Making plans

It's the first of the month which means new prompts in my most favorite game on Ravelry - The Harry Potter Knitting & Crochet House Cup! This is the last month of the Winter Term so I need to go out on a bang since my February completely fizzled.

I have resigned to the fact that my OWL is a bust. While I do love working the Vivid squares and they are so very pretty, they are not fast for me... at least not as fast as I had hoped. I get pattern fatigue so that doesn't help either. I will continue to make the blanket but it will just take me a lot longer than I originally anticipated. I figure if I keep going, at this pace, I should have it done by Christmas at the latest. That really isn't bad if you think about it. I have a whopping 6.8 squares out of 56 done... only 49.2 to go!

I might be able to save my Mission. It's not been dormant for long and if I focus, I can grind it out. I am setting aside some time over the weekend to really go at it. I will love it once it is done - and I have plans to gift it to someone upon completion. So there is hope on this front, which is good.

Now, classes. I have eight opportunities to complete something for class in the month of March. They are creative and fabulous and wonderful labors of love from the professors. Here is a quick overview of what is being offered this month ~

1. DADA - To resist the Killing Curse, revive an old project by making it again. Rav crafts only.
2. Outdoor Survival - Option 1: Practice the bluebell flame spell and create an item that is more than 50% blue. Option 2: Gather materials for a fire: spin enough yarn for a medium sized project (200 yards+), dye yarn using several colors that will result in a variegated yarn, or knit/crochet an item that is made in pieces and then assembled (i.e. stuffed animals, hats with pompoms, sweaters etc). The item must be complete. Please no blanket squares or hexipuffs for this option. Rav crafts only.
3. Transfiguration - practice highly complicated spells that require a lot of concentration or has unusual/difficult construction. Difficult lacework, cables or colorwork. Amigurumis. Spinners, spin 3-ply, chain or braided ply. Weavers, weave using a complex pick-up pattern (sticks have to be removed and replaced) or a multi-shaft pattern with a long repeat. Dyers, use a multi-step process, acid dyes or indigo/vat dyeing techniques. Rav crafts only.
4. Flying - craft something that is inspired by the early efforts of flight (kites, hot air balloons, or mythical creatures mentioned) or craft something that is inspired by the speed of flight (smaller projects, bulky yarns, or projects that were crafted quickly. Please explain how the project is considered a quick project to you). Rav crafts only.
5. Herbology - craft something inspired by the Silver Lime tree. You may use any of its natural colors (grey, silver, green, or yellow) or the shape of its leaves (heart shape) or fruit (round). Rav crafts only.
6. Divination - be inspired by the close relationship between water, Neptune and fish. (Some ideas might include crafting something blue or the texture of the waves of the sea or scales of the fish.) Non-Rav crafts accepted if they fit the prompt. Prior approval not necessary.
7. Charms - please practice the Tea-making charm by crafting something in brown to represent tea or hot chocolate OR something that is related to tea (examples include but are not limited to teapot cozies, tea wallet, mitts to hold the hot cup). If you choose to craft in the color brown, the finished object must be at least 50% brown. Rav crafts only.
8. Ancient Runes - Craft something inspired by a Mayan rune, or something green and/or gold (over 50% of the project must be gold or green). You may choose a literal interpretation of the rune, like stuffies or an image of the rune itself. Or, you may craft an abstract representation of a Mayan rune. This is open to each crafter’s interpretation, but please be sure to explain how your item fits the prompt. You may also craft something the color gold to represent Mayan rune-inscribed gold, or use green to represent the jungle where the Mayans lived. Non-Rav crafts accepted if they fit the prompt. Prior approval not necessary.

Now, there is something about this game you should know - you only get base points for the first six classes that you turn in. The other two classes you can get professorial bonus points and yardage bonus points only so if you are going to craft for all 8, make sure your last two submissions are HUGE! After four years of playing this game, I have learned that there really is no advantage to posting to all 8 classes. You can maximize your points by crafting three large (400+ yards) classes and 3 small classes that have awesomely creative turn ins. Seriously, don't scrimp on photography and storytelling because they can make a ten minute toy hat really soar to incredible heights.

So, with that experience and logic behind me, I am going to make the following things for this month:

1. DADA - I am going to make another Tutti Frutti hat because I love that pattern and I have some awesome yarn that needs to made into one for Hobbit. Pokey and I both have one (I have two, actually), so she needs hers.
2. Flying - I am going to restart my Thotful Spot hat because I only managed to complete the ribbing and since there was no way I could finish 7" of hat and the decrease in one night after working a 10 hour day that started at 4:30 am, I frogged it. I plan on casting on once I'm done here so I can get back to where I was before I have to go to the parent teacher conference this afternoon.
3. Charms - I am going to make a coffee collar to keep in my purse for Starbuck days. I can whip this up super fast so I will do it first. Plus, I have a coffee date with my friend on Friday so I can use it then. I haven' decided if I am going to do my favorite crocheted one or my favorite knit one yet.
4. Herbology - I think I am going to make this awesome Scalloped Potholder and I can play off the round fruit aspect of the prompt.
5. Transfiguration - I can make several of the hexagons from this sampler blanket. They make great potholders... and since I did not like any of the patterns so far from the Knitterati Afghan-Along, I can use the yarn I bought for it to make this blanket if I can get them done fast enough. I purchased a combined total of over 6,000 yards of five different colors to make that blanket so it should work out well.
6. Divination - I can just whip up anything I wish in the color blue. Knowing me, it will probably be another hat or coffee collar simply because I can do them quickly.

So that's my plan. I hope that by writing out, I can a) remember and b) stick to it. Goodness knows, I do love a list. 31 days in March and a 9 day holiday! Granted, my best friend is flying in from Texas for Spring Break and we do have a few Disney days but I will still be crafting in the parks. Y'all know that is where I get the best hat knitting done. She's even asked me to teach her how to crochet so there will be dedicated crafting time to boot!

Brand new day

Today, Hobbit started her new school. We are all very excited about this and hope that today is fabulous for her. Getting her out of that one school is the best thing we could have done. There are only 3 more months of school but there was no way we could have left her in that environment - the amount of damage that that particular group of educators was inflicting on her required immediate attention.

This past weekend, we decided that Hobbit needed a fun day. After all the mess of the past few weeks, she just needed a place to recapture her joy and get ready for the adventure ahead. So we took her to Epcot. It was a wonderful day spent wandering around the park and enjoying one another. It's rare that we have such a luxury of family time on the weekend so it felt great reconnecting.

We loved it so much, we even scheduled another adventure for this coming weekend - we're going to the Spirit of Aloha Luau for supper! It's something we've always wanted to do and figured that it would be a nice bookend to her first week at her new school.

While we were wandering around the park, I managed to get a large portion of her hat completed. I started with this...

I hadn't gotten much further than the ribbing when we went to the park - maybe an inch or so more than this photo shows.

I pulled my knitting out for our stroll around the countries because I could pretty much just keep it out at all times... even while waiting for supper...

I have to say, it was one of the tastiest Chinese dining experiences I have ever encountered. I had Shrimp and Steak - so good!

And by the time we got home that evening, I had managed to almost complete the body of the hat! I love the fact that I don't have to look at what I'm doing while I wander around the park. It's become such a relaxing thing for me to walk and knit that my hands just know what to do. Look at my progress...

I ended our day with a total of 6" of completed work! I only needed 8.25" before I had to bind off - very productive day.

It was easy for me to finish it last night so that Hobbit could have it today. We weren't sure of the hat policy associated with the new school so I didn't give it to her yet but it will be sitting in the car when she gets out this afternoon.

It looks like a plain old square...

But when she puts it on, it will do this...

Please, for the love of Mickey, ignore my medicine flushed and puffy face. One day, I will be healthy again, I swear.

I think that qualifies under the whole "Mama, will you make a hat with ears" label, don't you? My next adventure in travel hat knitting is going to be Nell by Lisa Gutierrez. Just enough lace to keep it interesting. Not sure I will be able to work on it around the parks but who knows. It looks to be a simple enough repeat. If not, I can always cast on something else. You never know, I just might try socks in the parks! I doubt it but never say never, right.

I hope everyone had a beautiful weekend and is enjoying a magnificent Monday.

2016 Promises to Try

I don't think I made of list of promises last year, which is interesting but odd. I have been wanting to sit down and do this for a couple of weeks but things have been insane around here. Ever since Thanksgiving it has been one thing after another. Thankfully, it seems to finally be winding down.

So, my promises. Remember, these are not earthshattering things but more or less things that I want to do to better myself. They can be health oriented, hobby oriented, spiritually oriented - whatever I want to improve upon this year. Here goes...

1. Lose weight. Yep, I went there straight off the bat. I want to lose 50 pounds. It's not a lot but I think it is a realistic goal - and honestly, any loss would be celebrated by me. I still need to talk to my doctor about how to do this but it's on the radar and I've got 52 weeks in which to do it. Having Diabetes has made this a challenge but I'm not giving up yet.
2. Read at least 4 new books this year. I will be the first to admit that I put pleasure reading by the wayside first when it comes to things that need to be dropped in order to make time. I don't like that about me because I do love reading so I'm going to make time to do this for myself.
3. Sew clothing for myself. Oh yeah, I really want to do this one. I love to wear skirts and dresses but for some reason, in order to purchase a skirt or dress for myself I need to take out a small loan. Cute dress for Hobbit or Peanut runs me about $25 but the exact same dress for me is $65 or more. Not sure why but whatever... so to combat this, I'm going to learn to make my own.
4. Knit an adult sweater. It's been taunting me. I want to do it. I'm scared to do it. I will do it - well - I will try to do it.
5. Knit a colorwork hat. I want to knit a colorwork hat. I have wanted to do this for a bit now but again, I'm scared to do it... and again, I will try.
6. Sew a purse. Not a tote or project bag but an actual purse. This will become a reality. I love purses and to make my own would be awesome.
7. Improve our credit rating. Pokey and I want to buy a house and we have a few hiccups on our report. Nothing major but we are just shy of where life would be easy for us. We've been working on this for a few years now and I want to make this the year that it's all straighted out and we can buy a home.

There you have it. My promises to try. We'll see how I fall out 365 days from now. I hope you have set some realistic things for yourself to achieve this coming year. As long as you promise to try, you have succeeded. So what are you going to try in 2016?

Thankfulness

So many blessings this week, it has been difficult to choose which I wanted to write so I figured I would just be me and write about them all.

This past week, Hobbit has been up with my folks. They drove up to Williamsburg and Jamestown, Virginia to make the same memories with her that they did with me so many years ago. I hope she had a wonderful time - judging by the photos I saw, she did. I know what you're thinking, why don't you call and ask her... well, because she's spending time with my folks and I don't want to infringe on their special time together. I will see her tomorrow and hear all about it.

This past Friday, I took the day off from work - I actually worked 4 ten hour days so I could be off on Friday - and Pokey and I spent the day at Disney's Hollywood Studios. We had a wonderful day enjoying some of our favorite attractions at our own pace. Taking Hobbit is always a treat but some days, we like to go at a little slower pace and this was one of those days. I have a ton of photos up on my Instagram account. Actually, if you start at the first one, I believe I documented our entire day at the park so you can stroll along with us - right down to knitting and reading in queue.

This week at work has been full of interesting things. I am finally down to just one job, working the normal hours I was initially told I would be working, and doing the job I was promoted to do. It has been fantastic! I have a feeling of normalcy back in my life. No more fretting over getting it all done, finding the hours, shuffling the priorities and reshuffling again. I have really enjoyed this week - and it was a short week considering I am done until Monday... another thing I'm thankful for, definitely.

Our little knitting group that my friend and I have been trying to get going looks like it's finally going to take off. We have tried different locations over the months and it appears as though this last one is the ticket. If you are in the area and have some free time on Saturday mornings, please come and join us! We're up to seven members now, Hobbit included.

We're fixing to head into a break month of all of my Ravelry tournament themed knitting groups - HPKCHC and Disney Adventures. It's been a crazy term/series but with work life settling down, this upcoming term/series should be fantastic. I've put in my request to be in a specific area of the Cup so we'll see if the blessings continue.

Speaking of more blessings, Pokey and I tried a new church this past Sunday and it was glorious. Very welcoming, not too big, powerful message, and we both agreed that we want to keep going. I truly believe we may have found our church home. Pokey wants to start their Men's Bible Study which meets before church so I'm guessing Hobbit and I can try out the Women's group that meets at the same time.

Sounds like Pokey is home with supper so I'm going to go. We've got to eat and get settled in for the night. I'm so proud of him - he's trying to quit smoking and hasn't had a cigarette or e-cigarette for the entire time that Hobbit has been away! Praise God for that for sure.

I hope y'all have a wonderful time with your loved ones tomorrow and I'll talk with you soon.

A week of quiet

I took Hobbit up to meet my folks on Wednesday afternoon. They took her to Williamsburg, VA and she's got a scavenger hunt type of homework assignment since she is missing two days of school. So far, she's been having fun and I'm happy she is able to have these special memories with her grandparents. I lost mine when I was her age so I don't have those kinds of memories - though my parents more than made up for awesome memories for us.

Yesterday, Pokey and I made memories of our own. We went to Disney's Hollywood Studios and spent the whole day wandering around, enjoy attractions, and viewing the final season of The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. If you follow me on Instagram,, then you were with me the entire day but just in case you don't, here are a few highlights.

We had a ton of fun just wandering around with no specific game plan in mind, very relaxing.

We went on the Great Movie Ride first and then we explored One Man's Dream - my two favorite attractions in this park.

Then we had a foodie's lunch at The Hollywood Brown Derby - it was absolutely divine.

Afterwards, we walked off our lunch and headed over to Star Tours - we did a quick walk on and then used our FastPass.

After that, we headed over to Lights, Motors, Action and watched the stunt show because Pokey loves it - I love Lightening.

We followed that up with the Muppet Vision 3D movie and on our way out, I saw something I had never seen before - this!

I would love a wreath this big on my house - it would be bigger than my house so obviously I need a bigger house... lol.

Even found Santa sneaking about making sure the kids were nice so he could check his list.

I loved this Victorian Mickey and Minnie figurine but we promised that we were just going for fun and shopping this time.

Which was good because this Star Wars holiday shirt was super hard to resist. Lightsaber candy canes and Santa Yodas!

Then the lights happened - this is the final year for the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, we had to say goodbye.

I saw this window display on my way out and cracked up - secretly, I want to own it but I'm not sure where to put it.

And that's a wrap on our day out to Disney's Hollywood Studios. Lots of memories of our own were made.

It was great to take a day and just enjoy being together. We rarely get such a treat and since we took a three day weekend together, we're continuing our fun - though today has been stormy so we're just relaxing at home. We slept in and honestly have yet to get out of our pjs, which is something we've not done in forever.

Tomorrow we can do chores, today, we recharge.

Vacation for some, work for others

This past week has been odd.  Pokey and Hobbit were both on vacation and I had to work all week. It made for some very off kilter nights, as they will both stay up all hours of the night and I have to go to bed by 11 o'clock at the latest to be coherent enough to work in the morning at 8am.  Then, while I was at work at 8 o'clock, they would roll out of bed around my lunch hour after noon.  Thankfully, it's all winding down - Pokey goes back to work on Monday and Hobbit is going back on her school bed schedule this week because she has orientation on the 20th and back to school on the 24th!

I have knit very little this past week. I made Hobbit a finger less mitt to go with one I had made back around Easter.  She now has  a complete set. While I've not been knitting, I have been getting geared up to get to know my sewing machine better!  I bought a ton of fat quarters, interfacing, and notions to make project bags.

They are super cute, aren't they!

The first type I wanted to try was the Japanese Knot Bag.  I tried two tutorials - Stacy Sews and Schools' DIY Japanese Knot Bag which has an envelop bottom and Helen Heaths' Japanese Knot Bag Tutorial which has a circular bottom.

I learned a lot with both of them and the main thing that I'm taking away is that I am not a Japanese Knot Bag kind of girl.  I like box bags or totes. I thought these would be cute for little odds and ends projects but honestly, I don't do odds and ends projects.  Most of what I knit or crochet is big and it needs a bigger bag.  While I highly recommend both - as they are very nice - I think my next adventure in sewing will be towards a tote bag and then a box bag.

I like them both but if I could take the handles from the envelop and put them on the other bag, it would be perfect.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Pokey and I took the day to go play around Disney's Animal Kingdom, just the two of us.  We had a blast riding the things we know Hobbit wouldn't like because they're too much of a thrill ride for her.  Afterwards, we went and had a late lunch/early supper at Splitsville Luxury Lanes at Downtown Disney West Side.  It was fabulous!  Here are some photos of our anniversary day out...

We started the day bright and early so that we could get the best chance of missing all the standard afternoon storms.

A nice (unfortunately, short) man took our photo in queue.  I got a TON of compliments on my Mickey comic strip dress.

Pokey had never ridden Expedition Everest so that was a must and my FastPass prowess had us whip through the queue too.

You have to admit, Disney does a great job paying attention to all the little details.  These prayer flags are fabulous.

Fabulous socks - hanging from the ceiling of the Expedition Everest queue.  I love them, don't you!

It was so hot... this monkey was just over it.

Look how cute... turtle butt!!

So many beautiful birds, this little guy was just singing his heart out... or yelling danger to all of his friends, just not sure.

Everywhere you looked, there was a beautiful water feature hidden. I could live here.

Lots of fish... and one wishful fisherman... hehehe.

There were a lot of new arrivals around the park.  This beautiful mama and her precious baby were my favorite.

Waiting for our last adventure on the safari attraction. It was so unbelievably hot yesterday but we had fun.

All the animals were on the left of the jeep, I was on the right.  I did the best I could with sports setting and a prayer.

Another fabulous waterfall was waiting after the safari ride.  Couldn't you just sit here for hours and enjoy it?

It was only one o'clock but we totally felt like this guy, so we moved our dinner reservation up to 3pm and headed out.

We finished our fun with Pokey having a burger called the Mad King - it was bigger than his face!  Yes, he did finish it too!!

The bottom opened up while we were having supper but thankfully, the new parking structure kept us dry as we headed to the car to go home.  Granted, we didn't get wet on our adventure but the drive home was horribly wet and full of lightening.  Pokey slept and I drove, which seems to be the norm on the way home from the parks.  I'm okay with it though because I'm a horrible passenger, just ask him.

We were home by six o'clock, hosed off the park, and spent the rest of the night enjoying the quiet.  I watched some episodes of Friends while I knit a row or two on my Marshmallow Shrug and he played his video game on the computer.  It was a wonderful end to our fabulous day.

Today, we're headed up to my folks' to pick up Hobbit and celebrate Father's Day with Pokey and Daddy.  It will be wonderful too.  Mama is making BBQ beef ribs for supper!  She made a special note to get beef instead of pork just for me so I will be sure to show my appreciation for her remembering my allergies.  I hope y'all have a wonderful day too and be sure to give your daddy or father figure a call to let them know they are loved.

Lots of new

My goodness, these past few days have been full of new things - new friends, new adventures, and new projects.  Where to begin... well, I guess the beginning is the best place.

Last Sunday, I met a Ravelry friend that I have known for several years.  We honestly only live about 30 minutes from one another but we never really put two and two together.  So we decided since we were that close, we should finally meet up and say hi - and we did.  It wasn't too terribly nerve-wracking for me since I've known her online for several years but being the introvert that I am, it was still a huge step for me.  Let me just say, she's lovely.  We laughed and had a wonderful time... in fact, time got away from us and we ended up staying for almost five hours!

This past Saturday was the World Wide Knit In Public event.  Did you attend?  My friend, whom we'll call KP from now, and I attend one in a semi-local mall for the semi-local knitting guild. We thought it would be fun to meet some more yarny folks and it's never scary to do something new when you have a friend by your side.  So we met at the Starbucks by the ice rink - yes, our Florida mall does an ice rink and yes, I know it's ironic.  Just as ironic as being the home to Stanley Cup Champions but I digress.  Pokey and Hobbit came with me because all the cool items I ordered for my mama did not arrive in time for her birthday so they were going to go shopping for her.

We all got coffee and then wandered through the Disney Store to kill time.  It is always so much fun wandering around a Disney Store.  I always get a nice pixie dust refill when I can't make it out to the parks.  I walked out with a new beach bag, a Pooh tsum tsum, a Piglet tsum tsum (for Hobbit), and an R2D2 coffee mug (for Pokey).  By then it was time for the event to start so we headed to the food court.

Being the brave soul that I am, I made KP lead the way.  She's a bit more extroverted than I am so it works out well.  I am sure we're a sight to see too.  She's a statuesque blond beauty and I'm a short blond fluffball.  In my minds eye, it's hilarious. We sat down at the table and did our best to get to know everyone.  The challenge was, it was the food court... which means that it was so utterly loud we couldn't hear anything!  We talked to one another and when we could hear a snippet of conversation, we tried to chime in.

After almost two hours, Pokey and Hobbit returned with their spoils and declared it was dinner time.  We packed up our stuff and wandered around the mall.  There were several shops that we popped into - hello, dresses were buy one get one free in one of our favorite stores so we both walked out with two new frocks.  After a good stretch of the legs, we went to Red Robin for dinner.  It was nice.  KP had been before but our family hadn't and I must say, it truly was "yummmmm".  Once we were full, we wandered around a bit more and then parted ways.

Last night, KP and I were going to visit the semi-local knit night.  We were giving this our all, weren't we!  The location was an hour away from KP's work and my house but we thought we would give it a try anyway.  It was nice.  We saw a familiar face from the WWKIP event and she kindly introduced us all around.  There were only seven people, including KP and myself, at any one time so it wasn't overwhelming.  We lasted about two hours there as well before we decided to pop over to JoAnn's and get KP some new yarn to make a second shrug along with me because I loved her first that she was working on during the WWKIP event and finished that night!  That one was cream, her new one will be a beautiful plum.  Mine is bright white, heaven help me.

What a whirlwind it's been.  I must say though, I am rather tickled to have found such a fast and fabulous friend in KP.  We are going to keep our weekly Sunday afternoon get together too.  That one group, while very sweet, is just too far to go every week.  Who knows, maybe our little group will grow.  We're already going to add in another friend from Ravelry via Skype so that's three of us.  We made a Ravelry group too, in case anyone local wants to join in the fun.

Have y'all done anything new lately? I'd love to hear about your WWKIP or exciting, out of your comfort zone adventures!

The heart of it all

I spent a lot of time pondering which of my project bags I was going to share today.  Doctor Who, Hello Kitty, Minnie Mouse, Peter Rabbit, Owls... I've got so many fun containers for my crafts that my head was spinning.  That's when it hit me.  I knew exactly which  bag to share with y'all today - my notions bag!

This little precious piece of nylon cherry material was purchased for a dollar at JoAnn Fabrics roughly seven years ago.  I know this because my husband loves to go through the POS aisles of any store.  He has a thing for rummaging through discounted bins and finding treasures.  He was the one who found this bag and bought it for me.

I remember him standing there, with the goofiest grin on his face, holding up his purchase and telling me exactly what I should use it for - holding all my 'bits and bobs for my knitting'.  I giggled and told him he did an amazing thing, finding me the perfect bag.  I didn't have the heart to tell him that it was a make up bag and not craft oriented at all.  Shows what I know - it's been the perfect 'bits and bobs' bag!!

This treasure that he found holds treasures sent to me from my friends too.  Yes, they are crafting tools but they hold special meaning to me.  Those scissors came from one of my dearest Ravelry friends.  That girl and I share a bond that I don't think will ever be broken.  The sweet UK designed clip top purse doesn't hold coins, it holds all my stitch markers.  It came to me as a complete surprise from one of my amazing readers - along with several other things that make me smile when I glance around my office.  The adorable polka dot pouch up there was a gift from a swap several years ago and it holds all my needles - sewing, embroidery, cable.  Every needle in my universe is in that precious little pouch.  That tape measure was part of a prize pack from one of my favorite bloggers and I guard it with my life.

So you see, while this may be a misdirected make up bag, it is the heart of me and my crafting adventures.  It, and it's contents, are tokens of love that I deeply cherish so it is only fitting that I am never without it. 

My 'bag of choice' may change with my project but my cherry notions bag is truly my treasure.

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A study in pink

I have been trying to figure out a particular item simply from looking at a photograph.  Normally, I would buy the pattern and go to town.  The only problem was, there was no pattern.  So I did what many of us have done in the past - studied the item or image and attempt to deconstruct it.

Originally, I had followed it to the tee - including stitch count - but it looked entirely too small.  Granted, it's been over ten years since there was a newborn in the house but I'm pretty sure she was bigger than what the original image envisioned.  So I frogged it and started over, doubling my beginning ring.  Now it looks like you can tuck a baby in and they will be most comfy.

I need to get this done because it will be my granddaughter's first Halloween costume!  You have no idea how touched I was to have my son ask me make it for them.  Naturally, I used it for my Knitting and Crochet Blog Week theme for today, Experimental Photos.  I took all the pink objects from my desk in my office and photographed them.  I spend so much time with a camera in my hands, I wasn't really sure what to do... I was honestly without inspiration.  That rarely happens so I decided to just do what I wanted and trust it would all work out in the end.

It may not be the most moving photo but I think the composition is good, the palette is fun, and the subject matter is close to my heart... those are basically the only elements you need in order to make a nice picture.  Now, I've got to get back to my crafting or that little girl is going to arrive before I've gotten anything finished!

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I'm an open book, really...

Today's Knitting and Crochet Blog Week post theme was entitled "It's All About You" - meaning I'm supposed to write some riveting expose on myself.  Trouble is, y'all know everything about me because I share it all.  Let me see if I can come up with five things you might not already know...

1. I have a very sarcastic and dry sense of humor.
2. I am horribly flighty at times.
3. I absolutely love the fashions and fixtures of the 1950s.
4. I have more purses than shoes.. and possibly clothes.
5. My monogram spells a curse word and no one will make me anything.

So there are a few little things you might not have known... but chances are, if you've been hanging around my part of the world for a while, you may have known that stuff too.  Oh well, I consider it a great thing that I didn't have any skeletons to share.  Life should be an open book, smudges and all.
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I'd be squishy, that's for sure.

Today is the first day of the Knitting and Crochet Blog Week.  I've participated in the past and thought I would have a little fun with it this year too.  Get the old juices flowing and such.  Today's topic is called "If You Were Yarn".  Yep, that's the title of it... so here we go...

If I were yarn, I would definitely be squishy soft.  I would be that comforting texture that you just love to rub against your cheek, feeling warm and secure.  I dare say I would be economical because goodness knows I would want to be loved by all... even the yarn snobs who secretly love the acrylics.  As far as a color goes, I would be the happiest, most cheerful color you could imagine.  Something that just makes you smile, you know?

So that's me as yarn - soft, squishy, affordable, and happy.  Guess I'm not far from being a yarn to begin with, am I... and because every post needs something visually fun, take a look at my blanket progress...

I've got seven rows of branches done!  Two more repeats and then the lace edging.

My precious Hobbit gave me sock yarn for Mother's Day yesterday.  It's the perfect color for me too.  Can't wait to use it!

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Things brighten up a bit...

My goodness, what a week it's been! Hobbit has been horribly ill though she finally was able to keep all her meals down yesterday and no fever so she hopped on the bus today... granted, I have to pick her up for a dental appointment at 2 so she'll miss some things at the end of the day, namely PE so I'm not that concerned, but she's getting back to her normal routine which is always a great sign after a long illness.

Introducing, Baymax - the 2011 Toyota Corolla!!

Yesterday evening, after all the doctor appointments, I got a new (to me) car! I told Pokey on Friday when we had all the horrible stuff happen - Hobbit sick at school, I couldn't reach him, then I had to call a cab to go get her - that I was getting a car this weekend. I had been crunching our budget numbers and was able to work out exactly what we could do and still live life like normal. I figured if they could meet my numbers, great, and if not then I would simply walk away because I've been without a car for several years now and a few more months wouldn't kill me.

So we went to the local Toyota dealership where Pokey had gotten his car a few years ago and I just lay it all out there - what I had to put down and what I wanted my payments to be.  I didn't feel fabulous and I am never in the mood to haggle so I figured we could get things done faster if I simply state it at the get-go to move things along.  The VIP Manager - the name of a salesman who deals with return customers - pulled up two cars for me to test drive and decide on since I researched all of them online prior to going down.

Long story short, the guy came back wanting me to put down $500 more than what I said I wanted to and that my payments were going to be $68 more than I want I said I wanted them to be.  So I thanked him for his time and started to walk out.  Pokey knows that I don't like to be toyed around with so he smiled at the guy and said "you heard the boss, thank you for your time". I have honestly never seen someone scramble so fast in all my life!! He told me to just wait, please sit, he's got other banks he's waiting on for the financing. I stood and waited... and amazingly enough, I got better financing - with my down payment as it stood and my payments came in at $0.32 below what I told him I wanted to pay - with a better company!!

To be completely honest, my daddy was the one who told me that if they can't do what you want, just get up and walk away... wowzers, it worked.  I remember watching him make deals when I was younger and I always thought he had some kind of super power.  He was never rude, he simply stated the facts and if they could work together, that was awesome, but if they couldn't come to an agreement then he stood, smiled, shook the man's hand, and thanked him for his time and efforts.  I simply did what my daddy has always done.  I do think it's funny that Pokey always lets me negotiate things because I do our finances and know where or if there is any wiggle room so he just smiles and tells people that he married up... lol.

It seriously looks and feels like a brand new car - I'm very tickled.

So here is my new (to me) car... it's a 2011 Toyota Corolla with 38k miles on it... It's my first 'grown up' car so it feels a little weird. I usually get sporty things - compact SUVs, step-side pickups, three door coupes, and my Bug. This is my first 'adult' looking car but I guess at 42 it was about time. I do like it and I'm pretty sure that Hobbit will name it Baymax. She was super excited and to celebrate, Pokey took us out to supper at Cracker Barrel - but I got to drive.  Granted, neither Hobbit nor I ate much but having breakfast for supper at one of our favorite places is always a nice treat.

Here's the inside of Baymax... He's (yes, cars have genders in our family) super comfy, has a huge trunk, and all the neat bells and whistles are on the actual key. I thought the coolest key I ever had belonged to my Bug - it flipped out of a case when I pushed a button - but this one beats that.  No flipping, it's right there.  I have to be careful I don't pop the trunk or something when I turn it on.. yes, that has crossed my mind more than once.

I must admit, I like having the sense of freedom again.  I can go to the yarn store, grocer, my folks' house, shoot anywhere really. It's nice to be independent, in that respect, again. My husband is amazing for buying me the car... and yes, even though I crunched the numbers, worked the budget, negotiated the deal, and wrote the down payment check, he still bought it for me because he brings home most of the money. We are a true partnership and if he had said that he wanted me to wait until we had a bigger cushion so he felt better then that is what we would have done... though I know better than to bring him anything until I know we can handle it because his knee-jerk response to me has always been "if you want it, then we'll get it" - I learned early in our marriage to be careful what I randomly say I want because it will show up somehow. He is such a good man, always working to make me happy regardless of what it is and I love him for that - and it works both ways too.

So that is my happy news this week. I hope I can finally go back to work tomorrow - I've been having a horrible episode this week but I went to the doctor yesterday and they drew blood and ran tests. Hope to have some final answers by Spring Break so this nonsense will be over too. Even though I hated the tests, it's nice to know that things are going to come to a manageable end soon.

I hope y'all have been having a fabulous week.  If we keep our face to the sun, things will always brighten up!

Keeping my face towards the sun

This is my motto as of late.  There has been too much negativity running around - online and in the world.  Don't get me wrong, I know there are bad things happening and they make me sad but that doesn't mean that I have to wallow in them and spread the negativity like a disease.  So I'm not.  Who is with me to keep their focus on the warmth of the sun instead of getting lost in the darkness of the shadows?

I had a beautiful day yesterday with my mama.  We wandered around shops, had a nice lunch, wandered around more shops, stopped for a sweet treat, and then went back to my house and talked for a bit.  I love spending the day with my mama.  Nothing brings in the sunshine and joy more than spending quality time with loved ones.

Today is my Sunday before my work week starts.  I have a meeting to attend at work tonight around 7ish and while it is not my favorite thing to do - go to work on my day off - at least I get paid a percentage of my regular wages to sit and listen... plus, I don't have to go anywhere but my office so it could be a larger inconvenience.  In the big scheme of things, 25 steps from the living room to the office in my stocking feet and sweatpants is not so bad.

I'm going to spend the day at Pemberley with my Hitchhiker while I do the laundry.  I only have 7 teeth left, which has me so excited I could bust. The rows are so very long now.  It might be unrealistic to think I could finish it today but hey, the worst that can happen is that I fall short - the best is that I get closer to my goal - so there really isn't a down side.

To celebrate this terrific Tuesday, I'm sharing a bit of Pemberley with you too... enjoy!

Sunday Snaps

We started the week helping Butch feel like he was a part of the family and his world was once again secure...

I failed my Order of the Phoenix Mission but I started it super late due to change of pattern so it's my own fault...

By mid-week, things were starting to get into a groove with everyone, even our newest family member...

I finished an epic shawl in a week thanks to Quidditch motivation...

We chaperoned Hobbit's first ever school dance.  She had a wonderful time.

It's been cold enough that I periodically get to rock my awesome new hat and cloak...

and we ended the week with someone finally feeling right at home.