The end of February means one thing to me – Nance and I head up to Maine for SPA! SPA is a lovely, relaxing, fiberiffic weekend hosted every February by NETA (New England Textila Arts).
It’s a mellow weekend; there’s no schedule, instead it’s all about filling three hotels with folks who love to knit and spin, some spa vendors, a wonderful mercantile, and a fun fashion show. It’s just the thing to calm those winter blues (if you are the type to get winter blues…)
SPA is cocktails and knitting…
Tagged NETA, New England Textile Arts, SPA, SPA Knit & Spin
Jamaica was lovely and, more importantly, sunny! Gist and I had a great time sitting by the pool and on the beach, drinking all sorts of fruity beverages, playing with charming children, and celebrating Kristin and Mike’s wedding. It was the perfect getaway! Continue reading
One of my absolute favorite vegetables…
Rhubarb! And I’ve definitely been on a kick – the latter part of May 2009 will forever be known as Rhubarb-palooza. Continue reading
Posted in $60/Week, Adventures of the Cash Poor and Time Rich, budget, Eating, Food, Lowell, Lowell MA, Miscellanea, Recipe, Vegetarian, Visiting
Tagged $60/Week, budget, Cooking, Cooking Light, Cooking Yum!, Deborah Madison, Eating, eating on a budget, Food, Local Food, Lowell, Lowell MA, New York Times, Recipe, Rhubarb, Vegetarian
…interspersed with some pictures so it isn’t a total snooze-fest over here…
Hannaford, May 18th 2009 Continue reading
Last week was a budget buster! I managed to keep the grocery bill under $60 but the only way I was able to do so was because we ate out on Monday, got pizza on Wednesday, ate out on Saturday, and went out to brunch on Sunday morning (and I enjoyed every second of it) – that’s like a typical pre-layoff week for us and it was pricey. This week will be all about reeling it back in. Continue reading
Posted in Visiting, Adventures of the Cash Poor and Time Rich, $60/Week, Vegan, Vegetarian, Recipe, budget, Food, Eating
Tagged Lowell, Cooking, Cooking Yum!, Food, $60/Week, budget, eating on a budget, Vegetarian Planet, Food Network, Vegan, Vegetarian, Lowell MA, Didi Emmons, Eating, Dave Liberman
Guess what’s back in my life after a long winter away? My bike, and I couldn’t be happier! Today will mark my first ride of the season – I had a bit of a hard time sleeping lats night, I was so excited (yes, the seven year old in me still lives!). I think a lot of people here in New England will have smiles on their faces this weekend – we’ve been blessed with some amazing weather, sunny and highs of high 70s/low 80s. Continue reading
Posted in Bike, Lowell, Lowell MA, Miscellanea, Visiting
…I was getting ready to go to the first day of RHINEBECK! This week, though short, has been awfully long.
My motto this year – go big or go home. See, I went to Rhinebeck after having been on a yarn diet since SPA in February. I have a big stash and I’m a slow knitter so I need to knit before I buy. I know that yarn diets are supposed to be these terrible things, but mine wasn’t too bad – I honestly wasn’t tempted much during the last eight months and only broke the diet twice – once to buy some alpaca in March and once, just a few weeks ago, to buy some Malabrigo lace. I didn’t feel “bad” about either of these purchases or about breaking my diet – I am not the type of person who places value judgements on things like shopping – I pay my bills, I save, I’m not particularly spendthrift so if I have the money and I want something, well, I buy it.
That was where I was at when I headed out to NY for the weekend – I had a nice amount of money to spend (my savings at work!) but nothing I really needed to buy. So I decided that I was just going to buy something really fancy – something I probably wouldn’t buy on a regular trip to my LYS. Maybe some cashmere, maybe some silk, maybe some qiviuk… Guess what won?
Yes, the qiviuk! I love it and can’t wait to start knitting with it! I’ve been knitting like a fiend on my current WIP because I want to finish. it. up. and move on to the fancy. I have 654 yards and I think it’ll become a longer Alhambra.
The festival was, as always, a lovely time filled with good friends, gorgeous yarn,
cute animals,
lots of good food and beer – but, alas, I did not get a picture of the best food of all – maple cotton candy,
Our outrageous breakfast at the Eveready Diner.
Beer + Baby Knits = How we roll.
a fun Ravelry party (with even more beer!),
We have a winner!
and that blissed out feeling that only a good sheep and wool festival can provide.
The only dark spot on the entire weekend – no fried pickles or fried garlic. Oh, well there’s always next year – plans are already in the works – yipiee!
I’m so excited! Why? Because tomorrow at this time I’ll be in the gorgeous Hudson River Valley for RHINEBECK!
It was so much fun last year! Katy, Yovani and I are heading out tomorrow at 3ish for a fun-filled weekend full of yarn, animals, fried pickles, Ravelry parties, maple! cotton! candy!, fleece, more yarn… I can’t wait!
I’m going to begin this post with a conversation I had last night with my brother, Eddy. *Warning* Eddy has the foulest potty-mouth ever and he was calling me from San Francisco (not his favorite city).
My mobile rings. “This is Barack Obama, it’s time to change America. Answer the call!” That’s my ringtone and I love it. Continue reading
Posted in Visiting
Bar Harbor! My favorite place in the world!
Cook. Shutterbug. Knitter. Fritterer. Bike Commuter. Book Worm. Dog Mom. Library Trustee. Beer Fan. Patron of the Arts & Crafts. Lover of everything Lowell!
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