Day 2: All Day in PA

  Our choice of Motel might not have been the best. I didn’t want to go with the cheapest one we could find because I was afraid that they would have paper thin walls and it would be hard to sleep. We ended up with that and even more fun things. We were joking that we would have to go bang on the door next to us and tell them to stop having conversations at reasonable levels because we were trying to sleep. The mini-fridge in our room also liked to make wurring sounds when it was trying to keep cold and I’m pretty sure the clock on the microwave could double as a neon sign. You also couldn’t sneak into the bathroom while the other person was asleep because the fan sounded like a plane engine starting. Now we know for next time.
  There was an Ollie’s Outlet in the strip-mall next to our Motel and I introduced Krissy to the joys of shopping there. We were good and only got a few things each.

  We were headed back to Vegan treats when we stumbled upon Monocacy Park and Illick’s Mill. It was so pretty that we had to stop in and walk around.  They had a fishing catch and release program and so many people were enjoying the fishing. We also did a bit of Geocaching, it felt good to find one again.

  The line was out the door! I’m so glad for them!  It means there is a good chance we will be able to come back and spend more money.  I got two ‘chicken’ and waffle donuts, the coconut rice pudding, a traditional carrot cake, and a croissant.  At first the girl helping me forgot to put my two donuts on my tab, but laughed at herself and fix it once I pointed it out.  I think she was a bit shocked at how much I was getting.
  Some people wondered if they were so busy because of the fact that Easter was tomorrow, but one of the locals says it is always this busy when she comes.  They were impressed we drove so far just to come get some goodie.

  We went back to Monocacy Park to eat our goodies. It was no nice to sit in the sun and watch the river go by as we ate.  If I lived closer I would bring picnics there all the time when it is nice out.
  I don't know what magic they use, but look how amazing the croissant is.  It is super flaky on the outside while being light and fluffy on the inside.  They remind me of the one I got at the airport in Scotland.  I also turned my 'chicken' and waffle donut into a donut sandwich, and that was easier to eat than as they present it.

  We had a great debate if we should go to the local zoo or not.   There was a ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park farther away, but we were worried that by the time we got there we wouldn’t have enough time to really enjoy it.
  We decided to stop at a Wegmans to get some Kombucha before figuring out what to do next.  While trying to look where it would normally be at home, we ran into a guy offering beer samples.  We decided to try some before going back to our kombucha search.
  We got to talking to him and he was impressed we came all the way up here for Vegan Treats, which he lives near. We then asked him for things to do.   He said he liked going on the tour for the Troegs Independent brewery.   He said we even get a pint glass to take home at the end.
  Spring Gate Vineyard was something he had heard about from one of the other vender representatives. He said that she told him that Spring Gate had events almost every weekend. We did a quick search on their website and found out that they were having a mead event. We both like mead so it looked like we had our plans for the rest of the day.

  We had seen the signs for Crystal Caves on our way up and we saw it again so we decided to stop by.  There were only a few small signs and we managed to get lost on the way.  Once we got GPS going we got to drive through a covered bridge and managed to find it.  Tours were only $16 and we got on the last one for the day.
  The tour was really fun and there were a lot of amazing bad jokes. At one point we even got to see a bear eating chicken nuggets. You also get 1 year good luck if you get dripped on your head, 5 years if you get dripped on the nose, and anywhere else you are just getting wet.
  Unlike Luray caverns, there was an informative video. It started out and felt really cheesy, but then they give you the history of how the cave was found and how it became a tourist trap.

  We had planned on going to Spring Gate Vineyard, try some of the mead, and then move on to the brewery.  This did not happen.
  We first tried a wine flight because we didn't see anything about the mead.  After asking we got a sample of that too.  All that wine was making us feel fuzzy so we know we needed some food.  This place is doing something really smart.  They are working with some food trucks.  You can go get some food from them and have a few to choose from so you don't have to worry about bringing your own.
  We ate around a fire in our table and went back inside once it got dark and we started getting cold.  Before leaving we tried their cider flight because Krissy really likes hard cider.

  The nice guy at Wegman's had suggested a hotel for us to stay at, but it was a bit out of our price range.  There was another one nearby that looked better for us.  It was only a bit more than our Motel room had been, but was a ton better.
  We wanted one more drink before bed so we walked over to Angie's Brookside Diner and Bar.  The diner was closed, so we had to make a quick food run, but then we walked back to the bar.  The bar tender was really fun and we talked about funny 90s dancing with some people at the bar.  It was a lot of fun, but we stayed way too late for how little sleep we got the night before.

Day 1: Road Tripping for Donuts.

  We had two stops in mind for this trip, one in Maryland and one in Pennsylvania. Both were places that sold sweets but one also sold regular food.  I made sure to bring something easy enough to work on in the car while also doubling as a navigator and having a conversation.  Before we left I had to pull out almost everything I have done to it since I re-found it, I was worried that with stockinette it wouldn't hold itself up on the body.

  It wasn’t hard spot them after walking along a row of cute houses. I had stumbled upon them on Instagram some how and have been drooling over their pictures for quite some time now. They didn't have the special I was hoping for, the Nacho Breakfast Burrito, but that is okay.

  We tried to get there before it was too late but they had already sold out of a few flavors and they even sold out of strawberry while we waited in line.

  I got the Rye Whisky donut and Krissy got the Cold Brew donut. We needed some appetizers before our food arrived.  We got a later start than we wanted and didn't want to eat anything before we got there so we would be able to eat as much as we wanted.

  I got huevos rancheros that had tofu scramble and chipotle mayo. There were roasted potatoes under there too. It was so good. Krissy got the special of the day and got two pancakes that were bigger than her head. I’m pretty sure they could have doubled as car hub-caps, or have kept you dry in the rain.

  It was still early in the day, and we had eaten a lot of food, so we decided to take a walk. First we were going to try and find an antiques shop we saw when we first drove in, but then we got distracted by the Carroll Creek Park. The water was pretty to look at, but the shallower parts were a bit dirty.

  They were renovating this whole row of buildings but I saw knitting and had to stop by.

  This door on the inside was just so cool looking. I have a soft spot for really old things like doors like that or some of the buildings in this town.

  We then saw the McCutcheon’s Apple Products Krissy got excited because her workplace works with them. We decided to do any buying on our way back because we didn’t know how much farther we were going to walk and didn’t want to have to carry it for too long.

  I first just wanted a picture of the Attaboy Brewing but then we decided to go inside to look at the menu. That lead to getting two tasting flights. I really liked their beers especially the Creek Life Ekuanot.

  These were the beers they had on tap at the time.  I like their set-up with the magnetic letters.

  It had started to rain so we decided to make our apple themed purchases before heading back to the car.  I loved the little shop and had to try to not buy too many things. I did get some apple tea, peach cider, beer cheese soup mix, and some rose lip balm.  It had finished raining by the time we got out.

  We checked on the car and decided that we hadn’t seen enough of the town.  We fed the meter and headed out again. We decided to head down the road the other way since we had seen a place called “Homespun” and wanted to see what that was.
  On one of the maps it showed that most of the stores were located on a different street from us, a few blocks down. We debated on it for a minute but then we saw this tea place and had to go.

  It is really neat how they have used the small space to fit everything they needed in. I don’t think I would have ever thought of using sliding book-case casters to fit more tea into a room.
  The girl working there was the nicest and we started talking about ghost encounters. She was disappointed that more didn’t happen in the tea shop since it was so old.

  We kept hearing foot steps above us and found out that up there was where the tea room was located.  I know we will be heading back here for a tea party at some point.  You could get the tea in leaf form, or they made you a to-go cup.

  We then spotted the Primitive Homespuns and decided to check it out. It is an interesting little shop that had a lot of options for wool fabric and also taught classes. We might come back to take a class on rug hooking.  They had some sunflowers that looked adorable.
  The lady we talked to suggested we check out the antiques shop next door and the hand-made gift shop behind her building. The antiques guy had a fun surprise on his second floor that you should check out if you are ever in the area.

  After a quick stop in the local coffee shop for a bathroom break and we headed back to the car to keep heading north. This stretch was long but we did have an exciting moment. We went past a police officer on a maintenance road who was keeping an eye on the road. He then pulled out and we were worried it was for us since we hadn’t seen a speed limit sign in a while. We then saw a sign and saw we were doing the speed limit so we tried not to worry. The Officer was putting the petal to the metal so we still worried he was after us. He then slid in behind the person tailgating us and flipped on the lights. We then high-fived because we’re silly.

  On the way we spotted this riverboat off the main road. We had to get a closer look so we turned off and found it. The Riverboat Saloon sounds like it was a pretty awesome place. It also looked like they might have had parties on the boat back in the day. It was so cool and creepy. I felt sad for the boat because it was so cool looking and has become so neglected, though their website hints that they might have been open only a month ago.

  We stopped in at the gaming and comic book store before we stopped in at our second destination for the day. Vegan Treats was the place we waited in line for at the DC Veg Fest for over an hour.
  I thought these little Easter themed dice sets were really cute.

  They were also sold out of some items, but the one I saw on Instagram was still there.  We also learned that the whole third row of their display case is gluten free.

  It is so cute!  I love the colors and the little eggs in a nest on the top.

  I also decided that I needed the key lime mini-cake. It is a good thing that they aren’t closer to me, I would be stopping in every day.
  We picked a motel nearby with pretty good reviews and turned in for the night after we found some dinner to go with our desserts.  I got a bit more knitting done, but not a lot.

Let The Festivities Continue!

  It is really interesting comparing how I celebrate my birthday now compared to how it was celebrated when I was a kid.  When I was a kid I would get one big lunch with a bunch of people, but that was because it is a lot easier to try and get people together when your schedules are fairly similar.  Now I have friends that work a standard desk job week and also people who work retail and have no standard week.  This means that I get lots of little celebrations so I get to see everyone at some point.  I definitely like the second method better.

  I was going through a bag of yarn and found this.  I have no idea who made it, but it is cute.  It looks like the person who made it might have had some gauge problems, but that won't change how well it will work as either a face cloth or dish cloth.  It feels like a very soft cotton yarn and I love the color.

  This was my couch project.  It definitely went a lot faster than I had thought it would.  I'm sure some people might not like the color combination, but I like it.  Hopefully someone else will like it and claim the cowl.
  The pattern turned out just how I pictured it.  I had planned on making it look the same on the top and bottom, but I ran out of the purple.  I'm actually really happy with that.  I feel like this would be good for team colors or something.

  I'm thinking of my swirl scarf becoming my new couch project.  The metal board I have the chat on doesn't have any way to cover it, so the markers can move around if it rubs against something in a bag.  I won't have to worry about that happening if it is sitting on or near the couch.

  Now I have to get ready for a birthday dinner tonight and there is also going to be a shared birthday lunch on Monday!

Happy Birthday to Me! (yesterday)

  It was my birthday yesterday, and though it wasn't horrible, it was not spent the way I wanted.  It was a Membership Meeting day at work, so I knew I was going to be there late.  I would have rather been at home snuggling with Tank, drinking tea, and knitting.
  No new members were getting voted in, so I only got snacks for people to munch on during the meeting.  I also made sure to get cheesecake since it is one of my favorite desserts.  I also had Chipotle for lunch, which is another favorite.  I had meant to write this post yesterday, but most of the day was spent training the new hire.
  Getting the food wasn't too great because it was raining and sleeting, but I braved the elements.  It was then up for debate on if we should even have a meeting at all, since it had switched to snow.  A quick check of the local weather radar showed that we were going to get a break and the meeting happened.  Since only a few people braved the cold, it was a very short meeting.
  My mom got me some Monster High Dolls as a present.  Tank gave me extra snuggles and purred at me a while.  Mother nature got me a snow day today, so while he is being boring and doing work in the background, it means I get a weekday with Bill at home.
  So far today has been my lounge and knit day.  I started a new couch project.  I'm hoping it will be as cool as I picture it.  Yes, this means that I will have three active projects going, but I am okay with that for right now.  I have my bigger project to bring with me to knit-gatherings, my small project for my purse, and something that will hang out on the couch.

Project Pan List:

Regular Items:

• Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque
• e.l.f. Cosmetics Eye Refresh Eye Cream
• NYX HD Eye Primer
• Kat von D Lock-It Primer (sample size)
• Bare Minerals Prime Time Foundation Primer
• Pur Minerals Correcting Primer
• Dr. Brandt Pore No More Primer
• Milani Moisture Lock Lip Treatment
• NYC City Proof 24HR Eyeliner in Dark Brown
• Maybelline Color Tattoo in Shimmering Sea
• e.l.f. Cosmetics Baked Eyeshadow in Enchanted
• Elizabeth Mott Whatup Beaches Matte Bronzer (sample size)
• Pond's Luminous Finish BB+ in Light
• NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Milan
• NYC Ultra Last Lipwear in 416 Berry Rich 
• Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea Body Mist (travel size) 

Gimme Items:

• Origins Grapefruit Body Souffle (sample size)
• Origins Mega Defense SPF 45 (sample size)
• Origins mystery moisturizer (sample size)
• e.l.f. Cosmetics Eye Primer
•  Cover Girl Perfect Point Plus in Espresso - 3/15
•  Benefit They're Real Mascara (sample size)
• Revlon PhotoReady Powder in Fair/Light
•  Skin 79 Gold BB Cream (sample size)
• YSL Black Opium Perfume (sample size) - 3/5
•  Balenciaga Floraboranica Perfume (sample size) - 3/17 (given away)

How Does This Even Happen?

  I know I mentioned that I was going to turn the piece of knitting I have into a vest, but I've changed my mind again.  I took another look at it and noticed that I must have been looking at both sides stacked because it didn't look so long as I remembered.  Then, just for fun, I decided to look at some off the shoulder raglan sweater patterns.  The first pattern I looked at matched my stitch count perfectly.  So it looks like it will be a sweater after all.  I have still not decided if I will be adding sleeves or making it a cap-sleeve pattern.

  I also noticed when I looked at it closer that I did some decreasing before I switched to stockinette.  I did a k2, p1, (k2tog, p1)x5 along the whole top before doing two rows of knit with 208 stitches.  I'm also pretty sure that I changed needle sizes too.
  This will also be nice because it will be good to take to knit-night.  I won't have to pay too much attention to it, but it won't be too boring, well, at least it won't be until I get to the main body.  Then it will be good mindless knitting, so hopefully there will be a lot of interesting conversations going on around me.

  The biggest monster was made by Jan and the little crochet guys were made from a lady in the Knitting Guild that a few of our K&CC group also belongs to.  I love how they look like they are going for the chocolate.

  I didn't catch either of their names, but this is a small section of a blanket that was donated.  The mother of the knitter/crocheter came in to donate a few large blankets to us.  Her daughter was too sick to come in to hang out with us, but hopefully she will be able to make it next time.  This was my favorite one because it looks like it was so difficult to make, but was so easy.  I love the basket weave feel and the mock cable.

  I was a bit slow getting a picture, but you can get an idea of how large that blanket on the left is becoming.  It has cables with feather and fan panels.  I might have to make a blanket with cables in it if I feel like tackling another large project.

  I started this swatch back when I made the other honey-comb cowl.  I thought it would be a lot of fun to do it in two colors.  I probably saw someone else's in two colors and loved the way it looked.  You can see both colors when you pull the knitting out a little, but just sitting as it is now, you can only see the red.  If the yarns were a wool I might be tempted to make it, but since these are acrylic they won't block as nicely.  I have another cowl idea for them.  The pattern I'm going to be using will be based of the CC hat.

  I almost forgot about this guy!  I finished it and then just put it right into a bag to take with me to donate.  I wish I could remember when I started it, but I think I have narrowed it down.  I started it somewhere within the years 1997-2002.  It was going to be a bed spread.  I wanted it to go over my twin size bed and reach the ground on both sides.  I didn't get very far before I got distracted by a lot of things and didn't even find it again until last year when I was really starting to get my craft-storage room in order.
  I know I will never finish it as is, but it was a really good width for a scarf or a wrap.  All I had to do was to finish the double crochet row I was on, do a full treble crochet row, and then finish it with a single crochet row.  I really like how that pattern looks and while I have fun doing it, I know I won't finish a giant bed spread.

  Happy Pi Day everyone!  This is only one of many pies that I enjoyed.  For dinner my mom and I had a piece of pizza pie.  Then I had a piece of bourbon walnut pie and my mom had a rhubarb strawberry pie.  The one above is Bill's piece of pie.  I wish I knew where to get a single serving of Shepard's pie, but I could have also gone with pot pie for lunch.

  You might have noticed that the giant list for my Project Pan isn't at the bottom of this post.  I have not given up on it already, I just don't have an update.  I didn't want it to get repetitive, so I think I will only include the list when I have an update.  It will make it easier if someone sorts by the Tag and they won't have to see the exact same list a few times.

I Sense a Theme

  It can be hard to tell size in a picture, but this was going to be a brioche hat.  It ended up being about 42" in circumference.  Definitely a good size for a cowl, but not a very good size at all for a hat.  I still have no idea how it managed to grow in width as much as it did.  Everyone told me they loved the colors as I was making it.  It was a ton of fun to make and I would definitely make another one.

  This might just look like a plain hat and you are probably wondering why I wanted to finish this before more interesting things.  This hat has decreases that have been prefected by my friend.  I really liked how they looked and she sent me the instructions on how to do it.  I really like how it turned out and I'm wondering how it would look if I did the same decreases on a plain knit hat.  It actually was a really fast knit and I had fun with a simple project.

  This was an interesting project.  I had planned on just using the green and the orange/brown.  I ran out and switched from the green to the blue.  I was temped to switch the orange/brown to red, but then I worried there might be too many colors.  The decreases on top might have looked cooler if I had switched, but I like it this way.
  I have a few more scraps, but I think I have gotten all I am willing to get out of them.  I don't want to throw them out, so I will be brining them with me to the next K&CC meeting.  I'm sure someone will be able to use them.

  The next thing I will be working on is something I started a long time ago.  My original plan for it was to be an off the shoulder raglan style sweater with a fold over shoulder thing.  Well, I went a little overboard on the folded shoulder thing and I don't think this sweater will stay on your shoulders at all.
  I really don't want to undo all the work I have done, so I think I will take out the last few rows and turn this into the body of a vest.  Once I get this done, then I can use the needles for the project I keep teasing you with.  I did a quick Ravelry search and have a few options for patterns I might try and follow for the top of the vest.

  I decided to re-do how I'm keeping track of my Project Pan items.  I know I will be adding more samples as I go through my make-up since I am working on reorganizing and I will find things I forgot I had.  I also wasn't sure how to take note of those things, so now I will divide them up into the 'regular products' and the 'gimmie products'.  The 'gimmie products' are things I know I will finish without a problem and just haven't been finished before because I forgot about them.  It will be really amusing if I manage to not finish one of the 'gimmie' items.

Project Pan List:

Regular Items:

• Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque
• e.l.f. Cosmetics Eye Refresh Eye Cream
• NYX HD Eye Primer
• Kat von D Lock-It Primer (sample size)
• Bare Minerals Prime Time Foundation Primer
• Pur Minerals Correcting Primer
• Dr. Brandt Pore No More Primer
• Milani Moisture Lock Lip Treatment
• NYC City Proof 24HR Eyeliner in Dark Brown
• Maybelline Color Tattoo in Shimmering Sea
• e.l.f. Cosmetics Baked Eyeshadow in Enchanted
• Elizabeth Mott Whatup Beaches Matte Bronzer (sample size)
• Pond's Luminous Finish BB+ in Light
• NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Milan
• NYC Ultra Last Lipwear in 416 Berry Rich 
• Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea Body Mist (travel size) 

Gimme Items:

• Origins Grapefruit Body Souffle (sample size)
• Origins Mega Defense SPF 45 (sample size)
• Origins mystery moisturizer (sample size)
• e.l.f. Cosmetics Eye Primer
• Cover Girl Perfect Point Plus in Espresso
• Benefit They're Real Mascara (sample size)
• Revlon PhotoReady Powder in Fair/Light
• Skin 79 Gold BB Cream (sample size)
• YSL Black Opium Perfume (sample size) - 3/5
• Balenciaga Floraboranica Perfume (sample size)

Project Pan.

  I'm definitely not one to notice new things when they happen, but I usually stumble upon them at some point.  I don't know who started this trend, but I really like the idea of it.  It could also be applied to non-makeup things, even though the name wouldn't make as much sense.
  The idea is to use products up and to 'hit pan' on them.  This is usually referring to powder make-up products since they are pressed into a metal pan.  Many people I've seen have also been trying to use other beauty products like moisturizers and cleansers.
  I'm following the style of Project Pan that I saw Hailey (Just Buy The Makeup) doing.  She called it a rolling Project Pan because she had a bunch of different things, but not too many of each type of item.  Once one thing was done, she was going to replace it with a like item.  Like if she ran out of foundation, then she was going to put a new one in there.  Some people choose all their items for the year at the beginning.  I've seen a lot doing 18 items in 2018.  I'm way too indecisive to pick out everything I would want to focus on all at once.

  Here is the basket of things I have in mind.  The picture is already inaccurate because I couldn't find some items and I also forgot to check my purse for the lip products I put in there to try and work through.  I've added an eye cream, one more face primer, some perfume samples, and a lipstick.  I put the starting list at the bottom of the post.

  You are probably wondering what this has to do with this blog.  If I try and work through things I already have open then that means that I won't be opening new things that are of the same type of item.  Then once I see how quickly I go through each type of item I can judge how many I need.  If I find out that there is no way I will go though all my similar items and I can donate some of the unopened ones before they get too old.

  I've also been doing something similar with my yarn.  That is why I have been making so many things with the leftovers, so a skein of yarn will be done and I won't have a bunch of small bits laying around.
  On that note, the needles I want to use are currently in a project.  I tried using my usual US size 8s in the yarn I have for the leafy green project.  They are too big and you can't see the leaf pattern as much as I would like.

  I got woken up around 3:30am by sounds that made me feel like someone was trying to lift my house off to Oz.  Bill mentioned that we were going to have some high winds and that we might lose power because of it, but he made it sound more like it was going to be starting later than it did.

  I was woken up a little before nine by the sound of wood breaking and I had horrible visions of the big tree right out front of my house coming down and landing on the garage and damaging Bill's Firebird.
  You can click on the picture and enlarge the picture.  You can see that it was a really big tree that came down and took some smaller ones out with it.  Luckily it was in our shared wooded area and wasn't next to someone's house.  It probably came down because it has been raining more days than not over the past few weeks.

  It is kind of scary to see what some moving air can do.  This perfectly healthy branch was broken because some wind knocked it around.

  The wind and other sounds have got Tank on edge.  He was extra snuggly last night and when I got up to get my hanging plant inside he was following me around as far as I would let him.  Now he has been either doing a perimeter sweep or fast asleep in my lap.  At one point he partially woke up, bit the blanket I had on my lap and then was out cold again with the blanket in his mouth and nose down.  He woke-up really confused a few minutes later.

Starting Items List:

• Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque
• Origins Grapefruit Body Souffle (sample size)
• Origins Mega Defense SPF 45 (sample size)
• Origins mystery moisturizer (sample size)
• e.l.f. Cosmetics Eye Refresh Eye Cream
• e.l.f. Cosmetics Eye Primer
• NYX HD Eye Primer
• Kat von D Lock-It Primer (sample size)
• Bare Minerals Prime Time Foundation Primer
• Pur Minerals Correcting Primer
• Dr. Brandt Pore No More Primer
• Milani Moisture Lock Lip Treatment
• Cover Girl Perfect Point Plus in Espresso
• NYC City Proof 24HR Eyeliner in Dark Brown
• Maybelline Color Tattoo in Shimmering Sea
• e.l.f. Cosmetics Baked Eyeshadow in Enchanted
• Elizabeth Mott Whatup Beaches Matte Bronzer (sample size)
• Skin 79 Gold BB Cream (sample size)
• Pond's Luminous Finish BB+ in Light
• Revlon PhotoReady Powder in Fair/Light
• Benefit They're Real Mascara (sample size)
• NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Milan
• Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea Body Mist (travel size)
• YSL Black Opium Perfume (sample size)
• Balenciaga Floraboranica Perfume (sample size)