Nerd Wars: Round 1 complete!

I completed all 6 challenges AND the team unity challenge! I am so pleased with myself. Here is what I made this month... projects are on my Ravelry project page.  If you want any "patterns" for the things I  made, just shoot me an email and I'll write out what I did for you.

In the Pink ~ Nerd Wars challenge: Team Spirit

Finchen Coaster ~ Nerd Wars challenge: Scientific

Ragtime Queen Bookmark ~ Nerd Wars challenge:  Technical

Wisdom ~ Nerd Wars challenge:  Intellectual

Nerdalicious ~ Nerd Wars challenge:  Nerd Culture (and Team Unity qualifier)

Those are all the projects I created.  I also completed the Nerd Wars challenge:  Giving Geeks by participating in the Fellowship Walk for Child's Play 2011 over on Landroval server for Lord of the Rings Online game.

We raised $6223.14 - our goal was $5000... truly a bunch of giving geeks here!

I just wanted to share since I am pretty proud.  Yeah, my freak flag is flying high.

Soggy start to the week

It's raining.  I'm tickled to death that it is just raining to beat the band.  Hobbit lost her privilege to go Trick or Treating  because of her recent reports from school.  I felt like a complete poopie-head for taking it away but I knew it would have a huge impact.  Now, with the rain, I don't feel so horribly mean but it also makes me wonder, is the impact of the punishment still even there.  Oh well, either way I see it as a win-win.

For those who are still able to go and venture outside tonight, please be careful.  I heard from a friend about a new torture for gummy candy (being soaked in alcohol, namely vodka).  Don't forget to not eat anything until it is thoroughly inspected and that you can take all candy to the local hospitals for x-raying before consumption.. man, with all these precautions I can't imagine why anyone would allow their kids to participate any more.  It's just so sad when you stop to think about it.

Oh well, midnight tonight officially starts the holiday season for me anyway.  I much prefer Thanksgiving and Christmas to any other part of the year... although this year, well... let's just say things are going to be different.  Some good, some not so good... but definitely different.

Sunday Snaps

I finished the bane of my knitting existence...

I figured out something new in the world of crochet...

Princesses and puppies were precious, as usual...

And comfort food really does the trick.

Yesterday was spent recharging, redirecting and relearning... and today, it will be relaxing even if I have to ring someone's neck to make it that way.  Phases can be so trying and all I have the strength left to do with this one is to pray that it ends quickly.  But Monday is a new week, a new attempt at getting it all right...

Weekend Wonderment ~ 10/28 - 10/30

Quiet weekend ahead

1. Graft the completed scarf and reblock.
2. Finish the last 4" of Pokey's sleeve and start the second one.
3. Go through my magazines and find a new project - I'm thinking something for Hobbit.

It's been a rough week here and so this weekend, I am not planning on getting a whole lot accomplished.  My main focus is to get Hobbit in gear - it's a long story but the skinny of it is that she is not behaving as we thought in school (green smiles mean nothing apparently) and therefore we're going to be doing a lot of talking, listening and redirecting this weekend.  She may be a miniature version of me in every other way but she certainly get the inability to behave in school from me... I actually enjoyed it and was a good girl, ask my mama.

I hope that your weekend is full of love, laughter and smiles - it might offset the mood of mine.

What's on your list of things to do for this weekend?  Anything exciting planned - trips, adventures, projects?

Ooooo... 70! You know what that means...

I just saw that we have 70 friends now!  I promised a giveaway of 5 patterns when we reached 70 so guess what - I'm giving away 5 patterns.  Hang on, let me ask Pokey to pick a number from 1 to 70... I'll be right back...

Suspenseful isn't it...

He picked 28 which would be...

Laura Moiser!

How cool is that - and she writes a sweet blog about her farm, family, friend and crafty adventures that gets sprinkled with some delicious recipes too.  She's a Jill of All Trades, this one.  Be sure to wander over and take a look at her part of the world.  Laura has been quiet for a bit but I'm sure it's because running a farm isn't easy.  While she cares for those around her, wander around her recipe section - I bet you'll find a thing or three to drool over!

So Laura, shoot me an email with your wish list and I'll see what I can do to make that happen for you.  If I don't hear back from her by Sunday night, 10 p.m. EST, I'll have Hobbit pick another number.

I'm gonna be honest with you

... I don't like Halloween.  At all.  I mean none of it.  I find the concept of walking around in the dark begging for candy creepy... and things have seriously gone downhill since I was a kid... you know, back when Halloween was actually fun.

Lots of you are probably making that "psssh" noise at me but hear me out.  I've got some legitimate information and positions to back up my dislike of this yearly event.  Let's start with the age of Trick-or-Treaters, shall we?  Last year, I had several old drunk couples show up at my door demanding candy.  Demanding it!  I had age appropriate Treaters (age 2 to 12) but they were few and far between.  The vast majority of the people begging at my doorstep last year were well into their teens and possibly early twenties - minus the aforementioned old drunk couples.

Now that we've covered the age, let's talk about the costumes.  Showing up with a bit of white face paint or some fake scars does not a costume make.  Put some effort into it for crying out loud... oh, and enough with the zombies already.  Last year alone I saw enough zombies, zombie cheerleaders, zombie brides and zombie babies to choke a horse.  While we're talking about the costumes - ladies, please stop dressing like street walkers.  I don't care if the package said "Nurse" or "Princess" or any such thing and it barely covers your hiney.  If you want to be a vamp hoochie, do it at home because I can guarantee you that I don't want to see it.

Okay so we've covered the ages and costumes - let's talk about buckets.  Pumpkin buckets.  Where did they go?  Why don't you use one?  You're out Trick-or-Treating therefore you should carry a pumpkin bucket... not a flipping king size pillow case!  Candy is expensive, you get one fun-size from this house - a pumpkin bucket would put things back into proportion.  Actually, this year we're doing pretzel bags so it would look monstrous inside the pumpkin bucket... a pillow case just makes you look like a greedy bugger.

All of these reasons, plus the fact that I completely despise being scared, make up why I don't like Halloween.  If Hobbit wants to wear a costume, she can do that any day of the year.  I'm one of those parents who will take her shopping dressed as a princess pirate cowgirl because it doesn't bother me.  More power to her... shoot, I've been known to sport a tiara and wings on errand outings before.  Then again, I dance in the store if a good song comes on so what do I know.  If Hobbit wants candy, she can reach in the cupboard and get some.  There is always something sweet in this house... I would be a mess otherwise because chocolate really does fix everything.

Do you think she'd be miffed if I dressed her up, shoved her outside on the porch and just let her knock on our door?  Yeah, I thought so too.  Oh well, at least it's just once a year...

Tuesday Tunes ~ In a mood

Some would say that this is a sad song, and I guess it is, but to me - I don't know. It just moves me. I just had to share this one today - for whatever mood you are in or want to be in. Many blessings to all of you.

Motivational Monday ~ 10/24

I need to get back on track this week... I feel like I say that every week but this past one was a dozy.  Sick babies and such really make a house go on end, you know.  So here is my down and dirty list for the week ~

• Physical ~ Move for 30 minutes (Wii or videos - whichever fits the mood).
• Social/Emotional ~ Take 20 minutes to focus before starting supper each night.
• Mental ~ Read one chapter a day - pick a book, any book.
• Spiritual ~ Continue to knit for the hour in the car line and using the time to get centered.

There it is - my little list of things that keep me sane.  This week it has been tweaked just a touch and I think it will work out just fine.  By the way, do you know that 30 minutes of moving can also include things like deep cleaning (vacuuming, mopping and scrubbing)... me neither!  I found this really neat little calculator though to help me figure a few new ways to count exercise into my day.

I've also got two boxes set to go out in the post today... one to my baby and one to a dear friend.  Life is all about paying it forward, passing it on and perking people up.  I hope my boxes full of little happies do just that - because that lifts me up too.

I have a small challenge

Source

I love their work, I really do.  It's gorgeous.  Every time I see a pattern that is just perfect for me, I know they wrote it.  It's a constant - our tastes are in perfect harmony.  There is just one challenge - I can't stand the way they write their patterns.

Sure, I could spend half an hour or so reformatting the pattern to meet my needs but I don't think I should have to... or I just don't want to is also a true statement.  Everyone else in the knitting universe writes patterns the same way.  It's like there is an unwritten code of conduct that one must follow if they are to write a pattern for the rest of the world to follow.  So why don't they?

It breaks me heart because I've just spent the past hour going through Ravelry for a cardigan pattern for me.  I found several that I absolutely loved and three that I truly believe I can not live without... although, I am going to have to because they wrote it.  Why!  It's like the knitting universe is playing a prank on me today.

I know, I can either suck it up and rewrite the pattern so it suites me, simply use their pattern as they wrote it and hope for the best or - and this is what I will more than likely end up doing - let out a small sigh of disappointment and simply move on.

... Sigh

Sunday Snaps

Sweet surprises to start the week

Poor sick baby in the middle of the week.

Towards the end of the week, it started to actually feel like Autumn.

But Friday was the most beautiful day of all this week.

Kids were out of school so we went to visit some dear friends of ours.

Spent the day getting a little sunshine and fresh air since the temperatures were much cooler than normal.

Just a quick jaunt around the world, really.

That ended with the sweetest treat of all.

This week has been completely crazy - full of highs and lows.  I know you need the one to make the other shine but my goodness, what I wouldn't give for a bit of even keel this coming week.  I hope that your week was as full of love and laughter as mine.

Did you make any special memories this past week?

It's been a wild ride, let me tell you

At 2 p.m. yesterday, I got a call that breaks every parent's heart - your child is in the school clinic with a fever of 104.9.  Pokey had been the one to grab the phone so he relayed the message to me.  Before he even had the handset back on the cradle, I was out the door.  My poor Hobbit!

I arrived at her school to pick up my teary baby girl.  Miserable was written all over her precious face.  I kept beating myself up internally because when I got home from dropping her off at school that morning, I came home and set a doctor appointment for her that afternoon for her cough.  Somehow, I should have known that she was going to pop a high fever out of nowhere and feel miserable today.  I should have kept her home even though she was her normal giggly self... I'm a horrible mama.

I get my baby bundled into the car and head straight for the doctor's office.  Sure, we're 2 hours early for our appointment but we've been going to that office for six years - they know me.  I'll just tell Cathy, the sweetest receptionist on the planet, and she'll work us in early.  Enter snafu number two - there was some new little girl working the front!  Oh no - this wouldn't do for me at all.  I may have been a bit more stern than necessary when I went up the second time but if I was, Cathy backed me up wholeheartedly when she came around the corner.  She asked the girl why we were still waiting when Hobbit had such a high fever - clear a room and get us back there now.  See, Cathy truly is awesome - I'm starting to think it has something to do with the name!

When Bernie came back to the room, he knew immediately that Hobbit didn't feel well.  The two of them are so funny to watch - the banter and playfulness between them is amazing.  Sure, he's a nurse practitioner but I won't take her to see anyone else because he actually talks to her and listens to her... he treats her like a person, not like some ignorant soul who is too young to be able to tell him exactly what is going on.  Hobbit will tell it like it is - you can ask her anything in the world, embarrassing or not, and she'll give you an honest answer.  Under normal circumstances, she talks like a very small opinionated old lady.  The inflection, gestures and everything... she cracks me up.  So when none of this was happening, Bernie's face went from his usual jovial smile to complete professional mode - he knew that this was serious and he was going to fix it.  Exams, chest x-rays, questions and consultations with Dr. Mike (my doctor) because he wasn't taking any chances - end conclusion was severe Bronchitis to be treated with a very aggressive dose of Amoxicillin.  Before we left, Hobbit looked at Bernie and asked, very seriously, if she was still allowed to go to Epcot on Friday.  Bernie smiled at me, I shrugged back with a sheepish grin of my own - what can I say, she loves going to Disney.  He pet her hair and told her what had to happen before he would be comfortable with her going - that fever had to be gone all day Thursday, she had to take her medicine like a good girl and she had to keep drinking and resting.  If she was able to do all those things, then he would say okay to her still going on Friday.  She looked up from her paper covered pillow, gave him her best grin and said she would go one better, she'd sit in her stroller (something she despised as a little girl).  They had an accord and Bernie patted her, reminding her that when she comes back next week that she better be up to giving him the usual hard time... because he missed his normal patient.

With my tears still being held back by the grace of God alone, I took my little lump of a girl home.  I changed her into her requested "sissy school shirt", snuggled her into the sofa with all her most prized possessions (blankie, Spots and silky pillow) and that is where she stayed until roughly 3 a.m. and that is where she is now... although now she is fever free, ate a little granola bar, drank a juice box and is working on a bottle of water.  She also was able to take her medicine without throwing up today so I'm calling it a beautiful day.  The weather is crisp and cool, the child has color back in her cheeks and everything is looking up.

It has definitely been one crazy 24 hours to say the least... but it looks like we'll be back to our normal version of crazy very soon.

Congratulations, Susan P!

Sure, it happened past midnight and I had given my little challenge a cut off of midnight... but just like the Pirate Code, it was more of a guideline really.  With that said - Congratulations to Susan Padilla!!

I did a very scientific means of pulling a number for this - I looked over at my yet to caffeine-inhanced husband and said "Pokey, pick a number between 1 and 65" to which he closed his eyes and said "Okay, got it"... and then waited for something magical to happen.  I, still waiting to be caffeine-inhanced, waited for a good minute before I realized that I did not have the necessary training or power to guess his number so he had to tell it to me.  I counted backwards on the listing, skipping myself and Pokey, and landed on Susan.

So Susie-Q, shoot me an email and I'll gather up five patterns to send to you.  You can even throw in suggestions or wishes - I may honor them, you just never know.  Please note, all the patterns in my collection are free to the universe so I am not violating any copyrights.  Well, that's not true - I did pay for one downloaded pattern but I know which one that is so I won't be sending it... but all the others (and I'm talking hundreds folks) are fair game.  Oh yeah, and if I don't hear from Susan by Saturday, I'll just have Hobbit give me a number and we'll try it again.

Great job on adding five more friends to our party... we're that much closer to 100 and one heck of a goodie bag!!  Gosh, I feel like Ellen... woo hoo!

Flash mob... well... sort of.. okay, not really

It's more like a flash giveaway.  I have been trying all day to add just 5 people to our ranks... either here or on Facebook.  Once we get those 5 people, I'm going to give away 5 patterns from my collection to one lucky winner.

So while I would love to bust out in a random dance with thousands of people, I'll just send this little message out to all of you and we can up our numbers!  Let's hit 70 here or 65 on Facebook - I want to celebrate today!!

Ends at midnight, EST - that leaves us about 3:30 hours - you can do it!

Tuesday Tunes ~ Giggle Edition

What can I say, Rascal Flatts always makes me smile. Have a great day!

Oh yeah, and since we're working on getting up to 100 for a super huge giveaway, I'll give a little boost today.  If we can get 5 more friends, I'll have a mini drawing for 5 patterns from my personal collection.  That means we hit 65 on Facebook or 70 here - I know you can do it!!

Motivational Mondays

I'm only going to focus on one aspect this week - Spiritual.  Now most people, when they see that word, jump to thoughts of whatever higher power they believe in - and that's fine... but today, I'm going to look at a different aspect of it - blessings.

When life gets overwhelming and I feel like I'm slipping into a negative kind of funk, I like to take a step back and focus on a blessing.  Just one.  Really look at it from start to finish and see the value in it... and today, I want to share with you one of my sweetest blessings, Mrs. CB.  Now, I didn't ask permission to speak about her today, which is why she is being called "Mrs. CB" and those who know me will know, that isn't a very creative name for her since it's just her initials but still - I felt moved to honour her today and I know she would refuse because she is wonderful like that.. so basically, I'm being a stinker.

Some of the most amazing people in my life are ones that I have never actually met

Here are the facts about Mrs. CB and myself.  There is a generation gap between us.  She is 1084 miles north of me and we have never actually met.  By all accounts, we should not be friends - shoot, we should not even know the other exists.. but we do, and I'm blessed.  I met Mrs. CB when she and her adorable daughter, I'll call her "Miss. J", started knitting hats for a charity that I founded.  Every month I knew I would I get a box full of hats from them - beautiful craftsmanship and always a sweet note tucked inside.  After a year or so, we connected on Facebook (wonderful invention, thanks so much Mr. Zuckerberg) and our working relationship steadily grew into a friendship and now, 3 years later, I don't remember a time without her in my life.

My surprise parcel of yarnie goodness

Mrs. CB is a sweet, caring, compassionate woman who puts the world before herself.  She has a beautiful family that is a true testament to her values.  Always working for her church or a charity, Mrs. CB stops for nothing (not even illness) to make sure that everyone around her is taken care of and happy.  Giving more than could ever be expected, she is such an inspiration.  Just the other day, we were having a conversation via Facebook about patterns.  Mrs. CB made mention that she found some wonderful items and offered to share them with me.  I was excited because if anyone knows my love of patterns, it's her!  I expected to get an email with some pdf files attached - silly me.  I should have known better - this is Mrs. CB after all.  By the end of the week, I had a parcel delivered to my house that not only had 12 gorgeous patterns inside but 4 skeins of beautiful yarn to boot!!

I was blessed back in 2009 to meet her and every day that blessing grows.  She reminds me almost daily, though she may not even be aware, that the best way to make your world better is to better someone elses first.  So thank you, Mrs. CB, for being such a blessing to me and I will most definitely being paying your love forward.

Sunday Snaps

I played with the moon for a bit...

Peanut sent Hobbit a new doll which hasn't left her side since she opened it on Tuesday...

I've been getting this face.. a lot... no idea why he's so needy lately but have a fuzzy huge shadow...

To bind and repeat with center graphing or not... that is the question.

All in all it was a slow week around here.  Nothing overly exciting happened - I hardly took any photos at all which amazes me.  You can always tell when the weeks are getting cooler because I find so many more fun things to do which makes me forget to take photographs.  One would think that I would remember my camera but I can assure you, I never fall into that "one"category.  At least this week, Hobbit has Friday off from school for a teacher planning day... I think we're going to travel around the world that day.

Oh, don't forget about our magic number (100, in case you actually did forget)... just yesterday I made three new friends.  So very exciting.  Now we only have 37 more to go - I know you can do it, I've seen your handy work.

I want to host another giveaway

Sharing the love

I do, I really do.  It was so much fun back in July.  The anticipation, announcing the winners, mailing out the parcels.  I absolutely loved it.  I've been wanting to do another one but I needed a reason to celebrate.  After much contemplation and fiddle-farting around, I've decided ~ 100 is a good reason to celebrate.

The kids celebrate 100 days in school, why can't I celebrate when I reach 100 subscribers?  So that's what I'm going to do.  As soon as I reach 100 subscribers, either here or on our Facebook page, I will host a giveaway!!

So while you go and tell all your friends, I'm going to go and gather up items for the goodie bag.  This is going to be so much fun!  Hurry, hurry - it'll be better than Christmas!!

A quick rant because I honestly don't get it

I read about it all the time - celebrity marriages that end.  They've decided to call it quits on their life together.  It's done, it can't be fixed or they don't want to work on it any longer... it's just over - quickly followed with their representatives stating that they "are still the best of friends" or that they "will always love another".  If that were true, wouldn't they stay married?

Seriously.  You can't expect me to believe that those two people, whomever the celebrity divorce of the moment happens to be, woke up and said "Baby, I will love you forever.  Let's get divorced.".. or perhaps it was more along the lines of "You are my best friend - let's end our marriage".  Yeah, that doesn't work for me.

If they truly believed those words, they would still be married.  Just saying, it doesn't make any sense at all.  Okay, that's all.  I'll put my soapbox up now.  Please, feel free to borrow it and chime in on the topic.

I Love Yarn Day!

What are you doing to celebrate National "I Love Yarn Day"?  Visit the Craft Yarn Council for ideas.

This scarf will be completed today - that's my crazy way to celebrate today.  And you?

Weekend Wonderment ~ 10/14 - 10/16

It's going to be a lovely weekend, it is.

1. Focus all my knitting energy on my Breast Cancer Awareness Scarf for Nerd Wars... which means that 1.2 is required for focusing.  My favorite combination is hanging out in Stars Hallow with my knitting.
2. Read some more of this hilarious book.  I know I initially said I was going to read "Hannah's List" by the very talented Debbie Macomber but my heart broke in the first three pages... I needed something lighter.  I'm sure I'll pick it up again after this one when I can handle the emotional strain of her story better.
3. Get off my fluffy tushy and start moving... I'll play a little bit every day with Hobbit - it's fun and exercise.  Anything is good as long as your moving, right?

What do you have planned for this wonderful weekend?

Random daydream wishes

Have you ever had a day where you can't really make a cohesive thought but instead it all just comes out as random bits of information that you pray whomever you are talking to knows you well enough to fill in the blanks?  Yeah, me too - I'm having one today actually which makes posting rather difficult.  So I'll share my random daydreams with you in picture form ~

I seem to be slowly losing my bras.  Not sure where they're going... probably partying with my other sock.

Sometimes, I get tired of being Ren McCormick and would much rather be Rusty

Love it - but why K-Mart... I mean seriously... K-Mart?

I can't wait until Hobbit and I go weekend after next... wish Pokey was off too.

I want to go yarn shopping... specifically, I want to go hog flipping wild shopping for her yarn.

I want a nap

So all of that is going through my mind - practically simultaneously... see why I can't make a cohesive sentence.  Oh well - I guess I'll just write today off and let it work it's way through.  Thank goodness Pokey is used to these days - he finds them rather amusing actually.. it's like a game I guess.  Time to go and find my way to my knitting - hope I don't get lost... don't laugh - it's happened.