Coffee with a good Friend

Saturday morning usually is very quiet and low key around here... kids in pajamas, eating cereal, cartoons on the tv, me knitting and hubby reading the newspaper drinking coffee.

Well, this morning I changed it up a little, and stepped out for a couple hours to meet with a good friend of mine. We took a bit of a walk to my local LYS, where we wandered around touching and stroking and ooohhhhing and aahhhhing yarns for almost an hour! We both walked out with a skein of Malabrigo worsted (mine is blue Oceanos and Shannon bought a beautiful purple she is planning on making into an 198 yards of heaven for her Mother). Shannon also bought some fun fur for a gnome beard. :)

Then I found $5 on the sidewalk as we were walking to the local coffee shop!!! We went in and discussed my quilting extravaganza that will be starting this week (I plan on making 2 twin size quilts for 2 of my teenagers for christmas). Since Shannon has made a few beautiful quilts in the past, I really wanted to pick her brains about them.

What I really love about getting together with Shannon is how comfortable I feel with her. I've known her for 10 years now, and although we don't talk or get together often enough, it's always like... I don't know, I can't even explain it... it's like she's always on the same wavelength as I am. I completely get where she's been and where she's going in life, and I think she feels the same with me. It's like... if I could have chosen my sister, I would have chosen her.

Thanks for driving all the way down here this morning Shannon. I loved seeing you today, it was the perfect start to ensuring a wonderful weekend.


OH, and she made me this for my tree:



it's at the top of my tree, just to the right of the bottom of the angel



see it?

:)

To Do List started.... 19 days to go

My To-Do list

* Get Christmas Tree and Decorations out of basement
* Put the Christmas tree up
* Decorate the Christmas Tree
* Find the recipe for Grandma & pa's Christmas cookies
* Make list of ingredients required and them make them
* Think about making some more different cookies as well
* Package & gift cookies to friends and family
* Finish all of my Christmas knitting
* Finish shopping for items that are not hand crafted
* Fill out bazillion Christmas Cards
* Distribute Bazillion Christmas Cards (after locating address lists from last year)
* Buy eggnog and rum and enjoy a nice drink
* Remember that this is a time of happiness and cheer

That time of Year

My To-Do list

* Get Christmas Tree and Decorations out of basement
* Put the Christmas tree up
* Decorate the Christmas Tree
* Find the recipe for Grandma & pa's Christmas cookies
* Make list of ingredients required and them make them
* Think about making some more different cookies as well
* Package & gift cookies to friends and family
* Finish all of my Christmas knitting
* Finish shopping for items that are not hand crafted
* Fill out bazillion Christmas Cards
* Distribute Bazillion Christmas Cards (after locating address lists from last year)
* Buy eggnog and rum and enjoy a nice drink
* Remember that this is a time of happiness and cheer

Birthday

Well, last weekend was my birthday. Thank goodness it's over for another year. My eldest came over, and one thing I'm really grateful for is that my husband offered to make dinner and told me to invite my favoritest person in the entire world, my friend Shannon, and her family.

So, last Saturday, hubby was cooking in the kitchen and I was sitting in the livingroom chatting with my buddy. Her hubby was in the kitchen with mine, and her kids were hanging with mine. :)

We shared stories, and projects, and the love flowed (as did the wine). I don't see Shannon nearly as much as I would like to, but when we do get together, it's always like no time passed at all. I also follow her blog and her projects on a knitting site we are both part of, although she doesn't post updates enough there for my liking :)

So, with my spirit refreshed with great friendship, family, food and wine - I welcome another year. xox

Factory Fresh (again?)

“Laptop issues again?” hubby asks as he walks by me.
“yeah babe, some Admin restrictions. Having an issue installing software or viewing images”
I’m on the phone on hold with HP service. It’s been about 25 minutes. I’m getting cranky so I hang up. No sense being cranky with some young kid who happens to get my help desk call.

I go to the HP website and go to the Customer Service chat help. This seems to go faster and in no time there is Kalam typing a “Hello, how can I help you?”

I type that my hard drive died a month or so ago and HP replaced it and reinstalled everything, but did more after the factory fresh and changed/updated some settings because I was getting Administrator access only error messages. So, he advises that I make a ‘new account’, transfer all my files to the new account, and then delete the old account. At this point, I ask if it would be better for me to just do a System Recovery and go to Factory Fresh after backing up my stuff. “No, no, no… not necessary. Lets make new account first.”

So, 80 minutes later, a new account is made and my files are copied over to this new “Lynn”. I go ahead and deleted the “Admin” account. Then I go and try to install jzip (the program that started all this Admin crap) and still get the same error pop up box about Administrator permissions and to contact my Administrator. I AM THE FUCKEN ADMINISTRATOR!!!! It’s a home laptop. There is only ME!!!

I back up the 3 files that I’ve added since my last back up, restart, and go to System Recovery. “Are you sure?” pops up. “Yes, Factory Fresh this time, please” I speak back to my laptop, hoping against hope that I don’t end up throwing this piece of lemon out the window.

Well, 40 minutes later, I’m Factory Fresh and getting all my files back in order. The first one I install is the jzip. No problem at all now.

Thanks for a serious waste of my afternoon HP.

Knotty but Nice Hat

I finished a Knotty but Nice hat for Sebastian. You can find the pattern at http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter09/PATTknotty.php I love this site! Free patterns, with a new newsletter out every 4 months. I'm going to ask S if I can post a pic of him modelling it! lol, lets cross our fingers.

Kids are at TwaeKwonDo right now. They are both brown belts, and doing very well. I just wished they would practice a bit more.

HUMPH!!! Never ask a man for his opinion in regards to something knitted. Hubby just said that the Knotty but Nice hat is too girly! And now S is worried about it... well, I guess I just knitted myself a hat. :(

My knitting area

There have been some changes around here lately.

#1 - I bought a new chair - an Ikea Poang with a black cover. (We put my big armchair out into the sunroom)
#2 - I bought a new shelving unit - an Ikea Expedit with 8 cube spaces.
#3 - I organized my yarns and magazines and books and printouts!

ta da!!!



and a closeup of my shelf...



Well, what do you think of my knitting corner?