Old Cats Learning New Tricks

We know how the saying goes for dogs...but is it true of cats? We decided it was time to find out...

The scenario: Can 2 senior kitties have the will and aptitude to shimmy their portly bodies through a hole in a door to voyage to an underground lair containing their litter box? Perhaps, if there were a handsome reward.

Here are the pics of the event...

You'll notice how only one cat went through the door yet two are claiming treatitude...in our scenario, Clete is the old dog refusing to learn new tricks but we're slowly getting there..

New Baby=More Knitting Projects!

The only thing superior to a friend requesting a sweater, is a friend having a baby! This baby, I assure you, will be heaped with plenty of knitted goods, school work permitting. I made this cardigan for him, albeit he'll swim in it now but this stuff is just too much work to see him wear it twice and outgrow it.

Sweater Request

I think there are few things that my knitter side likes more than being asked to make something for someone. Our friend S was visiting the other weekend and I was talking about how I was trying to make my commute 'worth it' by accomplishing things in the car when it's not my turn to drive. I was listing off numerous knitting projects that I've gotten underway since the commute began and he benignly asked if I was knitting a sweater. Yes, of course I am! A cowl neck in eggplant/burgundy for yours truly, a baby blanket, and a stocking.

Then, he requested a sweater! I let him choose from various designs (he chose the Elizabeth Zimmerman Seamlesss Hybrid--I've made two now, one for M and one for me). Then we talked color, something in an earth tone. I chose a heathered forest green for him, Cascade 220 Superwash (the ability to wash was a must).

The color is more accurate here...

but here you can see the heathering a bit more...

Tonight, I'm checking my guage and plan to cast on!

Knitting Update

Ok, I would like to say again how incredibly difficult it is to load pictures to this site. The loading is fine, it's the arranging I guess. And somehow amidst me trying to unsuccessfully rearrange the pics, I deleted all of my previous text.

The long and the short, I made the below baby blanket for a coworker whose baby shower was today. I also think Debbie Bliss could make easier patterns. Lucky for you, you missed a much longer winded and verbose version of this. The blanket is two sided, colors blocks on one side, stripes on the other and then sewn together. Was a big hit!

Eyeing...

Boden-Brondsbury Blazer $148

Boden-Marlybone $278

BR-Cotton Zip $125

Nordstrom-Trotters Margot Pump $90

Agenda

Goals for the week
1. Call Dear Mother
2. Finish paper--need to eke out one more page, type reference list, make some edits, make title page
3. Finish baby blanket for coworkers shower on Friday
4. Put cookbooks on newly stained bookcase (pic to follow)
5. Organize office better
6. Organize master bathroom better
7. Grocery shop
8. Get library card

Boooooorring...Yawn.

Last Friday, I got out of work a little bit early and thought I would head to my local retailer to see what the early Fall lines look like. What a disappoinment! I know I said this last year, but seriously, I feel like no one is putting any effort into designing the clothes. Maybe I need to shop at more inventive stores...maybe I'm just old.

Store after store, it was very basic clothes in very boring colors. I think I wrote a post almost exaclty like this heading into last fall. I should go back in look, my memory fails me in my old age. I went to Banana republic, same old same old and in the same boring colors they have had forever. Gap, another stand by, same old same old. Was slightly intrigued by an olive green v-neck which was $39.50, I of course have been shopping long enough to know this will come down at the end of August and I'll buy it then. I did see one very very soft flesh tone leather bag that I liked there, for the price of $168. That's a definite wait and see item.

Project: Bookcase

Readers, meet unfinished bookcase that had been banished to the basement until I had the bright idea of learning how to stain it. This is part of my lofty goal of learning how to stain, then strip and restain in the hopes that I can feel confident enough to restain our bathroom and kitchen cabinets. See, I told you lofty. Anyway, I'm starting small with this unassuming, unfinished pine bookcase.

I asked the fine people at Lowe's how to do it. I was told to get a medium grit sandpaper, sand the rough areas. I sanded all over actually.

I then used a wood conditioner to prep the wood to be stained. I used a foam brush to paint it on.

These next pics are of the first coat of the finish on. I still have another coat to do before I am done. It's airing out in the shed outside. If it's nice this weekend I'll probably do it outside on the back deck so it doesn't get so fumy in the basement

It's 5 'clock Somewhere!

Last night was our last online session for my Health Policy course. I was dreading it, a night full of presentations when I could be working on my paper, eating my dinner at anything other than break neck speed, or perhaps knitting a stitch or two. I even considered skipping it, lots of people couldn't attend because of work schedules so I even thought of using that excuse.

Luckily, my conscience prevailed and I attended because it was the most entertaining of any online session yet! There was a fellow student who was totally tanked! She kept interrupting the presentations, telling stories that had nothing to do with what the slides were about....At times I cringed for her, there were times in her many stories that I thought she was going to start crying. Mind you, the presentations were on nurse practitioner reimbursement rates from Medicare...yes the 85% reimbursement rate is heartbreaking but nothing to cry about. This woman was telling stories of various stories about her family, her goals, medications...It was remarkable!

The amazing part is that the professor did nothing to redirct this woman and her alcohol fueled tangents. She left it up to the poor speakers who were being interrupted to wait for her to finish her stories and somehow direct everyone back to the slides. It was truly an exception night and great fun was had by all!

Another Adventure

Tonight, my plan was to bake Lemon Cheesecake Bars with Fresh Blackberries after my trip to the gym and the grocery store. Steps 1 and 2 went well, I was just beginning to crush my graham crackers for the crust when M came upstairs telling me he smelled gas.

I went downstairs and I also caught a whiff of it, then just like that, it was gone. We thought we were going crazy, gave our noses a rest and then went back down a few minutes later. The central air had kicked on and we both smelled it again. We decided to call the gas company who told us to leave everything as is until the technician got there.

They sent someone out and he couldn't detect a leak, he soaped up the pipes three times and couldn't detect anything. So, if it happens again we're supposed to call back....

My cheesecake did get baked, with some trepidation, a few hours later than expected. It's just chilling now, no berry application tonight. If I were a morning person, I'd get up 15 minutes earlier and prep them. Because I'm not, the packaged berries will be accompanying me to work and I'll do it there :)

Friends and Food

Yesterday, A and S came over to see the new house. E liked gathering sticks in the yard and hand delivering them to us and attempting to eat the acorns that adorn our back deck.

We tried a new Thai place for luch which was really good. In our old 'hood, we had zero Thai so we're glad that we have an inexpensive good place nearby. Unfortunately, haven't seen any Indian food yet :(

We also tried one of the two dairy stands near our house, I voted to go for the one where the line is usually the longest since they are both on the same road and within 1/2 mile of each other. It was ok, not great by any means. A kept finding chunks of ice in her ice cream and they got the order for E wrong. I, ever the fan of Dairy Queen Blizzards or it's brethen, was disappointed to see no nods in this direction. It was straight up ice cream in a cone or a dish or frappes. I got a malted frappe (Coffee Khalua Brownie) which could have been heavier on the malt powder. Oh well. We'll try the other one next time.

In gym news, I did a machine I have never seen nor tried before. It basically forces you to do a crunch by bringing your upper torso down and bringing your legs up. I did 10 and my lower abdominals are killing me today. Go machine!

Today I'm planning to attempt staining our unfinished bookcase...pics to follow