Friday, April 25, 2014

Friday Mishmash

The winner of the Insoles and Beyond giveaway is:

Jeannie/Qlts2Slo!!!

Congratulations!  Please email me (40somethingsjourney@gmail.com) with your contact info so I can get you in touch with the company for your prize.  If I don't hear from you within a week, I'll have to draw another winner.

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I recently got new contacts - this time, I tried multifocal lenses, because I had such a hard time seeing anything close up with my previous prescription.  While I can see/read better, it's not perfect (honestly, glasses are the best, vision-wise, but I really like the freedom that contacts bring); my doctor said that I probably should pick up a pair of reading glasses.  Now, I could at least read price tags on clothing with the new lenses, which was a huge improvement from the last year, but I was planning on getting some readers - I just hadn't done so yet.  However, last week I was shopping for some new capri pants and after many try-ons, and working the coupon deals that JC Penney offered, I bought a couple of pairs - one in black and one in denim.  Came home and took them out of the bag, only to discover that I'd bought the denim capris in size 18.  You know, I even checked the size tags in the dressing room because I'd brought several different sizes in with me, but I know I didn't pick any in size 18 because that's not anywhere near my size range (with pants it can vary so much that I usually bring in several different sizes).  So yeah.  Apparently I can't read as well as I thought.  And now I own these:
One for at home, and one for in the purse.

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You might have noticed some ads in my sidebar this week - I'm trying it out to see if I can make any money from this...I've not been too keen on using ads where I am not in charge of exactly what shows up, so this may not last.  We'll see - this has been a dumb year when it comes to money, so any extra income is welcome at this point.

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Speaking of money, here's something for (mostly) free - Thorlo, maker of my beloved Experia socks, is offering a free pair of socks (while they last) - you do have to pay S&H, but hey, considering their socks usually run around $14.00, this is a deal.  Click here if you're interested.

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Sit and SEW update:  I'm still knitting, but this week I bought some fabric to sew some throw pillows for the guest bed at Sam's place.  I was going with a bit of a nautical theme, and envision making some sort of sailboat applique/quilt-ish block pillow - I bought some fabric and then went on Pinterest for ideas...yeah, probably should have done that first.  I ended up going back to the quilt store the next day to supplement my original purchase:
Let's play I Spy - do you see potential for a boat hull, ocean, sky, sun, and sails?  I think I do!

I also found a free download for an anchor pattern, so I bought some cotton duck fabric in red, and I'll layer that on the blue and white striped fabric:
Not sure what I'll do with the gray zigzag, but I think it will make a nice third pillow somehow.  These three fabrics are all heavier than the ones in the top picture.

So, in my head, the pillows are looking great.  How that will translate to reality is anyone's guess.  But I'm excited to play and get a little creative - hopefully I'll get something decent out of this.

Later on this morning, I have a date with my friend Stephanie and her top-loading washing machine to turn these floppy things into bowls:
Both of these were knitted on the same size needles; I was running out of yarn for the second bowl so I cast on fewer stitches and reduced the size.  Might end up with a really tiny bowl - the washing machine will reveal all!

And these floppy things into flower petal-shaped bowls:
The purple/orange one was knitted on size 10 needles while the brown/blue one was on size 11 - the size 10s were killing my hands, which is why I sized up for the other bowl.

Have a great weekend!

20 comments:

  1. I wear mono vision contacts. And yes, I see better close with none and distance with glasses. But I hate glasses. Wear the cheap ones when I knit or sew.

    Can't wait to see your pillows.

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    1. I wore mono vision contacts last year and they drove me crazy - I couldn't read the thermostat to change the setting, for example. It felt like I could truly only see distance with them. Getting used to the readers is odd, too. This whole "aging eyesight" is a challenge!

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  2. You know with the multi-focal they can fix them so you can see what you want to. Mine are set for reading, medium, and a bit of distance. The distance is good enough for driving but not like with my glasses. I really don't know how I'd be able to stand being on a computer all day if I constantly had to tilt my head backwards like I do with glasses. I have progressives that I wear when I don't want to wear my contacts (like when I'm flying because for some reason my eyes dry out so badly on airplanes) and believe it or not, I have kept a pair of bifocals that I use in the bedroom to read or to watch the TV. I think my vision (or rather lack of it) is the thing that annoys me most about aging!

    Thanks for the tip on the Thorlos - you know I want some!

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    1. My vision is so bad that I had to have the distance, and the close up suffered. At least I can see the computer (and I never had to tilt my head when I was wearing the progressive lenses in my glasses, but I had a really good set of lenses). Still, the entire thing is definitely annoying - I miss the days of single-vision lenses. HA, can't even say I miss the days before glasses because my vision went bad very young, even though.

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  3. Cute readers! I have pairs all over the house and work, because at the untender age of 60, I really can't read much at below 2.00. Argh.

    I have felted many bowls and boxes and given as gifts. You just reminded me that now that we have a new high efficiency washer with no agitator, my felting days may be shifting. Esp. since we were the last folks in the state of PA to get an updated washer. Be sure and post the after pics!

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    1. My readers are 1.50, which, considering I'm already wearing corrective lenses with the contacts, is interesting to me. Dang...I miss that close up vision.

      I will definitely post the after pics. I guess if I didn't have Stephanie's washer, I'd have to go to the laundromat - they still have the old-school washers, I think.

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  4. So funny that you wrote about contact lenses and glasses! I was just thinking last night about how I can't wait for May so I can open a new pack of contacts ( mine are disposable)! Cute bowls too. You are so talented.

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    1. I get to open a new pack on Sunday - monthly disposables over here.

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  5. Pretty funny about the pants/sizes and not seeing! I used to have contacts, but I really like to see really good all the time, so I finally gave up and went back to glasses. Plus, now I think of my glasses as being camouflage : )

    LOVE the colors and shapes of the bowls--do we get to see them on Monday?

    And your fabric choices are fabulous. You definitely have enough to make a variety of really cool pillows. I see a new career in pillow making : )

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    1. As you can imagine, I was a little perturbed when I pulled that size out of the bag after all the shopping and trying on and pre-Easter crowds...

      LOL on the glasses as camouflage - yeah, my bags and wrinkles are front and center with the contacts!

      I'll probably show the bowls on Friday (unless I can't come up with anything to write for Monday).

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  6. I can't wait to see how your bowls turn out! Love the fabric for the throw pillows!

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  7. Yep, Tony had to get reading glasses a few years ago - he couldn't read menus anymore! And now that you can buy them anywhere its convenient.

    Totally checking out that link for Thorlo - my Mom just got me a pair and I love them! Happy sewing!

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    1. I saw your new Thorlos! Now you can add to your collection. :)

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  8. Last year, my eye doctor was complaining that she was 5 years younger than me and she needed reading glasses, but I didn't. Now I am finding a little trouble going from far to close focus (I am fairly nearsighted), so I imagine reading glasses are in my future. I already wear contacts, so not sure I will try the multifocal or not.

    Had to laugh at some of the ad tags in the side bar. Easy weight loss and top fat burner. The antithesis of your blog! Here's hoping the ads make some scratch for you.

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    1. Yeah, I'm not thrilled with what most of the ads are promoting.

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  9. Whoohoo! I won! [insert happy dance] Thank you Shelley, my info has been sent to you. With the free Thorlo sox and the oh-so-NOT-free shoes I'm going to buy, I'll have pampered feeties.
    Teehee - skull and crossbones fabric. Looking forward to the finished pillows. And knitted bowls - I don't knit but I admire your work.

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    1. I hope your feet feel GOOD with all the pampering they'll be getting! :)

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  10. Oooh, I love Thorlo's! Thanks for the tip!

    The univision contacts work well for me, which is good because I'd had to go to the readers with my contacts for distance, and I was forever leaving the readers at home. :)

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  11. So far I have been lucky and don't need contacts or glasses yet. But I can understand it can be hard to find something that works perfect for you.

    I love it how you picked up knitting and sewing over the past time. Your skills have so much improved, you have become really good at it. I was just thinking yesterday that it's been months since I did some cross-stitching. I have months where I do it a lot and then months that I don't do a thing about it.

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