You probably know how cheap it is to buy spices in bulk. When you buy it in a glass bottle, you are really paying for that bottle. Well, I finally got my spices organized and it's a relief and fits perfectly in my IKEA cabinet!

I got the bottles (5 boxes of 6 bottles was the right amount) here: AlwaysBrilliant.com
and also got these labels.

I was out on vacation sailing around Whidbey Island. It was relaxing, exciting and awake and sleepy, more here. I only worked on a sock, I ripped out the most recent two rows of my telemark sweater after too many stitches were lost. I meant to work on the baby sweater arms, but forgot more pink yarn.
Our kitty Stella, did really well, we left her alone with a pile of food for 5 days and she was happy to see us when we got home, she was just a little upset when we shut the door to go to bed. After an hour nap on the bed with us, she was happy.
Tonight we assembled my new deluxe badminton net. Oh yes, it will be a good summer in our yard. And the roses are blooming like crazy, I zapped the aphids just in time. The first red roses have a devine scent. Thanks to Grandma for the expert pruning in February!

Back in March last year, I was excited about this printout I made. I finally got that rainy day to tape it together. I hung it above our fireplace since we don't have any art there yet.

This weekend was not super exciting. I attempted to go to a bridal shower yesterday and ended up arriving two weeks early.

I got a badminton set for the backyard and look forward to playing this summer. It should be fun. The set I got is pretty nice and has shuttlecocks made with cork and feathers the old-fashioned way. I got a better set since the last time I bought a cheap set at Fred Meyer, the rackets were so loosely strung that the shuttlecock got stuck in the racket when you hit it. That's a no-go in a game.

We should be able to paint the mantle this week. We are loving the gas fireplace. We hardly ever go downstairs to watch TV. I think we turned on the TV once all week.

I am ready to knit the arms on the baby sweater I've been working on and am on the second sock for a pair I'm knitting.

Our garden is coming along!

It's done! Suzanne and I trucked through this project. It took abot 5 hours to make. I really love the liner fabric with the stripes and drops.

Suzanne and I are going to put together our own craft buckets tomorrow AM. Here is my fabric layed out. I can't wait to see how it turns out! We found the pattern here: http://knitboxing.ong.id.au/2007/03/28/up-to-no-good/

Telemark.. it's not just a sweater, it's a challenge. I swear the person who wrote up the pattern knits too tight. This yarn is dying to be knit at 6/sts per inch, not 7. So... I have frogged the ribbing (a few hours of my life) and am back to the first row (for the third time). I've decided to cast on less stitches using my gauge and the formula in the pattern. Over all, I may make up lost time by have less stitched to knit in the end. If this next attempt is a no-go. This project will be cast aside, this is all recreational right?

Other news: The fireplace is installed and running! Ah - cozy fire. No the woodwork is left and that's it!

I didn't think it would happen... but under a certain set of circumstances... I like oysters. There, I said it.

We had a fabulous time this past weekend entertaining our friends from Sweden. We picked up salmon, a dozen oysters and a new teapot at the Pike Place Market and then had a feast.

The perfect oyster: Grilled for 6-8 minutes until shell opens. Insert butter and a few drops of Tabasco sauce.

I also made homemade creme brulé from The Joy of Cooking. It was as good as in a restaurant. We used the torch we had from soldering copper pipe for the sugar shell top. I had the 8 egg yoks leftover from the white cake I made last weekend.

Baby sweater complete, I sewed on the buttons yesterday.

This past weekend we did lots of fun stuff around the house and I ran errands on the Vespa. I am so impressed with how much I can fit in! Like 4 bags of groceries. I ordered reusable bags too. I have been making an effort to pass on plastic bags when I shop more often now. Especially at Joann's, the lady at the register looks surprised when I say I don't need the bag for my button. That's what purses are for!

Jen and I went to the Kelsey Creek sheep shearing demonstration in Bellevue. I am surprised I had never been to this park for as long as I've lived in Bellevue (5 years)! I also realized yesterday that there is a city run 9-hole golf course right near our house. So many hidden treasures.

We finally got the Adirondack chairs out on the deck. Jen helped me stain them so they are protected from the rain. They look great alongside my flower containers, they are also super comfy. I'll have to get photos soon.

The other big project that we've made movement on is our fireplace. We got the tiles on the face right before my family showed up on Sunday. It looks so nice. I just need to clean and seal the tiles tonight so we can move along to the grout stage.

Knitting: I blocked my baby sweater, so cute! And I cast-on for the Telemark sweater. I refused to swatch and after 5 rows, I felt like it was starting out too wide, so I ripped back to the cast-on row and am going to work it on size 4 needles instead of size 5. I've been using my new Knit Picks set and they are nice except one needle tends to gradually unscrew due to my twisting motion. Maybe if I really tighten it hard, it will stop. Another reason I am ripping back is that I can't stand the white blip at the bottom of the first row. I know it can be avoided by slipping the stitches on the first row, just like on the Anemoi mittens.