It's the little things...

that make it all worthwhile isn't it? For example, my laptop. Since I am lucky enough to live in Canada it has a French compatible keyboard. Cool you think? NO. Since every once in a while I would mysteriously activate it and not be able to use my question mark. Some crazy E with a line over it would appear and I would have to re-boot to fix it. FINALLY I got tired of this and googled it. HURRAY! The internets know everything! I removed that language capability from my keyboard settings and VOILA! (hahaha that's Franch you know) done! No more random stupid characters I don't know how to use.

I have been doing some (in one of my Dad's favourite words) pondering about the state of some things lately and have a few things I need (yes need) to proclaim my love for.






Turner Classic Movies. Oh thank you movie gods for this channel. After the shit show that is AMC tricking me* while watching Aliens/The Shining/all of the horror movies they are showing right now (and a hearty FUCK YOU to them for ruining art. I mean really? Put a speedo on The David next whydontcha assholes?) it is a joy to watch ANYTHING on TCM. This month has been especially fantastic. As my good buddy Bob Mitchum up there will attest to.
-Arsenic and Old Lace
-Terror in the Wax Museum (1933.. oh Fay Wray!)
-too many Boris Karloff movies to count!
Thank you thank you thank you!

My new bed that is coming today. Oh jeebus don't let this be a premature thanking! You all know how wack my back is. It suddenly came to my attention that perhaps.. just perhaps our aging IKEA (8+ years) may be playing into this. I have thought the bed uncomfortable for some time now, but reckoned it was just me. Welp, Chris started to complain about it** and the heavens parted and unicorns farted rainbows and the light was seen. We went out last weekend and bought a new bed. It's coming today! I AM SO EXCITED I COULD PEE. but not in the bed. I have no picture to show you, but it's called Kingsdown. And the model is Beethoven. Ah. So knocking all wood, the sleeping will not result in the hurting (which it has for oh.. say the last 8 months) back anymore.



My little dogs. Even when they do bastardly things like escape, get into the neighbours yard and cry to get back home, resulting in a nightgowned/sweatpants jaunt before 8am to retrieve said dog. Or when they insist the best place to sleep in on my knitting in progress. Oh my dogs!


Chicken. Cause I love me some chicken.





Bath and Body Works Shea Cashmere hand cream. Seriously the best stuff I have ever used. I can knit or spin moments after putting this on. It's amazing. Moisture with absolutely no greasiness and it smells DIVINE.


Finishing things. For example this hand spun, hand dyed (by ME!) pygora scarfy thing. Mm hm.





Family and friends that eat my cooking without complaining! And the rare picture of Jake!!





In this picture I am wearing the sweater I have worn a billion times but have no real pictures of. This was Thanksgiving when we were lucky enough to have a little houseful of fabulous people over. Kevin (the tall one! who came with his lovely lady Trish. No pictures.. jeeze) and Lane (with Karen and Zoe.. why do we have no pictures of the cutest little girl in the world dammit Chris!) with me in the Kitchen. Great job photo documenting Chris. Really great.




Also I love coffee, salted caramel, my new tattoos, and I hope this goes without saying.. you!


*In my halfhearted defense, sometimes when I check the listings I get so excited to see something I like on, I just GO TO THE DAMN SHOW. Only to be HORRIFIED when the best bits get cut. Or ahem.. SANITISED.

**After her started snoring and he decided to sleep on his side rather than back. You know I bought a box of those breathe right strips, and apparently you only need to buy them not use them, cause he has pretty much stopped after I got those suckers in the house. Who knew?

poor impulse control

Unplanned but thrilled.

smoke 'em if you got 'em

Movies I have watched and loved lately:

-Zombieland. In fact I think I may go see this AGAIN in the theater. IT WAS THAT GOOD.

-Land of the Lost. This was a whim. A total, I think this will probably suck monkey balls, but what the hell its free. WELL SMACK MY ASS AND CALL ME CHARLIE. It's really really funny. Like surprisingly, lolling funny. So that goes to show you can't judge a movie by its shitty source material.

-Infestation. I think this was a direct to DVD kinda deal about giant bugs that take over the world. You never do find out why. But you won't care because this was really a decent little flick! Great acting, nifty (if not slightly lowish budget in some shots) effects and a good time was had by all.

-Pandorum. I thought this would be an Aliens/Doom/Event Horizon rip off. And it was. But in the best way possible. Totally slick looking and more fun than a barrel of insane space monkeys that want to kill you and eat your face.

-Inglorious Basterds. Typical Tarantino (with less violence) and so of course being the screamy fangirl I am... I LOVED it. Great pacing, GREAT acting, beautiful. Well done Q.

The media frenzy we held this weekend was a lovely success! We got rid of maybe half of our CD's and 2/3 of our DVD's. I think people really liked picking over the stuff.. and seriously, A LOT of safeway bags were used. We still have lots left though...

And now the pictures I have been saying are here are well.. here.

















See? My vision came together. Chris was not all about the red rug at first (Him: It looks like a pool of blood. Me; Yeah? And? Him: Oh Karen! Me: The kitchen is the most appropriate place for that innit?) but came around when he saw the prints I ordered. AND OMG WEREWOLF. How I love that image. And I love being right.




I have finished another shawl with the most excellent yarn EVER. Diamond Luxury Yarn cashmere silk.



r

a



Never you mind the yucky looking rug, its a weird old Ikea jobby that has this amazing super power of holding yarn so blocking pins aren't needed. Just LOOK AT THAT SHAWL! It's the same one I knit for my Moms, just for me this time. I love it so hard. I will try to take better pictures in a more flattering situation. Maybe an Xmas party or something.

We have Turkey day coming up this weekend and there will be blood food!

We got the beat

We had an unreasonably hot spell last week. For reals who thinks 34 c is good idea in September? NOT ME. Or the dogs. Poor bastards had a rotten time staying cool. Pickles idea is to stay off the ground as much as possible. Max? He sleeps.











But really? It made for some purty pictures didn't it? I love our big blue sky, who knew I was totally a prairie girl?


Of course this lead to me not being able to knit on my ginormous blanket* of sock yarn. No way could I have all the wool on my lap. Gross. So I knit a quick sweater (that I have no pictures of) and started a shawl out of cashmere and silk. Woot.




We have done the almost unthinkable and invited a great whack of people over this Sunday to view our new kitchen. Oh and give away all of our CD's and lots of movies. Since we've ripped most of our music to the compy, the actual physical discs have been quietly gathering dust and taking up space. Movies too. SO MANY MOVIES!** So we thought why not give them to our nearest and dearest. So that means I really do gotta finish up the small bits of decor that have been plaguing me.

In other news...

Jake had his wisdom teeth out with no ill effects so far. It was kinda entertaining to see him all sleepy and compliant. But he is a trooper (tough as nails) and there has been a minimum of complaining. For a teenager. Nice how I had to add that in innit?


*Blanket is larger than it appears.
**Many which I have bought at least three times. VHS, DVD and now Blu Ray. NO MORE I TELL YOU. NO MORE.

poor poor pitiful me..

Hey Guise! We're BACK!

Well not really. Poor bloggy. All alone and somewhat friendless. Chris keeps nagging reminding me about you dear blog. So finally, here I am. hat in hand ready to say I'm sorry I've ignored you for so long.

A quick recap then shall we?

End of July. Nothing much to see here. Please drive through.

August. More of the same. Mostly. We DID plan our kitchen reno! The best place to find out about that is over at Chris' blog. He was much more on the ball than I was about recording the whole thing. I however am in possession of most of the pictures! Which I haven't uploaded off the camera.

UNTIL NOW!!!! (duh duh duuuuuuuuuuh!

In fact to prove how meta I am, I took some more pictures of my NEW DESK as I was writing this post. With the post up on the screen! How internets awesome am I? I have never had my own desk before. I KNOW RIGHT? So since the kitchen is you know, kitchen like now, a work space was a good idea! This is what my morning looks like most days to start.



The mug is one I drew when I was in Grade 1. Seriously a relic of my childhood. Magazine for a little light reading (and OMG ZOMBIELAND SOON!*), yarn, coffee and my little terrarium. I am a bit green thumbed challenged you see.







Top view of the rad.

Now I have all the kitchen photos! I think I'll get Chris to do a photo essay of them. I have some teaser shots for you, but we are waiting on a couple of prints for the naked walls (that look so good painted!)** and we are still discussing rugs. Like we bought one, but it was compromise rug. I dunno.. it's not my vision.



Please to be noticing THE DISHWASHER! It is actually on and hissing bits of lovely steam as I took this picture. You know this has been the longest period of my life that I didn't have a dishwasher. I will run that bastard everyday. It brings me joy. Such sweet joy.





TILE!!


So in other non house related news...

Jakey boy has to get his wisdom teeth pulled out this Friday (the bottom ones are totally HORIZONTAL!) at the oral surgeon. I kiboshed the idea of our dentist doing it, and was commended by the surgeon for that decision. So 3k later.. actually our insurance pays for all but about 100 dollars. THANK VOODOO MAN! Go Jake! He pretends he isn't nervous, but I think different. :)

My Moms is having some health issues right now too. I have been trying to knit for her as I am not there, but it's not the same.

Sweater for Moms. Bamboo and silk. Nice!


Shawl of merino. So much fun to knit I think I'm gonna do another one for me.


And I have been doing some knitting for me too..




Hand dyed and hand spun organic merino garter stitch shawl. I love it. Super snuggly.

I have just finished another sweater as of last night but it's blocking out right now. It took less than a week to knit!!!! And I also have a 10 stitch blanket on the go. In fact I'm hosting a KAL for it on Ravelry on the Calgary Knit Club group. Why haven't you joined yet?













*Which reminds me, we went and saw The Final Destination in 3D! The 3D elevated a normally ho hum. somewhat predictable rube goldberg killing movie into AWESOMENESS. Seriously, I was swatting away things and ducking. Oh 3D. I love you.

**If my back wasn't full of fail, I have no doubt I could paint walls for a living. Oh and fuck diamonds, a palm sander is a girls best friend in the painting world.

Pick and choose

So you know when you have soooo much to say you get all confuzzled like an old terrier barking at pieces of crap blowing past the back fence* then you forget what you were doing in the first place and all the stuff you wanted to say just goes clean out of your head and you are left wondering why you are staring at the back yard and go and sit down and finish spinning that awesome alpaca silk you were working on?

Yeah that.

So I got a new awesome camera! Its this one!!


Pink and everything! HD BITCHES! SAWHEET! 10 mp pictures! Pistol grip! Now when I figure out how to get the pics off of it I reckon I'm golden..

My iPod keeps playing Guns & Roses. Is it trying to tell me something? See me hit you.. you fall down HUH!

So this summer has been less that great weather wise here. We had something like our entire months worth of rain in the first week. :/ Lame.

I did go join our local knitting guild though! How not like me huh? But I missed all my knitting gals.. and everyone was happy. My social-ness feels really good! I have missed Alana, Michelle, Trish, Marilynn and everyone else. It was full of win to be welcomed back into the knitting scene again. <3!

We went to IKEA yesterday and I think we started the ball rolling on our long awaited kitchen reno. Its almost like I don't want to say too much about it lest I jinx it somehow. Be prepared though... its a comin'.






*MAX. I am looking at you. Bad Dog.

Almost summer....

Summer strawberries in a robins egg blue bowl. Is there anything prettier? My lust for vintage inspired linens is reaching a weird fever pitch and thankfully Chris doesn't mind twee rosebuds and pink. Whatta good man huh?




We had to get the fans out! Normally I would grouse somewhat about this, but after the shitty winter... BRING IT ON.

I have truly been on a lace knitting TEAR. I can't seem to get enough. Crazy is as crazy does. My back has been a nightmare, and doing intricate (yet semi-mindless) work seems to distract me. Well that and big pharma. Oh big pharma.. how I lurve you.







Plus I have been dyeing a little. Inside. Ha ha! But seriously. This is organic merino I got from Shuttleworks. Scrummy, soft, dreamy to spin. And now? Beautifully colourful.


Things I love right now:

xenergy energy drinks especially big apple!
organic strawberries.
chicken on salad.
cotton nighties.
new slippers.
my flat iron.

More to come..

Dyeing for spring

Pickles and Max* would like to welcome spring. And line drying dyeing. At least if Pickles wasn't scared of it and wigged out when he first saw it. He is fine now. But still that first line dry... terrifying.

Sometimes I forgot there are people who aren't on Ravelry. Sorry. I have been knitting! See? Pretty huh? Drops alpaca scarf. Yummay.




And some not so great photos of eyes wide shut us but its the only one I have of my smokin' boots, so tough. The sweater I knit out of black Malabrigo, its like butter. But better. We were on our way out to a fancy dinner for our 10th anniversary. Swanky huh?




Still goofballs after 10 years. And could I maybe have covered up that bra strap? Oh my!

Right now I have a cobbler in the oven and am waiting for Chris to finish his remicade infusion. Then its the beginning if birthday weekend** extravaganza. And by that I mean I booked and appointment for Chris to go to a posh spa for a massage (I am having some back issues.. again so no thanks) and that's about it. EXCITING HUH? :) Happy birthday also to our Angie. It must have sucked sharing a b-day when you were kids. But now? Who cares eh?

I have some optim to spin, and am happy to sit very still and do so. Careful now. Easy does it.

Happy weekend all..



*See his teeny tiny head on the very right hand side of the picture? Poor Maxy had to get a loose tooth pulled the other day. I am happy to report he came through like a trouper and is much happier for it. Also my vet rocks. He didn't even charge me for a vet visit. I LOVE YOU DR TORRENCE.
**Chris is 37 on Saturday. I am 41 (gulp) on Sunday. It helps to never forget being that close.

Raindrops on roses

You know, one of my favourite things? But don't push it rain, you are welcome for only so long.

More of my favourite things?

Mmm scratchy Japanese washcloths that make you silky smooth! Jake LOVES it! He is such a funny monkey. He actually used mine before I did. Good thing I bought one for everyone. From this seller on Ebay. She was awesome! Superfast and very communicative!




Greek yogurt! I haven't been able to readily find the real thing, so have been making my own. I use fat free (that's just how I roll) Astro (no gelatin) Balkan style, or Annie's (if I get up to the natural market) plain yogurt. Put it in a paper towel lined strainer, sit it in a bowl and let it sit overnight in the fridge. It drains out all the whey, it usually reduces by 1/3! OMG! Then you have the thickest most delicious yogurt KNOWN TO MAN. I just pop it back into its original container. I have been having mine with some:

Mmmm.. agave goodness! Like honey mated with maple syrup! Tasty!

I also add some Vanilla Bean Paste:

Which is heaven in a jar. I got it from Williams Sonoma in Chinook Centre. Pricey but sosososososo worth it. It is also spectacular with homemade jam.

I am also on a coconut oil bender. I have been making these to die for scones with it.



Its good for you. Honest!

Scones of deliciousness

2 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cinnamon*
1 tsp nutmeg*
1.5 tsp citrus zest of some kind. I have used lemon, clememtine and orange. ALL GOOD

Whisk these together in a bowl.

Add 1/4 cup coconut oil. Mash it with a fork until it looks like sand. Coconut oil is solid at room temp. Or you could use butter.. but why? WHY? Smell how good that is? Oh yeah.

Now you'll need:

2 beaten eggs
1/4-1/3 cup milk. Less if you are going to put some kind of fruit in it. I have used frozen raspberries.
1 tbsp vanilla. See that stuff up there? Use that!

Add wet to dry and mix. Stir in:

1/2 cup fruit. Dried chopped apricots, cranberries, raisins**, frozen raspberries.. I dunno, experiment. I am!
1/2 cup nuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips. Use good ones for goodness sake. Mini dark ones are especially good.

Or any combo of the three. Ok?

Mix until its a soft sticky dough. Shape into 2 rounds and cut them into 6 or 8 pie shaped wedges. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 13-15 minutes (longer if you use fresh/frozen fruit) or until golden brown at 400 degrees.

You can glaze these if you are so inclined. I use a couple of tbsp of whatever citrus zest I used juice (fresh squeeze please!) and about a cup of icing sugar. Mix and drizzle while scones are still hot. I suggest being judicious when using fresh/frozen fruit as they can get a little wet-ish if you go nutso.

Serve and impress your friends. I did.

Answer man time:

Shower curtain? Got it at Home Outfitters. I think it was 40$. They have matching accessories!
Toilet? Painted behind it it when it wasn't there. My Momma didn't raise me to be a fool.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go wipe off wet dogs. Damn rain.

Oh and happy 10 years to my fabulous husband. May is a month full of stuff to celebrate, but really? 10 YEARS!?! We rock my love. We really do.











*or add your own spices. I love these two. they make me happy
**Chris hates raisins. he says its a perfectly good way to wreck almost anything. :)