Quote of the day

My head feels hot. My hands must be cold.

bouncing off the walls

I think a combination of not enough sleep and too much caffeine has me bouncing. I found the geekiest thing and I love it. The search for extraterrestrial intelligence and they can use MY COMPUTER. What if my computer is the one that processes the data that proves ET exists! Total geek out. I am SO weird.

Post 180

A milestone. Because I said so. People are talking to themselves today, triscuits are trying to kill me, along with chocolate eggs. My head hurts. I've got too much homework. I need a nap. Don't forget Earth day is coming! I wish I could go home.

I just found this

And I love it.

(ahem) diet

Well, I kind of went on a diet 3 or 4 weeks ago and since then I had gained 6 pounds. But this last week I actually lost one. I prefer to think of this as I was still gaining momentum from the gargantuan amounts of food I was eating before and now the weight will slope off dramatically now that I've lost the forward momentum. I had promised myself a treat if I lost 10 pounds which was to be yarn and needles for a sweater I want to knit but now do I have to lose 15 pounds before I get this treat? Are the diet police here? Let me know.

Projects

I think a little wrap up of projects would now be in order. I finished a little woven coaster made on a little picture frame loom I made. I used thrift store recycled cotton and linen yarn. I either put my cell phone on it to keep it from getting scratched or use it as a coaster. I think I will be make more to use the different colors of yarn that I have.
I finished the socks I had been knitting since November. They were also thrift store sweater wool yarn. This is the 3rd pair of socks I've made from that sweater. I'm sure I have enough for one more pair at least. They were driving me nuts though, they never seemed to get bigger.
I knit two bags for a KAL I was participating in. I used sugar and cream yarn in peppercorn colorway. They are really nice. Only took a week each to make.
I did a little spinning on a trip I had to take last week so that was good. I'm spinning on a spindle again because I can make the yarn a lot thinner. I'm still not great with the wheel.
I even picked up the shawl I've been knitting for a year and did a few rows. Maybe I can do more over the weekend.
I got some new yarn last week for socks so I've been trying to pick out a pattern that would work well. The colors are amazing so I don't need anything fancy to make them look good.
I also started working again on a blanket for my bed. It's the Babette pattern but I'm not using a gazillion colors like the pattern calls for. Just 4. I'm liking it a lot.
Have a great weekend!

Snow

This picture was taken as I drove home last night. Jesus is floating in the window because the Mormon missionary guys gave me a card yesterday that was sitting on the dash. Now that it's spring, the weather changes in a moments notice. Like now, it's snowing. Big blizzardy flakes. But in 10 minutes, who knows?

Monkeys in a car!

The bull of doom

Back in the old days, when I worked at the bank, I got the job of getting the float built. The float? you say. Every year there is a big to-do in my town. It involves parades and rodeos and carnivals and dances and concerts. Anyway, the bank had a float every year and for many years they had just hired someone to build it. But lo and behold, she tired of float-building, having done it for many years and not just for the bank. So we decided to do it ourselves. Did you know there are float-building catalogs out there? Indeed. I was chosen to design it and get it built so I promptly got myself a committee and we brainstormed and came up with a design. A rodeo bull with a tiny fence around it. I forget what the theme was that year. One of the loan officers was handy with tools so I was design and he was engineering. I decided what I wanted where and he figured out how to do that. The float was doing well (buying drinks for people that volunteered to help didn't hurt) and one evening I had to work late but was planning to go over to where the float was being built. Being the earth-conscious person I am, I decided to walk there. The bull had been finished and was being brought to put on the float. Did I say that the float was being built in an empty potato warehouse? The float was being built in an empty potato warehouse kind of on the backside of the building of where the company was active. So after work I walk to the warehouse to check out the work of my committee. Since I wasn't there to direct things, I guess the motivation fell apart and everyone had left. But since I was there, I decided to take a look at the bull. Lifting the wooden bar to open the huge door, I saw the bull in his glory. Unfortunately he was pointed the wrong direction on the float so I walked in to examine him from all sides. It looked great. I had been hesitant about the woman who volunteered to make him, not knowing if he would come out looking any good or not. But he was great. I was impressed. I stood there in admiration when suddenly a gust of wind came up and slammed the door to the warehouse shut. If there were lights in the building, I didn't know where they were. Fortunately it wasn't completely dark but I imagined all the creepy crawlies coming out of the woodwork to feed upon me now that I was trapped in there. The bull also didn't look so great any more. Kind of a malign presence looming above me. As I walked to the door I also realized that I was kind of in an out of the way place and no one really knew I was there. There was no car to indicate anyone had been there. I imagined that I just disappeared off the face of the earth and no one would find me for 24 hours at least. The distance to the door got longer and longer. Would it open? Would the slamming shut have made the wooden bar fall latching me in forever? Were there spiders on the door I was about to touch? I walked toward it, pushed, and it opened! Crisis averted! As I walked home I was so glad I didn't have to spend the night in a dirty creepy crawly warehouse in the dark. Then about 5 blocks from home it started to pour rain. So I got soaked. The bull had his revenge.

You know who

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Sorry Chuck

I'm not obsessed with you anymore. I'll have to think of something else for mondays.

Sunday blog

My luck has turned. Something I tried actually worked. A friend gave me a blouse. Kind of a peasanty kind of thing. Loose and flowing. But it was a bit too loose and flowing on me. So I looked at the care label, CAREfully noted that it said to wash in cold water and lat flat to dry. So what did I do? Washed it in hot water and threw it in the dryer. With much trepidation I took it out of the dryer and tried it on. Yeah! Yippee! Dance around a bit. It fits and I like it and perhaps, just perhaps, I'll wear it soon. Yeah baby.

Spider is winning

I hate spiders. All those legs that seem to move independently. (excuse me while I shudder) Well a spider has been living in the corner of my bathroom. Since it creeps me out to kill them, I let him be. Just stay in your corner and I will be fine. But this morning it happened. I was taking a shower and happened to look up and there he was. Will someone please tell me why they are attracted to showers? Not only that, when you see them in the shower, they invariably start walking toward the wet part of the wall. Where they invariably will slip and...and... fall! Ack! Then they are around your feet which isn't good at all. That's why, this morning, I'm in the shower, waiting to rinse my hair.... yelling at the spider. "Stupid! Stay away from the wet wall! Don't come toward me! Why, oh why didn't you stay in the corner?!"
I don't think he was listening.

Fairies

The fairies are falling down on the job. The dishwashing fairy hasn't shown up for weeks, the housecleaning fairy is just lying around, eating bon bons. What are bon bons anyway? But last night, the alarm setting fairy reset the alarm but then didn't turn it on. What is the fairy world coming to? No sense of responsibility anymore. Good thing I'm not losing teeth anymore, I'd hate to find out that the tooth fairy has retired or something. :)

For my fans

My disgruntled fans pointed out that I forgot Chuck Norris monday. So here you go...


Chuck Norris doesn’t wear a watch, he decides what time it is.

Sleep

I got 10 hours of solid sleep the other night. I'm in heaven, I can handle anything. Middle of the night dreams nonwithstanding. I'm even starting to compose blog posts in my sleep, and they sound oh so clever in the middle of the night. But remembering them seems especially difficult so if one comes to me tonight, I'll stop and write it down. We'll see how clever I am in the naked light of day.

It's snowing.

Spring break is starting out the right way. Snow for today. It will be somewhat of a break for me. I'll have to work but not go to class. I'm just hoping to relax and catch up on some sleep. One more test this morning so wish me luck!

Time

I normally work on one side of the hall in the morning and the other side in the afternoon. Basically two different jobs. But today we're short people on the morning side so I stayed here all afternoon. Time moves ways slower here in the afternoon. Nap time.

Migraine

That's all I can say.

Hierarchy

I need to really use this to get things done. If I don't have to work or go to class, I'll read rather than knit. If I have homework, I'll knit rather than do homework. If I have to work, I'd rather do homework than work. Now if I could figure out what would make me work. I'd be set.
Any ideas?

P.S. Today is Chuck Norris' birthday.

Chuck Norris Monday

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One step at a time

Since I've noticed that my pants are not fitting the right way (or at all in some cases) I believe it's time to do something about that. For the last two weeks I've been cutting down on how much I eat, trying to get out and walk a bit and trying to eat things that are a little healthier. So far I've gained 2 pounds. :) A diet for me is more about just gradually changing my habits but not obsessing about anything. If someone brings donuts to work, I take one, if I need a little treat, I buy it for myself. I don't try to change anything drastically. I figure it took me longer than 2 weeks to acquire this extra me so I can wait longer than 2 weeks to get rid of it.

Darn

Something I need to learn how to do. I made myself a pair of socks last year from my handspun superwash merino and now there is a hole. I do have some of the yarn left so I should be good to go. If I would just start, that would be good......

A good project weekend

I finished some things. So there naner, naner. I finished the hat made from own handspun and handknitted to perfection! Well, not really. It's big enough that it covers my eyes so something must be done because my head is slightly larger than average (because I'm so smart, you know). I finished a pillow that could have been done ages ago. It just needed buttons sewed on. It too is mostly my handspun (until I ran out) and knit by me. My son found it and said, "can I have this?" So I said sure and sewed the buttons on for him. Then I finished the Kitty Pi. That one hadn't been languishing, I promise. I started that exactly a week before and had it finished and felted and dry by Sunday afternoon.
Proud I am. Channeling Yoda I am.
Have a great rest of your day!

Chuck Monday (tuesday edition)

Chuck Norris CAN believe it's not butter.

Chuck Norris' house has no doors, only walls that he walks through.

Chuck Norris doesn't need coffee to wake up in the morning. Coffee needs Chuck Norris.

You gotta love dogs

Just for the entertainment value.

Too much! Too much!

Every weekend I have the same problem. What should I get done? I have a list at least a mile long of things I want to do or I need to do. How do I fix that? No idea whatsoever. So I just get some things done and go along my merry little way.
Have a great weekend!!

Crazy cat lady friday

more animals

Scholarships

Most scholarship applications are due March 1. So I'm perusing the list of scholarships and find that it is difficult for me to find one. Turns out so far that I'm the wrong color, I'm taking the wrong number of hours, my GPA is wrong, my parents are too smart, I actually have parents, my major is wrong and I'm the wrong age. Someday when I'm rich, I'll offer a scholarship for people that don't qualify for anything else. That'll show em!

It's jellybean season!

I love jellybean season. It's the time of year when you can get good jelly beans. This is very important you know. Most of the year, all you can get are jelly beans that are different colors but all the same taste (except for the black/licorice ones, yuck), and Jelly Bellys. Now, Jelly Bellys are indeed good but they aren't cheap by any means. So when Easter time rolls around, the jelly beans get good AND cheap. Jolly Rancher jelly beans are my favorite, but today I'm sampling Starburst Sour jelly beans and I find that they are my favorite too. They make you feel like you could plant them and a giant vine will grow with a giant on top and.... oops, that's a different story.

I made a little video of myself here so you can see what I'm like when I eat jelly beans that I love.

Meet Katie

A story

If you wake me up, don't expect much coherence from me for the first few minutes. Here is a story to illustrate this.
My husband and a friend were having a few beers one night and then decided to go out. I went to bed but then woke to someone calling my name. It was the friend. He says, "I left my keys here have you seen them" He was yelling from the living room because I was in bed. In my sleeping stupor I said, "yes, they are on the piano!" Waking slightly I said, "wait, we don't have a piano, they are on the TV!"

Googling Chuck Norris Monday

This is what you get...

Google won't search for Chuck Norris because it knows you don't find Chuck Norris, he finds you.

No standard web pages containing all your search terms were found.

Your search - Chuck Norris - did not match any documents.

Suggestions:

• Run, before he finds you
• Try a different person

I just found this

And it looks like fun!
http://allsorts.typepad.com/allsorts/2009/02/unfortunately.html

Here are my sentences...

Unfortunately, Katie isn't a titan, she's an anchor miniature.

Unfortunately Katie wasn't able to share her real feelings with Mike

Unfortunately, Katie found out and was surprised when Simon told her that he couldn't use the money because it was tainted.

Unfortunately, Katie is nothing compared to the ultimate hotness, Michelle Pfeiffer.

Unfortunately, Katie and those around her come across as sanitized versions of people

Unfortunately Katie has had to cancel her remaining book signings this week due to exhaustion

Unfortunately, Katie suffered a stroke in 1993 which drastically curtailed her two handed boogie woogie style.

Unfortunately, Katie's Pizza isn't for me.

"Unfortunately," Katie says, "we kept writing catchy tunes."


I better stop.

Crazy cat lady

I have three indoor cats. They were rescued so I can't actually pick them up and pet them very easily. There was a cat outside I would feed sometimes but now he's brought 3 of his friends to come eat as well. The first one will let me pet him. I'm not sure how this happened exactly. I love cats. Does this mean I'm going to start wearing big hats now?

more animals

Projects

I almost have a second sock done. I'll be glad to finish that. I made myself a tiny weaving loom last night. Pounding paneling nails into a wooden picture frame. The frame started to split so I hope it holds together. I have 3 sweaters worth of cotton yarn that I have unraveled but it's not been great for knitting so I'm going to weave with it. What am I going to weave? Little square things. Potholders? Coasters? Cell phone mats? We'll see what they are useful for. I want to do little patterns in the weaving but I don't yet know how to read a weaving pattern so it's time to learn a whole nother language once again. Wish me luck!

I'm a bad influence

My boys are quite a bit like me. I've taught them the finer points of my kind of humor and they are taking to it well. The love the muppet show. They get the DVDs from the library and play them over and over and over, laughing the whole time. And now my 7 year old quotes Monty Python to me. "WHAT is your name?" "WHAT is your quest?" "WHAT is your favorite color?" Red, no, blue. AAAAAAUUUUUUGH
I'm SUCH a good mother. Next I think I will introduce them to Star Trek. "Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, not a magician!" They are already quoting Lord of the Rings to me. "You shall not pass!" and "You have no power here, Gandalf the Gray"

So I'm weird

Well, that's not news to most people. For a couple months I had been staying up late every night, reading or watching TV. But now I've suddenly switched around. I'm way tired and my eyes are closing at 9. I'm not sure anymore which is my natural state. By the way, I knitted like mad on a sock all weekend and so I'm on the heel now and I just want to get it done done done!

Chuck Norris mondays

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It's not one of those things that you expect to happen but since I met him in a dream, I see him everywhere now.

The circle of chaos

My life is crazy, every day is new drama. Then I go to drawing class and the circle disperses and goes away.

Chuck has competition

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Black cloud

I have a cloud that is hovering. It prevents anything happening nicely. My car is giving me stress, a student loan is giving me stress, ack. What happened to my relaxation vacation? It's needed.

Back to knitting

What knitting? I'm now knitting on two pairs of socks, a hat, a stole and a blanket. And I've been dreaming of knitting a sweater for me. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
I'm spinning some merino for another pair of socks too. Wish I could finish something.

Furnace Woe

Oh sweet furnace, why hast thou forsaken me? What have I done that causest thou to falter? Thou pilot light burnest not brightly. In fact it burnest not at all. Thy capricious nature causest me dismay. Even when thy light burnest for 10 minutes, burning brightly, thou button is released and thy fire goes off. Grief is mine, O furnace. Grief and my overwhelming desire to cause thee harm. Preferably with a sledge hammer. But thy transgressions are nothing compared with thy brother in the front room. Thy brother vexes me so. He makes to light, remains on, waits for the moment and then "click". The suspense is palpable. Thy recalcitrant nature displeases me. Thy perplexing spirit angers me. Lo, the weather outside is frightful, and a fire would be so delightful. Grant me your favor before my head explodes.
Amen.

Tire-changing

I have mad tire-changing skillz. Which is good. Saturday I finally got around to putting some air in a tire I noticed was getting low. Then on the drive to my house I had a little self-congratulating for remembering to do it, about taking care of the car in general and so on. I drove up beside my house, getting out and I heard the noise. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh. At first I thought it might be just water from the many puddles that are about my house steaming on the hot engine. But it was not to be. The very tire I had filled was hissing and deflating rapidly. Ah well, I wanted something new to do that day. I changed a tire at least once a month while I was in college so I wasn't daunted, just annoyed. The only thing that really gave me trouble was the locking hubcap. You take off the little cap on the front and then get the special powder blue hubcap unlocking wrench to take it off. Why it's powder blue, I haven't a clue. You'd think they would mention that in the instructions. I got the tire off, and of course it was covered with mud so I thought I'd spray it off before I put it in the trunk. I did that and looked a little closer at it and realized the steel belts were coming through the rubber on the inside edge. No wonder it went flat. I'm surprised it hadn't been flat ages ago. So it's not worth fixing. The good news is that I inspected the other tires and they don't seem to be the same.

I'm cool, you know I am

For my birthday coming up I told dad I wanted some Carhartt jeans. He looked at me strangely and I said that all the cool science kids and professors wear them. So he bought me a pair that didn't fit but last night I exchanged them and they are wonderful. Today I wore them to class and sure enough, one of the guys had on a pair JUST LIKE MINE! I knew they were cool.

Really, I'm not obsessed with him

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In need

I'm in need of a caffeine-related beverage. Last night I got home from drawing class. In my delight from attending class, I decided to work on the drawing I'm supposed to have done tomorrow. (a shoe) I spent 2 hours working on it and then realized that perhaps I should go to bed. So today I'm a bit slap-happy and bouncing around but I know the crash is coming. Listen for it....

Philosophical bendings

I'm reading a book called The Art of Happiness. It is written by H.H. the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler. I'm reading it because I think I need to create some new pathways in my brain to handle what my life is and what it will become. I really admire the Dalai Lama and how he thinks and how he handles his life. The book is good.
Then I started listening to all the background commentary in my head and realized how this book is starting to change the way I think already. The commentary goes like this... "I really like this book, it gives me a peaceful feeling.... it would be really cool to meet the Dalai Lama and be able to talk to him..... in the past I've been disappointed by people that I thought were really cool and then I met them and they were not so cool, or just boring, or really didn't know anything beyond what they were known for.... so maybe I wouldn't want to meet him because my hopes wouldn't be met and I would be left feeling disappointed.... you know, that isn't their fault really, it's my inflated expectations that do that, I expect a certain thing and they don't live up to it...."
The difference in that conversation rather than usual is the point where I realize it isn't the person letting me down, it's my own expectations. I'm hoping that this realization will eventually lead me to know which expectations are mine and not a fault of the person. Like everyone I just want some peace and happiness in my life. It's up to me and my state of mind to provide that.

Chuck Norris

I had a dream that I met Chuck Norris. Now, don't get me wrong, I think he's a pretty cool guy all in all but I don't have any kind of obsession with him. But, I met him, talked a little bit and I asked him if he had seen all the Chuck Norris stuff on the internet and he hadn't. So I showed him. He laughed at it.

		If you have five dollars and Chuck Norris has five dollars, Chuck Norris has more money than you.
		There is no 'ctrl' button on Chuck Norris's computer. Chuck Norris is always in control.
		Apple pays Chuck Norris 99 cents every time he listens to a song.
		Chuck Norris can sneeze with his eyes open.
		Chuck Norris can eat just one Lay's potato chip.
		Chuck Norris is suing Myspace for taking the name of what he calls everything around you.
		Chuck Norris destroyed the periodic table, because he only recognizes the element of surprise.
		Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one bird. From Chuck Norris Facts

The weekend

The weekend is nearly here and I am psyched. Well, not really. But it shouldn't be a bad weekend. I want to do some cooking and cleaning and studying and playing with the boys.

To do

The to-do lists in my head are always a mile long. (maybe that's why I get so many headaches, my brain is full hmmmmmm) I'm feeling spring in the air already even though it's still the same cold outside so gardening is starting to feel like something I want to do. The house I'm living in now was neglected for 10 years so the yard is way overgrown. I have a lot of work just to clean it up and trim things. But I want a garden. The owners many years ago had a fabulous garden (I'm told) and so I should be able to at least manage a mediocre garden. Maybe a few flowers around the house but not too much. There is no grass to speak of but you never know what may come up if you clear out a few things. I'm looking forward to doing my own thing and making my own decisions about what to plant. Weeding is my weak spot and so I'm trying to figure out a way to minimize this. I can't wait to order seeds. Fun times. Do you have a garden?

I was prepared to be happy

I left the house in great anticipation this morning. Revving the engine and ready to go in the -1F temps. Yeah, today it would happen. I drove down 4th avenue to pick up the kids and take them to school. Back to the school and dropping them off. Then the action begins. I pull out of the turnaround and roar down 2nd. The light is green and I turn left down Broadway. The light is green again and I turn down 1st. Two blocks later the light is green again and I turn on Park Ave. Cruising to Grand ave I turn again and head past the other school. Once again the light is green and I'm able to go all out on the road to work. Humming to myself, happy thoughts in my mind when I get near Walmart. The green light beckons me and I wave merrily as I pass it by. As I pass McDonalds I wink at the green light there. A mile later, there it is, the last stop light I have to pass on my morning journey. I've almost made it, I've almost conquered the drive. This stoplight is fairly new and was needed. As I approach, I smile confidently, knowing that life is good, life is correct and today is my day. I look up and there it is, a red light. I have to stop as even the guy in front of me is stopping and not deciding to run it. This is my life.

Philosophical musings

Sitting in drawing class the other day I started thinking about how there is a dichotomy (not sure if that's the right word) in how people perceive their wanting to belong to a group and wanting to be an individual. I know how powerful it can be to want to be part of a group. You would think that would be mutually exclusive from wanting to be unique, an individual. Art majors tend to want to at least look unique and be unique in other ways. But yet they might also want to be part of the "art crowd". I always think of myself as pretty unique and proud of it most of the time but at the same time I feel these pangs of not belonging to anything. Watching an old episode of Friends last night, Monica was telling Ross how his fiancee had been planning and dreaming of the perfect wedding since she was five. This sort of standard woman thing has never applied to me. I've never dreamed of perfect weddings or a certain number of children and I never have long conversations about makeup or hair or clothes so when I see things like this I feel like since I don't do these things I don't belong to the "standard woman" group. Some days it makes me wonder why I don't like these things and why I'm not "right". Other days I'm glad I'm not concerned with such things. You can spend a lot of money for something that doesn't give much satisfaction. It's hard to ignore the pull of outside things and ideas about how other people think you should behave. I guess I'm just trying to find myself.

The wonder fiber

No, my friends, I'm not talking about wool here. I'm talking about, you guessed it, oatmeal! I made lovely oatmeal bread over the weekend and it was goooooood. You don't just throw in the oatmeal willy-nilly-soupy-spilly. It's oatmeal with hot milk and brown sugar that you could eat just like that. And then, you make bread out of it. It's so moist and it isn't crumbly and it just tastes wonderful. I'm gonna have to get me one of those new-fangled toaster things to toast it up next time.

Pleased

The professor told me my drawing was decent and I was happy with that. He had some suggestions too. There were quite a few drawings that I felt were better than mine and a few that were worse so I'm pretty happy with being in the middle. One woman used charcoal for her's and it made it very dramatic and I loved how the hair on her's came out. It really had nice texture and color so maybe I'll try something with charcoal soon.

For fun

What Year Do You Belong In?

You Belong in 1984

Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day.

What Year Do You Belong In?

I got this from my friend Kristin.

Finished

I finished my self portrait for class. I don't like it completely but I don't know yet how to fix it not looking quite right. I look really stiff. My eyes might be a little big even though I tried to make them smaller last night. I don't know. I guess that's why I'm taking a class. To learn these things.

Drawing class

Class last night was great. We split up into pairs and we had to draw half person's face while they drew half your face. So we'd take turns drawing on the same paper. I have to admit, we looked pretty decent. She did a great job on the flowers that were on my sweater and I thought I did her eye really well. It's fun and the time goes fast. Now I remember why I like art classes. The feeling I have after class is well worth the time and money put into it. It makes me feel good and I always come out of class all bouncy.

On lack of motivation

It happens quite often. Fortunately I worked a lot yesterday. Tomorrow is another day.

Project overload

In addition to the shawl and socks and blanket that I have been working on, I now have a scarf, a hat and some new spinning going. When will this crazy merry-go-round existence end?

The Great Cat Chase of Ought Nine

I should have known. The day hadn't started out well anyway. I got to bed kind of late and then woke up in the middle of the night with a migraine then later woke up with bad stomach that kept me awake for 45 minutes. So when the alarm went off at 5:30 AM I wasn't too inclined to get up. But it was necessary. Two of my cats were scheduled to go to the vet to get fixed and that meant I had to catch them. You see, these cats were rescued and are still pretty wild. Picking them up is the tricky part. Once you are holding them, they calm down. Lately they've been hiding inside the couch just under the springs and so it's difficult to reach them. When I got up I went to the back porch and one of the cats was back there so I shut that door to trap him in the there. A few minutes later the other one came out from under the couch and I managed to chase him into the bathroom where I shut the door. I breathed a sigh of relief as I had imagined that to be the worst part of catching them.

First I tackled Rena. I managed to kind of trap him in a corner, and, wearing welding gloves, I picked him up spitting and clawing and biting and dumped him quickly into the cat carrier and quickly shut the door. Ah, life is good. One down, one to go. I took a break and sat and drank some coffee and watched the news. I'd catch the other cat, take a shower and be on my way.

I prepared myself with gloves and carefully going into the bathroom and shutting the door behind me. Shawn was there, hiding behind the toilet. I advanced and heard the hissing and as I put my hand close, the claws came out. He batted my fingers again and again. I was chasing him back and forth and so I tried to get him in a corner but it was no go. Then he jumped in the bathtub looking for a way out and I had him. I picked him up, holding him with both hands and I realized that I had forgotten my 3rd hand so I could get the door open again. So carefully with one gloved finger I got the doorknob turned without letting go the cat.

I went into the back porch and again the third hand would have been handy for I needed to pull that door shut behind me. I moved it as far as I could and thought 'oh, I just have to put him in the carrier so he shouldn't get away' Famous last words. Since he was still biting, I didn't want to hold him next to my body, I put him down with a hand on him to hold him while I opened the cat carrier. Oops, he got a grip on the carpet and he was struggling and got loose. As he ran around me to the open door I spun around, getting rug burns on the tops of my feet and my knee and he was gone. Back under the couch and I knew he wasn't coming out for any reason.
I cried. Since I live alone, there was no one to help me, no one that could easily come over and help that time of the morning and I had to go pick up my kids for school and get to work.

I picked myself up and got in the shower and got ready and as I got dressed I decided I had had it. The cat was coming out. I took all the cushions off the couch, tipped it on it's side and shook it and banged on it. One cat came out but it wasn't the right one. I looked inside the ripped backing and saw little cat eyes staring out at me. That's it! I grabbed my scissors and quickly snipped away the whole bottom backing of the couch. (the couch was used and free when I got it so that didn't bother me) And there he was, lurking. I grabbed him and went to the back porch, pulled the door shut with my toes and making sure he didn't get too close to floor, I kneeled down to open the cat carrier. My gloves made my fingers to clumsy to open it so I had to slip off the glove. Success! He had calmed down a bit from me holding him closer to my body and he went right in the carrier. I got the couch back in order and made it to work on time. Too much excitement in my life.

Almost

Almost forgot to blog! ;)

Last night

Last night I couldn't decide whether to try a drawing class or not. I'm glad I went. The class starts at 6 PM twice a week and although I have my doubts about my motivation I'm sure I won't regret it when I'm actually there. He said the supplies won't cost more than $30 so this will be by far the cheapest class I am taking. The fee refund I will get will nearly pay the tuition for the class so that's good as well. My younger son is interested in art so I'm looking forward to learning some things that I can share with him.

New semester

Ah, the smell of new textbooks, the empty pockets after you buy them, the new knowledge being crammed into your head. The new semester of college has started again and I'm happy. I love going to school and wish I could full time. Hopefully in a couple months I won't be all run down worrying about classes. Only two years of half time classes til I finish my degree.

Winter wonderland

It snowed Friday night. Really snowed. Cold and windy and blizzardy. Yes, I just made up that word. A good night to stay in and keep warm. The next day was beautiful. This is my back yard. Looks like a jungle out there.

The scone saga

Alternate title: Why you should follow instructions and why you shouldn't stir the dough so much.

I received a nice chocolate chip scone mix for Christmas so last night I decided to bake it because I wanted to eat it. So far, so good.
Since I have made scones from scratch many times before, I perused the instructions noting how much heavy cream to add and the oven temp needed. I turned on the oven, got out a nice bowl, dumping the mix into the bowl. I then carefully measured out the cup of half-n-half that the recipe called for. Wait, what? Yes, it called for heavy cream but all I could find at the store was half-n-half. When you make scones or biscuits (or any quick bread), you add the liquid all at once to the dry ingredients. I did so, then stirring gently I realized I was making soup and it was way too runny. You want the bread to actually stick together. I looked again at the recipe, actually reading the instructions. Ah ha, you are supposed to add 3/4 cup and stir and then add the rest if needed. Oh well, I'll just a little flour. And stir some more. Add some more flour. And stir some more. Just a little more flour for the right consistency. Stir some more. The further instructions say to flatten the dough and cut into wedges but I'm too lazy and decide to just make them drop scones. I bake them for the required length of time then take them out of the oven. Ah, they look good, smell good. I prepare a nice cup of tea and bring a couple scones to eat with my tea. I take a bite and remember why you are only supposed to stir them until moistened. My scones are like chewing on bagels. Great. Chocolate chip bagels.
I need a nap.

How can it change so quickly

I've spent this week feeling at loose ends and not having enough to occupy my time and I just realized that next week I start classes again and that means I will go back to wondering why I never have enough time to do everything. Is there no in between? Tomorrow I will have to buy books for class and get annoyed once again at how expensive the stupid things are. They better be interesting to read.

The furnace

My new little house has a total of 3 heaters. Ok, so far so good. It's the coldest time of the year and I have only 2 of them lit and I turn them down during the day when I'm gone. (Don't worry, the cats have fur coats to keep them warm) The problem is that one of them, if I turn it down too far, goes off. Then I have to light it in the evenings. Besides the fact that I'm all handy around the house knowing how to light pilot lights, it's annoying. Because even though I follow all the instructions and get it lit correctly, as soon as I turn up the thermostat, it goes on, then goes off. Then I have to light it again. Usually the 3rd time is the charm. Although I am all handy, that handiness doesn't extend to knowing what is wrong with the furnace or how to fix it. If I leave it up high, then it doesn't go off but that defeats the turning down the furnace when I'm gone to save money principle. Ah well, we'll see what happens. Spring is coming in 3 or 4 months, isn't it?

Purple Love Hat

Here is a hat I designed last summer. I don't have a picture as I gave it away but I'll try and get another one made real quick. Enjoy and let me know if there are any problems!

Purple Love Hat

Knit Picks, Swish Superwash, Bordeaux, 1 skein, 110 yards
Size 10 (6 mm) double pointed needles (5)

CO 80 stitches
Separate stitches with 20 stitches on each of 4 needles

Rib Pattern

Knitting in the round

1^st row (right side): *k3, p1, k3, p3: rep from * to end.

2^nd row: As 1^st row

3^rd row: As 1^st row

4^th row: Purl

Repeat these 4 rows one time

Knit 2 rounds

Lace panel
(worked over 20 stitches)

1^st row(right side): p2, k9, yo,k1,yo,k3, sl 1, k2tog, psso, p2, k to end of round

2^nd and every alternate row: Knit

3^rd row: p2, k10, yo, k1, yo, k2, sl 1, k2tog, psso, p2, k to end of round

5^th row: p2, k3tog, k4, yo, k1, yo, k3, (yo, k1) twice, sl 1, k2tog, psso, p2, k to end of round

7^th row: p2, k3tog,k3, yo, k1, yo, k9, p2, k to end of round

9^th row: p2, k3 tog, k2, yo, k1, yo k10, p2, k to end of round

11^th row: p2, k3tog, (k1, yo) twice, k3 yo, k1, yo, k4, sl 1, k2tog, psso, p2, k to end of round

12^th row: Knit

Repeat these 12 rows once.

Decreasing
(k7, k2tog) around
knit
(k6, k2tog) around
knit
(k5, k2tog) around
knit
(k4, k2tog) around
knit
(k3, k2tog) around
knit
(k2, k2tog) around
knit
(k1, k2tog) around
knit
k2tog around

9 stitches left

Break yarn and thread tail through remaining stitches.
Pull tight and weave in ends.

Crazy psycho killer cats

The cats. Oh, where to begin. The cats are in my house. I received them from coworkers who had rescued them. That was oh so nice. But, the cats aren't exactly super people-friendly. In fact they still hiss at me when I start to get close and then run away if they can. I've held them all a few times but they are still hissy. They eat really well though, I feel like I'm trying to fill up the bottomless well of cat hunger. Not only do I have these three cats in my house, there are two outside that have a habit of jumping up to sit in the window on the outside. So I've been feeding them a little. They seem to be tamer than the ones I have inside. I'm sure crazy-cat-lady-dom is not far away.

That's it!

The sofa goes on the south side of the living room. I feel all cozy and comfortable in my new house. There was a brief moment of 'uh-oh' when one morning there was no hot water in the tub and it didn't drain either. But it has been rectified.
I've finished the Noro scarf and now just have to block it. A nice gift for someone.
I got a B+ in my difficult Geomorphology class. I'm very very very pleased with that.

And since I'm in a Christmassy sort of mood.....

One month since the last meeting.

And progress has been made. I have a sofa. It's a little broken down and doghaired but it's not bad at all. I'm still deciding exactly where to put it.
I have gotten the Noro for the scarf I was making. Progress is being made.
The 3 cats. You mean the psycho-killer-cats? The finger-chomping-killer cats? They've so far bit everyone that has tried to hold them. Including my mom who has a swelled up sore hand now from it. My finger swelled a little from the bite but not alarmingly so. It's going to take a long time to get the wild out of them I'm afraid.
Babette blanket is still in progress. I have finals next week and then hopefully I can work more on that.
I'm 3/4 of the way through two pillows made with my handspun. I'm very pleased with how they are looking.
I've finished 2 pair baby socks.
I knit a very tiny annoying-to-knit mitten but it looks good.
I knit two tiny hats for a gift.
And I started another pair of socks.
Seems like I knit more if I keep track of it.

I actually won something!

From IdealBite!
I'm excited!

I'm pathetic

I had to run an errand. So far so good. On the way back I stop to buy a Fuze. (delicious, by the way, I love them) So far, but not so good. I decided to buy some Christmas candy to share with the office, ok, not bad, sharing is good. But then in hit me. I wanted something else. Something lovely and delicious. Oh my, visions of Ben & Jerry's. Oh yum! But in my defense, at least I only bought the tine 3.6 oz one. That's just enough in my opinion.

She said I was tagged...

This one's easy, bold the books you’ve read, italicize the ones you want to read, leave the ones blank that you have no interest in.

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye(J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner(Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64 - Interview With the Vampire
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91.The Skin of the Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

I better get to reading.

Going along

Let this meeting now come to order. Any old business?
Socks from Knit Socks book. Completed and saved for Christmas gift, maybe.
Babette blanket, still working on it. It's looking good and will be nice if I ever get a couch.
The stole is where it was last time I mentioned it.
Road scarf, I'm still waiting to go to a real yarn store to get more Noro.
I've finished plying the wool and I've found a pattern to make a pillow cover so I think that will work nicely.
OK then, any new business?
I moved, more on that later.
I now have 3 kittens, more on that later.
I've knitted one pair of baby socks and am working another pair. No, I'm not pregnant.
I've also been spinning a bit.

I motion we adjourn.

I like it

What am I doing?

I ask myself that a lot. With knitting and spinning I do know what I'm working on though. Since the advent of the lovely bus ride to work, I have more time to knit. I'm working on a pair of socks from the Knit Socks book. (wonderful book, I recommend it) Those were getting time consuming and so in a moment of weakness I started the Babette blanket. But it won't be in so many colors and will be crocheted in Red Heart soft. The first big square is almost finished and I've decided to seam it as I go. I know if I get to the end and all those little squares have to be put together, I won't do it. I'm still working on the stole and am averse to even picking it up lately. It's beautiful, so I want to finish it but it's annoying to do. Perhaps I need to do lace with different needles or something. You know, I've been wanting to buy some Addi needles. (it just occurred to me that I've put none of these projects on Ravelry, well, the stole but nothing else) I also started a Road Scarf with Noro but I only had one skein so I'll have to wait on that until I get some more. It's beautiful.
I'm spinning some roving from Freckle Face Fibers and the wool is great but I'm not liking my plying. The green and brown I don't like how I've put them together. But it might look good as a hat. We'll see. I'm anxious to start on some other wools I've bought and so now I see why people have more than one wheel.

I'm being really lazy here.

I could survive for 60 seconds chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor

Created by Bunk Beds Pedia

I love cats

I need to get one.

Green

You Are Teal Green

You are a one of a kind, original person. There's no one even close to being like you. Expressive and creative, you have a knack for making the impossible possible. While you are a bit offbeat, you don't scare people away with your quirks. Your warm personality nicely counteracts and strange habits you may have.

What Color Green Are You?

I don't know, I just like it

Inspiration

Where do you look for creative inspiration? I look for blogs with different images than I'm used to, quotes, funny things. In a word, 'delightful'. That's the word I use when I see something I really like. I don't use it often so it definitely means something to me. One of my favorite new sites is FFFOUND!. Tons of pictures get posted daily and it makes me look at the world differently. I like that. Where do you look for inspiration?

My craft evolution, part 3

I know you've been waiting with bated breath for this. Well, maybe just waiting.

In college I worked a year and a half at an accounting firm. I was your basic go-fer, filing, copying, filing some more, answering the phone a little. I made a whopping $4 an hour. One of the accountants was pregnant and would work on a counted cross-stitch during her lunch hour. It was your basic baby scene with pastel colors and rattles and cute sayings. But I liked how everything looked just so. And hey! I can count. So off I went to Wal-Mart to look at crafts. You could buy little cross-stitch kits with everything you needed for a little Christmas ornament or whatever. I also ended up doing a couple needlepoint kits. Those were nice too. I liked the exactness of the craft, as long as you counted correctly (count twice, stitch once) everything came out right. So started my love affair with cross-stitch. I bought a lot of pamphlets, subscribed to magazines and stitched away happily, making ever bigger and bigger projects. But do you think that's all I was doing? There's more.

More finishing

I finished the dishcloth (terribly difficult, I know) and I finished my own hat design and got it knitted up. I'm rather proud of it. I think I have someone test knitting it for me. Hopefully a couple someones. I'm afraid designing knitting is addictive. After the hat, that left me with only 2 things I was working on. Masonic lodge socks and the stole. So one night this week I was perusing a knitting stitches book again and POW. I had to start another hat. I think this one will be simpler but I'm using my handspun so you know it will be pretty. I think as my knitting skills improve, my designs will get more complicated. I just envision that someone will follow my path from beginning knitter to more accomplished knitter and have designs to try along the way.
I'm spinning some beautiful black merino wool top. It's 8 ounces worth, the most I've bought at one time. It's Louet and I bought it at Purls of Wisdom. Forgive me if I'm repeating myself, I'm too lazy to go back and look at my previous posts. This will be Masonic Lodge socks too I'm thinking. Hopefully 2 pair.
I also saw this tutorial and I really love the yarn colors. I need to take a class or something on combining colors. Other people can think of combinations I would never dream of.
Have a great weekend!

Finished

I finished the scarf and it looks beautiful. I'm going to try and bring some things I've finished next week for a photo shoot as she has a digital camera and I don't. Now to get rid of some more of the WIPs. You know I have some other things on my mind to start already. Some socks from my new sock book and finish spinning a couple things.
The good news is at the fiber festival I attended last weekend, I met a fiber farm person and she hosts the fiber guild. So I'm afraid I'll have to go. She seems to be a down to earth person and I think I'll enjoy it. A solid block of time to work on something (or 2 or 3 somethings) would be great.
Have a great weekend!

Knitting overload

I had two knitting projects going for a long time. Just the socks and the stole. Well, now, I have 5 things going. Still the socks and stole. The lovely Malabrigo is becoming a scarf rather quickly. It's wonderful to knit with and I just chose a stitch pattern from one of the Harmony guides, double basket weave, and it looks beautiful. I got the book through interlibrary loan at the college here where I work. Interlibrary loan is great! Then I can decide whether I really like a book before I buy it. This scarf will be put in the gift stash to be used when needed. Unfortunately I never have enough in the gift stash when Christmas comes around but I'm always trying.
I started teaching a friend to knit a dishcloth and of course I started my own to demonstrate. So that will be done quickly I think.
I also have my knit hat pattern I'm working on. I'm converting a flat pattern to be worked in the round and it's more difficult (for me) than I thought. I had 8 rows done on the brim but I'm going to have to pull it out and rework it. Weird stuff happens. But I'm very please with the yarn and I'll eventually be posting the pattern here.
Have a great day!

My craft evolution, part 2

I don't remember doing many crafts in high school. Such a social butterfly I was (ha!). I was a "brain" so of course I studied and did homework.
But in college I kind of got into a clothes refashioning kick. I'd look through catalogs and magazines and see what I liked then try to make something similar or use some of the ideas. I ended up with bermuda shorts (they were cool back then) sewn inside out and cheap shoes with sequins or beads sewn on. I even had some blue jeans that I bleached half of them and wore them that way. I dyed a few things but didn't do a very good job at it.
My second year of college I was working for an accounting firm and one of the women there was pregnant and working on a counted cross-stitch. There was the danger......

My craft evolution, part 1

I'm planning this to be the story of how I got into doing crafts starting with when I was a wee tot until now. I'm hoping you will find it interesting as well as helping me to understand myself a little better. Feel free to comment!

My first memories of any kind of craft were when I was about 5 or 6 years old. My grandma showing me how to do embroidery. She or my mom bought a little kit that was preprinted and I embroidered the design. I may have done more than one. That is all I remember until I hit about 13 years old. I spent one summer every day at my aunt's house and I had a latch hook kit of flowers that I finished that summer. I really enjoyed it and did several others in the years following.

4th of July

I spent the weekend in Durango at my brother-in-law's house. My boys had a great time playing x-box games and sitting in the hot tub and watching fireworks and playing with the dogs. They always hate to leave. I got going on the 2nd Masonic Lodge sock but didn't work on it too much. I did start some spinning of the lovely black merino wool I got in Denver about a month ago. I have 8 ounces and I'm going to try and get 2 pairs of socks out of it. That was kind of nice to just sit and spin. I think I ate too much.
I also got to go to Yarn, a nice store in Durango. I bought some of the much talked about Malabrigo and some Noro. Silly me, I hadn't brought any knitting needles other than the size 2 dpns for the socks. So all I could was fondle the yarn. Maybe tonight I'll play with it. Not sure what I can make with just one skein apiece but I'll try a hat or something.

Tater tots on parade

Sometimes when I think of a funny combination of words, I set up a blog post with that title and wait for inspiration of what to say. It's been a couple days since I put this one up and when I looked this morning it made me laugh again.
What's happening on the knitting front? No, I'm not knitting the front of anything. I am knitting Quelle Erqsome's lovely Masonic Lodge socks. I've actually managed to memorize the pattern. The heel flap gave me a bit of a problem when I first started it but it was due to my inability to read a pattern, nothing wrong with the pattern. Thinking inversely doesn't work too well with me. I think for the second sock I'll actually write out what I need to do right there. I'm using some yarn I got from a thrift store sweater I took apart. The sweater was pretty boring but I got about 5 pairs of socks worth of yarn from it. The sweater only cost me about $2.
I'm also knitting the lovely Sea and Shells Stole by Dee Bamford. It looks great but is taking forever to knit. I'm using Jaeggerspun laceweight yarn and it's wonderful. There are 34 repeats of 12 rows and I've done 8 repeats so don't expect me to be finishing this anytime soon.
My other little project has been to design a hat. I've done some swatches and now I've ordered the yarn and needles I want to use so keep an eye here for that pattern in the near future. It's my first try at designing something and I've enjoyed the process a lot.
I've finished spinning a beautiful batt from Butterflygirl designs. It was a short staple length and slippery so I had a hard time and had to pay attention or it would just slip away from me. The color was called Tequila Sunrise and it really did look like the drink. I'm not sure what I want to do with it yet. I might just leave it as a single for now.
Sorry I have no pictures. I haven't managed to win a camera yet from Pioneer Woman. If everyone else would quit entering her contests, maybe I'd have a better chance. Grin.
Have a great day!

Random Brain Frogs

• I now am the proud owner of a Bissell Powerforce Turbo. This sounds very much like a Power Ranger. Of course it's red, like the strongest Power Ranger. My favorite Power Ranger group is Mystic Force. They have the coolest song.
• I just did a superhero quiz and came out as Superman. Hmmmm
• I have no clue how much a tarp to cover a pickup bed would cost.
  

Extreme knitting

At least it looks warm.

By the numbers

I've now watched Stranger Than Fiction twice. I kind of noticed the counting. I realized that I myself count a lot of things. Some things are normal. You have to count to knit or crochet or counted cross stitch. But I count other things as well. Stairs sometimes, seconds to leave conditioner on my hair, things like that. It makes me wonder if that is the reason I like the crafts that I do. There is counting involved. Hmmmm

P.S. The movie was really good, by the way. I enjoyed it.

ETA: I count clothespins as well.

Toes

My toes are evidently growing longer. I've hit one big toe or the other about 3 times in the last week. This last weekend I trimmed the nails short and put on new nail polish. All pretty and nice. This morning I hit the right one, broke the nail back pretty far and there is actually blood. Nice, real nice.

YES/NO

YES/NO GAME RULES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

You can only say yes or no. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages you and asks!

Over 18? Yes
Danced in front of your mirror naked? Yes
Ever told a lie? Yes
Been arrested? No
Kissed a picture? Yes
Fallen asleep at work/school? No
Held an actual snake? Yes
Have YOU Ever run a red light? Yes
Ever drink and drive? Yes
Been suspended from school? No
Ever been fired from a job? No
Totaled a car/motorbike in an accident? No
Sang karaoke? Yes
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? Yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? No
Ever laughed until you wet yourself? No
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes
Kissed in the rain? Yes
Sang in the shower? Yes
Sat on a rooftop? Yes
Thought about your past with regret? Yes
Been pushed in the pool with your clothes on? Yes
Shaved your head? No
Blacked out from drinking? No
Had a gym membership? No
Been in a band? No
Shot a gun? Yes
Liked someone with nobody else knowing about it? Yes
Played strip poker? No
Been to a strip joint? Yes
Donated Blood? Yes
Liked someone you shouldn't? Yes
Have a tattoo? No
Have or had any piercings besides ears? No
Made out with a complete stranger? Yes
Caught someone cheating on you? No
Skinny dipped? No
Regret any of your ex's? No
Been to a rodeo? Yes
Been to a NASCAR race? No
Been in Love? Yes

It's Friday in blogland

Random Friday (I make up my own titles, can't you tell?)

Burritos at the convenience store across the street are all buy one get one free today. Which is good because suddenly they are smaller than they used to be. A sad state of affairs to be sure. (They are actually handmade and not prepackaged so the dreaded convenience-store-burrito-blues do not strike with these. I like them)

Sweet Child o Mine. nuff said

Frosted cherry poptarts are delish this time of day. (looks like I better get to eating)

I suddenly have ideas and thoughts bouncing around in my head, socks to knit, fiber to spin, and sewing. I actually want to sew. I'm sure that once I get going, that notion(ha ha) will fly away as soon as I sew something crappy. The truth is it annoys me to sew badly but the only way to fix that is to sew more which I don't want to do because I sew badly. But a sock bag wouldn't be too difficult now, would it?

Happiness is a warm puppy.

The girl that works up in a different office looks enough like my sister in law to be sisters. I should ask if they are related. I really should.

Updates

I've been reading past entries and I've left you hanging on several things so let me try and address them.
Monkey socks are finished. Gifted to dad since they came out huge.
Icelandic wool spinning is finished and plied. Destined to become a hat. Large dpn's purchased for just such a thing. And the hat is almost finished now. Veddy quick. It will satisfy your longings for an FO

I went to a lovely shop in Parker called Purls of Wisdom where I bought the giant dpns and a sock knitting book and some black merino fiber to spin spin spin. I love it. My first LYS shopping experience.

My life is trying to get back on track after recent and not so recent traumatic events that I won't go into here. Life is trying.

Just so you know

I'm working on a pair of socks from my handspun. It's superwash merino spindle spun, wheel plied and the color is amaryllis. Very nice. I thought I had spun it bulkier but it's working well for the socks. The pattern is very easy and it's going quickly. I'm using #2 bamboo dpns. I have one more repeat on the foot and then it's the toe and they are done. Wool socks for summer!

Meme

Is it my imagination or that just sounds like me-me? All about me.

Accent: I think I have no accent, but, I've been told I have a very slight kind of Missouri accent. That's where my dad grew up. I think of it more as a slight redneck accent.

Breakfast or no breakfast: Food is veddy good.

Chore I don’t care for: Matching up socks.

Dog or Cat: cat

Essential Electronics: computer and a good stereo

Favorite Cologne: soap

Gold or Silver: silver or white gold.

Handbag I carry most often: It's a little over the shoulder backpack. My shoes and a book and some knitting will fit but the bag isn't big enough that I'm tempted to put too much in there.

Insomnia: I used to have that problem, but hopefully some things have been resolved.

Job Title: Accounts payable, budget, testing supervisor, other duties as required....

Kids: 2 boys

Living Arrangements: 2 bedroom house in town

Most Admirable Trait: My empathy and smarts.

Naughtiest Childhood Behavior: I really can't think of anything, how scary is that?

Overnight hospital stays: When I was 5 or so I was in the hospital for bronchitis and pnuemonia for 3 days in an oxygen tent. Since then I've just been in for 2 c-sections.

Phobias:Spiders and enclosed spaces. Spiders make me squeak when I see them and I just feel trapped in enclosed spaces, even if it's just a crowd of people enclosing me.

Quote: I'm not normally like this.

Reason to smile:my kids

Siblings: a sister

Time I wake up: By 5:30 most days, a little later on the weekends. I'm not a sleeping in person.

Unusual Talent or Skill: My thumbs are double jointed.

Vegetable I Refuse to Eat: cooked carrots, ugh

Worst Habit: procrastination

X-rays: Just my wrist when I broke it

Yummy Stuff: comfort food, mostly potatoes

Zoo Animal I Like Most: the lions, raaaarggg