Friday Fill-Ins

Friday Fill In #78

1. Birthdays are special when it's your child's birthday. Today is my darling daughter's 20th birthday! Happy Birthday Darlin' !


2. Fall is my favorite season because leaves turn such beautiful colors!
My favorite season use to be Spring when the plants are blooming. But our family has had rotten luck for the past three Springs. I'm seriously tempted to hibernate during next Spring. Stay tuned.

3. I feel my best when I'm not stressed. Constant stress makes me sick...literally.

4. Ice cold watermelon is my favorite food during the summer. Yummy!


5. First impressions are not always accurate...except for liver. My first impression was YUCK! and that has never changed.

6. The best piece of advice I ever received was from a good friend who said "you have to meet this guy." I did. And we've been married for over 26 years.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to celebrating DD's birthday, tomorrow my plans include torturing giving the dogs a bath and Sunday, I want to finishing purging the filing cabinets and shredding old paperwork (getting ready for the move)!

hahaha

Ready for more...

....more yarn, more books, more knitting...

Knitting up a few dishcloths must have been just what I needed as a warm up to start bigger projects. I'm itching to knit a sweater. But this time the sweater won't be for a book or for a sample knit...I've decided I need to have special "ME" projects to work on. Not only will Oklahoma be colder then California (so says DH) but it's good therapy during the move (hehe good excuse for buying yarn.)

I saw this pattern in April's Simply Knitting


and just love it! It's a simple knit with basket weave type of pattern. And since the pattern calls for a bulky weight yarn, it's a quick knit. Perfect project for the days in July while the packers are boxing up household goods, while the movers are taking everything out, and for the days during the drive to Oklahoma City in the RV.

As any good knitter knows, you never have just the right yarn in just the right amount. I had to shop for yarn (oh the agony....not!). Off to Knit Picks website I went. And dropped some Wool of the Andes into my cart.

While shopping for the right yarn for this pattern, I saw Shimmer. Oh. My. Hand dyed baby alpaca and silk blend? I can't resist! Plus I really should have a special project for August house hunting, right? I see a lace shawl in my future. So I ordered two hanks.

Of course special yarn deserves special pattern, right? And since Knit Picks is having a book sale (40% off until August 8th), I ordered Wrapped In Comfort by Alison Jeppson Hyde.


Then I saw the great price on Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters and snagged a copy since it's on my wish list anyway (and I'm a sucker for a book sale).
This move is starting to look good to me. ;-)

RIP George Carlin

We'll miss your wicked sense of humor.

George Carlin

Life is a soap opera

I have been so wrapped up in the soap opera of hubby's job change (company required - not our choice) that I just couldn't concentrate on anything creative for awhile. But this past week, the desire to knit returned.

Instead of knitting complicated patterns I typically gravitate to (or design), I went simple. Dishcloths that I didn't design. Can't get much simpler then that!

I knitted round cloths....


...slip stitch cloths....


...and a star cloth.
Like any good soap opera, the storyline comes to an end. And while ours isn't over (we still have the actual move to get through), the major issues associated with the move were resolved this past week.

Exactly a week ago today, we received an offer on our house/acreage. We consider that a miracle in today's real estate market. It wasn't a fantastic offer, but very reasonable. We accepted it and escrow has begun.

Then last Thursday, hubby received an offer in writing for the position (with the same company) he wanted in Oklahoma City. It comes with a promotion and a raise. Plus we'll be closer to our family in North/East Texas. Not bad considering this change is all due to the retirement of the airplane he has worked on for so many years.

So...is there anyone who visits this blog that lives in Oklahoma City? Email me!

Friday Fill-Ins

1. RV'ing in Alaska is high up on my bucket list. I believe it is on the tentative schedule as the first summer after retirement.

2. My favorite quote is It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live; it's from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Albus Dumbledore).

3. Knitting inspired me to start blogging.

4. Strawberries are best fresh. No sugar please.

5. Something about Kickapoo Indians in the last dream I remember having. That is actually what I remembered when I woke up this morning. No idea where that came from.

Photo from Texas Indians website

6. The most enjoyable time to go for a walk is when I have a good audio book to listen to. My favorite audio book(s) are the Harry Potter series. Jim Dale is fabulous!

I love how J.K. Rowling has used names from history or mythology. Just yesterday during class a student pointed out the connection to Fenrir Greyback and Norse Mythology.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to family time (which is our typical Friday evenings), tomorrow my plans include giving the dogs a bath (doesn't that sound like fun?) and Sunday, I want to dig out an unfinished knitting piece to work on!

Busy weekend

Loads of housework Saturday to prepare for the open house on Sunday.

The open house was moderately successful. A plethora of lookers stopped by our "hilltop paradise" (so says real estate agent). I would call it very successful if today we had an offer. But, alas, not yet.


While our real estate agent worked on Sunday, we went for a picnic in the park. Lovely and restful...we really should do it more often.

The only thing missing from the weekend? I didn't knit...not one stitch.

Friday Fill-Ins

Friday Fill-Ins #75

(Sorry, no pictures this time)

1. Idle hands are not mine. I knit, bead, crochet....so my hands are never idle.

2. I love having a lot of hot water in the shower. And so does my daughter. We have been known to set off the smoke alarm when opening the bathroom door after a shower.

3. My favorite time of the day is when the family sits together.

4. The last tea I drank was hot green tea. I love the taste!

5. I like to swim in the Summer.

6. My mother always said "if you have nothing good to say, say nothing." Thus, I haven't said much on the blog recently.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to (hopefully) not having to use my asthma inhaler (dang allergies), tomorrow my plans include getting the house ready for an "open house" on Sunday and Sunday, I want to stay home and knit, but we won't be here during the open house. I believe the last idea was take the dogs and spend the afternoon at the park!