Happy New Year

Mike and I are spending a quiet New Years Eve at home . I've got a "bleepity -bleep" cold and feel about new years the way Scrooge felt about Christmas . BAH HUMBUG ! Don't you envy poor Mike with me as company . Let me just crawl under the covers and wake me up when it's all over . Okay , got that out of my system , the pity party's over...

2009 was a good year , not perfect but pretty darn close . I've never liked all the hubbub about New Years Eve in the first place . Except for the cold, this suits me just fine . We've got some good wine, a few munchies , a nice warm home and I have some knitting on the needles . Tomorrow the family will be by and on Saturday we've got the best friends a person could hope for in for a bite , so life is good . What more could anyone want !

More yarn .... psst you didn't hear me say that . I MUST use the stash , I MUST use the stash !

On that note I wish everyone a very happy , healthy & peaceful New Year ! And more yarn if at all possible ....

Christmas Wrap up

I can't believe it's over already ! So much preparation and anticipation and then BOOM in the blink of an eye , over and done with .

This year Christmas Eve was celebrated at Casey & Chantal 's house instead of here . Jessey was sick again with pneumonia and it was better to do it there . Poor little guy was so sick on the Tuesday but by Christmas Eve he was well enough to enjoy at least a few hours with us and see what Christkind left under the tree . It was magical when he got his first look at the tree with the candles and sparklers , he couldn't take his eyes away from it . He soon got into the swing of unwrapping gifts , his and everyone else's . What was inside was irrelevant . You can't imagine how much fun a 14 month old can have with wrapping paper . When we were done he was the captain of the cleanup crew. Hilarious !Apparently he's great one to " help" with that regularly . I'm sure that will change once he's a teenager .

Christmas day was quiet but special because we visited with Shirley and her family . Jerold, Robin and Sidney were in town for the holidays . Sidney is just so darn cute! The sweater that I knit for him back in September fits perfectly and suits him to a tee . As per usual my camera was at home , but Jerold took some photos and promised to email them to me . Later on we were invited to share Christmas dinner with our next door neighbours and their families . They've become more than just neighbours , but terrific friends . Actually Mike and Dave must be long lost brothers separated at birth , they're a hoot whenever they get together and have a friendly rivalry going for the title of BBQ king.So you can bet there were lots of laughs as well as plenty of yummy food .

Mike outdid himself this Christmas as far as a gift goes . We don't usually buy each other extravagant gifts ,but this is a combination birthday gift too so I guess I can forgive him this one . It's the Kindle 2 from Amazon , just recently available to Canada . It's an ereader which can hold up to 1000+ books . I can download a book in less than a minute , anywhere , anytime . I love , love , love it more than you can imagine . The size , not heavy at all unlike the average hardcover and even a regular paperback makes it wonderful to use . I can shop Amazon anytime and the prices of books are generally cheaper . At least the new hardcovers , the prices with trade paperbacks and mass market are comparable and sometimes cheaper too . It's absolutely fantastic for someone like me who usually has a book in progress and always brings at least four books along on trips . That's not to say that I'll give up on actual books with covers and pages , the Kindle is just another option . I foresee a dilemma in the new year , reading or knitting , two passions only 24 hours in a day ...

At the gingerbread factory

I spent the afternoon baking some gingerbread cookies . I haven't baked any for years , but used to make them often when the boys were young . It smelled wonderful in the house when these were in the oven . I think having a 14 month old grandson brought on the nostalgia for these cookies . They're done , but for the decorating which I'll do tomorrow . It's late in the day and I'm tired . In my current state these might not be all that pretty if I were to do it right away .

I have been doing some knitting , a scarf and a pair of socks are off the needles . Both are Christmas gifts . There will be photos on the next post .

The Christmas preparations are coming along , the shopping's done , just need to wrap it all up . The baking is done , just need to package up what's going out as gifts . The Christmas cards are almost done , I have the stamps so it's just a matter of sitting down and actually doing them . So after those are done with pretty much all that's left is the cleaning and then we can let the celebrations begin ! After which comes more cleaning ...

Home again.

Actually , we've been back for a little over a week . Although it's nice to be back home with the family , getting back to winter is a b***h . We've had more than a foot of snow since we got home and the shovel has seen regular use . Uugh !



Mike and I had a wonderful week away . It was everything and more that I could have hoped for . We visited some beautiful places, met some wonderful people , relaxed and swam on the the beaches of the Cayman islands , snorkeled in Roatan , visited Mayan ruins on 2 of our stops . The ruins at Tulum Mexico were breathtaking beautiful , situated on a cliff overlooking the ocean . The ruins at Altun Ha in Belize were further inland , but equally amazing , surrounded by lush flora . My only complaint would be that we didn't have enough time to fully enjoy each place that we visited . A day is really only enough to give you a taste , however we now have some future destinations to plan for . Our guides were phenomenal , giving us fact filed but interesting tours of their respective countries . They were proud citizens of their homelands and wanted to give us a true picture of the people , the history and culture of the places that we visited .



Shipboard life was certainly the easy life to the nth degree .The food , the entertainment , the service was amazing . I've never been so spoiled , laughed so much and had so much fun ! Its been rough getting back to reality waiting for some one to prepare and plan the meals , do the laundry and clean the house , not happening ;-)) .

I've been baking up a storm , shopping for last minute Christmas gifts and just generally trying to get ready for the holidays . There's been very little knitting going on . I seem to have lost my knitting mojo , must have left it on the ship and its cruising the Caribbean . Thank heavens I didn't set myself a bunch of Christmas knitting . I have been reading in the evenings , I just finished the second of Steig Larssons Millenium trilogy . I loved it !!! The third and final one won't be released in Canada till late next year . Apparently its available in the UK , thanks for the heads up Monika , so I might see about trying to order it early in the new year . Would be a great birthday present , don't you think . I've just picked up Barbara Kingsolver's latest novel "The Lacuna " , she's got me hooked , and I've had a tough time choosing between baking for the holidays , knitting or reading . Reading has been winning a lot lately .

Anyway , that what's I've been up to ; hope you all have a good day !

PS , I uploaded a few photos of our trip on my flickr page , if anyone's interested .

I'm so excited !

It's been crazy busy since my last post as I've been trying to clear the decks for our vacation . We're flying out tomorrow , very early and we'll be in Miami tomorrow afternoon . We'll be hooking up for dinner with my SIL Saturday evening . Sunday morning we're leaving for a week of sun and sand . I'm over the moon excited , it's been a while since Mike and I had a real vacation together . Everything's packed , including some knitting , and ready to go .

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend , catch you in December ....

New socks and a resolution (maybe )

After battling a nasty bug last week , I finished the second of the Christmas knits this week . I was really down for the count , no energy and coughing so much my sides hurt, all attributed to a sinus and, can you believe it , an ear infection . My GP who was on duty at the clinic had a quiet chuckle , saying the insides of my ear resembled that of a child . Apparently it's rare for someone my age to get this, go figure . A round of antibiotics took care of the infection , but the cough still lingers . I can't figure out how I came to get this , but am extremely happy to be feeling much better . I have to be in shape for our trip on the 28 th . I was able to get the flu shot , so that's another good thing .





Back to the socks , these are for Dana , Emma's mom . I seem to have started a tradition of knitting Christmas socks for them . Dana loved last year's funky coloured socks , so I decided that this year I would mix it up and go more conservative . After some stash diving I discovered this yarn which was gifted to me by my father on one of his recent visits here from Austria . Perfect ! As usual the pattern (Waffle Rib ) comes from Sensational Knitted Socks . That pattern is a good match for self-striping sock yarn . I seem to have a lot of that kind yarn in my stash . It would appear that I went on a buying binge in my early my sock knitting days . The Internet has enabled me to expand my horizons and my stash with a greater variety of yarns .


As 2009 draws to a close I've made a resolution to knit up more of the stash before buying more yarn . Just because its been marinating in the closet for awhile and the temptations for newer , fresher yarns being ever present , doesn't make it less deserving of my attention . That being said and after looking on my ravelry projects page , I 'm finding that I have knitted mostly self-striping socks despite having so many other beautiful yarns of the non-striping variety . What gives ? Could it be that I'm in a rut ? Nah, not me ....

Christmas knitting...

...is underway. Emma's socks are done , so that's one gift done . Do you think that they're bright enough ? The orange is even brighter in real life . I'm sure she won't have any trouble finding them in the morning .

Specs : Regia Crazy Color 6 ply sock yarn Knit on 2.5mm dpns . The pattern is the baby cable rib from my usual source "Sensational knitted Socks" .

We had a bit of a scare with Jessey this week .Casey and Chantal had to go to emergency at the hospital with him with the flu which quickly turned into pneumonia . He was tested for the swine flu and given antibiotics and Tamiflu which is an anti-viral . This came on so quickly it was scary . After lots of rest and fluids and with the help of the meds he's almost back to normal . I took care of him alot this week , so I'm a little worried that I might catch this too . I tend to catch a cold most winters which inevitaby ends up in my chest and a gives me no end of coughing fits . I get the flu shot every year so I haven't had the flu , just colds . I'll be able to get the H1N1 vaccine the week of the 16th of November . I've taken all the suggested precautions and am hoping to escape this nasty virus .

We've got real November type weather here these days , cool , grey and damp . So far no snow , unlike Halifax which got blasted yesterday . Waaaay too early for that ! To escape these miserable dark days Mike and I booked a one week cruise getaway . We're leaving on Nov. 28th and coming back on Dec. 6th . I can't wait to get some sun ! This is an kind of an early 35th wedding anniversary gift to ourselves . We're looking forward to a little alone time , if you catch my drift ;-)) .

The last of the baby sweaters

At least for now ! I finished the sweater for Tara just in time for the baby shower on Sunday . The photo doesn't capture just how pretty the colour is ; it's a beautiful soft green called "Green Tea ". The yarn is Elann 's Superwash Bamboo , 65 % wool , 35 % bamboo . It was super to knit up and soft, soft , soft , perfect for a baby knit . I found some pretty buttons that remind me of those nougat candies , again you can't really see how pretty they are due to the washed out looking photos .

The Christmas knitting has begun . First up are some socks for Emma . I have lots of knits in mind but am taking it one project at a time . Whatever gets done , great , what doesn't there's always next year and birthdays coming up . I'm aiming for stress free holidays . I can hope can't I ?

Checking in !

Back in action after being missing for 10 days . I've been run off my feet . Jessey was sick , thankfully not the flu , but a nasty throat infection giving him a fever for a few days and just feeling generally miserable . I baby sat him so that Chantal wouldn't miss work . It was just as well that he stayed away from daycare , by Friday he was much better . Today he's back to normal . He also stayed with us Saturday until Sunday . His first overnight with me ! Casey and Chantal had a long planned weekend getaway . I'm having Jessey withdrawal today ...

My dad left for Austria on Saturday . I'd had the family and friends over for dinners a couple of nights last week on top of the baby sitting and we had a very nice belated birthday dinner for my father on Friday night . At least that was at a restaurant and I didn't have to cook . This was a shorter than normal visit and just seemed to fly by .

The sweaters for Dylan & Evan are finished. They're not matchy /matchy , but I'm happy with them . I've got sweater # 5 on the go right now . The deadline for that is Sunday , just in time for Tara's baby shower . I'd like to knit a matching hat , we'll see how it goes ...

One down , one to go

And none too soon I might add. Dylan & Evan came home from the hospital on Monday . How's that for a Thanksgiving gift ! Everyone is doing well , but I bet with having two babies to feed ,

clothe and diaper , Susie and Fred have their hands full . Fortunately she's got a good support system with family and friends willing to help out .

I'm happy with how this sweater turned out . I knit it with Regia 6 ply sock yarn . I wasn't sure how the stripes would knit up . I knew that with being knit top down & the short row shaping , the stripes most likely wouldn't wouldn't match up . I had to let go of my perfectionist tendencies and go with the flow .

After this next one I have 2 more babies needing hand knits . Jeez Louise , people just have to stop all this making babies so that I can get some Christmas knitting done ! Mind you , if Max & Stef get on that train I'd be one happy Omi , just saying ...

The little monkey's birthday

Guess who turned one last Friday , October 9th ? Yup , that would be our Jessey . Here he is after Chantal helped him blow out his candle . He's not too sure what's going and why all these people are watching him . Just what is that brown thing on his tray and what should I do with it ? It didn't take too long for him to figure it all out , especially how yummy chocolate cake is . He got right into unwrapping his presents , not the presents themselves , but the wrapping paper & bows provided no end of fun for the little monkey .

I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by . It's been wonderful fun to watch him grow and change from an infant to a one year old little boy . He's bright , funny , a real live wire , which sometimes can be a challenge , he's got no end of personality and can make me laugh like no one else can . We love him to pieces !

Baby sweater # 2

Sidney's sweater is finished , buttons sewn on and ready to be mailed to BC . I love this pattern , it's an easy top down raglan with the v-neck shaping coming from knitting short rows just after the cast on ribbing . So simple , so ingenious ! Another great idea was to knit the buttonholes on both sides . You can just switch the buttons for another baby.

Specs : Basic v-neck baby cardigan fom Cabin Fever Baby ' V ' no- sew knitting . The yarn is Sirdar Click acrylic/ wool DK . Needles were 3,25 & 4,00 mm circulars and dpns for the sleeves .

I really like this book it has some variations on the theme that are just adorable . I see lots of little sweaters being knit from the patterns on this book . In fact there's already another on the needles . Chantal's cousin Susie had her twins about a month ago . They're preemies and are still in hospital . It looks like they'll be ready to come home this month and they'll definitely need sweaters to keep them warm , don't you think !

Knitting

Life has a way of derailing the best of intentions . Regular blogging has been preempted yet again by baby sitting , birthday celebrations and yesterday a very special christening . There's just 2 more birthdays and then we'll be done till December . I'll have survived another birthday month with no major poundage gained !

Knitting has been going very well , no small thanks to the start of the new fall TV season . Some old favourites are back as well as a couple of new shows that look promising . "The Good Wife " with Juliana Margulies really stands out for me. I think she's a terrific actress and am glad to see her back to a regular show.

There's finally a photo of my shawl . I was so happy with this knit . The pattern was easy without being mind numbingly boring and the yarn lived up to my expectations . It was wonderful to work with , didn't break the bank and best of all the colour was exactly what I'd been looking for .

There's been some baby knits on my needles . I finished a cute little sweater and hat outfit , I can't post of photo quite yet because it's a surprise gift . I've knit a hat for Jessey , which didn't fit so that's going to another baby . I have a terrible time judging hat sizes for babies and inevitably end up ripping and re-knitting .

There is one almost finished knit I can show you . It's a sweater for Sidney , Shirley's latest grandchild , who just left for BC today . I'd started another sweater , but after having met Sidney in person , I didn't like it any more , so more ripping . I had this yarn in my stash , the perfect pattern and voila .... ! It just needs sleeves and buttons and should be in the mail by the end of the week if not sooner . I'm so loving it , hope his parents will too !

Jessey's morning with Omi

Jessey is having a difficult time adjusting to daycare , so he's been spending most mornings with me . Mike took this video with his camera today . In the video you hear me speaking my rather rusty German . Chantal speaks French to him , Casey English , I speak a mish mash of all three.

I have to tell you that the bunny in the video was given to him by Shirley as a little easter gift . At the time he was terrified of it , now it 's one of his favourites . Some days he pushes that little button so many times that I can't get the tune out of my head .

\PS , sorry the video is so long , I couldn't fiqure out how to edit it ....

Getting back to normal

Things are finally settling down after a crazy summer of renovations and wedding preparations . Max & Stef 's wedding was just wonderful , the weather was gorgeous , bright and sunny and just warm enough to be comfortable . The bride & groom looked fabulous and were ecstatically happy to have all their family and friends there to wish them well . Jessey and Emma were perfect in their roles as flower girl and ring bearer .

The reception was such a blast with lots of good food and great music . They had a live band a DJ , both of whom were friends of the bride and groom . They did an amazing job, with something for all musical tastes, young and old alike . I don't remember the last time I danced so much .

Though the wedding was on Saturday Sept. 5th , the party started on the Thursday night with a rehearsal dinner /BBQ . We had family come in from the US, some of which stayed with us, so there was non stop entertaining . We hosted a BBQ on Sunday afternoon the the last of the festivities were on Tuesday evening with another party hosted by Stef's dad and step mom . The happy couple finally left on their honeymoon last Saturday morning . As I'm writing this they're probably sunning themselves on a beach in the Cayman Islands .

I managed to finish the shawl with time to spare . It was done and blocked about a week before the wedding . You can get a peek of it in the picture of Jessey on my lap in the church . None of the pictures we took with our camera were blog worthy so there will be another photo shoot soon .

More about what's on my needles as regular blogging resumes this week . Life is getting back to normal , but not for long as September is birthday month at our house . God help me and my waistline !

Spare time ?

What's that ? That seems to have been the story around here for most of this summer . The renovations are finally completed , except for a couple of minor finishing touches . We have a brand new bathroom /laundry room downstairs . This room has been a pain in my side since we bought the house . It's an odd shaped room with a lot of wasted space ; the shower stall was so small and difficult to keep clean . This one is much bigger , still stuck in a corner , but at least you can move and with the tile , it's much easier to keep clean . I also have shelving for laundry supplies and another over the toilet for toiletries . There's new lighting , vanity and a tile floor . Can you tell how happy I am with this new room ! It was only 20 years in the making ...

All that's left is the big clean . With less than 2 weeks left to Max's wedding I'm starting to get butterflies in my tummy . We're having family from Maine staying with us over that weekend and we'll be hosting a birthday party / family reunion BBQ on Sunday the day after the wedding . Don't quite know how that happened . Anyways I'm really praying for good weather over Labour Day weekend !

If you 're wondering about the progress on the shawl , it's coming along . There's no point posting a photo as it looks pretty much the same only much longer . With last weeks' heat and humidity which left me feeling cranky and dead tired by the end of the day, I barely did any knitting . It's about 54 inches at this point . I'm guessing that around 72 inches will be a good length . I'll be having a look on Ravelry for guidelines for the finished dimensions later today. I'm trying to have it ready for blocking by the weekend .

And just because I love him so much and this is my blog , yet another picture of Jessey...

Summer

Summer has finally arrived . It's been hot & muggy the last couple of days , with some spectacular thunderstorms late in the day . Great pool weather ! The late summer flowers are blooming like crazy, the tomatoes in the garden are ripening with the added sunshine . We've enjoyed them in a meal a couple of times this week . Boy were they good , you can't beat that fresh from the garden taste ! I think we'll be expanding our garden next summer . This year we just didn't have the time to take care of a larger garden .

We're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel with the renovations . The tiling is just about done , the painting is done and the new vanity and toilet are installed . Now it's just the lighting and vent , new doors , heater , mirror and window coverings . The shower door is supposed to come in early next week . Keeping fingers crossed that there's no more delays . I can't wait to get the washer and dryer back in place so I can catch up with the laundry . I've been doing a load here and there at Shirley's just to keep us in clean underwear and such .

Not much knitting going on here , too hot , too tired . What little knitting is getting done is on the shawl . The deadline looms ever closer . I've knit only another 6 inches or so since my last post . I'd better get a move on !

What was I thinking !

Did I say in my last post that I could clean less and knit more during our renovations ? Must of been dreaming in colour or had some funny stuff in my tea . Things have been progressing more slowly than we'd anticipated and by jeez if I gave up the "cleaning" altogether we'd be swimming in dirt . So much for that plan ...

I'm starting to worry a bit because the wedding is just a month away and there's still so much that needs to get done . Aside from that I can't get over the prices of construction materials , thank heavens we don't have to pay the labour costs as Max & Mike are doing it themselves and that we can claim some of the costs in the federal government home reno tax credit . Counting our blessings on that front .

When I have a chance I've been knitting on my shawl . That usually means at the crack of dawn with my first cup of tea . I can't believe it , but a couple of times I actually fell asleep with my knitting in my hands when I was knitting in front of the TV in the evening . This is the progress so far , the last time I measured I'd knit about 31 inches . I've still got yarn left on this ball then , I 'll have to wind up the rest . I'm sure I should get about 60+ inches before I run out . That should be adequate to get a decent sized stole after blocking . The socks are on hold till this is done .

I have to end this post with a pic of our little guy . He's been over to the house a couple of times lately . He's so close to walking on his own . Here he is grabbing onto my legs , wanting me to walk with him . Who could resist that face !? We're still looking for his off button , he's such a lively character ...

Whew , what a week ...

but all's well that ends well ! Mike and I survived the dog & house sitting . Alaska and Zeus are back to normal , no more poopy dogs and messes to clean up . Thank heavens !

The tile issue has been resolved so we can go full steam ahead with the bathroom renovations . I'm really anxious to get this done , it's a project long overdue . I'm not so anxious to have to deal with the mess of renovations and having the dirt and dust everywhere , but hey I can take a break from cleaning , might as well wait till it's all done . More knitting time maybe ?

Speaking of which here's the new socks in progress . It's not the best picture ; I took it under a cloudy overcast sky , but at least it's not raining . As you can see these will be another pair of toe up socks . This is a free pattern from Wendy Johnson called Nanner. I started out on two circular needles but the joins on one of the circs was a little rough , so switched to dpns . I'm alternating between knitting the shawl and these socks as the mood strikes me .

Now if only we could have a few sunny rain free days .That's not asking too much is it ?

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend !

Calgon ...

....take me away ! These days life has been a lot like that old commercial . What I wouldn't give for a break from the busyness and the never ending rain . Long story short , Mike is retired (Yay ) , we had a surprise bridal shower for Stef on Saturday (happy bride to be , much laughter and good food ) , started some of the renos , then had a setback with tiles that are on back order till the end of next week (Max is back to work then so that really throws a wrench in the plans) . Then the icing on the cake , Max and Stef are away camping for a couple of days and we're dog sitting the pups (so far so good ) . Trouble is both of the dogs have a bad case of the runs . Don't know why , it's any body's guess , but I spent a good while cleaning up dog poo and disinfecting the house . NO FUN ! So there you have it , the good , bad and the downright ugly( or messy , stinky , take your pick) .

Despite all the busyness I'm still knitting . I've finished the Waving Lace socks and the Upstairs Shawl is coming along nicely . I've got 3 1/2 pattern repeats done . I'm really liking it so far . It's a simple knit , nothing flashy , but I'm sure the finished shawl will be beautiful .

There 's also a new sock on the needles . It IS the Summer of Socks after all . Thank God for knitting , picking up the knitting needles and focusing on the stitches and the project just drives all the cares and worries of the day away . Now if we could just get rid of the constant rain ....

Lazy...

Wish I could add .... "hazy , crazy days of summer " . Summer is just not happening here at all yet . We've had severe thunderstorms , wind, and cool rainy days . No change in sight for the foreseeable future . Oh well , c'est la vie !







I've been a really lazy blogger lately , but busy otherwise since I last checked in . Nothing spectacular just the usual run of the mill stuff . Bathroom renovations are starting so had to get most the supplies organized , choose tile, paint colours , etc . Had the family over for BBQs and brunch a couple of times. I also babysat Jessey a couple of times . I can't ever get enough of that little monkey !











Tomorrow is Mike's last day at work , can't believe how fast that came . He's got mixed emotions about it . He liked what he was doing , but things were changing , add to that the economic times , so he figured he might as well retire now while the package was on the table . Work wise , and otherwise also actually , we've been very fortunate . We're both looking forward to this next phase in our lives .





This is the new project on the needles . I received the order from The Loopy Ewe on Friday and cast on Saturday night. I think this colour is as close a match to my dress for the wedding as I can get . The shawl is called the Upstairs Shawl from WollSchnegge . The photo there doesn't do it justice I think . This and then this one caught my eye . I think that they're both stunning ! Finding a suitable yarn proved to be a challenge however. I looked high and low locally and finally got lucky online. I'll be busy knitting for the next little while . No time to be lazy ...

A new toy

With Mike's impending retirement not too far away I could see a conflict of interests on the horizon with only one computer in the house . So to preempt that problem , Mama's got a brand spanking new laptop . I love , love , love it ! I love the portability , the little red mouse , ahh just everything about it . It works great , didn't break the bank and it's mine (mostly ) .

Lounging on the keyboard is my current sock in progress . It's Evelyn Clark's Waving Lace Socks . These socks have been a work in mind for forever it seems . Scouring the stash after finishing the toe ups I came across this ball of "Strumpfwolle " (generic term for sock yarn in German ) a gift from my Dad , and for some reason this pattern came to mind . I started out on dpns and not too far into the socks switched to 2 circulars . No one's more surprised than me , who'dda thought ! Loving the pattern and the yarn .

The weather here has been a mish mash , with some sun but thunderstorms and torrential rain later in the day . Canada Day was not a complete wash out . We had a low key celebration with the kids over for a BBQ . Thankfully the rain held off till after we'd eaten . Jessey had a dip in the pool , swallowed some water and like a natural spit it out and kept playing . He's so close to walking. I had to hold both of his hands and just walk and walk with him . He just wanted to explore . I think he's going to be hell on wheels when he gets to be mobile on his own . That child is curious about everything and has oodles of energy . I love him to pieces !

Anyway , wish you all a good weekend !

Happy Canada Day !

Have a great Canada Day , with blue skies and good times !

A finished object !

No I didn't fall off the face of the earth . I was just too busy to post . Add to that the fact that we actually had some summer like weather , which has all changed for this week . Rain , rain , and more rain for the next week .

These are the toe up socks that I started on June 1 st . I finally finished them yesterday , just in time to qualify for my various monthly KALs . After knitting these I've come to the conclusion that I'm more of a cuff down gal . That's not to say that I'll never knit another pair of toe ups , but it still seems to be the wrong way around for me . I learned a couple of new techniques , the Turkish cast on , Russian bind off and how to knit with 2 circulars . Knitting on the circs was actually the one thing that I really enjoyed . It didn't start out that way but I've started my July KAL socks on the circs. Go figure !

I've still got Isbel on hold . I just haven't been in the mood to tink back mohair /silk . Ive ordered some lacewight from the Loopy Ewe that looks like a better match colourwise for my dress for the wedding . Hoping it gets here soon as time is running short .

My morning chuckle

I couldn't resist sharing this . It certainly brought a smile to my face. Mike retires in 3 1/2 weeks . Could this be a taste of things to come ;-) ?

A Summer Sampler

A summer Sampler
Originally uploaded by crzy4stchn

A few photos from a glorious weekend ! Family brunch ,a bike ride along a local trail , ended up with Jessey dipping his toes into the lake. Even took a dip in the pool to cool off . Cold , but refreshing !
Doesn't get any better !

Friday

It seems like a week just zips by around here . One minute it's Monday and blink , it's Friday . Not that I lead such an eventful life , pretty ordinary actually, but the days are always full with one thing or another. Summer is slowly showing it's face , the temps are just a tiny bit warmer and the sun came out again today . Yippee !



There's not much knitting progress . I'm working on both Ishbel and the toe up socks in rotation . Ishbel is stalled right at the moment though . I'm having some trouble with the 2nd repeat of chart A , can't find my mistake , tinked it , knit it again , same thing , tinked again . So it's on hold till I'm clear minded enough to figure out what's wrong . Could be awhile ;-)) .



The socks are coming along swimmingly . I'm still ambivalent about the toe up process . Ditto for knitting on 2 circulars . The next challenge on these will be the bind off . Coming up soon , I'm further along than the photo shows .



Thanks to Monika sharing her tempting recipe for apricot cake I did some baking today . I sampled some with a cuppa tea , while it was still warm . Ohhhh, so good ! I just love apricots , fresh , dried , in a jam , in a cake , doesn't matter , they're my absolute favourite fruit ! I don't think the cake will last the weekend , between Mike and his sweet tooth and my love of apricots .

Anyway, off to have another cuppa and maybe knit outside for a bit , before I have to think about what's for supper . Apricot cake can be a meal , right ?

Have a good weekend !

Relay for Life

The Relay for Life on Friday night was a great success . The community raised just short of $200,000. We were so very lucky that the nice weather held through the night . It could have been a touch warmer , but it was comfortable for walking .

This whole event is just so amazing , with families and friends coming together to show support for the victims of cancer . Mike & I lost our mothers to cancer . They both died way too early and left a big void in our lives . This photo is the first lap which only cancer survivors and those currently suffering with the disease walk alone ,then the rest of us fall in behind them . They receive a huge round of applause when they begin . This part always brings me to tears , just seeing the numbers walking this first lap .This is a photo of Jessy clapping along . He started spontaneously tap, tap, tapping along with us . Too funny !

I spent Saturday recovering . My hip joints and leg muscles were a bit the worse for wear , but by Sunday I was fine . Those suffering with cancer have a much more difficult walk ahead of them .

Sunny days & lace

See that ...blue sky ! It's been sunny for a couple of days but this morning it was nice enough to enjoy my tea outside and knit for little while. It promises to be just a gorgeous day . Let's hope it holds out for tonight because today is our annual Relay for Life cancer walk. This year the team raised $4000 . Not too shabby!

As for the knitting I've progressed to the interesting part of the project I showed last week . The first part was just stocking stitch , now I'm into the lace . I'm knitting Ishbel by Isolda Teague . I'm loving this knit so much. It had been intended for me to wear at Max's wedding . I'm not sure about the colour , it's proving difficult to find a match for my dress , so this could be going into the gift basket when I'm done knitting it. The yarn is Silken Kydd from Elann , it really is gorgeous and wonderful to knit with , light as air .



As for the socks , I'm just about at the increases for the gusset at the heel . So far so good . It's a first for me , knitting socks on two circulars instead if DPNs . I'm not sure if I really like it, but I'll persevere .

Wishing everyone a wonderfull weekend !

A title escapes me , so ...

Is it really June already ? There's nothing really exciting going on , just the usual mundane day to day stuff . Still waiting for summer to arrive , hope it gets here before September .





We had a special event on Saturday morning . Max finally had his confirmation , only about 15 years overdue . The ceremony was held at Mary Queen of the World Cathedral in downtown Montreal . Casey was his sponsor . Did I ever mention how proud I am of my sons ? I'm so lucky to have them and I'm so happy to see close they are . Any way enough of that mushy stuff .

Afterwards we enjoyed a very good lunch at one of the downtown restos . We did take photos but unfortunately none are really blogworthy . Mike has a new camera and he's still trying to get the hang of it . It was just a great day , the sun actually came out so we could enjoy walking around downtown . I seldom seem to get there these days , what with parking and all , but I just love to wander around explore . This was Jessey's first excursion and he was good as gold . He was looking at everything and chattering away . He was just as happy as a clam .





Yesterday I cast on another pair of socks. I've been so wanting to learn how to knit socks from the toe up . After reading all the great reviews of this book I gave in to temptation and bought it on my last visit to Chapters . I joined the KAL on ravelry too . I may not follow the schedule in exactly that particular order , or I may just knit a few of the socks . Time will tell . Right now it feels strange to see these socks in progress the "wrong " way around .



Have to get going , I have a hairdressers appointment and then need to get groceries . Such fun !

Old & New

I haven't been in the mood to blog lately . I'm blaming the funk on the miserable weather. Can you believe that it's the end of May and I'm still wearing socks and shoes , not barefoot with sandals .The heat even went on downstairs the other evening . Looks like summer is happening other places , just not here .

There has been just a little knitting going , but there's mostly been reading , I've even squeezed in some relating to sock knitting . More on that the next post . I'm thinking that willgive me something positive to say, rather than complain about the weather . Here's the long overdue socks . The pattern is a called waterfall rib and the yarn is Trekking . I lost the ball band so don't have the colour # . These are going in the gift basket . They're intended for a birthday or Christmas gift for a friend .

I cast on a new project the other night while watching the new season of "So You Think You Can Dance " . Here's a sneak peek . So far it's easy peasy but the more challenging part comes a bit further on . More next week & next month

In the meantime , have good weekend !

Dog sitting Saturday

Dog sitting Saturday
Originally uploaded by crzy4stchn

The knitting mojo has left the building . What's taken it's place is gardening , reading, and dog sittting . Here's my canine grandkids (Alaska & Zeus) on a visit Saturday while Max & Stef were away . It's been awhile since they were over. Bingo is still recovering from having 2 BIG dogs in the house ; -) .

Mother's Day to remember

This year's celebration was special because Jessey's christening fell on Mother's Day . The ceremony was just beautiful , the reception afterwards was fun with lots of family, friends and good food . What more can you ask !

Here's both sets of grandparents and uncles and aunts of the little guy . We took lots of photos in the Church and fewer at the hall. I forgot to take out the camera as much there, for some reason . Could be that I was busy catching up with everyone and just enjoying the moments .

A pain in the neck !

As predicted it's rained most of this week . It's just as well because I've been feeling a little under the weather since Tuesday , so all the garden plans were on hold anyways . Occasionally I have episodes of neuralgia . In my case it's the the trigeminal neuralgia giving me sharp shooting pains at the back of my head just behind my ear . Painkillers are of little help , so I have to wait it out and hope it disappears on its own . These episodes can last anywhere from a couple of days to a week or more . I don't know what brings it on , could be that I caught a draught which triggered some ear pain . I can tell you that it's awful and I'm really hoping it disappears soon . It's kind of wearing me out .



Anyway , enough of that . I'm working on my socks for May . Sock #1 is done and here's my progress on the second one . I don't know why these ended up at the bottom of the knitting basket . I don't normally have socks as UFOs , usually it's bigger and more complicated projects . Apparently these were started in 2006 , so I guess it's about time they're of the needles.

Sunday will be Jessey's christening , so I'll be able to get photos of the baby sweaters . Mike is off next week and apparently at least the first few days promise to be sunny , perfect for the garden work . I just hope this pain in the head and neck is gone by then :) !

Have a good weekend !

Weekend roundup

The weekend just flew by . We had such nice weather for working in the garden so that's just what I did . It was sunny and not too warm (18 -20 degrees C ) , which for me is perfect for that . I like it just a tad warmer for getting in the pool .





My perennial beds have been neglected in the last couple of years . Life and the weather not cooperating at the right time just always seemed to get in the way. This year Mike is taking next week off so that we can try and get the yard and perennial beds in better shape . That will involve a lot of digging and transplanting and dividing of overgrown perennials .





This year we're going to plant a few tomato plants in a sunny location near the house . We're hoping to expand that next year to include some green beans , cucumbers and salad . We've got a lot of other things going on this summer , especially the downstairs bathroom renovations , so we didn't want to bite off more than we could chew . I'm keeping fingers crossed that the weather cooperates next week . It's supposedly going to rain most of this week , which is fine by me so that next week should be sunny . It can't rain for 2 weeks straight can it ?





Not much knitting going on here , but that will probably change with the rainy weather. I dug out the socks that have been hibernating for almost 2 years and will work on them . I also have that little green baby sweater that really needs to get done . There's a baby boom going on around here this year . Chantal's cousin and his wife are expecting twins for sometime in early November . I'm really happy for her , they've been trying for two years . She is such a sweetie and will make a great mom . Nice for Jessey to because they also live close by , 2 houses over .





Speaking of the little man ...


This is him yesterday afternoon playing in his exersaucer . My heart just about bursts whenever I get to spend time with him .
I have so much fun . I love him to pieces !



Sorry but I just couldn't end this post with absolutely no photos . Off to more gardening and then cut the grass

That's it for April !

Mission accomplished ! Sweater #2 is on it's way to baby Marek . Monika is choosing the buttons and sewing them on . I'll post another pic when I get it back for a photo shoot . I'm happy with it overall .

I finished the April No Rainy Days socks for SAM. There was a knot in one ball of the Regia yarn , so they don't quite match . Normally this would bother me , but I'm going with the flow with these . I love them anyways and the colours make me happy !

More good news , I found a dress for Max's wedding ! In my size , no alterations needed except for possibly the length , it's a miracle ! Now for shoes ....