This Moment

One of Nicole's birthday presents.  Had a great time last night.  Definitely go see it if you ever have the opportunity.  Beware:

Linking with Amanda.

Yarn Along

Well I think I am into a nice groove now.  I am knitting on a regular basis and I even started reading again.

I'm up to page 134 and I'm hoping it will hold my interest enough to want to finish the final book.

My Hitchhiker is growing.

Between the colors in my yarn, school starting next week, seeing sunflowers everywhere lately, I am getting that Autumn feeling.  I always look forward to this time of year but with a bit of sadness to see the summer go.

So what are you knitting and reading these days?  Link up with Ginny.

10 On Tuesday

The sad reality is that summer is coming to a close.  Every year I make it a goal to get to the beach.  You would think that this wouldn't be so difficult especially since I only live about 6 houses from the water.  The beach near us isn't the greatest, but a decent one is a 3 minute car ride away.  A REALLY nice ocean beach is about 30 mins. away.  So with that in mind, I am participating in Carole's 10 Things To Do At The Beach.

Now I realize the above picture doesn't look like a very inviting beach day, but I took this about a year ago when we were expecting Hurricane Irene.  Kinda gives a different perspective....

1.  Knit.  My favorite.  Usually socks.

2.  Read. My second favorite.

3.  Ride the boogie boards.  A day like pictured above makes for some incredible waves.  I wouldn't go in the water that day if you paid me because I am not a very strong swimmer.  I remember seeing so many people surfing at the beach near the ocean that day.  I thought they were insane.  

4.  Eat.  We usually bring a decent amount of snacks.  Doritos are one of my favorites.

5.  Collect shells and sea glass.  We would do this a lot when Nicole was little.  Then we would bring the goodies home and she would either paint them or make jewelry.  I just don't know where she gets this crafty side of her.

6.  Go for a walk.  I don't walk on the beach, but I walk on the sidewalk next to it.  I should end my walk on the actual beach because it's great for your legs.

7.  Catch a tan. I know - it's not good for you.  I can't help it.  I'm Italian.  It just happens.  Even with sunscreeen.

8.  Swim.  Well, most people swim.  I bring my beach chair all the way down to the water so my feet are nice and cool.  

9.  Watch the seals.  And subsequently shark fins.  And the harbor patrol watching the whole thing.  I was actually very impressed with the harbor patrol watching out for the sharks last time we were on the Cape.  

10. People watch.  My friend Lisa and I had a blast doing this last time.  Enough said.

Weekending

this weekend we enjoyed
family dinner out on Friday night
relaxed
got flocked by pink flamingos
decided who the flamingos are going to visit next
had dinner with the parents
had a great weekend visit with a friend from far away
did a wee bit of knitting
laughed and laughed

How was your weekend?

Linking up with Amanda

Yarn Along

After yesterdays post about how my knitting motivation has been non-existent lately I thought about it.  I think a lot of the problem were the self-imposed deadlines.  I was putting pressure on myself to knit what I was "supposed" to knit.  And really - I don't "have" to knit anything.  I was kind of turning it into a job!  So I sat back and thought "what do I WANT to work on right now?".  I was not casting on anything new (I have 4 WIPs to pick from).  And I picked my Hitchhiker Scarf.

My camera cord went missing so I took some quick Iphone shots - excuse the awful quality.

It was difficult to capture the color changes.  I love this yarn I had in my stash and I'm glad I'm finally using my first Zauerball purchase from years back.

And I'm happily knitting away like everyone else in Yarn Along.  I'm not reading anything of real interest lately.  But I'm knitting again - let's just enjoy that for now.  Small bites......

10 On Tuesday

Since Carole is away on vacation this week there really isn't a 10 On Tuesday.  However, I thought of my own today, so I just sorta went with it.

10 Ways to Get Your Knitting Mojo Back

1.  Look at Ravelry.  Especially under the most popular patterns.  Kinda makes you want to jump on whichever bandwagon suits your fancy at the moment.

2.  Look at your blog.  Seeing everything you have knit in the past can be motivating.  It can also remind you of what you have in your stash.

3.  Dig in that stash.  See what you have and what seems to be calling you (if you don't feel the call, you may have to resort to item 10 below).

4.  Go to your local knit night.  Being with other knitters can be very motivating.

5.  Watch podcasts.  I get so ambitious when I see the Knit Girllls and everything they are up to.  They kinda make me feel like a slacker.  Diane over at Knitabulls is another one who inspires me.  And I can't forget Ashley and Dory over at A Spinners Whirled.  The list can go on....

6.  Talking to my Plurk buddies.  It's all knitting talk all day over there and I just love it.

7.  Looking at Instagram.  Lots of knitting pictures, yarn pictures, project ideas....

8.  Yarn Along.  Wednesday has become my favorite blog reading day of the week.  I love seeing what everyone is up to.

9.  Go to the bookstore and check out the latest knitting magazines. I love going into Barnes and Noble and grabbing a handful of knitting magazines to look through with my cup of coffee.

10. Go to the yarn store.  I know - this can be very dangerous and I only mention it as a last resort.

I'm hoping one of the above suggestions will help me - because my mojo has left the building and cannot be found.  I'll let you know if he appears.  I may have to file a missing persons report.

Weekending

This Weekend........

We got to enjoy dinner with the parents
Had a visit from a far-away friend
Celebrated the first of many birthdays to come over the next month
Visited with some family we hadn't seen in over a year
Got to take a few walks
Knit a few stitches
Caught an evening sunset sail from the shore

How was your weekend?

This Moment

At the Rochester Fair last night.  Nicole decided she wants a baby cow.  Till she saw the grown up cows.

Linking up with Amanda at Soulemama

Wednesday Night Spinning

Twice a month the Bayberry Spinners gather at people's houses to knit and spin.  We especially love it when it's Lida's turn to host because, well, she has quite the set-up.  Her beautiful house sits right on the water overlooking West Island in Fairhaven.

We were lucky that the rain held off for us.

The sun never came out but it was OK

We don't need much to have a great time.

Just give us some yarn and fiber.

Yarn Along

I feel like I have been knitting on the same shawl for weeks.  Oh wait, yeah, it has been a couple of weeks.  My goal was to finish Color Affection by the end of the Olympics.  I came real close, but with our unexpected trip to the Cape and a lot of other outdoor activities, I fell a bit short on the knitting time.  This summer I have found myself more "on the go" which means I have less time to just sit.  And that's perfectly fine by me.  Physically I feel better this way, and if it takes me a little longer to accomplish my knitting and spinning, so be it.  And best of all, we have been having a blast.

So onto Yarn Along.  I probably have about 15 rows left before I start the edging.  It's so hard to see because you can't really stretch it out.

I am still so in love with those colors.

And yes, the only reading I have really done lately is magazines.  I got Mother Earth last week at the bookstore.  Did I ever mention how much I love the bookstore?  I could spend hours....

So what are you knitting these days?

10 on Tuesday

What a fun 10 on Tuesday topic Carole gave us today.  Let's dig back into our childhood and think about what our 10 Favorite TV Shows were back in the day.

1.  I Love Lucy.  I still love it.  There's always a few episodes on the DVR because everybody in my family loves it.

2.  The Monkees.  Davy Jones.  Need I say more?

3.  The Brady Bunch.  Who didn't want to live with the Bradys?

4.  Flipper.  I won't get into the time that I insisted that my mom set a place at the table because Flipper was coming for dinner.  Thank goodness my mom liked to indulge me.

5.  The Hardee Boys.  I loved Shawn Cassidy and Parker Stevenson.  I didn't really care too much for Nancy Drew though.

6.  The Facts Of Life.  I always wanted to be Blair.  She was so rich and beautiful.

7.  The Love Boat.  It was so much fun seeing who would be on the boat each week.  It was one of my funnest memories at my grandparents house.

8.  Happy Days.  My parents loved re-living their 50's childhood memories too so it was a family affair.

9.  Little House on the Prairie.  I still watch it when I get the chance.

10.  Dynasty. Now this didn't air until I was a teenager but it was a Friday night tradition for my mom and friends to make nachos and watch it.

Wow - that was fun trip down memory lane.  What were some of your favorites?

Weekending

Over the weekend we

Went to dinner - all 3 of us on a Friday night, which is rare these days with Nicole's work schedule
Reviewed the hectic end of summer schedule which will be followed by an even more hectic September and October schedule
Watched Olympics
Found new places to walk near the water
Tried to stay dry with all this humidity
Enjoyed time with the parents for a Saturday dinner
Cheered Team USA Basketball on to their Gold Medal Victory
Drove to new and different places
I almost forgot - I knit

How was your weekend?

Back From The Beach

We had an awesome little get-away. Even though it was short it was just enough to come back feeling refreshed.

The beach was absolutely beautiful. We are so lucky to live where there are great beaches. I have to say that I was impressed with the patrol boats looking out for sharks.  There were quite a few seals swimming not too far off shore, and you know what seals attract.


Nicole loved getting her tan on. Cause that's all so important when you are 16 right? At least we know better now. When I was 16 we were putting baby oil on ourselves and baking. Now it's sunscreen all the way. With all her Italian blood she still gets wicked tan.

You know what I did...

I couldn't help myself. I got some work done on my Hitchhiker.

There was some shopping and there was some relaxing at the end of the night.


Appletini. Yummmm.

And now the weekend is here. Make it a great one!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Heading Out

My basket is packed and I'm ready to go.  Nicole and I are heading out to Cape Cod for a couple of days.  Will talk to you when we get back!

Week Ending

For a while I had been doing "Currents" on Mondays.  Then I felt the need to change it up a bit.  So I just throw an ocassional "Currents" out there when I feel the need.   I always forget to link up to Amanda at The Habit of Being.  I love the simplicity of it all.  Have you noticed a trend on the blogs lately to simplify with more pictures and less words?  I'm not sure how well I would do with that, because after all, I always have way too much to say.  

In any event.  Week Ending.

We loved watching the Olympics

Getting a visit from a friend from far away

Knitting

A great visit with Mom while I knit

Having kids over 

Knitting

Watching the Olympics, while I knit

Making a trip to the book store after not going for so long

Did research for a new project I am working on

Finding a new place to hike

Up late having mother/daughter talks

How was your weekend?

A Different Perspective

If you have watched the Olympics you have probably seen this commercial.  If you haven't, it's great.  It really spoke to me and is an eye-opener about how we view the world.  I just love it.

Just something to think about.  Have a great weekend.

Veggies!

I really cannot stand the hot humid weather.  There's only one good thing that comes out of it - great growing in the garden.  We haven't had much of the heat (as opposed to so many in the country this summer) but it comes in spurts and the garden loves it. Would you like to see?

Zucchini flowers.  There has been plenty of them.  I'm not sure why I don't have a picture of them.  Especially the 17" one we picked last week.

Gourds. Ha ha - my husband still doesn't understand why I had to plant them if we can't eat them.  Well, I guess you could but I'm not sure how they would taste.

Those little hot peppers.  Hubbys deal - have no idea which ones they are.  Habenero perhaps?  They are hot as... well, you know.

Lettuce!  I'm really excited about this one because I just threw the seed in the planters and hoped it would grow.  And it did.

The cucumbers and the tomatoes are coming up too.  Considering we haven't been very diligent in gardening this year, we are having a great harvest.  I can't imagine what it would be like if we really had the time to take good care of it.

So for any of you who have never planted much of a garden and think you can't do it because you don't have a green thumb, trust me - it can be done.  And the food you get in return is so very worth it.

Yarn Along

It's Wednesday and I am linking up with Ginny and so many others to show what I am knitting and reading.

About all I have time to read lately is my Weight Watcher magazine because for the most part its all Olympics ALL the time.  And while the Olympics are happening, I am knitting on my Ravellenic project, which is Color Affection.

Are you noticing the loom that I warped 2 weeks ago that has not been touched?  Probably won't be either until mid-August.  Why can't I function on no sleep?  Do you know what that extra 6 hours a day could do for me?  I know, I know..... I must make that statement every month or so.

I like how the stripes are coming out but I have to admit that I'm anxious to start the short rows.  I'm hoping I can get to them tonight.  That might be a little ambitious of me.  Most of all I am loving the stash busting idea of it all.  I have made quite the dent in that sock pile of yarn that I had in January.  But we will talk about that another day.

So what's on your needles?  And are you enjoying the Olympics or getting lots of reading done?