Independence Day Weekend

The weekend started a little early for us, as Hubby had off Friday. Little Man went to school, and Hubby and I had lunch at Hibachi Grill and went to see the Terminator: Salvation movie. I wasn't impressed by the movie at all...I like the other movies, but this one didn't feel like a continuation of the saga, it wasn't the same without Ahhhnold (even though they tried to have a fake Arnold which was ridiculous). We picked Little Man up early from school and enjoyed a quiet evening at home, watching The Patriot, which is a movie about the American Revolution.

Saturday morning I baked a Funfetti cake (with Little Man helping me to stir), and after getting dressed for the day, Little Man and I headed out while Hubby stayed home to work on his home fix-it project. First we went by the library to drop-off a book, then we went to Subway and picked up a sandwich to share. After that we headed to Michael's for some craft shopping (Little Man wanted pink glitter glue especially).

Then, with Little Man in his lobster swim trunks and his lobster t-shirt, we headed to the pool. We played and splashed for an hour and a half before having our picnic lunch. Then we sat for a few minutes before running through the water again.



After another hour at the pool, we headed home and Little Man took a mini nap while I got things done around the house, including icing the cake. When Little Man woke up I had him help decorate the cake with the stars and stripes sprinkles.



Little Man likes the icing best, so I let him lick the icing spatula.



The sides looked a little bare so we took stars and put them on the side. After our hamburgers and french fries we enjoyed our "birthday" cake (I decided since it was our nation's birthday, it could be considered a birthday cake...didn't use candles though!). Later, after Little Man was in bed (not sleeping though, he kept hearing fireworks and firecrackers), we watched the same movie we watch every July 4th...Independence Day with Will Smith. And while we watched I cast on my 2-at-a-time sample socks... to learn the method by Melissa Morgan Oakes.

On Sunday we lounged around the house, played camping, hide and seek, and had craft time.

I broke out my sewing machine to sew a lining for the accessories pouch I had knit, and I not only learned how to switch my feet, I used the zipper foot for the first time to sew in my first zipper!

I'm very happy with how this little pouch for my bigger tote came out, especially since I didn't have to buy any of the materials for it! The yarn was from someone's destash, and the zipper and fabric (which together cost less than $1.50) were purchased with a gift card.

I finally took photos of the gift tags I won through a Twitter drawing run by Knit It Up. Knit It Up does the Sock Yarn Cinema yarn line that I like so much, and on Tuesdays they do drawings or sales that are advertised only on Twitter. I entered a drawing and was able to choose which set of gift tags I liked from the shop. I chose Elegant Craft...

A handwritten note was on the back of the wrapping...


And inside the tin, are 25 tags to use for handcrafted gifts...a place for special care instructions is on the back of the tag. Aren't they lovely! You can grab up your own (or a different style) at the Knit shop at Etsy!

I've also finished my February Lady Sweater, but I'm waiting to get Hubby to take some photos of me in it, so hopefully we'll get around to that this week, and I'll share photos later of my finished sample socks too! Hope everyone had a great July 4th!

Water Fun...

It's been pretty hot down here, and we've been fortunate to be able to enjoy our YMCA membership to keep cool. Little Man has been taking his weekly swim lessons and has been making great progress! But no matter how great he gets, jumping in and making a splash is still his favorite thing!

And this past weekend, I headed out in the 95 degree heat to the US National Whitewater Center.

A few of my attorney friends and I went and tried whitewater rafting for the first time! It was so exhilarating! The hardest part was getting that heavy raft out of the water five times. What a workout! What a ride!

That's me second in from the left!

After getting soaked and chugging down water to make up for the sun pelting us, we ate a late lunch while we watched zipliners going down the zipline. And then...it was our turn! We headed over to the Mega Zipline and waited in line 45 minutes. The sun was brutal! And then we got into our gear...two harnesses and a helmet. We climbed the stairs of the 50 ft. tower to the top, and my legs were shaking so bad, I didn't think I'd make it. But I DID! And it was AWESOME! 35 MPH for 1, 123 ft. over the rapids and rafters below...to a sudden stop! My friends and I laughed and just felt amazing that we had the opportunity!

I've also been knitting too, and I'll post some pictures in the next few days of my finished February Lady Sweater

Our most recent beach trip

Our last trip to the beach was great as usual. And I had Hubby's Father's Day gift delivered early so he could use it. He LOVED it. It's a portable gas grill for the beach spot. On Friday afternoon we arrived, and we ate at Ocean Lakes, since they have Fish Fry-Day, and the food was great. We split fried shrimp and fish and Little Man had some yummy chicken strips. Later Hubby and Little Man had an ice cream treat. We enjoyed some movie time and rested up for the next day.

We spent most of our time at the beach. We also grilled hot dogs and had potato salad I had made at home, and then Little Man had a nap. Later we went back to the beach, and for dinner we had marinaded grilled shrimp (prepared at home), with sauteed corn and salad. And I had some great wine :)

We ate our lunch and dinner outside and enjoyed the sea air.

The only problem with our meal? Not enough shrimp!!

Just another relaxing weekend at our beach spot! I can't wait for our week trip in July to celebrate our anniversary! And seeing you Doozer!

Yes...

it's been a while again! But I've got some stuff to share so let's get to it!

I finished this little sweater a while ago, except for the buttons. When my co-worker had a baby a couple of weeks ago, I pulled out some little whale buttons to finish it up so I could gift it. Baby Drake will look cute this winter I think!

Last week had plenty of knitting fun for me. It was World Wide Knit In Public Day (WWKIP) and I headed to the Charlotte Knitting Guild's event after taking Little Man to the library to sign up for summer reading and some puzzle time. I got to see some Charlotte Purls that I haven't seen in a while, and I worked on my February Lady Sweater.

The event was from 11-3, and I left early to head to another knitting meet up with the Knit Nuts who I hadn't seen in months.

While driving there, Stacey called me to let me know I had won a door prize. I was already thrilled that I picked up this skein of Debbie Bliss yarn from the swap, but the gift certificate I won was a welcome surprise. Then, while knitting with the Knit Nuts, Stacey texted me to tell me I had won the Charlotte Knitting Guild membership. So, that was great!

And the knitting fun continued on Monday when I received this package from Knit It Up. It's Sock Yarn Cinema's My Fair Lady Shipment. The yarn is so silky soft, and the goodies are always fun to see. This colorway is called "Loverly" (which is how the heroine of the movie pronounces lovely before she learns how to speak properly).


And Tuesday, on Twitter, I responded to a drawing that Knit It Up had, and I won...so I was able to pick out gift tags from her shop...very cool...I'll share photos of them once I receive them!

Like I said above, I'm still working on the February Lady Sweater, and I'm trying to chug along and get some scrapbook pages finished. As of yesterday, the above photo is an accurate representation of how much I had done...the photo below is the actual color. I have about 6 inches left of the body in the pattern before I start the garter stitch border. Hopefully another week for the main portion to be done. The yellow and black yarn is where there are stitches waiting for me to go back to knit the sleeves. The sleeve openings are a bit on the larger side, I'll have to see how that works out, but so far the rest seems on point, so I'm hoping I'll end up with a wearable sweater once I'm done.

And keeping with the knitting theme, I went with Little Man's pre-kindergarten class to see a performance of Charlotte's Web performed by children. It was a very beautifully done production with several zany characters that kept the story entertaining for the younger crowd. How is that related to knitting you ask? Charlotte the spider was a knitter in the play! That is how she made her webs! So the character was up on the stage knitting away!

Next post I aim to share about our recent beach trip!

Trying to fit everything in...

Since I've been back to work I haven't had much crafty news to share. I've only knit about 2 rows a night on the February Lady Sweater, so there really isn't much to share of that. I'm looking forward to getting in some knitting time this weekend on our beach trip. Whether it's in the car during the drive or there in the evening, I've been looking forward to making some progress on the project. Of course, who know if I really will make any progress...I went to a knitting meet-up of the Charlotte Purls this past weekend, after months of not being able to, and hardly knit at all there. One Purl is moving to Seattle and was doing a HUGE destash. I brought home A LOT of yarn. I won't say how much, but it was a lot. And a lot of us left with obscene amounts of yarn! Anyway, between digging through yarn and catching up, the knitting just really didn't happen.

But I didn't want you to think I wasn't thinking about you, so I'm posting some cute Little Man photos...with a little bonus that some of them are crafty! Hopefully this post will hold you over until I am (hopefully) a little less busy next week.

While I was in PA with my Mom after her surgery, Hubby and Little Man went down with Hubby's brother to the beach spot for a fishing trip. It was Little Man's first fishing trip and he caught a fish! They used shrimp as bait and fished off of a pier and even saw sharks swimming below...YIKES! Hubby's brother cleaned the fish later, and Little Man wasn't even grossed out...in fact the next day he wanted to go fishing again (and is also looking forward to using his Spider-Man fishing pole this trip too).








He also roasted marshmellows for the first time!

At Little Man's school the kids had help making Mother's Day cards. Since I wasn't at home, Hubby took these photos with Little Man showing off his craftiness!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

My First Week Back

So I've been back a week now, and I go back to work tomorrow. Originally I was scheduled to go back to work last Tuesday, but due to technical difficulties with the client, the work kept being pushed back and pushed back...day by day, until it was decided that the new casework would start tomorrow. Apparently enough people weren't interested in working over the holiday for no extra compensation...shocking!

With the "extra" time at home I watched television, finished some projects to "clear the decks" so to speak, cleaned, did laundry, cooked, and started the arduous task of getting back on track with my scrapbooking. I am currently three YEARS behind, so, I think it's about time I get on that, don't you? Someone was shocked to hear how behind I am, and I pointed out the coincidence between how far behind my albums are and the start of my knitting. I learned how to knit three years ago...so it's not heard to see where my scrapbooking time has gone. But, I really need to catch up, otherwise I fear I never will.

So I won't be taking on as many knitting projects (if I can hold myself back) until I catch up. I will be working on the February Lady Sweater starting this week, and I have finished some other projects.

I made this Pinwheel Blanket for Little Man to use for cuddling at the beach spot. The marble yarn I had leftover from other projects, and I used one skein of Vanna White yarn for the seed stitch border.

I made this yoga mat bag with a cone of yarn I picked up from someone who didn't want it. The original pattern was knit flat, but I crocheted a bottom, and picked up knit stitches around it to knit the bag circularly...I was very happy with how it came out.

I also finished up a comfy pair of Pleated Ballet Flats. I still haven't decided whether I'm going to use puffy paint on the bottoms to make them skid-proof, but I've been wearing them until I decide!

And last night, actually...early this morning, I finished this little 12-month size sweater that I made with yarn I inherited from someone else once they were finished with it. It came out a little different than I originally envisioned, but it should keep a little person somewhere warm. And I learned after knitting it and the beach spot afghan that I would prefer not to knit with Homespun yarn from Lion Brand again....definitely not my kind of yarn (although it is fabulously soft).

But even with all of the crafting, planning and chores, I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Little Man and Hubby.

Little Man and I got to spend time together right away on Monday when I took him to the pediatric dentist. He loves going to the dentist, and the experience for him is a lot cooler than what I remember as a kid. They're in the process of remodeling now so that there will be television screens on the ceiling and kids will be able to play video games while having fillings and the like done. Wow... I took him to school after his dentist appointment, but we were able to play later, and it was nice hearing about his day.

And I had Hubby's Father's Day present delivered early so he'll have it for the next trip to the beach spot...a gas grill to leave at the beach spot. He and I also were able to have lunch out one day that he worked from home at the Hibachi Grill.

And on Saturday, I took Little Man to his swim class where I cheered him on. It's amazing to watch him swim! After we left I had planned to take him to the playground I took him to when he was little and he and I were home together...but the rainy weather bypassed that plan so we went straight to Carolina Smoothies and got smoothies like we used to do. It was so nice to be out just the two of us, I've really missed the time we used to have together. After getting our smoothies we went to Barnes and Noble where he played with the train table and I read him a Scooby-Doo book. Then we headed home for lunch and nap time.

Later that evening all three of us headed to the movies to see Earth The movie follows a polar bear family, a humpback whale mother and calf, and an elephant mother and calf, amongst other awe-inspiring footage. It was a beautiful movie. Definitely capped the evening off on a good note.

The rest of the weekend was pretty dull. The weather here was rainy, so even though the pools technically opened this weekend, we weren't able to go to them. We spent most of the time indoors playing games and occupying ourselves, except when we went to our neighbors two houses up who had a cook-out that turned into a cook-in because of the torrential downpour.

And now tomorrow I head back to work, and hopefully manage to cast-on for my gauge swatch for my February Lady Sweater...basically just still trying to get back into the swing of things!

I've Got Some Catching Up To Do!!

Wow do I have lots to share! I'm going to shove as much as I can into this post to finish up telling you about Vegas, my return home for a day, and my stay with my Mom. That way next post I can get back to telling you about CRAFTS!

So, Saturday of my Vegas trip we slept three and a half hours, and then got up for Starbucks and a new day. We recuperated from a hard night of partying at the spa. It was wonderful, except for when a big naked lady bent over, with her rear-end in my face, causing me to quickly stand up, aggravated, turn around in a huff...and promptly trip over the bench to land three feet away spread out on the floor (minus one shoe). I saw lights, and the spa attendant said she almost gave birth right there, the whole thing had scared her so badly (she was about 7.5 - 8 months pregnant). Other than that Tenasha and I luxuriated in the spa with a massage, fruit, juices, herbal tea, water, the sauna, the steam room, the whirlpool and decadent showers with top shelf toiletries...it was heavenly, despite the black and blues from falling :)

Three hours later, we got dressed and headed out into the sunshine for Paris. There we had lunch at Mon Ami Gabi, a classic French bistro with a fabulous view of the Bellagio water show.

For lunch I had Onion Soup au Gratin (wasn't overly fond of it), and Steak Classique (steak frites with an herb butter topping..delicious...looked like the photo below). We ate leisurely, enjoying the view, and then walked across the street to the Bellagio to visit the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. There were many beautiful photo opportunities there, including the Japanese Zen garden and teahouse, water features everywhere, and beautiful butterflies flying in enclosed garden structures.

Even the registration desk on the way out was gorgeous with umbrellas and greenery hanging just beyond the desk.

After leaving the Bellagio, we walked down the strip looking for souvenirs at several different hotels and casinos, and Tenasha was looking for the perfect place for a leisurely dessert. We found just the place back in New York, New York. We picked two things we both thought sounded good, New York Cheesecake with Strawberry Topping and a chocolate peanut confection that I picked that was heavenly. We sat and people-watched, and took in the atmosphere while sipping lattes and sharing bites of our desserts before heading on to do more souvenir shopping and a little more video poker playing.

Now, I wish I could say that we spent our last night raising hell, but, honestly, we laid down to "rest" and never got back up! Our feet hurt from all the dancing and walking, and we never made it to dinner that night.

The next morning we went to the champagne brunch at the Luxor and had champagne, shrimp, eggs, potatoes, etc., until we made up for not eating dinner the night before. Then we went back to the room to finish packing, and checked out. We headed to the airport, had a coffee together and then parted ways for our gates.


I had the window seat on the return flight to Charlotte, and though I was squeezed in by my seatmate who didn't get up so I could use the restroom, the view was spectacular.

Especially the view of the Grand Canyon.


We passed Atlanta, and I knew we were close to home. I got to my car in Charlotte, to learn that I had left a light on in the car and the battery was dead. I had to get the car jump-started, and then I was on my way home.

I wasn't home long before I left again for PA. I took small planes, one to Atlanta, and the other to Allentown, PA, where my brother's friend picked me up from the airport.

I won't go into all the details of my stay in PA right now, but it was rough on my Mom the first week to 10 days. In fact, she had a bad word that she used to describe the whole thing. Even eating dinner together after she was released from the hospital was a pain in the arse, as she went upstairs and then couldn't use the stairs again for the day. So there my brother, she and I were, eating on trays in her bedroom. Everything took on a ridiculous tint...everything was complicated, and everything became hilarious in the delirium caused by non-restful nights. A couple of times we screamed out in frustration, it was very therapeutic...they should have suggested it when she was discharged from the hospital, but, like so many things, we had to figure it out for ourselves.

Next post (hopefully in the next day or so), I'll finish up what I want to say about hip replacement, and then I'll get on to the crafting, because, believe it or not, I actually did manage to get some things done!

Day 2!

WOW, time is flying by and I want to finish sharing photos from Vegas. I'm going to only briefly describe what we did so I can catch up with my posts.

But, before I continue with Day 2 of the Vegas trip, I forgot to tell you about our elevator experience first thing when we were checking in to the Luxor. As a guest you have to use your room key in a slot in the elevator in order to access guest room floors. So there are Tenasha and I and all of our luggage going to the 30th floor and I stick my key card in, and nothing happens when I pull it out. So I do it again and must have left it in too long...because the elevator went pitch black. SO there we were, laughing through our fear, while Tenasha pulled her cell phone out to use as a pseudo-flashlight so we could figure out how to get the lights to come back on. Then, when it finally starts moving, it was shaking really bad, which we later found out is normal because the elevator doesn't move straight up and down apparently, it moves diagonally. NERVE-RACKING!



Anyway, Day 2 started pretty early. I woke up at 5 AM and called Hubby on his cellphone so I could talk to Little Man before he went to school (remember there was a 3-hour time difference). After that Tenasha and I wound up talking all over again, and then we threw on clothes and went downstairs for coffee and breakfast at Starbucks (Tenasha has a large coffee drink from there everyday). Then we went back to our room to eat, and plan our day. First, we went to the spa to book an appointment for the next day. I signed up for the gambling club (for perks), and we played at the Luxor for a while. Then we went through Excalibur to go to New York, New York.


We walked around a little bit and then stopped for lunch at this great delicatessen called Greenberg and Sons. Tenasha loves their pastrami on rye. The portions were colossal, and wow, the sandwiches were AWESOME! After you get your food, you sit at the tables on the "sidewalk" and enjoy the sights and sounds.

Here I am eating my New-York-style deli sandwich (roast beef on asiago panini).

Tenasha loves hamming it up for the camera, and quickly rubbed off on me.

After eating lunch we played more video poker and had some drinks. Then we walked around for a while before going to dinner at Bayside Buffet at Mandalay Bay. The seafood here is phenomenal. Jumbo-peeled-cocktail shrimp ready to pop in your mouth and mounds of crablegs...we were in heaven (they also have the old buffet standards such as prime rib, fried chicken, etc.) We also enjoyed drinks on the house due to an error the cashier made. After having our fill of seafood we also enjoyed the miniature cheesecakes, etc. at the dessert bar.

Then we headed back to the room to get ready to go out for the night.


Tenasha with her first cosmopolitan.


What followed was a crazy fun night of drinks, dancing, laughing, more dancing, more drinks, and lots more laughs (and hamming for Tenasha's camera). We hit the sack the next day at 4 AM...the rest of the story stays in Vegas ;)

Viva Las Vegas!

So, you may have been thinking wow, did she ever come back from Vegas? Well, I did. I'm up in PA right now staying with my Mom who had her hip replaced last Wednesday. She was in the hospital until Saturday, and then we started the ridiculous journey to get her into the house and to get her comfortable into the house. It's been interesting, infuriating, frustrating, and funny in a demented sort of way. I'll share more about that after I get you caught up on the Vegas adventure.

Day One: So I left the house EARLY Thursday morning to catch an early flight. The flight was pretty uneventful, even though I hadn't flown since 2004 (even with a crying child and a woman who never stopped talking for the whole 4.5 hour flight).

I had an aisle seat; I moved so a husband and wife could sit together; kept an aisle seat, and the stewardess gave me a free screwdriver to "reward" my kindness. I landed at 9:30 AM in Las Vegas, NV, which is three hours behind the Eastern time zone, but not before passing over the Grand Canyon.

I got into Las Vegas on time, but my friend Tenasha, who I was meeting up with, was a little late getting in. But we quickly met up at the baggage claim area where she was waiting for her suitcase (I carried on), and I was greeted by a squeal and a big bear hug.

We went outside and I was greeted by the dry, desert heat. Tenasha lives in Phoenix, Arizona, so she's used to that desert feel. We found a shuttle that cost $6/person and it took us about 30 minutes to get to our stop: The Luxor!

We arrived way before the 3 PM check-in, but the Luxor was able to check us in early. We went to the room and took a little photo shoot... we were excited to see the room, since the Luxor has always been Tenasha's favorite hotel on the strip, although she had never gotten the chance to stay in it before.

The Luxor is a pyramid structure that stands out even against the other impressive strip buildings. We were on the 30th floor, which was all the way at the top of the pyramid.

The bathroom had great tile and was spacious.

And interesting hieroglyphics were on the headboard, bedspread, and tv armoire.

Happy to see each other for the first time since August 2005, we started hamming it up for the camera almost right away.

And then after settling into the room a little, we headed downstairs to MORE, the buffet at Luxor, for lunch. It wasn't as good as it could have been, but we were both starving and it was convenient. Plus, we used one of the vouchers included with our room to pay for it. Afterwards, we headed to the gambling floor.

Now, on our two previous trips to Vegas we would basically sit at the slot machines, occasionally heading to something different like CRAPS. But this time the slot machines felt lame, and I suggested we head to video poker. And that was our game of choice for the remainder of the trip. Tenasha bought us drinks one time ($14 for a Bud Light and a Seven and Seven), and after that we got strategic. I could play a dollar for an hour and a half, and in that time the cocktail waitress would bring us drinks twice, so that's what we did, because the drinks are expensive!

We played for about an hour that first day, but mostly we just wanted to walk around.

I was able to finish ahead though before we left to walk some more.

One thing I love about Vegas is that you can get so many different experiences. Day One we headed to New York, New York and walked the "streets" of NYC. And then we headed down the strip to The Mirage, enjoying the weather and the sights along the way.

After we got to The Mirage we sought out Samba, which is a Brazilian steakhouse. We got the all-you-can-eat option which brings family-style salad and sides (fried plantain, creamed spinach, rice and beans, and honey glazed carrots) to the table and then servers come to the table with skewers of different meats that they cut for you. The table is also given a marker with a red side and a green side so that the servers can see if you need a "break" from having meat placed on your plate. The meal wasn't something I would normally try, but Tenasha had eaten there before and was eager to go back. I left full, but a little disappointed for her that the all-you-can-eat isn't really accurate...after receiving one serving of each of the meats the meat servers started ignoring her, although the marker was green and she wanted more. Plus, we didn't get any more sides or salads. So, I'm glad I went, but felt disappointed that they misrepresented what we ordered.

We walked around some more after we ate, and then with sore feet and a grumbly stomach on my part, we got on the bus and headed back to our hotel, with a quick stop at CVS for water and soda for the room. We spent the rest of the night laughing into the wee hours of the next day and catching up with each other's lives, and then we turned in, with one of us giggling every so often, making one of start talking again...we got a few hours of sleep before we woke up to start the craziest day of our trip.

Feeling the burn..

I felt the burn this past weekend alright. We left Friday for a long weekend at the beach spot, and the weather was GORGEOUS! We spent a few hours at the beach taking in the sun, and the cool breeze disguised just how much the sun was beating on me. I felt comfortable the whole time. And then we had a great time in the indoor pool where the water was perfect. Later, I felt itchy and thought for sure I had been bitten by an insect all over...nope... it was mild sunburn...thank goodness I put sunblock on Little Man!
Little Man got crafty right before the trip with Mommy and designed these pirate crocs for the beach and the pool. It was his idea to only put one snapitz on his right shoe.

We had an even better view this trip, we couldn't keep from looking at it.

Little Man loved running around. We also played Frisbee and horseshoes.

And we ate lunch outside at our picnic table...oceanview dining!

We stayed close to everything this trip, so a golf cart wasn't necessary, but here are a bunch parked near the beach.

When we got back I got busy on the second head-size ball of yarn for my Beach Spot afghan. There are 4 skeins wound together that are then knit together with size 50 needles. The afghan was supposed to only take 6 hours, but it took me 10-11 hours, the needles were awkward to use.

But wow, did the afghan come out comfy. (I used Homespun yarn). My yoga mat bag is coming along well too. I'm finished with the bag portion, and I have the strap to finish and the cord to make.

Now I'm off to pack for my trip tomorrow!