March 2009 – missouristar

Time Out!!

March 29, 2009October 18, 2018 missouristar13 Comments

Did you ever have one of those days?? I was going to make a huge sprint for the finish line and try to complete Hidcote before I left on vacation. I began to suspect I was in trouble last night. On the next to the last chart I somehow got off on my symmetricalness. I thought I could recover, but as I started the last chart this morning, I realized I was only kidding myself:

I think (well, I KNOW) I'm going to have to do some serious ripping, so Hidcote has gone into the time out chair. Probably for a lengthy period. My Embrace the Lace Club shipment is on its way, so I think I'm ready for a fresh start on something.

And, just to prove it's not my day – yesterday I started a batch of the famous New York Times No-Knead bread. I knew I was in trouble from the start on this. Instead of 1 5/8 cup of water, I put in 1 7/8 cup. I thought I could recover by just adding a little more flour. Once again, I was only kidding myself:

I wish I could say it tasted better than it looks, but it actually tastes worse! To make matters even worse, the whole process kept making my smoke detectors go off, resulting in a very unhappy Corgi sitting in the middle of the living room howling!

At least I have an exciting week to look forward to. Only two more days of work and I'm off to Missouri to visit the parents. In addition to my Lace Club shipment, I also ordered Cookie A's new sock book. With any luck, both will come before I leave so I'll have something new to occupy myself on the flight.

I certainly need something new to console myself over knitting and cooking disasters! I don't know if I'll have time to post while on vacation. I'm going to be way too busy relaxing!

Spring Cleaning

March 22, 2009October 18, 2018 missouristar13 Comments

I was trying to work in my sewing room today and was getting a little frustrated at the clutter. So I decided to engage in a little spring cleaning. I moved out the keyboard, which I really wasn't using. I think I'll save it and see if Ben and Abby want it. I had all these plans for practicing my piano skills, but it just ain't happening – it's just another piece of furniture to trip over. With hubby's help I also moved out the easy chair. The only thing I really use it for is hand quilting and I'd much rather do that out in the living room. After we moved the rest of the furniture around, I went down to WalMart and bought a new ironing board. The result – a much more functional and creative space:

I wish I had remembered to take a "before" photo. Maggie has issued her stamp of approval, but Kirby's not so sure. The chair I moved out was one of his favorite napping places. I bought him a new little doggie bed, but he is not amused:

At the top of the second sewing room photo you can just see the edge of a new applique quilt that I've started. We had a very inspiring speaker at our quilt guild last week who showed some gorgeous applique, and I just had to start a new quilt. It's tulips of course – in honor of spring. I can't remember when I've been so happy to see spring around the corner!

It's less than two weeks before vacation, too! I need to start deciding what to pack. The knitting and sewing, of course, not the clothes. I think I'll be taking the socks I've been working on and some applique quilt squares. While I'm at my parents' house, I'll be spending a lot of time scanning in family photos – assuming I can coax my Mac into working with their scanner.

And, just to prove I am doing my part for the economy – I got a new toy:

It's an iPod Touch (forgive the fuzzy photo). I love it!! I read an article yesterday calling it the poor man's iPhone. At the price I wouldn't call it the poor man's anything, but it does have pretty much everything the iPhone does, except the phone and a camera. It holds way more music, though. I can download movies, surf the net and run lots of fun Apps. For 99 cents I got the collected works of Jane Austen. Now, whether or not I'll be able to read very well on such a small screen remains to be seen, but in a pinch it might just come in handy. I can also transfer over .pdf's and .doc's of knitting patterns! Pretty cool, huh?

La Meme

March 20, 2009 missouristar3 Comments

I haven't done a meme in a long time, but maybe now is the time to start, seeing as I don't have much else interesting to blog about. I borrowed this from Anna Marie:

1. Do you wear a ring on your finger? Yes, my wedding ring and diamond on my left hand and my school ring on my right.

2. Where are you right now? Where I usualy blog – sitting in my recliner in the living room.

3. Do you miss anyone right now? Yes, my granddaughters!!

4. Do you wish you could turn back the hands of time? Sometimes, but only temporarily. I would like to go back just for a day and relive life when my son was a baby.

5. Are you mad at anyone? A little peeved, but not mad.

6. Do you listen to your friend's advice when they give it to you? I listen, but whether or not I follow it is another matter.

7. Could you eat nothing but grilled cheese for a week straight? Yes.

8. Could you last an hour without talking? Yes, I enjoy solitude.

9. When is the next time you'll talk to the person you like or love? Anytime I want – he's over there sitting at his computer.

10. What are you listening to right now? Silence.

11. Have you ever thought about getting your nose pierced? Absolutely not!

12. What always makes you feel better when you're upset? A hug from hubby and retreating to my sewing room.

13. Who was the last person to leave you a voice mail? Can't remember – a friend?

14. Is your day going good so far? Just out of bed, but so far so good!

15. Do you find it in your heart to forgive? Usually, but it's difficult for me.

16. Can you trust most people? Yes, I'm probably too trusting.

17. Has anyone hurt or betrayed you recently? No.

18. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? A friend.

19. What are your plans for the next weekend? Lots of quilting.

20. Ever go camping? Yes but I got over it.

21. Are you someone's best friend? Yes – my friend Jan.

22. Biggest annoyance in your life right now? Work!

23. Have you spoken to your mother today? Nope, but I'm going to visit her in two weeks! (Hi Mom!)

24. Did you kiss at midnight on New Years? No, we're usually sound asleep by then.

25. Do you think you'll be in a relationship two months from now? After 36 years, I certainly hope so!

26. Have you ever seen your best friend cry? Yes – she cries easily. She's the softest hearted person I know.

27. Last person you hugged? Hubby.

28. Have you ever drank with your enemy? I rarely drink with anyone, never mind my enemies.

29. Ever been swimming in a lake or river? Yes, but I got over that too.

30. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance? It depends – some acts are so vile that second chances don't apply. But in general – yes.

31. Did you cry today? No – it's early, but I don't expect to.

Two Weeks??

March 13, 2009October 18, 2018 missouristar9 Comments

Has it really been two weeks since I've posted? I realized mid-week that I had completely forgotten to blog last week. Nothing real exciting going on, just life and its normal business. There has been knitting, but no pictures – just visualize the Hidcote Shawl a few rows longer. The rows are getting very, very long, so I can only manage a few in a sitting.

I've also found myself quilting more. I seem to do this on a regular basis. I have several interests, and when one catches my fancy, I seem to really immerse myself in it, almost to the exclusion of everything else. I'll do that for several weeks and then one of my other interests will come to the forefront. I don't know that I consider it exactly a problem, but I do envy those who have single interests – they probably get a lot more done. Of course, I also have lots of help:

Can you see Kirby squished in there on my right side? That is his favorite place in the whole world and he is never happier than when he is wedged in there.

Maggie, of course, is never happier than when she is out on a walk. We've been getting out more lately because there have been glimmers of spring (despite a little scare – a two hour snowstorm last week!). Behold – Dog with Crocuses:

Spring also means that she is starting to blow her coat. Corgis don't shed too badly most of the year, but at least once a year they blow their soft downy undercoat. It takes constant brushing to make sure you don't have clumps all over the floor. Maggie really doesn't seem to mind too much:

You can see the pile of down over to the left of the picture.

And that, folks, is just about it on this end. See you next week!