MondayLunchCrew

Well, I try not to get swayed by tv commercials, but sometimes, I can't help it. Today, I am flipping channels and see a spot for the Bissell SpotBot Handsfree Compact Deep Cleaner. I've got to keep this one in mind for when the dog comes! (No leads yet as to when we'll get the puppy so far.) I guess I'm swayed as well since I spent the day cleaning house yesterday. I didn't feel like going to the gym and figured that was good exercise and I'll get a cleaner house out of it.

Labels: General

On Sunday G and I went to the William Sonoma to see my menus in place on display. We found that 3 out of 4 were left as someone stole the other one.

Today, I get a call in the morning from G's sister who needed help getting new menus because she's got to show the table but now only two menus were left as another one was stolen.

So, I went on a shopping trip for more papers and made a new set. We saw on Sunday that the cake was chocolate, so, I get to make the pink and chocolate menus I wanted to. Due to time constraints, I had to make something rather easy.

Hat is completed but the size isn't good for me. I'll work on a new one and see if I'll like it more. I may be able to fix the size of the other one.

Labels: General

I've been giving my cross stitch a nice amount of attention of late. Started a project and is nearly finished it. (okay, it's small.) Finished something not long ago and ready to start on more. But my knitting has been on the back burner. I started a dog sweater months and months ago, but it wasn't a success and I left it unfinished but a bit of a mess and haven't really picked up a pair of needles since.
Well, no more, on Friday, I finally did a bit of a yarn inventory and ripped up the dog sweater and the other work in progress that wasn't going anywhere so that they can't haunt me, and dove right into searching for a pattern to knit myself a hat for my shearling coat. I'm sure brought on my the recent cold two days. (Today doesn't count, we were dying of heat walking outside, it felt like summer!).

I finally found the pattern I was settled to do on Saturday morning, and on Saturday afternoon, I was at the yarn store buying yarn for it and a little stash, as one of my favourite yarns was discounted for discontinued colours. Both of the discontinued colours were great for my coat, so, I got hat yarn, and scarf yarn if not something for mittens too.

Hat of course, was promptly started. I haven't knitted a straight forward pattern in ages on such fat yarn, I've forgotten how quickly it can be to do. Aran weight yarn, but since knitting my purple sweater, anything bigger than that yarn is fat to me. With a little bit of work on it on the subway today and in front of the tv tonight. The thing is nearly done. I'm looking at finishing it tomorrow.

G laughs at me, but I've been going around the whole weekend making knitting motions with my hands and giggling with anticipation of doing some knitting when I'm away from it; say, on the way to and from Home Depot.

I've forgotten how much I love knitting as it is more portable and more quickly satisfying than the stitching that I do. All that matters right now is that I'm looking at having my woolly stuff by winter to use with the coat. There's so nothing wrong with that!

And my score of the day, we went to word on the street fair today at Queen's Park in Toronto, and picked up a recent copy of interweave knits for 25 cents!! How cool is that! sadly it was the last copy that I could find and the place was a mad house with everyone scrabbling for the 4 magazines for a buck deal. But we walked away happy with some cool magazines and I got a bunch of Edward Gorey books on sale.

Random details:
Yarn store closest to my house: Passionknit. Store is nicer than the website.
I'm so out of shape now compared to my New York living days (which wasn't great), that spending a day outside walking today left me completely exhausted.
I so need to get a part time job to get me out of the house.
We went and got some lighting pieces last weekend which hasn't come in yet, so soon, those would be here and installed. We just started today to look at window treatments.

Labels: Knitting

I'm sure you are all sure this would happen sooner or later. Apparently it's sooner. I just came back from my bike ride to the fabric store and fell off my bike less than 20 feet from my front door. Pathetic yes, but you'll all be very relieved to know that klutzy old me is alive and well. No one was fooled by the fact that I got a bike would mean I get all sporty and capable. I'm still the walking into the wall klutz you all know and love. The bike basket stayed nicely attached to bike, the contents of which only spilled out slightly. My head didn't hit the pavement, but I'm sure that's because momentum was stopped by the knee and hands that hit the ground first. The amazing thing was that while I was certain that the exercise pants would have ripped at the knees, for it was the first thing I checked; the fabric held. It was only after I get home before I could assess how much my knee was hurt. Okay, it's not bleeding. I'll survive. But I'll need to dig out the big band-aids that I was certain I didn't need. Who was I kidding? The bike however, needs looking after as now it makes a clicking sound. G will be doing inspection later today I guess. I guess I'm happy I did it close to home and not on the street with lots of traffic. After all, I know it was going to happen the second I got the bike. I'm rather surprised, it's even taken as long as this.

In an effort to make do without buying new furniture pieces for the bedroom, I've taken to painting them to match the room. An Ikea storage bench has got a new coat of primer and paint today. Tomorrow it gets coat number two and I believe a faux finish. We'll see how adventures I become! Been looking at the nesting tables that's in the apt right now and thinking they could use a new coat of paint as well. So, I may take that up if I can only decide on the paint colour for them. Well, of course, still need to get G's okay to make sure he doesn't need to keep them the way they are for any reason. I've got the paint, so why not refinish these pieces to fit the decor better and save me the money. It costs only time after all and I've got that. Especially today since I had no tv to watch, no cable or phone service because some construction people accidentally (at least I assume so) cut a fibre cable near by at about 1 pm. Nothing's restored yet! It's only been 10 hours or so. Oh I'm so calling to make sure I get reimbursed on the bill! I did manage to get some painting done, a book started and finished and tried to catch up on some of the listening of my podcast programs. Ah, what can happened when I'm not distracted by technology. I do, however, start to feel a little like I'm relaxing for a change. Don't have any real big deadlines and projects on the go while I wind down on the decorating phase 1 and before picking up any new projects. Will try to make the most of this.

Labels: General

G's sister is in charge of Visuals for all the William Sonoma stores in Canada. She's doing a bridal table in the flag ship store downtown and needed help with making some menus. So, she's asked if I can help her with it.
Due to the time constraints, I didn't go too all out.

Didn't even come up with my own menu and didn't do the calligraphy by hand. I totally ripped off Jocelyn's wonderful wedding menu, hands down the best food I've had at a wedding. I sure hope she doesn't mind!
So, this is what I came up with. Not too bad I think. Oh, and it's all pink since she said pink was her theme for the table. I wanted to do a LOT more modern of a look with more curves and geometrics but due to lack of time and given the target audience, I pulled it back a bit. Maybe next time I'll do the extra modern look that I wanted to try. I may just make them for fun anyway. We'll see.



I did manage to have some fun playing with it and used my new desks as planned.

Labels: General

I just came back from my first real bike ride. We went all the way up to the Paint store (where G carried in his back pack the last gallon of paint.) and we had dinner at Korean noodle house. We then came back home. I think all in all, it was about an hour to hour and a half of riding. I think I'm going to hurt tomorrow. At one point, one pathetic hill had me on my lowest gear and panting. I'm so out of shape! But I figured it was a good start. Yes I was riding on the side walk and total menace in some people's eyes. But I said excuse me and thank you! If only I could have ridden with a new rider sign like with new drivers so everyone can look out for me and give me a break it would have been better. At one point, two pedestrians gave me the show down, and I had to give since I was riding on their side walk. Honestly, I think the man and woman were just bitchy. Whatever! I'm on a mini-high anyway.

Labels: General