Week 14?!

I am back and it feels almost strange to be blogging after 9 weeks of silence.  Trust me, the silence was only on my blog.  My life has been anything be silent with the remodeling that we have been doing.  At last it is all done and we are starting to get back into normalcy.....sort of.  I have tons of pictures to show you so sit back and relax.

Right after my last blog, our family and friends got together and completely tore out my kitchen cabinets, counter tops, flooring and baseboards

Then we had to paint the walls so they would be all nice and clean.  Good bye orange walls, hello Swiss Coffee.

The "cooking" area had to be moved.  The refrigerator sat in our dining room.......

Our microwave was our only way to actually cook anything and it sat in our living room.

The cabinets arrived the day after we got everything painted. Still had some flooring to pull up.  Love the smell of cardboard.  NOT!

The installer opened all the boxes a couple of days later and tried to set them in their respective places as best as he could.

Cabinets are installed.  This is now week 3 with no kitchen.  We still have flooring to lay and counter top slabs to pick out.  Seems like things are taking forever.

We also installed new LED lighting throughout the kitchen.  Makes it nice and bright

But, that isn't all we had going on.  While waiting on counter tops.....Our two bathrooms got their remodel done too.  Guest bath was done first.  ( My dogs and I went to a friends house during this part. )

She thinks this is HER bathroom now.  Gosh she is growing up way to quick for this MiMi.

Hubby and I got our shower redone last.  But it was all worth it.

Mean while, back to the kitchen.......and laundry room

Our friends knew that hubby and I are not getting any younger and built us a platform for our washer and dryer.  What a back saver.

Flooring is laid in dining room, kitchen, powder room and laundry room.  Week 4 comes and goes.

We head out to the tile place to pick out our slabs the day the cabinets are completely installed.  Slabs are picked and we are told everything should be done in two weeks for install......................................Someone lied to us.  Seven days later we still had not been contacted to approve the template layout for our counter tops.  So........The not so nice Leftycrafter made a few phone calls.  We got in to approve the layout within 3 days and then was told it would be 2-3 weeks before install...............................Guess who got nasty and in their faces?  Yup, that was me.  Imagine that.....................counter tops were ready for install in one week.  Plumber was out the next day to hook up the new dishwasher and new sink.  SO this is the finished product.........................

I am totally in love with my new kitchen.  I even enjoy cooking again.  My storage space increased by 1/3 and I no longer have kitchen items in the laundry room or back pantry.  

During this time..................I did a bit of crafting.  Cause what else is a girl suppose to do.  Here is what is on hook and needles.

Our future Son in Law sock.  Completed on and still have another one to do.  They took forever as the man does not have a small foot.

Second Snoqualmie Falls sock.  I really love this pattern as it is full of interest and never gets boring.

This afghan will actually end up being a mermaid tail afghan.  It is pretty simple to do and something I can do while watching TV.  Just a little to warm to continue working on it at this point though.  The weather here needs to cool off pretty soon, or I will be working on all this heavy items on Christmas Eve again.

So, Daughter is getting married on Halloween this year.  This is the card box I made for them.  The ring bearer boxes match it as far as color goes but the outside is totally different.  They have twin boys for the rings.

I am also making an American Flag afghan.  I am half way done with the body of the afghan and I have all 50 stars made for it.  I took some great photos of it, but for some reason, they will not download off my camera.  

We have installed the new Windows 10 and have found a few other glitches with it.  But this is the first one that has me frustrated.

Anyway..................until next time........................Happy Crafting!

YoP week 5 thru...........................??????

I have been trying to get to my blog for half a week now.  It just didn't happen.  But tonight, tonight I have some quite time all to myself.  So I have decided I will do my blogging tonight. There is no hubby around for a few hours, Grand Daughter went home around 4pm after a wonderful sleep over last night.  Dogs are all snuggled in their beds right next to my work station.  Life is wonderful.

About the title of this post...........................I am about to be absent from blogging for about 6-8 weeks.  We have been notified that our kitchen will be ready to start install on the 24th of this month.  That gives us 3 weeks to completely empty the lovely little area, completely destroy the current cabinetry and counter tops, patch and paint the walls.  There is really not going to be much time to blog.  Although, I will be keeping up with all of your blogs.  It helps me to keep in touch with all your accomplishments.  I may not comment, but trust me, I am reading all of them.

As soon as the new cabinets are set into place, the counter top folks will be coming out to measure for the counter tops and then we need to make a day trip to the other side of town to pick out the slabs of granite we want for our kitchen.  That will take 2 weeks before they are ready to be installed.

So you think, Why doesn't she blog during those 2 weeks while waiting for the counter tops?  Because, as soon as the cabinets are set into place, we have to hustle and get the bathrooms patched and painted as the bathroom folks are coming in to destroy and reconstruct our new tub/showers the same week the counter tops are being installed.  It will be just a little crazy in our home for the next 6-8 weeks. 

My knitting and coloring will be keeping me sane.  As well as my friends who have offered to help us in anyway they can.  One of them has even gone as far as to offer to let me leave my dogs at her place while the crews are in our house.  That's a pretty nice offer, if you ask me.

I promise, after all this craziness is over.......................I will be back blogging away about all the great fibery things I have done while keeping my sanity.

One a good note.........................I have completed one market bag for Christmas.  My Grand Daughter and I have also finished 75% of the wedding box.  So it is not like I am just sitting around fretting all day.  I do keep busy.  I am still plugging away on socks and the shawl. My Daughter asked the other day, if I was ever going to complete her log cabin blanket that I have been knitting on for the past 5 years.  Do you think that was a hint?  It is such an easy knit, that just might have to be my go to project during the next few weeks.

Time to go, before my alone time is gone.  I hear some socks calling my name!!!

Happy Crafting!

YoP week 4

Wednesday already and I am just getting around to updating my blog.  Yikes.....where are the days and weeks going.

As far as my fiber crafting this week.................nothing to show other than that you saw last week.  Although, I did start a new project......................a market bag for a lovely lady for Christmas this year.  I am over 1/2 way done with it and will post photos when it is complete. Many stores in the USA are now charging you if you want plastic or paper bags when you buy groceries.  So, I figured, I would start with this one bag and see how well it is received and then make more for those who would like them.  They don't take much time to do and I should have this one done by the weekend.  Then it will be back to my socks and shawl and other gifts for Christmas.

I love reading other crafter blogs.  One of my favorites is; Page after Page.  Kim is so creative and doesn't just do fiber crafts.  This past week she posted about coloring books for grown ups.  I was intrigued, as my Grand Daughter and I do a lot of coloring and I love it. So I decided to give it a try myself.  I took a little trip to Hobby Lobby and found an intriguing coloring book for adults and got some colored pencils.  I came home and that evening I set out to try this new craft.  I LOVE IT!!!  It is totally relaxing and really lets your mind work with colors and designs in a whole new way.  I am still on my first page of coloring.  I can see where it will take several days to complete one, unless you work on it nonstop all day and night.  But I just do it to take a bit of stress off the day.

Speaking of stress...........................Hubby and I have finally finalized our plans for 2 bathroom remodels and our kitchen remodel.  None of them have been worked on since the house was built in 1972.  I know for some of you that seems like a 'new house', but here in the desert where the humidity is very low and the sun is very intense.................things start to kind of dry up and fall apart after a while.  Hopefully, everything will be completed by the end of October when our first house guests will be arriving for our Daughter's wedding.

Wedding???????  Oh my goodness...............I really need to get going on the box for the all the wedding cards.  Grand Daughter and I have already worked a bit on the lettering.  Today we will paint all the letters for the box.  I also have to sand the box and stain it.  Then I need to make a pillow and cover it for the bottom of the box.  I really want to get started on it so it will be completed and ready to go and not be a last minute thing.

That is all for this week.  I will catch up with all of you again next week.

Until then.................Happy Crafting!

YoP week 3

A big hello to all of my friends and family.  Hubby and I have arrived safely back home.  We got home around 1 yesterday afternoon.  It was so good to be home and be able to sleep in our own bed.  But the downside is..........................we know we won't be seeing our grands in TX again for at least another year.

But before I get to the vacation story, let me show you what kind of fibery goodness I achieved while away.

This is my Dive In Shawl that I started just before we left.  I know it doesn't look like much, but it is done with fingering yarn and I have already used about 50 grams on it.  It is going to take quite a bit more to make it a nice size for a prayer shawl.  It is an acrylic yarn, but extremely soft and does not have that plastic feel to it.  This actually is left overs I had after I made myself a slouchy hat and fingerless mitts last year.  I have plenty of it left, to complete the shawl.  (Can you say, over buyer?)

Next up

Our future Son in Law's sock.  This is a great yarn too.  It is premier yarn (non wool) in the colorway, Grand Canyon.  I love yarn that changes colors as you go.  It makes stockinette stitch not near as boring.  I have another inch or two before I start the heel.  

So that is all I accomplished while away.  Doesn't seem like much, does it?  But I was enjoying my time with my grandsons way too much to be worried about progress on knits.

So now I have some photos of our trip:

This is one of the rain storms we encountered on our way to our first nights stop.  It was totally blinding and there was lots of flooding because of it.  

Do you see the deer under the tree?  That is what we saw as we ate breakfast on day 2 of our trip.  This is my hubby's brothers home.  They live in the country and we also got to see a skunk just wandering around his property as well.  Very rural..............but so peaceful and lovely.

Our first outing was on day 3 of our trip.  We went to see the cattle drive through old town Fort Worth, TX.  I had wanted to see it for several years now, so I can scratch that off my bucket list.  It was not what I expected at all.  These long horns just mosied a long the brick streets for about 2 blocks and then went back to their corral where they are well taken care of and fed well too.

This is the lot of us, minus 2 grandsons.  We went out to eat, just to get out of the house.  Our server was kind enough to take our picture for us.

The youngest Grandson turned 12 on Sunday, but since we knew we would not be there, we took the family out to dinner on Friday and the serving staff gave him a wonderful birthday send off.  He was very surprised by it.

That ended our 10 day trip with the Texas family and then we were off again to do the 16 hour drive home.  Here are a few pictures of what we saw:

Wind turbines that produce energy.  These are popping up everywhere here in the USA.  And what better place to put them, then in breezy Texas.

We did not drive straight through, but made a stop in Las Cruces New Mexico.  We were about 3 blocks away from La Mesilla, so we took a little stroll through their shops and this gazebo was right in the middle of their square.

And, we went to church while there.  I love old churches and their architecture.  This was the altar at San Albino Parish.  The church was built in the 1800's and is small but beautiful.

Sunday morning we got up early and headed back to AZ.  We had to take a couple more pictures though because:

This is the club that my hubby's Grandfather owned and operated for years and years.  It has been passed down to his sons and now down to their sons.  It is now for sale as the town it is in is dying.  Businesses are closing daily.  So sad to see this happening to a once thriving community.

As we were leaving the club photo shoot, we noticed that the street it sat on was named for Grandpa!  How exciting to see your name on a street sign.  It's not a common name in the states either.  Very common in Italy though. 

That is all from this end of the world.  Today will be spent getting back on our time zone and doing laundry and visiting my mom.

Until next week.....................

Happy Crafting!

YOP5 update

Happy Sunday from sunny Texas.

Hubby and I left home last Tuesday and began our 17 hour trip to see our grandsons.  We arrived safe and sound Wednesday afternoon.  We did encounter some blinding rain during our journey, though.  Thankfully, we did not get caught in any of the flooding that occurred.

As for fibery updates.......I was so thrilled with the scenery we met while driving, I didn't pick up my needles until a few days ago.   I have been working exclusively on the sock.  It is the easiest to put away when we decide to do an activity with the boys.

Once i return home, there will be pictures to share of our trip as well as my progress.

Until next week......happy crafting.

YoP Year 5 and going strong again.

I missed blogging my wrap up last week.  I don't know where the time goes.  This retirement thing is so busy.  It doesn't help, either, that hubby and I are getting ready to take another road trip this week.  We are heading to Texas to visit our Grandsons.  We haven't seen them for 2 years!  Last year, my mom was so sick and we thought we were going to loose her......................so we stayed home just in case.  Needless to say, she is doing quite well now.  The wonders of modern medicine is fantastic.

But I will give a quick wrap up of last years list.

Sweater for me

This didn't get completed and infact, I am going to frog what I have done so far, as I have found a pattern I love much better than what I was trying to do.

WIP's to complete

Log Cabin Blanket

Once again, the poor Log Cabin is still lingering in the WIP pile.  I really like working on it but...I just seem to get sidetracked with all the other really fun things to make

Things to increase my skills

JOIN A CAL OR KAL

This was a total fail for me

Personal Goal

Use only the yarn from my stash for all the above projects.

I did not purchase any yarn for over a year.  This was one of the hardest things for me to do this year.  BUT......I did not use anything other than stash yarn for all projects last year.

Take photos of ALL items when done.

I only missed taking a photo of one item this year.  Not too bad

COMPLETED ITEMS

Lapghan for my mom

2-3 Doll Clothes

1 fingerless mitt

Be Loving

8 Slippers

12 dishcloths 

5 RUFFLED SCARVES

3  PAIR OF BOOT CUFFS FOR DIL

NEW PRAYER SHAWL FOR MOM

1 test knits/crochet

4.5 PAIRS OF SOCKS

Now, to think about this years list.  I have been racking my brain as to what I want to put on the list this year.  I already have a few things on my needles that I want to do (actually, I have to do them for presents)  I guess I can start with that.

2015-2016 YoP list

Socks

Once again I can not tell you how many I will do.  But these are my favorite items to do during the hot summer months here in the desert.  I do know that I need to have 2 pair completed before Christmas as they are gifts.  I already have 1/2 of one pair done and have started on the other pair this week, just to get them on the needles for the road trip.

Shawls

Diving In  (this is already cast on, also for the road trip)

Clapo-ktus

SWEATER

Cancun Boxy Lace Top

After I frog the sweater I started, this is what it is going to turn into.  It even asks for the fiber that I already have in my stash.  But I will be making this longer, as at my age, no one wants to see my tummy.

Sewing items

Tea Bag Holder

Another gift for Christmas this year

Crochet

Mermaid Tail Afghan

I have had a request for at least 2 of these for Christmas.  Now that I am not on yarn restriction, I can purchase the fiber for this and get going on them.

Wood Work

Staining and decorating treasure box for Wedding in October

This is a pretty short list this year and I will tell you why...............every year I make a HUGE list and then about January, I realize, there is no way I am going to complete everything.  I would actually like to complete a list just one year.  I have also included non-fiber items, as I am not just a knitter/crocheter.  I enjoy all crafts and look forward to learning new ones all the time.  Although my first love is fiber arts and that is what you will see me traveling with everywhere I go.  (kind of hard to travel with a sewing machine LOL)

Also, I am joining the prayer shawl group at my church this year.  So there will be many more shawls made there to be given to those that need them.  Of course, when I complete those items, I will add them to my YoP list.

Here are some of the photos of the things completed in YoP4.  I sure wish I knew how to make a slide show instead of having to put the photos on individually.  If any of you use BlogSpot and know how to do that, please feel free to email the instructions at menoce at cox dot net.  I would greatly appreciate it.

Until next week.....................Happy Crafting!