Fish On The Wall

Happy JUNE!

2010-06-02T12:01:00.003-04:00

My network card got fried during a lightening storm several weeks ago. Everything else still works on the pc, just no internet connection. I need to get to Best Buy and see what is available. But I really need to get the oil changed in the car. That's been on hold since Thanksgiving, I think.

I've been doing more with the kids & the garden. I've loved having fresh picked Lettuce & Romain salads every day. But with the heat here, I may not be having it much longer. They suggest not even planting during these hot months, but I may buy a packet & try to do another round- its only a buck for the seeds, right? The zucchini is doing great, and the one squash plant that survived is still trying. I may try to add a few more squash plants this season-- just depends on me remembering to get the seeds out of the freezer.

That's all for now, my day is busy & already half over!

Busy Over-scheduled week-- Beach trip on Friday

2010-04-15T21:53:00.002-04:00

Yep- This past week has been scheduled to the gills. and to top off my week, I'll be heading to the beach tomorrow.

Relaxing? Nope. I'll be riding a bus for three hours to the beach for a picnic, look at the ocean for a few minutes & drive back. Hopefully I can get out of driving & just crochet the whole trip. I wish I had an mp3 full of Harry Potter. Ours got stepped on/rolled over/abused so its just an extra cord to tangle in the wheels of my desk chair. =( Plus, I'm not sure how appropriate it would be to crochet AND wear headphones when I'm being paid to spend time with these people.

Next week, I'm not planning ANYTHING extra, if I can help it.

Oh. and does anyone know a good sitter? I need one for Saturday. Cause I have to work with these same people I'm taking to the beach tomorrow. Which reminds me, I need to confirm with the sitter for tomorrow afternoon-- just in case we don't get back from the beach in time for me to pick up my kids.

Spring is here!

2010-03-27T13:42:00.002-04:00

Spotted this lovely while crossing the street at work. I had to stop and admire it-- I always think it is a sign of good things to see a cardinal. Not sure why I think of good fortune, but I do.

Happy Spring!

Bummer Deal

2010-03-04T19:48:00.001-05:00

**MITTENS FINISHED**
Okay I've finished the mittens & after wearing then for the first time today, I'm really not thrilled about the fit of these mittens.
The thumb is too short & because the way the thumb gusset is, it makes it feel like they are falling off all the time. As well, when I was driving, they felt one round too short in both the thumb AND the fingers. The thumb gusset starts near my thumb knuckle, and not at the base of the thumb. Bummer. I know I won't wear these much the way they are, but I also loath the idea of undoing all of the hiding of ends that I finally did.

Also, the wind whips through the dc stitches- but I knew that was going to happen.

(insert photo here)

So as excited as I was to make these mittens- here are adjustments that I need to make:
1: move owl up towards fingers
2: start thumb round a row sooner
3: add one round to finger section to accommodate my long fingers.
4: add one round to thumb
5: lengthen cuff
6: possible use ribbed cuff? or ruffles in contrasting color.

Hi World

2010-03-03T18:47:00.002-05:00

Some days I just feel so totally overwhelmed.
Like today- started crappy, and with a 2-hour snow/sleet/black-ice delay.
But I struggled through the morning, and the sinus meds never really did kick in, but I made it. And then, the last 15 minutes of my work day-- one of the residents was so cheerful and talkative- and for some reason, when I left work I was smiling.
But then I had to pick up the kids & deal with all of the results from their terrible day...so now I'm back to grumpy & irritable & short tempered. And I really don't want to mop the floor where the 4yo split milk, or wash & fold two loads of laundry... or even bother to call maintenance because the hall toilet is stopped up again.

So I apologize for a photo light blog of late- I haven't finished any projects or had any real fun moments to memorialize with photographic evidence. Life continues.

Our XBox Died

2010-02-27T20:38:00.002-05:00

Our XBOX died.
And its not even really ours.
Its my brother's & he left it at our house while he is deployed, because our DVD player was having issues. I'm not sure if it is with in the 3 year warranty period, but I CAN say he won't have the original receipt. I priced it at Sam's Club today, and just like I expected its gonna be $200 to replace it.
My thought is that a wii would be better for my family- more young games, plus the FIT stuff that I could possibly find the time to do.... (one could hope.)
But we do have several games for the XBOX360...
What ever I decide I need a new VCR, and DVD player-- and I'm figuring my TV will die soon, as it's 9 years old & has moved cross country 3 times and around the state more times than I remember.
So, as I'm fretting over the babysitter wanting $15+ an hour (which is more than I make at my job) and not being willing or able to pay that much-- I'm trying to figure out how to replace the electronics at my house. Knock on wood the pc doesn't die- it's only 4 years old... and I don't wanna learn a new OS.

My house is still a wreck- and I need an addition to get it all organized.
I DO have some tax refund money set aside for a shopping trip to IKEA. I just need to find a sitter for the weekend & get my mom free so we can go spend the day shopping. (They serve breakfast, lunch & dinner for a reason--shoppers like us!)
B wants Bunk Beds- MC wants a loft, I need some storage furniture... and all the small things I love are in store only. Go figure. At least the Charlotte store is here & I'm not dreaming of a road trip to Atlanta any more.
I MUST get my paperwork under control- AND I have phone calls that needed to be made last week, appointments to schedule bills to pay-- and my desk/paperwork is now taking over teh living room.
Of course, I guess the bright side is that we won't be "living" in here much, with out a DVD player or game system... Although, now that I think about it, my Strawberry Shortcake DVD player is in the attic. $15 on a WM clearance... it works. So maybe I can slip in a Harry Potter movie & crochet, or pay bills.... nah, I'm thinking a movie & some yarn loving would be a nice treat.

sigh.

Project up date

2010-02-23T09:43:00.002-05:00

My "Because Red is my Favorite Colour" Blanket has consumed its first full skein of red yarn.
I only work on this during bible study, so that is about 1 hour a week. Moving along at a slow but steady pace.

My Owl Mitts now have tops and the thumbs are one row away from finished. then to tidy up the tops and tails!

My Dumbledore Slippers have been finished for quite a while, but I can only locate one of them... so I wear one red old slipper & one blue-- because the other red slipper is still missing.

The reducio hat ended up being a rainbow truffle, and I didn't take a finished picture of it.

My Malabrigo Butter Crocus Bud Shawl is about 3 inches now, and rarely sees the light of day, even though it is an easy pattern, I worry about taking the thin, pale yarn out when I'm running errands.

The Neutral Crochet Argosy is nearing completion-- almost done with the third ball of yarn. I'm thinking I'll cut it close & then start the decreases with a 4th ball. Maybe. I think blocking this out will give me the wrap I'm hoping for.

My hand-dyed Beacon Street is waiting for me to sit & read the directions- since I make so many hcd hats, its hard for me not to go on auto-pilot. And I REALLY want to follow the pattern.

The Ode to the Swedish Team Hat is only lacking an ear-flap. I'm not sure why I can burn the hook up & then when the end is in sight- I can't seem to finish. Really, I made teh entire hat in two sittings, added one ear-flap & then-- it sits. I did the stripes folowing the Swedish Team Hat that I copied from photos, but I don't wear floppy slouch hats, so I left off the extra color changes & added the flaps. I wish I had Malabrigo in blue, but that part is made from Lambs Pride Bulky. Not as soft, but the colors work & gauge is okay. I need to photo that one.

Valentines Day 2010

2010-02-14T20:43:00.002-05:00

Happy V Day Everybody. (It seems weird calling it that-- after living in RI, where they still celebrate V-J Day-- it's an official holiday there. Banks are closed, schools closed, and workers are paid time & a half!)

Hope you did something special. Here at our house we ate homemade sugar cookies (heats with pink frosting) and 2 bite cupcakes (Duncan Hines + homemade butter cream) FOR BREAKFAST. And Lunch. And Snack... and we had leftover cookies for dinner. The cupcakes were gone by then!

I finally got a bunch of boxes into the attic that were practically blocking the hall! Woo WHOO!

I also picked up MC's girl scout cookie order. 161 boxes of cookies. It's a good thing I had my brother's car, cause his trunk can actually hold that many cookies with room to spare.

Tomorrow is a make-up school day for one of the days we missed for snow. But MC has an appointment in Raleigh, so we will be making a day trip of it... A little side trip to Target is in order. And maybe Sam's Club- if I can remember where it is. It's amazing that I have been able to live so long with out being near to a Target. Actually, I haven't lived with a Target closer than an hour in, um, well... since college? My new job does require work casual attire, and I think Target fits that bill better than Wal-mart. But if possible & IF MC doesn't kill me I may be able to get to Marshalls & Ross & Old Navy as well. Maybe. But Target is a definite stop.

SO tomorrow-- Happy Presidents Day!

Snow on the Mountain: Oh Sorry- Make that MORE Snow on the Mountain

2010-02-11T21:17:00.008-05:00

" I think the road is here...somewhere."

"Oh yes, this is our road." See the sign? Yep, over six feet high up the pole...

"Honey, I can't find the car"

So, mom just emailed me these awesome shots from her house. Now this amount of snow-- well it is sorta expected up north, like in Upstate New York. But to think this is a mere 3.5 hours away from MY house~ um, not so expected.

Snowy Mountain

2010-02-08T08:17:00.003-05:00

It sure looks pretty, but all that snow & ice--- brr.
Sorry Mom, we won't be coming home this weekend! (That's Windalay in the middle.)

WHOO HOO! PARTY TIME

2010-02-06T19:24:00.003-05:00

So, I did several Liberating things This week-
1) Talked to boss & he is going to make notations on the payroll NOT to take out the 30 minute lunch breaks on my short days, AND I will get to take a lunch break on Tuesdays & Thursdays (my long days). He is going to work with the payroll department to correct the shifts where I got shafted! My new boss is awesome. Even if he did "give" me birds to tend.

2) I left the HPKCHC group. I joined that group right after the cut-off for signing up it's first term. There are some really awesome people in the group, but there are some issues that I have with the leadership of the group. Most of the people are great, but the creator of the group refuses to delegate certain task that would be much better handled by the staff, not her. I won't go into details, because I've aired my concerns to said person & got no reply-- I joined the leadership team & still got no reply-- I played the game until I just couldn't handle the irresponsible actions any more. This was a totally liberating thing to leave the group! I may not get as many projects finished this year, but hopefully my projects will continue to be things that I want to make, and not just things to earn points.

3) I threw out bunches of old papers and notes from the old office job.
I never had the chance to ride the bus on the last day of school, where it was tradition (at least in high school) to open your notebook & let the papers fly as you leave the school parking lot. I guess it was more students leaving in cars, because most of the ones on the buses got in trouble and had to pick up papers the next day.
But let me just say- the yucky job ball and chain is G O N E! I can't believe that my old boss hasn't even opened my resignination letter- it's been on his desk for 3 weeks. Yet, he will open all incomming mail that he thinks will be a check, the bills he just leaves sealed up on my desk. SO- On Monday, I'm going in to process my last paycheck... and then I'm out of there.

4) I found out today that one of the ladies in my Sunday School class has been knitting & is learning to spindle spin yarn, and I may just have to do that... as if I have time. BUT actually, I will have some time, since I currently don't have a job on Monday, or T/W/F mornings!
I need to get something official to do to earn money- so I can keep the kids in daycare/after school-- but I get 30 days to find that job... so if anyone needs some "consulting" work done or something I can do remotely from home-- let me know.

Sleety Weekend ruins week.

2010-02-04T20:32:00.003-05:00

The title says it all. Friday night, about o'dark thirty, I woke up to hear that the sleet had started. No surprises- I knew it was coming. I'm not sure when it snowed, or how much/how long before the sleet started, but by morning, we had a nice solid ground-cover. And it kept sleeting through the morning.
MC ventured out at about 7:30 Saturday Morning- The kid who can barely roll out of bed fully dressed to catch the bus at 7:15 was up & dressed in appropriate layers in winter garb & ready to go out at 7:30! Its amazing what snow-like scenery can do!
Church was canceled, School called off on Monday. And Tuesday, with a 1 hour delay on Wednesday... And Tuesday, MC had to go to work with me- *that was so much fun.* Thank goodness my work environment allows it during bad weather. The little one went to a sitter- thank goodness.

SO, my dentist appointment for Monday was rescheduled for Tuesday, and then again for Wednesday... So I had that fun fun 2 hour dentist appointment & headed straight to work. Another fun day. Oh and yep, all of this also means I'm missing work at my office job-- and this just happens to be my last week there.

I'm still not sure if the boss is going to acknowledge the fact that on Monday, I'm showing up only to process payroll & my travel mileage check-- which I need to collect for NOVEMBER, DECEMBER & JANUARY... That will be about $150 bucks in my pocket-- if I'm guessing right! WHOO HOO! That will help out since my dentist visit yesterday cost me $2,264. Ouch that hurts worse than my teeth.

After that, I'm not sure I can afford to quit that job, except for the fact that I'm happier already without it, and my mental health is way more important than the stress of that job, plus he needs full time help, and I'm not willing to do that anymore.

And since it is February, I've been working on my budget-- checking reciepts from January & seeing where my money really went. And guess what? (More sucky stuff) I discovered that my payroll deposits from the new job are off by about $20 bucks each time-- That's $10 a week- which seems like not much- except that I'm working with a tight zero based budget & that $40 a month had somewhere it needed to be.
=(
So now, I've got to confront my boss and find out WHY I'm getting 30 minute lunch breaks taken out of my 5 hour shifts. Yeah, I was expecting it on my 9:30-5 day- but that is only ONE DAY A WEEK. WHY whould I need a lunch break on a shift from 12:30-5:30? Because I've been busting my butt to get home from one job, eat lunch & change & make it to the other at 12:30... and then I high-tail it out of there to get my kids & get them home for dinner. So, um, yeah. I really don't need them to NOT PAY ME FOR 30 minutes when I'm WORKING. Really, if they want to take it out, I might as well not show up until 1:00 so I can have more time to eat at home. Plus, apparently, not that I'm paying attention, It looks like they have been doing this since I started working there in NOVEMBER. No wonder I'm walking the thin red line to a balanced budget.
Blargle. So when my boss, fixed the schedule to squeak me in a few more hours in the week, he actually did me a dis-service... OH and checking the employee handbook, it is stated that shifts are usually 8 or 8.5 hours and include a 30 minute unpaid lunch break-- but during training, we were told that that was for full-time & full shifts, that my half day shifts wouldn't have that time automatically deducted. So, I'm not sure what is going on. Other than the fact that I'm apparently being robbed.
This week sucks and I'll be celebrating Friday night after work because Other than paying myself, I won't have to deal with the office job anymore! Oh- but really, I'll still be stressing because I have no-one to babysit on Saturday, when I have to go to the job that I used to like, until I figured out that I'm getting shafted. Plus the residents have been moody & cranky and some downright mean & ~ oh the boss, yeah, he brought 2 parakeets into MY WORKSPACE & now I have to clean a dang birdcage & feed & water them. SO NOT COOL. I don't even have pets at home because I don't want the hassle of cleaning up after them . I don't even like birds- MAYBE if it was a cat, I'd be more sympathetic, but really. WTH?

And if you are still reading this- maybe you can be like the "nice" dental assistant that did my crowns on Wednesday, she said, "Wow, I thought I had it bad. Your life is so much worse than mine." Yep, she said it. So maybe your day will be a little brighter because you weren't in my shoes this week, and maybe all the crap you dealt with seems petty compared to the crap I dealt with.
Cheers!

Mitts! Lookie I made mitts!

2010-01-31T20:01:00.005-05:00

With cute cabled owls, no less. This was my first time doing crochet cables, and I'm glad I only had to do a few of the bpdc... those suckers are tricky.

The thumb hole is a little big for my hand- and I'm considering adding the top part to keep my fingers warm-- because well, I get cold hands. And add to that, it's been extra cold for these parts, and tonight its supposed to get down to 13 F. Yeah, and the 3-4 inches of sleet, it's not going anywhere...

But for some reason, the geranium bits that were cut off the plant TWO SUMMERS AGO-- well, they think its time to be blooming. Go figure.

Its 3 am and the phone rings...

2010-01-26T03:52:00.002-05:00

so, I've been having problems sleeping through the night.
I keep waking up - usually around 1:30 or 2, but sometimes I make it until 3.
Sometimes the kids wake me up, sometimes a pinecone hitting the roof-- tonight it was someone calling the wrong number from a motel over an hour away. Of course I didn't know it was a wrong number, as I was DEAD asleep (yea!) and it was 3am.
Cause only emergancy calls arrive at 3am.
sheesh. now I am up & I want to sleep. Plus, I had a root canal yesterday & now I'm hungry & really don't want soup or cottage cheese at 4 in the morning. bugger. I gress I'm a bit grouchy with out sleep. I'll end my rant & try to find something soft to mush/eat & crawl back in bed for an hour.

2010-01-13T21:30:00.002-05:00

I'm very tired. Have been for months now... but now I think I've got my nights & days mixed up like a baby, or like how I was when I would switch from third shift to first when I was working in the bakery.
At night I'm tired & cranky & exhausted, but I can't sleep. Mornings are okay- but I've always been a morning person. But by 11:00 I'm dieing. My head is screaming, I feel dehydrated, and hungover. Those of you that know me will know that is a feeling, because I don't drink.

In fact, I bought a six pact of a special limited edition beer back in the fall. I bought it 1) because I was having beer drinking company and 2) for beer bread. The guest brought their own beer, knowing I don't drink. SO, here it is almost the middle of January & I still have 3 bottles in my fridge.. But a little pumpkin spiced beer bread will be good, even in April right? I hope so.

Tomorrow I am taking my bread machine into work for our "cooking" segment. My ideas are limited due to the fact that my cooking equipment available is a microwave & a Otis Spunkmire Cookie Oven. *REALLY*

Snow on the Mountain

2010-01-10T12:46:00.003-05:00

Okay, Okay. This isn't a current photo. But there is SNOW on the mountain. MUCH MORE Snow than this photo represents. That's because THIS photo was taken on my birthday, back in April 2009... But Maggie May LOVES the snow & I love this photo of her!

Snowy Project Updates!

2010-01-07T21:04:00.002-05:00

Snowy Project Updates!

Well, I've been on a snowflake kick-- and I managed to make a few for our tree before the Holidays. Also, I've been searching for some STAR patterns, verses just 6 point snowflakes.

In my various web searches, (or crawls as they were back with dial-up) I came across a wonderful blog where the author was a participant in a program called Snowflake Monday. The blog was Snowcatcher, Here on blogspot. Unfortunately, her amazing snowflake patterns & post stopped in October of 2009. Maybe she will be back, as I myself haven't been a loyal blogger this past Fall. Shoot, this past forever.
Oh wow- by blindly folloing a few links I wound back on Ravelry & to the Snowcatcher blog. Apparently she has been a better blogger than I & continued to post a new orginal snowflake pattern each Monday. ( I'm totally impressed.) I added her as a friend so I caould keep up with her new patterns, so hopefully she won't think I'm some physco stalker...

Oh- but back to the Star pattern...

From http://betouched.netfirms.com/starburst.html

I messed up a bit with the stitch placement- because well, I guess I just can't count AND crochet at the same time. (I really hate patterns where I need to count.)

This one hasn't been blocked yet, but is sorta the same pattern.

I like them. In fact, I'm planning on sending the pattern, some of my fingering weitght cotton (DUDE, I'm SO NOT a thread crocheter.) and a Clover Soft Touch 2.5mm hook. I "taught" her to crochet last summer by taking step by step photos for a pattern she wanted to make. I'm talking 78 photos for the first two rounds of a star shaped afghan. Every Step. But she made the blanket & it is a winner. More & Better than any of my afghans. I swear.
Oh. I'm sending it to her because she decorates her Holiday tree with stars. Sweet.

WE now have internet at home!

2010-01-06T11:14:00.003-05:00

And it's not dial-up!
I canceled our Dial-up just after making my November payment... And of course they offered me 2 months free, and then continue billing me---"Just in case." I figured if I kept it, I'd never get the cable guy out here to connect the high speed.
AND Guess WHAT? It took over a month without internet at home for me to finally get them here. oh that favorite holiday recipe that I couldn't find-- and couldn't check AllRecipes.com either. err. And how exactly do I Fdc? That scrap of paper is here *somewhere*... And mom needs to know what needles were recommended for the yarn I sent her... What? No Ravelry at home. HELLLLLP!

So, Thursday I called the cable company. Oh. Closed for New Years Eve.
So Friday I called. oooh. New Years Day. (I had to work, why doesn't every one else?)
Saturday, in the parking lot before his God-daughter's Baptism, my brother tries calling from his fancy-smancy new car (which won't reconginze his voice commands, but follows mine with no problem!) We get the automated voice mail system...
SO, Monday I get online & start the ordering process. First available appointment in the morning was for Friday (2 days from today.) So I call the local number-- the office is about 3 minutes from my doorstep. I get transferred to who knows where by THAT automated answerer... First available morning appointment was Today! gave them my info & now I'm skipping office work this morning to type this! From home. In my flannel pj's! Yea!

Its Thanksgiving Week, Already????

2009-11-23T10:26:00.002-05:00

HOLY COW.

I just can't believe it.
So random updates--
1) We are NOT moving to the mountains- and I am NOT going to invest my life into the yarn store. The owner couldn't decide if she really wanted to sell or not. And I wasn't about to invest in the paperwork & funding issues any further when she started sounding iffy.
2) MC has started Daisy Girl Scouts & loves it. She is also in the Chess Club at school & likes that too.
3) PK is slightly regressing-- and has started eating everything- his favorite-- socks- even if he has to take them off his feet to do it. (TOTALLY GROSS) I've found our last passie & encourage him to chew that instead- but I HATE having a 3 yo with a passie.
4) Vince- the blanket is done & sitting on my shelf- all boxed and ready to go. I just need to get it from shelf to car & car to post office!
5) Malindi- Carrot Cake for Thanksgiving- your dad will pick it up tomorrow? or Wed am? I'm making it tonight.
6) HPKCHC Ornament Swap: I've got 2 little things done & the 3rd is drying! Love them!
7) Reducio: I have a Gryfindor partner, so I need to make a new mini sock. Maybe I can get that done tomorrow?
8) New job at Retirement Community is great. I really love it. I want to try to get "The Girls" to do wii Bowling... Then we'll be more adventurous to play with the gang in the other building.
I'm doing lots of crafts- and have ideas for the next few months-- but if you have ideas please let me know!
9) Still need to clean out the massive pile of toys in the play-room.
10) New (used) dryer to be delivered 12-5! Yippie.

and bonus #11) We will be getting high speed cable modem at home! (Hopefully this week!)

I'm still here!

2009-08-12T09:27:00.002-04:00

I know. I know. Its been ages since I've posted. I've just had so much going on & nothing happening, all at once. Sounds funny, but you know how it is.

So, a quick list of things I've been dealing with.
MC started 1st grade, and is already planning her birthday party that is two months away.
My friends are having babies like crazy. Katrina has hers this Spring, Malindi is a few months along, Cas is due in October & Vince's wife is due in a little over six weeks (haha- you didn't think I saw that pic, did you?) I've been working like crazy on making baby things- and Vince- yours will be late, as I thought I had a little more time to get it done!~
I've discovered an amazing shop that is for sale & I've been working on the business plan. (If anyone is interested in helping me out as a partner or investor or a micro-loan I'd love you forever.) I'm hoping to qualify for a SBA loan for some funding as well. Its somewhat of a crazy combo- its Shoes & Yarn. But it really works out nicely and is in an EXCELLENT location.
In order to save some money, most likey we wil be moving in a few months.
I've been working on a new group on Ravelry, NAIME, to offer HPKCHC students the chance to study through August. Several members of the group want to keep NAIME active, but I see HPKCHC having a bigger draw, and it is established on Ravelry. Not sure where that is going, as there is just so much that I will be dealing with in the next few months.

Well, gotta run & get things going at work. Hope all is well in your world today!
Like I said- A lot going on mentally, but nothing exciting to write home about.

I'm Back!

2009-06-18T18:53:00.002-04:00

Hey! Blogger FINALLY let me back in to add new post!
I could do every thing else here, but if I tried to add a new post- I'd get a crazy blank white screen.

So, this morning, I FINALLY did something right.
I put the Jelly on the bread first, THEN the peanut butter.
Why does this make a difference, you ask?
Well, here is how it works if you do the PB first:
1) Get out bread
2) Spread PB with a knife
3) but knife in soapy water to soak of excess PB
4) spread jelly with spoon
5) close sandwich
6) cut sandwich with...spoon? nope, gotta use a new knife.

See? IF I put the jelly on first, then the pb, I'm most likely gonna hang onto it to cut the sandwich, before putting the knife into soapy water.
YEA! Success!

End of Spring Break

2009-04-15T14:19:00.002-04:00

My eldest is in year-round school. She just got back home last night after spending almost 3 weeks with her grandparents (THANKS!) Tomorrow she has to make up a snow day, so back to school we go. I'm not sure I'll be able to drag her out of bed to catch that 7:05 bus... I hope I can.

I'm so happy that she is home, but really need to get her back into the routine here. And, I need to get myself back into the routine of picking up after two kids. (She went, he stayed at home & in school.)

Birthday!

2009-04-08T16:03:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was my birthday.
I had TWO different groups call me & sing the Birthday Song.
I got Banana Pudding with a star candle!
My brother fixed an amazing dinner od pork loin & pasta & green beans & had us over for movie night. (we had to leave mid movie as it was already 8:30.)
I discovered that birthdays give us another "fresh-start" for resolutions-- so an April birthday is the perfect time to revisit New Year's Resolutions, because they've about worn off by now.

So:
Things I want to do this year...
get life insurance
get health insurance
get a will
skate/walk/cycle more
revamp kids room storage
finish fixing back room
new yarn storage
finish some wip afghans
write letters/cards to old friends
keep up with car maintenance

Happy April!

2009-04-01T21:34:00.002-04:00

The Pollen is OUT. I had another root canal. Winter Term of HPKCHC is over. MC is on Intersession. I've made tons of amazing projects that I need to share. B is learning to use the Knifty Knitter. (seriously.) I made the best chicken pot pie E V E R. I need a hair cut. I still hate folding laundry. I'm out of loaf bread. I need to pack clothes for a weekend in the mountains. I have a nagging feeling that I forgot to write down an appointment. The bathroom sink is sparkly clean. (I'm pretending to be using Flylady.) This weekend= big trip to Sams Club & restock the pantry shopping. (ugh- just typing that one makes me tired.) Okay. I'm off for more antibiotics & ibuprofen & bed. But that's my update. And I'm sticking to it. More later. Maybe.

2009-03-06T14:48:00.001-05:00

I haven't been motivated to update my progress on various projects around the house.

I have been busy catering the dinner each Sunday evening for about 100 people.
I did get all of my HPKCHC assignments done, including reaching 25% mark on my 3 OWLs.
My score for February was 95 & the highest in my house. Yippiee.

Its been cold & yucky all week, I'm really tired, and its supposed to be in the 70s on Sunday. Very messed up weather. In fact, last Sunday's meal was canceled due to ice & freezing temperatures.

I'll be working on the House Cup Blog this weekend posting voting ballots for a badge design contest for OWL students. And Pasta for 100.

The Garden Gnome

2009-02-14T13:46:00.004-05:00

Okay, so today, the kids & I ventured out into the front yard. (I can't even call it a garden, because we barely have grass.) I kept glancing over to the big ivy covered pine, hoping to catch another glimpse of the garden gnome.

I finally did see it & I was ready with the camera.

We played for a bit & then went back indoors. I had to get back into the kitchen, as I'm in the middle of prepping mashed potatoes for a big dinner. I've done about half of the potatoes, and have about 20 pounds left to peel, dice, cook, mash & season. You can imagine my shock when I reached over to the potato basket & saw this:

My only guess is that it followed the kids or was captured by one of them.
Upon close inspection, I realize that this must be an infant. You see, it has sprout eyes.

Unlike the root vegetable potato, which grows eyes as it ages, Garden Gnomes have the eyes when they are young. This is to aid in their camouflage, as they have a tendency to wander off & be spotted by muggles. The eyes & stumpy legs make them look like a random potato lost in the yard/brush/shrubbery.

I left the back door open for a bit & when I looked out the window, I saw him vanish as he reached the edge of my yard. I guess he found his way back home!

My Patronus, Pretending to be a Scarf

2009-02-09T19:59:00.003-05:00

TA-DA!

My Portuguese Man Of War Patronus Neck-Scarf Thing

I used the free pattern I found through Ravelry.

Could it Be Any Easier? Neck Cozy by karendeane
I really like the look of the sample scarf, but I knew mine would be different. First off, I used an 8mm hook, instead of the 6.5mm & 6mm called for. I used 1 strand of bulky acrylic boucle yarn, which really isn't bulky, just uneven. The pattern calls for 2 strands of Bulky Alpaca Wool.
They suggest 2 buttons; I had the perfect button, which was really a pendant that a friend brought back from a trip to the Amazon. (Hi Bibb!) I had to tear out about 20 chains when I started so this thing wouldnt meet below my navel. I had to tweak the stitch placement to achieve the fabric qualities I wanted. Oh. AND, I had to add tentacles. But only to one end, because the Man of War is sorta asymmetrical like that.

Now, this appears to be quite dense and solid, but actually it is light weight yet cosy.
I actually remembered to photographically document some of my pattern changes & I'll try to show that with the following photos.

The working fabric stretched to show stitches:

Hook is through Chain Space, as indicated in pattern:

2nd Hook showing placement of next Chain Space:

White Hook added shows placement of my stitches BETWEEN the 'V' of the sc:

Work this space front to back:

Continue the pattern of sc into 'V' space as shown here, and chaining, as indicated by the pattern.

In about a dozen rows, you will have your very own scarf/neck wrap thing.

I have wizarding neighbors.

2009-02-08T20:27:00.002-05:00

HA- I KNEW it!
I’ve suspected it since we moved here, but now I have proof. I have a whole slew of wizarding families living next door. But, since I’m a part time muggle, I can’t see their houses. MY house is number 852. My next door neighbor’s house is number 890. So there are several houses that should be in between us. I can’t see them but I have proof.

You see I found this by chance having to make a run out to the car after dark. Because of the full moon, I caught a glimpse of some sparkly blue in my ivy. I ran back inside & grabbed the camera. I didn’t think about the flash, so the first shot– Well you see.

Then I popped the flash & CAUGHT proof on film. Well, digital media card, but same difference. I tried to get a second shot, but the flash must have sent him(?) scrambling, as I might have blinded it.

If you are a muggle and aren’t sure what I’m so excited about– let me explain. I have photographic proof of a garden gnome. These creatures usually only reside in wizarding yards & gardens. But I think this one has taken up residence in my front yard. I’ve noticed the strange hole in the ivy around the tree, and now I know why. I’ll try to explore it further in daylight.

My Patronus

2009-02-03T12:28:00.005-05:00

So my classes in Ravelry's Group HPKCHC, We are having to do a lot of assignments based on our personal Patronus.
I have been trying to settle on what mine is-- and had a horrible time settling on the right animal.
I tried searching online for various crochet patterns that I could manage (not too many separate parts, not too fussy, easy for a beginner...) Nothing struck me.
I tried going through my vintage crochet magazines. Lots of cute critters, but none of them were IT.
So then, I just quit focusing on what it would be & would think about it later.

Again, back to researching & I decided I needed a water animal, but it wasn't a fish. My thoughts went to manatees, but that wasn't quite right-- they didn't project quite the right vibes. Whales & dolphins-- nope. Crabs or shell fish- too fiddly. Then I decided on a Jelly Fish.

That would work. There are lots of patterns for these & it shouldn't be too hard to make. So I googled for a pattern. Found one I liked-- who knew there were so many ways to make a jelly fish? Pulled out my desk yarn & started-- made a few rounds. Then back to the internet for a bit of research on the traits I wanted my patronus to exemplify. WHOA. there are eleventy-billion different kinds of jelly fish. And they have all kinds of different traits.

Did you know that Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) is the source of a jelly fish's bioluminescence? And scientist have been able to make this protein & they use it as a marker when inserting genes into cells or organisms? HOW COOL IS THAT?

You can eat some kinds (they show a photo of tentacles in soy sauce in the wikipedia entry -- GROSS. And then they talk about treatment for stings. Vinegar, can be used but should not be used for treatment of Portuguese Man of War stings. AH HA. THATS IT! MY POTRONUS!!!!

See, "my" beach gets these quite regularly. They are beautiful. They are shimmery & iridescent. They have log tentacles that will sting the bejeebies out of you, even after cut off the creature. YES, this is my Patronus.

A little bit of research tells me that the Portugese Man of War is actually 4 types of creatures that live together as one unit. There is a fancy scientific word for this-- but you can check the wikipedia, cause I can't spell it & can't say it-- so why type it!

The Sail or floaty part is a clear iridescent bluish color, or sometimes pinkish or purple. The tentacles are a beautiful aqua blue with touches of purple. Good colors for me! (I even have yarn for this!) The floatie bit is usually 2-4 inches long, and a couple of inches high, but the height can expand up to 15cm (6inches). The tentacles range in length, but are usually about 3 feet with one or two or more long ones- up to 158 feet in length. YIKES! Most of the ones that get washed to shore have shorter tentacles, as they have been broken off. However, I have seen some spread maybe 10 feet along the sand.

So Back to my lovely Patronus.
WHY does the Portuguese Man of War suit me for my patronus? Its pretty. Its shiny. Its dangerous. And its more than meets the eye.
Although I'm not much of a girly girl, I have been known to pull out all the stakes & model, or win a beauty pagent-- or really out shine the others at a formal event. That takes care of the pretty.
Shiny Iridescence? I love jewelry. I love buying it, wearing it, making it.
Danger-- oh yes. I have a high tolerance for stupid people, people who piss me off, and idiots. Push me too far & I'll let you know it. I can be one very "Not-Nice" fishie. I think just like the tentacles, I can really pack a punch!
More than meets the eye. Just like the Man of War looks like a simple singular creature, I've got you fooled. I have multiple talents, multiple careers, multiple functions within my family. I am a complex creature.

Another thing-- there are few predators for the Man of War. I want my protector to be safe!Remember I said that the Man of War has only a couple of inches present on the surface of the ocean-- with varying amounts of length below? Well, there are three things that feed on these creatures in my part of the world. A little 6cm blue sea slug, a 4cm little common purple snail & the Loggerhead Sea Turtle.

Now loggerheads are near & dear to my heart-- as many seasons sections of "my" beach have been closed for nesting. (Turtle nesting is ok, but those dang tern nesting ares- bah.) I've seen evidence the morning after hatching, but I've never been there. My mother has been out several times and seen turtles laying eggs. And she was able to assist when a turtle was confused by the conflicting sounds of the surf & couldn't figure out which way to go back to the water. That turtle had laid her eggs on the point, and could hear the surf both to the north and the south. So, yeah, I'm okay with the turtles taking a little nibble.

So, after happily discovering my patronus, I've found the pattern I want to use for my project & I already have the perfect button to use! Now to find time to work on it! More to come!

Thanks for reading!

I've cleaned up the messiest craft room EVER!

2009-01-25T18:36:00.002-05:00

I've still got 3 boxes (medium sized) on the couch that need to be sorted, but I've worked almost all month sorting & throwing out stuff in my craft room.
It feels SO good to have the open space in here now. Taking out the coffee table freed up more floor space that I imagined, plus that flat surface is no longer beckoning to be piled up. My kids now bring toys in here to play in the floor space, which is fine, IF they remember to put the toys back away when they are done. (So far- that is rare.)

Hopefully the last 3 boxes will be sorted soon, I can move the Big A$$ cabinet to the other wall (its full of scrapbooking & rubber stamping & stationary & crayola type products) That is a project in itself which WILL be done in FEBRUARY. I PROMISE. Even empty, I don't think I can move it by myself.

Once the craft cabinet is moved, I'm getting rid of the sofa & buying a twin bed. A spare room needs a spare bed, right? I've already bought the cutest Hula Girl printed sheets that will look great with my floral comforter. So By MARCH I should be ready to buy new mattresses & bed! WHOO HOO!

2009-01-20T20:58:00.004-05:00

Is it possible to learn to blow bubbles with gum when you've just lost both of your top front teeth?
Because I'm having a REALLY hard time trying to teach MC.

2009-01-17T19:14:00.002-05:00

Wow- I’ve been busy, as I guess I should be used to. Being a single parent of two, and all. But, here is an update on some of the more fun/less mundane activities in my life.

I’ve been concentrating my creative time on yarn. More specifically on projects for the Harry Potter Knit-Crochet House Cup. HPKCHC.

I’ve turned in several assignments already, although the due date isn’t until the end of the month.

For my DADA assignment, we were to be Imperio’d by a fellow Housecupper.

So far I’ve made PDXWomans crochet Version of Which Witch. It is an adorable mini witch hat. I used Cadet Blue Lion Brand Wool, and embellished it with Pisgah’s PetalSpun, Art 2025, in the Teak colorway. This is the perfect color for BRONZE, and the shiny rayon really pops for the hat band.

This is my first successful attempt at felting crochet, the oversize SWS mitten sides being my first unsuccessful attempt.

For felting this, I used a small plastic bowl, some little acrylic pieces, meant to use in flower vases, and a few odd flat-backed marbles in really hot tap water. I let the kids take turns shaking the heck out of it. I took the sharp hook side of a strip of Velcro to help loosen some of the surface fibers. I tossed it in the dryer to finish it off.

For my Charms assignment, we were to practice our Expecto Patronum: Knitting or crocheting as a cure for seasonal depression. The one requirement for this assignment was that our project had to be made for OURSELF.

I made a cute little trio of owls, and have added them to my collection.

For my Care Of Magical Creatures Assignment, I made a rectangle granny rug, using Peaches & Creme Double worsted.

I love this thick 8-ply yarn. I used a single strand & a 10mm hook & this thing progressed at lightening speed. I think I’ll be making more like this—maybe even finally get to mom’s other bedside rug.

I'm still working on my Arithmancy project and my Herboligy. And I've also signed up for TWO O.W.L.s but more about those projects later.

New Year- New Projects

2009-01-03T13:16:00.002-05:00

In the middle of all my real life obligations, I discovered that I do little for myself. I think this must be a reoccurring discovery, but hey, eventually it will stick.

To start the year off self-focused, I'm enrolled as a student in the Ravelry group Harry Potter Knit Crochet House Cup- HPKCHC, or just House Cup.

The term started January 1, 2009, and I've already signed up for Charms, Arithmacy, and an O.W.L.::Charms. I have ideas for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Care of Magical Creatures. And Herbology is already underway. Except for the History of Magic class, I've got ideas for them all. I think that is a bit of overcommitment. You see, the House Cup isn't a normal school type of environment. The assignments are all yarn related. And although most classes, O.W.L.s excluded, don't require large projects you only have the month to get your assignment made, photographed, & turned in.

So, in addition to the 2 classes & O.W.L. I've committed to, I'm also one of the school reporters. This is to help document the happenings of the group, and to add information to our blog. I spent almost 4 hours making a mock up of the Daily Profit called House Cup Press. The first issue was added to the blog yesterday, and lots of the other 140 students have requested the pdf. That made me feel good, but there wasn't any "real" info in it-- just house lists, and who the teachers will be-- stuff from the boards. But I thought it would be a fun way to start the term.

I'll be making some regular post to the blog before I do another HCPress, as I think I can gradually add to a document and compile a news sheet from that later on. I guess I can highlight house participation and people who have already completed assignments. There is supposed to be another School Reporter, (maybe 2) but I haven't heard from them to make out a plan.

So-- about my NEW current projects:
UFO Fridays-- on Fridays, I've committed to working on my Red & Purple & Orange Afghan, and I think I'm 1/2 way done now!!!!
Arithmacy: Christmas Stocking for ME
Charms: Something for ME-- I think a little stuffed Owl for my collection. Haven't started it.
OWLs ::Charms A Tunisian Blanket for Mom-- I've had the yarn a while-- this must be done with in 3 months. (This will earn Hufflepuff, my house, 200 points!)

I could keep listing things I'm working on-- but really, do I want to admit I'm in the middle of 11 different afghans? I don't think so. And the mittens? 3 different ones? (If I could figure out the thumb part I'd be good to go.) The All Shawl that has been waiting for a few rows of edging? All the little half finished dishcloths? Oh well, At least I have a reward for doing the Cup projects. Even if points are meaningless outside of that group. I think they are a bit more meaningful than the 500 points you'd earn for timing the jump to the flagpole just right at the end of Super Mario Bros.

Okay-- back to house work for me today!

Pimento Cheese

2008-12-29T12:36:00.005-05:00

Okay, we love homemade p'mento cheese.
One of my favorites, is the "homemade" (in the store) pimento cheese
from Conrad & Hinkle's Market in Lexington, NC.

The smooth & creamy, yet slightly lumpy spread is unlike any store bought.

I've always strived to make a batch just as good as Conrad-Hinkle's.

Most recipes have too many ingredients. And are too dry, and well, just not right.

So, Here is how I make pimento cheese.

Velveeta (2-4oz)
Duke's Mayo
Shreadded sharp cheese (about 1 cup)
Shreadded 3-4 cheese blend (about 1 cup)
Sugar (no more than 1 Tablespoon)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Diced Pimientos, reserve juice (2-4ounce jar)

In a food processor, blend until smooth: the Velveeta, half of the cheeses, the sugar, and a touch of the reserved juice.

In a large bowl, stir together the processed cheeses, the pimentos, the remaining cheese and seasonings.
Add additional mayo to reach desired consistency. (It will absorb some of the mayo if you get too much the first day.)

Refrigerate overnight & add additional mayo to again reach spreading consistency.
This will about fill a 2-pound yogurt or sour cream container.

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-25T21:16:00.002-05:00

We made it to the Mountains. I had to leave the office at 1:15 pick up the kids & we were on the road by 2:10. We made excellent time. I stopped for gas in N. Wilkesboro and then back on the road. It was cold & windy & the temps were dropping.

But we were a mere 30 minutes from our exit off of the highway & onto mountainous back roads. Then traffic S T O P S. We were in a stand still. (Fatal head-on- with 2 small kids involved.) After a little over two hours we were going again. But, remember I mentioned that the temperature was dropping? Well, during our wait, it sleeted a little, rained a little & got a L O T colder.

Meaning ice on the roads. Because the salt trucks couldn't treat the roads because of the stopped traffic. We slipped a little & the kids were nervous as the white 4 wheel drive SUV in front of us slipped & slid around. We were rolling at a mere 20-25 mph. And the kids were fussing about being trapped in a slow moving car. I kept reminding them to be thankful we were alive & to be considerate of my concentration while I was driving through less than idea conditions(aka -- be quite!)

So, a little over 3 hours after getting gas we were heading up the back "road" to the house. Imagine a dirt path, full of big rocks, natural springs that trickle over the way, and tree limbs. It was actually better than it had been in past years. I guess most of the people have been using that way up the mountain, as the state paved the steep way (regular way up) and the switchbacks are not possible to maneuver, even with chains and 4 wheel drive.

Oh. I also want to mention the wind we had up here after our adventurist drive. 110 mph gust. I didn't sleep a wink.
I'll be traveling home Saturday, to start the major clean-out/redesign of my house. The kids will be staying here.

To-Do List leading up to DEC 24

2008-12-17T20:28:00.004-05:00

The dreaded LIST...
THURSDAY & FRIDAY Dec 18-19
1 cover letter! PRONTO
2 find battery charger-- camera needs fresh batteries!
3 pay power bill
4 pay daycare
5 get secret gifts from C's
6 pack holiday gifts into trunk
7 order thumb drives-- dad, C & me (total #??)
8 pack away extra sheets
9 WORK: Billing for W & MB

SATURDAY & SUNDAY Dec 20-21
1 1-2-3 dough crust
2 Grand Mariner Bars
3 Red Velvet Cakes
4 Prep: S.Pot topping, Cream Cheese frosting ingredients
5 Pack kids clothes
6 Pack yarn projects (maybe just hooks & patterns??)
7 Thank Cleve

MONDAY & TUESDAY Dec 22-23
1 WORK: Billing for MB
2 FROZEN/COOLER FOODS Ready
3 Finish packing
4 PILLOWS & Woobies in car
5

Cream Filled Chocolate Cake with Fudgie Frosting

2008-12-17T12:13:00.004-05:00

Cream Filled Chocolate Cake with Fudgie Frosting

Last night I had to make a chocolate cake for my niece's 15th birthday.
She likes chocolate cake. Chocolate frosting.
I don't like chocolate cake. AND I still haven't discovered the perfect formula for a yummy chocolate buttercream.

I made the most yummy (looking- I can't taste it until tonight) chocolate cake, a rich & creamy pastry cream filling & tried a new chocolate frosting.
This chocolate frosting is fudgie & smooth. ♥ I LOVE IT! ♥ The formula makes a rather small batch- about 2 cups- but I think it will become a new staple for my recipe collection. It's right off the back of my cocoa powder-- I just can't believe how good it is. And a simple recipe too!

I topped the cake with a fine layer of grated milk chocolate, bordered the top with chocolate curls & chilled the cake overnight. This morning, I piped more chocolate to add "Happy Birthday!" I even remembered to take a photo- I'll add it soon- once I get the card downloaded.

{I've tried twice to upload the picture. All the way through the click "DONE" to add your picture & then it sends me back to the post but the photo isn't here. =( I'll keep trying. I wish I'd remembered to take the camera tonight, so you could have seen the thick layer of yummy pastry cream inside. It was almost as thick as the cake layers!}

PS- the cake WAS SOOOOOOOO yummy. One of the best chocolate cakes I've ever made. The fudgie frosting was thinner than I normally use on top of a cake, but it was SO rich. More would have been overkill.

Peppermint Cookies

2008-12-16T16:23:00.003-05:00

I made these peppermint cookies.

they look yummy.
they taste like toothpaste.
maybe I need a new toothpaste.

Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

2008-12-11T14:56:00.003-05:00

Last night I was inspired after ~~drooling~~ reading through some yummy blog entries. I had a hankering for oatmeal cookies and chocolate. I have a favorite oatmeal cookie recipe (its Quaker's Famous Oatmeal Cookies) that has just the right soft-chewy consistency. I like adding white chips & dried cranberries it that recipe, but chocolate chips in a plain oatmeal cookie wasn't what I was craving.

I turned to one of my favorite cookbooks that doesn't feature pictures. (I HATE cookbooks without photos.)It's Best Recipes: From The Backs Of Boxes, Bottles, Cans And Jars and compiled by Ceil Dyer. All of these recipes were published by name brand companies and printed on packaging or advertisements. I've used this book so much! I love the fact that there is a little history with each recipe.

I ended up making Double Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies, featuring Gold Medal Flour. (I even actually used Gold Metal Flour!) It is a good recipe although I tweaked it a bit. I used 1/2 Crisco shortening, because I like puffy oatmeal cookies, and I followed basic creaming procedures instead of just dumping ingredients together as the recipe indicated. Which, I'm sure would still make a satisfying cookie, but much money was spent so I could obtain a pastry degree, so I might tend to make things more complicated. (Whoa, complicated, like this paragraph's structure! But that's the fun in blogging-- ) I also used my special blend of cocoa powders and milk chocolate chips.

Anyway- I didn't take photos last night- but these are good. I also must mention to WATCH THESE COOKIES while they bake-- as chocolate cookies can fool ya. The first pan is a bit crisp, although still quite edible, the 2 & 3rd pans are the perfect chewy-ness & I have more dough in the fridge for later. I must admit, I don't like them as much as Quaker's Famous with the added cranberries & white chips. Maybe the dark dutch process cocoa over did it? Hmm. I think a big pan of brownies would have been just the thing-- but the brownie blogs I read yesterday might be swaying my focus a bit! I'll take pictures tonight-- Right after the Kindergarten's' Christmas Program. (oh. fun. do I really havta go?)

Christmas vs Yule

2008-12-10T14:58:00.002-05:00

I was raised in a house where we celebrated Christmas.
Throughout my childhood & adolescent life, I went to church. Through college I tried to find a church that I wanted to attend regularly, but I did not succeed.
I've been attending the same church for the past (almost) three years. Even being a regular in Sunday School.
My current series of lessons in class has really brought forth a reoccurring thought to me. I'm not sure that I believe all of this stuff. Parts of it- yea. But some parts, big parts-- I might add, Nope.

So, here is my dilemma. Do I keep "celebrating" Christmas with my kids, or do I research more into other belief systems & their holidays? How can I help my kindergartener understand what & why-- when I don't even have the answers.

I LOVE decorating a tree & having lights, I LOVE the idea of giving gifts-- Do I just start calling our celebrations something else? Kind of in reverse of what happened when Christian Holidays were plastered over the existing ones? Reverting back to the old days?
But what about Christmas Music-- I LOVE me some Christmas music.

I want my children to be able to choose their own beliefs, and not just slide along the accepted way. But I don't want them to have a stigma attached as they progress through school age.

If anyone has any pros or cons-- or ideas-- I'm open to reading them.

Tunisian Stash Buster Blanket Help!

2008-12-04T20:05:00.002-05:00

Okay-- I was asked to spell out how I did my red-purple-orange tunisian stash buster blanket. So-- Here is my best attempt at outlining what I did-- hopefully the gist is transferred & you can develop your own lovely creation!

This afghan-blanket is made with a 19mm cabled tunisian crochet hook. Mine is a lovely Jenkins Woodworking Hook.

Notes:
*Most color changes happen before starting the reverse pass (RP). This makes the horizontal colors slightly different than the vertical bars that encase it.
*For a few super bulky yarns, I used on the RP only.
*One yarn was itchy to me, so I only use it on the forward pass (FP) so it hardly itches at all when you are under it!

General Note on Tunisian Simple Stitch (TSS) structure: FP creates the vertical bars shown on the front of the afghan. RP makes the horizontal rows & is heavily seen on the back of the work.

My afghan is primarily red & purple, with touches of orange & yellow.
Here is a sampling of the yarns in my afghan. Please note, some yarns are used in multiple colors.

Top Row:
Mystery Super Bulky single ply (from LYS I lost tag)
Lion Brand Incredible Ribbon Yarn
Patons Rumor: two colors included: this orange/red (Hibiscus?) and a purple one (plum?)
Fanta: the red plied with a black/multi This is the one that ended up being itchy & used on FP only
SWS several colors used in blanket (3 or 4?)
SWS
Mystery RR Ribbon yarn (from LYS I lost the tag)
Trendsetter Finesse: the ribbon yarn with tuffs- Rusty Orange & yellow

Bottom Row:
Worsted Wool: Several different red wools, one variegated with purple (Russian?)
Purple Reclaimed sweater yarn
Angora Extra: orange, purple & dark purple
California Caramel: The slippery shiny red
Super Fine wool dark purple Reclaimed sweater yarn

Here is a scan of the first few rows: Starting chain is shown on the left side, work is shown sideways.

And here is how I mixed the yarns:

CO: Rumor
1: Rumor
RP: 2x Caramel + 1 Purple Sweater
2: same
RP: 1 Caramel + 1 Purple Sweater + 1 Orange Angora (- 1 caramel)
3: same
RP: 2 Purple Sweater + Orange Angora (- caramel)
4: Fanta only
RP: 2 Purple Sweater + 1 Dark Purple Angora
5: same
RP: 1 Purple Sweater + 1 Dark Purple Angora + 1 Caramel (- 1 purple sweater)
6: same
RP: 1 Orange Trendsetter + 1 Purple Sweater + 1 Caramel (- 1 Dark Purple Angora)
7: LB Ribbon only
RP: 1 Purple Sweater + 1 Caramel *only 2 b/c ribbon was so wide on vertical bars
8: 1 Orange Angora + 1 Purple Sweater + 1 Caramel * just added the orange
RP: Rumor only
9: Rumor only
RP: Orange Angora + 1 Purple Sweater + 1 red ww wool
10: same
RP: 1 Purple Sweater + 1 red ww wool + 2 SF dk purple (- Orange Angora)
11: Same
RP: 1 RR ribbon + 1 Purple Sweater + 2 SF dk purple (- 1 red ww wool)
12: Same
RP: 2 Purple Sweater + 1 RR ribbon (-+ 2 SF dk purple)
13: Fanta only
RP: 2 Purple Sweater + 1 yellow Trendsetter
14: 1 Caramel + 1 Purple Sweater + 1 yellow Trendsetter
RP: Super Bulky
15: Rumor
RP: 1 Purple Sweater + 1 caramel + ww red wool

Now, I tried to spread out my work to see if I needed a touch of a certain color or if it was too close to the last row—the novelty yarns are used less often because they are more noticeable—the purple sweater yarn and the caramel are the “staple” yarns throughout.

This is not an exact pattern to use, and has not been repeated through the rest of my afghan—I just kept changing one yarn at a time. I’ve left the tails on the ends, and when I get finished I will add more to fill out the fringe.

And lastly, an over-exposed scan where this is stretched to its most open state.
(Slightly more than normal)

Orange Julius

2008-12-03T14:23:00.004-05:00

I ♥ Orange Julius.

I haven't had a REAL one in YEARS.
But I like to make my own version at home.
I have a commercial blender (a REAL commercial blender, not a overpriced blender that says its commercial.) and I'm not afraid to use it.

I'll share my version:
8/ oj (With pulp & w/o calcium or added junk)
8/ water
2T pasteurized egg whites
splash of vanilla
1/4-1/3 cup sugar
Ice- one tray's worth

Pop the lid on & blend. (I use the #3 pre-programed setting- but that is really intended for frozen berry smoothies) so it sometimes can over whip the whites.

Pour into a big insulated mug & enjoy with a jumbo straw!
(One of the local drive-thru places has the red straws that are made of thicker plastic & are "wide-mouthed" we try to grab extras & save them for our frozen drinks at my house!) Regular straws & bendy straws just collapse & aren't worth the hassle when it comes to these drinks!

Oh Wow.
Apparently they will be opening one somewhat near-by (an hour's drive) soon-- or it may now be open, by as I don't go to malls (Hey! I used to work at one-- and shopping just isn't the same now that I have two kids!)

Dec 2, TO DO LIST

2008-12-02T10:02:00.002-05:00

A fresh new to-do list:

1) call for shot records
2) call about job application
3) pay rent
4) Post Office
5) Clean out chair
6) Garland for Office
7) pay gas bill
8) scrub out tub
9) water plants
10) chicken for dinner

Long weekends put me SO far behind!

2008-12-01T15:16:00.002-05:00

I really don't like long weekends.
Not only do I get behind at the office, but I also get behind on my housework. You see, when kids are home for an extended amount of time, they somehow forget how to do things for themselves. They forget that shoes & coats have a designated place. They forget that they must eat in the kitchen. They forget that lotion goes on hands, not into the carpet.
And long weekends = relaxing? Not for me. I ended up with WAY TOO MUCH STUFF ON MY TO-DO LIST. So much, that I didn't even post it here. I did type a list on my computer, but I never even got the chance to blog-- and that WAS on my list. I had some BIG things that I needed/wanted to do-- I never even had to chance to pre-plan doing them.
The only way I can remotly get things done is when the kiddos are either in school/daycare or they are away with my folks. And THEN, I end up resting/recuperating too much & STILL don't get my list done. I don't ever think I'll get a Win-Win situation out of long weekends.

FO FRIDAY!!!

2008-11-21T15:12:00.003-05:00

Just a few things I've finished lately...

For the REDUCIO SOCK Swap:

A Slytherin Stocking/sock

A Griffindor Wand Pouch & Wand

Hagrid's hat and scarf- um really off scale on the scarf length to hat ratio-- oh well!

11/20 Thursday's List

2008-11-20T10:44:00.005-05:00

Wednesday's List:
1) Mail more swap packages (FOUR to mail today!)
2) Mail pattern to Mom & Marie
3) Buy batteries for scale (& bread & wetwipes & diapers & tweezers I want tweezerman tweezers & they are hard to find.))
4) Wash Pots
5) Finish rounds on JoJoLand Hat Pastels
6) Call about new daycare (again)
7) Hang up new pants
8) Work on JET list
9) Deposit paycheck
10)

Well: I knew I wouldn't get much done yesterday. It was JUST ONE OF THOSE DAYS.

Thursday's List:
1) ~~Mail pattern to Marie~~
2) Wash Pots ((REALLY this time))(Quit Cooking Already!)
3) Finish rounds on JoJoLand Hat Pastels
4) Hang up new pants
5) Water plants
6) Call Suzi about Christmas Rum Cakes
7) Mail more swap packages (Three to mail today!)
8) Repair table top. (Post about this soon.) (STAPLE GUN????)
9) Motivate MC to work on garland for tree.
10) Swing, holiday tote, highchair? to attic.

11-19 To Do List

2008-11-18T20:45:00.005-05:00

From Tuesday:
1) return Library books
2) Finish side 2 of mitten (only thumb left)
3) Mail more swap packages (FOUR to mail today!)
4) mail pattern ~~to Mom~~ & Marie
5) buy batteries for scale (& bread & wetwipes & diapers)
6) Dishes
7) Photos for school collage
8) Take out Trash
9) Laundry (ugh)
10) work stuff

Oh No- LOTS left over. But honestly- the laundry & dishes will always be on the list. maybe they shouldn't even get on the list, since they seem to reproduce faster than the machine can run.

Wednesday's List:
1) Mail more swap packages (FOUR to mail today!)
2) Mail pattern ~~to Mom~~ & Marie
~~3) Buy batteries for scale (& bread & wetwipes & diapers &~~ tweezers I want tweezerman tweezers & they are hard to find.))
4) Wash Pots
5) Finish rounds on JoJoLand Hat Pastels
6) Call about new daycare (again)
7) Hang up new pants
8) Work on JET list
9) Deposit paycheck
10)

11/18 To Do List

2008-11-18T12:26:00.002-05:00

From 11/17
1) explore google spreadsheet capabilities for sharing.
2) JETs blog roll in/on google
3) make stitch markers that I've committed on Ravelry.
4) Pay Phonebill
5) Return Library books
6) Drop off recyclables
7) Mail off RAKs
8) update blog
9) update project status
10) Finish side 2 of mitten (only thumb left!)

SO-- Now for Today's List:
1) return Library books
2) Finish side 2 of mitten (only thumb left)
3) Mail more swap packages (FOUR to mail today!)
4) mail pattern to Mom & Marie
5) buy batteries for scale (& bread & wetwipes & diapers)
6) Dishes
7) Photos for school collage
8) Take out Trash
9) Laundry (ugh)
10) work stuff

Oh- I'd like to draw your attention to the new photo in the sidebar. Dad took the photo on his porch, daybreak 6:02 am October, 7 1007. I love the hangnail moon. The photo is totally UNTOUCHED- no cropping, color adjusting- just exactly how it came off the camera card. Breathtaking.

11-17 Manic Monday TO-DO List

2008-11-17T10:08:00.002-05:00

I'm going to publish some things I REALLY want to get done (hopefully today), or at least work on this week. Maybe by knowing someone else can see the list- I'll be more motivated to follow through.

1) explore google spreadsheet capabilities for sharing.
2) JETs blog roll in/on google
3) make stitch markers that I've committed on Ravelry.
4) Pay Phonebill
5) Return Library books
6) Drop off recyclables
7) Mail off RAKs
8) update blog
9) update project status
10) Finish side 2 of mitten (only thumb left!)

I have more- but I'm limiting my list to the first 10 things that came to mind.

It's gonna match!!!

2008-11-14T10:41:00.002-05:00

Side 2 of the mitten is going to match!!!!

I can't believe how the colors are lining up the right way.
But I am now wondering about using a solid for the palms & the ombre for the tops, so the PAIR will match, not just the sides of ONE mitten. Plus, I'm still concerned about the thumb space. If felting narrows it more than slightly- Then I'm in trouble. This might end up being a holiday decoration/stocking type deal.

New Mittens In Progress!

2008-11-13T09:33:00.003-05:00

This is the same pattern I tried to make mittens from several months ago, when I decided I needed to focus on my tunisian afghans, because counting stitches and following a pattern was a horrible undertaking.
However, I am almost done with my All Shawl, and I did finish Horse Girl's All Shawl. And I finished the ski hat with the yummy multi colored Jojoland Rhythm wool.

So, Yesterday, I decided to try the mittens again. This time- I chose Patons SWS, in a funky pink colorway called Natural Geranium. Remembering that I've used SWS in the orange, red, purple tunisian afghan I started last winter (where I thought the yarn was a bit splity) I was a bit hesitant.

You see, SWS is a single ply yarn, 70% wool, 30% soy. Oh yes, Soy Wool Stripes. But there is another Patons SWS, Soy Wool Solids. Same look, same fiber content. Just one SWS is multi colored & one is a solid. You will be able to tell the difference in the store, don't worry!

I did the starting chain with my 6.5mm hook, 'cause I chain too tight & that was the only alternative hook available (read: the one I keep at the office!) Then I switched to my 4mm Clover soft-touch hook.

Now, I don't know if the combination of the clover hook and SWS made the difference, or if it is the increased attention I was able to pay to the project, or if it is just tangible proof that my crochet skills are improving, but I got one side of the mitten finished-- The SAME DAY I started it!

And as an added bonus, I only ended up one stitch off in my counts! Well, One stitch on each side, but I was able to keep track & get my increases and stitch changes in the right spot each pass, so I'm okay with that.
On the down side, I made the Large size, which was listed as (8-9) while the Small size was listed as (6-7). But the photo shows a young girl- teenager maybe? and the mittens looked tight. Now, I'm a fan of mittens, and I like to be able to ball my fingers up together inside my mittens, I figured I should make the Large size. So, I don't think the numbers show well here, (scanner + metal ruler= not a good idea!) but these are 10 inches top to bottom.
But another bonus, SWS FELTS. I just hope the thump space is going to be wide enough after felting, because it looks like it's gonna be a tight fit at the size it is now. Plenty of room in the length for felting, but kinda skinny. So if anyone has any experience felting mittens (crochet felting experience is extra appreciated) please let me know if I should add to the thumb width before I felt.

Horse Girl's Cape is done!

2008-11-08T20:05:00.002-05:00

Horse Girl's Cape is done!

Well, it was done about two weeks ago, then only waiting for a button. She wore it last week to church. I think she liked it. She twirled bunches, which is always a good sign.

The cape took exactly one skein of Patons Bohemian yarn, I had about 2 inches left! The yarn is super soft & petable, and loads of people commented on it. This is the FIRST WEARABLE OBJECT that I have EVER completed from yarn. Yeah!

Reducio Sock on Ravelry

2008-11-08T19:50:00.003-05:00

I'm doing something new this month. I've signed up to participate in a swap on Ravelry. The group is called Reducio Sock is is based upon Harry Potter & Hogwarts & the plan is to make a mini sock & another mini item & send it to your partner. (mini- think Christmas Tree ornaments)

I've NEVER EVER made a sock, although I did make a patchwork stocking out of felt for my niece, but that was 15 years ago.
My knitting and crochet skills will be tested with this project. I hope my partner isn't disappointed by my newly acquired skills.

I was a bit worried about who I would be getting as a partner, but I actually HAVE the right house color yarns in my stash. Which is good, because I really don't have extra cash in the budget for yarn.

More Mommy Time

2008-11-05T14:03:00.002-05:00

I need more Mommy Time.
No, not more time for myself, but more time to be a mommy.
Lately I feel like I've run my legs off. Between shuttling the kids to school & birthday parties & soccer. And cooking dinner (heating something up, anyway) and changing the sheets and and and.
The other day I realized that I don't have much time to BE with my kids.
So, in an effort to be more like the mom I used to be, I've decided to MAKE the conscious effort to BE with my kids more.

As much as my six year old finds chores "boring" my two year old loves to "helpyou." So, last night, after having the 6yo pick up toys and school papers from the living room I had the 2yo "help" me vacuum the carpet. Then he helped me fold the towels. I should have started him sooner on this as the 6yo started at 18 months.
So what if they are more lumpy than when I do it? It's just a side towel that will most likely be used to clean up spilled lemonaid on the kitchen floor.
MC still has to empty the dishwasher, and will be promoted to folding her own clothes. (She has been doing some of her clothes, but mostly they are wadded into her drawers.)

I'm afraid I've let things slide a bit- as our time home was stretched so thin. BUT NO MORE! I decree that we WILL get back to our reading and writing schedule. We will reinstate the toothbrushing chart. We will fold the laundry before the creases are permanently set. We will have crafts time together.

And on that note, I've been following a few blogs where they participate in an "Unplugged" challenge. A topic is posted & then participating bloggers run with the idea for events to do with the children. It seems that mostly homeschooling families are the ones doing it, but I'd like to steal some of the ideas.
Like grating up crayon stubs (what? you don't have a box of those at your house?) and melting between waxpaper and framing with construction paper leaf shapes.
Or making Tub paints with baby shampoo and food coloring and cornstarch. Oh and fingerknitting. MC needs to start developing her yarn/knitting/crochet/handiwork gene. I want to do it with the loops used for making potholders. You know the thick cotton loops from socks.
Yep. My kids are gonna hate me for making them do more chores. But come bathtime, oh yeah. They will LOVE me for letting them fingerpaint!

Oh. And despite my good intentions to include lots of photo. camer card always seems to be left in the other pc. So enjoy the new widget in the upper left corner- MACRO photos. (That means close up images!)

Finished Objects!

2008-11-02T08:02:00.002-05:00

Just a few Things I finished in the past week or so...

3-D Flower Hotpad

Horse Girl's Cape

Some Dishcloths

I've done a few more things, but I need to take more pictures.
Have a Happy Day! =)

All Shawl is almost done!

2008-10-29T09:37:00.002-04:00

Last night, while watching a movie with my brother, I realized that my count was exactly perfect & I could start on the Strawberry Lace edging. I thought I was only half way done! I got half through the first row of the lace, but I had to put it away to take the kids home & get them to bed. I'm excited & now in the process of figuring out where I will be able to block it.

So, here is a photo, although this is not very recent.

JHS Is Underway!

2008-10-25T19:11:00.002-04:00

The Jewelry on Etsy Team, JET has launched their annual Jet Holiday Sale.

Two weeks with special items, reduced prices & great shopping-- Hop on over to http://etsy.com
Have your Holiday Gifts & baubles delivered right to your mailbox, or even to the recipients! Just ask & the JETs will be happy to gift wrap!

Our team makes some of the most beautiful handcrafted jewelry. I have many jewelry items that I have purchased from them (yes, even though I make jewelry, too!) and I always get loads of complements.

So, once you get to ETSY.com, log in, or create an account- Its easy. Then enter JHS JETTEAM in the search box.
Looking for a ring for the teenager-- Yep- cool Steampunk or bright baubles.
Something classy for Mom-- Sterling Silver Earrings or bracelet.
A cute teacher's gift-- How about a trendy beaded piece?

New items will be added throughout the TWO WEEK Event!

Current WIPs

2008-10-16T15:09:00.003-04:00

WIPs? You ask. That is short for Work In Progress. And for me, there are about a dozen yarn projects in the works.

I seem to find starting new projects very rewarding. Finishing them--- well, not so much.
But I did finally finish TWO dishcloths that were only waiting for the seam to be stitched together.
I present: 1 Halloween Festive Dishcloth & 1 Ugly Christmas Ombre Cloth.

I did finish my **KNIT** market bag & have been using it as much as I can. MC took it on a camping trip & was able to cram sleeping bag, pillow & clothes in it! I've also used it to tote food & tea jugs to Church for Alpha dinners & get loads of complements. here it is before the handle was added. (note the cool swirl action! & Yes the flip-flop pony holder is attached-- Don't ask!)

Strawberry Shortcake & other stuffed pets & pals have a new hang-out. An oversized toy hammock that I made all by myself. This sucker is HUGE-- Just so you know, Strawberry Shortcake is over 3 Feet tall.

I'm also working on several blankets, more take-a-long dishcloths, an acorn bag, an All Shawl, A cotton tank, and some other random things. Most are logged into Ravelry. You can click over there & check it out IF you are a member. I ♥ Ravelry.

I MISSED SEPTEMBER

2008-10-02T14:17:00.002-04:00

OH NO!

I can't believe I didn't blog at all in September.
Well, I have a few reasons (cough excuses cough)...
1) Start of soccer season
2) Intersession for Kindergarten
3) Resuming of Sunday night dinners & Alpha at church
4) A THREE WEEK long Miragrane
5) Lots of time with Nana-- visiting for almost 3 weeks
6) Some knitting & crocheting
7) Big clean-out of kids toys & clothes
8) Upcoming craft shows

So, my Etsy shop is empty, my JETs think I've abandoned them, the kid's room is almost organized & I'm pooped.

FINISHED VJG Afghan!

2008-08-25T20:32:00.003-04:00

I FINISHED IT!!!!!

I finished my first afghan that I will be donating to the Victory Junction Gang Camp.
This used aproximatly 1166 yards of yarn, and weighs in at 671 grams!
Made with two strands of worsted weight Peaches & Creme 100% cotton. Now, here is the cool part. This was made 100% right here in NC. The yarn from (at least some) NC cotton, spun & dyed here in NC, & I made it here in NC. AND the Victory Junction Gang is here in NC. So, next summer, a camper will be taking home a piece of NC to remember their camp experience. Weird to be that excited over two pieces of yarn (well 4 because of the color changes) but I am.

Granny Square Hobo Bag

2008-08-08T09:56:00.003-04:00

Granny Square Hobo Bag
Plan designed by Fish on the Wall, 2008.

Just a quick "pattern" share for my friends.

It's not so much a pattern, but more of a plan.

For this project, crochet 17 granny squares using the pattern & yarn of your choice.
Layout your squares following the diagram. (The colors are to help show the pattern, not really to indicate the color placement for your project, although you can.)

For assembling, I formed a row of 5 squares, two rows of 4, and two rows of 2. Then I slipped stitched them together, off setting the rows as shown.

The 3 blue squares will be the bottom.
The 4 red squares are the top and the "S" indicates where to attach the straps.

The triple curves show where to attach the bottom squares to the next section to form the sides. Once the sides are started, you may decide to stitch up a bit more, just depending on how OPEN you want the top.

I cannot post actual photos of this bag at this time, since it is a surprise gift for someone.

Yarny weekend

2008-08-04T09:18:00.002-04:00

My niece came over Friday night to bead. We are planning to have a table at her school's Fall Fest. But, instead of beading, I was working on my Peaches & Creme Mardi Gras Market bag. My niece, M, decided she wanted to try making a bag with my KniftyKnitter. She was up much later than I, and I figured she'd be almost done when I woke up Saturday. Yup.
I suggested she add a few more rows & then I'd crochet the handles & edging.
It looks great. I hope to add some pictures tonight. The colors created a swirl pattern, but it almost looks like stripes- looks good though & seems to be exactly what she had in mind.
I'm about half through the handles, but need her to verify the desired strap length.

What Is A Girl to DO...

2008-07-21T15:36:00.003-04:00

With SO much YARN?

I've settled on a project. (As if I could only do ONE thing at a time.)

Its going to be making and donating some afghans to the Victory Junction Gang.
Its a great place set up in the Piedmont of NC-- Founded & mostly funded by Kyle Petty, of NASCAR fame. http://www.victoryjunction.org/aa_camp/camp01_mission.html

Here is info if you want to share your skills at sewing, or quilting or knit or crochet. SEWING PROGRAM

Little Collections

2008-07-12T21:03:00.004-04:00

Little Collections.
I say this in jest, because I've (once again) RE-discovered that I have a serious problem.
I'm a collector. I collect things. LOTS of *things*. (Admitting the problem is the first step to recovery, no scratch that, make it organization.)

I just smushed, wedged, inventoried, and reorganized, hauled, grunted and pushed, SIX heavy-duty 18 gallon plastic totes into my attic.

Now, what might be in those SIX heavy-duty 18 gallon plastic totes, you might ask?
Well, my collections.

All of my collections? You ask.

Nope. I proudly admit. (I am a collector, ya know.)

Those SIX heavy-duty 18 gallon plastic totes contained various collections of yarn that I have collected for various projects. (Please note: These six totes do not contain my entire yarn collection. Oh No. There are THREE of these same massively huge totes of yarn in my living room, where I can easily access & visit with the yarn.)

I made a list & dutifully labeled the contents of each tote. (No digging through the wrong totes for this girl!)

This list is sorted by projects that I have collected & hauled into the attic, not the corresponding tote.

WIP: Summer is too hot to work under it... My "Yummy Wool Afghan" & yarn required to finish it. Plus enough yarn in the same yummy wool to make one or two more afghan/throws. (When you find a wool this yummy & its less than 1/2 price-- ya just HAVE to add all you can find to your collection.)
The reclaimed wool sweater yarn & various wools that I've collected for "Mom's Purple Wool Afghan". Still in balls- too hot to be under the wool.
WIP: "MC's Super-Soft Blanket" and all of the yarns & possible novelty yarns a 5yo would want in a blanket. I've been working & restarting this project since before she was born. I plan to have this one satisfactory completed for her to take to college. --egads the colors, had to put it away for a while.
"Mom's Purplely-Blue Acrylic Blanket" Surprisingly enough, I've collected most (maybe all) of these yarns from clearance & sale bins. Still in the bag. I am trying to restrain my self--- I'll have a collection of WIPs if I'm not careful.
WIP: "The Masculine Acrylic Afghan" Maybe for V? Maybe for C? Basically neutrals & a subtle bit of color. Mostly left over from a previous collection, by adding a few new skeins- Wa-LA. A NEW collection! While technically a WIP, there are only 8inches completed, so, it is possible that I've not committed to this project.
"The Next Red Afghan" in balls, lots of wools & bits that will be or might be leftover from "My Purple/Orange/Red Afghan." It won't have the purples but I might sneak in some orange & pinks into it. It's just SO HARD to know in advance exactly what color/yarn/texture will work until you are in the middle of it! (Hence the huge collections for each afghan.)
"Baby Yellow" just 6 little balls at this point in time. I think this is my simplest collection right now.
"Baby Ombre" gifted to me from someone destashing & letting go of their collection. I've made one blanket out of it this far...
"Other Yarns" my hand-dyed cotton chenille, bolt of undyed cotton chenille, odd novelty yarns that I got great deals on, 6 balls of an orange heathers Shetland tweed wool-(Kinda scratchy but AMAZING color) a beautiful cone of brown/tan chenille, 2 lonely purple yarns that ended up being the totally WRONG color for the intended collection. And a few other random yarns.

Wow. I've just impressed myself. Thats a LOT of yarn.
Too much yarn to be all in the living room, during the summer, when it is over 90* every day.
I've allowed myself three totes to be left in the living room. Two of them have my precious Peaches & Creme Cotton, of which I have 2 projects going now & several waiting their turn to be used. The last box houses my collection of yarns being used in "My Purple/Orange/Red Afghan."

This style of creation just can't be planned in advance, as I stated above. It is very much a process of creating. And, since I just sort of design as I go-- Well, I have NO IDEA of how many yards of yarn it takes to make one of these things. However, I AM keeping track for Mom's Rugs that I am working on, but that is partly because She wants another one which needs to be a certain length, so I might need to buy more yarn.

Oh. and just a tiny peek at some of my other collections: BEADS, sterling silver wire, stuffed toy owls, Rubber stampers, polymer stampers, ink pads, random scrapbooking supplies (paper, eyelets, trims...) Cookbooks, birkenstocks, lighthouse items, pastry tools, fruit shaped pitchers, fabric yardage, I could keep going. I an such a candidate for TLC. I just need them to offer me a double header-- What Not To Wear combined with one of the organizing/clean-out shows. So if anyone has "connections" I will throw my self at your feet & beg.

I need help.
(Hey, is that step 2? Asking for help?)
Help? Help. HELP!!!!

P&C COTTON!!!!

2008-07-10T10:43:00.003-04:00

So, on July 3 I took the day off & headed up the mountain. I woke Mom & MC up from their nap (being careful NOT to wake up my dad & son) & loaded them into the car for a 1.5 hour drive to Old Fort. We were on a mission & not even 100% sure the outlet was going to be open (holiday & all.) We headed to the outlet store for Peaches & Creme. THE source & supplier for our favorite cotton yarn.

I had googled directions & we were on an adventure. We made it through Marion, where I reminisced about not eating at McDonalds (I never eat at McDs) after a high school softball (or maybe tennis) away game. Then on down the road. We had determined that the road the outlet was on was going to be some sort of major through fair or main street in town. WRONG. We pass through was little bit of town there was & keep going. (Thank goodness for the mileage indicators in google map directions!) We see the road. It looks like we are heading down a driveway, NOT a major road. After giggling quite a bit because we were so wrong about the road & laughing because neither of us has a clue how far 442 ft will be, since the odometer measures in miles! Finally, we see a plant/warehouse type of building. It looks deserted.
Oh No.
We go in & ask about the outlet store. The lady told us to wait just a moment.
Then Flo walks into the lobby & takes us into the outlet!
Well, It's actually a little room that is just off of one of the big warehouse storage rooms (the one for 930 & 980 Worsted weight cones!!) In this room are shelves & shelves of sample cones, shelves with notebooks full of color samples (color cards) and shlves of pre-packs & kits. Also, 3 HUGE carts (like laundry carts the laundry services for hotels use) full of 2nds & mill ends.
I was in heaven!

Oh. And there was a big table down the middle with 4 packs of double worsted weight that were on sale (and big boxes full underneath as well!)

Being that I had JUST spent $100 on yarn at my LYS's annual pre-inventory sale, and filled FIVE 35 gallon totes with yarn, I was trying VERY hard to be good & not buy too much (is that possible?) yarn.

I bought (all 1lb cones unless otherwise indicated): 2 DWW in Raspberry Swirl, 1 market bag kit in DWW ecru, 1 morning glory table scape kit (1 cone ww morning glory & 3 co-ordinating balls of solids), ww sour green apple, ww tan, ww olive, ww fiesta, dww dark orange (4 balls), ww shades of blue, 2 cones of DWW in a fab bright aubergine (it was mis-dyed- should have been in ww!).

Now in my stash that mom bought (meaning I have to make things for her) DWW Shades of Rust, DWW Chocolate, DWW Seabreeze.

I think I have more that I can't think of at the minute, because I have over 20 cones of Peaches & Creme in my tote!

Ravelry!

2008-06-27T21:57:00.002-04:00

I've Joined Ravelry!

I've heard good & bad things about the site-- but today I got my invitation-- I'm SO excited to have an organized place to log my projects. A Place to store start & finish dates, yarns and finished sizes.

I've not figured it out- as I popped in during a break at work-- I may make my notebook private, but for now, I'm just seeing how it goes.

I know I'm not going to be a big poster in the forums over there, as I keep myself busy just keeping up with the JETs.

But I AM going to do it. I've already read some great ideas-- Tinkertoy or coat hanger swift, anyone? I'm SO trying one of these this next week while the kids are on vacation!

PICTURES!!!!!!

2008-06-16T18:33:00.005-04:00

MY- Lap Rug-- see the big ol' tassels!

So far on the Red & Purple Afghan

--- C&P from a previous post-- since most people won't scroll down for the details!---
A full size (not lap size) afghan in REDs & Purples & touches of orange & pink--
This includes the 2 shades of purple reclaimed sweater yarn -
from a Casual Corner sweater and from an Old Navy sweater (but in reality the Old Navy one is darker than those pictures-- which is exactly PERFECT for my blanket! )
I ♥ KNITTINGnetty!
Two of the red yarns are from mysmalldestash.etsy.com (and if you look- that is one of my yarns in her banner!) These two reds: California Yarns, Carmel and Facination Fanta
Yarn included from my local yarn store -- some Rowan red wool, orange and purple (different balls) wool from Italy, some novelty ribbon yarns & a crazy bulky pink/purple/orange wool from the sale bin. Oh- and last night I used some cotton embroidery floss in the mix as well.

I've gotten LOADS of amazing complements on this one-- during the Sit & Stitch at my local yarn shop, from the worker guys having lunch at the local hot dog grill (outdoors dining- in the shade with fans- amazingly cool in this 100* weather) at the library-- HEY-- EVERYDAY is Knit-In-Public-Day for me-- except- I've not been knitting, exactly.

A closer view-- ( I wish I could photoshop this-to point out which yarns came from where!)

I have some pictures of the yummy wool-- but can't get them to upload right now....

WIP update 6 15 08

2008-06-15T20:56:00.002-04:00

PROGRESS!!

!!!!!COMPLETED!!!!!!
♥ Amanda's bebe's-- DONE!!!! (mom sewed the ends in for me!) I packaged it up -- and as I was wrapping in tissue & ribbon- OH MY the card- and also the tissue- are in her wedding accent colors-- WOW- I'm all over that one!

♥ My Chenille lap rug-- DONE!!! There were only a few treads to tuck in-- I managed to do that AND I finished it off with over-sized tassels on the corners. LOVE IT (said in a Wheezie voice --from the Dragon Tails, of course!)

Still in progress:
♥ pastel baby blanket-- I think-- mom was working on the ends-- not sure if she got them done--
♥ my full length afghan in the Queensland Collection BigWave yummy wool & Pebbly tan wool & chenille-- I've done a few more rows--
♥ the candy color sampler-- I've moved that to the pc- waiting for pages to load project(the joy of dial-up) -- I did 2 rows today.
♥MC's blanket-- haven't gotten back to that one.

NEW & in Progress:
♥ Another beige & cream afghan-- not sure what else will end up in this one-- but I'm using a few different stitches so the texture will be different. But right now- I've only done 3 rows...

♥A full size (not lap size) afghan in REDs & Purples & touches of orange & pink--
This includes the 2 shades of purple reclaimed sweater yarn -
from a Casual Corner sweater and from an Old Navy sweater (but in reality the Old Navy one is darker than those pictures-- which is exactly PERFECT for my blanket! ) I ♥ KNITTINGnetty!
Two of the red yarns are from mysmalldestash.etsy.com (and if you look- that is one of my yarns in her banner!) These two reds: California Yarns, Carmel and Facination Fanta
Yarn included from my local yarn store -- some Rowan red wool, orange and purple (different balls) wool from Italy, some novelty ribbon yarns & a crazy bulky pink/purple/orange wool from the sale bin. Oh- and last night I used some cotton embroidery floss in the mix as well.

I've gotten LOADS of amazing complements on this one-- during the Sit & Stitch at my local yarn shop, from the worker guys having lunch at the local hot dog grill (outdoors dining- in the shade with fans- amazingly cool in this 100* weather) at the library-- HEY-- EVERYDAY is Knit-In-Public-Day for me-- except- I've not been knitting, exactly.

Anyway-- I've used up all of my yarn time for tonight by writing all of this up-- and getting sidetracked by more yarn listings on Etsy-- so I'm off to bed.

WIP update

2008-06-04T21:44:00.003-04:00

My WIPs are well- still there.
I've just about finished the chenille and green lap rug. It's mine, and I sit cross legged on the couch to watch TV. So I've decided that it doesn't need to be long. It's a weighty thing, so I'm now calling it a lap rug rather than a blanket of afghan....Also, It's so heavy that I think I'd feel crushed if it were to be wrapped around my shoulders....

♥ Amanda's bebe's-- need to tuck in the ends.
♥the pink and blue bebe's-- ditto
♥my lap rug-- need to bind off chenille & then-- tuck in ends.

not shown in last month's post
♥Yummy neutral in super-soft wool- about 1/2 done-- I'm switching colors so much in this one that-- GUESS WHAT- I'm doing a fringe- so no ends to worry about!!!!
♥bright candy color stitch sampler hotpad- 1 is DONE! and 2 is 1/3 done.
♥ MC's crazy blue/aqua/teal blanket-- about 1/3 done-- it has become a fun project- because at the end of each row, she gets to pick the yarn that comes next (from the yarns purchased for her-- not a total free-for-all in my yarn stash!)

Projects I REALLY want to start- but I'm determined to finish some up first:
○ My red and purple afghan for MY bedroom-- so I can get out my fancy pillows & look posh
○ An afghan made from reclaimed sweater yarn
○ the sweater jacket- (OH NO A PATTERN)in my yummy wools! but I need a smaller hook or pattern conversion
○ another afghan for Windalay-- My yummy wool is going to be perfect-- my vintage sofa has been reupholstered several years back- and is the best shade of tan.... So more for the mountains!

No pictures this time- but yea me for posting this much!

Works in Progress: Crochet

2008-05-14T14:09:00.006-04:00

Okay- here are a few things that I'm working on in my "spare-time."

Almost done!

This sweet little baby blanket is for Amanda's bundle that is on the way. (Remember I made her wedding cake back in December?) I'm very proud of myself for getting it done early. However, it is still in my WIP pile because I have to weave in the thread tails. I HATE doing that. I'm SO good at procrastinating that it may be a 1st birthday instead of a new baby gift!

A close up of the thread structure of the Tunisian Stitch and this
GREAT card I bought from anemoneletterpress.etsy.com

Another baby blanket in progress. This is some destash yarn I was given & it is super soft. But when I worked the two strands together, whoa, too pink for my taste. The middle section is the baby ombre (blue & yellow too!) and a strand of ivory. The blue isn't quite that neon looking- but I think the color is off a bit in all of these photos.

And MY favorite (because it's for ME!!!)

This one is cotton chenille, usually 2 strands together, plus worsted cotton, and either one or two strands of this wonderful CinCin yarn I bought from http://mysmalldestash.etsy.com. She bought all of the yarn from a store that was closing! (OH MY!) She also makes handpainted/dyed yarns in her main shop called http://mysmallwonders.etsy.com.

I think the greens look great with my olive green (MC says it's brown) chair & sofa!

I have several other smaller projects that I'm in the middle of as well. I'll save those & maybe by my next update they will be finished instead of in progress!

Wedding Challenge Results

2008-05-09T11:45:00.004-04:00

The Jewelry on Etsy Team (JET), EtsyFAST, and ETSY Greetings street teams outdid themselves in creating pieces for the Wedding Challenge. Final voting results are in.

Congratulations to our winners - the voting was extremely difficult.

Paper category:
1st place - http://PinkStarDesign.etsy.com

2nd place - http://steliedesigns.etsy.com
3rd place - http://macaroniandglue.etsy.com
Jewelry category:
1st place - http://cserpent.etsy.com
2nd place (tie) - http://beadsme.etsy.com
http://lushbeads.etsy.com
3rd place - http://bdazzlingcreations.etsy.com

Fiber category:
1st place - http://LazyTcrochet.etsy.com
2nd place - http://peacoxcreations.etsy.com
3rd place - http://beemiceelf.etsy.com

Many of the designers have put their pieces up for sale in their Etsy shops. Just search under the tag wedchal to see some amazing work.
All entries can be found in the challenge flikr pool here http://www.flickr.com/groups/711212@N21/

A heartfelt thank you to our featured bride, Autumn, for allowing us to share in her wedding plans.
Many thanks to the following generous Etsy shop owners for donating special items to be included in a gift basket for Autumn.

http://jacjewelry.etsy.com
http://Beadflorajewels.etsy.com
http://MoonMystic.etsy.com
http://Macaroniandglue.etsy.com
http://f2images.etsy.com
http://chattycathieart.etsy.com
http://Fabricartbydebby.etsy.com
http://Rebekaha.etsy.com
http://Auntdshandcrafts.etsy.com
http://Elnorrighb.etsy.com
http://shannon75.etsy.com
http://entice101.etsy.com
http://luv2have.etsy.com
http://Beadsandfairies.etsy.com
http://WhimsyPics.etsy.com
http://cozysister.etsy.com
http://CassandraRussell.etsy.com
http://Arabbitgirl.etsy.com
http://Jealousydesign.etsy.com
http://Mermaidinacan.etsy.com
http://Bridalbliss.etsy.com
http://BAKidAgain.etsy.com
http://laughingmooncreation.etsy.com
http://Matilou.etsy.com
http://Kimonocards.etsy.com
http://milarks.etsy.com
http://forquiltssake.etsy.com
http://lushbeads.etsy.com

My Team ROCKS! Special Thanks to Bdazz & Beadiful for the behind the scene work developing the contest, to Liz for coordinating the gift basket, to Mandy & Michele for handling the flickr pool for the contest.
Also thanks to EtsyGreetings & EtsyFAST for joining us in this event!

Wedding Challenge Entries are in: Go vote!

2008-05-02T12:28:00.006-04:00

I've entered some earring designs into the Wedding Challenge sponsored by my team on Etsy. (I'm the ring leader for the Jewelry on Etsy Team, or as we call ourselves, JETs.)

We invited two other teams to participate and cross promote the event.
All of the details and links to voting polls can be found on the JET blog.
http://jewelryonetsyteam.blogspot.com

Go Vote! Three categories-- jewelry, paper & fiber.

NEW CARDS are HERE!!!!

2008-04-22T13:13:00.003-04:00

THERE GRRREAT!!!!

♥ LOVE THEM!!! ♥

I just tried to add a pic but blogger is having issues. Bummer. AH-HA. Got it!

She Likes IT!

2008-04-17T16:06:00.006-04:00

I'm binding off the afghan as it is.
I think much bigger would be bed sized, and too bulky to curl up with in front of the fire. Which, since she lives up in the mountains happens A LOT! (It was snowing there the other day... and 80 here.)

I've started a smaller (narrower) one with the same brown & cream base yarn and some fun purple from Bernat MAX in Eggplant or Aubergine. (What a fun way to say purple!) The Bernat MAX is fun, it is a think/thin yarn but the thick parts are VERY thick, so those parts are lumpy!

I tried a few rows of the "Basic Tunisian Stitch" (T) (I think that is what it is called it may be a different stitch entirely.) but I really prefer the look and weight of the "Simple Stitch." (Tss) So, the new stitch was frogged. I now see why people claim that Tunisian is so thick and heavy.

I love the Tss and the way it mimics woven fabric. I also did a small swatch of the Tunisian Knit Stitch but- Why not just knit if that is how you want it to look. I guess if you are doing a sweater or something it could be added of textural effect, but, I don't like it for an afghan. It looks a bit like the sections I TRIED to do for MC with those round knifty knitter looms.

Maybe pictures soon, but tonight I need to put together the earrings I've got planned for the JET's Wedding Challenge. I'm thinking Pearls, Peridot & Garnet-- really pull colors from the flowers.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2008-04-10T20:38:00.008-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!

Since you got me the new Tunisian Crochet hook, I figured you should get the first project!

I followed the instructions of casting on 84 stitches for an afghan. I’m almost half through the yarn I bought for this project.

But now I’m thinking that the 84 stitches might be the length, NOT the width as I was planning…

So, It’s up to you to decide if I need to finish off the final row, or if I need to finish the other half.

Right now, This thing is about 56 x 40 ish.

You know the size of my couch, this covers 2 cushions plus a little more-- what do you think?

I love you-- thanks for being my mom!
z

I've almost lost my jewelry muse...

2008-03-25T19:42:00.003-04:00

I think she must be hiding. Every once in a while- I catch a glimpse- and can make something stunning. I've been forcing myself to do a little- but mostly I end up starring at my supplies.

So, I've pulled out my yarn, and I've been working on the afghan again. I've been working on this for over two years- but only when the mood strikes me. So it's not even the size of a baby blanket, yet.

*But* this past weekend my parents were visiting to see the grandkids, and Mom & I went to my local yarn store. One of teh girls there had made a fab afghan & gave me the pattern. I bought (um- Mom bought) the new hook I needed & a few skeins of yummy wool (I want felt scuffs!) and the yarn she needed for the bag she is knitting. We sat out back and stitched away the afternoon. It was nice. When we went inside, we watched some NCAA Basketball & kept right on working. I got more done on that afghan in a few hours than I had in the past YEAR. Oh the joys! I've even gotten a few rows done since she left. I hope my muse has just temporarily changed mediums, because I've just made two BIG jewelry supply orders! eep!

I've not had the camera out lately, so just pretend you can see the fruit of my labor! I guess I just needed someone to sit with to get me back into yarn-- now if I could get my niece over to help me get some jewelry inspiration!

No new jewelry...

2008-03-11T15:38:00.002-04:00

Dear Blog,

I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've posted.

I've been busy working behind the scenes for the JETs.
Scavenger Hunt is scheduled for this Friday, March 14.
And a 24 hour super sale starting at midnight.

I hope to get some new things made & photographed & listed So there will be some life in my shops.

Big order to go out this weekend to Wood's as well! = )

I'm off to print tags.

I'm SO Happy!

2008-02-24T10:07:00.002-05:00

Okay- so I 'm ecstatic over something REALLY small.
Like the size of a mini m&m. Looks like a red one too.
I'm talking about a Sutafed. I found a REAL one.
Ya know, the ones you can't buy at the market anymore.
The ones with REAL psudafedrine (or however you spell it.)
The ones that actually help stop the runny drippy faucet that used to be my nose.
And, I'm SO happy. I can't wait for it to kick in.

I have two more of these precious babies locked up in my medicine box. I'm hoping that I can find some more I've stashed up high & out of reach as I clean house today-- since I'm too icky to go to church.

Poor Little Peanut

2008-02-21T20:57:00.002-05:00

Okay- no improvement on my little peanut plant. I think it's a goner.

I think I killed the Peanut

2008-02-19T14:56:00.002-05:00

It is slumped over and very limp. We turned on the humidifier & I think the cool breeze was too much for the little guy. So I put it into the sun, on the front deck-- thinking it would warm up & dry out a bit. No Luck. Still looking VERY SICK. I was too sad to take a picture of it to share.

Have you seen the JETs Store on Etsy?

2008-02-12T14:33:00.000-05:00

Here is a neat little shop that showcases different items from the team members.

WHERE is the PEANUT?

2008-02-12T14:25:00.000-05:00

I just popped in to check on my little blog. I'm not sure why the peanut picture is missing. I just have a tiny square on my screen-- so maybe there was a problem loading it after all. ( That is what happens when I'm up too late!) Anyway, I'll try to upload the picture again tonight.

Okay, so now it's back and I'm thoroughly confused.

Another View of the Peanut.

2008-02-09T22:14:00.000-05:00

Well, I haven’t killed it yet- I’m quite happy about that. After a double round of the stomach bug in our house- remembering to water the plants was not a top priority. But, the plants held their own- as they have had to do for thousands of years. Of course, those plants of log ago weren’t kept in a room darkened by curtains, either. Oh well. The point is that it is still alive.

JETs Promotion

2008-02-02T14:32:00.000-05:00

I just got promoted to be a Co-Leader for the JETs (Jewelry on Etsy Team)

I've already stepped up a bit & am working behind the scenes on the beginning stages for several team events, The St Patty's hunt & A team challenge (for May?), a few updates on team rosters, and in general boosting the enthusiasm level for the team members.

I see good things happening for the team this spring.
* Our JETTEAM store on Etsy has over 70 items listed, and we want to keep it active and upfront in the search pages. CBT is doing an awesome job making sure sellers ship items & get $ & leave feedback.
* Team stickers are in the works, with the help of TVJB & the super idea from JBT.
* The hunt in March is developing nicely , with lots of work from MorganAlexa & Cher , and from fun team chats. Lee has already come up with a bit of text to submit to the Storque. With lots of ideas are being gleamed from the February Hunt that Liz was able to pull together last minute.
* An amazing ongoing challenge topic from bdazz: PIC = Promote, Inspire, Create, where it looks like the possibility of a cross team challenge is being formulated. (Yippee!)
* We are getting a new website, being designed and hosted by Cate
* Our google group is thriving and EMO is helping me to clean out some of the old news & out-of-date updates.
* The two flickr pools have loads of pretty new items
* We have a team blog ring thanks to the initiative of Missrie
* A facebook & myspace page (although I can't figure those out!) is being maintained for the team by JBT & a few others help out.

* I know I'm forgetting loads-- but you can tell we have a lot of exciting things happening right now.

JET Treasure Hunt!

2008-01-25T09:53:00.000-05:00

The Jewelry on Etsy Team (JET) is having a treasure hunt!

Here is the official information:
***** Welcome to the official JET Treasure Hunt thread!! *****

Buyers and sellers are welcome to play. Bring your friends!

HOW TO PLAY: Included in this post is a list of participating shops. There is one "treasure" hidden in the listings of each participating shop. Search through the listings of each shops to find the treasure. Keep track of the shop names and URLs where the treasures are located. Convo lushbeads with your answers. The winner will be the one who finds all of the treasures!!

You have 2 days to hunt - from 12:01AM EST Fri January 25th to 11:59PM EST Sat January 26th. Make sure to convo your answers before 11:59PM on Saturday!!

PRIZES: There will be prizes! Out of everyone who finds all the treasures, we will randomly pick 5 names and each person will win a fabulous handmade jewelry prize. A sneak peek at the prizes: http://flickr.com/photos/lushbeads/2218057726/
Here's what your treasure looks like: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lushbeads/2211519899/

Look high and look low...some folks may have been sneaky with their treasures!

PARTICIPATING SHOPS - remember, each shop has one treasure hidden in its listings!

http://majentadesigns.etsy.com/
http://alorinna.etsy.com/
http://michon.etsy.com/
http://bdazzlingcreations.etsy.com/
http://beachstreetbeads.etsy.com/
http://lushbeads.etsy.com/
http://beadifuldesigns.etsy.com/
http://emilini.etsy.com/
http://zencreations04.etsy.com/
http://fishonthewall.etsy.com/
http://missrie.etsy.com/
http://shinyadornments.etsy.com/
http://jewelrybytara.etsy.com/
http://keelyb.etsy.com/
http://malves1009.etsy.com/
http://littlebrownbird.etsy.com/
http://thebrasshussy.etsy.com/
http://morganalexadesigns.etsy.com/
http://artmadebytammy.etsy.com/
http://redpanda.etsy.com/
http://designsbycher.etsy.com/
http://crystalimpressions.etsy.com/
http://DaisiemaiCreations.etsy.com/
http://cserpent.etsy.com/

I've got the graphic in my shop! So go to Etsy.com & seek your treasure!

Graduation Gift for the Artist

2008-01-20T10:57:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love the way this necklace turned out.
As it was out on my workbench, I just felt so motivated & enthused. Then after photographing and while preparing to list the item in my etsy shop, I found out why. The descriptions of my jewelry truly reflect my mood during the listing process.
I first grabbed the dictionary, as to make sure I wasn't mistaken that graduate had both meanings. (My Junior High & High School years forced way too many "vocabulary words" into my mind. Often, I'll know there is a better/bigger word for what I am trying to communicate, but the actual word has been hidden in the folds of my memory. Thanks Watson.)
This is what I found: Graduate.v. 1)To be granted an academic degree or diploma 2)To change gradually or by degrees.
So, I wasn't inspired, yet. Then off to my sources for metaphysical attributes of the stones. This, combined with my trusty definition of Graduate did it. Here is the resulting description, straight off of Etsy.

Graduation Gift for the Artist - A Necklace

Graduate.v. 1)To be granted an academic degree or diploma 2)To change gradually or by degrees.

A center section of Hessonite Garnets in graduated shades and Cultured Freshwater Pearls in graduated sizes. Sterling silver chain. Sidebars feature graduated Cultured Freshwater Pearls and a hand-cut Citrine rondell. Sterling silver lobster clasp. 18 inches in length.

Hessonite Garnet is referred to as the stone of creativity. Pearls are said to enhance personal integrity and focus attention. Citrine enhances creativity and strengthens self confidence. A lovely combination for the artist in each of us.

Well, I like it. What do you think? Please feel free to leave a comment. It makes me happy to know someone is reading my blog!

Nothing in the Peanut Gallery Today

2008-01-20T10:54:00.000-05:00

Sorry- We are up in the freezing cold mountains for a quick weekend get-a-way.

When I checked on the peanut, before we left, the top leaves were dry & crispy. = (
But soil was moist???

I don't know... Photos later this week.

Secret Santa Gift for Bdazzling

2008-01-14T19:06:00.000-05:00

I just realized that I never posted a picture of the bracelet that I made for BdazzlingCreations. I was matched with her for the JET (Jewelry On Etsy Team) Secret Santa Swap.
I had a hard time figuring out what to make for her. Making Jewelry specifically for another jewelry artist is a real challenge. Finally I figured out what to make. I used Sterling Silver wire and Cultured freshwater pearls & crocheted an amazing bracelet.

But, She didn't get that bracelet, because my car was robbed & it was stolen. So, I had to make her another, which I think I like better than the first, because the clasp is less obvious and more secure. I also went with two larger sized pearls, and only three stitches wide vs four stitches like the first one. I think this made it less dressy/formal.
Anyway, when she got it, she loved it. And so did several of her co-workers! I hope to get another similar one made with a different colors of pearls. For some reason, now this one looks like bridal jewelry, but maybe that is just because it was mentioned in our team thread, that prom & wedding season is fast approaching!

If you are interested in a bracelet in this style, please contact me. Etsy conversations are great & easy for me to keep track of!

Thanks for reading & come visit my shop soon!

Changing Blog Name

2008-01-12T17:50:00.000-05:00

The Peanut Gallery!

Thought I'd show our progress-- I really need to get online & see what conditions this thing is "Supposed" to grow in.

It's still alive!

2008-01-08T18:12:00.000-05:00

Here it is in with the mother spider plant. (left)

And, in its pot of its very own! (right)

Peanuts!

2008-01-01T09:49:00.000-05:00

So, here I am doing some random chores around the house. Watering the plants & picking off the dead leaves (since I think I forgot to water them in December)...

LOOK WHAT I FOUND!

Yep, that's a peanut growing in my spider plant.
Hmm, wonder how long that peanut (in the shell no less) has been in there. That plant is one that goes outside when it warms up... Guess it has been awhile.

Happy End of 2007!

2007-12-31T20:55:00.000-05:00

Nothing Exciting Here. I did get tomorrow off of work though. Yippee!

Amanda's Wedding

2007-12-16T18:30:00.000-05:00

It was lovely.
I had a weekend out-of-town, and it was nice to catch up with old friends.
Funny thing- I didn't get a single picture of her or the groom, only a handful of her daughter dancing at the dinner reception!
Anyway, we each made promises to keep in touch better, and hope to plan a girls weekend in a few months.

The cake: 3 tiers of a rich chocolate cake, four layers each with a black raspberry filling and REAL buttercream frosting. The picture she sent me was about the size of a quarter, but I guess I got pretty close!

Been Shopping---

2007-12-10T19:28:00.000-05:00

TIS THE SEASON!!!

But I've been doing a lot of wish listing of supplies....

Chain, charms, PEARLS... MY my my.
I sure do love my pearls.
I'm getting those first!

JET (Jewelry on Etsy Team) is finishing out our Holiday Sale this weekend.
MAJOR takeover in the treasuries. I think I was in 7 today!!! Yea Me!

More gifts to wrap, my Secret Santa to finish (I was finally inspired!) and the wedding cake for this weekend.

Still busy- Hugs on the run!

Fish

http://FishOnTheWall.etsy.com

Opps. Got something really different

2007-12-02T11:05:00.000-05:00

...For my work.

Trying to work more on a target market. Seems the beachy bit is the tween-twenty thing. So, after some light research- I'm incorporating chain into my work.

I've done some cool earrings with Sterling chain, and now a pewter charm on chain. Antiqued silver-plate chain.

see them at my etsy shop http://FishOnTheWall.etsy.com.

That's all for now.

WHITE TRASH!!!

2007-11-19T15:51:00.000-05:00

So- I had a craving- and as it's a little early for holiday snacks- I threw up my hands and said "Who cares!"

Here is a sampling of our White Trash. I wish we would have had some pretzels to go in it too. Oh well.

TA DA!

2007-11-16T20:00:00.000-05:00

Here are the STERLING SILVER SWIRL EARRINGS!

The first real pair!

The sterling wire is a heavier gauge than the silver-plate.
Size is slightly larger.
(Oh! Handmade ball-end headpin,too!)

See- I TOLD YOU they were pretty!

I love my silver wire!!!

2007-11-11T14:57:00.001-05:00

I'm so glad I ordered the wire. It was cut & shipped on Monday, and by the time I got it on Friday-- the Silver Spot price had already risen a whole dollar!

I've made a few handfuls of headpins-- it is so fun to watch the silver melt into a little ball!!!
Tride a few different sizes of pens and markers (even the inhaler!) trying to find the right size for my swirly hoops- I found it & hammered out a few pairs of earwires, wrapped some pearls & WALA! LOVE THEM!!! But, I can't share them right now, because I lost the camera card.

So, Just know they are beautiful.

I took the BIG Leap

2007-11-03T19:00:00.000-04:00

I ordered the "right" wire.
Silver Wire that is.
20 Gauge HH Sterling Silver to make my own earwires.
24 Gauge HH Fine Silver to make my own headpins.

I did it Friday, So I'm not sure if it went out in the afternoon, or will be shipped on Monday- but it will be here soon!

See, my favorite earwire shape doesn't come in Sterling Silver...

So, of course I couldn't wait for the new stuff, and HAD to try it out with the Sterling wire that I have for knitting. The gauge is all wrong- way too fine & too soft, but I tried it anyway. Hammered the earwires with some help from LittleMan. I love the way they look. And I fired up some silver wire for the ball-end headpins. WHAT FUN!!! Now, I really cant wait to get the "right" wire!! I think I'm addicted already! So, here is what I whipped up. After a bit of practice, some handmade earwires will be showing up as jewelry in my Etsy store. http://FishOnTheWall.etsy.com
<- LittleMan with the hammer.
The Hammered Swirls

Bronze Pearls On Swirls with homemade headpins!

Have a super day!

~fish

So, I got a new tire.

2007-11-01T17:18:00.002-04:00

$127 dollars later.

Oh well. At least I have a car.