What is this mess?

We're moving to a new rental house this week, and this is just the beginning of all the packing we need to do. We got the keys last night, so I'm going to start moving stuff today (John has to work all day--so he's off the hook).

I'm so excited about the house I wish I could move EVERYTHING today. It has closets! Lots and lots of closets! It has a completely dry basement AND pipes that don't freeze in the winter. It also has a bigger kitchen, an upstairs bedroom-a.k.a John's Man Cave (which will be complete with guns, computers, and a tv) and another room we can use for guests (and maybe a little knitting, sewing, and photography gear). So excited!!

On a side note, I think this town sets me up for REALLY low expectations when it comes to houses. I swear, I dream that one day (one sweet day) I'll have central air-conditioning and a dishwasher. High aspirations, right? ;)

When I'm not packing, I've been working on...



...my Aran Accent Vest (made with Donegal Tweed Homespun yarn). It's the first knitted garment I've ever worked on. I'm really happy with it so far (but have to take a break because I'm confused about the decreases--I'm waiting for reinforcements ;) ).

I just realized earlier this week that I've been knitting for 4 1/2 years. 4 1/2! I couldn't believe it's been that long (guess I've always thought of myself as a newbie knitter). Guess it's time to start trying some harder patterns.

Dogsitting at Nancy's

Callie and Brady--just chilling.

On Friday, I went out to Nancy's house to dog-sit for the weekend and brought Callie with me. She had a great time running around with Brady, exploring the woods, and getting muddy in the creek.

While she was wearing herself out, I was knitting, knitting, knitting and watching LOTS of cable TV. I finished my first Jaywalker sock (but it's a little messed up-laddering-ugh!) and started on my Aran Accent Vest (which I really think is going to be too big-double ugh!I may have to frog it and try a different yarn). On the plus side, I did start reading from a chart for the very first time!

I also took some pictures...



This picture doesn't show the shallow cow-pond off to my left--the one that Callie decided she needed to swim in. What can I say? She LOVES smelly stuff. Unfortunately for her, she smelled so bad that she had to stay outside all afternoon, and then get soaped up twice with coconut-smelling shampoo (and that first wash smelled like coconuts AND cow poop--yuck!)

S-U-C-C-E-S-S

John's birthday cake!

(Two layer, from scratch yellow cake with homemade chocolate frosting)

Recipe here

My first two layer, first yellow cake, and first time doing all the tricks to make it pretty. I could just show the picture and let you assume that I was totally cool and confident during the whole baking process, but that wasn't entirely the case.

I made the cake the night before and was convinced they were burning and looked like "mutant cake" (put too much batter in each pan so they got really tall). Then it was time to make the frosting before the party, and I was a quarter cup short on sour cream. John thought it'd be fine without it (I was not convinced), so he made a quick trip to the grocery store (thanks John!).

=)

John is...

very excited about his new camera! =)

He wanted me to let him open it yesterday (no way!) but I caved in when he wanted to open his gifts this morning. He's already been taking pictures all morning and has to recharge the battery so it will be ready for the party tonight.

More garden pics

John's Brandywine tomatoes are finally making an appearance. He has four so far and more on the way.



More chili peppers ready to go!



A cute green cherry tomato.

The tomatoes have all gotten really tall--way over the tops of their cages. I've pretty much let them all get tangled up together so they can support each other (not sure how we'll move them when it's time to mow the yard, though)

The strawberries aren't really doing anything (should they be producing strawberries by now? I'm not sure).

And, unfortunately, we lost the acorn squash to powdery mildew (gave up on them a couple weeks ago).

In non-gardening news, we have a busy weekend planned. John's Mom, Grandma and Aunt Kay are coming to eat at Lui-Lui's today (he's working, but I get to go). Then it's time to clean, clean, clean the house before people come over for John's birthday (tomorrow!). I'm also going to make him this cake from Smitten Kitchen. Fingers crossed it turns out okay!

First veggies...

John with our first chili pepper and the second cherry tomato of the summer.



Yellow tomatoes, almost ready to go!



And the socks I started this morning. How cute are they?? They're the Jaywalker pattern in Knit Picks Felici.

Bibs are the answer

...to how I'm going to make gifts for all these kids that keep coming into the world. I like to make toddler socks, but I really can't keep up.

Easy Peasy Baby Bib Pattern: http://itchymcstitchy.blogspot.com/2009/01/easy-peasy-baby-bib-pattern.html

(Made with Bernat Cottontots in Lime Berry)

Cute, huh?

Garden update: We're afraid we may be losing our squash to powdery mildew--alternating between spray and miracle grow to see if we can get them to pull through. The tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries are all doing fine. John's Brandywine tomatoes are just now starting to flower/bud. We had one ripe strawberry, but I waited too long to pick it. Something else ate it before I could.

Haven't killed a plant yet...

The rain has slowed down a little, but all the veggies are still doing well. We even have blossoms on the acorn squash (I guess that happened yesterday).

Otherwise, we're dragging through this week. Allergies and tiredness...ugh.

Growing like...

It's rained almost every day for the past two weeks. The plants are loving it and growing like crazy. Right now, it looks like the chili peppers and the yellow cherry tomatoes are doing the best.

They're also all packed together now because...

1) They're in a spot where Callie can get to them on her line. She was walking in between the plants, getting tangled up, and knocking them over. I put two rows together to prevent that, and she started taking flying leaps over them. Now she can't walk between them or jump over them (I hope)

2) Something has been chewing on our tomato plants, so I'm trying to protect them (the particulatly delicious ones?) by putting them in the middle.

This year's garden

On Monday, we went to White's Mill and bought veggies for our garden. We got 12 tomato plants (Christmas Grape, Tasty Yellow Cherry, and Brandywine), 4 acorn squash, 4 banana peppers, 4 chili peppers, and what turned out to be about 22 strawberry plants.



(Yellow Tasty Cherry on the right and Christmas Grape in the back left)

I decided to spring for real tomato cages this year and a bunch of 5 gallon containers. I'm hoping the actual cages (rather than random sticks from the yard) and big enough containers will help them grow better than last year's.



(Strawberries!!)

I'm so excited to have 20+ strawberry plants. The other good news? We got tons of rain yesterday and today, and they're already growing like crazy. One of these days, we're going to have strawberry shortcake with homegrown strawberries!



(Banana Pepper)

The other exciting thing is that John and I picked out and planted all of these together. So it's not just my garden this time. It's OUR garden. (The chili peppers and Brandywine tomatoes were John's garden picks). He didn't have gloves so I did most of the plant-into-dirt bit, but he filled pot after pot with potting soil (a mix of the moisture control kind and regular potting soil). I'm really excited about taking care of the garden together (and that I can say, "hey, it's your turn to water this time" ;) )

We also decided to go ahead and put all the plants in the sunniest part of the yard. They do kind of cut into Callie's space, but so far she's only knocked one over (and hasn't chomped on one yet).

I also resisted the desire to buy a bunch of flowers. Last year, I went way overboard with flowers. Then I got sick of watering them all (sometime in July) and left them all to die. I'd like to get two hanging baskets for the porch, but (to avoid last year's massacre) I think that'll be about it.

Blog-a-licious

It's just like Smitten Kitchen and Pioneer Woman around here...



well, kind of..

Tonight, I got really inspired and made the Raspberry Buttermilk Cake from Smitten Kitchen (with strawberries). I think I was a little over-eager in turning it out of the pan because half of it stuck (evidence above). All the bits I've eaten have tasted REALLY good though, so I think it'll be okay.



...but it is kind of embarrassing to mess up a cake. Maybe I should eat the whole thing before John gets home so he won't ever know. ;)

(I also learned how to make buttermilk when you don't have it on hand--how did I go so long without knowing this?!? If you've been in the dark like me, just read down to the bottom of the recipe)

I also made Baked Lemon Pasta from The Pioneer Woman.



It's creamy, lemon-y, and awesome, and there's a LOT of it (guess what I'm taking for lunch tomorrow and the next day and the next?)

Two new recipes in one day. I think that may be a record!

Happy Happy Happy

We grilled kabobs tonight--one of my all-time, favorite foods (right up there with cake and eggplant parmesean). We also got to use our new skewers. Cute, huh? Another plus-they don't catch on fire (one of my problems with bamboo skewers).

Unfortunately, I stabbed my fingers about a zillion times (or more like 15 times) putting the kabobs together. I was also so distracted by my excitement about the kabobs and the pain in my fingers that I kept forgetting to add tomatoes.

Notes for next time:
Be more careful with skewers!!!
Decide on a kabob pattern from the start (to avoid forgotten tomatoes)
Add more pineapple (I had my doubts, but it was delicious)

Dear knitting girls,

Thank you SO much for the wonderful wedding presents that you made for me and John.



We were overwhelmed by the amount of work that you put into your gifts (and the sheer amount of knitting items that you guys had gotten into that box)! When we opened it, there was just more and more and more (our families were there, and they were also really impressed!)



Knowing that you guys took the time to make every one of those washcloths and scrubbies and mitts (and rug and bag), and having to sneak around at knitting group so I wouldn't see your WIPs, and all the covert/black-ops style yarn distribution, it makes me smile just to think of it. I really feel like you guys gave us a box full of love (disguised as useful and adorable knitted objects).



We've already started using some of the washcloths, the bag, and the rug (thankfully it was just washed or else I couldn't have put it back in there with everything else). I've tried to get pictures of a lot of the different items--so I hope you can see something that you made! I just can't get over everything you guys have done--and all the cute patterns!!



I'd also like to thank you for the wonderful wedding shower you had for me (or was it the October business meeting of the Athens County Knitters? ;) ) I had such a great time, and it was so cool that my family got to meet you guys!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the wonderful gifts, the wedding shower, for being there on Wednesday evenings, and for being my friends. I am so glad that you are a part of my life.

Much love,
Abbie

I'm a bad dog owner

I decided to take Callie for a walk on the bike path this afternoon. The cherry trees are in bloom, so I brought my camera along.



My poor dog...I got 120 pictures, and she didn't get much of a walk.

In case you missed Asian Restaurant News...

...you can also see a picture of mine in my credit union's monthly newsletter (scroll to page 3)

http://www.oucu.org/home/fiFiles/static/documents/newsletter_apr09.pdf

I'm super excited about it, AND it looks like I get a $25 gas card. Sweet!

Here's the same picture (the quality in the newsletter is a little iffy). I took it last April when the cherry trees were blooming near the bike path.

Writing my first speech...

a spot opened up in tomorrow's meeting, so I'm working on my introductory speech right now. I need to finish getting it written so I can practice it on Callie (as long as I have dog treats, I'm sure she'll love it ;) )

Wish me luck!

Something new

I'm all excited because I just joined our local Toastmasters club. I've been thinking and thinking and thinking about it. Then today, I finally went to one of their meetings.

And LOVED it!

Sitting there, I realized just how much I miss being in 4-H, and Toastmasters is like 4-H for adults minus the county fair, the livestock, and every project except public speaking and leadership.

I'm psyched about getting to do public speaking again and improving my skills, getting to know a whole new group of people, AND having a reason to leave the office every Tuesday at noon. My office has absolutely no windows and the hallway at work has no windows--it's good to have reason to go outside.

Last month, I also signed up to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. I think they're having a volunteer meeting this month and start building next month. I'm really excited about that, too.

I've just been in a rut recently...crazy bored. My Dad likes to say, "Only boring people get bored"--so I've been bored AND boring (and somewhat annoying to John, I'm sure).

I read somewhere that "to change everything, change one thing," which sounded do-able (even when you're boring-bored). So, I have....

Signed up to volunteer with Habitat and joined Toastmasters
Started doing "back care" exercises to take care of annoying, random back pain
Started eating more fruits and veggies (have even reached 5 servings a few times)

and I'm not feeling as bored, so I think things are starting to change (except me being somewhat annoying to John, I'm afraid he's stuck with that ;) )

It's also getting warmer and greener here--thank goodness for Spring!

(oh, and I just got a call from John--I'm off to buy 4 avocados and get free sushi in return -YAY!)

Love. Love. Love.

In honor of Valentine's Day, my favorite quotations about love...


"Love,in my opinion, is not a fantasy, not the stuff of romance novels or fairy tales. It's as gritty and real as the subway, it comes around just as regularly, and as long as you can stick it out on the platform, you won't miss it."
- Lois Smith Brady


"Don't worry about you lipstick or your height, because it's not going to matter. Just live your life well, take care of yourself, and don't mope too much. Love will find you."
- Lois Smith Brady


"Love imperfectly. Be a love idiot. Spill things. Tell secrets. Let yourself forget any love "ideal" or comparison. Be misshapen. Wake up laughing and cry frequently for no reason. Perfection in love is a narrow and suffocating path."
-SARK


"It is only possible to live happily ever after on a day-to-day basis."
- Margaret Bonanno


"We were together. I forget the rest."
- Walt Whitman

Snow Day!

We had the weirdest combination of snow yesterday, and then freezing rain, and then plain old rain and then snow again. When Callie woke me up at 6:40 morning, I checked online (hoping, hoping, hoping) to see whether they'd canceled classes at the university and THEY HAD! (I couldn't believe it). So I went back to bed until 11, got up and made scones, and hung out in my pajamas (I'm still in them right now)...

I let Callie run around in the snow (she loves it and didn't want to come in) while I took some pictures...so here's Miss Callie out in the snow.

16 Things About Me

Callie...uninterested in learning anything new about me...

1. I've been collecting my favorite quotations since 1998.
2. I LOVE to read magazines
3. and young adult and children's literature.
4. In college, I had to go to the ER twice--both because of bike wrecks.
5. I like to eat breakfast food first thing no matter when I get up
6. I have no sense of direction.
7. I wish they still played Square One on public television
8. I met my husband at boy scout camp (he was a staff member)
9. Mopping is my least favorite chore
10. I made the blanket in that picture.
11. I've had short hair since 1998, and I can't imagine ever growing it out.
12. I want to learn to speak spanish
13. I consider myself a "formerly shy" person but I can still be pretty darn shy in some situations (I'd rather speak in front of a large group than try to mingle afterward)
14. When I was little, I told my parents I wanted to be as tall as Danny Manning, a 6'11" KU basketball player. I'm glad that didn't actually happen.
15. I check my email all the time
16. I love getting rid of stuff, and I think donating good stuff to the thrift stores gives me good thrift-store karma

If you're reading this and have a blog, consider yourself tagged...if you're reading this and don't have a blog, you can always comment with your 16 things (or about how cute Callie is ;) )