Sunday, March 30, 2008

I'm Back!

I'm back from my trip to Fort Mountain and we had a great time. Even though it rained most of Friday night and ALL day on Saturday we managed to get in a little hiking (can you say "out of shape?") and a little sight seeing in Ellijay. I have lots of pics to post but I'm burried in muddy, dirty laundry right now so that'll have to wait until tomorrow. More to come!

Thursday, March 27, 2008

One of Those Days

I must be PMS-ing or something because I've had one of "those" days. You know the kind. The day where you have grandiose plans, make a great start and, at some point, the wheels just fall right off? Yepper. One of THOSE days.

It all started innocently enough. I had a "list." (SIDEBAR: Did I mention I'm a list maker? I make lists of lists...not quite that bad, but almost. I make a list of everything I need to pack, pack the stuff, and pack the list so I can check it off before I leave for my trip back home. I'm sure there's medication for people like me.) Where was I? Oh yes; the list. I had a list of all that I wanted/needed to accomplish today before my weekend in the mountains. I was working away and all the sudden up pops an email from one of the attorneys. Now I'm not sure you've ever worked with attorneys but when they email, they pretty much demand an immediate response. (Funny how it NEVER works the other way - it takes me days to get an answer out of one of them, I'm just sayin'....)

I'm a web master (I know; hard to believe given the savvy-ness of my blog - LOL!) and the attorney needed something posted "right away." No problem. I posted it. Then he finds an error in what HE sent me. Now, as a general rule, I do not edit other people's stuff. If it's crap, it should be their crap - not mine. But I guess he caught me at a weak moment because I edited it. I should have been overly cautious, (after all, it is a document written by an attorney). When I edited it and re-posted it - it went to crap! Pure crap! Red edits all over the thing - on the LIVE server! (I swear it looked "normal" when I saved it.) So I had to figure out exactly how he had turned on the "Track Changes" function and what password he'd used to protect the doc....blahblahblahblahblah.... I finally got totally frustrated, got it to "look" right in Word and wrote that dang thing to a PDF. Problem solved. (Note to self: Do not ever, EVER edit stuff you didn't create!) Lesson learned.

So, that ate up most of my morning and sent me on a downward spiral that ended at a quarter 'til 6 with plenty still to do on my list. There's only one thing that'll fix this day... two glasses of Pinot and a trip to Target.

I'm going to bed. I'll pack for my trip tomorrow. After all, I made a list. :-)

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to you! I hope you were able to worship with your family today at the church of your choice. We were at PCBC today and it was packed. I love Christmas, but Easter is my favorite of the Christian holidays...without Easter and the Resurrection, Christianity is just another religion with a dead leader and no hope of a future.

After church, we had lunch with the Jenks and the girls hunted eggs together.

After lunch (WAY after lunch - like 4:00 after lunch) we came home and I took a big nap! I think I woke up about 7:15 PM. I had a screaming headache (can you say p-o-l-l-e-n?) and tried to sleep it off. We were outside all day yesterday doing this...


Working in the yard and getting everything ready for spring. It was pretty warm (low 70s) so I had on a tank top...and got my first sunburn of the season. :(


The we cleaned out the garage. Now I can park my van in there for the first time in (no lie) 4 years!


Then we went down to the school so Punkin could learn to ride her bike with a nice, flat surface since we live at the bottom of two hills. She was a quick learner - I think that gymnastics helped a lot because her balance was great.


She and Bill went back this afternoon when I was napping and practiced some more. She still needs a little help getting going but after that...she's a pro! All in all, it was a great weekend - no knitting...but some things are more important than knitting.

Next weekend we're going to the North Georgia mountains with the Jenks. We have a cabin rented at Fort Mountain State Park. Hopefully the weather will be nice (no rain) and we can do some hiking. I'm sure there will be lots of pics!

Friday, March 21, 2008

Friday Five

A new "thing" for OneCraftyChick...a Friday Top 5 List. Today's installment: Top 5 Reasons Spring Rocks!
5. Birds chirping early in the morning
4. Daffodils and Tulips (my favorite flower) popping up everywhere
3. Longer days (finally)
2. New flip flops and a pedicure
And the # 1 reason spring rocks...
1. March Madness - Go Tarheels! (I was born in NC)

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Favorite Color Swap Questionnaire

To help my secret pal in the Favorite Color Swap get to know me a little better, I've answered Nichole's questionnaire. Ya might wanna pull up a chair; it's gonna be awhile. Here we go...

1. What are your top three favorite colors? Pink, Turquoise and Yellow (mixed with either brown or black, of course)

2. What crafts do you really enjoy? Knitting, Crochet, Rubber Stamping, Scrapbooking, Cross Stitch & Painting (in that order)

3. What products do you really covet? Unique knitting needles - not your run-of-the-mill Clover (I already have all of those), pretty buttons, anything beaded and sparkly

4. What other activities do you enjoy besides your favorite crafty things? Reading, Running, Golf, Napping (just kidding...not really, napping IS one of my favorite things), Cooking (but not cleaning up afterward), Singing

5. Is there anything you collect? My husband would say I collect hobbies (LOL), Vera Bradley bags, bags in general (I love bags...I must have been a high-class bag lady in a previous life)

6. What is your zodiac sign and/or Chinese zodiac symbol? Aquarius (Que the band..."This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius....")

7.What are your favorite……
  • scents/smells? light florals (think "just out of the bath tub clean"), the smell of the air after the rain, fresh cut grass, clean babies
  • types of music and/or bands? Christian - Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Country, Classic Rock
  • authors? I read a lot; and I read a lot of different stuff. Modern Day Classics like "The Devil Wears Prada" or "The Manny" (Riiight, modern day "classics."), Classic Classics like "To Kill a Mockingbird", political books, Christian authors (Beth Moore, Bruce Wilkinson, John Eldridge), business books (like John Maxwell)
  • animals? I'm a dog person (I know! A knitter who isn't a cat person. Weird, huh? Go figure.)
  • places to shop? I'm not saying I'm cheap, but I don't like to pay full price for anything. So, Target, TJ Maxx, Nordstom Rack, Marshall's, Ross....you get the picture.
  • season? Spring and Fall (Summer's too hot and winter's too cold. But like Goldilocks, spring's "just right.")
  • yarn/fabric/paper/other craft supplies? Any yarn (except Red Heart acrylic - itchy) and any fabric. I love Basic Grey paper, Stampin' Up stamps/inks, and just about any colored pen I can get my hands on.
  • candies or goodies? Oh please, do you have to ask? I love chocolate - any chocolate. Peeps, Whoppers malted milk balls (which is great 'cause no one else in my family likes those), Girl Scout Cookies...I could go on. How much time do you really have?
8. Do you have any wish lists? Nope; I'm very easy to please. Anything I get in the mail that's not a bill is a good thing.

9. Are you allergic to anything? Nope

10. Do you have any pets? I have 3 dogs - 2 mini schnauzers (one salt & pepper, one black) and a Border Collie. The black schnauzer and the border collie are rescues; the other schnauzer has "papers" and thinks she's "all that." We joke that she's a cat stuck in a dog's body because she's THAT snooty.

11. Other interesting/or not so interesting things about me:
  • My Ravelry ID is onecraftychick, but I haven't played very much there because of family, work and life in general. Plus, spending time there cuts down on my crafty time.
  • I love note pads and pens.
  • I love grosgrain ribbon.
  • I'm a pattern person - stripes, polka dots, florals....
  • I live in flip flops in the summer - have tons of them.
  • I never wear less than a 30 SPF (that pale German/Irish skin just can't take it).
  • I worked at a Hallmark store in high school & college so I love cards and stationery.
  • I graduated from Georgia Southern University with a BS in Health Science. (Not that I actually use my degree...see below for where I work. A degree in psychology might have been a better choice...)
  • I probably have more running shoes than you have black pumps.
  • I only own 2 suits, one black and one navy, and I wear neither.
  • I work for the Death Star - and like it most days.
  • I'm a freak for nail polish but only ever polish my toes.
  • I own lots of jewelry but still manage to wear the same rings and earrings every day.
  • I went to Italy and love, love, love it. It would take me all of 15 minutes to pack my bags for another trip there.
  • I like to drink wine - whites. Occasionally a red. Hardly ever a blush. And beer tastes better in a chilled glass mug (in case you needed to know).
  • I own 3 sewing machines but need to take a class or something because nothing makes me cuss like a sailor more than a sewing machine. (I'd rather sew seams on a sweater, weave in ends on fair isle or sew up socks in Kitchener stitch than have to sew anything but a straight line with my sewing machine. Was that clear enough for ya? (I'm just sayin'...)

Does that help? :-)

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

How Fun Is THIS?!?!

A Favorite Color Swap! OMG! Can I think of TONS of stuff to pack my pal's box with! I'm a pink girl, myself, as most of those who know me know. All you have to do is take one look at my closet and you can plainly see that I'm a pink girl.



Maybe it comes from being a Phi Mu - I don't know. I also have a lot of black and white in my closet . . . but those aren't very fun color sfor a Favorite Color Swap.

I've been knitting socks...here are some pics:

Monkey Socks that I finshed at THANKSGIVING (for heaven's sakes!). They're done in some cool yarn from SWTC - can't remember which one.


Plain old socks done in Wick from Knit1 Crochet 2. The colorway has a number and, bad me, I didn't write it down. Notice however the difference in size...take a look...I'll wait...see? The top one is considerably smaller than the first. And that one fits. This is why you should follow the Harlot's instructions and immediately cast on the second sock when you finish the first one. You see, I finished the first one Thanksgiving weekend and didn't cast on for the second one until January! I used the wrong cast on number and, well, the results speak for themselves. Sad. Really. Really. Sad.

Flame Wave Socks by Ann Budd (Favorite Socks - 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave). These were done in KnitPicks Dancing, Party colorway. They were supposed to be for me, but I didn't make them long enough. So, Punkin has a really cool pair of hand knitted socks. Just what ever seven year old needs. Here's a close up of the pattern. Fun to knit.


These are the ones I'm working on now:


Falling Leaves (also from the Interweave Favorite Socks book - did I mention how much I love that book...)

Since I now take the train to work, I have a little more time to knit and socks are easy and portable. They also seem to really impress people on the train - they're fascinated by them. You wouldn't believe the looks I get from folks when they see all those needles sticking out. Too funny!

I'll try to do a better job posting more often but it's tough since I'm still working on the HUGE project for the Death Star.

I'm just sayin'......