Books of 2010 total: 3

1. scoring great clothes at great prices

2. a brand new electric blanket that keeps me warm at night

3. finally finishing my scarf that matches my hat

4. fantastic pilates ball workouts

5. smudging my apartment with a good friend

6. pretty orchid plants that brighten my day

7. delicious coffee in the morning

8. vosges barcelona bar

9. discovering dinosaur kale at the Dill Pickle Co-op

10. volunteering

I finally finished up the Pink Dishcloths I’d been working on. I had wanted to use all of the remaining white and pink cotton I had on hand and so powered through the creation of eight dishcloths based off of the Double the Fun Dishcloth pattern.

They are double sided with one side featuring the pink and white waffle pattern and the other a solid pink. I’ll pull these out in the springtime.

stash knit down 2010 total: 2 project

My So-Called Scarf turned out pretty nice. I knit up two skeins of Manos del Uruguay Wool Clasica to make this scarf, which will match my Spring Beret. It took forever since I felt the pattern got a bit monotonous. What do you want from a scarf. Alas, it is done. So I look forward to wearing it this week.

stash knit down 2010 total: 1 project

While I was in Vegas, my mom took advantage of my electric blanket being at her house. Unfortunately my blanket is a few years old and has started to wear out—I get a lot of use out of my electric blanket! So she took it upon herself to upgrade my heat source. Ethan has been appreciating the blanket too!

J. Jill White Short-Sleeve Sweater

J. Jill Black Sweater

J. Jill Gray Cardigan

Gap Brown Short-Sleeve Cowl-Neck Sweater

Tahari Black Suit

A promising sign was that going into the workout, I had started getting a headache. But having almost two weeks off since the last workout, I wanted to challenge myself to get back into it. Plus this was a Netflix movie that I wanted to return. By the time I finished the workout, my headache has somewhat subsided. It still lingered in the background, but I didn’t need to take anything and it didn’t slow me down. How cool.

The true test will be how I feel 24 hours after the workout.

As far as the remaining workout tapes, I decided to pitch the VHS. I just won’t use them, and I know it. So instead I’m exploring Netflix’s workout collection to find other DVDs. I’ve also heard about online subscriptions that I may try out. Ideally, I would hook my laptop to my TV so the screen was bigger, so maybe when I figure that all out, I can try those out too.

Later this week, I have another Kathy Kaelher workout and a couple of Jillian Michaels DVDs to try.

When in Vegas, I also wanted to take some little memories home. I typically have about five minutes in between events to actually go shopping so I took some time Friday morning before my flight to take a gander in the gift shops at the Hilton. I came across this wee little scooter. Adorable! I had to have it. It evens out the VW bug on the chotchke shelf.

Another adorable keepsake is this Kimmidoll. Say hello to Sachi! Sachi, representing joy, delivers this message: “My spirit enriches and uplifts. By embracing my spirit and approaching everything in life with passion and enthusiasm, you can make even the simple and ordinary, memorable and enjoyable.” I have to admit, after looking at the website and how many different choices there are in the line, I’m glad that the store only had a handful. I would NOT have been able to choose just one!

If the theme of this blog didn’t make it obvious, I love cherry blossom designs. When I saw this business card holder not only in the cherry blossom design but with dragonflies to boot, I had to have it. It comes with a leather carrying case as well, to prevent the metal from scratching (which is what happened to my first business card holder).

Next stop? The airport at a little shop called Wild Gekko. Featuring a variety of Native American gifts, I came across this pair of dreamcatcher earrings. I had a pair before that got tinged when I tried to clean it—I most likely used the wrong cleaner. I couldn’t pass this pair up. They’re actually smaller than my original pair and will match a necklace and bracelet to match.

Wild Gekko also had smudging sage! Recently I tried to smudge with lavender, which worked OK, but wasn’t quite right. So I was especially excited to come across the smudging sage already ready. Sage is said to be the most purifying and traditional of smudging herbs to cast away bad omens and spirits from the home and yourself. I look forward to smudging my apartment this weekend.

For my last stop, I passed by a store with the signs “Everything is $10.” Why, yes, I’d like to look. I came across these pashmina scarves that look pretty decent AND don’t smell—sometimes they smell. I bought a white one for myself and a burgundy one for a friend. And did I mention it was $10! Score!

1. having a comfortable home to live in, decorate and entertain in with family and friends

2. delicious homemade meals

3. time to knit again

4. workouts that re-energize and revive

5. beautiful cheery flowers

6. getting back to enjoyable, personal reading

7. cute kitties who offer unconditional love

8. snowy Chicago skylines