Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Last Post for Three Hundred Miles.

Sorry, I watched the movie Wild Hogs last night and the scene where they skip the gas station has been chasing itself around in my head. I know, it really was an unfortunate movie, but its fine to watch while you're knitting since it only gets about 25% of your attention (which is all it deserves anyway). I have started my 2009 knitting with a lovely scarf for a swap. No more information until after the deadline. It seems a shame because I think I have found my new favorite yarn that can be bought locally. Any-hoo, all of the knit or crocheted gifts were received with delight and not a little bit of surprise, but everyone seems really pleased with them and I enjoyed the crafting, so win-win there. I'm thinking for next Christmas (yes I am already planning) I'd like to do fair isle-ish mittens and hats for most people and I'm looking forward to playing with color and practicing my chart reading skills. I am still working on building up my supply of DPN's and have managed to work my stash down to a single medium tote that's not even full. So I think I deserve some new yarn. On that note my resolutions for 2009: Spend more time listening and less time yelling. Have a project in mind BEFORE I buy any yarn (unless it glows- it's my weakness, what can I say). Learn to accept the fact that I married a pack rat. Work on convincing him to admit he is one. Successfully relocate to Nebraska. Visit my family more, or at least call more often. Take more pictures of my family (myself included). So there you are. A relatively manageable list of goals for the new year. If all things work out as planned, I should be able to accomplish these thing and maintain some semblance of sanity, and if not, I'll reevaluate and soldier on anyway. As my father is fond of saying (or yelling at street signs) "It says yield- not surrender." So to all those out there a very merry New Year's eve and an awesome hangover free 01/01/09.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Yes, there is

Come this Christmas morning, Best Wishes for all today and throughout the year. I don't really have all that much news to share, but thought I'd offer up a copy of the most famous Christmas editorial ever written. To Virginia and everyone like her: Yes, there is a Santa Claus.
www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Green is Not My Color

I just found out MFL is pregnant and when she told me, I was happy for her, but at the same time, I was so jealous it made my stomach ache. Ever since my pregnancy and all the assorted crap that came with it, I have a really hard time being around pregnant friends. I think I'm just resentful that they all seem to have a better time of it than I did. My pregnancy was by no means the worst, before I start taking flack for being a whiner, but it was one of those "I did everything right and still got sick" things. I quit smoking, watched what I ate, took up walking, read all the books, kept all my appointments, and I still ended up being hospitalized with pre-eclampsia and having to deliver early by emergency C-section( which I DID NOT want at all). Then my friend got pregnant and didn't do any thing (i.e.- kept smoking, worked three jobs, didn't see a doctor) and managed to deliver a full term perfectly healthy baby naturally in just under six hours. It's hard for me not to feel resentful of that. I know, I know, some women are just naturals at the whole baby thing, but still, it's such a pain to be happy for them all the time. At this point, I'm really worried that it'll be too much and I'll let my own crap get in the way. Maybe I should seek counseling. Pray for me, and her. I'm pretty sure we could use it.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Cookie for your thoughts?

It's raining cookies at my house. My mom and I got together yesterday and continued a tradition that has been passed down from mother to daughter since my great great grandparents came over from Germany. Every year we make Springerlies or Sprunglies or however it's spelled. Basically it's just a licorice flavored cookie and all the flavoring comes from the anise seeds on the bottom. The only tricky part comes from having the patience t owait overnight to bake them. We used her Springerlie boards and oh, man I need to get myself some, especially considering that next year we'll be in Nebraska, and as such I won't be able to borrow hers. I am so excited that my hubs and the nerd both enjoy the cookies, especially considering that I never cared much for the licorice taste. So at least this way, the cookies will get eaten and the tradition will continue. I also baked sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies too, so needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), we'll have cookies til after Christmas easy. I'm off to finish baking them. Nothing much happening on the craft front, but I did manage to clean the nerd's room and the computer room, so I'm that much closer to a clean house.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Scrubbed

I have finally managed to get my Christmas cards done and in the mail. I wrote my family news letter and it cracked my hubs up, so I consider that something of a success. Hopefully the rest of my family will enjoy it too. On a crafty note, I've started a blanket for my parents using Chris Simon's constellation squares. So far, I'm really pleased with it. I'll try to get some pictures posted soon. The rush to get the house ready for company has begun and I have thus far cleaned (and by cleaned I mean CLEANED) the bathroom and kitchen. Today, I'm going to tackle my bedroom and the dining room. This way, when the actual day arrives, all I'll have to do is tidy everything back up. Yay! One more week until christmas. I knit a hat for my husband and I really hope he likes it, but either way, it'll be ok, because if he won't wear it, I will.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

FaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLa

Yeah.... It's December 16th and I have yet to mail out my Christmas cards. I haven't even written my family newsletter yet. I'm dragging my feet and to be completely honest, I have no idea why. Usually, sending out Christmas cards is an activity that I thoroughly enjoy. So wish me luck. I'm going to attempt to get it written today. And if I don't... well I'll just have to ban myself from my knitting needles til I do. Also, I'm currently in between projects and have no idea what to make next. Man sometimes my life is so boring.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Pica my mind

Whoof! Sometimes I wish I were a bit lest prophetic. My entire family is coping with a seriously foul stomach bug, and up til yesterday I had come through relatively unscathed. Then it happened. I opened my big mouth and said, " i don't have it but when I get it, it's gonna suck." Gag, how right I was. I spent most of last night fighting not to puke, and most of today trying to stay as still as possible, as it was the only thing that kept me from doing a psychedelic yawn. Then hubs said "Why not eat a wet cigarette? If it'll get rid of e-coli, it should help you." So there I am sick as a dog from eating the darn thing, waiting for it to work and the only thing bouncing around my head is: I sure hope this works, cause I'm gonna be ticked if I ate a cigarette for nothing. Now before you freak out and assume my hubs is nuts, they give this info to guys in the military, and (now I know from personal experience) it really does work. So there you go; Tobacco is not all bad. It gets rid of most stomach bugs and it takes the swelling out of ant bites and bee stings. Who knew. On a less gross note, I talked to my grammy today and she said something that surprised the bejessus out of me. She asked if I was planning to pursue a career as a writer. I was not, but then she said that she always enjoyed reading my writing as I always managed to make my letters enjoyable to read. It was a very nice comment and it does add to a suspicion that has been growing in my mind. I always believed that I was a lackluster writer at best, but during the last semester at school, I was invited to take an advanced creative writing class. So maybe I am better at the whole writing thing than I give myself credit for. I still think that most of the nice things people say about my writing are said because the people reading them are people who love me regardless. Maybe I'm just paranoid.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Welcome to Hell

So I'm using this forum to vent just a bit of spleen about the fact that I live in Hell. They have just brought in a Jack in the Box(which has to be the GROSSEST restraunt ever), but the likely hood of getting a decent yarn store is next to nil. It is incredibly irritating that I have to drive way the heck out to BFE just to get a decent ball of yarn, or go the internet route and pray the USPS doesn't lose, damage, or otherwise destroy what I just paid to ship. Yet another reason I dislike the internet- shipping fees. I understand that a company has to make a profit and I certainly don't want anyone to lose a ton of money especially now, but seriously, I hate shipping fees. I pay them, but I feel that after a set amount has been paid, it does entitle me to a little bitching about it. I'm done now. Really. And while I have you here, I'll let you know something. I firmly believe in a change the channel policy. If what I say in any of my posts offends you, feel free to change the channel. After all, not many of us can claim that a gunman forced us to sit at a computer and read an objectionable blog, so if you have an issue, feel free to ignore me from that point on. As far as ugly comments and the like go, well, they really aren't worth the karmic damage they take to post are they?

Monday, December 8, 2008

OK, So sue me. I hopped on the blogging bandwagon. This is my introductory post and I'll warn you now, my life swings from soap opera-esque drama to mind crushing boredom with alarming frequency, so if I miss a few days, trust me, it will be worth it in the end, or I was trying to spare you the pain. Either way. Right. I am a crafter-of-all-trades as well as a huge fan of the movement towards re-useables and as such, I will frequently have posts concerning my present craft dujoure(SP? francophiles- don't beat me). So- I'll just intro the characters you are likely to see frequently so we can blunder on with a minimum of confusion. There is the hubs, my first and only, the nerd, who is two and uber-deserving of said appelation, MFL, my friend, and her brood which for simplicity sake will be refered to as brood, no disrespect intended. K? Yesterday was probably one of my less boring days as I was coming off a puking bender with the nerd. I left her with my folks to run some errands, and when I returned, she seemed fine. So home we went and not long after we got to our destination, I had to reassess my concept of fine as she pulled an impression of Linda Blair hopefully not to be repeated. We spent all night over the bucket. Understand please that this was her FIRST pukey sickness, and she was understandably freaked. So long looooong nights with no sleep were had by all and I'm still trying to finish all the laundry generated. Oh, on a different but probably equally gross note for some, I am enamored with my new cloth pads ala Adahy. Yay green alternatives and sewing. Now, you have been inducted into the madness that is my life,I have just wrapped up my semester, and I finished my Christmas wrapping yesterday, so things are all wrapped up. I know, awful, but I couldn't help it.