Chronic Ennui

Out of my Gourd

Or at least that's how I feel lately.  When I feel this way, I take to cleaning and organizing.  I sorted through old clothes and boxes of shoes and bags that have not been unpacked in over two years.  I switched out Summer to Fall clothes and made a couple of very substantial piles to give away to either Goodwill or friends.  (Hey, Nutmeg Owl, do you want that red bag?)

I turned my attention to finishing up the Fall decorating this weekend.  Since I can't seem to find any real bittersweet, this little, manmade one will have to do.

 

Out came the little squirrel and the crow and all other things Pottery Barn.

 

I became obsessed with finding the perfect bumpy, white gourd. 

 

I never did find what I was looking for; and I kid you not when I tell you that I visited no fewer than eight grocers and plant stands, not to mention Home Depot.  And, Holy Shit(!), why has no one told me about the Orange Cranberry Scones at Whole Foods?!  Probably because I would gain another extra 15 pounds just smelling them.  So delish!

 

It seemed that every place I visited, yielded at least one more addition to my insane gourd collection.

 

I arranged and re-arranged my Fall cart collection...

 

Bought a hibiscus...

 

and ended the day with comfort food.  A little (Ha!  As if I even know how to cook for two!)  eggplant parm. 

 

My oven has been broken and waiting for a part since hurricane Irene.  I can use the burners but not the oven.  In all honesty, I really have not missed it much, which just goes to show how often I fry or saute food rather than grilling or baking.  Had I known the part would take this long, I would have just bought a whole new range since this is my favorite time of year to bake pumpkin goodies.  Anyway, my sister gave me the great idea of using the electric skillet instead of baking; and I have to admit, it tasted just as good as if I had baked it.

Back to reality and insanity tomorrow.  Suffering from the Sunday night blues again.  I know, I know, it's just nuts...

 

 

Loose Ends

I know, I know, I throw something out there and then forget to update you.  First, the hat.  For those of you RHONJ fans, here it is:

 

Cute, right?  Even cuter on!

I think I did update you on the finished cabinet.  I was just looking through some old posts and realized just how badly that old built-in really needed a facelift.  If only they were that easy to come by in real life.  Conversly, some things look better just a little beaten up.  The River sign has been distressed and still lives against the window seat, unhung.

 

The porch panels are done and have been repainted since this photo.  Lattice is gone, gone, gone. 

 

As for knitting, a few more gnomes have been sprung to life.  I completed a Quinnipiac Cowl but chose an entirely wrong tweed.  It's okay, but it could have been much nicer if it wasn't so busy.  I thought the Tahki Tara was soft and pretty in the skein, but it had way too much going on for this pattern.

 

I knit up a pair of Log Cabin Socks in Ultra Alpaca.  Seems every time I make a pair, I end up giving them away.  Why do socks make my feel look so fat?  They really aren't.  Honest.

 

In a fit of insanity, I cast on for a second Erin Afghan.  I liked the first one so much that I had to make one for myself. 

Just in case you didn't know, dogs cannot have grapes or raisins (or chocolate, onions, garlic or macadamia nuts).  Joey and I spent the night in the doggie ER after he ate four red grapes.  Vomiting was induced, and then 48 watchful hours were spent making sure he didn't start vomiting (the first sign of kidney failure).  Never a dull moment...

 

Crazy urn mania has begun. 

 

The orange pumpkins as well as the white...

 

I miss my little condo when I could go crazy with the mouse antics:

Maybe I'll find a way to use them again... 

In the meantime,

 

 

Ah, September!

Don't you just love September weather?  We took a weekend jaunt up to Maine last weekend and got the first hint of crisp, Fall air. 

 

I have lived in New England my entire life, yet I am always just a bit surprised when the weather turns from season to season.  It's like, "Oh, yeah, I remember this..."  Silly, I suppose.  But I am so ready to crack out the mitts and sweaters and scarves. 

 

This is not to say that I am not totally dreading Old Man Winter - because I am!  But the Fall evokes such feel-good, apple-eating, pumpkin-picking, soup-making good times. 

 

Not to mention Stitches East and Rhinebeck and corn mazes and apple cider doughnuts....

 

Maine was incredible.  We walked a lot and ate a lot and shopped a lot and even saw George Bush Sr. having lunch.

 

There were so many great antique shops. 

 

My most favorite find, however, was a hat that I had been searching the internet for ever since I saw it on one of the Housewives' shows.  I know, I know, a knitter BUYING a hat.  But this one was special and looked so cute on, and it was gray!

 

My sister generously took good care of my little guys.  She said they behaved, but Gianna told me that "Jojo peed on the floor." 

 

Preschool started last week, and our little miss could not have been less afraid or more self-assured. 

 

She picked out her own outfit and insisted that my sister put her hair in a pony tail.

 

She told her parents that they could not stay and that they should just come back later to pick her up.  She told me that there were two kids in her class who cried and said, "I want my mommy!" 

 

It's hard to believe sometimes that she is one of us since I would have been the kid clinging to my mother's leg and telling her she needed to stay in the back of the room and knit.

 

Not Gianna.  She knows how to let her hair down. 

Hope you are all enjoying your September...