Friday Night Fun

  The weather has finally become agreeable once again so we gave our local farmer's market another try last night. There is only one more left for the season.

Finally the fall decor on the boardwalk looked like it belonged. I was chilly.

 The place was a sea of tomatoes. It must have been a good year.

 I got a fresh blackberry sangria from a local winery.  The first sip was scary but it got better as the night wore on.

 After dark the market becomes a street party.

 Blocks and blocks of fairyland under the lights.

There were bars and nightspots where I never knew they existed before. With live music even. I thought this was someone's house. It's not. It's a bar. It was a great night. I'm still buzzing from the excitement-and maybe that blackberry wine thing.

Also...for everyone who signed up for the giveaway, your soap is on the way. Thanks so much for helping me empty the boxes. I had 22 people respond! There is hardly any soap left and what is left I am packing up and giving to our hard working postal clerks that helped me get all those packages on the way. If you need a tracking number message me on Ravelry. Thanks again....this week I get to make winter soap!!! Woo hoo....

Derailed

This is not what you expected is it? Right in the middle of the bathroom renovation you should be looking at plumbing. Not today.

 We had to call in a real plumber and he can't come until tomorrow so we took a break. We heard the weather was going to be better but it wasn't. That sun was hot. Too hot for Pup's little feet. We had to stay in the little town on the shady sidewalks and away from the blistering boardwalk.

 The antique shop has a new addition in their vintage craft window. Nice sweater but that thing is scary.

 Later that day I went to see Daddio. I knit while he looked out the window. He liked sitting in the sun. He said it felt good.

Ta dah...one sock done. He gets really tickled when I get a sock done. He is always asking if I'm ever going to finish that "thing". Today I did.

On the way home I had to stop for gas and was hoping that the Wawa had some apple cider donuts. They didn't. This is a pumpkin donut. It was okay but not nearly as good as the apple cider version. Every time I find something I really like it disappears. I must be the kiss of death. Darn.

Treasure from Trash

 Yesterday the focus was on removing the old tile.  I found this blue tile on a clearance shelf right after we moved here. It served it's purpose but I was very tired of the blue.

 The Mister was pleased to discover it came up pretty easily. He is stiff and sore from the job but there was no drama-thank goodness.

 We've got drama today though. None of the plumbing is matching up with the new stuff which is a big problem. While The Mister and a friend he brought in for consultation mull the issue over I'm using the giant bathtub box as a design wall.

That huge box has come in very handy. I would have been crawling around on the floor to get my wedding rings pinned down. I am going to miss it when it's gone.

I also want to thank two bloggy friends for some happy mail that arrived today. Mmmm.....pecan pie flavored coffee and fancy yarn goodies. Thanks ladies, you made my day!

A Very Close Call

So how's that bathroom remodeling going you might ask. Well, let me tell you all about it. See that wire connecting the blue boxes?

Well, that was right under the old fiberglass tub surround. When The Mister went to cut through the surround to remove it, he cut right through it. If he hadn't been wearing big rubber gloves and if the circuit breakers hadn't tripped I would be writing a much different post today.

Those wires went to my kitchen, most notably the refrigerator. My bathroom is a wreck and now so is my kitchen as we had to move all the appliances to plug them in elsewhere while the repairs were made on the wiring. That meant a trip to the hardware store and lots of cussing on The Mister's part about the idiots who would put a wire there-and it was only day one.

By last night we had the old tub and walls out and the electricity fixed this time running the wires so they were in a place that made sense.

The biggest head scratcher so far is why there is so much dead space behind my walls. I have a tiny bathroom with no storage and a closet sized waste of space. A more ambitious person would take advantage of this discovery but that means moving plumbing. We'll be lucky if we don't have to do a lot of plumbing to make my new bathtub work so for now I'm just keeping my mouth shut and doing what The Mister says is best. He's had a rough day.

Warm and Wooly Two

I am such a sucker for festival colors.  I spent a lot of time in front of this display of the Skyline Drive colorway by Dragonfly Fibers before I could make up my mind.

All the yarn was beautiful but in the end it was the fiber in that colorway that jumped in my basket. It was the last one on the rack. It's Merino and silk. It's so soft.

 Next up was sock yarn. Oktoberfest could not be resisted.

 I wanted more cotton for the cotton stash and I got it. I should have bought two.  They had some pretty pinks and reds. What was I thinking?

 On the way home we stopped at my favorite little market that's not too far from the fairgrounds.

 Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere....

That cauliflower is huge. So far we have had it for dinner for two nights and there is still more in the fridge.

Then there was pie-baked on site pie. It was pricey but oh my gosh delish. So good. Best pie ever. I think I'll go have another piece. The diet can wait until tomorrow-or until the pie is gone.

Speaking of warm and wooly...I spent Sunday night packing up most of the giveaway packages thinking I was doing a great thing only to turn on the news Monday morning to hear about the heat wave sweeping the country.

In those packages are the cutest little lotion bars in a cute little box that took me ages to make. Lotion bars-which are not soap btw, have a very low melting point so as soon as you touch them they turn into a silky lotion that is the best thing that will ever happen to your feet. Needless to say the post office would not be happy with me sending out lots of leaky packages that may smell great but may attract the attention of homeland security-a problem I don't need at the moment. So...I am going to hold onto the packages until the weather breaks. I'll send you a shipping notice when I post them.

My cute little fairy cards that are squished in there with the soap will probably be a lost cause but it's the thought that counts, right?

Warm and Wooly

Guess where I was this weekend?

The Mister and I and the doggies hit the road for some fall fun early Saturday morning even though there was no fall to be seen. It was 88 and muggy which is not what you want for a day in a field.

That's the Shenandoah River right there. We made lots of stops along the way because doggies gotta go when doggies gotta go.

 The Mister dropped me off at the entrance to the fest and then took the doggies to the park across the street to walk on the trails while I shopped.

 I got to look at a lot of this.

 And a lot of that.

This really is my favorite fest for shopping. No big crowds just lots and lots of great stuff to choose from. Everyone is so nice.

I peeked at a few but was not tempted to bring home a fleece. It was too hot for any serious wooly business.

The few sheep there looked pretty miserable. It wasn't too bad in the shade but that sun was brutal.

All the booths were decked out for fall in spite of the lack thereof. I usually have to wear a sweater and socks to this fest. Not this year.

I wore shorts and flip flops and I think I got a sunburn.

I bought stuff. Not much but what I did get is nice. Very nice. Tomorrow I'll tell you all about it.

AND a big thanks to everyone who responded to the fall giveaway! I'll be mailing the packages off in between bathroom remodeling so I'll do the best I can to get them out this week. If you haven't gone to Rav to claim a bar-hop to it! There is still plenty to go around.

Fall Giveaway!!!!!

I might have mentioned that I have a lot of soap to rehome. I do. Come on people. I've got Christmas soap to make. Let's move this stuff.

 Starting at the top, I've got Witches Brew which is a light patchouli scent. The little Pumpkin Spice bar smells like a latte. Honeycrisp is a sweet apple fragrance.

 At the top again, I've got Afternoon Tea which smells like a cuppa Earl Gray. Crisp Apple Wine is a tart apple scent.  Twigs and Berries is a strong combo of musk and fruit.

 Lavender and Vanilla is a rich mixture of two familiar scents. Morning Porridge is a strong honey scent with a sugary citrus twist. Aloe and Cactus Water has barely any scent but it is a rich and creamy bar and one of my prettiest.

 Fire Tree is a lovely blend of lemongrass and sandalwood-very exotic. Redwood and Saffron is a bold combo of earthiness and sweet jasmine. Farmhouse Cider is very lightly scented with a some barely there cinnamon and nutmeg.

Fairy Garden is not bright and sparkly like you might expect. It is mysterious and a bit woodsy-not too flowery or sweet. Everyone who sees this one loves it. If I run out, I promise I will make a winter fairy version for the next giveaway. Everyone who wants a fairy will get one sooner or later.

 Coming along for the ride is also a glycerin bar in the new Goat's Milk and Honey fragrance in an oatmeal base that is crammed with lots of other good things like aloe, hemp, coconut milk along with shea, cocoa and mango butters. I went crazy with this batch.

I've put one Goat's Milk and Honey foot fizzy tab and one mini lotion bar in a cute little box as a treat for your feet.

I'm addicted to these things. It's night time ritual. They are also very delicate. They are in a self sealed package so even if they are just fizzy crumbs when they arrive they will still do their job.


You know the drill. Go to Ravelry. Send me your three soap choices and I'll see you get one of them. Don't forget your mailing info and check your messages often in case I need to get in touch with you. I know so many of you like to send me something in return but in this time of great need and suffering worldwide, a small donation to the charity of your choice would more than suffice-soap to the rescue. We can save the world!