Long Weekend

I tried to post Friday, but Sam updated my computer and I couldn't figure out how to stop the pop-up blocker, so I couldn't add photos. So, this may be a long post.

On Thursday, I was feeling kind of Blah and checked out time off bank and saw there was time off for Friday. So, I snatched it. The plan was to make a fabulous Pakistan inspired baked fish and rice dish with green chutney that night. So, I went shopping for some of the ingredients. Somehow, I found myself at a LYS and I bought this:
I would've liked to have slept in on Friday, but the puppy seems to be getting up around 5:15 a.m. I managed to slip her in her pen so I could grab about an extra hour of sleep. The major thing I did on Friday was do a uber cleaning of the kitchen. I feel like I just did this not that long ago. But, we cook a lot, and things seem to pile up. I felt like we had about 2 square feet of counter space to cook on. So, I got everything cleaned. Countertops, microwave, oven, stove top--you name it. It didn't really take all that long. I thought it would be a good way to start the weekend. After that, I piddled around with some knitting. I've finished my first project for 2008. Sheesh--it's about time. A black beret using Malibrigo. The only thing is that black is so hard to photograph.

Saturday, we went to the River Market in seach of Shao Hsing wine. We went to Kim Long market and found everything on our list. As we left, there was a parade to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Drums and cymbols and several giant Fu Dragons. With Buddha in a strange mask at front. As I was watching, Buddah stepped away from the parade and gave me a hug! Maybe this is my lucky year. I even found this Health Rice at Kim Long, which is a mixture of all types of rice including Forbidden Rice, red rice, and brown rice. This is what I will have with my Natto for breakfast.

After Kim Long, we went to this nearby HUGE Asian Market for a look-see. The produce was incredibe. We bought bunches of basil to make Pesto. Everyting was CHEAP. We even went to the fish and meat department and found that they have live crabs, lobster, clams, and oysters. And tons of fresh, FRESH whole fish. Fish cooked in a salt dome is coming soon. I even found Panch Phoran.

We bought some dumplings for lunch and then Sam took a nap. But I was still so jazzed. So, I took off for Cottage Fiber and bought a Lazy Kate and some funky yarn for mitts. I also scheduled time for a lesson with the wheel this coming weekend. She had another student there while I was shopping. Some know-it-all Ho that I recognized from a Knitting Guild event. UGH. But, it was still cool to watch PJ show the know-it-all Ho how to spin.


Saturday night we made Ocean Broccoli Beef. We added Thai chilies to the recipe and those things were HOT. It turned out well, though. However, the dishwarsher broke. Good thing it's still under warranty and the dude is coming tomorrow.


I'm still working on the socks and I've cast on for Chinese New Year. A beret using the new yarn and this pattern. I think the colors will go with everything.


Here is the progress on the socks. I took these pictures yesterday and I'm working on the gusset of the Snow Squall socks now.

Where did I go?

I haven't posted in a while because I really haven't gotten that much done. Here it is February and I haven't got one single FO to share. How embarrassing. I'm still working on the clown socks. I've cast on a second pair of socks with the Snow Squal yarn. There were several attempts at casting on for a project other than socks using that yarn, but none of them really pleased me. I ripped out the black Koohaas. Instead I'm making a Rollin' Beret for me. So, I guess I've been casting on and ripping out. One step forward and two steps back. And then there are all my other UFOs marinating on the UFO basket. These days, I've been doing a bunch of non-fiber related annual hassle type things like getting the animals' vaccinations and licensing, car tag renewal and other groady things. (And who really wants to hear abou that?) Hopefully, I can get a bunch of the things off the needles in February.

If all things go as planned, I should have May 17th through July 6th off. I'm planning on being in Victoria June 1 through 10 too.

Today seemed like a good day to make a big pot of chili.

Fibergasm

Today I went to Cottage Fiber for a spinning lesson. I was under the impression that the cost was $10 for about an hour and a half. But, because I have a techno-spindle, which she makes and sells, the lesson was free! FREE! Although it is rudimentary at best, I am spinning on the techno-spindle. I think this is one of those things that you have to practice and practice to get right. Don't laugh!

I was in absolute heaven there. Tons of cool fiber, yarns, looms, spinning wheels--you name it. She shares the space with a weaver. He had one ginormous loom that was about 14 feet wide. And another smaller loom that he had warped with colors that correspond with the stars. The warp was from his astrological reading. How interesting. The place was totally inspiring. And the woman who runs it is so very cool.

She showed me how to card my own fiber so I can create my own colourways and roving. So, I bought some fiber and carders. I'm so jazzed.

During our conversation, I learned that she intends to close her shop. She's been in business for three years now and has not received the support from fiber artists she thought she would. Now, that's a bummer. I finally find a place I LOVE and it's going to go out of business. I know that the owner belongs to the KC Fiber Guild, so I'll just have to join that next.

When I came home from my lesson, I had a package from Spunky Eclectic waiting for me. Here is the new color.

It is called Snow Squall. The inscription reads: If you've ever lived in snow country when a really big storm is coming in there is a weird mix of grey and blue in the sky. One minute you have this crystal clear turquoise and the next it's deep blue and then all of a sudden it's grey and about to snow.

I also got my spinning wheel earlier this week. I talked to the woman that owns Cottage Fiber and she can give me lessons. I can't wait. But, I'm going to spend time with my hand spindle so I can get the hang of it.

I was hoping to have my socks done from last month's Spunky Eclectic sock yarn. I was busy knitting away when there was a pet fiasco. Piddles chased the cat sown the hallway and he hauled ass into the office and jumped up on the desk, tipping over a FULL glass of water all over my lap, keyboard, and my knitting, which was on my lap. The whole ball of yarn was soaking. So, It's currently drying out.

I've put that muddy puppy down for a nap. I'm going to spin, spin, spin.

One down

I finished one of the clown socks. I never would have purchased this colourway on my own. It was my first shipment from the Spunky Eclectic Sock Yarn Club. I decided to be a good sport about it and knit it up anyway. I wondered if I was out of touch and these types of colors are actually fashionable. Dustin remarked that he liked the socks when I was knitting on them when I was over at my parents' house yesterday. So, maybe it is cool and I'm just an old fart. However, I hope that my next shipment is more of a subdued colorway.

I've been trying to have Natto and rice for breakfast each morning. It's incredibly cheap, filling and about 330 calories. My fascination with Natto is that it is supposed to help prevent osteoporosis, which my mother has been ravished by. The Japanese have Natto with rice for breakfast. The Japanese also have a very low osteoporosis rate. And when you think about it, the Japanese don't use a bunch of dairy products in their cuisine. They have to be getting the calcium somewhere. About a year ago, I was diagnosed with osteopenia, which is the early stage of osteoporosis. The doctor put me on Actonel, and I was pretty good about taking it for about 6 months or so. I am a little wary of the medication because the long-term effects of taking it can cause a degeneration of the jaw. This last time my mother was in the hospital, they took her off Fosamax as they wondered if some of her swallowing issues were caused by the drug. She's been on Fosamax for about 10 years now. So, I'm trying to have Natto once a day in hopes that I can avoid getting worse. This meant a little shopping trip to the local Asian grocer today so that I could stock up on Natto. I also purchased Soba Noodles for my lunch today. I used this recipe and it was very good.

I put the stock in containers and have it all in the freezer. I forgot what a gigantic mess making stock is. I really didn't want to spend the majority of my day off in the kitchen. But I also don't want to start the work week with a messy kitchen. I should probably go clean my office. But, the second sock is calling me.

3 Day Weekend

It's a three day weekend for me. Yay.

My plan was to spend the majority of my time cleaning like a banshee. When I separated from my ex-husband about ten years ago, I spent most evenings going through the clutter. He is a huge pack-rat. I got the garage and basement all organized. I've noticed I've gotten kind of slack since the kids moved out and now my crap and Sam's crap has been piling up. So, I wanted to go through stuff and reorganize. I've been going through stuff and chucking it or boxing it up to donate and getting everything as neat as a pin.

I returned two tops my MIL gave me for Christmas and had a $110 credit at Dillards. I high-tailed it to the housewares department. Normally, it would take me about 3 minutes to blow through that at a kitchen store like Williams Sonoma. But, this place didn't have that great of a selection. It took us a long time trying to find something suitable to get. I ended up getting a rice cooker and an immersion blender.

I found myself taking a break from all the cleaning by knitting on socks. I'm just using a plain sock pattern. However, I am using the Magic Loop method and it is going very fast. This yarn is too bright for anything but that. It's very soothing to knit socks. And this bright colourway is just what the doctor ordered. It has been so cold and gray these days.

I discovered that Piddles has chewed the corner of the carpet in the family room. I'm not upset about it because my plan is to replace this awful carpeting with some type of Pergo flooring. Hopefully, this Spring. The dogs just make too much of a mess to have carpeting.

We are making a huge pot of chicken stock. I roasted the chicken pieces and the aromatics before getting them into the pot. It should make a nice rich stock.

My mom's condition seems to be stabilizing. She went to the doctor on Friday and had a blood test. They still haven't figured out how or why she is losing blood.

25 Things I Never Get Tired Of

I was reading some of my favorite blogs when I found that some people were posting a list of 25 things they never got tired of. I thought this was a spin on a gratitude list worth giving a try. So, here is mine. Not in any particular order.

1) Laughing with my kids
2) Casting on for a new project
3) Hot tea in the morning
4) The smell of freshly cut grass
5) Cats purring
6) Reading cookbooks
7) Listening to Joni Mitchell’s music
8) Chips and salsa
9) Going to the farmer’s market
10) Fresh tomatoes straight from the vine
11) Browsing through yarn shops
12) Joy perfume
13) Trying a new recipe
14) Teasing my coworkers
15) The ocean
16) Making things for my kids
17) Long, hot baths
18) A fire in the fireplace
19) Happy Hour with my coworkers
20) Wagging dog tails
21) The first sign of Spring
22) Sleeping in on the weekends
23) Watching people
24) Buying magazines
25) Tuberoses

Sicko

This cold I've caught has kicked me straight in the ass. Sam took the last of the cold medicine leaving me with one dose yesterday. And as the day progressed, I became more and more miserable. He brought some more home with him when he came back from work, but they took a long time to start working again.
I didn't have the energy to make dinner, so Sam made grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. Always a hit in my book. And he uses sourdough bread and white sharp cheddar, so they are very tasty indeed.
I found myself dozing off before ten last night, so I packed it up and went to bed. But, every time the cold medicine would wear off, I'd be up to take more.
I've got a ton of cleaning to do today. Rainy weather and Basset puppies do not mix well. I figured that I can clean and slip in a few rows here and there. However, I just took my first dose of cold medicine and I've taken the P.M. blend by mistake, thanks to my 48 year old eyes. Crappers. I'll probably be dragging soon.
I had to frog the Koolhaas hat again (#2!) as I messed up the ribbing. Now I am even more determined to figure this one out.
I won't be able to attend Sunday Dinner at my parents' house this weekend. Their health is too fragile to be around anyone who is sick. They still haven't determined what the cause is for my mother's loss of blood. Though this hospital visit has taken it's toll on her over-all health, she sounds okay on the phone. And she's still experiencing pain in her stomach region.
Maybe I'll make some chicken soup with Matzo balls for dinner tonight.