Let the Party Begin!

2010 will be the 50th anniversary of my birth. And because my birthday is in January I decided to create a list of 50 Not Resolutions but Goals/Wishes for the upcoming year. So, without further ado, here is the list in no particular order (except #1) –

1. Enjoy my birthday! I'm actually looking forward to being the Big FIVE OH! Sometime in the coming year I want to have a knock down, drag out party. A family, friends, good food, music, outdoors, last all weekend party. Might need some help with that one.

2. Spin more! I have 2 wheels and have not touched either in the last 3 months. In fact, one is buried so deep in the TV/Computer/Storage Room I can't even see it.

3. Be better to my self. By that I mean do something for myself that I used to do. Money has been tight the last couple of years (not to mention the jobs have been crazy) and I let a couple of things slide. So I'm going to give myself permission to get a mani/pedi once a month and at least 3 full on body massages in 2010.

4. More ME Time. In keeping with #3, I'm going to go to some events and happenings that I've been meaning to attend for years. That includes FiberCamp Boston in January and StitchesEast in October.

5. Be better about keeping in touch with family & friends. I'm horrible at this and I need to touch base with people more.

6. Get the UFO pile down! I spent a lot of time in 2009 getting my S.A.B.L.E and projects uploaded to Ravelry and scared myself in the process. My UFO's are almost more than my FO's. I need to get the really old ones finished or frogged.

7. Get some of the House projects completed. Same problem as #6. We've got things started here that have been languishing for years. I must make a list of what needs to be completed and what is needed to complete it. Then put it somewhere that is in my face!

8. Continue to declutter the house. Seriously, we have TOO much stuff!

9. Decide if I want to keep my full size knitting machines. I'd love to use them but they take up a lot of room when up and I'd need time to acquaint myself with them again.

10. Use my Bond more. I have 2 and should get a new carriage to replace the broken one. They are easy enough to set up and put away. And it will help with #11.

11. My S.A.B.L.E.! Jeez!!! I knew I had yarn but until I started cataloging it for Ravelry I didn't realize how much YARN I had. I need to get rid of some and use a lot more!

12. Make a date night with Husband and stick to it. We need this in order to stay connected. After 20 years I'm not going to let him go.

13. Spend more time with the grandkids. Especially The Gift!

14. Make a 'date' with Youngest to do something to get her moving. She needs exercise so find something she enjoys and do it with her.

15. Learn more about computers. Giving my money to have someone 'fix' a computer goes up my butt!

16. Take more classes/workshops for fun and profit. I want to get a few more 'work' related skills under my belt which will help me towards my goal of working from home.

17. Travel. I would love to take a road trip around the eastern US and visit family and friends.

18. Vacation somewhere I have to fly hours to get to.

19. Donate more to charities. Not money so much as time and things they need.

20. Go through all my pictures and get them in albums. When I'm gone I don't want others to not know who's who.

21. Adopt the change things you can blah blah blah mantra.

22. Open an Etsy shop. That would help with getting the S.A.B.L.E. down to a stash.

23. Don't let my job take over my brain and life.

24. Get Youngest moved into the Big Room.

25. Start the 'remodel' on the kitchen

26. Get some on the broken/not working properly things done on the house.

27. Get a new car. But I have to decide on what I want first. That could take all year LOL.

28. Eat! I need to eat lunch at work. I must be better at walking away from my desk and finding a quite spot away from the chaos and EAT!

29. Spend less time hiding at the computer. Too much time is wasted on playing Bejewled Blitz on FB.

30. Get a quality MP3 player, sign up with Audible and walk away from the computer.

31. Don't spend as much time vegging on the couch in front of the TV watching crap.

32. Teach more workshops! I have a skill at teaching knitting and I should share that knowledge with others.

Humm, getting harder to think of things I want to do.

33. Seriously look into Linux. I have become more cranky with Microsoft as I learn more about my computer.

34. Start writing down my life story.

35. Start writing down my parents life stories.

36. Don't let things drag me down!

37. Don't take on more than I can do in 15 minutes. I have the tendency to add more and more to my plate and then crash & burn!

38. Be more forgiving to others. But don't let them walk over me in doing so.

39. Get the Azalea and Rose of Sharron in shape.

40. Plant Glads out back as a present for Youngest.

41. Find a church! I feel the need to be more connected with people who share a similar belief in a high power.

42. Attend the fall Loudon race. Maybe even make a weekend out of it.

43. Take some classes/workshops for knitting/spinning/crochet. I might know a lot but that doesn't mean I know it all.

44. Stop smoking! The money saved alone would be worth it.

45. Do something with my hair. Decide if I want it long or shorter and colored and keep up with it.

46. Get my foot taken care of. Right now, it's hard to wear boots cause it cramps up. And I've noticed that my big toe and the one next to it are numb.

47. Take my girls and spend a day at a spa. Get the full treatment!

Only 3 more to go and it's getting really hard!

48. Find a way for Youngest to see her father and his kids. Without violating the court order and driving me insane.

49. Find someone who can spend time on regular basis with Youngest who is not family.

and finally Number 50!

Have fun, relax and enjoy the next decade(s) with my family. I'm looking forward to seeing my grandkids grow up and become adults and what all the niece's and nephew's are going to do/become.

There I did it! Whada ya think?

Memorial Day 2009

I Love My Sport!

As you know, I am a NASCAR Nut. After the Daytona 500, the next race that is a must watch for me is the 600 which is run on Memorial Day weekend. Usually this is on Sunday but this year due to rain it was bumped to Monday.

It started at noon and should have been completed about 4 hours later. However, Mother Nature had other plans and so it misted, spritzed, spit and poured! It was a challenge to watch. Run 20 laps, yellow flag, run 20 laps, yellow flag, repeat, repeat, repeat.

I had heard about the moment of silence scheduled for 3pm and was prepared to mute the race in order to participate. However, NASCAR beat me to it. THEY STOPPED THE RACE!!!!!!!!!

Threw a yellow, had all the cars park and shut off the engines. Everyone in the place stood. Picture 100,000 spectators (Yes, I checked this fact, Charlotte Motor Speedway's seating capacity is 165,000) on their feet, hats off and heads bowed, pit crews lined up across pit road, safety crews out of their vehicles, and on the TV screen a shot of the flag at half staff. For the whole minute.

What other sport would even consider this??? I've watched many a baseball, football and hockey game. Yes the National Anthem is performed before play starts but usually that's as far as it goes.

NASCAR has ALL our military branches as sponsors, either in the Cup, Nationwide or Truck series. Each race is started with the National Anthem and, weather permitting, a fly over of some sort of local military plane. There has been Air Force, Marine, Army, Navy and Coast Guard, National Guard and Reserve aircraft and personal at every Truck, Nationwide and Cup race for years.

The only time I have seen other sports honor our military is for a 'special' event. NASCAR does it every race.

So I love my sport.

To all that have served and to all that have supported a service person, Thank you.

To those that given the ultimate sacrifice, you are not forgotten.

It just keeps getting better

Monday the DPU guys turned the corner on my street . One new thing at the corner is this.











One of 2 hydrants that are part of the water main upgrade. However, the guys did a little damage when they got down to the triple decker across the street from me. This is what I saw as I turned off the main road to head to my house.







Lots of Gas Company vehicles.







I counted 3 utility trucks, 2 service vans, and this truck.














And then this was working away.






Not good.









They were just starting to replace the broken gas line. My across the street neighbor informed them his hot water heater was not working. Turns out that when the line broke ALL of pilot lights for ALL of the houses went out. So our houses were checked for leaks, the pilot lights for any gas appliances were lit and these guys were done about 8:30 in the evening. They not only dug up the side yard but really dug up the street.

Yesterday morning the DPU had gotten down to my house before I got out the door for work so I couldn't tell where the gas ended and the water started. The second hydrant was installed and covered by the time I got home from work. I'm not sure if we're hooked up yet and the street is half dirt. I'm just wondering if the city will repave the whole street or just where it was dug up. If they just patch pave, come winter we might not be able to get down the street.

And I'm almost done with Eric's socks. I'm not sure if I'll just knit until I run out of yarn or until I get sick of working 2-2 rib.

Challenges

Yesterday was one of those days. You know, if things are going to go wrong they go in a big way. I mentioned that we had a water main leak a few weeks ago. The DPW guys were not unhappy that day as it resulted in overtime for them but it got Husband and I talking about how crappy our water pressure is and with the warm weather coming it's going to get even worse. And lets not go into the interesting color that comes out of the facets.
Anyway, last week I heard a lot of loud male voices outside my house and when I stepped outside it was a bunch of city workers spray painting my street.
See -
















One color for gas and one for the water. They informed me the 2 inch water main was being upgraded to an 8 inch main! Yipee!!! We'll be able to flush both toilets at the same time.
So this has been living on my street for about a week.

Tuesday they started making the trench for the new pipe, which involved a very annoying machine that make all kinds of weird loud noises and it came down past my house. The upshot of THAT was this

A semi solid line down the street that ends at the stream. They also dug a really deep hole at the other end of the street which they do cover with a huge steel plate every night. Well yesterday morning just as the guys were starting to dig again, I had to call 911. My CO2 monitor was going off intermittently and you are suppose to call the Fire Department. Turns out it's an old unit giving up the ghost but they smelled gas in the kitchen and had to call the gas company. Which arrived about 20 minutes later and didn't find any detectable levels of gas anywhere in the house - not around the stove, under the stove, behind the stove or in the stove. However, we could SMELL gas every so often so he had to condemn my stove.


Which, for me is not so bad. I've wanted to replace this since we bought the house 15 years ago but I wasn't prepared to shop for a new one this weekend. I've got to work both days and also will have the little dogs overnight. We're looking for a used range to get us through until we remodel the kitchen. That's when I'll have the nice new cook top and dual ovens installed.
Sigh, why do hardware always go south when you just spent you last dime? But I have dual flushing to look forward to this summer!

O.M.G.!!!!!

Warning - Put down any liquids and solids before clicking.
Check out the baby. Babyhood

Now check out the picture that didn't make the pattern. Baby Got Flack

Told you. Don't blame me for having to clean up a mess.

PS - The second link is why The Boss got her nickname. She came out with that look!

SPRING?

Well, I know it's spring. The DPW department is fixing a water main break -again! Back in January, the big trucks were at the end of my street along with a front end loader and a whole boatload of men looking into a huge hole. Well, today when I finally got home for good, I noticed a huge puddle and bubbling water at the same corner. So for the last few hours, I've enjoyed the sounds of jackhammers, big truck backup beepers and a front end loader revving up.
Our house guest, Miss Wanda, is currently moping on the couch with Youngest as Husband had a baseball thing tonight. She tried her darnedest to go with him but she had to stay here with us. Check out Lucy's latest blog post to see what I'm talking about. She sooo wanted to get in the car as soon as I walked in the door. And then she was so disapointed that Husband wasn't here for her to worship. But she'll have a few days to soak him up.
As for knitting, I've finished a few small things but best of all I haven't started anything new. Now if Mother Nature will stop snowing on my day's off, I can get into my stash and really get it organized.
I realized that I put most of it into my Ravelry but about half of it has no designation as to which box I put it into. So maybe tomorrow I can get out there and really get it organized.
Wish me luck!

And So It Begins!!!!!

In just under an hour my sporting season will start. It's going to be an interesting season. Lots of interesting rule changes, lots of new teams and lots of action!
I've got my knitting project lined up just waiting to be picked up after DW yells Boggity! Boggity! Boggity! How I've missed that. And how I'm going to enjoy it for the next few races.
Unfortunately, I've been laid low with a nasty cold and am missing The Boss's birthday party. She's 11! Which means The Gift will be 2 in a couple of months. And Youngest will be 25 after that. What is going on with the calendar?! How did these kids get so old so fast?
Well, I'm going to claim my spot on the couch, get comfy and enjoy the next few hours. I'm hoping for a great race with a tight finish and no injuries to any of the driver's, except The Other Gordon. He needs to crash right after crossing the start/finish line so I don't have to see his car on the track or hear his name mentioned.
Have a great day and if y'all don't hear from me until just before Thanksgiving, I'll be doing fine!

So I Didn't Win

Yesterday a group of us from the Taunton SnB decided to take advantage of the Super Bowl. Black Sheep Knitting Co., in Needham was one of the many LYS having sales and we did ourselves proud. I DID NOT spend the most but I did manage to get a few noteworthy items as well as knocking off a couple of things on my wish list.
Look! Yarn!
Starting left to right from the back are Bashful Fibers, Mountain Colors Bearfoot, Regis Softy Color, Lang Jawoll Aktion (with a reinforcement spool!), Regia Silk and Lang Jawoll Cotton Jacquard.





I found out about Bashful Fibers from exploring other's stashes on Ravelry but didn't expect to find it so quick. My plan is to make Youngest a pair of tube socks with it.
I had to get the Bearfoot cause I don't have that colorway. I was asked what I was going to make with it. Well, nothing as a matter of fact. I buy Bearfoot to feel up not to knit with it! I have never even heard of the Regia Softy and decided use it to make The Boss and The Gift matching socks. The rest will eventually become socks for whoever.

But I didn't just buy yarn, I added to the accessories/books section as well.












Knitted Jackets by Cheryl Oberle, Addi 0000 (1.25mm) double points, a Mighty Bright clip on lamp (love the color!), pink and blue highlighter tape, another pair of 'reading' glasses, three samples of Soak, jumbo locking stitch markers and soft stitch ring markers.
I plan on using my Border Leicester hand-spun to make The Wrapper jacket. The pullover I had almost completed turned out Wrong! So I hunted around and found Cheryl had a new book out. This pattern jumped out at me as I wanted a casual jacket for the yarn. Let's hope I have enough hand-spun to complete it!
I've needed an small clip on light for years and this one seems to fit the bill. It has 2 LED lights and runs on 3 AAA batteries. I like the fact you can choose one or 2 lights and it clips or will sit flat. I tested it out last night during part of the game and I was able to see my pattern and knitting quite clearly. I have high hopes for this.
I'm always in need of reading glasses and I loved the color of this pair. Hopefully (if I remember to put them in the bag) I'll have an easier time of finding these than some of my other pairs.
I was called crazy when I showed off my find of a set of Addi 0000 needles. I have enough cobweb lace yarn to make a Wedding Ring shawl. Just cause I've had this yarn for almost 10 years and never started doesn't mean I'm crazy! My Mom has a magnifying lamp I can use.
The rest will probably end up being used for gifts bags on The Half Mystery Tour. Which is still in the planning phase. I'm waiting on a certain place to get back to me so I can get pricing done.

Oh, and if buying more sock yarn wasn't enough I even bought socks this weekend. See - I can shop for clothes. These are Smart Wool socks with a padded sole. I test wore them yesterday and I was impressed. My feet were warm but not overly so and the padding help with keeping my feet comfortable.
I did buy another style of Smart Wool socks but the company will be getting a nasty letter from me about those. Making the cast on and cuff tight for a pair of knee high socks that are designed for multiple sized feet makes for having the circulation cut off on your calves. Stupid people! The elastic in the sock will keep them up!

On The Down Side

I've made it over the mountain and now I can see the finish line! I've spent the last month or so getting my Ravelry account filled up with FOs, UFOs, TOADs and the SABLE.
My next step is to really examine the UFOs and decide which I want to finish and then frog the rest. Then I'm going to attach the SABLE and try to get it down to a stash.
This has been a good exercise for me. I've finally got a handle on what I've got going and and how much time I have to play with it. I sorta knew I had KADD (knitting attention deficit disorder) but had no idea how bad it was! No wonder I have 8 size 4 16 inch circular needles and could not find one when I needed one! They were in UFOS! Some of which were years old and now that they have surfaced I can't figure out A) Why I started/stopped the project, B) Where I was in the pattern and C) What was I thinking???? when I started it.
This has lead to reflection in other area's of my life and home. I'm really starting to get the house into some kind of order without any input from Husband. He's just hopeless at that sort of thing. I'm not sure why but I've come to accept that he is not able to deal with anything outside of work.
So, this time next year I'm hoping that I have a dining room set up, a functioning kitchen and bedrooms that echo when you enter.

PS-Happy Birthday to me!!!

On A Roll

Sorta. I've been busy entering my stash into Ravelry - http://www.ravelry.com/people/thefibergoddess/stash?view=thumbnail
along with taking pictures to go with the yarn. I am getting better with the digital camera which I consider a side benefit.
As I've pulled out my yarn, I've also discovered some old projects, some of which are TOAD's (Trashed Objects Abandoned in Disgust). I have decided that for 2009 I will work my way through my TOAD's and UFO's and either make them FO's or frog them and re-purpose the yarn. In addition, I'm going to take a serious look at the SABLE and whittle it down to a more manageable STASH.
And maybe, just maybe I can get an Etsy shop up and running for myself this year. I've been thinking about this for a while and have a couple of idea's on what I want to do. Now I just have to firm up which way I want to go and start it.