See, I Told You I Have a Camera

Ok, so here are some clickable pictures of some WIPs:

This is my 63/2 squares blanket, laid out how it's gonna be sewn together soon:


Here's a sock--not completely done--made out of some awesome self-striping Opal sock yarn that was a gift from the holidays:



This rose is for a doily, for the Thread CAL at Crochetville:



Here's a quicky poncho I made using some Lion Brand Chenille and some Red Heart Baby Clouds:






And finally, here are 2 hats that I received from the Hat Swap at Crochetville. Thank you so much, Colette!



And lastly, here's a little elf of mine, shoveling snow (from a week or 2 ago, not this latest storm):



...And here are some quizzes that I've been hoarding:

Your aura shines Orange!


What Color Is Your Aura?
brought to you by Quizilla

[Kyle, this one's for you:]

You are Fish 'Tacos.' You might think you're
exotic and worldly-wise, but in reality you're
just a bunch of crap on toast. Repeat after
me: 'just because you put something in
quotation marks doesn't make it so.' And
'taco' isn't Spanish for 'toast.'


What Weight Watchers recipe card from 1974 are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Winter, Cars, Jackasses, and Bumper Stickers

I only agree about 10% with people that say that "Winter and snow is so pretty." It's not. It's a pain in the neck, and I would swear on my life that it makes people stupid. It is only pretty if you don't need to leave your home, and you can sit inside at your window and gaze at it, or if your kids are old enough to send them outside to play in it while you stay inside and watch them.

My 30-40 minute drive to and from work has been taking me an hour or more, and by the end of that drive I am mentally and physically exhausted. Not from the bad road conditions, but instead from the incredible amount of defensive driving one has to do. People are such idiots. IDIOTS I say. If you see an accident happen right in front of you, why would you proceed to pass by the incident and then speed up and drive even more recklessly than that person. How can people driving on the highway pass no less than 12 cars in ditches, medians, or smash-ups, and then continue to drive as if it were summer?

So, then I get to my parking garage--which is a story in itself, **shudder**. This garage is about a quarter- to a half-mile from my work building, and it is connected to the city of Rochester's municpal buildings (court, police station, etc.). Cops park their personal cars here, so you'd think it would be fairly safe. Well, it's not. It is dark, filthy, and is home to several homeless people that beg for money by sneaking up to you when you get in your car, and then knocking on your window. They use the walls of the garage as their bathroom. It is such an awful way to begin the day.

And then, one day on my way to the outside, I walked by the gated area in the garage (where the judges and DA's get to park), and I see this bumper sticker on a car (a Lexus SUV, to be precise):

If you can't feed 'em, don't breed 'em.

At first glance, I thought it was an ASPCA bumper sticker, you know, promoting spaying and neutering your pets. But no, this sticker has stick figures drawn on it, so now I'm sure it is regarding people. I felt a huge surge of anger well up inside me. So you need to pass a solvency test to have kids?! That is such an elitist, ignorant attitude.

You'd better check out the poverty level and then the median income for families, because according to New York State figures, I earn above poverty level and I still qualify for state aid to "feed 'em [my kids]." And state aid to provide them with health insurance. And my oldest child isn't even counted in those figures! I understand the need for reasonable moderation, for example, if someone is unemployed I, too, don't think they should have 8 children and continue to get pregnant. However, it is wrong, wrong, wrong to deny a law-abiding but poor adult the right to have a child. Let's face it, the child very well may be the only good thing in their life. If they take care of the child physically, mentally, and emotionally, then all is good. Even if others' tax money is handed to them in the form of welfare or WIC checks. That's called being a decent human being.

Ack, sometimes I just get so mad about the state of this country. I don't choose to be "poor," receive state aid, or to live in a mobile home. In fact, I did everything "right" so it wouldn't happen to me: I got good grades, went to college, got my Master's Degree, did my extra-curricular activities, and have a great work record. But there's not enough jobs here that pay a true living wage so that I wouldn't qualify for aid. If I waited to have kids until the day I earned "enough," I could very well end up being past child-bearing age.

Ok, I'm all done for now. Be kind to other people, please.

The Mystery of the Missing Blogger

I'm so sorry, Blogland, I've been out of the blogging mood lately (not to mention time to blog). Everything's moving along at such a fast pace, I can hardly keep up with myself. Holly and Ryan both had birthdays this month. School's back in session for Emma, and work is picking up for me (damn). I have about 20 projects started, and not much to show you right now. Pictures have been taken, but they are still in the camera (hey, it's a start).

I've been leaning way off the quiz-o-meter, but I found 2 that I liked, and their results seemed accurate:
you are darkgreen #006400

Your dominant hue is green. You're logical and steadfast, focused on figuring life out and doing what makes sense. You value being trusted because you know you're taking the time to figure things out and everyone should just follow you.

Your saturation level is very high - you are all about getting things done. The world may think you work too hard but you have a lot to show for it, and it keeps you going. You shouldn't be afraid to lead people, because if you're doing it, it'll be done right.

Your outlook on life is slightly darker than most people's. You try to see things for what they are and face situations honestly. You'd rather get to the point than look for what's good.
the spacefem.com html color quiz


What color of sock yarn do you prefer?
brought to you by Quizilla

I haven't forgotten my meme idea, btw, I will get back to it ASAP. Bye for now~~

The Next Freakin' Chapter

Apparently I say "freakin'" much more than I thought I did. Our 3 y.o. has been regularly throwing it into her conversations, and when I asked Tim where she got that from, he looked at me and laughed. Example from her this morning, "Can I have a freakin' banana mom?" Oy.

So yeah, remember when I wrote this last time:

I have a feeling it's going to be a good year for me and my family Dear God, Please don't let me have just jinxed myself with that thought.

Well guess what?! Less than 2 hours after writing that, on my way home from work, I got pulled over for having an expired car inspection sticker. And an expired license. By a cop that looked like he was 11 years old. On the main street in my dinky town. Way to start the new year, go me. This is why I have so many issues with forced "positive attitudes." Whenever I try mine on, it seems to want to bite me in the ass.

Speaking of funny kid stories, check out Crazy Daisy, after she talks about her new sweater. She's got a funny one about her daughter and her reading Dick [and Jane] books.

So, I can hear you now: What the hell are you crocheting? Where are some new/recent pictures?

I have submitted 3 designs to the crochet page-a-day calendar, 2 of which have been accepted so far. **Happy dance!**

I am working on my 30 square lapghan (it was the 63 squares blanket, but I discovered I'd rather poke my eyes out than join squares).

I've gotta make a hat for the hat swap at Crochetville.

I'm gonna make a ripple hat for myself, and some ripple socks too, from this book I just bought:





Mememememe: This one's been going around, so I guess I'll pass it along Ü
THE THREE THINGS LIST

Name 3 names you go by:
Michelle
Mom
Mama

Name 3 things you like about yourself:
I am energetic
I am intelligent
I am crafty

Name 3 things you hate about yourself:
Lack of willpower
I see things as black and white; hate "gray"
I tend to make piles and piles of stuff and don't know where to put it all

Name 3 parts of your heritage:
Scottish
Canadian
German

Name 3 of your everyday essentials:
Diet Pepsi
Cookies
Hugs from my kids and husband

Name 3 things that scare you:
Someone in my family being hurt physically or emotionally
Fire
Surprises/changes in plans

Name 3 reasons you have broken up with ex's:
Non-committal
Annoying
Didn't want me to do stuff I liked to do because they didn't like to do them

Name 3 things you want in a relationship:
Honesty
Laughter
Common interests

Name your 3 favorite pastimes:
Crochet
Reading
Hanging out with my family

Name 3 things you want to do before you die:
Have an enjoyable, lucrative job
Visit Scotland, England, and/or France
Own a farmhouse (with chickens!)

Happy 2005!

Happy 2005 Everyone!

I have a feeling it's going to be a good year for me and my family Dear God, Please don't let me have just jinxed myself with that thought.... I have carried over some vacation time, and we've found some doctors/dentists with evening hours, so we just may be able to take some mini-roadtrips this year! I haven't had a vacation in about 5 years, and Tim and I never got to take a honeymoon. So a little jaunt with two toddlers and a preteen, in a van, to Ohio to visit relatives sounds soooooooooo relaxi--oh, never mind. Well, at least it ain't Rochester.

Resolutions? Did you make some? Or maybe you want to call them goals. Whatever you choose to call 'em, I have made a couple for myself:
* Lose the baby weight, so I can fit into my "old" clothes.
** Crochet only stuff I like and/or need, can sell or give as gifts.
*** Eat better (ha!), or at least smaller portions of everything. I've tried cutting stuff out of my diet, and that just doesn't work for me at all. I get suicidal and murderous without my sugar.
**** Keep up with our current house-cleaning method (I'll tell you about it at a later date), which is working surprisingly awesome.
***** Save enough to make a down payment on a new manufactured house next year.

I promised some non-crochet holiday pictures, so here we go!

Full stockings:





Gingerbread cookies:





Emma and her friend at the school Christmas pageant:





Mouse cookies (made to eat while reading Night Before Christmas"):




Reading Night Before Christmas":




Yarn from Emma!




Toys from Oriental Trading Company:





First thing Christmas morning:



Two stylish lamps--my gift from my husband:



Kid's Bathroom decor:




Ok, that's enough for today, I think. I've got lots of other entries "on deck," so you'll probably hear from me again soon.