Friday Night Fair

The fair is in town this week and my husband really wanted to go.  The girls had never been to a real county fair so we thought we would surprise them.  It was so much fun!  Everyone got to do what they desired and we even won a few fish in the process.  Words can't describe what a fabulous evening we had so I'll let some of my over 200 shots of the night do the talking for me.  Enjoy.

Beautiful quilts and hand knits

More of the gorgeous crafts

Hobbit learning how to weave a chair bottom

A living statue - really wanted to poke her.. lol

Peanut & Hobby enjoying some cotton candy

Yes sir, they can go again.

Touch the clouds

Don King... in chicken form

4-H baby cow that Hobbit got to pet.

Pokey won 3 fish!

Peanut & Hobbit loving the rides

Hobbit is the pink blur in the front of the Caterpillar Roller Coaster

Enjoying some time at the rodeo

Hobbit winning a fish of her own

Oh well goodie

We have new neighbors.  They have a small child, perhaps 3 years old.  They are a complete nuisance, I'm sorry to say.  You would think the people who rent out that house would come by and check on them periodically but they don't... instead, they have decided to set the house up for low income rental which is against our HOA rules and regulations.

Back to the real issue at hand, the fact that these renters are a complete nuisance and annoyance to all those who live around them.  Let's take this morning for an example.  It's barely 7:30 a.m. and I have just woken Hobbit up so she can get ready for school.  Then, I take Ramsay and Buddy outside for the second time, just as I do every morning.  Apparently, the heathen behind us is up as well because all I can hear (inside and outside of MY home) is his obnoxious screaming.  This little boy apparently wants some particular thing for breakfast and is having a fit over it.  Do you know what the mother does... she tells him to shut up because they're going out.  What?  Excuse me?

Hobbit's attempt at a fit on her 2nd birthday.. can you see the grin?

I'm sorry but if I had ever dreamed of behaving in such a fashion, my mouth or bottom would have been popped.  To make it even better, the child does not speak correctly and the mother didn't correct him either.  Once informed that they were going out to breakfast, the heathen takes a break between banshee howls to make the inquiry of "To Cwakkerw Bearwool?"  Baby talk... seriously?  Of course this is mild compared to the normal ruckus that we hear as we sit down at the dinner table every night.  It's a show every time with screaming, cursing, boozing, chain smoking on their back porch and television or music blaring.  This glorious routine continues daily from sun up until roughly midnight... every flippin' night.

It's like a train wreck of a reality TV show behind us... I'm thinking they moved to the wrong neighborhood because those people live about 10 miles closer to Holiday.  I am not a judgmental person but when your trashy ignorant lifestyle starts permeating the walls of my serene home, I will take action against it.  There are noise ordinances.  There are child protective services (trust me, the screams would make your skin crawl so couple that with an adult being verbally abusive while intoxicated on some substance and you'd want to call too).  There are a wide range of options available, for my protection and hopefully to straighten out the future juvenile delinquent.

Be as "Deliverance" as you want, but please do so quietly... your banjo playing is disturbing the rest of us who don't have carpet burns on our knuckles.

Chances are if you're reading this book, you're fat.

That would be the first sentence in the first chapter of  "Big Girl Knits" by Jillian Moreno and Amy R. Singer.  I had been interested in reading this pattern book for some time now and was initially delighted to find it at my local library.  The reason behind my giddiness is simple - it is very difficult for me to find a pattern that fits my shape well.  Generally the bust area is too small, the arms are too tight and the item ends up clingy where it isn't flattering.  I thought this book was an answer to a prayer ~ in reality, it was just insulting beyond words.

It's disappointing too because their section on measuring and how they break the patterns down by the 3Bs (boobs, belly and butt) are actually very insightful and very flattering.  Most of their patterns are ones that I would honestly make or recommend to others.  They created lounge pants with the perfect fit for crying out loud!  I just can't believe two women would write such hurtful things. 

A book written for a particular segment of the female populous doesn't need to say such things ~ we hear it enough in the real world.  Out of the mouths of babes or just plain mean adults, constant comments regarding our non-waif appearance are basically a daily occurrence.  It never ceases to amaze me how some feel that they have the right to make such comments in the first place.  As if I am unaware of my shape and how it looks nothing like Kate Moss or Gisele Bundchen.  Let's not forget the reminder every time I go to try on an article of clothing at a department store and how the sizing is never the same.  My closet ranges from size 14 to size 20.  My husband wears a 33 and all his clothes are a 33... so why can't all my clothes be the same number?  A number, which by the way, changes every year but not due to my fluctuating weight but to the manufacturers decreasing measurement qualification.  To prove this point, Marilyn Monroe wore a size 8 but her size 8 is today's size 16... would you classify her as 'fat'?  I didn't think so.

In a society such as ours, you would think that we would be able to celebrate the positives in one another instead of exploiting the negatives.  Did they believe these jabs to be funny?  Who told them peppering their books with slams about a woman's figure would be a great selling point?

So Ms. Moreno and Ms. Singer, I will not be spending my $30 on your insulting book.  I prefer purchases to have a more uplifting effect.

We've Done Nothing...

... because the girls never got dressed today!  Even the animals are being lazy ~

Sunday Snaps

Here's a quick look back at our week...

 

 

 

 

 

Do Nothing Day

I love it when I deem a day as "Do Nothing Day"... they're the most fun.  Yes, we have chores still to do but the world won't end if they are done on a different day.  Supper still needs to be cooked but thankfully, I have a crock pot and the roast is doing just fine.  So why don't you have a Do Nothing Day too?

What's that?  You don't know how to have a "Do Nothing Day"?  Oh it's simple really, I'll show you.  There are two simple steps to follow...

1. What do you really want to do today (read, play, hobby, etc).
2. Do it.

See, it's that simple.  I know what you're thinking - those are "something"s that I listed, not "nothing"s.  Why yes, yes they are but they are "somethings" that we always say we don't have time to do because we have other things that we have deemed more important.  Therefore in order to do these things, we believe that we have to have 'nothing' to do... ergo therefore, a "Do Nothing Day" frees you up to do those things that you always shove off in an attempt to be 'responsible'.

Still confused?  I'll explain a little more for you.  Today there is a ton of laundry that needs to be done, dusting, vacuuming, mopping, organizing and general list of chores.  In reality, as a housewife I don't get a 'day off' since these things need to be done almost daily and if not these things then there is a constant rotating list of other things.  The weather outside is gorgeous (78 and sunny), the kids are off and to be honest, I don't want to waste a day doing chores when I could be playing with them.  So I'm deeming it a "Do Nothing Day" here... meaning, we won't be doing any of the chores listed above.  Instead, we are going to do the following:

1. Bake cookies
2. Watch girlie movies
3. Knit/draw/paint/photograph to our hearts content
4. Blow bubbles
5. Draw on the driveways with chalk
6. Have a picnic on a blanket on the grass
7. Find cloud animals
8. Anything else the girls can dream up

See, our "Do Nothing Day" is rather full but it's full of things that we claim we never have time to do... and I want to make sure my girls always remember to make time for the important things in life... things that make life worth living... the Do Nothing kind of things.

Lost.. I Think.. Maybe Not

This sweater pattern is driving me batty ~ even the person who wrote it out isn't sure!  For example, she writes this about sizing:

"Note however, size is a little unusual with this sweater... The medium fits most women. Only make the small if you are really small or the large if you are quite large."

Well, that just clears it up now, doesn't it.  What constitutes "quite large"?  There are no measurements to go by so if I'm a delusional type of person, I might make the wrong size... but I'm just going under the assumption that they believe me to fall in to their "quite large" category since I have curves and all.  It would have been much easier to figure out if they, oh I don't know, used actual measurements.

My favorite deals with the gauging... this is just priceless:
"The ball band for Lana Bambu states a gauge of 18 sts for 4” on size 9 needles. I got 16 on size 8s and 14 on size 9s. The garment as shown has gauge of 14 sts for 4” in stockinette.  Get as close to this gauge as you can."

That, to me, translates into roughly "I have no clue but give it your best go".  I could be wrong but there isn't a whole lot of commitment or confidence from this pattern writer.  Now, please understand that I am enjoying my project but it is a bit frustrating to not know if you are spot on or not.  I guess that's okay though because they offer this great bit of advice, "Don’t worry if it is a little bit off; correct by making the cuffs a little longer or shorter."

So there you go... I worked in 'fix' to make it all better.

3 Blocks West

3 blocks west of Hobbit's school is where you run out of Florida.  3 blocks west is where the Gulf of Mexico kisses our shores.  3 blocks west is where I went this morning to take photos.  I hope you enjoy what I found... 3 blocks west.

You can click any image to see it full size

If I May

(c) Three Irish Girls

Please take a moment and visit Yarnista over on her blog, right here.  She is known on Ravelry as Three Irish Girls, just like the name of her yarn shop.  This lovely woman is doing something beautiful for a dear friend and I wanted to help make sure that everyone in the universe saw her glorious act of generosity.

I will be doing all I can to make my donation.  Will you please do all you can to make yours?

Thank you.

1st Weekend of the Week

Yep, you read that right.  Today is the first Saturday of the week at my house.  Pokey is off on Thursdays and Fridays, which means that today is his Saturday.

It gets a little difficult to work when you only have 3 days but I'm slowly figuring out ways to get things done that don't interfere with 1st or 2nd weekends.  My thing that I am bad about but will try and work on, is letting Pokey sleep in on his weekend.  I did fairly well today though so I'm treating myself to a stop at the beach with my camera after I drop Hobbit off at school.  It's only three blocks west of her school so it's sort of "on the way home".

One skein down, 9 to go

If I find anything cool to shoot, I'll be sure to share.  Other than that, nothing major is going to be going on for the next 4 days.  I will be working on my Faux Circle Sweater a lot, or at least that is the plan.  I'm actually rather pleased with how quickly it is working up.  The only thing that has me worried is that I don't know if the sizing is right but when you read the pattern, neither do they!  Oh well, there are two other girls in this house so it is bound to fit someone.

Alrighty, I hear Handy Manny which means Hobbit is probably staring at her TV with that glazed over look.  A quick threat about going to school as she is should light a fire under her.  I hope everyone has a great 1st weekend Saturday today!

Funny Little *Fetish

The pink one please, 2nd from left

English property searches. 

Yep. 

That's it. 

I have a funny little fetish with the idea of one day moving to London, UK.  I have email alerts for searches that I have set up regarding housing and every day I allow myself to wander around the United Kingdom to look at potential future homes for Pokey and me.  Houses and flats that I can't afford in neighborhoods that I can only dream of one day actually seeing.

Did I mention that one of my criteria for these fantasy future homes is that they are within walking distance of any number of the fabulous yarn shoppes in the area?  Oh yeah, it's a must.  In my fantasy London living, I don't own a car.  I walk everywhere.  So in order for my fantasy home to be in a perfect location, I have to be able to walk to Loop or I Knit London or even Bunty Wool because if I can't, then what is the point of fantasizing, really?

One day, even if only for a little while, but definitely one day.

*fetish, when used as a noun, is defined as anything to which one gives excessive devotion... just so ya know, it wasn't that kind of fetish.

Valentines

I have two funny little Valentines and one sweetheart of a Valentine... plus a couple fuzzy ones at my feet as well.  I have attempted to make a magical experience for today out what little I have available - some holidays are simply for commercial profit and I honestly do believe this to be one of those days, but I digress.  It's not about the big extravagant gifts and such - it's about simply showing the ones you love how much you love them.  That task can be accomplished for very little money but a whole lot of love and attention to the little details.

The girls woke up to their Bug 'Ems and lockets complete with pictures.  They had a bouquet of heart shaped lollipops and one Hershey's Marshmallow heart inside their new friend.  Both seemed pleased, which in turn pleased me to no end.

I woke to coffee and a large Reece's Peanut Butter heart from a sweetheart who understands that when a wife says "I need for nothing", doesn't necessarily mean that she should get nothing.  I'm not a materialistic person at all and he knows that the simplest of things will always touch my heart.  I love Reece's and he found a sweet little heart - which completely melted mine.

Today, when I pick the girls up from school, I am going to surprise them with a trip the ice cream shoppe.  They love it when we go because it isn't very often and they see it as a special treat - just as they should.  I attempted to create Rocky Road Muffins but I fear that my endeavor has 'crashed and burned' as it were... perhaps I'll purchase a small cake at the grocer on my way out today.

I love my Valentines - they are a funny little lot but I am so thankful that they are mine.

Sunday Snaps

Happy Valentine's Day from Peanut and Hobbit

Scary project progress

Detail of scary project - it's a lot of fun actually

Heart Failure and Tears

That is what my morning started out with - even before I had my first sip of coffee!

My sweet, precious, adorable Ramsay caused all of it - so he has been dubbed "spawn of the Devil" - or SotD for short - just for this post.

To recap, I was sitting right here going through my idea notes and working out "The Cat's Meow" to post for everyone here and on Ravelry when all of a sudden, I hear paper being shredded.  I have no idea where SotD could get paper but I knew it had to be him because Buddy is well past that stage.  I turn on a light in the living room and there sat SotD - surrounded by a skein of the scary yarn and a torn wrapper!!

Thistle - it's living up to it's name alright.

After catching SotD and informing him that this was not a game and indeed very, very bad, I went to my room with my mutilated skein.  I gently laid it on the bed, said a prayer, wiped away the tears and set to work.  I finally found an end after 15 minutes of detangling and then went to work on remedying the situation.  It took an hour but I was able to untangle and rewind the entire skein.  After a quick prayer of thanks and a sip of coffee, I placed the wayward wool back in my basket.

In all my years, I have never had a creature play with my yarn.  No cat I've ever owned.  No dog I've ever owned.  Now SotD has been a true test of wills when it comes to who owns this stash.  I will prevail, I have no doubt about that, but how many tears will we share in the process?  That is the true question.

Learn quickly little man... that's all I've got to say... learn quickly.

Scary Math

Scary Yarn

+

Scary Pattern

=

My Current Project Basket

The Cat's Meow

That's what I'm thinking of calling this sweater - what do you think?  I love the way that it came out but I sure wish my model wasn't so excited that he couldn't be still for a photo.  I promise to update tomorrow with better ones if I can get him calm.

The pattern is an adaptation of "Ramsay's Romper" that I made earlier.  This time I added a seed stitch stripe above and below the harness hole, coupled with a seed stitch underbelly.  I really love how this came out.  I also made it a grand total of 6" in length all the way around so it fits like a real sweater.  

I am just tickled... and so is Ramsay.

The Simplest of Things

Perfect.  Balanced.  Set right.  Yep, that's how I feel today.  Do you know why?  It's simple and silly and insane and logical all at once - I am caught up on all my blog reading!

Some read the paper or watch the news with their morning coffee and if their routines are interrupted then they feel off kilter.  I am one of those people except I always enjoy my morning coffee with my blog roll.  You know, those lovely ladies (and one gentle gentleman) over there on the right.  See them?  Yeah, we spend the mornings together catching up and getting started.  Every morning... well, that is until about two weeks ago when everyone started getting sick and my house became an infirmary.

Today I got up and sat down with coffee in hand, determined to get back into my routine.  Those who are home will have to learn to work around my schedules because this is my 'job' and it shouldn't be derailed every time something 'non-scheduled' happen.  I made that decision last night and I stuck with it this morning.  I am so proud of myself.

So now that my coffee cup needs refilling, my mind and heart are set right because all of my bloggy buddies worlds have been visited.  I feel renewed and with a sense of purpose today.  Let it rain all day, I don't mind.  I have knitting to accomplish, patterns to jot down and food to make.  I have creativity bubbling just below the surface that is screaming to be let out and it feels wonderful.  I haven't felt this jazzed in... well... almost two weeks!

Sometimes it's the simplest of things that sets us off... and also puts us back right.

First Step

I have been fancying a career in photography for a while now but never really knew how to go about getting one started.  I mean, I majored in Business while at University, not Art.  How is a business graduate supposed to get an art career going?  Then I did what any other level headed and intelligent person would do - I googled it!

I learned a lot of different things but the most important was to have an online portfolio.  I can do that!  So I got to work.  I pulled my best and most recent photos - not going any further back than 6 months - and set to work.  I think I have my space looking just about perfect... what do you think?

The next thing I have done is applied to some local commercial photography studios (you know, those portrait studios in shopping venues).  I hope to hear back soon.  I know one draw back of being me is my availability schedule but I am pretty sure that I will find something - if for no other reason than faith.

Done!

Now, to watch the movie.  Compare and contrast to come!

Moody

Would it be rude to actually do this?

Man, I have been so moody the past two days.  I know it's because I don't feel well so my emotions are right on the surface but still, I don't like it.  Just because I understand why doesn't make it any less frustrating.  Take today for example ~ I love Pokey more than anything but today I find him to be utterly annoying and would love nothing more than to throttle his neck.

I know he has a cold and doesn't feel well.  I know this because I have the same cold and don't feel well.  The difference between the two of us can be traced all the way back to our childhood.  No seriously, watch, I'll show you.

In my house, if you were sick then you were ostracized to your room unless you could suck it up and move on with life.  No one was allowed to be miserable in the common rooms of the house.  Keep your ickiness to yourself and we'll see you when you feel better.  Doesn't mean we don't love you, just means that we don't honor the pathetic card here.  If you can suck it up and move on, kudos to you and we appreciate it.  If you can't, keep it to yourself and we'll see you when you're able to get on with life.  Which is why today, when I don't feel well, I just suck it up and move on.  According to my daddy, there are only two reasons to call out of work - you're either dead or you're dying.  I am quite certain that I am not either.

Pokey grew up in foster care because his mother was married to a man that stated "them or me" and she chose him - giving her boys over to the police with the excuse that she couldn't handle them any longer.  Not a lot of respect from me to this broad and we'll leave it at that.  Anywho, having gone without motherly love and affection when he was little to help make him feel better, he is utterly pathetic as an adult.  I mean fall down, act like your dying theatrics to the point that even Gibbsing him won't make anyone feel better but simply open the door to beating the stuffing out of him.  What was it my folks used to say?  Oh yeah, don't make me give you something to cry about (side note, I was never actually given "something" - just the threat was enough to make me dry it up because fear of the unknown is a powerful tool).  So I now have a 40-year-old baby in bed sniveling because he doesn't feel good.  He is neither dead nor dying and was never taught to suck it up and move on - so now I'm teaching it to him.

Yep, that's right.  If you are too sick to go to work then you are too sick to be with the rest of the family.  Lay there.  In the dark.  Quietly.  Don't move.  No, you can't come out and play LotRo - you're too sick.  I know it's just sitting at the computer and doesn't require any actual activity... so does your job and you were too sick to go do that, weren't you?  No, it isn't different at all.  Both require you to be in a climate controlled area, sitting on your hiney with a headset on while you work at a computer.  If you are too sick to do the one, then you are too sick to do the other.

My mother gave me some advice when I got married but not once did she mention that I would have to raise my husband too.  So now to go full circle, this is all my mom's fault.  I am the way I am because she is the way she is... and Pokey is the way he is because he didn't have a mom like mine.  So let me just say "Thanks a lot, Mom" ~ on many levels and not one of them is moody.

Good gravy

You know that saying "when it rains, it pours"... it's not just an ad for Morton Salt.  No sirree bob.  It can be used in regular real life too because it's pouring here, let me tell you.

All last week the girls were home sick.  I got them all back to feeling tip top and sent them back to school on Friday... and that is when it started drizzling.  I felt that little tickle in my ears and my throat was a bit raw.  Eh, I was sure it was just the crazy weather we'd been having and my running out of Singular last week.  It was nothing.. or so I thought.  Saturday, the down pour began.  I woke up with a fever, my voice was gone and the kids were fighting... and it has yet to stop.

So I am curious why the world stops spinning when kids or husbands get sick but if mamas get sick, life goes on as usual.  Why do we always have to suck it up and carry on while they get to be colossal pains with the whining and patheticness? 

I don't want to be pathetic, I just want a nap and some soup but I'm a mama so I'm off to flip the laundry, dust the living room, break up a fight and make cookies.  I think in my next life, I'm coming back as the daddy.

Ouch!

I pulled my back taking off Ramsay's leash today... I'm out of commission for a bit.  Don't worry, Pokey is off on Thursdays and Fridays so I'm sure I'll be right as rain very soon.  Happy times y'all, happy times.  See ya soon!

A Little of This... A Lot of That

You may recall how yesterday Hobbit was home ill.  Welp, today she has company.  That's right, Peanut came down with a fever yesterday while at school but stuck it out for the whole day.  Now I have both of my girls home sick - and at completely different ends of the spectrum.  Hobbit is getting cabin fever and Peanut is a just a lifeless slug in her bed.  She should emerge soon though - I hope.  If things aren't better by tomorrow, off to the doctor's we go.

In the meantime, I'm keeping sane with a little of this..

and a lot of that...