Takes a lickin' & keeps on ticking.....

But it's not a Timex. It's Annie! When we were leaving mom's house, Annie was walking on the rail road ties that are along the front edge of the yard, and she takes after her mother. (Do you see where this is going?) She trips and falls on her head. Mom and me both turn at the same time, as Annie rolls up and onto her knees, saying, "I'm alright." My mom (who is clearly going to have more seperation anxiety than me when Annie starts kindergarten at the end of August) rushes over and scoops her up. I on the other hand, took her at her word, as she was not screaming, crying or bleeding. But that was not the first time she fell on her head today, as I was to find out. Amidst my mother's laughing, she tells me that while they were in the pool (the kind with the blow up ring on the top that is only 3 feet deep) Annie had another, shall we say, mishap. She was having a ball, with her ring floatie and water wings on, and lost a toy over the side. She proceeds to lean over to get it. (Do you see where this is going?) Mom said that Annie's feet suddenly shot up in the air, and flailed there for a breif time, as her ring floatie was caught on the blow up ring of the pool. Mom said that she and Katie were laughing too hard to try to help her, and them she slid down the side of the pool and into the grass. Again, she hoped up and said, "I'm alright." And Annie thinks that the tales of her misadventures are great, and laughs along with everyone else. With a big grin, she'll tell you, "Yeah, that was me." And beam with great pride.

Well, today was my first day back from my so-called vacation. We really didn't do much. On Monday, I stayed home and did laundry. Tuesday, watched movies at Miss Tammi's. On Wednesday, we did go to the beach. I forogt my camera. But I did do 2 repeats on DD #1's sock, and did swim alittle. Annie picked up a little dead fish (yuck!) and dropped, only after me telling her several times, over Miss PJ telling her feed it to the birds. When she dropped it, it swam off (personally, I think it was PJ shouts of "Feed it to the birds" that scared it back to life). We all sunburned a little (thank the Heavens for SPF50, or it would have been worse). And knew it was time to leave at about 6 when the sea gulls started dive bombing. On Thursday, it was back to Miss Tammi's to watch more movies. On Friday, yet again, more movies, and I made Chicken Parmesean from scratch, in white sauce and marinara, with fetticini noodles and baked potatoes. On Saturday, I got caught up in Genealogy, and that took the better part of Saturday and Sunday. So, since not a single pic was taken of my "vacation". I'll do a vacation revisited. Well, I was going to post photos from last years vacation to Cave City Kentucky, but Blogger is being a Booger and won't let me. Maybe tomorrow.

Anyway, don't forget to sign up for the Harvest Sock Swap, if you haven't already. I'll be posting the questionaire by August 11th. Hope to see you there.

My Wonderful Secret Pal!

I had a great start to my vacation. I got to sleep in late, and when I did wake up, I was able to lay and watch a movie for a while. Around noon, Annie came down to my room and said," Mommy, the mail man was here." I told her I would come check the mail in a little while, and she said, " But, he came up to the door. I think there is a package out there." So, I flung back the covers and got up, and told her I would go check now. She said,"If there is a package, I'll get it for you." And, sure enough, there was a package leaning up against the door step. And what I found inside, oh how my pal spoils me. So with no futher ado (and I'll apologize for my poor photography now), here it is:

Here is the box. Look at all the stamps.

Here is what I found when I opened the box.

Here is everything, wrapped up in pretty blue tissue paper. From right to left, it was labeled: For your kitchen; For your house; (on top) For your wonderful hand knits; (on bottom) For future projects; and the last one said Another yarn.

Here is a beautiful pair of pot holders that were in the one marked for the kitchen.

Here are some wonderful rose incense in the one marked for the house. Nothing smells better than roses.

Here are a set of wooden buttons (sorry, it's really blurry) in the one marked for future projects. They have small flowers that have been burned/engraved on them. I think these would look great on a hooded pullover. And if I can't find a pattern that's just right for them, I'll just have to design one myself.

And here are some custom tags in the one marked for your wonderful knits. Again, a blurry pic, sorry. But they say "Handknitted by Tonia", and have a picture of a child knitting as another child watches.

And the yarn. This is the most wonderful yarn I have ever touched. It feels so soft, just like the purple she sent me. I'd love to know what fiber this is. I just adore it. And such wonderful colors, this pic does notdo them justice. It goes from a dark teal to lime green, to green to a bright turquios.

Muchos Gracias, mi Secret Pal!

Run by fruiting.....

Remeber that movie line? 2 points for anyone who can tell me what movie it's from.

Anyway, this isn't a run by fruiting, it's a run by posting. Just a quick word, as yesterday was filled with making corn hole bags (I'm going to have nightmares soon of corn chasing me), great grilled chicken, and a front yard party till 3 am. And today will be the bi-weekly cook out at Miss Tammi's.

But we did have some excitement yesterday. I was out admiring my rose bush and met the mail man. There was a box in there for Miss Amy from her secret pal, and a large white envelope that was addressed to Katie. I looked at it for a moment and wondered who's hand writing was on it, maybe one of her cousins in Dayton. And then I noticed the post mark. It said Royal Mail. Could it be? Miss Amy pulled up at the same time, so we went in and I told Katie she had mail from England. She just about came out of her skin. See, in late June, she had me mail a letter to Daniel Radcliff (Harry Potter), and this was the reply. She got an autographed black and white picture and an update letter. Both were really signed by him. She was in tears. So, when we trooped off to the store, I bought her a frame for it. So, with no further ado, here it is:


Isn't he such a little cutie pie?

Roses and Bacon

That title seems really odd, but it's two of the things from this evening.

First the roses. Remember when I pulled by back out? Well, I did it to plant my beloved rose bush, the first I've had in years. Now I really love roses, hence why I pulled my back out. I noticed last week that there were finally two buds on it, and when I got home tonight, I notice they are starting to open. Here is what I saw:

Yippee! I have roses. Lovely, red roses.

Now for the bacon. As I sat watching tv, in my dungeon bedroom, with a fan pointed right on me, since the a/c unit died and we are waiting for the repair man, the phone rang. It was Miss Tammi. When I answered it, she said, "We're going tanning." I laughed. Me? Tanning? And I said as much. I told her that putting me in a tanning bed was like putting bacon in a frying pan on a high flame. She said that we could have them put it on low. I said that they wouldn't let me in there or more than 30 seconds. I may be ghostly pale, but I don't like the pain of burned skin. I'll stay pale, thankyouverymuch! So, since I'm on vacation next week, I wonder what other things we'll end up getting into. You never know, maybe she'll actually get me into a tanning bed. I'll let you know.

I tripped and fell.....

off the edge of the blogosphere. I was very busy test knitting, which turned out great by the way. I have pics, but I can't show them until I'm allowed. But they were great, trust me. I think from the point on, I'll try a little random, since it's Wednesday:

1. I have been feeling very sick lately. I think I have a summer cold, and I feel horrible. Thank the Heavens that I'm on vacation next week, that way I can sleep as late as I want. I'm turning off the alarm clock after I get up on Friday.
2. When I got home from work, Amy asked me if it felt hot in the house. It seems that the a/c unit has decided to go down hill on us. I tried changing the air filter, praying that was the problem. It's not. We'll have to call the rental office to get it fixed.
3. I finished my pal's sock, in my icky, sick haze. It turned out great, and I am fighting the urge to cast on for the second sock. That's a hard urge to fight, but I'm winning so far.
4. To fight that urge, I have started a pair of sock for DD #1 (no naming names, as she reads this every once in a while, when she gets a sec.) I am doing them in the Simply Lovely Lace pattern (simply love that pattern) in the Knit Picks Palette in Hyacinth, of course, picot edge on US 1 Crystal Palace DPN's.
5. I finally got my Trekking XXL # 126. Yippee!!!!!! I had Amy ask if the LYS could order it, and they did. Amy got one, too. Neopolitan sock, here I come.
6. The dog ate the last bowl of cat food, and Amy had to run to get more. Some how, the dog made it past the both of us, and gobbled it down quickly.
7. It's entirely too hot! On the ride home, my back was wet from sweating, and so was the place where my seat belt lays across my chest. Why don't I use the a/c, you ask? Gas prices are too high, and every mile counts, as I drive a little over 60 miles a day. Sucks, don't it?
8. Talked to Miss PJ today, and found out that she's on vacation next week, too. And she has the same plans, nothing, too poor to do anything. So, I'll probably spend a few days at her house, in the pool, of course. Then spend a few days with Miss Tammi, as she is still home with her injured hand.
9. My mom is gripeing that I'm taking my vacation next week, and not in September. As I pointed out to her, my mental state dictates I take it now, not later.

Ok, I have to go now, as Annie is in the shower and needs mommy to wash her hair. Chat at ya later!

Think Pink!

Ok, I'm stealing Polly's post title, but with good reason. I work for a freight fowarding company. And this is what rolled into our parking lot today:

It is the Victoria's Secret custom Hummer for the World's Largest Slumber Party. Now, I love their products, and I am shocked about their "no nursing in the store" policy, but this is cool. Here are a few other shots I took:

The license plate.

The sticker in the windshield.

All the stuffed Pink dogs in the front window.

A slightly different angle for the front.

And the logo on the door.

Now for knitting content. Here are my finished Trekking socks, and they have shade of pink, too.

Not the most flattering picture, I know. And, yes, I am that ghostly pale. Here are the specs:

Material: Trekking XXL # 133

Needles: US 1 Crystal Palace DPN's

Pattern: Didn't really use one. They have a picot edge, knitted in Stockinette with a short row heel.

Started: 6-3-06

Finished: 7-7-06

On to more socks!

What a weekend!

I was on call this past weekend, and I should have known what it was going to be like when my cell phone froze up while I was transfering the office cell to mine. The yarn from Chrissy arrived in the mail on Saturday. I started the test sock, then decided to call my mom to go to the Verizon store to look at new phones. It's been 2 yrs, it's time for new ones. So, we made a trip over, the the little sales chickie was a little too pushy. When she tried the whole sales pitch of "We havethis with mail in rebates," I looked at mom and told her that we would just go back to her house and call the tele-sales department and get what we wanted for free. Then, mom started dragging her feet, complaining that she didn't know which phone she wanted, and that she didn't want a camera phone (which is almost impossible anymore, unless you go the ultra cheap route), and she didn't know if she wanted to keep her line, and she didn't know if she wanted to finally add dad. Needless to say, by 9:30 pm, we had picked out what we wanted, and decided not to add dad. Then, the Verizon web site crapped out on us, so I called the help line, and was told to try again the next day. On Sunday, I was woke up, bright and early by one of the guys from our Houston office, who (when I answered the phone) asked to talk to the on call person. When I said it was me, he said, "Oh, it didn't sound like you." And I replied, "Because, I just woke up." So, a little later, I tried to go online to order the phones again, and still had the same problem. I called the help line again, and got someone that told me I was going in from the wrong page! He walked me through getting to the right page, and what to do, then we were good to go. Ten minutes after I got off the phone with mom, after ordering the phones, she calls me back and tells me that dad wants to finally get a phone. Well, I think I took it in stride very well. I called Verizon back, had them conference mom in, and we fixed so that we all got new phones free, with a good calling plan. A little later in the day, I got a call from one of my agents about a shipment crossing into Canada. Nothing unusual about that. But they had been given the wrong phone and fax numbers for the custom broker, and I was told nothing about the shipment. And to punctuate the need for a new phone, it froze up 4 more times, and I had to stand in the middle of the drive way to finish what needed to be done. Thank the Heavens my new phone will be here no later than Friday.

Now for knitting content. I have finished my Trekking socks! They are perfect. I still have to take pics of them. I'll post them tomorrow. I also need to submit them to Chrissy for the Sock A Month KAL, and the Trek Along. Which I'll do that once I have taken the pics. Also, I am plugging along the test knit for Chrissy. Once I am done with those, as I do believe the deadline for those it Saturday to the publisher, I'm going to start on my Summer Sock Party Pal's sock. Then I have several other pairs planned. I have no shortage of socks to knit, that's for sure. But even if I didn't have pairs planned, I'd still knit more socks, as they help me keep my sanity.

So, here's to knitting socks, a new cell phone on the way, and an up coming vacation (even though I'm not going anywhere since I can't afford it this year). Happy knitting!!!!

My new passion.....

There is nothing like kicking back to drink a beer and watch Katie play Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. And you know that I've had a bad week when I laugh at her chasing other Hogwort students (especially Malfoy) while hitting them with the Flipendo spell, as they run screaming away in the halls. She also strayed off the flying course and was yelled at by Madame Hooch. Then she found a door that opened to a drop off on the side of the building, and she jumped! He may have been the boy who lived, but not for long with her at the controls. Don't get me wrong, I am an avid Harry Potter fan, and she pretty much stalks Daniel Radcliff. I have all the movies, have read all the books to date, and am willing to knit any of the HP patterns the girls may want (and maybe a few for myself, too). But you have to admit, it's funny! Any who! On to my new passion.

This is my new passion:

The Everyday Namaste bag. I must have one. I will scrape and save every penny, if I have to, just to get this bag. I love it. And, I need to decide which color:

I like the Avocado, but not for everyday. I am thinking Black or Chocolate. What do you think? It'll probably be a couple of months before I can order it. Another of my new passions is Trekking XXL # 126, as seen on Knitting Iris's, Claudia's, and Alicia's blogs. I first saw it on Claudia's, and really liked it them. But the more I see it, the more I want it. Now, to find it. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. Otherwise, the next time I go into the Knitter's Mercantile, I'll ask if they can order it for me.

Now, in the words of my manager, "It's been the longest, short week ever." I'm gonna kick back, finish my beer, knit on my Trek Along sock and watch Katie have fun playing Harry Potter. Flipendo!

My version of therapy & more.....

I had some anger problems today. I guess it didn't help that I woke up grumpy and so did Annie. You know it's bad when your 5 yr old wakes up and demands that her older sister dress her, and the older sister starts to do it! Well, me already being a grump, and having to deal with Annie's malfunctioning attitude, along with other problems set the stage for, what else, retail therapy. So, at lunch I made a trip to Knitter Mercantile to pick out some sock yarn for my Summer Sock Party pal. Here is what I came away with:

What we have here (from left to right) is Claudia's Handpainted in Sea Dreams, Lorna's Laces in Mt Creek and Jungle stripe, the new Knitscene mag and 2 skeins of Regia stretch Crazy Colors in #115. The Regia is for footies for the girls, but now I need to decide what I want to send off to my pal. And of course, next we have the gratuitus kitty shot:

Here is Vinny checking out the stash enhancement. Needless to say, I am not allowed to go sock yarn shopping by myself anymore.

And the reason for the Knitscene is this:

The Central Park Hoodie. Misplaced Southern Belle is hosting a KAL that is starting in September, visit here if you want to join along. I desinged the button for her, here it is:

Not too shabby! I'm getting the hang of this button thing. I'm gonna join up for this one, it's gonna be fun. Hope to see you there.

I have finally remembered to take a pic of my Candle Flame shaw progress. Here it is:

I have done 7 rows if the 4 repeat. Not bad for soemthing that has a 36 row repeat, and it's my first attempt at lace.

And finally, a parting shot of Vinny, sitting a box lid (as you know all cats love boxes):

Post 4th Post

We had a great 4th. Some how my camera seemed to elude me, so I have no pics. Yesterday, the girls and I went to Miss Tammi's for a while. Then Miss Tammi and I found HBO's Rome on demand! They had the first 6 episodes on, and it became a marathon. Half way through, we made a trip to the store to get munchies and some wine. I worked on my Candle Flame Shaw for while, and have made it through 3 repeats so far. We got home around 11 o'clock.

I think I have settled on a pattern for my SSP '06 pal, I just need to pick out the yarn. That sounds like a trip to the LYS this weekend. I have a brand in mind, I just need to pick the perfect color.

Right now I sit watching Bewitched, with Nicole Kidman. It's a cute movie, but she wears a sweater that I'd love to write my own pattern for. I'll let you know if I get ambitous enough.

Red, White & Boom!

That's the name of our local fire works display. They hold it every year on July 3rd. The parade and festivaties start at 6 pm and they let off the fire works at 10 pm. I remember as a little girl, I was able to watch this out of my bedroom window. We lived not too far from Downtown, in a neighborhood (if you're from the area, you'll know exactly were I'm taking about) called the bottoms. It wasn't exactly the best neighborhood to grow up in, but it has it's advantages, like Red, White & Boom! and seeing the fire works from Cooper Stadium, where the Columbus Clippers play. I lived just on the other side of highway 70 from the stadium. Where we live now, we could faintly see the fire works at Cooper stadium on Saturday night. We get to leave work early so tonight, Miss Amy and I can pack up the girls and head as close to Downtown as we dare to watch the fire works. I'll be taking my Trekking sock with hopes of finishing it, if not damn close.

Over the weekend, I got sucked into my book, and ended up reading alot, after finishing as many corn hole bags as we had corn for. I did have someone ask what corn hole is. It's a game very close to horse shoes. Instead of having shoes and pegs, you have 2 boards at opposite ends, set at an upward angle with 6" holes at the top, and 6" bags full of feed corn that you toss. The score system is the about the same. Once we get our set, we'll do a pictorial. Other than that, I slept through Miss Tammi's 4th of July party on Sunday, as I was still too wiped out from the late nights of sewing. Then she called and made me feel bad. 1st by telling that not too many people showed up and it was just like one of our bi-weekly cookouts, and 2nd because someone asked were I was a couple of times. The 2nd one caused mixed emotions, 'cause I'm such a chicken sh** sometimes about things like that. As much as I may want it, and say that I want it, I still run sometimes when faced with it. I may be 32 yrs old, but I'm still the insecure teenage girl when it comes to some guys. And I'm still gun shy after Mr. C, and that ended over a year & a half ago. But boy, did he errode my self estime in the last 6 to 8 months that we dated. It was the whole "Build me up, Buttercup" syndrome. But enough of my so depressing rants! Have a great and safe 4th, everyone!