Mister Pip

I just finished the book, Mister Pip, by Lloyd Jones. A columnist for the Commercial Appeal suggested it last week in the Sunday paper. I was lucky enough to rent it from the library. It is an interesting read. It is pretty deep. I am not sure its Young Adult classification is correct. Then again, my expertise is not in literary classification.

The story references Charles Dickens' Great Expectations - which I have not read. It sort of made me want to tackle it. Mister Pip brought the power of books to the forefront of my mind. There is a tragic, unsettling ending. But, it does make you think about morals, family and home.

I on to my next book, Journal for Jordan. It is nonfiction and will be deep and sad. I have to mix it up reading a variety!

Friends & Food

This week I got lots of tomatoes, nearly ripe ones, peaches, onions, and summer squash in my CSA bag. I decide to make this recipe. The Big Guy is not too fond of tomatoes. This one won him over! It is fabulous. I cut up the bread and poured the tomatoes on top. We ate it for leftovers and it was even better. It was a great way to use up lots of tomatoes. The peaches were fresh too! My sister is heading down and I am thinking it would be fun for us to pick peaches.

A friend of mine just completed her masters degree. I am so impressed! She loves to learn and her enthusiasm is contagious. Another friend had a few of us over for dinner on Friday to celebrate. It was yummy and just wonderful hanging out with the girls. I did not get too creative with my gift. I used up some scrap cotton yarn to make a dishcloth. I don't know what it is about this dishcloth pattern. I just love the way it looks!


Earlier in the week, we had our neighbor over for dinner as his family is out of town. I enjoy trying new recipes when we have guests. I tried these enchiladas. This one is a keeper! Pumpkin actually ate most of it only leaving a few pineapple pieces on his plate. Our neighbor was surprised there wasn't any meat in the dish.

I started knitting with some hemp yarn. I hope to make a grocery bag.

I went for a bike ride today and met up with the Big Guy who was already out on his two wheels. He looped around and rode with me. The ride was a work out. The weather is fabulous!

Pumpkin is putting a dent in his summer work. Peanut finished a class to become a soccer sideline referree. I just have to buy the uniform!

We are enjoying the weekend!!

Ribbon Hat Swap and Cookies

A few months back, I purchased the book, Itty Bitty Hats, by Susan B. Anderson. I don't have any little babies in the house, but I thought the hats would make great gifts. My niece's baby is about to turn one. So, I decided to join the Ribbon Hat on Ravelry. I knew it would motivate me to make a hat and to have a gift in time for the baby's birthday.

This swap was unique in that you sent a hat to one partner, but received a hat from another swapper. I love that idea giving us the chance to interact with even more knitters. This is a picture of the hats I sent to Becca in California. The swap rules stated the hat should be 0-6 or 6-12 months. Her daughter is a little older. I a whipped up a second hat just for her. I loved this yarn. It is knitcol trends in colorway 47.

This is the hat I received in mail today! The knitter is from Canada. I love the crispness of the white. The pink and green ribbons are adorable! My niece will be a cutie in this hat. Thank you, Anna! I think she knit this in the car on the way to the beach - wish we were at the beach!!

Today it rained! We needed it. We had to remind ourselves what thunder and lightening were! The rained stopped mid-day and we're back to the sauna. I spent the morning baking cookies. Friends of ours are heading to the beach for a few days with their family. My friend's father is experiencing some health issues. I don't think there is much we can do with the exception of prayers. So, I baked up a variety of cookies. I am sure they will enjoy the sweets at the beach. I made German Chocolate, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter cookies. These are what is left. The boys were thrilled that they got some too.

I wanted to add some color to the package of cookies. I did not have any rice krispies. I decided to make Fruit Loop Marshmellow treats. I cut them up in pieces, wrapped the pieces in wax paper, and put them in a bag.

These are the individual treats within the bag. I hope they don't melt in the car!

Now, it is time to finish washing the cookie dishes and start dinner!!

Happy 80th!

The Big Guy's dad, my father-in-law, turned 80 today! He is feeling great. This last year brought him open heart surgery. About a month ago, they inserted a pacer/defibrillator. The recent procedure seems to have propelled him down the road to a full recovery. He doesn't act his age! That can be a good thing!

I started with the idea to make him a hat. I hoped the stitches could be some number in the eighties. That did not work out, but here is the hat I ended up with. I used Mori plus yarn, color 557, on size 8 needles. I started with the 2X2 ribbing and kept on going. I found a site on the internet explaining how to decrease in a star pattern. It worked! I love the colorway. The only issue is the temperature is in the high 90's here. He won't get to wear it for months. It is the thought that counts.

I made the hat longer not quite knowing his head size. I figured if it is long he can always roll it up. Here is the birthday boy modeling the hat.

The hat is very soft. I did not line it with fleece thinking that might make it too hot. The yarn weight and gauge is perfect for our mild winters.

To celebrate his big day, we headed to Whitton Farms' Feastival.

This is the farmer's farm. I was so excited to see where my weekly veggies come from. Here is the set up. The music was wonderful, the food was yummy and it was very hot!!

This is the field where the swiss chard grows. I stil haven't found a good swiss chard recipe. Peanut saw a tiny toad and caught it. It brought back memories of me catching the tiny toads on my dad's farm.

Peanut did not hold him for long.

The farmer grows veggies and flowers. This year, they brought hives to the farm. Here they are. It was wild. If you look closely, you can see where the bees enter the bottom of the hive.

We bugged out after sampling the food provided by local chefs. We were all more than ready as it was hot and we were dripping. The farm is amazing. I kept marveling at the different lifestyle it must be. I am so glad to support this local farmer. It will be even more meaningful knowing where the food comes from!!

Wicked

We went to see Wicked on Tuesday night. The tickets were a gift to Pumpkin for his remarkable performance in middle school. It was an investment worth every penny!

All the photos were taken on my iphone and the color is not the best. The last one was taken by Pumpkin.



The show was in town for two weeks to a sold out crowd. I can see why. We bought the soundtrack to listen to on our trip to/fro Cincinnati. We enjoyed it so much more after we saw the show.

On Wednesday, the boys and I washed the CR-V with the music from Wicked blaring. Elphaba's voice was amazing - beautiful and what a range. I don't know which song is my favorite, yet. The CD is going to get lots of playing time. The boys don't mind. They even requested it when we were in the car a few days ago. That's what I love to hear.

If the show is in your city, don't miss it!!

A Week Plus Away...

The boys and I started our adventures at a swim meet in Nashville. It was a very fast meet. Pumpkin did well trimming time in all but one of his events. The meet was long not providing us with the opportunity to do much else. Peanut and I got up and walked every morning. It was hot and I wanted to make sure we got some form of exercise in. We stopped into the Vanderbilt Bookstore. I took advantage of the sweatshirts being on sale. As soon as the meet was over, we hopped in the car and headed for Cincinnati. The ride was uneventful except for a construction slow down. We made it home by 11pm. My mom was thrilled to see us.

We finally got to meet my niece's daughter. Isn't she a cutie? I finally got to hold her. Pumpkin walked by and she grabbed for him. He was an instant hit with her. They are moving to the Nashville area. I am thrilled we will have the opportunity to see them more.
I finally finished a belated birthday gift for my sister. Her birthday was in April. I have grown attached to these ball band dishcloths. I love how the colors pop. I have another one on my needles just in case I need a gift.

During one of the days at home, we headed to Kings Island. This was the place when I was little. Boy! It has changed. My niece, Anna, joined us for the day. It was great having her along as I got to hold the bags and did not have to ride all the scary rides. In this picture, Peanut is getting ready to ride his first big roller coaster. He hopped on the Vortex and loved it. Remember the mention of the sweatshirts? We pulled them out. The weather was so pleasant. We loved it!!

This used to be Hanna Barbara land. Now, it is a haunted Scooby ride. Pumpkin was the master! Isn't this a cute photo?

They tamed the Beast! This used to be my favorite ride. It used to tower over everything. The roller coaster technology has come very far. The rides are enormous!

Does blueberry ice cream count for dinner? As the ultimate ice cream lover, I ruled this disgusting. Fortunately, those who got it loved it.

This ride used to be named Face Off. It is now called Invertigo. The interesting twist here is that you face other riders. The Big Guy was crying of laughter when he got off the ride. He was tickled by Pumpkin's facial expressions. This was one of the rides that Peanut opted out of.

The Fire Hawk was a new ride last year. It is very intimidating. The Big Guy and my niece thought it was awful. They felt like they were falling. Pumpkin, on the other hand, loved it feeling like he was flying. Peanut hopped out at the last minute. The Big Guy said he made the right decision. Again, the technology is amazing!

Pumpkin finally got his nerve up and rode the newest coaster, Diamondback. It soars 235 feet in the air. The harness that holds you in comes up between your legs. It gives you the sensation of floating through the air. Pumpkin was glad that he rode it, but I think he closed his eyes the entire time.

We were so worn out that we slept in the next day. We did some low key activities including a walk through Ikea. You gotta love a store that has these signs above bike racks.

On Friday, we headed to Coney Island for the Balloon Glow, a swim in Sunlight Pool and fireworks. It was a great evening. As I mentioned, the weather was mild. The pool was extremely cold. Peanut was in heaven with six diving boards. We enjoyed seeing all the balloons. They remained tethered and you could walk among them. The fireworks were fabulous!




We were glad we got to see fireworks on Friday as the weather did not cooperate on Saturday. My sister had us over for burgers. It was a nice afternoon. The kids played and we ended the night with excitement - watching her Roomba NOT fall down the stairs. That is a piece of technology too. I just may pick one up the next time I am at Costco.

We had a great week visiting with family. We stayed up way too late, but enjoyed the opportunity to sleep in. I know my mom loved all the noise in the house.

Our drive home was uneventful. Buddy greeted us at the door. This is the first time we went away and did not kennel him. A neighborhood girl took care of him. He seems to have faired well.

The laundry is done, the bags are unpacked, and we are back into the routine. We just wish some of that cool weather followed us home!!