the continuing saga of the bathroom

I don't think either Sam nor i ever thought it would take as long as it has to actually re-do things in the house as it has. (did that sentence make any sense? i haven't had enough coffee.)
So back in March Sam started to tear down the wallpaper.



Behind the mirror there was a different square of wallpaper. We both agreed that if this was the paper in the whole bathroom we would have left it.



This past weekend was the grout work. After a first failed attemp at mixing the grout things went well and i think it looks great.



On to painting next!!! Picking the color was MUCH easier than i thought it would be, Sam had his heart set on painting it orange. At first i thought some of the colors he liked were too bright and would look too heavy at the top of the wall. I wanted the tone/hue/value????? (i'm forgetting color theory right now....like i said, not enough coffee). We went with Sherwin Williams Orange Blast. Who knows when we'll actually get around to painting.

Toad in the Hole

Second only to sleeping in, the best part of the weekend is a good greasy breakfast. I decided to tweak things a bit and made 'Toad in the Hole'. Someone (Jimmy D) mentioned that this is also called Bird in a Nest, which makes more sense, but i like the toad thing better. All you need is bread, butter and an egg.







MMMMMM...what more could you want? The correct answer to that question is, of course, bacon...which was on the table, but not pictured here.

Hi...remember me?

Poor blog...i spend so much time tweeting, facebooking and Ravelring(?) that The Bunker gets ignored. I promise to try to change that. So...lets take look around the back yard shall we?
I won't mention the vegetable garden...once again not much luck, so on to te flowers.

The clematis was out of control. It was just a huge mass of tangled dried stems. So back in early April i hacked it down.



Sam was a little worried that it wouldn't have as many flowers....

Two months later....


and this is NOTHING compared to how many flowers are there now!

When we first moved into the Bunker these two sad little lilies popped up. The pink one was so wobbly we had to prop it up....


Well, two years later, we may be in danger of being over run.


It's hard to see in the photo, but the count was 19 flowers on the pink plant and 10 on the white!

First Signs of Spring

No Socks.....



and even better than that...the daffys are coming up!



i know, we haven't seen the last of winter....but just enjoy!

I've been knitting, really I have!

It's the beginning of the gifting season, and once again i'll be trying to make some things.

Thanks to "Knitting on the Edge" by Nicky Epstein, i've learned to make these cool corkscrews!



This was just a test, but they will appear in a future X-mas gift! They are really easy, but make sure you cast on with two needles and keep that tension LOOSE! Otherwise your fingers will hate you!

I spent some of the money I got for my birthday back in October on more yarn to make into gifts! Yummy stuff....

Knit Picks Comfy in Lilac Mist...soft with a little shine!



This is all for one project....
Knit Picks Cadena-Peat
Knit Picks Telemark-Cream
Louet Gems-Crabapple



And finally......Fatty by Dream in Color



the project i have in mind for this yarn is so cute and simple and this yarn is soooo pretty...i think that after the holidays i may be purchasing a few more skeins in different colors and making a couple for myself!

October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month!

Some day i will have a dog. Not anytime soon, little Miss Goo will not tolerate a canine, but someday. If you are looking for a pooch October is National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. Many shelters are having special promotions to help their pooches find new homes.

Here are a couple of things i think you should consider....

Adopt and older dog. Training will be less intensive than with a puppy. Just think..no potty training! They tend to be more laid back...that means less destruction and chaos. Finally, unless they are housed at a no kill shelter, they are more likely to be euthanized.

You say you want a pure breed pooch? No problem! May shelters will alert you if the breed of dog you are looking for comes into their shelter. Got something specific in mind? Almost every breed you can think of has a rescue group out there. Just search (insert dog breed here)rescue. I am a fan of some of the smooshy face dogs and I constantly check in with the Midwest Boston Terrier Rescue Group and the French Bulldog Rescue Network. Many times these shelter groups have already dealt with the animal's major medical or behavioral issues. These good people also, many times, are the ones who care for animals rescued from puppy mills. (Don't get me started....just this....if you feel the absolute need to spend money on an animal, any animal, and the breeder will not let you come for a visit, take your money and RUN.)

This is going to sound strange coming from a future crazy cat lady, who has two rescued cats that run her life....but it seems to me that a dog KNOWS it has been rescued, and love you all the more for it. It seems to come from that part of them, their soul, that wants to please their owner. (Cats...believe me...do not have owners....servants more like)

So if you are ready....go save a life!

What? An actual post?

Yes! It's true, and it's even knitting related! Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne are Mason-Dixon Knitting. They wrote one fantastic book and have just released another. I love the first book because, as someone with limited knitting skills, they really show that something does not have to be complicated to be beautiful. They are smart, witty, sassy and apparently Old-School County Music Divas!