Wednesday, March 30, 2005


and the front. think i can get the sleeves done and it at least seamed by tomorrow afternoon? (mark's birthday is tomorrow, ack!) Posted by Hello

the man for whom all these sweater pics of late have been for(aka mark). my oldest son liam is 12 1/2 and is 5'2" give you an idea how big mark is? Posted by Hello

more of my stash, and this still isn't all of it! Posted by Hello

the pie safe that gave it all away to my secret pal, natalie. i told you it was full of yarn! Posted by Hello

HURRY!

Knitting
finished the front of mark's sweater, now i'm working on sleeves. goodness me, i hope i can get it done to at least seaming. i can always weave ends later.

Crochet
i encourage everybody who reads my blog to enter the contest. you can enter all the way up until i say it's done, and then i'll announce the next day the winner.

Home
the corsica is gone! it's been sitting in my driveway taking up space and making me nervous for 6 months. my back yard neighbor's step-son works for u-pull-it and he offered to come get it today. and he gave me$120! woohoo (i just may make that yarn money, lol (prolly not, mark's put money in both steph's vehicles, i'll prolly just give it to him)).

It's pouring today. blech. weather's only good for reading in bed and knitting (which is a good thing!) gimme good time to knit, i hope.

You might be a redneck if you think the theory of relativity has something to do with inbreeding.

Pattern of the Day: Squiggle & Fizz Fern Scarf. this is almost a non pattern as well. only thing that saves it is the fact that you start with 2 stitches, and increase every other row til you have 17, then knit for a while in garter, then decrease every other row down to 2 again, and BO. it's made with Squiggle and Fizz yarns, and they're both a fern colorway. hence the name. simple, eh?

Have a good day!

i'm happy once again!

good news! the camera wasn't dead, the batteries were. i'd had it tell me once before the battery was low, so i changed them. little did i know what it would do if totally dead. so while at best buy i bought a warranty, and rechargable batteries. so be prepared for a flurry of pics!

Knitting
no pics here, lol. the front is getting close to the neck shaping on mark's sweater, but not enough to merit pics of look alike front and back.

CROCHET CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT

ok, folks, in following posts, you will see the finished lay out, and various yarn choices for the border. i will also show the prize 99 Granny Squares to Crochet. it really is handy for crocheters (although i got this square from another book, lol, and i'm not giving that one up!). i ended up with two copies, so i thought i'd gift it to the lucky winner of this contest. the object is to pick which yarn i will use for a border on this beautiful piece which is going to be one round of single crochet, then one row of shrimp stitch (kinda doing single stitch backwards (clockwise) around the piece) (hah, boy i'm laying it on thick!). of those who pick the winner, i will scientifically choose a winner (put the names in a hat and let sean draw it). i will announce it when i get the bloody thing done, and y'all can see it (this may take a little time, lol, too many irons in the fire at the moment) ok, gang, who's game?

Home
was an interesting day. got quite a bit of knitting and crocheting done. also talked to my caseworker's supervisor (he called me!) and got some information that she hadn't given me. we had been asked to do couple therapy, but the state won't pay for true "couple" therapy. what they will pay for is two people trying to parent (and since mark's new at all of this) together to go to therapy. so maybe we will do this after all. we'll see. he said he'd talk to her about it. also, IFP (aka intensive family preservation) was explained to me as well. basically, they have a therapist come into the home once a week, and also a specialist who helps with skill building. the big problem is WHEN? are they going to take my weekends away from me too? sigh. i can barely breathe during the week, right now. oh well. i do what i must to get my son back home.

sean and i walked to the library, and i was just a bit tired after we got back. the little monster wanted adult fiction, and i wouldn't allow him to do it, so he went into the help section and picked out two chess books, so he can beat the pants off his CTA. i need to warn dennis tomorrow, lol.

went to liam's parent teacher conference, and learned a few interesting things. liam has turned in everything since we finally caught him, and although he failed everything 3rd quarter, he's well on his way for 4th. maybe we won't have to hold him back after all. we are seriously thinking about summer school, though, so he can catch up. we'll see. mrs krause did say that the ability is there, just not the desire. with the added impetus of a baseball game, and walking across the stage with the rest of his class (they "graduate" in 6th grade), plus video games and tv at home (he's been without either for 2 1/2 weeks, and won't get anything back til i see a progress report with better grades), he seems to be buckling down. his biggest problem is he'd rather read a book than do his homework. imagine that, telling a kid he's reading too much. it has always been his downfall, however.

You might be a redneck if you do civil war reenactments by yourself.

Pattern of the Day: Wild Berry Jacket. this is named for the stitch, as opposed to so many of these patterns that are named for the yarn. looks very pretty, but i'm not into cardigans much. maybe for my mom, only in acrylics, since she's allergic to wool. very pretty.

I'm reading The Fiery Cross, by Diana Gabaldon. love these books. and theres a publish date of Sept 27, for those of us who've been waiting with bated breath for A Breath of Snow & Ashes. i can't wait 6 months, i'll go through withdrawal!

Have a nice day!

Tuesday, March 29, 2005


afghan in waiting (hey, how'd jimi get in there?!) Posted by Hello

the afghan in waiting (does it make you dizzy? it did my boys, lol) Posted by Hello

choice # 1 Posted by Hello

choice # 2 Posted by Hello

choice # 3 Posted by Hello

choice # 4 Posted by Hello

keep your eye on the prize Posted by Hello

tears rolling down my face

my camera is broken. i called best buy, and since it's only been 2 weeks, i can probably take it in and get a new one. but . . . . . . i wanted to take pictures! sean was knitting, and i'm on my last square, and i'll have to cancel the contest, and, and, and. . . . . aw shucks. i'll post more later :*(

technical difficulties

in case you were wondering why sunday's post didn't show up until monday night, it's because blogger ate both posts, and i was so tired, i decided to go to bed. lo and behold, i wasn't the only one having trouble last night. Catherine was also having trouble last night. now, i come to blogger to find that it did not eat my posts, but saved them both. and i accidentally posted both of them. now, in case you think you're losing your mind (and you might well be, in this insane world), i deleted the second, abbreviated post. just too nutty.

Knitting
I am 1/3 of the way through jenny's hat. it's too gorgeous! the stuff is so soft, and steph even gave it a thumbs up. and she's a picky brat. apparently, they didn't shave jenny's head until last night. it was just very short. so i'd better hurry up and get this hat done. i think i'm not going to wait for steph to take it, but just mail it to her, so she can have it asap. it's been warm, and i'm afraid the poor girl is going to burn her head, if she's not careful (granted, i'm sure her mother is making her wear a hat, but this is my hat, and i'm such a mother anyway). granted, the calmer does have a tendency to split a bit (looks like 2 plies, then replyed again), but it's so soft, and delicious. i may do this again for me! granted, i dont' think i could afford a whole sweater's worth, but i'm keeping the left overs! maybe i can make a calmer collection, and then make some eclectic tank/shell thingie for me!

mark's sweater patiently awaits. the nag has kicked in, and mom's afghan and jenny's hat have taken priority.

Crochet!
i've re-evaluated the number of squares i need for mom's afghan, and decided that 70 will most definitely do. i'm going to put an edging on the thing, so i don't think i need as many squares wide as i originally thought. i've got it laid out on the living room floor (i have an alcove that is relatively out of the way, so i can leave it there) and i will be rearranging soon, and doing the CONTEST. i will take pics of the layout, yarn choices for edging, and the grand prize : 99 Granny Squares to Crochet. a lovely lady at work gave this to me, and i already have a copy, so i thought you guys might enjoy it. please, please do enter. sometimes i feel like you guys blow through on your way to bigger and better blogs.

the funny part, is poor jimi can't decide if he's going to sleep on dad's(mark's) sweater front, or grandma's(mom's) lap afghan. he's been wandering between the two, lol. right now, dad's sweater is winning out

Home
this morning was an unmitigated disaster, from 730 to 848, when i finally dropped liam off at school. sean would not get up, would not get dressed, and just about got violent when i threatened to dress him myself. once we were in the car, he apologized profusely, then gave himself a nosebleed which finally stopped after we dropped liam off. please note, liam's start time for school is 850. needless to say, sean almost made liam late. i think he felt so bad about it that he was a perfect angel for almost the entire day, until bedtime (he had two naps today, which i could not prevent, and was wired). i'm a tad bit worried about the medication. he's napping every day he's home with me. i made him stay in his bunk after he took his shower after we got home from taking liam to school until we went to pick mark up for lunch, approximately 1 1/2 hours, and he fell asleep. when we got home from lunch, he asked if he could take a nap, and slept for another 1/2 hour. i woke him up at that point, and told him, he could clean his room, and play video games at 1 as we had previously negotiated, or go rollerblading, still clean his room, and lose some video time. he chose to clean his room. smart kid. works great to give him choices, and make the one that sounds the best be the one you want him to do, lol.

we planted potatoes this afternoon. i know, i know, some people out there are yelling "are you insane? it's late march in NEBRASKA for god's sake!" well, the weather was too crappy friday to plant, which would be the traditional day, so we put it off til easter monday, when it was in the 70's this afternoon. beautiful day. i ended up barefooting in the garden. sean asked mark if he could take his shoes off, and we told him no, that he was working with a hoe, and i wasn't, and i'm also an adult, and can make those kinds of choices. he accepted that (more angel fodder, lol). dad got tired out pretty good, though, so i'm glad it is a relatively small patch of spuds. mom sat on a lawn chair and watched us, and gave dad general hell.

we had fried foods for supper. mark's oven died on him 2 weeks ago, and he still hasn't gotten around to piping the gas to get the gas stove over to his house. who knows when it's gonna happen, now, cuz parent teacher conferences are tomorrow night, therapy is wednesday, thursday is court (cross your fingers sean gets to come home). friday we're all gonna be worn out (i have to go back to work, sigh) and saturday is rehearsal. sunday mark is going to go look at mom's dishwasher, cuz it died yesterday after all of us had left. she had to do all those dishes by hand. at least they were well rinsed. we had home breaded catfish, banquet chicken tenders, battered mushrooms, crispy crowns, and mozzie sticks. i had found a yummy cranberry honey mustard, that was relatively low in simple sugars, so mom (who is hypoglycemic (or is that hyperglycemic? either way, sugar makes her very sick)) was able to have some. she liked it very much, so i told her where i got it. it was a very good meal.

steph is going fishing with her friend mo tomorrow again. i wonder if they're fishing for fish, or for boys. mark thinks they're fishing for a buzz. i sincerely hope not, that kid should have learned a lesson by now.

Pattern of the Day: Elaine Reversible Baby Afghan. very cute, but no babies in my life right now. another charity pattern.

You might be a redneck if you've ever decorated a birthday cake with a caulk gun (i'm watching for my cake to be decent on friday, do y'all hear!)

Have a good day!

Monday, March 28, 2005

quickie

i'll make this quick, since i should be in bed (i don't have to work, but liam still has school tomorrow, so i have to get up)

Knitting
more shaping on mark's sweater, and i started the calmer hat. steph picked out the same pattern as what i used last week on the white wool-ease, and it's turning out quite nicely. the cable stands out well, and it's soooooooooo soft! i think jenny will like it. however, it's a bit slippery on metal needles, and my left hand is aching from keeping the short rows from slipping off. sigh. more glucosamine, i'm sure.

Home
went to mark's parents for easter (forgot to tell my mom, i'm such a careless bitch, sigh) and enjoyed ourselves. the boys were very good, and played with luke (mark's nephew, who is 3 1/2) very well. sean does well with younger children, as long as they don't "compete." they had fun with the junk i bought from work. the "eggstream popups" were a huge hit with all the kids (and a few of the male adults as well, lol). mark was so happy with their behavior at mom and dad's that he relented, and has decided to let the boys help with planting potatoes tomorrow after all (it's not good friday, but they think maundy monday works (is that the right term? or is it just easter monday, like the easter rebellion in ireland?)). it was gorgeous today, about 62 F, and is supposed to be 75 tomorrow. goodness, i think spring is in full swing now. i love it. i'm going to spend part of tomorrow on the front porch, enjoying nature again (i have a futon and footrest out there, and can sit and knit/crochet for hours!) just too cool.

Have a good day!

Sunday, March 27, 2005

tired

Home
what in the world possesses people to call someone at 230 in the blessed am? me with my migraine from hell when i went to bed last night, was awakened from a feverish, nasty dreaming sleep to a pounding that threatened to turn my dinner into trash, and the phone ringing. now, my darling steph knows she can call me any time she needs to, but that late, especially since she had told me she was spending the night at her friend casey's (the one of the not yet received slippers (and the twit forgot them again, i think she's forgetting on purpose)), i'm thinking emergency. she's in jail. she's been in a car accident. she's in the hospital. the state patrol is calling me. all the things a mother of teenagers dread. nope. it was some hispanic twit who obviously couldn't speak english, because he asked for margarita in spanish. i said "incorrecto" and he said "la pardona" and hung up. and i was left with congo drums going off full tilt in my head, with the occasional cymbal crash for emphasis. i think it took a half an hour for the chaos to subside in my head long enough to go back to sleep. of course, it was so bad, i woke again at 630, and called mark because it hurt too bad to sleep. it startled him, cuz i'm never up that early on the weekend.
The boys were horribly rotten today. i was unable to get up until almost 10, due to above mentioned head conflagration, and then it was to stagger into the kitchen to swallow handfuls of advil and tylenol, with gallons of milk, and pray that most of it stayed down long enough to clear the headache. sean woke me at 730 to ask for a controller, and i told him it's not 8 yet (house rule, no video games before 8 or after 9 pm) he started yelling at me, so i took his games for the day. silly boy knew i wasn't feeling good, i'd told him. then they argued, and horsed around, and messed around, and were such annoying brats (refusing to get dressed, taking forever to eat lunch (they had poptarts for breakfast) etc, etc, fighting (sean had a nosebleed again, sigh)) that when Mom called to find out if we were coming to color eggs or not, i told her no, the boys weren't listening today, so we were going to stay home. i'd been thinking about calling it off, but that just clinched it, that it went on so long, she called wondering where we were. she was very supportive, and said maybe we could do the eggs tomorrow, since they weren't going to behave today.
then mark didn't call after rehearsal. i called at 5, and 515 (left a message then) then 530, and 6. finally at 630 i left a message saying if he didn't contact me by 7, i was assuming he was out on the couch AGAIN, and that i would figure out dinner for the boys. he showed up on msn messenger at 650, and said don't come, it's too late. so i had to cook dinner for the boys, and they still didn't eat until 8. sigh. when i finally felt up to talking to him again, he told me that he hadn't called before because he was trying to figure things out. the boys have been particularly trying last week or 2, and i guess he was just trying to figure it all out. mark has no children of his own, and now he's been given 2 tweens to deal with, and adhd tweens at that. we won't even go into the alphabet soup that is sean's diagnosis. i asked him if he felt he needed space, and he took it that I wanted space. we argued about it online for 2 hours, before we finally came to the conclusion that that wasn't what he wanted. i told him that trying to figure things out is fine with me, but to call me and let me know that you're alive, at least. i thought for sure he'd passed out on the sofa again. so we're going to talk again in the morning.
Knitting
I got into the raglan shaping on mark's sweater, which is rare. i hardly ever get weekend knitting in, so i'm proud.
on mail order fronts, the calmer i'd ordered on thursday came today! yes, i was in shock! i've been waiting 2 weeks for calmer from another source, and when i found this, and that it was in stock, i cancelled the previous order, and glaumed onto these people. the name is richesse online (sorry, can't find the link) and i'll order from them again for sure. talk about prompt! and when i emailed them to thank them for such prompt service, i got an email with in an hour saying thank you for the lovely note, and enjoy the yarn. i was going to start jenny's hat tonight, with some pattern approval from steph (jenny's going to be in west point tomorrow, but steph said it was ok to wait a bit), but steph couldn't view the hat i'd made last weekend, cuz her friend's internet connection was wonky (that's Huntel for ya!). so i'll start tomorrow, prolly. when steph comes home, we'll look at hats. i've only got one ball, so this had better be good. i was thinking of making shedir from the knitty.com fall surprise, but i'm not sure. that's the pattern that called for calmer in the first place. and is this stuff soft! woohoo!
i've bought the yarn and button for my first commissioned bag, but haven't started yet. i see lots of knitting in my week off, since sean's home, and will want to play games for part of the time (as long as he still has the priviledge).
Crochet
same as before, but i'm still thinking, andi think i know what i'm going to do for the hat, it's the booties i'm unsure about. i used to have a pattern that adapted granny squares, maybe i'll do something along those lines.
You might be a redneck if your kids trip over the Christmas lights while hunting for Easter Eggs (could happen with easter so early this year!).
Pattern of the Weekend: Easter Egg Baskets (imagine that!) what i dont understand is the yarn choice. what kind of yarn is courtelle yarn? can anybody tell me?
Have a good easter!

Saturday, March 26, 2005


the calmer i've been so eagerly awaiting (it's a bit more rose than this, but still very pretty) along with the pattern i've been using for mark's sweater. i'm doing the x's in a black, so they don't stand out so prominently, lol. Posted by Hello

goodness friday

depends on your perspective, i suppose.

Knitting
got quite a bit done on mark's sweater. just about to the shoulder shaping on the front, and booking right along. i'm not sure about the sleeve shaping, though. did some figures at work, and i'm not sure what to do. in KR they told me to just lengthen the body, and the sleeves, and leave the shaping of the raglan alone. however, i'm running into another ticklish question. with mark's arms being so long, do i spread the increases out farther? or just leave them alone for the medium size sweater? looks like i'm going to KR again, lol.

Crocheting
baby sweater is done, thinking i'm just going to do a simple gathered hat, and simple booties. i dunno.

Spinning
See the pretty swatch? feel the pretty swatch (keep your sweaty paws off!(speaking of which, note to self, use lotion before swatching, my thumbs were snagging a bit on the pads)). measure the pretty swatch. the measurements don't quite add up, sigh. this is for the super secret project i'm doing, and i need to determine how much silk i'm going to need to order from ms. martheme so i can start spinning. initial estimates were about 14 1/2 ounces, since my sample spin of one ounce yielded 30 yards, and i need 440. however, while the row guage is dot on, the stitch guage is a tad narrow. since super mystery pattern says finished width is 57", that means it would be 8 inches shorter than it's supposed to be. i don't know if that would distort the pattern too much or not. i'm thinking about ripping out the swatch and doing a sample swatch of the actual pattern, and see how it looks. email me at dragonluberAThotmailDOTcom, and i'll tell you what the secret super project is, (unless you're the giftee, then i ain't telling you squat!) maybe you can help, lol!

Home
the boys were little shits tonight. mark's having serious problems with dennis, and asked me if i could have dennis drop sean off here at home, and then come over with the boys and have dinner. we were going to do stuff in the fryer, since mark's oven died. however, once the boys got here, and comfortable (dennis was here 30 minutes discussing sean's behavior and scheduling next week, since sean's here with me), sean decided he was sick, and liam just didn't want to go; he wanted to read his new library book. needless to say, mark and i were both upset with the boys. sean had a miracle cure 45 minutes after i sent him to his room because he was too sick to stay out here, but i made him stay in his room anyway. if he wants to play that game, i'll play to the hilt. we had tv dinners for supper, whoopee. boys weren't happy about that, but i told them, you know you could have had all kinds of yummy stuff at mark's, but you decided you didn't want to go (i'm learning guilt soup from an expert!). i miss mark

i'm trying to have a migraine again, sigh. crappy weather combined with little boys who insist on fighting to the point of nosebleeds (again!) (liam insists that they were wrestling, and he "accidentally" sat on sean's face?!?!?!?!?), and i feel like a steamroller decided my head needed flattening, without anesthesia. sigh. and steph came upstairs wearing enough cologne to knock over a draft horse. she claims it's just the stuff, she didn't use that much. however, i can always smell her coming up the stairs if she's cologned before she leaves. sigh again.

You might be a redneck if your spring wardrobe mostly involves using scissors.

Pattern of the Day: Twist & Sprout Hat. again, very cute. again, nobody i could make it for. charity calls! of course, i could always give it to my coworker for her granddaughter again! (that's what happened to the Braided Edge cap i made over the weekend.)

have a happy bunny day!

Friday, March 25, 2005


i know this isn't the greatest picture, but this shows the front laying on top of the back. i'm booking right along, hope i can make it in time for mark's birthday (6 days and counting, ack!) Posted by Hello

the charity sweater, sans button. haven't contemplated hat or booties yet, sigh Posted by Hello

this is my delicious silk again, unfortunately, it only measures 3 1/2" wide. deciding what i'm going to do, since i'm not surei will spin consistently. sigh. Posted by Hello

my delicious silk. notice the swatch measures 4 inches from seed stitch row to seedstitch row. i'm swatching for the super secret project Posted by Hello

exercise in frustration

Knitting
not a stitch, sigh :(

Home
My caseworker showed up at 6:30 last night, and i found out that if mark and i do couple therapy, as both my and the boys' therapist recommend, we're on our own. the state won't pay for it at all. sigh. apparently she was recommending that mark join us in family therapy, and she still wants us to do it at the house for "intensive family preservation." i still don't know what the hell that means. i'm going to ask the boys' therapist tuesday night, because my therapist is out of town.

the caseworker also didn't know that court was next thursday. she had left early last time, and apparently washington county does not send out notices of hearings. oh well, would have been her loss. i'm glad i did tell her though, because i'm sure all they would have done is postpone it, and i will not have that. i just wish i could understand her better. she has some wacky island (possibly jamaican) accent, and it's so thick she's virtually unintelligible at times, even in person. sigh.

on an up note with this whole mess, she was happy with the house. i took the day off and cleaned all day. steph was a noodge, and didn't get home until just before the caseworker showed up. i had called her to see if she was going to come home and help, and she said "why, you would have stuck me with it all day if you hadn't taken the day off." WHELP! i then sweetly informed her that i'd stayed up til 12 cleaning, and had cleaned the bathroom when i got up. sigh.

You might be a redneck if you regularly check the brake lights on your house.

Pattern of the Day: Elizabeth's Cable Clog Sock. for me, aka the flip flop sock. it's got cables running down the back to the bottom of the heel. definitely an option, with 7 different sock yarns at the moment!

Have a good day!

Thursday, March 24, 2005

wednesday

i know, an unoriginal title, but i'm hard pressed tonight.

Knitting
I got some done on mark's sweater, but not a ton. i got pulled to a special project just before lunch.

Crochet
The charity sweater is done. now i gotta come up with booties and a hat. i think i have just enough yellow left to make a coordinating edge on them, prolly in picot.

Home
my caseworker is really getting on my nerves. she wants family therapy to take place in the home, because she "wants the children to help you more in the home. family therapy will help that. stephanie and the boys need to help you more, because you are bringing in the money." imagine this in a thick island accent. the woman is virtually unintelligible at times, sigh. the big problem with that is that the boys therapist and i (and now her clinical psychologist supervisor) agree that it would be futile to do therapy here, because we'd lose sean. sean does terribly in home therapy settings. that's partially why we got rid of the last therapist we had (that and he didn't do any actual "therapy" (don't tell me about kid therapy, i know how that works, and he wasn't doing any of that, either)). sean does best in a clinical setting. so elaine and i worked it out that we're going to do it here every 4-6 weeks, and at the office the rest of the time.

on top of that, she sprang it on me yesterday that she's coming to the house for a home visit TONIGHT. on my date night. mark and i haven't had a lot of us time in the last month or so, due to either him or me being sick, rearranging schedules for appointments for the boys, and general stuff. this was going to be our first night in quite a while, and maybe our last for a while, because the couple's therapy that everybody wants us to do would be scheduled on our date night, since there's no other night open. growl. sometimes i wonder what the point is.

and on top of THAT, the background check they finally ran dug up some dirt on mark that was so old, the people involved aren't even in omaha any more! he had a dwi 15 years ago, and went through the whole treatment, aa, and everything else. 15 years ago people! doesn't she think people change in 15 years? particularly since mark was in his early 20's at the time. he's going to be 41, for god's sake! this compared to my first ex, who STILL is getting in trouble, despite the fact that now he's suppposed to be a good Jehovah's Witness (and anybody who googles them and finds this here, if you are one, go away, i'm disfellowshipped, and want nothing to do with you and your ilk.) oy. get a clue, folks. we just want to be a family.

You might be a redneck if you've ever caught bugs just so you could throw them in the bug zapper. (this is close to my version: you might be a redneck if your idea of exploding snaps is tossing ants in the bug zapper.)

Pattern of the Day: Scoubidou Sweater. it's cute. simple. the big deal, i guess, is the yarn. it's a simple modified drop shoulder sweater, with a roll collar. another one for charity, i guess.

Have a good day.

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

gotta love those half days

particularly the ones you take off!

Knitting
finished off ball #4, i think. i'm well up on the front, and now i see tons of time to get it done.

Crocheting
actually worked a tiny bit on the charity sweater, i'm on sleeve #2. will have to figure out what to do for matching hat and booties, though.

Home
Sean's fostercare provider called yesterday and asked if i would be able to keep sean next week, as brenda is going out of town on vacation. i called work and asked if i could have monday through thursday off, and they said no problem! so i cancelled my birthday off :( (cant afford to take THAT much time off), and i'll have tons of time to work on the sweater, and mom's afghan, and the commission i have for another BAG! good golly, i just decide to start a business, and i get a commission already! granted it's a charity (i had already agreed to do something, but she saw the bag and said "that would go wonderfully for the silent auction!" so. . . . . . . . . )

You might be a redneck if your old washingmachine is your new doghouse.

Pattern of the Day: Embroidered Cardigan for American Girl Doll. very cute, i could see doing this for a newborn as well. (i don't have little girls to do doll clothes for, sigh. i'm awaiting grandchildren, dammit.)

Have a good day!

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

unnecessary comment

ok, gang, i'm doing this for fun, and i would hope you guys would have fun with it as well. however, i do not appreciate comments from people who want to promote their agendas, such as the one i just deleted from my le bag post. if you want to say something, email me. i don't hide my email, and i don't appreciate comments like the one i found. please, gang, keep it to the posts i've made on my blog, and not to comments i have made on other blogs (i'm pretty sure that's where this came from, sigh.)

ok, back to your regularly scheduled blog.

Le Bag is a success

Knitting
i took Le Bag to work to show off, and everybody loved it! in fact, i had several people tell me i should sell them. so, i'm thinking. really hard, i'm thinking. website? craft fair? i've even been brainstorming with an online friend who doesn't have knitting experience, but is married to a knit designer, and he's been giving me suggestions (and his neighbor is a clothing designer, lol!). hmmmmmmm. i'm soooooooooooo tempted. do i dare? i dunno. i could make 3 or 4, and start a website, and if they sell, make more as i post. i could also present examples (color choices, mostly) and let people order. of course cash (paypal, lol) up front! what do you guys think? is Le Bag good enough?

I got about 8 inches done ont he front of mark's sweater. i'll show pics when i get to the neck shaping on it. sigh. i need to remember to grab another ball of yarn before i leave tomorrow, or i'll be sitting on my thumbs!

Crocheting
I've been working on the charity sweater tonight, and i've almost got the second sleeve done. i'll take pics when i get the booties and hat done, so you can see them all before i ship them off this weekend.

Home
Sean had a bad day at school, but did confess to it, without a great deal of prompting. he knows his teacher emails me daily with his behavior of the day. so far it's been one to the good, and one to the bad. sigh.

I'm thinking really hard about signing up for vto tomorrow morning. i've found that it makes therapy night MUCH easier if i don't have to run like a scared rabbit trying to get everyone where they need to be. and i get more knitting time in.

steph had an interview today with the daycare her friend Shae works at. steph thinks she has a good shot, because she "came highly recommended" and the fact that she sucked up big time and helped out with no pay afterward because they were so short handed. hope it works. she won't find out until next thursday, though, just in time for me to find out if she can babysit liam or not on his spring break. we'll see. i asked mommy if she could babysit liam and she said yes, just let her know when.

You might be a redneck if you have to save your allowance to pay for your first divorce.

Pattern of the Day: Diamond Lace Bookmark. i'm not much into bookmarks, but may do this for the lace practice.

What i'm reading.

Can't find goblet of fire, so i'm reading
Knitting the Old Way &
Road to Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks (yes steph finally coughed it up)

Have a good day!

Sunday, March 20, 2005

this is the charity sweater i'm crocheting. i got an email reminding me there was still a bit of march left for the AC4C yahoo group, so i found a fast easy pattern, printed it, and away i went. i gotta figure booties and hat for this, but i don't have enough yarn for all of it, so i'm going to do something coordinating, i guess Posted by Hello
jimi has a fascination with my work bag, and have yet to figure it out. the yarn is for a charity sweater i'm about to show you Posted by Hello
the hat after seaming (i tried models, but ya just couldn't see the braid (the only people this hat would fit were the boys, didn't think that was too kosher either, lol)) Posted by Hello
the hat after seaming (i tried models, but ya just couldn't see the braid (the only people this hat would fit were the boys, didn't think that was too kosher either, lol)) Posted by Hello

Interview, any one?

I posted this over a week ago, and nobody's stepped up! aw come on people, i know somebody's reading this, that's why i put the count meter on. don't be shy!
Knitting
i am insane. i have tons of stuff i need to finish, and what do i do? i take the Pattern of the Weekend pattern, and proceed to spend 5 hours knitting up a child's cap that i don't think i can even donate, because it's white wool-ease i've had for years. anybody want a white cap for their little girl?
I did get some knitting done on mark's sweater yesterday afternoon. i took the boys to Great Clips for hair cuts (they were both looking extremely shaggy, cuz they want to grow their hair out like mark). i just finished the ribbing on the front, but i'm not going to post it because it looks the same as the back right now, and there's no point in boring you. i will post a pic of the hat (i need to seam it).
and i did retrieve Le Bag, as many of you have seen by the pic i posted yesterday. isn't it darling? i did notice that of the bags that were still there, mine was the smallest. i did get several compliments on it when i went to pick it up. and of course, even though i think the gift certificate i got was a participation award, it's still free yarn! i didn't have time to spend it yesterday, but i'm looking forward to it. the owner told me there were 3 winners, but they had all taken their bags by then :(. she did say next time she would require the items for any contests stay for a week afterward, so everybody could see them. i will most definitely be participating again!
i still haven't figured out how to post a pic with a real title instead of the caption i give it. every time i try to get back into the post, it fries the pic. any ideas?
Home
Mark must have had a really intense rehearsal yesterday because i called 5 times last night, starting at 5:15, and he never answered. he told me this morning that he fell asleep on the couch immediately afterward. sigh. i wouldn't have minded so much if he had called me when he woke up to move to bed. i was up til 1, i was upset. that's why i got the hat done.
I watched CSI last night, and i think i understand the fascination with the show, but i don't think i can gut it on a regular basis. very graphic. i don't really need to see entrails popped out of a body on the pavement, or an exploded chest wound on a dead body. i got queasy, to say the least.
I need to get downstairs and find the easter box. i got the kids some stuff from work, and i need to egg(pack) it up. i also bought a couple of rabbits at walmart yesterday and the boys didn't even notice, lol! (that place is ubiquitous! i spent $195! ouch!) i also got family circle easy knitting (and crochet) and a book for wedding planning. i thought i'd better get started. better to start now than wait til the last minute, for sure. there are times when i wonder if this wedding is ever going to happen. september 2006 seems so far away.
Steph is irritating me. she left her computer on again and she's been gone all weekend, so when i went downstairs to grab the DVD she had in her room, i shut her puter down, and grabbed all the dirty dishes. she had a bowl with blue milk (captain crunch, i'm assuming (and hoping!)) that had turned to cheese. when she called me, i asked her how long she had planned on leaving that downstairs. god, were we all that disgusting at that age?
You might be a redneck if the centerpiece of your landscaping used to get twenty-five miles per gallon.
Pattern of the Weekend: Braid-edged Cap. This is short-rowed, and then seamed. it's taught me alot (yes, this is the cap i stayed up for), and has opened up a lot of possibilities for braid(cable) edging. glad this one is in here.
Have a good day!

i kept my eye on the prize (for this shot at least, lol) Posted by Hello

Saturday, March 19, 2005


Le Bag! and what i won with it (granted i think it's a participation award, but still, free yarn!) Posted by Hello

everybody's working for the weekend!

Knitting
as you can see, i finished the back to mark's sweater. he knows i'm posting it on here, and have asked him not to go looking for it. his words were "it wouldn't be hard to find" but promised he'd not do so. got started on the front, but got limited progress on that, so won't show it.

Home
Sigh. I don't know who to believe. Brenda tells me that dennis told her he thought my hands were too full with liam, and won't recommend sean come home, and then tonight says he doesn't see sean staying at brenda's for much longer. i talked to elaine tonight, and she said she'd see about what it took to get the reports that dennis has already turned in. he says they're turned in and he no longer has access to them. i've been signing his time reports, so i should bloody well have access to those reports. i think those may tell the tale.

Got an email from sean's teacher and it had good news! he followed directions, accepted feedback, and generally had a good day. i'm saving them up to take to court on thursday. i gotta get black ink at walmart tomorrow if i'm going to do that.

mark and i may have to give up part of our date night for couples therapy. the therapist louisa recommended only has monday nights open, so it's looking like sean will get switched to thursdays, and mark and i will go to therapy on mondays. sigh. maybe we'll grab a bite to eat, then go home and enjoy spending time together. i hope so. our next date night isn't until next thursday.

liam is having a screaming fit as we speak, because he's mad because i told him he's not allowed to sleep on the bottom bunk because he insists on sleeping on the floor. he swears it hurts to sleep up there because it's too hot. sigh. i turned down the heat, closed his vent, and opened the bathroom door in the hopes that it would be cool enough, but he's turned it into a power struggle. he's staying up there.

You might be a redneck if the only "push-up" you know about is sold in the ice-cream section.

Pattern of the Day: Anne's Aran Vest (part 2). same as before. amazing how many of these patterns go to 2 days.

and something for your enjoyment

Have a nice day!

Friday, March 18, 2005


the back is done! and only 13 days to go (gulp) Posted by Hello

this is my oldest son (3rd PITA) liam. he was being a ham in this picture whichw as taken yesterday, hence all the green. he's 12 1/2, sigh. Posted by Hello

whew!

Knitting
i didn't get much done today because i took VTO and was out of work by 1 pm. also, the not so small fact that i made a mistake and had to tink about 3 rows didn't help.

Home
Remind me to wait about 5 minutes after school gets out to pick up Sean. it was an insane madhouse! and the crossing guards who are supposed to escort kids across the driving lanes of the parking lot are obviously too immature to handle the job. (they're 11 or 12). this little girl about 8, kept dashing in and out of the building, and i watched her almost get hit 3 times! each time she just ran past the crossing guards, and they didn't say a word or make a move. sigh. this was the first time i picked sean up from school directly after school, and i'll tell you what, it was not a nice experience.

Liam had homework again tonight, but since he doesn't have school tomorrow it's not a huge problem that he forgot his spelling book. now what i would like to know is why he told me his spelling packet was due tomorrow, and he doesn't have school. hmmm. something to think about. he did do all his math, and mark double checked it, and pointed out his errors, and made him fix them. he's dividing fractions, which can really mess a person up. what i don't understand is that i never had a problem, even in 6th grade when i first ran across them. i guess i'm just a unique individual (i do a ton of my math in my head, and have memorized multiplication tables through 12's. i also can count by 24's (i had a job that required it)).

I called Sean's teacher today, and explained that i have trouble trying to contact her, and would it be ok if i had her email, and she was thrilled to death to give me hers, and to take mine down as well. since sean is in the resource room, she apparently has more time than liam's teacher to deal with email, because she said she'd email me daily progress reports on his behavior. apparently, he was very tired at school today (i couldn't get him to brenda's til almost 9, because therapy ran late), but he was yawning at 7:30 last night during therapy. with the third medication change in a month, i'm wondering if the increased dosages on the three big sleep inducers is what is wearing him out. he thinks it's the medication (and this is the child who keeps asking the doctor for bigger doses because he thinks throwing a pill at a problem will help it (thank you stinky and stinky-wife for that bit of reinforcement!)), but mrs. moline will keep me updated as to how he's doing at school. i gave her permission to let him lay down for a brief period of time during the day if he just can't handle it any more (wish i could lay my head down at work, too, lol!)

We had home-corned beef (Dad did it, and he does a great job!) and cabbage and green ice cream and it wasn't MINT (BLECH!!!). it was pistachio almond. quite tasty, indeed! everybody enjoyed it except sean (another of stinky's legacies, the boy wasn't nearly this picky before my brother and his wife got their hands on him, and no, he's been this way since he went there, and i really doubt it's changing tastes, this is too drastic). sean thought the meat was too fatty (it's brisket, for goodness sake!), and hated the cabbage (after taking a ton). all he really ate was what he could glean from the fat, the cheese, and what bread that hadn't touched the cabbage (he made himself a corned beef and cabbage sandwich with swiss on jewish rye). i told him if he threw the rest away, he wasn't getting anything else, and he agreed. at least he didn't argue, that was a definite possibility. sean wasn't allowed ice cream because brenda said no sweets because she caught sean making a huge mess with the sugar yesterday morning when he was getting his cereal together (and i'm backing her 100% on this one, i would have done the same thing!)

I ordered easter stuff from work because i found out yesterday that we aren't getting gift boxes for holidays any more. sigh. more cut backs, even though the company is making more money than ever (the bean counters are winning). i ordered it today, and it shipped today, so i should have it tomorrow or monday. it went ups, so i vote for today. i'll check when i get to work tomorrow, lol!

Herrschnerr's is tolling their death knell. i ordered "Socks, Simple & Fancy" as a part of their saturday flash auction. 2 days later i got an order confirmation. 3 days later i got a letter saying it was on back order. yesterday i got a letter saying they coudln't get it any more, and that my order had been cancelled. GROWL! considering their shipping is exorbitant, compared with other yarn companies, and their sale prices aren't really that great, i may stop checking out the auctions. they've been pretty blah lately.

You might be a redneck if you can't find your lawnmower.

Pattern of the Day: Anne's Aran Vest. i like this pattern, but i dont' wear vests. just not my bag. however, unlike most of the patterns in this calendar, it has multiple sizes. go Anne Kerrigan@ Anne's Gallery!

Have a nice day!

Thursday, March 17, 2005

Happy St Patrick's Day

just a brief post before i hie meself off to work. Happy St Patrick's Day to all, and i hope the snakes get out of Ireland again (don't ask if you don't know, lol)

Erin gae Bragh!

Have a good day!

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

All i do with my spare time is knit and crochet. . .

at least, this is according to Liam. he just said that, and is watching me type as we speak, lol. how little he knows.

Knitting
I'm progressing rapidly through the raglan shaping on mark's sweater. i have high hopes that i'll get it done. i did get nagged again about Mom's afghan, but i did work on it yesterday. just because i started a square, but didn't finish it, didn't mean i was lying. i did work on it.

Home
Therapy was interesting tonight. i think it went well. however, the dennis (cta) front has taken a bizarre and upsetting turn. brenda (sean's foster mom) told me that dennis told her he thought i had my hands too full with liam to deal with sean. i'm confused. one bump in the road, and he's too much for me? since when? we're dealing with the school issue, and quite efficiently, IMNSHO. between me and mark and liam's teacher, we're gonna turn this boat around. i've been in contact with liam's teacher, and know what's going on. and liam has accepted the consequences of his action (he may not get to go with mark to "take your kid to work" day, if he doesn't bring his grades up). how is that too much of a handful? i don't know. i'm going to ask dennis if i can see all the report sheets he's done on sean since the first one he showed me. maybe i can figure this out. it does upset me though, just when i think we're making big strides toward getting sean home. all i need is one more obstacle. i'm tempted to call elaine tomorrow, too.

You might be a redneck if local air quality plummets when you start your truck.

Pattern of the Day: Shop 'Til You Drop Bag. now if only it worked for knitting (i'd have to keep notions and needles in a separate bag, but i may do it anyway! ) this is a cool pattern, and it's adapted for two different sizes. i like patterns like that.

I'm reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkhaban. definitely a darker book. i can't wait for the half blood prince to come out!

Have a good day!

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

GASP!!! (am i a bit melodramatic?)

Knitting
I RAN OUT OF YARN AT WORK! it's not as big a tragedy as it could be, because i got VTO (Voluntary Time Off) at 1:30, so was able to get more, when i finally got home. i am tons farther on mark's sweater. look at the pic! i'm into the shaping! (that's the back). and isn't jimi adorable? he looked down just as i snapped the pic, the little turd.

Crocheting
as a result of running out of sweater yarn, i resorted to starting another square for mom's afghan. i know i need to finish it, but i'm so sick of the bloody thing, and even contemplating the contest isn't helping any! sigh.

Home
Round 3 of liam and school happened today. since i got off early, i was actually able to call his teacher on her break, and discovered that the biggest reason why liam is failing is because he flat out refuses to do the work. he's kept in from every recess. and i caught him out in a lie today. he told me he was being kept in from recess because i wasn't signing his assignment book, but then, later, when i put a note in it for his teacher, he said no one would see it. i asked him which was it? he said the TEACHER doesnt' see it, just her "assistant." i told him i was sure that if the "assistant" saw the note, he/she would pass it on to his teacher. little shit is in deeper and deeper. sigh

You might be a redneck if Bass Pro Shop is forced to garnish your paycheck (that's my first ex-husband!)

Pattern of The Day: Quick Knit Throw. interesting pattern, i can see using this on a sweater as well.

Have a good day!

jimi (who i'm sure you've been wanting to see!) like's dad's sweater too! in fact, he's laying on it again! (this pic shows him snacking on bandaid paper (i think he fished it out of my computer trash, sigh)) Posted by Hello