I am going!

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!

I am Back!

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!

Cake and Friday Fillins

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!

Diets and Mojo

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

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!

Blogs and Missing Mojo

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.

Dogs on Thursday!

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.

Actual Knitting Picture

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

Blather

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!

Still On The Road and Friday Fillins

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!

Work Can Sometimes Suck

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

Aging or Ageless?

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

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!

Blather

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

This and That

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

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.)

Rag Tag Knitters

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

Chatter and Friday Fillins

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!

Dish Rag Tag

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. :-)

Weird Weather

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