Thursday, March 31, 2005

My shipping's all done!!

I mailed out my yarn swap packages, my reveal package, and three RAOKs. Woo-hoo! I can't wait for them to arrive. I think that's all the fun in the swaps and things, is waiting to for your gift to arrive and see the person's reaction. I can't believe that we would even be having a problem at Crochetville with people not saying their thank-yous... That would really piss me off, if I sent a gift out and it didn't even get acknowledged... Buut so far it hasn't happened and hopefully it won't ever happen!!

Thank you Karla, I received the MoonPie you sent in the mail today. It lasted all of about 5 seconds... Needless to say I didn't ge pictures, the box was wrapped so nicely and I tore into it like a heathen... MMm, marshmellow chocolately goodness... Go to Karla's blog and maybe she will share one with you, too! She also sent along a set of beaded stitch markers that look like little angels. They're so cute, and it was such a nice thought to know that someone was sending me angels, lol! I'll get a pic up tomorrow.

I really took Ro's post today to heart, and agree with what she said. Kris and I had a conversation about this the other night, and it saddened me that, as Ro so eloquently put it, "we continue to afford our companion animals more merciful deaths than the people we love the most." (I hope you don't mind me quoting you, Ro...:)

I have been small progress in my crochet world... I started an elephant toy from the LA Noah's Ark booklet... Am still working on the sc ripple... have another washcloth going... Maybe I will have pics tomorrow.

On the news tonight... was this little piece, about a reptile found in canned green beans... there's no picture, but I swear when they showed it I almost barfed... I think I will never eat green beans again...

The quality of that post went rapidly downhill... so i guess it's time for bed...
Good night!

Monday, March 28, 2005

Neat-O Links

I thought I'd pop in before bed tonight and write a quick post -

I was reading my latest issue of BUST magazine today (which I love, BTW) and came across several interesting links, as usual. Thought I might pass them along, I hope they don't offend anyone.

Craft related:

Crochet for a Cause: microRevolt. Be sure to check out their petition, and knitPro software.

A little inspiration

Shopping (like we need more places to spend $$!):
Yarn Ho top
Stash top
FW top
fibre brooches
Hook Charm

MIsc:
Nekkid Butlers
Pimp Cups

I found her article on Christianity very refreshing, but haven't yet checked out this blog: Going Jesus, will do so when I have more time.

And Poundy.com looks like it could be another interesting blog...

Okay no more for now, I'm sleepy... Hope that you find at least one of these interesting...

Sunday, March 27, 2005

Happy Easter!!

Hope everyone has had a wonderful day!

Friday, March 25, 2005

Gorgeous RAOK!!

These RAOK's make me feel so spoiled!! Look what I got in the mail today:






The handle is soft and it's so comfortable to hold. PLus it's just so cute! I love the colors and the dragonfly - THANK YOU FAIRY!! I'm so touched by this gift.

Speaking of RAOK's, I've just started a project on the Tunisian hooks that my friend Ro sent to me. I'm trying to make a soft wrap from some pink mohair yarn that Chelle traded me awhile ago. I only have four rows done so I'm not quite sure what it's going to look like yet - maybe when I'm farther along I'll post some pics. (I hope you feel beeter soon, BTW Ro!)

I also did some yarn shopping today, although not for myself! I finished up buying yarn for my spring swp partners, I bought them both some Manos del Uruguay cotton which is just dreamy! And another skein of some nice cotton, I hope that the packages are springy enough! I didn't include quite as much yarn as I'd wanted, but the Manos put me over and I couldn't resist, so I hope they don't mind... I'm sure they won't, LOL!

Then, I also bought some yarn and thread to send out as RAOKs... I have four packages ready to go out now. I'm hoping to get all my shipping done on Tuesday, so hopefully the recipients will get them by the beginnign of the following week. Except for the international packages, those will take a bit longer... Anyways, I really hope that these packages will bring as much joy as the ones I've gotten have - I swear getting things in the mail is so exciting, LOL!

My last little bit of shopping was for my secret pal... I'm finished with her reveal package! I have had such a fun time participating the Secret Pals swap, and I hope my pal has enjoyed all her boxes! Wish I could show what I got her, but I won't ruin the surprise, in case she reads...

Enjoy your weekends, everyone!

Thursday, March 24, 2005

Easter Funny

I was sent this in an email and I thought I'd share the link, since I got such a kick out of it, LOL!
Easter Bunny Funny

Anywho, I feel like I don't have much of interest to write about today!

I started a little ripple blankie last night - It's made of RH super saver in "ocean," a pretty blue/teal/purple varigated color.


Baby Ripple


Close Up


I'm not using a pattern, I just kinda made it up, and I like how it's turning out so far. My only complaint is that it's taking forever, since it's all sc, but I don't like how open dc looks, so oh well!!

I also picked up the new issue of FamilyCircle's "Easy Knitting plus Crochet". It's got a couple cute beachwear patterns, a floppy hat that I'm totally thinking would sell at my work, and a cute miniskirt and halter. It's worth the couple bucks I spent on it, but I have to say the most exciting in the whole issue was an ad!!

It seems that FamilyCircle will be putting out another fiber related magazine, this one called "Easy Crochet!" YAY!!! I'm so excited that there will be another crochet magazine out there, especially one that's not all thread. From what I've seen, the FC patterns seem to be pretty cute, and more items that I'd be interested in, cute clothes and things. It won't be out until August, but that's okay! It will give me something to look forward to - or be surprised about, since I may forget about it by the time it comes out!!

Now it's time for lunch with my hunny, then time to get ready for work... YUK!
Me and Kris


Oops - wait! I forgot about my question! Here it is:
What two sides of your personality are most contradictory??

Monday, March 21, 2005

Whew! So Much to do!

Wow - I've been away from my computer all weekend and I've missed so much!! I haven't done any blog reading/commenting, C'Ville browsing, or any homework for that matter...!

Firstly, Crochetville is now live at it's new domain. That's just so exciting, it's nice over there and there are SO MANY new options to consume my time!! I love it, and am so grateful for all the work that the admins, Donna, Tiff, and Julie, have put into the move!! They've done so mcuh to make C'Ville the wonderful community it is!

I was also RAOK'ed again over the weekend! A Super-Duper Fairy sent me a pack of metallic silver Sharpies. Too neat, and they'll have a great home in my every growing collection!





I've been working on some more washcloths for work, and trying pretty unsuccessfully to make some kind of hang tag for them. The owner was in from Texas this past week and made some big changes, like appointing a new general manager. We're all pretty exctied, this guy so good for the store and it's nice he finally got the authority he deserved. Hopefully, many long overdue changes will be made, starting with some choice releases!! (Cue munchkins - "Ding, Dong, the bitch is gone..." LOL!!)

I've done a little shopping for the Spring Yarn Swap. My partners are Marvie and Fiona. So far I've got them both some of that new Bamboo yarn from JA's, cuz I'm just totally in love with that stuff. (I'm hoping they'll love it too!) But I know I want to send along some nicer, higher-end yarns, too, since it's nice to get stuff you maybe wouldn't buy for yourself. I was thinking a couple skeins each of some nice wool, maybe Lamb's Pride, in some springy colors. That way there would be enough to make a bag or something, but I would stay w/i budget. If I were buying for you, what would you want to receive?

One last thing: Thanks every one for all the happy anniversary wishes! We did end up having a great night, and I even had shot of green apple Pucker for St. Patty's day.
(That's hardcore, I know! LOL!)

Gotta go, time for work!!

Question of the day:
What one thing is most important to you about your sig. other? (or future sig. other, if that's the case...) Mine is that no matter what, Kris is always supporting me! That's so important to me, I could never be with someone who wasn't totally behind me, and with Kris I know I never have to worry about that. Even when I'm the one who's unsure, he's still totally understanding. *Insert silly smile* He's just so great!

Thursday, March 17, 2005

Today's my Anniversary! (or, Happy St. Patty's Day!)

How funny that my anniversary is on St. Patrick's Day, LOL! You know what we were doing!

But really - I can't believe it's has been four years already! Most people are shocked that it's been that long, since I'm only 19, but the first 18 mos. of our relationship weren't "official," LOL! I'm just so glad to have found my perfect match so early, and I'm so thankful for every minute that I spend with him. He's my inspiration, my backbone, and my best friend - he supports me even when I'm not sure what it is I need to do. He's the person I love to laugh with, to cuddle with, & to just be with. Tonight to celebrate we are probably going somewhere casual for dinner, (Kris doesn't like expensive food, LOL, he likes chicken tenders & fries), than maybe to the little neighborhood bar with some friends to have some green beers. I don't much like beer, but it is St. Patty's Day so I figure there's no better time, LOL!

I haven't been doing much crochet this past week or so. I finished up the yellow star blankie set, and haven't been inspired to start anything else. I do still have the ugly poncho going, but both my Michael's and my JA's are out of Jiffy T&Q in the rocky mtn. colorway. I haven't yet gone to Meijer's, which was where she bought the first skein, but I'd rather go to M's or JA's so I can use my 40% coupon, y'know? PLus, I think it's nasty looking and I don't like working on it, so I'm in no hurry to get that yarn. I did start a hat from some black Bernat Boucle I got on sale at Michael's, but that's not thrilling me either, so for now I've not been hooking very much. (Hunny doesn't mind, LOL)

Anywho, I'm off to finally get showered, so I'll leave you with the question of the day:
What is the strongest drug you ever tried? I guess mine would be acid. I had fun.

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Weird Wednesday...

Or maybe just my whole week has been weird. This whole identity theft thing is definitely consuming my family - between phone calls and letter writing and emails and everything else - the stress level is high, to say the least.

Plus, I had to cancel my getaway to Canada this weekend. (Too many cancelled vacations!!) Kris and I were gonna go to the casino with a co-worker of mine and her hunny, plus K's little bro and his girlfriend. But, things went wrong financially, and I can't come up with the couple hundred needed to go. Shit.

On an up note, my four year anniversary is tomorrow! I can't really believe it has been that long. Most people are shocked to hear that it's been four years, since I'm only 19, but for the first 18 mos. we weren't "official" LOL! I'm not sure what we're going to do to celebrate, probably just go to a cheap dinner and maybe a movie or something. Funds are low, so we're not doing anything very big.

Today is another's co-worker's birthday, so her and I are going out to lunch at a little vegetarian cafe about 15 mintues away. So, I'm off now to wait for her and enjoy the afternoon before I have to go to work. Have a great day everyone!

Today's question: What makes you lose you temper most easily?

My answer to this one is pretty simple! Stupid, ignorant people piss me off to no end. We get some of the dumbest customers at my work and it really is a test of virtue to not scream at these people to "get some fucking common sense!!" Seriously. You should know you can't return a bottle of shampoo that's 3/4 gone, or a box of cereal because you didn't like the way it tasted. It's health food, dumbasses, it's not supposed to taste good, LOL!

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

I'm off to school, but thought I'd leave a question:

What's the most difficult apology you've ever given?

Sunday, March 13, 2005

Sunny Sunday!

It's so nice to finally have some sunshine today!

I don't have much to say, just thought I'd pop in for a second...

Question for today:
What makes you most content?

Oh yeah, and we're working on finding a lawyer and getting this whole mess straightened out. Thanks for the good thoughts!

Saturday, March 12, 2005

Thanks everyone for all the compliments on my CAL blankies! I'm having lots of fun making them and I hope that they will be loved. And Beth - I'm pretty sure that the starfishy-ness comes from either the placement of my stich after the skip 2 st, here:
Option 1
I'm not sure that I'm placing it in exactly the right spot, it might be a stitch to the right, which could cause the lean.

Or, I'm making my left sides looser than the right, like this:
Option 2
where the red stitches stretch out more than the blue ones. I think I suggested this to Alisha and it was working for her. Hope this helps, since I'm not doing it intentionally but have managed to get 2 of them to curl now.

Just tossing this out there - I need to make some sort of small hangy tag for these washcloths that I'll be sellng at my work. I'm just learning with PSP and don't have any other software that I feel comfortable using to make these. So if anyone would be up to the challenge, I would be willing to reimburse you in some way, maybe yarn for payment or something. If anyone is willing, contact me at nmnenado@yahoo.com. Thanks in advance!

Well, Kris and I are heading off to his house for the night, so I'll leave you all with another question:
If you could see anyone alive fully naked, who would you choose?

Friday, March 11, 2005

Little Blankies CAL Pictures

These are all the blankets I've completed for the Little Blankies CAL. These will all be combined with hats made for the 1st session of the Charity-Along, and sent to Children's Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.
The Granny Blanket






The 3 Color Star Blanket & Hat






The Blue Boucle Blankie & Hat




The Yellow Boucle Star Blankie & Hat

Picture shows WIP




Lavender Linen/Cotton Set


Made from recycled yarn


My own design

If you only heed one thing I ever write...

then let it be this. PLEASE get yourself a copy of your credit report! You have no idea what could be on there...My family is curently learning this the hard way, to the tune of nearly $30,000!

In some states you are allowed to obtain a free copy of your report at least once a year, in others the fee is minimal. It's worth it if it saves you from what we are going through right now. My dad's identity was stolen - by someone he works with - and this whole thing is going to take a long time to clear up. If we would have gotten regular copies of our family's credit reports, we would have caught it eight years ago when this man began opening accounts in my dad's name.

It's quick, it's easy, and you can go to http://www.annualcreditreport.com/ (where my mom did) to get started.

On a much more pleasant note!

My second financial aid check came yesterday, so today hunny and I went shopping and I bought myself a new digital camera! It's nothing very fancy, but it is 4MP with 3x optical zoom, a Kodak, and it's perfect for what I'll use it for. Kris bought me a memory card as an early anniversary gift, and I have been a picture taking fool ever since this afternoon! It's so nice not to have to go to CVS to get [blurry] prints made!





This is the box FULL of stationary that I received from my great pal! She's so thoughtful and I'm having so much fun being spoiled by her! Thanks, Pal!




This is the UGLY ass poncho I'm working on for a co-worker right now. I would not have picked that color yarn (rocky mountain LB Jiffy T&Q) for anything - but she likes it and she's paying - so who am I to say it's yukky?





Here's the latest washcloth that I've finished for work. My general manager has agreed to sell them on consignment - I will get half of whatever the store receives for them. The larger ones will go for 9.99 (For a fucking washcloth. Can you believe what some people will pay for organic?!) and the smaller ones for 7.99. If I sell only a couple I will have paid for the yarn, so I have been carrying the yarn around with me lately and working on one whenever I have some spare time.

Here's a picture of my hottie boyfriend:
Image hosted by Photobucket.com


and one of my dorky sister. She actually leaves the house looking like this, it's not pretend or anything.
Image hosted by Photobucket.com


and one more of Mikey being cute:
Image hosted by Photobucket.com


Remember, GET A COPY OF YOUR CREDIT REPORT!!

Thursday, March 10, 2005

A Bubbling Bog of Shit Just Swallowed up My Family

Today has been really shitty.

Our vacation is cancelled.

Things are not happy in my household.

I just don't know what to say.









I cheated a little with my interview questions, some of them I pulled from these books full of questions my mom has. So, I think I'll start leaving one here from time to time, feel free to answer here or on your own blog if you'd like.

Today's question:

What is the most disturbing poverty you have ever seen?

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

More about me than you ever wanted to know!

I've had a lot of fun responding to all these questions, some of them were pretty difficult! Thanks for thinking of them, everyone! So w/o further ado, here are my answers:

Questions from Rebecca:
1. What do you think your life will be like 5 years from now?
Well, in 5 yrs I'll be 24. Hopefully by then I'll be finished with college, although at the rate I'm going who knows! I'd like to be settled into some sort of job - this remains very open. Kris and I will probably have been married for a year or so by then, and might be getting ready to start a family, so hopefully we'll be settled into a nice house. I'd like to be in a nice neighborhood, close to where I am now so we can be by our families.

2. Is there one thing your parents did with you that you hated and will never do with your own children?
At this point I'm not stuck on the idea of children. I don't like them very much right now, I like to be able to give them back to their parents, LOL! I'm sure in a few years I'll be more maternally inclined and maybe ready to start a family, so when I do I think I'll be more looking to what my parents did as example of what to do instead of what not to do. I would like to say that I'd try not to ground my kids as much as I was grounded, but then I worry that karma will stick me with a child like myself and I think maybe not having kids wouldn't be so bad...

3. What's your favorite ice cream flavor and brand?
Definitely Ben & Jerry's Vanilla Heath Crunch. It's rediculously good. I'm also a big fan of sherbet, though.

4. If you could only choose one for the rest of your life, would it be office supplies or yarn?
Hmmm... that's a hard decision, but assuming I'd have the basic supplies I need for school, I would go with the yarn.

5. What is the most WIP's you've had going at one time?
Probably no more than ten. Usually I'm a one project type of gal, but I do have a few abandoned projects laying around at any given time.

Questions from Deneen:
1. What job do you see yourself having 5 yrs. from now?
Well, as I said in the answer to Rebecca's #1, this is a big, fat question mark for me. My mom and I have been playing around with the idea of opening a teahouse, and that's something I would really love to do. It would give me an opportunity to do a little bit of all the things I like. I also think being an OnStar operator or concierge (sp?) would be fun! I do know that I need to make a lot of money, and I don't want an office job. I'd like to have a career that's flexible enough that if I do have a family, I won't have to put my children in daycare.

2. What celebrity do you secretly find to be a hottie?
Eminem. He's so so hot.

3. What's your favorite book and why?
I have about 20 favorite books, but I think the one I've read the most out of those is The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. I've honestly read this book at least 30 times, my copy is literally falling apart. I don't know why I like it so much, maybe I had a crush on Ponyboy when I was younger...

4. What do you ocnsider your greatest asset?
Definitely my people skills. Hard to explain, but I've always been told that I communicate really well, and it helps out a lot as a cashier and even more when I was a waitress! It's helped me get the guys I want, the jobs I want, and to make the wonderful friends I have. I've met so many people who are so intelligent but have no social skills, or who are so gorgeous but can't keep a conversation going, and I think that being able to do that is definitely my best asset. (That felt like a Miss America question!)

5. If you could change one thing about your boyfriend, what would it be and why?
When I first read this question, I immediately knew my answer, and I haven't been able to think of another one! I wish that Kris wuold quit smoking. He did really well for several months when I first quit, but now he's back to smoking at least five cigarettes a day. Compared to his former pack and a half a day habit, this is cutting down A LOT, but I still wish that he'll just quit all together. He's gone on the patch before, and was okay thru the 21mg, but when he went down to the 14mg they made him sick so he stopped putting them on. Lately I've been thinking it's time to try again!!

Hard questions from Andrea, LOL!:
1. Do you belive in God, and if so, why?
I'm honestly not sure of my answer to this question. Although my mom and dad were both raised in very religious households, that didn't carry over into our family. I didn't go to church very often as a kid and my sis and I were both given the freedom to believe whatever we wanted. So far, I've figured out that I don't care for religion and that I do believe there is something out there. I think the common concept of God is manmade and I don't agree with it. However, I don't think that we're all just random, either, I do believe there is some sort of energy out there somewhere. I guess you could say that I consider myself a spiritual person but not a religious one.

2. Do you believe in Evil? If so, what is an example of evil?
I believe in the capacity to commit evil acts, not Evil as an entity. I think that Hitler was an evil person - I think that things occuring around us today are evil...

3. If you knew you going to develop an allergy, and were able to chose one thing for this allergy *not* to be, what would that be?
Tricky, Andrea! Chicken, maybe, or gluten, I would HATE to be gluten-free. So many people with gluten allergies shop at my work, and the carbs they eat taste like shit. I like bread and pasta and cookies WAY too much!

4. Approximately how many Sharpies do you own?
25-ish, I'd guess.

5. If a fairy godmother appeared and said she'd grant you one wish, what would that wish be? What if the wish had to be frivolous?
My serious wish would be to to have a contented, satisfying, happy life for me and my family. That's a good catch-all wish, wouldn't you say, LOL?
My frivolous wish would be to have a 427 Shelby Cobra, my dream car.

Questions from Ro:
1. If you suddenly had a fairy godmother who could grant you any one wish you wanted, what would you ask for? A wish for you: not "world peace" or anything like that, just something for yourself or your life.
Hmm, besides happiness and my Cobra? How about a never ending free supply of yarn!

2. If you could have your dream job, what would it be and why?
Well, as I said above, I'd LOVE to run a teahouse with my mom. She'd be the best business partner, and it would be great to work for ourselves. I would be around things and people I love, doing things I love. I'd also like to open my own LYS... I think I'd like to try to work for myself.

3. If you could crochet only one item for the rest of your life, what would yu pick and why?
I'd have to go with afghans on this one, because they offer the most opportunity for change within one item. By using different colors, stitches, and sizes, I could crochet balnkets my whole life and not make two of the same. I don't know if I could say that about any other crocheted item.

4. If you were insanely wealthy and wanted to chose a charity to benefactor, what would it be for?
Well, I know I'd like to keep my money locally and help out my community. Ideally, I would be able to spread the wealth around, and donate to places like my county's Haven for battered women and children, the Judson Center for troubled/abused kids, Children's Hospital of Mich. and the Mich. Humane Society. If I had to chose only one though, this is really hard! but I think I would go with a place like Haven, because I know women whose lives have been changed by having them as a refuge.

5. If there was one thing that you wished your mom had understood about you when were a pre-teen, what would it have been, or did she understand it and how did it help you?
Oh man, Ro, good luck with the little one. Just glancing thru my journals from that stage would terrify you, they are full of "my mom's such a bitch" and "I hate my mom" and "my mom grounded me" etc etc! But really, I wouldn't have asked her to do anything different. I hated that my curfew was earlier than my friends' but now I'm the one in collge and those "friends" are unemployed and on their way to alcoholism. It bothered me that she was so snoopy, but now I know that she cared about me and wanted to know I was okay, and had no other way to find out. I guess I would just say talk to her, sometimes she won't want to talk back to you, but it all ends up okay. My mom's one of my best friends now.

And finally, questions from Mitzi:
1. What sitcom is your family most like?
Oh gosh, I don't know! I don't watch a lot of TV. Maybe we're like the family from That 70's Show, except my mom's a lot cooler than Kitty, LOL, she's actually probably more like Midge if you've ever seen the show. And I'd be Laurie, the slutty troublemaker (although I'm not slutty) and my sis would be like Eric, the neutral-ish young'un. Although she's not a stoner. So that's kind of a shitty answer but the best one I could think of.

2. Mikey is adorable! How long have you had him and how did you get him?
Thank you! We've had Mikey just over four years now. The whole thing originally began when a couple at my mom's old work (a bowling alley) brought a Malty-Poo mix in that they were petsitting. Well, that couple ended up buying a dog of that same breed because they liked it so much after petsitting. My mom soon got hooked on their dog, and she got in touch with the breeder the couple had gotten it from. Turned out the breeder had just birthed a litter of Maltese-Shitzu mixes, so my mom went to check them out, and that's how we ended up with Mikey. He doesn't shed, how great is that?

3. Congratulations on your March anniversary with Kris - are there wedding bells in your future? 4 years is a long time - how did you two meet?
Thank you again! I can't believe it's four years already, it seems so weird to me. Although, truly, it's closer to our 2.5 yr anniversary, because we weren't "official" for a long time at the beginning. The whole story of our meeting is very Jerry Springer-ish: I was best friends with his younger sis and totally fell for him. Except, then I was only 15 and he was 20 (which seems like a much bigger gap then 19 to 24) and his sister didn't know... so we fooled around on the DL for a long time until she found out and stopped talking to me. Him and I still were "together" although his sis made that very difficult... Finally she gave up or grew up or whatever and got over it, and then we were able to be a "real couple." The totally odd thing is that my best friend since kindergaten is dating Kris's little brother, and his little sis is with a guy that's been a close friend of mine for years!
As far as getting married, I'd say that's definitely going to happen but now for awhile, I want to be able to at least drink the champagne toast at my wedding! PLus, I'm going to school and everything, so we're not in any huge hurry.

4. I used to work in HR at Tree of Life in Bloomington, IN - they produce natural food products - do you carry any of their items in that health store you work at? And are you a health food fanatic or is it just a J-O-B?
Actually TOL is one of our biggest distributors, along with Stow Mills/United Naturals. We carry a lot of their products! As for job vs. lifestyle, I'd say at this point it is still just a job. I love Taco Bell, I eat Wonder Bread, and I drink soda. I do take supplements, and have made a big effort to eat healthier since working there, but I'm not into it like some of my co-workers are.

5. Detroit is a big place - how do you stand out from the crowd?
Well, I don't live in Detroit, I'm really like about 20 miles north of Detroit, and the difference is like night and day. I'm honestly not very fond of the city - I like to go there for baseball games and to go to the museums, but that's it. I'm much more comfortable going north farther into the suburbs than south into the city. My town is almost totally opposite from Detroit - it's only 2.4 miles sq, and very suburban. There are actually people who have picket fences, all the lawns are manicured, and I know at least one person on every single block. It's one of those places "where everybody knows your name," LOL, so it's easy to stand out here.

Now, who do I owe questions to?

Rebecca:
1. What is the single most important thing you have ever learned?
2. If you could change one thing about your life, would you? What would it be?
3. If you were to add an eleventh commandment, what would it be?
4. What made you fall in love with your hubby?
5. What things about your family are you most proud of? Least?

Deneen:
1. If you confessed the most abnormal thing about your life, what would you say?
2. What is the least amount of money you would accept to never have sex again?
3. If you could make one change to make life easier for women everywhere, what would it be?
4. You must eliminate one day from the week. Which day do you chose, and why?
5. What would the title to your autobiography be? Why?

And Mitzi, even though you didn't ask for them I am giving you some anyways:
1. If you could "uninvent" one thing in the world so that it had never existed, what would it be? Why?
2. What is the most comforting thing you have in your home? Explain.
3. Tell us about what you consider to be your biggest or best contribution to the world.
4. In what ways did you most worry your parents as a child?
5. If tomorrow you have an absolutely perfect day, what happens?

I'm off to shower now, I should be back with some crochet updates and pics later.

By the way, THANK YOU REBECCA! for my lovely new button! Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Pause

To all who I owe questions and answers: they are forthcoming, I swear. I'm a little behind today, and have to work tonight. I probably won't get them up til tomorrw. I'm sorry, :(

To my secret pal: Thank you so much for your wonderful HEAVY box full stationary! The papers are just gorgeous and they will inspire me to write more letters. I'll post pics soon, I hope...!

I bought myself a tub (yes, a tub! uh-oh!) of cheesecake this afternoon, so I'm gonna have a few bites and get back to writing my obituary...

To everyone: Have a terrific Tuesday!

Monday, March 07, 2005

More interview goodness!

Thanks to Ro and Andrea for playing along! Here are questions for each of you:

Ro:
1. What have been your most challenging and most rewarding moments in homeschooling your daughter?
2. If you could make it so you'd never gotten MS, would you?
3. What is the greatest lesson you've learned from your disease?
4. If you could spend a whole month anywhere in the world, but only you could go, would you go, where would you go, and why?
5. A financer comes out of the blue and offers to build you your dream home. Explain it to me.

And for Andrea:
1. Did anything cause you to decide you were an atheist?
2. How many allergies do you have? If you could eliminate one, which would it be?
3. If you could have one thing from home down here with you, what would it be?
4. You have to chose between one or the other for the rest of your life. Do you pick yarn or your homemade pitas??
5. Do you have something you wish you could tell the whole world?

It was fun/challenging to think up questions for you guys! Anyone else want to play?

Anywho, I just stepped out for a second and came home to a wonderful ROAK gift from Deneen! After reading my post about changing my wishlist, she sent me an envelope full of soft, beautiful colored roving! look:
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This scan doesn't show all the pretty colors in this wool, there are greens and blues and reds and yellows and it's really gorgeous, I can't wait to felt my soap now! You can tell how far behind I am, I've received a gift from my list that I haven't even put on it yet!! Maybe tomorrow I will catch up... By the way Deneen, I was wondering if you'd dyed any of that wool yet...? I'd love to see how it turns out.

I've finished the blue boucle blankie, it turned out great! I love it, I'm contemplating buying some yarn to make one for myself, LOL! I wish I had pics to share but I still haven't gotten up to CVS. It's medium sized, I'd measure it but I'm too lazy right now!(So great with my details today, aren't I?) I used Vera's pattern for her Easy Patterned Throw (which I've done like 5 times and I LOVE!!) and just changed the size. I'm also about 75% done with a little matching hat, that will put me at three complete sets for CH, plus a few extra hats. And last night I bought the yarn for my next set, more Bernat Baby Boucle in pastel yellow, I'm gonna make another star blanket cuz they're so much fun and SO cute!

I've also gotten some washcloths and soap bags done here and there, here's one in the thicker weight caramel colored cotton:
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It has just the perfect texture, this is really great yarn and I'm thinking about getting some more, I really want to try the chenille... *wicked grin*

I've think - hope - I've finally resolved my schedule issues at work. I should be getting four days a week, three week days plus Sat, and I'll alternate b/t Mons. and Fris. so I won't be stuck working either all the time. It should keep me just under 25 hours/week, which is ideal with school. So, since I have to work today, I'm off to take a little cat nap...

Sunday, March 06, 2005

Interview time!

Saw this over on Beth's blog the other day, and it looked like fun, so here are the rules, directly from her:


Here are the rules for this Blog-a-thon. I'll offer to interview the next how many ever people to respond to this post (because I dont have a huge following but if you get like 100 comments a day you might want to limit the number of interviews you want to do) that will follow these rules:

1. Leave me a comment saying "interview me."

2. I will respond by asking you five questions here. They will be different questions than the ones below.

3. You will update your blog/site with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

And so, here are the questions Beth asked me, and my answers to them:

1. What is your major? And why ? Um, I wish I had an answer to this question... That's what I'm trying to figure out and why I'm going to this shitty little community college right now... I think I'm going to end up just going for a liberal arts degree, cuz it's a catch-all, and I have really random credits right now.

2. Do you like Michigan? Is that where you were born? If not where? I was born in Michigan, in fact I've lived my whole life in the same house. How sheltered of me, I know, but actually I've travelled quite a bit and - although I've found other places I like alot - no other places I would want to live more than here.

3. What is the most dangerous thing you would consider doing? This is a fun question. I guess dangerous is relative, I think maybe I've done some things that would be considered dangerous... But - I'd really like to drive in some sort of demo derby, or race cars... I like to drive fast...

4. What is your favourite food? Chicken with rice, or cheesecake...

5. Why do you have this weird love of Sharpies?(you like to sniff them dont you ?) LOL, no sniffing here... I guess I used to vandalize stuff in middle school (OMG, did I really just admit that?), and I've liked them ever since.


Well, that was fun. If anyone would like me to ask them some interview questions, just leave me a comment and I'll try to think of some. :)

I started another blankie for the CAL last night with blue Bernat Baby Boucle, it's so soft! I'm about halfway thru with it, but think I won't have enough yarn to make a matching hat so I just may have to go buy more... I want to get some yellow boucle and make another star blankie...

Ack - I've been so inconsiderate in neglecting to thank Ro until now! She RAOK'ed me with the most wonderful package!! This wonderful woman sent me the Easy Tunisian kit from Annie's Attic, which I have been eyeing for months now! She also included some cute heart shaped Post-Its and a pack of pastel Sharpies. (I swear I don't sniff them!) If I wasn't so frustrated with my camera I would post some pics, but I don't feel like going up to CVS, etc etc. I can't wait for my next financial aid check to come in, I'm buying myself a new camera... :)

Now I'm off to ride my new bike in this nice sunshiney weather we are finally having!

Bye all!

Thursday, March 03, 2005

It's Thurs. already?!?

Where the hell did this week go??

It's my spring break at school right now, and since the daytime cashier is in Texas this week I am picking up a lot of extra hours at work. I think I'll actually come close to 40 this week, which is like having a whole extra work week thrown on my paycheck. I'm gonna need it, 'specially since I got a new credit card...

I know, bad me, but my old card was at almost 15% APR and get this - the new one is ZERO! And it's not an introductory rate or anything either, as long as I keep the balance under $250 (which is the limit on the card!) I keep the 0%, no strings! So, my old card is in retirement, and I've done an excellent job of breaking in this new card... Haven't even hit any of my LYSs yet, either!

I did get two pounds of cone yarn though! I bought some organic cotton to make some small things to sell to my work, like washcloths and bath mitts, etc. One cone is natural colored 10/2 thread (thin! more than 4200 yyp!) and the other is of some 3/2 buffalo colored yarn (about sportweight). The cotton is grown colored, so there's no dye or chemical treating, it's called Fox Fibre. Check it out at Near Sea Naturals, I'm drooling over the cotton chenille they have.

So, since yesterday when I got the yarn, I've been busy winding, and I've had a chance to make two washcloth prototypes already. One is baby sized and one is a little bigger, I used four strands of the thread held together and they turned out really nicely. I'm going to bring them into work with me tonight and show them to Mary, our bodycare buyer. I'm not at all sure what to chage, we have hemp ones that retail between $8-$20, but they're not organic...I'm thinking I should sell them for like $4 for the smaller ones and $5-6 for the bigger ones? Hopefully I'll get some pics up soon.

I've also finished the star blanket and a little hat to match it. It turned out really cute, I am definitely gonna be making a few more of these in different color schemes before I send out a package. But my blankie making progress has been thwarted by the washcloth making endeavor, and by a wrap I'm working on for my mom. I'd bought some homespun in the rainbow-y colorway, I can't think of the name right now, to make poncho for a co-worker. Well, she didn't really like it, so instead of returning it, I decided to make a cozy wrap for my mom. It's turning out great and I love the subtle striping, I'm about halfway thru with it and hope to have it done with pics by the weekend.

I also got my yarn swap partners today, I can't wait to start buying for them, I have a few different things in mind and will have to check on some prices before I start buying anything.

I feel like I have a lot of work to do with here! I really am seriously thinking baout revamping the look of my blog, but that's gonna take some work for my since I have absolutely no idea where to start!! And I have a bunch of buttons I need to save to photobucket and get up in the sidebar, along with some changes I'd like to make to my wishlist. I really want to try the felted soap project I saw posted over at C'Ville, but I can't find rovings close by. I keep debating buying some from eBay or something, but I only need an ounce or so to start out with, and then you end up paying more for shipping than for the stupid rovings! So, I'd like to add that to my list, and make a couple other changes while I'm at it.

O-Tay, I gotta go to work... YUK... But once I get there it's not really so bad, and I will be LOVING my paycheck! Bye bye!