When you are a perpetual “project starter” and not a repetitive “project finisher”, it can sometimes be fun to discover the things you’ve got stashed various places.
Yesterday, I went looking for my size 10 knitting needles so that I could hopefully finish the baby sweater I started when Lance was still in the womb. *laugh* Since he’s now well into his 4th year of life…well, you get the point…I was surprised yesterday when I found that I had completed more of this sweater than I thought I had. That’s nice. It means I won’t be picking up right in the middle of a section of knitting that I haven’t looked at in over 4 years. Of course, the knitting needles weren’t there. I know I have a set of size 10 needles because in the bag with the sweater and the magazine that contains the pattern, there is a card that came off the needles that clearly indicates that I have in fact purchased a set of size 10 needles. At least I am not completely losing my mind.
I have been through my bedside table drawers again and again, hoping to find them, thinking that maybe I had looked too quickly. I was hopeful that I’d find those needles and I’d be on my way. I have 2 large 18 gallon Rubbermaid totes in my closet that have sewing and craft stuff in it. I figured the rest of the yarn for the sweater was in one of those. I thought maybe I had put the needles in there too. So I went looking.
I found lots of sewing fabric. I should make something with that sometime this year. But much to my surprise, I found a lot of yarn I had forgotten about. I found the book for the other project I had started and hadn’t finished that actually had the needles still with it. Yay! I found the yarn I had used to make my mother-in-law’s scarf years ago. I also found all the leftovers from the scarf I knitted for my sister-in-law. I didn’t realize I had so much of either of those left. I even found the left over yarn from the scarf I knitted for Andrew. WOW! Lots of yarn remnants to do little projects with, perfect for doll clothes! I got all excited!
Alas, I never did find those size 10 needles. *sigh* Of course, I’ll be honest, I was quickly digging through the tubs. I’ll have to go through them again, but for now I have something to work on at least that isn’t pink and isn’t a doll project.
So yesterday evening, I ran Kyle to cub scouts. I made a quick run to Randall’s to get some groceries as seeing it was already Tuesday and I still had NOT been to the grocery store (I usually go on Monday). I wanted to get the salsa that Ben likes because it was on sale and I had coupons! Score! I only spent $35.81 at Randall’s.
This included:
• 3 loaves of Mrs Baird’s wheat bread
• 3 jars of Pace’s Specialty Salsa (Three Pepper)
• 6 gallons of milk (yes we go through roughly 6 gallons of milk per week with 3 growing boys!)
• 8 boxes of cereal (General Mills and Kelloggs)
• 2 pounds of seedless green grapes.
The biggest savings was on the salsa as they are normally $3.89 a jar at Randall’s and after coupon and sale I only paid $1.50 each!!! Regular price at Wal-mart is almost $3. So Ben was VERY HAPPY to see those jars on the counter as he REALLY likes this stuff. I was happy that I got them for a good price.
So after I am done with my quick trip to Randall’s which I did QUICK and was back to the church to pick up Kyle from cub scouts (a few minutes early even), I sat in the car and frogged the one knitting project that I had started. I had pulled the needled out of it at some point and it wasn’t just a straight pattern (had some fancy eyelet work going on in it) and so I figured it would be faster to just frog it and start over. I wasn’t that far. So I have officially frogged my first knitting project. I then sat looking at the pictures in the book picking the pattern I’d do next. This is knitting squares to put together to make a “sampler afghan.”
So I run Kyle home to get him dressed for karate. Then back out the door to get Andrew and Kyle to karate. I then ran to Kroger to do my grocery stuff there. I only spent $63.38 at Kroger yesterday. I was surprised. I threw a lot of other things into the cart that we needed as we were getting low on. These things were not on the list. I don’t deviate from the list very often, so doing such usually has drastic end results on my grocery trip estimates. In this case, I still came in under what I had estimated as they were out of some of the big sale items.
This trip included:
• 3 packages of 2% cheese slices (sharp cheddar and swiss)
• 4 jars of picante sauce (hot and mild)
• 8 cans of chili
• 2 boxes of zippered sandwich baggies (we were out)
• 1 box of zippered snack baggies (thought they would be better for some of the smaller things they pack)
• 1 package of Cottonelle toilet paper (12 rolls so we’d quit using my emergency stash *laugh*)
• 5 boxes of fruit snacks (we go through a lot with lunches)
• 6 bags of Goldfish crackers (we go through a lot with lunches)
• 2 cases of water (24 count each, we go through a lot as the boys put them in their lunches)
• 2 packages of lunch meat (Ham and Chicken, 1 pound each)
• 1 pound of baby peeled carrots
• 4 blocks of 2% cheese (cheddar, sharp cheddar)
• 5 bags of shredded cheese (2 cup bags)
• 1 jar of peanut butter (creamy, wasn’t sure if we were out but knew we were running low so I bought a jar just in case)
• 3 cans of rotel tomatoes
Normally, I would wait until the toilet paper was at a bigger discount, but like I said, we were using my emergency stash. It was time! So I bought a package and I’ll stock up again when the drops some more (hopefully before we run out again). The fruit snacks added up, but I can’t complain too much since the boys dutifully get up every morning and make their lunches and have not complained once about not buying at school. We go through a lot of bread, lunch meat, peanut butter, jelly (I should have gotten some) gold fish, granola bars, apple sauce (I probably should have bought some), and water bottles (they sometimes put drink mixes in their bottles but not always). I am still happy with the trip. I had originally estimated that I would spend about $149. I walked out after 2 stores only spending $99.19! *happy dance*
I also did the Kroger trip fairly quickly. I still had an hour to sit outside the karate studio and knit! Yay! I picked my pattern to start, I cast on 54 stitches and I got down to knitting. This particular casting on method yields more consistent cast on stitches after you’ve gone back across the row, but it does take much longer to cast on. I hope that increases with speed. I have been reminded why I am not a fan of acrylic yarn. *sigh* Oh well, I’ll finish this project. Yes, I will! I am just happy to have project #4 of 2009 well under way! I can honestly say that it is a fresh project even, since I frogged the original. Let’s see if I have enough of this yarn to do an entire afghan (I don’t remember how many skeins I bought originally) since I bought it so long again I am sure I won’t be able to find matching. I might have to double check or do a bunch one color and then do a bunch in another color to coordinate with it. We’ll see. Since the squares are only 12″ by 12″ it shouldn’t take me too long now that I’ve got the first 3 rows done and have figured out what I am supposed to be doing and am well on my way. I am not liking the yarn, however. *sigh* I will endure! Heck, I might come to like it.
In all of this, I forgot to look for the skeins of white yarn to match the one in the bag with the sweater I still have to finish!
I think I’ll pull out the sweater machine sometime in the next month or so. *grin*
Denny’s does its part to stimulate the economy
Yes, folks, I went to Denny’s yesterday to get my free “grand slam” meal! I took my mother, my brother, and Lance with me. We went after my brother got done at school (Lone Star College–Tomball). We went to the Denny’s location closest to my mom’s house and the line was wrapped around the building. So we went to the location up on 2920 and Kuykendahl. We got there about 1:45pm-ish. There was a line (just a handful of people outside the door), parking was at a premium, but the wait wasn’t too bad. Maybe 20 minutes. We got our food very fast. I honestly want to know who many “grand slam” meals they served yesterday! Anyway, this was a marketing ploy for them…but whatever helps to get people in the door, right? I would say that they probably didn’t lose a whole lot of money. You still had to pay for drinks and anything else you got (we got desserts)…and most people left very generous tips! We did. The waiter was very nice and pleasant. Of course the staff was breathing a sigh of relief when the 2pm time rolled around and the last person in line has been seated and served! “It is over!” I think they did a fantastic job for as busy as they were. My friend, Christie, went to another location around lunch time and they got rainchecks for their free “grand slam” because it was something like a 45 minute wait in line and there was no parking! I think that location deserves a big kudos as well since the sign clearly stated “while supplies” last. Go Denny’s!
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