Happy Thursday

Happy Thursday, everyone! Not happy yet? Happy but want to get happier? Here you go:

I've been watching this pretty much non-stop since I found it on HelloGiggles. It's making my life. That kid's smile alone is enough.

Do you have big plans for your weekend? I have a lot of big plans: cleaning, a bon fire/birthday/housewarming party, cooking, yoga, and sleeping in. Also, knitting. Have a great weekend!

Fresh off the needles: The Elinor Shawl

 

You know what that picture up there means? It means I found my camera, my camera charger, and my camera/computer connection thingy that lets me put the pictures from my camera onto the computer (yeah, that's the technical term) and then got them in the same place at the same time! What up! If you don't think this is going to increase the number of cat pictures on this blog, well, then, clearly we haven't met in real life.

But now is not the time for talk of cats, now is the time for talk of knitting! I designed this shawl for The Mpaeyc Community Silent Auction (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mpaeyc-Community-Silent-Auction/218663641535841) and then executed it over the course of three or four days. I was home sick from work and all I could do was knit, blow my nose, and re-watch the first season of Downton Abbey.

I suffered, I tell you

That was a lot of knitting (the shawl ended up being about 2 1/2 feet wide and 5 feet long) and my thumbs kind of ache. But it was for a good cause and Mr. Bates was there to bring me a tray of food with flowers. Or maybe I took too much allergy medicine. Who's to say.

If you're in the mid-Michigan area, you should think about coming out to the auction. There are some really beautiful pieces and it's for a good cause.



I have a lot of good stuff planned for this weekend and lots more FO's to block and photograph. So be looking for more knitting news, cat pictures, and PBS Masterpiece Classics delirium.

Nail polish color sign of deeper mental unrest. Details to follow.

My nails are this color right now:

http://www.essie.com/shop/mezmerised-p-31.html

I bought myself this color as a birthday present last September. The weird thing about my wearing this color right now is that this is the single only nail polish I think of as a summer color. Sure, I tend to wear more pastels in the spring, more dark reds in the winter, but overall, I just wear what I feel. I'm a rebel, you can't fence me in with your SEASONS.

But this color...I don't know. I think because if I wore blue nail polish in the winter it would be too much like my fingers were cold? Or something. And now here we are in this weirdo "spring" in Michigan and it's hot enough that I want to wear my one summer nail polish color. Up is down and black is white, people.

A Golden Text

Do you ever stop yourself in the middle of doing something and think, "There. That is my whole life in a nutshell." Well, I sent the following text today and while it's not my whole life, it is a huge statement about my life right now:

"I just found a recipe for Weight Watchers Crab Rangoons! I pinned the shit out of it on Pinterest!"



Attempting to eat delicious, unhealthful foods while still on Weight Watchers? Check.
Obsession with Chinese food? Check.
Obsession with Pinterest? Check.
Gratuitous use of the word "shit?" Check.

That is life right now.

And Pinterest is not helping!

Happy Thursday, one and all! It is SO springy up here in Michigan! Spring gets me all kinds of wound up: it makes me want to clean and organize and do projects and be a better, tanner, thinner, Zenner (is that a word?), fabulouser (hahahahaha, I know that one isn't...right?) person. Maybe this is a fairly universal phenomenon? That would explain Spring Cleaning. I have to carefully monitor myself, though, otherwise I will set goals so lofty they simply cannot be accomplished. And once I start sliding down the, "Wow, I really don't have time to herd sheep like I thought I would this weekend," scale of non-productivity, I can slide right on past things that are fully achievable , such as "Wash Dishes" and "Scoop Kitty Litter" until finally I'm on the porch with a glass of wine and a book, unfinished tasks be damned.

But because I would rather take joy in my faults than, you know, fix them, here is my to-do list this weekend. Please note the influence of both Spring Project Madness and St Patrick's Day:

-pick up book at Kris' store
-drop skirt off at tailor shop
-yoga
-drink a shamrock shake
-make room for new table (my best thrifting find ever, OH MY SWEET LORD)
-laundry
-go to bank
-watch Boondock Saints
-drink a Guinness
-go to hardware store for paint stripping supplies (heaven help me)
-take down winter wreath
-make summer wreath
-go buy that cart at the junk store I've been eyeing for well over a year

I promise to report back next week and let you know how far I made it through this list. I'm also hoping to be able to do more with this blog starting next week. If I do, I owe it all to the table I bought last weekend. Seriously, you guys, I am in love with this table. I think it's going to change my life. I'll tell you more about it next week, but for now I'll leave you with these words: 1950's, yellow, formica.

Yeah. It's probably even cooler than you're thinking.

Happy Thursday

Happy Thursday, everyone! This may be the last Happy Thursday post. I am going ice fishing for the first time this weekend and although I've been assured it's safe I am POSITIVE I am going to fall into the hole, or the lake is going to spontaneously melt all at once, or that a shark or whale is going to pop up and bite me (I will be fishing on Lake Huron. I know in my mind that there are no sharks or whales in Lake Huron. But in my heart...). So, should the ice fishing turn out to be less icey or more sharky than I've been promised it will be, I leave you with something to make you laugh every day (albeit in an inappropriate, highly irreverent way. Which I think we can all agree is the best way.)

I give you: Ugly Renaissance Babies. Here are a few of my favorites:

 

 (click on each picture to be taken to the full hilarity which is definitely in the captions)

Have a good weekend, everyone! Stay safe (or frozen if you are a Great Lake. Please, oh please)!

Like the tines of our forks, so are the Valentines of our lives. Or something.

 

Stuck in my head ALL DAMN DAY

Happy Valentines day, everyone. I know some people are SUPER into Valentines day and some people are almost equally AGAINST Valentines day. As for me, I am neutral. I like holidays of all types, I like telling the people I love that I love them, I like the pop of red in February, and I love candy. (Dear Candy, I love you. Love, Sam) But I don't like it if people feel bad about not being in love on Valentines day, I don't like that there are a billion e-harmony (and similar companies) commercials trying to capitalize on people feeling bad, and I don't like sappy songs/cards/sentiment/shows/movies/stuffed animals/etc.

This is where I stand on Valentines day, I suppose

Love is lovely and expressing your love is a brave and wonderful thing to do. But after a day full of too much chocolate and too many sappy sentiments, we all need Cher to slap our faces and tell us to snap out of it.

So I hope you have a lovely day, whether you are full on hearts/flowers/chocolates-ing it up or whether you are dressed in black all anti-Valentines, or whether you, like me, fall somewhere in the non-committal middle. And I encourage you to celebrate all the loves in your life. In that spirit here are:

The Ten Things I Love Most Right Now: (obvious things like, boyfriend, family, friends, wine, and whiskey not included on account of obviousness)

1) Downton Abbey

2) The color red.
3) Butternut Squash anything
4) Under the Banner of Heaven

5) Pinterest
6) Finally having some snow this winter.
7) Chamomile Tea
8) Making my bed in the morning (more accurately- getting into a made bed at night)
9) Liz Lemon

10) Mr. Bates from Downton Abbey