The Giveaway Winner, and My Week In Instagrams

I've been away from the computer quite a bit this past week, what with our drives, and movie watching and what not. I nearly forgot about the giveaway with Pymatuning Crafts! But, I just picked a winner!
Congratulations Sierra J!

I contacted the winner, and I will be sending her information to Pymatuning Crafts. Thank you everyone who entered. I wish I could give you all a pack of these buttons! They're awesome!
In other news, this week has been a fun one. Here is a little bit of what I've been up to.
Next weekend, The Beer Store is having Returns for Leukemia. What this is, is a fundraiser for blood cancer research, where the money raised is collected from the money a customer would normally receive from bottle returns. I have never participated in this event, I didn't get hired until June last year, and this event is held at the end of May, but from what I've heard, it can be a lot of fun. I have my red teeshirt at the ready, and sunblock, too, as we spend the majority of the day in the parking lot. I'm really looking forward to it.
Rick, Winston and I went for a nice drive a couple days ago. Normally, we stay to the south of the 401, but decided to head north of it this time around. We saw quite a few new places. And some old ones too: we stumbled across a bake shop we had been to in 2010, and picked up some goodies. We made a couple other stops, which I wrote about in my last post, and had a fantastic time. Winston is getting better about being in the back of the Smart Car. There isn't much room for him in the back, but he manages to make the most of it. Since it's been warm out, we put a dish with water back there for him. He's never been one to eat or drink in the car, but on this trip he did drink some water. We were really happy with this. When we took him out to do his business, he wasn't as scared as he usually is, which made us even happier.

There is one downside to having a convertible. That is being out in the sun all day. I was really good and put sun screen on my face, neck and arms. I was wearing shorts and patterned tights. I didn't even think about putting anything on my legs. That was a big mistake. I felt my legs burning after about 2 or 3 hours in the sun. I knew they'd be red. I didn't expect the pattern of the tights to show up so clearly on my legs. This is my leg thigh. Rick says it looks like a piece of salmon. Don't feel bad for laughing at my misfortune, I laugh every time I look at my legs. Just take my advice and put sun screen on everywhere. Even if you think you won't need it.
Overall, this week was a fun one. I wasn't at the computer as much as I normally am, which was a nice change.
How was your week?

My Week In Instagrams: May 10, 2013

This past week has been a busy one, where I feel like I accomplished quite a bit. I have the giveaway going on, which you can enter to win some gorgeous wooden buttons, I entered to win funding for my small business, and bought yarn. Yeah, I bought yarn...
On Tuesday, Rick and I went to see The Place Beyond The Pines. I enjoyed it. It wasn't great, but I hadn't watched the trailer or anything before seeing it. We also went to Starbucks and Indigo, which are right next door to the theatre. I had an iced tea, and Rick had an iced coffee. They were pretty tasty.
Winston has been pretty good lately, so we've been letting him sleep on the bed some nights. The other morning, I woke up, and this is the face I saw. His face looks just like when we first got him, when he was a baby. After I woke up, he and Rick sawed logs for another hour or two. I was surprised at how early I got up. Normally I sleep in till 10 or so.
I took him on a nice walk down the nature trail near our house. When we got to the big rocks, I patted it once and said Up, and he jumped right up. He's got some smarts, despite his hard headedness. I'm hoping to continue bringing him for walks. He is happy as can be, I am too, and it beats the heck out of working out indoors. I'm still working on losing weight, and it's going slowly but surely. Last night, Rick told me he could see the results so far, which made me feel really good. I know I have a ways to go, but it's a start!
I had a bit of a break down yesterday at Value Village. I brought a resume in, and decided to go look at the yarn area. I'm really glad I did. I bought 4 or 5 bags of various yarns, totally 23 whole and partial balls. These are mostly for the one project I have on the go right now, which is a photography prop. I don't want to reveal too much, but I'mr really excited about it. I also got 6 skeins of dish cloth cotton. My stash on that is running a bit low, so I wanted to boost it up a bit. I think I'm going to knit a bunch of cloths in the next little while, so I have stock for some upcoming shows I might participate in. I said I was going to get away from them, because there isn't any money to be made, but I enjoy making them. Soothing garter stitch is always a nice thing. This brings my count to +7. Going backwards again, but I promised Rick the majority of this yarn will be used within a month. Which I am pretty confident I will be able to do.
Lastly, we have today's breakfast, cooked by Rick. Omelette, toast, and sautéed whole tomatoes and baby bell peppers. Delicious. I really appreciate and enjoy the food he makes for us. I'm so lucky to have him, and not just for his cooking abilities.
How has your week been? I go back to work tomorrow after being off for a while. I don't know if I'm looking forward to it, or not.

My Week In Instagrams: May 3, 2013

Happy Friday! Today is already shaping up to be a fun one. I took Winston for a walk to the post office to pick up a parcel (more on that later) and it's set up day for this weekend's craft show! I'm so excited.
This is a peek at what I've been up to this past week.
I started reading UnEnchanted by Chanda Hahn on my iPad this week. Finished that up in sort order, and bought the second book in the series, Fairest, and ploughed through that as well. Simply amazing. If you have an iPad or e-reader, you need to get them! The first one is free, and the second is just $3.99. She's working on the third book now.
I took Winston for a nice walk down the trail that runs along the back of where we live. There are big rocks marking the end of the actual trail and I had Winston jump up on them so I could get a picture of him. I was hoping to get one of him looking at the camera, but he was too busy looking around and smelling all the things. He's been really good the past few days, I'm sure partially due to the walks and extra exercise he's been getting.
We've been taking him into the front yard for him to run around in the longer grass and see different sights. He loves long grass, especially being able to roll in it. I have a video of him rolling around in the grass that I find absolutely hilarious. When we first got him, almost 3 years ago, he would roll in the grass a little bit, but then his face would swell up, so we stopped that, assuming he had a grass allergy. He seems to have grown out of that, which is good. We have to bring him to the vet on Monday though, unrelated to all this grass rolling. He has a lump in his neck that we're a little nervous about. It could be anything, and we're hoping it's nothing severe. It seems to have shrunk a little, which we're assuming is a good thing.
Wednesday, we went for a nice drive up to St Thomas for something to do. With the new car, we made it there and back on a tank, which costs us between $20 and $25 to fill. Pretty darn good I'd say!
It's a convertible, so we made sure to slather on the sunblock before heading out. I'm half Irish, and I burn faster than toast. Rick is pretty fair skinned as well, so he was pretty well covered.
Generally, when we head out for drives, we like to go along lake Erie for as long as possible. This takes us to Blenheim, where Delhaven Orchards is. We stopped here a couple years ago and got some of the tastiest apples I've ever eaten. And I'm not a big apple eater, so that's saying something. We stopped again this time, and got a small mixed bag of Granny Smith, Red Delicious, and a couple others which are slipping my mind at the moment. We picked up a little paring knife to cut them up and eat them in the car. So delicious! I had two of them with some brie last night, which was absolutely wonderful. We also got some sweet potatoes that are gigantic. Not sure what's going to be made out of them yet, but they're sure to be delicious as well.
We decided to stop in St Thomas and have a look around. There is a brewery there that makes a beer I really enjoy, so we went on a quest to find it. Railway City Brewing makes Dead Elephant IPA. I love IPAs (India Pale Ale for those who don't drink) and this is definitely a good one. I initially got it because of the the name, but kept getting it because it's that good. The brewery was closed, but now that we know where it is, next time we go, we can make a stop. Rick unfortunately isn't a beer drinker, so I'm not sure he'd like to go on the tour.
Yesterday, we went up to Windsor for the afternoon. We had some things that needed to get done, like doctors appointments and returning some things to Costco. We went for all you can eat sushi at TenkO, which is our favourite place. The food was excellent as usual, but the service was pretty much nonexistent. I couldn't get my fried banana for dessert which kind of bummed me out. Oh well, next time I'll just have to get two! And next time probably won't happen for a while. My restaurant spending has been crazily over budget the past little while, and I need to reel that spending in.
This brings us to today. The weather has been a little up and down lately, but today has been absolutely amazing. I took Winston for a walk to the post office, hoping our PO box would be stuffed with some Etsy goodies I ordered a few days ago. I was right! I practically jogged home, I was so excited. In the package were three packs of tree branch buttons from Pymatuning Crafts, on Etsy. Clockwise from the top are No Bark, No Bite Apple Wood, Cherry Wood and Yew. All prettier than the last. I am so excited to use these on my baby props! I have a few things in mind that I want to whip up, and these will get sewn on there as soon as the knitting is finished.
If you like these buttons, keep an eye out next week, because I'm going to be doing a giveaway!
Tonight is the set up for the KDHS craft show I'm taking part in. If you're in the area, you need to check it out! 9-5 on Saturday, and 9-4 on Sunday.
Check out my Facebook page for an earring giveaway!
How has your week been?

My Week In Instagrams: April 5, 2013

This past week has been a busy one. I worked quite a bit, we had Easter Weekend, and other fun things have happened.

The first three photos are from Good Friday. Winston doesn't like other people, but likes to see what's going on, so we put him in the office with a glass door, just off of the kitchen area. He's pretty content in there, and it keeps him from getting too stressed out. I wish he was better around other people, but it's not entirely his fault. Some people do bother him, and that upsets him. 

Rick's mom goes all out for holiday dinners. We had king crab legs, calamari, a shrimp ring, and baked salmon, as well as a whole bunch of fantastic sides. The crab legs were my favourite, as usual. I had quite a few of them. After the meal, Cindy and I cracked the rest of them, pulled out the meat, and bagged it up for later. Yesterday, Rick made a delicious Asian-inspired crab meat, avocado and cucumber salad, with mayo and wasabi. It was absolutely wonderful. I'm so lucky that he creates such amazing food. 

With the meal, I decided to treat myself to a beer. I am trying to lose weight, so despite having a metric crap tonne of beer in my fridge, I don't have it very often. I looked through my collection of random beers, and the only one I knew would go well with fish was a Corona. I don't normally choose imports, but I knew this would be a good pairing. And I was right. I only have one bottle of the stuff left, and it will probably be sitting in my fridge for quite some time. Maybe I'll just have to give it to someone who would enjoy it more than I would. There's nothing wrong with drinking Corona, it just isn't really for me.

Saturday, I was back to work. I packed up some yummy fruit left over from the night before, and munched on that for lunch. I love pineapple and melon, and they were pretty darn good, considering they weren't in season. The watermelon that was in the fruit tray, was not so delicious. Which is why you don't see any in my little bowl. I'm trying to eat healthier, and this was a good start. It beats the heck out of a bagel or donut from Tim Hortons which is often a snack for me while I'm at work. I'm making little steps towards the weight loss/healthy eating thing. I know if I try to change too much all at once, it will backfire. 

Easter Sunday, Rick and I joined my moms side of the family at my Uncle's house not far from where we are. This is a get together that is repeated for more or less every holiday. We have a big family, so these events are usually pretty fun. My Uncle and Aunt from Ottawa come down with their three kids, and their hilariously awesome goldendoodle, Molly. That's the cartoon-looking pup in this photo. One of my littlest cousins, and my brothers girlfriend had to hold her steady so I could get a decent picture of her.

I've started drinking tea more regularly again. With there being a Tim Hortons right across the street from work, it's pretty easy to do so. I prefer Earl Grey, but I won't turn down just about any kind. We still have a pretty large loose leaf tea collection at home, but I'm lazy, and hate cleaning out the infuser after making it. I might just go out and buy a big ass box of green tea bags and do that every day. This is another small step towards healthy living. I need to get soda out of my diet and replace it with healthier alternatives.

I saved the best for last in this post. This is a picture of a car dashboard. A bad picture, but a picture nonetheless. This car dashboard is in our driveway. I was sitting in the passenger seat of this car. Rick was in the driver seat. It's a silver 2005 SmartCar. Diesel, 52 000kms, convertible, awesome. It's not ours though. But we will be using it regularly. We went to Windsor the night we got it, and drove all over the place. Then back and forth to work for me, and a few other trips in town, and we still have more than half a tank of gas left. With our old car, we would have had to put $30+ in the tank. I think I love this car.

I've been knitting quite a bit these last couple days. I'll update about that on Monday. I'm hoping to get some pictures taken with a real camera before then, but we'll see!

My Week In Instagrams: March 29, 2013

It's Friday! I have the day off for the holiday, so I took advantage and got some Etsy work done. More about that later on in the post. This is what I've been up to this week!
Rick is an awesome cook. This week he made bacon wrapped filet mignon, over caramelized onions, a fried egg and toast. Super tasty, and a wonderful breakfast. I'm so spoiled with how well he cooks for us.
Winston has been really good this week. He has days where he is a total grumpy pants, and hates everyone, but we haven't experienced that for a few days. He's so cute when he sleeps, I can't help but take pictures of him doing it. Seriously, I looked through some folders on my computer today, and found a few dozen snaps of him snoozing. Somehow, yesterday, he cut open his paw pad on one foot. It looks pretty gruesome but it doesn't seem to be bothering him. I'm hoping it heals up soon.
I often get cravings for very specific foods. The other day, I really wanted a single Reese Peanut Butter Cup. Just one. So Rick and I went to the convenience store and picked up a couple packages of them. They were buy one get one free, so there was no way I was turning that down.  We got a couple other little bits and bobs, and came home. We watched The Following, and Bates Motel while munching on our spoils. I'm really enjoying both of those shows. Have you watched either of them? What do you think?
Thursday was Winston's third birthday! We got him a cheeseburger like we've done for the last two years. He did really well wearing the crown before we gave him the burger. This year was a Whopper from Burger King. He loves his burgers! He's so funny when he eats things that aren't dog food. He sniffs and sniffs before he'll eat it. Rick is in the process of putting together Winston's burger eating video. We record him eating his burger every year, and Rick puts together a short video. The ones from the last two years have been hits. I can't wait to see what music he picks this time.
I got an order for some hair bows from a friend of mine. She's the one that got the pink head band with the white flower. She also picked up a hair bow when she came to the craft show, and now a bunch of her friends and coworkers want some. I had some very specific colour requests, so I had to dig stuff out of some of my bins. Some people have been asking how much yarn I have. These four bins are less than half of what I have. I have four more of them, filled to the brim, as well as the drawers you can kind of see behind the bin, on the right. There are three sets of those too. And those bags in from of the drawers are filled with knitting/other crafting supplies. I'm sure you can understand why I'm doing a stash down this year! I'll update you on my progress in that department on Monday.
Like I said earlier, I have today off work. I took some pictures of the rings I've been making lately, with my iPad, and got a few listed in the shop. It's really nice being able to take and edit pictures without having drag out the camera and tripod. Much more convenient for small things. I will be adding more earrings at some point in the next couple weeks, and take the photos in the same way.
What have you all been up to this week? Do you have any exciting plans for the weekend? I'm going to be working Saturday, and visiting family on Sunday. Not a bad weekend, I'd say.

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.

My Week in Instagrams: February 22, 2013

I can't believe this is the last Friday of February. This year is whipping by. This past week, I've been pretty productive as far as knitting goes. I've eliminated a few skeins, which made me happy. I also made a small dent in a few other skeins, so they're going to be finished up quicker. Anyway, this is what I've been up to this week, according to Instagram.

This is the cowl I mentioned last week. It used almost a whole skein of Wool Ease Thick and Quick, but not enough to call it finished. I'm going to find a project to use all the partial skeins of T&Q that I'm sure I'll have soon enough.
Winston and I were goofing around, and sometimes I pick him up and throw him over my shoulder like a baby. A 55 pound baby. Rick took this photo, and I loved it.
I love white hot chocolates from Tim Hortons, but they're never full to the top. They're kind of frothy, I guess. Still tasty, and I will continue drinking them forever.
I was knitting with The Knit Girllls and Numma Numma. This cowl is another one I finished this week. More about it a little later. I love knitting and watching podcasts. If you haven't watched The Knit Girllls, I strongly suggest it. It's really entertaining.
I sold a pair of tiny flower earrings to someone in Texas. I couldn't find the ones that were actually in the shop, so I had to make them. I have to get more metal earrings made for my upcoming shows.
I dug this skein of Moda Dea Tutu out of my stash. It's been in there for about 6 years, waiting for the perfect project. It's the accent on a little project that I neglected to photograph, because it's not sewn up yet. I'll hopefully have that up some time next week.
All these wonderful vegetables that Rick is washing/peeling became some amazing Moroccan lamb stew. No recipe for this, because he mostly wings it. It was served over Israeli couscous, which was a really good pairing. There is still quite a bit left, I'll probably have that for dinner tonight.
I set myself up to make some more earrings the other day. I finally got around to making a few pairs today. I need need need to make more. I have the craft show next week, and my stock is running really low.
Rick also made a quinoa salad to have with the stew. I could eat this stuff every single day. There's quinoa, tomatoes, cucumber, a red onion, corn and the seasonings. Once again, no recipe unfortunately. I should get him to write things down.

This is most of what I've been knitting this week. First up is a creamy coloured lace neck warmer. It's my usual pattern, and I think it looks awesome. I still have enough yarn left to make something else, I just have to decide what I'll be doing.
This is the same neck warmer I was knitting with The Knit Girllls. I was hoping to finish off all three of the colours, but only managed to get two eliminated. That means I'm at +13 for my stash down so far. Only 63 more skeins to eliminate by the end of the year! I'm sure I can do it. I do have more yarn coming to me though. I'd better get cracking.
This is my new favourite neck warmer. It's almost the same pattern as the other lace neck warmers, but it wraps three times instead of two. I've had a couple people ask for longer ones, so I'm trying out a few to see if they'll actually sell.

Make sure you check out my sponsors, they have some amazing stuff.

My Week In Instagrams: February 8, 2013

I'm kind of a big grumpy pants today, but I'll try to not let that ruin this post. Work today was a bunch of crap. The car was frozen shut, so I had to take a cab to work, where it turns out they didn't even need me, so I could have stayed home. I wish they would have told me that, because I would have just gone back to bed. Okay, that's enough complaining!
-Rick and I made noodle bowls last Friday night for dinner. He did 90% of the prep work before hand. Chopping all the vegetables, cooking the shrimp and meat etc. I cooked the vermicelli in a strainer in the pot for easy removal. I then rinsed it to stop the cooking, and assembled the bowls. Clockwise from the top there was pickled cabbage (that Rick made), marinated beef strips, cucumber, pickled daikon and carrot (also by Rick), marinated shrimp, lettuce, and pickled red onion (another by Rick) with a fried egg in the centre. I always add some hoisin sauce over top, and then I'm set to go. Just describing it right now has made my mouth water. I want more!! Each family member got their own bowl, and it seemed like everyone enjoyed it.
-The order of my pictures is a bit off; the Laughing Cow cheese and the next photo are supposed to be after the craft show. Anyway, Laughing Cow is one of my favourite snacks. I've been eating this stuff since I was a little kid. I usually just spread it on a cracker and gobble it down. No exception this time around. We still have 3/4 of a package left. I'll probably go eat a couple once I'm done this post.
-Rick made more Asian inspired food the other day. We had udon, with stir fried bok choy and onion. Before Rick and I met, I only ate this kind of stuff when I went out to eat, which was very very rare. Now, we make it at home most of the time, and it's just as good, and sometimes better than going out to eat. Plus, there isn't a ridiculous amount of salt/MSG, and we save money! And, we can put exactly what we want in it, so I'm not stuck with a bunch of stir fried bell peppers, which I think are pretty icky. Definitely a win all around.
-Saturday was my craft show at Colasanti's. I didn't do too badly. I met my goal for total money made. I'm not the happiest with how I did, though. I only sold one knitted item, and the rest of my sales were earrings. I'm not complaining about having sold anything, I just wish I'd sold more knitwear. Knitting is what I am passionate about. The earrings are just something fun to do on the side. I didn't expect to sell a ton of knitted stuff, but I thought I'd sell at least 3 things. Oh well. My next two shows, I don't expect to sell much winter knitwear, if any. The shows are at the beginning and end of March, and by that time, most people are over the coldness, and ready for spring/summer to come in full force. For those, I'll definitely be bringing more earrings.
-Winston has been pretty cute lately. I have a photo of him like this that I took at our old apartment where he looks so much younger. Not that he looks old or anything, but he was definitely more of a puppy then. He's going to be three in just over a month. I can't believe we've had him almost three years! We got him in May of 2010.
-Wednesday night was the fundraiser show at Phog. Tracy and I split a Phonion not long after I got there. A Phonion is a Phog specialty. It's a poutine made with onion rings instead of fries. Now, in case you're unaware, poutine is one of my most favourite foods ever. It's usually piping hot french fries, with a bunch of white cheese curds over top, and some steaming hot gravy to slightly melt the curds. Wonderful! Phog's gravy is vegan, but you wouldn't know it unless someone told you. Later on in the night, I had some of my brother's friends poutine as well. I love that stuff. Every time I go to Phog I have to get one.
-Billy Raffoul played a couple sets, and did an absolutely amazing job. He is immensely talented. I would definitely go see him play again. I'll be keeping him in mind for future shows.
-A bunch of yarn was donated at the fund raiser, and I kept a small amount for myself. I added four skeins of cotton (likely for dish cloths) and four skeins of acrylic to my stash. The acrylic will probably turn into some manly accessories. I've used this yarn in the past, and it looks really nice knit up. It's a creamy white colour with flecks of grey, brown and black. This adds four skeins to my stash down count, which means I am at +11 for the year. I am going to have to crank out some stuff to get my number back down. I haven't had much knitting mojo lately, which has been a problem. I'll dig through my stash and get some more little balls and skeins of yarn used up. Even the tiniest of balls count! Once I start seeing the number go down, I will be more motivated to keep knitting.

Don't forget, the giveaway is still going on. There are over 415 entries the last I checked, and that number is climbing steadily. Get your entires in!
Rick is making some macaroni and cheese casserole for dinner tonight, and I'm looking forward to that.
How are all of you folks doing?

My Week In Instagrams: January 18, 2013

This past week has been up and down for me. Some of the low points include: I'm no longer going to Guatemala, which is a bummer, but the timing for it just isn't going to work for me. My hours at work have all but disappeared. They messed us around and I am now going to be getting one shift a week. I'm going to have to find some other income stream to pay for my necessities, and delay paying off my credit card even more. I knocked my forehead off some metal shelving at work today, and now I have a goose egg, and a headache. I also had a bit of a breakdown today. I don't really know what happened, but I just snapped and cried for a good long while.
Some of the better things are included in this collage.

1. Rick and I went to Tacos Tony for dinner a few days ago. I got a shrimp tostada, Rick got shrimp soup, and we split a large order of nachos supreme. Seriously delicious food. I could eat a tostada everyday for the rest of my life and never get tired of it. I might try the chicken or beef one next time we go.
2. Rick and I rented some movies the same night we went for Mexican food. He got a bag of Sour Patch Kids, and I got some pop rocks. They were pretty darn good. Not as poppy as I remember them being, but I won't complain at all. Some of the movies we got were Frankenweenie, 13, Yellow, Bigger Stronger Faster, and Paranorman. (I think we got one more, but I honestly can't remember) I have the last one left to watch, and I can't wait. I'll probably watch it tonight.
3. I worked a fair bit this past week. Not nearly as much as I used to, but enough to get by. I took a photo of a bag of the empty cans a customer brought back, praising the way he did it, because I usually post pictured of what not to do. I got a pretty good response to this on Facebook.
4. Winston has been pretty good this week. We had him upstairs playing with the other dogs, and racing around, being his normal self. He disappeared for a little bit, and when he came back, he had Whitney's stuffed duck. He liked playing with it for a while. Rick also washed all of Winston's toys, and our crazy pup went bonkers and played with every single toy for a little while. He's funny like that. He'll play with one toy for a while, then go get another one and switch back and forth so they each have their turn.
5. Yesterday, we went to Colasanti's to drop off my registration stuff for a craft show they're having in February. We decided to make an afternoon of it, and grabbed lunch. This photo is of some of the pretty citrus trees that grow in and around the seating in the restaurant. I've loved this ever since I was a little kid. I had a fish burger and a poutine, and Rick had a cheeseburger and poutine. It was pretty tasty.
6. Colasanti's also has a petting zoo. (Seriously, if you are ever in Essex County, you need to make a trip here!) The goats have been a long time favourite of mine. This little lady was loving the head scratches, and didn't try to run me over in hopes of getting some food. I have a couple photos on my Instagram page of other animals I petted.
7. In addition to the petting zoo, they have some other animals on display. There was a little pot bellied pig named Stinker whom I fell in love with, and had the cutest little snorts and tail wags for me. He was adorable. Rick really enjoys the birds. He was talking with them for ages. He'd say something to them, and they'd either bob their heads in agreement, say "Hello" or raise their head feathers. The macaws weren't as responsive, staying a little farther back from the cage walls. We also saw some fruit bats, tortoises and ducks.
8. When we got home from our "date" I made some earrings with some of the newer supplies I got over the past month. I made 72 pairs, from beginning to end, including packaging and pricing. I was super happy about that! I'm going to try to take some photos of them tomorrow with my iPad, and try out the Etsy app for creating listings. I've browsed with it, and checked stuff in my shop, but have yet to actually create any listings. I'm hoping it's easy enough to use, because I would love to have another task to do on the iPad instead of the computer. (I'm thinking about going 100% iPad, and selling my computer)
9. The other awesome fun thing I made were some knitted bow rings! I've been posting about these lately, without giving away too much. But here they are! You can get an idea of size from this photo, and these are all the colours I currently have made. I'm selling them for $6, just like the brooches and hair pins, but this might go up a wee bit. So, if you like them, and want to get one before I increase the price, let me know!

I have a flash sale going on in my shop right now. If you use the code "Flash20" you can save 20% off your entire purchase. I'm not sure how long I'll offer this, so you should really jump on it!
What sorts of fun things have you fine folks been up to?

Awesome Wednesday: December 5, 2012

Hello everyone! It's Wednesday, and that means it's my day off! Incidentally, I have tomorrow and Friday off, as well! That's pretty awesome, I'd say. These are the awesome things that have happened over the past 7 days.

• I received my sock yarn minis! I love them, and I can't wait to be able to knit with them.
• I did the Christmas Craft Show. I did really well. Not as well as Made in Windsor, but not bad at all.
• I got FOUR custom orders at the show. I finished three of them, as well as another order I got a few days before. The fourth item, a shawl, is off the needles, I just need to weave in the ends. I also got another order for a head band, which needs to be sewn up and have the ends tied in.
• I received my yarn from Midwest Yarn! That means I can start on Christine's baby shower gift. I'm trying to be vague about this, in case she reads my blog. I have two rows done, now it's time to get into the actual pattern part.
• I went to my little brother's hockey game. They won, with a final score of 9-6 or something like that.
• Mom and I went out for lunch together. That was really nice.
• Rick and I are going for all you can eat sushi this afternoon. I can't wait!

Most of this stuff is from the weekend. I didn't do much else before or after. I do have some not so awesome news, though. Winston has a terrible ear infection, and it's completely changed his personality. Our normally loving dog has started growling at Rick and I. We're not too sure what to do, other than call the vet, and likely take him in. I hope he feels better soon.

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.

Want To Know What's Not Very Fun?

There are a lot of things in life that are not a lot of fun. Getting teeth pulled, waxing, getting in a car accident and losing your favourite knitting needles. Well, another not fun thing is bringing a rambunctious German Shepherd puppy on a walk, when she hasn't been on one in a couple weeks. This little girl is Whitney, my in-laws dog. She's going to be a year old at the end of winter. She is incredibly excitable, and loves to pull when she's on a walk. Rick's mom, Cindy, was about to have her arms ripped out of her sockets on our walk tonight, so we swapped leashes: I took Whitney, and she took Winston. Now, Winston is far from a perfect dog: he pulls and darts back and forth as much as any dog, but he listens a little better than Whitney. In the end, it was a good decision. We managed to get our walk in for the night, all our arms stayed attached, and the dogs were worn out. Really, I love taking the dogs for walks. Where we live is wonderful. There are a lot of really neat animals that run through the area where we go on our walks. I've seen deer, all kinds of birds, bunnies, and I think I saw a fox once. None of these are really rare, or particularly interesting, but for a girl like me who grew up in an area with hardly as much as feral cats, it's really awesome.

We're both trying to get back into some sort of shape that isn't quite so round. Walking/running is where we start. I'm trying to motivate myself to stop eating so much crap, and get moving. If I could just convince myself that the knitting will be there when I get back from my run, I'd be set.
Does anyone want to motivate me? I will return the favour!
(Also, look how cute Winston is, waiting for the walk. What you don't know is that it took 6 tries to get a decent photo)

Sawing Logs

Where we live now (with Rick's parents,) our living/working area and bedroom are all rolled into one. Because of this, and Rick's sleeping schedule being different from mine, I often find myself listening to him snore away in the morning. The other day, Winston was trying his hardest to get Rick to wake up. He hopped up onto the bed, and started his incredibly quiet whimpering. Unless Winston is protecting us/the house (where he will growl and occasionally bark) he is the quietest dog I have ever met. I have to get a video of him "speaking" so you can see how quiet he actually is.

Sunday Funday with Rick!

This week, I somehow managed to have three consecutive days off: Sunday through till tomorrow. I don't know how it happened, but I'll take it! I'm taking a chance on a different type of blog post, so I hope you like it. I'm planning on branching out from just knitting and including more of my day to day life on here. This post is a little longer than I expected it to be, I promise this won't be a theme in the future.

Yesterday, Rick wasn't feeling well, so we were expecting to have a quiet day at home. Early in the afternoon, he started feeling better, and wanted to go for sushi. The local place charges an insane amount on the weekend for all you can eat, unfortunately. The lunch price is eliminated, and we'd have to pay the dinner price, and only be able to choose from the limited lunch menu. Not cool, as we'd be missing out on some of our favourite things. We didn't want to make a trip into Windsor for just sushi, as good as it is. Rick then suggested Vietnamese. I called them up, and found out the local Pho place is still closed for renovations, so that was also a no. They are reopening Thursday, so we will definitely be giving them a visit soon. I thought tacos would be a good idea, but being Sunday afternoon, many of the migrant workers are at the authentic Mexican restaurant, and Rick wasn't feeling the loudness that comes with that. We thought about it a little while, and I suggested a pretty sweet place called The Main Grill and Ale House. They have some pretty phenomenal dishes, and are well priced for the high quality food you end up with.

Deep Fried Pickles

We ended up choosing two appetizers and two entrées. The first was deep fried pickles. They're breaded with pretzels, and have a beer/mustard dipping sauce. They were alright, but I've never had fried pickles before (How? I love pickles, and fried things, no idea how I haven't combined those two loves before this) so I don't have anything to compare them to. Not sure if we'll get these again, but I am glad I tried them.

The second app was pulled pork poutine. Now, if you don't know what poutine is, you are seriously missing out. A traditional Québecois poutine is french fries, fresh cheese curds and gravy.

Pulled Pork Poutine

Recently, poutines have become somewhat trendy especially locally (there is a poutine restaurant in Windsor), and pulled pork is a common variation. This one was made with seasoned waffle fries, pulled pork in a yummy sauce, and shredded cheese. I can forgive the shredded cheese because it was fully melted, and the whole dish was absolutely delicious. From the first bite, we were both super happy we ordered this version, instead of the plain one. The only downside to this is that it's not a huge portion, and it left us both wanting more.
For the entrées, we both chose perch, done in different ways. Rick chose perch and chips, and I picked a perch po'boy. I know Rick enjoyed his, as he gobbled it up fairly quickly, and left just a few chips that I brought home.

Perch and Chips

As for me, I'd eaten not long before we went out. Our day hadn't initially included going out to eat, so I made myself a bowl of soup. I regretted that as soon as I got my plate. The sandwich was on the softest baguette I'd ever had. It was toasted just enough to add some crusty crispness to the cut side of it. There was also some of the house coleslaw on it, which really made the dish fantastic. I ate half of it, and brought the rest home. I got a house salad with it, just to mix it up from my usual fries, and I was super impressed with how it looked. I didn't eat a bite of it, as I was completely full by this time. The salad came with some raspberry vinaigrette, which I think I will really enjoy.

Perch Po'boy

Overall, The Main was definitely a fantastic choice. Our server did a fantastic job, stopping by the table often enough to refill my drink, but not so often that we were annoyed.  I can't wait to go back.
After lunch, we went on a nice county drive. We stopped at a beach, and Winston and I dipped our toes in the water. He's never been to a beach in his whole 2 years, and he did fairly well, considering he's scared of practically everything. Terrified at first, after a couple minutes, he only tried to run when there was a wave breaking. His tail was wagging by the end of it.
We continued up the road past some really interesting houses, farms, and more beaches. Living in Essex County is awesome, so many cool things to see, places to go, and food to eat, and. Rick pointed out our favourite apple orchard, Delhaven. We've stopped there a couple times, and I was a little bummed they were closed. I think we'll be making a special trip there soon. Our final stop of the day was Manitree Fruit Farms. We picked up a container of peaches there. I have already eaten two of them.
Overall, Sunday was a great day spent with Rick and Winston. I can't wait till the next day we can spend exploring our beautiful area.
If you've stuck through till the end of this verbose post, please let me know what you thought of it!

Life Is Good!

Life has a funny way of turning around for me. As I mentioned in the initial post about Winston, everything was going great, and then we got the unfortunate news that he needed surgery. Well, he's home now! The infection has cleared up, his fur is starting to grow in from where they shaved it, and he's HAPPY! He's had a smile on his face since we picked him up. Another happy thing is that the incisions are not very visible. I've looked at some of the pictures of this surgery online, and they all looked terrible. He's taking it all in stride. He still growled at the vet, but was very happy when Rick walked into the room he was in.
Another awesome thing! I got my KnitPicks order today! I placed my very first order a little while back, and it was delivered to the PO Box today. I received an email about it being in the Canadian Postal system, so I checked the tracking number. I literally did a happy dance when I saw that it had arrived. I begged Rick to bring me there, offering to buy gas in exchange. We picked it up, along with a parcel for Cindy, and off to the gas station we went. That pump couldn't go fast enough for me! I just wanted to tear into my yarn and needles!
As soon as we got home, I made a beeline for the scissors, and carefully opened the package. I didn't want to hurt my yarn! Out came a bag with five beautiful skeins in it. Left to right, they are Alpaca Cloud in Wonderland Heather, Oyster Heather and Smoke Heather, and Shadow in Summer Blooms Tonal and Basalt Heather. The Alpaca is the softest thing I think I've ever touched. It's unbelievable. The Shadow is so nice and squishy, I just want a bed made of it. I will definitely be ordering more yarn from KnitPicks in the future.
The other thing I got from KnitPicks was a set of Options Interchangeables in the Harmony Wood. They are so pretty! I can't wait to cast something on with them. I also got a set of 40 inch circular cables, and some cable connectors. I'm starting to knit more, larger and smaller, projects, and I need to have the flexibility. I want to be able to see the full size of a shawl I'm working on, without having to slip the stitches off onto scrap yarn, and then trying to slide them all back on after. I also want to be able to use the Magic Loop technique for the tops of hats, and potentially some mittens. This set is going to help me grow as a knitter, and I can't wait to start using them.
Keep an eye out tomorrow for a (bad) picture of my most recent project!

An Update About Winston

First off, thank you EVERYONE who has helped with our current Winston situation. Whether you purchased, shared, or sent happy thoughts, it's all appreciated.
Winston is STILL at the vet, nearly two weeks after the surgery. Both of his ears became infected after being operated on. They couldn't start him on antibiotics until all of the anesthetic was out of his system. They could finally do that a few days ago, and from what I know, he's doing well with them. He could be coming home as soon as this Friday, and we are crossing our fingers that it will be the day.
If you are curious about what exactly he had done, do a Google search of "lateral ear canal resection" I do want to warn you that if you do an image search, some of the photos are pretty traumatizing, and gross looking.

A Custom Order Is Complete: My First Hat In The Round

Recently, I had a friend ask me to knit a hat for her son. She had the pattern and the yarn ready to go, and wanted to help pay for Winston's surgery, so she asked me to do it. The pattern seemed easy enough. A little colour work, and knit in the round, though; two things I'd never done before. (I've knit in the round, but never a hat) I figured I would try it out, and if I failed miserably, I would admit defeat, and give everything back to her. Initially, I cast on with 6mm needles that she supplied. It would have fit an elephant. I went down to 5mm and it was perfect. The stranding wasn't that difficult, to be honest. It took me a couple days to finish, but I got it done! Not to toot my own horn, but I think it looks great! The pattern is the Skull Beanie from Polar Knit.
I'm now confident enough to start working on regular hats done in the round. Will I forget the loom hats completely? Probably not. But it's nice to add another skill to the knitting arsenal.

Just When Things Start Looking Up...

...We get knocked back on our asses.
My entire life has been like this; I get ahead a little bit, and then knocked back twice as far.
Rick took our 2 year old pup Winston to the vet today to have his ears looked at. Since he was about 8 months old, Winston has had ear issues. According to the vet, he has the narrowest ear canals he's ever seen. This means he is susceptible to ear infections. Anything from getting a coupe drops of water in there when I bathe him, to being out in the wind or rain, to just getting too excited and his body temperature getting too high can cause the infection to flare up. This is a problem that some breeds are more likely to develop, shar peis being one of them.
Rick is in a constant battle, putting cortisone cream and Polysporin in and around Winstons ears to keep the infection down. Lately, Rick has been losing ground against the grossness that develops in there. It's smelly, infected, and just disgusting, and it makes both Rick and myself feel like bad puppy parents because we can't make him feel better.
At the appointment today, the vet said surgery was inevitable. Either do it now, while he can still hear, or wait until he goes deaf. Basically, what they are going to do is drill his ear canals open. I don't know all the details, because I wasn't at the appointment. All I know is that they are going to have our dog at their office for about a week for him to heal up. After that, he will have to take it easy for up to 6 weeks so he can finish healing.

This surgery is expensive, between $800 and $1200 and we just don't have the funds to cover it all right now. If you would like to help us cover his surgery, I will be eternally grateful. If you use the code ForWinston in my Etsy shop, you will get 25% off your entire purchase, including the winter wear I recently marked down. Every penny from my shop will go towards paying for this surgery for the next month, or until his surgery is fully paid for.
If there isn't anything in the shop that you like, please just share this with anyone you can. He's such a good dog, we can't let him suffer anymore than he already has. His wrinkly face is just too adorable.

Self portrait Monday: April 18, 2011

Happy Monday! It is past the middle of April, and it is SNOWING! I couldn't believe it this morning when I checked Twitter, and then took Winston outside. He loves it! It's not that cold out, so it's not all that bad.
I've been working on lots of dishcloths lately. Most of them have some sort of textured stripes, but some are just plain.
I finally went to the city library last week and got myself a library card. I took out seven(!!!) books, and have flipped through most of them already. I am reading Dogfight, A Love Story, by Matt Burgess right now. I also have a hold on Knitting Circle by Ann Hood. I am looking forward to that one, as well.
I ordered some buttons from Wicked Wool Gathering on Etsy. Her prices are awesome, and I can't wait till I get them. She doesn't just sell buttons, either! She has all sorts of other things, too. I definitely encourage you to check her out.
I am going to be holding a contest here on my blog very soon. I need to list some more items first. And, well, make them too! I have plenty of knitted items, but no back stock of button earrings. I also need to photograph some of my smaller knitted items. Gah, I've been so lazy!

How have all of you been?

Self portrait Monday: March 28, 2011

Happy first birthday, Winston!! One year ago today, our puppy was born, and today, he ate a cheeseburger and french fries to celebrate.
Rick and I took him to Harvey's and got him a kids meal. He was so cute when he was eating it. His favourite toppings are ketchup and pickles, and he gobbled it all right up. I have a feeling he'll be having one of those every year.
As you may have seen, I started selling on Etsy on the 24th. I posted about selling my first item, and since that, I have sold one more pair of earrings. I am going to take some photos of a few smaller knitted things to sell soon. I don't think I will be posting any scarves or neck warmers any time soon, seeing as it's spring time already, and within a couple months, that will be the farthest thing from most people's minds.
Yesterday, there was a craft supply swap organized by Made In Windsor at The House. I came out with a whole bunch of yarn, fabric, thread, buttons and a few other bits and pieces. A lot of it is being donated to various groups I support, but I am keeping some for myself, as well.

What have all of you been up to?