ARGGGGGGGGG!

Remember the legacy socks I have been whining about finishing? Well tonight after perusing so many knitting websites and seeing the spectacular handknitted socks, I was sooooo hyped and ready to GET 'EM DONE! So I putter over to the bag I so carefully packed the project in ( I even put them in a zip lock so no buggies can get in after reading a really scary story about wool moths--but I digress....anyway, I pull out the project and remember exactly why I completely adore this yarn (Baby Star by Laines Du Nord). Out comes the project, the extra yarn that I am so OCD about getting (so I never run out mid project), the tape measure, stitch markers, and pattern. Wait---where is the #$#$% pattern? Certainly I packed the pattern with the project....NOT! What was I thinking? Maybe if I could figure that out, I would know where I put the darn project!!! ARRRRRRRGGGGGGG! So, needless to say, I will have to go to my LYS to pick up another copy of the pattern. Luckily it is a giveaway pattern, but it sits right next to this yarn that is my weakness! Did I mention Baby Star comes in RED? This is going to be an expensive pattern. Not that the yarn is expensive ($7.00 for 1.79 oz--50 grams for you metric people) but I can't go into the store and not fondle this yarn, which then means I have to buy it. It's the yarn store version of "you break, you buy", which happens because I drool on the yarn.
Darn. However, tomorrow I will go to the store and set a goal to at least get to the heel. Turning the heel is intimidating me, but I guess I will learn to frog....I would have pictures, but it appears my camera is MIA somewhere in the house (I hope)...

Oh yeah, I also inquired about buying a Columbine spinning wheel today.....Maybe that will offset any yarn considerations...luckily hubby does not read my blog--as far as I know. If he does, I'll know it....Hi HONEY!

Spring has sprung

What a gorgeous day it was today! Hubby and I went to a friend's house where she and I dumped him to watch multiple "24" episodes (we don't have cable internet and can't get on the website to watch the complete episodes without our computer completely locking up) while she and I shopped. It is so rare that I actually go shopping, it actually was fun. I desperately needed shoes for work and shoes for play. I scored big at Shoe Carnival with my favorite brand (Ryka)--I found a pair for 25.00 and they were having a buy one get one 50% off---so I bought two pairs of the SAME Ryka shoe. Considering I have seen this pair for 70.00, I was soooooooo happy with myself. I love this brand, so I grab them when I can afford them. There were other good deals, but those were my best steal....

Starting next week, I promise more knitting content! I realized I had taken a little detour from knitting and really need to get back on board. I will be working out of the One Skein Wonders book -- it really has some great patterns!!If you haven't seen this book, run to Border's or Amazon and oogle it...you won't be disappointed. I really want to work on some fingerless mitts, but I'm having problems getting in the mood when it is warm out.....

On the home front, we are considering whether to buy the house we've been renting for 11 years or to try to find something else with a little more space. We have looked at a couple houses that were real duds, but friends tell me to just keep on going...isn't that the "kiss a lot of frogs" theory?!! We are so living it!! However, there are some houses we are looking at that have fireplaces, which is on my wish list of a "perfect home" I can SO see myself sitting in front of a fireplace knitting in the winter...I guess time will tell. I really dread packing and moving though....not to mention I love our neighbors.

Within the next couple weeks, I have to catch up with my travel goals of exploring and knitting in little towns around Kansas. I got snowed under at the beginning of the year and was unable to do any road trips. I did get a book of towns in Kansas with some really interesting places, so I will be sharing them with you soon.

Better run, it's time for bed. Last week was a really bad week for sleep, so I need to make myself try to catch up. Good dreams to you!

Morning Post

Technically I should be getting ready for work....instead of sitting here with a cup of coffee posting a blurb....the time change has really been hard for me to adjust to! Especially since every morning since Monday has been enveloped in a really thick blanket of fog. This morning is not quite as foggy, but it still has a little fog involved. I am looking forward to this weekend when things slow down a little. I think a three day weekend would be great right now, but we don't have any of those coming up for a while....

While cleaning the basement, I realized that my yarn stash is REALLY big--I have yarn stashed that I : a) Have forgotten about b) SHOULD have forgotten about and c) would like to forget about! So, the ones in the last two categories are going to be packaged together in lots of 6 skeins and given to members in my knitting group that are teaching others to knit. A large amount of it is acrylic Red Heart or Simply Soft, which I still like for certain projects (project that will see lots of use or are going to households that do not understand that wool felts)---but I really need to clear space if we are going to have to move or have the house appraised so we can buy it.
So far this year I have not kept up on my knitting resolutions, but I have pulled out the legacy socks and am going to figure out exactly how to finish them. I am looking at toe up socks next time. My son that likes hand knit socks (go figure, he's 13 and actually appreciates the work involved) has really large feet. If he ever grows into those, he will tower over me!

I guess it is time to get to work. Great coffee and soft yarn to you and yours!

The legacy socks

In the process of cleaning out, I pulled out the ever present LEGACY SOCKS. Remember these? These are the socks I started--my first socks-my only sock attempt--and then stopped after the cuffs got done.......Well, I made the mental commitment that I am going to sit down and get them done in the next couple months. I adore hand knitted socks--really, I do! But it seems I got to the part just under the cuff and froze...So I am going to go down to my LYS and have her sit with me while I get over the learning curve. I even have a video in my knitting DVD collection that features socks, so REALLY---I have no excuses. And the fact that I really found the k2p2 cuffs very relaxing to knit....
I woke up to really thick fog this morning. I like fog, however it makes driving downtown a challenge. There is a category of drivers that I run into (hopefully not literally) that I call Peek-A-Boo drivers. If they can't see the light from a mile a way, it doesn't exist, right?

Have a great day! Knit a row for me!

And a Happy Tuesday to you!

I am looking forward to the end of the week---this has been one of those whirlwind weeks where I've gotten too little sleep and have too much to do!

I have been stressing out because the landlord told us he wants to sell the house SOON. We have been here almost 11 years...I know, money wasted. However, it was right for us to rent. We'll have a good lump of money to put down on a house, but I am wanting to look at what is available in our little town. The landlord is going to ask an awful lot for the square footage of this house as opposed to the tax appraised value. We have an appointment with a realtor to look at other properties on Friday. I do dread the whole moving business though. Hubby is holding out hope he can talk him down on the price, but LL seems to be pretty firm that paint and new carpet is going to net him $15,000 above the tax appraised price. Did I mention there are quite a few newer homes on the market for only a little more than what he is considering? Yep, this is stress....oh well, so is life.

On the work front, I added 15 hours to my work week-up to 35 hours for the time being. They were needing extra hands and I have extra time, so I put my name in the hat. Hubby is pretty adamant he does not want me working 40 hrs a week since it gets so busy around our house, but 35 is manageable. I get off work at 4:00. I may shift it around so that I get off at 3:30, but for now this is the schedule. I plan to use this extra money for new furniture, which we really need. Our current furniture has seen lots of animal paws and human traffic. If we move, I plan to take very little of our current furniture with us (as little as it is already) and the new furniture will be a little more contemporary.

I guess I'd better scuttle off to work...Have a great Tuesday!

Remember Me?

I kept waiting for a really cool picture of a current project to post, but as you can see, I've hit an unproductive patch! And the bad part is there are two great project right at my fingertips! The cupcake hat and the baby Albert coat call to me, but I haven't had time to pick them up! I've got to learn to prioritize,I know. It should be KNIT,eat, sleep,work....I know it's all part of the cycle of life in general. but it doesn't make it any easier to look at my yarn stash and know I have the making for several projects if I just get started!!! I may just have to go to my LYS for a fresh round of inspiration....Luckily my destashing resolution did not say anything about pattern buying---so I've managed to stay pretty close to keeping it...notice I said PRETTY CLOSE...we all can't be perfect!

Seed catalogs are starting to come in with increased frequency---I can't wait to plant a garden this year. I haven't in about 3 years, and I really miss it. I am going to dig up the flower beds in the front of the house this weekend if it is warm, so I have plenty of time to amend the soil if needed. I used to grow tons of zinnias when we lived in Oklahoma --they grew with such ease! I have planted zinnias several times here with no good luck. I think it is my soil. Zinnias make wonderful splashes of color set in a vase in any room. Although one year I learned not to cup the flower with my hand after a rainstorm. Did you know bumblebees take shelter from the storm by pressing themselves to the underside of a really big zinnia? I found that out the hard way!!!!
I have bought a ton of veggie seeds this year. I want to can a lot more than I did last year--which will be easy since I DIDN'T CAN ANYTHING last season...How's that for setting the standard? Hell, if I can get one jar of jam canned, I've met the goal...snicker...

I guess I'd better start getting ready for work. Have a great day and knit a little for me (hey, just because I'm slouching doesn't mean everyone should follow my example!)...Pictures to come eventually (how's that for non-committal)...

Sunshine

After weeks of grey and windy days, today is sunny and windy. Wind can be a pain, but at least it is warmer. I don't have to work because of President's Day...not sure what makes this day special, but hey-it's a paid holiday so I'm not asking!I guess it's like Mother's Day, but for someone you may not like that much...

Sue (my friend and cohort in trouble and mischief) and I have a quilting class today, which will be great fun after our weekend cutting and sewing marathon. I went to her house at 3pm on Friday and left at midnight. We were pretty sick of cutting by Saturday morning so we took the day off and went from noon til midnight last night. Thankfully I had brought both my machines, so we each had a machine and it made the work go faster. We are going at a breakneck pace because it is part of a class--next quilt, we are going to work on it together and spread out the work. We'll do one for her together, then one for me....and so on. I'm sure her husband would love to have his kitchen and dining room back! With all the sewing, I neglected my knitting bag. I am going to disappear to a coffee shop this weekend and do some much needed knitting. Pictures later (although no promise of how much later the way my week has been going!)..

Have a warm and sunshine filled day, even if it is not in your neck of the woods!

Cool Hat!

Check the link for a really neat hat from Now Norma Knits..it is her pattern for a Dulaan Cupcake hat....http://nownormaknits2.typepad.com/now_norma_knits_2/2007/02/cupcake_hat_for.html
I am soooooo casting on one of these this weekend! This looks like it will be a quick gratification project while I am working on the Baby Albert coat. I have some Lamb's Pride Bulky in my stash....actually I have a LOT of Lamb's Pride bulky in my stash....I really wish I knew how to do fair isle knitting--the top would look so cool with fancy designs. Actually, I may order some bulky yarn from Knit Picks (the destashing resolution just came crashing down) and dyeing it myself so it self-patterns, or has color variations (I'm thinking something glaringly festive like purples, blues and red/oranges thrown in for contrast....much like the colors I chose for the quilt I'm working one...oh, and some bright yellow highlights thrown in to add some dash...I know, it'll look like Mardi Gra threw up in wool...). I see so many neat things to knit lately, but there is not enough time for me to do them all, so I am learning to not bite off more than I can chew. I may need dentures by the time this is over.....

Warm wishes and cool yarn to you and yours!!!

Almost Perfect

I had the most perfect pictures of Sue and I quilting (or at least cutting fabric, sewing angles, ripping out the thread, cursing and re-sewing said block) ever. However after taking tons of pictures to share with you, I got home, went to the computer and proceeded to take the photocard out of the camera.......and that's where things tanked. I had left the photocard at home.....DARN IT!!!! They would have been good pictures. So instead I will leave you with pictures from this morning. The first one is of our little orphan. He has become quite comfortable, as witnessed by his REALLY loud snoring this morning, which did not endear him to the princess in the following picture. Witnessed by the look on her face as she stared at him and then looked at me with utter disgust that not only was he still here, but HE SNORES....

On the weather front--it is unbearably cold (as if I have a choice) and I want to hibernate. The kids didn't have school today and do not have it again tomorrow because of parent-teacher meetings, so I didn't have to worry about getting everyone motivated this morning. Hubby and son are in class this evening, so the boys and I hit the video store. They got PlayStation games to tide them over tomorrow and I got the movie "Sherrybaby". It looks like it will be really good and it has my favorite actress as lead character, but I just can't seem to get into it right now....It's due tomorrow, so I will have to find time for it before midnight....

Island Dreams...

It is 8 degrees outside.That would be OK if there were no wind,but this is Kansas...obviously staying inside and not braving the cold seems like a better option, however I am going to have to prepare myself to brave the elements and get out the door in just a little bit....I guess I shouldn't gripe too loud since they are getting FEET of snow in New York and other parts of the country. I get no sympathy from my relatives in Maryland..They figure if you can still see the top of your car, it's still a light snow..However, a fireplace sounds like such a good idea! Can you imagine that--I would never get out the door in the winter!
Didn't get to post pictures of my quilt color choices yesterday because I discovered that putting the recharging cable in your knitting bags is great IF YOU TAKE THE CORRECT KNITTING BAG TO WORK WITH YOU...I probably should consider not having more than one project bag going at a time, but that would make life so predictable.....tonight I will post pictures...(fingers crossed...)

More to come later--stay warm and drink good coffee!

Interesting days these are....

Today promises to be an interesting day--possibly stressful, possibly not.

First up: Last night, my oldest son mentions that he is going to call his friend in Pennsylvania. Since I was not sure what our long distance plan is, I told him to wait and check with Dad. To which he gets flip and tells me Dad already told him we had unlimited, and the only people he has been calling have been in Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Canada....WTH!!! CANADA?!!!!!!!!
After recovering my heart rate---I ask him to clarify that he has been calling C-A-N-A-D-A----as in NOT IN THE UNITED STATES... As in INTERNATIONAL RATES....That would have only been half bad if he hadn't taken an attitude and said Canada is NOT LONG DISTANCE...Maybe I had the wrong textbook when I took geography in Oklahoma, or maybe Bush has done something I didn't see recently to extend our Northern borders, but last time I checked CANADA WAS NOT IN THE UNITED STATES....Long story short, hubby is going to call to see what the damage is so we don't have the heart attack when we get the bill since Brandon estimates he talked with he a total of 5-7 HOURS so far--as FAR AS HE CAN REMEMBER....we won't even go into where he thought long distance covered....I can assure you it does not go to Saskatchewan (I love spell check!) CANADA...

And Saturday we received a note from the middle school about grief counselors being on campus to help the kids talk about the student that passed away Thursday night--as we probably heard on the news and radio...again WTH? We are a small town, and the kids had off from school Friday, but none of the parents I knew could figure out what they were talking about. So I worried all weekend.

I have a quilting class today -- which I am REALLY looking forward to, but I am really stressed. I am going to make oldest get a job. I figure when he was little and I was a single parent, I went to school full time AND worked full time in addition to parenting responsibilities, so by golly he can work at least part time while going to school full time! And I may make him take a GEOGRAPHY class to boot....

I know....breathe.........

Slow Sundays

It is a pretty grey day around here, so I will spare you any shots of outside. However, it is a great day to get some much neglected knitting done. Hubby is out flying (his passion)....I have a pot of good coffee from Paradise Roasters http://www.paradiseroasters.com/ (they have an unbelievable Mexican coffee), a load of clothes in the washer, and Sarah McLachlan's Afterglow CD playing on the cd player, so I feel entitled to sit and knit on the long overdue scarf for my coworker. I fully intend to get it completed this evening so I can weave in the ends (my least favorite part of the process) and give it to her in the morning. That will allow me to focus on casting on the Baby Albert coat. I started it, and then frogged it in favor of waiting until the scarf was completed so I'm not halfway between two projects....

I have a quilting class tomorrow at the County Extension Center with a friend. Who knew they taught knitting and quilting?!! And at a really good price! I am pretty hyped since it has been a long time since I have done any quilting and it will be fun to take the class with Sue. As usual my color choices are on the "bright side" --according to Sue. I know she was trying to diplomatic....Nothing mellow and subdued here! I will have pictures posted tomorrow of my fat quarters (the fabric, not MINE! There aren't enough attorneys in the world that can defend me on the aftermath if I did that...) and the scarf. I am hoping the recipient will model it for all to see.

Have a warm and fuzzy day filled with good coffee and great yarn!

I Wanna Llama

Ok---so I'm thinking, if I tell everyone it is a Peruvian Mountain dog, do you think I could get away with keeping a llama in my backyard? Didn't think so.....but just think of all that fiber..yummmmm. I would say an alpaca 'cause they're smaller, but they also cost almost as much as we will be paying to put one of my kids through college....and while the toss up on that is tempting, having an alpaca in the backyard means we will never be empty nesters.....Just a thought for the day....

Buddy

Here is our orphan--he comes to the name Buddy, so that is what we will call him. He's a real charmer, however he was not real sure about the silver box in front of my face, so he would not pose. However, he wasn't really fond of the FedEx guy today, so he does have the ability to be protective.Ever hear a beagle bark? Holy Smokes! It's loud.And he's not real crazy about cats (great-we have 5).....I still can't believe someone didn't want him!!! One of the guys at work thought that maybe he was stolen by the lame-brains in the mini pickup in hopes of claiming a reward. When none was offered, they dumped him. Or that possibly he was the pet of the lame-brains relative that died and LB did not want to deal with him....but COME ON!!! Dumping him in a strange place in the winter?!...He has been well care for--and he's neutered, so I can't imagine someone would take care of him only to dump him on a country road. Ok--I'll shut up....

To The Coward That Abandoned The Beagle

Yes, I know the chances of the coward in the maroon mini pickup who abandoned the beagle (on Ridge Road) reading this is slim, since people who abandon animals in the country are too white trash to own any technology, but I am going to vent anyway!

This evening on my way home from a friend's house, I took a country road that I occasionally take home when I want to take the long way....As I was driving, I saw a mini pickup pull off the road, open it's passenger door and then close it and back up. As they drove off, they left a beagle. I drove past and the dog just stared at me.....As I wrestled with whether hubby would be really angry if another animal appeared, I notice the dog in the road in my rear view mirror. The long and short of it--2 miles down the road I turned around.

As I approached the dog, it was sitting in the road with cars coming towards it. Thankfully they slowed down as I flashed my lights and went around the dog, who by this time was running from side to side in confusion. Obviously this dog was not sure of where it was! He came right to me and jumped in my car. I could see he had been wearing a collar because the hair was pressed down, but the cowards had removed it.

The kicker is that this beagle is the best behaved, docile dog I have encountered in a long time. He sits when told, stays when told, and is completely oblivious to the neighbor's dogs that are trying to attack it through the fence. My only concern is that it does not try to defend itself at all when Cocoa (our German short hair/black and tan mix) went after him. AND HE IS ALREADY NEUTERED.

HOW CAN SOMEONE JUST DROP AN ANIMAL OFF IN THE COUNTRY! IN THE WINTER!!! It is horrid to do that anytime, but WINTER?!!

My hope is that the coward in the mini pickup gets a dose of Karma and loses his home and everything he is familiar with!!!

There, I've vented...but darn, I wish I could have gotten a tag number on that truck!
We are going to see if possibly the coward had stolen the dog from someone and dumped him when they realized it was a responsibility, but other than that we are hoping to find him a good home with someone we know. This way we can keep tabs on him. The Humane Society in Wichita is not a No-Kill facility, so I am not going to take it there! He will stay with us until we find a suitable home. Surprisingly, Hubby did not get really mad. Actually he didn't get made at all. Possibly because the dog is at least neutered. And thankfully the guy down the street is dating a vet's assistant who looked and told me how to tell the dog was neutered...Hey, how was I to know? I've never had boy dogs!! But now I know it is pretty obvious if they aren't...we just won't go there on this blog....

I will post a picture of him tomorrow so you can see what a cute boy he is.

Happy Saturday

The day before the Super Bowl is NOT the time to do casual shopping at Wal-Mart! Hubby, a friend, and I were out playing today and I made the mistake of "popping" into Wal-Mart....along with the entire east side of Wichita! We had gone to Super Target earlier and it was sooo much more civilized. I am on a search for a perfect set of wine glasses. I found perfect ones at Target, but at $39 for a set of 4, I was left contemplating the fact that my other wine glasses have "disappeared" one by one...it would hurt a lot more if they cost $10 each.They were crystal and made by a famous maker( I think the spelling is Reidel, but don't quote me on that), but still....I picked up a cheap set at Wal-Mart, but will probably hit Target for one of their "less expensive" sets. Hubby and I like wine, and it seems a bit odd to drink decent wine out of jelly jars and mismatched glasses......We're not wine snobs (we love a local winery called Smoky Hill http://kansaswine.com/ ) but it would be nice to have decent glassware to serve it in! On the knitting front, I have cast on the Baby Albert coat in addition to the friend's scarf. I usually have a couple projects going at one time. They are usually scarf projects, so I'm hoping I am not biting off more that I can chew! Once I complete the first baby coat, I am going to do a couple more---at least one for charity, possibly more. My goal for 2007 is to get several charity projects done. I firmly believe in giving back in graditude for my many blessings!

View from a Room -- take two

Ok-- I am still figuring out this blogging business--my first post turned out kinda wonky after I put in the pictures, so this is attempt #2.

This is the view from my window at work. I like the city skyline, so it is a good thing.

The last picture is a shot of my next project, the Albert Coat from The Knitting Experience: The Knit Stitch. It is a little version of the adult Einstein coat, which I really like. I figure I can perfect my technique while doing a couple of the baby coats and then move on to the large version. And since I have friends that are expecting AND will be knitting with yarn from my stash---IT'S ALL GOOD!

Babble, Babble, Toil and Drabbles.....

I was supposed to go to my pottery class tonight but oldest son is in class (either biology I or history I, not sure ) and hubby is sitting in his master's level nonparametric statistics class (I have NO CLUE as to what this is!) , so I am at home with the 13 yrs olds. I didn't feel right leaving them --- sometimes I do if I know "grandma" (our adopted neighbor) is next door or the older males are going to be home within the hour, but tonight was one of those off nights. And right now they are outside hurling snowballs at mind numbing speeds towards each other as I sit here hoping the next dull thud that hits the door is a snowball, not a kid. You can never tell on these things. And since the boys are being so wild with me HERE, I dare not leave them alone. They are at that age.....

I stumped the instructors at the cosmetology school I go to get my hair cut at...Usually I go in for a color and a partial weave (lighter highlights) and they do a great job. Since I have decided to grow out my hair and let it go grey (I am completely grey at 42 years old), I asked them to do something to make the STRIPE of increasing grey a little less harsh.....they apparently have never had someone ask that....the instructor kept confirming that I INTEND to go grey...After much discussion, my student hairdresser came up with doing a slight weave of the normal colors. Slightly enough so that there is some color running through it...It looks pretty good...I figure if I don't like the grey, I can always color it. Isn't it funny how women fret over such things? My hubby could care less what color my hair is, which is nice, but one of my friends is mortified that I am going to let my hair go grey....And hey, I have already started eyeing a beautiful clear royal blue yarn for a hat/scarf that would look perfect with grey hair....after I destash my yarn--of course...

Silver lining (no pun) --- with the money I saved on not doing a complete color/weave, I am having a facial!!! I haven't wanted to spend the money to get one before but I figure, now is a good time to try it. It's the little splurges that make life good....I'm not a frou-frou girl, so this is one of the few frou frou posts you'll have to endure.

Have a great night and an even better morning!

It's All Good....

I am a little slow going this morning---same with the kids, but I got them to school on time. That has been a little bit of a problem for me this month. It seems like I get the kids up, they have breakfast and before you know it, it is 7:25. That wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that at 7:25 we should be in a warmed up, windshield scraped van sitting in a long line waiting to turn into the parking lot of the school. That has not happened this week. Pretty lame....But some mornings getting kids focused and to school on time is like HERDING GERBILS!

I am at the tail end of the scarf I'm making for a mediator at my office and already eyeing another one. The yarn I am using is a synthetic, but it feels like butter! I love knitting with it. Plus it is bulky and textured with eyelash style yarns, so plain garter stitch is sufficient.

Yesterday was a good mail day. I got Barefoot Contessa's new cookbook in the mail--it really is a good one and the recipes are ones I can see myself making. I have all of her other ones--except for the French one. That one didn't fit my style, although most of her books have easy recipes. The only quirk is that she tends to use extra large eggs--so I have to buy them. A lot of times I get my eggs from a lady down the road that has chickens. The first time I had fresh eggs, it was amazing. They are completely different from store bought. I can't describe it, take my word. I still buy store bought eggs (I sometimes don't have time to "run to the egg lady") but I really do enjoy going. Plus, I get to see the chickens---which I am totally in love with! If we end up buying this house, I am soooo getting a couple hens for eggs and amusement. We can have them in my little town, but no roosters for the obvious reasons.

I am posting a picture of the snowman created by our neighbors. It just makes me smile. It is more "ample" than any of the others!

Things I am thankful for today:

1.Spellcheck on my computer.

2. Coffee

3. Warm houses

4. Rock salt

5. Having the ability to knit. Both physical and mental. I think we all tend to take this for granted, but I was contemplating about how much pleasure it brings me and how I would miss it if I could not do it.

Have a GREAT morning!

Picture as promised

Here is preteen in his hat ---made by me. He likes it, it is warm and not "dorky", so I guess I did well. I guess I should scrap the little ducky hat, huh?