Back from MS

We are back from the great state of Mississippi. The week went quickly and it was great to see Mom and Dad. Plus I got tons of knitting done. As you can see from the following photo, the 'hairball' has grown. I love this yarn. I could roll around in this yarn. Yummy yarn.

The other thing I was working on, the golden beige scarf, is finished, mostly due to my mom. She kept saying that she was thinking about getting back into knitting, so I asked her to finish a row for me while I checked on Monkey Boy. The row turned into about a third of the scarf! I think its safe to say that she's infected!

Visiting Mississippi

Hi ya'll! Just wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten you. I'm visiting my parents in Mississippi this week and they just have a dail-up connection, so uploading is a bit of a challenge. I'll catch with you over the weekend!

Summer in the South

From reading other blogs and watching the Weather Channel, I know that it is hot EVERYWHERE! The Deep Coastal South is no exception. We hit 100 on Sunday, which is ever so pleasant with our 90% humidity. Normal sane people stay inside when its hot like this. Not us! We decided to visit a couple of lots that we have on the Altamaha River. We just wanted to check them out to make sure that no one had put a trailer on them and started living there (they do that around here) or that they hadn't become someone's personal trash dump. Of course, on the way, we needed nourishment. So we stopped at Krystal's. Yummmmmm!

After nourishment, we headed out to the lots. Monkey Boy was so excited about the whole adventure as he got to bring his BB gun with him. What is with boys and BB guns? Anyway, the lots were fine and the views are still gorgeous, as you can see from the photo. We have two lots out there, each an acre.

I was surprised at how much the foliage had grown up in the past few months. I'm always amazed at what will grow unattended, unplanned. Flowers, trees, berries, critters all seem to nurture each other. We have swamp daisies (they look like sunflowers), at least a dozen different kinds of trees and shrubs on the lot. And Spanish moss. If you aren't from the coastal south you may not have ever seen this strange plant. I love Spanish moss. It absolutely drips from the trees here. When I was a child I would get so excited about seeing it because it meant we were near the beach. Did you know Spanish Moss isn't a moss and is related to pineapple?!

On the knitting front, I have bravely continued with my wrap/shawl project. Those of you who read this blog regularly, know the project as 'the hairball.' The 'hairball' has grown and blossomed and I'm so glad that I stuck with it. It doesn't photograph well, but it is beautiful. You should feel it. It is so soft. I love that it is going to be lightweight but warm. It is the best of all worlds. I should finish it next week when I'm visiting my parents in Mississippi. The scarf is coming along, too. I got about 7 inches done during the movie, You and Me, Dupree.

Monkey Boy is at his first overnight camp this week! This is major, for both him and us parent folk. My poor DH is wandering around the house lost without him. When we dropped Monkey Boy off yesterday, it was totally, "Bye Mom. Bye Dad. See ya at the end of the week!" He could at least pretend to miss us! He, of course, grabbed a top bunk and proceeded to ignore our existence.

Monkey Boy enjoys the fine, air-conditioned comfort of his cabin.

Happy Birthday to Peaches and Purls!

Today is the 1st anniversary of Peaches and Purls. Hooray! I've really enjoyed having someplace to write, think and ponder. I did take a break from it for a couple of months but have recently gotten over my blogging blahs and have regained my joy for this. Long live Peaches and Purls!

Tales of a Yarn Kitty and Gin

Last night I was unpacking some of the stuff I brought back from Michigan. I piled the yarn I bought on clearance on the bed. Suddenly the Mysterious Miss Kitty appeared. She started her yarn investigation by sniffing the yarn and then selected one skein to push all around the bed using her nose!

"I love the smell of yarn in the morning!"

After growing bored with that activity, she started knocking the skeins of yarn off the bed with her paws. After graciously allowing me to collect the yarn and reassemble my pile, she lounged in it. Meow!

I'm too sexy for my yarn!

My DH has taken Monkey Boy with him on a business trip so I'm alone this week (as alone as you can be with a pathologically needy puppy and psychotic cat!). Last night my big decision was whether to have hot dogs and gin and tonic for dinner or steak and wine. I ended up splitting the middle and had steak and G & T. I didn't feel lonely or restless and couldn't even manage to feel guilty for not feeling lonely. So either I need the 'alone time' or it was a side effect of the gin!

Yarn Lesson

Yesterday I was cruising around the clearance area of my local Wally World's craft department and found some yarn that had gorgeous colors. I, of course, bought it all. It is Lion Chenille in the Paris colorway. The photo really doesn't do it justice as it is so much more vivid:

After going to the Lion's website to look for patterns to use this yarn, I discovered, much to my horror, that this yarn is not recommended for knitting, only for crochet. Yarn that's not recommended for knitting, what kind of twisted logic is this? Didn't the Bible mention this as one of the signs that the world was going to end?

I don't crochet and don't really want to as I still feel like a novice and want to keep my focus on knitting before taking up yet another hobby. So after some investigation I discovered that the reason chenille isn't recommended for knitting is due to the phenomena known as worming. Worming when your yarn "unwinds" from your knitting so you have loops of it dangling down like little worms all over your finished project.

I have a history of embracing flaws. I've embraced my ADD. People marvel at my ability to do 3 to 5 tasks simultaneously. I've embraced my insomnia. Friends comment about the fact I get so much done. So, with this attitude, I've decided to embrace chenille's worming. I'm going to knit a scarf using a loopy stitch. I'll post photos when I get started.

Knitty is Out!!!

Run to the Knitty website! The new edition has posted!!!!

Feeling Beige

Apparently I'm in a beige mood as indicated by what's on my needles. Both are for the same person. One is a scarf and the other a shawl. Both are shades of beige. Of course one is on the gold side of beige and the other one is on the taupe side of beige, but both are beige. Check it out, even the carpet is beige.


What kind of boring person knits in beige in summer? Shouldn't I be knitting in blue or green or sunset orange, anything but beige? What has driven me to beige? Could it be my job, my lack of sleep or just the need to make something for someone that will be wearable with lots of things? Hmmm, psychoanalysis based on knitting color choice; any thoughts?

Americana Summer

They couldn't be any more cliched American in Mayberry than we were at my house this year. Monkey Boy and his friend, K-Man, set up a lemonade/soda stand in the front yard. The funny part of the stand is what it was made of: it use to be a crate for a $20,000 chandelier! (Can you say privileged childhood?!) No, the chandelier is not in my house. It is in the antique store where I work. We painted it up right with red, white and blue.

I was in charge of decorating the yard. Check it out: banners around the porch, paper lanterns in the trees and red and blue punching balloons scattered around. I loved it!

Dinner was awesome. I made barbecue pork sandwiches and hot dogs. Saundra made a great potato salad. Nancy made an awesome Asian cole slaw. Throw in some chips and sodas and you're done!

Happy birthday America!

I have to share this photo of Monkey Boy. His cousin Dee bought him a set of 6 fake noses so that you can 'pick your nose.' Look at silly Monkey Boy. He has them on his nose, ears and knees! Don't sneeze, Monkey Boy!

Back and 4th (of July!)

I love the 4th. Not just because it is a great holiday but because family comes for a visit. DH's family from Charlotte and Alabama come and stay at a nearby campground. I love visiting with them there. We talk, sit, talk, eat and talk. What more can you want?

Monkey Boy is especially fond of his Uncle Wedgie, so named because Monkey Boy couldn't pronounce his name (Reggie) when he was little. Uncle Wedgie lets him walk his dog, rides bikes with him and shares his endless fascination with fake poo. (Fake poo is often found in both of our households!) I was looking at photos from 4th of Julys past and found this photo from 2002. I can't believe how Monkey Boy has grown. This was the year that Uncle Wedgie gave Monkey Boy the nickname of Hot Dog Boy. Don't ask why!

So here is to 4th of Julys past, present and future. May they always be filled with food, fun and family!

Getting Ready for the 4th

The small community where I live has more than a few peculiarities. One of them is the fact that the 4th of July is bigger around here than Christmas. Seriously, it's huge! We have an art fair, a carnival, an insane amount of parties and, of course, fireworks. Here's how the weekend is shaping up:

Saturday - garden party at my bosses' house
Sunday - Motown concert at the lighthouse
Monday - dinner at the campground
Tuesday - party and viewing of the fireworks at my house

Somehow, I want to squeeze the viewing of 2 movies into this time-frame: Superman and The Devil Wears Prada.

Hope you have a fun weekend ahead of you, too!