Presents from my parents

My parents are so sweet! They went to a number of garage sales last Friday and got some goodies for me. So thoughtful!

One of the things they found was this compartmentalized cubby for my knitting and crocheting paraphernalia. Before this, all of the content you see here was in a plastic bag, which made it so difficult for me to find things. This cubby is so practical and will make my hobby less frustrating.
My dad also saw some knitting needles and thought of me! These are some of the larger sized ones that I was actually missing in my collection.
Oh, and my dad knows how much I love to drink loose leaf tea, so he had to get this for me. It's so pretty and totally me. And now I actually have four matching cups to use for when I have company for tea.
But by far the most eccentric find is this cutting board from the 1950s.
What made it really special is the origin of the manufactured product:Thank you mom and dad! Your gifts are very much appreciated and cherished!

I grew this!

So today after work I decided to visit my garden and pick up some lettuce to eat. Talk about local food! I can't believe I grew something so pretty from a mere seed.

Here is my healthy, delicious, yummy salad. (Not my own tomatoes, but they will be coming this summer, too).
My dad - who used to photograph food for a living - will probably cringe at the lack of composition in this shot, but I think we can both agree that the photo can still induce a little mouth-watering in the viewer (if you are an herbivore like me, I guess).

And I ran...

Yess! I ran a mile in 11 minutes and 4 seconds today!

Now, that may not be impressive according to normal human standards. But for me, that is a HUGE achievement. I was the girl who thought it was beyond amazing to run for two minutes straight without stopping for a walking break. I actually RAN the full 11 minutes. It was 5-7mph, with the a majority of time in the 5.5mph range, but it was running.
This totally inspired me to do a 5k run next year. I should be in a good shape by then to keep up with the majority. I found a few 5k race training plans that should be relatively easy to follow here and here. Now I just got to stick to the plan.

Oh, and today is a good friend's birthday. I am probably going to take her out to dinner next weekend, maybe get her a gift card to this amazing Eden shop in town, and also knit her a scarf (that is long overdue). Will post picture of scarf once it's closer to completion (I am hoping to get it done before I see her). The pattern is Sinfully Ribbed and the yarn is this beautiful teal Berrocco Peruvia. I hope she likes it.

Sunday headaches

I have to write a huge paper by the end of the day today - brand audit critique for my intersession class. My team mates and I have this paper scheduled day by day, with each of us touching the paper on each day until it's perfection. As the first on the list, I am supposed to provide the core. I have not done that yet. I am tired and have this yucky headache. Ugh...

So, who's to blame? Well, I did babysit my sisters last night. Parents were out of town and so my sisters had friends over pretty late. Frisbee-playing, movie-watching, pizza-eating bunch. I didn't get to bed till 2am or so. Then, I finally came home this morning (delayed by my sister's delicious Belgian waffle breakfast), greeted by my appreciative husband (I think he missed me). He could be blamed, too.

And after settling everything (that is, unpacking my overnight bag), I sit down to write my paper and instead produce this:
Why? Why am I incapable of directing my energy towards things that HAVE TO be done? Like... tonight! Sigh.

Ah, yes - I also purchased another shirt yesterday. It is supposed to go with the bamboo cardigan I ordered. Should look pretty sweet with it.