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!

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. :-)

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 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)

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? :-)

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'......

Two Years Ago Today...

Two years ago today we adpoted Leah. This is what she looked like when she was rescued.

Pitiful, huh? She was abandoned by her former owners. Apparently they moved away and left her in their backyard - with no food and no water. They aren't sure how long she was there before someone found her and called animal control. The vet that originally treated her said that she was one of the worst cases of abuse they'd ever seen. She had to sleep under a heat lamp and on a heating pad for the first several days in order to keep her warm. She was barely able to stand due to her condition. She went to a wonderful foster mom named Jean Strein in North Augusta, SC. Jean got her in January and nursed her back to health.

We found her on PetFinder.com and fell in love with her because of this picture.

Look at that cute face! She just looked like she wanted to come live with us. In mid-January 2006 I emailed the foster mom and told her we wanted to be put into consideration for adoption. I told her our story or rescuing our three-legged schnauzer, Abby, and how she contracted optic neuritis and died. I told her about our visits to the doggie opthamologist.... all that to say we'd be great parents for Leah.

So, we got her and this is what she looks like today.

Hard to believe she's the same dog. If it weren't for the gray beard, you'd never know it. She weighs 18 pounds and eats like a BIG dog. She's my shadow - follows me everywhere I go. She sleeps in between me and Bill. You couldn't ask for a better dog. It's almost like she KNOWS how bad she had it and how good she has it now and I really think she APPRECIATES us.

So, the next time you think you want a dog, don't go to a pet store or a breeder. Go through a rescue organization. I have several linked on the right side of this blog under my favorite links. Leah is our third rescue and we'd never again do it any other way.

It's the Super Bowl of Politics

Today is "Super Tuesday" and, yes, I voted. It appears that my guy is going to win Georgia and hopefully that means that the Fair Tax will get more attention. Fingers (and toes) crossed. It'll be interesting to watch the results come in. I've been instructed to only watch the tickers across the bottom of the screens and NOT to watch the shows where they actually talk about what's going on. That tends to get me a little too "hot and bothered" and I have problems calming down enough to fall asleep. Not good. (If there are knitters who actually read this blog I'll probably get slammed. Knitters tend to be aggressively democratic. Opinion based solely on the sheer number of comments on their blogs and the sidebar "Days til GWB is Out of Office" counters. Certainly not "inviting" for those of us who are of the more conservative persuasion. I'm just sayin.)

Any way. I've been making socks! Lots and lots of socks. It's totally the fault of this book:

I (will) have pics...as soon as I find my camera.

Boo Got Shot!

This has got to be one of my favorite things of all time. It's actually an interview that appeared on NewsTalk 750 in Atlanta several years ago. The morning talk shoow host, Neal Boortz, liked it so much that he put it on the show. His producer, Royal Marshall, provides the "translation" of Peaches' account of the crime. Now someone has animated it. Too funny!



Boo Got Shot - Animation - video powered by Metacafe

I Got Mad and Threw It Up In the Air...

*sniff* "Mom, the remote control doesn't work."
"What's wrong with it?"
"It's broken."
"Broken how? What happened?"
"I tried to change the TV and it wouldn't work. I got mad and threw it really far up in the air and it broke."
"Maybe the battery just popped out. Bring me the pieces..." Uh, this is what I got...
You'll notice that there are several pieces that are, as of yet, still unaccounted for. Most notably, the actual BUTTONS one would push to change the channel. I'm not exactly sure where they are but I'm sure we'll find them eventually. They'll probably be right next to the other battery and the little part that held the batteries in place. Speaking of batteries...

Notice the concave nature of the positive end of the battery. Must have been some force it was thrown with. I'm just saying...

Don't You Love It When a Plan Comes Together?

We'll get to knitty stuff later... for now, we need to catch up on what's been going on at Casa de Thatcher.


We headed to the 'Boro the weekend of November 10th for my Aunt Jean's 50th SURPRISE birthday party. I emphasize surprise because normally she makes it a point to know everything about everybody and the fact that Amy, Kristen and Ginger (the daughters, my cousins) could keep it secret, and have everyone invited to the party keep it a secret, is monumental and worth mentioning. In fact, she was so surprised that it took her a minute to come in the door. So, here's a snipit of the reaction:
And for the cute baby photo of the night, I give you baby Kole - complete with his matching camo jacket and bappy. Can I get a collective "AWWWW" from the crowd? He probably should have been wearing this adorable gray wool sweater, but I digress...
In other news, my friend Joy's albums are FINALLY out (it only took 2 years...I'm just sayin'). You'll remember that I had the privilege of singing back up on one of the songs on her Christmas album - I was part of the live choir that did back up for O Holy Night - there were only 40 of us but it sounds like a lot more - good acoustics in the church we recorded in. Eventually (the week after Thanksgiving) you'll be able to buy them on CDBaby and iTunes (search for Joy Waters Fowler when you get there) but for now, you can only order them direct from the record company - Red Arches Records. Let me know if you're interested (thatch10ATbellsouthDOTnet) and I'll email you the order info. Or call me - if you're family/friend and have my number. Anywhoo, the albums are won-der-ful; the first one is all the hymns you used to sing in church (before praise and worship music took over) and the second one is all Christmas music. I'm sure you'll be thrilled with them - she's fantastic.

I'm almost finished with the Monkey socks! I only have the instep and toe to finish on my second one and I'll officially have a REAL PAIR. And they FIT! I know . . . shut up. I have a new pair on the needles - made out of Wick in a colorway called Painted Daisies. The pattern is from a book I can't remember but I'll look it up and post pics as soon as the batteries are charged in the camera.

I'm sure there's more but I can't remember what else I need to post. More to come...

Biggest Looo-zer

Can I tell you, my absolute favorite show on TV (next to Grey's Anatomy) is The Biggest Loser. What an inspiring show and such fun to watch every week. I've been addicted to it for the past 3 seasons. The only thing I hate is the D-R-A-M-A of it . . . it could be an hour long show. Instead, it's an hour and a half because of all the drama before and after the commercials. I totally need TiVo. I'm buying it for myself for Christmas. I just decided. I can't even believe that I don't have it yet. Am I like one of 4 people in America that doesn't? Hello?

I've got one of my Monkey Socks finished - except for stitching up the toe. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see something finished. I told Bill that I'm going to wear them all the time and show them to everyone - even complete strangers! That should make for interesting conversation in the checkout line at Publix.... "Hi. I'm a knitter and I made these really cool socks. See!" "Uh, Security? Anyone? I think she's a few skeins shy of a sweater."

That's all for now; I just wanted y'all to know I'm still here. Oh, and a random thought . . . it's way too early for Christmas decorations on the light poles in the Publix parking lot. I'm just saying. . .

Catching Up

Alas, I am a bad, bad blogger - again. Can it really be 2 full weeks since my last post? (Uh, yepper, I counted. 14 days. Last time I checked that was 2 full weeks.) So, here's what's been happening:

HALLOWEENIE (giggle)

Punkin was Ariel.

Apparently we're slowly working our way through all the Disney Princesses.

Remember Belle from 2005?

And don't forget Cinderella from 2004....

(We own the Tinkerbell costume, though to this point, that one's only been relegated to the dress up closet. There's still next year....)

She made off with a decent haul of candy, most of which she'll never eat because she only likes chocolate. (That's my girl.) As for me, I just left our candy in a bowl on the porch with a sign that said "Take Some. When it's gone, it's gone." And you know what? When I got home, it was gone! Who knew? Probably went to the two 12-year old vampires we saw dragging pillowcases full of candy. To be expected on Halloweenie. The best costume of the night had to go to the Golden Retriever we saw dressed up as a parrot. She was walking with her two owners (girls dressed as pirates). The dog had on wings and had been "painted" with colored hairspray to look like a parrot. Too funny, though I'd hate to know that after traipsing all over the neighborhood I had to go home and wash the dog. Every good pirate has to have a parrot.

KNITTING

I've been working on the Monkey Socks - on double points. And they're coming along S-L-O-W-L-Y. But when you only work on them one complete pattern repeat every other day or two, what do you expect? Bill says that if I sold them, based on the time it's taking to knit them, they would cost $200! I guess that's why people give them as gifts instead of selling, huh?

I got my invitation to Ravelry! (For my non-knitting family and friends who reads this, that will make NO sense to you whatsoever - it's a knitting thing you wouldn't understand.) I haven't gotten a lot of time to play around in there yet, but I'm SO looking forward to it.

I'm not working on any of the other "projects in process" right now because I'm up to my eyeballs in my work at the Deathstar. Maybe with Thanksgiving coming up I'll have some down time to finish up the stuff I have that's almost done but not quite. There seems to be a recurring theme with all the projects in my life . . . almost done, but not quite.

OTHER STUFF

Guess what I'm doing tonight? Singing backup (in a choir) for my friend Joy's upcoming Christmas album (due out on 11/27/07 - I'll link when it's ready)! She said it's not a "paying gig" but we'll receive full credit on the album jacket. Who cares? It'll be fun and she's great so I'm totally in!

More later...

Water, Water...Nowhere

In case you haven't heard, we've kinda hit critical mass in the metro ATL. Based on today's news we only have 80 days worth of drinking water left in Lake Lanier. 80 days, people! And the Army Corp of Engineers still insists on releasing 250 million gallons of water daily to protect some endangered muscles in the Apalachacola (sp?) basin. WHAT? There are 6 million people in the ATL and we're worried about some muscles in Florida. I'm sorry - that just doesn't make walking around sense.

It rained today - for a grand total of 15 minutes. So, not much help for the drought. I'm not much on the whole Global Warming thing - in fact, I think much of the research is tragically flawed (leave nasty comments if you want, but when you have temperature guages in the New Mexico desert on the side of west-facing rocks, you're going to get higher temp readings) - not all scientists agree on the science of Global Warming - I don't care what Al Gore says in his little movie. Anyway, I DO think that people need to be responsible. So, we're now only running the dishwasher when it's actually full; same for the washer. Before you know it, they'll be rationing how many showers we can take per week. It'll be like living in France. :)

(Rant over...)

I said I wouldn't do it...but I'm now making the Monkey socks on double points, not circulars. I know, I know. But the circulars started to bother me. I'm also almost finished with a cardigan for Punkin's American Girl. We were at the yarn store on Saturday and she saw one on display in the shop. She choose her own yarn (pink, of course). The first skein she choose was $16+ ... um, I don't think so. We, the sales girl and I, were able to steer her to a more "reasonably" priced yarn for a doll sweater. It was a quick knit and I should have it sewn together sometime this weekend. I'll post pics.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have AquaDots! I'm not sure what they are, but Punkin's wanted them for, like, EVER and we finally broke down and bought them tonight. Once I figure out what they are, what they do and why they're such a big deal, I'll let you know.

Socks On Two Circs

I took a Socks on Two Circulars class at my LYS and can I just say. . . socks on two circs are a HOT MESS! All those cables and needles hanging and yarn getting all tangled up (and fussing and cussing...). All that and yet STILL easier than knitting on double points! Who knew? We worked on baby socks (Gracie's SOX by Cathy Hannigan) and I pretty much got the hang of it until it came time to turn the heel - the class was Saturday and I'm still trying to turn the heel. I think I need "professional" help. Know what I mean.

In other news, I cleaned out the "yarn corner" of my bedroom that was driving the dear husband nuts, and guess what I found? Not one, not 2, but FOUR started -but-not-finished projects. So typical of one who suffers from can'tfinishitis. It's a sad and debilitating disease...I'm sure you know. I would post a picture of said corner, but I'm just too embarassed. Sad. Just sad.

I packed up a box of "what the hell was I thinking when I bought this" yarn and have it ready to send off to charity. Well, not exactly charity, but to a fellow knitter in D.C. who needs it for her student knitting group. It's not awful yarn, not even bad yarn, just not the kind of yarn I like these days. So, off it goes this week to find a good new home where it will actually be knitted. Novel concept, I know.

In the what I've been reading latetly category is It's About Your Husband by Lauren Lipton. Quite entertaining. And Drunk, Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair by Crazy Aunt Purl. Hys-ter-i-cal. Only a truely Southern gal could fully understand. Bought it on Friday - was finished by Sunday. A very quick, very entertaining read.

Tired...

I'm too tired to blog today...but I have been busy. I'll post tomorrow for real. Promise. :)

Alas, No Harlot for Me

I've been reading everyone's posts (JP, EvilScienceChick, HockeyMom, the KnitWitch, Jen and the lovely Melissa) about the Harlot's visit to the ATL. As you can tell by my title, I didn't go see her - I decided to do the wifely/family thing and spend Bill's birthday with him. I did that "how would you feel if it were your birthday?" thing. And, well, those of you who know me know that I make a HUGE deal out of my birthday. So, if Bill wanted to go see some golfer on MY birthday, well, I'd be pissed. Totally.

Since I'm back on the "plan" we bought a really tiny cake from Kroger. (Note to self, Publix icing is MUCH better than Kroger icing.) It tasted kind of plastic - not that Punkin cared. :)

On Saturday afternoon we went hiking with the Jenks on the Suwanee Creek Greenway, which I've run on many times while training for the marathon. However, I didn't know that they had unpaved trails. A nice break from the asphalt/concrete. Here is Punkin and her buddy, Austin, full of energy at the start of our little hike....

We only went a total of maybe 4.5 or 5 miles. There was some pretty scenery along the way...

I have NO idea what kind of flowers these are. I'm not "good" with flowers (I would post a picture of my yard but I'm too embarassed). But they were pretty nonetheless.

Back to the girls...this is what they looked like when we finished the hike - quite a difference, don't you think?

After we cooled off, we headed over to the Old Towne Tavern and Grille in Suwanee. HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! That's also where we ate for Bill's birthday. If you go, get the Asian Chicken Salad. To quote Rachel Ray, "Yum-O!"

Oh, finished the BallBand Dish Cloth I was working on . . . and two others . . . and got bored and did a log cabin one, too. I'll post pics of the those later. But for now, here's this one.

Total mindless knitting. Love them. Weaving in the ends is a bee-yotch. No pain, no gain.

This weekend is the Duluth Fall Festival. A virtual cornucopia of craftiness! (And crap, but we're only going to focus on the craftiness, people.) It all starts with a kitchy parade of cheerleaders, football players, (the bar girls from Wild Bill's), political candidates, PTA groups, etc. All the things that make Duluth feel like a small town. After that candy-throwing nonsense is over, you meander through TONS of craft booths. Some of them are really good -real artisans, if you will, and others are, well... It's kind of like American Idol - you know where the really bad singers have been told by their families that they're really good - but you and ALL OF AMERICA knows that the really suck. Some of these people are still making crafts from the 80's - chee-zee! I'll see if I can sneak some pics. I love, LOVE, LOVE the Duluth Fall Festival. Small Town America at it's finest.

More to come...gotta feed the family!

Random

File this one under totally RANDOM thoughts.

On my "Today I Feel" link, you'll notice that today I feel FAT! As in huge, retaining water, blobbish, etc. And I have a headache (but there's no "PunkyMoods" icon for that - maybe I should suggest it). So, to make all my ills go away, and allow for some much needed sleep, I've had a nice glass of Savingon Blanc (sp?) with dinner and followed that up with a nice muscle relaxer (Flexeril, to be exact). Now, before you get the wrong idea, my neck has been killing me - too much work on the computer lately (see below for my random ranting about work) and not enough quality sleep. When my neck gets out of whack, it causes my muscles to tighten up and that causes the headache. Follow?

Speaking of work...could I have just a little more of it, please? (Hopefully you're reading the sarcasm - cause it's there.) I'm SO busy right now that I don't know which end is up and I spend most of my days putting out whatever is the most critical fire drill of the day. I'm managing the big software implementation project. One of my main vendors in the Midwest is going through major changes and the same vendor in the Southeast just isn't selling as much as they have in the past (and should be still). And it's my job to find out why and turn the ship.

And I made the mistake of buying groceries at the Super Wal-Mart in Suwanee last night. Don't get me wrong, I spent WAY less than I normally spend at Publix, and I bought a new dog bed for Gretchen. BUT (and this is a big but) the check out process is so TOTALLY stressful that it almost (not sure yet) negates all the savings. No lie. There are 26 checkouts at this Wal-Mart and they had, are you ready, 5 open! On a Sunday evening! When their parking lot and store were packed! What the hell? Come on Wal-Mart! You bully your way into a community, ruining property values, leveling acres of trees and the best you can do on a busy weekend day is FIVE FREAKING REGISTERS? Give me a big, fat break! (That feels better.)

On to knitting....

I'm still working on the Ball Band Dishcloths from Mason-Dixon Knitting. I'm loving the colors I've chosen (not those on the photo above) and they'll look nice in my new kitchen. I'm thinking of making some for Christmas presents for some family. I have a few aunts that would appreciate them. I think my mother-in-law and sister-in-law would also appreciate them. I'm thinking of making some for my brother's Red & Black University of Georgia kitchen. I'm not worried about fading since he doesn't actually cook there. It's kind of like he has a house that happens to also have a kitchen, know what I mean? Bless his heart....

I also decided to make the bib pattern from Mason-Dixon Knitting. I have a few friends who are having/adopting babies and the bibs make for easy, mindless car pool knitting. Speaking of car pool, I'm thinking of making scarves for the poor teachers who have to work car pool. I have some (OK, a lot) of Lion HomeSpun that was given to me and those Berroco Keyhole Scarves are just so easy. A few years ago at work we had a craft fair to raise money for the United Way and, no lie, I sold twenty of them in one day and wrote a check to the United Way for almost $200 (there were a few other stash projects thrown in there, too).

Wednesday is hubby's birthday and the day that Stephanie will be at Knitch in Virginia Highlands. And I have a "ticket" to go... Now I'm feeling guilty for not spending Bill's birthday with him. What's a gal to do? I have ALL of her books and this is the FIRST time (and presumably the only time until maybe the next book tour) she's come to the ATL . I'm still thinking it over and I'll let you know what I decide to do.

Whew Baby, I'm Tired!

I think the title just about says it all.

We went to Statesboro this past weekend - since we hadn't been there since March, I decided it was about time to pay a visit. Some good natured ribbing from mom didn't hurt, either. Plus, it was my cousin's wife's baby shower. She got a lot of nice things. Mine gift was the only handmade item, which is funny because in my area of the ATL, it's generally a contest at baby showers to see who can give the most FAB-U-LOUS handmade gift. We fight over knitted/crocheted things (me), hand-stamped things (me, Chauveen, & Andrea), handmade bags (Chauveen & Andi), handmade embroidered jumper dresses (Chauveen), handmade hooded bath towels (Chauveen - she's a busy gal - about to have a web store - I'll link when she does), etc. Quite fun to hear all the "oohs" and "ahs" when the gifts get passed around. Anywhoo, apparently that "trend" hasn't made it to the 'Boro yet. Maybe it will - maybe they just need some inspiration, oh, and a good craft store. Wal-Mart hardly counts as a good craft store. :)

Tomorrow is the baby shower for the girl in my choir. I was working on another baby sweater, like the one I made for my cousin's wife, but I SWEAR there is something wrong with the pattern and I just don't have it in me to sew and unsew it again. Hello! Read my title - I'm tired. And that includes being tired of re-sewing a baby sweater. I'm about ready to rip it all out and re-purpose the yarn - or just thow it away.

I've been inspired by this site to start making ball band dish cloths again. Her's are SO pretty and colorful and I'm tired of baby colors since all I've made lately is baby stuff. Not that there's anything wrong with that. And cotton dishcloth yarn is cheap - I like cheap. Even more, my husband likes cheap.

So, I think I'll dig through the stash and find some cotton yarn and start knitting. The pattern is an easy, no-brainer kind of patter and given my past 2 weeks and the next say, I don't know, 12 weeks are going to be nuts and I need something easy to occupy myself. Which reminds me, the baby's (from the shower) great-grandmother-to-be picked up my baby sweater, admired it and said "You know, idle hands are the devil's workplace." My reply, "No idle hands here." True, true.

Hey, next week I get to go see the Yarn Harlot at Knitch! It's on Bill's birthday; he said my gift to him was not making him go see her, too. Ha! The whole knit thing has been almost too much for him to swallow; and he totally doesn't get blogging about knitting (or any other craft). Poor him...he'll come around.

Look What I've Been Up To...

The baby sweater is complete. I'm still convinced that there is something wrong with the pattern since I worked it and ripped it out not once, not twice but THREE times and I still don't think it sews together correctly. Oh well, it's cute and it's finished.

I also started this - the Wavy Scarf from Knitty.com.

(Did you notice the hardwood floors? Just thought I'd point that out.) I've had this pattern for quite some time and finally found the yarn I wanted to do it in. I'm using Paton's Shetland Chunky, a wool blend that feels soft and has some great color variations in it. See... Pretty, huh? I'd like a whole sweater made out of this yarn. The pattern is fun, too. I had to modify the stitch count since this yarn is way bigger than what it calls for on the pattern. I'm always amazed how you can get two simple stitches to "move" like this. Fascinating.

As for what we did over the holiday weekend...it was quiet and relaxed. On Friday, on a whim, we went bowling. Though I had my camera, it never occurred to me to actually USE it. So, I give you a picture of Punkin putting her real shoes back on after we finished. *sigh*

On Saturday night we went out to dinner at a new BBQ place with several families. It was YUMMY! The kids had quite the time at their own table while the grown-ups had normal conversations at their table. Here's Punkin and Palmer hamming it up. After dinner they set up a beauty shop and decided to make each other over - at the table. Too funny.

On Sunday night we went to Shawn & Kimberly's for dinner. Punkin played with all the kids and ended up spending the night with Austin - quite a big step based on all the separation anxiety issues we've had over the summer. Whew! Big sigh of relief. On Monday, we met them at the park for a quick picnic. We took Cody and Leah to burn off some energy at the dog park, then came home. After a nap and dinner, it was time to get ready for the back to work/school drag....

I love long weekends.