KJ Blog

Thanksgiving Shutterfly Project

2010-11-28T15:46:00.001-05:00

Cool Cornucopia Fall Greeting

Unique party invitations and greeting cards by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Look who's here!

2009-01-21T16:58:00.002-05:00

Our (impatient) daughter arrived on Monday. There are more pictures (and name, stats, etc.) on the baby blog.

Snowshoe fun

2009-01-18T11:57:00.001-05:00

On the Move
Originally uploaded by kahlaj

We are getting another lovely snow this morning so we went out snowshoeing on some walking trails near our house. The temperature was perfect and the snow kept falling, so it was quite picturesque. Makes you want to come and visit, hmm?

Swaddling Queen--Chrissa's Shower

2009-01-14T17:40:00.001-05:00

Swaddling Queen
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

We had a shower for Chrissa on Sunday (that included a very midwestern craft project...sewing swaddling blankets). J and Kevin worked in the basement (which is looking very good, by the way) and we ladies had a lovely time.
Here's Chrissa showing off her new swaddling skills.

What's missing?

2009-01-13T08:34:00.001-05:00

I had to remove the ultrasound pictues because I just realized that they had both my first and last name and my D.O.B. on them...not necessarily information that should be easily available in a public forum! They are still available on the baby's blog...if you want an invite to that private blog, send me an email or post a comment.

35 Weeks--8 months!

2009-01-09T16:20:00.004-05:00

Lots of growing around here! The little one is still moving a lot (especially at night), but on the whole I'm still feeling good.

J has all the insulation up in the basement, and may get the drywall up this weekend. Things are shaping up around here.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-01T08:35:00.001-05:00

Christmas 2008
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

Here's a picture from Christmas in Ohio. Christmas marked the end of our 33rd week of pregnancy, so that's the 33 week shot. :)

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

31 weeks--7 months down, 2 to go!

2008-12-13T12:53:00.002-05:00

Here's a 31-week belly shot. Sorry about the lighting, but the festive backdrop is worth it, right?

Lucky Baby

2008-12-06T16:04:00.002-05:00

From Kathy
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

Joanna, Chrissa, and Christine threw me a beautiful baby shower today. I had a wonderful time having all of my favorite east coast people together in the same place! We received some very useful baby items and some adorable little clothes. Thank you to all of my friends and family! (click on the photo above to see more photos of the shower)

Eventful Week

2008-11-30T19:43:00.004-05:00

That is a photo of a man who found out his master's thesis passed without any revisions needed. Congratulations, honey! He'll officially receive his degree in December, and has the opportunity to walk at the May graduation. Hooray for being finished!

We had a lovely Thanksgiving at Marc and Christine's. Here's a picture of Marc and J hard at work in the kitchen. Christine and I are lucky ladies to have guys who contribute to the feast!

We put our Christmas tree up on Friday evening. Here's a shot of us in front of it (we'll count this as my 29 week belly shot).

It has been raining most of today. There were about five minutes when it was pretty snow, but now it's cruddy old rain. I would much prefer some pretty snow. Sigh.

Baby gets a new closet

2008-11-23T16:26:00.001-05:00

Baby Closet
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

We put some new Elfa closet units (thank you, Oprah coupon!) in the second bedroom (the room that will be the baby's once it arrives) to start the transition from office/guest room to baby room. We still plan to use the left side of the closet for long hanging adult wear, and I admit that the bigger drawer unit pictured is crafty stuff (mostly yarn). Funny how those drawers are already full! Later we'll be able to create two shorter hanging areas for baby things, if needed. We've slowly been accumulating some baby things so we put them all in the picture for you to see.
We took off the sliding doors and now we have to decide if we want to put in bi-fold doors, or curtains or something. Any suggestions?

27 weeks--6 months down!

2008-11-13T18:49:00.002-05:00

27 weeks
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

It's a little crazy to put our minds around the fact that we'll have a baby in 3 months! Today marks the beginning of the third trimester...still feeling very good and knocking on wood whenever I say somethng like that. :)

J turned in his thesis to the readers this week! Hooray! After his first quarter grades go in tonight, we'll actually be getting to work on some baby prep around the house.

25 Weeks

2008-11-01T07:47:00.003-05:00

Ignore the post-yoga hairdo and sweatiness, and here's what I look like at 25 weeks.

The baby is moving a lot. Last night was pretty funny in that it wouldn't move for a while, then if I rubbed my belly it would poke back. Of course I repeated this ad nauseum, since it was so cool to think that the baby was reacting to something I was doing!

Out with the old, in with the new!

2008-10-27T16:46:00.002-05:00

I got a new car! We said goodbye to my faithful 1998 Buick Century after 11 years of service (9 years with me, 2 with my mom).

Here's a final shot with her:

And here's my new CR-V! It's AWESOME. So exciting! And it smells new! And the power locks work, and so does the remote keyless entry. And all four windows open. Such luxury.

Fall fun

2008-10-13T16:35:00.000-05:00

(This is from Columbus Day weekend, but I'm just posting it now)

We had a fantastic Columbus Day weekend...the weather was beautiful and we spent a lot of time outside. We went apple picking, and we also explored Rocky Narrows, a hiking trail park not far from our house. We can't believe how close it is to our house and we'd never heard about it before!

Idyllic fall weekend in New England

2008-10-13T14:27:00.003-05:00

With the Columbus Day holiday today, we had a lovely three-day weekend. And the weather cooperated so we had three sunny but crisp (60-70 degree) days! We went apple picking, we played frisbee golf, we grilled with friends, and we went for a walk/hike. It was fantastic. We did take some pictures, but I haven't loaded them on the computer yet.

Now back to the not-so-idyllic task of organizing the basement. Wish us luck! (oh, and wish the Red Sox luck too!)

22 weeks--Five months!

2008-10-10T17:03:00.001-05:00

22weeks
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

Believe it or not, I'm five months along! There's definitely a belly there, even though it's nothing super huge. The baby is moving around a lot, which I like because I know things must be going well in there. I'm still feeling good,so we're just coasting through this nice time.
Not so nice, of course, is the basement-cleaning project that we need to start as we start to prepare the second bedroom to become the nursery.

Feeling the Baby Kick!

2008-09-27T19:37:00.002-05:00

I've been feeling the baby move around the last few weeks, but last night the baby stepped it up and started really moving around in there. And tonight J could feel it too! Hooray! We're not just imagining all of this. :) With the ultrasound on the 17th and now this, things are starting to seem a lot more real on the baby front.

17 weeks

2008-09-07T07:03:00.001-05:00

17 weeks
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

People have been asking for a belly shot, so here's what I looked like this past week, when I was 17 weeks pregnant.

Ladder Golf

2008-09-02T07:04:00.000-05:00

Ladder Golf
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

We had the Reinharts and Nannestad's over for a Labor Day cookout, and here's the crew that ended up playing Ladder Golf after lunch. Click the photo to see more pictures from the cookout.

The Grillers

2008-08-31T07:06:00.000-05:00

The Grillers
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

We went on a 10-day trek to (and through) the Midwest in August. We visited Niagara Falls, Kurt & Cecilia in Ann Arbor, Leta & Tom & Joe in Madison, Erin & Dave in Wisconsin Rapids, and Mom & Dad in Rice Lake.
Click on the photo to see more of our trip!

Baby Jourdan on the way!

2008-08-13T15:55:00.005-05:00

We wanted to share with you that we are expecting a baby! He or she will arrive in the second week of February 2009. So far the pregnancy has been proceeding without any problems.

J and K

New Waders!

2008-06-28T07:16:00.001-05:00

New Waders!
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

I promised my parents a picture of J in his new waders and boots they got him for his birthday, so here he is in his new fishing gear! He went fishing with a colleague on Tuesday and had a good time. Neither one of them caught any fish, but J was happy to report that the waders work GREAT!

Happy Birthday J!

2008-06-19T15:09:00.006-05:00

It's J's Birthday! Here's a birthday song while he was starting to play with his new GPS.

I can conquer any obstacle!

2008-05-18T19:51:00.002-05:00

I can conquer any obstacle!
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

My co-worker took this of me on Friday, when I was dressed for the task of re-loading the library (we got about half way through the job). You can see that many improvements had occurred even before Friday's work...there's my new ceiling and lights, a clean carpet, NO MORE TUBES!, and most of the garbage has been removed. Once we finish unpacking tomorrow, there's the job of re-ordering and processing the 2500 books that were damaged. I'll just have to keep remembering this picture.

(Click on the picture to see others...choose the tag "Library" to see only the library photos.)

Fun in the Sun

2008-05-18T19:40:00.001-05:00

Hiding
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

Life hasn't been all about the flood--today we watched Miri and had some fun out in the yard while her mom and dad led the music at church.
(Click on the photo to see more)

Air Tubes

2008-05-11T19:56:00.000-05:00

Almost-empty library
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

They've been drying us out using these tubes that blow dry air through the place. They work well. However, they're also about 24 inches in diameter, and they go throughout the room and doorways into the hall, which means we all have to walk around bent at the waist in the flooded section of the school. It's so dry that it makes your throat hurt. Which is better than wet, I know. But talk about extremes.

Fun times, and not so fun times.

2008-05-05T19:33:00.005-05:00

I just got back from a great weekend with my mom and sister. There was much fun and Vera Bradley (and wind!) to be had.

My school flooded over the weekend because of a burst pipe. The library (my library!) sustained the worst damage. This will be a long spring.

(Click either of the photos to see additional pictures)

San Francisco and Wine Country!

2008-04-28T21:11:00.001-05:00

IMG_0229edit
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

We had a fantastic time on our trip. Click the photo to see more. (Unfortunately there was some dust on our lens so we'll have to "fix up" the sky in some of the photos)

Signs of Spring!

2008-04-09T16:53:00.002-05:00

Crocuses
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

There are green things galore around our yard....hooray! Click to see more photos. (Taken with our new camera we got for Christmas...thanks Mom and Dad!)

Koolhaas Hat

2008-03-29T08:36:00.001-05:00

Koolhaas Hat
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

I finished my new recess hat just in time for spring! I can probably wear it today, though, as it's pretty cool around here.

Almost No-Knead Bread

2008-03-26T21:17:00.002-05:00

IMG_0156
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

We've gotten on the dutch-oven baked bread wagon and boy does it taste good! Much better than what we can buy at our local stores (bakeries excluded). And it's so easy! We've been using the updated recipe from Cook's Illustrated. I think J would like a fresh loaf every day. We didn't buy the fancy $200 dutch oven, we went with the $40 one they recommend here.

Relaxation interrupted

2008-03-06T21:42:00.003-05:00

I've been regularly attending a yoga class on Thursday nights since October. It has helped with my flexibility and strength, but it's also helped me keep everyday annoyances in perspective, such as work frustrations or trying to figure out what to make for dinner once I get home. I'm not naturally gifted at relaxation/meditation, but I'm getting better at it by practicing.
Ironically, while I can keep outside annoyances in check during yoga class, I cannot GET OVER how annoying some people are in yoga class. Here are a few examples:

Our class begins at 6:30 p.m. I tend to arrive at the gym a little before 6:00 p.m. and I place my mat in my favorite spot (back interior corner, no drafts!) and then warm up on the elliptical machine. I arrive in the yoga "studio" at 6:25 to get ready for class. Last week there were only 3 people there at 6:25. Tonight there were 15 people there. Three more straggled in before 6:30, creating quite a packed house. Our instructor turned down the lights and began the class. At 6:50 (yes, I looked at the clock) one woman walked in, picked up a mat, walked around the entire room trying to find a spot, and then "nestled" herself in between four of us who were there from the get-go, forcing us to re-arrange our mats because otherwise we'd be knocking arms with each other during the sun salutations. And then she kept moving her stuff around: her blanket ended up at the top of my mat and I was about to throw it at her. Another woman arrived at 6:55 and at least she had the good sense to pick a corner spot near the door. Being that I have an (overabundant) sense of justice, I was incensed that this late arrival thought she had the right to disrupt four of us who had arrived on time and were 20 minutes into the class when she arrived. I admit, it took me about 10 minutes to stop fuming. After that, I just got annoyed every time I had to move to accomodate her. Do you think that a gym should have a policy against people entering yoga classes that have been in session more than 10 minutes?

And I won't even discuss the inappropriate undergarments (or lack thereof) I have the misfortune of seeing during class. Don't people understand that we're going to be doing a lot of stetching and bending in yoga class and that they should pick clothing that allows them freedom of movement without flashing the crack of their behind to those of us unfortunate enough to be stationed behind them? Sigh.

I can usually pull it back together enough to enjoy the ending relaxation, but I admit that these things annoy me, right in the middle of me trying to relax. I guess I have a lot of yoga learning still to do.

Corner of Joseph's Blankie of Many Colors

2008-02-19T22:10:00.001-05:00

Corner of Joseph's
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

I can only show you this corner of the blanket in case the mom-to-be stops by the blog. I am very happy with how it turned out. The pattern is from Mason-Dixon Knitting and I followed their suggestions on separating warm and cool colors. How could you look at that colorful thing and not smile?

A few reasons why I'm glad I'm not a Victorian woman

2008-02-19T21:42:00.002-05:00

After watching both "Becoming Jane" and the recent version of "Pride and Prejudice" I have compiled a list of reasons I am happy that I am not a Victorian woman:
1. My marriage was not a business transaction.
2. My mother did not spend all of her time trying to marry me off.
3. I am educated. Enough said.
4. I do not have to wear a corset.
5. Paper is not scarce (I do so love to write lists)
6. "Class" does not dictate who your friends can be, or what your prospects can be.
7. I could tell J how I felt about him, instead of all kinds of deal-making.

Things I probably wouldn't have minded:
1. Going to balls!
2. Pretty dresses
3. Pretty hats

I also just read the memoir by Jerramy Fine called Someday My Prince Will Come. It was pretty funny.

Lame and Lamer

2008-02-18T14:16:00.003-05:00

In this case, I am Lame, and J is Lamer. I am lame because I had a small surgery on Friday and have stitches in my mid-back that limit my movement. J is Lamer because he came down with a knock-down drag-out case of the flu last Tuesday which has now become a sinus infection. What a motley crew we are. And this is school vacation week so we should be having some fun. Alas. Through my exuberant use of disinfecting wipes and airing out the house, I appear to have come out of the germ den unscathed (meaning no flu for me) so send healthy thoughts this way to help keep it that way!

Writing again

2008-02-12T21:11:00.000-05:00

I'm lucky enough to attend Teachers As Scholars this year (do follow the link, it's quite an amazing professional development opportunity) and I'm taking a writing seminar (H36 - Creating Truths: Memoir and Personal Narrative). One of the best parts of Teachers As Scholars is that they acknowledge that not all of your professional development needs to be in your narrow area of specialty--they believe in the teacher as a multi-faceted learner.

I used to journal regularly, and while I willingly admit that many times it broke down into a list of the daily minutae a person could drown in, I have missed taking that time to write down my thoughts and reflections. During our seminar yesterday we had three free writing periods and about 95% of that time I was able to just dump my thoughts and words onto a page. The tricky part, of course, is that it's a writing course on memoir and personal narrative, so it includes a lot about real people and events. Here's the title of one of the things I was working on yesterday: "Can a youngest child and an eldest son have a successful marriage? A case study." I know everyone out there has some feelings on birth order and personality...let 'er rip! (of course I know we have a successful marriage, but it's funny to think of us just as our personality types and how they work together)

Here's a not-so-minutae tidbit: my principal and school secretary have both announced that they're retiring at the end of the year. Craziness shall ensue, I'm sure.

Grading machine

2008-02-03T16:39:00.000-05:00

Here is what J has looked like for the last two weeks:

That's right, it's end of term and all of the students' papers and tests must be graded before grades are due. The poor guy has been been a grading machine. I do my part, but I can only grade the empirical parts on the exams (matching, etc.) but all the open response stuff he has to do himself.

It does mean that I have been knitting again:

On Hold! (for 65 minutes and counting)

2008-01-21T11:56:00.000-05:00

I have spent over an hour on hold with the doctor's office. Thankfully, I am a very healthy person and rarely have to deal with this stuff, but COME ON! At least give me an option to leave a message rather than sit here, especially since I'm calling because I haven't received the paperwork I need for my appointment next Monday. That's ALL I'm calling about. And this is a dermatology office I'm calling, so it's not like people were having a bunch of dermatological emergencies over the weekend that they're piling up this morning.

But then I have that stupid fear that as soon as I hang up, it would have been my turn. Sigh. Harvard Pilgrim/Beth Israel Deaconess does not get my vote for helpful phone service.

A Miri Visit!

2008-01-19T16:25:00.000-05:00

Miri came for a visit while her parents went to the movies. After she got upset that they left her (and then crawled around the entire first floor looking for them) she settled in with us and had a fun time.

I even got to see her pulling up/standing skills in person!

Some Knitting

2008-01-17T21:11:00.001-05:00

IMG_0136
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

I lost my knitting mojo last fall, but I seem to have found at least a bit of it. I decided I should finish up some projects that I had started...one of them is Bryant's Slipover.

I have been working on J's socks and I am fairly certain I am not going to have enough yarn. I am in denial.

Hooray for Snow Days, Boo for broken trees

2008-01-14T10:16:00.000-05:00

J's out there trying to shake the snow off the trees because of the fallen branch you can see in that second photo. Hopefully that will be the only "casualty" today. I'm also hoping we'll be able to go out snowshoeing later...

Update: No Snowshoeing...evidently with falling branches/trees, J thinks it's too dangerous.

Who knew?

2008-01-07T20:11:00.000-05:00

Who knew that in the middle of Montana (where there is no cell-phone reception (not even analog!)) and the maps clearly show which towns have gas stations, that we would see 90+ wind turbines in action?!

It was amazing. A bit sci-fi movie-like, but amazing. A glimpse of the future.

(p.s. those photos were taken through a car windshield, sorry. But our new camera (Canon 570IS) from Mom and Dad works great!)

Merry Christmas to All!

2008-01-07T20:03:00.000-05:00

I wanted to post a cool Flickr post that would link easily to all of the holiday photos I uploaded to Flickr. Did you notice I said "wanted." Flickr doesn't seem to remember who I am, so here's the old fashioned way of linking:

Christmas Photos

If Flickr decides to make nice, I'll re-post.

Winter Wonderland

2007-12-22T19:55:00.000-05:00

We've received a deluge of snow lately (don't ask J about his 4.5 hour commute, though) and went out to enjoy the quiet beauty on our snowshoes. As we climbed up to the overlook area at Noon Hill I honest-to-goodness felt like I was in a Christmas card. These are just shots from the back year because I didn't bring the camera along.

Time Flies!

2007-12-12T19:20:00.000-05:00

We're in the midst of getting ready for our trip to Montana for Christmas, plus J's finishing up his projects for his class, so we're a bit frazzled around here.

Lady Eleanor and Swallowtail=Complete!

2007-10-23T21:06:00.001-05:00

Lady Eleanor
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

If only it would cool off around here, I have two nice shawls to wear to keep the chill off of my shoulders. I finished Lady Eeanor (shown here) and also the silk/cashmere lace shawl called the Swallowtail Shawl (click on the photo and you can see photos of it in Flickr). I haven't been knitting as much lately, but I've been knitting more challenging projects. Lots of friends are having babies, though, so I think I'll be knitting baby items for them in the near future.

Fancy Schmancy New Computer

2007-10-23T20:46:00.001-05:00

BC Tailgating
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

I've been silent on the blog because our old computer was past the point of running more than one program efficiently, which made posting (especially with pictures) a time-consuming and frustrating experience. We're now the owners of a new Dell laptop, and boy are we cruising between programs like you wouldn't believe! Hence, I bring you September/October 2007: A Retrospective.

We went to a BC Football Game on October 6th. My colleague Tracey got us tickets and a tailgating pass (who knew the Corolla was destined for such great things!). Tracey's husband works for BC so we got the special treatment. We also got special treatment because BC scored 55 points or so. Sheesh!

The Red Sox are in the World Series! We've had friends over to watch baseball and it's been a lot of fun (and not just because we keep winning). It makes for very sleepy mornings after the games, but it's been worth it.

J's about half-done with his class for this semester, and I'm getting ready for the annual Massachusetts School Library Assocation Conference.

Oh, and work is fine too. :)

Full 43 days!

2007-09-20T13:32:00.000-05:00

It's been far too long since I posted (43 days!), but I'm happy to report that it's because we've been having a lot of fun and there's been no time to post.
Since the last post, I:
Went camping in New Hampshire
Finished the lace shawl
Went to Wisconsin for a week
Went to the Cape for an anniversary trip
Went sea kayaking for the first time
Turned 30 years old
Started another school year of teaching
Had a very fun 30th birthday party (Thanks, J!)
Attended Miri's baptism
Finished knitting the Lady Eleanor Entrelac Wrap (it still needs to have the edging added)

Doesn't that all sound like fun?!

New Couch!

2007-08-07T12:54:00.003-05:00

New Couch
Originally uploaded by kjourdan

Our new couch arrived! We've been working hard to get everything in the living room organized now that the furniture has all changed, but it will be a few more weeks before our new tv cabinet arrives. It's looking better, though!

(There are more pictures on Flickr..if you click on the photo above, it should take you to my flickr photos)

Cape Cod mini-vacation

2007-07-25T19:21:00.000-05:00

Today we headed to the Cape for a mini vacation and did our two favorite things: Marconi Beach and dinner at Moby Dick's. We also put the birthday bike and bike rack to use and brought our bikes to ride about 10 miles of the Cape Cod Rail Trail. We'll definitely do that again, it was great! It's also a good paved surface for roller blading (something that's sorely lacking around our town).

Off to put the gear away!

Sheboygan!

2007-07-22T12:30:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we went to Sheboygan, Wisconsin to celebrate my mom's birthday. Thanks, Dad, for flying us out there!

We had a ton of fun, and I have more pictures of the weekend than I can post on a single blog post, so here's a start:

Knitting?

2007-07-07T14:17:00.000-05:00

Yes, I have been knitting (and teaching advanced knitting at summer school).
So, here a few of my recent projects....
I made this cute frog from Classic Elite's Puddle Jumpers book (using 3 skeins of Tahki Kiss yarn as a substitute, and a 10.5 needle).

I made this tank top from KnitSimple Spring/Summer 2007 using Classic Elite Star (6 skeins) and size 9 needles.

And I started the Lady Eleanor entrelac wrap from Scarf Style using Noro Silk Garden (color 241).

Block Island

2007-07-05T14:02:00.000-05:00

We headed to Block Island on the Fourth with Kurt & Cecilia (and Tizsa) and Marc & Christine. After a parking adventure at the ferry dock, we made the hour ride to Block Island.

We arrived in time for the big Fourth of July parade:

We rented bikes and rode out to the North Lighthouse. We probably biked about 10 miles, including many hills, so we were all tired by the end of the day. Well, except Tizsa (the cocker spaniel) because she got to ride on Kurt's back all day.

A fun day with great friends!

Tree trimming

2007-06-16T20:50:00.000-05:00

The beautiful flowering tree in our backyard needed some trimming, as it was growing closer and closer to the house. However, it's also quite tall and even with the extendo-trimmer, we couldn't reach the top. So here's a picture of Justin trimming the top of the tree using the extendo-trimmer out the second floor bathroom window:

Aren't we creative?

We rode our bikes to Tangerini's for ice cream this afternoon in the beautiful sunshine. That totally evens out, right, riding your bike to go and get ice cream?

Birthday Bike

2007-06-10T17:01:00.001-05:00

J's birthday present to celebrate the big 3-0 is this new bike! He's been bike-less since he left Montana, so it was time to remedy that situation.

I'm a softy, so even though it isn't technically his birthday yet, we went for a ride tonight. We even did a little off-road riding.

More birthday fun

2007-06-04T21:23:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately, Eric had to fly to Switzerland Saturday night, so after dropping him at the airport, the remaining six of us ate some amazing Asian food, played xBox, slept (very little) and then ate mancakes for breakfast to bulk up before bocce at Roger Williams Park. Adam, we think you would have been proud of the mancakes.

After we dropped Matt F. at the airport, we went to our place and grilled pizza (Christine's garlic/butternut squash/chevre combo was FANTASTIC) and then watched the Democratic Debate together. Great conversation ensued, so we've decided that we should all have debate parties to encourage our own intelligent discussions on the issues.

Christine and I are so greatful to these three tremendous guys for their willingness to travel to the east coast to help celebrate Marc and J's birthdays. The spirit of the Huggenvik House lived on in Rhode Island this weekend!

Birthday surprise!

2007-06-02T21:13:00.000-05:00

In honor of Marc and J's 30th birthdays, Matt, Matt and Eric flew out to surprise them with a weekend of fun. Here are some highlights....

Matt and Matt play with the cat toy

Marc, J and Eric make "the plan"Marc, Christine and Eric from afar (on the frisbee golf course)Golf action shotGroup shot on the golf course

Finished Four Seasons Throw

2007-05-10T14:17:00.000-05:00

Look! I finished the throw! (Thanks to J for the photos) It doesn't look stretched out like that in real life--it's just how I was holding it up. He got a little closer to see some of the detail, but unfortunately that purple block isn't the most interesting of the patterns. You can also click on the image above and it will open a larger version of the photo to see the details.

Details:Four Seasons Throw pattern
Made from: Manos, Montera, Big Kureyon, Araucania Natural Wool Chunky and Lion Wool

In the middle, I had to take a break from the throw, so I made up this headband from knitscene.

Spring in Full Force

2007-05-06T14:04:00.000-05:00

The flowers are blooming....

and the lawn needs mowing....

Spring is really here!

New chair covers

2007-04-28T14:09:00.000-05:00

We re-covered the chairs for the dining table...they went from blah brown:

To a nice green and blue and tan pattern. (Ok, I admit that they're still not super colorful, but I like them better, especially with our green kitchen)

The colors in the photo don't do the fabric (or wall color!) justice.

Four Seasons Throw

2007-04-16T12:29:00.000-05:00

So I'm still working through the yarn I already have (stash-busting, to those of you familiar with the knitting world). A week or so ago, I started a cotton blanket project that is going to be a long haul. (mitered squares like the little blanket I made for Lauren) If I have the fortitude, it will be a full-sized blanket. More on that later, though.

Here's my absolute latest project, born from the stash (you knit three strips, then sew them together):

It's called the four seasons throw. 10 out of the 12 of those colors came from yarn I already have. I bought the dark blue and the second variegated skein to balance things out. I'm going to be punting with that gold, because it's two thinner yarns I plan to knit together.

I think I like the second combination better (the one without the pattern book in it).

What do you think?

While at Fabric Place yesterday, we bought new fabric to cover our dining room chairs. I'm not sure if I'll get to that today (vacation is so busy, you know), but hopefully it will go well.

Hooray for vacation! Boo for incessant rain.

2007-04-15T12:22:00.000-05:00

We're on April vacation this week! Hooray! J still has his grad. classes, but we're already enjoying the time off. Of course, the incessant rain is less than ideal. (But that could also be worse, because think of the poor marathoners!)

Since we're on vacation and have time on our hands, we made homemade cinnamon rolls (technically, they're pumpkin cinnamon streusel buns). I'm pretty impressed, if I do say so myself.

(Photo was taken pre-glazing)

I did finish up that felted bag and brought it to Kurt and Cecilia's for a hostess gift on Easter.

Happy Eastuh, Pastuh!

2007-04-08T11:34:00.000-05:00

Today at church was quite entertaining. We had an inquisitive (but not annoying) little boy behind us (he was probably 2). After a minute or two of the scripture reading, he said, "What's she talking about?" His mom murmered a reply.

After part of the sermon, he said, "What's he talking about?"

Mom replied, "Jesus."

And his next question: "Jesus? Is he the Easter Bunny?"

Then as we were leaving (we had just greeted the pastor), the person behind us said, "Happy Eastuh, Pastuh!" Now, being from the midwest, I feel we can definitely mock the east coast pronounciation of things, because the midwest gets similiarly mocked. That, and I have to put up with people saying my name as "Kay-ler."

On the knitting front, I made two of these felted wine bags and plan to take one to Kurt and Cecilia's this afternoon. However, I couldn't find the leather strapping it called for, so I got some leather braided cord. I'll let you know how that goes.

Sweater complete!

2007-04-06T09:32:00.000-05:00

But I can't show you the whole thing, because the recipient reads this blog...so here's a little glimpse until I mail it off!

A bit of Midwestern class comes to New England

2007-03-17T20:16:00.000-05:00

Exciting news! We were at our local purveyor of beverages and look what has finally arrived in New England:That's right, Leinenkugel's! Unfortunately, it's not our favorite flavor (Go Honey Weiss! Go Original!) but we bought it just to show local beverage purveyor that they should keep it coming. It does help that the owner graduated from Luther and knows a good midwestern beer when he drinks it!

On another exciting note, I finished my socks! And I LOVE them! They are my best pair yet...both in execution and in comfort. Hurrah!

Details: Lorna's Laces Shepard Sport gifted to me by Dominique

Pattern: Columbine Peaks (without the peaks, given the pattern mishap) from "Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles"

And, because I was remiss in my last post: The baby bath mitt was knit in Araucania Nature Cotton using the mitten pattern from Ann Budd's "Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns." I used the mitten pattern for the gauge of my yarn. I knit an i-cord out of dishcloth cotton to create the fish.

Knitting along

2007-03-11T16:37:00.000-05:00

I've been knitting up a bunch of my "stash" yarn. Here are the treasures I've made:
A bath mitt that was gifted yesterday (with the striped sweater below) at the shower we had for Joanna. More on that later. I used Ann Budd's basic mitten pattern.The French Market Bag from Knitty. I didn't know about the pattern (it was published in my pre-knitting days) until I saw Abi's post about it.
Two baby hats from some sock yarn that looked better in the catalog than in person.

Look! I've made progress on the socks. Now is when I curse my size 10.5 feet...but progress is being made. It's just tedious. From this perspective you can see that I've completed the heel and I'm working on the foot.

And I found this little sweater pattern in a book Maryse gave me. It's a fun little knit.

Finishing Fest

2007-02-15T17:00:00.000-05:00

On Sunday I had a finishing fest. I:

--Blocked that baby sweater

--Sewed and attached linings to two bags, the fancy black one from last summmer,

and my first ever complete crochet project I did when Julie visited (I included a photo of the lining):

--Steeked that extra-long scarf and cut it in half

I also made the fingerless gloves with the yarn from Morandia:

The weather around here has been atrocious. J didn't have school yesterday, but I did. It was only a half day for students, though, so they sent the teachers home when the kids left. So that wasn't so bad. But then it turned to sleet and rain and now the ice is insane. Two of my colleagues literally couldn't move their cars this morning because they were frozen to the ground and in the sludge the plow piled up around the tires.

Catching Up

2007-02-11T16:00:00.000-05:00

Why is it that most of my posts are about catching up after not posting for a while? Alas. In the last month, both J and I were down with this yucko-cold-flu thing for a week each, and then there was the presentation to the school committee about next year's budget, and the new PR brochure for the library association, and assisting with knitting classes and volunteering at Graceful Stitches, and football games to watch, and tax returns to prepare, and...but enough excuses.

So here are some projects I've been working on:

This hat is from Itty Bitty Hats. Can you tell that those are little crocheted turtles on there? I made this because I'm knitting as a part of the Dana Farber Boston Marathon Knitting Team through Graceful Stitches and Sarah Nixon.

Then there are the socks. Yes, those are the same socks I posted about a month ago, but I had to tear them back to the cuff because I made a mistake in the lace pattern, so I had to put them away for a while to get over the trauma. You'll also notice that they're plain this time around.

This is just a teaser on a baby gift I finished...ignore the unblocked look of the fabric and just enjoy the colors.

And last, but not least, that's me sporting my monochromatic version of The Player, and my very colorful version of Knitty's Argosy. I'm keeping the hat, but the scarf will be a gift. Many thanks to J for taking that photo.

On my needles: Sacred and Profane convertible mittens from Knit Wit using the gorgeous yarn left over from the moebius scarf Morandia made me.

Mulling in my brain: Just what to create with the recycled sari yarn Morandia sent (see 12/10 entry below); Fiber Trends felted clogs.

Welcome 2007!

2007-01-07T19:21:00.000-05:00

We celebrated the new year with Josh and Joanna (pictured below during our cut-throat game of Jenga) at Marc and Christine's house (they were there, too). It was a nice, relaxed evening of game-playing and hanging out. We were quite disturbed when we turned on the tv at 11:45 to watch the national coverage and saw the trashy outfits of the dancers. Only 29 and already I'm saying, "I can't believe what kids these days are wearing."

On the knitting scene, I am still working on knitting up the yarn I already have. I knit up this bath rug, named Absorba, from Mason-Dixon knitting. It's meant to look like a log-cabin quilting pattern. We used it for the first time today and it was very absorbent. Added note: Maryse asked for yarn details: It was quite the hodge-podge...this was a stash-busting project, you know. I used 5 strands of worsted weight cotton--2 strands Peaches & Cream cream color, 1 strand P & C white, 1 strand Sugar & Cream white, and 1 strand white-ish recycled yarn from my cotton sweater.

I'm also working on knitting two socks at a time (to avoid second sock syndrome) using the FANTASTIC Lorna's Laces yarn that Dominique sent me. I like the two-at-a-time thing, but it's definitely slower going. (I don't know why I didn't think of that before, but I have my not-so-bright moments)

Knitted Gifts

2006-12-31T15:00:00.000-05:00

Ah, the season of gifting has ended so I can post some pictures of projects I gave away. Of course I forgot to photograph some of it before giving it away (namely the scarves for my Grandma and Julie).

I made felted mittens with cuffs, fingerless mitts, fleece trimmed mittens (modeled by my dear sister when she opened them early Christmas morning), and the white lapel scarf for my great-aunt.

I had a lot of fun knitting gifts, and I was actually there to see some of them open the gifts, which was very nice.

I also received many knitting-oriented gifts, which is superb.

Christmas fun with the fam

2006-12-28T15:19:00.000-05:00

Everyone's trip to and from Ohio went very well so we're quite fortunate. We saw a lot of family while we were there, which was great.

Of course, when you're among family, you're also among jokesters. I sat our camera down on a side table during the fun on Christmas night, and found these charming pictures when I went to review the photos later:

Dessert Spread

Tablecloth

Laundry Detergent

Microwave

And my personal favorite, the toilet:

I still don't know who did it, but it made me laugh very hard, so whomever it was: Well Played.

So Generous!

2006-12-10T18:26:00.000-05:00

Imagine my surprise when I went to mail box at the end of last week and found another package from my One Skein Secret Pal! The Knitting Librarian sent me this gorgeous yarn:

The purple/green is sock yarn, and the multi-color seems to me to be some of that sari-silk yarn. It is heaven to touch. Here it is under the tree:

Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are so generous, and what a great surprise!

A few more details

2006-12-07T18:23:00.000-05:00

Evergreenknits wanted to know how much wool went into the felted balls (they're still in the same state...I haven't decorated them).

I had 2 oz of roving to start.

The largest of the individuals balls (the teal in the center) is .2 oz (6g), with the average sized ones not even registering on my kitchen scale. The whole collection below weighs 1.4 oz and have .6 oz leftover that I didn't ball up yet.

I hope this information helps!

gift-a-palooza

2006-12-02T14:54:00.000-05:00

Here are a few items I have just finished:
Ornaments from Handknit Holidays:

(I haven't decided how/if I will snaz them up a bit with beads, etc.)

Felted bowls from One Skein:

I plan to fill these with treats for my librarians this holiday season (those are all yarn remnants I was using up--Wool of the Andes, Lamb's Pride, Dale of Norway)

Here is the product of the Kool-Aid dyeing experiment:

Which I then made into felted balls to make into ornaments like in Handknit Holidays. We'll see how that goes.

Lots of knitting, very little to show.

2006-11-30T19:48:00.000-05:00

It is very hard to post right now because I've been doing a lot of knitting, but a lot of it is for gifts and cannot be posted.

The mitered square blanket was gifted the day before baby Lauren arrived. I hope that she will like it!

I played with Kool Aid to dye some roving that I bought at GS last weekend. Here it is in the process of dyeing:

(Um, just kidding. I can't find the camera cord anywhere. I remember seeing it before we painted the guest room but now I have no idea where it is. Shoot! And Justin's not responding to my "have you seen it?" "I still can't find it..." comments)

10 minutes later: CORD FOUND!

This is what the roving looked like to start:

Here it is in the process of dyeing:

I don't have a picture of the final product because I haven't made it yet. I was really happy with the red that's in the lower left of the photo. The other colors were ok.

Last of the yellow walls

2006-11-24T20:15:00.000-05:00

The last of the yellow walls are gone! We painted the guest room a nice, fresh shade of green. We even painted the ceiling (hence the picture of me with a crick in my neck). The pictures of the new color don't do it justice, but you can see some of the improvement.

Julie's Visit

2006-11-12T19:44:00.000-05:00

Julie visited from MN after she traveled to CT for work. We had a fun time eating in Providence, crocheting at Graceful Stitches, tasting beer at Leta and Tom's, and touring the Breakers in Newport. Such a fun (but too short) weekend! I also saw "Trick my Truck" for the first time. :)_

Step one: felted

2006-11-09T16:15:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I took the Christmas Tree Hat idea and wanted to translate that into a felted Christmas tree. I altered the pattern a lot, and added a lip to the bottom. It's drying right now, so I need to decide how to decorate it. I made some garlands, but I haven't felted them yet. What do you think? How should I decorate my tree?

(Heidi asked for dimensions...it's 14 inches tall and 22.5 inches in circumference)

Christmas Tree Hat

2006-11-06T21:46:00.000-05:00

I love this little project (even though the trimming of the tree took longer than the actual knitting!) I knit it for Graceful Stitches, and the pattern is from Too Cute!

Here it is by itself:

Here it is modeled by the only thing I have in this house with a child-sized head:

Now I've got ideas for a non-hat version for our house...more to follow.

The Great Finishing Miracle 2006 (Or, what not to do when you're making the pattern up as you go along)

2006-11-05T17:58:00.000-05:00

This is a baby gift for an undisclosed recipient (pretty please--ignore the horrible light [and the pillow holding the items up]...the sun sets at 4:00 p.m. in New England at this time of year, so there was no natural light to be found). I decided that there was enough yarn for both a stroller/car seat blanket, and a little jacket. I decided that I would just wing it and see what I came up with. Now that I think about it, I should have made the jacket first. Then the blanket could have been made to whatever length of yarn I had left. But did I think that far ahead? Oh no, because I was winging it and laughing in the face of danger (this from a woman who has worn off the S on her keyboard from saving her documents obsessively). As you might guess, I barely had enough yarn to finish the edging of the collar on the jacket. As in maybe 1.5 inches left, even after cheating and using p2tog at random intervals around the edge to save yarn. However, I managed to weave in the ends, so this is now known as the Great Finishing Miracle of 2006. (there were other acts of divine intervention involved with this project, but I would feel very foolish if I mentioned them all)

Look! Sock #1 is done. That is the sad start of Sock #2 on the needles next to my foot. I am suffering from second sock syndrome.

This has been exacerbated by the fact that I picked up a kit to knit for the shop and it’s adorable. Can you guess what this will be?

it's knowing the little things

2006-11-01T22:39:00.000-05:00

I know I've only been married a little over 2 years, but it's amazing to me how much you can learn about a person in that short amount of time. For instance, I just walked downstairs to find my husband watching South Park. That's right, South Park. Knowing him like I do, I know that the poor guy is past his threshold and needed something brainless. He's been working on his grad school application, grading, sorting out the car title mess, and a bunch of other things. Poor guy needs a break, and how do I know? He's watching South Park.

Sock Progress

2006-10-30T18:45:00.000-05:00

I'm back from my two-day Massachusetts School Library Association conference. All and all it was a very informative conference. I also got this far on a new sock:

Unlike the Yarn Harlot, I was not confident enough to have the sock pose with the famous people I met there: Ed Emberley (you probably know him best for his how to draw books), Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky (check out this amazing Favorite Poem project--the videos are amazing, and the quality of the videos will be updated in the next week or so), and others.

Mitered Blanket

2006-10-28T10:23:00.000-05:00

I finished it! The mitered blanket. This is for a friend out here who is expecting a baby. I used Cotton Classic in various colors that I thought were bright and cheery for a baby. It ended up about 28 inches by 28 inches. Now I need to decide if I should add a lining.

Off to Taylor!

2006-10-22T15:01:00.000-05:00

I sent this blanket (and a sweater that I forgot to photograph) off to new baby Taylor. I made four random squares and pieced them together. I did learn one lesson the hard way: easy-care acrylic/wool blends aren't nice to work with. But now I know. :)

The colors are a bit off in the photo---darn cold, gray weather without natural light. It's also laying a little wonky. Oh well.

That's right, you knitters out there--that's an Intarsia heart on the upper right. It was my first intarsia and it turned out pretty well.

Long time no blog

2006-10-15T13:32:00.000-05:00

Lots of craziness around here lately, so I've been a blog slacker. Here's a super-duper post to catch up!

Let's see....a few weekends ago, some of us went apple picking at Honey Pot Hill. It was a madhouse. I would recommend you plan to visit NOT on a Saturday, and NOT on a gorgeous weather day. Kurt shared these pictures of the day. While the apple pickers were traipsing through the orchard, a golf crew went golfing. It was J's first time playing 9 holes of golf and he even got a par on one hole! We also found out that Josh and Joanna are expecting a baby--such exciting news!

Last weekend proved that a AAA membership is worth its weight in gold (thanks again, Mom and Dad!) J's car, Old Red, is dead.

The story of his demise includes multiples towings and a seized engine, so I won't go into more detail here. We thank him for the 155,000 good miles we got out of him.

Which of course meant that we needed to buy a new car! We are now the proud owners of a 2007 Toyota Corolla. It will primarily be J's car, since he drives the farthest to get to work and grad school, so we want him in a safe and fuel-efficient car.

We also found out that our new nephew was born this week, Taylor. Taylor was impatient to arrive and meet everyone so he came 2 months early, so keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Sort of Noni Bag

2006-09-11T19:29:00.000-05:00

I used a Noni pattern for this bag, but I used completely different yarn and changed the size somewhat. I made the flower in the correct size relationship to the bag, but it seemed too big so I trimmed it down.

Via Diagonale

2006-08-31T15:43:00.000-05:00

I finally finished it! This is Via Diagonale from knitty.com. It was a real bugger, because of how you make the chevron pattern. It was actually hard on my hands, so I could only work on it a little bit at a time.

I used 5 skeins of Tahki Cotton Classic--3 of the brown (color 3336), 2 of the teal (color 3805) and used size 6 needles.

I lined it with a very cute fabric, but I wish I had used something heftier so it would help the bag stand up even better.

Phew!

Impulse Buy

2006-08-28T15:26:00.000-05:00

We were in Newport, Rhode Island last weekend to celebrate our anniversary and we made an impulse buy:

Just Kidding, of course. That's just one of the lovely homes we saw along the Cliff Walk. We also saw Rose Cliff, where The Great Gatsby, True Lies, and Amistad were filmed.

Newport is a beautiful place, and the weather was delightful when we were there. We can't wait to go back!

Final Shipment Arrived!

2006-08-23T15:49:00.000-05:00

My secret pal sent me this awesome Moebius scarf as the final installment of the One Skein Secret Pal exchange:

Isn't it neat? Can you see why it's so tricky to knit? The edging is very detailed (I'm not sure if you can see it from the picture).

I especially love the colorway--and Dominique, my not-secret-anymore pal, sent me the rest of the yarn to have fun with!

I'm also intrigued by the Moebius knitting...add that to my list of things to try!

Thank you, Dominique!

Frisbee Golf

2006-08-20T15:21:00.000-05:00

Saturday we (J, Krissy and I) went down to Providence to see Marc and Christine and also to play some frisbee golf. Here are some action shots:

In the background of the last shot you can see Bob. Bob was golfing alone and we invited him to join us. He is hard core---see that black bag on the ground? It's filled with all kinds of different frisbees. He also had longer hair than all five of the rest of us combined. I think Marc and J were jealous. :)

Here's the course we went to:http://www.pdga.com/course/courses_by_city.php?id=2208

Patient on the mend

2006-08-12T21:27:00.000-05:00

J's feeling better and better each day...but I think he's had enough of mashed potatoes, oatmeal, applesauce and pudding. We did add a milkshake today...how's that for variety?

Down for a while

2006-08-09T20:18:00.000-05:00

J's slugging out in front of the TV...his wisdom teeth removal went well for the top two teeth, but the bottom two were real buggers. Evidently there was drilling involved in trying to get them out. He's doped up on painkillers and has ice packs on his cheeks. Poor guy. He did enjoy some chocolate pudding for dinner, so that's good. His doctor also called tonight to check on him...I thought that was impressive.

Did you know that you have to show an ID to fill a perscription for percoset? I learned that today.

On the happy side of life, our garden is FLOURISHING. We've already been enjoying garden-fresh veggies. We even made pesto using our basil. The cherry tomatoes have been ripening these last two weeks....they're so tasty! The first of our "big" tomatoes is turning orange, so we should have a ripe one next week....

Recently Finished Objects

2006-08-04T20:18:00.000-05:00

Here are some things I've made lately. Soon I won't be able to post pictures because I'll be working on gifts...

Plymouth or Plimoth?

2006-08-01T20:22:00.000-05:00

Well, you saw the Freedom Trail pictures from last Thursday--on Friday we went to Plymouth and visited "the rock" (which is only part of the original rock), and then went to Plimoth Plantation.
Here is the rock:

Here is Dave listening to the nice Park Ranger:

See how Dave was facing her? Very attentive. Then here is my darling husband "listening" to the park ranger.

Hmm, he's not even looking in her direction, and he's standing about 15 feet away. Erin and Dave are better tourists than we are.

On Sunday we went to the Cape. We got to use our handy beach umbrella from my parents, complete with the original sand auger. (it's quite an amazing thing!) Dave and J got it in the ground, and then J and I posed for a picture for my parents.

loads of fun

2006-07-31T12:43:00.000-05:00

So, Erin and Dave left this morning. :( We had lots of fun while they were here, though. See?
Erin reading the Freedom Trail brochure to us:

Dave's first cannoli! (At Mike's Pastry)

Erin at the Make Way for Ducklings statue:

It was HOT while they were here. We went to the Cape on Sunday and loved the sea breeze that cooled things off.
We're sad that they're gone. sigh.

Backfired

2006-07-25T20:29:00.000-05:00

Any of you who have been to our house in the last few months have witnessed the "creative" places I was using to store my circular knitting needles...doorknobs and the stair railing, to name a few. So when I said to J, "I think I'll make a circular needle holder" he said, "Great Idea!"

Seriously, he was that emphatic...I guess that the needles rattling on the bedroom doorknob were annoying when he was trying to sleep or something.

So here it is:

I used the pattern from Stitch and Bitch, but altered it near the end to make it easier (it was almost midnight). Those alterations include making one large foldover flap instead of the two flaps (which make it so it could go on a hanger that doesn't have the bar). I also got to use the cool iron-on tape I found on clearance at Wal-Mart for our (I mean mine, J would never admit to having one) Dymo label maker. See, it's useful after all!

It will not hang in the hallway like it is pictured here...I was trying to get as much light as possible for the picture. It is hanging in the guest bedroom closet, near the yarn, so they can talk and become friends before they come together to fulfill their fiber destiny. :)

The one drawback? When I showed J (and it was loaded with the needles), he said, "I didn't know you had so many needles!" Oops. Plan backfired.

Hoorah for Summer!

2006-07-21T22:10:00.000-05:00

So, session two of Woodworking ended today, so I AM FREE AS A BIRD UNTIL THE END OF AUGUST. Of course I have an eye doctor appointment and all of those annoying things, but still, that's a lot of time on my hands. I'm not sure what to do with myself without a deck to build or windows to install or a bathroom to renovate. I'm sure I'll find something.

Erin and Dave arrive next week for their first visit to Boston. We want to show them a good time so they will want to come back. Hopefully there will be good pictures to post about our adventures.

J started his graduate school class this week and boy am I glad that I didn't do graduate work in English...the amount of reading he's already had to do is quite amazing.

Secret Pal Extraordinaire!

2006-07-17T18:49:00.000-05:00

My secret pal emailed me last week saying she was going to send me (a relatively new knitter) some of her "extra" needles along with my skein this month....I was very excited, to say the least. The package arrived today and HOLY SAMOLIANS!!! I am a lucky girl...Addi Turbos, Fiddlesticks, HiyaHiya, and Susan Bates. And check out that awesome alpaca yarn from Misti Alpaca! The color is 2050, called LIPSTICK (tee hee hee). I can't wait to make something from it, maybe this scarf or this cable hat. Which one do you think? My pal said that she bought herself some and she keeps petting it...I keep petting mine. :) I agree with her that this is much easier and more cost-effective than having a cat or rabbit to pet.

Remember that awesome feeling in college when you got a package slip in your mailbox and you got to go and get it at the pickup window because it was too big to fit in your box? This was just as exciting! I was on the phone with Krissy and kept exclaiming about what was inside.

Sweater Action Shot

2006-07-15T18:45:00.000-05:00

Janine, Glen and Amelia are in Boston for a visit, so I got to see Amelia's sweater in action! This is the first time I've seen one of my bigger knitted projects on the recipient, so it's very cool. Isn't she adorable?