Lists and Piles

and piles and lists! I don't know about you, but when I get ready for a trip I make piles. And I make lists. And I make lists of my piles and piles from my lists. So that is where I am at today as we get ready to head to London tomorrow morning. Of course there is the clothes pile. What to wear. We try to travel as light as possible. Here is my bag ready to go. That wasn't so hard.










The bigger and more important dilemma, of course, is what knitting to take along. There will be lots of time in planes, trains and automobiles. Socks are small and portable, so obviously the project of choice. I have been busy casting on socks to have them ready to pick up and knit when the moment arises. Here you see my Cider Moon Glacier sock; a New Monkey sock out of Wollmeise Zenzi and my Claudia Peppermint Mocha sock. (The Cider Moon and Peppermint Mocha socks have single socks done and waiting their completion to be a pair!!) I also have my Vikings sock packed. I think that will be enough. I mean, there are always yarn stores to visit in London and Paris!!






We got a welcome visit from Aaron this past weekend! He came home to wish his dad a Happy Birthday since we'll be gone over the actual date. It was his first visit home since he left for college and it was so good to have him here. The first thing he did was boil up some eggs and treat us to some of his famous deviled eggs! Yum!












He also put on his working gloves and hopped on board the tractor with Steve to put in some posts for our neighbor. Steve LOVES this tractor and loves any excuse to fire it up and put it to use. (It belongs to our neighbor). Personally I don't have fond memories of the thing. I tried driving it once. Was not pretty. Let's just say I had a bad experience.

Enough said.


Aaron also 'let' us beat him at Settlers of Catan and multiple games of Farkel. What a guy! AND he didn't even bring laundry home for mom to do. Perhaps I should have taken his temperature!! He was a little miffed that we aren't taking him to Paris with us, since he does speak French. Maybe next time!



Well, more lists to make and piles to pack. I will end with a Self Portrait that I did in response to being tagged by Kristin for a Self Portrait Meme.
I took MANY pictures.. none of them very flattering. Some of them very NOT flattering! So here I am, coffee in one hand; camera in the other.

If you have a blog and are reading this, consider yourself tagged. See if you can't do a better job than I did! It's not easy taking a picture of yourself!!


I hope to post while we are gone.. but if not, I surely will when we get back and hope to have lots of pictures and stories to share!!

Until Next Time....

Back Home!

After an uneventful ride home (i.e. no car breakdowns) I am back home after a wonderful visit to Minnesota.
This is the view I had most of the trip home. Yes, that is the rest of the M&M bag riding in the dash of the car. Desperate times call for desperate measures. When you don't have a microwave handy to melt your M&M's you have to be creative. Sitting in the sun on the dash works slowly but surely. Yum!






I came home to a couple of fun packages in the mail of some of the online retail therapy I've been doing. (You know, to relieve stress!) The first package I opened was these wonderful stitchmarkers that I ordered from Laura on her Etsy shop. Instead of metal rings, they have a stretchy material that glides on your needles. The ABC ones will work well with Cat Bordhi's new sock book that I just got. I can't wait to try them! (Thanks, Michelle, for telling me about these!)



The next package I opened contained my new Knitpick Harmony circular needles that I first learned about on Bonnie's blog. (Blog reading can be very hard on one's budget!!) I LOVE my other Knitpick circular needles but have been concerned they might not be allowed on the plane when we travel to England on Wednesday. These are wood and I think should go through security without a problem. I'm bringing a self-addressed stamped padded envelope tho, just to be sure.

Has anyone flown recently and know what can and can't be taken on the plane?? Inquiring minds want to know!




Sumo was so happy to see me and I was so happy to see him. I had felt bad leaving him for so long but he did just fine with Steve and Ryan. You see him here right after we took a nice long walk. The biggest change I have noticed in him is that he wants to be with us 100% of the time. If I go upstairs, he is there. If I'm cooking, he's by the kitchen. He doesn't want to be alone. Unfortunately, it means that on these beautiful Fall days when he usually LOVES to be outside, he is sitting in the house with me.






Well, lots to do in just a few short days. Here is the Rice Pudding recipe as promised. (Cheryl, I think this is your mom's recipe from our church cookbook from, like, a thousand years ago!!)


OLD FASHIONED RICE PUDDING

1 cup rice
2 cups water
2 cups milk*
6 eggs, well beaten
1 cup sugar
½ cup melted butter
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups milk
2 cups milk
ground or stick cinnamon



Cook rice in water in double boiler until water is Absorbed. Then add 2 cups milk to rice in double boiler and cook until almost done. Beat 6 eggs. Add sugar, melted butter, salt, and vanilla, and 2 cups milk. Combine rice and egg mixture in large casserole. Add 2 more c. milk
(6c of milk all together). Bake 325 degrees for 1 hour. (Test to see if pudding is done by cutting a knife through it. Pudding is done when a knife comes out clean) Cinnamon may be added before baking if desired. Raisins or dried cranberries may be added before baking

*2% or whole milk works best. Skim & 1% can get a little runny
**This recipe can easily be cut in half as well!
***Additional Tip: If you like a little more custard, you can bake the pudding in a pan of water. This slows the cooking a bit creating more custard.

Enjoy!!

Until Next Time...

Minnesota Musings...

I'm still here at my folks' in Western Minnesota having a great time. Been doing some knitting, while my dad works away on his cross-stitch. Mom has been busy keeping us in 'comfort' food - i.e. rice pudding. I LOVE rice pudding and will share the recipe in my next post.

We were suppose to leave this morning to go shopping, but there are such bad storms that we are staying put until it lets up.




I finished my first Monkey Mitt. I would do it a little differently with another pair, but I like them alot. I will have to get the second one made so I can have them ready for the cooler weather that is coming our way. As you can see, mom still has me eating my bright colors....










I've had the opportunity to meet several of my mom's friends who are faithful readers of my blog! (Hi Carol, Lois, Barbara, Peg and Barb!) It's humbling to know that people read my blog and enjoy my ramblings. Lois even brought me a gift of her homemade Apple Butter. Yum! (I think I'll save it to take home and share with Steve.) Here it is pictured with my Monkey Mitt!









My parent's enjoy eating out and I humor them with tagging along. (Ok, ok, I enjoy it too!) Yesterday they took me to The Birdfeeder in Twin Brooks, South Dakota. This is by far the smallest town I've ever been to . Has a few houses and then the little Post Office with this restaurant attached to the back. Very cute. Not exactly fast food (our 4 course lunch took 1.5 hours) but it was very delicious.



Tonight I believe we are dining out again at another South Dakota restaurant with my Aunt and Uncle. Dad keeps talking about the Coconut Shrimp at this place and I'm pretty sure that's what I'll have to order. (Or at least try some of his).

Other than that, I am enjoying just relaxing and catching up on some much needed sleep. (Oh, and beating dad at cribbage!!) Their house is a gallery of their work - Dad's cross-stich and Mom's wheat weaving. I'll end with a sample of each. The first is one of Dad's Emmett Kelly Clowns that he has cross-stitched. It's one of a pair that hangs over their couch. It's amazing. His cross stitch hangs all over the house.










But where there isn't cross stitch, there is wheat. Mom weaves everything from these Scandinavian trees to crosses and is currently working on earrings.


Oh, and they have one of my felted bowls on display. (Filled with the farkel dice, which I have one win; one loss)







Well, back to knitting until the storm lets up. Then we'll head out shopping.




Until Next Time...

Minnesota

Well, here I am in Minnesota for a visit with my folks. I headed up here Sunday evening after attending a shower for Mallory in her home town. What a wonderful day for her. Here she is with two of her roommates from college who were able to come and who both gave her muffin tins as a gift. (I guess she is known for making muffins at various times of day or night!) I'm looking forward to trying some of her muffins!!


It's a 7.5 hour drive to my folks, so I decided to go half way and spend the night at a hotel and get up early and be there in time for lunch on Monday. Well, as they say, the best laid plans...
The plans started to fall apart about 9:00 pm Sunday night when I heard a funny noise coming from the car. I thought it kind of sounded like a belt was loose. Just a few minutes later I had lost all power and found myself broke down on the side of a dark highway. Not a fun situation! I was never so thankful for my AAA card and cell phone!! (Or for flashing red lights behind my car! AAA had called the local Sheriff and he came and sat behind me until the tow truck got there!) Anyways, I was towed to a town 25 miles away. The garage the car is at needed a few days to fix the car, so I rented a car the next day and continued my journey.

I didn't have very good cell phone coverage during this time and had some funny conversations about the ordeal. The first was telling Kirstin that I had called Triple-A and they had called the Sheriff for me. She was very confused. She thought I had called 'Chipotle' and they had called the Sheriff. Took a bit to get that cleared up. (And, unfortunately, it made me very hungry for Chipotle which is no where near me!) The second was a message I left for a neighbor saying my car broke down and I had to get a rental. She listened and thought I said that my car broke down and I had to get a rectal. Boy, was I thankful that it was just a rental!!


I did make it in time for dinner Monday night and this is what awaited me at my spot at the dinner table. A card explaining how focusing on eating bright colors.. your greens, yellow, reds will improve your health. Yep. I'm feeling much better after cleaning my plate!!






I did find some time to do a little knitting during my time at the hotel on the way up and finished my Monkey socks!! I absolutely love them! They fit me like a glove and I have to admit it is going to be hard to pack them up and send them to my Monkey Swap Partner! I have plenty of yarn left to make my pair of Monkey fingerless gloves. And I got more Wollmeise during the last sneak up, so I'll be casting on more of these socks in the near future!



Off to do some knitting and visit with mom and dad.



Until Next Time...

Football Food

I need to post a new post quickly so that I don't have the picture of Ryan and Nikko the first thing I see when I pull up my browser. Don't get me wrong, I love the picture, but it is just too hard right now. It is such a good picture of her. Very deceiving in a way. She looks so good and like her self that it starts me down the path of questioning our decision. A path I don't need to take right now. I know it was best for her. And hard for us. I think of the line from the movie 'Shadowlands' - "The pain now is part of the happiness then". So true.

So, anyways, with the cooler weather and the start of the football season, I thought I would share a few more of my favorite recipes. (There's not much more progress on my Monkey sock.. but I do hope to finish it this weekend with all our travels).

I'll start with my Chili recipe. This is a family favorite. And a favorite of several of the kids' friends. (Right, Shana?)


Chili




1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
1 cup chopped onion
1 14.5 ounce can petite cut tomatoes (don’t drain)
1 16 ounce can dark red kidney beans (don’t drain)
1 16 ounce can chili beans in chili sauce
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. basil





1. Sauté beef, sausage, and onion. Drain fat.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Simmer for awhile.
3. Add 1 stick (large link) of Louis Rich low-fat Turkey Sausage(found near the bacon) sliced thin and then in halves.


Now the real game ticket is to serve this over rice. Really. Over rice. Try it! You can also garnish it with sour cream; shredded cheese; jalapeno's; green onions etc.. Oh, and cornbread rolls go perfect with this!

* I almost always double or triple this recipe. It freezes great. When I do that, I throw in an extra small can of petite cut tomatoes.


This will be double recipe day. Afterall, there is lots of football ahead! And football=food.

This is a recipe some of my dear friends 'stole' when they were catering back in high school. I think the original recipe was secretly written on a napkin or toilet paper or something. I don't know, Cheryl & Nae - do you think it's ok almost 30 years later to post this???


Praline Bars



1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

chopped pecans

graham crackers

6-8 Hershey chocolate bars


1. Bring butter and brown sugar to a boil and let cook for a while.
2. Line a jelly roll pan with foil and lay graham crackers in a single
layer on the foil.
3. Pour butter & sugar mixture over the graham crackers.
4. Sprinkle chopped pecans over the butter & sugar mixture.
5. Put in 350 degree oven until it bubbles. Remove from oven.
6. Place 6 - 8 Hershey bars over top. Let stand a few minutes and
then spread the chocolate smooth.
7. Refrigerate until cool.
8. Remove bars from pan and take off foil.
9. Cut into bars with large knife on a cutting board. Store in refrigerator.



I made these bars yesterday for the BUNCO group I am in once a month on Thursday night. It was actually our first meeting last night. We had a great time. Julie was the first one to get a REAL BUNCO, so she got to wear this beautiful tiara. It wasn't hers for long, but she did don it several times over the course of the evening. My friend Karen actually stole the crown several times and ended up winning the 'Most Bunco' prize with 4 real BUNCOS. Sadly, I never once wore the crown. Maybe next time.








Of course, Sumo recommends just grabbing a good ole raw hide bone to gnaw on during the game. One bone should last you through most of the Sunday games! (If you chew sparingly!)













Steve has the day off and we are off to spend the day away. Not sure where all we'll go. We will end up with a visit to Kirstin. Yes. The Chipotles is open now! It just may be the Fast Food Therapy I need. Yum!

Until Next Time...

Final Farewell...

Thank you for all of your kind words of sympathy that you sent either by a comment or by email over the past couple of days. They have meant so much. I know many of you have been through the loss of a pet and can understand the emotional toll it takes on you. It was certainly a hard day, but it is comforting to know that she is finally at peace.

We had some wonderful last moments with her on Tuesday. Ryan got up extra early to have some time with her before he left for classes. She seemed to know that HE needed this time and she sat still and let him just love on her. (She had usually been quite agitated with our contact)





It was a beautiful, sunny cool day here and we took Nikko and Sumo for one last walk in the back field. (I can't tell you how many hundreds of walks we have taken back there.) At times we would see sparks of recognition in her, but then she would return to her circling, anxious ways.

I will miss her so. Sumo will miss her so. Good thing we still have each other!

Farewell faithful friend!


Today is another beautiful sunny day. And it is finally cool enough to wear socks! I was so excited to be able to wear my pair of Yarn Pirate Loopy socks I knit. They feel wonderful! It is the best motivation for casting on and finishing the mates to the lonely socks I have.














Still plugging away on my second Monkey sock. It looks rather funny because I still haven't frogged the first one I cast on that was too tight. I decided I would knit this one from the other end of the skein, and if there is enough yarn when I'm done with the sock, I can make a Monkey Fingerless glove with it. (Actually, I'm just doing my own version of 2 socks on 2 circulars!) My goal is to have these socks done by Monday.


Time to go love on Sumo. Trying to give him lots of extra attention.. which he just eats up! He seems to be doing ok. I'll give him hugs from all of you!

Until Next Time...

Rainy Days and Mondays...

always get me down. Well, to be honest, not always, but this has been a down day. We have made the decision that it is time to take Nikko in. There is no longer any joy in her life and she is frightened and agitated most of the time. So today is my last full day with her. I have spent most of it sitting with her and working on some knitting. I finished my first Monkey sock, which you see here with Nikko. Probably her last photo on my blog. So sad to think about. Tears have flowed already and I can't imagine what shape I'll be in tomorrow. (The appointment is at 2:00 pm) Steve offered to take her alone, but I know in my heart I need to go along, as hard as it will be. It will be the last small bit of comfort I can give her after a lifetime of love and companionship. Good byes are so hard.




The weekend was good, with Kirstin home for the first time from college. It was so nice to have her back! She is doing well at school and enjoys her classes. (For the most part...) We spent Sunday afternoon at the shower for Mallory. What a wonderful blessing that was. It was at our church and so many women came to shower Mallory with prayers and good wishes for their upcoming life together. Kirstin was able to finally give them the queen size rag quilt that she made for them this summer. It is done in their colors and turned out beautifully.

I wish I had more shower photos to share, but guess what? I forgot my camera! I never forget my camera. I think I'm losing my mind. I was able to take this picture of Mallory and Ryan with Mallory's two Grandma's that came up for the shower. It was so nice to meet them and have them come for this special day. (Along with Mallory's mom and sister). Next Sunday I'll be traveling to their hometown for another shower. What fun! We are truly blessed!


Well, I best be heading back downstairs to check on Nikko. I think I'll cast on my second Monkey sock and keep knitting the day away. I'll give Nikko hugs from all of you! Thanks so much for all your kind words and sympathy. I know many of you understand what we're going through.

Until Next Time...

Monkey Business

I have to say that I am finding this Monkey Sock pattern the most enjoyable pattern that I have knit to date!! I think partly because I really wasn't sure I could do it. It is such a beautiful pattern and looks so complicated.. but it's really not bad. It's complicated enough so that it is not 'mindless' knitting by any means, but it's fun and I find myself looking forward to times I can sit and knit it. I did end up starting over on a size larger needles. I think it's much better. I am past the heel and now just have to finish the foot and stitch up the toe and it will be done! And, the best part yet, is I can't wait to cast on the second one! The photo just doesn't do this colorway justice. It is gorgeous!
And I LOVE this Wollmeise yarn... I guess I'll be doing a little more online therapy this week since Sheri will be putting more of it up on her site.



I have been doing some cooking lately and will have several more recipes to share in my next few posts. The one I'll share today is a delicious marinade for Shish Kabobs.

Island Steak Strip Kabobs

2 pounds beef, sirloin
1 (8 1/4 oz) can pineapple chunks
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. dry mustard
1 clove garlic, minced




1. Partially freeze meat. Then cut into cubes.
2. Drain pineapple, reserving syrup.
3. Combine pineapple syrup, soy sauce, oil, ginger, dry mustard,
and garlic in small saucepan. (I often double this marinade)
4. Cook over low heat 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool.
5. Place beef and marinade in zip lock bag. Close and refrigerate overnight, or 6 - 8 hours.
6. Skewer meat, adding onions, peppers, pineapple chunks, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms.
7. Grill 5 minutes, brush with marinade. Grill 5 minutes, brush with marinade. Cover and grill additional 5 minutes, or until done.


Europe: I know it's not nice of me to throw a little teaser out there and not give more specifics. Yes, we are going to Europe in just a few weeks. A whirl wind trip, but it should be fun. It really started out kind of as a joke. I sent an email to Steve with a link to the Alpha Marriage Conference that was being held in London and did he want to go? (Wink, wink). Much to my surprise he thought it would be a great idea! Before I knew it we had plane tickets; hotels booked and even a rail pass from London to Paris to spend a few days there. Still doesn't seem real. We'll be leaving September 26 and will be gone for a week. As I said earlier, I anticipate lots of good knitting time between the planes, trains and automobiles!! (I'm also looking up some yarn stores to visit..... )

Nikko has had a rough couple of days. Hard to describe, but she is just not the same dog. I think we have a hard decision to make here in the next few days. It will be hard to say good bye, but I also hate to see her suffering mentally as she seems to be.
When she can sleep, she is fairly peaceful. But she is agitated and panting most of the time (and almost seems to hallucinate). Aging is no fun! We've been preparing the kids as much as possible.. but you are never totally ready for something like this.









Kirstin is home for the weekend which has been fun! She came home primarily to attend a Bridal shower for Mallory tomorrow at our church. It will be Mallory's first shower, which is so fun. Kirstin has a special gift to give so she's been looking forward to this for quite some time. I'll share some photos in my next post. Well, back to my monkey sock!

Until Next Time...

Knitting News...

First off, let me say thank-you for all your kind comments for my dad on his wonderful cross-stitch piece! It was a real pat on the back. (And who doesn't love to have their hard work admired and appreciated??) Also, I want to publicly announce that I have promised my father that I will NOT run back into a burning building to retrieve it. (He graciously promised to 'whip me up' another if that ever happens!). I will say, however, if I have the opportunity to only grab one thing on my way OUT of a burning house, that my santa would be it. Ok. We have that cleared up.



On to my knitting news. It's been a while since I have had a post primarily about knitting. First I begin with the Tale Of Three Single Socks. I vowed when I first began knitting socks to do everything in my power to avoid SSS (Second Sock Syndrome). Well, it didn't take long for me to see why this is so rampant among sock knitters!! Once you have done one sock, your mind wanders to different yarns; different patterns that you are itching to try. And doing the second sock of a yarn and pattern already completed seems so redundant. Here are my poor socks waiting for their mates. Cider Moon Glacier; Claudia Peppermint Mocha and my All Things Heather Vikings sock (who as you can see has a mate that has at least been started!!) My goal is to cast on the other two as well and have them done by mid-October. Hold me to it... won't you???

In the meantime, I have cast on my Monkey Sock for my swap partner in the Monkey Sock III Swap. I was a little intimidated by it all having never done a sock for someone else.. or such a complicated pattern.. or even a top down sock before. But things are going ok. I decided to use a skein of Wollmeise in the Spice Market colorway. It is turning out gorgeous!! (The picture does not do the color justice!) I'm a little nervous that my gauge is a little off, so I'm waiting a bit for extra measurements from my swap partner before I continue. I can already see doing this pattern again! The fun thing is knowing that someone out there is knitting a pair for me!!







I did cast on and begin another Chevron Scarf. This time I am using two skeins of Fiesta Boomerang. I am using the Navajo Silver and African Violet colorways. I have to say I love this yarn! It is so soft. It is a little thicker than other yarns, so the scarf is coming out a little wider than the pattern says, but I am going to like it! It will be very warm. My goal is to be able to take it to Europe the end of September. (More on that trip in a future post!!)



I've been doing a little online retail therapy as I adjust to an aging dog; empty nest; etc.. etc.. Here are a few of the things that my mailman brought me already this week.

The first is the new sock book by Cat Bordhi. I have read great reviews on Ravelry about it and decided I 'needed' to add it to my library. It looks very interesting.....











And then on Sheri's last sneak up I decided to indulge in more sock yarn. I'm so thankful that sock yarn doesn't count as stash. Unfortunately she has more yummy yarn going up in the next sneak up as well, so I may need just a wee bit more. She is such an enabler!!! Here you see some Dream In Color Smooshy; Fleece Artist Somoko; 2 colorways of ShibuiKnits and some Merino 5 by Crystal Palace. What can I say? It all wanted to come live with me!!



You may ask what the container is that is holding all the yummy yarn. Well, it is the Kitty Pi bed that I made last fall for my niece's cat. Turns out that her siamese is too good for this type of bed. (One has a hard time understanding royalty sometimes!!) So I took it back in exchange for knitting my niece a ballband bag in its place. I've trimmed the fur and refelted it to a smaller sturdier size and plan on giving it to a certain Loopy cat I know (who happens to have only an old suitcase in the back storage room to lay her head...)


Sumo would like me to share that he is taking good care of Nikko these days. He is never far from her side. Ok, he does admit to sometimes getting jealous if we pay her too much extra attention.. but other than that he's been a good little brother for her. She has good days and bad days; good hours and bad hours. She still seems generally happy with life, which is a good thing. We are just enjoying each day we have with her!






Until Next Time

Happy Birthday Dad!!

Today is my Father's birthday! Happy Birthday Dad!! Here you see a picture of my Dad and I taken this past weekend. But things were a little reversed as far as gift giving goes! This is not a gift I was giving him, but rather an amazing gift that he was giving to me! What you see is a cross-stitch piece my father made for me. I used to cross-stitch. I know the HOURS and HOURS that have gone into this piece. And, not only that, it is the second time he's done this pattern!








The first time he made one was about 11 years ago when my sister-in-law, Colleen, had found this pattern and gave it to my dad, who is an avid cross-stitcher. He stitched it up, but in the scroll part, he graphed and stitched the names of our whole family in his handwriting making the piece beyond priceless. After he finished it, it was given to my younger brother and Colleen (who had originally found the pattern)...and, yes, I have coveted it ever since!! My dad knew this (at times I can be quite vocal....) and decided to make one for his favorite daughter. (Ok, Ok, I admit I am his ONLY daughter.. but I'm sure would still be his favorite if he had more... right Dad??) Anyways, this has now jumped to the top of the list of my very favorite possessions. And, yes, I would run back into a burning house to retrieve it.





We did celebrate my Dad's birthday in a way by taking my folks to see Triple Espresso Friday night. (This was actually his gift from last year so we're a little behind..but getting there!) It was lots of fun. Here you see my parents with my brother's wife Colleen, and their 3 kids outside the Music Box Theater in Minneapolis.









They were chosen as Hugh Butternuts parents for the evening, which will make sense to anyone who has seen it. For those who haven't, just be warned that there is quite a bit of audience participation!



We were just in the cities for a short time and then headed home to check on the dogs and then headed over to Galena. I did quite a bit of sock knitting.. which will be featured on my next post. (Don't get too excited....) I also finished the first of my college sweaters. I did the Purple/Yellow one, which is also the Vikings colors. I found these two bears downtown Galena yesterday at The Galena Teddy Bear Co. Aren't they adorable?? I still need a third, but Kirstin said I could borrow her black bear, Coal, until then.


In other news: I have FROGGED my Chevron Scarf. Yes, it is no more. I loved the color combination, but using two yarns of slightly different weights was not going well. I have 2 different options I am looking at right now and hope to cast on another this week.

Other Updates:
Aaron is back at school and his back is doing well. We are hopeful that it will continue to heal. He called to say he had played 3 hours of Ultimate Frisbee last weekend.. which is pretty amazing! He has changed his major to something I can barely pronounce.. Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Undergraduate Major. Phew! All I can say, is better him than me!!

Llamas are no more at our farm. Johann, the llama you see here with Aaron, went to live at a farm north of town, leaving us with just Sebastian.. who was Kirstin's original llama. We are boarding him at our friends house who lives right next door. This leaves an empty barn.. but don't worry, Steve has great plans for the barn. A shop; clean storage; etc.. etc..

Until Next Time....