Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween!

It’s Halloween today! Bawahhhaaahhhhh!

We’ve had quite a few trick or treaters, very cute. I love the little itty bitty ones. There was one who was dressed up like a little dog who was using both hands (in little black mittens) to pound on the door, and then licked the door a couple of times. It was seriously very cute. I’d take pictures and blog them, but not sure how much people like having their kids in a strangers blog.

But these people aren’t shy.

Morgan was a pumpkin person

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Chase was a little dog

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and Cora was a purple dragon.

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There is probably a name for the purple dragon but I am way out of the kid loop. Although-that is a serious pile of Barbies behind Cora…

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Whoa.

Maybe that isn’t a dragon, maybe it is a purple dinosaur, a la Barney. I better just keep going here. Getting the costume wrong is a big faux pas in the world of Halloween Dress up.

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Laura took these pictures because I was out of the office on Friday. Funny, each of these mothers commented that they needed to get me to capture the event. I must admit, it was blogworthy. Fortunately, I have my trusty sidekick, Laura, trained for such events.

I ran a race on Saturday, the Spirit Run. Here I am taking off in the crowd.

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That’s me in the purple top, black long pants, and large behind. I was waving at Dave but he missed that part.

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And here is my slow time finish. The person who finished first in my age group finished in 39 minutes and did not look 50. Some people will do anything to place. I was about 3 minutes off my time from the spring 10 K. I really need to ramp up the training.

On the bright side, I saw a dog dressed up like a bee.

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I’m not so sure he’s happy about it, but I had a bit of a chuckle.

Last week, I met my hero in the county financial world-Miss Amy. We share a hobby by the name of Sven, who makes a perfect margarita and carries us in our beach loungers from  sun, to  shade, to  water’s edge, and makes sure our needs are always met.

In reality, when we are in reality, we both work at the county and revel in our unique understanding of how much fun things are at our jobs.

Either way, we have been buds for the past two years, and met face to face for the first time on Wednesday. I was ever so happy!

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Now I know where she works AND my key will unlock the door to get there.

In other news, Jack continues to do weird things.

Last week found him in the bathtub

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This week finds him here

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Enough said.

I worked all day on the country chicks quilt, and yesterday I finished another block on the GAAA.

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It took all day to finish those flower blocks.

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Only 4 more Great American Aran Afghan blocks to go.

Happy Halloween-and so, officially, starts the holiday season!

 

Monday, October 25, 2010

A New Day

Well, I hoped that maybe, just maybe, my camera would come home. I called and e-mailed Southwest Airlines, and called the airport, but no luck.

I went out and bought a new camera, thinking that would certainly bring the other one home.

We went here

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And we got this

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And still my other camera remains lost.

So here we go again. Except for this time, I put a note in the new case with my card and my home address and phone number begging finder to return camera, or at least return the memory card.

I remain very sad.

So instead of all the great Vegas pics, and clever airport stuff, and Cody’s ceremony, all I have is this.

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Jack in the tub.

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Jack walking around

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Jack fighting with Chat.

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Jack and Chat-the blur.

See? I was experimenting with the old camera, actually. It was broken-the batteries kept losing charge, it was blurring the pictures (when they weren’t supposed to be blurred-unlike above), the exposure wasn’t right and it was acting all funky. But it healed itself and has been taking ok pictures lately. Except, they don’t upload correctly when I plug the camera in the computer. Jeepers. It is always something.

But, it is taking ok pictures.

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It was a bit of a gray day.

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I tried to crop out the hill billy trampoline, but it is un-cropable.

The new camera took this picture

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See what I mean? This isn’t quite as clear as the big camera, but it will do.

And it also took this picture-which was really much too clear.

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By the way, Dave has his corner of the couch perfectly balanced with pillows so every part of his body is completely propped up. He does not expend one single calorie having to support his own body weight.

It’s more than a little disturbing. (Note the remote on the arm rest-usually he has it sitting on his shoulder)

I have been working on the shop quilt and I have finished 7 flowers, and have started on the next seven. I have 28 total. I hate them. They are approximately 28 pieces each. (“Approximately” because I don’t trust my counting on the picture and I am too lazy to get up and look)

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Lastly, my two blog muses-side by side

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Can you tell who is who?

 

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

On Vacation

Well, blogging is slow this week because I just got back yesterday from my trip to Vegas. Actually, I was in Henderson to see Cody and attend his White Coat Ceremony for his first year at Touro. I took lots of great pictures and can’t wait to show everyone-except for one problem. I seem to have lost my camera. I had it on the plane, I was looking at pictures within an hour of landing.

Today, I went to look at the pictures at work and the camera was not in my purse. I looked in my car, because my purse flew on the floor this morning when I stomped on the brakes to avoid hitting a deer. But it’s not in the car. I looked in my bag and all over the house.

I sent an e-mail to Southwest Airlines, but I doubt, if I lost it there, I will ever see it again.

I had many pictures I wanted to share, especially of the ceremony, and now I don’t have any camera at all.

I have to go be depressed now. Hopefully, by next week, I’ll have found it, or have a new camera or something.

Monday, October 11, 2010

The Days of Indian Summer

This week I did some fun stuff.

First of all, we are having an Indian Summer. Even though the trees say fall, the temps say summer is still hanging on. It’s been in the upper 70’s, and even 80’s this past week.

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Yep, tree has turned, but check out that blue sky.

I’d go take some more pictures but I gotta be careful where I go. See that road? Well, don’t cross it-don’t even go near it or else--

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Just sayin’.

Jack has been playing in plastic bags. I tried to tell him that plastic bags are NOT toys. There is a danger of suffocation. But he doesn’t care. He would rather exhibit risk taking behaviors and satisfy his own need for fun than heed my warnings. This is a common issue with teen agers-I wrote a paper on it.

This bag is full of smaller bags-he usually takes one out.

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Then he gets in the bag, but sticks his head out through the handle so he has the added risk of suffocation and choking himself.

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Then he just digs right in.

That is Jack in the bag.

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On Friday night, in the nick of time, I finished the first of the shop quilts. Criss-Cross Stars.

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I wasn’t sure anyone would recognize it as mine without a cat in the picture.

Saturday, I took it over to Pine Needles and stayed for VIP.

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And while I was there, I got my new machine!! (Actually that should read machines) WooHoo.

(That is next weeks blog-or maybe the week after. Either way, it has to be it’s own sweet blog)

I then went to Rochester and helped a friend get some yarn at Kristen’s, then on to Cannon Falls to the new yarn store-What in Yarnation-with my sister!

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We also stopped by the cute fabric store.

She was in Northfield visiting with her son Alex who goes to Carlton. Martha came with her husband, and my niece Katie was there too. 

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It was a great day to walk around town, and Cannon Falls is a really neat place.

Today, I had a colonoscopy. Blech. Fortunately, everything was great and I don’t have to come back for another 10 years. Woo Hoo! (Because I wouldn’t have come back before that anyway)

So, next week I go to Vegas to see Cody and the white coat ceremony.

And stay tuned for the Bernina blog-you know you want to!

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Monday, October 4, 2010

Our Tree

Not much blogworthy these days. I’ve had a rather slow week. I did, however, finish 12 squares for the shop quilt. Now all I have left is the border.

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I went to embroidery club at Pine Needles on Wednesday and made this towel

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But I still have to cut the jump threads along the bottom of the letters.

I had Block of the Month on Saturday for knitting but I haven’t finished that yet, so I’ll have some pictures of that next week or so.

After BOTM (acronym), Laura and I went to Pine Needles because I was short a 15 1/2 inch background fabric for the circle blocks pictured above, and then we went to the mall so I could get a teeny weeny free shampoo set from Aveda, and then to Hancock fabrics (not JoAnne’s, which I kept calling it and Laura finally said “This is not the way to JoAnne’s at which point we realized we were talking two different stores. Just another ride with Sarah and Laura……). I bought a couple of patterns, because I want to start making clothes.

They were on sale for 1.99. Otherwise, they’d be 13 dollars, and really, that seems awfully excessive for a pattern.

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I think, too, I might try deconstructing some clothes and making my own patterns.  

At work, we saw our friends up in the tree today.

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Mr and Mrs Hawk.

And our turning tree outside the window is changing too.

It started like this.

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Then turned to this

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And now-Wow!

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I think it’s really fall.