Sunday Snaps

We had an addition to our family... her name is Tinkerbell.

Our eldest turned 20... her name is Peanut.

We had a wonderful Spring Break, partly hosted by an amazing man... his name was Walt.

Our family wishes everyone a blessed Easter - may you be surround by those you love.

Weekend Wonderment ~ 3/29 - 4/1

I think it might even look a lot like a bunny... at least, I'm hoping it looks a lot like a bunny!

We're winding up our Spring Break this weekend but thankfully the kids are off through Easter Monday so that's nice.  Hobbit is going to go fishing with her daddy and I'm going to enjoy the quiet until they return with stories about the ones that got away.

We'll be eating dinner with my mama and great aunt for Easter but she promised a plate will be sent home for Pokey's supper so he doesn't miss out since he has to work.  My hope is to craft at least one bunny today and one on Sunday because I know my great aunt will want one... this will keep her from bogarting my mama's or Hobbit's.  Yes, she has no shame and does so with the simple statement of "I'm old, you can have it back when I'm dead".  I'm not joking, she seriously uses this as her excuse to take what she pleases.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Our outing

I know I could save these shots for 'Sunday Snaps' in a few days but it's Easter so I am not sure if I will have time to pop on - though I could schedule it... oh let's face it, I just want to share our outing yesterday with y'all.  It was the most perfect and beautiful family day so it deserves it's own post.  Enjoy ~

There were a few new sites that we hadn't discovered before...

Along with some classic standards that we couldn't miss.

Magic was found all around, even in the simplest of things.

A new old favorite was introduced to two of my family.

A new new favorite was shared as well.

A site that I will never not tear up at, regardless of how many times I may lay my eyes on her.

Some things only get better with time.

Some things, even though out in the open, are never seen by millions.

Magical moments can happen in the blink of an eye.

You just have to know where to point yourself and simply look.

Happy Spring Break Family Day!

Gone to Disney... be back later!

Wednesday Wound-Up

I'm halfway done with the blanket I'm making.  I have another pink octagon that requires one more row on my hook.

This is the only project I have going right now.  I want to finish it before the month is out so that I can turn it in for credit in HPKCHC but I'm not sure that I'm going to make it.  We're planning on going to Disney tomorrow so that only leaves me three days to work on it.

Perhaps a hail mary is in my future... or a very quick and creative contingency plan.

Tuesday Tunes

We just bought this movie last night and plan on snuggling in to enjoy it this evening. This was one of our favorite scenes... give me goosebumps!

Speaking of, I forgot to mention who won the raffle - though considering it was just one person who entered there wasn't much suspense for this one... so Lindr, if you could email me your address I will put it in the mail to you. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for supporting my fundraising efforts for the victims of Sandy Hook. Have a wonderful day everyone - I'm off to enjoy the quiet of my own home while my hobbit is away at her grandparents.

Sunday Snaps

My baby girl turned 20 years old at 4:45 a.m... and naturally, I called her to wish her first official Happy Birthday!

There was some egg dyeing the other day and there will be more done today.

Captured a few precious moments of childhood this week.

Made a few awesome memories.

And found the perfect addition to our family.

Weekend Wonderment ~ 3/23 - 3/24

This is Tinkerbell and I have a feeling my weekend is going to be spent full of giggles, headbutting love and purrs.

It's a very eventful weekend around here.  I adopted Tinkerbell yesterday morning - the name from the shelter was "Starsky" but she and I agreed that it was way wrong.  She has integrated herself into the family perfectly.  There is sad news with Tinkerbell and we're going to talk to our vet to see if there is anything we can do for her - her previous owner had her declawed... all of her feet... front AND back!  How is this poor baby girl supposed to the simplest of things like scratch an itch now that she has no back claws?  How is she suppose to balance?  It makes me sad when I think about it and furious when I think of whatever vet performed the operation.

Back to happy news - we have a new precious little girl who is so sweet and funny.  She's the softest cat I have ever pet in my life, and Bella is pretty dang gum soft.  The only thing we have to work on is that several times during the night, I found her purring away on my pillow with me.  Cute, funny but so not good for the whole allergy aspect of things.

The birthday girl sporting her Temperature Wrap.

I also have a phone call to make at 4:45 a.m. on Sunday.  My precious baby... my little surprise miracle... she will be 20!  This is only the second birthday that we will be apart but I sent her her present early and she loved it.  I hope her cards got there in time.  She got two - one from us and one from Hobbit - and both made noise.  Ours sang and Hobbit's talked, we hoped she opened them somewhere crowded... because that would be fun!

My mama will be here soon.  She's going to spend the weekend with us and then go to Hobbit's allergy testing appointment.  Afterwards, she'll be taking Hobbit up to spend a few days of her spring break with her.  It'll be a nice full vacation week around here.  Hopefully we'll be able to go to Disney on Thursday like we planned and then she's got a wellness check-up on Friday.  Only 10 weeks of school left in the year and then we're on lazy days of summer.

Sad night, better morning

So sad… but I have had a good cry and my mama said that she would come down on Saturday and go to every place in the world with cats and help me find a new one. Initially, C.J. (or "Sarah" as she was with them) was supposed to be here yesterday afternoon before supper… then after supper and now she said maybe not until late in the evening tomorrow. That’s unprofessional and unfair to my family.

Don’t even get me started on the whackadoodle conversation via telephone I had with her about this crazy contract she sent me. She basically outlined all that I could and could not do with the cat with the final caveat of how she could terminate the adoption at any point and take possession of my cat should they feel I violated the agreement. Keep in mind, this is a random stray found out and about that was picked up by the rescue people, not some purebred.  The contract was crazy to me because once I adopt the cat, she’s mine and their role ends. Her response was that if she drove by my house and saw that she was outside, she would take her… when would she even drive by my house? She’s across town! Too crazy for my taste but the final tearful straw was when she sent me an email at 7 p.m. tonight saying she was headed out again soon and that I might could get her tomorrow evening.

I was fed up and wrote her back, saying ”This is heartbreaking and rather frustrating, I will admit. I have offered to come and pick her up several times, all of which you have denied. I am sorry, but given the lack of organization and complete disregard or attention to adoptive pet parents, I am going to have to decline taking Sarah and will search for another cat to fill our hearts and home.” It broke my heart to write that but I know it was the right thing to do.

It seems that the bigger picture has been totally lost on this woman. She wrote me a nasty email in return that I won’t even go into because it just proves how self-righteous and whackadoodlely she truly is and though I feel horrible about not being able to bring the cat into our lives, but I’m very thankful to have not brought that woman in in return.

I’ve been looking at the humane and spca shelters for this weekend. I might head over to the one in Clearwater today after I take Hobbit to school. I think I need a quiet day to visit with them without her and my mama. If I find one, I can always bring her home and surprise everyone... if I don't, then I will look again tomorrow.

Wowzers, what a day!

I know I normally do "Nibbles and Narratives" today but I just have to tell you about yesterday... it was crazy!

We went to adopt a cat because I have done a ton of research about how to control my allergies so my love of cats can be a reality again instead of just cooing at photos or pressing my nose against the window like a kid at a Christmas display.  After several  visits to different locations, I found her.  They have her named as Sarah but when she comes home, she'll be Claudia Jean - C.J. for short.  She's beautiful and it was love at first sight.  Cuddles and kiss and mountains of purring later, I had filled out all the necessary paperwork but the adoption location didn't email me the contract, whatever that might be, and so I'm waiting to hear back this morning.  I don't understand why some of these places believe that they have the right to tell me what I can or can't to do with her after she is mine - not that I plan on doing anything cruel but you should read some of the stipulations they set out... but I digress.

So after coming home from the high that is finding my perfect feline friend, we get slapped in the face.  Oh yes, it was that harsh - someone stole my identity and debit card information then proceeded to purchase two identical laptops from Best Buy via their website.  I immediately contact my bank and have the card cancelled... they get me all set and promised to return the funds within 12 hours.  I was pleased with their efficiency... but I don't stop there.  I call Best Buy customer service center and explain the situation. 

At first, they wanted order numbers - which I obviously don't have - so when they stopped to actually listen to what I was saying, they were very helpful as well.  They looked the transaction up by my debit card number and found the orders, which totaled almost $1,000.  Then they contacted the store because the thief was going to pick them up.. in a local store!  The representative was able to cancel one but not the other, which is fine because doofus will attempt to retrieve his booty only be arrested.  That's right, arrested.

I contacted the police department who then worked diligently to set up with the store so that when this scumbag comes in, they stall him by writing down all his information from his driver's license while the police show up to take him down.  This isn't some petty theft either - it's a federal offense and he will be charged with something like 4 counts, 2 federal, for each laptop... so that's 8 counts total, including such things as fraud, identity theft, grand larceny... oh yeah, if I can't afford to get myself a new computer then this unintelligent rectal opening is not going to get one at my expense!!

So that's been my past 18 hours - hopefully tomorrow I will have some photos of C.J. to share with y'all because my weekend plans will be to hang out with her and watch a little West Wing.  Something a little less exciting is exactly what is in need right now.

Wednesday Wound-Up

I have been waiting forever to share this project with y'all - but I didn't want to ruin Peanut's birthday surprise.

It's been done for a while but it had to make a 1,600 mile journey to it's intended recipient before I could share it with y'all.  It arrived safely yesterday and was donned to brave the -14*F walk to class... and apparently, it 'smells like Florida' which made it an added toasty warm bonus.

This is the Temperature Wrap that I made for Peanut's 20th birthday, which is on Sunday.  I had to mail it to her dorm up in South Dakota because we won't be able to see her this year - though I still uphold my tradition of calling her at the precise time she was born so I can be the first one to officially wish her a "Happy Birthday"... and in case you are curious, she was born at 4:45 a.m.  I have done it every year of her life - when she was still at home I would jump on her in her bed to wish happy birthday but now, I just call because she's too far to jump on.  Last year, neither one of us slept because it was her first birthday apart and neither one of us wanted to miss our special tradition - yeah, the thought makes me tear up so we'll move on.

Peanut carried me with her (via a phone call) to the campus post office while she was picking up her present... all the while commenting on how utterly Icelandic it was so instead of her waiting to open it on Sunday, I urged her to open it then.  She seemed pleased and said that it was wonderfully squishy and very pretty... and that it smelled like Florida.  I went on to explain to her why it was done as it was and what it all meant - she said it was cool but I'm guessing that was more for my benefit which is still sweet.

I have never been more proud of a project in my entire life.  That thing is over 5 feet long and has almost 1,000 yards of yarn put into it... and I did it in just over a week - I had to wait for the orange and red additions to come in the mail.  I absolutely love it and am thinking of making another but I'm not sure of the color palette yet because there isn't much difference in temperatures here in Florida - unless I did it more in the way of sunny vs cloudy vs rainy and use yellows, greys and blues... now that's a thought.

In other project news, I am plugging along on my afghan and I think it will be a stunner when it's done.  I'm hoping to turn it in for Charms class over at HPKCHC because this month, I'm testing the yardage bonus.  I turned in Peanut's wrap for DADA (Defense Against the Dark Arts) and then hopefully this one for Charms.  That's just two classes when I normally turn in all six plus Quidditch.  I was awarded 176 points in January and 158 points in February so we'll see what two classes with super huge yardage yields.  If I can, I'm going to fill in with some smaller projects for an additional class or two - like my first attempt at an octagon that was one side short is now a hotpad and my Divination homework.

Tuesday Tunes

Just a little something to get Tuesday off to a great start!

Motivational Monday

This totally sums up my week perfectly!  You'll see soon but all the elements of my life are fully represented... my girls, my folks, my husband and our life.  It's funny how something so simple as creating a board once a week truly does capture my life in the moment.

I hope this week's creation inspires you as much as it has me!

Sunday Snaps

It's been a week full of really fun and exciting things... that I can't share!

It's also been a rather slow week as far as productivity on other projects go so there isn't much to share there either.

But today we're "Going Green" over at the Hufflepuff house to show our love to Slytherin... that I can share!

Happy St. Patrick's Day y'all... in our house it's "Happy Day You Should Have Been Born" to Peanut... lol.  I'm off to go visit my mama for the day - be safe and have a fabulous time, whatever you're celebrating.

Weekend Wonderment ~ 3/15 - 3/17

I got up before Pokey... this is the end result of being 'self-sufficient' and having a sweet husband... oh my!

I know I normally shoot my crafting plans for the weekend but since I've only got the one project going and you've seen it just the other day, this was way funnier.  I will have an update on it by Sunday - hopefully one that says it's twice as big as it was on Friday... kinda like my coffee situation this morning!

Nibbles and Narratives

I made some delicious Zucchini Bread this week because life is always better when you have Zucchini Bread.

I have not read much and I'll explain why because I know that photo can only distract you for so long... so here's another because the explanation is rather simple -

I needed to get new glasses so that I could actually read without getting a headache.

So now that my specs are spectacular and I can read for more than five minutes without it getting all blurry and my head pounding, I'll be back on track in no time.  Watch out Middle Earth... I'm coming for ya!!

Wednesday Wound-Up

I finished Peanut's birthday present but I can't show it to you yet.. just in case...

However, I did get some new glasses yesterday - rocking the geek chic now.  I love them!

I can also show you the progress that I've made on my afghan - just about 1/4 done so hopefully I can finish this month.

I know, it's odd... I'm working on just one thing - I want to finish it this month for Charms class and get a yardage bonus.  I've turned in Peanut's birthday present for DADA (so suiting since she's such a Slytherin, like my favorite DADA professor) and it was just under 1,000 yards!!  I normally go for little projects and hitting all six classes but I was curious how it worked out if I only did a few classes but turned in larger assignments.  Will it even out or will the yardage just knock it out of the park.

I really want to show you Peanut's birthday present because it is so full of awesome that I can't stand it!!  Just as soon as I know that she's opened it (and hopefully loves it), I'll share with y'all.  Normally I wouldn't think twice about it but I'm not sure if doesn't pop over here from time to time lately so we'll keep it under wraps for now.

What are y'all working on?

Tuesday Tunes - Pokey's Choice

Pokey picked this song for me today... I'm fixin' to go pick up my new frames now so it's fitting... silly boy.

How about a raffle?

My kids say looks like a clown ran into it... makes me giggle every time I think about it.

Normally on Mondays I make a mood board to motivate me and help inspire or lead my projects along but this Monday, I've decided to motivate everyone else... to lend a hand by donating to charity.

Do y'all remember when I said that I would donate 100% of all my slipper pattern sales for the year to the families of the Sandy Hook Elementary school tragedy?  So far, I've raised $20 and that is an amazing effort from everyone that I so appreciate, especially in this tough economic climate we live in... and I'm just a tiny little blog in a great big world so I know better than to dream of sending tens of thousands of dollars... but I do have a goal.  It's rather lofty for my little blog but it's a goal all the same.  I'd like to raise $500 for them.

In my head this money would buy a family a very nice Christmas this year... a year when Christmas will be flooded with memories and sorrow.  It would help ease some of the financial burden that happens during the holidays - hopefully taking the pressure off from at least one area of their lives.  It's not a lot in the big scheme of things but when you break it down, it's a small miracle for someone.

So, to help things along, I have decided to have a raffle... are you ready?  I've been on the hunt recently for a spinning wheel - new, used, rentable... I want to learn to spin on something other than my drop spindle that simply lives up to it's name and inflames the pain in my shoulder and hands.  In order to get ready for this wheel, which I know I will find one day, I have been entering contests to win roving - and I won one.  I'm not getting into the details of the event because it was actually less than pleasant but the gist was to post colorway inspiring artwork and these people would design roving around it based off of the votes it received.  My original graphic artwork, posted above, received almost three times as many votes as any other photo posted and here is what arrived...

It arrived yesterday in the post.  The photo shows the true color, no enhancements or processing.

I can't bring myself to muck it up on my drop spindle while I wait for the wheel of my dreams (and budget) to find me so I thought that I would raffle it off here.  What do y'all think - it's a 4 oz. braid of BFL according to the tag on it.

Here's how you can enter to win this one of a kind bit of roving ~

1. Purchase a slipper pattern between now and 11:59 p.m. EDT on March 23rd and your name will entered into the drawing.
2. If you've already purchased the pattern, simply donate through the button link on the upper right of this page.  Any dollar amount is welcome - each $5 increment earns an additional entry.  So if you donate $10, you will have a total of 3 entries - 1 entry for simply donating and then 2 additional entries for each $5 donated.

I will be doing the drawing on March 24th - my eldest daughter's 20th birthday!  I think celebrating the love of my child through fundraising for those who lost theirs is a good way to honor both them and my baby girl, in my very humble opinion.

Sunday Snaps

This week, we spent a little time at the Strawberry Festival...

Spent a lot of time with pediatricians and allergists...

Worked on these things in the waiting rooms of the pediatrician and allergist...

Started to feel a bit better and held a teddy bear's birthday party - complete with 'streamers'...

Had the finishing touches arrive in the post for the best birthday present ever imagined...

And tomorrow... well, you'll have to wait and see!

Weekend Wonderment ~ 3/8 - 3/11

The original idea called for 20 segments, the modified adds 3 on each end.

I've got one more segment to do in the color called "Peapod" which was used in 8 and 18... well, I had one more to do before it was done but then I decided to bookend it with her months before she left and her months home before she goes to Flagler.  The best part is that they are yummy shades of orange and red and the temperatures worked out to where they are identical on each side!  I like how well this has all worked out.  I hope she loves it as much as I do.  Once it's blocked, I'm thinking it should measure close to 70" because we're pushing 45" right now.  It has a nice soft spring to it so I'm going to read up on how well the Swish DK blocks out.

Those octagons and squares are going to see some action too because once I'm done with the temperature scarf/shawl/wrap thingie, it will have all my attention.  I'm hoping to turn both of them in, complete, for class assignments over at HPKCHC this month.  The yardage bonus is something that I have not attempted before so it should be interesting to see how it all plays out in the end result.

So that's my weekend... taking care of snuffly Hobbit and crafting myself silly.

Consider it a Twix

Everything is coming along nicely!

You know, two for the price of one kind of thing... a "Bogo", if you will.  Yes, I know I was quiet yesterday but we were at the pediatrician's office all morning... and today, we'll be at the allergist's all morning trying to figure out what is going on with Hobbit so that she can finally feel better.  She's been icky since January and since it keeps coming back after her prescriptions run out, her pediatrician has decided that a scratch test is what is needed because it no longer fits within the "sinus infection" area because it won't clear up.

All of that to simply say, I'm sorry I missed Wednesday Wound-Up... but I was able to work on two color segments during the wait and I'm sure I'll get the last one and a half while we wait today.  Once I do, I'll be ready for the yarn that is scheduled to arrive on Saturday!  I plug away on the afghan I'm working on while I wait for Hobbit in the school pick up queue or while watching television.  I've not got the pattern memorized so I'm not comfortable yet working on it in the waiting rooms but it's in my bag, just in case.

My book is in my bag too but I'll be honest, I've had too much fun with the scarf/shawl/wrap thingie to actually read it.  If I've had free time this week, it's been spent working up over 700 yards of yarn (and that's just the temperature thingie!) and I'm sure that is a forgivable 'offense'.  I will make time this coming week to read a bit more though because I do miss it.  I am also planning on making this breakfast cake so that Pokey can  have something to eat in the mornings.  It's better for him than eating eggs every morning and since he despises cereal, I thought this would be a nice alternative.  I'm going to make it lower in fat and cholesterol by using skim milk and such but it should taste wonderful.  I'll let you know since I'm going to make it after we get back from the allergist today.

Wish us luck!

M

Bet you thought I made a mistake in the title of this post.  Nope, I didn't... I went old school.  That's a roman numeral.  It's representing this quasi historic post, my 1000th post.  Who would have thought that I had so much say as a funky little shutterbug, knitwit, blogging monster that requires coffee to function?  Certainly not me.

I figured that this little project would have lasted six months, maybe a year, before life just got in the way.  The weirder life got though, the more I wrote.  I never expect anyone to honestly read it.  Sure, in my head I'm my own little superstar but to have other people get a giggle out of my ramblings just amazes me.

I thank all of you who've pop over to join me for some coffee and crafting.  It's been a blast and here's to a thousand more moments of silliness that are my world.

Honesty, sincerity and integrity

So, it's been an interesting start to the month, to say the least... and all I can think about is how important honesty and integrity are - to a person, a business and a nation.  Many people simply give up in defeat when dealing with those who seem to lack these qualities but that's not the way - you must fight for what is right.  No it isn't easy but as a very wise man once said...

To all who have been dealing with things that are less than pleasant these past few days, I hope that you are able to remember these words... but more importantly, I hope you are able to emulate their meaning.  While our words hold great power, there is even greater power in our actions.

Be good.  Be kind.  Be brave.

Sunday Snaps

We still have both the cats and slowly but surely, Bella has been coming out more and more.

I have made just a round and a half with this project, trying to do a 2x2 ribbing for the cuff.

Smudge has made her presence known and she apparently has nothing off limits.. even my grandfather's sweater chest!

Made an awesome supper that was gobbled up by all.

Seriously, she follows me around the house constantly.  It's cute and rather sad.

Just proving the power of blocking with my hat that I finished this past week.  Yeah, I dyed that yarn too!

Hobbit has been sneaking her crochet to school - teacher said she could do it during free time.  Such a Slytherpuff.

I started on the Temperature shawl Friday...

I was this far by Saturday night just before supper!

Added two more colors for the temperatures in Florida... can you guess which ones they are?

Seriously, she's still with me.  This chair is behind my desk chair.  Don't look at her though, she'll yell at you.

So that's been my week... cats, crochet and cooking.  Is there more to life?