The Day after a Crafters Long Weekend

Sadly, the holiday weekend ended. I had a wonderful time working on my WIPs. Even starting a new one. Imagine that.

First up The Weasley

This sweater is coming out nicely. I cannot wait to finish the front so I can start the sleeves. I still have hope that I will finish this one by Christmas. Here is an updated picture of my progress. Cosmo is checking out my fine workmanship.




Second up The Memory Quilt

I know I have not worked on this in a long time. For you new comers you can read up about the quilt over in my Work in Progress list to the right, there is a link you can click on. Cosmo has been so helpful this weekend. Here he is sitting on top of my sewing box so I cannot get into it.



I finally started quilting the front and back together. I am using my sewing machine to do the quilting. I use a walking foot so I am able to quilt with such thickness of two layers of fabric that sandwich the batting. The walking foot allows the thickness to be pulled from the top and the bottom allowing the quilt to smoothly move backward allowing the needle to do the sewing. With out the special walking foot the thickness of the fabric would only be pulled from the bottom creating a mess.

I am using clear nylon thread to do the quilting. I have never used nylon thread before. It is slippery and hard to see. I am starting to get the hang of it. I started in the center of the quilt and quilted around the center square. Following this method I continued outward and have outlined each of the 25 squares. Now I am starting back in the center and will outline the details of each of the squares. Here is a picture of what is going on.



It is turning out nicely. This being my first quilt I am very proud of the way it is turning out.


Lastly A New WIP
I know I know, Why am I starting a new project when I have so many unfinished projects on my plate. I call it the curse of the Knitter. There are so many cool things I would like to make it is hard not to try and start a new one. I still consider myself a new knitter because there is so many things I have not tried or made yet. One of the things I was afraid of but really wanted to learn was Cables.

There is a bag I would like to make, the pattern is in the latest Rebecca book. Of course it has cables in it. I thought I should try to learn cables on an easier project first. That is when I found The Irish Hiking Scarf along. The pattern seemed like an easy way to try and learn cables. I bought some wool-ease worsted weight yarn in color denim and some cable needles. I printed out the pattern and placed all items in my stash to start after the new year, when some of my other projects have been completed. Well Thanksgiving morning came around and I started watching the parades. I had the whole day ahead of me full of happy knitting and quilting. I thought to myself maybe I could just start the cabled scarf. Then I was overwhelmed with excitement of learning something new. I busted out the stash and began to learn cables.

Here is a picture of the birth of my very first cables. Oooo! How cute maybe I should name them?



Cables are easy. I cannot believe I was scared. They are almost fun. This pattern is an excellent one to learn cables. Therefore, if you are like I was and am afraid of cables. I am telling you, You can do it. I promise. Give it a shot. Here is the final picture of my progress on the Irish Cable Scarf.



Goodbye to Free Time
One thing that weighed heavily on me this weekend was the fact that this was going to be the last long weekend of free time for a while, due to our upcoming business opening. Starting today, Chris and I will be very busy doing last minute setting up. We start computer training for the employees on the 6th of December. Then Open our doors for patients on the 13th. At this point, I have a pit in my stomach of my up coming responsibility and overwhelming workload.

Unfortunately, for the next month I will not be able to post as much as I would like. Any spare time I have, I am sure I will be preparing for the holidays & working to finish some of my WIP’s before Christmas. I will post my progress on my crafts when I get a chance. I am hoping by the start of the New Year life will get back to a normal speed for me.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week of turkey left overs. 8)

Happy Thanksgiving

Webshots Photo

Family Staying too Long
Here is a funny article I found in Readers Digest about Holiday guests overstaying their welcome.

When Holiday Guests Won’t Leave
By Andrew Boorstyn

The holidays are here, and there will be lots of comings and goings – and perhaps a bit too much of staying. Sometimes friends and family are having such a good time at your celebration that they forget to go home. Of course, all good things must come to an end – and hosts need their sleep. Here’s a lighthearted look at handling party stragglers and houseguests who won’t leave.

Know How to Say Good-Bye If guests won't leave after a party, it's perfectly acceptable to suggest politely that it's time to go. Practice these phrases from expert socialites.Abigail van Buren (Dear Abby): "Oh, dear, just look at the time! I didn't realize it was so late. I'm going to let you nice people go home, so you can retire."Judith Martin (Miss Manners): "It's been wonderful having you. We really enjoyed it. I'll get you the train schedule. Will you be needing a ride to the station?"Walter Sickert (British Impressionist painter): "Do come back when you've a little less time to spare."Outwit the Long-Term LodgerIf you don't want to play host for a few days, tell aspiring guests that it will be impossible for them to stay with you, saying, perhaps, "It's just not a good time for me." If you don't mind having someone stay over, be very clear about how long the person is invited to stay: "Make yourself at home, but only through Friday night -- I'm having the living room painted this weekend." Then make arrangements to have the living room painted. Here are some other ideas you might want to try (but probably shouldn't!).

Avoid buying a sofa bed.
Offer guests the floor.
Put a rock under the guest mattress. Or a typewriter.
Make sure the refrigerator is empty, or full of dairy products and turned off.
Tell them your key is hard to use, then change the locks


Shopping
The best time to shop for Holiday stuff is right before the holiday and after, when it is on sale and they are trying to get rid of it.

This set of four salad plates are from Pottery Barn and are all ready discounted. I thought they were kind of cute.



You have to really know who you are if you are going to pull off this look.

This hat is for sale at Hats in the Belfry.


Thanksgiving Day Television Line Up



For me the Thanksgiving always starts with the parades.
NBC is airing the 78th annual Macy’s Day Parade after that there is the Sun bowl parade

I will probably keep the TV on NBC most of the day. They are also airing:
The National Dog Show & Miracle on 34th st


In the evening, you have many good choices.

On ABC, you have Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving



Also on ABC is How the Grinch Stole Christmas


Other choices for the evening are:
FOX is showing Spiderman
NBC is showing a special titled The Seinfeld Story hosted by Jerry Seinfeld


My Thanksgiving
This year it is just Chris and I celebrating Thanksgiving. My family is in Florida and his family is in Oregon. I am sure we will do the round of phone calls to all family members. We decided not to do the hassle of making a whole Thanksgiving spread so we made reservations at one of the restaurants doing a Holiday Dinner. I really like it this way, especially the no clean up part. This also frees up a lot of time to just bum around all day. I am thinking about working on my quilt I started ages ago, it would be nice to finish that so I can use it this winter. On the other hand, maybe I will just do a knitting marathon and see how close to finishing I get on the Weasley Sweater.

I am wishing all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving, and hope yours is filled with laughter and cherished new memories.

Looking for Some Feedback

Weasley



I worked on the Weasley this weekend. I am 1/4th through the intarsia H. First I started doing the H the Fair Isle way with just one ball of the main color and one ball of the H color. I just weaved the color I was not using through the whole row and pulled it forward when I needed it. After four rows into the chart, I thought it was looking a little too loose in the back so I tried to tighten it loop by loop. That resulted in a mess I could not fix. Therefore, I ripped out those four rows and started over another way. I just started a new ball of yarn each time I changed colors the first row. Making sure, I wrap the old strand around the new color for the first stitch every time I start the next color. Does that make any sense? Anyway, it is working out nicely and I just need to make sure to untangle the five balls of yarn I am using at the end of each row.


Am I the only One?
Does anyone else walk around and suddenly you start changing the words to a song adding knitting in the mix. Like:

If you’re Happy and you know it, knit a sweater
If you’re Happy and you know it, knit a sweater
If you’re happy and you know it, then your knitting will Shirley show it
If you’re happy and you know it, knit a sweater

Or

A knitting we will go, A knitting we will go, Hi Ho the merry O a knitting we will go.

What is wrong with me? I do not even have any kids and these songs pop in my head.



Thanksgiving Decorations



My favorite symbol for Thanksgiving is the Cornucopia. Otherwise known as The Horn of Plenty. The Columbia Encyclopedia states the Cornucopia, in Greek mythology, magnificent horn that filled itself with whatever meat or drink its owner requested. Some legends designate it as a horn of the river god Achelous, others as a horn of the goat Amalthaea. It is often represented as filled with fruits and flowers and has become the symbol of plenty.

For me the Cornucopia means an abundance of good fortune and an abundance of things to be grateful for. It also represents so many things to me. Like the fact that you fill it so full of stuff that it spills out the top and around the sides. It in away breaks all the rules. Like how you are taught to color inside the lines. Keep things neat and tidy. The cornucopia is beautiful in its abundant disarray.

I think it is a perfect centerpiece for the Thanksgiving Holidays.

Here are some ideas

Cornucopia made out of bread


This one is from DIYnetwork and the instructions are here



This one is from Pastrywiz and the instructions are here




My favorite idea is probably this one


It is a fresh flower Cornucopia designed by David Booth. He gave a workshop on how to make these and you can find out more here.
I think I would scale it down small enough to fit in the center of the table. I also would lay it on its side the traditional way. I would also choose fresh flowers in autumn colors.

The thing that is so great about the Cornucopia is you can get creative. There is no standard for which material must be used. Pretty much anything goes. It can be made out of whatever you wish and filled with whatever you desire.


Thank You

I would like to give a shout out to some wonderful Blogs that have a link to my Blog. I am very proud to be listed on each of these and am a frequent reader to all of them.

Hubby, Daddy, Coder, Gamer

Knittikins

Little Purl of the Orient

Lollyknitting Around

Pieces of Life

Princess Papaya Knits

Richardson Zoo

Tangled Threads and Seaweed

Ttbookjunkie knits

Whatever!


I would also like to thank my frequent commentors. Yes, I am talking to you Lisa from knittikins, Lauren from Lollyknitting Around, & Laura from Pieces of Life. I look forward to your comments. THANK YOU


I Would Like some Feedback
I know from my site meter there are many people out there reading my blog, or at least taking a peek. If you could take a minute to give me some feedback on what you think, I would appreciate it. You can always use anonymous to leave a comment if you are shy. It is OK with me.

What do you like about my Blog? What do you dislike?
What things would you like to see more of? What would you rather see less of?
Am I too much or not enough?
I already know I cannot spell so do not bring that one up. 8)

Please feel free to drop me a comment. I read all the comments and appreciate the time you took to write them. THANK YOU!

Last but not Least

Friday in Vegas

I decided to walk to Caesars today and check out their shopping place. On my way there, I found Sephora.



This is a beauty supply shop I thought was only on the internet. My girlfriend loves shopping on the net in this store. This place was huge. The good part is all the makeup you can try on while you are shopping. I am one of those people that stick with the same make-up that I have used for years and only change when they discontinue the color. Most of what I wear can be found at the drug store. I had fun walking around trying different shades of colors on. I did end up buying a lip-gloss. I also bought this.



Philosophy Holiday Rescue
It has a Double rich hot cocoa 3-in-1 shampoo and a Melting Marshmallow cream body Soufflé’. I must have been hungry at the time I bought it. While others are making someres by the fireside, I will be making them in the bathtub. 8)

Here is a picture of the Mirage. I passed it several times since I have been in Vegas.



It has a whole jungle area that you walk by with waterfalls and such. There is a recording of a wild bird that calls out periodically. They do not turn the recording when it gets dark and it sounds a little odd to hear a bird at night in the trees.

Shopping at Caesars was an experience. You know all the brands advertised in the fashion magazines, well every one of them are at Caesars in their own little store. Here is a list of some of the shops they had: Louis Vuitton, Gianni Versace, Harry Winston, D&G, Dolce & Gabbana, Emporio Armani, Tommy Bahama, Burberry, Christian Dior, Coach, Fendi, Gucci, Kate Spade, Valentino, Tadashi, & Cache’. This place is a husbands worse nightmare. I was way out of my league. I did have fun walking in each of the shops and touching the merchandise. A person could have a heart attack looking at some of the price tags. Later on, I bought a Vogue magazine just to point out all the shops I personal was in.

I did find the perfect shop for me and is now my favorite shop. It is Anthropologie. I loved everything in the shop. It was so me. It had half the store with stuff for the home and the other half was clothing. The clothing was gorgeous. I would wear almost anything from this store. Also I would decorate my entire house with stuff from this store. Awsome! Awesome! Awesome!

I ended up buying two books from Anthropologie.


This one is titled “More from Magnolia Recipes from the World Famous Bakery” by Allysa Torey.
The first line in this cookbook says “a cupcake can change your life”. That sold me. It has great recipes and I love to bake.



The second book is titled “Sweet Serendipity” by Stephen Bruce. This book has dessert recipes from the restaurant Serendipity in NY city. Did you ever see the movie Serendipity starring John Cusack & Kate Beckinsdale. In the movie the two main characters go to this place Serendipity and have dessert.



It is a cute movie. Of course, I have seen it. I love John Cusack. It is not just that. I love the word Serendipity. It means the phenomenon of making fortunate discoveries by accident. In the movie, the two meet by chance and he has love at first sight. She on the other hand believes in fate & destiny. She feels if they truly should be together, they will meet again someday. He does not even know her name.

The dessert restaurant is world famous and if I am ever in NY, I will definitely be stopping there. Until then I can make the recipes at home.

Eventually I was shopped out and walked back to the room to meet Chris. Once we met back up again we still had some time to kill before getting all dressed up for our dinner and show. We went down to the casino to do some more gambling. They had this big sports car lifted above some slot machines where one could play to win the car. We were trying to pick the best one to play when we realized someone had one the car a couple of minutes ago. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! The couple was just sitting there while the people with the casino were giving them the paperwork to sign and telling them where to go pick up there car. That could have been us. Oh Well. We sat down and plugged some money in thinking we might still have a chance to win one too. We did pretty well. Chris one $20 in one spin. We got bored with gambling and went back to the room to change for dinner.

The Reservation

We made reservations at the Empress Court



It was beautifully decorated. Chris ordered a bottle of Merlot for us and I ordered a Peach Martini. Here is a picture of my glasses on the white tablecloth with two dipping sauces the server placed before us.



The Chinese server warned me about mixing my liquor. I told him I was Ok if I drank the Martini first then had the wine with dinner. The servers were great. There was a couple for each table. We ordered the meal thing for two people. This is when all the courses are picked out for you and you both get the same thing but you get to try a bunch of different things. Here was what we had:

Crispy Crab Claws
Minced Squab in Crystal wrap
Seafood wonton soup
Sautéed prawns, walnuts, fresh fruits, with Mayo
Stir-Fried Sirloin, Chicken with Oyster Sauce
Four Seasons Seafood Fried Rice
Mango Ice cream

Afterward Chris and I just sat, talked, and enjoyed the ambience of the room. Here is a picture we took of our selves just holding the camera at arms length.



When we left the restaurant, we had some time to kill before the show. We sat down in the Terrazza Lounge.



I could not believe how sweet the Jazz was in this lounge. Whatever they were, being paid it was probably not enough. I strongly recommend this lounge if you enjoy jazz music.

The Show

My husband bought tickets for us to go and see Celine Dion’s show at the new Caesars Coliseum. The Show is called “A New Day”. We had great seats. The show was amazing. I sat by my husband and on my other side was someone else’s husband whom was dragged to this show. Ha Ha Ha. There was only a couple of awkward moments where I was feeling the music and the two men were not. I did not sing out load though I was curtious in that way so as not to ruin the music with the sound of my voice. I just was not very still in my seat. 8)

Here are two pictures from the show.





Even if there was no music it would have been beautiful to see. The show seemed to end so quickly. It was very good and well worth the price of the tickets. After the show everyone gravitated to the store outside called Celine. It was like when you get done with a concert everyone goes and buys a t-shirt and a CD. Well this was ten times worse. All ages cramed in a tiny store and were lining up to by all things Celine. I managed to grab this CD.



It is her new Christmas cd Titled “These are Special Times”

All good things must end.

That will wrap up my adventures in Las Vegas. Not much else happened after that. We flew home the next day.



This is a picture of Cosmo on my lap while I am on the computer. He has been hanging pretty close since I have been back. He is such a sweetie pie. The girls had a great report card from the ranch. They slept for several days when they got home. They played their little hearts out.

Luck Be a Lady

Now where was I?

Oh Yes! Thursday

I am not sure why I laid down to sleep Wednesday night although I was very tired I did not get much sleep. The bed was soft and all but the pillow was just too squishy. All night I kept checking the clock it is only 2am, it is only 3am, will this night never end. Also saying to my self I hate this bed and loath this pillow. Oh, well what can you do? Finally, Chris got out of bed at 5:45am and went to look out the curtain. I quickly turned on the lights and asked if we could get up now. I told him I did not get any sleep and he suggested the next night to wrap a towel inside the pillowcase with the pillow to make it firmer and bigger. That is my man always coming up with good ideas. Now why did I not think of that last night?

We showered and got ready for the day. Chris had to be at the seminar at 7am to check in. I planned to walk around the canal shops before lunch. I took my time and left the room about 7:30 to go find some breakfast. I planned to go to a tea place I saw last night. They supposedly had over 40 different teas and different drinks. When I got to the place I could not figure out the menu. I was the only one there so I took my time looking. I could not find a list of the teas; I just saw different coffees listed kind of like starbucks. All of a sudden, a group of people came and apparently, there was a place for a line and I was not in it. Ever have one of those moments where everyone else knows what is going on and you do not? Instead of getting inline behind the 8 people that just came in after me I opted to find a different place for breakfast.

I hit a magazine shop and grabbed a Vanity Fair with Leonardo Dicaprio on the cover. I do not think I have ever read this magazine before. When I am on vacation I like to read ones that are different from my usual reading mags just to see if I am missing something. I found a food court and ordered a bagel and a mocha. Sat down and ate and read the magazine. I tried to take my time because I thought it was a little early to start shopping. Once I was done I walked through the canal shops. The shops were closed. Bummer! I asked one of the guards what time they opened and he said 10am. I still had over an hour before 10. I decided to check out the casino. I walked around and finally found some slot machines that were 5 cents. I put a $20 in and spun the wheel twice. I did not like that machine so I cashed out. About 5 nickels fell then the buzzer started to ring and the light was flashing, the machine did not have enough coins to cash me out. HOW IMBARRASSING! I had to sit and wait for the tendent to come and put coins in the machine to pay out my measly amount of change. I apologized and she said it was OK. Now I had my bucked of nickels and moved on to other machines no such luck. But I did manage to stretch the play time out until it was time to go shopping.


Here is a card I picked up at one of the shops



I collect cards. Many I buy for myself because I like the artwork or the picture. Sometimes I put them in frames and put them out as decoration. I liked this one because it portrays Brandy’s personality. Most people think Bassett Hounds just lay around all the time, but they don’t. She is a nut and this picture looks like her when she is having a good time. Some dogs live to please their masters, but not Brandy she lives to please herself.

There were many shops at the Venetian. Some of the shops were Banana Republic, bebe, Burberry, Cache, Kenneth Cole, Lior, Brighton, & Dooney & Bourke. There were many more. I did walk into Jimmy Choo. Just to look at the prices. Unbelievable. I thought about trying on a pair just to take a picture. But I chickened out. I thought it might be tacky since I was wearing socks and I would need to take them off and what if I had sock lint. Trying on $800 sandals with sock lint did not appeal to me. I think secretly I did not want to try them on because I would hate it if I actually liked them.

I did find some things in Ann Taylor. I gravitated towards the sale rack. I bought two shirts like this one.



A white one with mauve pin stripping, & a solid burgundy one. Both were a great price and fit well.

I met Chris for lunch around 12pm. We met at the food court. We each got a slice of pizza. He talked about the seminar and how he was learning a lot about pediatric dentistry. He also talked with another dentist whom has a practice in the Grand Cayman Islands. Wow how cool is that. In order to have a dental practice in the islands you need to be sponsored by another dentist currently living on the island. Basically once a dentist retires he will sponsor a new dentist to buy and take over his practice. I told Chris to give the guy our number. 8) Hey you never know. What would you do if you got a call in 10 to 15 years asking if you want to live and work in the Grand Caymans for awhile. You would say my bags are packed and I am ready to go. A girl can dream. Chris is a little on the shy side so I do not think he took my advice and give the guy our phone number.

After lunch, Chris went back to the seminar and I went to the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum. The current showing was called The pursuit of Pleasure. The paintings and images explored leisure in Western art from the sixteenth century to the early twentieth century. They were showing original paintings from many artists some famous names are Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Vincent van Gogh, & Pablo Picasso.

Here are the two paintings I liked the best out of what they were showing at the museum.


This one is named “A Game of Billiards” and is by the artist Louis Leopold Boilly. It is Oil on Canvas painted in 1807. I like how casual and comfortable it looks. I like how the dogs are around just like they would be at our house. In addition, I like the fact that the women are playing pool along with the men. The mood is comfortable and not stuffy.


This one is named “Winter Landscape” and is painted by Hendrick Avercamp. It is Oil on Canvas painted in 1605. I like how the trees are portrayed in this painting. Although it is winter and they have no leaves, the trees still look fat and jolly. I also like the subtle colors of the painting. I normally am drawn to vibrant colors but the subtleness of these colors makes me feel comforted and gives a homey feel.


After the museum, I was feeling rather, tired so I went back to the room to relax. I lay out on the couch in the suite and realized that it was much more comfortable than the bed. In addition, it had great throw pillows. I thought I might use one tonight to sleep on. Chris was not due out of the seminar for a while so I watched some TV. First, I watched Dr. Phil. What a group of loosers on that show. There was a man that had an affair with a coworker and got her pregnant. He currently wanted to keep both women. Do not get me started. If I were his wife, I would have kicked him to the curb the minute I found out about the affair. After that, I watched Oprah. Big mistake, her show was on tragic stories. I was crying my eyes out. Chris met me in the room after his seminar let out. He took one look at me crying and asked what happened to YOU? I told him Oprah was very sad today.

Chris and I decided to go to the Paris resort to check out their French Buffet for dinner. We had heard good things about it and thought it would be a nice walk to go check it out. I told Chris I should have brought more comfortable shoes because all the walking was making my feet hurt. We decided to go down to the shops and look for a more comfortable pair of shoes for me. We went into a store called footworks. I found this pair of Josef Seibel Mary Janes.



I had never worn or tried this brand before. When I tried it on it felt like a slipper it was so comfortable. My feet were smiling. I love these shoes, and pretty much have worn them every day since I have been back home from Vegas. If you are on your feet a lot I would recommend getting a pair, your feet will thank you.

Once my feet were happy we started to walk the strip towards Paris. This is what it looks like from the outside



We went inside and found Le Village Buffet. It was real cool looking. It reminded Chris and I of Disney World. We were inside and yet it looked like we were outside due to the way they made the walls look like they were outdoor shops. That probably does not make since. Here are some pictures I took while sitting inside at our table at Le Village Buffet.





This was the best buffet I have ever been to. Here is a picture of one of my plate full of food.



I say it is the best because I never made it to all the counters because of the abundance of tasty choices. Everything I tried was great. I started with the Lobster Bisque, it was so good I had to eat the whole bowl. I filled my plate a couple times and was about to bust and knew I would not be able to go for more and ended with a chocolate mousse.

After dinner, Chris and I waddled out of the restaurant and looked around Paris. There was a shop that was all Queen Stuff (the rock band). It said on the outside WE WILL ROCK YOU! Inside I found a t-shirt that I thought was cool. It said NO TIME FOR LOOSERS. You know like the song. If the shirt did not look like a teeny bopper top I might of bought it. Here is a picture of the bathroom sign in Paris. Does anyone else take pictures of cool bathroom signs?



Here is a pictures in the Lobby of Paris.


Fancy Smanshy

We left Paris and started to walk back to our hotel. We walked by the Bellagio hotel and decided to wait for the water fountain show they put on every 15 minutes. While we were waiting a woman started a conversation with us. She asked us if we would like her to take our picture. I set the camera up and told her to push the button. She took about 4 pictures and none of them came out. 3 were blurry blobs and the fourth I was cut out and it was a blurry blob of Chris. Why would someone offer to take a picture out of the blue and do not even know how to take a picture. Why tease us like that. I did take pictures of the water show. Here is one of them.



They played Con Te Partiro (Time to Say Goodbye) by artist Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman, Composer F. Sartori, L Quarantotto Year 1996 length 4:04
It was very moving. Andrea Bocelli is one of those opera singers that can move me to tears. The man is very gifted.

Well I had better rap this up and I will finish my experiences in Vegas in my next post. Still to come more shopping, a fine dinning experience and the Show we went to see.

Home Sweet Home

Well we made it back from Vegas and lived to tell about it. We were only there a couple of days but one can cram a lot into a couple of days in Vegas.

What Happened in Vegas

We stayed at the Venetian due to the discount we got with the Dental Seminar. This resort is gorgeous. I wish I had taken more photos. Unfortunately, so much was going on at once I kind of lost myself in the moment and forgot to take pictures when I should have. Some times, it is best to just live in the now to soak it all up to get the full affect. I think that people that sit through a show with one eye in a video camera taping the whole event never really experiences the show completely. They have the video to watch over and over but the experience of the live show is lost forever. Anyway moving on.

Wednesday



We got to the hotel a little after 3pm. The suite was awesome. We did not have a view of the strip. We did have a view of a golf course. It was nice to see some green. I changed out of my comfy travel close and into something a little nicer. We headed down to the casino to check it out. My husband brought a book on gambling and read up on playing craps. Once he finally got up the nerve to join a table he gave the dealer $100 for some chips to play. As he handed the bill to the dealer it was like slow motion in my mind as all the beautiful things I could buy with that $100 dollars flashed before my eyes.

Craps was complicated and I still have no idea what was going on and why one would be paid and one would loose their money. A guy rolls the dice and people would groan or clap and cheer and I followed suite. Chris was playing and seemed to know what he was doing. He one a large pay out where the dealer paid him $50 in chips. I quickly grabbed the $50 in chips and stuck them in my pocket. I told Chris that that way if we lost it all we still had half in my pocket. Secretly I planned to grab another big win and put it in my pocket so we would have the whole amount back. Unfortunately we only had small wins until eventually it was gone. That was the last time Chris played Craps.

We moved onto dinner and looked at all the restaurant menus throughout the hotel. We decided to have dinner at the Grand Lux Café.



It was more reasonably priced and the menu had a wide selection. Later I found out that the Grand Lux Café is owned by The Cheesecake Factory line of restaurants. I ordered a peach Martini and the oriental chicken salad. The salad was so good. After eating we walked around exploring the resort. Inside the canal shops there is one of those fake sky ceilings lit up in blue with fluffy clouds. It makes it seem like it is still day time. We were not fooled the first night. We headed back to the room to relax and were in bed by 10pm.



More to Come
Lots more of eating, shopping, walking, the dinner reservation, The Show, & much more.
I am pooped and have a ton of laundry to do. I Will post more soon.

Viva Las Vegas

Webshots photo of Vegas Strip

Today hubby and I are catching a plane to Las Vegas. I dropped the dogs off at the ranch and they were happy to go play with their friends. I am all packed and ready to go. I checked the temperature and forecast for Las Vegas and it will be around 60 degrees. Even though we are going for a seminar, both Chris and I are looking at this as a little vacation. When we get back, we will have a ton of last minute things to do before opening the dental practice.



I am bringing the book titled The Good Earth by Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl S. Buck. The story is a graphic view of a China when the last emperor reigned and the vast political and social upheavals of the twentieth century were but distant rumblings for the ordinary people. It is about a farmer named Wang Lung and his selfless wife O-lan. I have already started reading the first few chapters. This book reads so smoothly. From the moment I started the first paragraph it was hard for me to put the book down. You just want to know what will happen next. The critic Bookman says, “To read this story of Wang Lung is to be slowly and deeply purified; and when the last page is finished it is as if some significant part of one's own days were over.”


The Yard

Here is a glimpse of my yard this November.


This is my dwarf peach tree with the leaves turning orange and starting to fall off.



This is a bush that came with the house and I moved it to a better location. When it blooms it has these cool red fluffy blooms. I am not sure what the plant is called but I really like it when it starts to bloom. It looks somewhat tropical.



Here is one of my rose bushes still reluctant to stop blooming.



Television
About 90% of the time there is nothing good on television to watch. There are a couple of shows that I do watch. I am a fan of survivor, although I have not been able to get into it this season. I do not like it when they start with all girl and all boy teams. I think it messes up the dynamics of the game. I am a fan of the Amazing Race. I believe the new season will be starting soon.



Another show I like is The OC. I know I am a dork but I look forward to this show every week. I guess it fulfills my need for a soap opera. The people are all beautiful and the majority of the characters are rich, what else could you want in a nighttime soap. There is so much more. The writers on this show are top notch. The dialect between the characters is very witty. If you would like to find out more about the show check out the official website here.


While I am gone

If you need to read something while I am gone. Check out Nathania’s blog Purls Beyond Price. She is currently in the real Italy for two weeks and is posting while she is there. Oh I soo want to go to Italy. Now I can live through her with her trip to Italy.

I plan to be back posting on Monday and tell you all about my trip.