Picnic in the park

Ryan and Arden have eagerly been awaiting the arrival of their Laptop Lunchboxes. Both of them were attracted to the itty bitty boxes and drawn in by all the colors. I was hoping lunch would be a bit less of a struggle this year.

The box arrived right before lunch, and they were both thrilled! We decided that a picnic lunch in the park was in order, to "break in" the new lunchboxes. We all started putting things in the different sections, with both the boys coming up with some pretty good ideas. It was hard finding enough to fill out the sections - they're really big! The larger ones hold 1 1/2 cups and the smaller ones 1/2 cup, which is a lot of food. I, sadly, have no bento box container for myself, so I made do with a cloth bag and some saran wrap for my sandwich (cue violins).

The booklet that comes with the lunchboxes has a lot of really good information in it. A few recipes at the end, too, which both of the boys are excited about. We're trying "Fruit Triangle Treats" for snack this afternoon. There's a lot about choosing healthy foods, reducing waste, and a great set of lunch ideas and combinations to try.

Wanted to add that having all the containers open and all the food where the boys could see everything right when they opened the lunchboxes really made the food more appealing. It helped Ryan especially, as he's a really visual little guy and has a hard time with lunches that are all wrapped up. He kept telling me how much better he liked having it all where he could see everything. And Arden ate so much more than he usually does, I think because using the spoon (which has a cool star and moon and sun in the clear plastic) was so fun and because he liked all the itty bitty containers. It was wonderful seeing them so happy and excited about lunch. Well worth the rather large investment, I think.

Arden's lunch on the left - apple slices (dipped in orange juice so they don't brown), crackers, Havarti cheese cubes, hazelnut spread in the covered container, and pistachios.

Ryan's lunch on the right- ham sandwich on wheat with some lettuce from the garden, crackers, mini carrots, pistachios and hazelnut spread in the covered container.

After lunch, the boys played for a while - at least until Ryan noticed some ripe blackberries. We quickly emptied out Arden's lunchbox and filled it to the brim with ripe berries. Can I say how much I love being able to pick berries just a few blocks away from my house? Ahhhh...I love it here :-)

I think the kitten likes it here

It's a hunch, anyway ;-)

Hi ho, hi ho....

...it's off to work he goes. (whistling happily in my head here)

On Monday, Dan is going to start working with Hewlett Packard out in Vancouver, WA (which actually isn't far at all - maybe 30 minutes commute total). He won't be working for HP directly, but with a group that works with them. The pay is what he got at his last job, with better benefits and far more potential for moving up. Also a lot more to learn and gain in terms of marketable skills. The really nice part is that for once he was able to really think about the job and decide if he wanted it instead of jumping at any job opportunity that presented itself, since there just weren't that many jobs out there for him where we were in California. He'll still be doing consultant work on the side with his CAD software and networking skills, which means even more of a cushion financially.

It feels so good to finally be in a place where we aren't just barely getting by, where we can actually make choices. We've given up a lot financially to have me home, and that has been an important choice, but it has meant living on very little at times. I know Dan has felt like he was a lousy provider because we didn't have extras that he felt were important (even though I don't really care about having "stuff" in general). Nice to finally see him feeling like he can do all the things that he feels are important - and just to see him so happy.

My new mantra

I love my Mother-In-Law. I adore having her living in my house. I have enjoyed every minute of the last month she has been here and wake up just waiting to see her smiling face again. I will be bereft when she finds an apartment and moves her computer and lamps and chairs and books and large cans of hairspray away, as I will miss them so. I am not at all excited at the want ads and apartment listings laid out on the desk upstairs. I will miss her advice on parenting, grocery shopping, landscaping, time management, house cleaning, and budgeting.

(I repeat this, as needed, every time I walk through a cloud of hairspray or smile and nod as she cheerfully shares how I should plant the garden and/or raise the children. I do like her quite a bit, but living together 24/7 is a wee bit chafing.)

Gardening for squares

Dan just made two raised beds last week, ala Sqaure Foot Gardening. One is 3 by 7 feet, the other is 2 by 4 feet. He's also going to make each of the boys a wee 2x2 foot garden so they can plant things (Ryan wants strawberries and lots of flowers, Arden wants flowers and some "cool" purple sage in his).

I stuck with things that would do well in the Fall or overwinter well, along with lettuce that will get replanted many times. The containers are tucked next to our patio, up against the house, and are shielded from wind from the side of the house but still get good amounts of sun. I'll probably add cold frames once things get colder, but I think being so close to the house will help everything stay warmer as well.

I was amazed at how much stuff I was able to plant! All of this went in:

• strawberries - two kinds of alpine strawberries and one regular sized everbearing kind
• red leaf lettuce
• baby bok choi
• broccoli (3)
• purple sage
• cauliflower (3)
• spinach
• cilantro (we'll see if I can get at these before they bolt)
• oregano
• garlic (red hardneck)
• some hummingbird flower mix
• mesclun mix
• radishes
• flatleaf parsley
• two of kinds thyme - silver and lemon thyme (mmmm!)
• leeks
• brussels srouts
• carrots (Atomic Red and Nantes)
• Daikon radishes

I've been watering a little each day, since it's been very hot here lately and I wanted the seeds to get a good start. Almost everything has sprouted, aside from the parsley (notorious poor germinators, I hear), carrots, flowers, oregano, and garlic. Every time I look out and see all the wee bits of green peeking out over the top of the soil I get this lovely warm feeling, like I've done something good. Can't wait until everything starts getting bigger and the sprouts start looking more like actual plants. Bit like watching babies grow, though much more quickly and without the sleep deprivation.

I also filled up my new Earth Machine composter today. Got it for free on Craigslist a couple of weeks back. Craigslist rocks. I've bought, sold, given away, and gotten for free more things than I can count. We found our kitten online, too. Great, great resource. Anyway, I filled up my composter, carefully layering green plants, kitchen scraps, coffee grounds as an activator, and brown leaves. Wet everything a bit, then stirred it round. I'll be giving it a stir once a week and making sure everything stays moist for the next few months, then if all goes well shoveling out rich, deep brown soil.

The foot is doing a lot better, though it's awfully weak. I'm wearing the boot half a day now and icing it twice a day to help keep the swelling down. Seems to be healing well, though I can't wait until I can ditch the fancy footwear.

Saturday Sky

This is for you, Ms. Sandy. Below is the view from my back patio, looking over towards my neighbor's back yard. It's cloudy out today, but still pretty bright and warm outside. Perfect for puttering around in the garden. Come to think of it, I should go do that.

Like my new boot?

Basic black, up to the knee...sounds great until you see the sucker in person. Oh, and I'm only wearing one of these lovelies, which sort of spoils the whole ensemble. Though it does look particularly fetching with shorts.

The sprained ankle I had before we moved? Wasn't a sprain, as it turns out. I pulled a tendon, which oddly enough didn't get any better when I treated the injury like a sprain (under the advice of a very decent doctor who is all the way back in California). Walking was getting harder and harder, and hurting in a way that just didn't make any sense at all. I asked some people locally about where to get orthotics (still thinking I just had a weak ankle) and found Dr. Ray McClanahan of Northwest Foot and Ankle. He set me up with this big ol boot (if you find it especially appealing, you can order one here) and told me to rest my foot for two weeks, ice the injury every night, then slowly wean myself off of the boot for another two weeks. Driving a stick shift has been highly entertaining with this thing on, more so because it's my right foot. Climbing stairs is really hard. I sound like Frankenstein as I walk through the house: step, THUMP, step, THUMP! But I can't complain, since it's getting much, much better.

Time for some tea

I love tea in all forms, from chamomile to Darjeeling to genmae. One of my most favorite cups of tea is warmed with spices and mellowed with milk and a little bit of sugar. Thought I might try this iced (hmmm....now where did I get that idea?)

Masala Chai
serves 4
1 small cinnamon stick
6 cardamom pods
(or 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom)
4 cloves
6 peppercorns
3 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
3 heaping teaspoons loose tea or 4 tea bags (orange pekoe)

Place spices and tea leaves (if using) in a tea ball or tie in cheesecloth so you can remove them later. Place water and spices in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Add sugar, milk and tea leaves or bags, bring to a simmer, turn off heat and cover again. Let mixture sit for 2 - 3 minutes to allow tea to steep. Strain and serve.

It's a wonder that a few twigs, leaves, and flower buds can scent the whole house and bring such flavor to a simple cup of tea.

Sock and a bit

Can't believe this yarn was hand painted by me. It's knitting up so nicely, with only a little bit of pooling, and even that blends so well with all the other colors that I hesitate to call it that. These are for Dan, knitted out of the yarn I had leftover after I sent out my Dye O Rama swap. The yarn is Wool2Dye4 Supersock, and I ended up using 2.25 mm size 2 DPNs (not the larger 2.5 mm size, which was far too large) and 6 stitches around to start. These have become my tote along project, though my very favorite time to work on them is curled up on the couch with Dan after the boys have gone to bed. He's already tried on one and loves them so far. Once I'm done with these, I'll start in on the yarn I got from my talented pal Kate. That pair will be for me.

Playing in the yard

Can you tell the boys love having a back yard and actual, bona fide plants and trees to play with? They love climbing the tree out in front, and can't wait until it's time to water the lawn so they can play with the hose or the sprinkler.

I've been playing in the yard, too. It's been balmy and sunny and just plain gorgeous here for the past few weeks. I keep wanting to update but getting caught up in weeding and planning my garden and watching the butterflies and hummingbirds. Finally got around to sitting back and enjoying the quieter pace of life here. Bit of a change of pace for me, but I really like it :-)

Random Cuteness

Meet Ryan's new kitten. Her name is Lisa ("that's a really pretty name for a girl, Mommy!"), and she's the sweetest lap kitty you ever met. We're learning to look for her deep inside cardboard boxes, which seem to be her favorite places to sleep. The two older cats aren't quite sure what to do with her, but seem to be putting up with this evil intruder with remarkable grace. Mostly.

Things I love right now

• Recycling. I'm having the best time finding any and everything I can put in our recycling bins. It's like my own personal scavenger hunt every day, looking for bits of paper and plastic and metal that can be reused again. Our old towhouse didn't have any kind of recycling, so we collected everything and drove everything to the redemption center once the bags got full enough. Problem was, they didn't accept anything beyond bottles and cans. Not even newspaper (it killed me to throw newspaper in the trash, but what else could I do when no one would take it?). Now I'm having a grand time, finding new things I can recycle everywhere I look.
  
• My own back yard. It's wide and inviting and so full of growing things, flowers especially. I love that the boys can run out and come back not five minutes later with armloads of roses, bachelor's buttons, and other flowers and you can't even tell they picked anything. Still don't know what most of the plants out back are yet (anyone want to take a guess if I post pictures?), but figuring it all out is pretty fun, too.
  
• Working out where to put everything. Sure, it's a bit of a chore to unpack and get all the stuff in place, but there's something really satisfying about finding the right place for things and getting it all just the way that feels right.
  
• Watching the boys explore their new home. Arden especially is thrilled to finally have his own room all to himself. They both are having a grand time running around the back yard, searching for "treasure" and generally getting covered in dirt in every way imaginable. Warms my heart to see them stack rocks and dig in the dirt and ride their bikes in the cul de sac. They already have a new friend who lives just 3 doors down, and it looks like there are several little boys of about the right age within 2-3 blocks.
  
• Oregon strawberries! Absolutely incredible - so sweet and full of flavor, it's hard to even describe. Delicious.
• My granite countertops. I can put a hot pan right down on the counter without giving it a second thought, keep pastry cool if I need to, and the counter never looks dirty. Ahhh....lovely stuff.
  
• Knitting with my handpainted yarn. I was going to jump into the glorious yarn my dye pal sent, but Dan has been drooling over the other half of the skein I dyed since it was fully dry. He kept making subtle comments like, "you are keeping some of that yarn, right?" and "you know, if you made some socks for me out of that yarn I'd love you forever." Yep, he's the king of subtlety. But the yarn is knitting up really nicely, and I love watching the colors turn and bend as the sock gets longer and longer.
• Ginger and "Yuzu" Wafers. Got the recipe for these ethereal cookies from A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider. They're essentially tuilles with a hit of intense ginger and citrus. Just enough to nibble with some tea or alongside a bowl of ice cream. Yum.
  
• Living here. I'm so incredibly glad we went through everything we did to make this happen. This is the right place for so many reasons, and it feels like home already.
  

Lots of dyeing

Now that I finally found my camera cord, I can share a few more goodies. Look what I got in the mail! Six weeks ago I signed up for Dye-O-Rama, a swap where everyone exchanges hand dyed yarn. I signed up for this in the middle of selling my house and packing because I am certifiably insane, but that should be abundantly clear by now. Anyway, the lovely Kate of k8knits sent this amazing package that you see to the left. Not one but two skeins of the most gorgeous colorways and a skein of the softest handspun I have ever come across. I kept holding it up to my cheek and petting it. Seriously.

The moment I saw the handspun, I knew exactly what to do with it. A friend of mine is going through chemo and had lamented the lousy choice in hats, and this happened to be exactly her colors. I started knitting once I rummaged through boxes and found my Denise needles, but soon found that there just wasn't enough for a full hat. No problem - this was a great excuse to go to my first Portland yarn store! After a quick check with Google, I drove off to Abundant Yarn in search of something with similar tones, something hopefully just as soft. I found many yarns that matched well, but nothing came close to the feel of this handspun. Finally, I spied some Jo Sharp Silkroad, gave it a feel, and smiled. Silk and cashmere would be just perfect, and the color worked wonderfully. Made up a roomy hat (she likes larger hats) with a rolled brim and gave it to her yesterday. She told me it feels like a "head hug" :-).

Today was the last day to send off dyed yarn, so last night I found my dye and yarn, waited until the boys were asleep, then laid everything out. I mixed colors (a Frankenstein mix of Rit dyes in brown and black, Dudley Easter egg colors in blue, orange, green and yellow, and KoolAid mix in blue) until everything looked about what I wanted, then tested what they'd look like by dipping bits of paper towel in each cup and laying that down in front of the cup (the colors were so dark, it was hard to tell them apart otherwise as well). The Dudley colors were very, very bright and vibrant, and I wanted muted and deep, so I added brown and black until they looked more sedate. Then I started painting the soaked yarn, bit by bit. Then I wrapped the yarn in plastic wrap, coiled it up, and set it onto a steamer rack in a large canning pot. The yarn steamed merrily for half an hour, then cooled with the lid on until it was just barely warm. I rinsed the yarn carefully, then laid it out on a rack in our dryer and set it to air dry with a bit of warm air to help things along. Took over an hour, but it finally dried properly. I was really happy with the end result. The yarn - Wool2Dye4 Supersock - really opened up and did beautiful things once dyed. I'm completely hooked - yarn dying is soooo much fun!

Then I skeined it up by hand. Took a long, long time to wind the yarn around the top of a box. Must. Get. Swift. My skein wasn't quite as tidy or pretty as many I've seen, but it didn't come out too badly. I tiptoed out across the wet grass to take a picture, since the colors went so nicely with the little tree out off the patio in our new house. Any excuse to walk outside in my very own back yard :-) Took a close up as well, just because. I love this colorway. Hope my dye pal likes it, too!

We're home!

This pretty much sums it all up:

And we're off!

Oregon, here we come :-)

Boxes, boxes, boxes all around me

I have:

3 bankers boxes of yarn
1 bankers box of knitting needles and notions
1 bankers box of knitting patterns and books
3 bankers boxes of craft supplies
4 bankes boxes of cookbooks
1 bankers box of sewing supplies
10 Sterilite under-bed storage boxes of fabric



and one bankers box of shoes.

Insert your own joke here

I was just checking out maps, and finally looked at the names of the streets surrounding our new house.

We're going to live on 69th and Hemlock.

I swear, I'm going to giggle every time I drive up to our house!

Happy Birthday, wee lil blog

OK, I'm a few days late. Been just a little bit busy around here with all the packing.

I'm amazed every day that I type on a keyboard, plug in my camera, arrange things a little, and end up with something that people I have never met actually read voluntarily. Not a lot of people (at least I don't think so), but then that doesn't bother me in the least since I started this for entirely selfish reasons. This blog is my own happy place, somewhere that I can fill with good things and projects and recipes that I'm proud of, things that make me smile. One less place to bore my non crafty or foodie friends with endless discussions of baking temperatures, sewing machines, and yarn guage.

Thanks for hanging around with me in my happy place for the last year. I hope I've managed to spread some happy around from time to time, or at least coax a smile or two :-)

Finished Socks

Done! I sent these off yesterday but wanted to get a picture or two in. They came out really well, I think. Hoping my pal likes them.
Pattern: Aran Sandal Socks from Socks, Socks, Socks
Yarn: Dale of Norway Baby Ull in Red
Needles: size 2 dpns that my Grandpa made
Modifications: I made these longer than the pattern specifies, since my pal likes a longer sock. The yarn guage was much smaller, so I added in patterning on the sides and throughout the cables so they would be wide enough. I drew out a chart for the entire pattern, which was much easier for me to follow than the mix of charts and printed instructions in the original pattern. I will definitely make these again for myself! Might even use the same red - it's a really vibrant, fun color.

Sock central

I got my Sockapaloooza socks! The pattern is Wyvern - a sybtle and really interesting stitch pattern - from Marnie McLean (I love her patterns!) in a delicious muted lavenger/purple KOIGU!!! I've never actually touched the stuff in person, so I just sit, fondling them lovingly. My pal, Jennifer (sadly, blogless), also sent me some chocolate "to give you strength for your move" and the cutest fluffy lamb ornament ever. I love these socks. The chocolate is all gone (see? needed strength, I did), and Arden wants to take the lamb to bed with him :-).

In related news, I finally finished the socks for my pal as well. They are almost done drying and will be sent out later today. I'm hanging my head low that it took so very long, but at least they came out really well. Hopefully my pal will enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them!

Update: found a camera cord!

House pictures

Want to see our new house? I knew you did! Here's the front, looking from in front of the driveway.


Second, the all important kitchen. Yes, you see granite on top of the counters and yes, the yellow is going away just about as soon as we get there. The electric stove will also leave almost instantly, to be replaced with a shiny new gas range.Then there's the dining area, which opens out onto the back yard. There is plenty of room for a really, really big table if needed for parties or holidays.Next up - the living room - wide, open, full of light, and much larger than it seems here. It also opens out onto the back yard. The lovely blonde on the left is our agent. Next comes the upstairs loft, which the current owners are using as a master bedroom. Lots of skylights. I think this will become a play area or bonus room for the boys to run around in. That border will be coming down as soon as I get my hands on it, the floral curtain as well. Finally, my favorite part - the back yard. It's HUGE! A little over a quarter acre, but the footprint of the house is pretty small, so it just goes on and on. The fenced area to the right is a dog run, and the yard wraps around the other side of the house far enough for a good sized garden. The first picture is what you see from the dining area and kitchen. I think we'll be spending a lot of time there. Can't wait until we move in on June 5th!

Stress, stress, stress, stress, stress, baked beans and stress

That pretty much sums things up around here. Escrow is so fun!

We got the house!!!

I've been waiting all morning by the phone, hoping to hear something, nervous as could be. I kept my cell phone on as long as I possibly could once I got on the plane, hoping for *the* call. Then 2:15 came around, time to take off, so I sadly shut the phone off. When the plane landed, I turned it on right away and quickly checked to see if there were any voice mails. None. Oh, well. So I called Dan to tell him I had landed. "Oh, good! By the way, we got the house." The call came through at 2:30, right after I'd gotten off the ground.

Escrow closes on June 2nd. We'll be in our new house by June 5th at the very latest :-D. I'm beyond happy right now.

The picture up above? That's the view from the front door :-)

Found a house and made a bid

Well, the offer won't be presented until tomorrow morning. So now I wait.

Looked at over 30 houses between yesterday and today, and what an experience it was. Wish I'd gotten a picture of the elaborate, muticolored crazy-quilt carpet covered wall in the first house we looked at. No, seriously. The agent, my friend Stacy, and I all burst into laughter at the same time when we saw it! Guessing someone, somewhere, thinks that just as carpet is perfect for the bathroom it is also just the thing as wall decor. Oh, my. Saw many, many shades and forms of linoleum, a house with no windows at all across the front very wide front (we're thinking grow lights inside, if you know what I mean), saw a "bathroom" that didn't have a sink or toilet, and a pink and white tiled kitchen.

Also saw this. Hoping I can call this my home very soon :-)

One down, one to go

I'm loving this sock. Bright, full of patterning, and oh so soft. I'm going to get a LOT of knitting time over the next three days, since I'll be flying to Portland and house hunting sans boys and Dan. Expecting to get at least halfway through sock number two, if not close to the end by the time I get home on Monday afternoon. Who knows - might actually make the Tuesday deadline after all! In the meantime, sock number one will accompany me while I look for just the right house.

Wish me luck. I'll be looking at over 30 houses this weekend, so hopefully one of them stands out as the right one for us and we are able to bid successfully. I'm trying to think good thoughts and project success here...in between being terrified that somehow we'll end up homeless on May 31st. No pressure, right?

Sold!

We got back two reponses to our counter-offers, and the sale went to the highest original bidder...who also happens to strike me as a really nice person. Makes me happy that the sale could go with someone we feel good about *and* still get a good price ($6,000 over asking price) in the bargain.

Portland, here we come!

Best foot forward

Finally, more of an update on my Sockapaloooza project....which is supposed to be finished and sent out next Tuesday. Um, I'm thinking I may be a little bit late on this one. All the cabling on the Aran Sandal Sock, plus such a small guage (smaller than the pattern, so I had to add in quite a bit of extra patterning to compensate) adds up to a knitting black hole. The good news is that since we're done with all the remodeling, all I really have to do in the next week is knit (oh, and find us a house. Small, unimportant detail, that.)

I am loving this pattern, and will be making up a pair for myself next. I love how the pattern goes all the way down the back of the heel so there's plenty to look at if you happen to wear clogs or Birkenstocks. The color is bright, but perfect for a wee flash of something different peeking out from the bottom of a pants leg.

My ankle is healing. Off the crutches now and I can drive, though it hurts to do very much driving or walking around. I'm trying to take it easy and wrapping my ankle to help protect it a bit while everything knits back together. Thanks to all for the good thoughts.

House news: we've gotten two three offers! Looks like we'll be out of here in 30 days. I leave for Portland this Friday night and will spend the weekend house hunting. Our Realtor there has sent us a bunch of houses to ponder in the meantime, and they all look wonderful. Now for narrowing things down and making an offer.

We should be in Oregon by the end of May. Can't tell you how happy this makes me!

At least I'll get a lot of knitting done

Just call me graceful. Yesterday I was all set to touch up the trim in the upstairs bathroom so the house would look just that much nicer. I had a gallon of paint in my hand, ready to roll. Unfortunatly, the lone step in the garage proved far too much for me, and I fell forward, twisting my ankle underneath me with an alarming crack as the can of white paint spilled all over the garage floor. As the boys were still at school, I let loose a loud expletive that won't be printed here (hint: it rhymes with luck, something I didn't have at the moment). Oh, and naturally there was someone coming to look at the house later on that day.

Looked around for somewhere to put the dripping can of paint, and thankfully found a drop cloth nearby. Then I grabbed the shoes (we're all barefoot in the house, trying to keep the carpet clean) that were now covered in paint and hobbled over to the kitchen sink to wash them off. Didn't even want to think about the spreading pool of paint right where buyers would open the door to the garage. Or the fact that I couldn't even touch my foot at this point without screaming. I called Dan and asked him to come home from work, since there was no way I could get to a doctor on my own at this point.

Got the shoes mostly clean, then grabbed a bag of frozen corn from the freezer only to have kernals fly all over the living room. Reminder to self: seal partially opened bags of frozen vegetables in the future. Rustling around, I found another bag, then hobbled over to the couch and put my ankle up.

After much fun trying calling my doctor (no appointments or walk-ins today), our insurance company (who instructed us to go to an Urgent Care that was covered by them), and several Urgent Care places (to see if they had X-ray), we found somewhere to take me. Looks like it isn't broken, but the sprain or whatever happened is really bad so they made me a splint and got me crutches. I'm under strict orders to put no weight at all on that foot until Sunday at the earliest, and that's only if the foot suddenly feels much, much better by then, and that would only to very gingerly put a wee little bit of weight on it. Got sent home with some Darvocet (lovely, lovely stuff that makes life blurry, but takes most of the pain away) and some Ibuprofen for the swelling.

The bright side is that I'll be getting LOTS of knitting done, since that's one of the few things I can do while stationary. The bad news is that buyers are going to have to wander through the house around me and my splint, at least unless I can manage to get outside and sit for a while when peopole come to look. Wonder if this will up the price due to pity?

Grand Central Station

My house has become a zoo.

We officially went on the market on Monday, and since then we've had people knocking on the door and calling constantly to come see it. At least one of the buyers is very interested, and our Realtor thinks we'll start getting offers by tomorrow. I'm just sitting back, amazed at the response. Especially since the house is listing for far more than we thought we'd get - and our Realtor says the listing price is low and will most likely go up in a bidding war!

The icing on the cake? Dan's company wants to keep him on as a full time contractor, telecommuting and flying out one day a week to work with customers and do hands-on stuff. So no worries about finding a job there in the immediate future, and we'll have money coming in from day one there.

Everything is really coming together to make this happen. It's like we were supposed to move . Now all that's left is finding a house in Portland that we love, which will hopefully happen when I fly out next weekend. Wish us luck all around!

Babies and knitting

Finally, a wee bit of knitting content. Saw my sister today and she passed on this picture. I made the sweater and hat a little over a year ago for the soon-to-be daughter of a dear friend of hers. Have to admit, it was kind of fun making something really frufru girly and pink, and the set served the purpose of keeping me somewhat sedentary for the week following a much needed breast reduction surgery. Well, the wee lil girl is finally big enough for everything to fit, and look how adorable she is! Looks like the spitting image of her mama. It's just bizarre to see something I made in such a gorgeous picture, but it makes me smile to know that the gift was well loved :-).

Another baby knit, this one started three days ago and worked on in between painting and scurrying around finishing up the house. Oops - realized I had a baby shower to go to a wee bit too late. Grabbed some CottonTots, cast on for a simple raglan sweater with seed stitch edging, and flew through it. I made it in the round, coming up with shaping as I went, and I'm pretty pleased with the results. Not bad for knitting on the fly.

In other news, my house went on the market today. Gulp.

Remodel update

Look - tile! Real, honest to goodness tile that we laid with our own bare hands, all by ourselves. This was a first for both of us, and we sure learned a lot in the process. I'm really happy with how the floor came out in the end, especially considering what it looked like before. Actually, I wish I had a picture of what it looked like when we moved in. The whole thing was painted in beige high gloss (the precise color of masking tape, I later found out when we painted), with a rusty stage light lamp above the sink, no hardware on the cabinets, no cabinet above the toilet, and that lovely beige shag rug wall to wall. It was a beigebeigebeige monstrosity. Now it's sunny, light, and inviting. Pretty darn proud of that.

While we had the adhesive and grout mixed up, we added a line of tile to the backsplash under the edge of the kitchen counter as well. You can't tell in the picture, but this strip runs all across the length of the kitchen. Thought a bit of tile would dress things up a little and help tie the countertop to the appliances and the floor. Definitely helps, and it was fun to do after the huge effort on the bathroom floor.

I just finished painting the inside of our closet, something that sounds like no big deal until you realize that it's the size of a bedroom! Seriously, you could easily fit a bed in there and have plenty of space to walk around, aside from the roof sloping down so low at the end. The closet has gone from (did you guess?) beige to a much cleaner looking white. Ah, the power of paint.

Haven't been doing any knitting or crafting at all, partially because there's so much to do as we get the house ready to sell, partially because the weather has been changing and my hands ache a lot. We should have the house on the market next week, which will give a little break from painting and fixing and packing, and hopefully I can finish up my Sockapaloooza socks and my Perfect Sweater then.

I leave for Portland on the 28th to go look for a house and hopefully put in an offer. Can't believe this is all happening so quickly. We'll be in Portland soon!

Must be the Sharpie fumes

So we're clearing out all the boxes, papers, and general stuff other than furniture. Piles and piles of random paperwork have been purged from the bookcase and computer area, awaiting their proper place in the filing cabinet. Why aren't they in there already?

(clears throat, looks down)

I suck at filing. It's not really Dan's strong point, either. If anyone ever has a notion that I'm some kind of super homemaker, please get that idea out of your head. I hate cleaning and am pretty lousy at keeping paperwork in any kind of order. There, I said it.

This doesn't mean I have given up all hope. As I went through the drifts of old medical records and paid bills, I realized that this move is a great time to start over and get it all together. I'm attacking the filing cabinet with folders, tabs, and an honest to goodness home filing system.

I'm having a blast doing this.

Must be the fumes.

I've come out of the closet

Literally! All the boxes are now downstairs in the garage and the closet is essentially clear. Dan is going to take the sewing machine and serger down once I've finished a couple last minute sewing jobs (baby carriers and a doggy coat for friends). Next comes the second hardest task this week: clearing out the computer area with it's wall of books and piles of CDs, paperwork, and both computers. Should be quite a bit easier, though - most things just need to be boxed up directly with no sorting of any kind really needed, unlike my huge project pile. I did manage to get rid of many bags of clothes, cloth, and miscellaneous drek while cleaning and this will only make moving that much simpler. All boxes are numbered and labeled, and I've started an Excel spreadsheet with descriptions and where each box should go in the new house (which we are still hunting for). I'm all about the organization, at least outside of a previously messy closet.

In other news, we have a contest winner! Thanks to this handy random number generator, Tammie of Knitammie wins a copy of Wrap Style or hand made soap if she prefers. Thanks to everyone for all the comments and suggestions - I think it will all really help. For anyone who missed it, B'Gina shared this in the comments:

"The shop is The Twisted Ewe in Port Townsend, Washington. My friends, Suzanne and Brien, bought it from it's creator, a nice lady name Jennifer who raises sheep and spins her own yarn! They will still be selling her custom yarns, so that's going to be great.

I'm making note of everyone's wish lists and will pass them along to Suzanne. Kathy also gave me several good idea, like a knitting night, which I'm happy to say has been going on for a while, already. We're going to be selling online, too, and hope to have a fairly sizable range of things available there.

We'll be having custom designed patterns (my job), and, if the legalities work out, we'll have a "library" of old knitting books that customers can copy patterns from, free of charge. That's got possible copyright ramifications, so we're not absolutely sure if we'll be able to do it, though.

I'm going to start a blog for the store, which will not just be a sales tool. I'll be blogging about the perils of trying to create patterns and about other arty things I do for the shop. Suzanne and Brien will be blogging about what it's like getting into the retail yarn biz (if I have to get them in a hammerlock to get them there, I will ;+), and we'd love knitters and needleworkers from all over to join in.

We always want to know what we're doing right, or wrong, and what we may be omitting that we could do. We may at some point start a bulletin board, if it looks like the blog is engendering enough discussion to warrant it, so please keep us in mind.

I'm building the site and have to get busy on that. The URL will be: http://www.thetwistedewe.com. I'll let Kathy know when it's up.
Also, if anyone wants to be personally notified (or has any other comments or suggestions), please email me: bginab at gmail dot com.

Thanks for all your comments. We're just doing inventory this weekend to see where we are as the shop changes hands. So, it will take us a while to make any changes, and, who knows, the shop may already have most of what you want. That would be nice. ;+)"
B'gina

I'm off to fill up boxes again. Ahhhhh....by this time next week we'll have brand new, soft soft carpet instead of the stained "plush" there right now. It'll take about a week to finish up retouching the paint everywhere and get the final cleaning and tidying done, and then the house will go on the market. I'll most likely fly out to Portland a couple of weeks later to do some house searching, and then after that, moving. It's all really coming together quickly now. We'll be in Oregon very soon!

May the Force be with me

Full disclosure here. The disturbing images below are of my closet...A.K.A. the craft and computer area or Where Things Go To Die. Here lies my beautiful Pfaff sewing machine that I love dearly. The poor thing is almost buried by the project pile next to it, and my lovely serger hasn't seen the light of day in quite a long time.
Here you can see my yarn stash - the two blue topped Tupperware-ish containers in the front there. Oh, sure, I have a few skeins in the beige canvas knitting bag right behind them, and there are several live projects downstairs by the couch, but that's it. The rest of the boxes are all fabric and patterns and batting and foam. Oh, and our suitcases live by the foam for some odd reason as well - have to fix that. Everything on the right is Dan's computer graveyard (oh, wait, he calls those boxes "parts"...though nothing in them has been used since I can remember. I don't disabuse him of this notion but I do reserve the right to mock privately).

We're getting new carpet next Saturday. All boxes, piles, everything but the furniture must be moved out by then.

I'm going in.

Wish me luck.

Spring has sprung

Happy Spring, everyone! I know the Equinox was actually yesterday, but it was blustery and stormy here and didn't feel like Spring at all. Today was crisp, clear and beautiful. Lean in close and see if you can smell these beauties!

What would you like in a yarn/needlework store? Contest!

No, I'm not opening a store, but I do know of some folks who are and they would love feedback. They would love to know what people would like to see that might be a little out of the ordinary, and what yarns they particularly like. The store will be located in Port Townsend, Washington, and is going to be called The Twisted Ewe. My pal B'Gina is going to be setting up a blog giving more information and background and updates very soon, so stay tuned!

So here's how you can help out a fellow yarn and needlework addict (and help make an already wonderful sounding store even better). Share your favorite yarns and any yarn or needlework items that are a little different but you wish you could find somewhere. Next Sunday, March 26th, I'll select a random commenter (I love random number generators!) and the winner will receive a copy of Wrap Style (or some hand crafted soap, if you already have a copy) as well as the satisfaction that comes from helping another knitter and needleworker out.

Quick cat update and recipe

Tabby is doing much better now. By the next morning she was back to her old self, scarfing down cat food with abandon and curling up and purring against my leg. It's amazing to see how quickly animals heal, isn't it?

I made this fruit dip for Arden's St. Patrick's Day party at preschool (I brought green fruit - apples and grapes - and dip) and it was a huge hit. It tastes just like cheesecake and is incredibly easy to make up. If you made it with a little less cream, it would make a perfect frosting for cupcakes as well.

Cheesecake Dip
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Heat over medium-low heat in a small pot until smooth, stirring frequently. A whisk helps to break up lumps easily. Cool to room temperature and serve.

Remodeling PS - cutting tiles that are multiple sheets of smaller bits is pretty much impossible without an honest to goodness big guns tile cutter. We have now learned this the hard way. Dan is off to the hardware store to rent one. Live and learn, right?

Wacky Wednesday

This is what Ryan grins and utters every Wednesday morning. School gets out the same time every day...except Wednesdays, which get out an hour and a half early. So they call it "Wacky Wednesday" to help the children and parents remember. This works, well, most of the time.

So today I'm going to cover all kinds of wacky territory. First, an apology. I have been neglecting this poor blog in favor of spackle and tiles and paint. I have gone so far as not even mentioning the incredible knitters meet-up we had on the 5th with Lauren and what seemed like a million other cool knitters. Bad, bad Kathy. Above, you see the beautiful Mountain Colors Twizzle that Susan made me buy. Really, honestly - she held a sharp pointy stick to my head and forced me to pet the soft, luscious Merino and silk. Next to this, you see the Chibi that is all Lori's fault. She bought one and as I scoffed just a little she ever so slyly pointed out that the needles were bent at the end, all the better to seam with, my dear. Ah, well - show me a good tool and I'm there! What I didn't get a picture of was me tempting the lovely Andrea to watch House. Bwahahaaaa. (waves arms gracefully through the air) And now, to your right you see the Multidirectional Scarf that I'm making out of this cuddly stuff. Another apology - I know, I know, I'm *this* close to finishing my Perfect Sweater. I know! But right now we're doing so much with the house (and I've been sicksicksick) that I needed something brainless and simple to work on. Scarf time. Over there, you see a cream puff. Not just any cream puff, but a Beard Papa's cream puff. Caramel, to be exact. Oh my freaking stars, these are goooooood. Crisp, just barely sweet, creamy, and filled literally as I paid my $1.50. This was the first time I've had one, but it won't be the last! Over on the other side you see Arden's finger pointing to Koi...that happen to live in the middle of the mall that has the yummy cream puffs. There's a round circle of open ponds overflowing with fish of all sizes (from "look, so big, Mommy!" to "oh, it's an eensy tiny one!"), shapes and colors. Arden kept running from rock to rock, pointing to this fish and that one and asking what each one was called. I think he was asking for names. Last is my not pictured cat, Tabitha, who had to go to the vet's today for an abcessed tooth. She came up this morning, mewing plaintively, and when I looked at her face I saw one tooth sticking out of the side of her mouth. It was so swollen that it was being pushed out, so off to the vet we went. Poor thing. They were able to save the tooth, but she hurts and is curled up into an unhappy ball right now. No picture out of deference to her less than photogenic condition - she would have nothing less. To her great credit, nobody at the animal hospital could believe that she was really sixteen years old. I have a hard time remembering it, myself. They said she'll probably live to see twenty, and I'm hoping they were right.

You know what every bathroom needs?

Carpet. There's nothing like sinking your toes into cushy, warm polyester first thing in the morning. And the way it squishes when the sink leaked last summer? So cute! I especially like the way it enhanced the overall decor, adding a certain sense of sophistication that would otherwise have been missing.

We were surprised, shocked even, when our Realtor suggested that we lay down tile on the floor instead. Who wouldn't love beige shag, especially right next to such a deep and inviting bathtub? But we went ahead anyway, saddened that no one else could see the treasure our house held.

Ha! I pulled up that carpet so fast, I barely had time to shout victoriously as the last corner came loose. Who the heck puts carpet in a bathroom? I've been asking myself this for six years now. After the carpet came out, I ripped out the padding, finding it stuck in little bits all over the floor. Turns out it was stapled down, so we had to pull up each and every one with pliers. I pried off the tack strips around the edge of the room - so deeply satisfying to rip out wood and hear the cracking and splintering. Destruction is fun!

We finished laying down the backerboard - thin sheets of cement - on top of adhesive. Laying that stuff down was a bit like icing a really large cake, since you have to spread it just so and then comb through with a serrated trowel. I felt like tossing chopped nuts or coconut on it for decoration. Next comes the tarpaper membrane that will hopefully protect the lower floor from water damage, then we're tiling, baby! I can't wait.

Membrane is done! We're tiling tomorrow.

Now here's something different

That would be hail you're looking at. On my patio. In Southern California. Bizarre.

Blog within a blog

I'm going to be very, very busy until next Wednesday. Why, you ask? Because I'm doing a one week food blog over at one of my favorite foodie haunts, eGullet. I'm taking pictures of every single thing I eat and cook, so it's a little like being on some kind of odd reality show for people obsessed with spices and microplanes. I'm having a blast, but there will be understandably little blogging here while I'm working on it (knitting updates to come, though!). Anyone interested in taking a peek, look here.