Update:

Sorry I've been MIA again.  Just not sure I want to continue the blog if all my projects can be listed on Ravelry.  Plus I split my old blog into two new ones and I'm not so sure I'm liking it this way.  Too much logging in and out to leave comments for the different friends I follow using both sites.  Oh what to do???

Anyway, in the meantime, I've joined a local group of gals and have been having a blast!!  We meet at Starbucks during the colder weather and at the park in the warmer weather.  This month I finally picked up the needles again and I'm so glad I hooked up with the girls for some winter laughs.  They're so fun to hang with and I really look forward to my weekly coffee meets.

One of the fun things we did was a yarn swap (de-stash) at Miss R's home.  It was so nice of her to open her home for knitting time, yummy treats and the give-away.  I didn't have anything to donate since I only just started knitting/crocheting but I was welcomed anyways and look what they let me take home...

 
How awesome is that!!  Can't wait to use the green knit picks to make my first pair of socks.  Yep! Miss K (from the group) has kindly volunteered to teach me the construction of a sock.  That's my goal for 2012.

So to my "new" friends... THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I appreciate your gifts, laughs and welcoming me to the group!

The King Cole Riot yarn I purchased as a surprise for my daughter.  I'm making her a scarf for her B-day or Christmas.  Hmm! Can I get it done?? You can find the Spring Ripple Scarf here! 

I've also got a couple scarves I'd like to make for my son & gf and need those in the mail before the deadline.  Plus a few dishclothes would be nice...yes I've started one so far, LOL!  Oh so much to do... why oh why do I wait till the last minute?

How could I forget....I have a scarf on the needles right now as I type.  I'll save those pics for the next post.  See you soon!

Benny and Joon

Well not much crocheting or knitting 

going on here but....

I did finish another dishcloth for MIL.

I do think it turned out cute and might have 

to make myself one too!  You can find the 

pattern here... Wheatfields Dishcloth.

I've also been enjoying a few summer drinks...

Strawberry Daiquiri's and Mud Slides!  

YUM!!!

And what has been keeping me away 

from my hobby time???

We've been checking out the Benny and Joon House!

My daughter has an obsession for Johnny Depp and when

she found out the movie was filmed in Spokane....

she just had to go see for herself.

We ended up chatting with a gal who lived in 

the house while it was being filmed.  How fun

would that be to hang with the stars and 

watch it all come together.  Too cool!!

We also found out that the back porch scene

was built on stilts and not really part of the house.

The tree out front has since been removed

along with the mailbox across the street but

you can still see many characteristics that linger.

Like the front porch or the Maple Street Bridge

in the background.  Anyway, check out the pics

of my daughter hanging out.  

What an awesome fun day!!

PS. if you click on my title it will link

you to pics from the movie.

Maple Street Bridge in the background!

The Spokane River behind the house

Back porch of the Benny and Joon House!

Stairwell that leads to the river

This stairway leads to the river and is where I stood 

to take the picture of the back porch.  

They have a few chairs down there so you can 

hang out and watch mother nature but they

 had little water puddles in them or I would have taken

a pic sitting enjoying the view.  Instead you got this, lol!

This stairway is owned by the city

Then we headed out in the neighborhood 

where "the colorful people" live.  LOL!

This part of town where the movie was 

filmed is called Peaceful Valley.

It always had the stigma of drugs and

lower income folks but the city is 

trying to clean it up and I must say since

returning to Spokane it does look much better.

I thought I'd share a few of the homes

that stand out the most.  

I love it!!

But you just don't find this in

everyday neighborhoods.  Hmm!

The Witch House...seriously!

The sign says so... LOL!

Cowley School is a Historic Landmark

for Peaceful Valley.  You can read a 

little info here... Cowley School.

Named for Reverend Henry T. Cowley

Built in 1917

A typical Craftsman Bungalow

So there you go... a little history about a small

part of our wonderful city.

I hope they continue to clean the area up 

and more people move in and take back the rentals.  

This part of town really is magical 

and always brings a smile to my face.

Enjoy your week...be back soon!

Cheers! ~M

More lazy summer days...

Since I really don't have a yard to showcase

I've decided to steal some peaks 

from those around me...

The occupied home in my MIL backyard

A visitor in our front yard...

Baby bird learning to fly

Beautiful Blue Hydrangea

Add aluminum to the soil for BLUE

But really there's more to it so check out this link

to get all the scoop about Hydrangea Color Change.

Around the neighborhood

YUM!

An apartment building downtown.  I sure missed

the brick and turn of the century homes while 

living in the desert the last 14 yrs.

There's so much to share from our 

quaint town that originally started as

Spokane Falls.  Next week I'll be venturing 

out to town again so hopefully I'll capture

some interesting things to share.

Stay tuned....

Giveaway....

Neicee's Giveaway!!

Yep! Check it out and get registered

but hurry...only a few days left!

Please mention you heard the news 

from my blog (I'll be entered twice).

***Grin***

Thanks Neicee for hosting a

Giveaway!

Can't wait to see who the winner will be...

CHEERS!! ~M

Yarn is Unpacked!!

Yea! The house is livable!!

I'm loving my white cabinets!

The stove has been installed again

and the microwave moved to a small

table to give more counter space; eventually

we'll install a new stand alone range with 

a built in microwave.

I'm happy to say my yarn has been unpacked and things 

are slowly finding a home.  I'm back to surfing 
my blogs and ready to pick up my hooks and needles!  

Hip hip hooray!!!

Now to figure out where I left off...

In the meantime my one and only flower 

has bloomed out front. We had a guessing game

of what color will the lily be???  and the answer is...

WHITE!!

I was also able to cut some roses from my FIL's
yard and aromacise the house! YUM!!

Luckily we didn't miss the blooming Lilac's too!

And then there was time at the lake...

So now it's time to start the creative juices flowing;
too many things to do and so little time, LOL!


Looking forward to hanging out again 
and checking out all your wonderful creations!


Thanks for stopping by everyone...
Cheers! ~M

Unexpected House Makeover

Welcome Home Duncan's

What a nice surprise from our

2nd Family (Shawn, Jordan, Wally & Diane).

Thanks!! We love you all! :)

How about a look at the house...

Well it was quite the surprise when we showed up 

and found the house in this condition.  Unfortunately the prior tenant (family member) needed to be evicted because we suspect drug abuse.  Hmm!  I think we're right on that one, lol.  We only expected to clean the house before moving in but as you can see, it needed a whole new makeover.  We've now been working on the house for almost a month and wait until you see the difference.  

More pics coming soon!

As for the road trip up north...everything went fine and

obviously we made it safe and sound!

The weather has been hit and miss but 

definitely much cooler than the desert, lol.

When we left Phoenix the end of May it

was already in the high 90s and now a 

month later they're reaching 113º  YEOW!

Spokane has been in the high 60s low 70s with

rain off and on.  It's been a nice change.

Lilacs from the Lilac City

Hope everyone is doing well and getting

those summer projects started.  Can't wait to

have a minute for some hooking/sticks time.

Be back soon....Cheers! ~M