Summer 2011

It's been a hectic and busy spring and summer, with continuous building projects around the house. We had to use the spare bathroom for weeks in order to let our ensuite dry out so we could re-caulk the bathtub. That was fun!... Then I decided that both bathrooms needed blinds, since they never had any to begin with! It was always so bright in there. Now the bright sunlight is diffused and it makes for a much nicer look.
In the meantime, hubby built a lovely gazebo out back extending our outdoor living space. (I will put up photos at some point). We can now sit outside and laugh at the mosquitos - hahaha!!! as it is screened with doors and all. For the fall and winter now, he is is adding plywood around the bottom and some panels at the top, with some other panels as glass, so we can still enjoy it in the fall without freezing to death. Then in the winter it will become storage for the lawn furniture.
I also bought some rope light which will will add around the top to allow for some "mood" lighting. ;)
All in due time, but this has basically kept us busy for the summer along with the garden. And might I add, this has been the best looking garden I have had so far. Now it's almost fall clean up time, so sad!
 On to more cleaning for today.

TTFN
Lilly

March 20.....Spring!!!

Well, I guess spring is really just around the corner now.. The snow has almost all melted. Walking the dogs has become easier again. I am not sliding all over the place. I actually can avoid stepping on icy patches now. Today is rather cool outside and the wind has picked up, so it feels a bit colder than usual.
But...the sun is shining and that is important after the long cold and gray winter we had. Even the dogs went outside and are staying there longer, sniffing the air and generally just enjoying the fresh air. I have been opening the windows in the bedrooms just to air them out. It reminds me of Germany. The fresh air and the spring like feeling. Can't wait for the flowers to come popping up.  

soon.....

TTFN
Lilly

Oh Mama Mia!!

Time just flies!!!!  And am I having fun?   Probably.....otherwise it wouldn't take me this long to post.
Not a heck of a lot of things have happened but still exciting small things.
I am flip flopping back and forth at work. They asked me - politely I might add - to move to a different department - I agreed.  Do I like it?  ...not so much. I do not like call centres. They are impersonal, and I feel I am not doing my job to my full potential. It is easy to fluff things under the carpet and I hate that. I like to deal with the person on the other line. I like to get to know them, I like to help and if I can't this moment, I like to investigate until I have the answers - good or bad. So I plug along.  Flop back....they have asked me - politely again - to move back to my old position ( which by the way I had no idea I liked so much - You always miss things once they're gone, but don't know how to appreciate them when you have them). I agreed....now I just wait for the time I am to move back. Will I like it? Most likely. I am really an easy going person, but this is wearing me down a bit. So.... I have been looking for career alternatives and come up with a great career choice. I always wanted to do home inspections, and low and behold - a new course is being offered - at a college 8 hours away!  So...having to continue employment in order to afford to do this continued education and living in a different part of the country, well...let's just say - not feasible!  So now what do I do?  no idea yet, but hopefully my research into this matter will shed some more light on this. Maybe by the time I am sixty, I will have figured out what I want to do...sigh....maybe I'll just do what I know and just shut up about it.

On another note, I have a small little sidejob, knitting for a local woolstore - that has been a dream of mine and it has come true...maybe in my retired life I might just work in a woolstore....who knows....

TTFN
Lilly

Update

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!!!!

It's come and gone and the festivities are once again over. It's time for me to take the Christmas tree down today. We like leaving it up to January 6th at least. I wish I could keep it all year long, but that's just unrealistic.

That picture is "before" all the other presents arrived. We just kept stacking as people came in. It was a total of only 16 people, but the presents overflowed. We had to keep some in the other room as there would have been no space for people. I kept saying that I thought we scaled down, but apparently no one took it to heart this year.
It was a lovely white Christmas and then it warmed up. all the snow was almost gone, however, the last couple of days and nights it has been snowing again and this was the scene this morning:

All the snow is back. Now I just have to wait until some kids in the neighbourhood build a snowman again so I can get a photo of it- there was a perfect one up the street, but he now looks rather skinny.
See the sort of "window" in thee fence partition?  Well look at this:

There is my Ollie taking a peak through one window and I was looking out my kitchen window calling him. He is just to photogenic...lol.
Still knitting like crazy I just finished another Shawl - Gipsy Girl by Birgit Freyer from Die Woll Lust.


I still have to block it, but already started on Antonia - also Birgit Freyer.  Photos to follow.

For Christmas I made the "man shawl" Oblique by Birgit Freyer. My brother in law was beside himself. I absolutely loved it.

I just bought more patterns too - not sure when I'll get to them, but one of these days I will be bored!!!!

TTFN
Lilly