Cleaning out my closets!

It feels so good to de-stash!

Last week when I was cleaning for FIL's visit I was putting away shoes in my closet to discover I STILL have 7 Coach bags (plus matching wallets, makeup bags etc) on one of the shelves. I've had these bags for years (the newest piece is from 1999) & I don't use them anymore. I've been talking about putting them on Ebay for a while & just haven't gotten around to it.

Well last night I did---3 bags plus their accessories went up (I'm keeping my large tote, my Abbie zip for Betsy, my small black plaid bag & right now a med. tan bag but it'll probably be up for auction by the end of the day). Woke up this morning to discover I sold my red tote & it's goodies! YAY! It's boxed up & ready to ship out tomorrow.

Did the same thing with some yarn a couple wks ago & last week as well. I bought a ton of Noro Kureyon last fall & winter & while I love the colors I HATE how it felts. So now they are en route to their new owners. I also brought 30 skeins to one of the nursing homes in town for their residents to use. My stash is down to 228 skeins but I'll probably destash again in a few weeks. I have some bamboo & rosewood needles to put on Ebay---maybe I'll get to it later today.

What a week!

Where to even begin?

The wiggly one started school this week. She's having a blast & we're already noticing a change in her normally good behavior! She's listening better & sitting better for meals! Woo Hoo!! Here she is on her first day--disney princess backpack, little people & all! She's also eating goldfish for snacktime---something she would never do at home!

I managed to get 2 "Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono"'s done this week. One is for Tara & Sal's daughter & the other is a gal at MOMS whose son is due in Oct. I'm trying to decide whether to make bibs or washcloths for her (him really). She's new to our group but very sweet. She fits in with our group very well! Maybe I'll do washcloths. AC Moore has millendsI'm going to make some drawstring pants to match the kimono for Tara & Sal's little girl as she'll be born up in NY & it's chilly there.

FIL came to visit this week for a couple days---it was nice having him here. He hadn't been down to visit since the 1st time Hunter went to Kuwait in '02. Now that he's retired (closed their stores) he's got more leisure time. Hunter took him on post & showed him around. He also got to go into one of the Bradleys in the motorpool which he thought was great. Bets was happy to have someone else to read to her & took full advantage of having Pa-Pa when it came time to bedtime stories!

Hunter grilled a Boston Butt which came out fantastic! He started the coals at 10 am & by 5 it was done to perfection. Some double fork shredding action followed & we had the yummiest supper!

The bummer about this week is that Bets is allergic to something. We haven't given her anything new or different but apparantly something is causing her rash. She's got atarax to take 3x a day to help with itching while we change her detergent to Dreft (why can't they recommend Baby Purex which is soooooo much cheaper?) & her body wash to Dove. I really don't want to have to take her to an allergist or dermatologist for the scratch test so hopefully it's the detergent. We'd switched a few weeks ago to All Free/Clear which you think wouldn't cause a reaction but who knows.

Today's project: finishing my Cascade Fixation Anklet & getting some yarn I sold on KR boxed up.

Hope everyone's having a good weekend!!!

And now, weekend update. . .

"Good evening, I'm Chevy Chase, & you're not"

Anyone remember that??? Class? Bueller? Bueller???

Another lovely weekend has passed in my little corner of the world. Friday morning Betsy & I went swimming for a couple hours. I brought the video camera & took about 20 min of video to send to my parents. They're going to love watching her push off the stairs & kick her way across to the other side of the pool!


Finally got my partner for my Mason Dixon Swapcloth exchange after confusion about my email address. So Friday night while Hunter was watching Sci Fi (Stargate gag), I relegated myself to the bedroom & watched "Elizabethtown" & knitted away. I wasn't prepared for the memorial scene & how much I would cry. Sap that I am. I had swapcloth #1 done by 1030! Woo Hoo!

Saturday we had a MOMS weekend activity & drove out to the Lane Packing co. in Ft Valley, GA (about 70 miles away from us). We toured their peach orchards, pecan groves & saw some of their peanut plants (plants? what do they call peanut orchards/groves??? ). We let the kids play for a little while & had lunch, bought some yummies (vidalia onion ranch dressing SUPER YUM! & some bbq sauce for Hunter). I knitted swapcloth #2 that afternoon! SUCCESS! Add some stitch markers, pull out a soap from my stash & I'm done!

We used the aforementioned bbq sauce on our pork tenderloin that Hunter grilled for supper. Again, much yummines. Watched the final episode of Alton Brown's "Feasting on Asphalt" last night. I'm bummed that the show was only 4 episodes. I love his "Good Eats" show as well!

Today we went for a walk in the morning (after our lazy Sunday tradition of breakfast & reading the paper). We also have a weird traditon---we look at the birth listings in the paper & see what the most rediculous name is. You get points for creative spellings, multiple punctuation & just obviously made up names.

Ran errands this afternoon while Bets napped (hunter too) & then took Libby out to play ball after Bets woke up. Talked to one of my best friends from home (her hubby came home a couple mos ago after spending 4 months in Iraq) & caught up w/ her. Hard to believe her "baby" is going into 2nd grade this fall! I remember going to see her in the hospital the day he was born! Time truly flies!

Speaking of school----Bets starts preschool on Tuesday. I'm excited & nervous all at the same time! It's going to be a good experience for her (her teachers are both friends of mine from MOMS) & I know she's going to have fun but I'm still 2nd guessing my decision to enroll her. *sigh* If it doesn't work out I can always pull her right???

Tonight's knitting? I'm starting the MDK kimono for Tara & Sal's little girl due in Dec! I have 2 bibs & 2 washcloths done for her already. After the kimono I'll start a blanket, I think. I have some pretty Lorna's Laces that I got in a swap & it's perfect for a baby girl.

Dishcloth madness

Or ball band madness, more specifically. Got these done between last Friday & today (you can see the blue & green in the upper right hand corner needs to have the ends woven in)

I'm starting a purple & yellow one tonight & going onto a purple kick.

Less than 1 week until the wiggly one starts school---Ack!!!

Woo Hoo! Puffy arrived today!

This came in the mail today---a gorgeous blue dishcloth & some pretty blue stitch markers from my exchange partner!


I love doing exchanges because there is something about making an item for someone you've never met, be it a dish cloth or purse. It's exciting to be doing something nice for a stranger & to put so much thought into their "puffy". One of my favorite items ever received was a dish scrubby my last dishcloth exchange partner made. I loved it so much that I started making them myself---both to keep & as gifts to go along w/ dishcloths. I've found that I like them better than store bought ones as they're less abrasive on my Calphalon!

More shameless bragging!

Hunter got called out of the Combat Lifesaver class he was teaching on Friday to go down to the Battalion office where the Brigade CO & all the BTN CO's were having a meeting. He (and 3 of his friends) get down there to find out they're receiving Army Commendation Medals for saving the life of a guy in their unit last month. He's a 35 yr old man who suffered a heart attack during PT. Hunter & the 3 other medics fell out of their run, sprang into action & did what they do best. They got his heart going again & kept him stable until he could be transported to the hospital.

In addition to their ARCOM they also received a division coin which was nice. I am SO proud of him. This is the 2nd soldier whose live he saved in a non-combat situation (the other was a guy when they were at NTC in '04---they diagnosed him w/ appendicitis & got him to the hospital at Ft Irwin (they were in the "box" at the time) in time for the doctors there to operate.) I'm not even going to talk about all the soldiers & Iraqis he treated during OIF1 & OIF3.

Way to go sweetie! I am so proud of you!!

Happy Birthday to my Sweetie!

Happy Birthday to the best husband I could ever have! I love you more than you know & am so proud to be your wife!!!

Can I just add that it's so nice to have my birthday boy home to celebrate instead of in Ramadi dodging IED's?!!

I tucked a card into his uniform jacket last night so he'd find it this morning when he was dressing. Bets & I are going to join him for lunch today & bring him some chocolate chip cookies & tonight we'll have cake. I STILL need to find one more piece to his present. *sigh*

Did I mention that this wonderful man & birthday boy went to JAG for me yesterday so I wouldn't have to deal w/waiting w/ the wee one? Yep. He did that. Got the form so we dont have to pay the Ad Valoreum tax & also updated my POA (which expired last month). I know he doesn't deploy for a year but I still like to have one. I think I'm just so used to him being gone & having POA that I HAVE to have the form all the time.

I made pumpkin bread yesterday----yum! Tonight we're having a chicken dish (almost like enchiladas) that I saw on Paula Deen. Looks yummy & looked insanely easy so we'll give it a shot.

I'm off to take the dog out, get my cookie dough into the oven & get ready to drop Libby off at the groomers & go to the Tag office before lunch w/ my wonderful birthday boy!

Anklets & a good parking space means trouble

Got my anklets done for my Cascade Fixation KAL & have put them away for Christmas for MIL. I also got my Mom's fall bag felted this weekend & now need to go shopping for a strap & hardware for it. I'm going to try the pleather (plastic + leather = pleather) straps I'm seeing advertised. They have them at Hobby Lobby & Hancock Fabrics so I'll have to run out to either store & pick up a purple strap.

Yesterday I mailed out my Dishcloth Exchange partner's "puffy" ---I hope she likes it! I made her a purple spacloth w/ a dragonfly on it & added a brown sugar/vanilla soap (she loves vanilla) & the purple stitchmarkers I made. I can't wait to see what my partner made me!!!

So back to my good parking space. . .yesterday I went to the commissary to do our big monthly shopping. Hunter said he'd watch Bets while I was there if I dropped her off at his office---win win situation right? I get to shop childfree & he gets to spend lunch hour w/ his daughter. Sounded good to me.

So I race off Kelley hill to the commissary & get a space almost in the 1st row! And oddly enough, the parking lot's not that full. You'd think that I'd realize this means trouble but no, not me, not the optimistic side of me anyway. . .

I get into the commissary only to discover that their computers are DOWN & have been down since 730 that morning (it's now 1215pm). Fortunately by the time I was ready to check out (1250 pm) they were back up & running. I raced back up to the Hill, got Bets & was home by 130 to get her down at 2 for her nap. My nap came from 330 until 4 LOL!

Today we hosted playgroup & had a pool party. Bets was wiped out & had a good 2 1/2 hr nap afterwhich we took the ziti I made out to Michelle (my friend from MOMS who was just diagnosed w/ Crohn's) & them home for pizza w/ Hunter. We took a walk after dinner to see the ducks & now the wee one's in the bath & I'm thinking about getting in bed after I do my day 2 of my Monthly Dishcloth KAL assignment & CO my 2nd pr of Cascade Fixation Anklets.