Up in Almost Canada for one last time

My niece is graduating this weekend and I'm up in Almost Canada with the family for her graduation. Only WG isn't here--someone had to run the restaurant. Took us [me and the parental units] 7 hours from NJ--including lunch and getting lost once. Phew!

Meet up with the rest of the family at the hotel--packed with graduates' families. There's at least 3 other colleges/university that I know of nearby and it looks like all them has the graduation on the same day. 

Pre-Graduation dinner @ Maxwell's. Packed and noisy with tons of families. Here's a picture of the kids at dinner, niece, nephew's girlfriend and nephew. Notice the appletinis in front of the youngsters.

Now we are resting up for the big event today. I'm trying to knit up something easy that I can donate. It was a hat that I didn't like it, so I took it apart and trying a seed stitch pattern for a man's scarf. I'm also playing the crochet interpreter to my mom. She's making up a scarf for my sister. 

What I did on my early summer vacation--part 3

Waiting for the other birthday girl, Mom, sister and niece 


The birthday party was for my mom and my cousin's daughter, Princess A. Planning was started as soon as everyone arrived. Once the menu was made and off we went food shopping. After running to the farmers market and asian food stores, we were ready for the party.

What I did on my early summer vacation--Part 2

I guess I did a lot because I'm having a hard time to remember. Oh well, here it goes. Once everyone arrive, we focus our attention on two things, my garden and the birthday party.


My Garden

Waiting for plants


Both my parents and brother-in-law have great veggie gardens at home. I thought I'd take advantage of their gardening skills and handiness to get a one in place during their visiting. 

What I did on my early summer vacation--part 1 . . .

Here's a little teaser picture from my early summer vacation. 


C and Mom with artisan ice pops from Rutgers Famers Market


It was just a stay-cation that includes visiting family(5) and a birthday party (add 4 more) over a course of 12 days. It's been 3 days since the last visitors left and I'm still exhausted and trying to synced back into my everyday life. I guess it doesn't help that I got a head cold on vacation. 

Off to almost Canada

I'm back from almost Canada. Went a short road trip with my sister and niece this past weekend. to move the little one (she's the tallest of the bunch) in to the dorm for her second  year. 


Had beautiful weather driving up. Wish we could have stopped and played tourist but had to leave later than I wanted because I had to sit in on a conference call before I left (really sucked). The weather was okay for the next day till we really left the school to go back to the hotel. Then rain, rain, rain. I'm so glad we didn't have to move her in on Sunday we would have been soaked


The little one did a really good job at packing her stuff (not too heavy) and not having too much crap (like me). I survive with 1 little black and blue on my arm. I think my sister survive pretty well, she already had a bad back and wasn't hobbling when we left so I think overall the 2 old ladies survived.


On our free morning before meeting little one's boyfriend we went off to find a yarn store in a town near by. Yea! for the hotel internet (no cell phone) and GPS to make it possible for us to find Fiber Options in Rensselear Falls. Cute shop nice selection of yarn and 1/2 the store is a quilting. Here's a pic of the yarn a bought. Going to turn it into a hat or cowl for me (but I bet it will end up in WG's collection).

An Elephant in the House

I mean an Elephant chair. A Thai Elephant Chair to be exact and guess who brought it home.


So the story starts out as I mention to WG that I wanted to move the chair in my office up to the bedroom so I can sit and knit and crochet more comfortably. He said "Why don't you buy a new one?" You can't imagine my excitement. We usually fight about what to get. That's why my furniture in my house looks like we just got out of college--hand-me-downs and garbage picked and a whole lot of mis-matched items. I'm like, Okay! (my mind is racing to figure out where can I look for a great comfortable chair that looks great, too. 


So about a month has gone by. I haven't had the chance to look for a chair. 


Then WG said "I need the truck to pick your elephant chair" 
"My what?" I replied very confused. 
"Your Thai Elephant Chair." WG said with confidence
"What does it look like? Where are you getting it from" I worriedly replied.
"It's Teak. Don't worry you will like it. Someone had put a sign up at Pad Thai." He replied back with no clue that about the images and thoughts that are running in my head. Does this chair look like elephant? Do I have to straddle it to sit on it? And what does it matter that it is teak? 


So I end the conversation with "What if I don't like it?"
Annoyed, he answered, "Then you have to buy your own chair and we can put this somewhere else.


Which is what I thought I was suppose to do. 


Well, the chair is here. And it is not really a chair more like a love seat or day bed. And it was heavier than WG and I can carry. But of course, like everything else that is heavy in our house, I had to help him carry it from the truck. There was a lot of yelling about not to drop the extremely heavy piece of furniture. But finally we got it in the house.


With both of us sweating from wrestling the chair in the front door, I asked "are moving it upstairs now?" 
He looks at me like I have 2 heads and said "No, it's too heavy."


So that's why I have an elephant chair in the middle of my living room (please remember, it was only suppose to be small club chair for the bedroom). We still need to figure out where we should put it with all the other mismatch items there. 


I have to say, it is a pretty nice chair/love seat/day bed. And comfortable, too. Here's a pic of the elephant. The bottom section is where it sit on the elephant's back. By the way, when WG was telling how it is suppose to sit on the elephant's back, he said this chair was too heavy to sit on the elephant. Probably the really elephant chairs were made out of rattan. 

Needing some attention

While I was taking my pictures of my unfinished projects, C-nP was walking in and out of the pictures. I guess she wanted some attention. So she got it. Here's she is sitting on her favorite blanket. Loves the quilting on the blanket. Whenever I bring out in spring, she just rolls around and plays on it. Her sister loved it, too.

Princess Click-Click

She's so cute for a old lady. But I am her owner.




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Mom's beautiful orchid

Blew over in the strong winds yesterday and this stem of flowers broke off. Now we can enjoy it inside.


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Shave Ice yummmmm!

Trying to get in the foods I've missed from Hawaii. Went to Wahiawa to my cousin. Then off to get some shave ice. Mom: strawberry w/ ice cream, mine: vanilla w/ ice cream. Mom can't remember when the last time she had Matsumoto shave ice.

Then we were off to end of the road.


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Back from CA

Just got back CA, in and out in 5 days for my niece's graduation (I'm old) and family visit.


I'm the munchkin auntie on the right (old and short)


Happy Graduate