It's Been A Lazy Week!

   It really has been a lazy week! I have been afraid to leave the house, in case the TV repair people call to tell me that my TV is ready to be brought back to me! I have done tons of laundry, and with every trip up and down those stairs, I'm carrying my cell phone and the house phone, in case they call. Yesterday, as I was waiting for the doctor's office to call me back, I went down to move laundry around, and instead of the house phone, I had the TV clicker in my hand! DUH! I can't answer the clicker when the phone rings!

   I have also made significant progress on Mrs. Gilroy's shawl in the past two days! Since it's crocheted, it's going really quickly. I am excited, because soon I will be able to get back to the granddaughter's afghans. One is finished, just have to finish the second one. They are for my friend in Texas, who told me that his granddaughters will try to steal his hurricane-ghan, so could I please make them each one? I had lots of a particular yarn in my stash, so it was off to the races! He actually helped me to de-stash! My Hubs likes when I de-stash!

   And the hurricane-ghan is still sitting there. I haven't mailed it off to Texas yet, heck, I haven't even washed it yet! I wanted to do all three together, and mail them all together. I only need to find a box big enough. I even have a nearly finished afghan for his wife! I just have to get it back from my other stash at Bonny's house. Strange, but it's even the same pattern as the others! I told you it was my favorite!

   Did you catch that? The fact that I have an entirely different yarn stash at someone else's house? Well, I do. Two years ago, when we re-financed our mortgage, they wanted to come in and inspect the house. Hubs told me that my stash had to go. I took it all over to Bonny's house, and it's been there ever since! Of course, she uses some yarn if she needs it, and that's OK! I now have more yarn here at home than I did before I took my old stash to Bonny's!!

   Even though it's Thursday, I'm gonna do a WIP like it was Wednesday. 1) Mrs. Gilroy's crocheted shawl, 2) My knitted triangle shawl, 3) my knitted rectangle shawl, 4) the 2nd crocheted granddaughter-ghan, and 5) the nearly finished Mrs. Decker-ghan that's still at Bonny's house. I think that's all of them!

   I broke down and called the TV repair shop this morning, because I *really* needed to go grocery shopping! They said it would be another 24 - 48 hours as they are waiting on a part. So I got to go grocery shopping. Then I went to the Post Office and got the mail. Because I am the only one who can. Uh-huh. Just like I am the only one who can change the cat box... Oh, no, do not get me started!

   Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Last Friday, when they took my TV, the very nice man said he would get it back to me in "two to three days". That was SIX days ago. It's a darn good thing I have such a positive attitude, huh? Here's what the TV wall in my living room looks like right now:

 
  That tiny little TV is 19 inches. Our regular TV fills that whole space. We feel like we need a magnifying glass to watch TV this week! Well, at least we have a spare...

  

Shit Happens, Misery Is Optional!

   These words have meant a lot in my life. My mom started saying them to my dad when he first got sick. He was only being negative, which I can totally understand, but wallowing in the misery doesn't help anybody, and certainly isn't constructive. Mom somehow got him to lighten up and enjoy the time he had left to the fullest. She even painted a plaque and hung it on wall in the living room, there is a cute picture of two animals, and the whole thing is kind of dark, but they are together, and there's a rainbow coming up in the distance.

   Recently on facebook, I had an opportunity to repeat those words to someone who was obviously suffering with something. This person told me that sometimes misery is the only choice. I have to totally disagree! No matter how bad things get, there is always a choice whether to be miserable about it or not. There is so much beauty and goodness in this world, and sometimes you have to really look for it to find it.

   But I think that most of the time, some people look right past it, and don't see it at all. That bird singing outside your window? When the dog puts his head on your lap and looks up at you with love? When the cat comes and lays down on your lap, purring? Your granddaughter smiles at you? These are all small, but beautiful things! I believe that they are the Power of the Universe telling you not to choose misery. That there is joy all around you. You just have to open your eyes, and heart, to it.

   I couldn't sleep last night, thinking about this. I just don't get that someone would tell me that there is no choice but to be miserable! That there are things over which you have no control. I agree with that, but doesn't your religion tell you to accept the things you cannot change, etc.? How about "Give it to God"? Christianity is about love and joy, not misery and pain.

   What about the belief that you are never given more than you can handle? It means that we are truly stronger than we think. Now is the time to reveal that my life has not been all roses, I have been through my share of troubles. But I carry on! I chose not to be miserable. I realize that I can sound like Mary fracking Poppins, but I have learned over the years to not take anything good for granted. My life has gone from not being able to pay my bills, to being happily married. I was in a really bad relationship, and got myself out. He even came to me and asked me to come back, and I said no. I knew I would be happier and healthier without him in my life. I just asked the Universe to someday send my son back to me.

   And eventually things turned around. It took a few years, but I never gave in to misery. I still had my daughter, and she made life livable. Now, I am happy, and am in a very healthy marriage with a terrific, and patient, man. We have a terrific son together. A few years ago, the Universe returned my lost son to my life, in time for his wedding, and to meet his two gorgeous children.  The Universe works in mysterious ways, but it does work!
  

 

How And Why The Blogging Began!

   I have been thinking for a while about why I blog. It is strange to me, because I am basically such a shy and private person. I can hear Denise laughing, she doesn't think I'm shy. I think I hide it well.  And private? Yes, very private! There is so much I will not talk about. I never really thought I would share any parts of my life on this level.

   I can tell you that it all started with Twitter. I belong to Twitter, and from the beginning, have found the length restriction extremely binding. I am so sick and tired of editing my tweets down to 140 characters. I just have too much to say! Now I hardly ever tweet, but I do go on and read what my friends are tweeting.

   I also belong to facebook. Even there, I have gone over the length restrictions a few times. WTF? Back to editing my posts.  I am also a member of Google+, a new-ish social media thing. I haven't yet hit the wall on that site. I usually only go there to play Angry Birds. But now I'm stuck on a different level that I talked about earlier, and not getting anywhere.

   One day, I was on Google+, and saw a button for creating a blog. I thought "What the hell?", so I clicked on it, and designed a blog, and here I am today. The hardest part was thinking of a name for it! Now, I know that there are like 10 people who read it, including the four who actively belong to the site. I check every day to see of anyone leaves comments. So far only one person has, my friend Laura. It makes me happy to think that someone reads and likes what I have to say!

   But I am hoping that there will be others who will leave comments, so the other day I went into the settings place, and changed it so anyone can leave comments! I hope this will encourage some of you to tell me what you think. I will ask that you put your name on the end of the comments so know who you are, especially if I actually know you! @Robin, I figured out it was your comment from your fb message!

   So, if you dare, try to imagine what I'm NOT talking about. Sometimes there are hints. I have always tried to let people get to know me before I reveal certain things about myself. Comment and leave me suggestions on what you want me to talk about! So far, I think I'm doing pretty good, what do you think?

In Which The Hurricane-Ghan Is Finished!

   Behold, all believers and non-believers alike! The seemingly never-ending hurricane-ghan is finished! I finally got to Michael's yesterday, and got two more skeins for the granddaughter's afghans, but Michael's had no heather gray! The whole Red Heart yarn section looked like Home Depot when a hurricane is coming! There wasn't much left. They must've had a big sale on the stuff. So I couldn't get my gray in Michael's.

   I drove up the plaza to Jo-Ann Fabrics. Lo and behold, believers, they had some heather gray! I bought my skein and left. I drove home a happy camper. For more details of my day yesterday, see yesterday's blog. I was busy all day yesterday.

   Today, Hubs left to go shoot pretty early this morning, so I got to hang out. I was supposed to go to Spinning Group... But I didn't make it. I didn't realize I had almost no gas. And I had no money with which to buy more, so I had to stay home. I had the hurricane-ghan all packed up in the Jeep, too. I was actually on my way there, just past South Cross Rd, when I looked down at my gas gauge. I turned around soon after that, but before heading home, I went to go see if Hubs would let me take his truck to spinning. He wasn't at Ti Yogi, so I decided to just make a quick stop at the store for half and half, and not bother the Hubs. He gets so little time to do what he enjoys, I figured he deserves some time to himself.

   When I arrived home, I finally got to sit down and crochet on the hurricane-ghan. It has gotten really heavy! I only had to do 4 1/2 rows, but it was a workout just to turn the thing when I got to the end of a row! At long last, it was done. But then I couldn't find my black sheep bag, in which I keep my scissors, tape measure, stitch markers, yarn needle, etc. So I still couldn't truly finish the afghan.

   I looked everywhere! There are only two bags I keep it in, my Barnes and Noble Messenger Bag, which I use for smaller knitting projects, or my "dead seagull outline" bag, from Hollister, in which I tote around my larger projects. It wasn't in either one, that I could find. Then I dug a little deeper in the messenger bag, and I found it. Again, a miracle occurs! And I was able to finish off the afghan, weaving in ends and such.

   Is it just me, or is it WAY easier to weave in those pesky ends in crochet projects? Whenever I do knitting ends, it's so much harder, because the fabric is so thin, that the ends don't look good no matter what you do! That is one reason I prefer to knit with wool, that way, I can spit-splice the ends together, and there are no pesky ends to weave in! Well, only two, the beginning, and the end.

   And when weaving ends into crochet, it's so easy! Especially in single crochet. Just weave the ends under and through the base of the stitches for a few inches, then turn and go back, making sure the yarn goes over one of the yarns it was under before. Does that make sense?

   So I find myself crocheting with acrylic yarn, since crocheting uses so much more yarn, and acrylic yarn is cheaper. Therefore, I usually knit with natural fibers, like wool. Because in knitting, the yarn goes so much further, you can afford to spend a bit more for the yarn.

   With all that said, I believe I am through lecturing for today. I'm really tired, and I want to go hang with Hubs for a while, I didn't get to see him much today. I will just need to keep reminding him that the football players on the TV CAN NOT HEAR HIM....
But after all, he is just a stupid boy.

In Which I Make Venison Chili

   I really am far too tired for this today. I have had a busy busy day. Woke up early when hubs came home, and started making my venison chili around 9 o'clock. It took a long time, as there was so much meat. I used about four pounds of ground venison this time, in the really big pot.

   It seemed to take forever for all that meat to brown. Then I added all the cans of black beans, tomato soup and tomato sauce, three cans each. It was a lot easier to stir after I added those! I used all the chili powder I had, more than half of the bottle. It could have used some more, but when Hubs went to Stewart's, he said they didn't have any. But I added a few extra things, like a little bit of cinnamon, and some Montreal Steak seasoning. Sometimes I look through my cupboards and see what looks good. I wanted to add a very small bottle of brandy that I found, but Hubs said no experimenting...

   After it cooks for a while, I add the last, secret ingredient. Vinegar! Quite a bit, since it was such a big pot. Sometimes I use different types of vinegar, I have tried Balsamic, which was rich and yummy. I have also tried wine vinegar, and apple cider vinegar too. I think I've even used malt vinegar once or twice. But usually I stick to plain, old white vinegar.

   My chili isn't the hot kind. It's a just a little bit spicy, but even my uncle who had an ulcer could eat it. I forgot to tell you! While the meat is browning, I add the pepper, and herbs. I use oregano and basil. I make my chili without onions, since Hubs doesn't like them. I do use plenty of onion powder, though. I also used to put chopped bell peppers in too, but my first husband didn't like those, so they came out. Sometimes I sneak in some dried chopped onions, since they usually dissolve, and Hubs never knows they were there!

   So we ate a lot at the Ti Yogi Bow Club Pork Roast. There's always lots of food, and they have a 3-D shoot also. Hubs' friend Gene does the cooking of the pork. He has a big BBQ grill he made out of an oil tank. It's on wheels, and he can tow it where it's needed. He is a really good cook, his pulled pork is awesome. Other members of the club bring other stuff, like desserts, and salads. (and venison chili).

   After all the raffle drawings were done, we left. Hubs has been up since yesterday afternoon, and worked last night. He never went to sleep today, although he is probably sleeping now. We came home, and brought all our stuff inside. Then I left again, I had to make a yarn run to Michael's. It was successful.
 
   Now I have all the yarn I need to finish the now-famous hurricane-ghan and the second of the two afghans for the granddaughters. Yippee Skippee!

   And now I definitely feel a nap coming on! Good night!
  
  

Evening Excitement and Craft Report

   This evening, I was all settled in watching our substitute TV, relaxing for the evening, when my beloved Hubs called me from work. He asked me if I would make a triple (!) size batch of my world famous Venison Chili for an event at the bow club tomorrow. Of course, I said yes! But I had to run to the store and buy the canned goods. I needed 3 giant cans of black beans, 3 cans of tomato soup, and 3 cans of Italian seasoned tomato sauce.

   The ride itself was an adventure. It is chilly out this evening, as it has been all week. So I put on my thermal hoodie, and wrapped a scarf around my neck. I am always wearing a hat. I had my gloves in my jacket pocket, if needed. People look at me funny when I have to dress that way, but they obviously haven't driven a Jeep with the top down when the temperature is below 70 degrees. At night. It gets really cold.

   When I got home, I went down to the freezer in the basement, and got out 4 bags of venison. I'm hoping that's enough. It should be. I also brought up my giant size stock pot to cook it all in. I will wash it out before I go to bed later.

   On the crafting front, I have finished one of the granddaughter afghans! YAY for me. I have even started the second one. The hurricane-ghan is still unfinished, as it was too fracking cold today to go for a ride to Michael's. It is supposed to be warmer tomorrow, so I will try to go then.

   I need a small size person to photograph with the small afghan, for size reference. I have measured it, it's just over 4 feet long. I haven't measured the width yet. At least I'm getting something done! It's been a while since I crocheted, so my hands are a little sore, knitting uses different muscles.

   The other day, I looked out my kitchen window, and saw a strange cat down by my pool. It was obviously feral, as it looked all matted and dirty. Then today, as I took the garbage out, when I headed back to the house, there he was again! He was under the slight overhang under the living room of my house. If he had stayed there, I wouldn't have seen him, but he came running out across the front stoop, and down the wooden stairs on the far side of the house.

   When Hubs got up today, I told him about the cat. He told me not to feed it, of course I won't feed it! Then when he left to go to work, there it was again! Under Jesse's bedroom window, on the slate slab that's there. Once again, he ran away. He has really pretty coloring. But we already have a cat, and Ozzy is not exactly friendly. We definitely do not want or need another cat.

   And that's all of the excitement for today. Let's all hope it's quiet tomorrow. I do prefer quiet evenings. And days for that matter. That's one reason I hardly ever make any plans. Something always happens to frack it all up. So I tend to take things as they come, one day at a time. I guess I'm a spur of the moment kind of gal.

In Which I Vent About TV Repair People

   This morning, I was up at the ass crack of dawn, because that's when the TV repair man told me he would be here. Between the hours of 8 and 12. The lady who had first called said that they only "service your area" during those hours. So I got up early.

   At 8:50 a.m. I got another call, the nice repair man told me he should be here between 11 and 12:30. OK, I thought. Maybe I should have stayed in bed, after all. The nice repair man called me again at 1:38 p.m. Which, by the way, was over an hour later than when he said he "should be there". This time, he should be here by 2:30. Yeah, right. I wasn't gonna hold my breath.

   Promptly at 3 p.m., they finally arrive. They come in, I greet them. He apologizes, I am sweet. Because I know it's really not his fault, who can tell how long it will take to fix someone else's TV? Shit happens, misery is optional. They were here all of about 5 minutes. What's wrong with the TV, something about a flux capacitor*?, they can't fix here, they have to take it away. I get a claim check, and they are gone with my Hubs' 61 inch flat screen, big and fancy TV.

   I waited all day for this? There is some good news, however! I got a lot of work done on the first of the friend's granddaughter's two afghans! And I mean A LOT of work! It's probably more than half done by now! 

   The nice repair man "promised" to get it back to me in two or three days, it'll be brought back first thing, because I had to wait so long. I really think it was because I was nice to them, not all nasty and complaining. I mean, seriously, it was not fun waiting all day for them, but it also wasn't their fault! They had other people to service, and Hyde Park is a long way from Westchester County.

   They are just doing their jobs, after all. So because I was pleasant, they didn't "accidentally" drop our TV on the way out to their van. Maybe we will get it back by Christmas, do you think?

   Nothing else to say today. I am so very tired, I am ready for bed, and it's only 5:30.  

* Back to the Future reference!

Just One More Thing!

   I remembered one of the things I wanted to rave about! There are people in this world who insist on spelling things wrong. One friend told me she can't be bothered with spell-check. I use it just in case I misspell something, by accident. I am a very good speller. That comes, I think, from having parents who are both teachers. Oh, and from reading a lot, too.

   Sometimes, spell-check doesn't catch the misspelling, simply because the word is truly not misspelled, but is the wrong word entirely. For instance, the TO, TOO and TWO debacle. Also, for your and you're, and its, and it's as well.  I know that there are more, I just can't think of any right at the moment.

   But what really annoys me the most is that some people insist on spelling TOMORROW wrong! And to them, I wish to say: No matter how many times you spell it TOMARROW, it will NEVER BE CORRECT!!  It will not be made correct by your constantly using it! It sounds like you are giving something to a friend with the unfortunate name of Marrow! To Marrow... with all my love!

   I have always been an avid reader, in elementary school, with the Weekly Reader Book Club, (remember that?) I always had the most books in my order. Even though we didn't have a lot of money, my parents made sure I could read what I wanted to. I would sometimes have 10 or 12 books ordered!  My teachers loved me for that, weren't there prizes of some sort for the classes that ordered the most books?

   In closing for today, I want you all to know that I just checked spell-check. The only word in all the text that it highlighted was "tomarrow". So there!

   And P.S.  The hurricane-ghan is almost finished. After the pattern repeats are all done, I plan on evaluating it to decide if it needs to be wider, because it's longer than usual. If necessary, I will add another section to make it come out right.

 

Some Raving Is In Order For Today!

   Today I feel the need to rave a little bit. Number 1. I play farmville. I enjoy it. HOWEVER, I refuse to spend real money on an imaginary farm. So it takes me a long time to get things I want. A lot of times I need help, building a bigger chicken coop, for example. Every day, I visit every one of my neighbors farms, and fertilize their crops, if not already fertilized. Every time someone is asking for something, I send it, if possible. So WHY will no one help me? At least three times I have tried to enlarge my chicken coop. All I need is ten friends in three days to help. They really don't have to do anything more than click a fracking button. (Bless Battlestar Galactica!) Yet I am nearly the only fracking person in fracking farmville with a little fracking chicken coop. Not that it bothers me or anything...

    Number 2. I also belong to Google+, a new social media-type site. They recently added some games. And I finally get to play Angry Birds! Except that I am stuck on level 1-21. I can't seem to kill those three fracking frog things. Or are they green piggies? I can't tell.  I am really getting tired of this level. If there are any angry bird experts out there, could you please advise me? Many sincere thanks!

   I got so stirred up about farmville, I forget what else I wanted to rave about. Maybe it was about buying a new pillow? Well, I will tell you anyway. One of my pillows was really, really old. So old that the fabric wore a huge hole in it. And it was leaking feathers everywhere. I love my feather pillows, and yes, I use two. The hole in this pillow was so large, and the fabric so weakened, I couldn't even repair it. It went into the gabage can yesterday. Last night I slept with only one pillow. This was unacceptable.

   My mission for today was to venture forth and procure myself a new feather pillow. I was at Bed Bath and Beyond shortly after they opened, because I needed to get out and home before it started to rain. The top is still down on the Jeep. I finally found the pillows, after being tempted to buy all kinds of really cool, useless stuff. I had no idea that pillows were so expensive! I saw some for $40, and some for $30. And these were foam pillows! I really liked the Tempur-pedic pillows, at least one or two of them. But they were so expensive, the price wasn't even on the shelf! For fracks sake, the fracking pillowcovers for them were $20 or $30!

   I finally found the feather pillows. A very nice fellow customer gave me a 20% off coupon, since she had two. My feather pillow cost me only $12. YAY! Maybe now I will sleep well tonight!

In Which I Find A Muse...

   Yesterday I couldn't think of any topic worth mentioning. Today was leaning the same way, when low and behold, something happened. But first a little background...

   A week ago this past Friday our TV developed a case of the measles, little white spots on the screen. At first it was just a couple, and gradually multiplied. By this morning , there were over 30 little white spots. We were dealing with it.

   Then this afternoon, while dinner was cooking, and I was on the computer, I heard the noise that the TV makes when it shuts off. I looked around, and the cat hadn't stepped on the remote. It wouldn't turn back on. It had a completely black screen. There are three little lights at the bottom right of the TV, and they were blinking.

   What started out as the measles, has progressed to the Black Death... When Hubs got home, of course, he wasn't happy. But he got out the manual, and found the receipt. It turns out that when we bought it, Hubs had purchased the protection plan. And surprise, surprise, it was still in effect! So Hubs called them, and someone will be here on Friday, between 12 and 5.

   In the meantime, I am without a TV, at least during the day. I think I can make it, I usually have it on just for the noise. I can sit here and read, or work on one or more of my current projects! I might even get something finished!

   By the way, I have decided that when I have finished the hurricane-ghan, or at least when it's supposed to be finished, I am going to take a close look at it, and decide if it needs to be wider, because it's longer than usual. I am almost there, so it should be soon.

   I have to confess that I didn't work on anything knitted or crocheted today. Hubs was mad at me this morning because I didn't go to Fishkill with him. I had my own stuff to do! I would hear about it if he had no clean clothes to wear to work, right? And the groceries don't buy themselves, right? Also, I have the hurricane-ghan folded in half, and rolled up. If Hubs came home and saw it was open, he could accuse me of working on it all day. So I purposely didn't work on it.

   But I did start on a new project... I am going to make smaller versions of the hurricane-ghan for Gordie's granddaughters. I realized I would need to make two exactly the same, so they wouldn't fight over them.  I have enough, I think, of this cool yarn in a southwest colorway. So I started one. If I need a couple more skeins, I can get them easily enough. Unless I hear from Gordie that they wouldn't like that colorway.
  
   So that is my excitement for today. More than enough for the week, wouldn't you say?

Crafting Progress Made Today!

   Today there was some progress made in the crafting department! YAY! I also had a lot of dishes to do today. So I washed some dishes, took a knitting or crocheting break while the dishes dried, then washed some more... After they were all done, I got to sit and work on projects uninterrupted. First I worked on daughter's shawl, then I made significant progress of the hurricane-ghan. It's like 3/4 done now!

   Now I am starting the laundry that needs doing. I went down and checked the load in the washer, it was still pretty wet, so I gave it another spin cycle. I will check it in a bit. Stairs are really hard for me, so I gotta make every trip count. That's one reason I love doing laundry in the summer. I can throw it all downstairs in the morning, and when I go down to the pool, I can get it all done. It just involves going in and out the door, not up and down the stairs.

   Dinner is now in the oven, as Hubs informed me that he could eat. Tonight it's chicken breasts, seasoned with Montreal Steak Seasoning. It really is good on everything. For a side dish, we will have garlic mashed potatoes and maybe some gravy.

   I know it's the anniversary of the terrorist attacks, but I am trying very hard not to think about it. I can't watch any of it. I spent that day, alone in front of the TV, in tears, wondering if this was the start of the end of the world. I truly break down in tears if I even have to talk about it. Hubs was asleep, he had worked the night before, and I sat there wondering if I should wake him up. Would he even have work that night? And what about my young son? He was in the middle school... Did they even know what was going on?

   I had to stop working on the hurricane-ghan, my shoulder was really starting to hurt. It's time to spend some quality time with Hubs anyway! Hopefully I will be able to pick it up again tomorrow. Or later tonight, as Hubs will probably go to bed early.

     I will say ta-ta-for-now, it's past time to take pain meds for my nightly headache, and I feel it coming on! Buh-bye!!

Busy Day Today -or- In Which I get No Crafting Done!

   Shortly after getting up this morning, I was asked by my beloved Hubs to accompany him to the Fishkill house. He had been undecided whether or not to go to bed (he had worked all night), and a call from his friend decided him. Brent and Dave were working at the Fishkill house, and Hubs wanted to go and help, or get in the way... which is the more likely outcome.

   He wanted me to go with him, in case he got too tired to drive. Then I could drive us home. It made sense to me, so I packed up my knitting gear, camera, and medicine, and went along for the ride.

   At first I believed him, that we wouldn't be there for more than a short time. But we ended up spending lots of time at Home Depot, picking out a new bathtub, surround, and some other stuff the guys needed to continue work on the house. They were tearing out the downstairs half bath when we got there. I took a look, and there was a big hole in that bathroom floor, looking down into the basement, and the same hole in the ceiling, looking up into the upstairs bathroom. They were getting ready to replace all the plumbing with PVC.

   By the time we finally made it home, it was late afternoon. And I had my own errands to run! I did some work on the computer in the den, printed out my papers, and took off to see Oldest Son and Daughter-in-Law. After a brief visit there, I was on my way to see beloved Eldest Child! She had a birthday gift for me, and I needed to go pick it up. She wasn't home, she was out getting a new family kitten, company for Nermal.

   So I didn't get to linger there, either! I decided to go to Adams, near EC's house, as I had a few things to pick up. To my surprise, there was actually a parking space available! So I went in and got my fixings for dinner, as we had left so early this morning, that I hadn't taken anything out of the freezer for dinner.

   I made dinner after I got home. Beef and noodles. And we actually ate it all. Of course, Jess was home, so I wasn't surprised. Now comes the sad part of my story. I. Didn't. Get. To. Knit. ALL. DAY. I am completely bummed about that, it feels like a whole wasted day! Even though a lot of things got done, and there was progress on the house, I am bummed because I didn't get any further on any of my craft projects!

   Hubs has finally gone to bed, he had been up something like 28 hours. He wants me to wake him up tomorrow morning. I am going to let him sleep for a while, if I can. He deserves it. I guess I could work on the hurricane-ghan now, but I'm too tired, and when I'm tired, I make stupid mistakes. So it will have to wait until tomorrow, while Hubs is gone, playing with his friends with his new bow. I wish I had two or even three sets of hands, so I could work on more than one thing at a time!

    Well, as they say, tomorrow is another day!

In Which We Eat The Bitch Cake

   It was nice celebrating my birthday this morning with my knitting friends! Kim had ordered a cake, and it was supposed to have "Happy Birthday to the worlds biggest bitch!" written on it, but that was too long! Here's what we ended up with:



 
    It was a red velvet cake. Yum. Most of our little group was able to make it, which was nice! We all worked on our current knitting projects after we ate.

   I asked Kim to bring a 24" size 13 circular needle that I could borrow, so I could start work on daughters black semi-sparkular shawl. I actually started it after I got home. While I was there I worked on a smaller version of the same shawl that I'm working on for myself. Kim was casting on a new shawl, needing more than 300 stitches to start with. When we left, she was unsuccessful. She has trouble counting, I think. She tells me that she can never get the same count twice! No matter how many times she counts.
  
   She was still trying to count the stitches hours later, when I met her at karate class. Her daughter is a 1st degee black belt, and a student, my son is a 3rd degree black belt, and her instructor. Anyway, she ended up pulling it all out, and casting it all on again... and she still didn't get the right count. I felt really bad for her. She did ask me to count for her, but I said no. It was too noisy in there, and too much was going on. I wouldn't be able to concentrate. She ended up leaving class saying she was gonna pull it all out again, and try another time at home. I hope she was successful!

   After Stitch n Bitch this morning, I went to the Awesome Store, and bought some more soup mixes. Some for me and some for gifts. I believe some friends have their own birthdays coming up....

   Totally off topic, but can anyone tell me why some people feel it's absolutely necessary to make their bed every day? I just don't get it. It's not like the photographer from Better Homes and Gardens is coming to take photos or anything.... My mom is one of those people, and I have always asked why should I make my bed? I'm just gonna get back in it later tonight!!

   I know it's the ultimate in laziness, but Hubs and I actually have "house clothes". It's basically loungewear that we wear all day, unless we leave the house. Then we get dressed in real clothes. Are we the only ones that do this? Then when we get home again, we put our house clothes back on. It is just so much more comfortable to be in our house clothes! We both feel that we can't really relax until we have them on.

   Now it's almost time for one of my shows, so I'm gonna say goodnight. I hope everyone has a good night, maybe I will get to blog again over the weekend. Hubs is off this weekend, so we may be busy. You never know!

   Nod Not!!

Tomorrow it's Back to Stitch n Bitch! YAY!

   I am very excited, as tomorrow we resume our regular Stitch n Bitch sessions at Cranberry's at Tilley Hall. An absolutely charming eatery. The summer has been difficult, as most of the ladies have young school age kids, and we have difficulty finding a place to meet. We did manage to meet several times at friend Bonny's house, which is popular because she has a pool. And the last time at friend Laura's house, but no one could make it but me. So it was just Laura, her son Gene and myself. And the two delightful poodles! They are so cute!

   But now that school has started, we can resume our bi-weekly schedule. I just love going out to breakfast. (Don't tell my family, I've convinced them I don't know what it is...) And this week will be special because we get to celebrate my birthday! I'm really looking forward to the Bitch cake! I am sure there will be pictures to post tomorrow.

   Now I just have to decide which project to bring to work on. Will it be my own triangle shawl, or lacy rectangle shawl? I can't bring the Hurricane-ghan, as it's getting too darn big to take anywhere!

    I am really looking forward to seeing all the ladies again! I don't think we have all been together since summer vacation started! Jan was away for two weeks, Denise was busy, Laura also went away, but at a different time than Jan. Bella has been busy and Bonny has a job now, so she's busy too! Then there's Kim and myself.

   I was usually free, as I have no little ones left at home. Kim has Mellie, who is delightful company. But she was ill for a while this summer. Oh and I can't forget Cheryl. But none of us has heard from her at all, all summer! She may be lost forever in Mafia Wars.  If anyone finds her, please send up a flare.

   If I am forgetting anyone, I hope I will be forgiven! So let's go choose a project, and I will see you all tomorrow morning! I can't wait for a big giant cup of Jamaican Me Crazy coffee!

Another Rainy, Cold Day

   Today is another rainy day, and the temperature has dropped. Yummy. It was cold enough yesterday to make me want to make soup for dinner. And I did!  I have this favorite local gourmet food store, called the Awesome Store, where I have found all these truly awesome foods! Most of it they make themselves.

    I absolutely love their soup mixes. Everything you need, in one package. They are vegetarian, but if you want to, you can add meat to them. Of course, I do! They say right on the package that you can add all kinds of things to them, more veggies, meats, seafood, or cheeses. I highly recommend them!

   The store also has lots of other stuff too! Cookie mixes, pickled veggies, all kinds of nuts and dip mixes, to name just a few. They also sell locally made jams and jellies, and soaps and things too. It smells unbelievable in there!

   One of my favorite things to get, as well as the soup, are packages of chopped dried veggies, which I add to the soup when it's cooking. I usually get the individual packages of broccoli, corn and potatoes. Then I throw a handful of each in the soup pot while it's cooking.

   I have a friend who has recently returned to vegetarianism, and I'm thinking I will get her a couple of packages of the soup mix as a gift. There are so many kinds, it's hard to choose! I usually favor the Veggie Rice and Veggie Noodle, to which I usually add chicken, but is also good with beef. I also love the Veggie Barley, which I make with beef. They have a couple different potato soups, one with garlic. I have tried to make them, but I get impatient waiting for them to get hot, and I end up burning them!

   I can not recommend this store highly enough! I need all of you to go and visit the store, I promise, you will not be sorry!

   Now that I've made myself good and hungry, I'm gonna go heat up last night's left over soup for my dinner! MMMMM, and with some crusty rolls I bought at BJ's....

Soreness and Shawl Struggles

   Yesterday, I began a very overdue but necessary task. I started de-stashing my clothes. Cleaning out my side of the closet, and emptying my dresser. Hubs brought me the dresser I had used when we stayed in Fishkill, his is already here and in use. So I get to clean out 21 years worth of stuff. It is more than overdue! The dressers we had been using were his when he was a kid. I even have his kiddie desk in my corner. Time for all of it to go!
  
   Today, I am very sore from all that bending over. Sometimes it sucks being so tall. So today I am going to sit and knit. Which brings me to the shawl struggle. The other day, I went to my daughter's house to visit with her, she was having her brother, her sister-in-law and their two beautiful kids over. I got to see my grandbabies!  A good time was had by all. My granddaughter Chloe and grandson Mason are getting so big! I can't believe Mason is nearly a year old already!

   Some time ago, Sara had told me that she would love a black shawl, to take with her to weddings and such, as she gets cold frequently at such functions. The dresses that she wears are mostly black. I agreed and began looking for black sock yarn. Not an easy thing to find! I finally managed to get some black worsted weight yarn from Lion Brand, that has a nice subtle sparkle in it. I also bought a pattern book by Sheryl Thies, Natures Wrapture, contemporary knitted shawls. I think I mentioned this book an an earlier post.

   I searched through the book, looking for inspiration. I found three patterns that I thought would suit her needs. After reading through the instructions, I quickly changed my mind on two of them. They were beyond my skill level. So now I have the pattern picked out, and started knitting! I was planning on taking the sample to her when I saw her that Sunday. In the meantime, I spoke to her, and she told me she had envisioned a triangle shawl. The one I was working on was a rectangle. So I started a triangle one too, using my standby pattern. I took both samples to her. She didn't like either one! She wanted a more loose, lacy shawl. She pointed out to me one of the patterns I had rejected as too complicated. I told her I would try. I tried and failed!

   Then I had a brainstorm. The rectangle shawl I had started was on tiny little needles. What if I used great big ones? Then it would be very loose and lacy! I started working on one for myself with yarn from my stash. It was working! I calculated I would need size 13 needles. As I only use circulars, and I don't have one that size, I quickly texted my knitting Guru friend, asking if she had a set I could borrow. Of course, she did! So on Friday at our Stitch n Bitch meeting, I will get them from her and begin yet another sample. Here's hoping she likes it!

    Just so you all don't think too badly of me, I am doing laundry today, despite the aching back muscles. I will also be washing some dishes later, but that activity usually ends up with aching back muscles! What will happen if I start out with aching back muscles? I will let you know. If I could have one wish, it would be to have my kitchen counters about two inches higher. Maybe just the one that holds the sink....

Marriage Advice and a Random Story

   I was not able to blog yesterday, I was busy all day, then spent the evening with Hubs. He tends to frown on my using the laptop when he's around. He has actually told me that he's sorry he ever got it for me! The nerve! This is only the second best present he's ever given me, in twenty two (nearly twenty three!) years of happily wedded bliss!

  The best gift ever was my Jeep, of course, Christmas of 2003, I think it was. I remember because we paid it off in December of 2008, seven months before we were laid off. One less car payment! Then we were able to pay off his truck when we re-financed our mortgage. No car payments!

   Anyway, that's not what I wanted to talk about today. I have a few little stories I thought of that I wanted to share. The first one is about marriage...

   Sometimes I am asked for advice by those newly married, or contemplating wedded bliss...  Marriage is a complicated thing. It certainly isn't easy, but it can be downright impossible if anyone entering into it harbors totally unreal expectations. To make it simple - Every marriage is different. You and your spouse make the rules for your individual marriage. What works for you will not work for everyone. For example: I learned very early in my relationship with my beloved that he is a total blanket hog. I would wake up in the middle of the night totally uncovered, and freezing, while he was completely rolled up in all the bed covers. In order to survive, I went to the closet and got out another blanket. We have had separate covers ever since! It works for us.

   Your relationship is not like anyone elses. Not your parents, not your siblings, not even like a previous relationship you may have been in! And for Goddess's sake don't make up rules without telling your spouse! He has to know the rules too! I am being gender specific here because in my experience, it's the females who have the weird ideas and fantasies of marriage, not the men. In this one way, they may be the more practical gender for once, and not being their usual "just stupid boys".

   Which segues nicely into another story! My friends daughter was very upset after Karate class one day, one of her fellow students, a boy, had been picking on her during class. I said to her, "Mellie, he's just a stupid boy!" to which she replied, "Thank you!!" in a loud voice. That has been our mantra ever since. Any time any male person does something dumb, or objectionable, we just look at each other and say, "He's just a stupid boy!" Even Hubs has been called that, and he laughs. It kind of fits all male persons, at one time or another, because sometimes they act like they never grow up!

   Well that's all I have for today. I have to go clean now. Enjoy your Labor Day!!
  


  

In Which I Come Out as a Whovian

   I am sitting here in the dark watching Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End. I am just killing time until Dr. Who comes on.  Yup, I recently discovered that my cable company is now offering BBC America!! My joy is endless! I have not been able to see the newer episodes of Dr. Who until now!

   All these years, I have been regularly checking the channel line up offered by the cable company. Now I can finally watch the new Dr. Who, and proudly proclaim that I am a Whovian!

   My love for Dr. Who goes way back to the 70's and the immortal Tom Baker! To this day, I credit his rendition of the doctor for my absolute obsession for really, really long scarves! The old episodes are so absurd, and off the wall, I love them! I think I can give them total credit (or blame) for how my personality manifested. I wanted a mechanical dog just like K9. Hey, my parents liked Benny Hill and Monty Python, so you could say it ran in the family.

   Now I only have twenty minutes until the new episode starts. I have my daily raging headache, so I need to go take something for it, as the vodka is definitely not working.
I doubt I will even work on the hurricane afghan during the program.

    I didn't get much done on the afghan today, as it was so freaking hot. It was so hot, I would pick it up, do maybe half a row, and have to put it down. It's getting big and bulky enough to be very warm, even under ideal conditions. And 85 degrees is not even close to ideal! It is cooling off a bit now, so maybe I will get a little more done tonight, we shall see.
   I need to refresh my drink, and take some ibuprofen, so I will say goodnight for now. I hope for your sakes I find the notebook I wrote blog ideas in... Otherwise this could get boring. Nod Not!

  

Warning! Controversial Subject Matter!

   There are so many things running around in my head tonight. Can't settle on just one to share. So it looks like it's gonna be a multiple subject evening.

   First on my mind is religion. To me it's an intensely personal subject, and I really resent those persons who constantly feel the need to drag me into their cult. Of course, if I resist, I will burn in hell for all eternity. After all, everyone knows that their way is the ONLY right way. I just shake my head. Those closest to me know my views and which side of the broom my feelings fall on.

   I recently came to the realization that one particular religious figure was actually a zombie. Think about it! He died. He was dead for three days. On the third day, he rose. The only thing that is being left out (or covered up) is that he was feasting on the locals when he emerged from that cave. That is the textbook definition of a zombie, people!

   This past week, I was in Stop n Shop to pick up a few things. There was an older man there, giving out free newspapers. He struck up a conversation, and after I said "Yes, I'd love a free paper!", He started asking me about my hair loss, if it was from Chemo. I told him no, it wasn't. He then asked for my hand, and was rubbing his thumb in my palm as he prayed to Jesus to heal me. I thought about telling him my views on that subject, but I decided he would be more likely to tell me that if I really felt that way, my illness was a punishment from God! What the heck, it made him feel like he did a good deed, and didn't hurt me any. To tell the truth, I actually felt better after that. HA just kidding!

   There are people on facebook who are always saying things like: "With Jesus, my life is complete!" I have to force myself to not respond. But my personal feeling is this: If you were so complete, you wouldn't need Jesus... People who are like that are lacking something vital in their lives, they need something more, something bigger than themselves. There is nothing bigger than the Universe! Is that big enough for ya?

   Moving on... Today was our Stitch n Bitch! Nobody was there but Laura and myself. Her son Gene baked a birthday cake for me, complete with candle, and they even sang the birthday song to me! We had a great time!  We even got some knitting done. It was a nice way to spend a few hours. Many thanks to Laura, she is such a great hostess.

   There are more things on my mind, but I think that's enough for today. I have no wish to offend anyone else. And if I have offended you, maybe it's time to re-evaluate your beliefs. Open your minds, people. That is all.....  
  
  

Craft Report - or - In Which I Knit All Day

   Today I got to sleep late, have my coffee in peace, and knit all day! Does it get any better than that? I haven't been sleeping all that well lately, so to get a good night's sleep was awesome. Before today, I have been waking up as early as 6:30, and staying up.  I decided last night that I would medicate myself to insure a good, deep sleep. It worked. I didn't get up until after 10 a.m. Right back where I want to be.

   I had my two cups of coffee, and started knitting. I have started working on a shawl for my daughter, she wants a black one. While I was out spending my birthday gift cards yesterday, I found some yarn that I thought would be perfect for her shawl! It's black, and has a little bit of sparkle in it. And it was on sale to boot! Cha-ching, we have a winner!

   I also bought a new book, Nature's Wrapture, contemporary knitted shawls, by Sheryl Thies. I looked through it and found three shawls I could do. After reading the patterns, I omitted two of those as too complicated for me. But I did find that the third one would be suitable.

    I started work on that one. I really like it, it has a sea-grassy texture that I wasn't sure would be visible when done in black. But after two inches or so, I am really liking this pattern.  It is a rectangular shaped stole, which I pictured as perfect for Sara. I texted her today about the shape of the shawl, and she told me that she had pictured a triangle shaped one.

   So, I decided to start a triangle shaped one, and take both of them in process to her house on Sunday. Then she can decide which one she likes better. I will then frog the other one, so I can use all the yarn for the chosen shawl.

    I got to sit and knit all day today, the day just got away from me. Before I knew it, it was time to wake Hubs up for work, and he was coffee'd, showered and gone.  He's on his second work night of four for this week.

   Tomorrow is Stitch n Bitch, but it's looking like not many people will be coming. I am pouting about it. We are going to meet at friend Laura's house. I like going there, we always have fun, she's a great hostess!

    This brings me to the end of my crafting report for today. All in all, I have four Works In Process, three knitted shawls, and one crocheted Hurricane Blanket. I have to get back to work on the blanket, as friend in Texas is waiting on it. I have dubbed the blanket the "Hurricane" blanket, because I was working on it before and during the hurricane.

   As an old friend used to say, "Nod not!" Seems like a good way to end for the day!