Ode to the Bachelorette

We celebrated Kim's bachelorette-hood this weekend in Charlevoix, MI. Kim's over the bar scene, so it was a weekend all about kicking back, shopping, drinking wine, and talking about weddings, weddings, and more weddings. As you see, there were two "newlyweds" present, two girls getting married this year, and one newly engaged. It was great fun to compare stories and flip through bridal magazines. And I, of course, found time to knit.
Here is our chateau for the weekend, Meredith's family cabin. It was beautiful inside and out. I only wish it had been warm enough for a bonfire.



On Saturday we took a ferry across to Charlevoix. We went to the Michigan Festival at Castle Farms for wine tasting. I even found out there is a new tasting room in the Irish Hills called Cherry Creek - there you go Patty Ann. Drink up!




Of course, Kim received some sexy gifts. I asked her to model for the camera - no luck (for any guy readers that I may actually have on this blog).



Then we tried, unsuccessfully, to get the bride drunk. A key lime martini and pomegranate margarita later, she still came off as quite sober.












Way to go!










Sunday morning we enjoyed a delicious breakfast with quiche all the way from the French Laundry in Fenton, MI. We took a walk down to Lake Charlevoix....never passed a single car along the way.



Lastly, I can't leave out the sock. He would feel so neglected if he didn't make the photo montage. This is my Dublin Bay sock with my yarn from Saugatuck. Good thing my sock doesn't get car sick.



Thanks for a wonderful weekend girls! I had great fun. Hope we can do it again next summer.

Save the Date

Big announcement! We just finished a 6 week course of ballroom lessons. Our teacher invited anyone in our class to be in the dance recital. She only brought it up once and then decided not to push it any farther. I mentioned to Brian that we could probably get some private lessons for little money, maybe even free. So, Brian agreed (Dutch wannabes that as we are) and we are now committed! June 10th - two performances. If you miss it, we'll show you the DVD. In fact, we'll strap you down to a chair and make you watch!
The recital will probably go something like this, 3 year olds tapping in a line, then some 5 year ballerinas with big pink tutus, and then Brian and I tripping over eachother in a waltz. How charming! What I can promise you is that there will be no dirty dancing. And remember, nobody puts baby in the corner.

I heart presents

Today I came home to find this in the mail.

A belated birthday present from Linda (aka Yoda) - sock yarn!! Thank you so much! Linda is so great because she knows what only a knitter knows...buy a knitter yarn and you will never go wrong. She says she got it at a yarn "sale." I think she may be stretching the truth so I don't feel bad. I guess I'll never know.

Now the dilemma... Knit one of these up, or start my kool aid yarn. What do you all think?

Also, I have to say I'm very amused that now that I have my own blog, I'm posting and Brian is in the kitchen making dinner. It's fun having reverse roles. Later we go to ballroom dancing lessons. I've got it made!

The Verdict is in...

I was so excited to see my very first issue of Blueprint come in the mail yesterday. Isn't it pretty?



I rarely get to reading my magazines right away. I suppose this is because I have about 200 medical magazines lying around that stare at me and say "You should be making yourself smart by reading me, not learning about the 100 types of ferns in Martha Stewart Living." But Brian and I wrestled over this magazine...I won, and I spent the remainder of the night on the couch reading it and munching on Red Vines and Coke Zero = crazy delicious.

My review follows:
Design: So classy. It appears there will be several recurring sections, covering topics like the medicine cabinet, the pantry, makeup drawer, living room, and shoe rack. There are a lot of beautiful pics. I especially love the front cover since Brian and I are house shopping and I swear we're just as cute as that couple.
Content: It is a blend of several well known magazines. The makeup tips take me back to highschool when Teen magazine was my bible for style, the smattering of easy/inexpensive tips is laid out just like Real Simple, and the craft projects scream Martha. It seems like the best of all worlds. It also has some fun little conversation starters. Such as, did you know you can figure out what words your phone number can spell by going to phonespell.com? An herbal remedy for allergies? Stinging nettle. Who knew?
Downside: If I have to say a negative thing, I'd say I'm a bit disappointed in the cooking content. Maybe this will be better in future issues. Knowing Martha Stewart, I thought this mag would have at least one section of recipes. Instead, it gave healthy eating tips. However, I guess it's not meant to replace her other magazines, that way I have to subscribe to all of them. So, I'll continue to get Everyday Food and Martha Stewart Living. She's so tricky!

It gets my stamp of approval. Pick up a copy when you get a chance!

Kitchen Artistry

Welcome to my blog!! I am so excited to be posting!
Today was my second take at dying yarn with Kool Aid. Last week I tried hand-painting, which was quick, but I didn't love as a lot of the yarn just took on a blended green color since it was all in one casserole dish.



This week - on to striping. I took instructions from See Eunny Knit. The worst part, I'd have to say (and I think Brian would agree), was wrapping the yarn around the chairs. It was dizzying and it took me 30 minutes to work out a massive knot at the end.



My Kool Aid picks are a pleasant blend of girly colors. My hope was that the pinks wouldn't dye too similary.



Now for the cooking! I dyed it half and half. I started with cool water mixed with the Kool Aid in a pot. The yarn was pre-moistened by a quick rinse. The yarn was dangled in to the water and then heated to just under a boil. Once it was the desired color (or else once the dye was completely taken up into the yarn), the pot was removed from heat.



Last, rinse the yarn in cool water. Doesn't it look neat! I'll let you know how it knits up. I'm hoping the stripes will be quite short and the colors will change quickly. If I'd wanted thicker stripes, there is a technical way to go about measuring how far the chairs should be apart. I was too impatient to figure that out. I'm always impatient when it comes to projects.