Happy Early Thanksgiving!

Tomorrow is a busy day for most of us so I'm posting today to wish everyone a Blessed Thanksgiving. I wish I was able to be with the majority of my family in California, but I'm very thankful that they're doing well, and I know they miss us too. No matter how old I get, I still miss that closeness.

As for myself, I'll be terribly busy eating all the good food that The Big Guy whips up. He keeps with my Grandpa's tradition in taking the reins for holidays (but to be truthful, he cooks most of the time anyway). He loves making all the "Big Things" like the turkey, stuffing, and ham. I do the simple things like salads! (which I can still manage to mess up!) At least I get the Cranberry Sauce all to myself, no one else in this house will eat it? I know! I don't understand it either!

After stuffing myself I'll get back to these:
Some easy going reading and a Christmas Scarf for The Big Guy (which will be hard to do with him around for the next 4 days... I better find something else to knit). I just hope I can keep my eyes open after all that food! I may sleep until Monday!


To all my friends and blog readers (if you're in the states).

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Mystery Beret KAL Update #2

My Meret is done and she's being blocked right now.
I finally finished it while watching Dancing With The Stars on Tuesday night and it was so easy to follow the instructions even while watching TV. Did I mention I love this pattern? I think I did in a prior post but it's so worth repeating. Easy but FUN! I'll be looking for more projects like it in the future.

Both of these pictures aren't quite accurate in the colorway department. It's actually darker and not quite as pink as my camera represents here. I'll post the specs on it when it's dry (and maybe I can get one of the girls to model it for me).

I don't know, it just feels good to get something done. Besides cleaning house for company that never shows up, I feel like I'm going in circles. Off to find a pattern to work up a scarf or hat for The Big Guy for Christmas. Happy Knitting.

Winter = Crazy Kids

I have to admit, it does give me warm fuzzies to see them actually USING what I've knit up and have around the house:

Do they match? No. Do they care? No.

They're using two scarves and one hat that I've made in the past. Makes a Mommy proud! (well, sort of!). It was around 32 degrees with a windchill of 26 and I caught them out there looking like this. Yes, it was cold, but I think they need something with "eye holes" for sure!

What must my neighbors think....

Where's the Beret?

Ah... well...it's in hibernation. Just waiting ever so patiently! I know, it should be DONE by now. The final clue was given on November 13th but I haven't picked it back up since around the 7th. I feel very fickle for being so gung-ho about it and then fizzling out on the home stretch. I do LOVE it, I just haven't gotten back to it - but I plan to. Soon.

I did get a couple of magazines to thumb through and drool over so that's always a good thing.

Of course, I forgot my 40% off coupon for Joann's at home on the kitchen counter after holding onto it ALL week for that savings. That's how things go for me sometimes. Forget about them cutting you some slack and just scanning an extra one there at the store. Oh Noooo, it ain't gonna happen no matter how pathetic you look or sound (and I tried really hard!). JC Penney's does that for me, so I guess I get spoiled by GOOD customer service. Come to think of it though, I don't think any of them will (Michael's, AC Moore, or Hobby Lobby). I was very disappointed in their selection of yarns and beads. They seem to be down-sizing more and more every time I visit there. That's a shame. I KNOW us knitters/crafters are STILL doing our thing, why does big business think we've disappeared???

I also felt about as big as an ant when I said I needed a bag for my purchase at one of my LYS's. Firstly, I hadn't planned on stopping in there, secondly, I can barely remember what I did yesterday much less that she mentioned something awhile back in an email newsletter about some bag policy she'd be working on (Do you remember every single thing you read?). Thirdly, I bought the yarn to possibly whip something up for Hubby for Christmas so of course I didn't want him to see it, hence the need for the bag since he was waiting in the car. The look on the owners face when I said I did need a bag (and I apologized profusely) about floored me. I was put in the "Customer Hall of Shame" I'm pretty sure. My picture is probably up on the wall with a big red circle/slash on it saying "Can you believe she took a bag?". Well, I won't be spending my yarn dollars there anymore. It's just another thing added to my list of reasons not to patronize her shop. As it is I barely go now because of things that have bugged me in the past so it's not any big loss. Luckily I have many other choices around here. Maybe I should mail the bag back to her...

I also ventured into "Router Hell" again this weekend. With our old router, I could use my wireless printer just fine, but the Xbox 360 would glitch. So we bought a different kind. Xbox worked fantastic for online gaming, but wireless printer is a no-go and I don't discover that until many hours later and after googleling info on my printer. This weekend we bought yet another router and Yay! My printer works again - but Xbox is still glitching. What would you do? Give up your wireless printing capabilites for his gaming pleasure? Or get two routers and switch them out? Or let him live with glitches??? Why can't things just be easy? Is this some big cosmic joke? Or maybe Bill Gates and others are sitting there laughing their booty's off while people go insane trying to get things to be compatible? I wonder....

The Big Guy knows how to cheer me up though. 2 more lbs of . All is better.

Gotta go, the chocolate fumes are overtaking me.

Mystery Beret KAL Update

The first Mystery Beret I started in Lorna's Laces Black Purl (Worsted) ended up in the "Frog Pond". I made so many mistakes on it I just lost heart and yanked that sucker out! I may try again someday with this yarn because TODAY the last installment is up and the finished pattern is so pretty.
As usual, I just realized I'm behind!! I didn't catch the day the second installment came out (the 6th) and of course today I just came across it being the last day! I need a big giganti-normous calendar right in front of my face because I haven't got a clue most days!

This one is made of Dream In Color's Classy (Worsted). If you've never tried DIC yarns, you'll absolutely fall in love. I know I have. When you wash this up (It's superwash, I throw it in the washing machine) it turns out so soft and lovely, you wouldn't be disappointed. I guess I better go get busy and try to finish it today! BTW, this colorway is a lot darker than in the pic, my camera is still trying to tell me I'll never master it's supremacy.

Honoring Our Veterans

These are the planes that The Big Guy used to work on.

He served in the USAF as a jet engine mechanic at the 144th Fighter Wing. Everytime I go back to Fresno and see and hear those planes flying overhead (they are LOUD and they are FAST), my heart just skips a beat with pride. They fly side by side and what they represent is freedom to me. Protection. Patriotism. Man are they awesome.

We have quite a military family on both sides. We're very proud of all of them who have served and continue to serve. Even in peace time it's stressful for those who know they could be called away for tours anytime, but especially in times likes these and in years past when things are turmultuous, we especially have them in our prayers.

Thank You Veterans.

Miss C's Pretty Smile

Chel's braces were finally put on Friday afternoon! Whew! She has 4 on top and 4 on the bottom. (Pink because it's Mom's fav color, and UT Orange for Dad! Isn't she sweet?) Unfortunately, Saturday afternoon a bracket on the bottom came loose, which was a bummer since she was trying very hard to be extra careful. It really only bothered her at night so I had to try to get that darn WAX to STAY PUT. Finally it did, and she got some rest.

Tomorrow I have to take her in to get it fixed. Hopefully they can get us in early. Other than that, she's doing really well with the whole deal. I don't think she felt any pain because I felt it all!! Seriously. I was a wreck before, during, and after, and somehow I made sure I remembered to give her some motrin before her appointment. They had stressed that it would take about 3 hours and she was out in less than an hour. My baby is a great patient! And I'm a nervous wreck.

I finally used the crock pot we bought months ago. I have to say my stew was mighty tasty, I sure do love my veggies, but we agreed that the oven does just as good a job (if not better per The Big Guy) in less time. Oh well, we'll try chili next time I think. If all else fails I'll use it to dye yarn.

I'm now "tinking" back my first Mystery KAL Beret, I made some wacky mistakes and thought I could live with them until I took a closer look today and saw that I had dropped a stitch as well! I almost ripped the whole thing out but stayed patient and worked back to that stitch. The other boo-boo I made will stay since it's in the back and not as noticable, I just flubbed a row I think and I'm too tired to tink back probably 5 more rows. I couldn't get pictures today because it was a gloomy, cloudy day. Maybe tomorrow.....

I love this pattern!! If you haven't started it, it's not too late!!!

I'm still here Jeanne! :)

Jeanne was getting worried about me hiding under my rock again! (It's so nice to be missed by my knitting buddies!) Sometimes the days just go by quicker than I can get my fingers to knit and I'm pretty boring without anything to show! (Next Installment on the Mystery KAL is Nov 6th!) On the excitement scale of life, I'm on the laid-back end, resting nicely in the "idle" position. Sigh.

I'm having my usual pre-hormonal times. All of sudden my hands won't work as well, my mind goes kind of devoid of all organization, and frankly I'm not sure I even know what day it is! It'd be kind of sad if it wasn't so funny!! I guess we all have those kinds of days! ???

Funny Mishap #1: here's one of my knitting bags that just happened to be sitting on the floor by the bed AND the slightly cluttered nightstand.

Well, I had one of those premonitions: - "oh no, that's gonna spill" - a major clarity moment right before it happened. And yes, half a cup of Diet Cherry Pepsi spilled right into the bag. Right on top of my two Mystery Berets in progress and on some other yarn I had in there. (This pic is the bag sitting by the window the day after the calamity.) As soon as it happened (in s -l- o- w motion) I immediately dumped everything out on the CARPET (yes, YARN is more important) and grabbed several towels to sop up the Pepsi. Thank goodness it didn't have time to sink in more. My yarn doesn't feel sticky or anything, but I can't wait to WASH it when I'm done knitting it up. Just to feel better about things and all.

Mishap #2: Well, not really a mishap, just more brain crushing tech stuff that TOOK ALL DAY so I couldn't knit even if I wanted to! - I had to install the new router SOMEONE bought (that we really didn't NEED but HE wanted installed because his X-Box online games were glitching), and it caused me so much frustration that I couldn't even look at him without feeling like I wanted to slap him upside the head. It's not hard to set these things up, but now my wireless printer is messed up -I've tried everything possible to fix it- BELIEVE ME! I can still use it as a "regular" printer on my desktop but having the ease of using it from the laptop was heaven. I'm gonna miss that.

Have you ever banged something on the table (any hard surface will do) because you JUST-KNOW-IT-SHOULD-WORK-AND-IT-WON'T?? It still didn't. He seriouly owes me some yarn for this....

See Jeanne!!?? Sometimes it's a good thing I'm MIA! LOL!!!