Sunday, May 22, 2011

Fiber Immersion & happy exhaustion: the 2011 LYS Tour!

I just spent the last 3 days attending the full circuit on the LYS (Local Yarn Shop) tour of the greater Puget Sound area.  25 stores participated, and it involved 3 islands and 2 ferry rides!  Each shop provides a unique 1-Skein project pattern that they have created, and they feature a particular yarn to make it, which is offered at 10% off during the tour.  We got our "passport" stamped at each store, and when the passport is full, we turn them in so we can be entered into a drawing for WONDERFUL prizes of generous gift certificates to be used at any of the stores.  There are also daily drawings at each of the stores.  This is my 3rd year participating, and I have never won a daily drawing at any of the stores, nor have I ever won any of the grand prize drawings.  Will this be the year?
Here I am turning in my completed passport at "Cultured Purls" yarn shop in Issaquah, WA - - which is the shop that I consider to be my "home base". With me are my daughter, Carmen (age 17), and my sister, Andrea, who completed the entire tour with me this year. She turned in her passport at a different store...(long story on that one).

I have a binder for each tour, with the featured patterns all collected there. I also have quite a stash of yarn to go with many of the projects.  Now what I need is TIME to work on them!  There's the rub.
Here I am with my friend, Lois, waiting for "ChurchMouse Yarns & Teas" on Bainbridge Island to open. This is my favorite yarn shop EVAH!!

Monday, October 4, 2010

Scarf Photo




OK, I'm attempting to upload some photos so that they can be imported to my Ravelry account. I'm hoping this works!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Miss "Montana" takes a nap

I just love this photo I captured of our little Westie, "Montana", who was taking a nap in our front window this afternoon. It looks so inviting, and I just wanted to go lie down next to her and enjoy the afternoon slumber. She is such a sweet dog, although she definitely gets into her share of mischief!

A fun Saturday afternoon it was, this 6th day of June, 2009.
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Sunday, March 29, 2009

A visit from an old friend

March 28, 2009

"Make new friends, but keep the old; One is Silver, the other, GOLD."

I recently reconnected with a friend from my high school days, Robert. I met him when I was 16 years old at a Lutheran Youth convention. We became pretty good friends back then, writing to each other regularly, and calling each other almost weekly. (no internet or e-mail existed back then!)
Speaking of the internet, that's how I found Robert! I searched for him on Facebook, and eventually narrowed down the people who had his first & last name and middle initial - - suprisingly, there are many people who share those things with him! Anyway, I found him last fall, I think sometime in November. We spent 3 hours on the phone catching up on each others' lives over the past 21 years, and then we have been communicating through e-mail every since.
Robert and his girlfriend, Ellen, took a vacation to the Seattle area this past weekend, and they came out to our home for dinner on Friday night. Then on Saturday my daughters & I enjoyed lunch at Ivar's with him and Ellen, and then toodled around downtown Seattle for a bit. This photo is from our lunch at Ivar's. I can't wait to see Robert's photos that he took at the "Utilikilts" store!

It was a lot of fun to reminisce with Robert about high school and college days, and after spending time with him, I miss him more than ever now. Shoot! Why does Boise have to be so far away?

My girls really enjoyed both Robert & Ellen. I'm glad that they got to meet him and learn a little more about their Mom's life from 'way back when'.

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Wednesday, January 21, 2009

MRI Results show an unexpected result

Well! Yesterday was.....interesting. I got some very helpful information from the MRI, which is that I have a bulging disk (L5) that is slightly impinging the nerve that controls the muscles that extend around my sacrum. And the bulge is on the left side of my spine. This is the side that I've been having pain, weakness, numbness, etc. - so we have our answer as to the cause now! Now we can treat the area in a way that will more likely provide desirable results. Hooray! So I'm starting back to physical therapy today. I'm nervous about that, because in the past it has been painful to have P.T.; we'll see how it goes.

The disk injury was no surprise to my doctor; what was a surprise was that the MRI of my pelvis revealed that I have a cyst on my left ovary! I have never had this sort of thing before, so it threw me for a bit of a loop. I went this morning for a pelvic ultrasound, and tomorrow I'll meet with my Ob/Gyn to see what they recommend doing about it, if anything. Just by luck, my annual exam at the OB was already scheduled for tomorrow, so this information has good timing!

Friends and family have been very supportive during this process. I'm thankful for that.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Today

Today I am glad for a new week. It's Monday, but I'm doing OK. I've been eating pretty healthy, and finally took time to read the new Weight Watchers materials that I've had for weeks. I'm struggling to fit the new "momentum" program into my lifestyle. I exercised twice in the last 3 days, which is great for me!

Today I received a lengthy e-mail from my friend Robert, an old high school friend that I recently reconnected with after 20+ years of not being in touch. In it he detailed a lot of what has been going on with him and his kids and his ex-wife. It's not good. I'm upset thinking about it. His kids will be moving to Arizona at the end of the week. Maybe he will be able to have some sanity with the melodrama not being right there in his face everyday. I pray that will be the case. My heart aches when a friend is hurting. I've always been that way. It makes me depressed, and it is hard for me to focus on work.

Speaking of work, it is busy! It is a good distraction.

I had an MRI on my birthday, which was a few days ago. Tomorrow I meet with the doctor to hear her interpretation of what she sees. I hope she'll find something that is fixable!

I praise God for the good health, thinking skills, and gifts that I have been given. May I put them to good use.

Now I'm off to do taxes! .......

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Ornaments and memories

It is finally time to put away the Christmas decorations for another year. Why does it seem to take so much longer than when I put them up?

One thing I observe almost every year as I take the ornaments out of their boxes, but more so as I put them away in their boxes after Christmas, is how the various ornaments bring back memories of different times in my life or old friends. Some I have received from friends that I haven't seen in many years, and it makes me wonder how they are doing. Other ornaments remind me of groups that I once belonged to that had an ornament exchange. Then the memories of not only that group, but that entire phase of my life come to the forefront of my thoughts. 'This one was when we first moved to Redmond'; 'this one I won at a Bunco party on that snowy day'. 'This one was from a friend who has now moved far away, and I haven't met most of her children'. And so on.

The ones that I seem to cherish the most are (naturally) the ones that my mom made. She loved to crochet little angels, and I have several of them. She also made me a hot air balloon ornament that she crocheted. No matter how tattered it may become, I'll never discard it. The ornaments made by my children of course remind me of their elementary school days.

Our tree gets more and more cluttered each year with ornaments, as we accumulate more experiences and relationships. I imagine that there will be a time in my life when I will want to de-clutter my Christmas tree, but for now, I celebrate the messiness of it. It serves as a reminder of how very blessed, how very rich our family life is.

Praise be to God.