Blue Horizons Circa 1974

After traveling over mounds of stashed yarn, struggling through pages of difficult instructions, and hours of strenuous hooking I have completed my Blue Horizons crochet project (cue over the top music).  Okay, I finished my afghan, my first, and maybe last afghan.  Relieved to back to my sticks and leave the hooks behind.  I used up 3/4 of my Mission Falls stash and hooked about 4000 yards of yarn.  Yes, that afghan has over a mile of yarn in it.  Of course we are on the cusp of Summer and I don't think I am ready to cuddle up with my a wool afghan. Fall will come my pretty.

The original pattern had blues and purple aptly named Blue Horizons.  As I love green and I have a lot of green yarn I decided green it would be.  I added snaps of reds, balanced by a blue and some purples with black for the borders.  In the end I think the colors remind me the early 70s when my mom put in an avocado kitchen accenting it with autumnal colors.  I loved those colors then, I love now and I love this crocheted afghan. 

I need to thank my friend, and teacher, Suzanne, for all the help along the way.  Thanking her and the rest of my crocket group for the patience and assistance to get me to this beautiful finished project.  Feeling I have earned my crochet afghan merit badge.

I Do Not Have the Power

 

 

As you can imagine with the move everything is in chaos.  I find myself surrounded by boxes, lots of boxes.  Even something as simple as the cord to my cd player has become big drama.  I know it is here, in a box, laughing at me.  I went back to Casa de California and nope not there either.  I took my frustrated self to Target and guess what I could not even find cd players. I found lots of cords but nothing even remotely looking like a power cord to an old fashion cd player.  I tried to ask one of the associates to help me, but it was as if we were speaking 2 different languages. I tried the internet, again it was as if I were typing in archaic codes.  I lamented my cause to my sister and she was not sympathetic.  In fact, I could hear her eyes rolling on the other side of the phone.


After having a temper tantrum in front of Natalie she had mercy on me and went on her own quest for the lost power cord.  My wonderful wife went to Best Buy and told them my saga, but again there was no power cord for sale.  One of the associates looked around the back room and actually found an orphan cord and sent it home with her.  My hero showed up with the new cord, but it did not fix my cd player. Again I was sad, but my wife happened across the Wii and low and behold its cord actually fit my cd player.  I turned on my music and did a happy dance for Natalie.

Granted I still had Pandora and my Walkman while I was searching for the cord, but I wanted control of my music.  I know some of you are wondering why I just don't go completely digital? I like my cds, I like my cd player. Now, I just need a new cord for the Wii.

Dresser Win!

Loving the greens on this chest of drawers

Yesterday, I lamented that I was on a quest for a chest of drawers.  I had prepared myself for a lengthy hunt, but first thing this morning I walked into Vintage Bizarre on Virginia and immediately I found 2 gorgeous candidates.  I did hear angels singing when I beheld my choices.  Dresser A was painted white with 7 drawers painted various shades of green.  Dresser B was cream with pink drawers.  I loved them both, but dresser A just had the look I really wanted.  Now that I have it home, I think dresser B might have been a better choice because it was bigger.  However, I do love the look of my new chest of drawers.

Many flamingos will roost here.

Today was all about furniture, we moved the new dresser to my room.  Natalie put together an IKEA apothecary cabinet for my bathroom.  She gets a good spouse award because she hates putting together IKEA furniture. Even a small dry sink, made by my great grandfather Helms, made its way into my bathroom.  I love the idea of having the dry sink used by generations of my family now being in my own bathroom. 

I have always loved the glass knobs on this dry sink.

Calling today a win.

The Perfect Chest of Drawers

I am picky and I know it.  Today I started my quest for a chest of drawers for my bedroom.  It has been almost 15 years since I had a chest of drawers, I think because my old one died and I couldn't find one I liked.  I ended up with a wardrobe instead.  The wardrobe,a sad and tacky particle board thing, is falling apart and has only the trip to the curb in its future. Now I am living out of 3 suitcases, and I see a need for a chest of drawers.  Of course I have requirements because no ordinary chest of drawers will do. First it must have at least 5 drawers.  Second it can't be particle board. Third it must be only 30 inches wide.  In my fantasies, I walk into the funky antique mall, a light shines on the absolutely perfect piece of furniture, angels sing, and the price tag says "Cheap." Wish me luck with that.

Home Again, Home Again

Natalie and I always bicker about how you end saying "Home, again, home, again" is it "Jiggety jig" or "Lickty Split?"  We have been having this disagreement so long, I have even forgot which one of us thinks what.  Regardless, I am at my new home or one day I will arrive here and say I am home.  It has been hard for me to give up my old home and move to the new place.  I have lived at Casa de California longer than I have ever lived anywhere, 19 years.  My previous record was for the house I grew up in, 16 years.  I admit I do get attached to places and have a hard time letting go.  Letting go I must.



My life has been about boxes, newspaper, and moving stuff.  We have moved my yarn, fiestaware, clothes, shoes, kitchen, dining room, bed, and many, many, flamingos.  I am almost ashamed of all the stuff I have.  I have re-homed a few things and some things have went to Goodwill, but still I have much stuff.  I have donated over 9 linear feet of books to betterworldbooks.com as well as to friends.  We have even taken a few items out for bulk pick up.  I am physically and emotionally exhausted from the process and still I have more to do. 

I have not been blogging because I have been consumed with this move.  One day I will have everything at the correct address and then I can start the process of making this place my home.  In the meantime, I will tell you what I have been saying to Natalie, be patient I will get home again.

Lambing Mitts

Sometimes you are just destine to do a thing.  For example the Lambing Mitts by Veronika Jobe(http://www.toltyarnandwool.com/blogs/blog/17124140-lambing-mitts), I was destine to knit them because by a fluke of a mispronunciation at Ellis Island that is my last name.  I thought it would be fun to be the Lambing in the Lambing Mitts.  The pattern was easy and I had some Aran weight Mission Falls I decided to use up.  I was also happy to be using my knitting needles instead of a crochet hook.

First I knit a pair for a co-worker's birthday.  I wanted to use up some of the odds and ends leftover from the crochet afghan I have been working on and decided to use a dash of blue in the red top of the mitt.  This decision was mistake.  The goal of the mitts is to have a garter ridge top to flip up and down.  On the first pair, I have the woven ends on one side, which is visible if you flip the top up.  Knitting fail.

Photo by Siri!

On the second pair, the set for me, I learned my lesson and kept the color changes for the hand garter ribbing.  I kind of love how the mitts turned out.  The turned down top is so wonderfully squishy, too.  I made my pair a large, but used the medium thumb size, which is prefect for me.  Again, what is not to love about an easy pattern sharing your name.  Much Love!

Fabulous 49!

My First Birthday Cake

Today I turned 49.  I am thinking about starting to say I am 50. If I do that then maybe it want be so hard to say this time next year.  Not only that, but if I say I am 50 I will get lots of people saying to me, "Oh, I thought you only looked 49."  I had a cold birthday full of warm wishes.  Glad to have such good friends.


Also, it is my 4 year wedding anniversary.  You remember that time I went to Iowa and married the love of my life.  I am hoping that next year by our 5th wedding anniversary we get marriage equality. We are down to 12 states (my home state being one of the 12) and Alabama who are still denying same-sex marriage equality.  I dream of the day when all families are treated equally.

The only wedding dress I have ever worn

Thank you for all the kind birthday wishes.  I would be lost without you all.  Much Love.