Google Images Meme

This seemed like a cute thing to do - no one passed it on to me, I took it. Open invitation to take from here, as I've added a few things:

The place I grew up



The place I live now


My Name:


My grandmother's names:




My Favorite food(s):




My favorite drinks:




My Favorite Song (currently):


My favorite candy


My favorite animal


My job

More later...

Slowly Unpacking

I think we can finally see the light through the boxes and paper and bubble wrap and tape. We're getting settled in and things are looking really good! We're very excited about having people come and visit - his parents were here for the move, my parents will be here tomorrow, we've got friends coming in next weekend, and my brothers the week after that.

I'm so excited because I received my back-tack package! All the way from the UK! And I adore everything she sent - I'll be sad to send it along when I'm done with it! Here are some pictures:



I love all the fabrics - a great assortment of pinks / greens / purples, rickrack / ribbon / beads & buttons and thread! And two adorable postcards. And some sweets which are not in the photo because they have been eaten! Thank you so very much!

Sadly, I am behind on getting out my package of things - they WILL go out Tuesday! the fastest way possible!!

Packing Sucks

I'm surrounded by boxes and tape and I keep stepping on bubble wrap. We crammed a lot into this little apartment.

Science fair is tomorrow night. Moving Thursday. Wheee!

Knitting and Puppies

Patrick would like to introduce you to his new friend, who will soon be on her way to Maddy:

I followed the pattern in the Last Minute Knitted Gifts, used Microspun yarn for the body and Sensations Bamboo for the ears. I'm not 100% thrilled with the face, but overall it's really cute.

Other news - possibly, we've decided to get a dachshund puppy. Rather, I've decided. Dan agrees. Although those Rhodesian ridgeback mixes are adorable too. I really like the fact that dachshunds don't shed as much / low odors to worry about / and they are independent enough to be on their own... I've been surfing the web and oohing and awwwing over many photos.

Other knitting related matters, I've purchased more homespun to make my Nana a prayer shawl - it appears the cancer has returned and likely that chemo will be the treatment... We'll know more next week. This is most definetly not fair for her.

Off to Star Wars tonight.
Packing tomorrow.

Lose-Lose-Win

I'm still getting mail bounced back to me when I try to send a photo to mobile blogger - anyone else? I'm frustrated.

In other annoyances, why is it that each time I'm at Wal-Mart I'm approached for help? I don't work there!! Our WalMart is tiny. Not nearly the sprawlmart it could be. I don't know where the paper towels are ma'am - I'm trying to find some stuffing for a knit toy!

In a minor victory, I was able to send a photo from my phone to my gmail account, save it, and post it to flickr...

Quality is okay, certainly better than nothing!

Where's the camera crew?

All day yesterday I felt like I was on trading spaces. We bought paint on Friday night, "deep smoke signal" and set to it on Saturday. The master bedroom looks awesome! The paint went on so well (2 coats) - so worth it. We moved in the bed and a dresser and it really came together. All it needs now are some minor touches. The kitchen is next - some shade of green...

I've been so icky sick that I'm too tired to even knit. Bleh. And right about now I could give a rat's ass about lesson plans. So I think I may pick up the needles now that I'm not picking up a tissue every few moments.

Coming Down with Something

Ick. That's all there is to say - it's either seasonal allergies or a cold from somewhere. Go white blood cells, Go! At this point my attendance at SnB's this week (spontaneous in the shoreline or up in North Haven) are dependent on how this moves and develops.

What's the deal with sending photos from your phone to bloggers new address? I tried and think I was successful in sending the emails, but how long is the turn around time?

Wow - I've been tagged (This is the first time, thanks Sami) I'm looking forward to doing a lot more reading once school gets out...

Total number of books in my house: Oh good God. I'm "inbetween" houses now, but there are easily 100 in this apartment. Several library books. There are probably 150 - 200 or so more at my parent's house. And I know I have dropped about 12 or so at our new house. I love books.

The last book I bought was: bookbookbook (a.k.a. At Knit's End)

Five books I often read or that mean a lot to me:
Silent Spring
The Diary of Anne Frank
Candy and Me a Love Story
Charlotte's Web
Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry


That was really hard! I immediately thought of dozens of books - they all mean something to me at some point, if they don't I do not finish them or I skip ahead. I will read often anything by Laurie Notaro or Jen Weiner. I treasure reading the Ramona Quimby books, the Judy Blume books and Laura Ingalls. I will always read Gary Larson (There's a Hair in my dirt) and Bill Watterson. I loved Bram Stoker's Dracula. The knitting books are read often. I enjoy Chuck Pahaluniuk's work. Agatha Christie. Cookbooks are fun. Gardening books are what I'm into now...

Who I'm passing this on to and why: Heide, my sp4, "For the Love of Fibers" and Kirstie - All because I'm curious :^)

Achy joints

I've been working on the knitted rabbit (no fangs) from the "Last Minuted Knitted Gifts" - I'm using Lion Brand's microspun and holding a double strand on the bamboos is starting to hurt my hands. I like how the fabric looks though. So I switch over to using the laptop on the couch, thus adding to my poor posture at the moment and certainly not giving my knuckles a break while i read up on the blogs.

In the meantime, how cute are these shirts? I especially like the owl, the two birds and the dish&spoon

I really want to put wallwords somewhere in the house - maybe the kitchen, craft room to be, or front hall... hrm.

Two-Year Old Birthday

What would you make for a soon-to-be two year old girl? I've already made her a blanket (when she was born) and fruit hat (Christening) -- I'm thinking the bunny toy from Last Minute Knitted Gifts and maybe try embroidering something cute onto a little pocketbook / totebag... I'm not a very fast knitter, and her party is the 29th but I think we'll be seeing her on the 20th... I also thought about the Fiesta Tea Set, but I wonder if that is a better gift for a three year old? I don't know.

I'm excited getting stuff together for the back-tack... I'm worried that what I send won't be enough or good enough - I feel like I'm in the company of overwhelming experience!


At the Thursday SnB I started working on the Rebecca sleeves, but was distracted by the conversations and meeting new people that I didn't read the next part of the instructions about increasing at the same time. So I figure my sleeves will just be a little longer.

Winner!

I won a gift certificate today at work for teacher appreciation day! $125 - that will get a very nice dinner! Google's got a nice little image up today too... remember your teachers and say thank you!

While SP4 may be over, I have to say that I enjoyed being on the giving end to Sequink and pal of For the Love of Fibers - it was so much fun!

I've gotten some good feedback on cameras... still mulling it over.

Little knitting has been done lately - I have to double check my guage on the x-back tank (I think I'll do that at the North Haven Panera MeetUp on thursday). I've been busy thinking about an upcoming garden - good sites:
You Grow Girl, GrowGuide-Weekend Gardener,and CT-botanical society

And the back-tack matches have been made... I'm excited (both my matches are outside of the US)!! What to send....

Wishing I had a digital camera (and sewing machine)

I just got back some photos (yay!) of finished objects, but only prints - there's a really cute one of Patrick, the penguin, casting an Alfred Hitchcock shadow. Today at Target I was distracted by the cameras - I saw a digital one for $30 - real cheap, no preview, but maybe that would keep me momentarily happy. I walked around the store many times mulling this over, but then decided that no I wanted something good. So I mosey back to their camera display - there were no prices out on anything! Free? I wish. I waited for some red-shirt to come over and help - and he gives me a schpiel that I interrupted because 1)I'm not scared in any way of technology (I started out by telling him I mainly wanted it for photos for a website, that should be his first clue) 2)I'm not scared of computers 3)I'm familiar with cameras - I have a 35mm automatic and SLR!! I don't like being talked down to, so I left. Without a camera. Not quite as interesting as ThreeOliveMartini's tire near-fiasco but still.

I'm looking for 3-4 megapixels, with a zoom, preview screen. Not too large size wise. Gotta find a consumer reports on these cameras. Looking to spend less than $250. Don't really care about easy share or printing the photos (if they're decent enough that's what ofoto and snapfish are for!)

Also, poking around the blogs last night made me wish I had a sewing machine and really knew how to sew! I have cross-stitched, I'm trying to embroider, I briefly used a sewing maching during my years as head costume wench in high school theatre - but to see what some people are doing out there is just inspiring!! Take a peek!
DIY Chinese Take-Out Purse (more paper than sewing, but still!)

My My (check out the patches too!)

Sewing Stars

My Paper Crane

And how about the "Month of Softies"?
There's always ThreadBared - those gals don't sew, but they have an, uh, appreciation for the patterns...

I'm hoping the back-tack will lead me into other adventures to feed the crafting ADHD.

Where did the weekend go?

Yesterday we closed on the house - it went very smoothly. Then we helped move a few things over and continued today - moving the smaller, fragile, essential items over to their new house. We will move out of the apartment at the end of May - sure enough it will be here soon! I'm still getting in as much knitting as I can, but have to be careful - Dan commented tonight that I'm not finishing projects!!

See, I have to do some thinking for the rebecca wrap - to make sure I do the right / left fronts properly. I think I can just follow the directions as written... but it needs thinking. And the broadripple has to be completely undone and will wait for some other pattern - the cuff opening just doesn't fit my foot. And the heart sachet also requires thinking.

So what's a gal to do while watching a "non-thinking" movie (Monty Python Holy Grail)? Cast-on and start knitty's x-back ribbon tank. I really enjoy working with the deco-ribbon - it's lightweight and works up well.

In bummer news I think I'm 3 balls short of Filatura Di Crosa "Elena" that I'll need for the web / online shrug from Interweave Knits. I bought 3 balls, but didn't read the yardage requirements... eep.

Aw, crap!

last night I worked on the broadripple a bit more and then decided to try it on to see how much further I have to go -- and it didn't fit!!! *insert a Lucy "Wah"*


So I put it aside, and picked up the yarn and needes to attempt the heart sachet from Interweave knits... charts and I don't mix too well. Is anyone else trying this? I probably could use some back up.

My friend Betsy is knitting a scarf for Sam Watterston - nifty huh?

Short Weeks are still long

It's the end of wednesday - almost thursday! And that marks the end of this week for me - I took off Friday. I'm glad for it as our school is looking to be a little wacky and very "go-with-the-flow". So, one more day to sort through.

I'm still plugging away at the Rebecca eyelet cardi, and my first broadripple sock (I'm fascinated with how those stitches make the pattern!) I'm antsy to cast on for the Heart Sachet - I was hoping that if it's cute enough that I'll make one for my mom for Mother's Day.

I've joined the "back-tack" swap (gotta get the button up on the side) - how cool is this knitting fabric?!

Trips!

I've been busy the past two days. Yesterday another teacher from work and I took the train into New York. We really just wandered around, but did make it to Dylan's Candy Bar, the Hello Kitty store, Ricky's Urban Groove (I got some GREAT magnets and a pin, "Caffeine Queen" and Frozen Hot Chocolate Mix that we weren't able to have at this restaurant (also featured in one of my favorite movies) because the wait was too long!)

I even managed to drag my friend down to Knit NY - it was cute inside - smaller than I thought it would be. They had a sampling of many different things, and while I didn't get anything there yarn related it was nice to check it out. I did try the Naked Berry Blast juice which was yummy.

Today we went into RI to visit my grandmother and make a trip to the zoo. I have been so many times, but this was the best. My uncle works in the human services department and was able to take us "back stage" - we saw Mikey the baby zebra (who wasn't even out because he's recovering from a medical thing), we got to FEED Golden Lion Tamarins and white faced saki monkeys!! So neat! One jumped on my shoulder - they were startled easily, but were gentle and would respond to "Hand" - they put their hand briefly on yours and then you gave them their food - nuts, grapes or live mealworms!! The unexpected kicker of the day was feeding the ELEPHANTS!!!! Their trunks are like a vacuum cleaner inside a mitten! That was so unbelievable to be able to have that opportunity!

So cool, but soo tired now. Nap time made me feel a little less tired but more cranky. Now it's time to play catch-up on the blogs!

New Yarn :^) and book release

Today I met up with Dan for lunch - it was soooo yummy! Such a nice day out too! After lunch I went to my favorite knitting store - Yarns Down Under - I may be a younger knitter, but I am always treated with respect and interest in my current projects. Other yarn stores in CT have people working in them that would like nothing to do with customers or are trying to be too helpful and it comes across pushy or there's just so much stuff in the store I don't know where to start. Y.D.U. is a wonderful little shop - they even had the Filatura Di Crosa "Elena"!! I love it I love it I love it!!

I ended up with yarn to make the knitty ribbon x-back tank, one of the shrugs from the interweave knitters online patterns and the heart sachet.

Turnovers

It looks so nice out, I think I'll walk over to the library (the good one, not the one of frequent rants) and post office in a few moments. Also on tap for today is that I want to complete the ears for the Bobbi Bear (which really is huge. the size of my thigh.), keep working on Broadripple (this is knitting up so nice, although I keep getting "caught" at the join end of the circular needles. I'm using Addi Turbos, but I'm trying to keep those end stitches tight.... oh well. Also keep working on the Rebecca wrap. Swap out the winter clothes for the summer / spring. Find my reef flip-flops. FIgure out what to have for dinner.

While getting RAOKs ready this morning I had on "A Perfect Murder" (it was still too early for spunge or daytime talk tv) - Aragorn is in this movie!!! Never realized that before. He's so cute.

Lazy Day

It's so nice to have a day where I don't have to get lesson plans done before I do anything else. This morning I got up, did yoga (tried to anyway), made a CD, ran the dishwasher and then went back to work on the bobbi bear. I'm working on the 2nd arm, and probably will take care of the ears tomorrow. This bear is WAY bigger than I would like - I wonder how well it would work with different yarn /needles to make one that is smaller, because the shape is adorable.

I'm really getting hooked on the "Showdogs Moms & Dads" show - good things to keep in mind for when we get a dog - I don't want to be on this show~!!

Waiting in Lines

Today I went shopping to pamper myself. Spring Break woo-hoo! I think I got some pretty good deals. There's still no good spunge on tv, although the Discovery health channel has some interesting shows.

I went to the post office to post a few RAOKs and saw that there are Muppet / Jim Henson Stamps - did I know this already? Perhaps.

Bloglines let me sign in, then booted me out - acocrding to their news the problem has been fixed...

AND Target has some great dollar deals - they actually had a lot of beading stuff in the section I went to (wine charm kits, beads (all shapes / sizes / colors) - I got 2 sets of charms that I want to use as stitch markers for my smaller projects. Also, in the same section I got a cd case that I'll be using to store my circulars (some of them anyway) AND they had some very cool bug / frog stuff (magnets, stickers, puzzles) - miraculously, I held back :^P

Lifetime

Dan was up and out early this morning - I didn't sleep in too much, because it IS the first day of spring break (woohoo!) I was trying to log in to bloglines but it keeps telling me my password is no good. When I ask for it to be emailed I get a message that the email is invalid, and the password has been sent. Confusing? yeah.

There's nothing on tv on Saturday mornings. I was hoping for spunge (trash tv, think any reality show on MTV) and found out that we get the Lifetime Movie Network - right now Sally Field is a "Woman of Independent Means" or something like that - she has cried and screamed and been a "lady of society". Meh.

Last night we were watching "Oceans Twelve" (it was slow and choppy and we turned it off half way through) I needed some stupid knitting - low-thinking stuff - I have to pay too much attention to the Rebecca wrap (I screwed up another row, I'm refusing to frog) so I cast on for a pair of Broadripple socks. Holy chickens, I'm stupid or something - I kept messing up that pattern too, so I stopped all together. double meh.