Busy As A Bee

For starters, I found a job. I'm now working in the offices of Borlind of Germany, a high-end, natural skin care line from...you guessed it, Germany. The best part is that they gave me the schedule I want so Bubba is now in daycare only 3 days a week. Very nice product, very nice people. They're sending me to Anaheim in March to help out with Expo West, a HUGE natural foods/products show. Should be a lot of fun, a lot of work, but a lot of fun. I've only ever worked a show from the buyer's side of the table.

I've been busy on the knitting front. Everyone I know is having babies! A friend of mine just had her second daughter (her first is one of Natalie's first friends, they're a week apart.) I knit her up the little kimono from "One Skein". And two of the girls I work with now are due any day, so I knit up hats for their impending little ones. Also out of "One Skein". I just love that book, especially when I need a special gift that won't cost me an arm and a leg and knits up in a weekend (or an evening.)

One of the ladies I work with is having a girl, the other is having a boy. Hence the Valentine's color scheme...I just couldn't do blue in February!

I also visted my local yarn store...they sent out a "Superbowl Weekend Sale" email. 40% off ALL LOBSTER POT YARNS!! INCLUDING CASHMERE! For those of you who don't knit, or buy yarn, Lobster Pot is a small, small company in Cape Cod that produces beautiful yarns that are hand-dyed in actual lobster pots. The colors have wonderful New England names like "boiled lobster," "drawn butter," "hydrangea," "cape cod sky." I could go on and on. Anyway, I hit the store at 10 sharp and snagged all the boiled lobster and salt rose cashmere I could afford. Two skeins of each! And one each for Mummie, as well as some seagrass. This yarn is soooo soft, I keep rubbing it on my cheeks. I think the pink is going to become a hat, the red? Any suggestions?

I've also been baking. BubbaLou likes to help. Lick the bowl, that is. Chocolate chip cookies.

Speaking of cookies, one last goodie before I go. Sy got this enormous vase for me just before the holidays. It stands about 2 feet tall and about a foot or 14 inches across. I'd been looking for one that wasn't $250, and my bargain hunter found me one. Too late to fill it with pumpkins, I chose to use all my cookie cutters instead. I collect them, but only the all metal ones. I've got snowflakes, martini glasses, flamingos, camels, almost every animal imaginable, a high-heel shoe, a hand, as well as the classics...heart, bell, tree, snowman, star..anything goes, I love them all. These are one of my favorite things in the "whole wide world," as BubbaLou puts it. They are ultimately destined for a special wall in my kitchen, but until then I just love them in the jar on my table.

If we ever get the walls painted, you'll get to see them in all their glory. I'm actually framing them all , like a giant picture. Who says cookies aren't art? And yes, I do use them. Frequently. Bubba Lou thinks its great fun when I have to dump out the entire vase to get one on the bottom!

Let's Catch Up

Happy New Year from us to you! BubbaLou was so excited to get a crown, hat and two noise-makers. Mama and Daddy were excited that she couldn't blow hard enough to make the noise-makers work! Sy and I actually watched the ball drop with my sister and a friend. We didn't get home until about 1am. I cannot honestly remember the last time I was up that late (by choice.)

Here's a picture of the quilt I did for the holidays. I love it, and think it came out really well for my first quilting attempt, but I will never do it again. Snipping the edges of all of those block nearly did me in. The red you see is the back of the quilt.

On a less happy note, I'm job hunting. The shop I was hired to run has not done the $$ we had anticipated, and the owner cannot afford to cut my paychecks anymore. Yeah, it sucks, but I'm trying to be positive. I have a second interview for an office position today, so keep your fingers crossed for me.

And if anyone who reads this needs yarn, I'll be cleaning out my stash on eBay. Being out of a job and all, I need to generate some $$. I will also be giving up some Hallmark Disney ornaments and some various other "stuff" that, hopefully, someone will just have to have! Give me a few days, but then check out bubbasweepea on eBay!

It's Over!

Finally, December 26th has arrived. Actually, 7:00pm December 25th arrived! My tree was out the door by 8pm, and the rest of the decorations were in their places in the attic by 2pm this afternoon, with the excpetion of the outside stuff. Most of that waits until January thaw. The silver and china is packed away until spring, and my kitchen is back to rights. Aaaaahhhhhh.

Don't get me wrong, I love the holidays and the decorations. We just put them up WAY earlier this season due to a holday cocktail party that never happened. I was soooo tired of sweeping up pine needles...there is something to be said for faux trees.

Naaah, I still couldn't do it. I have a Dyson for a reason.

The holiday was good to us all. BubbaLou especially. The trike was a big hit, as was the Cub Cadet tractor w/ trailer that Poppy brought, and the piano that Nana brought. I know the holidays aren't about the stuff, but damn, Bubba's got it good. She's been circling the island in the kitchen like a shark...she figured out pedalling really quick. Steering, you ask? We're working on it.

Oh, by the way...

I finished my quilt for the living room. I LOVE IT. And for my first attempt at quilting, I think I did a very good job. I will post a pic as soon as I can figure out where the camera went.

Peace on Earth, good will towards men.

Technically, we're a Solstice-celebrating household, but due to work schedules and tradition, we do "Christmas." I think the only year I haven't worked on Solstice was the year BubbaLou was born, and I was so exhausted that I didn't even care there were holidays at all. Now it's a different story.

Santa is bringing BL the tricycle of my dreams...a wonderful Kettler with air tires and a bell. This baby supports up to 400 POUNDS! He, he, he...gives me some fun ideas. Go to http://www.kettlerusa.com/ to get the scoop on how fabulous these are.

Here is the hat for my Dad, modeled by the lovely and willing BL. There was very little money in the budget for gifts, but I know how much he will love this. Especially the ear flaps, and that it's washable wool. The hat is knit from the hem up, with the earflaps done in short rows, so the "hem" and flaps are two layers of hand-knit warmth.

And I can't post it until after it hits the stocking, but wait until you see the hat for BL! It is so cute I almost couldn't stand to knit it!

I hope everyone enjoys their holiday this year and gets what they wish for most from dear old St. Nick. Me? Silk yarn, and a swift. Pretty please, Santa...I promise I've been good. And I leave the best cookies in town (and a glass of scotch.)

Merry, Merry, Merry....to you.

Running out of time

Where does it go? How does it fly away so quickly? How am I going to get 75 more apricot cookies baked before Friday? Not to mention clean my house and grocery shop for holiday dinner. My only day off is Wedndesday, and BubbaLou has gymnastics. If the lessons weren't so expensive I'd say screw it, but we missed one last week due to the storm. I can't stand to miss two that I can't make up.

Abbie, your whoopie pies will hopefully go in the mail tomorrow. I ate one last night. Oh. My. Gosh. I am warning you now, I am not responsible for the calorie count in these treats, nor am I responsible for how many you eat. I will however go shopping with you so we can both buy new pants. Or treadmills. Your choice. I think new pants will be easier.

My holiday shopping is just barely starting. I'm hoping one of the gifts for Sy shows up before the holiday, but no bets. Some night this week I have to go do stocking stuffers.

Have I mentioned I also have to finish two knitting projects by Monday?

Yes, I'm a little bit crazy.

Missing

Between working full-time, a million birthday parties, and Thanksgiving, I've been busy. BubbaLou recently turned 3, so a party was required. 8 (maybe 50?) small children running around my house. Their parents, some Aunts, Uncles, cousins, friends...I had a party with 25 or so people (4 days before Thanksgiving.) I just love a challenge, and birthday cake. Red velvet with the most amazing frosting in the whole wide world. I could eat it by itself in a bowl, and I'm not really a frosting girl. Just give me the cake.

Bubba's favorite gift, a REAL, pink guitar. I can't tell you how many renditions of
"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" I've heard.

I've also been busy on the sewing front. Here's a scarf I just completed with some extra fabric from a quilt I'm doing for the couch. It's a super-soft flannel in beautiful holiday prints. A little whimsical without being childish. The quilt and scarf have exposed seams on one side that get clipped and then fray in the wash, making a little fringe around all the blocks. I saw the quilt in progress at the local quilt shop and even though it's a little too "country," I thought it was pretty and it gave me a good excuse to buy the flannel I had seen on my last visit. Yes, I need an excuse to buy fabric. This is a taste of what 336 quilt square blocks looks like. I think I actually cut out closer to 400, but only needed 336. My kitchen looked like it was covered in a film of fuzz after I was done. Well worth it, though. I just think these colors are so soft and pretty. And it will be nice to have something seasonal on the couch to snuggle up in.

I do not need an excuse to buy yarn. In fact, my local shop was having a coupon sale...how convenient. I bought some wonderful washable wool for a new hat for my Dad, and some bulky, 100% silk yarn in a beautiful, shimmery silver. Perfect for a holiday scarf. Taa-daa. As if I've got nothing better to do.

The holiday baking season has begun, after all. And my darlin' Sy gave me the three BIG King Arthur Flour cookbooks for my birthday. I told him I might as well just paste the pages to my thighs. These cookbooks have centerfolds, for crying out loud. I wanted to lick the pages, it's baker porn.

Abbie, do you want some more pumpkin whoppie pies? I can't be the only one eating this stuff.