The Material Girl

Monday

Month end. 'Nuf said.

I have 2 boxes ready to go off to Afghanistan today. My mom and I spent most of the weekend shopping for school supplies for Feitshans, and other supplies for Nick and his group. The only thing I'm concerned about mailing is the shampoo. Hopefully I can pack it well enough that it won't bust on the way. I think I'll end up lining those boxes with bubble wrap, and then wrapping each bottle separately in more bubble wrap.

Got to get busy

Last one for awhile

I promise. But I just got another email from Nick (the soldier), and I'm bouncing with excitement!

Going shopping this weekend to finish up the first package we're mailing. He's asking for little toys for the Afghan kids, which should be easy. I wonder how Playdough would hold up for shipping. Making list!

80 Questions

80 Questions I've never answered. We'll see about that.

Do you watch the Gilmore Girls?
ack, no!

Have you ever enjoyed listening to Jack Johnson?
Not particularly

Have you ever seen or enjoyed watching the O.C.?
nope

Do you have one or more Britney Spears C.D.s?
no.

Which radio stations are your favorites?
Ethel, Fred, Lucy, XMU, the Verge, Deep Tracks, Fungus, Comedy Central, the Message, all on XM of course :)

Are you a Lost fanatic?
No, I know exactly where I am.

Do you have a song by Ozzy Osbourne in your library?
more than one

Queen?
yep

Alannis Morsette?
I don’t know, if I do it’s something really old

Do you watch Family Guy regularly?
nightly

King of the Hill?
ditto

Do you read trashy romance novels often?
never

Do you really work out every day?
I move around a lot, walking dogs, playing with cats, cleaning, but as far as “working out”, no.

Have you ever eaten an entire pint, or more, ice cream by yourself?
not all at once!

Have you ever eaten nothing but junk food for a week straight?
uh, yeah.

Do you shower every single day?
yes

Do you ever forget to give an Christmas/birthday present & instead keep it for yourself?
not that I remember

Do you sing obnoxiously in the car when you're driving alone?
yep

Do you sing obnoxiously in the shower when no one's home?
why wait for nobody to be home?

Have you ever watched a little kid's show when you were over 12?
I still watch little kids shows.

Have you ever looked forward to going to school?
probably, but I don’t remember it now.

Have you ever pretended your crush was with you when they weren't?
probably

Did you draw pictures for your first crush back in elementary school?
I probably drew pictures OF them, but not for them.

Have you ever liked a girl/boy but didnt ask her/him out because you were afraid?
who hasn’t done that?

Have you ever written a poem/story about your love life?
haha, yeah

An autobiography?
Nope

Have you ever spent over an hour thinking about nothing but your crush?
probably

Do you reread meaningless AIM conversations just because theyre with your crush?
no

Have you ever liked someone solely for their appearance?
of course

Do you eat all the servings in the food groups on a daily basis?
nope

Are you ever a freak about cleanliness or organization?
haha, you could say that

Have you ever been to South America or Africa?
yes

Have you ever owned a Klutz book or kit?
No, but I used to own a couple of “for dummies” books.

Do you know how to knit?
yep

Do you have a cell phone or I-Pod with a patterned cover?
nope

Have you ever written love song lyrics yourself and put them in your profile?
no, do people actually do this?

Do you keep a diary or journal (online or on paper)?
just this one (and I guarantee you I HAVE been asked this question, so there!) :P

When you open your closet, what is the dominant color of your closet?
oddly, brown. I just went through this little exercise last weekend and was surprised.

Baskin Robbins or Coldstone
Culver’s, but I like Cold Stone, too.

America or Canada?
America, unless I’m traveling overseas, then Canada :P

Physics or chemistry?
Both

Earphones or headphones?
headphones

Chocolate brown or teal?
Chocolate brown AND teal

Earrings or a ring?
ring, I don’t like wearing earrings that much. I’m on the phone too much.

Commitment or casual dating?
right now? Commitment.

Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings?
Lord of the Rings, I guess. I read one Harry Potter book and that was enough.

Fly or roadtrip?
either

Starbucks or Caribou?
Grabajava!

What is your favorite Disney movie?
dunno, none I guess

How much jewelry do you own?
a lot, but I don’t wear most of it

Have you ever bought clothes at Sears?
not lately, that I can think of. That’s all the way at the end of the mall. Ha!
Yes, of course I’ve bought clothes at Sears. Who hasn’t?

Do you own any Care Bears memorabilia?
Uh, no.

That was SOOOO not 80 questions. What happened to the rest of them?

Cleaning up

Albert's Big Move went fine. Off to a somewhat rocky start when I wasn't sure exactly how low I could take the water level in the tank (not to mention I just poured how many gallons of saltwater straight into the septic?). But all in all, he did just fine, and his new stand looks marvy in the family room. Better yet, the chemistry set that inevitably comes with ownership of a salt tank all fits into the stand, and now I don't have little vials scattered throughout the house.

I was up at 6 this morning, to shower and finish straightening the family room. I finally took the hospital tank down, hopefully we won't need it for awhile. It's all cleaned and ready to be put away. I still need to do some mild cleaning in the kitchen, but otherwise the house is pretty well spotless, for a few days, anyway. I'm not sure why I really bother, considering that there will be another 2 dogs added to the circus for the next couple of nights. Maynard (who gets along with everyone) and Ginger (who does not) will sleep in my mom's room, I think. I just moved the kittens' litter box to the basement, so I'd prefer to keep the dogs out if possible.

I love Sonic diet cherry limeades. :)

I was sure it was much more than that...

I am worth $2,155,300 on HumanForSale.com

Albert's Big Day

He's getting moved tonight. I'm going to pick up a new tank stand today at lunch, and tonight he's moving back to the family room. Woohoo! (Not that I think he cares, I'm sure he'll be fairly traumatized by the whole thing, but I'll be happy to get him back in the other room.) He moved to the living room last fall when we replaced the carpet in the family room, and for awhile I liked having him there, but I've since changed my mind. I'm female, it's what I do. *shrugs*

I've also changed my mind on the upgrade for his tank. I think I'm going to stick with his current set up, although I'm still debating going with a canister filter instead of what we have now. This, of course, would also require the purchase of a separate protein skimmer, but I'm alright with that. It's still cheaper than buying all new lights and everything for a new tank, plus the requisite livestock purchases that would follow. ;)

We spent most of last night cleaning up for my mom's impending doo^h^h^h er, visit. Heehee

I'm almost done, except for the kitchen and family room. The Russian graciously cleaned the carpet in her bedroom and it's sparkling white again. I'm trying to bribe him to do the rest of that wing of the house in lieu of me calling ChemDry. They're good, but pricey.

Anyway, the house is looking good, and the last minute panicking of "oh crap, I forgot to..." should be held to a minimum. We might actually make it to Doyle's auction on Friday after all.

No progress on the cool ties last night, or tonight probably. I'm anticipating the tank move to take between 1 hour and 2, and I still have to do some mild cleaning in the kitchen. I'm also supposed to get to the grocery store sometime, we'll see.

Crossing my fingers for a quiet day here...

Relief!

I am much better now that I have Excedrin for Migraines. Wow, what a rotten headache! I laid down on my office floor for awhile (with the door shut and locked, of course!) but that just made it worse. A quick trip to the store and now all is well again.

I got 12 more yards of cool tie fabric. 9 of regular, and 3 of muslin. It dawned on me that muslin would probably be the best thing, it's light enough, but by that time I already had the 9 yards of the regular cotton cut. Oh well, live and learn. I think that we are probably coming upon the end of cool tie season by October, anyway.

I thought I was going to sew tonight, but it looks like I'll be doing cleanup around the house. I need to clean the carpet in my mom's room, and put some things away out of the main living areas. Still debating on whether to change out Albert's tank stand. He's such a funny little fish. Last night I was doing water changes, and I tested the salinity. As soon as he saw me come over to the tank, he started swimming back and forth at the front of the tank, showing off (I swear he was!). I hope the cats don't see him. I can only imagine that it's a matter of time before they can jump high enough to reach him. As it is, they sit on the floor and look up at him as he swims around.

Our local paper has recently started allowing people to leave comments on their websites regarding stories they print. It's pretty hilarious, and makes me wonder about the average IQ of Springfieldians.

Hello Nicholas!

Well, the answer for how long it takes a letter to get to Afghanistan, is: a little over a week! Not bad :)

We heard from our soldier this morning, via email. I am so excited, already making a list of stuff to send! Fortunately I've been making good progress on the cool ties, 63 finished, with another 48 in progress. Hoping to get them finished up tonight or tomorrow night.

He gave me a few ideas of things that they need, so the Russian and I are already brainstorming over this. He says he doesn't know what cool ties are, won't he be surprised! Haha! :)

I woke up this morning with a raging headache, I'm sure it's weather related. 40% chance of storms this afternoon, so maybe it'll ease up some by then.

I had my network consultation last night, which was interesting. I'm going to see about making some hats, scarves and mittens for Feitshans, once I know more about that, there'll be an opportunity for everybody to get involved with it. I'm thinking simple fleece stuff unless somebody wants to knit.

I'm also maybe going to get involved with the library at church. I'd really like to see it expand, it's nice now but really could use some sprucing up. I don't think it's going to have a very big space in the new building, either. Hopefully when they start building phase 2, we can have a nice big area for lots of books and videos.

Otherwise, all I worked on last night were cool ties. I worked until 11pm, and wasn't tired then until my head hit the pillow. Sewing is like that, though...I've noticed that if I'm watching tv, I'll be dead tired by 10pm, but if I'm sewing, I could go all night and never get tired until I stop. Weird.

BTW, the advent calendar finally found a new home. Yay! Now I can start on the kitty calendar. Hopefully I can get that finished up by Thanksgiving!

Ok, off to take some ibuprofen or something.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas in July! Too bad it's supposed to be 92 later on. This must be what Christmas in Oz is like. Oh well, I'm streaming QVC and I've just opened up a bucket full of Christmas exchange gifts.

Knitting was last night. 3rd night, could have been the last. One other person showed up, and that was it; we learned how to pick up dropped stitches, weaving in tails, and seaming. I need to work on the seaming thing some more, that didn't go so well, and it was hard for me to see what I was doing.

Next week we learn how to knit in the round, on double point needles, and something else, but I forget what it was. All in all, I'm really happy with what I've learned, and even though I was disappointed that we learned all of the increase/decrease stitches in one week, it's easier for me to look at a book now, read what it says, and know what to do. I think if I saw one of those stitches on a pattern I could figure it out.

My first project after this class will be a scarf, hat and pair of mittens (in that order). I've made scarves before, but never the hat or mittens.

Still working on the cool ties. Didn't get anything done towards them last night, but I'm hoping to finish up a couple of batches tonight. I still need to find some tan fabric for the next set. Solid tan light cotton is not as easy to find as you'd think.

Goofy

I have to go get cat food at lunch. This means finding the petsmart card, that I think is in my wallet. Trying to decide whether or not to get the electric cat box. If I'm going to get one, I want to get it before the kittens get too big and aren't used to it.

Thanks for the answers on the uniforms, btw. I'm headed to Meijers and Sears to see what I can find. Probably Wednesday night.

Okay, off to lunch

Q.In one sentence, explain what ended your last relationship:
Stupidity...it was stupid for us to get into one in the first place.

Q.What made you smile today?
the Russian's email about $d's auction tonight. He is the beacon of eternal hope.

Q. What were you doing this morning at 8a.m.?
checking email

Q. What were you doing 15 minutes ago?
on the phone with a customer, blah blah blah'ing

Q. Something that happened to you in 1985?
Let's see...junior high, I guess. Ugh.

Q Your prom night?
don't remember it, and not because I was trashed or anything. I just don't remember it, although I know I went.

Q. Last thing you said aloud?
I dunno why it didn't print, it just didn't.

Q. Last thing someone else said aloud?
I don't like that answer.

Q. Worst thing currently on television?"
any reality show

Q. What was in the mail today?
I dunno yet, it doesn't show up until around 3pm.

Q. How many different beverages have you drank today?
water

Q. What is your favorite part of the day?
right when I get home from work and everyone comes running to see me (pets, unlike children, will never outgrow this. :) )

Q. Your current To-do list?
log onto a customer's system and write a q&d to fix something, then go to lunch, then figure out what to work on this afternoon

Q. Where is your best friend right now?
he's at work

Q. What colour is your toothbrush?
white

Q. What is out your back door?
patio furniture and grill

Q. Any plans for Friday night?
probably will go to Doyle's and wait for my mom to get here

Q. Least favorite place to shop?
ooh, this is a toughie. I don't like malls or big chain stores. tough call.

Q. Last thing you bought?
lunch, yesterday (the Russian bought supper)

Q. Last gift you received?
a darkroom door :)

Q. Funniest thing you heard all day?
Cindy and I giving our customers new names. Ditch!

Q. Favorite mug?
the round lavender one on my desk

Q. What color is your front door?
it's all glass. the frame is white, though.

Q. First thing you did this morning?
brushed teeth and hair

Q. Last thing you ate?:
popcorn

Q. What's something you look forward to most in the next 6 weeks?
the state fair!

Q.What's annoying you right now?
that I can't figure out where to go for lunch

Q: Is there a person who is on your mind right now?
um, yeah

Q: Where is the last place you went?
today? work. last night we went to china city

Q: Who is the last person you called?
nancy

Q: Do you look like your mom or dad?
my dad

Q: Do you smile often?
I guess so. I'm usually laughing at something or other

Q: Do you think that someone is thinking about you right now?
you must be, or you wouldn't be reading this

Q: Do you wish on stars?
not regularly

Q: Do you untie your shoes every time you take them off?
yes

Q: Sushi?
sushi is yummy. but I hope whoever wrote this realizes there's a difference between sushi and sashimi (also yummy)

Q: Would you kill someone?
I don't think so. I would have to think that they were going to kill someone else, and if that was the only way they could be stopped, I might. But more realistically, I probably wouldn't.

Q: When did you last cry?
yesterday

Q: Do you like your handwriting?
I dunno, I guess so. Does it matter?

Q: Are you a friendly person?
it depends.

Q: Are you keeping a secret from the world?
yep. it's a dirty, dark secret that will never see the light of day!
muahahahaha!

Q: Whose bed did you sleep in last night?
my own

Q: What is the color of your bedsheets?
tan

School uniforms

Pretty nice weekend, all in all. We went with the IL's to Pawnee Friday (it was ok, I don't think people up here really know how to fry fish). Got back and went to get school supplies for a couple of kids at Feitshans. Saturday we skipped all yard sales and worked at home. I have maybe 40 cool ties finished start-end, and another 32 in progress. Hoping to have them finished by Thursday but that prob won't happen. I think we were at Olive Garden at 10 Sat night. Ack!

Carl was baptized at church yesterday morning! :) I'm so proud of him! After that we came home and took a quick nap until he was off to the new member class. Went looking for him around 6 when he still wasn't home, and met him on the way. Went for chinese, then came home and I watched Footballers Wives (which has not been picked up for a 6th season, pout). Trashy as ever, haha!

Otherwise, I mostly drove the little Jeep as much as possible, it was gorgeous outside, and nothing much was really accomplished.

Work so far is pretty quiet, all considering. Knitting tonight, Network consultation tomorrow night, and my mom is coming in this weekend for a visit.

You local people, you: Where to get uniforms? Feitshans is requesting them, and I'd like to offer some. I know I don't have to order them through the regular company, but I'd like decent stuff all the same. I think we can get khaki or navy pants with solid polos. Not sure about logos, but probably not.

Or Maybe We're Just Old

I've been watching Pee Wee's Playhouse on Adult Swim. It's still as great as ever, only it seems a little trippier nowadays. :) I keep thinking it's a mistake, and they'll take it off the schedule when they figure it out. LOL Was I this weird when I was younger?

Speaking of weird, the Russian and I have this discussion weekly. Are we weird? Or are we just boring? We go to auctions, and we go yard-saling, which makes us seem boring, I think. We've also had a thumbwar going for the last year or so, except we don't play thumbwars like most people. It extends to other body parts, too...like, he'll hold my elbow down with his and yell "I'm winning!"! Yeah, see, that makes me think we're weird. Well, that, and one weekend we sat around for the ENTIRE weekend making fart sounds on each other. LOL
I can't believe I put that into print. Let's see if I forget it's there and publish it!

I need to rescue some more of my violets from the cats and bring them to work. I noticed more little leaf fragments in the family room this morning on my way through the house. Stupid cats. They're fine, btw, growing like little cats should. I think Vic is catching up with Kenny in the weight department. They're both turning out to be little porkers. What I love about them is every now and then one of them will just attack the other one OUT OF NOWHERE. He'll run up, jump on the other one's head and just start walloping him with his hind feet. Meanwhile, the other cat just kind of sits there, stunned for a minute, and then he'll finally start defending himself. But you know, for that few seconds, he's just sitting there going "WTF is wrong with you? What did I do?" Heehee

3rd weird thing: we have conversations through our animals. Case in point: tomorrow morning the Russian will ask Ralf "what do you want to do today?"...and I'll say, in whatwouldbeRalf'svoiceifhewerehuman: Let's go to Maverick! I LOOOOOOVE Maverick!
And TR will say: Buddy, they won't let you in, you need to get your other person to make you one of those nice orange vests, and THEN you can go to Maverick.

Yeah. Weird. This happens almost every day at our house.

BTW, can't remember if I mentioned it or not, but I got a round door for my darkroom the other day. Okay, well, actually the Russian got it for me at a state auction, but I have one finally! I can take down the comforter and actually have some hope that nobody's going to open the door while I'm loading film or something. :)

We have 2 cars for sale. If you know somebody who's interested in a Jeep Grand Cherokee or Toyota Corolla, shoot me an email. We're downsizing! Yay!

Playing Catch Up

I think the harder I try to catch up, the more I get behind. Pop's birthday is today, and I made the customary pecan pie. We'll deliver it tonight when we go pick them up to drive to PAWNEE to eat FISH.

It's got to be an old people thing. Who else drives 30 miles one way to eat fish on a Friday, and it's not even lent?

Just warning you now, this will be the day of surveys. :P

1. What are your siblings' middle names?
N/A

2. Where is your dad right now?
in his grave in Southern Illinois

3. What was the last thing you said?
Thank you

4. What is something you've learned about yourself recently?
I can hold 2 squirming cats and still make the hurdle into the living room, if both dogs are trying to chase the cats down the hallway.

5. What color is your watch?
brown

6. What do you think of when you think of Australia?
Jordan

7. What was the last thing you watched on TV?
the news this morning, Pee Wee's Playhouse last night

8. Who is the last person you liked?
the Russian, of course :)

11. What is your least attractive feature?
my knees.

12. What color is your shirt?
bright green

13. What color are your pants?
navy blue

14. Do you have a roommate?
just the old man LOL

15. What color are your bathroom tiles?
pink/peach

16. Do you have a chair in your room?
no

17. What time of day were you born?
12:24pm

19. What is your favorite number?
19

20. Do you know anyone named Lori?
Yep, my cousin

21. What color is your mom's hair?
red

22. Do you have a dog?
2 of them

23. Where did you live in 1987?
with my parents

24. What happened to you in 1993?
Let's see. I was in jr. college, I wasn't 21 yet, yeah, it sucked. :P

25. Does your first memory involve your dad?
I think so. I remember going to a funeral, and my dad was one of the pall-bearers.

26. Do you remember singing any songs as kids?
of course! The itsy-bitsy spider still creeps me out

27. When was the last time you went swimming?
a couple of months ago, unless you count that swim in the tub I took a couple of weeks ago.

28. Has your luggage ever gotten lost?
yes. consistently. by Delta.

30. Did you ever go to camp as a kid?
a few times. I hated it. 4-H camp, church camp, it didn't matter. I hated them all. LOL

31. Do you play an instrument?
lots of them

32. Have you ever thought it would be cool to smash a guitar?
um, no.

33. Do you like fire?
yep. I love setting things on fire, watching fire, the smell of matches. I'm a regular little pyro, aren't I? :)

34. Where is your best friend from?
right here in Spfld.

35. Are you allergic to anything?
honey products :( They give me hives.

36. When was the last time you cried?
Hrm. I can't really remember. Probably at something dumb.

37. What kind of shampoo do you use?
A few different ones. Matrix something or other for straightening, Halo for every day, ISO for other days. I have a gob of hair products, thanks to my lovely mum :)

38. Have you ever been to a spa?
yeah

39. Were you popular in middle school?
um, no.

41. Do you like butterflies?
they're beautiful, I love to go to the botanical gardens in St Louis and walk through the butterfly house.

42. What is the last book you read?
A book on the chaos theory. Right now I'm reading about the travels of Prairie women on the Overland Trail.

43. Do you like Coke or Pepsi more?
Pepsi, but Diet Coke.

44. What is one thing you miss about your past?
my dad

45. Did you ever see the school nurse?
I'm sure I did

47. What is one thing you've learned about life recently?
It's really fragile. Not that it's just been recently that I learned that, but it was just pointed out in a major way.

48. Are you jealous of anyone?
Right now? Not that I can think of.

49. Is anyone jealous of you?
Would they tell me if they were?

50. When was the last time you were in an elevator?
Nashville? Early May? I dunno. That elevator kicked ass, tho! 25 stories, glass on the outside of the building. I think I wore it out. I convinced my Uncle Wendell to ride all the way to the top and then down all at once (this is best accomplished either really late at night or early in the morning).

The Summer of the Basement

Big storm blew through last night, radar indicated tornado, the works. No damage at our house, but power outtages all over town and some flooding. The usual.

I've got 7 cool ties completely finished, and the rest of them (104 more) are cut, serged, turned and pressed. It looks like we're having the Russian's rents over tomorrow for pop's birthday, so we'll clean up the house some tonight.

Work sucks.

You May Be a Bit Antisocial...

Antisocial? That may be a bit of an understatement. You think rules are meant to be broken - and with gusto! Having no fear, you don't even think about consequences. But people love you anyway... you've got a boatload of charm.

What Christmas Carol Are You?

Your Christmas Song Is

Jingle Bells Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells Jingle all the way Oh, what fun it is to ride In a one horse open sleigh When it comes to Christmas, you really get into the holidays You have a ton of traditions that spread holiday cheer!

An alarming alarm

The weather radio went off at 6am this morning. Storms in Christian county. Fortunately we were already awake, so it wasn't quite as disturbing as it could have been. I wish there was a way to turn that thing down.

So yeah, we were both up early, couldn't sleep. I finally showered and then went downstairs and cut out 50 cool ties. Just 62 more to go and then I can start serging them. The Russian says he'll help me turn them and fill them up with the beads.

We decided yesterday to adopt a soldier in Afghanistan, via anysoldier.com. I sent the original letter yesterday, but who knows how long it will take mail to get there. In the meantime I'm getting ready for the Ships Support August mailing. I figure 112 cool ties ought to make at least a little difference.

My knitting class met again last night. We learned so many new stitches, and of course I've forgotten them all today. I was having some wrist problems last night that made things a little bit more difficult, but I'm hoping to get some practice time in this week. I will say this, increasing and decreasing were not as complicated as I thought they would be. And I love the short tail cast-on method we learned, even if it isn't something I think I will use often. After I got home from that I finished up another bom and started a new one. I really want to get those knocked out so I can put them back on the shelf for awhile while I consider how I want to set them.

Some of you have asked about the kittens, they're doing just fine. Driving me crazy is actually what they're doing. They have decided to follow me around not unlike puppies, so I had a time this morning in the sewing room shooing them off of the cutting table. Kenny likes to climb on things, and I'm pretty sure he'll be the first one to climb the design wall up to the rafters. I keep thinking that I'm going to string Christmas lights along each floor joist for a little fun lighting, but now I'm wondering if that won't just encourage them to climb into places they probably shouldn't be. They're getting their little claws out sometime in mid-August.

Why does our building smell like burnt popcorn when I get here everyday?

Quilts and Cats

I'm so unmotivated today I'm surprised I made it to work with hair and teeth brushed. I could have happily spent the day in the sewing room where it's nice and cool, shooing cats off of whatever I'd be working on.

I did get the binding finished on Mama Tanya's quilt yesterday, and washed/dried it, then delivered. She was thrilled, of course :) Might take some convincing for her to actually use it as opposed to just hanging it up somewhere.

Next project is to finish up the blocks of the month from Calico Hearts and then take 4 quilts to be sandwiched and finished. I still have the chicken quilt, the quilt for a cure, and then the 2 bom's to be completed. 3 of them have homes, but I'm not sure about the batik bom. It's pretty so far, but I haven't chosen the background fabric yet. I need to get that done this week or next.

I did figure out a trick with the Thangles yesterday. Once you have them stitched and need to remove the paper, rip it about halfway down the piece, all the way to the seam. Then you can tear it off without putting your end seams in danger of coming loose. That makes them a little (I mean, TINY) bit easier to deal with, but I still would never use them again. They haven't really saved me any time yet. However, my cats love chasing the little bits of paper all over the floor.

It's not even 10:30 yet. :(

The Day After Saturday

I can't stop sneezing. The Russian is watching Pimp My Ride, and I'm downstairs getting ready to finish the binding for his mom's quilt (I found it!). I really am trying to be good and finish up some UFO's before I start new projects.

We ended up not getting to Cindy's last night until after 8, but didn't stay long at all. It was hot and it looked like there was going to be an argument, so we piled back into the little Jeep and headed over to the new house. The concrete in the garage looks pretty good, the same guy who did that one is going to do our driveway eventually. They're not done yet, still have to finish up the driveway and the breezeway over there.

We didn't make it to early church this morning, so we went to the 9:15. I can never decide which service I like the best. The early one is a more traditional one than the other 2, and I tend to like it because of the older people there. In the 9:15 there were some kids in front of us who just would not sit still, and that drives me crazy. It's too distracting. I think they're going to keep having all 3 services once we get to the new building. As it looks right now, the first Sunday we'll be there is the 10th of September. They're having a going away ceremony for all of us the previous Sunday, and my birthday is in the middle. :) I am REALLY excited about this new building! Next Saturday we're supposed to meet at the new building, before they put down the carpet. We're all going to get Sharpies and we can write all over the floor...prayers, verses, names, whatever. So, tell me what I should write!

The Day After Saturday

I can't stop sneezing. The Russian is watching Pimp My Ride, and I'm downstairs getting ready to finish the binding for his mom's quilt (I found it!). I really am trying to be good and finish up some UFO's before I start new projects.

We ended up not getting to Cindy's last night until after 8, but didn't stay long at all. It was hot and it looked like there was going to be an argument, so we piled back into the little Jeep and headed over to the new house. The concrete in the garage looks pretty good, the same guy who did that one is going to do our driveway eventually. They're not done yet, still have to finish up the driveway and the breezeway over there.

We didn't make it to early church this morning, so we went to the 9:15. I can never decide which service I like the best. The early one is a more traditional one than the other 2, and I tend to like it because of the older people there. In the 9:15 there were some kids in front of us who just would not sit still, and that drives me crazy. It's too distracting. I think they're going to keep having all 3 services once we get to the new building. As it looks right now, the first Sunday we'll be there is the 10th of September. They're having a going away ceremony for all of us the previous Sunday, and my birthday is in the middle. :) I am REALLY excited about this new building! Next Saturday we're supposed to meet at the new building, before they put down the carpet. We're all going to get Sharpies and we can write all over the floor...prayers, verses, names, whatever. So, tell me what I should write!

Just a quick check-in while the Russian is napping. I hit the farmers market downtown this morning, and then we went yard-saling. Carl got some seat covers for his dad, and I got some waistband interfacing for a quarter from an old lady who probably didn't think I knew what to do with it.

We're headed to Cindy's tonight for awhile, but we're thinking about going to a movie or two after that.

It's really miserable hot outside. I'm spending some quality time in the basement sewing. So far I've finished up a little Christmas in July ornament and I'm going through ufos to see what needs to be worked on next. I also crocheted for a little bit, just using up some scraps in dishcloths.

Ralf and Alice are napping on the slate floor upstairs. I think everybody just wants to cool off some.

Maybe I'll start that kitty advent calendar.

Just a quick check-in while the Russian is napping. I hit the farmers market downtown this morning, and then we went yard-saling. Carl got some seat covers for his dad, and I got some waistband interfacing for a quarter from an old lady who probably didn't think I knew what to do with it.

We're headed to Cindy's tonight for awhile, but we're thinking about going to a movie or two after that.

It's really miserable hot outside. I'm spending some quality time in the basement sewing. So far I've finished up a little Christmas in July ornament and I'm going through ufos to see what needs to be worked on next. I also crocheted for a little bit, just using up some scraps in dishcloths.

Ralf and Alice are napping on the slate floor upstairs. I think everybody just wants to cool off some.

Maybe I'll start that kitty advent calendar.

$220 down the drain

The cats are fine. Just heard from the vet, negative FIP, FLV, immunosomethingor other, and toxoplasmosis. Slightly anemic and low protein. Wait a month and try again. *shakes fist*

Speakerphones

I work with some people who listen to their voicemails on speaker (volume as high as it will go, natch). Would it be rude of me to walk into their offices and shut the door? Just wondering...

Happy Bastille Day! Heehee, there's an American wearing a yellow jersey riding through the mountains in France today :) :) :)

Today is bloodwork results day for the cats. I've already decided that if the results are "inconclusive", I'm not ever having bw done on a cat again. Some of you might remember that that was the result I got when I had Lucy to the vet in April. And in other news, my mom tells me that the dogs' vet would charge a little over 1/4 to declaw than what they charge here. That's a big enough difference to make me rethink this.

Your Friday survey:

ONE.
Spell your name without vowels:
Tm Kmbl

TWO.
are you single?
no

THREE.
Last place you went?
the post office, this morning before I came to work

FOUR.
What color do you wear most?
I wear them all! I LIKE to wear them all at once, but the Russian makes fun of me :P

FIVE.
Least favorite color?
If we're talking about clothes, probably white. Also, maybe red.

SIX.
Last song you heard?
U2 - Babyface

SEVEN.
Where do you wish you were?
Driving down a sunny highway in the little Jeep.

EIGHT..
Are you happy with your life right now?
I love my life.

NINE.
Anyone ever said you resemble a celebrity:
I don't think so. Although I dressed as the Statue of Liberty a couple of years ago for a halloween party, and I thought there was a striking resemblance between me and the real thing. Does that count? LOL

TEN.
What is your favorite time in school?
What? Probably when it was 3:15 or whatever time we got to leave.

ELEVEN
Do you shop at stores like Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch, and AE?
Every now and then I'll wander into one to see what's selling, but I don't think I've ever actually bought anything at one of those stores.

TWELVE.
How do you make money?
Uh, I go to work.

THIRTEEN.
Last person you talked on the phone with?
my Mom, this morning on my way here to work (where I make money)

FOURTEEN.
when is your birthday?
Sep 7

FIFTEEN.
Are you thinking of someone right now?
I'm thinking about calling Cindy to see what's going on at the house next door to her (setting up for a big auction tonight).

SIXTEEN.
One word to describe you:
Blessed

SEVENTEEN.
Favorite pair of shoes:
Ack! No! Don't ask me that...I can't pick just one, I love them all equally.

EIGHTEEN.
Do you own big sunglasses?
I have rockin big black hollywood sunglasses that I wear when I'm driving the Jeep, medium-ish tortoiseshells that I wear in a regular car, and silver Oakleys on the motorcycle.

NINETEEN.
What would you rather be doing right now?
sleeping? Other things I can't say here?

TWENTY.
favorite food?
pickles, tomatoes and cheese
(seriously) I can't wait for my tomatoes to start coming full on, and that will be my lunch and supper for weeks :)

TWENTY ONE
What did you do today when you first got up?
Went back to sleep.
Oh, you mean when I actually got out of bed? Brushed my teeth and played with the kittens.

This message was brought to you by the numbers 4 and 6, and the letter Q.

The Day I've Had

Pretty rotten, actually. One of those days that makes me wish I work somewhere else, doing something entirely different.

It was so bad, in fact, that after work I went to the grocery store to destress.

And this, my friends, is what happens when I go a little wacky.

I was doing fine until I got to the frozen breakfast aisle. Normally this is an aisle I skip, but for some reason I felt the need to gaze upon 20 different brands of frozen bacon, egg and hash brown meals wrapped in their little cellophane coffins. Then I saw them...Origami pancakes. Imagine it: pancakes you can fold into little tiny cranes! In my mind I had worked almost all the way through each tiny crease before I realized that there probably isn't any such item (but what a GREAT idea!). Upon retracing my steps I was met with much disappointment; original pancakes. Not origami. :( Somebody should tell Swanson about this, seriously. Or IHOP.

I like to shop when I feel overworked, but it's not always a good combination. For instance, I also stood for at least 10 minutes staring at the microwave popcorn, trying to pick the one that has the most butter flavoring. (The Russian takes his popcorn very seriously, but sometimes I just refuse to make it the old-fashioned way.) I finally decided that the popcorn with the highest fat content per serving was probably what I wanted. I'll let you know.

The gift is packaged, mostly. I need to find some tissue paper or maybe a smaller box, I'm not sure. Whichever one my hand lands on first will win. Carl's gone to the new house to check on something, and Alice of the Palace is basking in somewhat undivided attention on my feet.

My cool ties made it to Florida, and will be on their way to a desert somewhere far, far away probably tomorrow. Glad I could help. Looks like those are still on the wanted list for next month, so maybe I'll get some more knocked out. I'm sure I've got some appropriate fabric somewhere. (You can all stop laughing now...I am getting to be very sensitive regarding my fabric "addiction", as you are all so intent on calling it. I bet I could have this added to the ADA and then you'd feel bad, wouldn't you!)

Ok, off to locate some wrapping paper. Word has it the wrapping station is under one of the spare room beds. Pray for me, please :)

Another Friday Eve

I finished the dish cloth! Now I just hafta wrap everything up tonight and get it mailed tomorrow morning on my way to work.

My hands were so cramped last night from knitting, but seem to be fine today. Carl straightened out all the knots while I finished up and then wound what yarn was left for me. He's handy! :) And he loves to wind yarn...I got a ball winder awhile back, and he's had fun winding all of my skeins and hanks for me. I seem to have a terrible time getting things tangled.

Tonight's agenda:
Stop at Meijers on the way home, do grocery shopping
box and wrap gifts (some individually), package for safe mailing
finish put-away from the weekend
20% h2o change for Albert

I've been informed that the Sweet Corn Festival is only Friday and Saturday, so that's out for the weekend, no time.

42 random things

1. Where were you 1 hour ago?
here at work checking email

2. Who will be your next kiss?
the Russian

3. Is there anything pink around you?
post-it notes!

4. When is the last time you went to the mall?
I dunno, it's been awhile. Maybe a month or so?

5. Are you wearing socks right now?
no

6. When was the last time you went out of town?
last weekend

7. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days?
No

8. What was the last thing you had to drink?
water

9. What are you wearing right now?
orange polo

10. Have you been in a car wash?
yes

11. Last fast food you ate?
Arbys yesterday for lunch (that orange shake thing isn't all it's cracked up to be)

12. Where were you last week on Saturday?
family reunion

13. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?
not yet :)

14. when was the last time you ran?
ran what? haha! I chase the animals around every day

15. What's the last sporting event you watched?
can't remember...probably olympic hockey

16. Whats ur favorite class?
only taking knitting right now

17. Your dream vacation?
maybe a 30-day Alaskan cruise, complete with train trek across Canada? Or maybe cross-country in an RV. I dunno, I don't really think about it.

18. Last 3 people you kissed?
Carl, Carl, Carl :P

21. Do you miss anyone?
questions 19 and 20. WTF? I miss my dad

22. Last play you saw?
Thoroughly Modern Millie

23. What are your plans for today?
work, grocery store, home to wrap Christmas in July gifts! :)

24. Who is the last person you commented on myspace?
Julie or Jennifer, I think

25. Ever go to camp?
yes. ugh.

26. Were you an honor roll student in school?
usually

27. What do you want to know about the future?
what my mom wants for Christmas

28. Are you wearing any perfume or cologne?
just lotion

27. Where is your best friend?
at work, across town *waves*

31. Do you have a tan?
a little bit of one.

32. How old do you want to be when you have kids?
I dunno, maybe I'll know by the time I'm 35 :)

33. Do you collect anything?
not anymore

35. Have you ever drank your soda from a straw?
uh, yeah.

36. How do you like your drinks?
with crushed ice

37. Do you like hot sauce?
not usually

38. Last time you took a shower?
this morning

39. Who do you have a crush on?
Johnny Knoxville (seriously, how many times do I have to answer this???)

40. What is your mood?
fun

41. Are you someone's best friend?
yep, well, I'd better be! :P

42. Are you rich?
compared to some people.
It's all relative.

Is it 5:00 yet?

I almost forgot. Last night I ran to Joanns to pick up some 10" number 7's for this silly dishcloth. I never buy yarn there, but now it looks like they are carrying some wool. I typically get yarn at one of the two local yarn shops, because I like to have things not fall apart. I'm tempted to get some of this and see if it will felt, though. I could at least use it for Christmas ornaments or something.

Managed to finish up a couple more row on the current project. I'm halfway done! :)

Raining like mad here.

Knit Wit

Working on the spam filters, if I don't respond to emails by the end of today, resending them would probably be a good idea.

I got my bike back! Haven't ridden it yet, it rained last night and more again today, but tomorrow looks good. I think the ceremonial first ride will be the standard around the lake, and then probably downtown. I'm trying to come up with some kind of cargo thing I could put on the backseat to hold a backpack for me, when I want to ride to work.

Waiting on a call from the vet's office. A little nervous about what they'll say, but I still don't really think there's anything wrong. We'll see.

The weekend is starting to fill up. Auction Friday after work, probable yard-saling Saturday morning, party that night, church Sunday morning, Chatham Sweet Corn festival that afternoon. Sometime I still need to finish this dishcloth. I have 36 rows out of 77 done. I think it's going to be too big.

cats cats and more cats

I have the cats back. Let them out of the carrier and they chased each other to the food bowl to get a snack. I am skeptical that anything is wrong with them. We should know more tomorrow.

The knitting class last night was fun, I learned that Mama Tanya taught me everything the right way :) I started a new dishcloth last night with texture, and it's turning out really well so far. I'm hoping to finish it up either tonight or tomorrow night at the latest. First time reading a pattern and following it.

The Russian is picking up the bike tomorrow, hopefully when it's not raining.

Still working on the Vexed variety pack. Up to level 52. I finished the classic levels last week. And still waiting for Feroz to come out with Cryptix.

If it walks like a duck...

It rained all night last night, it's still raining. I think it's supposed to rain for a week.

Dropped the cats off at the vet this morning to see about their declaw. They failed their bloodwork again. They both have low red blood cells and protein, which means no surgery, again. So, more blood work, more expense, more problems. We got a negative feline leukemia result from the pound when we got them, but now I'm starting to wonder about that. I wonder if their mother didn't pass something on to them. They were dumped, not relinquished, so I would imagine that anybody who's a big enough jerk to dump kittens on a busy street is also a big enough jerk to not have his cat tested for anything.

I'm a little worried.

WTB: Arby's Orange Cream Shake

There's a darkroom door for sale at ibid. I'm thinking about buying it...I really need a round door, and they are almost never within 100 miles of here on ebay. The Russian is going to go look at it tomorrow to see if it will fit.

Bike pickup has been extended until Wednesday. Too much rain tomorrow. :(

However, this works out better, because tomorrow morning I will be preoccupied with getting cats to the vet.

I thought I was going to get an orange shake at Arbys for lunch, but their machine is broken. Again. I think that whole ad campaign is just a trick to get people to go there. They don't actually HAVE an orange shake.

Went to Michaels to pick up knitting needles, now I should be able to find my old ones at home somewhere, right? Noticed they have their halloween aisle put together; some pretty cool displays, got a brochure for coworker who is way into halloween, and will now need to add on a room to her house just for this stuff. :P

So I guess I'm ready for my knitting class, I think I have everything I need. And what I don't have I'm sure they'll be more than willing to sell to me.

Still haven't caught up with email from the weekend. You guys are chatty :)

Trash TV

I. Am. So. Tired.

We left my mom's around 2pm yesterday (I drove, or this wouldn't have been possible), got home at 5:05, unloaded the Jeep, got the animals resituated, then left for church meeting at 5:30. Got home around 7:30, watched Cash in the Attic, then Footballers Wives (btw, for some reason I thought this was the ep where Conrad gets bumped off, but I couldn't imagine it had anything to do with the tattoo thing. Glad to see he's still around, although I still think he's kind of creepy.), listened to the Russian make fun of me for watching British soap operas, and finally crashed.

I got up at 6 this morning and labeled the stuff I had to send to the Ships Project (yeah, I know, it's late, but I'm sure it's not the first time). Made it to the PO by 7:30 when they opened, and that stuff is on its way.

Knitting class starts tonight, and I can't find my size 8's. I KNOW I bought an extra set for this because I have something on my other pair. I could take metal, but I've gotten used to bamboo. If I don't find them by lunch I'll run and get another pair.

The cats go to the vet tomorrow, thank goodness. I think they spent all of last night terrorizing my african violets. They'll be moved shortly, I can't believe how much damage those 2 did.

I want my motorcycle back. :( The Russian is picking it up tomorrow, but I think it's supposed to rain all week.

Family Reunion

Writing from my mom's. Went to the family reunion today, fun time was had by all. The Russian talked to Uncle Jimmy for an hour about assorted engineering things.

We stopped at Boomland on the way back, as usual. They've really redone that place after their fire. (insert comment here about how they should have tried burning it down long ago if they wanted to make such improvements)

We're heading back tomorrow afternoon, probably earlier rather than later.

The cats will not stop trying to climb the window screens in the family room. Cannot wait until their little claws come out on Tuesday :)

I'll be glad to get back home tomorrow. My mom wants us to bring one of her dogs back with us so I can work with him, but I don't think that's happening. Alice is pretty stubborn, but this dog takes the cake. Ok, well, I'd still probably take him home with me but the Russian is resistant. Not that I blame him. That would make over 300 pounds of dog at our house. And I do have 2 cats going in for surgery in a couple of days.

I just checked today and the vtr site had over 125k hits last month. I had no idea. That's pretty wild; that site just sort of runs itself, which is cool :)

BTW, RTD not only called and told me (yesterday) that my bike was done and I could pick it up, they called me Thursday and told me my parts were in! I thought about calling Overturf and letting them know, but I decided it's just not worth it. So...RTD=good, Overprice=the debil!

I cannot wait to get my bike back. Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday.

Vexed

Ok, so I'm probably officially addicted to this game. I have it on my pda, and I play it all the time. Right now I'm stuck on the variety pack, level 40. It's called Margarita, and if any of you have the solution, MAIL ME already!

I haven't talked to my boss all week. Weird. I mean, he's right down the hall.

Would somebody also please mail the Russian and tell him that we absolutely, positively canNOT go to an auction tomorrow?

53 minutes left.

The Russian was here! The Russian was here! :)

He brought Coz's pizza with him, and we made fun of my coworkers. :P Well, just Cliff, cause he's one of those "Chatham people". j/k Cliffie...I wouldn't really insult you like that!

I'm so ready to get out of here today! I need a weekend, and I've only worked 3 days this week. Judging by my inbox, the rest of you slackers have already left for the day!

What's this I'm hearing about Spfld getting a minor league baseball team again? Anybody know what's up with that?

One last survey for the weekend

[A is for age:]
Pleistocene

[B is for booze of choice:]
Cosmopolitan, or Sangria

[C is for car you drive:]
Jeep

[D is for your dog's name:]
Ralf!

[E is for essential item you use everyday:]
Chapstick

[F is for favorite song at the moment]
Stone Temple Pilots - Creep

[G is for favorite game:]
Dominoes

[H is for Home town:]
Harrisburg, IL

[I is for instruments you play:]
piano

[J is for favorite juice]:
tomato

[K is for kids]:
maybe

[L is for last hug]
the Russian when he left to go back to work after lunch today

[M is for marriage:]
going on 7 years

[N is for Nickname]
turnip

[O is for overnight hospital stays:]
1, I think

[P is for phobias:]
spiders, snakes

[Q is for quote:]
"The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. " - Albert Einstein

[R is for biggest regret:]
can't go to IHOP this weekend :(

[S is for status:]
alive

[T is for time you woke up:]
7:10? something like that

[U is for underwear:]
red

[V is for vegetables you Love:
tomatoes, pickles and cheese
oh wait. tomatoes aren't vegetables! ;)

[W is for worst habit:]
talking to the tv like those people can hear me?

[X is for x-rays:]
not too many, thank goodness

[Y is for year of first kiss:]
can't remember. probably in the late 80's.

[Z is for Zodiac Sign:]
Virgo

This was supposed to be Saturday

I think my cats are smarter than I thought. This morning I went to give them their antibiotic (still waiting for their little claws to come out) and Kenny was in the litter box. I swear he sat in there for 10 minutes, pawing at the same pile, because he HATES getting this stuff. So much for tuna-flavored. Anyway, Vic doesn't seem to mind it too much, but I usually end up putting most of it on Kenny's fur, so I can at least be assured he'll lick it off.

I had some messed up dreams last night about the Russian. The kind that make you wake up and want to kiss someone (not THAT kind of dream, you perverts!). I think it's a combination of eating something weird before I went to bed (Bella Milano salad) and the phone call I got from him Monday that sent a shock of sheer terror right through me (when he called from the emergency room). Obviously, I knew when he called that he must be okay enough to call, but I still kind of panicked at the thought of something happening to him. That is my #1, without a doubt, worst fear. I was thinking about that again last night before I went to bed. He was still over at the new house working on the gas line.

I talked to Mama Tanya and Pop last night, they stopped by to borrow the video camera. She looks ok, no bruising, but can't turn her head very far, and her shoulder is really bothering her. Of course, the insurance company wants her to get a note from her doctor saying she's fine. I don't think so. $7300 worth of damage to the car, which nowadays probably doesn't take much.

Anybody want to buy a Gitane Sprint bicycle? Have one for sale, cheap :)

One More

Can't resist.

2006 survey.
this year.....

1. Have you had more than 5 different boyfriends/girlfriend?
No.

2. Have you had your birthday?:
No

3. Been to church?:
yes

4. Cried yet?
Yes.

5. Had someone close to you pass away?
No

6. Pulled an all nighter?
No

7. Drank starbucks?:
Yes

8. Went shopping?:
Yes.

9. Been camping?:
No. :(

10.Been to the beach?
Does Lake Springfield count? hahaha!

11. Bought something for over $100?
Yes

12. Met someone new?:
Yes.

13. Been out of the country?:
no

14. Gone Snowboarding?
No.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"In the past month have you..."
1. Kissed someone?:
yes

2. Slept in someone elses bed?
yes

3. Snuck someone over?
No.

4. Snuck out of your own house?
No.

5. Been to a bar?:
Yes

6. Lied?
probably, you people ask too many questions: does my hair look funny this way? heehee!

8. Gone over your cell phone bill?
No! Yay!

9. Been called a whore?:
Not that I know of

10. Drove somewhere?:
yep

11. Done something you regret?:
I'm sure there's something.
Oh yeah, I regret not telling off that biker who refuses to follow the signals at the corner of Woodside and Iron Bridge. You know who you are! *shakes fist*
:)

------------------------------------------------------------
LAST::
Thing you bought?
50 pound bucket of salt for the tank

Person you hugged?
the Russian tonight when I got home

Person to call you?
Uncle Jimmy

Last time you brushed your teeth?:
After supper

Last time you took a bath?
Monday morning, but I've showered since then!

Last time you walked/ran a mile?:
I walked Alice tonight

Who was the last person who saw you cry?
the Russian, I'm sure

Who was the last person who made you cry?:
Can't remember

Who was the last person who you watched a movie with?
the Russian

Who was the last person you danced with?:
the Russian, in the living room

Who did you last yell at?
can't remember

Who makes you smile most?
Carl, hands down

What did you do today?
went to work, came home, had salad, worked on quilty projects, websites

Song that's stuck in your head right now?
Silent Night. Go figure. 171 days!

Sewing Machines and all that

I finished up the little pot holder I'm making for a group craft swap. It's in the washer now, having the quilt lines rinsed out. I used a new silver pencil this time, and so far, of all the methods of marking I've tried, I like this one the best.

I have two knitting projects on needles right now. A dishcloth for the craft swap, and a scarf that will probably never be done. Monday night is my first real knitting class. It seems kind of strange to be taking a class after I've been knitting for a year, but I have this thing about not really saying I can do something until I've had at least one class in it. I took my first quilting class last year, and I've been making quilts since 2000 (and wouldn't say I was a quilter until after that class!).

What is it about some crafters that, when we're making a gift, we just don't know when to quit? I signed up for this swap with the intention of making just one gift, and now I'm contemplating a fourth one! I hate this feeling, that whatever I make isn't really good enough, but if I just come up with one more thing it will be so perfect. I do good work, I know I do, but I never seem to think it will stand up in the eyes of someone else. Maye one of these days I'll get over that; I kind of wonder if it's not an age thing. I'm not old enough to have finished work that can be acknowledged as well done.

While I was sewing tonight, I started thinking about my grandmothers, and the machines that they used to sew on. I wonder if they ever thought that there would be a sewing machine that could be hooked up to a computer to download different stitches. I tend to think that they probably didn't think about things like that, and here's why: sewing was a chore. It's easy for me to sit here and think that sometime (hopefully within the very near future), I'll have a computer that's the size of my Palm T|X, and it will be a one stop device: cell phone, pc, gps, programmable remote control (stop laughing!), credit card, everything. But that's because I tend to think computers are kind of fun to have, and I love little gadgets.

When it comes to my sewing machine, when I was in college and really starting to sew for real, I never thought to myself: I wish this machine could have stitches that I've designed myself. If there was a stitch I wanted, I just pushed the cloth around under the needle until it was there. Not consistently perfect, but good enough for me at the time. I never would have dreamed that I could put a piece of fabric in a hoop and plug that into my machine, push some buttons and then come back in 30 minutes to a finished design. I'm sure that even back then the first embroidery machines were out, but they were probably so far out of my poor college student budget that I didn't even see them.

For me, quilting and sewing is a relaxing hobby. I can marvel at all the bells and whistles on my machine while I make something more beautiful than I'd be capable of without it. It's fun to see the light-up screen, and listen to it whirring away, and watching the hoop move around during embroidery is absolutely mesmerizing. Of course, this technology comes at a price. Right now I could take my machine in for an upgrade: for a mere $300 I could add a USB port to my $5000 machine (not something I'll be doing right away, I think they're having some trouble with this). For now I'll stick with floppy disks, I don't think they're going anywhere within the next year.

Anyway, back to my grandmothers. For them, sewing was a necessity, a money-saver, something they did that could allow them to put their money towards something more important. I know that they both made quilts, and beautiful ones, but I'm not sure that they did it because they enjoyed it. I know I tend to spend less time focusing on the fun parts of my computer at work when I'm stuck deep in code somewhere, so I guess I can somewhat relate. But as for my sewing machine, I'm saving up for the Designer SE, with the wireless port! (somebody pick the Russian up off the floor, please...)

The Sangria Induced Haze

Ugh, at least that's what I hope it is. Woke up dizzy from the get-go this morning. Still fighting it a little bit, maybe I'm too old for this. :(

Tonight I hear we're heading to Menards to look at ceiling fan light kits again. I still need to finish up the hot pad, but I got a good start on it last night. I have maybe 10 minutes of quilting left, plus the binding.

I have to go find a flannel board on my lunch hour. Any ideas?

1. Who is the last person you high-fived?
Can't remember

2. If you were drafted into a war, would you survive
hopefully long enough to dig a hole and bury myself. no.

3. Do you sleep with the TV on?
Haha! A source of contention between the Russian and me. He gets 45 minutes in the "tv bank" every night...it makes me so cranky to wake up at 3am with the tv still on.

4. Have you ever drank milk straight out of the carton?
not in the last 10 years or so. Now soda, that's another matter altogether!

5. Have you ever won a spelling bee?
probably in grade school

7. How fast can you type?
>100 wpm

8. Are you afraid of the dark?
not the dark so much, but things that jump out at me IN the dark!

9. Eye color?
green

10. Worst fear?
something happening to the Russian

11. When is the last time you chose a bath over a shower?
this past Monday morning, and I still don't know why

12. Do you knock on wood?
yes, but not seriously

13. Are you drinking anything right now?
diet A&W

14. Do you think you're attractive?
sometimes

15. Can you hula hoop?
I don't think so

16. Are you good at keeping secrets?
Yes

17. What do you want for Christmas?
a new Prevost! haha

18. Do you know the Muffin Man?
I knew him once, and then I ate him

19. Do you talk in your sleep?
Heehee! Not only do I talk, but I've also been known to make up show-tunes and sing them! "If you don't use goto, then you better know to, put a gosub somewhere in your liiiiiiiiine"

20. Who wrote the book of love?
I don't know, but a Mormon tried to tell me all about it once.

21. Have you ever flown a kite?
Yes

23. Do you consider yourself successful?
I guess so

24. How many people are on your contact list of your cell?
maybe 10 or so

25. Have you ever asked for a pony?
I ask the Russian for one all the time

26. Plans for tomorrow?
work, then pack up the big Jeep with everyone and head to my mom's for the weekend

27. Can you juggle?
objects? Hardly. However, I pretty well at juggling work and home life.

28. Missing someone now?
How can I miss him if he doesn't go away? J/K sweetie! :)

29. When was the last time you told someone 'I love you'?
last week?

31. How are you feeling today?
dizzy, but happy

32. Are you black?
I don't think so

33. Have you ever been suspended or expelled from school?
no

34. What are you looking forward to?
Christmas!

35. Have you ever crawled through a window?
Yes

37. Have you ever eaten dog food?
I accidentally ate one of Alice's biscuits (homemade) once. Honestly, it wasn't bad...tasted like cheese :)

38. Can you handle the truth?
yes

39. Do you like green eggs and ham?
probably not...

40. What 3 things can always be found in your refrigerator?
tomatoes, cheese, pickles

41. Any cool scars?
lots of scars, none of them cool

42. Do you like or have a crush on anyone?
Johnny Knoxville!

43. How many kids do you plan on having?
I don't know

44. What do you do when no one is watching?
floss

45. Have you ever been in love?
yes

46. Do you talk to yourself?
all the time

47. Do you like dancing?
yes

48. Three of your favorite foods:
tomatoes, cheese, pickles

49. Three things about the opposite sex that appeal to you:
1: intelligence
2: sense of humor
3: ability to fix things

50. Who are you thinking about right now?
the person who has all 3 of the above, in abundance

51. Who did you last talk to on the phone?
Dennis

52.Where is your phone?
in my purse

53. What was the last thing you ate?
tomatoes, cheese and pickles

54. What is your favorite color?
orange

55. What is the last movie watched?
X Men 3 at the drive-in, The Replacement Killers last night at home.

56. What song do you currently hear?
Sufjan Stevens - A Short Reprise For Mary Todd, Who Went Insane, But For Very Good Reasons

57. Are you currently suffering from a broken heart?
No

58. Would you ever date anyone on your friends list?
you guys? no way! heehee!

What should I ask for?

What will be in your Christmas stocking?

Your Christmas Stocking Will Be Filled With a Puppy

Well - one cute, soft, cuddly puppy... And a very soiled Christmas stocking.

Ack! Do NOT tell the Russian! He says I've caught my limit on animals for awhile...

Home again Home again, Jiggety Jig

Poor Alice. Ralf and the Russian went over to the new house to work, and she's left here with me. And I can't play with her, too busy working. Gah, maybe not for long. I just need to finish up some web stuff on another site.

Sat outside on the patio for awhile, with a bucket o'Sangria. Watched a deer snacking and then a red-tail hawk hunting. It never ceases to blow my mind that we can live barely 5 minutes from the mall and yet still have such a crazy range of wildlife here.

Alice brought me her hedgehog, I guess that means it's time to go outside and play for awhile.

Hey, does any you have my Tom Robbins "Jitterbug Perfume" book? I can't find it, and I wanted to reread it this summer. I thought I lent it out, but can't remember if I got it back or not. You'd think I'd keep better track of these things...

I miss my motorcycle :(

The Redneck Survey

I don't think I qualify for this...oddly, the majority of the things I answered yes to, I've done while I lived in the city!

1. Have you ever gone muddin'?
I don't think so

2. Have you ever lived on a dirt/gravel road?
Yeah

3. Ever been swimming in a lake or river?
Yes

4. Ever been to a bonfire party?
Yes

5. Have you ever driven a tractor?
yes

6. Have you ever been on a horse?
yes

7. Ford or Chevy?
neither. Although we do have a Chevy 1-ton, it's the Russian's. (And...it's for sale, anybody interested? *snickers)

8. Kissed someone in a pick up?
Yes

9. Whats your favorite country song?
I don't know any

10. Ever done 90 miles per hour down a dirt road?
I don't think so

11. Worked / Lived on a farm?
not unless you count my mom's goat farm (and I don't)

12. Been to a rodeo?
no

13. Do you own cowboy boots?
no

14. Do you have a cowboy hat?
No

15. Have you ever said git r done?
no

16. Country skyline or a city skyline?
city moreso than country, but I'll take what I can get

17. Can you name a rodeo star?
no

18. Do you think tractors are sexy?
not particularly

19. Ever rode a 4-wheeler?
Yep

20. Are you from the country?
I guess so

21. If so, are you proud of it?
not necessarily

22. Gone hunting?
yes

23. Gone fishing?
Yep

24. Is your heart in dixie?
no, it's in my chest cavity, beating away :)

25. Been on a hay ride?
Yes

26. Have you ever line danced?
once

27. Camped under the stars?
Yep

28. Have you ever been cow tippin?
no

29. Do you drive a pick up truck?
no

30. Fell asleep in a hay stack?
no

31. Own a pair of overalls?
no

32. Drank Moonshine?
no

33. Include the word "yonder" in your daily vocabulary?
no

34. Ever shoveled manure?
yes

35. Milked a cow?
no

36. Plucked a chicken?
no

37. Is sweet tea your favorite drink?
No

38. Been to a race?
no

39. Know all the words to at least one David Allen Coe song?
no

40.Have you ever made out in a back of a pick-up?
yes

Crossing my Fingers

Back to work, again. It's pretty quiet today, hopefully the rest of the week holds out like this. I could use the chance to get caught up.

We're headed to southern Illinois again this weekend. Big family reunion in Missouri on Saturday. The Russian is trying to get me to buy a Honda Ridgeline before then...not happening. I'd rather have a Pilot.

It's supposed to be really nice out this afternoon, I'm going home at lunch to get the little Jeep. I wanted to take it to the fireworks last night but the sky looked sketchy.

BTW, the fireworks were pretty good, we stood in the middle of Capitol Street and watched them. That spot has a nice backdrop, you can see the Capitol building lit up by the display. One sequence ended up going off on the ground, though, which is always exciting. ;) Actually, I think it was the first year this company had done the downtown set, so I am trying to convince Carl it was all intentional. Now that everybody knows they can mess up occasionally, we'll all go back again the next time they set off anything, just to see what happens. Maybe next time they'll blow up an entire boat! (That did happen once...a local radio idiot maimed another guy on the lake with a fireworks display.)

Anyway, we had a nice weekend and while my house is a disaster area after it, I can get that whipped into shape one night this week. I finished the apron I was working on, and I'm ready to make the potholder tonight. Then I just need to get everything packaged up and in the mail!

Still working on waking up. I had 3 naps yesterday and I'm still wiped out.

Wiped

Just a quickie. Carl's mom and dad were in a car accident this morning, so no party tonight. Sorry :(

Everything is fine, but there was an extended stay in the emergency room (isn't that always the case?).

It was great to see a few people at Jackmans today! Wow, what a crowd! For those of you that missed it, the parking lot was FULL 15 minutes after they opened! I got caught up on my Sulky thread and managed to hold myself down to 24 fat quarters (LOL, and that was a real challenge!) and 2 rolls of interfacing.

I'm looking forward to getting together with you guys again soon, and this time I'll be able to stick around for lunch!

As for now, I'm watching National Lampoons Vacation, and downloading a Christmas design for an apron. Well, looking for one, anyway.

And now for the Weekend Update

Quick update before I go back to embroidering. I want to finish up an apron tonight and get started on a potholder to go with it. I need to drop them in the mail Wednesday.

I'm heading to Fairview Heights tomorrow morning, will probably get there around 9. If anybody wants to meet for coffee or lunch, call my cell and I'll make myself available. :) I'm planning on going to Jackmans, Home Depot and Garden Ridge, and I'll probably stop at either/both Cross Patches and Knit Works. I need more yarn! Ha! Like I need more fabric...

I think we're leaving for Rod's around 4 or 4:30 if Carl isn't at the new house.

Yesterday started out pretty well, and quickly went downhill. I did make it to the farmers market when they opened. Came home with some pastries and produce. A lot of it was priced way high...$2 for a "head" of romaine the size of my fist. wow. Anyway, I found what I was looking for, and when I got home Carl was letting the dogs out. We had fresh scones and fruit foccaccia at the dining room table for a change. After that I took the recycling stuff while he drove the bike up to Overturf Powersports to get the tires changed. Rant ahead.

Carl made this appointment around the end of May or first of June. They told us that they could have the tires within a week, but that their first service date available was yesterday. I was disappointed but didn't feel we had much of an option because the other shop was almost $30 higher for the tires alone. Fast forward to yesterday, when Carl arrives they don't have the tires. Backordered. But they couldn't at least call and tell me that, because it's not their policy to ask for the customer's phone number when they make the service appointment. In a few words, I suggested that they change their policy. In one ear, out the other. Still, I had no tires. Went outside and called the other dealer, RTD. They can get the tires by Thursday, get them put on Saturday. Off we go!

We had to go to RTD so that I could pay for the tires, they have them in their Wisconsin warehouse, so getting them should not be a problem. He offered to order them direct through Honda, something Overprice can't do. (Oh yeah, when I called RTD, I told the guy I was at Overprice, not Overturf. Damn the Russian, he ALWAYS calls it overprice, and I'm so used to that it slipped. I swear it wasn't intentional!) Anyway, I opted for better tires than stock, which of course=more money, but at this point I don't care. I have a feeling Overturf would have kept me on hold for the entire season. Moral: DON'T go to Overturf.
I know I won't ever be back.

Saw a cute t-shirt...Harley emblem, and underneath it says: If they made airplanes, would you fly in one? Hahahahaha! I think the Russian is getting one for his birthday. We did make a short trip through the Harley dealer, I'd never been in there. They have more crap than bikes (well, crappy bikes, too :P), but it seems like a nice shop. They did not, however, have the aforementioned t-shirts. Heehee! Hi Danny! You weren't there!

Yesterday afternoon we washed the little Jeep, and then took it to the drive-in. We saw Nacho Libre and X Men 3. NL was just a weird little movie, but fun. :) Mostly laughed at X Men, we hadn't seen the first 2, and neither one of us are much on sci-fi. I think we probably irritated some people around us. Got home around 1:30. Somehow I have managed to bruise the top of my right hand. :(

The Russian just left for the new house, working more on the ductwork. I think I'll be almost as glad as he is when that's done.

Gotta jet, the machine's done! :)

What's Wrong with this Picture?

Can't sleep. Which is fine at this point, I needed to get up anyway. However, an hour ago, it would've been nice to have been slumbering away.

I got up early because I thought the farmers market started at the crack of dawn. Nope, those suckers get to sleep in until 8am! What's this? I always had visions of heading downtown with my little rolly cart (like you see in the movies) to buy a week's worth of fresh vegetables and locally grown fruits, at some unheard of hour on a Saturday morning. I was EVEN considering Grab-a-Java, and I hate coffee. It just seems like the grownup thing to do. However, as I've discovered, all things grownup are not always what they're cracked up to be.

Looks like we're dropping the bike off today, taking the recycle stuff (where did all this cardboard come from???) and hitting some junk sales. I don't know which junk sales yet because the sj-r hasn't posted the paper yet for today. Ironically, I think it hits at 8am just like everything else.

Gonna go run the embroidery machine for awhile. I have a gift that's due Monday.

Have a good weekend, everybody! I probably won't check here again until maybe Tuesday or Wednesday, including emails. :)

Listening to: Inara George - All Rise