Off work for the Holiday's

I a very tired but also very happy. Today at five our office closed and I don't have to return until next Thursday. Our office is closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after!!! Finally downloaded The Fifty Shades series to my kindle. I downloaded the book from Audible.Com, I started listen to the first book in the series this week. Audible is a great way to go if you are working or crafting. Finished listening to Knit One, Pearl One: A Beach Street  Society Novel, by Gil Mcneil. I really enjoyed it.  I have knit my daughter two potholders from a very easy pattern I found on Lion Brand.com. I found a copy of a very hard to find knit pattern book,  Knit Ultimate Book of Dishcloths & Pot Holders Designed by Ann Emery Smith. Finished listening to The Hobbit enjoyed that also I did it to brush up before I go see the movie. Finally I am almost finished with the Diagonal Comfort Blanket that I started this spring. Happy crafting.      

Another Check in!

Well here I go again, with another monthly post. I am  still reading A Fatal Fleece, by Sally Goldenbaum after starting the read and putting it down for a few months. I am letting go of my all Amish kick at least until the first of the year. I am knitting Grandmother's Favorite Dishcloth's and Dandy Duck baby washcloths. Once again I fear that I have spent the entire year on beginner knitting and not progressed.  I have downloaded The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien through Audible to listen to in preparation for the movie coming out on December 14th. I read the book a long time ago while I was in High School. It was not a required reading I just thought it would make a good read.  When I was young and if I can remember correctly it was during either the Thanksgiving holiday days, an animated movie based on The Hobbit came on tv and I loved it. Last Sunday I meet a friend from work and went to see part two of Breaking Dawn, it was great and I think the best movie out of the series. Well that's it no crochet for the month of  November. I need to step it up and get back into my crochet and knitting habit.

Hello

I have not posted in a long time. I think this is my worst year yet. I have been reading a lot of  novels about based on the Amish I love the books. I have started knitting baby washcloths. Maybe November will bring more time to knit, read, crochet, and blog.

Autumnal Equinox

It is the first full day of Autumn. I am happy about the change in season.  It is raining at this moment. It was a not to hot day today.  I am knitting a baby wash cloth and reading  The Betrayal, by Beverly Lewis. The fall garden is going great.  All of the  greens and collards are coming along. I did not think it would rain today but I am happy that it did. It just a few weeks we should be able to harvest the kale. Happy Crafting.

Mother and Daughter Day

Great day my Daughter and I took the day off from our jobs and spent the day together. We met each other and then traveled to Charlotte. We made out first trip to Ikea and wow it is huge and has lots of nice stuff.   After Ikea we went to  3 yarn shops the first Yarnhouse they had a great sale and I brought 3 balls of Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran, it was on sale for 60% off so 3 balls cost just a little over what one skein normally costs.  The second shop was Basket of Yarn and the lady in the shop was so nice and I loved the shop, she had great yarn I really want to buy this great yarn, I don't remember the name because I did not write it down, I can't remember a thing if I don't. The yarn because of the texture made just a simple knit stitch scarf look like a complicated pattern. The third and final shop of day was Charlotte Yarn this was a quick trip it seemed like a nice shop and when we arrived there was a group sitting on the chairs and couches working on projects and talking, it looked like everyone was having a very good time. I did not get to spend much time in the shop because my Daughter does not knit or crochet and she was getting bored looking at yarn. I hope to go back again one day. Then it was off the Cheddar for lunch and a quick look around Concord Mills. I had a great time and enjoyed spending time with my Daughter.  One the reading front I am reading The Covenant it is the first in the Abram's Daughters series by Beverly Lewis. I  am on a Amish kick at this time. No crochet projects at this time and all knitting seems to be on hold.           

Had to get in at least one post for August

It has been a long time since my last post. I think this year will be worst than last year if I don't get any better at posting. I final have the new roof and it is great it looks so much better and I feel much better about getting rain. It has not rained since the roof has been finished. No crochet this summer and not much on the knitting front. I have added a few rows to  a scarf I am working. I put down baby afghan and for some reason I just can't pick it back up.  I will I am sure. I have spent a lot of time reading. Mostly books about the Amish. I have a nice long weekend coming and I am glad. Yet another summer has come and gone and no vacation. Maybe one day I can afford one. Started Zumba again. This time it is two day's per week at my job provided by a woman at work who is certified in Zumba. I am really enjoying this class much better than the classes I started off taking. I feel less pressure to be perfect. Maybe it is because I feel the need to be less perfect with the steps among my fellow co workers. The fall garden went in this week 2 varieties of Kale, a mustard-spinach, a rape, a mixed green, a turnip, and lettuce. We are thinking about adding beet just to see if it will do okay. If we don't get beets the tops are good too.

Trying To Enjoy My Days Off

I will not call it a vacation , I have days off and I am not enjoying them. First the office was closed yesterday for the 4th, my Daughter and her Boyfriend and her dog came to the house for a cookout. We put ribs, chicken, hot dogs, and kelibsa sausage on the grill. A new grill that Kendra's boyfriend had to put together. That was not so bad. Then before all of the eating could begin my Mother decides to call my Aunt to see if she wanted to come to the house. Well she could not come she needed to visit a friend in the hospital. My Mother talks her into letting her babysit her grandchild that she's raising. She is 8 1/2 and not that she is a bad child but if I had my choice I would not spend a lot of time with little children. I have raised my one and only child and that's all I wanted to be involved with.  The next time I take days off and I don't do anything but sit at home, I will make sure my Mother is visiting her sister and their Mother so I can be alone. I finished reading  The Half-Stitched Amish Quitting Club, by  Wanda E. Brunstetter today it was a great read. Try to start a scarf today but did not get to far. Worked on my dirty bedroom today. I made a little progress, but I still have a long ways to go. I could be on an episode of  Clean House or Horders Buried Alive. I finally have the money togethter for the roof, I need to get one more estimate and then I will go with the man my friend at work told me about. Only asked for another person to come by because my Daughter kept nagging me to see if I could find someone cheaper. I wish I would have waited until after the man I want to do the job was finished and then told her about the roof. The weather is still really hot and dry so my garden is not doing very well. Happy crafting and gardening.      

How Hot Is It!

Okay it is hot in the State of North Carolina. Today we made it to the mid 90's tommorrow according to the reports we will hit 100.   I am half a step closer to getting a new roof. Hopefully by sometime next week I will have enough money to get the roof and maybe enough to get the two dead tree's cut down.  We shall see.  Still working the Diagonal Comfort Blanket, slowly but surely maybe before the summer ends it will be complete. Just finished reading A Hand to Hold, by Kathleen Fuller. It was the third book in the  A Hearts of Middlefield Series, I really hope it is not the last but the end makes me think it is the last for the charactors in this series. Sunday I picked up a new book by Wanda E Brunstetter it is The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club. I think I will start reading it tonight when I go to bed.  I have downloaded my first Audio book to my Kindle, at least I think it downloaded  if it did download I might listen and do a little knitting add a few row to the blanket. I really need to get a crochet project going.

Need's and Wants

I need a roof and I want to go to the beach. I don't have the money or either one. It is a sad thing to be almost 50 year old woman with a full time job and not be able to with the income I earn take a vacation and do the necessary repairs to my home. When I say we need a roof I mean we really need a roof. We are in the process of trying to get a loan. On my job I am not allowed to borrow money from my mandatory retirement. I can from my voluntary 401k but I don't have enough in this retirement to borrow the entire amount. I don't think I will be able to get the loan. The loan officer at the bank was not very encouraging. I have not been to the beach since 2006 and it was during Christmas. I have not been to the beach in hot weather since 2005 the year my Daughter graduated from high school. She now finished college and in graduate school. I don't feel that I am living I feel that I am just existing. I know before anyone brings up the point I am in a lot better shape than so many people never the less it does not make me feel any better. I am sorry to whine but that's the way I feel. I am unhappy and depressed. I am still working on my working on the Diagonal Comfort Blanket, do far things are going okay. Please believe me when I tell you the pattern is not hard, but if you are watching tv or drinking a lot of wine you will mess up. No crochet at this time. I have finished reading An Honest Love, by Kathleen Fuller and started reading A Hand to Hold, by Kathleen Fuller. I have for now put aside A Fatal Fleece, by  Sally Goldenbaum. Today while I was at Walmart I picked up a new book The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club, by Wanda E Brunstetter. It has been a hot but good weekend. My Mother and I meet my Daughter at Costco yesterday to do some  shopping and the we went to lunch at Olive Garden, I love Olive Garden. I had my favorite soup and salad. A trip to Whole Foods and I have decided to start buying our meat from Whole foods. Every time we go to the grocery store and look at meat it has been injected with a solution.   So many things to think about. Oh well True Blood it's Sunday night.

I am trying to be a better blogger

Well I had great plans to become a better blogger this year. So far I am not doing so well. So far my summer seems to be going okay. I have read  books and started a 4th since my last post. I am still working on my baby afghan. Yes I did have to start all over again missed a stitch while I was watching t.v. and could not fix my mistake. So now that I am back on track I try to work on the afghan during my lunch break in my office so I don't get distracted.  No crochet projects this month so far. The books that I read  the last 2 books in the Lizzie Searches for Love Series book 2 When Strawberries Bloom, and Big Decisions, by Linda Byler. Love the series. Then I finished A Man of His Word, by Kathleen Fuller another great read. I love reading books about the Amish. They are easy reads and very relaxing. Now I am reading A Fatal Fleece  Sally Goldenbaum only 38 pages read so far. Had a great weekend. My Nephew graduated from High School on Friday so happy for him. Spent Saturday with My Daughter and My Mother. My Daughter's thinking about buying a house or townhouse. Her rent keeps going up every year and it is now more than my mortgage. She wanted us to see house that she looked at, so we did it was a very pretty house but the bedrooms are small. Then we went to Olive Garden. It was my first trip back to Olive Garden since my birthday in February, and my first time back since I tried to make the Zuppa Tuscan soup. I did the soup and salad and I must say I think I did a good job making the soup at home. My garden is going well I hope yours is too. Happy crafting and gardening.

Another Weekend

Well my weekend was okay. It was pretty quite and I did not get a lot of reading, crochet, or knitting done. Saturday night I went to the airport to pick up my daughter. She spent the week in China. She said she enjoyed the trip but at times it could be stressful. She states so many people and  the food a lot different than the us. She stated that  a lot of people wanted to take pictures of her because most of the people that live in China have never or hardly ever see an African American or Black person and especially an African American woman. She had the chance to ride on the high speed rail. She said it did not feel like you are going that fast. Her school did not include a trip to the Great Wall and she was very disappointed.  All in all she said she had a great time but she was happy to be back in the United States and North Carolina. They toured companies in China to see how things worked.

My Weekend

Well my long weekend started Thursday night.  I had to request Friday off from my job so that I could take my Daughter to the airport. My daughter is in an MBA program at  North Carolina State University  and the had to participate in an international studies program.  So she's spending one week in China. She told me she needed to post to a blog while she's in China. The blog http://kendraglobalbusinessinchinamba.wordpress.com  The class will get the chance to visit several businesses in China and I think attend classes in China. She called me around 1:00 am today to let me know she had arrived in China. I wish I was in China also, I feel like this is a once in a lifetime trip. This week I resumed Zumba because I need to exercise. I hate Zumba I am not good at it. I will continue to go however because I need to exercise. I need to lose weight and get my blood pressure under control. I finished reading The Cat, The Wife And The Weapon  look what the cat dragged in. by  Leann Sweeney. Loved the read it was the first book in the A Cat In Trouble Mystery that I have read.  Still working on the Diagonal Comfort Blanket  it is a free pattern you can find on Lionbrand. It is a very easy pattern but I have had to start the pattern I think 5 times to get it right.  After  the fourth row you repeat the the fourth row over and over again until you have 160 stitches on you needles. Then decrease until you have five stitches. I feel like I had to start over so many times because if you are not careful you can get careless. We are deep into Spring and hot weather here in North Carolina. We have planted five different  heirloom tomatoes We plan to add to the garden in the next few weeks. Happy crafting and gardening.   

Marvelous Weekend

It is Sunday night and my Marvelous weekend is almost over. Yesterday my Daughter and I spent most of the day together.  First we went to an Earth Day thing at the Dixie Classic Fair Ground. I brought 5 Heirloom tomato's and some thyme. Then off to Knit Picky a very nice yarn shop in Winston Salem. Very friendly people. I brought a skein of Malabrigo sock 857 Light of Love.  I have plans to use it to knit a shawlette.  It is the Holden Shawlette, by Mindy Wilkes. Then we went to The Sweet Potato for lunch it was great and I had the best Hot Dog. A picture of the hot dog to follow.  Then home to spend most of the late afternoon and night by myself. I love spending time by myself.  Spent all day today alone well almost alone the cats are here.  Watching tv and knitting. My current knitting  project is a baby blanket, it is a free knitting pattern from Lion Brand  the Diagonal Comfort Blanket. The pattern calls for Cotton-Ease but I am using Bernat Baby Sport, color Funny Prints. Also I am using size 8 29" circular knitting needles. Current read The Cat, The Wife And The Weapon Look what the cat dragged in, by Leann Sweeney It is  A Cats In Trouble Mystery. No crochet project this month.  I am already living for the weekend. I am ready for Friday. The countdown starts in a few hours.    

Wonderful Spring Day!

Cross the County line today and went to Greensboro to meet my Daughter. I wanted to check out the new Whole Foods at Friendly Shopping Center. I love it. My plan is to spend a lot of time shopping at Whole Foods. It was very crowded today. The store was great. They had local products and that is great. Fresh Duck legs and Duck breast. The dry beans and pasta, fresh fish. Then off to Savory Spice Shop also a shop that sales olive oil and other oils. I can't remember the name of the shop. Then we went to lunch. So all around great Saturday. The only thing about visiting stores outside of Asheboro and Randolph County is the fact that you realize how bad the stores are in Asheboro. The variety is very low in Asheboro. Well what can you do. I finished reading Till Death Do Us Purl, by Anne Canadeo great read and I had a feeling about Jeremy's Scarf and I was right! . You need to read the book to find out what I am talking about.  I have several rows of a baby blanket started but I know that I need to rip it out  again and start over. It is off track it is to bad to keep going. I just can't bring myself to do it yet. Happy crafting.

Another Middle Of The Week Post

It's Wednesday night and I am watching America Idol. Still reading Till Death Do Us Purl, Anne Canadeo. Great read and I can't make up my mind about the murderer.  This week so far I have weaved the ends on my first knit afghan. I found a free pattern from Plymouth Yarn Company it is Heaven - F138 it is a Mini Baby Blanket, I did not use  Heaven yarn. I used Bernat Baby Blanket Yarn, the color Pitter Patter. It is a very pretty yarn, and nice color, very soft. I used almost 3 balls. Cast on a new baby afghan on Sunday but it took three cast on's to get it right. On Sunday I was to busy watching A Game of Thrones on HBO. Great Series if you want to give it a try. Well back to the Afghan. You can find the pattern in Leisure Arts Quick # 2894 Knit Baby Afghans by Evelyn A. Clark. I am knitting #5 Whisper Soft. It is an easy quick knit, you use 2 strands of yarn held together. I am using Lion Brand Pound of Love in 101 Pastel Pink and 100 White. I had to buy the White but had the Pastel Pink in my stash. I am trying to take it slow so and avoid ripping the afghan out again. I am on row 7.  Tonight's picture is  the Mini Baby Blanket.         

Good Friday

It was great to sleep in and have the day off.  We started the day by getting up and heading out of Asheboro and Randolph it is one of my favorite things to do spending time out of Asheboro and Randolph. It is like a dark cloud lifts and a weight off my shoulders.  First stop Savory Spice Shop www.savoryspiceshop.com and I found something I have wanted for a long time it is a whole nutmeg. When you live in a small and dinky City there are something you can't find. So the Savory Spice Shop was great place and can't wait to visit again. If you want to find a spice, salt, or rub you should be able to find it at Savory Spice shop. Harris Teeter at Friendly shopping center, next stop A C Moore, then off to the Super G  International Market. I love the super G International. So after all this I made my way back to Asheboro the dark cloud and weight to pay a visit to Walmart and the Bottom Dollar  now transformed back to Food Lion. So 6 stores and after that I was tired and ready to go home to my house that needs a roof.  Tonight I made Pollo en edobo(chicken and edobo) a recipe I found on Youtube. It turned out great.  Spent a little time working a few rows of a baby washcloth.  Happy crafting.

Long Weekend

It's the weekend in baby! I am very happy about this fact. The agency is closed tomorrow for good Friday. So I have a nice three day weekend. After work today went to Zumba it was hell. I hate to exercise. I know I need to and I will continue to go but damn I hate it! I am reading Till Death Do Us Purl by Anne Canadeo it is the fourth book in the A Black Sheep Knitting Mystery Series. So far I am enjoying the read. Cast on a baby wash cloth from Leisure Arts pattern book Baby Washcloths To Knit by Melissa Bergland Burham. Knit Picks is really making it hard to keep my resolve to use all my scrap cotton yarn this year before buying more cotton yarn. I received an email introducing multi colored dishie cotton. Great color's so you should check it out. Craft on.

National Crochet Month

The last day of National Crochet Month. Today I finished another Beth's Little Star Afghan. So I think I had a great  National Crochet Month. Six Hot Hats and two Beth's Little Star Afghan's. At this time I have three books that I have started reading this month.  Blue Collar Blues, Rosalyn McMillan, Running Around (and Such), Linda Byler it is the first book in the Lizzie Searches for Love series, and the fourth book in the  A Black Sheep Knitting Mystery Till Death Do Us Purl, Anne Canadeo. I think so far my reading, crafting, and blogging year is going so much better than last year. Well I brought two tickets yesterday for the big Mega Millions Lottery and of course I did not win. So all the life and soul sucking activities going on in my life will continue.

Quick Update

Long day at work, then it was off to Zumba. I made the 5:15 session. It was rough and I could not keep up. The people who teach the sessions and the place you go is great but I really don't like Zumba. I hate exercise and I don't won't to participate. Due to certain circumstances my life or most of it is really not my own. So off to Zumba and exercise I go. I finished reading In the Company of My Sistahs, Angie Daniels. It was a very good read. I think I identified the the most with Kayla Sparks, or at least with her feelings of low self esteem and the choosing of the wrong man. Still working a Beth's Little Star Afghan for Crochet Month which is quickly winding down. Spent a great weekend with my daughter, she came home on Friday and left early Sunday afternoon. We watched movies, talked and ate. I did not cook we went out to eat and ordered take out.

St. Patrick's Day!

Great day today. Got up this morning and made a trip to Costco. I love Costco. It was a stocking day. Had to get Tide,Downy, and dish detergent. Also two 18 pound bags of charcoal. It was our first visit since January. So far no crochet or knitting but I did pay a visit to A C Moore picked up two balls of Berant baby sport yarn, it was on sale and a set of 10.5 29" circular knitting needle's. Still reading In the Company of My Sistahs, by Angie Daniels. In honor of St. Patrick's Day we cooked Corned Beef ,Cabbage, and green potatoes. Found the recipe for the green potatoes on YouTube. My Sister and two of her daughter's and son came over to eat. My nephew did not like the green potatoes but everyone else did. We had a great time. Happy St. Patrick's Day and happy crafting.