Whale Watching: The Catamaran Trip

Today we had a successful day on the catamaran in Cabo.

 We saw the sea lions.

 In front of the famous Cabo arch - where the Sea of Cortez & the Pacific meet

 And were lucky enough to see several humpback whales!

 Yes, we were that close!

A very good day!

One more day of vacation, then back to reality and the snow of Sheboygan County!

The Real Housewife of Sheboygan County

Swimming with the Dolphins:

Vacation is going great and we are truly enjoying ourselves.  The weather has been perfect and we hear it's not so perfect at home!  Here are a few photos from our "dolphin swim" yesterday:

 Dancing with "Agua" our dolphin friend

 I took the slow ride

 Jim took the fast ride

And everyone was happy!

Hope you're staying warm!

The Real Housewife of Sheboygan County

On Vacation

This time tomorrow I will be on my way to my last vacation as a childless person.  We are taking a "last hurrah" to Los Cabos, Mexico to escape the Wisconsin winter and all the snow that is on the ground here.  I can't wait to see the sunshine!

There will be none of these for me this trip:

But hopefully we will see some of these:

And lots of these:

I hope you have a great week!  Now, I need to pack!

The Real Housewife of Sheboygan County

all photos courtesy of Flickr via the Creative Commons license

The Chunky Newsboy (Cap, that is....)

I finally finished the Chunky Newsboy Cap I started a while a go. I had problems with the gauge, and I have a small head, so significant modifications had to be made.  Plus, as usual, I also used different yarn than called for, so I guess I'm a glutton for punishment!

  

 I finally fixed it by using smaller hooks, and then I added some embellishment:  a crochet flower and one of my favorite brooches (click here for closeup) that I don't wear much.  I think it turned out pretty cute after all the trouble it caused me!  

 Next, I practiced my knitting, using a pattern from Jill over at Wool's Happenin'.  Not sure my counting on my rows was exactly accurate, but no major mistakes, and I made my first "pattern."  Tonight I start a baby hat class at Magpie's Cottage.  We will be working on circular needles and also double points, so I think I have my work cut out for me!  

 And lastly, my husband gave me the best gift for Valentine's Day!  Now maybe I'll finally finish The Pillars of the Earth that I started over a year ago, but it was such a heavy book I never wanted to take it with me!  It was so heavy I couldn't even hold it up to read in bed!  Problem is solved with my new Kindle.

Now what can I get myself into next?

Stay tuned.

The Real Housewife of Sheboygan County

Friday Showcase: Finished Projects!

I think Friday is a great day to showcase a couple of finished projects:

The first knitting project - not without mistakes, but hopefully not too noticeable!  Two balls of Knitcol trends yarn - self-striping, 100% Merino Superwash purchased at Magpie's Cottage

Crochet Baby Hat made from leftover yarn

And matching Mary-Jane booties...they'd look better with little feet in them!

 And finally, Happy Valentine's Day!

Have a great weekend!

The Real Housewife of Sheboygan County

A Treat For Your Valentine (but not mine!)

Don't these look yummy?  I absolutely love meringue cookies!  I usually have a tub from Trader Joe's around the house, and pop a couple when I need a quick treat.  My husband, however,  thinks they taste like chalk. 

This idea is from this month's Better Homes & Gardens and the instructions can be found here.

Maybe you can make some with your Valentine, but unfortunately, I think I'm going to have to come up with something else!

Tomorrow I hope to post my finished first knitted scarf (keep your fingers crossed that the binding off goes well today!), and also some baby things I have finished.  Still a lot of works in progress and works in my head, too, so must get to work!

Have a great day!


The Real Housewife of Sheboygan County

What to wear to the Doctor? or How to be presentable without adding pounds!

yYesterday was doctor day for me.  I'm at the point where I'm going every two weeks, and soon will start going twice a week for non-stress tests, due to my "geriatric" pregnancy.  At some of my doctor's visits, they don't do the weighing & measuring, so "what to wear" is never an issue on those days.  I wear cute sweaters & jeans, with my nice cute boots.  But on days when they weigh me, all bets are off!  I want to wear the lightest weight clothes I own, so have been struggling with how to do this without looking like a slob. I ran across this crochet pattern over at the Prudent Baby Blog last week, and it was kind of a follow-up to a post they had done called "Hot Mess Mommy Tips" from January 30, 2010.    

So, over the weekend, I bought some yarn and whipped one up.  It took only about 100 yds and I used a lovely Malabrigo Chunky in Geranio that is soft and hand-washable (not-driable).  You could make it with a less expensive yarn, and it would still be cute!  

This helped solve my "what to wear to the doctor on weigh-in day" dilemma.  Yoga pants, gray long-sleeved t-shirt and the new scarf.  And yes, everyone looks better with a little lipstick, so that was part of my ensemble, as well.  

Things are going well with the pregnancy, and I have finally decided to take some profile shots, as several people have told me I will regret not having any, so this is the first!  I'm trying not to worry about the scale too much and just enjoying my time until our little bundle of joy arrives.  The weight will come off when it's supposed to.  

Watching it snow and enjoying the day!

The Real Housewife of Sheboygan County

Hot Biscuits for Lunch

I have been thinking a lot about biscuits this week since reading this post over at www.browniesfordinner.com.  It's hard to find a good biscuit up North, and I spent so many years in the South that biscuits were taken for granted.  You could get a decent biscuit at a drive-thru--Chik-fil-A Chick-n Biscuit, anyone?  A southern girl's favorite breakfast!

So, when I read that post, I immediately went to her source recipe over at the Homesick Texan's blog. The recipe is very easy and requires few ingredients.

I did have to run out for buttermilk, but was happy to see that they had the pints!  These biscuits took about 30 minutes, and that includes clean-up and 12 minutes of baking time.  Here are mine right out of the oven:

Mine didn't turn out as "high" as I thought they might, but I do think I may have rolled them a little thin, as I ended up with 17 biscuits and the recipe says 10-12.  The more the merrier, right?  I think I'll freeze a few for later!

I eat mine with butter & honey!  My brother eats his with butter and a HUGE pile of grape jelly.  How do you eat yours?

Crochet Baby Blanket - Finally FInished!

Yes, it's true!  I'm finally finished!  I started this blanket for the baby just before Christmas, but have worked on many other projects along with it.  Over the weekend, while frustrated with my knitting, I decided to get serious about finishing this project.  Insomnia is good for something! 

This is a pattern from The Big Book of Weekend Crochet.  Of course, as usual, I altered it a little.  I added stripes, and also made it larger, then I changed the edging, adding a nice scallop edge for a ruffly effect. 

You can see the scallop edge in the photo below. 

I just loved the way the Dark Horse Fantasy Yarn in Color #91  shows so much color variegation.  

Another project completed for the baby's room!  Now just waiting for the baby!

All for now,

The Real Housewife of Sheboygan County

Crocheting for Baby

My last post was about my knitting.  I made it to Magpie's and got back on the right track.  Until Saturday night.  Things were going along well, and I was getting cocky.  Then I looked at my scarf and realized I was knitting on the wrong side of the scarf!  Maybe 3-4 rows worth.  I thought I could take it out myself, but ended up in a tangle of knits & purls, so decided to put the cap on my needles and find another project to keep my hands busy.  I will get this fixed on Tuesday, and start again.


In the meantime, I decided I hadn't crocheted for the new baby in a while, so decided to find a project.  I have made her one other hat, and one thing keeps stumping me.  Just how big is a baby's head?  I started making the hat, and when I finished the increases and started working down the side, thought to myself, "This seems really tiny."  So I asked my dear husband, and he said, "There's no way that will fit!"  So, I added another increase row, and got to work.

Now, I think the hat is too big!  So, I Googled "What's the circumference of a newborn's head" and came up with around 14 inches.  Measured the hat, and it's a little over 15 inches, so I think I'll rip it out and go back to the original plan.  At least I know how to rip out in crochet without ruining everything!  Score one more point for crochet!

It's cute, though, isn't it?  Maybe I'll make some booties to match!