Back home and back on track...

Dang, time just seems to keep getting away from me! We've been away for the last week...spent 6 days with my family in the Detroit area. It was a great trip, the drive went smoothly, we had great family time, spent time with my nephew & nieces (oh, and their parents) and got to see some aunts, uncles & cousins that I hadn't seen in a long time...I took my spinning wheel and my knitting with me, got some stuff done but not alot. I had hoped to meet up with some friends while I was home but time just ran out and honestly with losing as many members of my family as we have in the last couple years my family was my priority and I think (hope) my friends can understand that. So now it's back to the grind, I did get some great stuff for some new stitch markers & I just need to add a couple more little things and my box for SP10 will be in the mail (probably on Monday)...tomorrow I'm going out to learn how to shear sheep!!! I'm excited to learn and anxious to see how much the lambs have grown since I was there last! I'll try to post again tomorrow and have some pics then!

June already???

Wow, where has this year gone?!?!? The kids are out of school already and I'm on vacation in 5 days. I am looking so forward to my week off and I have so much to do before we leave!!!!! The bright points of recent is that my motorcycle is up and running...I'm riding it as much as I can which I enjoy and it is helping my gas budget...the gardens are in at Fiber Whims and I have planters out on my cleaned patio, the patio furniture and grill are out and my wireless internet is finally actually working again after almost a year of not being able to figure out why it wasn't working...and I got a new laptop which I am totally in love with even though Vista has had me pulling my hair out! The best part of the new laptop so far is that right now, I'm sitting out on the patio with Charlie enjoying the smell of the last of the lilacs looking at my plants and getting this updated! My commitment with the new laptop is to update this at least once a week and to get some of my knitting patterns published on here. The plan is for one pattern a month...Well, I'm going to close this for now and go take a shower and head to work...Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Dang, it's been a while....

Things have been so crazy around here that the last month has just disappeared on me...I am behind on everything and doing me best to re-group and catch up...please bear with me...

A New Week...

The last week or so has been kind of rough for me...there hasn't been a particular reason, but I have really been in a funk and and have found myself wanting to "hibernate"...I don't think our recent weather has helped either, the sun is finally back out today, but since last Tuesday night we have gotten 38-57 inches of snow around here...my yard has about 36 inches with much higher drifts. So for the last week I have pretty much found myself just going to work and coming home and crashing...Kait has been gone since last Sunday and since she left, I have just not been able to get motivated to do anything...even stuff I like and want to do...I did make my Wednesday trip out to Fiber Whims last week (it takes more than snow to get me to miss my afternoon out there!!!!!) and on Saturday we had a babyshower there as part of our monthly pot-luck (the shower went great, and those were definitely the high points of my week). But, I have been really bad about keeping in touch with my Secret Pals, sending email and getting my rear to to post office and I apologize for that....
So , today I woke up to the sun shining and actually got my but out of bed and took Charlie for a long walk...the exercise was good for both of us and so was the sunshine! Kait called and she is on schedule with her flights coming home today...her vacation was fun, but she's ready to come home and see Charlie... and when we got home from our walk, the mailman was here with not one, but two packages for me!!!
The first one was from Ruby for the Knitted Purse Exchange...and let me tell you, she knows how to spoil a girl!!! When I opened the box the, there was a note from her and a bunch of tissue wrapped packages...the first package I opened was this!!!!!



Isn't it beautiful?!?!?! I love the color and the cables!!! And I have an outfit that it will be perfect with this spring/summer!!! And then there was the rest of my goodies...I just want to say first that when I started signing up for exchanges, a friend of mine voiced a concern that i would be disappointed because I really try to put though into the gifts I give and really try to give things that fit the person... and WOW, when I opened the other goodies Ruby sent, she couldn't have done better!!!
Ruby sent me a great pic of a polar bear snow statue (how cool!), a beautiful knit washcloth with a polar bear, adorable polar bear note cards, a HUGE dark chocolate candy bar!!! And a Fleece Artist sock kid with amazing yarn!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much Ruby!!! Hugs!!!!!!!

And my other package was from Bridgett for the handspun orphan exchange...and WOW, was the wait for this yarn worth it!!! She send me a beautiful skein of soft, wonderful Coopworth/NZ yarn with BEADS!!! She named it "Chocolate-Chocolate Chip" which is so fitting!!! I can foresee my leather dress coat with a lacy scarf made of this yarn!!! She also send me some extra goodies...dark chocolate almonds and a dark chocolate candy bar...and some stitch markers that as just So cute!!! Thank you so much Bridgett!!! This was the first exchange I signed up for and you have turned a disappointing experience into a great one!!!


I don't know what i did to deserve such great pals, but I am so grateful for them!!! Today they have motivated me to get off my rear and get my mini-skeins for "The Yarn Thing" labeled and in a box...and to get a package for my "orphan" ready for the post office and to get a couple emails sent and my bag for the knitted bag exchange will be done & felted today to get out by the end of the week...Thanks so much to my pals, I am grateful for you and for your thoughtfulness!!!

Spring? Maybe? Please?

Spring was here...or so we thought...then Tuesday night, it started...and Wednesday, my drive to the spinning shop looked like this... (18 inches of snow and I still didn't miss my Wednesday afternoon!!!)

Now I know that I made the choice to live where I do...and I do love it here (usually) but this is ridiculous!!! We had green grass on Monday, the crocus & daffodils were starting to come up!!! Now we just have snow for Charlie to play in again! (And he does like playing in it!)
So my afternoon at Fiber Whims was great...relaxed, went back to spinning my merino, had a cup of tea and got to see and play with the new Victoria that came in yesterday...OMG it is so cute!!! I have said that I didn't think I would ever want/need another wheel besides my Schacht...but now, I don't know....I love that little wheel, it took me a few minutes to get used to it, but it was spinning so nice for me and the case and everything are so great!!! Guess I'm going to have to save my pennies...

After I got home from the shop, I got a call asking if I wanted to go out to McLain's State Park and look at the waves on Lake Superior at the breakwall...rumor was there were up to 30ft waves...

Well, the rumor wasn't too far off...I don't know that they were 30ft, but from how they were hitting the breakwall and the lighthouse, I'd guess they were close...the pic doesn't really do them justice, but you can kind of see the lighthouse in the background. We probably walked close to a mile along the ridge above the shore line...
Then as the sun set and it started to get dark, we walked back to the truck along the road...it was a fun hike, but boy was i glad to get back in the truck and turn on my heated seat when we were done!!!

Meet Charlie!

Well, I said we weren't getting another dog...and I really did mean it...but, then we met Charlie... Kait & I went to the Humane Society Saturday afternoon and met this little guy...


We didn't bring him home Saturday, but we went and saw him again Monday... and...

We brought him home today. So now we have puppy kisses again...

While we know that no dog will ever replace Benny, I think Charlie will be a good addition to our family... He is sweet and amazingly calm for a baby... (5 months)...More soon....

Is it Wednesday yet?

Ok, I know that for most people Wednesday is hump day and the half way point of the week, but for me it is always a day off...and this week, it's my only day off. I just want it to get here...to wake up on my own, go workout, then go spend the afternoon at the fiber shop spinning, chatting, eating lunch & drinking tea...then to come home, finish the last of the "puppy-proofing" and go get Charlie...so, I repeat, is it Wednesday yet?