Manic Monday

Okay, I have been officially bitten by the Spring Cleaning Bug!

Yesterday we went to Lowe's and bought 10 pieces of grass (sod), a new hose, a new hose reel, dirt and fertilizer. We also picked up five hybrid lilies. In between basketball games (March Madness) we laid out the sod and put all ten bags of soil down in the low spots. This week I will plant the lilies and finish weeding the beds.

We are lucky in the fact that the lawn service did most of the weeding pulling in February when the grass was low and they were able to spare the time. I love Mario and his crew! I miss doing the yard work sometimes but I love the fact that we can get up and leave on Saturdays and not have to spend any time wondering when we will get the yard work done. We do maintain the plants ourselves and only get Mario to help us with the limbs and branches we can't reach.

We have already trimmed up the Plumerias and thinned out the day lilies. I will also be working on a spot for roses and some other plants/flowers that will not get into the pool or cause the dogs any problems. I am going for low maintenance and care free so that we can enjoy the pool and the motorcycle without any challenges.

Last weekend I took a huge load (all the capacity the Caliber could handle) of cardboard to the recycling facility. This week I will be taking electronics and the remainder of the cardboard to them. I will also be taking three garbage bags (33 gallon bags) of clothes to the Goodwill, two garbage bags of coat hangers to a local dry cleaner and some boxes of books to a local retirement community. I also plan to go through the closet in the "retreat" again now that it has been almost a year to see what things in there can be discarded, donated or re-purposed. I figure that if I haven't pulled them out in a year then I really don't need them or they just aren't as important as I originally estimated. We'll see what happens.

I mentioned that I have been knitting again. SF is fascinated by the knitting and loves to see each project take formation and develop. I have been finishing up projects that I started while living in the apartment. I have two left from that year and then I will move back to the UFO's (Unfinished Objects) that go back many years. Some of them may get "frogged" or "ripped" but most will be finished.

I will be taking pictures over the next two weeks and will get them loaded to Ravelry and them I will will do a post about them. I do have a few to mention now. I finished a pair of socks for SF. I utilized the BMG's Footies pattern. I also made the January 2010 KAL by Kris. I also made a plain ole' garter stitch dish cloth from the band of a Lily Sugar'n Cream stripes ball in 21712 (Lime Stripes). I have started on the "Be My Dishcloth" in Lily Sugar'n Cream Solid 00095 (Red) for Megan. I am finishing a Pay-It-Forward pattern that will be finished and ready to mail within the next two weeks. I cannot post any other details about them yet but will do so as soon as I know that they have been received.

I am also going to make myself something. I decided to join the Sexy Knitter's Club 2010 Q2 KAL which is doing cardigans. I have an ancient Leisure Arts Leaflet # 215 (published in 1982) that features a Chanel Jacket that I have been wanting to make for years...almost 20 to be exact. I have the yarn as well. I have written the pattern up to make it in one piece (I hate seams) in lieu of the original three plus sleeves. I will most likely also pick up the stitches from the armholes and make the sleeves in that manner instead of knitting them solo and sewing them in. Did I mention that I HATE seams.

Okay...off to work I go....