New paint on the wall and sheeeeeee's baaaa-aaack!

I have been away from the blog for the summer.  I've been busy and life has been hectic and I've not had much to say.  Well, that's probably not strictly true, but I didn't really have time to say it!

Medical appointments for Mom, work and such have kept me hopping.  It's been so darn hot all summer I haven't done a  lot of 'memorable' things.

But I'm back, for now, and hopefully I'll be a more frequent updater than in recent days.

Here are a few things I've been doing:

Knitting:

My first Baby Surprise Jacket!  Still needs buttons and ends woven, as well as the white buttons.

I also made a hat and a blanket:

Baby's Hat

Baby's Blanket

These are for Sean's Baby Boy - due at the end of August.  They will be finished and in the mail on Wednesday!!!!

Another cousin, Ami, is due with her first child in October.  Stealth knitting is going on for her baby girl.  I'd show you, but my family reads and I'd like her to be surprised!  :)

Other endeavors, mostly failed or barely executed, for the summer:  

• planting veggies - all died due to extreme heat and a late start
• clearing the clutter - plans were made, plans were not executed, plans have been remade, hope to execute as the weather cools
• debt reduction - plans have been made, budgets have been made and (mostly) followed.  Long way to go, but I'm determined
• Selling stuff - plans have been made, listing will soon begin, though I have sold a few things on Half.com while I'm learning the ropes of other venues.  I will be selling the stuff I de-clutter; selling stuff I knit, crochet, paint, bead, whatever; selling books and DVDs and such.  I'm learning the ins and outs of eBay, Craigslist, and Etsy!

Look for links in the future to the Etsy shop and my eBay listings and yard sale woes!

Glad to be back.  Looking forward to recording All My Great Adventures once again!

Summer's coming!

Today, 6000 gallons of water will be delivered to top off my in-ground pool!

Water delivery is scheduled between 8 and noon.  I got up waaaaay too early for a Saturday and put the pump on because we had thunderstorms roll through last evening.  It's now about 9:30 AM and the water has not yet arrives.  I realize I could have slept a while longer.  Of course, if I had slept in, the water would have arrived at 8 AM on the nose!

I dreaded rolling back the cover.  The winter weather was the worst it has been in many years.  Certainly the worst it has been since I've owned this pool.  Surprise, surprise -- this was the BEST winter for the pool.  Go figure!  Very little debris inched its way into the water through the very narrow gap between the pool cover and the wall on the shallow end.  I am usually scooping many, many leaves.  Hardly any this year.  This is a good thing, since the best scooper basket was broken by some helper over the winter.

Looks like we'll be ready for the pool company to come and get it set for the season on Tuesday!

In knitting news, I finished my Baktus, except for the blocking. 

I need to figure out what to do next.  With five or more babies expected in my extended family and friends network, you'd think I could pick some baby thing or another.  Yet, I have not. 

Instead, I am planning a Pampered Chef(r) Help Whip Cancer(r) fundraiser show for next Saturday.  The Pampered Chef(r) has been supporting the American Cancer Society and their Breast Cancer Education program for over 10 years, contributing $7.9 million dollars since 2000.  Last year, the Help Whip Cancer(r) campaign raised $875,000.  The HWC fundraisers are regular Pampered Chef shows, with a pink twist.  During the month of May, the guest specials are special pink and white products.  The Pampered Chef(r) contributes $1.00 for every pink product sold and up to 25% of the total products sold to the American Cancer Society. 

If you'd be interested in purchasing something to help raise funds for Breast Cancer Education, or you'd just like to see what The Pampered Chef has to offer, drop me a line and I'll send you the link.

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

Mom was doing much better, so I took myself to the Festival today.  Goal:  Funnel Cake!

Scored the Funnel Cake and this lovely skein of Tess Designer Yarns Super Sock & Baby yarn. I took the picture at two angles to show off all the colors.

There are three babies being born in my extended family.  One lucky baby will get a gift made from this fabulous yarn.

I traveled the Festival with Alex and Beth from The Yarn Garden.  Alex owns The Yarn Garden and she placed an order for the yarn I'd like for a sweater I loved at Autumn House Farm.  The yarn is called Blarney Stone and the pattern is Julie.  Neither the yarn nor the pattern seem to be available on the website, but we just fell in love with it.  Locals should look for both at The Yarn Garden in the near(ish) future!  :)

While I only bought one skein of yarn, I have an order for a sweater's worth with my local yarn shop!

After mowing the yard yesterday and walking around the Festival today - I'm tired and a little sun-kissed... It was a great weekend!