{Enough}

bills

2007-08-12T19:46:00.000-04:00

grrr. bills. we barely have enough money to make ends meet. seriously, not sure we can stretch things out any further.

2007-08-10T20:40:00.000-04:00

Today--car being repaired ($270); E in Ohio w/ grandma and grandpa, visiting my sister et. al. H and R were pretty good, lots of saucer swinging, picking up, and videos. Dinner at Peppermints, even though I should have cooked (see $270 above), then a used book sale at the local library (gotta love those!). Found a couple Gus (by Thayer) and Georgie (by Bright) books, which are some of my very fav's.

Happy Summer!

2007-06-11T21:56:00.000-04:00

Lots of changes happening around here lately, for the good, thank God! Don't want to jinx myself by saying any more now, so I'll skip ahead to what I've been working with and on lately:

--sewing :: want to get into it much more
--Fly, baby :: Jump in, you're never behind!
--gardening :: just put in a small (4'x4') raised bed veggie garden
--crochet :: working on tops in latest Interweave Crochet
--re-schedulizing ourselves for summer :: who needs to be where and when
--Kindergarten for Holly in September!
--I'm a Jazzer-Junky
--Writing a book :: No, really, I'm trying
--Webmastering mom's new website, Sallysabcs :: teachers, daycare providers, and parents, check it out!

Tap tap tap

2007-03-30T21:56:00.000-04:00

Hello out there?! I am alive, kicking, and about ready to rejoin the human race, having just gotten the hell out of the human rat-race. More later, just wanted to see if I could still get into my own blog....

I'm Alive!!

2006-03-19T14:33:00.000-05:00

Hey hey! I am here, and still kicking (mostly). I think I'll be ready to start blogging again soon; I'm still adjusting at my "new" job, however I almost feel like I am not drowning now.

Loads to share, and I can't wait to get in touch with friends. I miss people! Wow, it's been almost a year since I've had to type any xml/html anglebrackets....yippee!!!

Talk to y'all again soon!

M.

!

2005-07-15T20:38:00.000-04:00

Well, I got the new job!! I'm still here, and plan to continue blogging, and crocheting, and crafting, but right now I am pretty overwhelmed by my new job. When I feel more comfortable there, I think [hope, know] I will be able to devote more time to the "fun things" in life. Wish me luck, pleaaaase!

....All This, And She Crochets Too

2005-06-22T11:35:00.000-04:00

Here's me wearing a kerchief I made using this free pattern.

And

here's Emma and Holly (Tim in the bacground) at a Memorial Day

parade. Emma's got on a red, white, and blue thread headband I

whipped up for her
.

My Little WIC Baby

2005-06-21T20:29:00.000-04:00

Here's

the little man, helping to put together Emma's new trampoline at her

dad's house (on Memorial Day).

For anyone who may not know, WIC (see title of post) stands

for Women, Infant, and Children, and it is a federal program that gives

"food checks" for milk, eggs, and cereal to low income families.

Of course we qualify, so we eat LOTS of eggs at our house.

Tonight when we were all eating oreos for a snack, I asked if the

little kids if they wanted their's split open (they usually do).

Holly said, "yes," and Ryan said, "No, I want the yolk to stay inside."

He was referring to the frosting, lol.

I'm still here, promise...

2005-06-16T12:57:00.000-04:00

I know I've been a bad poster lately. I have got so much going on now, I can barely keep up with myself.

The job interview I had a couple weeks ago went ok I guess. Well enough that I have a second interview tonight with the board again. Honestly, I don't want to write too much because I am afraid that they would Google me. Weird times we live in, eh?

The job I am in currently is experiencing so many computer system issues that literally nothing is getting done every day. It's so comical. This is a BIG company, and oy, if people only knew....

I've been crocheting and garage sale-ing like a crazy woman, and I have even been taking lots of pictures to show for it! Go me! But, I stall out at the "load to Photobucket" and futz around with the flippin' thumbnail coding. Stay tuned, I do have another plan to help myself make better posts....

Right now I am making Giselle from the Cool Crochet book by Melissa Leapman. I am omitting the sleeves, and just making it like a tank top. So far so good!

Hmmm, family news:
Emma's only got ONE day of school left this year! OMG, that year went fast, I tell ya! Next year she changes schools and starts in middle school (6th grade). I am terrified for her, but she is excited about it and looking forward to it. She's leaving her Catholic school that she's gone to for 6 years, and going to the public middle school. She only knows one girl that will be in her grade, and we have requested for them to be put in many of the same classes. I'm glad she's psyched, and I HOPE she remains so after the beginning of the school year.

Holly's just zooming along in her Big Girl-ness. She's way beyond the toddler stages, and is about 75% potty trained. If we had enough money, or state-funded preschool, she'd be able to start preschool this fall. But, as it is now, that's not possible. I guess I gotta get my ass in gear and start an at-home curriculum for Tim to do with her and Ryan.... ;)

Ryan--what can I say about my Little Man. He's such a sweet little love bug. He has been watching Holly learn to use the potty, so now he is potty training himself. I'm so proud of him! He has a love-hate relationship with lawnmowers and weedwackers right now, which is in turns adorable and annoying.

Ok, I'll update everyone with my thoughts about my second interview ASAP. *Wish* me luck! I can totally see myself in this job....

Quizzical

2005-06-10T15:16:00.000-04:00

The True You

You want your girlfriend or boyfriend to be together with you always, no matter when or where.

With respect to money, you spend as little as possible.

You think good luck doesn't exist - reality is built on practicalities.

The hidden side of your personality tends to be satisfied to care for things with a minimal amount of effort.

You have a tendency to overdo things, but basically you value your friendships highly.

When it comes to finding a romantic partner, you base your search on information from your friends.

Who's the True You?

Slow and Steady

Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy.

They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder.

It'd really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment.

They expect you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then usually decide against it.

How Do People See You?

Your Star Wars Pickup Line

"I may look like an Ewok, but I'm all Wookie where it counts, baby."

What's Your Star Wars Pickup Line?

And my favorite:

Your IQ Is 110

Your Logical Intelligence is Exceptional
Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius
Your Mathematical Intelligence is Average
Your General Knowledge is Above Average

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

That was fun!

Holy Canoli!

2005-06-07T11:35:00.000-04:00

Time is just flying by. I've been so busy! You?

Memorial Weekend was really nice. Sunday we went to a big flea market in our town, got a few cool things. Monday we had great weather--shocking!--and we all enjoyed the little town parade. Then we went to Emma's dad's house because he bought a big trampoline. We all helped put it together, and then we all took turns jumping. It was awesome!! I want one! Then we popped across the street to the playground and played for a while. Then, NAPTIME!

This past weekend was ok too, weather-wise. I don't know what we all did to deserve TWO non-rainy weekends IN A ROW, but I hope we can keep it up! We didn't do all that much, but it still seemed kinda crazy. Emma's studying for finals now, so she's always so peachy-pleasant to be around. Holly and Ryan both had (have) fevers for some reason, but they aren't acting sick otherwise.

Ryan and Holly both love to go garage sale-ing with me, and Tim and Emma don't. So, the babies have to take turns (two toddlers in and out of their carseats 20 times to look at mostly junk is not do-able for me). It was Ryan's turn, so we went out on Saturday morning and came back with some cool stuff. Photos will be posted soon. For the first time ever, I found some Berrocco and other specialty yarns at a yard sale. Oh happy day!

mini posts for a while now

2005-06-02T15:09:00.000-04:00

I think one reason I don't keep this blog up well (especially with crochet stuff) is that I wanted my posts to be substantial--or at least having SOME substance. Well, no more. I recognize that if I'm gonna do this regularly I need to be less picky about writing something substantially good, and just WRITE. Of course I still have my "I hate uploading images" issue, but ....

So, you're probably gonna see lots of mini-posts for a while now.

Here is one of my favorite drawings by Holly--it's a self portrait (she told me so herself!):

And can anyone tell what this is?! Only one of my favorite foods ever--RHUBARB! About $40 worth of it, actually, picked from my Aunt's garden. I made stewed rhubarb sauce, rhubarb Peek-a-boo cake, and I froze some (hopefully for a pie soon):

Attention Geeks!

2005-05-23T11:11:00.000-04:00

What are you?

Which File Extension are You?

Good News!!

2005-05-19T15:46:00.000-04:00

I have an interview scheduled for that job that I applied for last week!!! Happy dance! But, of course, I am terrified--not so much about the interview itself (although it is with the entire Library Board at once), but about the prospect of change. Change is not one of my better things, lol. But, as my husband would say, I am getting ahead of myself. Baby steps.

Baby steps I am taking:
--Internet searching for sample library director interview questions
--Spending time formulating answers to the questions
--Looking up topics I am not as familiar with in preparation and to refresh my memory
--Shop for some sort of suit to wear to the interview (my current job allows me to wear jeans. The only time in recent memory I have worn anything but jeans or shorts, Holly told me my pants were broken, LOL!)

Please, if you can, send good vibes and thoughts my way. I am really scared of (here I go getting ahead of myself again, but I want to say it anyway) getting the job and then getting in there and not knowing ANYTHING. The learning curve time period is the WORST to me.

I want to give props to my kids now, for various things (do I sound like Randy on American Idol?):

To Emma--for finishing her 20 *different genre* book reports and 20 projects for this school year (a bit much for 5th grade, I think, but she did it!); also for doing almost all the work on her own for her social studies 15 page state report (80 note cards!) and visual display. She had minimal help from us, and she got a B- on her oral presentation/poster. She'll get an A on the paper, I think. I saw some of the other kids' projects, and there's no way they did their's on their own.

To Holly--for being little miss independent. When she wants something she [usually] gets it or does it all on her own. And often in her own way. She is very creative in her use of objects for play.

To Ryan--for doing such a great job lately of using his words to express how he is feeling and what he wants. He's such a good little boy, at 2 y.o.

************

Crochet--I received my scarves from Kris, my Crochetville Summer Scarf Swap partner. Man, she went all out, and I love the three scarves she sent to me. I can't wait to photograph them and post the pix for all of you to see.

Gotta split now!

Garage Sale Finds

2005-05-17T16:25:00.000-04:00

Well, it's all or nothing with me, folks. I have no less than 17 (clickable to enlarge) pictures for you today. I am planning on being a regular feature. After every weekend I will show you my *treasures* from the past weekend's garage sales. As you will be able to tell, I am a garage sale wh*re, lol. I missed two weekends ago, so there are two weeks worth of stuff here this time. I didn't spend more than $19 for ALL OF THIS STUFF COMBINED (and more not pictured)! And don't worry, I am also working daily on getting rid of old stuff for my own yard sale this summer.....

First up are *some* of the kids books--a couple classics, modern classics, fairy tales....some other books have gotten snagged and strewn around the house already...

Some vintage fabric:

A couple yards of sheer pink fabric:

Pig fabric. So awful I HAD to have it. It spoke to me (not literally):

A lifesize Arthur puzzle:

Vintage photo album for grandparents:

Wooden chicken that fits right into my collection:

Vintage (1970-72) Needlework magazines:

Toy trucks (left is a vintage Fisher Price, right is a talking digger from Bob the Builder):

Little Tykes Easel for $4!!:

Bike for Ryan:

And from Freecycle, a bike for Holly:

One (Crappy) Crochet Picture

2005-05-17T16:10:00.000-04:00

Just one measly crochet photo. Here are some plant hangers that I crocheted--I don't lke how they turned out that much, but they get the plants off the counter. Phew! Kinda glad the picture is crappy, so you all can't see how they turned out close up, lol!

grrrr

2005-05-16T21:36:00.000-04:00

I had a giant post written, and it vanished into thin air. I will recreate it tomorrow, I'm too annoyed right now. >:o[

Crochet FOs! I've got 'em...

2005-05-11T15:28:00.000-04:00

Yippee! Here is a shawl (I can't find the specific pattern, but I know it's from here) that I made out of some mystery garage sale thread (apbout size 3). I wore it to dinner when Tim took me out for Mother's Day. Becky, see the flower you made for me for the flower swap?!

And here is they gigundous doily I made for my Mom for Mother's Day. Small child for size comparison, lol! There's some major flaws, but only noticeable if you are a crocheter (i.e., my family can't find 'em and I hate frogging, soooo....)

Gotta split, but catch you later! I have many more WIPs, but have to pose them for their school pictures.....

Media Monday

2005-05-09T13:48:00.000-04:00

Ok, ok, I am a day late already. It's because of work again; I'm swamped still.

I want to bring you some more of my favorite stuff today. Tomorrow I plan to be back with some crochet pictures (for WIP Wednesday).

Reading:
If you have kids, you simply must read the Junie B. Jones series. It doesn't matter whether you have a boy or a girl, these books will have your whole family rolling on the floor laughing. Junie's language, mannerisms, and actions are captured PERFECTLY by Barbara Park. Heck, read 'em even if you don't have kids. They are "early readers," which means the read-alone level is grades 1-3, but I think they truly need to be read aloud. The perfect family read aloud books. There are about 20 of them in the series, and all are about 90-100 pages long. They go quick.

When you're all done reading the Junie books, it's time to move onto some intermediate level books. Read all the books by Beverly Cleary, but especially the Ramona ones. Hard to believe these books aren't more dated, but they aren't. I LOVE them.

Tubing:
See, I know Tim and I were meant to be together because we both posted on the same topic without knowing the other one did so. Cool, huh? (And I can see some of you rolling your eyes now....). Well, I almost posted on it, but instead just saved it as a draft becuase I didn't have time to do linkage. Now, I won't bother to tell you about Monarch of the Glen, a great series on PBS, I will just direct you to Tim's posting about it.

Crafty Goodness:
Why haven't I visted Craftster more regularly? It's a really cool site, and I'm gonna be making some of these cell phone pouches this weekend. Go there!

All righty, that's it for this, *ahem*, Monday, see you soon!

Newsflash!

2005-05-09T13:02:00.000-04:00

1. You are more RATIONAL than intuitive.

2. You are more INTROVERTED than extroverted.

3. You are more BRUTAL than gentle.

4. You are more HUMBLE than arrogant.

Compatibility:

Your exact opposite is the Televangelist.

Spiteful Loner
You are 57% Rational, 0% Extroverted, 71% Brutal, and 42% Arrogant.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 27% on Rationality
You scored higher than 0% on Extroversion
You scored higher than 89% on Brutality
You scored higher than 48% on Arrogance

Link: The Personality Defect Test written by saint_gasoline on Ok Cupid

Work and Stuff

2005-05-03T14:27:00.000-04:00

OMG I am sooooooooo busy at work right now it's not even funny. (This explains my lack of posting here and at C'ville.) And I read so many other blogs at home now, too, that I can't find the time to do my own! This is a dilema, lol!

So of course right now--when I don't have time to work on my resume/cover letter stuff at my current job (hahahaha)--is when I have seen posted the PERFECT job for me. I don't want to talk about it yet, because I feel like if I even think about it I will jinx all my chances. I have to have my resume/cover letter submitted by 5/10, so I will tell you all about it after that. Right now I just need to buckle down and hammer out the application.

I was reading Trish's blog today, and thinking in my head, "boy, she is a LOT like me when it comes to friends." I also have made a very conscious decision to stop calling all my online crochetville (and other places) friends "online friends" and to just refer to them as my "friends." It's nobody's business where I met you all, but I feel like you all know me very well, better even than some of my coworkers and nearby friends (and vice versa).

Gotta run now, I will pick up my regular blogging schedule asap....

I'm Not Normal....

2005-05-01T12:47:00.000-04:00

Your Birthdate: March 28

Your birth on the 28th day of the month (1 energy) adds a tone of independence and extra energy to your Life Path.

The number 1 energy suggest more executive ability and leadership qualities than you path may have indicated.

A birthday on the 28th of any month gives greater will power and self-confidence, and very often a rather original approach.

Unlike much of the other 1 energy, this birthday is one that endow with the ability to start a job and continue on until it is finished.

You may prefer to use the broad brush, but you can handle details as well.

You are sensitive, but your feeling stay somewhat repressed.

You have a compelling manner that can be dominating in many situations.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

hmmmm...

You Are 45% Normal

(Somewhat Normal)

While some of your behavior is quite normal...

Other things you do are downright strange

You've got a little of your freak going on

But you mostly keep your weirdness to yourself

How Normal Are You?

WIP Wednesday

2005-04-27T13:26:00.000-04:00

I have been diligently working on my UFOs for the crochet-along on Crochetville, but in addition to that, I have just a couple other things to show you:

First, a cool butterfly hair thing [pattern]. This flashy one is held in my hair with bobby pins, but I bought a skinny dowell to make sticks to poke into the next one I make. I have also made a larger pink one. I ♥ these, and plan to make lots more:

I have made this bookmark for my friend, Felicia, who was recently diagnosed with stage III Inflammatory Breast Cancer:

Other things on the hooks now include:
*poncho sweater for me
*Sunshine and Lace afghan
*sailboat doily
*pair of socks
*Mile-a-minute afghan

Swap news! I need to show you this package from Becky, one of my Spring Flower Swap partners! I received the box filled with lovely thread, yarn, and tissue paper flowers and some much-needed lotions, yesterday:

I stumbled onto this awesome site too, in my search for monster inspirations--Shawnimals. I decided to try to make some of my own. I need some work, that's for sure, but here is a beginning:

Introducing Willby

2005-04-25T16:14:00.000-04:00

May I present you Willby, my monster entry for April's Month of Softies:

He is made out of an old blouse, and stuffed with a cut up t-shirt of Tim's, and 2 cut up onesies that have been outgrown. This stuffing makes him kind of lumpy and dense/heavy, which is PERFECT for this little beast. He is inspired by these ugly dolls.

Media Monday, and a Hallelujah!

2005-04-25T15:50:00.000-04:00

Thank GOD the water thing "only" cost us $120. The massive flooding was due to a busted clamp that needed replaced. Of course there is --and was before this-- the giant rotting floor hole in the bathroom, covererd up elegantly with a piece of wood and a rug, which will run us at least $1000, but that is another matter.

Let's see. Media Monday--I have updated the books in the sidebar. I am reading

which, to me, is a totally fascinating book. I am using it for research for the book I am gonna write [someday]...

Lately the little kids have been in a dinosaur phase, so we've been playing with lots of little plastic dinos, and reading this flap book:

I think the illustrator is local to me, because my mom gave the kids a signed copy for Christmas... It's very cute!

There is an awesome list of some dude's top 25 moments in Sesame Street History. Click Super Grover to go there:

If you have a sewing machine, you MUST try this craft. Here are step by step instructions to making a stuffed dog out of a pair of socks. Mine's almost done, and I will show him to you soon.

Hasta la vista!

Help Meee............I'm Drowwwwningggg..........

2005-04-22T20:25:00.000-04:00

Ok, and I mean drowning in two ways. First, I have been very busy at work. It drives me crazy, how my work goes in waves--I can be internet surfing Queen for two weeks, and then have more work than 3 people could handle for the next three weeks. It's maddening.

Drowning in the second way? Well, let's just say YET ANOTHER chunk of our house is falling apart. I had heard a different type of "drip...drip..." sound in the master bathroom for the last day or so. I inspected all the faucets, usual leaking places, but couldn't find anything. Tonight, I felt the tub's hot water faucet metal on the handle was warm. Hmmm? It usually isn't warm. Listen closer, and then open the linen closet right by the head of the tub. Move the piece of wall that comes out so I can see under the tub [we live in a mobile home]. And see........a giant puddle. SH*T. OMG this has been dripping in here for 2 days. And it fills up a cup in about an hour.

So, I called the plumber, and he is coming tomorrow morning. I sure hope it doesn't cost an arm and a let to fix. Funny thing is, when he arrives tomorrow, he will have to walk thru the master bedroom--you know, where our laundry is hanging since our dryer is also broken. We just can't get ahead.

**********

I have really and truly done tons of crochet, sewing, crafts, and even picture taking lately. I just haven't had posting time. I *should* get better at it soon, though, because right before we found the leak [we had decided we could do without the dryer for a while], literally, 3 days ago--we got a laptop!!! My home PC had died a month or so ago, and the parts were Gateway Relics apparently, so we couldn't fix it. We decided to use the last of or tax refund to purchase a laptop for me and Emma to use. I ((((love))) it. O. M. G. why didn't we get one of these a LONG time ago??!

Anyways, I have taken the . I promise to either my UnFinished Objects. I have about 5 UFOs that need finished up, and I am pledging to not start another [large] project til they are ALL done. I can do it, would you like to join me?

I have finished my and want to make antoher little scarfy to go with it before sending it off.

Ok, that's plenty for now, I think.

Happy {Belated} Birthday, Brenda!

2005-04-19T14:22:00.000-04:00

Happy birthday, to my sister Brenda! Sorry I didn't call or post this on your exact birthday date. I am glad to hear you are getting use out of and enjoying your presents!

Your Inner European is Irish!

Sprited and boisterous!
You drink everyone under the table.

Who's Your Inner European?

Ha! I highly doubt I could drink anyone under the table, but I do like the thought of being Irish. And I really do have Scottish ancestry, so that's close, right? ;)

WIP Thursday (I Missed Wednesday, oops!)

2005-04-14T13:47:00.000-04:00

WIP=Works in Progress, fyi...

Let's see:
1) I got mad at the Sunshine Lace afghan because I had to frog about 3+ hours of work. I haven't picked it up again yet.

2) Sailboat doily is coming along. I ♥ this one. I want to make more of them and ones like it, with motifs around the edge--as you can see, I have only finished one boat so far. It is a blocker's dream doily, too. I am not a super-blocker, by any means, but I do love to see transformations happen in front of my eyes!

3) Two ponchos, both of which I ran out of yarn half way through--this time it's for me (brown one) and Emma (purple one):

4) Softie--Recycled Monster--I have named him Willby, and he is being made out of an old blouse. I plan to give him to Ryan, even though he probably will show no interest in him (anyone else have this problem with their kids sometimes? You work forever on a toy or item for them, and they prefer their Happy Meal toy to it? AARGH!):

Ending with a quiz today--it's been a whilse since I have seen a quiz I've been interested in taking:

Your Linguistic Profile:

50% General American English

25% Yankee

15% Upper Midwestern

5% Dixie

5% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Media Monday (ok, I know it's Tuesday)....

2005-04-12T15:04:00.000-04:00

Listening:
A band I LOVE LOVE LOVE is Flogging Molly, and they are playing in Rochester tomorrow (I won't be able to see them, sadly). They had one of the singers on the radio this morning, and he said he was influenced a lot by Tom Waits. Then they played some of his music too, and I liked it a lot too. I have got to get a cheapo cd player for work....I can't stand listening to headphones on cd drive. If anyone has any Tom Waits cds they want to find a good home for, send 'em my way ;o)

Reading:
Right now I am reading

It is a OK culinary mystery (I'm only on page 60, but I'm not chomping at the bit to read it at night, so I know the series is not gonna stick with me.)

I am biding my time til

and

come out.
Ohh! I see that Ms. Fowler has a new hardcover coming out too!! Awesome!

Surfing:
Check OUT these cool mugs! I must have The Body in the Library one:

Watching:
I cannot really explain it, but I faithfully tune in to The Bachelor every Monday night. Actually, I think I watch it to prove to myself how totally unlike those women I am. Oh. My. God. They practically scream, "I'm desperate, and even though I am pretty I am such a psycho that I can't maintain a relationship!" Watching it and guffawing at every other thing out of their mouths (and at almost every article of clothing that they wear) makes me feel like more of a well-rounded woman. On the plus side, though, one of them knits on the show sometimes--that's kinda cool to see...

Family Friday News

2005-04-08T14:10:00.000-04:00

I don't have much time to post today, I have to stop at the post office on the way home from work to mail some RAOK's and my Flower Swap packages. Then pick up Emma, and then be home in time for Tim to go to work. I still have some ACTUAL work to do here also, lol!

First of all, my "good" boss gave her notice on Monday. Her last day here will be next Friday. I am pretty depressed about this, as we had a terrible one before her, and it was like pulling teeth to get HR to do anything about it. Now we're open targets again for another loser boss. There are only a few good ones here, and I doubt any would want to transfer to the team I'm on. So either we get a sucky transfer or a newby. CRAP.

Secong piece of "good news" (can't you just hear the sarcasm?) is that our dryer broke. Again. Now, the thing is probably 20 years old, but we don't want to replace it. It just needs to eek out a few more working years. Pretty please?! So, since it still is snowing on and off here in NY, we've rigged up a drying rack over our bed (which has a frame to hang curtains on it). So this is what it looks like in our bedroom now:

And this is what I see when I wake up (albeit much blurrier without my contacts):

Ryan took a nap with a ballpoint pen, unbeknownst to us, last week. He drew on his wall covering a 3 foot by 1 foot area, little bugger. Lucky for him I had planned to paint that wall this coming summer. I hope you can see his art in these cruddy photos:

Okey dokey, gotta run now. Talk to you soon!

Workin' on Wednesday

2005-04-06T14:50:00.000-04:00

So, today's the day I show off what I've been slaving away at. To start with, here's the beginning of a Sailboat Doily, which I saw on Chie's website. I can't find the link to the free pattern anymore, but I know it was originally in Japanese.

The yellow blob is an AJ Wrist Bag, which I found a pattern for at Crochetville. I will definitely be making more of these bags, it's so easy and cool. Thumbs up!

I've also begun practicing my Redwork. I have quite a bit of practice to do, but it's so easy and quick, that it's fun for me. Below are 2 nearly completed pieces, and one that I have just penciled that pattern onto muslin:

And finally, here's my entry for last month's Month of Softies entry. I urge my crochet readers to join this too, it really stirs up the creative juices, and you can enter crochet submissions too! The theme for March was "Portrait of the Artist as a Young [Wo]Man," so here I am as a "Book Girl":

Media Mondays

2005-04-04T14:52:00.000-04:00

This is a book that I'm reading now, along with my husband. We are putting into practice almost every single bit of parenting advice written here, and watching the show every Monday night. It is fantastic--sensible, direct, and moderately easy to put into practice. The main ideas are simple, but it's amazing how many people don't follow them at all:

have a routine, and stick to it

make sure bad behavior has consequences

don't give in to whining

If these are followed, not only will your kids be better behaved, but they will sleep better, probably do better in school, and they will be able to develop better bonds with others. It used to make me scream inside, when I worked at Borders, to have parents shopping at midnight come up to the information desk WITH THEIR BADLY BEHAVING CHILDREN IN TOW and demand books on how to make their kids sleep better. DUH. PUT THEM TO BED AT A KID BEDTIME, MORON. I really wish I had said that to one of them before I quit. *sigh*

Fridays Are For Families

2005-04-01T12:49:00.000-05:00

I know you've heard this before, but I'm gonna post more regulary now. I've made a schedule for myself, which hopefully will organize me enough to get on here.... I'm not gonna tell you my schedule, though, so you can't tell if I'm meeting my goal or not. I don't need pressure! I am a rabid list-maker, planner, scheduler, and I love to try to organize my (ok, and others') life by making lists. I can't help it....

Today is Family Friday, and my plan is to focus on posting kid pictures, what we're all doing, funny (or not) stories that happened the past week.

Unfortunately, many of our Easter day pictures are still on the camera card, so I only have a couple things to show you today.

Here is the kids' Easter Eve preparations:
First, "Bunny Ears" to eat for snack (kinda gross, but they loved 'em, lol!). Graham crackers with white and pink frosting blobbed on them:

Next, Easter baskets (bags) that Emma, Holly, and Ryan made. We are starting a tradition where they make their basket/bag, and leave it for the bunny to fill with goodies. Emma, 11, then wrote a note to leave along with a snack (carrots, apple slice, fig newton) she prepared for him. The note says, "Here's a snack for all your hopping. Please hide some eggs for us to find, and fill our bags with candy. Thank you, love, Emma, Holly, and Ryan." Then the bunny came during the night, hid 24 eggs and ate the snack. He left a thank you note to the kids. ;o)

A week ago we had about 4 inches of "heart attack" snow--heavy, wet, yuck. BUT it makes for great packing. I made these mini-snowmen, all under 10 inches tall. From left to right, they are Holly, Emma, Tim, me, Ryan.

The snow melted by the weekend, but we're now we have a winter storm watch in place for tomorrow. When will it be over?!

-----------

I want to introduce you to a new member of our family:

We've named him Gilbert, and he sits on our front steps until the kids go outside to play. Then he sits at the end of the driveway and hopefully alerts the jackass, too fast drivers that come down our street to slow down. This photo is from the step 2 website (click the picture of Gilbert), we have not got such a lush lawn, lol! I got him at Toys "R" Us for $20 (we had gift card leftovers).

-----------

Do any of my readers have experience with EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)? I would like to hear from supportive users of this technique. I am trying it to help with my OCD and anxiety.... I think I am seeing improvements, but am not sure if I am seeing placebo effects or the real thing. So far though, it is the only thing that has helped my with OCD tendencies (I still have loads of them, and am already on Prozac....).

Phew! Well, that is enough from me now, don't ya think?! I am going to try to post on Monday next....see you then!

I always knew I had more than one personality ;)

2005-03-29T13:06:00.000-05:00

My faves are #1 and 12:

1. YOUR PORN STAR NAME: (Name of first pet / Street you live on):
Tammy Gaywood

2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (Name of your favorite snack food / Grandfather's first name):
Cookie Gardiner

3. YOUR FASHION DESIGNER NAME: (First word you see on your left / Favorite restaurant):
August Jonathon

4. EXOTIC FOREIGNER ALIAS: (Favorite Spice [herb] / Last Foreign Vacation Spot):
Dill Poughkeepsie (I wish I had a foreign spot to put here...)

5. SOCIALITE ALIAS: (Silliest Childhood Nickname / Town Where You First Partied):
Shelby Geneseo

6. "FLY GIRL/BOY" ALIAS (a la J. Lo): (First Initial / First Two or Three Letters of your Last Name):
M. Ro

7. ICON ALIAS: (Something Sweet Within Sight / Any Liquid in Your Kitchen):
Apple Milk

8. DETECTIVE ALIAS: (Favorite Baby Animal / Where You Went to High School):
Kitten H. Falls

9. BARFLY ALIAS: (Last Snack Food You Ate / Your Favorite Alcoholic Drink):
Cookie Collins

10. SOAP OPERA ALIAS: (Middle Name / Street Where You First Lived):
Deane Rittenhouse (Pronounced deeANNE)

11. ROCK STAR ALIAS: (Favorite Candy / Last Name Of Favorite Musician):
Cadbury Yoakum

12. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: ( First 2 letters of your first name and the first 3 Letters from your last name makes your first name. Take the first 2 letters of your mother's maiden name and the first 3 letters of the city you were born in):
Miroh Miroc

I ♥ RAOK's!

2005-03-29T10:51:00.000-05:00

Good morning everyone--I hope you all had a pleasant (holiday) weekend. I will tell you about mine in another post. I want to use this posting to express my gratitude to my friends at Crochetville that have sent me Random Act Of Kindness packages. They give me warm fuzzies when I open my mailbox and see them in there, and then again as I read and/or open the item. Here are my recent gifts--pls. click the images to see them better:

Stitch markers from an Austrailian fairy godmother--thank you Bec!!

A cool flower hook from Rebecca V.. Thank you Rebecca, I love this hook--it's beautiful!

More postcards!

A postcard from a fairy godmother in the Adirondaks, Thank you!

I have 4 RAOK packages ready to go, now, and just have to get to the post office....it feels wonderful to return the happy thoughts to others!

Just the Same Old Stuff

2005-03-23T15:45:00.000-05:00

This is pretty neat...click it to make one of your own:

Honestly, I have been too lazy to blog lately. I can't blame anything else--well, my home pc did die, not that I ever blogged much from home--work's been not super crazy, and I have spent more time than normal lately on the new Crochetville forum. Oh yeah! I have started working on a [nonfiction] book while I'm at work (that's what my "down" time has been going to lately). It has to do with children's books, but that's all I can say right now, other than I had a manic day last Monday and blasted out a 12 page outline for it.... I sincerely hope that a) I keep on working on it and it doesn't become another of my passing fancies, and b) that someone somewhere would want to publish it.

Terry Schiavo discussion below--stop reading if you don't want to know how I feel about it. Here are two quotes that I found interesting, relevant, and very true (IMO) regarding the whole Schiavo case:

Allan Lichtman, who chairs the history department at American University in Washington, said the intervention of Congress and Bush to try to overturn the decision by Schiavo's husband not to prolong her life is the antithesis of several conservative principles.

"It contradicts a lot of what those behind it say they believe: the sanctity of the family, the sacred bond between husband and wife, the ability of all of us to make private decisions without the hand of government intervening, deference to states and localities as opposed to the centralized government," said Lichtman.
----------
Julian E. Zelizer, a Boston University history professor who specializes in congressional trends, said a conservative Republican movement that "built itself in the 1970s around attacking government has become the party of big government since 2000."

"Starting with the war against terrorism and climaxing with Congress intervening in this case, we see a GOP that is quite comfortable flexing the muscle of Washington, and a Democratic Party which is increasingly finding itself in favor of limiting government," Zelizer said.

No need to comment if you disagree [actually I just turned comments off--I don't need the debate].

That's all for now, gotta cram some stuff in the next ½ hour of work.....

A Mixed Bag

2005-03-15T14:45:00.000-05:00

Hi readers, thanks for sticking with me and bolstering me with comments!

Today's offering is kind of a hodge podge of topics, starting with my works in progress:

Sunshine Lace afghan
Poncho sweater for Emma (I made one of these for Holly, and it is AWESOME!!)
Flowers
A sweater for me
A softie
Redwork turkey

I solemnly swear to post pictures more often, especially now that Tim got a new pc with a drive right in the harddrive for a camera card. Ü

**********************

As you know, I've been eating better (well, mostly) foods and less processed ("faux") foods. One thing I have swapped in my fridge is real butter for the margerine "spread." The only thing that I don't like about butter is that the sticks are so hard, and it's basically unspreadable. Well, for part of my birthday present, Tim bought me a Butter Bell. This thing is awesome. Now we can keep the butter out of the fridge safely, as it is stored in an airtight seal made with water. Love it!

**********************

I found this really cool link for readers: Dear Reader. You sign up for the genre of book you are interested in, and then every morning they'll send you a portion of a book in your email. After five days they start sending a new book--you'll have to go to the library or a bookstore to get the rest of the book if you liked it. Cool! Now I will read at work!

***********************

My last link for today has to do with my other vice (aside from cookies, that is)--Diet Pepsi. Now I can find out exactly how much of it I'd have to drink (in one sitting?), for it to kill me. Check it out with your favorite soda!

The Only Therapy I Can Do Right Now

2005-03-11T08:52:00.000-05:00

As seems to be the norm for bloggers around their one year mark, I am going thru a phase of, "Why am I doing this blog?" I am generally a private person, and would be mortified if some of my "inner circle" (in the Michelle-centric universe, lol) read it. But, then I thought two things: maybe it can be a way for me to start to "open up" to closer family and friends, and also, it's kind of like therapy, but for free. I think keeping the blog is a good thing, and I will continue with it.

Sometimes it is hard, though, to go to blogs of people I read regularly and see that they don't or no longer read mine. Why? Not enough of the content they want? Did I piss them off? Wrong politics? Try as I might, it still stings some, even though in all likelihood it's not anything personal. There's no way I can write about crochet exclusively here, as I don't get that much time to either crochet or write. What I write is done at work ;o) and I don't have access to my crochet stuff.

I am also dealing with something that I hesitate to bring up here for fear of losing more readers or angering them. I am ****SO*** jealous of the stay-at-home moms/wives that get to crochet and parent and work in their homes all day. The topic upsets me inside. Please don't delete me from your bloglines just because I said this. It is nothing personal to any of you--in fact, I truly consider you closer friends than most of my coworkers. I am just very jealous of your positions, I'm sorry. Sigh.

Well, for now I leave you with a quote I ran across this morning. It immediately made me think of cookies, my personal drug of choice:

"I just need enough to tide me over until I need more." --Bill Hoest

p.s., It is cracking me up how yarn manufacturers are scrambling to make poncho patterns like Martha's "coming home from the slammer" number. If she jumped off a bridge, would people do that too?

Awesome, But Non-Crochet, Post

2005-03-09T09:36:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don't know, Heather is a woman living in Utah that started a blog several years ago, blogged about hew workplace and co-workers (without mentioning any names), and got fired for it. There's been many recent news stories about this occurance, and she usually is featured as the main example. There is also a new "word" for the act of getting fired because of your blog: dooced.

Over the past 2 years, Heather and her husband have had a baby girl, Leta, and her blog mainly focuses on their parenting experiences now (which are abso-freakin-lutely hilarious, btw). If you ever have a couple free days, start way back at the beginning of her blog and read up til now. I promise you, you will laugh your ass off. The woman's a great writer.

The most recent post on her blog is noteworthy, check it out here. It goes back to the subject of her blog-firing, and features a comment by a male mysogonistic moron that leaves his name and company name and email. Hard to believe people are so dumb, especially in management positions, lol. As Heather closes with,

Just think, one of the biggest consulting companies in the world harboring someone who would send out an email WITH HIS NAME ON IT including the words, “Find that your being a woman makes you a liability in the work force to an employer, typically.”

The Internet is a bitch, no, Matt?

Bo Rocks!

2005-03-08T11:02:00.000-05:00

I really like Bo. He better be safe on Wednesday. He's my favorite of all the contestants, male and female. Plus, last night he sung an Edwin McCain song, "I'll Be." I love Edwin, his "I Could Not Ask For More" is Tim's and my wedding song. Anwar's also awesome; he's my second choice for best voice. And something about the long hair maybe, lol??

Phew!

2005-03-07T12:02:00.000-05:00

What a weekend it was. Full of birthdays (Tim's and Emma's) and visitors (Tim's mom). And potty training.

I'll start at the beginning. Friday, Tim's mom arrived for a visit from Poughkeepsie, Tim's hometown. She stays with us on the living room couch. Of course Tim had to work Friday night, which left me and Emma, Holly, and Ryan to bond with her. We watched a tape of Supernanny (another fantastic parenting show), and there's a book out by the woman too. Tim's birthday was this day, too, but we didn't really celebrate it til Sunday, family party night.

Saturday was Emma's birthday. I cannot believe I am old enough to have an ELEVEN year old daughter. It seems like just yesterday that I was smacked out at the hospital after 20+ hours of labor with her. At hour 19 they decided to do a c-section so she could make her entrance in the world. (At that point, I was really up for ANY way to get her out--"Pull her through my eyeball? Sure, that'll be fine....") I digress.

For Emma's party (because without a party she'd simply die from lack of attention--NOT), her dad and I took her and three of her friends out to Pizza Hut and then to a movie,Because of Winn-Dixie. We had a great time, and the movie is excellent. Read the book with, then go see it. It is, caveat, a slower paced movie with alot of depth to it. Deep for a 11 year old, it discusses how life is a mixture of the sweet and the sad, and that sometimes people have troubles and difficulties. It's very real.

Sunday was "family party" day. Tim's mom left to drive back home around noon. Then my parents, Rick (Emma's dad), and me, Tim, Holly, Ryan, and Emma had ice cream cake, and Tim and Emma opened presents. There were alot of those squooshy pillows for Emma, and candles and gift certificates for Tim.

In the midst of all these happenings, wouldn't you know it, but Holly decides to use undies and the potty. We've been trying various things/methods for the past year (plus), but Saturday she decides she wants to wear undies instead of diapers. Sunday she peed in the potty 3 times, and had 1 accident. Today she's had 3 accidents and has gone once in the potty. We are bribing her with chocolate, and the spectacle of Tim and I performing a kickline singing, "You went peepee in the potty! Peepee in the potty!" It seems to be working!

I am still hanging in there with the French "diet." I have been struggling with not snacking, but have (I think) managed to cut down some portion sizes, eat in mini-courses (sometimes), and decreased the amount of artificial foods I eat. I can't seem to totally kick my cookie habit, and I don't think I'll ever be able to stop drinking diet soda, but I have upped my water intake and *sniff* decreased my cookie intake. I lost 2 pounds very quickly, about a month ago, but nothing since then. I just have to keep at it and not give up.

More updates later, crochet pictures included....

Frostsicle

2005-03-02T15:13:00.000-05:00

They named him "Frostsicle." He's got a broccoli nose, since we had no carrots.

This photo is actually from over a week ago. We've had 10+ inches in the last 36 hours. Oy.

I have been kind of depressed and overwhelmed lately. I have done lots of crocheting, but I have also been an anxiety-ridden, moping, pouting, bitching, and raving person. A bit manic depressive, I suppose, which would not be too out of character for me, unfortunately. I have been on Prozac for almost 15 years, but of course it doesn't solve any problems. I have no idea how Tim stands to live with me.....

October through March are way too busy for me. It is a nonstop happy hell of Halloween, birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthday, birthday, birthday, birthday, birthday, birthday, birthday. It exhausts me totally no matter how hard I try to prepare in advance for it. The whole kid birthday party thing is annoying and expensive as hell. Especially when you are trying to plan it with an ex- and a 10 y.o. that doesn't remember anything she doesn't want to hear.

Here is my Thread CAL entry, which I gave to my sister as part of her birthday present:

And here is a RAOK angel package that I wrote about a week or so ago:

More about my imperfections on a later post...

Couple Quizzes

2005-02-24T11:53:00.000-05:00

...cause I want to put them here, and it's my blog.

Yeah, this fits:

I am 49% Asshole/Bitch.

I may think I am an asshole or a bitch, but the truth is I am a good person at heart. Yeah sure, I can have a mean streak in me, but most of the people I meet like me.

Take the
Asshole/Bitch Test
@ FualiDotCom

substitute "knitting" with "crochet," add diet soda, and it's me!

You appear to be a Knitting Guru. You love knitting
and do it all the time. While finishing a piece
is the plan, you still love the process, and
can't imagine a day going by without giving
some time to your yarn. Packing for vacation
involves leaving ample space for the stash and
supplies. It can be hard to tell where the yarn
ends and you begin.

What Kind of Knitter Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

What's 63 Divided by 2?

2005-02-23T14:25:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess 25 is close enough. I decided to change my 63 Squares blanket into a lapghan so I could stop at the quantity of squares I had done already. Here it is, and it's kinda pretty if I do say so.... I edged all of the squares with black and then stitched them together, and it is the perfect size for our love seat. Ü

I had 4 extra squares, which I made into 2 cute little totes for the toddlers around here. They carry their blankie, a diaper, a toy, and a small wipee container in them for when we go out (ahhh, no more diaper bag for me!!).

LYS Found! And OMG...

2005-02-22T15:53:00.000-05:00

what a store it is. [For my non-yarny friends, LYS means Local Yarn Store.] It is "Village Yarn Shop" in Midtown Plaza, downtown Rochester. Unfortunately they have no website for me to show you. Suffice it to say, apparently knitters come from all over NY state to shop here, and I can see why. They have almost every high end yarn that I have ever seen on the internet, in multiple quantities, lots of colors to choose from. I have NEVER seen anything like it. And you know what? I can walk to it from work. Chorus please, "Hallelujah! Hallelujah!" So now you know where I'll be on a really crappy day and I have a "meeting" in the company's other building. Mwah hahaha! I found loads of sock yarns that I have been drooling over but didn't want to spend $$ shipping, as well as a full line of Berroco and Crystal Palace yarns. Wheee!

So so much more has been going on around here, that it is overwhelming me and I will have to write it in little posts over the next couple days. And I have some pictures!

Later gator...

Sweet and Sour

2005-02-16T15:56:00.000-05:00

A couple mornings ago, I was giving Holly (3) a kiss goodbye as I left for work.

She said, sniffing me, "I smell summer in my nose."

"That's my perfume, honey. I'm glad you think it smells good." [White Shoulders, that day, I think.]

_______________________

On the flip side of that, the wretched parking garage in which I have to park for work has started using kitty litter in the regular places the vagrants use as their bathroom. I am torn as to whether I feel glad about this or what?!

Picture Posting Pressure, Etc....

2005-02-15T13:39:00.000-05:00

Hi blog readers,
I have been out of the blogging mood lately. My husband and are both kind of down, and exhausted, and on top of working, sleeping, and keeping up with the family, blogging is sometimes not possible for me. Plus I feel so bad that I don't post enough photos of stuff I am doing or talking about. I take the pictures, but then the upload, edit, to photobucket, get linkage tagging steps halt me in my tracks. It's too much of a pain in the ass. Plus, I blog at work and my photos are home, so it's just that more difficult. I know, excuses you've all heard before, but it's bothering me so much I wonder why I am even doing this sometimes. BUT, I will keep going, and try to figure out a way to not lose all my readers and to post pictures quicker. I'm not giving up yet. I truly do enjoy being part of the crochet (and other) blog community, and feel as if I've made some real friends out there.

Valentine's Day was very nice--well, actually, we celebrated it Sunday, with all the kids so we could relax and enjoy it more--Tim gave me a beautiful watch and I gave him some candy. We gave the kids crocheted heart pillows to stuff their pajamas into, and some candy.

Monday, yesterday, on the other hand, sucked eggs. Ugh. Not a damn thing went right all day long. At work, nothing worked (computer systems/programs were out of commission, but did they change any due dates for us? NOOO.); I volunteered to work at a book fair at Emma's school, but they changed the hours without telling me so I lost 3 hours pay at work, and got no books out of it; Tim and I thought we were being slammed by a friend of ours, but it turns out we just misunderstood his rantings (sorry Kyle, I guess all of us are too stressed); Tim's PC is acting up which makes him cranky; and of course there's the food issues for me--all day every day.

As with every "new" diet or way of eating, it's easy at first and then after about 1-2 weeks, gets substantially more difficult to maintain. The French manner of eating is very easy and yummy, but I am finding it hard to eat very few preservatives and chemicals. I just don't have the time or inclination to cook. BUT I am also not giving this one up. I know it does not have to be difficult--even the cooking part. The main thing is to eat smaller portions. So sometimes I am doing that, but with chemically enhanced foods. Not the best way to live, but it's the best I can do for now--it's a start. I am still making a good effort to not snack and to cook from scratch.

Gotta run, work calls me now....

Music? What's That?

2005-02-09T15:34:00.000-05:00

Tiff's meme-tagged me, so I will start out today's post with that :)
1. Total number of music files on your computer.

none on either work or (my) home pc. I'm not a music junkie....

2. The last CD you bought.

Last cd I burned was Sarah Slean's Day One. I can't even remember the last cd I bought....

3. The last song you listened to before reading this message.

Not sure, but it could be the one that is stuck in my head. Safety Net by Twin A:

How's it gonna be
When I'm not there to catch you?
When you fall the way you do?
When you hit the ground
Just like a deadweight
You know--exactly how it feels to be with you.

4. Name 5 songs you listen to often or that mean a lot to you.

I Could Not Ask for More - Edwin McCain
Cowboy Take Me Away - Dixie Chicks
Lover's Rock - Sade
Thank You - Dido
Everything Everything - Underworld

5. Who will you pass this stick to (3 people) and why?
Tim, my husband, cause I wanna see what songs he picks ;)
Not sure who else yet, I have to scope around to see who hasn't done this yet!

The Mystery of the Full Fat Diet

2005-02-07T15:57:00.000-05:00

Food? Well, so far I am loving the French way of eating. And I am afraid to type it, but I think it's working for me. ! I have eaten fresh bread with butter for breakfast today; pasta with olive oil, garbanzo beans, and garlic for lunch, followed by some homemade backlava from a co-worker; and plan to have turkey with eggplant, pepper, and garlic, drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice for dinner. Followed by a square of chocolate. Eating these things has not left me grazing all day long, or in the evening, so I feel like I did "good" but I don't feel deprived. Weird.

I am adjusting to being forced to cook more, though, and that is the only part I am not happy with. It's such a pain chopping veggies. But, the food is better.

Crochet? Let me see. I have gotten my 63/2 afghan done. And I made a softee sock yarn (blue/purple Opal from a holiday elf) shawl. And I made a 12" February square. Plus, I could swear I did more, but I can't think of what it is.... ???

Life? My husband and I are starting to plan our 4th Annual St. Patrick's Day Party, where we have about 10 friends over and everyone has to wear green and bring green food to share. This year (as last year) we have to have it at a restaurant, though, because of the little ones. They are still pretty shy around "strangers," and it could end up being a late night. Any ideas of what I can make/craft for party favors this year? Doesn't need to be crochet, just a momento of the evening.... Drop me a comment!

Bye, for now!

The Rebound Effect

2005-02-02T15:30:00.000-05:00

I am such a spaz. I am currently suffering an anxiety attack related to the new method of eating I am doing (see yesterday's post). I have not needed to snack between meals, virtually at all, however I am freaking out about having eaten real (*gasp*) butter, non-skim milk, and sauce made with (*double gasp*) real cream. I have also eaten a piece of cherry pie, and some small bits of chocolate. Happily, I have eaten less than I normally would have in the past. These foods do fill me up faster. I am simply struggling with the American Taboo Of Eating Real Food, not low-fat processed stuff. In my head I can see and hear alllll the years and years of health/diet/nutrition studies and their mandates about low fat, low carb, and on and on. Make it stop.

Anyone else that is reading Fat Fallacy and/or French Women Don't Get Fat having these same anxieties? We need to make a support group. The "French Food Fanatics," lol. I'm only partly kidding. I want a button with the Eiffel Tower and a croissant on it, LOL!

Ok. I have done 10 deep breaths, and am not shallow breathing right now. So, I will now show you my submissions that were accepted for the Crochet Pattern-A-Day Calendar:

Breakfast Coasters

Wine Bottle Cover

I had one more, a "mini sweater," that I thought was cute, but it did not get chosen for the calendar. Here is the picture anyways:

I'm psyched!

Hello. My Name is Michelle...

2005-02-01T15:35:00.000-05:00

...and I am addicted to good food. (ok, also not-so-good food, too.) I am on a new mission to eat like the French. Thanks to Bron's blog, I am currently reading--and thouroughly enjoying and agreeing with--this book:

It is about how the French eat loads more fat--cheeses, bread, sauces, dessert--no low or no-fat foods--and yet they have much lower rates of overweight people. I am not overweight, however every day is a complete struggle to eat "healthy." It's truly made me miserable for 20 years. The premise of this book is that we don't need to count calories, carbs, fat grams, or anything--just eat REAL, yummy food with fat in it (in moderation), exercise moderately, and you'll lose weight. I feel sooooo relieved already, and I have only been practising this for a few days. The pressure of trying to be "good" is gone, and I am actually looking forward to cooking. Now THAT must mean something. I'll keep you posted.

My 63/2 Squares blanket is almost done. I've sewn the squares into strips, and now just need to sew the strips together. It is the size of a lapghan, and it looks nice, if I do say so...like stained glass.

I want to share a funny kid story that my husband, Tim, posted on his blog (link in sidebar):

Spill?
By Tim

I don't think I could have made this up. It happened this morning:

Over the paper, Holly looked at me and then stood up in her chair. She leaned over and examined the half gallon of Orange Juice that was sitting on the table. She said quietly to herself that is was closed, and then looked over at me again.

"Can you spill this?"

"No, Holly, spills make a big mess. We don't want to make messes."

"Can you spill this?"

"No, Holly."

"Can you spill into my cup, please? And then I will spill it into my stomach."

"Ahhhhhhhh, of course, honey. Thank you for saying please."

And, lastly, I will now share with you the type of woman I am, in the form of a quiz.
"What Historic Woman Are You?"

Eleanor of Acquitaine
One of the first great queens of England, Eleanor was her own woman. She married the French prince at 14, but after six years of marriage and no son, she divorced him and secretly married the younger (and wealthier) heir to the English throne. Her sons were some of the greatest monarchs in English history! You must be tenacious, audacious, and brave if you're like Eleanor. Read more about her: http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/heroine2.html

Those of you that know me in persom may think the description fits me pretty well, lol (except for the "and wealthier" part)...

See, I Told You I Have a Camera

2005-01-25T14:29:00.000-05:00

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

2005-01-20T09:25:00.000-05:00

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

2005-01-18T14:26:00.000-05:00

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

2005-01-07T15:22:00.000-05:00

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!

2005-01-05T15:05:00.000-05:00

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.

The Mystery Gift Mystery

2004-12-29T13:26:00.000-05:00

I will start by stating that I had an awesome post written--loaded with linkage and photos--and then the damn pc locked up on me and I lost it all. So pardon my clipped tone and lack of description; I am not one for doing things over.

Anywhoo--

Here's Tim's Christmas present--a superlong (10 feet) Dr. Who scarf!

I am so proud of this scarf. I was inpired by some knitting patterns I found and altered them to crochet. Check out this.

And now for photos from some awesome elves--Crochetville and Crochet Sleuth readers. I love everything that was sent to me, and hope everyone had a happy holiday season!

book thong in a new Wiggles book, photo entitled "wigglethong"

Mary Englebreit (I ♥ her art) notepad

Opal sock yarn

Even more Opal sock yarn

Lori, I have been unable to restrain myself and have completed one crochet sock already with the yarn you sent--it looks awesome--self striping and all--I will post the pair when I finish #2!

What the he** happened to Photobucket's nifty thumbnail code generator??

Next time I post, I will put up some non-crochet Christmas gift pictures, as all of us are so pleased with all of our gifts. We feel truly blessed.
*************
Ahem, Mememememe!
If you had to choose between the services of a cook, maid, chauffer, or masseuse — absolutely free, but only for a year — which one would it be? Why?
Well, this one isn't so hard for me! A cook, hand's down, wins my vote. Why? Because I hate hate hate cooking. It seems like such a waste of time to me, when I can just buy a bag of animal crackers and eat them til I'm full. Maid--nah, I kinda like to clean (yeah, I know, weird). Chauffer--I'd rather have the cook, but this would be my second choice, because then I could crochet on my way to places. Massuese[r]--nah, that's what husbands are for, lol!

Happy Holidays!

2004-12-25T21:32:00.000-05:00

Happy holidays, readers! I hope you and your family/friends enjoyed yourselves today as much as mine did. Whew, it was a little too hectic for me, but it was awesome to see the everybody happy and healthy, as well as [hopefully] please them all with some gifts.

Our day went like this: Holly and Ryan woke up around 6:30/7 am, and they played in their beds for a half our or so, and then we started opening presents around 8. Emma was at her dad's house, as his parents are visiting from Texas, so they naturally wanted to have her there for Christmas morning. Holly and Ryan had a blast opening their stockings, and Tim and I opened ours and our gifts to each other. I will share those with you when I've got pictures ready.

Around noon, Emma and her dad (Rick) came over with more presents. Rick left and Emma watched her new DVD of Hillary Duff's Cinderella Story, the babies and I napped, and Tim played on the computer.

When the babies awoke, we all went over to my parent's house for dinner and still more gifts. Rick and his parents also met us over there. Everyone had a wonderful time, though it took the babies a little time to warm up to Rick's mom and dad, and it was a lot of people in my parents' small house.

I am very lucky that when Rick and I separated after 10 years, he and I (as well as both our families) were wise enough to realize that we should be friends still, for all of our sakes. I also give much credit to Tim, my loving husband, who also sees things as I do, and is open and friendly to Rick and his family too. It makes for a much easier time when it comes to celebrations and holidays. It may seem odd to people that we celebrate occasions with ex-es and their families, but so far we are able to manage it, and Emma truly benefits from it. Holly and Ryan adore Rick, too, and he feels the same towards them. Our motto has become "the more the merrier!"

Stay tuned for some holiday pictures (I left the camera at my parent's house)....
_____________________

Mememememe!

1) Do you use fabric softener or softener sheets?
Softener sheets--doesn't the liquid just rinse away??
2) Do you dry clean clothes on a regular basis?
Does annually count as "regular"? I don't have much dry cleaning, since I can wear jeans to work (thank GOD)
3) Do you do laundry as it piles up or do you wait until you are out of clean clothes?
I try to do a load per day. I don't mind laundry so much.
4) Do you use a clean towel every day for your shower or use the same one throughout the week?
Same towel for a few days. You just showered--you're CLEAN.
5) Who does the laundry in your household?
Everyone who can reach the knobs on the washer and dryer. There's instructions posted next to the machines in case anyone [Emma] needs them. The babies help put stuff in the dryer. Ü

Must...Get...Act....Together

2004-12-21T19:42:00.000-05:00

Ok, just a quickie tonight, since I am feeling kind of frazzled. And fat. And yucky. Also, the TV lineup's all messed up tonight, and that irritates me.

Yes, even a quick MEMEMEMEME:

Have you ever broken a bone?
Unfortunately, a few: Collarbone (as a small child, my neighbor fell on me as we were looking up, running, and chasing an airplane). Arm (fell off the balance beam in fifth grade gym, bone poked out of my arm, classmates barfed in the locker room). Ankle (fell off the top of a pyramid in cheerleading practice).

More later, soon, I promise. OK, maybe not til after the holidays, but I will do my best.....

{No Title Today-ntt}

2004-12-19T22:12:00.000-05:00

I can't think of a title, so I am leaving it blank.

Well, the pictures are now OFF the camera and onto Tim's harddrive. A step in the right direction, eh!? Now, if I were going to work tomorrow, I'd edit them with software there, and then post 'em, but I'm calling in sick, remember? ;)

I am going to bite the bullet and sumbit my ideas to the crochet pattern-a-day calendar, and see what happens. Now I just have to DO it....

Memememememe!

1) Can you play a musical instrument? If so, which one(s)?
I took piano lessons for years, but now I can only barely pick out nursery rhymes on the keyboard I have. I kind of regret this, but I hated the lessons at the time.

2) If you could be part of any band or musical group on the planet, which one would it be and who would you be and why?
I have no idea, lol! I am not that into music/bands/etc.

3) What is your favorite genre of music?
I don't really have one, I guess. Stuff I can dance to in some manner--anything from country line dancing to techno.

4) What is your least favorite genre of music?
Gotta go with anything "sappy" or "uplifting" because they usually just make me want to scream. I cannot stand stuff like Amy Grant or Kenny G. (Sorry to the people that like them....)

5) What was the last song you heard or what are you listening to right now?
Hooverphonic, "Wicky"

Mystery of the Missing Pictures

2004-12-18T20:33:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I don't have any pix yet. I hate the uploading linking process, so that's why I don't have them yet.

Good news! On Friday, I found out I had sick time that I hadn't used yet that I need to use before the end of the year!!! I'll be feeling kind of ill Monday morning I think. Actually, what with all the wrapping, preperation, etc. that I need to do before next weekend, ill may not be far off, lol.

Well, my Christmas gift crochet is done, but I have some other stuff I need to finish asap. I am thinking about submitting 3 things to the Crochet Pattern-A-Day calendar. Honestly, I am afraid of being rejected though. It would really suck to hear, "I'm sorry, the submissions you sent are not what we are looking for this year...." I know there's nothing to lose, but still.... Is anyone (everyone?!) reading my blog submitting anything?

Memememememe!

Do you remember being 9 years old?
Yes!

Are you male or female?
Female.

Do you think the sex of the person makes any difference in whether or not you have a difficult being 9 or not?
Hmmm. Interesting question. I don't think so, not back then (in the 70s, when I was nine) or now.

Was being 9 tough or simple for you? Why?
I remember being 9 as a simple, fun time. I remember playing with friends that lived close by, enjoying school (Native American studies and cursive handwriting!), and knowing how to do enough stuff on my own (watching tv, riding my bike) so I could have a good time. I don't recall being too stressed out by "big" problems or injustices, or having an overwhelming amount of responisbilities.

Would you want to be 9 again? Why or why not?
Only if I could be 9 again in the same times--I think 9 now is more stressful, so if I could go back to 1979 again, and still meet my husband later in my life, and have my same kids, I would love to be 9 again! Know what I mean?

Friday, Friday...

2004-12-17T20:49:00.000-05:00

I got some great things in the mail today! I will post pictures asap, but let me tell you what they are for now.

Darla and Lori, both members of Crochetville with me, sent me Christmas gifts! Lori sent me a beautiful skein of green variegated Opal sock yarn, and Darla sent me a very cute chapstick holder keychain. I love and appreciate them both!

It was really fun participating in this Wish List idea, and I am glad I was able to also grant a couple wishes for others.

Meme: The key is obvious.

1. Describe the condition of your keyboard:
My keyboard at home came from my mom's old computer. It's a Gateway one, with a couple of weird buttons, but pretty good shape. I wish it propped up in back more, though. My work keyboard--oy--it's loaded with crumbs because I munch all day while I work. Pretty good condition otherwise.

2. Can you sing, or are you always out of key?
Embarrassingly out of key. If I have to sing in a group, I just lip synch. Apparently I have a low singing voice (alto?) and a range of less than an octave, lol! There's no songs written for that.

3. What keys do you carry with you?
Our house, our car, mom and dad's house. That's it I think...??

4. What is the key to personal happiness?
An enjoyable job, happy children, enough free time to spend with your spouse, and just enough money so you don't have to worry ALL the time.

5. What gets you keyed up?
People that have no tolerance for others; people have too much money while others have nothing.

The Memes Mystery

2004-12-16T11:13:00.000-05:00

I am going to start putting question/answers on my blog that if you want, you can then put on your blog, and on and on. So, here's todays meme:

Trigger #106: Complete paragraph--list four things:
If I had time to be more involved in the community I would....

--become a literacy volunteer
--teach a kid's yoga or exercise class
--teach people how to crochet
--form a "stitch 'n' bitch" group to work together on projects and community stuff

*****
Pix to come shortly of what I've been doing (socks, sweater, stuff). I gotta run now though, I'm off to another holiday party at work! (Gotta say this--as much as this company gets ON MY NERVES, they do have a lot of holiday "cheer"!)

Holiday Survey Story

2004-12-14T09:51:00.000-05:00

I ran across this Holiday Survey while blog trolling today, and thought I'd post it too. I get to leave work early today because we're going to our "team lunch" at the Olive Garden. I can't get into any heavy thinking or anything, so filling out this form fits right into my day.

1. Egg nog - yum or yuck?

Yum, though I rarely buy it. I grew up drinking it (mixed with milk so it wasn't soooo thick), and now drink it when I visit my parent's house this time of year.

2. Stay up until midnight on New Years?

Usually, unless there's nothing good on TV. Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve totally bores the crap out of me (what is with those "artists"? they suck!), so I have to find something else.

3. Prefer white or colored lights?

I prefer white, but use both. My kids like the colored ones.

4. Favorite holiday song.

Hmmmm. "Do You Hear What I Hear?" and "Little Drummer Boy."

5. What is your tackiest holiday decoration?

LOL! well, I used to have a little tree that suction cupped to the car window and lit up via a cigarette lighter plug, but I brought it into work for a display and someone stole it!

6. Do your kids have too much and you wonder just WHY you are getting more??

kind of. I try not to buy too much for the kids. I don't have to worry about them getting "enough" because the grandparents take care of that really well.

7. If you celebrate Christmas, when does your tree go up and come down?

Tree usually goes up the day after Thanksgiving, and comes down by New Year's.

8. Christmas again - open presents on Christmas eve, morning, or other?

Everyone gets to open one present on Christmas Eve, and the rest on Christmas morning.

9. Favorite holiday tradition?

Still working on this one. The youngest kids are still too little to do too much, but I'd like to have a cookie baking day, or kid's party, or something, in the future. We all baked gingerbread man cookies this year, which was really fun.

10. What do YOU want for Christmas?

Oh, I bet you can guess. Yarn, hooks, patterns, gift certificates for night's out with my husband (to movies, dinner).

I'll wrap up today with a quiz (it's been a while since I have found any worth posting):

You Are the Reformer

1

You're a responsible person - with a clear sense of right and wrong.

High standards are important to you, and you do everything to meet them.

You are your own worst critic, feeling ashamed if you're not perfect.

You have the highest integrity, and people expect you to be fair.

What number are you?

Yeah, that fits me pretty well.

The Case of a Cozy Christmas

2004-12-13T15:59:00.000-05:00

Well, that weekend went by in a flash. Tim's computer's down, and so I don't have new photos of crochet goodness to show (my computer doesn't have the camera software installed on it). He's working on it though, so soon. I have been a busy elf lately!

Here are a couple clickable pictures of our Christmas tree this year. Usually I like to decorate like crazy for Christmas--I have tons of music boxes, homemade decorations, special ornaments, and ceramic heirlooms that I like to get out and display--but that didn't happen this year. This year, I got out the tree, lights, box of glass ball decorations, tinsel, advent calendar, stockings, books, and wreath. That's it. Whatever didn't get put up in the two hours I had slotted for "decorating" got put back in the closet til next year. I couldn't deal with the fighting, whining, crying over whose turn it is to see a certain music box, and the begging to have them all wound up at the same time (or for the 88th time). I have lots of other ways to instill the virtues of patience and sharing in my kids, and adding alot of stressful objects to the list wasn't making me feel too festive. Here's our tree this year, still pretty, though it looks a little bare to me:

In the first picture, you can see the "tree" that my dad made to hold our stockings (since we have neither mantle nor staircase to hang them on), as well as two of the three stockings I made, and the fancy one with my name that my grandmother knit for me. I will take some closeup shots of these to show them off better.

And here is our new entertainment center (with our crappy second best TV)! Our main TV is larger, but is at the repair shop. Still haven't heard if it's fixable yet.... Anyways, we love this new piece of furniture, and it didn't take long at all to fill up.

Good luck to everyone working on holiday gifts--as am I!

I Swear That I Was Going to do Work

2004-12-09T10:02:00.000-05:00

...but then I got to work today, and our work applications are all down due to some kind of server issues. "The Unix people have been called." Um, ok, I guess I won't hold my breath til it's fixed...

I have no crochet to show you all today; I will go on and on about other stuff instead. Ü

I saw the dumbest thing in a car parked in front of my work building today. This minivan had a whole bunch of crap hanging from the rear view mirror, including a craft made by a preschooler. It was a dinner size paper plate with kid drawing and writing on it. Now, believe me, I adore all my kids' artwork. I have kept their first crayoned circle, and almost everything else they have all made. But perhaps the rear view mirror is not an appropriate place to hang a dinner size paper plate--can we say, "vision obstruction"?

*Sigh* We are still waiting for the stupid heating contractor to finish up our furnace work that they are charging us $2000+ for. Oh, we have a working furnace now, thank God, but the ductwork is still all messed up under the house (heat only comes out of 3 vents), and the chimney needs *whatever they do to it*. I keep calling them and asking them when they are coming, and they keep saying "tomorrow" but it hasn't happened yet. What the f**k is wrong with so many of these contractors? WHY is it so hard to get anyone to COMPLETE a job? I don't care whether it's plumbing, heating, construction, roofwork, whatever--they are all the same! I don't get it!

I found a couple cool sites yesterday. All Consuming and Weblog Bookwatch both monitor the books that bloggers are writing about. They scan and count blog links to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other book resources to see which books are being talked about the most. That's pretty cool! I will be adding buttons to them on my sidebar soon. [Speaking of sidebars, I have no idea why mine is now at the very bottom right of my blog. It is supposed to be in the top right, and my pix are all small enough, so ???]

For curious minds out there, I am working on my 100 things list so I can be a "joiner" (lol, if you knew me in person, you'd know I am so not a joiner...). I'm not sure why I feel the need to expose so much of myself to others in this manner, but I'm going to do it anyways. Probably because it feels "safe" just typing it--more anonymous. So you have that to look forward to from me soon.

Finally, I am working on a rant about poverty and health care and government assistance from government morons. I know you all want to hear more of that from me. Seriously though, I view my blog as a means of possibly opening up others' eyes to what different people and family's lives are like. I have some fresh stuff to go on about as we receivers of public assistance (see, not just a repeat of one of my old posts). How we can still have a very happy family life in spite of it. I want to bump out some preconceived notions of the "poor."

I do have a question for internet/blogger superusers--why is my blogspot blog not searchable on Google--I want it to come up when I google key words, but it doesn't. My old Diaryland one does, but not this place. Anyone know what I can do about that? Is there a setting I am overlooking?

The Case of The Little Boy's Big Feet

2004-12-08T15:45:00.000-05:00

Well, Ryan's socks didn't fit him. I should have known they wouldn't--we have a really hard time getting any normal shoes and socks on his porky little piggies! I think I will frog the top (cuff) part of the sock, and then he'll be able to try on the foot part. I think that will fit. Then I will work up an "open" cuff, with maybe laces up the front, to keep them closed. Or else just really big. I'm not sure yet.

I don't know what happened to my photo of the socks before, but here they are again, before I rip 'em apart:

I have been messing around with a couple images to come up with a button for Crochet Sleuth, and this is what I have so far:

It is supposed to be a transparent background, not lavender, but I kind of like it lavender too. I clicked "set transparent color" in MS Photo editor, but it didn't save it that way. Oh well. I will leave it like this for a while. Go ahead and steal it if you like.

Don't feel like blogging much today, so I will probably jump on again tomorrow.

The Mystery of a Good Book and TV Show

2004-12-07T15:52:00.000-05:00

I wanted to draw attention to a really good show on non-cable, network TV. It's called Nanny 911 and it is on Fox (I believe ABC? has a simalar version starting soon). It's a reality show about a family having, um, difficulty parenting their children. One of 3 regular British nannies swoops in and stays with them for a week, teaching the parents (and viewers) how to control their kids. The cameras document the before, during, and after behaviour of the family. If all is to be believed, and I think a lot of it is because these families are almost totally lacking in any kind of basic rules/consequences, astounding results are achieved very quickly. At the very least, the viewers get to see that basic, genuine parenting measures are necessary and effective. It reaffirms a parent who hates to discipline her kids but knows it is necessary so they don't act like monsters. Some of the basics that have been brought home to me are:
1) All actions have consequences.
2) Show them how much they are loved with words and affections.
3) Spanking probably means YOU have lost control; there may have been an opportunity before the spanking where you could have shown a better, calmer parenting technique. Kids learn swatting and hitting is ok if that is what is done to them. {That said, I am not totally opposed to spanking in all cases--just that I should try to stay in control more and not let them make me lose control.)

I also recently finished How To Talk So Kids Will Listen, and Listen So Kids Will Talk. This is also a fantastic parenting tool, and a very quick read due to lots of illustrations. It gives the parent STEP by STEP tools for diffusing situations with kids. Definitely check it out of the library or buy it. You won't regret it, I am sure.

A non-parenting book I read is called Celebration, U.S.A.: Living in Disney's Brave New Town. I am a Disney-phile, and love to read about Disney's effects on culture, media, architecture, etc. This book is written by 2 married journalists that move to Celebration, Florida, a town "underwritten" by the Disney company. It is a wonderful introduction and analysis of the "neotradional" style of architecture and town development/layout. Interesting read.

And finally, before I change my sidebar, I wanted to feature my absolute favorite Thanksgiving book, I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie. You have to check this book out for next thanksgiving. I read it every year (dramatically, of course) to my whole family. It's based on the story I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, except each thing this old woman swallows is a part of the thanksgiving feast (rolls, salad, cider, turkey, squash, etc.). In the end they roll her out the door and she becomes part of the Macy's parade as a balloon. Funny.

See what all these books look like in the sidebar to the right!

Evidence of Crochet

2004-12-06T14:34:00.000-05:00

I know this will be hard to believe, but I have finished the Crochetville Pillowghan-Along on time for Christmas! I think it took me about 9 months to make this blanket, but at least it is done. And you really can't even tell I was such a doof that I sewed the "pocket" squares on the wrong edge. Hell, I'm still able to fold it and tuck it, so who cares! {Reason? Emma, 10, chose this particular time to have a "heart to heart" talk, about why I am no longer with her father and why she now has to "share" me with her brother and sister. Apparently I don't do well Thinking, Talking, and Crocheting at the same time.)

And, on top of this, I even have more f.o.'s to show:
Ryan's sleepy socks (hope they fit him!)

A baby gift of 2 bibs and a blanket (made out of 2 skeins of Homespun that were supposedly the same dye lot--NOT):

Wrist warmers for Tim (did I show these already? I can't remember):

Phew! I actually have alot more stuff "in progress" but can't show you because they are gifts.

Gotta run today, I have lots of errands to do--

Bye!

The Wish List Case

2004-12-03T13:39:00.000-05:00

I've seen several of these wish lists around the knit/crochet blog rings, and thought, "What the heck, I may as well try it." First the instructions:

Step One

Make a post to your weblog/journal. The post should contain your list of 10 holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fandom-related ("I'd love a Snape icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV.") The important thing is, make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.

If you wish for real life things (not fics or icons), make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) could get in touch with you.

Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines, or link to this post (it'll be public) so that the holiday joy will spread.

Step Two
Surf around your blogroll (or friend's blogrolls, or just random journals) to see who has posted their list. And now here's the important part:

If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. Sometimes someone's trash is another's treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don't want or a gift certificate you won't use--or even know where you could get someone's dream purebred Basset Hound for free--do it.

You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn't to put people out, it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf--to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not--it's your call.

There are no rules with this project, no guarantees, and no strings attached. Just...wish, and it might come true. Give, and you might receive. And you'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special.

My List
1. I wish for the newest Diane Mott Davidson mystery, Double Shot.
2. I wish for some awesome sock yarn, like Reggia or Opal.
3. I wish for a gift certificate to Elann.
4. I wish for anything else on my Amazon Wishlist.
5. I wish for a second car for my husband, so he wouldn't have to stay home all day all the time with the kids while I have the car at work.
6. I wish for Raggedy Ann, Raggedy Andy, Holly Hobbie, and Golden Book collectibles.
7. I wish for more free time to crochet and read.
8. I wish for Emma to get a basket in her last game of basketball next week.
9. I wish for a new home, one that is in better shape than ours, and a little bit bigger.
10. I wish for a job that pays more than $24,000, and one that I like better.

Dear Santa and Elves,
If you can grant me any of my wishes, please contact me at shelby12314472{at}yahoo{dot}com.
Sincerely,
Michelle

The Christmas Gift Mystery

2004-12-02T15:21:00.000-05:00

I am so excited about the Christmas gift I am making for Tim. I really wish I could describe it and post some pictures, but on the off-chance he reads this blog (I think he may get his fill of me in person Ü ), I don't want to ruin the surprise. Lets just say it has something to do with one of his favorite television shows.

I am also making some other things--and--drumroll, please, I have almost FINISHED my Neapolitan Pineapple Pillowghan that I started last February!! I will post some pictures of that tomorrow, because it's recipient already knows she's getting it for Christmas.

Also almost complete are a pair of toe up sleepy socks for Ryan, and a sweater for myself. I am almost to the point where I can start some new projects, and I am very excited about that. I've got so much cool yarn to try out, and even more on my wishlist in my head!

Well, the heating contractors have not yet come back to do our ductwork or chimney/roof work. Getting a little irritated, but they aren't getting any money from me until they are DONE with the job. At least the new furnace is functional now.

I've been searching for some (Nancy Drew/mystery/crochet) images to use to create my new blog button, and I ran across this cool poster for Reading is Fundamental (RIF):

I have no idea if they ever used it in a campaign, but I thought it was pretty neat.

So far I am loving Blogger--I hope I continue to feel this way!

The Case of the Flaming Furnace

2004-12-01T14:47:00.000-05:00

In an effort to get up to speed on this new blog, I am going to try to post more often. Like every other day or so. We'll see how that goes, LOL!

For the moment, however, I need to backtrack to Thanksgiving weekend and tell you what all happened, and how I came to be grateful for our new furnace....

Thanksgiving weekend started out fantastically this year. I had to "work" on Wednesday the 24th (I say work, but I mean web-surf), and management let us all leave at 2 pm, with pay. Yippee!

Tim and I had plans for the four days ahead of us--we were going to paint a wall in our living room. Specifically, the wall where the wallpaper was falling down due to humidity and toddler handiwork. Wednesday night Tim spackled all the joints and holes, and we cleared the way for the project to begin. Stuff was moved to the middle of the living room, and every-which-way. The only glitch was that the picture tube in our "good" TV blew out, and it needed to be taken to the store for service.

Thursday morning watched an hour or so of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade on TV, and then we went to KMart to do a wee bit of shopping. It was the only place open and surprisingly wasn't too busy. Then in the evening, we met up with friends and relatives at a local restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner. This is the second year we've gone out to eat for Thanksgiving, and let me tell you, it makes a world of difference in my moderately dysfunctional family's mood. Less stress for all of us, especially since none of us enjoys the art of cooking.

Friday and Saturday are a bit of a whirlwind. They include such things as sanding the wall, priming the wall, a family bowling outing, a pizza lunch, going to pick out an entertainment center (our Christmas present from my parents), and blissful naptimes. I am very grateful for all of my family members (well, most of the time), and all of the blessings we enjoy, such as food, housing, and employment.

Sunday was when everything began to fall apart. Literally. The day was going to be "painting day." And believe it or not, we did actually get the painting done. Very proud of this, as the one wall now looks great. The plan is to put our new entertainment center there, along with much more stuff on the bookshelves in the new center. We needed to go out Sunday morning to pick up a few necessities at Walmart and drop off the dead TV at the electronics store, so we left our house about 10 am.

When we arrived home about 2 hours later, I entered the kitchen and was struck with a horrid burning smell. Crap. "This cannot be good," I thought. We scoured the house looking for what might be causing the odor. This was a little difficult, as the house smelled like paint and primer to start with. Hard to locate a new odor under that. We finally determined that it must be coming from the furnace, and a call was placed to an HVAC contractor. They showed up a short while later, and confirmed that it was our furnace causing the stench. Not only that, but apparently while we were out, the furnace was "shooting flames" out the front of it (!?) and thus melted all of the wiring to the furnace itself. This is what caused the smell. Needless to say, as person that struggles with the kind of OCD where I have to keep checking electronics/switches/etc. for fear of fire, this was absolutely devastating to me. I have hardly been able to sleep since then.

Monday would be spent making phone calls to schedule HVAC contractors to give us an estimate on a new (and improved with safety features that have evolved in the last 25 years since our furnace was made!!). We dragged our sorry butts out of bed Monday morning, trying to get our resolve up to this task. And wouldn't you just know it, the coffee maker decides to bite the dust right then. Little b***ard. Thank god we have about 4 others, so that I could at least try to start the day off *right*. We learned that a new propane furnace was going to run us about $2000, regardless of who we chose to do the work. And that we were going to have to wait a few days to get it installed. This is not news to be taken likely, since we live near Rochester, NY, snowiest city in the US. (Local joke: you know you're from Rochester when "You define summer as three months of bad sledding.") We also have three kids, and live in a mobile home, not the most heat-efficient building ever constructed.

"What on earth did you do?!" Well, in the end, everything has worked out as well as it can, I guess. We finagled with the quickest company to get them to price-match the cheapest company, and thus got our furnace mostly installed yesterday, Tuesday. They are supposed to return and finish up the chimney and duct work today (as of 3pm, however, they hadn't shown up yet....).

Through the unpleasantness of the past week, I been made aware of how thankful I am to have my wonderful family, and all our "things." I have learned precisely how much I appreciate a safe, working furnace, television, and coffee maker. Oddly, I can't think of a better weekend to have all this happen on.

I've made the switch!

2004-11-30T13:03:00.000-05:00

Well, I've decided to officially migrate my Diaryland blog to this new site. I hope all goes well, and unfortunately I have no idea how long it will take me to move everything. At least work is calmer now, so I can spend some time here during the weekdays (which is basically all I get for blog-time). I have decided that now would be the best time to change the name of my blog, too, since I was already changing the address. "Crochet Sleuth" is a nod to my Nancy Drew addiction (ok, my mystery book addiction in general, Nancy in particular). I was/am a little worried that people would think I would be a "pattern search" service because of the name, but then I decided they'd figure it out when they viewed my blog and when I didn't reply to any search requests. Hey, that is what CPC is for--now that is a great site!

The main reason that I have made this switch is due to Diaryland's lack of an RSS/XML feed service. I wanted to join the next generation of bloggers, and have my site notify Bloglines (and the like) users when I update, as opposed to the more time consuming ring surf.

So, sorry there's no bells and whistles on my site yet, but rest assured I am on the case! I will also work on getting my address switched with Yarn Tomato's Crochet Blog ring. I hope that those of you who link to me on your sites will take the time to update your link to me. =) I recently got access to Photoshop, and am looking forward to making a new button for my new blog! Oh, the possibilities.....

OK, that's it for now, I will be back ASAP with a post about my Thanksgiving weekend. It was a doozy, that's for sure.