94. Buy a home

Yes, we sold our lovely slice of heaven (cottage) and bought a slice of life - our first year round home!!!!

93.Go to a yarn show

Went to the 2011 TTC Knit a long again.

I loved every minute of it, again. Wonderful company, wonderful yarn, wonderful knitting, wonderful time.

I also won a prize!! For the biggest purchase!
No, I didn't win the Sherpa Award for the most yarn bought in a day.
I won the Biggest Purchase Award - See # 94.......

94. Go to an Art Exhibition

For my birthday, we had to do what I wanted to do. Whatever I wanted to do. For one day only, it was all Me, Me, Me!!

The TIFF had a Tim Burton exhibition on. It had his paintings, drawings, photos, models from his movies, even some costumes!

34. dentist

I went to the dentist and got my teeth cleaned!!! And a filling!!!

Now I'm voluntarily going back to get 2 old, murcury fillings removed!

And I'll never leave it so long to go back to the dentist ever again!!

4. Pay off Canada debt with Doug, (0/?000)

We have paid off our debt (except our mortgage....)
and have money in the bank!!!

Woohooooooo!

93.Go to a yarn show

TTC Knit-a-long 2010 - see HERE

61. Visit home

I cannot believe I was lucky enough to go home for a visit for the second time in a year!! The initial plan was for my family to come visit me here, but what with the whole "We're moving, we're not moving, we are moving, but not sure when, or where to...." thing, it was just easier, (and far cheaper!!), for me to go home and visit them. So yay, lucky me!
There was a house move and inevitable unpacking (I'm a pro by now!). There was a vacation within a vacation where me, mum, sis and nephews went to stay in a cottage in the country, by the seaside. There were two family BBQs for my two different families.
There was no death (except for a cat I never met, and a friend of a friend who I never knew) and no hospital visits, so I'm thinking the Going Home Curse has been lifted... Or at least getting more distant...
Anyway, some gratuitous UK shots:

82. Go on a road trip

Me, Alana and techquilter, and her latest Wee One went on a road trip to TO for the infamous Knitter's Frolic.

I often find myself going on long drives with my SO and the pup, but don't think of them as Road Trips. In my mind (and I'm not a native North American speaker, so excuse me if I have this wrong), a Road Trip is
a Long Drive,
taken with friends,
to some destination,
but the adventure is in the journey itself.

Not that the final destination wasn't just the greatest thing EVER, but the journey there would have been fun enough on its own. The atmosphere in the car was kind of like Christmas Eve - the anticipation! the excitement! the giddiness! And just to hang out with good friends is a super novelty for me.

Oh, to be that carefree and light, with nothing weighing down on my shoulders.
Truly a wonderful journey...

1. Get Job

I am now the owner of a full time job!
Start Monday afternoon!
Very excited for this great new start!

92. Go see the owls at Owl Woods

(So, this is one I added, not on the original list)

When my friend told me about this magical island near-by, where owls go for the winter, where it's possible to go watch them, in abundance, in the wild, I felt compelled to go. I did research on the internet, got detailed directions, sparked D's interest, waited for good weather, on the weekend, when D was home, and the stars aligned for us to go on Valentine's Day / our anniversary / Family Day weekend. What perfect timing is that!

We got the ferry to the island, which broke the ice on its way over.



We drove around the island, totally enchanted, fantasizing about camping on the island. No, having a cottage on the island. No, having a bachelor pad downtown, but our "real" house on the island. Complete with bed and breakfast. For divers. No, for knitters. No, for yoga and meditation. No, not a bed and breakfast, a yurt community! And not a downtown pad, a boat and a motorbike for commuting into town!!!

We missed out turning, and drove round some more before finding this mystical wood. It wasn't very busy, which was good, but once we got in the woods we just wandered around aimlessly. How are we supposed to find these owls? Other people find them, then we just go where the people are, and look at the owls......
No people, no owls.....
We wandered some more.....
Saw some.... other birds.....
Wandered some more......



Saw lots of "owls" in the distance, but when we looked through the monocular, they actually ended up being the end of a broken tree limb / top of a post / can't even see what I was looking at now.....
Wandered some more......
Started giggling....
Wandered some more.....
Wondered if we were ever going to any owls.
Wandered some more.....



Wondered how many owls we'd walked by that were laughing at us because we hadn't seen them.
Wandered some more....
Bumped into very helpful birdwatcher man, who asked us if we wanted to see an owl. We followed him into the bush, and he pointed to this tree, while whispering instructions to D.



Where's the owl? And then I saw it! See:



So, we crouched and watched this cute little owl, which was RIGHT THERE, right in front of us, so close, in the wild and everything, just opening an eye and looking at us, looking at him.

It was great!

43. sewing (machine), make one house thing, 21. cushions for sofa

So, I have finally finished all 5 cushion covers, and have filled them.
Here's my final cushion extravaganza!!

Flat and lifeless.....


Filled with love!!!


For more info, see here.

91. New Family Tradition - New Year's Day Walk

When I was at Uni, a group of us spent one New Year's Eve at a friend's family home. We went out, danced the night away, had a fantastic night, then all went back to L's house and crashed in the piano room in the not-so-early hours of the morning.
Next thing we know, at some crazy time the following morning, we were being woken up and and corralled out the door for the Annual New Year's Morning Walk. It was a tough job to get us all awake, dressed, standing of our own free will, but soon enough there was a bunch of very hungover 20 year olds, going for a bracing walk very early on New Year's Day.
When we returned to the family home, we were feeling great, hangovers gone, with a hearty appetite for a Full English Fry Up! What a great start to the year!
So this New Year, as part of my recent quest to find Family Traditions for me and D to do together, we introduced The New Year's Day Walk.
We got up at a reasonable hour, got dressed, grabbed the dog and hit a local walking trail we'd seen. We blew out the cobwebs and remnants of the Old Year, to make way for the fresh and the hope of the New Year. And when we returned to our family home, we were feeling great, hangovers gone, with a hearty appetite for a Full English Fry Up! It was, indeed, a great start to the year!

43. sewing (machine), make one house thing, 21. Cushions for sofa

I obviously was a very good girl in 2009, because I got a sewing machine for Christmas!! I know!
I've wanted one for forever, and on Christmas day there was card from D under the tree with a VERY cryptic clue inside, about a gift he was picking up for me on Boxing Day morning. Needless to say it drove me crazy all day - what was it?
But when I came downstairs Boxing Day morning, there was a wonderful, beautiful sewing machine that was mine, all mine!!

I quickly made 2 blankets for my 2 nephews. Then I moved onto a cushion cover!! Of my own design! I couldn't believe how easy it was, compared to the B*****d Blanket,



so I set about designing another cushion cover, made a template and cut out and pressed pieces for 4 more. I have sewn 2 together so far, the other 2 to follow shortly. Here they are on the chair, with the bag whose seams had split, that I fixed on my New Best Friend.



What do you think?
Cushion cover 2: Front, back, detail.
Cushion cover 3: Front, back, detail














Not bad, eh!
All 5 cushion covers came from a package of 6 x 1/2 yard cottons. I think maybe they were starched, too, as they crisped up nicely whenever I pressed them.

87. Go swimming - in the lake, in the sea, in a pool (1/3)

Me, Sis and Littlest Nephew went swimming in the swimming pool in their apartment complex. He sat in an inflateable chair, he jumped (from sitting) into the pool (in his mum's arms) while sining Humpty Dumpty, and he swooshed around in mum's arms while singing "(Daddy)'s coming round the corner".

Much, much fun!

Makes it into my BEST category, for sure. Photos to follow eventually....!

61. Visit home

I have just got back from a 10 day, last minute, pre-Christmas trip home!

Highlights include:
lunch at Selfridges, drinks in Trafalgar Square and Canary Warf, dinner at the Gaylord, customary trip to Asda, Sunday dinner with Dad, loads of time with Sis and The Kids, Karaoke, Fake Christmas Chinese Takeaway, swimming with nephew, meeting friend's new baby, catching up with friends not seen for YEARS.

Lowlights include:
Mum in hospital, Step-Mum sick, nasty immigration on way back home.
Also, camera left at mum's house, so photos will follow eventually....!!

By FAR my best 101 thing yet!