Friday, January 4, 2013

Friday Mishmash

I guess I'm the oddball who doesn't really have any New Year's resolutions, but I do have a few goals for this year - all a bit challenging, but achievable, I hope!  This is what I'll be working on throughout the year:
  • I'm going to (I will, I WILL) break through the mental block I have with running long distances.  I want to get back to that satisfied feeling I used to have when I finished, rather than feeling like I failed, which is where I am now (and yes I realize how ridiculous that is considering I FINISHED the run...my mind, it's not always a fun place to be).
  • I want to learn how to play a particular musical instrument - one that I've wanted to play ever since I was a teenager.  I should be getting it in June.
  • I will knit a sweater, sleeves and all.  This will involve measuring and some math calculations, neither of which are things I enjoy, but if it will get me to knitting a sweater that fits, then I'll break out the pencil, paper, calculator, protractor, slide rule and whatever else it takes.  And then do the fun part, which is knitting! 
That's it - well, these, along with my Getting Lean in 2013 plan.  I'm excited to put everything into motion!

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The winner of Book Giveaway #2 - Diet Rehab, is:

ZozoRetro!

Congratulations!  Please send me an email (40somethingsjourney@gmail.com) with your mailing info so I can give it to my contact.  If I don't hear from you within a week, I'll have to choose another winner.  The next book giveaway will be on January 8th.

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I rearranged my office a bit and moved Paco's crate over to the corner behind my desk.  Apparently Kip immediately decided that this was a good thing, and took ownership.  He spends most of his day in the crate...and what's funny to me is that Paco doesn't seem to mind!
Is mine now.  Cats like cage, don't you know?

The reason I had to move the crate is because I bought a piece of furniture (the Expedit, by Ikea - of course) so I could organize my knitting supplies - not that I have a lot compared to other knitters, but I was stuffing things in different rooms and it was driving me crazy.
Plenty of room for (more) yarn!  I'd love to get some dividers in the top shelves (to go at an angle) - that would make for even better yarn storage.  I kind of cheaped out with the black bins on the bottom - they had much nicer bins, but cost around $15 each, and getting four of them would have been more expensive than the entire shelving unit!  These black bins are fabric and so far seem to work just fine.
 
Details:  Top left - the wire basket used to hold my yarn (my stash outgrew it months ago).  Now it's home to project bags and my yarn swift.  My knitting books fill one cubbie, and I finally got my patterns organized into the pink striped binder.  Top right - I bought the three little buckets and rack, which are storing my smaller knitting accessories.  Bottom - the bins, with "used" yarn (leftovers from projects I've already made), "new" yarn, finished projects and larger accessories, and big skeins of yarn.  (click on the picture to make it bigger, if you want to see everything in better detail)

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Speaking of knitting, I can finally show you a picture of what I was working on before Christmas.  I made a bathmat - specifically, Absorba, from Mason-Dixon knitting.  It's a log cabin pattern, and was pretty simple to knit...well, at first.  You hold three strands of yarn together, and just knit the strips, round and round, turning the project after every 12 rows.  It got heavy, because of the size and weight of the cotton yarn, and it got harder and harder to pick up stitches when I had to start a new strip - not sure if that was because I'm a tight knitter, or that I was using cotton yarn, but it got to the point where I could only work on it for about an hour at a time before my hands and wrists were tired.  I originally planned on making a bathmat for several people, but pretty quickly decided that wasn't happening.  So my parents got the one and only bathmat as part of their Christmas present. 
I should have blocked it, but I was afraid it would never air dry in time for me to get it in the mail!
My system for corralling the yarn cones - a beverage tub.

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Finally, Max got the last part of his Christmas present this week - a pet rat.  Meet Civi:
She is the sweetest little rat!  Loves to hang out on the back of Max's neck, and is not scared at all of Kip or Paco.  They've come right up to her cage and she goes nose-to-nose with them - too funny.  Henry hasn't noticed her at all yet.  I'll be sorry to see her leave in a week, when Max goes back to school.  Little rats make great pets!

Have a great weekend!

28 comments:

  1. I love your goals Shelley and I'm with you on enjoying the long distances again.

    And you are a professional knitter now because you have furniture for your knitting stuff. I have furniture for my cross stitching things and bought a book case for all my cook books :) I love the new knitting place.

    And Kip is adorable in the crate. Funny that he and Paco could get along with Civi immediately.

    Have a great weekend my friend.

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    1. LOL on the professional knitter - but yeah, you know a hobby has become deeply ingrained when you buy it furniture!

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  2. Oh my gosh, I LOVE the new knitting shelving! The little buckets are especially clever -- I love pieces that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

    Nice job on the bathmat, too. And now I am super-curious what instrument you have ordered and are going to learn to play. Drums? Piano? Harp? LOL.

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  3. I like the look of the black bins against your green walls - very chic!

    I suppose as a mom of boys you get used to things like pet rats... but YIKES! I did have a hamster growing up and they're a bit rat-like aren't they? But when my brother had the pet lizard I don't think I slept the entire time he had it.

    I vote for the flute. You've always wanted to play the flute, right?

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    1. I only got the rat because my mom had a rat when she grew up. Rats are amazing pets regardless of gender :)

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    2. Hamsters, psh. We rat people are a bit snobbish when it comes to rodent pecking order. ;)

      Flute? Actually, yes, but no, that's not it.

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  4. I'm an Expedit junkie. 5 of them in my house!

    We can all probably use some work in living in the moment and not worrying about the distance and the time etc. Any chance you could do some yoga again?? It's great for cultivating a new mindset. To me the mind part of it is harder than the physical part. I know I push yoga on everyone but it helps!!! :)

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    1. Woo, FIVE Expedits? I'm impressed!

      I stopped doing (free) yoga at the running store because some of the poses were hurting my back. :(

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  5. All fun stuff to see.

    Wow, I am impressed with your knitting organization! I LOVE the three buckets on the hanger! Was that from Ikea too?

    The bathmat looks so good. Did your mom appreciate the damage you did to your hands in knitting it?

    The ukelele??

    Very cute rat! When you mentioned it before I had thought I would like to have one someday. But that someday will have to be after you-know-who, the great rat hunter, is gone!

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    1. Yes, the buckets were from Ikea, in their kitchen section, I think?

      Ukelele - that would be carrying on the family tradition - but no, that's not it.

      You would love this little rat - she's adorable! Paco thinks she's like a squirrel, though, and keeps annoying us with his squirrel-chasing whining.

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  6. My brother used to have mice! One day I was putting on my shoes and there was a dead baby mouse in my show - so gross! It was YEARS before I put on shoes before making sure there was nothing in them!

    Love your knitting organization - so pretty!

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  7. i love ikea and organization. i am jealous of your new furniture! also, i love knitted sweater so if you want to knit the sweater for me, i'm in : )

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    1. I think Ikea IS synonymous with organization, no?

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  8. Your goals are GREAT! :-) Love your organizational skills. Wanna come help me organize all my craft stuff?

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    1. That would be fun! It's always interesting to play with other people's things.

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  9. Great goals and what instrument?!?!? I want to know now LOL!

    Kitties just love their cubbies and being all protected. I made a nice bed for Billy in the shop and he decided he wanted an old empty drawer instead. So I moved his bedding there. Silly cat.

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    1. You are sweet to indulge Billy like that. I still say he's found his forever home. :)

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  10. OOOH...look forward to hearing which instrument you'll be learning to play!!! When I first read "pet rat" a few days ago, I thought "ewww" but damn Shelley, Civi is cute!!!! She looks so soft and "petable". AWWW. Kip looks so cozy in Paco's crate! Have a wonderful Friday!!!

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    Replies
    1. Civi is so sweet! We are all falling in love with her. :)

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  11. Cool yarn organization!

    Oh my, I looove your mom's bath mat! So
    nice, Shel! I'm sure she loved it.

    Kip looks very cozy in Paco's space.

    And finally, I never thought I would think a rat
    is cute (be honest--did you, Shelley?) but Civi
    is kind of cute. I think I prefer to meet him only
    in the photo, though.
    Happy 2013 to you all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Actually, my Mom had plenty of rats growing up on her own. Rats are really sweet pets, they love to bond and are tiny furballs of joy :)

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    2. My rats were Alice and Rita - they were great pets. Only downside is that they live a fairly short life - usually about 3 years.

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  12. I've been looking at the exact same shelves at ikea. Also I can't wait to hear which instrument you picked. I have always had a secret desire to play the violin (I guess not so secret anymore )

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    1. These shelves are really nice - I'm impressed with how sturdy they are, and they look great.

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  13. Martha Stewart - look out! Love the yarn organizing unit!!! And that pet rat actually looks really cute!

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  14. Those sound like great goals - fun and achievable. And I love your green room! My room at work is green too.

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