Busy season

Busy season this year has been rough. Bradley and I bought a house and moved in mid-February - right when work began to be busy. One project had to be done immediately: the carpet in the living room and office area *had* to be ripped up and replaced (we put down slate tile). The carpet was old, stained, and disgusting, and once it was out, the air in the house cleared. I found it really interesting how much of a difference taking it out made - I left for work on Friday morning, annoyed at the old stale smell, and when I came home that night, it smelled like a different house.

As far as knitting goes, I have been working on a few different projects, even though I've been a total slacker about updating here. I knit up 3 pairs of baby booties on a commission from a coworker. The same coworker commissioned a baby blanket, which is a little more than 1/3 done. My carry-along WIP is a pair of socks for my niece. I also finally remembered to throw the swatch for my Sonnet sweater into the laundry last night; I have to measure it soon to see how my gauge turned out. Honestly, I probably won't pick that one up until well after 4/15.

My CPA license was approved recently, and as a reward to myself, I bought a Namaste bag. I am not one to spend a lot of money on purses since I abuse them, and this was a big purse purchase for me. Not more than $100, but still - a lot more than my usual $15 Target purse! I love it because it has enough room to carry a sock project, my coupon book, and my book club book.

OK - gotta get back to work - just a few more days of the insanity left!

Summertime fun

Otherwise known as the CPA exam. Took it last Wednesday and have NO IDEA how I did on it. The scoring people guarantee that I'll have results in hand by the first week of the next testing window. Hm. Next testing window start date = October 1. Yey. I will likely have taken the next section by then. Hmph.

Obviously, with the last week of cramming, I didn't have any time to knit. I made up for that over the weekend! Finished a moss stitch scarf. B. said, "If poop had a color, that would be it!" Great, honey, that's definitely a line I can put in my Etsy listing! It's very brown and olive-y with some navy scattered throughout. I hope to block it tomorrow evening and then have the listing and pictures up over the weekend.

Tuesday Night Knitting Group was a lot of fun tonight. It's interesting to look around the table and see all the diverse people who come together. This evening, we had a relative newcomer, L., come with her adorable baby. There are a couple of other mothers in the group as well. Some of us are married, some are singletons, some are in serious relationships. As far as careers go, we have all sorts: KD is a lab scientist; I'm an accountant; L. is a SAHM; JLo is a horticulturist; LB is a pastor/minister at a local hospital; and ATS is a realtor. I don't know the other members' jobs, but hey, that gives me something to ask about next week!

In personal career news, this time of year is when my employer holds annual reviews. I received a promotion this year! I was very surprised but, of course, very pleased. As my mother put it, it is a promotion in title and in pay. (She worked for the government, so I think their pay grades and staff levels may have been much more structured than the levels at my firm.) My responsibilities won't dramatically increase overnight, which is a relief. My work mentor, MH, is a manager at the firm, and we discussed at our quarterly lunch today what I can expect and how I can live up to the new position. My actual evaluation is tomorrow afternoon. I'm not sure if I'll find out then what my bonus will be, or if that news will show up on the next pay day. Either way, that will be another boost to my savings account and another dent in my credit card debt.

Laceweight yarn

Seriously tangles like mad. I was winding it from a nice hank when something went wrong and it turned into a nightmare bird's nest. I spent all night at knitting group last night untangling, stayed an extra thirty minutes after the other girls left (I was so close to getting it all straightened out!), and then spent another half-hour on it at home before I went to bed. The whole thing is in a nice, neat ball, waiting for me to break out the Branching Out pattern and begin.

It was really nice to see the other knitting girls last night. The other attendees were my dear friend KD, good friends JL and LB, and soon-to-be-good-friend LR. We didn't really get much knitting done; it was mostly just chatting and catching up. JL told us about her wedding veil crisis; the wedding is just a few days away and the only thing going wrong is the veil. I'm so happy for her!

Had dinner tonight with another group of friends; it was CJ's birthday, so we all went to a restaurant called Luma on Park in Winter Park. The food was seriously delicious. I had looked at the menu this afternoon and was horrified at the prices, but hey, it's the girl's birthday, so I'll find something I can afford. I stuck with water for my beverage and a salad for my meal. It was the perfect amount of food, and the flavors were amazing. First time in my life that I've ever cleaned my plate at a restaurant! The chicken dish was also really delicious; LB and CJ both ordered it, and LB let me have a bite of hers. It was served with oven-dried tomatoes on top and on a bed of polenta. I'm seriously craving some polenta now!

Well - after the serious sleep issues I've been having lately, I'm heading to bed. Buenas noches, mi amigos!