Pink Shoelaces!

Pink Covington Plymouth Yarns

I think everyone who knows me knows I love bright colors.  I can't help but notice pops of color whenever I am lucky enough to spy the bright hues.  Wednesday night my friend Chris showed up in tennis shoes with bright pink laces I could only say, "I wish I could find some hot pink shoelaces too."  The laces reminded me of the eighties when neon bright laces were all the rage.  Nostalgia and envy fueling my wish the words would be pushed out into the cosmos and the wish granting fairy would wave her magic wand and make it so.

Friday one of the knitting newsletters that shows up in my email sent out a pattern for shoelaces ( http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/friedrich/friedrich.html ).  I am sure Berroco had a call from the wish granting fairy ordering them to fulfill my wish.  By Saturday night with needles and cotton yarn in hand I set out to knit myself some hot pink laces for my beloved lime green chucks (I told you I like bright colors).  The hardest thing about the project was trying to decide on an aglet or not.  After trying it both ways, I decided against the aglet.  Just in case you don't know what an aglet is, it is that little plastic tip on the ends of your laces.



Lime Green Chucks and Hot Pink Laces

 I am so happy with the outcome, I am convinced I need a second pair for my hightopped chucks. 

Though I am pleased with the wish granting fairy, I can't help, but wonder what if I had substituted the words "Million dollars," instead of shoelaces. I just might have been posting to you from Paris instead of St Louis, MO spending hot pink money.  Are you still listening wish granting fairy?

Mother's Day and Sungazing

Some days it just does not pay to be my friend.  My poor, wonderful, friend Sungazing of Sungazing Photography ( http://sungazingphotography.com/ ) knows the truth of that statement.  Mother's day I had lunch with my mom and sister in Eureka.  I looked across the table and not only did they look fabulous, but we were all wearing shades of brown.  I couldn't get the coincidence of color choice out of my mind.  I do not think we could have planned to match so well.  On a hope I called Sungazing and she graciously took these wonderful photos of us.

My mother's photo practically glows.  I can't get over how beautiful she is at 69.  She has been beautiful most of my life, but that she still retains that vitality and spark after the last 3 years is an inspiration to me.  Sungazing did a wonderful job of capturing that essence.  I also like the photo of my baby sis and I together because she is smiling.  I like it when she smiles, it reminds me of what a cute baby she was. 

I just can't thank Sungazing and her husband enough for taking the time out of their busy Mother's day to give me images that I will treasure for the rest of my life.  I am so lucky that she is my friend.  I can't really say she is so lucky to be my friend, but I hope that she thinks she is a little lucky to know someone who has such a pretty mother.

Lady Alice, Or One Damn Big Apple

I love apples.  If I could, I would eat one everyday with my lunch.  I am a Granny Smith apple girl preferring the tart firmness of that variety to the mushy sweet of the delicious family of apples.  My wonderful friends at Rivendell happened across some enormous apples last weekend and brought one home for me.  The apple was destiny for my lunch this week and today I packed the apple with some cheese and crackers for lunch.  I really only needed the apple.

The lovely apple in queston is called a Lady Alice apple.  I am not sure on apple naming conventions, but I would have called it the Brunhilda the Valkyrie apple because they are so big.   And from one big girl to another I liked it.  This apple would be perfect for that day when you want a self-contained, healthy meal to go.  I did do a little research and discovered that these are fairly new apples.  A farmer, Don Emmons, discovered the apple tree between his red and golden delicious orchards in 1979.  This parentage explains the red/yellow color of the apple's skin. 

I am not a red or golden delicious fan, finding both to be too sweet and lacking in the crispness that I love in an apple.  This apple laughs in the face of wimpy apples, each bite resonated with crunch throughout the lunch room at work.  I got a few sidelong looks from co-workers, I like to think they were jealous because my apple was so large and beautiful, not because it was so amazing loud.  (Note this is not a stealth apple, so don't sneak it in your bag when going to a movie theatre, you will get caught).  The apple was sweet, but not overbearingly sweet.  Oddly enough, I did notice that it was more tart on the yellow parts than the pink parts.
I also liked that it was juicy and overall a very good lunch. 

Keeping My Pants On In Hancocks.

Some days I wonder that I am even allowed out of the house.  Today while looking at magazines in Hancocks with my lovely wife I felt something weird in the right leg of my pants.   I did that test twist of my shin in the pant leg and I could distinctly feel something alien caught between my flesh and fabric.  I didn't know what it was, but was almost certain it was a bug or worst yet a spider.  My heart skipped a beat and I said to Natalie, "There is something in my pant leg."

She gave me the are you speaking in tongues look and said, "What?"

My voice went up an octave and I repeated, "There is something in my pants."

Natalie heard the panic and was on her knees feeling my pants for the offending lump in a second.  I held still, afraid whatever it was would bite me, pleading, "Get it out."

Natalie found the lump and was squishing it up against my leg, I felt something pokey on my right shin.  "Natalie," I wailed.  "Get it out before it bites me."

"I'm trying baby, but it is stuck I can't get it out."  She was trying to reach up my pant leg, but I could feel more pokiness.

At this point I envisioned a spider taking a chunk out of my skin and I wanted it gone, RIGHT NOW.  I looked around and Hancock's wasn't that busy and I thought, well if I drop my pants, we can get it out quicker and I won't get bit.  I had my pants unbuttoned and unzipped ready to drop trou, deep in panic mode.

"Got it!"  Natalie said and then I heard her laugh.  "What is this doing in your pants?" 

I looked down and she was holding one of my green point protectors and laughing at me.  Yes I was about to show off my tighty whities for one green knitting needle point protector.  I refastened my pants as I began laughing too.  I have no idea how the item got there, but you know I was very relieved it wasn't a spider and that I can still show my face to the good people who work at Hancocks.

I Know You Are Tired of This But...

I know you are all tired of hearing my go on and on about my change in maritial status, but I just can't help it.  It is the weirdest thing, and I would have never believed it had you told me, I love being married to Natalie.  I look at her and still just smile, I am so lucky to have found her.  Okay, call me silly, I don't care, I love my wife.

Rewind back to 1992, we did have a big union ceremony with a preacher, a flower girl, rings, and lots of wonderful people around us.  We planned and saved up money for the event, my mother made me (don't laugh) a teal dress and I had shoes dyed to match.  There was dining and dancing, it was all very wonderful.  But you know it was just the two of us committing ourselves to each other. There was no commitment by our government to protect that bond and help us to maintain it.  Society as a whole did not even recognize we existed as a unit.  I remember going back to work on Monday and being asked how my weekend went, and replying nothing special. 

Fast forward to the present and I have done everything, but blow up the license and put it on a billboard.  Thankfully, times have changed.  But not our rings.  During our vows we exchanged the wedding rings we bought in 1992.  On our last trip into the Recorder of Deeds in Iowa City Natalie asked if I wanted a new wedding ring.  The thought of replacing my old ring seemed unheard of to me.  All the history and love in that little band of gold make it worth so much more.  However, an improvement could be made on the ring.  We decided to get our wedding rings engraved with the date.  I am very pleased with the results. Somethings do make a difference and to me being able to get married has meant the world.  Thank you for indulging me on this point.



Photo by the Always Amazing Sungazing Photography



Lagniappe or Oh Katia

Sometimes you just fall in love with the novelty of a yarn and just have to have it.  I saw this Katia by Triana at Knitorious and wanted to make these lovely ruffly scarves.  Fortunately, my wonderful friends Tammie and Fiona had birthdays coming up.  Though I already had presents for both of these lovely ladies, I decided they needed birthday lagniappes. 

I love the word, lagniappe.  A lagniappe is a Cajun/Creole word meaning a little something extra.  I like getting those unexpected bonuses in my life and so do be able to do that for someone or someones I love, is almost like getting a lagniappe for myself.

The yarn has at the top a little slit which is the opening used for knitting.  When knitted up the yarn makes this awesome ruffled fabric.  I discovered the yarn in a half knitted scarf laying on the table at the lys and said, "What's this?"  Of course I picked up the scarf and the needle fell out.  Whoops!!!  Sadly, this is tricky yarn and once you drop a stitch, it is very hard to pick it up again.  Sandy, the owner of Knitorious, had to start all over again.  It is a good thing Sandy likes me and I bought some yarn from her that day 'cause I was in the dog house on this one. 

With my novelty yarn in my knitting bag I began on my lagniappe scarves.  I knitted up the scarves and had bonus round presents for two of my favorite people.  As you can see from the photo of Tammie in her gift, she looks FABULOUS!!!

Fiestaware and Me, or What Came in the Mail Today

You know I love fiestaware; okay you know I love fiestaware almost as much as I love my wife.  Today I got a special package of love from the good people of Norby's in Minnesota. Long have I coveted a set of fiestaware backing bowls (because I bake so much).  Sadly, the set usually is available only in one color.  Now I like lots of color in my life and I have been longing for the set in greens.  I even wanted it to go from darker greens to lighter greens because I am picky that way.  A very tall and pricey order, but with patience, time on the Internet, and of course a credit card number the set of my dreams is now part of my fiesta hoard.

I have the 6 quart in evergreen, the 4 quart in shamrock, and the 2 quart in lemongrass.  I am feeling the love here.  Makes me almost want to bake, almost.  The evil fiestaware designers at Homer Laughlin have also added a 2 piece smaller set of bowls that will nest snugly with the others.  I am still wavering on color choice, but in time I will have the whole 5 piece, because fiestaware is my drug of choice.

In my quest for the baking bowls, I discovered my lovely Masquerade Mirro flatware set had an additional party set available ( http://tempestinapot.blogspot.com/2010/03/catching-up-again.html ).  I was like "What? What?"  I chewed on the idea of buying the set and after 5 minutes of internal dialogue with my superego, id hit the buy button.  Superego can chastise me when I get the credit card bill, but oh are they lovely. 



The set has cocktail forks and spoons with a very small spreader.  I need to make it a point to find more reasons to use all colorful accouterments.  If nothing else,  just to show everything off.  And just to keep with my theme for the year, I am just so damn lucky to be surrounded by so much brightly colored dinnerware.