Well, now, I've noticed that it's been over a month since i last posted here (i blame it all on Ravelry!!)... But there are quite a few different things to catch up on... hmm... where to begin...
KNITTING & READING:
The first term of the Hogwarts' Little Bit of Everything Swap ended in March. I was in need of a reading fix, so i promptly chowed down on the first seven Sookie Stackhouse novels (Charlaine Harris, author). I read through those seven books almost as fast as i read through the four in the Twilight series (10 days). Additionally, I joined some other swaps until the second term of the HLBoES begins. So I joined the Booklovers' Yarn Swap & a few of the Odd Ducks swaps (Dr. Seuss, Childrens' books, & Edward Gorey) in their respective groups on Ravelry. The BLYS & the Dr. Seuss swap both ended yesterday, but Linda (my BLYS partner) and I both sent our packages a few days early. So...
Yesterday was awesome. Confusing to some extent, but awesome. It was the last day of a shortened week (no school today because of the Apple Blossom Festival) AND when I got home from work, i had a package waiting for me. I was expecting the package from Linda (i'd been stalking it online & it had come through Baltimore the day before -- so it was a shoo-in), but the package wasn't from Linda!
::insert Mystery music here::
It was from my friend Cheryl (my spoiler for the first term of the HLBoE Swap) and it was an awesome belated birthday present -- the pop-up version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland! I have wanted it for soooooooooooo long, but couldn't bring myself to shell out the $$ for it... Cheryl said she bought it at a sale, the proceeds of which are going to help her friend that had a brain aneurysm. Prayers for Cheryl's friend!!
So after i got over my initial delight at the gift from Cheryl (which took a while, let me tell you) i started to wonder what happened to my other package... the one that i was supposed to get! ::hrrumph:: I searched by all of our doors, in case we had a different mail carrier for the day... no luck. I grabbed my delivery confirmation number & ran upstairs to the office to do some more online reconnaissance. To my surprise, I found out that the post office had delivered it at about 9:30 that morning... which didn't make sense, because our mail doesn't arrive until at least 10:30 or 11. As I'm pondering this, i hear my phone ring downstairs (not the "someone is calling you" ring, but the "you have a voicemail" ring... dunno how i missed the call)... And all of a sudden, everything goes ::click::
My MIL works at the post office. Sometimes, when I get a package, she will "pick it up" as my proxy & drop it off at our house on the way home from work. So the call must have been from her, i figure, telling me that she is bringing the package to me. So I jog downstairs, grab my phone & listen to my message. It's from the Blood Bank, requesting a donation.
GAH!! WHERE IS MY PACKAGE?!
Finally, I give up & go check on my garden (more about that later). As I'm pouting and poking at the dirt & little green sprouts, my dog (more about him later) begins to bark. I look around... it's The Great White (my MIL's truck -- which is huge and white, if you couldn't figure that out) and my MIL has brought my huge package from Linda. Huzzah! The♥Hubster arrived also at that time, which delayed the package opening frenzy (which was good because I needed to recoup some of the energy lost tearing into my first package). However, a few minutes later, this is what I discovered:
- Four (count 'em!) Patterns -- in sleeves!! how thoughtful!! -- 3 for slippers & one for a basket blanket
- Three skeins of yarn (Malabrigo kettle dyed wool in Gorgeous shades of burgundy, brown, & green; Ultra Alpaca in a beautiful teal, which I alternately smelled and squished for a good long time; purple linen, which is exciting because i've been wanting to try knitting with linen for some time now)
- Two Turtledoves & a Partridge in a Pear Tree (just kidding)... but really...
- Zelda Fitzgerald: Her voice in Paradise (the book for the booklover)
- A Leaf Bookmark/Necklace (a pattern from my faves in Ravelry)
- an assortment of other goodies: stitch markers (which I needed badly), a little change purse (that's almost exactly like the one i wore through as a child and is perfect for my smaller knitting notions), and some bath confetti (cleverly disguised as a book; sunflower scent!!) which i will be trying out in short order ;D
Last, but most certainly not least, Linda included a very thoughtful card.
I have decided to adopt Linda as an "Aunt." (Cheryl, if i haven't told you already, you're an "older sister.")
okay, other stuff:
GARDENING:
Hadn't posted about it yet, but I planted my first vegetable garden a little more than a week ago. And it's starting to sprout! Lookee!!
So far you can see (from near to far) the two mounds with sunflowers, the row of radishes, the row of beets (you have to squint, or click on the picture to make it bigger), and the mounds with squash (left) and cucumbers (right). I also planted some marigolds around the border & they're starting to make an appearance, as well! I will probably find a 10 minute window when it's not raining today to go out & thin the radishes, sunflowers, and maybe the squash... I'm still waiting on the tomatoes, bell peppers, and carrots.
Sometime this weekend (again, if it's not raining), I'd like to turn up the ground for a flower bed in the section of our yard that we have been affectionately calling "The Poop Garden"... i have great plans for the flower bed, which i intend to model after one of my favorite FAVORITE books as a child.
Here is the "Before" picture (don't look to close or you'll actually see the dog doo):
The "Poop Garden" is just one of the smaller attractions at
Mastiff Country Safari
Oh no! The beast has escaped...
AHHHHHHHH...
::Chomp, Chomp, Gulp!::
Yeah! I get to be an older sister. I'm always the baby! Does that mean I get to boss you around like my oldest sister or does that mean your my best friend like my 2nd oldest sister? I like the second choice! (not that I don't love my oldest sister!)
Good luck on the garden and send the rain my way!
Love the yarn! LOVE the colors!
Love ya sis!
Posted by: Cheryl | 01 May 2009 at 03:28 PM