{TUSAL} july v.2

look at this! I'm not late this time ... :)


front & back



{FO} Baby bear hugs

in retrospect, it was the buttons that sold me on this pattern/yarn kit.

Plus the nice girl at the LYS (local yarn shop) suggested it to me.

I have a hard time saying no.

I'm pleased with it.

Not really impressed with the yarn though.

Maybe it's just me.

It's kind of 'thick n thin' yarn.

Mostly cotton, so it's soft.

This next photo probably has the true-est color:

The buttons though, still in love with them!

and this is how it started...

birthday wish list

aaah, guess what.

In 2 weeks, I'll be the big 2-5!

Here's my birthday wish-list so far:

1. Noro Kureyon.  Yarn of course. Wool, Self-stiping with vibrant cool colors, yarn. I have a hat pattern on my Rav queue that is perfect for this!

2. New nail colors. I've been growing my fingernails lately, and in order to do that, they must be painted 24/7. I have a bajillion shades of pinkish, reddish, brownish colors, but not that many fun summer ones at all. Plus, during summer, toes need to be nice at all times as well.

3. A gift card with infinity dollars to Old navy. just a quick browse through the sale section and I see at least 20 shirts, 3 dresses, and 3 swim suits I want. Plus I need new jeans, cuz mine are too big (yay diet! and good-bye 30 lbs).

4. A new purse. I have this wonderful purse that I want so bad dreamed up in my head, but cannot find a single thing like it anywhere! I know the idea came from somewhere, but I can't find it. Anyway, what I really want is a purse that is not black or brown. I'm thinking like a yellowish or white leather (not real of course).

I don't think I'm too difficult to please... nope. not hard at all. well, with the exception of an infinity dollar gift card, and the purse that exists only in my mind haha.

WIP Wednesday

as {kinda} promised yesterday.

First, my most current work in progress:


azzu's shawl

 I'm not really sure what possessed me to try a shawl, but so far I like it. I think I was looking for something a little more complicated but it will be fine. It's growing in width super fast, and so far I'm at like 160 stitches across. I'm on row 71 out of 122, so making good progress, but each row is taking longer than the last! This is the funhouse fibers yarn I won, the color is so bright & pretty, plus a little sparkly. It makes me happy. Party in the tardis.

next:


Ruby bear

Just something little I can take along and will be quick to finish. Tiny teddy bear ears, head and body. Plus I'm using up scraps from the baby sweater I made a while back. It's smashed down right now, but it'll be stuffed and hopefully cute. Not really making it for anything specific other than practice..
So, the project with the button bands.. that would be the little coffee bean sweater. my version is robot gray and dandelion yellow shine (?) cotton from knit picks, and in my opinion, super adorable. this one also has no owner (yet). no photos either. whoops. so anyways, it still needs button bands and buttons.

The I'm already thinking about what to start next. All I know is, I have one lovely skein of cascade 220 superwash sport. This color:

and i want to knit it now..

but i'll most likely try to wait until something else is finished.. there's still the bellingrath socks and cameron sweater waiting in my knitting bin to also be finished.

hot summer days

we had another busy weekend - who isn't busy every single weekend of the summer? i love being able to get out of the house & visit friends & family, but it is exhausting having a plan for every weekend day (my only times to relax!)
Saturday, we spent at our friends house, letting the babies swim in the baby pool & run through the sprinkler pad, while we sat & watched with out feet in. It was so hot! Plus we had some excitement there. While playing in the back yard we heard some crackling and looked at the neighbors tree in time to see a big branch fall on the power lines. Since the neighbors weren't home L called the police dept. and then some very nice looking firemen showed up to make sure it was safe and to wait for the power company to come.

Sunday, Rob's Dad & stepmom from TX made it up for a visit, so we had brunch Sunday morning and spent Sunday and Monday with them at our place. With the weather being so hot, we didn't get want to go to the zoo like we had hoped. It was something like 92 degrees with 80%  humidity, just not right. Instead we went to the air museum, which was cool too. Not air conditioned though, so same difference. The b-17 bomber was there, which I guess is a big deal. Basically a huge plane and cones around it with signs that said $25,000 fine if you get any closer to the plane than this.

devin had a blast driving the one plane you could get into.

and sitting in the cockpit of a helecopter.
he couldnt get enough and I got the cutest video of him in there.

I got a little knitting time in, and of course, started something new without finishing anything. I have a project that just needs button bands, and I was half done with that, after following the pattern exactly, I realized my button band was too little. I hate that. Why are button bands so difficult for me?! So anyways, I got antsy with my new yarn and tried winding it into a ball by hand, which would not have been any big deal at all if little man had already been in bed, I believe this skein was something like 460 yards. So lets just say that's a TON of yarn, I hung it over the oven handle and stood there winding, while Devin had his fingers on the other end tugging. GRR, i lost a few yards to the knot this caused, but I'm hoping I have enough yarn yet to finish the project I cast on already. if not, I will have to work at the knot a bit more. I wanted to share a pic of that, but it looks like my picture didn't upload instantly as it should, so maybe i'll try for a WIP wednesday tomorrow.

Plans for tonight: making a cake and going for a swim!

bounce house = workout

ya, I didn't realize until the next day that being in a bounce house for 3 or so hours would be the most exercise i've gotten in.... well, ever probably. so I've got some sore muscles, and that's ok because it was such a blast! Look who else was there:

that's right!

And also... look how big! (him, not me, bahaha!)

Also, words of wisdom... being in the car for 12+ hours (in 2 days) with your mother-in-law is a situation you should avoid unless you really really like her. We brought mine to Mayo and as far as I can tell, things are going better for her health but she will still need to go back in a few months (Lord help us with the driving).

Knitting news (since this is WIP wednesday, afterall):

Finished something. show you soon - promise.

I won some yarn from a bloggy contest, and I can't wait to feel/see it in person!

Say Cheese

My son is a camera theif. hahaha.

He thinks he's taking pictures of everyone else, and tells everyone to 'say cheese'!

there were bunches more of these, but you get the idea.

last weekend

ya, oops we're sneaking up on weekend again. 4-day weeks will do that to a person. haha.

please excuse me if this whole post is a jumbled mess. my coffee spilled this morning on my way to work so I have none. :(

so, first I didn't leave right after work, but I did get to go camping. hooray! Rob & I had lunch together first (he couldn't come with) and then I packed, and was out of town 2 and a half hours after work. not too bad. I arrived at suppertime. took my time driving (3 hours) because my jimmy is being a hunk of crap. for now it shifts into overdrive when it wants (not often), so 60mph was top speed. Not quite the speed limit, but it is the most efficient for not wasting gas when you don't have overdrive. The whole ride there Devin was wide awake and excited, I so remember being the same way when we were young! He kept saying things like "i go camping gramma grampa, I love my grandpa olson, it's my camping, look mom cows!" over and over. My kid is a repeater.
We got to spend alot of time relaxing. The water was suprisingly not ice water and we all jumped in for awhile. By we all, I mean my 2 sisters, my brother, my 2 sisters' boyfriends, devin, and 2 of my cousins (plus one more cousin and her fiance on just one day). Devin had a blast but the first day came out with blue lips. ha.

auntie & D waiting for the parade

On Sunday, my sisters & I brought Devin to the parade in town, I'm not sure what he thought about the parade, but he seemed to have fun. I instructed him to wave at all the floats (for candy haha) and he did. so cute! plus there was this kid who must've been 16 that sat next to us and chatted with me the whole time. My sisters stood behind us and gave me grief for finding a new boyfriend LOL. The kid gave Devin all his candy because he didn't want it. Nice kid.

so hot. applying chapstick 'by himself' ha.
just to the right... my new boyfriend.



So after the parade, Devin got to go on his first carnival rides at the water carnival. First he rode the racecars that go around a tiny track. I didn't realize before he got on that it whips around the corners, but that didn't scare him at all, he had a blast! The second ride was little whales going in a circle nice and slow, I think he was bored with that one. We were all super hot (I think it was 85 that day) so we went back for more swimming!

riding with a stranger - they were both good sports about it.

Monday, the day we had to leave, my uncle rented a pontoon for all of us. My parents and youngest sister stayed behind, but everybody else came. We were out there from 11-5ish, so a nice long while. Lots of sun and a few dips in the lake. Devin even got to drive us (in circles) for a bit. Driving is his all-time favorite. After driving, he had a nap on the boat. Oh to be young again..

the lake on monday. so pretty.

a bald eagle on our boat cruise.

cousin, devin, me, aunt, sister, and uncle's leg & beer.

uncle and my bro.

all tired out.

cousin and sister
(schlep sisters, whatever that means)

Anyways, there were campfires, cards, smores and drinks every night. Good old time. Plus I won the very first game of screw your neighbor! Yay! Family tradition game which I’m sure most people know, but call a different name. The pot is only quarters, but still winning is fun and I actually needed quarters for laundry when I got home. Drove home with my brother, the whole way dodging storms. it was really kind of too scary for me, but we made it. The coolest was on the last stretch between 1030 and midnight, crazy lightning all over PLUS fireworks, it was a show for sure!

the crazy sky on the way home.

Glad we're home and another whirlwind weekend to follow starting tomorrow.
Also, I never did get to take D to a fireworks show this year. Here in Fargo they were postponed because of tornado warnings, but we were all way too tired to go the next night. He did get to do a few sparklers and watch a few little ones at the campground though.

{TUSAL} July

July's totally useless stitch-along:

and just for fun, in neon:

That yarn looks awesome!
P.s. I hope everyone had a great fourth. I did! I promise to tell about it soon..

superstition

today is july 1.

I can bet you my 5th grade teacher (yes I still remember her) jumped out of her bed this morning and yelled 'rabbits!' She was a superstitious gal and told us that we must do that on the first of every month for good luck. Why did I ever stop doing that?

Another thing she loved and believed was good luck was elephants. But only if the trunk is upward. hmm. *note to self, find elephants with trunks up.

also today, the state of minnesota shut down? what-the-what? did I mention that I was planning to spend this long weekend by the lake.. in minnesota? as of right now (930am) I am waiting to hear back from my family (who is already in a state park by the lake) whether or not they are being kicked out or if I should even make the drive. wow. never in a million years ...

Uncool Minnesota....

Happy Fourth of July!

ps. procrastination strikes again, I haven't packed yet and plan to leave (if I can) right after work.