Felt Like Knitting

Beautiful day

The Saturday before last was beautiful!  In the late afternoon, it was cool, sunny, and slightly breezy.  And it smelled better outside than it did inside my house since the oil paint was going on the cabinets.  Instead of hiding upstairs in my bedroom, I took some beach towels outside and hung out with the dog.  And I watched the clouds.  It had been a long, long time since I had done that.  

                                             

None of them looked like anything special, but it was still great to watch them.

And it had also been a long time since I had crocheted.  But I did that, too.

                                    

I saw this cute bag on Ravelry and decided to make it with my leftover cotton yarn.  The yarn colors used in the bag in this picture are more subtle and my bag is looking rather bright.  I guess it can be a pool bag because I can't see myself carrying it.  It's been done for a while except for the handles.  If I gave it an hour, I could have the handles done and attached.  Think I'll go work on it now so I'll have a FO to show. 

Our kitchen remodeling is almost done and we should have our kitchen back by the end of the week.  I had big plans for getting things done this month - sewing for Emma, selling things on eBay, cleaning the basement, ...  But I found that having one's house in disorder is not the best environment for completing much.  I didn't even knit anything.  But having a new kitchen is a good accomplishment (even if I didn't do the work myself).

Some numbers

I'm working on some more detailed posts, but here are a few bullets to let you know what's been up...

326 - The number of blog feeds I need to read (was higher but I've been reading some this afternoon)

20-30 - The number of asparagus stalks eaten by rabbits this spring.  We have bunnies everywhere!

11 - Eleven days since having a little makeover at the Bobbi Brown counter at Macy's

6 - We just finished Day 6 of our kitchen remodeling project.

5 - The number of days I've been back on Weight Watchers

3 - The number of pounds I've lost so far.  (Okay, I know I could fluctuate 3 pounds in one day, but I'm counting it!)

1 - Message in my blog in-box!  (Actually, I just answered it, so I'm back to 0.)  I deleted and answered lots of emails today and hope this will help me stay caught up.  I'm sorry for all of the unanswered comments and emails in the past!

0 - Active knitting projects  :(  I have several things still on the needles, but haven't knit for several weeks.  I've been thinking of getting my spinning wheel out.

More soon on the remodel, makeover, etc....

Movie review: Star Trek

                               

Steve and Emma saw Star Trek while we were in Ohio and really enjoyed it.  Everyone else I know who has seen it has loved it, too.  So last night I suggested we all go see it.  What a great movie!

The scene above is one of my favorites from the movie.  All the actors did a great job, but I particularly enjoyed Karl Urban's portrayal of Dr. Leonard McCoy.  He really caught the crustiness of the character in the series.  I know I will want to buy this movie just so I can laugh when McCoy talks.  "I'm a doctor, not a physicist!"  (Last night I was trying to control myself so I wouldn't bother other movie goers.)

The bad guys really are bad, but by the end I could empathize with their leader, Captain Nero.  I understood what motivated him, even though he was not acting sanely.  But we also see that the good guys have some rough edges, too. 

There were some things that puzzled me (when comparing it to the series) and some science that didn't seem quite right.  But those things were all easy to ignore because the movie was done so well.  I liked this more than any of the series or movies.  Anyone, whether a Trekkie or not, will enjoy this!

I'm back

Hi everyone!  I'm sorry I've been gone so long.  When the robotics team competed at the state tournament in January, they were selected to attend the FLL US Open in Dayton at the beginning of May.  Helping with the team, teaching a few classes, and being involved with everything else that life offers ended up being a bit too much on my plate.  But the competition is over, school is done for the year, and I'm now breathing a sigh of relief.  There has been knitting, but I'll show that in another post.

This will be the summer of makeovers.  We're going to remodel our kitchen and I'd like to remodel myself, too.  I'm tired of feeling older and looking drab.  I know I won't physically feel better until I lose some weight and get in shape.  And I think I'll feel better emotionally if I am happy with my appearance.  I've checked out some fashion and beauty books from the library and started watching makeup videos on YouTube.  (I had no idea that there is a community of makeup artists with YouTube pages.  I just checked and there are knitters with pages, too.  Kind of like video blogs.  I feel behind now!)  And I bought a new top because I mostly have t-shirts in my wardrobe.  I'm afraid the top makes me look like I'm trying to be 25 instead of 45.  But I've been told it's okay. What do you think?  I might cut and re-hem the elastic part on the bottom to let it hang straight.

Aside from eating better and exercising, do you have any tips for feeling and looking one's best?

Spring break

It was spring break last week in the Metro Atlanta area.  We didn't take a trip, but I did set a few goals for the week...

1.  Eat lunch with S... We rarely have lunch with S because he works so far away.  So we drove up to see him and ate pizza (the biggest slice I'd ever seen).  Accomplished!

2.  Eat lunch with J... Remember my knitting neighbor?  We went to a local Japanese restaurant that J recommended.  I was really looking forward to trying their California roll.  E and I have been making our own and I wanted to compare to see what sushi is really supposed to taste like.  Eating there was so much fun and I'm looking forward to going back again.  I had chicken teriyaki and a California roll but next time I'm taking J's recommendation and getting the chicken teriyaki and tempura.  The miso soup was so delicious, too!  Accomplished!

3.  Shop for a prom dress for E... We went with our friends and that made it fun.  E found a dress that looks very nice on her.  Accomplished!

4.  Read... I borrowed two books from our church library.  One was The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom and the other was Six Hours One Friday by Max Lucado.  I read and enjoyed the Albom book but didn't even crack open the other one.  Half accomplished.

5.  Finish knitting Cozy... I've enjoyed this pattern and I was about 75% done with it.  I used Misti Alpaca Pima Cotton & Silk from my frogged Ribby Shell from long ago.  It feels great to finish a project, especially since I used stash yarn.  Accomplished!             

                                 

6.  Sew a top... I need some new tops and I refuse to go out and buy them.  It's hard to find something to fit my body shape.  Lynne has been so inspiring with her sewing lately, so I found Butterick 5328 on sale (for 99 cents!) and I was going to give it a go.  I ended up taking a detour, though, and started with a skirt first.  I want to learn to fit a garment to my body and decided it would be easier with a skirt first.  The skirt is almost done, but I need to take it apart at the waist because it's too big.  I did see a cute shirt at WalMart while I was shopping for egg hunt supplies.  I don't mind buying a top that doesn't fit perfectly if it only costs me $12.  :)  More on the sewing later...  Attempted.

So I'm a bit sad that our break is over, but I enjoyed getting some of these things done.  In the middle of all this, the appraiser for our refinancing came to inspect the house.  There were several days of picking up and cleaning!  I'm glad that's over.  :) 

A bit of a breather

Last week was our school's science fair, of which I was in charge.  Fortunately, I had two lovely, helpful ladies on the team and it ended up being a success.  I am so glad it's over - that's one less thing to worry about.

As a result of the science fair, I didn't end up sticking much to my menu.  Good thing I didn't publish it on the blog!  ;)  But here's my menu for this week.  I'm going to try some new recipes.

                                     

Monday - Roast Chicken with Lemons, garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus (from our garden!)

Tuesday - Chicken Gyros for 2 (made with leftover chicken), fruit, chips

Wednesday -----

Thursday - Spaghetti (sauce from freezer), salad, bread

Friday - Molasses-Brined Pork Chops, rice, veg

Saturday - Manicotti (from freezer), salad, veg

Sunday - Brats and hot dogs on grill, potato packet on grill, salad

A couple of weeks ago, I finally made the venison pepper steak that had been on the menu for quite a while.  Carole gave me the idea and I tweaked it, based on what I had on hand.  I forgot to put it in the crockpot in the morning, so I made it in the oven.  S said it was the most tender venison he'd ever had.  I felt like that was quite a compliment.  I'd like to try the recipe with beef sometime, too.  The flavor with the peppers and onions was great!

What are you serving this week?  If you don't know yet, check out orgjunkie.com for other menu ideas.

441

                 

I'm celebrating a real milestone here this week - my 441st birthday!  I don't usually talk much about my birthdays, but I thought you might all be interested in knowing how old I really am.  I may look middle-aged, but I'm really quite old.  (Okay, I can see you're not buying it.  My husband said we didn't have a "5" candle so he and the robotics team decided that "4+1=5" would work.  I thought it was funny and wanted to share it with you.)

Now for a serious question...  I have a gift certificate from Christmas to a LYS and I now have a 10% off coupon for my birthday month.  I have been there twice recently but can't quite decide what to get.  What yarn have you been wanting to buy at the LYS these days?  Any experience with Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace or Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk?  Or is there a book you love?  Any project suggestions?  Help!  :)

Sweet boy

                                    

                                            

Trump has been with us for eight months now and he is still doing well.  He's starting to show some fear aggression, so we'll need to do some research and make a couple of adjustments.  For example, our vet suggested having people at the door offer treats so Trump will associate the doorbell with positive things.

I'd be embarrassed to have anyone hear me talk to my dog.  I never talked to our daughter with baby talk, but I sure do with the dog!  "You're such a sweet boy!"  "Who's my sweet boy?"  Sometimes I even hold him like a baby.  "Sweet boy" went in for his yearly shots this morning and he's been resting in his bed this afternoon.  I suppose I'd feel like sleeping if I got three shots, had blood drawn, and got other things checked! 

Time to get a few things done so I can justify doing some knitting later!

Monday Morning Potato Rolls

I wish you could have been here last week.  On Thursday I baked a loaf of bread and a pan of rolls.  The whole house smelled so good!  I'm not proud to say that I ate four rolls with honey soon after they came out.  In my defense, I hadn't had lunch.  But still...I had no restraint.

The Monday Morning Potato Rolls recipe is from the latest Cooking Light magazine.  It's easy and delicious.  This is the first time I've kneaded dough in my KitchenAid and I wish the manual had better guidelines for the amount of time needed.  The recipe called for ten minutes of kneading by hand and I used the dough hook for four minutes.  What has worked for you?

                                       

Here's my menu for the week:

Monday:  Scalloped potatoes and ham

Tuesday:  Venison pepper steak (One of these days I'll remember to get it out of the freezer!)

Wednesday: --

Thursday:  Turkey & Pasta

Friday:  Sloppy joes, carrots, applesauce

Saturday:  Parmesan tilapia, roasted sweet potatoes, veg

Sunday:  Flank steak with cucumber-pepperoncini relish

Menus are already up at orgjunkie.com.

Sweaters for a cold day

There was a prediction for snow and cold weather here in Georgia and we got both.  The snow (about 0.5 inches?) was beautiful while it was coming down.  I didn't get pictures, but Leslie did.  She also lives in the south, so her pictures show you what it was like here.  Today it's cold but it will be in the mid-60s by the end of the week!

Since it was going to be cold and snowy, I decided I should knit some sweaters.

                                    

Okay, so they won't be keeping anybody warm, but they will make great ornaments for my nieces and nephews this Christmas.  Three down, four to go!  (Goals are great things.  It occurred to me on 2/27 that I hadn't completed a Christmas gift this month.  Two sweaters were completed on 2/28 and one on 3/1.  So I'm covered for February and March now!)

                                    

Here's my menu plan for this week.  I feel like we eat the same things each week so I'm trying a new recipe from the Menu Plan Monday site.  The site is a great resource for lots of recipes since 300+ people post their weekly menu plans.

Monday:  Homemade chicken noodle soup, tomato soup (my DH is allergic to chicken), grilled cheese sandwiches, apple slices

Tuesday:  Meatloaf, roasted cauliflower, Parmesan crusted mashed potatoes (doesn't that sound delicious?!), salad

Wednesday: ---

Thursday:  Venison pepper steak, rice (I finally remembered to buy peppers at the store!)

Friday:  Grill out!  Probably brats, potatoes with carrots, baked beans, salad

Saturday:  leftovers

Sunday:  Stir fry, rice

This week we're eating more food from the freezer because it really needs to be emptied and defrosted!  The end of this week will be a good time to do just that.

Hope you all have a great week!