Perfect Sunday Outing

How can any day go wrong when you start out passing by a field with beautiful sunflowers beside it???

Sunday morning my friend Sue picked me up and we headed out to Chelsea for the Fall Fleece Fair, offered up by the Spinners Flock.  I always tell myself that I'm going to be good and not buy too much but I don't think I've ever left their sales spending under $100.  It's good for the local economy, I tell myself.

Don't get crazy -- I didn't buy all of this yarn but I sure was tempted to buy several hanks.  See the pictures at the below the food for my selections.

We headed over to the Common Grill Restaurant afterwards for a fabulous brunch.  So many good options it was hard to decide what to order.  I went with a bowl of Lobster Corn Chowder (devoured before I thought to take a photo!) and a Chicken Frittata:

Sue ordered the Crab Cakes

Dessert choices were plentiful and scrumptious sounding.  I was naughty and ordered the Creme Brulee, again, nearly forgetting to take a picture!

From the restaurant we wandered into a couple shops nearby and found a lot to love about the Potting Shed. I'd been in their shop before but not since they had moved to their new, larger space across the street.  Sue and I each found must-have items there, including a pair of Sloggers rain boots for Holly, which were made in the U.S.A. -- woohoo!  They turned out to be too small for her so I think I'll keep them and get her the next size up when I'm there next.

So here's the yarn I had to have Sunday.  First is a large hank to make a sweater for Baby Denver:

Then I got two hanks of this denim-y colored yarn for a sweater or vest for Baby Denver:

Keep it between us okay? I don't want Denver to know yet!!

Here are a couple of mill spun yarns I want to use for hats for my shows:

Should be enough to keep me busy and out of trouble!

M.I.A.

I have been so busy that I haven't been able to post here.  Even Facebook noticed I hadn't been visiting there!  I've been working real hard to be ready for my upcoming shows.  Mt. Bruce is a week from TODAY! ! ! !  Yikes!  

Today I laminated my hangtags and trimmed them up -- did about 60 today.  I inventoried my current stash -- 50 knit hats, 13 felted hats, 10 woven scarves, 8 felted bags....so far.  I've got plenty of ideas -- all I need is time to execute them.  

I started the day by cleaning up the laundry room where my tub of inventory was stored.  One thing led to another and before I knew it, I was in full-fledged cleaning mode.  It's a good thing really.  I organized my quilt fabric that had been hanging out in the hallway on a bookcase.  This included the box of shirt and short fabric from my 9/11 firefighter quilt project.  It was time to put that away -- 7 years after I made the quilts.  Sheesh!

Kevin and I went over to the storage facility and loaded up my minivan with my show gear.  Now I just need to knit up a few more hats and I'll be good to go.

I pressed and cut out the fabric for Baby Denver's window curtain.  I still have to cut the lining but maybe I'll get that done tomorrow.

I also cut out a pattern I drafted from my friend Kate's boiled wool jacket that fit me to a T.  I found the most outstanding double-faced wool at Haberman Fabrics the other day and I KNEW I had to have it.  I'm winging it a bit and I have to say, I'm a bit nervous about cutting it.  At $40 a yard I don't want to mess up!  The remaining fabric is probably already gone at the store -- a hot commodity according to the sales gal.

If you have any tips for working with double-faced wool, I'm all ears!!

So Much For Plans

I took today off from work so that I could take Holly to her doctor appointment.  I putzed around this morning and took care of setting up my credit card processing with Elavon for my upcoming show season.  I activated my account so now I'm ready to handle the throngs of credit card sales, right??

I vacuumed.  I cleaned the bathroom. And then I got a text message from Holly.  Her doctor had an emergency and had to move her appointment to Friday.  FRIDAY????  I can't take Friday off.  Darn!  Undeterred, I decided to visit her and the most beautiful grandson in the whole wide world anyway!  I picked up lunch for us at 'Wiches in Oxford on the way out to Holly's house.  Michigan Salad was good, Chicken Salad sandwich was delish, but the Lobster Bisque was bleh - no discernible lobster pieces and a bit spicy.

I took some special gifts for baby Denver.  First was a wonderful handknit Baby Surprise sweater and matching booties from my friend Harriet.  It's gorgeous but I forgot to take a picture (next time!).  Second was a beautiful quilt from my friend Sue.  Here are some pictures of the quilt and Denver enjoying it!

I can see the workshop with Diane Gaudynski is paying off Sue!!!

I also took out my special Denver items - a hat, a t-shirt and a bib, all from Cafe Press.  Here's my wee one sporting the hat:

My sister Denise, who is Holly's godmother, sent Denver a package last week -- his first mail!  In the box were three pair of super cute shoes -- his first pair of Keens, Merrills and these North Face boots:

Aren't they precious??!!

I held him in my arms while Holly took a shower and he was so content.  Seriously, he doesn't cry when I hold him.  I think he knows already how much I love him.  I was so glad to spend the afternoon with them, even if our plans did get changed on us.  I look forward to doing this again very soon!

Good Reading

Have you been following Ree Drummond's blog:  Confessions of a Pioneer Woman ?  I sure hope so!  She does a great job of mixing her love of cooking, family, and photography and gives us insight into a completely different lifestyle.  She's been a very busy gal -- she has a cookbook out and now you can watch her on the Food Network on her very own show!  Be sure to watch the sneak preview.  You know how Paula Deen loves butter?  Can't even touch Ree!!!

P.S. -- All my quilting friends -- hurry up and head over to this blog to leave a comment and possibly win some Aurifil thread!!!

I Did It

I actually went to the gym tonight.  Ugh.  I could have very easily faded off to sleep in the recliner but I didn't.  I had a little dinner, changed into my workout clothes and headed to the gym.

I had no misgivings.  I was not going to set the place on fire.  I managed 30 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the stair climber, and 5 minutes of stretching.  Big deal, I know, but at least it's a start.  Now I just have to keep it up.  

Figuring out when I can get to the gym is the big question right now.  It's so easy to make excuses.  I need to be firm with myself and pick a time to go.  After work is logical but that means doing without some other activities, like knit group.  On the the other hand, if I can just get to bed early I can get up early and go before work.

When do you like to workout?

Showers and more Showers

Today my roommate barely got the lawn mowed before the rain started.  Unexpected, as least for me, it's raining  pretty hard with plenty of thunder and lightning.  Looking for a rainbow on this sad day.

Yesterday was a fun day, though.  My friend Diane's daughter Samantha had her baby shower and most of the Chickens attended.  We had great food, played fun games and witnessed the unveiling of many, many nice gifts.

We decorated onesies with fabric paint:

 Pat, Marcy, and Judy look pretty serious about their creations.

We drew pictures of a baby on a paper plate atop our heads:

Here's Mary and Pat giving it their best.  Mine looked more like a toddler than a baby, I was told.

We all enjoyed our time together.

 Lee chats with Diane, the grandmother to be.

 Carol and Aileen pose for me.

 Aileen is shocked by something someone said.

 Carol and Joyce, who happen to be mothers-in-law, strike a pose.

Joyce and I seek refuge from the hot sun under some crazy hats.  Pay no attention to my nearly closed eyes.

Great-grandmother to-be Ginny enjoys watching Samantha open her gifts.

 Part of my gift was an earflap hat.  Gift opening assistant Alexis looks confused but it was really just a hat.

A nice family shot of father-to-be Adam, Samantha and Diane.

I spotted a rather large butterfly while we were there too:

And as I look out my window here tonight, a rainbow has appeared after the rain:

A busy week is ahead for me with knit guild on Tuesday and a trip to the doctor with Holly and Denver on Wednesday.  Every spare moment will be taken up with knitting more hats for the Mt. Bruce show in less than two weeks!  I really should get going on the yellow felted bag too.  Oh, how I wish I could have more hours in my day!

Patriot Day

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the attacks on September 11th.  It's a day like many others in history that triggers instant recall as everyone remembers where they were when the planes crashed.  But it's a different day in so many ways. The profound sadness that ensued in the days, weeks, even months, was nearly debilitating for me and I'm certain I was not alone.  As tragic as the events were I could not get enough information -- I had to watch every piece of footage and hear every sad story.  Worse than a train wreck, I simply couldn't look away.  It was important for me to absorb every detail and ingrain them in my memory so I could try to understand just how and why this happened.

Each anniversary is like an excruciating sore that won't heal.  An open wound into which salt is thrown.  Tears flow freely as the events are re-lived in print, on the radio, and on TV.  Impossible to escape the memories of that day.  Perhaps that's how it should be. We should never forget the sadness, the anger, and more importantly, the unifying effect the tragedies had on our country.  We've lost that unity, due mostly to divisive politics, and we need to recover those feelings that made us seem as one nation.  We owe it to the memory of those who died that day and all the troops who have since died defending our country.