The First Ever

Way back when I first discovered the world of blogs, I was looking for resources in two areas, gardening and knitting.

Go figure.

Immediately upon finding what was ‘out there’, my other interests in stitching (as in sewing/quilting), writing with a whacked out sense of humor, family, the sciences (and arts, so to speak), hiking, spinning, and keeping up with all things current were spoken to, and I branched out in my blog stalking.

But way back when, one of the first blogs I discovered was one called High Altitude Gardening. Because, after all, what is it I try to do in my little backyard but grow a garden at high altitude? Kate gave me sage advice, she did. And some of it I even heed.

I read Kate’s blog for several weeks and then…then I commented! Hers was the first blog I ever de-lurked.

And Kate was the first ever comment on my blog. (I didn’t tell my dear loved ones about it for a few…months…)

I found ~Wunx through Kate, and this past summer, those two were the first ever bloggery people DSis and I met, besides each other, that is, but we already knew each other before we were bloggery people. So that doesn’t really count.

Now Kate has bestowed upon Dearest Sister and I an award, which we accept humbly and with gratitude, that she should think we rank among ‘the silly and savvy’. Silly, surely…savvy…well, to each their own!

Thanks, Kate. It’s been a kick getting to know you. Can’t wait for next time when we are in SLC!
According to the rulz…(and feel free to play along, or ignore any and/or all of them!)

Participators, please grab this award, post it on your blog, then pay it forward to 15 of your favorite recent blog discoveries. If you don't want to participate, please don't feel any pressure to do so.

We came up with our link list together for three reasons, the first because Kate linked us together (as we have been since the early days!), the second because our reader lists are very much the same, and thirdly, because it is easier this way, and we are all about easier.

With much fanfare and to do…we bestow our Best Blog Awards to…(in no particular order)..

Martha at Q is for Quilter (who does some really outstanding quilting/embroidery) (Really!)
Miss V at Our Growing Family (she posts pix of my grandbebe when she has time, and that rates!)
Tish at Big Well Girl (because she is our dark haired sister and BFF from way back in the hood.)
Allie at Sweet Happy Life (who is a talented and faithful follower of Sister)
Lynne at “New” Jersey Girl (follow her adventures back east! It’s not really a foreign land!) (And there are bears!)
Liz at Lizzzknits (because she is my (almost) local knitting/spinning peep that keeps me honest!)
ChaCha at Noodleroux (not only did she just send me a prize, which made her a favorite (of course!), but she has doxies!)
Mary at Snit n' Knit (I just love me my knitter/spinner talents, especially the ones that live in NYC! OMG NYC!!)
C & V at Stick Horse Cowgirls (crazy old friends finding life is full of all sorts of adventure, right where they’re at)

So we came up with a joint list of nine, but see way over there ---->
I have a list of those I subscribe to who keep me inform, entertained, and inspired. Check any or all of those out anytime, too!

Again. Thanks, Kate. It’s really swell to call you a friend!

Button, Button (and Show! And Tell!)

I need help with my button choices.

DSis has bailed me out of having to go shop (and purchase) buttons for the BSJs Three by diving into her vintage button collection. So generous a soul you have never met. And I am seriously meaning that.

The choice is clear for this one. The grey buttons tie in the yarn color change required due to lack of yardage. Looks almost…planned! And I think I like it. From Rowan Cashsoft, and afterthought Alpaca, for Grandbebe 2…

And I believe I like these with this. This is from yarn I traded for on Ravelry. It is a Chinese synthetic blend, according to my translators. I like the tweedy look, but initially I was not sure how all those ‘spots’ in the skein were going to knit up! This is Grandbebe Girl’s BSJ #2, her first having been felted. Oops.

However, it is not clear at all for the last. Wonderful Guy and I have thrown our hands up in despair, and I am turning other resources for help. From Crystal Palace Crème, for Grandbebe Bean.

Which are favorite?

These?

Or these? To be clear, these match much better than it shows, at least through my monitor.  Consider that.
Please advise. I need outside opinions. I am at a loss.
I have even considered alternating! Save me from myself!

Other goings on...
Black Alpaca (3-ply, 120 yd/skein, 2 skeins, 10-12 wpi) Going to the Shoppe.

Merino/Bamboo/Tencel (2-ply, 190 yd, a prize batt from Kathleen in Peru) Staying Home!

Jacob Wool kind of scratchy to spin! Worked up with a lot of loft. (2-ply, 8-10 wpi, 3 oz/skein, 2 skeins) This will go to market.

Also there is the already aforementioned Alpaca Clouds, also Staying Home!

The holidays are coming. Little over a month. I am working on the famous (not really) Iron Needles Xmas List Xcel Spreadsheet.

There is much knitting on the list. Much knitting on the list not knitted.

Why!?!

Because lately it’s been easier to sit and spin, and make more yarn that needs to be knit up!

Unfortunately, there is exactly one person on my list that might even be interested in handspun yarn.

Oh, the conundrum!

Must. Continue. Knitting. Christmas is coming!

Giving Thanks

Planning ahead, and in an effort to be properly prepared, I shopped for Thanksgiving last Thursday. We are having a small gathering, with just the grandbebes and their parents. (Thanks #1 – I have some of my favorite people all day to myself! No sharing!)

Everything on the list was purchased except…there was no unroll-it pie crust, no name or store-brand to be had. How is that possible, a whole week before the big day? (Thanks #2 – time for more to arrive so no from scratch pie crusting!) Another trip was made on Saturday and things are lined up for the feast day. (Thanks #3 – things are good to go, and we have enough in these times to make it go, and family to share it with.)

So in honor of pie crusts, I share my pumpkin pie recipe. It comes from my great-Aunt Ruth (Thanks #4 – family history, family traditions, family stories.) who probably never used unroll-it pie crusts ever, through my mother, in whose handwriting my original recipe is written. (Thanks #5 – the unconditional love of relatives in spite of some pretty conditional behavior on my part through the years.)

Pumpkin Pie

2 ½ cups pumpkin
1 2/3 cups sugar
(1 cup brown
2/3 cup white)
2 t cinnamon
½ t nutmeg (fresh ground)
½ t ginger
½ t NaCl
2 T flour
2 ½ cup evaporated milk/milk
3 eggs

Mix sugars and dry ingredients. Beat eggs and add milk, pumpkin to eggs. Mix with dry ingredients. Pour into uncooked pie shell. Bake at 450F for 7-10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F for 45 minutes or until firm. (A knife remains clean when inserted ½ the distance between edge and center)

Top with real whipped cream, of course.

(Thanks #6 – for this circle of acquaintances, friends, and relatives that have been connected in this electronic circle. Thanks for taking the time out of your day to read this little conceit of mine!)

Happy Thanksgiving.

Dearest Sister (and all the rest of the family)...I wish we were together to share pie.

Holiday Traditions

Back in the day, Youngest Daughter was given the assignment by a grade school teacher to chronicle certain family ‘things’ in a notebook. Said notebooks were to be on display with other items for a school night of sorts, where parents come to see what their offspring have accomplished through the preceding weeks.

Being the proud parents and relatives (as I recall, Dearest Sister was there) we covered the three rooms of all three girls in fine fashion, stopping to observe and admire and praise the efforts. Upon reaching the room of Youngest we found her display, and perused the goods, and DSis flipped through her “My Family” book.

Then she called me over to read what Youngest had written regarding ‘Our Holiday Traditions”.
This is what was written there:

“Our holiday tradition is to go to the basement and sit around the Ping-Pong table. When Grandma goes upstairs, we all go to the bedroom and hide.”

Which begs an explanation...

With the X being in the 'relig biz', travels on holidays were limited. Fortunately, my family and our friends felt free to travel the few hours to come to our house to celebrate with gatherings and dinners. And these tended to be large-ish. Too large-ish for our meager dining room table. Oops. We actually didn’t have one.

But we did have a Ping-Pong table in the basement! And everyone fit readily around that. So chairs, table ware, and food were all toted down the stairs from the kitchen, where we could all gather round the Ping-Pong ‘dinner table’ for a meal.

Invariably, something was forgotten. The first time we did this, my mother offered to run upstairs and grab the missing-whatever-it-was. And when she was gone…

Someone said (maybe it was me…), ‘We should hide!’

An old dear friend says, ‘No way! Not from your mother!’ (Dear Old Friend...ever the proper one...)

Wisest Sister says, ‘Well, then, you will be the only one left at the table!’

Whereupon we all rose and ran to the basement bedroom, even Dear Old Friend (who quickly realized being the only remaining at the table was going to be an untenable position, however improper hiding from someone's mother might be), piling through the door, and once there, stood around, smiling at each other like ninnies, trying to be quiet and not laugh, with the little girls looking up at us for direction.

Such good role models we were.

My mother, in the meantime, comes down the stairs with the butter, or salt and pepper, or whatever, and says, ‘My goodness, I am going to enjoy eating all this food myself!’

Whereupon we all tumbled out of the bedroom laughing and it was a good time for all. And every meal from then on, or as long as we lived in that parsonage, at holiday gatherings, whenever someone left the table to get whatever was forgotten, because something always was, the rest scooted off to the bedroom.

It was indeed our holiday tradition.

But Teacher didn’t get the memo. Teacher was eyeing the family from the corner of the classroom…wondering…who were these people and just what were they doing in that basement…

Recycling

DSis talked last week of litterbugs, and picking up after them, and then! Taking the responsibility not to do so herself.

She also remarked about how I choose not to drink water from plastic water bottles. Mostly true. Wonderful Guy and I live in an area where water is tasty, and we fill our reusable bottles if we need portable water. When traveling, we will purchase a large 'jug-o-water' and refill the same. Makes more sense cents-wise, as well.

I didn’t always do this, but I have made my changes through the years. Like recycling papers (for a long time now), changing over to those funny looking light bulbs (pretty much all, except for the green ones to back light the scary birds at Halloween), and tossing all my jars and cans and plastics into the recycling bin, I come to understand what I can do, and then start doing.

I seriously would like to compost again, but just haven’t quite got the set-up to do so here, like I did successfully when I lived in central Missouri. Now there! I had brown stuff. Here, too much green stuff. Got to have a mix of both, you know.

Anyway. My point of this post, and I do have one….is last weekend, the Guy comes down from upstairs and says to me that he was looking for some picture frames and noticed the old computer equipment in the upstairs closet. He is all about moving out stuff that isn’t being used. Well. He is all about moving out stuff, clearing the space, making room. (Dearest Sister’s Mister and the Guy? Very similar in this regard! And DSis and I? Very similar in our mindset of keeping things that might be useful in the future. Which is why we opened Atomic Sisters!)

So Wonderful Guy’s idea is to trash it all. And I say ‘We cannot!! Old computer equipment must be handled differently, and cannot just be taken to the landfill. Components with heavy metals! Leaching into the groundwater! Doo-oom! Dee-spair!’

So Wonderful Guy’s next idea is for me to figure out what to do with two desktop towers, a printer, 2 keyboards, an external harddrive, blah blah blah.

Today? We are going to the county recycling place (from 9-1, third Saturday only) and paying 0.35/lb (cash only!) to dispose of it all ‘properly’. And also, for a clean conscience.

One other thing. Wonderful Guy knows full well that the spare photo frames are in the other spare bedroom closet. This stuff was in the closet where I stash Christmas gifts I buy through the year.

I think he might have been snooping!

Busting Out All Over

I have done it. I have written a letter to my congressperson.

To be precise, I have written an email to my congressperson.

While I have voted in most every election since I have been eligible, certainly all on the state and federal level, I have never communicated with my representatives in this way.

I have now de-lurked, so to speak.

And it is empowering! I feel strong! Hear me roar! I feel like I want to write to all of my representatives now.

And it was so easy. Used to be to find their snail mail addresses (if one wasn’t in the habit), one had to go to the library, or catch it in the newspaper. Then one had to get paper and envelopes. Then stamps and the post office…so much trouble!

Not so now. Google their name and all sorts of ways and means of communication pop up.

I composed a letter in Word, and copy/pasted (when all was said, done, and well edited), into the email form on her website. Easy peasy!

I am ready to whack out crackhead opinions all day long and hit the send key.

Wait. I do that anyway. I call it blogging.

W is for…

White Wool. Or to be entirely accurate, as I strive to be, suri alpaca and tussah silk.

But close enough.

White, at least.

I call it Alpaca Clouds! Because it is. I bought the 3 oz. of this roving at the alpaca extravaganza last spring ‘to try’. It fell into the queue of ‘to be spun’ as the fibery stash is depleted (not really!) and the shelves of the shoppe fill up.

I started on it one night just to have something started before I went to bed.
Wowza! (another W!) I could tell from the start this was going to be different. And nice. Even special maybe.

2 ply, and 10-12 wpi, 148 yards of luscious ‘I am keeping this for myself!’

In fact, I bought a pattern just for it. It’s going to be Yarn Harlot’s Pretty Thing. (And I hardly ever buy a pattern.)

Is it the silk? Is it the suri? Is it the combination?

Well (there’s another W!), I have both in my stash, silk, that is, and suri...and I am going to do some experimenting, because I can do that! I am a scientistista, after all.

Stand back! Safety glasses and labcoats, one and all!

I must have more of this Wondrous (looky there!) stuff.

Check in with Dearest Sister at Just-a-mere tomorrow to see what she is up to.  (No good, I wager!)

Material Girl

A few weeks past, I received a head’s up regarding a garage sale that would involve much quilting fabric, weaving supplies, and some knitting things. A crafty type wife had passed, and her husband was moving her things on.

One of my thoughts, that I shared with DSis, was ‘I wonder what Wonderful Guy will do with my stuff?’

DSis replied with the thought that he better put her in charge of it. Or someone she could at least easily influence.

Anyhoo. Off I went on an early lunch, as the hours of the sale were…not friendly to those of us who work! I was really hoping it was worth the time and effort. Some people are really really proud of their stuff, but sometimes treasures are found with just a little bit of trouble.

I left the yarnage. Ho hum.

And there was an out of print quilted ornament book that I spent several months searching for a couple years ago for Not. Very. Much. But alas. I had found my copy. I might have thought the fabric to be priced better, but it wasn’t really bad. In fact, not so bad that I didn’t think I needed some.

But what I think I really scored on were some patterns for 20 cents each!

Yes, that is a bonnet pattern.  No, I am not sure what I was thinking...

Now I have quite a selection of vintage apron designs, just begging for some stitching. And since I am not sure there is quite enough of any of this fabric, while up in Estes Park, I purchased some vintage reproduction print with sewing up some vintage apronage in mind.

I use to get the itch to sew, and once started, would do nothing but sew, like crazy, for weeks. Back in the day.

Getting itchy!

Of course, my efforts are meager compared to DSis.  We are still pingponging our blogging efforts.  She's here.  And our Etsy Shoppe (Atomic Sisters) is here.

Meet Betsy and Sharon

**Disclaimer- Grandchildren of my mother!  Read this post at your own peril!!**

***Don't say I didn't warn you!!***

Our mother was quite a woman.

She had many skills and talents, from frying 'a crispy on the outside, tender on the inside' chicken that I cannot duplicate, and have given up trying, to recreating a garment after viewing it fairly casually on the wearer, using brown paper grocery bags as pattern pieces.

Mom was an amateur photographer, a budding pilot in the early 40’s, and was a highly successful hobbyist gardener, teaming up with DSis and selling iris rhizomes at the local farmer’s market.

She was also highly independent, and at the assisted living facility where she spent the last few years of her life, and where the women outnumbered the men about 6 to 1, this independence seemed to catch the eye of the menfolk far more readily than those women that set their caps for male attention

It would appear this tendency exists in some no matter their age!

So. One trip back to see the fam, DSis and I stopped by to visit Mom, right before her dinnertime. And it seemed that perhaps she had just awakened from a late afternoon nap. She was coming out of her bathroom, the lights were dim, and she seemed a bit…scattered.

Oh, she was glad to see us. She always was. Her kids were her pride and joy. One of her best things (before assisted living) was when we would go to church with her and Mom got to stand up and introduce ‘her visitors’.

But, thinking we had caught her less than awake, and maybe a bit confused, we thought to leave and said we would come and visit another time, when our mother stopped us and said, ‘well, let me make some introductions..’

And then we saw that we are not alone in the room. Mom had a gentleman caller.

Who had been laying on her bed.

Her unmade bed…fully clothed (thank the good lawd for tender mercies!)…but still! On the unmade bed.

Mom says “Robbie, I would like you to meet my girls, Becky and Jan.”

Now. Robbie was the name of a fellow that our mother kept company with when DSis and I were back in high school. And lest I state the obvious, we have not been in high school for a very long time, and Robbie? No longer with us.

But ‘Robbie’ rises up, extends his hand, shakes our very stunned hands, and says,

“Nice to meet you, Betsy and Sharon!”

I looked over at DSis, who had her very best ‘I can handle whatever you tell me-HR manager face’ (Myself -I am trying to not laugh...or...choke...or pass out.) She makes some small talk with our mother about ‘being obviously busy, just wanted to show off a new haircut, be back tomorrow, blah blah blah…’

And we got the hell out of dodge just as fast as we could.

Walking down the hall to the door of the building, we looked at each other. And I said.

“Well, Sharon?”  And she said...

“Well, Betsy?”

“Well, I don’t think that was Robbie…”

Meet Sharon (Dearest Sister) over here.  And see Betsy and Sharon's (our!) foray into eCommerce at Atomic Sisters.

Winnings and Gifts and Prizes, oh my!

Will they invite me back next month? I played Bunko (Bunco?) again this past week, stepping in for our just recently moved next door neighbor who has moved to an assisted living facility. Which is sad for the Guy and me. We love our neighborhood, and mostly because of our neighbors. A rare thing in today’s world, I think, to actually know one’s neighbors.

But I digress. Not only did I play, but I won the really big money this time! Most buncos (bunkos?) (with a roll off even!) and the ‘Traveler’ (don’t ask, I can’t explain, except to say...extra dollars!) So I have won the Pretty Big, the Big, and the Really Big money now four months in a row (I think). Will they invite me back? More importantly, if they do, can I continue this streak?

Perhaps some perspective is in order. There is a $4 buy-in, and the ‘really big’ money that I won last night? $19. Plus the fun. And the laughs. And the food.

Some time back, I won a contest over at Noodleroux. Recently I received my booty from ChaCha, in the form of a gift certificate from Tumblefish Studio on Etsy. She thought something to hang on my freshly painted walls and in my newly redone rooms might be a nice thing. Well, haven’t I been having a ball shopping over there? Why, yes, I have! And I think I might just have narrowed it done to my choice. I will show it off once I have it all squared away.

Then, more recently, I had the chance to meet with some friends from my college days. Since our meeting, one has been kind enough to send me some of her artwork. This sort of gift is so meaningful to me on many levels. I think it is very generous, first, and second, having no talent in this regard, I am awestruck by those that can put what they see into this sort of medium. I am working to get these two pieces framed and find a special place to put them in my home.

So as I write this, what is it I see? Some very special and fun things, certainly. But what stands out vividly and starkly are the relationships.

Between good neighbors.

Between new friends found through blogging and communicating through the internet.

Between old friends renewed.

Now that blows me away.

My BFF evah! (Dearest Sister) and I are still tag blogging, and selling our goodes at our Etsy shoppe, Atomic Sisters (powerful, explosive, also mid-century!).  Check out both!  They're swell!

Ghenghis Khan, Museum Souvenirs, and Crafts

So we went to the museum and mainly I wanted to see the Ghenghis Khan exhibit. It was very informative and well done and I enjoyed it very much. Every where else in the museum was so crowded by the munchkin types that over ran the place that day. (Do I sound like a crotchety old lady? Why, I believe I do!)

One of the displays talked about the ger, or yurt, those roving marauders (and present day herders) used as their living abodes. A ger is essentially a felted tent. The museum volunteers proceeded to explain how the wool was felted (using ‘mother felt’ from falling apart clothing) with the lanolin retained in the wool to preserve the water proofing. Made sense to me, even though I hadn't heard of 'mother felt' before.

Some of their hygiene habits…ick! They really did wear their clothes til they fell apart and off.

Other interesting textilian pieces of the exhibit included two silk garments and a leather coat found on the mummified remains of what is imagined to be a wealthy woman from the 11-12th century. On the silk dresses? I could still see the woven patterns. And I could still see they were beautiful. Isn’t that something?

So. We see what we want to see and go where we want to go and eat a bit and see the movie and before we get ready to leave, Wonderful Guy suggests we stop in the museum gift shop. We used to buy souvenirs regularly, but not so much now. Why, heck! They hardly ever sell yarn in those places!

But this time, in honor of the Mongolian artifacts, and the time honored tradition of living in gers, the gift shop offered a selection of how-to-felt kits, and some books on felting, which..caught my eye.

Yes. It’s true. In the tradition of Ghengis Khan, scourge of Asia, fearsome ruler of the largest empire of history to that date, legendary law maker and innovative leader, I could have memorialized my viewing of the Mongolian artifacts with a book showing me how to felt little wool eggs, and catnip balls.

Awesome.

DSis has suggested I could do something with this year harvest of catnip for Atomic Sisters.  Hmmm...Khan's Catnip Kitty Teasers?

On the Needles

With all of our coming and going of the past long weekend, I found time for knitting on some projects that have sitting on the back burner, because of all the spinning going on in preparation for the opening of Atomic Sisters. (Be sure to check out the new Etsy store Dsis and I have opened.)

This little BSJ (Baby Surprise Jacket, by E. Zimmermann) is almost complete. I have run out of yarn, though, without enough for cuffs and collar. So I am percolating on how to finish. With a contrasty color? Will it look too odd? Is there enough of the main color left for edge accents to tie it in? Who knows? The big news is that I made it past my previous nemesis of the 20th ridge, and I think I have the hang of this pattern!

So there is this second BSJ which is half complete. I am attempting stripe-i-ness on this one. Will I have enough for collar and cuffs (which I think finishes out the garment)? Will the stripes look too kewl? Or will they make the sweater look like a varsity jacket for some pre-school? Where will I find the best buttons ever without breaking the button bank? These are hard questions!

I am also rummaging through the stash for appropriate materials for a third. Grandbebe Girl’s lovely BSJ found it’s way into the dryer. Gasp! Grandmama made it out of wonderful but terribly persnickety stuff. And now Grandbebe Two has a lovely felted BSJ, and Grandbebe Girl needs another. Which, of course, I will be glad to provide.

All the while, spinning this great black alpaca. I have 9 oz of roving, all spun into singles, and one spool plied into 3-ply. And I think this will be lovely. And I don’t know if this will go to the shop. Oh, sure it will.  But it won't be too bad if it doesn't sell.

This weekend is an alpaca event at The Ranch, between Loveland and Fort C. Planning on heading over for a look-see. Hoping to pick up the roving I ‘ordered’ at the ‘Alpacas on the Rocks’ event first of September. And maybe I will find something else wonderful, as well.

Also I am making pumpkin pies for a neighborhood get-together tomorrow night.  I make some delish pumpkin pies from an old family recipe.  I have made these from home-canned pumpkin, but I am not so much the over achiever anymore.


Well, in that arena, at least.

In other news, Dearest Sister and I are continuing our tag team blogging efforts, so remember to check out Just-A-Mere to see what she's up to.  I do!

V is for Violets

As in African Violets.

The only thing of color I have growing right now. And I do so appreciate them.

My violets have come from many sources, all given to me by friends and acquaintances, except for a couple of minis that I bought at the Philly Flower Show with Eldest Daughter.

The first one of those has croaked. In fact, every violet I have purchased for myself has not lasted.

But for many years, these hardy girls survived. And that is all. I had them in a vast array of pots, and left them there, unfed and unattended, almost ignored. Survived they have, in spite of me.

I just didn’t know anything about violets and supposed doing nothing was better than…well, I don’t know what nothing was better than. One of the gifters had mentioned that I wasn’t suppose to touch the leaves. He probably said ‘with my bare hands’, but what I heard was ‘leave them alone’. Mr. Jack White was very knowledgeable about most things with chlorophyll, and so his advice stuck with me. It also limited me as to what I could do. So. Nothing. Poor violets. It’s Mr. Whites’s fault.

Some were born in Kentucky, and moved to the Front Range of Colorado after a sojourn in Missouri. A few found their way to my home while in Missouri. Some of them maybe 20 years old.  Maybe older!

One came from a Colorado friend, who, after visiting my home, told me my violets looked so good! She had one that was just hanging on. Could she bring it to live at my house?

That was pretty funny to me. My violets? Looking good? Well, now they sort of do.

See. Here I have Windows! And few, well...reall...no trees for shade, but Windows! And I decided that these poor girls needed something more than nothing. Even if it meant touching them. I eventually figured that made no sense, and smacked of an old wives tale. Kentucky was rampant with those! So I repotted a few, and I occasionally feed them.

Not regularly. But on occasion.

But it’s the Windows! mostly, of which I am convinced. I have blooms on one or the other or all almost year round. Bright little faces, with little yellow eyes.

Special gifts from hardy girls who have hung in there with me, making some pretty good trips, dealing with some pretty dry soil, and some long time between drinks.

I wonder..

...why I am so worn through?  I just had five days off work, for pete's sake.  And got an extra hours sleep to boot!

Let's see, what exactly did I do?

We have been shopping for office chairs. And while we were doing that, we looked at other furniture.  We bought office chairs, but nothing else.  Yet.  It is exhausting trying out chairs.

Sit down. Get up. Sit down, get up.  Sit down get up. Sitdowngetupsitdowngetup....

There was Halloweening to do, and the decorations are down and put away for another year.  Still eating candy, though.

We 'headed to the hills' (drove to the mountains) yesterday for a peaceful, off season day up in Estes Park and Rocky Mountain.  I stopped in at the local yarn shop and the quilt store.  Bought a bit of fabric.  Bought no yarn.

The sun has come out. The temps were over 60F Saturday and most all the snow is left.  Whackadoo, I know!  Snow day on Thursday.  Shirt sleeves on Saturday.

Then there has been the grand opening of Atomic Sisters.  'The Sister Who Has Blazed The Commerce Trail' (otherwise known as Dearest) continues to 'suggest' things I may have overlooked.  I am glad for her ideas.  It helps me appear more sufficient than I truly am, and she has actually done some of it for me.  But it's haaa-aarrrd for meee....

I repotted half a dozen house plants while Wonderful Guy put together the new office chairs.  Hope they make it.  The newly repotted plants, that is.  I am pretty sure the chairs will be fine.

We went to Denver to the museum for the Ghenghis Khan exhibit and an IMAX movie today.  It was 'free day' at the museum.  That was...interesting.  The Mongolian artifacts were very cool, and the IMAX movie was OK.  I always enjoy the mineral and gems and the diaramas. But ohMY!  So did all. the. small fry! In very noisy fashion.  Well, what can I say.  They all had a great day at the museum, and that is very cool!  It is not a stuffy, quiet place, that is for sure.  The Guy and I were talking about it.  Every time we have gone there, it has been a full place.

So there it all is. Time off, but all full.  Lots of stuff done, and but nothing terribly inspirational, nothing photographed, and not much beyond a post saying I posted.

But I posted!

Winner!

And other Big! Announcements!

First, by drawing, out of a little Fire King bowl, the winner of the 'from Bindi and Me, to You' baby alpaca handsspun lacewgt yarn is (drum roll, please...)

Stacy!  Yea! for Stacy!  Stacy, email me (over there in yon sidebar info) and we get shipping it to you squared away, toot sweet.

And check over at Just-a-mere to see who won the fab feedsack fat 8th's Dearest Sister is giving away.

Announcement #2! Dearest Sister and I are embarking on a new shared adventure.  Just like Lewis and Clark, we are. (OK, not really.) We have had many shared adventures in the past, and now we are adding commerce to our list.  AtomicSisters Etsy is opening today.  To begin with, I will list handspun yarn and she will list feedsack fabric, aprons, and children's hankies. Eventually, perhaps later there will be other 'venturing' out, but this is where we start.  For those not familiar with Etsy, search for AtomicSisters (no space), under sellers.  Look and see!

Announcement #3 Dearest Sister and I are continuing our most recent shared adventure. We are keeping on with 'tag team' blogging through November. At least.  With maybe the occasional help of the 'cereal' blogger, if she can be coerced. (I happen to know her cereal of choice used to be shredded wheat...)

Our Halloween went famously!  Lots (but not too many) trick or treaters.  Some candy left over.  And I got to take the Grandbebes out.  Grandbebe Girl did a bang up job of it, too.

Grandbebe Two collected candy (not really) as a Red Hot Chili Pepper!

Grandbebe Girl was a Fluffy Pink Poodle.

Complete with curly poodle tail.  She collected lots of candy.  And said 'trick or treat' and 'thank you' for every piece!
And here we are...in November.