insert clever title here.

I was going to say Sorry for the slackerness or sorry for the MIA thing or some such thing but I've used them already! Whoops. Anyway, its been a heck of a week, and I'm sorry for missing a couple days here.

Sean is sick. It started Wednesday morning (or Tuesday night when he woke me up 7 times to compain about not being able to breathe), and by the time my alarm went off, he had only gotten a couple hours of sleep and it pained me to wake him, but I had to go to work. Then daycare called me at 1:45 to report projectile vomiting to go along with the boogy nose I sent him with - not pleasant. I went to fetch him and we hung out the rest of the day - and he was just miserable. I gave him some boogy nose medicine, and that helped a little. Thursday morning we got up, and after taking about 6 ton of boogies out of him, I got him dressed, and halfway to daycare he just wouldnt stop with the coughs, so I turned around. I went to the house to get his little chair and a bottle and diaper bag and he and I went to my office. I was able to make him an appt for 10:20 with the doctor, and we just hung out here until it was time to go - I had a few things I HAD to get done. He was good and everyone enjoyed having him here. The doc suggested the humidifer and to keep up with the meds I was giving him and that it should clear up in a couple days. alrighty. Last night we hooked up the humidifier and this morning he only had 1 ton of boogies so that's progress right? I thought so too.

However, Jake and Travis are BOTH getting sniffly. Whoops! Moving on.

The rat has swung Travis' work schedule now for 4 weeks, and given him extra hours. To say he's not happy would be the understatement of the year. He's planning to widen his search for PerfectJob. I just hate seeing him so miserable, and I pray he finds something good soon. I just hope that Jake's behavior issues that presented themselves Last time Travis worked nights dont reappear. That would suck!

I am testing my pattern for the submission and so far so good. That makes me happy. I have some folks helping me with a name, and I'm almost done with the damn math so I'll be able to send it out soon.

I knit a few rounds on the sock, I did not work on the mini sweater ornament, and I am about 3/4 done with the star baby ghan that will go into the craft fair. Oh, and I also have a bunch of chenille up for sale on ebay in case you're interested.

And craptastic thing of the day - I was SO excited that my copy of Crazy Aunt Purl'sDrunk, Divorced & Covered in Cat Hair was supposed to come today from bn.com - but they sent me John Grisham's Playing For Pizza instead. Not Happy! I like John Grisham, but I liked his lawyer books, not the non-lawyer stuff he writes now. So, after calling the bn.com people and whining they are sending me out the correct book post-haste, and I should have next Thursday. OH well, what can you do, right?

Thats it for now, have a great weekend, and hopefully I can have a Monday blog minus the boogy nose!

pics and yarny news

I got out the camera at bathtime, and I realized that my kid is a ham. Sean was starting to get fussy (yes, I'm telling the truth!) and I got out the camera and he smiled for it. How funny!

I also managed to get a pic of Jake doing his reading homework while I gave Sean a bath.









And when it was time to put jammies on, I saw this:



This is not peek-a-boo, its whiney crying eye rub. But, the flash perked him up! Crazy kid.













Anyway, I did manage to work a few rounds on the sock, but none on the mini sweater ornament. I also finished up the thing for the submission, and it is now in 6 very capable hands to help me figure out a name. At lunch today, I had brought the sock to work on, but I ended up doing the math for the different sizes. Have I told you lately that math gives me a headache? Ugh!

And speaking of math, it's year end again which means not only a long report to the stupid government on the stupid election campaign finance crap, but our office's year end audit. However, the office's year end audit means it's the beginning of bonus season. Love you bonuses!

So...How's your day been?

It's the Math, I'm SURE of it!

So I'm working on this pattern to submit for publication, and I have had to rework this one part so far 3 times, and I STILL dont like it. Math hates me. I have about a month and a half until it's due, but I should be able to have it worked out in the next few days. Dern math.

However, I have been doing this Brain Age thing on Travis' Gameboy DS, and it is supposed to help with your memory and thinking skills. I've been doing it a week, every day (except I forgot on Saturday), and I'm doing ok I think.

We had a nice weekend, Saturday the kids and I met some friends for a park bbq which was fun - Jake enjoyed spending time with the little wifey. Of course I didnt take pictures. I wanted to but my camera was buried in the purse at the bottom of the stroller basket behind the diaper bag, and I was just too lazy to deal with it. Whoops!

In other yarny news - I finished 1 sleeve of the mini-sweater ornament, just the other sleeve then weaving in the ends and make a hanger, then I'm done. I havent decided if I want to put some sort of design on the front of the sweater - maybe a yarn ball or some such thing. We'll have to see. I have not worked on the sock. I meant to bring it on Saturday to work on, but I forgot it.

Travis starts his new shift next Sunday - and they have flexed him 3 weeks so far - which SO sucks. But, we leave for the cruise in 2 weeks and 4 days, which is Very Cool!

That's it for now, have a great day!

I forgot

I forgot to tell you about my finger progress! I think the glucosamine is really helping, I havent had to take aleve in 2 or 3 days, which really is progress. They still do get stiff in the mornings before I use them, but its not so bad. Yay.

Yarny news:
I'm on the first sleeve of the mini-sweater ornament Boy is it not an easy thing to knit so close of a tube on those teeny tiny needles.

I have not knit on the sock.

I finished the back and 1 front side of the submission thing. I am on the part of the 2nd front side that involves math that I'm stuck at. I didnt work on it last night for lack of quiet, I'll work on it more at lunch today. Damn math!

That is all.

Sean's indecision, and other stuff.

My child apparently likes blue. Heres a video for you - longer than most but it is hysterically funny. Enjoy. (see how I found out the magic to embedding!!)



In yarny news, I have been very careful not to get TOO sucked into Ravelry, as I do actually have work to do (gasp!) But I have a few friends and a few projects posted. I have also updated my ecrafter site - since that is where I sent poor Russ (the loser of the afghan). Hopefully he'll find something he likes and commissions it, or, better yet, finds something that he likes that I already have made! Pipe dreams, I'm sure, since I think I only have 2 completed afghans on hand. Oh well.

And, I have, with the help of Drew, gotten some info on submitting a design to a magazine. I figure I had it, and I think its cute and I have 2 other 'Cutes'... we'll see what happens. I made this in December originally, and had jotted down the notes as I went (if by jotted I mean chicken scratch that was NOT easy to read on a 3/4 piece of scrap paper). Now I have penciled out the pattern as I wrote it, and am re-crocheting it to make sure that the pattern makes sense, or if I need to change it. Once thats done I will need to get the actual yarn that I used (I'm using simply soft now to make it easier to use/see... and its stash) and swatch it out. Should be interesting.

Oh, and I am on the bottom rib of the mini-sweater ornament, which leaves 4.5 rows of that then the 2 sleeves to go. I have not worked on the sock.

That's it for now.

tagged

Kerry tagged me for this, abd it's been a while since I've done one of these, so here ya go!

The rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

7 Random Facts

1 - I love to entertain, have parties and such, but I hate the cleaning that has to take place to do such things!

2 - I love my job! I'm a meeting planner/admin do-girl and I love it! I like the people I work with, the places I go and the people I meet.

3 - I have the lyrics to a bunch of different songs taped to my desk. Silly songs, sweet songs and songs that speak to me... in that "I do what the voices tell me to" kind of way!

4 - I love kids cereal but not the marshmellow kinds.

5 - I sing in the car. All. The. Time. My family makes fun of me for it. It's sad really.

6 - I'm waiting, rather impatiently, to win the lotto so that I can have a yarn shop. I have not really thought of the reprecussions of this since I really wouldnt want to quit my day job! Whoops!

7 - I'm a follower. I started blogging/knitting/reading Potter/photographing weird things all because I saw someone else do it first. Occasionally I'll get sparks of brilliance, but usually I'm following. And I'm ok with that!


Now most of the folks that I know in this here blog-o-verse have aready been tagged, so I will tag folks that I read. If anyone else wants to pipe up in the comments, feel free (that would be directed to the Aunts and Mom in the reading public)!


City of Crochet - Hi ...way over there on the other side of the world!


Fabulosity - up there spinnin away (she has a Jacob too!)

The Crochet Dude because he isn't nearly busy enough!

Ring Around the Rosies - we almost shared a due date, and I've been reading her ever since... she has less time to play on the internets than I do!


Yeah, thats all I got - especially since I'm not that into rejection!

Here's a pic for your trouble... This should be on the list of what not to crochet!

I'm in!

From what I hear this will be the last you see of me as I get sucked into the vacuum of wonder that is www.ravelry.com! My id thing is brandeekins, if you're on lemme know, apparently you get friends with this!

In other news, I think the glucosamine is starting to work - my fingers are feeling a little less stiff. These stupid fingernails make it nearly impossible to type or knit or crochet with any speed or accuracy, maybe that is why the fingers are doing ok... but I think its the glucosamine.

Ok, time to go play.

53

53
53
53
53
53
53

53 people in front of me in line.... Guess that means today! Yippee.

That is all.

eeeeee!

Ravelry in 328 people!

I need to take the advice and go through my books and hooks and finished projects. The books wont be bad, and the hooks are already on a list I carry in my purse (hey, quit laughing!), but the finished objects will be a little more daunting of a task.

I forgot to show pics of Jake's soccer game, I'll have to do that Monday. Have a good one.

Pile O Crap

Ok, so Wednesday night I noticed a noise like running water coming from the laundry room when I had to do something in the kitchen, but I had just gone potty and flushed and associated them together. Fast forward to the morning when I'm making Sean's bottle and I hear it again, and I thought "Hmm, that sounds strange - I'll have to tell Travis when he gets up that its doing that". Then back to bed for a few more minutes. Travis wakes me up and I tell him to come with me and listen, and he does - and goes into the laundry room to investigate (laundry room is a step down from the kitchen and pantry), and steps in a half inch of water. Well now, isnt that strange.

I called in to stay with him to help, and then we called in the plumber. I guess the water heater itself was the problem - and not any actual pipes so thats a good thing I suppose - and now we are proud owners of a new water heater... for the low low price of $530 you can be too! Yeah, so there went the bonus I'll get next month!

The good news is that Travis managed to get the days off and is able to go on the cruise with me next month - love you work! I had hoped to use bonus money to hit the casinos a little bit but I guess that wont really be happening, eh? Oh well. At least the cruise is free for me and mileage to get to and from Miami will pay for Travis' way and for gas so thats good.

Travis' crap schedule hits again - the flex bit has been exercised. The whole first week of the shift (9/30 - 10/6) will be from 1:30 - 10... crappity crap crap! He will be looking for bigger and better things post haste.

No pics for today, but soon - really! I gotta get some work done and find my desk. Have a great weekend.

It's sad really.

I took the sum total of 10 pictures and 1 video at convention. And one of those shouldnt count because it was at the Cracker Barrel on the way to convention. Here it is:

Gnome Beverages - How Cute Is That!

Here is me playing Cinderella on Friday night:

Here's Damarys and I on Friday - she's Cleopatra case you couldnt tell:

The video is of my boss "dancing" and although it was humerous, I like my job so you dont get to see! I have zero pics from any of the other nights. Damarys does and my Mom should - so when I get access to those I will share!

The short version

1. Jake got a 100% on his first tests (math and phonics both oral and written)

2. Travis got a crap shift - 11:30 to 8 with Friday and Saturday off (but that does mean he can go on the cruise with me)

3. It is really REALLY hard to type with these nails on (but they're pretty)

4. Doc said no arthritis and bloodwork is fine. His thought is that the combination of typing at work and crochet/knitting is causing overuse and stressed aleve and advil. He said that he would send me to a Rheumy if I wanted for more testing, but we decided I'd wait to see if the glucosamine would help.

5. My afghan in the silent auction went for $100, and the losing party (there were 2 people going for it) will probably end up commissioning one. Jason's painting went for $650 to a dealership and I hear tell that the man that bought it wants another one too.

In the week I've been gone, Sean has started sitting up but has not said anything becides dada and has not gained 9 teeth, or 9 pounds - which is good. Jake enjoyed his first soccer game/practice/thing, and he learned a new move in karate.

More later, with pictures! 1292 ahead of me for Ravelry.

my new uncle, and progress

Here is a pic of my new "Uncle" and his siblings:

They are Just. Too. Cute! and fit in my hand!! Apparently this year she will be getting a puppy for my birthday - so only a couple months to go. She's very excited.

Progress I: I have 1932 people in front of me in line for Ravelry. I'm very excited about this, and it looks like it will do well to keep me more organized!

Progress II: This is how far I am on the sweater ornament:

It's going well, even if it is thread and just as many stitches as a real sweater only in miniature!

I like it and had high hopes that I could make one for my yarny friends, but since its taking a long time, it may be NEXT Christmas that they get them!

That's it for now, I'm on the way out the door for Convention. See ya on the flip side!