Holiday Weekend or On My Own Schedule

I have said this many times before, I really do love being on my own schedule.  A holiday weekend with four full days off, is amazingly brilliant.  I have been trying to shove as much me things as I can in 96 hours. 

Sweet Potato Casserole

Thursday was of course the whole family thing.  So off to Hermann MO I went with my much requested sweet potato casserole (http://tempestinapot.blogspot.com/2009/11/day-twenty-fivegratitude.html).   I came home with homemade (by my niece and nephew with the help of their Mimi) chocolate turkeys.  I had a nice day and was glad to be with those I love.

Chocolate Thanksgiving Turkey

Friday it was off to lunch and a pedicure with my work bff, Cynthia in the hinterlands of South St Louis County.  This area is a bit of mystery to me, but the food was good (Frankie G's) and the sparkly Fresh Frog of Bel-Aire OPI polish on my toes was very worth the trip.  Natalie went with us and we both enjoyed spending the afternoon with the always amazing Cynthia.

The Knitting Patterns Mess, Before

Saturday I decided it was time to finish the a project I started on my last holiday weekend (Labor Day).  I have been wanting to get my knitting patterns in order.  I had previously sorted the patterns, but hit a wall of not having enough notebooks and then space for the organized notebooks.  It took me three months to get myself together enough to finish the project.  Of course I needed the help of the always organized Natalie to reach my goal.  We spent the afternoon together sorting patterns.  I told her it wasn't fun, but it was alot more enjoyable with her sitting across from me.

Knitting Patterns in the Drawer After

Sunday is at this time unscripted.  All I am hoping for is just one more day of sleeping late, knitting, and of course doing whatever I damn well want. 

Rolling in the Deep Christmas Knitting

Here I am again, looking at the calendar and panicking.  It is Christmas knitting season again and I am rolling in the deep yarn knitting like a fiend.  I promise myself every year to not over reach my knitting ability, but here I am feeling guilty for blogging when I should be knitting on project x for person y.  The absolutely worst part is I cannot post lots of photos and brag on endlessly about my knitting prowess.  You will have to wait until after Christmas to hear the post season wrap up, I know you will be waiting with bated breath to hear the final score.  Until then think of me knitting on until the wee hours of the night watching Top Gear.

The amazing Adele, Rolling in the Deep



Happy Birthday to My Wife

Birthday Girl with Fried Cheese Cake Dessert

Today is my wife's birthday.  Unlike me, my wife does not like to be the center of attention.  She truly is a no fuss kind of person.  After having such an awesome birthday this year (http://tempestinapot.blogspot.com/2011/03/lucky-in-iowa-or-how-i-got-married.html), I was at a loss as to what to do to make her day special.  After much discussion we decided to just go out for sushi and invited anyone who wanted to join us to show up, keeping it very casual.  And show up they did; we even had to move up to a larger set of tables to accommodate the crowd.  Much sushi was ordered and consumed, much birthday love shared, and a few silly cards enjoyed.  I looked around and felt the love, I know she did too.  At the end of the meal I headed down to pick up the check and Knitter Man had swooped in and already taken care of business.  Shocked (it truly was much sushi), I can only say thank you to Knitter Man and thank you to everyone who made this birthday lunch so special.  We are lucky to be so loved.

 THE SUSHI (California Roll, Crabsticks, Salmon Roll, Scallops, Caterpillar Roll)

Fried Cheese Cake (So Yummy)

Count Cross Stitch Scooby Wall Hanging From the Kluesners

Handmade Thread Ornament from Lenore

I Don't Like Monday

In a nod to Bob Geldof, I don't like Mondays.  Not my A day of the week.  I think it is because the dream is over and I am back at the grind living by someone else's rules.  Today at work was the usual mundane stuff that just wears me down.  Once I was out the door at 5:15 the night was mine and things improved.  I improved.

I had dinner with a good friend and as always it was a good time.  We ate at Lulu's Seafood Restaurant  (http://www.luluseafood.com/) in University City.  Tonight the dinner was capped by the most awesome fortunes in my cookie.  I was so lucky I ended up with two fortunes.

My Monday was obviously looking better and with fortunes like these, I was smiling all the way to my car. 

Immediately, my fortunes started coming true.  My friend gave me a new pair of size 7 knitting needles and a hug before we said good-bye.  I stopped by another friends house on the way home and she gave me a gift she had seen on vacation and knew it had to be mine.  As soon as I saw the satin and sequined flamingo box, I was so touched.   Finally, the sweetest thank you card was waiting for me when I walked in the door.  So much good fortune on a Monday night might make me reassess my opinion on Monday, sorry Bob.

Kimono for Me, Or What My Wife Knitted

As I have mentioned before we are a two knitter household.  Just a little over three years ago I taught my wife to knit.  Knitting is language, and since she has started speaking in a language I understand, she has amazed me with how skillful she has become.  We have learned and grown together as knitters.  However, like so many things, we have both grown in other areas of knitting.  Natalie prefers large projects, with chunky yarn and big needles.  I like smaller projects, and have yet to knit on the scale on which she envisions projects.  So while I think in socks and scarves, she thinks in blankets and sweaters.

Early on she became fascinated with a book called Knit Kimono by Vicki Square.  Square's kimonos are based on rectangles and Natalie knew she could knit a rectangle.  After many days of painstakingly studying the book she ask me to pick a kimono and she would knit it for me.  We labored over which pattern would be the most flattering, and what yarn, then came the color choice.  I, of course, chose a green palette.  Natalie began on the project and I left her to knit on.

Front View of Kimono

Fast forward to this September and our plans to go to Iowa in October.  I ask my wife if she thought the kimono might be done for the wedding?  She mulled on this idea and one night came down with the finished product and said, "Here you go."  Of course it still needed to be blocked.

Back View of Kimono

I went to my knit family and the always wonderful Tammie took on the challenge of making the cotton beast look very square and perfect.  I dug through my closet and in my opinion a stunning outfit was put together.  I hope the photos show off all my wife's hard work and my love of the beautiful kimono.  As I have previously said, the wedding was wonderful, and I only hope I did not outshine the brides.