Elann and Friday Fillins

Have you seen the wonderful stuff being offered in March by Elann? I think I will be spending a great deal of money, hmmmm.



1. I'm ?, I'm ?, I ?.

2. Why do I have to work and not knit and play?

3. How does this life thingy work, anyway?

4. Every morning, I put clothes (of some sort) on my body.

5. I consider myself lucky because I can get out of bed everyday and am capable of breathing.

6. One day we’ll see if retirement is for me.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to vegging, tomorrow my plans include cleaning the house, going to the vet, and out to dinner and Sunday, I want to knit!

Work, Congress, and Contests

I have been so tired, that I plop in my chair when I get home from work, poor Di hasn’t had a walk in a couple of days. I worked 12 hours yesterday (all on the computer) and my eyes were a blur when I got home, I probably should not have driven, but needs must. This is supposed to be a very slow time of year for contracting, especially in the government as we are still working under a continuing resolution. Which brings me to another pet peeve- Why can’t congress pass the budget in a more timely manner? They manage to pass their pay raises and silly things, however a budget, any budget would be nice to have before 6 months into the year. I have decided that they need a punishment of some sort when they don’t have a budget ready for the new fiscal year, however since they pass the laws, I don’t imagine that happening. duhhh I have heard from a little mouse that we may not get one until August, and that will not be a good thing!Sorry about that, it really irritates me that they can spend a gazillion dollars for a stimulus package that may or may not work, but that can’t get a freakin’ budget in the works. Anyway, due to blurry eyes, knitting sits in my lap while I nap.

Everybody must be very tired of winter, because there are quite a few contests out there in blogger land.

Darcys Knotty Knitter is having one for yarn dots, which can be used in your knitting, on your crocs or where ever you can imagine. Very cool little thingies :-) There are 5 different ways to get entries and all are simple, go here to enter and please tell her I sent you.


Of course, if you hurry you can get into Aunt Kathy's month long contest here. It has been running for the entire month of February and only takes a comment to enter. Just go here to enter.

There is a contest on Love and Peas to tell Logan what you think is wrong or right with the sweater she has pictured there. Go here to enter and please tell her I sent you.

Finally, Knit Purl Girl is having a Webs giveaway; she is giving away a bag full of yarn, DPNs, and hand balm and the list goes on. There are several entries possible, so go here to enter and please tell her I sent you.

Chatter

So I was perusing the number of posts I did this month and notice that I have only posted 12 times out of 24. Not good. . . However, is it better to post to say I have nothing, or I don’t feel like typing or to just not post? Some people come up with great blog fodder every single day, but I just am not able to, though I envy those who do.

I have completed all of the knitting for the little medicine bags and they are stitched together. I just have to sew the buttons on and put notes in them and they will be ready to mail, I will post the pix tomorrow as I hope to have the buttons on tonight.

I completed two inches
on the traveling charity baby blanket, I should be able to finish it tonight or tomorrow night and mail it out to the next person on the list. I think once it is completed it will be very cute and make some baby very happy I just have to think up a gift for the rest of the knitters on the list. Any suggestions?

Today Does Not Suck!

Well, the carpet is clean and Di is feeling much better. I felt so so sorry for her, she was very sick and she was afraid she was going to get into trouble; Di is such a good dog. My daughter came home with a carpet cleaner Friday night and cleaned the entire mess. I tried doing the hand thing, but Di was having more incidents than I could keep up with (I quit counting after 30 spots). She finally started feeling better (and quit having “incidents”) Saturday morning. Now life can go on. lolololol

I received some great stuff in the mail Saturday; first, I received the Traveling Charity Blanket from the Whodunit group so I can add my four inches of knitting to it. I am using a pastel baby green (this blanket is all pastels another group is using primary colors) and I haven’t quite decided what type of stitch to use, though I am leaning towards a basket stitch. You can see in the picture how pretty Jane’s and Danielle’s portion is, so I have a ways to go to keep it as nice as theirs is. When the blanket has made the rounds, it will be donated to charity, I think there are 4 blankets going the rounds now, one is only crochet, 2 are knitted, and one is a combination. In the package there were also tea, chocolate and stitch markers. Isn't it fun to get good stuff? :-) Now I have to figure out something great to add to the package for the remaining knitters.

I also received
some yarn and a CD from Rita from a contest she held. The yarn is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes and it is a beautiful color, Hyacinth, it is gorgeous. The CD is a signed copy of the Last Train Home, Live at the Iota; I wasn’t sure how I would like it, but it is great. Thank you Rita!

I notice that my last few posts are a lot of grousing, I hate that. A friend told me it was simply my hormones acting my age (I will be 53 next month.) The funny thing is, this is the first year having a birthday is not depressing to me; it doesn’t bother me so why is it bothering my freaking hormones? I guess it is partially the Big M, (ya think?). I will try to keep the whining and grousing to a minimum in the future, I know it is not pleasant to read and it is not anyone else’s fault that I am having hormone issues.

I have been knitting, very little as Di need so much attention, but I am back to it today!

I hope you are having a great weekend!

Today Sucks

UPDATED 9:13pm
I am still cleaning up the mess, I cannot believe how sick she is this time (no, it is not the first time.) I think DD2 is going to spend the weekend cleaning all of the carpeting after SHE rents a carpet cleaner.
-----
Earlier
My wonderful daughter left the gate open to the kitchen when she left for work today (this is my lieu day) while I was getting my car worked on. This of course, means that Di (yes, the sick dog) helped herself to whatever she could get in the kitchen. She is very tall when she stands on her back legs,(which are full of arthritis so who thought she could?), so she happened to help herself to chocolate candy. It wasn't enough to poison her, but it has made her verrrrry sick all over all of the carpet. So far 17 spots are being worked on, and I am still going. It was bad enough that I had to spend $400 on getting a sick car repaired, now I get to spend the rest of my lieu day cleaning chocolate off of the carpet. Somedays it isn't worth getting out of bed. . . .

Blah

You Are "esc"

Some people might try to say that you're unreliable or flighty. But you can't help it. You're always finding yourself in sticky situations. You're willing to bail if things are looking bad. You are quite impatient. For you, having to escape every now in then is the price of taking risks. And you're not about to stop taking risks!

What Keyboard Key Are You?

I got this quiz from Grace, and now I realize why we all like these little quizzes. Not so much because they are correct, (cause I think this one is way wrong) but because they are entertaining and they are especially good when there is nothing to say. I am in a grrrrr mood, still knitting but a nasty person to be near, so I will stay in my little office and hope no one needs me for anything at work.

I hope you have a great day!

Nothing, Knitting, and Manic Monday

I am so proud of myself. . . NOT! I am such a slug! I actually did nothing on Friday night and Saturday, just like I wanted to. It was so cool, the animals and I just laid around; I read, watched TV and knitted a bit. I started the Agatha Christie book, And Then There Were None, (this book used to be 10 Little Indians, but I guess it wasn't PC enough) for the Whoduknit group. I read this book when I was a teenager (I have loved mysteries for ever) and because it was so long ago I couldn’t remember the whole thing, just the basic premise. It has been fun to pick up a book that I haven’t read for sooooo many years and I am enjoying it. BTW, I aced the class from last week, and learned a great deal, but it was still hard to sit through :-)

Sunday, I ran errands as we were running out of all pet food and toilet paper, both critical items in our house. The cats were most unhappy as we were out of canned cat food and they prefer that to dry. So, I gave them tuna, aren’t they spoiled?

Here is a picture of the little medicine bags I have so far, I have another one on the needles, they are good for doing nothing :-) I also found these little buttons and elephants at Michael’s to put in them. Now I have to finish the third one and find buttons for the front of the bags. I hope they make some kid happy. Remember, if you want to get involved you can go here.









Of all your favorite foods, which one would you find the most difficult to give up for the rest of your life? Any Mexican food or Pizza, they are my life blood, there is no way I could give up any of them.

Which month of the year do you thing best describes your personality? March, the windy month and the Ides of March.

If you could be a contestant on any game show, past or present, which show would you pick? I hate game shows, I can’t think of any show that I would want to be on.

No More Grousing and Friday Fillins

Guess what, I pulled out my knitting and he didn’t say a word. I was working on a small project and I am towards the back of the room and I continued to participate and take part in the discussions, so I was able to stay awake and ace yesterday’s test. Let’s hope it works again today and then I will have two little medicine bags completed and the class completed. Pictures tomorrow. . . And for all of my whining and belly aching, this guy has some great stories that he relates to the class. He told us a story about the Pony Express that was pretty cool. The government is not able to accept augmentation of its appropriations, so when a Pony express rider was killed while delivering the mail, locals would pick it up and complete the delivery and they would get paid for it. I am sure it was more interesting the way he told it but you get the picture. :-)



1. It seems like this has been a very long week!

2. Wipe your mouth when you're done, please? (I don’t know where this came from, it was the first thing I thought of)

3. If I thought you __?___ I'd __?___!
4. Knitting is what I think of most when I think of you.

5. To me, Valentine's Day means chocolate.

6. Prayer gives me strength.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to nothing, tomorrow my plans include more nothing and Sunday, I want to catch up from all of my nothingness!

Have a great day!

More Grousing

I am so tired I could sleep for a month, I will never stay awake today. I am pulling out my knitting no matter what. . .

Grousing

Doesn’t grousing sound so much better than whining? Because that’s really what I am doing. This week I have to take a class call “Federal Law Appropriations” and the class is just as interesting as it sounds. I have a hard time sitting still, and the instructor objects to students doing other things while he is talking, so that means no texting, no computer and no knitting. So I wiggle and I eat, neither is a good thing as they both bother my neighbor. I am not sure if I will last the week and if I do, I will have gained 10 pounds. lololol

It started snowing today, and it is very cold. I was sitting outside enjoying the outdoors (we were on a 10 minute break) when it started and I just sat there and enjoyed the scene. So wonderful to look at, but so bad to drive in.

I am knitting though. I started some little purses (medicine bages) for a kid’s camp. This camp caters to children who are suffering from cancer and their sibs. The project is to let the kids know that people care. I want to get three of them done to submit within the next month, the hardest part is going to be finding the charms to put in them. If you are interested in helping go here, I think Shelly is having a hard time gathering participants, so help will be appreciated.

Knitting Blather and Manic Monday

Well, the so-called Dr Who scarf is done. All of the ends are woven in, the fringe has been added, and it has been washed (that means there is no animal hair on it for 5 minutes). It is approximately 65 inches long without the fringe and 10 inches wide. My daughter seems to be happy with it and I have to admit, I like it to, even if it was a little boring to knit. Now I may make a hat of some sort to match.

I started the fingerless gloves from here, I just love them! I think DD1 will also like them. I am still working on her black scarf with the lace diamond chain, it may be another scarf, but at least the chain takes away some of the boredom.

BTW, Monica is having another decluttering/spring cleaning challenge. I think I am going to do it again, just because I should get rid of more stuff. Go here to enter.


What is your favorite candy? For some silly reason, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate is my favorite, even though I know we are supposed (and it is more sophisticated) to eat dark chocolate.
Name one thing that you'd want to receive as a gift for Valentine's Day. Nothing.
Can we truly love someone who loves another? For a while, then eventually the love runs out.

Friday Fillins and Blather

The weather is so great here, yesterday was my lieu day and I rode around with the windows down and my hair blowing into a giant knot. The sun was shining and it was wonderful! I cannot believe that I wore shorts in February. Of course, the weather is supposed to change again this weekend, so I am enjoying it while I can.

1. Please don't tell my daughter she was conceived in the Safeway parking lot. TMI lololol

2. Can you get out of bed in the morning?

3. The color red makes me want to dance!

4. I have a craving for pizza and chocolate.

5. If my life had a pause button, I'd pause it while I knit so I don’t feel guilty for not unpacking more boxes.

6. Eyes are the window to the soul.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to organizing the loft area some more, tomorrow my plans include unpacking more boxes, knitting and puttering and Sunday, I want to rest and knit!

Whiskers on Wednesday

My kitties are very helpful. Like these pictures that are so odd looking, this was Jack helping me with the camera, in one instance his nose was on the lens.

Onyx’s favorite cat toys are terry cloth potholders (that use to be my favorites). She will carry them all over the house, up the stairs down the stairs; anywhere she plans on going, so goes one of the potholders. One day I thought I was being smart and picked them up and put them in the clothes hamper so they could be washed. The Evil Leader of the Evil Three got them out of the hamper and carried them back into the living room. Last week she dropped one from the loft onto my head. I am still trying to figure out if she did it on purpose. . .

Too Many Blogs

You know, almost every time I read a blog, there is a link to another blog that is great also. I love reading them, but somehow the list of blogs that I like to read has gotten way out of control. Even if I do not read them every day (because sooo many people don’t post everyday) the time I spend reading blogs is seriously cutting into life. How do I pare the list down? I love most of the blogs on my list (and no, they are not just the ones listed here, I also have a list in my Google account documents). At this point, I could spend my entire day reading blogs and not getting anything done (and that is not good since I have a full time job). Please tell me how you decide which blogs to read and which ones to disregard.

On the knitting front, still working on DD2’s adapted Dr. Who scarf, we added another color to the mix last night, it is called mustard, but it is a pretty color and I like how it mixes with the other colors. Also working on the black scarf for DD1, and I am starting her fingerless mitts tonight or tomorrow.

Have a wonderful day!

Knitting and Manic Monday & Contests

I have gotten a few questions about the Dr. Who scarf, (I am now calling it the adapted Dr. Who Scarf since we made a few changes to the original.) I took my daughter to Michael’s and had her pick out 5 or 6 colors that she wanted in the scarf of Vanna’s Choice (DD2 uses the floor as a closet so there is no sense in putting a great deal of money into wonderful yarn that cannot be thrown in the washer and dryer.) I am finding the yarn to be easy to work with, and it isn’t tearing up my hands like most acrylics do, it’s not splitting and it is not snagging. I will definitely be using it again. DD2 selected red, navy, espresso, gray, and linen as the colors and they are mixing together nicely. Here is a picture of it so far, look at all the ends that are going to have to weave in, (but I enjoy weaving in the ends, I wonder why that is. I think this scarf is going to be a test of that). Anyway, she likes the way it is turning out, and that is all that counts.

I did accomplish most of the things I wanted to this weekend; I emptied 5 boxes and cleaned off the deck. I also made a run to Goodwill with the things I rid of for the month of January. One of my goals for the year was to get rid of 5 things every month and I made my goal for January. I got rid of another purse, a decorative throw that does not match my décor anymore, 3 books, extra hoses from CPAP machines, and a headband. I wish it was just as easy to lose weight as it is to lose junk.


What's the most embarrassing song on your iPod (or music collection)?
The Bus Songs by Toby Keith.

How much time do you spend each day in your commute? (Or if you don't work outside the house, how much time do you spend in your car or other preferred mode of transportation?)
10 minutes, is that cool or what! When I lived in Atlanta, my commute was 45 minuted to an hour and a half, so this is great.

What's your favorite wardrobe item and why?
Yoga pants, they are wonderful and verrry comfortable.

Contests
We have a few contests to enter. I think everyone is bored since the holidays so. . .

First, Jane at Grammiknits is having a contest for her 500th post celebrations. To enter go here and tell her what you do to combat cabin fever. Very easy and simple.

Aunt Kathy is also having a contest for the month; it runs through the 28th of Feb. All you have to do is go to her blog to enter a comment, and every day that you comment you get another entry.Very cool!

And finally, Wendy is having a contest to celebrate her etsy shop. She has handmade needles, felted bags, and wonderful crocheted items. Go here to enter and also check out the etsy shop.

Wow, I forgot about Grace’s contest (which is really dumb because she always has such great contests). She is having a Follow Me Contest, all you have to do is click on the Follow Me link and you will be registered for the contest. She is giving away a gorgeous shawl or the yarn for a different shawl. Go here to enter.

Please let everyone know that I sent you.