Saturday, August 26, 2006

Sunday Photos




I thought I'd do some shots of what it looked like the evening of the move, and then the next day. The first 3 are the kitchen. The next 4 are the hall leading into the fiber room and the fiber room itself. It was impossible to walk in the fiber room at all, there wasn't even a path.



The last two are part of the living room, we needed to put the books in the bookcases so we had room for the furniture!

Monday, August 21, 2006

AARRGGHH

Well, the phone isn't connected, we are on the second trip to the house to pick up stuff that didn't get moved today (using both our car and a loaned pickup), the chest freezer stopped working while after defrosting it (didn't realize until some of it had partially thawed -- luckily the upright was working and everything went back in there), and we are frantically unpacking while we make trips to the old house to pick up the remnants.

I took pictures of the house last night to show where it was at the end of day one. I plan to take pictures of the progress tonight too. All will be posted when we get phone and internet -- promised Wednesday.

Physically we are very tired. Can't imagine why, can you? But almost everything was ready when the people showed up.

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Home Stretch

Well, the house is packed except for our bedroom. That I plan to do tomorrow morning while Howard is at the church. Thank God for Mary D and her daughters Roni and Angie. They came over today and worked like Trojans, packing Nathan's room, Serena's room, the upstairs bathroom and the laundry room. Without them, I would have been sunk, as Howard had a wedding this afternoon. Actually, I'd have been sunk, because of the sheer volume of work they did!

I'll tell the stories of what happened later. Right now I need to close and go to bed. I'm exhausted!

Friday, August 18, 2006

SURPRISE!

Boy did we get a surprise last night! About 8 Howard got a call that we are being moved Sunday. Gulp. WHAT? Oh my!

Well we are packing frantically, and hope to have everything ready by Sunday at 1. blink

I've spent the ENTIRE morning packing the fiber room, and it isn't done yet. Soon, I really, really hope! I'm down to the stuff that you have to sort through, to decide whether to keep or not.

Well, I did spend some time on the phone arranging services to be changed to the new house. Phone will be available Monday morning, Internet not until Wednesday morning (WAH!) and tv not until the following Monday. Sad to say I'll miss the internet the most! I'm hoping that Howard's laptop can pick up the signal from the local tower (it can here at this house) and that I can use it several times a day. If not, I'll whine, and have to make do.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Packing

I have realized that yarn dominates the house. The only places I haven't found it are the 2 bathrooms and Nathan and Kim's room. I really didn't recognize that it had spread out so far. Do you think it moves by itself? Today I started a box for the "little bit of yarn I have downstairs." Finished that one off, and filled a second! I told Howard that I was surprised that there had been so much, and there was a long pause. Then he said, "I refuse to comment on that statement!" LOL


Here is a photo of the new house. We packed the car today and went over. Kitchen stuff that we can do without until we move, mainly. There was a little spread throughout the rest. We measured all the rooms except the laundry room, so we can discuss placement of furniture. There isn't ROOM for anything else in the laundry room. Well, we did try to figure out if we can easily move the washer and dryer out and put the new ones that are here in. The jury is still out on that. We still plan to do it, but...

Several members of the church have offered trucks or trailers to move our stuff. So hopefully a date will soon be set to move!

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

New House

I spent 4 hours this morning waiting for the gas be turned on and the window person to come to measure for 2 storm windows that need to be replaced. The gas man came. The window person never did.

While there I took pictures, but the one of the front of the house didn't show up. I think my camera is starting to have serious issues. Several pictures a session just aren't there. The camera registers as having taken a picture, but it is blank.

This is a gorgeous tree in our back yard. There was a male cardinal on the power line that serenaded me as I wandered around.

Monday, August 14, 2006

Miscellaneous


We visited Nathan and Kim the end of last week, and had a great time. Here is our "grand-dog" Tucker. His face looks a lot like the dog we had growing up. Tucker, though, is a lab (mom) basset (dad) mix. He IS a character!

Here are my new socks that I finished on the trip! I used Kroy 4 ply from the Paton's Outlet, and STILL have lots of the forest green left over. I made a mistake and knit the length according to the pattern directions, and they hit about half way up my calf. sigh I should have tried them on, to make sure they were knee length. But I wore them yesterday (hey, my feet get cold in the house!) and they stayed up.



On the house front, we signed the paperwork today, and can move in immediately. We hope to find out tonight how and when we will actually move. We are moving from a 4 bedroom to a 3 bedroom, not impossible, but it is going to be "interesting!"

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Fun Visit

Monday we drove down to a friend I met on the Spinlist, some time ago. We'd never met before, just corresponded and talked on the phone. We started corresponding when I responded to her request for help in knitting socks. I knit the christening gown for their granddaughter (who is now 5!) Sheesh, how time goes by!
Anyway, they raise Schipperkes, and have a puppy in the house who is as cute as can be, and looks like a black bear cub! Here are pictures of Julie and Bill with Missy, as well as one of Missy.

Just because I've never shown it off here, I've also attached a poor picture of the back of the christening gown. The glass buttons weighed more than the gown itself! I used some finer than cobweb wool/silk that Jaggerspun did as a one-off. I WISH they would do it again, it was gorgeous! The pattern is from Gladys Amedro's book, "Shetland Lace".
Laughing at myself, I blocked the skirt carefully on a bed pillow, only to realize I'd blocked it WIDE and SHORT instead of LONG and NARROW! sigh Which meant I carefully unpinned all of it, changed the way it was on the pillow, dampened the piece and blocked it again. sniff Luck lace is so forgiving! It was fine enough that it was almost dry before it was pinned out! Lots of spray from a water bottle!

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

New Home?

Well, it looks as if we have found a place we can move to soon. Waiting on the final information to be sure, but we viewed it today, and all seems to be in place. It is smaller than this house -- 3 bedrooms instead of the current 4 with everything on one floor -- but it is much better insulated, and DOESN'T HAVE ANY MOLD! That alone should make my lungs happier! Although my body will miss the exercise of going up and down the stairs several times a day! There seems to be enough room at first glance to accomodate all the bookcases, which is a plus!

One thought is to finally decree that some of the metal bookcases that have been with us so long be formally retired and Howard build new ones. We'll see. That may be just too much to do AND move. Maybe we can move, then build the bookcases!

My sister and her husband moved today. Serena moves next week. Now us. Something is in the wind!

I have started packing seriously again. I got discouraged when it seemed that there was nothing on the house front, and I was frustrated with not being able to get a book that was packed. Not to mention some of the kitchen stuff that I packed thinking it wouldn't be very long. HAH! You know the stuff you don't use often? As soon as it is packed away it is NECESSARY! I refuse to unpack, though, until we are moved. That way is too dangerous.

Friday, August 04, 2006

Yet another pair of socks!

I finished another pair of socks for me yesterday! Since I like to wear them with the purl side out on the foot (and the smooth knit side against the skin where I'm putting pressure on it by walking) I knit them with the foot purl stitch, and the top of the foot in knit stitch. This way, there is a "normal" looking heel and top, but a comfortable foot. It took a bit longer to knit, because I needed to be careful with the change from knit to purl, but I like the way they look and feel.

For a difference, I've started the next pair using a pattern from a book! I'm knitting from Nancy Bush's book, "Knitting Vintage Socks" and am using the pattern for men's hunting socks. I think. Over-the-calf socks with little purl flags on the leg and instep. I'm knitting them with hunter green Kroy from the Paton's outlet in Toronto, yarn that is WELL aged in my stash. I have so much dark colored 3 and 4 ply sock yarn from there! These are mill-ends, so the skeins aren't regularly sized. That's all right, they knit up beautifully. At this point, they are planned for me, unless I decide differently further along. Nice thing about socks, you have such a long time to make the final decision about ownership!

I need to repair a pair (now that I think about it, the ONLY pair that he had that was wearable!) of Howard's over-the-calf, black, 3 ply dress socks. I've knit 2 pairs for him, and I call them Howard's Eternal Socks, because that is how long it takes to knit them! The toes are going out. So, I'll snip a stitch on each foot, take out the toes, and knit the toes again. MUCH better than knitting the sock over again! The other pair needs new feet, and I've avoided them for quite a while now. In fact, probably for 2+ years! I really OUGHT to fix them! I cut those off at the ankle, so I'll have to do the heels and feet again on them. I can do this! Once I find where I safely PUT them. snivel