January - off and running, finished book, school starts and more....

David completed and turned in the last 25% of the book this morning. He is so excited to have that off his plate and be able to concentrate his efforts on other things. The draft still has 3 reviews to get through so he has time for changes if he chooses to make some. You can check it out at the below link to Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Innovate-Future-Radical-Approach-Innovation/dp/0137055153/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262796673&sr=8-1

School starts back tomorrow and I'm very ready for the children to be back in their routines. They, though not overly excited about school resuming, are "kind of" looking forward to tomorrow. Almost 3 weeks being out of school is long enough for all of us, I think!


I'm providing proof that I've actually started socks for myself. This is the "Bayerische" pattern. These are size "0" needles and the cable patterns are single stitch. An eye popper and hand cramper pattern, but Oh! so lovely...
This is the "Four Strand" sock pattern that I think I'll probably end up finishing first. The needles are size "3" and the yarn is a DK weight. This pattern really moves quickly. My first toe up sock...


"Baroque". I just love this pattern. I know you can't see the pattern I still have a bit more to do before it will be noticable. Unfortunately the color is off in the pic, it is really the most beautiful of purples.
I have started another pair of socks called, "Lakeside". I decided against taking a pic of this start as there is even less there than on the "Baroque" for the moment. So when I get a bit further along with the pattern I'll get a pic.

That time once again. Yesterday the decorations started coming down. Normally I have the house void of Christmas decorations long before now, but this year I'm being lazy. I hope to have the rest of the stuff up and put away by the end of today. We'll see...

I went out yesterday to take a pic of the ice we STILL have on the road in front of the house after almost 2 weeks. Our nights have just been so cold. But the days have warmed up just enough to melt a little day by day. Anyway.... While I was taking a pic our squirrel was kind enough to sit still until I shifted positions...

Yesterday was also hand washing day. I just thought this was an interesting pic. in that it reminded me of the days when we'd go run through the laundry hanging on the line in our own back yards. Interesting, now that we have laws saying that we can't hang laundry...

So now my laundry and breakfast rooms become places to lay flat or hang items that have been personally washed.

Surprise!

Oh I'm so excited! Karen was able to sneak away for dinner tonight with me to one of our favorite restaurants. Her last visit into town was harried and so is this visit. As usual her business trips just don't leave us much time to really get to visit as much as I'd like. But then again I'm terribly selfish and want to monopolize all her time while she is here. I miss having her close by and being able to visit in a more relaxed way. I know these trips are a hardship for her and in the end I'm sure they exhaust her, but I can't help but be excited every time I hear she's on her way back for more business. So fortunately for me she is coming back again on Sunday! I hope that we'll be able to get out again for some dinner, maybe this time with David, and let Karen try a new Thai place that we love.

Dinner at Mirch Masala is always on the agenda when Karen comes to town if time permits! This is typically what Karen and I get when we dine here. Karen gets the Chicken Tikka Masala (top)and I normally get the Chicken Korma but splurged and got the Lamb Korma tonight (bottom right). Yum! The Mango Lasse and the hot Chai are wonderful accompaniments. Tonight with the cooler weather the hot Chai hit the spot for me. What more can you ask for? Great company, wonderful food and hot Chai!

I'm almost embarrassed to post this in the same entry as my post on Karen's visit, but I think Karen would understand. Especially since I had told her about my lovely sock that I was working on at the house! This is the yarn. I just absolutely love it. The colors are just perfect for now (Fall! Its been chilly outside today and this evening!) The sock will be a bit big but I have every intention to use this pair of socks with some boots that will show them off.

Now I realize that your probably wondering what this is about. Well what do you think about a grocery bag that works before it is even finished? This particular bag in supporting its own yarn (there are actually 2 skeins in there) while I work on it. (Jessica, this is a good representation of the color of the dishrag that Olivia is working on right now.) I'm hoping that this bag will hold a couple of bottles of wine or bread when completed.

The yellow you see here will be a great contrast color for this bag. Still looking for the darker blue.