Shifting again.....

Jimmy and I have finally come to the conclusion we can't share office space. 90% of of the time when he is working from our home he is on a conference call. Sometimes he even has two phone conferences going on at once.

We decided I needed an office of my own since I will be working from our home very soon too. This weekend we started the shift of all my "stuff" to one of our bedrooms.











I still have 2 bookshelves of knitting books to move into this space. Oh and the yarn stash. Stay tuned!

Poo is still a Rockstar!

Poo's fan club, Ria, Twittered me yesterday asking for a Poo update! Poo is only too happy to oblige. A couple weekends ago we took Mr. Poop, as his loving Vet calls him, on a road trip overnight to my MILs.  Here Poo got behind the wheel while Daddio went into the gas station.





Here is our nephew, Mr. Ham, with Poo. It was their first time meeting each other but you would think they live together. Poo is not shy. If he likes you he will pile up in your lap immediately. Unlike our other villain, Kiki. Poo is doing good. He is still diabetic despite no longer taking steroids. He gets a shot every 12 hours. He has good days and great days. As long is they are good or great we aren't complaining.



I pulled this beauty out of my garden this morning.



I sliced it up and tossed it with a very light coating of olive oil, sea salt and pepper. The slices then went into the dehydrator. I am hoping they will be perfect with some hummus tomorrow evening when I attend Picnic with the Pops with a knitting pal.



Speaking of knitting.... This is a progress shot of my Radian Yoke by Wendy Bernard. The yarn is Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in the mustard colorway. I was aggressive by going down an additional size when I cast this sucker on but I think it might be ok as I just posted to Facebook the following:

Ummm I think I need new jeans because I was just able to pull the ones I have on down without unbuttoning/zipping.

I am so grateful for the loving support of my friends and family (you know who you are). This last year has been difficult but I wouldn't change it for the world and with all of you I was able to get through it. Thank you!

Gave birth?

The garden is growing like crazy. I think the catnip and the spearmint, on either end of the L" are competing to meet in the middle. If that happens it will take out everything in its path.The oregano might have a lot to say about it anyway.



The herb pot is coming along nicely. We have used some of the basil already. I have some in my green smoothy today.



The kale and the romaine are crowding out the chard. I have some kale and chard in my smoothy too.



I feel like I gave birth over the weekend to my Nermal Thermal. Now I honestly have no clue what it is like to deliver a real baby thankfully and yes there wasn't any blood or pain involved. Well wait there was some wrist and hand pain when I knitted for too long on the size 3 needles with the fingering weight yarn. Does it count?

I started this sucker on January 17, 2010 and finished knitting the last stitch and sewing together on 6/5/11. This project was so awesome. Never once did I doubt I would finish. Never once did I want to throw in the towel. There have been so many projects over the years that I just dreaded the thought of how much time it would take to finish them. Never once did I feel that way. Once I did text Molly to tell her that she gets a medal for knitting this twice.






I am traveling to San Francisco this week, where it has been in the 50's day and night, and I am taking this along for the trip.

Perfection!

I had a post all written and it blew up. Somehow my link between Flickr and Blogger became ill and in the process my post when up in smoke. My brain hurts now so I am going to give you the condensed version of what I wrote.

This rose is beautiful just the way it is. Imperfections and all....

Jimmy and I went back to The Park of Roses over the weekend. The many buds we saw the previous weekend were popped open and it was glorious.

This rose is a reminder to me. I am human and I am beautiful with all of my imperfections.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Ever feel like there is a black cloud over your head?

Last night we were "treated" to three rounds of tornado sirens. That in and of itself is nerve wracking! Thankfully it was just an intense storm and not a tornado. I shared some photos of before the storm on Facebook and my cousin Mammy (Amy) asked if I ever felt like I had a black cloud hanging over my house (when she looked at the pictures). See for yourself!



My hopes, thoughts and prayers go out to all the families that have been affected by the horrific weather we have had the last few months.

Saturday I finished a pair of socks! Wooohoooooooo. The yarn and pattern were from my first shipment of the Cookie A Sock Club. The yarn is String Theory and has some cashmere. The pattern is Simple Haleakala.

Gardening & Roses

Saturday morning I finished planting the garden. Poo was restricted to inside the house because we had the back gate propped open. He wasn't very happy:



It's amazing what one week and lots of rain will do for the Clematis. WOW there was only one blossom a week ago!



This is a broad view of our back yard.



The Kale, Chard and romaine are coming along nicely.



The kitty pot is doing amazing too!



Saturday evening my husband and I went to the Park of Roses. Let me just say if you are in or around the Columbus area please take a ride over there in the next 10 days. I would guess there are 1,000,000+/- buds ready to pop and the smell is going to be fantastic.



These buds are just a sample of the spectacular to come....



I love love love this picture and I hope you do too.

Gardening 2011

Saturday started out lovely so off to Strader's I went to acquire plants for the garden.



The rain held off long enough for me to plant about 1/3 of them. Here is the Kale, Rainbow Swiss Chard and Red Romaine lettuce.



This is a pot of herbs. Thyme, two types of basil and some parsley. The empty spots are for the cilantro plants I forgot but picked up on Sunday.



The wall of Clematis is promising to be stunning this year. I am so excited. :-)



Early Clematis blossoms.



Last week was challenging and it always helps to center me when I can get my hands in dirt. Something about planting life in dirt and watching it grow is very calming to my soul.

Downsizing, Mothproofing & Decoupage with yarn labels!

My step dad, Ray, passed away 18 years ago this month. It is still very hard not having him in our daily lives. He was an awesome man. For a while Ray rented out some storage space in his manufacturing building. The people stopped paying and never picked up their stuff. So after a few years Mom and I went digging through the stuff.

We found this old cedar chest. Mom cleaned it up and covered it with satin and lace for me. This is actually the second round of covering.






This last round of covering was done in approximately 1990. It was looking rough. I had read an article about decoupaging with yarn labels recently and the idea struck to use the pile of yarn labels I had accumulated over the years to spruce this cedar chest up.




Cedar is a natural moth repellent. Many older homes have cedar closets. My Grandparents home had one.  



It was fun applying each label to the chest. I thought about each of the projects knit with the different yarns. It made me so happy.



I had enough labels to cover the front side completely. I will continue to collect yarn labels and finish the sides and back in the future.




Jimmy and I have embarked on minimizing our stuff. I have stuff I have moved 5+ times over the last 15+ years. Some of it hasn't been touched since it was brought into the house. I am ready to purge stuff including yarn.  I intend to downsize my yarn stash to fit into this cedar chest. I have some thoughts on how I will de-stash most of what I don't intend to use, which will include gifting and perhaps selling.

Knitting at Home

iphone_pic
Originally uploaded by bean counting knitter

*****Update***** Took a look over lunch and there are at least 16 items I want to knit from this book! WOWWWWWWW

This little gem just made its way to me via UPS delivery. I don't know why but I have been lusting after this book for a week or so now. Finally broke down and ordered on Sunday. I can't wait until lunch when I can crack it open and start drooling.

Rocking Birthday!

I love this time of year. What do I love about it you ask? The leaves. I love watching leaves change from green to brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow. I hate when leaves change to ugly shades of crunchy brown though. When leaves get to the crunchy brown stage I am finished with fall/winter. I am ready for spring. The crunchy leave stage usually occurs right at my birthday. It is like the grand finale of a good fireworks display. This year is no exception and I was spoiled.

It started oh about 3 or 4 weeks ago. Krisite gave me this amazing Blue Moon sock yarn Socks that Rock. That alone is enough to cause me to sequel however then she told me she bought it at Sock Summit in Portland. WOW...... This yarn is amazingly soft and RED! Did you know my favorite color is red?

I am pondering making the My Vampire Boyfriend socks with this yarn. Those tomatoes were the last harvest from my garden right before our first frost.

Molly's gifted me with Neighborhood Fiber sock yarn. This yarn is dyed by a local artist and she produces her product in the basement of Wonderknits.

The colors in this yarn are amazing. It reminds me of fall that has been iced over with a light gloss. I haven't found the perfect pattern to marry this yarn with yet. I am on the hunt. Also in the package was a ceramic mug from the Renaissance Fest (thanks Dave for the torture). I wonder if Molly has some how tapped into my brain here because three times I have clicked on a tea mug to purchase and for some reason been distracted to not purchasing. Also included was some Earl Grey Spicy tea and so yummy.

Tami's gift included a bottle of my favorite white wine, Kendall Jackson Chardonnay, wrapped up in a hand felted cozy with leather handles.  Also along the wine theme is a wine cork with leaver opening allowing wine to pour without having to take the cork out.

Have I told you I love the sock that Trekking produces? Well Tami certainly got the message and gave me my second skein. I haven't found a worthy pattern yet but continue to hunt. Perhaps a simple pattern out of Sensational Knitted Socks. Something simple to let the colors pop!

As for my birthday, Jimmy put together a few of our friends and we went to dinner at Casa Patron.  Arla and Steve gave me an Apple Blossom Amaryllis plant. I was acting a bit immature by refering to it as my "Dick Plant". Hey it was my birthday and I can act immature if I wanna. I can't wait until this beauty blossoms and will post pictures!

 There were many margaritas consumed and chips inhaled. It was a lovely evening of talk and laughter.

On Saturday Jimmy, Kristie and I went to Nazareth's for lunch. Rachel, one of the owner's daughter, gave me one of her hand made rice bags. What is a rice bag you ask? This one is made of flannel material and has several cups of rice sewn up inside. Pop this into the microwave and place it on any sore spot that is ailing you. Moist heat that works out the pain. You can also place it in the freezer for a cold pack. If you are interested in ordering one of these, and I highly recommend them, leave me a comment with your email address and I will forward Rachel's contact information. These make GREAT gifts.....

 

This is the card Jimmy gave me:

Inside the card suggests as we get older to limit ourselves to a couple glasses of wine ~ it doesn't perscribe the size of the glass. ;-)

My mom and mother-in-law gave me some cash. With it I have ordered some yarn. Big surprise! Right? It hasn't arrived yet but I will post it when it does. I have big plans for this yarn. Stay tuned!

Thank you everyone for a wonderful birthday. You all ROCK!

French Pressing Tea!

What a weekend it has been already. Last night we went to a Columbus Clippers game. It was a beautiful night for Baseball. 

Today we met up with Molly @ Staufs for some knitting and conversation. Lately I have been drinking tea more than coffee. Tea doesn't seem to bother my stomach like coffee does. Staufs sells many loose leaf teas that are so yummy. Well this little French Press caught my eye today. A few weeks ago someone mentioned using a french press to brew tea and my mind just went nuts when I saw this little guy. How could I resist it when it is all red and cute even! I have brew 4 cups of tea since getting it home tonight and it makes a darn good cup of tea! 

 

I harvested the last of the catnip crop for this year. The cats have been going nuts tonight. I wonder why?

 Below is the blocked Raha scarf. I am very pleased how this project turned out.

Who knew?

My Grammy had a huge hanging Wax Plant in a window and that thing would bloom like crazy. The blooms put off this amazing scent that filled the house. Just an incredible memory. When Grammy passed I was lucky enough to receive a clipping from her plant. I have been babying this plant for 5 years now with no luck getting it to blossom. This summer I put it out on our front porch and guess what?????????????? Check it out! It has one grouping of blossoms and over the weekend they popped open. :-) I just know Grammy is smiling down and this is proof. 

 

  

It is that time of year again where the plants have to move back inside. Jimmy calls it my jungle. I will take some picture of the corner of our living room and you can judge for yourself if it is a jungle. He has also imposed a plant moratorium on me. Hummmm we shall see how that plays out. Anyway this is a picture of the plants/shelves over the bay window. I will have to dig out a picture from last year so we can see the progress of growth the plants made outside this summer. 

The Earl Grey picture is a new addition. Jimmy and I went to a consignment shop in Hilliard over the summer and I found it for a couple bucks. I was tickled since Earl Grey is my favorite tea! 

  

 

As a side note... Upon entering the kitchen this morning I discovered the plant on the right of this shell took a nose dive overnight. The pot shattered and I will have to find a new pot to put that little baby into. I think I have to get back up and string the vines along the shelves rather than let them hang over the edge because it is just too much weight for the little pot to handle.

Yesterday we decided to check out Griggs Reservoir. I feel almost ashamed to say this but we drive past this little park daily and who knew? We have been missing out on this little gem.

 

First off the stairs. Oh my the stairs. I have a fear of stairs since falling down a full flight of fire escape stairs at work over almost 2 decades ago. I had a lovely ride in an abulance that day but thankfully I was just bruised and banged up. So the stairs were a bit intimidating for me but I overcame my fear and made it down without falling. :-)

  

I am so glad I did because this was the reward. OMG, while it isn't Niagra Falls where I just happened to have spent many many hours/days since I lived so close, this was a heavenly treat for sure. :-) Heck we use to go over to the Canadian side when we were 18 - 20 just so we could drink legally (ummm I bet Mom didn't know this). They have now passed a law in Canada if you are a US citizen you must be 21 to drink. At least that is the "rumors" I have heard. No fun!

 

  

I had been fighting with a sweater I was working on. Actually I was going to give up on it early last week but one of my cousins gave me a kick in the butt on FB by telling me Grammy woudln't give up and that I shouldn't either. I really really tried with this damn thing. However, I have decided that the pattern is just writting to vague and I just need to let it go. So yesterday I frogged it....

 

  

 

I am at peace with my decision.