Friday, December 30, 2011

Clepsydra

I'm happy to have these done, because it has gotten cold recently!  These are the first mittens I've ever finished, which is hard to believe.  Overall I'm happy with them, but if I make them again I would make them shorter.  The pattern says that they should be 5.5" from the end of the thumb gusset to the end.  Mine are 6" and 6.25" (more on that later), yet they are a good inch and a half longer than my hand.
I learned something new with this pattern.  The cuff starts with a cabled i-cord.  I cord I can do, but I had never considered adding a cable to it.  It adds a nice bit of detail to the cuff!  The rest of the mitten is a free-flowing twisted stitch cable.  I didn't memorize the pattern, but it didn't take too long before it was intuitive as to what would happen next.  I like patterns like that.
The second mitten ended up being longer than the first one.  I thought it was because I had changed needles midway through the second one.  I just had to try out my new Signature needles I got for Christmas :-)  It turns out though that the problem was that I started the decreases 3 rows earlier on the first mitten but forgot to make a note of it on my pattern :-(  I finished the second one in the waiting room at the hospital while my son was having surgery and I left the first mitten at home, so didn't have it handy to compare the two.  Overall though, enjoyable pattern and comfy finished mittens.

Pattern: Clepsydra
Yarn: Cascade 220
Needle: Size 6
Mods: started decreases early on one mitten and ended decreases early on both

Thursday, December 29, 2011

WIP's on Thursday?

Thursday already :-(  I'm not sure how that happened, but I know it's true.  Probably because it's vacation week for us.  The kids are all home and Tom always takes this week off too.  You know what that means.... NO schedule!  It's nice, even though we did have a few commitments, but it also throws me off kilter every time.

I've been working on a few things since the last time I blogged.  I cast on the Brookfield Cowl.  Marcy is right, having my neck warm makes a huge difference in how cold or hot I am!  I have a scarf that I've been wearing the dickens out of, so it's time to add some nice hand-knits.  I picked out some Lush thinking that it will feel nice against the skin. This white will look nice with both my red jacket and my black coat too.  I was a little worried that the angora halo might obscure the stitch definition, but it's not a problem at all.
It starts with an icord cast on.  The join looks a little wonky to me, but I did follow the directions and marked the stitch I was supposed to for the finishing instructions later. (Marcy, if you're reading this and want to comment, I'd love to hear your thoughts!)
I also got back to the Lissajous socks.  I probably should have chosen a lighter color, but the farther along I get, the more convinced I am that it's going to be fine.  There's no way though that I'm finishing these by the end of the month for the Knit Sock Love KAL.
I also got back to the Washington Square sweater.  I finished the first sleeve and have about a third of the second sleeve done.
See those shiny new gold needles?  Yup, they're Signature needles!  They are a Christmas gift from my sweetie :-) I had used the Wish List on the Signature site after Sock Summit and emailed it to Tom.  It was really slick and easy to use and he was able to order exactly what I wanted.

What's on your needles this week?

Friday, December 23, 2011

A Modified Plan

I've spent the last month or so knitting like a crazy woman trying to add to my gift basket of knits, hoping that I would have enough small items that all my family members could choose something that they liked.  I thought it was a great idea but I didn't plan enough time to knit for everybody.  I decided I needed a Plan B!  Plan B turned out to be enough knits for my side of the family.  It turned out to be a great hit! 

We had a great afternoon together.  We had snacks, soups, and fabulous desserts.  After a fun Yankee Swap we settled in to enjoy the Patriots game.
I don't think that I will have an opportunity to blog again until after Christmas, so from my family to yours, I'd like to wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Friday, December 16, 2011

It's Here!

*** Warning - RSC and Cookie A Sock Club Spoilers below ***

Christmas came early this week in the form of yarn!  In July my LYS, Spinning Yarns, had a special on Madelinetosh yarns.  We could special order any of their yarn bases, with a minimum of 4 skeins, and it would be 20% off.  We could also double dip with our frequent buyer card, which gave me an additional discount.  I also saved a gift certificate I had received for my birthday that spring to put toward my special order.  The end result when I put it all together, was a 50% out of pocket savings for me :-)  I picked out Tosh Vintage in Composition Book Grey for a Dark and Stormy Cardigan.  Margot called earlier this week to let me know that the 10 skeins I ordered finally arrived!
It's an interesting color!  I ordered it based on the picture on the website.  When I pulled it out of the bag I was surprised to see the purplish undertone, but when I took it outside into natural daylight it became a true grey.  I'm considering changing my plan and making a Vodka Gimlet instead with it.  I won't cast on until after Christmas, so I still have plenty of time to obsess about it.

While I was at the LYS picking this up I also picked up a couple more yarns "for gift knitting" :-)  First is Berrocco's Vintage Chunky.  I actually did start a new hat with this today. 
I also got 2 skeins of Classic Elite's Lush for a Brookfield Cowl.  I think it will work well. I'm just a little nervous that the Angora halo may overpower the stitch definition.  It will feel nice against the skin though!
I also stumbled upon a great deal on a destash on Ravelry that I couldn't pass up.  Madelinetosh tosh dk, in this gorgeous Logwood color for $8.50.  I looked at it 6 times thinking it had to be a typo.  It's $19.50 at the LYS.  Well, not a typo so I bought it.  It arrived in yesterday's mail and it is gorgeous!  I think it's going to become a hat for me.  Or mittens.
Last week I said I would show the November Rockin Sock Club yarn this week.  Here it is, Comfort & Joy!  It's such a happy color!  I've liked all the colors this year, but this one is my favorite from 2011.
Look at the colors all mixed together in the emergency skein.  Love,Love, Love!
Sign-ups for the 2012 Club are in January.  I'll be signing up again for sure.  I'm not sure how Tina can top this year's colors and patterns, but I know I'll continue to be amazed!

The last yarn that arrived this week is from the Cookie A Sock Club for December.  The yarn is Bugga!  I love the green and purple together.  I haven't gotten the pattern packet yet.  If you've not heard, Cookie's Mother passed away, so understandably she needed to leave town unexpectedly to travel to Thailand to be with family.  To add to her family's difficult time, her family's home was damaged by the severe recent flooding in Thailand.  If you'd like to read Cookie's note about this, it's in the announcements thread of the Sock Club group on Ravelry.  There is also a thread to leave your condolences if you are so moved.
Anyway, Cookie is a designing genius, so I can't wait to see what she designed to go with this colorway! 

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Ten on Tuesday

10 Hostess Gifts

This certainly is a timely topic this week, as it often is, as so many of will be visiting friends and family celebrating the holiday season. It's nice to think of my host/hostess and bring a little something for them to enjoy later.  I don't know about you, but I have some friends who are fabulous at entertaining.  I know they put a lot of time, energy and attention into the event and to making everyone feel welcome and comfortable, so I try to remember to bring a little something to say "Thanks".  Here are some ideas.....

1. Poinsettia - They are always beautiful at this time of year
2. Wine - always a nice gift. If you have a local vineyard that would add a fun local twist to it.
3. Peppermint Schnapps - great by itself or to add to some cocoa.
4. Maple Syrup - the real stuff, not Mrs. Buttersworth. If you're traveling, I think it's a neat idea to bring a local specialty to share with your hosts.
5. Candles - either a scented jar candle or some tapers tied together with a pretty bow.
6. Seasonal Hand Towels -
7. Candy - Does your host happen to love Lindt Truffles?  Or do you have a local candy maker?
8. Flowers - A small seasonal arrangement is always nice
9. CD - A collection of seasonal music is nice, or if you know your hostess likes a particular genre or artist you can get something special that would fit.
10. Beach Towel - I know this is an odd one, BUT here's the story that goes with it.  I've mentioned before that I have a lakefront home, so I tend to have a fair bit of company, although it's mostly day guests in the form of my kid's teenage friends.  We go through a lot of towels in the summer time.  I had a house guest once who brought me a nice, thick plush beach towel to add to our collection.  It became an instant favorite in our house!  I tried to hide it and keep it for myself, but I lost that battle.  I think it was such a great gift because my guest know that a "nice" towel would be a treat, considering the department store cheapies I usually buy, knowing that they will most likely end up on the ground, in the driveway, and/or hanging from a tree :-)

Do you have a favorite Hostess gift that you like to give?  I''d love to hear it!  If you'd like to join Ten on Tuesday you can sign up here!

Friday, December 9, 2011

Friday Update

The Christmas gift knitting continues and I am thisclose to bagging my idea of knitting a enough small items to let everyone pick something.  I made a list of all my family members that I would want to include and realized I would need at least 16 finished pieces.  So far I have 6 hats, an infinity scarf, and 3 pairs of socks.  That's only 10 items.  I need a new plan.  When I figure it out, I'll be sure to let you know what it is!

But for now I still continue to knit in a delusional haze like I'm actually going to make it.  New on the needles this week is a Koolhaas hat.  I'm using Dream in Color Classy and the color is called Black Parade.  It's a very cool color with some blue and teal undertones.  Click on the picture to enlarge it and you'll be able to see it even better.  So I have two thoughts about this project right now.  1. - Thank goodness I learned how to cable without a cable needle because it is saving me a TON of time. 2 - Has Dream in Color updated their Classy?  I've used it before and liked it, but this skein????  Wow!  It is so nicely spun and smooth it's like a different yarn, in a good way!
Here is my Clepsydra Mitten that I showed you last week.  This has been my car knitting because it's a nice light color so it's easier to work on in crappy light situations, which I seem to find myself in pretty regularly these days.  Great pattern and once I got going on it, it became quite intuitive for me, which is a plus for car knitting.
I think I have a row gauge issue though.  I've started the decreases for the top, but I'm already beyond the end of my longest finger.  I need to decided quickly whether I only do about 2 more decreases and have a blunter end, or keep going as written and have a bit of a floppy mitten.
I'd love to hear your opinion, so please leave me a comment. Thanks!

PS- I got my November Rockin Sock Club kit yesterday.  Holy Moly, it's the best one this year!  And I thought that except for maybe January's kit, it was a spectacular year for this club.  Just don't ask me how many I've actually knit :-)  I'll show it to you next week so I don't spoil someone's surprise by accident.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Ten on Tuesday



10 Favorite Holiday Traditions

Holiday traditions, we all have them.  Some are obvious choices because we make a point to do it each year, or holiday, and some just happen because "That's what we do".  I wonder though, are the favorites traditions the ones by choice or the ones by happenstance because it just wouldn't be Christmas without it.

1.  Tagging and cutting a tree.  Although my boys moan and groan every year about doing this, I suspect they would be secretly disappointed if they ever came home and a tree had magically appeared without a trip to the tree farm.


2.  Holiday Movies.  Our family favorite is Scrooged.  It never gets old for any of us and we usually watch it together the day we decorate the tree.  My favorite line is Carol Kane as the Ghost of Christmas Present... "It's a party!  I'm so glad I wore my pretty dress!"  If you've not seen this movie, here is the trailer for it.
3. Ornaments.  This is a traditions my mother started when I was a child.  I buy each of my boys an ornament each year.  When they have a home of their own, hopefully they will have a nice start to some decorations with some memories to go with them.

4.Christmas Sweaters.  I actually have 7 of them.  There.  I admitted it.  I am one of those crazy ladies you see at the mall, shopping in their Christmas sweater the day after Thanksgiving :-)

5. Book Group Christmas Party.  My good friend Kate's house is Christmas-palooza and she hosts our December gathering every year.  We had our party this past Friday night, complete with Reindeer Games.  It is always such a great time and I truly treasure the wonderful friendships I've made and expanded through this group.

6. Christmas Cards.  I love receiving them, especially the photo cards.

7. Fudge.  I love it.  A little too much, so I only make once a year for Christmas.

8. Tournament of Roses Parade.  I am always amazed at what the float designers come up with!  I watch it every year.

9. Bowl Games.  We've always enjoyed football, but over the last few years we have really become big fans of College Football.  My middle son attends the University of Alabama, so we're particularly excited about the BCS Championship game this year.  Roll Tide!

10. Snow Village.  We really got into this several years ago.  I honestly don't even know how many houses we have now, and accessory pieces.  I can tell you though that our collection is way to large to display together, so it is scattered throughout our entire house.  It takes a couple days to set up and we leave it up, usually until sometime in February. 

These are some of my favorites.  What are yours?

Monday, December 5, 2011

A Hat for Hiking

I finished another hat this weekend to add to the gift basket!  This is the Irish Hiking Hat by Jo Blackhorse.  I thought the this pattern would look great in a nice sturdy tweed.  I found Harrisville Tweed at my LYS and chose this nice chocolate brown.  As it turns out Harrisville Designs is a local NH company, so I also was pretty pleased to be able to shop local, on Small Business Saturday even!

I think that this pattern was more of a guide than an actual pattern and it had several small mistakes.  I certainly have knit enough that I was able to navigate my way through though.

It was suggested to knit the body of the hat somewhere between 5.5-7".  I stopped just shy of 6".  It fits my 15 year old son pretty well, but it's a little short for my husband.  One more cable repeat would have been better for him.
I did like how the decreases happen from the rib section of the pattern and then move into the cable section.
My hat used exactly 100 yds. With many yarns you could get two hats from one skein of yarn, which makes it an economical knit too.
My skein did happen to be a bit underweight, so I won't be able to make a second hat from the skein.  I might be able to get a set of fingerless mitts though, as long as I keep the cuff short.  But for now?  Time to start a new hat!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Adding to the Holiday Knits

I've been trying to stockpile some quick knits to use as gifts for my family members and a few close friends.  It may be the year of the hat this year!

I've finished two Turn a Square hats by Jared Flood.  I used Cascade 220 and Noro Silk Garden.  I love how the Noro has the slow striping color changes, but I did find it a little splitty.  I made these 2 hats from one skein of each and I have just enough left over for a third hat.  I decided it was time for a change though.  Maybe I'll make that third hat maybe I won't.  I did learn how to do the jog-less stripe with this pattern, which I can see using again in the future.

I also knit a Poet Society Tam by Kirsten Kapur/Through the Loops Designs.  I picked up the pattern while at Sock Summit this summer.  The yarn is Rios in the color Zarzamora which I go from my LYS, Spinning Yarns.  I love Rios!  Every time I've used it, I've decided that it's my new favorite yarn

I decided to go with two buttons for the overlapping brim.  I really wanted one big funky button but I couldn't find one that was quite right.  But I do like these two buttons.  The color of them coordinates nicely with the yarn.

I don't know who these are going to be for yet.  I'm going to try a new idea this year.  I'm knitting projects that I just plain like and they're all going into a gift basket.  I'm hoping that by Christmas I will have enough FO's with enough variety that I will be able to let everyone pick for themselves what they would like to have.  We'll see how it works out.  It might be the best idea I ever had, or it could be the worst!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

WIP Wednesday

I've had a little furry of activity over the last couple of weeks and I have some FO's that I'll show you tomorrow.  I also had a serious case of startitis this weekend.  So let me show the what I've cast on.

First is the Lissajous socks by Cookie A for the Knit Sock Love KAL.  Today was the last day to cast on for this pattern's KAL.  I picked some Miss Babs that I had in the stash.  I love the color in the skein, but I'm not loving the start of this sock so far.  The pattern shows better in the picture than it does in real life.  I may frog these, but for now I'm going to continue on and see if I like it better once a get an inch or two done. Stay tuned!
This is the Clepsydra Mitten.  So far, so good!  I really like how it's coming out so far.  I'm using some trusty Cascade 220.
The third project I cast on is the Irish Hiking Hat. This will probably be a gift.  I picked it because I wanted an easy project to  throw in my bag for when I'm out and about.  I forgot to factor in the  decreasing light at this time of year though and am finding this color to be hard to work on in low light situations.  The yarn is Harrisville Tweed, which is a local NH company.
I have two more projects lined up, wound and ready to go too.  I'll show you those later once I've actually started them.

What's on your needles right now?

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Ten on Tuesday


10 Favorite Musicals

This week's topic is favorite musicals.  I immediately started thinking of the handful of Broadway Musicals I've seen and knew that there was no way I would get to ten.  But really, is it only theater productions that count as musicals?  What about movies?  So I've decided to include both.  Here are ten that I have enjoyed!

1.  Wicked.  Hated the book, loved the musical.  I actually saw this in London while on vacation with Tom.


2. Phantom of the Opera.  I saw this show in Boston.  All I Ask of You is my favorite song from this show.


3. Mama Mia!  Such a fun show!  If you haven't seen it and get the opportunity, GO!  Here's a clip from the official show site http://ppc.broadway.com/shows/mamma-mia/video/145061/show-clip-mamma-mia-dancing-queen-montage/

4.  The Producers.  I saw this in NY on Broadway.  I've seen the movie too, the one with Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, but I prefer the live production.  Enjoy a little "Springtime for Hiltler" :-)


5. The Wizard of Oz.  A classic that I still enjoy.  I can never skip over it when it's on TV.                 



6. Grease.  Oh John Travolta, how I love thee :-)


7. The Sound of Music.  Tom and I visited Austria in 2006.  It was a work thing for him with very little actual work and lots and lots of fun.  The last day that we were there we actually went on "The Sound of Music Tour"  Super fun and the tour guide was just silly enough to get everyone on board the bus to sing along to the soundtrack.  I wish I had a picture to show you of the two of us in front of the gazebo from the song I am 16 Going on 17, but all the pictures are on Tom's computer.


8. My Fair Lady.  This was the first play that I ever saw and was a big girls day out with my mother.



9. Moulin Rouge.  Here's a little medley for you of songs from the movie.


10. Beauty and the Beast. This was the first movie that we took our oldest son to.  I love it as much now as I did when it first came out :-)


What are some of the musicals you've enjoyed?

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Ten on Tuesday

10 Things I am Thankful For

This week as we all prepared to celebrate Thanksgiving, we were asked to think about the things that we are thankful for.  I know I live a very blesssed life, so in no particular order here are some of the things that i am thankful for.

1. My Husband.  Tom and I have been married for 26 years and I am thankful to have him for my partner.  He tells me he loves me every day, I can see how much he loves our boys, and he works hard for our family so that we can have everything that we need. He also works hard to be a good example of what a strong, good, caring and responsible man is for our sons.

2. Matthew, who is son #1.  I honestly don't know if I know another person on this earth who has the kind and open heart of my first born son.  He has such a gift for caring and kindness and is so steadfast in his core beliefs, that he amazes me.  He continues to grow into wonderful man.  I am proud to be his mother.

3. Justin, who is son #2. He is the most self-confident of my boys and determined.  He will set a goal and work towards it with unfailing faith.  And yet he can shock me to my core with how sensitive he is and his willingness and ability to help someone in need.  I know he has that in him, but he doesn't like to show it to many people.  I am proud to be his mother too :-)


4. Chandler, who is son #3.  Someone once told me when I was pregnant with him, that the 3rd born is the family clown.  They were right.  He may not be outwardly and outright funny, but he has the best sense of humor, and at the most unsuspecting times.  He makes me laugh pretty much every day and appreciate life.  Again, I am a proud mom.

5. My siblings.  We don't spend as much time together as I'd like to, but I love them all dearly.

6. My parents. They have had some health issues over the past few years, but they are still with us.  I know someday they will be gone, but for now I am thankful to know that I can pick up the phone or drop by the house any time I want to.

7. My home. I don't even know how to describe it.  I live in a lovely house, I can't deny that, but to me it is so much more.  It's where the people I love are, and it is filled with things that were made for us by someone who loves us, or passed along to us by someone who loved us.  Together, it's home.

8. My dogs, Neal and Emma.  No one loves you like your dog :-)  Plus they are great companions!

9. My friends.  I have great friends. Some I have known forever, some for only a short time.  Each one is dear to me and I am a better and lucky person for what they share of themselves with me.

10. My knitting.  I am thankful that I have found a hobby that I enjoy so much.  It excites me and calms me at the same time.  Many of my friends I have met because of this shared passion.  And I can make cool stuff!

What are some of the things you are thankful for?

Monday, November 21, 2011

When a teenage boys asks

Sometimes it's great to be a fly on the wall.  My teenager likes to use Facebook to keep in touch with his friends.  Since he has played select/elite travel hockey for the last 5 seasons, and changed schools this year, his friends are truly scattered far and wide.  So, he loves Facebook for keeping up with everyone.  Being the good nosy mother I am, I pop onto his page from time to time just to keep an eye on things.  One day I stumbled upon a conversation he was having with a hockey buddy.  It went something like this...

Friend: Dude, remember those sick hats your mom made for us a couple years ago?
My kid: yeah
Friend: Do you think she would consider making me another one?
My kid: Probably.  I'll ask.

I ask you..... What do you do when a 15 year old boy asks if you will knit him a hat?  You make him a hat!!!

After a little back and forth, we decided on a new hat in his high school colors with an E on the back, because that is the other logo his school uses and he didn't know what his jersey number would be.

I mailed it off to him the end of last week.  High School try-outs began today around the state, so I hope this is a little good luck hat for him.  Good luck MAC! And to Chandler and all of his friends too. (There were a few nerves on display this morning when I dropped him at school with his gear.)

This is a personal pattern. My friend Kelly started it and I modified it a bit to make a little more sense to me.  I really should write it up, if for no other reason than to avoid the ripping and re-knitting I did tweaking it!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

There's Alpacas over there!

Gosh it's been awhile since I last blogged! I'm not sure where the time went, but I certainly have been busy.  One of the things that I've done over the last few weeks is visit a local Alpaca farm!  Sallie's Fen Alpacas is only a 20 minute drive from my home.  I've seen some of their yarns in other local businesses but didn't realize they were located so close to me.  My neighbors Molly and Holly wanted to go and asked me to join them. Off we went on a crappy rainy day, but that didn't lessen our fun.

We met the boys, who were very curious about us.  Mostly I think they were looking to see if we had food buckets with us.
Then we went to the other side of the farm and met the girls and the babies.  Do you see that little one peeking around the big one?  She was so cute!
No food?  You're dead to me.
We were fascinated by the range of colors of their coats.
These girls weren't that interested in us as their feed trough had just been filled.
This girl really interested us with her mix of colors.  Her belly area was quite brown, her back is black, and yet her muzzle is white.  We asked if she was perhaps older and hence the white muzzle? Nope.  It's just her unique coloring.
This farm also does a lot of milling and processes fleece into commercially spun yarn.  It's quite an impressive set up, but we were not there at a good time to get a tour of that facility.  Perhaps next time.  They are having an open house Thanksgiving weekend.  We did go into their small shop though and did a little shopping.  I picked out this 4 ply worsted yarn.  There's only about 150 yds, but I think it will be enough for a pair of Maine Morning Mitts.
Do you have any ideas what I can do with 150 yds of worsted weight?

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Hats!

I have been waiting to share with you a couple of fantastic hats that I test knit for Irish Girlie Knits.  Now that they have both been released, I'm going to gush about them!

First, let me show you Dear Baby Francis.  So, so sweet!  This is a beautifully cabled and ribbed hat that will be fantastic for a special baby boy.  My niece is expecting baby #2 in early January, and this adorable hat will be going into the mail soon for her sweet boy.  The pattern is written for 3-6 months, and 6-9 months sizes, and uses either fingering or sport weight yarn. I knit my sample with Bugga and the color is Long Horned Beetle.  The pattern also has matching socks!  This is a quick knit too.  I made the hat in two evenings while watching TV.

The second hat I knit for Carrie is Fine Fella.  It is the adult version of Dear Baby Francis and a companion piece to the Uncle Frank socks.  This hat has the same rich cables and ribbing design as the baby hat.  I used Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage in the color Tern for my test knit.  It's a wonderful yarn and has a very full body to it.  This will be a wonderfully warm hat!

I love how the crown decreases are worked.  The top of the hat is a gorgeous design by itself, and I have to say that my pictures don't do it justice!

If you love this hat and want to add it to your library, Carrie is offering it at a reduced price until Monday October 17.  I'll be camped out on my computer today at Noon eastern time for the Plucky Knitter update hoping to score some Primo worsted for another one.  And maybe some MCN aran too for a Comfort Food cowl.  It just might be a IGK/Plucky Christmas for my family this year!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Ten on Tuesday

 

10 Things I did this Weekend

This week Carole  asked us to list 10 things we did over the weekend.  I tried to get away with the notion that it's a Holiday Weekend, YAY!, therefore I should do NOTHING!  It didn't really work out for me though :-)  So here are a few of the things I did, in no particular order....

1. Played with the dogs.  I actually do this pretty much every day, but on the weekends I generally do get a little help from the rest of the family.
2. Took Chandler driving
3. Took Chandler to hockey practice/scrimmage
4. Supervised a teenaged boy sleepover
5. Watched Easy A
6. Watched University of Alabama beat the living daylights out of Vanderbilt.  Roll Tide!
7. Put most of my garden to bed for winter
8. Went to the Chili and Chowder Cook-off that's held every year in my town.  Congrats to my next door neighbor Jim for winning this year!
9. Grilled steaks for dinner Sunday night
10. Made Birthday Cookies for the kidlet next door.  She may be 15 now, but she's still my favorite Cookie Monster :-)

I hope you all had a great weekend too!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Fall Foliage - part 1

I live in NH and I have heard many times that the foliage here has a brilliance that is not matched anywhere else in the country, perhaps even the world.  I find that hard to believe, but I really don't know for sure.  Therefore I thought it might be fun to share some pictures here on the old blog for my friends around the country, and world, to enjoy.

The color is really just starting now, and it is considered "early" by the local meteorolgist.  I'm going to share some pictures from different days over the next couple weeks so you can all see how it changes.  Enjoy!

This is the view from my deck right now.  Sucks to be me, huh? :-)
I can never remember what this bush is called, but it gives the most vibrant red every year.  It's part of a landscape fence between my yard and my neighbor's yard.
I am the first lot in a cove and this is looking into the cove.  There was a loon family that nested in here last summer.
This is from my waterfront looking out over the main lake.
There are a couple small islands in front of my house as well.  This is the view between the islands.
Somebody asked me this weekend if I live on the lake year round.  Yes.  Yes I do.  I'm so glad I don't miss this incredible beauty anymore.  I'll post some more pictures later in the week so you can enjoy the change with me!