Happy Birthday to Me!

Okay it was yesterday.... But for a 'milestone' birthday-it was great! No more 20's for me but I am A-OK with that. Life is going along pretty well and I have plenty to look forward too....

And boy do I have people in my life that like to spoil me.... I got lots of goodies for my birthday. Lets start with what D-fly the enabling sis got me....as y'all know, she signed me up for Keegan Lanes Spring Fling Sock Club. I did get April's and its a lovely combinations of greens and the pattern that came with it, very interesting....will be awhile til I get to that combo.... And of course it had the goodies...candy, a DPN holder, and a candle (Meliabella really went with a local theme this month)











She also sent me some yarn from her stash...saw the Knitpicks knitted up on Ravelry and liked it....the Lotus Yarn we decided will make great pink lacey socks for a friend of mine and Mom's











The Vinca I was drooling over hers...so she got me some too....










Then the Toe Jamz, her and Jan picked out for me cause they decided I would like and needed.... It really is some fun bright sock yarn--will have to make sure I pick a pattern that will do it justice....


Then me Mum who is the enabler in the jewelry department....got me some great kits that will match my new brown slacks I recently bought and some teal/turquoise beads.


Also got some basic supplies that I always need....but the fun gift? New crayons....a box of 150 crayons to be exact with a note saying "What everyone needs for their 30th Birthday - A new box of 150 Crayola Crayons! Love Mom" She got me stained glass coloring book of Magic Garden Fairies to go with my new crayons. And yes I sorted my crayons into color order immediately and then I colored....You have no idea how happy I am with my new crayons....













Then from my friend (and boss) and her husband--a really pretty palm plant that Felix immediately thought was for him to chomp on....its out of his reach now.... Its more of a shade plant which is good cause my apt doesn't get sun (this is a good thing during the heat of summer though....) Needed more green in my place....Plants are good.


My other buddy, took me out to dinner on Thur and gave me Italian coffee to go with my future Italian scooter.... a Buddha figure (the traditional Indian version, not the fat Chinese version....) and a candle. Actually the figure and candle should have come with incense as well but he doesn't care for it and actually I don't either.....
Candle and Buddha are now with my Torah, a couple of High Holy Day prayer books (they are actually old prayer books that I got from a friend's brother-found them at a garage sale) and my Sabbath candle holders. I think that works.... (Have my Harry Potter books on that shelf too....well isn't that an odd shrine?)

Last night I went to a BBQ party of a mutual friend. Man he and his SO gal throw great parties. Helps that his SO is such a great cook, and man does she make a lot of food....I was stuffed! Bunch of us got to go out on his boat too....a little tour of Silver Lakes....
It was perfect weather for a party last night....and I got some hamburgers to cook up from the party.... Really she makes too much food...but oh those egg rolls and the beef salad....to die for! Nevermind the chicken with home-made Teriyaki sauce...and the grilled sweet potatoes...Yum!
I brought Pineapple upside down cake....but with all that chocolate brownie deserts...no one had room! Thats alright-made sure one stayed with the host/hostess and the other went home with my friend/boss (its actually her favorite and why I made it and since her b-day was last weekend)

As you know--didn't do my weekend post last weekend since I was in Burbank for the Soc of CA Archaeology Annual meeting....where I did survive presenting a paper....
Overall I think it went well. Boss and I overall got the desired effect--showcasing the archaeology in our area and that we will share.... And I will probably be co-authoring a paper now....scary! I'm going to be published! Becoming a legit archaeologist here....
Did the normal archaeology thing of sitting in the bar with a bunch of archaeologists on Sat evening....it was entertaining, met some cool people

Holy crap I almost forgot to talk about actual knitting! For goodness sakes....especially with all that knitting time I had at Burbank...(I did knit during some of the talks....). Think its the new yarn fumes and the new crayon fumes.... The baby Kimono is coming along--no new pics of it. I finished a sock--the Tendril Embrace sock. For my first cuff down with heel flap, I am happy...










And I am past the heel of my Nutkin sock (think every short row heel I do is better than the last...)


Bonus pic of Boo's butt....Not sure what he was trying to do but he was pretty funny....

A quickie....

I'm heading out of town tomorrow and I won't be back til Sunday. Its the Society of California Archaeology Annual Meeting in Burbank.

Not sure if I will want to blog on Sunday....I may just want to hide away with my knitting and kitties when I come home.....so y'all will have to wait another week for knittery progress....(and there should be lots....)

Anyway some promised pics....of the native flowers that is.... (I took blurry pics of myself so sorry)

The Indian Paintbrush in brilliant red










And the cactus (it has a name....I don't remember though....)

Yep thats all folks.....

I knitted, I frogged, I survived....

Darn brain not being able to read charts and patterns together.... Got two inches or so beyond the toe of my Nutkins sock and it was not looking right at all....

I frogged back to the toe and with the help of D-fly, I determined what the heck I was doing wrong.... All is well now and it is turning out to be a very pretty sock. I won't be able to wait to wear these socks when they are finished, course I probably will get them done in the middle of desert 100+ degree summer....so I will have to wait awhile....


Other sock going along much better.....I turned the heel on it. My first cuff down with heel flap.












Baby kimono sweater moving along....Should be further but alas two socks have been distracting me.....I did complete the one side front.


Not much else going on beyond work....I don't even know what I have been busy with...but I'm running around a lot with the boss.....Have my presentation almost ready to go. Few details and it will be ready (don't know about me, however....)

I have new glasses--they are a dark red/maroon. No one has noticed....they are similar to my old pair but they area a color for goodness sakes.....ah well sometimes people just don't notice right away....

Oh and 'power chains' for braces....horrible things....my mouth was in pain for a day and a half.

Not as planned....

I did get new yarn, my Ipod, a driving lesson, played with Kool-aid dyeing....
But the weekend didn't quite go as planned....

Didn't start my new book, Atonement (although did finish the new Yarn Harlot that D-fly got for me....), no actual knitting was completed (do have the rest of Sunday here....so should get some done in the end), didn't get to the library so not as much got done for my presentation thats in less than two weeks....(although D-fly checked and I wouldn't have gotten what I needed anyway.... did get a bit done with what I have with me though), Ipod decided NOT to work-thought I broke it in the first hour I got it (its fine now and according to Sis, hers was a bugger to get going too....), ended up with a very tangled mess of yarn...I don't know what I did but I was up til 1:30 am fixing it (and it's now a lovely cake of yarn...)

And added one--trying to do this I hit that damn button on my tower and turn my computer off--seriously, barely hit the thing and my computer turns off. Really Really annoyed with this weekend....Like I should have hid in a hole somewhere....
But I did get some things done.....despite the frustration involved. Some good things even....

I did get some new pieces of clothing to add to my existing wardrobe, and some of these pieces will create some good outfits for my archaeology conference. Effie, one of my driving teachers, needed to run some errands so we hit the Super 'Tar-Jay'. Might still need a pair of shoes though....
With this I got to drive with cars in parking lots where you have no idea what people are going to do and then on the streets with everyone out for Saturday afternoon of shopping....and I drove on the Interstate.... Not perfect but overall I think I am getting used to this driving thing, and a good thing too....
(Got to tool around the area where I work too with one of the other gals from my company in her Nissan Xterra this past week as well and should do so again this week)

My little blue Ipod has happily synchronized and have over 15 hours of music (253 songs so far!....) And I haven't finished uploading all my CD's yet....a bit time consuming....and my favorites are actually at work...

I started down the path of Kool-aid dyeing! (following these instructions--she has it laid out pretty good) Did the pooling technique....while both my first experiments look pretty good and should knit up interestingly....didn't get all the yarn dyed. Will attempt the more direct hand-dyeing method next weekend and I think that will get more of the result I want, that it really does take a lot of Kool-aid....
(will have to order more bare yarn too....)

First while in process of being dyed...















Then the end products.....













I used lime-aid and the berry lemonade for the one and the other I used Black Cherry, Grape and some Lemonade.

Did get some knitting done earlier in the week. Finally started on my Spring Fling March '08 sock. Its my first cuff down (wanted to do the pattern as is). It really is an easy pattern ('cept when I'm tired...then I lose my place....) and I LUV the yarn! Very enamored with this sock....


Also made some more progress on the Kimono, not a lot but I did start one of the front halves (and one sleeve is done....)


And here is the other yarn I ordered for myself....

Some of the new Felici self striping sock yarn from Knit Picks










Their Andean Silk yarn in Lettuce green--going to be a Mrs Darcy Cardigan --well it will be at some point....


Other news--did get new glasses picked out, should get them this week. They are in b/t magenta and maroon (good with my green eyes). First time in a long time that was able to find a color. My buddy happily schlepped me to my appt--he got to hang out at B&N in the music section than chat with fellow motorcyclists....

And it really is spring out here in the desert! Blooming flowers! Lots of them! Pics of a few of them here. (Got to accompany along a mini tour with boss and the president of our company. He was like a little kid with all the pretty rocks.... We are the 'fun' dept so they are going to send him to our bldg every time he visits)











We visited a really pretty location within my work area, called Pink Canyon--didn't download the pics yet so y'all have to wait (Indian paint brush was blooming up in this canyon!--such a pretty red....)

And an added item--did these last weekend but wanted to make sure they were received first...