My Week In Instagrams: April 12, 2013

This past week has been a fun one. I mentioned yesterday that I was working on some awesome new knits. I've gotten a good response to them on the RTS page. Still no sales, but I'm staying optimistic.
Late last week, Rick and I went to Wendy's for dinner after I was done work. I had one of their new chicken flatbread sandwiches. I talk to them on Twitter, and they suggested I try it. I actually enjoyed it! Not sure if it's US and Canada, or just Canada, but if you go to Wendy's, and it's there, definitely give it a shot. I had the Asiago Ranch, and there is a Smoky Honey Mustard as well. I'll try that one next.
Since we got the SmartCar, we've been going on drives now and then. With the old car, taking a couple hours to just drive around would cost us $20 or more in gas. We filled the car with diesel, and it cost about $25. This makes me really happy. This picture of me knitting is the start of something baby related that I actually finished a couple days ago. I'll share that one on Monday.
I took another one of my usual windmill pictures. No matter how many times I see them, I am still in awe. There is so much negativity relating to them in Essex County, and I just don't get it. So many people are complaining about the negative environmental impact they have, and most of it confuses the heck out of me. Maybe I'm just blissfully ignorant, but I think they're pretty neat. Plus that whole green energy and job creation aspect is really nice, too.
I cooked quite a bit this last week. Portobello mushrooms came home from the grocery store with me, and I was really happy I got them. They were a component of several meals for myself, and Rick as well. Sliced up, cooked in a wee bit of butter, and put on a wrap with egg and cheese was my favourite method of consuming them.
I can't take credit for this next food photo. Rick went crazy and made an awesome meal. This shows almost all the food. We split everything on this plate, plus a little more. A bunch of asparagus with a little oil, salt and pepper was the base of the meal. Bacon wrapped filet mignon was the protein. Some onions, which I love. Not shown is the portobello we split, and a sunny side up egg for each of us. A really satisfying meal all around. We have another bunch of asparagus in the fridge waiting to be turned into something amazing. I can't wait to see what happens with those!
This last picture is from today, and it's something that makes me very, very happy. Yesterday, I tweeted "I wonder which breweries would give me free beer if I tweet about them enough?" and mentioned three of my favourite breweries. SteamWhistle responded, saying I should go to Toronto for a brewery tour and have a drink on them. Not bad, I think. But Hop City Brewing one upped them. Actually, more than one upped... More like six upped. We had a little back and forth via Twitter, and I mentioned I work at The Beer Store. They asked which, and I thought nothing of it. Turns out, someone from there went into my store with a glass and a six pack of Barking Squirrel Lager, literally with my name on it. There was a note attached to the glass that said For Nicole, Love Barking Squirrel. I had the biggest, goofiest grin on my face when I got it. I stuck a couple in the fridge, and I'll be having one tonight. I'm looking at their site right now, and I am going to have to try their Lawnchair Classic at some point.
Overall, this week was really enjoyable. I'm going to get knitting and watching some podcasts. I hope you have an awesome weekend!

My Week in Instagrams: March 8, 2013

We've reached the end of the work week for most, and I'm pretty much just starting. I worked one shift so far this week, and now I'm working the whole weekend. Most days, I prefer weekends, just because it's busy, and it makes the shift go by faster. But the way it's going right now, I'm thankful for any shift. Soon it will pick up! I have to keep telling myself this.
This is what I've been up to this week.
I mentioned last Friday that I picked up a 6 pack of Shock Top Honeycrisp Apple Wheat. Well, I tried it that night. No joke, it's one of the best beers I've ever had. I love wit/white/wheat beers, and this one is no exception. It smells like fresh apple cider as soon as you open it. It's really smooth, and not overly apple-y. I will definitely be getting more of this. It is a seasonal brew, so I'll have to keep an eye out for when it is available. I'll probably also get some of their other types.
At the craft show, I was knitting quite a bit. I used some of the sparkly pink yarn I picked up at JoAnns to make a pair of boot cuffs, and a matching headband. With the left overs, I made some bows a couple days ago. Haven't gotten those photographed yet, but they're looking pretty cute! I made a few other things at the show. I'll probably have a sewing up marathon before my show at the end of the month, and you can see everything then. With these bows, and some stuff I made from another skein, I eliminated two more balls of yarn from the stash. Small ones, but like I've said before, I have to start somewhere.
You also saw this earring rack last week, before my Dad and I made some adjustments. I picked up the teensy weensy clothespins when we were in Michigan, and they were MUCH too small to use over the cord my Dad had put in there. It was an easy fix, and less than a half hour later, the improved rack was ready to go. It fits a ton of earrings, which is awesome. It got most of them up off the table, which was my goal. I got several compliments on it, which I passed along to my pops. You can't really tell in the photo, but there are dowels on the top that I put my rings on. I didn't sell any of those, but I will be making more of them, for sure. I want to get some of those up in my shop as well.
I am so incredibly happy with how Lucy's blanket turned out. It's the perfect size to tuck into her cradle now, and transition into a crib or stroller blanket. I have leftovers of both colours, and I might make something for Christine that matches. A hair bow or brooch maybe? I'll have to see exactly how much of each I have before I make any decisions.
Winston has been kind of weird lately. I mean, he's always weird, but the past few days it's been extra strange.
he likes to carry his pig ear around, and bring it to the cat to see if he wants some. He's the most gentle dog when it comes to toys and such. He still has all but maybe one of the toys we've ever got for him. He's the same way with pig ears. It can take him days to finish one. Chew a little here, a little there, carry it around for a while. Oh, wait, I can eat this thing!? I swear that's how he thinks. I'm not complaining. We save money on toys and treats this way.
Rick's been making some fantastic food lately. He picked up some groceries while I was at my parents and that's turned into some pretty yummy meals. Wednesday, we had asparagus with lemon juice, couscous-quinoa salad with tomatoes, zucchini and mushrooms, and bacon wrapped filet mignon on a bed of fried onions, mushrooms and garlic. That makes us sounds fancy! It was very good, and I love how well Rick can cook. I'm so lucky that he makes amazing food for us.
Yesterday, I spent some time working on photographing new and old items to put up in the shop, and on my Facebook page. I have an album on the latter full of scarves for as little as FIVE DOLLARS. Yeah, I might be crazy, but I need to clear out space in my KNK storage abyss! The bin hasn't been even close to closing for aaaages, and now it's even farther. I knit much faster than I sell, and I need to remedy that. It's so hard finding a balance between knitting and promoting. I should start getting into the habit of posting and tweeting stuff daily again, that seemed to help drive traffic to the shop. I'm going to be bringing all the super sale stuff to the show I do at the end of the month and have a discount basket on my table. Hopefully that will help clear things out if the Facebook album doesn't do it.
We also picked up an elliptical machine yesterday, which was... fun. I used it while we were watching Wreck it Ralph, and my legs were burning. I think I'll enjoy using it.
This week just about did me in. I was quite busy for a good chunk of it. I'm looking forward to a couple days off again next week.

NaBloPoMo Day Eight: Awesome Thursday: November 8, 2012

For the first time in this NaNo series, I have writers block. I'm having a rough time focusing on this post, because I would rather be knitting. I have a whole pile of projects around me in various states of being finished that keep grabbing my attention. If it's not those, I start reading blogs in my RSS reader. Or I start browsing Etsy or TopHatter. I can't concentrate! Too many distractions! Oooh shiny things!

In yesterday's post, I mentioned that I was ready to cast off the teal shawl. Well, I did that not too long after finishing the blog post, and I really like how it turned out! It's a bit smaller than the other shawls, but still a great size for wrapping around your neck. You can't really see the yarn overs on the edge, but you can kind of see the open bits on the centre spine. I did the increases for this one a little differently than I usually do, which made them a little more visible. It made the knitting a little easier, and quicker, but I don't really like the way it looks. I will probably go back to the way I usually do the increases. I think I still have a couple skeins of this yarn left, and I will likely make another neck warmer out of it. I made two, and you can see one here. The other is nearly identical, and I brought it into Trinkets and Treasures yesterday.


Today is Thursday, so that means an Awesome Thursday is in order! Like I mentioned last week, there have also been studies done that have concluded that people showing gratitude can lead healthier lives with less depression and anxiety, sounder sleep and a better attitude towards others. I'm not one to argue with science, so on with the gratitude!

• I started this fun NaBlo project! I'm a week in, and doing very well, I think. I still have a few ideas of fun things to write about, so hopefully the posts won't get boring.
• On Friday, we went to the casino for the buffet. I posted about that whole day on Day 2 of NaBloPoMo, here. I had a lot of fun there, even without gambling.
• I worked like crazy on YarnYarnYarnYarn, and got nearly ONE THOUSAND posts ready to go. That number absolutely boggles my mind. I'm going to be adding a whole bunch more this upcoming weekend, when I have a day off.
• I knit a whole pile of bracelets. They come off the needles so quickly, I love them! Tomorrow, I'll post a picture of all the ones I have made so far. They look pretty awesome!
• Obama won! I followed the results online, and it was pretty nerve wracking. I am quite happy with this, as well as some of the propositions passed, and voted down, in various states.
• Rick and I went to Amherstburg to drop off stock to Trinkets and Treasures. The new store is nice, as I mentioned before.
• I got paid from Trinkets! Not a whole lot of money, but considering I didn't have a whole heck of a lot in the store, I'm pretty darn happy.
• Work today was pretty nice. We had some awesome customers come in early on, which made the slow day go by a little quicker.
• When I got home from work, dinner was almost ready. Cindy made sausage soup again, and it was fantastic! I think I'm going to bring a bowl of it to work tomorrow.

Here are today's fun facts! I'm starting to have a really hard time figuring out what to put here. I would appreciate any suggestions/questions you have for me!

25. I have a hard time choosing my favourite anything, especially anything music related. For a couple years now, I've used a service called Last.fm to track my music metrics. This has given me a pretty good idea of the bands I listen to the most often. With that, I give you my top 10 favourite bands:

1. Fall Out Boy
2. Taking Back Sunday
3. Blink 182
4. Rise Against
5. Tegan and Sara
6. Nirvana
7. The Used
8. Metric
9. Say Anything
10. Paramore

This is pretty accurate. I listen to all these bands quite often, and have multiple albums by each of them. Also, I'm not ashamed that I like these bands as much as I do. I don't believe in having "guilty pleasure" music. If you like something, own it.

26.I don't drink coffee! Until a year ago, I absolutely abhorred coffee, and anything coffee flavoured. I made it a goal of my 101 in 1001 list to learn to like coffee. I forced myself to drink it with a lot of milk and sugar a few times. I didn't mind it, but I definitely didn't like it either. Rick and I would share a French press of coffee a few times a week, in hopes of me learning to like it. It never worked. I don't hate it anymore, but I never actually buy it or anything like that. The only time I do consume it is from Starbucks, when I get a frappucino. But I don't think that even counts because of all the other stuff in with it. And, my favourite beverage at Tim Horton's is a white hot chocolate.
27. This ties in with the last one. If the idea of a certain type of food appeals to me, I will do everything in my power to learn to like it. I used to hate avocados and guacamole, for example. But I liked the idea of everything that is in guacamole, and the health benefits of eating avocados, so I kept eating it over and over again, to force myself to like it. I did the same with raw fish. And beer, actually. One of the other foods that I want to teach myself to like is hummus. I love the idea of it, and I just want to learn to enjoy it. People don't believe me when I say it's possible to learn to enjoy certain foods. It worked for me!

Two of my knitted items were featured in treasuries today! Being included in a treasury is always a nice treat, and two in one day is absolutely fantastic! The pictures are obviously very very small, so you can click them and see the treasury on Etsy, in all its glory. If you're feeling nice, you can Heart them!

Today's 365 photo is the Steam Whistle truck doing its delivery at work today. I wanted to get closer to get a better shot, but I was the only one on the tills at the time, and I didn't want to make people wait. I spent most of the day at work, so I figured something work related was in order. There will probably be a lot of work related 365 photos, so I will try to mix it up as much as possible.

The internet has been acting really goofy for me all afternoon today. Things aren't loading quickly, if at all, or the router suddenly decides I need to log into it, all sorts of shenanigans. I'm hoping this post goes through without issues. It's a little on the short side, but like I said before, the short attention span was kicking in.

This post has 1215 words.

I am at 13 000 total words for this month.

Day Four of NaBloPoMo

Yesterday after posting, I decided to work out for a little while. Nothing too crazy, just jumping jacks, sit ups, lunges and planks. I ate about three quarters of a pizza to myself just before, as well as over ate at the casino buffet the day prior, and I didn't want my pants getting any tighter. I used to work out everyday, and then I started working at The Beer Store, and I just don't do it anymore. I need to get back into that habit. I think I have enough daily "challenges" going on this month to add working out to the list. I will try to do at least a little something everyday so that I can ease myself back into it come December.

I decided one of the "features" (if you want to call it that) for NaBloPoMo will be 100 things about me. I won't do it all in one day, because that would just be overwhelming, so I am going to split it into 10 things a day for the next 10 days. I might decide to do less things per dar, if I end up with a lot of words. Part of the reason for this is to boost my word count, haha. I'm probably going to fly by the seat of my pants for this, and not over plan. I'm also going to try to choose things that not a lot of people know about me, or things that aren't obvious. It's going to have things I like, things I do, and possibly a few things I dislike. Here goes!

1. I love my little family. Rick and I have been together for a little over three years. We've had our ups and downs (lots of them, to be quite honest) but we always seem to make it through. I've never been in a relationship that's as wonderful as this one. We have a lot of plans and hopes and dreams together. I've never been in a relationship this strong before, so it scared me a little at first, but now, talking about "our future" is a common thing, and not so intimidating.
We've had Winston for almost two and a half years, and I don't think I could ever love another dog as much as I love him. We talk pretty regularly about adding another dog to our family, but I'm not sure if/when that will happen. Winston is a strange little man, and I think that another dog might upset him more than benefit him.

2. I love my job. I work at The Beer Store not far from home, and it's one of the best jobs I've ever had. There are 10 of us that work at my store, and I get along fairly well with everyone, which doesn't always happen in groups of that size. I was working around 40 hours a week, every week, during the summer, and I was incredibly happy. I'm not working as much now, but I still love my job!

3. I like living in the county (most of the time). Rick and I moved here back in March, and I really wasn't a fan of it for a while. I missed being a twenty minute walk from nearly everything I needed. I missed my friends. I missed our apartment, which, despite its flaws, I'd grown to really like. I missed the privacy living on our own gave us. I was still working on the whole "being self employed" thing when we moved here (which was one of the reasons we moved) so I rarely, if ever, left the house. Now that I get out and work and what not, I don't mind it nearly as much. We don't go into Windsor that often, but when we do, we try to do as much as we can.

4. I love reading blogs. I follow several hundred blogs that I read while knitting. I spend large chunks of most days on the computer reading the newest updates from my favourites. This and knitting are my two hobbies that I could never ever give up. In addition to reading blogs, I also love writing my own. I have this blog, as well as three Tumblrs that I update regularly, plus another couple Tumblrs that I only update every now and then.

5. I really like eating food. This sounds gluttonous, but it's true. I love going to restaurants with Rick and trying new things. I also love the food he makes for us. I'm not much of a cook, but he's pretty darn good, and we end up with some pretty delicious stuff. He has also introduced me to a lot of new foods and restaurants, with my favourite being Vietnamese. Together, we also annihilate all you can eat sushi, gobble down delicious authentic Mexican food at the local taqueria, and occasionally treat ourselves to Arby's.

6. I really, really like beer. I started drinking beer only a couple years ago, but I've grown to really appreciate it. Before then, I would never even think of trying it, because the few kinds I had tried were terrible. I have 14 different types of beer in my fridge currently, and that number might go up over the next couple months, considering the holidays are coming. My preferred types are traditional pilsners, and Belgian wheat, with the former being what I usually drink in social settings, and the latter something I often enjoy at home. The entire vegetable crisper is our fridge is completely full of my beer. And yes, it is MY beer; Rick doesn't like beer at all. I do buy variety packs of beer on occasion, so that is part of the reason I have so many. Most of what I get is from smaller breweries.

7. Another hobby of mine, if you want to call it that, is listening to music. When we lived in Windsor, I would head to my favourite bar, Phog, and check out indie bands from across the country on tour several times a month. I've made some great friends through independent bands that came through our city. I've expanded my music library greatly with these bands, and discovered many styles of music that I otherwise would not have really thought about. The last show I went to was an all day festival in the middle of September. I saw a couple bands that I really love, and found some new ones to appreciate, too.

8. I love the changing of the seasons. Going from summer to fall and then fall to winter is something I look forward to every year. I'm not a fan of hot weather, so coming into the cooler days and nights is something I really enjoy. My favourite outfit involves jeans and a sweater of some sort, and wearing that in the summer just isn't that comfortable. Also, when September rolls around, that means craft show season is coming, and I am always excited for that!

9. I am a huge supporter of local businesses. I try to do as much of my shopping at independent stores as I possibly can. It obviously isn't always an option, but I do my best. There are so many hidden gems in every city and neighbourhood, that you can find nearly everything you need and never have to set foot in a chain store. I think part of this is that I am a small (very small) business owner, and I appreciate when people support me. I also want to eventually open my own brick and mortar store and I will need people to support me.

10. I suffer from depression and anxiety. I don't think I've ever said this on a public forum, so I am saying it now. I've been on anti-depressants since May 2011, and anti-anxiety medication since almost exactly a year ago. The latter is what causes me to sleep so much. I mentioned yesterday that most days I am in bed until 10:30, and this is the reason. They have helped me tremendously, despite the side effects, and I am incredibly thankful for that. I should have started on them quite a few years ago, but it took a lot of courage admitting that I was having problems. I definitely don't want to have to be on these forever, but for now, they're doing what they need to be doing. There are only two things I would change: I wish I didn't sleep as much, and I wish they didn't make me hungry CONSTANTLY. Seriously, I can power back a lot of food. I think I've gained 30 lbs in the past year.

Hopefully these ten things have helped you get to know me a little better! If you have anything you want to learn about me, please let me know!

In knitting news, I'm still working away on the two shawls I shared over the last couple days. There hasn't been a whole ton of progress, but they are definitely moving forward. I'm thinking of starting to work on some dish cloths, because my stock for my craft shows is pretty low. I don't have a whole lot of dish cloth cotton left, but there is probably still enough to make at least 20 more cloths. We'll see if I get motivated enough to do those. They're a little monotonous, and the cotton ends up hurting my hands after I knit a couple of them, but they sell! I'm trying to figure out what yarns to use to make some more shawls, also. I love making them, and I think they will sell quite well. I only have a few made so far, but they have been getting a lot of views in my shop, and people seem to like them at my shows, too. I want to try and do different things than everyone else knits. Most knitters are craft shows have scarves and hats. I want to keep doing those, but also have my cowls, neck warmers and shawls be the bulk of what I do.

Today's 365 photo is what I've been eating a lot of today. I figured that I've over eaten the last two days, and my body could use some healthy fruit in it. I love melons and pineapple. The only reason I don't eat them as much as I could or should is because I am lazy and I hate cutting them up, and I am also cheap (or frugal if you really want to be polite) and I can't imagine paying for a pre-made fruit tray. These yummy bite sized pieces were from a wedding Rick's parents went to last night. They also brought home grapes and strawberries, both of which I am really particular about eating. I don't like my fruit really cold, or tart. They have to be near room temperature, and pretty sweet. I find most strawberries too bland for my liking, and I will only eat red grapes. I swear I'm not a picky eater! Just particular about fruit.

Don't forget, if you've been eyeing something in my Etsy shop, now is the time to buy! You can get 25% off your entire purchase with the code Blog25. I'll be keeping this sale up for at least a couple weeks, and let you all know a few days before I am going to end it so you can make any last minute purchases.

This post has 1892 words.

I am at 6578 total words for this month.

My Life Lately

1) I spent this past weekend at my parents house, so I could work in the beer tent at the local festival with them. We've been doing it for years, and I look forward to it at the start of every summer. We did really well, and on Saturday night, sold out of one of the three types of beer we have.

2) Friday was spent in Windsor for an appointment, lunch and dinner with friends. I had a few summery drinks that day, and just had an excellent time.

  a) The first drink was a Somersby hard cider. I don't know about elsewhere, but all the trendy hipster kids around here are drinking it. It's popular to the point that nearly all the liquor stores sell out within the first 24 hours of receiving it. I will say it's not bad, but I felt like I was drinking ever so slightly fizzy apple juice. It was served with ice, and I don't care for ice in my drinks, especially when the flavours aren't very strong to begin with.
  b) My second drink was a Mill St Lemon Tea beer. If you're in Ontario, this is a must try. It's not citrusy to the point where it's overwhelming. Plus, the lemon and tea actually taste like the real thing. It's not a fake tasting flavour like some of the lemon/lime/tea beers available now.
  c) Third drink of the day was a Magners hard cider. This is leaps and bounds better than the Somersby. It was refreshing, nicely carbonated, and actually tasted like cider, not juice. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be getting this again. I might go pick some up this week from the LCBO. (The LCBO is the only place in Ontario when one can buy spirits. The Beer Store is precisely that, a store to buy just beer)
3) Dinner was divine. The last two drinks I had were at Phog, which is my most favourite bar in the whole entire world. Phog has Phood, the most important ones being Phries and Poutine. I got a Phonion, which is a poutine made with onion rings instead of Phries. The gravy is vegetarian or vegan, I can't remember which, the cheese curds are phantastic (I had to) and the cook knows how much I like mushrooms, so he puts a bunch on there for me. If It wasn't for the health concerns associated with it, and the fact that I live a 40 minute drive away, I would eat this every day.

4) Saturday morning, the festival parade went right past my parents house. Growing up, it took a different route, so we had to walk a couple blocks to see it. I definitely appreciate the proximity now, more than I would have when I was little. The parade was about an hour long, which is what it usually is, but there were large gaps between some of the floats, which isn't how it usually is. I was busy catching candy with the granddaughters of my Mom's friend to take photos of the parade itself. I only managed to get this one shot of some of the fire trucks at the very end.

5) Sunday, I packed up all my stuff, and went to a surprise party for my aunt. My Mom and I stopped at The Beer Store to pick up some Twisted Tea. This stuff is super good. It's a malt-based cooler, and you truly don't notice the alcohol until you've had a few and try to stand up!
6) I've made some progress on all my knitting projects. I have three on the go currently, and they're coming along nicely. I have lots of plans for what to knit, as well as possibly re-opening my Etsy shop by September.
Overall, this weekend was great. It was a very nice little break from work, even though I worked just as hard at the beer tent.
How was your weekend?