coming home.

 Carole's prompt for 10 on Tuesday-10 good things about coming home.  I don't travel as much as I'd like to, and hope in the near future that'll change.  I enjoy seeing new places and eating good food, so here's my list.

10. This sweet girl-I always get a warm happy welcome [even when I'm just coming home from work].
 9.  My house and my family and friends.
 8.  Familiarity with my surroundings.
 7.  My kitchen and pantry-even though I enjoy eating out, I like to have food on my terms!
 6.  Access to my yarn and knitting tools-I always forget some essential when I travel-never fails.
 5.  My clothes-again, see#6
 4.  My own bed, sheets and towels.
 3.  My daily routine.
 2.  Having memories, and stories to share.
 1.  Photos from the trip to go with #2.

the great outdoors.

This week's prompt from Carole, one of my favorite places to be-outside.  I love being outside especially on a nice day, which hopefully we'll have more of on a regular basis.  Here's my list in no particular order of importance.

10. Read-so peaceful in the early morning hours when the sun is peaking over the horizon and the birds are singing.
 9.  Listen to music
 8. Going for a walk

 7. Cooking on the grill
 6. Eating-love to eat on the deck or go for a picnic.
 5. Drinking-whatever it is-coffee-wine-cocktail
 4. Knitting, of course.  However, with the pollen we've had recently it can be a challenge
 3. Cycling
 2. Hanging out with friends-especially when 6, 5 and 4 are included in the mix
 1. Visiting gardens
I'd love to hear what other thing people do outside.                            

it's a first.

a neighborhood book club.  It's something new for me, and the response to starting this was awesome.  We had our first meeting last night, and everyone who committed to being there showed up.  We had a yummy chocolate mousse cake from costco-so good, some lovely cheeses, crackers, and fruit.  I brought the last bottle of red wine and Ann's champagne rounded out our feast.  Our discussion was just as good as the food, and I'm so glad we took the steps to make this happen.  I'm really looking forward to next month, we'll be discussing my selection Death of Bees.  Even though I just finished it a few weeks ago, our discussion about Lost Lake reminded me that I should do another re-read so I'm more prepared.  We are utilizing our clubhouse [it's such a homey setting], and we hope to be able to sit outside this summer.  Our clubhouse is so under used, and the back porch which overlooks the pool is such a nice spot and shaded.  I got to meet one new person, and I had more face time with someone I see when we are out walking our dogs.  The starting of this book club is good timing for me as I'm looking for more "me" things to do away from work and home.  Also, I don't have to drive-BONUS!

cause that's how i like to do it.

with regular spring weather upon us, i got to thinking about outside bike rides.  I've really missed them, but what I don't miss about them is how time consuming they can be-1+ hour to drive round trip, load and unload bikes, then 2+ hours for the ride.  The good side is that if Steve is driving, I get to knit while he drives.  It got me thinking about my routine.  I'll admit I like my  routine,and I don't like it messed with-I know there are times when things have to be re-arranged, but to just approach each day without some sort of plan makes me twitchy.  While thinking about the timesuckthatisoutdoorcycling, I also realized that my extra pair of hands won't be home this summer.  So I made a list of the things I have to do each week along with a list of things I want to do-grocery shopping, laundry, cooking, cleaning, exercise, knitting, sewing, etc. Along with my need to have a routing, I'm of the camp that you do your chores first then you play, so with game plan in place, my goal for the next few months is to "work" Sunday AM-Wednesday, so I can play Thursday-Saturday, and Sunday afternoon.  Some of these shifts will include doing my house work Sunday mornings while everyone is asleep.  I have a pretty good routine for this, so it only takes about 45 minutes-without vacuuming- that will have to wait til after church.  I'm going to use Wednesday as my grocery shopping, and weekend prep day-cutting/washing/prepping veggies, marinades, dressings, etc.  Anything that can be made ahead of time.  Our dinners are going to be more thematic as well.  Friday-snack or leftovers-am looking forward to sitting on the deck with a glass of wine, my knitting and food that only requires me to put it on my plate.  Saturday will be pizza/stromboli night-think my family can cope with the change?!  Sunday after church lunch a simple one dish meal that'll fill us up, and then we can have snacks again for dinner.  Monday-Thursday will be a combination of leftover and anything that can be made into a quesadilla. Am hoping this will work, and provide me with the sense of balance, accomplishment, and not lose my sanity.  Hopefully there will be more blog fodder too.  Am making great progress on my current WIPs, so hopefully I'll have something to share in a week or so.

Good together

This week's 10 on Tuesday prompt is a good one-cause it involves food!

10. Peanut butter and-apple, or on a bagel or a sandwich with jelly.  Jiff Natural is my favorite only a few ingredients, and it's got much more nutritional punch than cream cheese.

 9. Dark chocolate and dried fruit or nuts
 8. Fresh veggies and hummus (or bean dip)
 7. Cheese and crackers or with fruit or with bread
 6. Pizza and beer
 5. Tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich
 4. Cake or pie with ice cream
 3.  Bacon, lettuce and tomato on a sandwich
 2. Red beans and rice
 1. Shrimp and grits

My philosophy is you can't go wrong with melted cheese and  [insert food here]. . . fresh bread is so worth the calories.

adios march.

a few highlights from March-some I've already blogged about:  Alton Brown live at the Fox

A rare photo opportunity with Andrew-there's always something good cookin' when he's home.

Trunk Show at Cast on Cottage featuring Claudia of Claudia Hand Painted Yarns.

A new coat of paint in the dining room-very happy with the results, Andrew was a huge help with this project.  I've already decided on a window treatment and chair covers, just need to find the fabric that is in my head!  Aside from that I still need to put the artwork back on the walls, but I want to move things around so it might be this summer before the room is totally complete.

A few days off from work to do some sewing-enjoyed 2 sessions at Cottontail Quilts and I hosted Quilt Club this month-ALWAYS a good time, and I need to capture THAT in a photo.

There were some truly glorious days, and I tried to take advantage of them when I could.

Sophie did too!

Dinner out with these girls-friends from my KSU days.

Plans for April include finishing up the last of my cold weather knitting, finish 8 blocks for the Needle and Gun Quilt Club annual block exchange, tidy up closets.  Plan spring/summer knitting and enjoy the warm weather.

typical.

my willard pullover is blocked and ready to wear now that our temperatures are expected to be in the 80s. had i tried this on the first time i knit it, i'd have been able to wear it a couple times before storing it away for next year.  will i ever learn-let's hope so.

it is however exactly what i was hoping for in a pullover soft-drapy-warm cozy yarn and a basic design. i plan to do the basic round yoked cardigan in the fall.  the problem i had with this pattern is that i held the contrasting color too tight in the yoke.  i shouldn't have this problem in the basic round yoke since there will not be any contrasting color.  i have 2 more pullovers on the needles that i hope to finish by the end of April, so that they can be blocked in the warm sun and ready for fall wearing.  i plan to experiment with summer-y yarns and breezy drapy patterns next, especially pieces i can wear over a t-shirt-something i haven't done in quite a while.