Its the weekend!

Yeah! party time, well not exactly since I'm very tired. ;D I worked today which was my last day on the sales floor ~ woohoo and afterwards I went to the LYS for some RnR w/yarn. It was a very pleasant outing. I purchased the needed yarn for ISE6 along w/some clearance DB Cotton Cashmere for a baby sweater. I'm excited about the scarf ~ the yarn is soft and yummy. I won't be posting much here since I accidentally gave away my identity to my ISE Pal ~ we were to be secret pals ~ oops that ravelry id and email. LOL I decided that I'll post my progress but the details will remain anonymous til I ship it off. I want it to be a secret of what she will be getting. If I do take a picture it will be a black/white since you all know how I love to take progress pics ~ yeah right! but I'll do it anyway.

This weekend will be fun even if I do work in the morning. We have our yarn party tomorrow night and I may get to go back to the LYS on sunday for more RnR then off to work for the floor change. I will officially be on vacation monday ~ it will be a full day of rest with the remainder of the week dedicated to exams and house cleaning. I must get my act together and make plans for my absence of a month in training. Which means meal plans, lesson plans, schedules and deep cleaning ~ more like spring cleaning and purging ~ and I will need to be rested before starting this new job too.

My hand is healing nicely ~ thank you to those who shared kind words. I'm grateful I didn't need stitches and since giving him the allergy medicine ~ Poochie has been much better. Tonight I even gave him one of his fav treats and meals. He absolutely loves cottage cheese but it became abit expense for the budget and we hadn't given him any in awhile. I'm pleased to report he is currently curled up, contently sleeping. ;D

My knitting is picking up ~ dishcloth almost done and I will work on the peds this weekend along w/casting on the ISE6 scarf. Due to my new job, I may have to step down from playing Sock Wars 3 ~ it may be too stressful w/the store opening the day it begins. I don't want to be assassinated before I even begin knitting. LOL We shall see and I'll keep you posted.

I'm really tired now and I'm typing funny ~ lots of windows keep opening while I type. Must be hitting extra keys or something. Nite!

Hi out there ;)

I just noticed that I haven't said anything for 2 whole days. Hahaha....you thought I was going to say something great but nope not today. I'm feeling better after a little bout with the depression bug yesterday. I believe the weather and that time of the month are the culprits but I've got my groove back and I'm ok. ;D

Today I worked and will tomorrow and friday ~ long days too. Its ok since they are my last days on regular schedule. I have decided to change jobs ~ more $$, benefits & bonuses. Yeah! My hours will not change much and its still at the mall but I can see the benefits being a real blessing to my family along w/the pay increase. I'm looking forward to learning something new even though the training session will be for the entire month of April.

My hand is healing and I managed to work a section of my dishcloth without pain or discomfort. Though using it at work was tiring and uncomfortable ~ I had an ache in the center of my hand since I can't extend the hand yet ~ it cramps. I'm sure I'll be doing better by the weekend and I plan to hang out at Loops. They are having a "Hot Loops" party on Saturday which should be fabulous and then I will hangout w/more friends on Sunday there ~ can't wait even if I don't knit, I'll be in the company of great friends and lots of yarn. LOL

Off to send a few more emails then to bed. I've an early day ~ breakfast w/one of my best friends then off to work for 6hrs. Woohoo! Wow, I'm sure getting abit sarcastic in my old age. ;D Have an awesome night.

Thank you Mr. Easter Bunny

Yeah, I know what a ridiculous title but I'm in a humorous mood. ;D My hand is healing after its brutally contact w/my dogs mouth. I am able to type using it today but it itches like crazy ~ good thing though so no real complaints. No knitting for now til the hand doesn't have any soreness and that will hopefully be by Wed. I'd like to finish off my dishcloth and the 1st ped.

I've spent my time wisely though ~ well that is after being at work. I've planned 2 patterns for socks, picked out some new projects I'd like to make along with getting some reading time in. This was definitely a biggy for me since I had about 6 books waiting to be read and several started. The funny thing about the reading is I didn't read the books I started. I actually started a new book that I'm enjoying a lot. Its part of the culinary mysteries by Diane Mott Davidson ~ The Main Corspe. Not exactly sure when I got this book but as I was looking over some crafts books it was stuck in between them and I began reading the first chapter. Normally, I finish a paperback in a day but I've been reading rather slowly and I'm enjoying it. Though part of the slow reading yesterday was due to a low-grade migraine. I'm so glad thats gone.

Well, the kiddos got pails of candy this year and they loved them. We didn't do anything special for Easter but I plan to do something different next year. I've taken some pics of their pails so you can see them ~ all the candy is now gone but what do you expect when its their favorite. LOL

Today is the last day of our holiday and I did absolutely nothing which I must say is a big deal too. I had planned to cook dinner but the main ingredient is missing. I will see about picking it up tonight along w/the allergy meds for Poochie ~ one of the reasons he attacked me, he has broken out in a rash and is licking his pawns alot. Major indicator of an allergic reaction to something ~ probably the weeds in the yard along w/the blooming Bradford Pear tree. Well, I've typed enough w/this sore hand and I'm getting tired. I'll check in with you all tomorrow. Have great evening!

Here are their pails ~ cool huh?!

Riley's

Sk8Chick's

Da Boy's

My treat to myself ;)

~ Happy Resurrection Sunday ~

Sunrise by Thomas Kinkade

Enjoy your day and I leave you with this song:

Sunrise
Sunrise, I'm gonna praise His name
Sunset, I'm gonna praise His name
Sunrise, I'm gonna praise His name
Sunset, I'm gonna praise His name
I'm gonna praise
I'm gonna praise
I'm gonna praise His name

~ Happy Spring ~

Not much to report but it has been a very beautiful first day of spring here. I'm still working on my cloth and the peds ~ not much progress to report. Last night the girls and I watched movies but I didn't knit. We watched "Dan in Real Life & Jane Austen's Book Club." I enjoyed both and will probably read the latter one day soon. Off to watch another movie or go to bed early not sure which but if movie ~ August Rush is up next then Enchanted.

Hope you all are enjoying wonderful weather in your area and your spring break!

I've been a bad girl....

well most of you might not think I was a bad girl but actually I am. I was suppose to be on a "slow/simplified living" plan for six months and I've not even started. Oh the agony of it all. I was reading my swap pal Robyn's blog today and she's doing so good on her slow month plan and I really wanted to do it but forgot. I think the tax refund, the sock yarn calls and my love of books was my undoing. I really want to do it, I want to see how much I could save if I didn't buy because I wanted it just when I needed something. I mean how hard could it be ~ I don't buy when I don't have money (I don't have credit cards either), so whats up. I know its my own fault ~ I worked extra hours to buy stuff, I set aside a portion of the tax refund for spending on myself and I've developed a love for sock yarn. I must redeem myself ~ since 6 months is a long time and I failed the 1st 3. I think I'll simplify that to a 3 month plan ~ the next quarter which will go nicely with my stashalong goals. ;)

In other news ~ I worked a long day yesterday and will work another tomorrow since its spring break and most of the staff has quit or on vacation. I will be working thru Sat and off Sun-Tues of next week. I can't wait til Apr 1st when I take a vacation, it is definitely needed and I plan to do absolutely nothing for at least 2 days of that week. We've exams that week but that doesn't take all day. ;) I've decided to let the kiddos have spring break w/the rest of the bunch. We normally do ours the week of Easter but everyones off this week and want them to stay over, so no school as of yesterday til next tues. Yes, we celebrate Easter monday and they will get baskets of candy. I don't do all that junk of toys and over the top items ~ I think that foolish. I love the baskets full of candy filled eggs, coloring books, crayons, straw and stuffed animals. This year they may get bunnies but I can't tell since they read my blog and I want it to be a surprise. Lots of yummy candy too. I'll try to take pics but no promises.

Its been a rainy day ~ storm blew in about 2a and left the rain behind. I'm glad there are no flooding reports in my area but its still possible and real danger. I know, I've been in a flash flood ~ not pretty at all. Glad we have a truck this time ~ abit off the ground but still dangerous due to slick roads. They are like black ice when wet. I've been working on the new peds and my dishcloth ~ not much to report on these. I hope to watch Mansfield Park tonight and knit some more but first need to scrub the kitchen floor and go to the PO. Not sure whats for dinner but grilled chicken sounds good.

Thats all for now, must go back to work. Have a great evening!

Nothing much....

yep, nothing much around here. I'm tired ~ worked a long shift and feeling the effects in my ankles. A long hot bath sounds really good about now. I'll probably take one and work on my new dishcloth. I'm making an another garterlac dishcloth. ;D I'm using SnC Twists in Rose Twists. I'm going to bed early and will be back w/more tomorrow.

Have a great night!

What a weekend I had

it started with a wonderful yarn tour at my lys. I enjoyed myself and really learned some new things. Ok so I didn't need a yarn tour since I hang out there pretty regularly but it was nice to visit w/the owner and some of the staff while learning about their favs and why certain yarns are stocked. I got some knitting time in too ~ working on a new pair of peds for a friend in a lovely orange colorway. I'm using Drops/Garnstudio Fabel sock yarn and love it very much ~ pics later.

Yesterday, dh, the girls and I took a road trip to OKC so he could visit Bass Pro. Then I was treated to a trip to Gourmet Yarn Shop ~ ooh, I've wanted to go for so long and several of my knitting buddies have been but not me. Well, can't say that anymore. I had such a lovely time roaming the store, talking with knitters then I treated myself to some Regia and also got the needed yarn for the Hot Sox contest. They had a Sock Boot Camp but I was a bit late for it though they still gave me the pattern they were using along with the sock instructions they used from Knitty. I believe they are a Hot Sox Spots' for the contest which means I'll be getting lots of info and support from them during this contest.

The SWTC trunk show was also there and I got to pet and ooh n aah over some lovely tofutsies ~ which is what I purchased and can't wait to get started. I must design a knock out, wow kinda sock using this lovely yarn ~ something I've never done before but there's this little bird's voice in my ear saying "you never know, you'll make a pattern one day when you can't find the one you want." Thx Shelley for the encouragement and I'll be sure to keep you posted. ;D Btw ~ she's Loops (my lys) shop owner, stop by and buy some yummy yarn and tell her I sent ya. Ooh la la ~ I just noticed in the rules that Regia has 4 categories too ~ oh boy I'll need another skein of the lovely yarn I got yesterday. Here's a pic of them both:

We also visited 2 malls in OKC yesterday so that I could checkout their BBWs and the Sephoria's. We will be getting our own Sephoria in May and I may have an opportunity to work there so I wanted to see if it was as I'd remembered it from 6 yrs ago. Nope and I'm not too disappointed but we shall see how ours turns out since we just lost our wonderful store manager to them. ;( I will miss her dearly at BBW but don't begrudge her the decision for a change that will bring her much future success and happiness.

Our new vehicle is a dream to drive but the gas guzzling it does, well that leaves much to be desired. LOL I think I may have to work a few more hours in order to not feel the pinch in the pocket or give up buying yarn. Hmm...thats a really hard decision, maybe I'll just give up swaps instead. ;)

Today has been a full day including working for 3hrs and I'm very tired. Just finished watching "Stranger than Fiction" ~ I liked it. I'll be very busy this week ~ working 6 days total, CM support group mtg and other various mandatory things to do around the house. I am hoping to do the girls hair, get appointments set for eye doctors, balance the checkbook so I can pay some bills, clean the refrigerator and bath the dog (maybe I'll let the kiddos do these 2 for me). Whew ~ so much to do and so little time when I'd rather be reading, writing and knitting. Oh well must move forward and get some pics loaded to flickr and go to bed. Hope you all have a wonderful week ~ talk w/you.

I've got a confession...

Are you ready for this admission? Are you sure? Because if you're not sure ~ you may be disappointed. Ok, I'll take your word for it and I'll tell you but you promise not to condemn me or send me to the looney farm? I'm holding you to this ~ you do keep your word and I'm trusting you with my secrets. ;D Ok ~ I'm ready to tell you.....

"I'm addicted to sock yarn."

Phew, now its out and you all know my weakness. I'm suppose to feel better but for some reason I feel like laughing out loud. ;D I know its ridiculous and some of you really thought I'd something serious to tell you. Most of you know of my addiction, especially when I tell you that "sock yarn doesn't count as stash." However, I think I'll have to add it to the no purchase category in order to control myself. ;D I love the stuff and when you can get it for under 5 bucks and make a pr of footies, well need I say anymore. I really need to get a better grip and start spending more time doing something else but I don't seem to know what yet. When I start reading ~ I collect books; when I start cross-stitch ~ I collect needles, patterns and thread; when I sew ~ I collect patterns, fabric and misc stuff ;D so what is a girl to do. heehee btw ~ nature walks won't work either I collect bird watching books and other necessary things but I will admit it would get me out of the house more. hmm....I think I need to break out the new books, the binoculars and sketchpad tomorrow. Yes, I think I will ~ this should give me the pick me up I need (thx for being a sounding board).

I thought I'd share this very humorous post since I've been feeling blah lately. I've a very intelligent post to share but that will be tomorrow. I'm off to bed. Nite!

Here's a pic of the new additions ~ Enjoy!

~ oops this pic is gift knitting from the clearance rack at the lys ~

Nothing much....

is going on around here. I finished the emergency socks, finally. I'm so glad they are done but I don't have the energy or the motivation to do anything at the moment. I tried to knit a pr of baby socks ~ just frogged them. I tried to seem cheerful at our lovely knitting party ~ lys, which is now open on sundays but I really have the "blahs." Brownberry was talking about this recently and I believe I've got them really bad. Its not good since I've 2 new projects coming up that I really want to do ~ ISE6 and Sock Wars 3. They will require more than a blah attitude toward knitting I'm sure. I've not knitted a dishcloth in over a month and don't really have a desire to make one either. Hmm...whats this all about anyway?! I think I'm burned out and that would be ok as long as I get over it fast and soon. LOL

This week will be busy too ~ dh will be leaving wed for a conference til sunday. The kiddos and I will be here to hold down the fort since I'm not comfortable leaving them home alone when I'm over 22,000 miles away. They aren't old enough for that. ;D I will be working at the store this week hopefully only 2 days but with the changes going on I may get called in for my on-call shift. We have inventory this week too ~ so long night on wed. woohoo! (real sarcasm folks!) but overall it should be great and hopefully we will remember to celebrate the boss' birthday before we get to work. The day before may be better ~ I'll talk w/the girls about that tomorrow.

Daylight savings has put a damper on my mood too ~ I'm not fond of the early arrival of it or the length that it has now taken. It really messes with my biological makeup ~ you know the habit of it being just before Easter and after Labor day. I don't know who thought it would be a great idea to change it but I sure wish they'd put it back they way it was. ;D Anywho...getting ready for spring shall be an adventure for me since its been along time since I've done that. I hope to work on the yard more this year and plant a few veggies but time will only tell. The LPGA is around the corner and planning for the state fair. I hope that we are able to take a mini-vacation but at the moment it looks far, far, far away.

I will be attending the CM conference again this year though and I'm looking forward to it. Sk8Chick has decided to go w/me again which shall be a wonderful road trip for us. Speaking of road trips ~ we didn't take one this weekend since dh was asked to work his new pt. School wise ~ we are working slowly in math and science. The kiddos are doing wonderful w/English, history and Bible. I've been very pleased with their diligence and narrations. Tomorrow I'll have them type up some of them to practice typing and to work on sentence structure. I'm hoping to get my schedule a little more normal so we can have our one-on-one time again along w/tea time and our group readings ~ need to find my copy of Shakespeare and theirs, now that I think about it.

I'm very tired now and need to get up early tomorrow. I leave w/dh and Sk8Chick and hangout til time to go to work, will be a long day and won't make it to Knit Guild but I'll get the reports.

Have a great week!

Woohoo ~ Its here

Yep! our long awaited vehicle is now here. We got it yesterday and this is what it looks like ;D

We are very excited and look forward to many wonderful miles of fun. I'll take pics this weekend of ours. Thats all for now ~ just thought I'd post something miscellaneous though some of you have been waiting to hear this news. ;D

Til tomorrow

Rest at last

hmm..rest is such a wonderful thing that we definitely take for granted. I will be getting more of it in the next few weeks though I will not actually be able to take 2 wks off from my pt. There have been some major changes at my store and I didn't realize that I was asking to be off during spring break. LOL I will be working and resting because I will be taking time to sit still, sleep more and get more fresh air ~ yes, that means exercise in english. I don't remember the last time I actually took a walk in my neighborhood and its past time.

Its currently snowing and I'm so happy. I love snow and I've been wanting some, even if its a little bit, after hearing about all that has fallen to the north and east of me. I miss being on the east coast, it is beautiful when it snows. ;D Yes, I know they got a lot of snow and that would have been a bother for one reason or another but since I no longer work full-time out of my home, it would have been pure pleasure for me. I enjoy snow days ~ coffee/cocoa, snowball fights, fresh homemade cookies, pots of soup and baked bread, quiet times, music, books, games and now, handcrafts ~ knitting. I love snow though I love autumn/fall more, I am very happy in the winter too. One reason ~ I can breathe easier when its cold. ;D well enough about snow, now to tell you what I've been doing. Nothing!

My knitting won't come together and I really don't care now. I was so stressed and uptight yesterday that I didn't get to enjoy my friends or my lys. Yeah ~ my lys is open on sundays now. Another reason I will be resting more b/c I get to hangout and knit more. ;D Madders #2 are too small so I frogged them. I cast on again for ND #2 but the yarn is now tangled and I can't seem to get it loose. I may have to pull out the other skein if I can't get it straighten out in the morning. I can do this ~ I think I can, I think I can, so I can, right?!

I started a instant gratification project ~ courtside booties, these are crocheted baby socks that look like high top sneakers. I am making them for my little "studmuffin" in black and navy blue. I'll share a pic when they are done. The pattern is found in Crochet Today's issue sept/oct 07. They are soo cute and I can't wait to make him several pairs ~ in red, green, orange and . . . .

I did purchase some lovely new yarn ~ my splurge since I received my refund ~ along with my yarn winder. The only problem with the yarn purchase is, most of it was for other people. I think I got 2 skeins for myself but the rest was either for dh, dc or my swaps. Oh well, that won't hurt my stashalong goals too much since the yarn I purchase for self is sock yarn which doesn't count.

I'm off to finish the 2nd sole of the booties, then off to bed. I will be sitting by the fireside, drinking coffee and crocheting & knitting tomorrow so I may not be around though I need to post on my thoughts on the CMSeries reading. Hmmm...we shall see since tomorrow will be pajama and rest day. I'm declaring a snow day and allowing the kiddos to rest and hang out w/me. Think pancakes will be for breakfast too on my new 4-in-1 grill. Have a wonderful day!

Long night again

Its been another long one. We got in about 11:45p from the concert and I've been getting my kals caught up on my Feb progress. I didn't get much done but the Madders are finished. Yeah! I could have probably update sooner if I'd stayed home tonight.

Tonight the Winter Jam, which is a big music event, was in town and the girls and I had an opportunity to work merch. It wasn't the best night of my life and I must be PMSing because at about 9p I wish I was anywhere but there. I really wanted to see Newsong and Skillet but was only able to hear them, they were very loud too, since the booth I choose for us to work was the main one ~ Winter Jam. We spent the entire evening playing w/the flashing toys and selling shirts. I even have pics of the girls dualing with their flashing, spinning wands. Overall it was a great event and I believe each musician sold lots of merch. I think I will have to pass on the next concert and either go as a paying attendee or stay at home. I'm not enjoying volunteering as I used to nor do I enjoy working at BBW. Its definitely time for a vacation ~ I'm getting grumpy, I feel edgy and I'm tired alot. I'll share the pics later, I want to crop them first. ;D

On the knitting front ~ the Madders are done. I've started a modified pair and I've cast on 5x for the 2nd ND sock without success. I will work on these two tomorrow. I will also post pics of the ugly dishcloths ~ the one I made and the one I received. ;D This should be great, I know how ugly mine is and my pal told me that her cloth was so ugly it might bite. Well, that would be bad since I'm suppose to wash my dishes with it. We shall see its ugliness tomorrow.

I'm off to upload pics to flickr and go to bed. I'm very tired and I long for a hot bath, chocolate and 2 days of sleep. I know I can get the hot bath, some chocolate but the 2 days sleep may be challenging. I'll give a galant effort though. More tomorrow or is that today since its 12:13a. Ooops. Nite!