Knitting pattern, Brad's pockets, and stuff

Hello. I have had a request for the pattern for my purse that I made. How exciting! I almost feel bad calling it a pattern because it's so easy, but anyway, this is what I did: I used Lion Brand Chenille Thick and Quick yarn, and then cast on about 30 or so stitches. I stitched in stockinette stitch until I was through one ball of yarn. Then I cast off. I made the strap by casting on 4 stitches from a second ball of yarn and doing garter stitch until it looked long enough (keep in mind that the straps will stretch once you wear the purse). Then I folded the bag in half (wrong sides together) and sewed up the sides, and sewed on the strap. You will want to line the inside with fabric, though, before you sew it all up. I missed this crucial step and my pencils always fall out. I have bought some fabric, though, to add to the purse. The final step is to find a funky button and sew it on the top, then attach a loop of the Thick and Quick to use with the button. Voila! A cool new purse in a weekend!

The other night Brad came home with wood in his pockets. We thought that he was just happy to see us, but no, it was actual wood - petrified wood, to be exact. He found it out at Suncor while he was working and thought that Zenon would like it. We guessed the wood's age at "older than real wood, but younger than tar sand."

In other news, it is now less than 2 weeks until I fly home. Yay! I am so excited that I can't even tell you. I have 8 more working days, not counting today.

Other exciting news is that Zenon's business is finally taking off. He quit his old job and is fully self-employed as of yesterday. It is scary, but exciting. I am going to have to very quickly learn how to do accounting so that I can take care of the books and of payroll for the business. 'Twill be interesting indeed.

And, of course, today is my Mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom!