Friday, October 3, 2014

7 Quick Takes {Take 56} Fall frenzy before my big trip edition...

-1-  The leaves are falling...

Somehow, this fall is speeding right along, and I'm not ready yet for the foliage to be peaking! :0 I want beautiful leaves year round! I suppose then it wouldn't be nearly so special, but every year I cling to fall and try to make it last as long as possible before the chaos of the holidays sets in. This weekend, we're hoping to get the kids to a local attraction called Pumpkinville, about an hour south of where we live. We went last year, and everyone loved it. Corn mazes, tractor rides, a pumpkin patch, all that good stuff. Next thing you know, our car is loaded up with pumpkins, Anne is sipping apple cider out of a special leaf-shaped cup, and Henry is shooting corn stalks out of a canon. We really get into the autumn spirit. ;-)

-2- Will be flying the friendly skies this time next week :-\

No 7 Quick Takes for me next week, because next Friday Henry and I are traveling to Maine to visit with my sister, brother-in-law and twin nephews. We couldn't afford for the whole family to go, so Mike and Anne are staying behind, and I'm super sad about this. :( I'm also a freakish flyer, you'll hear more about that next week, believe you me. I've been gearing myself up mentally as best I can, and I'll try not to embarrass myself too badly while in flight. :-\ Henry is so excited though, and I know I'll have a great time once I'm there. Lots of amusing blog fodder will surely follow.

-3- Current fiction selection on my Kindle...

I've been pleasantly distracted from my flying anxiety by my current reads, one of which is book 2 in the Witness Protection series, The Baby Rescue, by Margaret Daley:

Really enjoying this so far, and I'm about half done. Well written, and great suspense as the characters try to stop a baby smuggling ring. The hero and heroine are a U.S. Marshal and an FBI agent, respectively. I'm liking it.

Next up is the 4th installment in the Big Sky Centennial series, His Montana Bride, by Brenda Minton:

This is a very sweet series set around the six months-long centennial celebrations of a small town. Small town settings are always my favorites.

-4-  My crochet hook is practically smoking...

Also distracting me lately is my crafts, and I'm making tremendous progress on my holiday projects. This week, I finished up a pair of boot toppers for my sister:

I had never made boot toppers before, these were new for me. They tuck into the top of your winter boots and act as a barrier to keep your pants warm and dry. I hadn't thought about it before, but when you live in a place that gets heavy snowfall for you to tromp through, these would be handy. And Shauna'h lives in Maine. So there you have it. :0

-5- Crafty Secret Santa? I live for this stuff! *squeals*

Also on my crafting agenda is the Secret Santa assignment I received from my knitting group. We do this every year, where we draw names, secretly handcraft a gift for the recipient, and reveal all during a Christmas party. Super fun. This year we went all contemporary and did our drawing online using Elfster. I mean, did you ever? I practically peed my pants in excitement when I got the email that I had been paired up, and got to click the button to reveal my assignment. I am now happily planning away, and couldn't be more thrilled with my mission.

-6- But Halloween self-striping yarn. Hello!! A MUST PURCHASE!!

I'm not totally selfless though. I've been thinking about a project to bring with me on my trip, and this involves some prep work since such a project has to be portable and not require color changes, as I can't bring scissors with me on the plane. Socks! Yes, socks. That's the ticket. Mike has asked me to make him a pair of plain brown socks, which have got to be the most boring thing to knit in the history of the universe, but I will do it anyway. ALL FOR LOVE.

#martyr!

So I thought I'd take those. But then I saw this:

Trick-or-treat self-striping Halloween sock yarn from the talented Abi Grasso of Artistic Yarn by Abi. When she gets in-stock yarn in her store, watch out!! Rabid knitters descend and pounce like a cat on a helpless baby mouse. It'll be gone within the hour. I happened to see her Facebook post on this one evening after work (because I stalk her store :0) and the internal debate with myself about this was embarrassingly short. Soon, one of the hanks was in my cart and then in the "sold" column. It's on it's way to me now. :0 And will be here in plenty of time for me to wind it and pack it up to cast on at the airport. #bliss I'll still make Mike the brown socks, but that can wait for a time when I need far less distractions. The tweed neps in the brown tweed colorway he chose just aren't going to be enough for a trip involving flying. *snorts*

-7- A klutzy belly dancer. A rickety fashion runway. What could go wrong?

My dance troupe has a performance coming up, on the feast of All Saints, actually. It's part of a fashion show event, and we'll be dancing on the runway. This should be interesting. :0 We start rehearsing tonight and formation changes are always fascinating in such situations. Look for amusing updates to follow.

All right, I'm off! Have a wonderful fall weekend everyone! I won't be here next Friday, but I will blog the other days next week, so talk to you then. *beams*

Read other 7 Quick Takes over at Conversion Diary!

2 comments:

  1. Seconded--that yarn is totally fab and fun!

    Runway belly-dancing sounds super challenging but also super creative.

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