The Tink-n-Frog

gasp...sputter...sputter...gasp

2010-07-16T22:15:00.000-07:00

I'm not even sure how to say this. (blush) But I guess to just come out and say it. I've started a new blog. There I did it. I just wrote my first post tonight. You might ask why I would start another blog. Well you can find the answer, albeit rather verbose, over at Whimsy Dot. So please be kind and come on over and follow me at Whimsy Dot.

Cheers!

An amazing thing

2010-06-30T21:51:00.000-07:00

Yes I know, I know. You all probably thought I dropped of the face of the earth. (it could happen) But nope I haven't. I'm still here.

I have been a bit hampered since I don't have a camera right now. So writing interesting crafting adventure posts is a wee bit difficult. And really it's been warm lately which seems to stifle my creativity. That being said....

I found myself not being able to sleep the other night, too warm and too many crafting possibilities tumbling around in the ol' noggin. I sat down and starting poking around the internet. I decided to look up an old friend of mine I had lost contact with. Do you ever do this? Something just gets a hold of you and you think hmmmm I wonder what so-and-so has been up to? This happens to me every once in a while and obvious the other night was just such an occasion.

The first person that leapt to my mind was a girl I met when we were 11 years old. We lived a couple of streets away from each other. We went to grammar school and junior high together. We each had other friends that we hung out with more but we were still chums. When it was time for us to go to high school, she went to a prep high school and I went on to the local high school. Our lives followed very different paths. I have occasionally touched base with her through the years. And every time we connect it's as though we just saw each other the day before. No awkward silences or strained judgments. I have just felt warm affection and deep gratitude to hear her voice one more time.

She has led, to me, a very exciting and adventurous life. After attending college in Northern California she took off to New York to start her life. She has traveled the world and done things I have only dreamed about. So this was the person I was curious about that warm sleepless night.
I found what, I thought, was her address and phone number. But something nagged in the back of my mind that the info might not be correct. I was also able to locate her mother's information though and knew that this was a good lead.

The next day came and with it the realization that after 9 years she might not want to hear from me. After all I look back at my life and I have to admit it isn't necessarily a life I wish to stand up and brag about. In other words I can find it quite embarrassing. The reasons are far to numerous to mention here and I would not wish to bore or terrify any of my dear readers. You know, all one of you (grin) Anywho.... I told my mum about my late night discoveries and with her urging I gave her mother a ring. It turned out to be a lovely conversation. In which her mum gave me the correct contact information. I hesitantly rang my friend and left a message on her cell phone.

This evening an amazing thing happened. She rang me back. (hey Jen, waves) I guess I am always so amazed and thrilled when I meet up with someone and they remember me AND are happy to hear from me. I loved talking with her. I also loved to hear how very happy she is and how wonderfully she is doing. She is still an amazing woman and someone that has always inspired me to reach out of my comfort zone and try something different. And while my life is very different from hers. It's considerably more tame and secluded. I am so incredibly thankful, and amazed, that she took time to call me back.

2010-05-27T10:07:00.001-07:00

Okay this is another one of those odd little posts. I know I haven't written in a really long time And now I'm back with an odd post. But I've sort of gotten my dander up, as sometimes it is want to do and feel the need to express myself here. So here it is...

My DH and The Boy have played an online multi player game, Shaiya. They found it about 2 years ago. They started playing as a way of bonding and spending time together. At times they got irritated with each other, and actually had arguments. While it seemed silly and trivial, at the time, now I can see that it was an opportunity for them to learn how to communicate with each other even when they are angry or at least disagree.

About 6 months ago the server they went through, Aeria Games, started to allow the players to raise the prices in the game to outrageous levels. My DH and The Boy began to become frustrated and irritated with the server and the game masters, actual Aeria Game employees, as far as how they were allowing things to occur.

So my DH and The Boy located another server offering the Shaiya game, Shaiya Evo. They discovered that many of the stalwart players from the Aeria Game version had gone over to this new server and were really happy with how things were being ran. They found that the Shaiya Evo game was run more fairly and allowed the players to advance and purchase items in the game at better prices. It was not an easier version just more user friendly.

About a month ago the whole Shaiaya thing with the two of them began to wane and they went on to doing different things. (Mostly bugging me, grin)

Last night The Boy got to wondering what the prices of the online items at Aeria Games Shaiya were at this point. He signed in and discovered that the madness still continued. He then went over to Shaiya Evo and discovered a letter from Aeria Games, Shaiya. If you click on the link you can read what was written. In response to this letter and Shaiya Evo closing their server someone left this information on the Shaiya Evo forum:

Fri, 04/30/2010 - 14:41

Sensaismackie

Terms of Service: Section 5 "License to Use wrote:
You may not (a) sublicense, rent, lease, loan, sell or otherwise transfer the Software or the Services (or any part thereof) (b) modify, adapt, reverse engineer or decompile the Software, or otherwise attempt to derive source code from the Software; (c) create any derivative works in respect of the Software or the Service; or (d) otherwise use the Software or the Service except as expressly provided in this Agreement. Title to the Software, and all rights with respect to the Software and Service not specifically granted under this Agreement, including without limitation all rights of reproduction, modification, distribution, display, disassembly and de-compilation and all copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret and other proprietary rights and interests are reserved to AGE or its licensor(s).

Let's break this down:

"(a) sublicense, rent, lease, loan, sell or otherwise transfer the Software or the Services (or any part thereof)"
This is obviously talking about copyright/patent infringement. We'll get back to that in a little bit.

" (b) modify, adapt, reverse engineer or decompile the Software, or otherwise attempt to derive source code from the Software"
This is talking about modifying the Aeria Games Client for your own personal gain. Hacking in other words, which is explained as illegal later in the Terms of Service. This is all that it technically applies to.

"(c) create any derivative works in respect of the Software or the Service;"
You're not allowed to make modded versions of the game. Such as entirely new maps that aren't originally released with the game, or creating new skills, weapons, armor, classes, modes, etc.

" otherwise use the Software or the Service except as expressly provided in this Agreement. Title to the Software, and all rights with respect to the Software and Service not specifically granted under this Agreement, including without limitation all rights of reproduction, modification, distribution, display, disassembly and de-compilation and all copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret and other proprietary rights and interests are reserved to AGE or its licensor(s)."
Here's where we talk about copyrights and patents. Aeria Games has one problem when it comes to this: They do not explicitly own the copyright and patent of Shaiya. SonoV does. The only copyrights that Aeria Games legally own are:

1. Aeria Points: This is a reward program for making charitable donations to Aeria Games to use for items that do not normally drop from within the game. Named after Aeria because it is their company that people are donating to.

2. Website content: This includes the forums, webpage layout, user account management, and what is displayed on the website.

3. Client Code: This only applies to the client that they are currently hosting. Anything pre-dated or post-dated to their current client version is not controlled by Aeria Games. However, they don't even own the copyright and patent to their client. SonoV does, and can, at any time, revoke the contract with Aeria Games for any reason, with or without notice.

SonoV owns, and maintains all master copyrights and patents to Shaiya. Not Aeria Games. The way that these are worded would make the common person see that Aeria Games would seem to own all copyright, however no matter how hard they press, they do not.

The right to make a Private Server is up to SonoV, and that company alone, as they created, modify, and update all versions of Shaiya that are contracted through them.

It does say further down in Section 5, however:
ToS wrote:
As more particularly described in each applicable EULA, AGE and/or its licensors retain exclusive right, title and interest (including all intellectual property rights) in and to the Software, copies thereof, and all error corrections, bug-fixes, patches, updates, derivative works, improvements, modifications thereto (whether made by AGE, its licensors, you, or otherwise), including, but not limited to, any titles, computer code, themes, objects, characters, character names, stories, dialog, catch phrases, locations, concepts, artwork, character inventories, structural or landscape designs, animations, sounds, musical compositions, audio-visual effects, storylines, character likenesses, methods of operation, moral rights, any related documentation, and "applets" incorporated into the Software. The rights described in the foregoing sentence are the copyrighted work of AGE and/or its licensors and are protected by the copyright laws of the United States, Korea, Japan, international copyright treaties and conventions, and/or other applicable laws. All rights are reserved. The Software may contain certain licensed materials, and the licensors of those materials may enforce their rights in the event of any violation of the EULA.

I bolded "retain" because it is a keyword in this. Aeria Games is not the master Licensor. SonoV is. SonoV licensed the right to HOST the game on their site and through their company. They did not sell any and all rights to Aeria Games, meaning Aeria Games does not own any part of Shaiya in its entirety. They are renting it from SonoV. In-turn, they sub-license it to us to use at our own risk and discretion, without modifying the current version of the client that Aeria Games hosts.

Now, onto the legal stuff:

"Is it illegal to make a private server?
Technically yes, as this violates SonoV's copyright status. Aeria Games has no real legal standing unless it violates their explicit copyrights (Aeria Points and Website).

"Can Aeria Games legally ban or sue me for creating/hosting/playing on a private server?"
Not unless you either do, or aid in of, violate the copyrights that Aeria Games explicitly owns. SonoV, however, can.
However, Aeria Games has placed a loophole in this, conserning themselves. Also located in their Terms of Service:

Terms of Service: Section 12 "Disciplinary Action/Account Termination wrote:
AGE MAY SUSPEND, TERMINATE, MODIFY, OR DELETE ANY ACCOUNT AT ANY TIME WITH OR WITHOUT REASON, WITH OR WITHOUT NOTICE.

This is within Aeria Games' right, as website owners, to do. For whatever reason, with or without notice. This makes it to where they can suspend, modify, or terminate your account on the spot, and there's nothing we can do about it.

Aeria Games also has this to say in their Fair Play Rules:

Fair Play Rules wrote:
3. You may not use any content protected by intellectual property laws or by rights of privacy, unless you own the rights thereto or have received all necessary consents. You shall be solely liable for any damage resulting from any infringement of copyright, trademark or other proprietary rights.

17. You will not create, use or provide any server emulator or any other sites where the Game may be played, and you will not post or distribute any utilities, emulators or other software tools related to the Game without the express written permission of Aeria Games & Entertainment.

18. You will not attempt to play the Game on any server that is not controlled or authorized by Aeria Games & Entertainment.

#3 is a no brainer. Don't violate copyright and patent laws.

#'s 17 and 18, however, are shaky at best. The only legal standings Aeria Games and Entertainment has on this is if someone is using the EXACT client version that they are, usage of the Copyrighted Aeria Point system, or website layout. In other words, copyrights that Aeria Games is licensed to use or actually owns.
If the content on the private servers falls outside of these parameters, Aeria Games has no legal standing in a court of law, and cannot force you to appear in one for such a purpose.

Moral of the story:
SonoV is the explicit owner of all content, copyrights, patents, etc. for the game called Shaiya. Aeria Games and Entertainment has some legal standing, but it is extremely limited to the game itself.

If you want to make, host, and operate a private server, the only real legal way to do it is to:

1. Gain a License to Use from SonoV.
2. Create a system (if you so choose to do) that does not use currently copyrighted materials for a rewards program based on amount donated (such as Aeria Points or SonoV Points).
3. Create a website that largely differs from SonoV's or Aeria Games' layouts, unless you gain their permissions to use them.
4. Do not modify the game in any way, shape, or form without SonoV's permission, in such a way that it could be considered a "new game"

taken from aeria games forum site

if they were serious they would have gotten sonov to back them and they havent
.....just proving a point

Allow me to say that I do not agree with copyright infringement, and I do not know the fine details of this issue at hand. But from the wee part of this that we are aware of it appears that Aeria Games is being one of those overpowering companies threatened by any competition from the smaller guy. Now the catchy thing about this lovely little letter is that other Shaiya servers exist, one is Euro Shaiya. Which supposedly should be in the Aeria Games territory. Yet as far as we can ascertain they did not receive such a letter of infringement.

Now mind you, Aeria Games lists and touts Shaiya as a free to play online game. I do know that Aeria Games charges actual money to purchase points in order to purchase online items that are not available in normal game play.

Shaiya Evo is also listed and touted as a free to play online game. They also sold points in order to purchase online items. Although the reason for purchasing points was simply to get those items faster. The items were available to obtain in normal game play.

As stated in the letter, Evo started to hit Aeria where it obviously felt it most, the pocket book, which I can understand. But if Aeria was running their version of this game better they would not have their players looking for other places to play. And hence forth they would not need to send out a letter.

So I guess I should step off of my soap box and do some crafting. I feel better now that I have said my peace.

Cheers!

P.S.
I promise my next post will be about crafty type things.

What a week

2010-04-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

Last week that is.

A dear friend is going through a very traumatic issue in her life right now. And she asked if I could watch her three children. I couldn't refuse. So last week was a week of stresses and tears and trying to make sure that all the wee ones under our simple hovel roof never felt left out or in doubt of the love that was felt for them. Lots of hugs and kisses going around for the smallest ones and trying to have calm moments just to listen to the older ones. We are all hoping that this week will allow everything to get back to normal.

But having 6 children from the ages of 3 to 15 in a three bed home, of course has not left me with much time for crafting. But I have a couple of things in the works. I am working a baby quilt for this dear friend, that is a surprise. I am also working on a spring garland to snazzy up the foyer in the hovel. It seems like I have something else waiting in the wings but for the life of me I just can't seem to remember what it is.

Mostly this little post was to say I'm still here. Trying diligently to create so that I can remain somewhat sane. Of course I don't think you should ask anyone in the hovel if I'm sane right now. I'm sure you will get widely varying answers.

Cheers!

So until further notice....

2010-03-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

Ok so this just sucks! I get ambitious enough to bring out the camera and take a photo of the stunning pillow I just finished, only to discover that my poor digital camera has been injured. How could this have happened I hear you ask? Yes you, there in the back , the shy one. Anywho. How else could anything be damaged in the Hovel? Yes you got it, the Wee Ones. (sigh) So now when I take a photo, this is the outcome;

The cushions on this wee bench look like they are plaid, but they are not, it's ticking. Do you like the wee bench? It was made yesterday. Re-purposed from a youth bed, that, yep you guessed it the Wee Ones broke, (sigh). I will be looking for another wooden youth bed this garage sale season so that I can make another such bench for another set of cushions we have. We recently decided to try to create more space in the living room by getting rid of our huge couch. A huge couch in a small, oddly shaped room is not conducive to having much space. We took the cushions from the couch and recovered them with this blue ticking. The brightly colored pillow is the one I just completed, with fabric I purchased from a fantastic store on Etsy, Skye Reve Fabrics. The other white pillows are going to get a colorful make over as well.

I will have to wait till next month to replace my camera. So until further notive you will either be subjected to funky photos or none at all.

Cheers!

2010-03-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes I know. I bet you all thought I fell off the face of the earth. Nope, I'm still here. Just seem to be busy. Yet I can't for the life of me tell you what I've been busy doing. I'm not trying to be mysterious, I just can't seem to figure out where the time went.

So to update you on the things I can remember;

I'm still chasing the Wee Ones, (sigh) still.

We're still in our wee small apartment in bum %*@#^! nowhere. ( I have decided to give the small place a nickname - the Hovel. Meant in a kind way)

I still have the ever satisfying and thrilling job of cleaning in the mornings.

I am re-decorating the livingroom ( which is not an easy task)

I have temporarily set my knitting aside.

I have been embroidering.

Ummm I think that's it.

I do promise to come back really soon with some photos of some of the things I've been working on. Maybe tomorrow I'll break out the ol' digital camera and snap some shots.

Cheers!

Monsters en masse

2010-01-18T21:44:00.000-08:00

yep you read correctly. Monsters. And en masse as well.

One evening this little creature popped into my imagination begging to be created. And not wishing to offend I decided to grant it's wish. It started off with one simple one. Doesn't it always? The middle Wee One claimed it as soon as he saw it half finished.

The the smallest Wee One decided he wanted a "Monder"( his rendition of the word). So off I went to create another.

The next thing you knew the middle Wee One, be the giving sort he is, asked The Boy if he wanted a monster. So the monsters became three.

But as you can see being such jolly, happy and fun loving beings they invited two more of there friends to join in the frivolity.
The last two that came along will be making a trip to stay with my nephew and my father. My father is currently in hospital and so that monster will be busy cheering him up.

I have heard wee whispers that there are two more monsters that will soon be making an appearance. Those two monsters already have there instructions on what they will be doing when they get here. They are such curious and busy little creatures, but lovely to be with.

Remember When..

2010-01-11T10:07:00.000-08:00

a zipper on someone else's jacket was so fascinating?

straws could be made into everything from swords, to belts, to headgear?

an empty cardboard box was more interesting than all your toys in the toy box?

being told to pick up all your toys and only picking up a couple was good enough?

eating your boogers was your idea of a snack?

wearing socks, especially when one might be too small or just wearing one was acceptable to you?

finding the front of your underwear or pants was a mystery?

you could get all sorts of loves and hugs when you stubbed your toe or skinned your knee?

the word "yellow" was a tongue twister?

sound effects made up half of your vocabulary? (might just be a boy thing)

eating all the food on your plate garnered you a "Good job"?

asking the same question over and over and over again was your idea of a good strategy to get the answer you want?

every door or curtain in your house was the opportunity for adventure?

the food on someone else's plate was far more interesting than the food on your own plate?

your nap time seemed to be your parents favorite time of day?

How's it going so far?

2010-01-01T23:20:00.001-08:00

So how is it going for all of you so far? Any amazing and wondrous things occurring? Not so much for me today. Actually I have felt kind of jittery all day. Like when you drink way to much strong coffee way to fast. Yeah that feeling. I hate that when that happens. I have a hard time settling to anything. And I have a few too many things to settle to. I have my first quilt to finish, my second quilt top to finish piecing, my small project I mentioned here earlier to finish. I have 6 projects to work on and complete in order to send off to family. And I have one sewing pattern to try and another sewing pattern to create. As well as three projects to complete. Sigh. So you see I have enough to to keep me busy and occupied. Yet I can't seem to get into any of them.

There are several things praying on my mind that I can't seem to get rid of or let go of. (please excuse my dangling participle) One of those things is the possible move we are talking about making this year. Now that this year is officially here I seem to be panicking about the logistics of a move. Mostly because of the state of the economy right now. Right now I have my wee job that works out perfectly for my family. It does not bring in that much money but something is definitely better than nothing. We live in a rent controlled apartment, as much as it is way too small for our family. It is a blessing to have a roof over our heads. And as much as I really dislike living in this area, still. Now it's just an ember of dislike as opposed to a little while ago when it was a a blazing inferno of displeasure. So I sit here trying to ignore the nagging jitters and focus on something... anything.

So hopefully the start of your new year has been more hopeful and less agitated.

Cheers!

The Happiest of New Years to all

2009-12-31T22:55:00.000-08:00

It's been a interesting 2009.

Loss of a special friend, not through death, but circumstances. Employment for me. A new lease on vision for my husband. Another year older for all. Learning new crafts and revisiting some old ones. And becoming inspired by some absolutely amazing artists of all kinds. Just to list a few things.

I truly hope that 2010 will be a year that finds us all safe, secure and happy.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

2009-12-24T08:48:00.000-08:00

As some of you may notice I have gotten into the holiday spirit by creating a new playlist, just for the next couple of days. I hope you enjoy the music. I also hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and enjoy spending it with friends and family.

A big holiday hug to all of you and Cheers!

The Wee Ones

2009-12-19T15:02:00.000-08:00

the youngest Wee One

loves to sing along with anything. Of course he doesn't pronounce the words correctly but he doesn't care

loves to hum along with Daddy, even after Daddy stops humming

loves to ask you the same question over and over and over. I guess just in case you didn't hear him the first 20 times.

must think himself part ant because he is forever picking things up that are either too big for him to lift or should be too heavy for him. Yet he does it anyways just for entertainment.

will hit first and ask questions later

the middle Wee One

loves to act out the movies he is watching

loves to taste and try anything that you are eating

adores his older brother

will lay in bed when he's supposed to be taking a nap and yell for his younger brother who is taking his nap on the couch downstairs.

will cry first and ask questions later

the oldest Wee One (well, really, The Boy)

stays up way too late

is a really good guy, for being a teenager

has a wicked, quick sense of humor

can get filled with righteous indignation when he sees greed or inequalities in the world

surprises me with just how much he has learned in his 15 years of life

listens and then asks questions

All in all I've got some really neat people as children

Inspiration struck

2009-12-16T20:04:00.000-08:00

Well I'm not sure it struck or was just tempted(grin)

I was reading through the blogs the other day I ran across this post, at maya* made. if you haven't ever poked around her blog, I seriously suggest that you do. Well I saw these little gift boxes that she urged everyone to try. I loved the idea of recycling and the idea of the "gingerbread" look. I thought about the milk carton I had in the fridge that was almost empty and remembered that I had seen some brown paper recently. Was it under the stair storage? Hmmmm? Gripped with the idea that I wanted to try this small project, I set about getting started. I prepared the carton as described.

When I went to get the brown paper, I discovered the Minahounies had obviously decided to use it for something. Heck, maybe they mailed off all of my socks that have gone missing. Minahounies? I hear you ask. They are the little mischievous house elves that move things or take things when you are looking for something. You know the ones. Anywho...

Since I couldn't find the brown paper for a gingerbread look I decided to go with white butcher paper. Luckily the Minahounies hadn't gotten to that yet. But to be honest I could hear a small snap of fingers and an aggravated growl when I picked up the paper. While I was planning how my little house was going to look I began to try and figure out what I was going to put in the box after it was finished and who would get it. I decided I would surprise my dearest and oldest friend with a hot chocolate gift box. I can't remember if I have mentioned about Our Best Bites recipe for the Ultimate Hot Chocolate. I love this recipe. What better gift box for hot chocolate than a converted milk carton? So here is my version of Miss Maya's gift box...

The front

The side

The back

And the other (that's a chair at a table and a light above it in the right hand window)

And then the items to go in the box. Sans the marshmallows, yup I am going to send those along as well. I created the the packaging for the ingredients, so that it would be coordinated. Yes I know very Martha Stewart of me. Scary, I know.
It's not perfect but I am proud of it and how it turned out. And it was actually wicked fun to do, as far as drawing the house details and such.

Give it a try and see what you can come up with.

A little cooking post

2009-12-03T11:09:00.000-08:00

Ok, so the Brown Eyed Baker is hosting an amazing giveaway. And I want to win. To enter you create a post on your favorite holiday recipe. Well, during the holiday season I usually bake more cookies. So that will be the recipe I share today.

The recipe is for my all time favorite cookie. It's different and unusual. It comes from a cookie cook book my mother has used for years, ever since I was a wee girl. It calls for one ingredient that I can no longer find. If anyone knows of how to get a hold of it please, PLEASE, contact me. Even though you can't find the exact ingredient you can substitute. Curious? Just read on.....

Egyptian Rose Leaves*
(and yes they taste like a rose)

1/3 cup of shortening (I use real butter)
2 eggs
1 tsp rose soluble liquid (this is the ingredient that I can no longer locate. So if you have any ideas let me know. Rose water, cooking quality, is what you will need to use as substitution, but I would increase it to 1 1/2 to 2 tsp depending on how strong your rose water is)
2 cups of all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
red or pink or green decorators sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix shortening, sugar, eggs and rose soluble until fluffy.
Stir in flour and salt.
Mix thoroughly.
Chill for several hours or overnight.
Using 1/3 of the dough at a time (keep the rest refrigerated) roll into 1 inch balls.
Place on lightly greased baking sheet.
Flatten with the heel of your hand to about a 3/8 inch thickness.
Cut two slits 1/2 inch down at the top.
Pinch the bottom to form base of leaf.
Sprinkle with decorator sugar.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until very light golden brown.
Then enjoy!

You will note when eating these cookies that at first you will not note really any strong flavor. That is until you breath in. Then you will find that your head will fill with the most delicate, lovely rose scent. Ahhhh, heavenly.

If any of you happen to try these I would love to hear what you think of them.

Good luck to anyone else that enters the Brown Eyed Baker's contest and wish me luck too!

* This recipe comes from the Betty Crocker Cooky Book. My mother received hers well over 40 years ago as a gift. Here is the modern version. Whether it contains the same recipes, I'm not sure.

One thing leads to another

2009-11-30T16:13:00.000-08:00

Well I'm back and I'm not alone. Ooooo doesn't that sound sinister? It's not I assure you. I've come back to show you the completed project from that last post. The project didn't take all this time to finish, I'm just bad about getting photos to post here.

So without any further ado... Here's Flora the Hedgehog.

She's not your typical hedgehog, as I'm you sure you can tell. But I'm happy with how she turned out. I created her to be a pincushion, although she hasn't been used in that capacity as yet. Mostly she coyly sits on the shelves above my sewing machine and watches as I sew. She's such a sweet young lass of a hedgehog. It's nice to have her keep me company.

Miss Flora was kind enough assist in showing off the fabric that I used for my next project. I will admit that I already finished this project as well. It is a fabric bunting/garland using Patty Young Mezzanine fabric, that I purchased from Fabric Closet on Etsy.

I didn't use any specific pattern. Just sort of winged it. I'm going to use this one as part of our Christmas decorations this year. I had a lot of fun making it, and already have my eye on some other fabrics that I would love to use. Maybe a garland from either this fabric or this one. I'm really drawn to the second one since those are the colors that are more prevalent throughout my home. Yet the first one, Paula Prass' Flights of Fancy collection, has had me intrigued for some time. I love the Air Mail print in the collection. I have so many other projects on the horizon I'll have to just move those to the bottom of the projects list for now.

I'm already starting on another Christmas geared project, another decoration. Here is a glance at the start of it...
Yes it's another wee creature. The fabric is just serving as a background and won't have anything to do with the actually creation of the wee thing. Although the fabric might be used as an accompaniment to it. Again nothing is finalized. Yes, I'm just wingin' it, as usual. ( grin)

Along with this I am going to work on some hooded cloaks and fabric light sabers for the Wee Ones for Christmas. I just have to buy the fabric and come up with a pattern. Another wingin' job. I know there are patterns out there for cloaks, but I already have a picture of one in my head so why not just use that idea. And the light sabers are the same way. The Wee Ones have one light saber that used to be The Boy's when he was small. All the Wee Ones do is fight over it and then end up hitting the other one with it. So I thought I would make them two soft ones so that they hopefully won't fight and they can still hit each other with relative safeness. At least that's my plan. (snicker)

Anyway I'm off to work on the new wee creature. The Wee Ones are upstairs in "Daddy Land", terrorizing their dear father and The Boy. (sigh, smile)

Till next time
Ta Ta for now.....

A small project

2009-11-21T14:18:00.000-08:00

Today I thought I would share a small project that I am beginning to work on. It's a pincushion. I won't tell you what the pincushion is gonna be. Suffice it to say that is a small creature. And no the color I chose is not indicative of the actual creature. I have truly taken creative liberties here.

I am using some felt I purchased from The Daily Pincushion. The felt is just lovely and is some of the nicest I have worked with. I want to order this set next. I'm going to use it to make some decorative mittens for the wee ones for Christmas instead of hanging stockings. You know in my free time.

2009-11-12T19:03:00.000-08:00

I have been busy. I swear I have, and here are some photos to show you. They aren't the best photos. But maybe if you squint a little and stand back from the monitor in a dimly lit room, they might improve.

This is the second quilt top I have been working on. I read other peoples blog on how they complete these great quilts in a week and I'm lucky if I can sew for about an hour in a week. So sorry for the slow progress.

I realize in this photo the squares aren't sewn yet, but play along and imagine they are. This shows the center square with the blue floral. I also did this layout with green floral square as the center.

Then I did something that was a wee difficult at first. I cut them in fourths, through the center of the block. I know, I know you are thinking that this is very clever, and I will agree with you, but it wasn't me being clever. I found it on another blog. Which one? I'm glad you asked. The Moda Blog.

There again, play along, I know they aren't sewn, but it at least gives you an idea of what I'm doing.

Hopefully I will have better photos to show you soon. Stay tuned!

Oh my good-good-ness

2009-11-05T11:56:00.000-08:00

t is not very often that I have the opportunity to rave about something so surprisingly wonderful...but here I go.

Miss Darcy had a cool contest a bit ago for a sampler of some hand lotion. I left a comment, and, to be honest, forgot about it. Well Darcy contacted me and let me know that I was one of the winners. Woo Hoo!
Today I got my little prize package in the mail. I opened up the sample called Hippie Chick. I knew from reading the description that it was patchouli-like. I put a small dollop of the creamy white lotion on my hands and began to have the most wonderful scent drift seductively through my nose. It is sexy, warm and clean without being cloying or overpowering. The lotion absorbs beautifully and leaves your skin feeling .....(sniff, sniff) refreshed and soft. No greasiness what-so-ever. (sniff) I'm surprised I can even type this post. See....

I have to keep stopping to smell myself. How crazy is that! And I have a strange chemical make up. Certain scents go all sorts of wrong on me. Take something like Calvin Klein's One fragrance, for instance, it smells like decomposing watermelon on me. Or Elizabeth Arden's Red Door, decomposing watermelon. Ah yes and let's not forget the wonderful reaction you get when I wear something like Giorgio. Yup you guessed it...decomposing watermelon. So when I find a scent that does not do that I'm thrilled. (snifffff) And you might ask what is this amazing hand lotion that I can't seem to stop singing the praises of called ...... Happy Hands Lotion. And mine are. If you haven't heard of or tried her lotion before, please go over and check them out. You can purchase sample packs to try out. Which I think is a great idea. And if you have tried them before then you know exactly what I mean about the feel and smell of this lotion.

Now I am going to play devils advocate here. Am I saying this is the best lotion I have ever tried? No. Because I haven't tried all the lotions that I probably will in my life. But I am saying that I am highly impressed and very pleased about how this lotion feels and smells. So much so that I am going to go over to Los Gringos and purchase some right now.

Please go and check out her store and really think about buying at least the Autumn Treat sampler. It's a great price and I think you will be really quiet "happy" with the results. (sniff..sniff...snifffffff...grin)

2009-11-04T10:12:00.000-08:00

It's interesting how a craft can take over your life, kind of sneaky like. I'm talking about quilting. For some reason it seems to be the craft my mind wanders to, when my mind has the chance to wander at all. I'm not sure if it's because I have my sewing machine out now and can see it. Or if it's a visual thing. Reading blogs and seeing the quilts that have been made can be very inspiring for me. Or if it's the newness of the craft. I'm just not sure what it is. But I seem to be smitten with it. I do tend to lean more towards the simpler quilts like this or like this. The more involved quilts are impressive. Yet when I look at them I just end up thinking "I gotta cut all those pieces" Ugh!

Remember the black, red and cream quilt that I started with? Well of course you do! Anyways, I'm at the point in which you sandwich the backing on and start the actually quilting process. (Pause, blink, blink) Yeah well it's kind of been at that stage for a wee bit of time now. Yes, I admit it, I'm intimidated by the process. The whole getting the sandwich thing done, that I'm ok with. It's the whole machine quilting thing that kind of makes me pull up short. So right now it sits on the back of my couch waiting for me to complete it. Yet the intimidation I feel about the machine quilting has not stopped me from carrying on creating in this craft. I have already started on another quilt top. And I have about 4 others planned.

Have I given up on knitting? No I haven't. I am still working on my red scarf. I work on it in the evenings when I'm just not worn out (hence the reason it seems to be taking so long). I just seem to be more focused on the whole sewing thing. I have quite a few ideas in my head for sewing. Some of them are the quilts and the others are for garments. I would love to try Amy Butler's new pattern Liverpool. But have a hard time spending that much on a pattern right now. (of course if anyone would like to buy it for me I won't object....grin....just saying...wink)

Oh, oh, oh and before I forget I was reading the Fabric Shopper blog's post about and independent fabric designer, and saw Spoonflower. You really should check out the site. It's all sorts of cool. You can create your own fabric design. I love that idea. The price might seem a bit high, at least for me, but I haven't seen any other place offering this service. Hmmm, maybe I should check that out. Hey I know in my free time. (chuckle)

Been Awhile....

2009-10-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

Geez, it's been a wee bit of time since I last posted anything. Sorry 'bout that.

I've been busy chasing children and getting up early to chase trash. Yes it's an exciting life.

I have been doing some crafting. I have a red scarf I am knitting on. I'm using the wonderful yarn I won from Miss Shortly. It's the Vintage Purl in a beautiful red colorway. If you have not had the pleasure of working with this yarn before, you will have to just take my word that it is truly wonderful. The color, the feel and the fabric it produces, WONDERFUL. She was so sweet and kind for hosting such a great contest. The pattern this yarn is being transformed into is from the Double Ewe Yarn Shop, Suri de Arana scarf. It's a very easy and forgiving lace pattern that gives very pretty results.

I have also been trying to work on my quilting. It's been a little harder for me. I really, really have to work on it when the Wee Ones aren't awake and running around. Too many interesting and cool implements (i.e. scissors, pins, measuring tape, rotary cutter) for them to get a hold of and play with. And when they finally do go to bed, and I get done with eating dinner and chores, I seem to find myself feeling quiet tired. Just in the attempt to write this small post I have had to sing a song from the Polar Express movie with the smallest Wee One, scoot in a chair for the middle Wee One, fix the same movie 'cuz it gets stuck in one part, have a chat with my husband (no he really hasn't made it back to the DH status), all the while trying to remember what it was I was trying to write in the first place. In other words the same ol', same ol' . The same thing every other woman goes through in a normal day. (sigh)

Anyways just wanted to touch base with all of you and let you know that yes I'm still alive. I better go otherwise I can already feel this post deteriorating in to a series of nothing but misspelled gibberish nonsense. (cough, cough as though it isn't already grin)

My new old sewing table

2009-09-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

As I have said before I love garage sale-ing. Well I stumbled across one garage sale about a month ago and found and old sewing table that had a "Make Offer" sign on it. Hmmm.....So I offered the lady $4.oo. I brought home my little table needing love. Here is what it looked like..

I took the door off the front

Needs some love

This is what it looks like after I worked on it.

I added a red measuring tape

It might not be perfect, but gosh, I'm awfully proud of how it turned out. I used a slate blue for the outside and trimmed it with some red paint. I left the wood all stained on the indies part. I felt it added to it's character.

Quilting Book Contest

2009-09-22T17:58:00.001-07:00

Here is a contest for a wonderful new book for some great looking quilt patterns. Please go over and check it out. Even if you haven't tried quilting it might just make you want to explore the possibility. (enable, enable, enable....grin)

Fabric Contest

2009-09-14T11:23:00.000-07:00

The Fabric Shopper-Melanie, has just opened her etsy store-Modern Organic Fabrics. In celebration she is having a very generous give away. Please go and check it out. Think of all the cool items you could create with this fabric. Oh the possibilities are endless.

Happy, Happy Birthday!

2009-09-03T17:53:00.000-07:00

Today it would be lovely if everyone headed on over to my sister's blog and wished her a very Happy Birthday!

The time has come....

2009-09-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

to talk of many things. Of sealing wax and sailing ships, of cabbages and kings. OK who knows which literary work that is from? Yup, I actually expect to have some one answer. Again, Yup, it's an interactive post tonight folks.

So pull up a comfy chair and get a cuppa and let's begin.

First, the creations.
My middle Wee One and I had an appointment last Thursday. He was supposed to be taking a nap before we left. Of course he was lying in bed playing, but it was fine because it gave me a little time to do some blog reading. I went to the amazingly talented Miss Alicia Paluson, of Posie gets Cosy, and read this post. Which lead to looking through Sew Mama Sew's blog. In which I found these. I got to thinking what a great little item to have on hand when going to an appointment with the Wee Ones. I checked the clock and saw I had about 45 minutes before we had to leave. Yup you guessed it. I grabbed my felt stash and DMC floss and got busy. I was able to get the little cat completed. The middle Wee One was thrilled to have the finger puppet to play with at our appointment. It kept him occupied and entertained for the rest of the afternoon. Of course I made the mistake of letting him see the picture of the other finger puppets. He informed me he "needed" the dog one. Me being the sucker that I am for my boys, did what any mum would do and made him a puppy. That got my mind to working on what other easy animals I could make using this pattern. And here is what happened...

I still need to make the bunny rabbit. I am even thinking of an elephant and a monkey. Who knows what else I might come up with.

Next item I thought of was a needle book. You know the kind a little fabric book that you can stick a needle in so you can easily find it later? I don't know about you, but I'm infamous for losing track of the needle I was using. One blog I like to check in on is this one. I love her art work. It inspired me to draw this little face out.

Yes I know nothing like her work, but it inspired me none the less. That drawing turned into this.

When I was finishing sewing this together the middle Wee One came and sat with me and watched my progress. He does that some times. He comments on what I'm doing and will ask important questions, such as "Is that string Momma?" Or the ever thought provoking, " Are those scissors?" This is usually followed with the sly taking up of said scissors and the search for something to cut. He looked at the little face I came up with and ask me "Is that Sheba?" I'm not sure why and where he got the name Sheba. But it seemed to work just fine for me.

While these little hand sewing projects were occupying some of my time. The other bit of time, not chasing the Wee Ones, was spent trying some new recipes.

The first one was Pumpkin Ginger Muffins.
Which was found on the back of a Canola Oil bottle

They have wonderful crystallized ginger in them

I will admit that I was a bit concerned that my Dh and The Boy might not like these. I was wrong. They ended up being a big success. Try them for yourself and see what you think.

Pumpkin Ginger Spice Muffin
4 Eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Canola Oil (or your oil of preference)
15 oz. Canned Pumpkin
3 cups All Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tbsp. Ground Ginger
1 1/2 tsp. Ground Allspice
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1 1/4 Crystallized Ginger, diced (I used about 3/4 of a cup)
1 cup Sweetened Flaked Coconut (Dh doesn't like coconut, so I didn't use any)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (Fahrenheit) Line muffin tin with liners.
Mix eggs, sugars, oil and pumpkin together. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, allspice, salt and nutmeg. Stir until well mixed. Fold in crystallized ginger and coconut. Place batter in lined muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until tester used in center comes out clean.

The other recipe I found in a catalog for home decorations. I have since thrown out the catalog and so I can't remember which one it is. I was clever enough though to write down the recipes I want to try in a small journal I have for such things.

This one was called Strata.

I made it to be served as a brunch. I think this recipe could do with a little tweaking. But I wanted to make it as it was listed first to see what I was working with.

Strata
12 Slices of White Bread
6 Slices of Ham
6 Slices of American Cheese
Dried Minced Onion
1 Stick of Butter, melted
Corn Flakes Cereal

Line the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 inch pan with 6 slices of bread. Arrange ham and cheese slices on top. Sprinkle with remaining 6 slices of bread.

Mix well
7 Eggs
4 cups Milk
1 tsp. Dry Mustard
( I also mixed in a little salt, pepper and garlic powder)

Pour mixture over bread. Cover with foil and chill for 8 hours or overnight. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove foil, sprinkle the dish with crushed cornflakes and drizzle with the 1 stick of melted butter. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.

The dish is actually quite light, but filling. As I said I think it could use some tweaking. I could see this being done with some sourdough bread, Swiss cheese and the ham. Heck maybe even layer some fresh spinach in there. The possibilities are endless.

A little tease

2009-08-31T20:26:00.001-07:00

Ok, I have been wanting to write a new post for the last four days. Yeah, I'm thinking that didn't work so well. I've actually been busy. I have tried some new recipes and created some new little creations. Today I watched some good movies, as well. Hopefully, tomorrow I can get my act together and provide descriptions and pix.
Interested yet?

Birdie and a window

2009-08-24T15:02:00.000-07:00

About two years ago my DFaN, and partner in crime, were driving around looking for garage sales. We drove by a small house that had some old sash windows on the curb with a sign that said "Free". Yup you guessed it we stop and each grabbed one. We had no idea what we were going to do with them. It has patiently leaned against one wall or another. It has sat being bumped, moved and jostled and never breaking.

Last Wednesday afternoon, I found myself watching the Wee Ones and even their antics were not able to keep my eyes opened. My mum suggested I take a nap. Normally, it's something I don't like to do because I feel like I'm wasting the day, but I took her up on her offer to keep and eye on the busy boys. For some reason when I was at that stage when you are just coming out of sleep and are still in that dreamy state, I found myself imagining a bird pincushion. A whimsical one. Made from calico maybe, something bright and cheerful.

I felt compelled to get up and create such a pincushion. And did just that.

She still needs some black eyes, but she's just fine for now.

Well then came the dilemma of where this little birdie would sit. Hmmmm.... It would look very cute sitting on a shelf next to the knitting supplies. Yet no shelf was there. My mum remembered we had an old wood box and maybe that would suffice. But it didn't look good next to the picture we had hanging. For some reason, the patient window sprang to mind. Yes, but what to do with it? I decided to do this.

I placed cup hooks on the bottom of the window frame

My attempt at translating these four words into French

I can't take credit for the beautiful Celtic star. I found it online. I used permanent marker for the black and acrylic paint for the gold. I'm still playing with the idea of painting the frame black. I'm gonna live with it this way for a bit and see what the window decides it wants me to do.

An Amazing Contest

2009-08-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

The Bloody Bookaholic is having an amazing contest. I read about it on Darcy's Knotty Knitter. I originally just went over to check out the blog because Darcy mentioned it. But when I got there it looked like a really interesting blog.

Here are some of the prize possibilities:

"There are going to be a bunch of books to give away, options:

- Signed copy of Dreaming Anastasia + Goodies

- Hardback Another Faust

- Hardback Prophecy of the Sisters

- ARC Eyes Like Stars + Backstage Pass Bracelet and some Theater-Theme Swag.

- ARC The Dark Divine

- ARC Hush Hush

- ARC Give Up The Ghost

- ARC Ash

- ARC Behind Every Illusion

- ARC Shiver

- ARC The Demon's Lexicon

- ARC Betraying Season

- ARC Any Given Doomsday

- Dead Until Dark

- Gossip Girl 1st Book

- The Black Tatto + poster

- Vampire Academy

- Frost Bite, a Vampire Academy Novel.

- Shadow Kiss, a Vampire Academy Novel.

- Blood Promise, a Vampire Academy Novel."

So head on over and join in on the fun. You can tell her that either Darcy or I sent you.

2009-08-18T10:06:00.000-07:00

This morning went much better doing the whole cleaning thing. My body actually decided to cooperate with me. Whew, am I glad! I actually was able to finish a little early today. It was great leaving and realizing that my "job" was done for the day. I just had to go home and be a mom.

Now I just have to adapt to the early to bed and early to rise thing. Because when I get home I end up feeling tired and sleepy by about 10 am. Not such a great combination when dealing with the Wee Ones.

I have also been searching for some deep red fingering weight yarn. I want to knit a lacy scarf. It's amazing how hard it is to find the right color red. I want it to have a substantial amount of yardage, over 400. I looked on etsy and found a few yarns that look nice. My only dilemma is that I don't have the money right now. Well actually I do but I need to use it for bills, blast it! So if anyone knows of a garnet, deep red fingering weight yarn for me to check out just let me know.

Kickin' my butt

2009-08-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

Well I went to the first day of cleaning the Post Office today. Boy am I out of shape. My lower back is mad at me, my knees aren't speaking to me and my hands are not wanting to cooperate. In my defense I will say that I was trying to play catch up on the cleaning. It appears that small things had been neglected for a little while and so it was definitely taking me longer than it should. Plus I ended up standing in the janitors closet for a good 15 minutes this morning when I arrived, just trying to figure out what the heck was going on with the supplies. I felt completely out of my element, but decided to forge ahead. I couldn't find anything that claimed to be glass cleaner and so I had to ask the Post Master if an unmarked bottle of solution was just that, glass cleaner. He jovially responded to me that he thought it was, but that if it melted something to just try something else. Good answer. I figure it will take the rest of this week to try and play catch up and then by next week I should have a routine. I must admit it was lovely getting done with work so early and being able to come home to the family. I loved the greeting the smallest gave me, just a huge cuddle and was happy to just sit in my arms with his head on my shoulder. The only problem was my back was beginning to yell obscenities at me and so I had to put him down.

Hopefully my body parts and I will be on speaking terms by tomorrow morning. Wish me luck negotiating a truce with them.

Playing with patches and eating cheese

2009-08-14T23:10:00.000-07:00

Well we finally got all the fabric cut for the quilt. I have 75 - 5" squares to play with.

I don't have equal numbers in all the squares, obviously. Not too bad of a collection of coordinating fabrics for diggin' through the ol' stash. I will just need to get fabric for the border, if I do one, and for the back.

I think I'm coming down with a bad case of the quilting bug, because I am already planning my next project. Now there is optimism for ya. The are so many beautiful fabrics out there. I have been looking at Charm Packs. These are pre-cut 5" squares. I even found a store on eBay that is selling two charm packs and a jelly roll, this is 40-2.5" strips 44" long, together for a decent price. Then I stumbled across this site, Pikku-Ketta. How cool is that. What I appreciate about this quilt is the fact that it's simple in structure, but striking in look. You want to see something on her blog that literally made my jaw drop? Check out this link. To me that is some serious quilting dedication and talent. So impressive. I ended up poking around her site and found out that the author is on ravelry and appears to be a very talented knitter as well as quilter. Also, while looking around her wonderful blog I discovered this blog. Again what I'm loving about these quilts is the simple cuts to the pieces making up the quilts. While I appreciate intricate quilts, I don't have any delusions that I will do that sort of thing. I just don't have the patience. Seeing these quilts with the simple blocks and use of white really appeals to me and gives me ideas for my own quilt(s).

The eating cheese aspect of the post title comes from the Queso Fresca that my sister, Yanez Farms sent to us. It is so delicious and has fantastic texture. It was great knowing that the milk to create this cheesy goodness came straight from her own cow. I really love it. If she decides to sell this, whoever buys it will be spoiled and never want to buy store bought again.

Asbestos and quilting

2009-08-13T23:56:00.000-07:00

I went to training today for my job. It was asbestos and hazmat training. Yes, exciting stuff I tell you. I sat through a two hour training cd for the asbestos. It was something that the Post Office had taped in 2006 and it was just...well...riveting. (cough, cough). It had such helpful hints as don't breathe in asbestos dust. Check. If you see asbestos dust don't disturb it. Check. Most Americans already have a certain amount of asbestos in our lungs. Oh goody! And, my favorite bit of helpful information, Steve McQueen, supposedly died from asbestos related lung cancer. Ok, then. Well now my asbestos training is complete. Woo Hoo. Next.

So I'm going to try quilting. Yes, I know just what I need is another hobby. What inspired me to try a quilt was Miss Posie gets Cosy. Her quilt is so lovely and dreamy. I could just imagine being snuggled under it reading a good book, with a lovely cuppa and maybe a little something to nibble. Yeah I know I live in LaLa Land right next to a quaint place called De-nile. Because we all know as soon as I began to snuggle under any blanket I would have the Wee Ones trying to pounce on me and heavens forbid there would be any hot liquid sitting near by, for I would certainly be wearing it. Let's totally forget having a little something to nibble, because the smallest Wee One more than likely would be walking off with it. But I can dream. So I searched through my small fabric stash and was actually able to find some fabric that coordinated, red, black and cream. I found some black fabric that I had had for sometime. I can't even remember what it is left over from or where I got it. I decided to wash it in case it ran. Well the color did run and so did the strength.

I have never seen a fabric disintegrate like this. It was very strange, but I'm so glad I washed it before I used it in the quilt. Hey maybe this was at some time stored next to asbestos....no, guess not. (shrug)

Geez it's been a strange couple of days, but I'm cool like dat

2009-08-11T17:20:00.000-07:00

I wrote that post about helping a girl out with ideas on how to come up with some extra moola. Remember? Of course you do because all of my posts are so incredibly interesting and noteworthy. Anywho, moving right along....my DFaN called me last Wednesday and told me about a position that was available, cleaning our local post office. (Yes, I know glamorous, but I'm smooth like dat) I went and spoke to the new Post Master, a very nice gentleman, last Friday. I start cleaning next Monday. It's not the grandest job but the hours are perfect and the little (stress little) income will be very helpful and greatly appreciated by this girl.

I then finished the "representational figure" that I started for my DFaN's son. Since he's 9 I call it that instead of a doll. His name is Oliver Graham, or Little OG...

Cuz he's cool like dat

Then last night I get a call from my sister. She has been trying to set up a website for their farm. Being the oh so hip and savvy younger sister that I am, suggested a blog. Yeah huh. Real cool. I ended up staying up to 2 am setting one up for her. I kept fighting with the code for the button to her website. It was mocking me, I just know it. But today between arguing with the Wee Ones, the smallest one growls at me now when he disagrees with what I say, and watching my DFaN youngest, Princess Persnickety, I was actually able to whip that code into shape and let it know who was boss. You all should go over and show her a little comment love. Yanez Farms. It's a simple design, but I like the way that the banner and her button turned out, even if I do say so myself. Cuz, yup you know it, I'm cool like dat. (grin)

A backyard adventure

2009-08-10T19:26:00.000-07:00

Today the weather was great. It was sunny and warm but not so warm that the smallest wee one couldn't go out. You see he's just a delicate little flower of a fellow. (scoff, scoff) Actually he does not do well in the heat. He is so fair that he just gets red and does not tan. Therefore if it's too hot outside he can't go out for long. But today was perfect for him.

So out they ran. Catch me if you can!

Well looky dere! It's a tractor working on the road Momma.

Now let's run back.

Look we have a guest coming to visit.

A grasshopper on a string next to the backdoor. He had the coolest back legs. The upper part were black and white stripes with the lower part being a wonderful lime green. He was a very smartly dressed hopper. I kept thinking of Tim Burton every time I looked at him.

I held the yarn the yarn parallel to try and get a better photo. Obviously it didn't work.

Then the boys remembered the tomato plants.

Little tomatoes waiting to turn red.

Here are some more Momma.

My own cute tomato.

Geez, that was some adventure. I think I'll just have a quiet interlude. (sigh)

Help a girl out

2009-08-06T20:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've wracked my brain and I'm at a loss. I would like to come up with some extra money to be able to purchase some quilting supplies. The Infi-knity bags aren't selling (sigh). Even after a very sweet and noble attempt by Miss AmyBel by hosting a contest to show off the etsy store. (Thank you so much!)

We are on a buying moratorium. Mostly because we are casse (french for broke), but also because we are implementing a plan to save money for moving. I'm glad my Dh finally decided to make the decision to become serious about moving. But since we have already not been able to indulge in little extras, making this plan to really buckle down, has me trying to come up with alternatives to sooth my creative beast. I recently read Posie Gets Cosy blog and it inspired me to want to try a similar quilt, only in lap blanket size. Plus my mum would also like to be able to work on a quilt. A project we could work on together.

I'm not whining but this really sucks not being able to purchase supplies for crafting. No yarn, (gasp). No fabric, (gasp). No other crafting supplies (gasp, gasp, gasp!). I feel like I'm going to go through withdrawals.

So now, I'm turning to you out there in the ether world. Maybe you can think of a new way for me to either pimp the bags or a new way for me to make $100 or so. Any ideas?

And what did you learn today?

2009-08-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Lately The Boy, my wonderful 14 year old son (yes I realize that statement should be an oxymoron) has been really interested in Astronomy.

I happen to know a little about some constellations but really nothing else. He has been reading about novas, supernovas, nebulae and dark holes. Every once in while he comes and tells me something he has read and I end up looking at him like he's speaking some foreign language.

So this evening, using this website , we went outside when it got dark and looked at the stars. He was trying to find Andromeda. Well I could find Cassiopeia and from there we tried to find Andromeda. But there was too much light and we weren't sure if we found it. Looking at our SkyMap and then looking up at the sky, we found Cepheus. I had no idea who or what Cepheus was. The Boy looked it up on Wikipedia and we learned that Cepheus was the King of AEthiopia, Cassiopeia was his queen and Andromeda was their daughter. How cool is that. This is how the constellations were positioned.

So we learned something new. How about you? What did you learn today?

Our house to come

2009-08-01T23:46:00.000-07:00

I can see a backyard suited for sitting. I can see it with a garden, an area for the children and dog to play. I can see a table with comfortable chairs and one of those decorative fire pits as well as a BBQ. During the day you would be able to sit out under a large umbrella or awning to hide from the glare of the sun. At night you would be able to sit out and look at the stars and speak in hushed tones as not to insult the night's display. It would have a strong, patient, sturdy tree planted in one corner. The kind that will allow you to play hide and seek or a magical place for the boys to climb. There would be soft green grass. The kind that invites you to lay down and look at the ever shifting shape of the clouds as they make their journey across the sky. Chimes would be hanging near by. When the wind blows they would tell tales of a time when magic was carried on the breeze. The garden area would be home to herbs and spices and sassy little perennials. There would be quaint re purposed garden decorations and maybe even a fairy dwelling or two.

The house that guarded this backyard would be like a dear old friend. The type that welcomes you with open arms and is glad you are there. It would have enough rooms to make everyone comfortable yet not so large as to be daunting to keep neat and clean. It would have hardwood floors and a fireplace. The windows would be just the right number to allow in the maximum of cheery sunshine without making it feel like you were residing in a fishbowl.

As you entered this home, from the backyard, you would be greeted by the mud/laundry room. It would not be a large ostentatious space but large enough to comfortably house the washer and dryer as well as a place to leave up the ironing board and store the shoes.

Then you would find the kitchen. It would be the kind that would make you feel the confidence to try wonderful new recipes yet be happy to just have a simple meal prepared. It would be big enough to hold friends having a interesting discussion about the current day politics or to just have the children be able to play on the floor and not be worried about being trod on by an inspiring chef.

There would be a dining room that held a table that would be grateful for having a family gathering seated. Or be just as content having it's surface being used as a launching pad for some new artistic creation.

The living room would be just for that. Living. It would house comfortable furniture that just begs for you to put your feet up and stay awhile. It would be the place that the family gathers to celebrate, discuss, love, laugh, cry and relax. We would warm our chilled appendages by the warmth of it's fireplace, and place our proud portraits on it's mantle.

The house would also have a den that would serve dual purpose. It would allow a place for computers to happily hum as the boys battled with imaginary foes and explored unknown regions. But it would also be place for craft items to sit and wait while they were called to duty.

The bedrooms would allow each of us a place of our own. A place that we might be still and quiet. A place to rest our weary heads and dream.

There would be two bathrooms. Each with a small window to allow for the escape of swirling steam from a shower or to allow fresh air in.

This lovely house would also boast a front covered porch. It would be large enough to allow the boys some place dry to play on a rainy day. Or allow you to sit and just watch your neighborhood go by. It would hold the jack-o-lanterns at Halloween and the twinkling lights at Christmas. It would welcome your guests and be a place for strangers to wait before being granted entry.

I might not know all the details of the house or it's current location, but I see and feel it. I see it waiting for us patiently. Wanting us to come and reside in it. To be happy and share our family with it. It would protect us from wrongs and give us loving solace at times of sorrow. It would take care of us and we would gladly take care of it. Our family home.

*Sorry to bore you all with this but, felt compelled to write this. So I went with the feeling.

An Award!

2009-08-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

Miss AmyBel has been kind enough to pass this award to me.

Rules:
1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Copy the image above, the rules and the questionnaire in this post.
3. Post this in one or all of your blogs.
4. Answer the four questions following these Rules.
5. Recruit at least seven (7) friends on your Blog Roll by sharing this with them.
6. Come back to BLoGGiSTa iNFo CoRNeR (PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THIS LINK) at http://bloggistame.blogspot.com and leave the URL of your Post in order for you/your Blog to be added to the Master List.
7. Have Fun!

Questions & Your Answers:
1. The person who tagged you: AmyBel
2. His/her site's title and url: http://knittinginmybackyarn.blogspot.com/
3. Date when you were tagged: August 1, 2009
4. Persons you tagged:

Alex the Girl-Please Try Again

Posie Gets Cosy

Photo.Knit.Dog.

Were Those Wrinkles There Yesterday?

Walking Within The Spiral

Building Our Nest

Daily Stitches

Being Selfish (blush)

2009-07-30T14:08:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but I am one of those people that puts everyone's needs and wants before my own. Sometimes this can be very detrimental. When I do put myself first and tell one of my friends (all two of them) what selfish thing I did, they usually tell me it doesn't count. Like if I buy hair conditioner for myself while I still have some. Or if I buy dryer sheets because they are marked down and I still have some. Yup I'm a wild and crazy gal.

Lately though I have been thinking of things and seeing things that I would either like to have or do. So I thought I would be selfish (oooo I can feel the guilt already welling up) and write an "I Want" post. So here it goes....

I Want...

A four bedroom old fashioned house. I want it to have a fenced back yard with room for the Wee Ones to play, and room for a small garden. I want it to be neat and be decorated smartly.

A craft room or craft studio. Doesn't this make you want one too?

To live somewhere where the weather is moderate. Not too hot or to snowy. Oh and some place within easy driving, if not walking distance to the ocean.

Some new clothes.

The time to be able to complete the craft projects I am working on and that I have been rolling around in my noggin. Like the quilt I want to try. This has made me want to try my hand at quilting again.

To be able to go for a walk. (it's not very pedestrian friendly around here and it's either too hot or too snowy)

AVW Bus, like this or a VW Bug, like this.

A Ukulele.

A new computer for The Boy.

I want Trikkes for me and The Boy. (They just look like such fun!)

Tricycles for the Wee Ones.

A red wagon for the Wee Ones.

A new tattoo. ( Yes, I like tattoos and have two small ones)

How about you? What do you want?

And now for something completely different...

2009-07-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

I have been a intermittent reader of the knitty.blog, by the wonderful Amy Singer. I read how she has recently took up playing the ukulele. Yes that's right the ukulele. I guess she used to play the flute, but decided to try her hand at strumming the ol' uke. Reading this got me thinking...hmmmm...I have always wanted to play the guitar. I tried playing a guitar a couple of years ago and didn't enjoy it very much. The neck was too wide for me to comfortably fit my hand around and the strings were so hard to strum/pick or fret that I quickly gave it up. Then I read about the ukulele.

I started researching about this 4 string instrument. I discovered that it supposedly originated in Hawaii (yes I realize you probably already know that) by Portuguese sailors (ha I bet you didn't know that). There are four main sizes, soprano, concert (alto), tenor, and baritone. You can find ukes starting at about $10 up to (hold on to your hat) $29,000.00 Yup, that's right $29,000! I would love to be able to afford to buy one called a Flea. Although I really love the way this one looks and is a great price, $145+shipping. (sigh) I realllllly wish I had the money for it since it's being sold by a private party, if it's even still available. But the one I might end up actually being able to buy is a Kala or Makala. Of course, if anyone out there wants to spoil me, I would not say no......go on and buy me one, I dare ya.....I double dog dare ya. (grin, grin)

The Ramen Girl

2009-07-17T21:10:00.000-07:00

I have found a wonderful little off beat and touching comedy, called "The Ramen Girl". I discovered it on Netflix when I was browsing through the instant play shows. At first I kept passing it up. I read the teaser on it, but saw that it had Brittnay Murphy, and since I'm not a fan of any of the movies I have seen her in I would just leave it alone. Then one night The Boy came down to watch a movie with me. We had chosen one that was supposed to be a comedy. It's called "Numb". To call it a dark comedy was an understatement. We did not like it all. It was just too dark and not very funny.

After watching that movie it was quite late and so I decided to go to bed. I showed The Boy how to select and set up another movie to watch. First let me say that our oldest son has always been interested in Japanese and Asian culture, and loves ramen. So I suggested "The Ramen Girl". I ended up sitting down and watching it with The Boy. I'm glad I did. It totally changed my opinion of Brittnay Murphy. Now don't get me wrong it's not a deep involved movie that is going to change the world, it's just a simple story that drew me in.
Has anyone else seen this movie? What did you think of it? If you haven't seen it yet, I recommend you do. Of course you would have to be open to read subtitles, unless you are fortunate enough to understand the Japanese language.

2009-07-13T15:51:00.001-07:00

First let me say how much I appreciate you all for giving me a virtual pat on the back. It helped a great deal. It also enabled me to go and speak to my husband (he has not yet earned his Dh moniker back yet) about how I was feeling. I was able to approach the subject without tears or attitude. Which is extremely important if I really want him to hear what I say. He was good enough to reiterate his dedication to helping me out as far as responsibilities and our plans to move forward instead of being stagnate here. It was a short conversation but I felt he meant what he said and he said it in front of The Boy. Which might seem inconsequential, but it means a great deal to him if he makes assurances in front of The Boy and then not carry through on them.

So I feel a little better today. It also helps that it's been raining on and off all day. I like this weather much better than hot weather. I always feel like I'm melting in hot weather. Plus it makes everyone cranky around here.

I did forget to mention something I did do for myself recently. Background info first; My DFaN went and cut off her hair. It looks really cute on her and it looks different from anyone here. She kept saying how she got to looking at all the women here and everyone seemed to have the same hair style. Long, fairly straight, and either worn down or up in a ponytail. The same way I was wearing my hair. On the Fourth of July she decided to take a photo of herself and her oldest daughter. I wish I had a copy of it, but unfortunately I didn't get one. Anyway, she then decided to get a photo of the two of of us. I hate my photo taken. As I have said before I never look like I think I do, or how I look in the mirror. But seeing that photo (on her digital camera) I saw my hair and made the decision to cut it. Luckily my Mum used to be a beautician and was able to cut my hair as per my DFaN's suggestion. Now I don't have a before photo, yep that is still with my DFaN, but I asked my husband to take a photo of me today with my new Do. I like it. It's feels oodles better. It was funny after I got my hair cut I was at the market and looked at all the females. They all had the same hair style as my DFaN had mentioned. I was so relieved to have a different look.

Ok so that is the best one I could come up with. No that's not a wart on my nose, it's my nose ring/stud. Yes I did pierce my nose. I'm crazy like dat.

I don't want to be Super Woman

2009-07-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

I wanted to touch base with anyone still out there that might be checking in on my blog. I'm still alive.

I wish I could say that my lack of witty and urbane posts are due to my busy schedule with having ever increasing amounts of fun and frivolity. Alas this is not the case.

Unfortunately things in my little life are just not going according to plan. Which is not a new thing.

I had proudly announced that my husband was going to start attending college, since he was unable to locate work. Well that sure has NOT gone well. He ended up having a series of doctors appointments, that all but killed any chance of him doing well in school. We have our medical insurance for a limited amount of time. So he was trying to take care of all medical issues. Something he has NEVER had in the 16 years we have been together. Something has happened to one of his eyes. The Doc said that it is an occlusion. He said what kind but I can't remember. My husband describes it as looking through fabric. The Doc says to wait to see if it clears up, yet so far it's not and it may be getting worse. I have to admit that I am greatly disappointed in him and what he said he would do. I realize that it could not be avoided but so much could have been done better.

My husband and I have been through some tough spots in our relationship. I so wish I could say that these 16 years have been a wonderful romantic dream. I often find myself having to bail my husband out of some predicament. I have to figure a way to steady our quickly tilting world. I have to be the one to solve our problems. It's a burden that I didn't want to do anymore. A couple of years ago we separated for about a year. We reconciled for our children and our friendship. Yes there was love but we have always been good friends. Plus he was about to lose the place he was staying and would be homeless. I couldn't let happen. When he moved back in with me I told him I didn't want to fix everything anymore. That I wanted him to help me out and make things right. He said he would. I'm still waiting.

I have been trying not to be Super Woman, as per my husband. But with the way things seem to be going I am going to have to be the one, yet again, to fix things. (sigh) So I apologize to anyone out there who has noticed a lack of me commenting or a lack of new posts. I just don't seem to be able to feel very positive lately. Sorry.

A Contest

2009-07-06T22:37:00.001-07:00

Miss AmyBel is having a contest on her blog. It's a fantastic and wonderful contest with the exciting prize of....(suspense building silence)...an Infi-knity Bag. Yup that's right one of the bags right from our little ol' Etsy store. So run on over and enter her contest. Go on now go....=)

Click, Clack, speedy, fast

2009-06-23T00:50:00.000-07:00

When I started blogging I wasn't sure what I would discover or what would happen. I have been lucky to "meet" some fantastic, amazing, and great people.

One of those people is Shortly from Shortly Stitches. I am amazed at how she can finish so many knitted projects with two wee beautiful girls. I'm in awe. I was teasing her the other day in a comment, on her blog, that I was going to create a button/widget for her. It was going to be the Speedy Knitter button. At the time I was joking. Then I read her blog today and discovered she had posted a picture of a beautiful hat she had finished, Rose Red by the very talented Ysolda Teague. Isn't that a lovely hat. I love the name as well. It prompted me to actually come up with a button/widget. So here it is, for you Miss Shortly. I bow to your speediness.
Just grab the button form the sidebar. If anyone else knows a Speedy Knitter please feel free to pass this to them. Please just remember to give credit to the ol' Tink-n-Frog for it's creation. Cheers!

Art(?)

2009-06-22T21:33:00.000-07:00

Have you ever found a blog and can't remember where you discovered the blog? Well Adolie Day is such a blog. Funny thing is I can't read most of it, it's written in French. Yet I love her art work.

Another blog, the urchiness, I came across recently, again I'm not sure how or where, had this information. I have always had a mild fascination with Alice in Wonderland. Have you ever read Annotated Alice? I did years ago and need to get another copy. Then mix that with Tim Burton's vision of this story and I can only imagine how this is going to be. You know Tim Burton has children with Helena Bonham Carter? Their son's godfather is Johnny Depp. Yeah imagine what their nursery must of looked like and imagine their childhood.

Well that's all....for now

One more

2009-06-21T16:25:00.001-07:00

Does anyone else ever feel like they are going to explode? If I have to repeat the same thing one more time. If I have to ask for help when it's obvious I'm in desperate need of it. If I have to chase after one more toddler. If I have to hear one more "suggestion" on how to do something from my Dh. If the smallest Wee One gets into or out of something he's not supposed to. If I'm not allowed to complete one more thought or sentence. If the smallest Wee One messes up the screen one more time. If our apartment gets any smaller. If I forget something else because I'm trying to keep in mind everything. I think I'm going to scream!

Sorry but I had to vent or I was going to have Lizzy Borden moment. Well no not really, because I would just have to clean up the mess afterward. And let's be honest trying to get blood and, possibly, brain matter out of my white dress would not be a good thing. I just had to vent. I feel calmer.

In the immortal words of the middle Wee One, Sky,...

Thanks.

Meme Virgin (blush, blush)

2009-06-18T00:03:00.000-07:00

Miss Shortly was kind enough to tag me for this meme. This is the first I have ever done. Yep I'm a meme virgin.. So let's see how this goes...

The rules:1. Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own.2. Tag eight other people.

What is your current obsession?
Hmmm I'm not sure what my current obsession is? (Great answer, huh? Are you still following this? I better think of something, 'cuz I can already see some of you starting to look for another blog to read) I seem to have a few irons in the fire right now. So maybe I should answer my current obsession is trying to get time when I'm not dead tired to do some of the crafts I am working on. So the short answer is: time

What is your weirdest obsession?
I would have answer the whole time thing again. It seems odd to be obsessed with trying to get some quiet time to be able to concentrate on something. But I guess it being odd automatically qualifies it for being weird.

What are you wearing today?
This one is easy since it's 12:12 am here I'm in my pj's.

What’s for dinner?
I wish I could wow you with some grand culinary creation, but this evening was just simple comfort food. Fried chicken breast, mashed cheesy potatoes and celery.

What would you eat for your last meal?
Hmmm....fresh steamed crab and clams with some fresh sour dough bread in a comfy setting near the ocean.

What’s the last thing you bought?
Do you mean besides groceries? I bought some cording for the new Infi-knity bags we've made to add to our shop.(tease, tease, tease)

What are you listening to right now?
The quiet of the house and the fan. Ahhh it's wonderful.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
I would go home to Pacific Grove. I would drive along the ocean find a spot get out and sit on a rock and just watch the waves roll in. And being the huge sap I am would probably cry. I know I'm such a goob!

Which language do you want to learn?
I would love to learn French. Even if my Dh and The Boy would think I was completely nutters.

What do you love most about where you currently live?
This is the question that I am deleting. Simply because try as I might I can't figure out anything to love about this place. Shameful I know.

My replacement question...

What style is your current home decorated in?
I wish I could respond with something cool like cottage, vintage or even shabby chic. But the truth is, our small home is currently decorated to accommodate the wee ones. So I would say a whirling dervish style.

What is your favorite colour?
I don't really have a favorite colour. Never have. I go through periods of liking color ways. Such as earthy colors, cool colors, hot colors, things like that. Right now I'm liking the earthy and cool color ways.

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
My poor wardrobe is currently in need of being rejuvenated. So I don't really have a favorite piece.

What were you doing ten years ago?
This time, 10 years ago, we had just moved up to Western Washington. I was getting acclimated to the area.

Describe your personal style?
Eclectic and comfortable

If you had $300 now, what would you spend it on?
I would get a few new pieces of clothing for all of the family and some new yarn. Yep I could do it too.

What are you going to do after this?
Fall into bed a drift off to sleep. Although I should do some knitting. Or put the finishing touches on some projects I'm working on or take some photos for the Etsy store. Or.....

What are your favourite films?
I actually have quite a few. Majority of them are older movies. To list a few of them: Arsenic and Old Lace, Rear Window, Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, Thin Man movies, Enchanted April, French Kiss, oh and Chocolat of course.

What inspires you?
Colors, music, my children, other artists.

Your favourite books?
There is one book that has stayed with me through the years Prince Ombra by Roderick MacLeish. I think I was always taken with the concept of where he considers evil to reside. I won't say anymore as not to give away to much information. Why yes. Yes I am a tease, thank you. That being said I also have enjoyed other books that I love just as much. Such as Count of Monte Cristo, The Death gate Cycle books, James Patterson's When the Wind Blows and the other books in this series.

Do you collect anything?
I collect fairies and elves. Or should I say they collect me. I have a few that are sitting around in my house. I shall write a post about them soon and introduce you to them. I also seem to collect craft supplies. One never knows when ones is going to need tiny corks or brightly colored feathers.

What makes you follow a blog?
Wit and warmth.

What was the most enjoyable thing you did today?
I know this is probably going to sound contrite. Give hugs, cuddles and kisses to my wee ones right before they went to bed.

What is your favourite FO and why?
I would say the Tulip dolls I created. I enjoyed knitting them and it was grand fun to be able to watch their personalities develop when I was finishing them.

So for the tagging of eight others;

Alex the Girl

Andrea

Darcy Who has a Fantastic Give away going on right now

Lina She also has a great give away going on

Meg

Daily

Carrie

Dina

Now go forth and meme.

I've been tagged

2009-06-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

Well Miss Alex the Girl tagged me for this post. She was tagged by Pam at Pam's Perspective
Here are the rules:

~Open your first photo folder
~Scroll down to the 10th photo
~Post that photo and story on your blog
~Tag five friends to do the same.

I must admit that I did have to fudge a little. My first folder are things for my blog and the tenth item was a copy of my button. Not a very interesting story. So I decided to pick up an idea from Alex and use a photo of our middle child.

Yep this is the photo that was tenth in that folder and yep this is how it was saved. I was messing around with my photo editing program one day and did this to one of his photos. This is Mr. Skyler Quinn. He's a beauty of a person, even if I do say so myself. Skyler was a complete surprise to us. My Dh and I had our first child in '94. We had not used any protection after that, and I was told we would probably not have any more children because of my inner workings. We had adjusted to that. Unfortunately 11 years after our first son was born my Dh and I were going through a rough patch. The kind of "patch" that says maybe it's time you each went your own way. Then we discovered that I had miraculously became pregnant. My Dh was less than happy. I think it actually made him shy away more. We did all sit down after seeing the first ultra-sound and finding out it was going to be a boy to choose a name. It was our son, The Boy, that picked his name. He first suggested Skywalker. Yes, as in Luke Skywalker. Then he thought about Tyler. Then he put the two together and got Skyler. Now I know the name Skyler has been around, but that is how The Boy decided on naming his brother and it worked for us. Finally with the strain of our stupid adult "problems", when I was 7 months pregnant I and The Boy left my Dh and stayed with a friend.

I remember when Sky was born, the next day, a cleaning woman came into my hospital room. Sky was quietly lying in his little hospital crib. The cleaning lady looked down at him, smiled and said "Oh he belongs to you?" I was a little nervous at that statement. I weakly smiled and tentatively replied "Yes". The woman quickly clarified that this little guy had all the nurses in love with him and that he had quite a personality. She went on to explain that they all felt he should be wearing a top hat and carrying a cane. She finished her tasks and left my room. Of course not before saying a good-bye to my wee one. I looked down at this wee babe and wondered what it was he had managed to do in the hospital nursery during the five hours I had slept. I'm not sure. But I know he and I have a special bond. Don't get me wrong I love all my children. Oh I know we say that and it might sound silly and contrite, but I do. But Sky and I have a special connection. He's very different than his older brother. Our oldest learned quickly and easily. Skyler always learns "differently" He crawled differently, he didn't walk until he was 14 months. He really didn't say much until he was about two. He communicated with his eyes, which are absolutely beautiful. I can't even tell you what color they are because to list one color seems to not describe them correctly. He hates loud noises. Yet will lay in his bed, upstairs with the window open and if he hears my DFaN children outside will yell to them. It's funny he sounds like the character from Street Car named Desire yelling "Stella, Stella".
I have had conversations with my Dh (who eventually came to his senses and joined us to be family once more obviously), my mum, my oldest friend and my DFaN about whether Sky might be autistic, or slow or have a learning disability. And every time I have this concern he amazes me as if to reassure me that he's getting the information, but just in different ways. Now I'm sure some of you will shake your head and tsk tsk me, for what I'm about to divulge, so go right ahead. One day I had one of those "worried mom" conversations with my Dh, not around Sky of course, conveying to my Dh my concern for Sky's language skills. The next day Sky is sitting at the table playing with his toys he looks out the window and sees a plane overhead, out of his moth pops "What da hell?" I about fell over and asked him to repeat himself. He said it again. Now this is where the head shaking would come in. I didn't correct him. He doesn't say it all the time and when he says it he really means it. The funny thing is it's not one of my phrases. I have my oldest to thank for that. There is something else that makes me scratch my head about his wee guy. In our family we have this round robin joke that we do every once in awhile. It started with my dad when I was small and I did it with our first born, before his brother's came along. It starts with a burp. You then instruct the child "say excuse me". If you burp shortly there after the child will try and correct you by telling you to "say excuse me" You then respond with "excuse you" The child usually makes another attempt to get you to say "excuse me" by trying to tell you to say "excuse me", or by saying ok say "excuse you". All the while you just keep turning it around and responding with "excuse you". As I said I used to do this when The Boy was about 7 or 8. Heck I might have even done it up until he was about 10. But I know I have not done this since the youngest children have been born. And my Dh does not mess around with this type of verbal tom foolery. So the other day Sky burped. He was standing there watch tv. Out of habit, and without intention of verbal sparring, I corrected him with "say excuse me" he glances over his shoulder and says "excuse you". I look at him and smile and then I said again more purposeful and with some authority "say excuse me" He looks back at me with a glint in his eyes and a small smile and says "excuse you" It gave me a chill (but not in a bad way). This child that sometimes causes me concern that he's not learning like he should, that frankly there might be something amiss with him, that I have this bond with, always seems to amaze me, always reminds me of how much love I have inside, and to notice the little simple things instead of letting them go by, can do this verbal sparring knowingly. Intersting.

Now I bet Miss Alex is going to be sorry she tagged me. And I will probably do a post on The Boy and the smallest sometime, just to be a fair mama.

So my turn to tag five people:

AmyBel

Darcy

Shortly

Lina

Knitspun

Trying something new

2009-06-11T00:16:00.001-07:00

Yep we are. We decided to give Netflix a try. I can already hear some of you out there. I know I'm behind the times. We evaluated our television watching patterns and realized that we are very selective about what we watch. We usually don't watch the normal channels. Like CBS and ABC. The Wee ones control the tv during the day. It's mostly background noise for them. They request their movies they want to watch and then the run around the house. At night I sit and watch a few selected shows and then end up suffering through whatever is the lesser of the evils. I decided that seemed silly. Since the telly is one of our few luxuries, ok besides the internet and my crafts, I decided to do something about it. Hence Netflix. But who wants to watch movies and tv shows on a small screen laptop, especially when there is a perfectly good LCD tv in the room? Not me. So today Dh went and picked up a cable from our favorite computer store, Recycle Techs, gotta love the name, so that I can hook my lap top into the tv. And Voila! I am able to choose what I want to watch on a large screen. Heck I am even using the tv as my monitor right now. It's a little odd, but like the title says I'm trying something new.

The Knit List

2009-06-09T22:40:00.000-07:00

Well I discovered this on Miss AmyBel 's blog. And she said she found it over here. I thought I would try the list myself.

Bold for stuff you’ve done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you’re not planning on doing:

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip-stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity Knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/Doll Clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting: knitting items on, or to be left on the street
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns
Lace Patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
Knitting to make money
Button Holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Household itesm:dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies...
knitting socks-or other small tubular items on two circulars
Dyeing with plant colours
Knitting items for a wedding
Olympic Knitting
Knitting with someone else's handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dyeing yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/Felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed Toys
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Free-form knitting
Short Rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm-warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a Loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/blolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Must. get. help. and. sleep...

2009-06-06T02:55:00.000-07:00

Ok as usual I am attempting something without prior knowledge and/or with no instructor. Right now it's 2:55 am. Uh, yeah, I'm not going to worth diddly in the morn when the Wee Ones are donning their capes or wearing their underwear on their heads. I should clarify and say clean underwear. Anywho, moving right along.

I got a hair up my, well we won't go into that, let's just say my overactive creative mind decided to try my hand at creating a blog background. I went to the Cutest Blog on the Block, because they have a "How To" on doing such a thing, dontcha know. I downloaded the Paint.net. I couldn't get the grasp of it at first. So I went to my old stand-by program that I've had for ages. I got the elements I wanted to use and then transferred it over to the Paint program. I followed the directions on the Cutest Blog and got no where. I'm not sure what I am not doing right. I know nothing about code, html that sort of thing. So am at a loss as to what I'm doing wrong. So in my sleep deprived frame of mind, I've decided to ask anyone in blog land for help and assistance. Has anyone ever done this before? Or am I just out here in left field again. You know you would think I would learn by now to bring a chaise lounge and some snacks. I seem to stand out here quite often.

Blissful Contest

2009-06-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

I can't take the credit for discovering this contest. That kudos goes to Miss Amybel. But you should really check out this contest. Altho I must admit I ssoooooooooooooooooo want one of these beauties and would thrilled if I were to win. So please head over and check it out.
http://blissfullydomestic.com/blissful-style/giveaway-hp-mini-vivienne-tam-edition-from-intel/comment-page-23/#comment-32792

A bit of gratuitous cuteness...

2009-06-02T21:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, I realize that my last post wasn't the cheeriest. And I appreciate you lovely ladies stepping up and giving me a pat on the back with support. Thank you very much.

I try not to do the whole aren't my kids cute thing. But today the Wee Ones did a memory making moment kind of thing. The middle Wee One decided to wear a cape and be a Super Wee One. He then decided that the youngest needed to join him in his adventures. So he handed him his cape and the youngest donned his super hero potato head glasses. To complete his ensemble he of course was wearing his one sock. Cuz you never know when just one sock will be enough. The interesting thing is that he actually stood still for the photos. Of course I had to get a pix of his partner, the middle Wee One. He had to adopt a super hero pose, cuz standing still just didn't show off his Super Hero energy, I guess. As a mere mortal mom I would never begin to try and claim that I would know what would be going through the mind of two Super Hero Wee Ones. Of course shortly after these photos the Amazing Wee Ones Duo got in trouble and were stripped of
there super hero cloaks and made to sit down in time out.

Ok I swear I'm not in a funk...

2009-06-01T23:33:00.000-07:00

Well at least I wasn't earlier today. But then we met with the manager of our complex to go over our new lease papers. Ummm ok she's "nice" (weak smile) I just don't get her. Which is fine. 'Cuz I don't want her. It's just every time I have to deal with her or the company that owns this complex I end up walking away feeling like I've just been violated. You know that slimy, icky feeling, like you've just had some sleaze of a guy get all up in everywhere. BBLLLEEEEECCCCCCCCCCCCHHHHH! Yeah that feeling. Usually it goes away but this time it's seeming to linger.

I'm hoping it's just cuz I'm tired. Yeah let's say that. Being tired just seems to amplify the whole not fitting in. Plus I had a minor epiphany today when I was speaking to my DFaN. I discovered that for the last three to five years I have felt that I have had to defend myself. I'm talking about the constant feeling of being judge and found guilty for the way I live my life. When I was in 9th grade, we met with counselors to have them "guide" us in the right direction for life choices. I think I seriously confused and disappointed the counselor that spoke to me. When asked what I wanted to do when I grew up, yeah that gem of a question, I answered to be a mom and housewife. Not a real popular answer, even back then. I still remember the counselor saying that was not a valid response. And me being the feisty youngster I was asked "Why not? It was what my mother had been. What my mother did wasn't good enough?" That stumped them.

As a young woman I did work. I worked at Macy's for twelve and very informative years. I learned a lot from working there that has shaped my life to this day. I used to say I did everything at the store I worked at except pick up the building and move it two inches to the left. And the only reason I didn't do that was the managers couldn't figure out whose left to move it to. And then after that I worked at an employment agency. Trying to find people jobs.

After all the years and all the things my Dh and I have been through, separately and together we came to the conclusion that it would be important to be a mom. As hard as it is, in this economy. Oh don't get me wrong my Dh would be supportive if I went and got a job. But to be brutally honest, I just can't be a Super Woman anymore. Work, Home school, keep the house, take care of the kids and so on. Oh no Dh would support me if I got a out of the home job, but he wouldn't pick up any slack. It's well known I am the stable one in the family (scary huh?). Anywho...where was I? Ahh, yes being judge. So where we currently stay, the area that is , I'm either too black (which I'm not), I'm not Christian enough(which I'm not. Yeah I can already see some of your brows furrowed in confusion) I'm not religious enough (which I'm not. There goes some of those eyebrows again) I'm not white enough. I'm not social enough. I'm not tolerant enough (about drugs) Since I'm not a drug taker or a drinker I must be a snob. Ummm ok? The boy does not get caught up in the regular things that the other kids around us are caught up in. So I defend my son, my Dh(since he is black), my Wee Ones, my spiritual beliefs, and so on. When I am tired all of these things seem to come to the forefront and begin to feel like a never ending battle. Most of the time I ignore it. I speak of my DFaN, because she is the only one that I speak to here. Probably because she is having to do some of the same defending. Living in these apartments I have been judged to be a FBI Narc agent. Yeah laugh now, but I'm serious. I have been judged to be a stuck up B-I-T-C-H. I have also been judged by the company that owns the property as a snitch/spy for the government. No kidding. The reason for the last is I happened to befriend one of the ladies that work at the government agency that the owners deal with. So I make them a little nervous.

Now let me do something I normally don't do. Oh hell I shouldn't do, but let's throw caution to the wind. Allow me to touch on the whole Christian and religious thing. I have absolutely nothing against Christianity. It just has never worked for me. It creates more questions than answers. I prefer to say that I am spiritual. I believe in a higher power. I believe in miracles and magic and faith and angels and spiritual guides and ghosts and spirits and so on. Sorry if any of you are offended by this broad description of my beliefs. I mean no offense, but you might be able to see how my thoughts might not be that well received in a very Christian area. The small town I live in is 6.4 miles big and has 25 churches in that space. No kidding and a little scary. I know of one church in which they strongly advise their young members to marry within the church populace. That is just a little...ummmm....scary to me. So you see that is just one reason I have learned to stay to myself and be quiet about my life.

Hey that is probably why I started blogging. I needed some release. Some way of not hiding. So no, I'm not in funk. Not anymore. See I feel better. Being able to express myself. If I find myself judged by my readers I can simply not read the comments. I don't have to see the severely disapproving looks. Ahhhh, it has helped. That and listening to music. That usually always helps.

Cheers all!

When was it...

2009-05-30T00:20:00.000-07:00

When was it that my gray hair became the main color?
When was it that actually NEEDING sleep was required in order to just get through the day?
When was it they lowered the floor all the way down there?
When was it that I became a lecherous "cougar"?
When was it that my hip language became archaic?
When was it that Tums became a bed time routine?
When was it that the music that moved me now moves elevators?
When was it that my smooth dance moves became waltz like?
When was it that a standard chair became so hard?
When was it that my arms became too short for the distance of my eyesight?
When was it that the bags under my eyes moved in to stay?

Hey when was it that I got....old(?)

Berkeley Burritto

2009-05-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

Interesting topic huh? Ok first the back ground. Ah, yup you gotta get the background before you get the goods. I'm evil like dat...

Anywho. Long ago and in a far away land, called Berkeley (as in California) there was a boy that grew to a man. This man decided to explore new lands and so he moved to a small township called Monterey. There he met many interesting town folks and found the 'lub' of his life. Or at least the woman he was going to torture for the rest of her life. Anyways...They met and he decided to show her where he grew up and spent his youth. So he took her back to his homeland and introduced her to his people and culture. One of the places they visited was the eclectic market (read flea market). There she saw sights and heard sounds that were new and exciting. The man even introduced her to the native cuisine, as well. They had a wonderful time in the man's homeland, but finally returned to the township of Monterey.

Well the years passed and the man and woman grew older and had children (sigh). One day the woman remembered that time long ago in Berkeley and she remembered the native food they had eaten. She made the decision to recreate this dish so that the man and their children could enjoy this tasty meal.

Ok so I tried to change it up and make it a little more interesting for you all. Did it work? (pin drop) Uh guess not.

Anyway this is a burrito that I was introduced to by my Dh years ago at the Berkley Flea Market. A place my Dh spent some of his youth with his various family members. The burrito they sold there were HUGE. You had to hold it with two hands and then you might still need help with it. The ingredients might seem strange but they work together. So if you're a little daring and are willing to try something new here is the recipe, I will warn you they are filling:

The largest flour tortillas you can find
Olive Oil
ground meat-beef, chicken or turkey
Taco seasoning
Lettuce-shredded
Sour cream
Re-fried beans-warmed
White rice-cooked
Green onions-chopped
Black olives-sliced
Guacamole
Kraft American cheese slice singles

1. Cook meat and prepare it with the taco seasoning as per the seasoning instructions.
2. Cook rice as per regular cooking instructions.
3. Warm re-fried beans.
3. Prepare veggies.
4. Open all containers.

You will need a flat pan that is large enough to hold the tortilla. Place pan on a medium to high heat burner. Lightly brush both sides of a tortilla with olive oil. Place tortilla on pan. Place two cheese slices, single layer on tortilla. One slice above the other. Slightly warm tortilla just till the cheese becomes slightly warmed. Remove to plate.

Spread with sour cream.
Spoon rice on top of sour cream
Spoon taco seasoned meat on next
Spoon re-fried beans on
Spoon on guacamole
Sprinkle on green onions
Sprinkle on black olives
Top with lettuce

Fold bottom of tortilla, (over ingredients) Then fold one side over the bottom and ingredients and then fold the next side in, over the side and bottom and ingredients. Now try and eat it.

I realize it might seem strange to use the American cheese, but I assure you it works. It has a creamy cheese flavor with out having it too over powering. Now my Dh and The Boy can eat two of these, how I'm not sure, but they can.

If you happen to try these let me know what you think of them. Unless of course you hate them and then (ahem) you can keep that to yourself (grin)

Bon Apetite

Imagination Award

2009-05-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

The dear Miss AmyBel has given me another blog award. I appreciate her thinking of me.

The Rules:

Tell 5 things about your crafts you like the most...what inspires you to make home made gifts.

Send this award to 5 bloggers.

Ok here are the 5 reasons:

1. Crafting allows my vivid imagination some release.

2. It allows me to have a minute, a moment, sometimes just a milli-second of not being a mom, a wife, a sister, a DFaN, a daughter. Just me. (I know sounds selfish but true)

3. Crafting has been such an integral part of my life since I was small. It's what makes my house seem like a home.

4. I like the idea of leaving some memento or heirloom for my children's children to discover. Then, hopefully, have it inspire them to create.

5. I love that creating allows me to meet such interesting and wonderful people. Seeing what they have accomplished inspires.

So now I will choose 5 people to pass this to:

Caffaknitted
Daily Stitches
Walking within the Spiral
How to Make Art
PetraKot-Kotka

On that last one I fudged a little. Petra doesn't really have a blog, but she is an amazing designer/knitter/crocheter. She is taking patterns in her native tongue, Czezh, and trying to translate it so that anyone can create them.

Ok now I'm gettin' upset...

2009-05-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

So...I've been talking about starting a new sweater. Right? Well I found one. I purchased the pattern. Did a swatch for gauge, yes I did. Figured out the simple lace pattern. Completed one whole skein and....realized I was not going to have enough yarn. *SIGH* So now...now I have to frog and figure out another pattern to use this yarn for. The yarn is Elann Sonata in Glacier Blue. It's a pretty color. The yarn is nice to work with for a mercerized cotton. I was going to try the Astrid pattern, but felt with my figure it would look like I was wearing a gunny sack. I have mentioned my vision of myself, and the reality of what I look like. Geez, that almost makes it sound like I'm a two hundred pound toad with a rummy eye and a hump on my back. I assure you I'm not. As my DFaN describes it; I'm thick. So when it comes to choosing clothing to make for myself I look better in tops that have an empire line at least or at least a v-neck line. Darts are also helpful. Yet I'm not proficient in dart or short row placements in a sweater, yet. So winging darts or short rows in order to accommodate my bust is a little iffy.

I have been searching for a tank that would allow me to utilize the Sonata. But the ones I am drawn to are the ones that match my vision instead of my reality of me. I did find one knitter that was able to translate one of these camisole/tanks to include bust darts. But we go back to the whole me winging it thing.

I also mentioned how I had completed the Tattoo Kimono Shrug. I wore it and decided that I would get a photo to show you all here. Yeah that didn't go so well. I saw the photos and have decided that I am going to frog the sweater, that no one is going to see me in that sweater, and that I can't believe that my family or DFaN didn't tell me I looked like a huge dork wearing it. It's a great sweater. I love the sleeves. The pattern is easy to read and knit. Putting it together can be a little confusing at first, but a great sweater. The down side for me is the neck line. It's ends up being boat neck. Yeah not so good. (sigh)

So now I'm going to be frogging and trying to figure out how to use these two yarns. I might just end up having to sell the Glacier Blue Sonata in order to allow me to purchase a larger quantity of this yarn. I am going to frog the Tattoo and just reuse the Knit One Crochet Two 2nd Time cotton, maybe in the pattern I started with the Sonata. Oh yeah that pattern is Glampyre Knit's Pattern Camellia. I researched other knitters that made this sweater. It has been successfully knit by other's that are well endowed and thick. It has a faux empire line and the kimono sleeve thing going on. So hopefully it will be a win win situation for me.

Hmmm It's Saturday

2009-05-23T11:37:00.000-07:00

Yup. It's another beautiful day. Right now the Wee Ones are down for their naps. Well their supposed to be, they are at least in their respective napping spots and quiet. Which allows me the opportunity to write a post. Just to warn the easily dizzied this will be one of those wandering posts, so grab a cup of joe and a Dramamine and lets wander...

I didn't go to any garage sales this weekend. They have been mighty disappointing. Dh's theory is that with the economy so bad people are trying to lessen the junk in their homes and trying to make some real money so they are truly selling off their junk and pricing it too high to boot. But that hasn't stopped me from bargain hunting. I check the Destash board on Ravelry. I peruse the listings on Etsy and then I research ebay. I have been really good lately and not bought any yarn. Mostly because I have depleted my PayPal cash account. I still have the dolls that I'm working on, plus some light blue Elann sonata that I can knit up into a sweater. I was going to use it for the Astrid pattern. I have two concerns. One, I really don't want to knit a pattern I am going to have to sew together. Two, I'm concerned it will look like a potato sack on me. As I have mentioned before, in my mind I am thinner, but in reality I am not. Now I'm beginning to wander if I should play around with altering this pattern, Tunic Dress. I like the bodice. I don't need to put the patterning in, but I like the neck line to it. I would fashion it after this sweater pattern by DROPS. I am almost positive I want a tunic. Almost(?)

Moving right along. I have also been thinking that since we no longer live near the ocean. Haven't for too many years to count. I would like to re-do the living room in an seaside like feel. You know Adirondack chairs with lovely cushions. Paintings of ocean scenes, Seas shells displayed. Colors done in sea foam green, soft blue, and whites. Alas this is another one of my many creative concepts that will not be able to see the light of day. Due to financial concerns, living room size and management restrictions on painting the walls in the apartments.

Touching on the whole living near the ocean topic. Yup I was lucky to have grown up in Monterey and Pacific Grove, California. When we were wee girls, my mum would take my sister and I to the beach. We would walk down in the morning and walk home later in the afternoon. Our home was a mere ten blocks away. We really never played in the surf that much, more just climbed on the rocks, looked at the sea life in the tide pools and looked for shells in the sand. As we got older our family moved into Monterey. We moved to an area called spaghetti hill. Due to the large concentration of old Italian families that had lived there for years. It was a lovely area to live in. If you stood out in the street, which was possible because it was not that busy, you could watch the planes take off from the Monterey Airport. I can remember hearing the strange sound of the Good Year blimp fly over our house during the Bing Crosby Clam Bake and Golf Tourney, which was later renamed the AT&T, and I'm not sure what it's called now. I can remember when we heard the blimp fly over our house I would run outside and wave to the pilot. I was always amazed when the pilot would wiggle the blimp in response. Yes he would be that low........

Oh well I guess it's enough of this blog writing. The Wee Ones have decided that they are not going to go to sleep. They have decided they are going to bug me and now the youngest has spilled milk on himself and needs a bath. (sigh) Off to be a mom.

What a beautiful day

2009-05-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

Well it was today. Warm but not too hot, with a slight breeze. This afternoon my DFaN came over and we took the Wee Ones and Princess Persnickety ( her youngest) outside to run around.

I haven't been much in the mood for writing any posts lately and I apologize for that. I assure you that my creative mind is working overtime as of late. I and my mum recreated one of the tops that I have. I can have a difficult time finding tops that I like and that fit. I looked at this one Old Navy top I had and decided that it looked an easy enough pattern to copy. Whew I was lucky it was. We dug through our fabric stash and found some linen fabric. It appears a little stiff but I'm hoping that it will soften with washing. I will try and get a few pix of it to post soon.

I'm still trying to finish my Tattoo sweater. I have one more sleeve and side seam to sew and then I will be able to wear it.

I'm still working on the Wee Ones Tulip dolls. And now my DFaN's son has asked if I will create a doll for him.

I would also like to try and make this dress. I think I might like it out of this fabric. Unfortunately I won't be able to purchase any of this right now. The Boy's computer has crashed and DH is trying to get it back up and running. The only thing is he can't find the cd for Windows XP operating system so we are having to buy one. I am trying to get one from ebay. Hopefully no one will bid against me and we will get it for cheap.

Thinking Thursday

2009-05-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

First let me say sorry to all of you. I have been feeling less than stellar as of late. Just a silly little cold that frankly is beginning to kick my butt.

But that aside, here are some more Brain twisting word puzzles. Yup from Mad Gab again =0)

Soap Hour Flee

Lilac Aid Hog

Chess Touch Joke

Dawn Bizarre Cast Tick

Have fun one and all.

Love and Loss

2009-05-12T09:39:00.002-07:00

I have been reading my fellow bloggers' post, as usual.

Dina wrote a very interesting post about overflowing love. I can relate to that feeling and this post. I can remember when I was younger the feeling of carrying around so much love inside me that I thought I would truly explode. I often made the mistake of trying to give this love to someone that either didn't want it or didn't treasure it. Either way I made the mistake and would often times be devastated afterwards. Then of course along came my Dh and then our three boys. I do not have the feelings of pending explosion, because I can release my love in a safe environment.

Then I read Miss Alex the Girl's post today and wept. Luckily the Wee Ones were preoccupied, Dh was at school and The Boy was upstairs. I feel so sad for her brother about his loss.

Shortly after Dh and I started seeing each other his dear Grandmother passed away. Also very suddenly. Sadly before I could meet her. Now I have had the misfortune, as I'm sure other's have, of having family members pass away. Though most of those deaths seem to happen when I was smaller. My parents felt it was better that my sister and I not attend the funerals. Going to Dh's Grandmother's funeral was to be my first. I was slightly nervous because I was going to meet a portion of his family, which is huge, for the first time. And I was going to see his mother again, and our first meeting wasn't very warm and fuzzy ( a story for another time). After meeting his grandfather, mother, brother and his ex-wife (yes, another story for anther time) we went to the church. I ended up sitting at the back of the church by myself, his mother's doing. Then the funeral began. Since I had never been to one, I found that I began to grieve for my relatives that had past. It was a strange feeling of a surging wave of deep grief washing over me. I cried for the loss of the people I had known and loved and then cried for the loss of Dh's Grandmother. I sat there, sniffling and crying silently. Dressed all in black with my reddish blond hair. The family started to make it's way up the church aisle, out of the church to go the cemetery, and my Dh saw me sitting there at the very back of the church balling like a baby. Looking back this is humorous, his look of confusion and shock. Plus it didn't help that I happened to be the only white person there. You see my husband is black. I got several strange looks from the other attendees I assure you.

Reading about Alex the Girl's Sister-in-law's passing made me wish to be able to take some of the hurt and pain this poor man must be feeling at this time. Yet nothing will do it. Not even my or your over flowing love. And that saddens me as well. (sigh, sniffle sniffle) I wish it could help. I wish it could flow right out of those of us that feel such all consuming love straight into those who have lost someone so dear to ease the pain. The only way we can begin to convey some of it is through words. Frankly I have often felt that words fail me (I know you might not be able to tell that).

Thinking Thusday

2009-05-07T15:38:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of the game Mad Gab? It's a game of words and perceptions. I recently picked up the game at a local thrift store. I brought it home and we started looking at the game cards. Within 15 minutes we were cracking up so hard I think we were all ready to pee our pants. I would laugh harder when The Boy would read one of the cards because he would try and help me out in figuring out the answer. He would stand there and make these very cartoonish directorial gestures which would crack me up more. So I decided to share the fun with you all here.

So here's the gist of it. There are cards with words on it. These words sound like a phrases. For example:

Up How Worm Heater. What does that sound like when you say it over a couple of times stressing different parts of the words and grouping the syllables differently? Any clue? The answer is: A power meter. Get the idea? Can you see why we were crackin' up?

So what I thought what I would do is give you a couple of them to figure out just for fun and to make ya think....So here we go.....

Eight Hat Who Her

Goat Threw Them Oceans

Chest Beat Wean Husk Hurls

Cry Muffin Owe Cents

Have fun figuring them out. Write the answers if you think you know what it is.
Cheers!

A Wee Bit a of a Wonky Post

2009-05-06T20:31:00.000-07:00

Yes I know it's a strange title, but it's how I'm feeling this evening. I seem to be chasing my tail last week and this. Our lease for our apartment is up for renewal. The management company we deal with is.....well....less than stellar, at least in my opinion.

We started this process April 1st and until yesterday we were still trying to provide the documents they wanted. (sigh) If you don't provide them the documents in the time frame they want, they start threatening to give a 10 day or quit notice. Yes they are brutal. And no I really have no empathy for them what so ever. I ended up standing in the on-site managers apartment yesterday as she was on the phone to the office manager for the management company. Of course I could only hear the managers side of the conversation, but I could tell what the office manager was saying. She was blatantly saying that I was lying about trying to get them documents. (sigh). She then started directing the manager to start writing me up the 10 day notice thing. But since the manager had admitted not not do some small detail that they would give me until the 11th of May to get all documents to them. Now here is the reason I have no empathy. I chose to help the process by turning, without being requested. I knew we were due to start the process. So on April 1st I sent in the documents we had. We had an appointment on April14th to sit down with the on-site manager to sign the papers to actually start the new lease process. We informed the on-site manager at that time that we were lacking this one paper. Yesterday the office manager told the on-site manager the small detail she forgot was to write us a 10 day notice on April 11th for not providing the papers by that time. Yeah you can go figure out the logic of that.

While trying to get the missing papers for the management company I seem to have to run out of the house nearly everyday for one thing or another. Then our smallest Wee One is going through this whole squeal, screech, screaming phase. So if you ask/tell him to do something or not do something he reacts by this piercing high pitched, so high it calls dogs that are running wild in Africa, squeal. It's so irritating and loud that the middle Wee One will put his hands over his ears and tell him to "stop cuz you too loud". And this is the same middle Wee One that can run through the house and it sounds as though elephants are charging. He has the heaviest feet. They are so heavy that my DFaN called me one day, when the middle Wee One was jumping up and down to ask if we were the ones making the big booming sounds. She wasn't complaining she just wasn't sure if it was the Wee Ones or if we were suddenly under attack from a canon brigade. But alas no it was the middle Wee One.

Today I went to town and went grocery shopping. Now I realize this might seem trivial, especially since The Boy watched the Wee Ones until DH came home. But we do grocery shopping for a month at a time. So it means a lot of groceries. The Boy helped me carry the groceries in from the car as DH watched the Wee Ones. Of course after the Wee Ones discovered I was home all bets were off and they were under foot. The middle Wee One thumping his way around the kitchen and living room and the youngest Wee One squealing because he wanted to play in the sink and the refrigerator. Finally got the groceries put away and all of a sudden it felt as though the left side of my head was ready to explode. Luckily Dh grabbed the Wee Ones and took them upstairs with him and The Boy.

So I have gotten the management company their missing paper, I have gotten the grocery shopping done. So hopefully tomorrow I can stay home and just deal with the chi'dren.

Miss Lila DeWinter

2009-05-01T23:12:00.000-07:00

Well she finally made it to the hair salon. So she is all ready to go to her new home. As you will no doubt remember this is what she looked like
and this is what she looks like now..

Here are the friends together.

And the envelope please

2009-05-01T07:55:00.001-07:00

I know I have already passed this award to Alex the girl and Shortly, but (and you just knew that it was coming didn't you?) I just read Clare at thisandthat , from the things I read in her blog post from Thursday, I feel she would definitely deserve this award.

So without further ado...I pass the Renee Award to Miss Clare.

Well I am geniunely honored

2009-04-30T17:02:00.000-07:00

My blogging buddy AmyBel over at the fantastic blog Knitting in my backyarn surprised me by choosing me as one of her recipients of this new award. She was chosen by the ever talented Miss Darcy over at Darcy's Knotty Knitter

This award is described as the following from Darcy's blog;

This Award was created by Bella and Ces in honour of their friend Renee, an incredible lady who in the face of a frightening life battle is tackling each day with great spirit and courage.

Here is what Bella says of this award: “this is a brand new award and I have the pleasure and honor of spreading the seed, watching it grow. I hope it finds it’s way to those who are like Renee: the acorn, becoming a tall and sturdy oak, giving acorns…”

When I was reading blogs last night, of course, I went to AmyBel and saw that she had been given this award. As I read down I saw that she had passed this on to me. And yes I have to admit I got teary eyed. See I told you I was a big sap. I began to think about who I would like to pass this award on to and I have chosen...

Alex the girl at Please Try Again
I think she has shown, through her life experiences, to have spirit and courage. Plus I think she's an absolute hoot and a half.

and

Shortly at Shortly Stitches
Because quoting from her blog about her Thirteen Things "I’m a cloth-nappy-using, tandem-extended-breastfeeding, vegetable-gardening, recycling, non-hippy freak." Sounds like a cool lady to me. (Sorry Shortly for terrorizing you with the bad grammar and punctuation, but hey at least most of the spelling is correct)

No really I have been...

2009-04-27T23:26:00.000-07:00

I have been knitting. Honestly. I know I haven't mentioned it lately. I seem to be getting quite a few knitting irons in the proverbial fire.

I have my Tattoo shrug that I am trying to finish. I think I have enough knit for the back, I just have to measure. I didn't put any design on the back as the pattern calls for. Not to be a rebel or anything, just because I couldn't figure out what to put on the back. I had thought about knitting a kanji symbol on the back. Something like fortune or luck or beauty or dream or....well you can see the problem with that idea.

After I get The Tattoo shrug done I already have another sweater I want to start. It's called Astrid. I have the yarn already. It's an Elann mercerized cotton in a pale or light blue. I'm hoping it will be a fairly fast knit. Since I want to be able to wear it when the weather gets warmer. Or should I say IF the weather gets warmer.

Then I have been working on another Tulip doll. Ok, Ok I can already hear some of you already..."Not another one!?"....Yup 'fraid so. My DFaN asked me to make one for her youngest daughter. And just to warn you I have about 4 or 5 other ideas for this pattern that are banging around in the ol' noodle. I won't bore anyone with what those ideas are now. I mean there has to be something for you to look forward to. I saw that. No eye rolling over there...=)

Here are a few pictures of the poor dear at the early stage of her development. She is no longer looking like this, thank heavens. I just haven't gotten recent pix of her. She simply needs to get to the beauty salon to get her hair done, now. Her name, for now, is Lila DeWinter. I say for now because Princess Persnickety, my DFaN youngest's nickname (one of the many that she has) will probably rename her.

Another neighbor has asked me to knit this pattern from Knitty.com. Well it isn't that she saw the pattern on Knitty. She saw the one I had made DH. She wants the hat in black wool for her sister. I had to buy some black wool so I have to wait for it to arrive. I purchased it from a fellow knitter off of Ravelry.

Well I guess that's about it for the knitting front. It's awfully late. I must get some rest to be able to handle the galloping hoards of the Wee Ones in the morning. Yes I realize the "Wee Ones" consist of two little boys. But if you only knew what those two could accomplish, it would make your head spin.

Thirteen on Thursday

2009-04-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

Well Miss AmyBel over at Knitting in my backyarn tagged me today for thirteen things about me that one might not know (or want to know, he he he). So here goes....thirteen huh?......hmmmm....let's see.....

1. I taught myself sign language when I was 16. Just because.

2. I have always, and I mean always loved vintage things. Everything from the mundane like cook books to the sublime like art and literature.

3. I have been told I'm very intelligent, but can't do I.Q. tests.

4. I am one of those scary moms that have told The Boy that I would rather "take him" out of this world than to allow him to become another one of those mean, stupid men. (He just laughs when I say this, but he gets the point)

5.When I get truly angry, I stop cussing and become very verbose.

6. I love learning but don't like going to school or classes.

7. I am very proud of my ancestors accomplishments. I know sounds strange. But I'm proud that my paternal grandfather was the first man to get a PhD in Ceramics and studied with the National Treasure of Japan, Hamada. That my maternal grandfather helped build one of the first x-ray machines that is now at Standford University in Palo Alto, CA. And that my parents met at Winchester Mystery House. (And I know the truth about that house, chuckle)

8. That I can sense a change in the wind. Again yes I know it's strange, and I'm not saying every wind. But certain times when a certain wind blows I can tell that change is a-comin'.

9. (Ok going out on a limb, because The Boy, is bugging me) I have an alternative belief system. Politically correct way in saying I'm spiritual but not religious.

10. I prefer funny movies over tear jerkers. I can cry too easily. I'm just a big sap.

11. I like the season Spring and Fall over Winter and Summer

12. I don't like my photo taken. I'm always surprised to see myself. Mainly because it's not how I think I look. I think there is seriously something wrong with cameras. They are always portraying me as thick and stocky when we all know I'm thin and beautiful. Actually the best description of me I heard lately was I wasn't ugly but my beauty showed when I opened my mouth to speak. I'm ok with that.

13. The last, but my now means, least thing on my list of thirteen is I believe....in fairy and the wee folk. Well I should say I love the belief of them. I am a huge child at heart and so I believe in fairies, pixies, pooka, minahoonies, and other small magical folks. (clap, clap, clap)

Well that was actually harder than I thought it would be. I'm not sure how interesting it will be to anyone else, but there you have it.

Now I get to tag someone.

Alex the Girl over at Please Try Again

Dina over at Walking within the Spiral

Blond Duck over at A Duck in Her Pond

pssssttt...Thanks AmyBel for tagging me(waves).

Garage Sale Season

2009-04-18T20:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (Friday) DH had to take the vehicle I use. His car was low on petrol and he was feeling lazy about having to stop and get some. The Boy was up with the Wee Ones early and let me sleep in a little, which was darn sweet of him. When I did get up he told me that dad had called because he had seen a garage sale sign on the way to the college. Now why did he do that??? All of a sudden I started to get the itch and become antsy. I couldn't settle to anything. It had begun. Garage Sale Season. The rest of the morning I was as jumpy as a cat on a hot tin roof waiting for my DH or my DFaN to return. I just wanted to take a short drive down the street to see if any signs had been posted. But I couldn't DH had sabotaged me, by taking the only car with gas and not leaving me the keys to the car parked at home. My DFaN was at work and wouldn't be home until lunch time. Oh it was bad.

You see I have never been addicted to anything. Drugs? Nope. I tried marijuana once. Literally, just once and it didn't do a thing for me. I smoked cigarettes for maybe a whole two days until I smelled my fingers after smoking one and that did it for me. I don't drink coffee except occasionally. So my weakness, my Achilles heal, is garage sales. I love the thrill of the hunt. The possibility of finding a treasure. My partners and crime in this are usually my DFaN and my DH. When my DFaN and I go together she always teases me because she will come home with a trunk load of things and I just a few items. She'll ask if I'm just picky or if she's buying junk. I tell I'm just picky (grin). I would rather find several small treasures than buy one big one. Silly I know.

I kept running from the back window to the front window looking for either one of my accomplices. I could feel that someone was having a sale somewhere. I felt like a caged animal. Then the Boy came down the stairs and told me my DFaN was home. I ran to the door cracked it opened and loudly whispered "Did you go to garage sales?" She looked at me perplexed at first but answered no. I sighed. I asked if she noticed any signs up. She thought a minute and slowly answered that she had saw a couple. My eyes brightened. A slow smile began to creep across her face and she asked the inevitable question "Do you want to go?". Again sigh. I looked at the time and realized that it was already past 1:00, which meant the prime garage sale-ing time had past. I told her no that was okay. We chatted a little more and then went our separate ways. I felt deflated. Disappointed. When DH came home I told him I thought him particularly cruel for leaving me no means of transport, and for calling to tell me about a garage sale in town. He just mocked my pain (ok really he just chuckled and offered to drive me in to town to find the garage sale he had passed, but the whole "mocking" thing sounds so much more dramatic) (smile)

This morning I woke up with the Wee Ones. Yes a beautiful 6 am rising to the smallest Wee One squealing so shrilly I'm surprised my ears weren't bleeding. The day started to look like it was going to be a sunny spring day. My mind began to wander and I began to think about garage sales. I then decided that I would fix fish and chips for dinner. I just needed to get the fish(smile). I was good. I waited until it was time for the Wee Ones to take their nap. DH was awake by then. I told him I had to run to the market. On my way to the market I figured I would just see if any signs were up. Didn't mean I was going to stop. I found two signs. Ooooo, I began to get the tingles. I drove by them. Nothing. That is to say nothing of interest to me. I then saw a neatly printed sign staked in the ground. The writing was a wee bit hard to read as I drove by. But I managed to read the address. I was off and running. It was a neatly organized garage sale. I like that. And there was plenty to look through. I did find a couple of useful items for the DH, as far as school supplies. I also found the Wee Ones some learning supplies. And then I found the odd little treasure, an apron.

Odd, as I said, but I was happy. This is what the apron looks like now. Well now right now because I have done some work on it tonight. I am embroidering it.Nothing fancy or special. I am doing a stem stitch on the outline. I might do some satin stitch or french knots on the flowers on her smock and outline everything else. Like I said it's odd but it only cost fifty cents.

Next week I'm going to make sure DH doesn't take the vehicle that I drive, so I'm not left here stranded. That way in case he finds some garage sales in town I can go in and meet him. All I know is Garage Sale Season has begun....(sigh).... and I feel so much better.

Ok it's either me or....it

2009-04-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

I have wanted my own computer for some time. DH and the boy have confiscated two computers. Making it impossible for me to access any internet or any other computer application. For a while there I would had to go to the library in order to use a computer.

So about 5 months ago my DH came home with a used laptop for me. I was overwhelmed and thrilled. It meant computer independence. Woo Hoo. We immediately became fast friends. Searching the web for the cool and and unusual. Starting up an Etsy store. Starting this blog. And finding other wonderful blogs to read. We got along swimmingly.

But lately my computer has gotten a serious attitude. I noticed it about a week ago. I suggested that we visit one of favorite sights. It seemed to agree, but then it would take for ever to get there. Serious lag. Its' attitude seem to worsen minute by minute. I began to become frustrated and concerned. Had I said something to it hurt it's virtual feelings? Did it just need to sleep in? Did it need a nice day in the park? Was it me? I mentioned it to DH and all he said was that I needed to be patient. Huh? No, he didn't understand. My brain works at lightening speed and I had found a friend that could travel right along with me, and not wonder what the hell was going on. Not question why we were looking up some long gone dead movie star one minute and checking out the latest knitting pattern the next. I tried to go along and be patient and ignore why my electronic friend seemed to be down in the dumps. My DH was in the room with me the other day when I was trying to look up something. I clicked to bring up a site. I then got up walked into the kitchen washed a few dishes came back to check to see if the computer decided to grant me entry to the site I requested. It had not. So I started to walk away. DH decided that it was time he should look and see what he could do. (sigh) Thank goodness.

DH sat down and started asking about my computer's sweet tooth. Asking if I had cleared out the cookies lately. I looked at him blankly and with a mild look of confusion. What would the computer be doing hiding cookies from me?(grin) He just shook his head and decided not to ask me any more questions. He quietly sat there and typed away one my virtual friend. He finally stood up and said it should run a little faster now.

Well it did. But it still seemed to cop an attitude every few minutes. It would agree readily to visit one website but then fold it's keyboard and shake it's monitor and refuse to open another website (sigh). So here I sit wresting with the computer. At times I fully believe that it is winning. It even goes so far as to lull me into a false sense of security that all is well and working as normal, then sneaks up and bitch slaps me on the back of the head, and refuses to load a page. It's a cheeky little devil.

The Great Transition Period has begun

2009-04-08T15:54:00.000-07:00

Oooo doesn't that sound so impressive. As though some great planetary alignment is about to occur or some other grand astronomical happening.

All it means is that DH started school this week. Which means our family schedule has changed. Which is ok. DH's classes are interesting, not only in subject matter but structure. He has no homework. How cool is that? He has class everyday starting at 7:30 a.m. Yep that's right 7:30 in the morning. He has no textbooks. But he has had to get a few supplies. Such as a calculator that has trigonometry functions, a protractor, and hip waders. He read the description from his calculator and it claimed to do 275 functions. Heck I don't even do 275 functions. =) He seems to be enjoying it though.

He announced today, rather cheekily, that he thought he would need to buy new clothes, since he would probably lose weight with all the walking he will be doing. Unlike most men my DH loves to shop for clothes. Not at the mall or expensive stores but at the thrift store. Well mostly a store we have around here called Value Village. It's like a Goodwill, but around here a little better and cheaper. He loves finding great bargains and vintage clothing. For awhile he was on a suit phase. He bought suits left and right. One of his best suit bargains was a Ralph Lauren blazer for $.99, that still had the tags on it. Yep, that was 99 CENTS. Another one of his treasures was some name brand shoes that had the original price tag of $150. We got those for 99 cents too. I used to shop there without the DH. He didn't want to go in, thinking it was like Goodwill. We have nothing against Goodwill, it's just when he has gone in with me he never found anything of interest. Then he went with me one time to Value Village and that was that. My DFaN and I have been able to cloth our children, and ourselves, on a small budget. Often times we have been asked where we have found our clothes, we slyly reply that we got our outfits from a boutique (grin). I know it might sound strange but I like being able to go and find a treasure and a bargain and I love the idea of recycling. There are a few things that I have seen at at the Value Village, which are kind of scary and you wonder who would have ever bought the item of clothing in the first place.

Well anyway our family is adjusting to all the little changes going on. Spring finally showings it's lovely face around here (although nothing picture worthy yet), adjusting to daylight savings time, and adjusting to DH's school schedule.

Dreams leading down Memory Lane

2009-04-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a dream that makes you take a walk down Memory Lane? Well I had one last night. It involved my first roommate.

My first roommate was an odd fellow. But in a nice way, well sort of. He was a tall wisp of a thing but strong. He had to be 6 foot and thin as anything. We were just friends. No really we were. I had feelings for him but I just was not his cup of tea. Which is fine really. I still think of him every now and then and wonder whatever became of his life. When we parted ways we did not leave on the best of terms. And according to his dear mum, whom I was friends with at the time, she claimed that it upset him that our friendship went south. I would occasionally run into him after we had gone our own ways. The last time was when I and my DH had just gotten married and I was pregnant with The Boy. That alone was 15 years ago. We were going through a parking lot that had an attendant, and he was the attendant. I had enough time to say hi to him from the passenger seat in the car and say that I was pregnant. He just smiled. It was a strange meeting. Heck I'm not even sure why I think of him. I'm just strange that way. I wonder what happens to people I have met along my life's journey. Funny no one EVER looks me up. I'm not really sure how to take that. =)

I have had dreams like this before. I had lost touch with my close teenage friend for about 12 years. Absolutely no contact with her. About 6 years ago. I had such strong dreams in which I was calling out her name. After having this dream for the third or fourth time I looked her up on the internet and called her. Yeah I'm that crazy girl that pops up out of your past. Long past? No your past. (Sorry had a Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol moment there) Anywho...moving right along...She and I now talk everyday. And she lives in another state. It's wonderful and I appreciate her friendship so very much.

So this evening I took time to try and locate some information on my first roommate. The shame of the thing is that unless you are willing to pay you really can't find anything much. Or at least I couldn't. I was able to find names he went under and a couple of places he had lived. But where he lives now I have no clue. His parents are still listed at the address they had lived at 20 years ago. I'm far to chicken to contact them or him. I hesitate to contact him because it was not the best of terms we parted on, it wasn't horrible just strained. Plus I figure he hasn't made ANY attempt to ever contact me. It is probably better left alone. Right? I'll see what happens tonight when I sleep. I'll see if he pops up in my dreams again. Heck maybe last night he just came by for a quick visit. I had even thought about listing his name here, but as I said he might not even wish to speak to me and so it is probably better to just refer to him as I have by the moniker, my first roommate.

While I was looking for my first roommate, I suddenly thought of a soldier that lived next door to us that acted as a big brother to me at times. So I got curious about him. Him I actually found. Well I should say I found a photo of him. It looks like he is still doing what he did all that time ago. Fly helicopters for the military. It was strange to click on a web page and see him sitting in a helicopter as though no time had past. I haven't seen his face in about 20 years and I was able to tell it was him. He looks well and as I said doing what he loved. The photo was taken this year too, so it is a recent image. He is of course a little heavier but I could tell it was him. It made me happy to see him.

So tonight I will see who,if anyone pops up from the past to stroll down Memory Lane with.
Good Night, sleep tight...zzzzz

Travel, well at least in one's mind

2009-04-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been so drawn to place that it puzzles you as to why? This is the case with me and France. It's so strange really. I never ever really thought much about France growing up.

Growing up, I always loved the romantic concept and thought of going to Ireland. I love Celtic music. Have ever before it was popular to do so. I love Celtic knot work, and the mythology of Ireland. Have a man start to speak to me with an Irish accent and watch my knees go weak. I even went so far as to try and learn Gaelic. Ok so that wasn't too easy at the time. It was before the Internet. Yeah it was that long ago.

But ever since I took a Art History class in junior college, ages ago, I have been inexplicably drawn to France. Well actually one place in particular. Chartres Cathedral.

How can one not look at that and just become awe inspired. I know I linked to the Wikipedia article on this amazing creation. But allow me to give you a brief synopsis of what I know. This is the only cathedral, as far as I know, in the world that was built in two architectural styles, Gothic and Romanesque. Due to the fact that a fire ruined one tower. So the tower on the left side, as you look at the photo, was built in the style of architecture of the time. It is one of the only buildings, as I have said that I am aware that was built this way. It is touted to have the most beautiful blue stained glass in that rose window in the front.

Now I am not an overly religious person. Spiritual, yes. Religious, no. So my wanting to go and literally bask in the ambiance of this building has stymied me for years. I get chills at imagining how it must be. Again years ago, I worked with a young woman that went on a pilgrimage with a church youth group that went to France. I spoke to her when she got back and she was telling of her trip. She told of the group walking one early morning to this small town that had a cathedral they were going to see. She told how they became tired on their walk and laid down in a field of wild flowers to take a small rest and nap. When they woke they continued on their journey entering this small town just outside of Paris. As she started telling me this part of her travels I started to get the tingles run up my spine. She spoke of how they more or less walked up to this strange "church" with these two towers that looked different. My jaw dropped. Here was this young woman speaking with such nonchalance about this location that I had only dreamed about traveling to. I asked her, rather feverishly, I must admit, if she was even remotely aware of what she had witnessed? Had she gone inside and looked at the rose window? Was the sun shining through the blue glass? How did it feel inside? She looked at me blankly and answered that all she knew was it was some kind of church and that inside the ceiling was really high. I stood there dumb struck, and again I must admit slightly...flabbergasted. The whole experience had been wasted on her. I know this sounds horrible, but it's how I felt, and still do. She finally admitted she went on the trip to meet other young church going singles (sigh) I still remember that whole interchange all these years later. And still shake my head.
So do any of you have a place that has always sent tingles up your spine? That you have desired to travel to for some unknown reason? Some place that you might never be able to go to but you can always feel it pulling at you. If so where is it at?

Our Town

2009-03-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

Allow me to say the views and opinions in this post are by no means meant to offend anyone.
No not the Thorton Wilder three act play. But where I live. Robin was kind to suggest a post topic of more info about where I live, so here it is. (Thanks Robin waves)

First the Western side of Washington. It is culturally diverse. Maybe not as much so as say California but none the less diverse. I grew up in California, Monterey and Pacific Grove. It is truly a beautiful area. Where I grew up was a small town, considered a retirement community, really. Although there used to be a major army base, Ford Ord, there is the Defense Language Institute(DLI), Navy Post Graduate School (PiG School), and the Institute of International Studies. There were always people that have come from other parts of the country as well as all over the world. The opportunity to meet a variety of people was ever present. Western Washington was reminiscent of that culture. We enjoyed living there. I was able to meet some great people living on the west side.

We were then lured by the thought of affordable home and land for sale on the eastern side of Washington. We moved to the eastern side to a farm north of Spokane. But the work and commute got too much for us and we had to downsize and move closer to my DH's job. I didn't feel comfortable moving into Spokane proper, and ended up settling in a small town just outside Spokane. I find it even hard to describe the community that we live in polite, politically correct terms. I can't even begin to think of a way to start. To be blatantly blunt, it is a meth invested, blindly religious, judgmental, racial, mentally challenged community, that is adverse to any form of change. Please believe me when I say that none of that was said with any animosity. It truly wasn't. Those were literally just observations and experiences that I and my dear friend and neighbor have had. I have mentioned my dear friend and neighbor before, we have had several conversations regarding the area in which we live and she has come to the same conclusions that I have. Actually she was the one that has incurred more of the racial situations than I. She is a person of color. I am a Caucasian with 'ism' and my DH is a person of color. Our children are mixed. If you are not a person of color or with 'ism', you would not be able to tell that our boys were mixed, they are all light complected. We also home school our boys. My DFaN has her children attend the public schools. Her daughter has had horrible things said to her because she is not blond hair and blue eyed. Her daughter has instructed her teachers in black history. She did this in the third and fourth grade. The other students in her class claimed they had never heard of Martin Luther King Jr. Maybe this is in other schools as well. As I said we home school.

All I know is we don't fit in. I have tried to interact with various people in the community and have found that I always feel as though I need to be fake or to hide some aspect of my life for fear of some judgement towards me or my family. In order to ask some one to leave me alone in this town I have had to resort to outright vulgar cursing and yelling, several times. Geez, I am just not used to that. Usually, if some one has done something offensive to you, a simple snub or polite explanation that you have no desire to deal with that person is enough. Not here. As my DFaN says "They make you show them your ass" before they catch a clue. Then they become hurt because you have yelled at them. Never mind that you might have had three verbose discussions explaining how you didn't want to deal with them anymore. You have told every one of their acquaintances that have called you on their behalf and various family members as well. I guess I am just unaccustomed to this small of a town mentality. I know I don't care for it. I find very little in this area inspiring.

I can already hear some of you out there saying that maybe I haven't given this area a good enough chance or maybe I haven't tried hard enough. I feel I have. I have been judged because I do not attend a church. I have tried to have intellectual conversations with people that look at me as though I am speaking some ancient dead language. I have met more small minded people in this area than I have in my 4o something years of life. Frankly some of these people around here just plain scare me. They boggle my mind. I have been blessed in my life to have conversations with people that have come from all walks of life. Some have had very hard times and others have had easy times. Some have even served time in the penitentiary system. I have had conversations with people that are extremely conservative and overly liberal. And yet, the people I find myself living around now...fit into their own little category. And I'm not even sure what that is.

So why stay? The brutal fact:We are stuck here right now. My husband lost his job and has not found another one. One reason he made the decision to return to college. He did not want to go back to the western side, find a job and then send for us. We do not have the finances to relocate. In other words, we are currently financially poor, so we have to stay where we are. For now.

As I stated before in this post, I am not saying any of this with any animosity. I know there are some kind people out in this area. Most of the ones that have not been raised in this area find the same thing that I and my DFaN have found. I assure you that I am not the only one here feeling, seeing or thinking these things.

Caution weak content: the anti-post

2009-03-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

Soooo have you ever just not been inspired enough to come up with anything clever or witty to write? Yup that's where I'm at. Hmmm do you think I have writer's block? Yeah neither did I. Anyway every time I think I have come up with a topic, I sit down at the computer and then go blank. So I guess this is an anti-post.

I have found a couple of fun and cool sites and blogs for you to check out. So just chat among yourselves and check out the other blogs and sites until I can get my head and thoughts back on track. K?

Stitchionary-It just started up. Anyone can contribute and they have a group on Ravelry.
ImagineArt7- Leigh is really nice and helpful and has some fun things in her store.
Photo.Knit.Dog- It's a fun blog and Lina has some cute furry friends
Walking Within the Spiral-I've just recently discovered this blog.

Well I guess that's about it. (See what I mean...? writer's block or what?)

Socks, Socks, Socks,

2009-03-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

I know it might seem that I have a preoccupation with foot coverings as of late. I assure you it's not he case. It just happens to be a coincidence. Reeeaaalllllly.

My friend and neighbor decided she wanted to find some tights for an outfit she recently purchased. She asked me if I knew any place around this area in which she could find some opaque, textured tights. I immediately drew a complete and udder blank. So off to the internet I went. I have fun searching for things on the internet. She does not have the time nor great inclination, to spend much time sorting through websites. I found a couple of websites for her to peruse, and of course in doing so I happened to find one that I liked. Well of course I did (grin)

Sock Dreams. They have a cool selection of socks and stockings, they accept PayPal, and they have free shipping in the US. What a deal huh? I decided to go with a simple pair of socks to start with. These are them. And they aren't even the longest pair they have there. They sell a pair of socks that are 200 inches long. 200 INCHES!? My word. They are currently out of stock on them. Ok? I never realized there was a fashion run socks that you could pull over your head and tie off. Hmmmm maybe I should get a pair for the Wee Ones and when they are acting up I can tell them I'm going to hang them up by their socks (grin). Problem is they would probably think it would be a good idea.

You should go by, poke around and see what cool socks or stockings you can find. I'd love to hear what you think and which pair you couldn't live without. Or do you have a favorite sock/stocking website that you like better?

Sock Yarn

2009-03-18T00:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know what a strange topic for the day after St. Patrick's day. Allow me to inform you now that I have been said to be a...little...strange. But in a good way. Or so I have been told.

Anywho, moving right along. Sock yarns. Why is it that the colors on a skein of sock yarn can look more magical than the same colors on worsted weight yarn? I'm not sure. Every time I see a photo of some creatively dyed sock yarn it triggers an inner response of "oooo I want that" But I fight the urge. Well I try. I already have a few skeins of sock yarn right now. Sitting there staring at me. They say "Alright, already. When are you going to start a project with me? You know you want a pair of Absinthe". I quietly sit there trying to ignore the fact that my sock yarn is getting uppity and impatient with me. And yes I do want a pair of Absinthe. Heck if for nothing else than the cool name. I have always been besotted with things archaic and vintage. Hence the use of the terms 'besotted' and 'hence'.

There are certain brands of sock yarn that I am drawn to. I occasionally go and drool over the amazing colors of these yarns and play with the idea of choosing one to buy. I am fascinated with Emily Parson's dyeing ability ( yes I know that just sounds all sorts of wrong). If you have not seen her yarns please take the time to check out her Etsy store. She creates a ball/cake of yarn she calls the Magic Ball(unfortunately none are listed on her Etsy store at the present time). This skein can create a scarf that looks like patchwork when knitted. I mean how cool is that. Check out this post she did on her blog What's THAT Gonna Be?. Scroll down to the Calico Cat Magic Ball. Now be honest if you don't knit doesn't seeing this make you want to try? I love the fact that all the colors you need for a patchwork scarf are in one skein as opposed to having to keep track of a bunch of different skeins. I also love the fact that this is another use for sock yarn.I have not been able to afford to purchase one of these Magic Ball's yet, but hope springs eternal, and I'm just a geyser of it. =)

The Luck of the Irish

2009-03-17T11:06:00.001-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day. I wish that everyone will find they're pot of gold.

Ok bear with me...

2009-03-17T10:29:00.000-07:00

I am a little frustrated with using the JS-Kit for my comments. So I am going to switch back to Blogger's comment. I have looked at WordPress and have thought about moving over there. But to be honest am a little intimidated. I know silly.

When I chose to set up a blog I was doing it for myself only. But then my Mum and I decided to set up an Etsy store. I thought my blog might be a good way to network. Then I started to have some lovely people stop by and comment. Oooo cool. Of course none of the people I told about my blog, such as the people I know. Oh no they didn't stop by and say anything. The stinkers. =) But with the wonderful Ravelr-ers and SITStas visiting me I find that I'm my reason for having a blog is to just connect.

We live in a town that I must admit we do not fit in with. I realize this might seem strange to say but I assure you it's very true. I'm not the only one that feels this way, my dear friend and neighbor feels the same. Maybe I shall write about that in another post.

This post was simply to say that I am going to switch back to using Blogger for comments. I'm just concerned that I am going to lose the comments that have been left thus far. If for any reason you notice that one of your comments are not showing on a previous post, please do not think that I arbitrarily deleted it or blocked it. This whole blogging thing is still new to me and I am learning as I go along... so just bear with me. Thanks ever so...=)

La de da de da da

2009-03-16T20:27:00.000-07:00

I found another awesome contest over at this very dangerous blog. The Fabric Shopper. I love all the wonderful fabric prints that are being designed recently. They can make my mouth water, my synapses start buzzing and my creative juices start flowing. Ok so maybe way too much information. But you get the idea. I see these fabrics and start to wonder what they would look like in different fashion apparel and then reality sets in and I remember my fashion sewing skills. Oh I can sew clothes, but they never seem to fit me. (sigh) Well maybe I should say they fit the inner me. You know the one, the tall, svelte, properly proportioned you. The one that has the flawless complexion and the perfect hair. Yup that one. But a bag. I can do that. And be able to play with these fabrics....ahhhhh So run over and enter for this contest.

LibriVox

2009-03-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

LibirVox, have you heard about this website before? Oh I'm sure you have. Of course I am sometimes a wee bit slow on the uptake. I discovered this site about a month ago from reading some post in Ravelry.

It's a fantastic site. It allows you to download audio versions of classic literature, all for free. The first book I found and downloaded was Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim. I must admit I discovered this story by seeing the movie first. It is now one of my favorite movies. So I was thrilled to find an audio version. My DH just recently upgraded our cellphones. He was tired of me hinting about the fact that I wanted an IPod. He felt this phone might stop me. It did. I was thrilled to be able to download this book. I get to listen to it when the Wee Ones have toddled off to bed and I can't stand the sound of the tv at night. I just turn on my audio book and knit away.

The next book I think I'll listen to is Count of Monte Cristo. Another favorite story. in 1998 there was a tv mini series that I watched. That was when I fell in love with the character Edmond Dantes as portrayed by Gerard Depardieu. I know he's a little quirky and not very suave. I felt his portrayal of this character made him far more real than if a really classically "handsome" actor did the part. I have read the book several times. I will find it interesting to hear it read.

If you do know about LibriVox and have used the service, which books have you listened to? If you haven't tried it before you should go on over and try it out.

Third times a charm

2009-03-15T22:34:00.000-07:00

I just discovered a awesome blog contest.
Over here at Le Musings of Moi . It really is a great contest. She is offering some fantastic bags that are good for the planet and fun for your fashion sense. The bags are being wonderfully donated by Green World Bags. You really do need to go and check out this site. The bags are fun and would be really useful.

This is another one of those blogs that I discovered from the SITS website. I love her blog design especially since I have a serious weakness for most things that are Frenchy. I think it comes from the whole Chartres thing. But that will be for another post. (grin)

Now just jump over and enter her cool contest. And while you're there read some interesting posts. I promise you won't be disappointed. And heck if you don't win the contest, you have discovered a new interesting blog, Le Musings of Moi, and a wonderfully helpful website Green World Bags.

Curious and Curiouser..

2009-03-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

Ok how about that line? Do you know which literary work that is from? A Hint: it comes from the same one as in the previous post (The time has come to talk of many things. Of sealing wax and sailing ships of cabbages and kings...) Well....No. Nothing yet, huh. Don't worry I'll wait... =)

But that is not what this second post is about. I am simply jazzed that I have created a blog button for anyone to grab. Woo Hoo! Miss Amanda over at Knitting in my Backyarn made the suggestion that I create one so she could grab it. Well that started me off and running. I had no idea on how to create one. I asked my DH who just answered he didn't like blogs (GASP) I know! So off in search of a how to that I could understand. I started to sweat a little because I knew there would have to be some html required in this project. OooOo scary html oOooOo.

I found this site Grab My Button. Well it seemed simple. (ahem) So off I went to design a button. Ok. Did that. Saved it to my PhotoBucket account. Easy enough. Went to the Grab My Button page and copied the html code needed to have the button show on my blog. Copied it. Then went to the Blogger layout page and pasted the code into the gadget spot. And...Presto...a button appeared with a scroll box for someone else to copy the code. woo hoo, right? Uh No. When I clicked on the button to make sure it would take a lovely person who chose to follow me and wanted my beautiful new button back to my blog, it took said person to PhotoBucket page of the button. Aaaarrrgggghhhhhhh! Ahh crap! That meant I would have to muck about with the html code. Oh goody (sigh) So I went through and looked at the html of the other buttons I have on my blog and BINGO I was able to figure out how to get it back to my blog. The downside. You know there had to be one with me jerry rigging html, I have the web address under the scroll box. Oh well it doesn't look too bad with it there.

Even with the html wrestling going on and the resizing the button and the myriad of times I had the button on my blog and removed it. I feel really accomplished. Of course I haven't gotten any knitting done today... shoot. But I got a button.

SITSta's are doin' it for themselves....

2009-03-15T11:48:00.001-07:00

Ok Ok I'll stop singing and doing my disco diva dance moves...(grin, pant, pant, pant)

I do have to sing a little song of praise though for the SITS website. As I stated in a previous post I have just joined SITS. I have found so many cool and awesome blogs. I know that might sound contrite or silly but it's true.

You should check out their blogs;
Art and Inspirations
Laughing Through the Chaos
Decor to Adore
Were Those Wrinkles There Yesterday
Dandelion Wishes
These are just a few.

I have also been so fortunate to have met some great people from Ravelry. And have found some terrific blogs that way.
Princess Emerald
Knitting in my Backyarn
Inkberry Blue
Smariek Knits
Kat Knits
Again that is just a few

One thing I'm a bit frustrated about is how to respond to comments that have been left for me. I would love to be able to respond back, but am unclear on how to do it for some. I have been able to find most of the people that have left comments, and have left comments on their blog. I thought that if I switched comments control to this JS-Kit thing that would enable me to find a link back to the author of a comment. But it doesn't seem to work that way. So now I'm thinking of going back to the regular ol' Blogger comment control thing and moderate comments, so that maybe I can find the author's easier. What do you think? What are your suggestions?

On the home front, I rented Kung Fu Panda for the Wee Ones on Friday. Needless to say we have been watching a great deal of it. Luckily I find it funny. Yes I know I'm a little behind on movies, if I'm just watching this now. Ummm, can't think of any excuse really. Dh has even chuckled at a few lines. Since the boys have enjoyed it so much I went on EBay and found a copy of it for a really good price. I have to take the rental back today, so hopefully the one I purchased will be here soon. The Wee Ones don't really understand the concept of waiting. Hopefully there won't be too much of the squealing and crying. Yeah right...

(....humming..... grin)

Whew...

2009-03-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

Geez I need a Margarita, some tortilla chips and some good salsa. (ok can you tell I haven't had dinner yet?)
I just finished creating a new banner for the Etsy store. It was great fun. My first time working with Digital scrap booking elements. I bought a pack from Raspberry Road Designs. I asked them if I could use some of the items from the pack I purchased in the banner. They kindly said yes. Woo Hoo. And then I was off. I had a great deal of fun playing around with the different elements. I can totally see why people can get hooked on this craft. Oh good just what I need another craft.
I spent all last night looking through the web at different sites offering digi scrap booking items. I found I really liked most of the things on Raspberry Road. I also liked the fact that they have a Dollar store section. Bargains always suck me in. I originally found them by looking at the freebies on DigiScrapDepot.com. There are some great freebies on there, but I was concerned about using any of them for my Etsy banner since most of the terms of use for the downloads ask that the graphics not be used for commercial use. So I purchased the Enchanted 1 elements pack. There is actually a second pack to this. But I felt the one was enough. I think if I bought the other pack my head would probably have exploded from too many choices.
Ok so now I'm going to enable. I figure why should I be the only one heading down the road to crafters overload hell. If you haven't tried messing around with digital scrap booking you should give it a try. Oh come on you know you wanna....plus I need a buddy down in crafter hell.

New digs ....again

2009-03-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

Yup, I changed the ol' blog backdrop again. I feel a girl needs a little pick-me-up and change-a roo every once in awhile.

I love The Cutest Blog on the Block.Com They have some fantastic backgrounds, and so easy to use. It's great they even give you the tutorial on how to create your own background from scratch. I really want to try this out. I went to the link for the elements that they supplied and immediately became way overwhelmed. So....I just went back and chose one of the ones from the website that were already prepared. Yup I'm a chicken... I'll try it again when I have more patience and maybe a theme in mind.

I have also just joined SITS. It seems like a great site that helps promote blogs and peoples other websites. Hopefully it will help us out. But it's just great to see other peoples creative blogs and Etsy's stores. I have seen some really cute things that I wish I had extra income for.

Today my DH is at the college taking care of taking the placement test and getting his classes. Bless his heart. I'm very proud that he is going to go back to college to get some education so that he can work smarter instead of harder. He has worked on the harder side for far too long.

So while there is new snow on the ground and it's chillier than a penguin would be comfortable with, the sun is shining I have a new backdrop for the blog, I've seen some great Etsy stores (check out this one and this one), found a new website (SITS) and my DH is being a college kid...=) It's all good.

Hellllloooooo out there...

2009-03-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

Ok people, I know you're there. Well at least 3 or 4 of you. I am requesting some assistance. I am hoping to get some input on our Etsy store. We still have not had one sale or a convo. (sigh). can anyone give some helpful critique on how we could improve the store front, or even merchandise. Is it the fabrics that we have used for the bags are not zippy enough? Do we need to take better photos? I asked the wonderful people on Ravelry, on the Etsy forum, and got some input. One nice person suggested I enhance the banner so that it is more readable. And that I use a different back drop for the merchandise photos. You could check out her store here. I like the way she has created her stitch markers, very clever.

I believe that Etsy is a wonderful idea. I love the concept of supporting our crafts people. I grew up watching my parents run their own store, attend local fairs and even have one persons shows. I believe in the system, but am losing faith.

Introductions

2009-03-02T22:40:00.000-08:00

Tonight was to make the long awaited introduction of Lulu O'Day's friend and companion...Miss Bella Twista. Yes it's true she is complete. She has been couture'd (stylish fuchsia sundress) and coiffed (lovely afro-puffs) and shod (now she's sounding like a horse, she won't like that) She's sassy, and full of tude, but very sweet and nice. She's a dichotomy.
Not to have Miss Lulu feel left out. She is sporting a new hair adornment. She has been very patiently waiting for me to create a barrette for her closely cropped coif. She seems much happier with her new sparkle. She might not seem happier, but I assure you, she is.

I already have a couple of ideas for other creations/personalities using this pattern. As I have mentioned before it is the Tulip Doll by the very talented Katie Park. I have thought about doing two little boys. One for each of my Wee Ones. Not for them to play with, they are far to destructive. Hate to admit it, but it is oh so very true. I could only imagine seeing little Tulip doll parts lying around with stuffing everywhere (shudder). No it would be more as a keepsake. I just have to find the right color yarn for their skin tones. The middle one has a coco cast to his skin and the youngest one is pale as pale. Yes my children are dichotomies too.

Anywho, I seem to be rambling tonight so I think it's time to wrap it up and leave you with one more picture of the two chums.

I have more photos of these little ladies on my Ravelry projects page.

Age and High heels

2009-02-19T22:42:00.001-08:00

It amazes me how we age. Well I should say how some of us age.

Case in point, Stevie Nicks. Tonight Soundstage showed Stevie Nicks October 2007 appearance. Now I realize that in 2007 she was two years younger than she is today. (See how good at math I am, that's why I home school *rolls eyes*) But even at the age of59 that woman was still amazing. She looked like she was only 30. And those boots that she was still wearing. Heavens!

Now maybe for you heels aren't such a mystery but to my preferred barefooted self, it's a miracle when I see a woman dancing around in heels, let alone platform heels. My dh was kind to buy me some high heeled boots one time. I still have them. The boots are practically in brand new condition. The reason...I can only wear them for about five minutes, and then I need to be propped against something, oh yeah and carry a tissue in case I suddenly get a nose bleed from being at a raised altitude. But seriously it's one of those family jokes. Me and high heels. Ever since I was wee I was taking off my shoes and socks. Often times at the most inopportune times. Family gatherings, proper social events, weddings, you get the picture. Fast forward to modern day times, I only wear shoes when I absolutely have to, such as going to the store or something else into a major public area. If I have to take the garbage out, barefoot. Even if it's snowing, raining, or hot as all get out, barefoot. Quite often to the amazement of my friend and neighbor, who already considers me mildly off center anyways.

But I digress. I was speaking about Stevie Nicks. She is still amazing and talented. At the end of March, supposedly, an album will be released of her Soundstage appearance. If that is the case I think it would worth buying if for no other song than her version of Dave Matthews Crash. She did a fantastic job. Yes, I realize me being interested in this might date me and allow my age to show, but heck I don't care. Cool is cool no matter what age you are, or what shoes you wear.

A Wonderfully Amazing Contest

2009-02-17T21:20:00.000-08:00

No no, not mine. Not yet. Don't worry I'm still working on the particulars. I can't say as it will be as fantastic as this one but I'm hoping to have it close.

Right now over at Knit Purl Gurl's blog she's having a contest. And what a contest, oh my! The contest is in partnership with WEBS yarn store. They have the new gadget/notion The Knit Kit. I'm sorry this little thing just looks too cool. I know I'm a nerd gadget at times. Like I said in the comment on Knit Purl Gurl's blog I would feel James Bond'ish if I had it. Her blog is filled with tons of fibery fun and the bunny photos are fantastic. Yep your gonna have to look, and not just at the contest post either, ha ha! Knit Purl Gurl's blog layout is awesome, as well, so it should be a nice respite out of your busy day to sit and read for a little while.

I must admit I was not a follower until I discovered that she was having a contest. The only reason I wasn't a follower before this was I was unaware of her blog. I discovered it through Ravelry. I have also located another blog, through Raverly, that I follow, Word of Mouth. It's a quiet little blog, but I really enjoy how the young lady writes. She's not having a contest, but maybe go and leave her a comment as well. It would be lovely if you did.

Oh and don't forget to leave me a comment. Letting me knows that ya' all loves me.

Whine and Cheese

2009-02-16T20:03:00.000-08:00

Okay today the Etsy store has been open for a whole three days and no sales so far. SIGH....

I realize that what we have listed right now is not very diverse, I thought I might have one person at least ask a question or make a comment, even a snarky one. Yet nothing. Nada. Nyet. Nichts. Zip. Zippo. Zero.

As someone stated on Ravelry, maybe shops just get lost on Etsy, maybe it's just gotten to big. I have thought about actually paying for advertising on Ravelry to see if that won't spur some activity. I want to wait before we invest in that until we can get a few more things listed for sale. We're just waiting on some supplies to come in so we can make the items to list. I'm sorry, dear readers, if I seem to be whining. Would you like some cheese with it...

I have started on the Tattoo shrug. So far so good. And yes, yes I did have to frog it at least three times. I changed the increases because I didn't like how the kfb increase looked with this yarn. I am doing a make 1 increase instead. It looks much better. I'll have to get some progress photos to show you all...

HEAR YE, HEAR YE

2009-02-13T14:05:00.000-08:00

Remember the last post when I was saying that I had some things I was working on wellllllll...........

Ta da dat da ta da... Let the trumpets blare. Let the heralds sing out in joyous announcement that The Tink-n-Frog Etsy store is now open....Woooo Hoooo

Yes I know this is thrilling news, right up there with the discovery that the earth is round (all right well elliptical), the cure for polio, and the experiments at CERN.

Hopefully anyone reading this....(hear any pin drops?....yup there's one...) will stop by and check it out.

In celebration of this occasion, I'm hoping to come up with a cool gift and have a contest here on my blog soon. I'm just trying to figure out the particulars of the contest right now.

Since I have been working on the little details of the Etsy store, trying to keep up with the Wee Ones, and trying to keep up with The Boy, I haven't gotten any knitting done. I did find some yarn I am going to use in the Tattoo Shrug. It's the pattern I want to start on next. I still have my black stockings that I have sitting on the needles. I like to have a small project and a sweater project. I have also been wanting to finish up the second Tulip doll that has been patiently waiting for completion. But every time I think I'll be able to work on any of these projects I discover that I feel exhausted and just end up sitting down and yawning.

Gee Whiz What's Up?

2009-02-12T22:55:00.001-08:00

I know, I know....gosh where have I been? Well I've been right here busily working away on a few things. Secret things. Things I want to spring on you all at one time. You know like a cat. Ok well maybe not a cat. If you knew me, my "springing" days are pretty well gone. And as far as being agile like a cat...ROFL...you have to be kidding. But I think you get the gist of it. If not, well you'll see soon enough....he he he

I have also been trying to hold my tongue and be still about my dh deciding he wants to go to college. I have a habit of becoming too effusive and excited about certain things. When I do my dh goes in reverse and starts pumpin' his brakes. If that happens everything and I mean EVERYTHING comes to a screeching HALT. So I had to sit back and be still and let him saunter his way into his new venture. But now that he has gotten signed up, I sigh and say Whew! I am really excited for him. He is going to go for a degree in Water Resource Technology. As he says, so he can look at the little bugs in water.

I have also been wanting to share a website I found recently, FreeRice.com. I like it because I feel it's a win win situation. You learn and they donate rice, to feed the hungry, for every right answer. They allow you to choose from a certain list of topics. Topics like Art, Chemistry Symbols and Languages. I enjoy it and The Boy (our oldest son, 14) had fun sitting down doing the Art topic. So if you get a chance check it out and maybe let me know what you think and how you did on the topic you chose.

Tired and Touched

2009-02-04T23:19:00.000-08:00

This evening I was hanging out on Ravelry, as usual (grin). I had posted some yarns for sale on my trade page. I had the opportunity to chat with some really nice people. Which was a wonderful surprise. Lately what I have read on some of the groups has made me very hesitant to post any comments. I really believe that people's snarkiness is to be chalked up to our ever increasingly, or decreasingly, economic crisis. So tonight when I was contacted by lovely people it helped to restore some of my faith in the human race. Which has been basically non-existent lately. Not just because of posts on Ravelry, but things that I have experienced in day to day life.

Spending so much time on the computer, while enjoyable, makes me feel quite drained. Simply because I try and make sure, when dealing with selling things, that I have all my t's crossed and my i's dotted. It's like mental Olympics, at least for me. I'm trying to keep all my ducks in a row as well as trying to actively listen to dh and the boy when they come to talk to me.

After taking care of the sales and chatting with a nice Ravelry-er, I checked out the postings on the Blogging group. This lady had posted that she had a contest going on. So I went to check out her blog. If anyone reads my blog I hope you stop by and read her post. It touched me deeply. Maybe because I have Wee Ones, and sometimes just when I feel really tired I know how hard they are to keep up with. Heck even when I'm not tired they are hard to keep up with. I couldn't imagine chasing them when I was dealing with something like MS. I totally lost any interest in her contest and just thought about trying to spread the word of her challenge. Hopefully some one will see this and post it on their blog.

Yep, it's my birthday...

2009-02-01T18:36:00.000-08:00

OK, I'm ready for my presents....(dead silence)

Yep that was pretty much the same result I got from my dh when I said that to him tonight after the Wee Ones toddled off to bed. Oh I didn't expect anything but still...(grin)

Actually I purchased a pattern. The Tattoo Kimono Shrug by Danielle Wilson. I don't have any yarn for it yet. I've been toying with the idea of knitting it from Tatamy Tweed DK. I just haven't decided whether I want it in black or red.

Two very nice Ravelry-ers stopped by and left comments. My first! Woo hoo. How cool is that? Both have wonderful blogs themselves, La Nina Comix and Gerwerken, check them out. Nina is a comic book artist, something that has always fascinated me. Amy has listed some links to some wonderful ideas to help us live greener lives. I love the info and the idea of living shampoo free.

You otta be in pictures

2009-01-31T23:16:00.001-08:00

I did it!

I took pix of the projects. (No not the ones I live in but the ones I'm knitting, lol)

First, the finished Gwen Slouch, by Lauren Nell Roy. I really loved knitting this pattern. It was really well written, easy to tweak, and the lace pattern was a breeze to follow. In the second photo my oldest son was kind enough to don this chapeau so I could get a better shot of it.
Of course as soon as the hat hit his head he started to complain that I was messing up his hair. Oh geezzz!! This yarn was lovely to knit with.
It was so springy and so light. It's also very comfy to wear. For this being my first experience wearing a slouch I must say I like it. I usually wear it much like a snood, tucking my hair up inside. One reason I like it is that it really doesn't give me that "hat hair" effect. Which I must admit I appreciate.

Second, is the Juliet Sweater, by Sarah and Rachel. I started this pattern last year some time and finally took it out of hibernation. I was a little intimidated to start the lace pattern, since my Mum had such a time of it. But I have found it fairly easy to do and fairly forgiving if I get my count off. I'm using Elann's Highland wool.
I believe the color is considered a dark teal. This yarn has also been lovely to work with.

Last, but not least is the Over the Knee Socks, by Cindy Taylor. I started these using Peer Gynt, in ivory. As I worked on them I decided that I would
really prefer these in a black. So I purchased some of Elann's Sock it to Me.
I have some concerns about them staying up so I did a knit along in the ribbing with some elastic thread. Being frugal I used what elastic thread I had on hand, hence the tweedy look towards the top of the stocking. I did this in the ivory stocking too, you just don't notice it as much. I had thought about frogging (well of course) the ivory ones. The yarn seems a little wonky and the stockings are coming out quite thick. But then I look at them and figure, oh what the heck why not just finish them.

I also have another Tulip doll, by Katie Park that I have yet to finish. I was going to take a photo of her as well but felt like I was imposing on her privacy. You see she doesn't have her face on, and hasn't been to the hair stylist yet. And actually is sitting around in her all together except for her stockings. I keep wanting to work on her but just lost some of the inspiration to complete her, right now. I've been trying to finish the Juliet by Tuesday, February 3, for an appointment I have. I keep thinking I have it long enough. Then I try it on and think oh I'll just make it a little longer. I only have two skeins left. One I just added on, and the other one I need to use to finish the sleeves, so I'll have to accept the length I get with this last skein. That being said I think it's time to turn in and wake to start another day of chasing the Wee Ones. Ta =)

New President, new hope

2009-01-20T17:23:00.000-08:00

Well today was the day of the inauguration of the 44th President. Oh don't be impressed by my knowledge of which president it is. I have always been notoriously horrible with American history. Pitiful, I know, but it is something I am trying to improve.
I missed the actual swearing in of this new President. I did watch a video of it on CNN. I also saw Elizabeth Alexander's reading of her poem:
Praise Song for the Day

Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others' eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.

Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.

A woman and her son wait for the bus.

A farmer considers the changing sky; A teacher says, "Take out your pencils. Begin."

We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.

We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, "I need to see what's on the other side; I know there's something better down the road."

We need to find a place where we are safe; We walk into that which we cannot yet see.

Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.

Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables.

Some live by "Love thy neighbor as thy self."

Others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need.

What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.

In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.

On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking forward in that light.

I found it interesting while she was reading this poem, that I was conscious of how it was being read. It seemed at the time to be read void of emotion, and the rhythm very measured. But I realize maybe that is why this poem has stayed with me all day. Quiet echos bouncing off my mind. I feel that it sums up how I feel at this time in history. A strange thing I find myself saying, "this time in history". It is probably this first time in my life that I have the acute feeling of history and taking part of it, even if it is as a simple observer. I wonder if "observers" during the Civil War felt this way. Or say at the time of the abolition of slavery. Or even when the first ally forces walked into the first of the horrific concentration camps in Europe.

I just hope that all this feeling of making history makes a difference really soon. I think that there are a great deal of people in a similar situation that my family is in, trying to find a GOOD job at GOOD pay. I just hope....

No clever title tonight

2009-01-11T23:16:00.000-08:00

Sorry I just couldn't come up with a clever title tonight...Well I was able to figure out which yarn to use for the the Gwen Slouch, though. Whew! Boy am I glad. It was driving me bonkers. It actually turned out to be yarn that I had on hand. It's this one, Francis Patrick silk and merino, colorway mountain spruce. I'm only using one skein. The yarn is a dream to knit. It has loft, and is so soft. It made me start thinking that I would love to have a couple of skeins that are luxury yarns for small projects like this hat. The pattern is just grand too. The lace pattern is a breeze to get to know and so forgiving. I have had a couple of oops, but I have corrected them easy enough and not to the detriment of the pattern.

The Wee Ones were in rare form today. Well actually just the smallest of the Wee Ones. He woke up in a bad mood, and it never really improved much through the rest of the day. He ended up spending quite a bit time with DH, which gave me time to sit and knit. Sounds like no big thing but for me it is. I am unable to knit while the Wee Ones are up and running, because of that exact reason, running. I usually am the one doing the running though. Just trying to keep up with them and keep them out of trouble or from tearing the place apart. Of course all Daddy has to do is make a brief appearance and things immediately quiet down. Until he leaves the room and then the two of them wait a tick or two and then they are back to their regular antics. While he was hanging with Dad and the Boy the middle Wee One would go from visiting with them, to checking on me, to watching a movie we had put on for him. It afforded me the opportunity to work on the slouch pattern. So nice =)