Made It!

Made it through the storm.  We were very lucky.  We lost power around 4:00 on Monday, which was much earlier than anticipated.  The winds really picked up around 5:00.  You could hear trees snapping in the neighborhood.

The rain wasn't too bad.  It was mostly a wind event for us.  The bay really kicked up.

It was hard to get good photos.  I was itching to go down to the beach but common sense got the best of me.  So I stayed put.  And I knit.

I wasn't sure if I would get them done in time for Halloween.  The knitting in the dark was not making my eyes happy.  But I persevered and they are now complete.

I like the afterthought heel better now.  Once I picked up the stitches it went along so fast.  Definitely faster than the short row heel that I usually do.  So I think I will use it for the next couple of pairs I make.  Maybe I will become a convert?

I wore them today, and it is sadly my only Halloween costume.

They are very comfortable!  The biggest Halloween surprise was waking up to electricity!  A hot shower was never so enjoyable.

Joining in with Ginny for Yarn Along.

Weekending

It was a busy and fun weekend.

It started Friday night by going to see an old band that my hubby loves from Long Island, Zebra
And staying up way later than I normally do
Homecoming was Saturday so of course we all went to the football game
The dance followed which was bittersweet since it was the last one for Nicole
Of course Sunday was filled with football, family and food
And there was lots of getting prepared for this

Hurricane Sandy is approaching and we are hoping to be as lucky as we were last storm by not losing power at home.  All electronics are charged, flashlights have batteries and we have water.  So here we sit and wait.

Stay safe all........

Tale of Bad Kitty

Earlier this month when we had our house full of guests I did a lot of rearranging of my craft supplies.  I am proud to say that my yarn stash is actually manageable.  My biggest stash is still, of course, my sock yarn.  I am proud of the dent I have made in the pile, but it's still....a pile.  I decided that I would take it out of the ugly plastic 4 drawer container I had it stashed in.  This way I could admire it's beauty and be reminded of what I actually had when I walked by.  Great idea right?  Of course right!

And then I came home to this Monday

Our darling kitty decided she thought my new stash place was an awesome idea too.

We came home to this every day this week.  She found one skein and just ripped it apart (as best she could).  I covered the basket with a sheet.  She ripped it off.  I covered it with a heavy blanket that weighed more than her.  She ripped it off.

So my stash is all back in the ugly plastic drawers.  Which reminds me that I need to make my Christmas sock list.  I swear every year that I'm not knitting anything for Christmas but I always end up doing it anyway.  It's almost as much of a tradition as baking Christmas cookies.

As for the cat, when I discussed this yarn issue, she of course, knew nothing.

Yarn Along

Yes it's Wednesday.  Yes I am still knitting socks.  Yes I am still reading 50 Shades the 3rd.

If I don't get them done in the next day or so I will have them for next Halloween.

Joining with Ginny for more inspiration!

10 on Tuesday

This weeks 10 On Tuesday is one I can definitely sink my teeth into.

10 Favorite Treats in my Halloween Bag.  Sadly, it's been years since I had a Halloween bag.  Even sadder, my daughter no longer gets one either!  We still find ways to indulge though.

1.  Milky Way Bars.  No to the Snickers - I'm not a huge fan of the mix of chocolate and nuts.
2.  Banana Laughy Taffy.  My absolute favorite.  And I will still buy it when I see it.
3.  Caramels.  My brother and I would plow through a bag of Kraft Caramels when we were kids.
4.  ANYTHING cotton candy flavored.  I know I have explained this obsession before.
5.  Baby Ruth.  Yeah I know - there's nuts in there.  But the nougat seems to make it OK.
6.  Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.  Or Pieces.  Yummmm.
7.  Peeps.  Yep - sugar on sugar.  They seem to have them for all ocasions now.
8.  Twix.  More caramel.
9.  Mounds Bars.  Again - no Almond Joys because of the nuts.
10.Milk Duds.  There's that caramel again.

So - what's some of your favorites?  Join us for 10 on Tuesday this week!

Weekending

My favorite weekends are the ones in the Fall.  There seems to be so much going on.  The weather is simply perfect.  And the colors are amazing.

There were lots of sleepovers
Some movie watching (even made a trip to the theater to see Pitch Perfect - which you should go see)
A couple of road trips
Cars were washed
Catching up with old friends at parties
Knitting in the park because the weather was perfect
Played with my new iPhone since it FINALLY came in
Had lunch out with my girl
Enjoyed most of a "schedule" free weekend

How was yours?

Yarn Along

I finally finished the second 50 Shades and have moved onto the third.  I haven't been able to sit down and concentrate long enough to really get into yet.  My mind is already thinking about what I want to read after that (at this pace I won't be onto the next book until after the New Year).

The knitting is moving right along though.

I decided to do an afterthought heel, as much I don't like them.  Maybe this pair will make me a convert.  I don't know.  The striping is lots of fun.

Joining Ginny for Yarn Along to get more inspiration!  

The Wonders Of Composting

About five years ago my husband decided to start a compost bin.  It was real simple - he used some pallets from work and made a wooden door on top so he could turn it and add composting materials.  We weren't very diligent with it.  We would deposit the fruit and veggie scraps when we remembered and he would tend to the pile once in a while.  For an anniversary present I bought him some worms from The Worm Ladies of Charlestown when they were at the RI Sheep and Wool Festival (come on - what's more romantic than a bucket of worms?).  After that, the pile just took off.  We used it in the veggie garden and around the plants every year and wow is all I can say.  We have since graduated to a larger compost bin courtesy of Home Depot since the pallets started rotting and it works just as well.

A few weeks ago we transplanted some petunias into the flower boxes in front of the house.  A strange plant started growing in the box that we didn't plant.

Yes - that is a tomato plant.  We suspect the tomato seeds from the compost pile germinated and took off.  So we took it out of the window box and put it in a planter.  We brought it inside over the weekend when the first frost warning happened (no frost by us - mosquitoes still flying around my house are proof of that).  Hubby is hoping to keep them alive in time for them to ripen.  We will see if he is successful.

The moral of the story is - if you can compost, no matter how small, do it.  It doesn't take much effort and the wonders it does for the garden are immense.

Weekending

It was a quiet weekend compared to the whirlwind of last weekend
I got some cleaning done and took out the Autumn/Halloween decorations
I loved seeing all the items we have collected over the years
The pumpkin candle above is over 15 years old
When I found the dog's Halloween bandanna that he wore around his neck for Halloween every year I cried
And we started talking about the possibility of getting another dog next year
Hubby cooked.  A lot.  Mostly so he could give it to Nicole's boyfriend to take back to the Navy Base
I got in the baking mood and baked a pumpkin pie
We watched a couple of scary movies and of course football on Sunday
And I even got to knit
A great weekend overall

How was yours?

Yarn Along

Not much going on other that Halloween socks - and very little progress on those since we had company until yesterday.

I did however start preparing for my knitting class I am teaching, which starts tomorrow.  I am really excited to teach these anxious 3rd graders how to knit.

The needles and yarn are all ready to go.

I finished the second 50 Shades book and am anxious to download the third.  I probably won't get around to it until the weekend.

What are you all knitting?

Join Ginny and see what's up!

Yarn Along

Everything fiber-wise has come to a stop so I can knit my Halloween socks.

Progress is slow.  We have company coming this weekend so knitting time will be scarce.  It's also scarce this week while we are getting the house ready for their visit.

I'm 20 pages away from finishing the second 50 Shades.  That's how little downtime there has been.  But this too shall pass and knitting will be in full force shortly!

Joining Ginny to see what everyone else is doing.....

Weekending

The weather wasn't very agreeable but we went to the Big E anyway
and the kids loved the rides - especially my niece who wanted to do everything the "big" kids (Nicole and her boyfriend) did

and the food was just - yummmm.......
we ate too fast to even take a picture but everything from cotton candy to giant cream puffs but I assure you they were to die for

and there were lots of animals

The Clydesdale's were beautiful.  So were their Dalmations

Overall the day was wonderful.  And the smiles were worth it.