Knitting up Some Christmas

I've had a busy and productive week. I've been knitting up a storm. This week alone I have knitted four hats for my nephews, niece and brother and two new snoods. I've been busy I have three nephews from the ages of 7 to 8 years old and my niece is 4 years old. Hopefully, I'll be able to go to Joann's to buy some felt and make them individual stockings. I figure a hand-made hat and some small toys will make a good stocking.

Two of my nephews really love Spider-Man so I made them each a beanie in alternative colors so they can know who's is whos but I'm sure they'll be switching back and forth.






This is for my other nephew. He really likes Angry Birds. This was fun and challenging. I've never really made a character hat before this. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.



This is for my brother Rudy. He likes the tigher fitting hats. Oh, it's reversible too.


This one is super cute. I had the hardest time trying to figure out what I should make my niece. I figure all girls like cute animals and what's cuter than a panda! I know my sister is going to want one but I've already made her  three hats. I'll make her one for her 17th birthday.



 Oh, did I mention we're going down to visit our families? I'm so excited!  My mom is besides herself with happiness. She's already planning what we're going to do while were down there. She really wants to take me shopping. I do miss shopping with her. Even if it was just window shopping.  We used to talk and just hang out. I talk to her a few times a week but it's not the same as being there in person. While we're down there we're also going to be looking into buying a car. We keep fixing things on the Toyota and it still has the same problem. It's stupid to keep putting money into something that doesn't work.

Jess has been wanting to take up hiking. I got a pair of hiking shoes a few weeks back. I think it'll be a good way for us to get some exercise and maybe meet some people. He wants to go camping next Spring/Summer. I'm kind of freaked out by the idea of sleeping outdoors. My father wasn't  the type to let us sleepover at friends house so camping was out of the question. It may be fun to go outdoor activities. Jess seems to think that I'll like it once I get a taste of it. 

We've also been preparing an emergency kit. We have a grab-and-go bag ready for Jess. Now we just need to get one ready for me and Ridley. We've talked about how things will get handled and who will do what. I know the basic items that need to go in a pack: medicine, glasses, first aid kit, etc. One thing I started to think about was feminine hygiene. I know that just because an emergency happens my period isn't going to stop.  It'd be nice if it did but then again it wouldn't be good for me. I started looking at reusable pads. Yes, I'm a pad girl. My period is light enough that using  tampons would be uncomfortable.  I decided to try my hand at making reusable pads. They'll work perfect in an emergency setting. They seem to last a long time and are there ready whenever you need them. I'll let y'all know how it works.

The weather has been getting colder. It's been sprinkling this morning and we're suppose to get some snow this week. We bought a humidifier. We've been looking at buying once since last year but it was $90 and I just couldn't commit to buying something so expensive. Let me tell you, I regretted that decision. We've been keeping our eye out on that and finally it paid off. This last weekend Costco had the humidifier on sale for $15 rebate. We jumped on it.  It's made a HUGE difference in our bedroom. I no longer get a that horrible dry throat where I feel like I'm going to choke. My face and body don't feel as tight either. It's nice even Ridley seems to be enjoying the moist air in our bedroom.

As always, here's Ridley-boy! He really likes wool yarn.

Weekend Fun

Fall is finally starting to make me want to bake. I've been having a hankering for scones and Earl Grey. I like baked goods a lot. I need to buy some dried fruit though since plain scones are okay. I also need to buy some new Earl Grey. i bought a box last week but it tasted more like English breakfast blend than Earl Grey. My favorite brand of tea is Tazo. It's always fresh and the tea is delicious.Enough about tea and scones.

My in-laws came over last weekend and for once it was pretty stress-free and fun. The arrived Saturday and we hung out before going out. They came bearing gifts. They brought us a few of our favorites snacks: rice crackers and some curry sauce. My mother-in-law also bought me this really cute make up bag and kitty creamer.Oh and I got a hand crank kitty flashlight it's really cute and works great. I'm keeping it next to my bed. They also brought us some yummy extra sour dough bread. It's really good buttered up and with a cup of tea.  I tend to drink a lot more tea in the fall and winter months.



Anyways, my in-laws took us out to dinner to celebrate my birthday. We went to this restaurant called Kokopelli's in the walkway between Circus Circus and El Dorado casinos. It's was a Mexican restaurant with a sushi bar in it. I know it sounds really odd but it was a really good combo. My in-laws didn't want sushi but I did so it worked out really well. It was really good sushi too. Fresh, good fish, and great consistency. I also had a miso soup. They surprised me by singing "Happy Birthday" to me and getting the restaurant to bring me a chocolate cupcake. It was really nice. I wore my new dress out but need to get a few photos from my father-in-law. I did get a few pics of my hair though. I really like the bumper bang. It keeps my bangs out of the way.






On Sunday we were all invited to Jesse's uncle's house for brunch. I've never had brunch before and it was pretty nice. I even had a mimosa. It was a nice day out in the low 70's. We hung out there for a few hours before my in-laws had to get on the road. They had to be back in town by Monday since my father-in-law was teaching a class. Since we were taking easy that day I wore my hair up in a scarf. It turned out really cute. I also wore my airplane necklace out. I think I may need to get a new chain for it since it kept traveling and getting stuck in my hair.




 

On monday I went out thrift store shopping and went to Joann's. I bought some yarn to make a few beanies for my nephews. They LOVE Spider-man. It's been an easy project so far. I used a combination of patterns to make my own.My mom really liked it and my sister said she was jealous and that she wanted one. I've made her three has for her Christmas present.


I also bought a hamper that can be used as stool. I need to change the icky wall paper set to something made of fabric. It was only $3 too. I figure I can use it for my vanity table once I get the darn thing stained. I've been meaning to stain if but I start a new project and get side tracked. Jesse has been working overtime this week and has been really tired. I wanted to have a dinner date this weekend but I guess we'll just take it easy and hang out at home.


I hope everyone is having a great week. Here's Ridley being a cute and cuddly boy.
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Lots to Do

Well, I'm back! We didn't got far but we definitely had some fun this weekend. On the spur of the moment, we decided to stay at a hotel and get away from the house for a night. We had been invited to a local Anime convention by one of Jesse's co-workers. We had been looking for an anime convention for awhile since moving up here and had turned up empty handed. It was a very small con. They had about 300 maybe 400 people show up. They had some vendors and artist  selling their wares. They had a HUGE section full of video games and board games. That was pretty fun. I got to plan on the Sega Dreamcast. We hung out with Jesse's co-worker and his wife. They were fun but we're doing the parent thing. Hanging out at the con because their daughter was there. They weren't having fun but at least they are supportive. I didn't buy anything. Jess bought a Gundam (robot) model. He really likes them and they keep him entertained.

I did my hair that day and I was really happy with the way it turned out. At first it reminded me of Marylin Monroe. Then as it settled into place, I thought it kinda looked like River Song's hair looks like.Please excuse my PJs, if I don't take a photo early enough I forget to do it later. What do you guys think?




After we hung out for a few hours we checked into our hotel room and it was pretty awesome. Did I mention it had a two person spa? I LOVE spas. When we were living in Orange County, we would go to this place called Neptune's Lagoon. They would rent  rooms with full-sized spas by the hours. At first I was kinda weary of the place because it was in a questionable neighborhood. It turned out to be  really fun and relaxing. The place even sold alcohol and snacks. We would take a trip there about twice a month. It was great. I wish there was a place like that around here. Anyways, back to the room. It was really nice it had a GIANT four post bed that we had to use a footstool to get into. Yeah it was a good foot higher than any bed I've ever slept on. It was pretty awesome.

The car seems to be doing better. We bought a new battery and tried to change out the terminal. It didn't go so well so we're going to wait until my father-in-law comes over this weekend to look at it. They are taking us to dinner Saturday to celebrate my birthday. Yup, I'm another year closer to 30. I honestly don't feel as old as I am. Everyone thinks that the hubster is older than I am by a few years so that's a plus for me. I just need to keep up on my face cream rgiments. They're not really regiments just a habit I need to stick too.
Jess got me a sock knitting book I had on my Amazon wish list. It's pretty nice except all the instructions are on charts and I can't read charts. Guess I have another thing to learn.



I've madly been working on Christmas presents for the family. I've got to make my mother-in-law a hat and make a few stockings. I finished making a couple of stockings for Jesse and I. I still need to make Ridley's.  Ridley is doing a lot better now. His teeth and gums look much healthier and his stinky breath is back down to normal cat breath.





Here's another thing I've been working on. Every once in a while, I like to do some embroidery to keep up my skills. I've been wanting to make a traditional Mexican tablecloth but I need to brush up on my cross stitching skills. It's been a few years. I'm hoping I can get another one of these made in a couple of weeks.



I'm dying my hair today and hopefully cleaning up the guest room. My in-laws are staying overnight on Saturday so I won't have to cook at all. It's nice when they come over because they usually pay for food. Even if we insist they still treat us like children.

Here's a gratuitous photo of Ridley since he's really good at posing cutely.







I hope everyone is having a great week.