Miscellaneous crafting and surfing

Have you found Pinterest yet? OMG! It's amazing and highly addictive. So, here's the low down: once you have an invite and set up your account, you can set up a series of 'boards' where you can 'pin' items that you find online and what to be able to get back to. How often have you seen a craft idea or a new blog or a cool new product and want to remember where to find it. But, if you bookmarked everything you bookmark list would be a mile long. Just think of it as a series of virtual bulletin boards where you can post all the information. Plus, you can organize all your pins by boards; a recipe board, craft board, tutorial board, blog board, etc., etc. . . . It's AWESOME. Then, not only do you get to organize and get to all these pages you wanted to remember, but, you can see other people's board and their pins and they can see yours. So, it's a great place to get more leads to find cool stuff online and to promote yourself, your blog, friends shops, etc.....

Be careful though. It's a world of it's own and HIGHLY addictive!!! So, what kind of things can you find? All sorts of craft ideas and tutorials. Here's an example for you all.


What happens when you take this:

and this:

along with a little glass cement???

You get THIS:


Cute huh? I think it's a lovely little cupcake, tea sandwiches or pastry stand. It's not big enough to be a full cake but, how many times have you wanted to set out a "little" something and a cake stand is just too big? Like if you are having tea with your bestie. The two of you don't need a full cake but a few treats would look great on this stand.

I can't wait to try it out. . . . .

I also have been posting all sorts of vintage goodies and some of my photographs for sale in my Etsy shop. Wanna see? Go ahead and go take a look, why don't you? Let me know what you all think. . .I'd be really interested in hearing what you all think.

WHUCK is over my head and why does it feel like I need an umbrella??

I called off from work today. Yep. I had it yesterday. 5 different patients:

2 transfers out to the ICU,
1 discharge,
1 admission from ER who clearly should have been ICU not stepdown but, "we know you can take good care of her*" and "putting her in the ICU will just make her less of a person" are the comments you get from the MFDs (referring to physician's degrees - I'm sure you can all decipher) when you question her status, and
1 transfer from med floor with a whopping 160 heart rate, SOB, clammy and hypotensive

REALLY??? WHUCK is over my head and why does it feel like I need an umbrella??

So, I got home, ate, showered, took a muscle relaxant b/c I couldn't stand hearing my back yell at me any longer and went to bed. UGH.

But, here I lay now, in bed, after 1100am, awake less than 1/2 hour and pondering what to do with the day. Here's what I've come up with:

1. Nothing
2. Start up on the laundry since DH is having a bad week and you do have an unexpected day
off after all
3. Watch more Doctor Who
4. Pack for this weekend's BHI trip with my girls
5. Nothing
6. Finally finish up that damn book so that you can start this month's book club selection
7. Work on the girls xmas gifts which you are to present them with this weekend (see #4)
8. Finally put out this week's flex team newsletter for work so that you at least make SOME pesos today.
9. Nothing
10. Work on DH's felted clogs that were due to him since last Fall

I think I like 1, 5 and 9 the best. We'll see how those go and then decide from there. Hey, 3 out of 10 ain't bad right?

*So, BTW, this is a blog written by an actual, practicing, 4 year degree, registered nurse with over 20 years of critical care experience under her cap (just kidding, I hate those damn things) so, let me give you all a piece of advice. NEVER, EVER, EVER ask a nurse to "please take good care of Grandma, Mom, Son, Cousin, Hubby, Sister, Priest, self, next door neighbor, WHOMEVER!" Why you might ask? Well, would you tell a chef at a restaurant to "please be sure to actually cook my meal correctly" or a Salesperson to "please scan my item the right way" or to the dentist "please drill the correct tooth" or to your doctor "please give me the right prescription" (OK, you might have a point with the last one but you get what I mean).......

It's an insult. If a nurse wasn't going to take good care of your X,Y,Z she wouldn't have shown up to work. OK, sometimes there are nurses that might make you question that but DAMMIT, not all of us and that sure as hell better not come out of the mouth of some snot-nosed, yet to be independent, I've been a nurse almost as long as you've been alive, just out of internship, I've saved your ass on more than one occasion resident who thinks they don't sound condescending as they say it to you.

I'm not sayin', just sayin'.

Back to taking care of 1,3 and 9. Isn't it great to be productive?

I've had an Epiphany

Ok, to begin with, let's get some business out of the way. Yes, it's been a long time since I've blogged. No, I will not be apologizing for it this time. Here's why:

1. This is MY blog and I should decide when and if I choose to write something.
2. Anyone who knows and likes me will just be glad that I've written something and won't care how long it's been. And finally,
3. If there are people who don't like that it's taken so long for me to write, they probably aren't following me anymore so, who is there left to apologize too?

So, now that THAT'S out of the way. . . .

Like I stated in my title, I've had an Epiphany. No, not the Roman Catholic kind (although we do celebrate Epiphany and I got a nifty new GPS but I digress), a personal kind. . . .

I like my husband.

Surprised? No? Well, let me explain.

Yes, I love my husband. Of course I do. If I didn't I wouldn't have married him or still be married to him 22 years later. But does loving your husband actually mean liking him, as a person independent of being a husband? Unfortunately, I have recently come to believe that the 2 aren't necessarily inclusive to eachother.

It seems that the older I get and the more I actually LISTEN to what people mean when they speak (it's easy to hear but one must actively LISTEN to fully grasp the intent behind words) I've noticed something disturbing. A lot of woman don't necessarily 'like' their husbands despite loving them.

I have come to feel that loving someone is an emotional response whereas likeing someone is an intellectual one. And that, my friends, is the paradox of the husband situation. We fall in love with our heart and in like with our brains and sometimes those two organs are at odds with eachother.

Why do you think that best friends aren't always someone's spouse?


Sure, you love your spouse with all your heart and you get that little fluttery feeling when you think of him/her and it's all safe and sound with them as your partner but,. . . . . . when you need to vent and dish out the dirt or complain about work or try to decide what to do about a given situation who do you turn to? Your best friend. Your bestfriend understands where you stand on issues, what's important to you and what you like on your salad. Your best friend is the person that you are going to talk to when something happens and you just HAVE TO TELL SOMEONE ABOUT IT. Your best friend is the person who you call when you want to discuss your favorite TV show and how you can't wait until next week to find out where the Tardis is going to be and how the Doctor is so damn cute and how you wish you were british and (oh, dear, let's get back on track - pardon me).

So, there I was minding my own business recently, sitting in bed and multitasking (i.e. watching TV, playing on the computer and attempting to check my email) when I looked over at my husband (also multitasking but replace playing on the computer with reading) and I thought to myself "Self, you have a really great friend sitting next to you right now" and I realized that not only do I love my husband but I like him. Well, the thought didn't just come to me. It was an evolutiono of a conversation in my mind.

I was multitasking and along with all the stuff I previously listed, I was also thinking about conversations I had had with friends/acquantances at work and about complaints they had regarding their spouses/partners. Then I thought, "huh, I don't think I had much to complain about DH today" then the thought crossed my mind "hey, when I complain about DH it's about something that we disagree on usually and not about him as a person" and that lead to "wait, most of the time I hear people actually complain about their spouse/partner with regard to something inherent about them as a person" and that's when I got the BAM "I like my husband" thought.

I leaned over and kissed him on the head and he said "what was that for?" and I said "nothing" and he said "oh, that was sweet. Thanks babe." and continued to multitask.

I sighed and continued to multitask but this time I was smiling.

yeah, I like my husband. I would hang out with him and want to do stuff with him and go out to places with him and invite him over even if he weren't my husband. I'd be his friend even if we weren't married and unfortunately, I think that there are a lot of people out there who, if they truly looked into their heart of hearts, would be able to say that they love their husbands/wives/partners but, if they weren't in love with them, they may no like them per se.

My hubby and I can have mediocre conversations about the trivial things in life or can crack each other up over some stupid comment or show or can discuss deep issues and even agree to disagree (you should see us argue about Capital punishment) and yet, we respect each other and I still like him. Hopefully he feels the same.

That's all.

BTW, I should be trying to finish up "The girl with the dragon tattoo". . . I haven't been totally enthralled with it yet. I think there might be something wrong with me. I just don't get all the hooplah yet. Hopefully it will come to me soon b/c book club is next week and I need to be done. UGH.

carry on

Why Migraines SUCK!

I woke up at 2 am with one of the worst migraines I have ever had. I contemplated cutting off my head a variety of times but then decided that it would make a huge mess either 1) on our relatively new bathroom floor, 2) on our freshly cleaned carpet or 3) on our new set of sheets (let alone on the hubster). So, that idea wasn't going to work.

I then thought of shooting myself in the head but, because of the same reason as well as the fact that we do not own a gun, that wasn't going to work either.

In the end, I took migraine medicine (for all the good it did me), threw up a variety of times (gross I know but if you have migraines, you'll understand. If not, deal), used my trusty migraine relief set (LOVE IT), and suffered through it. I woke with a milder form of the migraine and took, yet again, more migraine medicine.

I have spent the day in bed with icepacks and trying to keep my mind on the nuclear holocaust that is my head. UGH.

Anyhow, I thought I would post because I have the time and I've been a slacker. I wanted to review a new knit shop that opened nearby, Downtown Knits. Michelle has opened an absolutely gorgeous shop in downtown Apex, NC which my friends and I have seen and love. It is a very open and well organized shop. The selection of yarns is still limited but vast enough to suit any knitters needs. Michelle is working on increasing her inventory and is very good about asking knitters in the shop their opinions on what yarns to carry next and in what colors. One thing that I loved about the shop is that she carries many unique yarns from local yarn vendors. For those of us who love to buy "souvenir yarn" this is EXACTLY what we look for when visiting yarn shops while on vacation.

Michelle is lovely, friendly, quirky and a great hostess. She holds a weekly knit night on Fridays and welcomes knitters to BYOB (yeah). I've yet to attend one but once the craziness that is my summer simmers down, you can bet that I will be making the trek out there. If you are in the area, you should definitely give it a shot. I don't think you will be dissapointed.

What else is going on in Chez Knittingnurse you might ask? Well, we are on the final countdown to the BIG TRIP! Paris is t-9 days away and I can't wait. DH has diligently been working on looking up everything that DS and I have asked for and has written things down for our information while we are there. We aren't an "itinerary" vacation kind of family but DH is very good about researching things in the areas we visit so that when the mood strikes us, we can look over his notes and know where to head. He has found a myriad of shops for me to do some souvenir shopping at and I've looked them over to decide which will be the best to visit while we are there. Do any of you have any fave shops that you have been to in Paris? Any suggestions?

We will also be visiting Bruges, Belgium and Normandy while there. I am planning on bringing home some sand from Normandy's beaches. Although I do not have any direct family that fought at those battles, it is an amazing part of American history and I am expecting to get emotional when I am there.

I also am planning on visiting the memorial at the Velodrome d'Hiver since, ironically, we are arriving on the anniversary of the roundup. I had no idea about this dark page in French history until my bookclub read Sarah's Key a few months ago. I really liked the book despite it's dark topic and I was amazed that the trip we had booked last year had us landing in Paris on the morning of the anniversary of this horrible event. Needless to say, I felt compelled to pay my respects at the modest plaque left to remember this tragedy.

What other things are we planning for the trip? Eating, drinking, walking, Fat Tire Bike Tour of Versailles (highly recommended by a coworker) and just 'being'. We recently found out that our hotel for the first leg of our trip recently started providing wireless internet service to guests so, hopefully, I will be able to make some quick posts during our stay.

Lastly, have I told you all that I am now taking my love of photography a bit more seriously? No? Well, I am. After photographing a friend of mine and her boys last year as a Father's day surprise for her husband, I got an amazing response from friends in the neighborhood and recently did an engagement shoot for a coworker. I am actually going to be shooting her wedding as well! AACK!

Here are a couple of shots from the engagement shoot. Let me know what you all think.......

Hey everyone

So, I have been delinquent on my "Wonderful Wednesday" postings. Life here has been busy. When did that happen???? I remember being able to post much more regularly. I think it's all because of the evil of FACEBOOK . I wish I was stronger to resist but, I am not. Then there's Twitter. Another time and soul-sucking site. Who is evil enough to have developed these sites? Sigh. I wish I was stronger but I am weak and you just never know what your friends might be doing now, or in 5 minutes or 10 minutes from that or another 5 minutes after that, or, well, you get the picture.

Then there's the Temari.









So, what soul time sucking activities are you addicted to involved in???

Wonderful Wednesday!

I was laying in bed trying to relax enough (and take enough drugs) to get sleepy. During my random flight of ideas while surfing the 'net it occurred to me (have no clue why - flight of ideas remember?) that Wednesdays usually get a bad rap. "Can't wait until humpday is over" is the general consensus. Let me try to explain:

It seems as though Mondays get the respect of being the first day of the week. Yeah, a lot of us don't like that but I know that there are a good many among us (goody two-shoers if you ask me) that like new, clean beginnings and every Monday is just a prize waiting to open up with all sorts of endless possibilities for the week. (Don't take me wrong, I'm no Brenda Ann Spencer but I'm not Pollyanna either). So, good or bad, Mondays are usually a significant day for most people.

Tuesdays. Ah, Tuesdays. Tuesday is the day after Monday. That means that all the aforementioned people who dread the beginning of the work week, now celebrate b/c Monday is over. The week has now started and the pressure of it being Monday is all gone. You are in the thick of it and all is good. (of course all the goody goods are probably still happy as clams because that's how they are).

Thursdays, now that's another highly anticipated day. It's signifies being just one day away from the end of the week. Joy and rapture. The goody goods are happy because they are approaching the end of another goal - a completed, successful week and the rest of us are chomping at the bit for Friday to come.

Friday. Fridays has it's own MOVIE. A MOVIE PEOPLE! That's how much people admire, respect and stand in awe of Fridays. 'Nuf said.

Do I even need to explain Saturdays and Sundays. Yeah, I thought not. I shall continue.

So, what does that leave? That leaves poor little misunderstoond and much maligned Wednesdays. When was the last time you heard anyone say "Man am I glad that it's Wednesday!" or "Wednesdays are so awesome!". Nope instead it's "I can't WAIT for today (our misconceived Wednesday) to be over." What do we call it most of the time? Poor thing, we don't even use it's proper name. Mostly we refer to it as "hump day". Really? Who want's to be known by a name that is also a slang term for fornication? Er, not me!

So, I've decided that here at Chez Knittingnurse, Wednesdays will now be celebrated. Wonderful Wednesdays they shall be called. And, what happens on wonderful Wednesday at Knittingnurse you might wonder? Well, Wednesdays are going to be my day of reflecting on what's wonderful in my life at that moment (ok, not that exact moment but you know what I mean). So in honor of my very first Wonderful Wednesday I present to you what is currently making me happy.


1. Temari. Love my Temari right now. It's very soothing and precise and just right.

2. My son. Yes, he's 13 and can be a pain at times but, he's generally a good kid, has a great and loving heart and thinks that I am the silliest Mom in the whole wide world (shhh - let's not spoil it for him, kay?)
















3. Knitting. Well, if you've read this blog for any amount of time, or have gone back in the archives you understand. Moving on.












4.This Cereal. Have you guys had this stuff yet? If not, run to the store and get some. NOW. It's seriously delicious and it's relatively good for you (0gms of Fat, 0gms of cholesterol, 220mg Sodium, 26gms total carbohydrates and 3gms of protein. Heck! It's even a kosher/parve food! - Seriously, I wouldn't make that up)




5. Books that are about what I lovingly refer to as Vampire Smut. Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series, Kim Hatterson's books, P.C. and Kristen Cast's House of Night Series and such. I can't wait until the beginning of the Trueblood series next month!



Yes, I know that my hubby isn't on there. But he's OOT and not returning until Friday so, if I am talking about what's making me feel wonderful and happy, he isn't because he can't and won't be able to until late Friday night. I'm sure he'll be making the list quite often.


Hey, guess what?!? I'm actually yawning so, TTFN!

Today I've done. . well, nothing really.

So, I must say that I have been a very nonchalant blogger as of late (like a few years behind - sorry). But, I do hope to get back into my writing as I truly did enjoy keeping track of what goes on with my life for future prosterity (namely mine as I can't imagine anyone else wanting to read about me back in 1999) - tonight I'm gonna party like it's. . ., oops, flight of ideas. Let's get back to what I was saying shall we?

I have had this week to chillax (love that word) and do very little and I kind of like that except that I then wake up at 4 am with a list of a gazillion things that I should accomplish when I "wake up" (i.e. finally get out of bed) but by the time I do get up, I have no clue what all those things were. See, my husband is out of town on business and I don't sleep well when's he's not home. For anyone that has been reading this blog for any significant amounts of time (and thank you so much for still being here!) you all know that this is very true. So, it takes me forever to get to sleep and then the little thing will wake me up and I can't get back to sleep. It's a viscious cycle. Anyhow, that leads to my useless brain syndrome during the day and thus, very little getting done.

I did however get out today to mail 4 books out for Paperbackswap then go the one of my happy places to get some groceries. It's TRIPLE COUPON TIME and you all know how I love a good coupon deal (ok, newer readers may not know but I am totally a coupon/sale junky).

So, I went, I conquered ($170 worth of groceries for $80 - tee hee), I put it all away and now I am back to chillaxin' and doin' a whole lot of nothing. hmmmmm, maybe hubby being gone isn't so bad after all??

BTW, a couple of friends of my have decided to jump into the world of blogging. Do me a favor and check them out would you? They are 2 lovely, crazy and funny girls. I love them.

Wonky Tonk Life and Paradise Purls

Go on over a visit them and let them know I sent you! ;-)

As time goes by.

he, he, he, just when you thought it was safe to blog. She's back!

Seriously though, how does time go by so fast when you don't expect it to? I mean, look at the date of my prior post. REALLY???? How the heck did THAT happen? I mean, especially when time goes by soooo sloooooowwlly when you are waiting for something. Like a trip to France.

Yep, knittingnurse et al are going to France this summer. FRANCE people! I'm positively giddy about it. What's even better is that DH has been doing his research (as usual) and we then had the following conversation:

DH: "We can't just wear shorts and tennis shoes, people will target us as tourists and we are more apt to get robbed (pick pocketed mostly)".
ME: "Um, so what are we supposed to wear pray tell?"
DH: "Well, it says people dress properly and care about style. Tennis shoes are for tennis. Shorts are for physical exertion type activities, etc. So, we need to dress nicer."
ME: "Examples please"
DH: "DS and I will have to get nicer khaki type pants and buttoned/collared shirts. You will need to wear some summer dresses and such."
ME: "Does that mean??????"
DH: "Yes, you get to go shopping."
ME: {squeals}
DH: "Glad to help."

I've now gotten about 4 adorable dresses all in no iron type fabrics so that they will hold up well in the suitcase. OH, and we are all going to get some "nice" comfortable shoes for walking. Tee hee! Shoes too people!

France, clothes and shoes!

SQUEAL!

Look Ma! No Cancer!

OK, OK, so I suck b/c it's been longer than a week and I haven't posted any other info. Y'all probably thought I died in that time (or something close to it). Thankfully the initial round of tests showed no cancer. I think that's what we are going to end up with and I finally exhaled a week ago today. However, I still need more procedures done, specifically a LEEP procedure. Doesn't sound like fun but, at least I've had a "no cancer" diagnosis so far.

Still nervous about this whole thing. My maternal grandfather and all his siblings have died of some sort of cancer or another. Plus I have a great aunt who had breast cancer as well. So, I've always felt as though "it's coming". I was sure that this was IT but, so far so good. The leep will be next friday, the 22nd. I'll try to post sooner rather than later this time, kay?

OK, onto other news. Can I say just two words to you? OLYMPICS ROCK!! We have been glued to the coverage since last friday. Woo hoo! The olympics were always a magical time in my home while growing up. My parents and grandparents would all be into it and we (my brothers and I) would get to stay up late for the opening and closing ceremonies as well as for the major events.

Can I say that in all the olympics I've ever watched, this opening ceremony was by far the best. EVER. Of course, nothing could go this well as demonstrated by this and now this. Really? Not "pretty enough". How does a 7 year old EVER get over that one? Of course, I don't buy it for one minute that all their gymnasts are at least 16 either. Honestly there are a couple that I would say are 13 at the most. Sigh. Oh well, I'll just enjoy the show and not try to focus on the politics of the whole thing.

Speaking of Olympics, I am participating (snicker) in Ravelympics for Team Hopelessly Overcommitted. I am participating in three events ("freeforallfreestyle", "holidayhandball" and "sweatersprint") with the knitting of this beauty for DH. So, I'm into the body of the sweater and I am desperately trying to work on it as much as my poor little carpal tunnel wrists will allow. I also have to try and squeeze in some reading time for my book club. We are reading "The Seduction of Water" by Carol Goodman. So far, it's been a good book but I just don't have the time to do it all.

AAACCCKKK!!

ooh, I wonder what's on the olympics right now ???

Daily Thought

July 15, 2008
The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.
— Allan K. Chalmers


I am one of those people that sign up for all sorts of stuff in her email. I can't help it. I'm a sucker. One of the things I get is a daily thought. Sometimes I open them, others I just delete. Some of them hit home and others have no impact at all. I am a believer in kismet, synchronicity, karma, fate, call it what you may and I think that things come to you at just the right time when you really need them most. Like when I am really feeling pissy about my life and how "unfair" it all is and then I go to work and take care of someone who has had their world cave in on them. I always take a look up and say "Ok God, I hear you and I will shut up. Thanks for the reminder!"

So, anyway, today's daily thought spoke to me. Not because I am not happy, I am (today is a good day). It's just that happiness can be so fleeting and we often take it for granted.

Now, since my "active" posting a lot has gone on. Hate to repeat but, there was the accident, the hot water heater, the downstairs a/c (replaced last week) and now the upstairs a/c (thankfully we have, since last week, renewed our home warranty contract so it will be, at least partially, covered this time). I am, as I type, waiting for the a/c repair people to come check it out. So, still happy though, why?

Well, because in the last few weeks I have been dealing with another issue that has really made me take a good look at life and what matters and what happiness really is. I am in the midst of a health issue that I have wondered about posting vs. not posting. For right now, let's just leave it as, I am going in next week for further tests and then I will have a definitive answer. I'm not trying to be sneaky, I just would rather wait to have a clear diagnosis (or hopefully not) before typing. As I said, I was debating about whether or not I should post about it until later but, I've been really good about keeping it to myself and I felt I needed a bit of an outlet. So, here's my vague post about the whole thing. Le sigh. Sorry 'bout that. The thing is that I really have a grasp on what truly matters better than I have in the past. I am grateful for that understanding.

So, think of me and say a little prayer if you have a moment. All will be revealed in the next couple of weeks. . . . .


Tonight is swim meet night. Woohoo. Go SHARKS! I should post some new pix of the boy soon. . . . .


Still knitting on SOTS-II but signed up for SOTS-III anyway! Ravelry link.

Things I've done since falling off the face of blogger

1. Recuperated from that REALLY bad accident.

2. Dealt with a ruptured hot water heater (heater in attic - water coming down through second floor and into kitchen on first - fun times)

3. Joined a book club (Woo hoo)

4. Dealt with broken A/C (yep!)

5. Visited my friend for her 40th birthday up in Cleveland!

6. Drove down replacement car for hubby on the way back from Cleveland

7. Got sick on said drive down (on side of road and not in new car - Thank GOD)

8. Helped friend here in NC deal with dog behaviour issues and having to give dog back to breeder (EVERYTHING was tried)

9. Got hooked on "In Plain Sight" and "Swingtown" (hey, I'm allowed some guilty pleasures)

10. Knit unknown quantities of dishcloths (at least 8 or so)

11. Knit this tunic in bubblegum Cotton-ease (ravelry link)

12. Planned a girls weekend away craft extravaganza for August with 3 buddies from my 'hood (ha ha, I said "hood")

13. Dealt with the death of 4 fish (they made the trip all the way down from OH and everything!) - abou 1/month or so - they were old

14. Knit my very first Baby Surprise Jacket (and gave it away without a picture)

15. Got 4 new fish (our pleco was getting lonely)

16. Knit some more on my SOTS-2 (ravelry link again)

17. Bought new living room furniture!

18. Lost 3.5 lbs on Wii Fit!

19. Got hooked on Facebook!

20. Didn't feel guilty about not blogging (well, maybe a little. I DO miss you all)


I will try to get some pictures up of some of my knitting (except the dishcloths - those are already given away)

Mosaic meme

1. 040906 - Mike and Jannett around campfire, 2. Pompon the Sushi Connaisseur, 3. 01-BrieMimiGrandmaNancy, 4. Red Panda, 5. Andy Garcia, 6. Mojito Power, 7. extraordinary symbols, 8. Dark Chocolate, Raspberry Cake and its Chocolate-Ginger Mousse, 9. the Clinquant of Hope, 10. Joy of life, 11. Golden Clouds, 12. Flip Flop Swap Goodies

I totally stole this one from Amy

1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr search.

2. Using only the first page of results, pick one image.

3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Big Huge Lab’s Mosaic Maker to create a mosaic of the picture answers.

4. Post your mosaic on your blog.

5. Enjoy!

The questions:

1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favorite food right now?

3. What high school did you go to?

4. What is your favorite color?

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

6. What is your favorite drink?

7. What is your dream vacation?

8. What is your favorite dessert?

9. What do you want to be when you grow up?

10. What do you love most in life?

11. What is one word that describes you?

12. What is your flickr name

Good Morning Meme!

I hadn't seen this one before and I thought it was a good one so here I go! (Found and stolen from Amy)


MOUTHOLOGY
Q. What is your favorite fast food restaurant? A. Before we moved to NC I would have said Wendy's because that was my best option in OH. However, now that we have plenty of Chick-Fil-A restaurants around, that would be my answer. When I was a little girl, it was always a treat to have a chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-a whenever I would go to the mall with my folks so, it's a comforting favorite for me.

Q. What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? A. I have to pick one? Really? I guess I would have to say that it depends on my mood. DH and I are always trying new restaurants so, I really can't just pick one.

Q. On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant? A. 15-20% however, I will say that I have no qualms about leaving as little as 5% if I have poor service. I won't ever not leave a tip because I want to be sure that they realize that I didn't "forget" or that I'm a non-tipping jerk. I want them to realize that poor service doesn't get rewarded in my book. I'm pretty lenient in my definition though. If it's busy or the kitchen's fault, I don't fault the server. However, not friendly or forgetfulness/unavailability from a server = minimal tip.

Q. What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? A. Pasta or gouda cheese & bread.

Q. What are your pizza toppings of choice? A. Pretty boring on this front, pepperoni with more pepperoni and cheese with extra cheese. What make a pizza for me though is the sauce. It should have some zing to it.

Q. What do you like to put on your toast? A. Butter.


TECHNOLOGY
Q. What is your wallpaper on your computer? A. Some boring canned wallpaper available from the computer.

Q. How many televisions are in your house? A. In use, three. All together 5 (1 in the guest bedroom and 1 in the attic not really used) It's so bad but we are TV addicts.


BIOLOGY
Q. Are you right-handed or left-handed? A. Right.

Q. Have you ever had anything removed from your body? A. I don't think so.

Q. What is the last heavy item you lifted? A. Er, probably a patient on Friday at work.

Q. Have you ever been knocked unconscious? A. Nope though there have been plenty of times when I wish I would have fainted.


BULL****OLOGY
Q. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? A. Geez, that's a hard one. Part of me would say yep and the other part says not a chance.

Q. If you could change your name, what would you change it to? A. I don’t know that I would change my first name but I might consider changing my middle name from "de los Angeles" (spanish for "of the Angels") to just plain Angela.

Q. What color do you think looks best on you? A. Fire engine red.

Q. Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake? A. Not that I can remember.

Q. Have you ever saved some one’s life? A. Many a time. Nurses save lives daily (and probably more than doctor's do, but, hey I'm biased that way!)

Q. Has someone ever saved yours? A. Yep. When I was about 8 years old or so I accidentally jumped into the deep end of a pool and began to struggle to get out (couldn't swim at the time very much at all and I panicked). Suddenly I saw an arm reaching for me in the midst of all my air bubbles in the water and a wonderful man had pulled me out of the water to safety. I learned to swim (not well but I can tread water) RIGHT after that.


DAREOLOGY
Q. Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? A. Absolutely.

Q. Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000? A. Not a chance. I might not be able to knit or cook or craft or, etc. . . . .

Q. Would you never blog again for $50,000? A. I hate to say it but yep, (although I would miss you all, I could 'see' you all over at Ravelry! tee hee)

Q. Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000? A. Heck yeah. I might reconsider, if DH was against it though. Although I think he wouldn't mind b/c that's a lot of money and he would probably be proud that someone actually asked me to do it!

Q. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? A. If I was given enough time to finish it, absolutely!

Q. Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000? A. No, although, much to my hubby's chagrin, I am pro-capital punishment I wouldn't never try to play judge/jury.


DUMBOLOGY
Q: What is in your left pocket? A: Zilch.

Q: Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie? A: It has it's moments but overall I would say it's just an OK movie.

Q: Do you sit or stand in the shower? A: Stand.

Q: Could you live with roommates? A: I think that I would be fine. I lived at home until I got married so I've never had a roomate other than DH and I think we've done OK for almost 19 years now.

Q: How many pairs of flip flops do you own? A: Not enough. I don't ever wear them "out" but I do like to wear them around during the summer. I currently have 5 pairs - 4 plastic/rubber and 1 pair in leather. I match my flips to my swimsuits when going to the pool. I know, I'm a dork.

Q: Last time you had a run-in with the cops? A: When I got a speeding ticket last year when my mom and aunt where visiting (I failed to notice the speed limit drop from 45 to 35mph in an area of Raleigh that I hadn't been familiar with).

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up? A: If I weren't already doing it I would STILL want to be a nurse.


LASTOLOGY
Q: Last Friend you talked to? A: Other than my DH and DS it would be Kathleen.

Q: Last person who called you? Kathleen.

Q: Last person you saw? A: DH and DS


FAVORITOLOGY
Q: Number? A: Eight. I like that it's the symbol for infinity turned on it's side.

Q: Season? A: That would be a toss up between Spring and Fall (although Spring has a slight edge b/c of all the flowers).


CURRENTOLOGY
Q: Missing someone? A: Yea, I miss my Dad and my Mother-in-law every day (they both died way too young).

Q: Mood? A: Peaceful (we just got back from church).

Q: Listening to? A: Drag racing that DH and DS are watching on the TV right now.

Q: Watching? A: Nothing but my computer screen right now.

Q: Worrying about? A: Funny, I'm such a worrier but right now, I'm not worrying about anything. That will change in about 30 seconds I'm sure. ;-}


RANDOMOLOGY
Q: First place you went this morning? A: 10:30 Mass.

Q: What can you not wait to do? A: Finish knitting my Secret of the Stole 2 (oh yeah, finish SOTS 1 too!)

Q: What’s the last movie you saw? A: “Mr. Magorium's Magic Emporium”

Q: Do you smile often? A: All the time.

Q: Are you a friendly person? A: I go out of my way to try and be friendly to every one. I used to be a wall flower (no, really, you can email hubby if you don't believe me!) but then I broke out of my shell and now I think I have been making up for lost time!


That's was fun to do. Like it? Go ahead and take it!

A meme and a contest.

Moriah was sweet enough to inform me about Miss Me's very first contest for her very first blogiversary. Go check it out and if you enter be sure to let her know that I sent you!

Kay, so now to the meme. Moriah wants to know 7 random things about me so here comes the meme:

Here are the rules, and they must be posted to your blog.
Link to the person’s blog who tagged you (see above).
List seven random and/or weird facts about yourself.
Tag seven random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
Let each person know that they have been tagged by posting a comment on their blog and also so they can look at your blog and not tag the same people all over again!

My 7 Random Things:

1) I had 2 miscarriages before finally having DS. I wanted more children but, it seems that was not in the stars for me.
2) I am perfectly thrilled with #1 above b/c I can't imagine a better kid than DS and he fills my life with joy everyday. I am truly blessed to have him in my life.
3) DH and I keep thinking about adopting a daughter but we haven't gotten our arses up to truly look into it. If we do adopt, we are going to adopt a 4-6 year old to shorten the age difference between her and DS.
4) I have a single tattoo and a single body piercing (besides earrings). I got them both AFTER my 30th birthday.
5) I used to swingdance for about 2 years on a regular basis and was DAMN GOOD!
6) I grew up in a single home but have lived in 9 different homes since being married (married for 18 years) - I am hoping (and praying) that we will live in this house until retirement (keep your fingers crossed for me)
7) Only 2 of those moves were done by movers - the other 7 were just us (UGH! and NEVER again)

Boy, that was a weird collection of 7 things. Huh, what a weird mindset this morning. OK let's see. . . . . .

I tag:

1) Katharine
2) Moonstitches
3) Suzie
4) Erin
5) THE Knitting Nurse
6) Knitting RN
7) Parikha

Hopefully you all will play along!

LOVE THIS!!!!

This is what blogging is truly about and although I've lived it for a while, I am publicly declaring that I now will be

Yeah! Yes there has been knitting. There has also been a baby born to knit for as well. All details will be posted when I can. Right now, I have knitting, crafting and cleaning to do.

Love you all!

Fun, fun and more fun

I've been pretty negligent in my posting. I received my "Pay it forward" gift last week and never posted about it. Moriah really outdid herself with my package:

Look at what a great graphic she came up with:

I think I might just have to steal that for my PIFs! And the soap was so wonderful! Thanks again Moriah!

I've been working on assorted dishcloths myself in preparation for my part of the dishrag tag. Y'know, finding a pattern that is interesting yet quick to knit. However, my team's box seems to have gotten lost on it's way to me from California! Ugh! Oh well, the race is over - Congrats to the winners! - but I still want to get the box so that everyone in my team gets a turn at it. Hopefully it will turn up soon. No pictures of the cloths I've made as I have gifted them to ladies at work.

I've been working on my chevron scarf and it's coming along nicely. I'm more than half way through the yarn and should have a finished product relatively soon. I'm waiting until that time to take a final picture and then post. It's going to be so pretty! Question is, do I keep it or gift it? Not sure yet. We'll see when it's done.

Lastly, I was playing around on knitter crack and somehow came across this pattern. How could I resist? Let me start off by saying that I used stash yarn to complete it and it just took 1 1/2 days. So quick and easy too! Wanna see mine? OK. . . . . .



I used a pale green Paton's Grace - it took less than a skein to make. Really this was such a fun, quick and entertaining knit. The fact that the yarn I used is a cotton yarn actually makes it, dare I say, wearable. Let me tell you, the fit is really nice and it's comfortable. I was really surprised as I thought it would never work as a garment. HAHAHAHAHA. I was thinking that I would make an I-cord and use elastic thread in the center of the I-cord to make it more wearable (vs. the ribbon).

Whodda thunk it?

ADDED 9/9/07


Click here to create your own painting.

Crazy, CRAZY I tell you!

Yep, that would be me. Crazier than a LOON! So, not only did I already have too many UFO's on the needles throughout this house, not only am I expecting my team's box from the Dish Rag Tag this week, not only do I need to complete my Hogwarts Sock Swap 2 sock. . . . . .I started a Chevron Scarf. I don't usually fall prey to the "it" project (I still have not knit a jaywalker or a clapotis) but this one, I just couldn't pass up AND it's from stash yarn. Bonus!

I know, I KNOW. I stink. I can't help it though. Everyone has all those beautiful scarves everywhere on the blogosphere and in Ravelry. Have you seen these things? How could I resist?

So, want to take a looksy? Here it is:

You can see a couple of more shots of it on my Flickr page. It's about 3 or 4 times longer now and I can't put it down. It's an addictively easy and fun knit. I see a couple or more of these at some point in the future but hopefully not before I finish a couple of other things.

Hopefully.

Now, don't you want to make one too? C'mon, you know you do!

PIF exchange

OK,so you all know that I am in the Dish Rag Tag right? So, we are off and running and I was reading my team's forum so that I could participate with my team mates and find our just where we are in the race. So I started to do a little blog surfing among my team mate's blogs. I found information on the PIF Exchange from Alicia who found it from Alaina who got it from Jody. I was able to join in from Moriah's blog. So, just reading that last couple of sentences should give you a 'sense' of what it's all about. Here is the gist of the exchange (taken blatantly from Alaina's blog).

PIF Exchange

This exchange is based on this gorgeous movie with Helen Hunt in it called 'Pay It Forward'. How many of you out there have had a chance to watch it? O.K. If you've yet to see the movie, this is what the PIF Exchange is all about......


"Here is how it works! I'll send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange! I don't know what that gift will be yet, and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week...LOL... but you will receive it within 365 days, that's a promise! and it will be something yummy!! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog..."

So the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog, will get something made for them by me! I can't wait to see who you are! I should be able to come up with something good for you all, just you wait and see! Let me know you want in and if you are among the first 3, you'll be in! I'll need your email address when you comment so that I know how to reach you to obtain your address, ok?

Join in and then just pay it forward!

Where have I been??? (photo heavy)

I can't believe that it's been close to a month since I have posted. WOW! Even though, that post really doesn't count as it was just passing on info rather than a true post. What can I say? It's summertime and the living is busy! DS has been swimming in the neighborhood swimteam. Practices everyday except Fridays and Sundays and swim meets every Tuesday. That takes a chunk of time but it's so fun! Plus, it keeps him physically active which is a huge plus. I only wish that I knew how to swim. Sure, I can save my life but do a butterfly stroke? Hahahahahahaha!This was at his first swim meet. He so excited, can you tell? The participants have their swim team numbers written on their arms and it was ironic that DS's was 10 (his age - well they do that for everyone so that they swim in the proper age group) and 65 (his individual swim team number - also the year of a VIP's birth - um hum we WON'T mention whose! >wink< 'nuf said.) So that's reason number 1 for the busyness of this summer. Next, we've been going on quite a few weekend drives. As a family, we all enjoy drives. Long, lazy, strolling rides where you go off and "explore" your local areas. If we had been a family in the 50's, you would have been able to see us in one of those Chevrolet commercials. Y'know the ones I mean . Yep, that would be us driving around on an "adventure".

You may recall the trip to New Bern where I ran into Lolly? That would be an example of our adventures, just getting into the car and going. We recently visited Wilmington, NC and had a great day there as well. While there we walked around and saw the sites and found an amazing Italian Ice/Gelato shop. Mia's Italian Ices & Gelato on Front Street is quaint and cozy and has a FABULOUS Mango italian ice. So good, that after getting some and walking around, we went back for more! Funny thing is that the folks ahead of us the first time at the shop? They had come back for more too! So here are a few shots of our visit to Wilmington.



That same day we stopped at Carolina Beach on the way back from Wilmington. I got a few of my fave pix of the summer (so far) while we were there.



So, anyways, as you all can see we've been very busy. Knitting? Well, I do knit as we drive so there has been knitting. The HP Sock Swap socks should be in the mail this afternoon or tomorrow at the latest. I will photo the swap contents prior to mailing. I've picked up an old friend or two that have been patiently waiting to be worked on and I whipped up a couple of CE baby hats for a coworker's wife expecting twins (I forgot to photo those - darn it!).

We have had more adventures and my family just left yesterday after visiting for a week so, hopefully I will post again later today or tonight. We will be leaving EARLY on the 4th (Happy B-Day USA!) for our summer vacation - Williamsburg, VA and Outerbanks, NC so, if I go MIA that's what's up! DH has already found out shops in both areas for me. Yeah! Any suggestions of shops from you guys?

Hopefully I'll be back on today. . . . .

I'm getting boring, huh?

Sheesh! I am getting so boring that reading my own posts puts ME to sleep! Sorry guys. I just haven't gotten back into the swing of things. I guess that happens to a lot of bloggers but I did like getting comments and now, barely any. Hmmmm. I know, I know the comments aren't the reason I blog. Truly they aren't. I know that you all are out there and that is comforting. I blog to feel a sense of self, to understand what's going on in my world, to record today and what my life is like and about. But. Still. It was nice to see all the different people and their blogs that were including themselves in my little world. . . .ok, no more of that. On to what blogging is really about.

Hey, lookee, there ARE pictures to be shared:

First up is a photo of my Hogwarts sock swap socks. Almost done! Whoopee! I am knitting them in tandem because I decided to add some increases at the calves. They are a simple 3X1 rib until above the ankle and then I slowly increased to a 3X2 rib. Question for you all out there. . . How would you finish these off? Just, bind off? The ribbing is already there so I guess so but, I wanted them to look, y'know, finished. Can I picot edge with ribbing? Should I just bind off and not worry about it? Your suggestions are respectfully requested (how's that for comment begging? ;-> ) I am making them from Lorna's Laces Sheperd Sock in the "bee stripe" colorway. That swirly yellow stripe thing going up the foot of the sock was purely the colorway. I noticed that that was the point where they switched from gold to black. Seems they had a bit of extra gold. I kind of like the effect though. Don't you?

Now onto a spoiling for me! Here's the totality of my package from my FABULOUS Knitter's Tea Swap 3 spoilee, Jessica:

Isn't that some wonderful stuff? I got 3 different loose teas from the English Tea Store, many, many tea bags of assorted Stash teas, some organic honey lemon sticks, 3 different typed of tea cookies/treats, some dark chocolate (heaven) covered pretzel bits AND. . . . .my very first, ever Claudia's handpainted sock yarn. Woo Hoo! Here it is closer up:

And again:
Thank you so much for your generosity Jessica, it was amazing to have you as my pal. Hopefully you will like my package as much as I enjoyed yours!

Last, but not least, I leave you with a gratuitous family picture of us during Memorial Day weekend while out geocaching. This is a picture of us after finding our 100th cache:



We had so much fun that weekend!