I've got Things to Celebrate!

It has been a busy couple of months, and there have been a couple of bumps along the way, but there have been some very positive things happening, so I am gonna CELEBRATE!

...throws confetti...blows party horn...does a little jig...sits down, a little dizzy...

A few months ago, I had a little food issue. By "a little food issue" I mean that I ate something that totally threw my system outta whack, and made me eat tentatively since then. You see, I am lactose intolerant. Lactose is milk sugar. Lactose is found mainly in the whey...and it has been in my way since I learned about it! Soooo, I have been avoiding milk and soft cheeses, and anything with whey or lactose (or several other terms that mean that lactose might be in there) on it's ingredient list. It kinda stinks, because it seems like there are milk products in just about everything!

Ummm, Pretty? That's nothing to celebrate...

I Know, Right?!? And then, Mr. Pretty had his annual exam a couple weeks ago, and Mr. MD told him to lay off the salt (he's on high blood pressure meds), lay off the sugar (he's pre-diabetic), and lay off the fat (and his cholesterol has gone through the roof!). Truth be told, I have had my own trouble with the sugar also... So now, Mr. Pretty and I walk around the house, tummies grumbling, looking for sugar-free, low sodium, lowfat foods that do not contain milk, and it kinda stinks! Some days, it barely seems worth it to eat anything...but the passing out isn't any good either...

Okay, I still don't see why you are celebrating...

Well, the food stuff is definitely NOT what I am celebrating. But, three months of not eating the milk stuff that will give me the digestive "issues," paired with a couple of weeks of cooking better for Mr. Pretty, has resulted in a significant weight loss! So significant, in fact, that I had to go out to buy myself a new pair of jeans (and I have a pile of clothes ready for the Goodwill store)!
Now, I don't know about you, but I hate shopping for jeans! It's easier to do, though, when you are buying jeans that are 2 sizes smaller than the ones you have to give away! Yay!

...throws confetti...blows party horn...does a little jig...sits down, a little dizzy...

I am not really dieting...trying to make a lifestyle change...and supporting Mr. Pretty (who has also started to drop some inches, Yay Mr. Pretty!) to hopefully extend the time we can spend with our kids and grandkids on this earth. The benefit to not really dieting is that I can occasionally indulge, and celebrations call for a little indulgence! So, some good friends came over for chocolate fondue last night - Yummmmm!
Friends College Girl and I used to hang out with regularly, K1 and K2 brought the dippers, and we had a wonderful time, a celebration in chocolate!!! We laughed, we chatted about college for the girls, and jobs, and boys, and Mr. Pretty says that we had far too much fun! (We think he was a little jealous!) Bonus! K and K brought a gift for Pretty! A fancy "scrap bag," with a weight at the top that also doubles as a pincushion...
...connected to a bag that can catch your scraps as you scrapbook, knit, sew or craft!
And Pretty was very thankful to receive such a crafty gift, because there is crafting happening in Pretty's head...
Lovely, beaded bookmarks! Here is the first one finished...modeling for you in my current favorite book...
By the way, if you don't read the Panopticon, give it a look...Hil-larious!!!

And here is the finished project, modeling by a sunny window...

...with dangly, glass beads to dance in the light!

Bookmarks are not a natural for me, I don't tend to do much actual book-reading...but I loves me some beads and was thinking of even dangling one of these from my rear-view mirror!

But Pretty, reading is fundamental!

Yes, yes it is. However, since getting the Droid, most of Pretty's recreational reading is now electronic books...well, except for the knitting patterns! It's difficult to place a bookmark in a two-page knitting pattern...

And so it goes! The knitting is still fairly secretive, but there is plenty of stitching happening. This project is in the Italian yarn again, and I am itching to get back to it! Since I know that you are probably wanting to get back to your knitting as well, I'll sign off. I'm glad you stopped by, and I look forward to our next visit! Until then...

Knit in Good Health!

Do I smell BACON?!?

So, that's how the day started for Mom and Dad and College Girl. . .with bacon. Not a bad way to start a day, overall. Not a bad way to usher a childhood into the realm of college life. . .what did you have for breakfast? Well, my mom made bacon. Pretty fair icebreaker for the getting-to-know-you activities I am sure she will endure today.

And after the bacon, was the packing and the driving and the moving in and the unpacking and the running around campus for a room key, bathroom code, books, parking permit, and other necessities. Here's a snapshot of the day for you. . .
I will spare you, and the College Girl, a re-telling of all the day's activities, but suffice it to say that it was a day full of emotion and excitement! I am confident that she will do well, and her father and I will become accustomed to our now-empty nest (today was pants optional at our house - oh, was that too much information. . .sorry - lol!), but this will all take some getting used to.


And you all know how I cope, right? Yes!!! Knitting!!!!! So, here are a few snapshots of my "coping" in progress. . .


First, another finished hat for my neighbor, this one in Cottontots cotton yarn:

And here is the progress on the back of my Cardigan. . .

And I have started the first of two Wonderful Wallaby sweaters in Caron's Simply Soft yarn for a darling boy and girl I know! This one has a complete pouch, and I am ready to continue the size 8 (child) sweater now! Yay!

So that's what's going on here. I hope that all is well in your neck of the woods!

Knit in good health!

Here's the Story. . .

Here's the story
Of a bag with cables,
That was knitted for a very Skinny Girl

It was knit of wool, in cream,
And then I dyed it -
And took it for a whirl! After spinning in the washer, it got pinned out -
To block the cables flat as flat could be. . . Then I lined it with some very stripey fabric And added pockets here, you see:
Then I hung it on the door to take some pictures
And the Skinny Girl came 'round to take a look,
And we knew, at once, it might get lonely. . .
Can I make a cabled bag for her books?A Cabled Bag,
A Cabled Bag -
Can I make a Cabled Bag for her books. . .?
Well, says Pretty Knitty, this is the third bag I have knitted from this pattern. Don't get me wrong, I love the pattern, but I have grown a little weary of it for now. . .perhaps I have another bag you can take for your books? You like the everlasting bagstopper?. . .I like the everlasting bagstopper!. . .Oh, well! I can always make another one! lol
In other Knitting Knews this week, I have done another bracelet. . .this one in silver, with multicolor beads. I am going to add these to the shop at some point. . .still researching price, etc. What do you think? On the fashion side of things, I have also finished another pair of socks. (You are probably cheering now. . .it means you won't hear about these again in the next blog. . .I have been going on and on for some time about loving this Knitty pattern and the Destination Yarn!)
With all of that said, I now return you to the regularly scheduled baby knitting, hat knitting, scarf knitting, sweater knitting and holiday knitting that is appropriate for the end of summer! I hope you all are having a good one!
Knit in good health!

Pocket Pals to the Rescue!

And Pocket Pals are fun. . .although they are far different than “pocket pool,” but I digress. . .already in the first sentence. I guess I digress a lot these days. I’m feeling scattered in everything from work to knitting. It’s just the season, I guess. . .Graduation Season, that is! My youngest will graduate from high school this Saturday, and she will leave for college in the fall – close-ish to home, but she moves out nonetheless. It makes me kind of nostalgic.

I have caught myself daydreaming in grand form, dwelling on romanticized memories of when my “nest” was full with two tiny ones. Of course, it’s easy to remember the good and the great times. . .even though I know there were hard times, they are not my favorite memories, so I usually don’t dwell there long. This is a strange new world my Hubby and I are moving into. . .we will soon be “Empty Nesters” – (cue dramatic chords) dum-dum-dummmm!

I have seen this coming for some time, our oldest got married last summer, after all! But still, I don’t know if it will truly hit me until she actually takes flight. In the meantime, everything just keeps going forward in an almost surreal fashion. Is it really true? Am I really old enough to have two “grown” children? Hmmm, I guess so.

For now, I will keep on keepin’ on. I continue to knit and craft and play with the itty-bitty ones at church, making toys and sweaters for them. My sweater (to wear to the June wedding) is coming right along, though I have no new pics of the Lacy Ribbed Top to show, and I throw in a "little something extra" project every now and again.

Oh, I do have a picture of three of the little something extras! Here they are:

Until next time, live each moment fully and knit in good health!