Back on my feet

Oh, there are so many things to talk about...
Paris was amazing, my aunts were amazing, the apartment, 5 minutes away from the Seine and the Eiffel Tower, was amazing, the bread, the cheese (oh, the Roquefort!), the wine, the free time, the shopping, it was all amazing.

I'll write more about the shopping next time...

Meanwhile, I've been back for a little while now, and the housewarming party was last weekend. We calculated that 93 people (70 adults, 23 children) showed up. I still can't believe it, it was pretty awesome, although I didn't have the time to sit down, or chat, or even eat. I spent my day saying: Hi!! so happy you could make it! Yes, just put the food on the table, and please find a chair...

It's also been busy at work, with a BIG proposal due very soon, and a translation contract I got right before leaving for Paris. Add all the final unpacking of boxes before the party, and last night was the first night I could sit at my loom in a long time.
But it was very much worth it...

Not my loom, but the last room to be ready, our office!

I asked my friend what colour she liked, and she said she liked them all...so here is the first part of her baby blanket, with all the colours I have! I love the pattern! (although I obviously made a mistake in the first red part...)

I didn't touch my sewing since the last time I wrote, although I now have enough books, fabric, buttons and ribbons to make myself a whole wardrobe, but that will be the topic of my next post.

I didn't get to knit much either, so I'll work on something for another a later post as well. But I still didn't find the knitting a lost a few weeks ago. And I'm convinced that for some odd reason, my camera charger was in that same bag. (I went to buy an emergency one 10 minutes before the store closed the day before I left for Paris).

Anyway, good night! I decided to go to bed early tonight, for the first time since I got back from vacations (yeah, a need more vacations now...)

Going to Paris in 5-4-3-2...

1 day before I'm off to Paris!
I have so much to do before I leave that I won't write much, except to say that:

• Last weekend was spent in Montreal eating and partying with friends and at the airport picking up a famous epidemiologist. I spent the week driving her around the city, taking her to restaurants at night, explaining her how things worked in the department and research group, even having her here for our first BBQ of the year. It was awesome, she was so interesting, an intellectual like I like them, who can have a discussion about anything, because she can find something interesting in anything. I'm very happy I got to spend so much time with her, it was a very intense intellectual stimulation, even if it meant not to be home one single evening. 
• I have 10 inches left on 1st woven baby blanket, hoping to start blanket #2 today. Now I have to learn how to crochet the edges. 

36 inches done, 4 more to go! 

I really like the pattern, I can't wait to see what it will look like when I wash it.

•  I still didn't find the knitting I lost 2 weeks ago. That included a set of Denise interchangeable needles, yarn, and other stuff (I can't remember what else was in the bag). It is very frustrating, because it was almost, almost finished. 
• My blouse is also starting to look more and more like a blouse. I'm really hoping to finish it before the end of the sewing semester (early June). 

Can't believe I know how to make collars! 

I will totally wear that, one day! I can picture it with my jeans skirt.

Still can believe I can make collars!!!:-) 

• I went to a weaving class last weekend. The highlight of the day was to meet 2 new expats from Montreal in 3R. The other highlight was that I was feeling comfortable around all the looms. I think I'm slowly becoming a weaver. 
• Other highlight of the past few weeks: I started to take the bus with a girl I met in the farmers' circle, and discovered that we have a lot of common interests. Well, that shouldn't come as a surprise, since we both belong to the same craft circle. But we also share the fact that we follow sewing and knitting patterns in English (oh, being able to talk to someone without having to check/translate every single word I say...), we both want to learn the complete way (no short cut that our fellow farmers like so much), we like to make our own clothes, and we like vintage sewing patterns. We discussed the possibility to have a sew-along this summer, because we both want to make Gertie's shirtwaist dress. I think that after having sewn 2 skirt and 1 blouse, I can tackle this project, especially with the help of someone with much more experience than me :-).  
• My man decided to organize our housewarming party (a year after we got the house) on May 18. Those who know me and are not on Facebook, consider yourself invited. We will try to get the house ready on time...and have enough alcohol so you can't see what is not finished. 
• Oh my, I'm leaving for Paris tomorrow, and I have nothing ready, except for my passport, plane ticket, a few euros from previous trips and list of stores to visit. I don't even have my aunt's address. I didn't even talked to her about the trip yet, her sister (who I am travelling with) organized everything. I hope she knows I'm coming. Those who know me know that this is not normal. However, I'm hoping that this will mean real vacations. I have a friend who went to Paris last week, and on his Facebook status, he mentioned that he had to wait several hours on a Tuesday morning to visit the catacombes. This is now the only thing that is on my list as NOT to visit. 
• I have 24 hours to find my camera battery charger. It is probably somewhere with my knitting :-( 
• Ok, there is one other thing that is almost organized for that trip, and it is what knitting I'll bring. I decided on Graylina, except in a red that will match my blouse. I just need to find needles to do the ribbing, since the ones I need are on the lost knitting. 
• I might have forgotten to tell you that a few weeks ago, my man invited out to lunch, and asked me if I really, really wanted to go to Malaysia for my big 4-0 this year. He was not too warm to the idea, but had to give his vacations dates at work, so a decision had to be made. Final verdict: we are going to Malaysia for 4 weeks over the Christmas holidays! I can't wait, I am so excited. 
• Meanwhile I also bought tickets to Santa Fe in August, where I will spend a week with my friend from Lilloet and a few of her friends. 
• Life is good, very good. 

Talk to you soon about Paris! Have a good week!