So, I learned to knit back in January. In the past nine months I've knit (and completed) 31 projects!! 31!!
I've done 2 sleeveless sweaters, 2 skirts & 2 babydoll tops, a shrug, 3 pairs of socks, 5 hats, 2 scarves, a rectangular lace shawl, 2 triangular lace shawls, an afghan, a baktus scarf, a baby blanket, and a handful of dishcloths!
I can hardly believe I've been so productive :) Lots of the items were gifts, and it felt so good to give something that I made. I made a cotton shrug to keep my Mom's shoulders warm, and I'm so very glad that I was able to make her something pretty before she passed. I made Shawn's Mom a pretty green rectangular lace shawl for her birthday. I made Katelyn a purple afghan for her bed. I made both girls a baby doll top and a cheerleader style skirt. I made Jake a couple of "man" dishcloths, plus 2 for Shawn's Mom & a few for myself. I made myself a couple of sleeveless summer tops, a baktus scarf, 3 pairs of socks, and a triangular lace shawl. My grand-niece Taylor got a baby blanket w/ cute flowers. I also have a few gifts stashed away for later in the mix as well.
I'm currently working on another pair of socks ... 'Bad Moon Rising' is the name of the pattern & the yarn is a gorgeous blend of Halloween colors. This project is my first attempt at cables. I have some yarn on order for another lace shawl for a dear friend, and some for a cool mitten & hat set for myself.
It feels good to have a craft I'm loving ... and it's very relaxing to sit and knit. If the pattern is easy, then I can knit and watch TV ... if it's more challenging, then I focus on the pattern & stitches, which takes my mind off everything else.
I sat and knit at my Mom's bedside during the last few months of her life, so every time I pick up my needles, I know I'll be thinking of my Mom with some very fond memories.
A huge thank you to my friend Carole, who taught me to knit and got me to be a yarn snob (what can I say, I *love* nice yarn)! Shawn's still not sure he's thankful, though ...
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Ten on Tuesday - 10 Things in My Refrigerator
I haven't been grocery shopping in over 2 weeks, so it's going to be a bit on the sparse side, but here goes ...
1. Milk ... we *always* have milk! At least we're down to 2 or 3 gallons a week. When the boys were living at home, at one point we were buying 12 gallons each week. Yikes!
2. Apples ... the girls love apples. Hmmmm, since the cooler weather is upon us, it's time to make apple crisp!
3. Nectarines ... they looked really good and taste even better!
4. Beer. Um, yeah, another staple!
5. Reisling ... saving this for a special dinner with my hubby :)
6. Leftover chicken parmesan ... it's what we had for dinner on Sunday, and it's what we're having again tonight.
7. Cranberry juice ... Shawn loves it, and so does Katelyn.
8. Spicy Hot V8 ... this one's mine! I love it, either plain or with additives!
9. Green peppers ... actually, I think these might not be technically green anymore?! Once they grow fuzz, do they still qualify as green? Yeah, I keep looking at them and thinking, "Wow, I really should get rid of those."
10. Potatoes ... another staple in our home. I grew up on potatoes. My boys grew up on potatoes. My girls are growing up on potatoes. Yum!
1. Milk ... we *always* have milk! At least we're down to 2 or 3 gallons a week. When the boys were living at home, at one point we were buying 12 gallons each week. Yikes!
2. Apples ... the girls love apples. Hmmmm, since the cooler weather is upon us, it's time to make apple crisp!
3. Nectarines ... they looked really good and taste even better!
4. Beer. Um, yeah, another staple!
5. Reisling ... saving this for a special dinner with my hubby :)
6. Leftover chicken parmesan ... it's what we had for dinner on Sunday, and it's what we're having again tonight.
7. Cranberry juice ... Shawn loves it, and so does Katelyn.
8. Spicy Hot V8 ... this one's mine! I love it, either plain or with additives!
9. Green peppers ... actually, I think these might not be technically green anymore?! Once they grow fuzz, do they still qualify as green? Yeah, I keep looking at them and thinking, "Wow, I really should get rid of those."
10. Potatoes ... another staple in our home. I grew up on potatoes. My boys grew up on potatoes. My girls are growing up on potatoes. Yum!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Ten on Tuesday - 10 Ways To Have A Happy Birthday
Only 10?? LOL Here we go ...
1. Be woken up with a kiss and a heartfelt 'Happy Birthday' from your spouse/partner.
2. Be served breakfast in bed ... while this hasn't happened to me in a very long time, I fondly remember the event :)
3. Go out to lunch with a friend.
4. Eat dinner at your favorite restaurant ... even better if it's one of those "Eat Free On Your Birthday" joints!
5. Enjoy a glass of your favorite wine or spirit.
6. Take some time to partake of your favorite activity. Read a book, knit/crochet, take pictures ... whatever you love to do, do it!
7. Have some friends over for an informal cocktail party ... have them bring some light snacks & serve some adult beverages, and enjoy the company of those you love.
8. Have your favorite dessert after dinner. Throw the diet out the window & truly indulge and enjoy.
9. Watch something special on TV (or at the movies).
10. Revel in the fact that you've made it through another year :)
Hmmmmm, I'm noticing a strong theme in almost all my list items, LOL!
1. Be woken up with a kiss and a heartfelt 'Happy Birthday' from your spouse/partner.
2. Be served breakfast in bed ... while this hasn't happened to me in a very long time, I fondly remember the event :)
3. Go out to lunch with a friend.
4. Eat dinner at your favorite restaurant ... even better if it's one of those "Eat Free On Your Birthday" joints!
5. Enjoy a glass of your favorite wine or spirit.
6. Take some time to partake of your favorite activity. Read a book, knit/crochet, take pictures ... whatever you love to do, do it!
7. Have some friends over for an informal cocktail party ... have them bring some light snacks & serve some adult beverages, and enjoy the company of those you love.
8. Have your favorite dessert after dinner. Throw the diet out the window & truly indulge and enjoy.
9. Watch something special on TV (or at the movies).
10. Revel in the fact that you've made it through another year :)
Hmmmmm, I'm noticing a strong theme in almost all my list items, LOL!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Ten on Tuesday: 10 Reasons to Watch FOOTBALL!
This should be pretty easy, since I love watching football on Sunday afternoons!
1. To root for your home-town (or favorite) team!
2. To watch the great commercials! C'mon, admit it, we all watch at least a little bit for the commercials, LOL.
3. To spend some quality time with your hubby (or boyfriend/friend/whatever) ... guys love football, and they love their women to watch it with them (especially if we're getting #4 ready ...)!
4. For the snacks! Buffalo wings, chips & dips, cheese & crackers, pretzels, popcorn, whatever you're making for the big game, it usually ends up being a deliciously overdone event!
5. For the tailgating ... ok, so I could have combined #4 and #5, but really, it's two completely separate things! Tailgating is so totally different than watching in the confines of your living room. With tailgating there's definitely alot of snacks, but they lean more toward 'at the game' foods ... burgers, dogs, brats, etc. Tailgating has a purely social aspect to it ... you become great friends with those around you, simply by virtue of the fact that you're rooting for the same team, and dedicated enough to come out and enjoy the day around that game!
6. For the beer ... hmmm, 'nuff said I think.
7. Well-defined muscles in overly tight pants. Hang on while I wipe the teeny bit of drool off my keyboard ...
8. To gather stats for your fantasy football league ... c'mon, you know you do it!
9. To have a few hours where you can sit and knit (or drag out your crafty obsession of choice) and not feel guilty about doing that instead of spending time with your hubby or family, LOL!
10. To keep those time-honored traditions alive. Because gone are the days of watching football only on Sunday afternoon after church. Now there's regular Sunday afternoon football ... there's Sunday night football, Monday night football, Thursday night football, and (at times during the season) there's Saturday football. Of course you have to add in the pregame and post game shows, the preview shows during the week leading up to football, etc. If you don't watch football, there's a good chance you'll have nothing in common with hubby (if he's a football fan-atic) because from September through January, that's all he will be doing!!!
1. To root for your home-town (or favorite) team!
2. To watch the great commercials! C'mon, admit it, we all watch at least a little bit for the commercials, LOL.
3. To spend some quality time with your hubby (or boyfriend/friend/whatever) ... guys love football, and they love their women to watch it with them (especially if we're getting #4 ready ...)!
4. For the snacks! Buffalo wings, chips & dips, cheese & crackers, pretzels, popcorn, whatever you're making for the big game, it usually ends up being a deliciously overdone event!
5. For the tailgating ... ok, so I could have combined #4 and #5, but really, it's two completely separate things! Tailgating is so totally different than watching in the confines of your living room. With tailgating there's definitely alot of snacks, but they lean more toward 'at the game' foods ... burgers, dogs, brats, etc. Tailgating has a purely social aspect to it ... you become great friends with those around you, simply by virtue of the fact that you're rooting for the same team, and dedicated enough to come out and enjoy the day around that game!
6. For the beer ... hmmm, 'nuff said I think.
7. Well-defined muscles in overly tight pants. Hang on while I wipe the teeny bit of drool off my keyboard ...
8. To gather stats for your fantasy football league ... c'mon, you know you do it!
9. To have a few hours where you can sit and knit (or drag out your crafty obsession of choice) and not feel guilty about doing that instead of spending time with your hubby or family, LOL!
10. To keep those time-honored traditions alive. Because gone are the days of watching football only on Sunday afternoon after church. Now there's regular Sunday afternoon football ... there's Sunday night football, Monday night football, Thursday night football, and (at times during the season) there's Saturday football. Of course you have to add in the pregame and post game shows, the preview shows during the week leading up to football, etc. If you don't watch football, there's a good chance you'll have nothing in common with hubby (if he's a football fan-atic) because from September through January, that's all he will be doing!!!
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Ten on Tuesday: 10 Things To Do Before The End of Summer
Okay, let's get right to it ...
1. Enjoy the cooler weather & eat dinner outdoors! We're past the "ewww, it's so hot & humid" stage, but haven't yet entered the "wow, where did I put my sweatshirt?" stage, so get outside w/ your meals and enjoy.
2. Swim in the ocean ... quick! The water temp is dropping as we speak ...
3. Enjoy the beach ... any beach, salt or fresh ... for me, this means spending days at the lakehouse beach. I don't even have to put on my bathing suit and pretend I'm going in the frigid water, hehe. The girls will still be swimming (until they're joined by penguins & icebergs if I let them), but I'm all about enjoying the warm sun and cool breezes.
4. Eat a lobster ... or shrimp, scallops, clams, whatever. Nothing like a lobster (or your other favorite seafood) in the late summer.
5. Read a book ... sit out on your deck, front steps, wherever, just get out there and read while soaking up the last of those rays.
6. Pick out a new project ... I just bought some scrumptious new yarn & can't wait to get started on a few new projects.
7. Make your Christmas list ... it's never to early to put on paper what you'd love Santa to bring you! I love the irony of sitting on the beach and making out a list :)
8. Visit a corn maze. We've done this the past few years with the girls, and it's so much fun! Go while the weather is still warm :)
9. Grab the last of the summer bounty at a local farm stand ... there's still plenty of tomatoes, cukes, and corn to go 'round!
10. Take a walk after you put the kids on the school bus ... take advantage of the free time & the great weather :)
1. Enjoy the cooler weather & eat dinner outdoors! We're past the "ewww, it's so hot & humid" stage, but haven't yet entered the "wow, where did I put my sweatshirt?" stage, so get outside w/ your meals and enjoy.
2. Swim in the ocean ... quick! The water temp is dropping as we speak ...
3. Enjoy the beach ... any beach, salt or fresh ... for me, this means spending days at the lakehouse beach. I don't even have to put on my bathing suit and pretend I'm going in the frigid water, hehe. The girls will still be swimming (until they're joined by penguins & icebergs if I let them), but I'm all about enjoying the warm sun and cool breezes.
4. Eat a lobster ... or shrimp, scallops, clams, whatever. Nothing like a lobster (or your other favorite seafood) in the late summer.
5. Read a book ... sit out on your deck, front steps, wherever, just get out there and read while soaking up the last of those rays.
6. Pick out a new project ... I just bought some scrumptious new yarn & can't wait to get started on a few new projects.
7. Make your Christmas list ... it's never to early to put on paper what you'd love Santa to bring you! I love the irony of sitting on the beach and making out a list :)
8. Visit a corn maze. We've done this the past few years with the girls, and it's so much fun! Go while the weather is still warm :)
9. Grab the last of the summer bounty at a local farm stand ... there's still plenty of tomatoes, cukes, and corn to go 'round!
10. Take a walk after you put the kids on the school bus ... take advantage of the free time & the great weather :)
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