3 new bags & 4 new models

Michael left for golf early, even though it was raining this morning (Saturday, 3/30), and I got an early start back on the canvas bags.  He came home 4-1/2 hours later with an 83!!!!!  He was very happy.  While he was gone, I finished 3 more bags for the food bank, and got new models:

Monica (niece), RAchel (granddaughter), Lauren (niece), & Jan

That’s Jan and her 2 nieces and her granddaughter.  They came for a visit and to check out my yarn stash (Lauren is a knitter also) and we had a nice visit.  They left to hit the knitting store in Pineville and I continued to work on the bags until 4 PM when I headed upstairs to shower and make garlic bread for the neighbor dinner.  We went over at 6 and had lasagna, the garlic bread, a nice salad, and fresh strawberries and chunks of pineapple.  Dessert was a delicious chocolate pie.  There were 12 of us (One couple couldn’t make it) and dinner was great and the conversation excellent.  We got home around 8:30 and we were both beat, so we relaxed and watched TV until we went to bed.

spice cookies, bag #2 for HOPE

Michael made me another smurfy breakfast on Friday (3/29) before taking Cookie on a walk.  I mixed up and baked, bagged and labeled over a 100 spice cookies. 

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that the 19 year old son of a theatre friend had died.  He committed suicide, and his parents are having a benefit concert Saturday night to raise money to be donated to a teenage suicide prevention location.  We can’t attend the concert, but volunteered to bake cookies for them to sell there.  By the time Michael got back from his walk, the cookies were all done and he took off to deliver them. 

I finally got to my studio at 12:30 to begin planning out our route for retreat (we’ll start driving next Wednesday!!!)  I think we’re only going to hit 2 quilt shops on the way, because then there are 2 more we will all go to once we are at the retreat.  I also spent an hour on the ‘mess that is my desk’ and still feel like I really didn’t make much of a dent in the pile of papers, but that was all I could stand….I wanted to do something fun!  So, it was back to the bags for our local food bank.  I totally finished another (I know….same design….I’ll change that on the next ones  J): 

 

and have a bunch more in process.  I worked all afternoon and evening (Michael had a movie he wanted to watch) but we did take a break for a driveway party over at Susan’s.  It was our first of the year and although it started out fine at 4:30…by 5:30 the wind was kicking up and the clouds had moved in….is spring ever going to come to South Carolina?????  Anyway, I got a lot more done on the remaining bags and I came upstairs after the movie to snuggle with my honey a bit before going to bed.

I left the house at 9 AM Thursday morning (3/28) and didn’t get home until 3 L.  I was at quilting until NOON, got the rest of the denim cut and I can make 6 more totes for the HOPE food bank, then I just knit for a bit.  There was a class going on for felted wool projects….I LOVE how they look….but number 1 – they are that 4 letter word….HAND work…and number 2 – I do NOT need another hobby right now J.  I left quilting, made a quick stop at the chiropractor’s (where he found every single sore spot on my body!) and then headed to Joann’s.  I was looking for more canvas fabric that I hope to use as part of our cast gifts for Becky’s New Car, and flannel for table runner innards, and some gifts for the retreat we are having April 18^th at Scrap Happy Quilters (the Thursday group).  I was also hoping to score fabric to make up a dressy top for one scene in the play…..but was totally unsuccessful with that L.  I was exhausted when I got home and after unpacking and putting away everything…it was time to think about dinner.  Michael and I decided that since we didn’t have rehearsal, it was time to celebrate…and you know what that means…..CHAMPAGNE AND PUFFY THINGS!!!!  So, we popped the champagne and started with scallop stuffed scallop shells, then Michael had coconut shrimp and I had a bit of cheese and crackers, then we moved on to these mushroom turnovers in phyllo dough that I made awhile ago.  Everything was yummy, and we settled in after that to knit and watch TV…it was a LOVELY evening….we watched 3 or 4 of ‘our’ shows (AS TIME GOES BY) and then a QUANTUM LEAP before toddling off to bed.

new charity canvas bag

Michael had a frost delay on Wednesday (3/27)…this weather is REALLY ridiculous!  Spring came last year at the end of February….here it is the end of March…and we are still having frosts some nights.  Anyway, that gave him time to make me a scrumptious breakfast of fried potatoes and onions, with an egg broken over top….yum!  I got to sew for just a tiny bit (after changing the threads and the plate on my serger), and I got Mexican Chicken Soup in the crockpot before heading to the dentist….I had a huge filling that needed to be replaced….YUCK!!!  It took forever, and 2 hours after it was all done, my face was still very numb.  I got home around 2 and got all of the groceries put away and went over my lines.  I got a tiny bit of sewing done and finished the first bag for the food bank (although Michael and I both feel it is a tiny bit too deep….when I make the next set, I will try to make them about 3 inches shorter):

Donna called just after I got done and I hopped over there.  She is felting a hat for me….same one I’ve done before….same yarn…same needles…hat was WAY too big  L.  She said she was going to put it in twice more and see what happened.  We had soup and rolls for dinner, then headed off to rehearsal.  Everyone seemed really tired and Polly (the director) let us go just after 9, which was wonderful.  I remembered to take the cookies and they were a big hit with everyone.

chocolate covered hash browns, granola

I had a chiro appointment early on Tuesday (3/26), then raced home so that Michael could make his AAA appointment by 10.  Nancy came over and we spent the morning in the kitchen….I made pan cookies called CHOCOLATE COVERED HASH BROWNS (and oatmeal bottom and chocolate/peanut butter top) and another run of granola, while Nancy knit. 

 

 

 

 

Donna stopped by and we had a nice chat about her entrelac sweater among other things.  Keith (Nancy’s husband) came by to pick her up around NOON and I got a bit of cleaning done before Joanne picked me up at 1 for Stitch & Chat.  We had a good time there and I got several rectangles done on my second entrelac sleeve before heading home.  I spent a good bit of time going over my lines before having a quick dinner and heading off to rehearsal.  Of course, I forgot to grab the cookies out of the fridge, but the director brought cookies instead.   Hopefully I’ll remember them for Wednesday night’s rehearsal.  I was desperate to get back to my new denim tote….but it wasn’t to be…I just ran out of time…maybe tomorrow….

Michael got rained out of golf again on Monday (3/25), so he visited another golf store instead and ran a few other errands.  I got black beans cooking in the crockpot (since I hope to make Mexican Chicken Soup this week and am out) and did paperwork for the rest of the morning. 

Well over 2 years ago, my friend Paula gave me a bolt of light weight denim fabric.  Her brother has something to do with fabric and it was an end of the bolt kind of thing.  I’ve made several items out of it over the years, but still have a lot left.  At the volunteer meeting last week, we had a speaker from HOPE, which is the local food bank.  She asked us to donate our extra plastic bags, because they always need bags to give away the food.  She also said if we have any extra tote bags we are not using, they would love to have those as well.  I decided to use the denim to sew up some tote bags.  That’s what I worked on the rest of the day until dinner time.  We had spicy vegetable soup for dinner, then headed off to rehearsal.  We got home at 10:30, and I got the cooked beans bagged up and into the freezer and hopped into bed just after 11.

the 'kids', new knitting tote

Sunday morning (3/24) was all about taxes.  I finally got all of our medical expenses put into my spreadsheet.  I finished up listing all of our charitable contributions, and got back to working on my knitting tote by 1 PM.  I had company in the afternoon while I was working on it (there's one short video, but you'll have to go to the blog to view it...it doesn't come in the email):

All afternoon yesterday and all afternoon today…while working on the tote…I was also embroidering for Scrap Happy Quilter’s one day retreat on April 18^th….I’ll take a pic, but won’t post until after then J. 

 

The new knitting tote was done by dinnertime:

 

 And I know it is hard to see, but I attached a pocket and glasses holder inside (which I think took me almost as much time to make as the basket itself!):

 

Michael and I had leftovers for dinner, then he left for rehearsal at 5:30 and I worked on my entrelac sweater the rest of the night.  He didn’t get home until 10:30 and we watched one TV program before heading to bed.

daffodils, celery

Although many of our daffodils are up and blooming (and my celery is going crazy): 

 

it remains a rainy and cold spring.  Michael got rained out of golf on Saturday (3/23) so he headed to a new golf shop instead and came home with a new hat.  I worked on taxes a bit in the morning, and spent the rest of the day working on my new knitting tote.  All of my strips has previously been cut, so the sewing went rather quickly.  I got the basket as tall as I wanted, then got a tiny start on the pockets for it, before cleaning up and heading out to pick up Jan and Walt.  We had a wonderful dinner at Ruby Tuesday and after we dropped them off, Michael and I snuggled on the couch and watched FANTASIA 2000 and a couple of Frasier’s before heading to bed.

Friday morning (3/22) I had a dentist appointment at 9 and went out to breakfast afterwards.  I made a quick stop at the grocery store and the hair salon and was finally home by NOON.  I worked on my own sweatshirt in the afternoon, and got the zipper in.  It is SO nice to be able to slip it on and off so easily…why did I wait so long to do this?  I started a new rope tote after that….a summer one for me!  I decided I needed some new knitting bags, because I am following the recent KNITTING DAILY dictum of ‘start as many new projects as you can’!  I need some nice tote to keep them in….PLUS, I got an idea for how to put a pocket or 2 in them, so am anxious to try that out.  Michael and I had a quick dinner and it was HEAVEN to not have rehearsal….we just got to relax in the evening.

coffee cake, quilting stuff, Michael's new zipper

On Wednesday (3/20) Michael left at the ridiculously early hour of 5:30 AM (truly o’dark hundred territory) to go golfing.  I’m tellin’ ya, these guys are CRAZY  J.  Anyway, I lazed in bed another hour or so, then jumped up because I had a lot to get done.  I had 2 terrific phone calls, the first from Ginny where I gushed over the latest goodie bag she sent me.  Y’all should have a friend like Ginny…you get delicious and fun things in the mail.  This time it was a hysterical magnet, with the image of a cartoon woman and the saying ‘I laughed so hard the tears ran down my leg’!  Now any of us over the age of 40 should ROAR at that one!  Next were a TON of note cards, personalized JUST for me, with a beautiful quilt on the front.  I will have to send each and every one of you a note, so that you can be pea green with envy over these beauties J.  I also got packets and packets of spices for Indian cooking.  I think I mentioned awhile ago that Ginny had gotten into it and she sent me some recipes, along with the spice packets to see if I like it.  I have really good friends who send me delightful things!  Then I got a call from Janice and we both screamed and laughed over the fact that we will see each other in just 2 short weeks…at RETREAT!!!!!  The 5^th Annual FIBER FLOOZIES Retreat…this time in beautiful western PA.  After those wonderful calls, I turned to the onerous task of starting to pull our tax information together  L.  I worked on that for several hours, stopping to stay with my washing machine repairman L.  Yep, our MAYTAG washer that is not even 18 months old went kaput!  It wouldn’t spin the water out of the clothes….almost $300 later, the repairman has fixed the digital part that regulates the spinning.  DON”T BUY A MAYTAG.  I plan to write them a letter (for all of the good it will do), but I can’t believe this piece of junk lasted less than 18 months.  Anyway, by then it was time for a quick dinner and rehearsal again…we are rehearsing from 7 – 10, generally 4, but sometimes 5 times per week. 

Thursday morning (3/21) I got a ginger/pear coffe cake baked (in the new casserole dish in my SHADOW IRIS pattern BG scored for me on EBAY!!!!)

 

to take to quilting before Jan picked me (and all of my stuff….here’s just some of it) up at 9:20. 

basket with knitting and secretary folder, 2 table top ironing boards I am donating to quilting, and egg cartons for friends with chickens!  All this plus the coffee cake, and my tea

I worked on the ribbing of my entrelac sweater the entire time I was there.  I got home in time to grab a package of crackers (for lunch) and headed up to get a manicure.  I need my nails to look nice for the play….so this way I’ll have 3 manicures by opening night.  When I got home I spent the afternoon putting a zipper into one of Michael’s sweatshirts.  We both have these sweatshirts that we love, but they are ‘over the head types’ and we really wanted ‘zip up the front types’.  I finally both 2 separating zippers and managed to get his done Thursday afternoon:

 

 

After that, it was a quick dinner and off to rehearsal.  We were home by 10:30, and collapsed into bed shortly afterwards.

I was late getting to Nancy’s on Tuesday (3/19) due to an over long chiro appointment, but what a THRILL when I finally got there… Nancy was spinning!!!  I think I could have sat and watched her for hours.  She had a new roving with blue/green/yellow/pink/white and maybe a few others colors I’m not remembering.  She made it look effortless, and very interesting.  But I only had to talk to her for a few minutes to re-affirm that spinning is not for me!  She has a wealth of knowledge about it and experience with it that certainly convinced me that I do not need to spend time learning yet another skill….I still need to work on my current skills to make them better (can you say weaving  J)?  Still, it was fascinating to watch someone take a colored mass of what looked like a giant cotton ball (it was wool) and make it into yarn that could be knit with.  All the while talking and laughing!  As always, it was a great visit and noon time came much too quickly.  I headed home and got a bit of knitting done before our vet appointment with Cookie at 3 PM.  This was just her yearly check up and 3 year rabies and distemper and parvo shots and she came through with flying colors.  Michael and I came home, watched a bit of TV, had a quick dinner and headed to rehearsal.  We were home by 10:30 and headed to bed.

Monday (3/18) seemed to go by in a flash, even though not much happened.  Michael left super early for golf…coming home after only 9 holes  L.  It was rainy, windy, cold and miserable.  I went to my volunteer meeting in the morning, had a quick meeting with our Outreach Committee afterwards and then helped to sort cans for our current food drive.  I spent the afternoon knitting, and Michael and I had rehearsal in the evening.

St Pat's fabric postcards, cookies, pizza

HAPPY ST PAT’s DAY!!!!  I can finally post this picture:

 

I made around 20 St Pat’s fabric postcards, gave some to Jan to mail, and mailed the rest to some new people.  I think they have all been delivered by now…they were very fun to do.  I made whole wheat waffles for breakfast on Sunday (3/17), then headed to my studio.  I got 2 more table top ironing boards covered, and got all of the yarn wound for the rest of my entrelac sweater.  That gave my hands a bit of a rest, then I went back to knitting on my sleeve.

I stopped around 4 and headed upstairs.  When Sally and Jimmy came for lunch, I made rolls to go with the quiche.  My regular roll recipe makes 18 – 20 rolls, but I didn’t think 4 people needed that many, so I only made 1/2 and sent the leftovers home with S&J.  The rest of the dough I just stuck in the fridge.  I took it out at 3 PM to warm up a little and at 4 I rolled it out and let it rise for an hour.  During that time I baked up several dozen chocolate chip cookies for Michael’s cookie jar, and for him to take to rehearsal Sunday night:

 

By then it was time to top the pizza….just sauce that I froze last year made with fresh tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, garlic and some spices, and mozzarella and cheddar cheese.  Before baking:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and after:

 

My honey pronounced it YUMMY…as he ran out the door to rehearsal.  I stayed home and worked on (what else) my sleeve!

entrelac sleeve

With Daniel making one to two sandwiches every day, we went through our bread pretty quickly, so I threw sandwich dough together Saturday morning (3/16).  I made a double run of hand cream (and delivered some) and got laundry and dishes started all before 9 AM.  Michael left for golf around 8:30 and it was a BEAUTIFUL day….temps in the high 70’s.  He got home with an 84 around 2 PM, and we both just relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.  It was a pleasant afternoon….except for the part where we finally confirmed that our washing machine is no longer spinning correctly  L.  I thought it was just the last load of towels and that they were off balance…but, today I just did a regular load of clothes and they were SOAKED when the washer said ‘done’.  We’ll have to look into that on Monday.  I continued to knit in the evening and by bedtime has this:

doesn't it look like a really colorful fish?

 

I think I might have to take a break from knitting for a day or 2….my hands are really feeling the strain.

Cookie, Sally & Jimmy, Cookie & Elsie, entrelac sleeve

Friday morning (3/15) I was up early to get roll dough made.  When I finally made it back to the bedroom to get Michael up, I deiscovered he was already moving, but someone else decided to stay in bed awhile:

 

 

 

Michael left for the dentist (several of his teeth needed scraping and scaling), but he made it home just after Sally and Jimmy arrived for lunch:

 

 

We had quiche (ham/swiss cheese/spinach/onions/mushrooms) and fruit salad (lightly drizzled with raspberry balsamic vinegar) and rolls.  For dessert, everyone ate a little lemon meringue pie and chocolate layer cake.  We talked for several hours before Jimmy decided it was time for a nap and they headed for home.  Before heading to the studio, I stopped in the bedroom to change clothes, and discovered another napping pair:

 

I knit for the rest of the evening on my entrelac sleeve.  I decided I had better stop the ‘upward’ motion and put a cuff on it so that I can accurately judge how long to make it…so I had needles in both ends at one point….and bedtime I had this:

Michael & Daniel, entrelac sleeve

I snapped a pic of Michael and Daniel Thursday morning (3/14), since Daniel was leaving directly from his last day of golf to head for home:    

Sandy picked me up for quilting (Michael wanted the car to go and watch Daniel in the tournament) and we headed off.   I am NOT taking quilting stuff for awhile….I really want to put some concentrated effort into working on my entrelac sleeves, so that is what I am working on there and at home.  I think I started this sweater about a year ago and am no where near finished  L.  I think since it is for me, I keep setting it aside to do other knitting, but not anymore J.  I’m going to concentrate my efforts.  Especially because I have to make up the pattern for the shawl collar (something I don’t really know how to do, so I’m sure there will be a lot of ripping involved) and that will take awhile.  The goal is to have it ready to go by this coming October…and then I’m wearing it EVERYWHERE  J.  Anyway, there were LOTS of people at quilting, and I think everyone enjoyed the cake (can you say sugar overlaod!?!??!)  Once home, I continued to knit on my sleeves, had a short visit with Susan (our neighbor) and warmed up some soup for Michael before he left for rehearsal.

I continued to work on sleeves and by bedtime had this:

 When I originally started to work on my sleeves, I was doing them on straight needles.  Then I looked at them and said to myself ‘what are you going to use to sew up the underarm seam…the color changes every inch’?  I decided I would teach myself to do entrelac in the round…and that’s what I’m doing…I figured it out and this way I will have no seams to sew up at the end…WHOO HOO!!

lemon meringue pie, chocolate layer cake, sticky buns

Michael and Daniel both left early for golf on Wednesday (3/13) and I spent most of the day in the kitchen….here’s what it looks like in the throes of working: 

I think the cakes are in the oven and the dough is rising at this point

moving on to zesting and squeezing lemons for the pie

pie crust ready to be 'blind' baked

pie crust done, cooking the lemon filling

1/2 of sticky bun dough rolled out

covered with butter/brown sugar/cinnamon mixture

sprinkled with brandy soaked apricots (note new Christmas present ruler at top of pic)

topping of honey/brown sugar/pecans already in pan ready to go

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and here are the results:

ready to be popped into the fridge for an overnight rise before baking Thursday morning

 

can't wait to eat some of this on Thursday

cutting a piece for Michael's dinner

just LOOK at that meringue (Michael's favorite part!)

 

I had been collecting egg whites for awhile, so made Michael a mile-high lemon meringue pie!  Then I made his signature chocolate layer cake with chocolate icing to take to quilting for Willa’s birthday, and also put together 2 pans of sticky buns.  We gave one pan to Joanne and Larry, to thank them for making 2 ADDITIONAL table top ironing boards for me…Larry is a WHIZ!  I was pretty tired after all of the baking (and doing a sink full of dishes 4 separate times during the process) so I got to knit for a bit before Michael got home at 4:30.  The men’s golf club had a scramble tournament format and his team finished just out of the money L, but he had a good time.  He didn’t want any dinner because they ate lunch so late, so he just dove into the lemon meringue pie before leaving for rehearsal.  I knit and watched TV in the evening, and Daniel and Michael got home within 1/2 an hour of each other, around 9:30.  The guys talked over all of the day’s golfing news, and then Daniel collapsed and Michael and I watched a bit of TV before heading for bed

new hat/new model

Daniel left early for golf on Tuesday (3/12) and Michael left for errands shortly after Nancy arrived.  As usual, we had a great time, and when she left at lunchtime, I had a quick lunch and left for Stitch and Chat.  I didn’t stay long, just wanted to get rid of items on our KNITPICKS order that weren’t mine.  I knit in the afternoon and after a quick dinner we picked up Jan and Walt and went to see QUARTET…a really nice movie.

I did finish another hat (it is AMAZING to me what you can get done in odd moments in the car, or in the theatre before the lights go down), and luckily our resident young golfer agreed to model:

laundry room spruce up

Daniel and Michael both left for golf on Monday (3/11) and I got busy getting caught up on several things.  I have my house divided into 12 ‘zones’…one for each month of the year.  The idea is that on the weekends, I spend an extra hour in that room or rooms, to really get them back into shape.  I’m batting about 50% on this….but it’s good to have goals….right J?  Anyway, March is the laundry room, and it really needed some help.  I started last weekend, but didn’t get to it this weekend…so Monday morning it was.  It is always amazing to me how LITTLE time it takes to make something look nice and clean.  In about 1/2 an hour, I finished up the ‘outside’ (here are all of the before and afters....Michael immeidately noticed and commented on how nice it looked when he came home with his 83 from golfing J) :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next weekend I hope to tackle one cupboard, then see if there’s time for the second one…then it will be all done and I’ll be on to the back deck and back patio in April. 

 

I spent the afternoon knitting on the baby blanket (although Jan and I made a quick run to the post office and grocery store around lunch) and after a quick dinner, Michael and I headed to our first rehearsal at 7 PM.  Neither one of us realized it, but we weren’t done until 10 PM!!  We both thought it was around 9.  By the time we got home, Daniel as fast asleep and we watched a bit of TV before heading to bed.