Happy Valentine's Day

Hugs and kisses!

oooxxxoooxxxoooxxx

A good week for goodies!

This has been a good week for goodies.

I started the week using my Michael’s gift card (Christmas present from in-laws) to buy myself a set of knitting needles with lights on the tips. (Have I mentioned that I love gadgets?) Now I can knit even if hubby wants lights out. LOL They work pretty good -- they suit their purpose, but the tips are kinda blunt, so it’s harder to knit with some yarns.

Johnny surprised me with a Coach bag and pretty silky-type garments ;). He said it’s "just cuz I love you, honey". Aaaaawww. I’ve never had a Coach bag, and I love it.

I ordered some cotton yarns and a pattern from Peaches and Crème website. It’s scheduled to arrive on Monday. (Can't wait! I'm going to try making this ascot scarf. It might be ready in time for next winter. ::snort::)

I took the plunge and ordered a set of KnitPicks Options interchangeable cable needles. They arrived yesterday, and this morning I switched the dishcloth I had started on the light-up needles over to the Options. So far I love them. The cotton just slides off of the nickel needles. I had to shove them off of the plastic light-up needles (I like to knit the textured dishcloths really tight so that the patter pops).

I’ll have to be careful with slippery needles when I start my next project (the reason I even purchased the Options). I’m participating in a knit along to make this baby:



Scary stuff, but I’m going to take the plunge. I don’t know when I’m going to find the time to do these projects, but I’ll worry about that later. :)

I have no desire to purchase new scrapbooking stuff. Maybe that's not really accurate. I'm determined to find uses for the massive inventory of stash that I already have! I'm signed up as an alumni for Stacy Julian's A Library of Memories class. Hopefully, I will find the time to participate in it, get some scrapbooking done, and have fun doing it! (Translation: Let go of the pressure, creative and otherwise, and just do it!)

Man Made Card

Who said card making and paper crafts was just for women?

Watch the Man Made Card video.

Negligence!

I can't believe how long it's been since I've blogged here!

I guess I have to be crafty in order to share crafty projects. I've done a little knitting, but not too much scrapbooking. I'll have to fix that soon.

Stay tuned! (And oh yeah, Happy New Year!)

Food for thought

Got this in an email:

Cellulite is not a sign of IMPERFECTION.
It's just your body saying you are SEXY in Braille.....

We said goodbye to an old friend last night.

Jasmine was an awesome friend. She was very "mother hen" to us all. She had a long, wonderful life. We miss her, but we're trying to be happy that she's in a better place with no aches, pains or illnesses.

Goodbye, old friend.

A wonderful cause, in case you're interested...

For anyone who might be interested in a charitable opportunity this holiday season, this is a wonderful cause. (I'm sponsoring two children, too.)

This plea was sent out by the organization's owner:

Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2007 7:14:55 PM
Subject: Deadline for mailing Elf packages

I'm beginning to feel desperate. The deadline for getting elf gifts into the mail is DECEMBER 3 -- one week away! BUT we still have several kids who don't have sponsoring elves!

I've sent a request for help to everyone in my email address book, so I'm at a loss as to what more I can do. If you know of an individual, club, church group, or group of co-workers who might be willing to help, please give them information and send them to the web page at http://www.hugsandhope.org/elf.htm

Thanks!
Marsha

Hey, peeps!

That's peeps, as in, short for "people". As in, "My peeps!"

Yo, whazzup, my peeps?!

LOL Don't know where that came from. I haven't been posting regularly, and I just wanted to make sure my blog was still breathing. My father was diagnosed with lung cancer 2 months ago, so I have had a very busy autumn so far (so have my sisters and the rest of my family).

I will find some time to be crafty, though. I have to fill my cup, if you know what I mean. You probably do, since you're my peeps, and all.

Gotta go. I have a few quiet moments, and I'm going to go play Riven on my laptop for a little while.

Peace out!

iTouch, uTouch, we all touch my new iPod Touch!!!

Hubby surprised me with a new gadget last night! (Did you know that I'm a certified gadget girl? OK, maybe not certified, but definitely certifiable!)



(Clicky the image for more details.)

I'm not giving up last year's Christmas present, though:



I think they call it the iPod classic now. It used to be called the 5th generation iPod. It was the latest and greatest last Christmas...now I don't even think they sell them anymore (now they're better than ever with lots more memory for a lot less $$).

Technology changes so quickly. I definitely can't keep up, but it's fun to have a new gadget now and then to drool over.

Sharing...

Wow, it's been a while! I could bore you with all of the life stuff that's going on, but instead, I'll just share a couple of fun blogs I've stumbled upon of late.

The Craft Gossip Blog has blog chatter about everything crafty. There's a little network of blogs that specialize on several crafty topics. My favorites, needless to say, are Knitting News, Scrapbooking, and Stamping.

I also just found out about The To Do List Blog, which is perfect fun for me, because I tend to run my life by to do lists. I've just found it, so I haven't explored it yet, but you can best believe it's on the top of my To Do List to check it out!

Check out...

Martha Stewart's craft room.

http://tinyurl.com/2vlrn9

This is life.

I haven't been blogging regularly. Life has been...great, but filled with challenges.

The kids' school year started. I try to be an 'involved parent', so including all of the regular back-to-school activities (schedule change, after school activities [soccer, soccer again, art, 'hoops', creative art], back-to-school shopping for clothes and supplies, etc.), I also try to volunteer, participate in PTA activities check my kids' homework and try to read to or with them.

I also designed and maintain the PTA's website. I volunteered to help with the school directory this year (I didn't realize it, but I was tasked with desktop-publishing the entire directory. Fortunately, someone else did the data entry and proofing, and most of the narrative sections were provided electronically). The directory came out awesome, by the way, and we received lots of support and kudos from the PTA board. I also co-own the Yahoo group for the school's PTA, so I maintain it and post all of the content and messages. I'm also the school's NAACP parent rep this year. September and October have been busy, school-wise.

Work was ridiculously busy. The end of the federal fiscal year is always crazy, but this year, my schedule was especially insane, as we bid on and won three small contracts, and I had to do start-up activities for them in September (in addition to maintaining my primary contract). I also had to plan a conference and 2 meetings for my clients which were all held in October. September and October have been busy, work-wise.

My crown needs to be replaced. I've had a temporary crown in for 3 weeks. I was supposed to get the permanent today but it didn't fit (ugh!). Two more weeks with this awful thing in my mouth. When I go back, they will also repair two fillings. September and October have been uncomfortable, oral health-wise.

My husband has been in cycle with cluster headaches for over a month. My sister started radiation in September, and my father was diagnosed with lung cancer toward the end of September. He started radiation yesterday and starts chemo next week. My sisters and I will collaborate to take care of him and get him to his daily radiation and weekly chemo. We may have to take turns staying at his house to help care for him. September and October have been heart-wrenching, family health-wise.

The check-engine light came on (again) in the minivan. That's not helpful.

My kids are safe and healthy and wonderful. I'm relatively healthy. My client and boss are completely understanding and will afford me lots of flexibility. I'm so very grateful and thankful for that. I have a wonderful, if not clutter-free, home and a loving, supportive husband. Thank the Lord.

You know what? This is life. All things being equal, I'm so glad I have it (life). Thanks for being a part of it.

A little work place humor

I urgently needed a few days off work, but, I knew the Boss would not allow me to take leave. I thought that maybe if I acted "Crazy" then he would tell me to take a few days off. So, I hung upside-down on the ceiling and made funny noises.

My co-worker (who's blonde) asked me what I was doing. I told her that I was pretending to be a light bulb, so that the Boss might think I was "Crazy" and give me a few days off.

A few minutes later the Boss came into the office and asked, "What are you doing?"

I told him I was a light bulb.

He said, "You are clearly stressed out. Go home and recuperate for a couple of days."

I jumped down and walked out of the office...

When my co-worker (the blonde) followed me, the Boss asked her, "...And where do you think you're going?!"

(You're going to love this....)

She said,

"I'm going home too. I can't work in the dark!!"

Out from under!!!

This has been such a ROUGH and busy month or two (since August, really). I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'll still be busy (work, kids' school, PTA, etc.), but I will begin to feel sane again. :)

Meanwhile, if you have a minute, and you see an 'ad' like this in my left sidebar:


please take a minute and complete the survey. Click on the picture in my sidebar (not the one in this post!). The ad will disappear on October 20th or when they get enough response.

Thanks!

Mommy demerit

Work has been so, so, so, so busy lately. It's the end of the fiscal year, which is a traditionally chaotic time in my line of work.

Yesterday, my daugther missed soccer practice because I had two huge deadlines that ran a little late, and I just couldn't get out of the house in time. She had a meltdown. She was really looking forward to going.

I felt terrible. Ideally, work would never get in the way of my children's activities. Incidents like this could easily breed resentment. But, at least I have a job and an income, so I try to remember that and be thankful.

We decided to make the most of the evening and have some FUN. We drove through McDonald's, snuck some food into the movie theater, and saw Mr. Bean's Holiday. It was a school night ::shock and awe::, so we were the only people in the theater. That scared my 6 yr. old son at first, but we quickly realized that we could talk and walk around because there was no one to disturb! (There were lots of subtitles, so it was great that we could read them out loud.)

About 20 minutes into the movie, my son pulled out his Nintendo DS and played it for the rest of the movie. We all had a great time, and we definitely needed the stress detox.

Have I mentioned lately...

...how much I love free stuff?!

I received a free book from Barns & Noble.com by UPS today. A couple of weeks ago, I received an invitation to join their First Look Club (The email said, "Get a free copy of the book your friends will be reading next year."), and I was just sent an Advanced Reading Copy of The Monsters of Templeton. There will be a forum and talks with the author starting in October. Cool stuff.

I can't wait to unwind and read it (stressful weekend and work is stressful right now, too).

Apparently, Stephen King recommends the book, too!

I love give aways!

I found several while blog surfing today, and this one is especially cool for us scrapbookers. ;)

HP Photosmart A626 Compact Photo Printer:



First, go here to the 5 Minutes for Mom blog and leave a comment.

Next, share the blog love and mention the contest on your own blog with a link back to the contest post.

Good luck!

Smarter than a 5th Grader

I'm smarter than a 5th Grader (online). Are you?

I made it to the top and answered the million dollar question correctly. Whoo hoo!

MomAgenda Planner Giveaway

This lady is giving away a Mom Agenda Planner on her blog. Just comment on her blog for a chance to win.



Want a bonus entry? Just post a link to her contest post in your own blog and post a link to the MomAgenda Planner site and then let her know that you've posted. Like I just did!

Miscellaneous knitting

Here are some squares and cloths that I’ve knitted and never shared (at least I don’t think I have). Sorry that some of the photos are blurry, but I haven’t figured out the best way of showing detail in the knitting yet. Also, I haven’t blocked these squares, so they don’t look “polished”, but you’ll get the gist. Maybe I’ll post new photos when/if I ever get these blocked.

This is the September Knit Along (KAL) for a group I belong to. The KAL started yesterday, and I’m knitting along as they post the pattern. Yesterday, 9 rows were posted. (I actually knitted 10 rows because we already know that every even row will be knitted across.) I’ve knitted cloths from KAL’s before, but I’m usually not able to knit along with the group. I knit the cloth later after the whole pattern has been posted. I’m going to try to actually knit along with the group this time. We don’t know what the pattern will be in advance, so the pattern on the cloth will be a surprise to us.

Here’s Day 1 of the September KAL:




This is the A+ Apple cloth that we gave to the student teacher at the end of last school year. We also gave her a simple, hand-made card. I’m not sure, but I think she might have been more impressed with the card! LOL



This is a cotton cloth for my father. It’s a cowboy hat. The image will show better when I’ve blocked the cloth. Can you see the hat? (Sorry for the blurriness.)




This cloth was a KAL, but I knitted it after the whole pattern was posted. It’s a cute swimsuit.



These two squares are knit from acrylic. One is a basic pattern. (I think it’s a basket weave.). The other is a plain leaf square from the book 200 knitted blocks.





Thanks for looking!