Yarnocturnally

Aren’t they lovely? They just arrived a few minutes ago. With no name on them. I am assuming my darling husband sent them though. I love them! They came on the perfect day too, because it is cloudy, rainy, windy and cold right outside right now. Those yellow roses are like little sunbeams, reminding me of warm days. (I’ve had to backtrack and correct a number of typos already because my hands are freezing. I am about to get a hot cup of coffee to snuggle with lol) Anyway, just wanted to share my little moment of happy with y’all =)

I love Saturday mornings. It’s so peaceful and quiet. No clock watching to make sure the boy wakes up and catches the bus on time. No rushing around. No noisy school buses or trash trucks on the street. Just quiet coffee time. The boy is still sleeping, and will be for a couple of hours. It’s cloudy and cool out so I can relax about the dog and walk him a little later than usual, which will upset him but I don’t really care. He’ll get his walk, just an hour or so later

I’m almost finished with the first grandbaby project. I’ve finished the squares, woven some of the ends and joined the squares. I still have more ends to deal with and then it needs to go through the wash. I’ve decided to make bibs instead of socks with the Paton’s Grace. This baby is already 7 or 8 months old and she was a drool factory when we met her. Bibs to catch the slobber seemed a better fit than socks when I remembered that.

So I searched out bib patterns and of course the only one I loved was in a book I don’t posses, so I just used some measurements I found and freehanded a slip on bib. It’s nearly finished but I have two more to do. When it’s all done I will post a pic.

We didn’t get to start Boomer’s obedience school last Sunday, the trainer had a death in the family and had to leave town. So tomorrow will be his first day. I’m very much looking forward to it.

The boy has brought home several “A” test grades in the past two weeks. He seems to have really taken our little discussion to heart. I hope so because I’d hate to see him repeat 8th grade OR have to spend his entire summer in summer school. So I’m praising the hell out of these good grades and telling him to keep it up, with grades like thoses he just might stand a chance. I’m currently keeping to myself the thoughts I am having that go something like…

“If he’s so capable of whipping out these last minute save his ass “A’s” wtf has been his problem this whole year long?”

Among other thoughts along the lines of what sorts of changes I think I’m going to make before next school year starts. But anyway, I’m not talking about those things with him just yet. I’m saving that little talk for after he’s pulled his ass out of the fire and proves to me that he really can do it. Then I have a lot of words for him.
A lot.

OK, well I am going to go enjoy my peaceful Saturday morning now =) Crochet a little and then walk the dog. Those are my only plans for this day, if I can help it that is.

Oh man was Saturday fun! We stayed up too late Friday night so we only got a nap before we got up and hit the road. I started feeling icky not long after. The boy kindly shared his stomach bug with me. We made a pit stop in Quantico, where I purchased Immodium and proceeded to take an entire day’s worth of pills over the course of a couple of hours. After reading the stories of the long lines and porta-potties I wasn’t taking ANY chances. I did pretty well, only needed to take one more dose after eating some of the delicious, but greasy, ribbon chips.

I’ve never seen so many fiber lovers in one place in my life. This is not the greatest picture, but look at that crowd of people.

That was taken sometime before or right around noon. All those little dots in the center distance in the pic are people. Lots of people. But I have to say, everyone was pretty polite and considerate. I’d read stories of stroller incidents and backpacks smacking into people, but I experienced none of that. When someone bumped into me they almost always said sorry or excuse me (as I did) and people were happy to trade places with me in the crowded booths so I could get out and they could get in or vice versa.

I didn’t take a single picture of the gorgeous yarns on display. I blame the yarn fumes. I just never had the thought register when I was in the presence of the actual yarn. I did take lots of pictures of sheep and alpacas.

Aren’t they adorable? I want. The chocolate colored one was making the cutest sounds. I can’t even describe it. But the poor guy was stressed out. All the people and noises and everything. There was a truck behind me creeping by as I took that picture, so that’s why his ears are laid back.

And finally, the haul.

I got two skeins of Socks That Rock. One in Mossay and I forget the other colorway. I got two skeins of Brooks Farm yarns, Solo and Acero but I can’t remember the color names and I am too lazy to get up right this second. The yarn closest in the pic is Jitterbug. All sock/fingering weight except the lace. Destined to become socks and fingerless mitts probably. And I got two skeins of gorgeous green lace weight, I don’t knit lace but it was only $10 a skein and I love the green… maybe I will find a very simple lace scarf to do and that can be my summer project. I also got a festival tshirt, which I forgot to put in the picture.

It was an awesome day. The drive up was not bad, other than the gut issues. The traffic to get into the fairgrounds was backed up quite a ways when we arrived but I expected it. Driving home… well I don’t know what Kelly told Maggie (the GPS) to do but Maggie sent us into downfuckingtown Washington DC. Seriously, into the ghetto. We saw row houses and crack dealers and the Capitol building right up close and personal. Kelly got some pictures (I was driving) so I’ll have to get copies of them and post ‘em. We finally got off the city streets and onto the highway and eventually came out the other side heading for Richmond. But ohmygawd it sucked like hell. I never ever ever want to drive in or near DC again. Ever.

I can’t wait for next year! We’ve already decided we will find a different route, but we’re going back!

It’s Friiiiiiiiiiiiiday! Tonight, my friend Kell is sleeping over because we are leaving at 4am tomorrow morning to drive to MS&W! I can’t freakin’ wait! It is going to be so much fun =) I fully expect to have multiple fibergasms tomorrow.

I know you’re supposed to go to these things with a battle plan. Knowing what sort of yarn you want to buy, with a list of yardages and all of that jazz. I’m throwing caution to the wind though. I have no plan. I’m taking a certain amount of cash and I plan to just impulse buy. I don’t have any specific projects in mind for the near future anyway. I have a vague idea of yardages required for some things, such as sweaters, blankets, etc. so if I see something I have to have for a specific thing, I will just have to make my best guess and then add a skein or ball or two for good measure. The only planned project I have is still pretty vague, something for a baby girl due to make her appearance in August. The mom is using pink and chocolate brown as her colors. I haven’t decided if I’ll be making her a blanket or a bear or what. No clue. So, I’ll just have to be on the lookout for pink and brown yarns that trip my trigger.

On the other hand. They have spinning wheels there. I’ve wanted one for a very long time now. I might wind up spending my budget (and then some, thank you president Bush!) to get myself a wheel. Knowing me, I will restrain myself though. But we’ll see =)

The kid is sick. I had to pick him up from school yesterday and he’s staying home today. I will so kick his ass if he’s so sick I have to stay home tomorrow. Seriously. OK, maybe not, but I would be very bummed. So please send get better vibes to my brat child so his mommy can go out to play tomorrow! I’m going to be stuffing Advil down his throat all day today. Whatever it is has been going around the school according to the nurse. She didn’t even give him a choice in the matter yesterday, when he told her his symptoms she said “You are going home, let’s call your mom.” With SOL’s looming around the corner, they aren’t sending kids home lightly. They are all about the prepping for those damned tests and making sure your kid is there every day, on time and ready to work. *Sigh* damned viruses. Get well vibes. Lots and lots of them please!

OK, so I’ve been tagged once again for the 7 random things meme. Ktb I’m not sure I can think of 7 random things that I haven’t already told everyone about. I’ll try though.

1. Tomorrow is my first ever fiber related festival. Hopefully the first of many =)

2. I don’t really like crowds but I am willing to make the sacrifice for the sake of fiber.

3. I was at a friend’s house yesterday and missed the birth of her puppies by mere minutes. She knew her girl was pregnant but thought she had *just* gotten pregnant and that they had a couple of months before the puppies arrived. I saw the dog trying to nest in the couch pillows and told her that when the dog went into labor that would be her spot. Turns out I was right! I should be able to see the pups later today.

4. Boomer starts obedience school Sunday! Woohoo! I’m finally going to learn how to get him to walk properly on leash! He’s signed up for the beginner class, but he’s already got a head start on things because he knows a majority of what they teach. Or at least he has a basic knowledge of them. I’m very excited though, because this class will help me teach him better. It will be good for both of us. The boy will be attending too, so he can learn how to handle our big guy better. My hope is that after this, I can send them out for walks and feel more confident. Right now I worry that Boo will yank loose and run off if he sees something he can’t resist, and he outweighs the boy by a good 30 pounds, so it’s possible lol.

5. I miss the hell out of my husband. It hasn’t even been a full month yet. I need one of two things. A) one of those nifty transporters so I can go visit him at will. or B) A time machine so I can hurry this year along and get him home. Yes, I watch too much si-fi and I am a dreamer. But if anyone happens to have one of these items hiding in the basement, gimme a shout ok?

6. I’m running out of random things to say.

7. Oh, wait! Here’s one more. I started the baby blanket over again. This time I am making 12 inch squares. Same stitch pattern, just on a smaller scale. Somehow, the edges are turning out perfectly this time around. Don’t ask me why because I have no idea. I just know I have made three and a half squares and they have nice straight edges. I also feel like it’s progressing much faster. I can whip out a square in an afternoon or evening of crocheting. I think I’m going to like it better this way, so maybe it’s a good thing I had to start over. In spite of the fact that I hate joining squares lol.

OK, so my 7 random things are kinda lame and boring but it’s early and my brain is not really awake yet. I’m not tagging anyone else… for the simple fact that I don’t want to get my ass kicked So go for it if you feel the urge (the meme not the ass kicking!) or if you just need blog fodder….

I’m ticked off. At myself. Just look at this…

This is a baby blanket for a friend’s first grand-baby.

More than a month’s worth of work. Fucked up. I didn’t learn my lesson regarding checking gauge and stitch count very well did I?For point of ref. the strips are meant to be horizontal, but the picture didn’t show the screw-up well with it the right way. There are two extra stitches, and the edge I’m working on is TWO WHOLE INCHES wider than the starting edge. WTF?

I seriously doubt I could block this to work out. I’m going to have to frog it. Dammit. I was only about 6 inches from being DONE with this. I’m going to go have a wee cry now, then set up the winder so I can frog it and start over. Well, almost over. I’ve got to go so far back it might as well be starting over.

Damn. Just shoot me now.

This is a milestone!

Yes, Boomer and Tux are sharing the bed. Tux was sleeping peacefully there on the corner, when Boo decided the floor was just too uncomfortable. So he walked over to the bed and sort of walked across it, when Tux didn’t move he walked away, but then came right back. He acted like he was going to lay down so I told him it was ok, just don’t squish the kitty. He walked away again, but again went right back and that time he turned a few circles and flopped right down. He only stayed about three minutes, but it’s something!

Tux has always been our dog hater. He was the one I was most concerned about when we got Boomer. But things seem to be working out just fine =) That makes me happy.

What didn’t make me happy was the nail I discovered embedded in the back tire of our car. I took the car up to Sam’s club to get them to patch it (which they do for free if you’re a member, just in case y’all didn’t already know that… I didn’t!) Turns out, they couldn’t patch it. Not enough tread left on it. I could have sworn hubby left me with four good tires. So, I had the nice boy put our spare on (which is a full sized tire) and now I’m going to have to buy a new tire. I had him look at the other back tire and he said it’s ok for another 10-20,000 miles. Then in the next breath said I should just get four new tires when I replace the spare. Ummm, but the two front ones are new. Like, really new. (I think?) So, shouldn’t I just need two new ones? I mean, I get that you don’t want to replace tires one at a time. But why should I replace the two new front tires? Gah. So, while I had hoped to enroll the dog in obedience classes next month, it looks like I’ll be buying a pair of tires instead.

Other than that, a whole lotta nothing going on. I’m getting farther along on the baby blanket I started before our vacation. Nearing the finish line actually. I’ll post pics when it’s there. Other than that, just keeping up with the house and yard work. Fun times lol.

I know. I’m never around any more. I really am going to try to get better, if for no other reason than so hubby can keep up with the goin’s on around here. Boring as that may be. I’m hoping he might be able to access the blog from the ship, so he can see photos and read about the stuff we’re doing. I just came to this brilliant conclusion this morning. Yep, I’m quick like that

So, today a friend and I decided to go garden hat shopping. We each wanted big floppy straw hats to keep the sun off our faces while we garden. So we went shopping! Yay! (Shhh don’t tell hubby, but I bought a new purse too ) I found the PERFECT hat. Wanna see?

Yep, Boomer wanted in on the action. But doesn’t my hat ROCK? Here’s a bit of a better view…

Who is that I hear hollering to see my tshirt? Yes, I hear you back there! OK, OK. This is the Tshirt I bought in San Antonio, on the lovely Riverwalk the day I got to meet Wendy. She’s been wanting to see the shirt on me, so here ya go Wendy!

And in closing… Boomer says

Hi!

Well, we’re back from our vacation! We had a wonderful time visiting the family, showing hubby my home state, spending time together as a family. It was very nice. I even got my driver’s license while we were there! We stopped by the license office before we left town and thought we’d just ask what needed to be done in order to get it back (for those who are new or who have forgotten, I was without a license for 13 years due to a suspension) and it turned out, all I needed to do was take the test. So I did it, and now I am 100% legal to drive!

We met with one of my new Ravelry friends, ZaftigWendy, while we were there and had a wonderful day at the San Antonio Riverwalk and the Alamo. She has a lovely family and they really showed us a great time. Also, she bought me chocolate, so she’s won my heart forever

The drive was long. Very long. It took us 25 hours to get there, with a short overnight stop in the town where my father is buried so I could visit his grave. We also drove through my old neighborhood and I showed hubby and son the house I grew up in. It looks nothing like it did then, the new owners have remodeled and changed it so much with an addition and changed the yard. After that we headed up to Kerrville where my family lives. We had some great days visiting them all and catching up before we headed north to visit another family member and then heading home.

We came home a day earlier than planned, in part because I had a feeling something was wrong here. I had been unable to reach the (supposed) friend who was (supposedly) taking care of our home and animals for several days in a row. I grew very concerned. I was still unable to reach her from the road, so I called another (real) friend and asked her to please stop by my house and chceck on things.

She called me as soon as she walked in the door and described the destruction and neglect she found. The animals had been left completely alone for at least two days, there was no water in any of the dishes and Boomer had even drained the toilet bowl. He had pissed numerous times on the carpet and linoleum, chewed up a lot of stuff and was quivering in fear when she walked in the door. We had just crossed into South Carolina from Georgia when she called us. Hubby drove 85-90mph the whole way home after that, crossed both Carolinas in under 5 hours and got us home about 2 hours earlier than we would have been. Thank the Gods my animals were all alive when we go home, because if any one of them had died from that bitch’s neglect there would have been hell to pay.

As it is, my dog has lost at least 10 pounds (we were gone 9 days) because he wasn’t being fed. We had to call in professionals to clean our carpets from the piss, and we can *still* smell it. We had to strip the covers off the furniture and all of Boomer’s bedding and take it to the laundromat to wash and sanitize. I’ll probably have to have the carpet guy come back out to steam clean and sanitize my sofa.

The cats don’t appear to have lost weight, though we know they also weren’t getting their food. In part because she wasn’t fucking here to feed them but also because on those few occasions when she did show up to do it then turned around and left, Boomer went in and ate it because he was so hungry. The only reason they don’t appear thinner is because they are so fat to begin with I think. They had more fat stored to see them through the starvation.

Not only did she neglect my animals, but she lied to me numerous times. Over and over again. I feel so betrayed. She is supposed to be my best friend/sister. One of the few people I felt I could trust with my life, with my kid’s life, and with my pet’s lives. She’s now proven me wrong. I am hurt and angry. How do I ever forgive this? I’m not sure.

So while my vacation was lovely, our homecoming sucked like hell. I’m glad to be home though and once we’ve finished putting our home back together all will be mostly as it was before. I do have to re-train Boomer in a number of ways though and he is so traumatized by the whole event I may never be able to let him have free run of the house when no one is home to watch him. He already had some slight separation anxiety but now it’s ten times worse than before thanks to her. It could take years to get him over this, if he ever does.

Well, I’ve got to go shower and get moving. We’re down to a matter of days before hubby leaves and we still have loads to do in a very short time. A lot of cleaning to do still too, as his parents will be stopping in this weekend for a quick visit before he leaves. We’ve made a good dent in the cleaning and in the to-do list though, so we just might get most of it taken care of before next week. I have hope anyway

I’ll try to come back and post some pictures from our trip, but it may not be till next week so be patient. I have a sneaking suspicion I’ll be posting a lot more in the very near future, so while I’ve been slacking off for a while… ya’ll will probably get sick of me pretty soon

OK, so I’m here all alone, hubby’s at sea and best friend out of town so I’ve got no one locally to ask this of.

I’m going to show you some pictures and I’d like to get your opinions.

This is the focal wall in my living room. The rug you see folded over the banister will hang on this wall, taking up most of it (it’s 6 ft long and I forget how wide but something like 4 ft) the wall color is called “Merlot” and in some lights, it looks that color. In other lights, it looks maroon. So sometimes more red, others more purple I guess?

The baseboards and trim throughout the house are currently white. I’m not sure how I like bright white with that wall though. I have an olive green that is on the dining room wall. I have olive greens on several of the rugs around this room. I also have a sort of burgundy/merlot color sprinkled around, some in the rugs and some in other things. Don’t really have much in the maroon shade, and I’m not even sure maroon is the right color for what it is. The picture is crap, the sun is not out today and it’s kind of blurry but tell me what you think?

The lighter shade of green on that strip of wall is not really that color, the flash washed it out, it’s much darker in person. (The darker shades on the color card are olive) I think it looks great with the dining room color.

So, should I leave it white or go with the darker olive?

Thanks for all the support on my “I Quit” post! I’ve not been at the computer much these past ten days so I haven’t taken the time to reply to you all, and I felt badly about that. I’m just having to recognize my triggers and avoid them for a while. And even though it’s been years and years since I’ve smoked at the computer, I still get the urge when I’m using it. I would get up and go out to smoke in the middle of writing a post or an email or reading a thread etc. but those urges are becoming a bit less. It’s the stress cravings that get me the most. I’m lucky that I don’t have a lot of stress in my life (generally, knock wood!) but little stresses are just as bad as big ones. I had to go out in public twice last week, which I wasn’t really ready for yet. Combine that with the way my husband drives, and I was almost ready to throw in the towel. Don’t get me wrong, hubby’s a great driver. He’s just kind of aggressive about it, that’s the only word I can find to use and it might not be just the right word. He speeds a lot, then gets ticked off at other people who actually follow the laws and drive the limit. Lots of things other drivers do tick him off lol. Which normally I can just sort of laugh off. But those days I wanted to kill him. Or all the other drivers if it’d shut him UP. But I made it through. The kid got his new shoes, we both got our new ID cards, and groceries were purchased. Sam’s Club on a Saturday is not my favorite place to be, ever, but last weekend was bad lol.

Hubby’s back at sea now for a few weeks. I’m hoping by the time he gets back my moods will have improved because he’ll go on leave then and we’ll have a lot of stuff to get done during his time left. I foresee lots of running of errands and doing of things. Plus, there’s a week long vacation to toss in the mix lol.

My walls are looking pretty nice though. I’ve gotten a lot of painting done. I can’t decide if I want to tackle the dining room next or if I want to go pick up paint for the living room and try to do as much as I can. The living room has cathedral ceilings, and we only have a 4 ft ladder. I am 5 ft tall. And afraid of heights,but I can force myself up three steps of the ladder. That still leaves me a few feet short of the upper parts of the walls though. We don’t have a long handled roller either, though I guess I could pick one up. If I can manage to get the rolling parts done, and find a ladder, I can either send the boy up to paint out the edges or it can wait for hubby to get home to do it. But at least I’d have paint on the walls. The dining room is easier, to a degree. No high ceilings, just heavy furniture to move out of the way. I’ll probably do that room first though. I already have the paint Yeah, I think I’ll walk the dog after the boy leaves for school and then paint the dining room. Hmmm actually, it’s got great light right this minute. Maybe I should paint first and walk him after noon when it’ll be warmer. That does sound better lol. I can get started in a few minutes when the boy finishes his breakfast and be done by early afternoon I bet.

OK, I’m outta here. I hope all is going well with you all. I just can’t cope with sitting at the computer for very long right now so I am woefully behind on everyone’s daily lives. I do think about you all though! I’ll post again soon =)