T on T

This week's topic is 10 things you like about your home.   While we live in an apartment and not a free standing house we do have some things we love about this style of living. 

1. Maintenance----its all done by the complex, the refrigerator or AC unit goes, call them, the toilet leaks call them, they mow the grass, they shovel the snow but not timely enough for us, so Tom still finds himself doing that. Dumpsters for trash, no taking cans to the curb. 
2. First Floor----we have forgone steps, and I am pleased.  I like being almost ground level (One step up) and easy access to sitting outside, grilling is easier etc.
3. The lightness of the apartment, the living room gets sun almost all day and being downstairs it is not as hot as our other apartment was. 
4. the acoustic's ----again because there is no stairway leading to dead space everything sounds better in here. 
5. Recent renovations---this complex is about 45 years old, but out apartment has recently been renovated, so new windows, new kitchen counters and cabinets, new bathroom ---just wish they had updated the fridge, stove and dishwasher but when they go they will have to.
6. Carpet----that Tom put in the living room and hall way, it is so soft, I love it, the carpet in the dining room is pretty, and the one in the bedroom works! 
7. New furniture---new home, new loveseats and recliner courtesy of a phenomenal sale at Raymour and Flanagan, got all 3 pieces for less then 700 dollars from their clearance department. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. Bright fixings, since the furniture and carpet is brown we have bright toss pillows, Tom's bright paintings, a bright cushion on the rocker, and lots of other bright accessories. 
9. The closet situation is similar to the other apartment only a linen closet, a bed room closet and a closet under the stairs going up. They do seem a little bigger which is good since we gave up the attic.
10. The rent had not gone up in 5 years.  It is going up this year but only 20$.  Of course if Tom gets bitten by the moving south bug again who knows if we will renew the lease, but for right now it is home! 

KNIT ON ! 

Monday Funday

KNIT ON!!!

Boonton's Dog Daze of Summer

When I was nine we moved to Lincoln Park, NJ   For about 4 years I grew up there not even knowing there was a Boonton, NJ but by the time I was in 8th grade  I pretty much knew about it, that's where LP kids went to High School.  Up until that point I can't remember ever being there before, built on hill, with RT 287 being constructing cutting the flat parts off from the hilly parts, the Fireman's Home is located there and I spent a lot of time there.  School itself was a must do, but I learned to drive there, I hung out with friends from there, I went to track matches there to watch my crush at the time, and I went Christmas Caroling there, that night was magical, it snowed and we all went door to door, it was just a great experience.  My girlfriend Joanne's sister worked in the school/work program and she was at Tredway's (a shipping company long gone on Myrtle Ave) and Joanne and I would stay after school just so we could hang out in her really cool fast back Mustang and wait for her to drive us home.  The absolute best pizza ever to be had was at Narcisses just a few doors away, my dad, Tom, my brother and I would go there after my brother's wrestling matches and order onion pie,  To this day nothing rivals it.  I moved away when I got married and never really gave Boonton much of a thought after that.   Then my sister Barbara got married and she and the first hubby lived there, then she and the second hubby lived there, my youngest sister also lived there so we would be in and out of Boonton.   My parents eventually rented an apartment there, so tiny you can fit it in half of mine, and sadly they died there too, and are buried in Boonton.  Thirteen years ago, Tom and I downsized, and moved to Lake Hiawatha which is also a town or two away from Boonton.  Since the early days there is now a Wal-Mart, and a branch of the same bank I went to in Sussex County and my brother lives on the outskirts, Boonton Township. When we drive home from the hospital and sometimes the diner we drive through Mountain Lakes, Boonton Township and Boonton,we drive down the Main Street, a steep narrow winding hill 

abundantly filled with shops, galleries, eclectic restaurants and everyday needs like the old library and  post office.  For the last 3 years in the beginning of June they have decorated the outsides of these with painted fiber glass dogs.  What I wouldn't give to be able to walk up and down and see them. They are just awesome.Originally started by a theraputic private school they are now  Boonton Arts oriented and gone from 30 dogs to probably about one hundred.  They are on display for 3 months and then auctioned in October.  Some are mounted outside and some are in shop windows,  They are colorful and some times thematic and make me smile when ever I go by.   They really do make me smile. 

KNIT ON!!!!

Wednesday's Knitting Update

i finished two Boo Shawlettes last week, I thought I was making shawls but both turned out more like scarves----operator error or just because they sit unblocked.  Master Blocker is behind 9 shawls right now, I have to figure out a way to do this myself but the only large flat area is the floor and I can not get up and down off the floor without a lot, and I mean a lot of difficulty. 

Here are some shots of Temptress in Posh Audrey--Red,  Its a Red Lipstick Day, and Morticia in Rowan Fine Lace Black. 

I started Kristen Kapur's Mystery Knit A long a half pi shawl, I started it Sunday afternoon and have done the first 3 clues in the first 3 days.  I will work on clue 4 the next few days and be caught up bu Monday when Clue 5 arrives. 

I ordered from Jimmy Beans some Freia Handpaint Lace in Vertigo

for the Strutting Peacock Knit Along, but it starts out in lovely peacock colors but the skein I got is the reverse of this so its lots of brown  So today I ordered an additional cake of that yarn in Maple

and will do some piecing ---not really any different then if I used individual colors all along.  I am going to make Lankakermo's Panache with this yarn.   For the Boo Moon Shawl I went into stash and got some gradient shades of Blue Palette and I will be doing New Beginnings, this one will probably be without beads, I need a little break from the little time suckers! 

What do you want to knit this summer??  KNIT ON! 

Ten on Tuesday

TV Dads---that is today's topic!!! Some of these others may not agree with but I am thinking of them in merit of their entertainment abilities not their real life persona's or peccadillo's!

1. Tom Bradford----8 is enough, loved that show loved Dick Van Patten may he rest in peace 
2. John Walton----looked so much like my own dad, easy to see him as a dad figure
3. John Abbot, Sr.---from the Young and the Restless, he was great, he still shows up as a ghost and I love it when he does
4. Alan Eppes---from the TV show Numbers----so wise
5. Dan Connors-
   
   --Roseanne, he and Rosie's mimicked Tom and I on more then one occasion
6. Russell Huxtable---The Cosby Show, a wise grandpa with  sense of humor
7. Mr. Mitchell----Dennis's father, he knew how to love that little menace
8. Steve Douglas---my Three Sons (at a time) he actually had 4, loved that show! 
9. Charles Ingalls---another one who looked like a younger version of my dad, he was great 
10. Martin Lane----raising not one but two identical cousins on The Patty Duke Show

I am dating myself with this list but there was some good TV here, I could also mention Ben Cartwright, James Evans, Tony Soprano (yes--he was a good dad) and Ozzie Nelson, just to add a few more!!!

KNIT ON!!! 

Currently

Currently.... 

- taking some time to discover what I want to challenge myself with next knit wise  I finished two beaded knit Boo shawls this week and will participate in the next two monthly knit alongs, I have a blanket for Tom started, and another circular shawl that is hibernating---so do I want to continue with them or do I want to cast on new.  Kirsten Kapur's TLL mystery is softly calling to me. 

- taking myself to the limit physically for me.  I find I just cannot walk everyday at the meditation labyrinth, it is just too much, the pain causes anxiety attacks which scare the hell out me, I truly thought my heart attack was a panic attack so how do I know the difference

- enjoying summer!  even though the weather can't decide between rain and oppressive humidity, I still don't have watch Tom shovel it, or complain about how he can't do his job because no one cleans their walkways and driveways so he can cut carpet,  I will take summer any day. 

- gearing up for visits with my son and hopefully next week with Ria and then with Maisie and her Mom and Dad. I think I have a day trip with sister Christine coming soon too, if she can fit it into her schedule now that school is out in her district. 

-focusing on the power of prayer  even though Tom's work thank God has picked up and he is steadily busy, he is having age related problems doing his job, I need to pray constantly for his good health because medical debt will keep him working for a very long time, and of course I throw in a selfish little prayer for a decent size lottery win.  Tom always has said if we win big he would save someone the agony of loosing their house to bankruptcy (something we know first hand) and I KNOW someone very dear to me who is going through this right now, with three small children and no place to go.  God I would love to help them  and make life a little easier for my Tom. 

- searching for  new none medical ways for dealing with anxiety and depression, for making sense of a very trouble world, for words of encouragement for friends and family faced with difficult times and answers to why my friend Jenn is still suffering the ravages of her aneurysm, and has to spend time in a coma, its been 5 weeks and there has been no change in her condition although they did move her to rehab. 

-hoping you all have a happy and safe weekend.   KNIT ON!!! 

Ten on Tuesday

today's topic is 10 things we want to do this summer.  I will try to come up with ten, I will try to make some of them something other then knitting but you can be assured most will be knitting related. 

1. Visit with my sister Christine,
   
    I have not seen her in months and months, and I miss her. The last time we went Tom wound up in the hospital with his BPH problems and I think sub-consciously that is scaring him off, but a nice quiet afternoon on her deck, talking and drinking iced tea sounds like heaven to me
   
2. Visit with Maisie as much as we can----she is growing so fast and it is already 3 weeks since the last time we saw her, I am always so afraid she will forget who we are---Today is her mommy Jeanne's  birthday. I know where I was 34 years ago today!
3. eat lobster----I told Tom the other night that a life long dream is to eat so much lobster at one sitting that I have to leave some for leftovers.  I love lobster and I have never had my fill of it, I have always been left wanting more. (It is one of my 5 favorite foods of all time)
4. Continue walking, it is going very slow and always with the walker, I hurt really bad and hope everyone is right that it will go away eventually but I don't know
5. Knit the Blue Moon KAL with Boo Knits in July, and the Peacock Gradient KAL in August with Gradient forum on Ravelry. 
6. Finish the two other Boo's and the Noro Circular Shawl I have going, For when I just can't look at lace any longer I am working on a mitered squares blanket that Tom has claimed as own with scraps of every which yarn I have,  Each square is started in white. 
7. Try to find out about renting a wheel chair and visit a couple of gardens and zoo's for day trips this summer, it worked so well in Alabama I would like to do it again. 
   
   
   
   
   
8. Keep up with my morning reading---most of my fictional knitting authors have new books debuting in the summer months, so hopefully I will have plenty to keep me going.  Right now I am reading Black Sheep Mystery #7 by Anne Canadeo---The Postman Always Purls Twice. 
9. Have an ice cream soda --  I have been craving a chocolate ice cream soda for days.
   
   Maybe when Tom calls to say he is on his way home I will have him get the ingredients. 
10. Watch Under The Dome---it is my Stephen King guilty pleasure.  I have never ever read any of his books but there are some of his shows and movies I really enjoy and this is one of them  Season 3 starts June 25th, of course its only a couple of weeks since the dome landed, yet the characters in real life have aged 3 years already, I always find that interesting. 

Any plans for you this summer?????

KNIT ON! 

PIN IT!

I am sure after all the hype I have given it, my readers (the few I have) will think I have a huge pin cushion collection.(in my earlier years my girlfriends and I used to say when you have two of something you have a set, when you have three or more you have a collection)   I am almost embarrassed to admit that I only have 4 but I have lots and lots of pictures on my Pinterest page. I hope with time to grow my collection---I think they are cute, small, have distinct personalities, aren't breakable like the things I usually collect, and the ultimate dream is to replace our very sad coffee table with a display case coffee table and put my collection in there .  Here are the four I have, I made the hedgehog and my sister Christine made the other three. 

And now some pictures of ones I have been dreaming about for some time. I need to take a day and just knit a few more of them for myself. I just find them so darn cute!!!

Adorable! Right?

KNIT ON! 

&

PIN IT! 

this and that

did you ever have one of those days where you feel like you are not doing something you should be doing, its driving me batty today and I have no clue what I am forgetting.  A granddaughter, Meredith, had a birthday yesterday, next week is sister Christine's, daughter Jeanne's and grandson Jake's. Bills aren't due for another few days, went to the doctor on Monday--although they still have not phoned in my prescription ---maybe that is what is hanging over my head. 

Knitting wise I am working on three shawls, two of which are Boo's and beaded, and I started a mitered scrap blanket for charity. I need a  wee little break from hats. 

I am still playing with my pincushion post, it will appear when you least expect it. 

KNIT ON!!

Knitting Photos for you to Peruse

nothing is blocked, 2 charity hats, 2 more finished but not photographed yet, the cable shawl I designed and the madison shawl I improvised on.  Right now----still have 3 UFO's going and still working on charity projects.  Plans for many shawls but don't know what to do with them when I finish them, if anyone knows of some really good charities that need shawls please comment.  The places I have been using aren't in need at this time. I received an overstuffed box full of yarn from a dear facebook/blog friend Susan. This box will keep me busy for a long time and I could not be more grateful! 

Have a good weekend    KNIT ON! 

Botanical Gardens Huntsville, AL

we had a lovely trip to the gardens----the weather was dicey on the way too them, but while we walked the large park (I rode in a wheelchair) we only had a few sprinkles ---a respite from the hot sun. 

While we were there they are having a Lego display with garden themed sculptures in various locations.  It was quite nice, especially when you read how many legos went into building them.

I did miss a few   a lawn mower, some gold finches, an orchid, an actual gardener, a Koi, and a germinating acorn, but the wheelchair only went so far!!

KNIT ON!

we are Back

The trip for ME was a mixed bag of emotions, the ride down was good, timely, no problems at all----we made it in great time to attend the graduation which was very crowded and hot but we are very proud of our eldest grangirl.  She graduated 9th in her class, the vice president of her class and received over $20,000 in scholarships, several honors cords and the gold sash.She loves getting cards in the mail   Her address is 

Columbia Nave

17656 Coffman Road

Elkmont AL 35620

   She is going to Mountbelo college in Southern Alabama about 3 hours away.. We met the extended family including Columbia's mom's parents, sister and brother in law and her (Carrie--the mom) best friend, Sara--her husband Mike and their children, we also met Columbia (here to known as Bean) 's boyfriend Dalton, his mom Melinda, and his sister Katelyn who was the cutest 15 year old ever, She thought Tom was the coolest guy at the graduation before she even realized he was related to Bean. (Mostly because of the tattoos).  Columbia's Mom Carrie died in an auto accident 6 years ago, Columbia was badly injured and was only 12 at the time.  Chad was also hurt but rallied to take care of his darling girl. 

That was all on Friday and then Saturday we got a late start (courtesy of Bean) but we went to breakfast (Cracker Barrel for the 4th time at that point) and then the Gardens---which were beautiful, they had a wheelchair at the gardens for me to use and it was a god send, although Tom probably didn't think so having to push it. They had a huge lego display going on too and it was just a great way to spend 3 1/2 hours. IT had poured on the way there, then sprinkled a bit as we walked around, and the poured again later in the evening. Tom had a very bad night that night and we were afraid we were going to get acquainted with Athens Hospital but it passed and I think it was more sugar related then BPH related. Sunday we truly did not do a thing except go out to breakfast ( yes CB) and then they did all their shopping and we just hung out.   We said good bye about 9 and headed back to the Best Western, we left at 5:30 Monday and did pretty well until about 4 PM when we hit the most torrential rains we have ever driven through, we had the flashers on and were in 4 wheel drive. IT poured like that long after we checked into the hotel and it poured all the way home on Tuesday not letting up until we got into NJ---the normally 4 hour part of the trip took 6 1/2.  We have been virtually exhausted. 

I have not downloaded photo's but I do have this one that has been on Facebook.  

KNIT ON!