Solution, sorta

The VIP got a new crepe pan to replace the one that broke the last time he made crepes. He christened it last night and we ate crepes with copious amounts of Nutella. I still need to get a new jar for the DD though.

*Sigh*

I bought my daughter a big jar of Nutella to put in her Christmas box. Step-son saw it and opened it up for one spoonful. There was already an opened jar in the cupboard. What do I do now?

Smacked by a Cosmic Clue-by-Four

I cannot find my size 11 KnitPicks Options needles. I have no idea where they are, so I guess I'd better take inventory of my WIPs and see if I can locate them.

1-- Pi Shawl. Size 7 Options, tons of stitch markers. Still at row 70.
2-- Cascade 220 scarf. Size 7 16" KP circulars. This is a mindless project that is sitting around with no definite end date. I should put it in the car as emergency car knitting.
3-- Brooklyn Tweed scarf. Size 8 straights. 39 stitches, 4 balls of Jojoland Rhythm.
4-- Brooklyn Tweed scarf. Size 8 straights. 19 stitches, 2 balls of Jojoland Rhythm bought in NYC at Knitty City the last time I saw LL.
5-- Socks for FIL. Size 2 circulars. Need to finish in a week and get them in the post.
6-- Socks for the VIP. Size 2 circulars. For anniversary/birthday/Christmas and the first one is already done.
7-- Socks for me. Size 2 circulars. Lorna's Laces orphan skein bought somewhere in Philly or Jersey.
8-- Socks for me. Size 2 circulars. Regia's Kaffe Fassett line. First sock done, second sock at heel. I really want to finish this sock, but need to spend time on the FIL socks to finish them first.
9-- Clapotis. Size 7 straights. Various hanks of Koigu mill-ends bought at Rosie's.
10-- Colonnade. Size 11 circulars, not nearly long enough, hence the search for my KP tips.

These are all I can think of at the moment. I'm not at home to go looking, but I'm mentally searching through all the places I hide my knitting projects and this is all I'm coming up with. Where are those size 11 tips?

Post-Thanksgiving Crafting

So now my favourite holiday is over and the crazy season is upon us. I just hate the mad scramble to find "stuff" for people. I try to look for small, perfect gifts through the year rather than cop out and give a Borders gift card that required no thought at all. And of course then there's the economy which as we all know is crap. I see no reason to go all-out and over-extend myself even more than I already am just to save face. I'm knitting for many of my gifts, and some folks are just getting a beautiful card. I know that my good friends will understand because it's not about the "stuff", it's about how you show people you love them through service.

My list is short but hopefully it's meaningful. I need to hurry and get my overseas gifts done and shipped first, and then whatever gets done, gets done.

I Caved

I finally submitted to peer pressure from my Haddonfield SnB buddies and signed up on Facebook. You can find me as Tola Faery. I keep it open all the time, same as my Gmail page, but I'm not constantly updating or even checking. I can't afford another time suck. I've currently got 4 socks OTN and a second sock in need of casting on before it becomes a terminal case of SSS. It's for a colleague of the VIP, who is always willing to give him his Enbrel injection when he needs it. She is an Amazon Woman, and the first sock is suitably large. I used almost a whole 50g ball.

Other socks are a pair of Coriolis for the DD, a pair of short socks for the Spawn, a pair of short socks for me out of an orphaned skein of Lorna's Laces that I bought a year ago in Germantown, and a pair for a dear friend who just had her world turned upside-down. I'm too far away to hug her, so I have to make her some socks. Plus, I'm teaching a sock class at the Haddonfield SnB on Tuesdays.

I'm also "working" 4 days a week, babysitting at a local gym. It's just from 9a-12p, and sometimes I don't even have any kids. It's not high-paying, but it gets me up and showered and dressed before noon (or 5pm) and it will pay for my sock club. I should probably have given up the sock club when I first lost my job, but I really love it.

The VIP and I are going to Rhinebeck in two weeks. I'd better find our Ravelry buttons from MSW so we get recognized. I wonder where I put those?

We have done two craft fairs this season, and have a third lined up. The VIP was such a big help and he actually quite enjoyed it. I didn't sell any of the coin purses I make from the handles of IKEA shopping bags, but I did sell a few baby hat/mittens sets and some coin bracelets and a decent amount of glass magnets. I actually need to sit down and make some more of those. They sell better when there's a bigger selection. I need to get some more organza bags too, so another excuse to go looking on Ebay. (Like I need an excuse too go on Ebay.)

Okay well a couple of kids have arrived, so I need to go pay attention to them.

Dear Daughter

I found it difficult to think of just one flower to represent you. I thought of the classic beauty of roses and how when I see them I am reminded of your beautiful soft skin.

The sunflowers and daisies make me think of your bright smile when you're happy and content with everything in your world.

The flowering trees of spring represent your youth and your incredible potential.

The wildflowers that grow alongside the roads remind me of the places you'll go.

I'm tempted to say that the corpse flower makes me think of how rotten and stinky you can be sometimes, but I won't.

After a lot of thought, I think that the bird of paradise flower makes me think of you the most. It's a flower that looks like a bird; it is exotic; it is spiky and poky; and it is like nothing else. You are totally unique, and I love you for it. You will be an incredible adult, if you can just get through this teenage thing!

Love, Mommy

NYC Again

The VIP and I went to NYC a few weeks ago to see my brother LL before he leaves for his master's program at Durham University. His program is a year, and he says he plans on staying two more years, working.

So early on Sunday July 5, the VIP and I drove up 295 to the train station in Trenton to catch a train to Penn Station in NYC. It was my first train ride, and although I appreciate the speed and efficiency of rail travel, I'm not sure I love it. Anyway, the trip took a bit over an hour, and LL met us outside of the station where we planned our day. But first, the gift-giving. I had a vintage Hawaiian shirt that was my dad's when I was a kid. He out-grew it years ago, but I snagged it because it held such great memories for me. It needed a bit of mending, but it washed up great. LL seemed to like it, anyway. And the VIP had dragged out every last bit of British currency that we had hanging around the house and it added up to almost 74 pounds! I put it in a zippered bag. At first LL was gobsmacked, but when we explained that it would be good to have some cash in case the exchange booths weren't open when he arrived, he was quite grateful. Besides, what are we going to do with it?

We headed down to Greenwich Village to visit Myer's of Keswick. We bought all manner of British goods, and admired Molly the shop cat. Apparently she has her own Facebook page.

After that, we wandered around looking for lunch. I was wanting pub food, but we came across a hummus restaurant first. LL had never had hummus, and he was game, so we had hummus.

The order of what we did the rest of the day is very fuzzy, but we rode the subway a lot, went to Knitty City, went to Times Square looking for pressed penny machines, found them at ESPN, Bubba Gump's, Sbarro Pizza, and M&Ms. LL showed us the new Times Square Plaza, where the city basically has blocked off a couple of blocks and set up lawn loungers and bleachers for those who wish to linger. We also hit a street fair organized by the USO, and ate really good burgers at a place I can't remember the name of. It was an awesome day and I had a lot of fun and I will really miss LL. He is with my folks right now for a few weeks so that's good. My DD is there with them too, which makes me much more relaxed about her being gone.

Still no job to be had, but I apply at about a dozen places per week. At least now I'm getting unemployment and so the bills are getting paid.

June was incredibly wet, but July has been drier and hotter. I much prefer the cooler, wetter weather. Apparently I turned 40 this year!

In Fours?

Ed McMahon on Tuesday June 23. Not totally out-of-the-blue, as he was 86 and had some health issues recently.

Farrah Fawcett on Thursday June 25. We knew this was coming, as she had been battling cancer for three years.

Michael Jackson also on Thursday June 25. A big surprise, and I'm a bit upset by the fact that the media coverage of his death overshadowed Farrah's. But he was a showman.

Billy Mays on Sunday June 28. So far it seems to be Natasha Richardson-like, but time and autopsy will tell. I liked him, even though he screamed on TV.

Whatever happened to "bad things happen in threes?"

One wonders what God needs with this bunch all together.

An Old Story

I never blogged about it when it happened, but I will now.

Around the last time LL came to visit us, we noticed that one of the mattresses on the bed was slowly sinking lower than the other one. The VIP bought this bed over 20 years ago when he lived in Germany and it is quite ingenious. It's all wood, and comes to pieces with the effort of two people. This makes it easy to move. Instead of having one king-sized mattress, it has two extra-long twin mattresses. They are a bit hard, but we bought some nice foam mattress pads and I'm fine. The only bad thing is that we cannot get mattresses here that fit the frame. If we replace the bed, we replace the whole entire thing, and I'm not willing to give up the easily movable thing yet. Anyway, a couple of days after LL's visit, we broke the bed.

The first night, I slept on the mattress on the floor, and the VIP slept on the bed in the extra bedroom. But that wasn't very friendly and neither of us slept well. The next night we dragged both mattresses out into the living room and had a campout of sorts. That was much more fun. The next day was Saturday and we went to Home Depot for some lumber and huge bolts. For about $20 and a couple hours of finagling, we fixed the bed!

But I have to tell you, camping out on the living room floor really was fun.

Stalled

The VIP and I went to Maryland Sheep and Wool which he blogged about here and here. Since he did such a good job, I will refer you to his observations.

I bought a ball of Opal sock yarn, a secret present for a friend, and some Kollage square needles which I have already returned. I like the idea of the square needles, but the cable is floppier than wet string. Absolutely no good for Magic Loop use. The manufacturer says they are tinkering with a firmer cable so I will try them again when that comes out. The VIP bought sheep's milk cheese, which tastes nice but is very over-priced, IMHO. I had a good time, but we missed a whole building. The sharpening booth was in the same building as The Fold, so we waited until 4pm to drop off our scissors to be sharpened. He did an awesome job though. I know I have at least two more pairs of sewing scissors that need attention. I wonder if he will be at Rhinebeck?

Up To A Little Fun

I do not sit and watch QVC all day long. But I do watch the Kirks Folly shows. I really love KF jewelry, and I've been to Fairyland 2000 which was a fancy-dress ball held at Belcourt Castle in Newport RI, and I've been to a factory sale. Now I've been to a QVC live show and it was so much fun! The set is so much smaller in real life, and the models don't just sit there and get draped with jewelry. They are jumping up and down constantly, taking off and putting on new pieces as the previous ones sell out.

After the 2-hour show, Jenniefer, Helen, Lindy and Hannah all came out to the foyer for pictures. I had dressed carefully, but as usual I look a fright. But Braveheart looks mighty fine!





I made sure to get a photo with Captain Jack Sparrow. The DD will be so jealous, because she is in love with Johnny Depp.






And I met up with my friend Kim who is known on the KF Forum as WhichyWoman. She is such a dear, and I wish we lived closer together. I admired a necklace she had on and she took it off and gave it to me on the spot! I will always think of her when I wear it.

I Am Not Lazy

My body absolutely needs 12 to 14 hours of sleep every day in order to heal.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Gall Stones Don't Kill You

You just wish that they did.

Huge thanks to:

The VIP who took such good care of me for the 96 hours I was in the hospital, and for keeping everyone updated with blog posts and phone calls.

Home Teachers and Visiting Teachers and other ward friends who have called.

The Haddonfield SnB Group, and the Mount Holly Bevy.

My ER doctor and nurse, the ultrasound tech, the CT scan tech, my surgeon, my second surgeon, the house doctor, and most of my nurses.

Mom and Dad and Gram for their prayers and the lovely flowers.

My Cote du Ciel family for all the good wishes sent my way.

My blogging and Ravelry friends for same.

And most especially, Morphine!!

Unavoidable Interruption of Service

We would like to apologise for the current interruption of service of Tola Faery.

This is purely temporary.

For information, please see the VIP blog.

Soxy Pix

Some recent socks knitted for family and friends.

Five Days Without Internet

Is six days too long. Seriously, we had no internet at home from Wednesday evening to Sunday afternoon. We could check web-based email and read the news at work, but after 5pm we had nothing. Thank goodness the cable still worked, otherwise it would have been Very Bad. We did discover though that we could hook up one of the laptops to the cable box, and record stuff off the DVR and clear out some space. There is no need to keep a whole hour of a certain program if I only want to keep a 5 minute segment. Technology is cool! If you should receive a DVD in the mail from us, it's because we yanked it off the DVR and wanted to share it with you.

But we had a good weekend despite that. And finally by the time the internet was back up, all we wanted to do was check email and Alison's progress. Don't forget to keep her in your prayers, please.

Why NPR is My Favourite News Source

You can go here and see if our new president is keeping his promises. Isn't Obameter a great word?

Please

Pray for Alison.