Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Here's my contribution to the cause...............

http://www.classiceliteyarns.com/pdf/BCScarf.pdf

http://yoplait.com/breastcancer_lid_kit.aspx

I FINISHED something!

Here's a completed Knitting Bag from the Bag Style KAL. Now I have yet another bag to keep knitting in - but this one is kind of cute and different - it can travel to a coffee shop with me.
Decided to line it this afternoon because it was too stretchy and I wanted it to be sturdy. Bill is thinking the flower on the front was unnecessary - he's probably right. The lining is bright enough.
I found some computer compatible fabric in my junk, so I printed off a fabric label so I won't forget I'm the one who made it. LOL

I will definitely make another one of these. I spent less than $2 on the yarn (I was at the right place at the right time) and the fabric was in my sewing cabinet just sitting there. When I do another one sometime, I'm thinking of painting the wooden needles, or just having plain dowels. Who knows! Tons of options and this was a lot of fun.

Yet More ???

Afraid it's not a Hallmark, Bob!

Husker Volleyball

Do our girls ROCK or what?????? Check out their stats http://www.huskers.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=100&KEY=&SPID=23&SPSID=13

???

Photos of an OFF week :)

On our way up to NW Iowa, we stopped in David City for Schaecher's auction. It was HUGE to say the least. If they had all that stuff in their house (our house, giggle) they'd have had to have it packed pretty darned good. I think you all would have gotten a kick out of it actually. They were nice enough to bring up the items we wanted to bid on before noon so we could scoot out of there. We ended up with the items we went to try and get. This is the painting of Season that is now probably 25 years old painted by Ruth ($40); it sits on the highchair of our YOUTH, advertised as being over 70 years old! How does that make us feel? ($45) and in perfect condition; behind the painting is the framed piece that dad got as a kid in gradeschool ($5); the embroidered table covering Ruth got later in the auction for us ($5); and Bill ended up with a treasure of his own - an iron clown bank. It was a great start to a wonderful week for us both.

Here is Indiana Greg and Bill with their catch from a morning fishing trip. He was our new neighbor this year in the 'toasters'. We enjoyed Greg and his wife Patty.

Then of course, what would be a trip to Okoboji without some fun with family. Here are the guys at Mike and Joan's house during the stinky Husker game. This one is off my phone camera so quality isn't superb, but you get the drift - we were having a VERY good time!

Here is Bill, Kim and Mike.

After the game, the guys must have felt like getting pretty, so out came the Dyson vacuum and the ever present Payzant FlowBee - time for haircuts. Mike did a great job on both Kim and Bill, but boy did we laugh at the timing of this event. Maybe they just wanted to at least look good when they LOST in bowling on Wii that evening against the gals. Huh?

(another cell phone photo) Sunday morning we woke up to this gorgeous scene off our deck. Doesn't get a whole lot better than that for us.

While hooking up the boat Sunday morning, I was getting back in the driver's seat and this image hit me of what's been hanging off our rearview mirror for almost 4 years. It took my breath away. Maybe you had to be there, but it caught me off guard.

And I finally took this photo of one thing I started and almost finished while there: a baby sweater for no one. I just loved the pattern and did it in a cotton/cashmere blend. As you can tell, it needs the sleeves sewn in and cute buttons down the side and a good blocking. Then what? I don't know. But it was sure fun. Did you notice that there are leaves on the front? Does that shock any of you? :)

All in all, this was a fantastic trip, full of relaxing, napping, fishing, knitting (most of what I can't show you), good food and wonderful family and new friends.

Powerful Video

Back Home

Nothing feels better than walking into your own abode after being gone for awhile. Made it back safe and sound, got everything organized while Bill went and picked up the pups. We really miss then when we are gone. We did not take a lot of photos this time, but Bill had great luck fishing, took a new neighbor in the adjoining 'toaster' one morning and they had a great time catching Northern. Got to eat out with Bill's brother and his wife one evening for some of the best food we've ever had in a restaurant (company was great, too). Saturday we tried to hit one of the sports bars to watch the Nebraska game which was only on pay-per-view. Didn't find any, so back we all went to their own home and one of the best times we've had all together. Mike and Joan had just gotten a Nintendo Wii and so after the Husker's HORRIFIC game was over we bowled, played baseball and then the guys golfed - all on the Wii. It was A BLAST!!!!!!!! Yep, I got to be the bowling champ (for the evening) with 7 strikes in a row totalling 232 points! Yes, I had fun - could you guess?

I drove all the way back home this time, gave me great time to continue with my ideas for this new venture I want to go on. Bill was a great help - he slept and left me alone. :)

All in all, it was probably one of the best Okoboji trips we've taken for quite some time, and those of you who know our history and our issues, you would be celebrating right along with us. A huge thank you to supportive family and good friends (old and new) who aren't afraid to get down in the trenches to pull you back out. Blessings to each of you.

I will have photos of the Northern Bill and Greg from Indiana caught, along with some other minor stuff. Keep watching and keep smiling.

Long Weekend and Vacation

I won't be blogging for awhile since this weekend is packed full and then we leave for vacation Sunday morning for a week. But just so you know what we're up to:

1. Company coming from Chicago for the weekend - arriving tonight. THEN all the Canadian fishing trip guys and gals will be over for a fishfry. They call themselves "The Planning Commission". The men do all the work, cooking and whatnot. So it should be a fun evening.

2. We both will be working Saturday which means we will miss the tailgate party. :(

3. Will have to just listen to the game Saturday night (while friends get to GO to the game, but that's why they are coming from Chicago) so we can get packed and organized for leaving Sunday early.

4. Auction Sunday morning in David City which is offering up some of mom's things she sold to her neighbor when she sold the little white house back in the 80's. Could be a lot of fun. Will see mother-in-law at that time and get her some art supplies from Lincoln.

5. Vacation to OKOBOJI till the following Sunday then. All the knitting is packed and arranged and VERY ready for the trip. Went to Threads yesterday to get the final supplies for the greeting card idea I have that needs a prototype done while we're gone. Bill is more than ready with his fishing gear. Will try to take Guitar Hero with us. Bill wants me to teach him how to do the 'slide' and 'hold down' tricks. HA! Maybe he'll finally get himself off the medium setting and put himself up to the next level.

6. Poor pups have to be boarded the whole time. We're bummed.

7. The shop is full up with work while we are gone, which means that I will be working via cell every day to make sure my plans are being followed through with. Am I being a little obsessive? Probably, but the jobs in-house right now are of the critical nature and high dollar tickets.

Hope to find you all doing well when we get back into the swing of every day life on the 24th.

Updating My Lazy Photo Habit

I warned you that Bill was on a roll - painting and all. What a suprise THIS was coming home last night! Straight out of a Christmas Carol, don't you think? He got a lot done and finished up this evening with the bulk of the painting. LABOR DAY

Here are all us old farts, and Heidi. :) The Cole's are traveling across a great deal of territory and were able to stop here in Lincoln over the Labor Day weekend. Here we are after having a great brat lunch by their RV, or should I say HOME!

Pictured are sister-in-law Doris and my brother Jim, don't know who the couple is in the middle, just know they kept saying they needed a nap after such a big lunch, and then brother-in-law Julian and my sister Donna along with Heidi.

This is the August mystery dishcloth. Needless to say I was quite disappointed in the design.
And no one gets to touch my YARN HO!
Here is a satchel that I will be felting at some point and lining. Pretty excited about this one.
And here is the shawl update.......... working toward the center back. Then will come the long and tedious part once this little mid-section is done.

Nice Suprise

I'd totally forgotten I'd ordered a couple of knitting books from Amazon and they just walked in the door of my office. Since there was not time for lunch today, it was a great break to sit back and look through these new treasures. Must be a hormonal day because one of the photos in one of the books made me think of my two beautiful treasures in heaven. Silly old woman, aren't I! There was just something about the flowers pictured in this one.........

Donna, you have some idea of what I'm planning for these. This book is more perfect than the one I found at Hobby Lobby a couple weeks ago. PERFECT! Guess what's going on vacation with me now?

Lack of Photos Tuesday

You all know I love to blog, but there hasn't been much this past week but work, and more work. I have 'vacation' dangling in front of my nose like a carrot next week, and the move to the new shop is getting closer to happening every day. My right hand gal is on vacation this week and Bill is working hard on the other building, so duties at the office will be triple this week. And that's FINE! It forces me to be more organized so that next week will run smoother for everyone else around the shop. We are still waiting for the roof repairs to be done at the other building along with new heating and air. Major projects. I do have a wonderful picture of Bill after a full day of painting ceilings yesterday I'll get up here at some point. He looked like a ghost, right out of "A Christmas Carol". We had a good chuckle.

I worked both days this past weekend, but still found some time to get my homework almost done and knit a little. I have photos of a couple more dishcloths for you, Carole, (well, one you can't have because it says YARN HO) and an update on the shawl which has been more rewarding than any other project I think I've done. I also was given an idea (maybe done already but I don't care) yesterday on my way to work for a unique kind of greeting card. It will take some work and time, but I'm thinking it could work somewhere in the local marketplace. Will take supplies along on vacation to work on ideas while I look out onto the lake from the best spot I can imagine. Looking forward to some down time, and some recouping time.

Hoping and praying you are all doing good, traveling safely and enjoying life.

For you 80's kids!

Too much time on my hands?

Click the title - see what you get...........

SIBS!!! Read up!

The following letter was waiting for me today after work! Maybe some of you got the same letter, but here it is anyway. We will be driving up to Okoboji that day for the week, so of course I will be making Bill stop in DC first before we trek on. This was such a wonderful surprise!!!!
PLEASE keep me up to date if anyone wants anything out of this list - we'll do our best. I'm still in shock - HOW COOL!

Just for Fun

New 12-Week Commitment

I started a 12-week journey in a new study by Beth Moore last night. If any of you have done one of her workbooks, you know that there is work involved, and lots of it. There are 36 in our group, which has its pros and cons. Too many in the group doesn't lead to much discussion time, but it's good to see that many want to do this study and work. As is typical with this author, the group will dwindle as time goes on because it is time consuming. But I absolutely love all the digging and probing and finding things out for myself that Beth Moore encourages. Hard to fit discussion and an hour video in an hour and fifteen minutes. :) Anyway, if any of you who love to dig and discover, find a group in town doing one of these studies and join in. Beth Moore is a fantastic author and speaker. (check out the Living Proof Ministries link to the left)

p.s. And me being a glutton for punishment signed up for another Beth Moore journey across town starting in September. But that one I get to do with my daughter. How cool is that!

Shawl Update

I was so excited that the medium gray came today that I had to sit for a little bit after work to see how it was going to look. This is the bottom point on the back side of the shawl. There, now I've proven that I CAN DO IT! :) Twenty-four rows and 6 hours into it, not too shabby. Now that a pattern has finally shown up, the rows don't take as long as before. Doesn't look like a lot yet, but just you all wait. You'll see!

p.s. Finally found a way to get a quality photo up of the ultimate goal. :)

I just HAVE to blog....

Here is our oldest granddaughter, Abby, starting off her fall season of soccer with the Bengals (same as spring time). They won, and by such a high margin, I can't even remember! They did so good and have such a neat little team. She really enjoys this - and it's fun watching her play.
And low and behold, Tyler's old roommate Brian (some of you will remember him as the cow on Halloween) stopped over with their new baby Saturday. Here is Brian and Carter, who is two months old. He is such a proud papa - of course we offered to babysit when they need. Talk about a baby that is ALL boy!
Here sits the rest of my knitted dishcloths. Three are done, one needs ends woven in. Carole, I hope you can use these!!!!!

Decided to order the color I tried subbing in the Icelandic Shawl as they had been out when I originally ordered. The blue in the picture of yarn I posted earlier just bothered me. They e-mailed me this weekend saying the medium gray was available now, so I'm on hold till that comes in. Which is fine.

I need to think of something to knit in red, for the women's heart disease awareness. Any ideas on something that would be simple and I could give away?

The weekend was terrific. Along with babies and soccer, we did go to the State Fair and had a riot!!!!! We enjoyed the Nebraska Lottery booth where I got to show that an old lady CAN play Guitar Hero and beat the youngin's once in awhile. I got 2 free scratch off lottery tickets just for playing the way I did! WoooooHOOOOOO We have never really gone alone without small children, and we have to say that evaluating all we did on our drive home, we have one heck of a great time. :)

Hope all of you are doing good.

Simple Updates

It's State Fair time once again, and the weather looks like it will be cooler than normal, maybe rainy (which is fine for the old folk like us). Looking forward to spending a few hours out there later today, check out the scenery. One of the gals in my knitting group has entered one or two things and we want to check out how she did, or if it's even been judged yet.

I have no photos to show, but there are two more dishcloths done (cables on one, jack-o-lantern on the other), the front of the doll/baby dress is finished, and the first 8 rows of the Icelandic shawl is complete as of this morning. The special needles I ordered for the shawl came yesterday, but I ordered a set that is too short so had to re-order the correct ones. Senior moment? Nah, couldn't be that. :) I was hoping to have a dedicated set for this project.

The best part of all this is the shawl. I am so glad that the encouragement came and I took the plunge. Sitting there and working on it keeps my mind focused on the giftee (Abby) and her future. Wonderful prayer time, hopeful wishing time and just plain happy thinking time. It takes an average of a half hour per row right now (this will be lacey) so that means there's been more than 4 hours put into it already. But Bill and I discussed it and when there is someone so precious to be doing it for, the time is nothing. We are both excited to see this project's progress. (Shhh, Season - don't you tell her one thing about this.)

Here's hoping everyone has a safe and fun weekend!