It's always something...

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!!!!!!

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...

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...

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!

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

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...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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

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!!!

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

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!

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???

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!

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???

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...

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...

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...

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!

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...

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???

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!