Fat Girl Tea

My sweet husband likes to make me a drink that he calls "Fat Girl Tea" because it's laden with 18% cream and demerara sugar (15 cal/teaspoon and I get about 2.5 tablespoons, 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon = about 112 calories for the sugar alone!). And not only that, but he likes to serve it to me in a g-i-a-n-t mug - this one is 5" high by 4 1/4" in diameter, 750ml, with a slogan on it that says "If you can't run with the big dogs stay on the porch!". Let me tell you, I have to stay on the porch, my belly is so full of tea!

I've asked him to restrict this tea to Sunday's only and to give it to me in a smaller cup (for caloric reasons), but he just don't listen. Today he brought it to me in bed along with a work glove because I have repeatedly mentioned (not complained) that this big mug hurt my wrist so he brought me the glove so I could use two hands to lift it to my face.

I know, cry me a river, right? I realize I am fortunate that have such a "problem". I'm just sayin........

PNE fun

Yesterday JP and the kid went to the PNE, even though it rained heavily. Our weather turned yucky for the last week and it looked like they were running out of time, so they had to go yesterday. Poor boys they were just soaked! But it sounds like a good time was had and sometimes memories of times when you got absolutely soaked stick in your head more that the sunny days, right?

While they were sloshing around the fair, I finished my Tea Towel Tour 4 embroidery and worked on my monkey sock, eating dinner in bed. A throw back to my single days, bad habits come back so easily.

Anyway...they brought home some cotton candy, a bag of kettle corn, a pedometer and two stuffies for me. I think one is a frog and one is a baby dinosaur-he reminds me of Yoshi from Super Mario. What do you think the green one looks like?

They had to do some tests (jumping, running and other exercises) and then pay $2 to get this pedometer, although I don't think I'll give up my good ol' Brunton just yet. Pretty neat though, isn't it?

And let me tell you one other thing - know that it's super easy to spend $100 on not much at the PNE! $15 each to get in, $15 parking, and then the rest just goes! $5 a bag of kettle corn, etc! And they don't even do the rides! Just food and midway games.

~~~~~

Happy Long Weekend everyone! Let's hope we get one last hooray for summer soon, I'm not really ready for the next 7 months of rain yet. We don't have plans for the weekend, just chillaxin' I suppose, how about you? Any weddings or back to school shopping or last minute camping trips?

rain, rain, go away, come again some other day

Charity (snort)

2 weekends ago, JP and I cleaned out a shed and had some items for charity to pick up; things like an extra large dog kennel, a chrome and vinyl director's chair, a sewing machine, a Christmas tree, etc.

Today they finally came by to pick up the stuff and I must admit that I am a little miffed at how picky they are! A first they didn't want the dog kennel - it's cream and chrome and wasn't chewed, all the parts are there and I've seen local thrift stores selling them for $75 for the large ones, at first they wouldn't take it. But when I told them they'd get $50 for it at least, then they wanted it.

And they didn't want my keyboard stand because it didn't come with a keyboard! WTF? I bought that keyboard stand all by itself for at least $75, and I'm sure there are lots of people out there looking for a nice black stand for their keyboard and don't need to buy someone else's crappy keyboard just to get it!

And they didn't want the Christmas tree because it didn't come with a box and was too hard to store! Now again, you walk into Costco and other stores and they have Halloween and Christmas decorations out but this store can't put out one skinny (yes, it's a skinny tree) tree in September? Bah. Fine, I'll dispose of it myself.

And they didn't want the sewing machine because "it's too hard to test"

I know if I lived in Vancouver and put these things in the alley, they'd be scooped up within hours! And then I'd be reading on someone's blog about the great scores they found, and how happy they are with them.

Picky, picky, picky - not very charitable are they?

And now I'm not either.

Edit: JP came home and saw what was in left in our carport and asked
"Did they take anything?" That's how picky they were...

Hi! Hi! Hi!

I was at the hair salon today and my stylist asked me what I did on the weekend. I don't know! Time seems to be flying by so quickly I had to think about it. And I don't even live an exciting life like some people! Maybe that's why I couldn't remember - or because it was just too much to say shopping, dining, making blueberry pancakes and knitting?

As she was cutting my hair, I was flip-flopping between liking my new cut and not liking it. Especially at the end when she'd start to style it, then little things made a big difference. In the end I was okay with it.

When I got home, I did some minor changes and then I really liked it. But tell me, is it just me or does this happen to other people (JP says it's just me) ...when I'm at home and check myself in the mirror I look fine, I'm happy enough with my hair/make-up/clothes to leave the house. But then when I'm out and see my reflection in a store window or a mirror somewhere I think I look like crap. Do I have magic mirrors in my house? Is it just me?

~~~~

I'm a little nervous with this 'listeriosis' outbreak that is going on. I almost think we should all become vegetarians, however remember a couple e-coli outbreaks involving spinach and other veggies within the past year? So, is anything safe to eat? Maybe super processed foods wouldn't kill us with bacteria - just trans-fats though, or too much salt! So will outbreaks like this scare us into eating less as the food we consume seems to becoming a higher risk as time goes on? I think I'm going to become friends with my freezer though, not many bacterium can survive being frozen, and then being cooked!

And I guess the 'expiry date Nazi' in my house will feel victorious as the papers tell us to "follow the 'use by' dates".

~~~~~

I do have some other things to share, but I need to download photos or scan things in for you, so I'll get to it later, I hope you don't mind.

I was away ....

For the few of you who might have wondered where I've been, well, I'll tell ya - I took 3 days off. So Monday and Tuesday were busy days trying to wrap up work things where I could leave them for a few days - I have no back up at work so it can be a bit scary if I'm not there (but I'm not saying I'm irreplaceable).

JP had to have one eye re-lasered and so we drove to downtown Vancouver on Wednesday and Thursday and by the time we had done the driving, been to the appointment, had some lunch and did a little shoppin' well the whole day was practically gone. (I'm not complaining though).

In between all that I did work on my Monkey sock which I restarted. "Why?" you ask? Well I had already turned the heel and finished the gusset when I noticed a section of purl stitches which should have been knit stitches. To me the error was glaringly obvious, so I would let out the stitches down to the wrong one and then picked them up to fix and all was going well until I got to the part in the gusset where two stitches are knit together and that's when my beautiful repair job all fell apart. Even though I thought I carefully observed how the stitches looked, when it went to put them back I had a big mess and that mess looked WAY more obvious than the one I had tried to fix and since I could live with that, the whole sock was frogged and I started it again. (phew, that's one long run-on sentence! My english teachers would have freaked on me if they read that! ) *

Here is my Monkey Sock progress so far:


In other crafty news, I signed up for the Tea Towel Tour 4 swap on Craftster so for the next couple of months I'm sure you'll see my posts relating to my embroidery contributions. It's exciting and scary all at the same time. I like being challenged by the group's requests but I'm nervous to find out whether I can pull it off and if they'll like it.

And in the decluttering/organizing department, this morning I went through my clothes closet. After some shopping over the last past couple of days ( a couple cardigans and one cheater sweater) I found it is really frustrating to know that I already own nice clothes but I'm not wearing them because I can't get to them or find them. The closet isn't disorganized per se, everything is neatly stacked, it's just that there are too many stacks that make it hard for me to get to things. I know I need to weed it out but then I get frustrated because I don't want to get rid of things I've hardly worn because I couldn't find them/get to them! And around, around we go!

Anyway, I'm trying out a new system and I'll let you know how that works out. I'm already wearing a t-shirt, pants and shoes that I haven't worn this summer yet! See? I found something to wear!

And now it's the weekend and on Monday it's back to work and I'm just hoping we'll get a few more days of really hot weather before we are plunged into darkness and rain for the next 7 months! And speaking of which it looks a bit sunny out there so I think I'll retire to the garden for an hour or so of knitting in the sunshine. Ciao!

*I'm not changing that sentence though... I'm going to be rebellious

I believe this is your sandwich...

It's raining, I've been knitting on my Monkey sock (love that pattern) and that's about it.... but I did find this video which I love and want to share with you, my special readers.

Enjoy.....




(created, animated by: www.alexbutera.blogspot.com)

Decluttering & Moving Things Around

We live in a little house; he's a collector and I'm a crafter. And, to top it off, last year I eagerly and perhaps even greedily offered to take the contents of my mom's craft room as she was decluttering. I shipped 14 boxes of her craft supplies to my home last September following a visit to her house in Alberta - I packed up, labeled and found a carrier to send them to my house. I was definitely a willing participant.

However, I hadn't thought it through and so a couple days after returning from my trip all the boxes arrived. But where was I to put them? I ended up cramming them in a shed/workshop next to our house. That shed was so full only the door could open. It was piled high to the rafters! And I couldn't access these craft supplies to make anything with them.

This weekend, JP and I worked on cleaning that shed/workshop out. I know 34+ degrees and we're in a hot shed moving boxes! But we now have a carport full of things to go to charity and bags to go to the dump. He would have gotten rid of more, but I had reached my limit. I can't do one big reduction, I need to do several smaller ones. Still, we have so much space in that shed! I am very pleased with our results so far. And this meant that I could now reduce the boxed piles in my office/workroom. And so that is what I did today - in 28 degrees/55%+ humidity(thank goodness for air conditioning in our house!)

Yay! I have space there again! What a feeling! And now I can access more things in my office/workroom so they can be dealt with accordingly. I boxed it all up in clear plastic containers and large storage bags and put them in the shed until I can work through them. I know, I know. I'm sure this is not the way Julie Morgenstern or Peter Walsh would tell you how to do it, but it's how I'm going to do it. Baby steps people, baby steps; I find it an emotionally draining task.

My issue is that I don't like unecessary waste. So if I can pass things on to someone who will use them, then I am happy to do so, however the thrift stores wouldn't be able to sell some of the items and I don't think I'll have the time to use them all up. But I do have some crafty ideas on how I'm going to reduce these supplies as well (stay tuned!). And, if you happen to know of a school group, community group or seniors home that is in need of random craft items, just let me know - I'm willing to hear your suggestions.

A picture would have been an nice addition to this post, however, that definitely exceeds my comfort zone and besides what do you want to see? A pile of boxes?

See?

Does that help?

photo from: podsboxes.com

Halloween anyone?

Can you believe it's time for Halloween crafts? Oh I know the stores are selling Christmas items too but I was just a wee bit surprised about the crafts - check out Martha Stewart's Halloween Workshop (already 20,000+ people have signed up!) and if you're a big fan there is also the Halloween Craft of the Day.

Right now I'm still enjoying the flowers in my garden and the wonderful warm weather. I'm wearing tank tops, flip flops and white shoes (not all at once) and I just don't feel like thinking about all things black and orange. There are times when we need to think ahead, and times when I think we should be in the present. To me, summer is one of those times where we should be in the present!

I'm going to fill up the kiddie pool and enjoy the beautiful clear blue skies, fragrant lilies and the warm sun on my skin while sipping on something with ice in it. And maybe do some knitting while I'm at it - socks for when it gets cold again!

Monkey Socks

As I browse through my favourite blogs, it seems that I'm not the only one who has been blogging part-time for the summer. Especially once the weather turned nice, after being inside all day for work, I just want to get out there and enjoy it before the rains start again.

I have been working on some projects, like this bag I knit with Cascade 220 Heather and then felted. I made it larger that what the pattern called for - I had seen a sample in the LYS - and I am glad I did; it turned out better than I imagined. Now I just need to sew on the handles, the 'clasp' and a button, but for now, here's a quickie progress photo (it's all just pinned together for the photo). I also started some socks. I bought a plain colour as I wanted to make a pair with a pattern instead of striped stockinette. I started with a pattern from the 2008 Knitting Pattern-a-Day calendar but either there is something wrong with the pattern, or I misunderstood something as I cast on 64 stitches, after my first 6 rows of the pattern I had 70 stitches and after the next 6 stitches I had 80+ so those socks would have just been getting wider and wider. I decided to frog and go with the good old standby, the Monkey Socks from Knitty. I was sure I'd have success with them as I know so many people who've made them. Now I didn't get too far last night as I ran out of time, but what I've done so far, I like very much. So that's my current knitting project.

And now, for your entertainment.... I present "Simon's Cat"

My New Tango Shoes

like cinderella
I am transformed
suddenly I'm taller, you're smaller
I am rebourn
with new courage
I go downtown to find you sitting at our table
girls all around
and they see my

my new tango shoes
there are my treasure
they are so cool
my new tango shoes
they are my ticket
my tools
my new tango shoes
they're gonna help me dance away from you
my new tango shoes


Here's Bif Naked's video for the above song:


(I'm pretty sure that was filmed in Vancouver too!)

We went across the border last night to Bellis Fair Mall in Bellingham, WA and I got 4 new pairs of shoes and three dresses! Yay! (we got groceries and other stuff too, but it's just not as exciting)

The moment I saw the pair on the far left, I realized I had found my own 'Tango Shoes". Okay, well maybe not really, but I like the song and I keep hearing it in my head when I think about, or see these shoes. I can't wait to find an excuse to wear them and one of the dresses too - one in particular is so very cute! And I finally find my own LBD! *

There is also a pair of square nosed ballet flats, and a pair of furry leopard and a pair of shiny patent flats too.

* Little Black Dress

Back to normal

JP's luggage was delivered at 12:30am yesterday all the way out here - we were probably his last stop. I did get an email from my neighbour the next morning asking what happened as the guy kept his van running and dragged it up the driveway waking her up. (oops - what can I do about it?)

Andyway, we're so glad it's back - better to happen at the end of a trip, although it shouldn't really happen at all! 100% perfection expected people! I'm not just happy because I get to do more laundry (just kidding) but because in that suitcase there were some presents for me! And he teased me about them from the time he landed until the time he gave them to me.

From the House of Blues, he brought me this gorgeous studded embossed 'tattoo' leather clutch purse :

and this studded T-shirt:

It's all so rock and roll... even for a jazz lovin' gal! Those little studs on the t-shirt are sooooo bright, I wish I could have conveyed that on the photo - they almost look like little LED lights are in there.

Pretty cool presents aren't they? Oh I also got a shot glass from his conference and a cute key chain from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (sorry I forgot to take photos). I've made many a business trip and travelled many times with co-workers and unless they went shopping at mid-night they didn't bring anything back for anyone!

And to make things even better - summer is here! I'm so happy, I love the heat! Well, as long as I don't have work in it, or have a nice event like a wedding and arrive all sweaty or something..... anyway..... yesterday my thermometer said it was 32 degrees Celsius, but I worked at my desk until 4 and then we went to Costco and didn't get back until 7:30. boo, I missed out on all that weather. But, I am so proud of us- we didn't buy any frivolous items there - no books, DVDs or magazines or gadgets - just food! Isn't that great! Good food - good tasting and good for you too.... lots of veggies, oranges and other basic food items (okay some 7-layer dip and tortilla chips crept in there but that's not so bad)

Today it's also 32 degrees and as soon as I'm done work I'm going to get out there and enjoy - hmm, do I weed the garden or just sit and enjoy? ...............................As I was waiting for the photos to load, I decided that I won't work in this glorious heat - not today anyway.

Is the heat a joyous or cursed moment for you?

~~~~~~

And finally, if you are interested in some summer reading and would like to read a well written commentary, you may want to read this from The Slack Daily (blog).

We're bagless

Yay! Husband came home last night, but his luggage didn't.

He texts me to say that they've landed.
He texts me to say he's "bag wait-ey".
I text him when I see a colleague from the same flight come through the doors into the Arrivals lounge.
Nothing. No reply.
I text him again, asking if he's okay.
Nothing. No reply.
I'm fearing that Customs has given him a hard time for something, I think worrisome thoughts.

Many people come through and it starts to thin out in the Arrivals area. About 20 minutes later I see him come through the first set of doors, I can see across the room on the monitor that he looks tired. I see he has no baggage.

He comes through the second set of doors and we meet. Yay, you're home. Yup, no baggage, it's still in Chicago. He's home 3 hours later than he should have been. We are happy that Monday is a holiday.

He's glad it happened at the end of his trip as he can survive without it at home, instead of while he was away. We hope to see it tomorrow.

Happy BC Day (weekend)

Yesterday, Jazz and I drove to North Vancouver for a doggie training session in hopes (once again) to help her with her noise phobia. The class was full of young and untrained dogs. Jazz is old and way better trained, so at one point the instructor used Jazz as a demo. But while she was talking, Jazz was supposed to just wander around to demonstrate a 'loose leash'. Well I thought it was pretty funny when Jazz walked behind her, put her front paws on the window ledge and looked out the window. The instructor kept talking and had no idea that she was looking out the window. All the other dogs were paying attention to either their owner or other dogs - except mine who was daydreaming of being outside - oh I wish I had a camera for that one!

Today, I decided to take her to the river. When we arrived we saw these two First Nations Canoes.

A little further on was this sign, about a Fish Wheel :
And then the Fish Wheel :

As I was walking along I was struck by the beauty of so many cobwebs full of dew drops, unfortunately it's difficult to see in the photo. I'm not sure what is needed to capture this image - a close up of one is wonderful but it was spectacular to see 10 or 12 of them all covered in dew - can you see it?
Along our walk Jazz had lots of new smells to explore :And she would often plow into the tall grasses near the river bank, following some smell or something. At one point she was gone for a little too long and I got worried that she had fallen into the river or had gotten stuck, so I followed her and discovered this wonderful site - a Great Blue Heron:
Along the walk was nothing but nature's sweet sounds until it was broken by the singing of the First Nation People rowing their canoes up the river - what an interesting sound... too bad the singing was suddenly overtaken by the sound of the race track! New quickly took over from old!

It was a great walk, although I think age is catching up to my poor little dog who seems to be having a little bit of trouble keeping up with me, lately. Maybe it was just too hot for her?

We went home so she could rest - she's been sleeping on her side in the same position for about 1/2 hour now, so then I finished my Eyelet Shruglet in Turquoise Baby Alpaca (ooh it's sooo soft)

I took this picture myself using the timer on the camera and the tripod I got for my birthday. I guess my green t-shirt is a bit distracting for the turquoise sweater though isn't it?

Eyelet Shruglet in progress

Tonight I'll finish this little shruglet - and perhaps when the sun comes out again I can take a new photo to show the correct colour - turquoise ( not the greenish colour in the photo)

This was an interesting pattern - I felt that there were some errors in it, however when I looked at the 26 projects posted on Ravelry, only 2 other people wrote the same comments as I would have - which either means only 3 of us didn't understand something, or 23 other people made a change to the pattern but kept it to themselves.

The pattern called for 1 skein... well it is from the 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders book - but it fit a 'small adult' - which I am not. So I used larger needles and 3 skeins of baby alpaca and I am pretty sure it will fit me now just fine. If you're on Ravelry, then you can see the details there (I'm 'wayoutwear').

I love finishing projects as much as I love starting them. I used to have 2 to 3 ongoing projects, but now I really prefer to just start and finish one at a time. However, I do have different types of craft projects going - I have 1 crochet project, 1 knitting project, 1 embroidery project and 1 cross stitch project. I don't know what that says about me, "I like to finish one project at a time, but I like variety in my crafts"? Can you offer me any insights? Lots of blogs and podcasts indicate many people just like starting projects - I think the highest number I've heard - was 17. 17 started and unfinished projects! I'm sure there are higher numbers, but those people either don't count or don't want to make it public. By the time you finish some of those projects you won't like/fit/want them anymore, don't you think?

It's the BC Day long weekend, yay! BC is 150 years old. Seems so young compared to countries in Europe and other parts of the world - heck there are barns in Texas that are older than 150 years, and we're celebrating a whole Province! It looks like the weather's going to get better so I know I'll be doing my best to enjoy this long summer weekend. How about you - are you doing anything special?