The ups and downs of homeownership

Yes, it's nice to own a place of your own. But this weekend, I had my doubts. On Saturday, we spent the whole day cleaning toilets and scrubbing floors (me) and mowing lawns and digging out dandelions (Paul). Yesterday, though, we rewarded ourselves with a nice new patio set and a grill of our very own. We spent much of the day putting stuff together and preparing a meal (steak and a grilled veggie mix of potatoes, onion, green pepper, and zucchini, along with some jalepeno cheese bread in the bread maker that Mom dug out of her basement for me). Just as we were about to sit down to eat, the rain started. It didn't last long -- and it didn't rain much -- but it was enough to bring our little party inside.

On the knitting front, I finished most of Lisa's wedding shawl on Friday -- I just have to sew in the ends. And the doll blanket for Kaari is almost halfway. I went out and bought more Bernat Super Value, which was on sale last week at Meijer. I originally bought some just for that little blanket for Kaari's dolls, but I was so impressed that I went out and bought more. When they say "Improved Softness," they're not kidding! Working with it has been a dream -- it's the most amazing cheapie acrylic ever. When I showed Paul, even he was impressed. As he noted, "It feels like cotton." I have big ideas for my new Super Value -- including a scarf and a sweater for Kaari and a shrug (and maybe a wrap) for myself. I know it's totally low-class, but I don't care. No one has to know I didn't pay $10 a skein.


Would you like potatoes with your steak?