Faith restored

I know, I know, two blogs in one day, can you tell I have had too much coffee. I have been a little upset about a missing knit kit from the shop. I searched and figured it must have gone to the shoplifted fish mitten hell. I have one very good customer that actually bought one of the knit kits from me and she had been there for a class and thought just maybe, maybe she accidentally picked it up thinking it was hers and took it home. I had actually hoped that, that was the situation because theft makes me ill. Now how to approach asking is an uncomfortable situation, but I know her and she is sweet and nice and hey it happens, so I did. She went home and dug around in her bag and like all of us, and our bags, we can understand the junk we can accumulate in one's bags. She didn't find it....I went back to being violated, well that is a strong word but, upset none the less, how could someone just take it, how could they steal it?????
TADA
Last night I get a call, it is after hours, so I let it go to voicemail!!! Hi Jan....? Guess what I found??? Turns out she couldn't find her knit kit either and began searching and the two knit kits were mingling in a separate bag, together, probably laughing at the both of us....comparing clickers or tape measures, hiding snuggly in a knitting bag. So the knit kit will be home soon, turns out it was just on vacation, away from prodding hands, testing it out and pulling the tape measure, prying open it's backside, clicking the counter.....ha vacation is over baby, you're coming home....no more bag jumping!!! Being that all of these little kits look alike, we are now planning on putting stickers on them so we know which one is ours and which one is a bag jumper!!!! So warning, I have a wayward knit kit that may jump into your bag, I will put a return address on him and if by chance he jumps into your bag, looking for a getaway, you will know he is destined to be mauled by many at the shop, please return him, no questions asked, he is just that way!!!!! LOL

Moms

I can never bring up a topic about my mom, that people my age don't go OMG, I know exactly what you are saying. I am sure our children will be doing and saying the same things. At Christmas this year and every occasion that the family is together, "she needs an audience" she looks at me and says about my nose stud...."Is that a zit??" and I always reply I wish my zits sparkled??? She never fails to mention it, but only with an audience. Old Ladies love curly hair, I don't know what my mother's fascination with curly hair is but she would love nothing more than for me to have a fuzzy perm, like the days of old. My hair has always been stick straight unless of course you go back to the days my mother would wrap them in rags and it took two days for it to dry and then these ringlet locks would trail down my back and other old ladies would ogle my perfectly curled ringlets. Of course I looked like Shirley Temple and who didn't want to look like her. So now in these days of menopause, one strip of my hair got curly, in the back underneath??? This was one of the reason I chopped off my long hair...what do you do with a strip of curly hair, that looked like someone shoved crinkle fries around my collar? So off it came. I also use a CPap machine, this helps me breath at night because like a zillion other people I have sleep apnea and stop breathing more times in a second than seems possible but it does help. Believe me the first time I sat on the edge of the bed, looking at my reflection in the window, strapping on my headgear, it became very evident my days of wild sexual sleepovers was pretty much a thing of the past, not that I was actively thinking of it, but it assured me those days were over. So where I am going with this is my mask, has a band that goes around the back of my head, causing a little kink in my hair sometimes. I'll be darned if my mom doesn't see that every time and say..."Oh look what pretty curl you are getting in your hair????" So now we have two things to discuss, no it is not a zit and the curl is from my head gear mom.....I won't even mention that she makes the comment "Is that thing there (my tattoo) fading???? No mom my skin is dry as I lick it and the color pops....Happy New Year!!!!!

Turning a new leaf

With the New Year brings new things. Change is good, sometimes change makes us nervous and unsettled but it keeps us on our toes. In order to keep up with technology we have to change we are forced into it and we have two options...embrace it or fight it. I am learning that, not only is technology something that changes on a regular basis but so does business. Business is an ever revolving door, bringing in the new and saying goodbye to the old. Upgrading and moving in different directions, it is a constant change, to keep abreast of the new and always looking for the different. I so appreciate the customers that keep me moving in new directions and when they find something they will send me links and ideas. As we move into a New Year, look forward to change....New friends new experiences, new projects. Think of the New things that can impact your life. Step into a new pair of shoes and throw out the old ones, the comfy ones. I am looking forward to January 1, 2010!!! New ideas, new rules, new projects, moving in a new direction, better and always improving. Shedding the old boring and predictable, stepping out, leaving the old to settle in the dust. A rut is a bad thing to get into, think of something new you can do? A new project? Something you have never done.....learn to spin? Learn to knit?....Learn to felt...Learn to do something.....Learn to expand you horizons.....as I always say, " what is the worst that can happen to you???? You die???? and who has died from doing something new??? who has died from learning to make socks??? LOL...Let's turn over a new leaf....not a stupid New Years resolution, but a new you....just a little...a new change of some sort....expanding your life, just a bit....and one step at a time will make a difference in each of us...I am excited to ring in 2010.....step out of the old and into the new.....!!!!

I think my hearing is bad???

On one note, I am feeling a little better, in the evening??? Most of the time people feel worse at night but not me, I feel better??? So I had to leave the house, for a few minutes anyway and took to the snow covered roads for take out somewhere. While I'm driving the radio is advertising some kind of Lighthouse keeping? hhhhmmm that is a weird ad?? Yeah that is what I heard, it was light housekeeping for an elderly housing ad. It made me laugh and think of my brother, he was watching the news and Sally Severson and another woman were discussing the Labor day activities and the BBQs going on all over town and the woman looks at Sally and says, "I can't wait to get some of that chicken salad", so my brother starts questioning "Chicken Salad, who said anything about chicken salad and chicken salad this and that and my SIL looked at him and said "Scott, she said "I can't wait to get some of the chicken Sally!!""" I wonder if it runs in the family????

Difference between kids and friends

I am still feeling like crap. Tonight I was supposed to cook dinner for my son and his wife, Indian Tacos, nothing fancy. It would require running a vacuum cleaner over the floor and I really am not up to it. So I make the call to my son, Hi Mike, hey I wanted to give you enough time to get something for dinner, I am just not up to cooking tonight, I still feel like poop. Oh mom that's Ok, I hope you feel better? Love you bye
Now what I dreamed of hearing was
Oh Mom can we run something over to you??? do you need anything?? hahahahahahahahahhha and I know you are laughing too!!!!! That is where friends come in and they are the ones that will say
Can I bring you something??? Are you taking something?? Drink lots of water...do you need soup????

The comfort of friends!!!!

Tradition

My mom is not sentimental and tradition is pretty much not in our family. My father probably did more for tradition than either parent but there is this one dish. My mom got this plate as a present from a neighbor that did ceramics. I loved this plate and knew it was a special occassion when the plate came out. I would run my fingers along the berries, it had ridges on the edge, unlike the usual round plates, and when we washed the dish, it was with special care that I wiped it dry. Some how it got a chip in it, not under my watch, but when I got it, so I used a green marker and covered the white clay from peaking out and ruining the sea of green. Some time ago my mom gave me the plate, it is still my favorite memory of handmade cookies and ribbon candy, a special Christmas memory. I bring the plate out every year and it brings back warm memories with it. It is nothing fancy, and I don't really like dishes, but this one dish has magic in it. I wish you and your families a Very Merry Christmas.

Feeling like dog dodo

When I get sick, I take after my male counterparts, it is pretty devastating. I think it may be because I don't get sick often that it really affects me. I tend to make it more drama than really needs to be, I should just suck it up. This crud that I have is making me dizzy, scary passout dizzy. I cough really hard and then hold on to the chair so I don't pass out. I am thinking it is sinus, because they can do that to you. I have the kids over for Indian Tacos on Christmas eve. Good thing about that is they can help cook. I am not knitting, I am not doing anything but whinning. I have no desire to do anything....but whine. The parties are all over and it goes by so fast. We are once again in for some "weather" as they say in Kansas. Speaking of I am signed up for "Yarn School" once again in Spring, there will be six of us rooming together, it will be a blast. Well I need me some nap!!!!

Great Party

Holy Schmolly!!! I decided to suck it up and go to the party. I think I feel worse in the morning than I do in the afternoon, which is not how I normally feel, which is worse at night, but....We went to the party, I didn't have the caroling CD, but it's Ok, I may have had to cough and choke if I sang too much. The back of the car was full of Holiday treats and presents and I felt like I was part of Santas sleigh group. The party was warm and fun as usual and the gifts were exchanged, but it was my friends behind the scenes that gave me the best of the best!!!! I soooo want to thank them. It was fun and exciting and I got a real surprise with the 12 days of Christmas and that penguin there, in the photo.....now how cool is this...you put a tea bag on his beak and he steeps your tea for however long you set the timer and then his beak comes out of the hot water removing the tea bag, he is so cute, I have been just watching his ticker all morning!!!! It is snowing beautifully here, I love, the snow and am a little happy we didn't have to drudge through the snow last night. Thanks again for all of the fun and it was so good to see everyone last ngiht.

How to tell if a store is closed

Dear friends,
When you approach a store and there are no cars around it may be a clue. When you approach the door and the lights are off, the sign says Closed Mondays, it's dark inside and the door is locked, ringing the door bell will not make it all magically open up for your browsing convenience. Ringing the doorbell twice will only PO the person that lives there and wonder what could be so important that you have to ring twice. What knitting emergency could you have that requires an immediate response. I am feeling sick since Saturday evening. Problem is, it is probably just a cold but I get sick so rarely that I get sick like a man...way more drama than is needed. I call people and tell them I may not make it.....I feel so horribly ill and it's only a stinking cold. I ache, it must be the flu, but it is really a cough and I am coughing so hard it is the pee cough and choke and gag. My body hurts but I am sure it is from the coughing. See I told you more drama than really needed. My lungs are the weak spot for me and sitting in a bar Tuesday with second hand smoke probably started the domino effect....so my punishment is coughing up a lung one piece at a time. I am going to a party tonight, not with the intent of infecting everyone, I think what I have is self induced. I was going to make cute little penguins to take, but it would require, putzing and cutting and the way I feel right now those cute little penguins would end up looking like derranged men in tuxes....I don't care to cook when I feel good, I am not going to cook now.....wah wah wah......I'm going back to bed.

Smitten with Mittens

How cliche was that???? Due to a high demand for knit socks from my sock machine Norman, I decided to make some socks and some mittens. I also needed to make myself some mittens because the ones I have, which are my very favorite, they are light, thin and extremely warm, got caught on the dumpster and have a hole in them, that I did fix but wanted a new pair anyway. So now I am on a mitten roll. I use sock yarn and they are the warmest mittens and can be machine washed, a plus.
I wish it would snow.....Iggy is at daycare and I actually miss him, he is a cuddler in the morning...maybe it's because I put crumbs all over me.

Using a blinker

Driving 101, means that when you are turning you have a thing on the side of the steering wheel, that you push one way or the other to make another little thingy blick which also makes a light on the back and front of the vehicle blink, letting other drivers know you are turning. It should also let other drivers know you would like to turn, possibly into their lane....giving them warning that you "would like to turn" into that lane. This is not a signal to speed up and not allow you to do such an action, it would I think mean slow up so that I don't cut in front of you for your damn rudeness of keeping just enough space that I can't turn into said lane. You may think you will be late if you don't let me in but in fact I am right behind you at the stoplight. Glaring at you in your rear view mirror, yes that is me back there and all of the fidgeting in the World won't make me go away till the light turns and you take off to get rid of me. Again we have lost all etiquette, hurry up and screw the rest of you. Now in fact I know I have missed some peoples blinker myself, sometimes because, they turn it on and as they are turning it on they turn without notice???? I had two Christmas parties in two days.....I had a great time at both of them, it was so nice to see alot of the old workers I worked with and spent a good portion of my life with. Funny how once someone retires they stay looking the same vs. the people still working who seem to age at a very fast rate. That my friends is a plug for retirement!!!

Note to self

It is Ok to pee before you loose the desire to exercise. Hey I am on a roll, I have been doing WII exercise for a week now, every other day that is. Yes I still cheat on forward lunges. On projects: I am knitting on the scarf for Chili, for the Passport in January, I am looking at a mitten I want to knit, in fair isle. I have a pattern in the works, and I am filling sock orders that I have to get done.
Last night I went to a Steamfitter Christmas party and can hardly talk today. I can't remember laughing so hard about nothing?? I can't even remember what we were laughing at so hard and it went so fast that you had to keep up or miss some comment. I'm sure it was something shady, I know it was......it was good to see the guys I used to work with. Another party today, this is for the Miller Retirees, I am getting into the swing of this party thing. Then I have a car full going to another party Monday in Juneau, it is the annual Christmas party of fiber friends, that is if it doesn't snow it always seems to snow on this party date. We sing Christmas Carols really loud and look for the best light displays.....I can hardly wait!!!

Why me?

So I went to this new little deli/cafe for breakfast and is there a reason that obnoxious people feel the need to inform me of that??I am sitting alone waiting for me food to come and in comes Mr Grumperina....he was complaining his whole way in and then settled in a seat close to me. I am thinking my peaceful meal is ruined, but he shut up and drank his coffee only to mumble in response to the television news. So it turned out Ok after all. Today I have a few ideas to try to make into reality. I have some spinning ideas in my head now I have to try to make it work. So off I go.....

Jenny and Me

Day two of working out.....I finally got in the mail my WII My shape with Jenny McCarthy. Oh yeah her and I are good friends now and she speaks to me while I am working out....what she keeps saying is "Follow me" "Check the tutorial if you are having trouble" I say "Shut up Jenny" I can't do jumping jacks without a bra?????" So here is my assessment of the work out programs for the WII...I have bad knees, there is no way I can do deep knee lunges, where you lunge forward and kneel on the back knee. If I did, I would still be genuflecting and the game would be over, I would have missed my nightime pills and bed. I am not going to wreck what is left of my knee by lunging. There is no way to skip these sessions so I learned to cheat. Oh yeah I cheat at my workout program. I found that if you take the controller and move it while sitting on the ottoman, to reflect deep knee bends you get a ton of encouragement, and no "follow me, watch me"....it took me all of 5 seconds to figure this one out, actually right after I couldn't find a skip button. I do feel guilty about it but it should have an old farts, couch potato start up program. In the evaluation for this workout she tells you to do jumping jacks and she is doing it on the left side of the screen and you are on the right side of the screen, (it has a little camera you set up) imagine my excitement while I am setting it up Jenny on the left and me sitting with my nightshirt with a sweatshirt over it, flannel bottoms and on the other side looking less than enthusiatic. it made me laugh...why couldn't I make my trainer a little heavier??? a just like me trainer that is breathing heavy and not constantly talking when we work out together. One that is not shaking the house during our running in place exercise. Thank goodness I live near the airport, I can pawn off the trembling walls to an airplane going rather low.....now the jumping jacks....I take my first jump out and went "holy crap, when was the last time I did one of these?" now I have to jump in?????? I keep saying baby steps Jan, do this in baby steps. I did get through the whole session of the Wii fit, the jury is still out on Jenny. Once again there is yoga on this game, so I think I will try this, so this is the beginning I think???? Stand tall like mountain position, I think?? Go down to dirty dog and posing child and see the sun and backward dog dancing and .....what the heck is this I need BEGINNER YOGA. then the ultimate question? How can I see what they are doing on a tv screen, while my face is embedded in the carpet?????? I will get through this...

Working out

I am going to beat the New Years resolutions. I have a goal I have to meet for me personally and I need to get moving. I have all of the gear I need and that is the WII, it has awesome work out programs and I don't have to leave the house and be embarrassed by "health" clubs. I also am not good at leaving the house, the more excuses I can think of the worse that scenario gets....it's too cold, I am too tired...blah blah blah. So I am fired up, this was Wed. I don't need to start on Monday and next week, if I get the urge I darn well better move on it. I actually have the best Pilates machine and used it all the time at my other home, problem is if I set it up it takes up my whole bedroom it lays out flat and is about 6 feet long, I love it and want to use it but, I know one of my middle of the night pees will end me up in the ER with a smashed toe, broken ankle or more. So it is neatly folded up in my bedroom. I choose the WII, it has games and a personal trainer, besides my avatar looks pretty good. I take Iggy for our freezing walk so the clothing of the day is socks, pj bottoms, nightshirt, sweatshirt...I am ready to work out....They have me doing a warmup that is making me hot....off come the socks, if my feet get hot I get uuuuuuggglllyyyy. I join in again....wooohoooo I am walking at a running pace for me...I don't run and they are telling me lift those knees a little higher and now off comes the sweatshirt......whew. Back at it, now we are going to do some band training, Ok I need my shoes for this because the band is Latex and I can't touch this, we'll see how this will work. Shoes on pants off, OMG I think I pulled a back muscle, but I am doing this and they are telling me I am doing well. So here I am jumping around in my nightshirt, note to self put on a bra...running and old boobies....bra required. So here we go leg squats.....uh uh, newwwwww way, I have bad knees, so I have this numchuck neatly tucked into a leg band and a controller in my right hand. Let's go down and up, oh you need to get into the yellow zone??? I am trying did I tell you my right knee is bad???? helllllooo, Ok I can do a couple of these to strengthen my knees. 1.....2......thhhhhhhhrrrrrrrrreeeeee I can't do this anymore, where is the skip??? There is none so I figured out if you take the numchuck out of it's nice little pouch and twist it up and down, you can do beautiful squats. Ok got that one figured out!!!! So after I work out I feel good, one hour later I am taking aspirin...now why is it people work out????? I am going to do it again today....maybe.....

Sick of Soup

I am not a cook, let alone have to cook for one. Example, I want to make a bowl of soup, or two bowls. Just enough that I won't be eating it for a week. I get out a little meat fry it or brown it, hhmm soup stock, I open this 1/2 gallon container of no MSG, no artificial anything soup stock, pour in a little and simmer. Cut up some onion, potatoes, parsnips, carrots, Ok get a bigger kettle, add more broth, barley, salt, pepper, thyme, basil, a little red wine....no matter what you do you end up with a soup kitchen vat of soup. I made a kettle/vat of vegetable soup and ate some for lunch.....then supper and I put the other 5 gallons into the freezer,which I will end up throwing out in Spring, because I forgot what it was that I froze. One time I thawed spaghetti sauce, and made the noodles only to find out it was sloppy joes....do you think I learned to mark things??? Then I did the I'm going to save all of my meat scraps and freeze them so i can make a broth when I get enough....I had a zillion little baggies of fat balls??? Maybe I just don't like taking out the garbage so I freeze stuff, maybe that is where you can store things till you get some grandchild or kid over to take the garbage out???? I am just now realizing that I should not buy groceries for a week, even though I hate grocery shopping, I am tired of throwing out what once was good food. Then there is the buying repeat purchases, one time I had about 6 bottles of BBQ sauce. Now I am doing it with tomato soup. Although having acorn squash soup and some other stash may come in handy if we get snowed in for a week. At first glance I have a lot of rice, BBQ sauce, garbonzo beans and tomato soup for that impending emergency....I need to start making a list for shopping.

Who knew?

Who knew I had a sled dog? All the summer and dry months my little Iggy, walked very well on a leash. There is snow and some ice on the walks and he turns into a pulling sled dog. Of all the times he shouldn't pull he has begun pulling?? I am going to have my spikes on and let him try then. Our walk this morning I was wondering how quick his little feet would freeze up but he had no problem, neither did I.
On another note, here we go again, with the winter storm watches. At four o clock, due to lack of customers being scared off by the blizzard, I turned on Oprah...no we have breaking news, it's going to snow. HHhmmmmm I have lived in this State my whole life, I remember maybe once being snowed in, once. My heart goes out to the people that are truley getting hit, but come on how long do you think this will last?
If it does last, hunker down with some knitting, spinning and some hot chocolate and watch it snow!!!!! Enjoy the sheer beauty of it. I don't know if I should open or not????

Ahh the parties over

Well yesterday was the Holiday Stroll for the village and we had lots of customers and open knitting. One of the best days for seeing old friends, lots of knitters for open knit and then an after party at my house. We had tons of food and it was a good time. The house is clean and I am vegging today, all day!!! We watched some movies and kicked back. I ate left over appetizers and drank some Cranberry juice cocktail. Iggy has been passed out all day!!! He had a rough party!!!
It was the first Holiday party I think I have had for a very long time, as shop owners we need a chance to unwind after all of the stress of planning. So now I am unwinding, I have two parties left to go to and then I am done. Why is it going to parties is so stressful???? I don't have to bring anything or dress up, well not too dressed up that is. One is for the retirees from Miller and it is really good to see the old gang and the second is the Steamfitters that I worked with at Miller. I am excited about both of them and this year they fall on two different days. Last year is the day I came home to an Iggy poopsicle, he pooped in his cage and had it all over....that was a pleasant surprise, he must have been 10 weeks old. Well all my decorating is done, I only have to bake for the Veterans Christmas party this coming Saturday. By the way I am collecting food for the party and it must be here Friday morning. Baked goodies is what they are looking for.
The family that we were getting all of the help for called Deb from Bella Vita Day spa and told her they don't need any more donations, they have plenty of things now. When was the last time you ever heard anybody say they have "enough" . This makes me even happier that we picked this family. His job called him back and they have got help from the kid's school. They are getting back on their feet. This is when you are rewarded for giving, when they successfully get their life back in shape and are strong enough to admit it, and not make it a lifestyle. This make me feel really good. Thanks to everyone that has helped. We all dug a little deeper into our pockets and look at the results!!! A Very Merry Christmas for one family and many Veterans.

More days this week

I need more days in this week!!!! I need a few more days to get everything done before this weekend!!! I need to clean, cook and make some sort of Holiday cheer drink. I need to decorate the shop, which is priority today!!! So if you come by and see me tangled up in lights, garland and yarn, please go press the coffee button and make me a hot cup of Joe!!!! Tempt me with the coffee to come down from the ladder and breath, not swear. This weekend is our Holiday Stroll, Open knitting and a Holiday Party after hours!!! I shipped some new yarn out to MN, a package to Brown Sheep. The new buttons came in and are beautiful, they are hung on the wall with care, My wireless internet is of course screwing up again, seems like it was four months ago, it did the same darn thing. My hair is colored brightly with glee....I need to vacuum the shop and get ready for Saturday and tonight is Spinning Guild.....so if I look a little frazzled and dazed, once again, get me some chocolate puleeze.

On Being a mom

I pretty much raised my son alone. His dad and I got divorced when he was less than a year and his dad pretty much chose to drink rather than be a dad. After a few weak visits he pretty much dropped out of the picture which was fine for me, but left a little boy wondering what he did. My dad and brother were good to Mike and did their part to give him the man he needed and were both great influences on Mike. My dad was more like a father to Mike, and when he died Mike was 12 and he pretty much fell apart. I remember looking at him and he was a real cutey, of course I was biased what mom isn't. I was strict with him and never wanted anyone to say he came from a single parent home. I taught him values and morals and sometimes it was more do as I say than as I do. I watched him grow into a polite young man. I remember for what seemed like a few weeks he got weird looking, it's hard to describe but his face changed, he got a little homely, almost like I didn't recognize him. I will call that few weeks puberty, I see lots of kids get this way, and then they blossom into their teens. He broke from that weird stage and was ambitious with sports and I was there all the way, soccer, football and his favorite wrestling. I have gauged my age by his milestones, when he turned into a teen, I was the mother of a teenager, then his 20's, and now he is 33. He works very hard and has done really well with his life. He has had expensive taste since he was little, all I would tell him is "you better get a good job to support your taste" and he never got that from me, the only label I wore were Calvin Klein jeans from Kohls. He got married this summer and has a beautiful wife, home and still is playing hard and working hard. I look at him and his face is changing again, I see a mature man now and not that little boy anymore. It seems like it was a dream that he was a child. He has just written an app for Iphone/pods with another young man and there was an article online JsOnline
I am watching my baby boy, that seemingly disappeared into this mature, entrepreneur, with a home and wife and dreams change again. It is a good change and I am so proud of him. Who would ever have thought the baby I held would be what he is today!!! I am just reflecting on time and man it is really passing quickly, here I am reading an article about my son....thanks for letting me reflect...I wonder if he knows how much I really love and respect him and how proud he makes me? I think I may cry.

Thanksgiving

It is once again upon us, the Holiday Season. It is also the time of needy families, the less fortunate of us. I am a firm believer that we need to help our own. I know there are hungry children in India and a zillion other Countries around the World, but alot of that has to do with their government not getting aide to these people. Here in the US, we have no excuse, we have hungry people walking the streets right next to us. I am not a proponent of offering Ipods to kids to bribe them to eat their free breakfast at MPS, but I do believe children should not be punished for their parents, which is twofold, because some parents believe we are responsible and they are not. Deb from Bella Vita day spa has a mission of a family that has lost everything to a fire. She herself had the same thing happen to her and so this is dear to her heart. We went to dinner last night and she filled me in on the family.
The landlord in their apt. was having some work done and it caused an explosion of the building and they lost everything. They were all out of the home, the three girls were at school, the mother works at George Webbs, and he was at work, as a truck driver and recently got laid off. This is a family that is struggling to make ends meet but are a working family. They have just been allowed to rent an apartment from a rental company that was kind enough to let them live month to month. We are going to collect money to buy the kids Christmas presents, and me in my pea brain said "Oh a WII would be fun, uh, they don't have a TV? They don't have beds, linens, clothes....Jan they lost e-v-e-r-y thing. That really struck a cord with me...the saying "how would you feel if you lost everything.....and then got it all back?" What if you didn't? They don't have dishes, cookware, bathroom stuff. So if you have some extra things that you can part with, any furniture, any things, please stop by Bella Vita, Deb is a drop off spot for anything you can give. I have a cash box in the shop. The dad was called back to work, which is a good thing, but that doesn't begin to ease the stress of what they are up against. They live here on the south side of Milwaukee, the kids are still able to go the same school, so they are not totally uprooted from their routine, the school has helped them out also. So at this time of Thanksgiving, take time to really appreciate all we have and how some people have nothing and not because they aren't trying, just through bad luck. Think about if one day you lost everything!!!!

It's five in the morning?

Morning World, it was like I was the only person on earth this morning when we walked. No cars, no people, a light fog settled around the ground and a chill in the air. I am always on the lookout for animals but as long as I have lived here and walked here, all hours of the day, I have never seen a deer, I did see coyotes once and tons of racoons. I love seeing wildlife.
I have had a very busy weekend, the opera, catching up with friends I only get to see during deer hunting, dinner and more dinner. So today I am going to spin, and tomorrow I am going to clean...did I say that, did I actually verbalize that comment. I also need to take some photos, I need to shoot something, catch something in my lens, something to go awesome. Last week I took a bunch of photos only to find my camera set to indoor lighting also called Tungsten, they were all bluish, on one hand I can fix them but on the other, I caught something in the sky that I would not have seen if it had not been blue. So it worked out OK. If I don't take photos today, I will tomorrow. Iggy is not a good source, he is a brat and turns his head or squints his eyes. Well it's early I am on my second cup of Joe and playing Mai Jong....have a great day!!

Dancing Leaves

I love when we walk this time of year especially in the morning. This morning was a windy blustery Fallish day. I love to watch dancing leaves, they flip and twist like trapeze artists. Iggy chases them and picks them up in his mouth only to realize they must not be too tasty. I would love to see someone set music to dancing leaves, actually I bet if i went on you tube somebody has. The other fun thing to watch is plastic grocery bags, they can really put on a performance, twisting and puffing up and soaring high and then gracefully falling down only to be swooped up again by the wind. Simple pleasure I know.
Dear Hunters:
I know you have been making notes and plotting your trip for months now. I know you have your duffle bag packed your rifles sited in and pocket snacks carefully thought out. I know you are waiting for Friday after work to hit the road. I also know you are praying that the boss lets you go early because in Wisconsin, companies actually close for deer hunting season, due to lack of attendance.
I also know how much I yearned for Deer Hunting season so I could enjoy ME time, when my husband and his brothers would pack up and leave. So Dear Hunters it is a two fold excitement, You are excited to go and do some male bonding and woman are happy to see you go to lay on the couch and read a book, dine on mac and cheese and listen to some great music, shop and just be alone. So this next statement would void out any of the above, hence ruining the whole mystical event of deer hunting.
The deer are right here!!!
In the last month my encounter with deer has been more than I have ever seen while trapsing through the woods with my stiff coveralls on, picking up boots that weighed 10# each and trying to bend my knees with stiff fabric that was like cardboard, looking like an orange pumpkin and breathing like a dragon in heet. Not to mention holding my pee till my eyes turned yellow and freezing my fingers that if a deer did by chance meandor in site of me, I would not be able to pull the trigger anyway, they could wave at me and flip me off for all I could do. Then the intense fear that when you do see a deer, you have to look behind it and around it to be sure you have a sure firing path, so not to have to mount your neighbor on the roof of your car instead of that running deer. All while this poor deer is running for it's life. I used to hunt and I have shot a deer, well a unicorn, my first deer and it only had one antler???? I was teased endlessly for that one, but there again, the rules are....shoot only bucks......(check for horns).....know where your people are ....(check for a clear shot and overshot).....take the safety off.....(frozen fingers, manipulate that little button)......shoot before someone else does .....(I am in a line of 50 men?) and this deer is at full bore. So after, they told me to do the ritual cutting off of his male genitalia and swinging them around my head and whooping and hollaring, comes the gutting, which being fully prepared brought sugical gloves....LOL, right next to my wad of toilet paper.
So I have had the experience, or how about the one where I am hunting and decide to eat my lunch, put my gun next to me and open my little baggie with the salami and cheese sandwich and homemade cookies, turn to see the worlds largest buck getting up from his nap, about 10 feet "behind" me with a rack that would have made most men cry. Problem is I had food in my hand, deer, food, deer , food, well after that internal conversation all I could do is watch his butt run off into the woods, he wasn't going to wait to see the outcome of this thought process. I finished my sandwich...
I don't hunt anymore, I do but I use my camera and these were in Cousin Center on the lake, looking at me and caring less, they were safe. I quit hunting after I was driving on I-94 early one morning going to a show opening weekend. This deer was running for it's life across a corn field and it had this look of fear that I will never forget. That was an end to the era of my hunting. I am not hungry so I don't need the meat, I am content to catch them in my lens and enjoy their beauty.

Jiggle race to the checkout

I am not competitive, I don't care if I win, it is not important to me. I was walking into the grocery store and this woman walked a little faster, like maybe they were giving something away free. I walked a little faster, then she was cut off by an older woman and I kicked it into high gear (mind you me walking in high gear) passed her up and entered the store. Now i don't like grocery shopping, what was I thinking when I went shopping at after work time. So let the games begin....I am doing my usual strolling and putzing and here comes Speedracer doing speed shopping, swooping around your cart like we're on the Autoban and then slamming on the brakes, right next to another cart....Ok so now no one can go anywhere and then she gives a huff at the person on the other side of the jam that asked her very nicely to please move one way or the other. This is where I take a deep breath, put my 357 back in the holster and take a vallium. Just kidding, but my goodness, no one seems to have any manners any more. Then I am looking for Androille sausage so I ask the meat clerk, but this is how I pronounce it, "Excuse me sir, do you have Anjoulullie sausage, laughing and he says you mean Androille??? Well yes of course that is what I said you just didn't hear me correctly sir!!!! Ok so now I am on a soup kick, I am going to make soup, mmmmm a good thick stewy kind of soup. I have my cart filled with about $100.00 worth of soup ingrediants and then pass the deli counter and Oh they have that fresh soup that is so good and costs $7.95? Now what the heck am I thinking, I hate eatting the same thing for a week, and I am going to make a soup kitchen kettle of soup, then what throw it out???? So common sense kicked in and I now have two eatable containers of soup...... Sometimes I get smart!!!! Oh oh so I am on my way to the checkout and here comes ms. I'm gonna beat you to the checkout.....the hell you are, I kick in to quick steps and trying to look like I am not going to break into a run mode. This was the same woman trying to outrun me getting into the store, OMG, I just want to go home and play Mai Jong and eat soup!!!!

Belly Laughs

When was the last time you had a really good belly laugh. Someone made you laugh so hard and you had a really good hearty laugh. We had passport Saturday yesterday and Kelly had us laughing so hard. It sure makes you feel good to throw back your head and laugh. I think sometimes we live life so seriously and so intently we miss these moments. I really enjoy when we get together and knit, we exchange stories and life and share ideas. We did Mosaic knitting and my fear that it would be difficult was for nothing. Everyone did a great job and almost finished their projects while sitting there. I love how everyone helps each other with the little things. I love the "Oh I did that too" It is a time for us to learn and share and of course laugh.
I have been spinning alot trying to get some orders finished. I have new porcelain buttons coming in this week, they are beautiful. Lots of small changes in the shop and all for the better, some purgine and cleaning going on.
Today will be a day of spinning and watching the Packers, maybe I'll cook.....hhhhmmm nothing to cook...ok we'll have left overs then.

Getting younger and are there any ugly kids anymore???

When I was young we had some non pretty kids around. Not including acne, but just in general not really cute. Now it is hard to find a kid that you would say is really homely. I think they must have burned those genes out during the major drug age of the 60's??? and I went to lunch this afternoon and these managers are getting younger and younger. I thought about it and my SIL has a brother that owns I think 2-3 Dairy Queens and is only in his early 20's. He has been a kid that had his sights set on achieving business's and is quite successful. He started working when he was 13, and has not stopped. He has owned the cars of his dreams, bought a beautiful home and has two children and a lovely wife, they work together and bring the kids to work. So I guess I am just getting older...I know what a surprise. It is good though to see someone working hard to achieve their dreams rather than laying around thinking they are entitled!!! Back to work for me....

Catching up

The bills are finally paid, my phone is switched to RR, so ATT won't gouge me anymore, Iggy and I both got haircuts and I just have to do the bookwork for the shop and that is on my agenda for today. The Trunk show was a huge success and we had a lot of fun besides, time is so limited when you try to pack all kinds of stuff into it. Saturday night we had the "Wedding" dinner at the Serbs, my sons in laws and our whole family went. Then we were informed there will be lots of photos, well none of us are camera crazy. So now the games begin, the Massie fashion show. What to wear, well for me it's a no brainer I will put on one of my black uniforms (that is what I call my clothes) my brother on the other hand has Jeans, and that pretty much covers it. Jeans and a khacki top. So my son says just wear some khacki pants, what we used to call Dockers and a nice shirt. Scott goes into a fit and says "I'm a blue collared worker not a office worker?" eh Scott, I didn't say a tuxedo? So Cheryl was sent to task, find Bubba some decent clothes. She bought him some black dress pants and a nice gray shirt, he looked nice, other than the pants were too long and dragging but his comment was ....it will be dark? uh Scott, the Serbians live in a house with real lights....oh yeah. I told him he needs something kind of nice anyway, what if someone dies and he has to go to the funeral??? I'll wear jeans their dead and won't care anyway!!! you have a point there. So now we all get into the car and I can hear groans of uncomfortable dress clothes, I start to laugh, this is why I wear pajama like clothes all the time, comfort people....comfort. We went to the dinner and the food was wonderful, it went off with just a few moments and they will go down in the Serbs books. Mikes FiL reached across the table to propose a toast to Cheryl and she tried to take his shot of Cognac. He quickly recoiled and I injected "geez Cheryl if you want a shot just ask," we were all cracking up...and then there was bread and lots of it, home made warm bread, no butter. Scott was in a panic, where's the butter? so I asked the MIL , Butter for what??? uh Scott wanted it....LOL
Then we thought the roast pig would be warm, they always eat their meat cold??? I don't get it, but it is there custom. So Scott was not thrilled that he had hot bread, no butter and cold pork. Funny how we get so used to our way of doing things that any other way is "wrong"!!! It isn't wrong it is just different. We all carry over things we have done since child hood and they are not wrong, just different. A real good one is eatting Corn on the cob, That was our meal, maybe with beans, but corn was our main food, until I got married I thought everyone just ate corn on the cob for the meal. Where is the hamburgers/hot dogs???? Isn't corn enough???? So this is how it goes.....In a sense it is a tradition and as Americans we are losing tradition at an alarming rate. I don't have any traditions? We eat Indian Tacos for Thanksgiving, but that has been changed to family turkey,since no one travels anymore. I celebrate Christmas Eve, more than Christmas day, i love Christmas eve. After watching the Serbs and all of the rich tradition, we are losing so much, by not remembering something to take along.

Close Encounters and Congrats!!!

My son has been working on an Iphone app for about a year now. It started a lot longer ago, he was planning on an alarm clock that wakes you earlier if it is sleeting or snowy. It is in the future going to wake you up earlier if the weather is nice so you can ride your bike to work. It was hard to get someone to do a prototype and then alas, the Iphone. So he has been diligently working on this program and it has finally been accepted!!! So now you too can own an app that wakes you early if there is inclement weather, a great thing for us living in the North. My brother and I went and celebrated with them last night after we all got tweeted with the good news. On my way home, I was still reeling from the good news, and the huge coke I drank. I was on the main drag to my home and Iggy was resting on the passenger seat next to me, when suddenly like a dream, this huge buck walked in front of the car....I mean this bugger was as long as my car is wide and I slammed on the brakes, the dog hit the floor barking....and I bit the steering wheel. Holy Crap he was 10 feet in front of me and then gone....He was huge, enormous, I think it may have been a darn Moose!!! I have never been that close to hitting one and I usually see them on the sides of the road, this one snuck out from construction barrels and totally ignored the fact that my face was pressed against the windshield and the dog was smashed into the heat vents. I had to pull over after that and pull myself together or maybe it was to pull my hands off of the steering wheel and my foot off of the brake, not too mention almost relieving myself after that huge coke. It really took me a while to shake that scary feeling...
So Iggy and I both got defurred today, he looks funny and won't let me take a photo, the brat. Kim Leach is coming today and I made Julia Childs famous Boueff Boignainan...or something like that. It smells fabulous!!! Bon Appetite

Full Moon

Oh yes there is a full moon. Welcome Wackos!! I went to Spin In, what once was Wisconsin's main Fiber Festival Sunday. I had a good time but the whole event seemed depressed. Lots of sad faces and the energy was lacking. I loved Spin in, we used to travel to different little towns where the Guilds worked all year on making their Spin in the best ever. We would go to little towns, high school gym and the whole town seemed to join in, to make the event a smash!!! The pom pom girls or some sport group would have a bake sale, or with the helps of the moms sell hot dogs and chips for the lunches. It was great and some were better than others but it gave each Guild a chance to show what they have. We planned our weekend around it, I remember camping in Mishicot with my dad, son and a friend. It rained all weekend but we had a great time, soaking wet!! I visited area tourist traps and have such fond memories. I don't know if I have hit a wall or if it was just better when we all had a hand at making it work. I don't think I am the only one that is feeling this way. I miss the old Spin In....I also miss when fiber people were nice and cared about each other. I miss the fact that they all wanted each other to do well, there was no anymosity towards each other. Now it is so the opposite of the down home people it once was, it is corporate America, cutthroat and nasty. This one hates that one and that one hates the other one and God forbid you do well, no one wants to see that. I'm a little ashamed of this, what happened to the caring sincere fiber group?? Is it Cliques or Money??? I wish it was fun again, I also wish I was thin....I think I need to take off those darn rose colored glasses, this is the way it is now, I just don't understand.

Falling Back

Turn back your clocks, it's the mantra for us Midwesterner. Us Farmers that need to work during the daylight hours, to harvest our crops and make hay while the sun shines. No burning the Midnight oil....So since I turn the lights on with a switch now, it always makes me wonder why we are still doing this. Farmers use GPS to do thier field work these days, They don't even leave huge rocks or trees to navigate by anymore, the World has changed. I still wonder why we change the clocks. Is it too screw with our bodies? Is it to make this the longest week in life, till next year, the week that we drag ourselves through, slugging coffee and trying to make our bodies realize we gained an hour, kind of?? Seriously a week of clock watching...isn't it time to leave work yet? Am I late for, whatever? I love the trying to figure out the old time. "If it was 3:00 yesterday what time is it really today?" Did we loose and hour or gain an hour, I'm confused. In case you didn't know this, I woke up this morning at 4:30, I have no idea why, but I am wide awake and alert and refreshed. I am on my second cup of coffee and watching infommercials on TV. I have not bought anything as of yet but my willpower may be going down as the sun is coming up. I had to walk Iggy at 4:30 and 99% of our walks are uneventful and quiet. Iggy isn't a barker until it's 4:30am and people are sleeping. He was sniffing some bushes and something must have moved...of course it was something, it's 4:30 no one is up and milling about. He started barking his head off, all the shusshing in the world was not going to stop him. I was sure I was going to see lights going on in bedrooms all over the Village. As I drag him backwards up the hill, still shusshing, he was intent to keep looking back to find what it was that "moved". Ahhhh this is a great start to a new day!!! Now he is passed out on the couch and I am blogging it.

Which fingers???

Ok so I was getting creative and was having fun making witch fingers, now the recipe said, you can use any precookie base to do these awesome looking witch fingers. So I stop at Puke and Save and pick up some sugar cookie dough and off I go. I am sitting down to some finger fun. I make two dozen ugly fingers and am enjoying this to the endth. I have a Halloween Party after hours in the Village tomorrow and besides bringing Pabst Smear (beer dip), I thought oh these cookies are awesome....here they are and I put them in the oven and here they are after!!!! This sucks....I am so upset...I should have used the recipe that was suggested, I wonder if you could eat these raw???? This my friends is why I don't cook/bake get near the oven. Happy Halloween!!!

Eatting Breakfast

I love to go out for breakfast, I really like to go out for all meals but we won't get into that. The best breakfast is at those Albanian/Greek, 20 # of food for a couple bucks, unless of course it is a weekend and you can get the "Hot Mess" at Cafe Hollander... well because I eat alone alot, I am always interested in how they seat me...this morning was the real slap...I walk in and the hostess, that barely can speak English other than "Es everting OK? " pipes in with "Are yu al elone?" uh no the whole damn Circus parade is behind me toots.....what is that? Are you all alone? No I'll be dining with my alter egos and my pscyopath Imaginary friends and I'd like a table for 6 please. Another one is JUST one? I think I deserve more than a JUST!!! Last time I remember going into a restraunt and waiting to be seated with a group saying ....table for four, or two or something, I didn't just stand there alone thinking that? I walked in and mentions that I was with more people, so when I say one/no smoking, that should be enough. Or at least give someone that is alone, a smile and "Booth or Table for one? that would be nice, not JUSt or ALONE....next time you go for a meal by yourself and I am sure it is happening more and more, listen to how they address you, maybe it's just me that hears that...or maybe it's the loud speaker with feedback saying "WE HAVE A DORK THAT HAS NO FRIENDS OR FAMILY AND EATS ALONE ENTERING THE DINING AREA" Guess what it won't stop me.....not in this lifetime.

Face Book

The photo is a skein of Art yarn that I have made into a moebius ring, it is a special order and it looks stunning if I must say so myself.
On Facebook there is a post that states "Shit my dad says" it is a 28 year old guy that lives with his parents? he just posts stuff that his dad says, it is hysterical, pretty raw but you can see an old man saying some of this stuff. I have actually considered this with my mom. Daughters and mothers relationships can be so strained. I think it may be worse for the older generations like me and my mother. Our mothers never talked to us, they were not open about personal girl things, it was very secret. It was also laced with myths and old wives tales. I think mothers are more open now and willing to talk to their teens, keeping the door open for more conversation. My mom and I have a bittersweet relationship, it goes good and then she makes some nasty comment, but she has actually gotten better. I think she has forgotten or forgets to be nasty to me. It could be that I am learning her techniques...I don't let her, get to me. She was not a coddeling mother, the come here honey after you fell, it was more get up and go play?? What? I just put my teeth through my lip..?? Just pull them off and it will heal before you get married!!! Yeah not the loving touch. It is hard to be sympathetic with her now...I didn't have a good teacher. The thing with my mom is she is a fox, she is very much like her mother, I have seen her acting at the Dr office and she is academy award winning. So I don't know when she is genuine or not. She is losing the use of her legs, I can not imagine a woman that worked out at a gym for 20 years, until about 4 years ago, what a blast to your ego this must be. We have not neglected her and have had her for every test there is but they have no explanation. She falls all the time, my worry is, she is going to hit her head and cause a stroke, the Dr says make her wear a helmut....seriously. We as in my brother, sister in law and I are at a crossroad. What do we do now, her mind is still good, she is of course slipping and repeats herself, just like the rest of us and OMG spend one hour where she lives and they ALL tell the same thing within 10 minutes!!!! It would make anybody crazy. She is losing all of her old friends, the ones she knew and called and had coffee with, this too must be hard. It has to be a two edged sword, either you die first or watch everyone else die? So we went to dinner last night, she loves Iggy so he come in the car and sits quietly on her lap and she knows right where to pet him. She doesn't eat much at home so a good meal is a treat for her, she never was a good cook, now she can't stand long enough to cook. I guess we just go day by day, my mom never found too much joy in things, so I don't know what I expect from her now or why? I try to get her to do knitting or something but she doesn't want to, she likes to read and sit in her chair. I guess it is safe for her. We all like to be safe.

Rumors

Rumors even with the best intention can be very damaging. Rumors start when someone thinks they have translated a comment made and then turns it into something else. Every business in this area is hurting, you can hear it on the news. Big business's are hurting and they are laying off people, cutting every corner they can. If big business is hurting so are the small ones, we are all struggling to survive. I believe the East and West coast got hit by the recession first and now we in the Midwest are feeling the effects, this is just my theory. I have been told by a realtor, that we have not hit the second wave of foreclosures, the first wave was people that had loans that should not have gotten them, bad money, but now it will be people that have lost their jobs. That is a pretty dim outlook. When I first set out to start this business, it was supposed to be a working studio. I was going to have my looms on the floor and finished items for sale and if I was open you could come in and watch me work/play. Then I thought if I am open, why not open and sell stuff? So my original plan was to have a weaving, spinning studio. I have veered from my original plan and have enjoyed every minute of it, for the most part. Yes I have complained of the people coming in with bags of dead gramas yarn asking me to wind it or weigh it and tell them what they can make with it. The people that are proud that they got a good deal online but think they are flattering me when they need help with a project??? I have never worked with the public before, I spent time under a welding hood or pretty much working alone, so this is all new to me. I have tried to be pleasant in adversity, I have tried to have a positive attitude through it all. The fact that business is slow is causing me to make a different business decision, the big business's do it, and I am in business to make money, we all are. It is not a personal decision, or intended to hurt anyone, it is a matter of something needs to change so I don't lose money. I made a comment that "IF" business does not pick up by January, that is two months away and according to my books this should be a great month, IF it doesn't pick up I am taking the table out of the back and bringing my loom up into the shop. I AM NOT CLOSING? I am bringing a loom up into the shop, hear that, just bringing my loom into the shop???? Somehow that got translated into I am closing. I am taking the table out of the back, it is not productive, my loom is. I am working on how to handle open knitting, but we don't need a table for that, do we??? If rumors like that persist I may end up closing, that kind of statement can be very damaging and I don't HAVE to do this, I am retired and when things aren't fun anymore I may pull in the shingle. I am closed two days now and that was a personal decision, I need two days off to enjoy life away from the shop. I am staying closed for the two days, to keep enjoying my life. I am feeling my creativity coming back, my ability to create the art that I love so much is starting to make a come back and I am going to take advantage of it. So for those of you either worried or caddy, "I AM NOT CLOSING" well at 4:00 I am that is a given. By the way for those of you that are supporter of the shop, thank you, these are tough times and we will get through this, I know who you are and I appreciate it. I hope I have set things straight.

Done

I am thinking that the bank has taken care of my account that was hacked into. The bogus withdrawels have been taken off and all of my checks cleared without incident. So now, I have to get a new Debit card and find out where all of my numbers are voided out, like QVC, Paypal and so much more....you don't realize where they all are. Meanwhile some idiot hacker is enjoying the fruits of his spoil. Or maybe not, but I am sure they are not catching these creeps at the rate they are abusing victims. I am working on doing a weaving, well actually two are on the mind, first for the big loom is a color gamp, which is a color spectrum of woven squares, I am so in love of color spectrums and then a tapestry weaving with my Art yarn....so now I am bouncing off different aspects of both....I need to draw a cartoon for the tapestry weaving and that is on my agenda for today!!!!

Fraud

Well I check my bank statement on line frequently, and all I can say is it's a good thing. This morning I woke up to $20.00 worth of charges to Expedia and Skype??? hhhhmmm so I call the 800 number on the transaction and I get of course some woman that I can hardly understand, that keeps me on hold and keeps yelling something like hoedon....she repeats this about 4 times and I finally ask her what she is saying...hod on ms massie....oh Hold on???? She can't find my account, of course she can't I never remember what email I use either. So while I am speaking to her my cell rings and they leave a message, I am being scammed. I call them and do all the numbers they tell me and then they mention "We have a $3,879.00 charge on your account from the UK, is this a transaction made by you????? I am rolling on the floor laughing, that would be a no???? But maam, if they can get that out of my account, can I??? So now I am in the process of voiding those purchases, which the idiots must have bought a ticket to somewhere? So I finally get a representative and she tells me that the computer is in the process of updating it's information as we speak and could I calll back in a half hour...."they should get a better computer system" So now I am waiting to clear my account. Well never mind they already did for that matter. Can things ever just go along honestly?? Could those people spend more time getting a real job vs. scamming people, is it really worth it to worry all the time that you will get caught??? I guess I want a simpler life than that.

Aftermath

Truth be told, the painting is done but the work is not.....When you change one thing, it changes everything. I am slowing putting things back together, and cleaning as I go. Tomorrow is going to be cleaning day, no running around just cleaning. The floor needs scrubbing and vacumming and the dusting is done. I have wash to do for some reason, the last basket of wash didn't make it upstairs to be put away. I am slacking, I think part of it is the lack of the ability to crinkle my nose and everything is done and looks beautiful, Changing things takes money and time....I do have the time, it is limited, but the major job is done. Now the accents takes money. I never thought of myself as being high maintenance but it seems everytime I click on something I like it is wayyyyy too much money. So when I take a load of stuff to Goodwill, I think I will do some shopping too.
I am so in the mood to spin, spinning is such a soothing process, and tomorrow night is my designated night to spin. I have some new fiber that needs to be yarn. My work should all be done and then let the games begin. After all , all work and no play makes Janny quit!!!!

Just in time for Halloween

If you get nauseated by gross stuff stop reading. If you need a good laugh, ignore the previous comment. Yesterday I had to go pick up my glasses from the Optician, I was in a hurry and flew out of the house. As we all know this is the time of year for runny noses and dry noses and let's face it buggers. So I grab Iggy and head north to the eyeglass place. I have the heat blowing on high in the car and get to the eye guy. I am excited and thrilled I made it on time and run into the store sit down at their little table to be fitted. I have a grin from ear to ear and then I breath.....oh no, I have a loose bugger, a dry one flickering in and out, or as my son says a "Bat in the Cave" . I have no idea how close it is to the entrance of the cave, but I started to hold my breath, you can be sure I wiped that ear to ear grin off of my face and a little face of horror, was more appropriate. Do I dare breath through my mouth I may have coffee breath....All the while he is putting glasses on my face, tweeking and I am turning blue, because being that he was so close to me, I couldn't breath. After what seemed like a year sitting there, I left and got in the car breathing extremely hard, I had to examine the bat!!!! Nothing there, not a visual in sight, all that for nothing???? This guy must think I have a nervous tick or something??? I know it is natural but that doesn't make it comfortable??? It must be the time of year, so Happy Halloween!!!!!

Snow

I know many or two of you readers are sighing...snow. It is inevitable in Wisconsin, and it is coming. I love snow, it makes me physically and mentally feel good. I feel clean and like my soul is washed. I love walking in the snow and putting my face up and letting the snow lite on my face and tongue. I remember licking icicles and my mom saying that I shouldn't do that it is full of contaminates in the air...that was how long ago can you just imagine how nasty it would be now...but I still can't resist licking an icicle now and then. The forcast is saying flurries and I am a bit excited, there is something special about the first snow flakes tumbling to earth. I am not ready for a snowfall but it is a show of things to come. I ordered new boots and they are back ordered till November....I think I am safe till then, but I could be wrong. I wish I could make snow angels, problem is I could make them but I would need a crane to lift me out of the snow once I was done. The agility is not there to do the manuevers required to leave the silloutte without a scar. Last time I made a snow angel was at Miller, I was working second shift and my partner was called Monster, he was a big guy, we had a call in an out building and it was snowing to beat the band, I was thrilled and found some untouched snow to fall back into, with his help got pulled out because we were both laughing so hard. I forgot to mention I wore these huge coveralls and it left a wrinkly butt print in the angel....we kept going back and looking at that stupid butt print which was frozen in ice!!! Silly things that make us feel good....make us smile and laugh....that is what make us go on....so keep look for the little things.
As I am cleaning after the paint bath....I have one of those refridgerators that has the pebble finish, so it won't leave fingerprints, and that part works, put how do you clean it?? I had to use a toothbrush to clean the top little pebble finish, but there are no fingerprints!!!

Painting is done

The painting is done, it is beautiful...do you hear a but coming? Well the but is I am going to do some serious throwing out. There are things we hang on to because they are from a loved one that is no longer around. I have birds that my dad carved for me. I have a decrative tile from my deceased boyfriend, the love of my life. I cherish these things but need to find a way to make it all work. I refuse to put stuff away, if I put it away it may as well be buried and gone. I will never take it out again. I am one of those people that likes to put stuff I love right where I can see it and enjoy looking at it. I am more cautious with purchases of late, I ask myself if I really want it or is it something I can live without, or will it end up in GoodWill in a year??? I think this train of thinking has something to do with getting older. I think we realize just how much crap we have accumulated and what we will be leaving behind for some family member to sift through. For me it is my son, for some reason I just can't see him dragging home boxes of desired items from my house...it's actually kind of funny to even entertain the thought. When he was young we would go antique shopping, I love old stuff, he was very patient and helped me lug stuff in and out of the house. Nothing I had was of any real value, but one time I went to a Logenberger basket party and felt guilted into buying an extremely overpriced little basket that could only hold my car keys, by the time I got the liner and plastic insert and the bill, it was the most valuable thing in my home. I made a point of telling my son, if I die, this is an expensive basket don't let it go for pennies....seriously this was your college tuition. I think I am lessoning my load, slow but sure, those appliances that you just had to have, that have been in the back of the cupboaud since I move in....they are going!!! I have a stupid punch bowl, when was the last time you used a punch bowl and it's cutglass, some cheapo one not from a crystal party, remember them, or copper parties? Yep it's time to clean, then I look around and say, well I love this and I really like this and screw it, I'm keeping this stuff. When I die, I won't have to worry about it will I ??? I know I won't be taking it with me....so to my son..I am sorry for leaving you with too much crap, way too much yarn, too many looms. I love my stuff!!!

Swine flu or Paint fumes

Ok, I am feeling like crap, I have a sore throat, I never get sore throats. I am stuffed up and my eyes hurt....this could just be a cold. I have a headache, this is not common but happens, I am tired, this could be the crappy weather??? So do I infect everyone else or is it the fact that all the air in my house reeks of latex paint and I am suffering from that? As soon as the painter leaves I am contemplating closing and going to bed!!! Then again it may be more toxic up there???? He is almost done and then I will have everything open and dive under the covers of a nice warm bed....I think it is just fumes??? Oh and then there is the throat tickle???? cough cough!!! Maybe it is just a seasonal cold.....lots of maybes here!!! LOL

Big Game is Over

Well it's finally been confronted and now it's over. Brett played the Packers and won. I really wanted GB to win but Rodgers had no protection. When you think about it Rodgers is a rookie compared to Favre and while Favre was playing for the Packers, never got play time. I think he did good and would have done better had he the protection needed. It was a good game and I never said Brett wasn't a great quarterback, it just comes with too much whining and drama. The Vikqueens will get theirs, Brett used them to break a record for himself, he is doing what he needs to win....good for him. I just wish we would have beat them.
I am going to die from paint fumes, it stinks here so bad. The painter is coming back today to finish the death wall. Not sure what I am going to do with the windows, I don't like curtains, I have blinds, and they will do till I figure out what I want. I may not put anything up, there are no rules.
There will be alot of sad faces out there today :(

Nature Girl

Don't you love when you find a product you really love and it really works for you and they take it off the market, or change the formula?? It happens so often that it forces people to buy endless amounts and to look like a hoarder just to avoid the inevitable recall or discontinued thing. So my problem is deoderant, I have used secret solid stick for as many years as I can remember. When I was a kid we had to use what was there and Right Guard was what dad used and so we ALL used it. My dad had problems with deoderant too, he would get what feels like a golf ball lump in your armpit....of course he passed that gene off to me...thanks Dad!!!! Anyways I at the store looking for my deoderant, plain old Secret, no PH balanced although I tried it and it didn't work, I got lumps...just the white stick that leaves stripes on your clothes, I love it...I found one, this is a bad sign. So now I go to Walgreens they have zero...panic is setting in. Ok, I have an idea I will go to Outpost and get a stone, I used to use the stone ...all natural, I don't know other than conveniance why I quit? But instead, I found some rosemary mint spray natural deoderant...off I go pleased as plum. So I take my bath and spray on this new natural deoderant, and do the chicken dance, my arms were flapping like someone threw ice water on them.....whew whew whew......it seemed like forever I was flapping around. It smelled real good like a rosemary plant was shoved under my arm. Day 1-hhhmmm it seems to be working Ok...Day 2-a fresh new coat of spray and not quite as much flapping, again it seemed to be Ok, I go to sleep and wake up with a funk under my arms that is enough to make me puke....what the hell??? So I wash my pits with soap and water and the funk is embedded into my armpits....I use a brillo pad and can't rid the smell in my nose, it was like skunk. All my life I have never had a funk this bad, never??? Did the deoderant let loose with some stink in the night??? I had to wash my bedding my nightie, it was there..it was staying. Once I get a smell like that I can't get rid of it..so I learned my lesson...back to my Secret, if only for a little while....sigh

Buying Underpants

Somewhere along the line...me arse has gone from size 7 underwear to whatever I buy....I stand there in the aisle, looking for a good pair that has no visible elastic on it. I am latex intolerant...I know for a fact that I used to buy size 7, Ok that was about 4 jean sizes ago, so that must mean that I wear size 12, there is no size 11??? This is my theory. Then there is the underwear that has no label on it, now which is it, Fruit of the Loom or Hanes????? So I know I am wearing them, I reach bag and give myself a wedgie trying to read the non label....seriously, I would have to pull my panties around to my hips and up to my boobs to be able to read that non-label...a woman walks by....she may be a tad sympathetic to my drama....Do I dare, in this society ask a complete stranger to read the label on my underpants, that by now or in my crack like floss and hanging above my waistband on my jeans like drapery???? She may call the store security of some woman pervert ...and what the hell is the deal with Thongs???? I should walk around like I was panties all puffed up around my waistband and name it thong drapery.....I may be on to something.....Thong drapery and we can sell it to young boys and girls, tight jeans and yards of panties hanging drapy like around the top. Why are underwear not the same size as pants??? Is there some difference from panties to jeans, is there an invisible space between the two??? That doubles the number??? as a matter of fact it is double, size 7 undies size 14 jeans, holy crap I just figured out the formula...because God knows we don't feel bad enough about ourselves lets up the numbers, no double the numbers of our most private clothing. I'm really proud of myself I just had this revelation. So before I had this revelation, I just grabbed some granny panties and went home, threw them in the wash, put them on and oh yeah, I can pull them up to my armpits and wear them as a union suit.

Parakeet Green

I really love the green I painted in the kitchen area....I am sure the painter is really going to appreciate the green on the ceiling also. The sucker that I am I bought this "kit" that can paint where you point...it does trim, corners and washes itself after it's done....not really but it does paint Ok but....it does not do corners, it basically gives you false hope. It also can leave little schpubas on the ceiling. Which I will graciously leave for the pro painter that is supposed to come on Monday. I have avoided ruining any clothing at this point. Painting for me goes like this, I survey the situation...I take off the outlet/switch paints on one wall, I remove all the stuff in the way on one wall. I paint one wall, or area, I replace everything on one wall and move on. I have done this dance since I can remember. I do not prep the whole room, first of all where the heck do you put everything???? I never had room and I am phobic about bare walls. I may not get something back where it was before...Ok I am a freak. But it works for me. So yesterday I did nothing but rewrite a FREE pattern from a yarn company. It was written for European knitters and not easy to translate so I did that for a stupid pair of slippers. I am going to attempt to do the Fall decorating today for the shop....I love Fall. I love this weather and I know alot of people hate to see Winter coming but it is OK too. I don't like the freezing cold but snow is fine, it is very pretty. I look at it in a Native American way, Winter is the time when things go to sleep, only to come awake again in Spring....and who doesn't love to sleep in Winter....well I am done watching my paint dry it's time for another coat, or not.

Trickle Effect

So I have started painting the kitchen area with a Parakeet Green, please don't cringe in horror, wait till you hear the rest of the colors, like the Gusto gold on a short wall that touches the Parakeet Green wall that will adjoin the Rage Red wall that will meet the Mocha Wall, otherwise known as the Kill yourself painting wall. Trust me, it will all look good but when I was teling my son about it, he had to hang up and get some Mexican Food. That comment caused me to recoil and readdress the color choices? Holy Amigo??? I can see it going that way but I am looking for a more Route 66 billboard color scheme. But rest assured, I pulled out the color cards again and until you see it, it sounds like a train wreck or Peewee Hermans playhouse. The red is a deep red that I have accent pillows the same color and I love it....also on an accent pillow, I just noticed I picked the same green and mustard?? So subconciously i must like it, or I would not be PAYING someone to paint it. I love red walls and this red is a safe bet when you put artwork on it, everycolor looks good with it, I saw it. So now the trickle effect, I hate and I mean hate picking window treatments....detest....I found a valance at Pennys that is called Khaki stripe and matches one panel in my carpeting, do I dare putting stripe on the window which will be a red wall and the stripe is shades of brown but would carry the floor to the wall???? If I put stripe on the three windows will it look like a circus, I hate stripes, but this may work, but my better judgement says not. I looked at roman shades and Holy buckets....$300 per window, my thinking is I am leaving the window plain no nothing I have blinds and I am loving the blinds more than ever?? This is the beginning what else will look like crap when you just painted to get away cheap!!!! Note to self: Nothing is cheap ....

Recovering

.Wow the weather sure took a turn, for the cool. I personally love cool weather. Not that I can wear sweater because I am a sweater. I am normally hot, not in the "she's hot" catagory but just plain old "open the window I'm hot" group. So this is a relief to me and it should be to those of you in the throngs of menopause. I think the heat makes more heat...
So I am painting, I have got the carpet I want the couch I want and have sucked all the color out of my living area. I have all browny earth tones and now for the color!!! I am in the thinking that Paint is cheap you can paint and cover a multitude of sins. I on the other hand do not like to paint, I love the outcome but only paint because I am too cheap to have someone else do it. I can paint, I can also ruin everything I own because, I am such a good painter I feel I don't have to cover stuff or tape things off and being that I am so proffessional, I don't understand why I haven't been hired. So I went to Sherwin Williams and bought the four color sample jugs of paint, now why I paid for them is beyond me. I think I thought I would do a sample painting on the wall to see if I like it? I never do samples, I do it, feet first jump in and paint, so I painted one wall with the sample paint, which I was informed is cheap paint and doesn't cover well....oh really .....I painted and they were right, damn them.. So I have this one wall that is two stories tall, the dreaded stairwell....I also need to paint the ceiling which requires covering stuff, or not. I also picked a red that will need a primer in grey and two coats and the tall two story wall is over the stairwell and no way will I do a balancing act on a ladder for that one. Maybe I don't need to paint afer all?? Maybe the squished bug carcass on the ceiling will dry and fall off. I actually thought my walls were clean till I started painting with the cheap paint and then you can see the smudges and dirt??? So I call a painter, a professional guy that I want to come and paint yesterday. Make note, people are all painting this time of year...So in comes the painter with his all white clothes, what is that all about?? why white, I would be multicolored because I am messy. He has his piece of paper and is looking around and asks me twice about the color and the ceiling and he looks around and he writes a little and then he does his preparing for slapping me in the head with the price....and I say give it to me straight, and he does and I gulp quietly i thought and then he says well that wall will require three coats, that one will require a tightrope act and the ceiling is probably going to take two coats to look nice and even and that wall over there,(the newly painted with crap paint wall) do you need that one painted, because I have a painters eye and it really needs to be evened out....I confess, I painted it and I used the sample...he chuckles a little and now it's confirmed he is dealing with an idiot. So all in all and after I think about it, the price seems high but it needs to be done, it is not just one color, it is four colors and the ceiling and the icky tall wall. So if you see me eating Ramen noodles for the next month you will understand why. and painting stinks...!!