The Knittin' Kitten (and crochetin' kitten too)

Stuff

2006-12-13T22:33:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all the stitch markerette's for all the wonderful new "toys"!!!! I received some great "puffies" in the mail and will personally thank you all tomorrow.

Work is actually pretty good. Busy, hectic, but I like it. I'm busy ALL the time, always running but it makes the day go fast . . . most of the time. Some customers can be real pains in the ass. Let's see.....like the woman who wanted to bring a 150 pound mastiff into the store....I told her "no" over the phone and a few days later she came in with him anyway. I think the story goes that the dog's leash got caught on a display and one of my colleagues yelled out "it's caught on the display" probably not knowing what else to say. She was pretty shocked at the sight of the dog to begin with. Well, the customer laid into her good for calling her dog an "it". Thing is....the employee doesn't even remember what she said because it was all so fast and she was just afraid a total display of Christmas balls was going to fall over. She may have even meant the leash was caught. Anyway...the lady called corporate and threatened that if she is not "compensated" (what ever she means by that) for the employee calling her baby an "it", she will bring back everything she's ever purchased from Pier One.

People are crazy. I mean, okay, I can see getting a little upset if someone calls your cat, dog, rat; whatever your companion happens to be an "it", but let's face it, not everyone in the world loves your dog, cat, rat. I am a TOTAL cat-mom and I don't get offended by comments like that. Why bother??? Its so petty!

Anyway, enough complaining.

I'm still trying to get some Christmas shopping done, but I have to wait till I get paid on Friday to do most of it. The worst part about working at Pier One is that I end up spending at least half, if not three quarters of my paycheck there. Well, I guess for Christmas its understandable. I just hope I don't keep up this trend! We've got some really cool things in the store and we've been selling out of stuff like crazy. So when I see something I like, I grab it.

Well, I will write more tomorrow or Friday. I want to thank each "lady of the stitch markers" personally but I do not have their names in front of me right now.

Yarn Aboard!!

2006-11-29T09:20:00.000-05:00

I recieved my Yarn Aboard package on Friday. Wow!!!! How cool is this???
2 Skeins of Claudia Handpainted Sock yarn in "Purple Earth" - GLORIOUS color!!!! I absolutely love it!!!!
A set of double pointed needles & coils, 7 packs of various bubble gums (YUMMY), my initial "A" in a sticky note pad, a Fiber Trends sock pattern and a package of wool wash.

How lucky am I?????

My box is Henry Hudson and has seen 11 Ports of Call before mine. I will try to take pics with my cell phone since my digital camera is still on the fritz. I have to get the box out today to its next destination so hopefully my camera/phone will produce a nice pic.

Thanks Cindy!!!! You Rock!!!

Second Secret Pal Surprise!

2006-11-29T09:14:00.000-05:00

Well I got another box from my Secret Pal 9!!! Again, thank you!!! This time it was a really cool cat felting kit, which I've been dying to try....and a beautiful knitted scarf!!!! Its starting to get cold here so I will be wearing it soon.

My camera is still broken - I haven't had a chance to send it out yet - so no pics. I will maybe try to take a few with my cell phone, but wonder how the resolution will be.

I apologize for not posting more. Like I said in an earlier post, I started a new job and I am FINALLY starting to get used to the demands of it and the crazy hours I have. I was so tired when I got home from work that I'd pretty much just get my clothes ready for the next day and go to bed. Guess it took me about 3 weeks to get used to it. I'm still tired, but can at least function (somewhat) when I get home. My hours can be anywhere like 7am-3pm or 12pm-8pm or 10am-6pm, etc. Every day is different and every week is different. I never have the same days off every week. Like this week, I was off Monday and now today (Wednesday). I'd rather have two days in a row, but hey, I'll take what I can get.

Anyway....thanks again to my Secret Pal. Its so much fun getting surprises in the mail. And I promise I will be more diligent with my postings!

Secret Pal Delivery! Thank You!!!

2006-11-07T19:12:00.000-05:00

Got my Secret Pal 9 delivery last week. All I can say is WOW!!! Well, first off, I have to explain that I can't show pictures because my camera is broken AGAIN. I just got it back from service and the first time I use it, the exact same thing happened so I have to send it out again. Sheesh!!! Ok...so in my package was a beautiful tin wall hanging that you can put dried or silk flowers in with a fall theme, a pumpkin pie scented candle, guest towels with autumn themes, several different types of yarn, a pumpkin "candle" (a light that looks like a tealight for inside a pumpkin), cotton yarn & a pattern book for washcloths, candy corn (YUMMY!) and right now I can't think of what else. But a GORGEOUS package of things that was soooo much fun to open!!! Thank you SP9!!!!! (Funny, I could have sworn that I wrote about this when I got it...wonder if blogger never posted it) **I'm having some trouble with blogger and can't make paragraphs, so I'm sorry if this is all crunched together!

New Job!

2006-11-07T19:07:00.000-05:00

Well I started a new job yesterday. I'm working a new Pier One that will be opening soon. I decided to go full time but now I'm doubting my decision. It has been MANUAL LABOR!!! We unloaded trucks, unpacked furniture, filled dumpsters, etc. This isn't what I had in mind!!! I'm figuring it won't be that bad once the store opens...until we get deliveries. My fingers are sore, my hands are all cut up, my back is killing me and I'm sure I'll have bruises. But some of the items in the store are so beautiful! I know I'll probably spend my first paycheck on stuff.

2006-10-13T15:14:00.000-04:00

Here are my questions & answers for my Secret Pal 9
1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I absolutely love most things by Cherry Tree Hill, Noro, Schaeffer and Claudia Hand Painted. I adore anything with sparkle to it. I really like most every kind of yarn and love working with new things.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I store my needles in a large handpainted vase in my home office. It was a gift from my niece with beautiful cats on it. I store my crochet hooks in a little plastic case that resembles an eyeglass case.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? I've been knitting for about a year now but not religiously. I enjoy it alot, but it took me quite a while to get a good hang of it. I learned from a friend of mine, the same woman who taught me how to crochet. Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I'm still a beginner. There is so much I don't know yet!

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Yes, Amazon

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.) I love apple cinnamon, vanilla, pumpkin spice (my favorite), nothing perfumy

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? OMG yes! I love M&M's with almonds & Wintergreen Lifesavers and just about anything with caramel

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I don't spin. I crochet - I learned that before I learned to knit and am better at it, but hope to someday master the art of knitting. I also love making stitch markers and I also create eyeglass & ID badge necklaces, bracelets, etc. with Swarovski Crystals.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I don't have an MP3 Player. I like Evanescence, John Denver, The Beatles, Shakira, and alot of the new rock bands being played on VH1 these days. Quite Eclectic!

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Blue, Pink, Red, Yellow, Black, White, almost anything! Any colors you just can't stand? pukey green! lol

10. What is your family situation? I'm married 18 years, no kids. Do you have any pets? I have 18 cats, 2 dogs and one evil rabbit. I've been into cat rescue for many years and (no, my house doesn't smell)!!

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I wear scarves & mittens. Not big on ponchos, but I do have one with sleeves that I like.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Since I'm pretty new, I've been knitting mostly straight things, like wraps, scarves and sweaters that are easy.

13. What are you knitting right now? In the process of finishing a wrap for my sister and a coat for myself. I also have several wraps that I've either just started or have been experimenting with on needle size.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? I LOVE handmade things. I love anything creative and like to see what other people come up with.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I prefer straight needles, but of course, you can't always use them for everything. I don't have too many circulars yet. I like the Rosewood ones the best or any of the Lantern Moon woods, but Bamboo would be my next choice.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yes, I have both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO? hahaha wow....about 2 or 3 years old!

18. What is your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving. We go to my sister's house and do a "stupid gift game". You put the gifts in the middle of the table and roll dice for them. When they are all taken, you start stealing from whoever has the package you want. At the end of however many rounds you decide, whatever you have in front of you is yours. We've had gifts of a box with an onion, bottle of mayo, can of tuna & loaf of bread......a plunger......a huge bottle of Listerine......anything silly & stupid and just plain funny. It is so much fun and I look forward to that all year. I think I laugh more when we do this than at anything else.

19. Is there anything that you collect? I collect crosses. I have about 20 on my wall (even necklace sized ones) and cat figurines and old drawings & prints of cats.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? I have not yet tried the Noro Aurora. I love the Cherry Tree Hill Glitter Alpaca (I have two hanks of blue, but haven't had the chance to use them yet) What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? None, I just buy them when I see them.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Yes....everything is new to me!!! I can knit, purl, increase & decrease. I've tried fooling around with new stitches and have fun with that.

22. Are you a sock knitter? Not yet, but hope to be! What are your foot measurements?
Size 9 1/2 so thats 9 1/2 to 10" long by about 3 3/4" wide at the ball of my foot.

23. When is your birthday? 03/07

Its Time...

2006-10-10T15:22:00.000-04:00

I finally get it. Don't ever let me forget.

PS. No one did this to me....I did it to myself.

2006-10-06T15:07:00.000-04:00

WOW! I haven't posted in a really long time!
Wonder if anyone is even reading this anymore!
Well, too much drama going on in my life and I haven't felt like doing much of anything...posting, knitting, crocheting....pretty much nothing constructive.

I promise to keep this more up to date when I'm feeling better.

Introducing....

2006-09-16T13:16:00.000-04:00

Wow, I haven't posted in a long time!
I still don't have my camera back so I can't take any new pictures of works in progress. I will, however let you see a few of my lovely furbabies.

First is one of my dogs, Buzz Saw. He is an American Bulldog. Isn't he just handsome? He is a sweetheart and a great watchdog.

Next is Teddy & Peeps when they were babies. Aren't they just precious???? You should see them now. Teddy is HUGE! He's only 18 months old and he's probably over 20 pounds, but not fat. He is just a really big cat with beautiful, puffy fur. And Peeps, being female is smaller but still has very thick, beautiful fur. She is my bestest buddy, follows me everywhere and absolutely loves when I just get out of the shower. I don't know if its because I'm warm and smell good or what. But she waits for me and begs to be held before I can even comb out my hair.

On the knit & crochet front, I've finished a baby blanket that will be donated to a local hospital. I belong to a crochet guild and that is our project until December. I've started on two more and plan to make several by the time we are to turn them in. I will post pictures as soon as my camera gets back.

I STILL haven't assembled my sweater. I'm just afraid to. It came out so good that I'm afraid that after I put it together I'm going to hate it. Plus it doesn't help that I can't sew my way into a paper bag, so I don't feel confident in that aspect.

I'm still looking for a job too. I've applied to several companies. I applied to six different positions with one of them! I would like to get in there so badly, but I'm not saying which one because I don't want to jinx it. Isn't that silly? But I can't help but think that.

I've also listed a few of the beaded eyeglass/ID lariats that I've made on etsy & ebay. I create the lariats with Swarovski crystal & Czech crystal. They are a piece of jewelry as opposed to just one of your run-of-the-mill lariats. They compliment your outfit. If you're interested, my Seller ID is "feralkkitty". The pictures aren't that great and the lariats look much better in person. I also take special orders.

Ok, enough self-promotion.

Yarn!

2006-09-05T21:21:00.000-04:00

I got my newest installment of the "Yarn of the Month" club today. Unfortunately I cannot take any photos because my digital camera is in the shop. But I can at least describe what I got.

First is "Creative Focus Worsted" by Nashua. 75% Wool & 25% Alpaca. The color is a darkish purple/magenta. Its soft with a little haze to it. I can imagine that it would work up beautifully, but might be too fuzzy for felting.

Next is "Delhi" by Queensland Collection. 90% Wool & 10% Nylon. It has a little wave to the texture of the yarn with a black thread going around it. The color is mostly a chocolate brown but variegated with orange, pink, yellow & lime green. Its actually prettier than it sounds. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this one. I'll have to swatch it.

Next on the hit parade is "Soft Tweed" by Karabella. 100% Wool. Again, this yarn has a little wave to it and a little give. Beautiful color of a dark brown/black with flecks of off white/grey & orange/gold. For 100% wool its very soft and seems like it would be comfortable for sweaters.

Last but not least is "Style" by Conjoined Creations. 50% Soy Silk, 50% Wool. Ok...this one I LOVE. Its a variegated yarn with blues & a dark lime green. its 4 sts to an inch on #9 needles. Can't wait to swatch this one. It's so soft and just yummy! The color is called "Love Beads".

I will post pictures as soon as I get my camera back. Stupid thing....I took a picture and shut the camera off, then when I turned it back on again, the lens got stuck and I get a "Zoom Error" message.

I'm hoping to get back to my knitting & crocheting again. I haven't done a blessed thing in weeks. And I totally need to assemble that sweater I knitted. The way the weather has been here, I may need that sweater soon! God I pray for an Indian Summer!!! I'm not ready for it to end!!

2006-09-04T21:18:00.000-04:00

Sorry to be such a downer lately, but my life just keeps getting better & better. (sarcastically, of course)

First off, on one pretty good note, my brother in law, who had the jaw surgery ended up having his entire (lower, I think) jaw removed and a steel one replacing it. He had cancer in his bone & lymph nodes. It was something like a 20 hour procedure. No one deserves this. I pray that he continues to recover & improve and can go home soon. He had never smoked or chewed tobacco a day in his life.

On another note. . . . . looks like my marriage is about done with. DH and I had some trouble about a year ago (big trouble) and he thinks I should just forget about it, which I can't. So today he told me that I am "never to mention it, never to ask about his business, never to have nothing at all to do with his business other than ask how his day was" ever again. Harsh huh?
I cried all day. (about the "trouble" I speak of, I'd like to say that it was NONE of my doing...it was all behind my back - and no, as far as I know, not an affair.....maybe-I still don't know what I believe on that part).

Anyway I need to pick myself up, get strong & get a job. He always told me he didn't want me to work, didn't need me to work and even bragged to my family about how he didn't want me to. Today he threw in my face that I quit my job 3 years ago. Why do men do this????

I probably shouldn't air my dirty laundry on my blog, but I just can't help it. I could use some advice or something. I need to vent. I know what I have to do, but my heart is broken. I don't know what brought on his "demanding" things today at all. He's been staying with his father since even before his step-mom passed away, so I wonder if someone is getting his ear or he's just living the "high life" and I'm not good enough any more.

We had an agreement that at the end of the summer, we'd re-evaluate his business and see where it stands. We'd see if we want to get bigger, get smaller or do something else. I guess since he realized it was the end of the summer, he didn't want my input on this conversation. I thought a marriage was a PARTNERSHIP. He apparently doesn't think so. He told me his work life and his home life are two separate entities and I should never ask him again about it.

I cannot continue on this way.

D'ja Ever Notice?

2006-08-27T13:17:00.000-04:00

Wow, I know I haven't updated my blog in weeks. There has been so much going on that is not good, I really haven't had the inclination to post. However, I am in quite the philosophical mood tonite, so I will bore/entertain/enlighten/annoy (pick one of your choice) you with the voices in my head. (said tongue in cheek . . . . please don't think I'm schizophrenic)

In contemplating the events of the last few weeks, I've been puzzled by a few things:
Why is it that the people that you positively know disliked or even hated the deceased act like they are mourning the most, so upset, the most compassionate??? (Key word is ACT here)

One word.....GUILT

OR....is it?

In the days after a death, the one who is closest to the deceased is, often times, not thinking too clearly. The above mentioned people will be the ones who come around, scouting things out, just waiting for that "thing" to be given to them. Or in some cases, "everything to be given to them". At times they will offer to clean things up or "take some clutter off your hands". I've even heard someone say they took possessions of the deceased to (and this is an actual quote) "keep the undesirables from getting it". Who deemed these people able to decide if someone is "desirable" or not??

I call this the Politics of Death.

Sometimes, they are outsmarted and get what they deserve, which is nothing to very little.
For instance, one of my family members came by after my father's funeral and asked my mother for something "to remember him by". Knowing full well that this person never came around during my father's illness, let alone didn't come around much at all, my mother, who was onto her game, gave her one of my dad's shirts. I'm not even sure it was one he wore. Apparently this person was hoping for jewelry or some collectible that dad cherished.

Don't get me wrong, its not like I want anything. I realize I may come off as bitter, but that isn't the case. Its just that it never ceases to amaze me to what lengths people will go to "get their share". Even after my dad died, I have never even accepted anything from my mother that was his except for one of his jackets, and that was only because I was at her house and was cold and she told me to take it. It was the one fireman's jacket he wore all the time and it means more to me than any amount of money in the world. The note he wrote me on my 8th grade graduation means more to me than anything else. Yes, it is nice to be remembered but not necessary. I've always felt that the earthly possessions of the deceased belong to the closest family member. What ever they want to do with it is fine, but I always question any rash decisions.

I have a thermometer that was my Grandfather's. Its one of those little houses that the man comes out with the raincoat & umbrella if its cloudy out, and if its sunny, a woman with a pretty dress comes out the other side. Every time I see it, I smile. I remember sitting on the sun porch with my grandpa and him telling me the most comical stories that he made up, with that thermometer hanging on the wall above us. These are the things that are precious.

Its just that watching the hypocrisy is so infuriating. This is not one single event, but over my lifetime, I've seen it too much. I've even heard people talking about what they want and/or will get when someone dies (who isn't even close to death). I've also heard things like "that bitch isn't getting anything" and "when so & so dies, we'll be millionaires" and so on. And often-times, if not all the time, the actual bereaved person is totally clueless, either because they don't see it, or don't want to see it.

Sorry for the long post. I'm ranting and in a mood. I'd love to hear if anyone out there has the same thoughts & feelings or whatever.

A "So-Long for now", not really a "Goodbye"

2006-08-25T17:39:00.000-04:00

I just re-read my post from yesterday and decided that I had done a very poor job. My thoughts & sentences ramble on and repeat themselves. Guess after a wake and at 1 am, my thoughts were racing. So I apologize to anyone who has read it and had to scratch their heads to wonder what the heck I was talking about.

Today was the funeral for my husband's step-mom. I think today was the first day that it really hit me. I hadn't cried since I found out, but just kind of felt sick. But today, as we were walking past the casket one final time, I just fell apart. And in the church I couldn't stop crying. The sermon was lovely and very touching. Then it happened......well, let me explain something first to anyone who isn't catholic. In the catholic mass, you sit, stand & kneel. The pews have fold down kneelers with pads that are attached to the back of the pew in front of you that your row can kneel on. Normally, you leave the kneeler up until you need it so there is foot-room. So it comes time to kneel. My husband puts the kneeler down and kneels on it, like any good catholic should do. However.....he put it right on my foot....and knelt on it!!! I was trying to be quiet yet couldn't say anything because the pain was so bad. Finally I got out an "you've got it on my foot" through my teeth and hubby didn't understand me!!!! I had to say it two more times before he realized why I was still standing up. Thank goodness he was the only one who knelt down on it, otherwise I think I would have lost a good portion of my foot. Okay, okay....at least a good bruise. But it still hurt!

Anyway....it was a very sad day. And I also picked up Gregory Peckory's ashes from the vet. I really hope that this is the end of anyone or anything getting sick or dying in a LONG, LONG TIME. It's been way too much.

Rest In Peace, Rosemarie. You are loved.

Sad Day

2006-08-24T23:20:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't posted in a while. My husband's step-mom passed away this past Monday night. She died peacefully in the hospital. Unfortunately, my husband and father-in-law were on the way to the hospital at the time and didn't get there until after she had passed. However, I truly believe that when a person dies, its the way it is supposed to be. Maybe not horrible accidents and such, but I mean when someone is sick for a long time. Sometimes it seems like the person waits for a certain person to visit. So I think she didn't want the men present when she died. It may sound silly, but to me it makes sense. Its hard to explain. When my dad died, he seemed to wait until the people who were closest to him were in the room. It was really weird because I have a huge family and the only ones there were the ones he felt took care of him. And I truly believe that he waited especially for my husband, who stayed in the hospital with him every night. He was trying to ask me something that day, but he couldn't talk and in retrospect, I think he was asking me where Chuck was. But I digress....

We had the wake today and the funeral mass & burial is tomorrow morning. Even though she was still on chemo for her cancer (diagnosed about 3 years ago) I never in a million years thought this would happen. Of course, when she got so bad in the hospital this time, I kind of expected it, but before that.....no way. And she was a fighter. She fought till the end. I have a lot of respect for the woman. She had been through so much, yet she still worried about her family and volunteered at a battered women's shelter, all while working full time through it all.

Wakes are a curiosity, aren't they? As one of my friends so bluntly put it, its a bunch of people carrying on different conversations that have nothing to do with why you are there, and there just happens to be a corpse in the room. Harsh, I know. But true. When I go to the "great beyond" I want one of several things and I will leave that up to my family. One....garbage bag in the trash....no worries. Two....prop me up with a martini in one hand and Dean Martin playing in the background. Three....(and this one is the most logical)....John Denver music playing throughout the service....no casket...just a memorial service but more of a celebration. A party. Either celebrate my life or celebrate that I'm gone. I won't care. Just have a good time.

My sister told me she saw an obituary in the paper today that at the end said something like:
"In lieu of flowers, please have a stiff drink and toast John X"
Isn't that just fabulous??? I asked her if she had that drink and she thought about it and said, "you know....I should". We have no idea who Mr. John X was, but hey, we're all for celebrating someone's life.

Well, tomorrow is an early morning for me. I usually don't do well in the mornings but I'll have to leave the house by 7:30 am to make it on time. With rush hour traffic, it'll take me probably an hour to get to the funeral home. My husband is staying with his dad. Dad has kept it together so far, and I just worry about him. He's going to be lost without her. But I know that he knows that Ro would want him to carry on and be strong. It's going to be hard though. When my dad died 4 years ago, I took it very hard and still can't get over it. And my mom.....well, they were married almost 60 years so you can imagine, she still can't believe that he's gone. They started dating when they were 13 years old! Life is so hard sometimes.

The Five Bears

2006-08-19T21:05:00.000-04:00

Today I was driving home from a friend's house and saw a mama bear and her four cubs crossing the road in front of me. I never saw a bear with that many cubs before!! I pulled over to take this picture and by the time I figured out how to work my camera phone (its fairly new), they were pretty far away. The other cubs had ducked into one of the big evergreen trees. This is them walking into a church parking lot. Even though I see bears often, I still am amazed every time. They are so beautiful. I won't get into the bear hunt controversy here, but I think if people were more educated about them, there would be less of a problem....IMHO. Anyway, aren't they just stunning?

When I rescued Gregory & family

2006-08-14T11:05:00.000-04:00

This is how I found Gregory, Serena, Joely & Mama Kitty (who is not in the picture). Gregory is the one in the back. They were about 5 weeks old, but when I found them I thought they were 2 weeks old. They were malnutritioned so they were alot smaller than they should have been.

I owned a pet sitting service for 7 years, ending about 6 years ago. I still have two clients, but at the time I had over 120 clients. This one client, thought I won't go into details, had plans for these kittens.....to sell them to a testing lab. (I have to admit, I did alot of snooping to find this out - its a long story).

So I called a friend of mine who is an Animal Control Officer. He looked up every statute to make sure I could take these kittens out of the yard I found them in without repercussions. Since the homeowners never told me they were living in the backyard, they were officially strays so I had every right to take them. Funny thing....the homeowners NEVER asked me about them...if I had seen them, etc. They didn't care one bit.

This picture shows (clockwise starting at top left): Mizzy (the Maine Coon), Gregory, Serena, Joely and Toby (the white cat). They were only a few months old here. I have to look for a more recent picture of Gregory. But here you can see what beautiful markings he had.

Toby is now gone too. He passed away last year of complications of diabetes. He was around 15 years old.

2006-08-13T10:12:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Gregory Peckory died in my arms.

He was diagnosed with liver disease about a month ago and had been on home IV fluid treatments. I had to force feed him baby food with an oral syringe because he wouldn't eat on his own. However, a few days ago he was picking at the dry and wet food which surprised me and puzzled me. I know all about liver disease and how the patient does not want to eat. I've seen cats that aren't eating eat a pretty good meal right before they die. So as much as I wanted to be excited that he was eating, I had my doubts. But never in a million years did I think yesterday would have been his last.

He seemed bonier than even the day before, but not horrible. He had been hiding out in my walk-in closet so I decided to put the litterbox in there for him in case he was weak and didn't want to walk to it. As I was moving the box, Gregory started crying. I picked him up and talked to him for about 20 minutes. I was going to get a blanket for him to lay on and when I put him down, he started crying again. Not a panicked cry, but a little scared cry. It was heartbreaking. So I picked him up and held him like a baby on his back, because he seemed most comfortable that way. He was tilting his head back because he couldn't breathe. I just sat with him for around an hour just talking softly to him and kissing him. I knew it was near the end. Then all of a sudden, he started having a little seizure. I ran out to the kitchen to get my husband and I just lost it. I couldn't even get the words out. I told my husband to call a vet so we can have him euthanized without him suffering. Of course, on a Saturday, our vet isn't available and apparently neither is any other vet. There are two emergency clinics but they are about an hour away and I knew he'd never make it and I didn't want him suffering that long.

As my husband looked for another vet, I told him to just stop. I knew it was soon. Chuck and I just sat with Gregory in my arms, talking to him, telling him how much we loved him and just bawling our eyes out. Then Gregory took two very deep breaths and was gone. He fought so hard.

Since my husband hasn't been home, it almost seemed like Gregory waited until he was there. And he totally didn't want to be alone...he wanted me to hold him, which is comforting. Of course, I tend to blame myself when this happens. I shouldn't have let him get so overweight....with all my experience I should have seen the disease coming. But, of course, its moot. I feed all my cats the same amount...some are skinny, some are fat. Its their makeup.

I'm having a private cremation and getting his ashes back. Unfortunately, the pet cemetery hasn't returned my phone call as they are closed all weekend. I'll have to wait until Monday. Gregory is wrapped in a blanket and he's in the downstairs bathroom. I don't keep looking at him because well, for one thing, its not him anymore...he's gone, its just his earthly shell. And when they pass, they don't even look like themselves. But just seeing the box with the blanket....I hate to have to go in there.

Gregory was such a personality, such a presence. I miss him so much already.

I'm Crazy!

2006-08-09T12:28:00.000-04:00

I've been making stitch markers like there is no tomorrow. I have no idea what to do with them all, but I'm having so much fun making them, I just keep going. Today I made some Swarovski Crystal crochet markers for my friend Lisa. I just got Swarovski butterflies that are gorgeous and wanted to make her something special for being such a good friend. Since they were kind of expensive, I will only use these for certain things.

I have yet to put together my sweater...I tried seaming it and got frustrated. I tend to put things off that I'm afraid will come out terrible. Maybe today I will try again. Worse comes to worse, I'll go to a LYS and have them instruct me on how to do it so it looks good. Plus I can't sew to save my life, so that doesn't help matters.

Treated myself today

2006-08-05T19:57:00.000-04:00

I ran down to the jewelry store in town today to drop off a set of Honora pearls I got for Christmas. I broke the string they were on and decided to have it hand knotted so it doesn't happen again. They were having a 50% off sale. Need I say more???

I had no intention of buying anything. I just walked past the showcases and it caught my eye. A cameo. Now, I am not a cameo person. But this one is different. Its blue....and has a cat on it!
So I asked to see it, never expecting to buy it, but for the price, I couldn't pass it up. It was half off of $220. I'll see if I can get a better picture in daylight tomorrow, but here it is for now, albeit a little blurry. Its about 1/2 inch in diameter and 14 k.

And of course, I saw a gorgeous pair of diamond earrings for my mom, but at over $1000 regular price, well, even if I could afford it, she'd kill me if I bought her something so expensive.

It just HURTS!

2006-08-05T11:08:00.000-04:00

Now...I have a problem I've been dealing with for several months and its just not getting any better. I have a rash of some sort on my hand that itches, oozes, hurts like hell, peels, gets raw and is swollen. I've been to the dermatologist who says it is a form of psoriasis, but also an allergic reaction to something, but I haven't got a clue to what it is. I've never had this before and I can't imagine that all of a sudden something that I've been doing/using all my life is now creating this mess on my hand.

I thought maybe it was from a certain yarn. It is the finger I wrap my yarn around when I am knitting. The derm said that yarns with blue dye seem to cause problems...something about the indigo in it. I am working on the purple wrap for my sister, but I can't tell for sure if it is from that yarn since this will clear up and then come right back. I haven't worked on the wrap in two weeks so who knows. People have said it looks like poison ivy, but I can assure you, it is not.

I've tried Benedryl cream for the itching, which helps but burns. I have a script from the doc but that seems hit or miss lately. This picture is from today. It's looked 50 times worse - but its starting on that downswing of getting bad again. Anyone ever see anything like this??

Got My Puffy!

2006-08-05T10:50:00.000-04:00

Today I received my "puffy" from my stitch-marker exchangee. Wow! The markers are soooo cute! Glass ladybugs with leaves and one with a sunflower charm....And these coool rainbow beaded beads! And I absolutely adore the handmade card! It is all embroidered....how creative is that??? Thank you so much Maile!!! And I love the fact that the markers are for larger size needles...most of the ones I have are for the small needles, so now I have a set of neat stitch markers for just about every size!!! Can't wait for the next round of this exchange.....
http://stitchmarkerexchange.blogspot.com/

Butterfly yarn swatch

2006-08-04T21:58:00.000-04:00

Well, I couldn't wait to swatch the Butterfly yarn and to use my new knitting needles. It wasn't the gauge recommended, but, hey....new toys are meant to be played with!

As for the yarn, I like it, not in love with it but I'm sure it would look nice on a smaller needle. However, it is a little tricky to work with - but that may have been because of the plastic needles which, number one, I am not used to and number two, the yarn sticks to the plastic.

All in all, I'm not too impressed by the lighted needles. I may give them to a friend of mine. I've seen other lighted knitting needles that are clear and the entire needle lights up. They are probably ten times better than these, but they are alot more expensive too. The ones I have were $16. The clear ones go for about $40. I'd rather stick with my Lantern Moons or even just the bamboo.

I do have another use for these needles though....they are great for finding things under sofas, fridges, stoves, etc. that my cats have batted around and are missing. Beats moving furniture!

2006-08-04T12:07:00.000-04:00

I signed up for http://www.yarnofthemonth.com/. I got my first sample pack yesterday of some really neat yarns. In order of the picture they are:

Manhattan by Lily Chin
87% Cotton, 13% Bamboo
very soft

Butterfly by Madil
72% Dralon, 18% Wool,
10% Polyamide
Very cool...can't wait to try it

Boucle Mohair by Be Sweet
90% Mohair, 10% Nylon
Again, very soft

Trinity by Jaeger
40% Silk, 35% Cotton, 25% Polyamide
Reminds me of the Silky Tweed by Elsbeth Lavold

I can't wait to swatch these and see how they work up. Oh, and with the membership to the YOM, you get a free pattern with it that corresponds with the yarn samples. I had my reservations about joining this club, but after my first pack, I think it was a nice idea. I'm pleased with the samples & the pattern is a nice plus. Its kind of nice to be able to swatch something first before investing in a full ball.

It never ends around here

2006-08-04T00:43:00.000-04:00

I just found out our neighbor is in the hospital. He has pneumonia.
He is in the middle of re-doing his house - he's doing it himself with contractor friends. He has one and a half year old triplet girls and also has a immune disorder. This is not good. My husband went to see him today and he said that he's actually seen our neighbor look worse when he wasn't in the hospital, but I don't know if that is good or bad. He's supposed to get out of the hospital after the weekend.

I've posted some yarn for sale on destash.blogspot.com. I have Lion Boucle, Lion Homespun, a hand painted chenille and a 100% acrylic "homespun" that I got on ebay a few summers ago.
I thought these yarns would be good for stuff to donate, but I'm not doing anything with them and if someone else can use them, all the better.

More Stitch Marker Madness

2006-08-02T13:25:00.000-04:00

Dharma

2006-08-02T10:45:00.000-04:00

First off, I'd like to introduce you to Dharma. She is 4 years old. I've had her since she was about 6 weeks old - she was found by a friend of a friend. Every day she leaps up to the door handle of my office when she sees me heading toward it. She is one cat I can trust to NOT pull apart my WIP's and balls of yarn. She pretty much leaves them alone and sticks to her own toys.

And...the stitch markers are for another exchange I'm doing. They are so much fun to make and I'm starting to get really good at it.

Finally!

2006-08-01T12:44:00.000-04:00

YAY! It worked!

Sweater Progress

2006-07-31T11:25:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't posted much about my knitting or crocheting, but I actually have been working on my sweater and I cannot begin to say how proud I am of myself (so far) of it's progress. I've got the front & back done and the first sleeve. I started the second sleeve last night. It was suggested to me that I should do the sleeves at the same time, but since I still cannot find that dang knitting needle, I am doing one at a time. I really don't want to buy yet another set of 13's.

I'd love to post a pic, but Blogger, of course, is not allowing me to do so. I've been trying for two days!!

Update on crisis.....My one brother in law had his prostate surgery and all went well. They think they got all the cancer out but he may have to go for radiation treatments. This poor guy.....he had quadruple bypass surgery 5 years ago and now this.

My husband's step-mom is still the same. They are still hoping to get her into Kessler by the end of the week, but the way things are going, who knows. They still need to put another drain in her abdomen so that they can drain all the fluid out. They were supposed to do it yesterday, but as we all know how hospitals are....it didn't happen. She's having panic attacks now.

Funny thing though....she is starting to call my husband and her husband "stupid". Guess they've been there long enough that she's getting sick of them. I put together a little care-package for her the other day. Some dry-mouth toothpaste, Starlight mints and Life Savers hard candy, Chapstick & a little notebook & pen. Now apparently, my husband had brought her a little notebook, but just the little plain one. The one I got her had a nice plastic cover with very colorful flowers all over it. So she sends me a note home with my husband thanking me for it and this little line:
"Your husband and my husband thought that poor excuse of the notebook I was using was good enough - thanks for providing the woman's touch"
I get a kick out of it every time I read it. So now, I took a regular Bic pen and drilled a hole in the top. I put some beading wire thru it and beaded the crap out of it. I'm going to pick up some stick-on rhinestones for the pen itself.

And my cat Gregory - His jaundice is getting worse. I still have to force feed him babyfood, which he HATES with a capital H. I have to do it in the bathroom because he gets more on the floor and walls than in his mouth. Even with an oral syringe. He fights me so much. At least he has that fight still in him, so I don't mind too much. He is good with his IV fluid treatments....he will sit still and purr until its done. He must feel so much better with them. I feel bad for him...when I feed the other cats, he comes and cries like he's hungry, but when I put food in front of him, he sniffs it and walks away. He's probably sick to his stomach. Interestingly enough, my dad had liver disease and he never felt like eating either.

Gregory is Home!

2006-07-28T00:56:00.000-04:00

Well, Gregory Peckory, my cat, is home today. Unfortunately, he's not better. In fact, he's worse. When I took him to the vet last Friday and saw he was jaundiced, we did blood work. We had hoped it was cholangial hepatits, which is fairly easy to treat and he would hopefully recover (somewhat). The vet did another blood panel yesterday and this morning we got the news that he is actually getting worse. So our worst fears have been confirmed....he has hepatic lipidosis, which means he has a fatty liver. The fact that he is somewhat overweight doesn't help matters, but it didn't cause it. But...it is contributing to it. With him losing weight, the fat he is burning needs to be filtered through the liver....and already with "fatty liver syndrome" the extra fat is just clogging things up.

So, he's still not eating on his own. I'm force-feeding him baby food and tomorrow I'll try something more substantial for him. He's on IV fluids infused with antibiotics. 300 units a day, which I can do at home. (I did this for another cat who just recently died of kidney disease). We are hopeful that with the treatment he will start showing signs of improvement. Now that he's home, maybe he'll be less stressed and start eating himself. At the very least, at least he is here enjoying his friends (the other cats), sleeping on the bed and just being loved to pieces. We will make sure he is comfortable and knows he is greatly loved....by us and his kitty buddies.

On the knitting front...well....yesterday I was working on the sweater and one of my knitting needles just disappeared into thin air!!! Seriously!!! I cannot find it anywhere and all I did was sit in the chair in the living room!!! I looked EVERYWHERE. Retraced my steps in case I had it in my hand when I went for a water or something. The only explanation is that one of my cats took it, but I find it hard to imagine that a cat walked away with a 14 inch, size 13 needle without me seeing him. So, I had to buy another set of needles today so I can finish the sweater. I am now on the first sleeve. The front & back are done. I'd post pics, but I don't feel like getting the camera ready right now....I'll do it tomorrow.

As for all the other crisis going on...my sister did have her defibrillator put in and all is well with that. My husband's step-mom is going to start chemo again by the weekend. They'd like to get her into Kessler Rehab in about a week and then home. She's been in the hospital for about 3 weeks now so she'll need to exercise her muscles before she can return home, hence the rehab.

Bad News All Around

2006-07-25T12:56:00.000-04:00

Geez....we've been hit by so much bad stuff lately. Three weeks ago one of my cats passed away from kidney failure. He was only 6 years old and the vet thinks he had bad kidneys from birth.
Now I have an 11 year old cat in the hospital for liver disease. He's still not eating on his own and the vet had to force feed him this morning. I'm just praying that he will get his appetite recharged and start to eat by himself. And as long as he can keep it down, he should be okay for the time being. I know liver disease in cats isn't really reversible, but if I can have him home for a while and let him be happy, that's all I can ask for.

My husband's step-mother is very, very sick. She has been in the hospital now for three weeks and is being transferred to Mt. Sinai in NYC today. She was told she has inoperable cancer in most of her vital organs, but her own oncologist says he can still help her. She was diagnosed with ovarian & cervical cancer about two or three years ago and has been on monthly chemo ever since. The poor woman has been through so much. And yet, through it all she still is fighting. My husband has been staying with her every night, sometimes over night in the hospital. And she called this morning to tell him that she wants him in the ambulance with her when they transfer her. She said she feels calm & safe when he's with her. Funny.....they never got along when he was younger. Isn't it funny how things change as we get older?

One of my sisters had a stroke a few months ago. Now she needs a defibrillator put in and she's doing that next week. Her husband had mouth cancer a few years ago and now they found more cancer in his jaw. He's scheduled for surgery to remove part of his jaw and reconstruction of it....a 21 hour procedure. I was told his condition is "very serious", as I imagine it would be.

Another brother in law has level 5 cancer cells in his prostate and is having surgery next week.

Oh, and my mother in law's sister is dying.

As for me, I was diagnosed with Bipolar 2 a month ago. I'm on new meds, but honestly, I think they are making me more compulsive and edgy. Then again, with all that is going on, it may just be that and not the meds at all.

Pray for us. I hope things start getting better.

2006-07-17T13:16:00.000-04:00

Well, I caved. I went to Michaels and bought Lion Brand Thick & Quick to try my hand at a knit sweater. I found the pattern on the Lion Brand site and didn't want to mess with the gauge so I bought the yarn that it calls for. Its not too bad, although 90% acrylic and 10% wool. It looks easy enough and I think the colors I got are pretty nice. It's not the nicest sweater pattern, but good for a beginner I hope.
I probably should have used circulars, but truth be told, I really don't like them that much. I may have to change over though...we'll see.

Other than that I'm really pissed at myself. I went to motor vehicle a few weeks ago to renew my license. Long story short, even though I had my photo license that was expiring they wouldn't accept my birth certificate because it had my maiden name on it...they needed my marriage license. So I contacted the town where I got married and they sent me a form to fill out and send a copy of my birth certificate. And now I can't find it!!!! I have torn my house apart seven times over and still can't find it. So I went online and ordered a copy from Vital Records and it cost me $45!!!! Plus...now I can't find my social security card either!! I hope it didn't get mixed up with the recycleables and get tossed. I'm so afraid of that. I'm hoping these documents show up. I looked everywhere, even my car. And the stupid thing is, I found all the other documents I had with me that day, except for those two things. I'm such an idiot. So careless. I could kick myself. If someone finds it, I'm so screwed. How do you protect yourself from identity theft if they have your SS card & birth certificate??? I truly hope they turn up somewhere. Isn't St. Anthony the one to pray to for lost items?

150 Answers

2006-07-16T01:16:00.000-04:00

I saw this on Arleta's Motley Wool blog and decided to play along....

Bold the ones you've done..
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg - Iceberg lettuce all the time though!
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper - I used to babysit my nieces & nephews
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly could
32. Held a lamb - I fed one, but never held one
33. Seen a total eclipse - it was a total lunar eclipse though
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day - I do this more often than you’d think!
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites - Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings, Colorado
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie - no but I was on TV once
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice - but I’ve ridden in a mountain gondola in Telluride Colorado!
80. Gotten a tattoo - I have one
81. Gone white water rafting - I always wanted to, but I can’t swim, so thats out
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents - yes unfortunately
93. Been on a cruise ship - the Circle Line in NYC...does that count? I think it was a 3 hour tour
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children.
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Created and named your own constellation of stars
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over - No, but totally wanted to a few years ago
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery - and it was the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced (physical anyway)
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived.
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone - I broke my nose when I was 12, but technically didn't break the bone as much as damaged the cartilidge
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery - Myomectomy in 2001
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon - No, but hiked almost to the summit of The Maroon Bells in Aspen/Snowmass, CO
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper - No, but had an editorial published
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school - not in person but I'm starting an internet class this Monday
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach - Now why on God's green earth would you do this???
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions - I hated those people when I was there, why would I want to hang out with them now??
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office - I was elected VP of a municipal animal shelter...does that count?
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146: Dyed your hair
147: Been a DJ
148: Shaved your head
149: Caused a car accident
150: Saved someone's life

2006-07-15T20:00:00.000-04:00

Ok, As usual Blogger wouldn't let me place the photos in the previous post, so here they are.

Went to the Yarn Show in PA

2006-07-15T19:42:00.000-04:00

I went to the Knit & Crochet Show in King of Prussia, PA yesterday. I only went to the market, did not take any classes. I was supposed to go for the weekend but personal problems changed those plans and I only went for the day with my friend Jan. We had a wonderful time together and although the market was nice, it wasn't as big as I expected and I couldn't imagine why I would spend two days there. However, I wish we had spent one more hour going around again and I wish I had bought more yarn. Oh well....live and learn. I have asked my friend Lisa, who went today, to maybe see if she can get me the yarn I wanted.
Here is some yarn I bought from Buckwheat Bridge Angoras. The Brown & Pink-100% Mohair, are for an afghan, but I may change my mind. Lisa was able to get me three more skeins, so we will see. The multi-colored is so gorgeous I can't even begin to describe the colors. I am so pissed that I didn't buy more. It is 80% Kid Mohair & 20% Wool. I guess if I can't get any more, I will either make socks with it or a skinny scarf.

The blue yarn on the bottom of the picture is Brooks Farm Yarn out of Texas. They had the most wonderful colorways! Every color of the rainbow! The one I bought is 100% Mohair and soft as a cloud! I wish I could have bought a hank in every colorway. Thats how beautiful it is.
The yarn at the top of the pic is Cherry Tree Hill Glitter Thick & Thin. These two are for an afghan but I plan to get all different types of yarns and make it kind of funky. And, I am planning on keeping both afghans! I rarely keep anything I make, so this will be a nice treat for me. And both will match my new couch, so thats a plus.

Anyway, the ride to the show was beautiful. Lots of little towns with antique shops and cafes. I'm going to try to talk my husband into a day trip sometime soon to check out the antiques.
Jan & I had some wonderful conversations about everything...including stories of her days as a private investigator and a narc. Nothing more interesting than hearing dirty little details!!! :)

New Living Room Set

2006-07-09T22:54:00.000-04:00

Well, we bought the new set today. Sofa, oversized chair, which is known in the furniture world as "a chair and a half" and an ottoman. Blue Denim fabric - exactly like what I have now. We were able to pick out of several hundred fabrics for the main upholstery and the toss pillows. I ended up getting a really pretty red tapestry with a fringy trim for the pillows. Almost looking like a persian rug. I think it will look really nice in my living room. I have an amoir that I bought in Durango, Colorado a few years back that my TV sits in and I have a wall of crosses - its kindof southwesty meets mexican I think. I also have a hand made & hand painted & stamped tin & tile mirror that I bought custom from Mexico a few years ago too.

We did go look at kitchen cabinets but WOW...too many to choose from! We pretty much have the color of what we want down, but the styles and different companies to choose from is just mind boggling. We looked in Home Depot & Lowes today but will go to a few cabinet makers just to see what they have to offer. I think it was about two years ago that we got an estimate on the cabinets we fell in love with & the Silestone countertops and it came to something like $15,000. But that was also adding on to the kitchen, which we are no longer doing. Right now I'm missing one door to the cabinet under the sink because one of my dogs decided to eat it for dinner one night. I'm sick of looking at it. Its been that way for a while now because my husband and I can never agree on anything....especially when it comes to decorating the house. I think we are finally going to pull the trigger on it this time though because its just a drag going into the kitchen. Its depressing.

Something to Look Forward To

2006-07-08T20:04:00.000-04:00

Even though I've been extremely down lately, I am actually looking forward to tomorrow. DH and I are going to go look at new cabinets for our kitchen, and of course the countertops, flooring, etc. Plus we want to look at a new living room set. The living room set is easy - I want exactly what I already have, just new! Its a big denim couch with over-stuffed cushions. The chair is huge...can be used for two people who like eachother :) and ottoman. I love my set so much but it's pretty worn. I fought with DH about this but I finally won and will get the set that I love so much. And it's totally comfortable. A friend of ours stays over once in a while and when you take the back cushions off, its almost as big as a twin bed and super cushy. And we pretty much know what kitchen cabinets we want....but I'm sure we'll disagree about a backsplash & floor. Thats a given as mine and hubby's tastes are completely different. Other than that, nothing new going on. Same old, same old.

The Kittens Strike Again

2006-07-05T13:37:00.000-04:00

I was working on the crocheted shawl that I started back in October. Had a whole new ball of yarn, the label not even removed yet. I left my work on the ottoman in the living room to go to the bathroom. When I got back, not a minute or two later, my entire ball of yarn was unraveled and tangled....my little kitten Peeps decided to make it her own. This, by the way, is the same yarn that I have the pics of my kittens happily playing with in a previous post. All I could yell was "No, No, No, No, No"!!!! I even gave them about a fifth of a skein of that same yarn so they would leave the stuff I was working with alone, but they wanted the NEW yarn! So, right now I'm very close to just trashing the whole thing. I'm sick and tired of un-tangling the yarn. I'm not entirely happy with the way it is turning out, so I think I may just throw it away and maybe start it again, with a different yarn, some other time. And....hopefully, I will FINALLY learn to not leave my yarn anywhere my kittens can get it, if even for a second. I don't know.....now that I look at the photo, it doesn't look all that bad.
I'd almost like to take the squares apart and make it into something smaller, but they are crocheted together as you go, not pieced - so there goes that idea.

And here is the wrap I finished yesterday. Its only my second completed knitting project so I'm pretty excited about it, even though it is very, very easy & uncomplicated.

Happy 4th!!!

2006-07-04T15:45:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm happy to report that I finished one of my knitted wraps this morning! So thats two FO's in a couple of days....I'm on a roll! And both just happen to be for the same person....I'm sensing some sort of vibe coming from that direction I think.

Other than that, just a slow, lazy day here. Hubby is working outside and I've been inside crocheting - hoping to get yet another project finished. But then I started watching "For The Boys" with Bette Midler and the crocheting stopped. Its not a project I can do while watching tv. I need to concentrate on it, so watching a movie I've never seen before wasn't the best move. I asked DH to put my XM Radio in my car (that I got for Christmas and STILL isn't installed) and he said he had 1000 other things to do. Oh well. Guess I'm 1001, which isn't new. My b-i-l offered to install it so I guess I'll have to take him up on it or do it myself.

Its starting to thunder so I'm guessing our little BBQ won't be for a while yet.

2006-07-02T21:02:00.000-04:00

I am an Animal Rescuer (Author Unknown)
My job is to assist God's creatures
I was born with the drive to fulfill their needs
I take in helpless, unwanted, homeless creatures without planning or selection
I have bought dog food with my last dime
I have patted a mangy head with a bare hand
I have hugged someone vicious and afraid
I have fallen in love a thousand times
And I have cried into the fur of a lifeless body too many times to count
I have Animal Friends and friends who have animal friends
I don't often use the word "pet"
I notice those lost at the road side And my heart aches
I will hand raise a field mouse
And make friends with a vulture
I know of no creature unworthy of my time
I want to live forever if there aren't animals in Heaven, But I believe there are
Why would God make something so perfect and leave it behind?
Some may think we are master of the animals
But the animals have mastered themselves.
Something people still haven't learned
War and Abuse make me hurt for the world
But a rescue that makes the news gives me hope for mankind
We are a quiet but determined army
And we are making a difference every day
There is nothing more necessary than warming an orphan
nothing more rewarding than saving a life
No higher recognition than watching them thrive
There is no greater joy than seeing a baby play who only days ago, was too weak to eat
By the love of those who I've been privileged to rescue I have been rescued
I know what true unconditional love really is; for I've seen it shining in the eyes of so many
Grateful for so little
I am an Animal Rescuer
My work is never done
My home is never quiet
My wallet is always empty
But my heart is always full

2006-07-02T19:54:00.000-04:00

About 14 months ago, I got an e-mail from a fellow chat room roomie. Seems she had found a couple of kittens on her back porch and didn't know what to do with them. Since she knew I did cat rescue, I was the first person who came to mind. So, I told her to bring them by - luckily, she only lives about 15 minutes away from me. Now, when she said kittens, I figured "ok, kittens" - about 2 months old or so. When she showed up, she had these two little balls of fur that were smaller than a golf ball in a hermit crab cage. Upon inspection, I realized they were about a day old. I started feeding them immediately and put them in a bed with a heating pad. I told her that I couldn't guarantee anything, with them being so tiny and without a mom.
Well, as the days and weeks went on, these two kitties flourished. We named them Peaches (the female orange & white) and Willie (the brown tiger) after a couple of cats I used to pet-sit for and who were two of our favorites.
I finally get them weaned & going potty by themselves thinking, "great, no more midnight feedings" when I get a call from my sister.....uh oh.....three more kittens. She heard something making noise outside and thought she saw a little black mouse. When she got closer, she realized it was a small kitten and found two more in a corner by her apartment building. *I will elaborate more on the three in another post.* So now we had 5 little kittens!!! Plus the menagerie of the rest of our gang! (I'm not even telling you how many cats I have :) ) **And by the way, I did not pose the picture of the two cats laying together...they were already like that when I took the photo!** We had a wonderful 5 months of kitten-hood. They were all so adorable & funny!

Fast forward to October 2005....Peaches doesn't seem quite right. We needed to have an echo-cardiogram done which showed an enlarged heart. She wasn't given a good prognosis. It could be 6 months or 6 years, but it wasn't going to be good. That same week, my vet went on vacation and I was given the information that she should be okay for some time before she starts showing any signs of getting worse. Of course, as it always happens, she gets sick while the vet is away. Now, being a cat-mom for so many years and working with cats, it looked very much like an upper-respiratory infection. So I just kept an eye on her for a couple of days. Then she stopped eating & started to hide. This was not a good sign.

We rushed her one rainy October night to a different vet thinking they'd give her some fluids and send her home with some antibiotics. That was not to be. The look on his face when he saw this little 6 month old baby told me all I needed to know. He took a blood sample to make sure it wasn't leukemia, feline AIDs or FIP, that could be transferred to my other cats. (Even though we had already had her tested for FELV & FIV a few months earlier, we had to be sure the tests were correct). Her blood looked like pink-tinted water. He ran a test in the office and determined that her body had stopped producing new red blood cells. He didn't expect her to make it through the night.

My husband and I decided to take her home so her brother could see her, along with the other cats. We got in the car where we both started just sobbing. At that point, Peaches started screaming! Screaming like I've never heard a cat scream in my life! So we ran back in the vet's office and had to have her euthanized right there and then. I held her in my arms and softly spoke to her while her little spirit passed away.

I felt so guilty. Why didn't I see this coming? With all my years experience why didn't I notice it sooner??? Of course, all the vets involved said there was nothing anyone could have done anyway. It was a very rare, genetic disease that could not ever be fixed. We could have done blood transfusions, but it would have only been a band-aid. Made her better for a little while then she would have failed again.

That night, I held her limp little body in my lap on the ride home. Still, I wept into her soft kitten fur, still talking to her. We brought her inside and let the other cats see her. They all came up to her, almost as if to say goodbye. Her brother seemed afraid. The other smaller kittens seemed to even understand that she was gone. The next morning, we took her over to the pet cemetery and had a private cremation and got her ashes back. I still miss my little angel. I think about her every single day. I pray that her brother never gets sick. I tell him and the other kittens not to forget her. She is our little guardian angel. She lives in our hearts forever.

Blah Blah Blah

2006-07-02T18:40:00.000-04:00

Here is the finished (well, except for the ribbon trim) afghan. For some stupid reason, Blogger wouldn't let me post this picture in my last entry.

I made this with 27 skeins of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in a crown stitch.

Other than this....I am so "BLAH" today. Can't seem to get anything done. And I'm PMSing, which doesn't help. DH is smart and is working outside - staying out of my way. Plus he's being extraordinarily nice to me. I guess after 18 years of marriage he knows better than to hang around inside when I'm in one of these funks.

Finished!

2006-07-02T14:43:00.000-04:00

FINALLY finished the afghan! Yay me! I think I started it two or three months ago, I don't remember. Probably closer to three. I gave it to my sister & her hubby for their last year & this year anniversary. Everyone loved it which made me feel really good. The only thing I didn't finish on it is the ribbon that is supposed to be weaved into the trim. The ribbon I originally bought didn't look quite right, so I'll have to get something else. I found a hand painted silk ribbon online, but at $12 a yard, well, I don't think so.

And...I received stitch markers from Jenn from the stitch marker exchange with Robyn. They are soooo adorable!!! Little stars with smiley faces! She writes in her note that they are to "cheer you up on bad knitting days" hee hee.....she has no idea how many of those days I have! Since I'm kinda new at it, I do get frustrated quite a bit.

A seasoned knitter said to me recently "Oh you throw your yarn". I said, yeah, I throw it across the room when I can't do it! Obviously, thats not what she meant, but I had no idea.

Anyway....we had a great time at my sister's house yesterday celebrating her and her hubby's birthdays. Good food, good company & glad she didn't mind that DH & me watched her present before we gave it to her. See, I bought her three DVD's of the Dean Martin Roasts. DH saw them on the kitchen table and wanted to watch one. I said No Way! that's my sister's BD present! Well, since nothing good was on TV that night, I caved & we watched it. Hilarious!
So the next two nights we proceeded to watch the other two. So we approved them before we gave them. And my sister didn't mind one bit. Well, that and I gave her other presents to compensate for the "used" status of the DVD's. I made her a pink austrian crystal bracelet and also gave her a Joan Rivers bracelet from QVC. Happy Birthday Nancy! & Steve too!!!

Can this be right?

2006-06-29T19:46:00.000-04:00

Since I bought so much yarn last week, I decided to donate some of my older stash to make some room to store the new stuff. So I packed up 3 huge shopping bags and drove off to the nursing home in town. When I brought the bags in, one of the women at the reception desk comes over and says to me "Oh, I get so excited when someone brings in yarn". Ok....Didn't think much of this. Then I told her that there were some scraps for craft projects but others had full skeins, probably enough for a baby blanket or baby sweater. Her response was "Ooohhhh, just what I like to make". Ok, now is it me, or does it sound like she's going to raid the bags before the residents get it? As I was walking out of the building, I heard this woman say to someone, "now I'll have to sharpen up my crochet hook", which is scary since I don't know of anyone who does this....maybe its an old ritual of some sort. (just kidding...I know she was just making a "funny" that really wasn't)

Seems to me that the residents aren't going to see much of this yarn and I doubt there is anything I can do about it. There is no way to prove she took it, let alone if anyone else took some too. I was going to ask the sister at our church to find out for me but I don't know if she'd be agreeable to subterfuge.

Speaking of our church, I stopped by the church office today to drop something off. As I get to the door, the door opens by itself, very slowly. Scared the living crap out of me! Now normally, you have to ring the doorbell to get into the office, so the door opening by itself was strange enough. So of course, I'm walking in waiting for something to happen and all I hear is laughter from the 5 or 6 people inside. I look behind the door, and its no other than our priest! Fr. Sig did it on purpose!!!! He said "you should have seen you jump"! I guess I should add that I couldn't see anything thru the door window, but they obviously saw me.

Nothing like being the butt of a practical joke of a priest to make you humble. Plus, this is only like the third time I've met the man....gotta love 'em!

2006-06-29T00:13:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to show you what I woke up to one morning a few months ago. My kittens...my $15 a ball cashmere blend yarn.......
Apparently, they had a party and I wasn't invited. Such a good party, in fact, that one of them puked on the yarn to make sure it wasn't salvageable. I think they find this funny. I also think that they think I have nothing else to do, so they find things for me to do....like clean up after them.
Now unfortunately, this is not the first ball of $15-a-ball-cashmere-blend they destroyed. Oh No!!!! This was the THIRD ball!!!!
I finally learned after that one to put the yarn in a room where they cannot go in since they figured out how to get into my storage containers.
Only took me THREE BALLS!!!! I'm a quick learn huh???
Welcome to my world.

Stitch Marker Exchange & Some Knitting

2006-06-28T17:00:00.000-04:00

Ok...one more post today and I'll stop, I promise. :)

Here are the two knitting projects I'm working on. I'm a very beginner knitter so they are quite easy, but with two yarns on each. The pink one is just garter stitch, which is fine with me. The purple one is stockinette, which is driving me crazy! I don't know how to fix my mistakes so when I do make a mistake, I have to wait for a knitter friend to help me figure it out. But its a gift for one of my sisters and its a labor of love.

And...the gorgeous stitch markers are from my first Stitch Marker Swap with Robyn. The ones I got from Karine are on the left - beautiful pearls & blue crystals & the ones from Robyn, which I received today are the turquoise & irredescent glass beads. Just beautiful!! I can't wait to use them but I've hung them on my bulletin board by my desk so I can see them every time I'm here messing around on the 'puter. They are too pretty to just put away.

And a thanks to Robyn for, number one, hosting the stitch marker exchange and number two, for encouraging me for creating my blog. (I don't know...some people may curse you for that, but we'll have to wait & see) :)

Huge Yarn Haul & Projects

2006-06-28T16:31:00.000-04:00

Last week I found out that a local yarn shop was closing. So I went to check out what they had on sale. Check out this stash!!! A sad note is that I'm going to miss that shop....really nice people, beautiful yarns. I'm so sad for the owner. She really seemed upset and I hated to benefit from such a bad situation, but who am I to pass up a bargain? This is what I got:
17 Berocco Glace
2 Fiesta Silk Chenille
1 Euroflax Athens
1 unnamed ribbon yarn
1 Prism
13 Berocco Soft Twist
2 Mountain Colors Wool
4 Green Mountain Spinnery - Cotton Comfort
2 Opal Sock yarns
3 Mountain Colors Mohair
6 Lambs Pride Wool
26 Berocco Cotton Twist
Plus some needles & notions.

I know what I'm going to do with most of it, but some I just couldn't pass up.

And...I wanted to include a picture of some of my projects. This is the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Afghan. The ruffle still has one round to go and I'm done. You can see the beginning of the last round on the right hand side of the corner. This is an anniversary present for my sister and her husband. It's done in a crown stitch that is so pretty!
Also is the Claudia Hand Dyed scarf & the same scarf with the Berocco SoftTwist. I LOVE the way the scarf looks in the hand dyed yarn. Love the color changes. Oh, and the crazy shawl/afghan. I started this as a shawl, but made the width too short and I didn't want the stripes going up and down, so its now going to be an afghan. I'll do a multi-directional around the sides and hope it looks okay. There are around 15 or 16 differnt yarns used on it. I just went where the yarn took me. No rhyme or reason to it. I just let it speak to me and tell me what was next.

First Post Ever

2006-06-28T13:35:00.000-04:00

Well, I finally decided to start a blog. Here is where I can talk about my adventures in crochet, knitting & being a cat-mom as well as a bunch of other ramblings that may come to mind.

Right now I'm working on the following crochet & knit projects:

*Crochet Beaded Wrap in On-Line Linie
*Crochet Victorian Afghan in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino
*Crochet "what started out as a shawl & is now an afghan" in many different yarns
*Crochet Vogue Shawl in Knit One Crochet Two Ambrosia
*Crochet mittens which will probably turn into fingerless gloves since I never finished them in Kathmandu
*Knitted wrap in Rapture & Odyssy Glitz
*Knitted wrap in Katia Pinta & Jewel FX
*Crochet bath mat in Sirdar Snowflake & fun fur
*Crochet scarf in Claudia Hand Painted Fingering weight

Thats all I remember right now. As you can tell, I tend to start new projects before I finish others .... no, really???
I like having alot of projects on hand in case I get bored.

Well, welcome to my blog!