Live, Love, Laugh, Knit!

Thought you'd lost me again didn't ya!!

2007-07-04T18:29:00.000-05:00

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

I hope everyone is enjoy their day. Hubby and I have had a lazy day around the house today. He is currently mowing our SEVERELY overgrown lawn due to the fact that he couldn't mow due to 20 straight days of rain. Let me tell you I think a freshly mowed lawn is beautiful!

Just as a side bar - the pic in the previous post is in Cozumel - the last stop of our cruise in March. Speaking of cruises, there is talk of another one!! Possibly to Hawaii or Alaska.

I finished the Stephen King book and also finished "Innocent in Death" by J.D. Robb (a.k.a. Nora Roberts). Another excellent novel by Ms. Roberts. I am currently reading "Lost" by Gregory Maguire. Mr. Maguire is also the individual who wrote "Wicked".

I'm attaching some picks of my current projects. I started on the Silverlake shirt last week and just couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that something was wrong with it. Turns out I was using the pattern that is to be used if you are using chunky weight yarn. I, however, was using worsted weight. So guess what.......rip it, rip it, rip it! It's much better now.

I had also misspoke in my previous blog about the Schaefer Yarn Miss Priss. I am using "Renata Tabaldi" to make a moss stitch scarf.

The clapotis is being made out of Blue Heron Yarns "Marigold". It's not looking too much like a clapotis yet, but give it time! :)

And finally the baby socks - coming along nicely, but taking me forever and they shouldn't - THEY ARE BABY SOCKS!

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying their day off and will have a wonderful evening celebrating our great nation and all of the wonderful freedoms we have. Happy Birthday America and thank you to all of the soldiers who are serving or have given their lives for our freedom.

Have a great rest of the week everyone!

Holy Crap!! It's a post!

2007-06-27T19:27:00.001-05:00

I know......no one will be able to believe I'm actually posting. I can't believe it either. After much soul searching and contemplation I decided to do it.

So much has gone on over the past 8 months and much of it I cannot and will not discuss here. Everything is well in my life and that is all that matters. Hubby and I just celebrated 9 happy years of marriage and we are looking forward to many more.

I do have a new job. I work in a small clinic as an R.N. and I truly love it. The first day not so sure (just because it was a whole new atmosphere compared to where I had been) but now looking back (since it's been 6 months since I've started) I can honestly say I made the right decision. I choose not to speak about the facility I left, however if you would like to speak to me privately I would be happy to share my insight.

I have a couple of projects on my needles: clapotis, SilverLake shirt (made out of Fiesta Plum Pudding), moss stitch scarf (Miss Priss Clara Barton - I think), and baby socks for my stepsisters new baby (Taylor Gracey-Dawn). I'll have to put up partial pics later.

I'm currently reading "1408 (Everything's Eventual)" by Stephen King. We have seen the movie and I thought it was scary, but it was still good. Hubby gave me 3 books for our anniversary so I'm looking forward to reading those.

We also went to see the play "Wicked" on Father's Day and I LOVED it! I had tried reading the book before, but lost interest. I will definitely dive in now that I have seen the play.

I hope everyone in blogger land is doing well and I hope I can gain back some of my fellow blogger friends since I've been gone on such a long hiatus! :)

The pic is from the cruise hubby and I took with two really great friends in March.

Road Trip!

2006-10-19T15:27:00.000-05:00

Last weekend hubby and I went on a wonderful little road trip to Robbers Cave State Park (I just couldn't get enough of the hiking from the weekend before!). We started off the day at 8:45 by participating in the Race for the Cure downtown at the ballpark. We walked with my friend, Laynie, from work. Hubby and I had signed up for the 1 mile, but Laynie signed up for the 5k so we decided to stick to it and do the 5k. We decided to run for awhile and left Laynie behind - she was ok with this, I promise. After the race, we met back up at Ihop and had a wonderful breakfast.

We left for the park at 11:00 a.m. and it took us 3 hours to get there. The weather and scenery were great. I don't really know how far we actually hiked, but it was definitely a workout and very rocky. One of Hubbies hobbies is rock climbing so he enjoyed some of that while we were there. After we were done hiking, we made our way back to the enterance to the park and rented a paddle boat. That was really fun and again the view was amazing. Hubby then treated me to a Tiger's Blood shaved ice drink. It was also good, but nothing compared to the great time we had together.

We ate at an Italian restaurant in Krebs called The Isle of Capri on the way home. It was okay. I had chicken parmesean and hubby had manicotti. The meals were served with spaghetti, ravioli, salad, breadsticks, and french fries. Yes, you read it right - french fries. We had no idea why they serve those with all of that.

I can't wait to be able to do this again. Maybe we'll try another state park when the weather starts warming up again.....

In knitting news....I have a couple of small finished projects. I made the cabled headband from the latests knitpicks.com cataloug (wore it for the Race last Saturday and I'm glad I had it), fingerless mittens, and a striped hat. I am currently working on another pair of fingerless mittens from knitty.com called Fetching. Pictures soon....

I hope everyone is enjoying the cool, crisp fall weather.

'Til next time!

Back from Retreat.....

2006-10-09T18:07:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's almost been a month since I blogged last. Time sure does fly! I've been very busy at work the past month preparing to teach a class, teaching the class and then teaching another class while working on changing 3 policies. The whole time I was counting down the days until the retreat and it finally happened, but now it's over and I wish it wasn't.

I left for Roman Nose Resort on Friday afternoon and arrived around 5:15. Only 2 people had not arrived yet, but we decided to go ahead and eat....seafood buffet. It was so good! We had a total of 12 people at the retreat and Terri and Karen came on Saturday to enjoy a full day of knitting. I think we had such a great group of ladies on this retreat. We all had so much to talk about and it was nice meeting new people. Lilian is the mother-in-law of one of the nurses I work with and Pat knew my mom when she worked at Bernina. Linda is such a skilled knitter and is so funny. Nina is such a sweet person and a good mom to Linen. Judy is the fastest crocheter I've ever met and does beautiful work. Sherry had been on the last retreat and it was nice to share memories of the last retreat with her and Margaret. Nancy is such a world traveler and has so many interesting stories to share. Lou can pick up the pace if needed (what happens at the retreat, stays at the retreat). Kay had very funny stories to share with us about e-mails. Kathy is also a skilled knitter and fun to be around. What can I say about Margaret?.....I told her we should turn around. Anyway....I had such a great time and thank you to Margaret for such a successful retreat, being a wonderful hostess, and a fabulous time. Can't wait for next year!! I look forward to trails, dark nights, and Park Rangers.....oh, and some knitting. The Survivors

The projects we could pick from were the Mobius and the Market Square Bag. I chose the Mobius and I loved it. I learned the Provisional Cast-On and the I-Cord bind off. I was able to finish it all in one day minus weaving in the ends. I also finished the drop-stitch scarf using the Crystal Palace Party ribbon yarn which was one of the Christmas projects I was working on. Today I finished a project that I had bought last week and worked on at the Retreat. It was the Plymouth Yarn vest pattern using 4 skeins of Baby Alpaca Grande. I used black and it turned out really cute. I can't wait to wear both of my finished projects out in public.

Please excuse all of the pictures of me, but afterall the projects are mine!! I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a great week and I hope to see my knitting friends soon.

'Til next time!!

Last Game of the Season

2006-09-01T17:49:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone in bloggerland! I just wanted to share some pictures of the Redhawks last game of the season from last night - a winning game! Hubby and I have attended 6 games this season and we have had a great time. My goal for this game was to have my picture taken with Rowdy - the team mascot. Goal achieved!

Not much knitting go on here. I'm still working on the pink Christmas scarf. I frogged the "Shoulder Cozy" portion that I had done about 3 weeks ago. Somehow I messed up the rows and had the right side on the wrong side - if that makes sense - therefore I decided to start all over again. Then I messed it up again so I thought I should back away from the project for awhile until I can get my brain straightened out again! Ha!

I've caught the scrapbooking bug again and I'm working on scrapbooking some of the pics from my trip to Laguna Beach. I took a trip to the Scrapbooks store over on May today to stock up on some paper and found out they are going out of business. I overheard her saying something about having a sale next week, so I guess she is closing soon. I think that only leaves me with the Scrapbookin' store in Edmond and of course the old standby, Hobby Lobby. Which, I can't complain, does have great paper. I just like the huge variety that scrapbook stores have to offer.

I did find out two weeks ago that I will be going on the knitting retreat. I'm so excited about going this year. I REALLY need a break. I'm so glad that there are others out there who find knitting fun, relaxing, and challenging. Having these kinds of friends makes it even better. I wonder what the project is going to be.....

I have currently lost a total of 21 pounds by doing the Weight Watchers program and tomorrow will be my 3rd week of maintanence. Three more weeks to go until I will hopefully become a lifetime member. It's been harder this week for some reason - we've ate out way TOO much so I'm hoping to maintain my 21 pound loss this week. If not I'll try again next week. I know I can do it - I've been doing it! :)

I hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend and enjoys the start of football season (come on cooler weather - you're doing great Mother Nature).

'Til next time!!

Lookie what I made.....

2006-08-11T17:19:00.000-05:00

Since I have lost weight, I've had to retire 11 pairs of pants, which basically got rid of all of dress pants. So yesterday I took a little shopping trip to Name Brand Clothes. I bought $680 worth of designer clothes for the whopping price of $167! I was really impressed with myself once I came home and totaled up the previous price tags. One of my purchases was a pair of jeans that I decided to change up a little. It was so simple and inexpensive. I wouldn't suggest doing this with a pair of jeans that cost a lot of money (these only cost $15 and they are Tommy Hilfiger jeans), but I suggest going to a thrift shop and checking out their jeans if this is interesting to anyone. So total price (ribbon and jeans) was about $20.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Another finished hat!

2006-08-10T09:24:00.000-05:00

Is anyone tired of the 100 degree weather yet? I can't belive it's been 28 days of temps over 100 and the weather peeps are still saying we have 20-some-odd days to go. I'm ready for a break from it. I'm trying not to whine about it because I know there are other places just as hot or hotter.

I went to the Knit-In at the Gourmet Yarn on Saturday and had a great time. I ended up taking Scandinavian Coleslaw which was a Weight Watchers recipe, but hubby and I will not be seeing that dish again in our house. It had a kick to it and definitely left the kick taste in your mouth. Oh, well, had to try something new and why take something to a potluck that I wouldn't be able to eat. I have found a dessert I really enjoy - South Beach Diet Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. They are so good and they stick with you, so it's a great snack. Anyway, back to the Knit-In....I always forget what a great time I have when I am spending it with people with the same interests as me. We even talked about beavers, but I won't get into that - what happens at the Knit-In, stays at the Knit-In! While I was there I was able to finish the hat for my second step-niece and again the gorgeous Jackson is modeling it. The pictures don't do it justice. It's the same Roll Brim hat pattern from the previous entry, but I used Cascade Superwash 220 and Crystal Palace Yarns Little Flowers held together. I'm hoping to start on the matching drop stitch scarf tonight or tomorrow during a meeting I'm attending. Nothing holds my attention better than when my hands are busy too.

I have also started on a new project. It is the "Shoulder Cozy" pattern from the book Wrap Style. I am using Rowan Polar and I've already had to frog about 6 rows because somehow I got off and the right side became the wrong side and vice versa. But now, I'm back on track and moving right along.

I found out on Tuesday that one of my very good friends at work is moving on to something better. She has been offered and accepted a job at another facility where she will earn more money and have better hours. I'm really happy for her to be starting a new adventure because I know she's been unhappy for a while, but I'm sad to see her go. I was her preceptor when she started as an Extern and then also when she became and Intern and then an RN. I have watched her become a great and caring nurse over the past couple of years and I am really going to miss her. The other facility will be blessed with her dedication to her patients, her work ethic, and smiling face. Good luck Ashley!!

Everyone stay cool and have a good rest of the week!

Some finished products....for Christmas!!

2006-08-05T11:56:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone if happy that the weekend is FINALLY here. This week seemed to drag by for me. I really look forward to my weekends off.

I haven't said anything about this, because I wanted to make sure that it really worked. At the beginning of June, I joined Weight Watchers and have been faithfully attending meetings and tracking what I eat now for 2 months. I have lost a total of 17.4 pounds and 10.25 inches overall. I am so happy and I feel great. I'm not going to say that it's been easy. It's hard choosing healthy foods when going out to eat because everything else looks sooooooo good. Resisting desserts has been difficult too. The two biggest things that I've had to get used to are portion control and exercise. I am currently exercising 6 days a week with my resting day always falling on Sunday. I change up my exercise routine every week to keep me interested. I have now set a goal weight and hope to be on maintenance in the next 1-2 weeks. Sorry, I had to toot my own horn. This has been a major accomplishment for me. I know there are others out there on Weight Watchers and I encourage you to also toot your own horn - you'll feel much more confident.

I can't hold the surprise any longer. I have 3 finished products that are Christmas presents. I don't think the people involved even know I have a blog so it won't matter. The first is MG's Fair Isle Headband purchased from Gourmet Yarn. I had made one back in Januaryish and used Mission Falls yarn. I really didn't see any colors that interested me so I picked out some using Jo Sharp and it took one skein of both colors (I still have plenty left over). I have 3 more left to make. Hubby's not here to take a pic of me wearing it, so you'll have to settle with seeing it in all of it's glory on the floor.

I love these next two. Last Christmas, I made my step-nieces felted purses. The oldest nieces purse is in purple, so I made her these to match it. The hat pattern is called "Roll Brim Hat" from Teen Knitting Club. I used one skein of Cascade 220 Superwash and one skein of Crystal Palace Yarns Fling. I just held the two yarns together. I've made a hat like this before for myself and I love it - I'm sure she and her sister will too. To go along with the ensemble I made a "Ribbon Drop Stitch Scarf" from Knit Scarves using one skein of Crystal Palace Yarns Party which matches Fling yarn. The extremely soft and cute model is Jackson who was the Christmas bear for 2004 from the Bombay store. I have already started on the younger sisters hat and hope to have finished pics of the hat and scarf soon.

Tonight is the Knit-In at Gourmet Yarn and I am looking forward to being able to attend. I have been unable to attend since February or March because it has fallen on my weekend to work. Tonights theme is "Picnic/Potluck" and I haven't decided what I'm taking yet. Still waiting for inspiration to hit.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

The Pics!!

2006-07-27T11:10:00.000-05:00

Here is the promised pic of the baby kimono, bib, and burp cloth.
My delicious birthday cake!!

Hubby and I at the Redhawks game!
Have to attend a nursing workshop this afternoon and I'm NOT looking forward to it. It has NOTHING to do with my area!!

Ta,ta!!

An entry?......You've got to be kidding!

2006-07-25T13:33:00.000-05:00

Nope, folks, it really is an entry. I couldn't believe it either when I decided on it this morning. Have you ever had one of those summers when you don't have any motivation to do anything? That is the summer I've been having. Now, don't get me wrong. I have been very active this summer - probably more than in my whole life - but I just couldn't get motivated to blog. I'm sure I have no more loyal readers due to my laziness, but that's okay.

I have knitted a couple of things and have plenty OTN and others in line to be OTN. Here is a pic of a baby gift I just gave last week. It is the burp cloth, bib, and one-piece baby kimono from the Mason Dixon Knitting book (which I received for my birthday from my wonderful Hubby along with Socks Soar on 2 Circular Needles and the third season of "Charmed.") I've also attached a pic of the wonderful German Chocolate cake that he had made for my birthday from La Baguette. I still have the open weave sweater OTN and am slowly making progress on that. I've also started on some Christmas presents....everyone should gasp at this point. I couldn't believe it either when the idea came to me in the store. I can't say what I'm making yet as that would spoil the surprise (however, if none of them are reading this blog what would it matter- ha,ha!!) Oh, well. I'll hold the surprise until a later date.

Hubby and I celebrated 8 years of marriage in June and knowing each other for 10 years this month. It's hard to believe that it's been that long. We celebrated our anniversary by eating at Ted's (which is always good). I love him more and more each day and have such a respect for his opinions and views on things. I am so grateful for the respect and support he gives me. I thank God that He put him into my life and I look forward to many more celebrations and memories with him.

Here is a pic of us at the Redhawks game back in May. This was my first baseball game to attend and we've been to 3 more since then, because I loved it so much.

(Edit: Okay Blogger, what's the deal? NONE of my pics would upload - it was taking far too long. I'll have to try again tomorrow - sorry, a blog is just not as effective without pics!!)

Secret Project......Revealed!!

2006-05-06T13:03:00.003-05:00

Here is the secret project I've been working on. They are for my mother-in-law for Mother's Day and my Hubby gave them to her today. (Yes, I know it's not Mother's Day today.) The pic does not do the pattern justice, but I couldn't get a clear one of the pattern. Just trust me - they are beautiful.

Pattern: Fiber Trends Leaf Lace Socks (purchased from Gourmet Yarn)
Yarn: Lorna's Laces in Grapevine (2 skeins)
Needles: Size 2 circulars (Magic Loop method)

Enjoy your Saturday! 'Til next time!

Happy Cinco De Mayo Day!!

2006-05-05T14:16:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is enjoying their Friday and ready for the weekend. From what the weather man says it's going to be a wet one here. I love the rain and all, but I'd love to see some sunshine. Hubby and I woke up at 2 a.m. on Thursday to this. It's amazing what Mother Nature can do. I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to trim it up to make it look half way decent. I'm actually not sure if it's possible. I really love this tree and it provides great shade for Jezabell so I don't want to get rid of it.

Here is the pic I promised of the customized S.W.A.K. shrug. Hubby had taken some pics of me wearing it, but they didn't turn out too good and he's not here to try again.The secret project is coming along nicely. I'm almost done with it so I can share what it is and how pretty it has turned out.

I finished "Thirst" and "Stiff". Both great books. I'm currently reading "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less" by Terry Ryan. It's a true story about a mom in the 1950's-60's who basically supports her family (10 kids and herself and husband) by winning household product contests (she comes up with slogans for different products and wins some of the contests). The movie is currently out on DVD and stars Julianne Moore. I'm waiting until I finish the book to watch the movie.

'Til next time!!

Finally!!

2006-04-18T11:18:00.000-05:00

Ok. Let's start out with the usual apologies. Blah, blah, blah. There, done.

Only one finished project to speak of. I completed the custom shrug from S.W.A.K. and it looks great. Pics later. Plenty of yarn left over and it fits great. There is another project that I am half way done with, but I can't talk about it because it's a gift and I think she MIGHT read this blog. I'll be able to share it sometime in May. I think it looks really good and it's been easy.

I have a total of three burial buntings done for the charity knitting project for the Knitting Guild. I was looking at my calander and I will not be able to attend a Guild meeting until August. Work - blah, blah, blah. I guess I will just keep making the buntings and give them in bulk at the meeting in August. I should have plenty done by then.

I was sick last weekend and had to miss two days of work. It was just the usual sinusitis and pharyngitis. I've had it 3 times this year already. This time I was on about 1700 mg of antibiotics per day. You'd think that would kill anything. I think it's because of the crazy weather and the trees spores have been up in the "very high" category lately and I think that really messes with my system. Also the girl I've been precepting at work has had a sore throat for a really long time and I think we just keep passing it back and forth to one another. No knitting was happening when I was sick - which made for a very non-productive sickness (but only in the areas of knitting - I had PLENTY of snot production). I honestly want to know where all of that is stored. My sinuses sure were packed with the stuff. I can blow my nose one time and then have to follow it with 5 more blows because out of nowhere here comes more snot. I'll never understand it. Still pretty stuffy, but slowly I'm getting over it.

In the reading department, I have finished 3 books. They are: Jarhead, Night, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory/Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. Jarhead was okay. I'm glad I'm done reading it. It was really confusing at times just trying to figure out what and where he was talking about. I thought the book should have had certain chapters in a different order, but Hubby explained that while he was over there these were the things he thought about in that particular order. Night was a very good book and I suggest everyone read it. It is written by Elie Wiesel and is a true story about his time in the Concentration Camps when he was in his teens. A very poignant book and well worth the read. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory/Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator was a "just for fun" read. I needed something easy and light after the other two "heavy" books. It was a great book. The first part of the book was easy to recognize because there have been two movies made about it. However, the second half, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, was a little weird. I'll leave it at that.

I am currently reading Thirst by Dania Deschamps. She is an Oklahoma author and I love to read books by people from here. Full Circle Bookstore has a great section on Oklahoma authors. The book is a murdery/mystery and it is great. I'm anxious to find out who the killer really is.

We had a total of 262 babies in the month of March. We broke our July record of 245. I think we are also on our way to breaking the record for April. I'm glad everyone was having so much fun 9 months ago!! LOL

I think I've summed up everything I've done. I'll try to get pics of the shrug posted soon.

'Til next time!

Where have you been?

2006-03-26T18:02:00.000-06:00

I know, I know....I'm in big trouble in blogger land. I have failed at journaling in my blog, but NOTHING has really been going on so I figured why bore you.

I have been on vacation this past week and it has been great. I have done a lot of knitting, little bit of reading, and bunches of organizing. My family wanted my room at the house where I grew up cleaned out and packed up, so I did that on Tuesday, which opened another can of worms in terms of organizing a lot of stuff at my house. I was able to put a lot of stuff into a box which I consider "my stuff from my childhood" and store it at my house. After two full days of organizing, it's done. I just wish I didn't have to waste vacation days on organizing. BORING!!! But at least it's done.

Last Sunday, I attended the Knitting Guild meeting at the Belle Isle Library. There were a lot of people there and it was great to see that many that are interested in knitting. We had a wonderful speaker talk to us about knitting socks and brought along her ENORMOUS stack of hand knitted socks. What a talented lady!! Our charity knitting was also discussed and as soon as I got home I made one of the burial buntings we decided to make. It was really easy to make and knitted up in about 1-2 hours. The more time consuming part was the flannel insert on the inside. But now that I know how to do it, it will go much faster. I have also started on the knitted burial gown. Since I do work in Labor and Delivery, these issues do come up and the PRIDE program is very close to my heart. This particular gown is provided to our unit and it is my favorite. I had no idea that the pattern was available on the web, but a lady at the Guild meeting knew of this dress and I was able to find the website. This gown is more time consuming, but definitely well worth it.

On Wednesday, hubby called me and asked me how long it would take me to knit up a hat and that his friend at work would like one that is red and gray (Ohio State University colors). So on Thursday, as one of my vacation-things-to-do, we made our way to S.W.A.K. in Guthrie. He actually went in with me to help me pick the colors. I also picked up some Foliage to make a custom made shrug and I started on it last night and it looks so pretty. I love the color changes. For the hat, I picked up this book and grabbed one skein of Jo Sharp in cherry and one skein of Jo Sharp in heron. The pattern is called "Streamlined Sporty" and it was really easy to knit. The stripes were a creation of hubby's and I think it looks great. I hope his friend likes it.

I go back to work on Tuesday, but I'm not ready!!! I guess I should just be grateful for the vacation I did get. Not everyone is able to take time off from their jobs like I sometimes can. Hubby was off on Thursday and Friday and we were able to spend some quality time together. We went to see "Inside Man" on Friday afternoon and we both thought it was a good movie. Anything with Denzel is good!! Plus hubby got to spend time looking at Yarn Porn with me. He was rewarded with some taffy that the store sells. We also went to the Territorial Museum and the Carnegie Library in Guthrie. I had been to the museum in third grade, but hadn't been there since. Hubby and I learned a few things about the Land Run that we didn't know. It was fun doing something educational on my vacation. But I'm also the one who has a goal of visiting all of the President's houses (birthplaces or family homes). So far: Lincoln, Truman, Eisenhower, Polk, Jackson, and Washington. This is something my family started when I was growing up and I want to finish it. Strange, I know, but I love it.

I was called at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday to come in and work.....look at the schedule...I'M ON VACATION!! I don't handle phone calls in the wee hours of the morning very well. When my mom was sick, I was called a couple of times in the early morning hours to come to the hospital, so it brings back bad memories and makes me sick to my stomach. Only bad phone calls come in the wee hours of the morning. Plus it's hard to go back to sleep when your pulse is in the 200's.

This next Saturday is the Knit-In at the Gourmet Yarn (no foolin'!!) and I'm looking forward to that. I hope to be able to wear my shrug, but I'll just have to see.

'Til next time....whenever that is!

Bonus: Jezabell camouflaged!

Apologies....

2006-03-06T13:21:00.000-06:00

I must first apologize to my loyal blog readers out there for failing miserably at updating my blog over the past week and a half. My only excuse is that I had nothing to report and didn't want to waste anyones time - now wasn't that nice of me? :)

Sock update: Well, there is nothing to update. It still looks the same as it did before (see pic below). I'm still not sure if I like it or not. I really think that the leg is too big. So I'll still continue to ponder if I'm going to keep it or frog it.

On a frogging note....last night during the Oscars I frogged a LARGE (wide and long) scarf that was one of my first knitting projects. I had never worn it and I had been contemplating making a shrug out of the yarn. I'm pretty sure I have enough yarn to make the shrug so I might be starting that today. The yarn is the Lion Brand Homespun in a pinkish/red color that is from my BM (before Margaret) stash. For anyone unfamiliar with Margaret, she owns this store.

I did finish 2 projects over the past 2 weeks. The first project was called MG's Fair-Isle Headband and is a pattern that can be purchased from the Gourmet Yarn (sorry no online store yet). It is made out of Mission Falls 1824 Wool Colors 20 and 8 (1 skein of each). It knitted up really fast (roughly 2 hours) and I really enjoyed the Fair-Isle pattern. You must be able to Continental style and English style knit. It goes so much faster if you know how to do that.

The second finished project was the "Random Diagonals" scarf pattern found in Knit Scarves! 16 Cool Patterns to Keep You Warm. I had been looking for something to make out of my yarn I got from California . I used the following in my scarf: Louise Harding Yarn Kashmir Aran (color: purple (10); 1 ball), Karaoke (color: Wild Cherry (280); 1 ball), Louisa Harding Yarn Fauve (color: lime green (06); 1 ball), Mission Falls 1824 Wool (color: black (05); 1 1/2 skeins), and Bernat Boa (color: raven (81040); less than 1/2 skein). I still have leftovers of all of these. I wanted something that I could wear that would remind me of the great trip I had to Laguna Beach, California. I really like the way the scarf turned out. The Bernat Boa was an afterthought. I thought the scarf needed a little extra texture, so I picked up stitches and knitted into them and then did a bind-off back across the row.

My next project is the Long Sleeved Cotton Openweave Sweater. I picked up the yarn at the Knit-In on Saturday. I can't wait to get started on this. It will help me get in the mood for spring and summer. A few words about the Knit-In. Another Jennifer and I were dubbed "antisocial" at this weekends Knit-In at the Gourmet Yarn because we didn't sit with everyone else. We sat out in the main portion of the store on the couches. I want everyone to know that I NEED MY SPACE. I can't sit and knit so close to someone else that our elbows or other parts are hitting each other. I'm also a sensitive person. (Go ahead...insert laugh here, but I'm serious). If you're curious about my type of personality you can read this book. I have problems with small, cramped spaces and noisy environments. Don't even get me started about sitting in a loud and crowded restaurants. Please forgive me girls, I'm not being rude just trying to settle my nerves. :) I also had a project which required me to keep switching yarns and for that I needed more space.

Here is a pic of some more blooms in progress. This is from the peach tree in the backyard. Yesterday, hubby and I cleaned up the front flower beds, cleaned the garage, made a trip to Home Depot and watered, watered, watered. We're thinking about revamping our front sidewalk and 1 flower bed, so we did some pricing at Home Depot. We're still not really sure about what we want to do, but I'm sure we'll think of something.

'Til next time.....

A reading update: I had to put "Cold Mountain" away. I will pick it up again later, but I just needed something light an easy to read. Hubby talked me into "Jarhead" by Anthony Swofford. Not exactly the light reading I was looking for, but it will work for now.

Red Hot Sizzling Sock progress

2006-02-23T15:51:00.000-06:00

Ok - I've started the sock knit-along, but I'm not sure about the sock. It's a pattern from a Koigu book that has about 7 patterns in it. I'm doing the pattern Pop Socks. It has a moss stitch pattern, but I'm not really sure about the guage. I feel like the leg of the sock is way to big. I tried it on and it fits fine, but I have to do the pattern for 6 inches and I'm afraid that if it stays this big for 6 inches it will be WAY too big. I guess I'll knit on and see.

Sad news today - the Gourmet Yarn knitting retreat is cancelled - not enough people signed up. :( I guess I'll have to treat myself anyway. I've been thinking about signing up for this. It sounds like fun and I would love to try out more sock patterns. Anyone else interested?

Finally, the snow has melted and it's warm enough for Jezabell to go outside and STAY outside. She goes nuts when she has to stay inside - as do I. :) Now the only problem is: muddy paws!

Got some scapbooking done on Monday. I actually finished about 5 pages. It's so nice to finish a page and put it into the book. A nice sense of accomplishment. I'm not caught up by any means, but every page gets me a step closer.

Not much else going on here. I did notice this today. There are two different sprouts coming up. I think they're a little confused and I hope it doesn't freeze again and kill them. I love tulips - they're my favorite. I can't wait to see them in all of their colorful glory! :)

'Til next time - happy knitting to everyone!

Warm and Toasty Tootsies :)

2006-02-19T19:50:00.000-06:00

Yeah!! My first ever pair of socks are finished! I personally think they look and fit great. I know they don't match and I'm not really sure if they were supposed to or not, but it adds character I think.

So cold outside today and a no go on the guild meeting - it's better to stay inside and be safe. Jezabell loved playing out in the snow/ice today. We played frisbee for a little bit and then decided it probably wasn't a good idea for her little paws. Maybe I need to knit her some booties - I'm sure she'd eat them though because she has a yarn fetish!! LOL!

I hope everyone has had a safe and delightful weekend. :)

P.S. The cake is delicious!

You gonna eat that? You bet I am!

2006-02-18T17:59:00.000-06:00

As promised, here are pics of the B-E-A-UTIFUL cake from Raspberries N' Creme. I can't wait to have some tonight. I braved the weather to go out and pick the cake up and I also went and saw "The Producers". A very good movie, but I would love to have the chance to see it on Broadway someday.

Just kindof a lazy day around here. I had plans to knit, scapbook, read, and watch movies - so far I've achieved movies and reading. We've ordered pizza in tonight so maybe I can find time to scrapbook and knit. I have about 1 1/2 inches left to go on the leg of the sock before I turn the heel.

I'm looking forward to going to the Guild meeting tomorrow - if the weather cooperates. We're learning about socks!

And now a special word from yours truly....

2006-02-17T22:51:00.000-06:00

The past two days have been very worrisome for me and if anyone has tried to check my blog, I'm sorry but there were terrible technical errors. I was checking my comments yesterday and all of a sudden all I had on my screen was HTML code. When I checked it on the computer at work, it only had the Blogger header at the top - no message, no nothing. Of course, I panicked. I wrote to the Blogger support people, but I only got answers back that had nothing to do with the problem I had. So today, I'm checking my blog, and sure enough, the same thing - HTML code!!! Aaaahhhhhh!! I logged in under my username and I just HAPPENED to check my template and.......3/4 of it is GONE!!!! All of the hardwork that I had put into ALL of my links - buttons and everything - GONE! So...using my critical thinking skills acquired from nursing school (they really have come in handy!!) :) I created a new blog and copy and pasted the HTML code from there into my blog and started creating all of my links and button links over again. Where the rest of my original template went, I'll probably never now - I'm just sure it was templatenapped. :)

As a service to my fellow blogger friends, I encourage you to go into your template and copy/paste the template in a type of Word document so you have it saved somewhere in case this happens to any of you. You'll be so happy you did!!

No exciting knitting news here on the home front. Although the weather does present a fine opportunity to do just that. Freezing rain is in the forecast for the rest of the evening and night. Jezabell experienced the first of what is to come when she went slipping and sliding across the back porch to go potty. Wasn't her idea of a good time! I think she thought I did it to her on purpose! I'll try to take and post pics tomorrow.

We did have plans for a birthday party tomorrow for the hubby and his sister, but due to the weather it's being postponed. I will be going to pick up the cake though - I can't let a Raspberries N' Creme cake go to waste now can I? :) I'll have to take pics of it too!

I went and picked up a gift for one of the nurses that's leaving our unit to go back to her home state. I purchased a frosted 16 oz. glass that has the state of Oklahoma pictured on it with key places in Oklahoma to visit. I thought it would be a good reminder of us and this wonderful state when she looks at it. The shop I purchased it at is called Route 66 and is located in 50 Penn Place. It is such a cool shop and they have an awesome Soap Bar. While I was there, a member of a new band called Horseshoe Road was there. His name is Kyle Dillingham - a very nice gentleman. Since I'm always willing to try new music, I purchased the groups debut album and the songs are awesome. Definitely worth checking out!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2006-02-14T14:10:00.000-06:00

This was waiting for me when I got home from work last night. How sweet is that man of mine?? Thank you so much hubby and I love you bunches! Thank you for hanging beside me this weekend and being my TOTAL support. I couldn't have done it without you. Yes, it's "wrapped" with hand cut hearts in pink, white, and red. He's so creative!

I've been slacking in the blogging business. I have no excuse really. The first part of last week was great - it was the last part of the week that really, really sucked. I worked my four days in a row on Friday through Monday. These four days were absolutely horrible for reasons that I'm not allowed to speak about do to patient confidentiality. Just take my word for it that it was bad. Other things happened this weekend too (not work related) that I wasn't all that mentally prepared for but it was going to happen anyway. Just haven't been on top of my game here lately. I am totally mentally and physically exhausted - and all cried out. An empty void. So to come home last night and find roses waiting for me was uplifting - and I cried so more! When days like this happen, I really question what I do and why I do it. We can ask God why over and over again, but when the answers aren't there yet, it hurts. In my line of work everyone thinks that it's all happy moments and we have great days every day. It's true for the most part. Most days are really happy - most. Some days really try me emotionally and stretch me beyond points that I've been stretched before in a job. To have to go into a room of great happiness and then go to another room of great sadness really works on a persons soul and takes great "talent". I have wonderful coworkers who are so supportive of each other and we help each other get through these hard times and I'm so grateful for that. I don't think I'd be able to do it without the support system of my coworkers and my hubby.

On my last post I promised pics of the yarn and patterns I bought in California and I also received my order from Knit Picks. It's been slow progress on the second sock from the last post. I've probably finished about 3 1/2 inches of the leg. The red Knit Picks yarn will be used for the Red Hot Sizzling Socks - eventually!

In "book world", I did finish "The Doctor's Wife" which was a great book. I'll be looking for more books by this author. It was a mystery/love/lust/deception book. I've kind-of started a pattern - I haven't found a book I didn't like yet. LOL! Now I've started on "Cold Mountain". I've had this book since the movie came out but I never got a chance to start it.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day and I'd like to end with this wonderful passage posted by Nessie Noodle from a friend of hers. This passage was just what I needed this weekend and I'm so glad she shared it. I'll also end with a picture of what makes me happy.

"The Invitation" by Oriah Mountain Dreamer, a Native American Elder

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.It doesn't matter to me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow , if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed for fear of further pain. I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.It doesn't interest me if the story you're telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself, if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.I want to know if you can be faithful and, therefore be trustworthy. I want to know if you can see beauty even when it is not pretty every day, and if you can source your life from God's presence. I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the moon, "Yes!"It doesn't interest me who you are, or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of fire with me and not shrink back.It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself, and if you truly like the company you keep in empty moments.

I'm Baaaack!!

2006-02-06T12:53:00.000-06:00

Yes, everyone, I made it back safely from my wonderful trip. I'm unpacked, everythings clean, and I'm well rested. A co-worker and I went to a labor and delivery nursing conference in Laguna Beach, California and we were treated like queens. We had a great time enjoying the beach, the sunsets, the dolphins (only one morning - I think they planned that just for us), the shopping (i.e. great yarn store), listening to the beach, and meeting other wonderful nurses who are as driven as we are. We stayed at the Surf and Sand Resort and if you're ever taking a trip to Laguna Beach, I highly recommend this Resort. We stayed in the Californa Suite and it was above and beyond anything I have ever or will probably ever stay in in my life. Beautiful accomodations and a breathtaking view from our private balcony. Our conference was sponsered by Hill-Rom and we learned a lot and are looking forward to taking it back as an inservice to our floor and improving the way we care for and interact with our patients.

The yarn store was called Strands and Stitches (website currently under construction) and I made some great purchases from there. I can't wait to start with the new Koigu sock yarn I purchased and I haven't figured out what I'm going to make out of the purple, pink and green. A scarf maybe? I'm open for suggestions. I wanted to make something I could wear using only those three colors (or just two) that will remind me of the great time I had and that I can show off at the same time.

On another great note, I finished one sock last night. In California (on the plane, on the balcony, and at the conference), I finished about 6 inches of the leg. I turned the heel (with Margaret's help) at the Knit-In on Saturday at the Gourmet Yarn. Then last night, while catching up on a week's worth of Days of Our Lives and one episode of CSI, I finished it and I think it looks and fits great. I'm casting on the second sock this evening and I can't wait to have my first finished pair. I'm looking forward to using the Koigu sock yarn too. I can't wait to see how they knit up. I'll post a pic of what I purchased in California later.

Well, it's back to work tomorrow. Part of me is looking forward to going back and the other part isn't. I've enjoyed my time away from the madness, but I miss some of the girls. I'm looking forward to sharing my pics and funny stories with them.

Leaving on a jet plane....I'll be back on Thursday

2006-01-27T12:28:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it's almost time for my trip. I'm really excited. I've never been to California before so this will be a new experience for me. I leave on Sunday and I'll be back on Thursday evening. Of course I have the yarn shops already scoped out. :) I was able to do some last minute shopping yesterday and now I'm set. I just have to pack everything (again!) and I'll be ready to go.

Here it a pic of the progress of my first sock. The magic loop method is so cool and everything is great so far. I hope it goes as well when I get to the heel.

After shopping yesterday I decided I should start on my journal of all of the items I've knitted since I started around last May. I didn't think I would actually finish the journal in one night though. I just used a three ring binder, paper and cover sheets. I wrote the name and year of the project and taped a sample of the yarn and the yarn binder on the paper. Done!

I finshed "Where and When" on Monday and started on "Stiff" by Mary Roach. I didn't want to start on the new books I got. I wanted to save those for the plane. I will probably pick "Stiff" up again when I get back home. "Where and When" ended up being a great book. It was just really difficult to get into at the beginning.

I've just started orienting a new graduate at work - again. I just finished with one around the end of November and now she is off orientation and on her designated shift. This new graduate will be off orientation in 6 months. I really enjoy orienting new graduates. I love to watch their faces when they finally catch onto something. The hardest thing for most are the vaginal exams and figuring out dilation. But when they finally get it it's like a lightbulb goes off and they finally understand. I have really enjoyed seeing the first new graduate I oriented out on her own. It's rewarding for me to have her give report to me about a patient she has had or to go into a room and over hear her teaching something to someone and hearing her paraphrase what I had taught her. What a gift to give someone. And what an honor and reward to me in return. I've also learned things from her too. For instance she was doing some patient teaching on breastfeeding and whatever she said was very understandable and I had always thought that the way I said it was confusing. SO now I've changed up my breastfeeding teaching so it's more understandable. Anyway....so far so good with new graduate #2 (NG2).

Here I come to save the day~

2006-01-23T16:37:00.000-06:00

Capelet - Done!! And it looks great. I've decided to wear it on my trip when we go to a play on Wednesday night. These are pics of the front and back. Next up - socks using the Magic Loop method. I went to the Gourmet Yarn on Friday and Melissa turned me onto this cool new method - or at least new to me. I'm hoping to cast on and start tonight. I also bought the right double points just in case Magic Loop is TOO advanced for me. I'm using a pattern called "Crusoe" found at this website. It reminds me of the DW washcloths.

Today I packed my suitcase and carry on bag for a mock run through of when I leave for Sunday. I've been making a list of things to take for the past 3 weeks and I decided I should make sure that I could pack everything in the space I had that I wanted to take. So far so good. I then unpacked everything and made a list of all of the things I had packed so I won't forget anything when I pack Saturday night. Make sense? Now I just have to make sure everything is clean by Saturday so I can pack it all.

Also, last Friday, when I went shopping, I bought a pair of casual slacks, a simple black exercise jacket and three new books for my trip. The books are "Night", "The Myth of You and Me", and "The Doctor's Wife". I can't wait to start on these! Friday night I went to a scapbooking party and finshed 6 pages. I was very impressed with myself. lol I'll be so happy when I'm finally caught up. I know I don't have it as bad as some of the ladies - there is one who is still working on 1994! I love working on my scrapbook stuff; it is such a creative release for me with a quick visual reward. I have definitely seen my creativity grow over the past 5 years that I have been scrapbooking.

Not much else going on here. I've been off for 4 days and it has been fabulous!! It always surprises me how much can happen in 4 days.

Now the question is: What's for supper?

King me~

2006-01-17T20:46:00.001-06:00

Somehow, in my cloudy haze of sickness, I was able to finish the Checkerboard Shell. I'm so glad I finished it before my trip to California. If anyone is considering purchasing this pattern from Margaret....do it!! It was so easy. If fits great and looks great under my black jacket.

I've been trying to think of what I'm going to take with me in the way of knitting projects for my trip. I can't believe that I'm going to type this, but I'm considering doing....SOCKS!!! I found a great pattern that I would love to try. I'm going into the Gourmet Yarn on Friday and discussing it with them. If anyone else has any suggestions for small projects that can be taken on a plane and easily done in a small amount of space, please let me know. I'm assuming I can take double points on a plane - has anyone had any trouble with that?

I've already started on the poncho of Jennifer's from the Gourmet Yarn. So far so good, but I'm not sure whether it's wide enough.

Well, hubby has borrowed "Wedding Crashers" from a friend so I guess I'm off to watch that.

Contagious Bloggers

2006-01-15T12:52:00.000-06:00

Well, I don't know if it's possible or not, but can you catch the cold bug from the blogs you read if those people are sick? Or is it just the same crazy sinus blog floating around in our neighborhoods? I woke up this morning and didn't feel quite on top of my game. Throat feels kindof tight, but not sore - just different. I've already started medicating so hopefully I'll be on top of it and it won't take over too bad.

I finished "Light on Snow" last night and what a nice, easy, entertaining read that was. It was also very cool that the young character in the book knits and that her grandmother taught her how. I've started "Where or When" by the same author and it's been a little more difficult to get into. (For info about the book see "On the Nightstand").

I'm going to try and work on the Checkerboard Shell before I go to work today - I might change my mind a take a quick nap. Hopefully, hubby will bring me a Jamba Juice with a cold buster in it this evening for supper and I will zap the party that's going on inside my body.

If anyone is curious, we're up to 78 babies.

Sound it out....pre-cip-i-ta-tion

2006-01-11T11:42:00.000-06:00

Can you believe it? Finally, some form of healthy liquid for our starving Oklahoma vegetation. Not much left however. But, some is better than none.

I didn't get any knitting done yesterday because my wonderful Dad came and took me out to eat at Johnnies (my hubby won't eat there so any chance to go there is a treat). I love spending time with my Dad. We always have so much to talk and laugh about. Then after he dropped me back off at home I got ready and went to work. It wasn't such a bad day either, but for the month we've had about 50-something babies. It always keeps us on our toes.

I was able to get some reading done on "Light on Snow." I'm a sucker for a good book.

A friendly reminder.....39 cents

2006-01-09T22:30:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday to everyone! Hope everyone is enjoying their day wherever they are...I guess I should go ahead and wish everyone a Happy Tuesday since it's so close. :) Don't forget...stamps have gone up to 39 cents.

I had today off so I did exactly what I wanted to do. I read and started knitting on the Checkerboard Shell. I had already finished the back and about 4 inches of the front a few months ago. Only 7 inches left! The pattern is from Ann Norling and is not hard at all, just gets boring. It will look great once it's done.

Finished "Predator" last night and started on "Light on Snow" by Anita Shreve. It's good so far.

A post and a finished product.......FINALLY!!

2006-01-08T14:03:00.000-06:00

To all of you who read this post, please accept my apologies for taking so long to post. I worked 4 days in a row this week and that occupies almost all of my time - very little time for knitting or reading. And a crazy week at work it has been!! I've found that I know a little too much about peoples lives in my line of work - I know what they were doing 9 months ago!! TMI! Oh, well. It's great to be a part of all of that hard work - or at least the end result of the hard work. LOL!

I am almost done reading "Predator". I hope to finish it today. I've really enjoyed reading it however, I will be sad when I'm done because I don't know when she'll write her next book and I will be left hanging. She does such a great job in wrapping her reader up in the story line.

As for the Blackberry sweater...it's done and ready to wear to California! Last night was the Knit-In at the Gourmet Yarn and finished most of it there. I was able to work on the sleeves here and there before I left to go to work this week so at the Knit-In, I seamed and picked up stitches for the collar. I think it turned out okay, but if I ever make another one in a different color, I won't use Classic Elite Montera and I will make it in a smaller size. It probably wasn't wise that I chose black. That yarn sheds REALLY bad, but when I put it on this morning for pictures, it didn't shed as much as it did last night after I tried it on. So, maybe it's running out of "shed". The yarn is not hard to work with at all, it's just the "shed factor".

I had a great time at the Knit-In. It always helps me to put faces with the blogs that I read and I think I've identified all of the Okie blogs that I read. It's always great to go because I love seeing what everyone is working on and the creative ideas people can come up with. However, I did miss Margaret. I hope everything goes well and she is able to come back soon. Of couse I walked out of there with more yarn and a new pattern. I am going to try and make Jennifer's poncho. I'm sure I will be in there asking for help. I am using the Rowan Big Wool (shade 22: swish?). I'm excited about getting started on it. After the Knit-In, my brother came over and we went to eat at Ted's. Good food and good conversation.

Also, here's a pic of some flip flops I bought for my trip to California - they're just waiting to hit the beach. They fit great and they're from Lands End.

Susan and Kay - As for my tardiness in blogging....I will try to do better. :)

Out with the old and in with the new

2006-01-01T17:20:00.000-06:00

Well, the holiday season is over. The rush is over and the holiday decorations are packed away and await next year. How is it possible that the same amount of decorations do not fit back into the same amount of boxes they came out of? This fascinates me every year. A new year is upon us (around here it has come in with a "gusty" force). Resolutions? Not yet. Just fly by the seat of my pants and see how things go. If anyone out there reading this has made resolutions for this year, I wish you the best of luck.

The last time I wrote, I had a ton of things to do and I still wanted to knit. That night I finished the back and the right and left fronts of the Blackberry pattern. I was so impressed by how fast they knitted up I thought I would start on the sleeves and that's where everything fell apart. I THOUGHT this was going to be a simple pattern and all would go well for me this time, but, instead, the instructions for the sleeves are very confusing. The instructions include cables and bobbles. However, they do not seem to include all of the rows for finishing the cable. Needless to say, I went in to my LYS and consulted with the ever-intelligent Margaret. I believe she was just as confused as I was. It was like the "sweater-from-h-e-double hockey sticks" (see below) all over again. After trying the pattern out at work (don't worry all my work was done) on some scrap yarn, I decided to not do any bobbles and wing it. We'll see how this goes. Pics of the back and fronts on stitch holders are posted.

I guess I will go start again on the sleeves. This time with the intended yarn instead of scrap. Good luck to me - I'll definitely need it.

Happy New Year - make it a good one!!

Great intentions.....

2005-12-30T16:23:00.000-06:00

Last night before I went to bed, I planned out my day for today. Since I was going to be off today, I was going to get up early, go shopping, get some stuff done around the house, watch my favorite soaps, blog, and KNIT!! Needless to say, I've only done half of those things, but I guess the days not over yet!! I did go shopping at Ann Taylor Loft (which was part of my plan) and purchased 2 pairs of pants and a sweater for my trip to California at the end of January. Even though I have to hem one of the pairs of pants, I made a great purchase. Things have been done around the house, but that vacuum refuses to run by itself! :) It has been such a pretty day today that I did get some things done outside that needed to be done. And now hubby's on his way home so probably not much else will get done so that we can spend time together.

Haven't gotten very far on the Blackberry pattern lately. I had to go into work early on Wednesday and Thursday so I wasn't able to knit a lot before I left. I'm off Sunday and Monday so maybe I can delve into it again then (and maybe some tonight during the Seinfeld DVD marathon?)

I finished reading "Memoirs of a Geisha" last night (a great book if anyone's looking for something to read) and I'm looking forward to starting Patricia Cornwell's latest - "Predator" - a gift from my MIL for Christmas. Part of me doesn't want to read it first because then once I'm done I'll be left waiting for her next book to come out. Oh, well...

This is Jezabell

2005-12-29T01:05:00.000-06:00

I told you she would make it on to my blog. This is one of her ten month pictures, but she looks about the same now and she's 1 year and 3 months old. Isn't that a sweet face? Also attached is a pic of the sweater I just finished from sweater class. It would have been fun to make had the pattern not been horribly written. I love it though - it's so warm and cozy - and of course Jezabell loves it. It was made with Trendsetter Savvy yarn - and some blood, sweat, and tears!! LOL

My First Post!!

2005-12-29T00:03:00.001-06:00

What an interesting journey this will be! Seeing as how this is my first post, I feel like such a newbie! I'll start off by saying that I do everything in my title therefore it wasn't hard for me to pick this title. I have been happily married for 7 years to a wonderful man - definitely my best friend and we have a dog named Jezabell. There is no way that I'll be able to operate this blog without pics of her. She is definitely our baby. I have been a labor and delivery nurse at a local hospital for 2 1/2 years, which is currently going through a lot of changes - much of my frustration comes from these changes which I'm sure will be vented on here. I've only been knitting for about 7-8 months, but I'm always looking for patterns of varying levels of difficulty. I'm currently working on this pattern - I'll post pics later once I figure out how.