WIPs ... a couple of scarves

Cari picked out this beautiful Misti Alpaca green sock yarn for a scarf last week. It's a very simple (boring actually) pattern but works up beautiful with this variegated yarn. It's worked on size 6 needles - she's expecting me to have it finished before she leaves for college next month - we'll see:

And below is one I've started for me (hopefully) with some beautiful Crystal Palace Mini Mochi self striping yarn. I've been wanting to do this Multi Directional Scarf pattern for a while now and this yarn told me that's what it wanted to be. :)

I have my Berroco Bonsai on order for the multi fiber off white summer wrap I want to do. I swear by the time I get the yarn and start working on the wrap I'll have to wait until next summer to use it! UGH!

That's all for now ... until later,
QB

Morgan's First S&B!!

We were so happy to welcome baby Morgan to her very first S&B (Stitch & Bitch) Friday morning! We had a small group but Regina and Fran were thrilled to get their hands on her! She has grown so much in the two weeks since I last saw her. Heidi said the newborn diapers are getting snug and she's getting so long!

We each got our hands on her for a bit. I'll admit I hogged her - no shame there. She is such a little love bug and such a wonderful little cuddler it's really hard to put her down.


Heidi stayed and visited until about 6pm that evening so we had a nice visit! Where are the photos of Mom you ask? Well the only time Heidi ever gets to hold her while we're around is when she's hungry, so we are still missing photos of Mom holding her! I'll try to do better next time.

"Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince"

Cari and I have been going to the midnight madness celebrations since "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" was released in 2003. There is something special about being there sharing the excitement with everyone else. There is never a question as to whether or not we're going - it's a given. Yeah, we're tired the next day but it's so worth it. The closer the day and time got, the more excited I was. I re-read the book, so I'd remember more of the details I knew would be left out. And all in all, I really liked the movie. I was, however, disappointed in some of the changes that didn't seem to have a purpose. There were quite a few scenes I simply could not understand why they made the changes they did. And the major scene I had issues with is the one where the Burrow was burned down by Death Eaters - it does not exist in the book. ??? And I couldn't see the value of the scene. Was it supposed to tell the viewers who had not read the book something? I don't know. I couldn't figure it out. And how are they going to fix that for the beginning of the next book where there is a wedding at the Burrow? Magic I guess.

As always, the movie was awesome but it can't hold a candle to the book.

Flutter Fantasy

Flutter Fantasy is a special summer exhibit at the Botanical Gardens this summer. They have a traditional butterfly garden, but this exhibit is contained in a closed area. I had been wanting to go ever since I heard about it, but there's been so much going on, I just hadn't been able to make it there. So Monday morning I headed there with Regina, Alexa and Cari. The skies were overcast and the temperature was only in the upper 70's to low 80's ... but the humidity was suffocating! The sweat was rolling off of me like a waterfall. UGH! (Sorry, that's probably a visual you didn't need to have, huh?) Even so, the incredible array of roses was tempting enough to waylay me. I loved how the water droplets still remained on the petals after the overnight rain. Here's a few of my favorite shots:

Eventually, I tore myself away from the roses to proceed along the path toward the butterfly exhibit. Along the way, I had to stop repeatedly to capture more of the beautiful flowers blooming and the bees pollinating them:

We were all melting by now, so I made myself bypass most everything else to get to the butterflies before I passed out. After we got inside the butterfly house it was ok - not exactly what I expected. Of course, it didn't stop me from clicking away. I love some of these shots, but I had really hoped to be able to photograph some species I didn't see in my own yard. Oh well.

Between melting and starving, all of us were ready to go. By the time we got back to the car, a shower is really what we wanted, but the air conditioning in the car did it's job and Baker's Crust was our destination for lunch. We felt like everyone stared at us as we we were led all the way to the back of the restaurant to our table. Hmmm, maybe we did look as bad as we felt! LOL Lunch was wonderful! I tried a new sandwich - don't remember the name of it though. It was an open faced, toasted sandwich with chicken, munster cheese, spinach and apple slices. A bit different, but it was really good. I'd get it again and, to me, that's the true test.

Now, time to rest up for the midnight showing of "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince."

Charlottesville Weekend

After dropping Peanut off at Dad's we had a pretty uneventful drive to Charlottesville. We met Bill, Beth and Lauren at the hotel and soon after arriving, set off for the Downtown Mall. The guys found a nice place to sit and have a snack and beer while Beth and I hit the yarn shop (Needle Lady) and bead shop (Studio Baboo). We didn't get to the mall until after 3:30pm and most of the shops close at 5:00pm so we really didn't have much time.

The Needle Lady is a wonderful fiber shop. Oh the money I could drop in there! I was looking specifically for some cream color fiber to compliment my multi fiber summer wrap (see post below) I am ready to begin. It took a couple of spins through the shop before I spied it, but once I did I knew it was the perfect one. Berroco Bonsai in the tofu olor. Frustratingly, though, they only had two hanks of it - I need seven. UGH!! So, believe it or not, I walked out of there without a single purchase! I know!!! I can't believe it either - still!

From there, we walked down to Studio Baboo to see what kind of trouble I could get into there. I did pretty well in there too - only picking up a few teal and lime green beads to add to my collection. I think the main reason for my restraint was because I was starving. It was almost 5:00 by this time and the only thing I had eaten was a bowl of cereal for breakfast.

So we walked down to find the guys and ordered a Blue Moon Summer Ale with some Spinach and Artichoke dip for a snack. I had to have something before dinner while we waited for Rick and Regina to arrive before dinner. (I was pretty ticked at myself when I realized I left my camera in the car. Yeah, I did think about going back to get it, but since Beth had her camera I didn't.) It was so nice to sit outside and enjoy the food, beer, company and beautiful weather. Life doesn't get much better than that.

Rick and Regina joined us around 6:00pm (I think, who was looking at the time? not me!). We probably sat there for another hour and half just enjoying the evening. But eventually it was time to vacate our seats and head for dinner. Bill and Beth had eaten at Sal's before and loved it so that's where we mosied to. It was much too beautiful of an evening to be anywhere but outside, so we waited for a few minutes for a table outside. Everyone raved about their dinner - it was exceptional! I don't remember the name of my dish, but it was grilled chicken with sun-dried tomatoes on fetuccine with a pink lady sauce. O-M-G! It was awesome!! We sat there for quite a while just being in the moment and enjoying the evening. I know we all had a wonderful time but I'm not sure those around us did. LOL. It doesn't take much for this group to get a bit rowdy if ya know what I mean! Probably a good thing it was late, huh?

We managed to find one of the gift shops still open so, of course, we had to go in and browse. Regina bought a melted Grey Goose bottle (it was beautiful!) and we picked up a pair of earrings (with purple JMU colored) beads for Cari. I think it was around 11:00pm by this time and we started walking back to the cars.

Beth had brought a bottle of Muscadine wine with her so we we met in the courtyard of the hotel to continue the evening. None of us had tried it before so we really didn't know what to expect. I really liked the strong muscadine grape flavor, but this particular wine was quite sweet - too sweet for me. I will, however, try one of the other ones. Beth said this particular one was the sweetest but she couldn't find her favorite, "Magnolia."

It was going on 12:30am before we made our way back to the room. Bob was "gone" before I could wash my face and brush my teeth. So I spent some time with Harry, Ron and Hermoine before turning out the light.

The "reason" for the trip was the Horton Vineyard Pig Roast and wine tasting on Saturday. It was from 11:00am - 5:00pm and lunch was served from 12:30pm - 2:00pm. We decided to arrive around noon, which meant we needed to leave the hotel around 11:30am. Bob and I slept until 9:00am and went down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Lo and behold Rick and Regina were already there finishing up their breakfast. Bob and I ordered omelets and thoroughly enjoy that first cup of java.

We agreed to meet in the courtyard before leaving at 11:30am to drive to the vineyard. The Riddlemobile was perfect because it held everyone so comfortably. We arrived around noon and couldn't believe all the people already there. Holy Cow! There were picnic tables set up in the shade, but we were hard pressed to find a seat - especially six seats together. So we did what anyone would do - started tasting wine! LOL

While none of us were thrilled with either their red or white wine line, most of us really liked their fruit wines. Oh the choices!! I think I tasted the Plum wine first and really liked it. From there I sampled the pear, peach, strawberry, blueberry and blackberry. It was really nice without being too sweet. The plum was my favorite with the peach being my least favorite. But I did end up bringing a couple of bottles of the pear and peach wine to make some white sangria. :)

Since the food lines were growing, we decided it was time to get in line and try to find a place to sit. Regina sent Rick to purchase a bottle of the plum wine for us to share during lunch. We did manage to find enough empty space at one of the tables, so off we went. Unfortunately, the weather on Saturday wasn't nearly as cooperative as it was Friday. It was hot! (I went back to the food line and got an empty paper plate to use as a fan.) The food was ok but nothing to write home about. Still, the company was top notch and we had fun together.

Somewhere around 2:00pm the raffle started. We all sat there, hoping with each drawing that one of us would walk away with something. Some of the numbers called out were in the upper 400's so they must've sold quite a few tickets. During this time, one of the Horton employees was walking around pouring a new wine for anyone who wanted a taste. As soon as we (Regina, Beth and I) heard that it was their new CHOCOLATE wine, we emptied out glasses! WOW! It was the bomb!! I can't wait to get my hands on some. Sadly, it isn't available until sometime in August. After the raffle was over (and no, none of us walked away with any free wine), we made our purchases and headed back to the Riddlemobile. I love this shot of the vineyard with the stone parapet in the background.

Rick is such a good sport. He doesn't do wine - it gives him headaches. However, he did some research earlier that morning on a micro-brewery close by - Starr Hill - so we headed that way after leaving the vineyard.

The guys completely enjoyed themselves tasting the seven different ales from Starr Hill. Beth wasn't feeling up to par after all the hills and turns from getting there - her stomach wasn't too happy so she didn't try any of the brews. I had a sip of a couple of Bob's and they turned my tongue inside out. Yuk! I really don't like bitter beer. Right now, what turns me on is the Blue Moon Honey Moon ... with a nice fat orange slice in it of course. Starr Hill has a brew similar to that called "The Love." Apparently, it's the ladies' beer. I did like it much better than anything else I tried, but it would've been even better with an orange slice.

They sell these giant mugs called "The Growwler." For $25 you get the mug filled and may bring it back for $8 refills. It was too good of a deal for Bill and Rick to pass up. As you can see, Rick even bought two of them - he said one of them was for his son ... yeah, right.

Leaving with happy guys, we headed back to the hotel for a quick freshening up and then to find somewhere for dinner. Bonefish Grill ended up being the group choice, so Rick plugged it into the GPS and off we went. Most of us ordered the popular "Bang Bang Shrimp" appetizer. I also ordered the Cajun Chicken Egg Roll appetizer along with a side salad since I knew Bob would be picking off some of my shrimp. Oh My God - I think we each drank a gallon of water with our Bang Bang Shrimp. That is one spicy dish - but oh so good! Between the water and the food, we all waddled out of there.

Back at the hotel we met in the courtyard for the last time to share a bottle of wine. It didn't last long because all of us were whipped puppies. I think we parted ways and were back in our room before 9:30pm.

We had agreed to meet in the parking lot at 9:30am to go to breakfast together. Apparently, Bodo's Bagels is THE place to go around there. Now I see why. The choice of different types of bagels, different sandwiches and cream cheeses were a bit overwhemling. Ultimately, I went for a standard egg, ham and cheese on whole wheat. It was wonderful! As we sat there eating, the place started filling up. By the time we left the line was out the door. Amazing!!

It was a wonderful ending to the perfect weekend with great friends. Can't wait to do it again!

Ta Ta for now!
Wanda

Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince

I finished HP & the Half Blood Prince yet again yesterday. :) This was the third time I've read it; first, when it came out; again before HP and the Deathly Hallows; lastly, in preparation for the movie. We have made it a tradition to go to the midnight showing of the movie and it's so much fun! I love the story of Harry, his friends and their adventures! So, of course, I've got to read book seven simply because I don't want the story to end. I've only read the Deathly Hallows once (when it came out last year) so this will be a special treat.

We're off to Charlottesville today for a Pig Roast and wine tasting event at Horton Vineyards. Two other couple are going as well. I think we're all looking forward to an adult, fun weekend. Photos and stories (I'm sure) will follow!

Your Opinion Please ...

I have been "collecting" various fibers for a summer wrap for months now. Between stash diving and find a few new ones, I have compiled the following group to use:

I'm going to use these fibers to stripe the fabric, but now need to decide on a main color to use in between each of these. So yesterday I started playing with different colors. Quite a few of these balls have some pale gold in them, so that's what I originally thought I'd like best and started with gold:


I wasn't too sure about the gold - it didn't quite look like what it did in my head (why does that happen so often?). So I then played with a cream color and it turned out like this:


Next was a light brown color:


And finally I played with a tan color fiber:


So, I'd like your opinion on which color you like the most with these fibers. Please judge by color alone since the final fiber will be more of a smooth, shiny (I hope) fiber. I swatched these based on color alone.

So leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Wanda

July 4 Cookout & Fireworks

We arrived at Mom and Dad's around 6pm arms laden with tomato mozzarella salad, grape salad and peanut butter brownies (with nuts) for dessert. Marc and Matt had fired up the grill and started grilling the kabobs and man they looked good! Mom was toasting the garlic bread and things were really starting to smell wonderful! I had to snap a few shots while waiting to eat:

Papa and Aidan

Aidan, Papa, Cari & Cameron

Cari and Cameron

Dinner was awesome!! The kabobs were all different and were made with onions, peppers, mushrooms, cucumbers (did you know grilled cucumbers taste like dill pickles?), tuna, steak, shrimp and chicken. Yummmm!!!!

Grape Salad
8 - 10 cup grapes, washed & dried
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. vanilla
Brown Sugar
Chopped Pecans or Walnuts

Whip cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla together - I used the mixer. Fold in grapes. Sprinkle brown sugar and chopped nuts on top. Refrigerate overnight.

Tomato Mozzarella Salad
Fresh Mozzarella cheese
Fresh tomatoes
Fresh Sweet Bazil

Dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp Italian seasoning

I used about 2 slices of cheese per tomato in my salad. Use fresh basil to taste. I'm heavy handed with it. Combine dressing ingredients and toss immediately before serving.

Now for the fun!! Fireworks!!!! Marc was serious about these fireworks! He even made a jig to set them in so lighting multiples at a time would be a breeze - especially with a damn blow torch!! I'm telling you - the boy is crazy! So he and Matt light this set and off they go. Whiz - Bang! - Sparks falling all over the place. What fun! LOL Aidan got scared and Stacey went inside with him. At least one of us had some sense!

Here they are, each with a blow torch mind you, lighting off the second batch. Two or three take off and guess who pulls up? Yup, a police officer. (And the remaning lit fireworks continue to go off.) "Do you know it's illegal to have fireworks in the state of Virginia? They are a fire hazard and dangerous." Marc apologizes and thanks her for the warning and off she goes. Well at least we didn't get a ticket! So let's see, how many minutes did that take? I'm thinking about 5-6 is all. You could hear them going off all over the place. I guess she was busy last night. After she left I made the comment I should've taken a photo of her too. Don't think that would've gone over too well though. So having the plug pulled on fireworks, they got the sparklers out for the kids ...

The kids had a ball with the sparklers after they got the hang of them. But the bugs were getting the best of us and we still had a 40 minute drive home - or so we thought. Stacey called Cameron in to get her pjs on and I started packing up. It was still a while before we got out of there and Cameron crawled up in Cari's lap with a blanket for a little more cuddling. I love her hair cut and she has the bluest eyes you could ever find. What a sweetheart. :)

The drive home drained us of whatever patience we had left. I think everyone in Portsmouth went to the waterfront to see the fireworks and we happened to be heading home the same time they were. I don't know where Portsmouth Police get their traffic training, but in my opinion, they need a new instructor! It took us about 20 minutes to get down Effingham Street to the tunnel. Police were at every corner letting only those coming from the waterfront through. The other three directions of traffic were completely stopped. It was insanity! It wasn't even like the cars were bumper to bumper either. There was plenty of time to stop them to allow the flow of traffic in other directions. We sat there stunned in disbelief that this was happening. It was simply incredible that they would allow one direction of traffic to continue for this long without switching.

Obviously, we did get through eventually. We assumed we were home free. Wrong! There was an accident on the Broad Street Bridge that had the left lane blocked and traffic was lined up for what seemed like miles. Eventually, we made it through that too and the rest of the drive home was pretty uneventul. Finally arriving home about 11:15 after leaving Mom and Dad's at 10:00. So much for our 40 minute drive home!

Oh well, all is good. We had a wonderful time being with family. It could only have been better if Brooke and her family were there too. Until next time ...