Wedding Wednesday

So...we haven't been planning much lately. We are hoping to get the catering menu soon so we can go over what food and how much we are going to order to feed 150 people. That will give us a ballpark figure for the budget. (ballpark get it...hehehe) I'm excited to figure out what kind of food we are going to have. I know that wings will definitely be on the list. YUMMO.

My sister and I also spent time working out the Save the Dates. She sent me the design and I love it. I can't wait to see the finished coasters. They are going to be awesome. Now, I guess we have to finalize our guest list and get everyone's address. That's going to be fun. So, will doing the invitations.

My friend, Kelly-Bell is getting married this weekend and I'm excited for her. I've heard some of her plans but it's always different when you see it. I can't wait. She's my dog friend as I like to call her. We met at the dog park and she helped me train Jackjack. She has been a blessing in my life. She is also one of my friends who made me realize that I needed to date Special K. I resisted for a while. I'll have to tell you all that story sometime. Another tribute she gets is helping me decide to adopt Abby. :) I guess she's been a great adviser for me. Everything she's advised me on has been wonderful. I wish her and her fiance the best in her marriage. I couldn't be happier for two people.

Well...I haven't been feeling all that great today and I actually even left work a little early to come home. I think my allergies got the best of me. A little rest, some cuddling with my pups, food and a nice warm shower has me feeling much better. I'm planning on going to the SnB tonight but might not stay the whole time depending on how I feel. I really want to finish up my Monkey sock before Thursday at midnight. :) So...I need to definitively work on it while I'm there. I've already spent time picking out my next sock for February. I'm going to do a toe-up, magic loop, 2-at-a time. I think it will be fun to learn a new technique.

Thank you again for all the wonderful comments about my podcast. I'm really glad you have enjoyed my first episode. I will try not to disappoint on the next one. I think I might have a great interview too. I need to ask them before I make that a for sure.

Happy Knitting and Wedding planning too!!!

Thankful Tuesdays!!

Thank you for all of you who have braved listening to my new podcast. Thank you for your comments as well. I'm still working with the site to make sure the podcast is able to download consistently and I'm waiting on Itunes to add me to the itunes store. If you are having trouble please let me know. I'm pretty excited about my new project and already have the second episode underway.

I'm also thankful for my sister who is working on my save the dates. She has done a wonderful job designing them and can't wait to see the finished product.

I feel like I've been so busy this weekend with catching up after the conference, work, and my friend's memorial service, which went well considering the event, that I've had no time to actually catch up on things. I am thankful that I have this evening to sit and relax and have no where I have to be or things I have to do. ;)

I am still catching up on blog reading as well. I've been doing all this updating to my blog and starting the podcast that I've been slacking on reading everyone's blogs. I have started pecking away at them and have managed to read a bunch but have tons more to do. What is funny is that I feel knowing that I have 200 posts to read stresses me out but excites me at the same time.

I might have some stash enhancements soon so I will be excited to share my new yarn. :) I'll keep you posted.

Happy Knitting!!

PS...There are some new ads up and hopefully more soon and I am going to start doing some PayPerPost posts. I'm trying to increase my yarn stash without getting a second job. Hopefully my blog can help me out. I hope you all don't mind. The more I can spend on yarn the more fun projects I can knit!!

My Big Announcement!!

My secret project that I've been working on is a podcast!! I'm pretty excited to start this. It's going to be very conversational, with stories, technique, reviews and hopefully some interviews. BarknKnit podcast is going to be about doggies and knitting!! I hope you all go check it out. I know listening to podcasts isn't for everyone but if you get a chance go listen. The first episode is kind of rough but I had so much fun doing it!!



Go check it out and let me know what you think!! Any suggestions would be great. I also created a basic web site to link everything together. So please check out www.barknknit.com too. :)

Hope everyone is doing good. I'm off to do after care and then I have my friend's father's memorial. I'll check back later tonight.

Happy Listening and Knitting!!

Update on sidebar!!

It's late and am heading to bed. I started updating my blog roll on my side bar today and I got through a lot of the blogs I read but I know there are a couple more than need to go up. If you are one of these please don't hesitate to let me know I missed you. I'll finish this list hopefully later this week. In the mean time I have a big announcement tomorrow so keep close for that!! :) I'm so excited I'm about to burst!

It's been a great weekend. I got to relax and spent time cleaning and actually got a bit of knitting in. I took the dogs to Special K's softball practice today and they had SO much fun running around. Well, Abby ran around chasing the ball and Jackjack was on a lease close by. He does not have a great recall.

Special K grilled both nights this week and it was delicious!! Tonight we had steak fajitas with some grilled veggies on the side. They were amazing. Last night we had steak too with some veggie skewers. I was never a big steak eater until I started dating Special K. :) I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing but it's a YUMMO thing!!

Well. I'll try to get some knitting pictures up this week. Tomorrow I'm working all day and then heading to a memorial service for a close friend's father in the evening. Her father passed pretty suddenly and I only wish I could have and could be there for her more. She's going through a tough time and helping her family and mom get everything in order. Please pray for her health and sanity.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. I'm off to bed it is late and I've been on this computer long enough.

PS. You will also notice some new ad spots. If you have an ad you want to add please let me know.

Dogs on Thursday

This is going to be quick because I'm at my tech conference. It's been great by the way. I'm learning a ton to bring back to my classroom and even implement in my exciting secret project that will be launched in February. Stay tuned for that. (hint hint)

First off don't forget to vote for our Dogs on Thursday activity!!

Ok...well, this week I'm going to share Jackjack's lovely behavior when a cat shows up in his view. This happens when he sees one outside the window or near the fence. :) Let me tell you it's lovely... Hope you enjoy. Sorry for the bad video but I took it from my cellphone during an overcast day. If I get a chance and another opportunity I will take a better shot.



Hehehehe. He is silly.

I've also been playing with my blog. If you noticed the cool progress bar on the side I got from ravelry. It will be looking even better when I get a chance to play with the code. :) Also I'm selling ad space on my blog. I know I was kind of hesitant about this one but I am going to try it for a bit and see how it goes.

Ok...got to go. We are planning on heading to dinner and the movies.

Happy Dogs on Thursday!!

PS...I'll comment and read blogs when I get back into town and have more time in front of my computer.

Wedding Wednesday!!

So...fun news!! I picked up my dress this weekend. I didn't get to try it on because they were swamped but they let me take it out and shoot some pictures of it. I LOVE IT!! I'm so glad I got this dress. If you want to see it and can't wait until Dec to see pictures of me in it shoot me an email and I'll send you pics. I'm just trying not to let Special K see it so I'm not going to post them up here. :)

I've been still looking for the right kind of yarn for my Shawl. I think I've decided that it's going to be either white/silvery white or a long shot would be red. We'll see.

We've also been figuring out the Save the Dates. They are going to be coasters that look like baseballs. :) I love this idea and am pretty excited about it. I'll scan them and show you when my sister prints them. Oh you all should go check out her etsy site. She's put up some fun stuff and it will keep coming.

The whole marriage discussions have been going good. We are planning on opening a joint bank account soon and have started talking budget. Things are good.

Well..hope everyone is having a good week.

PS...stay tuned this weekend for some knitting info. I promise. I'll have tons of pictures of WIP and hopefully another FO!!

Catch up, Thankful Tuesday on Wednesday.

Ok....some catch up first. Most of you probably have seen Cass's #444 post contest. I was one of her winner's on her #333 contest and I loved the yarn she sent so go over and let her know I sent you and win some fun prizes. This time it's 4 winners. :)

So...a wonderful bloggy friend Rhonda from I'm Running to Win Too gave me a cute award:


Thank you Rhonda!! Since she has given me an award, for my Thankful Tuesday I'd like to pass on this award to a couple of blogs. If I had the time I would do my whole blog roll. Ok....this award goes to:

Paula from BassetKnitter. Who started Dogs on Thursday and you know I love dogs and love helping her with this site. :) Thank you Paula.

Devon from Evil Tuesday, who chats with me almost every day and is crazy right along with me. ;)

Nichole from Lapdog Creations, who shares my love of dogs and sends me fun doggie forwards to brighten my day.

Ally from Knittin' Baby, who found my blog and we started chatting and instantly became friends. Good luck with the haircut!! :)

Courtney from Confessions of a Knitter, has a great taste in sock patterns and Podcasts. She's become a fast friend recently.

Bea from Baa Baa Blacksheep, who also has some pretty cute puppies. ;)

And last but not least CynicalGal from Cynical Knitting Gal, who always has great comments and she has the cutest puppy Gracie who needs lots of loving right now.

I know there are tons of you out there who I would like to give this award to...so if you're reading this assume that I'm giving this award to you too. :) I feel like I'm missing people. I even decided not to include all my folks from my SnB who deserve this award too...So...if you are from my SnB include yourself too. :)

Ok...so...there's my Thankful Tuesday post a day late. Yesterday was pretty busy for me and I just didn't feel like posting. I sat down and thought about it but just ended up not posting. :)

Monday was a weird day too. Some of the girls for the SnB got together and knit for a couple hours it was fun. The rest of the day was just weird. Our Christmas Tree finally came down...I am thankful that it was a fake tree. :)

Thank you for all the supportive comments. My mood is getting better. I think there is just a lot on my plate and I have to keep reminding me of all the positives and not dwell on the negatives. I'll be out of town for a couple days at a conference with some of my sister's so should be fun.

Have a great day. I'll try to get up the Wedding Wednesday post today. :)

Happy Knitting!!

A New Week and A New Outlook!

Thanks for all the supportive comments from Friday. I had a wonderful weekend and took time to think about my outlook on all this stuff going on. I like what Janice said "Rotten things seem to come in groups and clusters, don't they? That sucks. But they're usually followed by goodness, so that's to look forward to." Made me think I just need to focus on the positives to come. :) Not always an easy task but remembering that there are positives in my life and on their way made me feel better.

It's been pretty cold here in Florida so it's been nice to sit around and knit. It's nice to have today off. I'm heading over to Panera to meet up with some of our knitting group to sit and enjoy the afternoon.

Hope everyone is having a great time. I've been really distracted on the computer lately with organizing all my music in Itunes for my new Ipod. Now that I have one I like all the songs to have the right name and album art. They don't always come off CDs properly.

Happy MLK day!!

Ready for the weekend!

Yesterday was not a great day. It started out with finding out that I do need surgery and it's scheduled for Feb 8th. It's not a huge deal but for some reason when I saw the x-rays and he started telling me I needed a surgery...all I could do was start to cry. After I finished with the doctor and scheduled the surgery and was walking to the parking lot I noticed this blue car had it's window broken out. I quickly turned around and headed back in to tell the receptionists and the lady standing at the counter was like I have a blue car. They all came out and she noticed that her purse which was on the front seat was gone. She held it together pretty well while I was there but the police were called. The rest of my day was kind of a blur of trying to stay calm about stuff. The evening was not great either and I don't really want to talk about it...but I have an emotional hangover from last night.

Today has started out OK but I'm not in the greatest mood so I'll spare you the melodramatics.

I am just going to share a contest with you over at Stitch Bitch. She is asking for your Fiber Fantasy. Mine right now because of all this craziness in my life would really be to be able to have a yarn shopping spree....I'd buy the yarn and needles for my wedding shawl and TONS of sock yarn!! Pretty colors and soft superwash merino wool. It's not going to happen so I just have to keep it in my Fantasies for now.

Well..hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with a brighter post. I swear I'm usually not so crazy and depressing.

Dogs on Thursday!!

For today's Dogs on Thursday I wanted to share a site that I have on my Google Reader and love to see every day. It's the Daily Puppy!! I get my puppy fix every day by checking out the cute puppies that are on there. I now have a little widget on my side bar too. So, other people who check out my site can look at the cute faces of the daily puppy!! They have a Daily Grownup Puppies that I check on as well. :)

For today's picture: Just a quick picture of the two of my babies running around the yarn. They like to chase each other and the squirrels. Last night they discovered the raccoon that lives in the tree next to our house. Should be an interesting encounter! The raccoon hid when I came out but both dogs wanted to jump over the fence at him. Need to find a way to keep them from actually meeting. Special K said he'll test out his hunting skills but not sure that's legal.

Happy DOT!!

PS....I finished my first Monkey sock and plan to make sock blockers this weekend to block it. I cast on for the second but spent more time talking at last nights SnB than actual knitting. Did I tell you that I love my Stitch n Bitch!! They are a great group of people.

Wedding Wednesday

This week is a little bit about our wedding and a little bit about our future marriage. And yes, I do think they are different yet connected. :) So...wedding wise we are still figuring out how many people to invite. We are stuck at somewhere between 150 and 200. Our original guest list was 200 but last night Special K mentioned he only wants us to mail out 150. The only response to that I had at that time was "who are we going to cut?" I don't want to cut anyone but I know that I'm being unreasonable if I think that. So....I'll have to look at the list and make some people part of a list B so if we don't get RSVPs we can add some more. I think that is a compromise.

Another wedding related item I'm working on is figuring out what yarn and color I want to make my wedding shawl. I've already decided that I'm making the Summer Shawlette now I need to figure out what yarn I want. My wedding dress is diamond white so off white or cream I don't think would work. I'd love to make it out of malabrigo but I don't know what color. My friend recommended cashmere but I've never worked with it either so trying to figure out which brand to use. Recommendations would be great here. :)

We have also been discussing our plans for after we are married. With all this health care talk we are researching how much it would be to put me on his health care plan. How much would his company cover for me and if his plan is better than mine. My company does not cover too much but does cover some but we have a HORRIBLE plan. Most the teachers at my school have husbands who are the bread winners and who they get their health care from. The rest of us take what we can get and we choose the plan that won't cost us the most. Which in turns means a huge deductible and horrible coverage. So...hopefully Special K's plan is better and I can get on his. We'll see.

The second thing we discussed was bank accounts. We already decided we will have a joint bank account but now it's deciding whose bank we are going to have this account in. Naturally he wants his bank and I want my credit union. I think our compromise here might be getting one from a completely separate bank. Any suggestions on banks would be great. We are going to set up a savings account soon for our wedding savings.

Ok...hope everyone is having a great week. It was so nice taking Monday off and spending most of it with Special K.

I'm excited about tonights SnB too!! I am almost done with my first Monkey sock so that is exciting!! I just need to graft the toe and cast on for the second one. I'll take a picture and share it with you when it's done.

Happy Knitting

Thankful Tuesday on Wednesday

Ok...didn't want to skip my Thankful Tuesday post but I was pretty busy and tired yesterday. So...for this weeks Thankful Tuesday I want to say I am thankful for my knitting club. They are the greatest kids and work hard at learning to knit and are patient with me. I'm the only teacher there and they all have been wonderful trying to learn and behaving. They come every week they can and sit and talk and knit. We had two new girls this week and some of the other kids wanted to move on to purling but were very patient with the two new ones and me. I am thankful for them and their young spirit and their desire to learn to knit. :) I promise I will bring my camera and take some pictures of their work. I don't know if I want to take pictures of them because I'm not sure I'd have permission from their parents and I'd rather stay away from that. But I can share pictures of their hands and their work. :)

Goodbye Dixie. You will be missed.

Sad news today from Ohio. Dixie, sharimom's beloved cat had to be put down. He will be greatly missed by both Special K and sharimom. As sharimom shared with me that Dixie had a girls name because they thought he was a girl for a long time. Sharimom also said "He was my bestus boyfriend and loved me unconditionally. I miss him so much my heart hurts. The other cats wonder around looking for him. I tell them that he's gone on to save us a seat." She has three other cats but as we discussed on the phone they each are different and have a different meaning to you. They are like children and none can replace the other. Please send out good wishes to sharimom today as she mourns a loss.

Dixie at his finest.

Knitting: I also wanted to share with you my progress on my Monkey sock. I've pretty much memorized the pattern and am onto the foot. Hopefully will finish soon so I can cast on for the second one. I got a lot of it done while watching Special K play tennis with his father. Was a tough match and they both enjoyed themselves. It was the first time they have played tennis together so it was interesting. Hope they play more often and that my toe heals so I can join in.


Happy Knitting!!

SiCKO...RANT!!!!

(I wasn't going to post this post because I felt it was too political and may offend someone and the last thing I want to do is offend anyone. But as I sit on the phone with my insurance company trying to figure out stuff and I want to SCREAM at the poor people on the other end who are just doing their job, I am inclined to post and see what others say and what you feel about this. Again if you are offended I am sorry and if you don't want to read my rant about our health care system please feel free to pass.) All type in red was added today!

I am depressed at the moment(and still am). We started watching the Micheal Moore movie SiCKO last night(Saturday night) and it made me SadO...we ended up having to finish it today(Sunday). If you haven't seen it you should. I'm not sure how factual it is or what the "critics" say but it was depressing for me. I told Special K that I would like to pack up and move to Canada I never really thought about anything different than what we have as our health care system...but ours SUCKS!! As a person who has college debt and is now trying to figure out who is supposed to pay the medical bills from the accident I was in over Thanksgiving...this movie made me want to pack up and move to a country that has free college education and universal health care....VIVA LA FRANCE!!

I've always loved living in the US but now I'm wondering. I grew up in Panama with military insurance from my father working for the DoDD Schools(Department of Defense Dependent Schools) down there. I never really thought about health care. I actually spent quite a few years without any health care. I tried to stay healthy and even dabbled in western medicine...I would stick with it if it wasn't so expensive in the US. I swear acupuncture, herbs and preventative care is wonderful. When I graduated and started my first "real" job with insurance I thought "hey, now I can go to the doctor when I'm sick or if something happens and I'm covered." Covered, what does that mean?? I am still trying to figure it out.

I hope that everything gets figured out and with this pending bone chip...I wonder how much will get covered and how much I will have to pay out of pocket.(Both my doctor and hospital are in network but I'm still going to have a bit of out of pocket expense)

Back to the movie for a second it was amazing how those people were treated in Cuba of all places and for free and got their medicine for pennies...while their doctors here wouldn't even give them the test they needed and charged them outrageous amounts of money for their medications. What are we doing in America to help our sick and heroes no less? If you haven't seen the movie I'm sorry I'm not being detailed but watch it and you will understand.

I hope I am not offending anyone by talking about this on my knitting blog...I am sorry in advance for that. I know it's political and I am in no way a huge political person. I just wanted to express my frustrations at the moment with all the money that is supposed to come from some where to pay for our health and education.

I'm now planning on paying more attention to our candidates and see where they stand on this. I guess it's partly my fault for not paying more attention to our governments actions but I am naive in the thinking they will take care of their people and we will all live happily ever after. I am usually not so morose and synical but that movie just got me in a mood. I'm sure I'll be fine soon.

Well...I'm off to enjoy our one year anniversary with Special K. We both took the day or half day off to spend with each other. Should brighten my mood. Hope that you will still read my blog after this post.

Thank you and have a wonderful day.

Dogs on Thursday, toe update, SnB.

For todays Dogs on Thursday I wanted to share my napping puppies. They had gotten baths and Special K decided to cover them up because Jackjack was cold. He's such a big sucker. They sure are cute. :)

Jackjack tends to act funny during the cold weather but he's been really funny lately. He gets excited about almost anything it's so cute. :) Abby is still itchy but we are saving up for her to go to a specialist for her allergies. It may take us a bit but I think Special K and I both feel bad that she's itchy.

I almost forgot!! I mentioned to Nichole from Lapdogcreations about my escape artist Jackjack. I actually have video of him getting out. I used to have him on a webcam when I worked at an animation studio. All my friends at work would watch him on it all day. :) It was funny. I even made him his own website www.jackjackinthebox.com. But I thought I'd share the video of him escaping one day. I had to get a new crate and re-enforce it after this. He is no longer crated because of an incident where he broke the crate and pierced his tongue. That was the day it was put away. It kind of sounds like he wasn't crate trained but he was. He just was better when he had a routine and when it got disrupted is when things would happen. The piercing happened when my roommate was taking care of him. Jackjack also spent more than 2 months in the SPCA before I got him and is not a fan of being confined.

The video is kind of long but you can really see him thinking. :) Well...hope you enjoy the video.



Well...a quick update on my toe. The doctor didn't have the x-rays so he said he'd look at them this afternoon when he went over to the hospital but he said from the review of them he got that we might need to remove it (the bone chip). He spent about 20 minutes trying to figure out what he could do now and I ended up leaving with some cushiony thing around my toe. It hurt at first but then felt really nice. I'll spare you the pictures of my un-manicured toes. :) I won't find out for sure what he plans to do until my apt next Thursday so I'll let you know.

Last nights SnB was so much fun. We had about 7 people and everyone seemed to have a great time. :) I worked on my Monkey sock but didn't get too much done because I was kind of tired.

I'm going to head to another Knit night tonight at Needles and Knobs. Since I've decided to take the season off from softball, I can skip the practice today. I'm kind of sad that I won't be playing but have been for almost two years so a break will be nice. I wish it was a choice and not because of my toe though. Oh well.

Well...hope everyone is doing well. Happy Dogs on Thursdays!!

PS...Paula and I are going to try to come up with a great spring activity for the DOT group!!

Wedding Wednesday

So...today has been a long day at work trying to get all the report cards right and to the parents. I'm wiped out and ready for a nap but I can't miss this weeks Stitch n Bitch because I haven't been in two weeks. I'm going to relax for a bit and then head out. Just wanted to get this weeks Wedding Wednesday up before it's late. :)


This week we haven't done too much planning. Special K did draw out a design for a wedding cake but I don't want to share it until we know if we can use it or not. It's pretty great to be honest with you. We were sitting and watching tv and I started showing him wedding cakes and asking his opinion and then lo and behold he wanted paper and a pencil and drew it out. :) Go Special K!! I sent the design to my friend doing the cake to see if she can do it. I'll let you know. I talked a bit with my friend from the sports bar and we are going to look over the catering menu and figure those details out. Ok...last but not least I wanted to share this video with you that a bunch of people have sent me. Special K has already said no to doing this but we both thought it was funny.




Hope you enjoyed Wedding Wednesday!!

Thankful Tuesdays

Today has been a long day so it's actually nice to focus on what I am thankful for.

Today I am thankful for my blog friends and their wonderful support and comments. I never knew starting a knitting blog would bring all these great people along with it. I love reading blogs and writing my blog and it's great to have met so many people since July, when I started this blog. I'm thankful for those of you who comment on my posts and share you insights. I am thankful even for those who lurk but don't comment. I know your out there and that's ok if you don't comment I still appreciate you stopping by and reading. I want to say sorry to the comments that get made and I don't get a reply back to you. I like to reply to every comment but sometimes the day goes by so quickly. For all of you who don't always get a reply...thank you for continuing to comment and know that every comment you make is appreciated. :) I hope to keep posting as often as I can...lately it's been almost every day. Not sure how I've been managing that but I'm glad I have been. I hope that you guys stick around and keep reading and sharing my stories, knitting, and general craziness with me.

I also thank you for writing your own blogs for those who have them. I love reading them and catching up on what you are knitting and what is going on in your life. I love sitting down and going through my Google Reader and checking all my blogs. I don't comment on every post but I definitely read them. Thank you for taking the time to share your stories.

Thank you bloggy friends!! You make my day!!

PS. Thank you to all who commented on my post about my mom. That was not the easiest to write but I'm really glad I did. Your comments were wonderful. It's a nice feeling to know that people say I look like her. Thank you.

Foot update and a sad 21st Anniversary.

First off my toe has a bone chip. Yes, some how in the last two weeks or so my toe decided to shed some bone and has created a bone chip or Osteochondritis. The doctor said these are normal in our toes because we have so many bones but this one is in an abnormal place. My toe which is long and abnormal as it is...is abnormal. GREAT!! Well, the first good thing the doctor did today was he had the "girls" in his office set me up an apt with a foot doctor. I didn't have to do anything. The "girl" in his office just called me back and gave me the doctors name and time of the apt and said is that ok. I said sure is and I have my apt on Thursday at a time when I don't have class, which works out perfect. Now I just have to hobble around until then and hope no one steps on my bone chip and I have to kill them.

My Mother

Carmen Delia
May 25th, 1938 - January 7th, 1987

Well...now a change in my post I guess I'll say. Today is the 21st Anniversary of my mother's death. She passed away from breast cancer when I was 6 and a half. I know she had been sick for a while. Her death has effected me in so many ways. I miss her dearly and don't really remember her as I wish I could. I don't really have my own memories of her. I remember things from pictures I have but I'm not sure it's the picture I remember or the time of the picture.
I was young and very spoiled. I was a late baby, she had me four days before her 42nd birthday. One of my four sister's always tells me that she called me her masterpiece. I wouldn't say that but I was her baby. It's weird losing a parent especially a mother so young. I mourn her every step of my life. I feel when I need a mom the most is when I miss her the most. I know lately with my engagement and the planning of the wedding it's hard to think that she's not here. I wish I could call her and ask if she approves or if she supports what I'm doing. Everyone always says she was an amazing woman and that I look a lot like her. She had to be amazing to raise my sisters and brother and do all that she did. I miss her always and forever.


I got an email from my dad today. He always emails us on big days like today. I asked him if it's OK that I share this and he said OK. So here's what he sent:

It has been 21 years, since we lost that glimpse of heaven of our mother, wife and friend, Carmen Delia. Yes, it been twenty years today that Carmen pass away. Little did we all know how much of a void, she would make in our lives. We all have had trouble dealing without her support and counseling. Yet only the union of us, her family, has made her presence felt, and has help us deal with her being gone. She is still with us in every smile, every major action and every wise decision we make. God bless us all, for God has and is blessing her. And may we always keep her in our memory. Dad. January 07,2008

I can't describe how much I needed this today.

This was I think one of my mom's favorite necklaces. My sister Tammy has this framed with the necklace up in her living room. I love both the picture and the necklace. :)


PS...You would not believe how hard it was to get digital pictures of my mom. I tried to take pictures of the pictures I have because my scanner is at work and called two sisters. Fels quickly scanned the top one before she went off to dinner with her husband. I obviously took the picture with my camera of the one that is of me and her. Tam sent me the last one. Thank you to them for sending me those. I guess we need to spend time digitizing all her pictures.

My Gryffindor socks are in the FO pile!! New WIP!!

I finished my Gryffindor socks!! Yeah!! These are the first pair of socks that I've knit for my own actual use!! They are comfortable and oh so pretty!! Thank you again Mary Catharine for sending me the yarn and pattern in my HSKS #3 package!! I LOVE the yarn!!

Cast on: October 2007
Finished: January 6th, 2008
Pattern: Fawkes by Monkey Toes (pattern from ravelry but the link to the pdf isn't working right now)
Yarn: Gryffindor by Razzy Tazzy Knits. (She doesn't have anything up but when she does I'd love some more yarn)
Comments: LOVE LOVE LOVE the yarn and pattern. Took me a while to knit because this has been my travel knitting for a long time. :)

I also Cast on for my first pair of Monkey socks by Cookie A. Last I checked on ravelry there were over 3000 of these socks in the users projects. I think most people who have knit socks have knit this pattern. I'm knitting them because 1. I like how the pattern looks and 2. the Sock knitters Anonymous Sockdown is using Cookie A as one of this month's designers.



Start date: January 5, 2008
Pattern used: Monkey No-purl pattern
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy
Needles: US 2 Knit Picks circs

Well...this post sure solidifies why this blog is a knitting blog. :) I hope everyone had a great weekend. My toe is still sore but it's not bright red and swollen as it was on Friday. I'm hoping to be able to make it on my feet all day tomorrow. I don't seem able to put a shoe on so that might be a problem.

Happy Knitting!!!

Toe update and some Knitting.

I had some trouble falling asleep last night with my toe swollen and in pain. It was hard to get comfortable but then I took a ton of pain meds and fell fast asleep. Good knocked out sleep which I needed. :) Today has been a day of hobbling around and finally finishing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix which by the way I never got a chance to see in theaters..I know how horrible of me. After that I warmed up some left over Chinese food(YUMMO) and have spent the rest of the afternoon in bed knitting and watching Gilmore girls.

Jack looks so comfy and I can't tell you how much I love these socks. I can't wait to finish them and wear them as a pair.

Happy Knitting.

Swollen toe.

My toe is swollen. This particular toe has been giving me some trouble over the last week or so. Up until last night though it had only been achy. I worked a long day yesterday, then helped a friend move some furniture and had hot chocolate and churros over at my sister Tam's house.
Double YUMMO!!! I didn't get home and take off my shoes until about 7:30 and when I did I saw this....

Yes...a swollen toe. Sorry to include my ugly feet. :) Well, I took some ibuprofen and off to bed I went but was awoken at 4am in tremendous pain. Special K got me some ice and that helped but when I had to get up early and head to work it was very unpleasant trying to put on shoes. Who would have thought a lousy toe can cause so much pain. I made an apt with my doctor and took half the day off work. The doctor said it is inflamed and may have some kind of infection. He took x-rays, which I think showed it wasn't broken but no one said anything to me. Did I mention I'm not a huge fan of my General Practitioner. Well...I'm home now with antibiotics(which I hate but he threatened to cut my foot and let the infection out if I don't take them) and have spent the afternoon off my feet and napping. Special K and I are having some Chinese food delivered and spending the night relaxing.

I got some knitting done on my sock today as I was trying to distract myself from the pain and was sitting in the hospital for three hours. I knit on the sock and listen to podcasts in the waiting room. I'll have to post about the podcasts I've discovered recently that I am enjoying. Well..hope everyone is good. I'm heading back to bed and hoping food gets here soon.

Happy Knitting.

PS. This whole toe thing kind of puts a set back to my exercise routine but I plan on starting as soon as it heals.

Dogs on Thursday!!

It's is pretty cold around here today for Florida. Our heater doesn't really work so everyone in the house is loving it but me. The pups and Special K are enjoying the cold weather. I like it to a certain extent but if it's too cold I don't want to get out of bed. :)

For today's Dogs on Thursday I wanted to share Abby's new puppy with you.

I found this at Walgreens for $3. I've only ever seen it at Petsmart for $15 and paying that much for a toy that as soon as Jackjack gets a hold of it will be shredded isn't my idea of well spent money. So, when I was at Walgreens and saw them for so little I finally got her one. I didn't realize how much she would like it though. She is so cute with it and I've manage to keep it up when I know Jack might be able to snag it.

You think she likes her puppy??

She is just such a cute puppy with her puppy. :)

And Jackjack got a rawhide which he didn't chew but horded for a couple hours. He's a funny puppy dog.

Well...hope everyone had a great Dogs on Thursday!

Knitting news I'm at the last couple rounds of my sister's hat and I'm on the second half of Surfer Girl's hat. :) I'm almost done with the pair to my Fawkes sock. I think I'm doing good. I am doing lesson plans today and then I plan on making a list for the Gift-a-long I joined to get a head start on gifts.

Happy Knitting

Wedding Wednesday!

It's my last day of vacation per say and I enjoyed it by watching a movie and knitting. I'm almost done with my sister's hat! YEAH!! It's gotten pretty chilly here and is supposed to get down to the 20s tonight. I might just freeze.

I watched a romantic movie, Pride and Prejudice which I just love. It's the new version even though I will always love the one with Colin Firth. Since it's Wedding Wednesday, I wanted to share one of my favorite parts in the movie.



I never get over him saying "You have bewitched me body and soul and I love...I love...I love you..." I love that part.

The last scene in the movie where she tells him only to call her Mrs. Darcy when he is utterly and completely deliriously happy is my other favorite. I am excited to become Mrs. Rush this year. I feel that it's going to be strange changing my name but I'm glad that it's Mrs. Rush that I will be changing to. I love Special K and being his wife makes me excited. :)

OK...enough gushy stuff. We are going to meet with my friend from the sports bar where we want to have the reception next week. Once we iron out those details I'll be calling my sister Cris to figure out the save the dates. I'm also picking up my dress this weekend....I'm excited but just have to figure out where to store it so Special K doesn't sneak a peak.

And speaking of dresses...check this one out. Don't they look like sock monkeys?? That is NOT what my dress looks like. :)

I hope everyone is having a wonderful New Year.

2008!!! New Years Resolutions!! and the New Thankful Tuesdays!!

Ok...it's that time of year where everyone makes promises to themselves and evaluates where they need to work on their lives. I usually hate this time of "resolutions" but this year I'm kind of excited about it. Not really sure why.

Well...here are my 2008 New Years Resolutions. 8 in each category.

Knitting:

1. Knit one gift a month in preparation for birthdays, holidays, and random gifting.(I've joined a Year Long Gift-A-Long)
2. Knit at least one pair of socks a month. This one seems hard but I think that I can at least try.
3. Learn to knit two socks at a time using the Magic Loop Method and learn to knit a toe up sock.
4. Learn to dye yarn. (I edited this one used to say knit one dishcloth or household item a month)
5. Keep my stash and needles organized.
6. Finish all projects on needles in a timely fashion.
7. Knit my wedding shawl. (the Summer Shawlette)
8. Teach others to knit wherever I can.

Life:

1. Exercise more and eat better. In other words, Get tone for my wedding.
2. Walk the dogs more often and on longer walks. Refocus our dog training. This kind of goes with the first one.
3. Get Abigail's skin under control to help with the last two.
4. Keep my home clean, organized, and welcoming.
5. Save money for our wedding and try to pay off the debt I have already. (edit)
6. Not get stressed over the coming wedding with Special K. Focus on the positives and the moments that we share. Help Special K not be stressed about it either.
7. Work hard at work and get my teaching certification. (this is important)
8. Be kind, helpful and gracious. Be happy and HAVE FUN!!

The surprise that I mentioned is that I'm adding a Thankful Tuesday to my week. My blog friend Nicole is doing three things she's thankful for each post. I "borrowed" her idea but decided to make Tuesdays, which are usually hard because it's right after a tough Monday, my Thankful Tuesdays. I'll work on a good button for it and if anyone wants to join me or "borrow" my idea...Please feel free!!



I am going to start off with I am thankful for my family and friends. They have made the holiday season a wonderful one. I have enjoyed spending time with them and I miss those who are not with us this year and hope that they all are here next year for our wedding and can be together during the holidays. I am thankful that they support me and love me no matter what. I am thankful that they are who they are and are in my life. I am especially thankful for Special K who has taught me how to love and be loved. I am thankful that he wants to spend our life together and grow old together. It might not always be easy but it is worth every moment. I am thankful that he is in my life.

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year.

Happy Knitting!