Going Back and Moving Forward

Time and space are two interesting concepts.  I try not to bog myself down into them too much because Stephen Hawking, I'm not. But over the last few days, they have been in the forefront of my mind.

Both boys are home.  I love having them home but I think I'm enjoying it more than they are. We are re-acquainting ourselves with the spaces we share. Remembering to respect each others' boundaries and remembering that we stay even after they leave...this remains our home if/when/should they move out. And trying to give them space and privacy because they aren't twelve anymore...regardless of what the occasional bickering might make one think otherwise - who's turn is it to clean the bathroom? Cause their mother isn't cleaning up after them anymore. It's going to be an interesting summer.

Speaking of homes...I have noticed something since we've become semi empty nesters.  My house is now WAY too big.  It was great when the boys were home all the time and their friends were in and out with them. But when it's just Car Guy and me rattling around, it's huge. Downsizing may be in our future.  But there are be so many possibilities in our future that have yet to resolve themselves.  Time will tell.



Another thing that has time kicking about in my head is getting back in touch with a dear friend from my past. She was one of my college roommates. We lived together for 2 years and were always really close.  Then I got married and pregnant years before she did and we lost touch for a while....10 years is a while, right? She came over last night.  We sat out on the back porch, watching the drizzle,  reminiscing and getting to know each other again.  It was wonderful to see that time meant nothing as far as our friendship is concerned.  The days may have passed but it's like we were never separated.  It was fun to point out ourselves in our children too each other particularly when we didn't recognize it ourselves. And it's reassuring to realize that while time has changed us in our place in life, it hasn't changed our deep friendship that was formed so long ago....28 years ago definitely qualifies for a long time ago. The best part of last night was the laughter...that was brilliant! You know the belly aching, tears running down your face type of laughter caused by memories of how silly we were all those years ago when we thought we were so mature?  We got our first apartment together and shared so much.

We've vowed not to let each other slip away again and I know we both mean it. And guess what?!?!?! She knits! Sort of.  As she said, " I've knitted blankets, I just don't know how to finish them."  No problem! You came to the right place.

So please forgive me if I'm just a bit nostalgic. I feel change coming and I welcome the journey as long is it's okay to hold onto to a few things from the past.

Random Catch Up

Not my test knitting.

I've been doing a lot of knitting lately.  I could tell you about it and show you, but then I'd have to kill you....Shhh.....It's secret test knitting...for a designer.  It's pretty freaking cool to do this.

My Palladio

I've test knitted before, for the lovely Jane Richmond. She has some really beautiful patterns and I was able to test knit the sweater pattern for Palladio.  It was loads of fun and the way her patterns are set is absolutely brilliant.  Instead of having all those numbers in parentheses, she has a fill in the blank setup.  I love this because it keeps me from looking at the wrong number. I don't know about y'all, but I have a tendency to get a little cross eyed when I look at all those numbers.

My boys.,...sigh.  They are pretty much grown now. Number One Son is still in college and is twenty-one now...YIKES. He's living at home and struggling with what he wants to be when he grows up. Don't we all? But I know whatever he decides, he'll do it well.  Number Two Son is nineteen and a freshman at UNC Charlotte. He loves it - probably a bit too much - but he's learning and that's a plus. He can't decide between a degree in Math or Music. Did I mention how smart and talented my boys are? (Modest mom...not)

Car Guy is still the same loving, funny constant in my life. He's still restoring the Porsche 914, but it looks a bit different now.

It's back to the original factory color of Irish Green,  We just have to get it back home and put back together.  I know what will be occupying his time this summer. That's fine with me. It gives me more time to relax and knit/crochet/spin.

Hope everyone is doing well.  I'll pop back in occasionally and let you know the progress of things. Until then...take care!

Around Here

There's been lots of stuff going on around here. This past weekend we went on a little day trip to the neighboring town of Salisbury.  It's a neat little town with a lovely historic downtown.  I am a sucker for old buildings and homes.  The detail and craftsmanship have always amazed me.  Some of these buildings are over one hundred years old.  Look at the arches and brick work....

More arches and corbels.  Why did we stop building like this?  It has so much more character than a concrete box...in my opinion...for what that's worth.

This building isn't quite as old as the one above, but it makes me think of the movie "A Christmas Story." It almost looks like it came straight out of the movie...you know, the restaurant where they ate their Christmas dinner after the Bumpuses' dogs ate the turkey? Only it was called Chop Suey.

They even had those old coin operated rides for kids....ahem....yeah, some people haven't grown up even after a year of college....

I do love that picture...that and the fact that he's still willing to be silly.

We also spent a lovely evening with some friend on Saturday and Sunday was spent doing what Car Guy wanted...it was Father's Day after all. I have another project in the works that I'll share with you tomorrow...a long with a few questions for those of you who may have a bit more experience.

It's going to be a long day.  I had to have Number Two Son  at the airport this morning for a 6:00 a.m. flight....yawn.  I mean seriously yawning....Must...Stay...Awake...At...Work......snnnnorreee.......

This Moment - Surpirse!

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!

I think I'll keep him.

Joining Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

Commitment

Oh my goodness! Look at them. They are so young...and skinny! See that man? He's been by my side all these years. Never wavering. There are things in my life, decisions I've made, that I sometimes question. He's not one of them. Even when things have been tough, he's always been there. Even when we've had our worst arguments, I've never thought twice about how we feel about each other. I've always known that he's mine. I love him dearly. He's not perfect, but then neither am I. And he loves me, our children and the life we've made together.

Some people thought we wouldn't last a year. They were right. Happy 20th anniversary Honey!

This moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Happy Friday!

Joining Amanda Soule - Feel free to join in and share a link to your moment.

Getting Blocked

Well finally!  It seems like forever since I've been here and it was only Friday.  I have been busy though.  My back is just about back to normal so I spent the weekend with blocking wires and pins.  Take a look ladies because I seriously doubt that I'll update Ravelry cause I'm a lazy  one.  The fact that I've gotten this far is amazing.

This lovely item is Nimbus.  I love, Love, LOVE the shape of this thing.  My sister says it looks very "Batman."  I have to agree.  I'm  going to have to re-block this puppy.  I steam block most everything and with some items, well, they just need a good old fashion wet block.  I believe this is one.  Once I took the pins an wires out, it drew up....a lot. The yarn is Crazyfoot by Mountain Colors in Red Willow.

This is the Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief.  I did a couple of extra repeats....I think it's just a couple.  I think this yarn was made for this thing - wish I could remember what it is.  The stripes are so great.

Summer Flies is another shawl that I think I'm going to have to re-block.  This yarn, Interlacement Seeds - Chairman of the Board Colorway, doesn't have a lot of give to it, so steaming didn't offer up enough give.

And finally, Saroyan. Can I stress how happy this yarn makes me?  This is my own personal happy rainbow. I smile every time I look at it.  The yarn is JoJoLand Melody Superwash and it is so incredibly soft and springy.

Number One Son is back at college.  I miss him.  I don't know if his brother does, but I also miss their laughter and the general noise....now if I could just get my house back in order before Car Guy gets back from Sweden.  It's amazing how the presence of one more person creates more...mess, activity and general disorder.  It's also amazing how quickly you get used to them being back.  I don't know that I'll ever get used to him being gone.

Tonight I think I'm going to rent this and watch it with Number Two Son.  I've already seen it and *Oh My - Gasp* it's amazing.  Believe it or not, the kiddo has read the book and wants to watch this with his old Mama.  He's discovered this new love of reading (YEA!!!!) and is now reading Angels and Demons. No light reading for that child.  He likes to make that brain work.  Would you believe he's in an after school bridge club...they play other games as well, but I think it's great that he's learning all these games and the art of conversation that goes along with it.  I see a beach trip full of fun and games this summer!

Weekends Past

Thank you so much for your sweet concern!  I must admit that it made me feel very special.  I am slowly getting back into the swing of everything but I hate to say that it takes me a little longer to do so these days.

Our weekend was rather quiet partially due to my back and partially because we spent six hours in the car driving to Greenville and back to bring Number One Son home for spring break. Then yesterday, Car Guy flew out on one of his trips to see the world.  He's in Chile this week and totally bummed that he's not at home with me and the boys.  He really hates missing this time with both of our boys home.

Since everything was so quiet, I'll tell you about the goings on from the weekend before....just a little late :)

We got up last Saturday, jumped in the car and headed to the small town of Dobson.  And when I say small, I mean small. According to Wikipedia the area of Dobson is 1.86 square miles. Yup, it's tiny.  One of the attractions is the Rockford General Store. We check it out and bought some penny candy that no longer cost a penny and were able to see a bit of a reenactment of the "War of Northern Aggression."  For you none Southerners, that would be the Civil War. And no, I'm not going into a political or educational discussion of said war. It was just interesting to watch.

This is one of the camps.  The people actually stayed there over night and cooked their meals over the campfires.  Everything was fairly authentic....until you saw someone pull out their cell phone.

There was quite a bit of gun play and when one of those Yankee soldiers was shot down in battle, the crowd would cheer.  It was pretty cold, so we didn't stay too long.  I mean, come on....we know how it ended.

We hopped back into the car and decided to see what else was around the area, particularly in the way of food and we came across Cody Creek and the Depot Restaurant. This was totally dumb luck, which turned out to be good luck because the food was simple but delicious.

The location itself is gorgeous.  There is a beautiful chapel, covered bridge and event location.  There are also cabins available. And let's face it, any place that has sheep is good with me.

The next day, we took off to Raffaldini's Winery with my friend Sue. The winery is just gorgeous and the wine is pretty tasty too.

Of course it didn't hurt Car Guy's feelings to be escorting two women around. We had  a wonderful time and I would recommend going on a clear day so that you can enjoy the patio.  The view is absolutely spectacular.

It was wonderful weekend and then Monday rolled around and I somehow managed to screw up my back.  That was the worst part of this injury.  I still haven't figured out I did it.  But enough about that.  I'm doing much better.  It's amazing what a person will do to get out of blocking...ahem.

Getting There

Do you ever have mornings where you just can't seem to get motivated regardless of how much coffee or tea you've had?  That's me, only it's been the whole blooming week. I would have never thought that driving seven hundred, thirty-six miles (that's right 736 miles) over the course of the weekend would wear me out, but oh my, it has flattened me. I am positively dragging.

I took Friday off and drove down to Greenville to pick up Number One Son and The Girlfriend.  We stopped at this little place that The Girlfriend knows about and had the most delicious and unusual cupcakes.  The place is called The Peppered Cupcake and that's what I had.  The actual cupcake is a regular cupcake but it has orange marmalade and horseradish inside with a lightly peppered icing.  OH MY GOODNESS!!!! It was flipping divine. Tabitha, the owner, specializes in unique cupcakes and she has perfected the art.  Number One Son likes the Maple Bacon cupcake.  I just have one problem with all this.  The cupcakes are amazing but if you're going to spend your day making all that decadent yumminess, please have the common decency to have a couple of extra pounds.  It's so unfair to walk in and see this trim, attractive woman making these fat filled items. Not an ounce of fat on her. It's a conspiracy I tell you!

Anyway, the weekend went by rather quickly.  Number One Son got his replacement retainers (ahem) and Number Two Son now has a mouth full of brackets and wires.  I don't think Number Two Son was very excited by the whole process...until he found out that since he's gotten his braces, he can whistle.  He's never been able to do so.  We were talking about it the other night because sometimes, when air passes over/through the wires, he can hear a faint whistle.  We started discussing how one actually does whistle and I recalled a friend in college who could only whistle when she had her braces.  He gave it a go and viola! I wish I had a camera at that moment.  The shock and happiness on his face reminded me that while he might be 17, he's still a kid at heart.

I also made a purchase Saturday....

Do you know what it is? I'm going to wait and see if you can figure it out.  Just a little mystery in the day.  I'm sure there are several of you who will guess right away.

Sunday we got back in the car and took the kids back to Greenville, stopping on the way down to have lunch with Anne and her family.  I love spending time with these guys, I just hate that this trip was so rushed.  We will definitely have to plan something soon.

So there you have it.  Since all of this driving around the state, I have been pooped.  I get up in the morning, go to work, come home, fix dinner and crash....hard.  It's been really busy at work, so that means the days have been flying by.  I can't believe it's already Wednesday.  I'll try to take some pictures of my works in progress and let you know about them tomorrow. Now I have to be a responsible adult and work.  Have a good one!

And Then Some

First off - I can't begin to tell you how much you all have touched me.  I knew you were a generous group, but seriously, I'm overwhelmed.  The emails, Rav messages - You've made my day....and then some. I hate to rush time, but I cannot wait to present these promised hats to Fru.  I feel like the Grinch....my heart grew three sizes today!  I humbly thank you.

Now onto our regularly scheduled programming.....

Things have been pretty busy. Car Guy as been in Vegas all week for work.  At least he says it's work....

What do you think?

It's a good thing I'm not a jealous woman.

I have a couple of things on needles.  Only I haven't taken pictures of them yet, so I'll just tell you about them.

The first item is Tudor Grace.  I'm doing it in a the lace weight Miss Babs Yet and in the Primrose colorway...Love this stuff! It's a dream to work with. Since I'm using a lighter yarn, I've increased the number of repeats from four across to ten.  I think this is going to be a WIP for a while. It's an easy lace, but I'm moving really slow.  Oh wait.  I lied.  I found a picture on my phone...tada...

The other item I'm working on is the Summer Flies Shawl. For this one I'm using Interlacements Seeds in the Chairman of the Board colorway.  I really don't have pictures of this one....I just checked.  I got this yarn at my LYS.  I went in there for a set of needles and came out with this as well...she says while hanging her head in shame for lack of will power.  You'll understand when you see it. Gorgeous blues and greens and coppers. I will warn that this is an interesting, loose spun yarn and splits rather easily.  That can be frustrating at times.

Of course I don't have pictures of any of this on Ravelry because I'm a slacker.  I know.  My sister has already fussed at me about this.  I'll get better.  One day.  Maybe....Nah.

Oh!  I've been spinning as well.  Nothing terribly exciting, just some undyed wool. Once it's done and plied, I thought I might try a little Kool Aide experimentation.  We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Any who....I'm off tomorrow to get Number One Son and bring him home to get a new retainer. Ugh.  A six hour trip there and back for a retainer he lost after only having it for 3 months!  I told him if he lost this one I was taking it out of his hide....and his bank account.  Yikes! He'll be with us until Sunday when I get to do the drive again....Oh Anne...are you around on Sunday?  Wanna do lunch?  Ha!

I'll try to do the "This Moment" tour, but it might not be until Saturday.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and again, I give you my heartfelt thanks!

Behind

The elving is continuing.  Slowly but surely, I'm getting there.  Just a few more things. Car Guy and I put a huge dent in the Christmas shopping this past weekend.  We've only got a few more things to take care of....our boys being part of the list.  They were so much easier when they were younger. My youngest claims he wants a "Mama Made" sweater.  That melts my heart, but it won't be happening this year.  Maybe if I start in January, he'll get one for next Christmas? Hmmm....It shouldn't take long...he's only 6'2".

I received the BEST news yesterday.  The owner of the company I work for decided to give us a little Christmas break.  We will have the 24th, 25th and 26th off for the Christmas holiday.  Well, I've held on to a couple of vacation days in case I had to go pick up Number One Son from college.  Since his girlfriend is bringing him home, I still have those days.....sooo....I get the whole week off for Christmas!!  That hasn't happened since I was 15. I cannot even begin to tell you how happy this makes me. Car Guy has that week off too and The Boys will be home. It makes this mama very happy.

Well, I'm off to get more work done.  I hope you are all ready for your holidays and are able to enjoy them and aren't behind like some people...ahem.

By the way, the table top from Friday's Moment is actually the counter top from Turntable.  Jon and Renee, the owners, made it and it's so cool.  It's like a giant word search of names, places, etc. that are relevant to our area and some other stuff thrown in for fun.  That picture is actually of the word supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, but it was so big, that I couldn't fit the whole word in the picture.

On The Mend...

For the most part. I can honestly say that I hope nobody gets this bug I had.  It's miserable. It affects EVERYTHING...your stomach, your head, your sinuses.  Ugh.  A co-worker said that she didn't think I've been this sick in the seven years I've been here.  I think she's right.

I went back to work yesterday. And came home exhausted.  I mean seriously tired, as in crashing hard tired.  My mother in law showed up with chicken soup and cornbread...God love her!  We ate, I sat down on the sofa and promptly fell asleep.  Woke up a bit later and went to bed.  The worst part is that I woke up this morning tired. I wish I still bounced back like I did when I was younger.

Obviously, not a lot was happening while I felt like I was close to death was sick. Here's a picture of the start of a hat for Car Guy.

Just a simple ribbed hat in some scrummy Berroco Loft. Please ignore the glasses that made it into the picture (I don't know who's those belong to...ahem) and notice the gratuitous chocolate shot.  That is the chocolate that Car Guy brought back from Ecuador - delicious stuff.  I think it's deserving of a hat, don't you? Confession time - I've finished the hat and just haven't gotten around to taking a picture.  I mean that requires getting the camera and then forcing Car Guy to model for me. And in all honesty, I just don't have the energy right now.  How pathetic is that?

You know what else is pathetic?  I still haven't showed you SAFF pictures.  I'm feeling very lazy right now. Hopefully I'll get over it soon.  Like tomorrow.  I have to get up at the crack of dawn and get Car Guy to the airport by 6:00 AM for his flight to Bogota, Columbia. Hmmm....maybe a nap is in my future.  You thing anyone would notice?

Happy Birthday!!!!

Just a quick pop in to say Happy Birthday to this man of mine.  He turned 50 today and is spending his birthday traveling from Peru to Ecuador...wishing he was coming home.  Love you Honey!

A First?!?!

At my age, it's very rare to have a first and be this excited about it.  First grey hair?  First wrinkle?  Not so much.  But this one?  I'm so tickled.....TA DA......

My first cables!  (Please note the soft, muted light and lovely filter that hides said grey hairs and wrinkles.)  This is the Unoriginal Hat by the one and only Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.  As long as I kept up with my row count, and didn't drop any stitches, it moved along pretty well.  I will say, if you've never done cables before, this is a great patten.  It's done on DPNs, so the pattern is repeated on each needle.  This makes counting stitches and fixing mistakes (ahem) a lot easier. However, I will also say that if you've never knitted on DPNs, don't make this your first project.  It was a little tricky juggling all those needles and the cable needle. I've heard tale of people who can knit cables without an extra needle....I am currently bowing down in awe.  I don't know if that trick will ever be in my repertoire.

So that's one more for the Christmas Gift List to mark off. Just a few more people on the list that are "knit worthy" and then it's down to shopping.  I'm feeling really good about this year...ahead of the game.  It's really quite scary. 

We had a really great weekend.  We spent Saturday evening over at friend's house enjoying great company,  wine, and smores around the fire pit.  Then on Sunday, Car Guy, my Mother In Law and I did a little spin around the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Have I told you lately how much I love these mountains? So beautiful....

 

The leaves are really starting to change color and by next weekend, when we got to SAFF (Yea!!!) they will be gorgeous.  I think my favorite picture from the trip was this warning sign....

 Who knew the DOT had a sense of humor? Sorry, mine's a little warped.  I find that hysterically funny...the sign, not someone actually falling off the mountain.

We really did have a wonderful drive through the mountains...until we were heading home.  We stopped in Boone for dinner and Car Guy asked if I'd drive home.  Since it was a straight shot down the highway and he'd been driving all day, I thought "why not."  We got down the mountains and were about an hour from the house when "clunk."  There went the transmission.  I lost all gears. It was not fun. We coasted off the highway and Car Guy tinkered under the hood....he was able to get us about a half hour from home and then the car "gave up the ghost."  Thank goodness for my Sainted Mother.  She came, picked us up and got us home...at 11:30.  Talk about tired on Monday.

The car has been towed home and is now sitting in the driveway, like a disobedient child, waiting for Car Guy to figure out why the transmission went for no apparent reason. There is nothing worse that driving a man's car and having it take a dive on you. Thank goodness he was right there when it happened. Not an experience I'd like to have again.

So it wasn't the perfect end to a great day, but all in all, we were safe and got home in one piece, so no complaints. I'm just hoping that Car Guy doesn't take a sledge hammer to the car.....hmmm.  I'll try to discreetly take pictures or a video if he does.  Who knows, he could turn into a youtube sensation.

Visiting Santiago

I'm finally getting around to showing you some of Car Guy's pictures from Santiago Chile. We'll start with the view out of his window...

As I said in a previous post, those are the Andes Mountains in the back ground.

 

There is color all over the place..the buildings, outdoor art...

 

 

 

 

He also got to visit some beautiful spots.

Postcard pretty.

And some very dry places.

Hi Car Guy!  Doesn't it look like he's photoshopped into the picture!

And this wouldn't be a trip by Car Guy if there wasn't....

A car.

 

He has so many more pictures. These are just the highlights. There were dogs everywhere, but they were sweet, tame ones.  He was at an outdoor restaurant and one just walked over and curled up at his feet, under his chair. And of course there was food...tons of food.  If facebook was any indication, all he did was eat while he was there...that and have a few beers.  All in all though, the trip was a success.

 

I'm waiting for him to download his pictures from Dubai.  We might not be able to go on the trips with him, but we should be able to enjoy them all the same.  Don't you agree?

Bits of Dubai

So, in great space cadet fashion, I didn't get to writing about Car Guy's photos from Chile....slacker, I know.  And, of course, all the photos are on the home computer, so....you have to wait to see them.  I thought that I'd try to appease you with a few pictures from Dubai that he as shared with me.

The buildings there are so unique and impressive.  I'm sure you've all seen the building that looks like a giant sail from a boat.  I have it on good authority (cause he looked it up not because he's staying there) that it is a 7 (that's right SEVEN) star hotel. The only one in existence. Go check it out - it is insane and G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S! The one that Car Guy is staying at is nice though. It has a roof top pool.

See...told you.  This is Car Guy trying to make me jealous....I think it's working.  Seriously though, how pretty is that?  I hope he remembers to take pictures of his hotel room.  I have to live vicariously through him and appreciate the luxury from afar...sigh.

And now, what you've all been waiting for....it really does exist....drum roll please.....

Ski Dubai. That's right folks...they have a ski slope inside. You know, so the snow won't melt in the desert. It really does just boggle my mind. 

Well, hope you enjoyed those.  I'll try to get myself organized (HA!) and maybe next week I'll do a Chile via Dubai post?  Thoughts?  Anyone?  Bueller?  Bueller?

Various Sundry Items

So you all know that Car Guy spent a couple of weeks in Chile.  He came back tired but very enthusiastic. He said that the area is beautiful and the people are friendly....I'll show you pictures in the next post.  This post is about the loot...some of it anyway. Just a few photos.  I'm afraid my model was studying for his AP American History test (yes, a test the second week of school!) and was unavailable.

Can you say yummy, soft, and warm?  I'm afraid I can't tell you exactly what it is because Number One Son has not received his yet. I don't want to spoil the surprise because you know he checks my blog on a daily basis just to see what his crazy old mother is up to....NOT. But you see, I've been picking on him and told him he had to come home and visit his crazy old mother in order to get his gift - bribery, it's a wonderful thing.  AND I didn't tell him what the gift actually is.  I just told him it was from San Pedro, De Atacama....say it five times fast, just so I can giggle. Anyway, it's driving him nuts.  I don't know how to take pictures of our text conversations, but they are pretty funny.  You just get "the typed by me" version....

First text conversation:
Crazy Old Mom: Miss you
Number One Son: I miss y'all too. I might come home within the next 3 weeks
(Crazy Old Mom does really scary happy dance here)
Crazy Old Mom (totally blase here): Cool.  Look forward to it.  Your dad brought you something back from Chile
Number One Son: What is it
Crazy Old Mom: It came from San Pedro Deattacoma
Number One Son:  Okay what is it
Crazy Old Mom: De Atacama...THAT is the correct spelling...not telling, but I know you will love it.
Number One Son: Oh Okay haha.

A couple of days later, the second text conversation:
Number One Son: Where did you say my gift from dad was from?
Crazy Old Mom: San Pedro, De Atacama
Number One Son: Can you tell me what it is?
Crazy Old Mom doesn't answer at which point she becomes Mean Crazy Old Mom...it's the simple things in life that give me pleasure.

He also brought me back some yummy, soft, snugly, alpaca wonderfulness....

It looks a little abstract, but it is actually a wrap made with the softest of alpaca wool.  And it is warm!  I put it on in our lovely 90 degree weather....for about five seconds.  I didn't want to spontaneously combust and ruin it. I have a pretty good idea that once the weather starts cooling off, it will get a lot of use.

He also brought back a really neat hand crafted miniature of one of the buildings.  It's really cool and even has a working street light....and I forgot to take a picture of it.  I'll do that and show it with some of the pictures that Car Guy took.

On the knitting front, I've been experimenting.  Since I have total control of the TV right now, I've been in total girl bliss by watching Season Two of Downton Abby and knitting - yes, I'm a little behind.  I think I'm half in love with Mr. Bates....don't know why, but I am.  Here are a couple of pictures..of the knitting, not Mr. Bates:

I'm not going to tell you what it is...I'll leave you with a little mystery.  Because I've been playing with this, I'd rather show you the finished product, once I've figured everything out. And maybe, by then, my model will be available...since he does such a fine job. Let me know what you think it is...

Long Weekend!

The amazing Blue Moon...so beautiful!

Hello all!  Hope you doing well and enjoyed your long weekend.  Ours was kind of quiet.  Car Guy came home Friday after spending two weeks in Santiago, Chile.  He was tired and glad to be back.  However, cause you know there is one, he hopped on a plane again yesterday and I am happy to say he's safely landed in Dubai....that's right, I said Dubai.

So my weekend was spent with my man.  Running errands, watching the Formula One Race (why is everyone ignoring Mark Webber?  I know I can't. Ahem..shameless, I know), text conversations with Number One Son and general quite time around the house with Number Two Son. All so that the poor man could recover. Talk about tired!

I'll show you all the cool stuff he brought back tomorrow...the dear man does know what I like.

Better Late Than Never

OK, so I'm a little behind today.  It was one of those days...I haven't even read your blogs yet!  I am so behind!  I'm off to do that after I do a really quick post here. I promised a completed project, so here you go....the obligatory bathroom shot...because seriously, what blog is complete without one.  I've managed to get this far without one, so it's about time...I've even thrown in a kitty for good measure....

Isn't he a cute adoring kitty?  You gotta love some Oreo!

And if that wasn't enough, here is  Number Two Son making his mama laugh....

 

Complete with cheesy grin!

So there it is...the amazing herringbone poncho...just in time for fall!

This thing took fooooreverrr! But it is so worth it!  That cotton yarn is so wonderfully soft and I know that it is going to be amazing this fall....can you say warm?!?  I made a hat to go with it...it's around here somewhere, but said boy up there and his buddy had a great time wearing it and being silly, so if it's gone for a bit, I'm good with that.

This week has been a bit quiet around here.  One son at college and one Car Guy in Santiago, Chile, leaves one boy and one Mama.  We've had a great time....watching movies together, eating sushi....he has taken good care of his mama.  I thought I'd leave you with the view that Car Guy has had to deal with.  He sent this picture to me...it's the view from his hotel room...it's a rough life he lives....

Those are the Andes Mountains back there. He says that they are truly awe inspiring.  I'll have more Car Guy pictures later.  He comes home Friday and I can't wait...after 22 years, I'm big enough to admit that I missed the old guy. 

So that's my quick post.  I'm off to see what everyone has been up to. Hope you are all having a wonderful week!