Woolythyme

weekending.....

 

:: waited most of the weekend for the predicted rain to hit, but a couple of quick little sprinkles was all we ever got.  It should have been a total gardening weekend, but an encounter with an anthill and the early arrival of flying, biting somethings limited it to sporatic, harried planting.  The meyer lemon is potted, a couple blackberry bushes were thrown in the alley flower bed, and some zinnias that threatened to die if not attended to are in the ground.  I took a little hand trowel to the weeds between the rows of onions and called that weeding.  There is still a cotton plant and climbing rudbeckia (bought why???)....waiting on the patio.   

:: the annual art and music festival was this weekend.....our church sold barbeque (to help support the LWW mission trip to Kenya this summer), listened to a lot of great music (the barbeque booth was across from the main stage music venue--- and we sold for 5 hours!), and shopped!  Yarn bowl!!!  You can tell the yarn bowl was made by a knitter. (The pretty indie dyed yarn with partially knit lovelies setting around in the bowls was sort of a give-away, too!)   It  easily accommodates a 400+ yard ball of fingering wt yarn, with room to plop a pencil and a few markers.  

:: delicious dinner club dinner

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:: Kenya team meeting.....asante sana!

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weekending.....for the dogs

PapaGeek spent the weekend playing with some of his water-friends out of town.  He always has a wonderful time pretending he is Bob Vila-- in someone else's space with supervision.   This left me an entire weekend to do what-ever.....with no cooking!....no set plans....no cares.....

 

until.....

 

 

Derby arrived.  

 

For the weekend.  Long story.  (the cliff note version:  #1 daughter was doing laundry--something went kahoohie with the plumbing....she ended up having to bring what seemed like everything the family owned to be washed at my house so they could get out of town to the boys' baseball game....the plumber is coming while they are gone....Derby hates the plumber.....she brought Derby over with the laundry....ta-dah, we have a weekend guest.)

 

Derby is OLD.  No, make that OLD.  Right up there with Methuselah.  She's just about deaf, barks randomly because her cataracts make her nearly blind and shadows are darn scarey, and her bones and joints obviously ache more than mine.  (Her down-dog looks surprisingly like mine, though!)   But, she's sweet beyond measure and over the years, we've all figured out what all her yips, barks, and deep sighs mean----and she put them all to use ALL NIGHT LONG.  Big breath in......deep s-i-g-h....means 'i really need to go out and prowl around---right now---and i'll keep sighing until you let me out.' (There's a cute, pitiful little 'jump' that goes with the sigh.)  This was at 3 am.  OK.  Out she went.  And then I remembered a friend who found a neighbor's OLD lab drowned in his pond one morning.  We have a little mini-water-thing....big enough that Freddie's predecessor fell in and couldn't get out---and that's another story, fortunately with a happy, if muddy, ending.  But, that's ALL I could think about.  Derby and falling in the 'pond'.  She couldn't hear me calling.  So, there I am, hunting for a black, blind, deaf dog on a starless, moonless black night--in my jammies.  Not an easy find--- she was behind the greenhouse...NO one goes behind the greenhouse--YUK.  Another happy ending. Phew.

So, when she wasn't yipping, barking, or s-i-g-h-i-n-g---she was click-click-click-clinking throughout the house on the hardwood floors.  (She doesn't sleep over often....I'm sure she was just exploring.)  

 

Freddie's exhausted.

 

He didn't get any more sleep last night than I did.  (He's made it quite clear that this was NOT a play date and NOT his idea.  He has absolutely nothing to do with her,  hovers ever so close, and almost whines if I pat her and tell her, good girl.  Jealous?  Oh, yes. Angry?  You bet.  She eats all his food.)

 

so...

 

:: the 'stash closet' didn't get cleaned out

:: the herb garden didn't get weeded

:: the stuff for the church yard sale didn't get sorted

:: the bread I had briefly considered making didn't get made

:: the nap I was sure I was  going to take never happened 

 

I really didn't want to do any of that stuff anyway (except maybe the nap).  

 

But, isn't it nice to have a scapegoat?  

 

 

weekending.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 :: we traveled for 'birthday weekend'

::  saw the birthday girl in action during her academic meet (they won!)

:: while older kids were in school, we went to the aquarium with the youngest  (the jellies are always my favorite)

:: we played and played  (I got beat at chess and  StarWars Monopoly?????,  but managed to hold my own in H-O-R-S-E; I wish I looked as cute in my Hawaiian skirt)

:: I knit with my only grandchild who 'gets' it so far, although....

his sister was pretty interested until she discovered the needles work really really well as a Cheerio skewer.

 

 

joining amanda for weekending---hope yours was a good one!

weekending.....

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I spent the weekend roaming from room to room

:: wondering how I managed to get a whole bookshelf worth of books from the kitchen on to the living room bookshelves (might have had something to do with the pile of purged magazines awaiting the next recycling run)

::  relocating a collection of old wooden apples

:: getting used to the new kitchen color

:: spending time with Fred in our favorite chair (it's a chair and a half---I usually have the 'chair', he has the 'half'; he seems to have managed to hog the whole thing most of the weekend)

:: wondering what went in the empty space on the bathroom wall ????

:: taking an extra peek at the door lintels that are dust-free  (do you have any idea how much dust accumulates in 15 years!!!  Little Miss Susie Homemaker I'm obviously NOT)

:: loving the patched corner of the hallway (yes, that IS a collection of slugs...thank you, Jody!!!)

:: finding a new place for some plants

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Now that the painting spree is over, it was so worth it.  (One of the great advantages of growing old is the fact that we most likely will never have to do this again!!!)  Every room went back together slightly differently; this 1000+ square foot space looks sort of fresh and new and the spring cleaning (for this decade) is done!

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There was time left over for the fun stuff...

:: filling the cookie jar (chocolate chip, is there really any other kind?)

:: a little girlfriend time with my best friend (#1 daughter)--and scored an Eileen Fisher skirt (new with tags!) for $15 at the  thrift shop.

:: wrapping birthday presents (#1 son turns 40! next week; I'm not sure how that happened;  his daughter --our first grand--will be 10 just 3 days later.  C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-E good times, come on!!!)

:: 'refrigerator soup' inspired by this recipe from whole foods (only I added a potato and sour cream which probably made this healthy soup not-so-healthy after all, but it sure was tasty!)

:: finished this that had been waiting to be seamed since 1999.

and, of course.......

there was time for knitting!  and even a little...

 unknitting.  

Alga. (may you rest in peace)  Didn't like that stripey thing the yarn did, didn't like the fact that the sleeves were slightly darker than the rest (although it was all the 'same' color), and really wasn't all that thrilled with the final fit-look.  Three strikes---pretty easy to frog it.   

weekending....

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Some weekends are good...some are great....and then once in a while along comes one that is just about perfect in every way.

We ventured to Oxford MS this weekend--to Camp Hopewell--for the LWW staff/volunteer retreat and celebration weekend.  About 4 hours in the car---two of which were knitting ones-- and we ended up at Knit1Oxford before even checking in to the camp!  (More about that another day.....but, let me assure you, it was FUN!!!)  PapaGeek is usually chomping at the bit to get to the camp....so this was a surprise---and real treat!!!

The rest of the time, we spent: 

:: catching up with old friends

::  making a few new ones

:: being a part of some strategic planning for the organization

:: celebrating the 'soon-to-be' retirement of the current director and founder of the organization

:: welcoming some of the new leadership

:: eating eating eating

:: enjoying the perfect weather outside during those few little breaks scattered throughout the weekend

As a volunteer.....I was among those served the most amazing dinner of duck stuffed with wild rice, oranged carrots, potatoes Lyonnaise, yummy salad, and a dark chocolate tart with cinnamon ice cream and raspberry sauce (I ALMOST licked my plate, but there were too many people watching)------by the staff.  (PapaGeek was staff....of course, I sat at his table...hee, hee!)

Fancy white linen tablecloths, candles, flowers on the table....

I've never seen such a transformation of a church camp dining hall.  It was lovely.  And so relaxing.  (My usual time at the camp is during training sessions....early starts, late nights, continuously running and putting out the proverbial fires, and  missing at least a few meals along the way.)

and......We  got back home in time for a "trip to Hawaii".....via dinner club.  

I didn't cook one single meal----ALL WEEKEND LONG!!!!

weekending....

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:: beach time

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:: feeding time

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(chapel with stained glass window, personally installed by Tiffany)

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(Grand Hotel)

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(turtle hospital)

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:: sightseeing time (on Jekyll Island)

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most importantly....

:: friend time

weekending....

Family, friends, food, fun, festivities....what more could a weekend hold?

 

:: sugar cookies...

always look better with sprinkles.

 

:: Community theatre's production of The Christmas Story

:: Dinner club's Christmas gathering

 

:: Dinner with #1Daughter and family....at a local restaurant known for their holiday light display....

 

it rained on our way....it poured while we had dinner.....it stopped while we wandered all through the light display.....and it stormed (complete with thunder and lightning) all the way home; I'd say perfect timing all the way around.  (and the mint sinker pie wasn't too shabby either!)

 

:: a little more elving

 

(cap got delivered to a very very very pregnant lady at church this morning)

:: a little wrapping....

which needs to turn into a lot of wrapping so I can do the laundry...

 

:: and a bit more decking....

 

 

yes, she's knitting.

 

 

joining amanda for weekending

weekending....

:: a grand spent the night...and we had marathon movie nite...MIB 3 and the Avengers.  We got a whole bunch of grandparenting brownie points--both movies were pretty lousey, but we pretended we were having a good time.

:: family games!!!!!

:: dinner with #1 Daughter and other grand (the boys took turns going with Daddy to a basketball extravaganza) and a nighttime tour of holiday lights  (Freddy got to go this year, too)

::  dinner for community theatre tech night

::  dinner to a friend

:: 3rd grade basketball game (they won)

:: another batch of spritz cookies that wouldn't got through the press  (can it really be user error???)

 

:: lots of 'decking the halls' and lots and lots and lots of 'elving'

joining amanda for weekending

weekending....

::  Lots of bulky knitting...

 

I'm not sure exactly why this was in the stash (of course, I know why---did you see the price on that??!) because I pretty much hate knitting on needles larger than a size US 4 or with yarn heavier than dk.  But there it was (actually 2 skeins!!  I must have had something in mind for it at purchase time other than grabbing a great deal), and it was perfect for these.  

I found myself with no competition for the television this weekend....and there was a Castle marathon going on---and before I knew it...

two pairs!  I guess that bulky yarn has something going for it after all.  A sweater out of bulky---and I look like the Marshmallow Man in Ghostbusters; but fingerless mitts in bulky work for anyone, and I got the two pairs from the one skein (with almost nothing left over).  Stash busting--holiday gifts--hours of Castle....that was so much fun, I went out and BOUGHT another skein of chunky, and made

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the Hampstead wreath while listening to the latest Stephanie Plum, Notorious Nineteen.  It is exactly like all the other Stephanie Plum books (and I've read/listened to them all)--totally mindless, nothing whatsoever to redeem it stylistically, but I could wander around the house and let it keep running and not really miss more than a couple cars or vans getting blown up--and by the end of it, I had a wreath--and the stash had less in it than when the weekend began.

:: Lots of cookie making.

*Bourbon balls (a bit potent....little people were banned from tasting)

*cut out sugar cookies  (Darth Vadar with sprinkles all over his face?!)

*spritz cookies we couldn't get through the cookie press (I dumped my old press last year for a new and improved electric press---but we must have needed new batteries---and it was Black Friday---and we weren't going to ANY store THAT day for batteries) so we turned them into thumbprint cookies

*my mom's chocolate drop cookies.  

(First time ever.....more sprinkles ended up on the COOKIES than on the floor.  Major success.  Note the concentration on those faces....I obviously wasn't concentrating at all.)

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  They don't look the least bit like Christmas cookies, but we only make them at the holidays because they are so good we always eat waaaaaay too many and who needs all those calories?  Special treat.  Once a year.  (Well, we usually end up making three or four batches of them during the holidays, but we count that as ONE.)

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CHOCOLATE  DROP COOKIES

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup cocoa

2 cups flour

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup butter

1 tsp soda dissolved in 4-5 tbls hot water

Drop by the teaspoon and roll in granulated sugar.  Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.  The cookies should be puffy.

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YES.  They are that good.

weekending....

Some serious elfing started this weekend....

 

the sewing machine came out....

 

after a little stutter start...where the ruffle got sewed to the waistband instead of the pants leg...I got into the groove----and then got smart.  I made up a little 'kit' for my oldest granddaughter, and Rach and I will make a couple pairs of these together.

:: 4 pairs of capris + 1 sewing project kit 

the CandyMan had a basketball game that took exactly

this long (with time allowed for some serious cheering---they lost by only 2 points after an early 13 point deficit.)

:: 1/2 pair of AG socks

 

The Bling's mommy asked her if she wanted Santa to bring her (fake) AG doll some clothes or things.  Oh, NO.  Grandma's making her clothes.  That's all I want.  YIKES.  The pressure is sort of on, Grandma.  (Grandma is clothing 3 AG dolls this season.)  Off to the stash....maybe another coat....

 

the problem with working from the stash (sigh).  When it became clear that I was seriously going to run out of yarn....I worked both sleeves at the same time....

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then grabbed some pink for the cuffs.  To make it look like this was the plan all along, I blanket stitched around the little jacket.  OK.  I think that worked.  Now, it needs a hat.

OOPS.  It didn't take long at all to figure out the pink wasn't going to make it (AGs have really big heads), so the hat had to turn into a headband.

I like it.  But, the best part......I found some pink  AG UGGS here!!!  Now that's an outfit!!!

:: hat + headband + UGGS on order

 

PapaGeek had to get a couple things for an upcoming trip....and we decided to wander into the Art Gallery shop.  Remember when we did this?  I think the advantage/disadvantage of the bombee knowing who the bomber is...... they know who to call for more!!  YAK needs a Santa hat for the season.  With so many wonderful patterns 'out there' (have you taken a look at my Ravelry favorites lately???) I've never felt the need to do much designing.  Sure, I tweek, adjust, amend patterns all the time, but never do the.....get-out-the-tape- measure-and-start-from-scratch thing.  

what do you think?  Will it clear the horns??

::1/2 of a Santa hat.... for a YAK

 

 

joining amanda for weekending