August's view through the shutter...



In the eyes of a seven year old.

Just peachy...



Well we are into our last week of summer holidays. The girls all go back next Tuesday.


They are all going to be exhausted. Try as I might to pull in the reins on bedtimes, they still are going to bed too late and sleeping in too late. I do for the most part enjoy the unscheduled time over the summer but near the end, I must say, I do find myself looking quite forward to getting them all back to school. It means decent bedtimes and a break in the constant friends sleeping over, couch pulled out, falling asleep to movies, snacks at 11 pm, wet suits dropped on a bathroom floor, piles of daily treasures on the kitchen table, too much candy from the corner store whirlwind that is summer.


Although the whirlwind has kicked my ass this summer I will say that there are times I am lucky enough to rejuvenate myself. Saturday morning I wandered to the market. It was nice to have a break from everything. Again awesome stuff and what is not in the picture is the shortbread cookies I picked up at the Scottish deli on my way home that went wonderful with a big cup of tea in in the backyard while I knit later that morning.





Saturday afternoon we headed to a local festival. The Winona Peach Festival. I bought some peaches of course. So good.




Now to be honest I find festivals to be crowed. Crowded areas usually equal many stupid ignorant people in one place because it seems that all the stupid ignorant people go to crowded areas. Maybe it is that I am past festivals. It was okay. The food, games and rides are ridiculously over priced. Even that beautiful batch of peaches, although tasty as heck, were probably a few dollars more then what I would have paid for local peaches at the market or grocery store.

I do always enjoy the craft booths and I will say that those are one place where the prices seem to be reasonable. I hadn't planned on buying anything but then I saw this...

I was liking the festival much better at this point.

I came home with this lovely, 6.9 oz. of soft heavenly merino wool.

I have been knitting.

I have the front and back done on hubby's sweater and have started in on the first sleeve. Ribbed sleeves. All the way up. He has a long arm. I must have been crazy when I said yes to the pattern. Is it over yet?



As you can see my sock is coming along well.

The other week you can imagine my excitement. I went to my friends house for tea. She had key lime pound cake. That wasn't the best part. I pulled out my knitting and although I knew she was puttering away on a scarf, imagine how happy I was when she pulled it out to work on it with me. Do two people equal a knitting club???

That day I took a picture of her kitty. Butternut. A perfect shot for Whiskers on Wednesday.

This week she came to my house. I think I am converting her over to the dark side....because she brought her knitting!!!

It seems knitting and cats are going hand in hand these days.

We were talking and knitting outside, when this little gal came wandering through my yard.





We gave her some food. It broke my heart to see how hungry she was.

After a few hours of hanging in our yard she was feeling at home.

The next day she was in our yard a good portion of the day. We continued to feed her. I called the animal rescue. I mean I could have called the SPCA but she'd probably just be put down. This little cat is the friendliest thing. She purrs non stop. Can a cats purr malfunction and not turn off???? She would make a wonderful pet to someone and I could not just leave her outside and to send her to the SPCA knowing that there is a chance she'd end up being put down, well what could I do?

So the lady at the rescue asked if we could bring her in the house in a separate space from our guys. The best I could do was our closed in front porch. Our house is so small and we don't have extra rooms or bathrooms. So she came buy and gave her some flea stuff and a pill for worms. She'll need to gain some weight before she can go to the vets. The lady figured she was about 4 lbs. So if no one answers the ads I put in the paper and online, she get to the vets in a few weeks and then I guess we will be fostering her till they can find a home.

The patch on her chest looks like a heart. The girls thought that was cute.

She is definitely enjoying all the love, rest, food and water. You can't help but wonder what her story is. I can only imagine how relieved she must be to sleep without worry.



The girls named her Heidi. I figured that she needed a name while she stayed with us. I keep telling them that she is only visiting. I am a little worried how they will feel when they find her a home. Hubby thinks that she will be with us for a while.

My cats must think they are chopped liver since I have not featured them in many of the Whiskers for Wednesday shots so here is one with the two of them. Amber had made a "bunk bed" for them. I think Cinder should be on the bottom. If I were Jax, I'd be worried!!!



I leave you with a recipe for old fashioned pound cake. Oh my this stuff was so good!!!!

Monkeying around...



A few weeks back my younger daughter said how she needed to have me make her monkey Webkinz a pair of shoes.


Well I had these little booties made up from a while ago. I had made a green pair and gave them away. To be honest my thought was to make a good dozen pair or so and do a cute post with them....maybe with a title like "shake your bootie". Sigh. Good intentions. Poof. Gone.





Well I went to get these when she left the room. I put them on her monkey and when she returned, well how darn cute was it? Very cute. I had left the room and was spying on her. She picked him up, looked at his feet admiring his new shoes, kinda looked around in wonder and came to find me to thank me. She was very pleased. It was one of those moments when you are sure you are the bestest mom in the world!

I am afraid that is all you get this week....not even any good whisker photos. Just.not.organized.enough. What can I say?

Have a great week!!!

Canadian, eh...

It has been a busy week. I have been thoroughly enjoying my job but it does make life a little busier. I have a few photos from the week that I thought you'd enjoy.

We went and saw WALL.E the other day. There is a old theatre that has been refurbished. It is all old fashion like. Red velvet bench seats. (not as comfy as the Cineplex theatre but survivable when your only paying $6 to get in as opposed to $10) The bathrooms are all in black, grey and white.....very cool. And they have old fashion type popcorn containers. Good popcorn. Cute movie.




A little friend from the garden.

A close up...

How darn cute is this little snail?

'Bout as cute as workout dog.

She does this sort of stuff in hopes of food reward. Too funny.

There was even a dirty sign in my week. A garage downtown had someone mess with their letters.



What a hoot! I am so glad I had my camera.


DPN hairdo.

Whiskers on Wednesday. Again not my whiskers. My cats are gonna think I don't love them.

These are my uncles cats.

Bob and Doug. As in Bob and Doug McKenzie. A Canadian thing, eh. If you have never heard of them go to the link and watch. It is kinda funny.

Bob.

Doug.

I have been knitting. Not as much as I thought I would be. I decided to walk the second half of my trip to work. I can walk it in 15 minutes, which means I can leave home 35 minutes later. So not too much bus stop knitting unfortunately.

I am almost done the front of hubby's sweater. Then it will be onto the sleeves. My sock is coming along.

Hopefully some photos next week!

A fetching and a half...


Another week....poof....gone!



I start my job today. I am excited. A little worried about everything falling into place. I am trying to work out having a worker come in to help with my oldest daughter at one point for a "when nature calls" break. Unfortunately the agency that handles this was suppose to call me back yesterday but didn't, to verify someone was coming. I checked last night after hours and the service was not in place...they just have that our morning care is on hold (which it is because through the summer I don't need someone here at 7 am). I plan on having my neighbour come in till this is worked out.

I will be honest and say that part of me wonders why I am doing this. It is a lot to work out the logistics with my older daughters care. I mean it is easier just to stay home and not add these extra stresses to my life. I know though that I need to do this even if it seems like more work sometimes.

There is a 20 minute wait between bus connections on my way to work. Oh the knitting I will be able to accomplish on the bus, waiting for the bus and oh there will be a break at work too!! I have my bag all set with an easy to take with me project!!!

Wish me luck!!!



Leslie shared a real fun craft. We had to do it. Now I went into the dollar store to buy a few bandannas. It was quite funny. I seemed to be missing where they were and asked a clerk. She looked at me like I had two heads when I asked her if they had bandannas. She told me they didn't after I gave her a quick description...square piece of fabric, different colors with a black or white pattern on it, you wear them on your head. I didn't believe her. I had another go over the store and guess what I found on the bottom shelf in one isle...yep, bandannas.

We had a ton of fun making them. My daughters friend was staying over and my neighbours kids got into the action.















I thought we looked a little like superheros putting all our fists together. The Wonder Twins use to do that.


The dog even got a new bandanna to wear.

My youngest daughter is so good at getting ready in the morning. She can do her own hair. I thought her ponytails looks very cute the other morning. Definatly picture worthy!

Our market visit Saturday morning saw us come home with some delicious stuff. I need to make a new market bag soon!!!



I have been knitting and somehow was on the same path as Leslie. She had herself 9 1/2 fingerless gloves. I love the idea of taking a month and just knitting as many as you could. I don't think I'd get 9 1/2 but I may have try this. Maybe just before Christmas. It would be a great way to knock off quite a few gifts for people on my list. She had something else in mind for some of the pairs she made.

I know there was trouble before but I have been careful not to get too caught up in the whole fetching thing......although with the possibility of a month of knitting fetching in my future I could be asking for more problems with the blue and white.


There is a bit of a tale about these. First they are for my mother in law. She had been reading my blog during that whole fetching fiasco and had wanted a pair. Well I never got a pair made for her. Then I was making a pair for a friend and she had seen them. She wanted those ones but she was out of luck I needed to send those off. So I finally wanted to get a pair done for her. So I pull out some yarn I have had forever and after I get about half way through I kind of chuckle to myself because I realized that the yarn was actually yarn my mother in law picked out one time years and years ago when we were visiting. I had found a pattern for a blanket made out of knitted triangles in a magazine at her house and asked her to help me start it. This would have been my second attempt at having her teach me how to knit the first was a yellow baby sweater....I have no idea were the 5 rows of that went! Well I began and got half a triangle done and then it sat for years in a box. I recently had cut off that half of a triangle and added the yarn to my stash. Sort of funny that it has made her pair of fetching.




So what is wrong with this picture? Well there is a pair and a half. I messed up the cable on the second glove and decided to finish it anyway. I figured I could make a new second glove for my mother in laws pair and make another to match the one I messed up and be ahead of the game with a gift to give to some lucky friend but there was not enough yarn. So I had myself a lone fetching glove. Too pretty even with it's mistake to throw out but no yarn to make a match.

No fear. I have a seven year old that doesn't care if the fetching match. You remember her blender outfits?

Orange was her choice for the lonely blue fetching.

This photo is very Vogue but she was just worried about the cartwheel time she was missing as I was trying to snap a photo and as I snapped she turned her head to see what the others were up too.

I started another pair of socks. An easy no thinking type of sock (that is what is following me to work today) . I bought the yarn for myself awhile back. I need a new pair for fall and another pair to prove I am trying to knit along with Socks of Summer '08.



That is hubbys sweater there beside my sock. You may recall I started it a little while ago. He laughs at me every time I make reference to finishing it. Bugger. I have been picking away at it.

Whiskers on Wednesday.

Again not our whiskers. What can I say, we walk a lot of places and make friends with stray cats.

This little gal lives a few streets over. She is the craziest cat. She runs sideways. We enjoy stopping at her house to pet her when she is out. Another cat I don't understand why the owners let her out. A bonus for us but the city isn't a safe place for kitties to be roaming. Too much traffic.


Have a great week!!!