Me and Mike Jackson...no not THAT Mike Jackson Geesh 148/365

Well that was fun...I published this a little too quick. Forgot to set it for the proper day.UGH!

 

Me and Mike Jackson (Class of 76 RAHS) at the Sesquicentennial last August. Funny funny guy...wish you could meet him.

Inca Mexican Resteraunt 147/365

Looked more Aztec than Incan to me but the food was tasty and that's all that mattered,eh?

Old Town, Ft Collins CO 146/365

Kinda reminded me of Rossville back in it's glory days and Molly Culbert's.

My Poor Desk 145/365

Here is what was on my desk LOL! (Didn't think about taking a BEFORE pic and doing this as a blog post until after the fact. I was originally just giving Sharie a laugh with it)

Hancock Fabrics coupon flier
camera
earrings, rings
guitar tuner, picks, capo, USB microphone
d*fuzz*it sweater comb
business cards
sheet of lighthouse stamps
journal with phone numbers, passwords, misc entries
two bills
bank statement
jack Daniels cup with pencils,pens, scissors
tin lid with beads and scrapbook goodies
blood kit
eight tubes of lip stuff-carmex, blistex, lip gloss etc (from my purse)
candy
knitting needle gauge/ruler
metro bus pass
three scratch pads
fake million dollar bill
earphones from airplane
plastic whistle
MP3 player
embroidery floss
envelopes with phone numbers and doodles
address books
pop up sticky notes
eyeglasses prescription
memory cards
earplugs
a small Polaroid of Deanna
cotton balls
wee circle magnets
hand knit by Rebecca Halley labels
a box of bookplates
usb thumb drive
harmonica
cup of herbal tea
small light bulb

I put things away as I found them...any bets as to how long it will take me to trash the desk again?

The Best Thing about the Hotel Was....144/365

I am getting spoiled staying at Marriott Hotels. I mean seriously...where else can you pee in a bathroom like this? Real wooden doors with locks that worked, slate on the walls I mean COME ON!!!!

Sharie was afraid I'd be bored while she was at work....pfffft! I brought a very challenging knitting pattern with me. I'm doing it in liime green baby alpaca for my daughter.

Doing Denver 143/365

OMG what a great day in Denver! Sharie dropped me off at 7:30AM at Union Station and I went for coffee at my  favorite cafe...uh they moved it and changed the name but I recognized the bookshelves and the chalkboard menus once I was in there. OK that probably made no sense...OK I went to where my fav coffee shop WAS and it turned into some kind of Italian place and I was all like...dang...so I turned west and was headed for the Tattered Cover when I saw another coffee shop..."Hey here's a coffee shop" and a few seconds later "Oh my I think this is the old coffee shop just in a different place YES!!!!!!" And not only that, the barristas complimented my hair and earrings.

I next traveled on to the bookstore and guess what I found? A Sock pattern book with two of Gina's patterns in it....SCORE!!!

Back to Union Station to give Sheila a call. She picked me up and we went to the yarn store where she and Leslie and Anita knit. Too cool.

Lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe with my buddy from camfrog, Keefer...we have convinced Sheila to join the fun so she can get sucked in to our world LOL! (Side note...I had so much fun I missed my bus ...whoops...caught the 3:30...called Jack...all is well he was cool about it).

Talked to some nice people on the bus, finished sock #2 from the Mini Mooshie yarn, got McNasty's for supper, hurried up and got ready for a special thing at church and now....I'm slightly exhausted so I'll catch ya'll tomorrow

Testing the Auto Post Thingy 142/365

Here's a pic of me and Cheryl that Leslie took at Quilt Guild last week. I am testing to see if the auto poster works while I am in Ft Collins

The Plan 141/365

The plan is to meet Sharie at DIA and go up to Ft Collins with her for tonight and tomorrow night. She'll drop me in Denver Tuesday morning. Hopefully a couple of friends from camfrog can get to the Hard Rock Cafe fur lunch!  I'll catch the 3:00PM FREX bus home and Jack will pick me up at the Woodman Park and Ride. That's the plan but will this snow get in the way? This picture is me and Sharie at the energy conference last year.

A Plea to my Sister 140/365

Dear Judy, I am sorry I scared you yesterday. Will you please make this picture for Jack? He would also like a Paula Deane slotted spoon and the spoon with the measures on it. He says if you really loved him you would send beans too . PS he wanted me to remind you that he has pictures from a certain party in Potomac hahahahaha!

The EYE of the Beholder 139/365

I love Technology 138/365

Who would have dreamed we could ever actually video conference like they did in Star Trek? Here's me chatting with my daughter and granddaughter on the web cam.

It's Cherry Pickin Time! 137/365

Quilt guild day...Cheryl picked me up. Guess who won the cherry blocks from the Block of the Month thingy? That would be me! Leslie won the art quilt from the in house raffle. Hmmm I didn't get a picture of that grrrrrrr.

Feet and Legs 136/365

The Colorful Shawl Story 135/365

I made this this little beauty as the beginning of my shawl making ways. The year, 1989.  The place, Franklin County, Indiana. I had three little kids, a bag full of gifted sport weight yarn and a Glorious Knits book from the library. Oh those were the days.

I left it in my insurance agent's office for a year once and at my oldest son's best friend's house for 6 months but it has always come back to me, thank God.

Me and Dakota at the Citadel Mall waiting on Jack to pick us up. I got to be the hero for once, buying Dakota brand new pants and sweats off the rack along with steel toed boots, new socks and a late lunch at Chick Fil A with Dalton.

I told you We had MONEY!!!! 134/365

 

Here's a coincidence for you...I used Picture 134 for post 134. I do so love a good coincidence.

Long Day Shopping 133/365

We have been so poor for so long....got some danged ol' money in our pockets and went on a MAJOR shopping spree. Nothing frivolous, food, glasses and a watch for Jack, clothes and shoes for me, phone minutes, candy eggs with caramel inside....you know, stuff we needed lol.

I found the perfect brown V neck sweater I have been looking for... for the past three years. I found brown flat shoes finally too after looking for months. I am beat. 

Here's clouds and snow blowing on Pikes Peak. Took this after we ate at Gunther Toodys for breakfast.

We came home, unloaded the first load of groceries (OMG my pantry looks awesome!) and went back out to eat again. Yep it's been a long hard winter.

My 365 is at Olive Garden...oh..I must tell you the story of the wicked women from NYC who sat  behind us. They proceeded to telll the waiter they were both diabetics so what could they have off the menu. Uh...it's a pasta place...try a salad? They debated for a good 10 minutes with him about mena choices. (Hint...eat what you want just split your meal into halves and take one half home) Finally decided on soup and chicken parmeson with the NOODLES ON THE SIDE Do NOT put the NOODLES UNDER THE CHICKEN!!! The soup didn't have enough saugsage in it so they complained loudly about that. Then something was wrong with the chicken so they complained loudly about that. It just felt a little too contrived for me. Two or three management types were hovering around trying to please them. I told Jack "They just complained their way into a free meal" So not fair.

 

HAHAHAHA! I have no idea why the camera decided to artsy fartsy me up but I like it!

Oh yeah one more story...we go to Big Lots for the first time in 3 years. Jack gets safety  glasses and his phone card and I get the bunny bites. No big deal. Head for the check out. See a lady in line and get behind her. Hear some one say "EXCUSE ME LADY!" Look back to see a black gentleman come from behind a display...I saw his cart there but he wasn't standing near it so I thought someone had left it. OK...sorry dude..go ahead. he angled toward a cashier so I stepped up to the next one...I hear "HEY LADY THIS IS ONLY ONE LINE!" Huh? Why is it one line? There are two cashiers. "THEY TAKE WHOEVER IS NEXT IN LINE" Dude...I ain't shopped here in three years...I don't know the protocol.... OK....you in some kind of mega rush or what? I looked back at Jack and saw a danger sign flashing. He was ready to tell the guy off but luckily Mr. MyTimeIsWayMoreImportantThanYours got called to the next cashier...yay he got his way! He made it out of the store 30 whole seconds before us! Victory was his!!!!!!!!!

Music from Back Home 132/365

Jack got a CD in the mail today from back home. That would be East Central Illinois for those of yas who didn't know that. Taylor Wolfe is an up and coming young country music star. We're very proud to know her and her family.Here's a link to her facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=283655485808

Scrappy Knee Sock and New 12 Pt Ball 131/365

I finished the sock yarn 12 pt ball today.

My 365 is my leg and foot in my scrappy knee sock. Sock #2 is about 2/3 done. 

 

The last pic shows the stitch markers I used to show where my increases were. I worked these socks from the toe up (first time doing it that way, I kinda liked it)

The Velvet Blocks 130/365

Yes, the all velvet quilt.

Flat on a Rock 129/365

This was up at Rampart Reservoir a few years back...kinda reminds me of how I feel tonight. Knocked flat by another surprise Illini win w000000t!

 

I'm sewing on some velvet CQ blocks. Gonna be spectacular.

The 12 Point Balls Blog 128/365

: 

I love love love making these 12 point Celestine balls from Berroco.com. Here's the one I am making from the sock yarn I got from Leslie and a little bit from the skein I bought in Chicago back in 2008 when I visited my mom at the rehab place (the burgundy):

 

Check out these beads from www.z-beads.com

Look familiar? 

It snowed enough to knock Jack off the job site but not enough to have him go push snow. Bummer. The good news is we sold another cane from our etsy shop. We had to spend some money on packing supplies because we couldn't afford to have the shipping place do it for us again. Maybe with the big walking sticks but it looks like we should just do the canes ourselves. We are basically still in the learning phase of this business venture.

A Slight Moment of Panic 127/365

I got it in my head to switch out rings today. I usually wear an opal ring from the Garden of the Gods, a small diamond from Jack, a silver wedding band made in an Arizona prison by a friend and a Southwest black onyx pinky ring from my mom.

I was ready for something different. I got my jewelry roll from its hiding placed and started trying on rings. For my middle finger, the first ring Jack bought me. For my wedding finger, the solitaire diamond I traded a quilt for and a small gold band of my mom's that went with another set (my REAL wedding rings still don't fit ugh). OK where's my mom's pinky ring, the one with all the diamonds she gave me at Judy's before she came out here? OMG where is it?!?

I looked by my chair in the living room, in both jewelry boxes, on my computer desk...no, not there. PANIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally I remembered knocking something off my nightstand. At first I didn't find it but yay finally I did...in the crevice formed by the collapsing box I call a night stand in a sheet that was peeking out. WHEW! No tossing and turning over the ring for me tonight.

Didn't watch any of the Stupid Bowl...just the half time thingy with the Who. very cool light show but man those guys are old!

Watching the Illini Game 126/365

It started out innocently enough...sitting in my chair knitting waiting on the Illinois game to come on. It ended with me going insane LOL!

The Building of the Bookcase 125/365

I spent the morning clearing out my old bookcase, piling everything on my bed. However when I went out to the garage to get the new bookcase to put it together, it wasn't there. Grrrrrr it's in the trunk of the car still! WRONG! When Jack called at 4PM to let me know he was on his way home I told him to bring it in..."Well, it's already in ,dear. It's behind the dining room table where I left it last night"

Ugh...I didn't even go in the living room all day to notice it in there LOL! I was too busy doing laundry and moving stuff.  Oh well, it's put together and looks pretty good. Now about the mess under the table....

124/365

Winding Yarn 123/365

Leslie dropped off her Winding Station for a few hours today. I managed to get most of my wayward skeins wound. Now to focus on some lace knitting along with all my other pursuits.

Before Leslie got back from Knitter's Kove I listened to my favorite book on tape while I wound yarn.Watchers by Dean R Koontz. I first read this in the early 90's when I lived in Indiana. Oh, so many fond memories of that short time there. I can still see the book sitting on the new release shelf at the Rush Co library. I waited and waited for it to go off rental status so I could read it. Then when I finally got it I read it twice. Yeah, I liked it that much.

Teach A Soldier to Knit Day at the Halley Ranch 122/365

A couple of weeks ago when we picked Dakota up at Dalton's I offered to teach Dalton to knit because he complained he was bored. The child looked at me like I was insane..."Uh no thanks." I knew what he was thinking. "Men don't knit. That's gay." I know this to be untrue and it kind of bugged me so when I got home I got on Twitter and posted:

 Looking for men in #coloradosprings interested in learning to knit to prove a theory that it is a chick magnet and not the opposite #COS

I got this reply within the hour:

nopaleroO

 

@crazy_rebecca I want to learn to knit. I already crochet. [^^,] Well, it's been a while but know how to.


And the experiment was on! We twittered back and forth and finally tonight Juan, aka nopaleroO, came over for supper and a knitting lesson. 


He was a natural! I mean seriously. His stitches were even and he did great (until I distracted him that is whoops) I explained my knitting-as-a-chick-magnet theory. Hopefully he'll take notes on any KIP (knitting in public) experiences he has to further my research.


I had a great time. Especially since another knitter was born and I got a great 365 picture lol