Vacation Time!

I have a blessed week off. I am getting so much done! I love being home during the day. I could almost wish for swing-shift work, like when I was in the AF. That was awesome: sleep from midnight until 8 AM, have the best part of the day at home, then go to work at 4 pm! That was the life....

I am studiously knitting from my stash, and making a Christmas present for someone special. You can see it on Ravelry (sign in at Ravelry before clicking this link), but I can't post it on my blog for fear of spoiling the surprise!

I also started my first sock! So excited, it's now almost done. I knit on it last weekend while laying in the long-awaited sunshine on my patio. I should make the next one a tad bit longer because there is obvious strain on the heel short-rows when I put it on. But I love it, and it is really warm. Socks That Rock in mediumweight Fire on the Mountain colorway :) I used the pattern found here... and it is a nice easy short-row heel, short-row toe pattern you can tweak for yourself! It's a good one for the first sock. I'm so pleased :) Next I want to make Jaywalkers!

I am almost done making the jamaica pouch bag, that Carola made. I copied you Carola, unabashedly and to the letter!!! Using the same Sugar'n Cream colorway and everything ! It is turning out really great :) Thanks for the inspiration. Great idea to use my fav cotton yarn for this!

I had seen some comments on a group in Ravelry, about this cardigan from Anthropologie that people are wanting to copy:

I think it's cute...it actually looks like a fun way to use up swatches! Funny how color-blocked items come and go in the fashion world. Here they come again, in muted colors now!

I am recuperating from the worst stress. It was escalating at work for the past 6-8 weeks, until I thought I would explode. Add some sudden financial stress, and the fact that I have had no vacation for 8 months (aside from the day off for my colonoscopy--and THAT was no R & R!)------and you have the makings of a real stressball. Thank God for vacation time. I have been taking a long hard look at my job, and I am seriously thinking about taking a cut in pay and benefits to work 4 days a week instead of 5....I don't know if that's even an option, but I can't let the stress get out of control like that again! That's no way to live.

OTOH: Times have gotten suddenly ridiculously tight. Considering that just two months ago I felt comfortable going out on a limb to purchase a spinning wheel, and plane tickets to Maui for our anniversary next month. Now I don't know how we will afford to stay there (but the tickets are bought!)

I don't care if I have to sleep on the beach like an itinerant bum. I'm going to Maui. We never went anywhere for our honeymoon, always saying that we'd go somewhere great for our 25th anniversary. Well, it's time...and I'm not about to let that go!

So if anyone knows anything about hostel-ing, give me the scoop ;-D
It looks like we may be doing it that way, if things don't turn around here soon....We'll see! That thought is starting to appeal to me, having my hippy adventure now while I'm still young (c'mon, 46 is YOUNG!)

Hoping for our tax return quickly, and the tax rebate check too! We are also refinancing our mortgage. ARM if ya know what I mean... we close on that soon, whew!

Anyway, thanks to everyone who has been reading the blog! I sent out the prize to Lisa W, and am still waiting to hear from Mairi with contact info regarding the yarn prize she won!

I will try to post pictures soon, I'm outside getting some quality time with my garden, so am doing less blogging :) Here's a pic from last year....I love this one:

I'll check in later.