Tangles of the Yarn Princess

Long time - no blog post. But I'm still here.

2012-02-05T21:19:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's been a LONG time since I posted last. Little things like life and FaceBook got in the way. I still have crochet books to give away but still haven't reached the following to do that. (Understandable as I haven't posted in a while.) But I definitely will be doing the giveaways in the future.

It's been eventful here since last post. We had a couple deaths in the family. Hubbs and I both lost our mothers last year. His in June and mine in August. While his mother's death was fairly expected (she had Alzheimer's and was in a nursing home and going downhill rapidly), mine was very unexpected. We are still trying to deal with those.

Then we had to deal with major back surgery for Princess Junior to start off the new year. She is now recovering and we hope the surgery makes a big and positive difference for her.

I am still up to my neck in yarn. Current projects are making a replica of a blanket I saw online that someone had made. There is no pattern and they are in Europe and I can't get the exact yarns used but I'm doing my best and will have something close when done. I am also working on a blanket make from squares that a friend designed and I tested. I will post when she releases the pattern for sale. I've also been working on some other squares for her as well that, hopefully, will end up as a sampler blanket. Below are a few pictures of things I've done recently.

A Frog hat I made for a friend's son.

A HUGE blanket. Hubbs and I went to a local B&B and I finished it there and used the queen-sized bed to take a picture of it.

And a tiny blankie that I made for Princess Junior a while back. We took it with us to the hospital when she had her surgery.

And I have just signed up for a online sock class. Toe Up Socks with Karen Whooley over at Crochetville.org. I have tried and tried to make socks and am hoping that this will be the successful attempt! Wish me luck!

I will try to touch base every now and then. Please be patient with me.

Book Giveaway

2011-07-06T19:39:00.003-04:00

I had fully planned to have done the drawing for the first of the book giveaways by now. But I had originally said that the Deadline is June 29th or when we reach 25 commenters, whichever is later.. we still haven't reached that.

I'm going to stick by that.

Sooo... if you have visited but not followed and you want a chance to win one of these books (and I have actually added two more nice ones to the stack because I wasn't thinking) check the link here for How to follow.

Plus, tell your crocheting friends about the books and invite them to follow as well. And be sure to leave a comment on THIS post including your email. If your name is picked I will email you for mailing info.

Another project...FINISHED!!

2011-07-03T16:09:00.000-04:00

I ran across a knitting pattern that was for a child's sweater made with just two identical hexagons. I found a crocheted adaptation but I just went ahead and made hexagons and this is what I came up with. You can see the buttonholes but I haven't gotten buttons for it yet. That can be a project in itself.

So... and comments? Good or bad, either way. I'm hoping that it will fit the Princess! I put the buttonholes down a bit to help with the trach.

The only word associated with kidney should be beans. NOT stones!

2011-06-08T15:05:00.002-04:00

I really, really meant to have this posted sooner. I hadn't counted on issues like nurses getting sick and an attack of kidney stones.

Yeah... Kidney stones! I got 'em. If it was something I could have crocheted away they would have been long gone. Unfortunately yarn isn't a wonder drug so the pain doesn't go away with each stitch. (Although it does sort of dull it!)

We had an interesting weekend with a night nurse having to leave town on a family emergency, a new nurse stepping in and getting sick at 3:30 - 4 am, the princess's van not starting after a doctor's appointment (when we had to be somewhere else in 20-30 minutes!) a day nurse getting sick because of the heat and sending her home a bit early, my trip to the emergency clinic, no day nurse the next day, and a C-T scan. We thought we were going to be without a day nurse today as well but one of our regular subs was available so that shortage was avoided. YEA!

So, the blanket is finished. It reminds me of a Babette. I've named it Sawtooth Babette because of the edging.

Here it is!

And this is the edging.

I am very happy with the way it turned out.

Remember... if you want to be in the drawing for the chance to give the first of my duplicate books a new home go to THIS POST and comment, telling me what your favorite thing to crochet is and why. Deadline is June 29th or when we get at least 25 qualifying comments, whichever is later. Tell your friends.

Life gets in the way...

2011-06-03T22:56:00.000-04:00

I wanted to be posting the finished product now but that wasn't to be. I am instead posting an "in progress" shot and, hopefully will be posting the finished product tomorrow. I wasn't happy with the border so am re-doing it.

It started off to be a jacket but I didn't think it was going to work out that way so I changed direction and I like it much better now!

Easy ways to follow the Yarn Princess

2011-06-02T16:49:00.001-04:00

After several people asked me how to "follow" the blog I asked Dak to tell you all how...

The Yarn Princess asked me to put up some information about easy ways to follow this blog. News readers are some of the easiest modern Web technologies available, but they're really under utilized.

What's a news reader? Basically, it's software that checks Web sites for you and shows you the updates. If you have more than a half dozen blogs that you like to check, a news reader will greatly simplify the process.

There are dozens of news readers available, many (or maybe most) of them free. I use a Macintosh computer, and NetNewsWire is a free (as in ad-supported) reader that does the job. (There is a paid version that eliminates the ads.) You can subscribe to feeds via Outlook, although I don't find that as convenient (Microsoft has a "how to" for this).

If you don't already have a news reader, several are available as Web services, four of which are linked from any blog hosted on Blogger, which hosts the Yarn Princess. Look for the "Join the Realm" link in the right-hand navigation column. Google Reader (at the top of the list) is probably the easiest--if you already have a Google account, you already have a Google Reader account.

If you prefer to keep track of your blogs via a program on your own computer (my personal preference--as I said, I use NetNewsWire), then you can choose the fifth option on the drop down list ("Atom") to get the feed address, and then give that address to your reader software. Or you can just click the "RSS feed" button at the top of the blog.

Back to the Yarn Princess... Remember to go to this post if you want to enter first of many book giveaways. Follow and leave a comment. Remember, I need to be able to reach you if you win so include your e-mail address!

Any photography buffs???

2011-06-01T17:48:00.000-04:00

Kaelahbee, a Nashville area blogger that I read, is giving away an Instax 210 Wide camera this month! Cool... a wider format INSTANT camera!!! Yea!!!

I love reading her posts and I love, love, LOVE the pink hair!!! It is definitely her and she rocks it. Wish I could do that.
Check out her blog by clicking here.

Oops... Missed a project...

2011-06-01T15:36:00.001-04:00

I know that a couple posts ago I mentioned a project I was completing. Then I finished it and forgot to post the pictures.

This is what it looked like as a WIP.

This is what it looked like with the ruffled border.

I wasn't sure I would like it but I do! :) Hubbs is going to take a bigger picture for me in a bit.

Latest WIP finished!

2011-05-31T19:57:00.001-04:00

Here it is...

Here is the detail of the stripes...

I edged it with one row of sc and one of hdc. I almost feel like I need to do another solid afghan with buttons to go through the holes! :) It's an adaptation of an afghan I found in an old book.

Speaking of books. Dak helped me enter in quite a few crochet books into a really cool database we have. It's called Collectorz Books. (We also have Collectorz Movies for our DVD/Video collection.) They even use barcode readers to enter the information. Check them out here Collectorz if you want to keep track of your movies, books, music, comics, or games! They even have mobile apps that work in conjunction with the main programs. I now have all my movies and books on my android phone so won't have to guess if I have something or not.

While dealing with the books, leaflets and magazines, I found, not surprisingly, that I had some duplicates. 20+ duplicates!!! Books like Visual Quick Tips Crochet by Cecily Keim and Kim Werker, Stitch Collection Textured Crochet by Helen Jordan, Super Finishing Techniques for Crocheters by Betty Barnden, The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet by Margaret Hubert, and Lily Chin's Mosaic Magic by, who else, Lily Chin! I even have a duplicate of Kim Werker's Crocheted Gifts.

So... what to do with the extras. After some thinking I have come up with a plan. And I need some help with it.

I am going to give them away!

Not all at once, one at a time. :) So tell your crocheting friends to follow this blog. To be eligible you need to be a follower and need to post a comment to this post. To offer a new home to the first book - tell me what your favorite thing to crochet is and why.

I'd like a minimum of 25 commenters for each book drawing. I will put all names in a hat and all book titles in another hat and draw both together to see what book is going to what new home. Deadline is June 29th or when we reach 25 commenters, whichever is later..

I'm still here!

2011-05-22T14:53:00.009-04:00

May 21st came and went. As far as I know everyone I know and love is still here on earth. I'm not making fun of anyone who was anticipating a trip home yesterday.

I just believe that none of us knows when we will be leaving this party. NONE of us. People have tried predicting it but no one has managed to nail it yet.

So what was I doing while this was un-unfolding? I was crocheting! This is what I started on the 20th and finished on the 21st.

I also finished one of the blankets I have been working on... Yes, this is just a corner. Go to the previous post to see the body of the blanket. This finished it up.

One last project. I finished a shawl I recently started.

Now I'm finishing a pink gingham design, working on the ruffly border. Pictures of that soon!

Popping in to say hi...

2011-05-15T18:30:00.000-04:00

I know it's been a while. There just aren't enough hours in a day. Maybe I need to make a schedule for my day like I have for the Princess.

Anyway - I have finished a few projects... Some were just for me, some were pattern testing for a designer.

This was a SmoothFox test pattern. You can get the pattern here. Check out her other patterns as well!

Then there was this...

This was another SmoothFox pattern but not done as a test pattern. (I did that a while ago.) For this I just used two 200g balls of very soft variegated English yarn I bought at a yarn store on a road trip. I think I got within a couple rows of actually making it as big as it was designed. Pattern available here.

I really liked the way this one worked up so square and true. Again, another SmoothFox test pattern.

You will be able to get the pattern on SmoothFox's Ravelry site soon, I believe.

This was something I had started a while back.

I had already done the circles so all I had to do now was connect them all and put a simple border around it. Can you figure out the patterns in the circles???

And another one I just made up...

I connected the squares as I crocheted them so had a chart of where I wanted what color. Simple HDC border.

I can't remember if I posted this one or not. I did the basic blanket (HDCs I think) and then make some star appliqués out of Bernats fun glow-in-the-dark yarn. You can see what the difference is in the insets.

And this one technically is still a WIP. Over the last couple nights I have woven in all the loose ends (a job I H ATE!) and then connected all the squares. I want to put a ruffle border around it but I can't find the border books I have and haven't been able to find a ruffle pattern online that really grabs me yet.

What is funny about this one is that I was trying for just a random placement but after it was all done I saw that it wasn't so random. I have no idea how that happened!

I will try to post projects here as well as on my Ravelry account. Look me up there... I'm Mamagotyarn. If you go there you can see some other things that I have done (that may or may not have been posted here.)

What to say, what to say...

2011-02-23T15:16:00.002-05:00

As often is the case I thought of lots to share when I wasn't sitting here, my gaze darting back and forth between at the keys and the screen. Of course noting happens until I press said keys. And in order for that to happen my brain needs to be engaged as well.

My brain has been engaged, it's just that it has been fragmented in so many directions that things don't always get the attention they deserve. I hate that.

The changes I wrote about last have come and gone. First-born and her hubbs are now in the Seattle area. Both have jobs and are enjoying it up there. Chatty has moved out and on. Hopefully she is doing well and her plans are working out successfully. Skellyson and Gamer Boy both continue in school. And the Princess continues her royal reign in the house.

I have been trying to use up yarn odds and ends and have been working on what could be a rather large project. Granted it isn't only odds and ends. I actually had to buy yarn to supplement the colors I already had. Somehow that seems wrong. But that's what happens.

This is what it looks like so far...

It's about 4 feet long on the shortest sides. Of course since it's rectangular it is longer on the other sides. I'm still debating on how big to make it. We'll see how it ends up. For now I'm just adding to it... one row black, a row of solid, a row of variegated, another row of solid. Repeat. Maybe I'll keep working on it forever so I never have to weave in the ends. :)

I'm still here...

2011-02-23T14:22:00.000-05:00

Wow... has it really been that long since I wrote last? I am both amazed and embarrassed. I will try and do better from now on.

Honestly, there has been plenty to write about. The problem wasn't that, there have been plenty of things that happened that I could have written about. It was more thinking about doing it at the wrong time. When the computer was shutting down, when I wasn't home, middle of the night. That sort of thing.

Some happenings in the family have been that several kidlets are hitting the road and moving. First-born and her hubbs are moving to the Pacific Northwest. She has a job lined up that starts later next month and he is up there looking now. They will officially be moving in a couple weeks. Because of their move Skellyson has to move as well because he was staying with them and they aren't going to take him with them. From what he tells us, he will be moving in with a friend. Then Chatty is planning a move next week, just a few hours away but in a different state. This will be a permanent move for her so we hope her wings are dry enough and she is able to fly on her own.

That means we are (or soon will be) left with Gamer Boy and Princess Junior at home. There have been a few big happenings with them as well.

Gamer Boy started college in August! He is still a little undecided on a major but is now in his second semester and doing well. He surprised himself and managed a B average in his first semester! He also bought himself a car. Well, actually this is his second car. He bought a Subaru Outback (used) and even though it checked out with two separate mechanics (one at the car lot, the other the one we take all our cars to) who both came back with the same report, it died about 3-4 weeks after he bought it. Put it this way... There was a MAJOR problem that it looks like the previous owner tried to cover up with a temporary fix. And that fix blew on Gamer Boy. Right before Christmas we did a bit of car shopping and he found a 2009 Hyundai Sonata at a dealership and it still had a good bit of the factory warranty left on it. I think he did well.

I've been doing a lot of crocheting. I've dome some pattern testings of squares, scarves, blankets. And I've made a couple pairs of fingerless gloves for Gamer Boy and one for Dak. Actually they aren't fingerless - they are more like half-finger gloves.

And I have made hats. LOTS of hats... I don't know why except that they are small and can be take-along projects. I don't go anywhere without my yarn! (And if I do I am VERY uncomfortable.) Here are some pictures but I can't put them in chronological order correctly so I won't even try.

There was this...

It's sort of a banded/brimmed beret style.

Then this... Aviator style with earflaps. I can't remember exactly what the yarn was but it's very soft.

And this one has an open top so that you can wear your hair in a pony tail and it hangs out the back!

I may have posted this one previously... It's a cupcake!

Another ear flap style but with a really long top that was knotted and braided ties from the ear flaps.

This one was fun. A spiral.

A simple rounded top bucket hat with a scalloped edge.

I think I may have posted this one before.

This one combines floppy, swirl and a ruffly edge. It turned out a bit larger than expected.

Flat hat with tassles on the corners.

I love this one! It's a spiral then I highlighted the spiral!

And we have had SNOW! I would be more than happy to have more but I'm grateful for what we got. This was our street.

So... I will try and do better. I have some more pictures of some other projects I've worked on and some WIPS.

Getting the new Wheelchair... NOT!

2010-05-01T17:34:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was supposed to be the big day... and we were ready!!! But it wasn't to be...

This is what R rolled in when we went to get Princess Junior's new chair.

I thought it was a bad practical joke. I told R "No, that isn't what I ordered." but the tag has her name on it! Anyone who knows me knows that I do NOT like orange. And this was pretty close to UT orange so that made it worse. R checked the paperwork and... sure enough, it was supposed to be Pearl Pink. He called the supplier and they were all apologies and expedited arrangements have been made to replace the colored parts of the frame. Now R will have to take this one apart and rebuild it when the other parts get here. We are looking at about 2 weeks. So we canceled her seating clinic appointment on Monday and that is now rescheduled to AUGUST!

On a happier note... R was able to find another loaner that works better than the stroller we were given so we returned the wheelchair they loaned us and gave them the stroller to use as a loaner for other kids in need.

Short and sweet - shhhhhh... it's a surprise!

2010-04-26T12:10:00.004-04:00

Princess Junior has a birthday coming up. This is for her, so don't tell!

It's a Vicki Howell pattern (you can find it HERE) that I adapted to make bigger. I used a larger hook and 5 squares for the sizing. And I really, REALLY don't like doing the picot stitch because I have a hard time making them look good so I did a shell stitch around the edge. I think it turned out pretty nice. I'll post a picture of her in it after her birthday.

And talk about weird inspiration... I ordered a key fob (or two) on ETSY (From Sweet Irie, check them out!) It arrived a couple days ago. Anyway, they are very good about wrapping their merchandise for travel. When I opened the package it was tied in three strands of yarn that really hit me color-wise!

Ironically I had just seen a pattern that needed three colors. Hmmm... I see a trip to buy yarn coming soon in my future!

I forgot!

2010-03-01T12:08:00.002-05:00

A few days ago I helped Princess Junior post some news about her wheelchair on her blog and I should have posted something about it as well. Rather than repeat the whole thing you can go HERE and read it.

I've been working on some things... Here are a couple scarves I ran across this week. Made them a while back but not sure I showed them here.

This is actually a scarf so it's much longer than the picture shows. But you can see the detail here.

Then there is this...

Again, another scarf. As you can see, it looks really different when smoothed out and after you have worn it. Wearing it seems to make it curl up onto itself.

And yesterday I got some more of the new Stitch Nation Bamboo Ewe (a 55% bamboo/45% wool blend) yarn to finish up a rectangular granny blanket/afghan. This is the center, stray ends and all...

I'm so glad more Bamboo yarns and colors are coming out. I LOVE BAMBOO!!!! It's so soft to work with. We have Bamboo blend sheets on our bed and I wouldn't go back to the Egyptian Cotton we had before for anything. The bamboo is sooooo comfortable. You have to look carefully before you buy though. The prices can vary greatly! I saw them online for as much as $400 a set! No, thank you. We got ours at Target. They are about $75 a set (king) and then have them on sale every once in a while. I just wish that they had a greater variety of colors there.

Last is something I've just started last night. I only have one square done so far. It's out of Crochet Today's "All-time Best Blankets" and is called Sunny Spread. I've done it in a tweedy yarn I have. This is what a square looks like.

In the picture you can barely see the Front Post Stitches that form spokes, but they are there! It works up fairly quickly but I will probably just make enough for a small throw.

Let me lend you an arm, and an arm, and an arm, and an arm, and an arm...

2010-02-12T17:29:00.006-05:00

I made a new friend for Princess Junior. Her name is Olivia.

She was fun to make. I found the pattern online. The person who make it hadn't realized that the original pattern she had used those old darn pointy sticks for the arms. She adapted and did crocheted arms. I liked what she did but she didn't give instructions for that so since I couldn't reproduce her look (although I really tried!) I adapted as well and made these stuffed arms. Twelve stitch single crochet tubes. I made four arms just a bit longer than the others and then alternated them when sewing them on. And, yes, there ARE eight legs.

No news on the wheelchair. We hope that no news is good news. One of Princess Junior's nurses took some fabric I picked up and made an extension for the back of the stroller we were given. It will help greatly in making sure her head doesn't drop backwards over the top edge. Maybe we will hear something soon. :)

Oh... something we thought was hilarious. GamerBoy just got his license the first week of December. Now the state uses the list of who has a valid driver's license for lots of things. One of those things is to pull jurors for trials. Guess who just got done serving one week of jury duty! LOL... Yup... GamerBoy got summoned. I have never had to serve and have been driving for 33 years! I don't think Dak has either. GamerBoy just hit the jackpot right off the bat!

Don't get me wrong, I would have no problem serving. I have an aunt that used to work for a big city in Florida and I would go sit in on trials. Fun. Just have never been asked to serve. GamerBoy called on Sunday to verify and learned that he didn't have to go in Monday or Tuesday but had to call Tuesday evening to see about Wednesday. We did but after the questions and everything he was one of the ones excused, being told to call back Thursday evening to see about today. He did and had to go back again today for a different trial. But he was excused from that one as well and today he was sent home after questioning too, so his week is up. (Ironically, today was a theft case and he was asked if he had been the victim of a theft. He told them about Princess Junior's wheelchair being stolen so they didn't want him on that jury!) He should be getting a check in the mail soon. We hit the jackpot too... He brought home breakfast from McDonald's both mornings. :)

Thank you all!

2010-02-01T13:47:00.004-05:00

It is gratifying to see how one life can touch another. It is humbling to see how a tiny girl who can't speak or walk can touch perfect strangers. Thank you to all of the people we have heard from in the support groups we are a part of and because of the article in The Daily Times this past Saturday. We have received letters of encouragement and suggestions on looking for the missing chair. Thank you! There have been offers of wheelchairs to use for Princess Junior while we wait to see what will happen on getting her a new chair - some from out-of-state. Thank you! We have heard from a several people who may be able to help a new wheelchair happen if the insurance won't replace the stolen one. Thank you! And we have been gifted with a pediatric special needs stroller by a local family who's daughter no longer needed it. It will serve her better than the loaner we have that was made for a self-propelling child. Thank you! There have even been donations made to the ~~Room Addition~~ Room Addition/Wheelchair Fund. Thank you!

What else can we say??? Thank you just doesn't seem to really cover it but it's all I can come up with. Please know that you have made a difference to many people by your caring.

If someone missed the article drop me an e-mail.

Princess Junior in the paper!

2010-01-30T12:11:00.006-05:00

Princess Junior's day nurse stopped and picked up a copy of the local paper for us this morning. There was Princess Junior - sitting in a skybox on the front page. The actual article is over 3/4 of a page in the A section of the paper and there is a HUGE picture! WOW! If you want to read/see it, e-mail me.

Because of the wheelchair theft we have been forced to expand the fund-raising scope to cover whatever her need is. Right now, it's the wheelchair, if the insurance company won't cover it. If they do cover it then we will again focus on the room enlargement.

And we didn't get the projected amount of snow. BOO... HISS..... As a matter of fact we are heading out to run an errand in a bit as the roads seem to be doing ok.

LET IT SNOW!!!!!

2010-01-29T23:04:00.006-05:00

Ok. I'm a happy camper! It's SNOWING!!! And, depending on who you listen too, they are calling for anywhere from 2-4 to 6-12 inches. I'm sure you can tell what I'm rooting for. :) Right now I can hear the sleet hitting the windows. Gamer Boy came in here a few minutes ago with a 3-4 inch patch of snow in his hand to show me what it was looking like. Fluffy snow on the bottom and pebbles of sleet on the top.

Snow checklist:
Supplies and meds for Princess Junior? Check!
Milk, bread and all the other staples that people clean the store out of when the flakes start to fly? Check!
Movies to watch? Check!
Junk food including popcorn to got with above movies? Check!
Yarn and hooks? CHECK!!!

We may have jumped the gun on the junk food. Yesterday I sold some blood to buy a half a dozen cuppy cakes from a nearby cuppy cake emporium. (Kidding about the blood, but they definitely weren't cheap.) Since it was just Dak and Gamer Boy and I at home I cut each cuppy cake in three so we each got a taste of them all. I had gotten six different flavors so there was a variety. There was one that was a banana cuppy cake with peanut butter frosting... a chocolate cuppy cake with chocolate frosting... a yellow cuppy cake with raspberry filling and raspberry frosting.... ditto, but with lemon... a chocolate cuppy cake with peanut butter frosting ... and yellow cuppy cake with a creme filling and chocolate frosting. I'm still not real sure which was my fav, probably the lemon, but I'm not overly concerned about it because I don't think that place will become a regular stop on any of my travels. Now there are two other similar establishments in the area that I want to check out but again, I probably wont become a regular at any of them. Too rich for my blood in too many ways. What blood I have left, that is. {wink}

One thing the weather has already been impeding for a while is the delivery of our new shed. We started the delivery "process" about 3 weeks ago but the weather just won't cooperate and has forced rescheduling either here or at the builder's location at least thee times! They need to move it (taking up a lot of space) and we want, no, we need it here, but unfortunately the snow is going to delay it a while.

I have been woring on several WIPs, trying to get them finished. I did make Princess Junior and I somewhat matching hats for the cold. I'll try and post a picture tomorrow. I'm sure I'll be around the house. :)

No news on the wheelchair but the local news paper was out today and there is supposed to be a story in tomorrow's paper about Princess Junior.

Wheelchair update

2010-01-21T11:10:00.002-05:00

To compensate for the jerks there are some really good people out there. Several people we know through support groups offered us the use of wheelchairs to get Princess Junior through until we can straighten this out. I think at last count it was 5 chairs offered - Even from out-of-state! THANK YOU ALL!!!

But the original supplier has also offered a loaner. They are going to meet us at Princess Junior's Botox appointment tomorrow and bring it there. They will be working with the doctor to see what we need to put her in now. They are also going to file the police report and a letter from our car insurance company (saying that this isn't covered on the policy) with the order for a new chair. They say that sometimes insurance companies will pay for a new chair in these circumstances.

Dak talked to a colleague who teaches security issues on Tuesday... In turn he mentioned the scenario at his class that evening and got an interesting reaction...

"I relayed a little about the theft of a little girl's wheelchair, in the context of what it would take to secure a neighborhood, and the class was ready to form a "vigilance committee"to detect, detain, and perhaps dismember, the perpetrators who stole said chair.Their enthusiasm for the task was interesting to watch because they connected at such an emotional level with this case."

LOL!!! I wonder if we could convert part of the shed into a guard shack and have them take shifts. :)

Have you seen this wheelchair?????

2010-01-18T14:41:00.009-05:00

It's gone and I'm MAD!

Princess Junior's wheels disappeared out of our van sometime during the night. Without the chair we can't do therapies, doctor's appointments become a real ordeal and life in general for her becomes more limited. And at a cost of $7,011.13 (plus the cost of the oxygen tank holder) with several weeks of waiting after ordering we can't just go out a buy a new one. Did I mention I'm MAD?

What lowlife would steal a WHEELCHAIR? Especially a CHILD'S wheelchair!?! I was asking myself that question when we were talking to the sheriff's deputy that came out and he gave us an answer that had never occurred to me. He said that people steal things like that and they turn up on CraigsList or they scrap them for the metal.

I was up way too late last night so slept in this morning. It was about 11 am when I finally got to check in with Princess Junior's day nurse. She told me that the night nurse had called her about 10 minutes after she left this morning telling her to make sure her car doors were locked (they park in our yard but along the edge next to the street). She had been driving home and noticed that the back end of her van was open. She pulled over and went to look and found that some lowlife had been in her van! She had money in the center console that was now gone (a substantial amount to pay car payment and other bills from what I understand). She also had some things in the back that she had recently bought but hadn't been able to go through them yet to see what, if anything, was missing at the time she was talking to Princess Junior's day nurse. But she did call the police to report it.

Dak went out to the van to check and when he came back I was heartbroken. He told me that Princess Junior's WHEELCHAIR is gone. The lowlife(s) took her chair plus every single electronic charger in the glove box (for phones), the power inverter/converter installed under the passenger seat (and wired into the van!) and even a plug in flashlight! Yes, we hadn't locked the van (Please don't beat me up about that. I can do it very well on my own. Dak is usually very good about locking it and it just didn't get done last night.)

I'm agonizing over this because, like I mentioned, I was up way too late last night. I just got a pair of winter Crocs (lined) and was crocheting myself a pair of ankle warmers since I can't wear socks with the Crocs or they are too tight. I should have gone to bed but I kept pushing and pushing, determined to get them done. After all... What good is just one? I have two ankles! :) Sometime between 2:30 and 3 am (when I finally turned out the light and went to bed) I actually heard probably two cars outside, doors closing and the cars driving quickly down the street. We have neighbors with teenagers so I thought it was just that. So what I chalked up to neighbor's friends leaving was actually some jerk(s) taking our stuff. Have I told you that I'm MAD?!?

And since it's a holiday the police report won't be ready until Wednesday at the earliest, plus I can't reach the doc who prescribed the wheelchair or the car insurance folks. They took the day off too.

If you see the chair call the police. Oh, and keep me away from the jerk that has it because, in case I hadn't mentioned it, I'm MAD!

I am very thankful...

2009-11-24T12:25:00.004-05:00

I can't claim this as mine but I got it in e-mail and I really like it so I'm sharing.

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have never a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!

May we always be grateful for what we have and be mindful of the sacrifices of all that helped make our lives as good as they are.

********************************

I am always grateful for the abundance in my life. But I'm having a real problem with Thanksgiving this year because I don't think it should be a once a year thing... I've always thought Thanksgiving should be EVERY day! And that is how I would rather observe it.

Although we have our challenges I have a wonderful family. Although they can frustrate me to no end I love each and every one of my kids! I wouldn't want to be without any of them.

My husband is so very special. I can't tell you how loved he makes me feel. I still get shivers when he just looks at me and smiles. How corny is that? Look at all he puts up with. Not only does he put up with my yarn addiction he even says he's going to let me teach him how to crochet. It will be a slow process with all the other stuff that comes first but, since he doesn't share my love of scary movies, I'm hoping that he enjoys it so I can enjoy sharing crocheting with him.

I've been a bad blogger. I have started to start to blog many times in the past couple months but something always got in the way. There have been family issues (dealing with nursing for Princess Jr, a short hospital stay for Chatty, m-i-l challenges due to the Alzheimer's), time issues, energy issues...

I have gotten some crocheting done. I have a mile-a minutes blanket completed except for weaving in the ends, started a couple pair of fingerless gloves, worked on a couple other blankets and "designed" a pair of heelless bed socks.

The socks... I have never had any real luck with socks. I'd probably have to up my shoe size to wear any crocheted ones. But in the wintertime I have a real problem with keeping warm at night. My feet need to be covered but if the whole foot is covered I get TOO warm. Does anyone else have that problem???

I have tried scrunching my sock down below my heel, but (while it does fix the temperature problem) the socks work their way off and end up floating around under the covers at the end of the bed. So I decided that I would try and make a pair of bed socks with no heel! What I came up with was a heelless sock that isn't real beautiful, but it is very functional and works perfectly!!! I am even in the process of making a second set with a bit of a decorative front. I will try and post a picture soon.

Anyway, I will try and get some semblance of order to this thing as far as posting on a more regular basis. I need to, for me. And because I am thankful for you.

A foreign exchange meeting.

2009-09-05T16:59:00.011-04:00

Today has been a great day! Years ago (neither of us can even remember how many) I answered a pen pal ad in a cross stitch magazine. Now I didn't just see the ad and answer right away, like a normal person would have done. No, not me, I tore out the page and put it in the stack of "I want to do this" items. Quite a while later (years, not months) I found the ad again and I wrote to someone in England, hoping that she was still willing to write back. She was and we have been writing back and forth (although now in e-mail) ever since. We have been through lots of things together, a couple weddings (daughters) and even babies. The only difference there was that mine was MY baby and her's was a grand baby. And Matthew is one of the cutest ones you can imagine, too!

Today is very special. Sue happens to be in the states traveling with her husband and a couple of friends. They have been over here several times before but this time they were going to be in this area! Can you imagine how thrilled I was when she told me?

They had a cabin in Pigeon Forge rented for a few nights and we planned to meet today at a restaurant in Wears Valley. So I finally got to meet a wonderful friend in person. Someone who has always been there for me, to listen and commiserate. We think a lot alike and I have always enjoyed learning things from her and having her as my personal English tour guide as she describes the places she goes to visit over there. And she makes it better by including pictures!

Speaking of pictures... guess who forgot to bring their camera to this special event? Yep, moi! But Sue had hers and will be sending me copies when they get home.

We had a great time. They were there waiting for us when we arrived and the restaurant put a table together for us. Even though it is Labor Day weekend we didn't have a problem. (One of the reasons behind not choosing a restaurant on the main strip.)

We both came bearing gifts. :) I had gotten them a Smokies DVD, a small olde time-y household tips and recipes book and an ornament commemorating the 75th anniversary of the National Park. (We gave one to Joan and Chick too.) I also had a couple of Smokies specific story books and a baby red fox to bring back to Matthew. Oh, and I made her an apple tea cozy. I hope she has a tea pot it will fit. Sue gave us a picture book called Beautiful Yorkshire that is full of absolutely gorgeous pictures of absolutely gorgeous architecture. I will have so much fun tracking down more info and pictures of these places! She also put together a bag of British treats that we will be fighting over. Shortbread biscuits, licorice, CHOCOLATE, and tea! YUM!!!!!!!!! And she displayed her talents well with a pink tote bag that is embroidered with a beautiful design... See????? I love it!!!! It is lined in a beautiful floral fabric and I can see yarn in it's very near future! She is really so talented with the embroidery machine! Hmmm... maybe that is why I hesitate using mine. I'm intimidated! ;)

And she knits! She made Hannah the most adorable doll. We have named her Rose. You can probably figure out why.

Sue is just as I had pictured she would be. She couldn't be nicer. Her husband is also nice and they are both easy to talk to and her friends were the same. And with their accents I could have listened to them for days... weeks... on and on. :) When I tried to pay the bill I learned that Neil is sneaky, just like I can be, only he's faster. :) I was really glad to get to meet Joan and Chick too because I hear about them on occasion. (In case they see this - there is no need to worry. It's all been good!)

Anyway, thank you, Sue, for being a wonderful friend and for making us a stop on your 2009 American road trip. I can't think of a better way to have spent the afternoon. I hope that this is NOT the first and last time. I will visit England! :) And thanks for lunch. Next time it's on us! I hope that you had a great time as well and you weren't disappointed.

Linking Rings and Barfing Clowns, and Shaded Squares... And ROCK ON!!!!

2009-08-10T20:20:00.021-04:00

I have been remiss in my postings. I apologize to anyone I have disappointed.

We have been dealing with some issues with several family members and it has taken quite a bit of time and attention. but programs have been completed and a cross town move (MIL - not us!) made and I think we are doing somewhat ok at the moment. Still some stress (always will be) but it is now at a lower level. Hopefully it will continue to head downward.

I have been working on a few projects. One is in the finishing stages. I saw one that someone else had done and used it for inspiration. (My squares don't have as many rounds) I'm working on the border now and then will weave in the ends. LOTS of ends. :( This is the blanket. It is done with two strands to achieve the blending effect.

It is three rows of four squares. I alternated, starting some squares with the light color and some with the dark. I used black to set it off (I love how black really makes bright colors pop out at you!) and am doing a solid black border around it. I will probably do a second row and a scallop row to finish it off. It is definitely a winter throw because of the double stranding. I have some left over yarn in those colors so am making a smaller throw only not double stranded so it won't have the blending and the squares will only be 4 rounds. I'm going to do a solid join so there will be no holes in it.

I'll take pictures of other projects soon.

I also wanted to alert you to a REALLY cool colorway for yarn at an Etsy shop I found. I HAVE to have this yarn and plan to acquire some asap. It is from Astrid at Damselflyyarns.

CLOWN BARF!!!

Astrid, you could NOT have named it any better!!! Be sure and check out her other yarns! She has a really nice chocolate mint sock yarn and does 7 different kinds of yarns.

Another couple Etsy shops I have run across have some really cool stuff too. JustBeHappy is run by Alessandra and she has some really whimsical button necklaces. I got the multicolored one. :)

And I'm in the process of making her Love You Forever wreath. Drop by for a visit. I also have business card holder that she made. The PINK one! :)

And then there is FebystanDesigns, which is a family endeavor. Ebru does amazing thread work and made a gorgeous pair of earrings I am anxiously awaiting to arrive. Check out the shop and see what beautiful work is there!

Aren't they beautiful?!?!?! I have nothing but awe and respect for people who can do this work.

And lastly... Look what Dak just got. I surprised him with this last week and he is a very happy camper. Just don't tell Chatty that it's Vampire Red Satin! :)

I threw in a small amp and a case. :) And HEADPHONES! :)

I have an odd habit of throwing quarters and singles in jars. See what you can do when you save your quarters??? :)

Not a good weekend...

2009-06-22T14:33:00.006-04:00

It's been a... let's just say it's been a weird weekend.

Of course, as all weekends do, it started last week. Tuesday we got a phone call from Firstborn telling her dad that her mom had opted to not continue dialysis. Needless to say she was a bit upset. She and Skellyson came over and met up with Chatty and they went to the hospital to see their mom. Their mom said that she would continue the dialysis if they could/would move her to another hospital. (She didn't like the way the hospital she was in did it and said it was less tramatic and painful at the other hospital.) Without the dialysis they gave her about two weeks to live.

Friday we got another early morning call. Firstborn again. Her mom was not going to be transferred to the other hospital (they considered her medical stable so no reason to transfer her from a hospital that was giving her the same treatment they would) and she had been moved to a local hospice facility the day before. Again Firstborn and Skellyson came and got Chatty and went to see her.

Saturday morning we got another early morning call. Their mom had died early that morning. So now Dak and Chatty and Skellyson are on their way to the middle of the state to the funeral. Dak will be there for the kids but at this point doesn't plan to attend the funeral (It's a weird family dynamic and he wants to make it easier on the kids.) They visitation is today and the service tomorrow. He will be home tomorrow night.

This quick chain of events necessitated some fast arranging. Dak had finals to deal with. To deal with it he needed a video camera and mine uses those cute little mini-DVDs. Good but there are not long enough to tape a whole class. So, since he knew that I wanted a different camera he offered to let me use some summer pay to upgrade to the style I would rather have (one with a hard drive) and then he could use it for the class. So last night we went shopping (quickly, since it was Sunday evening and limited possibilities) and came home with a new camera. Now I will probably use the camera more!!! (And be more pressed to get the DVD drive fixed on the laptop.) And I'll go pick up the camera from the school later this evening and Dak can grade them tomorrow.

I opted to stay home from the trip to mid state because we have had some nursing issues lately and I wasn't willing to leave Gamerboy on his own to have to deal with a cancelled nursing shift that doesn't get covered with us out of town. The scheduled night nurse for Saturday didn't show. As far as we know she didn't even call the agency o say she wasn't coming and they weren't able to reach her on any of her contact numbers either. So Saturday night we had no nurse. Gamerboy jumped right in like a champ and helped us out.

Our day nurse (who had worked a 12 hour shift already) came in about 4 am on Sunday morning instead of the 7am she was scheduled for. Then the same night nurse was on the schedule for Sunday night. What to do... The office still couldn't reach her so they start trying to fill in the shift. Since our day nurse came in early she left at 4 pm.. (She was going to be leaving at 4:30 pm anyway so not a big difference) and as of about 6 pm we still didn't have a night nurse. We did get a call a bit later saying that another nurse that has worked with Princess Junior before was going to come out early in the morning (5:30-6 am) and the day nurse that left at 4 was coming back in about a half hour or so and cover until he got there. YEA!!! Hopefully there won't be a hitch with tonight's nursing. And I think the nurse who came out to orient on Friday is going to fill in some of the slots that will be open. Over all we have a pretty good crew.

I was planning on posting a link to a cool way to join granny squares. I will do that but it will be a few days. I will have pictures too and might have some pictures of some WIPs that are coming along.

Gonna try and settle in with the yarn and relax.

Sunday...

2009-05-24T20:07:00.005-04:00

It's quiet here. Oldest son arrived for a respite visit (he needs some space and time to think) early this morning and he took Chatty with him to work tonight. Gamer Boy took Dak with him this evening to do some practicing behind the wheel. He now has his permit and is just waiting to get the driving portion of driving school finished. Until then he is practicing with us. I went with him last night and it was driving in the dark, tonight with Dak was semi-rain. It was raining when they were getting ready to head out but by the time they got on the road it was just dealing with wet roads. Dak says he did well. He did well last night too.

On Friday we took Princess Junior to her physiatrist for her Botox injections. (More on that with pictures here.) We are dealing with some minor fevers now but, from what we have read, that isn't connected to the Botox.

I've got a couple new projects going. Just what I need, right??? The first is a circle centered granny square. I'm making it for Princess Junior so am just adding more and more squares as I need to, joining as I go. I'm using a pale pink for the centers with a light gray border. I'm calling it her polka dot blanket.

Then I saw one of the start blankets in bright pink and red and white. I was hooked there. I'm not using a white white but stuck with the red and pink. The pattern is from
here. I made the sections larger than they were in her pic but I don't like it and I'm going to frog a bit of it and go to her color pattern as I think it shows off the colors better. But this gives you and idea.

So off I go to frog...

Happy Mother's Day everyone.

2009-05-10T10:32:00.002-04:00

Hope all the mother's out there have a great Mother's Day! Enjoy your families!

Finished! No longer WIPs... YEA!

2009-05-06T13:23:00.007-04:00

I finished the spiral granny. Here it is. I did a couple rows of black half double, row of half double light pink, row of alternating 3/3 half double light pink and dark pink, then a couple more rows of black. Now this is folded in four. There are five squares down and four across. so it's a decent size for one person.

Then this is the blanket I made with the left over yarn. A five sided blanket just big enough for Princess Junior. Again, in half double. With a 4 row wide black border and a final row of scallops.

It's her birthday today so we gave it to her this morning! You can go to her blog to see more about her birthday.

I'm still working on the circle for Gamer Boy but have also started an elongated granny from a pattern from Minisoda at Crochetville. That is in a red, black and light gray. I'm really liking the color combo!

Spiral Grannies continued

2009-05-03T15:45:00.004-04:00

Ok, I've changed the goal on this one several times. I never wanted to make a big blanket. More something to throw over Princess Junior or over my legs. I had twelve squares done but didn't like it. It wasn't big enough so I made more. I ended up with twenty squares and I like it better now. And I had all of the original twelve connected and then realized that I didn't have them all oriented in the same direction, like I wanted to. Sigh... So I ended up with lots of little bobbles of yarn rolling around on the bed as I took all of them apart and put them back together again. This time I paid attention!

As I mentioned I was going to do, I used Drew Emborsky's "Dudessembly" to put them together. I had to alter things a bit because the squares weren't the same size as what he wrote for but I couldn't have done it without his helpful instructions.

The twenty squares (5x4) are done and together and now I am working on the border. I do see something that I probably would have done differently but I was not about to take the darn thing apart again! I think it will look ok anyway. And it will be a bit bigger because of the border too.

Here is what the squares look like connected. I'll post the finished piece once I get it done and all the ends dealt with.

Peep, Peep, Peep... PEEPS!!!!!!!!

2009-04-28T12:41:00.009-04:00

Ok, I'll admit it. I LOVE PEEPS! How can you not love this face?????

Yes, I know that Easter is traditionally when you see them but I am so glad that they are now available for other holidays (and I have found a website to order from year round!) They even come in Orange Creme and Chocolate flavors. The only ones I will not, under any circumstances, eat, are the black ones that come out at Halloween. Not going to do those. Ever.

So I was thrilled when I came across the store GOODKARMASOAPS in the course of my online travels. Blaire has some really cool soaps including lego block soap, exploding frog soap, geode crystal soap, and light up soap balls! Way cool!!!

But what I really liked were her PEEPS! She had created a PEEPS soap that looks just like the squishy marshmallow blobs you find in the stores! A bar of 5 so you can cut/break one off at a time to use, just like you would pull one off at a time to eat.

But, alas, they were only in the traditional yellow. And I'm not really a yellow person. So I wrote and asked her if she had considered making other colors. She thought this was a good idea and a short while later I opened a box and out popped pink and purple PEEPS! Aren't they cute????? And they smell so good.

So keep clean and check out Blaire's Etsy shop GOODKARMASOAP to see all the fun stuff she has. And she says that 50% of her proceeds benefit local animal shelters.

Is your baby a Good Baby baby?????

2009-04-27T20:09:00.003-04:00

(If you follow Princess Junior's blog you will see that this is a copy of what was posted there. But I wanted to let everyone know about this so please excuse me if you read it twice.)

I want to tell you all about some new "equipment" that Princess Junior now has in her arsenal. I can't even remember for sure how I stumbled across it but there were several things that struck me and I decided that I wanted to try it. When I arrived I was very impressed.

Princess Junior will most likely be in diapers for a long time. Diapers = the inevitable rashes. We don't have to deal with that often but when we do, we need something reliable. And what mother wouldn't want something that is not packed with things that aren't necessarily good for their child's skin?

What did I find??? Why did I ask if your baby was a Good Baby baby??? THIS is why...

Introducing the Mayron's Good Baby product line!

When I found this online what struck me first was that it was co-developed and created by someone I had actually heard of, Melanie Mayron, the actress I loved to watch in the TV series "thirtysomething", and not by not some big corporation that also makes furniture polish and drain cleaner. Then I read some more and saw that she and her dad really did have the credentials to do this. It wasn't just some Hollywood "star" slapping her name on some product in exchange for an occasional check.

Melanie cared about what she used on her children. She didn't want the chemical laden products that flood the market. She is in the trenches with this one because she believes in the products! And part of the proceeds from the Good Baby line go to support Womens' Health Research in honor of her mother, a breast cancer survivor. How cool is that!?!

Melanie and her father, David, have spent years developing a great product. David was an Assistant Director of Pharmaceuticals and Manager of International Pharmaceutical Services at SmithKline & French Laboratories. In 1988, he founded Mayron Research Laboratories, Inc., a contract laboratory specializing in formulation of liquid and semi-solid pharmaceuticals, cosmetic and personal care products, and re-formulation of products that need improvement in stability, texture or taste. He even holds a patent on the time-release tablet, among others. I know my son, who suffers from migraines, would thank him for that one!

So... what's so special about Good Baby? Simple. No Paraben. No sodium lauryl sulfate. No DEA. Just clean, natural ingredients including essential oils, vitamins, and anti-oxidants in the aromatherapuetic tradition.

When I first opened the tube, what impressed me was that it didn't smell funny. It was a nice clean, fresh smell! That was refreshing! And when I put some on the back of my hand, it went on smooth and wasn't at all sticky. Exactly the kind of thing I want for Princess Junior!!!

The barrier cream is currently available in tubes and in handy travel packets!

As you can see by the photo at the top of this posting, there is a complete line planned. And I have it on good authority (thanks, Melanie!) that there will be a new product launch in the next month or two. I know I'm looking forward to it!

So be sure and check it out! You don't have to be a baby or have a baby to use Good Baby. There are loads of reasons that it can be used by people of any age. I know when I was a teen I would get chaffing because I didn't listen and change out of a wet swim suit. I wish this stuff had been around then!

And, to quote a certain celebrity mom... ...you don’t have to be a baby to use it. After all, we’re all somebody's baby.

Calling all gardeners! (And wanna be's with space issues)

2009-04-27T09:16:00.007-04:00

I just ran across something that I think is really, REALLY ingenious! A real space saver for those who are space-challenged for gardening - maybe no yard space available or no sun in the area where they could garden in. Problem solved!!! Check out this space saving garden idea! I would think that besides on a house you could install them on the side/sides of a shed or garage or other out building... and I can see where this idea would also be usable on the outside edge of a deck... Sort of a border along the railing. Anywhere they could get the appropriate sun. The deck rail is where I am thinking about using it. (Ironically, in following the links on the site I found that using it on a deck rail was the original incarnation!)

Besides being used for small veggies I can also see it maybe being used for seedlings... something to start bigger plants in.

I wonder if the neighbors would think I was crazy???

I've got BUDS!!

2009-04-24T17:59:00.007-04:00

My thumbs are defintely NOT green. They never have been. Oh, I've been lucky a few times. I once had a Christmas Cactus that I basically ignored and at one point it had over 65 blooms on it! I guess I put it in the right window.

Last year I threw some bulbs I had in some pots. They were probably not the current year's crop of bulbs and I really didn't think anything would happen. But they grew!

Now I know that there are somethings you are supposed to do to bulb plants at the end of the growing season... cut them back, dig them up, seperate them, maybe even all of the above. But when I put them in the ground that is usually where they stay. So much to my surprise there were new green shoots popping up a couple weeks ago. And now those green shoots are starting to show signs of blue flowers!! I'm gonna have FLOWERS!!!

See the color starting to make it's way out. I love irises!!!!

Some day I'd like to have more and in more colors too! Pink would be nice.

I'm still working on Gamer Boy's spiral. I have been alternating between the spiral grannys and his spiral. Both are pretty big projects. But I am enjoying it. I saw a small afghan pattern in a really cool stitch that I liked in a new magazine but I don't like the border they used because it is too open for my taste. I might try and figure out another way to edge it but that will have to wait.

Wow! I love this square!!! A spiral granny?!?!?!

2009-04-18T19:28:00.012-04:00

Ok... I'll admit it. You might not believe this but I hate to make something that is in lots of pieces and has to be sewn together. So while I love making different Granny Squares, I hate having to finish the project. I have even considered soliciting someone from one of the crochet groups I'm in to pay them to finish it for me. :) But this is a square that I might not have that problem with because I absolutely LOVE this square!

I really, really, really like the swirl pattern but we only need so many round blankets. (Although I do have some ideas on making something larger that will end up as a square. We'll see if it works out.)

A Granny Square and a Swirl all in ONE??? YES!!! The original pattern is in four colors. I didn't want to do that many so cut it to two and am bordering each square in black. I think the swirl shows up very well like this. If you want to try it yourself the pattern is at Crochet Me. And look around while you're there!

And I'm probably going to use "Dudessembly" (click here) by Drew Emborsky to put them together. Check out his other patterns too, he's a great designer.

Moving soon.....

2009-04-09T22:28:00.007-04:00

Did I ever mention that hubby did something really sweet for me a short while back? Well, he's done many sweet things but this was totally unexpected and a really big surprise!! He bought me my own domain! So we are working on getting things transferred over there. Will let you know when we're all moved in. But I'm not hurrying... I want to get things nice and tidy before I invite everyone in. :)

Don't box me in!!!

2009-04-09T21:31:00.008-04:00

I just can't seem to get away from the odd shapes. Above is the wool that I bought that I had custom spun. It started as a granny square but I didn't like the way that was shaping up. It just wasn't laying flat. So I frogged it and started a pentagon instead. This seems to be going well. I am still getting used to the white in all of it but that's what I asked for.) It is growing on me and I think I will be happy with the finished product.

And I finished the bamboo throw I was working on for Princess Junior to use in her wheelchair. Everyone is amazed that it's so soft and then REALLY surprised when they learn it's bamboo. If I could that is all I'd work with!

This is the center of it. One half is brown and the other is pink. Then I wanted to "finish" it on the edges so I did a few more rows of brown.

I like the way it turned out. It's about 30 inches square. We have an unexpected appointment with her surgeon on Monday so we'll get to give it a try!

I'm still working on Gamer Boy's throw and he asked about it today. I hope to have that done soon. I just got a couple new patterns but I'm going to have to be good and not touch them until I get his throw done.

Even trees need to stay warm!

2009-03-29T22:03:00.003-04:00

I have no idea where this photo originated. It was sent to me in an e-mail. Obviously it's some locale where the evenings are chilly and the trees need sweaters. Has anyone seen this picture before??? I've heard of guerrilla crocheting but this is a little extreme.

Maybe that is what I'm doing wrong with my trees... I'm not keeping them warm in the evenings!

Hopping in with TWO (maybe) finished projects! YEA!!!!!

2009-03-28T22:17:00.006-04:00

Meet Hoppy. I whipped her up last night to give myself a break from the pink and purple five-sided throw I was working on. She is about 5 inches tall and I stuffed her pretty full. Gamer Boy took her in to the Princess and she seems to enjoy looking at her.

Then I went back to working on the five-sided throw. And guess what? I FINISHED IT! Well, maybe. Here it is!

It is about 48" across at the widest points. Starting at the center I alternated between doing 3 rows of each color and two rows of each color. Then I alternated doing the center row of every other three row set with spaces. For the edge I just went to doing a few repetitions of single rows, alternating colors. I have been debating doing something else around the edge but I haven't figured out what yet. Any suggestions?????

And now that the blanket is pretty much done... you know how bunnies multiply....

Wanted: Fashion Coordinator

2009-03-27T14:58:00.003-04:00

Ever watch those wacky wedding shows on TV? Some of them are hilariously funny. I ran across a web site that has more of the same. Scroll down a bit and take a look at some of the wedding attire that has been considered fashionable (I guess) over the years.

My reaction to some of them "What the heck were they thinking?!?!" Check it out here.

Computer maintenance

2009-03-26T19:47:00.007-04:00

Ok, this is something we all need to address at one point or another. If you're anything like me it gets put off, usually because it takes so lone and is so involved.

That problem has been solved! This is a simple (and very safe!!!) cleaner that only takes a minute and doesn't load any sort of spyware or other kind of program on your machine!

Click here: Online cleaner You will be glad you did. Leave me a message about what you think!

Keep clean!!! Oh... and I don't think this is a were-skunk.

What next!!! Extreme cuppy cakes!!!

2009-03-21T17:48:00.006-04:00

I love cuppy cakes! If I could, I would have different flavors here every day. Perfect size, no waste (but plenty of waist, if you know what I mean). So because of that I reserve them for special occasions.

For those of my friends that are also cuppy cake lovers... Take a look at THIS... Unbelievable!

For the men folk (those that are too macho for cuppy cakes) there is THIS.

Sigh........

2009-03-19T13:50:00.004-04:00

I borrowed this from Alessandra at Just Be Happy, who borrowed it from Devina at The Woolly Fairyglade who borrowed it from Sian at Diary of a Tinyholder and I agreed that I also thought it would be a lot of fun to do!

Rules: Use the first letter of your name to answer each question. They have to be real places, names etc. Try to use different answers if you have the same initial as someone who has already done this. You cannot use you own name for the boy/girl question.

1. What is your name? Janet

2. A four letter word? Jamb

3. A boy's name? Joshua

4. A girl's name? Jordan

5. An occupation? Junk Collector

6. A colour? Jade

7. Something you wear? Jumper

8. A beverage? Jack Daniels

9. A food? Jelly

10. Something found in the bathroom? Jaccuzi

11. A place? Jamaica

Play along if you want! Have fun!!!!

To pink or not to pink...

2009-03-18T19:33:00.003-04:00

In rebuttal to my friend, Terri's, recent comment on my apparently surprising color choice. I would like to prove that not everything I put my hooks to has pink in it.

Today, while Gamer Boy was working with the horses, I began work on the four-color spiral he requested. And there is no pink in site! See????

Now, Terri... you are getting very sleepy... your eyelids are getting very heavy...

New edging????

2009-03-18T11:58:00.003-04:00

Last night I finished a small lap throw for Princess Junior to use in her wheelchair. Ok, it's not finished finished. I still have to block it. But the big part is done. And, yes, of course it's pink.

I just did a HDC solid granny rectangle but then put a 3 row secondary border adding a fur yarn followed by a 3 row border of the original yarn. I wanted something tighter for the final row so did a row of SC but still wasn't happy with it. So I slip stitched all around the edge. When I got back to the beginning I pulled it through to the other side and did it again, working the opposite direction.

I like the way it almost looks like a cord! It definitely tightens up the edge and I'm not sure yet if it is too tight but we'll see.

Now I'm back to working on the light pink and lavender five-sided throw. Not sure yet how big that will be. And I'll be starting Gamer Boy's four-color spiral soon too.

Terri's got a brand new BAG!!!

2009-03-16T22:29:00.003-04:00

Ok... My friend (and I'm using that term loosely at the moment) Terri, at Clay Hill Farm, can sew. And even though she always says there are wonky stitches, etc. she's pretty darn good at it. After all... If it's handmade it's bound to have a bit of wonky somewhere. If it doesn't I'm a bit suspicious! Heck, I'm a whole lot suspicious!

Anyway, Terri has been on a sewing binge (I hate/love her for it!) and has created a new tote bag. She is calling it The Farmer's Market Tote. And it's awesome! Take a look at the pictures I stole from her blog.

And guess what!?! She is giving it away! Check out the Clay Hill Farm blog and enter to win this beautifully hand crafted Farmer's Market tote. She is being very generous with entries and will be taking them until April first.

Now... off to do some were-skunk research...

Great Days in History... coming up March 17th

2009-03-12T21:38:00.003-04:00

YEA!!!! There's a Blog-iversary coming up!!! No... not this blog by a long shot. :)

Mikki, at Firelein Tomfoolery, is celebrating her "blog-iversary" which is actually on March 17th but that isn't really want she is celebrating. She is celebrating the many friends she has made as a result of that blog.

And she is putting together a special box of goodies for one special person and a couple things for some "runners-up" too! Deadline for entries is 6 am, March 17th.

Blogs are a really neat way to "meet" people. As I commented on her blog, it really points out how small this world really is because you find you have things in common with many, many people!

So go over and say hi. Help Mikki celebrate by celebrating Mikki, another AWESOME person!

Hello Kitty, Kitty, Kitty...

2009-03-12T18:17:00.006-04:00

I consider myself a cat person. I'm not fanatical about it but I'd MUCH rather sit and interact with a cat than a dog. That's just me. I do like some dogs but cats are just calmer.

Putting on Carnival Barker hat... Yes, if you enjoy a cuddle with a purring ball of fur but you just don't want to share your house with things like a cat box or cat hair all over the furniture there IS a solution...

Leave it to the Japanese to come up with a brilliant concept! The Cat Cafe.

For most of us, unless we wanted to be one of the first in the field here in the states, it would involve relocating, or at the very least, a pricey holiday, but it sounds like fun. Click here to find out more.

Money saving tricks... and a new addition...

2009-03-11T22:35:00.007-04:00

My wonderful hubby (whom I love very much!) send me a cool link... It's to an article on the This Old House web site called "50 Nifty Tricks for Big DIY Savings"

These days we all can use tips on saving money here and there. I wish I could take advantage of tip #3 in our master closet. It's almost the size of a small bedroom, about 8 feet wide by about 13 feet long! And the reason we can't take advantage of the tip? There is a heating and cooling vent in there!

But there are a few tips listed there that we have either already done or are in the process of doing. We have replaced "old style" light bulbs with more environmentally and energy friendly ones. We have added ceiling fans in rooms that didn't have them and have a couple more to install. We just bought a fast growing Empress Tree (ironically, it's one of the favorites on the nursery link in the article!) that will be planted in the back yard to shade both Gamer Boy's bedroom and the den. We had to have the heat pump worked on a few weeks ago and had a digital programmable (and lockable!) thermostat installed at the same time. Now we have it programed and the kids can't go and turn on the A/C when everyone else is freezing. Or roast the rest of us if they are chilly. Hey! Put on a sweater! :) And we have some light switches that will turn themselves off after a certain time frame. We just need to find an electrician to install them.

As for the new addition... Today we brought home a dog. I'm not entirely happy about it (she is a lovable enough dog but not a breed I really care for at all) but Dak grew up with one and this one was his mother's. We helped her get it about 1 1/2 or 2 years ago, thinking that a small dog would be good company for her. Boy were we wrong! As her dementia has worsened she has done nothing but complain about it. Cleaning up after her, having to walk her, having her underfoot... But then she talks about how much company she is. We have taken the dog home with us 2-3 other times but she always had a change of heart and wanted her back. Then she gave her to a total stranger but, again, changed her mind and asked for the dog back. Dak had talked to the woman that was taking the dog and warned her that it would probably happen. And it did. This time we have told his mother that if we took the dog it was permanent and that the poor thing doesn't need to be shuffled around like this and that the dog would NOT be coming back. She even signed a statement today to that effect. That is more for her to refer to when she changes her mind. Something that we can tell her to look at to jog her memory. So... here is our new addition.

AWESOME... and how to win it.

2009-03-11T13:54:00.003-04:00

What is your idea of awesome? Well... to me, almost anything that is a really great surprise is AWESOME!

If you want some Awesome of your own you can go check out what Heidi n' Jeff are doing over at The Decoursey Project. They are hosting their first giveaway and, what can I say, it's just AWESOME!

We need more people that are this AWESOME!!!!!!

Pay it forward...

2009-03-07T12:20:00.005-05:00

I like doing things for people. Unexpected things sometimes. So this one is pretty easy for me. Examples: I have been known to pay for the food order of the person behind me in line at a fast food place. I always put the RedBox Monday free movie code (and am doing the March Wednesday codes) on a super sticky post-it and leave it on the machine for the next person to use. (And the note reminds them to share it as well.)

Yesterday the fuzziest, softest neck warmer arrived in my mailbox. Now I know the picture below doesn't look like anything but fuzzy yarn, trust me. It IS a neck warmer and it's the perfect size to wrap around my neck and feels really nice there. I just wanted you to see the yarn and the colors!

Thank you, Anna! The colors are wonderful and I absolutely love it! And I think I have the perfect pin to use as a closure. :)

Anna, from Small Farm Living, had chosen to do something nice for three people "just because". I was fortunate enough to be one of those people. All she expects in return is that we "pay it forward".

So, as I promised Anna, I am putting together a Pay It Forward "project" of my own. If you want to be a part of this you can send me your mailing address, and tell me a little about you to help me decide what would be good for you. If you have a blog, mention this there and tell me about it so I can go visit and get ideas of the kind of thing that would make you happy. All I ask in return is that you do the same... pay it forward! Do the unexpected!

I can't guarantee anything except that I will be doing something special for at least 5 people, maybe more. And who knows... even if I don't get to you right now... someday a few months down the road you could find something really special waiting just for you!

Send your e-mails to me at princessj.king at gmail dot com

Someone stop that truck!!!!!

2009-03-04T11:32:00.006-05:00

I'm still sick. Dak is still a bit under the weather but at least he is feeling a lot better than he was. I don't know what this is but it's sure got a firm grip on me. The one good thing is that the truck that keeps running me over is getting a bit smaller. Now it's about down to a UPS/FedEx truck. Fully loaded. At Christmas.

A couple days ago I was joking that I had "gone green" but I'm still green and this is after religously taking 9 doses of antibiotics. No wonder I gravitate to the Snot Put game at the bottom of my blog! No, it's not just some weird perversion... it's my life at the moment. (although I do tend to use my throat and not my nose.) Yesterday the coughing was so bad that I was feeling dizzy and light headed, like I was going to pass out, after each hacking episode. Not a fun feeling when you are in a room alone and you know that your husband is hours away from coming home from work and the nurse is only going to buzz if she needs something.

Thankfully, Gamer Boy is visiting Clay Hill Farm (Thanks, Terri!!!!) and he even cancelled his session working with the horses today so I wouldn't have to get out and he wouldn't chance getting them or this therapist sick. Chatty has already had this and Princess Junior is safe and secure in her room with her nurses. I'm definitely staying away from her. As I said, Dak is feeling better but he was on different antibiotics. (His was a three pills over three days and mine is two pills, twice a day for ten days.) What I am on I have taken DOZENS of times before over my lifetime. If it's not working for me anymore it's a sudden change.

So I have been working more on the three color spiral blanket. I measured it last night. Well.... I measured half of it. I just didn't have enough room on the bed to actually lay it all out (Dak was sitting on the edge of the bed, working at his computer) and, after all, it's a circle with a definite center. So I figured if I measure to the center and double that number I'd get the total measurement, correct??? Well, so far it's over 60 inches across! I thought about stopping but I still have yarn left and I'd love for it to be big enough for Dak and I to cuddle under together. Because of the roundness it's going to be a BIG blanket!

I think I'm going to do the zebra and black yarn in a spiral too. But I'm still not sure of the others. Then there is the spiral for Gamer Boy. At least I have projects to keep me busy.

Ok... I lied...

2009-03-01T16:41:00.007-05:00

I only THOUGHT we had full nursing coverage. Turns out our day nurse was scheduled to leave at 4:30 pm so now it's just me, Princess Junior, and Dak until our night nurse gets here at 10 pm. I sure hope Princess Junior doesn't pick up what we have.

I've ordered a pizza so Dak and I don't have to cook. He will still have to go out sometime tonight to pick up Chatty from her mother's house since tomorrow is a school day. Why couldn't tomorrow be a holiday!!!

But I did get a really nice surprise. I am getting a hand knitted neckwarmer from Anna at Small Farm Living. I envy her ability to knit so that makes it special right there. But there is another reason why this is special. Anna is doing this as a "Pay it forward" type of deal. So, my job (since I chose to accept it!) is to do just that... Pay it forward...

I'm going to take a day or so to think on this one. I have some ideas rolling around in my head. But you'll hear what my plan is soon.

Thank you, Anna, for the great surprise! It has been a very bright spot in the day. Your horse info is really interesting because Gamer Boy is working with horses. And just between you and me, I've spent some time slinging snot too. Somehow it seems the appropriate thing to do today.:) I actually broke my all time record too! I'm up to 1042.8m now!!!

(For those of you who haven't been to the bottom of the blog... Snot Put is an addictive little widget that is down there. Hint... sling it in a clockwise direction and loft it UP. :)

Out, out, damn bug...

2009-03-01T14:30:00.008-05:00

Ok... I know that isn't an exact quote... but it's close and it's how I feel. And I am sure Will wouldn't mind, especially if he felt like I do.

Dak and I are both under the weather. Although, since the weather usually deals with things in the sky we are always under the weather. But I digress... I'll put it simply. We Are Sick.

Fortunately the two oldest are gone (Chatty is at her mother's and Gamer Boy is at a friend's house) and Princess Junior has full coverage on her nurses (they have been hit with the bug too!) so we actually have time to rest.

Saturday morning we both slept until 11 am. I woke up feeling like I was swallowing razor blades. Now I'm not one to run to a doc for every little thing so you know I'm actually sick when I CHOSE to go to a doctor. Saturday option is the walk-in clinic and I decided that yesterday was probably a good time to go.

Dak and I arrived right before what looked to be a rush. I took a seat and Dak went to sign us in. When he hadn't joined me after a few minutes I turned to look towards the desk and saw that he was still waiting behind a couple people with 4 or 5 more behind him! Yes, whatever this is sure is making the rounds.

When they called us back they did flu swabs on us both. Both came back negative. Since Dak has always been told he's allergic to penicillin they gave him different drugs than they gave me. We stopped to drop off the prescriptions and went next door to get some soup while we waiting. Now before anyone condemns us for going out in public like this we aren't hacking away every two seconds and even then we are responsible coughers. The restaurant is one that isn't cramming as many tables as they can... it's booths with wide aisles. We ate and left, picked up the medicine and some juices, and went home.

We were up until about 11 - 11:30 but this morning we again slept until about 11 am. Our guess it that we needed it. Gamer Boy went with his buddy to a drumming concert last night but has called several times to check on us. He said he was starting to feel bad but seems to be feeling better today and didn't want us to come get him. I think that being away from the house is allowing him to NOT get whatever this is do the degree we have. We are purposely staying away from Princess Junior, using the video monitor and intercom to stay in touch with the nurses. (I can see she is a bit wiggly at the moment!)

So this is a perfect opportunity to work on some of my WIPS and plunge into the yarn stash.

This is what I have been working on...

It's a three color spiral circle. Right now it's about 4 feet across and I have 7 more skeins of yarn left to use!

Then I have done some of these...

They are face cloth/wash cloth sets. I don't know about you but I like to use a separate washcloth on my face. They are 100 cotton and really soft! The face cloth is 6 inches across and the wash cloth is 8 inches across. Eventually they, and others like them, will be in my Etsy shop. I'm revamping the shop to benefit Princess Junior's room fund.

This will too.

It may look like it is another wash cloth, and in a way it is. But it's in a coarser cotton and it is meant for dishes.

Then there is the yarn... I bought some more.

There is this... It's SOOOO soft!

And this... Gamer Boy picked these colors and wants a four color spiral blanket!

I'm not real sure what to do with these yet. I have a spiral square pattern that I was thinking about doing in this...

But I don't have these earmarked for anything yet. Just liked the color combinations.

Pale pink and purple. Doesn't it look like cotton candy???

One of my all time favorites... pink and gray!

And I have some black and red too but the red looks orange in my pictures so just trust me... it's cherry red.

Any suggestions???

Do you like surprises?????????

2009-03-01T13:01:00.002-05:00

I found about this one in a round about, web surfing friend of a friend of a friend's second cousin twice removed, sort of way. But sometimes that's the best way!

The Farm Chicks are having a giveaway. What are they giving away??? I have absolutely NO idea! And they aren't saying! So if you like surprises go on over there (Click Here!) and pay them a visit. Who knows what you might win! SURPRISE!!!!!!!!

Hilarous story... (warning... girl stuff!)

2009-02-25T14:47:00.004-05:00

I have been making cotton washcloths for Hannah and for a swap I'm in. While searching for some new patterns I ran across this story... Put your coffee cups down!

THE WASH CLOTH

I was due for an appointment with the gynecologist later in the week. A few days before that I received a call from the doctor's office to tell me that I had been rescheduled for that morning at 9:30 am. I had only just packed everyone off to work and school, and it was already around 8:45 am. The trip to his office took about 35 minutes, so I didn't have any time to spare.

As most women do, I like to take a little extra effort over hygiene when making such visits, but this time I wasn't going to be able to make the full effort. So, I rushed upstairs, threw off my pajamas, wet the washcloth that was sitting next to the sink, and gave myself a quick wash in "that area" to make sure I was at least presentable. I threw the washcloth in the clothes basket, donned some clothes, hopped in the car and raced to my appointment.

I was in the waiting room for only a few minutes when I was called in. Knowing the procedure, as I'm sure you do, I hopped up on the table, looked over at the other side of the room and pretended that I was in
Paris or some other place a million miles away. I was a little surprised when the doctor said, "My, we have made an extra effort this morning, haven't we?" I didn't respond. After the appointment was over, I heaved a sigh of relief and went home. The rest of the day was normal ... some shopping, cleaning, cooking, etc.

After school when my 6-year old daughter was playing, she called out from the bathroom, "Mommy, where's my washcloth?" I told her to get another one from the cupboard.

She replied, "No, I need the one that was here by the sink. It had all my glitter and sparkles saved inside it."

Hungry??? Let's all go to QUIZNOS! Free Subs!!!!!

2009-02-23T21:09:00.004-05:00

Quizno's is giving away one MILLION subs! Just go to their web site (click here) and sign up. They will e-mail you a coupon for a free small or every day value size sub.

Hurry over and get your coupon soon! I have a feeling 1,000,000 subs will go fast!

Did you know that...

2009-02-22T15:57:00.004-05:00

February has basically been FOOD MONTH!!! Oh how I wish I had known sooner...

Among other things it's been Berry Fresh Month, it's been Celebration of Chocolate Month, and Hot Breakfast Month, and Snack Food Month, and Sweet Potato Month!!!

And starting today, the entire next week is Pancake Week. IHOP is celebrating National Pancake Day on Wednesday.

From the IHOP press release: 1,400 IHOP restaurants throughout the United States will once again invite guests to enjoy a free short stack of IHOP's signature buttermilk pancakes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. In return, IHOP guests are asked to donate what they would have paid for the free pancakes, or more, to their local children's hospital or another worthy cause. Additionally, Miracle Balloons will be sold for $1 each, personalized and displayed at participating IHOP restaurants from February 1 through February 24, 2009, offering guests another way to show their support of Children's Miracle Network and contribute to the National Pancake Day fundraising effort.

So don't miss out on what is left... Go C E L E B R A T E !!!
Feb 22 - Cherry Pie Day
Feb 23 - Banana Bread Day and (if you have a four legged friend) Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day
Feb 24 - National Pancake Day - GO IHOP!!!!
Feb 25 - Chocolate-Covered Nuts Day
Feb 26 - Pistachio Day
Feb 27 - Strawberry Day, Kahlua Day

and the best...

Feb 28 - Chocolate Souffle Day

Now where is that chocolate????????????

COVER UP!!!

2009-02-20T22:13:00.004-05:00

with an apron!

The Apron Goddess is giving away a great gift. It's a book entitled "Early 20th Century Vintage Apron Collection" by June Bartos. There are some REALLY great designs in it. So wander on over to The Apron Goddess blog and enter! Maybe you can make yourself a great vintage pattern apron!

And remember me next Christmas!!! ;)

Do you Quamut???

2009-02-17T12:39:00.005-05:00

I didn't. I had no clue what that even was. It just sounds so... ewwww....

But evidently Quamut means "how to" in Latin. So online it's appropriate that Quamut is a "How to" site published by Barnes & Nobel, the bookstore people. For the month of February they are offering all their knit and crochet patterns as FREE downloads. Check it out here for the crochet offerings and here for the knit offerings. And check out the rest of the site. It looks interesting! But be careful... you might learn something.

Reminiscing... Have you done any of these things?

2009-02-15T19:19:00.004-05:00

This is something I got from another Blog I read... Clay Hill Farm. waving furiously HI TERRI!!! You're supposed to highlight the things on the list you've done. She just used Yes and No and I think that works great so I'm doing the same thing. Some answers I didn't even need to change!

Started your own blog - yep, you're reading it.
Slept under the stars - yep.
Played in a band - yep - middle school. you aren't missing a thing.
Visited Hawaii - nope.
Watched a meteor shower - yep, more than once.
Given more than you can afford to charity - yep, what goes around comes around.
Been to Disneyland/world - lived in both California and Florida, so both.
Climbed a mountain - hiked. knees won't let me these days.
Held a praying mantis - nope.
Sang a solo - NO!
Bungee jumped - nope - never, never, never. Amen!!!
Visited Paris - sigh... someday.
Watched a lightning storm at sea - no, but watched plenty of them from the beach.
Taught yourself an art from scratch - yes.
Adopted a child - i'd love to but i don't think it could be now.
Had food poisoning - yes, once or twice!
Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty - nope. But I saw a small replica near lincoln center.
Seen the Mona Lisa in France - nope, but someday.
Slept on an overnight train - yes. i was only 11 but it was a blast!
Had a pillow fight - yes.
Hitchhiked - i don't remember but i don't think so.
Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - pleading the fifth here!
Built a snow fort - nope.
Held a lamb - no, but i've held baby chicks.
Gone skinny dipping - yes.
Been to a Broadway show in NY - nope.
Ran a Marathon - nope.
Been in three states at once - several two's but can't think of a three offhand.
Ridden in a gondola in Venice - nope.
Seen a total eclipse - yes.
Watched a sunrise or sunset - yes, lots.
Hit a home run - nope.
Been on a Cruise - nope, and don't want to any more.
Seen Niagara Falls in Person - nope, but would like to.
Visited the birthplace of your Ancestors - yes, but just the last two generations.
Seen an Amish community - yes, lovely people!
Taught yourself a new language - tried, but wasn't successful.
Had enough money to be truly satisfied - yes.
Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person - nope, not yet.
Gone rock climbing - nope.
Seen Michelangelo’s David - do books and tv count?
Sung karaoke - NO! and never will.
Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt - yes, amazing.
Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant - i've paid the bill for the person/people in the vehicle behind me at a fast food several times.
Visited Africa - nope.
Walked on a beach by moonlight - yes, and the beach is lovely any time of the day or night.
Been transported in an ambulance - yes, but as a passenger with my daughter as the patient.
Had your portrait painted - yes, in pastels for my first husband. Still have it.
Gone deep sea fishing - yes, never again.
Seen the Sistine Chapel in person - nope, not yet.
Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris - nope, not yet.
Gone scuba diving or snorkeling - nope.
Kissed in the rain - yes.
Played in the mud - yes.
Been to Grace Kelley’s grave in Monaco - nope.
Gone to a drive-in - yes.
Been in a movie - nope. but my husband and son have! hubby twice! a major one too! i've been on tv several times.
Visited the Great Wall of China - nope, not yet.
Started a business - yes.
Taken a martial arts class - nope.
Swam in the Mediterranean Sea - nope.
Visited Russia - nope.
Served at a soup kitchen - nope.
Sold Girl Scout cookies - yes.
Gone whale watching - nope.
Gotten flowers for no reason - yes.
Donated blood, platelets or plasma - yes.
Gone sky diving - NO!
Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp - no. but my late father in law was a german pow.
Bounced a check - yes, but not on purpose.
Saved a favorite childhood toy - yes. and i have bought a replacement for one on ebay.
Visited the Lincoln Memorial - yes.
Eaten Caviar - nope.
Pieced a quilt - yes.
Stood in Times Square - nope.
Toured the Everglades - nope. even thought i was born and raised nearby. been on the fringes.
Been fired from a job - yes. i didn't fit their agenda.
Seen the Changing of the Guards in London - nope, not yet.
Been on a speeding motorcycle - yes.
Seen the Grand Canyon in person - nope.
Published a book - no, but hubby and i have talked about writing one.
Visited the Vatican - nope, not yet.
Bought a brand new car - yes.
Walked in Jerusalem - nope, not yet.
Had your picture in the newspaper - yes.
Read the entire Bible - yes, when I was younger.
Visited the White House - nope.
Killed and prepared my own meat - nope. but i've fixed and eaten something i saw someone else kill. (trout and rattlesnake)
Had chickenpox - yes.
Saved someone’s life - nope.
Sat on a jury - nope.
Met someone famous - yes.
Joined a book club - yes.
Lost a loved one - yes.
Had a baby - yes. lost one too.
Seen the Alamo in person - nope.
Swam in the Great Salt Lake - nope.
Been involved in a law suit - yes.
Owned a cell phone - yes.
Been stung by a bee - yes.

What will YOU come up with???

2009-02-14T12:51:00.005-05:00

I ran across this idea on another blog and saved the info for "future reference". I guess the future is NOW! :)

The idea is to find the sixth image in your sixth image folder, and then tag six people to do the same.

This is the sixth image in the sixth image folder on my laptop.

The picture was taken almost two years ago. That's Gamer Boy planting a Silver Maple tree in the back yard in memory of his father. (He is actually RE-planting a tree. The first one died.) I really think this picture is kind of funny because Annie was looking out the window and all of the sudden she started sniffing the window screen. It looks like she is sniffing HIM!

Now I'm not going to tag six people... I'm going to challenge anyone who reads this to do it! Who knows... you might find a picture that you haven't seen in a while that brings back good memories. It did for me.

Wow! Check this out!

2009-02-09T20:36:00.004-05:00

Teresa, from Slowing Down A Bit, is paying it forward with a shoebox giveaway! No, there aren't shoes in it. But that is all I'm going to tell you... You need to go to her site yourself (click here) to see what she's put in it!

And yes, Terri, if I win, will share the wealth and I'll let you have the key finder. :)

What a cool Valentine's gift it could be. (I'm so easy to please!)

Now the hard part begins...

2009-02-09T17:34:00.012-05:00

I just got notices that the wool I had spun and the cotton yarn I had dyed are both going to be arriving soon. Now I am perusing my books and patterns to decide what to make out of them. MAJOR decision. They both are beautiful but the wool turned out more stripy than I imagined it would. It wasn't anything the spinner did, I just didn't take into consideration that the white would be against all three other colors. Duh!!!! :) Since the stripy yarn is merino I might make something I can felt.

The wool went from this...

To this (with white wool added as one ply)...

And this is the hand painted cotton...

And this is what I started last night...

I'm not sure how big it will end up. It's starting out to be a blanket for Dak and I or, if I get dizzy, it will turn into one for Princess Junior. :)

Gamer Boy has been working overtime to get through his driver's training class. He has been doing almost nothing but studying and taking notes. He could finish his class work within the next one or two weeks! Then comes the permit. ACK!

Free Starbucks could be yours!

2009-02-08T13:04:00.003-05:00

My friend, Terri, at Clay Hill Farm, is having a February giveaway. The prize? A $25 Starbucks gift certificate!!!

Now I'm not a big coffee drinker but I do like their chocolate mocha (extra chocolate) with a shot of peppermint. And it doesn't even have to be Christmas time!

So click here and take a trip over to Clay Hill Farm and enter her giveaway. Who knows... maybe I'll see you at Starbucks!

Latest project - finished and delivered. And another WIP.

2009-02-06T12:31:00.008-05:00

This is what I have been working on for the past few days... It is a 5-sided baby blanket for one of Princess Junior's nurses who is due in April/May. She is having a boy so I wanted to use blue as the main color. I used Hobby Lobby's "I Love This Yarn" so it's nice and soft.

This is what I did for the edging. I didn't want to use scallops or anything "frilly". I really do like the way this looks. It can be tedious but it's not that hard and I think the result is worth it.

The main thing is that she really like it.

And I'm looking forward to working with the cotton yarn I am having dyed. This is what one of the skeins looks like... I love it!!!!! I have some wool in the same colorway being spun with a ply of white. And the woman I am getting it from has some bamboo blends coming in that I can have custom dyed. Those will be great for Princess Junior because of the bamboo's antibacterial properties.

Right now I'm working on another 5-sided blanket. It started out as a oblong "square" but I couldn't get it to not cup in the middle. For some reason I am not having that problem with the 5-sided version. Go figure. I didn't like the color pattern on the square one either so I took advantage of the frogging and am doing it differently. I'm using some soft yarn I got from Mary Maxim a while back. I am getting ready to weave the tails on. I usually do that after doing a bunch of rows rather than at the end of each color change. I may experiment and see if I can do the corded border in five colors! :)

Semi-snow day

2009-02-03T10:59:00.003-05:00

As expected, county schools called off for today. But Dak still had to go to school because they didn't call off college classes. They rarely do. I guess they figure college students are better drivers on icy roads. Go figure.

But they did delay the start of school by two hours so he got to go in a bit later. This is exactly what happened a couple weeks ago on the first day his class met this semester. Only today they were due to give speeches. That always throws a wrench into things because they have to make X number of speeches and it throws scheduling off.

Let it snow, let it snow, LET IT SNOW!!!!!!!

2009-02-02T12:54:00.005-05:00

YES!!! I feel a hot cocoa and movie night coming on!!!!!!

This is what's coming down outside my house. It didn't look like this when Dak and Chatty left this morning about 10 am.

This is what the yard looks like now. Med supplies arrive today so there will soon be footprints and handcart wheel tracks leading up to the ramp.

About one and a half to two inches and still coming down. You can see the flakes coming down in the picture. County schools closed early today and I'd really be surprised, no, shocked, if they didn't close them for tomorrow. Almost all of the surrounding counties already have called off school for tomorrow. There was even a bus accident this morning, one slid off the road. (No injuries but buses are the main reason they close the schools around here.)

I'm glad Princess Junior doesn't have any appointments this week but I do have to go out later... have to pick up a couple prescriptions. But I'm going to wait until Dak gets home to run out for it. Might need to get some milk for that hot cocoa too! And gotta hit the Redbox for the free Monday movie.

What??? You don't know about Redbox's free movies on Monday??? Check out www.insideredbox.com and sign up to get the latest news and promo codes for FREE movies! How cool is that!

He's DRIVING?!?!?!?!?!?! NOOOOOOOOO!

2009-01-31T15:36:00.004-05:00

GamerBoy is my baby. Yes, he's almost 20 but I don't care how old he is! And I know that this milestone was inevitable but still... like I said, he's my BABY.

He signed up for a driving course last April. He is starting to feel the squeeze as he only has a year to deal with the course work and tests before his class fee won't cover anymore and he has to pay it again. As long as he has finished the class work and study time and has his name on the list for the actual in car work he is covered. (And if he has to do it again he knows he has to pay it all! We already help pay the first time and a year is quite sufficiant to get that done.)

So he has been feverishly studying the AAA book, the states's driver's handbook, and making notes. Today I took him to the class and he tested on the first 5 chapters of the book. His scores were between 80 and 95 and he says 70 and above is passing. He has another week to study before the next class.

Yesterday Dak took him to a local church that has a large parking lot and put him BEHIND THE WHEEL!!! I didn't go with them and I have mixed feelings about that. I would have liked to have seen him drive for the first time but I probably would have made him nervous or cried or tried to grab the wheel and step on the brake. :) Probably a good thing I didn't go. But Dak said he did really good.

Did I mention that he is drooling ever time he sees a corvette??????

So???? She sews... So what?????

2009-01-31T15:31:00.002-05:00

I'm always envious of someone who sews. I have a machine. I even have an embroidery machine. And I have sewn before. But I haven't been able to access either machine (the one has never been used!) in ages so I can't really say I sew.

But my friend Terri can. And she is on an apron kick. Very practical. And she is offering to use her skills (practice makes perfect) to make an apron for some lucky person. Go here and check out her giveaway.

It's warmin' up here!!! (at least inside)

2009-01-29T14:06:00.004-05:00

We have HEAT! (I'm so glad you can't see me dancing!) The A/C guy was out and fixed the problem and he didn't even have to do it in the rain! When he got her I asked him what it would run to have a digital thermostat that we had bought several months ago installed. He said that if it was a "blah blah" type (I can't remember what he called it) he could just go ahead and do it while he was there and make it part of the service call. THANK YOU!!! It made the final bill a little less painful. :) But it was still way less than replacing the entire heat pump!

We had bought the thermostat thinking that it might help keep a better control of the temp and help out economically. Dak has it set now and has LOCKED it! Both Chatty and GamerBoy tended to play with the old one a bit, adjusting it to their perceived needs. :) That is now a thing of the past. Only Dak and I know how to unlock it to change a temp setting. evil grin Hehehehe... Eventually we will get it completely set up and programed.

What I like most about the new thermostat is that it has a vacation feature - you can set it and go on vacation. WOW! If I had known that all we needed to do was get a thermostat with a vacation mode and we could go on vacation I would have bought one AGES ago!

We aquired a yard guest yesterday. Chatty says that a puppy (that will grow up to be a BIG dog) followed her home. He (she?) has been on the front porch most of the time since then. It is a cute dog, chocolate brown and probably a retriever or a lab, but it's not our dog. We have told Chatty to ignore the dog but you know how that goes with a kid and a cute puppy.

Today was garbage day and during the night the dog decided to check to see if we had left any pizza behind in the box we threw away. It also taste tested the remaining plants in my water garden on the porch and there are now plant strands and dirt clumps all over the porch. Granted they were dead plants but they were in the container and it wasn't a mess. I'm glad that was all the dog got into.

Chatty thinks she has an idea where the dog might have come from and went there to go check with them. Hopefully that is the right place. Evidently there is a house in the neighborhood that has a fenced in yard and the gate is open. Chatty tried to put the dog in the yard and latch the fence but the latch is broken. She has a dentist appointment later this afternoon so she will walk the dog down to the end of the street (about a mile) and then her dad will pick her up in the car and they will go to the appointment. Hopefully the dog will find it's way to it's own home.

GamerBoy has been very helpful the last few days. He installed a new, locking doorknob on our bedroom door. He knew we had gotten the doorknob set but hadn't had time to install it. Then this morning he went outside and cleaned out the dryer vent of some nesting materials that had been placed there by birds or small animals. It should make drying clothes a lot faster! We have a vent cage/cover that we'll be putting over the vent outlet but that I want Dak to do that since it involves putting holes in the house itself! But we really do appreciate that GamerBoy pitches in and does stuff like this. He is really maturing. A good kid!

It's Cooooooold!

2009-01-27T13:19:00.004-05:00

Something I didn't mention before... we have been having a temperature issue here at the palace. Our heat pump seems to be on vacation. Not a good thing for the realm when the temperature is in the 20's! Granted, it has warmed up a bit, at the moment it's 42, but that is still a bit on the cool side for all of us, not to mention way too cool for Princess Junior. It's like we traded in our upgraded insulation for classic medieval stone.

It's been this way since about Wednesday or Thursday. We noticed that the outside unit was making an odd noise. Dak did some internet research and we switched over to the emergency heat. We then set about trying to confirm if the home warranty was still in effect. We really didn't have any paperwork on it and weren't sure.

To make it even more fun we had another temperature issue. The refrigerator. Things weren't quite as cool (or frozen!) in there as they should have been. And it was possibly covered by the same home warranty. It took until this past Monday to get through to the right people only to find that neither was covered so we're on our own.

Dak called and arranged for someone to come out and take a look at both problem appliances. The Refrigerator is now fixed. $205 and change but that is much better than buying a new fridge! Especially since the one I'd like is $2,300!!! :)

Now we are waiting for the A/C people to get here. It's a rainy day, nearly 100% humidity called for all day, but when I spoke to them on the phone they said that they would still be here. Better them than me!

To warm up here I just finished a small blanket for Princess Junior. Here it is...

It's a nice, warm, soft and slightly fuzzy yarn. I still have a lot left over so I might make Princess Junior a "matching", but smaller, lap throw for when she is in her wheelchair. I didn't follow the pattern exactly. I just did a scalloped border instead of the one in the pattern as I didn't want it so lacy on the edges.

And then to warm ME up... Dak and I stopped by Wal-mart last evening and I happened to pass a clearance rack that really caught my eye. It was full of lightweight fleece night shirts. What sold me on them was that there was a bunch of purple ones and the print was CUPPYCAKES!!!!!!!!

I wore it last night and it was just fine. A lot of times I will change nightgowns in the middle of the night because I get too hot but this one really is just the right weight of fleece! And I LOVE cuppycakes!

And speaking of cuppycakes... I should have a picture of one I am crocheting soon. 0 calories!

Life is so fragile...

2009-01-27T10:02:00.006-05:00

This request isn't for me.And it's not for Princess Junior either. But it is partially on her behalf.

One of Princess Junior's day nurses has been gone for a week. She is back today and I just found out why she had to leave. Her 34 year old son was murdered last Tuesday morning. He left behind a wife and daughter and two children from a previous marriage.

Things like this are so sobering. Talking to friends yesterday I told them of four children on the support groups we are on for Princess Junior that have passed away in the past three weeks. This morning there was another child added to that number. They range in age from a wonderful 18 year old to a beautiful full term baby who didn't survive birth.

Those always hit me hard. Please send good thoughts and prayers their way to help all these families through these rough times.

Thank you!

It's always something...

2009-01-22T14:51:00.002-05:00

Things have been hectic here... I've been trying to keep up reading blogs but I know I've let some slide by. And I haven't posted here.

Life here has a way of doing that. And it seems like everything happens at once. One day we had two different docs call and offer us cancellation appointments at the exact same time. We couldn't take advantage of either one because of an already scheduled appointment! We had to cancel an appointment on Tuesday because of the weather and it had already been rescheduled once! Now she doesn't go back there until late February. :(

Princess Junior's appointment for Botox was tomorrow at 2 pm. It was scheduled wrong and had to be moved to 10:45 am. Because of the change (we can't miss this one! This one is really important for her.) we had to cancel an appointment scheduled for 10 am for Dak and I, and Dak will not get to go, having to take Chatty to another appointment at 11 am instead.

We had a insurnace issue earlier this week and were panicing because it mean that Princess Junior, the one person in the house who really HAS to have a doc on call, didn't have a pediatrician. I think it's been sorted out now. We're just waiting for the "official" phone call.

And we are having a nursing shortage. Still trying to cover the 7p to 10p gap but a nurse that doesn't live far from us is picking up most of those. A regular day nurse had an out-of-state family emergency and won't be here for a few days. So far they have covered one day, a new nurse is orienting in Princess Junior's room as I type and will pick up tomorrow (Sure... start her off on a day with a road trip!) but they are still looking to cover Sarurday and Sunday day shifts.

Meanwhile we are still dealing with other family menbers and issues. How fun. :)

Wrangle those keys, woman!!!!!!

2009-01-12T12:02:00.002-05:00

I ran across the cutest idea that could help me whittle down my key chain to a more manageable number of keys. Right now there are about 7 gazillion keys on my key chain. Heck, it's not even one single key chain! Sweet Irie is hosting a giveaway and the prize (actually NINE prizes!) is your choice of one of her handmade wristlet key chains! I LOVE the Cuppy Cake one! But if I win I might have to choose the Fishy one... A very HARD, HARD decision!

Check out her blog HERE and enter the contest! And thanks, Sweet Irie, for being so generous!

Throws and scarves...

2009-01-11T18:52:00.002-05:00

I posted some scarves and throws on the Princess' blog. All proceeds will go to her building fund.

And thanks to all who have submitted recipes! We still need more so keep them coming, please. :)

Kitty slippers... and stuck trucks...

2009-01-04T13:18:00.004-05:00

No, I've not gone nuts and started making slippers for the cats. But GamerBoy was in talking to me a little while ago and he had one of our two cats in his arms. The cat in question is the most patient/skittish cat I have ever seen. And that is a weird combination. He runs from us all. Angel can be sleeping on the back of the sofa and I go to pet him as I go by and he will run and hide. Now I have NEVER done anything to this cat to make him afraid of me. If it wasn't for me this cat wouldn't even be here (I got him as a Father's Day gift for Dak.) GamerBoy, on the other hand, has never been cruel to Angel but has carried Angel around like a dirty rag since we got him. And the cat puts up with it! He can drape Angel around his neck and walk around and the cat just stays there. GamerBoy had Angel laying on his back in his lap. Angel's position was semi-curled into a ball, fluffy tail in the air. While in that position GamerBoy was studying the cat's back feet. He asked me why there was so much hair sticking out (Angel is a fluffy cat!) between the footpads. I admitted I didn't really know, maybe to keep the pads warm. After about a minute of silence GamerBoy looks at me and matter-of-factly says "Kitty Slippers!"

Yes, they are "Kitty Slippers". That makes perfect sense to me! :)

One of our neighbors is a trucker so there is, on occasion, a huge 18 wheeler on the street or just the cab of the truck parked in the yard. The cab was a source of entertainment today for GamerBoy. The yards here are all slopped a bit some how. The yard in question slops up from the street and they had pulled the truck into the yard nose first. Well, even though you would think that all wheels of a vehicle would stay on the ground we have had rain lately and evidently the engine end was heavy enough to sink the front end into the water softened ground a bit. Just enough to make the back wheels, the real working end, NOT touch the ground. So when you step on the gas the wheels on the truck go round and round, round and round, round and round. But also go no where. :) We could hear the truck's engine revving and revving. GamerBoy was watching all this in amusement. He kept coming in to give us updates. Finally he said they called in reinforcements and used an SUV and chain to get the back end down enough to get the wheels on the ground. Now the wheels on the truck go round and round and outa town! :)

Yoga in a chair??? I can do that!

2009-01-02T23:11:00.004-05:00

A friend of mine mentioned a giveaway on her blog that caught my eye. Both Dak and I need to shape up (Yes, round IS a shape but not exactly a healthy one!) It's from I Never Grew Up - Three yoga DVD's from White Mountain Center for Yoga & Therapeutic Studies -Daily Yoga Practice, Restorative Yoga Practice AND Chair Yoga Practice. My back would probably be able to handle the chair yoga!

So if you are so inclined click on over there and check it out. If you cross your fingers for me I'll cross mine for you! :)

WIP

2009-01-02T22:51:00.006-05:00

I started using some cotton yarn to make a rectangular throw for Princess Junior to use as a wheelchair throw for her legs. I didn't like the way it was drawing up in the middle of the longer sides so I frogged it. Her nurses don't know it yet but they will have a surprise soon! I am now using the yarn to make Princess Junior some washcloths. Please excuse the picture, I uploaded it directly from the camera. :)

I really like the pattern and I have another pattern or two I'll be working on too. Heaven forbid all her washcloths be the same pattern! ;)

Short and sweet...

2008-12-31T23:57:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

If any of you that visit would like to help with a project...

2008-12-29T19:55:00.006-05:00

WE NEED RECIPES!!!

If you would like to participate in this project you can find out more and how you can participate on Princess Junior's blog. Just click here.

I could become addicted!!!

2008-12-29T14:40:00.006-05:00

Today I got a very special package... It was the copy of "Crochet Me" that I ordered from Linda Permann's Etsy store, HopeForJasenn. I see several projects that will be added to my list!

Then there is the added bonus that came with it. A skein of Nashua Handknits "Julia" yarn in a beautiful blue, Aqua Fog, and a Crystal Palace BAMBOO crochet hook, size H. The yarn is wonderfully soft. I've never worked with Mohair or Alpaca before so I can't wait to try it out. I could easily become addicted to it. I'm thinking I might get a couple more skeins in a couple other colors and make a throw pillow. I LOVE pillows, ask Dak. And I love bamboo... sheets, hooks, stalks... any form of bamboo. I am a VERY happy camper. :)

Linda's store will be closed for a few more days but will re-open after the new year starts. Check out the things she has available to help raise funds for her special brother-in-law. HopeForJasenn

2008-12-28T12:47:00.010-05:00

Yesterday evening I made Dak a birthday cake. A wonderful, absolutely beautiful, picture perfect pineapple upside-down cake. Ok, I'm tooting my own horn here but it really was beautiful, the most perfect one I have ever made! Dak and GamerBoy watched me flip it out onto the plate and there wasn't a single problem. Well, there was one small problem... Here is the picture I didn't take.

I forgot to take a picture of it. I didn't use traditional yellow cake mix but I used pineapple cake mix instead and substituted the pineapple juice from the pineapple for the water that it called for. And I filled the little spaces around the rings with crushed pineapple. I had batter left over so I filled cupcake liners and then put a dollop of pineapple and a cherry on each before baking. It was really mist and yummy! And Dak said he liked it so that's what counts.

Something I did take a picture of is some of the coasters I made recently.

The original was the start of a circular afghan but I got side tracked because I liked how it looked and was trying to think of what I could make for Christmas presents. :) So lots of people I know got sets of coasters for Christmas. And now I'm trying to make a set for us.

I'm still working on the new shawl. What? I hadn't mentioned that??? No, I don't think I did. It's the CocoBay Shawl. I made one before (a gray one that I currently have thrown over my shoulders) but I got confused and didn't finish it like the pattern called for. This time I'm going to try and be good and follow the pattern exactly. I'm doing this one is in a teal/pink/white/green variegated with the cluster and ruffle sections in a coordinating pink.

Hopefully I can pull it off this time.

Found: One set of keys - well hidden!

2008-12-27T11:58:00.013-05:00

I think it was a conspiracy but the lost keys have been found. I asked Princess Junior's nurse this morning if she had found her keys and she said she had. She said she was embarrassed because they were in a pocket she hadn't checked. Personally I think she did it on purpose just so I could go by the post office to drop some things in the mail that I had forgotten to mail while Dak and I were out. :) But if that's her story...

Today is Dak's birthday. He is now... older than he was last year. I gave him his present to open last night. Two Princess Junior coffee mugs! He loves them!

These and other things are available as fund raisers for Princess Junior's room. CLICK HERE

The idea was for Dak to have his coffee in one this morning but GamerBoy made him (and me and GamerBoy) a most excellent breakfast of french toast with maple flavored sausage patties. Dak didn't want that to get cold while he made the coffee (GamerBoy doesn't do coffee) so he had a soda instead. (I had suggested the french toast because I knew that Dak likes it. He didn't used to but now he likes french toast better than pancakes. He just forgets to look for it on menus because pancakes are usually offered as side items or more advertised.)

Last night we watched "Mama Mia". I now know why a friend of mine said she sat through it swaying her arms and singing along. We even played it with the sing along option but we're not sure that was much, if any, different than the regular version. I enjoyed it but had a really hard time listening to Pierce Brosnon singing. OUCH! Dak liked it too and he isn't a big musical fan. (I am!) I let Princess Junior's night nurse watch it after we went to bed and her day nurse is watching it now. I'd say I got my dollar's worth on that one. :) Today we are going to watch the new Eddie Murphy movie "Meet Dave".

Is it too early in the day for popcorn???????

Anybody find a set of keys???

2008-12-26T21:02:00.006-05:00

Dak and I had to run out this evening and we were gone over shift change. We were surprised to come home and see two cars still in front of the house. When we went inside we found out why they were there. Princess Junior's day nurse couldn't find her car keys! She says that we'd know them if we saw them. She is a Betty Boop fan and there are several Betty Boops attached to the keys. We had 5 people looking but haven't found them so far. So I drove her to the mall and one of her kids, who has a spare key for her car, was going to pick her up and, I guess, bring her back here so she could get her car. Hope it works out. She is on the schedule for day shift tomorrow.

I have a question... Since when did gun control have anything even remotely to do with being racist??? I was behind a vehicle earlier today that had a bumper sticker on it that said "Gun Control = Racisim" Huh???? I just can't get my head around that one. Am I the only one that doesn't get the connection?

We exchanged family presents today. We had all 5 (6 counting in-laws) kids together. They gave Dak a t-shirt that reads "First National Bank of Dad" and underneath that "Sorry, we're closed" LOL... Firstborn and her hubby gave me a pink fleece jacket that they got in San Francisco on their honeymoon. I think that is WAY cool. She knows that SF is my absolute favorite place. She even brought me back 2 packets of sourdough starter. I love my kids! :) Dak had written a poem and I formatted it and put some graphics with it and printed it out. We framed them in cool glass frames that say "Family" on them. Ironically that is how the poem starts. Dak had forgotten that the frames said that when he wrote the poem and was worried that he hadn't out a title on the poem. I think the frames titled the poem perfectly. Anyway, that is what we gave the kids.

TIme to settle down now. We picked up "Mama Mia" and "Meet Dave" from the Redbox at Walgreens when we went to get some Princess Junior med supplies this evening. (Gas is down to $1.40.9 now!) And the pizza should be here anytime! After eating we'll watch one of the movies and I will work on the shawl I started last night. Not sure if I will keep it or not but I'll post a picture when I finish it.

Have a nice evening all...

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T11:40:00.009-05:00

Merry Christmas, Every one...

We are having a quiet celebration here. No nurse for day shift (next one comes in at 10 pm) so it is just Dak, me, GamerBoy and Princess Junior. Chatty is at her mother's. We've brought Princess Junior her presents and she didn't seem annoyed. Dak was in the kitchen a bit ago, making a special brunch for us. Eggs with maple flavored sausage patties and toast with the strawberry jam I made a few days ago. We did have cinnamon rolls that I had bought for today but we forgot they were for today and ate them yesterday! :) But we have a loaf of banana bread we were gifted with (NO NUTS! YEA!!!) so that is perfectly fine. Thank you for the great brunch, Honey!

One thing I had been working on for Princess Junior was a teddy bear. I had made one before but I really wasn't happy about how it turned out. This one is WAY better, but there is still a problem. Since Princess Junior has a trach we try and be very careful about things that are in her bed. No sparkly or powdery stuff. Nothing that could get loose and go in the trach. These days that eliminates quite a few of the "cool" shirts and outfits out there but I know she'd rather be healthy than stylin'. I love the size of this bear but it is done in double crochet and you can see the stuffing. In some spots I'm afraid that the stuffing might poke through and come out. I am now on a search for a bear of similar size (he's about 12 inches high in the sitting position) that is made in a tighter stitch pattern Maybe a single crochet?? I may try adapting this pattern but it would have the cool ridging. If anyone has a pattern they can suggest or they run across one PLEASE let me know. I think that amigarumi are adorable but Princess Junior needs something bigger.

So Mr. Bear is a "look at" toy. He can't be left in her bed so he'll just watch over her from a shelf. Because of that I stitched his feet together and his paws to his legs to encourage his sitting without falling over. I think he looks cute.

Are we done yet???

2008-12-23T21:30:00.005-05:00

Don't get me wrong... I LOVE Christmas. I just don't like the crowds and the rudeness and the commercialism. I would rather spend a quiet holiday at home with family and maybe a friend on occasion. I never was one for big parties and I don't think they had a lot of them when Christmas was just getting started. ;)

Princess Junior was in a nativity on Sunday night. She ended up being an angel. Awwww... Well, we think she is one anyway so that's perfectly fine. But she didn't look like she was a happy angel. :(

Gas prices just about gave us a heart attack yesterday! Dak and I were on our way to run some errands and the sign at the Murphy station said $1.47, just like it had the day before. As we passed it again on our way to another errand it said $3.81!!! I kid you not! We were both speechless, wondering if there was a catastrophic world event that had happened since we left the house. Both sides of the sign read $3.81. We talked about it while we stopped to get a bite to eat. (Great breakfast for two FOR under $8!!!) Speculation ranged from a new employee putting up what should have been $1.38 or $1.83 to an employee playing a joke (I really wondered if we had been thrown back to April!) to the afore mentioned catastrophic world event. When we left the restaurant we glanced over to the station because we were thinking we should probably go to Kroger and fill up before EVERYONE was $2 higher a gallon but to our great relief the signs were back to $1.47. Can you say TWILIGHT ZONE?????

Today we were pleasantly surprised to see the price drop from $1.47 to $1.45 to $1.43. Go Murphy... Go Murphy... Go Murphy...

I'd better get back to working on my current project. It's a test of a pattern for a teddy bear I ran across in my patterns the other day. If it turns out well I'm going to give it to one of Princess Junior's nurses. She is pregnant and due right around Princess Junior's birthday! Then I will make another one for Princess Junior.

If I don't get back here tomorrow or Thursday I hope everyone who reads this has a wonderful and blessed holiday, however and whatever you celebrate!

Breathe... Breathe... Breathe...

2008-12-19T20:03:00.007-05:00

It's been a long and interesting week. Chatty is doing ok now. We brought her home yesterday. There are still some things that were brought up that need to be dealt with but we're working on it.

Princess Junior has been assigned her part in the Christmas Nativity. She is going to be a Shepherd. I hope to get a picture or two during the performance.

Gas is back up a bit. Today when we headed out to some appointments the lowest we saw was $1.49.9 and the highest was $1.59.9. This evening we had to stop by Wal-mart and it was still $1.49.9 when we got there but $1.47.9 when we left about 30-40 minutes later. Still around $1.50 a gallon so I'm happy.

Dak and I did the Wal-mart thing to deal with some Christmas gifts since we had to deal with what we needed to get and had to shop for Dak's mom too. We also needed to pick up some Danimals for Princess Junior. We put those in her feeds as a probiotic and since she is on an antibiotic they are even more important right now. We tried to get them at Kroger a few nights ago but there wasn't a single package in the store. No 4-packs, no 8-packs. Same thing last night. Our Kroger is doing some remodeling so there are quite a few refrigerated and freezer cabinets that are empty or nearly so. Makes it interesting to shop, especially when there is something specific you are looking for.

GamerBoy is going to do some holiday baking for me. Nothing fancy, just some sugar cookies. And I made strawberry freezer jam a few nights ago. Tomorrow he will be delivering gifts to the neighbors on either side of us.

Hopefully Dak will be able to help me get the throws and Hannah's Wish t-shirts online tomorrow too!

Rough day...

2008-12-15T19:55:00.004-05:00

It's been a long day. And one I wish we hadn't had to live through. It started at a little after 5 am when Chatty's mother called. Chatty was having hallucinations and hearing voices. So Dak and I went and got her and took her to the hospital. We learned that she had not taken of her medicines as she was supposed to (hadn't taken ANY all weekend) and had been given some pretty potent pain killers she shouldn't have been taking. She ended up in an In-Patient program where, we hope, she will get the help she needs. We didn't even get home to decompress until about 7:30 pm. GamerBoy was concerned that the plans he had made with friends would have to be changed because of today's developements but we made sure he got to go. He doesn't get to do a lot of things like that so he's entiteled to it once in a while.

Last night Dak and I watched the movie "Wanted". It wasn't at all what we expected and it was even funny at times! Not sure I would buy it but I did enjoy watching it. Of course I like Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman. I'm looking forward to seeing "The Changeling" when it comes out. Tonight, if I can stay awake, I'm going to watch the newest X-files movie.

203 chains is LONG...

2008-12-14T22:15:00.001-05:00

I made a scarf last night. I made part of another (ran out of the color I was using so have to get more) and am currently on a third scarf, same pattern. One thing I have noticed it that 203 chains seems awfully long when you are going back and forth. I'm just glad that I'm not working on an afghan!

That reminds me of an afghan I made once. It's in a big plastic storage box in my closet. It's beautiful and I loved how it came out. It's rainbow colors done with 4 strands at a time, dropping from solids to blends of yarns. The biggest (cough, cough) problem is that it is absolutely gigantanormously HUGE! I swear I followed the directions. At first I thought that I would put it away for when we had a king sized bed. We have one now but I'm pretty sure that we need to add at least a full sized bed next to it to make this not cover half the floor! Now can you see why I like small throws?

And guess what!?!?! We went by the Murphy station on the way home tonight. Gas is now $1.36.9!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA....

I'm a frustrated but happy camper!

2008-12-11T20:43:00.007-05:00

I just had the opportunity to buy a copy of "Crochet me",by Kim Werker, a crochet book that I really wanted. Not only that but the book will be signed by Kim. And not only signed, but inscribed. And, wait, there's even more!!! This wonderful (I'm sure!) book is going to come with yarn and a hook! WHHOOOO HOOOOO!

Now you'd think that this would make me happy, right??? Well, it does. But there's MORE! The sale of this book is going to benefit a worthy cause. Linda from lindamade.com is raising money to help defray medical expenses of her brother-in-law, Jasenn, who is fighting Stage IV Kidney Cancer. Please check out her site if you have a minute.

Now, why am I frustrated??? Because I'm working on things I can't talk about here because it so close to Christmas. Don't want to spoil any surprises! :( Suffice it to say it involves YARN!

And gas prices continue to drop...

2008-12-11T13:13:00.004-05:00

This continues to be a great source of entertainment and amazement for me. :) Yesterday when I took GamerBoy to work with the horses we saw that gas had dropped to $1.45.9. Then last night when Dak and I went to the special needs support group it was - are you ready for this??? $1.41.9!!!!!

There is a convenience store in the area that closed several years ago and has not weathered time well due to vandalism. I think it was closed back when places were required to change out the underground gas tanks. Many places had to either go out of business or stop selling gas because the cost of replacing the tanks was too high. This station/convenience store still has the price of gas on their sign that it was when they closed. Regular unleaded was selling for $1.31.9 there. In some odd way I find that ironic today.

How much are you paying for gas now???

2008-12-10T13:20:00.004-05:00

I was amazed when gasoline went to over $4 a gallon. But I'm even more amazed that it has dropped like it has. I was thrilled when it dropped back to $3 and more so when it dropped to $2! But now I laugh like a mad woman when I drive by the gas station and see the sign. There have been times when the price has dropped three times in ONE day! I figured that it would plateau around $2 gallon. Then it got to $1.75.9. Maybe that was where it would stop. It got down to $1.70.9, $1.65.9, $1.60.9... We watched in amazement when it got down to $1.50.9.

We had to take Princess Junior to the pediatrician this morning. Driving by the stations on the road we live off of we saw that gas is now $1.45.9. Whooo hooo!! :)

What kind of discount programs do you have in your area. We have Kroger and Food City grocery stores here and both offer discounts of $.10 a gallon on a fill-up every time you spend $100 in groceries or (in the case of Kroger) fill 2 prescriptions. The Kroger station is usually a few cents higher than the lowest price in the area but with the $.10 discount we still get it cheaper than the lowest station.

GamerBoy's Godfamily lives in Pennsylvania and they have a program up there where your discounts are all combined. I'm not sure of the exact "rules" but it's something like this - you spend $50 and get a $.10 discount. You spend another $50 you get another $.10 discount. So if you spend the required amount twice you will save $.20 a gallon, if you spend the required amount 6 times before getting gas you will save $.60 a gallon on your purchase. If I understoood correctly you can add up the discounts so that you can actually get your gas for free! I sure wish Kroger would start this. With all the prescriptions we get there we could really save on gas!

Disappearing blog links...

2008-12-08T15:30:00.004-05:00

I'm not really a happy blogger at the moment. I had gone all over the place getting the addresses for the blogs that I frequent (Yes, yes, I was reading a bunch but didn't have my own. I know.) It was time and labor intensive. But I did it. And through that list you might have learned what a diverse and quirky person I really am. But do you see the list on the side??? Noooooooo... There is nothing there. Nada. Not even one listing.

Why? Well, that's the $64,000 question. I don't know what happened. They WERE there. I have never removed the list and have been very careful to save after I've added more. And I've used the list to navigate to them myself. But somehow the blog gremlins found me and they came and spirited the entire list away. I guess they are just as quirky as I am! Now that is a scary thought.

So now I'm going to have to go and do it all again! One at a time, searching fervently. And I know what will happen... I'll find more... Places I just HAVE to go to now. That's what happened last time.

So who is going to invent a way to squeeze more hours in the day???

Dinner at Chez Suzette...

2008-12-07T11:22:00.007-05:00

Last night Dak and I went to the home of another family in the special needs parent's support group we go to. It was actually the Christmas get together for the group. We had planned to take Princess Junior too but she had some oxygen issues the night before and it had been windy and snowing earlier in the day so we decided to not take her out in the weather.

My first impression when we walked in the house was WHOA! They had obviously cleared out their living room and had three tables set up with table settings that looked like we were some place with valet parking and a hat check girl. Well, there WAS one of her friends at the door who took our coats when we arrived. Does that count? The room was absolutely gorgeous. We drew from a bowl of little pieces of paper to find out where we would sit. We did have to draw twice because the first draw was a table down stairs. (I forgot to mention that there were two more similar tables downstairs!) My knees wouldn't have made it (Donn confirmed that after his trip down to look around) so we drew again for an upstairs table. I can't remember exactly want the table was called but it had the word red in it and it was RED! It was a table for 4, with a red tablecloth, a red glass hurricane like lamp in the center with a glowing candle inside. There were chargers under the dinner plates. Cloth napkins in silver Christmas tree napkin rings. Beautiful red glass goblets. The silverware was tucked into little red velvet Christmas stockings along with a Christmas prayer and a piece of chocolate (which we were told we could take with us, sans silverware.) We were even seated right next to the burning fireplace. I can't remember how long it's been since I had a meal at a table set like that but it's been a looonngggg time, I'm sure of that. (And I think this table blew that one out of the water! I know that one didn't have CHOCOLATE!)

Everyone brought food to share (I made a cherry cheesecake. Then I made two more this morning.) so there was plenty! And it was great. There was also a white elephant gift exchange. I drew #1 so I didn't have the opportunity at first to trade gifts, that came later. The present I opened was in a very cute snowman bag. It was a Candle set, a small jar candle with a ceramic shade and a matching plate to set it on. And a small Christmas figurine of snowmen, I believe. Then I just watched as everyone else opened and traded or threatened to trade. I had my eye on a couple things. One of the gifts we brought was a wooden framed egg timer. To our surprise it was the first thing stolen! And Lisa cheekily threatened anyone even looking at it enviously, clearly sending the message to not even think about trying to take it from her. At the end of the exchange it came back to me, giving me the opportunity to trade my gift for any of the others. As I mentioned, I had my eye on a few things. A nativity set had been unwrapped towards the end but sitting next to me, another Lisa had her gift "stolen" so she had to open another. Her second gift was an Eggstractor. A nifty little gadget that unpeels hard boiled eggs. That was tempting! In the end I told Lisa that I really love hard boiled eggs and egg salad so I was going to take her Eggstractor! I was very happy with what I ended up with. What did Dak end up with? Bubble bath and bath salts. grin

So many, many thanks to Suzette and the elves that helped her make this a special night for all in attendance. Your giving of yourself and willingness to share your lovely home was a wonderful and humbling gift and will be long remembered.

Yesterday was also Chatty's 17th birthday. The two oldest (Firstborn and Skellyson) picked her up Friday evening and took her out to dinner and then took her to her mom's. She'll come home tonight.

On a sad note... We were going to go to see friends this afternoon. I was looking forward to giving her her Christmas present. It's just killing me that I have it here. But she isn't feeling well and I totally understand her not feeling up to company.

Anyone want a piece of cheesecake?????

Princess Junior's Own Blog

2008-12-04T21:39:00.006-05:00

I've decided to make Princess Junior her own blog to chronicle the progress of her room building fund and room. I will probably write about it here too but the main focus of her blog will be her room. You can visit it at

http://theroyalrealmofprincessjunior.blogspot.com/

Thank you to all those who have taken an interest in Princess Junior. She is one of the best things that has happened in our lives.

Changing a WIP...

2008-12-04T17:46:00.005-05:00

Ok... I can't leave well enough alone. I'm going to frog the throw I just started and use the yarn for another throw. I can't help it! I found a really neat pattern I wasn't to use that is made for a solid and a variegated so I have to do it! I really, really HAVE to! wink,wink

I got a call earlier today telling me that we have a new nurse coming tomorrow to orient on Princess Junior's case. From what I have been told she is probably going to be doing the night shift so between the night nurse we now have that should cover most of the night shit hours! YEA!!! We do still have a 3 hour gap on some nights (We do 12 hour shifts and our current night nurse can only do 9 hour shifts at the moment per docs orders) but they are working on getting those filled too. Two of our day nurses are pulling the extra hours to help cover those gaps. Right now I'm thrilled (and somewhat amazed) that we have Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day covered! They are still working on staffing Christmas Day.

Speaking of Christmas... last night Dak told me that Princess Junior has been asked to be in a children's nativity! We don't know in what capacity yet. She's quiet enough but too big to pull off the baby role (and that would be a reprisal for her anyway, she's already done that part) but she is definitely an angel so that is a possibility. grin I think it's for a special Christmas service the Sunday evening before Christmas. The church has a special needs children ministry so they are well equiped to handle things.

Maybe, just maybe, we'll get things organized and put up a Christmas tree this year. Believe it or not we have a small tree that we keep up all year long. I even added an ornament to it a couple months ago. So we haven't put the "big tree" up for the past few years. Last year Princess Junior was in the hospital until two days before Christmas so we were just grateful to be home! But I will be going through the decorations and culling out the things that are just sitting there because I think I'm going to use them some year, no, some decade. We haven't put outside lights up in ages so why hold on to them. And I have some other lighted decorations that have never even been out of the boxes! Someone else can use them. Watch out Craigslist!

I mentioned yesterday that GamerBoy was going to play with the ponies. Well, he did. And, with his permission (I have to get that now that he's legal!), I took some pictures.

I think he worked well with Charley. I know Charley had to have more patience than GamerBoy did. But he's catching on.

Hopefully tonight will be a movie night for Dak and I. We were suppoosed to watch Wall-E last night but that didn't work out so I hope we get to tonight. We rented this one from RedBox but tomorrow I also need to drop some DVDs in the mail back to Netflix. We won't get new ones if we don't!