Dog Days

I didn't get around to writing this post last weekend, but the pictures were too cute to ignore. I spent some time with BIL Ken and nephew Angus on Sunday while Doug went to the old house to do a few things before the closing. The kids had a great time playing outside, and when they brought out this huge stuffed doggie, I had to join in the fun, too. (Sometimes I just can't help myself--this dog was really cute.)

Salami Toast

In the past couple of weeks Rachel has been really amusing us with Random Bits of Knowledge. Her vocabulary is great, but this is different. She makes comments and answers questions with information we had no idea she knew.

A few nights ago she came up with Doug's middle name, calling him Douglas Charles at bedtime. We have no idea where she heard it.

Yesterday as we drove home from the closing, we passed the sign that marks the beginning of the Franklin city limits. Rachel said, "We live in Franklin town." Again, I had no idea she paid any attention to me telling people where we live and that she had stored that little detail.

This morning Doug made us rye toast for breakfast. Rachel scooted into her chair with her bowl of Cheerios and announced, "That's salami toast, I want regular toast." Doug and I just looked at each other and cracked up.

If we ask her where she learns these sorts of things, she says Rose and Linda (her imaginary friends (I hope!)) tell her. She scares me sometimes...

Ding, Dong, the House is Gone!

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy! (doing the **happy dance**)

Yesterday we finally closed on our old house that has been on the market since late October 2005. Yup. You read that right. Almost 17 months. We had a contract with the same buyers a few weeks ago and they changed their minds and backed out. Our realtor, who only had the listing the last three months, apparently went to work trying to get a better financing package, since she was also the agent for the buyers. Suddenly, Doug got a call that we were back on for the end of March. Sandra used to live in the house right next door and we should have hired her from the start, she did a great job. But, live and learn--and celebrate! After the closing Doug, Rachel and I drove by the house one more time 'cause I wanted a picture of this:


Then we all went out for a "anything you want" dinner at Red Lobster. Yum!

Rockin' Socks

In a wonderful twist of fate I was able to join the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock Club for 2007. My first kit arrived on Monday, with a big black binder, a pattern for Inside Out socks, dyer's notes, other info & worksheets, a cute little skein of Emergency Sock Yarn and this:

I was so excited I ballled it up without taking a picture of the unwound skein. Oops. I'll be sure to take a photo of the skein from the April kit. The colorway is called "Monsoon" and it is inspired by the forest and rain in the Pacific Northwest. Other people are complaining of camouflage overtones, but living here in TN, I totally understand. The greys and browns are lovely, but the greens are my favorite.

Since this pattern was written to allow the use of dpns, two circs, or Magic Loop, I decided to try the 2 circs. After knitting a little while with my friends over at the church on Tuesday I headed over to Threaded Bliss for some Addi Turbos.

Side note: This was going to be my first adult-sized pair of socks. I took a sock class a few weeks ago where we knitted a child's sock with size 5 dpns in worsted weight. No problem. Feeling confident a few days later, I grabbed a ball of Sockata out of my stash, grabbed my size 2 dpns and thought I'd knit a pair of socks for Doug. Now, I know there are a lot of knitters out there who love their dpns--David, if you read this, I love ya and you are still my guru, but all those little needles made me NUTS! I hated them, and I am a pretty easy-going person. I cast on about three times before I gave up. I think if I could start on circs and switch to the dpns after a couple of inches I'd be okay, but I just quit before I lost an eye...

Okay, so here I am with my beautiful, squishy yarn, new Addis, and my pattern for a toe-up cabled sock. Given the above experience with dpns, I wanted to learn to knit socks on 2 circulars. I read through the pattern a few times, called Blue Moon and spoke to the designer (they are top-notch with customer service), checked out the club member blog, got more confused, watched Knitting Help videos, and took a deep breath. Whew! Sometimes, when a pattern looks intimidating it helps me to just start. Do one step at a time and trust the pattern. So I did. Hold on to your knitting---here is my First Sock, First Toe-Up, First 2 Circs, toe:

I am so proud I think my feet aren't touching the ground and it's FUN! I know, it kinda looks like a...um, ...a mushroom. Yeah that's it, it looks like a mushroom. Check out the Yarn Harlot's blog from March 16 for more (and better) humor on this rather unusual toe. Apparently, this pattern is causing quite a stir for those who are knitting this project in public. heehee

In any case, I LOVE my sock, LOVE the yarn and how it is pooling, and mostly, I LOVE knitting socks on 2 circulars. It's like going from a manual transmission to an automatic. And with about 300 fewer "intersections"! (no ladders!) Vrooom!

Back to knitting while Rachel is in school...Check back for more pics soon!

Time Flies

Wow! I was just checking up on a few of the blogs I read and realized it has been a long time since I posted. We've been busy with house organizing and spring cleaning, and spending time outside, but mostly it seems like the days just go faster and faster. Easter will be here before I know it...

We had to cancel our camping trip for Thursday and Friday. Angus got a stomach bug in the middle of Wednesday night and my sister took him home. Rachel was disappointed that we've had to reschedule, but Doug is glad he may be able to go along when we plan another trip. My BIL and I were planning to take the kids fishing and horseback riding (both for the first time!) and Doug really wanted to be there for that. So I guess things usually work out for the best. I was bummed to miss out camping in this great weather, though. Can you believe how warm it is here already?!

I have started another new knitting project--Oat Couture's "Victorian T-Shirt" for a friend's new baby girl. It is a bigger size, so it should fit later in the year. The yarn is called Gong, a sport weight cotton. It has a pretty lace border at the hem and it's been a fun small project to tote around and knit when I find myself with a few minutes to spare. The yarn splits easily, but I LOVE the celery green color. Can't wait to finish it up and mail it off to Texas!

Rachel Meets the Predators

This morning Rachel & I joined my sister Susan's family--BIL Ken, my niece Sophie, and Angus--at Centennial Sportsplex for a special closed event for members of Gnash's Kids Club. We were invited to meet Gnash, watch the Predators practice, and get autographs signed. There were some long lines, but we enjoyed our Starbucks coffee and getting "Up Close & Personal" with the Preds.
It was interesting to watch the practice drills and even a little comical when all the guys got down on the ice for a stretch.






Angus, Sophie and Rachel in the stands.

Rachel and #3, Marek Zidlicky. My camera battery died before I could get shots of Ramzi Abid, Rich Peverley & Alexander Radulov. We were hoping to see some of the players the kids love like Vokoun and Tootoo--or even Peter Forsberg, but it was still pretty cool.

Spring Has Sprung!

It gets me every year...I think, will winter ever end? And then--Poof! It's spring!

The daffodils have been up for awhile, but now the forsythia is blooming and the Bradford Pear trees are just starting to flower, too. I have always loved Autumn best, even as a child when it meant going back to school; and my mom always looked forward to Spring. As I've grown older and definitely less tolerant of the cold weather, I have a new perspective about why she loved it so much! Alas, I fear we are still in for another cold snap or two before the warm temps are here for good.

My knitting buddies and I met up at the downtown branch of the library on Monday and again at a church in Brentwood on Tuesday. We have such a good time together and I have really loved developing these new friendships into deeper ones. I started a new purple sweater tipped in lime green for myself. It is knitting up really fast in an extra bulky wool--2 stitches to the inch on size 17 needles. Wow! I've never used needles that make one look for a vampire to slay!

Rachel has her first soccer practice of the season today at 5:00. She played the Fall season and had a great time so I signed her up again. The YMCA tries to keep the returning players together so she is excited to see which of her friends are back. Last season we played our games at 8:00 am on Saturday (Yikes!) so we are hoping we get a little later start this time.

I went to the Preds game last night with my brother, Lou, and Beth, a good friend/ex-coworker. Sadly, the guys lost to the Red Wings 5-2. I also found out that Beth will be moving to Tampa at the end of the month. Her husband has already left to go down and settle in & I will miss another one of my friends who has moved away. Thank goodness it is so easy to stay connected these days. I am going to go ahead and post this and I will come back and add some photos after the practice.

Preds Extinguish Flames

It was like Playoff hockey last night at the Nashville Arena (Gaylord is apparently pulling their naming rights). We had a wonderful time watching the Predators cruise to a 6-3 victory over Calgary. The depth of the team is terrific this year and they are playing with confidence that comes with knowing they can beat any team out there. It's great after all the years of building to this point. I can't wait for first two rounds of the Stanley Cup. :)


Rachel was the life of the party, entertaining everyone around us with her smile and celebratory dancing. People 2 rows behind us were actually leaning down to tell us how funny she is. She can be really sweet & good when she wants to be.


Rachel konks out.










In other news, I have been discharged by my physical therapist, Connie; and as long as the doctor agrees on Tuesday, I don't have to go back. Yippee! Now my Tuesday & Thursday mornings will be free again. More time while Rachel is in school to knit, work out at the Y, catch up on housework (NOT!), etc.

Also, here is a picture of the Flurries scarf in progress. I think the yarn is really pretty and I like how the stitch pattern works up on the bias all by itself.

Done!

Here are a couple of pics of the completed Koigu purse. I think it's darling. I definitely plan to make more. Well, I'm going to knit a bit on Angus' sweater and then I'm off to the grocery store...

It's Been Awhile

Wow. There's been a lot going on here at home, but I've been having fun, too. I am almost done with my first beaded project and I am totally hooked.

This little purse is made from one skein of Koigu and 6mm glass beads. I am still working on the i-cord for the handle but I think I'll finish it up this morning. The pattern is from the 2007 Knitting Pattern-a-Day Calendar. Apart from the time involved in pre-stringing literally hundreds of beads, this is one of the most rewarding projects I've done. It's much simpler than it looks which is always a plus. I am already planning my next beaded project--a bracelet using the Kreinik braided filament. My first project on size 0 needles. Yikes!

I have finished the body and hood of Angus' sweater and just need to finish the sleeves. I have purchased some buttons and am trying to decide which ones I like the best. Feel free to comment with a vote! :)

New Digs

Rachel and I went out today and bought a new bed for Pogo to keep in the den. I didn't think about where he would go when we ripped out all the wall-to-wall and put in the hardwood. "Bad mommy!", as Rachel would say. The other day I came across him sleeping on one of the front stairs--they're still carpeted. I figured he deserved better than that, so here's the new fancy-shmancy bed we chose. Pogo loves it.