Chuck is a Slick Sixty

Patty and the rest of the family threw Chuck a surprise party Saturday. See all of the pics here. We partied like he was turning 21. Seriously, we didn't go to bed until 3 am. The party was at the Community Cabin in Rockford. The company, food, drinks and music were great. He had so many family and friends there, including friends from church, Boy Scouts, and Jeff and David's cottage-frequenting friends. Sometimes we think they have a nose for free beer!

Highlights of the night:

1) Chuck's look of awe and humility when he entered the door.



2) Chuck's interpretative dance to "Play that Funky Music"



3) Bonding with my brothers (in law)



His birthday is actually December 3rd. It may take that long for us to recover!

Here's my favorite picture of the night....the immediate family - plus a few party crashers - Uncle Jim and Aunt Mary

Thank Goodness it's Black Friday!

Today started off just like any Black Friday....



The alarm was set for 4:15 am. (No Target recording of Kermit this year.) We were out the door by 4:38. We busted the doors down at Younkers. The group at the door next to us were actually griping that ours might get unlocked first. "We were here first!," they exclaimed. Give me a break. After making out like bandits there, we headed to Kohl's. I don't know who of you have ever gone to Kohl's on this very special day, but you have to make sure you pack a whole lot of patience. The place is packed and the aisles are full of floor-to-ceiling displays. The line ALWAYS goes to the back of the store.



Our line was so long, it actually overlapped with the line heading in the other direction. The lady behind us asked what I had to do to get Brian to come along. She was mostly jealous I had someone to help carry the stuff. I actually saw here dripping sweat by the time we reached the front of the store.



I told her how I manipulate him with the promise of a special treat -



Dear bacon, egg & cheese McGriddle,
We love you. You have always been there to support us in times of need. You warm us before a long flight. You have given us energy on moving day. But most of all, you are the inspiration that helps us roll out of bed in the early morn' to save 50% on a food processor.
Sincerely,
Angie and Brian

At the end of the day, we have this to show.



It may not look like much in the bags, but I'm here to tell you that there are going to be some happy faces come Christmas morning (especially mine since I know I'm getting the food processor!!).

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone has a great day. My mission is to lounge around watching the parade, lounge around eating turkey/drinking wine, and then watch a fantastic Grey's and ER. I have to be well rested for my favorite day of the year - Black Friday! Watch out, I'm going to bust a few doors down.

Question: What's your favorite Thanksgiving food? I am addicted to sweet potato casserole - the kind with all of the pecans and brown sugar.

Is she for real?

I know a few of us out there who love "How I Met Your Mother." Matt sent me this link. On last night's episode Robin refused to go to the mall with her friends. The entire episode was spent trying to figure out what her fear was based on. Apparently she was a prior teen superstar with this hit. Weird.

I spent this morning shopping downtown Holland (again) with my mom and sister. They are on a winery tour which my sister conveniently planned as a school project. Why didn't I ever think of that? I replenished our supply with some tasty wine from Fenn Valley. Now - off to knit. I have 3.5/7 projects done. Exactly half way there!

The True Meaning

What a great weekend! We had the opportunity to see so many out-of-town friends. First, David and his friend Bill came up from Cincinnati. We took them out to see Big Red. Coming from Ohio, Bill does not love lighthouses quite as much as we do. But he has potential. He is a really nice guy and even took kindly to my excessive knitting talk. He's promised to be the pastry chef for my future fantasy coffee/knitting shop.



Carrie, her fiance Matt, and Meredith stopped by later in the day. After a great dinner at 84 East (our fav downtown pasta joint), we got to enjoy the start of the Christmas season during the Holland Holiday Open House.



I've never seen downtown Holland so crowded. Luminaries lit the sidewalks.



Meredith said it was too early for Christmas carolers, but these folks in their authentic garb were as good as it gets..



The activities even led me to venture into a few stores that I never would have thought I'd enjoy. I was pleasantly surprised.



Today we drove to my parents to enjoy an early Thanksgiving dinner. Brian demonstrated his turkey skills...



He is fist deep in the turkey for a reason - stuffing the herb rub between the skin and meat. My parents deep fried the turkey - yum. After stuffing and stuffing ourselves, it's back to Ho-land for a short work week.

So, as we get prepared to enter the hectic holiday season of '06, we were reminded what is so terrific about these few weeks...committing time to friends and family to celebrate and give thanks. Thanks for visiting us everyone!

Bits and Pieces

Just a quiet Tuesday here in Holland. I chopped my hair today - a new do for the winter holidays. I adore my hairdresser. His boyfriend crochets, so he doesn't mind listening to me talk about knitting. He even complimented me on my scarf.

Great news!

For those who know Montelle from GR - she's pregnant!! I can't wait to start a hand knitted item for the baby.

I am working on one of the Mason Dixon hand towels for my grandmother.



It's coming along nicely. I really love the cotton. I think it will look much nicer once it's blocked.

Funny story - I just got off the phone with Amber. She dreamt last night that she was in a knitting concentration camp. She was getting scolded for not knitting fast enough and kept dropping stitches. What a nightmare!

Lastly - I have not yet designated my vote for the Dancing with the Stars finale.



Mario is the best, but Emmitt has come the farthest. Can't wait to see what dances they've come up with!

I'd Like Mine Medium Well

We had a wedding this weekend. A lot of people dread weddings and think it's a waste of a valuable weekend day. Brian and I enjoy them since they're a great opportunity to practice our ballroom dancing. I also like to see what unique ideas the caterer or bride and groom come up with. The treat this Saturday was flaming apple pie.

Granny Smith apples were flambeed, then placed over ice cream in a martini glass. Topped with a puff of pastry and caramel sauce. Delicious!!







I'm a huge wedding cake fan - but this was a fair trade.

The entertainment of the night was watching my father-in-law go from this...



to a crazy dancing fool when the song "Love Shack" came on. I'll agree, it is a great dancing song! The Chuckster has some smooth signature moves that kept me laughing.

The Office

Okay all - I need some help from you. My office Christmas party is coming up and I have been asked to think up some games. Now I don't know if I've ever played a better game with my co-workers than Flippy Cup, but seeing as how this is going to be in a nice house - doesn't seem quite so appropo.

A few I've seen on line so far:
"I Have Never"
Fill in the line from a Christmas movie
Play Hot Potato with a gift wrapped with many layers of paper
Pin the nose on the reindeer

My own ideas:
Gingerbread house building station - do a shot if you knock down a wall
Charades

Games sworn off by co-workers:
Charades

Any suggestions?

Santa Claus is Coming

Christmas knitting is officially underway! I was a yarn slut for the last couple days while hunting down perfect yarn for my projects.

1) Elf slippers for my highschool friend's daughters, ages 3 and 5. I found a chunky yarn called Museum Artful Yarns. I also bought some novelty yarn for the cuffs. The most expensive part was the size 13 double point needles I needed - but at least I can use those again. I can't wait to see how these turn out.



2) Cotton for the hand towels from Mason Dixon Knitting. This was a clearance buy. The cotton has a nice twist to it with a little glimmer too.



3) A comfy pair of slipper socks for Brian's Grandma Mary. I used Encore (Linda's excellent advice) because it will do nicely in the washer and dryer since she is currently in assisted living. I found this idea on the "Who Wouldn't Love a Hand Knitted Gift?" KAL that Amber and I joined. Here's the pattern. They knit up so quickly - you can see I already have one done!



I had an excellent time with Linda yesterday. She showed me all of her recent knitting projects, including the bath mitt she made for the breast cancer knit a long. Nobody thought it odd that she used it to hold her coffee.



The bummer of the day was that my favorite yarn shop, Friends of Wool, is closed on Mondays. We found other ways to spend our time and money anyway. It was so nice to see her - and she always gives me great knitting motivation and advice. I was complaining to her about wanting to knit the baby kimono but not having a baby to currently knit it for - she told me to start making and saving objects for our future children. I think I will.

Vote for Change

I hope everyone has time to make it to the polls today. It's time to see some change in Michigan. Brian and I finally found our poll location after circling for about 30 minutes. For the first year, I think we didn't cancel eachother's votes out.

Weekend Projects

Brian and I had a very productive weekend. I love production!!

I spent a fair portion of the weekend at the Junior League of Grand Rapids annual fundraiser, Beneath the Wreath. This is an upscale fundraiser that hit me right where it counts, my wallet. My co-workers and I went to the ladies' Evening of Indulgence on Friday. We all fell in love with some great stone necklaces. We thoroughly enjoyed complimentary manicures, massage, and a chocolate fountain. I couldn't believe that our receptionist, Sarah, had never had a professional massage. What a crime! Then, after working my shift at the Cherry Republic booth out of Traverse City, I couldn't leave without BBQ glaze, cherry salsa, and a few stocking stuffers for Brian. They have an excellent website with mail order - check it out if you are struggling for Christmas gift ideas. This stuff is excellent and all of the customers were raving about it.

We raked and raked - to the point that my delicate knitter's hands are aching.

We purchased (and Brian built) a kitchen island.



Now we get to argue whether it should be parallel to the oven or to the existing counter space. I vote counter - does anyone else have an opinion?



Brian expanded on his automotive knowledge by not only replacing the car battery, but also splicing on new connectors for the battery posts. Go Brian!!



I had a great time fixing up some split pea soup. I apparently wasn't the only one with pea soup on my mind, though. Meijer has been sold out of the peas all week. I also finished these strawberry baby hats. Meredith commissioned me to make one for her new healthy baby niece. Congratulations! I wanted to try pink and I think it is just as adorable as the red.



I have Monday off and Linda is coming up to Holland to join me for a day of knitting and shopping. Woo-hoo! I can't wait to show her my local yarn shops.

The Last Knit

I had thought the Grand Canyon would be a nice place to knit.

Happy Halloween!

I am a party pooper with no costume today. Here is a pumpkin courtesy of Frank and Patty. Mom - I would guess this is Dad's?! He's always been the most enthusiastic family member when it comes to carving pumpkins.



I'd like to hear from everyone about their most favorite Halloween costume. The one I remember most is the California Raisin. This wasn't any store bought cheesey thing. My mom constructed a gi-normous velvety costume with a little hole for my face. All of the wrinkles were painstakingly sewn. I had a painted paper towel tube with a silver foam ball for a microphone. The costume was perfect down to the Hamburger Helper gloves. The most creative costume I ever thought of on my own was 6th grade when I had a very short haircut - I was a pregnant man.

Speaking of holidays - I received a belated birthday present from Amber. Yes, I consider my birthday a holiday!



The card is a riot. No Amber, I love the rectal exams!
I am looking forward to reading the book because I've heard lots of great reviews on knitting podcasts. I have a few projects picked out to start knitting.

This baby kimono is adorable.




Dishcloths would be a nice change from washcloths.. if I can find some nicer cotton to work with.




The nightgown I'm not so sure about. Brian humors my knitting, but I don't think he finds it sexy.

On the road..

This weekend was a lot of fun for me because I got to have some quality girl time AND meet a new knitting friend-Shauna. She's a "capital K" knitter because she has knit much more than scarves. I drove to Grand Blanc to try on bridesmaid's dresses for my friend, Meredith's, 6/07 wedding. She was so kind to let each of us chose the dress that flattered us the most. I think we're all going to look great with an assortment of strapless, tea length, and full length teal gowns. Kim and I fought over our favorite - but came to an agreement to just have one go long and one short length.

After that, we had coffee and then back to Meredith's for cocktails and her dad's signature Swiss steak.



The group of us were quite impressive. As I looked around me, I saw successful teachers, an engineer, a lawyer, and a budding recording artist - Chelsea Carter. Remember that name! Meredith-suggest to Chelsea that she put some of her songs on the Podsafe Music Network. Then I'll pass her name around to some podcasters who will plug her music on their shows.

Finished projects this week:

My last socks for Socktoberfest...I now have a new favorite sock yarn - Koigu.




Our KAL breast cancer awareness washcloth. Of course, this color is not what the designer intended. Oh well, it's just going to be used for dirty dishes anyhow.




Our very scary pumpkin. He now sits on our porch - about as festive as our house will be this year.



I also have some great Halloween costumes to share. The boys of Action-Squad have outdone themselves once again.

Happy to be me

I received an excellent treat in the mail today... a little taste of Christmas.



You see, when I worked at KCMS, I grew used to a certain Christmas tradition. Not everyone was privey to this delight - this delicacy known as "Linda's caramels." Linda is not only a fabulous knitter, but a marvelous caramel artist. Caramels used to get stolen from co-workers desks. Receiving a caramel almost became a popularity contest. Leaving that job, I thought I may have also lost this privilege, but a little pleading and I get my own supply mailed to my door...bubble wrapped.



Thanks Linda!! I owe you.

Hope everyone is having fun with the dishcloth knitalong. I must say, mine is nice, but does not exactly par with the breast cancer theme since it is variegated with orange, pink, and yellow. Oh well.

For those of you who will be carving a pumpkin soon, Martha has a few ideas to share. I haven't quite figured out my plan, but I'll let you know when I do. As for a costume, we are not going to any parties this year. But I sure wish I could answer the door wearing this.



Maybe next year.

This Old House

We have a new addition to our home!



Now I hope our little guy is as cute as that and not actually a big oily rat. We found three opened bags of chips in our basement this weekend. Now I'm having flashbacks of my days in my college rental house. After a trip to Meijer, the traps and bait are in place.



Hopefully there will be a dead mouse to show you next. No, I'm not that grotesque. I don't think I'll post a picture of a dead rodent. This event leaves me wondering why these mice are so repulsive. If I just situated my food so that they can't get to it, what harm is it for them to be in my basement?

I was also a little bit amused by a story I saw on the news last night. We've seen it a hundred times, a deer is struggling in a river or lake. 50 people including firemen and cops spend hours working out a plan to save it. The deer then probably runs to the forest and is shot by a hunter, which is legal. So why do we work so hard to save that deer?!

Anyway, I'm off to bake a maple cake. The recipe is in this month's issue of Everyday Food. I have some fresh maple syrup my mom brought back from the U.P. Cheers for baked goods!

Ouch.

Now I can't see my own ear drum of course - but if I could, I'm sure it would look something like this. After three weeks of stacked viral illnesses, my body is giving up. BUT - for all of those antibiotic lovers out there - I still have not taken any!! I do practice what I preach. Unless my ear stays red for >48 hours or the fluid becomes cloudy, I have no reason to break the guidelines.

But, having an earache won't stop me from knitting! I had two occasions to see old friends and co-workers in Kalamazoo this week. I finally got to gift the baby blanket to the appropriate owner.



Kristin is due on 12/22 and feeling like she may end up having a 10 pound baby. She already has two adorable daughters, this will be #3. As for three girls, her husband's already thinking about attempting #4. She's a PA part time too. I'm thinking I might have to make her some cozy knitted socks next to nurse her sore feet.

Yesterday I met this young fellow.



Logan is the 8 week old of Emily, a nurse I formerly worked with at KCMS. In my arms he felt more like a 3 month old - I need to build up some strength before I get a baby of my own.

As for knitting, I'm still working on my brown Koigu socks. I also started a new scarf from Knitty. It's fun to have side projects just for a change of pace.



Now back to the couch to watch Lord of the Rings and the Detroit Tigers. My parents are going to the game tonight, lucky.

Incompetence

I was so excited to return to my house after 13 hours away today to see our new garage door. Whoever thought I would be so excited for a garage door? But I really was! Keyless entry. My own electric opener. No snow on my car in the winter. Brian and I even closely examined garage doors in subdivisions to decide which we liked best.

We were unanimous - long panels, prairie windows. That is specifically what we ordered.

What did we get? We got short panels. Not even panels, a bunch of tiny squares. And tiny prairie windows.

I'm ticked.