I am such a LOSER!

Just a quick post....I got 2nd in the Biggest Loser contest our county was doing! Yippee to me!

What a Loser!

Well, 3 weeks ago we started a Biggest Loser competition at work. Well, actually, the whole county started it. As of last Friday (the results aren't in yet from this week), I am holding steady in 3rd place. The total amount lost so far is 16.6 pounds. Got a ways to go, 10 more weeks, and hopefully quite a bit more to come off.

Time to catch up......

First off, I have to tell you about a friend I lost on Monday. Utster was my cat for 20 years. He had been getting progressively thinner and feeble over the last year and I knew then I wouldn't have him long. This past weekend he didn't eat at all and I knew that it was time. It was the hardest thing I've had to do in a long time. I miss him. I know that time will heal the loss, but it doesn't help the heartbreak now.

Onto happier moments.....

This weekend we went to my dear MIL's retirement party. It was a surprise for her that family and friends were coming. She was surprised (for sure!). It was wonderful, not only for her, but being able to be a part of such a wonderous celebration of her.

School has started and it is really (REALLY) busy this year. 3rd grade has tons of homework and 1st grade is working diligintly on reading. Youngest has now gotten glasses (with her whole maternal side of the family being blinder than bats it was inevitable) and talk about cute! Course, she thinks that we need to clean them every 5 minutes and hasn't gotten the concept that if you don't handle the lenses with your greasy, Oreo mush coated fingers, you wouldn't have to clean them so often.

Oldest daugther decided to get her hair cut in a bob, and now she looks older than her years. They grow up so quick!

I was able to continue working on my Rising from the Flame socks on our trip this past weekend. They are progressing well. I'm also working on a crocheted grocery bag that can be reused (instead of adding to the collection of a gazillion Wal-Mart bags that are in my garage). I would love to slice them up and make sturdy bags for the store, but I just don't have the time for that. So cotton worsted weight yarn it is!

And finally, hubby bought a toy and took us out on the lake the other weekend for a fun, family fishing trip.

Found Dog

Robertson County Tennessee
Coopertown Area
Found 7/2/8
Siberian Husky

Found Dog!

On the off chance that someone knows who this dog belongs to, please contact us to get your dog back. Otherwise my children are going to drive my husband crazy until they are able to keep it and call it Shasta. Watch Snowbuddies to find out why. (This is just what I needed right before getting ready for our annual Fourth of July party!)

Are you my mother?

Many years ago we started out with one mocking bird. Then we got another one. Then they reproduced and so forth and so forth and so on. Now, we have mocking birds all over, in just about every tree on our property. And this little fella was getting a stern talking to from mom & dad yesterday about flying before you are ready. Then of course, he (or she) fell out of the tree. That's when my daughters found him (or her). And then we put him back in the tree. Course, mom & dad were a might bit ticked at us and put up a huge (HUGE) racket. Then after the coast was clear (we had retreated to a safe distance) the little bird took a good flight. Then he cried for mom & she fed him. It was sweet.



And these are my current project. Working out the pattern is fun and a stress relief. Course, when it is done it will be posted on Ravelry. I really like the way it is looking like flames. Course, the yarn is Phoenix (and the name Fawkes was already taken for a pattern name) so for now the name of the sock is "Rising from the Flame".

Where are my socks Mommy?!?!?!?!?!

Well, after being so nicely reminded on Sunday that I haven't posted in "about a month", I decided it was time to post.

Summer break started about 4 weeks ago, and short of being at a standstill with putting stuff back after the floors were done (we're waiting on the baseboards to be put down), there hasn't been a lot going on.

My youngest has been asking (read-badgering unmercifully) me to make her some blue socks as soon as I got finished with my red socks (MOM...you were supposed to make ME some socks, not you, again). Since this is the girly tomboy, she wanted plain socks with very minimal "girly" decorations. So, to work I went and came up with a cute, basic, minimally girly sock (that my mother showed off at the last night of VBS). Has she worn them yet? Nope. But they are done. The pattern is posted on Ravelry of which you have to be a member to access. If you knit or crochet, I highly reccomend joining. Jess & Casey & Bob are wonderful!

Now, I'm working on a flame sock pattern for my "Phoenix" yarn from Dani at Sunshine Yarns. She makes the most beautiful colored yarns, not to mention her Harry Potter inspired colorways. It's coming along, and has only been frogged (ripped out and redone for non-knitters) 3 times since yesterday. I think I have it down now and will keep working on it until it is done. Then the pattern will probably be posted on Ravelry. Then I have to decide what to do with Dani's "Ginny Weasley", "Gilderoy Lockhart", and "Cherry Blossom" yarns. Not to mention my Koigu yarns (pink, green), my Lamb's Heart yarn, the Socks that Rock (I really want to do the "Snape" sock pattern with this yarn) and the umpteen other sock yarns in my stash.

We have been swimming, a lot. And sleeping in our tent (inside) just about every night since we got it. It was a reward from the Disney Movie Rewards program (Love It!). And we are gearing up to see Wall-E this Friday.

Well, time to take care of the kiddos.

Hardwood

Aren't they purdy?!? The men doing the installing did a fabulous job! They are so nice, and make the rooms look much larger. And the area rug I got just ties everything together nicely! I'm so happy!

Sorry it's such a short post, but dinner is on and I'm hungry. More later. Oh, 14 more days of school!

When it hits the fan...it hits the fan!

Well, some things just keep getting better and better around here. My walls are painted (YIPPEEE!) and we are just waiting for the floors. Which should be in next week. While DH is gone. For work. Out of town. For the next 2 weeks. Isn't that going to be fun for me? Aren't you just so envious of me having to take care of the kids, move all the stuff (aka crap) back and forth, back and forth, then clean it up so that DH can come home to a "new" house. And youngest gets to start swimming lessons next week. 3 days a week. For 2 weeks. But that is OK. Both kids HAVE to learn how to swim without nose clip things so that we can get the pool in the back yard for the summer. That is the deal.

The zoo was wonderful yesterday. I so enjoyed being a chaperone to 3 kids (2 little boys and my youngest). We had the wagon loaded with water, juice, first aid kit, backpack, lunches, and the kids. Can you look up the word pack mule in Websters? See that picture there....it's ME! We saw all of 2 exhibits (the creepy crawlies and the Lorakeets-? spelling). Took 88 pictures. Fed a whole bunch of the birds-the kids loved it. Visited the gift shop (I bought the whole class pencils). And played on the absolutely awsome playground. Twice. Fixed one boo boo. Came home and took a nap till the kids got home. I am pathetic. They wore me out!

The Dust Bunnies Have Attacked!

Well, we did it. The carpet came up. The dining room, the living room, and the hallway are now bare. And there was A LOT of dust/sand/dirt/gunk/ick/yuck/blechy stuff under there.


Now my poor house is a wreck. And I get to live in it. Yippee. But (hopefully) it won't take too long to get the walls painted and the floor put in. And it does give me a good chance to go through everything and destash and declutter. Here are some more views so you can be envious of me. Ha.



And this is a picture of absolute trust.

This week in my life

Well, first off, I would like to post pics of my children and my absolutely lovely niece and my nephew.




My oldest daughter, the Drama Princess.



My youngest daughter, the "What can I possibly be up to" Princess.



My beautiful niece, the (Soon to be Heartbreaker) Princess



And last but not least, my (Why do I have to put up with all these girls) nephew.

Obligatory showing off of my family done. For now.

Well, I am getting ready for chaperonage. Yep. I will be chaperoning (I have no idea how many) kindergarterners at the zoo. Woah. I am so looking forward to it! This will be my first field trip with my youngest and I can not wait! I get to pull a wagon with lots of water, juice, first aid kit, probably kids too. Keep track of them. Take pictures (lots of pictures according to my daughter). Play. Pull the wagon some more. Get lunches ready. Eat. Do bathroom duty. Do germ duty. Play some more. And basically get to be a mom. Woo Hoo!

We had some very nice gentlemen in the house today to paint. My DH (Dear Husband) had done some work for one of them, and as a trade off, he got to come in and paint my ceilings. He will be coming by some time this week to paint the walls. And DH decided tonight that "maybe I should just go ahead and pull up the carpet in the living room, dining room and hall to prepare for when we get new wood floors". Yeah. Right. I'm all for pulling up the carpet. You don't know how bad I have wanted to slash the carpet and stick the vacuum hose in the slit and get all the @#%@#$! dirt and dust out of there. Lord. The carpet has been there for (gasp) 16 years, so there is no telling what is under it. But it would also mean that I would be living with (ugly) flooring until we get the wood floors done. I opted for the bamboo I saw at Lowes the other night. It was absolutely gorgeous! But he is opting for "traditional" wood floors. Whatever. As long as I can put an area rug down, I don't care (really). Unlike the paint (see previous posts if you are a new reader).

Now, I am irritated. I am sitting at my computer desk and listening to the lovely sounds of my (inconsiderate) neighbors !@_#P${%*()@_#$%(@#$%(@#$_%()2[]5 hunting dogs barking. Now, I am an animal lover. I have a dog myself. I have a cat. I have a husband and 2 kids (yes, technically they ARE animals). But these (insert bad word/words of choice here) dogs bark all the time. In the morning. At night. They are hunting dogs and we live in the country. For city dwellers, that means that during the night there are various animals that walk/run/slither through our yard (deer, racoon, opossum, rabbits, geese, turkeys, etc.) and what do these (stupid) hunting dogs do? They bark. They are kept in cages. They are not let out. They are not played with. They just bark. And bark. And bark. I have seriously considered going over there in the middle of the night and opening the cages and letting them run loose. But the (stupid) dogs would probably be so grateful someone (anyone) was paying them attention that they would camp out on my patio and bark their everlasting devotion to me. Which at that point I would have to do something drastic. Like go buy bunnies for them to chase.

Eyelet Rib Lacy Baby Socks

Here is another free pattern for baby socks that I came up with. These are worked toe up, short row heel with heel flap. If you notice any errors, please let me know so I can correct them.



Fingering weight sock yarn (I used KPPPM)
Circular needles-US Size 0
Stitch Markers-3 Total

Techniques used: K (knit), P (purl), Inc (Increase), YO (Yarn over), SSK (slip the next 2 stitches as if to knit to the right needle then knit both stitches together through the back loop), W&T (wrap the yarn around the next stitch then turn your work)

Cast on 8 stitches on each needle using your favorite toe-up sock cast on method. I like Judy's Magic Cast On from http://www.knitty.com

Knit 1 round.

Row 1) K1 stitch, Inc 1 stitch (using your favorite method), K to last stitch, Inc 1 stitch , K1.

Row 2) Knit around wihtout increasing.

Repeat Row 1 & 2 until you have 20 stitches on each needle.

Eyelet Lace Rib Pattern
Row 1 and 3) *K2, P1; repeat from * to end, K2
Row 2) *K2, P1, YO, SSK, P1; repeat from * to end, K2
Row 4) *K2, P1, K2tog, YO, P1; repeat from * to end, K2

Top of foot begin Lace Rib pattern starting with Row 1, Bottom of foot work in plain stockinette stitch.

Work 4 repeats of pattern stitch on top of foot before beginning gusset increases on the bottom.

Work gusset increases as follows on every other row while continuing in the pattern stitch on the top of the foot.

1st row of gusset increases) K1, Place Marker, Increase 1 stitch, knit across row to last stitch, increase 1 stitch, place marker, knit last stitch. You should have 22 stitches on the heel side of the sock at this time. The marker will be kept to mark the 20 stitches of the heel. As you continue increasing to 10 gusset stitches on each side, keep the markers to mark the 20 stitches.

Knit the next row without increasing. You will only do gusset increases on every other row. When I did it, it coorosponded with working Rows 1 & 3 of the pattern stitch.

On the top of the sock, use the remaining stitch marker to mark the row you have just finished. For example, if you are knitting Row 1 of the pattern, knit 1 stitch, place marker, and finish the row per the pattern. If you are doing Row 2, then move the marker to between the second and third stitches, and so on for the 4 rows. This way if you set down your work and go to pick it up later you know what row to start on in the pattern stitch.

When I did my socks, I was at Row 1 of the pattern stitch when I began working on the heel.

Ok, to do the heel:
K 18 stitches, W&T
P 16 stitches, W&T
K 14 stitches, W&T
P 12 stitches, W&T
K 10 stitches, W&T
P 8 stitches, W&T
K 6 stitches, W&T

Purl across the heel stitches unwrapping and pearling wrap and stitch together as you go until you get to last stitch. Purl last stitch and 1st gusset stitch together. Turn.

Knit across row unwrapping and knitting wrap and stitch together as you go until you get to the last stitch. SSK. Turn.

#Slip 1st stitch as to purl then purl across row, purling the last stitch and the next gusset stitch together. Turn.

Slip 1 stitch as to purl, knit next stitch, repeat from * to last stitch. SSK last stitch of heel and next gusset stitch.

Repeat from # until all gusset stitches have been worked.

Resume working in the round and begin using the Rib pattern on the back of the sock as well (starting on the same row that you are on the top of the foot-ie: if you are ready to do a Row 2 on the top of the foot, do a Row 2 on the back of the leg).

Do 4 repeats of the Rib pattern, then work 4 rows of K2, P1 ribbing.

Bind off using a 1-2 Picot bind off-%Insert needle as if to knit the first stitch. Pull up loop. Place that loop on the left needle. Bind off 2 stitches. Place stitch on right needle back onto left needle and repeat from % to the end of the row. Weave in ends.

Taa Daa...1 baby sock done. Now do the other. :)

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.

Hello!

Well, this is a first for me. I started this blog mainly so I can post any knitting patterns that I do that I am offering for free (or how to get in touch with me to buy patterns). Will have to stumble my way through figuring stuff out.