November 27, 2009

  • Squee!

    The National Weather Service in Burlington has issued a Winter
    Weather Advisory for snow across higher elevations of eastern
    Vermont and the western slopes of the Green Mountains… which is
    in effect from 1 PM this afternoon to 11 am EST Saturday.

    Total snow accumulations of 3 to 7 inches are possible across the
    higher terrain… generally above 1000 feet. The mountain summits
    could receive higher amounts.

    It will be the first real snowfall of the season!!!  Today is our day to get our tree too….Mind you, I have to work first, but it will be lovely to have our tree and gets some festive weather too!

     

November 24, 2009

  • Let’s see…How about a list of my seating area jobs to do and things I want….Mind you this will not all get done in one fell swoop, but will take some time and planning.

    • Get rug for floor
    • Get futon couch
    • Purge shelves
    • Reorganize what is left after shelf purge
    • Get a tv
    • Get plants for under window
    • Get baskets for storing bird supplies
    • Get a cd player or other musical playing device (or repurpose something we have already)
    • Secure bird cage to wall
    • Make cage cover for night
    • Make curtains
    • Get a lamp
    • Arrange seating area with futon, knitting bassinet, etc

    That’ll probably do for a list.

    So…In other news.  I really like my job.  It is going well and keeps me busy.  Next week will be my 90 day review week.  I have learned a lot in the past three months!  I will have a review with my manager where we will discuss how I am doing so far and make goals for the next year.  So far, I know I want to learn more about self-feeding, edema management, strokes…..And likely lots more.   

    And…I just love my little finches! They make me happy!!!!

November 23, 2009

  • By popular request…..Or at least responding to the three people have said they want more blogging ……I am here!

    It’s been a heckuva couple of months around here.  I guess when you see a huge lapse in my blogging you can assume that there’s a heckuva something going on!

    I think dh’s flu two weeks ago was the last straw for me.  I got sick too with a sinus cold and felt pretty crummy for a few days. You know those sinus colds when you can still breathe through your nose, but you have so much sinus pressure your teeth hurt?  It was pretty bad.  Plus I had this strange cough, mostly at night, but quite pesky.  Mind you, I wasn’t anywhere as sick as dh……and I am thankful for that, but it was a hard week here that week.

    However, I learned something.  I can not balance all the plates I have spinning right now.  Or at least, I need to take some time to myself to recharge if I am to keep the plates spinning.  This has led to two changes.  The first is that starting last week, I am hyper-diligent about leaving work on time.  I am making sure to be home after school for Nature Boy and  because I need the time too.

    And the second change is my Big Project.

    K….So we have this huge bedroom.  It is double the size we need for a bedroom, but it is just the way it was carved out of this old farmhouse that makes it so big.  In the past we have used half for our bedroom and half for my sewing area….Or more realistically, a catchall area for laundry, books, yarn, etc.  That half of the bedroom never seems to stay tidy.

    I have had this idea for years to turn half the room into an adult sitting room…i.e. a parental retreat.  And since we have one main living space downstairs (just the living room, no family room or den) sometimes I just want an escape from the Wii, the TV, etc.  So……I decided to do it.

    Now, my sequence of doing things may seem a bit odd….But I knew that I wanted a seating area, plants, a focal point, and a TV (well…yeah….then I can watch my shows  ).  Last week, I started by doing some tidying and picking up and discussing with dh the lay out I had in mind.  Then one night, we flipped our Bedroom side of the room and the Seating Area side.  This makes more sense terms of the door, the lighting and even road noise. 

    Then, I got my focal point.  I wanted to be able to sit and relax and knit and listen to music and……watch birds.  I have always enjoyed birds and have in the past had parakeets.  At work, there are some Zebra Finches and I just love them.  They are sweet and cute and busy!  So, I plotted and schemed and ran the idea by dh and now…..

    We have birds.

    finches1

    Loverly little finches.

    finches2

    finches3

    finches4

    I wanted to get a very big cage, and we did get a large one to start, but then dh and Nature Boy really thought we should get a bigger cage….and I certainly didn’t mind.  We ended up getting a second of the same cage and then doing a bit of disassembly and reassembly magic, we now have very large, very nice cage!

    finches5

    And it cost almost half the price as if we had gotten a cage that was just plain this big to start.  Clever and thrifty.  I love it!

    And the birds love it too.

    Now, I am still working on other aspects of the Seating Area.  For one, you can see the shelves under the cage and beside the cage are pretty cluttered.  I haven’t finished moving stuff around and doing a shelf purge (well, I haven’t even started the shelf purge) but it’s okay, I am getting there bit by bit.

    I also don’t have proper seating set up yet.  We were keeping an eye out on Craig’s list for a love seat, but then my mom offered us a futon couch she has and doesn’t have room for anymore. So, we are happily going to take that for the seating.  For now, I have a rocking chair up there and can sit and enjoy the birds.  I am happy though, I am already enjoying my adult oasis.

    I have lots more to do to make is just how I want it, but I am enjoying the process as much as I will enjoy the oasis.  And I figure this counts a lot as a way to be taking care of myself and it is nice to be doing it!

     

November 5, 2009

  • Saw this on Spinnermom’s blog….As a born and bred northerner….Let’s see how I fair…..

    YOU JUST MIGHT BE A BLUENECK IF…

    - Instead of referring to two or more people as “Y’all,” you call them “you guys,” even if both of them are women.
    True….I even remember when Nature Boy was a tot and looking for us he would say, “Guys? Where are you, guys?”


    - You think barbecue is a verb meaning “to cook outside.” Well, yeah.

    - You think Heinz Ketchup is REALLY SPICY. Now…that’s not true. I have a relatively high spicy tolerance (for a Northerner) and can take some more spice than Heinz Ketchup.


    - You would never stop to buy something somebody was cooking on the side of the road. Nope, would not.

    - You don’t have any problems pronouncing “Worcestershire sauce” correctly. Correct.

    - You don’t know what a moon pie is. Is it the same as a whoopie pie? I love real and properly made whoopie pies. <drool>


    - You’ve never had an RC Cola. Correct.

    - You’ve never, ever eaten okra — fried, boiled, or pickled. Ha! I have had okra.


    - You eat fried chicken with a knife and fork. Yeah, I think I have.

    - You’ve never seen a live chicken, and the only cows you’ve seen are on road trips. <eye roll> Have chickens, grew up on a farm, ‘nuf said.

    - You have no idea what a polecat is. A skunk, right?

    - You don’t see anything wrong with putting a sweater on your dog. Puhleeze. I do see much wrong with sweaters on dogs and doggie wardrobes.

    - You don’t have bangs. Yes, I do.


    - You would rather have your son become a lawyer than grow up to get his own TV fishing show. I just want my kid to be happy and financially secure.

    - You’ve never eaten and don’t know how to make a tomato sandwich. Like a sandwich with tomato, mayo on bread? Love them…<drooling again>

    - You think more money should go to important scientific research at your university than to pay the salary of the head football coach. Correct.

    - You don’t even have one can of WD-40 somewhere around the house. Seriously? Of course we do.

    - You don’t have any hats in your closet that advertise feed stores. True.

    - You don’t know anyone with at least two first names (i.e., Joe Bob, Faye Ellen, Billy Ray, Mary Jo, Bubba Dean, Joe Dan, Mary Alice) Hmmm….Bobbi Jo, Mary Jo, Cathy Sue…..Yup, I do know some.

    - You don’t know any women with male names (i.e., Tommie, Bobbie, Johnnie, Jimmie) I know a Bobbie.  But that pretty much does it.

    - None of your fur coats are homemade. Correct.

    So…you pick. Am I a blueneck or not?

November 3, 2009

  • Frosty mornings these days….

    frostyfall2

    frostyfall1

    This is one smart kitty.  The hot air from the furnace comes out underneath that shelf.  The cat was cold and crammed as much of herself as she could fit under the shelf too!

    frostyfall3

     

November 1, 2009

  • Are you aware that today is a special day?

    Yup, it’s Hello Kitty’s birthday!!!! She is 35.

    hello-kitty.jpg kitty image by AshleyJewUnit

    So, today would be the day to invest in some of that Hello Kitty memorabilia you might want to buy…..

    The Hello Kitty Sewing Machine. (Seriously, I want this!)

    Hello Kitty

    The ever popular Hello Kitty toaster.

    Hello Kitty Toaster

    The Hello Kitty AK 47.

    Or perhaps something more benign, like Hello Kitty barrettes.

    Claire's Hello Kitty Barrettes

    And here’s a bit more about Hello Kitty from the Sanrio website:

    Celebrate Hello Kitty’s 35th Anniversary and Fill Your Heart and the World with Color!

    Who knew what began in Japan 1974 on a coin purse would blossom into a global Hello Kitty phenomenon?

    Believe it or not, 2009 marks Hello Kitty’s 35th Anniversary. To celebrate, Sanrio will offer a full slate of activities, festivities, exclusive products, and tons of fun surprises just for you!

    The worldwide theme for this 35th Anniversary is Hello Kitty Colors, which conveys the very essence of Hello Kitty that has made her so special to fans and friends for so long: red for friendship, pink for cute, yellow for heartful, green for wish and lavender for sweet. The message of each color is reflected in Hello Kitty’s trademark bow, which has become super-sized for the occasion.

    Red = Friendship | Green= Wish | Pink = Cute | Lavendar = Sweet | Yellow = Heartful

    Happy Birthday, Hello Kitty!

     

October 25, 2009

  • I have been busy knitting lately.  I have been working on my old favorite, the five hour baby sweater. I just love the pattern.  I love the way it comes off my needles and builds into a sweater. I love that it is knit contiguously, no breaks in the yarn at all.  I love the garter yoke.  I love it all!

    The first one I made is in a lovely robin’s egg blue.

    oct5hbs1

    This also was a nice yarn…A new acrylic I hadn’t tried yet called Red Heart Soft.  It is silky and soft, a pleasure to knit with.

    Sweater #2 is done in Wool-Ease. Another nice yarn to knit with.  Though both are worsted weight, the Wool-Ease is a bit finer and the second sweater knit up a bit smaller. (I was using the same needles.)

    oct5hbs2 

    And now I have #3 on the needles.  It is with a colorful variegated Caron yarn.  It looks pretty, but after the nice feel of these former two sweaters, it feels very yucky.  It is that more crunchy kind of acrylic yarn….Not my favorite.

    oct5hbs3

    Five hour baby sweater #4 is already planned as well.  For that one, I got some bulkier yarn and I am going to size up my needles in hopes of making a toddler sweater for that sweet baby in the pom pom hat in the blog below.  I loved the color of this Jiffy yarn.  And I have knit with Jiffy before, it has a nice, soft, hairy texture.  I am looking forward to knitting with it.

    oct5hbs4

    I will have to go button shopping soon.  As a matter of fact, I have a finished 5hbs in pink that has been set aside for like a year now (ahem) just because I didn’t have buttons for it…..I guess I should remedy that!

     

October 19, 2009

  • The hat my friend knit for her daughter…..She didn’t really need knitting lessons, more like a knitting nudge.

     

    BTW…I have to show this one last picture….See what they had at their house last week? Snow!!!

     

October 12, 2009

  • Goodness…Sometimes my weekends feel busier than my weekdays!

    It frosted here last night.  I mean a good and hard frost.  I had to dig an ice scraper out of the back closet and take it out to my car and give it a good scrape down.  Mind you, I had started my car ahead of time…I have been feeling cold this fall and this new car seems to take a bit more time to get the hot air blowing through it in the mornings…I am thinking of how wonderful it would be to have a remote car starter…..Especially now that I have a job and will have to get up and going in the mornings.  It would be nice to be able to come out to a warmed up car and softened ice/snow for easier clean off.

    My landlady has a huge dahlia.  It is bush sized and has been putting out beautiful red flowers for a few weeks now.  The frost hit the plant hard and it is now drooped and dark (frozen leaves turn dark green after they thaw) and done for the season.  I will miss the bright cheerful flowers.

    I guess we need to get ourselves organized in terms of weather.  We need to get the storm windows on the chicken coop, get the deck cleaned off…Other miscellaneous seasonal related chores too….

    If only there was more time in the day!

October 8, 2009

  • If you ever wondered what happens to lemon wedges abandoned in a lunch bag for a week…….

    Here’s you answer:

    lemons

    They get very, very fuzzy….really, almost artfully so!