To Knit and Write

Christmas and Resolutions

2009-12-28T17:36:00.002-07:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas; our family did, though it was quiet, as my oldest daughter could not get there because of the weather. I had never before realized what a cleaning junkie she can be, normally we have an overly organized Christmas, but this year, we didn’t even have a trash bag when gifts were being unwrapped and it took me most of the day to get the boxes out to the recycling bin. The house is still a wreck. I guess DD2 and I are slobs, but I don’t think I will laugh at her for cleaning any more. lolol

It was weird to have only the three of us this year, the Hubster, DD2 and me. It made the cooking load lighter and the house quieter.

I know many people are planning for the New Year, getting ready with their knitting projects and resolutions; however, I have decided not to make resolutions this year. I rarely keep them longer than a week, and springtime is easier for me to start a resolution. IMHO, spring should be the start of the New Year, not the in January (yuck the winter). The cold and the dark are not conducive for making a plan and following through for me at least. What about you, do you have huge numbers of resolutions??

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!

2009-12-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Winter!

2009-12-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of winter (at approximately 10:40 am) so happy winter to everyone. It is supposed to be 58F degrees here today :-).

Spent and Tired

2009-12-20T23:49:00.001-07:00

I am now officially out of spending money, I have been a shopping fool! I cannot believe I have spent so much money, lolol but it was fun. I guess that is what happens when you leave it all to the weekend just before Christmas. :-0 I also made 2 batches of fudge, two dozen cherry cookies, three dozen chocolate oatmeal cookies, two batches of lotion for dry skin and two batches of sugar honey scrub. I am tired now and going to bed!

Have a great new week!

Blather and Friday Fillins

2009-12-18T11:42:00.002-07:00

I am so pathetic; I forgot what day of the week it is until I read Grace’s blog. I have had the creeping crud (again) and it took everything I had to just make it through the week, I could not get anything else done. lolol That is not good since the old shopping is not done. The dogs have loved it since I have spent as much time as possible in bed, including some of the time when I was supposed to be at work. I think it may be a good thing that I have worked for the feds for over 25 years, or they would probably dump my ass. Not that I would blame them.

I hope you are all more prepares for the holidays than I am, cause I have some serious work to complete this weekend in order to get everything completed for next week. It’s a good thing I am not planning on passing out knitted gifts this year, cause that would be a giant fail.

I have decided I am not going to worry or stress about the holidays this year, I am going to knit my through them and hope that everyone just enjoys being together. I am not rushing out on Christmas Eve to buy one more present, if I do not have everything by Tuesday, it just won’t happen. If a present is wrapped in newspaper, at least it is wrapped, no more perfection (or attempts at) for me. This all sounds really good doesn’t it? Does anyone want to take bets on it happening this way?

Have a great weekend; I will see you in the funny papers!

1. No, we will NOT be traveling for Christmas.
2. Christmas dinner will be at the old kitchen table.
3. I watched the steam rising from the hot cup of coffee (or tea) and thought: mmmmm.
4. Everything is going to be okay.
5. I'll take two, please.
6. People are sometimes difficult to understand, at least from my point of view.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to baking cookies and knitting, tomorrow my plans include shopping, replacing the battery in my car, baking some more, and knitting and Sunday, I want to clean up, clean out the refrigerator and decorate the tree!

I Don't Think So

2009-12-13T01:46:00.001-07:00

You Are Cleaning the Toilet

You are tough, determined, and strong willed. You are willing to take on any task, no matter how unsavory.

You have nerves and a stomach of steel. It's hard to gross you out, and it's hard to get under your skin.

You have what it takes to go far in life. When other people give up, you're still gaining momentum.

You are willing to put in the hard work to achieve the best results. You aren't afraid of getting right in the mix.

What Household Chore Are You?

Blogthings: Free Quizzes for Everyone

The Villain and the Victim; Friday Fillins

2009-12-11T22:41:00.008-07:00

When we got Tiny from DD1, we also purchased a water bistro (aka- the Villain) for the animals, the cats are good with it and so is Tiny, but Lola (aka, the Victim), not so much. As the water drops through into the bowl, the air bubbles sometimes make a noise that scares the crap out of Lola, so she runs away. The other night, she was thirsty and sat and barked at the waterer, I felt so sorry for her I had to get up and get her a small bowl of water. I am now not sure how we are going to adapt her to using it as whenever she is thirsty she just sits and barks at it and will not drink from it. I guess it is a good thing I have a normal water bowl in my bedroom or poor Lola would be very dry.

The Villian according to Lola-->

I would be knitting tonight, but both dogs feel the need to sit on my lap.

Have a great weekend!

1. Good times: good friends, good food, good wine.
2. Welcome to my home.
3. Sleigh bells ring are you listening?
4. _____________ little.
5. Once more, with feeling!
6. Will 2012 be the end?
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to nothing, tomorrow my plans include cleaning, shopping and baking; and Sunday, I want to do it all again, with maybe some knitting thrown in!

BRRRRR!

2009-12-07T12:55:00.004-07:00

I am cold! Bone-chilling, numbing cold. I never used to be cold; in fact, I am the one who would turn the thermostat down in December because I was hot, even if everyone else was cold. The tide has turned and I am the cold one now, so tonight on my way home I am buying flannel sheets and a space heater for my bedroom. I hate going to bed cold and waking up cold brrr. I guess it could have something to do with our weather, the high is 18F today and 14F tomorrow with snow. I think it is colder here than it is in Alaska. This picture is the view out my backdoor, gray and cold.

DD2 and I bought our Christmas tree Saturday and it is up, but not decorated, we are soooo lazy, but it is just too cold to get into the garage and dig them out. We were both so curmudgeonly on Friday, I was not sure if we would have a tree. Neither one of us has been feeling the season, it is a problem sometimes, it is awful when we both get in a funk. I know it is too early in the season for it to be a seasonal funk, but there you have it, maybe just being around people helped out. We spent Saturday having a girl’s day, pedicures, massages, and shopping, perhaps that helped a bit.

When we go for massages, I always use them for therapy on shoulders, neck and arms, but the one I had Saturday almost crippled me. The guy found the sore spots and worked them hard, so yesterday when my sink fell apart (garbage disposal had a clog) while I was trying to cook, it was just about the straw that broke the camel’s back. And my hands were also sore from the massage, so I could not knit. I need a holiday from life I think.

I hope you have a warmer day than I am having. :-)

Shopping, a Question, and Friday Fill Ins

2009-12-04T15:52:00.001-07:00

I started my Christmas shopping last night, thank goodness for the internet or no one would receive anything from me. lolol. I hate going to the store and shopping for things, especially when I am not sure of what I want. So almost everything is coming from the internet this year, in fact, I cannot think of anything that isn’t. Saving time, frustration, money, and gas!

I was doing the Friday Fill-in thingy and number five got me to thinking. You know how panhandlers will stand at the highway off ramps and busy intersections collecting money with little signs saying, “I am desperate” or “I am broke”. I always wonder how you can tell which of those people are truly desperate and which of them just make their living that way. I always feel guilty for not giving them money, but at the same time, I feel like I work hard, and I do not want to give money away to someone who doesn’t want to get a job (I don’t mean someone who cannot get a job). I always feel guilty if I do not give them money, but my husband always tells me that they make more money than I do, but can that be the case with everyone who stands on a corner asking for money? So my question to you my bloggy friends is how do you decide which people to give to or do you at all?

1. You get cookies for Christmas.
2. I find that it is best to get right to the point.
3. It's holiday time.
4. Life is often ridiculous!
5. I feel more blessed when I read about others who are not.
6. I’m done...goodnight!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to making dinner, grocery shopping, tomorrow my plans include going to the movies, cooking, and knitting and Sunday, I want to decorate the tree and veg!

Dogs on Thursday!

2009-12-03T11:53:00.000-07:00

It has gotten too cold to be believed! 8F at 7am, the high is supposed to be something like 18, which means that I should be home in bed, not at work! I took the dogs outside this morning while the car was warming up (because of course there is too much stuff in the garage for me to park in there) and Lola did her thing cause she is used to the snow, not because she likes it. Tiny, on the other hand, stepped in the snow and cried; he then discovered that if he went under the car there wasn’t any snow. Therefore, at 7:30 I am down on my hands and knees trying to get the little wimp out from under there so I could carry him back into the house. I was finally able to get my finger into a loop on his collar and pull him to me, (remember short arms), cuddle him up, and carry him to the house. This dog has never been out of Georgia so I think he is in for a rough winter (or I am).

Ohh, and I got to knit last night! Wahoo.

blather

2009-11-30T14:52:00.004-07:00

Did you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend? I did, DD2 and I went to Iowa to visit DD1 and we had a great time. We cooked a traditional meal with all the trimmings in the little kitchen and had fun chatting and being silly. I always have a great time when I hang out with them and I think I value it more since they are so rare now.

DD1’s boyfriend came up on Saturday and brought their rescued toy poodle for me to take care of for them. He originally belonged to an elderly couple who could no longer afford to keep him so they gave him up, he was adopted out twice and they were getting ready to put him to sleep because the adoptive families kept bringing him back. One family said he bit, and I don’t know what the other family’s reason was; well, DD1 and BF adopted him, even though they had two dogs and two cats already and things were going okay until DD1 started working in IA instead of GA. Suffice it to say, the little snausage is with me for a while. He is a very needy little thing, always wants to be on someone’s lap or someone must be petting him. He does play with Lola, but she lets him know when he steps over the line, so it’s all good. The biggest problem is that he weighs 10 lbs and should only weigh seven, and he thinks he only needs to eat people food, and that said food should be available to him at all hours of the day and night. So we are having a test of wills, since he is 9 years old, I have to get that weight off of him before he starts having problems with his hips. Fortunately, for me he does not have opposable thumbs, so I will be the winner. Lolol Why is it so much easier to keep the animals on a diet than it is to keep ourselves on a diet????

UPDATED TO ADD
Don't you think it would have been nice of her to tell me that the dog is hard of hearing?

Have a great day!

Thankful Thursday

2009-11-26T17:07:00.001-07:00

I am thankful for so much, that I have no sure way to express it all. I have had a great life and nothing too terrible has happened, no one has been murdered, been life threateningly ill, and everyone loves one another. We have all received wonderful opportunities in life, education, fun, and work wise. God has been good to us!

I hope you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T20:49:00.000-07:00

Another Silly Quiz

2009-11-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

You Are Edward Cullen

In general, you are an upstanding, ethical, and compassionate person. You aren't a stereotypical vampire.

Of course, you're only undead, so you can't help but be tempted occasionally. You do a good job keeping your cravings in check.

You are a true romantic, and you live to take care of your sweetheart. You couldn't go on if you hurt the one you love.

You have many worries and conflicts deep in your heart. You may seem distant or cold, but it's only because you care so much.

What Famous Vampire Are You?

Work is Hard. Time for Blogthings!

2009-11-21T19:23:00.001-07:00

I thought this was appropriate as I just saw New Moon and loved it!

You Should Date a Vampire

You're attracted to intense, complicated people. You think danger is sexy.

You're willing to risk your heart (or even your neck) if it means you get to be with a super hot, super powerful vampire.

You think that there's a fine line between pain and pleasure. And you're certainly willing to learn exactly where that line is.

You think there's nothing hotter than a vampire falling for you. You're honored to be chosen by such an experienced and wise creature.

Could You Date a Vampire?

Blogthings: We're Not Shrinks, But We Play Them On the Internet

TGIF or . . .

2009-11-20T21:49:00.001-07:00

I would say TGIF, except that I have missed the last 2 days at work so it kind of seems rude to say it. :-) My eyes are slit on my head, I have a new eye drop and it is working a little better, but it is slow going. It hurts to focus on anything tooo long, so knitting, reading and watching TV are out. They better be feeling a little better in the morning because I am going to New Moon no matter what. You know earlier in the year I stood in line for the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and it was good, but frankly, it was a zoo standing in line and the weather is much colder now. I just don’t feel the standing in line bit when it is 32F outside. lolol

1. We need more love and charity in our world.
2. I saw the sun and it made me smile.
3. If you want to accomplish something it is best to get off the computer (unless you want to accomplish a lot of blogging).
4. I am hungry because ice cream for dinner does not cut it.5. Massachusetts has a proposed 5% sales tax on elective cosmetic surgery; I think that Massachusetts is just looking for more money. Why should someone have to pay higher taxes because they can afford to spend money on something that is considered frivolous?
6. Family and love makes for a happy holiday.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to see nothing, tomorrow my plans include going to see New Moon, shopping, and laundry and Sunday, I want to knit!

Have a great weekend!

Thankful Thursday

2009-11-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

I think this Thankful Thursday is a wonderful idea, it reminds us to be grateful for what we have instead moaning about what we do not have. So here is my list for this week-
I am thankful for my internet friends. This would have been a hard few months without them.
I am thankful that my daughters and I will be together for Thanksgiving because we always have fun together.
I am thankful that the weather has warmed up from last week and that the snow is almost gone.
I am thankful for my rotten cats that are so funny and make me laugh.
I am thankful for the coordinators who work with me and their patience, as I am perennially late.
It doesn’t seem like much, but every little bit helps. :-)

Now I can whine, right? You knew I had to; I haven’t for a couple of days. My eyes are not as icky now, but they are almost swollen shut and they hurt to touch. It wasn’t bad enough that I had to throw all the makeup away, my eyes are so swollen it looks like I am walking around with my eye shut, not a pretty thing in this very round face of mine. lolol

I am responsible for holding a quarterly conference call and it was scheduled for today, I of course could not see so had called in sick. I woke up about 5 minutes before the call and had to dash around setting up my work computer and putting my cell phone on the charger so I could call in. I finally got on the phone about 5 minutes late and had to apologize to 31 people who were waiting for me. It was embarrassing.

Icky Eyes

2009-11-16T17:03:00.002-07:00

I woke up nice and early this morning because I knew it would take forever to clean my car off, it had not moved since the snow started. I opened my eyes and oooppps! Both of them were stuck, yuk. (It was very nice of me not to include a picture this time, don't you think?) I slowly pried them apart, sat up, and realized nothing was being accomplished today as my head was spinning too. I did get a doctor’s appointment so I now have many antibiotics and eye drops to use. It’s very irritating, I hate being sick, but like I told a friend at least I was able to get out of bed and take care of business, it sure beats the alternatives. The good news is that now I have a reason to buy new eye make-up, as it all must be replaced, behind every cloud is a silver lining. I think I will go home tonight, get in bed and knit. I can either work on the beret to go with the scarf shown yesterday or continue to work on the striped scarf for DD2.

I hope your day is wonderful!

Actual Knitting Picture

2009-11-15T19:10:00.012-07:00

I finally took a picture that is knitting related!! Here is the picture of the scarf that my cats like so much, it is the Yarn Harlots one row scarf using Noro Silk Garden, sorry it is so dark, we haven’t had sun for a few days. I like it and hope my daughter will also, though it hasn’t yet gotten really cold in IA/IL so we will see. I am getting ready to start a beret to match, I purchased this yarn intending to make me a sweater, but I am not sure I would want a sweater out of this color. Have you ever purchased yarn intending to use it for a purpose and then a year later couldn’t imagine what you were thinking?? As you can see by the pix below, we received a lot more snow than was predicted, it was originally predicted to be one or two inches. Right now it is 25F (the low tonight will be 15F) and still snowing lightly, I hope it stops soon; I have a lot to do tomorrow

Winter wonderland out my backdoor.

This is a snow cake on my patio table lolol

A Cold Saturday

2009-11-15T00:17:00.001-07:00

I am cold, it is 27F outside, and it seems to be seeping into my bones. Is that from being old? It has snowed most of the day and it is supposed to snow more tomorrow. Ahhh winter, don’t you love it. I have not done anything all day except for, got a massage, picked up groceries, cooked meatloaf, and paid for the chimney sweep to fix the chimney that was not drawing correctly. I think tomorrow I will do nothing but knit!

How is your weekend going?

A Cat Tale and Friday Fillins

2009-11-13T15:34:00.000-07:00

Remember the scarf that I finished with Noro Silk Garden that I have yet to take a picture of? It was lying on my bed last night waiting for me to weave in one more end and my cats found it. They think this is the most wonderful yarn in the world and would like a bed made out of it. I looked over and Jack and Onyx were laying there nuzzling up to it like it was their mama and fell asleep on it. I told them that it needed to be dry-cleaned, but they just yawned and turned over. I evidently love my kitties more than I should.

1. The last band I saw live was too long ago to remember.
2. What I look forward to most on Thanksgiving is being with family and sharing the cooking with my daughters.
3. My Christmas/holiday shopping is not even thought of yet.
4. Thoughts of sugarplums fill my head.
5. I wish I could wear skinny jeans without looking like a ballon on a stick.
6. Bagpipes are very cool.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to nothing but reading and knitting, tomorrow my plans include making bread, knitting, watching the snow and Sunday, I want to do the same thing all over again!

Thankful Thursday

2009-11-12T23:24:00.002-07:00

I have been thinking all day about being thankful and grateful; it is sometimes hard to select the things we are grateful for, as there are times when things do not looks so great or are just plain depressing. Today I have a meager list of what I am thankful for, but I know in my heart, that there are many more, it is just hard to see them today.

I am thankful for the fact that my family is healthy, no flu (piggy or otherwise) no colds, no major illnesses.
I am thankful that I have a job that puts a roof over my head and provides for my retirement without too much effort from me.
I am thankful that my daughters have become responsible and productive adults.
Finally, I am thankful for all the people who care about me and others when they are low and feeling down (gee isn’t that phrase from an old song?).

Veteran's Day

2009-11-11T11:23:00.002-07:00

Thank You!

Blather

2009-11-10T21:44:00.001-07:00

Wahooo, tomorrow is a federal holiday (day off for me) and a maid is coming tomorrow. You would think that since my 23 year old daughter was home alone for the best part of 3 weeks, that the house would be somewhat clean, NOT! The house is so dirty I can’t stand it, so I spent the morning looking for someone to come and clean it for me. YEAAA! And I will sit and knit while someone else cleans up my dirt. My kind of day!

Maybe tomorrow I will also get off my butt and download all the picture I have taken and post some of them :-)

My Sister Toni

2009-11-07T21:23:00.002-07:00

I am sorry I have been an absentee blogger; however, we came home from vacation last week (Saturday) and I got all the laundry done when I received a phone call telling me my sister had passed away, I had to repack immediately and fly to California. I was in shock as no one had contacted me to tell me that she had been ill. Turned out that none of her kids or my other sister thought she was that bad, everyone was in shock! In fact, they all thought she would be released from the hospital on the following Monday. Toni had not been comfortable in her life since her first stroke and she had been in assisted living for several months, she was in emotional and physical pain and there wasn’t anything we could do to make her happier or more comfortable. Life was hard for Toni, she was bipolar and anorexic, plus she had many other emotional and physical issues. I will always miss her, but part of me wonders if she is happier now that she is with our mother, whom Toni has missed dreadfully since she died 27 years ago. It is always hard to lose someone you love, but is it sometimes kinder to let them go when they no longer want to be here??

I am now back in Colorado and I miss Toni and I know her kids do also, though they are all grown and on their own. It does not seem right for a sister younger than me (15 months) to be gone before me. Because we were so close in age we were raised almost as though we were twins, we dressed alike, shared clothes, received the same presents on the holidays and hung out together until we married and I moved out of state. I wish that I had called her more and sent her more emails.