Monday Meanderings

Good Morning All! We awoke to a surprise dusting of snow today, accompanied by a lot of action at the bird feeder. What was your morning like?

I have lots to say this morning, so I'd best get to:

• What a difference a needle makes! Yesterday afternoon I went and bought a new 2.0mm needle for my bird shawl. The old one - which I can return today as they have a lifetime guarantee - had a rough join, and pushing almost 600 wee stitches over that join had been driving me nuts. I transferred the shawl to the new needle last night, and now it's smooth sailing!
• I'm feeling much better about my knitting now that I have fewer projects on the needle - and now that all of them can be considered 'active projects' as they are all getting a bit of attention every day.
• I'm feeling so much better that I'm considering doing one more project for that designer. (This is the point where a friend of mine calls and starts yelling at me...)
• I got my hair cut today. I had my stylist take a good 2-3 inches off of it. Much as I wish for a return to the glory days of my hair (high school - long and thick) it's never going to be that way again. I have thin, fine hair and it looks best when cut short.
• The reason why I got a haircut is that my husband and I have a fancy party to attend this weekend. (His employer's employee appreciation party.) I debated for a long time about buying a new dress...but in the end frugality is winning out. I just can't stomach buying something that will only be worn once or twice because if everything goes according to plain it wouldn't fit for long.
• Don't worry...I do still have a nice black skirt and a pink cashmere sweater that will look nice. I'm not completely destitute....although the closet is getting a bit sparse.
• I did find a dress on sale (and we had a gift card to that store) but it was too boring of a dress. I'm realizing that one of the things I want to do is to start developing my own sense of style. I'm tired of wearing only things that blend in.
• I made it to the Hula class yesterday, and it was a lot of fun! AND, it was a surprisingly good workout - as in most of us were drenched by the end, and my thighs and hips were burning. Mostly, though, it was just fun. The teacher complimented me for jumping right in and letting go. Apparently most people are shy their first time. I didn't even hesitate when I found out that we all got to do a solo at the end.
• Incidentally, the teacher is Polynesian, and she was gorgeous. She has one of the most beautiful, healthy bodies I've ever seen, and when she danced you could see joy coming through her. Hula is definitely her passion.
• And I've never seen hula close up. It's very different than I had thought, and I think I may now be more than a tad obsessed.
• Did I ever tell you that I took 15 years of dance when I was young? The dumbest thing I ever did was to give it up when I started college.
• I think we're going to have to discuss creativity this week. I had a talk with my acupuncturist this week that's left me contemplating a few things.
• My Golding will be going in for repairs later this week. I'm sad because I will miss it!
• I ordered my own Mother's Day gift this week - a beautiful, personalized necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs.
• I think I need a brief nap.
• I have a giant box of leftovers from my knitting projects, and I'm a bit at a loss as to what to do with them.
• Do you know what I hate to do more than almost anything in the world? Call and ask people for money. (It's why I was in charge of grant writing when I was a fundraiser.) I had to make calls about PEO dues today, and it stunk.
• My yarn shipped from England today. Yipee! Now I need to get to work to double check my swatches. I think if I cast on as soon as it arrives I will be better off. If I let it sit at all it might never happen.
• I bought Kumquats on a whim today. Turns out we don't really like them...which is a shame. I'll eat a few more before I give up on them.
• Oooh.....I'm so happy! Today I went to look at the library's downloadable audio selection to see if there was anything new. (Having long ago exhausted everything that looked good.) To my great delight, they've added a whole bunch of new books - mostly classics - and I am now in heaven! First up...the Woman in White and Little Dorrit.

I guess that's all.....I thought there would be more, but I've been staring at the screen for about five minutes now. Hmmm..

At any rate, have a great week everyone!