So, it all started with this…. this one very smashed phone that belongs to my youngest daughter Hannah.  Two weeks ago before I visited Hannah and took her out to lunch in Plymouth, I made some comments to my next to the youngest daughter Courtney, who had also cracked her screen about how good Hannah was at taking care of her phone and why couldn't she be more careful..yada, yada, yada. 
(Courtney, not so much…and she knew about Hannah's DESTROYED phone when I said this to her, but as a good sister, she never said a word about it.)

Needless to say when I saw Hannah's phone I was shocked, WORST cracked screen I have ever seen! To put it in perspective however, Hannah has always been given the oldest phone and has never broken one. College kind of changes that for reasons we won't mention here.

I have been lusting after a bigger phone screen because I am blind as a bat, but I had no intentions of upgrading.  I won't say that I was sad however to have the opportunity to get a much bigger phone that I can actually see the words without taking my glasses off.   After I received the new phone from Verizon, we went to the Apple store to have Hannah's phone, which was still working believe it or not, transfered to my 5S and to put Apple Care on the new one.  I was 28 days within the Apple Care on the 5S when we went and it's a good thing we did.  It appeared that the battery on it was dying, so a new one was put in at no cost…that pretty much paid for the Apple Care on that phone.

So if you have stuck with my post this long, you are probably wondering where the dumb comes in.  Well, I couldn't understand why the battery in my 5S was dying when it wasn't really all that old especialy given that I really do not use it nearly as much as my kids use their phones…hmmm.
One of the things I do use it for is streaming Pandora when I am working and I always plug into an iHome type of device which is constantly charging the phone when the music is playing.
Hmmmm…again.  Perhaps…most likely this was the culprit.  So as I thought about it and how I could avoid charging the phone but still hear it loud enough in the shop with all of the exhaust fans running, I remembered this little speaker I bought a little less than a year ago.
Sweet little speaker as you can see by the sand specks here and there that it traveled to the beach whenever we went and it worked perfectly.

Great!  I was feeling pretty good about all of this.  Plugged my phone in and as I was re-skeining yarn and enjoying my tunes, it died, 30 minutes later. 
Dead, dead, dead…sigh
Given that I have never charged it, I figured ok, it needs to be charged, so I plugged it into my computer, as this is how you charge the speaker.
I left it in all night and still in the morning it still wasn't working.  Grrrr.  I spouted off to Ken about it and he suggested contacting Amazon as it really wasn't that old, so I figured that was what I would do.

As I was looking at it and seeing that there was a light on, I couldn't figure out why it wouldn't work and it was competely frustrating me.  Then I saw this port.  Holy crap on a cracker, what is wrong with my brain??  Yes, I have the USB cord that came with this speaker which is how you charge the speaker, so why did I think that plugging the earphone end into the computer would charge it?.  ARGGG! 
Of course after I plugged that in for a few hours the speaker works perfectly now.  The only thing I am thankful for is that I didn't bitch to Amazon about it to show them just how inept I can be at times with technology.

…and so, the Dumber part, or maybe this is really the Dumbest part….
I always put some moisturizer on my face before I go out for a walk this time of year as I walk by some open fields where the wind can really whip around.
Well without my glasses on, I reached for the Sombra muscle pain relief rub and used that on my face.  It took a moment for my brain to register both the smell and the tingling sensation before I had rubbed a good amount on my face. 
(Sombra is great stuff btw)

Yes, my walk was a little more painful than usual, but it was not my legs or my back that was barking, but rather my face that cried.
So there you have it…Dumb and Dumber and seriously I think of myself as a resonably intelligent person, but this weekend, not so much!  Ha!
My post of shame…..posting daily will do that to you!

I haven't purchased fabric for anything other than bag linings in a while, but when I saw this line of fabric from Atelier, I was smitten.  There are beautiful grays, plums, golds, reds and blues with gray mixed in, so very beautiful.

I get regular email updates from the Fat Quarter Shop and when I saw this quilt kit, I just swooned and I hadn't even seen the fabric up close and personal.  The beautiful package arrived yesterday and I was SO happy that I ordered the kit.  The pattern is crazy easy, so it will be on my sofa for the Christmas holiday.  I really love it.
Now if they made a few of these patterns in a home decor fabric, it would be perfect as I need to make new kitchen valances.

So very beautiful I tell you….scrumptious!

Remember I told you how much I love my primitive rabbits? 
I have a number of them, but Miss Rita is my most favorite!!

I love this photo of her enough that I think this will become a shop postcard.
I have learned so much in my Start2Finish class and am sad that it is coming to an end soon.  If you ever think you want to take that next step in photography and post processing, this class from Kim Klassen is awesome!

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Don't be afraid to explore;
Without exploration there are no discoveries.
Don't be afraid of partial solutions;
Without the tentative there is no accomplishment.
Deng Ming~Dao

It's been a while since I have visited this little room located in the village of North Conway.  This is the home of our local Tai Chi Center.  I had taken time away for a few reasons, one of which is the summer heat.  It's no secret that a lot of older people practice tai chi for it's wonderful health benefits, but many of them do not live with my internal furnace, so I knew that it would probably be much hotter in there than I would be comfortable with.  I took the free time this summer to enjoy the beaches and lakes that surround us here and time reading in my little ghetto pool when I was not working.

I decided to go back last week and I am glad that I did.  That first session and my back was so tight and sore.  Enough so that I was a bit concerned, but I went back again this week and I have to say that it has made a HUGE difference in my daily walk especially if I go after tai chi.  I will never be painfree when I do any physical activity, but it's SO much better after tai chi.  I highly recommend it even still!

So that daily walk, yes that one.  A few weeks ago I climbed on the scale and a number flashed, now mind you it didn't land there, but the mere fact that it flashed even for a moment let me know that I have gained back almost all of the weight that I worked so hard to lose 3 years ago and it just pissed me off.  I know, harsh language, but seriously, blerg!
Usually it takes that one little thing to get me to commit to something and so here I am again, back at the beginning.  I know how it happened and even better I know how to get back to where I need to be. So I have been working hard and it is finally starting to pay off.  I know I have a long road ahead and I am making realistic goals.  Small steps with small accomplishments and little rewards tucked in usually works best for me, so onwards and upwards!!

This Wednesday is not actually my work on Wednesday's but the work of Elizabeth Doherty of Blue Bee Studio's using my Emma yarn.

Last year, I met with Elizabeth over lunch to discuss working together for this year's yarn club.  I was a bit nervous meeting someone I had never really met before, but she was so easy to talk with that I felt as if I had always known her.  She had previously designed this lovely sweater using my Airy yarn and wore it to lunch.  I immediately fell in love with not only the sweater but listening to her design process.

After the lovely golden hat based upon the fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin was released to the yarn club in August, Elizabeth and I talked about putting together a series of patterns based on this design, which would be ready to the public right away.  (The hat pattern will not be released to the public until February.)

Elizabeth is running a GIVEAWAY contest over on her Ravelry group, The Blue Bee Knits

In order to qualify for this giveaway, please leave a comment in The Blue Bee Knits thread, and answer one of the following questions:

After Copperline and Into Gold, what other accessory would you see in the Metalwork collection?

Or

Which of The Woolen Rabbit’s other colorways fits the ‘metal’ theme of the collection?

FINE PRINT
Comments must be entered by November 30, 2014.
++You must be a member of this group++ to be eligible to win.
Please answer one of the above questions.
One entry per person.
Winner will be chosen at random.

Go take a look and take a chance!  Good luck!

Today's Ten on Tuesday topic is 10 Collections I’ve Had Over the Years.
At first I thought..hmmm, so I have any collections? 

Ken is home today for the holiday and yah, he pretty much laughed and said, "Are you kidding me?"  You are the queen of collecting.
  Hmmpf!  I'm not that bad and I have done a lot of down sizing, but these are some of the things he quickly came up with and I have a few from my past as well.

1.  These sweet little bunny pottery designs from Price Kensington Potteries.  Incredibly hard to find now and when I do they are always in the UK where shipping is so crazy expensive.

2.  Torquay Mottoware, another British pottery that I started collecting years ago.  I love the little sayings.  I don't have a lot and what I do have it packed away right now until we finish working on the house.  I don't want it to get broken.

3.  Sewing machines.  Yes, I have more than a two and each one does it's own job perfectly. 🙂

4.  Ariat Fatbaby Boots….love them!

5.  Beautiful wood and that can be in the form of a spinning wheel, bread rolling pin, the sweet salt and pepper bowls that live by my stove, etc.  When I use something made with a beautiful birdseye or flame maple, figured walnut, deep cherry, it makes my heart smile.

6.  Primitive Rabbits, this Woolen Rabbit loves them!  I will share one with you on Friday.

7.  Dolls…you've seen them last week.  Yes, more than two of them here as well, but not too many. 😉

8.  …and these from my childhood.  My beloved collection of ALL of Nancy Drew Mystery Books.

9.  Archie comic books.  I ran to the corner store each week in anticipation of a new one.

10.  Little Wishnik Trolls, especially if they had double horseshoes.

….I am trying though not to collect anything else, and actually, I have let go of a lot of it over the last 2 years in the hopes of moving some day in the not too distant future.  While I love collections, if I have too much of anything it makes me anxious.  So in this case, less is more, if something comes in, something else has to leave. 🙂

Whoops, I totally missed blogging yesterday!  I really didn't do much but read online and rest my back, so I have no excuse other than a brain cramp.  Oh well.

So, you saw my Saturday picture of what Ken was doing all weekend and Saturday, this is what I got to do.  A visit to see my little sweetie pie and enjoy a girls day lunch at Stacey's house with Hannah.

Hannah had not been to Stacey's new place yet and was anxious to see the little nugget, so it was a fun way to spend the afternoon.  I just love babies at this age.  Full of wonder and curiosity.
I love that he had on the sweater I made him for his baby shower.  It's getting a wee bit small for him and sadly he is showing signs of wool allergy, so I guess I will be knitting sweaters for him in something other than wool.  The sweater pattern is Sunnyside, designed by Tanis Lavallee and the yarn is my Opal yarn.

He is now up on his feet and walking like a pro.  It took him some time to get walking with the help of a physical therapist that came to their house every week.  Some kids are just slower at wanting to walk.  I know I was one of them….15 mos before I took steps and Ashley was 17 months, so we weren't really worried. 

This little guy is such a ham and loves to see himself on the phone camera…ha!
Hannah doesn't get to see Asher very often, so it was a special treat for her.

Speaking of special treats…I don't get to see my youngest grandson, Finley, nearly as much as I would like to as they live just that much further away, but we all are heading down in 2 weeks to visit his cute little face to celebrate his birthday.  I can hardly believe that it's been almost a whole year since he introduced himself to us!

How was your weekend?

….we knew it would be bad, this old house is almost 200 years old….
but the good news is, it's getting fixed! 
It will be bigger, better and I will finally be able to soak in a tub again..whoo hoo!!
Onwards and upwards!

My field of gold…….
I am so fortunate to have this lovely view during the changing seasons.

Have a wonderful Friday!

If you are a knitter and are not using this fantabulous app, called Knit Companion, you are truly missing out, especially if you have a tendency to misplace your paper patterns.  I am the queen of losing my paper patterns and with that paper pattern are all of the notes I have written on it, like any changes I made, which row I might have been on etc.

When you use knit companion there is NO.MORE.PAPER!  Yes, you heard me right, no more paper patterns.  You just import your pattern into the app, set up your key and your charts and it will keep track of where you are on the chart and the numerous row counters that let you know what row you left off on.  You can also place little sticky notes where you may have made a change just like those hand written notes you write on your paper patterns.

When you are working on a few different patterns, this makes staying organized so much easier.  Everything is in one neat little spot and you just open the project that you want to work on.  This has eliminated the piles of paper that were always on the table next to the sofa.  I LOVE it!  Truly, you will not regret spending 15.00 on this program.

In addition to the program, this little clip on stand, called Felix, is a nice thing to have as well.  Last winter when Dale and Carole stayed with us, she was using one of these and I could see how much easier it made following a pattern when you don't have to constantly shift your tablet. Of course I bought one right away and I use it all the time, not only for knitting, but also when I am cooking and using a recipe from the internet.  Truly a nifty little addition.

Well, that's it for tonight folks.  This time change always kicks my butt, I almost missed getting this post done before the day was finished.  I am usually a night owl, but this week it's been a challenge to stay awake much past 11pm.
Have a good evening!!