Merry Christmas, Friends

Hello Everyone,

Yes, it's been a few weeks since I've last written, but the busy season at the studio is over for the moment.

I have a story to tell you all. Now, hunker down in a nice warm blankie...you're going to love this one. In fact I'm sure that future generations will write legends about it.

As most of you know, my dear hubby is a pastor. So, as a result, we live a long distance from family and friends. Ever since my baby girl was a baby (she's now 8yrs old) we have pretty much been on our own for Christmas. The first Christmas we were on our own, we decided to start a new family tradition. I really didn't want to cook a huge traditional turkey dinner for just the two of us (baby girl was only 6 months old at the time), so we began our first annual "Traditional Non-Traditional Christmas Dinner". We decided to have anything but turkey for our Christmas dinner. Over the years, we have cooked everything from chicken breast to BBQ'd steak. But never turkey.

This year, a couple of days before the 25th, we thought maybe we should just buy like a turkey breast. But when we realized that would cost us almost $25.00 we figured it was cheaper to buy a whole turkey for the roastin'. So, we ventured over to the turkey section of the meat dept to check things out. My dear hubby, whom many of you would know to be ... frugal ... starts to rummage around the freezer full of turkeys. Wouldn't you know, he found a turkey that was mispriced. As we danced around in glee, truly believing this to be a Christmas miracle, we decided to feast upon turkey this year -- after all, turkey was no longer a Christmas traditional meal for us. So it would definitely fall into our "Traditional Non-Tradition Christmas Dinner" category.

So, you're all wondering how much this 13lb bird set us back???

It was priced at $0.13, but with our Club Card, it only cost us $0.07!!!!!

Can you believe it? A 7-cent turkey! Well, you can see where the rejoicing took place, especially when the store gave it to us for that amount for being honest in telling them about it. There was singing and dancing throughout the land! And, as I said before, I'm certain legends will be written about it some day....

So yesterday, after the Christmas service at church, we rushed home and had a quick lunch. My baby girl got back into her pjs and we finished unwrapping our gifts (we usually open a few on Christmas Eve and we open our stockings in the morning before church). After the gifts, I went to the kitchen to prepare the sacred bird for the roastin'. Several hours later, the three of us sat down to a Christmas feast we had only dreamed about...turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and more! We ate so much we decided to bundle up and go for a walk outside to get rid of the overstuffed feeling.

Such a fantastic day! And the topper...I got a new lens for my camera!!! EEEEEEEE!!!!!! So excited!

Bye for now -- I wish all of you a VERY Merry Christmas (don't forget, it didn't end on the 25th...there are still 12 days of Christmas left!!!). God's blessings to you all!

P.S. My hubby pointed out yesterday that wasn't it coincidental that our $0.07 turkey was purchased for Christmas '07...hmmmmmmm...

Happy Advent Everyone!

Today is the first Sunday in Advent. As per our family tradition, today after church we decorated our home for the upcoming Christmas season. It is always a fun day filled with decorating, remembering, and snacking on our favourite appetizers to end the day.

However, I need to back the day up for you...starting last night.......

Yesterday the snow began to fall -- truly a beautiful sight! Light fluffy flakes slowly cascading down covering the ground with a beautiful blanket of snow. Evening came and the snow continued to fall slowly to the ground. A quick peek out the window before bedtime and I fell asleep with visions of sugarplums dancing in my head (...in case you haven't noticed, I LOVE snow...it is truly beautiful! I couldn't imagine living somewhere like California where snow is an oddity!!!)

I woke up this morning to the sound of my hubby chuckling to himself. His comments about the snow had me scrambling to look out the bedroom window. We got at least 15 inches of snow...and it was still coming down! I quickly dashed outside with my camera to try to capture just how much is out there. Enjoy!

(Our driveway leading to the church parking lot)

(BBQ anyone?????)

(Backyard was thigh-high in most areas)

(I kinda felt bad that my new baby, Bella, was all nestled and dry in the garage while everyone else's car had to be cleaned off and dug out...NOT!)

Well, after that I showered up for church. We had record numbers out at church today. We live out in the country beside the church. Including my family of three, there were five of us in total!!!! I guess most people were snowed in. But it was a wonderful service this first Sunday of Advent.

After that we headed home, changed into comfy clothes and, after a quick lunch, began our annual "Day of Decorating". The following are a few images of our wonderfully decorated house. I LOVE Christmas lights! I would have them up all year round if people wouldn't look at me so funny -- not that I care, really. Have a wonderful Advent season everyone as we prepare for the season of Christmas!

(Fontanini Nativity Set)

(Even the Littlest Pet Shop creatures came to love and adore the baby Jesus!!!)

(Ornament on our craft tree)

(Our slowly growing Christmas village)

(Angel on Fontanini Nativity Set)

Hello Out There...

...Is anybody still out there? I have been rather negligent in updating my blog as of late. Christmas hours at the portrait studio are crazy for the next few weeks. So I haven't really been on the computer at all lately. I checked my e-mail today ... over 400 unread messages!!!! Yipes!

Also need to knit -- spinning hasn't even been in my thoughts (I've missed the last three meetings!!!!) Just too crazy right now. Be patient with me. After Dec 13th, things will slow down a lot. Until then, I will probably be away from the computer. I need to also update my pictures (organize them). They are sorrily misfiled right now and undated!!!

Better go -- I've been sick the last few days with a sinus infection so I've been off work. Back to work tomorrow, Sunday off (we'll be decorating the house for Christmas), and then back to work next week. Take care and stick with me!!!!

Still Here...

Hi Everyone!

Sorry it has been awhile since I've last posted. Work has been keeping me pretty busy -- but I'm no longer hauling bread...

I got a job as a portrait photographer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hello...dream job!!!!!!!! :D

It has been quite busy since Christmas is coming and most of my shifts have been from 11am to 8pm (the only negative side to the whole thing). I miss having dinner with my family during the week. But it's only until the new year. Then the studio goes back to it's regular hours (10am to 7pm).

I have really been enjoying it. I love working with the kids and babies. It's a lot of fun and I'm so thankful this opportunity came up for me. It's been a real blessing.

The dark side of it all is...I haven't picked up my knitting for a month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yipes! By the time I get home from work, I just want to hang out with my family before Baby Girl has to go to bed. Then I crash on the couch with hubby to catch a couple of sitcoms, CSI, or a reality show (Survivor & Amazing Race) and I'm out like a light.

I have tomorrow off, so I'm hoping to pick up the sticks while hubby watches football -- Go Riders!!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!!!! Riders rock!!! :D

Have a great weekend everyone...I'll try to keep in touch more regularly.

The Black Hole

The Black Hole ... that's what I affectionately call my purse. Because anything that goes in...never comes out! Well, except my wallet -- c'mon a girl's got spending needs.

The Black Hole (or TBH) has never been an issue of concern for me in the past. Probably because the stuff that goes into TBH is either irrelevant to my daily life, or stuff I really don't care about (ie: rocks my daughter finds during our walks, paint sample cards, socks, tourist info from months ago, etc). But last week a great friend of mine and I were comparing the organized state of our purses. My friend, "J", is extremely well organized. I envy her. She is my friend who has got it together. She is a truly "born-organized" kinda gal. So as I was checking out her neatly packed purse, I thought, "Hey, for fun, let's check out mine!" I was rather shocked and dismayed at the things I was able to pull out of TBH.

I went home that night and lost sleep. I was concerned that my friend had been up all night worrying about how disorganized I am and how she could help cure me. So today when I saw her, I told her that I would love to have her help me get organized. "J" is now my new "organizational guru".

You need to understand something about me. I am totally disorganized, I live in a house of clutter, I never know where my car keys are, and I have a calendar for appointments which I rarely use. Oh, I have subscribed to the organizational stylings of FlyLady (which I do highly recommend). But I am the type of person who goes all gung-ho for a few days and then I fizzle out, usually because I am completely overwhelmed by all the chaos surrounding me.

To sum it up the best ... I am "flighty". Not in an "air-head" sort of way. Rather, there are so many things I want to do in my day, but not enough hours in the day to complete them. So then, I do everything half-a**ed and eventually give up on many things because I can't get them all done. Oh, by the way, I am a perfectionist -- big time! I'm sure my husband wishes I were a perfectionist when it comes to keeping the house clean and organized. LOL! However, it is sort of the opposite. I create such a huge "To Do" list for my day, that it is all so unattainable. And then the perfectionist in me figures, "Well, I can't do everything perfectly, so what's the point of starting". As a result I end up with piles of clutter, a very messy house, tons of laundry, hundreds of hobbies/crafts started and never completed, piles of unread books beside my bed, hours of my life wasted looking for my keys, phone calls and e-mails never responded to, panic over conflicting appointments...I think we can all see where this is going.

Ergo, I needs me an organizational guru. Enter "J". Did I mention that I envy her??? She is the epitome of organization! Even if I can organize a few things in my life, I believe life would be that much smoother and sweeter.

And who knows -- TBH might even become a tiny compact world of organization! Dare I dream?

4659...

...and counting...

That's how many people are ahead of me waiting to be allowed to enter the hallowed halls of Ravelry. Don't ask me why I am so excited ... it's not like I have the time to spend scouring the pages and pages and pages of the loverly goodness. However, I will make the time. I will sacrifice. It will make me happy.

Work is busy as ever and I really thought by now my body would be beaten into submission. Alas, it was truly a pipe dream. I realize that now. My bruised body continues to scream profanities at me every day I come home from working at the bakery...although, to be honest, at least my toenails don't hurt anymore. The people are nice and I love the customers, but let's be honest with one another...this princess's body was not built for the physical labour. My inner princess has truly been a brat yelling at me for making her suffer through all the lifting, squating, kneeling, stretching, hauling, sweating, and power walking. She really has been spoiled! As I am typing this blog I have seven severely coloured bruises, four broken fingernails, and to top of my day today, I ran over the top of my foot with a bread rack that is approximately 6 1/2 feet high and maybe 7 feet long loaded with bread. Ouchy -- that smarts! But on the plus side, since I started last week I have lost almost 5 lbs. Now it is just convincing my body that this is all good! Hard to do at 5:30 a.m.!

Knitting has ceased for a few days. For one reason -- I'm just too tired at the end of my day to pick up the sticks. So I've been browsing through all my knitting books and magazines looking for potential future projects. This is about all I'm capable of at this point. I tried casting on for Shadir, but my gauge was waaaaaaayy off -- much too big! But I don't have a circular needle smaller than the one recommended, so it will have to wait. I started a lacy scarf the other day, but didn't really like the way it looked. I even thought about designing my own pattern for a cabled hat for my dear hubby, but it required far too many brain cells which were already complaining that I'm going on overload. So, I've turned to a more calming activity of browsing through books and magazines.

I've really been wanting to do some cable work and I thought my handspun Cotswold would work up in the most loveliest manner for these...

Hmmm....tooooooo many decisions. Brain shutting down ....................

Honestly...How Do They Do It?

Hi Everyone,

Okay, so I haven't totally recovered yet physically from the aftermath of working yesterday. In fact, if it's at all possible, I think I hurt even more today! Yipes! I am so totally out of shape it's not even funny -- I'm pooped!!!!!!!!

So on the knitting front, I totally frogged my last project with my Cotswold handspun. It really wasn't working the way I hoped. So I started another lacy-type scarf the other night. It is getting too dark here for the natural light, so I'll take pics of it tomorrow after work. I'm planning on working on it tonight, so hopefully I'll have something to show for it by tomorrow.

Well, it's a short one tonight folks. I am too pooped to pop. Hubby is working tonight and I need to muster up all my strength to get my baby girl to bed and myself. Early morning tomorrow and then I have Friday off (WOOOO HOOOOO!!!!). But then I have to be at work by 7 am on Saturday morning -- how yucky is that!!!!

Have a great night everyone.

A Whole New World of Pain

Hi Babies!

Okay. How do I put this...I am experiencing a whole new world of pain. Why? I started my new job today and it was crazy busy. Actually I didn't really notice the actual physical pain until I got up from having my lunch break today. That's when my body pulled back on the reins and said, "Whoa there, cowgirl! Just what do you think you're doing?" Every muscle was screaming from exhaustion. And I still had a couple of hours to go!!!!

I spent the morning learning about where they keep everything in the bakery and making sure the bread wall was full of product. This meant carting stacks of trays (sometimes 10 high), unloading them, putting away empty trays, bringing boxes out of the freezer, date-stamping the product, putting the product on shelves, breaking down boxes, taking boxes and garbage to the back, and then doing it all over again ... at least three more times!!! I have a whole new appreciation of grocerers and the work they do -- it is absolutely non-stop. And in between all of that you need to greet customers, anticipate their needs and generally help them out. Crazy stuff! And exhausting! But rewarding. I really did enjoy myself despite the fact that at this very moment, the muscles in my typing fingers are saying to me, "Seriously? You're doing this? This...this...TYPING thing. You realize it's physical, don't you?" I feel like an old lady as I'm about to say this, but all I want to do right now is soak in a tub of Epsom Salts and rub Ben-Gay/A5-35 on EVERY aching muscle in my body. Well, except my eyelids -- that would just be silly!

I sat down about 15 minutes ago to sit and do a bit of knitting. My body just laughed and laughed at me. So I figured it would be a little less strenuous to type -- however, I know that after I finish my body is going to go on strike and refuse to move. I don't care. I'll sleep in this chair -- I will, I'll do it!

Hey, slight change in topic. Has anyone out there checked out the new Monday night comedy called "The Big Bang Theory"? I think it's on CBS or something -- it is hilarious. Probably my new favourite show. You simply must check it out -- it is an intelligent comedy!

Well, my baby girl is finished showering. I need to do her hair -- tomorrow is picture day at school. So, you know, gotta find something for her to wear and all that. Better go -- I need to be up before the crack of dawn and it may take me that long just to walk down the hall to my bedroom.
...

This just in -- my daughter needed a fresh bath towel. This required me to convince my muscles they simply must work together and get me down the hall.

...They just laughed in my face...

I Got A Job! :D

Hello, Beautiful Peoples!

Well, today I started my new job. I am working at a local grocery store in the Bakery Dept. The Bakery! Oh, but it smells sooooo loverly there! :D May God help me!!! For I am weak when tempted by loverly baked goods -- especially homemade bread/buns. Yum! Dream job...

Today I just went in for orientation and some informal testing. Tomorrow I begin -- and I'm guessing it will be busy. It's the first Tuesday of the month which means 10% discount day for shoppers, plus it is the week before our Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada. I tell ya, they're gonna baptize me by fire this week!

Overall, I am very excited -- mainly because I got a job, but also because it is something new and different. And for the most part it is weekdays during school hours. So that works out really great. My hubby can pick up my baby girl from school, help her with homework, and by that time, I'll be getting home. I may have to work the occasional Saturday. But I'll find out more about that tomorrow.

On the knitting front, I've been working on a new scarf -- a lacy one. But I think I'm gonna frog it and start something different. Mainly because the colour of the wool is a dark chocolatey brown. It's the Cotswold I spun up before returning the wheel to the Guild. After I spun it up, I wasn't sure how nicely it would knit. I was pleasantly surprised -- it's quite lovely to work with and I don't think it will be too itchy. Perhaps I'll keep working on it ... but the pattern doesn't show up very well. I think I'll pick a different lacy pattern and use 4mm needles rather than 5mm. The stitches don't seem to be as tight as the picture looks. Maybe it will be different after I block it. Hmmmmmm....decisions, decisions, decisions.

Better go feed the brood! Thanks for stopping by. And please people, please post a hello -- I'm feeling like nobody reads this blog. Well except for Ann (thank you Ann for always posting a comment -- it really makes my day!!!!! The rest of you...please, make me feel loved!)

Happiness Is...

Do ya know what happiness is? Happiness is finishing not just one project...but two! Doin' a little victory dance over here -- whoop whoop!

First of all...I bring you the Lacy Kerchief Scarf. Pictures of the wool I used can been seen in my previous blog here. I believe the brand name is Natal and the name that I used is Luxury. I can't find the band. It is made up of Baby Alpaca, Silk, & Polyamide. It is definitely luxurious and I just need to block it to really show off the lacy pattern along the border. It can be worn as a shoulder wrap... ...and I also made it a bit longer so it can double as a scarf. Yummy! I am so excited to wear it!!!

The other project completed are my Jaywalkers!

Yay me :D

Again, you're gonna kill me...I've misplaced the band. Actually it's probably downstairs in my "craft" area. Currently there are a billion things on my tables down there and it is most likely in that mess. It is a Socks that Rock sock yarn with silky silk in them! Again...yummy!

Well, that's all for now. Will write more on the weekend...

Got Wool?

Hello Hello!

I was playing with my camera this morning and took some pictures of my latest in handspun! I finished my Cotswold and thought I'd take a few pics before setting the twist. I was playing with PhotoShop and did up this poster...what do you think???

I'm Too Pretty To Do Math!

Hi Peoples!

Well, I haven't been blogging to much as of late because I have been job-hunting. Yup, hittin' the old sidewalk! Today I put out about 15 applications for a variety of things: portrait photographer, Administrative Assistant/Receptionist/Secretarial, grocery store clerk, retail work, and waitress. I'm pooped! Last night I was filling out a few application forms I had picked up earlier in the day. I got to the last one. It is for a "home improvement" retail giant. Well, attached to the application form was...a math test!!!

Now, I am willing to do almost anything at this point to get a job, but math test? Uh, ... nuh...

Okay okay, "It can't be that hard after all" you ponder to yourself as you read this blog. And, granted, Section I was your basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems. No problems there.

But then came Section II -- a potpurri of "logic"-type questions. Now, you need to understand, I HATE logic problems. Always have, always will. For example, the first question was really no problem ... "if a room is 4 meters by 5 meters, how many square meters are there?" Okay, I can handle it. But then they have you baited and on the hook and there is only bloody demise! Next question went something like this: "If you take the square meters of Room A and multiply that by 52/78ths and then divide by Pi, followed by squaring the hypotenus by infinity, what colour paint would you suggest for the customer's bunkhouse and how much extra would he need for the outhouse?" Well...there was only one solution ...

I'm too pretty to do math!

My Grade 10 algebra teacher warned me about needing to know this kind of stuff in the real world blah blah blah...bless his heart. He really thought I cared! (*sniff*...wiping away tear...) I'm sorry and really do apologize to all you math geeks out there who really get worked up over the latest proven theorum ... but math is not my thing. Never has been, never will be.

Let's just say this retail giant will not be seeing my application anytime soon.

Well, time to go make dinner. Have a great night everyone! :D

Have You Heard of Ravelry?

Good morning beautiful peoples,

Well, I must say I am feeling so much better -- mood-wise -- today. I talked with my good friend last night who helped me see things in a much better perspective...thanks Chris! So after I got off the phone with her and got my baby girl to bed, I sat down next to my dear hubby on the couch and picked up my knitting.

I'm working on a pair of socks I started way back in the spring -- a pair of Grumperina's Jaywalkers (hmmm....tried to provide a link for the pattern, but it isn't connecting...). I love the colourway of the wool I'm using (Socks that Rock!) and the wool itself is a dream to work with. I forgot how relaxing the rhythmic clicking of the needles really can be. Ahhhhhh -- life seems just that much better.

I also have about two weeks of having my wheel at home before I have to return it to the Spinners' Guild for it to be used for lessons during the month of October. So I'm gonna be spinning like a madwoman this next couple of weeks! I have bags of fleece to get done before the end of the month...perhaps I should set up some sort of counter to keep track of this ominous project...hmmmm....

Other than that I wanted to let all you knitters and crocheters out there know about this great site I stumbled upon yesterday. Some, or most of you, may already be familiar with this site. It's called Ravelry. It is a knitting and crocheting community page where you can organize everything...and I mean everything! A place to keep track of stuff from knitting needles; your ever growing stash of wool; projects that you're working on, complete, or want to begin; knitting books you have; knitting books you want; message boards; and on and on!

It is just in the stages of being set up right now so I put my name on the waiting list. There are currently about 19,000+ people on the waiting list. But I just read this morning they are uploading a bunch of new servers to the site this week and will be able to invite people on the waiting list a lot more quickly. You just type in your e-mail addy and blog addy and you are officially on the list.

Check it out...it looks pretty cool. Well, cool for us lame knitting geeks out there! Stand proudly people!!! Say it with me as you hold up your balls (...of wool) and sticks, "I am a geeky knitter and I ROCK!"

Creatures of Habit

Hi All,

Well, I have decided I am definitely a creature of habit. This morning I thought I would try to teach myself continental/German knitting (I currently knit the English way..."throwing" the wool around the needle). It seems easy enough, and yes I'll have to keep practicing, but I found myself reverting back to my usual knitting methods. It's more comfortable, I can control the tension much easier, and it's what I know.

Why am I putting myself through this if I am currently happy with my English methods? Well, it's all about the projects really. I have so many projects I want to complete that I need to learn to knit more quickly. That means teaching myself this new method.

But I do not accept change gladly...

I am sad...

Hi everyone,

Well, I'm pretty sure my plans are not going to work out for starting up a photography business. At least not right now. But if I don't do it now, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to do it ever.

I've lost confidence...

Spinning is Dreamy Goodness

Hi Peoples,

Well, last night we had a break in the warm humid weather. I was able to spin almost 4 oz of the Cotswold fleece I got from my mom. It was heavenly!!! :D After a summer of no spinning I forgot how relaxing it really is. Tonight I hope to finish bobbin #1 and start on bobbin #2. I'd like to ply it together by the end of tomorrow evening.



I am a little sad, however, because at the end of September I have to turn my wheel back into the guild. At least for a little while. They are offering the fall classes and they need all wheels back for that. I am hoping to be able to rent it again after the classes are finished. However, if all the students decide they want to rent them following the class, I'm out of luck!!!!!!

(*gasp*)

So, the only logical thing is I just need to buy my own.



:)



Alas...I have no money to do that right now. I am currently looking for part-time work while setting up my photography business, so I am hoping to budget for a wheel. I do have a drop spindle so I wouldn't be totally out of luck. But I will truly be "bummed out" if I can't get a wheel going in the near future. So for now, I will spend the month of September spinning like a crazy lady. After that, I must knit knit knit! All that nicely spun wool must be used up. Not sure which project I want to work on, but time will tell.

Good night for now as I leave you with a picture of the Cotswold on the bobbin (singles)...enjoy!

Spinning this is a dream...

So Hot...So Sticky!

Okay, so I know I mentioned in one of my more recent blogs that due to the extremely hot humid weather in the prairies this summer I would no longer complain about the weather here at home...ever...ever again...

...well, too bad! It's stinkin' hot and humid here. And to top it off, there isn't even a slight breeze tonight! Nothin'. Just hot stinkin' humid weather. Hrmph!

I really wanted to do a bit of spinning tonight, and I really did try, but it is too muggy. Argh!

Tonight my Spinners' Guild met for our first meeting after the summer. So I was rather excited to come home and spin for a couple of hours until bedtime, but, alas...it is too yucky tonight. And so, my wheel sits...neglected.

I did wash up some fleece I had bought in the spring. I was told that it had been cleaned, but I don't think it was rinsed properly because it is pretty tacky/sticky. I also didn't realize a lot of it is a bit felted, so I'm not too happy about that!!! So I grabbed a bunch of it and re-washed/rinsed it and now it is drying on a rack under a ceiling fan. With this warm weather, it should be dry tomorrow. We'll see if it is usable or not.

For those who don't know, I am in the process of setting up a photography business. I am just in the beginning stages right now, but I am hoping the have things up and running soon. As things develop, I will tell you more. For now I will leave you with my favourite picture I took this last week. I went down to our local marina and was playing with my camera. The clouds in the sky were amazing! I think I did a good job capturing the image. If you would like to see more of my photos, please check out my Flickr photostream by clicking on the Flickr box in the right sidebar. Talk to you soon.

My Mommy Loves Me!

Hi Ho,

I love my mommy and she LOVES me! She was at a craft sale this summer and bought me, her spinny spinning daughter, some fleece for the spinnin'. Yee Haw!!! :)

The white is Rambouillet roving (approx. 125 grams)...which I'd really like to try dyeing...dare I dream...

The brown is Cotswold pencil roving (approx. 4 oz times 2!!!!!!!)

Tonight I know what I'm doin'. I'm gonna slip into something a little more comfortable (...my flannel pjs -- it's quite cool here today) and I'm gonna spin, spin, spin. Today has been quite cold and rainy so what a perfect way to end the day.

Which reminds me...fall is just around the corner...Woo Hoo! My favourite season of the year! Why? Because I don't like the heat. The quintessential autumn day is going for a walk wearing your favourite sweater or scarf (handspun and handknit...duh, of course), the sun is shining, but the air is crisp. The colours leaves that have fallen crunch under your feet as you stroll....ahhhhh...perfection!

Well, time to go spin. The following are a few of my favourite pics from our summer holidays. Only a few though...too many to post. I took almost 2,000 pics on our summer holidays! Yep, I'm addicted...

Last Day of Holidays

Hello ever faithful readers,

I have been on vacation for the last two weeks...today we start the trip home. So I haven't been around for awhile. But this morning I just needed to write since I have been missing it so.

On this particular vacation, we have returned to our roots to visit family and friends. Now, don't get me wrong, I love to see everyone. In fact we didn't get to see everyone we would have wanted...there's just no time which is the frustrating part of it all. However, it has been rather exhausting jumping from place to place every few days. Staying up late to visit and then getting up early because you feel obligated to be the quintessential guest is physically exhausting!!!!! But yet, we travel great distances because we love everyone so much and miss them terribly.

On this particular vacation, travelling west has meant leaving the much-preferred cooler balmy temperatures of home. Oh, we get hot weather, but for the most part it is cooler and much more comfortable...and I will never complain about our weather again for the rest of my days upon this earth! I much prefer the cooler setting as opposed to stepping out of our comfortably air-conditioned travelling van into, well how do I put this politely...the oven of Satan himself!!!! Man, I do not remember heat like this when I was growing up. The temperatures have been so hot I feel like an overdone turkey. And then you throw the humidex reading into the works and you have the makings of one very hot mama (and I don't mean the sexy kind!)

I mean, really...how can anyone look beautiful in this kind of heat???? You get up in the morning, your eyes are puffy, your mouth feels like the Sahara desert because you are so dehydrated, so you drink a gallon of water and head for the shower. This will make me feel more human, you think to yourself. So you shower, brush your sand-blasted teeth, and (if you're female) perhaps you decide to throw on a bit of make-up (to cover up your flaming red face from the sunburn you obtained while trying to relive the glory days of baking in the sun with only a thin layer of baby oil) and you blow-dry your hair (mmmm...more heat...). By the time you are finished, you emerge from the bathroom with limp hair, melting make-up, and wet armpit stains quickly forming from becoming so blinkin' hot from the humidity in the bathroom. By this time, you are quickly developing a rather persnickity attitude toward the day which is now looming ahead of you. Mmmmmm...sexy...

Oh, how I am looking forward to the trip home. Vacations are great, but there's no place like home!

Have a wonderful day everyone...and stay cool.

P.S. Here's a bit of a shout-out to my neice Chloe Milan who wanted me to mention her name in my blog! There you go, baby girl...you're famous!!!!!! Smooches...

How you doin'?

Hi All,

I have been rather busy this last couple of weeks. We've had company on and off, my hubby and baby girl spent a rather cold and rainy week at camp last week, and, of course, there's always laundry!

I washed up the remaining fleece from Sis the sheep (we used her fleece for the Back to Back Spinning/Knitting Challenge). It washed up beautifully -- it is soooooo soft! Last week I spun it and plyed it. This morning I set the twist and now it is drying. It really created a bulky yarn ... not too sure what I'll do with it. Probably make a hat -- I don't think there will be enough there for a scarf. I'll post pics later.

But for now I just wanted to say hi. Summer blogging will be sporadic at best. We've had pretty rainy weather lately, so when the sun finally breaks through, I'm outside with the camera. Here's a taste of what has been catching my eye as of late:

A Thunder Bay Sunset

A Thunder Bay Sunset

Sis's fleece waiting to be spun

A red-capped mushroom...I was rather excited

about this since I've never in my life seen

an actual red-capped mushroom

Oh, Canada...how I love you!

Oh Canada, our home and native land,

True patriot love, with all our sons command.

With glowing hearts, we see thee rise

Thy true north, strong and free.

From far and wide, O Canada,

We stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land, glorious and free,

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.



I love Canada and I love being Canadian! Yesterday our nation celebrated it's 140th birthday. We went down to Marina Park to take part in some of the festivities followed by fireworks. It was the first time our daughter had been able to attend the fireworks. She was so excited and loved every minute of it.



To my American friends, have a great 4th of July!



Here are a few pictures from our day:

I need to get me one of these crowns...

I am a princess after all.

Canadian Punks even came out for the festivities!

Even our cops are hot!!! :D

Great fireworks

A truly Canadian icon!

Webkinz Mayhem

Greetings my loverly readers!


Yesterday I woke up feeling something I haven't felt in years. It was slightly reminicent of years gone by after spending the night in a lovely drinking establishment...okay, who are we kidding...THE BAR. That feeling of blurry eyes, headache, achy body parts, and pure exhaustion. No, I didn't go on a bender...

...my daughter got a Webkinz.

Now for those who are not in the know, Webkinz are sweet little stuffed animals that, when purchased, come with a website secret access code. Once this code has been entered into the "Adoption Centre" at the official Webkinz site, a whole new realm of childhood joy fills the home. While on the site, your animal has it's own house which you can decorate with the latest in home electronics, furnishings for the boudoir, kitchen accessories, gardening furniture and supplies, food, clothing, and toys, books and games for your newest addition to the family...the list is endless. Now, me being the ever-doting mommy, I really only want the best for my baby girl.

Yes, I spoil her...sue me!

In order to "purchase" these items for your Webkinz internet home, one must play games, answer quizzes, etc on the site in order to earn KinzCash. Well, seeing as I love my baby girl, and given the fact that I am addicted to a certain internet game where one must incessantly pop coloured groups of balls or ballons, this mommy was intent on getting baby girl some mega KinzCash!

They have a certain game on the site called "Cash Cow 2". Here, the unsuspecting player must pop groups of coloured bottles located in a cyber-milk machine. As you pop groups of colours, you obtain points and the "milk-meter" climbs ever faithfully to the top of the meter. To advance to the next level, one must fill this meter with milk before becoming one of the priveleged few who will one day reach a level on legendary status. I wanted to be that legend!

So I hit the "play" button which then launched (no...sucked) me into this whole new realm of children's online games of which I would one day be queen whom all would regale and write epic poems about.

The first few of levels were, of course, seemingly simple. Pop pop pop...the milk-meter filled including bonus points for clearing the screen. As I blew on my fingers and polished my nails against my shirt, I smiled, recognizing the sheer genius which was me.

I eventually hit ... LEVEL 5.

Here I met my adversary...the introduction of new colours and blockers that would be the bane of my existance. As I strategically clicked away the coloured sections all of a sudden the remaining bottles in the milk machine shatter into gazzilons of pieces and then informed me that, "oops, you didn't reach the required level".

Well, no probelm, I thought to myself. I'll just play again. I must not have been paying attention.

Click click click, pop pop pop. EXPLOSION..."oops, you didn't reach the required level". A blood-curdling scream escaped from my throat, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo!"

Well, this is just stupid, I thought to myself. It's a kid's game for heaven's sake. So, with cheering crowds, minstrels and poets writing that epic poem still in the forefront of my mind, I forged on determined that I would get past Level 5.

I quickly glanced at the day's high score which was held by an adorable piglet named Petunia. Her high score for the day was something like 25,352,619. Piece of cake.

"You're goin' down, pig!" I snarled at the screen. Click click pop pop click pop click ... shatter! I quickly glanced at my score: 1, 028 WHAT????? "You have got to be joking," I screamed at the screen. I glanced at my watch. It was 1:32 a.m. "This is crazy...it's just a game. You need to get to bed," I told myself.

But by this point my competitive side had kicked in and told my wimpy side to,"go to bed then, you big sucky baby. I'm stayin'." Now the goal was no longer to get my daughter high points to buy that sweet hippo topiary tree for her garden. This was about winning and frying up that pig and eating bacon for breakfast! There was no turning back and certainly sleep was for wimps and losers. I was a winner ... no matter what the cost.

After almost two hours of competitive play, I admitted defeat. Petunia the pig was most definitely the queen for that night. But I will return and I will see my daughter's monkey, Webby, in that picture slot. And there will be those who will try to defeat my high score, and I will smile and wave to them as I sit and enjoy my plate of bacon.

You're goin' down, pig...

So Exhausted...

Hi Everyone,

I am pooped today. My daughter celebrated her 8th birthday this weekend. She had a Supermodel party (I was the unofficial photographer). We had a lot of fun and the girls were all so photogenic. I got some great pictures this weekend. I am doing up DVD slideshows for the girls to take home this week. It takes about 1/2 hr for each DVD to burn so that's one of my projects to finish today.

Last night I was up until 1:00 a.m. finishing the sleeve for our Spinners' Guild Back to Back Challenge. We registered our time as "uncompleted" but still wanted to finish the sweater. The guild will display it at several fairs we are taking part in this summer. One of the ladies will be finishing assembling it tonight at our last meeting before the summer.

This morning I washed up the last of the fleece from the challenge. For the challenge we had to work with greasy wool, so once that was done last night, I had a shopping bag full of greasy wool left over. So this morning I scoured it -- it was disgustingly filthy!!!!!!! Some of the matted pieces definitely felted, so I tossed those out. But the rest washed up beautifully. There is still quite a bit of grass and straw in there that will have to be picked out. I can't wait for it to dry so I can card it up and spin it...oh, there will be pictures. The colours in the fleece range from silvery grey to a variety of browns and finally blonde tips. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! Can't you tell I'm excited!!!

I can't say how much I've missed writing lately! We've had company staying with us for almost three weeks, so that has definitely taken up most of my time. But this morning, quiet time for me. My baby girl is at school, sick hubby is sleeping, and houseguest has gone out for the day. So other than the water sloshing in the washing machine (I have tons of laundry to do today), I am surrounded by silence. It's days like this I love living in the country. The sun is shining and waiting to dry my laundry, I've scoured fleece which is now in the process of drying beneath the ceiling fan, the house is somewhat tidy...ah, time to relax.

Well, I've poured myself I nice diet soda (with tons of ice...it's a hot one today!) and I have sat at the computer wishing to impart my wisdom upon you all.

Hmmmmmmm....

What to write...what to write....

Ummmmmmm.....

Well, certainly I must have something to write. I mean, it's been almost a month since I've last written a word, I have the blogs of friends to catch up on, and yet here I am....thinking. My word, I have become so relaxed that any type of brain activity has completely left me!!!

Well then, why don't I leave you with a few of my favourite pics from my daughter's 8th birthday party this past weekend. After that, I'm off to knit and do laundry, catch up on reading blogs, and perhaps sneek a nap in! Oh, the wonderful opportunities!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great day (if anyone is even still reading -- sorry again for the long absence!)

Waiting for the party to begin...

Pretty hair clips

The girls

Silly time

Ah....Friendship!

I've Been Busy...

Hi Everyone,

Life has been busy lately. Don't ask, "with what?". Because I couldn't really say. All I know is that the last couple of weeks has flown by in a whirlwind and I am a bit wiped out.

I did finish my Lacy Kerchief Scarf. I was going to block it, but I think I'll wait until the fall to do that...you know, when I'll actually be wearing it. Right now it's a bit too hot and humid to be donning a wool scarf. But here's a picture of it bundled up in my basket.

Also in the knitting department, I've been working on my Jaywalker socks. The silkie sock yarn is an absolute dream to work with! Last night I tried the first one on to take a couple of "in progress" pics for you. I love the colourway!

In the spinning department, I have been drum carding like crazy. I've been trying to get the rest of the brown border cheviot all carded so I can spin it up and start working on my cardigan for the fall. I'll have to wait and see how much plied wool I end up with. If I don't have enough for a cardigan, I might just adapt the pattern and make a vest instead. We'll have to see.

In the photography department, I have been snapping pictures like a crazy lady. I'm thinking I'd like to do up a bunch of cards with my photos attached to the front and try to sell a few. We'll see about that later. I'm still busy playing with my new camera trying to figure out all the new bells and whistles.

I'd better dash for now. I'm trying to get dinner ready and I have a wicked migrane! I'm hoping it will disappear after dinner. C'mon drugs...kick in, baby!

TTFN

Silkie Socky Piccys

Hiya!

Well, as promised, I snapped a couple pics of my new jaywalker socks that I am currently working on. I'm not sure if I've captured the colours well enough, but take my word for it...the colourway is beautiful. Lots of spring and summer colours. And the jaywalker pattern really accentuates the colour changes. So far I haven't had any pooling of colours as I knit.

I can't stay long today. I need to get out into the yard and clear away some dead branches, rubbish, etc. I've been spring cleaning the house and this summer I'd like to do a bit of landscaping (well, whatever we can afford anyways).

Have a loverly day my pretties!

B.

So Tired

Hi Loverly Peoples,

Just thought I'd drop a hello and how are ya! Well, mom got her shawl and loves it. I've finished my Lacy Kerchief Scarf (but I need to block it). I'll take pics in a few days of that. And I just cast on with my new silky sock yarn. I am attempting a pair of Jaywalkers. So far the colourway provides a bedazzeling result!!! I am well pleased. I will snap a few pics tomorrow. But just thought I'd say hi and let you all know what I've been working on this week.

I need to get to bed early. We've been slowly decluttering the house and moving our furniture around. Also my hubby has been busy honing his carpentry skills. He has just finished a beautiful entertainment unit for our living room upstairs. It is da-gorgeous!!!!! I'll take some piccys of that too in the next few days.

Well, baby girl is sleeping and I must knit a bit before retiring for the evening -- I am plum tuckered out. Today I donned the hazmat suit and cleaned the bathroom! Yipes!!! I'm just glad I'm alive. Oh if only I had a ga-jillion dollars...I would so hire someone to clean my bathroom! That has got to be the worst job ever.

The princess has spoken...

Back to Back Wool Challenge

Oh. My. Goodness!

Saturday was an exhausting day...but exciting and a lot of fun!

The day started off with everyone arriving for the 13th Annual Back to Back Wool Challenge. You could just feel the excitement in the air -- it was electric -- as we all waited in anticipation to begin. What am I even talking about? Let me start at the beginning...

The Spinner's Guild I belong to decided to enter an international spinning competition. The challenge is this: you have a team of 8 people -- one shearer and seven spinners/knitters. The goal: to see how quickly your team can shear a sheep, spin the wool (in the grease!!!), and then knit an adult-sized sweater. Everyone who enters the competition has the same pattern to follow for knitting the sweater. Everything else is up to your team. The world record is held by an Australian team who completed this task in a record time of 4hr 51min 14sec (in 2004). Last year the competition was won by a Japanese team with a time of 5hr 33min 46sec.

Well, as you can imagine, we were all eager to beat this world record! We met earlier in the week to discuss our strategies and try spinning greasy wool (wool that has not been washed at all). And so when we arrived Saturday morning at the chosen location, we were all quite excited.

Setting up the wheels...

After posing for a group photo with our shearer, Robert, and our lovable chosen sheep, Sis, the clippers came out.

I am the third on the left...the others are the rest of the team,

our time-keeper, and our host for the day

The rules of the competition state that you can only use non-electric hand shears. So with a snip snip snip, the official timekeeper began timing our efforts.

Sis (a Romney-cross),

after her "haircut"...

Within a few minutes all the spinners had handfuls of greasy wool at their feet and the spinning had begun. We spun for about an hour before we began plying singles together. We had to spin a DK weight (plyed) so for me that was a great challenge (although with clean wool, I can now spin my singles to about lace-weight). I was the chosen one to begin the job of plying the wool and then getting the first ball of yarn to the first knitter who would begin knitting the back of the sweater.

We worked hard until we were able to have four people knitting (front, back, and two sleeves). That was extremely challenging! The lanolin in the wool was very sticky and so we had to constantly clean our needles every third or fourth row. While the four people were knitting the other three continued to spin and ply the wool to supply materials for the knitters. I was the last knitter to begin (I worked on one of the sleeves).

Three members of our team...the lady in the middle is 80 yrs old (a Master Spinner).

Her wheel was made in 1840 by a monk in Quebec, Canada.

We worked feverishly all day spinning, plying, knitting, strategizing, laughing...and some of the ladies even enjoyed the occasional glass of wine or added Bailey's to their coffee. "Fuel for the fire" they would laugh and say as they continued on working. We had other members of the guild there throughout the day offering support by means of cheerleading, preparing wonderful meals and snacks (we took time to eat in shifts), entertaining us with stories and jokes, and helping us all to bond together as a group. By the time we hit about the six hour mark, we realized just how much more work the knitters had before them. And then we started to comment on the "world-record" times and the winners from last year.

We had no clue how these teams could have pulled such a monumental task off in such a short amount of time! Just the spinning alone was so time-consuming (and we had two Master Spinners working the whole time!!!). I suggested we send in a mole to either of these two teams to find out their "secrets" on completing this task in record-breaking times. We finally concluded that they obviously were all about the work and less about having fun. However, it would have been great to finish our work within those times and then sat around and had fun for the rest of the day. But where would the challenge be???

Well, this being our first time, we figured (before we began) that we could probably complete the task within 8-10 hours. We were aiming for eight, but figured we should be a bit realistic!!! Well, the eight hour mark came and left rather quickly. The knitters were checking with each other how many more rows we each had to go...WAY too many!!! But we weren't going to give up. Hour ten soon after was upon us. We were all getting pretty exhausted by this point, and many more rows to go. But did we let that get us down? No! Last year there was a Nova Scotian team that completed the task in just over 14 hours. We figured we had those Maritimers beat -- no problems. So we hung in there. The ladies topped up their glasses of "beverages", ate chocolate cookies for extra sugar boosts, and continued to figured out as we worked, where we could improve our time for next year.

But, alas, at about hour 13 we knew we had been beat -- and we were beat...literally exhausted!!! We continued to work feverishly for another 40 mins before calling it quits. We are only about 20 rows from completion (some less than that). But we decided to submit our finish time as 13h 40mins with an uncompleted project. We were all so exhausted -- I could barely see straight. We all joyfully decided we gave it our all and better luck next year. We looked at the clock which was nearing midnight as we tumbled into our cars and headed home for a well-deserved sleep. I was wiped out by the time I got home! So I had a quick shower (I just couldn't go to bed smelling so...sheep-poopy-ish).

It was such a great experience! As exhausting as it was, I think I would like to participate again next year if the group is up to the challenge. Even if we did the challenge unofficially and worked in shifts of people...I don't know, just a thought. Anyways, we're going to finish the sweater at our next meeting and we will take the completed sweater around to the various fairs we're participating in this summer.

Well, I'm off for now. My program's on...