NOvember

If you're anything like me, your time is extremely valuable.  I find my days and nights overrun by activities, and all this busyness takes its toll!  Add in the move, and I'm really running at max cap.  Yesterday my genius hubby shared an idea with me that I want to share with you -- let's make this a NOvember.  If you're feeling rundown, burning out, or just too busy, use this month to say "no"**.  Even if you just say no to ONE unnecessary item on your schedule, you'll breathe a little easier this month.

Much of what is keeping me busy this month is work related and will be difficult to say no to.  I have many early morning (ugh) and late afternoon events, and one Sunday so far.  I am going to commit to not making any more work commitments outside of regular working hours this month.  WHEW!

Luckily the commitments I've made to blog and knit are both things I do for ME, so I don't have to say no to them.

Moving out of London to St. Marys will make it a bit easier to say no to some "extra-curriculars", but I do still plan to be involved in the Forest City.  I hope to also find ways to get involved in my new community... in the New Year!

Sidenote:  If you're NOT too busy and have time to spare, November is a great month to volunteer.  There are many charities and non-profits needing extra help in November and December to cope with added need and extra donation inventory around the holidays.  If you're looking for ways to be busier in the next few months, I suggest looking into volunteering for one of the following:

• Women's Community House
• London and Area Food Bank
• United Way of Middlesex & London
• The Salvation Army
• Please suggest other organizations in need in the comments!

**Please don't say no to the London Short Film Showcase this weekend!!  It will be a great event, and tickets are available at a reduced price TODAY ONLY!!

Shopping!!

I am addicted to kijiji, the classifieds website.  This is not necessarily a new thing -- I have a reputation for searching "beagle" on the site at least once every two weeks (I can't help it, I love beagles).  With our move well underway, I have an actual, legitimate excuse for shopping.

The house that we're moving to is a bit bigger than ours, but we're also using the move as an opportunity to replace some of our old stuff with new stuff.

Take living room furniture for example: five years ago we bought a lovely couch/chair/ottoman set at Leons for something like $1200.  It was very modern and classy looking, and the salesman assured us the soft mico-suede-like fabric would be easy to wipe clean.  He lied.  Not only is it impossible to clean (even water seems to stain it), but it attracts pet hair and pets like a magnet.  And my dog drools in his sleep.  And my late cat (RIP Gordon) liked to vomit on soft surfaces.  The chair is beyond salvation, so it (and likely the ottoman) will not be making the move.  The couch will move temporarily until it can be replaced.

The new house also has no closets.  Like, not-a-single-closet-in-the-place.  Old houses are sometimes like that, so we'll be needing dressers, armoires, wardrobes, and other creative storage solutions.  So far kijiji has been a godsend in that department!

We're also planning  a big IKEA shopping trip, which I'm super excited about, but figure I might as well get what I can second hand and at antique shops first.

Before you start telling me about the evils of consumerism and how we live in a disposable culture, let me distract you with this funny parody of the IKEA Cats commercial:



I also just found out the couch I want now comes in a box, unassembled.  THAT'S gonna be awesome.

Auburn Like Anne

I did actually finish it, and just so you'll believe me, here are the pics to prove it:

Admittedly, they are not the greatest pictures, but I took them on my phone in poor lighting.  These photos were taken before weaving in, blocking and sewing on buttons, but it is complete!  I've worn it twice already and LOVE it!  The colour is really great, and it's just so comfortable.  I did the sleeves a bit short because I was paranoid about running out of yarn (and of course, ended up with lots left over).  Also, after blocking the sweater came out much longer than I expected, but it's still quite flattering.

I'll try to have @JClarkey take a picture of me the next time I'm wearing it -- it really is gorgeous!

I will be using the same pattern on a much, much smaller scale for my Sweater for Scarlett.  I'm also undecided as to whether I should do buttons on the top, like mine, or put buttons all the way down like a typical cardigan.  I'll keep you posted.  I will also be going against the legendary Elizabeth Zimmerman's recommendation to knit baby items in soft wool (which is what mine is), and I'll be making Scarlett's sweater out of a washable cotton/acrylic blend.  Having worked many years in childcare, I want her to be able to wear it while she's playing, making messes and being a kid.  For some reason a wool baby sweater seems to me like something that would be worn in church and at Christmas.  Bleh.  I'm also going to try to make it in a size 12 - 18 mos (but I'll totally be guessing as I knit) because she has more tiny baby clothes than she'll probably ever wear.

Being an Auntie is fun, but I wish she lived closer to me :(

NaBloPoMo!

Since I've dropped off the blogging train, I thought I might as well participate in NaBloPoMo, or National Blog Posting Month.  It the month of November I will attempt to blog EVERY SINGLE DAY!  I will also be participating in NaKniSweMo, which is National Knit a Sweater Month, and @JClarkey is growing a moustache for Movember!  It's going to be a busy month for these, and other reasons.


What else is keeping me busy in November?  Well, for starters:

- The London Short Film Showcase (of which I am a board member)
- I'm moving (!!)
- 6-8 work events taking place outside of regular working hours
- And a host of other extracurriculars (Pillar Innovation Awards, a baby shower, a card making night, et al).

This all seems like a lot (even for me), but I can handle it... I think!

Unfortunately NaKniSweMo is already not off to a great start as all of my yarn has been packed for the move :S  I did just finish a sweater though, so I think I have permission to cheat a bit.  Here are my knitting goals for the month:

- Get at least halfway through the Sweet Pea Blankie I am working on for my niece, Scarlett (this is not packed and will give me something to work on until I am sufficiently unpacked)
- Knit and finish one Baby Sweater on Two Needles for Scarlett, starting by November 15
- Start on a TML Jersey for Jason by November 30

All this work will be a serious test of both my knitting abilities and my attention span, which is admittedly short.  It will also help me prepare for another Heart Health Month blog fest come February!!  I am hopeful that the knitting will help with the blog inspirations.

Here is that adorable niece I was talking about.  I think I have just enough Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Terracotta for a sweet little baby sweater.

What are you doing this month?

What ever happened to ugly people?

"All young people seem to be good looking now. When I was in college I had some friends who were ugly. I have pictures to prove it!"

Overheard this little gem and had a giggle.

- KC

Event Planners (Behind the Scenes)

This week is a bit of a stress nightmare, as it's the week before a BIG event at work.  People seem to think I have the easiest job on the planet, and while it is pretty awesome, it has its moments.  The week leading up to an event would be one of those moments.

Here is an idea of the thoughts and emotions that precede an event:

6 Months Prior to Event: "This event is going to be AWESOME!!  It will be the BEST EVER!!  It will blow last year's event out of the water!"

3 Months Prior to Event: "Things are coming along smoothly.  This event will rock!"

2 Months Prior to Event: "Wow, this event is coming up fast.  No worries, I'll be ready, and it's going to be sooooo much fun!"

1 Month Prior to Event: "Still lots of time to prepare. This event will be at least as good as it was last year.  With luck, it may even be a bit better."

2 Weeks Prior to Event: "Jeez, there's still a lot of work to do to make sure this event is a success.  But, it'll get done.  As long as people have a good time I'll be happy with the event -- even if it's not quite as good as last year."

1 Week Prior to Event: "F* this event is going to kill me!  How am I going to get all this work done?!?!  How did we DO it last year???"

1 Day Prior to Event: "This event is going to suck.  I hope I don't get fired."

Now to add to the complexity of all these emotions, imagine they overlap for multiple events.  Now imagine you are One Week Prior to and Two Weeks Prior to the two biggest events of the year.  Yup, that's where I live right now...  So if you don't hear from me for a few weeks...  Or if you start to hear nasty rumours about me...

And for those of you who think I have the sweetest job in the world...  I do, actually.  Just don't wish you were me in the month of September.

Secret Love Affair

I love tomatoes.  My love of tomatoes goes back to the days of my childhood when I used to pick them from my parents' garden and eat them until I had cankers from the acidity.  To this day I will frequently enter the house with a mouthful of sun-warmed cherry tomatoes answering a garbled "Nuffin'" to the inevitable question, "What are you eating?"

This year when my local Metro was closing the garden centre they began giving plants away for FREE!  I couldn't resist picking up one of each kind of tomato to add to the three semi-exotic varieties I had already planted.  Here they are:

The Grape tomatoes are doing very well and make a tasty addition to salad, or just a nice snack!

The Romas are producing well, but so far everything is staying quite green.  

The Amish Paste are both bountiful and LARGE, but are also staying pretty green.  This is the first (exciting!) sign of colour on the plant.  Between these and the Romas I will be making a lot of sauce this year!  I'll also be looking for a recipe for pizza sauce.

The Green Zebras also seem to be well-producing, but slow to ripen.  These bad-boys are almost there, but still quite hard.  I can't wait to try them!

Also in the garden, but not featured here are Brandywine and Black Cherry tomatoes.  The Black Cherries are on the deck (better sun) and early producers, so I've been eating them for a few weeks.  They're delicious and perfectly snack sized!  The only problem I've noticed is they sometimes disappear at the peak of ripening.  I'm not sure if I have the dog or some other wildlife to blame for it.

I do know it's not @jclarkey munching on them because he has a strong dislike for tomatoes.  I won't say he hates them, because he does like salsa and tomato sauce, but he doesn't tolerate raw tomatoes.  I'm kind of hopeful I can convert him.  Especially given the number we'll have this year!  I also have to thank him for tending to my tomatoes.  They often grow to heights beyond my reach and he has to stake them for me.  Thanks hunny!

Garden Dilemma:
My chives are in flower right now, and I'm not too sure what to do.  We hardly use the chives so I usually try to cut the flowers as soon as they appear because they spread like weeds.  This year some local honey bees have really taken to them!  I feel bad taking food that I won't eat from someone else who's really enjoying it.  Thoughts?

P.S. Blogger is once again taking liberties with photo rotation.  It doesn't matter how I format them prior to upload, blogger seems to have a mind of its own when deciding how photos should be laid out.