10 favorite things to do at the beach

1. watching the sun set
2. watching the sun rise
3. and like beth said, feeling a bit closer to God, and amazed at the vastness of the earth He created.
4. drinking summer-y type cocktails like jalapeno cucumber margaritas.
5. knitting- provided it's something small and washable.
6. digging my feet into the sand until i get to the cold part
7. taking photos
8. watching dolphins and other ocean life
9. sharing this experience with friends and loved ones
10. getting absorbed into a really good book.

something i'd love to do, but haven't yet is to have a cook out on the beach something like ina would do.

going from bad to worse and a slight improvement.

no photo for this blog post cause i have NO camera and NO phone!!! (eta at 8:28 the surveillance video)

so in a nutshell, please indulge me in this small pity party,

friday afternoon-discover that someone had brushed against the side of my car :-(
    - get caught in a down pour while cycling back to said car :-(
    - disocver my LIFE, i mean my IPHONE got wet enough to short out :-(
    - andrew had pizza ready when i got home, and steve had margaritas ready :-)
saturday morning/evening- awesome bike ride and a fairly good game of bowling :-)
sunday afternoon/evening- still no life on the iphone :-(
    - remember that i do have my OLD iphone i can use :-)
    - nuclear fall out of epic proportion which i won't share, but TRUST me :-)
    - am at the yoke portion of my gnarled oak cardigan :-)
monday morning- my work computer had cardiac arrest and couldn't be resuscitated for 1.1/2 hours :-(
    - am alerted by a co-worker that it was indeed another co-work who brushed up against my                  
                         car and I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING :-(
    - computer back up and running :-)
    - initiate investigation and apprehend the culprit :-(
 monday evening - stop by a local collision place and get "damage" buffed out (still need a follow up appt to complete),  total damage $56, better than the $522 estimate i got earlier in the day :-)-for the coworker)
                       big :-) for me cause i won't have to use a rental for 2 days and play musical cars.

no if one more thing happens i might not be using the :-) or the :-( but something more extreme. for now i think i'll go get a handful of peanut m&ms :-)

if knitting could talk.

It would probably be saying something like. . .


Really, you knew this was wrong after only 4 inches, but you continued until you had knit 17 ½ inches, really?!

Now let me get this straight, you were NOT drinking when you decided to continue knitting this sleeve, right?

Ummm, I don’t think that’s what Alana had in mind for this project.

You’ve been knitting for how many years?

What made you think you could get by with this?

Come on, you know better?

This amounts to how much wasted knitting time?

Sure, knitting 3 sleeves for every sweater is perfectly reasonable and encouraged.

yes, you'll have to tilt your head to the right to see the photos better, i don't know WHAT happened.
Instead, what it is REALLY saying is, “I forgive you, it’ll be okay, so now go rip out what you’ve done, and start over.” “Oh, and yes, you may have a glass of wine while you do so.”

Gee thanks knitting, I love you too.

recipes 1 of 24

tonight we had ina's herbed baked eggs with buttered toast-they were A-mazing! i really like eggs, and i had quite a few on hand from my co-worker who keeps chickens.  this recipe was super easy, VERY flavorful, and delicious. this will be on our table again at some point.  you really can't go wrong with ina's recipes and i have a feeling that most of my 24 recipes for my 45 for 45 quest will come from her cookbooks. one substitution i did make was to use dried parsley and tarragon instead of the rosemary and thyme only because i was too lazy to go outside to cut the herbs and i wasn't sure i'd like rosemary on eggs.

inspired.

while looking for a block pattern to make holly a chair/lap quilt, i came across these 2 projects (along with a few others) in a magazine. a table runner and a lap quilt with a very cool owl. both are beginner levels, so i'm thinking i can do this-hopefully i'll be adding this to a complete projects list by the end of the year-what are you inspired to create?

baby steps

on friday i did a gazillion errands before i met up with the ladies at cast on cottage for the closing ceremonies of the ravellenic games.  one of those stops was to costco to get my calcium supplements, and for the record costco was a complete zoo!

i also won a gift certificate, which didn't even make it out the door! now i just need to update the things i'm on track for with my 45 for 45-i'll do that tomorrow (maybe!)

start and finish

the falcon's pre-season record is off to a bad start, HOWEVER, my knitting is off to a great finish!  i finished my victorian cowl at the game, and only have a few rows on my sand and sea shawlette.  happy friday.

it begins tomorrow

AGAIN, taking inspiration from mary i thought it would be fun to come up with a list of 45 things to do before i turn 45. also a big thank you to mary for designing my "logo" above.  so here's my list, in no particular order of importance, i approaching this list as a way to see some things i'd really like to accomplish, some things i NEED to really do.  i'm sure there will be a few things that will get scratched, and there may be some changes throughout the year, and that's OKAY! so here ya' go.

1  1. Read all the books currently on my nightstand and piano bench

2  2. Establish a Thursday night knitting routine

3  3. Commit to at least 2 long rides each week (15+ miles each)

4  4. Try 12 new restaurants

5  5. Make 12 items  to give away (knitting, sewing or baking)

6  6. Get a bone density test

7  7. Ride the full length of the Silver Comet Trail

8  8. Lean how to repair a bike tire

9    9. Take a cycling accident avoidance class

1 10. Learn French well enough o write a letter or hold a simple conversation

1 11.   Join a cycling group

1 12.   Teach Sophie 2 new tricks

1 13.   Participate in a charity cycling event

1 14.   Find a volunteer opportunity that is “Me”

1 15.   Learn the rules of football

1 16.   Play a round of golf

1 17.   Take a fencing lesson

1 18.   Bake croissants

1 19.   Bake pretzels

2 20.   Visit 2 new cities

221.   Learn the long tail cast on

222.   Deplete stashed yarn (fingering and lace weight are exempt)

223.   Commit to only buying sweater yarn when I’m ready to cast on

224.   Get a role as an extra (movie or tv show)

225.   Get completely caught up on my photo projects

226.   Drink more herbal tea

227.   Commit to taking a daily calcium supplement

228.   Try 2 new fruits and 2 new vegetables

229.   Make ravioli

330.   Have a “real” vegetable and herb garden

331.   Maintain designated areas of the yard with seasonal plants

332.   Make caramels

333.   Drink coffee black for 1 week

334.   Do a blog post twice a week, even if it’s just a picture

335.   Clear out all drawers in my desk of “junk”-seriously de-clutter

336.   Try 2 new recipes per month

337.   Make a cheese souffle

338.   Read the local paper once a week

339.   Learn to journal

440.   Keep my plate clean and commitments minimal

441.   Visit the Atlanta Botanical Gardens

442.   Visit a winery

443.   Establish a once a month “dinner date” with Steve

444.   Get involved in the Roswell Historical Society

445.   Teach someone else to knit

going for gold.

i've officially crossed the finish line for the ravellenic games! i just need to do all the official documentation on my ravelry projects page. so i believe my calculations are correct according to my spreadsheet ( i do love excel).

so project #1- the gnarled oak cardigan, i've completed the body, and am ready to knit the sleeves which are worked in with the yoke-i ADORE the madelinetosh dk in french gray.  of course, in order to maintain the correct gauge for 13.5" of stockinette, i succeeded in injuring my left forearm.  i sorta knew this was going to happen, so that's why i got this to the required % complete first.

next up is the bousta beret in rowan felted tweed-robin's egg blue, love this color.  i knit coraline in it and had one ball left over, and purchased a second to make a hat, but now i think i'll probably do another hat, so that i can continue with my de-stashing. this project has been real easy-i'll continue with this over the weekend, and am thinking i'll knit this in a color best suited for maryline as a christmas gift.

project #3, victorian cowl in liberty wool-i had almost 3 skeins of this left over from my dark and stormy sweater, it is so soft and lovely.  this pattern was also pretty easy (noticing a pattern?)

project #4-aran necklace camisole-left over elsebeth lavold-hempathy-LOVE this project, has very interesting construction, am well into the body, so it's more stockinette (in the round at least) and then this will be done-done.

finally, project #5 is the sand and sea shawlette in spud and chloe fine-LOVE LOVE, this yarn is awesome, i'm thinking there might be something in landing that will work with this yarn, if not i'm sure there is a pattern out there.

it feels good to set a knitting challenge, and meet it.  3 projects are from what i'd call stash yarn, the gnarled oak cardigan and sand and sea shawlette is knit with yarn that i recently purchased, but with these projects specifically in mind. now the final challenge will be to correctly label and tag, and prove  that i finished on the various ravelry forums.

dogs on chairs

again being inspired by mary, and the picture of holly in this post-clearly sophie leaves NO room for anyone else to sit with her. this is where she usually retreats when she realizes that there is no room for her on the bed.  when i get up in the morning she is either here or the bathroom floor (on her back with her legs up in the air, so unlady like.  she's lucky i don't have a night vision camera!)  often when i find her in this chair she is laying in a far from comfortable looking position-not that this looks comfortable, but compared to some, it is! i wuv my fur baby.

one word wednesday. found!

i'm half on this wagon!

Saturday cycling

a butterfly landed on steve's bike

coot's lake

really cool rock walls and steve and his bike

 
8.4 Silver Comet Trail tunnel, a photo by lifeandyarn on Flickr.
saturday was another ride on the silver comet trail, this time we put in at the rambo nursery completing 23 miles.  we encountered a snake on the way back (yikes-peddle FASTER!!), steve and i both enjoyed this path, but there are long stretches where you do not encounter other cyclists, and there's lots of woods, so it's not some place i'll bike alone. sunday was another bike ride, not as long, but we took a different trail just off the sct, and enjoyed exploring a bit.  we kept an eye out for unwanted "nature", and only saw a few squirrels.  i did manage to crash into some shrubbery, just a couple scrapes on my legs, and no harm to the bike or shrubbery!   i hope to ride the trail on wednesday after work, and at lunch time the rest of the week. so much going on, with school starting for andrew, and getting pj moved back to college the first of next week.

10 favorite ways to eat tomatoes

a photo of one of my tomato plants, we are FINALLY getting some produce. i have always LOVED tomatoes, so here's my list.

1. freshly rinsed and right off the vine-MAYBE a sprinkle of salt
2. as the star player of a sandwich-i'm a southern girl, and there's nothing like a ripe tomato on bread (okay, "good" bread), with a smidge of mayo and black pepper-mmmmmmmmMM
3. on pizza, yes as a topping
4. in a salad- especially caprese!
5. on a biscuit (yea, i know, kinda crazy)
6. on tacos or nachos
7. roasted and made into a pasta sauce
8. as bruschetta
9. as a side for any dinner
10. on any deli sandwich-makes it a little more healthy.

Lost.

while everything but the kitchen sink is in my knitting tool bag, somehow, i've lost my container that holds the stitch markers i like the best :-(  - where or where could it be?  have you seen it?

currents.

listening -the stupid A/C unit near my desk blowing CONSTANTLY!!!!

eating -nothing, a pimento cheese sandwich awaits me for lunch

drinking - coffee (of course) last cup for today

wearing - jeans, "dress" sneakers, and my official england soccer jersey-this belonged to andrew, and he hasn't been able to wear it since middle school.  it is honor of the 2012 olympic games :-)

reading - Gumbo Tails, Apology Languages, and the book of Acts

weather -79 degrees, fair, and 75% humidity

knitting- gnarled oak cardigan, aran necklace tunic, and victorian cowl (just cast on), i need to double check but the cardigan and tunic should be at the stage they need to be to count for the ravallenic games (woo-hoo)

needing - to get lots of "little" things done this weekend-check emails, clear off desk, upload photos, etc.

enjoying -cycling!! am going for a lunchtime ride today with a colleague from work.

looking forward to - lots of stuff! 50th birthday party tonight, riding with steve tomorrow, mexican on tuesday, hopefully more riding, checking things off my to-do list and knitting.

wondering -if i'll get to see the end of the opening ceremonies before the olympics are over?!

keeping track

now that i've taken up cycling, i need to find a way to keep track of my progress.  i have a few goals in mind because cycling will be my primary source of exercise.  the constant walking is really taking a toll on my knees.  i want to stay as active as i can, and this has the least amount of impact that isn't swimming (which i'm not good at anyway). i also want to firm up my leg muscles-this means lots of resistance training(really i want thighs of steel!) and improve my cardio (endurance). so, what i've done so far is 2 rides on the silver comet trail: 1 ride was almost 20 miles and yesterday was about 16.  the sct is great for this because it allows me to up the resistance on the bike gears, with minimal coasting and stopping (the sct crosses over several streets).  in order to do this i need to allow for 90-120 minutes for a "good" ride, AND i have to drive there- this'll take some scheduling.  however, when i don't have this much time i'll opt for shorter "in city" rides like i did on sunday-in my neighborhood for 50 minutes, and on on tuesday through midtown. the downside to this is there was more coasting than i wanted, and i haven't figured out a good route that allows me to have a continuous ride without too much worry about traffic. my midtown route was 5th to charles allen, looping inside piedmont park 4 times, then back to charles allen to piedmont avenue back to 5th. my overall goal is to ride the sct in it's entirety (33 miles one way) and back, the trail goes to anniston, alabama.  hopefully i'll do this by spring 2013 (or sooner). in the mean time-enjoy some views from the sct!

overlooking the dogwood golf course

okay, this wasn't intentional, but when i saw my shadow i figured it was worth keeping!

a view from another bridge

heading back towards the parking lot

where i turned around yesterday, start marker is 4.2 miles.