No GRL for this Minion...

I'm torn between really sad that I wasn't able to attend GRL this year, and happy because overall I had a good weekend.

just a random little book thing for you.

Of course, I would have been all torn up about stuff if I'd been at GRL -- my favorite favorite band was playing at City Winery Chicago Friday night, and there was HOCKEY Saturday (but then, I wouldn't have been able to afford a hockey game, most likely, and I would have needed a Hockey Buddy so DH wouldn't freak at the idea of me being all alone on the mean streets of Chicago, so I guess it worked out after all...) but doing those would have required me to miss at least a part of a couple of evening things at GRL itself, so...

I *did*, as I said, have a pretty good weekend, though. Friday I volunteered at my boys' school, shelving books in the Media Center (although really, why they can't just call it a library still I do not understand) and discovering old favorites that I want to reread. Later that day my parents got back for the night before heading back home on Saturday. Saturday I helped DH fix his Jeep (it's been out of commission for a week b/c he was having problems with a couple of parts) and then spent the rest of the day herding the kids outside because the weather was perfect -- sunny and in the mid-70s. Sunday, DH went out hunting, which is not my favorite thing, but we've now got a HUGE amount of wild hog to fill our freezer. It tastes just like store-bought, and at current meat prices... Plus DH wants to try his hand at making sausage, which I'm all in favor of. I wonder if we can figure out Italian style sausage; I love to use that in various recipes...

Anyway, all y'all who went to GRL, if you're going to write up a recap, with pictures and whatnot, I'd love to see & read all about it! Leave me links! Let me know who you loved to meet, what was your favorite part, and what you drank at the parties! Was it everything you hoped for? Better? Stranger?

And most importantly...

Did you miss me?

Minion in turmoil

So I think I may have accidentally skipped a Minion Monday blog. And possibly a Fabulous (Fantastic? I can never remember) Friday or two, as well.

I know, I know, it's always hectic in Minion-ville and everywhere else for that matter. I have no excuse. It just seems like the crazy comes in cycles.

Anyway, this week: I have ALMOST finished the star afghan I've been working on since March (or was it February? It's been so long I've lost track). I just have a couple of rows of edging to do. I'm not even sure how many; I decided on a gentle ruffle which requires several rows of consistent increases, so I guess I'll pretty much go till I run out of the navy blue yarn & quit wherever that happens to be.

Also, I used the star pattern from the centers of the afghan squares as a jumping-off point for a really pretty infinity scarf for a friend who's a fan of the Dallas Stars (yes, hockey) -- their colors are green & white, so there are 24 green stars, joined and edged in white. Because of the way I had to offset the stars to join them, the scarf, laid flat, has this lovely sort of undulation to it. But it looks sort of ruffly when it's on, which is kind of cool. I went for a lacy feel when I decided on the edging; not sure if I pulled it off exactly, but it's pretty enough that I wish I wore scarves (& all my kids are wanting their own preferred-color versions of it).

Oh, and I started the next this-is-gonna-take-forEVER afghan this week -- it's an actual pattern, from a magazine, inspired by a wildflower garden. I'm going to have to take some liberties as the recipient requested a queen-sized afghan & this pattern is for a 54" x 60" blanket, but we'll figure it out. And I have some lovely soft charcoal-colored yarn for a scarf for a very dear friend (and ex-boyfriend) who just moved to Denver. So, lots to keep me busy for the next little while. (In fact, here is a link to my Flickr album where I'm posting pics of my crochet projects, both in-progress and as they're finished. If you want you can even explore my other pics; I think everything's pretty well labelled.)

And it's a good thing I have plenty to keep me busy; DH has to do the Reserve thing for an ENTIRE MONTH starting around the 24th of October. So things will be crazy and more than a little tense for a bit. Luckily crochet is kind of meditative for me, so I suspect I will get a LOT done.

On the Cherie-and-reading front, I have been assured that, come January, I will be kept Very Busy Indeed with lots of fun little chores, and I can't wait! I'll need something to do between hockey games! ;) Right now I'm catching up on several things that I have had TBRed fro a long time, because I was going through one of those reading slumps where just nothing seems to work out. You know what I mean. And it was kind of a bummer because it was a lot of stuff I was really excited about -- enough to preorder, which I usually don't do because it throws me off and I forget & sometimes re-buy elsewhere, and not all the pubs actually send you a reminder email when your preorder is ready for download. But as my wishlists are all subtitled "Where Good Intentions Go To Die," I try to preorder anything I'm really super excited about just so it doesn't get lost in the teeming nothingness of Wishlist Hell...

One of those books was Fever Pitch, #2 in Heidi Cullinan's Love Lessons series, and OMG. OMG SO GOOD. I just loved every word of it. I am currently re-reading Love Lessons, just so I can go back and re-read Fever Pitch all over again. And then after I do that, I have to start Amy Lane's Beneath the Stain b/c I finally caved (I was going to wait until it was all done & then buy it as a single novel instead of the serial version, but it turns out I'm not so great at the whole waiting thing). So, now I have six installments of that to read, and I think the seventh is the last one? So I have a week for that.

After that, who knows? My TBR is still ridiculous, so there's no shortage of stuff to choose from, and I probably have a couple more preorders still out there waiting.  And I'm eager to find out what's going to come to me next from Cherie -- your guess is as good as mine!

(P.S. -- If you're going to be at GRL: Currently I'm signed up but don't yet have plane tickets. Some hitches have occurred, specifically things like DH's hospitalization last month and his upcoming Reserve training, which mean that I may not be able to attend. Final decision will be made by Wednesday. Whether I'm there or not, look for Cherie! Give her extra hugs for me!)