Some travel, some knitting and a big shout out to my Secret Pal!

I must start out this post by saying a big THANK YOU!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!! to my Secret Pal! My package was perfect. I feel like we must have been friends for years for you to have picked out such great stuff that so suits me!



The Girls' Book How to Be the Best at Everything is so me that it's not even funny. I showed it to my roommate and he had quite a good laugh at how appropriate it is. I immediately dived into it and now should be able to survive in a horror movie. I think I'm going to read through this one item a day until I am finished. SP, I love this book!


My first thought upon seeing this yarn was that it reminded me of the ocean. Upon reading the card, I learned that my Secret Pal had the same thought when she saw it.


There were some very cute pins that accurately depict me as I am both a bit of a black sheep and a pack rat.

I love this candle. It is White Pepper and Spice scented. Very appropriate as I am one of those people who likes a little bit of food with my pepper to begin with.

Some very cute notecards,

And last but not least, two peanut erasers and j sticky notes.

Thank you so much Secret Pal!!!! Having spent much of the last week on the road, the package you sent was a great welcome home present!!!

I've done a lot of traveling lately. I was in Minnesota and Wisconsin for work most of last week. I rented a car for the first time ever. It was a bright yellow Chevy Cobalt. At least, I didn't have to worry about losing it in the parking lot.
I got to check out the Leinenkugel Brewery in Chippewa Falls.

And take in a little nature.I also went to the Mall of America and, deciding that I would only spend a bunch of money that I shouldn't if I started to check out the shops, chose to spend the evening in the amusement park. The rides were pretty good for being in the middle of a mall. I would highly recommend checking out the amusement park if you are at the Mall of America. After 5 p.m., it's less than $15 for an unlimited ride ticket.

Then, I went to my parents' house this weekend as my brother was in town.

Let me introduce you to my nephew Buddy. He may look sad but he actually lives like a king. I think the "poor pitiful me" routine helps him to get away with a lot and therefore he uses it to his best advantage.

When he is not begging for food,
He snags the most comfy spots to snooze.
Or charms his way into getting petted, getting food or sitting on your lap.

In the midst of all this travel, I was able to finish my Monkey socks.

Here is an in-progress shot of them Saturday.

And before I left my parents' house on Sunday, I was able to call them an official FO!!!
I was overly ambitious in my knitting goals for the week. I ended up doing a lot more driving around than I had anticipated on the trip and was only able to finish the Monkey socks. I am hoping to get the Unrusted Root off the needles this week.