In the Middle of Spring Break

We've been busy since spring vacation started.  On Satuday, I got caught up with all the bookkeeping for the business, and started on transferring the winter clothes into storage, and pulling out the summer clothes.  That  project got put on hold pretty quickly due to multiple interruptions.  On Sunday, my husband informed me that he was taking Monday and Tuesday off.  Did we want to go somewhere?  Our somewhere turned out to drive down to Stoughton, MA where we met Son #1. The three of us explored the IKEA store there, a place I'd never been.  I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but I wanted to get some ideas for the new house, particularly for the office.  The store is pretty overwhelming, after a while, so we enjoyed the famed Swedish meatball, and then exited the store.  My husband and decided that we'd head to SW Connecticut and maybe visit my cousins and his uncle.  We dawdled along the CT shoreline, and spent some time at Hammonasett (sp?) State Park.  We found a comfy hotel room for the night, and made some phone calls to "warn" folks that we'd be popping in on Monday.  Imagine our surprise to discover that one set of cousins were in Belgium for the week, another set of cousins was visiting grandchildren out of state, and my husband's uncle was not available at all! So Monday found us meandering back north.  We stopped at the Penzey's store in West Hartford, CT because I've always wanted to visit the storefront.  I order all my spices from their mail order catalog, but it was fun to go into the store.  I managed to leave with only a small bag of plunder.  We then continued northward to WEBS in Northampton. If you've never been (and you're a knitter, crocheter, or weaver) this is paradise on earth!  I usually only go when I have specific projects in mind.  I didn't have anything particular in mind except buying a size 15 circular needle, and maybe taking a look at a set of interchangeable needles.  I spotted a sample sweater that I really liked, and made a note of the pattern and yarn for the future.  My husband had been wandering around the place on his own, and when he found me again, he told me that there was a sweater that I ought to knit.  You guessed it.  It was the same sweater.  So of course, since my birthday is Friday, I told him that the yarn would make me a nice birthday present.  And since WEBS is in the middle of their anniversary sale, the yarn was also on sale.  So I purchased this lovely yarn.

It's Berroco Vintage in Wild Blueberry.  The pattern I'm making is a free pattern, also from Berroco, Drift.

I also decided to treat myself to this set of interchangeable needles which were also on sale:

They are the Knitters' Pride Dreamz short tip set of needles in 7 sizes, with 2 16 inch cords, perfect for knitting small items in the round.


When I got to the checkout counter, my husband pulled out a receipt and asked the cashier to look up an order number. He'd ordered me a gift card for my birthday!  The cashier asked me my name and she pulled the gift card out from the cash drawer with my name on it!  Between the gift card and the sale, I made out like a bandit.  Plus, I paid the balance of the bill with a prepaid Visa card I'd received as a rebate from the appliances we bought for the new house.   As an added bonus, WEBS is donating 5% of all sales this week to The ONE Fund, to help victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

We finally headed for home with 450 miles on the odometer.

Today was errands for the new house.  We went to the lighting supply store to pick out lighting fixtures for both bathrooms, the entry ways, and the perimeter lights.  We also needed to pick out a ceiling fan for the great room.  I started looking at pendant lights for the island, but got overwhelmed.  I fell in love with a fixture, but had to fall out of love with it when I discovered that ONE pendant would cost almost $300.  I need 3 of them.  The fan, lights for 2 bathrooms,  entry lights, and perimeter lights came to just over $1000.  I couldn't see spending almost the same amount on 3 lights!  Then we headed to the home center for interior doors, and then to the grocery store.

Tomorrow's agenda includes sorting through all my Christmas decorations - 30 years of accumulated decorative items---- and discarding at least half of it, either to trash or yard sale disposal.  I still need to get back to the seasonal clothing transfer too!

Oh, and somewhere in all this, I want to catch up on a few TV shows and movies!  And finish transferring computer files . . . in all of the busy-ness of the last few weeks, our computer died.  We had to purchase a new one in  a hurry (for bookkeeping purposes!) and most of my files (music, pictures, email addresses, docs) are still on the old computer.  So I'm also learning how to navigate Windows 8, which is a huge upgrade from XP!

Spring at Last?

The yard is finally clear of snow, except for one small pile over in the shade of the house.  I actually have a couple of crocus blooming, and a few hardy daffodils are threatening to blossom in a couple of days.  But I finally heard the peepers today --- the small frogs that inhabit the swampy areas.  Spring IS here.  We had a lovely sunny day, that almost reached 60° . Of course I spent the major part of the day inside my classroom!

Next week is our spring vacation, and then it's on to June 21st.  We have to make up 6 days of school which  is not going to be fun!  Our vacation plans include cleaning and decluttering.  As the new house approaches completion, the reality of moving is also approaching.  I look around my house and wonder what am I going to do with all of our stuff!  A lot of the decisions will be easy, but there will be too many difficult ones ---- what do I do with some pieces of furniture that probably won't fit into the new house but I can't bear to get rid of them.  Where in the new house will my collection of angels and artisan glass go?  What are we going to do with things that we've been storing for our sons who live in tiny apartments at the moment, but someday they want.  (Like the 6 ft bar mirror one son came home with as "tip" when he was in college, making money as a valet at a prestigious restaurant in Boston.  The restaurant had hosted a charity auction, and one of his customers won the mirror, but didn't really want it.  Seeing his admiration of the mirror, the woman gifted it to him.  He had it in his apartment in Boston, but when he moved to LA he left it here.)

I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to make paint color decisions.  I'm halfway there.  Next on the agenda is lighting.  We need to make final choices about pendant lights and bathroom lights, and outdoor lights.  Oh, and a fan.  And window trim and baseboards,  And what color will the doors be painted.  And . . . . and. . . .and....

I've been so busy I haven't been getting much reading done, and even less knitting.  Maybe I will catch up next week!