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Sunday, December 27, 2015

And I hope you didn't believe it either..

That I would actually knit up a slew of small gifts for the other coders.  There just was not enough time.  But hey!  I did get some little presents knitted for the Plaid Patrol.  DiscoDame got a warm lace headband in bulky yarn, from the Blueleaf Headband pattern.  And the Plaidman got an Ear Warmer for Baseball Caps (Kraemer Yarns, free pattern).  Observe:
Doesn't she look thrilled?!?  This is a fun & quick pattern, also free.  And she was kind enough to display the Plaidman's ear warmer for the photo.
And then Plaidman had to model it, minus the ball cap....
Look, kids!  It's Santa during his hippie years!  He was such a rebel then, wearing all that plaid.
Now you're ready to see what I got for Christmas:
There she is, sitting in my parking spot.  She's a 2014 Chevy Malibu.  She makes me so happy!  I've always named my vehicles, and I've really been thinking hard about this one's name.  So far, I got nothing.  This car deserves a nice name, something that either has a lot of meaning to me or that just tickles the snot out of me.  The black car sitting next to my new beauty is our old Malibu, which went through a couple of name changes before I settled on one.  When we first brought it home, I told Disco that I would name it Barbie....Barbie Malibu.  She flipped out, which of course just made it funnier.  So I called it Barbie for many months, until she finally started calling it that too.  Then I said that as I am the pirate captain, I was renaming her the Black Purl.  And that she remains.
But back to my Christmas presents!  I got jewelry, both dressy & cute stuff.  Disco gave me some specifically "Christmassy" pieces, which she knows I collect:
I love the Rudolph earrings!  The others are less holiday & more just winter, so I'll probably wear them real soon.  The penguin is a pin, and I might wear that soon too.  Then both my roomies got to the pretty stuff, and each got me a dressy bit:

The necklace is from Disco, and earrings are from Plaidman.  As you can see, nothing terribly expensive here, but nice to add to the wardrobe.  I think I need to get Plaidman to hang another necklace holder on the wall, for the shorter necklaces -- they're getting rather crowded in the jewelry box.  The only ones that need to stay in there are the ones on silver chains; I keep a dessicant in there to combat tarnish.
Disco has a few days off, she did work thru the 26th so she's eligible for the completion bonus.  She's going to go in to work on Wednesday, which would be her next scheduled work day if she's still employed.  Now, she was hired as a seasonal worker, and they did say the 26th was the end of the season, so I don't know that they'll actually let her report to work!  But hey, if they do it's just gravy.

Saturday, December 19, 2015

I can't believe

No, I just can't believe that I'm actually contemplating working up ( aka knitting) four small gifts for my fellow coders, at this late date.  But I am so glad and relieved that we've actually got two more coders (after losing one earlier)!!  The presence of these two, even if they're both still working on getting their CPCs and learning how "we" do things at Box O'Docs, takes a bit of the pressure off the senior coders.  So much so, that here it is the Saturday before Christmas, and I'm not at work.
   -     -      -       -      -       -
Disco is at work today, bless her heart.  She was hard pressed yesterday; apparently some of the other seasonal employees got that first paycheck and split.  She wants the completion bonus!  If she can hang in there through the 26th, she gets a sizable chunk of change as a bonus.
Image result for christmas wreath clip art

We have a pre-lit 6.5' artificial tree set up in the living room. which has (surprisingly) been of absolutely no interest to the our climbing kitty, TomTom.  I was so sure he'd have to climb it!  I had a contingency plan, to put in on the other side of the living room windows on the deck -- there's an outlet there.  Anyway. there are no other decorations in place around the house, and I want to change that today & tomorrow.  
Chevrolet Malibu | GM Certified Pre-Owned
This is the other item on the weekend agenda: replace the Dodge Neon with a Chevy Malibu!  The Dodge is, let's face it, getting actually dodgy.  I don't want to be driving it at all anymore.  It's 11 years old, and worn out.  
Well, lots to do, not much time -- so I'd better get off the computer & get ready to roll.  Happy weekend, all!



Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Blogger fail -- need a few days off!

I did not update the 250 Days Challenge this weekend.  I worked Saturday, and just flat ran out of steam on Sunday.  A bit of good news for y'all:  DiscoDame got her first paycheck from her new job!  She's managed to hang in there, despite having to be on her feet for almost the entire ten or eleven hours each day.  Whew!  I wasn't sure she could do it, but she still thinks it's fun.  More power to her!






For all the folks in the EU who've tuned it, thanks so much for making my Feedjit more interesting.  Bon jour!  Willkommen!  My ancestry includes two German grandmas.  Wish I could have spent more time with them, but not being a Master of Time & Space I can't change my own history.  Now I also wish I had some link to France, other than the empathy we've all developed recently.  I will say I still want to see Paris. 

I will be updating this weekend, I promise!

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving!

First off, I have to say I'm thankful I'm still here.  No one of us knows when our time is up, but that is something I'm always trying to plan for.  And now (drumroll) something really special to be thankful for (really BIG drumroll!) -- DiscoDame has got a job!  She's gone in today -- yes, on the holiday; she'll be paid double-time -- for her second day on the job.  She rather liked it yesterday, although it was a long day.  However, she's not at all sure she can keep up with her online course of study (sad trombone), so may have to shelve that for a while.  But goodness, she'll be able to get insurance and pay Social Security and Medicare taxes (and have those programs available to her at need).  Well, she has got insurance; I just paid her premium for December.  But it would be so wonderful if she'd pay for it out of her money instead of her parents'!   And she's taking a step in the right direction, as far as her future independence.  I keep telling her that neither Plaidman nor I will be around much longer.
The Plaidman started cooking last night, making us a pumpkin-pecan bread pudding for dessert.  He's got a small turkey breast to plop into the slow-cooker.  I don't know what else is planned.  I'm guessing that peas with pearl onions will show up, along with some sort of potatoes.

I've been working on a poncho, a Drops design called Kara poncho.  I actually started it a couple of weeks ago, and had ten rounds done when it became obvious that the thing was twisted on my circular needle.  So, it got frogged and now I'm at about 8 rows in, and it looks ok.  Not great, just ok.  It's the yarn, Roslyn by Cascade.  Lovely in the store, very deep red & very tweedy.  But it looks like red string with lots of dryer lint stuck to it, when it's pulled out of the skein. And it sheds tweed neps like mad!  I'm having trouble envisioning this as my poncho.
Shh!  Don't tell Plaidman, but I bought a huge bunch of MadTosh yarn from another Raveler.  3 colors of the 80-10-10 worsted, just lovely stuff.  I haven't received it yet, should have it on Monday if all goes according to plan.  We got refunded some dough from medical bills, I guess insurance kicked in some more on them so I got back part of what I paid.  Anyway, I've just spent a bit under half of the refund on this yarn.   Hey when I break a yarn moratorium, I really smash it.  

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Monday is coming

Just doesn't have the right ring to it.  Anyway..it's almost here.  I'll be late (excused) to work, to see the doctor first.  I've negotiated with my supervisor to have fewer hours, as my hands ( & eyes) have been getting too much of a workout lately.  I haven't been able or even willing to knit in weeks.  BUT that has changed.  Last night I cast on 368 stitches for the Drops Kara poncho, which I'm making in Cascade's Roslyn yarn.

These are cellphone pics, and hey it was already getting dim outside-- but the color is actually pretty close!  I really liked this tweedy stuff in the store.  However, now the tweed nepps look like dryer lint to me.  I will persevere, and hope I like it better as fabric than as string.  Oh and looky at my trusty old Bates interchangeables -- on their new Chaio Goo flexible cords!  How cool is that?  I love the needles, hated the cords that came with the set, but now all is well.  
I have been getting much kindness over on Ravelry due to Hinky's passing, and I just want to say thank you again.  I'm sure she's in a better place, with lots of good friends to play with until I come to collect her.  

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Speak of the devil

I noted on the Challenge page recently that TomTom's an inside kitteh and he didn't know what dirt was for.  Well, he's figured it out...and now he's using the planter on the deck as his outdoor toilet.  I see cat tacos in my future.  No, don't freak out, I couldn't actually kill a cat.  But I sure want to!

Sad news today:  Miss Hinky Boo, our darling blue with white fluffy kitteh, has passed away.  She had a good long run, we're debating whether she was 14 or 15 years old but either way that is a good long life for a cat.  She was always my "baby", from the moment we first met, when she was just a skinny little kitten hunting grasshoppers outside the library (I'm pretty sure she was dumped there).  Happy trails, Miss Hinky!  We'll miss you.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Slow day

I'm mostly taking it easy today.  My hands have been hurting, so I took off work yesterday & today to allow them to rest up.
I did dress up yesterday evening, though I told Disco that we really needed to honor our Celtic heritage by finding an oak grove and dancing sky-clad instead.  The Plaidman said it was too cold for that, so we were "saved".  Anyway....Disco wanted to be a grown-up Merida, and I had a plan to be Rowena Ravenclaw.  We went to Performance Studios over on Thompson Lane and just had a blast picking out our gowns.  I did Rowena at work on Friday, using a wooden knitting needle as my wand.  But as we got into our gowns Saturday evening, Disco & I decided we had to be Merida and her mother, Queen Eleanor.  If you haven't seen Brave, you might not know, but these are the two main characters of this wonderful film.  So, without further ado, I give you Queen Eleanor and Princess Merida:


Friday evening we actually wound Disco's nearly waist-length red hair around foam rollers, spritzed same with a little water, and she slept in them.  Her hair is still in long ringlets today!  That's the beauty of naturally curly hair: once it takes a curl, it doesn't let go easily.  We weren't really expecting any crumb snatchers, but put a bowl of candy out on the front porch anyway.  Then we pulled ourselves & our big dresses into the car and went to IHOP for dinner.  I swear, I'm never going to our local IHOP again.  The waiter didn't listen to our orders, didn't bring everything we ordered, then wrote up the ticket with full charges.  We had to get the manager to straighten it out.  Just not worth the bother!  Well, we ladies hadn't gotten the respect we needed, so we cruised over to the Target store.  While shopping in the accessories, I had to take a pee break.  I left Princess Merida in charge of our cart & my purse, and went off to take care of business.  While I was completely out of touch with them, my family went off into the far reaches of the store.  So I came hobbling out with my cane, and set off looking for them.  I kept asking people if they'd seen Princess Merida; one little girl wanted her Mom to let her come with me to look for the Princess.  Very sweet, but very much not what I wanted!    At last, they decided to come looking for me, and we finally met up in mid-store.
Today I did a little sewing, by hand, to repair the waist band in my black trousers.  I don't know if that was worth the effort, the trousers are so big that I have to pin them in back to keep them on!
Oh, here's some of the bling I wore this past week, leading up to Halloween:

Hmm, I cropped & enlarged the one on the left, and I'm still not sure you can see what it is!  It is a little articulated skeleton earring, just the cutest things!  The big golden object is actually a perfume bottle on a cord, the perfume being Poison by Christian Dior.  I won this little bauble ages ago, in a drawing at the Green Hills Cain-Sloan department store.  Let us now have a moment of silence for the loss of one of Nashville's great old stores....ok, light 'em if you got 'em.
Friday I dressed for Halloween & went to work!  What a hoot!  Christina came over to my cubicle, and brought me an early Christmas present:  a selfie stick!  I am quite tickled, although I can't get the shutter button on the stick to work -- may be just a function of old puny hands, or I've not got the setting right on the phone...bummer either way.  Disco says I should take it in to work tomorrow, and see if Christina can get it to work.  I think that sounds like a sneaky way to get her picture on here, so I will tell her so up front -- don't like surprising people!

Monday, October 26, 2015

Fast yes, furious not so much

Consider this a post card.  I weighed myself yesterday evening.  After a week on Phase I South Beach diet, I've lost 6 lbs.  The only exercise I get is shopping, and I have to keep that pretty short 'coz the sciatica hurts like heck after a bit.  You could do this too.  Just sayin'!

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Woe is me

I just finished up all the manual work my supervisor sent home with me.  Yes, I worked on Sunday.  Yes, I am going straight to hell in a handbasket.
And that's not the only bad thing I've done lately:  last night we cruised over to Bed, Bath & Beyond and spent some dough for a few "useful" things.  We got a nice bamboo dish drainer & the matching utensil basket, a slightly less expensive version of the spice rack I'd seen in the circular, my Be Active sciatica brace (!!! can't wait to see how well this works, could be a game-changer; got my fingers crossed!!), a little set of under the sink drawers for the master vanity, and a nifty thing that I hardly know how to describe.  It's one of those multi-tools for escaping the car, with a glass-breaking pointed hammer, a seat belt cutter, a flashlight, and another nifty feature: pop the pointed hammer into the door-latch space (door is open, natch) and a handicapped person can use the very secure handle as an assist to getting in or out of the car.  I've already used it for both, and it is quite secure, and gives me a good handle to support myself there.  The Plaidman spotted the thing at the register, and after we bought it he peeled off the packaging -- I don't think I even saw the name on the pack.
So we're guilty of enjoying having a little money to throw around!

Saturday, October 24, 2015

This 'n that

10/24/15 ETA:    I'm starting back on the South Beach Phase 1 diet.  I've had to fudge a little, because South Beach compliant foods weren't in the pantry.  Yesterday I had a breakfast of 2 eggs scrambled, seasoned lightly & wrapped in a slice of high-fiber whole wheat bread.  Lunch was also not compliant, I had some Campbell's split pea with ham soup, which has potatoes and carrots included.  I guess I could have picked out the root veggies.  Dinner was a Lean Cuisine turkey dinner.  This morning started better: I wrapped the scrambled eggs in a couple of Romaine lettuce leaves!  I was pleasantly surprised yesterday, as I did not get hungry again until almost 11 a.m. -- I'm usually famished by 9:30!  Today's lunch will be a salad of mixed greens (heavy on the spinach, yum!) with cauliflower florets and some cooked turkey (ok -- it's turkey breast lunch meat, 99% fat free).  The sciatica has been a major pain lately, and I know that if I can get down to about 165 lbs it will be a lot less of a problem. I've actually done pretty well sticking to the South Beach plan this time, been mostly compliant all week!  We had a birthday luncheon Wednesday, chili and hot dogs -- I had a large bowl of chili & one dog without the bun.  I did splurge on a slice of birthday cake.  I have been having Romaine lettuce wraps for breakfast, with eggs (2), or an egg & sliced ham, or 2 slices of ham.  And I don't really miss my Raisin Bran.

I worked last Saturday, then went to Dillard's Boot Day "event".  Dillard's, you may want to add a few extra staffers to the Shoe Dept when you're advertising an "event" -- it took us forever to get help, but the staffer was really very nice so we made the best of it.  Anyway, I had been looking at ankle boots for weeks, thinking to replace the tan ones of man-made material, that came apart a few weeks after I bought them last year.  And I found two pairs @ $99.00 each, both handsome and leather, so the question was: Which pair do I buy?  The staffer offered a discount if I applied for a Dillards charge card...so I bought both pairs!  That's a smart staffer, wish I'd gotten her name so I could give her kudos here.  'Coz she sold me one more pair than I had intended to buy, and made it very pleasant.  Can hardly wait to wear these beauties:
"Olive drab" = greenish brown
The color is closer in the 1st pic

But I will wait until my "maid" has put the protective spray on them -- must be nice to the new suede lovelies.  Christina has a sign at her desk, "Will work for shoes" -- eat your heart out, Christina!!  These babies are mine all mine.
So, here it is Saturday again -- the Komen Race happened out in Brentwood, and I didn't want to go over there while that was on.  So the boss sent me home with a briefcase full of manual reports to code.  I've been working in my housecoat & slippers.  TomTom discovered that I was parked near the door to the deck, and has been in and out all flippin' day.  He likes to sit in the planters -- it's ok, I haven't had any flowers there in ages, and he doesn't seem to know what dirt is for (he's been an inside kitteh all his life).
He really thought about running the 5K for Komen too; look at him getting kitted up in his pink ribbon knit hat.....
I'm about to update the Challenge page!

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Weekend To-Do's

I'm hoping Disco & I can go over to the costume shop today, and get some medieval gowns for All Hallows.  I don't want to do a lot of walking and/or standing around to accomplish this!  And I would prefer not spending a small fortune for these -- I'm hoping to rent rather than buy! 
Well, that plan has already hit a snag -- the shop closes super early on Saturday.  I will have to go after work next Tuesday & get the family to meet me there (I have a feeling I'll need a dresser).
This week I've been digging deeper into the jewelry boxes, for some oldies but goodies.  The Plaidman & I went on a canyon vacation out west many, many years ago.  One of the mementos I've kept is a little choker of bugle beads, turquoise chips, and a shell -- it's older than DiscoDame!

And, appropriately, I wore it with paisley!  The earring featured in the middle pic is one (of a pair, of course) that Disco made for me, I just love them.  And check out the sweater chain!  I found that in an antique shop, and boy howdy was it a rare find.  I'd been looking at antique shops, yard sales, and just wherever I thought I might find one.  I can't wait till November...when I can get a haircut!
The Plaidman & I went over to the library, to verify that he can pick up held books I've requested.  While there, I found French Girl Knits Accessories.  Some nice stuff...makes me wonder why I haven't already bought it!  I mean, accessories are just perfect for giftables -- tiny, portable, not much of an investment in yarn...Although I think the yarn buying moratorium has expired.

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Busy and not

I thought I would be working this Saturday, but we're caught up in coding, so I took the day off.  Woot!  We went out -- on this rainy chilly windy day -- to High Meadows Alpaca Farm in Leiper's Fork.  The first thing I did there was to buy a chullo, because my hair was braided back and my ears were f-f-freezing!  Of course, I didn't get any pictures of it until we were in the car on the way home:
Car Selfies!
It made the visit a lot more pleasant.  We (Disco & I) did manage to get one alpaca to come right up to the fence, after the owner gave us her name.  And isn't that just the cutest thing, that she knows her name!  Meet Cinderella, a lovely chocolate color alpaca, and her two nameless buds:
Oh, their faces are so darn cute!  Got these little mop-tops, and big eyes beneath.  
"Don't hate me because I'm beautiful."
These two ladies had been shopping, and had an alpaca figure covered, of course, in alpaca hair -- and Cinderella wanted to check it out.
When the rain started getting serious, the alpacas in the meadow came down to the shed -- and that tall fella there is a llama, likely their big defender and leader.  I got a lot of video of several more of these cuties, but my vids are all too big for Blogger use.  
I went shopping too!  I have a large skein of bronze alpaca lace weight, and two small balls of bronze alpaca & wool fingering.  I had a brilliant idea that I could make a bronze chain for my Halloween costume, out of I-cord links of one or both of these bronzey yarns!  Quicker than knitting a shawl, and certainly lighter in weight than actual bronze chains.  If only I liked making I-cord...hmm, come to think of it, I've got a spool knitter that would make it a little quicker still.  That's the ticket.
Oh, BTW, the Weekday Outfits Challenge page has been updated.  I gotta figure out a way to make separate posts on that page, or maybe put all that stuff on a separate blog?  There doesn't seem to be an easy way to post there like posting here.  

Monday, September 28, 2015

The birthday

I've survived another year.  And I am so d**n silly sometimes.  At the Box O'Docs, I'm in the coding department.  This used to be part of a larger department, we had about 22 people all told.  My current supervisor had this whole department, which had several functions.  Then it got broken up, and now she only supervises the coders -- much better for her!  Anyway, the former big department still invites the coders to participate in their fun activities; it's always been one of the best-fed groups in the company!  And they celebrate birthdays big time, putting crepe paper buntings and mylar banners and balloons in the celebrants' cubicles.  Well, I'm a nut and sometimes not as observant as I could be, and I had gotten the impression that all this decorating was occurring the Monday before the actual birthday so it could be enjoyed all week.  The Monday before my birthday I did not find my cubicle decorated.  I fretted a bit, just a bit.  Tuesday, still no decorations.  I began to get upset, to the point that had trouble going to sleep that night.  Wednesday, still no %^$#@& decorations.  I began to get a little steamed.  Then I wondered if maybe only the Big Dept personnel were getting the gala treatment, and finally decided that must be the case.  So I went home and didn't think of it again, and when I showed up for work Thursday my cubicle was covered in birthday stuff.  My supervisor brought over a vase of flowers and a cardboard tiara and a great handful of Mardi Gras beads.  I put on the beads and tiara, and worked happy.  When I got home my photographer took some decent pics.
I took off the Mardi Gras beads, the very snug blouse & cami, changed to a more comfortable knit tee, and opened my presents: The Rowan Pure Wool Worsted Collection pattern book, and Debbie Bliss magazine issue 15.  And then, we went out!  Plaidman had told the ladies at Bliss Yarns that he'd try to bring me by, so we went there first.  I got some more presents!  I now have blocking wires! Woot!  And I got a lot of DK weight yarn, for two projects.  And yes, I was still wearing the tiara.  So next we went over to the Greek Deli (very original name..) and the fellahs behind the counter looked like deer in the headlights when they saw the tiara.  It was so fun.  So this is a birthday to remember.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Unwinding

        That's pretty much all I've done today.  Sorry, the Workday Outfits update will have to wait 'till tomorrow.  I had today off work, after working a half day yesterday.  And after work, I rolled on home for lunch, then the Plaid Patrol headed for the Tennessee Crafts Fair.  I did walk around past about 70% of the booths, with stops as available to sit & rest.  None of us bought any handcrafted items.  I think the Plaidman was determined to rein in any more spending on birthday swag for me!
            Which is totally cool, since we made a stop at Bliss Yarns on my birthday -- and I got nine stamps on my discount card!  I am the delighted owner of a set of sweater blockers from Fiber Fantasy, nine balls of Rowan Pure Wool Superwash DK, 3 balls of Cascade Yarns Roslyn (also DK), and a ball of Lana Gatto Super Soft which looks very close to UT orange.  All this was pretty close to $200.00.  And my yarn buying moratorium is officially over.  As to why it's all DK weight: I did go through my yarn stash as I was clearing it from the closet, and saw that I had lots of lace weight, fingering, worsted, and bulky yarns -- but no double knit weight at all.  And I actually bought all these yarns with specific projects in mind!  Not my usual method, which is to go pet lots of yarn and buy a bunch of the most appealing.
         Well, I've got to finish this.  I'm working 6 days next week, and probably will for about a month.  ICD-10 is just around the corner, and all our coders are being pressed for 50 hours weekly.  I sure hope it's only for a month.

Monday, September 21, 2015

Not quite an ordeal

One thing we did Sunday that was both pitiful and funny:  We gave each of the cats a bath!  Miss Hinky Boo went first, and she was very well-behaved.  She got a tiny bit antsy at about the 4 minute mark (suds have to stay on for 5 minutes), but as she was very securely held (thank you, Plaidman!) she couldn't escape.  After the dreaded rinse, she was wrapped in a towel and carried out to the 2nd storey deck to dry -- which probably upset her more than the bath itself!  She's not keen on outside.  Then it was TomTom's turn through the bath, rinse, wrap & out to the deck.  Normally he appears to grow another 4 legs when he's bathed, but he too was surprisingly calm.  Hinky got about 1/2 dry -- just her front half, that is -- and demanded to be let back inside!  And of course she sought comfort in her Mommy's lap; good thing I hadn't changed out of my "cat-handling" clothes.  I was pinned to the couch for a good hour, trying to dry her back end with an old T-shirt.  My, but she's a pretty thing when she's all clean and fluffy. 

Sunday, September 20, 2015

The 300

This is my 300th post.  I've updated the Challenge page, for anyone still looking at it.  I had planned to dress up as a pirate yesterday for ITLAPD, but got super busy in the craft room instead.  The big hat would have been in the way...Anyway, the closet got emptied, the second set of shelves are now about 70% full, and I still have to find a way to get the rest of the yarn put up there.  But I did get to sort through everything that was in the closet, and found a dozen small WIPs!  Most were in either shopping bags or small paper bags, so they were completely under cover.  Now they're all in clear bags, some zippered and some Zip-Loc.  So the pressure is on!
I bound off the Jadeite Color Affection!  and I love it so, even if the top edge is awfully tight.  I have learned how to make such an edge looser & softer, so if I frog the first one & redo it I'll have a nicer edge.
There are now 12 Fuzzhog pelts in blue, white and gold, ready for stuffing & seaming.  I've started another two (I work the faces two at a time, then work one little body at a time.)  So, once these two and 6 more are ready for stuffing, I'll go into assembly line mode & get them knocked out.  These are for Miss A's cheer squad, and they are already late... oh well.

Monday, September 14, 2015

Another day

But not just any day...it's Monday.  I bound off the Jadeite Color Affection on Saturday!  Now it just needs a bath & blocking, plus weaving in a few ends.  Note to self: read a lot of the comments on Ravelry before starting a project!!  I am so disappointed by the tight top edge to this shawl, and so many other Ravelers have commented on it as well.  Thankfully, some of them came up with solutions! So, I've decided that the Honey Color Affection really ought to be frogged & reworked with one of the solutions from Ravelry.  Also in the larger needle size -- and with the rows that somehow got left out the first time I knit it.  Sheesh. 
I did add to the Workday Outfits Challenge page; you'll have to scroll down to the bottom.  Disco & I need to work out how to add distinct posts to this page -- maybe I should be posting in the main page, then copying to the other page?  I am so not tech savvy. 

Friday, September 11, 2015

Took a quiz

Yeah, my cousin's on Facebook, and she likes a lot of the silly quizzes/polls that tell you your spirit animal (I'm an eagle) or what you'd be if you lived in Middle Earth (I'm a hobbit).  So good to know these things.
We haven't set up the chromed shelving yet, but I did make some progress on clearing out some of the "stuff" in the craft room.  I'll do a little more in there tonight, and through the week as the spirit moves me, so that during the long weekend ahead we can get serious with the shelves.

About every blue moon...

I find something I like in the Avon catalog.  And I found a couple of winners!  The Avon Lady just brought over my order for 1 each of goldtone and silvertone 36" chain necklaces.  I unwrapped them, and I'm very happy to say that they look great!  I will be adding these to the "art installation" this evening. 
We're having a lot of outage issues with Xfinity from Comcast -- it crashed & burned halfway through the first quarter of the Steelers game last night!!  I'm kinda ticked off at Comcast.  I'd nominate them for a Raspberry.

Monday, September 7, 2015

Le sigh . . I need two more days

We made a serious dent in the work to be done in the craft room.  I now have two chrome shelving units installed!  We had to empty several boxes of general "stuff" that had found its way in there, which took most of the day Sunday.  Finding permanent places for all that stuff required some rearranging of the medium sized bookcase in the living room, plus sorting through a ton of paper that had to be trashed, shredded or stored.  And then there was the gathering of all my knitting books, knitting magazines, crochet books & other crafty printed materials; and putting them all away on the big bookshelf in the craft room.  The Plaidman built that bookcase himself, with an especially tall lowest shelf that would hold oversize books and magazines.  That shelf is about 80% full, as are the next two above it.  I found books I'd forgotten I had.  I took some videos, but as they're too big to load I'll have to do some editing.  Anyway, I was able to corral some of the clutter in there by putting my big & medium translucent crates on the shelving.  Most of the mess is now just along one wall, where I'd like to put the desk.  But I will need more time than I have left this weekend; in fact, I've got to hit the hay now.  Goodnight, all!


Friday, August 28, 2015

20% Done

One fifth of the 250 Workday Outfits Challenge is done.  I've updated the Challenge page with pics.  So, can we talk about something else?  You know how it is, your life is ok, nothing fantastic but ok and you're fine with that, then it seems like the wheels start falling off.  This week, that is literally what happened!  No, not on the car...on the dishwasher's top tray.  So all week we've only had half  a dishwasher, and that condition will continue until the new part arrives.  And it is such a trial!!  I couldn't get the roomies to load, run and unload the thing daily as it was,  To think we used to live completely without one for years & years; I'm so aggravated at the moaning & groaning over using the dishwasher!!
Now, I had car trouble too, but didn't lose any wheels.  I was actually leaving the house early, got in the Red Menace (aka the Dodge Neon) and took off for work.  I didn't even get to the end our street before the check engine light came on.  There's no way I'm going to try to "tough it out" and maybe break down somewhere on the way to work.  So I turn right around & head back to the house -- we've got another car.  When I got home, I realized I didn't have a key to the other car; that's on a separate key chain with the keys to the other house.  So I've got to go inside & get that key chain; only it wasn't where I swear I left it.  Now I'm digging around on the dresser & the nightstand and turning on lights and just generally getting frantic.  The Plaidman is not happy to be wakened by all this tizzy, so he pulls his key off his key chain and sends me away.  But not before informing me that his car has just about enough fuel to get to the closest gas pumps a half mile away.  Aaauuggghh!  I must fly away to the Kroger pumps, fuel up, and get out into much heavier rush hour traffic than I'm used to (now it's about 30 minutes later than I usually leave).  I got about 8 miles down the road and had about 2 minutes before I'd be late to work, with about 2.10 miles to go...and I had to call my boss & let her know I was running late.  Now, this is not normally a problem, but as I was going to leave work early for a dental appointment, I had really wanted to get in early -- you know, be the team player and hold up my end and all that motivational blather.  So I felt bad about coming in late and leaving early.  So bad, in fact, that after my crown was molded, crunched up and removed, and another mold was made, and the temporary crown placed, I went back to work.  For two hours.
Ugh.  
Oh, Plaidman's in heaven, the Titans are on the TV.  
Last weekend he & I went to Waly World, and bought two chromed industrial shelving units for the craft room, and a storage cabinet for the red room.  I'd had all I could take of the mishmash of recyclables storage, so now it's all under cover -- actually, behind cabinet doors.  We'll work on the shelving units this weekend.  I plan to put all the yarn and other crafty goods on these shelves, so I can use the closet for the rest of the tops I got in Texas (Thanks, SIS!).   

Saturday, August 22, 2015

At long last

We are back up & running, for the most part.  I've posted the last three weeks of the Challenge over on another page, after much ranting about Picasa 3.9 (where'd my pictures go?!?!?), which I made the mistake of downloading.  I will just keep adding to that page for the fashion show.  But other stuff has been happening too!  Exciting stuff, like me catching my pinky toe on a doorstop, and almost ripping it off.  Look away if you're squeamish.
I think the cats learned some new words that day.  I just wish the Plaidman knew how to take a picture; I kept saying "the toe, sweetie", but had to crop out about half the dining table from the second pic.  Oops, did I just...nevermind.  That table gets washed all the time anyway.

The Jadeite Color Affection has been coming along nicely; I've got about 1" of the border done.  Cannot wait to wear it!  But it has been on the back burner for a few days, because I've been working 9 hr days for weeks and my eyes and hands are just too tired to do much in the evenings.  

I've been wearing bling by DiscoDame Designs, check it out:
Aqua & teal bracelet      Royal blue & silver illusion necklace    Malachite earrings   Royal blue earrings (match the necklace) and a "magical" necklace with charms.  Most of these are "one-offs", but as she's got a huge selection of beads & charms & findings she can probably whip up whatever one might like to have.  


Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Not yet

But soon, kittens!  What happened: we were "invited" to download a free upgrade to Windows 10.  So the Plaidman jumps right in on it.  Then it got  "stuck" -- for about 12 hours!  Neither our tech gal, DiscoDame, nor the Plaidman could get it to proceed.  And they couldn't get out of it either!  Much gnashing of teeth and turning the air blue!  We finally contracted with a service to come out & hopefully get it up & running.  The service tech came out, first thing he did was to back up everything on the hard drive.  This turned out to be absolutely vital.  After two hours of toting that barge, and a few phone calls to the office, he discovers it's a Windows 10 issue, and one that's pretty well been kept out of the news.  A lot of users are having problems with the W-10 download, because of their firewalls or other security systems.  So, we had to completely close down our security, and start from scratch to get Windows 10 to download.  Then, it wouldn't access the materials on our hard drive!  Nor would it read the back-up disk that the tech had made!  So, we had to go through several more procedures, and have the poor tech dude out to the house several days in a row, but it  looks like we're back up.  Yes, he did get the backed-up data loaded into our hard drive.  I don't even want to think about how much this cost.  I'm hoping to get in some serious computer time this weekend, to update the Challenge and move it to it's own page on the blog.  Not looking forward to it; editing my photos takes a while, loading them the way I want takes a while, and I'll have the spreadsheet to update and descriptive language to add for each picture....it's another freakin' job!

Monday, August 10, 2015

Not a blogger fail

Sorry, this has to be short but not sweet.  Plaidman tried to download Windows 10 on the home computer, and borked it.  So I don't know when I'll be able to post week 7 (or week 8, for that matter), but I will continue to get pictures.  We may have a two-week entry next. 
Did a fun bit of crafty stuff yesterday:  I turned a feather boa and some pipe-cleaners into a kitty tail, for a coworker's costume (she'll be the Cheshire cat at an Alice-In-Wonderland event).  Very cute, but lordy was I covered in bits of feather after!

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Week 6 (omg, of 50!) Challenge

This week's Challenge entries will take us through day 30, not quite one-eighth of the 250 I'm shooting for.  Later, I'll move the earlier Challenge posts over to another page.
Monday I wore my favorite Westbound Woman tan stretch slacks (with added cuffs -- I have to hem every blessed thing, why not add cuffs while I'm at it?).  The blouse is by Millenium, and has small square and round studs on the front (bib area).  It's a booger to iron, but a fabulous color.  I added an 18" silver chain with a silver & turquoise cross, plus another longer silver chain.  There's a silver bracelet too.  The sandals are my studded Trendsetters, and the purse is another fave: the aqua croc!

Tuesday it rained on my parade, and everyone else in middle Tennessee, but I had on something lovely: this Silkland Woman 100% silk multi-color print blouse!  Paired up with my ancient Investments black poly pullons, with added cuffs, and the Modern Metals tri-color multi-chain necklace, gold and onyx hand made earrings (from the big craft fair), and my black BORN shooties.

Oops, looks like I forgot to change purses!  But the aqua croc actually works with this blouse.  We had the photo shoot indoors, because of the wind & rain.
Wednesday is full of woe (or so the rhyme would have it), and woe = blues, so that's what I wore.  My very old royal blue East Fifth trousers, with a blue & white checked Lauren by Ralph Lauren shirt, the bright blue Alfani sandals, the navy purse, the heavy golden & rhinestone chain, and some cute articulated fish "fishhook" earrings.  Disco found them at a flea market and bought them for me, she's so sweet!


 Incidentally, she's blogging again.  Check her out at http://discodamespursuitoflife.blogspot.com/
Tell her you want some stitchmarkers, if you want to make her day.
Thursday I could smell Friday on the wind, which is why I wore the tan stretch cuffed trousers again--hey, Plaidman did laundry during the week, so they were clean!--with a Croft & Barrow Woman coral & blue paisley print blouse, the Trendsetters, some coral & goldtone beads in a long loop ($2.50 @ WalMart!), matching earrings ($5 @ WalMart), and a light caramel colored purse.


And at last!  Friday!!  I got seriously casual for Casual Day, but it's still designer goods.  The jeans are Gloria Vanderbilt Signature, the polo shirt is also Gloria Vanderbilt; I put on my beloved old SAS sandals and a single heavy gold chain; the navy purse reappeared.

These jeans are some that Sis gave me, rather long for me but I see "everyone else" wearing them rolled up so I followed suit.  I'm not hemming jeans if I don't have to do so.
See those sunglasses?  My mother gave me those frames.  She passed away twelve years ago.  I adore big sunglasses, so that's how I've used these -- with prescription lenses, of course.  Thanks, Mom.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

A welcome return

Just saw that a blogger I've followed for a long time is back to blogging again, after a very long hiatus.  Go say "Hi" to Zoom at knitnut.net -- she'll get a kick out of that.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Challenge Week 5

At last, it's Friday.  Are we ready to see this past week's outfits?  Let's do this.
ETA: Actually, it's Saturday.  I want you to know that due to craziness from Picasa and just being too d**mned tired to fool with it, I'm posting late again.  And I've been working on this stuff for about 3 hours now.  'Nuff said.
You are getting the skinny straight from the spreadsheet (see why it's taken so long?), with added pictures to illustrate.  On Monday --
Trousers:  Westbound Petites black stretch poly
Top:  Jones New York Signature Woman poly multi print
Shoes:  Black Alfani wedge sandals
Purse:  Caramel tan leather bag (not pictured -- I'd had another outfit in mind when I changed purses, and it being Monday, a wardrobe malfunction caused a change of plans.)
Bling:  Corded necklace with goldtone and amber color beads, with a huge honkin' pendant -- in fact, too huge to wear all day!  So it is also not pictured.


Tuseday's trousers are Ruby Rd Woman tan cotton with a half-elastic waist
The blouse is daniel rainn (oh he's too cute to capitalize his name...) sheer poly spotted cat print with a black tee beneath.
Shoes:  Trendsetter dark tan studded cork wedge sandals -- which are adorable, but drive me batty because my right pinkie toe keeps slipping thru the side of the sandal.
Purse:  a black handbag I got at WalMart a couple of weeks ago, with 3 large zip compartments plus 2 small side pockets and a back pocket.  Can you believe I didn't have a black purse?!?!?
Bling is a necklace of multiple sized pieces of chain, in black/silver/gold mix -- it had a label calling it "Modern Metals"; maybe I'm on the way to becoming a maister.....


Wednesday is a bit more colorful.  Trousers are Investments II black poly pullons, with cuffs I added.
The blouse is Jones New York Sport Woman, with a tuck pleated bib, in linen.
Shoes: Style & Co tan thong-style wedge sandals (I have put some moleskin between my right big toe & second toe); and I carried the black purse again.
Bling: Anthropologie-inspired multi-strands of black chain, with "ivory" beads.


Thursday got a little brighter still:  Trousers are (ancient!) Leslie Fay Haberdashery Woman in bright royal blue.
Top is a broken stripe print in shades of blue, grey and ivory by Notations Woman.  Like the pink linen, it has roll tab sleeves, which Sis says I should always roll up.  Not happening!  They get very "relaxed" long before the end of the day, and just look dreadful.
Shoes are the blue Alfani wedge sandals, purse is a dark navy single compartment handbag.
Bling is the long silvery multi-chain, knotted & with rhinestone rondels strung between the knots.


A-a-a-nd that brings us to TGIF!  Trousers are the White Stag denim jeggings, which I've worn three times since I started this silliness.  The top is a Basic Editions knit, with a tuck pleated bib and sequin-embellished lace, and it's PINK (again).
I carried my aqua "croc" bag, wore the Style & Co thong wedge sandals,  The only bling I wore is a pair of small dangly fish-hook earrings in (actual) malachite and (fake) gold, handmade by DiscoDame Designs.  I've emailed her a request for a matching pendant; I know she's got a lot of these malachite nuggets.
 TomTom makes the best accessory, of course.  But he doesn't alway cooperate; here, he's doing a great passive resistance and going absolutely limp as I tried to pick him up off the chair.

Saturday, July 18, 2015

A day late with The Challenge

We went to the movies last night, and I was just too tired to write afterwards.  So here's Week 4 of the 250 Workday Challenge.
Monday was light colors, my tan stretch Westbound Woman trousers (I put on the cuffs when I hemmed these), a Daniel Rainn southwestern print blouse that was super sheer and needed my apple green tank under it, the black Alfani wedge sandals, the blue Maxx bag, and some turquoise color earrings that Disco made for me:
 Have you seen it from this angle?
Tuesday has me in a little more color: Larry Levine tab waist trousers, light grey; Zac & Rachel Woman roll tab sleeve blouse with tiny pink, white & pale green medallions on an olive green ground; my default light green bag; Trendsetter medium brown cork wedge studded sandals; two-tone coral beads with goldtone bugle beads around my neck, and pearl drop earrings -- another pair made by Disco!
I have to be careful which album I'm pulling from, as one of these shots is an outtake.
Disco is my photographer; she caught me making a face...


Wednesday I went darker & more colorful.  Trousers: Investments II plum polyester (my added cuffs).  Blouse: GO Silk -- yep, it's silk -- color almost pea-soup green, with printed cuffs, color, and back pleat.  There's that same green purse again.  The pumps are Liz & Co (ancient!) in an almost plummy brown suedecloth with reptile trim.  Bling: from TJ Maxx in Austin, a long golden chain with pearl & rhinestone stations.  I love this necklace.


I'm at the other end of our small front porch, just for a change of scenery.  We have some noisy blue jays zipping around, because the neighbor's feeder is empty.  
Thursday is darker still, but still with some color,  My old black Investments II pull-on pants with added cuffs, another Zac & Rachel blouse with a pleated bib front in green reptile print that matched the dark green reptile embossed shopper purse (Thanks, Sis!), the black Alfani wedge sandals, and a silvertone multiple-chain necklace, knotted & with rhinestone rondels strung on it.  

Yeah, we brought our empty pots from the old house, meaning to put herbs in them, but I don't see anything growing there...
TGIF: I wore jeans!  Actually they're White Stag stretch denim jeggings, with a Charter Club Woman nautical print cotton blouse that has sparklies around the neckline (no need for extra bling), with a Faded Glory tank under the rather thin blouse, my dark blue handbag, and the blue Alfani sandals.  Macy's had these sandals in about eight colors, wish I'd bought two more pairs!

Ooo, check out the earrings: articulated enameled fish!  Fun, and I though they went with the nautical theme.
Well, kids, it's been real, but I haven't even had my coffee yet so ... I gotta get that!