better stats than the atlanta falcons.

i use a cycling program called strava to keep up with my riding stats.  since i've been riding for just over a year i was curious to see where i stood. the first photo is from 2012 august to december.

 here's 2013s year to date, i couldn't get a full shot, but september shows 78 additional miles, so a total of 1,031 for 2013, and all together 2,541.  according to google maps it's 2,354 miles from georgia to california, so i have some miles to spare :-).

this also doesn't count the hours i've spent on my trainer which i've had since january. i really enjoy riding especially on my new bike. perhaps when i win the lottery i can justify getting one of these

a colnago-ferrari only $12,000 (this one at the ferrari/maseratti dealership was on sale for $10,000) where do people get the money for these things--goodness.  like the blog title suggests i think my riding stats are far better than the atlanta falcons current win rate 1-3?!

books to read.

similar to my favorites and queue on ravelry I have a long list of books I want to read.  I am trying to do a better job of keeping up with recommendations I get for books on good reads, so much easier than trying to write them down.  I get a lot of suggestions from friends, my boss, and podcasts that I listen to, so the list seems to be growing by leaps and bounds.  The photo is from a book I received from one of my favorite writers, Elizabeth George.  She was offering free signed copies of her books, and I requested one that was in a French translation (Christmas gift for PJ :-).  This is a new series by her, so I guess I'll also have to get the English translation so I can read it-here's my top 10 books I want to read . . right now!

10. Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead (Literary Disco Podcast Recommendation)
  9. Ask the Dust by John Fante (Literary Disco Podcast Recommendation)
  8. 84, Charing Cross Road (Goodreads Recommendation-Mary)
  7. The Custom of the Country (Craft-Lit Podcast Recommendation)
  6. 740 Park:  The Story of the World's Richest Apartment Building by Michael Gross
  5. The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon (long time fan of her books)
  4. Paris, My Sweet:  A Year in the City of Light by Amy Thomas (Ann Mah Recommendation)
  3.  The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo (Recommendation by my boss)
  2.  Murder in the Marais by Cara Black (Ann Mah Recommendation, I think)
  1.  Vanishing Act by Thomas Perry (Recommendation by my boss)

These are in no particular order, I'm curious to see if I actually like the books recommended by people I don't personally know-we'll see.
 
thanks Carole for today's prompt

best of intentions.

there have been a few distractions, so my good intentions for blogging more got a bit sidetracked over the last month and a half
there's been some knitting:  new projects: amused, chancery socks, and cora.The cowl not pictured is finished except for grafting the ends together and weaving in the end "tails".

a new paint job for the house- LOVE LOVE my red door

FINALLY, uploaded the software for my silhouette portrait. now I need to actually use it. hopefully this week.

football season is here-college and professional:  the first home game for the Falcons- new seats this season-really like the view

and i'm happy to say that project life is COMPLETELY caught up-love the project and am glad that I can do it my way.

oh yea, and she's keeping me busy too.

THAT FACE-I just wuv it. i'm hoping that now i'm into a real routine, i'll post much more frequently, and i'm really wanting to use my dsl camera a lot more, so hopefully more photos. so many goals, so little time.

Songs that make me want to dance.

I haven't played along with a 10 on Tuesday in a while, and there are plenty of songs that make me want to dance. Now whether I can actually dance or not is subject to interpretation!

10. Under the Boardwalk by the Drifters-reminds me of summer fun-great for couple dancing.
 9.  Jungle Love by the Time-reminds me of senior year of high school.
 8.  Good Morning by Mandesa and Toby Mac-just a happy song.
 7.  My Maria by Books and Dunn-makes me wish I was in a honky tonk like in Urban Cowboy.
 6. Love Shack by the B-52s- reminds me of Friday afternoon happy hours with co-workers.
 5. Nos Racines-by Mundial Corrida-Faudel-makes me wish I could do the tango.
 4. I still haven't found what i'm looking for-by Celtic Thunder-makes me wish I could do ballet or some kind of  "interpretive" dancing.
 3. Footloose-Kenny Loggins-so upbeat and from one of my favorite movies (the original).
 2. Dancing in the Sheets-by Shalamar, also from Footloose-okay it's the 80s and I LOVE that music.
 1. This is our House- by Bon Jovi- heard this at a Falcon's play off game-i play it loud and proud!

There are really many more that I have in my i-tunes collection, I love music that makes me want to tap my foot and bop my head!

snapshots.

and flashbacks to some of this past weeks highlights. a bike ride with Katie, a great riding partner who shared some tips and tricks. am hoping we get to do this again soon. it felt pretty good keeping up with someone training for a triathlon!

I had to take a photo of this "unsubscribe" option for Cobb County School Distrist, YES! never email me again.  so glad to be done with high school (Andrew is too!)

Sophie gets the newspaper, one of the first "tricks" I taught her when she was a wee puppy.

goodie box for Andrew.  This is something I did for PJ when he left for college, a box of stuff that they don't get to open until after their classes on the first day.  I had a lot of fun at Trader Joe's picking out stuff for Andrew, very different from PJ's !  Andrew is taking 1 storage container of clothes and 3 containers for kitchen stuff.

New cycling gear-road bike, new helmet, and riding shoes with cleats.  I'm still trying to get used to the shoes, and totally love the new bike. 

and finally, a lovely birthday dinner, spicy shrimp tacos, and mini apricot cakes courtesy of Andrew.  Steve made margaritas, and I got some lovely cards and books. a happy day indeed.

seems kinda weird that the next time I post, both boys will be officially moved out of our house and in their own "space".  I think it's time to re-design the blog as well, seems appropriate to freshen up lots of things now. stay tuned.



i love a giveaway.andpie.

my recent success in winning cool stuff has prompted me to enter every possible giveaway on blogs i read especially when it comes to books and yarn.  that being said after hearing the recent episode of the craftlit podcast, which featured an interview with andi and her book big foot knits, i couldn't resist.  this is a must for any sock knitter's library.  i love my hand-knit socks, but sometimes the fit isn't always "spot on".  this book goes beyond just giving pattern instructions and provides a recipe or template to customizing them for optimal fit. so i'm doing my part by spreading the word.  this also reminds me that i have sorely neglecting this blog, and i hope to change that.  may to august has kept me busy, while at the same time i've been trying to be "not too busy". i've wanted to spend more time closer to home.  the next big thing is getting andrew ready for college-move in day is NEXT WEEK-gah! i'm really gonna miss him, but am excited for him at the same time.  i'll be changing a lot of my daily routine, especially kitchen duties, so perhaps that will provide some moderately interesting content to bring to the blog.  in the meantime, i'll leave you with a photo of the lemon meringue pie andrew made yesterday. andrew heading off to college is going to be great on my waistline.

Catching up and casting on

instead of doing weekly spreads of project life for may and june i opted for a monthly approach.  the only thing i have left to figure out is how to include the wedding invitation, rehearsal dinner menu, etc., right now they are in an 8x12 page protector.  i used only one photo from each event in an attempt to keep it simple. i do plan to create a photo book using more of the photos from this year. sunday my work space went from this

to this

and this

i have a large number of artwork postcards that i've picked up over the years from various museums, and decided to use these where i have gaps-especially in the 2x3 spaces.  i think it's a nice addition, and a great way to show off some of my favorite works of art.

on the knitting front-i've also cast on and made great progress on my river crossing cardigan and the gingko shoulderette, and need to find a sock pattern for the upcoming falcons season.  i also need to finish the last bit on my pendulum shawlette. the dilemma is that i've run out of the contrasting color, but only need a tad, so i've got to figure out if incorporating the main color is going to work or if i need to buy another skein of the contrasting color-we shall see.

something else i'm really loving and getting caught up on is craftlit listening to jane eyre, dracula, and age of innocence.   this podcast is sooooo awesome, has made my morning and afternoon commute much more pleasant.

and despite the wretched weather predicted for tomorrow, i am ready for my 9th time "doing" the peachtree road race.  i say "doing" as i walk it not run it, but love it nonetheless.  look for me!