ten on Tuesday

This week's topic is 10 Intentions for the New Year....

Very timely, isn't it? I'm all about resolutions, making lists, organizing my world...and then promptly forgetting where I put the list, creating excuses for not being resolute and finding myself searching through the piles of stuff around the house and screaming at PC that I can't find anything. So, resolutions have not worked out so much for me. Intentions, on the other hand, I can get behind. 

(these are in no particular order)

1. get fit. PC brought me a Wii Fit Plus and I have a YMCA membership, so I should be the most fit individual in my suburb, but I am not. In fact, my BMI (a la the Wii) last night frightened me so badly that I woke up this morning, decidedly not hungry. Being fit will let me play tennis longer, swim farther and finally be able to get a bicycle. I want a bicycle for Christmas one of these years (a cruiser, with a basket),so that's my goal. I also want to roller skate. PC & I live near the Charles River (oh, about 6 houses away) and there's this great path that goes from our house to the Hatch Shell.... I want to bike it or roll it.
2. eat & cook healthier. I have every healthy cookbook known to man and I cook the same things over & over. With PC doing a Weight Watchers diet and me following South Beach, it's not easy to make yummy dinners that satisfy us both (PC loves his carbs too). But, I have to do it. No more chinese take out each week. No more pizza.  My insides are revolting against me and I feel better when I'm eating lower-carb.  
3. Focus more at work. I lose focus at work sometimes and I'm working on getting more aligned with my work. It's a long term goal, but one I can get behind.
4. Manage finances better. This one's hard, but I'm going to do it. I need to sit down and budget my money. I need to take some risks and some safer options for my money and head out into the world. I will not turn 34 in 2011 without having some of my money work for me. A house will not buy itself. Some necessary steps will be taken this week.
5. be a more considerate partner. Sometimes I forget how good PC is to me and how lucky I am. I need to be more considerate of his feelings. 
6. work on my relationships: I need to reconnect with an old friend, badly, and I need to re-establish a friendship with someone I lost touch with. 
7. get involved in more community outreach. I find myself with too much time on my hands sometimes and I used to channel that energy & time into helping others. Now I sit & eat ice cream. (see #1 and #2)
8. blog 3 times a week: Monday, Wednesday, Fridays.
9. publish 1 pattern per month on my blog (and get Trek to teach me how to upload them on the sidebar,etc).
10. knit from my self-appointed sock club each month. I'm taking a page from the yarnharlot's book and running with it: I have a LOT of sock yarn and I'm going to knit 1 pair per month. With my travel schedule, this should be easy :) 

How about you? 

...the day after...

So many toys, I just needed a nap! Mom & Dad are recovering from hosting dinner for all my grandparents ( and a surprise visit from my aunt in England! She has a dog, but I like her anyway), so I thought I'd blog. 

Hope Santa brought you lots of toys ... I got a new climby thing! I love it. It has a hidey hole. I keep my toys in it...they are safe there. I stole mom's ack talking thing and took a photo for you. Don't I look great? 

Well, gotta go knock ornaments off the tree...

Pumpkin.  (meow)

P.s. Wait til you see what mom knit this weekend...

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Ten on Tuesday list....

10 things on my to do list:
1. Buy a Christmas tree. We are supposed to do this tonight, but PC's still under the weather (and he's the one who hauls it in, let's be honest, so I'm at his mercy).
















2. Decorate said tree. (and thanks to lovely Kim, my Christmas tradition is not ruined...more on that later!)
3. Finish brother's slipper socks.... I need to finish sewing the soles on, but I'm at an impasse... PC tried them on and didn't love how they feel. I might need to rip and reknit this weekend.
4. Create & plan a holiday dinner for 10, including 1 vegetarian who has crossed the "pond" for the holidays (PC's sister), and I don't want to feed her just side dishes. (I've been told by other vegetarians it's rude to just assume they'll just eat extra veggies)
5. address & send holiday cards... all 30 of them. This might be a job for tonight. I have to make up the sheet of address labels for our return address (makes my life easier!).
6. wrap gifts... somethings are getting out of control and I need to start wrapping so I know what I have!
7. go to the Container store to get small boxes and large boxes for kids gifts... I love what we bought, but I don't love that they didn't come with boxes. and kids need to rip wrapping paper, not open a bag.
8. make sure Santa is feeling okay--- we may need a 2nd run to CVS for cough drops, etc.
9. make fudge... I need to do this tonight too. It needs to set for 2 days and I have some co-workers who have been discussing this fudge since September. Including one boss who is reminding me that she's leaving for Ireland this weekend and fudge needs to be consumed pre-take off. :)
10. Finish knitting my quiviot cowl: PC and I have a deal: I'll finish my cowl by Christmas eve, he'll start his beer.

laugh out loud funny

'Cause Fridays need a little "sumpthin" to get you to 5 o'clock... :) 

Busy weekend, Busy Mini

Do you remember these mittens? Yep, the ones for my SIL.... well, she mentioned to me recently that she's buying a new coat. This coat is going to be black, from Lands' End and well, it certainly didn't come with a hat. Now, this SIL is the one who LOVES a handknit. Loves them. And has received many: cabled mittens, a scarf, a bag, a sweater. In return, she has provided me with a great nephew. I think it's a fair trade :)

Well, the Fiddlehead mittens are for her Christmas gift. But her head is cold NOW. So, what to do? Make her a fiddlehead hat, of course. And, now the mittens will be a BIG surprise because she's totally not expecting the matching mittens, right?

Don't stress out trying to work out this pattern. i'm going to do it for you this weekend. You'll need to buy the Fiddlehead mitten pattern to get the chart, but you can download the pdf instructions from me for free.

And since when I was making the hat, I was flipping out about running out of yarn for the hat, I bought two more skeins... 1 gray, 1 purple. And never used them.

My mom 's jacket is purple.... so, she's getting post-holiday mittens & matching hat. I'm reversing the colors from my SIL's... mom's will be purple background, gray accent.

And, I have a mitten fail. I have a coworker who would be a great mitten recipient, but only really sticks to basic colors; I thought a gray mitten with a pop of color would be nice. The "fail" is that the mitten is much to small. I cast on 38 stitches at 4spi, but looks like I need to rip back to the ribbing and increase the stitch count with an increase round. (I prefer the ribbing to be 1) tighter gauge and 2) smaller # of stitches: keeps the wind out). This will be a pdf download here on the site as well. And, I'll need some mitten testers after Christmas: let me know if you are interested.

Info: 200yds (100yds of each color) chunky weight wool and US7 & US8 needles, stitch markers.

Oh, and did you see my bag? That's a Stitched by JessaLu original BIG BOX BAG.(Psst.... i heard a rumor that there will be Rudolph bags being made.) Yup, she makes them. You have to be "in the know" and well,... you are now. :) I got two: owls and gnomes. The gnomes will make their debut soon; they are holding the Kathmandu Aran sweater I am working on for PC. It's a top down raglan using the Incredible, Custom Fit Top-Down Raglan Sweater Design