Category Archive for ‘family’ at adam knits!

Archive for the 'family' Category

The Perpetually Late Grinch 26 Dec 08

Christmas and I have a very unusual relationship. Have you ever had a childhood friend that you thought you’d be close with forever? Then say for whatever reason, you end up growing apart, and you run into each other years later. It’s always a bit awkward right? You feel like you know this person intimately from your shared experiences, but then you realize that both you and your friend are different, and it’s difficult to reconcile your past with the present.

That’s pretty much how Christmas and I interact. I remember so many wonderful experiences as a child, but somewhere along the way we drifted apart, and I feel like my friend Christmas isn’t the same person anymore. What was once a wonderful time of joy and merriment has turned into a time of chaos and insanity. There’s so much rushing around to buy this and that, and all the pressure to find the perfect gift, all while trying not to snap and choke any innocent bystanders. As a result, I tend to get a bit Grinchy this time of year.

So imagine my surprise a few weeks ago, when I began to feel a small growth of Christmas spirit in my heart. (I’m sure it had something to do with the unfettered freedom I acquired upon finishing school.) Not one to kick a gift horse in the mouth, I decided to do a bit of festive decorating, nevermind that Christmas was only a week and a half away.

I hit a few snafus along the way (didn’t buy enough tree lights, the outside lights didn’t work, the tree wouldn’t quit leaning, etc.), and came very close to throwing a lovely Christmas bonfire with all the decorations. But I stuck with it, and managed to get the tree and lights up, and even throw a small party.

Then a few days later, it hit me. I had to buy presents still! In all the excitement of attempting to be festive, I completely forgot about the shopping. Just when I thought Christmas and I were getting along again, it decided to go hit on my little sister. (Figuratively of course, since I don’t have a sister.) I tried to go to the store a few days before Christmas day, but I nearly had a psychotic break. All I have to say is, thank goodness for Amazon.com and overnight shipping. Phew!

For now, Christmas and I have managed to make up, mostly on account of the tasty holiday desserts from yesterday.

this lovely treat is a cranberry trifle, if you’re so inclined

Oh, and also on account of the fact that I can now take all the decorations down and hide them in the garage until next year.

PS: In case you’re wondering, I only had one gift knit, and I didn’t even finish it on time. FAIL.

Published

Adam

in a nerd's life, christmas, family, holidays, home ownership and why me?

I Haz a House! 10 Jun 08

59 Comments

Well peeps, it’s done! I signed on the dotted line (about 30 million times by my count), forked over a very large check, and a few hours later was the proud owner of a new set of keys. Which happen to open my sweet new house!

Continue reading ‘I Haz a House!’

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Adam

in albuquerque, family, home and home ownership

Hi Mom! 11 May 08

12 Comments

Happy Mother’s Day!

I’m sure you’re aware of it, but I thought I’d just take a moment to remind you how awesome you are. You’ve raised 3 pretty awesome sons (despite the fact that all you had to work with was 3 dorky little boys), and we’re all proud to call you our Mom.

You’re an awesome Mom and a loving wife with a green thumb to rival Martha Stewart (who are we kidding, she pays people to garden for her!). You’ve always been there to support me and help me out, either by giving sage advice, or just sitting down and knitting with me. Heck, if you hadn’t taught me to knit, this blog wouldn’t exist today!

And in these last few years, you’ve stood amazingly strong, despite all the stuff going on in your life, and I’m in awe of that. Your life is profoundly different today than what you imagined it to be, yet you’ve been able to roll with the punches, no matter how hard or fast they’ve come. Not content with having 3 sons and calling it a day, you and Dad took on the challenge of raising 3 of your nieces. I know that it’s one of the hardest things you’ve ever done, and I hope that when I’m confronted with a similar decision, I have the strength to say, “Ok God, I’ll do it”.

So thanks Mom. You’re the best Mom I could ask for. Even if you did have some crazy hair back in the 90’s.

(I’m so going to get it for that photo, aren’t I?)

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Adam

in family

Letting Out My Inner Bum 28 Feb 08

21 Comments

Let’s just pretend that two weeks hasn’t gone by ok? Moving right along ;)

Anyway, I’ve been up to my usual tricks, including work, homework avoidance and lots of orchestra practice. I had a big concert this past weekend, featuring some of the most difficult music I’ve ever played in an ensemble. Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances may sound nice, but man is that thing a beast! The tempo is pretty much the equivalent of a Mack truck barreling down the highway at 120 MPH. In the end though, I got most of the notes, so I was fairly pleased with myself.

As far as knitting goes, I have no proof I’m actually knitting anything, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. My primary project right now is top secret, but the big reveal should be soon. I also have a lovely sock going, but at this blogging speed, you’ll probably see a finished sock by the time I get around to the pictures.

I had a small Yarn Nerd shop update last week, including a lovely new merino/bamboo/nylon yarn I’ve termed 900 MHz Bambylon. (Try to type that 10 times fast!) The small batch I put up went fairly quickly, but I will have more on the way soon, so don’t despair, there’s plenty of bamboo yarn action to be had.

Also, I will be receiving a shipment of some new yarns soon, including a Superwash Merino DK Weight and a Merino Sport Weight. Both yarns are absolutely lovely, and the DK Weight is a great replacement for my older 1500 MHz Merino base, which I had to discontinue. So look for a future shop update with those yarns, I think you’ll really like them!

I’ve been fighting off a bit of a bug this week, and so I whipped up some soup to soothe my tempestuous stomach. Nothing like a delicious chicken and rice soup made with wild rice and rotisserie chicken to cure what ails you.

Thankfully, I’m mostly on the mend, save for a pesky sore throat that just won’t go away. I wouldn’t mind if the deep sexy voice stayed around for a bit longer though. Anyway, it’s a good thing I’m feeling better, since I’m off on another snow excursion this weekend.

I think a weekend spent ripping up the mountain with my Dad, Uncle and little Brother will definitely do me good. Maybe not my throat, but definitely my inner ski bum. You gotta shirk that responsibility and play everyone once in a while right?

So whatever you’re doing this weekend, make sure to take a least a few moments and let our your inner bum. Lay around, knit a bit, watch TV or just sleep in a little longer. Because all work and no play turns Jack into a raving lunatic.

Published

Adam

in family, grad school, knitting, music, snow, weekend! and work

How The Grinch 24 Dec 07

25 Comments

Learned to enjoy Christmas…

Merry Christmas everyone! I’m in quite a festive mood this year, which is a definite departure, as I’m usually a bit of a Grinch this time of year. Don’t get me wrong, I love hanging out with family and exchanging gifts, but the craziness of it all gets to me at times. This year however, I armed myself with the one two punch combo of hand knitting gifts and online shopping, so my retail excursions were minimal.

I did lose a bit of Christmas spirit today when I went into a certain big box craft store to find that the Christmas section was being torn down and replaced with Valentine’s Day. I was a bit infuriated, but any thoughts of tree burning were quickly squelched when I finished this little beauty.

how the grinch learned to love Christmas

It’s a Grinch Green Christmas Tree (pattern at Monster Yarn), and I love it ever so much. It was a gift for my extended family’s gift exchange on Christmas Eve, and it was well received, along with many requests for duplicates :) Nothing like a fun fur tree to make that Christmas spirit soar again.

Have a good one everyone! I hope your Christmas day is filled with food, fun and maybe even a bit of knitting. I finished all but one of my gift hats, and I don’t think the final recipient will mind too much if I gift his hat towards the end of the day.