JB Knits

This is what 5 looks like...

2008-10-09T12:40:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Princess Peanut!

Today, It's Kindergarten....

2008-09-05T00:14:00.002-04:00

...tomorrow, it'll be college.

Summer Catch Up...

2008-08-29T10:33:00.008-04:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been six weeks since I've posted anything here. Sorry about that. It's been a crazy, busy Summer.

There's been lots of knitting. I can't believe the number of FOs I have just from the last few months.

I took my first ever knitting class at Threadbear in July. It was a lot of fun and I got to meet some nice people. I'm about 1/3 of the way through the lace scarf. Here's the last photo of it. All of the details are on ravelry.

Every year, I knit Peanut a scarf. This year, she got to choose the yarn. It's some sort of Joann Sensations yarn. It's incredibly soft, bulky and fuzzy. Each time she sees me working on it, she'll put it to her cheek and say, "I love it".

With her 5th birthday looming, I know I can't hold off Barbie too much longer. In anticipation, I bought the Nicky Epstein book 75 designs for Barbie or something. I found this pattern online and made it for Peanut's little buddy's birthday this week. It was a huge hit. It seems a lot like the Tempting pattern on the top, so I was thinking if I did it again, I'd add a belt or a ribbon element at the neckline. (The Barbie is vintage. It was a donation from a coworker's childhood Barbie stash...we've been toying with naming her Buffy Van Schnaussen...I don't know why but it seems fitting for some reason).

Since buying my D60 in April, I've taken nearly 5,000 photos. Yeah, that's a lot. I have my first photographer gig this weekend and I'm super excited.

This is Peanut on 4th of July at a friend's farm. The kid loves dirt, that's for sure.

I did some school shopping for her and she did a fashion show. Despite being a size 7, the Hannah Montana shirt was deemed too snug and was gifted to another Hannah fan. But she did express her joy for the outfit here first. (The pose does accentuate the problem areas a bit :) )

We finished our Parent/Tot bowling league. We came in second place and we got a trophy. She felt the need to dress for the occassion. After 12 weeks of bowling, the kid can finally throw the ball down the lane without zigzagging between the bumpers...when she feels like it. I was quite proud. A few frames, she didn't even use the bumpers. I had a career high game of 146 during the season and I'm so glad we did it. We really enjoyed the time spent doing this together and I know we'll do it again next year. All of the family leagues through the year happen on Saturday or Sunday mornings and that doesn't quite work with her visitation schedule.

And this is my baby...my great big girl...1 week out from Kindergarten. I can hardly believe it. I don't quite know where the last 5 years went. Because this is her 5th birthday, she's having a big bash for it and allowed to invite lots of friends. I made the invites and put them together last night. It was such a deja vu moment, as I'd done the same with her 1st Birthday invites as well. I couldn't be more proud of my little Peanut. She's intelligent, insightful, caring, clever, funny and beautiful. The traits I complain about are ones that we value in adults, and I try to keep that in perspective at those tough parenting moments.

Momma's so proud of you my dear Scoot McGoo...just don't grow up too fast on me.

Before the battery dies...

2008-06-17T23:09:00.008-04:00

First the finished things...
Pair #2 for the CIC sock challenge

A requested washcloth for AJ. It's garterlac

A Twin-DiP sweater. One down, One to go...

The WIP's
Hemlock ring in the making...

Mystery shawl swatch...it's still a swatch. I'm having a hell of a time with the cast on for this one.

Precious things...

1 Preschool Graduate....

1 set of tiny baby feet...

Published

2008-05-30T10:41:00.008-04:00

The condos near our apartment caught fire on Tuesday night. After securing Peanut and Wally for a quick exit (if need be), I grabbed the Nikon and started shooting. I have over 300 shots from the night. I submited my best 20 to the local paper, and they'll be running 3 or 4 of them with the story on Thursday! They're already using one of them for their main web site page.

If I had taken my photography classes sooner in my college career, I would have minored in it. It really feels good to be back at it again. The few photos I've gotten of Peanut that make me stop are enough alone to justify the purchase of the camera.

Where the heck did May go?

2008-05-25T22:14:00.006-04:00

Peanut's visiting her dad this weekend it's been a good time to catch up on things I haven't had time for recently. Like updating my blog..

Seems like we've had one activity after another this month. My bowling league ended and I got 3rd most improved woman's average for the league. Not too shabby for my rookie year. Our team joked that we needed to get yellow stripes for our shoes. It was a great time and I'm pretty sure we're going to be doing it again next year. In the meantime, Peanut and I are signed up for a parent/tot league that's starting soon.

We participated in Relay for Life as part of Peanut's school's team. We had a great time! Here's the photo of her before we left. She insisted she couldn't go without the beads in her hair. Less is never more with her.

At home after...a rare shot of Wally-cat. Have I mentioned how much I love the new camera?

Some of us have started getting together at lunch at work on Fridays for a little knitting group. It's been a great deal of fun! One person joined without having ever touched needles. I think she's now building a stash of dishcloth cotton. I've started another pair of socks to send to CIC. Two of my coworkers are also doing socks. It's just been a nice break in the craziness work has been recently.

I've been lucky to have been doing a lot of knitting recently. I'm still working on baby sweaters. Seems like the one will never get finished. Of course it doesn't help that it's my last project to pickup. The BFF socks will not be finished in time for her birthday. I'm working on Aunt Peanut's scarf and dishcloths for her. Oh and I just finished a pirate themed golf club cover. I may be doing a lot more of these in the near future. AND I signed up for the Goddess Knit Mystery Shawl KAL. I think that's what it's called. I bought some KnitPicks lace weight around Christmas that I'm going to bust out for it. I may have also purchased one of those fabulous kits Laura had made up. No confirmation email yet and I see now they're sold out...so we'll see. Those are for me.

Oh and we did adopt a Wii Fit on Wednesday. Holy cow!! It's even more fun than I thought it would be.

32 Years 23 Hours 35 Minutes and counting....

2008-05-03T23:32:00.002-04:00

The house is finally quiet. We've had a flurry of activity from the time the alarm clock went off this morning. Peanut spent a good chunk of the day with Grandma. I spent the day attending my dear friend's son's 1st Communion. I've attended Catholic weddings, but this was my first 1st Communion. I always find the Catholic ceremonies beautiful and interesting.

It is my birthday for a few minutes more. It's been a good day. The big (adult) celebration is next weekend. Tonight was spent with family and Peanut. She picked out my tiny birthday cake and we sang "Happy Birthday" with a tea light burning on top. It was the perfect way to end my birth day. I wouldn't have traded those two giggly minutes for the fanciest party.

I mentioned in my last post that I bought myself a D60. Below if one of my very favorit shots that I've taken in the last 10 days. There are a few others I may share later that really made me stop and say, "I took that." I had photography classes in college and I have a Pentax K1000 here somewhere, but it fell to the wayside when adult life took over. I've missed it for years and it's like and old friend has come back into my life.

**I think this photo truly captures Peanut. Dirty fingers, tosseled hair, a Giselle bandaid and a million watt smile**

The best gift I received this year was one I gave myself. I set a goal on January 1st of losing 50 lbs by my 32nd birthday. That's today. While I didn't make 50, I did hit 42 this morning. I've worked hard for it and I am most proud of that this year. I bought a pair of stretch denim capris March 1st. They were very stretched in the dressing room. I bought them anyway. I wore them for the first time this afternoon and they'll soon be too big to wear without being taken in. I was shocked by that! I just tried them on to see how much more I needed to lose before I could wear them comfortably. All the hard work is definitely paying off. My next goal is 70 lbs gone by Labor Day. I think I'll get there. I just need to remember that it needs to be about me for a little while or I won't be around to worry about anyone else.

FOs and BPs

2008-04-23T00:03:00.010-04:00

I've tried repeatedly over the last 6 weeks to update the blog. Each time, blogger just wasn't having it. Sorry about that.

Some of the ladies at my office have started a knitting circle. Some of us are working on socks for CIC. I finished mine in record time over the weekend.

I finished a couple of teeny tiny hats. These will potentially go to my boss's new twins. Keep your fingers crossed they'll be too small for them once they're born. Their mom's been on serious bedrest for a month now and they're not due until June.

This the EZ sweater from The Knitting Almanac. So far so good. It's in KnitPicks Cotlin. Love it. Ordered 6 more skeins for the other babies I know coming soon.

And I'm trying to expand my horizons. I'm giving Maze from Sensational Knitted Socks a go. They'll also go to CIC.

Notice anything different about these photos? They're crisp, clear and have great color? Yeah, this is where the BP comes in..Birthday Present. My birthday is in 10 days or so. I've been admiring a certain camera from afar for several months now. I've done my homework and saved the money...and I bought it today. Riza might like her Canon, but I've always been loyal to Nikon. Well, with the exception of the Pentax in college but that doesn't count. A D60 now resides with us. I feel as if it needs a name. These two photos make it worth every penny.

Boxing Wally

2008-03-03T11:56:00.004-05:00

Here's a video of Peanut boxing:

And here's the latest addition to our family, Wally-Penelope.

He's a 4 year old stray we rescued. Someone at some point really loved him a lot. He's the most friendly and loving cat I've ever come across. Peanut loves him. I don't know if she loves him because he's her pet or because he's someone she can boss around.

In other news...I'm halfway to my goal to lose 50 lbs by my birthday! I'm about 2 weeks ahead of schedule with my 10 lbs per month goal.

Wii Bowling

2008-02-26T07:13:00.000-05:00

Here's the video of Peanut bowling:

Still here...

2008-02-21T07:25:00.000-05:00

I've had a heck of a time getting in to post to the blog. I really don't care for the Google aspect of blogger now. It's so much more difficult just to get logged in, it seems.

We're still here and still insanely busy. Peanut's practicing writing her name in anticipation of Kindergarten in the Fall. She attended a Valentine's Daddy/Daughter dance with her dad last week and here's the before & after photos....

I've done a little bit of knitting recently. I'm still slugging away on Peanut's Haiku sweater. It's like the ever growing bumpy, hot pink blob. Last weekend, I whipped up Penny for a friend who got a Maltese puppy for Valentine's day. It's so freakin' cute! I have yet to get a photo of it, but will soon.

I joined Weight Watchers at work 3 weeks ago. This fits in very well with my motto for 2008, Be healthier. I'm down 22 lbs for the year. I can attribute some of the success to the Wii I recently stood in line for at Toys R Us. I gotta say, that was quite the study in human nature right there. Whether I'd gottent he Wii or not, it was totally worth watching people forget they are adults and that a gaming system is not the most important thing in the world. "Grace & Dignity" were not words most of them were familiar with. My favorite was a dad that showed up at 10:10 that morning to find a line up of people with the vouchers in the store. He then took it upon himself to scream at the very cordial Toys R Us employee about how unfair it was that they were out of them already. All of this was done in front of his 9 year old son. Way to go dude, that teaches your child an excellent lesson right there. Peanut was staying with my Aunt & Uncle for the night or I wouldn't have bothered to go at all. But anyway, we are enjoying nightly games of boxing and bowling. Main point here that we're getting off the couch and doing something rather than watching tv. She's actually getting pretty good at the bowling. I have video that I will try to post over the weekend. I love the fact that I was able to download the original Super Mario Brothers for $5. Ah, some things you never forget.

Dancing Queen

2008-01-14T09:34:00.000-05:00

No idea where she gets the dance moves from, but she definitely makes it work. The outfit was a Christmas gift and right now, a bride is just as good as a Princess in Peanut's book.

Distracting You With Cuteness

2007-12-07T12:17:00.000-05:00

I'm plugging along on holiday gifts. I'm feeling really good about where I am. Peanut's teachers are each getting a pair of Fetching gloves. Her lone male teacher may receive a hat or a more manly pair of fingerless gloves. Jury's still out on that one. Peanut has made many requests that her baby receive some sort of knit clothing soon as well. Well, "requests" wouldn't exactly describe how she's asking...demands is more like it. Each time she sees me knitting, she'll stop me to ask if that's for her or her baby? Because in her mind, there are only these two options.

We put our cool new tree up. She loved it. I let her put on whatever she wanted and did not move anything. We have large gaping holes and other branches that hold five ornaments each. She loves it and it's her tree, too.

My friend, Jennifer was given a grocery bag full of dress up stuff. She passed it along to Peanut. Here she is in her Princess Costume glory complete with accessories.

This is her "cha cha" outfit. That's a flapper dress with hat..and a pink holster and bunched up skirt to compliment the ensemble.

We visited Santa at her school...

There were no tears...no deep frowns...I think we've turned the corner on our Santa fears. I caught her hugging his leg as he was trying to leave. Her liking him and understanding his role in our Christmas celebration means that he's also become a major bargaining tool. The look on her face was priceless when I let it slip I had his phone number and could call him if he needed an update on whether she's been naughty or nice.

Let's say she had a "naughty" day on Wednesday when she and her buddy TP'd the girls bathroom at school. I know those huge rolls of TP are tempting...and it's something I would have loved to have done at 4...it was hard not to smile when her teacher told me.

Lions and Tigers and Bears...Oh my!

2007-11-18T23:13:00.000-05:00

Peanut attended her first play on Saturday. We went to see the Howell Community theater's production of The Wizard of Oz. It was wonderful! Peanut had a lot of questions as the stage play does stray from the movie a bit and she had a hard time wrapping her head around the fact that we were in the same room as Glenda and The Wicked Witch of the West. She insisted on wearing her "Good Witch" dress instead of her kind-of-looks-like-Dorothy sundress. I'm glad she did. There was a sea of Dorothys and just one Glenda. And from the number of pairs we saw on Saturday, Target must have a hard time keeping red sparkly shoes in stock. We watched Return to Oz once we got home. That's 2 hours of my life I'll never have back. Horrible movie. I kept trying to persuade Peanut to abandon it and watch something else, but she stuck it out until the end. I made the mistake of putting it on and then going to put laundry away...when I cam back, Dorothy was on a table hooked up and ready to receive electric shock therapy. Evidently, her stories of Oz weren't all that well received by Aunt Em and Uncle Henry when she came back. I asked Peanut what was going on and she said she wasn't quite sure and insisted on watching the movie. I sat down with her to oversee the rest of it. Dorothy lucks out because a storm comes in before they can fire up the equipment and she escapes to Oz with a chicken....and that's all I'll say about that. Don't waste your time, though.

We visited the Knitting Den on Saturday to take advantage of their 25% off sale. I've received 3 emails and a phone call about this sale...so we went. I still hate the store. No one ever greets you and it's almost like they act like it's a privilege they let you in to buy things. I hate the way it's layed out and it's insanely impossible to get to everything if there are people sitting around the table in the middle of the store. I'm thinking that's going to be my last visit there. There are too many other good shops within 20 mins of the house that I want to spend my money at.

I finished the crazy pink eyelash scarf for Peanut. Photos coming soon. I'm making my way across the back of Haiku for her...I can't wait to see how this turns out.

Pouty Princess, FOs and 7 Things

2007-11-12T17:38:00.000-05:00

Here's the pouty princess from Halloween. That's a genuine Sleeping Beauty dress, crown & wand from the Disney store. The crown she got for her birthday. The wand was a Chicago souvenir and Aunt Peanut, who spoils her rotten, got her the dress. Similar to The Blue Dress from last year, the kid would wear it 24/7 if I let her. This was the first year she "got" trick or treating. I've never seen the kid move so fast or run for so long in her entire life. It was pretty comical and she went the distance going the whole 2 hours without a complaint.

It's a little blurry, but it's my favorite picture of the night. This was taken just as we were wrapping up for the night. The kid wound up with an insane amount of candy. About 1/3 of it wound up at my office. We still have 2 gallon size ziplocs full at home. She's limited to 1 piece a day. We're set for a while.

I finished up some projects..

I finished a baby sweater for a coworker. It's Little Lamb sweater from Precious Layettes to Knit. It's done in red LB Cotton-Ease with lady bug buttons. It was very well received.

The sweater wasn't finished in time for her work shower, so she got these little guys then. They're Baby Eyelet socks made out of left over tofutsies. I hate the yarn. Enough that I don't care if I misspell it or not. It splits and bunches and I'll never, ever buy it again.

Ages ago, Amby tagged me with a meme. I've never been tagged before and quickly did the 7 things list. And then it sat in my My Documents until today. Sorry, Amby. Thanks for tagging me!

So, here are the rules.

1. Link to your tagger and post rules

2. Share 7 facts about yourself, some random and some weird

3. Tag 7 people at the end of post and list their names

4. Let them know they were tagged by a comment on their blog

1. I am the youngest, oldest, middle and only child for my family. Between my mom & dad, I'm the only. For my mom, I'm the oldest. For my dad, I'm the youngest biologically but when you factor in my steps, I'm in the middle. I believe I have traits from all of the birth orders because of this.

2. When playing cards, I cannot touch my cards until the final card has been dealt or flipped over, depending on the game. If I do, then it completely ruins the hand for me.

3. While I have an extensive ice cube tray collection, I tend to drink my beverages without ice and don't mind them warm or room temperature. (IKEA has some really great silicone ones with different shapes)

4. I hate Seinfeld. Hate it with a passion. The music from the show instantly puts me in a bad mood. One of my roommates in college was obsessed with it and now I work with guys that watch it nightly and then enjoy discussing it at length every morning.

5. I went to college to be a radio producer or an accountant. CMU had a great hands on program for radio at the time and they had a nationally accredited Accounting program as well. I took 2 BCA classes before my prof distributed typical salary ranges for the field...I switched to business. After taking an accounting class, I knew that was not my calling and went with a General business Major. One of my fraternity (AKPsi) advisers bluntly told me to pick something or quit school. Management Information Systems was the major with the shortest list of required classes, so I went with that. So, I have a BSBA with an MIS major.

6. I am Irish on both sides, so that's what I claim to be. My mother's maiden name and my maiden name are very, very common names in Ireland.

7. Knicknames that I've had are: Janetteski, MammaJ, Mudslide, Jaynet, J, JoanJett

As for the tagging part...well, if 7 of you still read this after my sporadic postings the last year or so, please consider yourself tagged.

And I shall name her Sparky...

2007-10-23T07:32:00.000-04:00

My father and step-mother were avid bowlers. My dad worked afternoons and bowled on at least 2 leagues a week. Sunday nights with them were usually spent at an alley somewhere begging for quarters to play the video games. Bowling on a league seemed like such a cool, adult thing to do. The idea of joining a mixed league was tossed around in the last few years, but unforeseen circumstances never made it a reality...until this year.

Some friends and I formed a team and blindly joined a league that bowls every other weekend. We are not good, but we have a fabulous time! That's the whole point. To get out, meet new people and have a good time.

I've never had my own bowling ball. It always seemed so extravagant considering I rarely bowled and I wasn't any good. With joining the league, it's obvious I will not get any better using a house ball. I've been struggling with whether or not to buy one. Again, it seems like such a frivolous thing. I got shoes on sale a couple of years ago. They made sense because you pay $3.50 each time to rent them. Paying $9.99 for the pair I have means that they've already paid for themselves and then some.

On Tuesday, Peanut had to visit the pediatrician. I was a little freaked out about the why (and finding out later, justifiably so). We stopped to get gas on the way home and when I put the pump back into the holster, I noticed someone had dropped their credit card. It was raining...and to take it into the station, I'd have to pull Peanut out of the car and it'd be a pain. But then I thought, if that was my credit card I'd want someone to turn it in for me...so I did just that. When we got home, I found a check in the mail from our previous cable company telling me I had overpaid them. Huh? How did that happen? The amount of the check was just enough to cover a new ball.....

So I picked out Sparky. She'll come home with us on Thursday. I'll test her out on Friday. On Saturday, she'll be tweaked (if needed) and then used for league night. This photo really doesn't do her justice. She seems to twinkle like the night sky. Hopefully she can help my 93 average.

There has been a lot of knitting and photos of it, but they're trapped in the camera. I finished a pair of baby eyelet socks that were gifted to a coworker. I'm also working on a red baby sweater. I finished the first of the BFF socks and I'm nearing the end of the toe increases on the second. For some reason, lace seems to keep coming up. I'm wondering if I might be ready for a real like project soon. Maybe that'll be a 2008 thing. I would still like to get a little cardigan knit up for Peanut. I also picked up a few skeins of an awful fun fur at the Dollar Store to make into a princess worthy scarf for her.

We hit Zoo Boo last weekend....it was fun, but not really worth the money. If you have little kids that would tire easily from traditional trick or treating, then it's definitely worth it. A gaggle of kids aged 3 - 6 made quick work of the 13 stops and stingy candy amounts. I'm glad we did it, but I don't know that we'll do it again.

Oh! And I've been on Ravelry for a while now...I'm jbknits over there too. Might as well stay consistent, right?

This is what 4 looks like...

2007-10-18T07:11:00.000-04:00

Peanut and The Monkees share the same birthday. I always forget to ask what time they were born.

The celebration of 4 started with a party at Peanut's dad's house and they visited Build A Bear. She came home with a pretty new pink bear. It has been given the honor of residing in her bed without her shoes.

The party continued when she got home with the party with my immediate family. I think she was happy with the Princess cake by way of Costco.

Tuesday, was her actual birthday. She took cupcakes & frosting to school to have a snack that they could decorate first. I picked her up early to go have dinner at Big Boy with Gram and Aunt Peanut. Big Boy is her new favorite restaurant for some reason. She chose to have hotcakes with apples & whipped cream for dinner. It was her birthday and she was allowed to choose to have whatever she wanted. That's the point of birthday dinners, right? That was followed up with a giant chocolate ice cream and carmel sauce sundae. Before she slipped into a sugar coma, we headed to Chuck E Cheese for a couple of hours.

40 hrs later, we were on a train headed for Chicago. This was a trip I'd been planning for seven months with one of my best friends from CMU. Her little guy turned 4 on 9/30, so it was a birthday present to both of them. We headed to Shedd Aquarium on Friday. She was most excited about the dolphins and beluga whales. She fell asleep on the city bus on the way back to the hotel and I had a really hard time waking her. I'd say she definitely enjoyed the aquarium.

On Saturday, we visited the Children's Museum on Navy Pier. What an awesome place! We had the best time there. We spent the afternoon on Navy Pier and finished up the day on the Magnificent Mile. I thought she would faint from the Princess display at the Disney store. Here she is modeling her new jammies and dolls from the day.

Peanut's other big birthday gift was a Leapster. The kid loves this thing more than I could have imagined. She's pretty good about only playing it for 30 mins or so at a time.

The last year has been tough on us both and I think we've weathered it well. She's recently snapped out of a phase where I affectionately referred to her as "The Devil". I was worried it was never going to end, but it did and I am so thankful for the sweet little girl that has emerged. While I'm sad that she's growing up so quick, I'm excited for the little person she's becoming. I can't wait to see what other adventures are in store for us, but I'm thrilled to have her to share them with.

Yeah for September!!

2007-09-10T07:05:00.000-04:00

I am thrilled to say we’re settling in fabulously into the new apartment. Peanut loves it and actually cries when we go back to visit our old neighbors because she thinks we’re going back to the house. Each time we pull into the apartment complex she chirps “Yeah! New Apartment!!” from the back seat. She and I put up some of the wall stickers we bought earlier this summer to decorate her room. They are super cute and have made a big difference. We’ve found that the balcony is the perfect place for blowing bubbles.

As much as I’ve talked about the how wonderful my dear former neighbors are, it’s been really hard to not talk about the bad things. Not about the neighbors, but people involved with the house. It’s taken a great deal of self control to not say things that would enflame the situation. There’s a lot of biting my tongue going on and my tongue is nearly bitten off. I have never, in my life met a more rude, mean spirited person. With the information I found today, I can now add greedy. I don’t know how I’m surprised by this considering I found out recently that she took the neighbor kids to court for playing in the street. She lost and now has a PPO in place that she cannot even drive down specific areas of the neighborhood. I know that I have scored major brownie points by being the better person and not sinking to her level, but I hope the Good Lord realizes the amount of strength it’s taken to do this. No wonder I’m getting 10 spi on the sock I’m knitting.

I cast on for a scarf for Aunt Peanut. She was promised a lace scarf nearly two years ago. I even bought some beautiful Elann Peruvian Baby Cashmere in this eggplant color. It’s like butter. I cast on for Branching Out, but doing the repeat twice over for double width. Monday night, I pulled it out. I hated it. I grabbed a new ball and cast on for Wendy’s Flickering Flames Scarf. I don’t know if I’ve made a mistake or I just need to learn to trust the pattern…but I’m not far enough along with it to pass judgment yet. I’m hoping to have this done in time to give it to her for her birthday in October.

I’ve also been working on a mini afghan for BFF’s mom. She collects dolls and has a smaller sized chair that one of them sits in. She wanted a mini throw to drape on the back. I’m doing a feather and fan pattern with some acrylic baby yarn in a cream color. As soon as I can find the book I got the pattern from to get the ending rows, I’ll be done with it. I think she’s going to love it.

What I’m most excited about right now is bowling. A group of us have formed a team and signed up for a league at the local bowling alley. It’s every other Saturday and Peanut’s Dad has been kind enough to switch his visits to correspond with my bowling nights. I’ve always wanted to do a bowling league and I think it’s going to be a blast. I’m hoping Santa will bring me my own ball for Christmas!

Thanks for hanging in there with me, even through the photo-less posts. Photos will return soon, I promise. I have a good idea as to where the camera and the cable for it are. Now I just need to find the time to put them together with the computer.

2007-08-23T18:43:00.000-04:00

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I ended up where I needed to be." - Douglas Adams

That pretty much sums up the last few years. And I think it's my new philosophy for the next year. Every part of my life is crazy right now. Must be a full moon with high tides because Peanut has become difficult, 24x7. In talking with my friends with kids her age, it's not just her. It doesn't help, but it makes me feel better about holding off on that exorcism. We're in the middle of sorting, purging, packing, moving. It's a little overwhelming at the moment. Work is crazy as we migrate from Novell to AD and Notes to Outlook. It's a lot to handle right now. So many, many changes.

Three weeks ago, I had my first date since early 2002. It was fun. We saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I was having a particularly cute day...and it was good. Very good. We're kind of letting things play out as they will. I don't have a life plan and with the divorce only having been final a month, I'm really just looking for someone to go out with here and there.....but I have to admit, I had forgotten how much fun a good kiss can be. :)

The last two weeks have been tough. Each time I think I'm nearing the end of the bad crap, something new piles up. I'm dealing with it by just going through each day and kind of living with blinders on. It's too much to think about all at once...and I will certainly be buying a Mega Millions ticket. All of the crap could magically go away with a winning ticket. Money may not buy happiness, but it sure would buy some peace of mind. Well, and a 2007 Ford Shelby GT 500 Mustang. Santa, if you're reading my blog, I'm not picky. I'll take the Vista blue coupe with the white stripes. Or whatever...

We move this weekend. As I was promised, this will be the easiest move I ever make. Peanut's room was painted last weekend (Storybook Purple) and the cable guy was out on Tuesday. (We got a DVR!!) I'm really looking forward to some quite time on the new balcony. The cavalry comes in Saturday afternoon to move the furniture. I'm expecting to have 90% of the boxes moved on Friday. Saturday night will be spent eating pizza and drinking lots of beers in the new place with good friends. I shouldn't label them "good friends" they are "Great friends". More like family than friends, really. And I am thankful for them.

Quicky Post

2007-07-28T10:26:00.000-04:00

We're in the homestretch of the Season of Change here a Chez JB. Peanut and I will be moving in the next month. That means a lot of packing, decluttering, cleaning and destashing...and purging. There, I said it. A good portion has already been completed and now I just have Peanut's and the spare room to tackle. Looks like we'll be going from 1980 sq ft to 900 sq ft. It's a good thing. Wake Me Up When September Ends has been on a mental repeat. It's definitely my mantra for the Summer.

I finally finished knitting the felted clogs for my dear friend, Jenn. Good thing I took so long with them, though. They were on vacation last week and came home to find a brass fitting had cut into the plastic pipe that feeds water to the toilet...in the upstairs bathroom...3 days before. They have a quad, so it's been an interesting spread of water damage. They are fully insured, but it's been a very emotional thing to work through for them. So, if I'd previously given her the clogs, they probably would have been ruined...along with her three favorite wool sweaters. I found a cute raglan pattern in the Knitty archives that I might try to do up for her to replace one of them. The restorers are working on the two irreplaceable items damaged: her Grandmother's antique table and their wedding album. They know they're lucky to have a home and that the damage wasn't worse, but it still sucks to watch her go through it all.

Peanut's off to spend the day with her cousins and to give me a much needed mini-break. First thing I plan on doing it showering...alone. She's been keeping vigil on the side of the tub if I do it while she's awake. She's super excited about the move, but I know she's had a lot to deal with over the past year and we're treading lightly. I have seen a great deal of improvement in her acting out and odd behavior since switching to the new school. That's a huge relief. I think she'll be back to "normal" once the move is over and we're in a new routine....right about the time September ends. See?

I'm working on knitting socks for FNJ. She's been amazing and I don't know if we would have weathered everything as well as we have without her. I'm using Tofutsies yarn and 2mm needles. Man, they are working up slllllooowwwww. I'm getting something like 10.5 - 11 stitches per inch. Nothing like jumping in head first with tiny needles and thin yarn for my first pair of adult socks. I'm doing a toe-up sock with beaded rib. No photos as of yet, but FNJ just loves what I've knit so far. I don't know that I'll knit with Tofutsies again. It's really splitty and I guess with the way I knit, one strand kind of bunches up...it's annoying. I love the fabric, just not the hassle.

I need to get a cake in the oven. One of the little dudes next door is having his birthday party today. His actual birthday was yesterday. Peanut and I got him a little digital camera. I'm excited to say that he was just as geeked about that as the DS mom & dad got him. Excellent gift idea for a seven year old.

Thanks for checking in!

Blessings

2007-07-06T07:30:00.000-04:00

On July 5, 2003 at 1:50 p.m., we were married.
On July 5, 2007 at 1:50 p.m., we were divorced.
I'm still laughing at that. What are the chances??

This post is about blessings.

I am blessed with a beautiful child that I would not have had I not been married. A child that continuously teaches me about patience and the wonder of the world. A child that for all of her "I can do it myself" statements throughout the day, still cries for her mama at night. A child that softly snores while snuggled in bed with me. A child that reminds me daily that I'm beautiful and that she loves me, all without prompting. I've come to decide that she will be the only child I will ever have and I am thankful for her.

I am blessed with the wisdom to know better for next time and to pay more attention to those annoying red flags. They are red for a reason.

I am blessed to have lived through some tough times and come out knowing that there's a lot of truth in the sayings, "This too shall pass." "Everything happens for a reason." and "It all works out in the end." It may not be apparent at the time, but it will be eventually. I am blessed with the patience to not worry about things I have no control over until there's something I can do to change it. No need to waste my energy on it.

I am blessed with an amazing family. A familythat would love to say, "I told you so." But says, We love you and we are proud of you, instead.

I am blessed with an even more amazing inner circle of friends. Friends who drop everything to come to my aid. Friends that insist you become part of their family and get miffed when you don't understand that you're always invited to everything without being told. Friends that use the key to your house to sneak in to decorate it. Friends who make sure the evening of your divorce is jam packed with lots of fun. Friends that celebrate an event that is usually considered sad. Friends that are quick with a hug or a beer, if necessary. I've never been more understanding of "You find out who your friends are..." than in the last 9 months.

I am so blessed.

There is no hate. There are no angry feelings anymore. Time heals all wounds (another truth for sure) and my time to be still has passed. In fact, I feel nothing. It's such an odd place to be. There's no love, no hate, just nothing. As odd as it is, it's a wonderful place to be. I've worked hard to be here and I'm going to enjoy it. I'm practicing saying "ex-husband" rather than "husband", it's a habit that I know will be broken quickly. As a part of my identity (wife) goes away, part of me that I lost four years ago has come back brighter than ever. Music is sweeter again. Driving is fun again. Laughing is easier again. At least three people have told me that the Janette that they've known and loved for years is back and they've missed her dearly. I've missed her too. I feel like years have been lifted and I'm younger.

Phase I - the Breakup is complete. I've weathered it with my grace and dignity intact. I've set a good example for my child and I'm proud of myself. That's what's most important, I'm so proud of myself. And thankful for the friends and family who were kind enough to know when I needed a hug or a get yourself together lecture. Thankful for those that didn't back down when I pushed back. So thankful for those that knew I needed to be checked on daily. That I needed to be surrounded by the love of their families and distraction of joyful encounters.

I am thankful for those who are taking another look at our relationship and realizing it is much more than just a friendship.

I am blessed and I so am thankful for my life.

Shedir is Shedone!!

2007-06-24T17:03:00.001-04:00

It only took me 8 months, but I finally finished Shedir this morning. It's definitely the most complex pattern I've completed to date. It was the first time I've yanked the needles out of something other than stockinette and ripped back. About 10 rows had to be undone because I opted to only follow one line of the pattern when it came to shuffling stitches around. Some of the double decreases could be a little smoother, but I'm quite proud of it. I used the Rowan Calmer the pattern called for, but in an off white color. I bought a spare ball just in case one wasn't enough. Maybe I'll do a second one with it. I need to check my gauge on this. I'm thinking it might be a little on the small side. It is pretty stretchy, though. I love it and I think it's beautiful.

Peanut started at her new school last week. It's tradition for us to take a photo on her first day. She wasn't overly excited about doing it, though. Her new school is proving to be a great place for her to be. She actually woke up on Saturday and asked if she could go. That never happened with the old place. They have a different them each week. Last week's was the States. On Thursday, they talked about Mt. Rushmore. On Tuesday this week, they're tie-dying shirts. I can't wait to see what she comes home with.

The divorce is final in 4 days. That's crazy to say. I know my checkbook is thankful this is all coming to a close. As I'm reminded constantly, it won't come to an end until October 2021 when Peanut turns 18. I'm thankful for the wonderful friends and family who helped remind me that dignity and grace are way more important than anything else. I'm celebrating with friends after the court appearance on Thursday. On Friday, I'm off to a much needed weekend vacation. I cannot wait!!!

12 Days and Counting....

2007-06-16T15:20:00.000-04:00

I have my day in court on the 28th. It can't come soon enough. I'm so over all of the emotional crap and this is just the last stop in the journey to divorce. I might even have a little summer fling ready to start soon after. Nothing serious, just someone coming out of the woodwork after a long time. Surprising to me, really...but the best things tend to be that way, right? As my good friends say, I deserve someone nice who will treat me with respect. After all the drama, I'm so game for that. We'll see what happens.

I finished another hat for Dulaan. I'm working on a third. I have photos, but they're trapped in the camera. All the USB ports are in use backing up data and charging Grace at the moment.

The last two weeks have been kind of upside down here. Peanut's school had to unexpectedly close. As if the poor kid wasn't dealing with enough change right now. I had to do an unplanned day care center tour of all those close by. In the end, she was the one that chose which facility to switch to. None of them offered everything I wanted and they each had their own cons. She's super excited to start at her new school and she already has a little friend that attends there. It's quite a bit more for her to go there, but we always make do with making the budget work. It's a much better program education-wise and they also make sure to include community service work in their curriculum. That was a big selling point with me.

I'll close with a photo from our last trip to the zoo. They're opening a new giraffe viewing area where you can feed them crackers. I'm hoping we can get back again soon to see that.

Absenteeism

2007-05-30T23:14:00.000-04:00

Sorry I've been MIA here recently. To say I have a lot going on would be the understatement of the year. Everything in life is changing except my family & friends. Work, life, Peanut, even the house...not much I can say about any of it right now. Don't fret, Peanut changing is just the normal growing up stuff. She's fabulous.

Here are some photos to make up for my lack of postings:

2 squares were knit for Laura's Rebuilding Greensburg project. I just peeked in on Laura for the link and saw that her Father-In-Law passed away over the weekend. Good thoughts and prayers are being sent to the Bunny Hutch. (Caron Simply Soft Tweed in Grape - love it! it's a little short on yardage for my liking, though)

Peanut completed swim class and got a certificate granting her permission to take the next class. It'll be scheduled for some time this summer.

Well, that's all you're getting for now. Blogger's being weird and won't let me post any other photos. I finally completed one of the 5 items for The Dulaan Project for Grandpa's birthday (way back in March). I'm 1/3 of the way done with a 2nd item. Using a vacation day to cover sick time does wonders for simple projects that need some finishing up. Stress is not good for a body and I'm learning that one the hard way. Oy. This too shall pass, right?

31 R O C K S ! ! !

2007-05-08T12:36:00.000-04:00

I don't think I have ever celebrated a birthday as much as I have this one. It started Wednesday night. Some of my family came to watch Peanut's swim class. After class I got presents and a trip to DQ. I had forgotten just how good a blue raspberry freeze was. Thursday was the actual day. I got taken to Claddaugh for lunch. During my department celebration, flowers from Peanut were delivered. They are beautiful! I've never seen carnations arranged so well and I never knew they could be as fragrant as these are. You could smell them from the hall before you even got to my cube. They are now gracing our dining room table at home. The Fabulous Neighbor Family had cake and presents for me at their place that night. I had 9 little kids circled around me singing Happy Birthday. It was a great moment. I got a little teary eyed. Friday night, a group of us went to The Melting Pot. Heaven, pure heaven. It took us 4 hours to get through dinner. It was awesome. So relaxing. I felt like an adult and not just Peanut's Mom. They had Sinatra playing. The lights were dim. The drinks were awesome and the food was amazing. Highly recommend it. Saturday, I got more presents and taken out to dinner to TGIFridays. More drinks. Great food. If you go, get the donuts. They're so worth it!! Saturday night wound down with a party at my house. Good friends. More good food. Lots more drinks. Not too many, but LOTS more drinks. Sunday was a repeat of Saturday, but with fewer drinks and ending quite a bit earlier.

And the presents!! Holy cow!!!

By far the biggest present I got was from FNJ. She used my house key without my knowing to let herself in. She spent several hours doing the Spring Cleaning that was put on hold because Mister was ill and unable to visit Peanut. The woman loves to clean. It makes her happy to clean. Initially, I was a little mad because I don't want anyone cleaning up after me....but then she told me how she wanted to do something nice for me and this was something she was good at and she knew I was stressing about getting it done. I have never had anyone do something so nice for me. Never. The house is beautiful. I can't thank her enough. And yes, I got teary eyed over it. I am so blessed to have such wonderful neighbors.

On Wednesday night, my family gave me a gift. It's something I never expected or thought I would need, but I am thankful for it. I am now the proud owner of a tent. A camping tent. A 10x13x72", sleeps 5 people camping tent. Let me just say that I've been camping exactly twice in my life. The first time was 5th Grade Camp and we stayed in cabins with running water and electricity. The second time was in high school when I went to Girl Scout Camp as a PA. We stayed in platform tents with cots that were very near the bathroom/shower facility. So, camping is generally not high on my list. Now FNJ, they camp. They love to camp. They've invited Peanut and I to camp with them this summer. I called up Aunt and asked to borrow their tent as I know they are well equipped for this sort of thing. She agreed and I figured I'd be done with it. Nope, now I have my own tent to camp whenever I want. 31 is my year to have fun and try new things, so we're starting with camping I guess.

On Thursday, I got to open my gifts from Peanut. She, Grandma and Aunt Peanut went to the new Dollar Store to shop. Aunt Peanut tells me she insisted I needed the yellow flyswatter with the giant flower on it. Kid's right. We didn't have one. Now I have one that's pretty as well as functional. I also received a cool magnet photo frame, a new magnetic shopping list and four coordinating magnets. A personal fan with the American Flag on it that lights up when it's run. Some cool hair clips and a bath scrubby on a long handle. There were many more goodies in the bag, but I can't remember off the top of my head. Thursday night, I opened the gifts from the neighbor kids. I've developed quite a little fan club. They each painted a container and a figurine for me. They are darling. They will soon be gracing our mantle. I'll post a photo soon.

And the yarn....I got some beautiful yarn from Knitpicks. I got two skeins of Memories in Rocky Mountain Dusk. Two skeins of Dancing in Hula and two skeins of in Campfire. I also got some new circs for Magic Loop and the new Harlot book. I'm about halfway through it and I'm really mixed on it. I'll save my comments for when I've finished it.

I really needed this weekend. Peanut was visiting Mister, so I didn't have to worry about anyone but myself. Friday night, I finally felt like Janette again. Janette's been missing for a very, very long time. Sunday morning, I was reflecting on the last few days and felt so much lighter. The world seems brighter. The divorce will be final in June and life moves on...and it's a such better happier life! 30 was all about transition and growing. Quite honestly, it sucked and I was glad to see it end. 31 is the first year of the second third of my life. I am so blessed to have people that love me and appreciate me in my life. The last year has has some really dark times, but now the sun is shining and "Tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun".

PS A drunken trip to the grocery store Saturday night netted me a bag of Hershey kisses in the new confetti flavor. Love them! They are white chocolate with candy bits mixed in. I have a thing for Hershey kisses and all the different flavors, so these were an extra special birthday treat.

Settling Dust

2007-04-30T20:37:00.000-04:00

Wow! What a crazy few weeks it's been. I don't think it'll truly end until this weekend, either. Lots of BIG plans for this weekend!!

Peanut has continued with her swim classes. I swear she's part mermaid. At her second class, she didn't bother to wait for the teacher to come back to give her another turn at trying to swim. She hopped right off the side of the pool and into the water. They pulled her out and she acted like it was no big deal and she did it every day.

We participated in WalkAmerica on Sunday with our family team. This year we raised $1,170! That brings our 3 year total to over $5,000. I am in total awe of that. That's just a few of my friends and family. The March of Dimes is near and dear to my heart. I know for a fact that if it weren't for them, I would not have the pleasure of being a mom to Peanut. Walking 3 miles and bugging people for money once a year is the very least I can do. (Also my 007 April Photo)

Not a whole lot has been going on with the knitting. I get in a few rows here and there. Mickey is still coming along. I'm about 1/3 of the way through it. It really doesn't look any different, so I'll spare you the photo. Erin and I start the Clapotis KAL on Thursday. It's my birthday and it's all about second chances. 30 was my year of transition. 31 is my year to start enjoying life again.

Speaking of enjoying things again...I've started branching out from SpongeBob in the evenings. Of course, I returned to The Sopranos when it came back. It should be an interesting ending. I've also become addicted to The Tudors. That totally feeds right into my love for history and trashy romance novels. Well, I'm a reformed trashy romance novel reader. I have a total crush on George from The Hour. Smart, cute and hip. Yeah..I think I'd make a run for the border for him. Big Love is returning in June. I can't wait to see where they take that show. The Easter Bunny brought me Season 1. I'm planning to rewatch it before it comes back. Dexter won't be back until October.

That's it from here. Thanks for checking in. My good news from before was compounded with even better news (about something totally different). I'm still not ready to share, but I will as soon as I can.

To apologize for the tease, here's a Peanut photo. That's wool in her hand from a freshly shorn sheep. When you ask her what they do with the sheep's hair she'll reply, "Um, make it into yarn!"

Super Fast Drive Thru Post

2007-04-17T00:27:00.000-04:00

Peanut had her first swim class

The Easter Bunny paid us a visit. He has great taste in yarn, dvds and chocolates.

The weather finally cooperated enough for Peanut to try out her new two-wheel bike.

And, I just got the best news yet this year! Can't share just yet...but it's no coincidence that it's timed along with the tax deadline.

Hello Virus...Goodbye Harlot

2007-03-31T23:17:00.000-04:00

My body family gave up and gave into the cold I've been fighting for the last week on Thursday night. A good friend of mine described her throat as feeling as if she were "swallowing glass". I'd have to say that's a pretty good way to say how I'm feeling. I broke down and bought some "behind the counter" sudafed on Friday. I'm now on the State of Michigan's books as having purchased 48 tablets. The stuff you can still buy on the shelf can't do anything compared to the real stuff. So, I feel like crud and will be skipping the Harlot visit tomorrow. Bummer.

I got my L&V Secret Pal swap box this week. My spoiler was none other than Manda from the Knitting Psychos podcast. She sent me a fabulous skein of hand dyed yarn. A super cool new chibi, bamboo cable needles, some needle clippy things, wool wash, a note book & pen, and some great candy. I have yet to photograph it but will soon. Thanks so much Manda!!

In super fabulous news...Baby Logan will be coming home soon after Easter. How awesome is that?! He's truly a miracle baby. Thank you for all of your good thoughts and prayers for him.

The meds are finally kicking in and I'm heading to bed.

Updates...

2007-03-28T07:36:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted. Sorry about that. Life gets in the way. The last week has been a bit topsy turvy. I can't say much. But I think I've been more angry in the last week than I have ever been in my life. Way more angry than I ever thought I could be. I kept it together and I smiled because I'm trying to rise above and "Be Better". I am still in awe that some people show such a lack of respect for things that are personal and private to their lives. Moving on before I say something I'll regret later....My dear neighbors also experienced an incredibly sad tragedy that really puts life in perspective. I've been doing all I can to help them out, but it never seems like enough to help ease them through it.

Baby Logan is progressing incredibly well. He's almost up to 5 lbs and he's been practicing maintaining his temp in an open air bassinette. I've seen photos of him sporting the cap I made, but I haven't asked for permission to post them. His parents are hoping he'll be home before his due date at the end of April. It's amazing how well he's done.

I've been steadily working on Mickey. Her hot pinkedness is coming along...slowly, but surely. I finally looked at the ball band and it's the Watermelon color of Caron Simply Soft....and it is bright pink. Peanut comes to check it out each time I work on it and repeatedly asks if it's for her. Two things have happened while working on this project. 1) I have confirmed that I am an insanely slow knitter. The pattern is a six row repeat. There are a couple of wrap & turns, but that's 8 rows max. While watching Tristan & Isolde on Sunday, I timed how long it took me to get through a repeat....six rows over 69 stitches = 35 mins of my knitting life. That's really pathetic. No wonder it takes me forever to complete things! 2) I can now do plain stockinette/garter stitch without looking! I had become enthralled with the movie at one point (Irish/English tribes, Dark Ages, forbidden love...who wouldn't get caught up?) and suddenly realized that I had been watching the screen and still knitting! I consider this to be a major turning point in my knitting career.

I got notice today that my Lime & Violet Secret Pal box arrived at the local post office. I am so excited! It almost feels like my birthday. Speaking of my birthday...you may remember that last Summer, the blogless Erin and I decided to do our own Clapotis KAL. I had a project ending moment 2/3 of the way through when I realized I wouldn't have enough yarn. Considering it was Lisa Souza yarn, getting more would not be an option. I put Clappy in time-out while Erin sailed on to finish hers. A month or so ago, I pulled Clappy out and frogged her. She's been resting comfortably in pretty little Shade Garden cakes waiting to be brought out again. After some discussion, Erin wanted to make another one for a gift and I need to give mine another try. So...we launch Clappy2.0 on my birthday. 30 is my year of change and one I'd like to forget, but 31 is the first year of the 2nd 3rd of my life! It's all about new beginnings and a better life, so it's only fitting Clappy get another chance.

It's a busy week for us full of birthday parties, a Harlot visit and a school function. Thanks for checking in on us!

Springing Forward

2007-03-11T01:19:00.000-05:00

I spent an hour and a half tonight updating and bouncing mail servers. What an exciting way to spend a Saturday night. Friday night was spent out celebrating, so I can't complain too much. I'm glad to say the server updates seem to have gone well so far. I can't believe how much work a single decision generated for the IT world. Y2K had nothing on this one. I can only imagine the backlash if the government decides this wasn't such a good idea next year and revoke the change. Oy...I don't even want to think about it.

Yeah, so I've been working on another pair of socks for Peanut. First there was the "I can't handle US0 needles and this will be a great bracelet" pair. I then had a go of it with a heavier yarn. US2 needles seemed huge after the US0s. So this is what it looked like just before it visited the frog pond.

It was a little too small. It fit fine now, but it did require a bit of a tug to get past her heel. That's great. I finally realized by the time I got them finished, they would be too small. I really liked the yarn and will pick it up again, but I think I need a break from the tiny needles.

On that note...Knitty.com Spring 2007 just came out. Totally perfect timing!! I love Mickey. So much so that I did a gauge swatch the night it came out. I have quite the stash of Caron Simply Soft. I found the brightest, most annoying pink I had and went with it. I got a gauge of 6 sts/1" on US5s. They feel like clubs compared to the US2s, but I'll take it! I'm 2.5 repeats into and I can tell it's going to be adorable. I'm already trying to figure out how to make the pleats wider with additional short rows and make it more "twirlable" for the Grand Princess.

Last week marked a major milestone for our family, my Grandpa turned 80. That seems so strange to write. The men in my family tend to have a lot of heart problems. I have a cousin who had his first heart attack at 35. Just a couple of weeks ago, a different cousin in his late 40's had quadruple bypass. Last year, Grandpa had his own scare and now sports a pacemaker. Each gifting event, it's always such a struggle to figure out what to get him. The man wants for nothing. Things he mentions in passing my Aunts or Uncle buy for him. Of course, the "don't waste your money on me" argument happens every time. Gram insisted he didn't need another hat as he babies the one I made him. He won't wear scarves or mittens. Peanut and I sat down last weekend and whipped him up a card. It involved her stencils, markers and LOTS of stickers. Then it hit me...why not do a charity knitting donation in honor of his big birthday? So that's what I've pledged to do. I've chosen the Dulaan Project as the charity of choice for this. I have a lot of odd skeins of wool that will be put to good use as hats. He seemed to enjoy the idea and it sparked interest in the family for the Dulaan Project.

Peanut is wearing the blue dress every where and every moment she can. She's not allowed to wear it to school, but she considers every other waking moment fair game. Even during the strep stint, she wore it to the doctor's office with her cowgirl boots. We went bowling last weekend and she insisted it was what all the young ladies would be wearing. She's covered and warm, so I didn't really care. Funny, two little girls over were dressed in sparkly, red dance outfits.

That's it from here. I've just lost an hour of my life and my servers are still happy. I'm off to bed!

DST & LV Swap Quiz

2007-03-02T00:31:00.000-05:00

Damn DST!! That's all I can say. This is way bigger than Y2K ever was. I'm up late tonight updating and bouncing mail servers. Tomorrow and this weekend will be spent running agents overnight from home. Joy, joy, joy. It's not so much the work from home that I mind...it's the fallout of things not going well. Keep your fingers crossed!!

I joined the Lime & Violet swap. I'm pretty excited about it. I think it should be fun. Here's my questionnaire. Please keep in mind that it's late and I've had limited adult conversation this week...

1. What kind of fibers do you prefer? I don't really have a preference. I like things that are soft and smell nice. I don't buy Red Heart Super Saver because it's not soft enough and I don't like the smell. I don't buy fun fur because it makes me crabby to knit. Those are the only things I tend to turn down. I'm not snobby about my yarn at all. I made a scarf out of alpaca and loved it. I have some cashmere blend that I'm using for a scarf. I am the proud owner of a few skeins of Lisa Souza (sock! (L&V, Miss V's Pink Ribbon) and the wool/silk blend in the beautiful shade garden). I'm totally fascinated by self-patterning/striping yarn. I'd love to try some of the new fibers (bamboo, corn, milk, crab shells, etc). I'm really easy to please. I do tend to lean towards more blues and purples. With a resident Princess, it's also hard to stay away from pinks.

2. What kind of weight do you prefer (sock, worsted, bulky)? I tend to shy away from bulky. Doesn't seem like you get much bang for your buck with it. I just started working with sock yarn in the last few months. I tend to like the heavier sock yarns rather than the thinner. Socks that have to be done on US0 needles do not hold up to my attention span at this moment.

3. Do you spin? I do not, but I find it incredibly interesting and would love to give it a try.

4. Do you crochet? Only if I have to. All of my crochet work tends to be unpredictable. Squares turn into odd trapezoids.

5. Are there any books, patterns, magazines would you like to own that you don't? I'd really love to have the new Yarn Harlot book, A Gathering of Lace, Knitting for Peace or Knitting Nell. My little girl is fascinated with my knitting and I think she'd enjoy Knitting Nell a lot. I have a lot of single skeins of yarn I loved and wanted to have but was a bit pricey. I'd love to get something to help put them to functional use.

6. Are you participating in any themed a-longs like the Project Spectrum? I am not. I did last year, but life's been a bit to hectic to keep up with it this year.

7. Do you have a wishlist on Amazon.com or Half.com? (provide a link) I do have an amazon list. It's kind of a catch all I keep up for birthday & holiday list requests from friends and relatives.

8. Any Etsy stores that you would love to get something from? I've always wanted to get something from To Knit Perchance To Dream. I love her bright colors. She really puts some beautiful colorways together.

9. What other crafty things are you involved in (quilting, drawing, painting)? I once had a dream of quilting but I can't cut a straight line to save my life. Even with the ruler things. I did just inherit a nice sewing machine and I do have quite the fabric stash to taunt me, though.

10. What is your favorite sort of scent? I don't like heavy florals. I really like fruity/citrus scents. I like anything that could be tropical. I got a knock off bottle of the new Britney Spears perfume. It's totally my favorite at the moment. It reminds me of cotton candy. It does not make me want to shave me head or not wear panties, though.

11. Do you have a sweet tooth and what kind of sweets do you like best? I think I have more than one sweet tooth!! I like to try different types of chocolate, but love a good Hershey bar here and there. I'm not allergic to anything and tend to be adventurous in my candy tasting. I absolutely love Gobstoppers and Lindt truffles, too. I actually craved Gobstoppers while pregnant!

12. What kind of music do you like? I'm not overly fond of hip-hop or rap, but I like pretty much everything else. I love the free single of the week on iTunes. I was heavily into music before meeting my husband. I'm trying to get back to that. I've recently developed a fondness for Amy Winehouse's "I'm No Good" and Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back". Those are a pretty big leap from the country I've been listening to for quite a while.

13. What do you like to knit? And for whom? I tend to knit smaller things. Baby sweaters seem to be my niche at the moment. I have a 3 year old daughter and I have yet to knit anything "big" for her. I have all of the Wendy (knitandtonic.typepade.com) patterns, just need to pick the yarn to do one for her. I have a couple of shawl patterns that I hope to one day complete, but my life's just a little too crazy right now to focus on that. I tend to like simple, classic things. I've been working on Shedir from knitty.com for months and I think it's the most beautiful thing I've knitted. I did the Branching Out scarf and attempted Clapotis.

14. What sort of things do you like to collect? Nothing really, anymore. I have an extensive snowglobe collection that's been sitting in boxes for the last couple of years. I used to collect dragons. I still love them, but tended to get the cartoony or gothic ones. I love the Chinese style dragons.

15. Do you want needles? And what kind do you prefer? I don't know that I really need needles. Santa brought me some KnitPicks Classic ciculars. They're helpful for sock knitting. I would love some fun stitch markers, though.

I really am easy to please. I love surprises! I'm so very excited about this swap!

PS: I totally suck. I completely forgot to mention that my awesome package from Amy arrived last week. I'll have to post a photo of it soon. Thanks so much Amy!!

Pediactric Algebra

2007-02-27T01:07:00.000-05:00

4 days with a rollercoastering temp +
refusal to drink chocolate milk +
"mommy, my mouth hurts" +
1 trip to the pediatricians =
1 diagnosis of strep +
1 prescription +
10 days of antibiotics +
1 new Barbie toothbrush +
1 'nilla shake from 'Donalds

She's never too sick to not wear the "blue Princess dress", though. This ensemble is completed with a pair of butterfly embroidered cowgirl boots.

Promised FO Pics

2007-02-25T21:59:00.000-05:00

What do you do with a sock you really don't like, but can't bring yourself to rip it out? Improvise! Good bye sock! Hello Peanut's bracelet! Every Princess must have one for this Season.

Here are two completed hats for Baby Logan. They were finally gifted to him on Friday.

Gifted to Logan's brand new cousin on Friday, a little girl we'll call LV was the following take home set. She was 8 lbs 5 ozs, so it really is just a take home set.

All Grown Up

2007-02-20T21:11:00.000-05:00

Peanut got her very first haircut this week. I think these photos say it all...

We've been sidelined at home today originally with pink eye and then a stomach bug scare this afternoon. Turns out the fever may be due to a molar making it's way in. The upset tummy due to the new Tylenol melt away tabs she got for the first time. I thought she was all done getting teeth in. Guess I need to turn in my mommy card.

New FO photos coming soon. I promise!

Lovely, Quiet Weekend

2007-02-11T15:03:00.000-05:00

Peanut's off visiting Mister this weekend. The house is very quiet, but that's not really a bad thing. I spent most of Saturday working on the promised take home baby set. I'm so happy to say the sweater and matching hat are finished. Photos soon, I promise. It's definitely a newborn size, so the little one needs to be little. While working on the set, I was able to catch up on some TV that I've been wanting to see but aren't exactly "Peanut friendly." I watched Dark Water, An Evening With Kevin Smith 2 - Evening Harder and The Magdalene Sisters. All were time well spent. I actually didn't finish Dark Water. I won't give anything away, but the bath scene at the end was getting to be enough for me...the phone rang and scared me to death and I turned it off. I think the whole storyline might have hit a little too close to home with recent life changes. Excellent movie, though. The Magdalene Sisters was really good. I had seen a documentary on the laundries in Ireland a few years ago. I hadn't actually planned on watching the movie, but it was starting on IFC just as I'd given up on Dark Water. An Evening with Kevin Smith was something I'd seen onDemand and had been waiting to rent it. I've had such a crush on him for years. Friends and I would load up on alcohol and spend Saturdays watching Kevin Smith movies (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy) while at CMU. It was well worth the wait. It was a 2hr Q&A session with him in London. It was really interesting. It also made me want to go back and (buy) watch all of his movies again....and it reignited my crush.

Friday, I had my 6 week checkup with my doctor. I last saw her the day I filed for divorce. My blood pressure was pretty high at that time and she told me if it was that high the next time I saw her, she'd be putting me on BP meds. My BP on Friday was well within the "normal" range. I was so relieved. It's amazing what stress does to your body. She was also thrilled with the weight loss. To celebrate, I visited Old Village Yarn Shop ** in Plymouth. I needed to stop by to get some coordinating yarn to go with the blanket of the coming home set. I also picked up a new row counter, a skein of Lorna's Laces, a bottle of my favorite lotion and Sensational Knitted Socks. Many people have recommended this book to me and I've had it in my hands to purchase before, but just hadn't. I know why people love it so much. It's a wonderful resource. Since I've done socks for Peanut already, I think the next pair will be for me. I'd forgotten about the beautiful heathered sock yarn I bought from Laura. I think that will be the next project. I've promised to finish some of my UFOs before starting them, though.

I'll leave you with cute Peanut photos...

In an effort to help keep her Baby Cousin happy, she resorted to silly faces.

Last Monday was her very first picture day at preschool. We spent a lot of time Sunday night trying to find just the right thing for her to wear. She was very opinionated in what she liked and didn't. We originally settled on an embroidered peasant top because I wasn't able to find a shirt to go under the cardigan she'd picked. Monday morning I found her white turtleneck and she was thrilled to wear her chosen cardigan. She just looks so grown up here! I can't until we get the photos back.

**Just a quick note about Old Village Yarn Shop. Previously, I'd discussed how much I disliked this shop. It was overwhelming to walk in to and the staff was less than pleasant. I have to say, they've done some major straightening up and the woman manning the store that day was incredibly nice. She said they're getting ready for a major reorganization of the store by gauge/weight rather than what they've got going on now. If you've had a negative experience with them before, I'd suggest going back again. I'm glad I did.

Reflections In Literature

2007-01-30T21:52:00.000-05:00

I am thrilled to tell you that Baby Logan is doing incredibly well. He's gained weight and is up to 2 lbs 8 ozs. They're talking about removing him from the ventilator today and moving him over to a nasal CPAP. He'll be on the feeding tube soon for another few weeks, but the good news is that he'll be back to taking feedings again after his surgery. What a miracle!

Over at The Bookish Girl, she's posted her list of books read for 2006. What a great idea! After a few years away from reading for pleasure, 2006 brought me back. I read quite a few books in 2006. This is mostly due to joining www.paperbackswap.com Unlike The Bookish Girl, I do not remember when I read them. So here's a quick list from memory:
The Red Tent
A Map of the World
A Good Yarn
Knitting Rules!
Jarhead
Confessions of a Shopaholic
A Million Little Pieces
The Shop On Blossom Street

These are on my list for 2007, so far:
Tara Road
Empire Falls
The Notebook
Life of Pi
Memoirs of a Geisha

I'm about to put down everything I'm knitting to start up some speed knitting. There's a baby scheduled to be born on February 23rd. I have been commissioned for their coming home outfit. Months ago, I was asked to make something. With as much as has been going on in the JB house, it hasn't been the best environment to knit something that will be kept and cherished. I've had the yarn forever and I have a good idea about what pattern I want to use. The blanket will be done on the USM. That'll probably happen the next weekend Peanut visits Mister. I'm usually pretty good with deadlines. I just need to buckle down and do it.

I made some changes to my site design on Saturday. By upgrading my blog template, I seem to have lost all of my ring codes. Despite Blogger's claims that they would save a copy of my old template, I can't seem to find it. Other problem is that I cannot seem to remember what rings I belonged to. So, if you end up here from one of the rings please leave me a comment if you don't see the ring code. If I'd known it would be this trouble, I wouldn't have bothered with the upgrade.

007 Snap A Dozen Days

2007-01-27T10:32:00.000-05:00

I've decided to join Stephanie's 007 Snap A Dozen Days challenge. 2007 will be a year of a lot of changes for me and my family, so it'll be cool to have a record of it. I found out about the project through WoolWinder.

While her January photo is about reflection, mine is about focus. In January, I started to focus on me. I took this photo while waiting for Jennifer to finish up at the Blackjack table on my recent casino trip. Pictured are my new iPod and my new KnitPicks bag. What I see is a visual representation of my growth. While I enjoy quiet time alone, I've never been one to want to be in public alone. In college, I would never have considered going to the dining hall alone. It just wasn't something I could do. Now, with the breakup and Peanut having regular visits with her dad, I have a lot of opportunity to learn to do things alone and enjoy them. The 90 mins spent in the hotel lobby was the first time I truly enjoyed being alone in a busy place. Despite recent ridicule that my hobby and blog are only enjoyed by "old women sitting around", I find a lot of peace in it. The hat pictured will soon be worn by a baby that is too small for anything but medical tubing and needles to keep him alive. The hat will bring him and his family comfort. It brings me a lot of satisfaction to know that I was able to use something I enjoy to bring them some joy. Also, in January I made some pretty big lifestyle changes for Peanut and I. We're changing our relationship with food and it's bettering the both of us. I'm down 15 lbs and she's limited to McDonald's to just once a week at school. We're both drinking more water and I'm not buying the crap I used to. I'm focusing on bettering her and I. With her I'm building the foundation for a healthy life. With me, I'm changing a lifetime of bad habits. Every 1000 mile journey starts with a small step.

I got a notice from Logan's family that he came through the surgery beautifully. The next 48 hours will be rough as he recovers, but his doctors are very optimistic about his recovery. I'll post additional updates as they come through. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. His family is incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support.

Quick Logan Update

2007-01-26T09:11:00.000-05:00

Baby Logan will be undergoing minor surgery today to place a metal clip to close the hole in his heart. While this is "common", it's still surgery on a very tiny baby. Please say an extra prayer for him and his family today. They also suspect he has a minor infection, but he's responding really well to antibiotics. He still has a long road, but he's showing to be quite the little fighter.

Catching Up

2007-01-24T22:25:00.000-05:00

What a crazy 10 days it's been! I'll be glad to see things settling back down again this weekend. Thursday morning we packed up and headed off to Mt. Pleasant to cash in our casino trip. We had a great time! The hotel was beautiful. The spa was awesome. We played some black jack, slots and bingo. I broke even, but I'm not really much of a gambler. I was up $30 at the black jack table, then I was down $25. When I won my $25 back, I walked away. That was enough for me. If you're in the area and looking for a really nice place to stay, definitely consider Soaring Eagle. It's not cheap, though. But it was definitely worth it. It was good to be back at Central again. I felt like I was getting back in touch with an old friend I'd left behind a long time ago. We spent Thursday night enjoying $4 margaritas at La Senorita's. It definitely felt familiar and homey. I loved it. We're hoping to make this an annual trip.

I finished Logan's hat while waiting for Jennifer to finish up at the black jack tables Friday morning. It was wonderful to spend 90 mins uninterrupted. No one yelled for Mom! and meant for me to come. There was no drama. No support calls or purchase requests. It was blissfully quiet and serene. I got through the first LimeNViolet podcast without interruption. I've gotten through the next 5 episodes since then. My Aunt sent me some money for Christmas and I decided to treat myself to the LimeNViolet Lisa Souza Sock! colorways.

Logan's hat now just needs to be washed and sent off to him. He's doing really well. He's ahead of "schedule" for everything. He's weathered the lung bleed really well. All of the blood from the brain bleed has been reabsorbed. His mom and dad are hoping to start kangaroo care very soon. They still have a long road ahead of them, but he's proven to be quite a little fighter. Please keep your good thoughts and prayers coming for him and his family.

Today was "Default Day" for the divorce proceedings. So I guess we're onto the next phase. I'm not completely sure as to how that all works, but I'm sure my lawyer will be glad to explain it...for a small fee, of course. I've gotten so many apologies recently when people hear about the breakup. It's nice, but unnecessary. I'm so past the hurtful parts. I've definitely come to the acceptance and calm part of the process. It's so funny because the woman that did my pedicure had the best words of advice I've heard in a really long time. She said that she lives by a very simple philosophy. When someone is causing her grief she asks herself two questions: Do I have to sleep with this person? Does this person sign my paycheck? She said if the answer to each question is no, then she just lets it go. I think that fits in well with my "Be Better" goal for this year.

Along the "Be Better" lines is an update on the "Be Better to Myself" progress. I'm 2 weeks and 2 days into the healthier living life style change. I'm so happy to say I'm down 11 pounds and have lost 14.875 inches overall. It really hasn't been too hard either. Now that it's just me and Peanut in the house, I can control what's brought into the house. We're doing just fine without the candy and chips. It'll be the best for the both of us in the long run. As I've said before, that's the most important thing to me.

I'll leave you with gratuitous Peanut photos from a recent shopping trip. Her choice of red, patent leather, open toed, sling backs just proves that she is my little girl.

Baby Logan Update

2007-01-16T17:34:00.000-05:00

Logan had a rough day on Thursday, including a hemorrhage in his lung. He was strong enough by Saturday to be able to have it suctioned out. Seems that he's been moved up from a respirator to a ventilator. Recent news is that initial tests have shown he may have blood on the brain (not sure if that's the same as a brain bleed) but additional tests needed to be done to see if he had reabsorbed it. It's still very touch and go. He and his family definitely still need all of your thoughts and prayers to help see them through this.

Mary asked if I had been knitting recently. I thought that I would over the weekend with Peanut off visiting Mister, but a nasty sinus infection got the better of me. I did start a tiny hat for Logan. It's a slow go with the 1x1 ribbing. It's tiny but it's still a slow go. I'm also a little out of practice. I'm hoping to have a couple of different sized hats to send to him to grow into. I'm still working on the second of the felted clogs and about a million other things. I'm hoping to have some down time this week to spend knitting. More on that next week, though.

Rhonda asked about the ease of use of the iPod. I have to tell you, it's pretty darn easy. I had a SanDisk MP3 player last year. It was nice because it had an FM radio and I'd gotten it from a vendor for free. It conked out on me in December and I didn't get a chance to call on it before the warranty ran out. It did not have playlists or a way to organize the songs, so I didn't use it as much as I thought I would. With the iPod, you do everything through iTunes on your computer and then sync them up. Everything's pretty much drag & drop. So far, so good for me. I haven't imported any new CDs, but all of my old ones came in just fine. (They had been ripped to MP3s) I really do like Grace quite a bit. I've gotten through the first two podcasts from Lime N Violet. So much easier to listen to on the iPod. I sent my SanDisk MP3 player with Peanut to Atlanta when they went earlier this year. I know if it had had the playlist option, it would have been much easier for Mister to control what she heard when. Bedtime stories I had recorded me reading were not the best option when they were expecting music for the ride down. At the same time, it does not have the recording capabilities the SanDisk player.

Pictures coming soon, I promise.

Grace Kelly

2007-01-13T14:33:00.000-05:00

The latest addition to the family is Grace Kelly. I adopted her from my coworker after he got a video iPod for Christmas. She needed a good home and I had yet to venture into the land of fruited mp3 players. Her first download? This. (from iTunes rather than utube, of course) Now JT isn't usually my style, but there's something about this song that I love. It's the ring tone for my phone too. 2007 is the year to take stock and reclaim my life. I had a clarity moment on January 3rd. It was incredibly scary and it certainly renewed my faith in God. He was definitely keeping an eye out for me that morning. It was at that moment that I decided to let go and make strides to just be better. That's my motto for the year. Be a better person, mother, friend, sister, employee... No real set goals, just two words to keep in mind "Be Better".

This all starts with being better to me. That's part of the reason for the adoption of Grace. My neighbor and I started a new diet on Tuesday. In 5 days I've lost 10 lbs. My neighbor is down 6. Grace will be accompanying Peanut and I on walks with the stroller. It's big enough that I can snuggle Peanut and her baby with some blankets and zip up the cover if it's cold.

I've also started a plan to be a better employee. Due to recent changes in our family, I had to change my schedule at work. My entire life I've been perpetually late. It never fails. My reviews are always glowing with the exception of trying to stick to a set schedule. I'm so proud to say that this week I have been on time or early for work. A huge, huge accomplishment for me.

So, I'm going to be better. Better with Grace & Dignity and a little green iPod mini to help remind me.

**Baby Logan Update: I haven't heard much other than he's tiny, he's still putting up a fight and he's breathing ahead of respirator. Please keep your thoughts and prayers for him coming.**

Baby Logan

2007-01-10T16:26:00.000-05:00

Stephanie repeatedly shows the power of the knitting world and I'm hoping to tap into that. If you have a spare moment or room on your prayer list, please put little Logan on it today. He is the newborn son of college friends of mine. He refused to wait and came into the world this morning being only 25 weeks along. He's little, 1 lb 15 ozs and 13" long and needs all the prayers and good thoughts he can get. I'll never forget how scary it was having Peanut at 33 weeks, I can't imagine how his momma's feeling today.

I don't have any knitting to post about. I've been way to busy to even knit a stitch. I will be knitting up a tiny hat to send to Logan this weekend, though. Peanut's doing ok with the switch to school full time, but has taken a step back in potty training. No big deal, she'll get it eventually. She's focused on what "bad" words she can say now. This morning she asked if "darn it" was ok. When I gave her approval she tested it out several times at many different volumes, smiling the whole time. She never ceases to crack me up.

Just a side note for those of you visiting my blog who were not drawn here for the knitting aspect of it. There will be no discussion of what's going on with Mister here. You're wasting your time continuously hitting my site. I do appreciate the increase in hits, but I would think your time might be better served doing something else like charity work.

An Open Letter to Step2

2006-12-26T22:12:00.000-05:00

Dear Step2,

To help Santa out, I ordered a kitchen from your web site weeks ago. Late Saturday night, I got notice from Santa that he wouldn't have time to assemble it and I'd have to step in for him. It's a kitchen, how hard can it be right? Step 1: Using a screwdriver..ok, got a screw driver here. Oh wait, it's the right kind but it doesn't fit into the tiny 2" deep hole. Grab the flashlight and make my way out to the shed. Mister didn't leave another one and FNJ is in bed. I give up and go to bed.

Sunday afternoon, Peanut's next door and I have procured the correct screwdriver type to get past Step 1. I would like to strongly suggest you change the wording contained in the tools needed section. I would remove the word "Optional" next to the drill. Using a screwdriver to place 8 - 2.5" screws in undrilled, heavy duty plastic sucks. And would it kill you to pre-drill the holes?? Step 4 states to slide the fridge door upper peg into recessed hole in the counter top and then into the hole in the cabinet. Please let your people know that a 2mm size hole in the counter top will not allow the 3/4" peg slide into it. And they forgot to recess it. Emergency call to FNJ and a sneaky mission over to their house for some impromptu routing solves the problem a hot knitting needle could not. 2 hours later and I finish with Step 38. Step 39 is to place the stickers. That can wait.

Christmas Eve, it takes Peanut a while to get to sleep and the kitchen is in the spare bedroom next to her room. At Midnight, I fall asleep. I awake in a panic at 1 a.m. Who knew it'd take 90 mins to correctly place 35 stickers? At 3 a.m., the bow is in place and the kitchen is waiting for the Princess to awaken.
Who knows when the pain in my wrist from using the screwdriver will go away. It might be a while before I can knit again, but it was all worth it. When I recount my great accomplishments of 2006 Assembling $150 Step2 kitchen with just a screwdriver on Christmas Eve will definitely be near the top of my list.

And this is proof that it was worth it all.

PS: You can just ignore that crazy message left on your customer service line on Christmas Eve after finding out the recessed hole was anything but that. It was nothing personal, you understand I'm sure.

We Saw Santa

2006-12-15T10:05:00.000-05:00

This just might have to be our Christmas card this year.

It certainly embodies the spirit of the season!

Santa Baby

2006-12-14T11:06:00.000-05:00

I always loved Madonna's version of Santa Baby. Seemed a good enough reason for a posting title.

I had my office holiday party last night. By far, the best I've ever been to. It was a Casino Night theme. The idea was that you were given $500 in chips and with that you could gamble or turn it right in for a raffle ticket. Each raffle ticket was $500. The big prize being a casino getaway weekend to Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort. My friend and I decided to pool our winnings and put all of our tickets towards winning this prize. She won and we're going!! I've never been on a weekend getaway and Lord knows I could sure use one to look forward to right now.

Santa's almost finished with his shopping for us this year. Funny thing, when the Mister's out of the Christmas budget, there's more of it to go around. Peanut is getting this. I can't wait for her to see it. Santa has brought me this and he still needs to pick up one of these. The bags are really, very nice. I think I'll get an awful lot of use out of them.

Good news is that we never go the flu from Mister. We had a 24 hr chicken pox scare this week. Peanut's been vacinated, but I've never had them. Turned out to just be a rash on Baby Nephew and not the pox.

I'm off today for Peanut's 3 year physical and we're going to try and visit Santa at the mall. This could be interesting for sure. Pictures coming soon, I promise!

Liquid Weather

2006-11-30T07:22:00.000-05:00

I watch Ben Bailey on Channel 2 each morning. I think he's so cute! He just said we'll be having a lot of liquid weather the next few days and that sounds like a good post heading to me. I'll take liquid weather over frozen any day.

My super secret project has been revealed to the recipient, so I can talk about it here. I'm working on the Fibertrends Felted Clog pattern. For something that's supposed to work up quickly, I had a really hard time getting through the first one. I couldn't get gauge using US13s, so I went and got a pair of US15s. Would you believe I'm getting the same gauge with those as well? I don't get it. The thing is absolutely huge, so I just went with it. I'll deal with sizing issues while felting it. No pictures yet. Probably won't be until I finish the second one.

I bought everything for the clogs from The Knitting Den. I'm not sure as to how I feel about the place. It's quaint as it's in an old house...but I certainly don't get a warm or welcoming feeling when I go there. It takes a while for anyone to recognize you're there and the layout of the place can make browsing difficult. They have a huge table in the pass through room to the back rooms. If there are people sitting at the table, you're not getting into the back rooms. And the sock yarns are on the walls behind the table. I took Peanut in there to get the new needles. It was her first time. We talked at length in the car about not touching and sticking close to me. I cannot tell you how good she was in that store. She asked me about touching each ball of yarn and waited for me to pull it out for her. Her hands were clean, so I didn't see any issue with it. I also let her pick out a skein of sock yarn for herself, so we did buy something she looked at. There were several ladies at the table and the two owners. No one acknowledged our existence there until one of the owners rung me up. And it's like that all the time. It would have been nice if they'd said hello or asked if we need any help. If I'm dropping $80 on supplies at their store, it'd be nice to feel welcome there. They are the closest but not the only LYS in the area. There's the one in Plymouth that I don't care for and I'd never, ever take Peanut in there. There's also the Whitmore Lake Yarn Company, but they're small and don't carry as much. Knitting Neighborhood is great, but they're a bit of a drive. I guess I shouldn't complain as some knitters don't even have an LYS.

Jennifer at Busy Hands Yarn is closing up shop. She has some really great deals on what she has left. If you get a minute, stop by and see if you can help her clean out the store's stash.

There's a lot going on, but not much I can talk about here. Mostly work stuff and a recent health change. Nothing new with Mister other than he's recently become a chatty cathy on the phone with me. I've been taking advantage of my new camera phone and the free month of net access. Here are a few new photos:

Happy Birthday Princess Peanut

2006-10-10T12:56:00.000-04:00

XOXO,
Mom

She came...We saw...It kicked ass!!

2006-07-31T12:10:00.000-04:00

I did make it down to see the Harlot yesterday in Ann Arbor. My dear friend, Moshel met me at the 'Rents house where I deposited Peanut for the day. We enjoyed a fabulous lunch at Connor O'Neil's. Too hot for a beer, though. Never thought I'd say that...but it was damn hot yesterday. I now understand when people say the heat was "oppressive". We made our way over to the library about 1:00 p.m. We arrived about 1:10 and found seats in the back row of the room. Just a word of caution, if you do open the Library's elevator doors mid floor "passengers will be trapped". I love that. No beating around the bush there! (Sorry about the photo, I know it's hard to read)

They eventually added two more rows of chairs and then shut down the room about 20 mins after we got there. While we waited, Moshel cast on a dishcloth with the yarn & needles I brought to gift her. Moshel's a sometimes knitter. She does a great job with lovely fun fur scarves.

The dishcloth was Grandma's Favorite so it was easy enough for her to pick and do, but helped her learn a basic increase and decrease. Dear Moshel is moving to Tucson in six weeks or so, so it was only fitting she was using the Fiesta colorway. She worked diligently on the cloth during the talk and cast off while we were waiting for the book signing line to die down. Now she has a commemorative Harlot cloth to move with her. I will miss her dearly. She's the only one of my friends who doesn't totally make fun of the knitting. She does poke fun, but it's all good hearted. Let's hear it for vacation trips to Tucson! (Anyone else think of Road Rules and want to call is "Tuck-son" when you see it? Season 1 maybe?)

Oy. I finally got to the Harlot at 5:30. She was well worth waiting for. She signed my book and I got this great photo. She is nothing short of fabulous. I am in love with her voice. I could listen to her speak for hours. Seriously need her to voice some books on tape. Here she is signing my book. I just love this photo because it kind of sums up the day.

I lived one of her stories once I got back to the 'Rents. My gram asked what I'd gone to today. I said "An author lecture." She replied with, "Oh what kind of books?" I had a hard time not grinning when I said, "Knitting books." "OH! Knitting books? Did you learn a lot?" "Um, no...it's not that kind of knitting book. It's knitting humor." Then she gave me that look.

After leaving the Harlot, Moshel and I ventured to chocolate dipped sea foam. Am I the only person totally in love with this stuff? Unfortunately, they don't sell it by the piece. My attempt to describe what sea foam candy is to Moshel peaked her interest...the lovely lady at Kilwin's said enough to seal the deal. "It's the base we use for peanut brittle that's pumped full of air and then dipped in chocolate." $7 later, we had a bag. Moshel is hooked. Good thing since she sprung for the bag. We enjoyed a piece on our way back to Main to visit Busy Hands.

This was my first visit to Busy Hands. They have a really nice store, but I didn't feel like there was a large selection of yarn. Fabulous selection of INOX needles. The owner was a lovely woman. All of the non-sale yarn was 20% off in honor of Stephanie's visit. I picked up three skeins of Grignasco Strong sock yarn for $16. Asuper duper pink is for Peanut and a Strong Print blue faux fairisle is for the Mister. It's really soft. I'm considering going back to get enough of the solid color for a shawl. I could probably get enough for under $30. Really cool thing about Busy Hands? Open on SUNDAYS! Totally viable to take Mister & Peanut down for frozen custard and then slip away to the shop. And Ann Arbor has free parking on Sundays. Genius.

I had mentioned previously that the lovely, Erin was to accompany us on our Harlot journey. I'm so sad to say that Erin fell under the weather just before time to leave her house. Erin, you were dearly missed and certainly not forgotten. I'm not saying any more than that.

Here's a photo of Peanut once we pulled into the drive. It's a 13 min drive from the Rents house to ours. I'd have to say based on how deeply asleep she was, she had a fabulous time.

5 hrs 12 mins and counting...

2006-07-30T09:22:00.000-04:00

At this very moment, the Harlot is somewhere in the same area code as me. Well, that's assuming she flew in last night. Let's assume that. She'll be at the Ann Arbor District Library downtown at 2:30. I called and they suggested we show up at least an hour early as they expect a large crowd. They're even simulcast it into their "Board Room" for the overflow crowd. Peanut will be spending the day with her beloved Great Grandma. She's incredibly excited about that. I'm incredibly excited that my clapotis KAL 'net friend, Erin and I will be enjoying the Harlot together. It's our first meet up after several months (and one KAL - which she's finished) of email being exchanged. The camera is charged. The memory card newly formatted and functional. Photos will be posted.

Erin asked me on Friday what I was going to knit. I never thought about it before. I'd considered what to wear because it's going to be freakin' hot! but not what to knit. This weekend I contemplated many things...a new sock for mister..a dishcloth or bib..the anniversary cardi swatch...mini-clap scarf...nothing seemed right. The one thing that deserves to go is clappy. She's the most beautifully thing I've knit to date (well, knitting). She is my summer project and Erin will be there with her finished clappy. So, that's it. No matter that it's going to be in the mid-90s with an insane heat index today. Giant clappy is going to see the Harlot. It's only right.

Mary asked how Peanut's enjoying school. To say Peanut loves school would be a severe understatement. This is how I found her at 6:30 on her second day of school. She'd been like that for 45 mins. I moved her to her bed without her waking up and she slept there for another 90 mins.
School is her favorite place to be second to Great-Grandma's. It's definitely brought out the girly girl in her. She now refers to herself as a "I a pincess" and babies her Pooh Bear. As I'm writing this, she's "cooking" dinner for her friend Josh. We bought her the kitchen when she was 14 months old and she's never really shown much interest in it until now. Each Friday she brings home her art work for the day with a note explaining what their theme had been. She loves to sit down with us and go through it all to talk it over. We're also noticing a very positive change in her behavior. It might just be an up in the roller coaster of toddler emotions, but I'll take it. She's been a real joy and so much fun the last few weeks.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before or not, but Peanut is in love with dirt. Not just a standard kid love for it, but absolutely infatuated in love with it. One of her teachers mentioned to Mister that while on the playground she had scooped up handful and was petting it as if it were a tiny kitten. She came over to Miss Amanda and announced "I love pretty dirt!" and walked away. We've recently switched her to a booster seat from a car seat. She can now see more. They're building a new Speedway in town and had huge mounds of dirt on the lot. Out of the back seat I hear "Mommy, mommmmyyy!! Look at all the PRETTY dirt!!" as we passed it. A few days ago, we found her "washing" her face in a dirt patch in the yard. Maybe she'll be the Princess of Dirt?

I finished a blanket on the USM for our neighbor to give as a shower gift. It's 44"x39" so it's a pretty good size for him to grow in to. I'm really pleased with how it came out. I used Caron One Pound, which I wouldn't normally do for a baby but figured I'd give it a try. It washed up very nicely and you can tell with a few more washings, it'll be pretty soft and durable. I did a crochet edge to it. It's pretty obvious my crochet skills need some help. The neighbor was thrilled with it and her sister would now like one for a coworker. Probably a slippery slope but I'm saving up to buy a custom bowling ball, so I'll take what I can get.

For those interested:
KP3 Caron One Pound in Fisherman and a gray/blue color (lost the ball band)
Using a closed edge CO, CO over 160 needles with MC (blue)
K 30 rows. Switch to CC (fisherman/cream) for 20 rows.
Repeat until RC = 230.
BO using the latch tool BO method.
I then folded it in half and whipped stitched it together.
It then took a trip through the washer & dryer.
I took out the stitching and did a single crochet border changing colors to match the stripes.

Attack of the Giant Clapotis

2006-07-19T21:49:00.000-04:00

I'm exactly halfway through clappy. As of now, with 6 dropped stitches...she's a whopping 26" x 38". I'm guessing she'll be 30" x 72" when finished. I'm ok with that. I was reading Big Girl Knits and it suggested larger shawl sizes for those of us on the fluffy side of things. The Garbo of my knitting projects has stepped out of the shadows and allow herself to be photographed. Here she is lounging on the back of the couch. The colors aren't really true. She's much more rich than what's shown. It's almost like she was caught out in a baseball cap with no makeup. When she's all finished, I'll be sure to do a red carpet worthy photo shoot.

Here's DBO. It's measuring 7". I can only imagine it'll grow when blocked. The color is much deeper and more purple than it's showing here. Our halogen lamp really skews the colors when combined with the flash.

Shelagh is my new lunch knitting. I haven't started it, but I am working on a decent sized gauge swatch. I also want to wash it to see if the yarn will soften up a bit. I certainly hope so or it'll go back on ebay. I like the lace pattern. I could do without the ptbl, but I'll live. No photos of as of yet.

Resurrection

2006-07-18T22:22:00.000-04:00

I am insanely happy to report the USM survived a not too recent fall from the dining room table when Peanut's head stood up into the board it's clamped to. 100 rows of a striped cream and blue baby blanket are currently hanging from it. It's a shower gift for the our neighbor to give to her cousin on the 31st. I'd been putting it off because I didn't want to know for sure if the USM was really broken from it's fall. All is well. Let's move on.

No new knitting photos. To make up for it, here are some family photos:
Mister & Peanut on their way to the pool.

Mister's new tattoo.

Peanut's first day of day care school.

Hola!

2006-07-13T19:38:00.000-04:00

Not a whole lot to update you on. I'm inches from the end of my 2nd skein for clappy. The 3rd is just waiting to be wound. Man, I need a ball winder. I do have an Amazon gift cert and I've heard there's a way to shop Joann.com through Amazon, so maybe that'll work. I've completed a few more repeats on DBO. It's probably 5" or so long. I adore the cashmere yarn I'm using for it. I got it from Elann.com. It's their Baby Cashmere. It's a cashmere/alpaca/merino blend. I'm hoping they'll get some again. I'd love to buy enough to do a shawl. I've decided I enjoy fingering weight, but anything thinner is too much. Not sure what I'll do with that beautiful blue lace weight I bought. Maybe someday I'll be able to deal with knitting with thread.

The Harlot's coming to Ann Arbor on the 30th. My dear friend, Michele and I plan to attend. Michele's moving to Arizona in August, so it's good to get some quality time in before she leaves. We don't see each other nearly enough as it is and she's only 40 mins away now. Michele tries to humor me with the knitting and has even done a few scarves and bunnies herself. I'm hoping she'll enjoy it as much as I know I will. I recently reread Secret Life again. For some reason, I can't find At Knit's End. I've gone through most of Knitting Rules. It's good, but not my favorite. I can't wait to see her.

Well, the Mister's home and Peanut's wearing more of her dinner than she ate. Off to the bath with her. Thanks for checking in!

Um, yeah..Hi!

2006-07-07T11:21:00.000-04:00

Gosh, has it really been three weeks since my last post. I'm so sorry. Who knows if anyone is still checking in on me.

We've had another daycare shake up. Peanut starts at the new center on Monday full time. The poor kid is so confused on where she's going and who's taking care of her. She spent last week with my grandparents and had a total blast. The said she was "a joy to have". Yes, my demon child "a joy to have"!! My grandparents are 78 & 79, so I was a bit worried about her unleashing the devil on them. My gram insisted on taking her and finally told me "Janette Elaine, I raised 7 of my own kids. I'm sure I can handle yours." As always, she was right. Peanut had a try-out day at the center on Wednesday and did quite well. She's very excited to go back to "school" on Monday. It's a bit of sticker shock for our family, but it's what's best for Miss Peanut. Mister and I discussed that it's tighten the financial belt time, so my yarn diet is a permanent one.

Our anniversary was Wednesday. Mister has an appointment for a tattoo this afternoon. That's my gift to him. I took matters into my own hands and bought my own anniversary gift. It was no surprise that he hadn't thought about it and was relieved I'd done it for him. I won 18 skeins of a wool/acrylic/nylon blend on ebay. It'll be used to make Shelagh for me. It's a lovely dark mauve color and it's for me. I also picked up a skein of blueberry sock yarn from Laura along with some lovely stitch markers. Do I need more sock yarn? Um, no. Did I justify it as a way to support Laura's quest? I sure do. Anything I can do to help her out.

Clapotis is coming along. I'm very near the end of the second ball. I'm going to measure it once I'm there to find out how long it should be when I'm all finished. I added a few extra repeats in the increase section, so it's quite a bit wider than the original pattern. I'm ok with that. I just don't want it to be too short. I'm worried it's going to be a square rather than a rectangle. I haven't knit a stitch on double branching out in a while. With all that's been going on in the JB house, lace knitting isn't possible.

Pepper's had some more insane vet bills recently. We're hoping we're finished for a while. We did have her shaved for the summer. She was pretty mad about it to say the least. We doubled over with laughter each time she'd come into the room the first few days after. She refused to come near me for four days. I guess she blamed me for it since I took her to and from the vet. With her hair now short, we can see that she has an insane hanging belly that swings while she walks. It looks as if she's had 30 litters of kittens in her life, but has never had even 1. I don't know why they call it a "Lion cut". She looked more like a poodle. I think she appreciated it the first really warm day we had. She seemed to be much more comfortable. Her coat is growing back in quite nicely and we won't have to shave her again until next summer.

Have No Fear, I'm Still Here

2006-06-16T23:39:00.000-04:00

I am so sorry for neglecting my blog recently. Peanut is still having good days and bad. Then we have the real rollercoaster days where she smiles and then attempts to poke your eye out with an American Flag balloon. Ah, the holidays. I really do appreciate everyone's comments. Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to drop me a note.

I'm still knitting, but not a whole lot. I'm yards from finishing the first skein for Clapotis. I'm getting ready to go into the straight rows. I have 2 1/2 repeats done on DBO (Double Branching Out). It really is pretty. My USM took a hit onto the floor. I have yet to attempt to put it back together. Right now, I'd rather live in denial that there's anything wrong with it.

We've had some serious day care shake ups in the last few weeks. I bit the bullet and visited a center close to our house. Don't worry, Peanuts insane devil behavior wasn't the cause of either of the shake ups. I called a couple of centers and this one was the one I felt best about after the call. Bonus is that it happened to be the cheapest, by a lot. Yeah, imagine my surprise when I begin my tour with the director and we figure out that we had 10th grade (for me, 12th for him) Algebra class together. I hadn't seen the guy in 14 years (oh man, I just figured that out..oy I feel old) and would never, ever have picked him out on the street. I adored him in highschool. Not in the "I want to go out with you" adored him either. He was funny and sweet. You always knew you'd get a sincere reaction from him and it makes perfect sense that he's running a daycare center. Peanut will be attending once the current situation runs out or come Tuesday after Labor Day, whichever comes first. She's always been in home day care, so I was feeling pretty sad about it but after the tour...she's going to love it! She went on the tour with me and keeps asking when she's going to school. She's been dragging around her new lunch box yelling at the cat, "I go to school!!!!" I can't help but think this scene won't be repeated too much more in the future, so I'm enjoying it now.

Amby suggested previously that we employ a squirt bottle to help with Peanut's behavior issues. I think this is a fabulous idea. However, the kid takes over any hose running water that she finds and promptly holds it over her head. Doesn't care that it's freezing or that she's fully dressed. She adores water. I'd think the squirt bottle might be better used for a reward. Hey, that might be something to consider. Thanks Amby! You may have just saved us thousands of dollars we would have spent on chocolate and gummy bears.

The Devil and IKEA

2006-06-02T17:49:00.000-04:00

IKEA opens near our house on Wednesday, June 7th. Yeah, not going anywhere near it for at least two weeks. The radio commercials are announcing that people can begin lining up to get in on Monday, June 5th. I understand IKEA is supposed to be an amazing experience, but I think I'm a little over camping out for things. Good luck to everyone that will be going, though.

I do believe the Devil has decided our house is his new vacation home. Our sweet little Peanut went from a smiling, chubby, blonde toddler to a spitting, biting, pooh-smearing nightmare in the last two weeks. Lord help us. Not a whole lot of knitting has been going on while the battle of wills has been taking place. I can tell you we now have liquor in the fridge and I'm not afraid to use it. We're taking all suggestions. Offer them up if you've got them. She's 2 1/2 and I don't know that we'll all make it to 3.

On the knitting front...Erin and I started our mini KAL on the Friday or Memorial Day weekend. I have 13 dropped stitches so far. I'm going to keep increasing until the first skein runs out. Then I figure two skeins for the straight rows and then the last skein for the decrease. That's the plan so far. I also have two repeats done on my Amazing Lace partner, double Branching Out. Photos to come soon, I promise. The Baby Cashmere yarn is fabulous.

I'm off to dinner with our friend & neighbor for her birthday. It's just the ladies/moms going, so it should be nice and quiet.

7x7

2006-05-23T12:35:00.000-04:00

7 Things to do before I die
Visit Ireland
See Paris at night
Raise a confident, proud, considerate daughter
Find a knitting group close to home
Take a cruise
Have another baby
Be a grandma

7 Things I cannot do
Drive a stick shift
Plumb a house (Mister can!)
Cut a straight line
Fix the car
Reach high shelves
Eat or smell Chef Boy R D products

7 Things that attract me to my husband
His fuzzy head
The way he says "oh" when he's wrong
The way he sticks out his tongue when he's concentrating on something
He's snuggly
He makes me laugh
He may not always get it right, but he tries.
He cries at movies, his favorite being Titanic

7 Books I love
She's Come Undone - Wally Lamb
The Mysts of Avalon - Zimmer
All of the Yarn Harlot books
Love You Forever
The Carl books
Catcher In the Rye
There's a Monster At the End of This Book

7 Things I say
Seriously?
That's awesome
Totally
This is Janette...
That's cool/That's not cool
I love you to the moon and the stars and all the way back again
I think not

7 Movies I love
The Village
Lake Placid/Deep Blue Sea/Anaconda - any animal gone wild or disaster movie. I love them!
Circle of Friends
Sliding Doors
The Shawshank Redemption
Sixteen Candles
Legends of the Fall

7 People to tag
I grabbed this from Carie who posted it with a note to take it and post it only if you'd like to. I think I'll do the same.

Days of Yarn and Roses

2006-05-17T22:06:00.000-04:00

Has it really been 10 days since my last post? Gosh, where is May going? I have one FO and two WIPs to prove I've been working on them and not just talking about them. First up is the round dishcloth. It's done back and forth and then sewn into a circle with a single seam. It was a super easy pattern that I now have committed to memory. The next is my progress so far on Sisters. The color is completely washed out here. It's a much deeper purple.

Here's the Larry Scarf and Pepper. It's coming along. I've been using a safety pin to mark where I start to prove to myself I've made progress on it.

This is the Max yarn from Lisa. Heaven is spun into every inch of this yarn. The color is a bit more saturated than this pic shows. We' have rain for a week, so it's been hard to get a good picture with natural light. The ball I wound myself by hand. Who knew Mister being a plumber would come in handy when looking for something to wind it onto. The 1/2" copper pipe was absolutely perfect to use. I think he was kind of excited to contribute to the process. The second picture is my practice Clapotis scarf using green Cascade Sierra. It's wonderful in it's own right. This is the first center pull ball I wound by hand. I'm quite proud of my new accomplishment. Who needs a ball winder & swift when you've got 8" of copper pipe? I really can't say enough about the Max yarn. If you ever have the chance to get some, definitely do. You won't regret it.

To end this post, I give you gratuitous Peanut photos. She worked hard on personalizing the cards she gave on Mother's Day. She picked out 2 dozen pink roses for me and wants nothing to do but touch and smell them every chance she gets. I also got a kickin' new crockpot. The last one is her on the way home from my Grandparents' house on Sunday. She played hard stomping through every mud puddle she could find.

Sweet, Sweet Sunday

2006-05-07T11:16:00.000-04:00

Saturday is my favorite day of the week because I know I have another day to sleep in and hang out with the family before going back to work. Sundays hold a special place in my heart too. They tend to be low key around the JB household. Sunday is the day most likely for us to spend in our jammies. It's the day we try to get the most housework done for the coming week. It's amazing how messy this house gets in just a few days. Oy.

I've decided to join The Amazing Lace. I'm calling up my friend Branching Out to be my partner. She was faithful through the Olympics, I know I can count on her again. I have some beautiful cashmere blend yarn in a purple shade that was bought to be Branching Out. I had planned on working on it this summer in anticipation of my Aunt's birthday, so why not? It should be interesting.

As I mentioned before, Erin and I are doing our own KAL for Clapotis. I think we're the last knitters on Earth to not have tried this pattern. We decided to go with yarn from LisaKnit. I chose Shade Garden in the Max yarn. This will be something for me, so it's special in many ways.

30 years and 1 day...

2006-05-04T22:19:00.000-04:00

...doesn't feel much different than 29 years and 364 days. I didn't expect it would. Mister went out and got me a Costco cake and we celebrated with the neighbors. My good friend, Jennifer took me to Champp's for lunch. They changed their menu again, so it was kind of a bummer. The company was wonderful, though. My friend, Michele was thoughtful enough to send me a great card a gift card for Michael's. I really want to do Reid for Peanut and they do carry the Paton's Grace for it.

We did WalkAmerica on Sunday. Team Lainey raised $555. Not too shabby! We had 8 walkers, 1 rider and 2 dogs. It was a perfect day for a walk. We finished in better time than last year and I wasn't exhausted by the end. Guess the walking we've been doing has helped. Here's our team:

Erin and I decided on a yarn for Clapotis. It's really beautiful. I can't wait to see it in person. Full details at a later time.

We're into May and that brings a new color for Project Spectrum. It's green. Lovely, green. I have a skein of Cascade Sierra in a beautiful green color that I haven't quite found something to do with it. It's my goal this month to make it into something wonderful. Holler if you have a great 1 skein pattern. Maybe Peanut needs a green teddy bear? Or a shrug or something. Who knows?

That's it from here. I have photos of my knitting, but they're on the camera. I have proof that I've started Sisters and that the Larry scarf is getting longer. It's in the homestretch people and not an orange minute too soon.

29 years 364 days

2006-05-02T17:16:00.000-04:00

Create your own Music List @ HotFreeLayouts!

3 Miles and 30 Years

2006-04-30T16:05:00.000-04:00

Team Lainey participated in Walk America this morning. We had a fabulous time! The weather was perfect! So perfect that it could have been custom ordered! Peanut rode in her wagon rather than the stroller this year. I think she enjoyed being able to see around her a whole lot more. She certainly enjoyed yelling out "baby!!" and "dog!" every chance she got. There were a lot of babies and dogs there today. I'm not sure as to how much our team raised this year. I do know it's not as much as last year. Doesn't matter, though. Every dollar counts! We're looking forward to next year and possibly having t-shirts done. I'm tired, but what a great feeling.

I've been working on old projects in an attempt to get them finished up. I've added a couple of inches to the Larry scarf and Peanut's jumper is coming along. Nothing too exciting to photograph just yet. I am totally in love with the Reid sweater from Knitty. I can't help it, I have a thing for girly little sweaters. I will resist a) purchasing yarn for it or b) starting it before Larry and the jumper are finished.

My friends Meggan, Michele and I all have birthdays within a two week period. We're all 30 this year. Meggan is marking the day by traipsing through Ireland with her family seeing where her Grandfather grew up. How utterly cool is that? I'm so jealous. She and her sister are spending the last two days of the trip in Paris. She has promised to bring me back yarn. She's a sometimes knitter, the kind that has to be re-taught each time she picks up her needles. I've been very vague about what I'd like. Something Irish that is not acrylic. Told her to do the same in Paris if she gets a free moment. Can't wait to see what she picks. My friend Michele is marking the year by selling her house, quitting her job and moving to Arizona to live with her sister and return to school for her Master's. My 30th is Wednesday. Mister has hinted there won't be much to mark it. Hey, thanks. I have to work this year, normally I take it off. I think I'm going to try and do something for myself and try to live a healthier life. That's the greatest gift I could give myself...besides yarn. :)

Called Back to Work!

2006-04-20T13:44:00.000-04:00

Mister's been unemployed since early February. Two weeks ago, we had a conversation about him possibly getting a part time job at the local auto parts store to save his sanity. We looked at the financials and decided against it. Yesterday morning, the union called. He's been placed on a job site at the hospital Peanut was born at. It's potentially a two year gig, but it's not plumbing. He called this morning to say it's the easiest job he's ever had by far. So with our day care provider on vacation, I'm home with Peanut until Monday. It's been fun so far. 2 1/2 is such a cool age.

As a celebration of his new job, we took Peanut to see The Wild yesterday evening. I did my homework. It's a rated G movie and it was rated along the same lines as her favorites (TS1 & 2, Monster's Inc, Finding Nemo, etc) I was confident The Wild would be appropriate as a first movie for our little miss. I would like to personal slap the person(s) that decided it should be a G movie. It should have been PG for sure. We would have done better with the scary crocs in Ice Age 2, I believe. She never cried or anything and acted fine in the theater, but insisted on holding my hand the whole way home and kept saying "Don't let go, mom". A large portion of the movie is quite dark and any scene with the wildebeest is kind of scary. It was not funny. There were plenty of one liners we chuckled at, but not enough to make the entire thing enjoyable. Don't go see this movie, kids or not. It's not worth the money. I love Eddie Izzard, but even he couldn't save this one. It was just bad.

I'm still working on Sisters. I think I'll be saying this for a while now. It's about 3" long now. The lovely, in blog limbo, Erin gave me some advice on continental knitting. By golly, it finally worked. I've tried this several times before, but it was Erin's suggestion of the double wrap on the index finger that finally got it. I've even figured out how to purl. This makes the 12+1 rib go a lot of quicker. I tried it with the Larry the Trapper Guy scarf, but it was too much back & forth to make it worth while. Also, it made the CottonEase feel like rope in my hands. Very strange.

I'm about halfway through A Million Little Pieces. Very good book. Two more books arrived this week from Paper Back Swap. I think I'm all set for summer deck reading. I've got about 3 hrs into Kingdom Hearts. I am so in love with this game. I can't believe I didn't like it when we first bought the PS2. It's so much fun!! That's about it from here. Peanut's in bed taking a nap, so I may watch Narnia. Or I may grab my book and go bask in the sunshine on the deck. So many options!

Project Spectrum - April's Oranges & Yellows

2006-04-15T12:58:00.000-04:00

Here are some photos of the orange and yellow things around the house.

Vintage CMU Bookstore Bag My favorite notecards CMU baby blanket on USM

Afghan gram made circa 1977 Unity candle, fav frame good ol' Tide

New project bag Mister's drink of choice Favorite lotion

We have new neighbors. The house next to us has been empty until last month. We didn't see or hear them much until the weather got nicer. They aren't really friendly and she could win a prize for the number of four letter words in her vocabulary. Problem is that she tends to string them together at a high volume with the windows open. Oy. I feel just awful for their 7 year old daughter. Mister and I have talked about trying to become cordial with them and invite her over to play with Peanut. Poor Peanut stands at the dining room window and yells out "Hello girl!! Girl come play?" We don't know her name, but Peanut has decided to call her "Girl" until we do I guess. Our other neighbors, who are beyond fabulous, have 3 boys that she normally plays with. They're on vacation for the next 10 days or so, though. She's a little starved from kid action.

We may take Peanut with my nephew, brother & sister-in-law (little man will stay with g-ma) to see The Wild tonight. Peanut's never been to a movie, so we thought it might be fun to go. I adore Eddie Izzard and he's the voice of the Koala. We had plans to see him live, but we found out Peanut would be due around the same time of the show. Some day.

Speaking of shows....I'm going to be 30 this year. (and I'm ok with that, 25 was hard 30 will be easy) Before Mister, I attended concerts like most people go to the movies. That was back when I lived with the parents and had a lot of disposable income...and before I really got into knitting. I haven't been to see a show since May 2003. This is huge for me. I saw Poison with Cinderella & Skid Row while six months pregnant. Not a whole lot kept me from going...except now. Peanut's expensive and so is a house. Anyway, back to the birthday...Kenny Chesney is coming in August with Carrie Underwood, Gretchen Wilson and Dierks Bentley. Mister and I got tickets for our birthday presents. I'm so excited about it, it's not even funny!! We were huge American Idol fans and never missed an episode the season Carrie won. Mister has a crush on Gretchen Wilson and we both like Dierks Bentley. It should be a really fun time.

Just Checking In..

2006-04-15T01:01:00.000-04:00

Peanut and I visited the Easter Bunny at the mall yesterday. What a nightmare. She was a trooper. Not a tear was shed, but she refused to sit on his lap and they wound up having to crop me out of the photo. I'll take it. It almost looks like she's imitating him.

I think something's up with Yahoo. Well, when isn't something up with Yahoo? I've just noticed today that my daily digests from my groups aren't coming through. Interesting. Who knows what I've missed, but I'm sure I'll survive.

I've done some Project Spectrum homework, but need to get the photos uploaded to post them. Knitting photos will be here soon, I promise.

In exciting family news, we did the taxes tonight. Nothing like last minute, huh? Good news is that it looks like we're getting enough back to carry out the plans we had for it and buy the porch swing I've fallen in love with at Costco. You will be mine comfy green swing! This is also good news because Erin and I have decided to give Clapotis a try. While neither one of us can justify the Lion & Lamb purchase, we're going to find something else worth of it. I think the swing will be a great place to work on it.

Oy.

2006-04-05T22:27:00.000-04:00

That sums up the night. I e-wrapped 160 needles on the USM. Yeah, that's a lot. I don't like to do panels, so it's gotta be all one piece. It took about 3 hrs to get it all set, the hem hung and 6 rows knit. I got a seed stitcher, so I figured I'd do the edges in garter stitch. Tonight I realize it's a bit more than I want to convert by hand. I did two rows of waste yarn and walked away. I'll decide tomorrow night how I want to proceed. I was hoping to have a baby blanket done by Friday for our good friend's sister's baby shower. If I'd stuck to my tried and true pattern, I'd be nearly finished by now. Bummer. Live and learn. It'll learn it's fate tomorrow once I figure it out.

I heard from my Project Spectrum Post Card Swap buddy, Aleta. Not sure if she has a blog just yet. She does have twin 8 year old boys and a menagerie of pets. This is going to be a lot fun! She lives on an island near Seattle with a ferry and bridge to get around. So cool!!

I'm finally through the lace edging of Peanut's tunic. Now it's just a 12x1 rib for the skirt. I'm not putting pressure on for it. Just needs to be done by the time she has pictures at preschool.

I don't have pictures of any of my knitting WIPs, but here are some of Peanut over the last few weeks. Including her big road trip.
Here we are ready to go!!!

My hair is at the mercy of 2 men!

Dear Mom - send pretties & detangling spray
I'm in here somewhere...

Home Safe and Sound

2006-04-02T22:34:00.000-04:00

Mister and Peanut arrived home Friday night around 10 o'clock. Peanut was slumped over the seat like she hadn't slept in days. I carried her in and then watched her weave a staggered line into the family room to catch a few minutes of SpongeBob before going to bed. She and dad had a great time bonding. She only wanted dad to help her get ready for bed or to snuggle with. Old habits die hard, though. At 4 a.m., I heard a faint "mommy, moooommmm" coming from her room.

We had a birthday party and a neighborhood get together yesterday. Today, it was my Grandparents' 57th wedding anniversary. We spent the day at their house. The grandparents that have everything were thrilled when the family landscaping team showed up to clean up the yard. Mister overheard Grandma say they were considering paying someone to come in and take care of it. Yard work is a much better gift than another knicknack that'll only collect dust. Peanut got to ride the electric car her aunt bought her last year. I got some great photos of the day, but they're still in the camera.

On the knitting front, not much has been done since Thursday night. I'm 7 rows into the Sisters pattern. I should be twenty rows...I got 13 rows into what I thought was a flawless project and found that with 260 stitches crammed onto a 24" needle, I'd missed a tiny twisted stitch when joining and hadn't noticed it until the fabric was long enough to see the flip. If you're doing the math, let me just confirm...that's 3,380 stitches + 260 cast on stitches that had to be ripped out. To add insult to injury, it wasn't plain stockinette either. In my frustration, I pulled my 32" needle out of the new shawl project (Don't ask) and cast on again. So much easier to deal with on the 32" than the 24". It's taking a bit to get through the rounds, but the 12 by 1 ribbing making up the majority of the skirt should go a lot quicker. I'm hoping to have it finished in time for her to go to preschool.

Ok, so I'm watching Gray's Anatomy. They claim to have made a sweater in a single day. Now, the needles and yarn were quite bulky...but seriously. I think it's fabulous the lovely docs are knitting while observing surgery and checking in on patients but a single day sweater is a bit of a stretch to me. My relatives are going to see this and wonder why I don't have sweaters done in a day. My butt will never be as small as the girls on TV and my sweaters will never be done as quickly. Next thing you know, they'll be airbrushing cables into plain sweaters.

52 hrs 12 mins and counting..

2006-03-26T10:14:00.000-05:00

That's how long they've been gone. The house is very quiet but my cell phone is not. They've been calling 5 - 6 times a day. Yesterday, I was winding my new skein of blue/green lace weight merino at LYS when it rang. I picked it up to hear Peanut screaming in the background and the Mister sounding like he was nearing the end of his rope. All this over Twizzlers. Seems to have been their worst worry on the trip so far. Much better than I could have asked for.

I signed Peanut up for preschool yesterday. I think I had a harder time with that than her being gone for a week. It was so strange to talk about field trips and curriculum and have it be about my baby. I liked the teacher and it's at a local Lutheran church, so she'll get some exposure to the Bible. Her neighborhood buddies J & M are also in the same class. I think it'll be good for her.

After signing her up, I needed a little pick me up. I headed for The Knitting Den. No better place to be on an overcast, chilly Saturday. They'd moved it around a bit since I was last in there. They have a lot of yarn, but some interesting choices I thought. I wound up buying a my first skein of lace weight. It's a beautiful color. It's color 669, but the color in the photo on their site isn't quite right to what I have. I bought it to make the Fiber Trends Leaf Lace Shawl. It's a potential birthday present. The birthday isn't until October, so I've got some time. I also picked up the Sisters pattern to make Peanut a jumper. I found some purple wool ease that should be perfect for it. I got the Ribbons baby blanket pattern too. I think I've got a thing for Fiber Trends patterns! I got three patterns, the yarn, stitch markers, row counter and a new 32" addi for just over $50. I burned 2 hrs, picked up my spirits and stayed under budget. A total success as far as I'm concerned.

I hit the grocery store and came home. Kroger was having another one of their 10 for $10 sales. Mister's favorite food is Bacon Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper. Not something I'd get excited about, but then again he feels the same way about Chinese food. At the sale price, I saved $1.79 a box. I cleaned them out. I think he's set for a while.

I got home and had good intentions of purging and organizing, but a good friend suggested I take it easy considering it's my first Saturday alone in 2 1/2 years. I did just that. I perched on the couch with a glass of wine and the Lacy Leaf Shawl (LLS). The only lace project I've done is Branching Out (BO). Thank goodness that got me knitting from a chart. BO was basically 25 stitches with a 10 row repeat. LLS has a chart that's a bit bigger. I started it last night. Had to tear it out and start over. I've never done a crochet cast on and had some trouble with it and the fine yarn. I think the pattern is fabulous, but working with such fine yarn is what's proving to be interesting. If I'd opted for the fingering yarn, I think this would go swimmingly. I'm determined to work something out of it, though. I can only work on it in short spurts, though. I find my wrist gets sore and I must be clenching my jaw while working with it. This is supposed to relaxing, right? I'm going to cast on the for Sisters jumper today. Should be an easy knit and a good balance to the shawl.

While watching TV Friday night, I saw this commercial. I had to watch it a few times to realize it wasn't some new extreme nature special. I got a big kick out of it.

Sorry, no photos. The camera is with Mister & Peanut documenting their road trip.

Singledom

2006-03-24T00:39:00.000-05:00

Mister's father had an accident at work last weekend and broke his leg. With Mister off work and Peanut out of school, they decided it would be a good thing for them to visit. Mister's father lives in Atlanta. 750 miles from us. They leave at 6 a.m. Driving. The decision for them to go was just made last night, so I've had a lot of last minute packing to do. It's a big trip for a 2 1/2 year old. It's an even bigger trip for me. Since Peanut came home on November 5, 2003, she and I have never spent a night apart. Now, we're staring down 7 days 8 nights and states away. Mister keeps assuring me it'll have a bigger impact on me than her and I hope he's right. I spent some time reading some stories into my MP3 player. I ripped her favorite CDs and put them on there. I also slipped in some of my favorite stuff. Tomorrow will be a very long day for me. I won't be able to relax until they make it there safely. Our neighbors have made an offer of company and longnecks tomorrow after work to help take my mind off of it.

In knitting news, I'm back on the Larry the Trapper Guy scarf. It's coming along. I've added a second safety pin to it. I use one pin to keep track of where I need to do the cable. The other I'm now using to show progress in a single sitting. All that orange cabley goodness starts to blend in and run together.

With Peanut away I'll be able to set up the USM in the family room. I'm hoping to revive our friendship while they're gone.

That's it from here. If you could, add the Mister & Peanut to your prayer list. 12 hrs in the car with a 2 1/2 year old could be volatile.

Here Ye Here Ye..

2006-03-16T23:24:00.000-05:00

Gather round, get comfy and settle in. I've got photos...lotsa photos! First up, some finished objects. Yes, FO's!!

That's Pepp checking out the Bay Window Bear.Took me over a week to finish him. He's made out of LB WoolEase in Red Sprinkles and Cascade 220 in a purple color. It was left over from the ballet slippers I felted. His mouth and eyes were done using spare strands of LB Microspun. He'll be shipped out tomorrow. Mister did a road test and declared him huggable.

These are the hats to match the Twins' (Klyn & Blyn) shower blankets. This is the first time the pink & white has been photographed. The color is pretty true in the photo. These were done on my USM and finished with a little i-cord top knot. It'll be a while before they can wear them, but they'll grow into them. Update on the twins is that they are doing well, but are probably going to be in the NICU the full six weeks until their due date rather than the original 3 weeks.

What do you need for an extended stay in the NICU? Matching hats & booties. This is one of the two sets. I need to finish the hat for the other set. I'm hoping to get that done up this weekend and then off to the girlies. Mom & Dad are big Earnhardt Jr. fans, so they'll appreciate the red & white. The other set is the same, but the colors are switched around. These were done with LB Microspun. Interesting stuff to say the least.

PROJECT SPECTRUM
As you can see from above, I've completed two projects in one of the designated colors for the month. Here are some photos to document the shades of red in the JB home.

My favorite wax warmer & tape measure, some red hued CDs, dried roses the Mister gifted me at some point. FYI - The white (yellowed) ones you see are my wedding bouquet.

The bug pillow. We bought the pillow before we knew Peanut would be a girl Peanut and her name would be close to the bugs. Must have been fate that we found the Ladybug on sale at the furniture store. The puddle of yarn is what Peanut stole from the Bay Window Bear.

If you've stuck with me this long...you deserve some spontaneous Peanut cuteness. Who knew our kid would be so photogenic??

Drive-by Posting

2006-03-13T20:42:00.001-05:00

This will have to be quick. I'm catching Big Love and the Sopranos tonight since I missed them last night.

You may have remembered the purple & white striped baby blanket I did about a month back for my cousin's shower. I also did a pink & white striped blanket to match. The twins weren't due to be born until the end of April, but they arrived on Tuesday. Their mom's water broke Monday night. Little B-lyn was 3 lbs 3 oz 15 3/4" long, bigger sister K-lyn was 4 lbs 7 ozs 17 1/2" long. They're expected to be in the NICU for a few weeks before they can come home. Mom & babies are doing well. Coordinating pairs of booties are finished and I'm going to start their hats tonight. If you get a second, please say a little prayer for them.

That's it from here. Photos soon, I promise.

Branching Out Goes Out

2006-03-07T18:30:00.000-05:00

My Gram is pretty camera shy, so I have yet to get a photo of her with the scarf. I do have a story to relay. She calls me last night to see how I'm feeling (I've had the late winter crud virus for a week now) and to chit chat. The following conversation happens:

Gram: You know that pretty scarf you gave me?
Me: Yeah, the one I gave you on Sunday?
G: Yeah, I wore that to the credit union today.
M: And how'd that go? - Knowing she wouldn't have mentioned it unless she had something to say about it.
G: Ok, we took Molly and your Grandpa sat in the car with her while I went in. I had to deposit our checks. Molly is their shih tzu, she's a chick magnet. Grandpa loves to walk her around and have people ask him about her.
M: Yeah.
G: Well, the girl that waited on me. Well, she asked me about my scarf and told me how pretty it was. I told her that my granddaughter had made it and it was made from that stuff...oh, what's that stuff again?
M: Alpaca?
G: Right, that stuff. Well, she asked me how old you were and I told her and she said you did really nice work for your age and it looks like you've done it for years. She asked to touch it and I slipped it to her under the glass. Then the girl next to her came over to see it and had to touch it. They all just loved it. I just wanted to tell you that.

So yeah, warm fuzzies from Gram. She wore it out and showed it off. This whole conversation took place while Peanut was practicing climbing Mt. Everest by repeatedly climbing on me and yelling "HI GRANDMA!!!!" Gram is Peanut's Great-Grandma. It's not a current photo, but this is my favorite photo of them together. It was taken on Peanut's 1st birthday in 2004. Even at an early age, the kid has a taste for diamonds.

The knitted bear for Bay Window is nearly finished. I stayed up late to finish knitting his legs and sew up his head. He's all set for his arms to be picked up and knit. I think he's cute. I made him with left over Woolease in Red Sprinkles for his body and Cascade 220 in purple. He's a modern bear where he feels secure just wearing a sweater. No need for pants. I'm hoping to get the USM out this week and work one out on it. If I do, I'll post the changes I made to the pattern to make it USM friendly.

Laura & Erin won my blogiversary contest. I was finally able to get their prizes out in the mail today. I hope they love them.

Mister is still at home with Peanut. No calls from the union just yet. With the weather warming up, it'll be hard to hide my jealousy. They went for a long wagon ride today. I'm so thankful we're able to enjoy his being off for now and not fret too much over the financials. There's a silver lining to everything.

Update on the Merq: Mister replaced a 30 cent hose coupling and it's totally fine now. Runs like a champ! Yep, you read that right 30 CENTS!!

Teddy Bear's Picnic

2006-03-04T11:23:00.000-05:00

I was reading Phyl's blog the other day and saw this post. Since getting the bear book from Alecia, I've been itching to make one but the Larry scarf called to be finished. My Grandpa's birthday is the 5th. He's going to be 79 and when you reach that age, are in fabulous health and have 3 great, generous kids..you have all that you could want or need. He's insisted there be no gifts this year, but it just doesn't feel right to me. Enter the bears. I'm working on a red bear with a purple sweater to send to Bay Window to commemorate the Big Man's birthday. He can't complain that I bought him a gift, but I feel good about doing something to mark the day. Larry will understand, he's that kind of guy. The first bear, I'm doing by hand but I think I can adapt it for my USM. I'd like to make a few more to eat up some of the smaller odd balls in my stash. The USM was made for stockinette, so who am I to deny it of it's potential?

I finally downloaded the Knitcasts to my blue buddy. I haven't had a chance to listen to them just yet, but it's great to plug into while using the USM. I have to pay too much visual attention to it to watch TV, so it's perfect. All 22 episodes are loaded and ready to go.

I had Friday off so Mister could visit the dentist and have lunch with his former crew. Peanut and I just hung out and I got to catch up on my blog reading while she was napping or mesmerized by DVD of the moment. I checked in with Laura and her fabulous ladies at home. She announced that she had joined Project Spectrum. First I'd heard of it, so I had to check it out...and JOIN! Considering I had project going in this month's color and I had an extensive post card collection as a kid...it's almost like it was just waiting for me to find it!

Mister's out trying to figure out why the Merq stalls when you stop while in drive. Not the best thing for a massive tank car to do. He thinks it's an inexpensive hose rather than the $350 of bad sensors AutoZone told us about. If he's back in time, I'll be hitting the Knitting Den. For what you might ask? Well, I have contest prizes to acquire. First, we had Erin who guessed Toy Story2 correctly. Then, Laura came in with the Shrek reference. Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings and comment ladies. It means a lot to have not one but two winners!!

Sweet Victory!!

2006-02-28T21:14:00.000-05:00

First, I'd like to thank the family for their support while stitching this. Mister was great at reminding me that cussing about the pattern did not mean I was enjoying it. Peanut was gracious enough to not rip out my row counter or needles, even though she thought about it a few times. I'd like to thank Susan Pierce Lawrence for the beautiful design. My thanks to the ladies at Neighborhood Knits for talking me into the fabulous alpaca used. It was a great project! I'd definitely do it again. I'm hoping to have a photo of my gram with it on Sunday. Last but not least, thanks to the lady herself for thinking of it!

Project Details
Pattern: Branching Out from Knitty.com
Yarn: Baby Alpaca with a Twist color 0100
Needles: INOX US8 16" Circular
Total Knitting Time: 15 days 7 hrs exactly

Notes: I completed 34.9 repeats before starting the garter stitch border. If I'd used less yarn while joining the second skein, I could have done a full 35. I had about 4" left after weaving it in. It seemed short, but it grew after blocking it. Wet alpaca and wet dog have very similar smells. I think the wrong side is just as pretty as the right.

Skills learned (the most important part):

I can knit lace, but not well after 11 p.m.
I can remove the needles to rip back without destroying it
Alpaca can shed, especially on dark work clothing
I can follow a chart
I can finish an adult size item
I can finish a project on time
I can block something correctly

Erin correctly guessed Toy Story 2 for the blogiversary contest. Mister gave a thumbs up to a Saturday trip to LYS. Something fun for Erin will be procured there. Back to work on the Larry The Cable Guy scarf. Word of it has gotten back to him and he's quite excited about it. I'm hoping to ride the FO high as long as I can.

Just the word parfait makes me start slobberin'.

2006-02-25T23:46:00.000-05:00

She's finished!! The last stitch was knit around 9:15. Ends were woven in and then a quick dunk in the bathroom sink. I washed it with a drop of Mister's blackberry shampoo (Herbal Essences, I think). It didn't help with the wet dog smell. She's now pinned to the back of the couch in our living room. We don't use that room other than as a catchall as we go in and out the front door. Probably because we don't have a TV in there and the lighting isn't good enough to knit by.

Peanut & I saw Sesame Street Live: Elmo's Coloring Book this morning. Oy. She's definitely not ready to go see a movie. She had a really bad case of the wiggles before the show even started. I had issues with the customer service and how rude people can be at the box office. I'm sorry, but if you get out of line while at the window to call someone on your cell you should have to go to the back of the line in my book. Especially if the people in line behind you have overly excited children for a show that beings in 20 minutes. Luckily, our neighbor had Peanut and her two boys in the theater waiting for me but I felt really bad for some of the parents in line.

Mister needs the computer, so I'm going to cut this short.

The only cereal that's sugar frosted and dipped in chocolate.

2006-02-23T18:55:00.000-05:00

We're at 28 repeats for Branching Out. That's not an official 28, though. We'll be taking a short trip to the frog pond this evening and then working back to 28. I'm definitely going to finish the skein. I'm a little worried about it being short, but I'll wait to reserve judgment until after it's blocked. My gram is only 5' 2", so she could use a shorter scarf. I think both skeins will probably get me 34 repeats, but we'll see.

We rented Must Love Dogs last night. The Mister and I were up kind of late watching it. I can say that we both liked the movie, but Mister's really into chick flicks. Despite having done the 10 row pattern repeat 36 times, I still mess it up. Especially if I'm working later at night. I can only imagine the damage done with a more complex pattern. This was a good first lace project, but I don't think I'll be doing a grand project anytime soon.

I got the teddy bear book from Alecia. (Thanks again!) What a cool book! Once I finish the Larry The Trapper Guy scarf, I'm going to venture onto a bear for Peanut. I'm hoping to have one in her Easter Basket rather than something store bought. The Easter Bunny has already scored Dora chocolate for it. I've got a good idea for Mister as well, but he sometimes peeks in on me so I'm not saying a word.

**Caution - Political Content Ahead**
Now, I'm not one to discuss politics. Not on this blog and not in my daily life. Mister is the one with the passion for politics in the family and I learned a log time ago, it's best to keep my comments to my self. BUT - I came across this yesterday and it still has me angry. Very angry. I'm all for exercising your constitutional rights and freedom of speech, but there has to be a line drawn. To think there are a group of people out there that feel it is their right to jeer nasty things at a fallen soldier's family while they are in mourning is atrocious. I'm not even going to get into their platform, I don't agree with that either...but their execution is disgusting. It makes me sad and sick to my stomach. That's all I'm saying about it.

If you've stuck with me this long, you deserve some photo yummies. So, here they are. The flowers Mister sent me for Valentine's Day. He's so proud of himself and the effort it took to get them. That's also part of my gift.

Mister didn't forget Peanut on VDay either. Here she is with her new Carebear. He's already been to Walmart and McDonald's.

February 8th marked the 1 year anniversary of this blog being created and my test message. March 20th marks the 1st anniversary of my first official post. Since a contest seems to be the way to go when you hit a blog anniversary, who am I to break from the trend? Peanut has been sucked into the Disney machine. Her very favorite movie is Monster's Inc. She's seen it so many times, she can recite lines from it.

To make the contest interesting, I'm going to use obscure lines from the kid's movie of the moment as a title. The first person to guess the movie one of them is from will win and get some sort of prize. Just leave me a comment with your guess. I'd limit it to a single movie, but she's kind of fickle. They'll get easier as the 20th approaches. I need to have some sort of incentive to watch Toy Story for the 75th time. Of course, this assumes people are actually out there reading this thing. So...we'll see.

19 Repeats and Counting...

2006-02-19T15:57:00.000-05:00

We're up to 19 repeats. Now, I'm not sure if I should knit to a set number of repeats or finish out the skein. I guess I'll just see how it goes. I'd have a hard time using the left over yarn for something else and it'd be impossible to get the same lot again. I think I'm leaning towards just finishing the skein.

My gram turns 78 at the end of April. 8 days before I turn 30. I adore my gram. She and my grandpa raised me from 14 on. They'd already had me most of my earlier years, so it wasn't a big adjustment. I credit them for much of my success in life. I think my gram would love to have this scarf. She has an insane jacket collection and the neutral color would go with all of them. I think she'll get it earlier than her birthday so she can get some wear out of it before it gets too warm.

That's Pepper there...she looks innocent. She was previously attacking my row counter. Something Peanut also likes to do. Not only do I have to race the clock on this one, but also those who think my accessories are their personal toys!

Breaking the 10 Repeat Barrier

2006-02-15T22:03:00.000-05:00

I finally made it past 10 repeats! What a great feeling. I'm now 2 repeats further along than I was when I frogged the whole thing on Sunday. I still love it and think it looks fabulous. No new photos as of yet. My only complaint is that the alpaca yarn sheds. Not so great when you wear dark work clothes and try to conquer a few repeats on lunch. I was buying lunch last week and saw a woman pull out a white cloth and drape it over her lap before eating lunch in her car. Today, I am prepared with an old cloth diaper of Peanuts (that was never actually used as a diaper) to drape over my lap and shirt to see if that helps the issue. Of course, I'd look less silly if I'd just buy a lint roller for the giant purse.

Delayed Olympic Coverage

2006-02-14T10:38:00.000-05:00

I took a late lunch on Friday and cast on for Branching Out at 2:15 p.m. It's my first lace project, so I struggled a bit with keeping my place in the pattern and the triple (or are they double?) decreases. I quickly worked through 8 repeats from Friday to Sunday morning. Sunday, I took a good look at the scarf. It just wasn't Olympic quality. I tried frogging (another first, I'm a notorious tinker) and that went well but it wasn't enough. I bit the bullet and frogged the whole thing. It was definitely the right decision. It's like night and day. The stitches are much more even and the decreases don't stand out as much. Another new skill that's come out of this is working from a chart. I've always found them so intimidating just looking at them. My short term memory is horrible and I've always thought it'd be too hard to remember all of the symbols. Well, after the frogging and restart I decided to give the chart a try. I love it! What a tremendous difference!! Of course, this is just a baby chart over 21 stitches and 5 rows but I might ready for something bigger when I'm done.

Mister and I swapped Valentine's presents last night. He gifted me a box of chocolates (Hershey's Pot of Gold - our tradition) and a gift certificate to The Knitting Den. The certificate came with the promise of a Saturday away. That's the priceless part of the gift! About 30 mins ago, a dozen long stem roses were delivered to my office. It's the first time in our 4.5 years together he's sent me flowers! All on his own.

Alecia from DetroitAreaKnitters Yahoo group is cleaning out her book stash. I'll be getting a copy of The Knitted Teddy Bear from her. I can't wait. I'm hoping to make something special for Peanut for Easter. Our LYS carries the Baby Alpaca Twist I'm using for Branching Out. I'd love to get that in a soft purple to make her a lovey.

He's here!!

2006-02-09T10:14:00.000-05:00

Little Man made his world debut yesterday! My last nephew was born around 10 am and weighed in a bit lighter than his big brother. He's 8lbs 10ozs, but did have to spend some time in NICU for breathing trouble. Not all babies there are teeny tiny. Good news is that they released him to his mom & dad late last night. His big brother will be coming to spend the night with Peanut tonight and go home tomorrow when his mom & Little Man are released from the hospital. It's Peanut's first sleepover.

The phone call I've been dreading since September came on Monday. Mister has been layed off from his job. He's now running daddy day care and is doing a good job so far. We're hoping it won't be too long before he's hired by a new company. We're keeping upbeat about it. I think with unemployment and sub pay from union, we'll be okay until he goes back.

I've been working on the Larry scarf. It won't be finished before the Olympics start. I'm a little over halfway finished. It looks great. I'm pretty proud of myself.

I finished the hats to match the baby blankets I gifted last month. They have yet to be photographed.

I'm home with Mister and Peanut today. Girl problems suck. I think this will prompt another trip to the doc. Something has to give here, people. Well, I guess it buys me a day of knitting. Positive side to everything.

Both Sides of Craigslist.com

2006-01-29T23:02:00.000-05:00

(Peanut's about 5 weeks old here)
Within a 24 hr period, our family was on both sides of www.craigslist.com. On Saturday, we purchased a washing machine to replace the one that I talked about last week. So far so good. It made it through a marathon session of 2 weeks worth of laundry. On Sunday, Peanut's crib went to a new family. A very, very young couple bought her crib for this little darling due in July. I'm so glad it went to a family that really needed it. It's strange to have Peanut in the house but know the crib isn't here. Mister was a little upset about it going, but we both know we won't be expanding the family any time soon. Peanut just waved and said, "Bye crib!! Big Girl BED!!" We installed a safety rail on the side of the big girl bed to prevent anymore late night acrobatics out of it. I think I'll sleep easier now. Funny, the washer and the crib were the same price so it was a wash. (Oh, that was bad...sorry 'bout that.)

Here's a photo of the purple & white blanket I recently gifted to my cousin having twin girls in April. A pink & white blanket also went with this one. I didn't get a chance to photograph it before it was wrapped. Same pattern, just a bright pink instead of purple. I also included 3 washcloths in variegated pink and white Lion cotton. I believe it was the Strawberry colorway. I can't seem to find it on their site. This was done on the USM. I e-wrapped 129 sts, k3r, then did an eyelet row continuing with and eyelet border every 2 rows. 3 rows from the top, did another eyelet row and did a back stitch bind off. The stripes were done every 20 rows. The whole thing was 200 rows and was about 33"x38" when all was said and done. This is the very first blanket I have ever made. I'm quite proud of it. I have matching hats on the machine at the moment, but they're kind of in limbo while I'm training for the Knitting Olympics.

The training is going well. With each row, I'm reminded of how much I adore Cotton Ease and how sad I am that Lion didn't see it for the beauty that it is. I noticed on their main yarn page, they have yet to come out and say it's discontinued. They lure you into the actual page for Cotton Ease before they drop the bomb. Don't toy with me! I fall for it every time. I see the main page and think, Oh! Maybe they changed their mind!..click...let down. Anyway, back to the training project. The Larry The Trapper Guy scarf is coming along well. I have 12 repeats done of the Irish Hiking Scarf. I love this pattern. It's simple, I don't have to use a row counter (just a well placed safety pin) and I've got it memorized. If you know me, that's huge. Since Peanut came along, my short term memory is nothing to brag about. I rely heavily upon row counters and patterns. Not so much with this one. I'm hoping I can do the same with Branching Out, but I'm thinking probably not. No problem, if it were easy it wouldn't be Olympic worthy.

Knitter In Training

2006-01-25T22:04:00.000-05:00

I realized last night that I haven't manually knit a stitch in over a month. I can't embark on my olympic journey out of practice. Since I'll be doing Branching Out, I decided to try my hand at the Irish Hiking Scarf until then. Once it's finished, it'll be shipped up to Rogers City to live with Larry.

Larry is special in many ways. He's my good friend, Mandi's dad. He's a CMU alum and an AKPsi alum. That means that Mandi, Larry and I are Brothers. My favorite road trip was with Larry, Mandi and the family. We drove 8 hours to the Michigan UP State Fair to see Journey in 2002. My dad's two favorite bands were Journey and Supertramp. It was amazing to be able to see Journey live. It was so much fun! Larry had a bit of a heart scare in late 2004. Since then, he has to wear a scarf when it gets below 32 degrees. Larry's a guy's guy. He hunts, fishes, traps and tinkers. He loves to walk in the woods and recently was reduced to wearing Polly's pink scarf. 2 skeins of Cotton Ease in Orangeade + Irish Hiking Scarf Pattern = an appropriate Larry the Trapper Guy scarf.

The Only Olympics I'll Ever Hope to Participate In

2006-01-24T11:48:00.000-05:00

Ok, I've been convinced. I have to go along with the crowd and join the Knitting Olympics. I have two lovely skiens of cream colored Baby Alpaca yarn I bought from Neighborhood Knits last fall. They need to become something special. I'm torn between the Branching Out scarf from Knitty or the Irish Hiking Scarf. I love cables, but always wind up with holes. I have yet to try my hand at lace. The alpaca might be soft and dreamy enough to be a perfect lace scarf. Ok, looking at the patterns and yardage...it'll have to be Branching Out.

So here goes, my first lace project and my first scarf for the Knitting Olympics!

Goodbye Mr. Washie...

2006-01-22T13:49:00.000-05:00

It's true, the washer is dead. We're going to look at a "new" (used) one next weekend. Makes me really miss the apartment, but only because someone would come in and magically fix it for us. That's the only thing I miss about it, though. Such is home ownership, I guess.

The shower was yesterday. It was nice. I got stuck sitting next to my crazy aunt. Every time they went to open a present, she'd lean over and ask me what it was before the paper was even torn. After we saw each item, she'd say "Things have changed so much that I can't keep up". EVERY TIME. No kidding. My gram & aunts had pooled together some M&Ms to bring home to Peanut. Crazy Aunt tried to squirrel them all into her purse. I think I saw some rolls in there too. Definitely earning brownie points with the man upstairs.

I did finish the 2 blankets and four wash cloths. The two matching hats are on the needles. I just couldn't finish them before leaving. I paired the blankets & wash cloths with a Baby Einstein video and a solid lotion bar. It's supposed to be helpful for pregnant bellies. She seemed to really like them. She got a lot of handmade gifts including beautiful quilts. Really gorgeous.

I love the sweater machine. Still feeling guilty about it, but I love it. In a week, I completed two baby blankets. I've never been able to complete a blanket by hand. I don't know that I'll ever give up hand knitting, but the machine knitting is great for quick things. I can't wait until I have the time to make some custom attachments for it. I think a garter stitch bar and cast on comb would make projects even faster. The cast on comb requires help from the mister. He's been a crabby all week, but finally snapped out of it yesterday. Thank goodness!

Monday, Monday...

2006-01-17T00:09:00.000-05:00

My day started off well with a 5lb weight loss for the week. WooHoo! The joy was short lived.

My grandfather's best friend, Karl passed away Thursday morning after battling liver cancer for the last year. We knew it was coming, but it somehow wasn't any easier. I attended the services and luncheon with my grandparents. It was hard to get through. Karl had been a constant in our family's life since the mid 1960's. He danced at my parents wedding and bounced my child on his knee. He was an incredibly special man and won't be forgotten anytime soon.

On the knitting front..the baby shower is Saturday at 1. I have 1 blanket and 4 wash cloths done. I have 2 hats, 3 booties and a blanket to finish by Saturday. I have a feeling the hats & blankets will make it, but the booties may not. They are sewn, not knit. My gram helped me with one today while doing laundry at their house (our washer broke last night). I think I could be good at this sewing thing if I did it more often. The blanket is very pretty. It's too late to photograph, but it will be done before it's gifted. I'm pretty proud of it.

Well, I'm going to cut this short...Mister wasn't quite so understanding about my coming home really late tonight. I'm a little frustrated with the situation. Instead of snacking tonight, I'm dealing with my frustration by watching Flavor Love. My goodness, the stuff they put on TV.

So This Is January...

2006-01-12T22:57:00.000-05:00

It was 50 degrees here today. Yes, that's 5 - 0. You don't see much of that in Michigan in January. I say, keep it coming! Ben (Channel 2) was forecasting snow and cold for this weekend. Someone needs to get him on the unseasonably warm bandwagon.

So yeah...I can't tell you the last time I picked up traditional knitting needles. The sweater machine is getting a work out. None of it's worthy of photographing just yet, but practice makes perfect. My cousin and his wife are expecting twins and their baby shower is next Saturday. Word on the street is that I should be able to knock out two crib blankets by then. Just need to settle on the design. I have to admit, it does feel like cheating to use the sweater machine. The same feeling I had when I switched from my SLR to digital camera. I think it'll be a great tool to knock out some blankets. I just don't have the patience to do them.
We had a nice Christmas. It was a little overwhelming for us all, but nice. It was the first year Peanut was excited about it. We wrote a note to Santa and left him a snack. Christmas morning she kept saying "Santa came!" Santa could have gotten off cheap this year..she fell in love with the Dora backpack purchased on clearance and the pig flashlight from Costco. It was a 2 pack and cousin Justin got the elephant.
Her big gifts were a mattress from me & mister and a whole new bedroom set from Grandpa. Her new furniture arrived on Tuesday and tonight is her second night in her big girl bed. She's not quite as thrilled as we'd hoped to be sleeping in it. She's reluctant to get out of it in the morning, but getting her to stay in it at night isn't the easiest. Again, this is only the second night so I'm sure it'll get better. The number of stuffed animals in her bed has doubled. So have the blankets. She probably has the best place to sleep in the house!

I'm sorry I've neglected my blog the last month. With the holidays, life just kind of got away from me. Things are settling down..just in time to start potty training! OH! Our other big news is that Peanut threw her pacis away Christmas Eve. I discovered they were both broken. We had her walk them to the trash while the whole family watched and announced they were broken and had to go in the garbage. We never had a serious meltdown about them, but she would ask about them a few days later. My friend's little guy is going through serious bink withdrawal. It's so bad that she commented that she felt they were running a Betty Ford for toddlers. I think we were at a place where it had to go soon or it would be a problem. I'm glad we went cold turkey.

I'll close with a photo of the Mister and me at my company Christmas party. We don't have too many of these photos, so I like to show off the good ones.

Like A Kid On Christmas...

2005-12-16T22:45:00.000-05:00

..or maybe Christmas Eve, but definitely the kid part. My company handed out Christmas bonuses today. Mister and I had previously discussed my Christmas gifts...or really, the lack there of. Not that it's a surprise to many married women, the Mister does not do very well with Christmas. He only has to buy gifts for me from a very specific, typed list. He often takes the list into a store, snags a store helper, points, grunts and pays. If he gets something on sale, that becomes part of my gift as well. I'm quite the proud bargain shopper. So where was I going with this...so the bonus check was handed out and we'd discussed if it were above a certain amount then I would get the one thing I've been coveting for years. I'm preparing to be the proud owner of this. I've even figured out a way to get it online, despite being a freak of America family that does not have a credit card. Hello gift card!! I've already joined a yahoo group to try and get a jump start on tips and tricks. I am determined to produce a blanket for Peanut with it.

This arrived in a newsletter in my mail box. I think my soon to be born nephew, Joshua will need one. He'll be joining big brother, Justin in February. I think I'd like to try it in a washable yarn, though. I'm so excited we live so close to my brother & sister-in-law now. I'm definitely looking forward to snuggling that little man. I missed out on so much with Justin, but we also had a Peanut the same age to snuggle too.

I used my allowance from a few weeks ago to buy Sandy Miner's new book. It has some fabulous patterns in it. I love Sandy's simple designs. They're sized preemie to adult. The money goes to a good cause. It came autographed with a customized thank you note, bookmark and tea. You don't get such a warm & fuzzy feeling from an Amazon shipment.

Santa is bringing Peanut a Big Girl Bed (aka twin). Who knew BGBs (aka Big Girl Bed) would be so expensive. One mattress shop guy explained that there are only two factories that make the foam used in mattresses and one of them was wiped out by Katrina. A few months ago, we could have bought a fabulous set with our budget...now it'll just get us the very basic set. We can't have the princess on a cheap mattress, so we'll be increasing the budget. Aunt Jack has already spent lots of money on the required Dora The Explorer bedding and matching hot pink, tie-dyed sheets. We're trying to convince Peanut that BGs don't use pacis in BGBs and she should leave her pacis out with Santa's snack so he can give them to babies to use them. She just gets paci when she goes to bed in her crib at home. She doesn't use it at daycare and doesn't get it during the day just because. We've always been pretty strict on the usage of the paci. Now we just need to take the final step and cut ties to it all together.

Mister attended his first swank party with me last night. He did pretty well despite being made to wear "preppy" clothes. They had a chocolate fountain that we made friends with. We got there a little late for dinner but I did sneak a potato martini before visiting the fountain. It was my kind of party. You would have thought someone had yelled "fire!" by the way people ran for the coat room after the end of the raffle. The Admin staff work really hard to plan this event and they can't be bothered to stay longer than to hear the higher ups speeches and who won the flat screen tv.

Have I mentioned how amazing our neighbors are? Peanut goes over there for daycare M-F while we're at work. She loves it. We've seen an amazing difference in her since the change. My Aunt had planned on having a slumber party with Peanut while we were at my company party. Mother Nature had another idea. The massive amounts of snow scared her off and we had to call in for back up. Enter the neighbors! There was no hesitation in the offer to keep Peanut for us. When I called to check on them, I couldn't believe my ears when I heard "I really hope you don't mind but I gave her a bath". Um, mind? You must have me confused with someone else. In talking with her today, they invited us over for their New Year's get together.

And to close this manifesto...our ghost story. We've been in the house two months now. We've had some odd stuff happening. Things moving around, but I've chalked it up to my forgetfulness or lack of organization. The strangest has been the TV. Four or five different times now, I've been watching something and the channel will change to A&E. The remote is rendered useless for several minutes and then switches back to what I was originally watching. It finally happened when the whole family was in the same room watching TV the other night. After witnessing it, Mister now believes me and doesn't call me crazy. Now it can't be the neighbor's because we don't have any 3 sides of the house and the ones we do have, have satellite rather than cable. Here's the thing that has me the most convinced. We were all in the spare bedroom going over Christmas gifts. Peanut suddenly became fascinated with playing in the closet. No big deal. The light was on and we were in there. Mister began to notice that she was talking to someone. He then realized that she kept referring to someone named "Neil". She'd go in the closet and tell "Neil" to get back or hide or sit down. Mister told her to give Neil a kiss, she went over to the closet and kissed the door. Now, our Peanut is only 2. She's really not old enough for an imaginary friend just yet. She's just starting to get into pretend play with her baby or tea set. What we've found the most strange is the name "Neil". We know NO ONE with that name. I checked with the neighbors and they don't know a Neil and confirmed that there wasn't a "Neil" character on any of the shows she watches. So our question is, who is Neil? Jennifer also told of her own oddness with their puppy breaking out of his steel cage in the middle of the night. I've decided that Neil is friendly, no matter what he is. It keeps me from allowing my imagination get the best of me when I hear a bump or creak in the middle of the night.

Here comes Santa Claus...

2005-12-05T13:55:00.000-05:00

Ahhh...Winter. It brings lovely thoughts of family filled holidays, making new cherished memories and...the flu. Yep, we've been hit. Peanut started showing signs at 11:30 Friday night. It was a downward spiral from there. Saturday morning brought a call from next door saying Mom, Dad and LittleGuy1 were having the same problems as Peanut. I started with it this morning. Peanut goes next door for daycare, so they were well enough to take her today and I get time to take care of myself. What a luxury!

In a clearing of sickness clouds, we attended Mister's Union Christmas Party. What a party they put on! While standing in line for "peetza!" I noticed a familiar face in the crowd...my roommate from my last year of college! Who would have thought? He was just as surprised to see me as I was to see him. My last year at CMU, I lived in the AKPsi house with 6 roommates....a group of guys that liked to call themselves "The Wolf Pack". Good times were had in that house. The boys definitely prepared me for life with Mister. It was great to see him and I gave him my business card. We'll see if I hear from him.
Santa made an appearance at the party. Peanut did pretty well with him last year. I was able to rescue her from his lap before total meltdown happened. See the pained look on her face? 30 seconds more and it wouldn't have been pretty.

And this was this year...She wasn't even up for giving him a chance. Still haven't decided if we'll have time to make the traditional trip up to Sommerset to see their Santa just yet.

Peanut seemed to warm up to the idea of Santa once she opened her new baby, Sarah Lynn from him. Notice the red cheeks and lack of blue, holiday themed sweatshirt. The Blonde Wonder overheats very easily. Waiting in a hallway for 25 mins with a couple hundred other people did her in. I think this was part of the Santa freakout.

To end this post...I'll include one more photo. Seems that little Miss is obsessed with Pink. We don't tend to push it on her, so I'm not sure where it comes from. Here's a photo of her in our bed earlier last week waiting for me to be ready for work and take her next door.

Pink pretties, sunglasses, angel shirt, pants, socks and shoes.

Blanche

2005-12-02T21:18:00.000-05:00

Today I attended the memorial for my dear friend Blanche. I can't express how different the office is without her. It's still hard to believe she's gone. When I take Peanut in to see Santa at our holiday breakfast, it'll make me sad to know we won't stop to visit her.

I was pretty proud of myself. I've cried about 100 times off and on the last 10 days. Then this morning I decided that it was absolutely not what she would have wanted. So, I kept upbeat. I made it through the service with just a few tears. I waited for the crowd to clear before paying my respects to her family...the guy in front of me was crying and talking about how much he thought of her and missed her....I said hello to her daughter and just lost it. I felt so bad. It was just too much. I think a few people are going to propose the company use some of the money the employees raise during the holidays to establish a memorial scholarship. I'll be interested to see if that idea goes anywhere, though.

Mister's dad and girlfriend were in for Thanksgiving. The house was immaculate before they got here. It's still a mess and they left on Sunday. I'm tired and glad we only see them once a year. I know it's horrible...I won't go into the details of their visit.

I'm still working on the shawl for Blanche. She always called herself my work grandma so I think it's only fitting that my grandmother receive the shawl once I'm finished. I know she would have liked that. Or I could send it to her daughter. Depends on how long it takes me, I guess.

I picked up the latest copy of Knit It. I'm making the green baby cardigan (made with VelvetSpun) for my good friend Jennifer's baby, Allyson. Jenn peeks in on this blog from time to time, so I'm not going to say anymore about it.

That's about it. I'm going to go put on some jammies and have a bowl of ice cream.

Sad today

2005-11-22T15:08:00.000-05:00

The dear woman that I talked about in my last post passed away early this morning. Luckily, I was home with a sick Peanut when I got the news. I've been a mess. I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful she was. Such a classy, classy lady.

Tiny Dancer

2005-11-16T20:55:00.000-05:00

I finished the felted ballet slippers. The photos don't really show how much they shrunk. You might think I was well prepared by showing the before photo on a tray with one of Peanut's magnetic numbers for a size reference. I was prepared for the before...but not the after.

Here's the after...I couldn't remember what I'd used for the size reference and grabbed one of the magnets off the fridge. Silly momma...the numbers are larger than the letters. You get the idea. I really liked this little project and will definitely be making them again. These were made with Cascade 220, but I don't recall the color. It's a darker purple than what's showing, though. The Mister was even impressed!

I'm nearly finished with the CMU sweater. I started on a new project today, though. I need another project like a hole in the head, but this one's important. There's a woman that I work with that I just think the world of. She was the first person to go out of her way to come to talk with me when I started at my job 6+ years ago. She's always referred to herself as my "work grandmother". She's had a rough road the last few years. Her son was in a major accident and is now unable to live alone. She doesn't have any other family in the area. On Monday, she started having chest pains and complained to her boss. They called 911 and rushed her to the hospital and then airlifted to a major medical center in the area. They've found that she has two tears in her aorta. She's in for a long road of recovery, but things are looking up. I found a whole mess of old lion brand chenille sensations yarn in the stash. I think it was passed on by my aunt as some of it's crocheted. I've started working on a shawl for her. I'm hoping it'll work up quickly doubled using US13 needles.

In Peanut news, one of her daily reports had the following note on it from daycare TALKED A LOT TODAY!! It's been a verbal explosion! Her new thing is to pick up one of our old landline phones and pretend to talk to someone. This morning she picked it up and said "Hello!! Ummm...question? TALK!!" Some of the words she throws at us are hysterical. She's really becoming such a big girl. I keep wondering where my teeny baby peanut is. Mister and I discussed the possibility of more kids in the future. Right now it wouldn't be smart for our family, but we're not saying we'll never have anymore. The most important factor is my health. I have to get that in check before we can even discuss getting pregnant. We'd like to have kids a few years apart, so I still have some time. Even if we only have Peanut, that's a blessing and we're grateful for the blond wonder in our lives.

Of Mice and Men....

2005-11-10T12:27:00.000-05:00

Ah, the joys of country living...field mice. We found signs of them in the undersink kitchen cabinet when we moved in. I bought some of those nice, new dCon traps that offer to trap them without harming them. They've been set for 2 weeks with a smidge of peanut butter to lure them in. Yeah..we caught one. It then proceeded to chew it's way out of the trap and exit the cabinet. It left behind a trail of shredded red and black plastic. Well, I can't have mice running rampant no matter how cute they are. We have resorted to the archaic wood plank/metal spring mouse trap. I feel horrible about them, but I'd feel worse about Peanut encountering one or their calling cards. I can't have that on my watch. Pepper has gone into stalker cat mode and is doing her part as well.

Speaking of Pepper, I have great news. Since moving into the house we have not had a single accident. I guess she hated the apartment as much as we did. She's a totally different cat. I'm so glad we kept her. She's also becoming more like a dog everyday. It's so fun to watch her.

Yesterday at lunch, I shirked my family secretary responsibility of running errands to visit a new yarn shop in the area. After finding the expressway exit closed and turning around twice, I finally arrived at Neighborhood Knits in Dearborn. I've been in four yarn shops in my life, this being the fifth. This is a very small store, but it was incredibly homey and welcoming. Mind you, they'd only been open 3 days but I had the place to myself for most of my visit. The owners are incredibly sweet and were interested in me, not just what I was going to buy from them. With it being a small store, they don't have an overwhelming amount of yarn. They've done a nice job of giving you a sampling of many different yarns. I bought my very first skeins of alpaca yarn. So soft! This will be a lacy scarf for gram or Aunt Jack. I also picked up the Great American Aran Afghan book, a nifty yarn guide tool and a new INOX needle. All of my INOX needles are teflon coated, this one is nickel and is supposed to rival the Addi turbo I've recently acquired. I bought it in a size 4 to hopefully use it to contribute a completed bereavement item to the Preemie Project sometime before Peanut goes to kindergarten. If you're out in the Telegraph & Ford Road area, definitely make the time to stop by. They're having their grand opening the first weekend in December.

I'm still working on the felted ballet slippers. I'm nearly finished with the second one. I'm hoping that will happen tonight, but I have a feeling it won't. Mister has class tonight, so it's just me and Peanut. My father-in-law is coming in for Thanksgiving, so we need to have things in order before then. We still have a lot of "we'll wash it once we move" laundry to do. Having to pay for it in the apartment, we kind of let things pile up. Now that pile is overtaking our master bath.

UFO's are becoming a problem in the house. I still need to wash and sew buttons to the Sunshine sweater to send out to it's gifter. The CMU sweater is in the home stretch, but it needs a hat. I'd love to do a blanket for it too. The Allison Sweater will have to been given to another little Miss as Miss Allison has outgrown it before I could finish it. There's another Allyson I know that is still teeny enough to wear it. I may need to send it her way. I have several preemie project items that are in final stages. Oh, it's a lot to think about. Once the boxes are unpacked, I'm going to refocus on my knitting. That's a promise to myself.

As life slows down...

2005-11-05T22:55:00.000-05:00

This is the first weekend in nearly a month that I don't have an apartment to worry about. I can't tell you what a relief that is to me. Mister and his buddy ventured out and picked up our "new" furniture. My friend Lisa moved to Tucson and gave us her living room set. Now that she's a full fledged orthopedic surgeon, she can afford something quite a bit nicer for her new sprawling ranch. She also gave us the table & chairs from her basement. We now have a place to sit and eat in the kitchen. The house kind of feels complete now. The big empty spaces are gone. The boxes have been distributed to the rooms they belong to and are just waiting for someone to unpack them. All in due time. I need a small vacation first.

A couple weeks ago we visited A Stitch In Time in Howell. Very nice LYS. I think it'd be worth the trip out there from time to time. The ladies in the shop were fabulous. It was Mister and Peanut's first LYS trip. They sat down at the big ol' wooden table and hung out while I shopped. They have an awesome selection of Addi Turbos!! I broke down and bought my first one. It's fabulous! I think I'm addicted. I also picked up the Fibertrends felted ballet slipper pattern. I've seen it around online for a while and it was a impulse buy. I got home and found my new needle was just the right size for it and OH! that skein of Cascade 220 in purple was screaming to jump out of the stash. This is the first project I've started without a recipient in mind. It's also my first felted item. I have one done and am barely started on the second. I'm thinking tomorrow might offer some time for progress during the 30 loads of laundry that needs to be done.

Peanut seems to have taken another personality change in the last week. The highs are higher and the lows are lower and they are closer together. Wow. If she was an adult, I'd suggest some paxil or something. I'm sure this too will pass soon.

I did scout out the new Lyon's Den yarn shop in South Lyon. I have yet to find the opportunity to visit. Amy has paid it a visit and said some nice things. I joke with the Mister that they heard we were moving out here and that I would need a LYS. From what I've heard, it's only been open a month or so.

On a sad note, after much discussion with the Mister and a lot of thought...I've decided it would be best for everyone if I stepped down as the Preemie Project Michigan Chapter Co-coordinator. I'm not leaving the group but will now be a volunteer rather than coordinating donations and hospital stuff. It was a hard decision to make, but it would have been selfish for me to continue on when I really don't have the time to keep things in check at home and work and the MI chapter. Jan will now be taking over. She and Laura have been tremendously supportive and I can't even begin to tell them how much I've appreciated it.

Milestones...

2005-11-02T00:20:00.000-05:00

The Mister graduated for the first time....

And Peanut the Giraffe, Trick or Treated for the first time.

Dust is slowly settling...

2005-10-18T16:45:00.000-04:00

Shew...sit down with me for five minutes..please. Bring drinks...those that require an ID if you've got them!

We got the keys to the house about 8 p.m. on Thursday. We made a beeline for it. While waiting for laundry to dry, Peanut and I spent some waterless time in the new master bath tub. This thing is massive and humongeous all at the same time! Needless to say Thursday night was a late night.

On the way home from the house, it all just gets to me and I reach a point where I need to be heavily drinking or be in the vicinity of comfort food. I spot the golden arches and it goes down hill from there. We're sitting in the drive thru (it's nearly midnight) and Mister turns to look at me and says, "I don't see how you could be hungry." We then enter into a discussion about how I sometimes have to use french fries to medicate myself to deal with the stress and considering we've been married several years now, you'd think he'd have noticed this already. He then has the audacity to say to me, "You should really find a better way to handle your stress, it's not healthy". Mister is a former pack and a half a day smoker. If he's had a bad day, 6-8 beers magically disappear from the fridge. THIS from the man who has gained 35 pounds in 2 1/2 months!!! I mustered up all of my self-control and looked at him to say quietly, "Well, I used to have time to knit but since we're moving and it's my responsibility to secure the house, all utilities, money to pay for it, pack all items, clean all areas, cook, arrange for movers AND work 50 hours a week..I haven't had time. So we're going with the french fries tonight". His response was, "Well when things quiet down you should go back to knitting and I should probably stop complaining about it, huh?" Yeah..that might be a good idea.

So on Friday, I wake up to a sore throat. It gets worse as the day progresses. It's another late night and I just ignore it because I don't have time to be sick. Saturday, I'm up at 5:30 and off to the grocery store to pick up cough drops and cereal. Peanut needs breakfast and I need some help with the sore throat. Friends start arriving at the apartment at 9 a.m. We're so not ready to move. I'm totally mortified...I'm moving at the speed of light (well, as close as I get) to pack and organize. By 11, we have three pick up trucks and a trailer full of stuff. I go to pick up pizza's and find the first little ceasars I stop at to be closed. Closed on a Saturday??!! I had to go way out of the way to hit the one by our old, old apartment. I'm getting progressively sicker as the day goes. I get to the house to find the three cleanest women I know have found mice droppings under the kitchen sink and in the adjacent cupboards. Loverly. I'm now running a fever and experiencing aches in my legs. I can't deal with anymore and send them all home at 4 p.m. I resist their protests of wanting to stay and help, but I just can't do it. By 5, Peanut & Mister were on their way to the store and I was in bed with a fever. Sunday, I spent 5 hrs at the apartment cleaning, packing & loading the car. Still running a fever and feeling horrible. I got home and Mister unloaded the car. I find that while I've been gone, he's made friends with the longnecks in the fridge and has come to a realization that he sucks. He FINALLY admitted that he should have helped me pack and move. Thanks, buddy. We decide that Peanut and I should both stay home on Monday to chill out and rest up as we think she's now running a fever.

Despite needing the rest, my mental health depended upon the state of chaos our kitchen was in. I spent the day cleaning, arranging, rearranging and chasing Peanut...but feeling better (finally!). Mister came home and gave Peanut a bath (photos to come soon) but neglected to notice dinner needed to be put away while I was at the grocery store. Another late night..but I'm feeling better.

That brings us to today. My first day in the office with my boss being gone. My first day taking Peanut to her new day care provider. My first day in 2 years since I've had a commute all to myself! Peanut surprised me a bit and was hesitant to hang out with the new sitter. We distracted her with a bouncy furry beast in a cage wanting nothing more than to get out and smother her in puppy kisses. I snuck out while she was checking out the toy room. Did I mention our new sitter is also our next door neighbor? When I called to check on Miss Thing, she invited us to her son's birthday party and trick-or-treating with the other neighbors. THIS is why we moved. THIS is why we'll be a bit chilly this winter scrimping to pay the gas bill. THIS is why we'll be cutting back on everything. A happy Peanut in a nice neighborhood is worth it's weight in something much more expensive and precious than gold.

**NOTE: Sorry about the lack of knitting content. There really isn't anything to talk about. I can't remember the last stitch I made. I'm hoping that will change soon. A blog is cheaper than therapy, but I know life will be back to "normal" soon. Hang in there with me.

Can a girl get a beer??

2005-10-12T23:08:00.000-04:00

It's 11:08. Mister and Peanut are asleep. I'm sitting in the middle of chaos. Boxes, newspaper and mess...Lord help us prepare for Saturday. We FINALLY sign the paperwork tomorrow. 3 p.m. today it seemed as if we weren't going to have a place to move to on Saturday, but my excellent people skills have smoothed that over. Let's just hope I didn't just buy our way into a disaster. Oy.

I was called in for jury duty last week. Sat there most of the day. They finally came on to say that the defendant for the case had "fled" and we were free to go home. One more day to call and then I'll be done with my civic duty for a while.

Peanut was 2 on Sunday. 2. Yep, have to say that again: 2. I can't believe it. I kept watching her at Chuck E Cheese and thinking how tiny and fragile she'd been. How at 4 lbs 6 ozs I was terrified to hold her because the monitors would rat me out if I wasn't doing it right...and she'd been through enough, she didn't need an incompetent mother on top of it all. Man, she's a great kid. What a blessing. I'm not a deeply religious person, heck..not even casually religious really...but I do throw a shout out thank you to the Lord every once in a while for gracing our lives with the blond wonder.

Here's the teeny tiny miss at a few hours old with her namesake. Aunt Jack was just 4 days shy of the big 5 - 0 and was a little bummed we couldn't hold off. Sorry, wasn't my decision.

And here she is on Sunday...

And this was before the party..

Notice the look of excitement over Bob the Builder...Happy birthday Lainey-bug!!

10 days gone...

2005-09-23T09:23:00.000-04:00

Sorry about that, I didn't realize it'd been 10 days since I last visited. We're deep in the throes of packing a new Fall Television. These two items do not play well together. Knitting and Fall Television do, but packing seems to be a selfish activity that requires all of my attention. Good news is that the Mister finally got it together enough to pack FOUR boxes! Mind you they were all of our DVDs, Tapes and CDs..but still he did it. Our biggest problem is that once we have boxes packed, we don't really have a place to put them. Right now we're lining our short hallway with them, but that can only last so long. The house is starting to feel a little bit bare...just a smidge, really. I don't think I'll be sad to leave this place like I was with our Plymouth apartment. Way too much drama and riff-raff in the complex for me.

Peanut's 2nd birthday is quickly approaching. It's actually just a few days before we move. Shhh..don't tell her that, though. We plan on celebrating after we've moved in and settled. She'll never know the difference. There's talk of a toddler bed being her big present along with Dora the Explorer bedding. Can never had too much Dora in the house. I'm also going to try and track down a Laurie Berkner CD or Video locally. If you don't know Laurie Berkner, definitely get to know her! She's great. She's made a living making kids music that fun for parents to listen to. Peanut adores her. Last night she was watching her music special on Noggin On Demand. She was singing about "a song in her tummy" and for the very first time, I saw Peanut react and pat her tummy! Actually put down the sippy cup to dance along with the song. Child magazine had a great article with her a few months back. It just reinforced why I'm happy my kid likes her.

Mister's 28th birthday is Saturday. I had to argue with him the other day that he would be 28 and not, 29 like he thought. We celebrated last Saturday by going out to see the new Reese Witherspoon movie, Just Like Heaven. I liked it a lot. Somewhat predictable, but sweet. Prior to being married and dispensing the child, I was a HUGE Cure fan. So, I was pretty excited to hear the new versions (not by the Cure) in the movie. That song was huge for me in high school, so I think I was kind of sentimental about it and like the movie more because of it. Sigh, I really need to work in some quality time with the CD collection. Oh! Peanut gave Mister a present that made him tear up. Now, if you know my Mister, this isn't the hardest thing to get him to do...but still worth mentioning. I had insomnia Labor Day weekend and found myself up watching HSN at 2 a.m. I think they put hypnotic messages in the broadcast because it was almost as if I could not turn it..but anyway. Mister made out well because he got this for his birthday. (Note - in case you don't know, Mister is a transplant from Atlanta to Michigan. DIE HARD Falcon's fan) I caught him wearing it in the bathroom checking himself out in it...too bad he only had his boxers on with it. It was quite a sight and I had to walk away to laugh. I couldn't ruin his moment. Prior to dating me, he always said his birthday was unimportant...now it's probably his favorite day of the year. And yes, he will have a butter flavor recipe cake for breakfast on Saturday. It's the least I can do.

So...um, yeah..knitting. I've done a bit here and there. I gave up on the booties for the Sunshine sweater. They're just not happening. The buttons need to be chosen and placed on it before being sent out. I finally figured out the pattern I was using for the CMU sweater. How much work do I do on the pattern before it becomes my pattern? What a mess that was. Good news is that it's coming along quite well and I'm pleased with the colors. It's the first time I've used Caron Simply Soft and it's wonderful. Cheap, soft and washes well...what more could you ask for?

The Preemie Project is coming along well without me. Jan and Laura are doing an excellent job picking up for my slack. The group is busily working on Halloween related items. I've also done up three cloths for Cloths for Katrina. I can do the cloths on my lunch and not worry about getting them dirty, since they're wash cloths! Love how that works.

Short post...

2005-09-10T14:51:00.000-04:00

Sorry I've been MIA, but man, life sure gets in the way sometimes doesn't it?

We're a go for the house (still!) so some packing and sorting has been going on. We recently found out that the Mister may only have a job for 60 more days. For now he'll be going down to 4 - 10 hr days a week to help his company save on gas. We thought this would be great because we would save on day care. I provider decided to change price rates on us and it's actually just $10 more to keep her full time. Well, this move has forced us to consider a new provider near our new home rather than accommodating our current provider. I don't have a clue as to how I'm going to break the news to her without her causing a ruckus. Sometimes it's just no fun to be an adult.

Peanut went poop in the potty Thursday night. I never thought I'd be so excited about poop in the potty! Friday I went out and picked up a Dora potty seat, Dora feel & learn pants and Dora stickers for a reward. Despite being put on the potty every 30 mins, there's been no activity to warrant the opening of the stickers. I certainly don't expect her to be potty trained in just one day, but way to tease a mom!! She'll get it eventually, I know.

Knitting..what is this blog about knitting? Oh, yeah..guess it is. Well in knit related news, my very first baby sweater has been posted for sale via a donation to the Red Cross or any charity helping out the victims of Hurricane Katrina. You can find it here. I've also joined the Cloths For Katrina yahoo group. Their goal is to get a handmade cloth and a bar of soap to each victim. You knit a cloth and send $.50 with each one to one of the list moms. They take the change and buy the soap (cheaper than shipping it) and pass along a bar for each cloth to their contacts in each of the states taking in victims. Nothing feels better than a nice bath after being dirty...so it's the least we can do for these people. We can't afford to send cash, but I can bust some of my stash and send it to people who could really use it. We also contributed 3 boxes of food to a local drive going down to Mississippi. It's our way of feeling like we're doing something.

I still have 1/3 of a bootie left to finish the Sunshine set. I just can't seem to finish it. It's killing me. I've started a CMU sweater for another friend. This is a different patter than I normally use and I've been using some sailor words while trying to work through it. I've frogged it and started over 3 times now. It'll be awesome when it's done, I just need to get it there. I found basketball and football buttons for it. I finished a cloth for Katrina this morning. I'm hoping to do up three or four and then send them. Thanks so much to Erica for posting about the group on her blog.

The amazing Laura has the Preemie Project up to 60 members. How awesome is that?

Checklist for a cruddy day...

2005-09-01T16:54:00.000-04:00

You go out to your car to go to work to find it's been egged over night
22 month old eats leftover egg shell while you survey the damage
Use last $5 for car wash
Accidently open door (not thinking) while man sprays down car
Go home for lunch, find 3 spots on car where paint is damaged
Eat frozen burrito for lunch that comes back to haunt you later
Husband calls to say you are being subpoenaed to court
Husband re-reads letter to say no, it's just jury duty summons
Jury duty is in downtown Detroit
Sitter lined up to watch Peanut tomorrow calls to say they now can't

Yeah...that's it. I give up and I'm going home.

When I got home, I opened the summons and found this on the list of items not allowed in the Courthouse:

Weapons, laptops, cellphones, knives, knitting needles or crochet hooks

Yeah..I just can't win.

Quiet Purchases and Katrina Help

2005-09-01T13:26:00.000-04:00

I can't believe the images I see on my TV. I'm thankful for the life the Lord has allowed us to lead, no matter how hard and stressful I think it is at times. I have the luxury of sitting on our couch (be it broken down and kitty christened) and viewing Katrina's wrath, I couldn't imagine living in it. This was posted to the CIC yahoo group I belong to. I have my first baby sweater and a few odd FOs sitting around the house that I'm going package up and send to them. I also have some really old yarn I inherited that I know I'll never use and it's not appropriate for the Preemie Project. I'll have that wing it's way there to be made into something warm and useful. It's the least I can do.

I bought these yesterday:
http://www.chiagu.com/ - The Crumpets pattern
http://knitandtonic.typepad.com/knitandtonic/2005/08/draft_7.html - GF Swing Coat

I've been coveting each for a while and now Peanut will have both! I think she'll get the GF Swing Coat in CMU colors for the Fall. Her friend Katie might just find one for herself for her birthday too. If Katie's mom reads this...it could be late, but you knew that didn't you?

I'm still working on the Sunshine sweater set. That last bootie is tinking itself when I'm not looking, I just know it! The lace burial gown is coming along too. I'm hoping it'll soften up once it's washed. It's plenty soft in the skein but it knits up quite a bit differently. I had the same thing happen with the WoolEase I used in the Marina set.

Pumpkin Hat Pattern

2005-08-30T12:12:00.000-04:00

Since I've had requests, here's the pattern from memory. If someone tries it, please let me know if it's not correct.

Worsted weight yarn (I used Cotton Ease in pumpkin and Kitchen Cotton in dark green) The kitchen cotton isn't as soft, but it never touches the baby's skin since it's on the foldup edge of the hat.

Size 6 needles

Should make a hat to fit a 1-3 lb baby - it's about 10" across. You could easily adjust the size by casting on more (in a multiple of three) and working a longer hat body.

Using the dark green, cast on 183 stitches - do not join

Row 1 - K1 BO2 across - this creates the lacy ruffle

Row 2 - K across

Row 3 - change to the orange and knit across

Row 4 - K1 P1 across

Repeat row 4 for 2" - 3" depending on how much rib you'd like on the hat. Keeping in mind it will be folded in half when you're finished.

You'll want to look at the lacy edge and color change row and determine the WRONG side of the piece so far. From here on out, the WRONG side of the lace edge with be the RIGHT side for the stockinette. When the edge is folded up, the wrong side of the edging will be hidden in the fold.

Begin stockinette work until the piece is about 4" long. This will make a hat with 1" cuff (2" in half) and 3" body of the hat.
Decrease row (right side)- K5 K2tog across the row (Don't worry if you're off, just be sure to match the decreases in the next rows to create the line pattern on top)

Purl across

Decrease row 2 - K4 K2tog across row, matching up decreases

Purl across

Decrease row 3 - K3 k2tog across row, matching again

Purl Across

Decrease row 4 - Switch back to green - K2 k2tog...again, matching

Purl Decrease row 5 - K1 k2tog, matching

Purl

Decrease row 6 - K2 together across

Purl

Keep decreasing across the knit rows with K2 together until you're down to 3 stitches (keeping wrong side rows in purl)

Knit a 3 stitch i-chord to the desired length. I think mine was long enough to where I could have tied it into a knotSew up the side and flip the cuff.