Beginning of May

It's only May 10 and we have had a VERY busy beginning of May!

Lot of time at the ballfields, working, knitting, shearing day, homemade potluck dinner with friends, supporting our independent bookstore for Indy Bookstore Day, oldest son home for 9 days, dog cuddles, coffee, food, wine, leaves back on the trees, fishing, fundraising, lunch and knitting afternoon with sisters and Paige, Guy Fieri!, Yankee Game, and birthday celebrations.

My latest cast on. This one is a slow go!

Delicious dinner with friends, Ina Garten themed! Everything was delicious.

My cute knitting bag sewed by the one-and-only Seashore Sharon

Perfect weather for shearing day.

Knitting while I waited for my oldest to arrive at the airport.

Buddy was happy to welcome his big brother home!

Siblings hanging out xoxoxoxoxoxoxo I've MISSED this so much!

Lea Socks (a gift for my son's girlfriend)

We couldn't make it to Maryland Sheep & Wool so we enjoyed an afternoon of shopping at our local yarn store, Grace & Purl and having an excellent lunch at Maeberrie Market, both in Avon, NJ. It was my first time eating there and it won't be my last! It was so good. Along the way, we got to see Guy Fieri filming his Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives show. He also made a guest appearance at our baseball fundraiser later in the day. Guy is a business partner with a friend of ours and it was a fun chance to promote their tequila company, Santos. 

My yarn shop haul...

I LOVED this book. BUT, it's not for everyone. The writing is beautiful. The subject matter is very heavy and is sprinkled with a big of magical realism. I also casted on ANOTHER pair of socks using this fun self-striping yarn by Mustash Yarn. My friend Joan gifted it to me. I'm using a mini from Blackbird Sycamore for the heels and toes.

My birthday was yesterday and I had a nice lunch at The Committed Pig in Manasquan with my grandmother and my oldest. He wasn't able to be home for my grandfather's funeral so it was nice for him to visit. Our meal was delicious and I had a fancy drink (it had glitter and butterflies in it!)

Like I said, it's been a busy start of May! I need a nap lol.

 

Apple Tree, Then and Now

"My Apple Tree"

This tree has always bloomed around my birthday in early May. You can see me (left) and Andee (right) swinging from the branches while our Uncle Mayo took a quick break from farm chores and watched us swing. The tree still stands, with less branches but blooms just as pretty today as it did then.

Today...

My Rhinebeck sweater is coming along! Almost done with a sleeve. The tree was the perfect backdrop for a progress photo :)

 

Stitch and Pitch

Our local knitting/crochet crew got together at the Blue Claws game for "Stitch and Pitch" hosted by Debbie of Each Stitch Counts.

The mission of Each Stitch Counts is to alleviate hygiene insecurity by providing food pantries with dish and laundry detergent.  Containers of dish detergent include a handmade dishcloth donated by crafter volunteers.  Households dealing with food insecurity often deal with hygiene insecurity. We reach this community by supplying these products.

Part of the ticket price went directly to Debbie's organization. We also donated handknit/crochet dishcloths  we had made ahead of time. While we cheered on the teams, ate food and chit-chatted, we also worked on some dishcloths. I almost finished mine. We needed one more inning! 

It was a great day supporting a wonderful cause! 

And it ended with a beautiful sunset.

 

Thursday

It's Thursday, April 18. It's cold and yucky here today at the Jersey Shore. I'm VERY ready for nice weather, flowers growing outside, grilling, sitting on the porch, not being cold at baseball, yada yada....

I'm wrapping up my work day right now and thought I would share a few pictures from the week.

I made a bunch of these yummy egg, sausage muffins and froze a batch. Then my fridge died. Super. I had a repairman come and fix it but unfortunately all food was lost. So now I just have this nice picture. Glad we ate a few before I froze them! Fridge is fixed, now time to make more.

More sock knitting at baseball.

Monday coffee and knitting with my friends. We were all back together after weeks of someone missing for one reason or another. It was so good to be around the table with them.

My friend, Seashore Sharon is so happy I'm knitting socks! We also share a love of similar books so you can imagine my excitement when she gifted me a new project bag, a sock pattern, yarn and a new book to read. I'm about 2/3 done and I love it!!!! 

You guys.........my friend, Paige "Paige the Framer" was so sweet and framed my original sketch that became the winning 2024 Rhinebeck logo. It's very nice to have talented friends! I will treasure this forever and ever. I have to find the perfect place to hang it.

Sox the cat. By far the best cat in the world. His brother, Buddy the dog has ruined his chances of sitting on my lap while I work. But Buddy was napping and Sox took advantage. It was nice to get to cuddle for a bit. 

More sock progress!

I also swatched and casted on for my second Rhinebeck sweater. I'm so excited about this one. 

I'll share updated photos once I have more to show. 

We've had a long few days and lots of things broke...husband's car (twice...ugh, think it's time for a new one......), the fridge (now fixed), and today I had a flat tire and needed a new one. Oh the joys....BUT I will focus on the good. I've been surrounded by sad and worry lately and our hearts have been heavy as a dear friend is going through a mother's worst nightmare. The good...I have wonderful friends, yarn is healing, books and knitting keep you great company, concert season is approaching, my kids are healthy and thriving, lunch with my grandmother, happy animals, new music, new shows to watch and looking forward to a fun weekend with fiber friends.

:)