The abundant life!!!: September 2006

It's fall already!

The weather has been brisk and fall is definitely in the air!

Earthy scents and colors are starting to fill our home...

Two of these decorations were handmade and two of these were bought! Can you tell? )

I stopped at a lovely yarn shop, Have Ewe Any Wool, on the way home. I have run past this shop several times, but was too sweaty and without money to go in! What a treasure! I am so glad I went in. I was able to sit and knit with a new friend and even pick up some extra yarn for the baby matinee coat, which I didn't buy enough for originally. Have Ewe Any Wool has the most beautiful selection of yarn- all of the best! I was thoroughly impressed. They have "Knitfest" the first Friday of every month from 7-9, bring your projects, a dish to pass and let the fun begin! I hope to go next week.

Socktoberfest kicks off Sunday. I'm ready. I've started. I hope to have enough progress to post!

Joining away

Looks like I have been going through a little bit of swap withdrawal as project Colorswap has come to a close. Lynne, the mastermind of Project Colorswap brought together such a wonderful bunch of people in this swap. I enjoyed every month! My partners were Lori in May, Amanda in June, Karla in July, Juli in August, and Dyann in September! Thank you ladies for making my first swap so enjoyable!

Now... onto the swap and rings....

I have joined Beth's Handmade Christmas Gift Swap- which will be awesome, I am sure. Plus I will be reminded to shop early, bake early, and get those Christmas cards our early- or so I hope!?

And I have, eh hem, joined Socktoberfest! After receiving such incredibly beautiful sock yarn from Juli, I just have to get a pair on the needles. I have a half finished sock for my husband that is from knitty... I may try to ressurrect that as well!

Onto running... the marathon is less than a month away- I can't believe it. I just recently learned that Oprah ran 4:30. I don't know if I can beat her time!? I want to though. I have this mentality that if Oprah could run a marathon, so could I!!! Well, my course will be much more hilly than the one that she ran, so if I don't make it, I can always try again at the Buffalo Marathon in May. I guess that means I will have to run outside during the winter. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Packages in the mail make me smile!!!

Isn't it the greatest feeling to come home after a long day and find that there is a package on your front stoop?

My Stork harn arrived last Monday after such a day. And yes, there is a thermometer in the background. I didn't feel well at all! But I was able to sit on the couch and cast on for the baby matinee coat.

Then Friday, after a confusion and stressful filled two days of coordinating transportation for my father to get his cancer treatment and all the extras involved in medical care, I came home to find that my dear Colorswap partner, Dyann, had sent her gift at just the right time to pick me up! Funny how that happens, huh?

So, in this package of wonderful pink and red-ness was three hanks of luch Berooco Softwist, a hank of Cascade Sierra cotton/wool blend- I can't believe how soft these are! Dyann, you really know your fiber!

Then you will see some beautiful paper in different shades of pink and mulberry paper too! A candle, a felted cup and saucer... hand made earring and a handmade mug.

You can even see her signature on the bottom or the mug. Wow! I have never been given such a beautiful mug! And the earrings... I went to work on Friday with a pink sweater on and as I was perusing my jewelry, I thought to myself that I didn't have any pink earrings and that i'd like some. And Viola! They appeared!

Thank you Dyann!

18 miles down, 26.3 to go

I ran my 18 miles on Saturday in 3.5 hours. It hurt. Really bad. I felt like my legs were going to literally break and I would have to crawl back to my car. But I did it! I ran the whole thing.

I was praying the whole time too, with a whole lot of that prayer devoted to asking the Lord to make my knees numb so it wouldn't hurt so bad!

The last 2-3 miles I becam aware of an intense hunger I had. I had probably burned 600 calories an hour, and at 3 hours into the thing, I had burned 1800 calories, which is equivalent to a day's intake. So I was fantisizing about food. I was SO hungry. All I could think about was where and what I was going to eat when I got home. Unbelievable.

This Saturday is a short run- 12 miles. Next Saturday is my 20 miler. I am so amazed at what the human body can do. Its incredible.

Mercy and I went running today. Short run- 4 miles. The big one is coming soon. Saturday. 18. miles. Long Long way. I don't even drive 18 miles in a day!!!

The Yarn store was open!!!! Hooray! Here are two of the things I
picked up:

Addi turbos size 3 (smallest size I have ever used) and Debbie Bliss Cashmerino in PINK! I don't even know what I am going to make with it- but it's pink! And it was 30% off! And I have heard so much about Debbie Bliss!

The rest of the items I purchased at my LYS... I'll have to keep a secret- they are for my colorswap pal Dyann

I think her package will be all wrapped up this weekend and in the mail Monday.

The addi's are for the baby sweater that I just ordered yarn for yesterday (see picture from yesterdays post). Dale of Norway Stork. Wow, I am getting yarn culture!

Speaking of culture, watch this lesson in Martha's Vineyard culture

And don't for get to RSVP! LOL!!!

Strike one, strike two, strike three...

I have been driving all around this evening in search of yarn. And my local yarn stores are not open.

I went to the one that is one mile east of me. Closes at 6 on Wednesdays.

I went to the one that is 2 miles west of my house. Closes at 5 on Wednesdays.

I went to the one that is 13 miles north of my house. Closes at 6 on Wednesdays!!!!!!!

I think I need to start carrying around a schedule for all of the yarn stores in my area. I actually went to a big box store (aka Joanne's) and found no yarn to my liking. What a waste of gasoline!!! (The photo is actually from last summer when Keith & I drove up Pacific Highway from San Diego to San Francisco. I don't think I would have minded as much if I was running around to store out in California w/ a convertible!!!)

Oh well! I will try try again tomorrow.

I am thinking about making this for some friends of our who are having a baby next week! The pattern is for 6-9 months, so I figure I have time to complete it!!!

One month, one week and three days!

I can't believe that the marathon is in ONE-MONTH-ONE-WEEK-AND-THREE-DAYS !!! It seems unbelievable!!! I have come so far, from only being able to run 3 or four miles at a time to crank out 10, 12, 14..... no problem. This weekend is a big step. 18 miles. LORD help me!

Thankfully, my coaches turned me onto CLIFSHOTS, which are these glucose energy replacement things that you take after 1 hr of excercise. They really make a difference! So 18 miles equates to 3-4 clifshots. Whoa!

I ran with the little Mercy today, just 5 miles, and home just in the knick of time before the heavens opened up and rain came pouring down.

Sadly, I came home to a culinary disaster. I had placed a top round roast in my crockpot, threw in a can of cream of mushroom soup, some mushrooms, and let 'er simmer all day long.

The mushrooms burned. The whole house smelled awful. I tried to doctor is up by removing the beef from the mushroom muck and creating a shredded beef a-la-Sue-Bee-Honey-BBQ sauce. I'm sure my hubby will like it. He always like my culinary disasters.

I think the most devastating culinary disasters, for me anyway, are those of the crockpot method. About two years ago, right after Keith & I got married, I had a culinary crockpot catastrophe.

I had a recipe for New England Clam chowder. I was SO excited. I followed the directions and let it simmer all day. Then, after I got home, I was supposed to add the evaporated milk & the potatoes for the last half hour of cooking.

As I was pouring the evaporated milk into the pot, ontop of the carefully diced potatoes, I noticed that the milk was thicker than I had remembered it. Oh well, I just kept stirring. Then I looked at the can. It was SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK, not evaporated milk. YUCK! The whole soup tasted sweet. Gross! I was so upset. I couldn't believe it! I had been looking forward to serving this to my husband all day. And it was ruined.

Of course I fell into a sobbing heap on the floor. I was a newlywed after all! I cried when I broke my first mug that we had from our wedding, too!

My husband ran to my rescue, insisting that it tasted fine. That it tasted great. He scooped himself two bowlfuls and ate it. I refused to eat the tainted chowder. But my husband made me feel so much better.

A few weeks later, when I tried again and conquered the recipe, as we were sitting at the table, my husband smiled at me and said, "mmm it's good but I think it could use some sugar." How cute.

So I'm hoping for that same cuteness tonight, that BBQ shredded beef is good too!

We took my brother to college last weekend. And we thought we lost our camera, but we found it today! It took us nine hours to drive to DC in my mother's Mercury Sable.

Doesn't my mom look happy all scrunched up in the back seat?

Mike sure was excited.

The car was packed to the absolute max. I can't believe how much stuff my brother took with him. AND he shipped 5 boxes down there!!!!!!!!! My mom & I were in the back seat, with luggage piled up in between us. We could hardly see each other. Her feet were propped up on a box and she kept getting leg cramps from it, so we'd have to stop periodically so she could walk around.

Tropical Strom Ernesto was right in our path to DC. Thankfully my hubby drove and stays very calm during even the wildest of situations!

We saw the monuments in DC at night and we had the greatest dinner at the Wharf. See the size of those shrimp?

I had never seen the White House before. I wish I could have gone inside, I bet it's breathtaking!

And of course, I got a little knitting in- while we were driving. I finished the back of Sizzle and started on the front. I've got to step on the gas on this one- it's starting to feel like fall!!!!!!

Mercy is lounging around, lightly sleeping. I think she is wondering when I will be knitting her a new sweater!

Fall projects? Hmmm. I don't know where to begin! Any ideas?