The difference between Mommy and Daddy

Well, we made it home safely from our Easter trip. Thank you M-I-L for everything! We had a lot of fun.

Now, for those of you that have children (notice the plural?).....

In the car, on the way home, the girls fought. From Effingham to Paducah. Off and on..."give me that!"..."You got to do it last time"......."Mom/Dad...she's doing (fill in the blank)"...."I'm hungry"...."I'm not hungry"...."I'm not tired"....."I don't have to go potty"....and so on, and so on, and so on. My darling husband turned to me (after threatening to take away all toys, movies, clothes, blankets, crayons, paper, just about everything except for a paperclip and used tissue) and asked "Do they do this all the time?!?!". Clearly he was (very) frustrated.

Now, that was surely an open ended question he asked. A cute response would have been "Do what?". Snarky response would have sounded something like "Well, if you were at home more often you would know that wouldn't you". Sarcastic "Nope, they only do this on Sundays, when you are driving". Concerned could have been "Well, do you think we should do something about it?" But no, I just looked at him and said "Yep. And you are doing a fine job of keeping them in line too." Then went back to my sock. Tee hee hee....

What do you mean it's Wednesday already?!?!?!?

Wow. I can hardly believe that it is Wednesday already. We are into March! Well, lots of stuff has been going on. My youngest is in the last leg of her F.R.E.D. (Families Read Every Day) project and has decided that she wants to "WIN". The goal was to read 100 books by April 14th. We have read over 200 (for now) and so far this week we have read 21 books (3 days, 21 books, yep....7 books a day!). She is determined to be the one that reads the most. The best part...she is now reading to us. Of the 21 books, she has read 7 herself to either myself or hubby. I'm so proud! Grandma, if you are reading this, we are planning on bringing books with us because she wants to read to you. Get the tissues ready.

All this week the girls have had fun things to do for Read Across America week. Monday they dressed as their favorite book character (Amelia Bedelia and Hermione Granger), Tuesday was wear your PJ's to school day. Today was dress for the royal court as a prince, princess, king or queen. Both girls were princesses (per their Daddy). Tomorrow is dress like your favorite wild animal. We are planning on a black leopard and a unicorn. Friday is Freaky Friday/Mismatched clothes day. Boy is that one going to be fun!

I kind of hit a snag with my knitting. Bad person that I am, I started (another) project without finishing the 2 (or more) I currently have in progress. I picked out yarn that closely matched the paint we are using in the living room, and the furniture (without the slip covers) and started a new afghan for the living room. I still have to finish my other Fleet Street Fingerless Barber Mitts and the sock(s) I've got going. But, the afghan goes quick so I'm not too worried. And when spring break is here (Woo Hoo!) I'll be putting the finishing touches on the communion gown for the oldest daughter. Crud. Just remembered that I have to get Easter dresses and shoes and such too. Which means I have to go shopping. Ugh.

On a cute note, my Depphead (her word, not mine) friend got a little surprise in her mailbox at work this morning and I can't wait to see what she thought of it! Tee hee hee. I got her a set of artificial nails that are black with little tiny silvery white skull and crossbones on each tip with a small pink rhinestone in one eye. You gott be a Depphead to appreciate it.

Girls Night Out-Gonna have fun now!

Well, I've got about 20 minutes to go before heading out to our first knitting group for our town. I have no idea how many people are going (I might be the only one!). But, there are no children, no husbands, no laundry or dishes, no fixing dinner involved. There is however friends, chatting, yarn, needles, coffee, and chocolate. How SWEET is that?

Oh, the eBay (stupid jerk) problem has been resolved with the seller refunding all my money. He hadn't responded back to me in 2 days, but when I filed a claim with Paypal....he jumped right on it. Guess having his account frozen got him off his duff pretty quick.

AARRRGGGHHHH! (Strong language content-you have been warned)

Well, yesterday I did something I don't usually do. We went to the mall and I actually went shopping and bought stuff for me. I feel so prosperous! I bought a pair of Bass sandles for summer in this beautiful reddish brown. I also bought some World's Softest Socks (my favorite commercial socks), some "unmentionables" and 2 Captain Jack coffee/travel mugs. The girls bought a small stuffed animal from Build a Bear plus a new outfit each for their bears (B got a pirate outfit, H got a High School Musical outfit...tee hee hee). It was actually a fun time, but by the time I was done spending money, the crowds had gotten to me. I just don't get why people feel like they have to either walk right in front of you going the opposite way you are and expect you to move out of their way, or that 2 people can take up the entire width of the aisle and move at a snails pace without letting other people by. That is just one of the reasons I hate going shopping.

Now for the AAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH.

I recently salvaged a Nintendo DS Lite from the trash can. The only 2 problems w/ it were that the bottom screen (LCD) had an internal crack so the screen has a black smudge/smear on it and one of the hinges is broken. A few months ago I was able to repair my Tungstun C without difficulty so I figure I can repair a Nintendo DS too. I was able to find a replacement screen on eBay (cheap) and ordered it. I've had absolutely no problems with that seller saying they didn't get payment or anything. Then I found a housing replacement and bought it. I paid for it at the time of buying it (I used Buy it Now). 3 days later the "seller" sent me a reminder e-mail about paying. I replied back that I had already paid. Then 2 days after that he said the color I had one (clear blue) was out of stock and I had to pick another color or get a refund. 1) Why offer something for sale if you don't have it?????? 2) Why offer me a refund if you say I haven't paid for it??????? Then yesterday I was on eBay again to get a fountain pen/calligraphy pen. When I won the item this alert popped up and the flippin seller had put through and Unpaid Item complaint through eBay. I responded back (politely....... this time......) and showed the proof that the item has been paid for for a freakin week. Ebay shows that the item has been paid for, Paypal shows that the item has been paid for. So, not being one to sit by and idly twiddle my thumbs, I went to Paypal and filed a "I haven't gotten the damn thing I won you stupid SOB so there" complaint (that isn't the exact wording that Paypal uses for that complaint, but you get the idea). Hopefully he'll (I am assuming it is a he) get his head out of his ass and realize he made a HUGE mistake. When this gets resolved I am going to blast the hell out of this seller to eBay. I take a lot of pride in the fact that I have a 100% rating on eBay and I don't want this idiot to jepordize that rating. Whew. I feel better.

We get to go to school!

I just checked our schools website, and we are supposed to go back to school tomorrow! Finally. I have had it up to my eyeballs with the girls arguing and fighting.

I started a new sock pattern yesterday, and I must say it is not only knitting up quickly, but this is the best fitting sock I've made yet. Here is a pic of it in progress. As soon as I get the first sock done, I will post the pattern.

(Another) Snow Day!

Yippee. More time with my children. More time with my children that argue. And fight. And get bored. Then aruge and fight more. Hmmm.....since hubby is going to paint the wall (sometime) I wonder what would happen if I duct taped the kids to the wall. Ha. Knowing them, they would have me taped to the wall in a matter of seconds. Today will be spent doing laundry (Damn Laundry Fairy) and generally cleaning up the house. Wow. What a fun (NOT) thing to do on an unexpected day off. Just what I wanted to do when I was jolted awake this morning when hubby's alarm went off and I had thought I had overslept. He had turned off the alarm last night when the announcement was made that schools were closed. Wasn't that sweet?!? Course, after the jolt of waking up quickly because I had thought I overslept pretty much secured the fact that going back to sleep was out of the question. So I got up and made a pot (Yummy!) of coffee and was able to enjoy several cups before the evilarguingmonstergirls....I mean the kids.....woke up. Uh oh...house is quiet...gotta go see what is going on...

Snow Day!

We got a snow day! Yippee!

Renovations are coming along. Course the living room is a disaster.



Oops. That's a pic of hubby and "him". My handymanadoptedbrotherinlawcousinpartofthefamily person is the "him". Don't know what I'm going to do about his "fat ass" comment the other night....but pay he will.
Here is a pic of the living room. They, the Brothers Trimm (ha ha ha) are putting up crown molding.


Saturday is supposed to be painting day. I will of course offer support for my hubby doing this by taking myself and the children off for a day with my parents. I will be doing taxes (actually I will be standing by my mommy while SHE does my taxes...her computer, her program, she has control of the keyboard...unless she reads this before Saturday and decides to put me in my place and let me do the taxes...) and hubster will be doing the manual labor. While out, I will probably start looking for a new couch slip cover and yarn to make a new afghan to match the room. Even though I try, I can't get away from buying more yarn. Darn.

The second part of my post is for Moms. I hope I am not the only Mom that has ever asked a question for her child and got a response I was not expecting. I know MY Mom has gone through that (when asking me as a child "What is a 4 letter word, that starts with 'M' and comes from a cow?"...my response....MEAT!....technically right, but not what Mom was expecting). Last night hubby took the girls to Home Depot to buy more "guy stuff". On their way home, my youngest calls me. I chat with her about what is for dinner, what they have done, where they went...you know...all that stuff you talk to your kids about on the phone. Now, knowing that my child is bright (read...I think my child is one of the two smartest kids in the world-the other being her big sister-and there is no way she will NOT understand my questions or fail to give an appropriate response) and that I can maybe get the answer out of her, rather than talking to her sister (read....the oldest child can talk, and talk, and talk, and continue talking until you just want to lay the phone down, go read War & Peace, the unabridged version, and then pick up the phone again) so I very calmly asked the younger "Where are you?". She responded she didn't really know (expected answer). I then asked her what she saw out the window (landmarks, that kind of thing). Her answer? "Rain."

The Wait is On!

The wait is on and here comes snow in the forecast. We are just waiting to see if a snow day is called or not. It's sleeting right now (those lovely little ice pellets) and snow is forcast for on top of it. I don't know if they brined the roads last night or not. If there is a snow day, I plan on working (finishing?) my Crocus Bud socks and maybe even starting a new pair. Like I need a new pair of socks. But my Daddy gave me some money to buy some yarn and I got an absolutely gorgeous sock yarn in a blend of my favorite colors so I am anxious to get started on them. That darn resolution keeps popping up that I made at the first of the year (don't start a new project until the current project is finished, use up some of my stash...oops...forgot that one when I got the new sock yarn....Oh well!). Will just have to wait and see!

Painting Update

Well, we did the Tibetian Red. Mom said it looks good so that is a plus. If you compare to the picture below, you can see it isn't nearly as bright as the first red.

Why do they call it a Sleepover?

My youngest hosted her first "big girl" sleepover with her friends. There were only 4 girls total, but here is a rundown of how the evening went. In less than 5 minutes the bedroom looked like a tornado took a hurricaine on a date on a Tilt-A-Whirl and vomited up the contents of not only a clothing store but a Toys-R-Us too. Then we laughed while pizza got cold on our plates. Then we watched a movie while we kept laughing and rearranging the disaster zone. Then we had brownies, brushed out teeth, had more brownies, more teeth brushing, and watched another movie. We finally fell asleep about 10:30 or so. Then the oldest daughter (who was at her own sleepover at a friend's house) called about mid-night, she wanted to go home. So hubby went to go get her, then turned around to go get the pillow they forgot, then came home and got here about 1:00 in the morning. At about 3:00 somebody had a little scary dream so of course I had to go out and rub a back. No, I don't know which child it was because a) it was dark and b) they moved in their sleep and where they originally started out was NOT where they woke up this morning. Then the alarm (hubby's..not mine) went off at 5:30 so sleep was no longer an option. The kids started waking up at about 6:30 and we were off. And even with the lack of sleep, it was a fun night. The kids played, and played, and played and enjoyed every minute of it.

The Evolution of Communication

For those that don't know me, I am a fan of Johnny Depp. Now, there are some (my husband and family are among those) that might say "obsessed fan" would be a better description, but I beg to disagree. I enjoy his acting and the abilities he has of making a character truly his own. I admire his eccentricity and originality. He is aesthetically pleasing for the female to gaze upon (duh!). He is a devoted father. Just becuase I have posters of him in my office(s). And pictures. And a calander or four. And maybe I've read a few biographys. And he might be the wallpaper on my computers, and the screen savers too. Course I don't have a room that I can devote to him (collection display envy going on here JM). Anyway......I have a friend at work (JM) who speaks the Depp version of the English language. We always know what the other one is talking about. We try to one up each other on all things Johnny. We go see the movies together when they come out. But it struck me today, that the two of us (and a few others that are in the JD fan club) can go on and on and on about him, and nobody else knows what in the world we are talking about. Almost as if we are speaking a secret language. We've gotten our fair share of eye rolls, and the indulgent "I thought you would like/appreciate this", but only those who truly admire his work are able to speak this language and understand when it is spoken.

It's just great to have friends that understand you!

Who Wants Spaghetti?

I would love to know what they really put in macaroni, spaghetti and spaghetti sauce. Not the ingredients listed on the box, nor the ingredients listed in a cookbook. But what they don't mention that they put in there. The reason I wonder this is because of the following conversation I had with my youngest child.

Her: "What's for dinner?"
Me: "Fried chicken."
Her: "Can we have spaghetti?"
Me: "No. You had spaghetti yesterday for lunch."
Her: "What else are we having?"
Me: "Mashed potatoes and brocolli."
Her: "We don't ever get spaghetti and we just had brocolli."
Me:" You just had spaghetti yesterday. And you had it last Wednesday for dinner. And you had it the Friday before at Mamou's. It's been since before Christmas that you had brocolli."
Her: "But you can't put brocolli in spaghetti Mommy."
Me: "No spaghetti. Chicken. Potatoes. Brocolli."
Her: "Can we have macaroni with it?"
Me: (Now close to pulling my hair out) "No. Macaroni is too close to spaghetti. No macaroni. No spaghetti."
Her: "But Mommy, spaghetti is long and skinny and macaroni is fat. Can we have spaghetti tomorrow?"
Me: "AAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Her: "What about macaroni?"

Do any other mom's get this? Am I the only mom singled out by the pasta monsters? Thus, I wonder just what is in macaroni, spaghetti and spaghetti sauce that has gotten my children addicted to it to the point that that is what they want for dinner every, single night. And no, it can't be a frozen spaghetti dinner. It has to be made. On the stove. With 2 pans and multiple splatters of sauce everywhere because they have to help me stir. And of course we have to have bread with it. Thus the second most frequent question from my youngest.

"Can we have baby bread with that?"

He Won, He Won, He Won!

Finally! Granted, it's not the Oscars, but finally Johnny Depp won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd. Being a huge fan, I was really excited when they announced his name and also when they announced Sweeney Todd as the best musical. (If you haven't seen it, it is WONDERFUL...and not just because of JD.) Eccentricity and originality are gifts, and he has them in spades (thank God!).

My Pattern is on a Website!!!

I just checked one of my favorite free pattern websites and my Mini Sock pattern is on there! Yippeee for me! Maybe my Crocus Bud Sock pattern will be on there soon too. If you would like to check it out, here is the link.

http://knittingpatterncentral.com/new_patterns.php

DaVinci is alive!

Well, hubby is at it again. He's working on the ceilings. Plain white (which is what I prefer). He's gotten the hall painted and is working on the girls bathroom ceiling now. Course, the house now smells like paint (from the Killz he used in the bathroom). We are still debating the colors for the walls. I still like the Tibetian Red but we will just have to wait and see.

I worked on a mini sock this morning in my rainbow yarn. Pretty cute, but I was really after an instant gratification thing. I've sort of lost the momentum on the Crocus Bud socks (Second Sock Syndrome). I did get my Crazy Toes & Heels book yesterday and would love to start a new pair of socks, but I made the resolution that no new projects until the current project is finished. So, I either don't do anything, or I get back to knitting my rainbow socks. Course, I could go ahead and finish the rainbow sweater I started for my oldest a while ago (3 years or so?) by sewing up the seams and then coming up with something to edge the jacket front and neckline (it's a cardigan/jacket). And of course I could dig out my Mom's Fat Cat sweater that I started a loooong time ago (10 years or so?), but I'm just not in the mood for intarsia right now. We will see what I end up doing in a little bit.

The girls are fighting over the computer (again). You would think that they would be OK playing on the one in their room, but Oh No. They would rather play on my computer because it is "faster" (their words, not mine). Thank goodness for my laptop! Dobby (the dog) is beside me giving me "that look" and sighing. It's almost as if she is saying "Mommy, can't I play on your computer too?". Maybe she will just lay down and take a nap while I work on my socks. Nice, homey, lazy Saturday thing to do. But 'DaVinci' just came out and asked me to do something so I guess I should.....he's doing all the hard work, the least I can do is wash the vent thingy he just brought out of the bathroom.

Back to Square One

Well....it came out in the wash (so to speak). Hubby told me last night he hates the red paint. He feels like he is living in blood (his words, not mine). So now we have to go back to the drawing board and pick out something else. He wanted to go with gray. Blech. I explained (quite eloquently) that I wanted COLOR. Not neutrals, not beige, not white or off white, but color. And because I am a reasonable person and am willing to compromise, I specified no blue (don't like it, don't go there), no green (too close to blue for my walls thank you very much), I don't want pink or mauve (even though I do like those colors), no gray or black (too dark), no light gray (too close to blue...see above), no yellow (ugh), no pastels (there is a man in the house....can't be super girly), no purple (never did like Barney), no orange (Go UT...but I have a limit), and no sports themes. Sooooo.......I now have a nice "Tibetian Red" (aka..maroonish but darker than the "blood" currently on the walls) that he is getting used to (aka....coming to grips with). Get ready for round 2 of the redecorating/repainting saga.

Pirate Captain Doll Pattern

I've now added a Paypal link for you to be able to directly purchase your own pattern! International buyers please contact me for additional shipping charges prior to purchasing. Thank you!

Free Crocus Bud Sock Pattern (Guidelines really)

Well, I tinkered and piddled, and this is what I came up with. I had a hank of Colinette Jitterbug in Mardi Gras. I tried 3 different patterns and had a problem with pooling of the reds (always on the top of the foot...go figure) so I decided to do a prototype pattern that would hopefully break up the pooling. This is what I got. Now, while I have written patterns in the past, this is really just more of a guideline for those that have knit socks before. While it is an easy pattern, if you are new to knitting toe up socks, it might seem a little daunting. If you find any errors, please let me know!

Crocus Bud Socks

Yarn: 2 balls Colinette Jitterbug in Mardi Gras was used. It is a fingering weight sock yarn, but I didn't use all the yarn.
Needles: Addi Turbos US Size 0 (I used 2 needles)
Construction: Toe Up with Short Row Heel
Made for a US Size 9 Ladies Shoe
Abbreviations used: K (knit), M1 (Make 1), YO (Yarn Over), P3SO (Pass 3rd Stitch Over), W&T (Wrap & Turn), P (Purl)

Cast on 13 stitches to each needle using your favorite cast on method. I prefer Judy's Magic Cast on (instructions can be found on Knitty)

Row 1-Knit around both needles.
Row 2-K1 stitch, M1 by picking up the strand between the stitch you just knit and the next stitch. Knit to last stitch, M1, K1. Repeat for second needle. You now have 15 stitches on each needle.
Row 3-Knit around both needles.

Repeat Rows 2 & 3 until you have 29 stitches on each needle.

Knit 10 Rows without increasing.

When working pattern for the foot, only work the pattern on the top of the foot, continue in stockinette stitch for the sole.

Row 1 of Pattern: K1, *YO, K2* Repeat from * across needle. Needle 2 Knit.
Row 2 of Pattern: *K3, pass the first stitch you knit over the other two. From now on this will be a P3SO. Repeat from * to last stitch. K1.
Row 3 of Pattern: *K2, YO. Repeat from * to last stitch, K1.
Row 4 of Pattern: K1, *K3, P3SO, repeat from * to end.

Tips: If you have 1 stitch with a space then 2 stitches, you are ready for a Row 1. If you have 2 stitches with a space and then 2 stitches, you are ready for a Row 3. When working your K3's, your second stitch (middle stitch) will be in the YO's of the previous row.....so if you have 1 stitch & a YO, you are ready for Row 2, If you have 2 stitches and then a YO you are ready for Row 4.

Now, work your sock until you are about 1.5 inches from the heel. I happened to work 17 rounds of the 4 row pattern. I ended by working Row 4 and pausing using Needle 1.

Time for the heel ! (Work on Needle 2 only)
Row 1: K to last stitch, W&T
Row 2: P to last stitch, W&T
Row 3: K to stitch before last wrapped stitch, W&T
Row 4: P to stitch before last wrapped stitch, W&T

Repeat Rows 4 & 5 until you have 7 unwrapped stitches between wraps, ready to work a knit row.

Row 1: K to first wrapped stitch, knit along with wrap (unwrap it), W&T next stitch.
Row 2: S1, P to first wrapped stitch, purl along with wrap, W&T next stitch.
Row 3: S1, K to first double wrapped stitch, knit along with both wraps, W&T
Row 4: S1, P to first double wrapped stitch, purl along with both wraps, W&T

Repeat Rows 3 & 4 until you have 1 wrapped stitch on one side. You will work the wraps on the first round when you work that stitch.

Resume working in the round starting with the row you left off at (mine was I had finished a Row 4 so I was ready for a Row 1 of the pattern).

On both needles work pattern stitch as written. This gives you a K1 at the sides to reduce the chance of ladders, while still keeping the pattern (mostly) intact. I worked 20 of the 4 row repeat.

Cuff: Work in K1, P1 ribbing for 10 rows (on Needle 1 it is K1, P1, on Needle 2 it is P1, K1)

Picot Bind Off: *Insert right needle into first stitch, YO, pull through and place on left needle. Repeat. (You have just casted on or added on 2 stitches).

Cast off/Bind off 4 stitches.

Place the one stitch from the right needle back onto the left needle and repeat from * around.

Weave in yarn end.

Note: My sock ended up being a little too big in the ankle, but fits the calf nicely and I think that it will probably shrink a little w/ washing and blocking, but I don't know for sure since I haven't even finished with the second sock yet and therefore haven't washed or blocked them yet. Please let me know what you think and if you notice any errors in the pattern. Thank you!

Free Mini Sock Pattern

Just fooling around w/ a mini sock pattern using 2 circs, toe up, short row heel. Took less than an hour so it was an IG project for sure. Sorry the picture is crummy, but I couldn't get a good close up. It really is kind of cute though.

The formula is as follows:
Small amount of fingering weight sock yarn. Size 1 circs (I used Addi Turbo's)
Using your favorite toe up cast on, cast on 2 stitches on each needle.
Row 1: K into front & back of each stitch (4 stitches on each needle)
Row 2: K
Row 3: K1, M1, knit to last stitch, M1, K1 around (6 stitches on each needle).
Row 4: K
Row 5: Repeat row 3
Work in st st for desired length (I did 12 rows).
Choose heel side.
Row 1: Knit to last stitch, W&T
Row 2: S1, purl to last stitch, W&T
Repeat rows 1 & 2 until there are only 2 unwrapped stitches.
Turn heel.
Row 1: Knit to 1st wrapped stitch, unwrap and knit, turn.
Row 2: S1, purl to 1st wrapped stitch, unwrap and purl, turn.
Repeat until all unwrapped stitches have been worked.
Resume knitting in the round for as many rows as you want (I did 12 again).
Work 2 rounds in K1, P1 ribbing.
Bind off and weave in ends.
Simple huh.

Home Improvement

Last night B painted our hallway. For years I have always stuck with bland, neutral colored walls. But this time I picked a bold, ruby red. He hates it. I want to paint the living room the same shade but he isn't wild about that. Who knows what will happen.