beach

meme-o-rama

I done been memed.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Hmmm. The summer of '97 I was 21 years old and behaving badly. I am not proud of that time in my life, so I don't think I'll discuss it.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Golly, that one isn't too good either! I was recovering from my complete thyroidectomy. Lousy times were ahead. Let's move on.

Five snacks you enjoy:
Ripple potato chips. Proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.
Chocolate chip cookies
Yogurt
Rolled up bologna
Uhhhh...I'm not a big snacker, really, so that's all I can think of.

Five songs you know all the words to:
Only the Good Die Young - Billy Joel (went to a catholic college...you couldn't graduate unless you knew this one by heart)
Pour Some Sugar on Me - Def Leppard (hello, I am from the 80s)
Every Rose has its Thorn - Poison
Forever Young - Rod Stewart
Rubber Duckie - Ernie

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
Pay off all my debts, give my house away, and buy a better one
Invest for retirement
Invest for Daughter's college fund
Buy yarn
Buy my husband a sportscar

Five bad habits:
Letting the dishes pile up in the sink
Putting off the ironing until the pile is overwhelming
Being nosy mc nosypants...I always want to know what people are talking about
Not returning phone calls-I hate the phone
Waiting too long to write thank-you notes

Five things I like doing:
Knitting
Sewing
Reading the Sunday paper
Relaxing with a cup of tea/coffee
Dancing to Sesame Street music with Daughter

Five things you would never wear again:
Flannel shirts (unless I am sick with the flu in the winter...I saved one flannel shirt for that)
Those sandals that lace up your leg, gladiator style
Cowboy boots (I had a super nice pair I paid $125 for in college...I must have been nuts. Gave them to a single mom I worked with after graduation because she said she wanted some and we wore the same size.)
Bikinis
Monogrammed sweaters

Five favorite toys:
Knitting needles
My Bernina 1008
My 'puter
Jigsaw puzzles (1500 pieces or more)
Country decorating and crafts magazines (not technically toys, but I can't think of anything else)

Wow, that's a really random meme. Kinda fun though. I tag YOU!

really pretty random, even for me

The temps for the next three days are set to hover around 90, with big humidity. My brain is already turning to mush, so let's do some random stuff, shall we?

Hubs and I are seriously considering replacing our kitchen ceiling as a first step in making our kitchen less gross. I asked the guy who did our other recent repairs to write up an estimate to replace our current lovely ceiling with a regular, smooth drywall version. With some lights, because right now we have 1. One. Just one light. If Hubs hadn't put the chandelier over the table, we'd be eating in the dark.


Isn't it gross? The panels are drywall that's been "textured" and the "beams" are 2X4s painted brown and screwed to the support beams. I guess it's supposed to look rustic. Really it just looks terrible. We hate it...the panels are graying with age and the painted "beams" are impossible to clean for some reason. The dust just locks onto them and I can't get it off. It's dark and dingy and ugly (the ceiling, not the room...the room is relatively bright, though you can't tell from this photo). We're currently hashing out whether or not this is DIY-able. The cost to have it professionally done isn't totally prohibitive, but we'd be able to cut it at least in half by having Hubs do the work with some buddies.

I would really love to win one of those DIY/HGTV contests where they give you a new kitchen, boy would I ever.

And while we're on the subject of stuff I dislike about my house, does anyone know if there's a market for used fake gas fireboxes?

I don't want mine anymore. We dearly wish to replace this money-guzzling gas box with a real woodburning stove - a big, quality cast iron stove that will heat and can be used as a cooktop in an emergency (don't scoff...last October we had a storm that left many without power/heat/phones for more than a week). I am wondering if I can sell this thing. There's nothing wrong with it...it's just that you can actually see dollar bills going up in flames when it's lit. What? I hallucinated that part? Oh. Well, anyway, we can't afford to replace it right now, though I would be happy to just pull this out, sell it, and stash the money in savings to eventually buy the woodburning stove.

Well, enough whining about house stuff.

Let's talk about knitting and sewing, it's more fun!


(Color is so totally off in this picture, but I can't seem to get it to look remotely correct.)

Here's the beginning of the River Forest Gansey for Daughter (which I forgot to mention is from Handknit Holidays) in Knitpicks WotA in mulled wine (not bright purple, I swear). This is the second try...the directions say to use an elastic cast-on, and the first time I did so. But I'd knit about the same amount as you see here, and the ribbing was baggy and looked horrible. This is not a fitted, elastic ribbing, and the body of the sweater proceeds straight up, so why does the cast-on need to be elastic? It's a boxy sweater. So I ripped and did a long-tail cast-on instead. I think it looks much nicer now. And I am using my lovely handmade straight wooden needles (a Christmas gift from Hubs when we were dating) because I'm getting a tighter, nicer stitch with them than I was with my Denise set on the first try. (Though I love my Denise needles, and I recommend them. I see the kit now comes in pink and a portion of the price goes to breast cancer research...awesome!)


I love folk art and folk art designs. This is a style I wish to use in decorating my home, and thank goodness Hubs likes it too. I started this quilt over 2 years ago in the two weeks I had between quitting my job and giving birth to Daughter. I was supposed to have a whole month, during which I would have gotten more sewing done on this project, but the little stinker showed up early. At this point I'm buttonhole-stitching the applique shapes onto the center panel of the quilt, and when that's done I'll sew the applique section to the two checkerboard sections I did manage to complete back in '05. Then it will be quilted and hopefully hung in the dining room, which currently has furniture in it and little else (well, except for all my sewing crappe). This design is based on the "Only one Crow in the Garden" quilt from Folk Art Quilts: a fresh look by Sandy Bonsib. I want to make just about every quilt in this book. It's fabulous, and I highly recommend picking it up if you're a quilter who likes folk art.

Well, all the good PBS shows are over, so it's time to turn off the TV and do something with our day. Hope you're all keeping cool, wherever you are!

stuff and more stuff

First up, from the Cuteness Chronicles...we are teaching Daughter our first names, and those of our parents. This is both so she will know, and also in case, God forbid, something happened and she had to tell a policeman Mommy or Daddy's name. You know.

Anyway, we've been working on this, and today she was reciting them for me. Here's how it went:

Daughter: Papa name _____!
Me: Yes!

D: Gramma name _____!
Me: Yes!

D: Daddy name _____!
Me: That's right!

D: And Mommy name...sweetie!
Me: *hysterical laughter*

Perhaps Hubs needs to start calling me by name once in awhile, eh?

Moving on, I have something to give away:

Knitters (and crocheters), I don't know if this floats your boat, but I have 4 skeins of Sinfonia cotton yarn to unload. I was making a summer tank out of it and just didn't enjoy working with it. The details:

4 skeins Sinfonia
100% mercerized cotton
Labeled "sport weight"
100g/3.25 oz/200m/218 yds
Color is called "Rosa Viejo"
Recommended needle size: 3.5mm (US4) or 3mm (US E/4) crochet hook
Hand or machine wash cold, lay flat to dry

Want it? It's enough to make a small-to-medium summer garment, depending on the style. I was knitting it on a US 6 needle and the fabric was nice enough, I just didn't love it. If you are interested, send me an email (address in sidebar) with your full name and address. Continental US only, please. I will ship asap, but most likely parcel post 'cause of cost. If more than one person wants it, I will send it to the first person whose email I receive.

More rrrrrrrripping:

This represents many hours of my life that I'll never get back. Phooey. And it's all my fault because I play fast and loose with gauge. (This is where my Inner Napoleon Dynamite says: Idiot! Gosh!)

It was a Debbie Bliss sweater for Daughter, knit in Wool Ease sportweight. I thought it would work, despite the DK requirement in the pattern. Because I am an idiot. Or an optimist. Whatever, it doesn't matter. The point is there's no way it would even have blocked out to the correct measurements, because of the high acrylic content of the yarn. So...see ya.

Here you can see the 3 hanks of yarn drying in the backyard (2 sleeves, 1 partial back). You can also see some cloth diapers and diaper covers flapping in the breeze, because I have switched Daughter to cloth diapers for the duration of her diaper-wearing experience. We're fairly aggressively potty-training right now, and I'm sick of tossing out $25 worth of diapers every month. WASTE! Also, cloth diapering is totally easy and awesome, as my friend (and cloth diaper evangelist) Karen has been telling us for months.

But that's a whole other post.

So ripping those two projects leaves me with a very respectable and manageable 2 projects on the needles...socks for Hubs, and a shawl for me. But come on, that's not nearly enough to keep me occupied, right?

Next up: River Forest Gansey for Daughter in Knitpicks Wool of the Andes 'mulled wine' colorway. I've been wanting to make her this sweater for ages, but haven't had the yarn. Well, shazam! I do now. So this will be started very soon.

And then maybe I can get some of those sewing wips done. Never enough hours in the day, people. Never enough.

the kindness of a stranger

Last week I received a rather mysterious email telling me that someone had read my blog and wished to give me a gift. A very, very, VERY generous gift - one that this person knew I would ADORE. And that person wished to remain anonymous. Well, being the nosypants that I am, this is killing me! Anonymous gifter, I do hope you will reveal yourself - send me an email! I will keep it private if you wish, but I want so much to thank you personally.

Because of you my sweet little one will be wrapped in warmth for many winters to come.



And my heart is wrapped in the warmth of your generosity and kindness. This gift was really too much. I am almost embarrassed to post about it, but it is the only way I have to reach you. A most sincere thanks to you, my anonymous friend!

very cherry

Sheesh. Now I'm feeling like a jerk for what I posted yesterday. Maybe I should just shut up and be grateful. That would probably be the right thing to do. Heaven knows if I were unable to get myself a dress there would be no one offering anything. I don't know.

But speaking of dresses:

Simplicity 3897, view B, size 1

The verdict on this one? I adore it. The pattern is not hard, just a bit time consuming. My usual M.O. is to make dresses that take one naptime to sew up. This one took two. Oh well. Totally worth it.

I altered the trim a bit as I found the size 1 bodice to be so tiny that two ribbons would have overwhelmed it. I wanted some of the cherries to show. I also skipped the trim at the hemline, both because it seemed a bit much, and because I didn't feel like wrestling the ribbon ends under each other neatly. I have only so much patience, and it was really used up on all the gathers and the zipper in this pattern, oh, and the sleeves...have you noticed I literally never sew anything with sleeves? Time to challenge myself and get these skills under my belt.

I'm glad I made it - pretty easy and it looks very professional when complete. I even plan to make more - it only takes a yard of fabric, a 9" zipper, and some ribbon or trim (which is totally optional anyway). The only trouble is, even the size 1 gaps on Daughter. I gotta fatten this kid up!


Also gotta get her a sandbox one of these days.

what do i do about this?!?

You guys, seriously...my life is a circus.

My brother-in-law is getting married in September, as I've mentioned. I don't have a dress yet for numerous reasons, not the least of which is the fact that I'm waiting for some fall styles to come out. My mother-in-law asks me if I've found a dress yet every time we see her. I've been answering honestly that no, I haven't, but I've seen a few that I like. Soooooooooo...she has taken it upon herself to find me a dress.

People, I know she is trying to be nice, and she thinks she is helping. But I can't seem to feel thankful. Hubs just talked to her on the phone and it seems she has ordered some dresses to be sent to my house. And she keeps leaving messages on our machine sharing full catalog descriptions of dresses she has found "for me." I am frightened of what will be in these packages, as our tastes couldn't be more divergent. Also, she tends to buy me clothing in sizes that would have fit me in 6th grade...at least that's the last time I can remember wearing anything close to a 4. She never believes me when I say I need an 8 or 10. (I can't tell you how many things have gone to charity immediately following a birthday or Christmas, because she either cuts off the tags or doesn't include gift receipts with these "smalls" and size 4 and 6 items.)

I asked Hubs and he confirmed that I am not in any way a part of this wedding...I will merely be in the crowd. Yes, I will likely be in some family photos, but that's the full extent of my involvement. So it's not like I have to match anyone or anything, or coordinate my style with the centerpieces. Right? Technically, I should be able to wear whatever I choose. Right?

I don't know what to do about this weird situation. My in-laws cannot even afford to fix broken things in their home right now because of the costs associated with this wedding...there is no way they should be buying me dresses. Plus, I can afford a frock, really I can. I don't need them to buy one for me. I feel she is treating me like one of the kids she has babysat over the years, rather than a 31 year old adult who can pick out clothes just fine. Neither my m-i-l or her husband respond well to even the most direct communication. It won't matter what Hubs says or what I say...in fact, Hubs just now told her on the phone that she really doesn't need to order me any dresses.

Don't I have the right to pick out my own dress for this occasion?

Sigh.

for the knitters

I cannot partake, because we are really and truly trying to turn ourselves into money savers instead of big spenders around here...but perhaps you can go ahead and load up on sale yarn at Knitpicks. I have put together several fantasy orders, only to close the browser window with a disgusted sigh. The sale is pretty good. Check it out. Think of me.

enough already

Since Daughter and I had to go grocery shopping, and the 'good' grocery store is kind of a drive and right next to our Joann Fabrics, we stopped in this morning to check out the McCall's pattern sale (rather than make a special trip...gas prices are killing me). I typically look through patterns online and choose what I think I want to buy, so I don't have to sit and look through pattern books with a toddler in tow. Makes it a quicker experience, and more pleasant for everyone involved.

Anyway, we ended up with just one pattern, which I have been coveting for ages:

McCall's M4648, sizes 2-3-4-5. It's a short or long-sleeved dress and pinafore. Love! I'm not too girly myself, and I don't typically dress Daughter in very girly-girl style, but something about this dress speaks to my inner Laura Ingalls. I must make it! I have no idea what fabrics to use or when I will even have time to dedicate to such a thing (maybe Easter next year?) but it will get sewn before she outgrows the pattern, I promise.

What's that? There's a whole pile of buttons in that photo as well? By golly, you're right. Turns out I am a total sucker for cute buttons, and dang that Joann's, they've put a TON of them on clearance. I have to admit, I sometimes create garments around the buttons. Meaning, I purchase the buttons first and then decide what to sew or knit to go with them. For example, those gold buttons with the anchors? No plan for those, but all I can picture is a navy or black dress coat for Daughter. The strawberries and apples are just adorable, and will probably grace denim jumpers for her in the coming years. The two shiny quarters will most likely end up on the denim overalls I'm making (oh yeah, we got some denim today too), and the ABCs and 123s will go into stash for future kid sweaters. So much for my moratorium on buying supplies. Woops. I'm back on the wagon right now.

Now, regarding the title of this post: I have had it up to my eyeballs with the 'tude from Joann's employees. When I worked in a fabric store, I sucked it up and made sure I was pleasant to all of my customers, even the ones I didn't like, and even when I was having a bad day. There were times in my pregnancy with Daughter when I literally threw up just before leaving home, brushed my teeth, and ran out the door. The last place I wanted to be was standing behind a retail counter talking to people about their sewing machines and quilt projects, but darn it, I did it with a (sometimes feeble) smile on my face. Because it was my JOB to do so.

The last few times I've visited the cutting counter at my local Joann's, I've gotten the distinct impression that I'm really ruining the salesgirl's day. I've stood there waiting while they re-roll bolts, pull fabric for remnants, sort stuff behind the counter, etc. I've been told I'm asking for the wrong product, or that the product I want doesn't exist when I have purchased it there several times before (and also, I'm a tad experienced at this point, and I know what I am looking for just about always). And just today I was buying denim to make another pair of overalls for Daughter, and the bolt I chose was 60" wide. The pattern I have lists requirements for 35/36" fabric, or 44/45" fabric, but not 60". This is not so unusual. However, I happen to know that they have a conversion chart behind the cutting counter (they really do, so if you need the conversion, just ask for the chart).

Here is how the conversation went:

I said, "I'm sorry, but my pattern doesn't list a 60" requirement. Do you have the conversion chart?"

The young salesgirl sighed. Right at me. She sighed.

She made an exaggerated motion to pull the laminated chart off the nail where it was hanging, tossed it on the counter and said, "here you go."

Ummm. Ok. Thanks. I scanned it as quickly as I could because I could tell I was really putting her out. Cripes, what is with that? Am I wrong in thinking she should have said, "sure, I have it right here!" Am I wrong in thinking she could have handed it to me nicely?

Whatever. I guess Joann's just doesn't have a high standard for their employees' attitudes. And unfortunately, they have a lock on fabric sales in our region (there are no more Hancock stores in NY state that I know of), so I will keep spending my money there. It's just frustrating. I'd like more polite customer service. I don't think it's too much to ask.

hot fun in the summertime

Well, it's Wednesday again, and you know what that means. Playgroup.

*shudder*

Only one week to go. I can't wait to be done. The only reason we're still going is because we paid for this, dammit, and I don't want to waste money. Did I mention that the only other two girls in the group transferred out to the 3-4 year old group after just a few weeks? Because they were actually 3 years old? Yeah, so it's my wee Daughter and like 9 or 10 little boys. Most of whom are a lot closer to 3 than 2.

I had high hopes for playgroup in the 'making friends' area. Unfortunately it ended up being mostly grandmas who babysit their grandchildren while the mommies work. And while there is nothing at all wrong with grandmas, and they are all very friendly, I was sort of hoping to find some women my age to hang with. There is one who I like, but our kids haven't gravitated toward each other at all, and her son actually asked her once if Daughter was going to hurt him. ????? People, you have seen photos of my wee child. She couldn't - and wouldn't - hurt anyone. I watch her like a hawk at playgroup and she has never once done anything remotely aggressive. Weird.

We are lucky (in my opinion) to have a Waldorf school in our area. I am hoping we can afford to try out their playgroup in the fall. It's extremely different, and costs quite a bit more than the community ed version. But I think it might be more beneficial to Daughter, and I might get to meet some more moms. We just paid off my car so we'll have a tiny bit of extra money each month now - if we work our budget right and nothing else breaks around the house, I think maybe we can swing it.

So now the question is what to do for summer. We don't live in a proper 'neighborhood' so there isn't a community playground or pool or anything like that. Have any of you tried Music with Mar? That takes place at a church practically at the end of my street, so I'm considering trying it. It's also only $6 per session, paid one at a time, so if we don't like it there's no commitment.

Any other suggestions for low-cost or free activities to do with a toddler in the summer? I mean, how many times can we go to the library? I'm stuck for good ideas.

*i am editing my sidebars bit by bit right now. i've left one or two things over there for template reference, so please don't think i've stopped reading you just because your blog isn't listed!*

overalls

I think I have a new favorite sewing pattern.


I'm one of the worst photographers on the internet (it would probably help if I read our camera's manual) but I think you can see what we have here. Overalls! These are made of purple corduroy from my stash, with contrast cuffs of cotton, also from my stash. The pattern is a very old one...McCall's 5709, but don't bother looking for it at your local fabric store. My copy is from the late 1970s and was used by my mom to make overalls for me. This was back when you bought the pattern in just the size you wanted (as opposed to multi-sized patterns that we have today) so I only have it in toddler size 3.

It's my new favorite because it is so stinking easy, though I modified the directions a bit to make it so. You cut 2 fronts, 2 backs, and 2 straps (and an optional patch pocket). The directions have you do some funky sewing to get it together, because the pattern calls for the inner legs to snap open. No thanks. I just sewed fronts to backs, then tucked one leg inside the other and sewed the crotch seam, which extends all the way up the front bib and the back. I also suddenly remembered that my sewing machine comes with a reinforcing stitch - check your machine, you very likely have it too. It's a stitch that sews forward 3 stitches, back 3, and forward 3 again, so it's like having a triple line of stitches. It's great for crotch seams, because then you can press the seam open nicely. I've always hated the directions that say to stitch again 1/4" away, because you can't get a nice press with that double line of stitches. Does that make sense? With the reinforcing stitch I used, it was like sewing the same line of stitching 3 times.

These are some looooooong overalls, too, so I modified them a bit more for longer wear. Rather than just stitching in a deep hem to be let down in the future (which would leave an unsightly line in the corduroy...ugh, I remember that when I was little as it was a telltale sign of the 'hand-me-down'), I instead cut two more lower legs, both front and back. I sewed them into tubes, then serged the tops. I stitched these tubes to the raw edge of the legs, then turned them to the inside and topstitched. Finally, I hand sewed the serged edges to the seam allowance of the corduroy. Here is what it looks like on the inside:


Now these can be turned up as much as necessary, and then let down until there is just corduroy showing.

Neat, huh? I think so. I also think there will be many more overalls in Daughter's future. I'm seeing these in denim, twill, funky print corduroy...even linen for warmer weather.

I did a search, and this McCall's pattern is probably closest to what I have, if you are interested in making overalls as well. I'm thinking of picking this one up (Joann's is putting McCall's patterns on sale for $1.99 Th-F-S this week) so I have a size 4 for the future.

a garden tour and some craftiness, too

We have been busy bees, my friends. Want to see what has kept us occupied for the past several weekends?


This bed was in place when we bought the house. I wish I had a photo of it from back then. There was a sad little arborvitae in the near corner behind the 2 hosta, the rhododendron that you now see behind the rock was in front of the two hosta, and there was a bramble-y bush of some sort smushed in next to those. It was a WRECK, I tell you. Ugh. The first summer I yanked the bramble-y bush right out, moved the rhododendron to its present location, and planted a few marigolds for color. Daughter was newborn and nursing, so I couldn't do much else. There was no edging or mulch so it was pretty much a weedy mess most of the time.

Last summer Hubs yanked the arborvitae and put it in the back yard. I don't think I planted any flowers...no, I didn't. I was pregnant and having complications so there was no gardening for me. Again, weedy mess. Oh, except for those two smaller hosta at the end. I did get those and put them in.

This year, though! It is the year of beautification of our little old house. We refer to our home projects as "putting lipstick on this pig," and the flower beds are no exception. When we decide to sell there have to be as many pretty distractions as possible. However, we are not talented gardeners, so we go with 'simple and hardy' planting.

We first dug the bed a bit larger and added plastic edging. Then we added some topsoil, split one of the giant hosta, and planted impatiens and hens & chicks (if you have never seen these before, check them out. They grow anywhere, including on rocks, and look totally cool). Finally, I mulched the bejeebers out of the whole bed and voila! This photo doesn't do it justice. It looks quite nice in person. Hubs just trimmed the grass at the edges yesterday, which is why it looks all brown and weird.


This bed is brand new. It runs the entire length of the front of the house, which is the family room. It's about 4' deep by 20' long, and we dug the sod out manually (well, you know, with spades). That is the most horrible job ever. Even with gloves, my fingertips hurt for days from pulling up the chunks of grass. There are 5, count 'em 5, hosta in this bed that we took from just one plant in the first bed. Yeah, it was really out-of-control big. There is a lavendar plant at the far end, and I'm guessing about 2 dozen pink impatiens throughout. Also edged and mulched.


Another brand new bed. This one is about 4' by 13' and runs the length of the porch. Please excuse the peeling porch paint, we haven't gotten to that project yet. Here we have a lavendar plant (far end), two Aurora Blue delphinium, and a rhododendron in between. Another 9 or so impatiens finish it off. Edged and mulched as well. My porch planter there has snapdragons in the middle, peonies around it, and some sort of trailing plant at the base that hasn't grown enough to really trail over the edge yet.

In addition we have 3 hanging plants and 3 pots on the porch, but I'm not keen on showing a whole frontal shot of my house just in case. You know.

Anyway, we did it all by hand and all by ourselves. And now I am tired.


So I get this kid to water everything for me. Yeah, she looks a little young to be working, but she had ID, so what can I say? I hired her.

Moving indoors...

Here are some sweet linen pants I just finished for Daughter. I want a pair, too! (Forgive the wrinkles, please. Daughter was wearing them earlier.)


I just used a basic pull-on pants pattern but I was inspired to add this embroidery at the bottom of the leg by the blue ric-rac. It reminded me of water, so I thought some beach accessories might be cute. I traced the pattern out of a quilting book, and then ironed some interfacing to the wrong side for stability. I used a simple stem stitch with summery colors and ta-da! Cutie, one-of-a-kind pants.


These are the yarny projects I'm currently dragging around with me. There are others (the blue shawl, the coral-ish tank) but these are in active rotation this week. There is the sock for Hubs (and his birthday is in about a month so I'd better bust a move on those), the sleeves of a sweater for Daughter, and underneath you see a simple crocheted ripple blanket that I started to use up some acrylic leftovers. Not sure where it will end up - it might become a donation.

I've also got some sewing in various stages of done-ness. As always, stay tuned...

a day of rest...sort of

Wow, where does the time go?!? I swear the summer moves much faster than the winter. I didn't mean to let more than a week go by between posts. We've just been doing so much house stuff and/or trying to keep cool (Buffalo has two seasons...snow and hot-n-sticky) that there hasn't been much time for crafts or computers. Plus my wireless card is giving me fits. Sometimes when I check my email it's like being back in the dial-up days. So blogging is out of the question on those days!

Anyway, I'm excited today because it's my first DAY OFF in over two years. A friend of Hubs asked if we'd like to join his group of alumni for a Buffalo Bisons ballgame last night, so we dropped Daughter off with my parents for a sleepover. I could have cared less about the baseball (good thing, because the Toledo Mud Hens spanked us), but I couldn't stop talking to the other women in the group. We ate overpriced hot cajun peanuts (so good!) and then drank overpriced kiddie pools of beer (so classy!), and the beautiful thing was this: most of them had children - some even brought them with - so everyone headed straight home at 11:00 once the fireworks were over. We didn't have to feel lame like we usually do for speeding home to get our child into bed! It was awesome to be with some kindred spirits in the child rearing community. Most of our friends aren't even married yet, let alone producing offspring.

So we came home, put in a movie, and I promptly fell asleep on the couch. I vaguely remember stumbling to bed and NOT setting my alarm, thankyouverymuch. I slept until almost 11:00 this morning and it was so beautiful. So far I have wiped no one's behind, cleaned up no one's breakfast mess, cajoled no one into using the potty, and watched zero childrens' programming on TV. I ate my breakfast outside listening to the birds, and am sipping my tea in peace and quiet. Ahhhhhh.

Of course I miss my baby, come on. But I needed this day so very badly. I'm off now to do some spackling and paint touch-ups, and then a bit more yardwork. My parents will be bringing Daughter back in just a few hours, and I will be happy to see her and give her the overpriced glow necklace we bought at the ballpark last night.

All is right with the world.

a finished object

A finished object for your viewing pleasure:


This is for my youngest sister. Her birthday was Monday and she just passed the NY state bar exam, so I wanted to do something more than I usually would (gift card for Old Navy, or the Gap, or Target, or...) and she has asked for a handmade afghan several times.

The pattern has a name, but I don't recall what it is right now. It's from A Year of Afghans 1996 (a Leisure Arts book). I crocheted it with Red Heart worsted in soft white using a size J hook. It went pretty quickly, except for the fringe which took about twelve thousand years. But I think it needed the fringe to look finished. I'm not exactly sure of the finished measurements, but it's somewhere around 4 feet wide by a little more than 4 feet long. She has a small studio apartment, she is only 1 person, and she has to fly this sucker home to the midwest, so I chose a pattern that made a smallish blanket.

And I even posed it artfully on the broken tree in my backyard! Just for you, internet!

Here's a bit of a closer look:

Yep, it's got bobbles. And cables, even! Who knew you could crochet a cable? Certainly not me.

Well, it's done, it's photographed, it's wrapped and ready for my sister's birthday dinner on Saturday night. Hope she likes it.

another post where I complain a lot

I have been having a bad day that's lasted for weeks. Ever have that? I just feel out of control, like I'm flapping in the breeze and can't get a grip on my life.

We've been spending money like we have it, creating two large new beds in front of the house. We've filled them with stolen plants (perennials from other beds and/or my parents' house) but had to add some newly purchased perennials and annuals and of course, top soil, that plastic edging stuff, and mulch. Hubs had to put a new roof on half of our shed - it's a hy-ooge shed, more like a small house than anything - and even as a d.i.y. project it costs a bundle. Shingles are expensive, yo. Thank God he has a good friend from high school days who knows how to do that stuff and was happy to help out. (Also thank God neither of them fell off the roof while working, considering it rained on one of the two days they'd allotted for the project.)

The house repairs from our ice dam problem were not so much d.i.y.-able, so we paid big bucks to have that done. Two nice young men came to do the work, finally, and replaced our gutter, repaired the siding and flashing, and fixed our bathroom walls and ceiling. However, we had to remind them to also replace the downspout, which was obviously crushed and was in the estimate, and to remove the old pieces, also included in the estimate. Once it was all done we were pretty satisfied with the work and happy we'd paid to have it professionally completed...until I cleaned the tub. I was scrubbing out the sheet rock dust, and couldn't seem to clean two little spots. So I tried using my thumbnail and guess what! They weren't hardened sheet rock at all! There are two, count 'em two, chips in my tub! The dude dropped a tool on my tub and made two chips and didn't own up to it! Nor did he put anything down to protect the tub surface! Hooray. Now, if we choose to bring this up, it will be our word against his and we have no proof that the tub wasn't chipped before. Le sigh.

And then, I took my car for an oil change at my dealership because they do it for $9.95, but they couldn't get my hood open. Which is funny if you recall what happened to me last year (I can't seem to link to the old post. It was February 27, 2006 if you want to read it. Suffice it to say my car hood flipped open while I was driving because my hood latches failed). Anyway, they said my entire hood cable and latch system had 'seized' due to corrosion and they would have to remove the headlights and grill, and then unbolt the latch system to get the hood off. Then they would have to replace the entire cable and latch system. At a cost of $350-$400.

Say what?

I so do not have an extra $400 just laying around. It turns out this is a known problem with my model car. What the heck?!?

Luckily my dad happens to know the man who owns the body shop where I got the hood repaired last year so my dad asked him what he thought. He told my dad to tell me to come see him and that he could take a look. I dropped off the car this morning. One day and $60 later, the hood is fixed. All it needed was a $12 part and some labor. I'm not someone who tries to get something for nothing - it's not my style - but wow, am I grateful for connections right now. And I can finally get an oil change and refill my washer fluid. Financial crisis averted!

Also, I totally lost my credit card as I left Target yesterday. We had a killer parking spot and someone pulled up for it right as I got back with my cart full of child and purchases. For reasons I cannot explain I did not put my Visa right back into my wallet/planner thing and I was holding it in my hand. When I saw that someone was waiting for my space I went into panicky rushed mode and probably dropped the card as I was tossing bags into my car. Luckily I discovered that it was missing later in the afternoon and cancelled it before anyone made any charges. I did call a couple of stores in the plaza where we were shopping, but no one turned it in. It's probably still laying there in the parking place. So. Freaking. Annoying. I am an idiot.

Actually, I keep losing stuff. I can't find my little box of knitting tools anywhere (talk about a crisis!!!), and I am constantly misplacing important stuff. If I don't write every single little thing down I completely forget. Last week we were out of the house early for appointments 4 of 5 days, and again today because of the car thing. We even skipped playgroup last week to get a morning off. Also, I don't like playgroup, in case I haven't mentioned it.

Every night I struggle to make a good dinner...the freezer never has anything good to offer up lately, and I can barely get the cooking done with Daughter running around yanking stuff off shelves and getting into forbidden areas. She needs lots of attention right now and my patience is short.

Just not good times right now, my friends. Feelin' the stress. I need a couple of nice, slow-moving days of sitting in the shade sipping a cool iced tea with my knitting or a book or something. But the house is dirty! The laundry is multiplying! There are errands to run! We are hemorrhaging money! Gah.

Mmmmkay. That's the end of my venting for today.

here i am

Ha, fooled ya! I was gone for awhile there, but I guess I'm back. I will just be blogging a bit less frequently than I used to, especially for the summer. Of course I say that now, but as with everything I decide, it is subject to change at my whim. :)

Anyway, it turns out blogging was good for my project self discipline. Egads, have I fallen off the wagon or what? Witness:

I've been starting stuff like a freak on speed. And not finishing a heck of a lot. I guess I need to feel accountable to my invisible internet posse in order to keep my projects under control.

The good news is, I didn't buy anything new to do these projects...oops, not so. I bought a few skeins of yarn for the afghan, but hang on, we'll get to that.

First up: the knits.

I finished my Sitcom Chic sweater (Cotton Ease in the blueberry colorway) a few weeks back and have even worn it a few times, but I forgot to photograph it. I'll try to have Hubs take a picture next time I'm wearing it. After finishing it I got a serious case of start-itis.

Pictured above are some socks for Hubs' birthday (in July but I figured I should get going on these...he has big feet). I am knitting them to a pattern in the vintage Botany book you see in the photo. It was a gift from my internet BFF Karen and it rocks. The only problem is that everything in there is for a size 32 bust...anything bigger is labeled as "matronly...but smart!" Gee, I'd never thought of myself as matronly before. But the sock patterns are just fine and hold up very well 60+ years after publication. I'm using Knitpicks yarn (sock memories, I think), which is a tad thicker than many sock yarns in my opinion, so I chose a pattern that uses size 1 needles for ribbing and size 3 needles for the rest of the sock. Have I mentioned that Hubs has some big feet? Yeah, size 3 needles help with picking up the pace!

Directly underneath the sock is a sleeve for a very basic zippered cardigan knitted in moss stitch. It's from an old Family Circle Easy Knits magazine (2000, maybe?). I'm making it partly because it's a pretty awesome simple sweater that I will wear a ton, and partly because I had enough natural wool-ease in stash to make it. I'm trying to stick to stash as much as possible these days because have I mentioned I'm poor? Crap keeps breaking in and around my house and car. Doesn't leave much cash for crafting (the sound you hear is me, sobbing and petting my precious yarns). Anyway, more about that cardi as I get more done.

Top right in the photo is the feather and fan shawl. I am just over 100 rounds into it, and just finishing up my first ball of yarn (Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud). Two things: one, I am halfway done as far as number of rounds completed goes; and two, I have only used one ball of yarn. Those two things are hilarious because being halfway done with the chart doesn't mean squat when knitting a circular shawl, and the pattern calls for a total of 6 balls of yarn. That means I should go through 5 MORE balls of yarn at 440 yards apiece while knitting the second "half" of the shawl. Bwaaaaaa! It boggles the mind. And it makes my head hurt thinking about it, so I put it aside for a week or two. Also, I was making mondo mistakes for some reason...I will blame allergy meds for that one. Just needed a break. It's coming out super duper gorgeous though. I can't wait to see the finished product. Some day.

Just below the shawl you see a barely-begun Chicknits Chickami. The yarn is called Sinfonia and is 100% cotton...something I didn't realize when I bought it because I was blinded by the 39 cent price tag. I can't resist clearance yarn. So I wish it was a blend, because I worry about the elasticity (or lack thereof) of 100% cotton, but we'll see how it goes.

And just below that is a Debbie Bliss cabled pullover that I started eleventy billion years ago for Daughter and then kind of forgot about it. It's just some wool-ease sport weight that I picked up for a great price at a Tuesday Morning store after it had been discontinued. I like the sweater but it doesn't set me on fire or anything, so I'm working on it slowly. Also, like all Debbie Bliss patterns, the child's size 3 would practically fit me, so there is no rush. (Dear Debbie Bliss: why are all your toddler patterns so humongous? Seriously, WHY?)

And onward to some sewing:

After making many things for Daughter's summer wardrobe, I was a little burned out on the sewing. That black blob is the last thing I worked on earlier in the spring. It's a black and white polka dot circle skirt that's finished except for the hem. But it's a really gigantic bias hem and I seriously don't want to sew it. I will, because I want the skirt, but I should have thought more carefully about the pattern before I threw it in my shopping cart. Thatsalotta bias.

The three things on the right are khaki pants, extremely lightweight striped cotton pants, and some kickin' purple corduroy overalls, all for Daughter, all cut out and ready to sew. Check out that groovy 70s pattern for the overalls. It was my mom's and she used to make these overalls for me. Neat! I'm hoping to alter them a bit, though, as the original pattern calls for the pants to snap open and I just want them sewn shut. Stay tuned on that one.

These fabrics were in stash with the exception of the striped cotton - that one came from the dollar fabric bin at WalMart. Seriously, if you are a sewer on a budget like I am, you need to be checking the dollar fabric bin at Wally World. There are some treasures in there, I'm not even kidding. And the khaki linen blend...I am embarrassed to say that was actually a pair of pants I made for myself many, many years ago. They fell into the category of, uh, palazzo pants? I think? They were very, very, very wide and to add insult to fashion injury, they were pull-on with elastic waist. I think I completed them, tried them on, screamed, and stuffed them back in the fabric bin to be dismantled at a future time. Well, that time is now! Hooray for recycling!


And here we have the project I did on mother's day. That pattern ease pile is every single piece of Simplicity 3897 in size 1. Yes, size 1, even though Daughter is 2, because she is skinny, skinny, skinny. Guess what? There are A LOT of markings for this one little pattern. I traced all the dress pieces and all the coat pieces and all the sleeves because I want to make one of everything this pattern has to offer. I'm betting the size 1 will be perfect, but I lengthened all the pieces because my child is not only skinny but freakishly tall for her age. Ok, not freakishly, but 98th percentile. Pretty stinking tall.

The floral fabric is a sweet little poly-blend print I couldn't resist...also from the dollar bin at everyone's favorite discount superstore. Fun! I don't know which dress that will become, but it was sitting there when I took the photos so there you go.

To clarify, I didn't actually SEW anything on mother's day...I merely spent an eternity TRACING the pieces. Not a quick step, but very much worthwhile.

And finally...

Wait, what is THAT?

Your eyes do not deceive you. That's a crochet hook, my friends.

My baby sis just found out she passed the NY bar exam. YEAH BABY!! And her birthday (26th, I think...gulp! That means I am very old!) is coming up in a few days. She has been dropping not-so-subtle hints for years about wanting an afghan, so I figured this is a perfect time. The problem is I only had about a month's lead time on this, so I chose to crochet instead of knit. Yes, I prefer the look of knitting to crochet, but this was all about speed, people, speed! Baby sis will be here for Memorial Day weekend and I want to give her the blanket at that time. I have 4 of 5 panels finished, which leaves one to complete over the next couple of nights of bad TV, and then a week to assemble and add the fringe. Or not add the fringe. Still thinking about that one.

The pattern is from a Leisure Arts book (A Year of Afghans, 1996). I love Leisure Arts books. They're delightfully cheesy, but the patterns are accessible and simple, and I've rarely found mistakes.

The yarn is just Red Heart Acrylic (I KNOW, disGUSting, but the sis, she is messy, and this will end up on the floor, and be chucked in the washer and dryer, etc.), and I have a major beef now with Coats and Clark. Something is awry in the QC department, because this yarn is discolored throughout the skeins. It isn't obvious while working with the yarn, but when the strips are laid out on a table, you can clearly see color changes within the skeins (and they are all the same dye lot, I checked carefully at the store). When I discovered this I was halfway done and almost cried. I showed my mom and she said it isn't that obvious, and that I should just finish it and not worry. But I want the company to know that I am really dissatisfied. I will be sending a letter and a label from one of the skeins because they do not accept emails from customers. How lame is that?!? It's 2007, C&C. Catch up.

Actually, I can even see the color difference in that photo. Can you? Some of the cream is more yellow, and some is more tan. Ugh. What a bummer.

*****

So that's about it on the project front. There's probably more, but I don't want to go searching for half-finished stuff. There's tons going on these days, from graduations to weddings to birthdays to regular old house stuff like landscaping and fixing stuff. But I've already blown naptime by writing this much, so all that will have to wait for another day.

Daughter says:

"Peek-a-boo!"

mud rules

SQUISH!

playgroup week 2: i hate playgroup!

PLEASE NOTE: There are many opinions expressed herein. You will not agree with everything I say. I am venting. Please don't leave me comments about how rotten I am.

We went to playgroup again this morning. There were more kids there this time...all boys. Crap. I really had hoped for a few more girls.

Some of the new boys did things like: communicate only in grunts; step on my Daughter during storytime (her ankle, but she is apparently fine); and throw toys! At my kid!

Which makes me wonder...what is the protocol for dealing with mothers you'd really love to punch in the face? Consider this exchange:

Toys whiz by Daughter's head as we exit playgroup. They clatter against the wall. I turn, stunned, to see where the toys come from, and there, at the other end of the room, is a mom with her rather large 3-year-old.

Other mom (to her child): Oh goodness! You need to say sorry!

Child: sorry.

Me, trying to make light of the fact that her kid almost took my kid's eye out: Oh, it's ok, nothing hit us!

Other mom: Oh, I know.

Me: ...

Notice that nowhere in there did the other mom tell her child that it is unacceptable to THROW SMALL PLASTIC OBJECTS ACROSS THE ROOM. What is wrong with people? Seriously! I guess it's ok to chuck toys around as long as you mumble a 'sorry' after you do it.

I hate to say this, especially about a 3-year-old, but the minute I saw this kid I thought, I don't like you. I know! It's terrible! He's only 3! But I could just tell by the look on his face and his mom's attitude that he was not a nice kid. She even told me (unapologetically) that "he's going through the raging 3s right now. He was so great at 2, but now..."

Ok, first let me say that this playgroup is specifically for children who are 2. TWO. Not 3. And really not "raging 3."

And also? If you know your child is kind of a terror, why bring him to a playgroup?!? If he does anything further to put my child in harm's way I will speak to the teacher. I just don't like the kid, and I don't trust his mother.

And I'm not finished. What is up with moms who think they don't have to clean up after their kid at snacktime? Daughter helps me clear her place and wipe any spills. There were a few moms who just left the stuff on the table when we went to storytime. Also irritating: the mom who brought snack today brought those little chocolate covered donuts (I think they are called "donettes" or something). Good grief. My daughter has never even had a real donut, by design, thanks. Why would you bring junk like that for 2-year-olds?!? Daughter didn't even eat it, nor did many others. She took one bite and spit it out. I can't blame her. At least the mom who brought juice brought 100% juice. I know, I know, I bring my kid to this playgroup and I have to live with the way things go. If the snack mom wants to bring crap, I can't say anything. But come on. I'm not saying you have to bring baby carrots or apple slices, but there are about a bazillion better-for-you snacks than little synthetic donuts. Gross.

Another mom brought a special organic super-duper healthy protein-packed cereal bar for her kid's snack (this is the kid who stepped on my kid's ankle), and then let him wander around the room with it, even though all the other kids sat nicely at the table. I fault the teacher for letting that happen. If it were my program, I'd have nicely asked the mother to sit her child down to eat.

I just...I just...AAAARRRRRRRRGH! Gah! I shake my fists at you, lame parents of the world! You are in charge of your kid! Believe it or not, you're bigger, technically you are smarter, and it is your JOB to guide your child in appropriate behavior. Yes, I understand some people give birth to a force of nature, and parenting is an uphill battle sometimes. There are days when I feel drained by bedtime because all I've done all day long is say, "no! don't touch that! stop kicking me! don't throw that! eat with your fork, please! no! no! no!" But I say those things because I have to, so my child will end up knowing how to behave and be a productive member of society...one who other people will not want to avoid (see: holy terror child described above).

I realize I sound terribly judgemental here. And that's because I am being terribly judgemental. It is hard not to do so when the evidence is so clear that some folks let their child run the show. I loathe the thought of sending my daughter to school with kids from homes like that. At least when that happens she will be 4 or 5 and better prepared for it. And hopefully no one will throw anything at her.

I hate playgroup.

But we'll be going back next week, because guess what? Daughter had a great time.

In addition I must add that I chatted with many nice moms/grandmas and their children were mostly very sweet. Sometimes just a few bad apples really spoil the bunch. And again, I'm just venting here.

praying for Heather

I trust you all have heard about Heather by now. Her story is all over the blog world. In case you somehow don't know, she is a young mom of 3 who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. She's having really dangerous surgery to remove it on Thursday.

Pray for her, people. Pray hard.

etiquette 101

Thanks for the funny and kind comments about my playgroup anxiety. In response to some of your thoughts: this is a community ed thing through our school district, it is only 1 hour per week, and I am not as crazy as I made myself sound. I behaved perfectly normally, truly I did...I just felt like I needed to run about 5 miles when we left to blow off all the pent up nerves. I'm not good at being the new kid. Anyway, it was fine, really it was, and we are going back next week.

And now I have an etiquette question (unrelated to the playgroup).

Part of the reason I haven't blogged much is because the biggest thing going on around here has nothing to do with me. Back in March, my bro-in-law (Hubs' brother, who I will call "C") finally proposed to his looooooooooooooongtime girlfriend ("M"). Now, C and M have been living together in her house (not her parents' house, her actual house that she bought) while C tried to get his life figured out. He graduated with a degree in sociology in 2002, but has been knocking around trying to get a police job ever since. All he's had is security work, until finally he was accepted into the US Border Patrol, which we think is pretty awesome. So he's been away at their academy since January, while M remained here, working and whatnot. She went to visit him on her birthday and he proposed (awww), and plans immediately commenced.

Their engagement is to be only 6 months, which seems so short to me, but he will be stationed in California so they want to speed things up for M to move out there. So things are coming rather quickly. Hubs was asked to be a groomsman/usher, and Daughter was asked to be a flower girl (which we declined based on the fact that she will be less than 2.5 years old at that time, and also with Hubs being at the altar who would help me wrangle her?), but I was not asked to participate. That's fine with me, but my question is this: what role do I play in the preparations...specifically, her shower(s)?

Hubs has only the one bro, no sisters, so there are no women from "our" side of the family involved. The bridesmaids are to be M's only sister and I guess some friends (possibly cousins, I don't know). We are not very close to C and M, because they are 4 and 5 years younger than we are. Hubs was never tight with his bro due to that age gap. We see them once in a great while, mostly at my in-laws' house. Case in point - Hubs is NOT the best man. C chose a friend instead (as did Hubs for our wedding).

So I'm just not sure if I should hang around and wait for a shower invitation, or if I should offer to help somehow. If so, who would I even contact? My mother has told me that, typically, a girl's own mother/sister/grandmother do not hold a shower (though I realize people do it), so I don't know if I should speak with them or not. I've never even met those women. I guess I don't HAVE to do anything, but I'd feel awful if 5 or 10 years down the road it came out that they were aghast that I didn't offer any help.

Here is your chance to play Miss Manners. What would you do?