Finally a camera cord!

I finally found the camera cord! Thank goodness, because with X-mas and birthdays and everything else......
So....above is my little one playing in the leaves in front of our new house, leaves are not scarce here, they are everywhere! I have never seen so many leaves..........
Me, (yes, still holding on to the baby weight, maybe after the holidays!
Our new house, with my husband fighting the never ending leaf battle..........I love this house, it is not new, or in a master planned subdivision, but who cares? I love it, I love the sitting room and family room, I love the giant yard, I like the neighbors AND it is 1.5 miles from the yarn store here, Yarn Expressions, which is a great yarn store. 1.5 miles, I know because I checked and that is what made us buy that house.
Crowley!!!! The new cairn terrier puppy................
Glynis, who turns 2 next week.
And below is Lucifer, chilling in the sun, it was 68 today and we were all out celebrating my son's 14th birthday.
Merry Christmas Everyone...........

ThanksGiving

Happy Turkey Day to Everyone!!
(I will find my camera!!!!!)

I wish I had a camera!

Hodges
1995-2007
A Good Dog

Well, I have a camera, I just don't know where it is at the moment. I am on the verge of giving up. It will magically turn up when I do not need it. But things are better. I have a knitting group to go to, where everyone is fun and interesting and uses yarn worth being jealous about.
We had poor old Hodges cremated and his ashes placed into a beautiful wood box.
It is a comfort to have them, but I can't articulate why. Poor old guy.

The movers came and most of our things are either broken or missing, my son's bed is completely destroyed. He is sleeping on a mattress on the floor until we can pressure them to do what they said they would and pay for him to have a new bed. My vegetable rack is broken, my husband's drill is missing, the bookcase is broken, the nightstand is missing two legs.......it just goes on. It is awful. I have never seen a worse move. And, of course, they are trying to blame us. Did I mention the loveseat that they left behind in Utah? Then, the movers refused to put anything together and dropped all our boxes in the garage, they couldn't even bother to bring them in the house. It is just awful, I will be glad when we are finally unpacked and settled.

I got a little black kitten from my friend, Sarah. He was a cutie, just some little stray that wandered in her yard. Then, I took him to the vet on Tuesday and he was FIV positive. So, poor little guy, I had to have him put down. I just wish I could go to bed and not get back up. I think the kids are shell-shocked.

Then, my husband buys me a little cairn terrier puppy! What a cutie! But, ugh, puppy! But it sure has cheered me up. His name is Crowley, I wanted to name him Alistair, which inspired my husband to sing "Mr. Crowley" for hours, and unfortunately, Crowley is what stuck. And when I find the camera, I will post pictures.

Sooooooooooooooooooooo....................as soon as I have a camera, TONS OF PICTURES!

Hodges

We are finally in our new and beautiful house
but because I insisted on the surgery to remove that bump on his back, my little doggie passed away in a horrible cold lonely veterinary hospital thinking we abandoned him
I didn't abandon you and I loved you so much
I am so damn sorry
I didn't know
I just didn't know

YAY!

We are finally going to close on our house tomorrow!
or, to quote the Bard from the Scottish play:
"tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow".

But, of course, the movers screwed us, because that is how things are for us, so instead of coming tomorrow like they said, they won't be here until Monday. So much for the Boeing super VIP account. This move has been a long awful nightmare from day one. Everything just went wrong, so I am hoping for once, things will start going right.
and we can get out of here and get my stuff back.
On the other hand, I found a great fun knitting group full of friendly interesting people and that has been keeping my sane. And I may be getting a new kitty! Yay!
I think I will name her Agatha.
Double yay!
Hopefully I can post some pictures soon.
Did I mention it was raining? I love the rain! Yay cubed!

We are never getting out of here

NEVER
NEVER
NEVER

We are still sitting here, stuck in temporary quarters, waiting ....for something, anything. Everything else is done, the sellers want to sell, we want to buy, lawyers at the ready. Mortgage ready to be called in, just waiting. So, why are we still here? Because the 401K people keep finding excuse after excuse to not give us our downpayment money. It is one thing after another, and here we are, on the day we were supposed to close, and we can't, had to extend because they find it impossible to get their shit together. Every time they come up with a new demand, we jump through hoops, finding notaries and overnight delivery services and they just sit and twiddle their thumbs. While we remain in limbo. For over a month
Next week, our lease here will be up, we will have to get out, and where will we go? None of us have a clue.
So, I try not to spend too much money, but it is hard when you are bored and stuck in a tiny place with an anxious toddler. I have way too many new knitting books, that I don't need, that I keep buying to make myself feel better for a minute. And yarn and Knitpicker bags, (aren't they awesome?) And, of course, my ex, once again, did not pay his child support.
Ugh!
So, hows your day?

Coffee Swap 3 Questionairre

1. Whole bean or ground?
Either, but whole bean is always nice

2. Fully-loaded or decaf?
Fully loaded, otherwise what is the point

3. Regular or flavored?
Both
4. How do you drink your coffee?
with cream and sugar

5. Favorite coffee ever?
Ubu coffee, that I had in Japan

6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do?
slightly fussy, but not too bad

7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee?
usually just alone

8. Anything else about your coffee preferences?
no
9. Yarn/fiber you love?
sock yarn

10. Yarn/fiber you hate?
none

11. What's on your needles?
A wallaby and a air of knee high socks for my toddler

12. Favorite colors?
lavender, blue, pink, anything pretty

13. Allergies?
no
14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest?
I really like things that smell of lavender
off my chest: If this house does not close soon, I am going to jump off the balcony of this awful temp housing

Our First Full Week

So, we are starting to get into the Alabama groove. I guess. The kids have gotten into school, my husband has a desk, so the days here consist of me, Baby, and the dogs just kind of sitting around. It is really kind of lonely. I spend alot of time trying to get stains out of the floor (carpet). This is a nice apartment, just too small for us. And carpet is always a bad idea. I finished my fuzzy pink scarf, the one from Scarf Style. can't remember the name. I have no way to download my pictures to my laptop. It kind of sucks. btw: Misty Garden is the the name of the pattern
But, on a happier note: I finally got into Ravelry. What fun! There are some great groups out there. My favorite this week is Craft Li. They are reading Tristan and Isolde and I never knew med evil Lit could be so suspenseful. I miss being a Lit major. I told my husband that I think when I finish this degree, I was going to go back and get a Masters in Lit.
We took the kids to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens. They had a great time running and jumping. Then, we got to the water gardens. I looked away for one second, heard a splash and there was the baby lying on the bottom of the pond. I snatched her out of there! What goes threw a baby's head? Why jump into a deep dark pond full of giant goldfish that may eat you?
Who knows!
On a yarny note, I have yet to make it to one of the knit nights here, but I really want to. I would be content just going to the yarn store a this point. Maybe soon, I hope. I got my Halloween Sock Club kit from Wool Girl!!! It is so cute, I wish I could post pictures of it somewhere, still waiting on the chameleon Color works kit, though. I have kind of given up on that one, I just hope the PO forwards it. I am thinking of trying a sock from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks. I am really getting into the older vintage patterns. I have been reading "Victorian Lace Today' and feel so inspired, I just wish I had the guts to try one.
School is going craptacular, that's all I am going to say about that!

I have no pictures (sorry)

We made it to Alabama and survived the trip. 5 days in a mini-van with 3 grumpy kids, 2 dogs, 2 cats, 15 rats, 4 tortoises, and one grumpy ass hamster. We kept all of our suitcases on the roof, so of course, Murphy's Law dictated it RAIN the entire trip. Which it did. And when it wasn't, the air was like bath water. We are still getting used to the humidity ( by not leaving the apartment).
Did I mention a bag of wool was ruined by the rain? Including my Wallaby pattern!!!
We stayed in a few really nice hotel (Homewood) and a few bad ones (Econo Inn), complete with giant cockroaches. It is the south and the humidity makes things bigger, I guess.
But we made it!
We are still in corporate housing, which is in reality a three bed room apartment, which is nice, except it is not a home and we feel a little disjointed and temporary, the way you do when you are unrooted and unfamiliar. But it beats a hotel. My poor 12 year old terrier cannot walk up the steps to the door so he must be carried on every walk. Which is humiliating for both of us.
But we are enjoying be soooooo close to things. We can even go to Target! Whenever we want! And not Walmart, TARGET! Which, I may add, is a Super Target.
I am struggling to keep up with my course work, and I need to find a testing agency soon, but what I really want is my house to close so I can stop feeling uncomfortable about this place and our smuggled animals
Oh, and my sock club yarn to get here. I want that too!!
COMMENTS AND ADVICE PLEASE!

Anyone tried?

My latest projects....................the second Embossed Leaves sock for my MIL! And the Misty Garden scarf in mohair yarn. Yum yum.....
I really really want to learn this method? Anyone else able to do it? There is a class at the LYS in Huntsville and I can't wait to sign up for it, but in the meantime there is this book!! That LYS in Huntsville looks awesome!! I can't wait! The house we are buying is 1.5 miles from it. I checked, that was a big selling point! Must be near Yarn Expressions! Hopefully, the people there will not think I am a goon and a loser@!

I have been remiss.....

Look what I got!!! Barnes and Nobles- 60% off!!!! Are they crazy? Who cares!!! I got all of the above for 60% off.
Then I went to the yarn store, Three Wishes, to be exact. I got the above, because I am crazy and I got my limit on my CC raised. So, I got the new Interweave book and some Sleeping Dragon in the Roses and Chocolate colorway, which I plan to present to my MIL when we get to New Mexico.
The move is going, that is all I can say about it. The house is coming along, the inspection was yesterday, we are still waiting to hear. The packers will be here on Thursday, the movers on Friday. Very depressing. Don't know why, because I really hate this place. But THIS WEEKEND!!!! the long awaited Fiber Festival in SLC! It will be our last stop before heading out of town on our 4 day Love Cruise across the country. Can't wait!
My Tea Swap partner got her stuff! I think she liked it. Once again, Kudos me. I am slowly losing all vestiges of sanity, hence the choppy sentences!

Math Test

I PASSED THE STUPID EXAM
BY TWO STUPID POINTS!

.........we are leaving on the 15th for Alabama. I am sad, I don't know why. Strange...

Tea Swap Early Bird Prize ( and a math exam)

0Got my Early Bird tea prize, very nice! Just what I needed to take my mind off things. Cute cute stitch markers, from Alabama Fiber Dreams, ironically enough, some jasmine tea, a tea towel and scone mix! Well, I say, Yea me. And boo on math tests.

Today is my dreaded, yet long awaited math exam. I have to be at the proctors office at 10. There are only so many ways to dread things, but I have covered them all. I have studied, but Math, especially this math, is my absolute worse subject. All I have are my wits and my trusty TI-85 calculator, which was my husband's old calculator in college. I will be soooooooo glad when this is over with, failed or not.

Wool Girl!!

I put in an order to Wool Girl to make myself feel better and it came today. I mainly just needed to get some things for the Tea Swap, which I have been neglecting. But, of course, I had to indulge in some Seacoast Panda Sock. I got Chocolate and Caramel (above)and Desert Rose (below) for my own sweet, stressed out self. I like Wool Girl, she wraps everything real pretty, she ships super fast and emails me back real quick when I have questions. I have never used this type of yarn before but I am hoping I like it. The colors in this line are always amazing. I can't wait to live near an actual yarn store and be able to touch yarn before I buy it, though I will still be spending too much money at Wool Girl I am sure.
Here is part of the stuff for the Tea Swap. I got cheesy and ordered everything online, sorry, i am way more busy than I thought I would be. I got her some Polar Bar soap from Biggs and Featherbelle, a stitch marker shaped like a tea cup, and a hank of Seacoast Panda in Raspberry Truffle. I am just waiting on the tea I ordered and some more cute little things.
On the house note, it is now under contract ( I think). We gave them the price they wanted and they are throwing in a lot of the furniture, including a fire pit!!!!So, I think everyone is happy, or at least I am. And, I took everyone's advice ( I am listening to you guys!!!) and scheduled a home inspection for next week and the seller's are providing a home warranty. In case anyone is interested, the MLS# is 250899. I would love some feedback on our new purchase, or semi-purchase. For me, back to untangling the Anne .

So, our realtor calls us and says...

That the realtor of the owners of the house we bid on called. Even though we turned down their counter offer, they would like to talk some more. They even said they would take off the lawyer stipulation and the give us the closing date we wanted. Hmmmm.....Why the change of heart?

The Whole Shameful Story

So, no pictures because I forgot my camera.
But, we are back and exhausted. First, my husband books us on those horrible little jets that shake up and down. I was so frightened the whole trip. I hate to fly anyways, but here we are on those teeny little planes with the winds whipping us all over. I am still having nightmares about that plane ride. We get to Huntsville and it is crazy hot. But I can live with that. We get to our very nice hotel, and Boeing has forgotten to pay them, so we have too. So, there goes half our earnest money. But, we settle in and call the realtor. She says she is at dinner and we can pick her up at her office in an hour. Pick her up? Yes, that's right, we had to try and navigate a strange city at night to pick her up. So, we find it and pick her up and proceed to drive her around with a screaming almost-two year old in tow.
She takes us to two houses at 8 at night, which are so obviously too small. We still have no relocation packet, no housing info sheets, nothing.
So, we say we are tired and go back to the hotel. The realtor says she is busy until 330 so we just sort of bum around the hotel most of the day. I am kind of mad about this because we flew in for a house hunting trip and we are getting some pretty bad vibes. You are probably asking why we didn't go look around, well, we had no corporate card yet, so we had to pay for the 700 dollar hotel and the 300 rental car and all the gas and food so we were damn broke.

So, we are thinking she is picking us up, but no, she calls and tells us to pick her up at 4. We had found some of those home magazines and we had a few we wanted to look at. This being all we had to go on because there was no info forthcoming from her about any damn thing. Now, you may be wondering why we are upset about picking her up. As we sat at the hotel all day, we noticed something....lots and lots of realtors coming in and out carrying nice binders and driving nice cars and having lunch reservations. They were there to pick up the relocation clients who were on househunting trips. People there for the same reason we were, but they had nicer realotrs. So, my husband asked one of them what he deal was and when ewe told them what we were putting up with, they were a bit shocked. But, I digress.

So, we pick her up and go to look at some of the houses WE had to find. She had no info at all and spent most of her time on the phone with the other realtor.
Finally, she says she knows a house for sale in town, in the area we like. So, we go. And it is perfect. I loved it and I wanted it. So we say fine, we want to make an offer. And guess what, she does not like our offer. It is too low (it wasn't, it would make the seller and his realtor mad, she wasn't sure if her boss would take it.
(we offered 148,000 on a house that was 154,000, in case you are curious, Gentle Reader). Too low? Maybe, but this is how the game is played, and considering the market, it was a fair offer. So, she is balking.........so we say fine, let's go. Then she says take me back and I will type it up and I want 1000 earnest money, well, all we have is 500 because WE ARE PAYING FOR EVERYTHING, INCLUDING GAS TO SHUTTLE HER AROUND!
So, she says go get dinner and come back in an hour, by this time the baby has had it! So we go back to the hotel and order in. Then at 9 she calls and wants us to come back up there, my husband say NO we are going to bed, so here she comes, after reading it, my husband says there is no way I am signing this.
Next morning: We find some more houses by digging sround online (WE FOUND THEM). We ask to see them, she says "Sure, but I am busy until 1130, then you can come pick me up at my house". Are you crazy!!!! Pick her up! At her house!
So, we have had enough. My husband says, I am done. So he fired her. Just like that, told her we were done. Then called ERA and told them we had a mortgage already and just wanted to buy a house. Sure enough, an hour later a realtor pulls up, straps in our car seat and away we go................
We even found another house, which we did not get because the seller had crazy demands, like close in 3 weeks and use their attorney, which our mortgage company balked at and refused to let us do, which is fine. It sounded shady anyways. HELLO! DO these people read the news, Buyer's Market people! The house will sit for another six months.
I guess Boeing gets mad when you fire the Realtor they hire for you, so now we are cleaning up that mess.
Comments, please

Warning

So,this is what happens when you turn your back on a toddler and a brand new hank of Schaefer Anne. just so you know.....

Home !

We made it home, at last. After 4 nightmare plane rides and two Realtors, we are home. I even got to go to the yarn Expression, which I must say, was very nice . I bought some Schaefer Anne, which my baby promptly tangled into a sordid mess.
More later, too tired now!
Oh, still no house!

Today is the day...

Here we go, off to Huntsville. I am up at 4 am because there are few things that scare me more than flying. I wish I had some powerful drugs to get through this. But, nope. Wish me luck!

!!!!!!!!

We Got A Mortgage!
(dance dance dance)
We Got A Mortgage!
(dance dance dance)
We Got A Mortgage!
(dance dance dance)
We Got A Mortgage!
(dance dance dance)


We Got A Mortgage!
(dance dance dance)
So no more of this stupid ugly house!
Yeah!

Waiting ........and Embossed Leaves

This morning, we are waiting to hear back from one of the mortgage companies. We applied at two, Wells Fargo and a small company in Huntsville that deals alot with Boeing and the local market. I tend to have more faith in them, they seem to know more of what they are talking about and always call us back when they say they will. We have a small down payment and it is looking good, not great, just ok, I guess. I hate this waiting to hear from them stuff. It is nerve wracking and it feel like our whole life is on hold until we do. We have a few houses picked out but until we get a pre-approval letter, there is no point on going on a house hunting trip.
On another note, that is my Embossed Leaves sock I have started on for my mother in law. I am using Dream In Color Smooshy Sock yarn in Petal shower. I am so surprised by how easy this pattern really is, it is just flying by. And it looks great, especially in this yarn. And below is my way-cool Slytherin sock, I have put the other on hold for hte Embossed Leaves.
On a stupider note, I got up this morning and saw some guys leaning against my fence and freaked out and called the police. The police told me I was over reacting and it was a deer or something, so I feel really stupid right now. I have a serious paranoid streak.

Winning Stuff Is Cool

Yesterday was the great End Of Summer Party at the library. A lot of things suck here, A LOT, but not the library. It is one of the best libraries I have ever been to. Granted it is small, but it is a wonderful place to study, they have excellent WiFi and a really cool inter-library loan system. I once got a knitting book from Alaska! can you imagine?
So, they had their party and as you can see, Little G won herself a prize playing baby bingo. Woo-Hoo.
















And..............Lizzie won 2nd place for having the most minutes read! Yea! It was pretty nice loot. I know because it is currently scattered all over my living room.




Them, a prize drawing!!Lizzie won a set of play golf clubs! Which have been used to torture and harass my cat all over greater Utah!
In other news, next week looks like it may become the big house hunting trip in Alabama. I am excited but after reading the very depressing news concerning credit and mortgages, I am not holding my breath on finding a house. I am a born pessimist. Boeing is quick, they waste no time. Now they are telling us we need to be there by mid-September. Jeez! Slow down.
Have a great weekend everyone!
p.s. Guess what? I AM STILL NOT BELIEVING THAT CRAP ABOUT SNAPE AND HARRY'S MOM!!!

Arghhhhhhhhhhhh!

Found you!

• You signed up on July 18, 2007
• You are #18590 on the list.
• 9977 people are ahead of you in line.
• 5910 people are behind you in line.
• 34% of the list has been invited so far

A Break From Socks, Sort of

This is my "Oriel Lace Scarf" in Panda Cotton that I have just started. I found this pattern at my LYS, it was written by one of the instructors there. There was a sample of it at Black Sheep Wool Company
and I just had to try it. I have never really done any lace yet, but this pattern is really easy and the panda cotton is perfect fir it, I think. It shows off the color and makes it nice and stretchy.
My slytherin sock................what can I say. i think i just do not care for this yarn. It is really hard to knit with. It is splitty, does not hold the stitches well and pulls out of shape. But I must finish them
My sleepy baby.........and my brand new Dream In Color Smooshy Sock yarn in Petal Showers. Yum Yum.
On a crappier note, don't you hate when your ex decides to get cute with child support? That is always nice. Because you know you can always decide that you don't want to feed them that day, or buy them shoes, or even get out of bed to take care of them that month. I really think it is more important that he gets to make that payment on his sports car or his shiny new boat. I imagine it is some comfort for the jackass to know that even though he decided to drop their health insurance, their step dad will pick it up and make sure they have all their shots for school and new backpacks and lunch money. Sorry,i am really seething............really really really seething. But, on the other hand....SMOOSHY SOCK YARN YEA!
I am signed up for the super cool tea swap, ARE YOU?

Sigh........... (Ravelry)

Found you!

• You signed up on July 18, 2007
• You are #18590 on the list.
• 10517 people are ahead of you in line.
• 4667 people are behind you in line.
• 33% of the list has been invited so far

Tea Swap Sign Up Day!!!!

Just posting some pics of the birthday presents from my MIL. Cool sock yarn and books. Yes, that is the fall issue of Interweave Knits. It came in the mail yesterday!! But, it was not as great as I had hoped (sigh). But my yarn is super cool! There is some Regia, Lana Wool, and the new Opal line that is based on the Dutch guys paintings, I can neither spell nor pronounce his name, sorry.
Check out my homemade fly strips, they work great, are cheap, and fun to make. We have tons of flies all over the place because of all the deer. Flies are a horrible problem. I hate them! HATE THEM!

The many moods of her highness.

Knit One Tea Two Questionaire

Knit 1 Tea 2 Color Swap Questionnaire

1. Do you like loose tea or bags, or both – something you want to try? I like both, though I usually like bagged. I think I use mainly bagged because I cannot find my strainer since we moved and everytime I go to the store, I forget to buy another one.
   

2. What is your favorite kind of tea (Brand, flavor, variety, etc)? My favorite tea in the world is any black tea mixed with lavender. But I generally stick to the black teas, especially Earl and Lady Grey, Darjeelings, with the occasional white tea thrown in.

3. Favorite color in regards to tea or one you would like to try? (black, green, red, and white) (keeping in mind that this is how this swap is set up). Black tea is my favorite
   

4. Would you say you were a tea pot kind of person or just a hot water heater kind? Tea Pot, I own a Brown Betty and an Electric Kettle, but some times I get lazy and just throw a bag in a cup
   

5. What tea accessories would you like but have never purchases for yourself? A nice strainer, I guess and maybe those fancy sugar cubes
   

6. How do you prefer to be pampered? (examples: mani/pedi, bubble bath, yummy treat, etc). I love hand cream and anything that smells of lavender. I am a bit of a lavender fiend
   

7. If you were a kind of yarn what would you be and why? Sock yarn, because it is just the coolest
   

8. If you had to knit/crochet baby booties, a fun fur scarf, or a fair isle sweater, which would you choose and why? baby booties, because turning a heel makes me feel clever
   

9. What other event would make you skip a tea party? (A garden party? A book club meeting? A yoga class? Opening night for a new action thriller? etc?) Probably a knitting class, i am always looking for classes that I can take so I can learn new techniques
   

10. What treat would you consider essential at your tea party? (Sweet? Salty? Scones? Those petite pastry trays with a couple of all sorts of things? Little crust less sandwiches?) scones and double devonshire cream and honey
    

11. When buying yarn for a project how do you choose - do you buy the one called for or do you substitute? It depends on the project, but I will usually substitute. I like to use what I like and I feel comfortable knitting
    

12. What do you carry your knitting/crocheting in when on the go? Of course, I am an avid sock knitter
    

13. Favorite movie to watch while knitting/crocheting? I like BBC or Masterpiece theater type dramas. Period pieces mainly
    

14. Are you a traditional tea cup kind of person or a mug type of person? Do you care if they match? I don't care if they match, but I do prefer drinking tea from a cup but I am not picky and a mug will suffice
    

15. Favorite childhood birthday party? i don't think I ever had one, though for my last birthday, my husband took me to Protea Cottage for Afternoon Tea. I even had a birthday cake in a tea cup!
    

16. Favorite type of scone and jam? Regular butter scones and devonshire cream is my favorite
    

17. If you use candles, what is your favorite scent? Lavender
    

18. If you could choose 3 people to have 'tea' with, who would they be and why? (famous or not, living or dead). Oscar Wilde, Huey P Long, and Thom Hartmann. Because that would be the most literal and interesting tea party ever conceived
    

19. You've been invited to a tea party, what 'props' will you wear (formal or casual)? A nice knee length tweed skirt and sensible shoes
    

20. Any allergies/preferences you have or are willing to admit to? I have a marked preference for lavender
    

21. Anything we missed that you want your pal to know? I love lavender and I am a sock knitter. We are moving to Alabama this winter and I am in school getting a degree in Education, though my previous degree was in Literature. I love anything that has to do with Professor Snape or Slytherin house, even though I keep getting sorted into Ravenclaw!!! I have three kids, 13, 8, and 1 and a giant black cat called Lucifer, whom I adore. He is the reason I collect anything with a black cat on it, from quilts to sock bags.
    

Back On The Chain Gang!

What a week! You can see how it wore out Poor Luci(fer). That is him sleeping on top of my lap top. We have been running around a lot, we had family down this week. There were 8 kids in my tiny house! But it was fun, my mother in law knits as well and always brings me great yarn as presents and she was true to form this time, I will post pictures soon. Today, I broke down and bought a hank of Dream In Color Smooshy Sock from Simply Socks Yarn Company.
They are a great store with a great assortment. I thought I would use it to knit my MIL a pair of Embossed Leaves socks for her b-day in October.
I finished the Retro Ribs!! It is a bad pic, I know. These were shipped out today to my school pal, Lisa. Speaking of which, my new term started today. Woohoo, back to the grind. It will be a late night tonite.
My new project, being modeled by a sleeping demon. My super sexy cool Slytherin Socks. These are for me! Finally, socks for me. This a really easy yarn to work with. I got it from Wool Girl, they had all the houses.
I wish I could take a nap! Jeez!

Still Not Buying It..........

That's right, I am still not buying that stuff about Snape and Harry's mother. Sounds a little too contrived and convenient to me.
Anywho, I got my stuff i ordered from Biggs and Featherbelle today, I bought my own B-day present. I got their little kit of 3 for 16.99. You get a soap, a body butter, and a lip balm. I got all lavender, of course. And I love it! It is amazing, i can see my self ordering quite a bit from them.
One of my retro rib socks is finished, Yea! can't wait to start my Slytherin Socks. Wool Girl says Yarntini on the 1st. Woo Hoo, then I can use my gift certificate!

Who needs a hug?

I Am Back!

I am so stupid! I just realized that only my pictures posted! Ugh!!! So, here is some interesting words to go along with my thrilling pictures!!! I will try to answer all the questions that my Blog Buddy, Anna sent me.
I had a pretty good weekend! We went and took the oldest girl to her knitting lesson, which she liked. I got her some nice Lamb's Pride bulky to practice with. The teacher said she was doing great, but now she refuses to practice. Everyone wants to knit but no one wants to practice.
After the knitting lesson, we went to the Protea Cottage and had afternoon tea. It was alot of fun, but there was no AC and it was 105 outside so we dying. They even gave me a birthday cake in a tea cup. Lots of fun! I wish I had taken a picture of it.
Then, we went back to the hotel, I took a nap and the kids went swimming. I needed my rest for the HP book party that night. Well, we got the HP party around 10, me sweatily clutching my little orange wrist band/ The line was around the block and no one was getting in. I was really disappointed! The kids all wanted to stay but I figured I would come back first thing in the morning and get it. So, that it what I did. Just walked right in, no lines, no people, grabbed the thing off the shelf and sauntered over to the cash register. Yeehaw!
This is my daughter refusing to get up the next day. Our hotel had a free breakfast so we were being all cheap and trying to make it in time. That is a nice shot of my husband's army. He liked to remind me all weekend that he was only 28 to my 34. sigh
And there it is! I got 2 copies, one for me and one for the kids to fight over. I finished it in 2 days. It was pretty good, I only say pretty good because I do not believe any of that silly mess about Snape and Harry's mother. I won't say anymore because I do not want to ruin it for anyone. the ending is a bit predictable and leaves alot out concerning the other characters.
My new haul!! Above is the yarn that snuck into my basket while my daughter was having her lesson. One is Louets Gems and the other is Reynolds Sea Wool. I have never used any of them but they were pretty and I thought they would look good in some of those great patterns in my Interweave Sock Book, even though next I will be knitting my Slytherin House Socks, in honor of Professor Snape, and I must add, the first pair I have ever knit for myself.

Below are some great finds too. On Saturday, on the way home I had to stop by the Unraveled Sheep (they had sent me a birthday coupon). There I found this great sock yarn by Sleeping Dragon, who is actually a local dyer. The one on the right is hers, it is called Winter Thaw. I love it, I do believe that Simply Sock Yarn carries it as well. They just opened back up by the way. The other is By Mountain Bearfoot and I bought it for a swap that is starting next month! Knitters Tea swap, sign ups August 3rd!
And my husband, he got me a gift certificate for Wool Girl! Yea!!! I haven't used it yet because I am waiting for her to get in her Yarntini! So, everyone write back and tell me what you think of the new HP.

New Needle Wednesday

We survived the hotel hell ! It wasn't too bad, the kids got a little testy towards the end. We got home to a house full of power, apparently it had been on for hours but no one told us. There was also two more surprises waiting for me on my doorstep. New needles from Knit Picks and letter telling us we would not have power tomorrow either (did I mention how much I hate it here?). I guess since they knocked off early, they get to come back tomorrow and do it all over again!
I digress, back to the needle story; I have needles in the coveted "off sizes" for socks, sz 1 at 2.25 mm and sz. 2 at 2.75 mm. How cool is that? I have been looking for these everywhere. They are almost half sizes really. Everyone go get some before they run out.
Almost my birthday and the HP book party!! I am hoping my husband just gives it up and gets me a gift certificate from some place cool like Wool Girl or yarn 4 Socks. Unfortunately for me, I can't leave the house tomorrow because Boeing is sending another package that I have to sign for, so it will be my in the dark and hot ( I guess I don't need to mention how much I hate this place). But, I got a lot of knitting done today and probably tomorrow too.
These are just gratuitous shots of Glynis the Menace after being in a hotel room with her all day.
My pet rats!!!!Yes I have pet rats and I love them very much.

Hotel Blues

So,
Here I am sitting in a hotel room. Can't complain too much, well, I can, but I won't. The Army Lodge let us have the room for a day for only 15 bucks. I thought that was pretty generous of them. They could have told us to piss off. We even have internet.
The details of the Boeing package back and I must say I am surprised. They are offering about 5 grand less then we expected but here is what they are offering and I think it makes up for it:

Relocation costs plus travel money and a rental car until our cars arrive

They will pay our closing costs on a house and a Boeing mortgage guy

Job assistance placement for me

So.......opinions please!!

VENT VENT VENT

Isn't it amazing how fast things can go from ok to complete crap? Our illustrious housing office (we live in base housing, part of the package they used to get my husband to come up here to this dump ) decided that even though it is supposed to top over 100 tomorrow, they needed to do some maintenance that they said they fixed in March and we will not have power from 9-5. They tell my husband this at 4 Monday afternoon. And this house is built crappy, it is like a tomb. I hate that housing office with a passion anyways, they have done nothing but screw us since we got here. Which is anohter story. So, we will be without power all day in the middle of a heat wave. So, since we have to pay them for our electricity, we submitted a claim to have our rent prorated and our lost food costs reimbursed and the money we have to pay to the hotel I have to take the kids to reimbursed. Our renters insurance doesnt cover planned outages for some reason. Oh, and then I call the Protea Cottage in Salt Lake City where I have my birthday Afternoon Tea reservations and we are told that they redid the menu and do not allow children in during the day anymore so they canceled our reservations! Two weeks ago! And never told us and charged our CC! I am so pissed and have no idea what to do now. I guess I can figure it out while I am sitting in a crappy hotel room with three antsy kids for 8 hours. Oh, and pray my animals make it through the heat and my fish don't suffocate because their filters dont work.
F%$K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rain and a Vacuum Cleaner

The heat is finally starting to break! It is even raining, complete with thunder and occasional lightning. It is such a nice break, but as soon as this storm passes, it will go back to being hellishly hot, now with humidity. So I am enjoying it while I can. So is crazy Lucifer. He has been working himself up watching the birds play in the rain. It is early morning and all the kids, including the baby are still asleep. I have a late sleeping baby. That gives me about an hour in the morning to drink coffee and try to wake up. The two older ones sleep until noon or so. How nice is that?
My bearded dragon, Rupert. I have no idea why I stuck that picture there. I just did. So, there he is, waiting for his crickets. I received in the mail yesterday and read completely ( I am an insomniac) a book called Peony In Love by Lisa See.
It was very good,which surprised me. It is about a girl in China in the 17th Century waiting on her arranged marriage. She dies and spends years following the man she was meant to marry around. So, much of it is told from the point of view of a ghost, which was really interesting. What it is really about is love and its many forms. Such a different book! Very refreshing. In the end, the author explains how there was a rash of deaths of young girls that were called the lovesick maidens. What they really were doing was starving themselves. Ugh, so there you go. That is how one dies of lovesicknesses. Not at all romantic.
Ah, my latest sock. Pay no attention to the dirty chair it is on. Hey, I have a teenager and a toddler. Nothing in my house is clean and if it is, not for long. That is the Retro Rib Sock from Favorite Socks (the sock knitting tome). I really love the green stripe the yarn is creating. This yarn is Northern Nights from Cherry Tree Hill. It is great yarn, my mother in law sent it to me for Xmas. I have never knit with such a dark yarn before, it is a little challenging, but I am getting the hang of it
And lastly, a gratuitous shot of my latest purchase. Yes, it is a Dyson, the Dyson of vacuuming fame. Does it live up to the hype? A resounding YES! This is greatest vacuum ever created EVER. This thing can suck out souls. I got mine at HSN, home of the flex-pay. I will need it to clean this house when we move, Yea , we are moving. We have already started looking for a house online. We are finally going to break down and buy our own house, I can't wait. I am getting a sunroom to knit in and a huge back yard and my very own chicken, for the eggs. See, I am so excited. Hopefully, nothing falls through.
PS. In other socky-goodness news, Sock Pixie has two new yarns just out today. I am resisting because we are supposed to saving money now, but they are as beautiful as the others. Sock-a-licious. But my birthday is on Friday and maybe I will just treat myself.