Visit to new (for me) lys

Lynae emailed me yesterday that she was going to head over to Three Bags Full (aka Jen's crack house, Lynae's term, not mine) on Saturday, a lys that I had not yet visited, and that Al from Group works at. Of course I wanted to go with; here's what I bought: I will be knitting a Booga Bag with the Noro (because right now I carry my projects in ziploc bags, and it looks tacky, an Odessa hat with the cashsoft (speaking of tacky, how about the pricetag prominently featured in the picture, and Ms. Marigold with the Alpaca and silk, it feels scrumptious!

Chicago Botanic Gardens

Thursday night we took the kids to the Chicago Botanic Gardens; it's open until 9:00 pm during the summer, and it's a great place to stroll around and get garden ideas. Here are a few shots:

Locks of Love

Daughter Number 2 donated 10" of hair to locks of love, here are the before and after shots:

August Birthday Swap

Hi August Birthday Swap Pal,

I thought I would post my survey answers for all the world to see:
What day is your birthday?
August 10th
Are you crafty?
Only in yarn related endeavors, needlepoint & knitting
Would you enjoy things like: Buttons, ribbons and embellishments?
Sure, I love all beautiful things
Do you dye your own wool?
I haven’t yet, but I have 20 pkgs of Kool Aid & 14 oz. of Victorian Brushed Mohair from Halcyon Yarns sitting in my stash
Do you like to scrapbook or make homemade cards?
I used to scrapbook, but not so much anymore
What small project would you be interested in making? Socks, mittens, scarf, hat, baby items, wash cloths, doilies, shrugs etc
I would make socks, mittens, scarf, hat, or a shrug
What are your favorite scents?
Vanilla, lavender, lily of the valley
Do you like stationary and cards?
I don’t use them very often
Do you like hand lotions or soaps?
Yes
Do you like to sew or embroider items?
I needlepoint
Do you like beads?
Yes please, although I don’t make jewelry, only for knitting
What kind of mail-able snacks do you like to eat?
Whatever, I’m easy to please; I do have a sweet tooth
Do you like to wear costume jewelry? Necklace, earrings, bracelets etc.
Nope
Do you like to play cards or board games?
Only with my kids
What are your favorite colors of yarn?
Oooh, this is tough, I love variegated yarn in all different colors. For socks I like reds (although not orangey reds, more like cranberry), blues, pinks, for sweaters I lean towards greens, greys, and blues, and for some reason I love pink & brown together
Do you like solid, variegated, heathers, or self stripping yarns?
See above
Do you like kitchen magnets or key rings?
Nope
Do you like picture frames?
Nope
Do you like to make/or use stitch markers?
I only own boring plastic ring stitch markers, although recently Lynae in my weekly knitting group gave me a couple of cute little beaded markers that look like earrings :)
Do you collect anything?
Flow Blue, Yelloware, tiny Limoges boxes
Do you have any allergies? Smoke, food, fiber, pets, etc..
Nope
Do you have any hobbies?
Is Gardening a hobby?
Do you like scented or unscented candles?
I like scented candles
Are you a fiber snob?
The snobbiest!

Happy 4th of July!

Flag cake from Barefoot Contessa Family Style!

Ravinia

Last night hubby & I went to see Los Lonely Boys at Ravinia. I must say I love Los Lonely Boys, but they did these excruciatingly long guitar solos that reminded me of Santana circa 1975 (had I been old enough to see Santana in '75, almost, but not quite). However, James Hunter opened for them & he was awesome! I dowloaded "People Gonna Talk" from itunes as soon as I got home. No pictures, I took some on my cell phone, but they're worthless - you can't capture anything from row DD!

Another gratuitous garden shot

I thought I would post a couple of gratuitous garden shots here. I love these purple spiky flowers, they're a type of lamb's ear that I bought in Wisconsin last year; I want to go back and buy about 7 more from my favorite perennial farm, Country Gardens in Oconomowoc, WI. If you're ever up there, stop by, they have the best perennial selection I have ever seen, great prices, and the couple that own it are super nice.
Also they rescue cats and have about 14 milling about outside.

Farmer's Market

This morning No. 2 child & I went to the Northfield Farmer's Market. Here is some of what we purchased: blueberries, raspberries, and cherries from Michigan. Fresh baked banana bread. A red, white, and blueberry pie. And 3 beautiful deep pink rose bushes. Now I just have to get my Mexican Gardener (i.e. my husband) to plant them for me. I would do it myself, but I still have a broken finger, which is hampering both my knitting and my gardening!