my mug of coffee in to work with me every day -- I need it!  I spilled my coffee walking in to work last week -- I almost cried. 



Bragg Creek, Canada



18.  Vicki- I have a confession.  I have been stalking your pictures - watching to see if you gain your weight back!  How do you keep it off -- what are your secrets?  I struggle so with my weight--  am up and down, and all around -- it is so hard.  It must just be easier for some people like you -- I admire that you are trying so hard to stay fit and healthy.  Any tips at all would be appreciated. This question touched me so much that I just had to include it in this post.  Ugh - my weight, its been the hardest thing that I have ever done.  Sorry - I know that's probably NOT what you want to hear. Watching my weight is something that I have to think about EVERY day of my life.  But -- here's my story.  I lost about 50 pounds almost 10 years ago using the Weight Watcher's Point system -- and honestly, back then it was not that hard.  Then over the next several years, I got lax, did not count points, and of course I gained back almost half of that weight I had lost. Also, I had quit going to Curves so that was also a contributing factor.

Fast forward to now -- almost 10 years later -- and I'm trying to lost the weight again.  It's HARD!  The older we get, I think the harder it is to lose weight.  I am devoted to my exercise regimen at Curves -- I will never quit going.  There are ladies in my Curves group who are 80 years old -- that is going to be me someday.  I will never stop counting points -- that is where I went lax in the past and gained my weight back -- I count points every day of my life.  I have cleaned my closets out and donated every item of clothing that is now too big for me.  I am devoted to making this work for me as I absolutely DO NOT want to have to lose this weight again.  The second time around has been very hard and I do not want to have a third go round.  So there is my story -- sad but true.  

I love my healthy lifestyle.  I have never felt better - I have more energy - I love to exercise and honestly -- I really do eat what I want.  I just work it into my plan for the day.  It's just numbers -- I make them work for me. I don't really consider that I am living my life on a diet - I like to think that I am living a life that allows me to eat what I want. 



St. Joseph's Oratory
Montreal, Canada


19. Vicki, I am a hiking enthusiast and I would like to know what kind of hiking boots that you use?  Do you have a brand that you love? Holy cow -- I have had SO many questions in reference to my hiking boots!!  It must be because they make such a great fashion statement!!! I love my Quest hikers.  I bought them at Dicks Sporting Goods - but they are available lots of places.  I have owned several other brands, but these are my favorites.  They are SO lightweight and they just fit me so well -- my feel don't hurt at all after a long day of hiking.  My legs might hurt -- but not my feet!! 



Mouline Yarn Shop
Montreal, Canada



20.  I have been knitting for just over 3 years and I think I have knitted almost everything that I can that is either a rectangle or square!  I really want to branch out and learn new things -- do you have any advice that you can offer me as for where I should start?  How can I become a confidant knitter like you?

My advice, which I have learned over much trial and error --- is to be brave.  Think outside the box.  Don't be afraid to try new things OR to make mistakes.  You never know where your mistakes will take you - some of my favorite knitting masterpieces started as mistakes!!  Its only knitting - you CAN rip it out - even though you might hate to -- and believe me I've been there many times. 

My biggest fear was to learn to read patterns.  Then I realized that its just a combination of stitches.  If I know the stitches - I can do the pattern.  So my advice for new knitter is to choose one new stitch and master that -- then move on to another.  If you can knit and purl -- then learn to do cables -- then learn to knit in the round -- then try a simple pattern with a few new stitches.  Once you master these skills, you will gain confidence.  Every knitter is different.  We all have things that we love -- and things that we hate to knit.  I will never EVER knit a sock.  I hate socks -- so that will not ever be a project for me -- but there are a million knitters out there who live to knit socks.  To each his own.  Me -- I want to knit myself a cocktail dress -- that is next on my list.  That is the reason why next year's nesting list is going to be shorter!!!



Venice, Italy
waiting on the water taxi 
(with my 2 Bags Full)



This winter has been so very hectic and busy for me.  In addition to my nesting, we have been blessed with the birth of a new precious grand baby and then of course -- the Grow Your Blog party was a wonderful success -- but it was all consuming for me!  I have been burning the candle at both ends and am feeling the pressure of it all. I have completed all of the Woodland nests --- yea - (picture me jumping up and down here!) and will be moving on to the Shabby Chic nests next. Right now -- I am recovering from a bad bout of pnemonia and it has totally kicked my butt. I think I am feeling the pressure of a way too busy last few months - and I desperately need a little break. 
  

I'm going to take a little blogging break and will be back with all of you come early-mid April.  I truly need this time to rest and finish these all important projects.  I know you understand and support me in this -- but please don't forget about me while I am gone!  I will be back in April with a post dedicated to Gratitude -- my gratitude for all of the love and support that you give to me - every day.  I love you all.  Watch for my Vera Grateful Spring Giveaway post when I come back -- I will have some beautiful gifts to share with you all - my way of saying thank you for all the love that you send my way.

I'm always available by email if you need to contact me - so please feel free to email me if you need anything at all.  I'm not gone -- I'm just taking a little much needed rest! 

xoxoxoxo,

Vicki