Bye Bye Myrtle Beach

Our week at the beach is over.  It went by way too quickly.  These will just be memories now.

Playing in the surf.

Relaxing by the Lazy River.

Soaking up the sun at the beach. 

Playing in the sand. 

Watching the rain over the ocean. 

Spying a rainbow at sea. 

Noticing the rainbow reach up into the clouds. 

I didn't do much knitting this week.  I did get two books read:  Island of Saints by Andy Andrews and Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich.  The little bit of knitting that occurred was on the Pi Shawl.  I'm in the outer ring section so each round takes forever.  I'm going to try to do a round a day and attempt to get it finished  this summer.

Life's A Beach

'Nough said.

Strawberry Season

This is what 14 pounds of strawberries looks like.  It took me less than an hour to pick this tray.  My back was killing me when I was finished.  From this I made 5 pints of freezer jam and a strawberry cake.  Ed and the kids ate a good portion of the berries also.  They were fantastic!

The strawberry cake was my maternal grandmother's recipe.  I had to ask my siblings for a copy of the recipe.  My sister took a photo of the recipe and emailed it to me.  It was written in my grandma's own handwriting.  My sister has the original.  I think things like that are family treasures.  The last line on the recipe is 'It's Delicious!'  Grandma was absolutely right.  I did something wrong with the icing, but it didn't detract from the cake.  Somehow it was more like a glaze when I made it, but it is supposed to be a frosting.  I might have let the butter get way too soft.

I have a long car ride coming up soon.  I dug through my bins and pulled out a couple hibernating projects.  I can't decide which one to take on the trip.  I can't remember when I started this Print O' The Wave stole.  I remember buying the yarn one summer to make a mystery shawl.  I fell behind on the clues.  Once I saw a few of the finished shawls, I decided I didn't want to continue so I frogged it.  Sometime after that I started this but it hasn't gotten very far.

Another candidate is the Pi Shawl.  This has only been hibernating a few months.   

I also have a couple socks on the needles.  They probably need frogged because I don't remember where the patterns are.

I finished spinning half of the alpaca (I think) - mohair that I got from the fiber festival a couple weeks ago.  I'll spin the rest onto another bobbin and ply then together.  Hopefully I'll get about the same yardage.

I love the halo that it has.  I'm already thinking about making a cowl out of this.

Inflation

This blog doesn't get many views.  Most of the views originate from Ravelry.  I look at the number of page views each time I log in to create a new post.  Today I was stunned to see that on a day last weekend I got 17 page views.  My heart leaped with joy.  Then it was crushed.  I realized I was the viewer.  Last Saturday I updated my projects on Ravelry and had been bouncing back and forth to the blog.  I inflated my own numbers.  Oh, well.  Maybe my efforts will spawn some real views.

One project that I wish to share and hope gets noticed in the afghan I was making for my personal trainer.  I finished it Wednesday evening and wrapped it in pretty wrapping paper.  I delivered it to him yesterday morning when I went for my 6:00 am workout.  I hope he and his bride like it.

I steamed the edges a little because they wanted to curl.  Because of the cables, it wants to draw in a bit, but when stretched out it covers nicely.  The recipients are both around 6 feet tall (she a bit under, he a bit over).  It won't cover them head to toe, but it will be a nice lap afghan.  Something to snuggle under when watching TV or reading a book.  This went to them with many wishes for a long, happy marriage and an eternity of love.

Now I need to decide what my next project will be.  I'm very close to finishing the Taize shawl.  I should just buckle down and get it done before I start anything else.  What I really need is a nice, long car ride.  That would give me uninterrupted time to work on it.

Tomorrow I am hoping to get out in the morning to do some strawberry picking.  The place I hope to go is closed today to allow their fields to replenish.  Rumor has it that the crowds have been larger this year.  I'll need to get up there right when they open to get a good spot.  Blake put in a request for strawberry freezer jam.  I also want to make a strawberry pie.  I have my mom's recipe and it is delicious.   It does not use gelatin, rather corn starch to create the glaze. The recipes that use gelatin just taste strange to me.  I wish I had my grandmother's strawberry cake recipe.  Some of my sisters have the recipe, but I've never gotten it.  I'll have to call my mom tonight and ask for it.

Last fall, after Kristin went away to college, I bought her a plant for her dorm room.  It was a succulent.  I figured it didn't need much water and would be easy to care for.  Boy, was I wrong!  When we picked her up before Christmas, that poor plant looked pathetic.  When she went back for second term, I told her I would keep the plant home and nurse it back to health.  My attention has been rewarded.  The plant is now blooming.

There doesn't seem to be any fragrance to the blooms.  They remind me a bit like the plant from Little Shop of Horrors.  If I hear a voice calling for Seymour, I'll know we are all in trouble.

June Already?!

The school year has ended for all of my children.  The two high schoolers finished their exams yesterday.  The girls have jobs but Blake, since he doesn't yet drive, hasn't gotten one.  Ed and I are trying to convince him to apply at the grocery store down the street.  It is only a mile away.  There is a bike path the entire way so he could ride a bicycle there and back.  He is going to spend a week with his cousins.  After the vacation we will push him a little harder to get his first job.

My sister recommended a book, which I got from the library yesterday.  It is called Proof Of Heaven by Dr. Eben Alexander.  In the book he relates his near death experience and how it changed him from a non-believer into a believer.  In the book he tells how his NDE taught him that the fundamental element of the universe is unconditional love.  What I found most interesting is that his description of this love reminded me of the talk Aron Ralston gave at the conference I attended in April.  Aron Ralston is the person that the movie 127 Hours is based upon.  Before freeing himself, Aron told of an experience he had, describing it using the words 'unconditional love'.  Both men mention also meeting someone during their experience that at the time was unknown to them, but enters their life later.  As someone who already believes in the Divine, I don't need to read/hear these accounts to change my belief.  But it has given me some clarity and comfort when I think about my dad.  Having a glimpse into how beautiful and glorious the world beyond ours is helps me to know that he is at peace.  If you ever have a chance to read the book by Dr. Alexander or hear Aron Ralston speak, take it.  

Speaking of love, I have less than one week to finish the afghan for my trainer and his bride.  Their wedding is next weekend.  I am in the final stretch.  According to the pattern, I have only 7 rows to go.  However, he is 6'3" and she is 5'11".  I think at least one more repeat of the pattern and then the final 7 rows are needed.  I have enough yarn and time for that.  I actually have enough yarn for 2 more pattern repeats.  If I want to give this to them before the wedding, I won't be able to do 2 more repeats.  I'll make a decision Monday.  I'm a master at pushing the limit of deadlines.