Time Slips Away

Nothing real special going on.....just a bazillion things that need to be done and I actually feel like doing them today!  As soon as I get off the computer.  Ha!  Which was just about to happen, when I remembered that I started blogging again and needed to get with it.  Ahem!

Some of you know that I have started knitting.  Terri got me into it back in May on my last visit to Alaska.  Those of you that know me really, really well, also know that when I get hooked on something, it becomes an addiction.  All consuming obsession.  At least for awhile.  Until the next addiction comes along.  Anyway, I have about 5 WIPs {Works in Progress} and at least 20 lined up.  Seriously!  Probably more.  I have been buying delightful and delicious and beautiful yarn like it is going out of style!  I TRY to be sensible about it.  I TRY to only buy yarn if I have a project in mind and the pattern in hand.  That works most of the time.  Sometimes the yarn is too amazing and/or the price is too amazing and I just can't resist.  The problem with that is, I'm not real sure how much to buy so.........you got it!  I tend to 'over buy'.  Damn, but it's fun!  Only problem is, knitting goes  kinda slow.  Many years ago, I used to crochet and that is a lot faster, but knitting is much more satisfying, somehow.  Plus most knitted items are much nicer than crocheted items.  I know I'll get faster at it, as time goes by, but I'll never be able to keep up with the buying!

To add to my 5 WIPs, I am starting another one today.  Bernat yarn company has what they call a Mystery Afghan Knit-A-Long {KAL} that started today. They tel you how many skeins of yarn and how many colors you will need, and even suggest several color ways for you. Each Wednesday morning they give you a "Clue" which gives you the instructions for making squares for the afghan.  This morning we got instructions to make 8 squares.  No picture or anything, so it will be a mystery until one is finished....which is the whole point.  In fact, the whole look of the afghan will be a mystery until it is completed.  I shouldn't be doing it because I already have so many other things going, but I couldn't resist!  So, once I get off here and do a little housework, I will get started on it and see what I come up with :)

In other news, my booth at the antique mall is doing good AND bad.  Sounds crazy, and it is.  Things have been selling lately, which is good......and 2 more high priced items got stolen, which is bad.  These 2 items were big enough that I thought they were safe from being stuck in a pocket or purse, but I guess I was wrong.  Then again, it COULD always be another vendor, who is free to come and go with big boxes and bags.  That has been known to happen before, as well.  This past weekend, Chuck went with me to my booth cuz I wanted his input on doing some rearranging in my limited space.  A couple of good things came out of that.  They finally had a space available in their big display cases where people display jewelry and small items.  So I finally got to rent a shelf in that for $10 a month.  That will be available on the 1st of March.  In addition to that, Chuck discovered that a larger booth was available to rent and rented it for me, so we will be moving into a space about 3 times the size of what I have.  I will have room for a large cabinet that locks and some other display options that will improve sales and allow me to put more things out for sale.  I'm excited.  I was feeling like the whole scenario was a fizzle and about to just pack it in, when suddenly things are looking up!!  My "new" cabinet will be Chuck's gun cabinet.  He finally bought a gun safe a couple of months ago for his extensive gun collection, thank God!  I was always so worried about so many people knowing about his guns, and the potential of someone breaking in and stealing them, and God knows what else!  Anyway, that leaves the gun cabinet that I bought him back in 1976, all sad and empty.  I had thought to fill it with yarn, LOL.  His idea of putting shelves in it for me to use in my booth is most excellent!  Plus!  I could even sell that, if I'm of a mind to!  I remember scrimping and saving up the $100 to buy that for him, way back then and now it is valued at about $450.  Sweet!!  I guess getting old has it's advantages!  Hahahaha {did I say that?}

Okay.....I've babbled on enough for today.  Off to do a bit of  tidying up before I start that new knitting project!

Shopping Online

I was supposed to have a rare shopping opportunity with my BFF yesterday and it didn't work out.  While posting my complaint about it on FaceBook, my buddy Terri @ myseniormoments suggested that since I always get the short end of the stick when we have vehicle problems, I should just shop online.  Well, I'm here to tell you......I do plenty of that!  Here are some of my recent acquisitions

This first picture is a Photo/Panting done by the Photographer that took Riley's senior portraits.  She is quite the artist and has many talents.  When I saw some of her Photo/Paintings, I just knew that we had to have one of the horses!  I found some pictures of The Girls and sent them to her and we finally decided on this one.  The overall size is 30 x 30 and it is stunning!! 

What happens is this.  I had a 20x30 photo printed of this picture and had it shipped to her.  She actually tears the edges (in this case to make it about 19x19) then she affixes it to a canvas.  In this instance, she did an abstract border in colors to complement the picture. The wonderful thing IS, we didn't actually discuss colors and it just so happens this will look perfect on our green living room wall!!Another awesome aspect of this painting is that the sides of the canvas, where it wraps around the frame, are painted as well.  That gives it a wonderful unique finish and I don't have to frame it :).
If you'd like to see some of her other work, go here Christina-M-Ehlinger~Artist for starters.

I had planned to give it to Chuck for X-Mas, but she got it done so quickly and I received it last week.....and our anniversary is this coming Friday (the 12th)....soooooo.....I'm giving it to him for our anniversary!  I can't wait!!  We don't always exchange gifts and usually just treat ourselves to an "All we can eat Lobster or King Crab fest" at home.  He'll be so surprised and I know he's gonna absolutely flip over it!  I can't wait to get it on the wall, as we have a perfect empty spot behind the love seat that has just been waiting to be filled for about 6 years now!  Next weekend I'll get to post photos of it on the wall!! I can't wait!  Squeal!!!!!!!!!

The next picture of online acquisitions is just one box of many that I have been buying since I went to Alaska in May and acquired serious knitting fever.

Not only did my lovely daughter, Terri, get me to finally take the 'knitting plunge', she also gave me the bug for only the finest yarns!  When I did alot of crocheting, I always preferred some of the better brands (such as Lion and Bernat over Red Heart), but oh, she had to get me into using wool and wool blends and alpaca and all sorts of beautiful colorways in scrumptiously delightful spun yarn! 

And I have found a couple of WONderful websites that often have WONderful sales on this sort of delightful yarn!  I will give you an example of what my new passion is doing to my checking account.  I found a sweater pattern, using Noro yarn, similar to that in the above picture.  The color  I selected is darker hues, but still multi-colored.  Anyway, the pattern calls for 11 hanks (sort of a skein)so I ordered 12 to be safe and I found it for a terrific sale price! Normally $20 a hank for $14.00!  Weeeeeeeee.........Adds up tho', as do the many other great finds I have found......but they were all on sale!!  So that makes it okay, right???  Right???

See what happens.  Make me get a new bionic hip and keep me house bound for 6 weeks with a desk top, a laptop and an iPhone.  I can search, find and order from any room in the house!  When I have to explain the piles of yarn and my lack of $$......I'll blame the Percocet.  Buwahahahaha