Girls Night Out

On Saturday, we had a desperately needed girls night out.

This is the Community Well Team, mostly. Kris K on the left is a temporary member, working part time with us from Jan to March, before returning to the elderly waiver team. Then me, Cathy and Dawn, who just returned from leave. Mary K is not there, as she is still home recovering from her hip surgery.

Yes, we are quite the team.

Cathy was especially happy, toasting us with a kamikaze, or was that the apple pie shot, or perhaps the Scooby Snack shot…

which looked like this.

Notice my phone in the lower left corner. My new Blackberry. I can text. So I texted Angie, who said she was going to be out on the town, and we found her only a few minutes away.

She is so cute-She makes me look blah. Note to self, wear make up at the next GNO. In about 3 more years…

Angie was with her posse, the blonde next to her is her sister Missy. I keep forgetting the other girls names, maybe because I only met them once. But they were a good girls night out bunch to meet up with.

We mingled and mixed.

And had a lot of fun. That is for sure. It’s been a long, long, time since I had a night out with just the girls.

Dave made some remark about the girls being jealous of my being married to such a wonderful man like him.

Yeah, uh huh. That’s right.

So, I am slowly finishing Lynn’s mom’s quilt. I now have the star border, beige and blue borders done. I only have the red border left. It is adding another 12 inches on each side. This thing is getting pretty big.

I will be done by next weekend.

Kitten got out on the deck and watched me wash the dishes.

Want to know what’s really embarrassing? The dirt is on the inside of the window. Even Kitten can hardly believe it.

Gotta go finish a dang Block of the Month-or maybe….wash a window.

 

The Knitterati

Last weekend was Yarnover, sponsored by the Minnesota Knitters Guild. Oh, it was exciting all right.

But first, I left work on Friday to go spend the night with my friend Kari, who I did not take a picture of nor did I take a picture of her cute house. I did get all screwed up on I 94 for about 45 minutes. But I eventually got there and I had such a nice time visiting with one of my best pals in the whole world. I also can’t find a picture of her anywhere in my files-what the heck? Well, next trip I promise a few pics.

The next day I got up early early and made my way to Hopkins for Yarnover. The keynote speaker was Cat Bordhi-she of the circular sock knitters.

And in the crowd were a few other famous designers such as Cookie A and Jared Flood (aka Brooklyn Tweed), ), among others. (That’s them standing up in front of the stage)

Most of the people who were in the audience were knitting something-

I wish all those knitting hands showed up better.

Wow. Then there was the market place. To die for. I tried to keep to my stash diet but the last two weeks have been hard. Last week I bought yarn for a scarf called Herbivore, designed by Stephen West, who I also talked to at the event!

So that was exciting. Then I was off to the Textile Center for the Garage Sale. Holy Cow. There were a LOT of people there, and a ton of stuff.

These are the people looking through all the yarn and fabric piled up on tables. It was wild. But now that I get what it’s about, next year I am taking Laura, who I thought of immediately upon entering this room, and we are getting there first thing. Since I had just bought some yarn at Yarnover I might have been more inclined to dig through the stuff here.

There were also some spinners and weavers

I can’t wait to learn.

I got home on Saturday afternoon. Sunday I started working on this quilt that my friend Lynn, from Winona Co PH, gave to me. Her mom, who passed away a couple of years ago, started it and almost finished it. Lynn was hoping maybe I could finish it up, so I am working on the borders.

Here it is with the borders laid out in strips on top and bottom.

It’s really a nice quilt and I’ll be happy to finish it. I got all the star borders done. The rest is easy. I think there might be enough of the fabric to piece a back together. Then off to Pine Needles to be quilted (I won’t go anywhere else!)

I thought I’d take a picture of my yarn purchases. However, the green did not photograph well at all.

That green is much brighter and greener.

 

This is called Three Irish Girls. Really Fun Yarn!!

And I couldn’t help but photograph this-who was in my face the whole time-

 

This is shortly after she threw up all over my side of the couch, so she’s feeling pretty good.

Now-off to knit something with that new yarn.

In which I see my sister and get a cold…plus a little Twinkles

This weekend Martha came to Minnesota to see her son, my nephew, Alex, who goes to Carlton College in Northfield.

See? There they are.

I worked and worked so I could take last Friday off without taking any vacation, but last Wednesday I started getting a little sore throat and by the time I got to Northfield on Thursday I was into a full blown cold! Well, maybe not full blown, but the first stages of a full blown cold, which was like someone turned on a faucet in my nose.

This is the pile of Kleenex I kept by my side at all times.

But we still managed to have a pizza dinner on Thursday (pictured above), and then to the cities on Friday, which was a beautiful sunny day.

First we went to the Mall of America to-where else-Nordstrom. I wanted to get a couple of pairs of pants for work, and Martha needed a new dress.

Sorry for the blurry picture, but you get the idea. This is a very cute dress and, best of all, wrinkle proof. 

We went to the Yarnery in Saint Paul.

I was good and didn’t buy any yarn.

Then we went to the Bread and Chocolate store and got the most delicious pumpkin cookie and lattes.

Then off to Borealis

Where I broke down and bought some bright green Paca-Ped sock yarn to make a little shawl like this

It is a Stephen West design called Herbivore. I downloaded the pattern yesterday.

We then went to the Textile Center and saw a great exhibit. Martha bought a skein of yarn that was about a zillion yards for a ludicrously low price. And I signed up for spinning at the Weaver’s Guild, located in the bldg.

 

By then we were somewhat exhausted so we headed back to Northfield-just in time to miss the Friday afternoon traffic.

We had a couple of hours to kill so we walked over by the athletic fields where Alex was at Frisbee practice, and then to the arboretum.

I didn’t realize, but Carlton has a huge arboretum, complete with river and hills and trails. It is called the Cowling Arboretum and is 850 acres. It was a very nice day for a walk. For some reason I didn’t take my camera, probably because I was in a little bit of delirium because of the cold. I stopped the next day and took a picture of some of the flowers and the river.

 

There are lots of little blue flowers.

See?

Of course, on Saturday AM the sun wasn’t out so the colors aren’t so spring like.

Anyway, we walked there for a couple of hours then on to dinner at Chapati’s.

It is an Indian restaurant and delicious, although I couldn’t taste it all that well…..

Right inside this building…

Is where we ate.

After that we were tired, so we went back to the hotel, via the Dairy Queen, and enjoyed a little knitting and TV.

Here’s Martha’s knitting, and mine by my bed-

Saturday I left early and Martha was off to have breakfast and spend the day with Alex. Not only was I into the horrible runny nose, I now had a slight hacking cough developing which kept me awake much of the night.

I took a few naps and worked on some knitting. I finished, finally, the beaded socks from over a year ago!

WooHoo! Off to finish the travelling roses. I wasn’t sure that I would have enough yarn, I barely made it.

I used an apple as contrast. Clever, eh?

Sunday was the Fools Five Road Race, but I just couldn’t do it. I thought maybe I could walk the 5 miles but thinking about it now, there was no way. So I stayed home and took another nap.

I was really bummed out that I got a cold this weekend, of all weekends. I am glad it wasn’t so bad on Friday so Martha and I could have fun. Saturday and Sunday, not so much.

Last week at work our big bird came and landed really close to our window.

Can you see him? I take these shots and then when I post them they aren’t as clear as on the camera. Either way, it is a big bird.

Laura was to the farm and look what she got for me

Yes, it’s our girl Twinkles. Look at how she’s grown. Now, if Laura had been thinking, she would have put Twinkles next to something for contrast, like my yarn and apple. She should have tried to hoist Twinkles over her shoulder, like here

so we could compare the actual growth. Now, that is good in theory on this blog but I don’t think I’ll bring it up in person. Because, well, let’s just say there was a LOT of eye rolling just to get another picture. Even Laura’s mom rolled her eyes.

Seriously, who could not love Twinkles?? I even put her on my phone.

Sigh.

So, I am recovering from my illness now. Tomorrow is another work day. Whoopeee.

Here’s to good health and happy April!

 

Cody and Kate Got Engaged

Finally we can say it. I have been sitting on this for a month now. Jeepers but I have been wanting to post this picture-

It doesn’t really do it justice-perhaps this will help

Or this.

 

Cody bought it at Rogers and Holland, my favorite jewelry store.

He went to Puerto Vallarta and proposed. We tried to give him pointers before he left.

I was sort of on the fence about the on the knee thing-seems overdone

Then we said definitely not the “ring in the food/drink” proposal. We all know that never ends well.

He said he might do it at a restaurant-the old pressure from the crowd proposal.

Maybe with these guys playing a romantic serenade? Or not.

But I think, from what I hear, it was somewhere with a few friends watching some fireworks.

Over Puerto Vallarta.

So, after 4 years, (or so) the happy couple are engaged.

Cody and the future in-laws.

So, there you have it. The big news of the day.

I took some pictures of Blane and kitten this week too.

And a picture of the one-eyed Dog (or one-eyed Did, which is his nickname, which is way too complicated to explain here)

He got a haircut this week and he didn’t like it at all, but he looks so darn cute.

Happy Easter, and Happy Spring.

Romance is in the air.