Menards is a very funny place

This week was full of fun.

Actually, last weekend we took the dogs to Chester Woods. We did this Sunday but the pictures weren’t off my camera in time to blog last week.

I was cropping this picture and it looks like I have cankles. I do not! Really. I swear. I should have placed the dogs strategically hiding my legs. It’s so hard to remember all the things I have to do to disguise what I really look like. But I don’t have cankles. Just sayin’.

Monday Mary brought in the baby, Cameron. Oh, and I guess Laura was there too……shocker….

This baby was all over

 

Is this not the cutest boy I have blogged in quite a while?

Even I had to get into the act (he wonders who are these women, and why are they in my space?)

I got, in the mail, a little package from Pine Needles, a little something to put together. So I worked on that last weekend and during the week.

It was this table runner, made out of this years Minnesota Fabrics.

Marcia says that it is a popular item, but I wasn’t a big fan.

I thought it was tricky to sew together.

The block doesn’t lie flat, and it’s hard to iron, and I am from the “iron it until it lies flat” school.

Then again, this might have been the reason ironing was difficult.

There is no hope.

It didn’t look bad finished, so I guess I was a bigger fan at the end.

Saturday found me at the last of Kristen’s Knits knit alongs. So, so sad.

 

Yolanda, our leader, with all of our stuff. The yarn is pretty much gone now. I bought a walls worth of the mesh shelves for a song. All I have to do is go get them.

After this, I went and got Laura so we could got down to the big sale at Pine Needles. For some reason, I didn’t take one picture there. I did let Marcia talk me into working a couple or so Saturdays a month, after I come back from vacation. She is so persuasive.

So Laura and I bought a grab back and talked ourselves out of more fabric. (I bet I go back and buy that sweet calf fabric though-I love the farm theme). Then it was off to Menards.

You really have to experience the Laura and Sarah show. First of all, we both talk so loud that we are virtually yelling at each other, then we apologize for yelling at each other, then we yell some more. Then Laura gets all funky waving her arms around to describe some fantastic thing, meanwhile, all the cars around us think she’s waving at them so they are all waving back at us. (Sometimes I do that too, I call it “pulling a Laura”). Then we just get so worked up about nothing that we can’t help but laugh hysterically, in addition to our loud talking, and someday it is going to get us thrown out of whatever establishment we happen to be in.

Like Menards. Such a simple stop. I had to get a light and a light switch. Laura was getting a rebate thingy (I don’t know-a check? a paper? a receipt? who can keep it straight). Easy you might think. However, somewhere deep within Menards I decided I had to look at toilets and the rest is history.

Laura said-“Oh, I wonder if they have dual flush toilets” and I, not realizing what this could lead to, said “What’s that?” thinking it was a toilet with a handle on each side to flush. Right or left handed. No. Not at all. So Laura gives me the “Seriously?” look and explains, in the middle of the aisle, with hand signals and fingers and numbers that a dual flush is (and I quote) “a flush for number one (holding up one finger on one hand) and another flush for number two (holding up two fingers on the other hand)”. I was incredulous so Laura explained it about 4 more times, using the one and two with fingers and hands. It was all very Sesame street, only we were talking toilet smack right in the middle of Menards. Oh, the irony.

Personally, it started some hysteria which ended with this picture.

1 for liquids, 1.6 for solids. And now you know. There was some random thoughts about how they label the handles/buttons/levers, picture or number, but by that time we knew it was time to check out. (I tried to get Laura to pose on a toilet, but alas, she would not)

In order to calm ourselves, we went over to Rochesterfest. But I gotta say, there wasn’t much fest about it. It was raining and there were about 50 people there.

All huddled under the skywalk, and me

washing down a corndog with a chocolate shake. And why didn’t I get a picture of Laura with her catfish basket? Another missed opportunity.

Cody has returned from Europe on Saturday afternoon-with Ilan and his girlfriend Pam

  

A happy bunch. Cody was here all of 3 hours, then left for the night and didn’t return until the next afternoon. Oh well.

Sunday Dave and I installed the light and light switch.

  

Success.

Lastly, Dave put up the tent in the living room in preparation for our camping trip to his sister’s in Wisconsin next weekend.

Very roomy, but…wait……

What is that?

He is everywhere. It was especially amusing when he was UNDER the tent and Chat was in the tent swiping at him.

It was enough to exhaust them both.

Lookin’ Smarter all the Time

I got new glasses last week. I got big black glasses because I am trying to look smarter.

Think it’s workin’ yet?

I realized that taking a picture of myself is not as easy as it looks.

Last weekend, I went to the Minnesota Quilt Show. I went up on Friday and stayed with my friend Jill. We had delicious Indian dinner and hung out at her place.

The next day it was off to St. Paul River Centre

(view from the Skyway) to see the show.

There’s a piece of it. And Jill, making the grand entrance. Actually, she wasn’t being that grand, I just had to capture her while she was captive because she tends to shy from the camera.

The quilts were completely AWESOME! Jeez. The creativity and imagination of these people is beyond my comprehension. As one of the other spectators said “I can execute, I just can’t think it up”. I hear ya sister.

See that? It’s this

Yo. Or this

That’s a giant quilt, not a square.

Sigh. I really like the smaller quilts this year. Like this one.

Doggy DayCare

This one reminded me of Blane

And this was one of my favorites

Is that not cool or what? Of course, my crappy camera doesn’t nearly capture it.

The River Crossing Our Borders was also a favorite. It was a group of people quilting what the river meant to them. It was then put together to form the whole. I loved it.

It really helps to click on the pictures to make it bigger.

What can I say, it was a splendiferous time.

Jill and I then headed back to her place, where our next plan is to dye the yarn she ordered the night before. Maybe when I get back from vacation. I can’t wait to try that.

So, I left her house around noon or so. I was on the way down the road when my friend Kari called, asking me if I was still in town. Well, of course, since I hadn’t seen her in about 10 months, I said I was and we had a impromptu meeting at Applebees. Gosh it was good to see her, and good to have a weekend with friends. I don’t know why I didn’t get  a picture of her too. Oh well.

I drove home through the pouring rain until about 40 miles from home when it turned dry, humid and sunny.

On Sunday, after I got up, had some pancakes, cut some fabric for a shop project, I ran 8 miles with Dave on the bike, and realized that my flowers are blooming.

See, here’s my wildflower garden with the birdfeeders, but wait-what’s that in the background?

It’s Yeltsie! She’s birdwatching. And probably really impressed by my new black glasses.

I got some new pictures just today.

This is Goober. What a name. I don’t even know if it’s a boy or girl. This little cow will never be as smart as my Twinkles, but I am starting to get interested. Plus, I love those weird black eyes.

Laura’s mom is all about this cow too. Note the thumb in his/her mouth. Actually in both pictures. Twinkles would have never fallen for the thumb trick.

And look, Laura loves this cow too!

Although there is something a little forced about that smile. And is she holding onto that little cow’s neck rather tightly? I don’t see her letting this little cow suck her thumb. Hmmm.

Well, I am starting a collection of Laura and Cow pictures. I now have two priceless masterpieces.

I found this online the other day. Actually I found it on Ravelry and then online. I think it might be something to think about, and it goes like this

“Remember when teachers, public employees, Planned Parenthood, NPR and PBS crashed the stock market, wiped out half of our 401Ks, took trillions in TARP money, spilled oil in the Gulf of Mexico, gave themselves billions in bonuses, and paid no taxes? Yeah, me neither.”

Just sayin’

Now-go hug a cow. 

 

Hello out there….

Well, I found out I have a couple more readers. I’m so excited I had to blog it.

The rabbits moved on. Sigh. I miss them a little. A couple didn’t make it but hopefully the rest are out there somewhere.

Aren’t they cute? I hope they’re happy, and they have the decency not to eat out of my garden.

Other news is I finished the May Skacel sock. Only one more to go.

Thank God. They are a bit large and Dave has been wearing them. Which is ok by me.

There is another new calf, Goober. I don’t like the name but I do like the little cow. AND there is a picture of Laura, my long lost blog muse, with said Goober. I will bother her for the next week to send this picture along.

Although nothing will compare with my Twinkles.

Pete is an angry bird lately. He is chasing the dogs and has turned on Dave with a vengeance.

 

Poor Little Dog. (By the way, he is very proud of his new haircut)

I hope Pete gets over what’s bothering him, which I think is his move to the other side of the room. He doesn’t do well with change. Not at all.

Cody called today and he is coming home 3 weeks early from Europe, because his travelling mate, Ilan, has a grandfather who is very ill. But I think his 5 weeks were well spent. He is currently relaxing in the south of France. He calls this “roughing it”.

We knit in public last weekend at Dunn brothers, but alas, I didn’t take any pictures. Seriously? What is wrong with me? I sometimes get picture phobic because of the crap camera.

But I did copy this yarn bomb shot from Lorri in Minneapolis. It is the best.

So, who can turn the world on with her smile?

Love is all around, no need to waste it
You can have a town, why don't you take it
You're gonna make it after all