Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Pictures from last weekend






I ended up not going to Newton as originally planned -- instead one of my sons and I went to the Wichita Art Museum to see the quilt exhibit and to Botonica. I love that place! It was a good day!

Friday, October 19, 2007

How long has it been?

Holy Smokes--it has really been busy at work--so busy that I come home and collapse. I just realized it has been almost 10 DAYS since I posted! It has just flown by!
I found another yarn shop with 20 minutes of Wichita. I went a couple weeks ago and it was really nice. I'm planning on taking a little road trip tomorrow so I will post some pictures and tell you all about it. There is also a bead shop/store in the same business, so it's all good!!! There is also a wonderful quilt shop in the same town, so I am going to be one happy camper!

Good coffee and great friends to you and yours!!

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Knitters Coffee Swap III questions and answers

QUESTIONS
1. Whole bean or ground? Whole bean is best since I have a grinder. I love the process of grinding coffee for each brew.

2. Fully-loaded or decaf? Fully loaded!

3. Regular or flavored? I'm fine with anything.

4. How do you drink your coffee? With turbino sugar and creamer or whole milk.

5. Favorite coffee ever? I like to try many types, so I have to say whatever blend I have in my cup that day is my favorite. I did get an unbelievably good bag from my recent Fall into Autumn Buddy... yum!!!!

6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do? I love trying different house blends from coffee houses and the smaller coffee shops.

7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee? sugar cookies (the crispy kind) or biscotti of any kind.

8. Anything else about your coffee preferences? Nothing in particular--I just love coffee!

9. Yarn/fiber you love? I am nuts about sock yarn in any fiber blend.

10. Yarn/fiber you hate? Is it possible to hate yarn?!

11. What's on your needles? A sock from Collinette Jitterbug, a facecloth, my first sweater, a scarf and I am about to cast on a sock with some fabulous yarn from my dishcloth buddy...not on one needle, mind you, but many to suit whatever mood I'm in.

12. Favorite colors? Blues, purples, reds, greens, oranges etc--I like all colors actually.

13. Allergies? Nope!

14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest? my bra...oops, wrong swap (LOL) and for those of you I have just shocked or offended: Hang on--it's going to be a bumpy ride!

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Pretty Places!






I took my mother to a doctor's appointment in Tulsa, Oklahoma today...we used to live there (the twins were born there) so it was nice to go back. I ran around a little while Mom was having her tests run (it was supposed to take several hours) and got to visit the Tulsa Garden Center. My oldest and I were frequent visitors to this place and it has a huge place in my heart.So, I thought I would share just a couple treats from the day...Enjoy!
And even though there were 3 yarn stores and a couple quilting stores in Tulsa, I abstained from the temptation (uggggggghhhh--it hurt! But if I go into a yarn shop, I experience short term memory and wake up with a serious yarn hangover...with skeins of sock yarn lying about..it is a nasty little secret of mine...I tell myself I can handle just holding the skein, and then before I know it, I wake up with strange yarn...I'm so ashamed...okay, maybe not SOOOO ashamed, but I probably should be.).

Saturday, October 06, 2007

I got an WONDERFUL package in the mail !!!

Today after I got home, there was a package on my doorstep from my swap buddie! It was the most wonderful surprise package full of the best goodies! Donna--you get a triple A+ !! You definitely hit the nail on the head with all my weaknesses! The coffee smelled SO divine-I am going to wait until I take a picture of everything before I devour--- I mean pour-- a cup so everyone can see. I am a coffee fanatic! I may just have to keep some in a sachet to inhale--it smells that divine!!! And SOCK YARN (I was doing the Snoopy happy dance when I saw it)! In the most perfect colorway!!! Sock yarn is my ultimate weakness!! The spa clothes were really beautiful! I love it that you included the patterns. And everything else was perfect! I have so enjoyed our emails and am hoping to continue "talking" to you. I really do agree, we were perfectly matched! I am looking forward to using the wonderful soap too!

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

I'm BACK!




Atlanta was wonderful --and painful! I got to see things that I had never seen and got to visit some really wonderful places...and then got to see the emergency room at Southern Regional Medical Center in Riverdale, Georgia....at 3:30 a.m. even! More on that later. I will edit this post with some pictures tomorrow. I didn't take too many since my camera is possessed, but I did get some of the yarn store....

My flight was really smooth to Atlanta. Mind you, having not flown commercially since before my 21 year old was born (and that was my first/last time), I was really unsure of myself. I left Wichita, Kansas --with our 11 gate airport---and landed in Atlanta, with their 10 gazillion gate airport! And the airport has a train in it!!! And it is inhabited around the clock with at least half the number of people that inhabit my little town!!!! Luckily I followed two ladies that got off the flight from Wichita--I figured they were going towards baggage claim, so I followed. This was probably their first time in Atlanta and this very minute one of them is blogging about being stalked by some crazy lady from the flight.....um, that'd be me...

Marita took me for a ride all over different parts of Atlanta and was very graceful when I announced there was a yarn store in Virginia Highlands that I had to visit. If you are in Atlanta, please visit Knitch ! The store is amazing and the staff are sooo friendly! They have the most amazing yarn selection for any kind of yarn or pattern your heart desires! I didn't take my double points with me on the plane so I was really going through withdrawal! I bought 2 skeins of sock yarn from Mountain Colors in an amazing colorway, a set of Brittany double points and some patterns. The owner was very sweet to give a little advice on how to at least save my work if they didn't let me go through with the double points. Luckily I had no questions at the security gate. I assume maybe the TSA guards realize most knitters are very quiet patrons if they are kept busy--plus, there is absolutely no way size 4 double pointed needles can inflict harm without breaking first...However, I definitely would not try my luck with metal. That is asking to get them confiscated.....Knitch is an amazing place with a dye kitchen and a Zen sitting space upstairs. They even have spinning wheels and roving of all sorts. My friend has not been enlightened to the zen of knitting =--but she was pretty patient with me. I really must knit her a scarf for taking me there.......I am going to bring an extra suitcase with me when I go next time so I can get all the cool yarn---oh, I mean souvenirs-- back.....

We took the train to Five points station--accidentally. She got Five Points and Little Five Points confused. It turned out OK because I really enjoyed the train ride--we don't have trains in Wichita. We went to Underground Atlanta since we were already down there. Did you know you can't take pictures in a train station? I certainly didn't---until this guy came up and yelled at us. Mind you, he didn't even tell us who he was, so we thought he was the crazy train station homeless guy. Decently dressed, but crazy nonetheless...I did find an attendant near the train area and he was very gracious about explaining what the issue was with any pictures in the station. I had taken quite a few before we got yelled at and was going to keep them, but the attendant made sense and was very polite, so I deleted them after we left the station. I certainly would not want to post something that a dingbat terrorist could use...It's sad that we even have to consider that...But, now I know you can't take pictures in any major transportation hub...see, I learned something. But the first guy could still use some interpersonal communication skill training. Dear Marta -- please train your staff in manners (except for the older attendant, he was very polite and gracious). OK, maybe just some of the staff --the attendants at the ticket machines and gate entrances were really sweet and quick to offer help to this really confused tourist...

Atlanta has some amazing ethnic restaurants, a Whole Foods Grocery store (I definitely had to visit that store----We NEED one in Wichita!!!), amazing funky stores and beautifully restored neighborhoods. Next time I go, I want to go to Little Five Points for shopping, the Martin Luther King Center and the Jimmy Carter Center. There is so much to do there, a weekend is not enough to cover. We even went downtown to the Atlantic Station area where there was an art fair. This was the first year they've had it, so the crowd was a little light, but hopefully they have it next year. I am saving up just in case. There were many really talented artists and I found a ton of inspiration! I am going to start making jewelry and painting again...

I was supposed to fly out of Atlanta at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, but that didn't happen. Instead, I awoke at 1:30 with a feeling in my left side like something had burst. I took two really hot soaks in the tub and the pain was so bad that I couldn't stand up. My first thought was my appendix burst--but I called hubby and he said the appendix is on the right side...next? At 3:30 it was clear the pain was not going away and was getting so bad I couldn't even breathe--add to that nausea...so I had to scare the bejebees out of my friend and have her take me to an emergency room. Not really what I had in mind. However, I must say, the staff at the hospital in Riverdale are very good with grumpy people in pain. Not to mention they don't blink twice when you get sick....I don't think I ran into a single grumpy staff member the whole time--so I really rate them highly--if you have to go. Everyone from the admitting staff, to the nurses, to the doctor who explained everything clearly, was very kind and patient. If I ever have to have an IV or get blood drawn again, I hope I can find staff as good as them. I am terrified of needles, but they really were good at their jobs. A CT scan, several shots of painkiller and some hours later, I found out I had a kidney stone....I would have never guessed something like that could cause so much extreme pain!! I wish that on nobody! Needless to say, I didn't make the flight home. I flew out on Tuesday afternoon after sleeping all day Monday....interesting ending for the week.

But it was all good. I saw a lot of interesting things, met and saw a lot of interesting people and found a spectacular yarn store (from that moment on, anything else we did and saw was just icing on the cake)..I am glad I had a resident to show me around though. Atlanta is a huge city.