I spent the last week without water (for most practical purposes). We had a boiled water advisory. We've had a lot of those this summer. I am officially over it. This one was the longest so far and it just made me cranky. I had the day off today (to take my daughter to an appointment) and I've spent most of the day trying to get caught up on laundry- and more importantly- dishes! Ugh!
After a week of no real cooking and no way to safely wash dishes (that didn't involve a lot more effort than I have energy for after work) my kitchen was a huge disaster. It's about half tamed now. This weekend I have planned a thorough cleaning and organizing spree. Hopefully two days will be enough time to finish the project.
Unfortunately, the boil water advisory has precisely coincided with an urge to get in the kitchen and make messes. So instead, I spent the week flipping through cookbooks and wishing I could bake something. Now that I can finally mess in the kitchen again, I have no idea where to start.
My birthday is over for another year, so I can officially throw myself into pumpkin season wholeheartedly and without regret or reservation. Only now I have no idea what to make first. Pumpkin bread? Pasties? (I think my daughter is voting for this one, actually, Harry Potter nerds that we are.) Doughnuts? Something else entirely?
I made a loaf of sandwich bread today. And I rummaged through the pantry looking for supper ideas. They were few and far between, but I finally settled on fettucine alfredo. And I think I'm going to make a peach crisp for dessert if I don't run out of steam before then.
This isn't really helping my urge to bake, though. Everyday, boring cooking never does. I might have to find a more involved project for the weekend. I think my other daughter is voting for macarons... (That would certainly qualify as more involved, for sure. Not very fall-like, though.)
In other news, I'm still reading half a dozen different books at once. And still making next to no progress on any of them. My August reading list (coming next post) will be correspondingly short. You have been warned.
Part of my reading time has been taken up by a project for my sister. She has asked for a matched set of Christmas stockings. Preferably before Christmas. I'm hoping to be finished by Thanksgiving, to allow time for delivery. But fortunately, I know someone with a big red 'sleigh' who would willingly deliver them with very little notice if I miss my deadline. And I am very bad with deadlines. The self imposed ones, anyway.
Here's a peek. This is what's on my needles today....
As you can see, I've only just started this one. Still a looooong way to go.
However, I do have a little more progress than that on the project as a whole. Thank goodness. Here's a quick shot of the whole thing.
These two have turned out bigger than I remember the others ever being. (Yes. I have made many of these in the past with this exact pattern.) I'm sure it's the yarn that we chose this time around. It's soft and floofy and lovely. But it isn't knitting as I expected from studying the label. It was listed as a chunky yarn but it seems to be knitting up at more of a bulky gauge instead. Which I'm sure the kids will never complain about- more room for stuff in a big stocking after all. But the grown-ups might have a time filling them.
Then again, maybe not. My biggest challenge with stockings is finding enough things to fill it without spending a fortune. Tiny things are so expensive! (Why is that? They're so tiny!) These stockings are big enough for stuffies, and one thing stuffies are good for is taking up space...
Anyway, my day of relaxing and getting chores done is over. I'm typing this in the school pickup line. Yes. The whole entire post. That's how early I have to get in line before school is out, just to get my daughter before she decides that we've abandoned her. Plus I checked my emails and loaded my pictures before I started typing this!
It has always baffled me. Every school my kids have so far attended is like this. People start lining up hours before the kids can be released. Why? Do they have nothing better to do all day than sit here?
On the plus side, all this sitting and waiting has always been good for reading and knitting. Or sewing. Or apparently, blogging! But the buses are finally loading, so it's time to sign off. Until next time!
