Hey I Have a Closing Date!!

My days have been filled with, trying to recoup from my trip and the slam of overtime I have had...Not to mention, all the meetings I have had regarding the purchase of MY NEW HOUSE! Yup...I finally got off the stick and made a damn decision. Brandy New townhome, end unit next to protected wetlands to boot. What a gorgeous view I have, in fact it is in the area that I wanted in the first place (except for that one that was down the street from my brother...that would have been my top pick)

My closing isn't until the 12th and I want to move so badly that I can taste it.

Currently, this is what the inside of my apartment looks like... YUK! It is driving me crazy, (yah yah.. I know, a short putt) but it is all for a good cause. I have to pack when I can since I don't have an abundance of functional free time. And I have been doing a ton of pitching stuff, either via trash or Freecycle.

So while I was visiting my cousins, maybe I mentioned that Robbie and I went out to the back 40 ( and the near 40) to do a little target practice. This is the little baby he sent me home with, I think he probably felt it was all I can handle, and for now, I will concede that he is right. I told my brother there is a place near our homes where we can go for target practice, but I think it is a private gun club. I haven't yet had time to check it out yet but I think it will be a good time for some sibling bonding. Nothing like being able to go out on into your back yard, so to speak and fire off a few rounds at a bucket tho.

I was too tired to check my mail box for damn near a week, and when I finally did I discovered this package waiting for me.  A little contest surprise from Jant's Art!

With so much other stuff going on I completely forgot about it so it was like having Christmas all over again :-P

Of course, I can't play with it yet- and immediately packed it so I will not be tempted to unpack my swift and ball winder.

Aside from all of the Dispatcher and Policey stuff that I have been teaching New Girl, I also taught her to knit. The girl is a quick study lemme tell you! This is her very first project, also my house warming gift for my new place. I am so very proud of her!! She has made two more dish cloths since I taught her to knit, and those are patterned ones, and well as starting a scarf in seed stitch. I even talked her into joining my "cult" as she puts it, Ravelry!!  I think she is hooked!!

This one was supposed to be Open Star but somehow I made a boo boo in the pattern stitch,probably due to that not paying attention thing I do. I knitted 2 instead of 3 before I PSSO'd - I am not unhappy with how it turned out however. This one has made it into the bathroom. I decided I needed all new stuff for my new house, but I actually cheated and started using it right away.

Project Scoop

Pattern: Open Star Dishcloth

Yarn: Peaches & Creme

Needle: size 7

Last night I whipped up a reverse miter cloth in pinks. No pic yet, next time. 

It has me thinking I need an afghan in miter squares tho, I even considered unpacking that sweater I was working on and frogging it to start one. 

Hmmm, well....maybe not.

Going Home Again

I know, I know, I have been MIA again. But I was on a trip home to Tennessee, Sorry Dawn, I was going to call you and let you know I was in the area but time got away from me. 

I was going to post before I went, I swear, but again, time got away from me. 

Here is what I have been up to, I have half hearted-ly been working on a drop stitch scarf out of some yarn I got for Christmas. This is a crinkly cotton/linen blend which quite frankly I have not been digging working with. Hence the half hearted effort. It just plain isn't pleasant on the hands when you knit so I only work on it a couple of rows at a time, then I have to put it down. I have quite a bit of it and don't know what else to make out of it. 

I finished my purpley socks that I have had on the needles for ever- and even worn them once already ;)

Projects Scoop:

Pattern: Basic ribbed sock pattern

Yarn SWTC Bamboo 

Needles Size 2 DPNS

I have been on a dish cloth kick, easy take along projects. I adore the Darrell Waltrip Pattern! This is my new favorite pattern!! So easy to do and the difference in the designs is astonishing to me. All three of these cloths have been done in the same pattern. Same Peaches N Creme yarn, but look at how different the designs came out!!  The difference is from the length of the variegation of the colors themselves.

I have come to love watching the cloths take shape from this pattern. I even went out to buy a few more skeins of yarn just to make more with- so prepare yourselves for the pictures of "yet another Darrell Waltrip Dishcloth"...LOL

Project Scoop:

Pattern: Darrell Waltrip Dishcloth

Yarn: Peaches & Creme Variegated

Needles:Size 7 (Harmonys)

Now on to my trip home- I think I mentioned to you about my younger cousin who was diagnosed with cancer. I was going to put off going to see him until I have my life here settled...yah when the heck is that ever going to happen. So as an almost last minute decision, I felt I should go now rather than later. Robbie feels good now and I wanted to spend time with him while he still does. 

I left on Wednesday almost immediately from working. After packing up the truck with mine and Brodie's paraphernalia, I met with my realtor to look at 3 Model Homes before hitting the road, then straight to Peter's house who not only babysat for me but let me use his little Ford Focus for the trip (32 mpg versus 15). So by 9 am I was on the road home! 

Normally I would make the trip in one day, but having been up since 4pm the previous day I decided to stop in Frankfort Kentucky for the night. It Freakin' monsoon rained through the entire state of Indiana, then the blasted rain found me again in Kentucky after a brief ray of sunshine! 

One of my more quirky traveling habits is to take pictures out the window as I am driving. I often times get lots of pictures like this one... which I keep because they tickle my funny bone.

Then there are the beautiful shots like this one near my cousin's home.
...and the more quirky- missed the boat altogether ones like this!

I naturally had to take a picture of the rape of the hillside behind my Auntie's farm. I was none to happy to see the trees wiped away like that. But change is inevitable when when a farm changes hands I suppose.  But this is the only place I know of that basically stays the same. I could feel the stress that I didn't even know I had slide away from me the closer I got. 

Even though I was born in Illinois, I call this going home. My parents and my brothers and sister, were born in Tennessee. There is a certain level of comfort there for me, and I am always welcomed with open arms. I can remember playing with my cousins on the farm, and getting my butt whooped for bad behavior. I also lived in Crossville when I was in 3rd grade with my brother and uncle, and have some fond memories of my great aunt's home churned butter and some not so great memories of her mean ole rooster chasing me around the house.

I definitely need a GPS to find my way back from roaming the hills! Every time I try to find my way to the cemetery where my Dad, brother and sister are, I get discombobulated and well, just plain lost! I had a good time visiting people I was semi related to, shooting up old buckets and frying pans with Robbie in the mountains, and generally driving around looking at the gorgeous and sometimes unusual scenery.

I can see why my brother is fixin' to move back when he retires...maybe I will join him there.