Two More Days till Christmas

Only two more days till Christmas, and then I can show you 3 finished objects! I've started a pair of socks for Joe made out of Austerman Step yarn, purchased from the LoopyEwe. Since the yarn contains AloeVera and Jojoba oil, you can imagine how soft it is to knit with.

I have only a small portion of wrapping done, but go finish.

toodles everyone and Merry Christmas.

Still Here

I just wanted to post a quick "hi" and tell you I'm still here. I have been knitting Christmas presents when I can. Work has been crazy. This weekend I have to pull out my sweater and get ready for help class next Thursday. I will not get one holiday knit done, but I guess that's ok.

In other news:

Work has been crazy busy. Hardly started my shopping. No wrapping done. Dinner party here on Saturday. House is a mess. Need to grocery shop. Pretty much typical!

Have a good weekend -we're in for a huge snowstorm on Sunday......

Crazy Knitting

The holidays are approaching - take that back - we celebrate Christmas at my house! Christmas is fast approaching and I have three more gifts to make to complete my list. Husbands present is done, son's is next, then something for Tiffany. Yikes, I better get moving. I did finish a pair of Woodsman's socks for my husband for my Elizabeth Zimmerman class project. We all decided to do something small for the month of November. I am really loving that class: part subject, part teacher, part students and part Saturday morning - all make a winning combination.

Normally, I don't allow myself to have more than three projects started at once. Let's see what I have going:

1. gift
2. shrug - made a mistake an inch back and need help ripping
3. class sweater - I need to really have my head straight to work in that right now.
4. Stole - only work on once in a while - another head job!
5. Elizabeth Zimmerman baby sweater
6. Peach biscuit blanket - need to rip back a few rows - no big deal, just don't want to right now.

Update on the camo hats I made earlier this year - hunting season is upon us. Joe and Joel both told me that they love their hats because they keep them very warm, and when it was raining they took the hats off for a while and they dried quickly. What were the hats made of? Something really exotic you're probably thinking......ENCORE! Wash and wear simple stuff!

Other news:
Trans Siberian Orchestra has been blaring in my car - the more I hear it the more I love it. I'm going to try and save enough $$ over the next year so the four of us can go to the concert next year. Another favorite Christmas album of mine is Martina McBride - White Christmas. It is absolutely beautiful and the song choices are all wonderful.

Christmas events coming up:

• Outing w/mom, dad, Tiffany and Vicky - our dirty little secret - we're going gambling for a few hours while the boys are hunting....we won't spend all the Christmas money, promise!
• Girlie Night Extravaganza - aka: Giggle Fest....we're all warming up our giggles in anticipation of the big event!
• Shopping with mom, dad, and hopefully Tiffany. Dad buys lunch, which is monumental!
• Our Christmas Party for our families - ham dinner with all the trimmings - party starts at 5:00 and the main reason is I can turn the lights down and light the candles so they can't see all of the dust.
• Shopping day for Joe and I - loads of fun!
• Our favorite girls come home for a visit from North Carolina
  
• Christmas at mom's church
• Christmas Eve
• Christmas Day
• Collapse!

I'm stressing myself out with this long list and not much time to get it all done so I better stop writing and get going. Have a safe week!

Helix pictures

Promised pictures of Helix camo hat. Notice how the model loves it too.




My fall centerpiece.....so pretty.

Helix is Addicting

At work there is a collection box for hats and mittens for a local school, so I decided to knit a quick hat. I have lots of scrap yarn that would be perfect. I decided to use the yarn i used for Joel's hat - camo colors. The girls at Friday knitting had been doing some really cool striped socks called "helix" socks and I was able to find a pattern for a hat....http://www.craftbits.com/viewProject.do?projectID=1875

I used 105 stitches to make an adult size - and it was completely and utterly addicting!
I started the hat on Saturday, and finished up Sunday morning - a very fast knit! Well one huge problem was using the camo colors....my boys scooped it up and started wearing it...guess I'll have to find some girly colors to knit for charity. I am having major trouble uploading pictures from the camera to the blog so will share the cool pictures next time.

I have not started the holiday knitting yet - I need to get going...

In other fun news:

Joe and I got a new car this weekend - a Toyota Rav4. Very fun ride.
The boys were practicing shooting today - deer season starts next Saturday. I'm
pretty much a hunting widow for 4 weekends. I have a lot of fun things planned this
year to keep me busy.

I have a funny Joey story for you:

A telemarketer called asking for me the other day and he said she clearly was foreign.
He said "I'm sorry she does not speak English anymore". The telemarketer said Ok
I'll take you off of our call list...... I'm actually trying to talk him into being a guest
writer for the blog - he's so funny!

Have a safe week!

My Pile

I was looking at my pile of sweaters that I have completed in the last year - four of them - for me that's quite an accomplishment.


I have restarted the EZ surprise baby sweater, and am now, FINALLY, past the point where I was the first time. I'm going to have to put this away I think and concentrate on Holiday gifts. I want to do something for Joe, Joey and Tiffany and am running out of time.



I have 4 inches to go on Dad's socks, and have run out of yarn. The yarn shop is being very nice and will send me what I need. The problem is, I need to have them done by Nov 17th....

Other news:

It has been another beautiful fall week here in Western NY. BUT snow is predicted on Tuesday or Wednesday. yuck! No one has gone to the hospital this week, thank goodness. Joe's fingers continue to heal very slowly and still hurt A LOT. Hunting season starts early this year, and I am so happy about that. We will have 2 full weekends before Christmas to do stuff.

I need my mojo back!

Update on projects:

1. Dad's socks...think I will run out of yarn, I am just starting to go down the foot and there is not much left. Need to have them finished by Nov 21st.

2. Shrug - Have not touched it in a few weeks, so did a few rows yesterday and yes, I mucked it up and now have to rip, but I am not good at recovering lace...HELP!

3. Baby surprise jacket - I am well on my way on my 2nd attempt....it is looking as good as the first one....keep your fingers crossed.

I am starting to stress that I will not get my holiday knitting done. I like to make Joe, Joey and Tiffany all something little. When I mentioned this at dinner last night, Joey said don't worry about getting mine done whatever it is.....he does not care for my hand knit items, but I know he would like what I have picked out for him.
Tiffany thinks it's silly to stress about knitting....she obviously does not knit!

Other stuff....Joe spent all day yesterday installing a new dishwasher for me....Tried it out last night and after it ran for almost 2 hours, we decided it needed a little tweaking. The dishes are sparking though!

Saw a picture of Destiny's dreadlocks...um.....no comment! (ha ha ha) (hi sweetie!)

Have a safe week!

Jinxed

I jinxed myself after my last post talking about knitting euphoria! Damn! I was quite far on my adorable EZ surprise baby sweater, and then I recounted, and was off by 2 stitches....hmmmm....I clearly must have not done a SK2P someplace along the line....So I'll just do a couple of K2togethers ....but EZ is like a puzzle and what if that mucks it up????? So I decided to knit back until I found the error. I have been knitting back for 5 hours, and still have not found it. I am down to Row27 so guess what...I'm starting over. I could have been back to where I started if instead of knitting back, I would have started over in the first place, but who knew it would be so freaking complicated! Can you tell totally upset I am about this? Sweater class is on Saturday morning. Ruth is done with her sweater, as I'm sure most everyone else is and they are probably ready to start their next EZ project. I'll be the dunce of the class....Damn!
Some good news...I have turned the heel on dad's sock and will now wizz away down the foot. That's about all of the knitting I have been doing.

Other news:
Yet another trip to the Emergency Room last week....Joe was bottling wine and pushing a cork thru a bottle. The bottle exploded and Joe's hands went straight down thru the broken glass. Wine (bright purple wine) and glass all over the basement and all over Joe. Thank goodness it missed his face and eyes. He has 4 stitches on his left thumb, 6 stitches on his right pinky knuckle (a tendon was grazed) and more 5 more stitches on his left hand. They are very very sore. Luckily, we were only there for 3 hours which is a fast trip to ER.

The rest of our family is doing well, thank goodness. Fall has been so beautious here....
After watching the fires, I'm not going to complain about cold and snow.....

Have a good week and stay safe.

Finally!

I have finally finished my green sweater - remember when I first started posting - all I did was complain about the ribbing. I finished the sweater and blocked it on Easter Sunday. It has taken me until now to finally sew it together! I hate seaming! And I always will! There, I said it!

I have been in knitting eurporia lately. I have finished on of my dad's birthday socks and have about 3" done on the 2nd one. I have started an EZ baby surprise jacket, and have started my class project sweater. I really need to concentrate on......all of them! but not enough time in the day. I am most addicted to the baby surprise jacket right now.

My brain is going to be busy this week, so I think my cabled class sweater will be put on hold - I really need to concentrate when I work on that thing.

Other stuff:

No trips to the ER for Joey lately - Yea! It is very fallish here so I made a roast turkey breast for dinner with acorn squash from the garden, and a nice green salad. Mashed potatoes and & gravey and of course cranberry sauce. Yes, it was very yummy!

I will have some pictures to show midweek.
Have a good one and stay safe.

Fall

Fall is here, that means more time to knit - yea! Except that it has been very summerlike here in Western NY so we have been spending as much time outdoors as possible.
I went to the Hemlock Fibre Arts Festival two weeks ago and controlled myself remarkably well. I only purchased 3 sock yarns, some yarn to make a sweater for Joe, and some lace meriono for a shawl.

Another Finished Object:
I finished the Prime Alpaca Sweater that I finished in early July. I really love the way it turned out. It is a little bit itchy - I think all wool things bother me a little bit, but that's what undergarments are for - I'm not going to stop knitting with wool. The pattern called for a cable by the raglan edge - not very noticeable in this yarn - but that's ok. I also added two rounds of the cable on each sleeve to give it a little pizzaz.


I'm working on a little shrug from some yarn that I got at Hemlock last year.
I needed a bit more yarn -- wa able to get some that matched quite well at my LYS.
See the green at the bottom....nice huh


This week I spent a lot of time on my dad's sock.
I want to get it done before his birthday
end of November. The pattern is adapted from IK - Fall 2006
Father and Son Socks. I just used the cable on the edge, and am
carrying it all the way down the foot. I am loving this yarn,
Monarch, that I purchased from Little Knits--except that
my fingers are turning black - I'll have to give these socks
a nice long vinegar soak before I give them away. my
colorway is a black/forrest green and I'm loving they way
they are turning out.

Family Stuff:

Joey spent time in the ER again last night. He smashed
his finger at work and the nail was pushed down into the
skin - I wont' go into details - but just know it was totally
gross and very very painful. Poor kid!

Tiffany is loving college this year and studing a lot - as it
should be!

I'll leave you with a picture of what we are lucky enough
to see in our backyard - have a great week and stay safe.

The Big One That Didn't Get Away!

Joe and I had a fun filled weekend! On Sunday we went gambling - came home with $100 more than we went with which does not happen all of the time (John I'll tell you my secrets sometime!)
Monday we went fishing. Usually I like to go boating which means bring a book, knitting, sunglasses, sunscreen, diet pepsi, pretzels and m&m snack mix. This weekend I wanted to fish. We went to Irondequoit Bay by the "perch" booeys. The booeys are right where the big obnoxious boats go flying by with no consideration what soever for the little fisher people sitting there trying to catch the "big one".



I caught this fish about 30 minutes after we started - it is hard to see from the picture but it is a really gigantic perch! About 11 1/4 inches. Joe caught a LOT more fish than I did, but I'm sure he didn't catch one this big! He might have caught one that was 10 3/4 or maybe even 11 inches. He was a good sport and I tried not to rub it in too much that I caught almost a whole meal with my ONE fish! He was great about baiting my hook each and every time and taking all of my fish off, even the little ones that we had to throw back. I've caught my big one for the year - guess I'll go back to "boating" now.

This and That

Summer is unofficially over and I'm sad. I love summer and everything that goes with it, including the heat. I sat on the deck today and fried - and the pool was 70 - waaaay too cold to jump in. It got down to below 50 here last night. We'll be closing it next weekend. Boo!

I have been feeling very inspired lately about my knitting.

The multidirectional scarf is finished and I really like the way it turned out. It's not too long - I hate long scarves.


The sweater is very close to being done - maybe by next weekend. Here is some detail of the pattern at the raglan edge, but it's not a good picture, and in this yarn it is not very pronounced anyway.



I have one slipper done and ready to felt, wait until you see the finished size. I made a
pair for me first, before I start the holiday knitting.



Destiny and Sandy are back in North Carolina...boo! We miss them.
Joel brought Destiny for a hamburg dinner before she had to head back.
It was a nice evening - aren't brothers wonderful!




.

Joey turned 19 on August 29th....next year I won't even be the mother of a
teenager anymore!


I'm glad the birthday season is over around here - too many sweets

have a nice week - and stay safe.

Getting It

I found a couple of very funny posts on some of my favorite blogs this week - if you don't knit socks, you won't understand and you won't get it....
Enjoy:

From the Loopy Ewe - probably one of the most well known Sock purchasing sites out there:
This is Sheri's writing:

Good News: I live on Route 56.
Bad News: Apparently that’s not a good thing. (Note conversation below that took place at the post office yesterday afternoon.)

Mail Person #1, walking out from the back room: “Oh my gosh - who brought all of this in?” (as she points to a corner full of boxes that I had just brought in.)
Mail Person #2, checking me out with the International Orders: “The Loopy Loo lady here.”
Mail Person #1: “Oh. Wow. OHHH! You’re Route 56! We talk about you all the time at the other branch!”
Me: “Um …. Really? You know about me?”
Mail Person #1: “Oh jeez yes - we all know about you. No one wants to do Route 56 because of the lady with all the boxes every day! Now tell me again what you sell? Socks?”
Me: Sock yarn and lace yarn.
Mail Person #1: “That’s right. And there really are people who buy it? Because we all just kind of stand around and scratch our heads on that one. Who buys sock yarn? There are really that many people out there interested in this stuff?”
Mail Person #2: “Well obviously. You see all these boxes in here all the time.”
Mail Person #1: “That’s true. It’s crazy though, isn’t it? We just have to wonder about it. Sock yarn.”
Me:

here's a link to her main sock page: http://www.theloopyewe.com/
- - - - - - - - -
From Yarn Pirate. Georgia supplies yarn to the Loopy Ewe and now sells it directly on her site. I have some of her yarn on my needles right now.

Look at all those boxes of sock yarn being shipped around the world!

I get it!

August Small Stuff - Update 3

What a fast week - whew!
I am almost done with the multidirectional scarf - It has been a fun knit,
but I am totally bored with it now. I could knit stockinette in the round all day
long, but knitting garter stitch - same thing right - totally bores me....huh?



Another small project finished - 2nd sweater sleeve - I've joined the sleeves to the body and now am wizzing away - I know I'm supposed to be working on the small stuff, but I
am after all a sweater knitter.....

The flowers this time of year are so pretty!


Joey started at Arby's yesterday - he had to shave - doesn't he look so 13 years old?

It has been cold here in Western NY the last two days - pool dropped to 70.....
I lowest I will go in is 76 - not sure if it will recover to that temp before we close it in
two weeks....

have a good week - and stay safe.

The Small Stuff....Update

I am moving right along on the small stuff....

Finished the biscuit blanket - started on Sunday, finished on Friday. This turned out very pretty, but the cotton is definitely like pushing dirt - not smooth like wool.


I have started a Multidirectional Scarf with yarn left over from my last sweater.
I am putting in color changes haphazardly, so it looks more "directional" than it
really is - way cool.


Finished up the increases on the 2nd sweater sleeve, so I don't have to count anymore.... this stuff is soooo soft and cashmerey (not that I've ever felt cashmere before, but I can imagine.


I am really enjoying these small projects....

-------

We had a wonderful day at the Lake yesterday....just floating around, lake like glass, beautiful sunset, then chicken wings afterwards...what could be more perfect.

Today it rained most of the late afternoon, which was much needed - we could use about 3 more days worth....but look at this:

and what do you get when a teenager is bored because he's been in the house for the afternoon because it's raining? goofy!

Update on Small Stuff

Biscuit Blanket - 9 inches complete - have to get to 11.25 and then start the finishing 8 rows. I don't know why I am so bored with this, but it will be very nice when done. Next one will be a different "dishrag" pattern. The one I'm making is white, and I can see it with red and green little bows - bit will have to do it in something totally washable...hmmmm....let me think about this.

Sweater sleeve - 3 more increases then I can whip away without counting. I have enough stitches on the needles to use the Addi's now, so my speed is definitely increased!

---------

I have training today so will not be at my regular office - it should be fun.
It is very humid here - lovin it! Glad we have the pool, because our house is not air conditioned.

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How is your small stuff comin along? Leave me a comment!

The Small Stuff

I have decided that August will be the month of small stuff. I have a few small projects I have been wanting to do for a while....yesterday I started the biscuit blanket and have about 5" done. It is a slow knit. I am using Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton that my favorite yarn shop, Spirit Work, has on sale for $1.99 a ball - thinking it will take 3 balls. Cotton is so different to knit with when used to wool, it's very stiff and not as flowy. Plus this pattern is very cool, but I'm bored with it already and have another 7" to go.

I also want to make some felted slippers - would like to make a couple of pair for Christmas presents.

Fetching is next on my list. I have made a few pair and they are a fast, simple knit. I have put my own spin on them and like my version much better than this pattern.

I have to finish my current sweater, about 1/2 way done with the 2nd sleeve, and am still working on the sock I started a while ago.

Lots of knitting on deck....let's see how much I get done!

Summer Lovin

This past week has been so wonderful here in Western New York - nice and warm - lots of pool time. The garden is bursting with fresh veggies, though if we don't get some rain soon everything is going to wither away. Joe waters, but it's not the same as rain.

Have a good day, and remember, "Wherever you go, there you are"......

Knowing When to Cut the Cord.........

Sometimes it takes us a while to know when to cut the cord and sometimes, it's obvious.
Mystery Project 3 is one of the times when it took me a while.....I would knit 3 or 4 rows
perfectly then mess up - take it to Village Yarn Shop and miracle worker Van would fix
it for me. Then I'd do another 10 or 12 rows and have to take it to Van (and sometimes Paula)....but when I got to row 99 and made a mistake I figured enough is enough. Van and Paula are great encouragement and help, but I can't go thru this whole process with them fixing me up!
So, I shut my eyes, took the sissors, and cut the yarn.

I had sooo much fun doing this. I loved doing the lace, the beads and the yarn is amazing!
I feel obsessed. I started another shawl that turned out to be disasterous for other reasons.
So this weekened I browsed thru books galore trying to find a shawl that I could do, and that would make me feel challenged. I finally resorted to a pattern book with lace patterns.
I think I may have found something - but I have to do the math. I will definately, do a shawl,
but will take me time and enjoy it .....

By the way, the Mystery Project is going to be amazing for those that finish. The pattern was not that hard, it was just me.

- - - - - - - - - -

This was a big birthday weekend for --- me!
Lots of family, boating and food!
Too much food!
The kids were around - a lot! Which was fab.

Thanks to all that made it special for me.

And by the way, I'm still fourtysomething - for a few more years anyway!

Will post some pictures this week....have a good one....and stay safe.

Cat Days of Summer

A picture of the finished blue sweater. A little bunchy, sleeves a tad bit longer thanI wanted, but notice how the stripes on the arms and body line up! This was a very fun project to knit once I got past the design at the bottom, which was ripped numerous times.


The MP3 project is coming along nicely. I have hit a little snag and will hopefully get that fixed tomorrow.

Isn't summer grand.....up all night, sleep all day..... I wish I could take advantage of the "cat" days of summer.....

Mystery Project 3

I have joined the craziness known as MP3 - Mystery Project 3. A gal named Melanie has created a project and gives you clues (part of a pattern) each week until the project is done. It is a "stole" (shawl). I saw this project on Yarn Harlot website and decided to check it out. There are 6695 people around the world knitting this project - sign up ended on Friday. Apparently so many people were signing up / posting we "broke" yahoo for a bit. I picked this yarn for my project, even though Melanie suggested black or white to keep with the "theme" of the project. There have been several guesses as to the theme. There is some kind of face or object appearing in the stole. I can see a definite face, but not sure if that will continue as the project grows.

I have not started my project yet, am waiting for my beads to arrive in the mail. Yes, this project has beads! I ordered mine from Ellen at Earthfaire. I found out about Ellen from Knitty a year or so ago, and when I placed my order she sent several samples for me to try, along with a lovely hand written note. It's all about customer service people!!!


Current projects:
I have finally finished the blue Rowan Felted Tweed Sweater and will have pictures soon.

Brown sweater - have finished body up to the arm holes, and have started first sleeve.

"Fancy" socks - have completed first repeat of leg pattern. So far am loving the result and
will not be ripping unless I make mistakes. If you remember I was not sure how I would
like the yarn/pattern combination.

It's going to be a hot one today in Western New York - yea! That's what summer is all about!!!

If you get hot, close your eyes, and remember February when you were shoveling all of that snow from the steps and scraping your windshield - that will cool ya off in a hurry.

Have a good week - stay safe.

KnitPicks Sale - Books 40% Off - Yippee

Knitting book sale - 40% Off at KnitPicks.....

I did have to splurge a little and purchased Couture Knits

Raspberry Season

What season is it???? Raspberry Season!

Stephanie had just a couple - can you tell they are juicy????


It is sooo cold here in Western NY today, did not get out of the 60's and
a cold wind - it was a great day for drying wash, but not for swimming.

I did not get to knit much this week; I am trying to have a life outside
of knitting and work! Did a little gardening and swimming (on the
warm days). This is a picture of the Alpaca sweater....I am about 5/8 of the
way thru the body.

Progress on the sock is slow. I am trying not to screw
up the pattern.


An amazing sunset from earlier this week. This time of year is sooo beautiful.

Not much planned for the 4th of July because we both have to work
Tuesday and Thursday. Have a wonderful week, and wherever you are,
be safe.

Summer Love

I love summer! The pool is ready, being enjoyed by all. Joe is working in his garden. I call it his garden because he does all of the work. I call it our salsa garden, because it mostly consists of tomatoes, peppers and onions.
Made two batches of strawberry jellie today - only kind Joey eats. He went and picked 5 quarts for me.


The cascade fixation socks are done. I used a roll top and a star toe.
Tiffany loves them! They are very comfy - maybe I'll make myself a
pair one of these days.


The camouflage hat is done. It's a bDay present for an undisclosed recipient.
Isn't the model cute! She just sits there and poses - definitely not camera shy!

I started a new pair of socks - they will take me a while - there is a chart for
every row. The yarn is from Yarn Pirate, and I could not find the ball band
to get the exact color name. It is a merino/blue faced leister blend.
The Pattern is from Favorite Socks - Merino Lace Socks page 39. I am not
so sure the pattern will come thru on this colorway so I may be ripping. After
only 5 rows, it's too soon to tell if I like the yarn or not. I purchased the yarn
from The Loopy Ewe.

I have also started another sweater. It is from Winter 2006 Interweave Knits
- Refined Raglin. It is a very simple design which I needed for this yarn. It has
a hem in the bottom which I love. It was much easier than I thought. I followed
Caroline's advice and it went really quick - no provisional cast on for me!
The yarn is from the Hemlock fiber arts festival - it is sport weight
from a little place called "Times Remembered" They do not have a website.
The yarn is prime alpaca. I have never knit with anything so soft or luxurious
before. And reasonable priced! $19.50 for 600 yards. I purchased three
skeins to make a sweater, but will have plenty of yarn left over for a hat or
socks or whatever. It is so soft, Joe wants me to make underwear - enough said!
The colorway is called Nutmeg. It is a brown/black/tan combo. This is my brainless
knitting.



Have a good week
Toodles.

Stuff

The sweater is 98.7% done. I just have to sew the underarms together. I love the fit, though a bit longer than I wanted.

The hat is done.

The 2nd sock is ready to start the star toe.

The entrelac project is ready to be finished, directions are a little fuzzy so I'll have to wait
until class on Tuesday night.

I have swatched for a new sweater. I'm not sure what the sweater
will look like yet. Very plain. When I show you a picture of the yarn, you'll agree.

Other Stuff:

Our pool is open and being enjoyed by all.

The flowers are soooo beautious this year, but they do need a little rain.

Father's day was fun.

Pictures next post.

Happy Monday!!!

Three Almost FO's

Three almost FO's to report on:

Sweater - the white string at top is coming off. I have to sew up underarms and sew bottom side seams together. I loved doing this sweater. Made from Rowan Felted Tweed. My own design.

The slip stitch hat is very close to completion. I have to switch to
dpn's because I'm running out of stiches, and then sew up all of the
ends. There are lots and I saved them ALL for the end. What was I thinking!



One fixation sock done, the 2nd one has the heel turned.
I am using this pattern: I used Star toe and a roll top.


This means that following my rule of not more than three projects going
at once, I can start three new projects.
Taking an entrelac class next two Tuesdays - I have to miss the first one
due to work - dam! I want to make a Lady Eleanor shawl....

It has been a busy two weeks here. We had a mini surprise 70th party
for my mom and a mini birthday party for Joe. I forgot my camera at
mom's party - here are a few of Joe's.

He wanted a cherry cake so that's what he got. Does he look
excited or what? Can you tell he puts up with this just for me?



Joe's mom and our friend Lydia - Lydia lives in Florida and comes to stay
with joe's mom in the summer for two months. They have been friends
since gradeschool.


My mom and dad - can you tell they're still in love after
47 years of marriage (and a couple glasses of wine!)


Tiffany cleaned all day so the house wasn't a wreck whem Company
came - Thanks, Tiff.

Have a fun week....