Month: March 2008

So far today we’ve had rain, snow, hail and sleet.  It’s spring for cryin’ out loud!  But all is forgiven because the sun came out this afternoon and it was so beautiful Maggie and I went out for a walk.  It was a great walk, too, until the very end.  I’m working on exposing Maggie to different distractions so I decided to come home a different way than usual.  As we were passing a trailer park, we were charged by a pit bull!  Dear Maggie was ready to defend me, so I grabbed her and picked her up and kept on walking, not making eye contact with the beast.  After a while I didn’t see the other dog, so I put Maggie down.  The pit bull appeared and charged us again.  So I grabbed up Maggie once more and started praying!  God protected us and we made it home safely, but I carried Maggie until I was sure the pit bull was no where in sight.  Now my shoulder is killing me, but we are safe.

And, all is good because I am officially on vacation.  Thursday was my last day at work, but yesterday I wrote an 8-page paper, completed another school assignment, completed three tax returns (ours, my mother-in-law’s and Allen’s), paid bills and I forget what else.  When I put the last stamp on the last envelope, I told Bill, "NOW I’m on vacation!"  Today has been spent getting some last minute sewing done and general organizing.  I checked out Mason Dixon Knitting from the library and I really liked several of the projects.  They’re quick, cute and just the ticket for my frazzled brain.  I especially liked these darling baby bibs:

Aren’t they too cute?  These fall into the category of "Why didn’t I think of that?"  Super simple and quick.  One can easily be whipped out in an evening.  They’re made of  cotton dishcloth yarn – I used some coned Peaches and Cream from my stash.  I also have some Sugar and Cream that I’ll toss in my suitcase.  If Abby likes these I can make a few while I’m there.

Recently I started reading Theresa’s blog.  She had admired the ladybug dress I made for Izzy, so I asked her if she would like me to do some embroideries for her two adorable twin girls.  Well, a trade was made and these arrived in the mail this week:

These are notecards that she makes with her stunning photography.  Thanks so much Theresa – I’ll always be up for a barter with you!  She sells these, so hop on over to her photography blog if you’re interested.

Tomorrow I start packing in earnest.  No, not clothes.  I already know what I’m taking there.  What knitting to take??  I always agonize over this.  Like most of you, I have this morbid fear of either running out of knitting, or having the wrong project.  I’ll take either a scarf or socks for the plane portion of the trip and the cotton for bibs.  I keep reminding myself it’s only a week and Michael’s is close by with plenty of Sugar and Cream!

Getting excited!!  Can you blame me?  In less than 72 hours I’ll be snuggling with these beauties:

He is Risen!  He is Risen indeed!  Happy Easter to all of you.  Ours has started off with heavy rain – pretty typical for us.  You can almost always count on rain on Easter and the 4th of July.  However, we don’t have snow like many of you in the Midwest.  Or floods like my parents in Missouri.  They live within a few hundred yards of a river, and the waters came up to just across the road from them.

I have to admit Easter sneaked up on me this year.  I missed Palm Sunday because of my shoulder (more about that later) and it dawned on me yesterday that I had made no preparations for Easter dinner.  So I did the only thing a self respecting woman could do – I picked up the phone and made reservations.  Hubby and I will take Allen to the CPO club on base for Easter brunch and then we will head off to our respective churches for Easter services.

I’m scrounging around in my brain trying to figure out an interesting photo to post, and I just cannot come up with anything!  Maybe hubby could take a picture of me with my nose in a book.  That’s where it’s been most of the week.  I have a textbook I have to finish before Wednesday and it’s boring, boring, boring!  In the syllabus the professor said the book was an easy read, but she didn’t mention that it would put you to sleep.  There probably won’t be much interesting this next week either.  I have my class on Wednesday and the rest of the week will be spent trying to get ahead on my assignments so I can relax while I’m in Orlando.  There’s a paper due after the class and I really want to get it done before I go.  But I promise to make up for it by posting lots and lots of cute granddaughter pictures while I’m there.

I did go to the doctor this week and I did indeed do damage to my shoulder.  I have a shoulder separation, or a tear of the acromioclavicular junction.  A football injury!  At least that’s what I’m telling everyone.  Much better than telling them you tripped over your own big feet.  The good news is that it doesn’t require surgery, but that’s the bad news as well because there really is nothing else they can.  I have some exercises to do, but it’s just going to hurt for a while.  I may not be picking up the wee ones much, but I can certainly snuggle on the couch with them!

I discovered yesterday that in addition to being dull, I’m also clumsy!  I was outside beginning Maggie’s formal obedience training.  In teaching her to "heel" I’m to "stride confidently."  Well, I strode confidently right into the edging at the side of the lawn and ended up with an up close personal confrontation with the grass.  I have scrapes and bruises on my leg, but my shoulder took the brunt of the fall.  I don’t appear to have broken anything, but I definitely did some damage.  It’s a good thing I don’t have anything physically challenging coming up in the next few weeks.  I’m going to be taking it easy so I have the strength to haul my luggage around the airport!

After I went inside nursing my dignity and my bruises, I decided a little light duty was in order.  A friend had asked me to make a label for a baby quilt she is making:

Sorry for the fuzzy photo.  I hope she likes it.  The quilt actually has more hot pink and lime greens in it, but those were the hottest pinks I have in my limited thread collection.  I was also able to spend some time playing with the lessons for my digitizing software.  There is so much the program can do, but I just haven’t had time to play with it. 

This week was spring break at school.  I still turned in an assignment, so I’m a week ahead.  I’ll continue to do that until I leave for Orlando, so while I’m there I should be able to relax.  In addition, I’ll spend the next week and a half reading for my other class.  That will take place on the 26th.  I have an 8-page paper to write after the class and I hope I can get that done before I leave as well.

I have had some knitting progress as well.  I finished the back of Torgeir, Bill’s Lavold sweater, and have started on the front.  No pictures because I hurt too much to get up out of my recliner and go take one.  Instead I will leave you with two of the cutest granddaughters ever:

I’m feeling exceedingly dull lately (egads – I sound like Jane Austen!).  Too much Masterpiece Theater lately.  Even Maggie is hooked:

It seems like the most common exchange around our house lately is:  Hubby, "What are you going to do today (tonight, tomorrow)?"  Me, "Study".  We were discussing who would be happier when I finish and we agreed it was a toss up.  On the bright side, I finished one class.  I read the book, attended the seminar, wrote the paper.  It’s a Pass/Fail class, so as long as my paper is semi-coherent (and I’m pretty sure it is), there are no worries there.  I also have finished three out of the four projects for my Early Childhood Education class.  At the end of the month I will order my cap and gown and my parents are making their plane reservations this week.  So . . . . I just need to keep my nose to the grindstone for just a little longer!

Since I had time away from the house the past two weeks, I took a quick little traveling project with me and finished it last weekend and blocked it today:

Although I couldn’t get picture of it, I had a lot of helping pinning this out.  Maggie was right in the thick of things, which annoyed Kirby greatly.  He obviously feels it’s his job to help block knitting.  This is the Landscape Scarf by Evelyn Clark, yarn is Hazelknits in the Greenlake colorway, gifted to me by Kris of Sonny and Shear.  Thanks Kris – now I have a neat scarf for St. Patrick’s Day.

Speaking of Sonny and Shear, I just received an order of Dream in Color Baby.  Yum!!

This will be for a shawl, but I haven’t decided which one yet.  I keep waffling.  Please feel free to jump in with suggestions.  So far the candidates are Landscape Shawl, Angel Lace Shawl or Field of Flowers, found here.  Or perhaps a third Peacock Feathers?  The possibilities are endless!

No knitting content, but lots of lovely pictures from Tacoma.  On Saturday the morning was spent in class – an excellent lecture on memory.  I forget the details (ha!).  Seriously, it was very interesting and we all got a good laugh when the professor told us he would email us our final assignment because he forgot to bring the hand-outs with him!  The Marriott Courtyard provided us a delicious lunch and then we spent the afternoon at the Museum of Glass and the History Museum.  First of all, we walked by Union Station, which unfortunately was closed:

After Union Station, you hang a left and walk across the skybridge.  As you look up, you develop a whole new definition for the glass ceiling:

In a true feast for the eyes, these Dale Chihuly
creations line the bridge:

This is only a small sampling!  Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos inside the museum, but we were able to photograph the great glass artist Lino Taglipietra at work in the hot shop:

Be sure to follow the link for a look at his amazing creations.  The hot shop

hosts visiting artists from all over the world.

And just in case you think you might want to stick a Chihuly creation in your shopping basket:

Think again: