Autumn projects

The weather has been just gorgeous the past couple of days. The cupboards throughout the house are done and the new handles in the family room and kitchen/dining room are perfect.  They are rustic iron and have a bit of red in them.  Now we just need to decide on flooring and of course I'll have to paint!

Last week at Stitch & Pitch I started a short cardigan and it's progressing nicely.  I love the yarn and will have to find one or two great buttons for the finishing touch.

Today I stopped by the grocery store after church and picked up a couple of pie pumpkins.  They are so perfect and I'm always a bit sad to cut them up, but there is something about using fresh pumpkin for baking.  Mmmm...I love this time of year!

The ceramic apple is the cookie jar that sat in the corner of my Mom's kitchen.  I loved to open the lid and the inside is a sunny yellow.  I haven't used it for cookies, but I enjoy having it in the kitchen.  The plaid lunchbox was my sister's and then I used it.  The thermos is long gone but it's another item that brings back many memories.  We lived very close to the school and could walk home for lunch.  It was always special to be able to use it.  Mom would wrap the sandwich in wax paper and then I can remember either a banana or apple for dessert.  

Knitting up the loose ends

September is fast approaching and I'm working on knitting up my loose ends.  This morning I finished Hugs and Kisses for Joanne.  It turned out very cute.  Joanne's pattern has well-written instructions and was clear and easy to follow.  I chose brown and red tweed because I like them and the tweed yarn was perfect for this project.  It's machine-washable, which is really nice for infant's garments.  The 6-month size fits Woody Bear nicely and he didn't mind posing in a girl's outfit, because he liked the colors.  

Ben will be finished with camp early next week, we have tickets for the State Fair, and then it will be time to take him back to school.  All this postpones the rest of our kitchen refresh.  The countertops, sink, and faucet are in--very nice!  The granite looks so different!  Now I can hardly wait for the cupboards to be refinished and the new pulls mounted on the doors and drawers.  In the meantime, we'll be shopping around for flooring.  Of course, all this change means I'll have to repaint.  Now the wall color doesn't match the countertop!

It's been a busy summer in spite of my being laid off from the shop.  I've done a lot of spinning, which I've missed and also had time to think about what's next for me.  I enjoy being active in Scouting, I'm working on my last Wood Badge ticket, artistically I could be doing much more.  I have so many ideas and projects I want to do and I've been looking for an outlet, which I believe I've found. More about that soon...

It's time to get back to work.  I can see some boys playing in the distance--long sticks are involved--that usually doesn't end well, but it's fun!