Whats up?!

man, do you ever have trouble coming up with titles? I'm going to have to get real creative in this area and soon. However, there are some new things happening around our homestead. I have started the washclothes I'm doing for the troops and I'm learning a few new things. I've got a couple of WIPs now and thats a good thing b/c the needles could get lonely.

As several swaps have come to an end as well as the SP10, which I'm going to miss, I've decided to join a couple of swaps. Yes, I know I said I was going to stop swapping for awhile but I had joined 2 of them prior to that decision and recently found a few really cool ones over on Swap Bot that I wanted to be apart of. I hope my SP10 spoilee likes her final package. Hmm, I wonder if she ever figured out who I was from my clues.

Below are the plans, progress report and WIPs for July:

SAL Progress As of today:
1. Baby Kimino done
2. No Sweat Socks Not Pedestrian Peds ~ working foot section of 2nd footie
3. Wristlets Two Tone Socks ~ 2nd pair done

4. SS ~ Baby Socks from Simply Baby book done
5. SS ~ 4 Dishcloths done
*photos later ~ July 15 is my goal finish date and I'm right on schedule though losing my sock for 3 weeks didn't help. I think I'd finish by now if I hadn't. Oh well, at least I have it now and its almost done. Yippee!

SAL July KAL n KAL

(various colors in LB and SnC cottons)

My goals for this round:
6 dishcloths
4 washcloths
* the washclothes are for a charity project/the dishclothes ~ 2 for swaps and the others for christmas presents

Now I know this doesn't seem like much but given that July will be a bit busy for me, I'm staying conservative on my goals. Plus I've got some plans for knitting myself something special too. That is after those peds are done. ;D

Swaps
~ Crochetalcoholic June: Tote/Beach Bag ~ purchased everything, need to pickup candy and will send off tomorrow. ;D
~ Yarn Addicts: Pink ~ purchased yarn; awaiting partner
~ I Love Sock Yarn ~ purchased yarn; awaiting partner
~ Dishcloth Addicts III ~ 2 clothes part of the above, have other items in stash and
will print patterns; awaiting partners
~ Chapstick/Lip Balm ~ have lip balm; awaiting partners
~ Tea Swap ~ purchased a really nice tea cup and saucer, need to gather tea and goodies; awaiting partner

WIPs
~ not peds ~ 2nd footie
~ window pane washcloth in blue/white cotton
~ fetching wristlets
~ 2 dishclothes: yellow and shades of blue cotton
total of 5 items

Time to get back to knitting and drinking splendid West Coast coffee "Merlot" ~ absolutely divine. You might need to get yourself some. Yes, do get some and you won't regret it, I promise. ;D

ps ~ Robin, thx for sharing your iced tea favs. I'm adding them to our list to try next week.

A few pics...

This is my bag from Wendy ~ isn't it lovely. Its currently full of cotton for my charity projects. ;D

This is a clearer pic of the "not peds" ~ I tried to get them to be identical but the heels are definitely different. LOL

This is my lovely dishcloth from Judy for our DIY Exchange. I love it! Very vibrant just like the colors of autumn.

Good day to You

*Special Note ~ Dear NSPal, you are still in good graces with me. ;D I look forward to your lovely package when you are able to send it. No prob ~ have an awesome day.

Its a school work day ~ I'm planning our summer sessions and collecting books. I'm hoping to get this finished up today so we can start on Friday. I will be working on my charity projects this weekend, this time I am knittng washcloths for our troops. It is such an honor and privilege to do something to support and encourage them. I pray for them daily but this will be more tangible and I like that idea a lot.

Around the house, still spring cleaning ~ slow but coming along. The girls assignment is the bathroom today and Da Boy will work on the carpet and kitchen floor. Yes, our boy does housework, it will strengthen is character, given his life skills and keep all of us humbled because we are part of the same family working together. My father taught me that because his grandmother taught him that and there was't anything my dad didn't know how to do. Speaking of which, he taught me to sew and I'm thinking it might not be a bad idea for Da Boy too. He knows how to do basic hand stitching because I taught him that but to actually sew simple garments like ties, shorts and stuff, may come in handy for the db later in life. One never knows, does one. ;D

Its dreary here, still raining and is expected to rain for the next few days. I don't think we can take anymore rain but I'm praying that it drains off quickly since some areas are flooding. Don't like that, I've experienced being in a flash flood and being a flooded area, not pretty. The visit from the birds ~ cardinals, blue jays and robins, when its not pouring and the rabbits keep it a bit more pleasant though.

I've spent a few minutes today typing my blog posts in word while drinking my new coffee "Wild Divine" its very strong and flavorful. I'm enjoying it, thx Wendy. I hope she enjoys the organic blend I sent her, I've not tried it yet but the one she will get in the day or two is good too. I'm sending her some "Serena" which is also an organic blend from Starbucks which is absolutely delicious. ;D I wanted to share this with her because she was the reason I tried it.

I'm working on a meal plan since I was diligent to grocery shop this week and stayed under budget. Woohoo! Thats been a long time comin' but I managed it. If things go according to plan which means that I'm not extremely tired when I get home from work, we will have a delicious homecooked meal of baked fish, corn bread and string beans. Sk8Chick cooked last night, she prepared tuna salad which was very much welcomed on a hot day. She also made a large pitcher of iced tea ~ which is almost gone and I've not had any yet. ;D Anyway, I'm finding that the planning ahead keeps life a bit simplier which is really something I'm working toward which is why I've returned to typing my posts then copying and pasting them into the blog. It does save much time and frustration too. It also gives me more time to visit blogs, read and respond to emails and simply enjoy my time online.

Off I go to clean up my bathroom, prepare for work ~ need to finish my hair and nails, then back to my footie. Have a great day!

Whats goin' on....

Around here, lots. I worked the weekend at the store ~ which btw is a bear when its dreary outside and no one comes in. ;D I worked today but that was okay. Yesterday, I was exhausted, I think ~ I really don't know what was up w/me. I was tired, achy and just had no energy for anything. I did manage to take pics of the goodies I received on Friday though I need to go over and thank these folks publicly on the group blogs ~ sorry ;D I managed to finished off my first "Not Ped" and start the second ~ no one sock syndrome here. I spent a good deal of time working on the WUA squares and finished off the last charity hat. I didn't get to the wristlets but since it is an ongoing project, I'll get them done. I found a really cool pattern over at knitty's that Sk8Chick has been working on ~ she's done 2 sets and working on the 3rd. The pattern says they can be done in a weekend which she did and some. I may just venture to do these instead of the ones I had planned. They are called "Fetching" and are under the archives for gloves/mittens, if your interested.

Without further ado ~ here are my packages.

First up ~ SP10 reveal: The lovely Kris ~ please stop by and visit here and tell her I sent ya. She is an absolute wonderful woman. I am very grateful that she was my SP and loved everyone minute of the exchange.

Here is the group shot of my goodies:

~ Lovely yarn ~

~ Books & patterns ~

~ More yarn and Brittany needles ;D ~

~ Wonderful treats & chocolates ~

Next up ~ Knitters' Coffee Swap ~ from the lovely Wendy in sunny Cal. She is amazing and it was very hard to shop for this here lady ~ she is a spinner and dyes her own yarn along w/teaches knitting. Man, it wasn't easy but I hope I was able to get her something she could use. You can visit her here and if you are in her neck of the woods, make sure you stop in and see her.

Group Shot (please forgive me, my lovely "Yarn Garden" bag was in use so missed the photo shoot ~ I'll take one tomorrow :D)

~ Delicious yarn in reds ~

~ Yummy treats ~

~ Oh la la Coffee ~

~ Book & more ~

*close of up stitch markers coming

Here are the peds and I'm now off to bed b/c its almost midnight here and I'm tired.

I'll update this post tomorrow w/details of each package but gotta go, please forgive me ;D

Planning, Postman n Presents

Whew! lots going on around here. We are doing our spring cleaning ~ yes I know its summer but you have to do it when you have the time. I'm hoping to get most of it done by next week so that I can enjoy the summer. Plus by doing this cleaning, packing to move at the end of summer will be a piece of cake. Well, at least thats my theory. LOL I am going thru my books and taking a look at several to help with the cleaning and packing. We need a plan for our lifestyle b/c we will still be homeschooling for a couple days a week in the summer, can't pack everything up and will still need some items in order to be productive. I will be looking at my flylady stuff, my simplify your life books, my don aslett books and couple of others that I have ~ too many to name, in order to pick the right one for us. Who knew I had so many books on organization. It used to be a natural habit for me until recently. I've got to get my grove back, I hate not being able to find something I knew I own to avoid buying more than one. ;D You all know what I'm talking about plus it will greatly help me be prepared for the move, future swaps and the opening of our online bookstore. Yeah ~ online bookstore another way to declutter.

Now about the postman and presents. I received 3 packages in the past 2 days ~ details below:

May SPE (penpal group) Flowers theme

(erasers, wind chime, lei, mesh sponge, candles, bath soap, body lotion, 3D night light, nail buffer, coasters, note paper, journals and handheld fan. Thx Sherry ;D

April BABE ~ from my angel Debb ~

Kathleen Gilles Seidel book "More Than You Dreamed" ~ I've not read anything by this author so it should be good, 2 bookmarks, 2 hand knitted squares, 2 notecards, Book of Reflections, lovely handmade picture frame, notepad and a lovely handwritten card.

Thank you very much Debb.

May BABE ~ from Gina ~
2 Books ~ My 2nd favorite Robin Jones Gunn book "SisterChicks in Gondolas!" and an autographed copy of "learning to breathe gain" by Tammy Trent, Women of Faith cd, 3 skeins of Bernat's Baby Coordinates Sweet Stripes in yellow n white, Mary Englebreit notepad and note cards, yummy peanut butter filled kisses and a beautiful note.

Thank you very much from one Proverbs 31 woman to another ~ you are awesome and a blessing!

I better go now and get back to work. I need to still get our math book printed, post on the BABE blog and send a couple of emails. Have an awesome day. Btw, if you get a chance ~ stop by the Yarn Harlot, she's got a really great post I'd think you all might enjoyed as much as I did.