The Adventures of an Aussie Girl in Albuquerque

I've moved (literally)

2008-02-01T23:44:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I'm not too sure whether anyone stops by this blog anymore, but I just wanted to let you know that I've moved to..... The Crafty Kitchen.

I look forward to seeing you all over there!

We're heading home!

2007-09-16T12:59:00.000-06:00

Hi guys!

Sorry it's been a while. Things have been crazy over the last few weeks as we prepare to head home - can you believe we're flying out on Wednesday? Anyway, at this stage I plan to continue blogging when I get home (although it might take a while for us to get set up). I will keep you posted...

Cheers!

Hooray for Hollywood

2007-08-12T15:28:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned, we recently made a quick trip to LA. While we were there we stayed at the Hollywood Celebrity Hotel. This hotel was highly recommended to us by Simone and Tim and it did not let us down. The rooms were basic, but provided all we needed after a long day of touring. The staff were extremely helpful and a basic breakfast was included. Oh, did I mention the location - FANTASTIC!!! The hotel is located right behind the Kodak Theater.... All for only $132/night!

Anyway, it so happened that on the day we arrived, it was the premiere of The Bourne Ultimatum. We wandered down to the theater and started the celebrity spotting.... Now, I don't know if I'd call him a celebrity but look it's Larry Birkhead (father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby).

Ok, you should know who this guy is... Mmmmm, Matt Damon!

And finally a close up of Julia Stiles.

I'm not sure if Brad was convinced it was worth standing in 85 degree heat for an hour, but I think a one second glimpse of Matt was well worth it!

The following day we headed down to one of my favourite places in LA - Santa Monica! While we were there, we got some great shopping done on 3rd Street Promenade before wetting our feet in the Pacific Ocean.

Friday morning we were up bright and early to get our tickets for The Tonight Show. We received our tickets at NBC at 8am, then headed over to Universal Studios for a few hours.

While we were there we took the Studio tour and got to see movie and tv sets from some of my favourites!

It's the city hall from Back to the Future (minus the clock tower)

Where's Terri Hatcher? On Wisteria Lane of course (they were actually filming that day)!

Don't go in... to the Bates Motel from Psycho!

The wreckage from War of the Worlds...

After a few hours at Universal, we headed back to NBC for the taping of the Tonight Show. It was a great show with Kevin James (King of Queens) and the guy who swam in the Arctic Circle as guests. Once again, we left NBC and headed back to Universal to finish our day. Needless to say, we were exhausted!

It worked out well that on our final day, we had booked a tour of the movie stars homes (we needed to give our feet a break)! A few of the highlights included....

Elton John's new house in Bel Air - shaped like a piano of course!

Jack Nicholson's house - Love the tennis court on stilts!

Leonardo di Caprio's house - unfortunately we didn't get an invite in!

All in all, we had a great time in LA - a great place to visit, but I don't think I could ever live there!

It’s official…. We’re coming home!

2007-08-08T13:51:00.000-06:00

Yep, the tickets are booked and we arrive back in Melbourne on the 21st of September. I can’t believe it – only 6 weeks!

After some waiting (as previously mentioned) I was fortunate enough to line up a position with my previous job and start work on the 1st of October. Although I’ve worked with a great bunch of people over here in Albuquerque, I’m looking forward to getting back into engineering.

Needless to say, things have been very hectic for us during the last couple of months. Brad is extremely busy at work trying to finish up his experiments while I have been trying to sort through all of our stuff and deciding what to bring back with us. It’s amazing how much you can accumulate in 2 ½ years!

We’ve also been trying to fit in a few last trips before we head home. We recently went back to LA for a few days. Although we had been there before, there were several attractions we missed. While we were there we went to Universal Studios, The Tonight Show and Santa Monica Beach. We also saw Matt Damon at the premiere of the Bourne Ultimatum and went on a tour of the movie stars homes. It was the true LA experience! I will post some photos soon...

Next week Brad is heading off to Milwaukee (Wisconsin) for a conference. While he is there, I am heading off on a trip of my own! I’m flying to Tucson, Arizona to visit our Aussie friends (Pete and Maree) one last time before we head home. Hopefully I will be able to survive the heat since they typically average in the high 30’s or low 40’s every day (and I thought Albuquerque was bad)!

In other news, we made a trip up to Santa Fe a couple of weeks ago. Seeing as though it was our last trip there, I bought some beautiful turquoise jewelry and ate some great chicken enchiladas (getting into the New Mexico spirit). We also went to the movies to see the latest Harry Potter, which I really enjoyed. I’m re-reading the 6th Harry Potter book before I go out and buy the final one which I’m planning to read on our flight home (I should get a good portion read in 18 hours)!

Anyway, that’s all the news from Albuquerque. I will try and keep you posted on our movements over the next couple of months, though I'm sure things will get pretty crazy!

Cheers,
Rebecca

A New Hat

2007-07-15T16:09:00.001-06:00

As I mentioned previously, I've been knitting a hat for my dad and making up my own pattern as I went along. Well, here's the finished product:

And a top view:

Pattern: My Own!

Yarn: Jo Sharp Classic DK Wool in Ebony

Needles: US Size #7

Started: 7th July, 2007

Finished: 15th July, 2007

Notes: To begin I cast on 112 stitches and worked the cuff was worked in a 1x1 rib for 14 rows. I then changed to a 4x4 rib and completed a cable every 6th row for 38 rows. Finally, I became stuck when it came to decreasing my ribs and ended up just making it up as I went along, decreasing the pearl then the knit stitches alternately. I'm very happy with the results!

Frustration

2007-07-12T12:31:00.001-06:00

I don't usually go on about how I'm feeling on this blog, usually it's just knitting or travelling stories. But I feel like venting today because I'm FRUSTRATED!!!! I'm not going to go into all the details but it's mostly about our plans for moving back home. At the moment I'm waiting to hear about something - waiting for almost 3 1/2 weeks! Waiting is the hardest part since you can't be in control of the situation - and I like to be in control!

To keep me occupied and to try and keep my mind off it I've been knitting. At the moment I'm knitting a hat for my dad - my own design too! I've had to rip it out once so far but I think I've worked it out now. I'm using Jo Sharp classic dk wool and I think it's the nicest yarn I've ever knit with. It's so thick and squishy!

I also stumbled onto this website this morning. I have been looking for vintage knitting patterns lately and this looks like a pretty good deal! Hmmm, who's birthday is coming up next month I wonder? Maybe a potential birthday present!

Favourite Socks

2007-07-08T12:13:00.000-06:00

A while ago I bought the Interweave "Favourite Socks" book but until recently I hadn't had an opportunity to knit anything from it. Then my mum mentioned how cold it had been in Melbourne and I thought of the perfect gift! I needed a quick knit (this person's birthday is coming up VERY soon) and came across the Elegant Ribbed Stockings which were knit on larger needles (I used size #5) and used sport weight yarn. Yes indeed, these were going to be some warm socks! I decided not to make the socks quite as long as the pattern suggested and only completed the pattern repeat 3 times. I also liked the idea of the ribbon but didn't want something quite as big as pictured. So here is what I ended up with:

Pattern: Elegant Ribbed Stockings from Interweave Press

Yarn: Dale of Norway Helio (as specified)

Needles: US Size #5

Started: June 22nd, 2007

Finished: July 8th, 2007

Oh and by the way, you've probably noticed I haven't been doing so much baking lately. My excuse - it's been too hot! I did make a great summer dessert yesterday though (no baking involved). Basically, it consisted of an oreo crumb crust, filled with peppermint choc chip ice-cream, drizzled with chocolate syrup and decorated with peppermint patties. Mmmmmmm!

One, two, three strikes you're out...

2007-07-01T13:43:00.000-06:00

Last night we headed on down to Isotopes Park to watch some baseball. It was a gorgeous night to sit back and enjoy the game (even though I usually spend more time people watching than game watching!

It's another hot one here today - 99 degrees! A good day for sitting in front of the cooler and getting some knitting done. Lately I've even managed to finish a couple of projects that I'd had laying around for a while. The first is a gift that's on it's way to it's recipient back home:

Pattern: Daffodil Stitch Tea Cosy from Madame Weigel's Cushions and Cosies Volume 6 1937

Yarn: Knit Picks Palette in colours Apricot, Peach, Lemon, Sunlight, White and Grass

Needles: US Size #3

Started: Mid-May

Finished: Mid-June

Notes: This was a lot of fun to knit and I love the finished product. I didn't end up knitting a liner for it and think it looks just fine without it. Since I didn't have a teapot to model it on, it's modelled on my sewing tin I bought recently at the Albuquerque Fiber Arts Fiesta:

Another project I've been working on is a cardigan for my niece:

Pattern:Heart-Motif Cardigan from "Adorable Knits for Tots" by Zoe Mellor

Yarn: Knit Picks Merino Style in colours Petal, Cornflower and Crocus

Needles: US Size #6

Started: Mid-May

Finished: End-June

Notes: Obviously I modified the original pattern which included heart motives to more basic stripes. I loved the finished product though not so much all the ends to be sewn in! The only thing I was a little disappointed with was the colour of the yellow yarn which looked more pastel when I ordered it on line. I guess that's the price you pay when you buy yarn on line though!

At the moment I'm working on a birthday present - something to warm up someone back in chilly Melbourne!

Shoes & Socks

2007-06-14T19:31:00.000-06:00

This post is going to be about shoes and socks. Lets start with the shoes....

Last year when we went back to Oz, I bought a great pair of shoes. They are a pair of red Mary Janes and even though they cost $90 I fell in love with them and had to have them.

I have worn these shoes to death (this can be confirmed by the smell) and now that we're starting to think about what we'll be taking when we move back to Oz I began to debate about my beloved shoes. Should I take a pair of worn smelly shoes back with me or find something to replace them? I looked around the stores for the particular brand (Planet Shoes) and couldn't find them or anything similar. But then I had a brainwave, what about the internet? Of course! Within minutes I had found the Planet Shoes website. They had my shoes and the best part.... they were only $US 29.00! I couldn't believe it, they had my size and my colour (I was after a black pair this time), so I got ready to place my order. It was then that I realised they had an online special - if you bought two pairs of shoes you got a $5 discount! Well, how could I resist, I had a pair of stinky clogs that needed replacing too! Really, it was just smart business since I wouldn't have to pay shipping for an order over $30. So here they, two pairs for only $53!

Hopefully you noticed the new socks too! I recently finished two pairs (and they're both for myself) Details as follows:

Pattern: Basic sock pattern from the Yarn Harlot's "Knitting Rules". I used the Lombard Street sock pattern as a guide for the picot edge.

Yarn: Knit Picks Memories

Colour: Rocky Mountain Dusk

Needles: US Size #1 Bamboo

Started: April 28th, 2007

Finished: June 3rd, 2007

Pattern: Bells & Whistles Socks from Interweave Knits - Holiday Knits Edition

Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss

Colour: Dusk

Needles: US Size #1

Started: Feb 18th, 2007

Finished: May (sometime), 2007

Stay tuned, I have some more knitting and shopping news to come in the next few days!

Washington - Day 4 and 5

2007-05-30T13:19:00.001-06:00

So finally (it was almost a month ago), I'm posting about the last two days of our trip to Washington D.C!

Day 4 was spent at the zoo (which is free) before heading to our hotel on Dupont Circle. I won't bore you with the endless animal photos, but thought I'd give you an animal I'd never seen before we came to the U.S.

What a cute little Prairie Dog!

After the zoo, we headed on down to Jury's Washington Hotel which we got at a great rate of $139/night. Here's a peak at the room:

It was located right on Dupont Circle, a great location to jump on the Metro early on Day 5 to head to the Capitol Building for a tour. We had been told we would need to be there at 7am to get tickets for that day (first come, first served) but by the time we arrived, it was almost 9am. We decided to see what tours were still available and found that by the time we got to the front of the line we were scheduled for a 10:30am tour - perfect! We strolled around The Mall while we waited and passed by the Smithsonian:

Unfortunately we missed out on visiting the National Air and Space Museum but the Capitol was well worth it.

The Dome - Outside

The Dome - Inside

Me and George!

This last shot is the point where Washington is divided into the four quadrants (NE, NW, SE and SW). Directly above is the Rotunda while below is a tomb that was initially designed for George Washington (who was later buried in Virginia instead).

Our final stop was at Union Station which, when built in 1907 was the largest train station in the world!

So there you go - A guided tour of Washington D.C!

I hope you enjoyed it!

Washington - Day 2 and 3

2007-05-23T13:46:00.000-06:00

It seems like ages ago since we were there, but here is what we got up to on day 2 and 3 of our trip to DC.

Friday morning we left early and caught the metro out to Arlington National Cemetary. It's a worthwhile trip if you ever head to DC and leaves you with one of those feelings that can't really be described....

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

After we left we took the 15 minute walk around to the Iwa Jima statue - another worthwhile trip! The statue was so much bigger than I had expected (not that you can really tell by the photo).

Saturday was spent exploring Bethesda and Georgetown which were both gogeous. While we were in Georgetown we stopped at the Old House which was built in 1766. It is hard to believe that I was standing in a house that was built before English settlers had even arrived in Australia!
I'll end Day 3 of our Washington tour with some more photos of the beautiful area around Georgetown:

The Kennedy Center

Washington - Day 1

2007-05-13T17:23:00.000-06:00

Well, we're back from D.C. and we had an awesome time! We were both surprised at what a beautiful city it is and spent our first day checking out all the monuments - here are a few photos:

The Einstein Monument (I think a lot of people miss this one) but definitely worthwhile to see (or perhaps that's just the scientist in me).

The Washington Monument and Reflecting Pool (this one reminds me of Forrest Gump)!

The Lincoln Monument (which was much bigger than I had expected).

The World War II Memorial

The White House

Ford's Theatre - The actual seat where Lincoln sat when he was shot!

By the way, Happy Mother's Day Mum! Now that the gift has been received here is what I made:

Pattern: Hooray for Me Gloves

Yarn: Online Supersocke 100

Needles: Knitpicks US #1 DPN's

Started: 9th April, 2007

Finished: 23rd April, 2007

Modifications: As can be seen from the pattern, the only modification made was knitting full length fingers.

I hope you like them mum!

Cranberries & Cherries

2007-05-01T19:55:00.000-06:00

The gift has been received, and the receiver is very happy. In fact they've already been worn...

These are the Monkey socks I made for my sisters birthday. They were very, very hard to give away, I think they're my favourite so far.

Pattern: Monkey Socks from the winter issue of Knitty.com
Yarn: Lonesome Stone Mountain Feat
Colour: Shades of Cranberry
Needles: Knit Picks Size US #1
Started: 19th March, 2007
Finished: 7th April, 2007

I've also mailed off mum's Mother's Day present and will post some photos when she receives it.
I had a girls afternoon on Sunday and watched one of my all time favourite movies - 10 Things I Hate About You. I know it's corny but I love it (especially Heath Ledger). I also made some snacks - Artichoke dip and cherry turnovers, which were both delish even if the cherry turnovers did explode a little! Anyway, here is a photo of my cherry turnovers (I tried to maneuver them so you can't see the exploded ones).

Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of the dip - we ate it instead!

Finally we are off to D.C. this week. I have my plane knitting packed and hope to have lots of photos when I return!

Mmmmmm....

2007-04-23T18:48:00.000-06:00

This is what I had for afternoon tea yesterday...

Yep, Mars Bar Slice and a cup of Milo! There were a couple of variations from the Aussie version since the equivalent of a Mars Bar over here is a Milky Way and I had to use Hershy Chocolate instead of Cadbury but even so, it still tasted just as good as home!

Speaking of Oz, we went to a fellow Aussies party on Saturday night (yes, there are more than two of us in Albuquerque). They live in an awesome house overlooking Albuquerque and were celebrating the Aussies win in the cricket World Cup. To get an idea of the size of the houses out there, check out some of the neighbours:

Needless to say, Brad was very happy to get his fix of cricket!

I also managed to get in some quality knitting time on the weekend and finished mum's Mothers Day present. Now that the pressies are out of the way, I'm getting back to my Bells and Whistles socks which I started earlier this year. I have cast on for the second sock, but here is a photo of the first one...

JoY!

2007-04-19T12:47:00.000-06:00

Last week, week 15 I added a golden oldie to my baking repertoire - Honey Joys!

And boy, do they taste good - it must be at least 15 years since I've had one. I followed this recipe from the Kellogg's Australian website which was soooo easy and the only difference I found was that the recipe says it makes 24 but in reality it only made about 14 (maybe I made them a bit too big). Either way, they were a SUCCESS!

Another reason I'm feeling rather proud of myself at the moment is because I finally finished my first cardigan! (Well, it's the first one that I feel doesn't look too homemade and that I would actually feel confident wearing out in public)! And when I say finally - I actually started this back in October last year. I had a few problems with the sleeves so it sat in the naughty drawer for a couple of months and then waited another couple for me to attach the hook and eye so that I can finally wear it. Although the weather is warming up here, it will be perfect for me to wear to work where the air conditioning is freezing! So without further ado:

Pattern: No. 4 - Sculptured Cardigan from Cleckheaton, Studio Mohair 8 Ply, II Designs
Yarn: Studio Mohair 8ply - 50% Mohair, 50% Acrylic (not too scratchy)
Needles: 4mm, US Size 6
Started: October 2006
Finished: April 2007

Also, thanks to Ben & Ag who supplied the pattern and yarn for my birthday!

Finally, I finished Jo's birthday present and was very tempted to keep it for myself. Here's a tiny sneak peak....

I have to admit it's my best one of these yet and I can't wait to post some more photos after she receives it!

No Baking Today

2007-04-08T13:33:00.000-06:00

Not when we have all these goodies to get through...

The pile on the left is mine and seeing it is our last Easter here, I thought I should try some pink Peeps (marsmellow chicks), and of course Brad couldn't go without his Cadbury Creme Eggs!

I did do some baking last week however (week 13) and made some double chocolate biscotti. They turned out really well but since my electric mixer died, I've been mixing everything by hand (and getting a very sore arm while I'm doing it). They turned out a little crumbly and I think the hand mixing had something to do with it - oh well, they still tasted good!

In knitting news, last weekend I went on a knitting adventure to Good Fibrations with Pamela and Shaila. We had a great time exploring the store and took advantage of their buy 3 get the 4th ball free deal! I don't think they know what hit them - there was yarn flying everywhere! Here is what I ended up with:

I can foresee much sock knitting in my future!

I'm almost done with Jo's birthday present and I love it! I did have a break from it though to knit another wash cloth birthday present. I've put this wash cloth together with some soaps for my nana's birthday which is next Friday. I hope she likes it!

Pattern: Ball Band Wash Cloth from "Mason Dixon Knitting"
Yarn: Peaches and Cream
Needles: US Size 7
Started: March 30th, 2007
Finished April 3rd, 2007

On a final note, I was going to write about how great the weather has been here during the last week, but considering it snowed yesterday, I changed my mind!

HAPPY EASTER!

Hello?

2007-03-28T18:14:00.000-06:00

Hi,

Is anyone still out there? I've been such a bad blogger lately and I don't even have a good excuse. Things have been fairly quiet for us lately although we did make a trip to Tucson a few weeks ago to visit Pete, Maree, Brendon and their new little arrival Joshua. We had a great time catching up and while we were there went to visit Old Tucson Studios where they have filmed a bunch of movies and tv shows including Little House on the Prairie, Bonanza, Wild Wild West and The Three Amigos. Here's a few snaps from our trip!

Love me a Cowboy!

This set was used in The Three Amigos.

Apart from that, I've been knitting like a crazy woman. I have quite a few finished projects that I haven't got around to posting. The first are my Jaywalker socks:

I love them, they are so bright and HAPPY! Details....

Pattern: Jaywalkers from Magknits
Yarn: Regia Stretch Colour
Needles: KnitPicks US Size #1
Started: 22nd December, 2006
Finished: 17th February, 2007

I also finished a scarf for mum's birthday. I didn't get a photo but it is the same as the scarf I knit for my nana for Christmas (shown below):

Pattern: Spit Leaf Scarf from Interweave Knits (Insert, Fall '06)
Yarn: Cascade 220 - The Heathers (Colour 4006)
Needles: US Size #8
Started: 4th March, 2007
Finished: 15th March, 2007

I'm currently in the process of making a vest for myself, as well as a birthday present for my sister. Photos to follow soon....

In kind of knitting news, a few weeks ago I went to the movies and saw "Music and Lyrics". I really enjoyed it - pretty much what you expect for a Hugh Grant film (and I've got to admit that he's not too hard on the eyes either). I thought that Drew Barrymore wore some really cute clothes too, especially a grey lace cardigan which you can kind of see here and here. I might have to try and find a similar pattern somewhere!

Finally the past few weeks of baking have consisted of:

Week 9: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies". This is a recipe I've been using for a while now and one of the easiest!
Week 10: Nothing (hey, I was in Tucson)
Week 11: Banana Choc Chip Muffins
Week 12: Orange Macadamia Nut Cookies

Enjoy!

Cupcakes, a Finished Project and the Rocket Man

2007-02-26T14:42:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention last weeks baked goodies, so:

Week 7: Coconut Macaroons
Week 8: Fastest Fudge Cupcakes

I found the cupcake recipe here and have to admit they taste pretty good!

I also managed to get a photo of my first ever fairisle hat before I sent it off to its new home:

Pattern: Fairisle Hat from Interweave Knits - Holiday Knits Issue
Yarn: Nature Spun Worsted - Victorian Pink, Stone & Aran
Needles: Size US#7 Circular
Started: January 12th, 2007
Finished: February 19th, 2007

I loved making this and the way it turned out so I’m sure that there will be much more fairisle in my future!

Finally, we had a fantastic night on Saturday when we went to see Elton John (I still can’t believe he came here to Albuquerque). He played all of my favourites and put on a great show. I was totally impressed when he took time to sign autographs before he started his encore and how he stood to thank the audience after every song. He is such an amazing pianist - some of the piano solos were just awesome!

Weird Science

2007-02-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying reading the "Six Weird Things About Me" meme that I've seen on several blogs lately, so it came as a surprise when I was tagged by kgirlknits! So without further ado:

Six Weird Things About Me:

1. I love action movies, especially James Bond. I think it comes from watching them with my dad when I was growing up. I have a soft spot for Roger Moore (I watched a lot of his films when I was young) but of course my favourite is Sean Connery. Although, I've got say that I was very impressed with Daniel Craig in the latest film Casino Royale. He was exactly what I imagined an MI5 agent to be like and there were a lot less of the special effects that ruined the last few movies.... As I said, I love James Bond films.

2. I like the taste of bananas but I can't eat them. I think it is a texture thing. Give me banana cake, banana lollies, anything with banana flavour but don't give me bananas! The mushiness really grosses me out.

3. I'm a band geek. I used to play the flute in high school and even went to band camp! I played from year 7 thru to year 11 and by the end I actually wasn't to bad. It's pretty gross, but when you play for a while the condensation builds up inside the flute and drips out the end. After a concert, we would all have a little puddle on the floor next to us. I occasionally think about playing again (it's packed away somewhere back at home) but I think I would like to learn the piano now instead.

4. When they use that little polisher thing at the dentist to clean my teeth I get a tingle in my lower back. It's not exactly a good or a bad feeling but sometimes it can get so bad that I almost have to ask them to stop.

5. My family thinks I blow my nose unusually load. The worst time is during spring when I suffer from hayfever. Every morning I would get the usual comments like "The trumpet is starting again". I don't think it's that bad and Brad hasn't complained.... yet.

6. I don't mind travelling by air but I'm not a fan of turbulence (as most people probably aren't). My hands start to sweat at the first sign of bumpiness so to help my nerves, I close my eyes and pretend I'm in a bus on a bumpy road. Sometimes this helps, sometimes it doesn't.

Anyway, there is six weird things about me that you probably didn't know. I'm going to tag Jenny now!

Have fun!

Week Six - Valentines Day

2007-02-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

Who can believe we're into week six of 2007 already? Today we're celebrating a white Valentines Day (not that we really celebrate Valentines Day). That's right, it's snowing again. Last night we went to bed with a dusting of snow on the ground and woke up to a good 4 inches! I think it's pretty much stopped now, but it was definitely enough to close down the schools. Needless to say, work has been pretty quiet today.

Getting back to Valentines Day, one thing I've realised is that the more I'm overwelmed with advertising (and trust me there is a lot over here) the less I want to celebrate the day. I'm not saying that we've never done anything to acknowledge it (in the past we've been out to dinner, gone on picnics etc) but I just don't understand the need to go and spend big bucks on this one particular day. And don't forget the pressure... I've got guys in my office telling me how much trouble they're going to get in if they don't get their wives presents! I guess I'm just one of those people who believes that you don't need one day to tell someone how much you love them. Anyway, enough of my ranting...

Baking went well this week. I've picked another winner - white chocolate chip cookies. Mmmm.....

And the knitting's going along fine an dandy too. My cardigan behaved so well on the weekend it's finished! I just have to buy a hook and eye to join it in the front. I've also nearly finished my first attempt at fairisle (which I loved). I made a hat and just have to attach a pom pom to finish it off. So you should be seeing some FO photos soon....

The Cooking Monster

2007-02-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

That's me! As I previously mentioned, I've been trying out my baking skills. So for an update on what's been cooking:

Week 4: Berry Choc Chip Muffins - Using my standard muffin recipe but adding some left over frozen berries and choc chips.

Week 5: Mint Chocolate Brownies - These did not turn out anything like the picture but still taste pretty damn good.

I know I should start taking some photos of my goodies before they get eaten!

Also, seeing as though I'm such a fantastic wife, I made pinwheels for Brad to eat during the Superbowl on Sunday (and of course I ate a few myself too).

Then to top it off, I thought I'd whip up a recipe of my own for dinner last night! I don't know about anyone else but I get sick of making the same stuff over and over. Anyway, I thought I'd give this a shot:

Chicken Filo Triangles
2 cups chopped bbq chicken
1 1/2 cups feta cheese
1 cup sun dried tomatoes
3/4 packet frozen spinach (cooked) - next time I would use a full packet
A few shakes of black pepper
Filo pastry

Mix the above ingredients. Spray one sheet of filo pastry with olive oil (or you could brush with melted butter). Place another sheet of pastry on top. Place a couple of heaped spoons of chicken mixture onto pastry, then fold into a triangle (fold over repeatedly to use full sheet of pastry). Spray lightly again and place in oven for about 20 minutes or until golden. I served these with roast veggies.

I definitely need more experience working with the filo pasty but overall these turned out pretty well. It made 6 triangles but really you could make them any size - you could even serve them as an appetiser.

Even though I've been a busy cooking monster, I've still managed time for knitting. I'm onto the second sleeve of my cardigan (I got plenty of knitting done during the superbowl). Hopefully I'll have some finished photos for you soon!

Happy Australia Day!

2007-01-25T17:51:00.000-07:00

Yay for me! I've come good with my promise of photos.... Although I've got to admit that they aren't particularly good (I had to take them indoors and at night).

This is a birthday present that I am sending back home (recipient will be disclosed at a later date).

As I said, the photo had to be taken indoors, so its not a great representation of the colour. Anyway details....

Pattern: Ball Band Wash Cloth from "Mason Dixon Knitting"

Yarn: Sugar and Cream in Hot Green and White

Needles: US Size 6

Started: Jan 8th, 2007

Finished Jan 11th, 2007

To finish off the present, I took a trip to the Body Shop and....

I think the finished product is really cute!

Now, the book was a Christmas present to myself, so, my second finished project is also from the same book and it's even in the same yarn (hey, I'm trying to get my money's worth)! This one was taken without the flash and looks a little better.

Pattern: Baby Kimono from "Mason Dixon Knitting"

Yarn: Sugar and Cream in Hot Green

Needles: US Size 6

Started: Dec 27th, 2006

Finished: Jan 14th, 2007

I love the orange buttons with the green, very retro, and it should go well with another pumpkin baby beanie I made to go with it. This is also being sent back to Australia for some friends who are due to have a baby in April.

So there you go, I think I'm almost up to date with my finished projects however a hope finish my hat over the weekend or maybe a even sleeve of my cardigan now that it is behaving nicely.

Have a great Australia Day! Throw another snag on the barbie for me!

What Resolutions?

2007-01-24T16:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, so one of my New Years resolutions was to be a better blogger and as you can see, I'm failing miserably. I can't believe my last post was on the 3rd of January (actually I can believe it, I'm not the best at keeping New Years resolutions). One resolution that I have kept however, is to try and bake more often and so far I have tried something new every week. To date, I have made the following:

Week 1: Banana Choc Chip Muffins (from scratch)
Week 2: Oatmeal Craison Cookies
Week 3: Brownies

One reason that I haven't posted (and unfortunately it's not because I've been too busy), is that when I've sat down at the computer the batteries for the camera haven't been charged (and trust me, I think my posts are a lot more interesting when I have photos to share). So the batteries are charging as I write and hopefully I will have some photos for you tomorrow. I've done quite a bit of knitting over the past few weeks (hey, it's been cold - perfect knitting weather) so I have some of my first finished projects for 2007. On the needles at the moment, I have my 2nd jaywalker sock, a hat and a cardigan. The cardigan was put in the naughty drawer for a few weeks after I became too annoyed with myself and the pattern. However, we made up on the weekend and are now in the process of completing the first sleeve.

In other news, we have had even more snow, though no where near as much as the 1 1/2 feet we received over New Years. Now the snow seems to have disappeared but we've we've been left with freezing temperatures - not ideal when the heater decides not to work every so often. Trust me, there have been a couple of early nights in bed with the electric blanket on!

We went to the movies a couple of weeks ago and saw "The Pursuit of Happyness" which was fantastic. I thought Wil Smith did a great job and was glad to see he has been nominated for an Oscar for it.

Our last piece of exciting news is that Elton John is coming to Albuquerque! Yes, you read it correctly - Elton John is coming to Albuquerque and we have tickets!!!!!! I can't wait, the concert should be excellent and it is in a relatively small stadium so we should have great seats. I think I'll go and get in the mood and listen to some Elton now. He has so many great songs, I'm not sure if I can pick a favourite - Your Song, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Rocket Man, Bennie and the Jets, Honky Cat....

Winter Wonderland Part II

2007-01-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

So we ended up having a pretty quiet New Years Eve. All plans were cancelled because of this:

This was a view of our neighbours car on Saturday morning. Snow started falling around 9am on Friday morning and didn't stop until late Saturday afternoon. According to many of the locals, there hasn't been a storm like this one for a long, long time. We ended up with almost 1 1/2 feet of snow. So of course we had to do this:

Meet our new friend "Frosty":

And because the weather has been so cold since we made him on Saturday, he has hardly even melted!

One good thing about the snow, I got plenty of knitting done over the weekend. I finished my 1st Jaywalker Sock and knitted 1/2 a baby kimono. While we're on the subject of knitting, I thought I should take the opportunity to show you some of my finished projects from 2006.

This is my version of the tomato baby beanie which is in fact a pumpkin baby beanie. I knit this for Erin and her gorgeous daughter. You can see her wearing it here.

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran

Needles: US Size #6

These are the Hedera socks from Knitty. I knit these for my second cousin Susan for Christmas (I hope they fit)!

Yarn: Knitpicks Bare Peruvian Wool Fingering Weight - dyed green by little old me!

Needles: US Size #2

This is a scarf I made nana for Christmas. The pattern was from the Interweave Knits Scarf Insert that I think was in the Fall 2006 issue and is called Split Leaf. Here is a close up:I really love how this pattern turned out. I used US Size #6 needles and was worried that they were too small but when I blocked it, it was perfect:

Yarn: 3 balls Knitpicks Andean Treasure in "Embers"

Needles: US Size #6

Finally, this is the Petal Bib from "One Skein", that I made for my niece Charlotte using some left over yarn.

Yarn: Knitpicks Shine Sport in "Grass"

Needles: US Size #6

Well, that's about it for now folks. I hope you had a Happy New Year (without too much snow)!

Winter Wonderland!

2006-12-20T15:21:00.000-07:00

So as I mentioned yesterday, it snowed.... and snowed.... and snowed. It started yesterday morning on my way to work and continued until I arrived home. I think we ended up with about 4-5 inches. We even got to leave work early! Brad was home by about 4pm and I arrived not long after. It was the first time I had driven in snow so it was a little scary, but I found most drivers to be pretty careful. This is what it looked like when I arrived home:

The weird thing was how light it stayed last night. I guess it was the reflection of the clouds and the snow, what ever it was the results were very eerie.

Flagstaff & Football

2006-12-18T15:04:00.000-07:00

You may think that these two things have nothing in common.... Flagstaff, a town in Northern Arizona at an altitude of about 7000 ft and about a 4 1/2hr drive west of Albuquerque... and Football (the Australian variety of course). But in mid November the two combined and we made the trip to see it!

The story actually starts when Brad found out that his football team Collingwood were coming to Flagstaff, Arizona for a week of high altitude training. Now for those of you who don't know, Collingwood is my least favourite team, so I was less than thrilled when Brad suggested we leave at 6am to make the 4 1/2hr drive to Flagstaff to watch the guys train! But being the fantastic wife that I am we went (hey, that was some quality knitting time in the car)! We arrived to see the guys training. Here are a couple of pics:

These are about the best two photos. Brad sat there complaining about the quality of our camera the whole time we were there. It wasn't until I took a photo that came out crystal clear that we realised that his hands had been shaking because he was so excited!

After we left the boys (who I have to admit were pretty nice), we drove down to Sedona. The scenery we saw on the way was beautiful, not quite what we expected to see in Arizona!

Sedona itself was a gorgeous town. It reminded us of Santa Fe but had a much more scenic back drop:

We spent some time exploring Sedona and the following morning we headed out to the "Out of Africa Wildlife Park". If you ever get a chance to visit this park, I highly recommend it. While we were there we got to see some amazing animals up close and personal!

All in all it was a great trip (even though we did see Collingwood instead of the Bulldogs).

By the way, it has snowed all day here (about 3-4 inches). I should have some good pictures for you all in my next post!

Carlsbad Caverns

2006-12-13T18:13:00.000-07:00

We've been doing quite a bit of travelling of late. One of our recent trips was to El Paso to see the Rolling Stones who were awesome. I've got to admit, Mick Jagger wasn't bad for an old guy. I only hope that I have as much energy when I'm his age. He ran around that stage non stop - doing some pretty freaky dancing of course. The same can't quite be said for some of the other members of the Stones. Like Keith Richards for example - I think the description we used for him was "death warmed up". He looks like a guy who has had a very hard life (I guess it hadn't been that long since he fell out of the coconut tree either).

So any way, we stayed in El Paso for the night and I got to see Mexico for the first time across the Rio Grande. The following day we returned to Albuquerque via Carlsbad and saw the Carlsbad Caverns which were really beautiful. Here's a couple of happy snaps:

If you ever get to visit Southern New Mexico, I would highly recommend seeing the caverns. We would have liked to spend more time there and visit some of the other caves (you need to book ahead though).

In other news, it has turned COLD! Last week we even had a dusting of snow. So to help keep me warm, I have knitted myself a pair of hand warmers!

I have been wearing them everyday! I prefer to wear them when I drive, since I can grip the steering wheel better than when I when I wear gloves (although my fingers still get a little chilly)!

The pattern is "Fetching" from Knitty.com and the yarn is the same as specified. Although it's not cheap yarn (approx. $8/ball), I only used one ball to make the pair. The only modification I made to the pattern was to knit an extra couple of rows after the thumb to make them a little longer. I also used a regular bind off instead of the picot bind off that was called for.

Busy as a Bumblebee

2006-11-19T15:35:00.000-07:00

Even though we've been doing so much travelling lately, I've managed to get quite a lot of knitting done. I have 6 finished projects, two of which I will write about today and one which I have to keep secret until Christmas. And I also have another two projects which I will finish this week (not to mention my icarus shawl and a new cardigan that I started last week)!

The first finished project is a cardigan I knit back in September for my niece Charlotte. It was only just recently finished since it sat around for almost 2 months waiting for me to attach a button!
Pattern: Ribbed Jacket from the book "Special Knits" by Debbie Bliss.

Yarn: Knit Picks "Swish Superwash" (100% Superwash Wool) in Bubblegum

The pattern was easy to follow and I LOVED that it only had two seams! I would definitely knit this again.

My second finished project is a felted purse/make-up bag that I made for my cousin and it is my own pattern (very easy)!!! I had intended for it to be a make-up bag but it ended up a bit wider than I had anticipated. I'm really very happy with it though - I think it's cute!

Pattern: Made it up as I went along!

Yarn: Brown Sheep Nature Spun worsted weight (100% Wool) in Charcoal.

So there you have it - two finished projects! We have a short work week this week because of Thanksgiving, so hopefully I will be able to update you with some more finished projects and photos of our trip to Carlsbad Caverns and Arizona.

California Part 2

2006-11-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

Picking up where we left off.....
After 3 wonderful days in San Francisco, we picked up our hire car and headed south to San Diego. On our way, we visited Monterey where I had my first clam chowder experience - YUM!!!!

We also drove "17 Mile Drive" between Monterey and Carmel and saw the famous Pebble Beach golf course.

We ended that day at Pismo Beach, arriving to see a beautiful sunset. We hit the road early the following morning - our first stop, the cute Danish village of Solvang.
We drove through Malibu and hit LA traffic at about 2pm, which was pretty scary (though Brad did a great job). We finally arrived in San Diego where we stayed at La Pensione, a great little hotel in Little Italy and as soon as we arrived, we headed off to discover the harbour.

The following day we headed off the the San Diego zoo. I think we arrived at the zoo at 10am and didn't end up leaving until almost 5pm - it is massive! The only negative, maybe a few too many antelopes and pigs!

Our second last day of our trip was spent at Seaworld where we saw the famous killer whale Shamu. We also saw a few other animals that we had never seen before, I think the walrus was our favourite. We also got to see the manatees (aka. sea cows) which I think they're pretty cute.

Our last morning in San Diego was spent down in the gaslamp district and around the harbour. I was actually sad to leave San Diego. It is a really beautiful city with great food, public transport and the ocean - I think it would be a great place to live!

Warning: There will be A LOT of knitting content in the next post!

California Part 1

2006-10-30T10:18:00.000-07:00

Before I get started with my update on our trip to California, I want to recommend a movie we saw on the weekend. On Saturday night we went and saw "The Departed" and I've got to say, it's the best movie I've seen in a long time. The storyline was excellent, not to mention the acting (especially Leonardo). If you get a chance, go see it!

So back to our trip to California....

We flew into Oakland on Saturday, ironically via San Diego. When we booked our flight we knew we had one stop, however since we weren't changing planes the location wasn't listed. We assumed that we would probably stop in Phoenix or even Las Vegas, but it wasn't until we boarded the plane that we found out it was San Diego. Quite ironic seeing as though we would be driving from San Francisco to San Diego in a few days time!

Our first day in San Francisco was spent down at Pier 39 (where we had our first of many fish & chips meals), Ghiradelli Square and Lombard Street. Here are a couple of happy snaps!

My favourite part of Lombard St was seeing people driving down, steering wheel in one hand and video camera in the other! This is a typical example of the hills in San Francisco. Needless to say, my legs were very, very sore!

On our second day we headed down to Pier 39 again. On our way we stumbled across a festival in Little Italy. They were preparing for a Columbus Day parade and had a car exhibition in the park. Being Little Italy, I bet you can't guess what type of cars they were.... Brad was pretty happy when he got to do this.

In the afternoon, we headed up to Union Square for some shopping. It was nice to see a few different shops than the ones here in Albuquerque. Here I am at Union Square. We stayed at the York Hotel which was only about a ten minute walk away.

Our last day in San Francisco was a busy one. In the morning we hired bikes and rode across the Golden Gate Bridge - I think this was my favourite part of the San Francisco trip..

In the afternoon, we took a cruise around the bay - under the bridge and around Alcatraz. Unfortunately we were unable to get tickets to see "The Rock" itself.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our trip - San Francisco to San Diego....

I'm Back...

2006-10-23T15:47:00.000-06:00

Wow, I can't believe my last post was on September4 - almost 2 months ago! Somehow I blinked and it was October.
October has been a busy month too. We went to California for a week which was fantastic - I have lots of photos which I plan to post on the weekend.
We were only back for a week before we headed down to El Paso to see the Rolling Stones who were AWESOME!!!!! We also went to Carlsbad caverns in southern New Mexico on our way home.
So now, we're back in Albuquerque and for the first time in a long time we have no trips planned..... I think we'll have to do something about that!

Lazy Long Weekend

2006-09-04T16:05:00.000-06:00

Today is Labour day and we've had a pretty quiet long weekend. Brad is preparing for a conference later in the week where he has to give a presentation, so we've just been hanging out at home. It's actually been pretty nice even if I did spend 1 1/2 hours cleaning the bathroom this morning (I can get pretty obsessive once I start).

We went out for dinner last night with Thea and Bill who got married in Vegas last week. It was nice to catch up and hear all about their weekend. We also went to the mall yesterday where I bought a new pair of pants for work. FINALLY, after living here for 18 months, I've found a good pair of pants that fit! I've decided that I'm going to get a couple more pairs in different colours before we head back to Australia.

I've also started watching "Love My Way", an Australian tv series I got on dvd for my birthday from Simone and Tim. I watched the first episode on Saturday and think I'm going to really enjoy the rest. It's a nice change from the rubbish that is on tv at the moment.

I've also done quite a lot of knitting on the weekend (especially since the weather has been cooler). These are a few small projects that I finished and mailed off to mum and Charlotte this weekend.

This is the watermelon hat that I made for Charlotte. I used KnitPicks Sport Shine Cotton and size 3 needles. I just hope it fits!

This is a Christmas Pudding tea cosy that I made for mum from a pattern she sent me! The yarn is just a 100% wool that is a bit scratchy but seeing as though it's only for a decorative tea cosy I thought it would be ok. I had to guess the position for the handle and the spout so hopefully it's ok too!

This is the toy that I made for Charlotte using the "Kate" pattern from Knitty. I used Lambs Pride - Worsted (85% Wool, 15% Mohair). I ended up sewing on some felt to make the eyes and mouth. By the way, I still don't have a name for him/her....

Older and Wiser?

2006-08-23T09:30:00.000-06:00

On Sunday I joined the "Oh my god, it's only two years until I turn 30" club. I had a great day, although Brad wouldn't even let me win mini-golf (and he didn't just win, he killed me by about 10 shots). For dinner, we went to P.F. Changs our favourite Chinese restaurant (almost as good as Master Wok back in Werribee). I also got some great presents and I want to thank everyone who sent stuff from back home - I know that postage isn't cheap!

From Brad I got perfume (Beyond Paradise) and a couple of books. I've started reading one of the books "1000 Places to See Before You Die" and I love it. The only problem is.... I want see it all! Actually, I've only read about 10 entries so far (it starts in England) and they all sound so good. I mean, they're places I've never even heard of but now I want to go (as well as all the other places on my list). Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to get this book!

Some of the other gifts I got included clothes, book & bookmark, body products, dvds, locket and knitting bag. Thank you to everyone!

In knitting news, I finished the watermelon hat for Charlotte (I'll post some photos before I send it). I also ripped back my icarus shawl AGAIN but this time I'm back on track (yes, I'm sure). This year we've decided to send back our Christmas presents economy parcel post which takes about 4-6 weeks (I think you can see where I'm heading with this). That's right, we have to have our Christmas presents organised by the end of October (only about 9 weeks). That means that I need to do some serious Christmas knitting between now and then. I finished a small knitted gift for Jo and have ordered some yarn to make a cardigan for Charlotte. There are a few other gifts on my list but I guess they are going to remain secret until Christmas.

Finally, we bought tickets to see the Rolling Stones in October! I can't wait. The funny thing is dad told me he saw the Rolling Stones when they came to Australia before he and mum were married. Almost 40 years ago!

Keeping Busy

2006-08-06T17:22:00.000-06:00

So Brad arrived home from Colorado on Thursday and needless to say much knitting was done while he was gone. This is a photo of the projects I'm currently working on:

On the left is the Icarus Shawl from the summer edition of Interweave Knits. It was going along really well until yesterday when I screwed up two consecutive rows. Rather than try and figure out what I'd done wrong I ripped back (very carefully today). I think I'm back on track now..... I think!

In the middle is a modified version of "Kate" from Knitty. As you can see, mine is more of a green blob with pink arms and legs. I've left the face until last because I think that's going to be the hardest part. I don't want it to look more weird than it already is!

And lastly, on the right is the watermelon hat I'm knitting for Charlotte. The hat is finished except for the seeds, I only hope that it fits!

In other news, my dyeing experiment last weekend was quite successful. The best part was when Brad came home and said "Wow, that's one of the nicest color yarns you've bought". I took great pleasure in telling him that I hadn't actually bought it, I'd dyed it myself! Here it is:

I bought the "Dye Your Own" sock yarn from KnitPicks which I think is great value for $3.99 (I also bought the "Shine Sport" cotton blend for Charlotte's watermelon hat). I'm thinking about knitting a pair of the Hedera socks from the pink/purple skein of yarn first. Oops, before I start I think I should probably finish my watermelon hat and toy first!

Obsession is Normal

2006-07-30T14:34:00.000-06:00

Really. The Yarn Harlot herself, told me so. Well she wrote it when she signed my book. That's right, Thursday night I went to see a lady talk about knitting. I'm not going to try and explain it to the non-knitters out there, except to say that I had a fantastic time and here is the photo to prove it.You'll have to excuse the bad hair, I got rained on before the big event. So I don't feel bad that most of my weekend (since Brad is away) has been related to knitting and yarn. It started on Friday when I began my watermelon hat for Charlotte (which now about two-thirds completed) and followed up yesterday when I met the Knitters Not Quitters group at Napoli and continued this morning when I dyed yarn for the first time. It is hanging up to dry at the moment so it will be interesting to see how it turns out. I promise to post pictures if it turns out half reasonable. I also hired out some chick flicks for the weekend - "Failure to Launch" and "Rent". I watched Failure to Launch last night and it wasn't too bad. Pretty predictable, but that was ok since that was what I was in the mood for. I think I'll watch Rent tonight. I'm really interested to see it since we saw it on Broadway when we were in New York.

Anyway, that's about it for today. You guessed it, I'm going to go and do some more knitting. Ha, ha! I'll finish off with a picture of.....knitting!These are the Broadripple Socks from Knitty, that I knit for Agnes for her birthday last month. They were a great pattern to knit and I used Koigu with size 3 needles.

Travelling: Part Two

2006-07-23T16:54:00.000-06:00

The week after our trip to Colorado, we packed our bags again and headed to Seattle and Vancouver. Seeing as though the 4th of July holiday fell on the Tuesday, we decided to take the Monday off work and have and extended weekend. We arrived in Seattle on the Friday night and were greeted by this view.

The Space Needle was located only a few blocks from our hotel and provided a pretty spectacular view. As you can see, the weather was gorgeous and remained like this for the next four days - very rare for this area!

On the Saturday, we headed down to Pike Place Market and checked out the original Starbucks, the Seattle aquarium and Bill Speidel's Underground Tour. If you're ever in Seattle and get the chance, I'd highly recommend this tour. It gives you an insight into the history of Seattle that very few people know! Here are a few happy snaps of our day in Seattle...

The last shot was taken from the top of the Space Needle. In the background is Mount Rainier which stands at 14,410 feet (almost twice the size of Mount Kosciusko - Australia's tallest mountain)!

The following morning we were up bright and early to catch the train up to Vancouver. The trip takes about four hours and follows the coast line almost all the way providing some spectacular scenery. Vancouver itself was also a beautiful city and a great one for walking - so walk we did. We headed down to the historic gas town district, along the harbour and ended up a Stanley Park. We caught the trolley through Stanely Park and strolled back along the beach.

The following day we took a harbour cruise and checked out the shops in Robson Street. I couldn't resist getting my photos with one of these guys either. We caught the bus back to Seattle later that afternoon and spent the next morning checking out downtown Seattle before heading back to Albuquerque. We really loved Vancouver and would love to spend some more time there if we get the chance. Two days was just not enough time to see everything!

Travelling Part One

2006-07-21T16:39:00.000-06:00

I've had a complaint that I've been slack at updating my blog recently, so this is for Jo (I hope you enjoy reading it on Monday)!. Since my last post we've been extremely busy and have been to Colorado, Seattle, Vancouver and have been visited by Brad's brother Gary. So sit back and enjoy - The Adventures of Bec & Brad - Part One.

Our first trip was to Colorado. As I may have mentioned, Brad is playing cricket again and because cricket is not a particularly popular sport here in America it means that their closest competition is in the next state (only a 7 1/2 hour drive)! So we headed up to Colorado on a Friday afternoon and arrived in Fort Collins at about 8pm. The following day, I drove Brad to cricket and went to explore. I went to the Fort Collins Farmers Market, checked out Downtown and then went and did a bit of shopping (hey, what's a girl to do on her own). I arrived back at the cricket (with a few small purchases) only to find that they'd lost their first match :(

With some lightning flashing in the distance, we drove over to Boulder (about 1/2 hour) and made it just before the arrival of one of the worst storms I've ever seen. This was the view from our hotel window!When we drove down to Pearl Street Mall later that evening, the hail was piled up on the side of the road so high that it looked as though it had been snowing! This is a photo of the mall the following day with plenty of debris lining the streets...
Even with the mess from the previous nights storm, I found Boulder to be a really cute city. Not to mention, they also have a great view of the mountains.
After my day in Boulder, I returned to the cricket to find the result was a lot more promising. The guys ended up winning their second game and we headed home to Albuquerque. On the way home, we ended up stuck in traffic for about 1/2 hour just outside of Colorado Springs. I managed to snap this shot from the car as we were stopped and as you can see, the landscape is a lot different than New Mexico
Anyway, that was our trip to Colorado and part one of our travelling update. Stay tuned for our next episode of The Adventures of Bec and Brad!

1 Day Early (or 6 Days Late)

2006-06-28T10:01:00.000-06:00

Ok, I didn't post last Thursday so I guess I'm either 1 day early this week or 6 days late. I like to think that I'm 1 day early...

Fact 1: We had a great time in Colorado last weekend. Although it was a lot of driving (approx. 7 1/2 hours each way) I'm really glad we went. Colorado is beautiful and so green compared to New Mexico - it was a nice change of scenery. We got to spend some time exploring Fort Collins and Boulder. Well, I actually got to explore while Brad played cricket (the good news is that they won their game on Sunday against the top team).

Fact 2: I'm reading another book at the moment - I think it's called "Dancing in the Dark". I know it sounds pretty bad. It's just your basic crime novel and I picked it up for $4.99 from Costco so I can't really complain. It just flows along so it was perfect for car reading on the weekend.

Fact 3: One thing I didn't do in the car was any knitting! I know it's hard to believe. I'm currently working on my first toy - a variation of Kate from Knitty. If it turns out ok I think I'll send it to Charlotte, if not I guess it can sit on my desk at work. I also need to think of a good name for it - I'm thinking something New Mexican. Any suggestions?

Fact 4: I think I've gone crazy. I bought some yarn to begin knitting the Icarus shawl from the new Interweave Knits. Help... what have I got myself into?

Fact 5: My buddy Meg is leaving for Boston this weekend. I wish her lots of luck and happiness and hope that we get a chance to visit her while we are in the U.S. Without Meg and my Albuquerque Knit Night girls settling into life in New Mexico would have been much more difficult - plus I wouldn't have learnt how to knit! THANKS Meg!

Fact 6: I'm trying a new recipe tonight - spicy orange chicken. The recipe is from the Super Food Ideas magazines that mum sends over. I'm trying to make something new every week or two. The last one was yummy - a chicken, tomato & olive casserole.

Fact 7: I got my ticket to go and see Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (aka The Yarn Harlot) on Thursday July 27th. To celebrate the occasion, I also bought her book "Knitting Rules". The book is going to be for my birthday, along with another I bought on the weekend.

Fact 8: It rained. Twice. I know.... it's amazing. We've been lucky both times and the worst of the storms haven't hit our area. We saw a spectacular lightning show though and even got some footage on our camera. There are more storms expected tonight.

Fact 9: I'm not really a fan of soccer..... that was until the world cup started. I guess it's hard not to get involved with all the excitment and when your own team does so well. We actually felt pretty patriotic when we heard our national anthem and saw all the aussie support over in Germany. Good job boys - we're proud of you!

Fact 10: Salsa dancing is going well and we're getting better (I think). It's been three weeks now and we've learnt some pretty funky moves. Brad says it's "ok" but I can tell he's loving it!

It's Back

2006-06-15T11:08:00.000-06:00

For all my fans of the fabulous "Ten Facts on a Thursday" - IT'S BACK.
So without further ado....

1. I've just finished reading "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey. You know, the one that was hailed as a masterpiece when it was released and then as a piece of rubbish when they found out that some of the work was fiction. Well, whether it was true or not I enjoyed the book (I must have, it only took me about 2 weeks to read it). At first I thought it was pretty full on (it's pretty graphic in it's descriptions and let me tell it's not pretty) but I think once I got over that I was able to really get into it. It was a pretty amazing story considering how out of control he was. I'd definitely recommend it (I've sent it to Jo if anyone in Oz wants to borrow it).

2. I've finished knitting my broadripple socks and they are in transit on the way to Australia. I hope they fit and that Agnes likes them. I'll post some photos once they have arrived at their destination.

3. Seeing as though I'm into knitting small things at the moment, I'm in the process of making some hand warmers. And because I'm the dork that I am they are going to be two different colours. I actually didn't intend for it to happen that way, but when I realised I didn't have quite enough for the second one I didn't really have much of a choice. Oh well, some extra colour will cheer me up in winter.

4. Last night we watched the AFI's count down of the 100 most inspirational movies of all time. This meant listening to Brad for three hours saying "How did that movie make the list?" and "That's not inspirational movie - now (fill in the blank) was an inspirational movie". And I must admit I did agree with him about a lot of their choices. I think he was most disappointed that "Schindlers List" only made number three, which is pretty funny seeing as though he never even wanted to see it. Since I made him watch it with me earlier this year, it has now made it into his top five movies of all time!

5. Tonight we are heading off to salsa dancing lessons. That's right - you read it correctly. We've been talking about it for a while now (well I've been doing most of the talking) and UNM has some classes running for the next 8 weeks. Hopefully there won't be too many squashed toes tomorrow.

6. Last Saturday was world wide knit in public day. I ended up heading down to the Flying Star on Rio Grande to join some fellow knitters and knit proudly in public. We knit for a while and then headed out to Edgewood for the Fibre and Farm Tour which was great. Jeannie, Pamela and I made it to 6 different studios and farms where we saw demonstrations of weaving, spinning, yarn dyeing. I bought some alpaca yarn which is just so soft I can't wait to knit with it. It is a yummy caramel colour and the best part was that I got the see the alpaca it actually came from. The tour also inspired me to try my hand at dyeing some of my own yarn. I think I'll start with some basic kool aid dyeing (for those in Oz, kool aid is like a powdered form of cordial - think tang). Hey, you can only try these things right?

7. Brad is at the dentist today. The bad news is that a tooth that he received a filling in about 6 months has broken again and needs to be refilled. The good news is that the electric toothbrushes we invested in 6 months ago seem to be paying off. Brad said his cleaning went well yesterday - no stabbing and bleeding like the last time. Lets hope mine goes just as well next month.

8. Our Seattle trip is all booked, including our train tickets to Vancouver for an overnight stay. I can't wait! I think I'll even begin the official countdown - 15 days to go!!!!

9. Good news - we found an equivalent to ice-magic! During our New York trip we were reminiscing with Simone and Tim about eating ice-magic as a kid (how you would put that bit extra in the bowl so it would freeze and you'd be left with a nice big chunk of chocolate). Well the other week we found Magic Shell - ok, it's not as good (doesn't freeze so well in the bottom of the bowl) but on a hot summers night it does the trip. (By the way, they also have Reeses peanut butter flavour).

10. Charlotte continues to keep growing and changing so quickly - I wish I was there to see it. She is now eating 3 meals a day and has learnt to sit up by herself. I've put some photos of her up by my computer at work so that I can see her everyday (though I'm sure she looks much different now)!

Knitting Content on a Sunday

2006-06-04T16:31:00.000-06:00

Brad is out playing tennis at the moment so I thought I'd take this opportunity to update you with some knitting content.

These are a couple of beanies I knit for Charlotte (my almost 6 month old niece) and Bonnie who was born in March to my friends Gary and Sandra back in Oz.
Pattern: Polka dot booties & hat (obviously without the polka dots) from "Adorable knits for tots" by Zoe Mellor.
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino

This is the flora scarf which was knit way back in March for my mum for her birthday.
Pattern: "Flora" from Knitty.
Yarn: Rowen Soft Baby (I really love how soft it is).

And finally, this is a bag which I made for my sister Jo for her birthday in April.Pattern: Felted Pocket Book (my first attempt at felting) from "Bags - A Knitters Dozen". The flower was my own addition and is a modified version of the flora flower above.
Yarn: Lambs Pride - Worsted (85% Wool, 15% Mohair) in Mulberry.

So there you have it, some of the things that have kept me busy in recent months. I also finished a pair of socks this weekend and only have a button to attach to my little green top. On the needles at the moment are some hand warmers (yes, I'm getting in early for next winter).

In other Albuquerque news - it is HOT! Today was expected to reach 96 degrees (36 degrees C)!. Last night we went to see X-Men 3 which was pretty good (7.5/10). Not sure if I mentioned but last week we saw the da Vinci Code. Given all the bad reviews, suprisingly both Brad and I really enjoyed it. The other two movies which we would like to see (released in July) are Superman Returns and Pirates of the Carribean 2. I'll let you know what we think...

The Big Apple

2006-05-29T14:46:00.000-06:00

Ok, I know I've been back for a couple of weeks now... So here is our New York update!

Day One: Arrived at LaGuardia airport at about 8:30pm and met Simone and Tim. Survived our first crazy taxi ride to Hotel Belleclaire and hit the town! We walked about twenty blocks down Broadway where we ran into David Blaine - you know, the crazy guy in the water bubble. On our way back to the hotel stopped at Big Nicks (our local diner) for a late night snack.

Day Two: We headed over to Central Park where we stopped by the Strawberry fields monument and the Dakota Apartments (below) where John Lennon was shot.
Caught the Staton Island ferry past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Walked around Battery Park and the finacial district (Wall St) and found ourselves at the South Sea Port where we had fish 'n chips for lunch.

Walked to Ground Zero and through Tribeca where the film festival was on. Caught the subway to Greenwich village and had some dinner (yes my legs were already hurting).

Day Three: On Sunday we bought tickets for a double decker bus tour through New York. Our first stop was 34th street where Brad and Tim went on a tour of Madison Square Gardens and Simone and I went to Macys (the worlds largest department store).
We caught the bus to China Town and Little Italy where we ate lunch at Lombardi's (New Yorks first pizza restaurant). From there we caught the bus through the east village and saw the United Nations (unfortunately closed). We visited the rich people at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and got ready for the night tour of New York.

The night tour (which was freezing) took us over the Brooklyn Bridge for some spectacular views of Manhatten. On our way home, we had dinner at the worlds largest McDonalds.

Day Four: We spent the day finishing our New York bus tour where we stopped off at Tom's restaurant (left) also known as Monk's for Seinfeld fans.

In the afternoon we went to the Rockerfeller Center and Boomingdales. and finished with dinner at the Hard Rock cafe in Time Square.

Day Five: We started our day at the Empire State Building. We went to the observation deck on the 86th floor then paid a bit extra and went up to the newly opened 102nd floor where the views were awesome.

We hit the shops in the afternoon then headed to Yankee stadium for a ball game in the evening. The Yankees lost to the Red Sox 14-3. By the end we were the only people left with all the Red Sox fans!

Day Six: We headed to the Museum of Natural history where we only intended spending a few hours. Finally left at about 4pm! It was such a awesome museum where we saw a great Charles Darwin exhibition.

We walked through Central Park to Fifth Ave where we did some window shopping (we couldn't afford anything). Headed back to the hotel to prepare for an early morning.

Day Seven: As you can see, we made it on to Good Morning America on the Thursday morning!
We left the hotel at 5:30am to head down to the studio in Time Square. Not only did we get our big heads on tv during the 8am weather segment, Robyn Roberts hosted a segment right in front of us at 8:30am! It must have been our "Happy Mother's Day Australia" and "G'day Australia" signs that we had made the night before!

Afterwards, we checked out Time Square before heading down to pick up our theatre tickets for a Broadway show that evening. We saw "Rent" which was fantastic!!

Day Eight: Bought some souveniers in Time Square and had our last lunch with Simone and Tim before they headed off to Rome.

We finally hopped on a plane to head back to Albuqueruque 1 1/2 hours late and missed our connection flight. Ended up staying in Dallas over night.

So, that's it. It went soooo fast but we had an absolutely fantastic time! Only 5 weeks til our next trip!

P.S. Knitting content coming soon.

I can't believe it's Thursday already

2006-04-27T08:58:00.000-06:00

Wow, where did that last week go? Time for our ten AMAZING facts.

1. It's "Take Your Child to Work Day" today. Richard has bought his 12 year old daughter to work, so I'm trying to think of some jobs for her. Not easy when I'm trying to find my own jobs to do! I wonder, is this just a day they made up so that teachers can have a day off? If so, what do teachers do with their kids?

2. Not long to our trip to New York now - only 8 days (not that I'm counting). I think we're pretty organised and even more so, since Meg gave me a list of her favourite yarn stores!

3. On the knitting front, I am in the process of sewing my little green top together. So far, so good. I just hope it's going to be long enough - it should be since I ripped it out to add extra rows (quite depressing but hopefully worth it in the end).

4. I've finished Jo's birthday present except for the button, which I plan to do tonight. It’s going to be a little late (sorry Jo) but I hope you have a great day on Sunday - we'll be thinking of you and wishing we were there!

5. Doggies won again! Who can believe it? On a sad note, Collingwood also won this week wich means I haven’t been able to get the grin off Brad’s face. He was exhausted on Tuesday after he stayed up to 1:30am listening to the ANZAC day clash on the internet.

6. Had a great meal on Saturday night when we went to Tucano’s for dinner. Not a place I would recommend for vegetarians. They bought around 12 different types of meat for us to sample. I think we really enjoyed it since we don’t usually eat a lot of red meat. Maybe we would eat more if I could cook it like they do!

7. While we were at the restaurant on Saturday night we also got to share in some of the excitement of high school prom. At first I thought it was a wedding (hey - one girl did have on a long white dress), instead it turned out to be a group of high school students who had gone out for dinner before the dance. This was the spring prom and is one of three that they have every year (home coming, spring and winter).

8. This weekend we have a farewell party for one of the engineers. It is just going to be a casual bbq but I've decided to make a three layer ice-cream cake for desert. I made the first layer last night - cookies and cream. Mmmmmmm. I think I'll make a mint layer and either a berry or Reeses llayer.

9. Warning - If you in Australia and you don't want to know what's going on in the Amazing Race - Don't read this! Last night the final five couples went to Perth, Fremantle and Rotnest Island. It looks as though they're heading a crocodile farm in either Darwin or Cairns next week which should be good. And yes, my favourites (the hippies) are still in it!

10. I'm going to lunch now.

You Know What Day It Is

2006-04-20T09:10:00.000-06:00

Yes it's Thursday, which means I've got another ten exciting facts! Here we go...

1. We had an awesome time in Phoenix last weekend. We left Friday afternoon and arrived in Scottsdale at about 4pm. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on North Scottsdale Rd which was great - very clean, friendly and in a great location. We hit the pool before we headed down to the performing arts center for some dinner and to see Dame Edna. The show was fantastic - sooo funny! On Saturday we walked down to Old Town and then further on to Scottsdale Fasion Square - the largest shopping center we've seen in quite a while. They had some great shops but we were well behaved and decided to save ourselves for shopping in New York. We also met up for lunch at Kona with Jason (Karen's fiance) who lives nearby, then flew home on Saturday night. All in all - a fantastic weekend!

2. We finally received our baseball tickets for our New York trip. We are going to see the Yankees vs the Redsocks and ordered the tickets online. There was some delay getting the tickets so needless to say we were getting a bit anxious. But they're here - HOORAY! Now we just have to remember to take them to NY!

3. Mum got her cast removed on Tuesday. If I haven't previously mentioned it - mum broke her wrist 6 weeks ago when she tripped and fell near work. She has one more week before she returns to work. Now that you can actually do things - enjoy the time mum!

4. Charlotte learned to rollover onto her stomach this week. Apparently this is a pretty big thing in the world of babies. I'm so proud!

5. I'm back on track with my knitting. I ripped out the two problem rows of my little green top only to realise that I was out of sync on my pattern - big time. Thanks to Megs wonderful help I fixed the problem without having to rip out half of the front. Tommorow I'm planning to finish Jo's birthday present and am planning on starting some socks. I haven't decided on a pattern yet but I bought some gorgeous blue Koigu and thought that socks would be a good project to work on seeing as though we have a long plane flight coming up.

6. Next week will be 5 years since Brad and I went on our first date. It' also 5 years since Simone and Tim went to Europe because I remember telling them about this spunky new guy before they left for their trip. We went to a cafe in Williamstown and then into Southbank where we ate Tiramisu. We had met in a couple of group situations before this date - at Brad's housewarming and when we went ice-skating (Brad made quite the impression with his unique ice-skating style and a spectacular fall). It's been a wonderful 5 years and I'm sure we both never thought we'd be living in Albuquerque on that first date in Williamstown!

7. Bulldogs beat Essendon on the weekend and are on top of the ladder! Go Doggies.

8. My favourite flowers are oriental lillies. I had pink ones for my wedding. I bought some white ones a few weeks ago and they lasted for ages. They smelt delicious too!

9. The da Vinci code starts next month. I'm looking forward to it since I enjoyed the book so much. At first I was surprised with the selection of Tom Hanks but from what I've seen, he looks quite good in the role. I guess I was picturing more of a Harrison Ford/Indiana Jones character. I'm just glad it's not Tom Cruise. Could that guy get any weirder?

10. I've rambled on today. Alot.

Another 10 Facts on a Thursday

2006-04-13T09:02:00.000-06:00

1. I've been really busy at work which has been great. I'm also learning the basics of structural engineering. Quite scary as it was never my strongest subject at uni!

2. The weather is officially warmer in Albuquerque than Melbourne. A beautiful 80 degrees F (26 degrees C) today.

3. Brad was going to give me his 10 facts on a Thursday. Just as well he never got around to it - I think they were going to be about Collingwood.

4. Speaking of football, why is it that the Bulldogs actually start winning when I'm not there. I don't think I've seen them win in the last 3 years and now they've won two in a row. I just hope they beat Essendon this week.

5. If I was in Australia it would be a public holiday now.

6. I'm currently reading this book. It was given to me by Simone and Tim for Christmas last year.

7. I think I would like to read Pride and Predjudice next.

8. I would like to see the new Hugh Grant movie. Brad thinks I want to see it just because of Hugh Grant. He's probably right.

9. The temperature in Phoenix tomorrow will be 92 degrees F (33 degrees C).

10. I haven't finished Jo's birthday present yet. I've been working on my little 'green' top, which I have to rip back a couple of rows :-(

Ten Facts on a Thursday

2006-04-06T11:58:00.000-06:00

Fact 1: I'm glad to have my boy home from his trip to San Francisco. The house feels empty when he's not around.

Fact 2: I'm very proud of my boy. He won an award at the conference!

Fact 3: We're going to see Dame Edna next week.

Fact 4: Bob Dylan is playing in Albuquerque next week. I wish my dad was here so I could take him.

Fact 5: I got a lot of knitting done while Brad was away. I finished the back and started the front of my little 'green' top. I also felted Jo's birthday present. I'm thinking of adding some sort of flower like this (sorry I can't give more information seeing as though it's a surprise).

Fact 6: Work is busy - Yay!!! It's been a good couple of weeks - let's hope it lasts.

Fact 7: We'll be seeing Simone and Tim in 29 days!

Fact 8: I love the new Bernard Fanning CD I got for Christmas from Ben and Ag. I wish he would tour the states.

Fact 9: I wish Robbie Williams would tour the states too.

Fact 10: I like this house in Point Cook.

Weekend Update

2006-03-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

We ended up having a relatively busy weekend... for us anyway.

On Friday night we went to dinner to Los Cuates with Karen (who works with Brad) and her fiance who is visiting from Phoenix. It's a place we'll definitely be going back to - the food was great (even if they did turn the lights out on us at 10pm)!

Saturday I went along to the Knitters Not Quitters group. We had a pretty large group (about 10) and I managed to start shaping the armholes on the back of my little black (green) top. Brad played cricket with the guys at UNM for the firt time this year (and could hardly walk the next day). We ended up crashing on the couch on Saturday night and hired Crash (ha ha ha) on dvd. It was a really interesting movie with some great acting although we both enjoyed Cinderella Man better.

Yesterday we both decided to get some exercise so I hit the gym while Brad went and had a hit of tennis. In the afternoon we went to experience the Trader Joes phenomenon. We were pretty impressed with their selection and picked up some yummy dip and sundried tomatoes. The wines looked pretty good too, so I'm sure we'll be heading back to check them out!

Item No. 2

2006-03-23T16:34:00.000-07:00

My list is growing. The second item on my list is.....

Learn to salsa dance! I'm going to need a partner for this one Brad (hint, hint). I might look at the continuing education classes at UNM. So the list now reads:

1. Learn Spanish
2. Learn to Salsa dance

Hmmmm... I'm seeing a trend here. Maybe a trip to South America is in order!

On the knitting front, I finished mum's birthday present last night (sorry it's going to be a little late). I'm planning to finish my second baby hat tonight so that I can mail everything together. I'm also planning to start Jo's birthday present this weekend (I've still got a month).

Don't worry, I'm not forgetting myself. My little green top (also known as "The Little Black Top" from Stitch 'n Bitch) is growing quickly. Photos to come on the weekend!

Book Review

2006-03-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to keep up my New Years resolution I set for myself a couple of years ago. I'm never really any good at keeping them (I don't think I've succeeded at any before) but I've got to admit I'm doing a pretty good job with this one.

My goal is to read at least one book a month and although it was a lot easier when I was catching the train to work I'm still keeping up my quota. The last book I read was "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini. It was recommended to me by a colleague and is the story of a young boy growing up in Afghanistan. It was an interesting story and one that made me realise how uneducated I am when it comes to world history. I really had no idea about their history and I guess it made me realise how lucky we are in respect to our way of life and the opportunities that we've been given.

It's actually inspired me to put together a list of things that I want to do. Some things will be easy, some things will be things that I've said I'm going to do but I never get around to and some things will be a challenge. So without further ado... the first item on my list:

1. Learn another language (looks like Spanish since I've already bought a "Learning Spanish" CD set)!

Sad But True...

2006-03-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

Ok.
I admit it.
I watch "American Idol".
I know, it's sad but true.
There is a reason I'm outting myself.
And that reason is ... Kevin Covais.
This guy drives me nuts!
Come on people, this guy should never have made it to the final 12!
And the fact that he thinks he is a sex symbol. Please, take a look at the guy!
As Simon said after last nights performance - Appalling!

Photo Time!

2006-03-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've decided it's about time that I posted some photos. Let me see.... I think we'll start with our trip to Oz. Here are a couple of photos we took from our trip to the Gold Coast. Yeah, I wish I was back there now. We had great weather while we were there and spent most of our time at the beach. It was even hot enough for me to go for a swim (for those of you who know me, it's got to be pretty hot for me to swim in the ocean)!

This is the view from our hotel room. Although we weren't overlooking the beach, I think it's still a pretty good view. The houses along the river a pretty spectacular. What a hard life living in one of those with a boat parked out the front and beautiful weather all year round... I guess I'll just have to wait until I win Tattslotto!

And here it is! Surfers Paradise and no, I didn't post the photo of the guy without a shirt on purpose (let's just say, it wasn't only the men without their shirts on at this beach)!

The tall building in the background is (supposedly) the tallest residential building in the world. It wasn't even built the last time we were there, about 3 years ago.

Now we're in the process of planning our next trip - New York City here we come!

There's not a lot else to report since we've been back. Brad is busy at work preparing for a conference at the end of the month in San Francisco. I've decided not to go for a couple of reasons, the first being that I've just had two weeks off work and will be asking for another one for our trip to New York. The second reason is that we are planning another trip to California to visit both San Francisco and San Diego later in the year. I guess if were planning all these trips we better get saving!

It's been great catching up with my knitting girls since we've been back. It's amazing how much progress was made while we were away. Jenny finished her gorgeous birch shawl. Her work is so beautiful and inspiring. She really inspires me to knit things that I never thought I could!

These are some of the projects that I've had finished since around December but couldn't post because they were presents we delivered on our trip back home:

This is my first Misty Garden scarf which was knitted for my cousin Lauren for Kris Kringle. The pattern is from the book "Scarf Style" and was knitted with Cascade Yarns 100% Peruvian wool. It was a quick knit hence....

My second Misty Garden scarf. This was knitted for Michelle (who I work with) as a belated birthday present. I used Patons new 8 ply Caressa which I bought when we were in Australia. I cast this on on February 21 and finished on March 3, 2006.

These hats were knit for my dad and brother-in-law Steve. They are a modified version of the Hot Head pattern from the Stitch n' Bitch book. It's actually the first pattern that Brad has seen and said "Hey, that looks really good. Can you make one for me?"

This is my second Bramble Stich scarf. I loved the one I did for myself so much that I made this one for my cousin Alexis for Christmas.

Finally, these are my first pair of socks! YAY!!!! They're so warm and toasty. I really enjoyed knitting them and plan to do many, many more. The pattern was from Interweave Knits (my magazine seems to have gone walkabout so I'm not sure of the edition). The yarn is Plain and Fancy which I bought from the Taos Wool Festival last October.

I've finally finished weaving in the ends on my Blackberry cardigan and hope to block it this weekend (photos next week). Projects that are currently in progress include a birthday present for mum, and a hat for Charlotte.

Back in the Land of Enchantment

2006-02-23T13:39:00.000-07:00

We arrived back home on Sunday from an amazing two week holiday back home in Oz. We were thoroughly exhausted by the time we got home so we put our pj's on and went straight to bed even though it was only 1 in the afternoon. We've both been pretty good since then and really haven't suffered too much jet lag. I think I just like using it as an excuse not to go to the gym "I'm still tired from the trip, I'll start back at the gym next week I promise...."

It was great to catch up with friends and family back home and especially to see our gorgeous little niece Charlotte. Mum and dad were extremely surprised to see us back since they weren't expecting to see us until March! Although Brad and I didn't see that much of each other during our time in Melbourne (we we both trying to catch up with as many people as possible), we made up for it during the last two days which we spent on the Gold Coast. We really miss the beach so it was great to spend a couple of days soaking up the sun and just relaxing after a crazy two weeks in Melbourne.

In knitting news.... I'm a bit all over the place. I managed to knit one handwarmer on the plane but now that I'm back home I'm not so sure about the colour. I've also started a scarf for Michelle who I work with using some yarn I bought while we were home. Last but not least I have my blackberry cardigan to finish. It's almost done and since we're planning a quiet weekend I should get it finished this week. Speaking of finished projects, I've got happy feet today! I'm wearing my first pair of knitted socks!!!

Food for Thought

2006-01-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about my yogurt fixation again and thought of a few more things I've become somewhat addicted to since we moved here.

1. Starbucks Coffee: I was never really a fan before, but somehow I can't seem to function without my grande caramel latte every morning.
2. Ovaltine: Again, I've become addicted to a mug of hot Ovaltine before bed (at least I'm getting a good calcium fix everyday).
3. Quesadillas: Mmmmmm... My favourite mexican food!

It's hard to believe it's been almost a year since we moved to New Mexico (it will be 12 months this weekend). On the weekend Brad and I were talking about some of the cool things we've done since we've been here and realised how lucky we are and what a fantastic experience this is. Some of the things that top my list are:

Seeing Jerry Seinfeld live in Albuquerque - Absolutely hilarious!
Our trip to Vegas with Ben and Agnes - there is no other place like it!
The Grand Canyon - WOW!!!! There are no other words to describe it.
My knitting girls - I don't know what I would have done without you!

I could go on and on...but I won't - I don't want you to quit reading my blog.

Speaking of my knitting girls, Jenny tagged me for a meme, so without further ado:

Instructions: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Starting my final year of high school. Although it was a lot of hard work, it was also a lot of fun!

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Getting ready to move to New Mexico! Getting nervous and excited about finding a new place to live, a new car, a new job.....

What were you doing 1 hour ago?
Having lunch with the guys from work. Trying to be healthy with salad but finishing off with frozen yogurt, caramel syrup, sprinkles and cookie crumbles!

List five creative things you want to achieve this year:
1. Knit something that really challenges me like the Charlotte's Web Shawl
2. Get back into sewing and make a case for my needles.
3. Get creative with my blog - I know it's pretty dull at the moment
4. Try and stick to my plan to cook one new meal a week.
5. Get our photos (including wedding) into albums.

List five snacks you enjoy:
1. Oreos
2. Freddo Frogs
3. Rice Crackers
4. Starburst
5. English muffins with honey

List five things you would do if money were no object:
1. Travel the world
2. Open my own business (shop or restaurant or both)
3. Take a bunch of courses to learn anything I want - languages, yoga, aromatherapy, massage...
4. Buy a house by the beach
5. Make a BIG donation to medical research

List five bad habits:
1. I avoid exercise
2. I can be a little obsesive when it comes to cleaning
3. I'm stubborn
4. I'm grumpy in the mornings
5. I get sucked in to reality tv

List five things you like doing:
1. Knitting
2. Eating good food with good friends
3. Seeing a good movie
4. Shopping
5. Travelling

List five favorite gadgets:
1. Our blender - I made a great Morrocan sweet potato, carrot and chickpea soup last week
2. Cell phone - Although we don't have one they do come in very handy at times
3. Computers - Keeps me in touch with the rest of the world
4. Digital camera - To record our adventures (although I accidentally deleted our photos from the museum - oops)!
5. Video camera - Ditto

Name one thing you like about yourself:
I think I'm a pretty happy person to be around (except in the mornings of course)!

So there you go...

Cheers!

Happy Australia Day!

2006-01-26T08:16:00.000-07:00

Although it's not technically Australia Day in Oz anymore I think I can still celebrate it seeing as though we are 18 hours behind! For those of you who don't know, Australia Day is the anniversary of the day that settlers first arrived in Oz back in 1788. It's also means a day off work - yay!

The weather in Melbourne has been stinking hot of late and was supposed to reach 38 degrees yesterday. Ahhhh.... the perfect day for a bbq or a day at the beach. It's funny because it reached about 38 degrees here yesterday too - farenheit!!!! And yes - we had some snow. Snow that melted as soon as it hit the ground but snow all the same!

I've starting putting a list together of stuff I want to buy during our visit back to Oz with my Christmas spending money. This is what I have so far:

Leather Jacket (maybe) from the Queen Victoria Market
Jeans (I can't find a pair to fit and I have a pair similar to this which are the best)
Shoes similar to this
Some cute spring/summer gear like this

We'll see. It all looks nice on screen but whether or not it actually fits is a completely separate issue!

Onto knitting news.... I will be finishing my second sock tonight - yipee!!!! So I promise some photos over the weekend. I absolutely love them and can't wait to wear them. Finishing them means I only have one unfinished project - my blackberry cardigan which I hope to finish on the weekend. So, I hear you ask.... what's next? Don't worry I'm one step ahead. I bought some yarn last week for some wrist warmers and I'm planning to knit a hat for little Charlotte. I think a trip to Village Wools is in order this weekend.

Cheers - Bec!

P.S. I've discovered something weird. Why didn't I like yogurt when I lived in Oz and now can't get enough of it? My new favourite breakfast - fruit and yogurt. I know... It sounds far too healthy for me. What ever happended to my cocoa pops?

Mr. Darcy Alert!!!!

2006-01-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

Not that I want to appear obsessed but did anyone catch Colin Firth on "The Tonight Show" last night? Very funny guy! His new movie "Nanny McPhee" looks kind of cute. I don't think I'll be able to persuade Brad to go to that one though.

It's been a fairly busy week which is great! I managed to finish some financial reports that I had been a little worried about but the numbers balanced - YAY! I always have that dreadful feeling in my stomach while I'm doing the calculations and then it's a big sense of relief when I see the final results. I am also getting some training on website design and it looks as though I might get to do some drafting in the next week or so which should be fun.

Plans for this weekend include a trip to the museum. We're not sure if we are going to go to the National Atomic Museum, New Mexico Museum of Natural History or the Lodestar Astronomy Center. They all look like they have something good to offer.

Next week is Australia Day (26th January) and I'm thinking that maybe we should do something to celebrate it here in Albuquerque. I do have a great recipe idea that would combine that tastes of Oz with some southwest traditions - Green Chilli Pies! At first we couldn't understand the obsession people in New Mexico had with green chilli - that was until we tasted it! I don't know how I'll eat a burger without it now. That's why I think green chilli meat pies would be a taste sensation! Not sure if my cooking skills are quite up to that standard though. Something to think about.....

It's Not Fair

2006-01-16T09:32:00.000-07:00

I know I probably sound like a little kid but IT'S NOT FAIR. I had to come to work today while Brad got to sleep in! It is Martin Luther King Jr day today and for some unexplicable reason just about everybody I know got the day off work except me! I think I've only had one phone call in the past two and a half hours indicating that nobody else is working either!

Ahhhhh.... My morning coffee has arrived. Ok, I think I can move on now.

We had a pretty quiet weekend. I spent Friday afternoon at the dentist and got the all clear - no cavities! I can tell you, they sure weren't shy when it came to cleaning but then again if you don't get your teeth cleaned for 5+ years I guess you have to expect a little pain. I really like the concept of dental insurance (paid by our employers) which includes 1 free set of x-rays and 2 free cleans a year. We'll be coming back to Oz with fabulous teeth!

Saturday I went to the Knitters Not Quitters group at Napoli Cafe. They are a great bunch of girls and it's great to catch up with them if Brad is working on a Saturday. I'm flying along with my second sock (started the heel last night) and finished the bramble stitch scarf that I have been working on. I'm also onto my second hat (present).

Saturday night we rented "Wedding Crashers" on dvd. It wasn't bad for a bit of a laugh (7/10). From the comments I've received, I've noticed that women who have an interest for knitting also seem to have an interest in Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. Maybe an afternoon of knitting/Pride and Prejudice/Colin Firth is in order....

Memoirs vs Mr. Darcy

2006-01-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd let you know that we're still alive. It's not that we've been doing anything really exciting that I haven't had a chance to post, it's mainly that I've just been too lazy. But I'm back on track now, I promise... Maybe I should have made it a New Years resolution to blog at least twice a week but considering I've only ever stuck to one resolution (to read at least one book a month) maybe it's better that I didn't.

Enough rambling and onto more interesting news. Brad submitted his grant yesterday - YAY! It has been a very stressfull month for him so I think he was very relieved to submit it. He went to celebrate by downing 21 chicken wings (not a bad effort) - very convienient since it was his turn to cook last night! I shouldn't complain though, he let me choose a chick flick on Saturday night seeing as though we haven't been out much during the last month. I ended up choosing "Memoirs of a Geisha" which was really good (8/10), even Brad enjoyed it. I was tempted to pick "Pride and Prejudice" but I have to admit that Colin Firth is my one and only Mr. Darcy.

We had a great New Years weekend since I ended up with 4 days off work. We went horse riding on the Friday which I'm happy to say was incident free (unlike several attempts in the past). On Saturday we went to Santa Fe and then went to some friends to celebrate the new year.

On the knitting front I'm making a lot of progress. I have started my second sock (didn't want to wait too long and end up never getting around to it), almost finished another scarf (present) and am seaming my cardigan (still have to do ribbed edging once it's together). I promise to post some photos in the next couple of days.

Ciao for Now!

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, another Christmas been and gone. Thanks to everybody for their Christmas wishes - it was great to hear from you all (even telephone calls at 4:50am in the morning)!

Thanks to Meg I found bon bons which came with the usual paper hats and bad jokes such as:

Q. What do you get when you cross a radio with a refrigerator?
A. Cool Music.

I successfully cooked my first roast dinner which we finished off with apple pie and ice-cream since we couldn't find a Christmas pudding anywhere.

Brad was pretty happy since there was basketball and football on tv that afternoon, though I managed to drag him away for an hour or so while we went for a drive up into the foothills (no snow to be seen anywhere). Even though we were so far from home we still had a great day. I think the Freddo Frogs and Caramello Koalas that I bought Brad topped it off and gave it that Australian feel!

I am back at work today (no boxing day holiday) though the office is extremely quiet, hence the reason for this post. Brad is off until the 3rd of January though he has work to do at home and will be in and out of uni during the week. I think he is enjoying the fact that he gets to sleep in while I have to get up early!

I have been a bit of a knitting machine over the weekend. I managed to finish my misty garden scarf, a beanie and my first sock. I have also started this cardigan, though I am not going to put the bobbles on the sleeves.

I did a lot of this knitting while we watched some dvd's - Mr. and Mrs. Smith which was great (8/10) and The Fantastic 4 which wasn't so great (5/10). The only downside to Christmas - too much food. I am off to the gym tonight to try and work off all those Caramello Koalas!

It's Beginning To Feel A Lot Like Christmas

2005-12-20T10:42:00.000-07:00

Good news - we survived our Christmas shopping on the weekend and I’m pleased to say we’re almost finished. At least we know what we’re getting for the remaining people so it shouldn’t be too difficult. I also bought our Christmas roast lamb last night, now the only problem is cooking it!

We’re going to try and have a traditional Christmas even though we’re not at home, though there are a couple of things missing. We can’t seem to find plum pudding or bon bons anywhere. What are we going to do without our paper hats and bad jokes?

It was a great weekend for movies on tv. Saturday night was "The Sound of Music" and Sunday night was "The Wizard of Oz". I can hear you all groaning but there was nothing better than snuggling up in front of the heater watching two of my all time favourites. It was also a excuse to get lots of knitting done. I've almost finished Misty Garden and have made some good progress on my socks.

There were also plenty of phone calls back home this weekend. I got to hear baby Charlotte on the phone for the first time. I think she was pleased to hear from us, I just can't wait to meet her. We also spoke to Simone and Tim who are planning to visit next year - YAY!!!

Happy Birthday Babe!

2005-12-15T11:56:00.000-07:00

My gorgeous husband turns 28 today! Happy Birthday babe, I hope you have a fantastic day. Although, I'm sure he will have to spend part of the day looking for a dentist after breaking a tooth last night. Ouch!

Speaking of last night, we went down to the Botanical Gardens to see the "River of Lights" display. It was an impressive display, actually much better than we had expected. There were quite a lot of people there despite the cold weather. We had our first snowfall for this winter on Sunday night. We woke up to find our yard covered in snow. It looked beautiful, though it had melted by the time we got home from work that day.

I can't believe it's only a week and a bit until Christmas. We have done some of our Christmas shopping but plan to head out to do some more this weekend. Brave, aren't we? I'm sure the shops will be crazy, but at least we're not under so much pressure to have all our presents by the 25th. We are planning to take most of them back with us to Oz next year in an attempt to save on postage.

On the knitting front, I managed to turn the heel of my sock on Tuesday night (thanks to the help of Jeannie). It's actually starting to look like a sock now, though I haven't done any more work on it since I started my misty garden scarf (Christmas present). The scarf is looking great, I think I might be knitting a few more as presents!

Welcome Charlotte Lilly!

2005-12-11T18:56:00.000-07:00

Yay, we have a new niece! Jo and Steve are the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl. Charlotte Lilly arrived on December 9, 2005 at 11:27am (I think). From all reports she is doing very well while mum is taking a bit longer to recover - Get well soon Jo! I soooo wish I could be there now. I'd better start knitting some pink baby clothes now that we know it is a girl. Speaking of knitting, I've finally downloaded some photos. The first is my knitting place (since I was tagged by Jenny) - the comfy couch next to the heater (out of sight on the left). Now I know it looks pretty clean - I cheated and took the photo after I cleaned up on Friday afternoon. And I love the fact that I was able to get our Christmas tree in the background.

The only knitting project on display is my sock that was progressing well until I reached the heel! All my other projects are stuffed into the cabinet on the right. So.... A photo of the sock in question.

This is a photo of the scarf I knitted for Kyan's fiance who arrives from Brazil in January. I was asked to knit a pink fluffy scarf and I think this fits the description quite well.

Finally, here are the mittens I knitted for little Ava during our trip to Tucson.

While, were going nuts with the photos, here are some from our trip to Tucson for Thanksgiving!

In other Albuquerque news, I had my work Christmas party last night. It was a great night that actually didn't end until the early hours of the morning - we're such party animals! It was held at a collegues house and we got to experience our first "White Elephant" game. It is similar to Kris Kringle but rather than having a specific person to buy for you get to choose a present from a pile of gifts bought by the other guests. But wait.... there's more. If you want someone elses gift you can just steal it from them but watch out, it can also be stolen from you so it's good not to get too attached! It can become quite intense to say the least, but a whole lot of fun. I ended up with a great set of pasta/salad bowls. I also got to experience my first Mexican Tequila (100% blue agave cactus) - boy it has quite a bite!

Well, we're off to watch the finale of "Survivor". What can I say - I'm still a sucker for reality tv!

One Year Ago....

2005-12-06T14:41:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a while.... and I know there's still no photos. As you probably guessed work has been quite busy lately hence no emails or blogging. Seriously though, it's great to be busy at work without having to make myself look busy or bug people for extra work to do.

Brad and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary yesterday (I can't believe it's been a year already). We went to our favourite Chinese restaurant P.F. Chang's for dinner and are planning on going to see "The Lion King" when we return to Melbourne next year.

We had a pretty busy weekend. Brad is still working continuously on his grant so spent both Saturday and Sunday afternoon in at the university. I went to check out the Saturday afternoon knitting group which was great. Much better than sitting at home, knitting on my own. Speaking of knitting, I have started my first pair of socks. They are actually not as hard as I had anticipated. I am using some yarn I bought at the Taos Wool Festival back in October. I promise photos will come shortly.

Saturday night we went to the movies and saw "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". I think it was definitely the best movie so far even though the third book was my favourite. There are several movies coming out over the next couple of months that we would like to see including King Kong, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Producers and Munich. Not sure if I will get Brad to all of them but I'm sure that should keep us out of trouble for a while.

We bought and decorated our Christmas tree on Sunday. It is starting to look very Christmasy both in our house and around Albuquerque. Many houses have started decorating with lights and luminarias though none compare with the Christmas house in Hoppers Crossing.

We also have good news on the house front. Looks like we won't be moving afterall. It turns out that our landlord will keep both houses and can therefore stay in the current one - YAY!

We're Back!

2005-11-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

We're back from our trip to Tucson and our first Turkey day in the US. We had an awesome time catching up with Pete, Maree & Brendan as well as Rachel and Tony who flew in from Washington DC. Maree cooked a fantastic turkey dinner with all the trimmings (I'll be paying for it at the gym this week).

While we were in Tucson we spent some time in the great outdoors and visited Sabino Canyon and the Sonora Desert Museum. The trip was topped off with a visit to Pinnacle Peak for a drink in the saloon and a great steak dinner. The drive was quicker than last time due to the short cut between Hatch and Demming so the trip only took about 6 1/2 hours. It was still plenty of time for knitting and I managed to finish a scarf and a pair of mittens (photos to follow). I guess the only downside to the trip was the car starting to fall apart! We noticed a grinding sound on our way into Tucson and when we stopped to investigate, found that the plastic guard under the bumper was dragging along the ground. We taped it up with packing tape for the trip home and it survived. Poor little car!

Our First Thanksgiving

2005-11-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow will be our first Thanksgiving. It's a pretty crazy time of year. I heard a report this morning saying that today is the most travelled day in the year - something like 37 million people. That's almost twice the population of Australia!

We're preparing for our 7-8 hour drive to Tucson tomorrow. It will be a good opportunity to get some knitting done. Hopefully I can finish the mittens and scarf I am working on and make a start on my first pair of socks. Yay!

Can't wait to catch up with Pete & Marre (and Brendan) as well as Rachel and Tony this weekend. Pete and Maree recently bought a car so I think they have a few trips planned for us around the Tucson area. I'll make sure we take plenty of photos.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Festivus for the Rest of Us...

2005-11-21T14:42:00.000-07:00

Stumbled onto this blog and thought it was pretty funny. I wonder what the book would be like? Speaking of the festive season, I don't think I can delay the Christmas card writing much longer, particularly when it will take about a week for them to arrive in Oz. The cards have already been sitting, gathering dust for about 2 weeks. I just haven't been able to bring myself to put pen to paper.

Not looking forward to the gym tonight either. I'm still feeling it from Saturday morning! I guess that shows how out of shape I am. Lost out in this weeks weigh in (we have our own version of "The Biggest Loser" going since we would both like to lose a few pounds). I guess Thanksgiving this week won't really help the situation. Oh well, there's always next week...

Hooray! A Completed Project!

2005-11-20T15:57:00.000-07:00

I've finally finished my bramble stitch scarf. At times I never thought I'd get there but I couldn't be happier with the way it has turned out. Here's a couple of photos to prove it.

My next project is going to be some wrist warmers since I always have cold hands during winter.

Much of this weekend was spent organising what we'll be getting people back home for Christmas. I've successfully crossed another three off the list today. Maybe next year I''ll be more organised and knit some gifts (watch out everyone)!

Tonight we are going to Frontier Restaurant to get burgers for dinner. They have the best "Fiesta Burgers" with green chille. Yum! What I'm really hanging out for though is fish and chips. Mmmm, I can't wait to have some when we visit Oz next year.

Speaking of good Aussie stuff, we've fallen in love with Shannon Noll's song Shine" (pretty sad aren't we).

Well, that's about it for now, but as promised here are the photos from last weeks adventure along the Rio Grande.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie - Oi, Oi, Oi

2005-11-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

Go Aussies! I guess everyone back home was pretty excited that the Aussies have qualified for the world cup. For me (a sport non-enthusiast), I think the best part of the Aussies winning the soccer was the aftermatch celebration with John Travolta!

Temperature Update: Freezing (and I'm not kidding). The last two nights have been below zero and I think we've only reached a maximum of about 12 degrees during the day. We're in the desert for crying out loud! The worst part is that it's not even winter yet.

Well the house thing is definite. It looks like we will be moving at the end of the year. Below are a couple of photos of the new house.

So, the landlord is in the process of showing people through our current house. We're not too impressed that he's bringing people through while we're not home but what can you do? Should I be making an extra effort to clean the house? I mean it's not as if we're leaving a sink full of dirty dishes but I wouldn't call the place exactly spotless...

Isn't it Ironic

2005-11-14T15:07:00.000-07:00

Well, so much for getting the heater fixed. It turns out that we're going to be moving sometime next month anyway!

Our landlord called us on Friday to ask if we would be interested in moving to another house because he plans to sell our current one. So we took a look on Saturday morning. It is a nice house (2 bedroom, 1 bathroom) though it doesn't have a carport. After checking out the new place, he told us that he would call us to finalise the plans. Guess what happened??? He didn't bother to call and instead drove past some time Saturday afternoon and stuck a "For Sale" sign on our front lawn! Needless to say we weren't impressed. We're hoping we can move the week after Christmas seeing as though Brad has the week off work.

Other than that, we had a nice weekend. On Saturday night we went out for dinner at a great Italian restaurant called Scalo. Then on Sunday we went for a walk down by the Rio Grande River at the Rio Grande Nature Center. It was really pretty since all the trees are in the process of changing colour. I promise to post some photos during the week.

Ciao for now!

We Have Heat!

2005-11-09T16:38:00.000-07:00

Finally.... Our heater is fixed! And just in time too - A storm front is expected to blow through tomorrow.

Brad has been sick this week and had to take a day off work on Tuesday. I guess I wasn't a very caring wife - I left him at home while I went to Knit Night! There were a lot of girls there this week. It's amazing how the knitters come out when the weather gets colder. I have almost finished my scarf and have another to knit for Kyan's fiance when she arrives from Brazil in January. It is in a novelty type yarn in a really pretty pink colour (rose quartz).

Only two weeks until we head to Tucson for Thanksgiving. It will be great to see Pete, Maree and Bredan and also Rachel and Tony who will be flying in from Washington DC. I'm not sure if we'll do the traditional Thanksgiving dinner with Roast Turkey and Pumpkin Pie, maybe we'll have to do it Aussie style instead.

Still Waiting...

2005-11-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

A very quiet weekend here in Albuquerque.

Yesterday afternoon was spent waiting for a guy to come and fix our heating and a leaking pipe on our hot water system. You guessed it - we're still waiting! Why can't these guys call to say they can't make it?

We waited until almost 6pm then decided to get Taco Bell for dinner and watched one of B's top ten movies which was on tv last night (Catch Me if You Can).

Spent this morning looking for an electric blanket and ended up coming home with a pair of jeans. Not that I can complain about that, though the bed will get a bit chilly later in the week when the temperature is supposed to drop to about 2 degrees!

We're still eating lollies that were left from our lack of trick or treaters last Monday night. A little disappointing for our first Halloween in the U.S. A lot of build up and not a lot of action. Probably only about 8 groups of kids for the entire night. This was our contribution for the evening.

Still knitting my bramble stitch scarf - will it never end?!?!?

Yikes! Seven Weeks to Go...

2005-11-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe it's only seven weeks until Christmas and we've only bought two presents so far. I think I'm going to follow the "Knit Night" trend and start knitting some floras. The girls at "Knit Night" have been working on them and they seem to knit up pretty quickly.

I'm also trying to work on my Kris Kringle list at the moment with limited success. Here's what I've got so far:

Jamie Oliver Cookbook (Jamies' Dinners)
Sports bag/back pack to carry my stuff to the gym
Body Shop Products (Oatmeal Face Mask and Mango Body Butter)

Pretty poor effort I know. I'll have to rack my brain this week - maybe a cd or dvd???

The cool weather is really starting to kick in here. It got down to about 3 degrees C the night before last while back in Melbourne it was 30! We're having problems with the heater too though the landlord doesn't seem to want to know about it. Let's hope it's fixed before it starts snowing!

Who's that Spunky Monkey?

2005-10-29T16:37:00.000-06:00

Well I can see why B decided to barrack for the New York Jets, they are as bad as Collingwood. You can obviously tell how much I enjoyed the game - when I got home I didn't even know who they had played!

B is in at work today - poor thing. We are having a dvd night tonight, though not sure what we will watch. The last few have been chick flicks (Monster-in-law and A Lot Like Love) so I think tonight might see a bit more action. I wonder if B will remember to put the 1st disc in rather than the 2nd. We thought it was a bit odd when "The Godfather Part II" only went for an hour, not to mention that it didn't make a whole lot of sense!

I thought I'd add some photos of my latest work today:

This is my bramble stitch scarf that I am knitting as a present to ME. The colouring matches the coat I bought at the end of last winter. I can't wait to wear them!

This is a Christmas present for gorgeous little Ava (though it will be summer back in Oz). The hat still needs some tassles on the top corners and I have just started mittens (left).

This is another present for me. It still needs to have the edges crocheted (I need a lesson from the girls at knit night).

And finally, this is a completed project (I know it's hard to believe). It is a jumper for my little niece or nephew.

Last of all, this is a photo I took at the Albuquerque zoo last weekend. It was such a beautiful day that Meg, Jenny and I decided to go and do some knitting. I couldn't go without taking a photo of this guy though!

My First Posting!

2005-10-24T11:16:00.000-06:00

Who ever thought I would have enough computer knowledge to set up my own blog! I just hope that this is more successful than my attempt to keep a diary - I only made it to April this year.

I guess the whole point of this blog is to keep family and friends back home in Australia up to date with our adventures here in Albuquerque. Now english was never my strongest subject at high school, so you'll have to forgive the writing...

Tonight we're off to watch the NFL with a guy who B works with. B has decided to follow the New York Jets now that Ben Graham is playing for them. I'm still trying to understand the whole NFL thing so I think I might have to take the knitting so that I don't fall asleep!