Sleeping Fish

Maybe it's just me.....and I guess I never really thought about it....but it never crossed my mind that a fish would lie down to sleep!! I suppose I always just assumed that they would "float" while sleeping....and two of the ones we have in DH's salt-water tank do....just kind of float. But one of the clown (Nemo) fish...the one Savy named Charlie...DOES lie down!

Freaked us out the first time we saw him do it because we thought something was wrong and he was on the verge of dying! Evidently not because he does it every night when the tank lights go off then he is up and swimming around during the day while the lights are back on! It is the funniest looking thing. He has kind of burrowed out a hollow in the sand in one corner of the tank and that is where he goes every single night!

The pics didn't turn out the best but you can kind of tell that he is just lying there!

Got a busy couple of days coming up. Am going down to the other side of town to hang out with Amanda and kids to give her a little break and some "grown-up" company. Poor little Dax has been such a cranky little booger since he got sick that she is going a little stir crazy. I vaguely remember those days!! I did live in the town I grew up in back when the girls were little, though, so I had girlfriends around to hang out with.

Tomorrow I have to go do that stupid stress-test. Doing it at 1:00 and have to fast...nothing by mouth at all after 9 am. For a person with a cup or glass in my hand from the time I get up til I hit the bed that's a hard task, lol! I can get busy and forget about eating all day long, but I always have a diet coke in my hand! Oh, well....I guess I will survive! If the test doesn't totally wear me out, am going to buzz on over and visit with my buddy Susan for a while.

Got one of the sleeves going on the red cabled cardigan for Dax so should be finishing that up soon then on to a pair of socks for moi!!

Monday, February 26, 2007

Had a busy, busy week-end, but it was sure fun! We kept both Savy & Dax Saturday night so David & Amanda could have some "quiet" time. Poor little Dax has been sick with an ear infection and has been a really cranky little guy. I remember what it was like to have a sick little one...and on top of that Amanda has an ear/sinus infection herself and felt awful so we thought it would be nice for them to have a break....plus....we loved it!

He had a few cranky moments, but I think the antibiotic sort of kicked in a little and it really wasn't too bad. He got me up twice during the night, but went back to sleep before I could get in there the first time....so really only got up with him once. Gave him a bottle and he went right back down. He has FINALLY started smiling for the camera!! It was so hard when he was smaller. He would be smiling like crazy and when you put the camera up to take his pic, he was so intrigued with the camera and trying to figure it out, all you could get was a serious/curious look on his face...lol!

Savy was a joy....as always!! She is just so sweet. I kind of worried about whether she would be jealous that Dax was spending the night too....because that has always been "her" thing. She starts bugging her Mom by Tuesday or so of the week about what day she is going to get to come over and spend the night. I didn't have to worry about it at all...her response to him staying too was...yea!!!! She thought it was neat!

Still working on that darn business plan....whew.....been on it for over 5 hours today and am exhausted! At least I finished all the "verbage" sections....now for the REALLY fun part....statistics, demographics and financial.....yuck-o! I really want to get it finished and do our thing so we know, once and for all, if we are going to make this change in our lives or not.

Got my last swap mailed out for this month and have gotten all of my packages that I expect to get. I do have a few coming up in March, so that will be fun! Two small ones on swap-bot then SP 10 starts in March, too! Yea....can't wait to get my "secret pal" and start doing her packages. I think this one will be really fun...it goes on long enough that you sort of have time to find out things about your pal from their blog, so it will be more "personal."

Got going pretty good on the little cabled cardigan for Dax. Back and one side cast off and started the other side....then discovered today that I had neglected to switch needle sizes after the ribbing....soooo...will be starting over on the ride side tonight and hopefully on to the sleeves in the next day or two. Oh, I wish, wish, wish I could figure out how to get a decent "knitting detail" shot on here! Maybe if I put it on no-flash and just use bright light? Or maybe it's just my camera....guess I'll have to do a bunch of test pics on all different settings or something....am open to suggestions...lol! Anyway, I can never seem to get a great shot of patterning on my pieces.

Well....am computered out....one more pic of little mr. before I close!

Ten Strange Things About Me

Ok. I have to admit it....I like these MemMe things! I love reading them on other people's blogs...especially people I know. I guess it makes me think I'm getting to know them better..lol!
Saw this one floating around a few weeks ago and since I don't have new knitting news yet, thought I would do it, too! By the way....I'm tagging Amanda...you now have to do it too!

1. I can't....and I mean can't touch raw meat then eat it cooked in the same day! When I do something like meat loaf that you are supposed to squish with your hands I use a fork...or get DH to do it!

2. When I clean my ears with a Q-tip it always makes me have a major coughing fit.

3. I have to read at night before I go to sleep. Even if it is really late and I only read a small paragraph, I have to do it or I can't go to sleep.

4. I hate drinking from a glass with no handle. Getting my hand wet from a sweaty glass just drives me crazy!

5. I am terrified of bees and wasps. Never been stung badly by one, but I will definately put on a side-show if one flys close by. I simply cannot stand still like everyone says you are supposed to do. I FREAK OUT!

6. The texture of food in my mouth is more important to me than the taste. For instance...I don't do shredded coconut because it "feels" like hairs in my mouth!

7. When someone hands me something to eat I ALWAYS smell of it before I taste it.

8. I always save my bread and eat it after dessert when out in a restaraunt.

9. I am pretty much a tee-totaler. Don't mind if others enjoy, but two or three sips of wine or beer sends me straight to bed with a raging migraine.

10. I LOVE catalogs! I collect "wish books" and get so many in the mail it's insane. When we moved last I found ones that were from years ago.....and forced myself to throw away dozens of them!

Quick Post

Quick post and I'm out the door today. It has been so beautiful the past couple of days around here. According to the weather guys today may be the last one for a while so I am going to get out and about and take advantage of it. Get several errands done and fill up the "MimiVan". It's not that close to empty, but I hate pumping gas in the cold and or rain so I always try to get gasoline on a pretty day if I can!

Got to get a couple of things to the post office today. Have my package ready for the Sassy Sock Swap. Sending her some vibrant red Katia sock yarn, a basic sock pattern and the dp's to do them. The swap only specified sock yarn but I always like to tuck in a couple of extras when I send one out. Her comments said she has never done socks before so I wanted to make sure she has everything she needs to get her first pair done!

Also mailing out the arm warmers Amanda and I did for Amy & Emily today! I can't believe I forgot to take a pic of the ones Amanda did for Em!!! I hate it when I do stuff like that....now they are all packaged up and ready to go. I did get DH to take a shot of the ones I finished for Amy. Hope she likes them! They feel really soft and warm on and I really liked knitting with the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino she sent for me to do them with. She got it at the Woolie Ewe in Plano. She was so funny telling me about going in there! It was a fun experience for her and she said it even kind of made her want to learn to knit! Have been trying to "hook" her for ages! She is so talented and has done so many beautiful things in the crafty things she does that I know she would love it if I can ever get her going! She's the one that got me into scrapbooking and over the years she has done some "to die for" counted cross-stitch and needlepoint projects! She is so talented when it comes to decorating, too. You feel like you are walking into a showcase when you enter her home....yet it still feels very warm and inviting at the same time! Everytime I visit her I come home wanting to re-do my house LOL!

I'm out-a here! Gonna go enjoy this glorious sunshine!

Doing the Happy Dance!

WOW!!! Don't you just love surprises? I do!! And boy did I get one today! I have been doing swaps for about a couple of months now. All-in-all, it's been a pretty good experience. Did get burned..totally...on one. Never got anything at all....and no responses from emails to her. And got sort of burned on another one...got a package, but the contents were basically useless. The majority was pictures cut from magazines! Don't quite get that, but I guess that falls under the One Man's Junk, etc. saying! Got some pretty nice stuff on the others.

Well today I got two packages in the mail!! Got a nice skein of Sockotta from my partner in the Sassy Sock Yarn swap.

I like the colors and a girl can never have too much sock yarn, right? Thanks Candace!

There was another box sitting on the porch as well. All I can say about that is Oh My Gosh, Oh My Goodness and (as Rachel Ray says)...Oh My Gravy! This was from the Scarf Kit Partner who has been posting around here lately :-)! She BLEW ME AWAY with her package!!! It is by far the best I have ever received...talk about restoring my faith in the swap thing! Everything in the box I LOVED! She obviously put a ton of thought and effort into it and when I opened it I felt like it was a gift from a friend that had known me forever! Guinifer.....you ROCK!!!!!

Ok....are you ready to see what all she sent me? Here goes! She sent a huge travel mug stuffed with all kinds of sweet snacky goodies. Yum, yum! Next I pulled out a package wrapped in pink tissue and tied with a black & White checkered ribbon which had 3 delish gourmet hot chocolate drink mixes. How did she know I love different flavored hot chocolate? Following that I found a big package wrapped in gold tissue that had SIX skeins of Knit Picks Andean Treasure...ummmm sooooo soft! Three skeins of Embers and three of Sunset. She was so thoughtful she even included the invoice so I could exchange the colors if I didn't like them! NO WAY!!! I love what she chose and would have chosen it myself! There was a great pattern from Knit Picks for the Moguls scarf in there, too! Next came...and you won't believe this.....what have you all been hearing me go on and on about for ages?.......could it be....Knit Picks NEEDLES!!!??? She tucked in a pair of dp's and a pair of size 5 Options tips and cable!!! Just in case you can't tell....Guinifer made my day!!! If I sound like a giddy teenager...it's because she made me feel like one.....a precious commodity at my age..LOL!

On swap-bot we are given the chance to "rate" our partners based on whether they met the terms of the swap, if you got something but it didn't meet the terms of the swap, or if you don't get anything at all...then people have "scores" or ratings based on what people give them. Recently they gave us the opportunity...if someone goes above and beyond on a swap...to give them a little heart. I would give Guinifer 5 hearts if they would let me! Thanks so much, Guinifer!

Not much else going on except working on that business plan.....making my wee brain hurt!! I'm not used to doing stuff like that since I retired....knitting is so much more fun..lol! Guess it's good to keep those ole brain cells exercised though...that is what I keep telling myself anyway! Making some pretty good progress on it. Trying to get as much of the "verbage" done as I can then go back and do the statistics, finance stuff and graph charts.....saving those for last...wonder why?

February 19, 2007

Well...it is official....I was elected President of the Knitting Guild yesterday! It is a big job and I have some big shoes to fill since the outgoing President is the Founder of the organization!! I'm so thankful that she is such a good friend and I can ask for her opinions! It's pretty overwhelming, but I believe we have a fantastic group of officers to work with and a great foundation to build from. These women all have terrific and diversified talents to share with the group so I think it is going to be a good year!

I am really honored that I have been given the opportunity to help grow this organization and will do the best job I can.

We had one great program yesterday, too! I have always wanted to learn to do the "Magic Loop" and just haven't found/taken the time to learn it by myself. Anita showed us the ropes and she is one good teacher! I think I could actually do a pair of socks using that method now!! That is one of my goals this year....to know the 3 main ways to do socks...Magic Loop, dpns and 2 circs. Then I can decide which method I feel the most comfortable with and hopefully do a LOT of socks this year!

Besides setting knitting goals for myself, I haven't gotten much done on the knitting front this past couple of weeks...lol! Am still trying to finish the guantlets for my friend in Texas, need to "make-up" my missed class on the Kathleen felted bag and finish it then get cranking on Daxton's sweater. Will I EVER get to do socks again? I know, I know....all I have to do is cast on a pair....but I'm trying to be disciplined, remember...lol!

DH did go pick up the Live Rock he bought himself for Valentines yesterday. It really did make a difference in the way the tank looks! He got some pretty neat pieces and the "critters" seem to really enjoy exploring their new "digs"!

Aside from knitting news and "fish" news, I have my work cut out for me this week. DH and I are still thinking about buying a local business. Don't know if it will work out or not....will post more about it if it comes to pass.....but in the meantime, I have to get busy and write a business plan. If we DO decide to go for it I doubt we will be able to get a business loan by going into the bank and telling the lender we need money because we are such nice people, LOL! Anyway, I have written numerous business plans for my real estate business....did one every year in fact...but this is a whole other "ball of wax", so to speak!! Got a LOT of research to do and demographics to nail down to put together a really comprehensive plan.

Sigh....guess it's not going to write itself...nor is the laundry going to do itself....nor are the "fur-kids" going to clean the house for me today...so I had better quit playing and get to it!

New Fish & New Yarn!

Just getting around to the "Valentine's Day Report". I got DH a new fish, some frozen fish food he has been wanting....the frozen stuff is supposedly much better than the dry flake stuff....and a cool book with all the different kinds of salt-water fish, how difficult they are to keep, what kinds of other fish they do and do not get along with, etc. It has beautiful color pictures of all of them. He really seemed to like everything. The fish I got him is a Flame fish....one that is supposed to be hardy and easy to care for. He has already "made friends" with the "Nemo" fish so all is cool there.

Thanks, Swap Pal, for the heads up on the fishy infection your friend got!!! Oh my goodness! I will definately tell DH about it. He's planning on doing his first clean/water change this weekend!............. AND I'm SOOOO excited about my surprise! You can bet I will be haunting the mail box the next few days until it gets here! You rock!!

DH picks up the other part of his Valentine Sunday afternoon. He bid on another 50 lbs. of live rock to go into the tank and got it. Hopefully that will be the last investment on this tank for a while...we do need to eat after-all...lol!

He was really thinking when he got my Valentine, too. He overheard me going on and on about Kay's new needle set after the knit-in. Since he is not a knitter... a knitting needle is a knitting needle, right? lol! He couldn't remember what I called them and just assumed that the LYS would have to have what I wanted, right? He went up there and told the lady working that day the story about my seeing these awesome needles up there that someone had at the knit-in, but couldn't remember anything else about them except that they were a set! Well, they decided together that I must have been talking about the Denise set. Hmmmm....well....not exactly....what I was wanting was the Knit-Picks Options. He is such a sweetheart for trying so hard, though, don't you think? Even though they have a strict no-return policy on needles, MG very graciously told him I could bring them back if they weren't what I wanted! Now THAT is true customer service!! I LOVE that shop! That being the case, of course, I would NEVER want the money back and cause them to lose a sale :-)....sooooo I traded the Denises for a bunch of all that yummy new sock yarn they just got in :-). Am I a happy girl???? YOU BETCHA! And, yes....I'm still going to order the Knit-Picks needles! As far as the sock yarn goes, I picked up two skeins of the new Tofutsies that everyone is talking about, a Cherry Tree Hill and an Opal. Here I am trying to be soooo disciplined and finish the other wip's(Kathleen felted bag, gauntlets for Amy and cardigan for Daxton) when I'm DYING to get a pair of socks otn.....and what do I do but get new sock yarn...go figure..lol! I NEED more socks!!!!

The past couple of weeks have not been conducive to knitting at all and it's driving me crazy! I usually get in at least some knitting time every day, but it has just been insane lately. We have been out and about every night this week!!! Have DD and son-in-law from Texas coming in tonight so the week-end will be busy too. I'm so excited about them coming, though. Even though they live only 3 hours away I don't get to see my beautiful girl nearly as often as I would like! I'm so thankful that I have one of my girls here!!! I would just hate it if I lived away from both of them....plus, I do almost everything with Amanda and would really be lost if she weren't close by!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope everyone has a love-filled day with family, friends and loved-ones! DH and I went to Savy's Campfire Kid's Valentine Party last night! It was the first visit we have made to her "troop" and we had such a good time! The kids had been working the past couple of weeks on the decorations and invitations to the party so they could invite family and friends. They were so cute!

I have to say that, even if she is mine....I am so proud of my daughter! She is the campfire leader for the troop and she just does an awesome job!! She has a couple of munchkins in the group that are a little unruly...and that is putting it mildly! She does a great job of dealing with them and getting them involved with the projects that they are supposed to be doing! You know, it always amazes me to see how many parents these days just have absolutely NO control over their kids....even LITTLE kids! Amanda is so diplomatic and manages to keep a handle on things without offending the....in my opinion.....negligent parents who just let their kids run wild. I don't think I could do it. I always made my kids mind. Not just us, but any adult authority figure and I just don't understand parents who let their kids rule the roost!

I love Valentine's Day. I know many people look at this holiday as being reserved for "sweet-hearts" or lovers and get sad if they are "single". Even when I was single/divorced, it never bothered me because I view all the special people in my life as "sweet-hearts!" I did manage to get almost all my "valentines" some little token of affection. Gave Clayton his when he was over last week, mailed Kinley, Kayden's and the grown kids theirs and gave Amanda, David, Savy & Dax theirs last night.....just one more thing to get for my DH. I have alread gotten him a card and a book about salt-water fish....now I'm just waiting until the aquarium store opens to go and get him a new addition for the tank. I don't know yet what I'm going to get. I need to tell the person at the store what we do have and see what they recommend. I don't want to get "somebody" who is apt to EAT somebody else...lol!

So far the aquarium has been a big hit with pretty much everyone. ALL the grandkids who have been here love it and stand mesmerized in front of it. Someone else around here is pretty obsessed with it too....as you can see...lol!

Secret Pal 10 Questionnaire

Wow! Two posts in one day....can you tell I'm REALLY bored with doing the tax stuff...lol! Decided to go ahead and post the questionnaire for SP 10. I'm SOOO excited to participate in this! I just missed finding the SP 9 in time to join so I have been waiting for this one.
Here goes:

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I love pretty much any yarn except "fun-fur" type stuff and the really cheapo acrylics. My favorites are wool blend sock yarns, alpaca and cashmere blends. I do like some of the man-made fibers as long as they are soft and not "hairy".

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

Have the straights and dp's in roll-up fabric cases. Circulars are sort of all over the place. Some in a plastic envelope holder and some in the original packages in a basket.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be geginner, intermediate or advanced?

I learned when I was 12 to earn a girl scout badge. Put it down for many years and got back into it about 6 - 7 years ago. Now that I can do socks, I consider myself to be at the intermediate stage.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yes, under Carolyn

5. What's your favorite scent?

In the house, anything that smells like something baking. For self, clean floral type scents. I like most anything except patchoulli or musky smells.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

Didn't used to, but as I get older am finding I do! I like it all...except licorice...yuck!

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I do some scrapbooking, enter sweepstakes and love swaps! I also like doing home decorating stuff. I haven't learned to spin and probably won't.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s?

I like soft rock, pop and country. No...not into the MP3 thing yet.

9. What's your favoirte color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

Not really. I do tend to chose jewel tones or rich vibrant colors instead of pastels, but a really soft, soft pale colored scarf is always pretty.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have pets?

I am married with grown children and 5 1/2 grandbabies! One due in June. Just me, DH and "fur-kids" in the house. Two Yorkies, one Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a big fat Persian cat.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

Yes to all...usually gloves instead of mittens, though.

12. What is/are your favorite items to knit?

Socks, socks and socks...with a few things for grandkids thrown in.

13. What are you knitting right now?

Cashmere arm warmers and a cabled cardigan for 7 month old grandson.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

There is nothing better!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Definately bamboo for dp's and aluminum for circulars. Will used short straights, but like circulars better for anything bigger than a scarf.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

Yes, both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

Oh,...now I am embarrassed! There is only ONE this old...I promise.... but the oldest one I have is over 20 years old...think I will ever finish that one? It was a tank top for my oldest daughter when she was in high school!

18. What is your favorite holiday?

Toss-up...Christmas, Easter and Valentines Day

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Not anymore...except knitting stuff, of course!

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting subscriptions do you have?

Knit-picks options......gonna have to have them at some point in time! Also too many sock yarns to mention that I haven't been able to try yet! I have subscriptions to Knit 1 (a gift), Creative Knitting and Vogue.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

Not really. I would just like to improve on the techniques I have alread learned.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

YES!! My favorite thing to knit! I wear a US size 7 shoe.

23. When is your birthday?

October 17

ONE DIRTY CAT!

Well, Mr. Astor.....better known as Akira Blue caused a ruckus around here yesterday! He wasn't feeling good and was leaving less-than-desireable deposits around the house....thank goodness I have hard surface floors, is all I can say about that....I just can't deal with stuff like that!! As I was rushing around cleaning up after him, I decided to let him go outside for a while so I could get things back in order then call and see if I could get him into the vet. He has always, since he was a tiny kitten, loved to go outside. Funny thing is he has never...not even once....tried to leave the back-yard! Well....he didn't leave the yard yesterday either....he just chose to play "Houdini" and hid...and I THOUGHT he left the yard! He usually never wants to stay out more than an hour or so either, so he had me frantic when I couldn't find him and he never came back to the door to be let back in!

After I cleaned up his messes I went out to look for him and couldn't find him anywhere! I looked under Savy's playhouse and the deck with a flashlight and everywhere else I could think of. Amanda & Savy came over later and helped look for him, too. We all called and called him....and nothing!!! I went out front and walked around the neighborhood looking and calling, too. DH was out of town yesterday and not due in until bed-time. By the time DH came in, I was crying and feeling so bad about letting Akira out!!! It was cold and misting and I was so upset and worried about him being sick out in that...or worse...that he had gotten out of the yard and gotten ran over.....or he was sicker than I thought and just "went off somewhere"....he is getting pretty old and you just never know. As many times as I went out and looked for him, DH went out with the flashlight - a full 12 hours after Akira went out there - and found him under the deck within the first 5 minutes....the little toot meowed for him! I guess he had been there all along! The only problem is, we couldn't get him to come out...he just sat under there and meowed! I don't know why he didn't just come out the way he went in, but he wouldn't! Long story short....you guessed it....we busted out part of the deck! The noise scared him and he still wouldn't come out for a while, but eventually he crawled out of the hole. He is one dirty boy from being under there, too! Today, we will be going to the vet to get checked out and get a bath! And I think we will get rid of that deck and pour a slab before too long!

I did manage to get the first arm warmer for my Buddy, Amy, finished last night after things calmed down. They come up over the elbow and are so soft and warm! Here by myself this morning, so couldn't get a full shot of the top with the fun-fur stuff, but here it is. Still planning on finishing Daxton's red cabled cardigan next, but I'm dying to get a pair of socks going....I guess I am officially addicted...to socks! I'm really having withdrawals...LOL!

Don't know how much knitting I will get done this week, though...it's shaping up to be pretty busy. Have to get taxes done and to cpa this week, have Savy's Campfire Kids Valentine Party tonight....meeting with cpa about a business we are thinking about trying to buy on Wednesday....will post more about that later...if we decide to do it...., keeping Savy & Dax Thursday night and DD and husband from Dallas are coming in Friday night, so the week-end will be full, too! They usually leave before noon on Sundays when they come, then we have Guild on Sunday afternoon. It will all be fun!

I guess those taxes aren't going to do themselves, so I had better get to it!

Knitting Lesson

A while back I mentioned that Savy had asked me about learning to knit a few times. I thought she was probably not quite ready to learn and had decided to wait a couple of years. A lot of people encouraged me to go ahead and "go for it" because you never know.....that Montessori teaches it at age five, etc. I went out and got her a little bag, some kid's needles and a skein of chunky yarn. Also found a cute latchhook kit and picked that up, too! She was really excited about it when I gave it to her.

We had a little "lesson" this morning...she was so cute! The lesson didn't last very long...she has never had a really long attention span...she is too busy and can't sit still for very long. She was almost 4 years old before she could sit still long enough to watch an entire cartoon! Anyway, it was fun introducing her to the craft that I love so much! In reality, it probably will be a while longer before she is ready to sit and do it by herself....after a few more lessons, lol! But I have planted the seed! With her Mommie and I both being "yarn-a-holics", she probably doesn't stand a chance! Then, again, she might not like it at all...or she may wait many years and develop the interest like her Mom and Aunt Mel did. I taught both my girls when they were about 9 - 10. They did it for a short time then lost interest until they were grown. I guess it was about 7 years ago they both approached me and asked me to teach them again. Melissa did a couple of beautiful projects then got on a fast-track career wise and hasn't done much lately. Amanda is another story.....is almost as addicted as I am! I think Amanda posted on her blog recently about something I say to her all the time...."Mirror, mirror on the wall....I'm becoming my Mother, after all!" LOL!

Got a little more done on the arm warmer/gauntlets last night....but not a lot. When my girl is here, I don't usually get a lot done...other than playing! Will post a pic of one when I finish it and cast on the second one. Will finish up the post with just pics of our time with Savy Girl!

Plan today is to hit Affair of the Heart. I love going to that when it is here. Don't have a lot of excess cash this time to spread around, but it is still fun to go!

Short Blurb

Ok....this is pretty much a "test" post. Just did one and it said it published successfully, but it is not there! That happened once before and I re-posted it and the next day...I had two of the same posts...didn't want that to happen...so just running a test!

Non-Techno

You know, I don't think any of us really realize how dependant we are on some of our modern technology....until we don't have it!! Indicative of my day today!

The day got off to a funky start at the beginning....we have one of those programable coffee pots that goes off about 30 minutes before we get up so I am used to stumbling straight to the kitchen for that first cup immediately. Well....making up the coffee pot is and always has been DH's job...funny how that happens without ever talking about it....we just end up with our respective unspoken "jobs".....Anyway....he always does it unless he is out of town....which he was last night. I SWEAR I set it...the green light WAS on when I went to bed - but this morning...a cold, empty pot!!! I admit it...I am spoiled and that wasn't a cheery wake-up this morning...lol! I got it going and went out to get my newspaper. I always read the paper with my morning coffee......no paper. It never came today at all. Soooo after the upset to my morning routine, I re-group and decide to get caught up on reading emails, favorite blogs, etc instead of reading the paper.......you guessed it......no internet!!!

I was actually without internet, television and telephone ALL day!!! They finally got the phone back up around 3:30 this afternoon, but the rest wasn't back running until around 5:00! I honestly didn't realize just how many times during the day I come in here and get online...until I couldn't! One good thing came of it, though. I finished my financials for the half-year I was still working as a Realtor....all done! Now I can wrap up the worksheets for our taxes and be done early this year. A good thing.....unless we owe money, of course!

Oh, my...I have to confess....the colorful comment about "frogging" is from my son-in-law...silly boy...LOL!! He does have a funny sense of humor...best thing about him, though, is the way he loves my daughter and Savy...and how good he is to them! We are blessed to have him in our family!! Now....don't go getting a big head, David! LOL!

Thank you, Pal...for the link to the flicker site. What wonderful socks!!! I am a sock nut, too. I have been doing some other things lately, and do quite often, but I am always thinking about doing socks and wanting to be working on a pair instead of what I am working on! It actually sounds like you and I have a lot of things in common! :-) I'm excited about the Secret Pal 10, too!! I missed the last one and have been waiting for this one to open up. I hope I don't get a partner that is overseas....I would much rather spend the money on "stuff" for my partner than a lot of postage! We will see, I guess....I'm looking forward to really spoiling my partner, who-ever it is!

No pics to post today since it was a "non-techno" day! Savy is spending the night tomorrow night, so will probably have some to post on Sunday!

Knitting and other Stuff

Thanks for the nice comments about my grandkids, Pal!! I think they are pretty darn cute....but then I MIGHT be a little bit biased..lol :-) I got my packages on their way today for the two swaps. One is going to Belgium and I about had "sticker shock" when they told me how much the postage would be...sure hope she likes it cuz I kinda went a bit over the limits on the contents before I knew how much it would be to send it! But it will be worth it if it really makes her day!

Been a crazy, busy, run-around day for most of the day! Got the dreaded Dr. appt. out of the way thank goodness. I just hate going to the Dr. Everything looked good, but he still wants me to do a stress test just to make sure....I guess it's good to make sure everything is all right, but that is one thing about Drs that annoys me...once they get you coming in, they never want to let you go! You just have to go in again and again for what seems like months on end! Oh, well...part of the hazards of getting "along" in years, I guess! Getting older "ain't" for sissies as they say..lol!

At least I did get a decent amount done on the gauntlets for my Buddy in Texas. Worked on them while in Dr office and while I was over at Susan's this afternoon. You can't see the cable very well, but they are a pattern from DIY's Knitty Gritty...with the addition of the fun-fur at the top. She wants them to be elbow length, but they are working up pretty fast so I'm thinking they won't take too long.

I AM going to be disciplined and finish the little red cabled sweater for Daxton next, then....I got this cute little sock kit for Savy a while back so I think that will be the next thing going otn. After that, I'm pretty sure I'll be casting on a pair of socks for me. Since I haven't been knitting socks very long and I've done a few pairs for other people, I only have 3 pair for me....don't want to wear them out before I get more made!! If they are clean I ALWAYS grab those first...... But then, I know I have a scarf kit coming soon.....I might not be able to resist that!

That's always the dilemma, isn't it? Too many things to knit.....not enough time, money,yarn, hands, etc...LOL!

One thing I have been really good about this year...so far, anyway...is keeping up with the Knitting Journal that Susan gave me for Christmas. I love that thing!!! It is going to be soo handy down the road to be able to look back at notes about the pattern/fit, etc! Especially for socks....the perfect place for everyone's sock "recipe" for future reference! It's also going to be neat to look back and see just how productive I was on the knitting front. I tend to forget about several projects when I reflect back and try to remember what all I did last year! Anyway, it's just really neat and I plan to do one every year now!

OHHHHHH...I'm about ready to commit puppy-cide!!! Yes, that precious little puppy face a couple of posts back...that innocent little face....Stoneleigh.....has been in the other room trying to frog Daxton's sweater while I have been in here blogging!!!! Does the phrase "pinch your head off" sound familiar? Fortunately, he didn't get anything pulled out on what I've done....just slobbered all over the attached skein! Thank goodness I have more yarn than called for...the little stinker! I guess he is ticked off at me for being gone so long today because he has been trying my patience ever since I walked in the door...into one thing after another...and ignoring the mulitude of dog toys strewn all over the place. Oh, well....life and times of having a young puppy.....major pain in the booty sometimes, but so cute and loveable when asleep...lol!.....kind of like kids, sometimes! :-)

Yipee!!

Got notification by email that I have been accepted in the Secret Pal 10 Swap!!! Will be posting the questionaire answers a little closer to the start date in March! I love doing the swap thing...it is sooo much fun! I have done several swaps on www.swap-bot.com but this is the first one of the Secret Pal swaps for me. I have had pretty good luck with all of the others. I have gotten a great pal for the Winter Scarf Kit Swap it seems!! She is so nice and has been posting comments here....of course I "lost" several of them when ditzy me deleted my blog. I have two boxes that I'm going to be mailing tomorrow....one for the Scarf Kit swap and one for a Magic Yarn Ball swap.

I even set up a swap of my own on swap-bot yesterday. My first time hostessing one, too. When I checked this morning I already had 9 people signed up for it....pretty good, I think for less than 24 hours on the board. It is for Knitting Necessities. We will see how it goes.

I did finally finish the two sides to the felted bag so I can move on to other things until the next class at GY. I cast on for my friend, Amy's, gauntlets. Just barely started with the ribbing. She chose a fun fur for the tops of them and Debbie Bliss Casherino for the body. Can't tell much about it from the pic because I didn't get a whole lot done....I was busy with Grandkids today!!! That has to be my favorite kind of day!

I kept Clayton for a little while this morning while his Mom & Dad ran some errands and had a meeting. It was the first time he had seen Poppy's aquarium and he is obsessed with Nemo right now so it was a huge hit!! He is 20 months old and he was just mesmerized with the two "Nemos" in there. He really liked the candy cane shrimp, too!

Later on in the day Savy & Dax came over for a little while! They love the tank, too. It amazes me how long they can stay there just looking at it! So I'm thinking....it was a pretty good investment!!!! Sure makes entertaining the grandkids easy...lol! My favorite kind of day! Little kids and fur-kids running around all over the place!






Tomorrow will be a busy, out of the house day. Starting at 8:30....yuck....I have gotten spoiled since I have retired. I usually still get out of bed pretty early, but getting dressed is another story altogether..lol!

Have a follow up Dr. appt. from when I was in the hospital at Christmas just to make sure everything is hunky-dory. Haven't had any more issues so am pretty sure all is fine. Then I have to get those swap packages in the mail then spend the afternoon knitting with my buddy, Susan. We try to get together once a week....doesn't always work out, but we try! It's always a run relaxing time to just visit and knit. We usually meet at her house....it's definately more relaxing over there than it is here with my zoo!

Quest

Ok...the quest to "re-build" the blog begins..lol! I feel great this morning....and so very blessed! Late last night when almost a year's worth of posts vanished into cyber-space, it seemed like such a huge disaster! But after a good night's sleep, in retrospect....it is such a small thing...really! I have so much to be happy about and thankful for! It's just no big deal. So...Peanut....quit worrying about it! Having a beautiful, thoughtful and loving daughter like you in my life is worth more to me than a bazillion lost blogs...or pretty much anything else! I have been doubly blessed in the "kid" area. Both of my girls have grown into the most remarkble women....ones that any mother could be proud of! Both are sweet, tender-hearted and so accomplished in what ever they set out to do! Plus....they love their Momma....and show it...who could ask for more?

Don't have a lot new to show in the knitting area without being redundant for those who check out my little corner of blogdom on a regular basis, but I do have a pic of half of the Schaefer Kathleen Felted Bag.....the one that gave me such trouble! The pattern was a mess and I mis-interpreted it the first round. Suffice to say I knitted the equivalent of a tree skirt....and had to frog the whole thing and start over!

Still have the little red cabled cardigan otn for Little Mr. Dax as well. Need to get the other half of the bag done and finish it before the little stinker out-grows it!
Since I don't have any "grand" babies at my disposal this morning I will have to settle for posting pics of the "fur" babies around here.

The oldest member of the crew is Akira Blue...got that name from his pretty sky-blue eyes! He will be 11 this Christmas. If you read Garfield you pretty much know his personality! He tolerates the other fur-kids...just barely! Every once in a while he will just walk by one of them and thump them on the head for no apparent reason...it's a hoot!

The first one to invade Akira's world was Cricket. He is going to be 9 this summer. He is a Yorkie and such a sweet boy! We got him when he was 12 weeks old and sooo tiny! He was all ears back then. Those ears are still pretty big but he grew into them a little. He got his name because he LOVES to chase crickets outside.

Next fur-kid is little Gidget. She is a Yorkie too and has quite a story behind our aquisition of her. If you read my blog in the past you have heard her story, so bear with me. Stories like hers are worth repeating. She turns 14 this month. We got her in 1999. I found her on my lunch hour in the pound when we lived in Texas and just HAD to have her....all 2 1/2 lbs of her! Turned out the pound had found her owners and they were trying to decide if they wanted her back or not! What??? How could you not want your fur-baby back? That was my first clue!
I was told I would have to call every day to "check her status".....so I did.....for 5 days! When I finally got word they decided to relinquish her they told me she would be available for adoption on Sunday....first come, first served. They opened at 1:00 pm. Well....I was sitting in the parking lot at 6:30 AM with my knitting, newspaper and a thermos of coffee.....waiting! LOL...do you think I wanted that baby? About 20 minutes after I got there another car full of little kids pulled up and who do you think they wanted?....Yep....my girl! Fortunately, a guy from the pound had already come out to the car, asked who I wanted and took my driver's liscense in and attached it to her paper-work....so she was already mine! Turns out I got to meet her "other" owners...the ones who threw her away....who were there to get ANOTHER dog....because she wasn't good with kids....GRRRRRR.....I wasn't very nice to her....at all! I even told the people inside I didn't think she should be allowed to get another one! Anyway, I got ahold of that precious little girl and took her home. She had been severly neglected....no hair on her booty at all from un-treated allergies and obviously abused as well. She wanted me to hold her, but was terrified of being picked up and would try to bite. For the first 4 months I would have to lay a pillow on the floor, let her hop onto the pillow, then pick the pillow up with her on it. After that initial adjustment period she regained her confidence and now she rules the house and everyone in it...lol! She seems to think she is a rottie instead of a yorkie the way she "bosses" everyone around. She has arthritis and cataracts now....thus the funny eyes in the pic...but her silly antics have brought us untold joy and laughter the past several years. I know she probably doesn't have much longer, but at least I know these last years of her little life have been happy! Here's my girl! Oh, and she's up to over 3 lbs now!

And last, but certainly not least...the newest...and I SWEAR the last fur-kid! Stoneleigh! He turned 1 year old in January.....and he is a stinker! Or maybe I have just forgotten what it is like to have a new puppy in the house....Oh My Goodness!!! Into everything....yes....even my knitting. I know of at least one pair of dp's that he chewed up and a couple of things he very graciously frogged for me!

He is such fun, though....and so very good with the grand-kids! A terrific breed for kids a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel...so sweet and docile and he LOVES them! Wants to be right by them when they are here....all the adults in the house are persona-non-grata if kids are around! Savy has put baby clothes on him, pushed him in her stroller...he's just along for the ride and loves it when she's here! And he's SO gentle around Dax...it's like he knows he can rough-house with Savy, but is very careful around Dax! It's funny how bringing him in changed the dynamics of the house! Cricket tolerates him...even plays with him sometimes....on Cricket's terms, of course.....Gidget HATES him and wants nothing to do with him at all......but Akira LOVES him! They wrap their little arms around each other and wrestle! It's too funny!

Big Uh-Oh

Welcome to the first post on my "newly" created blog....yes....new. Amanda was having computer problems tonight and I was trying to help her create her new blog from my computer. Long drawn out process of events, but long-story-short....you guessed it....I deleted my own blog! Duh.... Told you technical things get the best of me.....darn near every time!

I really hate losing all the posts that I have made for almost a year now, but my main concern at this point is I JUST signed up for Secret Pal 10 TODAY!!!! The rules state that you have to have a blog with a minimum of 10 posts to participate. I really am not quite sure what to do here! Possibly just do a bunch of posts before the cut-off date, email one of the hostesses and explain what I have done....I don't know. Any ideas?

Well, I don't have any new pictures to post..lol...wasn't planning to do a post tonight, but decided I had better so I can check and make sure I got the "repeat" version right!