Knitting Okie (transplanted)

2011-04-14T07:15:00.001-07:00

Test

Omg.....I'm in love!

2011-04-13T16:20:00.001-07:00

Seriously! I am totally in love with this yarn....and I decided to go ahead with the contrasting toes and heels. I'm just about halfway to being ready to stay my heels...and here's a pic to show you the beauty of this yarn.

Ta-da!!!!!!

2011-04-11T14:00:00.001-07:00

They're finished!!!!!!!!!!!

Now on to another pair.....pics to follow!

What the hell!?!?

2011-04-11T07:36:00.001-07:00

So my dog has decided that there will be no ignoring her by knitting.....she has been stalking me thru the house. Every time I sit down she wants up in my lap. As you can see, I am now her body pillow. If I try to push her off she gives me a long-suffering look and did her paws in....i guess the socks are pissing her off. Though on a much more comfortable note I have started the ribbing. Which means that once they are finished I can start the next pair using three paca-peds h-t I got at the DFW FiberFest on Friday. The name of the colorway is "spring in my step"but to be honest the colors remind me of the sunrises in Aruba. I can hardly wait to get started on them....although if Daisy has anything to day about it I won't be starting therm as soon as I'd like :( It's actually unusual for her to do this, she tends to prefer my husband for this kind of attention, so since I'm not generally the recipient of her clinginess, I'm gonna enjoy it....and leave you with a picture!

There are days

2011-04-08T23:05:00.001-07:00

When I seriously consider packing my bags and walking away....no discussion, no goodbye, not even a "go fuck yourself". But there are children to think of, and I just can't be that damn selfish. So he'll get the one syllable answer treatment and if he doesn't like it that's just too damn bad.

The second heel is now finished and the cuffs are underway. I wonder how long it'd actually taken me to get these done...or rather how long they've been on the needles...lol.

Ok off to bed...gotta full day of softball tomorrow and an early start to boot.

Socks....again

2011-04-07T11:57:00.001-07:00

Well the first heel is finished and I'm getting ready to start the heel on the 2nd sock. It's been so long since I worked on them it took me a while to remember which pattern I used.going to find some Zauberball at the fiber show tomorrow. But if I don't it's not like there's a shortage of sock yarn in my house.

Right again

2011-04-06T15:25:00.001-07:00

So the kids have been giving me fits here lately...arguing, talking back, not doing what they're told, etc. And I told my friend Nita that I'd bet money that when hubby finally got tired of it, it'd be MY fault. Sure enough...he had a spinout last night and I had to ensure over half an hour of "they take their lead from you" "there only doing what you've shown them" "if you'd clean the fucking house they'd probably pick their shit up". Oh, and my absolute favorite, "maybe if you spent more time with them and less time smoking, they'd take you seriously." WTF, Chuck!?! All of this from the man who spends more time at work than at home, who takes everybody here for granted while standing up on his pedestal looking down on us mere mortals in disdain. He talks about how they take their lead from me....really!?!?! Last time I checked I want the one kicking off my shoes and leaving them where they landed for someone else to pick up. I'm not the one leaving snotty tissues laying where they land, or blowing my nose on dish towels then tossing them back onto the kitchen counter. I've also NEVER blown my noise on the bath towel then hung it back up for my spouse to use. Yeah....there taking my lead alright.
Oh, and to top it off, its my fault they ask for stuff. My fault they don't appreciate what they have and its my fault they disrespect me. Couldn't possibly have anything to do with them hearing him call me names or telling them he doesn't give a fuck what I told them. Noooooooo...it's always MY fault. I'm always wrong and he's always right. If somethings wrong its my fault. If one off the kids doesn't listen its cuz they have MY genes. What-fucking-ever. I'm just waiting....he'll say it again...his favorite line..."if you're so fucking miserable then hit the bricks"and when he does I'm packing HIS shit and he can hit the bricks. I'm so sick of his pointing fingers and laying blame while completely ignoring his own culpability in anything.

In the nice, quiet, happy side of my life I've gotten one strip of hexagons done and I'm getting ready to start strip two. Em has a tourney this weekend and boy has a game on Sunday. His team has won two in a row so I'm hopeful for a good showing. Unfortunately the spouse will be taking saturday off which means, I'm sure, that I will get to hear more about my shortcomings and deficiencies. Goody. He'd shit a twinkie if I actually packed my shit and left. He thinks its easy, it was when they were babies....they aren't babies any more...sports, activities, friend, school and all the other stuff that makes them kids and he's got no fucking clue

Wow!

2011-04-03T18:02:00.001-07:00

Well color me shocked! The boys came from behind and snatched themselves another win! Down 4 runs going into the bottom of the inning and I'll be damned if they didn't get 5 runs on 2 outs to win the game! It was a great comeback!

Now I'm off to do some crocheting and watch some more baseball. Its been a great baseball day with all my favorite teams coming out victorious!

Post one in the win column

2011-04-02T21:59:00.001-07:00

The boys win their first game today! I was very proud of how well they played today. Good at bats and wonderful defense! Just an all around great game.

Nothing else much to report....I'm off to bed. Going tomorrows game is as well played as todays.

What a weekend

2011-03-28T19:58:00.001-07:00

Five ballgames between two kids, plus a practice thrown in there...hubby's phone took a crap so he's taking the blackberry. I don't know if he'll like it or not but to be honest I don't really care.

Been working on some crochet....started the granny stripe blanket...we'll see howe long it takes me to finish it. Still need to finish the edging on the squares blanket sometime. I've had a pretty short attention span lately.

2011-03-25T20:50:00.001-07:00

Got a big day tomorrow...opening day for the league, games plus commissioner duties and still no uniforms for my team. Personally I don't care how damn good every look not getting them until the day of or first game is bullshit. Especially since they've had my order for 6 weeks.

Life as I know it

2011-03-22T15:16:00.001-07:00

A tournament over the weekend, baseball practice on Sunday, scrimmage tonight, baseball practice Thursday, games for the boy Saturday, Sunday and Monday, practice for the girl on Sunday, plus laundry, housework, cleaning and grocery shopping thrown in there somewhere. No wonder I'm so damn tired all the time....lol.

2011-03-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

I absolutely refuse to accept the blame for a choice that my child makes...maybe I'm not the most motivated housekeeper in the world, but her lack of effort on the softball fieldis not my fault, and quite honestly, I am sick and fucking tired of being blamed for the things that she does that he doesn't like. I didn't stand out there in the outfield and tell her to watch that ball go by her without really trying to stop it...so don't lay it on me.

The current work

2011-03-11T14:27:00.000-08:00

So, I guess the colors showed up ok. I now have all the squares joined and have started the dc edging. It won't be too big, but big enough to wrap up in, or to throw over my legs while I'm on the couch knitting or crocheting. I'll post another picture once it's finished.

Onto better news...Puppers seems to be recovering and is doing better every day. This is something I am amazingly thankful for as I'm not yet ready to let her out of my life...I don't think I will ever be, to tell the truth.

Bubba gets his splint off next Wednesday, and then he can finally play some baseball with his teammates...he's already looking forward to it. It's made even better by the latest news about him....read on

Wednesday afternoon hubby and I are talking and I get a phone call. Since it was a number I didn't recognize, I sent the call to voicemail, and we continued talking...only to be interrupted by hubby's phone buzzing from atop the microwave where it was plugged into the charger. I get up to look and the call came from the same number that had just tried calling me, so I indicated to hubby that he should wait, and called the number back. It was Bubba's school...the vice principal to be precise, telling me my son had just finished beating the tar out of another student at recess! I was flabberghasted. My son? My sweet, timid, kind, loving, avoids confrontation at all costs son? Are you sure? Yes, she was sure, could I please come to the school?

Long story shorter, the boys were going after a soccer ball and the other boy kicked Bubba, so Bubba dropped his head, threw out his arms and charged him, proceeding to hit and kick him. Teachers were running to break it up, kids were trying to break it up, but Bubba refused to stop, continuing to hit and kick this kid. We talked and were extremely confused until the conversation continued in the van when my son asked if he could have an ice cream for fighting to defend himself. I said no because he was only fighting because he misunderstoond the other boy's intent, especially since there haven't been any problems between you two, right? my son's matter of fact reply was...except at funscape. This boy he attacked for seemingly no reason, had just a few weeks earlier told Bubba that he was going to choke the shit out of him and kick his ass the next time he saw him at funscape...so my son, who doesn't really separate time the way most people do, thought that the boy was making good on his threat, and responded in a manner which he thought appropriate...he fought back. Now while this doesn't sound too impressive to some, the boy is about 4 inches taller than Bubba, and outweighs him by at least 40 pounds. Personally, I was proud of him for standing up for himself, even though I don't believe that the boy kicked him on purpose...Mimi doesn't agree, but she doesn't like the boy after having to rescue her brother from him at funscape.

All in all, this week has been interesting to say the least...thank God it's almost over cuz I don't think I could survive much more.

Things that irritate me

2011-03-10T21:31:00.001-08:00

I have to admit that this list could go on for quite some time, get rather lengthy and probably piss more than a few people off...but it's late and I'm tired so I will be brief.............i hope.

I'm coaching my son's baseball team again this season. Its actually something I rather enjoy, to be honest. That being said I have become increasingly irritated with one boy's parents. This boy was on my team last season. Thirteen games and at last twice as many practices and the only time this boy was on time was when his older sister brought him to practice....ONCE! So when his parents registered him late I figured it was a sign of things to come. Sure enough....he has been late to every practice and actually missed one altogether. My bitch is that this doesn't just affect their son but every other boy on the team. Just leave the house ten minutes earlier....seriously! I give up hours of my time to help these boys...am I asking too much to expect someone to be on time?

I hate this shit

2011-03-10T05:04:00.001-08:00

Puppers still isn't doing well. I realize that some people would say "she's just a dog". But she's not "just" a dog. She's my best friend...she's the one I talk to when I'm upset, when hubby and I have had a fight, when I'm sad or hurting she's always there wriggling her little nub of a tail reminding me that she loves me. She never gets mad at me, loves me no matter how much money I blow or how much laundry & housework I don't do. She never tells me I'm fat or lazy, she's always happy to see me even when I was the one to leave her at the vet all day. She's not just a dog. She's eaten binkies, barbies, tylenol, advil, m&ms, peanut butter cups, yarn, and more. She shreds toilet paper and plays with it, leaving the mess for me to find. She's never judgmental, or too busy to give me her attention. She loves to go outside on warm days and flop down in the grass before rolling on her back.
She's not "just" a dog...she's puppasaurus...and she's MY dog and I love her.

2007-04-11T03:40:00.000-07:00

New Blog

2006-12-19T04:28:00.000-08:00

I have begun the process of switching my blog over to Beta..as such, since my blog name was already taken, I had to pick another...go figure. This is where you can catch up with me and what's going on in our lives...

www.okieknittingintx.blogspot.com

hope to see you there!

2006-12-18T04:52:00.000-08:00

You Are Blitzen

Always in good spirits, you're the reindeer who loves to party down with Santa.
Why You're Naughty: You're always blitzed on Christmas Eve, while flying!
Why You're Nice: You mix up a mean eggnog martini.

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

NOTE TO SELF...

2006-12-17T07:52:00.000-08:00

...When angry do NOT rip out a section of sock. When you do this...well, let's just say that you're liable to rip too far, get even more pissed off, and end up ripping out the whole damn thing, saying "fuck it" and chunking the yarn and first finished sock across the room in a fit of temper much like that of your 7 yo daughter.

Yep...the 2nd chameleon sock is no longer even a cuff...I had been trying different short row heel techniques and well, what can I say other than the sock is now a ball of yarn and I don't give a good damn whether it becomes a sock or not. Fuck it. I have had it. So, being the glutton for punishment that I am, I of course cast on a new sock...only this time, I cast on the petticoat and used a toe up cast on method from Kahunaqueen's site that once you get the hang of it is way easier than the others. I might even order her book, though 25 bucks is a bit steep, but it's not gonna happen right now, I can tell you that...right now I have to tighten the damn belt cuz I think I spent too much on Christmas this year...but oh well...we'll survive.

Well, I'm off to fold some laundry and get some more cleaning done...hagd, y'all

Just call me...

2006-12-15T10:46:00.000-08:00

DUMBASS!!!!! Yep. Okay, so I finished the 2nd Hollysock just a little bit ago, but fifteen or so rows into the foot I realized that I hadn't continued on with the purl row, every 6th row...so I have a sock with a purl rib down the foot and a sock with a smooth foot. See....

I don't know if you can tell in the pictures, but since they are gonna be on my feet and in my shoes, I'm not too overly worried about it. No way in hell was I undoing fifteen rows of knitting...NOPE! They stay as they are...I'm not that damn anal.

I am really excited and have decided that before I cast on another pair, i am gonna finish up the chameleon socks first, then I will use the opal sock yarn Mimi chose for me to do my next pair in.

I don't know if I posted or not, but I have decided to take a step off into the unknown (unknown for me that is) and try knitting my first pair of toe up socks. With the toe up pattern and using a short row heel, I don't see how it could be a bad decision...especially since by going toe up, I can quit knitting when I run into the end of a 220 yard skein of yarn...like these socks were...plus, by using a short row heel, I will get more yarn to use for the leg cuff and that's gotta be good. Surely it couldn't be bad...could it? So, that figured out, I am off to finish the chameleon socks and then onto some opal petticoat #1291.

Awesome progress...

2006-12-13T03:45:00.000-08:00

...has been made since yesterday. I actually only spent about 2 or 3 hours total knitting yesterday, but it was a very productive 2 or 3 hours. See...

I finished the cuff, the heel flap and cup and got the gusset stitches picked up and started. It's all downhill from here and the sock should be finished by the end of the week, ready for wearing. I am looking forward to wearing these socks so much so that I can't hardly stand it. The picture doesn't do the colors justice, I'm afraid. I'll try to get a better picture in the light of day as soon as they are finished, and on my feet. I think that I am going to dig out my Sensational Knitted Socks book and see if there isn't a round toe in there that I can try...it's not like anybody but me will see the damn toes of the socks anyways.

I have come to the conclusion that I am going to have to keep playing with sock patterns until I can find a heel and toe that I like, then make them my own. I don't need fancy socks...I really don't. I mean, I love some of the lace sock patterns, like the elfine sock and holly's sock, but it's not imperative to me that I have a lace sock, just that I have knitted socks...lol.

I went to JoAnn yesterday and got some pre-cut wood dowels and some more Sculpey II. Yesterday I made two pair of knitting needles...the drawback to buying pre-cut is that they are limited on sizes available...I suppose I need to go to The Home Depot and cut them there...I wish they were labeled in mm like my needles. Anyways...I took four of the pre-cuts, sharpened one end of each with a pencil sharpener and sanded them down, then used the Sculpey II to make ends for them...just simple button ends. After I baked the ends, I used a drop of Gorilla glue to put them on the dowels...I had rolled the clay and made a hole in it using the dowels, so then it was just a matter of getting the dowel into the proper hole after I had added a drop of the glue. The glue will ensure that the "button" remains where I want it. Today I'll make two more pair in a smaller size. You may wonder why it is I am making knitting needles...what would possess me, you ask...well, I'll be happy to tell you. Liz, my oldest, has expressed an interest in knitting. Especially after seeing this gorgeous wrap in Scarf Style...well, not being one to stifle the creative style/juices/desires of my kids, I have decided that I will enable her desire and turn it into a full blown need...I'm determined to create a knitting junkie...lol. I have a couple of the 'I Can't Believe I'm Knitting' / "10, 20, 30 Minutes to Knitting" books, so I am going to make her a knitting kit, at a cost much less than the ones you can get in the stores...I used those books to teach myself to knit, and put together with some wonderfully soft, yet inexpensive acrylic yarn...(let's be realistic...no child needs to learn to knit with 8 dollar a skein wool). I found some Bernat Softee Chunky yesterday at Wal-Mart ( yes, a collective shudder is acceptable). It's a cream color, but it is nice and soft and perfect for a beginner to knit with...not too expensive to allow her to have, but not so cheap that it is to stiff and uncomfortable to work with.

Having me for a mother the poor child has been drug from yarn store to yarn store, hobby store to hobby store, made to feel one yarn after another, and so she knows what nice soft yarn is, unlike me when I first started crocheting and knitting. Hell, until about 3 years ago, I was still using Red Heart...a good, sturdy yarn, though it does pill rather badly after repeated washings, but since I have an 11 year old afghan that is still loved and used...hell, it's getting good and soft now. But working with it after all the various yarns I have used in the last three years would absolutely kill me. Not to mention the fact that all the yarns I have made Liz stuff her fingers into and hold against her neck, no way will she wanna work with it...so the Softee is perfect...I dug my fingers into it, rubbed it on my face and neck and decided that it was a perfect first yarn. That being said, with the needles I am making, the yarn I have purchased and the instruction book, she will be well on her way to becoming addicted to knitting. Is trying to turn your child into an addict a bad thing?

And, I can make some smaller needles for Mimi, and get her started early...she may only be 7, but I can teach her how to knit, just the same...even if she is left handed. Couldn't teach her to crochet...the opposite hand problem...go figure. Oh well. So that is my plan for the homemade needles. I'll post some pictures of those too as soon as I have them done. No girl can have just ONE pair of knitting needles, and it is December, and who wants to work with aluminum needles in December?

Well, I'm off to knit and piddle and clean and all that jazz...hope everyone has a great day!

2006-12-12T04:15:00.000-08:00

I have completed the first Hollysock and have begun the 2nd. I'm on the leg of sock number two...here's the first...

It's a little loose in the instep area, but that's okay by me...I tried cinching the toe shut, rather than using the kitchener, but I don't like the way it feels...the kitchener I have trouble with little pokie outtie corners, but I think I'd rather have the pokie outtie corners than the wad on my toe...plus, I think it looks better. If anyone has any suggestions on the pokie outtie corner thing I am all ears.

Presents have been wrapped and placed under the tree. I have found a way to torment my 7 year old, and it would seem myself, as I have done some intentional mislabeling of the gifts...see...all the gifts, save for the MIL and SIL, are labeled with reindeer names...Mimi, seen here,
she is Dancer...not sure why, but that's what I picked for her.

Bubba, who is seen here, is Prancer...namely because he's always prancing around the house, and is just too sweet for words.

And then there's Liz, who is now Rudolph...namely cuz she's the oldest and the "leader of the pack".
PW, my dear hubby, is Comet, and I am Blitzen.
The only drawback to this method is that Mimi is really freaking out about who the gifts under the tree are really for. Why am I buying gifts for the reindeer? Where's Santa's gift? Where's their gifts? Are those really for the reindeer? Where are the gifts for the other reindeer? What did I get the reindeer I bought gifts for? See...a double edged sword. So much for me and my bright ideas...
NOTE TO SELF: Next time you think you have a great idea, shitcan it immediately, because it's probably a dumb idea that doesn't deserve to see the light of day.

That said, I have also decided that from here on out, I am going to start my Christmas shopping in August or September...I will wrap and label stuff as soon as I get it...that way, when Christmas rolls around, I will have everything already purchased, and will only have to worry about getting stuff that jumps out at me, or stocking stuffers. Plus it's easier to budget stuff one little thing at a time, as opposed to 10 little things at a time.

So, that's my week so far...I have to get my hands on a couple of long circs for sweaters. I have knit one Christmas gift this year, and I have to say that while I feel a little guilty about it, I don't feel as bad as I thought I would. I think that I will do the knit stuff in the same manner as the purchased stuff...though I have to admit, it's getting harder for me to want to knit stuff for other people. I am going to make my kids some slippers socks for around the house, but other than that, I have turned into a selfish knitter, wanting only to knit for myself. Is that bad? I love the feel of my knit stuff...I can't help it. And I know that I'm the only one (other than my dear friend in Georgia) who truly appreciates all my time and effort that I have invested into the finished product.

I have decided that the kids and I are going to go see "A Night in the Museum". There is an IMAX theater not too far from us and Mimi insists that we have to see it in the IMAX theater, not a regular theater..."It's just too cool, Mommy and the seats move and everything, but you can't eat before we go, Mommy, or you might throw up and that would be just gross, oh and don't let Lizzie eat, either, cuz I know for sure she'd throw up, cuz she's just silly like that, and you probably shouldn't let Bubba eat before we go, either, cuz you know how he is (this part is said with a great rolling of the eyes) and then he'd freak out and we'd have to leave and wouldn't even get to see the movie, and that would just ruin everything." Now, please keep in mind that all of this was said by my lovely 7 yo daughter, without a breath taken and with no pauses in it anywhere. I'm still not sure how she did it, but it's typical talking behavior for the girls in this house...Liz and I do it, too.

Well, I guess I had better get a move on and get the kids up and ready for school...hope everyone has a fantastic day.

Moving along...

2006-12-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

Well, I can now say that I have bled for Christmas, but I think that the end results are well worth it. Three projects...one for MIL, two for PW...I'm not posting the one I made my MIL for the simple reason that the phone that the picture of it is on, is shit and I'm not touching it again if I don't have to...that said, I will post the ones I made for my dear hubby...a frame for each of the little ones...ball pics, because he and they are ball players.

I think that they turned out amazingly well...the frames are simple float frames, where the pics sit between two pieces of glass, which is where the bleeding came from. However, I used black scrapbook paper as a base for the pictures, to make the stand out more, and give it somewhat of a more professional, finished look. I really like the results I got, too. The central focus of each frame, are the photos in the center row or column. Both centers are composed of a sequence shot, of which I was thrilled to have...Mimi's is of her batting, while Bubba's is of him making a hell of a play at the plate...I must say that the completion of these, then just looking at them fills me with more pride than I can even begin to express....I did a damn fine job if I say so myself...lol.

For more eye candy, I give you these...this was taken yesterday afternoon around two. Since then I have finished the gusset decreasing and begun my straight knitting for the foot, which is where things are going to get a little hinky...see, I have 220 yards to use for each sock...I took my clues from a pattern that used this exact same yarn only in a different color, and she used two skeins...I have two skeins...the current size of my yarn ball, and thinking of how much I still have to knit on this sock, are making me nauseous, and slightly dizzy...I just keep praying that there will be enough...I don't want to have to order more yarn...I will, but I don't wanna have to...tho, if I ordered more, then I could use two hanks for one sock, and have myself a hell of a slouchie sock...lol.

So, all in all, while the house isn't as clean as it was, I have made some wonderful progress on the sock and the pictures are done...what more could I want?lol. I'm hoping to have the first sock finished tonight, though it will more likely be sometime tomorrow....the thing that kills me is that people make these long ass socks from one hank of opal all the time, and one hank of opal is just a little less than my two skeins of sock garden from KnitPicks....How in the hell do they do that??? I'm using a sz 1 long circ for the magic loop method...I just don't get it. I do know that when I'm done with these, I am gonna move right on into a pair or two of worsted weight socks...I have some Lorna's sitting in a drawer in my closet just waiting for me to knit it up...and once again, if I can get a pair of ankle socks out of one hank of Lorna's worsted, then I oughta be able to get a nice sock out of two hanks...lol. I'm off to get the kids moving...hagd, y'all.

What in the bloody hell????

2006-12-06T08:44:00.000-08:00

I understand that this is America, and we all want a piece of the pie, but I read something this morning that truly disturbed the holy hell out of me.

10% of the Earth's population owns 85% of the Earth's assets. The poorest 50% of the population, own approximately 1% of this Earth's assets. I think that there is something seriously wrong with this picture. The richest 5% of American's pay less than you or I when they pay taxes...why you ask? Because they are rich and we are not...they have more money than they could ever spend in 3 lifetimes, and yet they pay a smaller percentage of taxes on their money than you or I do...that's right....sure, their tax bill's dollar amount is higher, I mean, they have way more money, but the fact of the matter is, that's not what you should be looking at...what you should be looking at is what percentage of their income they pay taxes on...I can assure you that it is a smaller percentage than yours. They have the money and the laws are set up by them, via our elected officials, whom are getting a hell of a lot more money from lobbyists than they are from us. Our country's people are under-insured, if they are even insured at all, and the poor just keep getting poorer. If the rich had their way, we'd be ignorant and scrubbing their floors and toilets for the rest of the earth's existence. See, George and his pals don't want our kids to get too much of an education, because then we might make a little money.

The death tax. That's one that really pisses me off. You have to inherit something like 2 million in assets before you are taxed on any of it. And people talk about how it's not fair to make someone pay taxes on an inheritance. why? they didn't earn it, and if they inherit that damn much money, then they sure as hell aren't going to be hurt by paying taxes on it.

Capital gains tax. Here's another one that pisses me off...you can earn capital gains and pay no taxes on it...what the fuck...if I win the damn lottery, which I didn't really work to get, just laid out a little cash, I have to pay taxes on that...why the fuck shouldn't Rick Wagner (CEO of General Motors and his co-horts pay taxes on their capital gains. I have to pay taxes on the interest my money earns in the bank...

Tax cuts keep going to the rich, the people with 95% percent of the money...5% of American people control 95% of American wealth...that leaves the other 5% of the money in America for the other 95% of the population here. Here's another thought for you...how is it that the 95% of Americans who only have 5% of the money, pay more than half the taxes to our government? Think about it. And when they tell you the average household income they arent telling you that they listed every income and took the one right out of the middle...the median, I think it's called...trust me, the number they give is quite a bit larger than the true average of our country's household income...they try to decieve with numbers...statistics don't lie, statisticians do...you can twist the numbers to prove what ever point you wanna make, but in the end...the numbers are there. Americans need to pull their heads out of their asses and stop listening to idiots like Rush Limbaugh (Mr. "drug addicts and pushers should be locked away for life"-until he's the damn junkie, then he deserves mercy), Sean Hannity, and the rest of that psycho right-wing lot...Americans need to learn to think for themselves and quit letting the damn republican push your buttons to get you to get out and vote...I mean honestly, how in the hell is gay marriage going to affect you??? If you aren't gay, it's not going to affect you...why the hell do you care if a gay couple gets married...for that matter, how is the marital status of a gay couple any of our damned business? Since when did we become holy and sinless enough to pass judgement on those around us? Just who in the hell do we think we are? But the republicans used gay marriage to get voters out in george's first election and he won. The republicans are winning the war of the words because idiots allow themselves to be swayed over stupid shit that will never affect them.

Okay...that's enough of that for today...I'm off to lunch with the little ones...have a great day, y'all!

Gone...

2006-12-05T04:05:00.000-08:00

...is the start of the instep. Gone are the gusset stitches. Gone are the heel cup and heel flap. Gone is the cuff and ribbing. Gone. All of it gone. Why? you ask. Well, let me tell you...I cast on too damn many stitches and was going to run out of yarn before I got to the damn toes. I realize that this is not the end of the world. No, worse things have happened. It was regrettably necessary for me to rip it out and start over. I realize this...that however does not make me feel the tiniest bit better about having had to have done it. I have cast on again, this time with FEWER stitches and begun again. We'll see what happens. I may, for the sake of yarn conservation, have to try a short-row heel with this yarn. How in the hell do people get a long sock out of this damn yarn? Could someone explain it to me please? I can get a pair of anklets out of a skein of Cascade 220, and have yarn left over...WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Am I just hallucinating? Maybe I'm just too damn stupid to actually make a long sock. Perhaps this is a sign from the knitting gods telling me to stick my dumb ass to anklets and leave the long socks for worthy sock knitters. Shit. Oh well, fuck it...I'll just keep trying. I suppose that if worst comes to worst, I'll make a pair of anklets before I wear the yarn out re-knitting it.

Our tae-kwon-do class was last night. I'm telling ya, the class wears my ass out, and I didn't really want to go, but I always enjoy myself once I get there. I'd probably enjoy myself even more if my allergies and this damn cough didn't make it so painful to do stuff. The babies are seeming to really enjoy it, and Bubba has gotten much better with his front snap kicks. In fact, you can tell now that he is doing a snap kick rather than a kick sequence from a Rockettes dance number. He has to work twice as hard as his littlest big sister to do a lot of the physical stuff, as his coordination isn't well developed yet, however, he seems to almost always enjoy it more than her.

We're going up to Ardmore, OK on Saturday. OU is having a hitting camp for baseball and I'm taking both the babies. Deal is, we have to leave the house BY 7 since the camp starts at 9 or 930. I want to make sure that we aren't late, and I will have to stop and get them breakfast of course...can't go anywhere in the van for any distance without the two of them needing to eat...so I'm not even gonna bother with feeding them before we leave the house...why waste the time, energy and food. They are both very excited about the camp...I don't know if any of the baseball team is going to be there or not, but Mimi has decided that she's gonna play ball for OU and be a surgeon, too. What a little over-achiever. Bubba wants to play baseball and be a firefighter in Boston...or at station 35 in Oklahoma City. Don't ask, I don't know. I don't remember taking him to station 35, but evidently I did and they made a hell of an impression on his little one track mind.

We got a tree this weekend and some ornaments for it. I have to get my ass in gear today and start getting some gifts wrapped up and under it. It's a 6-1/2 foot pre-strung with lights tree...I don't know what the hell the people were thinking when they strung the damn lights, but there is no plug at the top for the tree-topper, so the topper just sits there, unlit, listing to one side and looking rather pathetic...lol. The stockings are hung, and after Christmas, I am going to work on knitting a stocking for each member of the family, using a pattern I rescued from one of my knitting magazines before we moved down here. It's a little patchwork type stocking, but I'm only going to use it as a guideline. They will all be in shades of reds/whites/creams. We are after all Sooners fans and we must keep our Sooner spirit alive...lol. Yes, I'm ate up. Can't help it.

Have you ever noticed that the bullshit with sports-writers and their voting for teams/players for stuff is so damn heavily biased that it's not even funny. I heard a sports-writer yesterday morning say that he'd never vote for Mark McGwire to be inducted into the baseball hall of fame because he used steroids. Really? I thought people were innocent until proven guilty. No one but Mark McGwire knows if he used roids or not...he's a big guy, and while he is smaller than he was when he was playing ball, he isn't having to workout like a damn fiend because he's playing ball...he's still a big guy. The only two ball players in a "spotlight" that we know WITHOUT A DOUBT that used roids are Palmeiro and Jason Giambi. They both tested positive. Once Giambi went off the juice, he shriveled up back into his original size. I don't think sportswriters should be allowed to vote for shit when it comes to stuff like rankings and polls and hall of fame stuff. That should be left for the coaches and the players to decide. From what I can tell, most sportswriters couldn't make it as an athlete, so they write about sports, and lambast the players that they wish to hell they could be. Jeez....get a life and get over yourselves already...titty-babies.

That said, I'm off to get some kids into the tub before school...have a good one!

I despise aol

2006-12-04T04:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, so since it is usually easier for me to take a quick pic with my cell phone's camera, email it to myself and then save it to my puter, that's what I've been doing for almost a month now...however, here lately, it seems that the pics I email to myself from my cell phone want to float around in cyberspace for a day or two BEFORE they land in my mail box. And to top it off, since aol has gone "free" they have completely jacked everything all to hell...ads at the bottom of my emails and shit like that. I despise aol. Truly I do.

That said, let me also say that here and there probably isn't gonna be done in time for Christmas, and I am perfectly okay with that. These will tho...

Of course, neither of these pictures gives a true impression of the colors in this sock yarn, but such is life. On size 1 long circ we have KnitPicks Sock Garden, in HollyBerry. I went thru a bunch of sock patterns on the web and then kind of created my own. I cast on 80 stitches, which is probably too many for my foot and ankle, since I have chicken legs, but so far it slouches really well, which is what I wanted it to do. The cuff isn't as long as I would like it to be, but that's because I cast on 80. Ah well, shit happens...I have two balls of this yarn, so I will have two socks, and the patterning that I used to
help with the slouch, will also help me to not get

all screwed up in the cuff length, since I have the purl ridges spaced out down the cuff. Since cyberspace has eaten my damn pictures, I can't post the one I took last night of it on my foot...heel complete and gusset stitches picked up and first decrease made. I tried working two at the same time, but I'm just not that damn coordinated or patient, so the other cuff for the second sock is sitting on a pair of dpn's waiting for me to finish this first one and return to it...I think that I might just start making my socks where I cast on for both cuffs, as that might help me to eliminate the terrifying second sock syndrome...or maybe not, cuz the second chameleon sock is sitiing in a drawer in my closet still unfinished.

I have also decided to return to knitting the traditional heel flap, as the short row seems to be stretching out into holiness where my wraps are. Perhaps it's just me, or perhaps I need to figure out a different way to do the short row heels. I know that the main reason I liked them so much, was because they cut about three hours of knitting off a pair of socks, but if it means that there are "holes" then screw it, I'll spend the extra three hours....plus I could get more cuff by using the short row heel, but that's okay, since I don't really require a lot of cuff...most of my socks are low cut, or ankle high, but I want more out of my sock yarn than an anklet. I want to show off my socks and the yarn I used to make them...I have more KnitPicks sock garden yarn in the closet...pansy and stargazer lily...I've missed making socks. If I never make a sweater that's okay, I can buy a few, but socks...nothing feels like a sock that's hand-knit ...yummy.

I did finish the other scarf, and I must say that I absolutely love it....it's nice and wide, and wraps well, tho, if I'm wearing a hooded sweatshirt I have to be careful when I wrap it or I'm likely to choke myself...lol.

JoAnn's is having a sale on Wool-Ease again this week...$1.77 a ball. I have to go over there to try to find a collage frame for Christmas for my MIL and PW...baseball pictures are a wonderful thing...lol. So I had better get moving...still gotta get the little ones up and ready for school...more pics of the sock as soon as the damn internet lets them land in my mail box...have a great day, everyone!

Freakin' brrrrrrr!!!

2006-11-29T19:16:00.000-08:00

Yep, that's right...at approx. 5 p.m. this evening it was 72 degrees. By 730 it was down to 51 degrees, and at 845 the temperature was a whopping 38...and still dropping. Yes, I live in North Texas, and we, along with a whole hell of a lot of other people, are getting ready to freeze our asses off but good. Here is a picture of the sky this morning at about 630. Pretty, but ominous.

So, I did my first merchandising stint today. It went pretty well. I'm going to go thru my emails from the secret shopper place, and see what else I can turn up. There are a few that I want to check into further. What the hell. Do something I'm good at and make money at it. Sounds good to me. Besides, it's not like I have a job. This way, maybe I can earn my yarn money, instead of trying to skimp it out of the budget. It'd be really nice to have my own money again...plus I want to acquire one of bitchin' Canon digital cameras that'll shoot like 7 frames or more per second, and all that cool jazz. Of course, that'll set me in the whole about 800-900 bucks, but what the hell...it'll be worth it.

So my dog is pestering me to go out, so I guess I'll take her and write more tomorrow with an update on the weather conditions here...as if y'all really give a rat's ass...lol.

Wow...

2006-11-28T03:40:00.000-08:00

...my latest scarf is now on it's fifth ball of Wool-Ease, and is longer than I am tall. I figured out that I was going to get approximately 15 inches of scarf for each ball of wool-ease, which, with 5 balls, gives me at least 75 inches of scarf. I had hoped to finish it over the long weekend, but it didn't happen. I am hoping to get it finished this week, then return to the Here and There scarf that is still on the needles in my other knitting bag. I don't think that it is going to be anywhere near as long as this one, but what the hell, it's sure gonna be a warm one, and as long as it's long enough to wrap at least once, it's all good.

In other interesting news, or at least interesting to me, my new calendar for 2007 came in yesterday, as did Liz's. Here's a picture of mine...

And here is a picture of hers...

These are some of the most incredible calendars ever made. They are huge...with large date squares and stickers to catch your eye for important events, like doctor and dentist appointments, school events, birthdays, special occasions, vet visits and more. The one for teenage girls, has stickers for spring break and other type of stuff like that. And at 15 bucks each, not a bad deal at all. This is my 8 year of having one, and I actually threatened PW when he bought a cheapo-depot calendar one year. You get what you pay for and this is one of those instances where a little extra cash spent is a good thing. I try not to make plans unless I'm standing in front of the calendar with a pencil in hand (pencil, because if something goes wrong and an appointment has to be changed, I can ERASE!!!).

The trip to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving was nice, but it's good to be back home and in our own house. Christmas is up in the air as to whether we'll be here or in Oklahoma, but we'll have family and that will be nice. It's always good to have family.

Well, I guess that's really about all I have to post for now. I have a merchandising job this morning, assembling a card carousel at a gift shop in a nearby hotel, then it's back home to do some laundry and some housework.

A whole week

2006-11-20T06:17:00.000-08:00

...of my children without school. My girls are in Oklahoma with their Grandma (my MIL) and Bubba is here with me. He was supposed to go to Oklahoma, but he got sick late Saturday night/early Sunday morning, and had to stay here with me. This, for me, is not that big a deal, because he entertains himself most of the time without help from me, but he is so sweet and loving and such a good boy, that it's not wearing on my nerves to have him around constantly.

So, we went to the OU/Baylor game Saturday and had a BLAST! We spotted Toby Keith after the game. I'd post my pic that I snapped with my cell phone, but it still hasn't shown up in my mailbox. I knit on the 2 hour trip there and back, and am now on the 3rd ball of wool-ease for this new scarf. I really need to lay it down and get back to work on the here and there scarf so that it is finished in time to ship for Christmas. I got some Lion Wool today...Autumn Sunset and Cocoa, with which I am going to make myself another felted purse...I just have to find a pattern that I like that will come out big enough to allow me to carry my knitting.

All in all it was a great weekend with good food, good times and a hair cut, too. Hope y'all have a great week...I'll try to post some pics of my scarf later this week, and hopefully a finished here and there and a purse started...

2006-11-16T17:51:00.000-08:00

So, finally, I am able to post a pic of the new scarf. This picture really doesn't do it justice, but what the hell. I'll try again in a few days. For now I am busy cleaning and getting the "house" (read apartment) ready for our incoming guests (MIL and SIL).

They will be here sometime tomorrow afternoon or early evening. They'll spend the night and then Saturday morning we'll all get up relatively early and head out to Waco for the OU/Baylor game, which starts at 11. Then we'll return home and I think that sometime on Sunday MIL and SIL will head back to OK, with my kids (read very excited Mommy). Since we don't know whether PW has to work the day before and after Thanksgiving, we may or may not have our Thanksgiving dinner here in Texas.

I spent the morning getting tags for the Yukon and the Grand Am, plus laundry supplies and then I came home and got busy on the living room and dining room. I have to finish dusting the living room, then move on to the kitchen and upstairs. I rearranged the living room while I was at it, moving the couch and the chair, and getting everything ready to put the tree up eventually. We're going to get one of those skinny ones that doesn't take up a buch of room , but this way the kids will still have a tree. Personally, I could live without the tree, but the kids are hell bent on having one, so have one we will.

That said, I have something to share with y'all. I found today a book called...The Best of Knitter's Jackets for Work and Play. There are a few in there, at least, that I am looking forward to trying. There's the Stockinette Cables, very pretty, Roundtrip, which is the first one I am planning on making. I love that it is rounded and shrug-like. Those are just two, but there are more. The instructions seem easy enough for me to follow...let's hope that I'm not deluding myself. I really am looking forward to getting in at least one sweater. If I decide that I don't like it, it's no big deal, but hell, I liked cables okay, and they weren't anywhere near as difficult as I thought that they would be, so what the hell. Socks intimidated the hell out of me at first...I kept trying to read ahead on the pattern, which for some reason you just can't do with a knitting pattern cuz for some reason the patterns don't make sense when you just "read" them.

Well, I guess that's about it for now. More soon.

New scarf and the horse's ass

2006-11-15T04:20:00.000-08:00

Three doctors are at a convention discussing their greatest triumphs. The first doctor said, "a few years ago a young man came in with all his fingers cut off. I sewed them back on and he later played a piano concert for the queen of England." The second doctor chuckled and said, "Two years ago, a young man was brought to me, and his arms and legs had been cut off in a freak train wreck. I put him back together and he won last years Iron Man competition." The third doctor snorted in derision and said, "You guys suck. About eight years ago LifeFlight brought me a horse's ass and a cowboy hat. Now that bastard is President"

That being said, said President never fails to surprise me. First he says we're gonna stay the course. He says it repeatedly for 3 years. Now, all of a sudden..."Listen, we've never been stay the course". Um, excuse me...Mr. President? Now, since the Dems have taken control of the house and the senate, he suddenly says that he has always been in favor of raising the minimum wage. However, I remember him stating that raising the minimum wage in this country would be tantamount to entrepreneurial homocide. That it would kill small businesses and increase unemployment. And the republicans had the gall to say that Clinton was a waffler? I have figured out what is wrong with our country.

When we laud and praise a man, and his group of "appointees" for what great, upstanding citizens they are, while these same, "draft dodgers" question the patriotism of a war veteran, who left half of his body in the paddies of Vietnam, and we stand by and say nothing, we should have a boot planted in our ass. How dare they (bush, cheney, and rumsfeld) stand around questioning the patriotism of men like this, and so many others, while they cut the funding for veteran's benefits, enjoy the freedoms that these men sacrificed themselves for, when they -avoided their service to their country stating "oh, I was there." "I had better things to do." "Psoriasis." Bush is a lying horse's ass who didn't serve honorably, yet he had the nerve to question the service and patriotism of many of our veterans. He calls himself a war veteran, yet he never saw the war, because his daddy and his daddy's friends made sure he didn't have to see the war. Hell, he never saw the inside of his airplane. Cheney states he had better things to do, and yet he helped lead the attack on Kerry, a decorated war hero. Then there's Rumsfeld and others of their ilk, who claimed "flat feet", "psoriasis" (what the fuck, itchy skin means you can't serve your country?), and more. Even after all this time, the republican party does it's damnedest to blame everything that goes wrong in this country on Bill Clinton. For the love of God the man hasn't been president since 2001, and yet, the problems in our country are still his fault? What, did he hold a gun to Bush's head and tell him to squander the surplus, piss on the balanced budget, and fuck our children and grand-children? Did Bill let Tom De Ley get away with bilking people of their hard earned pensions? The republicans spent MILLIONS investigating a land deal in which the Clinton's were involved. A land deal in which the Clinton's LOST money. More money than their fellow investors, and yet they were investigating them to ensure that there wasn't any wrong-doing. What in the hell. If I'm in a land deal, and I'm gonna do wrong, I'm sure as hell not gonna lose more money than everybody else. 9/11 was Bill's fault, too. Ask them and they'll tell you. We've spent more money on "policing" a country that was fine till we walked in. Okay, they "might" have had the "means" to develop weapons of mass destruction. Way to ignore the little freaky guy in N. Korea, Mr. President. You know, the one who was jumping up and down right in front of you, TELLING you he had a NUKE!!!! Oh, but by all means, lets ignore that crazy little bastard and concentrate on eliminating the only person evil enough to keep the peace in Iraq. That country has gone to hell in a handcart since we stormed in and took over. The reason? EVERYBODY over there was afraid of Hussein.

In my personal opinion, the Republicans hate Bill Clinton because while they were busy preying on little boys, hiding their viagra dependency and blowing money, Bill was busy getting it on in the Oval Office.

Now that I have gotten that off my chest...on to the knitting. For you viewing pleasure I am including a pic of my new scarf in progress. I still haven't taken a pic of the mock cable scarf, and since it's upstairs, and I'm not gonna climb the stairs and further irritate my already throbbing knee, it'll just have to wait. But here is the current scarf on the needles. Or not....seems that Blogger is eating pics again. I'll try posting the picture later. If I had a job I'd just get myself an account at Typepad or one of the other places that isn't constantly fucking shit up. Oh well. I've gone thru a ball of Cranberry wool-ease so far, and am not quite halfway thru the second ball. I have decided to give my MIL the mock cable scarf and keep this one for myself. I had to go back to JoAnn's and trade out my yarn, because I am a dumb-ass and didn't check dye lots, so I am almost finished with the first ball of wool-ease, and getting ready to begin the second when I notice that they are two VERY different colors, though they are supposed to be the same color. So, I got 4 more balls of Cranberry, after checking to make sure that the colors matched up, and I'm thinking I might go get a couple more today, just to be on the safe side. I am planning on this one being nice and wide, and plenty long to wrap and wrap, and maybe wrap some more.

The wind is blowing like an SOB here this morning, which means that I am going to have to wear socks with my shoes today. At least I have some that are hand knit that I can wear. I love my knit socks. I really need to finish my chameleon socks and get busy on some more. I have to admit that I'm probably not going to make socks for anyone but myself. I know that makes me mean, but that's a lot of damn work. There is really only one person I'd consider making socks for, but not this year. Maybe for her birthday, if I can find the right colorway for her. I must admit that I have plenty of sock yarn to keep me making socks for a while, well, at least six or seven more pairs. I'm thinking about making my kids some for winter, to wear with their slippers, but I haven't decided yet.

Well, I guess that's about it for now. Hope y'all have a fantastic day.

It's Finished!!!!!

2006-11-12T16:44:00.000-08:00

It's finished, it's finished! I finished my mock cable scarf yesterday! I'll post a pic tomorrow for y'all to see. I still have to weave in the ends. I did a few more rows on the here and there, but not much. I started another scarf in Cranberry wool-ease using the reversible stitch pattern that I found on Steph's site, www.yarnharlot.ca/blog . Very easy to memorize. Very easy to work on while watching dinosaur and santa clause movies with the kids. Very fun. And the Cranberry is the best red I've ever worked with. It's not day-glo red, like red hearts, but it's not as dark as the chestnut heather wool-ease. I may end up giving the chestnut as the gift and keep the cranberry for myself. Of course, I could just get more cranberry and make a 2nd scarf in that for the gift.

I'm leaning towards making a sweater. I know that I swore I'd never knit a sweater, but hey, I also swore that I'd never do cables. Go figure. Never say never, I guess. I'm still trying to find a pattern that I like that I can use with the yarn that I have...though, I could just make myself a shrug out of that yarn, and get some new yarn with which to make a sweater. I guess I'll figure it out as I get there. I want kind of a cropped cardigan, but without buttons. Nothing too difficult, as it will be my first sweater. I suppose I could use the pattern out of my Sally Melville book, knit stitch. It's a cute pattern and shouldn't be too hard, I don't think. I really like the sweater that's in the Encyclopedia of Knitting by Donna Kooler. It's a fair isle pattern, but there's nothing saying that I have to do it in fair isle. I could just ignore the chart and make it up in my yarn that I already have. No way in hell am I doing fair isle. All those yarns and what not. I will be the first to admit that I am crazy, but I'm not suicidal.

My dad went back to California yesterday. I miss him so much already. The bastards at security took his jar of Habanero hot sauce cuz it was over 3 oz. and was in his carry on. I guess they were worried that he might bludgeon somebody with it. Though I'd be more worried about it ending up in my mouth and closing off my airway, than being beaten with it. That shit is wicked hot.

I sent him and my mom the list for PW and I for Christmas. I asked for the knitting bag set from Knitpicks. The matching chart keeper, and Steph's book, Knitting Rules.
For PW I put down a Texas Rangers hoodie and a tee-shirt in his 2x size, since we can never seem to find 2x Ranger's gear in the store.

I am looking forward to Christmas, though I'm sure that by the time it gets here I will be ready to be done with it. Maybe this year will be different. Of course, maybe hell will freeze over too.

I guess that's about it for now. I'll post a pic of the finished scarf tomorrow or the next day. Hope y'all had a wonderful weekend. Stay tuned for another one of my rants...Bush is pissing me off again.

It's been started!

2006-11-06T11:44:00.000-08:00

Well, since my dad is in town, we went Christmas shopping for the kids. I think we're pretty much done, as far as gifts from Grandma and Grandpa in California go. I would post what we got my oldest daughter, however, since she occasionally reads my blog, I can't do that, but the little ones I can...Mimi got a LeapStart Globe, and two windsuits. Bubba got 2 John Deere t-shirts, a John Deere sweatshirt and an Imaginext Mega T-Rex. The T-rex is wicked cool, cuz there's this button on his back that you push, and he roars and his head moves around. It's awesome. The globe we got Mimi is really neat, too, because it teaches you all about the world while you're "playing" and wow...I can't wait for Christmas to get here so we can play and have fun. PW and I will probably get them some more plug-n-play games, as well as some cartridges for their v-smile, and some little odd and end stuff, more dinosaurs, I'm sure, as they both are just crazy about them.

All in all, it was a very productive morning, and I am quite sure that the kids will love their stuff. I know Liz will love her present from her grandma and grandpa. Maybe it'll be a good Christmas after all. I was kind of worried about it, because of the fact that we haven't sold that damn house. I don't know if the mortgage company would buy the damn thing back or not.

Anyway, I suppose I had better get moving. I gotta go get the kids in just a little bit, and I still have to check the v-smile and see if the adapter was the problem. If it wasn't, then I will have to back up and punt.

I'm So Excited!!!!!

2006-11-06T03:36:00.000-08:00

My daddy is here from California. Unfortunately he is only here for a week. He'll be leaving again on Saturday morning. I believe we're going Christmas shopping for the kids later today, after the kids are in school.

In knitting related news, I now have a little over 38 inches of my mock cable scarf complete. I am using Wool-Ease Worsted, and size 10-1/2 needles. I had originally started with size 8 needles, but I didn't think that you could see the mock cable well enough, so I upped the size. I am much happier with the appearance, as well as the drape of the material. I actually found the pattern at www.knittingwisdom.com, but they seem to have gone off line for some reason, and I haven't been able to pull the site up for nearly a week now. I figure I'm doing pretty good, as I have nearly 39 inches and I haven't finished my second ball of wool-ease yet. I think I'll probably stick with the 3 balls, as even if I do only get 19 inches of material out of a ball, that's 57 inches worth of scarf...surely that's long enough...lol. So, once I finish this one, then I'll get back to work on Here and There. As long as I remember to change my counter, and I pay very close attention while working the cable row, I should be fine. I know I have the pattern memorized, so starting the next one will be a walk in the park. I actually started playing around with some yarn the other day, trying out an idea I had, and I have to admit that I love the way my idea turned out, so once I am finished with my Christmas scarves and I have a little more time to post, I will work up a sample and post a pic of it, as well as the instructions...

Well, I guess that's about it for today. Hope everyone has a wonderful Monday.

Note to self...

2006-11-01T03:56:00.000-08:00

I realize that as an adult, I am supposed to be above immaturity and temper tantrums. I do realize this. However, I am about to go off on a rant of gargantuan proportions here, so I ya don't want to hear me bitch, click a link or something now.

Last night I took the kids out to Trick or Treat on Main Street. I love Grapevine. They close Main Street and have all kinds of little "festivals" for all sorts of shit. It's a very historic town, and I love it...really, I do. However, last night I have to say that I ran across some of our towns "winning" residents, and I was truly proud of myself for not beating the ass of some very deserving children and their equally deserving parents.

At 37, I am still very harpy on manners. My dear hubby, even more so. He has actually helped me break some very ugly habits that were rude beyond all belief. Like tossing change onto a counter, when the person working behind the counter is standing there with their hand out, waiting for the change. Like always saying please at the drive thru rather than just saying "gimme" or "i need". These very things that I was once oh so guilty of, have become my pet peeves. So last night was an assault on my "manner radar" and I thought I actually handled myself pretty well.

For example: These are my munchkins prepared to go out for Halloween. The dragon is my son, Bubba, and the Ninja is my sweet, darling Mimi. God forbid my daughter pick out a "girl" costume. The knives got left in the van, btw. She didn't want to have them tucked into her belt. But anyway, we are standing in line, and this girl, who is supposed to be a vampire, goes walking up in front of us. Bubba says "HEY!" I say, "Sweetie, there's a line here, and you're jumping in front of a lot of people." Her dad is standing down in the street and tells her to hurry up and go get her candy. Just go, he says, rather loudly causing a few people to look at him. I calmly tell Mr. Antsy-pants that we are all waiting our turn to let our kids get their candy, and he glares at me, then says that he didn't realize that there was a line. No, I didn't lose it, but I did piss him off without being overly rude myself. I replied, "Oh, well, I can see how you could miss all of us standing her single file, waiting patiently and moving slowly along the sidewalk." That was when he told me I didn't need to be rude. But before I could say anything the guy behind me piped up and told him that the only person who was being rude, was him, and to leave me alone. I was touched, actually, by this.

Okay, now I get not wanting someone to be rude to your child...I don't like anyone being rude to my kids, and I'll be damned if I let my kids think that it's okay for them to allow people to be rude to them. There have to be some people willing to call others on their rudeness. Some days I will ignore rudeness, but most days not. Especially not when the person who is being treated rudely is one of my kids, or a "service" worker who cannot call a rude asshole on their rude bullshit. I have stood behind people and said please when they told the counter worker at McDonald's to "give me". I have said "excuse me" to someone who tries to act like I don't exist in the aisle at the grocery store after they nearly run my big ass over with their cart. I have said "you're welcome" to soemone who didn't say thank you after I so nicely didn't let the door of the store shut in their face...that one really pisses people off.

I know, you're thinking that I'm being rude...and I am, but for a reason. I have come to realize that many rude people don't get it. They don't see their behavior as rude. They think only of themselves, no one else and the fact of the matter is, we all have to live together on this planet, for better or worse, and would it really kill any of us to try to be a little nicer and make our lives and the lives of those around us a little more pleasant. I truly believe that there are people out in the world who will not change their behavior without prodding. So no, I am not above being snide or rude to someone who is rude to others.

I have parked so close to a car that all my kids had to get out on my side because the individual in the next parking place couldn't park in her parking place, but had part of the next one as well. And yes, I have done it on purpose. I have also made a woman wait for me to move my van because she couldn't get into her car until I did. When she started cussing me about it, I calmly pointed out that I was in my parking place. She was pissed, but what could she say? What made it priceless was that we were in a convenience store when she started cussing me, and I stayed calm, and everyone in the store is looking at our vehicles and the looking at her like she's a total bitch, because she's cussing me for parking in my parking place. But, shit like that sticks in people's minds.

I have called people on their rudeness to the person behind the counter at the store, the fast food place, the cleaner's...where ever. The lady that jumped in front of 3 of us standing in line at the pharmacy counter, slapped her prescription down on the counter and said, I kid you not, "Fill this for me." No excuse me, no please, no niceness whatsoever. I could have kept my mouth shut, but hey, why start at this late date. My kids weren't there, and personally, I was in a bad mood. So I said, rather loudly,

"Gee, were we in your way?" She turned and looked at me, and said,

"Excuse me?"

"Well, we were all here in line, waiting our turn. I was just wondering if we were in your way?"

"I'm in a hurry."

"SO?"

"Excuse me?"

"What makes you think we aren't in a hurry?"

"I beg your pardon?" She's getting pissed now, you could tell, and the lady behind me is snickering

"I was just curious as to how you being in a hurry justifies your rudeness not just to us, but also to the girl behind the counter there. It's bad enough that you try to jump in front of 3 people waiting their turn in line, but then you're rude to the girl trying to help us. She can't say anything to you about your rudeness, but I sure as hell can" (now, just so you don't think too badly of me, I never raised my voice during this incident at the pharmacy counter, though by the time it was over, she was yelling)

"I, I just need to get this filled and get home."

"Oh, well, I'm waiting for my son's antibiotic. He has strep throat. I'm sure he won't mind holding off his healing so you can hurry home." Then she yelled the magic words...

"What is your problem anyway?"

"My problem is that you completely ignore the three of us standing in a line waiting to be helped by that little girl back there. You slap you scrip on the counter and TELL her to fill it. You didn't ask her to fill it. You told her to. Then, when someone points out how rude and inconsiderate you are being, you get offended, and act like you did nothing wrong. You, ma'am, are my problem."

The look on her face, as I stood there, calling her on her rudeness, was priceless. She took her prescription and left without another word, and the little old man in front of me said that he was impressed that I had said something. Most people wouldn't have.

well, I ain't most people...but I digress...the fact of the matter is, rudeness is born of laziness and a lack of respect for our fellow man, and we in no way should allow others to be rude to us, or those who cannot defend themselves because if they do they could lose their job. Just think what a better place our world would be, if EVERYONE said 'please', 'thank you', 'excuse me', and just in general, were nice.

Okay, that's my soapbox moment...as always, it's okay if you don't like it...it's my blog and that's how I feel.

I finally found it!

2006-10-31T08:04:00.000-08:00

http://www.knittingwisdom.com/patterns/scarves/pattern-instructions/mock-cable-scarf.htm

That's right. This is where I found the pattern for the other scarves that I'll be making for Christmas this year. Of course, to ensure that the pattern is appropriate, I must first knit one for myself...lol. Of course, I also, being on a budget ( a very tight budget), changed some stuff up. First of all, I am using Lion Wool-Ease worsted, as opposed to the chunky that the pattern calls for. I'm using sz 9 needles for the worsted, though the label calls for 8, and instead of casting on 30 stitches, I cast on 66. This, I figure will make me a good, wide scarf. I actually tried this pattern with my Autumn Sunset Lion Wool, however the pattern got lost in the print of the yarn. (Note to self: When using a pattern that has stitching detail you want noticed, ignore the pretty multi-colored yarn, the pattern won't show up you idiot) So, now I have 3 balls of Chestnut Heather, and 3 balls of Cranberry. The Chestnut Heather is for me, and if the pattern works out well, the the Cranberry will be for my MIL, since she loves all reds, and wears a shitload of reds, plus, being a Sooners fan, she can wear it on game days. I love the simplicity of the pattern and the fact that it moves much more quickly than the Here and There cables...which I am still going to finish, however, I need a break from it. It's not the ribbing, it's the cables. Yes, I am still doing okay with them, but they are very tedious for me, and it's hard for me to work on the cables if I need to divide my attention...not to mention that if I have to get up and walk away, I have to make sure that I know where I am on the cable row, and make it easy for myself to pick it back up without too much hassle.

So, now that I have found the pattern, and the yarn, I have already cast on and begun...I'm actually ready to begin my mock row, but thought I'd take a break to post and have some soup for lunch. The weather here is cooling off quickly, and I think I sent my kids to school in shorts...poor babies...I may have to take them jackets later. Didn't see this one coming...lol.

Well, I'm off to finish my lunch, do laundry, clean the damn bathroom and get back to my knitting. Hope y'all are staying warm!

A Short Break

2006-10-30T04:12:00.000-08:00

I have decided to take a short break from knitting the Here and There scarf. I missed my guess in my approximate measurement of the lenght, and I only have 2 feet of scarf knitted. I got 18 inches out of one ball of wool-ease...I'm gonna need more if it's gonna be the 6 foot the pattern calls for, since I only bought 3 balls of it to begin with...not good. I'll have to cart the damn thing to the store with me to make sure the yarn matches what I already have, tho I'm not going to worry about it until I'm into the 3rd ball of yarn...then I'll go hunting.

I did come across some soy wool at Michael's that is just 5 bucks a ball, but it's going to have to wait a while. I'm not even entirely sure that I want to do the Lady Eleanor, but the yarn is very nice...I don't know if it'll felt or not, though they have some there that's supposed to felt that I just love the colors of.

So anyway, I have started another scarf, in a reversible rib pattern. I can't remember the name of the yarn that I'm using...I found it at a yarn store in Bedford, and I love the colors, but I'm just trying to find a pattern that I like, that shows off the yarn.

Well, I'm off to fix noodles for Bubba...more soon.

Brrrr!!

2006-10-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

Well, the Here and There scarf is coming along nicely. I am especially proud of the fact that I haven't yet given up knitting on it yet. I'm hoping to make it thru without quitting. It's actually looking pretty nice, if I do say so myself. The shot below gives a good image of the detail, though not necessarily the color.

I'm really glad now that I couldn't read the chart for the Backyard Leaves scarf, although thanks to previous posts on the Scarf Style Knit-Along, I have figured out how to read it, but I'm going to wait to work on it until I get the other scarves I'm making for Christmas finished. Then I can attempt the Backyard Leaves. Of course what I really need to get to work on, is my shrug, but it

seems as though that's been put on hold for now, too. I wish I had at least 2 more hands with which to knit...oh, and a second brain to work the patterns with would be good, too...lol.

So, all in all this week has been relatively productive on hte knitting front...hopefully, this weekend, with PW and the girls in Oklahoma, it will be a productive weekend as well.

There's not much else to post really...the scarf is really the only thing that I'm knitting right now, but hopefully that will change...when they're finished.

Progress made.

2006-10-23T03:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I am making progress on the Here and There Cables pattern.

I bought myself a cable needle set at Hobby Lobby, then another cable needle at JoAnn's, but have come to realize that I like the wood dpn better, even though it's length gets in my way. Unfortunately there isn't a knitting shop real close for me to check out for wood cable needles, but that's okay. I really don't mind using one of my dpn's. I have to admit that I have made a few mistakes in my knitting, however, you can't tell without really searching for them, so I'm not going to worry about it. Liz, my oldest, loves the pattern and is driving me nuts to make one for her, though the last 3 times I have "made one for her" it's been worn once, then cast aside, more or less. A certain poncho comes to mind. But, whatever. She is my daughter, and I do enjoy making things for the kids, though at this point, I really just wanna knit for myself and tell everyone else to take a flying leap. My shrug is sitting unfinished in the entertainment center, waiting for me to return to it, which now that it's cooling off around here, I really want to do. I even thought about trying to do Lady Elenor with my yarn...but alas, I don't think I have a very long 10 1/2 circ needle. I must admit that this scarf is a lot of knitting, and while I am enjoying the knitting, the cable part is getting to me...I have to go VERY SLOW to keep from screwing it up. I am on row 75 now...God only knows how many more rows I will have to knit before it's done, and I'm beginning to wonder if 3 balls of wool-ease is going to be enough. I suppose I can do what I did with my lion wool, and go back with the Lot number in hand to grab another ball, then knit till it's long enough, or I can knit what I have till I run out. Of course, by not buying another ball, I almost ensure that it won't be long enough when I run out, and no one will have the green I am using, or if they do have the green, the dye lot will be noticeably off from the rest. I'd better go get another ball. Better safe than sorry, I suppose.

Bubba played his last game this Saturday. His team got five outs total for the game (by getting outs, I mean making a play that put another player out) and he had 4 of them. I was so proud of him. He was paying such good attention and he really worked hard. He was quite please with himself also. I am hoping that he and his littlest big sister will be able to play on better teams next season. They have rec teams and competetive teams here, and the rec teams are just that...the parents are just doing it so the kids have something to do, though they really aren't doing their kids any favors, because they don't practice with their kids at home, so their kids aren't developing and improving like they could if they were getting more than 2 hours of "work" a week. And you can tell which ones they are. I realize that most of the boys on Bubba's team have never played before, but what's the point of playing if you aren't gonna help your child be the best he can be. I guess maybe the competetive leagues we were in last season have ruined me for rec ball, but I really don't see the point in playing if you aren't gonna play hard. Seems to me it's just a waste of time and money. Of course, my two little ones are much more competetive than most kids their age, and you can tell by how hard they work at practice...not to mention, they love to practice every day. I don't know. Maybe I'm just being a bitch-this thought had occured to me and I haven't totally dismissed it. I realize that some parents don't want their kids ate up with sports, but is it really such a bad thing? I honestly believe that my children are better for having played ball and competetive ball at that. Though I must admit that we have to reign Mimi in sometimes, as she subscribes to the "play hard or get your ass off the field" philosophy, and isn't afraid to say so, either. We have to remind her, and her baby brother, that you can't yell at your team-mates for not being as good as you or taking the game as seriously as you, or anything like that. It was a hard lesson for her to learn last spring when she played baseball on the little t-ball team that was just terrible. Three fourths of the kids on the team were still learning to catch, and here she came, from a uber competetive softball team, ate up with baseball/softball, and knowing what needed to be done to get the job done, and she couldn't say a word. And you could tell, too...she was out on the pitcher's mound her first game, toeing the hell out of the dirt in front of the pitching rubber, doing her absolute damnedest not to say a word, though you could tell by the look on her face that she was about to have a complete and total kiniption at any moment. And when we got to the van after her first game with the team, she said, "jeez we're bad, mom." Not "they're bad" but "we're bad" She knew that she was part of the team. That's not to say that she didn't know she was good, it's just to say that she wasn't going to seperate herself from the team, which I think was pretty damn impressive for a 6 almost 7 year old. But the fact of the matter is, if we had known what the league was like, we'd have just skipped letting Bubba play this fall...it hasn't done him any favors, since even then games aren't as challenging for him as he is used to, and he gets bored easily.

Well, I guess that's about it on this end. I'm knitting like a fiend, when I'm not blogging or chasing after the kids or driving the kids somewhere or something else...chasing all over North Texas looking for dance shoes and a damn leotard and all that crap that seems as though I'm never going to find...I oughta tell her to pack sand, but I won't...no, I'll go look again today, probably...I hate the damn mall.

Upon further thought....

2006-10-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

I have come to the conclusion that I should hold off making the backyard leaves scarf until AFTER all my Christmas gifts are made. I know, I know, I should just jump in and go for it, but I have to be realistic (I think) and make sure that I don't end up seriously overwrought come Christmas Eve, and pulling my hair out. Therefore, I will make sure to get all my gift scarves done first, THEN I will indulge myself with the Backyard Leaves. That's not to say that I am setting Scarf Style aside. Quite the opposite, actually, as I am going to knit the gift of Here and There Cables. As I said earlier today, I have actually made up some of that, and I feel confident that I can knock out three of those in time for Christmas...One for MIL, one for Liz and one for a friend who shall remain nameless as she reads my blog. Maybe four, but no more than that. The fourth would be for a friend back in Oklahoma.

I have most of the yarn that I need...3 skeins of Loden Wool-Ease, 3 skeins of Oxford gray wool-ease, those cover the "remaining nameless friend" and Liz. I now need the yarn for MIL...some shade of red, I think, as she prefers red, and she'll then be able to wear it to the Sooners games, and maybe a black for my friend in Oklahoma. I have 4 skeins of Lion Wool in Autumn Sunset that I thought about using for the backyard leaves pattern, but I'm not sure how it would look. I may have to switch to a different yarn for the "leaves" and use the autumn sunset for a cables scarf for myself. Hell I don't know...I'll figure it out though.

So, now that I have my plan of action, it's time to get busy...so I'm off to cast on for my first Here and There scarf. Wish me luck...I'm sure I'll need it.

Oh, goody!

2006-10-20T04:13:00.000-07:00

This book, Scarf Style, is now a member of my collection. Filled with fun and challenging scarves, I am salivating over many of them, though I must admit that I thought I was through with scarves until I stumbled onto a Knit-along for this book and the following book.

This book, Wrap Style, will join my collection later this morning, after the kids are in school and I am finished at the gym. I saw it yesterday, but didn't have the cash necessary to get it. I must admit that I am really looking forward to getting busy this year with knitting.

Living in North Texas, it will still get cold enough, I think, for me to use my knitting skills for myself and the kids. I need to get busy on my Christmas gifts, as well, though this years list is quite short...Mother in Law, and dear friend...two actually. I am not making anything for someone else to give, I am not making anything for people who won't appreciate the time and effort that went into their gift. I have better things to do with my time than to knit for someone who doesn't see it as a work of love. So, if said people get upset about it, that's just too damn bad, they can kiss my fat ass.

So, I started on the Backyard Leaves scarf from the first book above, then ripped it out. Then started it over, and ripped it out, etc, etc, etc...you get the idea, I'm sure. This scarf will be a huge challenge for me, as I have never knit from a chart before, and this chart in particular was giving me fits. Seems you start with a wrong side row, then you read the chart L-R, R-L, and so on until you have completed your scarf halves, then you join the two halves together. Joining I can do. It's the chart that is giving me some trouble, especially since the rows aren't even...what I mean by that is, that the stitch count changes from row, to row, and holy shit, I think I may have lost my mind when I decided to do this.

This book has also inspired me to try cables. CABLES!!!!! I swore that I would never go near cables, or patterns with cables, or a cable needle, or anything remotely resembling or related to cables. It seems I lied. I am contemplating cables with joy and longing. What the hell is wrong with me? I actually got a start on a cabled scarf from the book yesterday, and while I really liked it, I had to rip it out because the only thing I have that even remotely resembles a cable needle right now, is a damn dpn. Which in theory seems like it would work, but no way in hell does it translate into reality. It's too freakin' long, and gets in the damn way, so I'll be acquiring a cable needle and a yarn/thread cutter today. Since I also do some beading...nothing fancy mind you, but cute enough to wear in public, I thought that I would make some "chains" for my thread/yarn cutter, and wear it as a necklace...which since some of them are quite decorative, will not be hard to pull off.

So, yes, thanks to a damn blog about a damn book, I have finally gone off the knitting deep end and lost my freaking mind. Thanks, y'all...I really needed that.

In other news, a trip has been planned for the weekend before Thanksgiving. Yes, to Waco, tx. As some of you may remember, Waco is where the psycho David Koresh had his "compound", that he torched with him and his followers in it. Well, the Saturday before Thanksgiving, OU is playing Baylor IN Waco. Well, I was going to stay here and enjoy the quiet and solitude, and avoid the football game in the freezing ass cold...hah...PW sicced the kids on me, and so now I, too, am going to the damn football game. I am telling you, I have lost my freaking mind. Why? Because I am a sucker who can't tell her kids to piss off I don't wanna go to the damn football game and freeze my considerably large ass off, while being jostled by God only knows who, and I'd much rather watch the game on television thanks, and knit in the comfort of my home, while staying WARM!!! But no, I can't tell them that because they're all standing in front of my saying "please, mommy, please come with us, we want you to come, why don't you wanna come with us" etc, etc, etc. While I may joke about being the Grinch, I am not the Grinch and therefore will go to the game and probably have a shitload of fun, as I usually do when I let them "bully" me into something that I think I don't really want to do...lol.

So, all in all, it's going to be a busy, busy weekend, with baseball games and what not. I need to get the housework done so that knitting isn't an issue over the weekend. But it's painful right now, because I tore a ligament in my rib cage having fun with my hubby, and the pain is unreal. Plus, that hurt so bad, that I actually screwed my back up from being so damn tense, and so with my allergies, I cough, which feels like someone is skewering me from front to back. But, PW was a good hubby last night, and popped my back for me so now I can actually breathe without too much pain, thank God.
Well, I guess that's about it for now, but I will be posting again with progress on the scarves and the other not so exciting shit going on in my life...lol.

I'm a thief!

2006-10-19T04:13:00.000-07:00

Okay...I'm stealing this from Bethany aka Stuck on socks and CarrieOke.

Forty-eight things you could care less about!

1> FIRST NAME: Melody
2> WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No, my mother was quite explicit on not wanting her child to have a "normal" name...a trait I inherited, it would seem
3> WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Earlier this week, I think.
4> DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Most of the time.
5> WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Hard salami
6> IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Hmmm...good question...probably.
7> DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Paper and puter.
8> DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope!
9> WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Hell no!
10> WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Basic 4 and Lucky Charms ( those little marshmallow things are great)
11> DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Only because I tie them so tight that I can't toe them off
12> DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Um, no, not really, though I have had people tell me that I am.
13> WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Pecan Praline...yummmmmmm.
14> SHOE SIZE? 8-8.5-depends on the shoe brand
15> RED OR PINK? Ummm...both?
16> WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My lack of self-discipline
17>WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My daddy, though we talk almost every week, he doesn't live here.
18> DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? I haven't sent it to anybody, but I suppose I would like to know they read it!
19> WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT, SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black, maroon and gray.
20> LAST THING YOU ATE? Sandwich and cheez-its
21> WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Pokemon, I think...Mimi's up watching cartoons.
22> IF YOU WERE A CRAYON WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Hmmm...robin egg blue, I think.
23> FAVORITE SMELL? Vanilla coffee/mocha
24> WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? A representative at the cable company.
25> THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Their eyes, definitely.
26> DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON YOU STOLE THIS FROM? I've never met them, actually, but I love their blogs...does that count?
27> FAVORITE DRINK? Diet Dr. Pepper or Margaritas...depends on my mood.
28> FAVORITE SPORT? Baseball/softball
29> EYE COLOR? Hazel...tho they change colors...blue/green/gray and everything in between.
30> HAT SIZE? Ummm, no clue as I don't usually wear hats
31> DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope...my eyes are too sensitive.
32> FAVORITE FOOD? Stuffed french toast from I-hop.
33> SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS> Hmmm...another tough question. I like them both! I love a good happy ending, but I also love to have the holy shit scared out of me...what can I say, I'm strange!
35> SUMMER OR WINTER? Ummmmm....I guess summer till it starts getting really hot.
36> HUGS OR KISSES? BOTH!!!!!
37> FAVORITE DESSERT? Cheesecake or Tira Missu (sp?)
38> WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No idea
39> LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? my mil
40> WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? I have a stack of books by Iris Johansen that I'm working my way through right now
41> WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? A little info blurb and picture of a Rat Terrier (like my puppers)
42> WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Nothing, really, though the kids watched cartoons after their dad went to bed
43> FAVORITE SOUNDS? The ocean, day or night...my kids while they are watching Tom & Jerry cartoons...their laughs are just awesome!!!!!!
44> ROLLING STONES OR THE BEATLES? Rolling stones, no contest!
45> THE FURTHEST YOU"VE BEEN FROM HOME? Vancouver B.C.
46> WHAT"S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? I wish I could say it was writing, but alas, it's not...so I guess...organization-of other people's stuff, not mine...lol...and singing
47> WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Lancaster, CA
48> WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I STOLE IT!!!!!

Okie-dokie...there are 48 things you could care less about...oh, wait, actually there are only 47, as 34 is actually missing...don't know where it was cuz it wasn't on either list I saw, but you get the idea...lol. Actually, that was kind of fun.

Well, I'm off to start up some breakfast for the kids...hope everyone has a wonderful day!

2006-10-18T11:23:00.000-07:00

Well, after numerous false starts, I have decided to quit ripping out all my hard work and to just keep going. If I had just stuck with it when I started over the first time, I'd be nearly done by now, which looking at it now, really pisses me off, let me tell ya. But, hey, whatever. You live and you learn...hopefully. I am using Steph's "one row" pattern that she used for her scarf (see www.yarnharlot.ca/blog ) It's the 10/12 entry...mine doesn't look like hers at all, but I like the way it's working up, so I'm gonna roll with it. Once the shrug is too big to cart every where with me, I am gonna start toting my sock around again...you know, the chameleon sock that's had about 3 rows worked on it since the move began...yeah, it's sitting in a drawer in my closet, waiting patiently for my return. I'm gonna work at getting my hands on some more Cascade 220 for some of the "sandal sox" I found a pattern for on the internet. I'm going to make some adjustments...as in no two-color heel, but I really like the style of the sock itsself, so I'm going to give it a try...I think it'll look really good in the bubble gum pink and lavendar that I already have, mixed with a lime green, the color of which can be found in the archives somewhere as I used it for socks. I can actually get a pair of socks out of one skein of Cascade, as long as I don't make the cuff/leg too big, which I don't really care much for those kinds of socks, so it really wasn't a problem for me to keep them short...though I must admit that I want to make some longer socks so that I can try out some of the stitch patterns I've found. Especially where the opal is concerned.

I have been nursing my sick son...today was his 3 day out of school because we couldn't get the fever to go away completely...so the doctor gave him a new prescription and hopefully, Bubba will return to school tomorrow.

I, myself, am not doing so hot, as I have a torn ligament in my ribcage...it hurts like hell, let me tell you, and it will hurt like hell for at least two more weeks. Thankfully, the doctor gave me a prescription for some anti-inflamatory which seems to help a little, though coughing is killing me.

Other than that, there isn't a whole lot going on around here. Hopefully it'll stay that way, and I'll get some serious knitting done.

Saturday Sky-10-14-06

2006-10-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

This was the sky yesterday evening as I was coming home from getting my son more medicine, and some dog food.

Yesterday was quite the day. There was a fall festival at Nash Farm in Grapevine, with pony rides, hay rides, tractor rides and a petting zoo. Nothing fancy, but it was fun, and Bubba had a great time, especially when he got to ride the tractor. But the day was marred by his recurring fever and sore throat, and was further screwed up by his throwing up...so off we went Cook Children's Urgent care center, where he was diagnosed, yet again, with strep throat. I'm gonna talk to his new doctor about having his tonsils taken out, because this strep throat business is killing me. And his doctor in Oklahoma told us that if he got strep again, then we would need to have his tonsils taken out, as I guess that reduces the occurence of strep. I don't know I'm not a doctor, but I do know that I don't have my tonsils, and I've only had strep a couple of times, but Bubba has had strep more than me and both the girls combined.

PW will be back this afternoon with the girls. They made the jaunt up to Oklahoma for the football game and so Liz could see one of her friends. I guess they had a good time...the Sooners won, and Liz said she and her friend Meg had fun.

I have ripped and restarted this damn shrug so many times that I am just about ready to say screw it, but since I am too damned stubborn for my own good, I refuse to give up. I tried using Yarn Harlot's pattern for it, but it's not coming out looking anything like her scarf did, so I'm using the herringbone rib stitch pattern from Li. I hope it comes out all right. But for now, it's time to clean.

I will be the first...

2006-10-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

...to admit that I am not the brightest crayon in the box, so therefore, I am scraping the whole damn "sweater" style shrug, and going with the rectangle. Yes, I am a chicken-shit, but I don't have enough hair on my ass to attempt the "sleeves" and the "back" and then sew them together...too much like a real sweater, and as I said, I'm a chicken-shit. That said, I'm using Rena from Berocco as a guideline, but instead of the broken rib pattern I'm doing a double moss stitch, since my yarn isn't textured as the yarn Berocco used is. Though I don't have a pair of 11 circs, so I'm using size 11 straights, and it's quite odd, since there are really too many stitches for the needles...my brittany's are short ones. I taught myself to knit using shorter needles, and I can't stand the long ones. They get caught on my clothes.

Since I'm doing the rectangle thing, then it will go a little faster I think, and I don't have to do any counting, thank God, cuz all that counting was starting to make my damn head hurt. I am looking forward to finishing it so that I can wear it. Especially since it's not even 60 here yet today. I love the cooler weather, and as soon as I'm done with this one, I'm gonna start another one, in navy or red, I think.

PW and the girls are heading back to OK this afternoon, and it will be just me and Bubba here till Sunday afternoon. I'm looking forward to having some down time with him. He's such a good and sweet boy.

Well, that's really all there is to post...I'll post a pic of the "shrug" when there's more than 4 rows of it.

Starting over...

2006-10-12T04:17:00.000-07:00

Yep, I am starting over with my shrug. It is now back to its original form...4 balls of yarn. I tried it on after I got part of the 2nd sleeve done, and the damn thing was too tight across the back. GRRRRR!!!! Since this is the 4th time I will be starting this damn thing...I think I'm going to use the Berocco pattern that is just a rectangle that is then sewn along the sides a little, though I have to say, I really don't like the idea of doing that. I really want one that looks more like a sweater, though there are quite a few patterns that call for it to be done in pieces, then sewn. I suppose that I could try that route, though I hate the thought of the sewing. God I am such a wuss. I love this yarn that I have, but because it's a bulky yarn, I need larger needles, though I am screwed with the circulars, cuz the biggest I have there is a 9 for my magic loop. I guess I am gonna have to break down and just do some sewing...SHIT!

My picture of my dog on her favorite afghan is indeed lost in blogger hell. I don't know what the hell happened to the picture, and I'm really too damn tired to care, to be honest. Not to mention still pissed as hell about my shrug. No, pissed isn't the right word...disgusted is better, because I'm not really pissed. I was hoping to finish it by the weekend, but alas, that wasn't meant to be.

So, I'm off to clean, get the kids ready for school, and then back to the shrug drawing board. Hope everyone has a wonderful day. Me? I'll be trying to find a shrug pattern that I like that I can tolerate knitting...again.

Return of the Shrug

2006-10-11T03:39:00.000-07:00

It's back out and I have gotten to the other sleeve. I joined it back up yesterday afternoon. I'll take a couple of pics later to post, but it seems to be going all right.

Took Liz to Books-A-Million Sunday, and found Steph's book, Yarn Harlot. It's awesome! If you haven't had a chance to get it or read it, by all means, do so as soon as possible. There are laughs and tears, and as a knitter, I fully understand where she is coming from...which makes it even more enjoyable. So far, out of all the stories in this book that have touched me the most, it was the one about One Little Sock. As a mother, it broke my heart, but the love also touched me deeply. I didn't realize that Stephanie had so many books out...way to go Steph...you're a better woman than me, as my dream of writing is stuck inside various notebooks stashed in the closet with my yarn.

One of the things that Steph talks about is her stash, and "inheriting" a friend's stash after her arthritis got so bad that she could no longer knit, and it made me thankful that I am still able to knit. I had to donate a large portion of my stash to charity before we moved to Texas, as there was just no room at the inn for all my yarn. There were, of course, so yarns that I just absolutely refused to part with, much to my hubbies irritation and consternation, however, as my yarn now fits in two sets of 3 drawers in our closet, rather than 5 boxes and God only knows how many bags, I think I did pretty good. I kept all my sock yarn, of course, and my wool. I got rid of tons of acrylics, and fun fur and boa, though I did hang on to some of my novelty yarn.

I was at WalMart yesterday, looking at the Bernat Boucle`, and noticed that Red Heart now has a self-striping acrylic yarn, although, since I have found the wonderful wools and nicer yarns I'm not sure that I could knit with it. Though it would be kind of fun to make up some panels for a throw. I always said that I would never become a yarn snob, but I think I have, because when I felt of it, I actually shuddered. While it is softer than the regular Red Heart, it is still so stiff and a little rough, and I thought to myself, how in the hell did I ever manage to get anything made with this stuff? It's true. I actually have four or five afghans that I CROCHETED with red heart yarns. Now don't get me wrong, the damn things will probably out-live me, except maybe for the one that my Rat Terrier, Daisy, nurses on, which is on the living room couch. The afghan is about 10 years old, and while it has pilled and sheds in the washer, I have had to sew up 2 holes in it due to my precious angel nursing on it. She and her siblings were taken from their mother too soon, and she has nursed on it since she could get to it. It's no longer my afghan that is for the couch, it's her afghan, and if we go anywhere with her, so goeth the afghan as well. This is her on her afghan.

Hmmm...seems that I can't see the picture...I hope that you can. It's probably lost in blogger hell. Of course, this damn puter is a piece of shit, too, so that could have something to do with it.

So I was going thru Mimi's classwork yesterday and I damn near had a coronary. Her work was atrocious, and the grades matched. Well, she finally admitted to me, after her daddy dealing with her, that she is always the last one finished, and that she didn't like being the last one finished, so she just threw something down on the paper. Partly because she didn't want to be the last one done, but also because she wanted to get her recess. So I am going up to talk to her teacher this morning, and see if we can't get something worked out so that this doesn't continue. She was not a happy girl last night cuz PW told her that she was gonna lose her tae kwon do, and her baseball and she wouldn't get to go to anymore Sooners games this year if she didn't straighten up and do the work right. That sure got her attention. But I'm going to ask her teacher to take a quick look at her classwork and if it's obvious that she rushed thru just to get it done, then I want her to have to miss recess and go to study hall instead. That will be the best punishment for her, as she loves recess and she will learn that rushing thru is not acceptable. She is my difficult child as she is very clever and logical, and I am sure that one day, her mean streak will serve her well, however, she wants things her way or not at all. That is actually her new thing now, "if you dont...then I won't..." Well that doesn't work here as she found out one day. She told me that if I didn't do something, then she wasn't going to go to the van to go to school. Liz stopped dead in her tracks and looked at her sister as if her head had started spinning around like Linda Blair's in The Exorcist. I calmly walked over and grabbed ahold of her pony tail (now for all you people out there without children, don't start getting pissy with me about my means of communicating with my kids. When you have a child like Mimi, you too will understand why the ponytail was the best means of communication. For those of you who do have kids, but who don't have a child like Mimi, don't start getting pissy about how could I do that to that poor little girl-she might be little, but she is headstrong and stubborn and sometimes you just gotta do what works, get over it). So with pony tail in hand, I apply some pressure, and she starts hollering about me pulling her hair, at which time I tell her, in a very calm and even voice, I might add, that "You will do what you are told, when you are told, regardless of whether I do what you want me to or not, and every time you pull this with me, I will grab your pony tail and make you mind" This was rewarded by her telling me, "I'll tell Daddy what you did" Liz's jaw drops to the floor now, and she quickly turns and walks away as I lean over in Mimi's face and tell her, "you go ahead and tell your daddy, and when he wants to know why, you better tell him, or I will spank you twice for not telling the truth, and then he'll spank you for not telling the truth, too." Well, I could see the wheels in her head turning at hyper-speed, and she growled "fine" at me and went to the van to go to school. It wasn't the last time, of course, but she is learning that I'm not taking that shit sitting down. It's pretty bad when your sense of triumph over the cooerced cooperation of your 7 year old makes you feel like Rocky after he kicks that Russian's ass...yep, I'm a tough guy...lol.

Well, Liz has to be to school in an hour to make up her PSAT pre-test...so I'd better get moving. HAGD y'all and see ya soon!

For Sale!

2006-10-02T04:14:00.000-07:00

One 4 bedroom/2 bath home in quiet neighborhood. That's how the listing might start...for our house in Oklahoma. Actually, I am kind of glad that it's on the market now, and to be honest, I hope it sells soon. We just can't afford to keep it for too very long. The realtors are going to have an open house next weekend, and hopefully, since it's reasonably priced, it'll sell quick. Personally, I'm all for it. I want it off our hands and out of our hair. It's kind of wierd, but Oklahoma doesn't really feel like HOME anymore. I guess we're making a life here in Grapevine. It's really a beautiful city.

So the kids and I came back yesterday, and PW will be home sometime tomorrow. I have quite a bit of stuff that I need to get put away today after I get the kids to school and finish up at the gym. I also need to run by WalMart and get the stuff for dinner...just as soon as I figure out what I am gonna make for dinner that is...lol. I did come to the realization that I can make some taco soup and split it up, freezing part of it for another day. I don't have room for too many storage bowls, so I've gotta be careful not to cook too much at once...our fridge here is much smaller than the one we had, and we have like, half the cabinets that we had at the house, so there just isn't room for too much stuff. We actually got rid of a lot of stuff before we moved...a bunch of it went to charity, but a lot of it just got chunked in the trash, too. We actually filled up a 10 cubic yard portable dumpster with stuff...how sad is that? It was actually kind of liberating.

Well, I'm off to make some breakfast...hagd, y'all.

2006-09-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

You Are 54% Evil

You are evil, but you haven't yet mastered the dark side.
Fear not though - you are on your way to world domination.

How Evil Are You?

Damn...I thought for sure that I'd be way more evil than that...lol. Oh, well. I guess we all have our problems...lol.

So, I see this story on AOL... http://articles.news.aol.com/news/_a/congressman-resigns-over-e-mails-to/20060929145509990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001 an I think to myself, what the hell? So I read said story, and the more I read, the harder I laugh, until I'm rolling in the floor about to wet my damn pants cuz I have started laughing so hard that I start coughing, until I can't catch my breath...OMG, wtf was he thinking? He refused to comment as to whether or not he was gay, as if his sexual orientation would affect his ability to do the job for which he was hired (elected). Though it seems to me that his sexual orientation really isn't anybody's damn business. However, hitting on teenagers is nothing short of disgusting, and he should be forced into counseling. If the democrats had any sense, they would use this to their advantage...especially since they are always being villified by the republicans. Hmmm...let's see, which is worse, getting a blow job from a woman old enough to consent, or sending perverted e-mails to a teenager?

No pics of the sky today, as I have to clean out my album on t-mobile before I can send anymore pics to it, so that I can publish them here. Did ya follow that? I know what I was trying to say, but I don't know if it came out making any sense or not...lol.

No knitting getting done, but soon...very, very soon. I have the house cleaned up and ready for us to go to OKC after PW gets off work and Bubba's game is over. The kids and I will only spend tonight, and head back tomorrow afternoon. PW will stay for MIL's surgery Monday, then come back either Monday evening or Tuesday sometime. Her heartbeat is irregular again, and so she is having a procedure to correct it on Monday.

So I guess that's about it. I'll post some pics of the house with the for sale sign in the yard after we get back tomorrow...have a great weekend and don't work too hard.

What in the bloody hell?

2006-09-27T04:14:00.000-07:00

I thought that by our family moving to Texas, I would be removed from narrow-minded, ass-talking idiots. I was wrong. I thought that Texas would be more open minded and more intelligent. I was wrong. Allow me to elaborate...

Right before we moved down here, a jury stated that the woman who drowned her 5 kids in a hotel bath-tub should spend life in a mental institution...by reason of insanity. now I'm not an overly educated individual, but I do know that insanity implies that you didn't know the difference between right and wrong, but I believe she knew damn good and well what she was doing, and that she knew it was wrong, because she called the police when she was finished and told them that she'd hurt her babies....um, DUH!?!?!? Her husband shouldn't have been left out of the trial, either, since he knew that her having more kids could further damage her and yet, he did nothing to ensure that they didn't get pregnant, again!

Now, on the heels of that, we have a parent in Frisco, wigging out because her child saw a statue of a naked man at the Dallas Museum of Art..."that woman showed my child pornography!" was the gist of the parental bitching. Okay, it's an art museum, dumb-ass, and last time I checked, nearly every art museum on this planet has some sort of nudity in it's collection. NUDITY! Nudity is NOT pornography. It's not like the teacher took the kids to "New Fine Arts" Dallas' largest collection of adult movies and novelties, and showed them a freakin' Jenna Jameson movie in one of the back rooms! Yes, I will get seriously bent out of shape over this, because it's bullshit. It's not like it was a picture of an orgy, where there was some serious perversion going on. It was a nude statue. It's my belief that this woman's mindset is the reason why we are the way we are about the human body. Now that's not to say that I am gonna take my kids to a nudist colony, nor go myself, however, there is art, and there is porn, and there IS a difference. The child probably went home to tell his folks about all the cool stuff he saw on the field trip, and didn't think there was anything wrong with the fact that he/she saw a statue of a naked man, and mom/dad had a shit-fit.

So now, this poor teacher (a 28 year veteran of the classroom) has been placed on leave, and it's public knowledge that her contract won't be renewed when it expires. Acoording to the teacher and her lawyer, and I doubt that this claim would be made were it not true, she had not received any negative reviews, etc. until AFTER the field trip and the parental complaint. I find this treatment of our teachers deplorable in the light of all that we have endured as a country. Narrow-minded individuals have no business having children, for they only create more narrow-minded individuals. If it were filth, or porn, it wouldn't be on display in a PUBLIC forum, however, this teacher is being punished for the ignorance of a parent, and the lack of a principal's backbone. While I might not take my children to the Dallas Museum of Art *the little ones are only 6 and 7*, I would have no problem taking the two of them when they are a little older. Yes, even 5th grade. I personally don't understand why it is that as parents we ignore the good that our teachers do, yet we are quick to jump into their asses with both feet when we fell that they are wrong, or that they have gone against our "rules". They are teachers. They were hired to teach, not to be your stand in.

I have a friend whose daughter couldn't read in the fourth grade. Now, I would never say this to her, but how is it the fault of the teachers that her daughter made it to the fourth grade not knowing how to read? SHE is the parent and her daughter's education, first and foremost, was her responsibility. But she was thoroughly pissed that the teachers had passed her daughter even though she couldn't read. Where was she at the end of the day when her daughter should have been reading to her? Where was she every day after school when her daughter got home? When my kids get home from school, I go thru their backpacks, pull out all their stuff and they sit down at the table in the dining room and get started on their homework. They read to me every night before bed. They fix their mistakes on their classwork that I didn't see, so that I know they know what they did wrong and what the right answer is. Some days are easier than others...some days we have no stalling or whining about how mean I am. Some days, like yesterday, homework that should have taken 30-45 minutes took over an hour and a half, but it was finished before she got up from the table to do anything else. An hour a day doesn't seem like too much time to give to our children to help them succeed later in life, so that they have more to look forward to than a job at McDonald's or Burger King. Since when did it become the responsibility of our teachers to raise our children? And since when did we become so narrow-minded that we can't appreciate the human body, made in the image of God? Do we not (generalization here) as a nation, exalt and worship God? If so, and we are made in His image, then should we not also recognize that the human body was created, by God, to be admired and enjoyed? So, I close with this final remark on this subject...to the parent that complained about the teacher...If you've got nothing intelligent to add, shut the fuck up!

Okay, I'm done now, and I realize that I have probably pissed off and offended more than a few people with this little rant of mine, but so what? It's my blog, it's my opinion, and if they don't like it, there's a little X in the top right hand corner of the window they can use to silence me in their life. I find it sad that people don't stop to think about the big picture, but go about their lives on knee-jerk reactions, and then wonder why people don't take them seriously. Why would anyone take someone seriously when that said someone refuses to SERIOUSLY use their brain.

So, now that I have gotten all that off my chest, I am going to head upstairs to wake up the youngest daughter and get my children ready to go to school. I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Saturday Sky-09/23/06

2006-09-25T03:31:00.000-07:00

So this was the sky in Oklahoma City as I was headed to the house to get some more cleaning done, and finish getting it ready to place on the market.

By the afternoon though, the clouds were gone and it was just a gorgeous day.

So the house still has a little stuff left in it that will be coming to Texas, but other than that, it's pretty much ready to go. I can't wait to get rid of the damn thing, to be honest...PW says we'll be fine, but the thought of not being able to sell that damn thing scares the holy hell out of me.

So, not much went on this weekend. I cleaned and I threw shit away...not much else to say. No knitting got done, but I did find some Lorna's sock yarn in Bittersweet and some Opal sock yarn in Parrot...that made me happy. I have some cotton sock type yarn in a gorgeous colorway that I am going to use to make a treasure bag, and I am going to make one for Mimi as well, for all her rocks that she is now collecting...she has 5 now...including the one I found for her in the parking lot last night when I was coming back from walking the dogs. Her teacher gave her one, and the other 3 she found on the playground, but they are gorgeous.

DH has decided that we need to switch cell phones, since his is so damn little and mine is a nice manly sized cell phone...I'm really gonna need that damn treasure bag if we switch...lol.

Well, time to get to work on the housework for the home I live in....more soon.

Not too much...

2006-09-19T03:54:00.000-07:00

going on in the home of the knitting Okie. Things have been relatively quiet around here. My mother-in-law is here for a visit, though she is leaving later this morning. I know, you're thinking, she must be glad about that, but no, not really...I love my MIL. She is like a mother to me, and she adores the kids. We had lunch at The Cheesecake Factory yesterday, and brought home 3 pieces of cheesecake for everyone to share after dinner. Yum...Raspberry Lemon, Chocolate peanut butter cookie dough, and tirra misu. All delicious and all delightfully fattening. I felt my ass expand the minute the first bite hit my lips...and I just don't give a damn...lol.

I read a quote the other day that really intrigued me, because it's so true that it's frightening...:“Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies.” -Friedrich Nietzsche

I am sure that our president has some very stout and immoveable convictions, but let's face it, he's not what our country needs, and neither are his cronies. Americans would do well to ask themselves, "are you better off now than you were when Bush took office. I think that most people, if they answered honestly, would say 'no'. How much have his policies truly HELPED the working class of America? And now that there are grumblings and upcoming elections, gas prices have miraculously gone down...hmmmm...Yes, Pat, I'd like to buy a clue, please. For a country of so many educated individuals, the inability of the American public to continually see through the bullshit of the President and his buddies sickens me. We are supposed to be intelligent, free thinking individuals, yet as a whole, we allow ourselves to taken in by issues such as gay marriage - which if we are all honest with ourselves, will in no way effect us, nor will it lessen the sanctity of our marriages...guns...no one needs an AK-47 or M-16 assault rifle to hunt...and God...no one has taken God out of the schools, unless you think that Christian children don't go to school...it's separation of church and state, and too many idiots rail about taking God out of the schools, but if you let God in, then you have to let Satan in, too. You can't pick and choose. It goes against all that our country was founded on...and then you have the fact that our rights are being whittled away, one at a time. Keith Olbermann was right..."Shame on you, Mr. President!" But what he also should have said was, "shame on us America, for letting Bush swindle us and use our emotions to further his personal agenda."

So the Sooners got screwed in Oregon Saturday...and all that the homer refs got for their bullshit, was a one game suspension. The kind of bias that took place there has no place in college football, and the NCAA needs to step up to the plate and do something about it. It's the same way in South Bend...if Notre Dame can't win a game on their own abilities, the refs will try to win it for them. Of course, some Sooner fans have taken things too far, in issuing death threats to the reviewing official from the game...um, hello, GAME!!! Yes, I am a Sooners fan...I bleed Sooner red, and I'm not ashamed of it...until stupid morons who claim to be Sooner fans, pull some stupid shit like this...it's a game...one in which you didn't even play, you horse's ass...if anybody should be pissed off enough to issue a death threat, I would think it would be a player, but hey, you don't hear this shit coming from them...no, just our idiot fans.

Okay, now that I have gotten those two things off my chest, I suppose I will return to my book and read some more. I realize that I have probably pissed someone, somewhere off today, but hey, it's my blog, I'll write what I want, and if you don't like it, then move along...hagd y'all.

We're home again.

2006-09-11T04:24:00.000-07:00

The funeral was lovely, but hard. My FIL was a wonderful man, whom I feel I was blessed to have in my life, and I will forever be grateful for having known him. My s-i-l put together a wonderful slide show of pictures from his life, and I must say that all of us were moved to tears (tho some of us hadn't even stopped crying). It was very heard to say good-bye to him, but I know that he is now in a much better place, and that he will never suffer again. Bubba did okay until he watched his pop's casket being put into the hearse, at which point he asked my why his pop had to die. What in the hell do you say to your sweet, loving boy when he asks you that question with tears dripping out of his big blue eyes? I told him that it was time for pop to go live with Jesus, then I held him close and we cried together. There is just so much that he didn't get to do with the kids, and that the kids won't get to do with him...I think they all got screwed, personally, but I would rather that they remember him as their Pop, who loved them and laughed with them and at their silliness on Labor day, than as their Pop who was sick and dying. The suddenness of it all made it a little easier for us, as we won't have to suffer thru the endless questions of why Pop is so sick. God, I'm going to miss him.

I did, however, manage to get a lot of knitting done over the weekend, thus producing more than half of a shrug... Personally, I am afraid that I am going to have to rip the whole damn thing out after I finish, because it won't be long enough in the back, but I can tell you that there is a lot of knitting sitting there in that picture...how the hell do people make sweaters??? Holy shit! I really hope that it fits better than it LOOKS like it's going to fit...lol.

I haven't really got anything else to report on the knitting front, since I have been totally focused on this damn shrug and actually finishing it...hell, getting as far as I have without ripping it out again thrilled the hell out of me...

well, I suppose I'll get off here and get to getting the kids up so I can get my day going...

Don't forget to tell those you love that you love them, because you never know when they'll be gone from this earth, and that chance will be lost forever.

And so a new chapter begins...

2006-09-06T05:10:00.000-07:00

My Father in Law died early this morning. Not really too much to say...except that I am truly thankful that he didn't suffer. God blesses us, even while our hearts are being torn to shreds.

Some days suck more than others

2006-09-05T16:44:00.000-07:00

Well, the trip to Oklahoma City went really well. It's amazing how much knitting one can get done in three hours, when one isn't driving from Grapevine to OKC. Of course, I ripped it all out after I realized that the sleeve of my shrug was done off a "flat" pattern and I was working in the round, as it were. So, I tried making my own, and that looked like shit, so I ripped it out, and started over, and tried working flat, but I didn't like that either so I ripped that out, too. But, I finally found what I was looking for in the way of a pattern (sort of) and it's done in the round, but I have to add to the sleeves, so that's what's on the needles right now. This was my first attempt...

So, I have started over, AGAIN, and I will be damned if I am giving up on it. I have plenty of yarn to complete it, as long as I don't give up and I love the colors of the yarn. It's Bernat's Softee Chunky, and there are pinks, oranges, reds and some different magentas...very cute and I absolutely love it.

Now for the bad part...my FIL is dying. The small-cell cancer has moved into his brain and liver, but he is in the hospital, on 100% oxygen, and he is dying. It sucks big time. I wish there was something that I could do to make this easier for my family, but there's not, so I just have to try to be strong. Please keep us all in your prayers.

It's Friday!

2006-09-01T04:33:00.000-07:00

Of course, that means another long ass car ride, but this time I'm not driving so I can sit and knit while PW fights with the traffic, and the semis hurrying over into our lane to pass another semi, even though they are only going about one mph faster than the one they are trying to pass, and it takes them ten to fiftenn minutes to pass the damn thing, so that by the time they get back over into the slow(right) lane, there is at least half a mile of traffic backed up behind them. Personally, I think they should only be allowed to drive from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. I know what you're thinking, but let me tell you a story...
We are headed to Texas from Oklahoma a few weeks ago, and Liz, my oldest, was driving. There are three of us in the van...me, her and her friend, Meg. I just happened to glance in the side mirror, and I about shit a fucking twinkie...there is a semi on our ass, and let me assure you, if Liz had so much as taken her foot off the gas, he'd have run into the back of our van and killed us all. He could not have possible seen if we had had to hit our brakes, and even if he could have seen the damn brake lights, he was so fucking close that he'd have hit us before it registered in his little brain that the brake lights had come on...I mean, seriously, there was less than 6 inches between the back of my van and the front of his semi, and when you're talking about a semi "drafting" a mini-van, 6 inches ain't nowhere near enough, let me assure you. -end of rant, sorry.

So, anyway, I am sure that the drive will go by much quicker since I will be knitting rather than driving...YEAH!!!!!

Well, the unpacking is coming along, slowly but surely. I have most of the babies stuff unpacked, though there are still the stuffed animals, but there aren't a lot of those, so that won't take long, I just haven't done it. I did get the internet up and running in Liz's room. We had to go wireless because the cable company won't put cable outlets in any of the bedrooms, since we are in an apartment, but at least she has internet, which means that she isn't pestering me about the computer in her room.

I printed off a few patterns for shrugs. I figure that that'll be the closest I'll get to knitting a sweater. I have tried a few times to knit a tank, but never have gotten very far. I haven't gotten any work done on the Chameleon socks, so it's still one sock and part of the leg...and the scarf is coming along pretty good in the feather and fan, though it will take both hanks of the Lorna's for me to finish it. I finished the treasure bag, but I didn't like the way it turned out, so I'm not even going to jack with knitting a cord for it or any thing. I'll try another treasure bag another time...I really want to get a shrug done before it gets cold...if it ever gets cold. Do they even have winter in Texas? The weatherman a couple of days ago said the high for the day would be a "pleasant 90 degrees". I suppose after 107 degrees, 90 is pleasant, but damn.

Well, I'd better get the kids ready for school. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend. I'll be back sometime Monday, so I'll post again on Tuesday, I hope. Enjoy your 3-day weekend.

Saturday Sky-08/26/06

2006-08-28T03:09:00.000-07:00

Spending most of the day in the house cleaning and dumping trash, my pics are actually evening ones, taken around seven, but the sky was really talking...

I love to watch the sky when it's storming. I tried in vain to catch a lightning strike...maybe one day I'll get a camera that will allow me to, but until then I'll just have to hope I get lucky...lol.

I fininshed my treasure bag, and now have to figure out how to make the cords for tying the top and wearing it around my neck. Mimi is quite skeptical about the purpose the bag will serve. Bubba is quite convinced that it's a baby sock, and I'm quite certain that it looks nothing like the ones in the Twisted Sisters workbook. Ah well, I suppose that's just the way it goes.

Salvation Army came by Saturday morning and picked up pretty much every piece of furniture left in the house. Next they'll be getting the washer and dryer, and the fridge. We'll be done next weekend, and the house will officially be on the market. Anybody want a house in Oklahoma?

Well, I cast on and got to work on a new scarf last night...though I'm not entirely sure that I will ever need the damn thing as it's still hot enough here for a girl to melt. I must admit that part of me is glad, because I am not a fan of the cold, especially when my arthritis kicks in, but it would be nice to have the need for nice hand-knit scarves and hats...and who knows, maybe I will. I guess we'll see.

Another Day!

2006-08-25T04:39:00.000-07:00

And that means more work...I'll be driving back to Oklahoma this afternoon after the kids get out of school. A three hour trip at best, longer when the kids are with me, because Bubba usually has to use the damn bathroom every thirty minutes, if I am lucky. It's not that he doesn't go, either. He goes a lot...every time...how one little body can hold so much pee, after getting rid of so much pee twenty minutes prior is just beyond me.

Here is a picture of my treasure bag. I was playing around with stitches while I knit, so it's kind of deformed...lol.

I actually got the idea for the treasure bag from the Twisted Sisters Sock book for which I am glad, because I couldn't find a pattern for a cell phone holder that I liked well enough to really want to wear it around my neck. So, while I was working it up, I decided to "play" with some of the stitch patterns in my Sensational Knitted Socks book, which I love. I tried the Yarn over cable, and the Chevron, both of which I really like, though the yarn over cable should really only be used with a solid color yarn, so that you can see the pattern of the "cable", not to mention that the self-striping yarns shouldn't be "marred" by a "complicated" pattern.

I have been working on getting the house unpacked, though it's not going very quickly, it is going. Much of my trouble comes with the fact that I am very limited on space, and since PW is taking up most of the shelving in the closet, I am having to make do with what space I can wrangle. So, I am trying to get it all unpacked, but I'm not making as much progress as I would like.

Here is a picture of the entertainment center after I set up the stereo and moved a couple of plants. Of course, there is the OU clock on the wall over the entertainment center. We may be living in Texas, but we are still Sooner fans till the end.

I met with the teacher and some others from Bubba's school for his IEP, and we'll meet again in 30 days. He has Sensory Integration Dysfunction, which basically means that he doesn't process stuff around him the way most people do. It's also known as Multi-Sensory Disorder. He is a very anal-retentive little boy, with things having to be a certain way, and he isn't very social, though he doesn't hide from people, he just doesn't seek them out. He won't approach a group of his peers, or even another single child, but he will play with others if he is appraoched by them.

I guess I had better go get ready to take the kids to school...the sooner they are off the sooner I can get to the gym, and then back here to get my housework done before I have to pick them up. Plus, the sooner the housework is done, the sooner I can sit on my big ass and knit some more...lol.

I hit the mother lode!!!

2006-08-24T03:48:00.000-07:00

And I didn't have to spend a dime to do it.

Yesterday, when I was finished at the gym, I went to the Grapevine Public Library. Now I know what you're thinking...'big deal, ya went to the library'> Well, it was a big deal for me coming from a town where the newest knitting book in the library's collection is more than ten years old. I am telling you it was like walking into a yarn shop...new books galore...including the Sally Melville books-the knitting experience, knit, purl and color-, The Twisted Sisters Sock book, and many, many more. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! And I don't have to pay for any of them. The best thing about this is the fact that I can check out books I have been interested in in the past, like the Twisted Sister's book, and see if I like it...I like the idea of test driving a book, since I have bought some knitting books that were, in my opinion, a complete waste of my money, because I only used one or two patterns out of it. So, yes, I was thrilled!

I have started a "treasure" bag, that I will be able to wear around my neck to keep my cell phone nearby and I am thinking that this will be a big help in not missing calls.

Other than that, there really isn't too much going on around here...I did some more unpacking, and a little rearranging, setting up the stereo and moving some of my plants around, to get them spread out a little and try to establish a sense of continuity and harmony.

Well, I guess that is it for me for now...hopefully one of my posts in the near future will be a little more substantial.

Now what?

2006-08-23T04:30:00.002-07:00

I am making good progress on my scarf that I am knitting with my Lorna's merino/silk. I am nowhere near as far along as I would like to be, however, I am getting there...but I have decided, after a trip to Sympatico, that I need to make myself a few cell phone pouches to wear around my neck...the reason for this being, that a lot of times, if I am in crowded place, or in the van with the music going (usually pretty damn loud), I have trouble hearing my cell phone ring. Yes, I am going deaf, I admit it, though it's usually just in situations where there is background noise that I have a problem. I can't hear over running water or the vacuum, either. So, anyway, I'm going to knit up a few pouches with cords that I can wear like an amulet, so I can hear my cell phone ring, so that I can answer my cell phone so that PW doesn't get upset with me about not answering my cell phone...lol. I already started the first one, made from recycled silk, it will go with anything that I wear until I get the others, in different colors knit up. I think that I am also going to try making a couple of felted ones, since I have wool left over from sock knitting, and it's just begging me to felt it.

I will be going back to Oklahoma again this weekend, to continue working on getting all the stuff cleaned out of the house and gotten rid of, either donated to charity, or just thrown away. I have to haul all the old toys down out of the bonus room upstairs and get them into the formal dining room which has turned into the charity storage area, where I am putting all the bags and boxes of stuff that will be going to charity. I am hoping to get it all finished and brought down here this weekend, including the other puter and the tv and dvd recorder from the living room. Once those are done, we are good to go. Then I just have to run through with paint and do some touch-ups, as well as making sure that I have someone come stretch the carpet in the living room and the master bedroom. Of course, I will have to have the carpet cleaned, but it won't actually take much to get it ready to sell, once I get all the crap out of it...lol.

Well, I guess that's really about it for now...my life isn't very exciting...actually it's rather boring. Mimi is taking the season off from playing ball, since her arm is still really tender around the break area, and the doctor wants her to take it easy for another month or so, so she agreed to take the season off if we would let her start tae-kwon-do as soon as the doctor said that it was okay. She has been asking to do karate or the like for quite some time now, so we figured why not. Bubba is still playing ball and had his first practice Monday evening. It was entertaining. The league that he is playing in is recreational, so they are very laid back and don't worry about keeping score, no more than 4 innings in the infield, and no more than 2 innings at the same position, etc. I'm glad that Mimi decided to take the season off, because from what we aw Monday, it would just drive her completely insane. She is a very competitive child, and her motto is, literally, play hard or don't play. For herself and her teammates, and none of the kids I have seen on her brother's team are very serious, which is fine, because Bubba is nowhere near anything like his little big sister. He just likes playing, but Mimi likes winning. How I can have two kids that are less than a year apart, and them be eons apart in personality just kills me...lol. Mimi is the headstrong, my-way-or-the-highway, take charge and don't look back, I'm right so get over it type of kid...she is very strong-willed and has a mean streak, I admit. But Bubba is sweet, even tempered, though he gets his feelings hurt quite easily. Unlike some kids, he doesn't do stuff just to be mean...he is truly a sweet, loving little boy, who wants very much to please. I just love my kids to pieces, can you tell? Liz is an angel, though at 16 she has a mouth on her sometimes. Ah well, I think I have been very blessed as far as children go.
Well, I had better get busy...time to start getting the babies ready for school, then it's off to the gym for me and my large ass...hagd, y'all.

Hmmmm...

2006-08-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I went back to the bank to initial some paperwork for the 529 we opened on Monday. Went to the gym after that and got my work-out in, then came back to the apartment. I am seriously jonesing for some yarn, but will restrain from purchasing any, as I don't really have anywhere to put it. Not to mention I have been placed on a spousal imposed spending freeze. So, I'll finish my housework and get to work on knitting up some of the yarn that I already have.

I have some lovely DK weight merino/silk blend by Lorna's that I just can't quite figure out what in the hell to do with it. I want to make myself a scarf, but as it will be a "travelling" project, it needs to be something that I can set down in the middle of a row, and return to, without having to count stitches to try to figure out where I left off when I set it down, and as I often knit in the van while waiting for the children to get out of school, I can't really write down where I left off...I did think of that. So, I will have to go perusing the internet later to see what I can find, but in the meantime...

I have to go back to Oklahoma later today. We'll get there around 7 or so, and I'll get the kids and I settled in at my MIL's house, then tomorrow and part of Sunday I will go to town on filling up the dumpster in my driveway. I should be able to post from home, but no promises...does anyone but my two friends even read this?

I am learning my way around the town of Grapevine, though I can't give you too many street names, but I can get to the library, the schools, the bank, the gas station, the drug store, the highway, and the mall...It's all good, I suppose.

Well, it's back to work...I still gotta finish the laundry and get me and the babies packed for the weekend. HAGD, y'all.

Humph!

2006-08-15T03:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I am thinking that I had better quit reading blogs and post to mine before the internet takes a big giant shit like it did yesterday, and I can't do anything.

The kids are still sleeping, getting their rest before school starts. Liz got her books and schedule yesterday, though the school people were totally unprepared and it took them nearly 4 hours to accomplish something that should only have taken 2 hours tops. She is so far behind that it's not even funny. She has to read 6 chapters in US History, a chapter, plus make an outline for it in Human Geography, and should already have an Hemmingway book well underway if not finished. Poor kid's not going to see the light of day for quite some time. Mimi and Bubba both met their teachers last night. They seem like very nice ladies. Both have planners, as well. I have always thought that the planner/agenda thing was a wonderful idea since it taught them to keep track of their assignments and to stay organized and together...I think it's great that the little ones have them here, and that they will be expected to use them.

So I got the closet in our bedroom redone, and all my stuff put away for the most part. I need a bookcase, maybe two, but will have to settle for the boxes for right now. Maybe later I can get a bookcase for our room. PW says he doesn't want shit left in boxes, but it's gotta stay in a box till I have somewhere to put it. There are tons of books still in Oklahoma that I didn't even bring with us, as there is nowhere to put the damn things. That is the worst thing about being an avid reader who is married to an avid reader, who have created avid readers...all the fucking books. The teenager alone has filled one 5 shelf bookcase. The babies could fill a 5 shelfbookcase on their own, and PW and I could easily fill 3, if I had brought all the books with me. All well and good until you take into consideration there's no damn place to put the 3 bookcases that we could fill, so we won't be having 3 bookcases.

Anyway, I still haven't finished the damn chameleon sock...it's sitting on the circ in my sock yarn drawer in the closet. I have a scarf on my needles in my purse, which I haven't touched for two days, because I have been too damn busy moving and unpacking to even think about it, except in passing, or when I am digging thru my purse looking for a pen with which to write, so all in all, I have to get this place in order so that I can get back to my knitting.

Since Liz is so behind with school, I will be driving back to Oklahoma on my own with the babies, to work on getting the house cleaned out and ready to put on the market so that we can get rid of it.

Well, I am off to get stuff straightened up and cleaned up before everyone else gets up and I have to get them all ready for school and off to school so that I can go to the gym and get back into a routine. Hagd, y'all.

Almost Finished!!!!!!!

2006-08-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

That's right. We are almost completely finished with our move. I have to finish getting our house in Oklahoma ready to sell, but other than that, it's pretty much all done. Really it went pretty well yesterday. We got the truck loaded up Saturday, visited with my in-laws, then left out first thing yesterday morning. We had the truck unloaded by 2, and returned by 3. Now I'm in the middle of unpacking everything. I'm done with the babies stuff for the most part, and I'll start on our room next. Liz can unpack her own stuff and put it away, so it's almost finished.

The kids go back to school tomorrow, and I go back to the gym and continue getting the house put into some semblance of order and harmony...well, order at least...I'll take harmony if I get it, but I'm not counting on it...lol.

Well, that's pretty much it for now, so I guess I'll finish my lunch and get back to work...hope everyone has a fantastic day!

Well, shit...

2006-08-11T05:26:00.000-07:00

Please keep my father in law in your prayers as the small cell cancer is now attacking his liver and his brain. He will start high intensity radiation within the next few days, but I'm afraid that it is only a matter of time until he is no longer with us...and this saddens me greatly. I love my FIL dearly, and upon hearing this news yesterday, I called my Daddy (yes, Daddy, I always have been, and always will be a Daddy's girl) to tell him how much I love and miss him. I just needed to hear his voice, ya know. So we talked for a little bit and he is doing much better than he was, though he still has some trouble every now and again with his chest.

I found some wonderful merino/silk blend by Lorna's in Watercolor for Li's herringbone rib scarf, which I started last night, and it's working up beautifully. I am making more progress on the house...have to finish packing up the Texas stuff and getting it ready to load into the truck. Oh goody...I'm sure I'm going to hear it when I get home...g2g...hagd, y'all

My Ass Hurts!!!

2006-08-08T20:22:00.000-07:00

Well, technically my hips hurt...but close enough. After spending 7 hours in a car...most of it driving, my hips are killing me. If I'm actually able to walk tomorrow, I'll be happy. We (being my MIL and I) took a car down to Grapevine and left it at the apartment so that after PW drives his dad's truck back to OK Friday, then returns to Texas in the moving truck, he'll have something to drive to work Monday morning. So we drove down and back today and I am damn glad to be done with driving that far for a few days. Got some more cabinets cleaned out in the kitchen, and a mom of one of Liz's friends brought me some boxes...they have a produce stand, and I'm telling you what...I have more than enough boxes for charity and packing....I'm stoked! So, tomorrow morning I'll start fresh on packing and sorting and all of that stuff.

Other than that, there really isn't a whole lot to share...though I did get some really cool cloud pics today... For this one, I'm behind the wheel of MIL's car, sitting at a stop sign, once again, I am totally thrilled with the quality of my phone's camera...although it's sad to say that it takes better pics than my digital camera does...sad, isn't it???

This one was taken outside, from my patio. I love how blue everything is...this isn't my camera taking a bad picture...this is really how blue the sky and the clouds looked.

This picture, taken today, as were the others, was also taken from the patio...I love clouds

2006-08-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

Liz driving.

Me riding.

Enough said.

2006-08-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I took Jack and dropped him off at the groomer's. Couldn't my husband's aunt have given us a low maintenance dog? No, she gave us the dog from HELL!!!

Sure, he looks cute...but he stops being cute when he pees and craps in his kennel(which he has because he ruined the carpet in the formal dining room) and he has to be bathed, and when you have to drop thirty bucks to get him groomed, and when he is just stinky. Don't get me wrong...I love the damn dog, but there are times when I wish he wasn't mine.

So, he is at the groomer's getting shaved, which will give me the opportunity to find him a groomer in Texas. Wish it were going to be as easy to find my son a hairstylist that he will tolerate cutting his hair. That should be fun.

So, it seems that it was a slow weekend for most people, as most blogs haven't yet been updated from their weekend posts, but here things are just hoppin' and jumpin'. Fact is, I'm typing instead of purging, and it's gonna bite me on my ass if I'm not careful, so I'm going to have to get to work...hope everyone has a fabulous week, and stay tuned for knitting pics, because I started a new scarf last night...I started Li's Herringbone Rib, but the yarn is too bulky for the pattern, and all my other yarns are in Texas, so I'm going to have to find a suitable yarn for it, but I did start the feather and fan pattern and made quite a bit of progress before I passed out from sheer exhaustion at 130 this morning. I hate sleeping alone!

Saturday sky and more!

2006-08-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

I am driving...on my way to Texas, moving stuff...the babies (mimi and bubba) are in the back seat watching a movie, and I just happen to look over and see this beautiful sight...so, what's a girl to do while driving down the interstate at 76 mph, with no digital camera in sight (it's at the house in Oklahoma...lol) and a beautiful sunrise screaming to have it's picture taken??? She whips out her cell phone...which has a camera, and gets a totally bitchin' picture of the sunrise. I was actually very surprised that the camera on my phone caught the rays of light and all that...of course, the day turned into a real schorcher and all the clouds disappeared, but what the hell...it sure looked good!

So the trip home went quickly and without a hitch...we stopped in Davis and got some fried pies for lunch...I had polish sausage and potato...not too bad, with a pecan fried pie for dessert...next time I'll just skip the dinner pie and go straight for the pecan cuz, damn it was awesome! So, we picked up the babies from my MIL and brought them and the dogs home and settled back in....this morning however, I had to mow the back yard. The front can wait till tomorrow, but the back had to be done, so it's now mowed. Then while I was still sweating, I climbed my large ass up into the attic and pushed stuff out the opening down into the garage. There is so much that we just can't keep, that we're renting a dumpster, because I can fill both my trash bins in a day. Charity runs will resume tomorrow and that will also help, but in the meantime, i'm just piling years of clutter into the garage to await disposal. We have 5 days until the BIG move...I'll go thursday and pick up the moving truck and bring it home, then Friday, I have some friends coming over to help me load it up, so that PW can come home that night, sleep, then get up in the morning and drive it down to texas. So, since I'm moving to texas, what I need to know is the loaction of some nice little yarn shops in or around Grapevine, and are there any groups around there as well...

Look forward to hearing from everyone...hagd, y'all.

Returning to Oklahoma

2006-08-05T04:21:00.000-07:00

Well, we're heading back to Oklahoma this morning to get some more work done on the house. I'll be coming down Tuesday with my mother-in-law to drop a car off, so that when PW comes back Friday to get the rental truck, he'll still have a car to drive to work the following week. I'll be here with the kids their first week of school, then I'll go back to OK one more time to get the house in order and clean and on the market. I really have to get a move on. I must admit that I have been very lax in the house endeavor...to be honest I am looking forward to living here in Texas...but I have been dragging my feet about this move. I know that's terrible, especially since me procrastinating isn't going to do me a damn bit of good...the move is on and I can make it easier on myself or harder...so I have decided to make it easier.

I worked on my 2nd chameleon sock last night. I haven't gotten past the "leg" yet...but it's coming. I imagine I'll get it done sooner or later...though maybe later rather than sooner. Once the move is over I have to start looking into classes for me at the community college...37 eyars old and I'm finally gonna go back to school. wow...kind of scary, really.

So I read this article last night about gys in the church, and it made me wonder why it is that people are so quick to condemn others when the fact of the matter is, we are ALL sinners. Don't get me wrong...I realize that the Bible talks about homosexuality being an abomination to God, however, ( and this isn't to say that I think I am smarter than anyone else, this is just my opinion) if we profess Christ with our mouths, then shouldn't we also profess Him with our actions? I just don't see how we can do that if we are busy throwing stones at gays and telling them that they cannot be active in church because they are gay. There is only one unforgiveable sin, and homosexuality isn't it. Personally, it irks the hell out of me that people categorize sin. Sin is sin...a lie is just as bad as murder, divorce for anything but adultery is jsut as bad as stealing...etc. Some guy said that the Bible defines marriage as between a man and a woman...which I suppose it does, if you take the husband/wife scriptures, but Jesus came to free us all, and I am sorry but I believe that God has a plan for ALL of us, INCLUDING those members of the church that are gay.

And why in the hell do people act as if there is something really wrong with gays? The thing that just really chaps my ass about all this, is when they talk about how gays getting married would destroy the sanctity of marriage. How????? What, because a gay couple moves in next door to my husband and I that's going to hurt my relationship with my husband??? If that's all it takes to destroy my marriage, then we should never have gotten married in the first place. Fact of the matter is, most gay relationships last longer than heterosexual relationships and are a hell of a lot more loving and stable, and if it works, then who in the hell am I to tell them that my beliefs come first and they cant have all the rights that I have? I am not God, and I sure don't want to be, but I would resent the hell out of someone telling me that I had to live my life according to their principles and beliefs, so why should I do it to someone else.

Okay, sorry for the soapbox stand, but I just had to get that off my chest...no it won't be the last time that I go off on a rant, that's for damn sure...so just prepare yourselves.
Well, I'm off to clean and get laundry done so that I can get out of here before it gets too hot...hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and a fantastic return to school...more later.

That sure took long enough!

2006-08-04T05:47:00.000-07:00

Well, after much work and self-abasement, I finally got all my links back into my damn side-bar, along with a new addition...a picture of me by my "intro". My back is killing me, and I HATE html, but it's done. Thank God for copy and paste!!!!
So, I'm just posting to state the obvious. I got all my shit together finally. Now I am just waiting to hear back from the blog ring people on how I get my shit back into my page and get my blog-ring membership reactivated. God only knows how many months my links were gone, but I didn't even notice...I'm so blonde sometimes I scare myself...lol.
Well, today is the start of the tax free weekend for Texas, and I am going to be drug around the mall like a puppy on a damn leash. I hate the fucking mall. It's only redeeming quality is the food, though most of that is overpriced. Shit! Oh well, it could be worse I suppose, though I can't think of how right off the top of my head, because to be honset I would rather be shot between the eyes than endure a day at the mall.
We got all of Liz's classes picked out yesterday, so we'll pick up her schedule and her books on the 14th...the day before school starts, and we'll have to find her locker. God what a nightmare. So she is taking : ap pre-physics, ap eng.3, ap pre-calc, ap spanish 3, theater arts 4, some computer engineering class, ap U.S. history, and ap human geography. their schedule is broken up into two days...A and B...hours one thru four will be on A day and hours five thru eight will be on B day. Her counselor also made sure that she won't have us history and human geography on the same days. The unfortunate thing about the human geography class is that it is a freshman class that she is having to make up becuase she wasn't in Texas her freshman year, and so she will be one very few, if any, juniors/seniors in this class. Poor kid.
Well, I'm off to put my face on and get ready to brave the experience from hell. HAGD, y'all.

2006-08-03T03:34:00.001-07:00

2006-08-03T03:34:00.000-07:00

So it dawns on me that I lost all my links and stuff that I had in my side-bar. This means that I have to go back and figure out what I lost and figure out how in the hell to get it all back in there. That's just wrong! So, when I get back to Oklahoma, I will have to get a list of all my links off the other computer so that I can work on adding them back to my blog....
Well, all the kids are now enrolled in school, though Liz meets with her counselor today to pick her classes and set her schedule. Her new school does an A/B schedule...4 classes one day and 4 classes the other day, with one day being A and the other day being B. It gives them 8 classes a semester. It will be interesting to see how she likes it. Gosh but the school is HUGE!
Well, no knitting so far this week. I haven't really had a lot of extra time...between finding stuff around town, getting the kids enrolled in school, shopping for school supplies and stuff like that...it's been crazy. Today I'm taking Liz and her best friend to the mall to "pre-shop" for the tax free weekend starting tomorrow.
Speaking of school supplies...I spent over 150 dollars yesterday on school supplies for 2 kids. Mimi and Bubba. That's right....2! I kid you not, some of the stuff on the list is so obviously for the teacher that it irritates me...don't get me wrong...I don't mind buying stuff for the teacher and the classroom, especially since we come from the land of the underpaid teachers, but at least be honest about the fact that it's for the teacher/classroom...what in the hell does a second grader need with a highlighter, and sharpie and a dry-erase marker??? Whatever...I got everything, but I had to go to three different stores to find it all, and to be technical about it, I didn't actually find it all, because the white construction paper is the wrong damn size and the story paper is also the wrong size, but personally I think as long as they have some the teacher should be happy. Liz's school supplies are going to set us back close to one hundred dollars as well. I know they did last year, and that's not counting her class fees. Yes...something I learned yesterday when I enrolled her, is that even Texas has some seriously screwed up rules. I kid you not. Parking alone for the school year is going to cost a hundred bucks. Then there are the fees that are actually associated with her classes...there's a fee for drama, AP English, most of the electives have fees attached to them, though so do some of the required classes, too. It's really strange down here. The one that really gets me, though, is the parking. Fifty bucks a semester for your kid to park the car you paid for using the gas you paid for in the parking lot of the school that your taxes paid for.
I will admit, however, that this school is even nicer than her school back in Oklahoma, and a hell of a lot bigger, though they don't offer all the stuff that her old school did.
Well, I'd better get to cleaning...we've got a long day ahead of us, and I don't wanna have to worry about housework when I get home later. HAGD, y'all.

2006-08-01T03:26:00.000-07:00

So my oldest is driving now. Not on her own, but with a parent. Usually me, but with her dad every once in a while, too.
We are in Texas again. I got the babies enrolled at their school yesterday afternoon. What kills me is the fact that the school people wanted me to give them copies of the babies' socieal security cards. Actually told me that they NEEDED them. I refused, of course, on principle. I mean, I realize that most people are not dishonest, however, I would hate for my kids to become victims of identity theft. I mean, those files are not secure and so I am supposed to just let them make copies of my kids' social security cards so that they any one, including volunteers could access the files. I think not. But the little ones are still enrolled and will be starting school on the 15th of this month. I will actually be here for the first week of school, with them, but then I'll be going to OKC to finish getting the house ready if I don't manage to get it done next week, which I don't think that I will since there is just so much stuff to take care of and we really don't have a lot of time.
So I got some knitting done this week...just a little while we were at the emergency room Sunday night. Mimi's cast was really irritating her arm, and her arm was swelling inside the cast, so we had to have it split, then we went yesterday morning and had the old one taken off and the new one put on. She is now in a short arm cast that is black. That's my little tom-boy. So like I said, I did get a little knitting done, and will get more done while we are here in Texas, though how much, I'm not really sure. I know that I will be finishing up my chameleon socks and starting another pair but in Lorna's Laces worsted, a color called desert flower...very pretty and girly and just my style...lol.
Well, I guess that's about all I have for now. I am really ready for this entire move to be over and done. HAGD, y'all.

2006-07-24T03:14:00.002-07:00

Well, the move is on, and I have gotten absolutely no knitting done in the last month. Partly because of the move, but partly because I just haven't felt much like knitting.
So, Grapevine is a lot like our home, only much cleaner and with better roads. My trouble is coming from the fact that I don't know where in the hell I am, and unlike Oklahoma City, there's no North/South type streeets. Not to mention the fact that I have lived in Oklahoma City nearly all of my life, and know it well. I'm at least learning my way around however, and know where the Wal-mart, gym, target, and bank are. That's a start. Oh, and the mall, though I have to admit that I am really not a mall person.
I broke my promise to myself and actually left Grapevine twice last week, to venture to Ikea in Frisco. What an awwesome store, and very reasonably priced. I got 3 bed frames, two with drawers underneath, and a dining table and chairs for less than $650 after tax, but before delivery and assembly. They actually have quite a lot of really neat stuff at Ikea, and what really surprised me, was how totally reasonable it was. And for those of you who have never been to Ikea, their showrooms are awesome...they show you how their furniture will work in different sized living spaces, including a 329 square foot area. Very neat. No idea if there are any yarn shops in Grapevine or not, but if there are, then I will find them, I am sure.
So that pretty much covers the Texas situation, then of course there is the baseball and softball situation. I am sure that I posted that Mimi's team took the state t-ball championship. Bubba's team took 2nd in league. Em's team's last game was on Thursday, June 29, (her baseball team) and after that we went to a friend's skating party. Well, Mimi fell. This time however, she broke her left arm. Much more of a problem since she is left handed. Now for those of you who have been readers for a while, you might remember that Last june, on the last Thursday of the month, while skating, Mimi fell and broke her right arm. Needless to say, she has sworn of ever skating again...lol. Something for which I am very thankful for, if the truth be known.
The kids are adjusting well to the move, I think, though the teen-ager is still kind of an iffy situation. She is excited and scared, and I still can't believe she didn't want to stay in Oklahoma with all her friends. But no, she wants to be with her mommy and daddy, so we are letting her move down here. I kind of worry about the move for her, because she is prone to depression, but I can't tell her to stay with her grandparents, and have her miserable there, either, so we will just let her make her own way through the relocation.
I guess that's really about it for now. Hope life is treating everyone well. HAGD, y'all

2006-06-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

Wow...it's been quite a while since I have had a chance to post...so I'll try to get y'all caught up.

PW got his transfer and we'll be moving to the Arlington area...feel free to let me know of any good knitting and beading shops in the area...thx. I'm kind of looking forward to the move, but at the same time, not, because Oklahoma is my home.

Mimi's team's state tournament was last weekend...THEY WON!!!!!!!!! Beating the cheating team that likes to field 8 and 9 year old girls for a tee-ball team...and then their nemesis...the Xplosion, from their own park...who were 59-0 before they lost to the cheating team on Sunday.

Bubba's team won 1st place in their tournament this weekend as well, and they'll be playing in state this weekend, with Emily on their team and I am positive they'll do great! I'm really looking forward to the end of ball season though, cuz I need the rest and I have to get the house ready to go.

My last day with Home Depot is the 30th of June, then I will focus all my energy and effort on getting the house cleaned out and ready to sell. The guy that was supposed to come by about the tile, never called or came by, so I'm gonna have to figure out where to go to get it done, and fast...I want it taken care of as soon as possible so I can get on with the move.

Mimi & Bubba will have their "joint" birthday party tomorrow night, but Mimi may have strep throat and not even get to go. Poor baby...she said her throat was hurting her and she was running a 101 temp just a little while ago, so I gave her some tylenol...we'll see where we go from here....

Well, I gotta get to bed...too many late nights and early mornings...ttyl

2006-06-03T05:07:00.000-07:00

Well, school is over, the kids have a pool, and my last days of life as a Home Depot employee are looming on the horizon. PW got his notification that he will be transferred to the Arlington, TX plant. He is to report for work a 6 a.m. on Monday, June 26th. I will have to work on getting the house ready to go, getting rid of stuff and basically just purging the hell out of all the stuff we have accumulated. I'm planning on donating most everything that is still usable to charity. Clothes, dishes, pots, pans, furniture and toys and the rest.

On the knitting front, I have finished the flamingo socks, and started on the chameleon ones...I have one of those done. We have ball tourney's this weekend. Mimi is playing in Chickasha and Bubba is playing here at home, so we're pretty much separated for the weekend. Next week is Seminole and the week after that is Newcastle. Should be interesting to see where it all goes. I can't hardly work on the house for ball games and practices...makes for a long and busy week.

Well, I'd better go clean the bathroom

2006-05-08T03:59:00.000-07:00

Only grown-ups could take something like tee ball and turn it into a cluster-fuck of gargantuan proportions.

Mimi's weekend tournament was cancelled, so she played for her brother's team for their tourney. Now, keep in mind that she's played for them before, with no problems, but yesterday she was ejected from the game and Bubba's team forced to forfeit, because she was supposedly an inelligible player. The kicker to this is the fact that the head coach and the tournament director/umpire in charge were on the phone with each other till one a.m. conspiring and going thru team rosters to get her thrown out of the game...all for a bigger trophy for the coach's trophy case...it wasn't about fair play, because fair play would let a team know that they had an inelligible player on the field. Fair play would have a coach, who was EJECTED for approaching an umpire with a baseball bat, not returning to be in the park when the CITY rules say he can't be. Fair play would not include scheming to oust a 6 year old GIRL after you lose to her baby brother's team, fair and square. No, there was no sportsmanship or fair play last night at the ball park. There are times when grown ups piss me off but good.

So now we wait. She is supposed to be added to the team's league roster today...if not, it'll be because she plays softball and is wanting to play baseball, and there's an ambiguous rule about not being on two leagues at the same time, though a great number of the boys out there play soccer or wrestle and are doing both at the same time...so that turns into an whole other can of worms that they don't want to open up.

Knitting is good...though making two socks at once didn't quite work out for me the way I had hoped...I haven't figured out why, though I have an idea...but I've gotta get ready for work so more grown-ups can piss me off...hmmm...wonder what kind of trouble I'm going to get into for complaining about them moving my lunch hour from 1 to 1:30 for no apparent reason other than they could. And if I do get bitched at about it, then she is going to have to explain to me why I had to take my lunch later rather than earlier, when there was plenty of coverage earlier for me to take my lunch earlier. I think I'm actually looking for a fight now...lol.

2006-05-06T19:11:00.000-07:00

So, my 6 year old daughter is a ball playing little fiend. Her teams tourney for this weekend was cancelled, her brother's team's tourney was not...well, when she's not playing for her team in tourneys, then she subs on her brother's team...third game of the tourney, her first at bat, she hit a home run. Later in the game, she takes two steps to her left, hops up and catches a fly ball on the first batter of the inning. It was awesome...she was on fire all day today. I'm very proud of her, just in case you couldn't tell.

Her brother was playing some pretty good ball too, but as catcher he doesn't see too much in the action department.

That's it for tonight...I promised Mimi we'd watch Narnia

2006-05-03T16:17:00.000-07:00

Well, softball is going strong, though the girls had to forfeit a game Monday night because there had been a schedule change that we weren't aware of, and some of the parents couldn't get their daughters there on time, so we only had seven girls there instead of ten and so we couldn't play. Needless to say, the coaches weren't happy about the tardiness issue, but we soundly won our 2nd game and Mimi had her best defensive game of the season so far. She was just on fire all night long.

My second sock is almost finished and then it's on to the chameleon opal...and maybe another color too...I'm thinking that I might have a pretty useful idea for knitting two socks at once...just have to give it a try to see if it will work...who knows.

Well, I'm off to clean and read a rule book...more soon. But, I will leave you with some pictures of my oldest from before prom...

2006-04-27T18:01:00.000-07:00

So, this first picture is of my finished Flamingo sock...number two is on the needles, although it's not moving very fast right now, as I have been cleaning up the photos on the puter and finishing a book that a coworker loaned me. I realize that the pic is slightly out of focus, however, it's good enough to give an idea of how the sock looks.

Hopefully this pic is a good enough shot of the heel that you get the idea of how the short row heel worked out for me with the sock yarn. I had to wing it on the math. I used the calculator on my cell phone to figure out my stitch percentage, but I gotta tell ya that I think I did a pretty damn good job of it, since it was my first one and I worked it without really using a pattern of any sort...more like a combination of several...lol. I'm hoping to get it all written down and worked out on paper.

Now of course there are pics of the flowerbed that I planted up this weekend, as well as pics of the container that I created...hopefully the container will flourish in front of the dining room windows in the dining room where I placed it...tons of indirect light for the bromilead, anthurium, choleus and impatien...I'm looking forward to creating more of the mixed containers...and hopefully they will all flourish...

Liz's interview was this past Saturday...she'll know if she's been accepted by the first of June. Bubba and Mimi played in a tourney this past Saturday also, though they were quickly defeated by an umpire with a big ass chip on his shoulder...I hope the fucktard sleeps better at night secure in the knowledge that he screwed over a bunch of 5 and 6 year old kids. I guess some guys just have to prove to themselves that they are really men, even if it's unfair and completely uncalled for. The fact of the matter is, little league umpires fancy themselves the equivalent of the major league umpires and the softball and baseball associations have given them entirely too much power at the expense of the children. It just astounds me that these guys can live with themselves.

Well, I'll get off my soapbox and get back to my knitting....hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.

2006-04-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

Okay....so, the first Flamingo sock is finished. When I finish up this pair, I'm gonna dig out the Chameleon Opal that's in my armoire and get to work on another pair of socks...only I think I'm gonna go from 80 stitches to 72...the 80 is a little big around my ankle, though I could keep the 80 and just make more of a leg to the sock with a k1,p1 ribbing. I think that might work better.
I really love how my sock looks. The colors are awesome. I may have to get on Ebay and see if I can find some more of the jungle colored yarns...even though I have more than enough sock yarn in my stash to make about 12 more pairs of socks, at least...lol...but a girl can never, yes I said NEVER, have enough sock yarn...hell, a girl can never have enough yarn period.

I planted my flower bed this morning...it looks pretty good I think. Plus I made up a mixed planter on my own...Home Depot has planters with 3 or 4 different plants and the prices range from 30 to 100 dollars. Well, I made one of my own for just under 20 bucks...and I'm going to make at least one more...maybe two...lol. I love plants. I love having them in the house...I'll post pics soon.

Well, that's it for now...I'm gonna get in the tub and relax...I'll post tourney news and Liz's interview update later.

2006-04-21T03:44:00.000-07:00

This picture here is like the ones from last time, not showing the true colors...but this is after the heel is finished, just sitting flat on the table

The next two pics show the colors of this yarn much more as they actually are...and I love the fact that you get to see it...I love this yarn!!!

This last pick shows the heel poking up from the back while the sock is still on both needles of the circ.

So I have made some great progress on the flamingo socks...as you can see...I finished my short row heel yesterday while I was waiting for Liz at the Dentist's office. And I was freaking about figuring out how the hell to do the short-row heel with sock yarn, but I got myself into a panic over nothing...lol. Since I had a heel of 24 stitches on size 5 with worsted weight yarn, I figured that the number of stitches I wrapped (10) was just a smidge over 40 percent, so I applied the same percentage to the sock yarn heel of 40 stitches and wrapped 17...thus a wonderful heel, if I do say so myself (and I do...lol). I am glad that my camera performed so well this morning and took such great pics...it was purely acciedental I assure you and I will return to screwing up the pics I take the next time I pick up the damn camera.

Bubba's team played another game last night and won, and they have a tournament this weekend, in which his sister will help out with the team and play for them at 3rd. I hope they do well....Liz will be having her interview tomorrow afternoon and hopefully that will ensure her entrance into the school she wants to attend.
Gotta go...work time approaches.

2006-04-19T03:46:00.000-07:00

Okay, so because I was reading blogs, I have to make my post quick...mornings suck around here since I went back to work because there just aren't enough hours in the day to read all my favorite blogs and post a good post...but I have pictures to treat you with for your patience and a good laugh or two shall you get out of the stories behind them. This first picture is of my latest sock endeavor. Opal flamingo on size 1. The colors are off some in the picture, but you get the idea, right?

This next pic is of the tulips we picked up at a grocery store on Saturday. Now when we brought them home only two of the flowers were fully opened, and by Sunday evening, we had this.... aren't they gorgeous...I'd try putting them in the flower bed out front, but the wind there would just destroy them, so they are sitting on the dining room table making the room a lovlier place!

The other 3 pics are of Mimi and Bubba...note to all children...this is what happens to little girls who are mean and hateful to their baby brothers...your Daddy makes you hug and kiss while he makes Mommy take pictures of you to post on her blog for the world (no matter how small her readership is) to see. So, if ya don't want your kissin' pics posted on the web...don't be a mean hateful turd to your baby brother who doesn't have a mean bone in his body...lol. Believe it or not, she was crying while this was going on...she was pissed as hell.

So that's really about all...I'm trying to get myself pumped up about the heel of my sock...since I've never made a sock out of sock yarn, I'm not really sure what I'm going to do, but hey, I will get it done...lol.

Hope everyone has a great day!

2006-04-14T04:21:00.000-07:00

Well, Mimi's team played the Xplosion last night...it was a great game...which they nearly won. They had a mini-meltdown in the first inning and the other team took a 7 nothing lead, then our girls held them to four runs each of the other three innings. Unfortunately for us, a bad call on a trapped ball prevented our girls from tying the score and maybe even winning. The girls played so well last night. It was just incredible. And I have to tell y'all that they are looking better and better.
I had the cuff of my newest sock finished and had to throw it away becuse my yarn started breaking...in five diffferent spots...so I started over...but now it's off to work...have a great day y'all.

2006-04-12T16:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I finished yet another pair of socks last night, however, the excitement of wearing them today was dampened by the fact that I ripped my big toenail right off the nail bed...it was dead, and a new nail finally growing in after 2+ years but the dead nail is attached to the new nail, so the new nail ripped back into the quick...trust me, it hurts like hell and when I am done posting here, I am going to go get a glass of wine, and put my foot up on a pillow and cast on another pair of socks.
The latest pair was made using mountain berries Lorna's Laces worsted. Very pretty and versatile, and finished damn quickly with that short row heel...now onto a pair in some of KnitPicks beautiful sock yarn...don't remember the name of the color, but who cares...two shades of pink and a gorgeous shade of yellow...they are gonna look beautiful. I may not have a damn toenail after tomorrow, but I'll have some damn good looking socks, let me tell you.
Ball season is going well...Bubba's team is 1 and 1. Mimi's team is 1 and 0, with their next game against probably the only team in the bracket that is better than them, so we'll see how it goes. I'm hoping for her to hit another home run...PW told me that she made a completely awesome Play Monday night in their game and hit a ball all the way to the fence...not her first home run, but definitely the first ball that has travelled to the fence...Way to go Mimi!
Work sucks but it doesn't...I like my job and enjoy the paychecks, but some of the bull shit that we were told and what is reality are two very different things. But, I suppose it's like that with any job...humph!
Well, I"m off to rest and knit...hope everyone has an enjoyable evening.

2006-04-04T04:16:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung...and so have the weeds...but last night Bubba brought me some of them that he had picked just for me, and so to honor his love for me, I'm posting a picture of them here, for all of you, my loyal readers to see...He may be a mama's boy, but he's my mama's boy and I love him to death. The other picture is of my dear Mimi at the ball park in her first game Saturday. Hard to tell but she is quite the little ball player at just 6, and last night, practicing with her brother's team, she found out that she could lay out for a ball and catch it...she was very pumped as were I and her dad.
Liz, my oldest, received a letter from OSSM yesterday, telling her that she was a semi-finalist for the school, and that she needed to call to arrange her appointment, which she of course did without delay. Her interview is at 1 on Saturday, the 22nd of April. Please pray that she will knock their socks off and that she will be accepted to the school. This is something she wants badly.
Well gotta go to get ready for work...more sooon

2006-03-24T04:14:00.000-08:00

So I'm more than halfway done with the 2nd sock now...I finished the heel on Wednesday and got some work done on the foot last night, though not as much as I would have liked. Bubba has a ball game tonight -maybe, since they have postponed it three times this week already due to the weaterh...I don't really understand why it is that they didn't just push all the games back a week, since the weather this week was supposed to be bad, but they didn't, and so our lives have been completely turned upside down by stupidity and incompetence...it's like they don't have the weather channel or something.
Mimi has a tournament this week to kick off her ball season, and because of who her coach is, we are actually a 2nd seed in the preseason tournament.
Well, I'd better go get ready for work...ugh....I need this day to be over so I can maybe sleep in a little tomorrow. Hagd, y'all and happy knitting.

2006-03-19T12:27:00.000-08:00

Well, I finished the first sock last night, and it looks okay...I tried a garter stitch toe since I had a garter stitch heel....note to self: no more garter stitch toes after you finish this pair of socks. What a royal pain in my fat ass, and harder than hell to tell where your decreases are if you're as forgetful as I am. So I haven't cast on the second sock yet, I had to fix the 10 year old afghan that my dog Daisy chewed a hole in. Huge hole. See, Daisy joined our family at the ripe age of 4 and 1/2 weeks...her mother quit nursing the pups, so for the first six months we had her, we went nowhere without her. The aforementioned afghan became her security blanket, so to speak and she would nurse on it...and still does at the ripe old age of 8. So every once in a while, I am called upon to fix the hole that she has opened up in the afghan. The funniest thing about it is, that the yarn used to create said afghan is no longer produced, so I just use whatever acrylic Red Heart I can turn up out of the closet...navy the first time, and a blue omber this time...who knows what we'll get next time.

So there's laundry running and dinner awaiting the stove...bratwurst and chili and cheese and yummmmmmmmm...I love brats. The little ones are spending the night with their grandma since I have to be to work at six in the morning. I think I wanna nap, but I wanna knit more, so I am gonna go cast on my 2nd sock and get it rolling!

2006-03-17T15:30:00.000-08:00

So, there is a pucker at the sides, where I tried to close up a gap...but all in all I think they look pretty damn good considering this is only my 2nd attempt at the short row heel...the first being the one I ripped out because the damn back was drooping. I am almost done with the first one...and then on to #2. I am really excited about these because of how quickly they are moving.
The picture above is the book that I got earlier this week. I love the fingerless mittens on the cover, and there are like at least 2 more pair in the book. I'm going to try the pattern for the fingerless mittens for my next pair of socks using the opal flamingo or maybe the chameleon that I got.
And for anyone contemplating the jordanna paige knitting purses...GET ONE!!!!!!!!!!!! I love mine...it's the most awesome thing ever created for knitters. Big enough for my wallet and my knitting with room left over!
So, anyway, there are the pics I promised...hope y'all enjoy them!

2006-03-17T03:47:00.001-08:00

Okay...so I have gotten my hands on some more information about the short row heel, and have decided that it may truly be the heel for me. It will probably save me at least 3 hours of knitting time, per sock, which is awesome since I'm working full time and don't have as much knitting time as I used to. That said, I had to rip out the sock day before yesterday because I didn't leave myself enough room before my heel, and since I don't have a heel flap, I have to allow a little extra above the heel for that purpose. That said, the sock is now past the heel and onto the fool-er, foot. Okay, so the first one was probably right, you know Freudian slip...lol.
I got my Jordanna Paige Knitter's Satchel, and I am in love!!!!! Truly, I am, it's damn near perfect...room for my huge ass wallet AND my knitting...what more could a girl want (other than a shitload of her favorite yarns) So there ya have it...I'll post a pic of the short row heel sock's progress tonight or tomorrow...hagd y'all

2006-03-14T03:35:00.000-08:00

Short row heels are like manna from heaven for sock knitters! I have a dvd that tells how to make two socks at once, using 2 circular needles, and a short row heel...I am in love with the short row heel, because it probably cut two to three hours of knitting time off my socks, because I don't have to pick up stitches for the gusset, nor do I have to do all the decreasing.. I hope that they fit all right, because if they do, then I have a new way of doing socks!!!!!!!!!!!

Back to the grind at work today...the head cashier from hell is trying to get her job back, and when our store manager heard that, evidently he got a good laugh. What she doesn't realize, evidently, is that Oklahoma is an at will employment state. Employees and employers can terminate employment at any time, with no reason. What a fucktard. Actually, four people have threatened to quit if they rehire her at this store. She wasn't good enough to lose 4 people, especially when those threatening to quit, all say the same thing about her....they don't trust her. Hmmmmmmm...hopefully our management sees a problem there.

So I went to WalMart on Friday and bought some new clothes, since most of my clothes were not in compliance with the dress code of Home Depot, and some of my tops would show a little too much cleavage (not that I have a lot) when I bend over (which I have to do a lot). So I got me some cute little polo style shirts and four pairs of summer pants that actually roll up into capris(my favorite). Today I'm wearing my chartreuse colored shirt, with my green knit socks, and my denim look pants. I look pretty damn cute if I do say so myself.

Well, I guess that's about it. I have to get ready for work and eat some breakfast before I go. Hope everyone has a great day...and don't forget to check out the short row heel for socks if you get a chance.

2006-03-13T09:33:00.000-08:00

So, spring break has begun and I have the day off. I'm home with the little ones now, getting ready to clean real good before I get down to the business of knitting. Though there may be a few spankings between now and then as well...lol.
I am going to start another pair of socks today...out of Cascade 22o...I found a blueish lilac quatro color that I love so I got it, as well as a bottle of wool wash for my other two pair. I have not decided whether I am going to use my opal or not. It's so thin...it could well take me a damn year to make a pair of socks with that yarn, but I love the colorways and found the Chameleon which I bought. So, I have all this opal sock yarn, and size one needles, but I need some instant gratification, I guess. Or at least, more instant than what I'll get from Opal...lol.
I have got to get busy on the house so PW doesn't have a coronary when He gets home from work...I'll try to post more later this week.

2006-03-09T03:53:00.000-08:00

Not much to post as of now...Got Liz's application dropped off yesterday and will fax some more test scores to them this morning when I get to work. We should hear something the first full week of April. I really want this for her, and she really wants it, and I pray to God that she gets it.
I am still working on the 2nd fingerless mitten of the 2nd pair. I haven't really gotten much knitting done the last few days, but hope to have it finished before the weekend is over. I want to get myself some more Lorna's, but first I have to stock the closet for spring and summer, so I am going clothes shopping this weekend, and I have to get the dog from hell groomed, too. Ugh he stinks.
Well, off to get ready for work. Hope y'all have a great day!

2006-03-07T15:57:00.000-08:00

Well, I am on the 2nd fingerless mitten of the 2nd pair, and the lorna's laces looks great. It's supposedly supposed to snow next week, so if it does, I am totally set for the weather with them. I kind of hope that it does, because I really want to wear my latest creations, not to mention the fact that the kids would love it. When I'm done with them I think I am going to start another pair of socks. We'll see.
The head cashier from hell is gone. She was fired yesterday after a customer took her keys off her apron, which she left under the cash register. Major no-no. So, now all the other cashiers will be doing happy dances as they find out that she is no longer there. I can't really say that I feel all that sorry for her, since she was such a damn psycho about having her own keys to begin with and then lets them get stolen. The keys were recovered, however.
There really isn't a whole lot going on. The little ones are gearing up for ball season, and it's fast approaching. The season tourney is in three weeks, which will determine where the t-ball teams go in the rankings, and Bubba's first tourney will probably be NEXT weekend.
Still no word on the GM situation, which really kind of drives me nuts. I just have a feeling that he'll get a call one Wednesday telling him to be in where ever on Monday and he'll have to go. I'm so not looking forward to that. And I have to be strong about it, because while we're "losing" him, he's losing all of us.
Well that's about it for now...gotta get mimi fed and her hair done so she and her brother can go spend the night at Grandma's, so she doesn't have to rush around so much in the morning.

2006-03-02T03:32:00.000-08:00

So, I finished the wrist warmers, then immediately started a 2nd pair. These are being made using the KnitPicks 2 needle pattern. I'm using the leftover Lornas Laces yarn that I used to make my first pair of socks with. They look pretty good so far, though I need to figure out a good m1/inc stitch to use, because mine shows...though it could be just because of the pattern and the yarn...not sure. The first pair of wrist warmers was just a rectangle, sewn shut with an opening left for my thumbs. I dropped 10 stitches off the cast on, and so they are a little tight around the thumb, but other than that, I like them. I have gotten a lot of compliments on them at work, though that wasn't my goal. My goal was to keep my damn hands warm...lol...which I accomplished. I don't have anywhere near the time to knit that I used to have, but I knit on my breaks and my lunch at work, so that helps a little as long as I'm working on a small project that will fit inside my bag inside my locker at work...lol.
Of course there's more drama at work...the head cashier from hell finally got her own keys. You'd think that would be good enough, but hell no, when I got to work on Tuesday, one of the managers had to get into her damn locker to get the spare set of keys off her apron. I'm telling you, this woman is just ate up with herself and I'm just itching to put her back in her place, but since she hasn't directly started in on me, I am not going to do it. I'll just wait, because I am quite certain the time will come when I'll be on the receiving end of her shit, then I'll take care of it.
So, other than that it's been pretty quiet. Basketball is over, and baseball and softball are gearing up for a big spring season. Mimi's team is getting ready to kick into high gear and turn some little girls into damn good ball players. It'll be interesting to see how things go.
That's about all there is to tell around here. Everyone is healthy again, save our sinus problems due to lack of rain. Maybe that'll change today and tomorrow.

2006-02-26T08:23:00.000-08:00

Well, I have set socks aside for now...I'm nearly finished with a pair of wrist warmers knit on 2 needles. Of course, now that they are nearly finished, the weather will warm up and I won't need them until next winter, but at least I will have them...so, HA!
Still no news on the transfer as of yet...it's just turning into a damn waiting game. I am thankful that there is the possibility of a transfer, but the whole waiting and wondering thing is just wearing my ass out. I have got to start weeding shit out, donating stuff to charity and just flat out getting rid of shit. Then what we do keep, I have to pack up and work on storing until the move. The kids and I won't move until the house is sold and ball season is over, which won't end until after school is out. I figure it'll take that long to sell the damn house, though maybe not. There are only a couple of rooms that need painting, and the carpet in the front room needs to be replaced, but other than that, there isn't a whole lot of cosmetic stuff that needs to be done to the house.
Work is going well, though there's one head cashier who seriously just irritates the living hell out of me. Of course, she started talking shit last week and I got pissed and told her to shut up and quit bitching, so now she's not talking to me...boohoo...lol. I should be so lucky that she doesn't talk to me again while I'm there...though if she tries not giving me my break like she did one of the other cashiers just because her sorry ass doesn't want to get on a register, then we're gonna throw down out in the parking lot. She has a serious, "i'm smarter than you and i know more than you so i'm better than you" thing going on, and she's started shit with the wrong bitch.
So other than all that there really isn't much going on. It's nice to finally be doing my job and having my hours and just working, though I miss all the time I got to spend with the kids...but this schedule actually works really well, so I told my front end supervisor that I wasn't going to try for the head cashier position. It's not worth an extra 40 bucks a week to have no set hours and more responisibility and see the kids less and miss games and practices. It's just not. So I'll just stay a cashier and I'm fine with that.
Well, I'm off to clean the bathroom and the kitchen...hope everyone has a good weekend and a wonderful week.

2006-02-16T03:19:00.000-08:00

When something says a pair of circular needles, it means 2 circs...not one. I found this out when I got my dvd from Knit Picks and read the enclosed pattern. Damn...that means I have to start acquiring shorter needles in pairs. That should be a trick. So I have a pair (read 2) of sz 1 24" circs on their way to me from KnitPicks. They oughta be here next week some time, since I just ordered them yesterday morning. Then all my balls of Opal yarn have to be broken up into two balls, as opposed to the one they currently are.
Work has been going pretty well except for the fact that they are cutting hours all over the store, and in doing so, they are cutting coverage and manpower, so much so that one of the department heads had to miss yesterday's staff meeting in order to ensure that his department and two others had coverage. I'm not uderstanding the concept here. If we don't make sales plan, then we are supposed to cut hours, but if you cut hours, then there's no employees to help customers and if there are no employees to help customers, then you can't sell anything and customers go somewhere else. I mean, I understand cutting hours because sales are slow, but to cut them so much that there' s not enough coverage for lunches and breaks is idiotic if you ask me.
Well, the two socks at once isn't happening. I can't get the damn cast on right, and I end up with a gap in the first row of both, every damn time, so I have fallen out of the Knitting Olympics. Mimi will get her socks eventually.
I'm off for now. Hope everyone has a great Thursday...I'm off to get ready for work.

2006-01-30T03:45:00.000-08:00

The store is open, and I am plum wore out. I have worked 12 days straight so far, and have 5 more to work before my next day off.
Got to sleep in on Saturday and Sunday. Saw my first of Mimi's basketball games on Saturday morning before I went to work, then PW brought Mimi and Bubba to the store to build their first Kid's Club project...a "toolbox". They are proudly displayed on the mantel over the fireplace. They got their own aprons and a kid's club pin for the weekend. Then they came down to see me before they left. So I closed Saturday night, didn't get home till 1030. Then yesterday I opened, so I was there at 8. Was supposed to get off at 5, but there weren't enough cashiers, so I stayed and closed...got off at 842. I'm so glad that I don't have to do that shit all the time, because it sucks. We clocked out, then had to wait for someone to open the doors, because the manager had locked them all, so we couldn't even get out when we were ready to go. And I'll be damned if I'm hanging around for free. Especially when the reason we were there was because there was a couple that thought they didn't need to leave just because the store was closed. It really pissed me off when they didn't buy anything...they were just in there browsing, but we couldn't close down our registers until they left, just in case they decided to buy something. People need to have just a little more consideration for their fellow man...it irritates the hell out of me when people come into a store and horsedick around and it's closing time. I can honestly say that if I hear 3 announcements telling me that a store is closing, I'm getting my ass out of there, and I find it extremely rude and inconsiderate that other people don't. Never mind the fact that the employees want to go home, and they have families. That's not what matters to some people.
I always get mad when people talk about my generation and how self centered we are, but I see more manners and consideration out of people my age than I do people older than me. Grrrrrr...
Okay...enough of that...I'm off to get dressed for work....hope everyone has a great day!

2006-01-25T18:28:00.000-08:00

Tonight was the store's soft opening...it was PACKED!!! It will be interesting to see what it's like tomorrow. I'm on day 8 of 17...I volunteered to work this weekend since we're so short on trained cashiers. Figured I'd take the overtime while the opportunity was there. It will kick my ass to be sure, but it's worth it, if it helps build up the savings account.
The newest rumor is Ft. Wayne, IN...not sure what the hell is there, but if it keeps my hubby's job, then so be it. God knows there is no shortage of Home Depots across the country.
Well, I had to rip out Mimi's sock...it was too damn small...who'd have thought a 6 year old would have such a "big" foot...lol. So, I'll make her socks bigger......I'm just exhausted and ready to get on with my "job" Though it will be interesting to see if I can actually do my job, since there are 4 stacks of plywood sitting right in front of my register, where I can't even get into it. I hope it's gone when I get there in the morning.
That's about it for now...more when I have a little more time and energy.