Giggles

There has been a sad passing. The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and trauma complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71.

Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The grave site was piled high with flours.Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded.

Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times, he still was a crusty old man and was considered a positive roll model for millions.

Doughboy is survived by his wife Play Dough, two children, John Dough and Jane Dough, plus they had one in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly father, Pop Tart.

The funeral was held at 350 for about 20 minutes.

(I wish I could take credit for this, but all the credit belongs to Year in Bread. Since they specifically said share it (see below), I am. I hope it made you giggle too!)

As per Year in Bread:

If this made you smile for even a brief second, please rise to the occasion and take time to pass it on and share that smile with someone else who may be having a crumby day and kneads it.

Hanging Close to Home

Today started off pretty darn bumpy from the get-go.

Luckily it has calmed down and I am not feeling like the world is spinning. I'm not sure what I got ahold of, but all day yesterday I had moment where I lost my balance and felt like things were spinning. But just for brief moments. I attributed it to not enough sleep when I went to Stillwater to run my mother around Tulsa, but today I was REALLY sick. So sick I stayed away from the yarn shop -- and that means I was feeling BAAAAAAAD. I definitely don't think Shel or any of the customers would approve of my sharing this. I am feeling better now, I'm hoping it was just a one day bug. You never know what you get exposed to sometimes.

I am in the process of getting the supplies together to assemble a water garden for the back yard. I really learned a lot in the class I took at Botanica and am really itching to get a water garden started. When I was in Stillwater, I noticed they have a Water Garden Society. They had a garden tour the previous week. Figures! I will keep an eye out for the water garden tours here in Wichita and in Tulsa also. My goal this summer is to get our backyard in shape and make it into a little retreat for hanging out. We are looking for a dwarf pear tree to complete the tree planting. When we moved in, one of the twins wanted a cherry tree and the other wanted a pear tree. We found the cherry tree and it actually put out little mini cherries this year, now we have to find a pear tree. I want to find a dwarf one so it will be easier to keep the fruit picked. I vividly remember the tree in my friend's yard that didn't get picked regularly. The bees were really aggressive--I do not want that.

On the knitting front, I am still plugging away at the OU mittens for one of the boys. I'll be doing OSU mittens next. I am also really looking forward to the mittens class at Twist at the end of July. I would love to be able to get some of these done in time for Christmas, but I'm not putting any pressure on myself in that arena. I will however be canning a lot more jams before the summer ends for the Christmas season.

Are you planing to make or buy Christmas gifts this year. What kind of handmade/homemade gifts are you planning?

Sit and Spin...

That is what I am about to do. I am going to pull the plied yarn off my wheel and spin til I can't see straight.

For those of you that aren't sure what I am babbling about--I'm going to sit at my spinning wheel and get stupid! I love to spin and I have SEVERAL pounds of roving that I got from Wool2Dye4 a while back. It is beautiful and really smooth to spin. At some point this week I am going to have a dyeing day and just dye up everything I've spun this summer. Since that is not a whole heck of a lot so far, I'd better get busy.

I made an interesting discovery today. I started to set up my new swift to wind off a couple bobbins, only to discover that all my surfaces have ledges with curved lips that won't allow the swift to attach to the counter. I tried surfaces all over my house, guess what. They are all the same. I have to say I probably have one of the coolest husbands--he was watching me try (EVERY) different edge in the house, then offered to just hold the skein winder while I wound a bazillion yards of yarn. The yarn is currently soaking in the tub, then I'll hang it to set the twist. I plied this skein pretty tight so I will probably use it for a hat. Later this month I am going to learn to Navajo ply. I've seen some really neat yarns plied this way and have decided I have to learn it! I need to get a table with an even edge so hubby's good nature won't get tested.

I took my mother to Tulsa this weekend to run an errand. I enjoy going to Tulsa. There are some really neat places to shop and eat there. One of my sons went with us so I got to show him some of the places we used to hang out at and where we lived when they were born (he's a twin). He likes to travel more than his twin (who looked at me like I was from Mars when I asked if he wanted to go), so it was nice to have him around and to share the sights with him. I know eventually he will be at the age where it is not cool to hang with the old lady--I'm taking all the time with him that he'll put up with.

After Tulsa, we went back to Stillwater and drove around for a while. My Mom and I both like to just get in the car and drive. I think that has been the hardest thing about the rising gas prices. Going for drives can be pretty darn expensive. I was really surprised at how much things have changed in my little town. I like all the new stores and shopping/eating options, but the new housing and all the changes on campus really surprised me. The new stadium is a little overkill. Actually it is a LOT overkill. And I understand the college really screwed residents around it when they bought up the property. Sometimes big entities can lose focus on what matters. I know T. Boone Pickens gave a TON of money to the college --(no, not to education, to sports)--but let's not forget that the the university does not run the town. I remember several occasions where the university "powers that be" have misappropriated student funds for the sports programs when I went there, so this is a sticking point for me. My kids are both athletes, but I don't want to compromise their education in order for the sports program in order to try to one up OU.... Priorities, people.

Ok, off the soapbox...

I did pick up some really neat beads at The Bead Merchant in Tulsa. They were probably more expensive than I can get wholesale, but they were really cute. One is a strand of penguins and the other is a strand of kitten faces. I think they would make really cute stitch markers but I'm not so sure they are going to be something I can sell at a decent price point, so they may just be for me and gifts. I'll still keep an eye out for something that I can use that are similar since these would really be cute.

I guess I have to figure out what I am going to bake for the July 4th party in our old neighborhood. We stayed home last year since we were still pretty tired from moving into the new house. This year we are going to hang out with the old neighbors. I am hoping that next year we will be able to host our normal big event at our new house. Usually we have a really big party with several neighbors. I do miss the tightness of the old neighborhood, but I guess next year I will host something for the old and new neighborhood.

What are you doing for the 4th?

Fried day...

The kids and I just got home from a little grocery shopping and I had them let the dogs out. Two of the dogs appeared at the door and waited to be let in. The beagle didn't. I thought maybe he was on the side of the house--he likes to get lost in the moment and often just stands for a LONG time looking up into the air. Don't ask me why, I guess he's just "in the moment".

After 15 minutes, I figured something was wrong.

Turns out someone had left the gate open and Buddy slipped out. The other dogs stick close to home, Buddy tends to run. Sometimes he gets so excited about not being in his back yard that he fries out. He weaves back and forth, to and fro, like his little sniffer is making his brain explode. And GOD FORBID a rabbit or a squirrel cross his path.

I jumped in the car and saw some women talking at their mailboxes. Turned out that one of them just got home and saw a beagle running "like he had no brains" a couple blocks away.

I high tailed it over to that area and saw a teenager on the street. Turns out her mom caught Buddy and put him in their backyard to keep him from getting hit since he acted like he didn't know what he was doing. She figured someone would come looking for him "since he looked like he's been pampered". I am so thankful that people in our little town will do that. I've done it in the past, and now I'm the beneficiary of the same kindness. I really don't know what we'd do without Buddy!

Everyone is getting micro-chipped. Except for our really old dog. And that might include the kids....only kidding. A little.... We are putting locks on the inside of the gate to keep anyone from opening it from the outside. This was too close of a call. We live near a really busy main street and I shudder to think of what would have happened it he went to the left a couple blocks instead of the right when he got out. It took him a full half hour to stop panting once he got home and drank water, so I'm pretty sure he would have had big trouble if someone had not caught him.

Other than that little bit of excitement, today has been reasonably calm. I have to run to Stillwater in the morning so I can take my mother to Tulsa for some errands. I'm hoping to run a couple places while I'm in Tulsa. I am planning to come home that evening, but we'll see how I am feeling and what is going on. I'd like to drop in and see my Mom-in-law/Dad in law while I'm in the area but I'm not sure what kind of time I will have.

I also need to talk to my nephew to be able to make a final decision on whether we are going to adopt his 1 year old son. There are a lot of issues and a lot of things that we need to consider. Skylar is currently in foster care and we are going to be relative placement since my nephew has indicated he wants hubby and I to adopt him. Skylar has really good foster parents that have indicated they would like to adopt him, so we are trying to make that important decision. This situation has been going on for a while, but I haven't posted about it since we were really trying to weigh what is going to be in his best interest. I do feel good about the fact that he does have foster parents that really care for him. It's just REALLY hard to know what is the right thing to do.

I know the post today was pretty dry. I've been really tired the past couple days--the heat seems to really get to me. I guess I should be thankful I'm not in the deep South with the double fisted heat and staggering humidity.

At some point this summer I am flying to Atlanta again to visit my friend Marita and to go to Mexico for a weekend trip with her. I am in the process of getting my passport so I can get into Mexico. I know the reputation Mexico has one gringo's digestive systems, so I'm a little apprehensive. However, not enough to keep me from going. I've always wanted to go to Mexico and since I have a really good opportunity to go at a really good price, I am going!

Well, I'd better sign off and go back to work on Son's fair isle mitten. I have frogged this mitten three times while playing with the gauge gods. So far they have been totally kicking my arse! However, I think I have finally found the needle size that will work even when my stitches get tight. FINALLY!

Good coffee and great friends to you and yours.

Praise you in this Storm (live)

'nuff said.

Backwards Comic #3: Self Image

cute!

I will survive..really, I will

Yep, those of you who know me, know by now I have a really smart a** streak, also known as sarcastic streak.

Well, I have been vindicated.

It appears that sarcasm is a very important evolutionary skill. Really, it is. Click this link, read it and weep!

All said, the article fails to recognize that sarcasm in a dictatorship can be a reverse evolutionary trait. For example, if I were to get a little nippy with Stalin, my family line would have stopped (rather abruptly) at that very moment. OK, maybe in the time it would have taken to get the firing squad assembled.

See, I'm not SARCASTIC, I am EVOLVED..

Not buying it I see.

A LITTLE Tension in the Air...

In the artfully arranged photo above, you see the Nordic mitten I was working on for one of the boys. Notice there are no needles holding the top stitches together?

Well, let me tell you a little story.

Once there was this mother who knew how to knit. And she had a burning desire to knit a pair of mittens for her children in their favorite college team colors. Two of the children liked the colors of the mother and father's Alma mater: Oklahoma State University. However, the last child went astray somewhere. His stubborn choice, was Oklahoma University colors.

Where did they go wrong the parents asked themselves.

Grudgingly the mother bought the cream and maroon colors of the OTHER team and started a set of mittens for the wayward child. But something went wrong there also.

OK, story time over.

Other than the fact they are in OU colors, everything was going along fine. I did a gauge swatch on circulars and came out perfect. So I cast on and started knitting away in the pattern I had sketched out. The ribbing went along without a hitch. The first couple rows of ribbing and the first inch of straight stitching went fine. Then I noticed that my mitten seemed to be getting pretty narrow. I mean REALLY NARROW!

So I did a gauge count and realized I went from 6 stitches to the inch to 60 bazillion stitches to the inch..HMMM. That's not going to work unless I have a pocket with a chain saw worked into the mitten... try explaining that to airport security.

So off I went to Twist to buy a set of double pointed needles. Actually I bought a set one size larger and a set TWO sizes larger. Wanna bet I end up needing the largest size--if not larger?!

Apparently I have a little problem with tight knitting. Think so?

So here I go again. Darn it (does that compensate for the potty mouth typing yesterday?).

I don't want to live these colors any longer than I have to.

Getting their Knit together

Last Saturday was worldwide knit in public day. While there were a variety of knitting activities going on around the world, here in Wichita we sat outside and inside while doing our part for the cause. Did I accomplish any knitting?

Ummm. Not so much.

But I was with them in form and spirit.

Today I helped man the KIP booth at the quilt show here in town. I was really proud of myself for not buying anything. Actually the only time I wandered to any booth was a bead booth. The strange thing was after talking to the owner for a couple minutes, she mentioned she was from Stillwater--my home town in Oklahoma. WOW. Next time I am in town I am going to have to see what she offers as far as classes. Part of what kept me from buying was the fact that I have been trying to rein in the budget so we can save for some big ticket purchases next year for the house and the fact that I work at The Beadery every Wednesday, so there really isn't anything I can't find or learn to make there. All said, I didn't crash the budget at all.

I did discover a little fact about myself while sitting and knitting for the 5 blissful hours I was helping at the booth: I am a FREAKING TIGHT KNITTER. Not just tight--FREAKING TIGHT!
I am working on a Nordic mitten for one of my sons and realized my stitches were really tight. It may not even come close to fitting the kid without assistance from a medical team. I could easily go into the tourniquet business with this mitten. So, even after getting 20 rows of colorwork done, I may have to face the inevitable and frog it. It's be cheaper than finding a therapist to treat an extreme phobia of Nordic mittens that occurred from a bad teenage experience. However it does remind me of the sock incident that my friend Cindy experienced. She actually had to cut a sock off!

Maybe I should only do colorwork with a glass of wine in hand. Actually since I hold the yarn with both hands, I would have to search for a really long straw or one of those beer hats that are so common on college campuses.

Yeah, that would look redneck classy.

But then again, it might be an effective recruitment tool for snaring knitters on college campuses. This way when Mom and Dad call Buffy at school and ask what she is doing, she can say "Knitting" and not be telling a fib. She just doesn't have to include the multitasking drinking part.

Or that she took the gold medal in the shit faced knitting Olympics.

No rain---YEAH!

We didn't get the forecasted rain last night or this morning.

YEAH!

I know we may get some this evening, but I am hoping it will hold off. Hubby, kids and I are supposed to go to a Cessna event at the zoo this evening with friends and I would love for it to not rain so we can actually have fun.

It would also be great to have a couple rain free days so the wheat fields can dry out a little and the farmers can finally harvest before it's too late. We have several fields around our town that are really needing to be harvested but the water that is standing not only keeps the grain to moist to harvest, it makes it darn near impossible to get the equipment in the fields. I love seeing fields of wheat--it is one of the best things about living where we do--but I also hate seeing crops go unharvested. There are to many farmers that need a good year.

I was looking at Noni handbag patterns yesterday when I was at The Beadery. I found several that I REALLY liked, but I think I am going to wait until I finally finish the Lucy bag that I have had a pattern and yarn already. I love the Lucy bag, but it has been a part of my stash for WAY too long now. Time to get crackin' on it so I can reduce my stash over the next two months I am doing "Mamas on the Compact". That starts in July and runs until the end of August. I will extend it as I see fit, but the 2 months is a good first time goal. I am hoping to learn a little creativity when faced with the need to buy something. It's something I could stand to learn. I have a huge stash of lots of things and really need to used up what I have.

After I pick the boys up, I go to Twist for part of the day to hang out with Shelly. It is nice to have her back in town after she went to the Estes Park Wool Market with Angelique. It sounds like she was having fun. The temperatures at Estes Park run quite a bit cooler that it does here in Wichita, so I'm sure it was hard to part. She brought me back some REALLY neat top in just my colors. What are my colors? Just envision Mardi Gra throwing up..Yep, nice visuals, right? OK. Envision really bright, outrageous colors. Now put blocks of them together. Reds, purples, greens, electric blues, yellows etc--on steroids. Those would be my colors. L-O-V-E-D the top! By now Shelly knows whenever we get yarn that is "HOLY CRAP bright" I will probably hoard it.

I guess I'd better sign off for now since I just heard little feet hitting the floor. That would be the thump of cats jumping off the kitchen table.

The kitchen table they are NOT supposed to be on.

ARGGG!

Slogging through...

the mud and rain...It rained buckets full this morning and guess what? It's supposed to rain again tonight. Oh Yipee.

Did I miss a memo or am I supposed to be looking up the building plans for an Ark?

I guess I could use that as an excuse to acquire the 2 of every animal, starting with any wool bearing little animal...But my question is: Do I have to take 2 of every animal? 'Cause I'm just not feeling it for the spiders..Maybe I can get an exemption from the Big Dude. What do 'ya think? Maybe if I agree to take all the snakes, the spiders can find their own way..Sound fair? I guess I'd better watch being Mrs. Smartie Pants--especially after the lightning storm we got after I made a naughty nun joke last time. I learn lessons slowly. VERY SLOWLY........

For some time I have been growing out my grey hair and have finally got it to the point where I really like it. I am actually hoping it turns white like the women on my Mom's side. Today I saw a picture of Emmylou Harris and thought "THAT'S IT! That's the color I want my hair to be!" I really like the fact that not only am I not exposing myself to the chemical in hair dye, I am also saving a ton of money by not having it done. The funny thing is the mixed reaction I got initially. Luckily there were quite a few women encouraging me to do this. There were a few friends that were really disturbed that I would chose grey hair because it would make me "look old".
I am old as far as chronological age. 43 years old to be exact, and I love being this age! I honestly think I have become more like the person I always thought I wanted to be like. I probably need to work a little on the wild child mouth I have, but I didn't say I was an angel (Believe me, I am not going there with all the lightning in the area right now!). What do you think on the grey hair subject?

Today was an awesome day. I went to The Newton Beadery and hung out with Julie . I love going up there since I usually end up doing something with beads and wire, and I get to play with all the yarn. Last time I was there I made stitch markers for the shop. Today I made earrings, but I liked them so much I ended up buying them. I was also blessed with the most spectacular strand of red coral--it is breathtaking! I had seen this strand weeks ago and it stayed on my mind the whole time. I was just REALLY drawn to it and could not get it out of my mind. I've actually carried around the strand this evening -- it just feels good. Strange, I know. It just brings me a great deal of happiness. I am going to have to make some really spectacular things with it--after I can deal with taking the strand apart. I'm thinking I will do sterling wirework and some other natural stones --possibly turquoise, but that is a pretty common combination. We'll have to see when the time comes. I'll post a picture of the coral tomorrow when the sun is out and you can see the beautiful form of the strand. Absolutely breathtaking!!

I did learn that I should not lay back down while waiting to pick the boys up from weight training camp in the mornings. This morning I laid down to "read" and fell asleep. I have to pick the boys up at 10:00. I woke up at 9:55.

CRAP.

I did the fastest "get dressed and get out the door" dance the dogs have ever seen. So tomorrow, no laying down to read! Ideally I will get the house cleaned in the two hours the boys are in training.We'll see how that works out.

Notice I'm not putting money down?

At some point this week I really need to get to the studio to throw some pots. I haven't produced anything in two weeks. Not good. I am hoping to get to the studio for most of the day Friday and a little on Saturday. This has not been the best week for anything creative or expressive. That included the general ability to speak. I have been tired, so writing and speaking has been a challenge! So all of you that tried to have a real conversation with me at Twist on Tuesday or last week, that's my defense.

And I'm sticking to it!

Funny!

OMG! SO TRUE

With Age Comes Wisdom

A friend of mine sent me this-it tickled me so I thought I'd share:

A guy is 70 years old and loves to fish. He was sitting in his boat the other day when he heard a voice say, "Pick me up".

He looked around and couldn't see any one. He thought he was dreaming when he heard the voice say a gain,"Pick me up." He looked in the water and there, floating on the top, was a frog.

The man said, "Are you talking to me?"

The frog said, "Yes, I'm talking to you. Pick me up then, kiss me and I'll turn into the most beautiful woman you have ever seen. I'll make sure that all your friends are envious and jealous because I will be your bride!"

The man looked at the frog for a short time, reached over, picked it up carefully, and placed it in his front breast pocket.Then the frog said, "What, are you nuts? Didn't you hear what I said? I said kiss me and I will be your beautiful bride." The man opened his pocket, looked at the frog and said, "Nah, at my age I'd rather have a talking frog."



I'm sure there are days my hubby wishes he'd settled for a good book..LOL.

Little Goals for the week...

I fixed an awesome paella for dinner tonight. It was one of the recipes from the class at the Culinary Center of Kansas City when I took the Quick and Healthy Cooking class last week, and it was really good. Since I can't follow a recipe exactly to save my life, I made a couple little tweaks. It was REALLY good and REALLY easy. Even picky-eater son liked it (although I had to take out the shrimp on his portion). Non picky eater son and hubby inhaled it, so I'm assuming it passed.

I made a cream cheese pound cake also. However I think the fudge frosting I put on it was overkill. I will make another one tomorrow and just keep it simple with just a dusting of confectioners sugar or a simple vanilla glaze. My goal this week is to make one to send to son in Iowa. The great thing about a cream cheese poundcake is that it freezes beautifully and just waits for company. I will be making cinnamon rolls and homemade pizza on Friday so I can teach the boys how to make them too. One of my goals this summer is to get the boys in the kitchen with me and participating more in their food prep. I love baking yeast breads--there is something really satisfying about pulling a fresh yeast loaf out of the oven and knowing you made it. I'm trying to focus on reining in our spending by eating in a little more than we have in the past. A lot of things--especially pizza--can be made at home for a fraction of the cost of eating out. I'll post a pizza dough and pizza sauce recipe tomorrow. Try it, you'll like it!

A friend of mine from Atlanta emailed me this evening and asked me if I wanted to go to Mexico with her. I am going to get the passport application completed and sent in by next week so I can finally get a passport and travel with her to see her new husband. I have always told her I would go to Mexico with her, so now it is time I made good on that promise.

As far as knitting, I am working on getting some mittens done for one of the boys. I am using a generic Norwegian mittens chart by Hello Yarn and designing a set just for him. I have never knit this type of mitten from a chart, so it is slow going. I should have the hang of it by the time I take the fiddlehead mitten class at Twist in July. I think July is a great month to start mittens. You can make a whole bunch of them by the time Christmas rolls around and even have a couple pairs stockpiled for last minute gifts.

Some of you that know me also know I am trying to focus on budgeting and simplifying here at Casa Crazylife. Cooking at home and making handmade gifts is right in line with that goal. From time to time I will blog a little on those efforts and the efforts to construct and maintain a budget. The reason for this is not a cash crunch, instead I want to learn to slow down and appreciate the many gifts that I have been given. With gas prices going through the roof, I want to really focus on how I use my resources and cash in general. Our grandparents "used it up, made do, or did without". I tend to just buy what I need and contribute to the consumer mind think. I want to change that part of my life and focus on saving both money and resources. That being said, since hubby nixed the idea of getting an alpaca for the backyard, yarn is negotiable..All work and no yarn make for a very cranky girl.

Funny

We've all met this guy, haven't we.

Saturday Posting

I'm hanging out waiting for the final tumble on the dryer so I can get ready to run some errands before heading into Twist. At some point to day I have to run by Smoky Hill Winery to add a couple bottles to our cellar. They are having 20% off today, so I've got to get at least one more bottle. They really have some good wines. I was hoping to hit a winery or two in KC when we were up there, but it was pretty busy as it was, so I may have to do that in the Fall. There is a sushi class that one of the boys wants to take, so we'll be going back up there in August, maybe sooner.

I am getting hyped about the mittens class that will be taught at Twist in July. Jen is going to be teaching the fiddle head mittens pattern by Hello Yarns. They are completely yummy. I am glad she is doing this in July. That will give me a chance to get a jump on Christmas. There is also going to be a mittens of the month class at Twist. I am looking forward to that. I am planning to do quite a few mittens this season. I am pretty certain I am going to design my own colorwork mittens by the end of the winter just to have something of my own. There are a couple templates floating around that seem to make it pretty easy.

I got the rest of my wire order yesterday so I am planning to crank out some stitch markers at some point this weekend. It will be nice to have a little down time and just hang out. I actually have a few books I am digging into, so hopefully I will get a little reading done this weekend too. I am not a big fiction reader, but I just picked up "Friday Night Knitting Club" and am hoping to make a little dent in it this weekend.

I am hoping to get to Stillwater to see my new great niece soon. Anna Gabriella was born Wednesday evening. One of my goals this season is to actually get to visit family more. I am planning a trip to Iowa soon to see our oldest son and his girlfriend. We haven't gone there since he moved--and that was a year ago! Time to just do it!

My coffee is ready and I REALLY need a cup, so I'm outta here!

Great coffee and good friends to you and yours!

The Gummy Bear Song

I have this darn song stuck in my head! And the bad thing is I heard it in Japanese first!!

Flyin' past Dorothy and Toto

OK--I am OFFICIALLY tired of anything wet falling from the sky. Especially if it is accompanied by tornado sirens and hail.

This evening after the Stitch and Bitch at Twist, I was heading home in the rain--quite unworried by the rain. Once I got out of the downtown area, the rain picked up.

Not worried.

Once I got closer to Haysville, I couldn't see to drive. HMMM.

Somewhat Worried.

So I pulled over and went inside a Quik Trip convenience store to wait out the storm. I called home and hubby said "Get out of there, there are tornadoes in that area". Well, let's see honey... It's raining cats, dogs and an assortment of other small mammals--I can't see 2 feet in front of me---and there's a tornado IN THE VICINITY of my wimpy little compact car?...HMMM.

Pretty darn worried.

My arse is staying planted right where I am.

I wasn't sure whether Hubby telling me to get out of the tornado area was a vote of confidence in my superb driving skills (um...not so much) or he was feeling pretty confident that the sheer volume and dead weight of my human rear end would keep the car on course if a tornado of epic proportions tried to suck the car off the highway.

For his sake, the answer to that better be : confidence in my superb driving skills!

The humorous thing is that before I ran into Quik Trip, I had apparently hit the radio button and changed the radio station. When I got back in the car, the radio was belting out some really obnoxious song in Spanish. And I sat there thinking "Holy Shit-we just got blown to Mexico!"

Now I know how Dorothy and Toto felt.

I was afraid to check under my car for a body that might be sporting ruby slippers.

I was pretty darn miffed at myself for not bringing my knitting into the store while waiting out the storms. I know, WHAT KIND OF KNITTER WOULD DO THAT?!

Marshmallow Brains

OK people--it's official. My brain has turned to marshmallow.

It happened quite suddenly. Here I was reading the news from the Internet and a little blurb (GOSSIP) about an actress caught my eye.

So I clicked.

I'm not proud of it, but I clicked.

And from that moment on, I lost the ability to reason.

I read that blurb, then clicked next. And read the next gossip blurb. And the next. If these little blurbs were potato chips, my butt would have molded to the side of the chair. Instead, I continued to read while little pieces of my brain melted and oozed out of my head.

Now all I need are graham crackers and chocolate and I could have brain s'mores. Or should that be brain s'less?

This is your brain. This is your brain on Gossip.


GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZ! (Actually I just wrote that to flip out spell check. It's a sadistic little joy of mine. Yep, I need a life..)

Back from KC

The Chef helping some of the students in the choux pastry class. Lot of hands on and incredible food sampling. Totally yummy!
I really liked the dome on this building in the Plaza. Unfortunately the bus was blocking the view down the street. It was REALLY crowded, however there was a free parking garage right next to the Unity church, which is where Eden Alley is contained. We did notice you could sit outside of the cafe also. They have a really nice patio area where you can sit and people watch. I think that is a nice option when the weather is nice. Their bread with agave butter is outrageously good! Staci has to eat gluten free so I had to eat her bread. Torture, I tell you...NOT!!! I could make a meal out of that delicious bread alone! I don't know if they make it there at the cafe, but it is worth the trip to the cafe alone..I had not had agave butter spread until then, it was also delicious. Much like honey butter spread.
The view from the parking garage. This is actually a little side street, but the dwellings had a definite English Tudor style to them. Very charming.

The classes at the Culinary Center were fantastic as usual. Staci and I shopped a lot and got to eat at some really interesting places. The choux pastry class and the healthy cooking class gave me new recipes and inspiration. I am going to make the paella we learned in class this week. All the recipes in the Healthy cooking class were based on the Mediterranean diet and can be made in under 30 minutes. Very easy and very tasty.

One of the most interesting places was Eden Alley. It is a vegetarian cafe in the basement of the Unity church at The Plaza. We had no idea it was actually located at The Plaza until we got there. Staci had found it on a website and we navigated the directions from our hotel thanks to Yahoo maps. It did take us a little bit to find Eden Alley from the direction we came from. They didn't say in their ad that they were in the church. It wasn't until we were turning around that we saw the banner on the side of the church. Well hidden, but worth the trip.

I love the architecture in that area! It is stunning. A lot of the apartment buildings are going through re-gentrification and turning into higher priced housing, but they are keeping details of the buildings from the 20's, 30's and right up to current architecture. And the Plaza has a ton of stores, most of them designer stores.

Although we did not shop, we did go to the cafe and had a really good meal. I can see myself going back to Eden Alley again, even though I am not a vegetarian. One funny thing about KC, each time I got "french toast", it was actually more like bread pudding. To me, french toast is a slice of bread dipped in egg and cooked. In KC I got cubed bread, in a sauce. That is what I know as bread pudding. It's good either way. Tom-ay-to, tom-ah-to..

Since there was a fridge in the room, we picked up some provisions at Whole Foods and ate some of our meals at the motel to save a little cash. I adore Whole Foods Market. Since we don't have one of them here, I bought some things that I can only find there or at the Wild Oats Market in Tulsa. I did pick up some semolina flour from the bulk bins so I can teach the boys how to make fresh pasta.

The biggest bang on the checkbook was the trips to Half Priced Books. We actually went to one in Overland Park and another in Olathe and found goodies in both. I love this chain. I always find really good books every time I go to the one in Overland Park. This is the first time we've been to the one in Olathe, but not the last!

As much fun as we had, it was still nice to be home.

Hump Day

It is 9:30 p.m and I finally stopped long enough to catch my breath. It has been a long but good day. I was hanging out at The Beadery all day today and made quite a few stitch markers for the shop. I love getting to do creative stuff. Next time I am in Newton, Julie is going to teach me how to do an awesome right angle weave bracelet I've fallen in love with at the shop. I adore Swaroski crystals and this bracelet is stunning. Actually there are quite a few really wonderful jewelry pieces at the shop. Julie can teach you how to bead and make just about any kind of bling. Starting this summer she will be having one hour technique classes in both the bead part of the store and the yarn part. I will be teaching a stitch marker class at some point. I have to see what my schedule is like so we can coordinate this.


On the yarn part of the world, Jen is teaching a mittens class at Twist in July. I am really excited about these mittens since I have seen Jen's completed set in person. They are stunning!!
I'm not sure what the dates are (you can click on the Twist link and check out the July schedule for more info), but you can BET I am going to be there!

On my way home from Newton today I was thinking about how really blessed I am to be able to volunteer at both Twist in Wichita and The Beadery in Newton. Both places give me a lot of creative inspiration and are owned by totally rockin' women. If you are in the area, stop in and visit these shops. They are really good places to be. There is no way you will leave without being inspired and itching to create something.

I should have a large batch of stitch markers for sale at Twist within the next week or two. I got my wire today and they sent regular gold base metal wire instead of non tarnish base metal. Since I want to make sure the markers don't tarnish and rub off on your yarn, I won't use any base metal that is not non tarnish. Eventually I will have some sterling silver markers made up, but I am going to order the newest sterling blend on the market. It uses a different alloy than regular sterling and is harder to tarnish. It is the same silver formulation, it just uses a different alloy than regular silver so it can be labeled as sterling.

I'm getting excited about my trip to Kansas City. Staci and I leave Friday morning. The classes are Saturday and Sunday, but we have a full itinerary of stuff we are going to see. On place I am psyched about going to is Urban Arts and Crafts. I have to give full credit for the addiction to this shop to Jackie, who introduced me to the wonderfulness of Urban Arts and Crafts.

I know this post is not full of the regular tartness and all around cheeky comments, but I am really tired and I have typed the same sentence three times, so I am going to sign off.

Good coffee and great friends to you and yours!

Word for the day:

hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia -- the fear of long words. No kidding!

Is it Monday?

Last night I was feeling cheeky for getting clothes washed and in the dryer for today. Notice what I left out? I didn't until this morning. To get them washed and PUT IN THE DRYER does not mean I will REMEMBER TO TURN ON THE DRYER.

Damn.

So I wander downstairs to retrieve my dry clothes only to find--no surprise--they are not dry. I'm sure the whole scenario would have played out completely different had I TURNED ON THE DRYER. Notice a theme?

Crap.

OK, please tell me it only gets better from here. I am going to Twist after my clothes are done since going buck naked is not an option Shelly would probably agree with. Intense counseling will have to go with that visualization, I'm sure.... Maybe being around the yarn will bring the mood of the day upward.

I just looked at the July classes at Twist and discovered Jen is teaching a mittens class. I am soooooooooo stoked about this! I completely drooled over her mittens and have been obsessed with them ever since. However I have not made mittens like this and was completely too intimidated to start. The fact she is offering a class makes my day!!

I have decided we have entirely too much cat hair around this house. I vacuumed up what I thought was a cat yesterday only to discover it was just a bunch of hair. And the bad thing is that I vacuumed before I went to bed and woke up to more hair. Is there a party while we sleep and some cat forgets to put all his/her clothes back on? If it were a sheep, at least I could spin it, but no, it is short and slick. Not wheel friendly at all. For those of you grossing out about the last comment, you have to be a spinner to understand the lure of potential spinning fiber yet undiscovered.. Not that having a partying flock of wild naked sheep in my house would be appreciated by any of the other inhabitants of this house...

NOTE TO SELF: EXACTLY WHO DECIDED THAT PUTTING TWO U'S IN VACUUM WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO ?!

Spell check dings me every time.

Is it bad to want a glass of wine before 11 a.m? If the tone of this day continues as it is going right now, I may need the whole damn bottle. Now. And I'm not even a big lush. But the day has not yet started so there is always room to spiral downward from here. I'll put a bottle in the fridge before I leave for the day.

I know, it's sounds like Ms. Pissy is present and accounted for today.

Just another Manic Monday...

OK, maybe not. However it is 12:30 and I can honestly say I haven't accomplished much of anything. The ideal would be that the dirty dishes are happily whirling away in the dishwasher that is sitting happily on a floor that has been freshly mopped. I'll have to get right on that.

Um..not so much.

However I fully intend to actually make some progress getting control of the box population today. The boys don't have football camp or weight training camp, so they are home and happy to pitch in.

Um....not so much.

But since I"M THE MOM, they will (at some point) realize that resistance is futile and will give in an get things done. I'll let you know how that turns out. Much bitching to ensue, I am sure.

I am really getting excited about my road trip with a friend at the end of the week. Staci and I are going to Kansas City to take cooking classes at the Kansas City Culinary Center. We have taken a couple classes there and love that place. Originally we had signed up for a gluten free cooking class. Staci has Celiacs disease which makes gluten and gluten products toxic to her. I never realized how much gluten (wheat) is in just about everything we eat. I am not allergic to gluten, but am always game to learn new stuff so I told her I'd take the class with her.Unfortunately, after we made the hotel reservations and all the other plans, the Center called and said they had to change the date of the class. The new date didn't work. Staci had already asked for time off from work, made the hotel reservation and all the other things involved with gittin' outta Dodge...We are taking the pate choux class (think eclairs, creme puffs, etc) even though Staci can't consume them--and we got placed in a healthy cooking class. So I guess it is all good. I would have loved to take the gluten free class though.

While we are in KC, we are planning to hit the Half Price book stores in both Olathe and Overland Park, peruse the Whole Foods chain in Overland Park, eat at cool places and generally spend time decompressing and relaxing. Staci and I have taken several really neat roadtrips together in the past and just have a natural rhythm that we fall into. We took a roadtrip to Tow, Texas once because I wanted to learn how to make handmade soap. Yep, she's that kind of friend. Not a lot of people would drive from Kansas to Tow, Texas to take a class on SOAP just because their friend thought it sounded fun.

We are leaving Friday morning -- OK, we are leaving when we feel like it--and driving to Overland Park to stay at White Haven hotel. It is a third generation Mom and Pop motel that I stay at when I go to KC. It just has a lot more personality than a national chain. The daughter runs the front desk and is always fun to talk to. It has been several years since I stayed there so I am hoping it is still as great as it was in the past. The classes aren't until Saturday and Sunday, so we will have a good amount of time to run around and explore the town. There used to be a fabric outlet in Overland Park and I am hoping it is still there. The last time I was there, they had huge amounts over home decorating fabric that I have seen at $20+ a yard here in Wichita for $10 a yard. I plan to start getting cutains made and finally personalizing the house this summer.

Can you tell I'm excited and ready to go?!

Alien Song - I Will Survive

I have SOOOOOOOOOO had days like this...

Another Day

I have been feeling pretty yucky since I got back from Oklahoma. This has resulted in not a heck of a lot getting accomplished here at Casa CrazyLife except for getting the boys to football camp and then coming home and sleeping to try to get over whatever I have.

I know, cheese and whine.....

A little progress has been made on the heel flap of the Lorna's sock, but I am starting to feel like this sock is cursed. I got an inch into the heel on #2 and realized it does not look like the heel on #1. Then I looked closely at #1 and realized I did a stockinette heel. WTF?!!

Damn.

The right thing to do would be to frog #1 and do it right. I am not reliving this pattern for any more time than is absolutely necessary.

So instead the socks will be fraternal twins. A pair, but slightly different. These will not be the shown off obviously since they have been the bane of my existence. The only thing saving them is they are made from knitter's crack (Lorna's Laces). The pattern is Lorna's Laces too, but shall remain my most hated pattern. I will try other LL patterns eventually, but this one was not good. AT ALL. I just want to get this pair DONE so I can move on to the Yuma (Universal Yarn) or Lorna's Laces yarns that have been calling my name. The next sock will be for cute man and will probably come form "More Sensational Socks" or the first book "Sensational Socks". Cindy is doing a pair that looks really awesome!

I am soooo glad there is no rain today. Hopefully this will remain. I should be thankful that I am not having to water the lawn, but the constant rain was starting to get a little old. Especially since it was not a gentle rain and it was accompanied by lots of thunder and lightning.

Blake Shelton - The More I Drink (Video)

I think I dated the inspiration for this video in college....

PVC Niddy Noddy instructions

For those of you that don't spin or play with yarn, "niddy noddy" may sound a little kinky.

For those of us who play with more fiber than we consume, you know a niddy noddy is to PREVENT things from getting kinky...and it's all good.

At any rate, I have been meaning to post this sight for quite a while. This is really the best explanation of making your own pvc niddy noddy that I've found. For those visual learners, the author also includes excellent schematics on how to assemble and how to use your new niddy.

Enjoy!


P.S. storms still suck.

Or blow...depending where you are...


Can you tell I'm getting a little weary of the constant storms?

Saturday Mix..

Well, no tornadoes in my neck of the woods last night, just lots of rain. Needless to say, it has been unbearably humid all day today. I broke down just a little bit ago and turned the a/c on in order to dehumidify the house.

Jeremy and I went to the pottery studio today and did a little throwing on the wheel. Apparently the Pot Throwing Gods were a little ticked at both of us because neither one of us got anything decent.

I have decided I am going to throw some teapots this week. I haven't done teapots before, but I am having the studio owner be my "teapot throwing fairy" and guide me through this. I want to do a whole tea set eventually since I do drink a lot of tea. I think it would be neat to drink from one I've actually made.

I picked up the 14 pots I glazed earlier this week and discovered that some days the Glazing Gods are a bit pissy too...I guess it would have helped if I had actually glazed some of them in the color I had originally intended for them to be instead of trying something new. Sometimes changing to something new only disappoints. I was disappointed in at least 5 of them. The others turned out pretty good. Well, at least I know what color I'm really not crazy about...Maybe they'll look better if I fill them with M&M's...everything looks good holding M&M's. Except ex-husbands. They just look good holding child support payments. Too bad mine never figured that out...but I digress.

ANYWAY........ it is humid today so I bit the bullet and actually turned on the a/c. It is so early in the season, I am sure this is not a good sign. I might as well designate a larger chunk of change to the electric company. Darn. That cuts into the yarn budget, you know. And when there is a cut in the yarn budget, it throws the cosmic convergence of the universe off. I bet you knew that already, right? Or are you still trying to figure out what the heck I am talking about..Not to worry, my cute hubby has been trying to figure me out for almost 20 years now and it hasn't happened yet.

I really need to run over to the East side of town to do a little shopping at the World Market. I am almost out of their big jar of chocolate hazelnut spread. That can't happen.

Late night storm post

Ok, it is 2 a.m and it is storming like crazy. Lightning, thunder, locusts...okay maybe not locusts. That's one of the biblical plagues.

The weather guy just said he "would be really surprised if the storms outside produce a tornado".

HMMM. Surprised?

It's not like this is tornado season in KANSAS.

In my experience, tornadoes do not make a formal appointment. They just show up when they darn well please. As in "SURPRISE, I'm dropping in to rip up your junk. Excuse me for not making an appointment... "

Maybe I should just march my cranky rear back to bed.

FRIday

I didn't get a whole heck of a lot accomplished today other than adding another couple inches on the Lorna's Lace sock I've been working on. I am hoping to turn the heel and get a large portion of the foot done this weekend. I really need to finish this pair so I can move on to another pair. I blew my goal of not buying new yarn yesterday when I finally succumbed to the siren call of Cascade Fixation. I was tempted while Cindy was knitting her April sock of the month for Twist, but when Jen brought her sock into Twist yesterday and I held it, my resolve was toast...
So I bought 3 balls of fixation. Shelly had two balls of a bright mix in stock but I was afraid I would need 3 balls, which we didn't have in that color. I picked up a ball of solid purple for the heels and toes. That will allow me to stretch the variegated ones so I can knit socks that will actually cover my wide feet. I just have to remember that fixation is best when knitted relaxed--I usually pull my yarn pretty tight.

No pictures today. I figure you probably need a break from YouTube posts too. Can you tell I like browsing YouTube? There are some really excellent clips in there, but there are also some really weird ones too.

It has been pretty humid and muggy today. The boys were griping about the air conditioner not being on yet--Geez--summer isn't even into full swing. I am trying to turn it on only if we have to since I know it will be on all the time once mid June hits and it gets humid and hot. And I really don't want to give more to the electric company than I absolutely have to. Gotta save $ for the gas tank!!

Mercy Me - Homesick (Live)

This song is by my favorite contemporary Christian group (Mercy Me). It is so beautiful that I get tears everytime I listen..I hope you enjoy it.

Lisa Lavie

I also found this on YouTube--holy smokes she has an awesome voice!!!!

Life Questions

Housecleaning

I was waiting for the housekeeper to show up today.

I've been waiting all day.


Then suddenly, I realized...WE DON'T HAVE NO STINKIN' HOUSEKEEPER. Darn....Does that tell you how much progress was made (or should I say MAID) ? Yep, you guessed. Not a whole heck of a lot. The thing about housework is that no matter what you get done, there are gremlins (children?) running behind you undoing your progress. Or so it seems to me....

I guess I made a moderate dent in the box population today. Realistically I need to have the box issue over and done with. We've been in the house for an ever loving year...GEEZ! I was glad to see that the amount of boxes in the garage were not as plentiful as I'd imagined, so we should be able to actually knock that space out this month and be able to park the cars in the garage. This probably would have been a little handier during the season of hail we just finished having. My car has the dings to show.

The flip side of having less boxes in the garage than I'd originally thought is that there are significantly more boxes in the house than I thought. Hmmm. Coincidence? I think not.

I will get the downstairs in order this month so we can actually have house guests in the guest bedroom, then work on the living room. In our house we have a family room and a room on the upper level that is supposed to be a formal living room. Since we are not formal people, we use it as a library. With the exception of bookshelves, I am looking through the thrift stores for furniture I can refinish or restore. I may have to actually hit some furniture stores for pieces, but wherever I can, I will try to recycle. I REALLY want a wide bottomed rocking chair that I can place in our bedroom so I can knit at night. And yes, there is a good reason it has to be wide bottomed. Can you guess? LOL.

The boys have 8th grade graduation tomorrow. I have to get my rear motivated early to run to Sam's at 7:30 a.m and pick up a cake. Since I have a lot of cake decorating experience, I should make one, but I am also learning that delegating is a good thing. Sometimes it is better to pay for certain services when time is tight.

This is going to be a really busy week. The boys start football camp next week and then weight training. Whatever happened to the lazy days of summer. I can see I will be keeping a sock project in the car with me at all times since I am going to be in the car a good part of the day waiting for kids. So is the life of the average mom...

I did get to go the pottery studio today and have a day to glaze everything. I had 14 pots on my shelf waiting to be glazed. I would have had 15 if I had not broke one of them. That one would have been the bowl that I had really wanted to see fired and glazed since I had never gotten the walls that thin and high before. Oh well, now I know what happens when you get careless handling greenware. I just wish experience was not the best teacher for me. Time after time.

Well, I've got to run and work on the house a little more.

Good coffee and great friends to you and yours!!

Quickie post--Goals for 2009

I have been slobbering over this knitting tour website and thought I'd share. I have decided that I want to go on one of these tours in 2009. If I put it in writing, it seems to manifest itself easier. I seem to be able to actually visualize myself saving the $$$ to go if I write it out...so consider it done.

I am also in the process of formally getting my tax id # for my jewelry and fiber endeavours. I will be calling the state tomorrow to get the ball rolling. The biggest advantage to registering as a small business is the ability to get wholesale accounts started. That allows me to buy product at prices that allow me to resell the finished product at a better price point. The downside is there will be tax records to keep if I sell to the public (you have to charge sales tax even at crafts fairs). I am going to start getting my stitch markers ready for sale at Twist and then open an Etsy shop by the end of the summer. Any advice on Etsy?

Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Sam and I went to Lawrence, Kansas today and I took lots of pictures...wait...crap! I knew I forgot something...

There was so much going on that I flat out forgot to pull out the camera. I promise that won't happen again.

We are planning another trip there soon.

Sam and I left Wichita at 8:30 a.m and got to Lawrence a little after 11:00. Only a trip to Lawrence would make me get my rear out of bed early on a weekend. I love Lawrence. It is a college town and it just has so much positive energy that I can't help but look forward to being there! We got there and the normally moderately crowded downtown was REALLY CROWDED. People everywhere. As it turns out, there is an annual crazy decorated vehicle parade happening today. While we didn't get to see a lot of it, getting to "people watch" more than made up for it. It is a very artistic town in every way and the people are just as colorful.

Anyway, Sam and I ate at my favorite Indian restaurant--India Palace--and then went to the yarn barn where Sam played with spinning wheels. She is seriously considering getting a spinning wheel, so we spent time playing and sampling different wheels. I have to admit, I am still completely hooked on the Ladybug--even after trying a couple different ones. It just spins so smoothly.....I finally bought myself a set of wool carders. I had been holding out to see if I could find an inexpensive pair of used ones, but that hasn't happened, so I just bought a pair. Surprisingly, I didn't buy a single skein of yarn. I did pick up a pound of superwash merino roving, but NO YARN. I deserve a treat for that. A skein of Lorna's, maybe? I also finally got to spin on a Kromski Sonata. I had really had my mind made up that the Sonata was the portable wheel I wanted. It just looked good. However, at the Yarn Barn I got to sit at it and spin. I have to admit, while it is a nice wheel, my heart belongs to the Ladybug. It just feels right. Isn't it funny how something just clicks? I tried several small wheels while I was there, but kept coming back to the Ladybug. One thing that surprised me is that Schadt's ( I know I did not spell it right...forgive me) $900 standard wheel was really not what I liked. I know it is "the cadillac" of wheels, but I found it odd feeling. I guess that'll save me several hundred dollars. I'll stick with my Ashford double drive and my Danish wheel for uprights. They are well made and study and I'm getting great yarn. For a traveling wheel, I'll seriously keep looking at the Ladybug. It'll be a while before this dream comes true though....

I really wish I had taken pictures. I promise to get a ton next time. If you live in Kansas and have not visited Lawrence, do plan to get there soon. The town will amaze you. There are tons of really good places to eat and shop.

It was a great day!!!

Yum

This is the new Tango yarn from Universal Yarns that we put out on the shelves at Twist. It is a really cool tape yarn that you knit by picking up along the "tape". It causes the yarn to ruffle and undulate in really cool ways. Unfortunately my camera did not capture any of the yarns in true color today, so you are just going to have to come and check it out in person.
There was a wild flurry of packing sacks being ripped open today. It is no coincidence that those sacks contained SOCK YARN and I was in the vicinity.

Believe me, I can rip the plastic bag off new sock yarn faster than a drunk stripper....never mind.I'd better not finish the illustration on that point!

Shelly ordered the city colorways series from Universal Yarns. Each city has 6 colorways in it. Twist currently has the Los Angeles and San Diego colorways. I was nice and didn't hog the yarn before it hit the shelf. Really, there is SOME left. But if you want it, you'd better get it while I'm practicing self control.

Above is the flax yarn that came in today also. The neat thing about flax is that it feels weird when in the skein, but it softens up amazingly. It is great for market bags and lightweight shirts. Again, I couldn't get my camera to cooperate, so you really need to see it in person. Now. Go.

Actually there is a ton of new yarn in the shop. There is a sock yarn that feels every bit like Jitterbug (YUMMMMMMMM). I bought two skeins. Believe me, THAT was self control. I left some for you. Today. No promises they will be there next week.

Since I crashed Blogger when I tried to download multiple pictures of the store, I will post another one tonight.

While I am typing this, there have been no fewer than 4 ads for Viagra and Viagra type products. I'm getting a LITTLE tired of hearing these. It always makes me crack up when they say "See your doctor for an erection lasting longer than 4 hours..." Geez. How many men do you think are going to do that?! Most men would be running around like they hit the lottery. Only with this, they don't have to pay taxes on the windfall. Child support, maybe, but taxes, no. I love the part about Viagra causing a drop in blood pressure, problems with vision and a decrease in hearing! If they get Viagra, they automatically get tunnel vision.When you are in college, it is generally caused by alcohol...And exactly how did they decide Viagra could cause hearing problems. I always thought TESTOSTERONE caused hearing problems. Like selective deafness... Ok, only kidding. Maybe.........

Come on back. You know you want to.

Part Two

Since Blogger freezes up each time I've ever attempted to download lots of pics, here is the sequel to The Beadery post from earlier. Julie has multiple rows of beads along both sides of the bead section --organized by color. You can certainly find what you "need" for a perfect work of art. If you don't see what you want, talk to Julie. She is a wealth of info and suggestions.
Above is a picture of the beading bar. Cool, huh? You can sit at the bar and bead until you can't see straight, or sit at one of the tables to assemble your masterpiece...
Here is the bracelet I made with wire and beads on Saturday. This was so much fun! I made another one today with some beads from my stash in addition to supplies I bought today. I love being able to create my own wearable art. This applies to knitting too. I'll post a picture of the second bracelet tomorrow when the lighting is better. It is a little over the top too, but let's face it, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE SPARKLE, BABY!
If you don't feel like creating your own art, Julie also has jewelry that is ready to go. Above are some of the necklaces that can be purchased--but there are also lots of earrings and bracelets that are ready to be bought.

GEEEEZZ! I sound like an infomercial...I need coffee.

Tomorrow I will blabber on about Twist since that is my Thursday hang out...Just think, at least if you hang out in a yarn store, there is usually someone around to help you knit something to cover it up. Oh, sorry, wrong kind of hanging out.

Kinda like the difference between knitter's crack and plumber's crack.................one is softer and much more appetizing to fondle.

I am a little apprehensive about including that last statement, hence I find out that not everyone prefers knitter's crack.

Ok. I'm done. You can put the lock back on my cage.

Slippin' into something lacey.......

LORNA'S LACES! If you read my blog, you know I can get just flat out stupid about Lorna's Laces yarns...and just look at the goodies that The Beadery got in. I got to fondle--I mean put it on the shelf.....I am definitely in love with the colorway in the picture above. It is called Lorikeet. It has my name written all over it. I will be getting some (some as in LOTS) this weekend. It is so gorgeous. You have to go see. Really, you do!!
more Lorna's--knitter's crack..........in a good way..............My flash didn't cooperate so this picture doesn't do justice to the richness of the colors. Trust me, they are breathtaking.

OMG!!!! Look at these colorways! This is not even all I got to put up. Go see.

Now!

I also really need to post all the beading at the shop too. Since blogger can be somewhat uptight about letting me post a lot of pictures, I'll do another post this evening. I did take pictures of the bracelet I did on Saturday, so I'll post that tonight also. The great thing about the bead section of the store is if there is a technique or something you want to learn (for example, something you saw in a magazine), Julie can do a one on one teaching session with you. The same thing applies to the yarn section of the store. Candice does phenomenal one on one knitting lesson for anything you want to learn.

I discovered crocheting with 26 gauge wire and beads this past weekend and now I am totally hooked! I bought the stuff to do more bracelets today. They are that much fun to do, and very easy to learn. And I am really loving the little gripping handles on the Addi crochet hooks. They really make it easy to keep a grip and prevent wrist/hand strain. I have to admit, the first time I saw them I was neutral about them. After I actually used them, I was hooked. You wouldn't think the handle would make that big of a difference, but it does.

The "I Can't Think of a Title" morning post

Ever notice how BUDGET and BREATHE both start with the same letter, but you can't do both at the same time? Yep, that one takes practice.

Just got everyone out the door and the dishes are in the dishwasher. I wanted to curl back up in bed and start my day at a more user friendly hour, but the reality is the maid isn't coming. Ever. Or the cook...although hubby does a really good job at that one.

So I am getting ready to run upstairs to make a batch of "no knead bread". It has to sit at room temp. for 12-18 hours, so that works in my advantage since I probably won't have time to think about it until 12 to 18 hours from now! I was going to do the recipe yesterday, but when I read the time you have to let it sit, I realized today is definitely a better bet. As Scarlet (as in "GONE with the Wind", like my checkbook) said, paraphrased heavily by me,"Oh crap, I'll deal with it tomorrow"..Ok, maybe she didn't say it in exactly THOSE words, but my gentile Southern button is broke so you just have to put up with middle class "Okie-isms"...and HELL NO, Okie-ism is not in the damn dictionary. I can make up words if I want to. Look at the word "AINT" --it wasn't even a word until half a gazillion of us Okies kept using it. We "wored" them out and now it is a word in the dictionary...Yep, it is...(that thud you just heard was my college English professor hitting the floor).

Ok, I probably need less coffee...

Better organization?

Who me?

It's 30 minutes before we have to head out the door for a sports awards ceremony and I can't seem to pull it together. And of course, I keep reminding myself that if only I had organized this the night before...One day I will have our maid get right on that...First I have to get a maid.

At any rate, I am seriously considering some way to get myself back on track as far as organizing. Since it is the end of the school year, we have a ton of activities coming up that I am making an effort to remember in my head. My head is not the best place to put stuff...so Friday I am going to get one of those honkin' huge desk calendars that can also be mounted on the wall. All our various activities will go on it. Next year promises to be a madhouse with all the sports events and other stuff going on, so I am planning to really simplify my calendar. There are also some other things that may be going on that will cause me to be home a lot more often, but until those things actually happen, I won't go into it yet. At any rate, SIMPLIFY is the buzz word here....

Redneck French

A friend in Oklahoma emailed this to me before we had our girls weekend in Tulsa. We drove by it during our girls weekend for a little extra laugh.

I guess this is Redneck French for "TRAILER".....and just which "tralier" is free? The one with the boat on it, or the one with the people in it? I can just see Billy Bob out there explaining that the "tralier" is free, but the boat is "gonna cost ya"...LOL.

I think the uppercase L in the center of all the lowercase letters adds an elegant degree of emphasis, don't you agree?


Thank the Lord for spray paint. Just think of all the plastic signs that are going to be saved.

Slow Sunday

This has been a delightfully slow day. Hubby and I got up quite late today--I won't tell you how late. Trust me, it was late.

The boys were busy hanging out and playing video games so Hubby and I went to the library to check out the offerings there. I am making an attempt to check out library books instead of whipping out the checkbook and buying...so far it has been successful, but if I really like a book after checking it out, I'll buy it. That is the case with the bread book "Artisianal Bread in 5 Minutes a Day"--it has a good techniques and lots of recipes I will make. Tomorrow I am going to have a baking and cleaning day while everyone is at work/school. I bit the bullet and bought a Lodge 6 quart dutch oven to make no knead bread (from the New York Times), so that is a baking project for tomorrow. I love baking!

We didn't have the sock class on Saturday, but it gave me a wonderful opportunity to take a beading class with the owner, Julie. Her classes are always great! I learned to crochet beads and wire to make a fabulous bracelet. I'll post pictures tomorrow when the light is better. I am going to make myself several more of these. They were really fun to make and the results are really stunning. I got to use an Addi crochet hook and I must say, it worked wonderfully on the wire. I ended up buying one since I really like it a lot. I have some 26 gauge wire left and plan to do at least one more in the next couple days with the beads I have left over and some other beads I have around my bead box. Fun!!

I am contemplating the fact that I really need to set up studio space in our house so I have all my art supplies in one place. I have a problem with the fact that I often feel like creating something but can't locate all my tools when I need them. This is a bit stifling to the creative urge! All my paints, beads, jewelry tools, knitting supplies and etc need to be in one place. And I need a place to sit and do them....that will be my goal for May and June.

I've completely blown my plan to get back on track with my eating plan for the past couple weeks, but tomorrow I am going to get back on track. I have better luck at losing weight when I don't go on a formal diet--instead I watch portions and make better food choices like not eating fried foods when grilled foods are available, eating breakfast every morning, and watching what I snack on. Ideally I'd like to start walking each day. My success at that has been spotty.

No pictures today--I'll post pics tomorrow.

Good coffee and great friends to you and yours!

Post Two for the day

Since I had posted a YouTube video, I decided to just add separate post instead of adding to the other. It just seemed easier....

I am going to go to Newton in the morning to take a sock class at The Beadery. The second Saturday of each month they have a different technique. We are cabling on socks this month. It should be quite fun.

Eventually Julie (The Beadery) is going to be selling spinning wheels. I am TOTALLY stoked about that. She will carry the Majacraft and Schracht line--which includes (drum roll please....)THE LADYBUG! Oh yes!!!! I am sooooooo looking forward to that! I am already contemplating where my Ladybug wheel is going to go. You bet I am!!

Note to Hubby who might happen to be reading this post: I LOVE YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH....

Knittin' with your noodle...

As you can probably guess, I finally figured out how to post YouTube videos to my blog. Yeah!

Last night I was playing around and found out that there are videos for just about everything you are interested in (and quite a few videos that make you say "WHY?!!!"). Isn't technology a blast?!

I found some really cool instructional videos on pottery and throwing. I am really going to use what I've learned -there were some really neat tips, plus the knitting videos are pretty darn good.


For those of you knitters that don't believe in playing with your food, check out the Ramen noodle knitting clip I found! Can you believe someone actually thought up this, and actually did it. Just think, if you are going into the desert, you can knit yourself a whole wardrobe that will also double as food if you get lost!

Buy Handmade

ETC...

This was a rather strange day.

I didn't get a huge amount done as far as actual action or completed projects, but I did FINALLY decide on a stitch pattern and a size for the Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb shawl for the Beadery shop model. I had picked a stitch, knit up a sample and then decided it didn't show off the stunning beauty of the yarn...I did this twice and was getting a little concerned about stressing the yarn. I was also unsure of the size. So I am happy to announce that I have picked a size and a stitch pattern. Just a teaser for now. I will start on it tomorrow and hopefully be able to finish it within a week so I can give it to Julie. This yarn is so beautiful. I can seriously see me buying a couple hanks of it..I think it is like good chocolate--it may cost a little more, but a treat is good for the soul every now and then. And it is pure pleasure to work with. I can't even describe how good this yarn feels to work with...Really! Go buy some. Now. You DESERVE it.

No pictures to post tonight. It was pretty sunny today, but as I am typing this it has started to rain AGAIN. It has been raining off and on (mostly on) for the past week or so. This is the rainy time of the year so I guess I am thankful that it is providing a good base for my seeds --if they don't get washed away. I do like it when I am at home and it is raining. I usually brew up some coffee or have a cup of tea with honey and either knit or read at the kitchen table. A lot of my knitting goes on at the kitchen table. Come to think of it, a lot of life goes on at our kitchen table.

I am home for the day tomorrow so I will be working on either the wrap, a sweater that I cast on today or some socks that have been on my needles entirely too long. I am looking forward to going to the Newton Beadery on Saturday for the second Saturday sock class. This Saturday it is a pattern for a cable sock so I am going to arrive a little early and pick up some (no surprise) Lorna's Laces yarn to do it in. This month the second Saturday class kind of snuck up on me. Cindy called me to remind me yesterday and for the life of me I could not wrap my head around the fact that this Saturday is the SECOND SATURDAY...Where did last week go?!!

Anything exciting happening in your neck of the woods? Tell me all about it!

TOO Funny!!!! An Engineer's Guide to Cats

Cindy--I thought of you when I saw this! LOL!

Don't Mess with Texas

Friday morning, I went to the front yard and found these little guys (above) . I'm not sure where they came from, but I did have a lot of fun feeding the female bread crumbs. The male came over to investigate my offering, but turned his beak up at it. Well, well aren't we just special....

Saturday morning my mom in law and I went to Temple, Texas to see this little cutie.
And this one.

Carol and I also did a little wine shopping. OK, a lot of wine shopping. In Texas you can buy wine in grocery stores. Good wine, not Thunderbird or rot gut stuff. I picked up seven bottles of wines from Texas wineries. I try to get at least half a dozen bottles of Texas wines each time I go to Temple. At some point this summer we are going to have a wine tasting at our house with our dinner group, so I am trying to stock the cellar. We will have a Texas tasting and then a Kansas winery tasting later. We have several really good wineries here in Kansas and we drink wine from Smokey Hill winery (Salina, Kansas) frequently. Very good stuff. I like having wine tastings. You get to sample a lot of different wines, find your favorite ones for future reference, and since the bottles are being samples by a group--I don't have to worry about the rest of the bottle getting oxidized before we finish it off. It's a win-win situation. Plus I get to have the fun of pairing food and wine.

It was nice to get to see my sister in law and her family. My niece and nephew are real cuties.

The past couple times we have gone to Temple, we stayed pretty close to my sister in law's area and the hotel. This time I had read that Temple does indeed have a downtown, so I wanted to find it. We did a little riding and found it. At one time, downtown Temple must have been a beautiful place. The architectural detail and the set up of the streets has incredible potential. It made me really sad to see that rows and rows of beautiful storefronts and buildings were empty and in disrepair. Unfortunately that is a trend in the United States.. This downtown could be a real showplace. I really hope someone has the vision to get a revitalization drive going. Next time I'm there, I'll get pictures of the incredible buildings. I think this is one of the reasons I like to frequent shops in downtown areas like the Delano district in Wichita and the downtown in Newton. If Temple had artists and shop owners who were willing to be trailblazers, it could really be fabulous. Support your businesses that are in your downtown! You also save the architectural character of your town! Think of all the downtowns that you have been to that have preserved the old buildings as opposed to the feeling you get from the strip malls. You are spending your monsy on supporting not only businesses, but also history. OK I'll get off the soapbox..but do think about it.............