Dogs on Thursday

Photoless - but here, none the less. While The Princess was here surprising us - they were also pouring new concrete sidewalks right outside my office. She got better pictures than I did, but it doesn't matter because they are all still in the camera and I'm feeling too lazy to go downstairs and download them. Anyway - back to the story. So, The Princess was here and I just got home from lots of killing time and running errands when the phone rings. It's my friend B from the office telling me that they are pouring the new sidewalks. So, The Princess and I load 4 dogs into the Jeep. first stop, coffee for all (no, not the dogs!) a little visiting with the guy who owns the coffee shop (The Princess used to work there), then off to the office. We unloaded 4 dogs, pealed back the plastic and stuck dog feet into the concrete, one at a time. We got a pair of Beau feet, a pair of Dudley feet and one each of the girls. Well - technically that's not correct because Abby-doodle walked all over B's foot print so there are a ton of dainty little female basset feet - unlabeled. The Princess labeled all the footprints and we took photos. We also made a 'pair' of our feet - her right and my left. I promise to add photos later :)

It's Amazing What a Girl Can Do

When She Just Does It! The Stunt Stitcher skirts have been languishing in my sewing space. I have been feeling overwhelmed, out of sorts, some might even say depressed. Anyway - yesterday, after reading Carolyn's post on stalling, I realized I was doing the same thing. I then got up, made a fresh cup of tea, refilled my water glass, rounded up the dogs and headed downstairs. First I did the last of the stalling tactics - updated the checking account. Then I headed over to the sewing space. I moved dog toys out of the way, moved the barricade (which is always there to keep Lucy the Goat from eating yarn, fabric, patterns and other notions), plugged in the iron, and away I went. First I hemmed the outer skirt of the A-line skirt that has been hanging out the longest. Then I measured, trimmed and bound the lining of the same skirt. Next - pressing fabric. Wow! That really felt good - crazy I know. I got the apron cut out and both reversible panels made before JB got home from work and it was time to make dinner. Today, after a quick run to the grocery store, I plan on finishing the apron and starting on the last skirt. JB is working today and there is no one to whine that I'm not sitting with them. Sunday - I plan on sewing too. Heck with him, I could whine that he isn't sitting with me, too! Why do I have to give up my small pleasures? Right now, I'm dying to do some online fabric shopping. However, with the holidays upcoming and the recent addition of the new water heater, my shopping is a little limited. I still think I might go looking :) As an aside - do any of you see the current Tractor Supply Company commercials? I love them! There is one where the dogs are talking, explaining their lives. They also do one from the perspective of a pair of working man's hands, and a pair of boots. If you see them - enjoy.

Bad, Bad Doggy Mom

Well - it is partially JB's fault too. This week I've just been feeling "off." Monday I was really sick, Tuesday I went to work in a fog, Wednesday JB was sick. Well, Wednesday morning when I fed the dogs I noticed we were getting low on food. But - I had other things on my mind. Remember the water heater went out? Which we are replacing with a tankless water heater (by the way). FYI - it's totally green, you get a tax rebate for purchasing one, it takes up less space, will cut costs on our gas bill overall, and it is being installed on Monday. Anyway, by the time the guy from the Energy company was gone, JB was feeling well enough that he wanted to run errands with me. We still had to pick up our fresh turkey (which had ice crystals inside it!), buy groceries, stop by my office and the bank. With JB in tow - I only made it to the office, the bank and then to get the turkey. By now - it was almost 5 and knitting knight starts at 5! Right about then, he remembered that he had a chiro appointment. We didn't have time to run by the house, get cars and go our separate ways. So, off I go to the chiropractor with him. Finally, I get to Knitting Knight, where much laughter, talking, eating, drinking, show & telling goes one, but seriously - not alot of knitting. On my way home, I'm thinking, I should stop for dog food, but I think there might have been enough to get us through Friday morning. JB would have called me if there wasn't. I did stop and get people food. Thursday morning I'm up with the houndies. Off I head into the garage to feed them. OPPS! Not enought food to fill their bowls. Well, I'll add some soft to it this morning and punt for their dinner. Great. This Friday morning, they are all laying on their beds, jumping everytime I get up and starving because I can't feed them until the guys get her to install the loaner water heater - YEA! and then I can run to the pet store for food. They don't understand. And because I'm really a bad doggy mom - they got extra treats from JB this morning. Cookies and some icky turkey parts. They definately are spoiled dogs - but don't understand why I won't feed them.

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate. Hope everyone has a chance to hug their loved ones and remember why they are blessed.

As my life has changed this year, I have realized that sometimes it's the really small things in life that I need to remember to be thankful for, such as:

*the sun shinning through the stripped candle on the fireplace and how pretty it looks

*four dogs snuggling on their beds, snoring and healthy

*The Musical One who is grown into a beautiful young lady who is responsible and taking care of herself in the world

*The Princess who is raising someone else's children, because she thinks it's fun. She actually puts thought into how those kids should end up.

*JB - who loves me even when I'm sick and the house is a mess

*knitting friends, blogging friends, and old friends from high school

*building our Christmas puzzle

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

It's Been a Rough Week

and it's only Wednesday Morning! Monday I woke up sick. I had a horrible case of the flu. I called in sick to work. I have never called in sick - I have gone home early with a sore throat, but never stayed home all day. I laid on the couch and only moved to rush to the bathroom. I haven't been that sick in a long time! It was horrible. Tuesday was much better, although I was still really weak. I did go to work with the intention of working half a day. I ended up staying all day, but it's okay it makes it a little easier to be off until Next Wednesday. JB plays WhirlyBall on Tuesday nights, so I worked on his Christmas sweater while he was gone then switched to a Christmas sock when he got home. He then informed me that the water heater had died. Then he started feeling ill. This morning, he called in sick for work - in the 15+ years I've known the man, he has never called in sick - not once. Today, I still need to firm up our Turkey Day for 2 menu, go shopping, pick up the turkey (which I hate, but JB loves), meet with the guy from Washington Energy Services about a new water heater, do a little pre-baking (cornbread for stuffing, pie) and hopefully make it to knit knight. That will of course depend on how JB is feeling and how the pre-baking goes. Hope you all have a more relaxing Pre-Turkey Day than I am - good thing I took a vacation day today!

The Princess Surprise!

So, I had Friday off - I got up with JB, fed the dogs, puttered around reading blogs. Then I finally got out of the house. You see I had to have a fasting blood test done on Friday morning, and I didn't want to put it off too long. Leaving the house, I called The Princess (as I do every morning) and sang a combination of "Good Morning" and "Zippidy Do Dah" because I was leaving a little later than normal and it was already afternoon on the East Coast. First stop - Weight Watchers. It was time for the November weigh in. I compulsively weigh myself every morning. I knew how much I would weigh on their scale within a couple of pounds. You see, I weight about 5# less first thing in the morning. I was positive I would be about 13# below goal! Yippee - under goal - first time in months. Unfortunately - no Yippee! for me - I was 7# over goal. I do not understand how my home scale can be 20# off! Okay - so off to the hospital to donate tubes of blood! That was a quick stop - no real knitting time even! I then talked to The Princess again. She asked what I was doing and I told her "just putzing around" how about you guys today? She said something similar. We hung up and away I went. I stopped by the dealership where JB works to talk to him and he asked me to hang out for 20 minutes or so and go to lunch with them. So I did. It was fun. Upon leaving there, I talked to The Princess again. This time she had some lame story about how her friend needed a blanket out of her closet and could I just call her when I got home. Sure - whatever. Next stop on the errands run - the bank. Then the pet store for cookies. Then I stopped at JoAnn's. I must have talked to The Princess another 5 times. At one point, she left a message with the dogs howling in the background. I called her back and asked how she got howling dogs - she said she found a clip on the Internet. Finally, driving down our street I see my dad's car. I slow down and am prepared to roll my window down and talk to him, but he just drives past me. hrpmppp! Then he comes back down the street and he has The Princess in the car with him. Apparently, she had a bonus day off work and decided to fly home for a longish weekend - without telling anyone but her friends. it was good to see her, but I wish we were a little more important than her friends. Maybe at Christmas time!

Dogs on Thursday

Here is Miss Lucy modelling hand knits. Let me tell you - she was none to happy about it. Beau was checking to make sure she was okay. Lucy couldn't wait to get it off! The pattern is Calorimetry from the knitty archives. The yarn is some wonderful Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran left over from a baby sweater. The hat/headband took the entire ball and was knit in an evening of television watching. That's another Christmas gift finished! And while I could get Beau to sit very nicely for a photo shoot - he was completely unwilling to model the hat! He wanted nothing to do with it and since it's a very soft white - I didn't want him to goober it up and called Lucy in to do the job.

What is it about Rainy Days?

I have absolutely nowhere that I have to be today. Nowhere! Can you hear me? NOWHERE! It is pouring down rain here in Western Washington and "they" are predicting another windstorm with gusts of up to 70 mph. All I want to do is get out of the house! How silly is that? Instead I'm going to head downstairs with a nice cup of tea. Attempt to finish updating my blog and then sew. Yep - you heard that right - actual sewing coming out of my sewing space. Go figure! Hope where ever you are - you aren't feeling stir crazy and penned in - like I am right now.

All the Cool Kids are Doing it!

And now so am I! I got my Ravelry invite. I am GMarie. I'm hoping The Musical One will be stopping by soon. I'm trying to add a photo to my header and change things around on the ol' blog - but it's not working so well for me. Anyone wanna help me?

Lazy Fall

Well I haven't been doing much of anything lately. I managed to just sit on my hiney while JB was at whirlyball and not make it to the sewing space. I will get down there this weekend! On the holiday front - I will not sew any holiday gifts this year! I am planning on knitting some to that end I'm ahead of the game. I have 2 1/2 gifts finished. Well one gift is a pair of socks and I have one finished but not the other. It's close though! Did I ever tell you that Miss Lucy Goat Dog ate the center of my ball winder? Yep! The last time we had poker at our house, they were locked downstairs. My friend D was here thatnight, but because the light downstairs (well anywhere I sit to knit really) is shitting my house - we stayed upstairs in the living room. I'm making a pitch for a couple of Ott Lights for Christmas - I big floor standing one and a smaller tabletop light. Anyway - one of the ladies who comes to poker is truly afraid of big dogs so we try to keep the dogs away from her. I don't believe in deliberately terrorizing people! Well Lucy wanted to be where the action was and couldn't get upstairs, so she found something to chew on. This is what she does when she's anxious to be where you are and can't get there. So yep - she at the center of my ball winder. Do you know how hard it is to wind a ball of yarn without the center in the winder - yep. Impossible. Do you know what I am dying to start knitting with right now? Of course - anything in a hank that needs to be wound. That's about all I've got right now. I have a 3 day weekend (Monday is a holiday); a 3 day work week and then another 3 day weekend (regular Friday off) coming up. Look for progress photos from the sewing space - or else a call of "Help, I've fallen and can't get up!"

Time to Cut Bait

You are all aware of the old saying "Fish or Cut Bait" right? Well I have decided that it's time for the Stunt Stitcher to cut bait. It occurred to me the other day that the reason I'm avoiding the sewing space is those darn Amy Butler Skirts. Let me explain. To quote a very wise lady from my Neighborhood ASG meetings I'm a girl and I'm made from curves. With that in mind, let me say that it is very hard to make any skirt with no darts fit and look good. I have been sewing garments long enough to know that darts are what make a flat piece of fabric fit a 3-dimensional shape and look good. If I were to add darts to the back pieces of skirt, I could make it fit and look good. However that is not the goal For . This . Project. When I offered to make garments from quilting cottons it was a very self-less offer. Miss C recently opened a dry-goods brick and mortar store in her home town. She sells yarn, knitting supplies, quilting cottons, and patterns. She teaches classes on knitting and sewing. Miss C knits and sews quilts - but not garments. As a garment sewer who has no real interest in quilting but loves the fabulous quilting cottons available I offered to sew some sample garments for her. Miss C jumped at the offer - her only condition - I sew the garments in a size to fit me and after being displayed for a few months she would return them to me as "payment" for my labor. So now my very self-less offer has turned greedy! I can own some beautiful skirts made from Amy Butler fabrics. One of my favorite skirts is a lined Kwik Sew made from AB cotton. Don't get me wrong - I love Amy's patterns - she designs incredible bags and home dec items - I'm just not in love with her skirt pattern and continuing to attempt to make it fit me and look good is going to drive me crazy. Tonight while JB is off playing whirlyball with the guys - I'm going to recut the skirt to the smallest size, get the A-line sewn up and ready to ship off. Once I have that one done I will move onto the Layered Skirt and then the Apron. Hopefully I won't upset Miss C, but honestly my intent was simply to help her have some garment samples for her store - not to end up with clothing for me. See - time to cut bait!

Score!

Yesterday was the Annual Meeting for the Local Chapter of ASG. Since I'm a neighborhood group leader - I always feel compelled to go. Besides - it's good fun! Our meeting is always a little business, the election, a potluck, a silent auction and a fashion show. Why would anyone want to miss that? I made a modified pair of baby pink Fetching fingerless gloves. They were modified by adding a second cable row at the top and adding a few more rows for the thumbs. Unfortunately - I did not take photos. I know - I'm grounded. I also made a fake fur teddy which was requested by the lady who bought one I made several years ago. Her dog loved the first one and has practically killed it. She says it's really grody and he needed a new one. The final bid on the bear was $20! I came home with a stack of Cynthia Guffey books - Volumes 1 and 2 of Finishing Techniques; Volumes 2 through 5 of Precision Sewing Techniques, Volumes 1 and 2 of Cynthia's Simply guide to Master Tailoring; and finally Festive Machine Embroidery. I got all of that for $12! I purchased these books with the last post in mind - the one about making an epic project and stepping up my skills. My plan is to start reading through them, and then decided if I need the missing volumes. I will also sign up for and take classes from Cynthia at our local Sewing Expo in Puyallup in February. There are so many 'experts' out there and conflicting opinions that I plan to start with one - incorporate her techniques and then learn from another. Right now - however, I'm headed out to the Mall to get a hair cut! Happy sewing everyone.