Humbling Moment

I am so not proud of this (because I'm exposing the contents of my bag), but I regret to share and acknowledge (because I'm in denial) that...
my good ol' trusty, sturdy, reliable, sometimes-overloaded, willstandthetestoftime L.L.Bean tote has seen better days and it's time for a new one.

Since I am a huge coffee drinker, I take a tumbler of coffee to work with me everyday. I've learned from past experience and mishaps, to place my tumbler in a plastic zip-lock bag. In my rush to get out the door one day, I carelessly left the lid slightly open. My route to work isn't exactly on the smoothest roads and on this particular day my coffee spilled all over my bag, soaking my wallet, phone, camera, lunch and the inside of my LV toiletry pouch/cosmetic bag (circa early 1990's). I had a puddle of java at the bottom of my bag. Wah!

I have to take a second and give kudos to LV. There was little to no damage to my toiletry pouch/cosmetic bag. And, trust me, they don't make them like this anymore, I've seen and touched the new bags.

So, back to my bag disaster...
When I noticed my bag dripping out of the bottom corner, it was pretty much too late to save it or anything inside. It was heartbreaking seeing my belongings swimming in a puddle of coffee. My LL bean tote has been with me for years and the worn out corners are a sure sign of its heavy usage. I wonder if L.L.Bean replaces the bottoms of their totes?

In my desperate time of need, I decided to use a garden bag I found last year at Home Depot for the bargain price of $7!

Truth be told, I do not garden and far from having a green thumb or the like, but take a look at this bag and all its compartments. LOVE! I couldn't pass it up.

Today, I'm hoping to purchase my new L.L.Bean tote. Wish me luck. There are so many colors and styles to choose from. Now if only Home Depot sold L.L.Bean totes. (sigh)

I hope everyone is having a spill-free Tuesday! :-)

Sunny Sunday

Happy Sunday to everyone!
Finally, a day for some much needed R&R.
Spring break has officially begun and it's time to indulge in some of my favorite past times such as knitting and sleeping. :-) ***************************************************
And now, it's time for some knit chat.
Hey there, remember the hooded cardi I started, oh let's say, two years ago? Well, it bit the dust. I couldn't handle the wonky armholes and decided to release it from the confines of my yarn bag.
My comfy cardi went from being a grand idea...

to many hours of stockinette knitting...
onto the dreaded construction process. The end.

It's safe to say, hope abandoned me and the cardi never made it to completion. A froggin' it went. Ribbit.
No need to waste good fiber, I say. Time to move onto bigger and better things and put the yarn to good use.
So, my latest creation is a sweater that is simple and easy, just the way I like it.
The pattern is called Pretty in Pink by Josée Paquin. You can find it on Ravelry as a free download. Her web page has several pictures of the cardi in pink. Very cute.
My progress? This is what I have so far. The project started about a month ago. Yup, that's right an entire month has gone by since I started cardi 2.0. This time around, determination won't let me give in to doubt or procrastination. :-)

Since TV watching is one of my methods of relaxation, I get hooked on certain shows. My latest TV obsession is a show on the ABC Family channel called Pretty Little Liars. Love it, but mostly for the trendy clothes. Though I have to admit, I don't care much for Aria's teen crush/relationship with her English teacher. What in the world are we teaching our children when they write stories about inappropriate relations at school? We see enough of it in real life. Just terrible.
Anywho, back to trendy knit talk. I've noticed the girls wearing several cute knitted hats and sweaters. Very Anthropolgie-like, too. Here are two hats the girls have worn, cute and simple. The first - a stylish, simple beret.

The second - a moss stitched crown beret.
Looks warm and probably easy to make.
The edge/brim reminds me of the felicity hat.

All pictures were taken from my downloaded episodes of Pretty Little Liars I purchased from Amazon.com.I highly recommend Amazon for tv series purchases over iTunes. Better service and easier to use.
I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and that spring has sprung in your part of the country.
Have a great week! :-)

Generosity

When I got home yesterday, I found this bundle of malabrigo lace softness waiting for me. I wanted to share a picture of this beautiful lace yarn, but most importantly, I wanted to take this time to thank "C" at Two Cables n' A Frapp for the generous gift. Who would have thought answering a few questions would help you win a skein of soft yarn? If you haven't visited Two Cables n' A Frap's blog, jump on over. She makes the most beautiful and colorful shawls east of the Mississippi. :-)

Throughout my blog I've posted many knitted projects, most of them in one particular color...purple. For some reason I hold a strong affinity for all things purple, which is odd since my favorite color is blue. No matter. Life is good, especially when you have a skein of gorgeousness to cuddle. I'm not sure what it will become yet, but for time being, it will just sit here...it's just too pretty to disturb.
Thanks again, C!! I love it!!

Have a great week!

One Wish

... to be on vacay.
or
... to be laying on a sunny beach while watching Kelly Slater ride the waves.
or
... to be sipping on a fruity drink.

One out of three ain't so bad.

Back to reality!

Enjoy!

It's About Time...

...I post something on my good ol' blog. Thank you to Valerie for missing the silliness I so openly share with the world and in a roundabout way kindly reminding me to post something... anything. Lol. :-)

I think I mentioned before about having a long-term sub assignment and working with first graders. Well, all I have to say is, teachers are overworked and underpaid. Most of the stress doesn't come from working with the kids on a daily basis, it comes from Admin. Frustrating (with the exception of a coworker whose situation is the opposite at the moment).
Thank goodness it's coming to an end soon.

Anywho... I thought I would share a couple of things that have kept me afloat during this stressful period.

The first item is this delicious instant coffee...let me tell you it does wonders for my personality and stamina. Hallelujah!
All I can say, it's downright transforming, just ask the kids. :-)

Next up... Two brand spanking new knitting books courtesy of Groupon.com and Barnes & Noble. Groupon was offering a discounted coupon for B&N. I had a couple of knitting books in mind and decided to join. A friend referred me to them, she got ten bucks and I got two knitting books for almost half the price. Not too bad of a deal. I've already placed a gazillion tabs on my 101 Designer book and plan on knitting a little bit more in the near future. Crossing fingers. If you want to find out more about Groupon just click on the link. :-)

Last, but not least... Sweet treats (pictured below).
These are the yummiest snacks...EVER. Hershey's minis, it goes without saying......YUM! There's no question they satisfy any sweet tooth and best of all, the protein from the peanuts fulfills a bit of the recommended daily allowance or something like it. Can't argue with that now, can ya?
The other sweet treat is the Pulparindo. They're worth GOLD in class. Kids will turn in all their homework and jump through hoops for them. Made of tamarind and chili, the yellow packaged candy is hot enough to numb your tongue for about a minute. The candy in the red package (not pictured) is spicier and with a label warning of it being extra-picante! HOT! Let's just say they're flaming good and you'll lose all sensation in your tongue for good while.
Honestly, this only happens to me. I'm such a wimp when it comes to spicy foods.

I'm off to grade papers. Wishing everybody a sweet spring.

Have a great weekend!

Spring Splash

This sub assignment is kicking my arse. The only consolation is happy first grade footwear and happy first graders.

I joined Knitterella's AdventsKalendar (blog info) KAL on Ravelry (group info), but haven't had the energy or time to start on my pieces. Spring break is around the corner and I'm hoping to catch up soon.
Started on a new cardi and will post some deets soon.
Time to relax after a crazy Friday and crazier week.
Have a great weekend!!