First of two

That's the problem when you let too much time go by before you post to your blog. I seem to gather so much material in between, that you could literally go through a pot of coffee by yourself before you finish reading my posts. So, to remedy that for today, I'm going to go easy on you and break it up into two installments today. Well, really, this one will be my actual post for today, and the second one will be one of those questionaires that I snagged from my friend, fru, here on her blog. Grab your coffee (or your preferred refreshment) and let's get started!

Oh, one other thing before I forget...I'm not sure if I thanked everyone for all of your well wishes and support during my mom's illness. While she is still on the road to a full recovery, I'm happy to report that she is back at work, albeit on a more relaxed schedule, which her clients are ok with. They are just glad to have her back!

( A little crowded in the coin pocket?)

(Love that little latch to close it with!)

A few days ago, my wallet, which was probably at least ten years old, finally gave up the ghost. How long has it been since you have shopped for a new wallet? Well, first off, I have to say I'm very frugal in that I don't collect purses just because ( I do like shoes however!), so wallets have never been a big deal for me either. Typically, I don't carry purses bigger than my 5' 4" frame, so I usually prefer the smaller tri-fold style wallet. Good luck on finding one of those these days!!

I guess I should have prefaced this with the fact that I do not go to malls...or at least, I have to be in a certain mood to even think about going to one. And that mood doesn't strike often. I can usually find what I want at one of the stand alone department stores, such as SteinMart, Kohls, or even the open air type shopping centers like we have here where I live. There's online shopping too, but I want to see my wallet before I purchase it. Yesterday was just one of those days though, where I didn't want to have to traipse all over a mall or shopping center for that matter. I went to four different stores before I finally made my purchase. I still wasn't over the moon with what I came home with either. Why do the manufacturers assume that everyone carries a checkbook? Do people really still write checks? If I am cash poor for the day, I whip out the debit card. I don't carry a credit card either...I did away with all credit cards when my ex-husband and I divorced six years ago. I swore then that if I couldn't pay cash for whatever I wanted, then it would have to wait. Don't get me wrong...I know that sometimes credit lines can be a lifesaver for some people, but for the majority, they too often become a problem. Scooter is one of those people that if he puts something on a credit card during the month, the whole thing gets paid off when it is due. It's very rare though that he even uses them, and it's so nice to be with someone finally, that is so responsible with his credit! Okay, back to topic....somehow, at the end of the day, I find myself carrying a large amount of coins. I know I should clean out that part of my wallet frequently, but it's not one of those things that I think about very often. That is probably what caused the zipper to break on the coin pocket of my wallet. My new one has a bigger pocket for that, but if it's filled too full, I've discovered I can't latch the wallet closed. The style of it is starting to grow on me...it reminds me of the purses (or pocketbooks depending on what part of the country you're from I suppose) from the 50's. It's more like a little clutch type purse with a latch rather than a snap....very cute detail! I think we might be able to get along, but at $10. from WalMart, I'm not expecting its life span to be much more than six months to a year (fingers crossed). Oh well, that buys me a little time to get in the mood for the mall, right?, and hopefully, after the holidays! Another thing that might have been the cause of my irritability with the mall yesterday, was the idea that Scooter is wanting me to drive my other car. I wasn't in the mood to deal with the youngsters that assume I want to race them off the line at every stoplight. Ugh.
It had been planned that we would sell my Eclipse, after he bought me my Lexus a few months ago. It hasn't happened yet, mainly because we just haven't taken the time to get it cleaned up like we wanted to. Ok, that might not be entirely true....I worked hard to pay my little sports ride off. We have been through thick and thin together, including a couple of car accidents where the poor thing had to have major makeovers....once after it came back from the dealership after a recall where they supposedly took care of the issue. Coming home from work one afternoon, and BAM! the whole left front wheel broke off, taking the transaxle with it. Ouch! The next one, a dump truck ahead of me, lost a whole load of those gray cinderblocks, so I can literally say I hit a brick wall. My guess is, that little car is stronger now than when it came off the factory line! Scooter has even had the engine rebuilt, so it's low miles, which is a plus! It's fun to drive, and it has taken me a while to give up that part of my life. Can you tell I tend to get attached to my cars? It's turbo, so it moves on outta there like nobody's business. Anyway, he has asked me to drive it because he put a full tank of gas in it this past weekend and doesn't want it just sitting. Not sure why he did that, because all he was going to do was go have it washed and detailed. Next thing I know, he's telling me it's full and needs to be driven. Sad to say, it just doesn't have the same perks as my new car does...better quality stereo/sound system, automatic tailgate opener/closer, memory seat adjustments along with bun warmers, to name just a few. Also, I have never had a car that has jet washers for the headlights...fancy schmancy I tell ya. I still can't park the thing for beans though, so that is an upside in my sports cars' favor...easy to whip into a space! Hmmm....I might be talking myself out of selling it again...lol

Quite a bit of knitting has been going on...most of it might have been in my head though. You know, the planning of future projects, and ordering of the yarn for them. I'm not sure if I mentioned this in my last post or not, but I was over at my friend Carol's house the other day, and she showed me the most beautiful lace scarf she is working on. I think I did already link to it in my previous post. My friend Linda and I, ended up ordering the yarn for it, and Carol ordered a couple more colors too. I'm so anxious to cast on for it, so hopefully this evening I'll get to do that. The yarn and pattern can be found here, or if you don't want to set up a free account, you can see the scarf/stole here on Ravelry. It's a takeoff on the Clapotis, but in my opinion, prettier, just because I love the lace twist to it. The fact that it's done in baby cashmere...all the better!
I have many plans for some Christmas knitting, which I don't usually do, but I definitely need to do some de-stashing, so I'm thinking maybe socks, hats, and scarves. We shall see....

We are having some awesome weather here in northern California, which is a constant reminder that fall is on its way and I need to finish my Oregon vest I've posted about previously. With cooler nights beginning to happen, I am more motivated than ever. I hope wherever you are, you are also enjoying some great weather!