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I had good intentions this morning of doing something on my Big TODO list.  I walked the Dog at 5:30 and then went back to bed as it was much too early to be awake. 

Woke up at 8:45 and took Beckett to daycare.  There were many dogs there this morning so I hope he’ll be tired tonight. 

 I then check the stack of bills and found only 2 that needed to be paid.  Made neat piles of the stack of paper and turned on the The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (audio book).  This limited me to go no father than my computer as the book was downloaded from the library.   It is a fascinating story.  I think that hearing it read makes it better.  The book is set on Guernsey Island in 1946 and the speakers all have English accents.

I did sew on the snaps and buttons on the baby sweater I made. 

Princess Fluffy took the opportunity of the absence of Beckett to beg some begging to be brushed.

 It’s been ages since I’ve been to Olympia Diner to knit with the Newington SNB.  I think I may go tonight.

My daughter called me Sunday and she said she’s started to show.  It’s so exciting, she’s more than halfway there.

 Tomorrow Home Depot is installing my storm door and my granddaughter is playing her viola in concert tomorrow evening.  I’m not sure that I’m the baby sitter or will be a concert goer.

 Last month my friend, Martine, came down for a visit to her boyfriend.  I met her for a birthday lunch at Westfarms Mall.  I also got to meet her sister, Annette.

Let’s start with the new tricks.   I am teaching Beckett to sit on command and today we started with down.  He is a big cheese hound and learned quickly.   I was so happy I made my husband watch and asked what we should teach next and he said:said “teach him not to shit in the house”.  I’m working on that.  He’s small and quick  and our house has an open floor plan so I have a problem keeping an eye on him.   Just as we started a routine we had a snow stom that dropped more inches of snow than he could keep his head above.

Here’s a picture of my Granddog Murphy, who stayed the week with us and Beckett playing tug o war.

I updated Ravelry today with new pictures of some project  in the works and a couple of new ones.  I’m making a sweater for Melanie, Ryan’s American Doll.  Here’s a picture  And this is a picture of Ryan on her 8th birthday and her doll in matching outfits.

This is a picture of a sweater for Ryan:

This is a pair of toe up socks I’m working on :

I’m using Judy’s Magic Cast On and the short row tutorial listed on Lillian’s Facebook page

As long as I’m doing pictures here’s Becket after he tired himself out by helping me wind the yarn in the sock picture!!!!

Becket went to Rocky Hill Animal Hospital Tuesday and got a kennel cough treatment and made a pile in the lobby so they were able to do a fecal sample.  The glass is always half full!!!!   I think he is going to go to day care at River Run once a week for a while to socialize.  They have the cutest little guy area.  You should stop in and see it.

I finished “The Last Lecture” today and cried.  I missed the big U-Tube thing on it.  It’s a Berlin Book Club Book.

I’m supposed to be making plans for a trip to see my favorite sister, but haven’t done anything about it yet.  Too busy doing condo things and dog things.

 RANTING

What is wrong with people???  Today in the times a man had a house he bought and refinanced and too 1 Million $$$$ out and not his house is not worth what it was and wants a reduction on his loans.   Hey GUY what did you do with the CASH??

What makes people think they are entitled???  

It seems that people in power (think CEOs, TRADERS, Hedge Fund Manager and of course Politicians) feel that we owe them something.  What’s up with

No one on facebook asked about him.  I guess he’ll remain a surprise.

Yesterday I took my neighbor, Bessie, to Creative-Fibers to get some yarn and guess what? I didn’t buy anything.  We had lunch afterwards and today I brought the pea-pod pattern over to her house and we knitted for awhile.

Yesterday morning we had a visit from Loralie and Dave and 3 of their 11 dogs.  Actually, they had 4, but kept one in the car.   Miss Fluffy puffed herself up when she met the dogs, but since she is bigger than they are she didn’t seem to mind them.  I guess she thought they were like all dog visitors, they leave soon.   LOL

Tomorrow I’m going to Stamford to visit my uncle. I try to make the trip at least once a month.  He was sixteen when I was born and  is my Godfather.   There are only 3 children out of 8 children on my father’s side and none of 6 of my mother’s side.  The way my brother puts it is “now we’re that generation”.   Ghastly, isn’t it?

We here at Beckley Farms Condos are very angry at the way Nathan Cohen has run his business, CT and our association.  He behavior is criminal and rude.   He has no conscience and never learned the Golden Rule.

 WIPS:  Same old, same old, and now I have startitis!  5 projects:

Peapod baby sweater set, pea-pod big girls sweater, ribbed socks, Irish Hiking Scarf, and that damn celtic neck warmer.  Trying to do the neck warmer has convinced me that I have dyslexia.

 Right now I am going to finish the sleave of the baby sweater and the socks, while I watch tuesday night shows.

The reasonI haven’t gotten much knitting or reading done is that I down loaded software to make a photo album and it is time consuming

We’re getting our taxes ready to do the taxes, what this means is (I do the bills in our relationship) and my husband says get me this and get me that (because he does the taxes).

I have been knitting and reading and staying in.  In addition, unbeknown to me, I’ve been growing my hair.  I am in desperate need for a hair cut.  This is what happens when I don’t make an appointment when I leave the shop after a haircut.  Then I start thinking maybe I should grow it longer or maybe cut it really short.  Thinking like that always makes me sorry.

I’ve read Home to Holly Springs, and a book about a father talking about his son’s drug addiction.  I also read a novelette by John Grisham  called The Bleachers.  I’m going to gather the info and put it on the reading page on the blog.  Now I’m reading a Kellerman mystery.

On the knitting front I am working on my Pea-pod baby sweater-set. This is my first time using a knitting chart and I’ve frogged a few times. I thought I was finished and realized that I didn’t make the armholes big enough when I went to put on the sleeves. So I had to frog again.   This is the yarn that I bought when Martine and we snuck up to the Webb’s sale.  The other yarn, grey, is waiting for the perfect men’s sweater pattern.  But the hat’s done (but no picture of the hat). If I don’t put in the stash on Ravelry, does it count?

I also ordered some things from Knit Picks.  I had to…  I stepped on my number 5 interchangeable harmony wood needle and had to reorder another one.  Here’s the catch.  If you order $50 or more they ship it to you free!  Who doesn’t like free?  I bought a few knitting accessories and some sock yarn and the Mason Dixon Knitting Book.  Hey if was 40% off.

At the end of next month my grand-dog is coming to stay a week with us.  I can’t wait.  He is so calm and good.  He even gets along with Miss Princess Fluffy. 

Speaking of Miss fluffy, she is getting to be a hairy beast.  I try to brush her while we are watching Television, but she is impatient with me.  I tell her that she is going to have to get groomed, but she just gives me that stare.  As a parting note, always remember to save before you publish

I chose to write this morning because I have been catching up on my blog reading and saw Amy Tan Ridley, a R&B Singer singing in the subway and now am a fan!

I tried to embedd the UTube of her singing, but you can see it at my son-in-laws blog here.

 Here is the Kitty we got last fall, she’s still not a year old. This a picture of Pricess Fluffy in April 2008

   And here she is in May 2008!!  Whose cat did the groomer give me???????

I didn’t realize what a small cat she is.  She weighed 11 lbs before grooming.

I’ve finished my sweater with the yarn from Kris’ Painted Sheep Yarn: 
 I’m debating putting a kangroo pouch pocket on it, but I need to figure out how.

I’m also making a Minnowknits Vest and Hat #175QK with Breeze Heirloom yarn.  It’s handwash or dryclean only, so perhaps it’s not good for a kids vest, but I love working with this yarn and love the colors.  The pattern calls for bulky yarn but this seems to be DK.  I didn’t want to do all the math to make it work, so I just cast on for the largest size and used the recommended needles for the recommend by the Heirloom (size 5) and let the size be what it came out to be.  FYI I cast on size 8 and it’s a size 2.  It’s almost finished.  I still have to do the arm band and I intent to redo the neck band. 

I figured out how to make a smooth edge when decreasing.  I didn’t perl the last stitch and then just bound off on the knit side.  Probably everyone knows this, but wow, now I know. See how smooth (the color is off but it’s the same vest as above) the bound off edge is?  That 4 rounds of bindoffs!!