Thursday, November 19, 2009
Pie!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Knitting Frenzy!
1. Mosey - I finished these up last weekend and wore them out and about. So cute! I felt literally like a child of the 80s (which, granted, I am...but I wasn't old enough to pick out my own clothes then, so does it really count??) and with denim shorts and a green tee from American Eagle, I was rocking out! I will wear these again, especially as the weather gets cooler. I think I need another pair of legwarmers...now I just have to find a pattern or come up with something on my own!
2. Dream Swatch Head Wrap - I was tired of looking at this in the knitting basket next to my couch, so I whipped it out over the weekend. Not difficult at all! It turned out beautifully, but since I don't have the bangs to make this flattering, I gave it to my fashionable friend Anna! She looks tres European, don't you think?
3. Horcrux Socks - I finished these a good while back, but haven't worn them yet due to the ridiculously hot temps and high humidity we experience here in the South during the summer. When wool sock season comes along, I'll break these bad boys out!
I'm still working on the Circles Scarf (the plan now is to give this to my mama for Christmas!) and have to finish up the majority of the little suction cups/circles. The Wild Stripes blanket is in flux as well, but I'm thinking about co-opting that yarn for use in the Rebecca sweater. We'll see though. In the meantime, I'm going to start Ysolda's Urchin so I have some portable work knitting with some yarn that my mama got me awhile ago...Ironstone's Fun Wool. So pretty! Let's hope the productivity keeps up, especially over the holiday weekend!
This weekend, I'm off to my alma mater, Clemson University, for the first football game of the season! Go Tigers! Then we'll spend the rest of the weekend lounging at Lake Wateree. Bliss! After that, over the Patriot's Day weekend, I'lll be catching a quick flight to Chicago, the Windy City, to visit my dear friend Jill, along with her sister Becky and our friend Devon. Should be an exciting time filled with pizza, baseball, a wine festival in Oldtown and good times with good friends!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Rome (Finally!)
Rome itself is a beautiful place! Warm and inviting, full of yummy food, awe inspiring sights, amazing shopping, and of course, gelato! Yum! We spent our weekend in Rome at the Hotel Eden, which was a nice hotel, but the front desk staff was a tad bit stiff. Loved the rooftop bar though, what a view! It was nice after a long day of walking, shopping, and sightseeing to relax with a single glass of Pinot Grigio up there!
On Saturday, after the rigors of travel the day prior, we set out early for the Vatican. Although you would think it was obvious, you need to be wearing something that goes to at least your knees and have your shoulders covered to get in here! I didn't consider myself inappropriately dressed, but it is a church after all, and so we had to purchase some lovely scarves in order to get a peek at Saint Peter's Basilica. We saw the Tomb of the Popes, including Pope John Paul II's tomb, the beautiful gilt and artwork inside St. Peter's, and the grounds of Vatican City. Pictures really can't do it justice! And everywhere were these really good looking, uber chic Vatican security guards looking all James Bond-ish. Intriguing!
While in Rome, I also managed to see the Victor Emmanuel monument, Ancient Rome and the Coliseum (the outside of it, anyway), the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish steps. We managed to do some serious damage to our budgets with the shopping too! I couldn't pass up the cutest spring weight purple trenchcoat, a pair of cream suede boots, or a lovely black dress and contrasting red bag from Habana! I paid for this later (literally) when I got my Visa card bill. Yikes!
Did I mention the food? We had some fantastic water buffalo mozzerella, grilled salmon to die for, and yummy ravioli! I feel like I didn't gain an ounce in Rome though from all the walking. Even though I walk at least 2 miles a day, I was not prepared to travel close to 5 to 10 miles while carrying shoes in the heat of the Roman summer. Although it did rain the last day we were there. Thankfully, there were umbrellas for sale in the park to save me from a complete drenching!
Rome, I loved you! Once day, I'll be back...or so says the legend of the Trevi Fountain!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Itty Bitty Kitties!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
France: Day 2
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Paris: Day 1
After that harrowing adventure, we made it to our lovely hotel and in order to avert the jet lag, we changed clothes, grabbed the Metro map and our lovely Steve Franks guidebook and headed out to Versailles! Not a bad little trip, although I didn't realize there was graffiti EVERYWHERE in Paris, some of which was very artistic. Our first stop upon arriving was lunch at the only place we could easily identify...McDonalds. Not my first choice for a French meal, but when you're starving and in a touristy area, it worked. I still wanted a nice, leisurely French dinner, but that came later.
Versailles...what can I say? It was so much larger than I could ever have imagined. The scope was just incredibly vast. The golden gates definitely create an imposing sight. Although we didn't feel up to braving the lines and going inside (by this point, we were hitting our "up for over 24 hours" phase), we did decide to tour the gardens. I love gardens. I just find them so peaceful and serene. Even when they are filled with hundreds of tourists. They were manicured to a tee and just so intricate. It was like a huge park, really, more so than a garden. Foutains and statuary dotted every corner of the landscape and the weather was just perfect. Coolish, but not cold, and thankfully, not too hot for two tired and footweary travelers.
After our tour of the gardens, we decided to head back to our hotel in Paris and find a nice little place to eat dinner. We found this adorable restaurant packed with people on the sidewalk, although we had no trouble getting a table inside near the window. I ordered steak and mashed potatoes, which tasted lovely, but not quite like I expected. All in all, it was a pretty good day, but by this point, we were beat and wanted to get a little bit of sleep before our next adventure: Normandy!