Take this and Add 17 more inches!

It has been snowing for 4 days.




We shoveled the drive twice this am, just to get to the office.




Thank goodness it waited until after the annual New Year's Day Shopping Trip to hit.

Hiding the "Stash"

Looks like an ordinary shoebox...but is it?


Oh my, is that possibly ....gulp....YARN!
Look at all that squishy, colorful, yarnyness.



I'll admit it.
I can not pass up a good deal and WEBS is fueling my addiction.

They had closeout pricing on all this Araucania Bulky and it begged to be worked up into hats for the nieces Christmas presents.

Don't all the girls you know want big, slouchy, tam style hats this season?

Though, I distinctly remember saying, I wasn't going to make knitted gifts this year.

After swearing Wendy to a blood sister pack to assist in the stashing , she whisked it home, swifted it into nice little cakes, and returned it in disguise.

You have to get fairly inventive regarding hiding your newest stash...when you live with a skinflint!

Ella

This is Ella, she is a Fawn Doberman Pinscher puppy and she belongs to Junie and Will.

They have opted for the humane treatment and are not getting her ears docked.



She is the most gangly, coltish puppy I have ever seen. She doesn't seem to understand that she will someday soon be 60 or so pounds and will not be able to curl up on Junie's lap.

Am not sure who will be the most disappointed....Ella or Junie?

Junie requested a photo shoot today so Ella photo could be proudly displayed next to Pearl at the shoppe.

Will had worn her out early in the day, so we only got very sleepy puppy photos.

No Jill, I wasn't in Wisconsin

We just returned from our annual vacation at the cottage.

How I wish we got up there more than once a season.
Counting the last 5 days I have been there at total of 8 days this summer.
Doesn't make sense when you pay the mortgage each month, to only spend that much time there.


Some new traditions this year included falling out of the hammock!



And Knee Boarding....yes, I did try it.
Got up and rode for oh.....1/4 of the lake.(all of 5 minutes, felt like an hour).

I just like to keep it real for the kids.




We didn't forget the old traditions though...
Plenty of "duck butting"



and a trip to the cottage would not be complete without at least 1 tow back to the dock.
We were having so much fun trashing the boys on the tubes, we....hummmm...ran out of gas!

Thank goodness of great lake neighbors.

This kind gentleman saw us stranded at the far end of the lake, came from his house and towed us back.
He didn't even bother to uncover his boat completely.



Of course, my favorite past time was shooting pics of sweet kids.

They are growing up so fast, Dan and I just hope we get to spend at least a few more vacations with them, before they figure out we are just not all that.

Photo Shoot 2009

Girls/Photoshoot Weekend 2009



Ok, I may be biased but doesn't she take a great photo!



I think we shot 127 of them.



This could be my favorite!

Roadtrip to Texas

Every 5 years or so Dan's mother's family holds a Family Reunion.

This event was held in Texas this past week.

Did you know that Texas is in the midst of a heat wave, that they haven't had any significant rainfall for 3 years.
Did you also know that in the Texas Hill Country temps can reach 110 degrees in July.

You have now been forwarned regarding the perils of traveling to Texas in the summer

We decided to roadtrip from Michigan, we both love roadtrips, we pack the car, pack the cooler and head out early in the morning.
We tried to leave before dawn (it reminds us both of those childhood roadtrips) but we got away just as it was breaking.

It was my choice to what route we would follow.
I routed us via Springfield, IL so we could stop at the new Lincoln Museum.



This museum is worth the stop, it chronicles Lincoln from a small boy,



through his White House days.



We then grabbed a quick cooler lunch and hit the road to St. Louis.



My father has slides of the Arch being built, it was great to be able to stand under it.
It was in the high 90's and at least an hour wait to go up, so we opted out.

My photos of the Arch are my favorite of the trip.



The first night in Texas a party was held at the 4 Season in Austin to celebrate the the 50th Wedding Anniversary of the Boothbys and LaCourts.



One of the Texas cousins lives high up in the limestone hills of Wimberly, the photos don't really convey how steep, rocky and hilly this is. The bridge connects the house to the swimming pool and basketball courts for there is no flat lawn areas.



Texas Longhorns, what can I say. You're in Texas you must find some Longhorns to photograph.

It was a fun trip and great to see everyone, the Texas families were wonderful hosts.

And I loved catching up on my reading and sleeping on the way home.

p.s. Can I tempt you with a Texas dashboard taco? Anyone.... Greggy?

Arrowhead Wrap

No excuses for not updating since June 8th.
Let it just be said, the summer is not conducive to blogging.

I have started a new knitting project and here is a tiny peak.

Project Details:
Arrowhead Shawl,originally published by Interweave Knits, Spring 2006
Available as a free download from Knitting Daily

Yarn: Reynolds Sea Wool in Colourway 1030
Needle: size 8

And oh yeah, it is 90 degrees today with no breeze and a heat index of 96 degrees, summer has finally hit and with a vengeance!
Perfect for knitting with wool!