Fabulous Feather

Suberbia

This evening I mixed creamy Parmesan tuna helper with creamy garlic tuna helper and it was edible.  Here are  some of the lessons that I learned tonight.

1.  Never assume anything.  I  remember seeing two pale blue boxes of tuna helper in the pantry.  I assumed that they were the same flavor, so I filled a pot with twice the required ingredients for one box, mixed up the margarine, milk, water and noodles and then pulled out the second box.  The second box needed the same stuff but in different ratios.  I proceeded forward valiantly - did not start over - and low and behold it was edible.  In fact the guys had seconds.

2.  Eleven year olds have eyes four times the size of their bellies and should not have a say in quantities.  We only ate half of the aforementioned  concoction.  I had asked my FF's son if I should make one or two of the stuff and obviously he recommended the latter.

3.  Laughter is good.  When the FF saw both boxes out he was not amused.  Particularly when he saw both spice packs in the pot (I think it is the same stuff and they just call it different things so you'll focus on either the garlic or the Parmesan). I just laughed, hard, and kept mixing it.

4.  Choosy kids prefer plain peanut butter - not the crunchy flavor,  We are also baby sitting Charlie (the four year old that witnessed the donkey teething) this evening.  FF had to go out and buy him special creamy peanut butter as we only the crunchy kind.  We had already been to the store once so he was not a happy camper.  I think FF was doing something with the PB when he discovered the tuna combo.

5.  I may be the only person that find humor in this and that's okay.  This is one of those evenings when I realize that this is now "situation normal".  I am no longer single.  Popcorn and beer or wine dinners are rare treats and that's a good thing.  I may never like tuna helper but I can improvise and sneak in the broiled meat and green veggie dinners occasionally.

On the knitting front, I have been busy.  The second green sock is about three inches from being completed.  I knit a flower from my the Knitting Beyond the edge book (see my last knitting post), I winged a small bag that needs  to be sewn up and the sweatshirt growth.  Here is another shot of the flower and the sweatshirt.     My blogging has been rather erratic.  I am just super busy.  Beth can tell you that I am on the road a lot. We have stuff  going on every weekend.  I do love living with my FF.  I love sleeping at home and waking up in the middle of the night and knowing he is there.  I love spending time with his son.  The whole tuna helper thing makes me happy because it is funny.  My FF helps me keep my priorities in  line - life first, work second.  He encourages me in my knitting (not stash enhancing - knitting and we all know there is a difference!! :) ).  My life is not perfect.  I am not perfect but I am just so happy that we are together.

Git to go.  I want to work more on my sock.

Ohh check out Beth's silk worm egg.  It is cool!!!!

FF this note is for you

Every now and again, my FF reads my blog.  This message is for him and has a minor mush factor, so read on at your own peril.

PD, thank you for a lovely birthday celebration!  Dinner was great, the flowers are gorgoeus and the cards are funny.

I love you.

Audrey

I'm EXCITED!

Do you ever get a buzz or energy boost when you learn a new knitting technique?  I just experimented with knitting with two colors and love it.  Yes, I know it isn't difficult but for whatever reason it hasn't been high on my priority list.  This was also the first time that I had used a chart for a pattern.  It worked out great! This afternoon I knit this:    It is the simple snowflake motif from Nicky Epstein's book, Knitting over the Edge.  I love this book.  My sister in law gave it to me for my birthday.  My favorite part is the color section.  Now I am on a roll!  I have just cast on to make a little bag using the diamond patterns.     The diamonds will be made using the silk twist in dapper and the rest of the bag is in Knit Picks Andean silk.  This will probably be filled with the lavender or rose potpourri that I have brewing down stairs and given as a Christmas gift.  I also think that it would be fun to knit something for my nephew using he fish and duck patterns.        I may even combine the two. Mt favorite pattern in the book is called bold flowers. 

Here is quick shot of the sweater and the sock that are my other main WIPs.     I need to figure out how much space to allow for seam allowances before I can proceed.  I am at the point where I may want to start a tiny decrease but have been to lazy to pull out giraffe for a comparison.  I love the way the colors look in the manos. The sock has been traveling with me on all errands so a little progress has been made.

I have saga out on the counter and white wine in the fridge.  I am going to go out on the deck and enjoy the last little bit of my long weekend and design my bag on the fly!

I'm back!

Thank you for the nice birthday wishes!  Sorry no photos today.  For pretty color shots check out Beth's site.  She had the roving I sent her in SP4 carded.  the blue looks neat!

Friday was my birthday.  I took the day of of work, hit some golfs balls, tried to find a great fall purse & black boots and knit.  I started the sweatshirt that I bought yarn for in June.  The images of that purcahse are on the June 3 blog.  Please scroll past the horrible shots of the blue cami.  Gosh that top looks horrible on me.

Yesterday I went to an animal park with a friend and her 4 year old son.  Sometimes my guardian angels must wonder about their charge.  As we entered the park, I read to Karen and Charlie the warning posted on the ticket cost sign that we were entering a park with animals and that they might bite, kick and scratch.  I do distinctly recall the reference to 'bite'.  The park, which is fairly small, has a few distinct areas.  There is stable like area where some critters are penned up (near by there are also large pastures so that they are not cooped up all day) then there is a "contact area" where people and animals can interact in a large fenced in area.  While we were in the stable area, I watched a man getting bumped in the butt by a donkey.  The donkey's baby, which at this point I thought was precious and little was always right there.  It happened more than once.  At this point my guardian angels must have thought that there job was done.  I had  read the warning out loud so I knew the risks AND I had also watched someone else get nudged a few times from behind.  The angels were wrong.  I figured that if I didn't have food, I didn't have a problem.  Soon Charlie Karen and I are entering the 'contact' area.  The guardian crew attepts a third intervention - Momma donkey and her babe are blocking the entrance to the contact area.  The three of gently maneover around them. I try to push Momma's head to the side so that I can squeeze in beside her, it like trying to push a wall even though her head only comes to the middle of my chest.  Eventually I got past  the pair, turned my back on them and the guardians let me learn my lesson.  I followed Karen and Charlie - I do not even know what he went to look at - and felt minor pain, but pain none the less in my left calf.  I look to discover that the sweet little babe and given me a little love bite and was intently  following me for more.  I have moment of clarity:  'I am 36 years old.  I am in a petting zoo with a four year old and I am being followed by a baby donkey with its ears flat back who has already caught me once. Charlie is having much more fun than his Aunt Audrey. ' The babe also got Karen and at least one other woman.  I asked an employee about it and she said that he was teething.  Lovely.  On the upside, the park is taking care of a 8 week old bengal tiger cub until a permanent home can be found for him.  I was allowed to pet it.

There will be pictures soon.  I am about 5 inches into the sweater and 2-4 into the second sock.

Happy knitting!