i make things

from time to time i like to knit things. okay, maybe that's a bit of an understatement. trust me when i tell you, i have a knitting project of some sort with me at all times. unless i am going to the vet like this morning. nothing major. just josie's annual. she's doing really well. doc said so.

anyway, last winter i made scarves for a couple of lovely ladies in my life. i liked the giant cable idea, but also wanted something small and snuggly that didn't have the lengthy tails of a regular length scarf. so i came up with a shorter version, added some buttons and voila! a neck warmer.

i made jill's out of alpaca. she took it away from me before i could add the buttons siting she had the perfect ones. i would agree with her. only one is functioning, the other is decorative, but i think it works well!

i have a few things on the needles right now. one is a lap blanket that is inspired by the one i made my nephew. i picked out the majority of the yarn when i was visiting him when he was just 8 weeks old. i sent it to the family with my parents this holiday season. it was a labor of pure love.

the one i am making mom is all the cream color and the blocking is a little different. i am just about halfway there. i have to get more yarn from a friend...must remember to email helen.

i also have a skirt on the needles for myself. it was the project i took with me on our trip (the blanket was getting a bit too big to be a traveling project). i got quite a bit done, but that is easy when all you have to do is sit and knit between going out for food, golfing, lazing around a "river". sadly, i've got no pictures of it, but it is a beautiful purple color. i can hardly wait for it to be done (hell on that, i can't wait for both projects to be done).

and let me not forget the putter cover a certain father-in-law requested. it's not on the needles yet, but it's on the brain.

it was a grand idea

i had this idea that i would come back from vacation and give a grand recap of the events. i was going to write of the sky divers we watched land on the day we arrived. my favorite part was when i called out, "i think the plane is pooping people!" it was kind of hard to see them as they fell out of the plane (until their chutes opened). i also had ideas of telling you of my love for the lazy river. she was a beauty that held us captivated for three rounds, until the gaggle of tween girls and boys arrived. then we high tailed it to the water slide! there was a family cookout where everyone gathered together for great food and relaxed conversation. the burgers, they may have been some of the best we've eaten. but even so, i will continue the quest to find the best (what, i like burgers?) i think we even golfed. 9 holes. par 3 course. i golfed a 52. yeah, you do the math on that one...we ate and drank and were merry.

that was my intent, but instead, i came home and threw myself back into work and life. it's been busy. and that is grand.

leaving on a jet plane

although i do know when we'll be back again. late on thursday night.

we're heading to arizona to visit with family. kev's dad and step-mom live there as well as his little sister (and her beau, whom we've not met yet). his mom and step-dad are joining the fun, too. they actually got there yesterday (assuming they could get out of their snow bound house in arkansas).

a few days in the sun, relaxing, laughing, enjoying one anothers company...sounds perfect.

but today, today i must work. 10-7. then we have friends coming for dinner and we're having a slumber party! our house sitter is going to stay the night tonight because we leave so dang early for the airport and josie has pills that she needs a bit later than the time we leave, so he'll feed them when he gets up at a normal hour (perhaps i mentioned that here before).

i am almost finished packing. just have the toiletries that we'll still need in the morning to plop into their ziploc bag and then into the suitcase. one little wheelie for the two of us. rolling your clothing really does make a difference. i can't believe what all i got into the case! so kev will lug that and i'll have the big bag of snacks and entertainment (books, crosswords, knitting) as well as my purse. the last two bags aren't finished being packed yet because the dog would get into the snack bag and we'd have no snacks and i am using my purse.

this is real exciting stuff to read, isn't it?!? compelling, i am sure.

so yes, we're taking a vacay! a much needed vacay. must remember to print boarding passes when i get to work. we're out of flipping paper here...bah!

it arrives! a photo story...thank you vicki

next week at this exact time

we are heading to arizona to see family on sunday morning. early. so early i don't even want to think about just how early i will have to get up and function. we will be parking at the airport because quite frankly, we can't trust that a cab would show up (never have they showed up when we depart as early as we are). and we didn't want to ask anyone to take us...trust me, it's early.

most who know me know i am a planner. i love trips because they allow me to plan, think, and sketch what i am going to wear the entire time i am gone.

today has been a day of washing clothing and getting the house ready for our house sitter. he's coming over the night before we leave because we have to go so early that it's too early to feed them. yeah, it's early.

anticipation

i never enter blog give-aways because normally i tend not to win.

:)

thanks vicki, i can hardly wait.

eep

the muse

i received an email from a dear friend, lily. she was saying that she missed getting to catch up with what is going on in our lives here. i told her at the time that my muse had simply fluttered away for a bit. not sure where she went, nor when she shall be returning.

lily assured me she meant no pressure and that she was just curious (i lived across the corner from her in my parents house during the summers between freshman and sophomore year). i felt no pressure, in fact i felt the love with which she was writing.

let me tell you of my relationship with lily...

she is the sweetest woman i have had the good fortune to meet. she became a second mother of sorts, i'd wash her car, she'd pay me. she always wanted to see any crafty thing i was working on, giving me praise or pointers. she and her late ex-husband were great friends of my parents. i loved getting to be part of any dinners, parties, anything where we got to spend time with them. he'd give me shit, i'd give it back. she would make sure we were all taken care of, which we were.

any chance i'd get spend time with her in her sewing room i would run to get there. it was such an amazing space. all the fabric, custom cabinetry for the sewing machine, little drawers for embroidery floss...sigh. when they sold the house i was quite saddened (although the couple who moved in have become quite dear to my parents as well as myself).

i am thankful that she's come back into my parents lives again (and consequently into mine).