On Wednesday we came home to babies. If you look closely you can make out the yellow around their faces.
Here is another shot from day 1. If you look closely you can see babies behind Mom, under the bush.
Here are shots from the second morning. I got lucky and watched them leave just before I went to work.
Here is my future garden! 
Here is the puffy side of the sock. You need to look close, but the bottom is sticking out. The slant in middle is the beginning of a leaf.
Here is the back. The bottom here is rolling up, but the stitches are flat. 
Happy Birthday DH! I hope that you are having a lovely day off!! I love you!!
I am posting work & do not have pictures with me. Yesterday I started the leaf & tendril sock & had great success with my own variation of the invisible cast on. Problems crept up on me slowly once the toe was formed, after 14+ rows of the pattern when I was forced to admit that I purl looser than I knit (the front of the sock has a pearl background). As Cat Bordhi warned, looser purl stitches lead to a puffy sock front. After a quick check of my needles, I placed an order with Knit Picks for two 2.25 24" mm's and the size smaller than that too. Hopefully they will arrive before the weekend.
On another green front, DH has offered to dig me a small garden patch. I am VERY excited & kind-of hoping that maybe he is digging it today even though it's his birthday. Last year I grew a sweet 100 plant in a pot & it did well. While I know the garden patch will be tiny, I am hoping that I will be able to have two tomato plants, some herbs & maybe some peppers. We can't do anything that will spread due to our community rules.
Last night I finished my Misti alpaca socks. I love the colors. The socks are quite warm. Will I use this yarn again? Probably. The colors are amazing & I saw some other neat color-ways at Knit Happens. My problem is that I really like my sock yarn to have "spring" in it. This doesn't have it. Still, if I have long trip ahead of me, this would be the perfect project.
Later today, I want to start the leaf & tendril socks. I need to learn how to do the invisible cast on. I have Googled it & found a few sites. Hopefully it won't be too bad. Yesterday, I bought the yarn for the socks. I think it is called Claudia's hand-painted. 
I could be wrong though. I'd go check by Ash & I are closed up in DH's office & the cats have the run of the house. Earlier today, Ashley acted like a typical "youngest kid" and tormented them to the point that we all needed a time out.
Here is Ms. Ashley supervised the winding of the yarn. I love the color & the feel. The color-way is called "Moss". 
Yesterday, one of our fun errands was getting new cell phones. DH has had his for over ten years, Mine is at least four years old. Kudos go to my wonderful husband for finding such a great deal. We both did lots of research so we knew what phones we'd need. He found an unbelievable offer & got his current carrier to honor it. Love you PD. 
The phone has texting options. I really got it for the email & phone use though. The upside to the texting is that it gives me another way to communicate with my SS. He was thrilled (NOT!!) to learn that my plan has unlimited use of this feature!!
Check out the side view. Hello increased small purse options!!
Today I cashed in some coke rewards points for three magazines. DH, if you are reading this, remember that I do pass them on to Molly so they won't be cluttering up our place forever! :-) One of them is called ReadyMade. It looked interesting. We shall see. I also ordered Traditional Home & Country Home. I am a little nervous about the last one but the website had a picture of an ally with a garden look to it & a gorgeous cat.
This picture was taken a few weeks ago. DH reported this morning that Mamma Duck was off her nest & that there were still eggs in it. When we got home, she was back on it & was quite tolerable as DH and I talked to her. DH has counted ten eggs!
DH and I both took today off. We need to run some fun errands. Believe it or not, after almost two years of marriage, we still have some gifts cards to use. We are hitting Crate and Barrel today to see if we like a comforter that we've been eying in the catalogs. Also, DH needs to pick up a medal in Old Town Alexandria for getting second place in his age group for a race he ran a few weeks ago. The running shop that has it, is rather close to Knit Happens & and I am in need of sock yarn! Should be fun! Wahoo!
At rate here are some pictures from the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. 
Sheep herding demos. What impressed me is how the dogs obeyed quickly & how the people could whisper their requests. Ashley comes when it pleases her and if the cats are around, it isn't likely to happen at all!!
I'll distract you from the lack of knitting progress/news with Mamma Duck!!
Mamma Duck on her nest by our front stairs. 
Okay so the plan was multiple pictures of things besides the duck but there is glitch & a gotta scoot.
Sorry for the absence. Work has been quite busy. Last Wednesday, I decided to surprise my step son and bake him cupcakes. We will ignore the fact that I did this in lieu of making him a healthy dinner. While baking them, I decided that I should also share few with a neighbor who had a rough day. At some point during the baking process, I must have been impressed with myself because the high-horse knocker-offers were in full enforcement mode that night and I learned my lesson the hard way.
Once the cupcakes were baked, I iced a few, put them on a paper plate, put a gentle lead on Ashley and as well as her regular lead (the gentle lead is supposed to make it easier to control her - it is like a horse harness & in theory takes the power away from the dogs powerful chest/neck). I was taking Ashley because I did not want to crate her nor did I care to leave her unattended for a few minutes.
So, we have the iced cupcakes, a dog on a gentle lead & a person in need of a lesson. I open the front door, we walk out. I close it behind me. Mamma Duck sees dog. Dog sees Mamma duck. Duck takes off. Dog pulls once, cupcakes are air born & will land icing side down. Dogs pulls twice and gets away from me. Dog is now chasing duck. I am chasing dog and yelling and repeating in loud voice a word that rhymes with duck. There are small children playing across the street. I am no longer on my high horse. Dog is caught, duck comes back.
When DH gets home, I share our adventures with DH. He picks on me about "allowing" the dog to chase the duck and does a quasi-good job of giving me a guilt trip. He doesn't know about the knocker-offers that a running around the house.
Later that evening, we have a guest. Guest arrives and upsets Mamma Duck. Guest is fed cupcakes and begged to leave Mamma Duck alone. In his defense, merely looking at the front door is enough to upset her. Guest departs after it is very dark. DH is standing at the door. Guest goes outside, Mama Duck takes off, Ashley, who is NOT wearing a lead, gets around DH and chases Mamma Duck. DH is knocked off his horse.
Mamma Duck has returned & settled down. Ashley has not been able to chase her but she does look for her every time we go out. Hope that we have babies soon.
Didn't buy anything at the Maryland Sheep & Wool festival but will post pics soon.
Ashley had a ball reuniting with her sister Hailey. 
Here are a couple of quick shots of the pair together. 
On the duck front, Mama came back. 
We got home a heck of a lot later than expected. DH did AWESOME in his race. I am so proud!!! I then had to go back out & get a headlight replaced that we just noticed was out today. We got lucky & found a place that open on Sunday. The sour dough bread is rising. I am going to try a new & hopefully fast and simple homemade pizza recipe this evening & I have the crazy-ass idea that I will also knit three inches of my sock.
Off to knit & bake.
First the simple ones.
1. Extra blue, blueberry muffins. 
Before we meet Haily, DH is running a race in my old stomping ground, Old Town Alexandria. While he runs, Ashley & I are going to visit with one of my dear friends. The muffins are for the ride to Alexandria and to share with my friend.
2. The second sock. I would love to complete this sock by Friday night. It would be a record for me AND I'd plan to buy more sock yarn on Saturday at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.
Now for the tentative starts.
1. My first loaf of sour dough bread. Here is what should become a sponge overnight and then, with the addition of more flour, hopefully become yummy bread tomorrow afternoon. I am afraid that my mother is too thin. Time will tell. 
2. Saving what could become the best for last, today we discovered that a duck laid eggs in a nook outside our front door. I am worried because she flew away. Hopefully she'll back we'll have baby ducks. Fingers are crossed. 
