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)?
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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…
Ok, now I’m curious and want to see the pic of you holding a fork. Athleta has great quality. Check their website and see if a store is near you. They started having stores a few years ago and are expanding.
My golden has those huge lion paws too! She has had them for as long as I can remember!
And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! That cake looks fantastic!!
My dogs do the same as that last picture!
I noticed the link I put up earlier for an easy hat pattern didn’t work. Trying it again….
http://www.knitpicks.com/patterns/Easy_Peasy_Hat_Pattern__D50694220.html
Verypink.com is a great site for knitting. They have great tutorials!
Good to see from the comment section that Athleta is a quality brand! I’ve seen their store in the mall but haven’t checked it out besides window gazing. Their stuff looks cute! Just wanted to say how hilarious that e-card is. As a city girl through and through, I can completely relate!
Definitely Spotify! I love all the Mood and exercise playlists and making my own
Athleta is great! Have 3 pair of their yoga capris and leggings.
Love lululemon too!!
The absolute best thing to knit first is a hat. It’s quick and gratifying, unlike a scarf. That’s what I first learned to knit, and I made half a dozen in my first week! Do it on circular needles and make it bottom up (that means the starting point is the bottom edge of the hat, and you end by finishing off at the top). Keep it really, really simple with a rolled brim;don’t bother with a ribbed edge or anything, just start in knitting and continue til you’re done. Using the circular needles means you can just knit, no perling or other stitches, and you don’t have to sew any seams or anything. Really, all you need to know is the simple knit stitch, a little simple math, and how to decrease. Here’s a good, simple pattern: http://www.crazyauntpurl.com/archives/2005/06/easy_rollbrim_k_1.php
I was going to say the same thing you just said! Dishcloths are easy, but not that cute and you usually use cotton which is harder to knit with as a beginner. With a hat you can use wool (or a wool blend) which has more elasticity and is therefore easier to knit with than cotton. Circular needles are the way to go! Learn Continental style because it’s faster and if you learn the other way it will be very hard to change. This free hat pattern uses bulky yarn and big needles which will make it go faster. Knitpicks is also a great place for good, inexpensive yarn. Ravelry is amazing, but can be very overwhelming because it has so much!!
http://www.knitpicks.com/patterns/Easy_Peasy_Hat_Pat…
Spotify! Way fewer commercials than Pandora, you can listen to a specific song if you so desire, AND can make your own playlists/have the make a radio station based off of said playlists and not just 1 song or artist. And free! Only drawback is that you have to pay to have it on your phone, but it’s super awesome for home listening when you have a computer always around. Also if you do pay for to have it on your phone you can listen to your playlists even without internet access AKA great for long flights.
I love Athleta, I’ve been ordering from them for years. They are pretty accurate as far as fit goes: it’s good to read the comments to get a real idea of fit and foibles for the different pieces. I’ve found their quality to be very good, on par with Lululemon.
ALSO–I am preparing to make your Toasted Coconut Dark Chocolate Chip Ice Cream for dinner tonight. I have the custard cooling in the fridge and it is delicious! Can’t wait to add the chocolate and toasted coconut!!
For music, 8tracks. It’s the best and possibilities are endless.
Here’s a simple scarf pattern you can start with…cast on 24 stitches, then the pattern is knit 4, purl 4 and repeat that pattern all across. I just started knitting and this was pretty easy…although I did rip it out afew times until I was satisfied with the look of it. Good luck!!!
I love spotify! It’s awesome and I’ve yet to have it mess up on me. As for athleta, you cannot go wrong. I teach water fitness classes and have had the same bathing suit for over 4 years. It has held up beautifully and the fit is amazing. I’ve loved everything I’ve ever ordered from them! Great that they have free return shipping!
I’ve been buying from Athleta for years, love them. The tops do run fitted. Just read the reviews before buying, their customers are very good about rating the products.
Hahaha I did read that buzzfeed article…I am 29 so when most of those songs came out i was 9 – 11….not good!! Now I hear my 12 year old niece singing things I am like what are you listening to?!
Yay for knitting! Ravelry.com is my go-to for patterns. You have to sign up, but it’s free. There is an advanced pattern search where you can apply all sorts of filters (like needle size, skill level…even the type of yarn). For a true beginner, I always think that making a simple garter stitch scarf is a great jumping-off point. You’ll learn how to cast on, knit, and bind off. Alternatively, you could do stockinette (alternating rows of knitting and purling). Or just knit oodles of dishcloths/doggy paw wiper-offers.
There is also a great knitting community on reddit: reddit.com/r/knitting. The folks there are helpful and knowledgeable, and there are lots of beginners! Have fun with it. It’s so nice to be able to put on a pair of socks or throw on a scarf and just say “Yep, I made that.”
Spotify is the best!!!
Love your Friday pictures of the dogs. Good luck with the knitting. I know nothing.
Hope no one takes a picture of me eating.
Hi
Internet radio… Songza… you can pick music according to time of day and activity. Mine is early morning, singing in the shower playlist
Love Athleta. The Relay Capri cannot be beat at any price and last forever. They are expensive but not as expensive as Lululemon. I would say the tops run on the small side but bottoms true to size. My ‘go to’ swim suit is the ‘Not-So-String Bikini’…awesome. Adjustability (is that a word???) of a string with more coverage ;) They also have lots of cup size options which are great. Before Gap bought them they had a lot of items that were made in America. Not so much anymore…Also gone are the BEST EVER annual warehouse clearance sales. Oh well…still a great company. Brick and mortar store here in San Francisco which is nice…
Happy Belated Birthday!!!!
Don’t know if this qualifies but iheartradio.com plays my favorite radio stations from all over the country…..on my smartphone!
For knitting, you must get on Ravelry.com! Also your local yarn shop will be a great resource.
Yes, definitely Ravelry.com for sure! The best resource and community for knitters ever!! You can thank us later :-)
I would suggest “Spotify” – I have it and love it….I never really sang or listened to those songs from the 90’s – go figure….lol…It is hard being a parent to a girl at any age…lol…the boys (Duke and Einstein) look so cute and well behaved:)
Good luck with the knitting…I’ve tried to learn twice and it wasn’t pretty…so now I’ve thrown in the towel and have bought a knitting machine..will see how that goes..lol…have a good weekend!
Some internet radio stations I love to use are, Grooveshark, which is really cool because you can actually search songs and play the ones you want, it’s not like pandora where they play you songs you don’t want to hear lol. But what’s best about it is you can create your own playlist of songs and you can either have their app or just use their website on your phone, and play your music whenever you want. OR if you want you can just listen to their own created radio stations, which are commercial free and you can skip as many times as you want. Slacker radio is cool for when you want to hear different genres, because that’s how of the radio stations are named, like “New Pop First” or “90’s R&B”. So yeah I hope you check these out. :)
Athleta swimwear is great! We’ve bought several things over the last couple of years for our two teen girls – mostly modest swimwear – and have been very pleased. It’s worth spending the money on better quality swimwear because they wear and wash it a lot! Take the plunge…I think you’d be very happy=)
Haha! Not a camper here, either. Although, my sister has a RV and it’s not bad with electricity, flushing toilets and showers! :)
I’m not a Cadbury Creme Egg fan either, but I do adore their chocolate. I almost bought some of their caramel eggs until I saw the calories. Eek!
I’m trying out your ciabatta bread recipe today!! It should be yummy with the black bean soup I’m making, too.
I picked up knitting this winter. I am a total beginner. I am constantly having to google what different technical terms and watching youtube for instructions. After knitting a scarf, (that took much longer than expected) I searched for a project that was less time consuming. I landed on these fun wash cloths. They have a vintage feel to them, and they are fun to give away. You can easily finish one in an evening. The link is below.
http://www.simplynotable.com/2013/the-almost-lost-washcloth-pattern/
I like Athleta, have shorts, skirts and a few workout tops. They are a tad pricey but the quality is definitely there. Title Nine is another great store, where I’ve gotten my last two swimsuits. Love the puppy pictures every Friday. They definitely make me smile! :) Thanks!
I started out knitting dishcloths and have never graduated from that! I wish I could finish another knitting project but never get enough time in 1 spot to do it. Some of my friends who knit do it so quickly that I am intimidated by them. I say GO FOR IT and don’t let anything keep you from it. It can be so very relaxing and enjoyable to do! Good luck with it – please show us what you make. I enjoyed signing up at Ravelry.com as they have many free patterns and you can do an advanced search by the supplies you currently have on hand and your skill level and how much (if anything) you’re willing to pay for a pattern. Very cool site! JLL