What could be more random than a Monday?

Bear with me as a I bounce around a bit here.  It was an eventful weekend (except for yesterday, when it was nothing more than a Slugfest...as in "I am moving at roughly the velocity of your average garden slug").  But let's hop back to the beginning of the weekend and...yummy food!

This is Spicy Chicken Fried Rice from Cooking Light magazine.  I couldn't find the recipe on their website, but I found it on Laine's cool blog, here.  I actually made it Thursday, but this is what was left over for Friday dinner.  Yes, those little round, beany-looking things are peanuts.  My mouth is watering just looking at this picture and remembering, so I'd better move on to the next random topic...

I....um...er...started a new project Friday afternoon.  Yup, that makes...what...an even dozen now?  I've lost count.  But you must understand, it was one of those things that just jumped out at me and I had to do it.  I was trying to dejunk the living room, see, and I noticed this ball of sock yarn lying on my little TV table/supply table - it's the yarn I used to practice my toe-up knitting a month or so back. 

I also noticed a set of #1 dpns lying there that needed to be filed away, so I picked them up and headed into my room to put them both away.  Once there, I noticed a couple books sticking out of yarn bags...and I knew I wasn't going to use the yarn in those bags for any of the patterns in those books, so I decided to put them away, too.  When I picked up one of the books, a loose pattern that I'd printed off the internet fluttered out.  I picked it up.  It was the Sunday Swing  sock pattern from the Summer 2009 Knitty.  So...I have the pattern...I look at it and realize it calls for #1 needles, which I have in my hand...and sock yarn...which I have in my other hand...I'm thinkin' this is a sign from the universe that I need to knit these socks, right?  So...I cast on.  They're top down, I'm about 2" into them (ribbing and one pattern repeat).  So far, so good.  Will post pics later in the week when I've hopefully made more progress.

We went to Cincinnati on Saturday to attend the wedding of a friend's son.  I shall evermore be known as the Glitter Queen.  Think PigPen from Charlie brown, only with glitter...

You must understand, I don't dress up often.  There are few occasions in my life that call for formality.  I wore suede cowboy boots at my own wedding.  However, Ukranian Jewish evening weddings are occasions that require bling.  The last time I needed formal clothes was when my stepdaughter got married in 2005...and I had to borrow a beaded jacket from a friend (she threw in some diamond jewelry, bless her heart!).  After that occasion, I knew I needed ONE formal outfit.  I had "concert wear", plenty of long, black velvet skirts and such, but nothing sparkly.  So, about a month after that wedding, I spent $17 and got a big dose of sparkle off the clearance rack at Kohl's.  It looks like this...

I love it, and I don't feel too much like a little girl playing dress up when I wear it.  I wore it for the first time this weekend...and I shed glitter wherever I went.  I hugged the groom's brother before the ceremony and noticed my glitter on his shoulder as he walked down the aisle.  I coated the car seat with glitter.  I coated the seat of my chair at the reception dinner with glitter.  Sunday morning, when I went to my friend's house to pick up Wilbur, they laughed at the glitter still on my face...I am the Glitter Queen, the Great Goddess of Glitter...

So...we went to the wedding.  I worked on the Boneyard Shawl during the drive down, mingling little brown tweedies with my glitter and velvet.  I am so excited about this shawl - only a few pattern repeats in and I'm already rubbing the soft fabric against my cheek and sighing blissfully...

The wedding was equally blissful.  It was held at The Phoenix in downtown Cincy and was very elaborate, yet very simple and tasteful.  Since the groom is not Jewish, they had a modified Jewish ceremony, topped off by both the bride and groom breaking the wine glass (equality - gotta love it!).

After the ceremony, there was a cocktail hour, followed by a huge dinner.  OMG...we ate from 8pm till after 11:30pm!!!  Appetizers...then dancing (work off all that food!)...entree...MORE dancing...wedding cake and other yummy desserts...STILL more dancing...  The wedding band was the best I've ever heard (they did a version of "It's Raining Men" that rivaled the original - and I don't take lightly to people who think they can outsing Martha Wash), and they alternated with a deejay who played what must be the Ukranian Top 40 - lots of Russian pop and dance music.  Lovely, fun evening...but the best part was the overall tone of love and respect between the bridal couple, their friends and families.  There were no bawdy toasts, no cheesy garter antics, no smooshing in the face with wedding cake, and the wine, champagne, vodka and cognac were flowing freely, but no rowdy drunkenness.  We paced ourselves carefully, with only a cocktail before dinner and some wine and a few sips of champagne with dinner...and lots of black coffee afterward.  If ever there were a perfect wedding, I think this must have been it.

And then, road warriors that we are, at the end of the evening, we hopped into our car and drove the two hours back to Columbus, getting home at around 2:00am.  Silly, people..we were both tired, cranky, irritable zombies all day yesterday.  Nothing got done, and we alternated napping and snarking at each other the entire day.  I tried to knit a little on the Brandywine shawl, but found I wasn't able to even minimally concentrate, so not much knitting got done. 

And that was my weekend...whew!

But since this is a knitting blog and not a wedding blog, let's get back on topic.  There's something very cool going in in the knitting blog world next week!  Eskimimi has organized Knitting and Crochet Blog Week starting next Monday, April 26.  She has picked out some very cool blogging topics for each day of the week.  I've peeked at them - they're way cool!  This also goes along with The Blog Hub group on Ravelry.  Check it out and join in on the fun!!!

And in one last jolt of randomness, here's my first attempt at a "stocking", knit about five years ago.  Romeo bought me a pattern booklet which I think were stockings for each month of the year.  I can't find the booklet and can't remember the name right now.  This one was a Halloweeny theme in black and orange, however, I had dark green and ecru sock yarn on hand, so this is what I came up with.  The heel and toe are really loose and floppy, but I really was pleased with the colorwork.  And it's big...how big?  I have a 17" laptop...that's how big!

Got this great pic of Wilbur, my little furry soulmate, this morning.  He'd just finished breakfast and was contemplating dessert.  He's wishing y'all a great Monday...and so am I!!!