It's so icy cold here, my hummingbird feeder froze. Jesper is defrosting it with the hairdryer for the second time. Yesterday, after he put it out, the hummingbird zoomed back to it and took a long drink. Right now the little hummingbird is hovering for it where it was.

The day is coming soon for us getting the keys to our house! We made the longest Home Depot visit yet on Saturday and put in an order for all the heaviest things we could think we'll need for a while on the house, including 900 sq. ft. of drywall and hardwood flooring.

Thanksgiving was great, my turkey went smooth. I only briefly tripped my smoke detector, but the turkey was not damaged. I had the broiler on to get that first golden browing on the breast before I covered it with foil for the remaining hours.

I made a pecan pie that Jesper claims as his favorite pie. I am still holding berry pie a la mode as my favorite.

I am pushing hard to get grandma's sweater done. I have 2 sleeves done and almost half the back. I have to re-knit the front, since it's not wide enough. The other option is to crochet up the edge to widen it, but it's not going to look very good, so it's going to get ripped.

I agreed to an offer on my condo! I put it up on Craigslist and sold it in a week. Well, it's pending inspection now. Horray!

Saturday was Jesper's birthday and he got some fun tools and a Helly/Hansen sweater that I knew was better than I could knit. We had dinner at Palisades and it was devine. Thanks to a gift certificate from Amy, it didn't break the bank.

I think we've finally decided on kitchen cabinets. The Ash doors from IKEA are not going to be in stock in Seattle until Febraury, but we'll buy the frames this weekend. Maybe we'll get a tree too!

ok- I'll tell you about our new house :) (for Janell)

This house is screaming for curb appeal...
Inside there is an entryway that leads stright to the livingroom, or right downstairs or left to the kitchen. On the main-floor, it's like a tiny rambler, but then downstairs there is a bunch more square footage. There is a big deck off the top floor overlooking a large yard, half of which is a hill with a big fir tree and a large rose garden. There are 3 tiny bedrooms on the top floor (see those 2 wondows on the front?, that's 2 rooms) and 2 in the daylight basement. There are 2 gas fireplaces which will be wonderful! The basement has recessed lighting already! From the lower family-room, there are sliding doors outside to walk onto a cement patio under the deck, then out to the lawn. Another perk is that there are no popcorn ceilings to deal/live with. The house has all new carpet of a quality and color we are not impressed with, so wood floors will go in on the top floor after my condo sells.

Main issues:
Total kitchen remodel, removing everything except hopefully the drywall
Top floor had many walls with a coat of paint over wallpaper
Garage needs fireproofing
Roof needs more vents
Minor electrical work
Annoying stucco on wall in a bedroom that happens to be cotton-candy pink

I found out our appliances won't be delivered until the 11th of December, so we will need to figure out something so we can have some sort of mini-kitchen going during the kitchen re-model.

Oh yeah, and it's in the Lakehills neighborhood of Bellevue, halfway between Jesper and my jobs.

Good news! We are done with house negotiations and we're on to closing up the deal! We might just have keys to our house in about 2 weeks. Yeah! I just ordered our new Jenn-air kitchen appliances, we are going to work very hard to get the kitchen remodeled so they can be put to work.

Also I have a finished object! Buttons are on too.


This is going to be a gift, but I won't say who for :)

It feels like life is a bit at a standstill. It's rainy and dark and stressful with this house purchase bit. I am really excited to feel like things are moving forward again. We are waiting to hear from the seller if they'll reduce the price for the repairs required and it's tough waiting. Meanwhile, we've planned out the new kitchen layout, picked out our new appliances (Jen-Air) and are FINALLY done with my kitchen. Well... except for re-finishing the cutting board and sealing the granite counter-tops.

I know my condo isn't going to sell immediately, but after seeing the same 2 units in my complex for sale now, mine is in the best condition.

I also scored like $50 worth of new cardboard boxes from work today. Packing will get back on track. I just need to figure out how to safely transport our Swedish crystal.

Knitting: I finished my second pair of Bavarian Rockstar socks, unfortunately I went 1 repeat short on the final sock and now they are bound off and in the sock drawer. Photos will be greatly delayed, I really need to be done with them.

I just need to pick up 3 wooden buttons for my Meg Swanson Shawl Collared vest from Handknitting and knit the button loops.

I made chicken enchiladas this week, they were so good and easy, that I have to share my recipe:

MEXICAN SOUR CREAM CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

1.5 lb. boneless/skinless chicken breast, chopped (easiest if partially frozen)
1 tbsp. oil
1 onion, chopped

1 (10 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 can chopped tomatoes - mexican seasoned
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1 (16 oz.) can enchilada sauce
1/2 lb. cheddar cheese, shredded
12 corn tortillas
2 c. sour cream

Garnish:
sour cream
black olives, sliced
1 green onion, minced

Saute chicken with oil, then add in onion and cook until all are tender.

Add tomato sauce, choppe tomato, green chilies, vinegar and cumin. Simmer 5 minutes and set aside.

Heat enchilada sauce in pan. Set aside.

Heat each tortilla in a dry griddle until flexible. Drip or brush with heated enchilada sauce, then fill with chicken mixture. Add some sour cream and cheese and roll up. Place in baking dish.

Repeat until all tortillas are used. Sprinkle with remaining grated cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, then remove and garnish with remaining sour cream and black olives and green onions.

New Pattern: Bavarian Rockstar

This toe-up sock knit with luscious Socks that Rock yarn from Blue Moon Fiber Arts, has twisted stitches which do not require a cable needle. The pattern is memorizable after you make it past the first repeat.

BUY NOW

If you are bored of top-down ribbed socks, this may be the answer!

P.s. If you need help getting cabling w/o a cable needle, check out this link from Grumperina.

I've been home sick this week. For a few days I wasn't even up for knitting, I just laid in bed. A wierd stomach bug went around work. A few people had/have the same thing.
I did find enough energy to start my knitted christmas stocking! The chart really kept me going. I used the pattern from the Holiday Knits book, but used my preferred toe-up method and a different yarn. I think it's going to look great. I am going to make a matching one for Jesper, maybe with red.

We have an inspection on a house on Monday. If all goes well, we'll close at the end of the month. Then begins a the BIGGEST project, a totally new kitchen. Right now I need to focus on packing up more of my clutter to get my condo on the market.

The new granite in my condo looks great in the kitchen, but it's strange how they are higher now. They are sitting on 3/4" plywood and the height difference is noticable. Also it's a little alarming how hard they are, when I set down a glass, it make a loud noise. I'll be keeping our new crystal far away from these counters. Maybe the next kitchen surface will be Corian instead.