To Knit and Write

Happy 4th of July to All

2011-07-04T17:31:00.001-06:00

Blogoversary?????

2011-06-13T18:21:00.000-06:00

Wow, Sunday was my blogoversary and I did not know it, what a flake. I found out when Tina commented on my last post. . . Too sad

Yeah, I got into one of my waitlisted classes at Sock Summit! They do make it easy to spend money :-) I can’t wait. Still plugging away at the socks, I am so slow, but wrists are acting up, so it is okay to be slow.

I just downloaded a sweater pattern from Ravelry I want to try; the yarn should be here next week so as soon as it gets here I am going to try it, Crazy Aunt Purl’s Summer Sweater. It looks great and something I can wear at work and be comfortable.

I downloaded a book called The Uncoupling by Meg Woltzer on my Nook and it is very weird. I am trying to read on and complete it because I hate buying books and not reading them, but like I said it is very weird. Maybe if I just sat and read it until I completed it, I would like it better. It is supposed to be funny, but I am not there yet!

Happy knitting!

Sore Face

2011-06-09T11:44:00.001-06:00

Hi All, I have been plugging away on a pair of plain old vanilla socks, but I had levulon with a blue light on my face the other day and have to stay in fairly dark rooms, so sock knitting is difficult. It is funny, when people go looking at new houses they look for houses with good light and the more windows or sky lights the house has the better; however, when you need a dark room in my house you there are only two and one is a half bath. My face is still swollen, but I don’t think I will be doing this again for the rest of the year; face is scaly and peeling, which is a good thing, I guess. lol

2011-06-03T10:22:00.003-06:00

I am so lucky, I won the shawl pin that Kathy B at Irish Eyes Knitters was giving away. I hardly ever win anything so this was a boost to my week :-). Thank you Kathy.

I am diligently working on socks, no faster but steady. These are a birthday present so they have to be completed by the 4th of July. . .

1. Hey! Its Friday!

2. Do politicians know what this means- kernel of truth.

3. Eat chocolate.

4. The fist bite of a peanut butter sandwich should be in the middle.

5. First thing to note: Pay all bills on payday so you don’t forget.

6. To distraction.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to nothing but knitting, tomorrow my plans include cleaning the upstairs and making room for a new couch and Sunday, I want to babecue some skirt steak, work in the back yard and knit!

The Weather

2011-06-01T12:36:00.000-06:00

Wow, it’s already June 1st and the weather sucks here, cloudy, gray, with a high of 69. I bet summer is really hot, but for now, it is good knitting weather. In prep for sock summit, I have started a pair of socks, I really need to get used to the little needles again. I like the way they feel, but have been using larger needles for so long. . .

I entered a contest the other day and need to post my recipe for Cheese Enchiladas, they are the easiest dish I know and everyone loves them at my house, which makes them my go to meal. Changes can be made to add meat, change the kind of cheese or sauce, whatever.

12 corn tortillas
Large can of enchilada sauce, red or green (I use homemade when I have it, but it’s always good to have the can around)
Cheese, cut into logs to fit into the tortillas (normally whatever is on hand a mix of Colby longhorn or whatever)
Shredded cheese (I like the mix of Mexican cheese that is sold now, but again, whatever works for you)
½ Onion, chopped
Oil

Heat the oil in a fry pan and cook each tortilla on each side to just before crisp, just soft, lay each one on a paper towel to absorb the oil. Dip each of the cooked tortillas in the enchilada sauce, then wrap each tortilla around a log of cheese, with a few pieces of the onion. Lay side by side in a 13 x 9 x 2” pan. Continue until all of the tortillas are used. Pour more tomato sauce over the rolls, and then sprinkle the leftover onions on top. Now sprinkle a handful of cheese on top and place the pan in the oven at 350 for about a half hour. Remove from the oven when everything is bubbly and just a little crispy. Let sit for a few minutes and serve with the normal sides, sour cream, guacamole, rice, beans or chips.

You can add taco meat or chicken to each of the tortilla rolls, whatever you have on hand and whatever your family will eat.

Eat hardy and knit today!

Friday Fill ins

2011-05-27T10:09:00.001-06:00

1. This week I have decided it is time to retire lolol.

2. The stomach issue returns.

3. It's all about the chocolate.

4. I love laying in the sun.

5. I demand nothing.

6. Watch life’s path, it's filled with rocks and hard spots.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going out to eat and knitting, tomorrow my plans include cleaning the backyard up and Sunday, I want to help my hubby clean the fifth wheel!

I am going!

2011-05-25T11:08:00.000-06:00

I am very lucky, I get to go to Sock Summit and I am really excited. The problem- I am going alone and am terrible at meeting people. In addition, I know there will be a bunch of great knitters there, and my knitting comes out all right, but looks funny while I am doing it. I can’t wait to learn what I can and see all the great vendors, I just wish I knew someone else who was going. It is very weird to have a passion for an activity that none of my friends or acquaintances has.

So anyway, one of the things to do at Sock Summit is the stitch marker swap. I am so uncreative, unimaginative, whatever I cannot figure out whether to make the boring ones or to buy wonderful ones and swap those. Do you think it would be cheating to buy, as long as I tell everyone they were purchased?

I have two chemo hats in my hat stash now; it is amazing how sadness can motivate me.

Knit happy today!

Sad. . .

2011-05-23T11:57:00.001-06:00

A friend of mine (D) at work had a daughter (T) that was seriously ill, and diagnosed with terminal cancer in February, though I did not find out until March. I talked to my friend in April to ask if there was anything I could do, but of course, there wasn’t, so I offered to make a chemo cap and that made my friend happy that I thought of her. I thought about D and her daughter all weekend and bought some trinkets that I thought D’s grandchildren might like, just to make them smile for a few minutes. I should have called D because her daughter died Friday night. I am very sad that D has lost her only daughter, I am sad that T’s children will have to grow up without their mother, and I am sad that it took me so long to complete the cap. T was only 44 and was way too young to die from such a horrible disease and her children are too young to be without a mother.
I am going to figure out how to learn to knit faster, I want to be able to finish a cap quickly; but I am also going to make a stash of Chemo hats for when I might need them, too many people are needing them lately and I have not been able to keep up as I knit so slowly.
If anyone has any ideas on how to knit more quickly, let me know, I need all the help I can get.

Friday Fillins and Sookie

2010-08-20T10:04:00.000-06:00

I have been listening to the Sookie Stackhouse novels while working and knitting lately, (I must be the only person in the world who hasn’t read them already.) They are not great literary works, but I am finding them entertaining, I do wonder how anyone ever decide to make a series of them??? I haven’t seen them as I am too cheap to pay for HBO, but I am now curious to see if they are as entertaining as the books are. I wonder if the library has them, hmm.

Friday Fillins
1. Laughter is the best medicine.

2. Please use the are the three words that started off the last email I sent.

3. What I'm most looking forward to today is getting through the day alive and intact.

4. Babies put a smile on my face.

5. Where in the world am I going to move when I retire?

6. Another bill, just what I needed!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a book on tape, and knitting, tomorrow my plans include working and bathing the dogs and Sunday, I want to sleep in!

:-)

2010-08-18T11:16:00.001-06:00

It has been so long since I blogged I forgot how comment moderation worked; I finally figured it out yesterday and found several very nice comments. Isn’t it great how nice blogger land is?

Random

2010-08-16T15:44:00.000-06:00

I know some people do the Bullet Point Wednesdays, and others do the Random Mondays, but I can’t decide what to do. I am having a hard time getting back into the writing thing (maybe if I closed down Farmville it wouldn’t be so bad??). I guess today we are going with Random Monday, just to get in the habit of writing again.

I inherited a white poodle (among other animals) from my older daughter. White poodles have disgusting eyes that run, especially when they have allergies. Tiny thinks his eyes are fine the way they are, but he scared a little kid the other day with his dirty eye. I have a special package of diaper wipes that I use for his eyes and he hates it when he sees me with the package. But last night (being smarter than he is), I closed all the bedroom doors (with us in it) before I picked up the packages of wipes. It was funny but sad to watch him run, fortunately, my legs are longer and I grabbed him up when I got a wipe out to do his eyes. He growled, nipped, and tried to twist out of my arms and once he realized he could not get down, he grabbed the end of the wipe and tried to kill it. I am faster than he is tho, so his eyes were as clean as they were going to get before he killed the wipe.

I got to go to the yarn store Friday, found the most wonderful yarn, that is soft and squwooshy, and perfect for another chemo cap. Of course, I bought it, and if my friend does not like it, I can give it to someone else.

I was reading Sheepy’s column the other night about her current research project about flumpability and cats. I love cats and flumpability is a good thing in cats, but I realized that I feed and house (and clean litter boxes) for five freaking cats and do not have a single one with flumpability. Something is wrong with this picture; someone forgot to teach these cats to show the correct amount of humility to their person! Onyx, the mean biotch growls at me when I try to flump her (she has negative flumpability); Kitty Star, another inherited anima, would probably let me flump her if there weren’t two dogs around all the time. Jack and Fatso don’t want to be touched unless it is a requirement to gain food; and Jill just doesn’t want me to look at her, let alone flump her.

I sat down to knit yesterday, no big deal, but then the dogs both decided they should be sitting on my lap; however I decided they should not, so I pulled the footstool close and forced them to stay on it so they could warm my feet. It worked for about 20 minutes, but that is such an improvement over most days.

I am Back!

2010-08-08T15:29:00.001-06:00

I am knitting and reading again, I think that means the sadness and ???? is gone. It is great to feel good for a change and to be able to pick up a book and read it from cover to cover. And it is way great to be able to pick up a project and work on it. I decided that if I start blogging again, I may decide that I do not need to play Farmville (which is a huge mind suck) anymore. What do you think??

My oldest daughter did get married in February, and it was small but very nice. She is happy and enjoying married life from all appearances. We all agree that if and when #2 gets married it will definitely be a destination wedding; that was hard to pull together in such a short time frame (30 days). Daughter #2 graduated from her one year MBA program and has already found a job, which she starts in September.

I know a lady going through chemo and I made her a chemo cap, the first thing I have completed since September. I hope she doesn't need the cap, but she has it if she does. It wasn’t perfect but it felt great to do it and have it complete, completeness is a good thing in my life.

Though I seriously doubt I have any readers left, at least I can still come here and blab. Yea to the world!

2010-02-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

I think I am going on hiatus for a while, as you can see I am having a hard time forcing myself to blog. I figure if it is that hard, maybe I should take a break. The depression and sadness are getting worse and it is hard to even discuss it, let alone write about it and depress the rest of the world with it. The therapist says it is grief;I just hope that it goes away soon as all my get up and go got up and left. I will be around, still reading your blogs and looking for inspiration, if you should need to contact me you can reach me at georgi dot wellington at gmail dot com. And who know, I may be back next week or next month. . .

Cake and Friday Fillins

2010-01-29T11:56:00.005-07:00

So Saturday we get to sample wedding cakes for breakfast, doesn’t that sound fun??? I am not sure of the size or anything else, but I know one layer has to be chocolate. This is a picture of the cake she would like, though she wants red roses on top instead of pink. (I don't know where the picture came from so sorry about the photo credit thingy)

I am overwhelmed with the amount of stuff we have to do, but DD2 is very excited and has really stepped up to the plate. She has reserved the rooms, the van is taken care of and she is planning her trip to Europe at the same time. She leaves about 5 days after the wedding so I am grateful that she is handling everything. Saturday afternoon will not be so great tho, we will be at David’s trying on bridesmaid dresses, which will be a most evil form of torture. I will make sure to take valium with me for both of us. lolol

I have been knitting finally, nothing picture, worthy, but it is moving along. The yarn and the needles fell good in my hands and is very relaxing; it makes me wonder why I put it down.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

1. Wouldn't it be easy if I could just speak my responses to emails instead of typing.
2. ___????____ better than ever!
3. I love the taste of creamy chocolate.
4. We live in the living room.
5. The first thing we're going to do is drink heavily.
6. The water faucet is going drip, drip, drip; it is very annoying.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to playing Mafia Wars, tomorrow my plans include sampling wedding cakes, shopping for bridesmaid dresses, and . . . and Sunday, I want to sleeeeep!

AHHHHH. . .

2010-01-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

My oldest baby is getting married. I am so happy for her and hope that she will be as happy as she deserves. HOWEVER, she is getting married on February 27, four weeks from now. I could slap her silly for planning such a short time frame, though there are dozens of reasons and logistics that makes it a good time. DD2 and I have found the chapel, the reception is being held in a restaurant that we all love and her dress has been picked out. Now I only have to deal with what has to be accomplished to get ready for houseguests, pick out the wedding cake, reserve hotel rooms, coordinate flight times for people flying in and out, and reserve a van. I think. . .

2010-01-25T04:02:00.001-07:00

Its 2:30 in the morning and I cannot sleep. Monday is going to be a very long day!

A Slug, A Bag, and Friday Fillins

2010-01-22T22:49:00.005-07:00

Hi all, yes I have been a slug this week. I was sooo tired last week that I knew I had to recharge, but realized that I had to do it at home, so I took some leave from work and did nothing but sleep for 3 days. I am now stiff, but at least I am not quite as tired. Maybe it is just the sadness thing, but I needed that sleep, though after 1 day back at work I feel like it did not happen. lolol

I forgot to show you this wonderful bag I received for Christmas, Wendy
discussed it on her blog and had a discount coupon for it from Scout’s Swag. I sent the link to DD1 who searched high and low for the bags, since it was already sold out when I sent her the link. Isn’t she great, the bag sure is. FYI, the picture is straight from the Namaste web site, as I couldnt take a picture this nice if I had to. Mine is Red a great real red, not to pink, and I love it.

FYI, I did pick up the needles this week, and it was great! I think the mojo is slowly returning.

Have a great weekend!

1. You have a chance to set it right and move on.
2. I should go to bed right now!
3. There is a chance for everyone to have happiness in their lives.
4. Play now and pay later.
5. It's time to get off the couch and go inhale the sun.
6. Tonight is up in the air but there is always hope for tomorrow.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to playing Mafia Wars, tomorrow my plans include cleaning up and knitting (working on that mojo thing) and Sunday, I want to ?????!

Diets and Mojo

2010-01-15T20:10:00.001-07:00

So DD2 has decided that we need to diet, which is so unfortunately true; I told her fine and she has picked the Atkins diet for us. So far she has picked out and prepared our food and it has been great to come home to a dinner that I haven’t had to cook. They have been tasty and satisfying (she even opened the spice cabinet), but they were missing and important ingredient. . .

BREAD. How can a person eat a meal and not have wonderful bread with lots of butter? Its killing me, and probably very good for me and my sugar levels. Yuck! I am willing to stick with it as long as she is, but this weekend will be the test. Lolol

I have been missing the old knitting mojo and Deb mentioned that I should try something new, that I had not tried before to get back in the groove. I discovered a new group on Ravelry today called Hugs for Haiti that are knitting squares for blankets; while this is not something new, it has a purpose so I am going to start that tonight, trying a new stitch on the squares. I hope this gets me back in the groove, because I truly miss knitting, but I am just, blah. . .

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend planned!

1. The lesson I learned yesterday was always get a chair with a cushier seat when sitting in a meeting for 7 long hours.
2. Walmart, where friends and family meet.
3. All these years I thought I had oily skin, until I moved to Denver.
4. Silence descended on the room when I arrived.
5. The truth is sometimes hard, but always a good thing.
6. Sadness and despair is what I remember most from that day.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Mafia Wars, tomorrow my plans include cleaning and a massage, hopefully some knitting and Sunday, I want to I don’t know, I will be glad to get through tomorrow!

Blather

2010-01-14T13:01:00.001-07:00

Well I got most of the house straightened up; give a big Woohooo to me. I was tired, but it was a mess. DD2 gets to clean the carpets upstairs this weekend (isn’t she lucky.) I sat down to knit the other night and fell asleep. And since then I have not been able to sleep, I am up at 3 or 4 in the morning and cannot fall asleep at night. Being tired is not conducive to sitting still and knitting, because I can’t follow the recipe. I am whining today aren’t I? but it is a beautiful day in the neighborhood and the sun is out so I think I will go for a walk!

Have a great day!

Whooo

2010-01-09T17:54:00.003-07:00

The Christmas tree and all decoration are now down and put away. What a fun way top spend the day when we are having a heat wave :-)

Blather

2010-01-08T13:09:00.001-07:00

This morning when I left for work it was 8 freaking degrees outside, why, I ask you, should I have to go outside when it is that cold? I should have stayed home today, because I am not getting jack done at work, but the sun is out and we are having a heat wave of 31 degrees right this minute. I went outside to inhale the sun and it felt so good, I could have cried, it was better than a massage would have been at that moment. Lolol It’s amazing how our needs and desires change when the atmosphere around us changes, last night I was cold but still wanted a massage, but today the sun filled me up and made me happy. The only thing that could have made me happier was to be sitting on a beach, (which I am missing a lot).

I have decided that I am cleaning house tonight and tomorrow morning (and taking down the christmas tree finally) and then I am going to put a chick flick in the old blue ray player and knit, whether I want to or not. I figure eventually I will start having fun after watching the rows grow, with nice even stitches, maybe it will be like a narcotic???

BTW, did I tell you that the physical therapy thing is over with for a while? The doctor said the since the Empi (tens) and massage are controlling the pain, that the therapy is over. Oh and she also said that if the tingling gets worse, to call her lolol I said how bad should it be and she kind of laughed, but so did I. Wahooo, no more getting up earlier than I have to lol.

Have a great weekend!

1. There are places I remember. . . .
2. Open the windows and blow those clouds away.
3. Standing in the rain is fun and softens your hair.
4. Lion, and tigers and bears oh boy (or is it oh my?).
5. He went out tiger hunting and came back with a kitty cat.
6. Please help me keep my mind from wandering.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to cleaning, tomorrow my plans include cleaning and knitting (I am determined to get that knitting mojo back) and Sunday, I want to clean some more and do laundry!

Messiness

2010-01-07T18:33:00.000-07:00

Wahooo, DD2 is out of town for 3 days so I can wallow in the silence and not care about anything as long as the doors are locked and the animals fed. What I will get to do is clean the house; it is such a mess that a cleaner would not be able to clean until I spend 24 hours picking up our mess. How does a house get this messy with only two (supposedly) adults living in it?? It is a small house so why can’t we keep it neat? It’s messy not especially dirty, but the clutter is killing me. lololol I want to knit (trying to work on that old mojo thing) but the clutter is too bad to sit in. Isn’t this a sad story?

Kitchen is Closed and Waffle House

2010-01-04T16:11:00.003-07:00

I love to cook; in fact, it is my third favorite hobby after knitting and reading; however, I am soooo tired of cooking. You know, it’s kind of funny, when people know you love to do something, they let you do it all of the time, without thinking about it. It is like, “Oh she likes to cook, so she is having fun” but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing! I feel like I have been cooking constantly since Thanksgiving. lolol The kitchen is now closed! I am going through and throwing stuff out, putting away, cleaning, and then no one will get anything out of there unless they fix it and clean up behind it. :-)

DD1 and her boyfriend came here to visit since they could not get her for Christmas so we had a second Christmas. It was fun, and I love seeing her and the BF because they are great people to visit with. I always have a good time with them and it is fun to watch people change over time when you do not see them everyday. We had four cranky dogs in the house too, they could not decide who should sit where so there was a lot of growling.

DD2 and I found a Waffle House! We have not had their wonderful food for over a year and a half and I was seriously craving it. When we were at my last PT visit, she looked it up on her Blackberry and discovered how close it (there is only one here in Colorado) was to where we were and decided to stop. It was just as we remembered, delicious. mmmmmmm I will be going there every so often in the future. Waffle House seems to be a southern thing so we were very lucky to find one here and especially find one so close!

Happy New Year to Everyone!

2009-12-30T17:07:00.002-07:00

It is hard to believe that we have been in the 21st century for 10 years. I remember when everyone was running around trying to upgrade computers and stockpile food and water for when the “Y2K” disaster happened (that did not)lolol. I am going to have a laid back and stress free New Years Eve and I hope that all of you do also. My resolution for the year is to make no resolution, for either the year or the decade.

Happy New Year to everyone!

Blogs and Missing Mojo

2009-12-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

Do you ever wonder what people are thinking when you read comments on blogs? I have been reading a blog that is interesting, if a little outlandish about being frugal and living within your means. Nothing terribly outrageous, but it has the blog’s writer being attacked from a great number of people, and these people are making very mean and nasty comments that bother me. Maybe I am just a wimp about mean comments, but I just do not see the need, I wonder if any of those people heard the rule, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Many of those people should follow that rule.

My knitting mojo seems to have left me lately; all I want to do is play Mafia Wars on Facebook, which is a serious time drain. Does anyone have a suggestion for getting back into the groove??? I sure could use one.

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.

Blather

2009-10-27T21:10:00.001-06:00

I am still in Hot Springs AR; I will get a wonderful massage and facial tomorrow. Life is slow but enjoyable right now. I dread going back to work, as I will have to jump in with both feet; I am trying not to think about it but. . .

I completed the Silk Garden scarf (picture tomorrow if there is any sun) and will start a hat to match tonight, just cannot decide on the style, beret or beanie cap. I will probably decide by the amount of yarn, which makes sense. lolol I have also started another scarf and getting ready to cast on a pair of socks, when I find the double points I brought with me. I have not figured out how to use the magic loop yet, I keep getting confused, but how can it be so difficult for one person when so many others are able to use it? I think I have a thick head about some things. :-)

DD2 sent me a text message telling me that my cats miss me; she said they woke her up this morning and she was not the least bit happy about it. I told her she could close her bedroom door, but she is a wee bit cranky so she did not like that answer.

We start home on Thursday, and should be there on Saturday. See you in the funny papers!

A Quiz

2009-10-24T19:40:00.001-06:00

You Are Optimistic and Sweet

You're the type of person who wears a costume representing who you wish you were. You're likely to dress up as a historical figure or a super hero.

You think it's fun to dream and play a little. Halloween really brings out your lighter side.

Your favorite Halloween celebration is with your favorite people. You love to see what costumes your friends end up wearing.

You feel like you can learn a lot from what your friends choose to be this time of the year. It's how they really reveal themselves.

The Candy Apple Test

Blogthings: Take a Quiz. Annoy Your Friends.

Still On The Road and Friday Fillins

2009-10-23T21:30:00.004-06:00

See the picture below, this is where we spent Monday night, the largest truck stop in the world (as it is advertised). I have such aspirations, lololol (picture me with my tongue in my cheek). We met DD1 there so we could see her new apartment on Tuesday. Once we left her house we drove south heading towards Hot Springs AR to soak up the hot water, but on the way down, we found Lambert’s Café, the home of the thrown rolls. They throw fresh hot rolls at you and you have to catch them, they are good and there is waaay too much food served, but I would really rather they put my rolls on a plate and hand them to me.

We are now in Hot Springs, soaking up the hot water and doing nothing. I am knitting and reading and floating. The scarf I started with Noro Silk Garden is almost done and I am just about ready to start a matching hat, so I am accomplishing something with my vegging.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful autumn!

1. The crickets sing, _???__.

2. Thankfulness is good wherever you are in your life.

3. I want to get far away from the meeegrums.

4. I was on a tour of the world; this was a dream.

5. But as for me I will continue to be productive and try to help others.

6. Hiawatha, is where I come from

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to knitting, tomorrow my plans include soaking in the hot springs, reading and knitting, and Sunday, I want to veg some more!

On the Road Again. . .

2009-10-19T20:31:00.003-06:00

crazy-jokes.com/pictures/cartoons_454.shtml

Vacation Here I Come and Friday Fillins

2009-10-16T12:53:00.000-06:00

I am going on vacation, not because I necessarily want to but it is a sort of obligation, which is hard to explain. We are going to Hot Springs Arkansas and then I don’t know where. I will post where I can, but who knows how often that will be. I hope that my wrist will quite hurting while we are gone, I had to take Di’s leftover pain medicine (vicodin) last night because it is hurting so bad. I am not a crier, but this is making me cry, it hurts more now than ever.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and I will post when I can!

1. So are we going someplace fun?

2. Danger is what's up ahead.

3. I love to knit, veg, and eat chocolate.

4. _????____ of some sort.

5. I walk a little bit.

6. Love is the true elixir of life!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to getting ready to leave on a trip, tomorrow my plans include riding in a truck, knitting, and reading and Sunday, I want to soak in a hot tub!

Work Can Sometimes Suck

2009-10-14T17:51:00.001-06:00

This is not turning out to be such a fun week. Monday was great because we were off for Columbus Day, but it has gone downhill from there. We have been in conferences all week, which is not a horrible thing, but due to the nature of my work, I then have to go back to the office and work, while everyone else gets to go home. I think that sucks, but I guess I will survive and I am going on vacation next week so. . . The good thing is that I manage to get knitting into my day, I am working on a scarf out of Silk Garden and it is very comfy looking.
I am tired, sorry for the short post, but it is off to bed with me.

You Are Most at Home in the Bedroom

You're the type of person who finds sanctuary in your home. Your home is your private space.

While you may be a social person outside the home, it's very rare that you invite people into your home.

There's nothing like spending time alone in your bedroom - relaxing and reflecting about your day.

You truly treasure your time by yourself. You need to be able to recharge every so often in order to thrive.

What Room Are You Most At Home In?

Blogthings: If Quizzes Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Take Quizzes

Blather and Friday Fill Ins

2009-10-09T17:37:00.001-06:00

Can anyone tell me why I can get to Twitter from my work network but not Facebook, does that make sense to anyone? I can waste just as much time on Twitter as I can on Facebook so that cannot be the issue. Oh well, mine is not to reason why, mine is but to do or die. Lolol

This has been a really long week; I have been prepping reports for the department, and writing the memos that go with them, justifying any variances or out of whack issues. The reports sections are not difficult, I can manipulate the data easily, but writing the memos kills me. I like to write as I talk (as you can tell) and I cannot do that in memos to the department. I have to use “governmentese” which is not pretty or easy to understand in most cases.

DD1 has been in Illinois this week looking for an apartment, and it has been very funny. She has never had to relocate on her own before, so she has never searched for an apartment and evidently, there was not a lot to choose from. She did finally find one across the state line in Iowa, but she called me a gazillion times while she and her boyfriend were looking. She starts in a couple of weeks and the agency can move her at any time during her training, so the boyfriend will not be going at first and she will be all on her own.

I am so happy that this is a three-day weekend I could die! Have a great weekend!

1. Sweet dreams to you.
2. & 3 Silliness is imperative, especially for me.
4. I will not be home this Halloween.
5. Outstanding or not , I will knit.
6. A gooey, creamy chocolate bar is what I want right now!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to cleaning up, tomorrow my plans include cleaning, errands, etc. and Sunday, I want to veg!

Aging or Ageless?

2009-10-07T13:02:00.001-06:00

Did you ever notice how there is always something or someone around to remind you how old you are? Even when you don’t feel your age, something will hit you in the face and remind you. Age has never been a big thing with me, I have never felt that I was the age the calendar told me I was, I normally feel at least 10 years younger than I am and don’t think about my physical age. That is until I go the doctor. I have been searching for a doctor that I feel is competent and I am comfortable with since we moved to Colorado. I think I have finally found her, but. . . . The new patient paperwork I filled out asked how I was on my immunizations, and I haven’t even had a tetanus shot or anything else except for a flu shot since the 1980’s. I told her that I have a flu shot every year, but have not worried about anything else; therefore, we had this entire discussion regarding the immunizations and that I needed them, then she threw in the pneumonia shot. I asked her why I needed it, I said I had not had pneumonia since I was 15, and (you already know what she said don’t you) she said that since I was over 50 I should have one annually. I was a tad upset about that, because I just do not feel 50, or 50-something, or 53 (my calendar age). Here I am happily swinging through my day and get my toe stamped on with a giant 50 being dropped on it. Lololol It is a good thing I am not sensitive, but arbitrary lines irritate me, not just with age, but also with quotas, or limits of any kind. This was my rant for the day. :-)

I am still knitting, though the shot in the wrist yesterday made me want to rethink that. I have three different scarves going, plus three pairs of socks and a sweater. I have quit knitting for extensive periods of time, and I do the exercises, but I have been working 7 days a week so of course the stupid thing is not improving! DUUHH

I have decided I want a cape for fall and early spring, I have been freezing to death lately and I think a cape would handle that. Does anyone have suggestions about patterns???

BTW, it is supposed to snow here this weekend, tomorrow’s high is forecast at 42F.

Have a good day and be productive.

Time Off and Hoarding

2009-10-05T14:14:00.001-06:00

I started to read Julie and Julia, but there was something about it that I just could not get into, so I finally put it down and decided I was done. Then I read what Barb had to say about it and I realized that was the problem, it was depressing to me. Therefore, that goes in the stack to get rid of. I hate getting rid of books before I have finished them; in fact, books are a thing that I have to try very hard not to hoard. But that brings up another question, when does a collection become a hoard? At what point does my collection of whatever, become too much? How do I know when my fun collection becomes a problem? Any suggestions are welcome.

I enjoyed my whole 4 days off. I did not touch my computer and did not answer the phone. I slept when I wanted (which Lola really appreciated), ate when I wanted to, and showered (if and) when I wanted to (let me point out tho, I do have a delicate nose so the shower thing is always daily, just different times of the day sometimes.) I actually washed every pair of underwear I own (yes I was out of underwear) which has not happened for a while. I even sat my butt in a chair and used the sticks and strings for fun, not to meet a deadline or for someone else’s wants. Now tomorrow when I go to PT, they are going to ask why my wrist is swollen, lolol.

The weather has been cold here, poor Lola was very glad that I have been lying on my butt so she could stay warm. Have you ever noticed that a Chihuahua is usually cold?

I have to get back to work, but I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Happy New (Fiscal) Year!

2009-09-29T17:04:00.002-06:00

Yeah, the financial system is done, which means I am and the fiscal year is over!!!!! I am taking my lieu day and Friday off and doing only what I want to do! This year has been a drain but I completed what needed to be accomplished and survived it.

Whining and Friday Fillins

2009-09-25T18:12:00.002-06:00

I am tired, tired, tired. Work should be banned, I still have a few more days of over time to go and I will be done for a few days. Tonight I am going to go home, get a sandwich, go to bed, put on a bok on tape, and start a new something or other on the needles.

DD1 is moving to Illinois in October, she got a great job with the feds and she will be moving next month. She worked for 6 months with applications and resumes to get a federal job, and she found a good one. I am proud of her for persevering, though I know she got discouraged. I asked her if she needed help, but she says she does not, so. . . But since she is moving from GA to IL she needs winter stuff, (I don’t think she realizes how cold it gets there) that means scarves, hats, gloves, and socks for her. lolol

DD2 is sloooowly recovering, I don’t think she has ever been this ill, she is so miserable, she is sleeping a lot. She has missed an entire week of classes and I know that is going to make the next few week miserable for her.

I hope you have a good weekend!

1. One week ago the weather was much warmer than it is today.
2. I learned to tap dance when I was young (but sure cannot do it now).
3. Mama told me to always wear clean underwear (without holes).
4. ____???_____ you and me.
5. Take your time, life goes on.
6. And this too will pass!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to vegging, tomorrow my plans include working 12 hours and Sunday, I want to play but will be working!

Whiskers on Wednesday

2009-09-23T11:12:00.002-06:00

Okay, the Devil Cat, aka Onyx, is in deep doo doo. DD2 was in my room talking to me while I got dressed yesterday morning and that meant that the entire zoo was up there too. We looked around and Devil Cat was urinating on my pillow (and through the pillow, the comforter, all the sheets and the mattress pad)! I could not believe what I was seeing. And it wasn’t just a little, I-am-going-to-mark-my-territory type of pee, no, it was I-am-going-to-empty-my-bladder-on-mom’s-bed sort of pee. I am so mad at her I could spit, and she knows it. She is going to the vet to make sure she doesn’t have an UTI and then I am going to string her up by the tail (not literally, just in my dreams). GRRRRR The sad part is she was so cute the night before, she crawled up under the comforter, curled up, and went to sleep. Last night all cats were closed out of my bedroom!

It is still cold here (43F), but no snow last night, which is a good thing, but now they are predicting it for rush hour. Thank goodness, it isn’t cold enough to stick!

Weather

2009-09-22T20:28:00.002-06:00

Yeah, the first day of autumn is here.

The weather forecast for tonight is snow.

What’s wrong with this picture?

Blather

2009-09-21T17:09:00.001-06:00

It is cold here today, so whether I am ready or not, fall is here. Rainy and cold, 50 degrees at noon. And lucky DD2 has the flu; they told us at the doctor’s office that when they test for flu, they are no longer trying to differentiate between the regular flu and swine flu unless the patient ends up in the hospital. Evidently, the swine flu is so prevalent, they have given up. That is somewhat scary, with all the talk about the pandemic etc.

I finished the blanket, and it is cute, picture tomorrow when it is dry. I am working on a lacy one-row scarf that I started in June; it is lightweight so it doesn’t hurt to hold it and knit.

I have nothing else for now, working 7 days a week is a real drain on my brain (I am a poet who didn’t know it). lolol

Work, Work, Work, and Friday Fillins

2009-09-18T13:29:00.002-06:00

I am going to try not to whine today as I left all my cheese (some of it turning green) at home. The blanket from he!! is almost done, four more rows. I decided the arm would hurt anyway, so now I knit whenever I want, as long as it is not hurting. So I have start a pair of socks, a scarf, and I am getting to buy yarn, it has been so long since I have purchased any knitting related items, that I am not sure if I can remember how to do it. But I bet it comes back to me very quickly :-)
This is another weekend of working full time, it’s too bad I can’t get over time and have to settle for comp time. But looking at that in another way, the comp time is covering my physical therapy appointments (is that a silver lining?)

1. My car needs to be cleaned inside and out and waxed.
2. Nap time is coming up next.
3. Lately, things seem to be piling up.
4. My bed is one of my favorite 'hiding' places.
5. What happened to summer?
6. Knitting with a boo-boo is not impossible!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to knitting, tomorrow my plans include working and a massage and Sunday, I want to play, but will be working again!

Have a great weekend!

Whiskers on Wednesday

2009-09-15T18:30:00.007-06:00

My kitties, Jack and Onyx have been especially cuddly and clingy lately (I think it is because Di is not scaring them away from me). So Jack and Onyx have been fighting over who can sit on my feet while I work from home, once they argue about it, they normally both curl up on my feet and go to sleep until I disturb them. The really hate it when I take their picture when they are under my desk, as you can tell by the glare in the Devil Cats eyes.

Jill (DD2’s cat) checks on me at night (and wakes me up) but she is the funniest cat. Demands that I keep the water bowl in my room filled for her (she is the only one that uses it) and she will get pissy with me until I do.
Aren’t cats great!

This and That

2009-09-15T12:14:00.004-06:00

I am looking at my blog and seeing that it is still looking summery and beachy, while the weather outside is turning into fall. While I love the way the light looks in the fall, I am not ready for it this year, which is odd since it is normally my favorite season. I hate taking down the beach theme of the blog and changing to fall/winter, it seems like it should still be summer. I remember starting school after Labor Day in CA and it would still be 90 degrees outside, way too hot to put on school clothes and sit in a un-air conditioned classroom. I guess it is inevitable, summer turns to fall, and in different parts of the country (world) it changes earlier than others do. Or should I just blame it on El Nino??

Look at the cool knitting organizer I bought from thesweetcushion at Etsy. She was very responsive, gave me a choice of fabrics, and had it to me very quickly. I love it and it is a great way to organize circular needles, which I have a ton of. The size goes from 1 to 19 and the little pocket on top hold little gadgets. You will note of course that while it is hanging on the wall, it does not appear to have any needles in it; there are, but they are all in the bigger sizes and I could not get them all in the picture.
I am supposed to be working, but I know how long it has been since I made that last sad post. I have been knitting even though “they” say it is a bad thing. Nevertheless, I need the comfort knitting gives me (when I don’t have to work) I worked 7 days last week and it looks like I will this week, so I figure the knitting is not going to make much of a difference.
Have a great day!

Blather

2009-09-09T18:25:00.001-06:00

Thank you to everyone for your kind words, thoughts, and prayers. They have meant a lot and made a bad time a little better.

Sunday and Monday where horrible days, I only wanted to sleep, cry or eat; however, I needed something to do, so I started knitting. You know how I have been knitting a row or two every night for several weeks. Well, I knit as much as I wanted to and didn’t do any housework. I did not feel any better, but at least my fingers were working. Of course, when I got to physical therapy on Tuesday morning my entire arm was hurting, but at least I knew why.

It is amazing how attached I was to Di, I didn’t realize before how much we were together, even in the bathroom, she was where ever I was. Now I look up to talk to her (even though she couldn’t hear) and she is not there. On the weekends, I only got up in the mornings because she needed to go outside and have her medicine, now it feels as though there is no reason to rush down stairs. I feel like I have lost a limb, and I know this will pass, but it is hard to get used to. At least I can write this (almost) without crying, I couldn’t yesterday or the day before. I know she is no longer in pain and that she is much happier where she is, keeping her alive any longer would have been cruel and I am okay with that. I will always have her in my heart, whether she is in my bed keeping my toes warm or not.

I’m sorry, this did not start out to be a sappy post, sometimes I start writing and just keep writing. You should be very happy I just cut myself off.

Have a great evening and knit an extra row for me (as there is no knitting for me for a couple of weeks.)

Goodbye

2009-09-06T14:06:00.000-06:00

Well, the day finally came. . . We had to have Di put to sleep this morning and I think it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. We had her outside where she was smiling at us and wagging her tail like she was feeling chipper, we brought her back in for meds and food and she had a seizure. It was very sad. I can’t say anymore right now, it hurts too much.

Blather and Friday Fillins

2009-09-04T13:44:00.002-06:00

I am such a dumb ass sometimes. I have been going to physical therapy and wearing braces, etc for my sore arm for almost 2 months now, so to make it all better, I sat and rushed through that dishcloth the other day. Now, my arm is crying and when Di needed help last night I had a hard time picking her up. Sometimes she does this weird thing where her legs are splayed and she is stuck on the floor, unable to get up. If she were young, I would probably laugh and play with her about it, but since she is so old, she always looks like she is losing her dignity when it happens, it makes me cry.

Have you heard the big uproar over the President’s speech to schools? People are saying he will be spreading propaganda and such, but I don’t remember this kind of uproar when Bush did the same thing a few years ago. I must be missing something.

I am so fortunate; I get to work on Saturday. I used to work 60 to 70 hours a week at this time of year, and now I am only working only 50 to 60, but I hate it. Wow, I am full of complaints! I will go away now, so I cannot complain anymore. :-)

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

1. I feel blahhh.
2. Going to physical therapy is always fun, NOT.
3. Right now, I can hear these things: my fan, the AC, women talking, and my ear ringing.
4. _____?______ and I'm glad _____?______.
5. The last time I had a decent vacation was when I went to Hawaii.
6. I have to work this Labor day weekend.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to nothing, tomorrow my plans include work, knitting, and a picnic and Sunday, I want to knit and veg!

Rag Tag Knitters

2009-09-01T22:19:00.007-06:00

Go Rag Tag Knitters! Woooha.
I received the box Monday afternoon and it is now Tuesday evening and I am on my way to the post office to mail it out to the next person on the list. And I worked all day Monday and most of today at my real job. My box had yummy salt water taffy in it that I love, and some quilted coasters that Emily made and they are so cute, if you can see the pictures below. I also took a picture of the washcloth, but because of the pattern in the yarn, you can’t really see the pattern of the knitted fabric. It is a checkerboard design, very cute. I hope we can keep up the momentum!

Now I think I will go buy a bag of ice for my arm and wrist. lolol

A Rant

2009-08-31T11:07:00.001-06:00

Let me say I am sorry for this rant right up front, but it still needs to be said or I will go nuts (not a long trip). It is so ironic. Di is very sick and can go or be put to sleep at any time. However, the vet is afraid that Di is becoming addicted to her hydrocodone. . .

Now granted, she is taking a huge amount of them, she started at one a day last year and now she is at three, three times a day. Where is the freaking sense in this? The dog is more comfortable with the medicine, she actually wants to play for the first time in 3 months, but they are worried about her becoming addicted?!? I don’t think so. This is one of those things that makes me want to pull my hair out or slit my wrists (cyber wrist slitting). Come on, the dog is dying, nothing can be done for her but to make her comfortable so what the hell???
Sometimes I just don’t get it.

Pictures. . .

2009-08-29T16:04:00.006-06:00

A view from the loft of Jack and Onyx. Notice that they are laying on the baby blanket that I get to work on for 2 rows at a time. At least someone is enjoying it. Onyx did not appreciate me waking her. . .
Lola and Di enjoying the front yard and looking for something to bark at (Di is not gaining weight, that is fluid that we cannot keep off of her and it builds up in the belly) -

The tomatoes are about the only ones Di has not eaten off the vine-

I just got off work for the day so I am going to get a pedicure. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

This and That, Friday Fillins

2009-08-28T13:01:00.004-06:00

I realized last night that I had not posted all week, but I am just not feeling it for some reason. Not just blogging, but anything, I don’t know why, but there it is. DD1 left me a comment telling me I was not blogging enough for her to keep up, I just laughed but I should have asked her where her blog was (snicker). Have you noticed bloggers who have decided not to blog on a regular basis anymore? I have decided they are putting too much pressure on themselves by blogging every day. I mean, they are great to read, but who can do that every single day of the week; don’t get me wrong, I love opening Grace’s blog to see what she is talking about every day, but I don’t know how she is keeping that up. I cannot.

I forgot to mention the last Mean Girls Sock kit; it had a cool gadget in it that I have wanted for a while (I love gadgets). It is a stitch saver. I think they are very cool and I used it for the very first time the other night when I was doing my allotted row for the night; mine has cool little beads on it. I wish I had purchased it before, because it is great! These are made by 5elementknitr and if you want one you can go here.
1. He was a butthead of the nth dimension.

2. Bad weather is what I look forward to most this time of year.

3. My best friend gives me unconditional love.

4. If I want to win the lottery, I should buy a lottery ticket to be honest with you.

5. Appearances can be deceiving.

6. The last person I gave a hug to was Di.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sleep, tomorrow my plans include going out to breakfast with DD2 and her friend who is visiting from out of state, working and knitting 6 rows of anything and Sunday, I want to veg, but will be going to bunco!

Chatter and Friday Fillins

2009-08-21T11:44:00.004-06:00

Remember back here when I discussed furry cats and shaving them?? Well, I have decided it is easier to live with furry floors. We did shave Jack, but DD1 who is living in Georgia was the one who used to be in charge of shaving and was much better at it than DD2 and I, we did not get nearly as much hair off and we were very messy about it. Jack loves being without the hair, though he is not so fond of the process; he always gets more hugs, loves and pets once he is shaved because his fur is so thick and he has dandruff.

KnittySue recently had a contest that involved showing the contestants work space or table with all the paraphernalia that is kept in the area. It was fun to go and look at everyone’s work area, some of them had lotttttttts of stuff and it made me wonder how pets were kept out of the stuff. My cats are very nosy and if I leave anything out they will deliberately knock it on the floor and tear it up. Everyone else must have pets with better manners.

Guess What, I got to knit last night for 3 whole rows! Yeah!!!!! Project Runway started last night and I watched and knit. Maybe someday I will get to knit a whole project?!

1. I remember, I remember how to knit and when television was mostly black and white.
2. Dear Dear Daughters, I want you to know that you are both wonderful women.
3. Is that my pair of leggings on your legs!!???
4. I'm trying to resist the temptation of walking out the door of the office and deciding not to work for the next week.
5. I'm saving a hug just for you!
6. If I made a birthday list all of my pretend friends would definitely be on it!!!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to working late and then vegging, tomorrow my plans include working, and doing 4 rows of knitting and Sunday, I want to veg, but will be preparing the house for company!

Blather

2009-08-18T14:46:00.003-06:00

We just had our second hailstorm in less than 24 hours, and it is positively cool (70) outside. I am sitting under the sky light in the loft watching the hail hit the window (glass, plastic, Plexiglas??) wondering how hard the hail has to be before it breaks the window. It feels like we are heading into autumn already, that does not bode well for the winter. Everyone seems to be suffering from the heat right now, but us. I guess I will send you all some of our snow come October. :-)

I listen to recorded books a lot, and I have a subscription to Audible, where I can download books and listen from the computer or I-Pod. I love this as it keeps me entertained when I could possibly be bored with sitting still and I am not stuck watching mind numbing television. I am perturbed that I downloaded “Born in Ice” by Nora Roberts; her books are entertaining and easy to listen to when doing other things. The reader/narrator sucks big time! You cannot tell what character is speaking, as he never changes his voice. I am going to complain; even though it is the first time I have been disappointed with anything from Audible.

I feel like I have become a boring blogger since I cannot knit, it is very irritating. . .

Have a good day (or what's left of it)

More Blather

2009-08-17T17:41:00.001-06:00

When I want to visit my favorite blogs, I normally link to them from my blog, but lately when I use my back button to return to my blog nothing happens. It is like the blog I am visiting is holding me captive and can be frustrating. The weirdest part of this is that it is happening on all 4 of the computers I use (2 personal and 2 work). The OS on one of them is VISTA, but all the others are Windows XP, and the laptop with VISTA has the newest version of Exlorerer, but all the other have the older version (I am not especially fond of the IE 7). I wonder what is causing this. . .

I was able to knit for two whole rows last night, it was very cool! It was my reward for with dealing with stupid on Saturday. You know I am working Saturdays now, until October 1, but it seems like some of the users I support don’t bring their brains with them to work on Saturday.

We are still trying to decide where to go for the week of Thanksgiving, but since it will only be the two of us, we decided to go away and have fun instead of trying to downsize turkey and mash potatoes for 2. Any suggestions?

Blather

2009-08-15T12:38:00.005-06:00

I am in a much better mood today, even though it has rained already today and I am working. It is much nicer to work from home than going into the office, at the office I have to wear clothes and when working from home I can work in a T-shirt and undies, much more comfortable.

I go into the Wee Tiny Sock club for autumn, very cool. There were only 8 spots left when I got in. I wonder how the knitting will go?????I have noticed my arm is feeling better, but now the back of my hand is hurting, the therapist says it is compensating for not using my thumb as much and too much work. Well, unfortunately, work is a necessity in my life (how about you?) so that will continue and I guess as long as it is hurting I know I am alive. :-)

Have a great day!

2009-08-14T14:57:00.001-06:00

This is a gloomy day here (and I think my mood is matching the weather), I cannot figure out why we have had such a gray summer. I am so tired of work, and we are only at the beginning of the hump season at work. I am planning a vacation for the week of Thanksgiving. Anyone have any suggestions on where to go?? I would love to check out Galveston, but I don’t know if it ever recovered from the hurricane that wiped them out. Maybe I should just go to Key West and forget anywhere else? That’s sad, I can’t even figure out where I want to go . . . I would truly love to go to Greece, but, I must be realistic, I guess. :-)

Have a great weekend!

1. When will the sun shine again?
2. I cannot remember what the last good book I read or movie I saw or tv show I watched.
3. Everything has its beauty but dawn has a beauty all its own.4. Pizza is what I had for dinner.
5. I'd like your input on how to knit faster.
6. The beach (Key West) is where I want to be right now.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to work, tomorrow my plans include more work and Sunday, I want to veg!

Dogs on Thursday

2009-08-13T16:01:00.001-06:00

And now for another sad version of Dogs on Thursday, with a funny. Di is not doing well, DD2 took her to her vet appointment today, and we are now injecting furosemide into her. We are trying this for 4 days, and then she goes back on the pills. There is nothing more than can be done, there is one treatment they can try, however they do not think it will work and it is verrry expensive. The vet she saw today told my daughter that once a Dalmatian develops heart issues, they are normally very resistant to any of the medications that are available. We still have to trick into giving her the huge number of pills she takes every day, but she is very sly. Last night I was giving Lola her hormone, and Di told me she wanted some, so I got her a spoon of peanut butter, before she would take though, she sniffed the spoon to make sure there were not any pills in it. Lolol

She has discovered that the tomatoes bushes are good things, I put her outside the other night and she walked to each bush to eat the tomatoes, and she is very picky, she normally will only take the ripe ones. Needless to say, DD2 and I are not seeing many of the wonderful vine ripened tomatoes.

I am a team captain for Dish Rag Tag, and I cannot wait to get started. I always have a good time with that. We are trying to think up a team name now, and I am so bad at that. I wish I were more imaginative and original.

Have a great day!

Yuck . . .

2009-08-12T12:31:00.002-06:00

I am in such a horrible mood I cannot stand myself. I think I need to knit more. . .
The fur floating around on the floors of my house is killing me. If I clean the floor this morning (which isn’t going to happen), they are covered in hair by evening. DD2 vacuumed the furniture in the living room yesterday and it looks almost like new. So tonight, I think we are shaving the cats; hopefully they will look like this in the morning-

But I think they will get more of their heads and paws shaved if we can.

Notice

2009-08-08T11:33:00.001-06:00

Have you ever noticed how people who are in their late twenties and thirties complain about aging and worry about birthdays? Have you ever noticed that when you get into your fifties aging is not as big of deal as living and a birthday is a celebration of life?

Just saying. . .

Baaah

2009-08-07T14:19:00.003-06:00

I wish I was at Sock Summit. . . .
1. Enjoying the sun is my favorite summertime activity.
2. My favorite John Hughes movies is the Breakfast Club.
3. Di’s snout is something I love to touch.
4. The full moon makes me want to howl!
5. I need to take a nap right now.
6. When daylight fades I sometimes get a creepy feeling.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to working (it is that time of year again), tomorrow my plans include more work and Sunday, I want to do nothing!

Dogs on Thursday, Blather

2009-08-06T21:24:00.001-06:00

Since today is Thursday, that means I have to discuss my gluttonous bitch Di. She has started refusing to take her medicine! This is not a good thing as she needs it to be able to breathe, she takes 8 pills in the morning, 4 in the afternoon, and 6 at night; she used to take them right off the spoon as long as there was peanut butter around it and she acted like it was a treat. Now when she sees me at the medicine cabinet, she turns and slinks away to either go upstairs and hide or into DD2’s bedroom where I try not to go. We have tried everything, hiding it in her food, shoving it down her throat, using pill pockets (this one is expensive and she takes way too many pills for it to work and it did not fool her one pit) and even tried getting her to chew up the chewables. I have had to resort to McDonald’s a place I rarely go. I can mix the chewables in with her food and she eats so fast that she doesn’t realize she is eating them, and that takes care of three of her pills. The rest I hide in a piece of the plain old Micky D’s hamburger and she will take that. Before you say anything, I know that this is not a healthy diet for her, but at this point we are trying to make her comfortable so she can breathe, and she is also on Pepcid AC to calm her stomach so getting the meds into her are more important than her diet. The problem with this is that we have had to change her feeding schedule all around so she eats when she needs her meds, and we have to cut way down on the food so she will gobble it up (not that that has ever been much of a problem, hence the nickname gluttonous bitch or GB). My daughters are both say that she is telling me that it is time, but I do not think so yet, but. . .

I had to go for more PT today and when we were through, she told me to be a couch potato with an ice pack for the rest of the day. I told her that sitting on the couch means knitting and she laughed at me and said no knitting. This is killing me. And of course, I received my new yarn from the Mean Girls Yarn club today and my fingers are itching. Do you think that winding the yarn in prep for knitting will qualify as using the arm???

Have a great day and forgive the major typos, the nasty thumb brace sucks!

Arm, Help, WOW

2009-08-04T22:48:00.002-06:00

I finally did it! I made a doctor’s appointment for my arm and kept it. lolol I hate going to the doctor, I always feel like I am whining about something, and know there is someone worse off than me. The orthopedic office I went to is one that cares for a lot of the sports stars in the area, so I was a little intimidated; but they were great! I saw the doctor, she manipulated my hand and arm, I has x-rays, and started physical therapy all in the same visit, how cool is that?? BTW, have any of you had x-rays recently? The system this office uses is digital and they post to the dr’s computer immediately with no films being involved at all; it was a great process to watch (I haven’t had x-rays since 1995 so it was all new to me.)

Anyway, after all of the pushing and prodding, my arm hurts, but they think I have tendonitis in my wrist and elbow that is aggravating the carpal (as if it weren’t aggravating enough); this means I have to go to physical therapy two mornings a week for the next three weeks. Then at that point the doctor will re-evaluate the whole mess. But I am also supposed to rest my arm and thumb as much as possible, which I do not see happening at this time of year (end of the federal fiscal year) since I start working Saturdays this week. And I was knitting in the office while I was waiting on the doctor, she just laughed, and said to stop knitting for a few weeks.

Help please
I need to get some stitch markers to have on hand for some swaps I am in. Can anyone recommend a good Etsy shop for them?? I hate doing the search thing, yes I know I am lazy, but I also like using other people's recommendations for shopping on line.

Here is a picture of my Devil Cat helping me play cards with DD2. Isn’t her glare loverly?

Dish Rag Tag

2009-08-03T11:19:00.005-06:00

Sign ups started Saturday for the Son of Dish Rag Tag race, I am so excited, this is a lot of fun. It is like a relay race, but as each knitter gets the box in the mail, they make a dishrag according to the pattern in the box, using the yarn in the box. When it is completed they mail it to the next person on the team and include another ball of cotton yarn and a goodie of some sort (stitch markers, a candy bar, one of those “what size is my needle” thingys) along with the pattern and mail it to the next person on the team. We had a lot of fun doing it last year, so I am looking forward to it this year. Go here to read about it and to enter.

Wooohoo the weather has warmed up to 90, the sum is out and it is gorgeous. I wish I could go outside and enjoy it; however, for the sake of my ears, I think I will stay inside. Isn’t it weird that my ears hurt when my allergies start acting up?

Di has started refusing to take her pills, I have finally decided it is not worth torturing her to get them down her throat. I don't know why she started this, unless she wants to torture me and cough all night. :-)

Gluttonous Bitch

2009-08-01T21:28:00.000-06:00

My Di, with all of her medical problems, is a gluttonous bitch. We have a gate on our kitchen (anchored into the wall) that is closed every time we leave the area, or the house. We do this because she and Jack (the male cat) used to work in tandem to open the pantry and get out treats for themselves. We would come home and find the pantry empty and very sick animals. One time she ate several huge Hershey candy bars and we ran her to the vet, they wanted to keep her on an IV for the day, and I was fine with that, but they called me back to come and pick her up within an hour as she was so upset and it was making her heart murmur worse. They said she is better off throwing up at home with me, than be panicked because I am not there. Anyway, that explains why we have a gate on our kitchen, such a fine fashion statement.

We left to go get a pedicure Thursday afternoon, and DD2 had just woken up, I don’t think she was thinking really clearly.:-). I watched her close the gate and heard the latch click, but.. . .

When we got home from the pedicure and errands a couple of hours later, she was sitting by the backdoor (when Di is sitting at the back door when we come home, we know she has been verrry baaaad) and the gate was hanging open. Things looked fine; there was a graham cracker box on the floor from the recycling bin, and a plastic container that we thought held cookies.

Di started vomiting about two or three hours later. She vomited downstairs, on the main level, upstairs, and outside. She was so sick, all she did was lie in my bed and moan and fart (hellacious farts). As we were cleaning up the sick, we realized that the gluttonous bitch ate 7 large muffins, 3 blueberry and 4 cranberry orange. This was after she ate her entire dinner. At first I felt sorry for her, thinking it was part of her heart condition and once I realized what she had done, I was furious, but the poor thing was sooooo sick, what could I do?? So we continued to clean up sick through the next day and it was verrry obnoxious!

Yes, I love my dog, even if she is a glutton! And poor DD2 gets to clean the carpet this week. lolol

Weird Weather

2009-07-30T08:40:00.001-06:00

The weather here has been so weird. Last week it was so hot, the AC could not keep up and this week it is so cool and wet that the AC wouldn’t be needed if it weren’t for me freakin’ allergies. It has rained every day since Saturday so the mold is growing (yes in the desert) and allergens are high. Today’s high is supposed to be 68, like I said, weird.

I did get to knit last knit. I was watching TV and not paying attention so I ended up knitting through two TV shows. It was great! And so was the ice I used before I went to bed. lolol

Grown Women

2009-07-28T10:43:00.001-06:00

I think I should follow up on yesterday’s serious/sad post with a goofy one about my grown daughters. In fact, when DD1 read yesterday’s post this incident is what she thought I was talking about. One night about 3 years ago, both of them were doing some serious PMSing and were so cranky I was ready to hide in my bedroom. So of course, they got into an argument (about which neither DD2 nor I can remember), and continued until it escalated into a huge fight. The next thing I knew both of my grown women daughters were fist fighting in the hall way, and while you are picturing this, remember that they are both 5’6” tall and that I am 5’1/2”. My mouth dropped open and I was so angry furious I was shaking. Since my screaming didn’t stop it, I waded into the middle of them, grabbed them both by the hair and knocked their heads together a couple of times (and into the wall for good measure, I couldn’t get enough leverage so I was frustrated). It was the funniest thing, I was shocked that I did it and so was my husband. Of course if we had not been standing on a bamboo floor, a pitcher of cold water would have worked better.

No knitting last night, the silly wrist is not in the mood. :-)

Meanness Makes me Sad

2009-07-27T13:24:00.000-06:00

You know, sometimes thing occur that just bother me to no end, they stick in my mind and I cannot forget. I try to ignore it but the weirdness/unfairness/craziness/strangeness/ meanness (take your pick) just drives me nuts until I have say something to someone or I feel like I will burst. You can probably tell what I am writing about just by the adjectives, the thing that Yarn Harlot wrote about on Sunday. I have read both blogs for a long time, and enjoyed them both, one because it made me laugh out loud and I worried about the person, and Yarn Harlot, because it was chatty and fun, almost like listening to someone speaking to me.

I cannot understand how someone can take something, blow it all out of proportion, and threaten others with harm because what was said was not to her liking. If I read something I do not like. I don’t go back to that site, but I don’t remember ever threatening anyone (except for my daughters when they were out of control).

I guess I have said enough, it just makes me sad. . .

Blather, Knitting and a Contest

2009-07-26T14:43:00.006-06:00

You know the pool I told you about, the little one that keeps us cool in the heat of the day? This is a picutre of it without us in it, of course, because it has been cloudy and rainy for most of the weekend. As you can plainly see, once we are in there on the little floaties, there is not much movement unless we knock each other off the floaties. (And I love to do that, as long as all books are out of the way!) The only benefit of all the rain is that I did not have to water the garden, and I was able to get tomato cages on the poor plants that were beat up the other night in the hailstorm.

We went and got massages on Saturday, mine was purely therapeutic, lolol. The masseuse worked on my arm for a good portion of the hour, and then at the end she said it was time to go to the doctor and quit whimping out. I have finally agreed and will make an appointment first think Monday morning (and refuse to change it again). But I have started sleeping in the braces I have had for a zillion years and hate.

And finally, here is a picture of the endless baby blanket. Its not really endless, but working a few rows at a time make it seem that way. Contest
Marissa at Living and Knitting on a Maine Island; Welcome to Frenchboro, is having a wonderful contest. She is working wit a partner and they are giving away wonderful yarn and/or a gift card. Go here to enter and please tell her I sent you.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Blather and Friday Fill-ins

2009-07-24T11:41:00.006-06:00

Yesterday was my lieu day and it was wonderful, exactly how a lieu day should be. Di woke me up at 7 to go out (this was not the best part of the day) so I fed and medicated her and fed the cats and went back to bed. :-) My daughter woke me up mucho later and we went out to the pool to read, float and enjoy the sun. While we were in the back yard, I also played in the garden and cooled off in the pool, then played in the garden some more. I doubt I will get any peppers this year; the storm the other night really did a job on them. I sprayed everything with Sevin, watered, pulled weeds and crossed my fingers that they would at least give me one more pepper. When DD2 had had enough sun (she does not do well in the sun) we went in, showered and went out for a cheap meal (2 for 1 coupon) and when shopping for a few things (soaker hose, tomato cages, and a reciprocating saw). Then I was finally able to knit while we watched TV (I am going to finish that blanket if it kills me lolol). What a relaxing day!

Yesterday made up for this morning, I am verrry cranky and I hate it when I feel like this. Di woke me up at 4am so she could go outside and of course I could not go back to sleep. I feel so sorry for her because she is on so many water pills (3 different kinds several times a day) that I cannot ignore her. I know that if she wakes me up at that hour she has to go, now! I am not even sure if tiredness is the reason for my crankiness, maybe it is just out of whack hormones. OR maybe I am just a moody bitch. GRRRRR

1. Frogging is not the end of the world.

2. Sitting here, listening to the sound of rain falling, I want to get back into my bed with my dog and a book.

3. Nutella tastes so good!

4. Sometimes, putting others first is just the thing to do.

5. Dawn is breathtaking, really.

6. Well, maybe there is a reason for everything(?).

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to bunco, tomorrow my plans include floating, playing in the garden, and knitting and Sunday, I want to do it all again!

Whiskers on Wednesday

2009-07-22T21:00:00.005-06:00

Today is WOW so I have to tell you about my silly cats. All three of them have been house cats forever, but we have been using our deck a lot since the weather has warmed up. We like to go out there to play cards, eat, and chat; we've been leaving the door open so all of the animals will come out with us, the deck is on the second floor so it is quite high and we do not have to worry about the cats wandering off. Jill and Onyx are loving this, in fact, we have a hard time getting Jill (she is the solid gray or Russian blue, depending on who you ask) back in the house. Sometimes we close the door and wait for her to ask to come in. The other night, I told DD2 to make sure that Jill was in the house before she went to bed, and DD2 being her normal self, ignored me as it did not have anything to do with that silly computer game, W0W. The next morning when I got up, poor Jill was sitting at the window screaming to come in, and her face kind of looked like the picture. I have never seen anything funnier, the poor kitty was so upset. We let her in, cuddled her, fed her, and she was very happy! However the part I find the funniest is that the next night when we went out, she was right there with us, rolling around in the deck chair, soaking up the air. How many humans do you know would have gone out there again?

Have a great evening!

Blather

2009-07-21T20:10:00.007-06:00

Isn’t it a wonderful day?! The sun is shining, everyone here is up and moving (and able to get around with no assistance) and today is my telecommute day. I love it when all the points in the universe come together to make for a wonderful day. It tickles my happy spot!

We had a horrible storm here last night, hail, tornado warnings, etc. I was not sure how strong the sky lights in my living room and bathroom are until I woke up to all the hail. We ended up in the basement for a while and the cats were terrified, poor Di couldn’t hear it and couldn’t figure out why we were out of bed. It was funny, in a sad sort of way. I thought that the hail would damage the tomatoes, but they seem to be doing okay, if a little bent this morning, one of them is turning yellow and on its way to red. I can’t wait for a tomato sandwich, with worthless white bread and mayo! We do have a mess in the backyard to clean up, trees limbs and leaves and such, but that will only take a little while since the yard is so tiny.

Remember this repurposed drying rack? It is doing a great job of keeping everything up :-)

I have been working on the baby blanket, I would really like to have it done before the baby is born, but it seems to take forever to go back and forth on it. And of course I am trying to limit the time I work on it, except for Sunday when I didn’t feel like doing anything, so I knit back and forth, and back and forth, and back and forth. . . It will just give me a reason to go get a massage on my lieu day.

Have a great day!

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

2009-07-16T10:35:00.003-06:00

We went to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on Tuesday night, the movie started at 12:01 and we got there at 10:45pm. The line was not bad when we got there, but I think it was almost a mile long when they finally let us in the theater. There were families there, teenagers, adults, people from all walks of life got in line and some were mad/dressed up and some weren’t (I was not). The theater we went to has 12 theaters, all 12 of them were playing the same movie, and all 12 of them were sold out. The silly part is they only had one concession stand open out of 4, and the AC was not set low enough for all those people, lololol. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the movie, so did DD2, but she said the fight scenes were not as dramatic as the book, so, what are ya gonna do? The book and the movie can never be an exact match (except for the Godfather). Let me know what you think after you see it. We got home at 3am and fell into bed, of course, I was late for work, but then I made up for it at the other end of the day.

I will have pictures tomorrow of all my tomatoes and my wimpy little knitting, but until then, have a great day!

Blather

2009-07-13T10:45:00.001-06:00

I just re-read my last post and realized that it sounded like the Grinch wrote it. He did not and I did not mean for it to sound so grinchy. I love my Di, and as long as the vets can help her have a comfortable life, I will do what I can to give it to her.

It has been very humid here, yes in the desert it is humid this year; it feels like Georgia, which really sucks. We did get a small pool Saturday and set it up in the minuscule backyard, there is enough room for us to both lay cross wise and stay cool, so it is wonderful! I was going to take a picture, but DD2 was in it and did not think a picture of her in our little pool was appropriate for posting lolol.

On the garden front, the tomato plants are doing very well, blossoming and putting out little tomatoes all over the place. The pepper plants are not doing so well, I may need to give them a bath with Epsom’s salts next weekend if they do not perk up.

I did get to knit yesterday, my blankie is almost finished and I think it is looking great, it is amazing how long it takes to accomplish anything when you are limiting how long you can do it. I also re-read the Harry Potter book The Half Blood Prince in preparation for the movie, which comes out on the 15th. We are going to the midnight showing on Tuesday, won’t I be fun to be around the next morning?!

I hope everyone has a great day!

Blather and Friday Fill-ins

2009-07-10T13:58:00.006-06:00

It is hot here today, maybe because we have had such a mild spring (?). My poor air conditioner is working its heart out and still the upstairs is hot, unless you are sitting under a fan. I guess this is good for the tomatoes though. I think I am going to put up a blow-up pool in the backyard and submerge myself. lolol

I took Di to the cardiologist again yesterday, the place was a madhouse and her blood pressure spiked so she is now on another medicine. I am feeling very cash poor right now, I love my dog and I want her to be as healthy as can be, but the last two visits (a week apart) have come to over a $1000 and I still need to order her arthritis meds. As I said, I am feeling very cash poor. But she is a wonderful dog and companion, she is at my side no matter where I go and no matter how crappy she is feeling.

Here is the picture of the wonderful cake my friend made for the 4th. I just found out it was a recipe from the Barefoot Contessa, now wonder it was so good. I am still knitting one or two rows at a time, I skipped out on the doctor’s appointment and hope that massage will continue to control the pain as much a possible. I should have gone to my appointment and skipped Di’s lololol, as mine would have only been $20 thanks to my wonderful medical insurance, (I recommend insurance to everyone who has pets, you never know what will happen down the road.)

1. The last thing I ate was chicken and rice soup and crackers.

2. Doggy meds is something I recently bought.

3. When it rains, it sprinkles.

4. Di was the first person I talked to today.

5. Hugs are always welcome.

6. I turn the AC down low for extra comfort.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to trying to staying cool and knitting, tomorrow my plans include TAXES and Sunday, I want to play in the garden and knit!

Have a wonderful weekend!

WOW

2009-07-08T22:09:00.005-06:00

I love my cats, all they want is food, love, and someplace to cuddle up. :-)

Blather

2009-07-07T12:25:00.000-06:00

I noticed last night that since I have been sick and feeling cruddy, I haven’t been knitting, (or doing much of anything) and that leads to my arm not hurting. I wonder if that means I can cancel the neurology appointment, I have set up for tomorrow? I am on leave for the next three days, Wahooooo! I am supposed to have a lieu day every other week and I have not had one for a couple of months, so I hate wasting time off on appointments. Di has another cardiologist visit on Thursday, also, so there goes the old time off. Lolol

DD2 was accepted into the 12-month MBA program at UC Denver, so now she is doing the scramble for the money. It is a very expensive program, $10K more than the regular program. I personally can find a better way to spend that much money, but it is her decision, and she is the one who has to pay back the student loans, thank goodness!

I am going home soon and plan on knitting tonight since I do not feel like doing laundry, I wonder how much knitting it will take to make my wrist hurt. :-)

Have a wonderful day!

2009-07-06T14:00:00.002-06:00

Gee, Mondays are sometimes miserable, aren’t they? And I know that if I eliminated Monday from my week, there would be another day that was just as awful. I guess the alternative (not getting out of bed or breathing) is worse than the day has been so I will smile and pretend as if all of the people who have irritated me did not. Lololol

My daughters and I went to a barbecue at a friend’s house for the 4th of July. She had so much food I couldn’t believe it. In addition, she made a beautiful cake that was delish. However, the weather did not cooperate. I am normally hot, even in the winter I get hot, but Saturday afternoon was sooooo cold I needed a sweat suit to stay warm. Unfortunately, I did not have one with me, but I still enjoyed the company and the food.

Knitting has slowed to an almost stop due to illness and Di; she went to the cardiologist Thursday, and it wasn’t great. I am not depressed, but I am sad and sadness is okay, even if some people do not understand the difference.

Name two things you consider yourself to be very good at:
I am very good at my job, and I am very good at procrastinating :-)

Name two things you consider yourself to be bad at:
I am bad at expressing my feelings and I am bad at cleaning house.

Name one thing not many people know about you:
I am not sure what this might be, but I am guessing that many people do not know that I hate shopping and going to the mall. I prefer to do the shopping that must be done on the internet.