'Tis the season

I've got two cute pumpkins picked out. Hopefully I'll find the time this week to carve them.

I'm planning on picking up some candy for all the trick-o-treaters later this week (can't get the candy early due to my total lack of will power).

So that can only mean one thing: I'm already way behind on my holiday knitting.

This year, it's the year of the hats. I'm hoping they'll be quick knits that will super cute on the recipients.

I'm going to make 2 hats for my nieces in N.J. They will be getting the Kim's Hats from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. They hubby will also be getting one of those hats (albeit a little bit bigger and a little less pinker than the girls hats). My sister will also be getting a Foilage hat from knitty. Every time I wear mine, she's always coveting it. I often have to do a double check to make sure I've still got it when she leaves. She's sneaky like that.

Now, to get knitting. Christmas is two months away from today!
Is it too early to put up my tree?

Mmmm...meat....

That is not a phrase often uttered from my mouth. In fact, I don't think I've ever uttered that. I could easily be a vegetarian if it wasn't for my love of Hawaiian pizza (ham & pineapple) and the fact that every once in a while I want a good BBQ hamburger. Other than that, I'm good.

But the other weekend the hubby and a friend took an 8 hour BBQ class at this BBQ restaurant. He loved it. He came home with the best "homework!" The class was taught on several types of BBQ's: gas, charcoal and one other kind that I can't remember. It gave him the chance to figure out what kind of BBQ he wanted (we needed a new one anyway). So now we've got a brand new charcoal BBQ.

And today we tested in out: ribs with homemade BBQ sauce. He made the sauce in a double boiler. There was some serious BBQing going on the kitchen today. It was my job to make the cornbread, because really, what is BBQ without cornbread?

The verdict? The best ribs I've ever had. The best ribs his friend from Tennessee has ever had. It was really good. I will be requesting this again.

Sometimes you need a little encouragement from a Junior High Gym Teacher

Monday night I went to Purly Girls. I was happy to be there and working on my socks. I finished turning the heel but I had no desire to pick up the stitches and work on the gusset. I just didn't want to do it. My other project was a lace project (more details to come later) and I can't work on that one and be social at the same time, well I can, but it's riddled with mistakes if I do.


So I sat there, staring at my sock, mentally willing the stitches to pick up themselves. Then Jean and Molly chimed in words of encouragement and tips. They were sweet. Amanda just laughed at me. Monica told me to get to work. But Katie, she had a different approach. She channeled her inner Junior High Gym Teacher. You know the one. She yelled at you. A lot. She yelled at you to run faster. Jump higher. Don't be afraid of the ball even though it was flying at you at a freakishly fast rate of speed and you followed every natural instinct in your body to duck. I mean, I'm just guessing that's what she said.

Katie told me I was bigger than the sock. She threatened to yell at me to get me to knit. It was slightly frightening, but it worked. I picked up the stitches. I figured out the pattern. Then I went home and ate ice cream with chocolate sauce. It was slightly traumatic.

But the heel is coming along just nicely.

Apple Season

I love fall. I love the crisp days. I love the color of the leaves. And I love to bake with apples!

I volunteered to bake an Apple Cranberry Pie for a charity auction a few months ago, and this was my month to deliver a sweet treat. I like to make my Apple Cranberry Pie because it's just a fun twist on a traditional apple pie. I've had this recipe for ages and it's never failed me:

• Take 5 Golden Delicious apples, peel and cut into 1/2 inch slices

• Mix with 2 cups of cranberries

• 1 cup of sugar

• 1/3 cup of flour

• 2 tbs of melted butter

• 1/2 tsp of ginger (I never seem to have ginger so I just toss in a bunch of cinnamon)

Dump it all in your unbaked pie crust then take a second crust and make a pretty lattice pattern. I like to brush my top crusts with some melted butter to give it a nice baked look. Plus, let's be honest here, butter just tastes good.

The hubby requested an apple pie as well. I wanted to use up the rest of the cranberries but he really doesn't like cranberries. Since he was in the garage changing the front light bulb on my car, I figured I could make the pie he wanted.

Serve warm with ice cream and enjoy! We did!

An F.O. of mom's

Last weekend when my mom was here visiting, we got to do a little knitting together. She was able to cast off and finish her project!

She finished a pair of fingerless gloves for her.

Unfortunately, I don't have the name of the pattern or yarn that she used, but she did use two types of red together, that I do know.

I also know that last year she knit my sister a cute apple green pair of these gloves. And now she has a sassy red pair of these gloves. So I'm thinking there's a pair in the works for me somewhere!

Weekend Highlights:

My parents came for a visit to see the house for the first time. We had a fabulous time hanging out and enjoy the beautiful fall weather.

With the help of my dad, we finished up a few odd projects around the house.

The Idaho Vandals won another football game, making them first in the WAC - yes, first place. As in better than the BSU Broncos.

I beat my hubby in our fantasy football league landing me in first place.

I'm back to working on socks for the hubby and am nearly at the heel.

All in all, a prefectly wonderful weekend!

For June

Pattern: One Row Scarf from the Yarn Harlot

Yarn: 2 skeins of Manos Del Uruguay in the most lovely verigated purple color

For: my dear friend June, who will wear it knowing lots of love was knit into this scarf

Orcas Island

Yes, it's that pretty and relaxing.

Off to Orcas Island!

The hubby and I are leaving for a quick weekend getaway to Orcas Island in the San Juans! I've never been there before so I'm excited to see it.

There will plenty of pictures to be posted when I get back. I've been a slacker (or really busy....I seem to run in two modes these days...superbusy/stressed to slacker/lazy as I try to recover) so I'll post pics for sure.

(It was another chaotic day and I don't think that last sentence makes sense but I honestly don't really care.)

Surviving September

About mid-August I took a look ahead at my work to-do list for the month of September. It scared me. Like really scared me. My job isn't your normal 9-5 gig so sometimes the workload varies depending on the day and story. But this month wasn't pretty. I decided instead of stressing over it, I was mearly going to embrace the challenges ahead and run with it. At least that's what I kept telling myself.

Throw in a few busy weekend (a trip to Boise to see the family and a visit from the in-laws to see our new house) it all just kind of made for some really exhausting days. And nights. Hence the few and far between blog posts. And the even fewer and farther between knitting projects. And my sewing machine? Yeah, there's a layer of dust on it. Which is really too sad because while I was home my mom hooked me up with some very cute sewing projects!

But luckily for me, the knitting waits, the sewing maching is oh-so patient with me (even when I'm not patient with it) and my friends and family are supportive of my seemingly constant complaining about my work load. When the truth be told, I'm lucky to do what I do, and even luckier to have a job (unlike a few of my coworkers who didn't quite survive September and our surprise layoffs that came a few weeks ago.)

So here's to October! Here's to a new month full of possibilities, new projects and most importantly - so freaking time to just relax!