The Week is Flying By

Yes, I did stop at Harrington’s prior to heading over to the Java Room last night. Starbucks Coffee Liqueur, who knew?  I added a nip to my Mocha Blender drink and all I could say was YUMMY!  No, I didn’t share.

Rosanna surprised us with a visit from darling Eleanor.  She is such a beautiful baby.

I worked on the Cherry Bomb Tank I’m doing with Knitpicks Shine Worsted - I hope I have enough of it to finish this tank.

Tonight I think I’ll hang home, do some dishes, since the dishwasher is still leaking besides I haven’t been home long enough to really dirty too many dishes).  Pay attention to the poor neglected kitties and knit.

This weekend is getting crazy too.  Cousin Jen is coming up on Saturday sometime.  She’s staying over then heading up to some Photography class in Maine on Sunday.  I have to pick up DD on Sunday too.  But I need to know when Jen is arriving on Saturday so I can figure out if I can attend the Lowell Folk Festival during the day and hang out with knitting buds.

If I can’t make it then there is always next weekend during the Quilt Festival the following weekend.  Anyone coming to Lowell for that?  If so, leave me a message and we will try to connect near the Brush Art Gallery.

Quiet bliss at home - raging maniac at work…

Why can’t life be simple?  Why does one part of your life always have to be in turmoil?  It’s not fair.

Thank the knitting goddess, for keeping me sane.  Tonight it’s the Java Room Knitter’s.  I plan to forget about work and the fact that my two new accounts are blowing up (not my fault).  I plan to knit and laugh, laugh and knit this evening.  I only wish the Java Room had a liquor license…  hmmmm maybe I need to stop at Harrington’s for some nips to put in iced coffees tonight.

I plan on working on my second Cherry Bomb from Big Girl Knits and it’s mostly stockinette so I should be able to drink and knit without too many unfixable problems.

I’m so outta here.

I’m Free and Doing the Happy Dance

Friday I dropped DD off at camp.  This is her second year of going to IMA East Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls.  It is such a cool camp - they sleep in late and then they play all night.  Perfect for teenage girls.  It’s also out in the middle of no where Goshen, MA so there is little trouble they can get into.

Darling Daughter from the Summer of 2005 Camp

The cats are I are enjoying our leisure time together.  Well, maybe it’s not so leisure as I have lots of play dates with friends all week.

I did finish, my nephew, Jeffrey’s Gansey and I have to say these sweaters are really fun to knit.  I also finished putting together my friend Chris’ shell that she knit.  Her first real knitting project after endless scarves.  I hope she’ll be pleased.  I have to wait for the humidity to drop considerably before blocking both projects, otherwise they will never dry.  Once I get them blocked I’ll promise to post pics.

I’m also knitting another Cherry Bomb with a few adjustments from the first one I knit.

I WON!!!

I won one of the Dye-O-Rama prizes!!!

I’m too excited

I’m picking this

Weekend Photos

This is the first place John build and lived in after buying the 60 acres in the early 1970s.

This is the second house John built and lived in. 

It’s now got two horse stalls and an apartment on the second floor.

Rick, me, Terri, Deb and Steve standing in front of my new tent

 Deb and Lynne

 

 This is the ‘latest’ house that John built

 The pool (large hot tub) at the back of the house.

I need a nap

I survived the weekend with the Big 18.

Terri and I started off a bit later than expected and after dropping DD off and Grandma’s we were on our way.

The ride down went quickly, probably because we blabbed all the way.  We made it to Binghamton around 6pm and met up with Terri’s brother Steve at the grocery store. So we picked up a few things and headed off to the wilds, just south of Apalachin in Warren, PA.

John owns 60 acres down below Apalachin, NY.  If you know any old history of the Binghamton area you might know that “the family” as in Mafiosa family is/was very big in Binghamton and surrounding area and there was an infamous meeting at one of the summer homes on the lake that border’s John’s 60 acres back in the late 1950s.  It’s really a very beautiful and secluded spot on top of a mountain.  You can see the lights of Binghamton and Johnson City off on the horizon.

The first night it was just Steve, Terri, John and myself - so we had some dinner and a few cocktails, then finally fell into bed around 1:30AM

I was up early (as was John) apparently the person that was to open his store failed to show so he was also up early and going in to open the store until someone else could get there to back him up.

I sat on a lovely farm house porch - overlooking the chickens, and ducks, drinking my coffee and knitting on socks.  Eventually everyone was up and we all got showered and dressed for the day.

Soon Rick and Brittany showed up - and right behind them Deb and her hubby Mike.  Then the serious drinking and laughing began.

When John got home we fired up the grill for the lamb spiedies, fresh italian bread, tossed salad, fresh corn, and we were happy as could be.  Deb had even made a chocolate cake that was yummy.

The the serious consumption began as well as long dips in the heated pool.

I got to read tarot cards for the ladies - nothing earth shattering to report but “we” the ladies of Hecate, need to take out Terri’s ex-hubby and his new bitch wife.  These people have no grasp on reality and they are nasty and vindictive, and need desperately to be squished.

but all in all it was a beautiful star lit night - you could even see the milky way.  Some of got to watch “The Birds” before we all headed off to bed around 2:30AM.

Sunday morning I gathered some (14) eggs from the chickens and I made a yummy breakfast of  bacon, farm fresh scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, toast and strawberry jam, and some fresh cantelope mixed with big fresh blueberries. 

After Sunday breakfast we picked up as best we could,  we also decided that John needs a girl who cleans for rent free living.

It was a great weekend in Paradise, and besides I did tell Jon that this where I was heading to in the event of any appocalypse - I ‘ll go straight to his house and live the hippy lifestyle.

After picking up and packing up - we all headed off in our various directions home. Terry and I made it back to my house around 7:00PM.  Of course DD is pissed at me because she had to stay and Grandma’s house…. let’s not go there.

Sorry no pics - what happens’ at Big 18 Reunions stays at Big 18 reunions…. although if more of them don’t start showing up to these reunions… we might be the Big 8 or 10 LOL!

Kudos

I got my new KnitPicks circular needles the other day.  I love, Love, LOVE them!  They stay connected and I particularly love the points.  I didn’t not get the whole kit, but I did get several cables and several of my favorite sizes, including some of the smaller ones that aren’t interchangable due to the size.

The cables are flexible, not stiff at all.  Big thumbs up from me!

I’m taking a vacation day on Friday (tomorrow) so I can head off to my “Big 18″ reunion of old high school friends. So far I’ve packed my sleeping bag, the tequila, Jack Daniels and vodka.  Add my toothbrush and I am off like a prom dress tomorrow at noon!

Perfect Summer Weekend

First the movie review:

Pirates of the Caribbean Deadman’s Chest, gets two thumbs up from me and DD.  We laughed out-loud through out the entire 2 and a half hours.  Yes, some of it was predictable, but’s it a fun family movie.  Light entertainment for all ages, although smaller kids might get a bit scared of the Kracken and Davey Jones’ gang of undead pirates.  The makeup and costumes were spectacular.

And don’t forget to sit through the credits for the ’special’ scene!

Judy Collin’s concert review:

It was a perfect summer night.  Not too hot, and cool breezes rippled through the trees at Boarding House Park.  We had packed some sandwiches, and nibbles, (and snuck in some cocktails too) - it was just the perfect picnic.  Judy’s voice is still clear, and strong and she can still hit those high notes too.  She did a good mix of some old favorites (Send in the Clowns and Both Sides Now) as well as some new ones, including a beautiful tribute to the heros of 9/11.  It was all over way too quickly.

Sunday it was still lovely out so I went off to Greely Park in Nashua to meet up with a few knitting buddies (hi guys!).  It was just perfect out, I could have laid in the grass with the gentle breeze and nodded off for a nice long nap, but I didn’t.  Nope, instead I was working on the Gansey for Jeffrey and it’s coming along nicely.  I’ve finished the front and back and connected the shoulders, and I’ve actually started on one of the sleeves.  I sure hope it fits him!  It’s been so long since I knit something for a little one. 

The only blemish on the whole weekend was on Saturday afternoon, when I discovered the dishwasher hadn’t completed and there was water that wouldn’t drain.  Shit…. so I took all the dishes out to do them by hand and when I turned on the hot water to fill the dishpan it made that funny noise like there was air in the pipes…  I then look down to see water pouring out from under the sink.  I’m thinking of naming this summer “Plumber Hell” or how I bought my plumber a new boat/addition/spectacular vacation.  Priceless no?

I don’t know about you but the only time I clean out from under the sink is when I move (that was over 13 years ago) or when there is water gushing out of the pipes.  I discovered that I over buy dish-washing detergent (3 full bottles) not to mention that I seem to collect empty spray bottles.  So I get it all out and tossed away about 90% of what was under there.  Then I get in there with a flashlight and wrench, ok so I’m optimistic about thinking this was something that needed tightening. Wrong!

The water is clearly gushing from an area that cannot be tighted, I need a new faucet for the kitchen sink.  I did manage to actually speak to a plumber and arranged for him to come put in a new faucet Monday morning, sometime around 11 am.

I’ll let you guess when they actually showed up and whether or not I ever made it to work on Monday.

But the good thing is that I have this new and improved kitchen faucet now.

Aye, the pirates be back, argh!

Yeah!  An evening of Johnny Depp!  Who could resist this?  Now this is a pirate that any girl would love to be ravished by. Sigh…

That is right Pirates of the Carribbean Two - Deadman’s Chest is finally here and a gaggle of us are heading off to see it tonight.

Did I mention I love Johnny Depp? 

I’m so glad it’s finally Friday,  it seems like this week took forever to end, even with a day off in the middle of it. 

It’s supposed to be a gorgeous weekend too.

Saturday night, Judy Collins is playing at Boarding House Park in Lowell and of course we are going - or at least I am, I’m not sure DD is coming.

Last night DD was into full mood swing mode.  Most of the time was spent bitchin’ at me that it was all my fault she was so damn miserable. I bit my tongue and went to bed.  Well actually I just went to my room and took my knitting with me.  The cats and I hid there the rest of the night. 

Oh and thank the gods of summer school - it is still on and DD starts on Monday - that should keep her quite busy at least she won’t be home trashing the house and she can spend the afternoons at the library wrecking their PCs.

She will however need a cellphone… unfortuately the one she got in Oct. 2005 is totally trashed.  It does turn on but the screen is fried and the battery won’t stay in.  Not to mention it’s been run over by a car, painted with black sparkly nail polish and suffered other abuses I can only imagine.  I have offered my old phone that is in perfect condition.  I’m sure Sprint will transfer the phone service over, but she doesn’t WANT THAT ONE… too bad, that’s the way it has to be as I am not buying her a new phone.

I actually started to keep a list of all the stuff she’s wrecked and how much it cost, but then I got too depressed about it, so I stopped.  Let’s just say it’s in the thousands…

One more week and I am off to play with my Big 18 buddies.

Two more weeks and I drop DD off at IMA Rock Camp for girls for ten days.

Fiber Projects in Process

I had to rip out the body of the gansey I started for my nephew.  I didn’t like the way the initials came out and the body was too long so I decided to modify by starting over. 

I’m knitting Jerod’s Gansey, found in Knitting Gansey’s by Beth Brown-Reinsel.  I’m using Kona Superwash that my sister hand-dyed.  It’s a gorgeous heathered loden green.

Summertime and the livin’ is easy…

ya right! Gershwin had no clue.

Last night there was a huge gathering of knitters at the Java Room, if this keeps up we may be taking over the facilities completely.

DD is signed up for summer school… unfortunately I just got a call and apparently all the ‘others’ who also got notices that their kid(s) need to attend, decided to blow it off.  So they may have to cancel it.  Great.  Now what do i do with a kid that is too young to get a job and too old for a babysitter/nanny.  There is no way she’s hanging her lazy ass around the house all summer with nothing to do but trash my house.

I finished my Cherry Bomb Tank top from Big Girl Knits.  I found a mistake in the pattern.  When doing the back, after all the decreases and before the straps, you do NOT knit the 42 rows of stockinette.  I did 22 rows and that turned out just perfect.  42 would have been fine if I had a huge dowagers hump or some other defect.  It fits really well so I cannot wait to make another one, so I just went online to Knit Picks and ordered some of their Shine Worsted and of course needed to check out some of their new circular needles. I will post some photos soon.

The fourth was quiet this year.  Groton had their fireworks on Friday - it was the last hurrah of the celebration of Groton’s 350th anniversary.

Saturday was kind of overcast and lazy, we did a few errands and I actually found an outdoor shower!  We have always wanted one and what the heck if the bathroom remodel is going to take several weeks, this could potentially be a backup.  Sunday I spent most of the hot, humid day moving furniture and shampooing the livingroom carpet. Yuck…  the carpet really needed to be cleaned.

Monday was a work day, so we didn’t have any big plans for the 4th.  My sister’s kids march in the big Chelmsford parade, we didn’t go, but Grandma and Grampa did.  About noon I get a frantic call from my sister suggesting we run away from home because the grandparents are on their way over and apparently not speaking to each other.

Great… unfortunately they showed up before we could hide.  Mom went to the back deck, Dad came into the kitchen.  ok….  Dad suddenly finds some ‘extra’ car keys in his pocket.  They aren’t his, they aren’t moms, they aren’t mine, and they aren’t my sisters…  ????? Maybe he accidently picked them up when they all stopped for a smoothie?  Better take them back to the store.  Gone and we only had to spend 15 minutes with them! As DD put it our family could be a hit sitcom on the Fox channel.

Sorry no photos of completed projects or works in progress so I will just have to leave you with a photo of my friend Jonathan.  He sent me this to let me know he’s swamped but still alive.  Isn’t he adorable?  I miss you darlink!