rhinebeck

Sometimes your expectations are exceeded by something you had really high expectations for... And this trip to the ultimate sheep and wool festival in Rhinebeck, NY fit that description! The Yarn Fan van was created for a road trip up with friends. We were lucky in August to get tickets to the special Indie Untangled Trunk Show also. Where Priyanka and I both won prizes from their knit along contest - the Baller bag that I wanted! I also was given a front of the line pass for knitting up some Farmer's Daughter yarn I'd won earlier in the year. It was so much fun to do some weaving with them and squish all the gorgeous yarn. I was charmed by the leaping llamas as much as I thought I would be. We had a really nice trip where everything fell into place and some moments felt like perfect serendipity. I was happy with my haul which I had space for once I got home ;)

costume preview

Here's a sneak peak of these matchy Stitch guys ;)

tidbit eats

Some puppy popcorn for Zoe made from Yak's milk cheese... along with a good cuddle up movie for Keaton and I while we wait to go pick up Aiden from a 10:30pm practice while J was out of town.

Crustless quiche success - I shared one with my neighbor's family while they struggle to deal with a throat cancer diagnosis... Her kids ate it all and I plan to make them more! (To save this simple recipe: 6 eggs, about 4oz cheddar, 2oz of cream cheese and 6 tbsp melted butter per quiche and you whip the eggs in a food processor - Sprinkle with onion salt...325 degrees for 30 min)

Aiden learned how to make pancakes all on his own!  Watch out Dad and PopPop there's a new pancake flipper in town.

Aiden wanted to go to the lego store and sushi conveyor belt as an early birthday treat (since his show opens the weekend of his birthday and he will be very busy!)

The cinnamon spread at Trader Joe's is really tasty inside a banana bread muffin...

rags preview

Aiden auditioned in September for the Mason School of Theater college performance of a new revival of Rags, a musical about immigrants coming into Ellis Island in 1910. At the Arts by George event, I was able to catch a powerful preview of the Intro and Finale to Rags... It's been practice after school six days a week for nearly four hours each time, and a great experience for Aiden. I absolutely can't wait for the show in a few weeks.

tidbits

We have a big spider that took up residence to look over our front door, along with a snake skeleton in place of a wreath ;)

Keaton and I playing a game of Topple with peanut butter spoons to top off the day...

Aiden and I ventured to many orthodontist appts in the last few months... He finally has what is hopefully a good plan which starts with an expander (same thing I did as a kid).

The All-County chorus was packed house and Mantua had the biggest group of red shirts out of any other elementary school there.

The principal's are hosting a thank you hospitality cart for all the teachers once a month... this time is was a popcorn cart for special deliveries around the school.  We made nearly 150 fresh bags, which took a ridiculously long four hours to pop!

fall knits 2

Started a Dude sweater for J that will likely take me until next winter to complete... I keep thinking it's probably too big for him and it turns out to be just the right size.

The same event with the knit along contest also said that if you knit anything in Farmer's Daughter yarn you get "front of the line" access to the event... I happened to win some Oh Dang, Suri alpaca and silk yarn so I knit up these luxuriously soft mitts and hat in the Moondust cable pattern.

fall knits

On a countdown to a big sheep and wool festival... knitting away on a very popular pattern, the Soldotna. I was also creating my own percolating purple poncholet because I wanted to enter the poncho category of the knit along contest to win a Nerdbird Makery Baller bag - and I ended up winning!

helper pup

This sweet girl mostly helps me get work done by taking a snooze, but sometimes she wants to be right on my lap in the keyboard action ;)

rocks

So much heavy stuff, but I'm always brought back to reality by the generosity and uplifting attitude of my neighbors... My friend's throat cancer diagnosis has shown how much people truly want to rally behind hard times. These rocks were painted and placed around her house to help her through her rough treatments. 

puppy buddies

Zoe is everyone's best friend... but she especially loves to wrestle with Archie (left) and is trying to win over Sushi (right)

Am I ever going to get over the cute head tilt as I talk to her?

cuddles

This cuddler is the best lap and foot warmer I can imagine...

mosaic

A favorite easy weekend afternoon at Mosaic... The bottomless small plate brunch may be the best idea yet!

mosaic arch

We have been visiting Mosaic probably close to weekly since we moved close by and this topiary arch was always a favorite spot. The tiny little toddler guys coming from story time would run through over and over and giggle fit the whole way.  But now just as these daddy long leg boys are growing up, this arch is now enormous! It is so grown in right now and just seems to be trying to keep up with these big guys.

sunny puppy

This sweet sunny girl loves to go out with us... She is peeking out the car window waiting to pick up the boys from AFYP Saturday afternoon acting class... they are getting ready to do Shrek in December - Aiden as Pinocchio in his older cast and Keaton as Shrek in his cast!

mt vernon

We visited Mt. Vernon on a very pretty day and completed their spy quest (on a new app). It happened to be the anniversary of George's mother Mary's death... I asked around about it because I was curious what they docents would know about her and it turned out they don't know much...oh well...I'm hoping the two books coming out on her this year will fix that.

pup

Zoe, the glamour fluff...

waterfront

Zoe likes any adventure... Alexandria is so dog friendly. We even stopped by to get her some treats at the Dog Park - her favorite cheese pup popcorn.

sculpture

A nice afternoon visiting the art installation on the waterfront in Alexandria...

puppy

A silly attempt at Zoe puppy as Mary Ball Washington...

Before her post surgery haircut and after - she is still pretty short where they shaved her for the spay so sometimes it looks like she has a back mohawk.

luck dragon

Zoe after a haircut looks like a cuter Luck Dragon from Neverending Story?