ANOTHER cottage wedding!

A few weeks ago, when we vacationed at the cottage, we started the week with one wedding, and ended it with another. The second one was a surprise, put together at the last minute and was very, very casual.

Meet Bo and Lucy, the groom and the bride.

The groom, Bo, is a Irish Setter, Golden Retriever mix and lives next door to us. The bride, Lucy, is a purebred German Shorthair Pointer, who lives across the bay. She was a rescue - her owners found her up here, abandoned. They spent a lot of time and money trying to find her owners, only to realize that she was probably brought here by some hunters, used for that purpose, then left. In winter. I swear, if we ever find out who did that, the result will not be pretty. Luckily, her owners are wonderful people who treat her right.

The altar. The kids did a great job with this.

Best Dog Rudy was all over the altar.

Bo is somewhat laid back, and likes to laze on the deck. Lucy is high energy, and will chase a stick for hours on end. She is happiest when someone is there to throw the stick for her.

They say opposites attract, so I guess these two are living proof.

The downside is that Lucy is a bit fickle. This is her third marriage on the lake, and we're unsure how many hookups at home have happened. Thankfully, she is spayed, and Bo is neutered, so no issues with unexpected progeny.

a new allergy

I was sick last week. Bad cough, chest congestion, bad enough that I took Friday off, and went to the doctor. Seems I have a virus, but he gave me a prescription cough syrup, with codeine.
Yeah, that was a mistake. Seems I have an allergy or aversion to codeine. Whatever it is, I was SICK.
Here's a quirk I have - I don't throw up. Ever. I really don't ever want to do it. It's been well over a decade since the last time. Until Friday. Man, that was a bad day.
Of course, my husband thinks this is funny, and all day I kept getting emails from him, checking on my "progress".
Funny guy, him...

Yes, I'm much better now - food is back to being my friend.

I have been knitting...

While the Kumihimo beading seems to have overtaken my life lately, there has been knitting. I've been doing a fair bit of knitting on the Tappan Zee cardigan - I'm at the boring stockinette part right now, so it seems to take forever, but I can crank out quite a few rows at the boy's baseball games, and we've got three more of those this week before the end of the season, so I'm hoping for progress. It's also great car knitting, so the Labour Day trip to the cottage should see some growth as well.
The rainbow scarf grows a little slower - I don't have anyone in mind for this, so there doesn't seem to be a huge rush on it. (Tappan Zee is my primary knit because it is for ME!)

Not to say there hasn't been beading - 4 new ones since I last showed you. (the 4 bottom ones - but the 2 at the very bottom aren't Kumihimo, just some fabulous jewellery findings I came across and HAD to have...

The pink and gold one is for our cottage neighbour - Her husband has been a godsend this summer, helping with the deck and just in general. and I know he would never take anything as a thank you, but would appreciate his wife getting this. That and the fact that she's a great friend and better person.

The small round stone beaded one - well, I'm wearing it today. I think I'll keep it for myself.

Oh, and a note to Robyn - I can be found on Ravelry as Curlerchik, however, I'm a proud Ravelry underachiever - I post nothing there, and only use it as a reference. Sorry!

SILHOUETTE MACHINE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

SILHOUETTE MACHINE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

This is a great machine (seaking fromsomeone who has worked in the scrapbook and paper craft industry for a few years...)

As you can guess, I don't have one, but boy would I love one! Hope I win!

a new technique...

I have a lot of beads. I admit it. My bead stash rivals my wool stash. (It just doesn't look like it, becasue beads take up so much less space, but trust me, it's big.)

I'm always on the lookout for ways to use it up (by using them up, I open up space to bring in new stuff!) I saw a braided type of bracelet on a blog one day and was fascinated by the look. I did a little research into Kumihimo beading, and lo and behold, this is what happened this weekend at the cottage:

I started with the brown one with the tiger-eye stone chips (far left), then the grey and red glass with hematite stone chips:I think that one is my favourite. (I know it's my MIL's favourite - she kept putting it on, and hoped I didn't notice!)

The brown and gold one using ceramic and glass beads was a quick one that turned out better than expected - I didn't have high hopes for it when I strung the beads. One thing I really like it the end finishing - there are wires braided into the ends of the bracelet, and these are strung through bead caps and clasps, then easy, very pretty. (And the silver one is a magnetic clasp - so easy to use when putting on a bracelet.)

I realize these aren't the best of pictures, but the bracelets are really pretty - there's a nice heft to them, they work up quickly, and they don't take a ton of materials or time. THere's very little special equipment, but you do need a braiding disk - I was worried about that until I realized it was the foam disk that came with my son's gimp braiding kit! Seriously - you can buy a Kumihimo disk for a somewhat large chunk of change, or you can get a kids foam gimp braiding disk for a lot less. I did buy the braiding pattern, however - I wanted to do it right, and it was worth it to buy just the pattern rather than search through and buy back issues of beading magazines. I can bet that in the next isue or two, this technique will be featured!

Red Green FINALLY done

While I finished the knitting of the Red Green Sweater a while ago, I needed to put the closures on it. I finally got around to doing that at the cottage - I had bought the pewter clasps (my favourite type of closure) at Needles and Knits, and sewed them on Saturday morning.

(ooo, sorry for the crappy picture - I hate trying to photography red with this camera...)

Perfect.

Next up - same sweater in cream. or maybe blue... or both...

I think I'm being stalked...

he's out there, right now...

maybe I'll take up woodworking...

No, I won't, since a new hobby would just about kill me, but this deck is our pride and joy:

My husband, myself and our neighbour put this beauty together. We ripped out the old, dangerous one, and after reinforcing the spongy joists (a somewhat unexpected find), replaced the 30 year old crap deck with a properly built one with the proper materials. (the former one was really built out of whatever materials were around - the deck boards were probably fence boards, there had to be 4-5 different types of nails used, etc.) Plus, it was stained dark brown - my FIL's favourite thing to do. We are going to be hard pressed to keep him from staining this one, and we really don't want him to! The catch phrase of the week was "nothing a little walnut stain won't fix..."

We changed one thing - we changed the regular railing to this bench seat one. This deck is really a gathering place, and by doing this , we added seating for a ton more people. My in-laws don't know we did this - I can't wait for them to see it!

Now if only we could get rid of the plastic chairs... (I know they're handy - rain doesn't hurt them - they're just not my favourite...)

ETA - the in laws saw it, and LOVED it! They were just thrilled. Of course, we all then had to vacate the cottage so my SIL and her soon to be ex-husband and all his relatives from Germany could take over the place for a week. Yes, it's a strange situation, but we're just happy he's a soon to be ex. She will be so much better off without this person in her life. Why he thought he could still have her family cottage for a week with his relatives is beyond me, and no one thought to tell him otherwise, once the divorce was announced. Oh well - one week, then he's gone.

first day of vacation...

We arrived for our holidays on Saturday, with about an hour to spare to get two cottages down in our finest shorts, clean t-shirts and flip flops to witness a wedding.

Our neighbour L and her fiance B found each other in St. Maarten a year or so ago, and this was the culmination of the relationship. They're well suited to one another, and all their friends are extremely happy for them.

The wedding itself was fabulous.(this was the moment they were introduced as husband and wife)

It was the perfect summer wedding - about 100 people, a short ceremony on the dock with all of us on land, in muskoka chairs and the like, and the dress was to be casual - "whatever you would normally wear on a cottage Saturday" we were told. Works for me. The weather was perfect - sunny woth a slight breeze off the lake. There were jokes, and kids running all over, there was a surprise for the bride - their favourite song is "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt. The groom asked our 16 year old neighbour to sing it as a surprise for the bride. He practiced with his guitar for months, and once they read their vows, he nailed it. Seriously, not a dry eye. The kid is already a chick magnet, he just solidified his reputation with that.

Truly, there was no better way to start our holidays.

growth of a child

Marie (a fellow hard core cottager), mentioned in a comment that the boychild should be looking into water skiing or wakeboarding as part of cottage growth.
We've been pushing the water skiing for a couple of years - we both grew up skiing, and want him to experience it as well. Last year didn't go so well - I love my father in law to death, but he should not have been driving the boat during the first lessons. It did not go well, which could be considered the understatement of the year. So boychild steered way clear of it for a while. This week, we tried again, with FIL back in the city, and our neighbour a willing stand in.
Although there are no pictures to prove it, (as I was in the water helping with the start, and we kept it pretty quiet to friends to lessen the stress), there was success. He got up on about the 4th try, circled the bay, and "dismounted" rather spectacularly. (we kind of forgot to tell him how to gracefully let go.)
The upside is he like it. The downside is he he didn't LOVE it. But... he wants to continue.

The growth of my child. Last year, he would have caved after three tries. And if he didn't love it, he wouldn't go on. But he knows it means something to us, and he takes that into account. That's the kind of growth that makes us proud.

The other growth - vertical and foot size - I can do without. His shoes are not cheap, nor are his clothes, and I'd like to see a little wear and tear before I have to replace them! Seriously, this kind of growth is wasted on kids - a new wardrobe every season? This is a grown woman's dream...

Note from the comments - someone was looking for a shawl pattern - I don't have one for 400m, but there is the 198 yds. of heaven shawl pattern that I love - try that - it's free on Ravelry!

the view from here

We went to a wedding (details to come):

We demolished the old deck:Started the new deck:

I took time to knit (details to come):

some time to crochet (details to come):

and a whole lotta time was spent with family.

My kid has gained confidence in so many things - cliff jumping, extreme tubing, and driving the boat on his own. (Husband is there until the boat license is gained this week, but he does nothing to help.) Even docking the boat is not an issue. He's grown up so much - I'm proud, yet sad at the rate of growth. Sometimes, I want my baby back.

Because I'm showing you this now, you can guess we gained something else - wi-fi at the cottage. We're of mixed minds about it - we're sharing it with the neighbours - both guys are business owners, and if wi-fi here means my husband can spend more time here, then it's worth it. It has also come in handy looking up who has the deck brackets we want, and to be honest, it has allowed me to keep up my job search.

Plus, sitting on the deck blogging is not a bad way to do it...

brain - right side, left side...

We all know the brain has two hemispheres - right and left. The right side supposedly controls the left side of the body, and the left brain is in charge of the right side.

(A favourite saying for us left-handers - If the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, left handers are the only people in their right mind. But I digress...)

Basically, there is the logical left side of the brain, and the more flighty, more artistic right side.

My left brain is saying " you have a week at the cottage - during which you are rebuilding a deck, stacking a bushcord of wood, and looking after kid and husband, as well as socializing. You need 1 scarf, and perhaps a sweater to knit."

My right brain has me packing the following:
Wool for 4 crochet orphan scarves
Laceweight for a shawl I was pointed to - In the Pink - thanks Joan D.!
Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool to make Tappen Zee (I've started this one already - why did it take me so long to knit with this delicious stuff??)
Knit Picks Heathered brown wool for a Leisl sweater- yummy.
2 pairs of socks - both started, and stalled for different reasons
a crochet bag in a lovely mossy green hemp

not to mention sixteen books (I love our local library) an entire reusable shopping bag of beads and beading supplies, and some supplies to make some cards for occasions coming up.

I like my right brain way better than my left brain.

hi! remember me?

I know I owe a post or two (or three...)
I'm still blogging, I'm still knitting, but I have other things on the go right now (mostly, trying to clean up stuff at the "soon to be over" job, and looking for the next job.
I'm also trying to spend as much time as possible with my son, and then there's other family things going on.
Suffice to say, I'm still around, still reading other blogs, still trying to put together some posts of my own, but I've got to clear a bunch of crap out of my brain before I can put together some cohesive, understandable posts. (Oh, and we're away next week, so I'm trying to get ready for that).
Back soon!