Friday Things
1. Two things about this photo:
#1 – It looks like Duke is taking an oath.
#2 – How insanely HUGE is his paw?! It looks like I’m shaking hands with a lion!
2. Thank you for the sweet birthday wishes on Tuesday! You all are the best! I enjoyed a great day – a fantastic lunch with my Chief Culinary Consultant, and then the hockey game in the evening. It was perfect!
3. So, funny story. A few nights ago my Chief Culinary Consultant snapped a photo of me eating a baked potato while Duke and Einstein were begging. He showed me the picture and I was stunned – my left hand holding the fork looked totally distorted and weird. I was all, “oh my gosh, what am I doing?!” He proceeded to tell me that’s how I’ve held my fork since he met me and he always thought it was a little weird but never said anything. AGH! I looked like a cavewoman holding that thing! I immediately Googled how to hold silverware appropriately… oddly enough, I hold my knife the correct way, but for some reason the fork in the left hand was an issue. Thankfully, I have resolved the situation. Needless to say, I never learned how to walk with a stack of books on my head ;-)
4. Did you see this list on Buzzfeed? — 18 Songs From the ’90s You Grew Up Singing But Shouldn’t Have… Seriously! Most of these were popular when I was in the 11-16 age range, and my friends and I listened to just about every single one. Good God, parenting a teenage girl must be a serious nightmare. So much more perspective when you’re, you know, 34 as opposed to 15.
5. Lay some recommendations on me… what is your favorite Internet radio service (aside from Pandora)?
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address, and we'll send it straight to your inbox!
6. Ahhh, this is so true:
7. Have any of you purchased clothes or swimsuits from Athleta? I just got a catalog in the mail and am digging a lot of the pieces. Wondering if the fit is good and if they use quality fabrics?
8. For some reason, I’ve been convinced for years that I didn’t like Cadbury Creme Eggs. Convinced, I tell you. Then, the other day I was standing in the checkout at the grocery store and there was a huge display of them, taunting me. So, I bought one. I ate it, and… I actually liked it. I guess I don’t hate them after all! I’ve confused myself.
9. As part of my birthday gift, my sister is going to teach me how to knit (along with outfitting me with some supplies) – yay! Do you have any patterns (for anything, really) that would be good for a beginner?
10. TGIF! Ahh, brotherly love…
Love Athleta – great quality and fit! Check out the Title Nine website, too at titlenine.com. Love your site – keep up the great work!
Michelle, You take the best pictures! I so look forward to pictures of Einstein and Duke on Friday mornings. Puts a smile on my face. Thanks for all the great recipes and hard work you put into your blog.
I have several Athleta swimsuits – they’re great! High-quality, comfortable and not-too-skimpy. They’re great for mixing and matching the prints and solids to make unique combinations. Also, their return policy is wonderful. There’s a store location in Shadyside – they may have swimsuits if you’d prefer to try on before ordering.
Yes, Duke-“Do you solumnly swear to be the best puppy ever?” How cute is that? My favorite things to knit are scarves and these wonderful dishcloths that my mom used to knit-(she kept a drawer full just in case). They are a great way to get your hands trained to do the right thing. AND you can do one in around an hour. I will tell you, once you start using them you are hooked! If you would like the instrux, just let me know-I would be happy to share :)
I’d recommend Ravelry.com for knitting inspiration, help and fun. OTOH, I must add it can eat into the actual knitting time. Just so you know!
Ravelry!!!
Spotify — it is like iTunes, but free. I love it; my son loves it.
Just found your blog and I am loving it! Love the recipes, love the dogs, love the cute nickname for your hubby…love it all! Thanks for a great blog!
I’m wearing Athleta’s Kickbooty pants right now! I have 2 pairs and I love them, wear them all the time, and they still look new 6 months later. I also have a couple shirts and a skirt from them that I love as well. (I’m 5’2″ and 115 and wear an XS in all the items I have from them if that helps.)
I love Athleta!! Really good quality. Plus they have a “give it a workout guarantee”, so you can return things at any time , even after you’ve worn it if you decide you don’t like it.
That list of songs is hilarious! Also – I LOVE Athleta! Their fabrics are incredible – much better than lululemon, in my opinion. I think their sizes run on the big side, though.
I LOVE Athleta! Everything that I have from there is good quality, washes well, holds its shape, and lasts forever. I have several swimsuits from there (and have had a couple of them for YEARS). I like them because of their bra-sized swimwear (which is crucial when you need lots of support). They’re expensive but definitely worth the investment.
First, thanks for your response last week regarding the snarly faces “the boys” make when being playful. When I opened today’s post and looked at the picture of Duke and Einstein, my first thought was….OMG, Duke’s paw is HUGE! I rememebr noticing that when he was stll small…his paws looked enormous and I was imagining a giant golden dog in your future.
So, now I’m so curious to see the picture of your fork holding position. I have been playing around trying to figure out what a cavewoman hold might look like. Who knows, maybe I do it as well??
Thanks for the always fun and informative Friday posts.
http://www.redheart.com
http://www.lionbrand.com
http://www.knitpicks.com
These sites have quite a few free patterns that are fairly simple to learn with.
I also purchased a book when I first started knitting called The Knitting Book it has tons of beginner information and knitting stitches. I strongly recommend buying something like this to help you learn new knitting techniques.
check out purl bee blog and web page, they have knitting patterns, and you just may see something you have to buy. happy belated birthday and have a good weekend.
Sign up on Ravelry.com – so many great knitting patterns and a wonderful knittting community – you’re down the rabbit hold now….
I taught myself to knit by trial and error. Start out with something simple like a scarf or a dishcloth. For the dishcloth make sure you use cotton yarn (sugar and cream) is the brand I use you can scrub most anything with it they are great to use for glass wear. Since you are just learning try the Continental method you can knit much faster if you learn this method wish I had known about it when I was learning to knit. You tube is great if you forget how to do a stitch or need a tutorial for something. Good luck.
I send these thoughts. I used YouTube to learn to knit dishcloths and am doing the continental method. Dishcloths are a good place to start as they’re small and functional and the inevitable beginner mistakes don’t really matter, you can still use them. Good luck!
I meant I second these thoughts! Good grief.
I’m wearing a pair of Athleta’s Bettona Classic pants right now. My absolute favorites! I have a bunch of pieces, including a swimsuit that was my first ever Athleta purchase. It’s held up great over the years and I definitely recommend them. I don’t knit, but taught myself some basic crocheting and the easiest things were coasters, washcloths, and scarves. Anything where I just had to go in a straight line, using one type of stitch, and just turn around once in a while! Oh, and where gauge wasn’t so important because my stitches were nowhere near tight enough for much else! But it was fun to learn and do…you’ll like it!
Songza and Spotify. Songza makes playlists based on your mood! Very cool!!!
Knitting is a great hobby!!! I also agree with Joni that dishcloths are great for beginners. They are a quick knit and you don’t have to invest a lot of money in yarn (there are some nice organic cotton yarns). Once you feel a little more confident, Ravelry has thousands of patterns to choose from. I do recommend buying the best yarn you can afford. It’s worth it!!! Happy Knitting!!!
First, I LOVE Athleta and have been buying from them for years. Excellent quality. Second, dishcloths are a great way to start knitting. No matter how they turn out you can still use them!
Hello BEB …
Just wanted to share how I L O V E and look soooo fwd to “Friday things” I’m sure many
People feel the same way .. So I speak for all of us. Thank u for unbelievably delicious and uncomplicated recipes .. For sharing pics of those beautiful pups of urs and for ur dedication to everything u do . It is soooo appreciated.
Love seeing your Einstein & Duke photos! When our 2 Goldens do the wrinkle-y face thing, they remind me of Kira, the Bajoran character from Star Trek!
I love seeing your doggies I have one like you and a beagle, anyway your recipes are the greatest, thank you so much for sharing everything
Craftsy.com is a great source for patterns. And they have tutorials, as we’ll.
Ah….my weekly dose of photos of your puppies that make me smile :-)
Love the ‘give me the paw’ photo – thanks for sharing!
:D those two!
I use Spotify, too.
I think, just knit a scarf in a color/colors that you really like. Or just a square in a pretty color and use it as a backdrop for a muffin (or other cozy food)picture :)
I have ordered clothing from Athleta before :) I can’t say about swimwear but the workout pants are great! I can’t say enough they wash great, wear nice too, I have had 6+ pairs. I was worried by the price but def. worth it. (I’m 5’4 the ankle is good, reg. length way to long). Tops/sweaters can run a bit slim so watch out. I keep an eye on sale pgs. GOOD LUCK!
I just love crunchy-faced doggie pictures! It reminds me of my late baby girl.
Check out Spotify! It’s a great streaming radio service. You can either choose specific songs you want to stream and even add to your playlists for free, or you can choose a song or a band and listen to a radio station around it (similar to Pandora). Happy belated birthday :)
We share the same birthday! Happy belated birthday to you. Go on Ravelry.com. There are thousands of free knitting patterns. If you a fan of the tv show, Once Upon A Time, they have the pattern for Emma’s baby blanket. It’s very easy and turned out beautiful. Have fun knitting. I know you’ll be great!