The World According to Jennifer

Not so good at writing

2010-07-12T14:01:00.002-05:00

Well, I try very hard to think up of something of interest every day to write about, but dang, is it hard! I really don't know how you people do it....especially those who write more then once a day! Any chance you want to let me in on your secret?

I've decided that the location of my shop is bad. I have food here, but never want to eat it! Having Buon Giorno across the parking lot, and Jack in the Box and Texas Cafe within EASY walking distance is way too dangerous. Why eat leftover chinese food when I can get a fresh burger, tamales, or sandwiches? And I won't even mention the award-winning tiramisu, cakes and pies. (Ok, I'll mention them, but just this once!). Then I wonder how I can be working out 6 days a week and still not lose any weight. hmmmm. Gotta find a way to get my eating under control!

But, I'm guessing you're really not interested in all that, so I'll get down to business - shameless promotion of my shop! Next week Monday, Ellen Chester, designer for With My Needle, will be visiting The Stitcher's Hideaway! Yes, she is coming to meet me and see the shop! I can't tell you how excited I am. And, you too can meet her! Take the day off, gather all your With My Needle, projects and come show them off! I'll be offering a discount on all in stock With My Needle charts bought that day as well as an even larger discount if you kit them up!

In other news, I've been working hard on Faery Tales by HAED. Hoping to get halfway through page 1 today so I can put it down and do the things I REALLY need to be doing this week! I think it's trying to take over my life - all I can think about is working on that sucker. Anybody else have this problem? 8 rows to go, then there's some filling in with a dark blue. I have less then 4 hours to do this. You think I can? Guess I would be more productive if I could only get off the computer....

So with that, I say Happy Stitching!

Wednesday WIPs

2010-07-07T13:14:00.002-05:00

Well, I promised a post today, so here it is! I had a lady come into the shop today selling fresh tamales. For $8 a dozen I just couldn't resist! Ordered a dozen spicy chicken tamales, and she came in with three dozen, telling me I just had to pay for one. Score! Three dozen tamales for the price of one. :) Of course, I dug in right away. They were so hot I almost burned my hands bringing them into the kitchen. And boy, were they good! If you happen to be in the area, come on by for some fresh tamales!

On the stitchy side of things, things are going pretty good. I completed For This Child by My Big Toe on Friday, I've started Jungle Baby by Imaginating, I've put in several stitches on Present for My Friend by Blackbird Designs, and I've completed 1/3 of a page on Faery Tales by Heaven and Earth Designs! That's 2400 stitches on that sucker. 1/3 page down, 39 2/3 to go! And believe it or not, there are actually 12 different colors in this section alone! I'm itching to work on it more, but really need to get some more work in on Jungle Baby, seeing how it's commissioned. Sigh. Need to be working on Present for My Friend too since it's an exchange piece and needs to be finished and mailed by August 12th. And let's not forget my ornament for the ornament exchange that needs to be finished and mailed by August 20th. Guess I have a few things on my plate, eh?

Anyways, here are the pictures:

For This Child

Jungle Baby

Present for My Friend

Faery Tales

I know, I know....

2010-07-06T09:19:00.002-05:00

I've been bad about posting lately. Haven't even done my Wednesday WIPs! Shame on me! I don't really have any excuses either. Just been busy stitching away. Finally finished For This Child by My Big Toe and have since started on another commissioned birth sampler. This time I'm doing Jungle Baby by Imaginating, and it looks to be much easier! Hopefully that means it will stitch up faster and therefore I MAY be able to get caught up on SYHO!

Got about 7 hours of work on my HAED Faery Tales and you wouldn't know it by looking at it. Though when I look at my picture from last week and compare it to my picture from this week, I do see it. And I was REALLY excited yesterday that I got to put in one purple stitch amongst all the blues and black. Woohoo!

I've made a new goal for myself this week. My family is currently in Florida so I have no workout buddy, and that makes it very hard to get motivated to get up at 5 and hit the gym. BUT, I have done it both yesterday and today. So proud of myself! And the girls that I do body pump with were happy that I came to Step Class today too. That made me feel good. So, they're helping to hold me accountable when Jess is gone. Plus, I need to prove to my sister (and myself) that I CAN do this without her! I'm guessing she thinks I won't go :). Anyways, my new goal is to NOT go back to bed after my workout. I usually have about an hour between the time I get home and the time I need to get ready for work, and I have decided to use this time to have a cup of coffee, some breakfast, and to get some stitching done while watching the Today Show and getting caught up on the news. It's been nice and relaxing, and I'm getting some stitching done on my Blackbird Exchange piece. Which is good because it needs to be finished and mailed by the 12th of August. Yikes!

No pictures today. Will post the WIPs and the finish tomorrow! And you can hold me to that too. Feel free to complain if I don't post them fast enough for you! Time for me now to schedule and appointment for a massage (can barely move after step class today) and get my booty stitching on Jungle Baby. Hope to at least get the monkey done today!

Happy Stitching!

Need to get off the computer...

2010-06-21T16:07:00.003-05:00

...it's just too dangerous for me! I got an email from Ink Circles today with updates and a great freebie! And of course I printed that out and it eventually lead to their blog... Some absolutely amazing finishes there! Definitely need to do some of their stuff. Of course, I don't have the time, nor the money, but I have the need! What oh what do I do?!?! Looking for suggestions for a must do Ink Circles to start with. Anyone? In the meantime, I need to stop screwing around on the computer and get to stitching!

Is it Wednesday Already?!

2010-06-16T16:43:00.005-05:00

Time has been flying by and yet today is going SO SLOW! I'm just glad it's Wednesday and one day closer to my day off! I did almost forget to post today. The doc had me increase my dosage on a new medication for me that's supposed to help prevent my migraines and it's just kicking my butt. Maybe it's because I was out til 10:30 last night with my neighbors and didn't actually get to sleep until midnight, but I'm having one heck of a time staying awake today! I even caught myself taking a cat nap at the shop. Oops.

Anyways, here are my updates for the week!

As you know, I finished Quaker Samplings I by With My Needle a little while ago. Well, the frame came in yesterday and it's now framed! I'm so proud of this piece.

As far as the WIPs are concerned, I can't say I got a WHOLE lot done, but I did make some progress on both For This Child by My Big Toe and Faery Tales by HAED.

AND I did at least get started on my piece for the Blackbird Designs Exchange. I'm stitching A Gift for My Friend.

I'm still thinking of and praying for my family up in Wisconsin and wishing I could be there with all my heart. A big thank you goes out to those of you who have had them in your prayers as well.

Happy Stitching!

Prayers Needed for My Family in Wisconsin

2010-06-15T17:39:00.002-05:00

Hey all. I just found out today that my cousin's wife's family decided yesterday to take her father off of life support and he passed away yesterday afternoon. She just lost her brother-in-law just before Easter due to a drunk driver, so her and her family are having a really hard time right now.

I also found out that another cousin's house burned down last night. It started to the unattached garage and jumped to the house. The walls are still standing, but insurance says it's a total loss. And there was a nice tractor, a car, and a classic Harley in the garage. I know the pain they are going through as I lost everything a while ago due to a fire as well. We didn't lose the house, but my room and closet and attic were a total loss (I was in 7th grade).

Anyways, they are in dire need of prayers and I would appreciate any you can send their way.

Thanks.

Giveaways and Exchanges

2010-06-15T09:55:00.004-05:00

There's lots of giveaways going on in blogland right now! Check out Jennifer's blog for her giveaway for her blogiversary! Congratulations on one year of blogging Jennifer!! I hope to have a giveaway sometime soon myself, so keep posted! Gotta figure out what I want to giveaway first and for what occasion. Any suggestions?

Also, thanks to Jennifer, I have found the Blackbird Designs Exchange Blog! I've signed up and already got my partners name. So excited! I'll post updates of the project I'm doing since I'm pretty sure she won't figure out who I am by that alone. Then I'll tell you more about her and link to her blog once the piece is received. I've done a lot of exchanges over at Crochetville and loved every one of them. There was a time or two when I didn't receive from the person who had my name, but I enjoyed every minute I spent on the people I had. I've even made some really good friends through that! So, when I found out about this one, I just had to join. It's my first cross stitch exchange, and it's not working like the secret pals and stuff at Crochetville, but that's ok! I think it's going to be lots of fun anyways. Stay tuned tomorrow for my WIP updates - I'll have my exchange piece in there. :)

One more thing - I need some help/ideas. I have a few customers here at my store that I would like to do something special for. They have done a lot lately to help the store get off the ground and they are doing everything they can to promote it (even though they all live more then 30 minutes away with at least 2 stores between them and me). The thing is, I don't have much money to spend, nor much time.... Any suggestions on something I can do for them? It would be greatly appreciated and I thank you very much.

Happy stitching!

Blackbird Designs

2010-06-09T11:33:00.003-05:00

Just found out that there is a Blackbird Designs stitch exchange! Signup ends on June 12 and you have until August 12 to stitch and finish one of their designs to send off to someone else. It's a great way to meet and get to know new people. I just signed up - who wants to join me?!?! You can find more info here. Can't wait to find out who my partner is! I have a couple of designs in mind already. :)

WIP Wednesday and a Finish!

2010-06-09T10:15:00.004-05:00

Well, I finished Quaker Samplings I on Saturday and just got around to taking a picture of it. But you're gonna have to wait until the end of the post to see the picture!

I've been working on For This Child by My Big Toe since I finished the Quaker. This one is a birth sampler commissioned by my dad for his ex-admin assistant (he retired) who is a new Grandma! I know she doesn't read my blog, but congratulations nonetheless! I'm happy with my progress seeing how I've now had stress headaches/migraines for the past 15 days. This is not exactly an easy chart, but I still love it! And when I'm done, I get to start another commissioned birth sampler for my dad's ex-IT guy. Woohoo! Anyways, here's the pic!

And of course, my HAED Faery Tales. Didn't have a whole lot of time to work on it this week, but, believe it or not, there is SOME progress. So hard to tell when working on 28 ct fabric over 2... Almost done with the first 10 rows though! And the pic...

Next is what you all have been waiting for! My finished Quaker Samplings I by With My Needle. It was stitched on 32 ct Light Examplar by Lakeside Linens with Currant by Gentle Arts. SO happy with the way it turned out! The frame corner in the picture is the sample of the frame I ordered for it. I personally think it's perfect. :)

So sorry that I haven't been posting much lately, but these headaches are really taking their toll on me. I actually had to skip body pump this morning because it felt like my head was going to explode. Very sad that I had to skip. I really love my class! Not to mention that I'm feeling results - clothes that were tight are actually fitting perfectly now!

Kyle came home from Cali last night. So happy to have him home. It was getting lonely without him! Of course, it was nice to be able to go to bed and put my feet up early and nurse my headaches without feeling guilty, but I think I would rather have the guilt then not have him home. He had a great time while there, and I know it was hard for him to leave his family again. As much as I would love to share in everyone's hatred for their in-laws, I just can't. They are a really great family and I love them dearly. I've really lucked out.

So, that all being said, it's time to get those pics uploaded and over to my other blog to post them as well.

Happy Stitching to all!

WIP Wednesday

2010-06-02T10:20:00.004-05:00

It't that time again! Time to share the progress of my WIPs... Quaker Samplings I is coming along nicely. Hoping to finish this week so I can get a couple of commissioned birth announcements done and then dedicate more time to my HAED SAL. What do you think?

The SAL for HAED's Faery Tales officially started yesterday! I'm so exited! I started a little early because as of right now I can only commit about an hour a night to it until I get other things done. It's being stitched on 28 ct fabric over 1, and there's a lot more work done on it then it looks like! This thing is going to take FOREVER! Thinking it will maybe be done in 5 years... lol

That's it for this weeks progress! Now back to work on that quaker so I can finish it!

Happy stitching to all!

Ribbit, ribbit....

2010-05-31T14:30:00.002-05:00

About an hours worth of stitching coming out because I can't count! Ugh. Oh, and did I mention that I'm working with a red overdyed thread that is turning my material and bone needle pink? Yikes! Is it time to go home yet?

WIP Wednesday

2010-05-26T09:34:00.002-05:00

As promised, today won't be image heavy! Been working on Quaker Samplings I and only on Quaker Samplings I. Very happy with the way it's turning out! Having lots of fun stitching it, and can't wait til it's done.

Must Be Crazy

2010-05-24T15:56:00.002-05:00

What in the heck have I gotten myself into this time?!!?!? Been cruising the message boards and found a post for a SAL for Heaven and Earth Designs (HAED) "Faery Tales". Having never heard of this particular chart, I decided to take a look. I fell in love! So, of course I joined! The SAL starts June 1st. I have the chart on order, and an idea of fabric already. The chart should be here by Friday. My only problem is finding the time to do it!!! I have SO much to do the way it is, and I need to get more models done for the store because models sell charts! Anyone want to donate some models? :)

Anyways, here's a picture of what I'll be doing. Maybe I can dedicate one day a week to it... Wish me luck!

WIP Wednesday

2010-05-19T09:44:00.009-05:00

So, DH gave me a hard time in the store's forums a little while ago about all my WIPs. I therefore took pictures of all the WIPs I had here with me at the store and followed up by posting them in the forums. However, I realized that some of you may be interested in seeing them as well, and not frequent the forums, so I figured I'd do a WIP Wednesday. I'll post pictures of all WIPs I have right now, and then each Wednesday I'll post any progress pics I have. :)

So, first off is "For This Child" by My Big Toe. This is actually a commissioned project for my father's ex-admin assistant who is now a grandma! Congratulations Tracey!

I am using Gentle Arts black raspberry jam and old red paint on 32 copper penny linen.

#2 is "Peppermint Twist" by Blue Ribbon Designs. I have decided that I REALLY like this designer! I'm doing this as a Christmas SAL with Yoyo and a bunch of others! I'm using the called for Weeks Dye Works colors on 36 ct flax. Very happy with how it's turning out so far!

OK, so the next two might be considered UFOs at this point as for various reasons I haven't picked them up for a while. I still wanted to share them, though, so when I do get the chance to work on them again we'll be able to see the progress!

That being said, #3 is "Caring Wings" by Mirabilia. Basically she got put down in order to get things done for Christmas last year and hasn't been picked up again because there's always something that HAS to be done first! I'm using the called for threads, but for the life of me can't remember what material I'm working on...

#4 - some of you already know the story of why this one is a UFO right now. I'll keep it short by saying that "Sleepy Hollow" by Glendon Place is currently in time out. Something having to do with spending more then 2 hours frogging silk threads.... Anyways, it's being done as called for, fabric and all.

Back to a relatively current project....#5 is "Jardin d'jour" by Needlemania. I fell in love with the pattern and decided I needed to do it twice. Once in blue on a brown fabric and once in brown on blue fabric. Colors were matched to a pillow from my bedroom and I plan on hanging them both on a wall. Whether or not that will happen, we'll just have to wait and see. The pattern is fun, so it just might! Can't remember the names of the colors off the top of my head, but the fabric is 32 count (maybe chocolate brown?) and the thread is Threadworx (something to do with rain).

One more cross stitch WIP to go! This one was actually started yesterday. I was gently reminded by a great customer that I had a designer coming into the store in July and it would probably be nice to have something of hers hanging on my wall. So, I went through a list in my head of anyone who I know who might have one for me, but came up blank. Then I tried to come up with someone willing to do one for me but with the amount of time involved, came up blank there too. Therefore, below we have "Quaker Samplings I" by With my needle. I'm using 32 ct Light Examplar linen and Currant by Gentle Arts. Loving the big differences in color.

Last, but definitely not least, a WIP for you crocheters out there. This is the Sweetheart Ripple afghan featured in the Feb 2009 Crochet World magazine. The yarn is "I Love This Yarn" in cream and a purple whose name I can't remember. Very easy and enjoyable to do when I have time!

That's it! I promise next Wed won't be so long :) Guess I best get to work now!

Happy stitching!

Quick Correction

2010-05-11T10:52:00.001-05:00

I have been told that those baby birds are barn swallows, no muddaubers... They're still precious though! Whatever they are!

Tick Bite?

2010-05-11T10:44:00.003-05:00

So, Kyle was out roaming around in the outdoors geocaching a week ago and came home with an insect bite of some sort on his ankle. A week later, it looked like this:

You can't quite see it well with the camera, but it looks like a classic bulls eye and to me screams tick bite. Especially since I had an ex-coworker who got bit by a tick and that's what his looked like. Kyle, of course, being a man, didn't believe me. Had to look it up online. Saw several pictures that looked just like his ankle. Hmmmmm. Still didn't believe me. Emailed his dad the picture of his ankle. Dad doesn't think it's a tick bite and he will be ok. Step mom, Jackie, isn't sure what it is and thinks he should go see a doctor. He finally conceded in going to urgent care (doesn't matter that his bite looked like a known tick bite and I had been telling him to go to the doc for several hours already). So, first off, I want to say a big thank you to Jackie for supporting me! Because without you, who knows what would have happened? Anyways, the doctor wasn't sure what kind of bite it was but he was going to treat it like a tick bite because Lyme Disease is not something you want to get. Kyle is now on antibiotics and I'm happy. Of course, now he's saying that he has to stay off his feet as much as possible and therefore can't mow the lawn, do the dishes or do laundry. Nice try! I keep telling him that if he would let me close the store for one day a week I'd be happy to help! Still no luck with that. Men!

Cats, Dogs, Baby Birds, and Tea!

2010-05-08T10:56:00.003-05:00

So, I was talking to Ma Teakettle on facebook the other day, and I realized that I didn't have any recent pictures of my kiddos! Therefore, I pulled out the good camera, charged the batteries and went on a mission for good pictures :). No one really wanted to sit nice for me, but I did manage to get a few good ones. We're currently pug sitting for my parents while they are gone, and I was extremely shocked that I could get all five dogs to stay on the back porch long enough for me to snap a picture. Only the girls are looking at the camera and smiling, but I got all five!

This is Sally cat in her normal complaining mood. I swear she is always complaining about something... either you're not petting her when she wants to be pet, or you're petting her when she doesn't, or she wants food or water or a straw...

And Oogie Boogie being his lazy self. He's gotten huge! Think it's time to put him on a diet.... Wish I could get a good picture of him without him looking evil, because despite his name and his eyes, he really isn't evil! The beautiful blue eyes just don't like to be photographed.

My stuck up kitty - Jack. Thinks he can get away with anything and normally does. Thought this picture showed off his personality perfectly!

And last, but not least, the baby muddaubers outside the store. Aren't they just the most precious things? I have several good pictures, but this was the only one that showed all five of them. Maybe I'll post the others at a later date. Will have to keep my camera close so I can get more pics of them growing up.

Now on to the good stuff. Tea! Those that know me well know how I love my tea. I've even gone so far as to write a post solely about Teavana - my favorite tea store! Anyways, I was off updating myself on everyone else's blogs and Miss Parsley informed her followers about a teapot giveaway! Check out Anne's blog and leave a comment to get entered into the drawings. Not only is she giving away one teapot, she's giving away two! And they are awesome. Thank you Anne for your generosity!

Happy crafting!

Not a Great Day

2010-05-05T11:28:00.003-05:00

Didn't sleep well last night and am feeling incredibly cruddy today. Been nauseous all morning and it's all I can do to keep food down right now! No fun. Finally was able to finishing entering all my new charts and gadgets into the computer at the store that arrived this week. So much fun stuff! Still need to price them and get them on the floor, but again with this whole tired/sick stuff, I can't find the energy.

I had a customer yesterday mention the message board at 123stitch.com and felt a tad guilty that I haven't been keeping up with it. So after reading everyone's updated blogs I trudged on over there only to find a crochet afghan I want to do! For those of you that don't know, 123stitch.com is a cross stitch site. Go figure. So, I downloaded the magazine from e-patternscentral.com and printed the pattern. Guess I'll be hitting up the yarn stash this evening. Just what I need - another project! I think I have something like 6 or 7 cross stitch projects going right now, and I won't even mention the number of crochet and knit UFOs that have been sitting on the back burner since I picked up cross stitch again.

Guess I should really get back to work, and try to eat something as well. So, I'll close with a few pics of my cross stitch WIPs.

Happy stitching (or crocheting, or knitting, or whatever craft you do)!

Peppermint Twist by Blue Ribbon Designs

For This Child by My Big Toe

Jardin d'Jour by Needlemania

Wondering Where I've Been?

2010-04-12T14:29:00.001-05:00

I've been working! Yeah! The store is up and running and I'm loving every minute of it. I have a Blog there, so I've mostly been updating that instead of this. Oops! Check out the stores website, blog, forums, and online store and let me know what you think! I'll try to get back into a routine of updating here as well, but no guarantees, so save my stores blog as a favorite too!

Pictures

2009-10-27T16:38:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I figured out where my pictures were! They were on my phone... Therefore, they are not the greatest. And the Stitching with Friends wasn't complete at time of the picture. Guess I'll just post them now, and one I get that one back from the shop I'll post an updated picture, as well as a new picture of Housework in it's frame...

I figured by now I'd be back into my crochet and knitting, since it's getting cooler out, but there's way too much cross stitch that needs to be done for Christmas, so I guess those WIPs are gonna have to stay the way they are for a while longer yet. Maybe one day I'll find a way to do it all!

Cross Stitch

2009-10-27T09:04:00.002-05:00

As you know, I've picked cross stitching back up again earlier this year. And I must say that I've grown rather addicted! Been spending more time stitching then anything else, and have finished three projects so far. Of course, I still have many, many more to go... I wonder if I can remember how to upload pics on this thing... the first one I finished was "Hawaiian Islands Map" by Chris Faye. I then did "Housework" by My Big Toe for my friend Juanita, and "Stitching With Friends" by Glory Bee for my friend Isabel. All are framed and gorgeous. I don't have pictures of Juanita's and Isabel's framed though. Will have to get those soon. Isabel's is currently on display at our local store. Woohoo! Here are the pics... Or maybe not. Can't find the darn things on my computer! I guess you'll have to wait until I figure out where the heck they are.

I have many WIPs going right now, including "Caring Wings" and "Circle of Friends" by Mirabilia, and "Joy" Christmas ornament by The Sweetheart Tree. The ornament is for an ornament swap at the shop. Don't know what I was thinking when I picked that one up, but it's gonna look awesome when done!

Now I'm gonna work on finding those pictures and getting that ornament done!

The Break Is Over! (I think...)

2009-05-02T15:21:00.002-05:00

hello! how is everyone doing? is anyone still out there?!?!? kyle decided to start a blog (We Keep the Change) for us for our experiment in finding change, and he's inspired me to sign back in to blogger. i didn't realize it's been almost two years!!! things have been kind of insane over the last couple of years, but i know that's no excuse. somehow i'll find a way to catch you all up on what's been going on! lots of projects started and completed. i even decided to pick up a cross stitch again. i know, it's been a while (like 20 years) but i found something that i just had to make for kyle, so i'm working on it. i'll post pics when it's done and i've given it to him (look for pics in september). mom and dad finally made it out here to texas. moved in december of '08. went to a cross stitch store with mom yesterday and found my next project to kyle's dismay. lol. why i though cross stitch would be cheaper then crochet, i don't know. anyways, the hooks, needles, and yarn have been temporarily put aside. but, that's just the recent news. i'll catch ya up with pics soon!

New News

2007-10-21T10:38:00.001-05:00

Ok, so most of you already know that I've been travelling a lot, and when I travel, I rarely have time to update my blog. Sorry! Not a lot has happened, so you haven't missed much. All the exciting stuff (if you want to call it exciting) has all come about since this past Friday (last week).

So, #1, and by far the most important, I went to see my ortho again for the hematomas from the accident. Not really a good visit. He basically told me that he has seen no change and that my body has done all the healing that it plans on doing in it's own. Uhhh, ok. What does that mean? That means surgery to drain the hematoma's. Not good. For those of you interested, the surgery is this coming Tuesday (the 23rd). They will be keeping me in the hospital for 2-3 days to make sure I don't get any blood clots and that the cavities from the hematoma's don't fill back up again. Then I'll be home for at least a week until my post-op appointment on Nov. 2nd. We'll go from there depending on how things are healing and whatnot. On Friday, I wasn't looking forward to this. BUT I started having pain on Friday and it's progressively gotten worse (i called the doc begging for pain pills on Wed and I have a hight tolerance for pain) and now it's to the point that I can barely walk. I tell ya, I can't wait for that surgery now! Can't quite figure out why the pain has come back and that bothers me. But, I'm trying not to worry too much about it now. Anyways, enough about that.

Update #2: I finally got my invite to Ravlery! Yeah! I'm so very excited. And I'm thinking that I'll have plenty of time after my surgery to get things up and running there. And to check it out more.

That's it. All that time and nothing interesting other than those two things. Sigh.

So Exhausted

2007-09-23T19:44:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been travelling for work again. Was in Texas City two weeks ago, Odessa last week, and will be in Texas City again for the next two weeks. Needless to say, my weekends have basically been filled with unpacking, doing laundry, cleaning house and re-packing. No time to do anything exciting. The Texas City work has been office work, which was fine, but Odessa was my first time out doing field work since the accident, and I think it was a little much for me so soon - I was hurting by Wednesday already. Ugh. And this weekend I have hardly been home either. Kyle decided he wanted to go geocaching today. Had a plan to do 15 caches so I can finally reach 200. I think we found five. Not a good caching day. I must say, though, we didn't actually look for all 15 caches though. Some of them were in questionable places, or in areas we passed and decided not to turn around to go find. Guess I should go log my caches. What I really want to do is sleep. Gotta get up at 4:30 to exercise before heading to the airport. Ick.

Ok, can hardly keep the eyes open. Taking my unfinished socks with me in hopes of having some time and energy to work on them. Maybe I'll have one done by the time I get home on Friday.... Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still around!

It's a Girl!

2007-09-09T19:28:00.000-05:00

While being distracted by football today, I did manage to put together one of my two Baby Snow Dragon. Kyle wanted a dragon that looked like Elliot from Pete's Dragon and this is what happened! I do believe that Elliot had a baby girl! I think she's the cutest of the animals so far. Heading to Texas City tomorrow, so won't be able to put the other one together until next weekend. Dang football. At least the Packers, Chargers AND Steelers won! Let me know what you think of Baby Ellie, and have a great week!

More Faces Only a Mother Can Love

2007-09-09T12:30:00.000-05:00

Ok. Made the Aerial Pig the other day and again, I am quite proud of my accomplishment. Of course, he's sitting on the end of the coffee table looking scary right now. Yet another face only a mother can love! Here's a pic of my piggy with my nekkid sheep...

And, of course, the title of this post wouldn't be accurate without these pictures!

And then we move on to what I've been up to this weekend...

Now, some of you will know exactly what this is and what it's going to be, and some of you are probably thinking WTF? I guess you're just going to have to wait and see! I've got a few more pieces to make before assembly, so I'll be working on that while watching football. And maybe, just maybe, there will be another post at the end of the day...

Go Packers and Chargers!!!

Weigh In Day #1

2007-09-08T09:22:00.000-05:00

Well today was my first weigh in day after starting the Body for Life Program. I got up every morning at 5, did my required exercises (I'm proud of myself for that), ate 6 portion sized, healthy, balanaced meals daily, and drank 8 to 10 glasses of water daily. So now tell me, how could I have gained a pound, and 2% body fat? I could understand gaining weight if I had lost body fat, but to gain body fat? I haven't even eaten cheese this week! And you all know how I love my cheese. I just don't get it.

Nekkid Sheep

2007-09-06T21:38:00.000-05:00

Seeing how there was an official mascot for International Crochet day, and the pattern was available, I decided I needed one to carry with me as a reminder of the upcoming holiday! He's my first stuffed animal, so he's a little wonky, but I think he's cute anyways. Probably one of those situations where only a mother can think he's cute, but oh well! Without further ado, here he is!

Pattern can be found here. Go and make your own International Crochet Day mascot!

International Crochet Day!

2007-09-05T18:29:00.000-05:00

Mr. Jimbo is trying his hardest to start a new holiday dedicated to crochet, and I'm here to help promote it! What am I gonna do? I'm going to let EVERYONE I know about it! And they're going to tell EVERYONE they know about it! And so on and so forth. Any friends and family interested in learning (I know of a few)? I'm here to help in whatever way, shape, or form! So go out, grab a hook and some yarn, and start crocheting! I was hoping I could use my floating holiday this year to sit around and crochet all day, but, alas, my company is sending me to a clients office that week and I am unable to. So, after work that day I plan on sitting in my hotel room and crocheting my little heart out until I can't crochet anymore. Have yet to figure out what I'm going to make, but whatever it is will be going to charity. Guess I should pick a charity first, eh? So, ideas and suggestions are welcome! I also know what YOU are going to do to honor and promote International Crochet Day!

In other news, I have an FO!!!! Bet you would never have guess that, eh? I made Kimberly's Sideways Lace Scarf and I think it turned out great! I used Bernat DenimStyle in a color whose name I can't read off the label. lol. The pattern in the yarn makes it a little difficult to see the pattern in the scarf, but I loved the yarn - it's so soft and snuggly! I found another nice soft and snuggly yarn to make another scarf out of, but it's just too fuzzy. It was one of Hobby Lobby's yarns, and it was on sale, but now I have two skeins of it and I have no idea what to do with it. Maybe tomorrow I can take a picture of the yarn and give ya'll the stats so you can help me out. I know you are all brilliant and have great ideas!

Ok, I need to go prepare the strawberry cheesecake for dessert so I can do some crocheting. So, I'll leave you with the pics of my scarf! Sorry the full length picture is a tad blurry. I'll have to try re-taking it sometime. I want to make more so if anyone wants one, shoot me a comment! Have a great night!

Oh yeah - added the second strip to my afghan. Don't remember if I told ya or not. But, here is the pic of that too!

Some Better Pictures

2007-09-05T12:41:00.000-05:00

Kyle was a real sweety yesterday and bought me one of those LCD picture frames for our anniversary. But, no only did he do that, he scanned several of our wedding photos and loaded them, along with photos from other great times we've had together, into the frame. He also loaded in our wedding song and the song that was played while our guests were being seated so they play when you're viewing the slideshow. Isn't that just so wonderful? It made me cry. Anyways, I had him email me some of the pictures that he scanned so I can post a couple of better pictures. Here they are!

First off - Kyle waiting for the wedding to begin. Like the sunglasses?

Me in the gazebo...

Me and Kyle (my favorite picture)...

and the whole family...

Today

2007-09-04T14:36:00.001-05:00

...is hubby's and my anniversary. Happy Anniversary to us! 3 years down and many more to go. Love you baby! Muah!

Here's a picture of us on this day in 2004 with Kyle's parents. The lighting is kind of off, but it's the best one I have and I can't fix it here.

One of these days I'll figure out how to post clickable images....

It Has Begun!

2007-09-02T14:57:00.000-05:00

So, I went to my annual physical this past Friday and was informed that I had gained 23 pounds over the past year. 23 POUNDS!! How could I have let that happen? And that doesn't count all the weight that I had lost and gained back after many failed attempts at weight loss. Not good. The doctor suggested the Body for Life program by Bill Phillips. I bought the book a long time ago, read it, but never went through with it. I decided that now is the time. And what's perfect about my timing is a new challenge begins tomorrow! And a co-worker is interested in doing the program with me. So, we started today! I got up, did my upper body workout and have been eating balanced meals every couple of hours. And I'm determined to stick with it for the whole 12 weeks. We bought my sisters home gym from her and purchased a stationary bike from Academy. I'm all set and ready to go! Wish me luck! I'll keep you updated on how I'm doing and if you're lucky, I'll post my before and after pictures at the end of November!

Hope everyone is having a great Labor Day Weekend!

One Strip Down...

2007-08-25T20:20:00.000-05:00

Four to go! My newest WIP - Diamond and Rings afghan from Blue-Ribbon Afghans. I've made one already for a Secret Pal Swap and just loved making it. So, I was looking for a good pattern to help decrease my stash while using my size I Jimbo hook that I won back in June, and I found this pattern to be perfect! I found the first one I made a little long, so decided to cut about 1/3 of the length off and now I think it's just tad too short for me. Think I may just have to give it away and make another one for myself. Anyone want it?

Don't worry, the ends will be woven in before it gets shipped...

In other news, look what I got today!

If features this:

I'm so excited. Took me a while to find it, but find it I did! Congratulations again Jimbo!

And speaking of Jimbo, I got this Friday...

Woohoo! Actually, the one on the left is my I hook that for some reason never made it into my blog. I think I was just too excited to have it that I couldn't stop using it long enough to take a picture! It's made from the famous apple tree at the crick. The one on the right is the one I just received yesterday. It's size K and made of briar. I know this picture doesn't do either of the hooks justice. They are so smooth and so gorgeous, and I love usint them! Now, if only I can get my hands on an H hook, I may get inspired to finally finish that Cathedral afghan I started 2 years ago... Unfortunately, I keep getting outbid after I have retired for the evening. Oh well, one day. There's a contest going for an H hook right now, so maybe I'll win it. Yeah right. Maybe that's wishful thinking - I never win anything! Wish me luck anyways.

Ok, gotta get back to working on the afghan. Have a great rest of the weekend!

For the Tea Lovers

2007-08-12T09:50:00.000-05:00

Ok, just a quick post because I don't have much time right now... I know if have several tea lovers reading my blog out there, and this post is for you! Thanks to mom and dad, I have discovered the best loose leaf tea available on the market. And I've had some great teas - Adagio and Republic of Tea are two of my favorites. But this one surpasses them all. It's called Teavana. Go check out their website, and if they have a store near you, by all means, go to it! You can smell and taste the teas. Unfortunately, I don't have one near me, so I had to pick from what sounded good, and I was far from being dissapointed! (Except I stupidly picked a fall mix of teas and while it is still wonderful, it's just not a summer tea). Well, that's about it for now! Gotta run. Mom is in town this week (she got here yesterday - remind me to tell you what happened with that) and we're running around today. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

I Was Just Thinking...

2007-08-08T19:36:00.000-05:00

(dangerous, I know) that maybe some of you would rather see a family picture instead of one of just the parents and their grandkids... So, here ya go - unfortunately Kyle didn't make it :(

I'm Back!

2007-08-08T19:05:00.000-05:00

And most of you probably didn't even know that I was gone...About two weeks ago (well, it will be two weeks on Friday), I loaded myself onto a southwest flight and headed out to California for a short vacation. Dad decided he wanted to have a surprise birthday/retirement party for my Mom and ask my sister, her hubby, her sons, and myself and Kyle to come out for it. As Kyle had just started a new job, he couldn't go, but the rest of us did! They came home from Vegas Saturday afternoon to approximately 75 people waiting for them. Us kids were the last to show ourselves and she was shocked! She had absolutely no clue whatsoever. It was so cool, and tons of fun. We were all scheduled to come back home on the following Tuesday, but since I've had no work to do lately because of my injury, I decided to stay longer and come home on Friday. I can't tell you how nice it was just to hang out with the folks! It was hard to leave.

Speaking of my injury, while I was in California, my hematomas finally decided to start decreasing in both size and pain! I couldn't believe it. Not sure what I did for that to happen, but whatever it is, I want to keep doing it! I've actually been in the office this week. Yeah! I go back to the dr. on Friday for an update. I'll let ya'll know how that goes.

Anyways, I'll leave ya with a picture of the parents and their grandkids from while we we in Cali.

Yeah, I'm Still Alive

2007-07-24T12:12:00.000-05:00

But a lot has happened since I last posted! Well, maybe not really a lot, seeing how I've basically been confined to the house for the last month. The month before that wasn't all exciting either - basically travelling someplace different every week for work, and getting tired of it. So, when I got sent to Louisiana a month ago, I said enough was enough and got hit by a truck. A month ago today. Hence being confined to the house. Now, before you freak out, I'll tell you that I didn't break anything, and nothing was fractured. Basically I'm alright. There was major bruising and I have a lump on each of my thighs that the doctors are calling hematomas. They're unsightly, they hurt like hell, and they say it'll take 6 months to a year to heal. That means sitting at home with my feet up and ice on the boo boos whenever possible. Fun fun fun! Work has been great for me, and has sent some stuff here for me to do at my request so I don't go too crazy. Though it's hard to have the laptop or keyboard on my lap. The workers comp doctors haven't been so great, but I'll get into that later.

So, what exactly happened, you ask? I was on a job site logging soil borings from the tailgate of my rented pickup truck when one of my subs backed their F-350 1 ton duelly up to about 6-8 feet away from me. He put his truck in park, left it running, and started to get out. The truck then slipped out of park and into reverse, the door knocking him down, and the truck backing up right into me and pinning me between the two vehicles. It hurt. It hurt bad. But, I have to be extremely thankful that most of my height is legs, and I had an extra 6" due to my steel toe boots. If I hadn't had the boots on, or if I were a little shorter, it would have crushed my pelvis. Things being the way they were, I got crushed where I carry most of my weight and where the largest bones of the body are. I got lucky, very lucky. The following pictures are of my rental truck. The two trucks never touched each other.

Anyways, that's about all that's been going on in my life lately. I've been working on a few projects, read a few books, and slept when I can. Just thought I would update everyone while I was awake/aware enough to do it. Here are some of my WIPs (I don't have a picture of the most recent one that I started) and my one project that I actually finished.

This is a crocheted shawl using Rainbow boucle. I decided after this picture was taken that it needed fringe. Not sure how I feel about it, but it's nice and warm and I love the pattern. My most recent FO.

My first attempt at socks! I'm so clost to being done, but got tired of dealing with 5 needles. Maybe I'll get the inspiration to finish at least one sock and that will give me the inspiration to make a second one!

And my knitted self-fringing shawl that I have been working on FOREVER! Every now and again I get it under my skin to work on it, but I get about two rows done and can't bring myself to work on it anymore. It will get finished, eventually.

So, that's it on my end. Hope everyone is doing much better then me. I'll get into what's going on with the doctors later. I need to get this keyboard off my lap now :)

Why...

2007-05-05T10:34:00.000-05:00

have I not been wanting to craft lately? I just don't get it. I have a knit shawl that I want to finish so I can start on new projects, and I'm still finding all sorts of new projects that I want to start, but I just can't get myself motivated to knit. Maybe it's all the travelling?

I'm so exhausted from travelling that I actually slept until 9:30 this morning. That's not like me. And I had to pull over into a parking lot to nap on my way home from work yesterday because I was falling asleep while I was driving. Not good. And to keep you updated - I leave again for Texas City on Monday, come home Wed. then I'm off to Dallas on Thurs with my capoeira group. Yea! 2 days off, but yet I'm still travelling. Then the next week I'm in Longview, and the week after back in Texas City. And supposedly Lake Charles Louisiana the week after with another trip to Texas City the week after THAT. One of my clients wants me to do some work out in Louisiana (not sure where) and right now I'm travelling through the middle of June. Ugh.

But, enough of the complaints. My sister and I took my nephews to Lowes last week and bought some plants for our gardens. I'm so excited about what I got! Too bad I'm not home to enjoy them... Anyways, lookie at what I got!

Stargazer Lilies - My favoritest flower in the whole world! And from what the tags say, they sould be really happy in my garden! They're so pertty.

And orange/red Lantana's. Woot! They look pertty too.

Of course, I may not be obsessed with my knitting lately, but I have been obsessed with my babies. They've been so good lately.

Waiting for Daddy...

Woot! Daddy's home!

We're so good!

For some reason, my layout isn't working for me today. And I've just spent way too much time struggling with it. Oh well. You'll survive, right? Hope ya have a GREAT weekend!

I May Be a Genius in Disguise

2007-05-01T16:11:00.000-05:00

So, not 5 minutes after my last post, I decided to play around and may have actually figured it out! Woot! Now to get home and get the rest of my codes to post....

Web Rings

2007-05-01T15:58:00.000-05:00

So, I'm involved in several web rings out there, but for some reason I cannot get the links added into my template! I'm getting so frustrated it's not even funny. I have literally pasted that code in between every line of my html code and either it doesn't show up or i get an error message. GRRRR! Oh yeah, and I had one of the rings on my blog before this whole switchover to google and it has disappeared. So, I've requested the code again, but can't get it to show! WTF? Anybody out there using google blogger that can help me? It would be so greatly appreciated!

So good to be home!

2007-04-07T18:40:00.000-05:00

So, I'm home. For and entire week. Yeah! I looked back at my calendar for this year and realize I have been home for an entire 3 weeks this year. No wonder I'm so sick of travelling! Looks like I will be home this week, and then it's off travelling again for another 5 weeks. Ugh. The good thing about it is I will be receiving some really nice paychecks before ENSR takes over and I start getting comp time in place of my overtime.

Mom and Dad drove my new car out two weeks ago now, and I've managed to drive it 3 times. I ran some errands today in the cold and the rain and was enjoying driving it so much that I was looking for more errands to run! How odd for me. Usually when I've been travelling so much all I want to do is sit and veg. Here's a picture of my new toy:

Isn't she pretty? It's a 2005 Ford Escape Limited and oh so nice. Mom and Dad decided we shouldn't have a car payment anymore so, they gave it to us. Now we need to decide whether we want to sell the PT Cruiser or the Xterra so we can pay off the Xterra and have one less bill. How nice would that be?

The dogs seem to have missed me while I've been away. They are all following me around the house and piling on top of me when I sit. Even Smudge. Took some pictures of them today - Sorry that Stitch is a little obscene....But the pictures are cute!

Pay attention to us Momma!

We're sitting so pretty...

Aren't we cute?

Stitch is King of the Chair!

I don't know what possessed the dogs to start laying on top of the chair like that, but Zero does it too. I guess they're taking lessons from the cat.

Well, unfortunately my life hasn't been all that interesting lately. Working too much can do that to you I guess. I haven't even touched my knitting lately. It's so much of a hassle to try to bring it on the plane with all my work crap, and I haven't had much time for it while I've been home either. Hopefully I can make some progress this week. I look forward to being able to train capoeira while I'm home too - even if it's only two nights. I've been trying to practice my kicks on the road, but I seldom have enough space in the hotel room or the hotel gym (if the hotel has a gym) to work on that without hurting myself.

My throat is killing me today. I think I'm gonna make myself some tea and watch The Neverending Story on T.V. Ya'll have a great night and a Happy Easter!

Oh yeah, I forgot

2007-03-24T20:59:00.000-05:00

For those of you waiting for this news...I went to see the nephrologist yesterday to get the results of my tests and see if I can have babies. And her answer was my kidney function is still stable at 50%. That's good news. The protein I lose did not significantly increase when taken off the Atacand. More good news. But then, she brought out the most recent study of pregnant women with FSGS. Of course, the most recent study was 1988, but the results are still valid. And here they are: 50% of the fetus's die. To top it off, 50% of the women suffered irreversible kidney damage and were on dialysis within 4 years. Not good statistics, eh? So, it was highly recommended that I not have babies. :( And these statistics didn't include my problem with blood clots. So, that's that. Guess we'll have to look into adoption! And in the meantime, spoil those little nephews of mind like crazy!

Josh

2007-03-24T20:20:00.000-05:00

Ok, I must start off by saying that Josh Groban is a major cutie. And boy, can the dude sing! Mom and Dad gave us tickets to his concert for Christmas and off we went on Thursday! Kyle said he would just "suck it up" and go with me. Turns out he really enjoyed it. I must say it was one of the best concerts I have been to. And not only can he sing, but he's great with the crowd as well. Definitely recommend you make it to one of his shows if you get the chance.

The opening band was wonderful as well. Angelique Kidjo is the name. Music is African, and has a wonderful beat if you don't mind not knowing what the heck they are singing. I fell in love with her voice as well. Check her out when you get a chance. http://www.kidjo.com/. She sung a duet with Josh during the concert that was very moving. It's going to be on her new album coming out May 1st. I can't wait!

Mom and Dad are on their way out from Cali to visit for a while. Mom's spring break is next week, so she'll be out here all week. Dad will be leaving Wed. to go back to work. Unfortunately I'm leaving Monday to head out to Odessa so I'll only get to see them tomorrow evening. I'm so sad that I can't spend more time with them!

On the craft front, not much has been done lately. I've been working on my self fringing shawl when I have the time, but the time just isn't there. Work has been driving me insane and shipping me off to all corners of Texas. I try to bring my knitting with me, but by the time I get back to the hotel at night I don't want to do anything but sleep. Which is what I want to do now. Been going all day - mowed the lawn, ran errands, fed nephews, ran errands with sister and nephews, fed nephews again, entertained nephews... Finally have a chance to sit down, and I just want to do nothing. At least I'm blogging though, right?

Sweater Complete!

2007-02-28T07:56:00.000-06:00

Well, almost...I still have to weave in the ends, but you can't really see them in the picture! It's a little small, but I did that on purpose as I'm in the process of attempting to lose weight. And I really need to wear like a tank top or something under it when I do wear it out in public - which probably won't be until next year as the temperatures are already in the 80's out here and it doesn't look like it's going to cool off again anytime soon. Oh well. I'm still proud! It's the first wearable I have made (other then shawls) and it turned out exactly as expected! And I didn't even crochet up a guage. Bad Jenny! When will I ever learn? Anyways, the specifics - the pattern came out of the winter Simply Creative Crochet and I used Patons Classic Wool in colors I can't remember off the top of my head (I'm at work) and Patons SWS in Natural Navy (the stripes). I'll let you know what the brown and natural colors are when I get home. So, now to the picture!

Well, what do you think?

Happy Friday to Me!

2007-02-16T19:33:00.000-06:00

I received my package from the Magic Ball Swap from Bron! She really outdid herself. Check out all the goodies I got!

I know I was supposed to wait until I was working with the yarn to find all the trinkets inside, but I have a sweater to finish before I can start another project so I cheated. :) Here's all the fun stuff from inside...The little grey sheep is a tape measure - his little arm comes out. And he is so adorable! I absolutely love everything Bron. Thank you so very much!

On the work front, got out to Canadian safe and sound on Monday, and on Tuesday we cancelled the job. The temperature was in the mid 20's with 20 to 30 mile per hour winds bringing the wind chill into the single digits. We decided it was a bad idea for the driller's helpers to be sticking their hands in buckets of water to decon equipment. Not to mention other equipment was already freezing up. So, shut down and made plans for heading home. Woke up Wednesday to this:

Seems to be a trend here. Good thing we postponed the work! Definitely wouldn't want to be drilling in snow with temperatures in the teens and wind chill below freezing. It's supposed to be in the 60's on Monday. Flying back out Sunday. Wish us luck!

And to close, I found this picture on my camera when I downloaded pictures tonight. Aren't they the cutest?

Ok, off to work on my sweater. Only a sleeve and a half and the edging around the neck to go!

What do I do?

2007-02-11T10:35:00.000-06:00

I just hopped on my magic ball pals blog to find that her hubby bought her yarn for her birthday. And not just any yarn...he bought her the same yarn and colorway that I bought her for the magic ball swap. So, the question is, do I keep the yarn for myself and buy her something different? Or do I just send her the yarn anyway with a little note saying I bought it before her hubby did? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Shopping day

2007-02-10T10:01:00.000-06:00

i'm heading out shopping today to get some trinkets to put into my magic ball. still waiting for my yarn to come. hopefully it will be here waiting for me when i get back from canadian. i think i'm also going to buy yarn for the sweater i want to make from Simply Creative Crochet if i can find colors i like. unfortunately my michaels doesn't carry as much wool as i would like and finding patons sws and merino may be difficult. we'll just have to wait and see! i'll shower and head out as soon as hubby leaves for work. in the meantime, i'll be working on some WIPs that i need to finish before i will allow myself to work on that sweater!

I Found It!

2007-02-06T19:51:00.000-06:00

I've been looking for Simply Creative Crochet Fall 2006 issue since its release date, and I've not been able to locate it. So, I'm here in Longview and my co-worker wanted to go into Books A Million and get a magazine. Just for shits and giggles, I decided to look, and there it was! I was so excited. And it was supposed to be taken off the self on either Jan 9th or 19th (something like that - I remember it had a 9. I think it was the 9th. I'm just to lazy to walk across the room and look). I can't say the magazine was really worth the wait, but there is a sweater pattern in there that I love and was the reason I was looking for it, so it make the cost worth it at least.

Today is my nephews 2 month birthday! They're getting so big so fast. They weighed in at 9 pounds 8 oz! Here's some pics that Jess sent me today:

Aren't they just so cute?!?! They've been taking up all my free time at home. Look forward to seeing them again!

On the work side, looks like I'll be heading home from Longview tomorrow. We pretty much kicked butt this week getting things done. Of course, it helps that the weather has been so beautiful. Mid-60's and sunny! Absolutely perfect sampling weather. Oh, and it has been decided that I'm heading up to Canadian (2 hours north of Amarillo) on Sunday and drilling all week. Not sure that that's where I'm most needed, but oh well. It will be good to be drilling again. Been a long time since I've done anything other than groundwater sampling. Should check the weather.

So, I think I'm going to do that and then play a little. Maybe even do some reading....

Work Sucks

2007-02-01T20:16:00.000-06:00

So, I'm supposed to go home tomorrow and then leave again on Sunday to go to Canadian. And the week after, I'm supposed to go to Longview. Well, I'm still going home tomorrow (thank goodness) but now I'm going to Longview next week. And I'm supposed to come back to Houston, go to Canadian, and go to East Mountain the week after. WTF? How is that supposed to happen? Should be interesting to say the least. Needless to say, I need to have discussions with three project managers to figure out exactly where I'm going to be. Watch me end up in the office. I could just smack some people sometimes.

On a lighter note, I ordered the yarn for my magic ball swap! I was bad and ordered some for myself too. :) Shame on me. I'm very excited though. And I will finally force myself to make some socks! I cruised by the ville last night just to see what's been going on since I joined the freaks, and they're doing sign ups for a wool swap. I just may have to join. I wasn't part of the bruhaha that went down, but I am friends with some of those that were. Does that make me a bad person? I just love wool yarn and had such a blast doing the last wool swap...

So, I have recently gotten back in contact with a friend that I had like 15 years ago. We kept in touch here and there after I moved away from Pennsylvania in 92, but lost touch many years ago. Anyways, I got a message from her through classmates and we've been emailing ever since. I was so incredibly excited. Turns out we are still so very much alike, after all these years. It turns out she even has a secret passion for crochet! If you're reading this, Tammy, I'm very glad to know you again! When are you coming to visit? :)

Alright. I guess I should call Kyle and let him know my change in plans. He'll be happy to hear that I'm not leaving until Monday now. Maybe I'll even have some time to work on one of my many WIPs this weekend as well as study for my PG exam...

It has begun!

2007-01-30T19:49:00.000-06:00

The magic ball swap over at fiber freaks that is! I'm so excited. This is my first swap with the freaks. I already have so many ideas of what yarn I want to use and what I want to wrap up in it. Now I just need to find the time to hit the stores! I'm stuck in Houston this week, then north of Amarillo next week, and east Texas the week after. By the time I get home, the swap will be over! Not good. But, I'll find a way to make it work. Time to do some blog stalking!

Why?

2007-01-24T21:00:00.000-06:00

Why is it that people are so rude? Was up in Odessa Monday night and didn't sleep a wink. Why, you ask? Because from the time I got to the hotel at 8 pm until sometime in the wee morning hours, the people staying above me decided it was cool to stomp around their room! I swore they were going to fall through at any minute. And no, I'm not exaggerating - it was that bad. Especially in the bathroom. I finally gave up at midnight and called the front desk. They said they would call them and sure enough after I hung up I heard them stomp from the sitting area to the telephone. I got an entire 10 minutes of quiet after that. Then the stomping began again and this time it was worse! I was so tempted to kill them. I eventually passed out from shear exhaustion, but only got about half hour of sleep before being woken up again. Not fun.

So, got up Tues. morning and went down to breakfast. There were 6 tables and all full. Four of the tables had people sitting and enjoying a cup of coffee with their newspaper. Went and got a plate and started eating standing up. Woohoo! Finally, someone decided to get up and my coworker and I grabbed our luggage and headed for the table with our food only to get cut off by some guy. Drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. WTF? At this point in time I'm in a very sour mood. Didn't get sleep, had to eat standing up. We gave up on the table and headed toward the SUV we rented to see this:

Yup! That's snow! And I got to drive in it. Of course the streets weren't clear. Lots of fun driving to the site (and on the site, for that matter - seeing how it had no roads). But, I do have to admit that the snow saved my day. I haven't seen snow in years and was really excited. I think there was a total of maybe 1.5-2 inches. Not much, but snow is snow, right? It snowed on us the entire time we were outside working too. Eventually we were done with everything we could do without our water delivery, so we hopped in the warm car and waited. And it stopped snowing. Go figure.

The rest of the day went rather smoothly until we go to the airport. My co-worker forgot he had his lighter in his pocket so he stashed it in his backpack hoping it would get through security. It did. Me, on the other hand, didn't. Apparently I look like a threat or something because they decided for no reason that they needed to frisk me and then scan my boots with some machine. I just don't get it.

Today was a long day at work and I'm so exhausted. Kyle wants me to play WOW and level my mage, I want to craft, but I think all that's going to happen tonight is I'm going to sign off here and go to bed. I slept through my alarm this morning for an entire hour (hence the long day at work). Don't want that to happen again! I'll leave you with a picture of my babies on our new furniture....

I wish their eyes wouldn't turn blue with the flash though. It makes them look evil. Especially Smudge. But, I guess you could say it brings out their true colors! lol.

Night night.

Where, Oh Where, Has the Time Gone?

2007-01-21T18:17:00.000-06:00

Wow. I can't believe that it's almost February 2007 already! Where has the time gone? It's been so long since I've logged into this site that I don't even know where to start. Things have been crazy with work and life in general. My twin nephews were born on Dec. 6th. Everyone is healthy and happy. Here's the happy family:

I finished their blankets a little late, but the blankies are still too big for them even now. Oops. They're warm and snuggly, though, so I'm sure they'll get their use.

I started training Capoeira (www.go-cap.com) in Nov. and fell in love with it. The people I train with are marvelous and the training itself is tons of fun. It kicks my butt every time I go, but it's well worth it. It's really been helping out with my daily aches and pains in me knee and back too. I can tell when I haven't trained in a while when the pain comes back. I just need to get work to stop making me travel so I don't miss any classes!

I do have a couple of FOs for 2007. I sat down the past couple of days and made Deneen's Chunky Brimmed Winter Chapeau (http://deneens.blogspot.com/2007/01/chunky-brimmed-winter-hatchapeau.html) and a Calorimetry (http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter06/PATTcalorimetry.html). Pictures are bad, though, as I took them myself. So don't laugh.

And I have about 90 grams of 100% bulky weight wool that I'm looking to do something with. Any ideas?

I'll quit boring you for now! Gotta go pack for a trip to Midland tomorrow. Going to be snowing there. Yuck. Of course, snow is better than ice any day.

Quick Update

2006-10-19T11:40:00.000-05:00

I think about updating this everyday on my drive to and from work and during lunch, but never seem to push myself to do it when I get home at night. So, I figured that as long as I was thinking about it while on lunch, that I would do a quick update. Yeah!

I finished one of two baby blankets for the twins. Here is the first one...

It's not quite as dark as it looks in the picture, but it's the best picture I have. The second one is about halfway done. I took the advice of my buddies over at Fiber Freaks and am making the second blankie in the same pattern, but reversed colors. I hope Jess doesn't freak about it being mostly white. I had mentioned that as a concern, and they all said that it's going to be washed everyday no matter what the color. If she has a fit, I'll just have to make another one, I guess. The blankies are made with TLC Amore and they are so very warm and snuggly! Thinking I may have to make an adult sized one for myself. lol.

Other finished projects? More dishcloths...

And a scarf using broomstick lace...

WIPs include the second blankie which I don't have a picture of, a second French Market bag which I don't have a picture of, and a pair of socks...

I've gotten a bit farther on the socks since the picture was taken, but not much.

In other news, our plans for going to Wisconsin have been finalized! We have our plane tickets, we have guanentee's from work that we have days off that we need, and as of last night, we have our costumes! I'm so very excited. Kyle is going as Jack Skelington, and I'm going as the Wicket Witch of the West. I'm so thrilled with this costume. Though it barely fits. Guess that means no more eating out for me! And that excercising I've been "planning" on doing is actually going to have to get done. I just love halloween. So much fun to be able to dress up as something that you always wanted to be or in my case, as my parents would say, a chance to show your true self. lol. Tell me what you think of the costume...

One of these days I'll actually get around to updating my links in my sidebar and whatnot too. Right now I have to eat. My stomach feels like it's going to start devouring itself! Then again, that my not be a bad thing. lol.

Just for Fun

2006-10-18T13:00:00.000-05:00

Actualy posting to come later...

Found these through Kimberly. Apparently we are amazingly alike...

You Are Guinness

You know beer well, and you'll only drink the best beers in the world.
Watered down beers disgust you, as do the people who drink them.
When you drink, you tend to become a bit of a know it all - especially about subjects you don't know well.
But your friends tolerate your drunken ways, because you introduce them to the best beers around.

What's Your Beer Personality?

What Color is Your Brain?

BLUE:

At work or in school: I like to be with people, sharing with them, inspiring them, and helping them. I work and learn best when I can take into consideration people and the human element. I flourish in an atmosphere of cooperation.
With friends: I always look for perfect love. I am very romantic, and I enjoy doing thoughtful things for others. I am affectionate, supportive and a good listener.
With family: I like to be happy and loving. I am very sensitive to rejection from my family and to family conflicts. I really like to be well thought of and need frequent reassurance. I love intimate talks and warm feelings.
Take this quiz!

Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Your Haloween Costume Should Be

A Sexy Bunny

What Should You Be For Halloween?

You Are

An Evil Pumpkin Face

You would make a good pumpkin bomb.

What's Your Pumpkin Face?

You Should Rule Mars

Mars is a planet that shines brightly and loops wildly around the solar system.

You are perfect to rule Mars, because you are both energetic and independent.
Like Mars, you seems attractive and bright to others - but you're difficult to pin down.

You are a great thinker, but you only think in the present and ignore the future.
Full of enthusiasm and inspiration, you are into your own thing... and rather insensitive to others.

What Planet Should You Rule?

You Are The Stuffing

You're complicated and complex, yet all your pieces fit together.
People miss you if you're gone - but they're not sure why.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

What kind of knitting needles are you?

You are interchangeable.Fun, free, and into everything, you've got every eventuality covered and every opportunity just has to be taken. Every fiber is wonderful, and every day is a new beginning. You are good at so many things, it's amazing, but you can easily lose your place and forget to show up. They have row counters for people like you!
Take this quiz!

Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Wisconsin Here We Come?

2006-09-22T08:15:00.000-05:00

Well, maybe! Hubby and I have been invited to a Halloween part in Milwaukee by some of the guys we play WOW with. We both agree that it would be a great way to meet everyone in person PLUS if we can go up for a few days we can even go see my family! How fun would that be? I called my boss when I was out of town last week, just to check the schedule for the last Monday and Tuesday of the month, and she actually put me down for two vacation days. Woohoo! And Kyle thinks he can get that weekend of the party off as well. So, we're good to go there. The only problem is finding the money for plane tickets. Sigh. We can get a good deal on Southwest, but that would involve driving up from Chicago. And while usually I don't mind, I'm going to be travelling so much between now and then that I'm more than likely not going to want to spend another 3 hours in the car after the flight. Too bad I don't have any free flights yet!

On the crafty front, I finished my third garterlac last night. Still don't have pictures, but did finish it! Worked a coule of more rounds on my sock until I started to fall asleep, then started on my first baby blanket this morning while waiting for my carpool to come out of the house. The yarn I picked for the blankets is kind of a pain, but it's going to be so warm and snuggly when it's done! I think I'll work on that today while waiting to get my blood drawn on lunch break. Give myself a little break from knitting. Of course, I also have my sock with me, as well as needles and yarn for another garterlac in case I get bored with afghan. lol. I'm horrible.

Adult ADD?

2006-09-21T13:18:00.000-05:00

Anyone have it? I think i do. I've been really into those Garterlac discloths lately - even bought a pound cone of yarn to make them! I have managed to make 2.5 so far and am addicted to the pattern. So, I went to Hobby Lobby last night to check out baby stuff (need to get started on making stuff for nephews) and I bought even MORE yarn for dishcloths. The plan was to finish the one I was working on, maybe make one more, then get started on the first of two baby afghans when I got home. So what did I do last night? I taught myself to use dpn's and started a sock. Go figure. What happened to the dishcloth addiction? And finishing my current project? No wonder I have so many WIPs that need finishing. Maybe I can force myself to finish the one discloth before continuing on the sock. And take some pictures.

I get to go to Grand Chenier Louisiana next week for work. My doctor will probably have a hissy fit since I came back from West Texas last week with a blood clot. But, I figure, I'll be on blood thinners, so shouldn't be so much of a risk, right? Been giving myself shots all week and if you looked at my belly you would think I was some kind of weird drug user. Thankfully I do the last one tonight. Tomorrow I get to get poked one last time for the week and have some blood work done up. Some to check the levels of blood thinners in my blood stream, and a whole slew of tests to make sure my blood is actually ok since this is the second time I've had a blood clot. Should be tons of fun! Then I get to go see the doctor on Saturday to get results and break the news of my travel schedule. I think I will be in the office for one entire week until the beginning of November. She won't be happy. And neither will Kyle. But, what can one do? Gotta earn money somehow!

Ok, need to find work now. Here's another picture from Aruba to amuse you...

Just one of the many friends we made on our hotels private island.

As promised...

2006-09-13T20:55:00.000-05:00

A picture of my entrelac dishcloth! It's big, and wonky, but I'm proud of it! I'm about halfway done with my second one, but haven't been able to work on it as I've been in west Texas and haven't had the time. Sigh. Oh well.

Wow! My picture actually uploaded this time! Nice.

I finished painting this past weekend. I'm very happy with the color, but I think I'm going to have to do a second coat. I took some pictures, and of course, the colors didn't turn out completely right, but it's close! So here are some pictures. Please ignore the fact that there's furniture, cat furniture, and other things kind of scattered about. I didn't have a chance to put everything back where it belonged yet, which I guess is a good thing because it's going to have to be moved again anyways for the second coat. Let me know what you think!

My entry way (that chair belongs upstairs in the game room, but actually matches the paint rather well! lol)

My formal living room. Eventually that cat tree, sewing machine cabinet, and ab roller will be out of the middle of it...

and last but not least, the back wall of the dining room. Matches the chairs rather well, does it not? I'm so happy to finally get the chance to put some color on the walls. It makes my house feel warmer to me.

Alright - it's getting close to bedtime. Tomorrow is going to be an extremely long day in the field and I need my beauty rest! Hopefully I'll get the chance to post again soon! And there might even be a pleasant surprise for some of you...

Past few weeks...

2006-09-06T20:25:00.000-05:00

well, the weeks since i last posted haven't exactly been the best weeks for me. my new laptop blew out two power cords. had to take it back to best buy where they said it sounded like a grounding problem. they weren't even going to turn the computer on because "that's how fires start". nice. so, they took my word for it and exachanged computers without any questions. i guess that was good. that weekend i went out to dallas with izzy for stephanies birthday. she wanted to do a mary kay makeover party and then go out. we had a great time, it was good to see steph (as always) and great to see her sisters again (who i haven't seen since she got married almost 10 years ago) and meet some new people. only problem is i've felt like i've had a hangover ever since. and i didn't drink. go figure. then, last week, i broke my toe. if you haven't done it already, take my advice - don't. it hurts. bad. thankfully i haven't had any field work to do since. it is now finally getting better though. it's not nearly as swollen and it doesn't hurt as much. just looks bad. then, yesterday, i started getting sick. couldn't keep food down. had to go home from work early. and, of course, i carpooled, so in order to do that, kyle had to come pick me up. he wasn't too happy. i stayed home today too, but haven't thrown up since around 10. very good. maybe i'll get to go back to work tomorrow.

on the good side of things, kyle and i agreed on a color to paint the front living room, dining room, and entryway. so, while he worked over the long weekend, i was out shopping and to lunch and the movies with the girls on saturday, and spent sunday and monday (our 2 year anniversary) painting. woohoo! and the color looks good! i'm thrilled. i need to go out and get more blue tape though, so i can finish. let's see, what else was good? oh yeah. i finished an enterlac dishcloth! woohoo! didn't think i could, but once i understood the pattern it was easy peasy. it turned out huge, and a bit wonky, but i'm still excited! i'm working on another one right now with smaller needles. i'll get a picture of them when i finish the second one. and the last bit of good news? kyle and i installed our very first fan! only took us two years to find one that it perfect for the bedroom. lol. but, we did find it, and we installed it last night. well, kyle installed it, but i helped! i can't tell you how nice it feels to finally have a fan in there! now we just need to find them for the rest of the house. it will really help with that $250 electric bill!

ok, so i just realized how very unamusing this post has been... i'll just have to make it up to you by posting a picture from aruba. this one is one of my favorites and the view from our hotel room. grrrr. will someone tell me why my picture isn't uploading? i've tried three times already! i guess i'll post the picture as soon as i can figure out why it won't upload and fix the issue.

(apparently i can cut and paste html code from a previous post and change the photo name. woohoo!)

2006-08-19T10:36:00.000-05:00

So last Friday, I got home from work to find that Kyle had bought me a laptop. He had decided that I needed a computer that was good enough to play WOW on that I can bring with me when I travel for work. That way, when I am done for the night, we can hook up online and play. So, when I was in Waco this past week, I had all intentions to sit down when I got to my hotel room, post on this blog, and then play. But, my intentions weren't good enough. For some reason, after starting work at 6:30 in the morning, working in up to 106 degree heat all day, and returning to the hotel at about 8 or 8:30, I was a bit exhausted. I managed to turn the computer on long enough to check email, and that was all. I was out. So, it may take me a little while to catch up. But, you'll survive, right?

So, I'm going to be an Auntie for the first time! We're very excited. And, we found out about a week ago that I'm not just getting 1 nephew, I'm getting 2! Yes, she's having twin boys! I think my mom had an aunt that had twins, but that's about the history of twins in our family. There's no history in her hubby's family. Can't quite figure out where they came from. lol. Boy, is she going to have her hands full! I think I may treat myself to a trip to Hobby Lobby today to check out baby patterns and yarn. Get back to working with fiber. I miss it so much! If any of you know of anything I should make for the boys, let me know!

Do I have any readers left?

2006-08-13T19:06:00.000-05:00

ok, so i've been bad. i've been very bad. i haven't blogged or spent any time reading blogs, or visted my favorite crochet boards since the end of may. i can't even access DoD anymore because of it either. oh well. it seems the same things went down there that went down at the ville, and i just don't want to deal with that kind of crud.

so, lots of things have happened, but i won't spend an hour here tonight writing everything out in one post. that way you won't have to spend an hour reading everything in one post either. i'll spread it out over a couple of days. i'll start off by saying that working at Chico's wasn't good for me. the hours sucked. the pay sucked. and i got a bit depressed always wondering why i was stuck working retail with a college degree. so, when i got home from work, and on my days off, i didn't want to do anything. i didn't crochet, i didn't knit, and i had cancelled WOW because i wasn't playing that either. i was either spaced out in front of the tv, sleeping all day, or reading. at least i was reading. i actually went through quite a few books - mainly because that was my way of escape from what my life had turned into. i do have to say, though, that my hubby was a saint through it all. he even supported me when i decided to start trying my hand selling mary kay. by the way, if you want /need any, check out my website at www.marykay.com/jennymoore.

anyways, shortly after i started mary kay to earn some extra money (and to get my products at a discount) I received an offer letter from Retec (the company i interviewed for in austin). and they wanted me to start after our vacation to aruba. of course, i accepted tie job. yeah! and so far am loving it.

but, i'll get more into the job, and aruba (including pictures) at a later date. kyle needs to set his fantasy football team for his work...

Exhaustion Sets In

2006-05-20T18:54:00.000-05:00

Well, after working at Chico's for 5 days, the exhaustion has finally sank in. My back and feet are killing me, and I'm at the point that I don't want to do ANYTHING! That includes email, blogging, and even crocheting. I just want to sit in the bath and go to sleep. Two more days of this and I have two days off. Woohoo!

I did have some good things happen this week, though. I went to my neighbors Mary Kay meeting on Wednesday night and won a $200.00 drawing. I was so incredibly excited! I never, and I mean NEVER, win anything! That money is going straight into savings for Aruba (well, actually, it bought me some new clothes - but daddy was sending me money for new clothes so THAT is going into savings for Aruba lol). Go me! I also got a call last night from TCEQ (Texas Center for Environmental Quality - or something like that) wanting me to interview for a position with them on May 30. Of course, I accepted! They're the regulators of the consulting firms. And it's a government job so that means excellent benefits! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I get it. Sad that I would have to give up Chico's though. Maybe they'll work with me and let me bump down to part time... Let's see, what else? Oh yeah. I FINALLY got 1 of my 2 medical reimbursements in the mail today, so I'm another $250 richer! woohoo! Debating whether or not I want to put that in savings for Aruba too, or treat myself to a pair of MTBs (http://www.mbt-uk.com/) for work. They're really expensive, but if they make the foot and back pain go away, they'll be worth it! Of course, I really should wait and see if I get that TCEQ job first - because that would entail a lot of sitting...

Anyways, that's all I know for now! Kyle should be getting off work any minute and I'm going to need to start making dinner. And pay attention to the doggies. And maybe work a bit on my serepina shawl that I'm doing in a laceweight wool yarn. Insane? Yes, I know.

Exchange Bag

2006-05-13T15:49:00.000-05:00

Well, the Exchange Bag from The Happy Hooker is done! It was hard to get a good picture of it do to the coloration of the cord, though. These are the best I got. Now, to find my next project.

When Good Dogs Go Bad

2006-05-13T09:29:00.000-05:00

You know how I just told you about working on that Exchange Bag? Well, I was making decent progress for the amount of time working on it, and I was working on it some more downstairs with the dogs running around while Kyle was upstairs playing his game. Well, I decided I needed to do something real quick upstairs, so I left the dogs downstairs alone. Mistake. Should have locked them outside, but I thought "it's only going to be a few minutes, and they're eating - they'll be good." Couldn't have been more wrong. Kyle went downstairs before I did - he finally decided to go get his Texas drivers license (we've only been here for a year and a half) so he was going to shower. All of a sudden I heard him yell at Smudge. Uh oh. Then he told me I better get downstairs - oh, and bring the camera. BIG uh oh. This is what I found...

Wait, is that my Exchange bag?

It sure is! And look, the cord goes out the doggie door...

And all around the porch...

And in the grass...

And back on the porch... And apparently I can't upload any more pictures, but it went from there, back into the doggie door, back out the doggie door, and then around the post. I had to laugh. Then, it turns out that Kyle was yelling at Smudge because she was chewing on my wooden crochet hook. The one his grandmother gave me. Rendering it now useless :( The good news through all this was my project itself didn't get unravelled. The bad news is I had to unravel it myself because my aluminum crochet hook was 0.25 mm smaller than my wood one. And while it doesn't sound like a big difference, it actually is. I could have killed those dogs. Still hoping to have the bag done this weekend though! Guess I better get to work for that to happen.

Stitch N Bitch

2006-05-13T09:20:00.000-05:00

So, I finally broke down and bought "Stitch N Bitch, The Happy Hooker" the other day. I had a 30% off one item coupon and a 10% off entire order all day shopping spree from Borders. I couldn't resist. I wanted it only for the Sweet Pea shawl that everyone else was making, but by the time I sat down to look through the rest of it, I had a million and one projects that I wanted to do! And the book itself is hilarious. Now all I need is Stitch N Bitch Nation and my collection is complete! But, I digress. Kyle got a new computer game that day too - Civilization 4 - so after we got home, he sat in front of his computer, trying to figure out the game, and I sat in front of my stash with my book, trying to find enough yarn to do a project. But, unfortunately, most of my stash is Red Heart for making afghans. I do have quite a bit of homespun I received from my MIL (mother-in-law), but that's going to be an afghan too. Oh, and I had enough wool to make some stuff, but I'm saving that for Elizabeth's Lucinda Bag once she finally sells the pattern! So, I'm thinking I'm going to be SOL until I see the Exchange Bag, and realize that I have exactly two rolls of that cord (I forget the name of the stuff off the top of my head, and it's already downstairs)! Now, I gotta say, I can't remember when I bought it, or why. It's been just sitting there for years - like, at least 4. Guess I knew 4 years ago that I wanted to make this bag! That stuff is a pain in the you know where to work with though... Hoping to have it done this weekend.

Curiosity Killed the Cat

2006-05-13T09:14:00.000-05:00

...or tried to, at least. I have begun brushing Boog Boogs on a daily basis and collecting his hair for spinning. I had a convenient Hobby Lobby bag and put it in there. About 10 minutes after I hear a weird rustling noise. I turned around and saw this...

Notice the "Help me momma" plea in his eyes? Or is that a "Leave me the hell alone" look?

Yes, that Hobby Lobby bag was wrapped nicely around his neck. Gotta wonder how he got himself into that situation! Good thing I was in the room. That boy sheds a lot and I would hate to have had to run around the house trying to pick up all the hair I had collected!

Ugh, cats...

Pet Hair

2006-05-11T13:14:00.000-05:00

So, after trying so very hard to keep all the pet hair off of my project for Lani, without success, i spent a good couple of hours trying to get it off. I'm pretty sure that I didn't get it all though, and for that, I apologize.

Anyways, I was wondering around on the web today and saw articles about people spinning the hair from their pets into yarn, and I got to thinking... The dog hairs are too short, but Boog Boogs hair (which is everywhere) would be perfect for the task! So, I got out the kitty brush and sat with him for about an hour. It's amazing how much hair I got! By the time I can afford to buy the carding paddles and drop spindle (want to buy a spinning wheel, but too expensive) to make some yarn, I will have enough hairs for a sweater! Well, I won't be making a sweater, but will have plenty to make something. Maybe some slippers? I've been wanting to spin for a while now, and this gives me the reason to do it. I learned at Rennaissance Faire when I worked there years ago, so I think I'll be able to do it again without too many problems, right? What do you think? Would Boog Boogs make a cute pair of slippers?

Well, I did it...

2006-05-10T14:01:00.000-05:00

I called Chico's today to tell them that I wasn't able to take the job, and now, I start Monday! Can someone tell me how that works? Actually, I asked her some more questions about the bonuses and incentives, and possible overtime, and she pretty much gave me all the right answers. One of them being that if her current full time cashier was having a bad month, she was walking away with an addition $400. Not too shabby eh? And they're changing some things around as well where if they have three cashiers on, and only need 2 to be open, then the full timer (which would be me) would go out to the sales floor - which means more bonuses. Not to mention training in sales. I told Kyle about it and he seems really excited. And who knows, maybe in 6 months I'll be a manager. Or, maybe I will finally find a job in my field now that I'm actually working again! Wouldn't that be nice?

Kyle also mentioned that he's going to start training for floor manager. Which means an increase in pay for. That would be nice too. Plus, their floor managers still qualify for the bonuses as well. Even better. And, his store manager anticipates them getting their full bonuses this year. So, maybe we'll be ok. Maybe I can just enjoy working at Chico's, go back to school, do something new. I was getting tired of what I was doing anyways. My ego is just killing me - having a college degree and working retail. Oh well. I'm sure I'll get over it.

Ugh

2006-05-09T17:57:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I just sat down and figured out bills and the budget and stuff, and if I were to take this job, it would leave us $750 short. Yikes! If we were to get all the bonuses Kyle and I are eligible for, we'd be fine, with money leftover to spare. BUT, there's no guarentees on those bonuses. And if we have a month without them, we're screwed. Grrrr. I so want to take this job! If only to help keep my sanity in check! Unfortunately, it doesn't look like that's going to happen for me. :(

To Work? or not to Work?

2006-05-09T17:40:00.000-05:00

Well, Chico's offered me a full time cashiers position this morning and has given me til tomorrow afternoon to decide if I want to take it or not. I don't know what to do. The pay would be equal to my unemployment, minus taxes. 50% discount off clothing, full benefits after 90 days... It would get me out of the house, and help me emotionally, BUT, would have to pay for gas and leave us short on bills. What should I do?

Good News!

2006-05-08T18:10:00.000-05:00

Well, I don't have a job yet, but have heard a vicious rumor that someone is going to call me for an interview. Yeah!

I also have a finished project. Finally! Only took a couple of months, and an entire weekend of weaving in ends and sewing pieces together, but it's done. And in the mail on it's way to my secret pal. I hope she likes it! What do you think?

It was hard for me to let go.

Phone Call

2006-04-18T09:33:00.000-05:00

So, I receieved a phone call the other day from the Program Chemist that works at my old company. I answered the phone and heard "Project bring Jennifer back is in full swing" Ok, tell me more.... Apparently, I should expect a phone call from the company, but they may ask me if I'm willing to re-locate. And Christelle just wanted to give me the heads up so I can prepare. Well, haven't heard from the company as of yet. In a way I guess that's good, though, as I don't know what to say about the whole relocation thing. I mean, I don't want to say no outright (though that is my answer) because I don't want that to go against me, but I don't want to say yes either because then I would have to relocate! Which moving to the east coast wouldn't be so bad, if that's where they would want me to move, but, Kyle is really happy with his job here, and we have a house! We have a house that is only a year and a half old! And who knows if we would even be able to get a house somewhere else? What I am really hoping for is to be based out of a different office, but working out of the San Antonio one and travelling. Or working out of the house and travelling. Wish me luck with that phone call, if it does indeed happen, as I will be needing it!

Other then that, there's really no new news. Been working hard on my reveal package for my SP. Packages are to go out on May 1st. Guess I should check the board and see if there's any good swaps coming up. Life just doesn't seem right if I'm not stressing about finishing up some project and getting it in the mail in time! Lol.

Stress

2006-04-09T09:47:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know, it's been a month since I've posted. And I have no job, so you would think I would be posting all the time! But, the fact is, I really have nothing to say! Life has been pretty uneventful lately. Been spending a lot of my time searching for jobs and playing games. I have had one interview, which I should hear back from this week, and one other lead that has a job posting in a week. Will just have to wait and see how things turn out, I guess.

I have gotten some knitting and crocheting done. Getting ready to send out a package to my secret pal. Hope she enjoys it. It's hard not getting to spoil her like I would like. I just hope my handmade project in my reveal package makes up for it! I think I will probably spend today working on it. If I don't get my butt in gear, and get off this computer, it will never get finished!

Mom and Dad are off on yet another cruise to the Caribbean. I'm so jealous. And they just got back from Hawaii on Thurs. Not fair at all! Sounds like a lot of fun was had in Hawaii too. They planned a trip so that all my mother's brothers and sisters (and husbands and wives) would meet up in Hawaii and have a family reuinion. How cool is that? Turns out my Aunt Sharon vacations like my sister - always where are we going? come on, let's go! lol. In a way, I'm kind of glad I didn't go!

Aruba is coming up fast. And hear I am not losing weight! It's all I can do right now to keep myself from eating all day when I'm home. I guess it's good that I'm not gaining it, but I really want to feel comfy in a swimsuit! Grrrr. Need to excercise more. I no longer have the excuse that I have no time. Now it's just plain laziness and lack of energy.

Anyways, that's about it for my life this past month! Maybe now that I've posted I will feel more like keeping up with that and emails. We'll just have to wait and see...

Free Time

2006-03-08T08:21:00.000-06:00

Yes, you heard it, I have free time. As of Monday, March 6, I no longer have a job. But, before you feel sorry for me, I feel as if a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders! Sure, I have no money, but I no longer have to deal with people treating with disrespect and acting as if I'm a child who knows nothing and is not capable of doing anything by herself. It all came down on me after complaining to HR about how I was treated. Coincidnece? I think not. So, I've been spending the past couple of days searching for a new job and crocheting! If anyone has any leads, please let me know!

My PG exam is finally done and over with. The first test seemed pretty easy, and I was done relatively fast - I was the second one to finish. The second test was a totally different story...I pulled a lot of answers out of my booty - meaning I guessed. A lot. BUT, I talked to someone afterwards that had more experience than me saying the same thing. So, I know it was the test, not me. My gut feeling is that I passed the first one,and will be re-taking the second one in October. Oh well. At least I have an idea of what to expect now, right?

Well, I guess it's back to the job hunt! Maybe I'll take the opportunity to get out of the environmental field and do something new!

It's just about time...

2006-03-02T17:21:00.000-06:00

To pack up and head for Austin. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, my exam is bright and early tomorrow morning, and I'm really getting nervous! Kyle will be home in an hour, and we'll be going to dinner and heading north. I took some practice exams today and while I did better on them then I thought I would, I didn't do as good as I would have liked. I wonder how hard grading is going to be...

Anyways, I need to make sure that I have all the supplies I need, and go pack my overnight bag. Wish me luck!

Nao Time

2006-03-01T19:52:00.000-06:00

Boogs and I took a nap today on our new couch, under the afghan I made for Kyle a while back. Aren't we cute?

Secret Pals

2006-03-01T11:16:00.000-06:00

The DC secret pals has officially began! And boy was my secret to me pal fast in responding! Thank for the comments secret to me pal! I look forward to getting to know you too!

What a fun day

2006-03-01T11:06:00.000-06:00

So, I drove home from San Angelo yesterday with my eye starting to burn a bit. Thought I may have scratched it, so as soon as I got home, I took my contacts out. By the time I went to bed, my eye was bright red, swollen, and watery. And it hurt when I had my eyes open, and it hurt when I had my eyes closed. So much for getting a decent night's sleep! Woke up this morning and couldn't open it real well, it was ultra sensitive to the light. Forget this! I'm going to the eye doctor. Ask Kyle if he would drive me, as I couldn't see properly and he almost convinced me not to go - it was only a scratch and it would get better. BUT, I'm supposed to be studying today, and I can't read. So, off we went. Apparently, I have an ulcer in the center of my eye. If not taken care of, it could have scarred and I would have permanently lost some of my vision. Not good. Glad I went now. Course, today is still going to suck because now my eye is dilated and will be for 8 hours. So, I still can't read all that well, and my eye is still ultra sensitive to the light. Oh, and I have to put eye drops in every 15 minutes for the next 24 hours. Thankfully, she is going to allow me to sleep tonight, but if I wake up in the middle of the night I have to put more eye drops in. And these puppies burn! Now I'm really stressing about this test! I guess I'm going to just have to do the best I can under the circumstances.

Update on Uncle Steve - The doctors ran some tests on Monday to check out his heart. One side was 80% blocked and they had to put a stint in. The other side was only 50% blocked, and they think that side will work just fine. If it gets worse, then they'll do something about it. And I think he had some tearing or something like that, but they said that should heal itself within the next 4 weeks. So, he's doing much better, and he is home now! Woohoo! Glad you're feeling better Steve!

Boog Boogs

2006-03-01T10:55:00.000-06:00

Well, it has come to my attention that I have no pictures of my mischievious kitty cat, Oogie Boogie (aka Boog Boogs) on my blog. So, here is a couple! I think most of the pictures I have of him were downloaded on my work computer...

This one is when he was a baby after we took him home from the shelter. Should have known from the start he would be evil...

Here he is helping me unpack a package from my Summer SP.

Hmmm, what is this?

And my little sweetie trying to help me untangle that yarn that he helped tangle in the first place!

I'll have to get some more pictures of him soon. I can't believe I was such a bad mom!

Update on Life

2006-02-28T18:33:00.000-06:00

Life has been so hectic lately, and I finally have the chance to settle down after Friday and do some relaxing, so, what do I do? I sign up for another round of Secret Pals at Crochetville! Woohoo! I can't wait to see who my pal is going to be so I can start spoiling him/her.

Work, of course, is still going to be stressful. I actually talked to the head of HR yesterday because my senior geologist and project manager are treating me with disrespect. I actually got told that passing my PG exam on Friday was not important, and that if I didn't know my information for the exam by now, I wasn't going to know it. Oh, and that I was being childish for needing to study instead of work (I was told I could have the weekend off in the beginning of January and they decided on Friday that I needed to work on Sunday with my senior geologist just watching me)and I needed to control my anxiety attacks (of which I had a 5 hour one on Saturday and still went to bed with my heart pounding). Nice, huh? And it didn't help that my Uncle Steve had a heart attack Friday morning due to a blood clot in his heart. I was livid. I also forgot to mention that my annual evaluation was originally scheduled for last Thursday (because I was going to be out all week this week) and my PM re-scheduled it for Friday afternoon. I was in the field Friday morning and when I came into the office at lunch, my PM was gone. Went golfing. Not to return. Didn't bother cancelling or re-scheduling my evaluation (guess no bonus or raise for me) and never bothered to return my phone calls either. Not good. So, HR talked to the VP at my office yesterday, and he said he would talk to my PM when he gets back in town on Friday. Of course, the VP and my PM are friends (they were golfing together on Friday) so I wouldn't be surprised if the talk never happened. I think I may need to start looking for a new job soon.

Kyle is also talking about getting a new job working for a promotions company. It would require a lot of travel, but he would have the opportunity to make a salary equal to our combined salaries right now in 6 months time. Therefore, I wouldn't have to work anymore. He said I could go get a job at my LYS. AND, he's now looking at RVs so that I could occasionally travel with him and we could bring the doggies. Course, he's looking at RV's that cost over $100,000.00. Gonna be a while before we can afford that one! Lol. It is pretty cool though.

Well, my right eye, back, and legs are killing me. I think it's about time for a nice relaxing bubble bath, and bed. Help me to prepare to go to physical therapy and study my booty off for my exam. I can't believe it's this Friday. AHHHHHHHHH!

It's done!

2006-02-26T21:36:00.000-06:00

Well, I was weaving in ends as the closing ceremonies began, and just finished felting my bag and was taking pictures as the torch was extinguished. Talk about being close! Here it is in all it's glory - I think it actually looks kinda funky. Might have to try the pattern again when I'm a little more experienced...

Now it's off to bed I go. Have to get up before dawn to go walking with Jess so I can complain to her about work. Don't worry, I'll complain to you about work too - it just has to wait a little while. Maybe tomorrow evening when I am stuck in a hotel in San Angelos and need a study break.

Let the Games Begin!

2006-02-11T12:00:00.000-06:00

The Knitting Olympics officially began last night. I was so excited that I just plopped myself down on my couch in front of the t.v. with the Opening Ceremonies and my needles. My French Market Bag is coming along nicely so far. I really like the yarn I picked out for the bag too. I think it's going to turn out great! Now, the problem is getting it done in time. Lol. I've been slacking in my studying for my PG exam, which is not good considering it's in less than a month. So, I really need to crack down on it. Wish me luck!

Thank You Fairy Godmother!

2006-02-11T11:57:00.000-06:00

I received a package in the mail yesterday from a Fairy Godmother! I was so excited that I just ripped it open. And inside? Inside was the cutest soap holder hand made with yellow and white washclothes and a pretty flower to hang on the door of my guest bathroom. And it matches perfectly. Thank you Fairy Godmother!

First FO's of 2006!

2006-02-11T11:44:00.000-06:00

Ok, I finally finished a couple of things this year. I finished the Marvelous Felted Mini Tote and a knitted Companion with wool yarn that Dawn sent me. Speaking of which, here's a picture of the goodies I got...

I love it all!

And a before picture of my mini tote...

And After...

And my Companion - first ever finished knitting project! Unfortunately, I don't have a before picture, but I'm so proud of it! I'm going to have to make another one out of that yellow and orange yarn I have...

Oh my goodness, Oh my goodness!

2006-02-05T08:37:00.000-06:00

(yes, I watched Annie last night and that phrase is stuck in my head)

I received my package of wooly goodness from Dawn yesterday. Can you say spoiled? She sent me 7 balls of Wool of the Andes in Stream (from Knitpicks), 2 hanks of Shadow in Lost Lakes (also from Knitpicks) and 3 hanks (2 in Autumn, 1 in Citrus) from Hand Painted Yarns. She also included a copy of Crochet World magazine with the cutest purse pattern, the Marvelous Fulled Mini Tote pattern, a cute little Valentines notepad, a purse calendar from the office she works at, a very yummy Dark Orange Chocolate bar (which is already half gone) and a wonderful little note telling me her intentions for the yarn that she bought. Of course, she did tell me it was my yarn, and I could do whatever I wanted with it. But, I liked her ideas, and I already wanted to make that Mini Tote....so, I guess I'll go with her ideas! I just need to find a pattern to make with the Shadow - she suggested a lacy scarf. Anyone know any good lacy scarf patterns? I was so excited when I got the package that I didn't even take the time to come upstairs and post a thank you. I had to immediately start winding one hank of Autumn into a ball (by hand - really need a ball winder) and started on the mini tote. On round 17 of 25 already. Can't wait to finish and get it in the washer! It's looking so good!

I finally did decide to join the Knitter's Olympics, and signed up early last week. Have been really looking forward to starting on my French Market bag. The Olympics begins this coming Friday. I have told myself that I am only allowed to knit when I watch my shows that I always watch during the week. When I have no shows to watch, then I will be studying for my exam. On the weekends I'm limiting myself as well - Study 2 hours, take a half hour break, study 2 hours, take a half hour break...On my breaks I can either crochet, knit, or have computer time. That's it. Give my mind enough time for the information to sink in before I get back to studying.

I learned a valuble lesson yesterday - When I get emails about the monthly pug meetup, be sure to check out all the details. I swore in the title that it said we were meeting at 2 (instead of 4). So, I left at 1:30 and headed to the humane society. Idiots here in Texas decided to shut a major freeway down for construction on a Saturday, so didn't get there until 2:30. No one was there. Uhhhh. People at humane society told me it was at 4. Ok. My mind was apparently somewhere else. Usually the people that run the event are there early to set up. Decided to just hang out until then. 4:00 rolls around, and still no one there. At 4:30, one other pug owner shows up. We're thinking maybe the closed freeway is slowing everyone down? 5:00, still no one else. We decide to give up and go home. Came upstairs and checked my email - the event was at 1:00 and the Texas Cultures Center! Ugh! A wasted afternoon because I was too lazy to read the email! Won't ever do that again, now, will I? Already received an email for the March event, and it is, indeed, at the humane society again. Of course, that is when I was planning on having my Mary Kay spa day for Rosie....May have to either change the time, or do it Sunday....

Alright - enough procrastinating for me. Need to go eat breakfast and get to studying!

Unexpected Phone Call

2006-01-24T08:52:00.000-06:00

So, I'm sitting at work yesterday, getting ready to go to lunch, when my phone rings. Pick it up with my usual greeting, and a voice on the other end says "Are you really supposed to use your right hand?" Huh? Who is this person and what is she talking about? I reply with a yes, constantly trying to figure out who this person is. Somehow I came to the conclusion that she was talking about knitting, but the only people I have talked about knitting to were in the office and this was an outside call. Sensing my hesitation over the phone, the mysterious caller finally said "This is Kimberly by the way". Wow! Could it really be Kimberly calling all the way from Belgium?!?! What a surprise! I had mentioned in a comment on her blog that it was hard for me to teach myself to knit because I was having to hold my yarn in my right hand, where I was so used to holding it in my left for crochet. She decided that a response was needed over the phone. lol. It really was great to talk to you Kimberly! And don't worry - I don't think you're stalking me.

We had a really nice conversation and a couple of suggestions for each other. I tried holding my yarn in my left hand last night, and just wasn't able to make it work. Kimberly thinks there is a conventional way and an american way to knit, so I'm going to go to my local knitting shop and ask about that. See what I can find out about what I'm doing wrong and what she may be doing wrong. I need to go there anyways to pick up some wool. I think the ladies there will be happy that I'm finally learning to knit. They've kind of looked down on me because I crochet. BUT, it's the only place in town that I can get some good wool.

Speaking of wool - I'm seriously thinking of participating in the 2006 Knitting Olympics challenge. I've decided that I'm going to knit myself a bag to felt with the wool I get for the "Winter Wool Swap" at crochetville. And what better way to challenge myself to do that than to do it in the Olympics! I was thinking about it last night and think I can come up with a schedule where I can complete it and study for my exam. Course, there won't be much time for sleep, but who really needs sleep anyways? This is the pattern I want to do... It's called French Market Bag. I will probably make it a little deeper though. What do you think? Can I do it? I was thinking of making a Kastanje Cardigan, but thought it may be a little complicated to do in 16 days. lol. One day...

Crummy Weekends

2006-01-23T11:36:00.000-06:00

So, I've had a couple of crummy weekends lately. This past weekend because I was sick with some stomach bug all weekend. Still not feeling so well, but well enough that I could actually come to work today. Course, I haven't been incredibly productive (am a little distracted) but I'm working on it. On the bright side, I went over to my neighbors yesterday for her Mary Kay starter show. Did have a lot of fun, and Rosie and her leader invited me to their meeting on Tuesday to be an eye model for training. Should be fun. They also told me to bring my Parylite catalogs and some business cards with me since it would be a great place to network. Would be so nice if I could get that going again! Course, if I do get into grad school in the fall, I'm not sure where I will find the time to do everything. Oh well. A little extra income will be really nice for our trip to Aruba this summer and for the furniture that we want to buy before Christmas this year. So, wish me luck with that! The other good thing that came out of this weekend was that I started to teach myself how to knit. I'm working on a hat right now. Will post pics when it's done! I gotta say, though, that teaching myself to knit has been a lot harder that teaching myself to crochet. I found out on Kimberly's blog that Stephanie (aka Yarnharlot) has been stirring people up lately with her 2006 Knitting Olympics challenge. I wanna do it! Sounds like tons of fun. BUT I don't know if I can as I should be using that time to study for my ASBOG. Ugh. No fair!

Last weekend, on the other hand, was much worse. Went to WW Sat. morning to find I had gained a pound. yuck. Came home to find that my cute little doggies had chewed up my cell phone (they chewed the remote earlier in the week). I don't know what's come over them! Anyways, since we were AT&T customers, and AT&T was taken over by Cingular, not only did I have to buy myself a new phone, but we had to switch to Cingular and get Kyle a new phone too! Ugh. So, I knew what phone I wanted, and thankfully it was on sale. Kyle told me just to pick out the cheapest flip phone that would fit his case. An hour and $325.00 later, I walk out of Cingular and go to bring Kyle his phone at work. He took one look at my phone and said "oh. that's cool". Course, he was with a customer, so off to the cafe I went to drink some coffee and program my new phone. An hour and sever coffees later, he comes back and begins his phone depate. He even asked a c-worker and his store manager which one they thought he should get. Of course, everyone liked my phone best so back to Cingular I went. Thank goodness it was close. 45 minutes later I'm back with Kyle, his phone in hand. Woohoo! We decided to get lunch. I had been craving steak from Logan's so we went there. And I had the WORST cut steak I had ever had! There was fat or grissle on ever piece of meat I cut. What a Saturday it was turning out to be, eh? Thankfully they took my meal off the bill. Finally I got to go home and get some studying done. Sunday morning I downloaded a new ring tone to my phone, but found out that only 5 of the ring tones on my phone actually worked. What the heck is going on? I figured I could call Cingular and fix it over the phone. No one is available. Call back during business hours. Grrrr. So, I went to the store thinking they could do a quick fix only to find out there is nothing they can do. Therefore, I have to go home, get my box and charger, and come back to do an exchange. Waited a half hour to do the exchange. Ring tones all work. Hurrah! Set up the bluetooth and off I go! Get in the car, ring tones don't work. Turns out, my bluetooth headset is not 100% compatible with my phone. Now, had the first person I dealt whith done a little more research other than just saying "nothing we can do but exchange it" I wouldn't have lost my ring tone and the three pictures I took. Talk about frustration! And a lot of wasted time... Now, in order to get my ring tones to work when bluetooth is active, I need to get a new ear piece. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to deal with it for now.

As usual, I should get some work done for the day. I think I have spent the entire second have of my lunch doing this now... Have a great Monday!

Update #2

2006-01-18T15:00:00.000-06:00

Woohoo! Two in a row! This one contains all my big news:

Before my Christmas vacation, I had decided that I had been working for 5 years and was finally eligible to take my Professional Geologist (PG) exam. Woohoo! So, I sent in my application and found out after I got back that I was indeed eligible and I could register for the exam. Great. Now I have to remember all that stuff I learned in college and haven't used since. Fun. I was hoping that in the registration packet they would provide some info on where to get study materials. I was wrong. All they provided were two little practice tests (one for the fundamentals test and one for the professional test). Little meaning 23 questions and answers each. Well, one test is 130 questions, and the other is 100. Ugh. They also provided a little outline with the different subjects within the field that could be on the exams. That's it. Nothing else. So, I called the board to find out where I can get study materials. They don't condone the sale of any study materials, and therefore can't tell me anything. They could tell me that some of their past test takers had taken a study class. But that's it. Grrrr. So, I started searching the internet. I found one forum website that had a thread on this exam, and a couple of people recommended a study guide. Yeah! They do exist! Even if there is only one. So, I orderd it. And paid $147. Ouch! Received the package yesterday and now have gone to completely stressed and not knowing where to start to having a plan and being excited. The study materials seem like they are going to be very helpful. And they have 4 practice exams (2 for each test) that are 100 questions each, plus some practice problems. So, this weekend I will be taking those exams to see what I still know, what I don't remember, and what I never learned. I will then have a really good idea of where to start in my studying. The test is March 3rd. Wish me luck!

The other big news I have is I have decided to go back for my masters degree this fall. I will be studying Hydrogeology at UTSA, provided the accept me! They want me to apply online, yet the application isn't up yet. Go figure. Guess I can start working on getting all my transcripts there as well as my GRE scores. Fun fun fun! Oh, I think I need recomendations too... One of my old bosses has offered to be a recommendation - now I think I just need to find 2 more people. Preferable people who have known me longer than 5 years.

Apologies to my readers...

2006-01-17T09:27:00.000-06:00

First of all, I want to apologize for it being over a month since I posted! Yikes! Life just got really hectic preparing for Christmas, then I was out of town over Christmas, then I had to play catch up at work when I got back! And, of course, really the only time I have to update this thing is on my lunch or 10 minute breaks at work. And if time wasn't tight enough, it's about to get tighter! But I'll get into that a little later...

My vacation over Christmas was a much needed one. It felt really good to get away from the stresses of everyday life at work. And it's been bad lately. Kyle and I drove out to California - took us 25 hours total: 21 hours of drive time, and 4 hours of sleeping at rest stops. Not exactly the smartest thing to do, but we had all three dogs with us, so that made it really hard to stop anywhere else. There are hotels that allow pets on the way, but our precious pups tend to bark at any little sound - therefore, no sleep for us or for other vacationers! Not really the way we wanted to spend the night. So, we basically drove straight through. It was great to see mom and dad again, of course, and it was made even better by us having some time just the four of us before Jess and Shannon came out. Don't get me wrong - I love my sister and her husband - but, we didn't get to spend a lot of time with my parents while they were out for Thanksgiving, so it was really nice for it just to be us and my parents.

Christmas day was marvelous. We were totally spoiled by both my family and Kyle's. I really enjoyed spending time with his family. We spent a lot of time over at his mom's and it was really hard for us to leave. His mom is really sick and we're kind of worried about how much longer she's going to be around. One of the bad things about living so far away. On a high note, Jackie (Kyle's step mom) really loved the wrap that I made her. She had it on her lap from the moment she opened it until Bob (Kyle's dad)took it away from her and curled up under it. Here's a picture...
I had no idea it would be so popular! Kyle's grandma was in Arizona for Christmas this year, but we did get a call from her telling us how much she really loved her wrap and how it was the perfect colors. Cindy (Kyle's mom) didn't say too much about the shawl I made her. I was kind of wondering if she even liked it. But, she wasn't feeling well at the time either, so my guess is it was probably just that. Here's the shawl I gave Cindy...
I think it turned out really well, and it was the perfect size for her. I hope she gets good use out of it!

The day after Christmas was a spa day for the girls. Mom, Jess and I hit the spa at the Mission Inn for some relaxation (I got a massage, and Jess and Mom facials for Christmas). Then it was off to Nordstrom's for a make-over at the Smashbox counter, and back to Mission Inn for dinner. After dinner we went on a carriage ride to see the lights around the area, and walked around a bit will smoking cigars. It was a nice night.

So, after that fun filled day and night, the girls went out shopping for our ultimate purse, while dad worked, Shannon played on the computer, and Kyle went Geocaching with his dad. Dinner that night was at Ancho's. I really wish we could move that restaurant out here! Great ending to a wonderful vacation. Headed home the day after that. Was so hard to leave! But, my dad was right when he said "No matter how long you stay, you'll be leaving a day too soon". I must also say that it was a little nice to go back to just 3 dogs instead of 5...
It was hard to get them all to pose pretty for the pictures though... Grrrr - I can't get my pictures to line up all nice and pretty! How do you do it Kimberly?

Ok, I think that's all I'll post on this one, since it's getting pretty long. I'll post about the happenings since we got home a little later. I have to get SOME work done today afterall!

I'm Bad

2005-12-12T12:56:00.000-06:00

I received my package from my Christmas Exchange partner on Thursday of last week, and I haven't posted a thing about it yet! Not on here, and not on Crochetville! How horrible of a person am I? I will tell you that it's not because I didn't like it, nor because I didn't appreciated...I loved everything so much and felt completely spoiled! But, unfortunately, I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get my package ready to send out to Cheryl, working on OV's blanket, and Christmas shopping and decorating! Anyways, Sondra had my name for the Christmas Exchange, and she sent me a wonderful shawl (the same pattern as the one I'm making for my MIL - lol) using the rainbow boucle in blue (she even sent the leftover yarn in case I needed to make it bigger), a gorgeous handmade ornament, the crochet-a-day calendar (can't wait to use it!), some kitchen scrubbies that are always needed, and some chocolates which were devoured that night. Here are the pictures...

Now I need to go mail Cheryl's package - I know, I'm late, but it will still be there this week!

Can I go Home Now?

2005-12-08T08:42:00.000-06:00

Got up early this morning so I would have some extra time to get to work with all the ice on the roads. Went outside while I was still getting ready to warm up the car. Fought to get the door open - there were icicles on my handle and the door was frozen shut. Turned on the car with the defroster on full blast in hopes of it melting the ice on the windshield. Came out 20 minutes later, still ice on the windshield. Tried scraping with drivers license for 10 minutes. Ruined drivers license. Yelled at Kyle to help me find something to scrap the car with. Went back outside with Kyle with kitchen utensils (one wood and one plastic spatula) and scraped windows. Drove to work. People are idiots. Got to work. Finished what I had to do in 15 minutes. The other work I was given to do was done already last month. Made some tea. Spilled pinapple juice all over me. Can I go home now? Should have brought crochet project with me today. For some reason I left it at home, when I usually carry it with me. Got yelled at yesterday for embarrassing my project manager because my fellow geologists just told me to go home since I had nothing to do. Tell me, how would that embarrass someone? So, looks like I'm stuck here until 5. Should be a great day, huh? Hope yours is better than mine!

Is she actually posting?

2005-12-07T10:45:00.000-06:00

Why, yes, yes she is! And it's probably not even worth reading since I really don't have much to say. :( Winter seems to have finally come to Texas and I'm so happy! I spent a week groundwater sampling up in New Jersey freezing my booty off and was actually a little disappointed that they told me to go home early! I was hoping to go to New York over the weekend, and it was supposed to snow! But, they couldn't get site access to the other site I was supposed to work on, so home I went. And while I was excited to see Kyle and the doggies again, I thought I was going to miss the cold. But, the cold followed me home! And we're supposed to get sleet and ice tonight. Ok, so it's not snow, but I think I can deal with it. In case you can't tell, winter is my favorite season...

Birthday is a week from today. Not so sure how I feel about it, seeing how I only have one year and one week til I hit 30. Ugh! When did I get so old? I still feel like a teenager, so I guess that's good....

Two weeks from today we will be in the car driving out and arriving in California! Woohoo! I hated living there, but I really enjoy visiting! Of course, this time it's going to be really hard seeing how there's a lot of family drama going on in Kyle's family and it turns out the Grandma is going to be in Arizona instead of California because that's what Kyle's aunt thinks is best for her. Doesn't matter that the rest of the family will be in California, and the only people that will be in Arizona are the aunt and a cousin. It really gets under my skin. Not to mention that Grandma doesn't even want to move to Arizona! So, now we have to figure out a way to visit with Grandma. It's going to be so hard to do too because we're taking our dogs with us for the trip, and we have no clue what we will do with them during that time. I have a sick feeling that Kyle might have to take a couple days and go out there alone. I really hope we can avoid that though.

Nothing really new on the crochet front. I have become seriously addicted to a computer game lately that has kept me away. I only have two weeks to get O.V.'s blanket done, though, so I better sit down and do it! I also have a couple of Christmas Wish List packages to send out, and I have to finish my project for the Christmas Exchange. Yikes! I almost forgot about that! That has to be sent out Saturday... I have recieved several yummy recipes from some Christmas Elves, as well as some glass beads. Can't wait to try beaded crochet! It's going to have to wait until after New Years though, with everything I still have left to do.

Alright, best get back to work... :(

Monsters Came to Eat My Dogs!

2005-11-22T10:36:00.000-06:00

So, I've been so horrible in posting lately because, well, my life has just been plain boring! Nothing exciting has been happening, and I have only had things to complain about - like not being able to crochet because my tendinitis has flared up, and stressing over having the house clean and everything ready and perfect for Thanksgiving....

The good news now is that my parents arrived in SA safe and sound last night. It's good to see them again. I am bummed that I still have to work when my mom and sister go to get their nails done, and then everyone goes out for lunch and to the Vatican exhibit downtown. Everyone but me. Sucks. Next year I think I'm going to have to save some vacation time for the week of Thanksgiving.

Now to the real reason that I have to post! Kyle just sent me an email with a couple of pictures, saying that monsters came to eat the dogs. Here are the pictures...

Having worked with these magnificent birds at Renaissance faires, I know what they are capable of. And one thing they are capable of, is eating bunny rabbits. Bunny rabbits that are larger than our puppy. Good thing he was sitting on our neighbors fence and hadn't noticed Zero yet! Lol. I do seriously doubt he would brave the other two dogs just to get to Zero, and I'm pretty certain that there is a ton more food for him in the field behind our house that won't fight back as bad! He is beautiful, isn't he? I wish I knew what type of hawk he is. Can anyone out there tell by just a picture? Kyle said he was humongous if that helps at all. Much bigger than the Red Tail Hawks we had out in Cali.

Date Night

2005-11-11T15:46:00.000-06:00

Had a date night with hubby Kyle last night for the first time in a long time. We decided to drive up to New Braunfels and attend Wurstfest! And had a blast. My work day was crap, and I ended up working through lunch, so we kind of pigged out last night on the food and beer. Had brats on hardrolls with saurkraut and german potato salad, of course, and then some fried pickels, fried stuffed olives, and even fried oreos. Yummy! Plus of course, we had beer - Warsteiner Dunkel to be exact. Pretty tasty. Was nice to be able to have a fun evening with Kyle and do some relaxing after a stressful, and downright nasty day at work! Of course, today hasn't been much better. I'm having to clean up after someone elses mistake, and have another treat me like a child over it and over writing reports. Hey, I'm a grown adult! Treat me like one! You'll get much better work out of me that way!

I finally got my new computer at work, so that is something on the bright side. Only problem is that it is a laptop and my keyboard and mouse don't work with it! I have bad tendinitis in my wrists, and after working on this computer for an hour they were already hurting. I'm at the point now where they are numb. And my project manager won't let me get ones that work, or connections so my old ones will work. The office manager has to order them apparently (of course, he can go buy his own stuff), and she's not back in til Monday. Hopefully I'll spend most of Monday doing research for a proposal so it won't be too much typing.

I look forward to this weekend. Weigh in day is tomorrow, and despite my lapse in diet food yesterday, I still think I did OK. The November Pug Meet-up is also tomorrow, and they'll have a photographer there taking Christmas pictures. It'll be interesting to see if I can get one of me and the three monsters. Too bad Kyle has to work. I really hate him working weekends! Sunday should be a relaxing day. Planning on working on O.V.'s afghan, and the project I'm working on for Cheryl for the Christmas exchange. I just hope I can get it all done on time! Been spending way too much time behind the computer at home playing Warcraft and not crocheting. That's going to have to change soon, and I think this weekend will be perfect for it, don't you?

Ok, I think that's enough procrastinating. I need to finish up this report I'm writing and do my timesheet so I can go home. Have a great weekend!

Meme, Finally!

2005-11-11T15:16:00.000-06:00

Ok, thanks to

Kimberly, I have figured out how to do a meme of my desktop! So here it is - from work...
From left to right...My brother-in-law, Shannon, my sister, Jessica, me, mom, and dad. Wish Kyle could have been in the picture, but he was working while the rest of us were having fun in Philmont! Poor Kyle. We missed him terribly much.

Me? Knit?

2005-11-07T10:26:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I'm not really a knitter (all I can do right now is make dishclothes) but I found the Knitters with Pugs Ring on

Jess's blog and I just had to sign up! At least I'm a fiber artist, and I want to learn to knit more, plus I have pugs... So perfect! Thank you for the link Jess!

This weekend I went to the air show over at Randolph AFB with my sister and brother-in-law. She had never been to one before, and didn't want to go, but her husband convinced her to. Now she wants to make it an annual thing! I'm so excited. I got to see the

Thunderbirds fly and they were amazing, as usual. The show could have been a bit longer though. I tried to get pictures, but they didn't turn out all that great. I think half of my pictures were just of the sky! They're on my computer at home, so I'll post them later. The weather was beautiful, if a little warm. I think I got too much sun though as I had a major headache later that night.

Nothing else exciting happened this weekend. I didn't even touch my crochet. I guess my wrists could have used the break anyway. And, I have nothing else to do at work today, so after I roam around Crochetville for a little while I will work on one of the afghans I need to do.

Hope your day is more exciting than mine!

Found it!

2005-11-04T09:44:00.000-06:00

Woohoo! Came into work this morning and found my camera cord! So here are the pictures I promised...

First, of the remaining squares I finished for the Blue Squares Too Swap. I should be receiving my new squares within the next couple of weeks. Can't wait!

Next, of the doggies dressed for football on the way to the October Pug Meetup...

Somehow, Smudge had wiggled out of her jersey - so here she is in her Charger gear...

And, last, but not least, the dining room table! Please excuse the horrible pictures - I'm still figuring out how to take that perfect picure with my new camera.

I'm loving the table. I think it is the perfect size for the room. I can't wait for Thanksgiving so mom and dad can see it in person!

I just found out today that there's going to be an air show at Randolph AFB this weekend, and the Thunderbirds are going to be there! For those of you that don't know, the

Thunderbirds are the Air Force's stunt team - kinda like the Blue Angels - and they are based out of Nellis AFB in Vegas. I was first introduced to them while groundwater sampling out on the flightline at Nellis. We got several private air shows and we loved every minute of it! (Even though it was a bit loud when they took off and we were inbetween the flightlines). I'm really hoping Jess will want to come with me to the show this weekend to see them. Hopefully I can get some good pictures too!

And finally, I have been inadvertantly tagged by reading

Kimberly's blog to put a meme of my desktop in my blog. Once I figure out how to do that, I will! I may need some help from you Kimberly!

Test Time!

2005-11-03T13:59:00.000-06:00

Found this puzzle on

Kimberly's blog, and took the time to try to figure it out. Supposedly Albert Einstein created it and said that only those with an intelligence quotient of 98% and higher should be able to solve it. I was able to solve it in 10 minutes. Can you?

The Brit lives in the red house.
The Swede keeps dogs as pets.
The Dane drinks tea.
The green house is to the left of the white house.
The owner of the green house drinks coffee.
The man who smokes Pall Mall keeps birds.
The owner of the yellow house smokes Dunhill.
The man living in the house right in the center drinks milk.
The Norwegian lives in the first house.
The man who smokes Blends lives next to the man who keeps cats.
The man who keeps horses lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill.
The man who smokes Blue Master drinks beer.
The German smokes Prince.
The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
The man who smokes Blends has a neighbor who drinks water.

Who keeps the fish?

I'll steal

Kimberly's idea (you don't mind, do you?) and post the answer in the comments section. No peaking!

Camera cord, camera cord, where are you?

2005-11-03T13:47:00.000-06:00

Ok, well I know I promised pictures of my table and my completed work today, but my cord to connect the camera to the computer seems to have grown legs and walked away! Whereever could it be? I wonder if it's at work (yes, I know I should be at work, but I ate something funny yesterday and my tummy is still rejecting it). Hopefully I will find it there tomorrow.

The table was already in the house and set up by the time I got home yesterday and it looks marvelous! Now all we need is a new chandelier and some furniture for the sitting area, and the house will almost be complete! The only thing that will be left is to replace our bedroom furniture so we can have a queen sized bed for the guest room. Oh, and I want to paint. Still trying to twist Kyle's arm enough to let me. I do have the go ahead for the dining room, so that's just picking out a color. It's the rest of the house I want to paint! And the bedroom really should be done before we put new furniture in there - otherwise it will be a major pain to take everything apart and out.

Goodness, I can't believe it's 2:00 already! Where has the morning gone? I wonder if Joe has sent me those boring logs yet... Guess I should check and do what work I can do from here! I get to go do some groundwater sampling next week - am thrilled. The weather has been perfect for being out for a day or two! Plus, I can use the overtime that will come with it seeing how Christmas is coming!

It's Been A While

2005-11-02T15:35:00.000-06:00

Ok, it's been a while since I posted. Unfortunately that's because nothing new and exciting has really been happening, until today.

I'm excited because I got an email from my Secret Pal, Sharon, saying that my reveal package is on it's way! I can't wait to see what's inside...I'm also excited because Kimberly received her package from me today! Woohoo! Now I don't have to sign my name as SP anymore! Course, that also means that I have to re-train myself on what my name really is anytime I write to her. She seems to like everything I sent her, which is good and bad. I told her if she didn't like the bag I made her, she could send it back without any hurt feelings. I guess she like the bag. It was so hard for me to send it because I fell in love with it! I like it so much better than the one I made myself. Oh well. It just gives me an excuse to go buy more wool yarn so I can make me another. I had so much fun this round getting to know Kimberly. I feel like we can be friends for a long time. I unfortunately didn't hear from Sharon as much as I would have liked. Would have been nice to get to know her a little better too. But, there's always time, and she was really busy the past few months!

And the last bit of good news you ask? Our dining room table came today! Woohoo! I'll have to take pictures and post them. It's just sitting there waiting for me to come home from work. I can't wait to see how it looks in our house! And it's just in time for Thanksgiving too. Which is good because apparently Thanksgiving is at our house this year. Yippee!

The only sad news for today is one of my co-workers got let go. :( And it's the co-worker that I'm making the blanket for. So, I'm really upset as well as some others. We all knew that he was going to leave sooner or later, and he does have somewhere he can go, but I guess we were just hoping it was going to be later and because he decided to leave. Unfortunately, my company decided to create a situation where they had a reason to let him go. They say it was because there just wasn't enough work, but between me and you, that's bull. There were projects where he had experience, but they were given to someone without experience. They've been keeping work from him for a while. He'll be missed.

Anyways, that's my news for today! I'm going to head home in about 10 minutes to see my table and maybe do some playing tonight. I have pictures of my final squares and of my puppies dressed for football season that I will probably post at the same time. Who knows? Maybe it will actually be tomorrow! After all, I only have about an hours worth of work to do when I get in tomorrow...

Another Quiz - Found at Crochetville

2005-10-27T08:23:00.000-05:00

Ever wonderered what kind of yarn you are? I never did until I saw this quiz on C'ville. Seems to fit me quite well. Especially the stubborn part! Lol.

You are Mohair.
You are a warm and fuzzy type who works well with
others, doing your share without being too
weighty. You can be stubborn and absolutely
refuse to change your position once it is set,
but that's okay since you are good at covering
up your mistakes.

What kind of yarn are you?
brought to you by Quizilla