Baby's Gender Revealed!

It's a BOY!

Merry Christmas!

Astra!

Well, we finally did it. We traded in our beater for a new car. At first i was not so keen on the new car payment that we would also be acquiring, but sine the old Saturn's door handles fell off and two of the four windows stopped rolling down and it’s iffy starting issue, we decided it was time. With Ry’s long commute every day and a baby on the way we thought two safe cars are better than one safe car and one death trap. So, with that in mind, we heard an excellent deal on the Saturn Astra being offered and we dove right in. What I love about it, is that even though it’s a Saturn, it’s a German engineered/German made car AND it has a huge sun roof that goes all the way to the back seat. Ry loves that it handles really well for inner city driving (great for where Ry works) and has a stick shift. So all in all we’re pretty pleased. Ry picked it up last night, so I haven’t had a chance to take a picture of it, but here’s a picture I pulled up on Google images. (Ours is the same silver color.)

Query

Why are there so many books, articles, Internet sites devoted to how you should let your baby sleep? I'm not talking about the "never let a baby sleep on it's tummy" kind of directions. I'm talking about the let your baby cry it out, put your baby on a sleep schedule, never let your baby cry it out, wake and feed your baby every 2-4 hours, co-sleep, don't co-sleep kind of crap. What the heck IS all of this? Why does every need all these instructions? Can't we just do whatever is convenient? I doubt that using a reasonable method that works for us is going to seriously mentally damage our child. Something in me thinks that perhaps John Wayne Gacy's issues can not, in fact, be traced back to the fact that he slept in his parents room until he was 8 months old or that Son of Sam was allowed to cry it out and that caused him to become a serial killer. I mean, really, do we need a book for every little thing? Can't we just get a book for the hard stuff that you probably wouldn't just naturally figure out? Like how much tummy time a baby should have and when to start, or when exactly do they start solid foods? Those things seem so much less intuitive than figuring out a sleep method that works for you & your baby. Perhaps it is just me, maybe it will be harder than I think when I have my baby, but I think the sleeping thing (aside from being sleep deprived), should be relatively low on the totem pole of difficult baby-rearing techniques.

Mostly, I'm just impressed

I regularly go to the Craftzine blog to check on what is new out there in knit land. It's a fun little thing to do and often you have the leg up on the Ravelry world, like with the February Lady Sweater. I heard of it and cast on for it before it set the Ravelry world afire. (I still count my elf as being ahead of the curve on that one even though it's languishing in my knitting bag half done.) When I checked Craftzine they were featuring sculptural knits by Sandra Backlund. Here's a sampling of her work:











I admire the amount of work that was put into each piece she's designed and knit, the final production is, of course, gorgeous and something to behold. Would I wear them? Maybe the pom-pom one...maybe, but only if I had those legs. (In fact, I'd probably walk around in a long t-shirt and high heels all day if I had those legs.) Mostly though, I am impressed with Backlund's creativity and the way her knitting has translated into these stunning architectural knits.

Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow. ~ Unknown

Hello, there people. Things have been busy and a little stressful for me these days. About three weeks ago I had a quad-screen done to test for various things like spina bifidia, neural tube defects, trisomy 18 and downs syndrome. Well, they drew the blood on a Saturday and I got a call the following Tuesday. For those of you that aren’t familiar with ‘Jenn’s Medical Testing Theory’ (to be renamed something more awesome later), it goes like this: The longer it takes to get a phone call from the doctor, the less likely it is that there is something wrong and vice versa. Thus by my Theory, a Tuesday notification of a Saturday blood test is indicative of the fact that something came back in the test that raised a red flag. True to my theory, the midwife told me that my test came back with a higher than average chance that my baby would have downs. She explained to me that for my age I should have a 1/700 chance but my blood screen came back with a 1/180 chance. So she set me up for the following week for a level II ultrasound and an amniocentesis if I wanted it. She also explained that an amnio was the only diagnostic test, so the only way to determine for certain whether anything was wrong with the baby. Meanwhile Ry and I had to wait a week, in that time I cried in the bathroom at school and spent much of Halloween night in tears. I read information and did the math (a 1/700 chance equals a .14% chance and a 1/180 chance equals a .55% chance), and did my best to try to make myself feel better by reading boards on baby center and the stats in What to Expect When You’re Expecting that explained 90% of women who have positive blood screen results go on to have healthy, normal babies. It was helpful to some degree, but it was still just information unrelated to ME and MY baby. Ry, I found out later, was doing his best “I have to be strong for you” routine trying not to get too upset around me or too worried. Although I appreciated it, I told him not to do that anymore. I prefer Ry as the loving and emotional person that he is, not the strong silent type. So on the 4th we wnet to the hospital for the ultrasound and in our anxiety, arrived an hour early. So we hung around for a half hour and then went in. They saw us right away and I went in for the ultrasound. The tech said everything looked normal for a baby at that gestational age, no abnormalities, but the doctor would have to look at them to be sure. Then we went to genetic counseling, the girl was very nice, but she kept saying over and over again that an amnio was the only way to know for sure about the baby. The doctor came in and said everything looked fine and perfectly normal and we told him that we weren’t going to get the amnio. Well, Ryan was pensive and quiet and we had a little talk and he told me he’d just feel better with the amnio, but he didn’t want to force me. I told him I would, because I didn’t want him worrying throughout the entire pregnancy. Let me tell you, it hurt. Not bad, but like getting an IV or drawing blood, except it was in my abdomen. It hurt more afterwards. I had muscle pain in my abdomen for a few days after the procedure, even with being on bed rest for two days. It was not fun and on the second day I was alone for a long time because Ry had to work. Being on bed rest and trying to take two dogs outside for a potty break is no fun and they proved to be wiled that day, chasing after another dog in the neighborhood. I wrestled them back into the house and then was terrified I had done something wrong and something bad would happen. It didn’t everything was fine, but it was a difficult week. On Friday we got the preliminary results of the amnio, everything came back fine, no abnormalities, and the baby is fine. Last week we got the final results which confirmed the preliminary ones and it has been a relief. Lately, I have been feeling the baby move around in there. Little taps and flutters, reassuring me that things are okay. In the meantime, I’m just so glad that everything thing came back normal. I know that for a lot of people that does not happen, so I am just happy to be counting my blessings and hoping that for those whose tests did not come back normal, that they will be okay.

Hope and Change, People, Hope and Change

I just want to take a moment to say that although I do my best to keep this blog free from any political ideology, I think this past election was far too momentous in our lives as Americans to fail to say anything. Whatever your political leanings may be, I hope you at least fell proud of this country for basing its political decisions not on race, but on qualifications. Not on skin color but on basic political ideologies and reasons. I know that some people out there did vote based on race, but I think its apparent that those who did were in the minority. considering that it was not that long ago that African Americans could not drink from the same fountains, could not ride the same elevators and could not even go to the same school as others, I think we can say, as Americans, we achieved something important this election year. To be honest, I wasn't sure this was something I would see in my lifetime, but I am so glad that I have been a part of history.

Then (1956):


Now(2008):


We had two outstanding presidential candidates this year, and for the most part they acted with grace and dignity throughout their campaigns. They are both devoted to our nation and devoted to getting our country back on track, even if it means they have to "reach across the aisle". I was unable to see Obama's acceptance speech on Tuesday, but I was able to watch McCain's concession speech. We should all be proud of the graciousness with which he delivered that speech and the kind and decent words he had to say. Congratulations to us all, Republican, Democrat, Independent, libertarian and the rest. We should all be proud of what we and our nation has achieved this election year.

Happy Halloween

Just a quick note to say Happy Halloween! Hope you have a good one, whatever you decide to do!

Apple Picking and Bun Baking

I told Ry a while back that I really wanted to go apple picking. Having lived mostly in the south and southwest, this is not something you participate in as a child, so I thought 'when in Rome...' and told Ry many times over several weeks that I wanted to put apple picking on our weekend agenda. Finally, I had a little let up in my school work and Ry was feeling less allergenic so we decided to go. I can't remember the name of the farm we went to, but it had a little stand with veggies and fruits and an inner store serving sandwiches and selling apple cookbooks and apple based goods as well as a deli with pork products from a nearby farm. It was all very quaint and very cute. I felt like those new yorkers that go the the general store in Baby Boom, kind of obnoxious, kind of admiring. The way it works there is that for something like $18.00 you get a bag and get to fill it to the top with your apples. So we got our bag and I commented to Ryan "Wow, that's a little pricey for apples..." and we went across the street to the orchard. There were so many trees at the beginning of the orchard that were just picked clean, as we went down the rows we saw trees with tons of apples, but they were all at the top and out of reach.


We got down a little further and finally there were some apples both of us could reach, so we started merrily picking away. We deftly avoided obnoxious college kids, annoying pre-teens and weird parents with kids named Kennedy and Reagan that refused to behave. We had a nice conversation with a man from Ohio about African Lady Beetles (thanks mom) and saw some cute families that had the apple picking process down. (Older kids climbed the trees for the top most apples and the little ones in carriers got to reach for apples at a grown-up's level.) Ry and I had a lot of fun and filled our bag to near overflowing before deciding to call it quits.

We put the heavy bag into the car and went into the farm stand for a sandwich and soda, both of which were thoroughly enjoyed. Then we headed home. When we got there the bag was so heavy I asked Ry to take it in for me and set it on the counter. It was only then that I noticed the bag is a half bushel size! I remember thinking to myself that a half bushel seems like a lot of apples so I looked it up, a bushel of apples weighs about 48lbs. We have TWENTY FOUR POUNDS of apples at my house people! I have made apple bread, apple muffins, apple crisp, apple sauce, I have been eating an apple everyday and I still have half the bag left! My Gramma suggested that perhaps if I parboil them I could freeze them , which I still have to look into, and I suppose, I could make some pies and freeze them for Thanksgiving. Still...that's a whole lot of apple. Next year I'm getting a smaller bag or I'm getting some basics so that I'll be able to can some apple sauce.

In other news, Ryan and I got married. Well, we eloped to be precise, with a wedding ceremony and reception tp follow for September of next year. There were a number of reasons we did it, the first was we just wanted to be married already, another was that he needed health insurance and we couldn't afford to not have it or to individually cover him through the state's insurance and that was the only way to get him on my insurance and finally when we were thinking about getting married in Mexico it was recommended that we marry before hand because the process for legal marriage in Mexico is very intrusive, expensive and ridiculous.

Now that I've got your head spinning a little, the other big news is that we're expecting a baby on March 31st.

It's okay, sit down, take a breath, I understand how you feel. This is a lot of information to digest.

I am 18 weeks along this week and starting to show.
(See? That's my bump.)

The first trimester was filled with nausea but no vomiting (thank the Lord) and I now have a well developed aversion to chicken. Not turkey, not duck, just chicken...and greasy food. I crave oranges like you'd not believe and fruit is my new best friend. (I love it!) I'm also not digging sweet desserts or any junk food. We decided on this wonderful place for prenatal care and will be going to their birthing center. I am so pleased we are using a midwife instead of the awful ob-gyn my doctor referred me too. The midwives take the time to get to know Ryan and I, and every time we go in there they are all smiling, pleasant and happy to be at their place of work. Such a change from the other place we went to, where they barely answered my questions and gave me a copy of a diet for pregnant women with heart and blood pressure problems (I have neither). The diet basically said all I could eat was boiled chicken and steamed broccoli with a dessert of air-popped unbuttered popcorn. Yum! So we heard about Cooley and decided to try them out. I've never been happier. Everything is progressing nicely and I have another appointment this week. It's absolutely shocking to think I'm going to be a mama soon. I barely feel capable of being an adult!

So, that's how things are going. I'm still attending law school and I still intend on finishing in May and taking the bar in July. It will be challenging, but so is everything worth doing. Well, that's it. That's my news. I'll probably start a baby blog for the out of town family & friends to keep up with, perhaps I'll start it by Christmas, we'll see how the demands on my time are. I may just keep putting baby updates and pictures here rather than a new blog. We'll see how things go.

Quickly

Quick post for your reading pleasure, many exciting things have been happening that I need to update you all about, but it will have to wait until next week. (Are you waiting in suspense? You should be.) Something I was thinking about the other day was how disappointed I am when some of my favorite bloggers don't post every day or even every week. I always think to myself "Hey, I'm trying to keep up with you and your creative life here. Throw me a bone!" Then I realized what a hypocrite I was being! I don't post weekly, though I try, and I definitely don't post daily! Who am I to judge? I always have a rationalization for it though, "I'm in law school, I'm busy" "I'm too tired to post after classes" "I'm always on the computer for school and work, I just want time to knit/sew/relax" So if those are all my excuses, what do you suppose a mother of three's excuses are? Or a photographer with baby's excuses are? Or anyone elses excuses are? Surely they are at least as good as, if not better than mine! In that vein, I have decided to be less of a judgy-judgerson until I can get my act together. No promises, but I will attempt to be a bit better about the old blog here. Even if it's just a quick update. Well, I'm off! Two big projects due for two big classes!

Why Hello There!

Oh my goodness! I can't believe I haven't posted since August! I will, of course, summarily blame school. Normally I wouldn't because I usually use class time to catch up on things like e-mail, blogging and ravelry. This year however, I've been shockingly engaged in my classes. Leave it to me, last year of law school and I'm finally taking classes that are engaging.

First things first, there's this young woman in one of my classes, she's well spoken, very pretty and as cute as a basket full of kittens. One day we were discussing a case involving arbitrary discrimination against women as corrections officers in jails and prisons. It was an arbitrary limitation not narrowly tailored for the particular business purpose. (Still following me? It gets better, I swear.) So this little Kitten speaks up and says that she feels the regulation is fine, and that she doesn’t believe that women should be corrections officers anyway. (WHAT!?!?!) When pressed why she thought that she stated it was because women are nton intimidating enough, nor are physically or emotionally equipped to handle the job. (Yeah, I know what you're thinking. I was thinking it too.) So when one of us suggested that perhaps, the state correctional facilities in question could impose rigorous strength and fitness tests, just as the fire department does, she said "I don't think women should be firefighters either." My school is very liberal and many of the women that teach and that attend are all subscribers to varying levels of feminism, but one of the mainstays is that nearly all of them believe at least, in equal pay for equal work and the right of a woman to have any job she can handle, regardless of her gender. So to come across someone that has had so much education and has even gotten to law school that feels that way is a bit, well, shocking. I'm not saying I would expect her to be a crazy left-wing feminist. I'm just saying that I would expect more from her than that.

Moving right along, Ry and I celebrated his 30-something birthday last week and one of his requests was a homemade yellow cake with berries, something light and summery. So I scrounged the internet and found a Strawberry meringue cake (I used a boxed yellow cake mix for the base. It was just a bit easier for me, this time.)
with homemade whipped cream frosting. Wow! What an endeavor, but I am happy to say that the meringue turned out and the whipped cream frosting was pretty easy to make. It was just a delightful cake.

I finished my Belle Cardigan, and I have to block it before I decide if I like it or not. I knit it in Rowan Spray, in a mottled red color way and it is very cute, but I need to see how it fits after blocking before I make my final decision. I'm still plugging away on the February Lady Sweater, although I'm a bit disenchanted with it at the moment. (Totally me and my yarn, not the pattern in the least.) I have to cast on for 3 pairs of mittens this weekend and I have a BSJ in the works as well. Whew! A lot of knitting to work on, it seems.

This weekend Ry and I are taking a trip up to Woodstock, VT for a special little outing and will be staying at a quaint little B&B. We are both very excited about this trip, and Ry's sister K will be looking after the dogs, so it'll be just us. It'll be a nice change to sleep in a bed that isn't full of dogs for a night!

No More HumDrum Mittens Questionnaire

How long have you been knitting & how did you learn?

I am a self-taught knitter and have been knitting since 2006.

Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I would say I am an advanced intermediate.

What are your favorite colors? Any you dislike?

I love all colors especially purple, red and turquoise. I do not like mustard or olive colors.

Do you like Latvian type patterns? If so, what are your favorite patterns?

I do like latvian type patterns, although I have no favorites, they are all too lovely to decide on just one.

Do you desire mittens for yourself, your "special someone else" or your child?

For myself! (Selfish, I know!)

What is the measurement from your wrist to the tip of your longest finger?

About 7.25 inches

What is the circumference of your hand at it's widest point?

About 7.5 inches

What other things do you enjoy knitting?

Socks, sweaters, cardis, baby stuff (love those little booties!)

What sort of needles do you enjoy working with? (straights vs circs, bamboo vs aluminum)

I enjoy working with wooden needles the most, I ususally use DPNs for smaller things like mittens and socks and circulars for everthing else.

What’s one project you’ve not yet tried but are dying to make?

I really want to make the mittens from Fall Vogue that say "Let it Snow" on them. Other than that...I'm not really sure.

What’s one yarn you’ve not yet tried but are dying to work with?

I guess something cashmere based. I haven't worked with anything remotely like cashmere yet.

What other hobbies do you have? Do you spin? Sew? Garden? Cook?

I cook and sew and would like to get into spinning, but have decided i should wait until after I finish law school.

Besides yarn, do you collect anything?

I wouldn't say I "collect" anything, but I do love matroyshkas (nesting dolls) and nativities.

What kind of goodies do you enjoy? Sweets? Salty? Anything you hate or are allergic to?

I enjoy sweets and salties. I love choclate covered pretzels and peppermint bark!

Do you have any kids? Pets?

I have a finacee, two great dogs (Sam and Molly) and no kids (yet).

What is your favorite part of Winter?

The first snowfall, snuggling up under the covers with my sweetie, Christmas with family, you get the idea. Those warm precious momets that are so abundant in winter.

What is your least favorite part of Winter?

Getting dismissed from work in the middle of a blizzard and having to drive 30 miles to get home. When all the other places just cancelled work at the beginning of the day! (Can you tell that happened to me, more than once?) Driving on icy roads. That's it, other than those driving conditions that I love winter!

Ahhh, that's a bit better

After having pinpointed the source of my melancholy, I'm feeling a bit better. Part of it was money woes, part of it was that weekend, and part of it is my job.I am completely disenchanted with my job, in fact I detest going in every day. It's not because it's uninteresting, believe me I could regale you with many, many interesting stories from my job. I dislike my job so much because in order to stay busy for the week I have to work at less than half of my ability. Which means that I often forget that and end up with an end of the week involving very little work. I know that seems like it would be luxurious to have free time at the end of the work week, but the reality is that it is no picnic being tied to your desk for eight hours everyday bored out of your tree trying to find something, anything, to do with your day.

In any event, I started classes this week and have found out that I only have ONE FINAL this semester!!!! I am soooooo happy about this, granted that means I have to write papers for my other two classes, but who cares? One FINAL! Awesome. Additionally I found out that the school has to readjust my tuition so I'm getting money back and we decided to resell our law books on-line and we're getting money back there too. When it rains it pours! Now we are fairly financially secure until Ry gets regular employment. What a weight off our minds, we were pretty concerned for a while, but are feeling much better about things now. AHHHHH, relief.

In knitting news I'm working on the February Lady Sweater and I hope to finish it before Rheinbeck this year, and I hope I can wear it over a brown turtle neck because it will be cold-ish and I am knitting it out of linen. (I began when it was hot and couldn't fathom knitting it in wool.) I am also working on the Belle Cardigan in wool, so that may be the way to go; although in order to finish it for Rhinebeck, I should probably pick it back up again! I am working on 2 pair of socks but I have kind of set them aside for a bit, my inspiration for them is at a bit of a standstill, but I am sure it will be recovered in time to finish them for the gift-giving season. I'm getting the mitten knitting itch again, so thank God for No More Hum-Drum Mitten Swap 3 and Deb's willingness to run it again. I guess I have a lot of projects coming up, now that it has gone back down to the low eighties here I feel like really hard-core knitting again, so this fall and winter season will be jam-packed with knitted goodness.

And in case you were wondering I am feeling better, thanks to good friends, Ry, the pooches and a little time to myself.

Sigh

This weekend was difficult. I really can't say why, but it was hard for me and Ry this weekend. Sort of a lackluster and disappointing end to an otherwise uneventful week.

Something nice did happen in the week, though. Deb and Lexi, in my knitting group, brought me birthday presents. I was supposed to have gotten them on the 30th of July, but due to a massively bad migraine I missed that week. (It was BAD, people!) So this past week the Lovely Deb and the Cute-As-A-Button Lexi brought me two lovely and gorgeous skeins of sock yarn (which I do not currently have a picture of, but will post it as soon as I do.) That was a fun night, and I shared something personal with Deb that planted her ever more firmly in my heart. She is a wonderful person, and I am so glad I was fortunate enough to meet her.

In other news, classes start back up again next week. I'm so tired of law school, this is my last year and I can't wait for it to be over. It's not so much an excitement I feel about finishing, but just the gnawing wait for the inevitable conclusion. How's that for a positive attitude? :)

Lately, here I have been too tired to knit. I am fatigued and recently a bit too downtrodden to really want to work on any one of the four projects I have going. It makes me sad that I feel this way, but hopefully I'll snap out of my funk soon. I have so many projects lined up for Christmas gifts and I really want to be working on them, but I am just so tired and a little sad, which does not make for fun knitting. Perhaps I'll change up my projects and focus on something new for a little while, maybe that will cheer me. If nothing else, it will give me a small change of scenery! Well, best get going. Stay tuned for a more cheerful person in the coming weeks! (I hope.)

Birthday!

Well, that was it. Saturday was the BIG "Three-Oh". My mom called and asked me how I felt, I said "Old." All in all it was a nice day though. I slept in a little, Ry bought us some breakfast, then I met up with my friend M and I went to lunch and a movie (she is such fun). I went over to whole foods afterwards to buy a bottle of wine for dinner and then headed home. When I got there Ry was done studying for the day and we ordered dinner,Indian food, yum! Afterwards he sent me upstairs with the dogs to hang out for a bit while he brought my presents downstairs. When I came down he sang me happy Birthday and had the candles on my cake lit. (only 3, not 30 thank goodness!) I blew them out and made a wish and chatted for a bit with Ry, when he left to get a knife and plates I noticed a bike! Ry had hunted down a pretty purple bicycle for me for my birthday! We didn't take it for a ride that weekend because of the rain and Ry's bar studies (almost done). The I got to open my gifts from Mom, she got me two great books, one knitting, one baking and a lovely flatbed scanner that can also scan my negatives! She also got me Friends Season 1, but I opened that earlier. My Dad got me a purse from Turkey and sent me a check which I promptly spent on clothes and yarn! My grandparents also sent me a little birthday moo-lah, which I am still hanging onto. I'm looking for that perfect thing to get with it, and Ry's parents chipped in on a plane ticket to get me out to see my Mom and my brother in August. I am so grateful to have such loving friends and family. My Dad even managed to call me from a castle in Austria where he was camping for a bit. I missed the call, but appreciate the fact that he made it! My dear friend Amy called me too, but I missed that call as well. I am so lucky to have such great family and friends. (And my knitting pals had something planned for me for Wednesday, but I went home from work early that day with a migraine. I'll see them next week though, and I feel terrible about ruining their plans! I'm so sorry, ladies! You wouldn't have wanted me there half blind, cranky and shushing you every five seconds, trust me!)

Thanks everyone, you made my birthday very special!

Oh no!

Oh. my. GOD. I sent my boss's boss an e-mail that said "What the hell? Has this even been assigned yet?"

It was supposed to go to the office administrator.

Not my BOSS'S BOSS!!

Oh.my.God. Hopefully I don't get fired or severely reprimanded over this.



Update
I didn't get fired, I sent my boss's boss an apologetic and self-denigrating e-mail, and then met with him in his office. He said not to worry about it, I was over-reacting and he didn't care. (Thank God) Still. How embarassing. I'm going to have to double check if I hit "forward" or "reply" from now on.

Ahhhhh....Sweet, sweet release

I am done, finito, fin, with my finals! Yes, I turned in my last final yesterday and then went on a much needed kitchen cleaning spree and then made an apron. Yup, I cleaned thoroughly, I even wiped down the microwave, toaster oven and wiped the grease off the teapot (I don't know how it became greasy, it was here and greasy when we moved in.) After the kitchen was sparkling, I went right upstairs and used the pattern in Amy Karol's Bend the Rules book to make an apron out of a pretty half yard of fabric I had in my stash. I really love the way it turned out although next time I'll probably make it a bit wide and add a pocket or two.



Now that I have finished with my exams I can finally share that red sauce recipe I found. The Original recipe is here. The original is from the Orangette blog (If you have not been there yet, you really should see it, the description of food and the gorgeous ohotographs make the mouth water.) As I have said before, finding this simple red sauce recipe was a goal, a challenge presented to me in such a way that I would rise up and meet it. So I did, and in my quest I found Orangette's recipe, which served as an excelelnt base, but somehow did not seem quite perfect. Without further ado, here is my adapted recipe:

Infamous Red Sauce

28 oz. can of the best whole peeled italian tomatoes you can find (I like the organic tomatoes, the taste is perfect)
1 medium to large yellow onion peeled and halved
1 stick plus 2tb. of butter cut into pieces

Puree the tomatoes in the blender. Combine pureed tomatoes, butter and onion halves in a medium pot. I like to use our cast-iron pot for this, but it is not necessary. Cook for about 1 hour stirring occasionally. Remove onion before tossing with pasta.*






*Save the onion, it's excellent chopped up and put into the next mornings eggs or use it in a salsa.


Blogger hates me today and will not upload anymore photos, it just flat out refuses. I will add more later when blogger and I have reconciled.

Joining the Bucket Bandwagon

So Lisa over at Confessions of an Apron Queen is having a "Kick the Bucket" contest and give away ecouraging us to post our very own bucket list a la the movie of the very same name! (Deb has already done this, but she wasn't having a giveaway. Ha-ha! Just kidding, Deb!)

So this is their bucket list:

Witness something truly majestic
Help a complete stranger for a common good
Laugh till I cry
Drive a Shelby mustang
Kiss the most beautiful girl in the world
Get a tattoo
Skydiving
See the pyramids
Get back in touch with...
Hunt the big cat
See Rome


And here's mine:

Go on an African Safari
See tigers in India
Go to Xi'an China and see Emporer Qin's Terracotta Army
Explore Mayan ruins
Own and operate a vineyard
Adopt or foster a child
See the pyramids
Learn to play the piano
Drive a fast car as fast as I can on an open track
Go to Japan

I think that's it. There were many thing on my list that I had already done, so coming up with a new list was a bit difficult, but fun!


p.s. Soon there will be pictures and a recipe, I just have to get myself in gear and upload the pics!

Ahh-HAAAAA!!!!!*

Do you ever have one of those moments where you feel as though life has brought before you a subtle challenge? Like when there is a blouse for sale and you say "I can make that" or a handmade baby blanket starts to fray and you think "I can recreate this blanket, or make a quilt from the remains" or there is a soft doll you has as a little girl, and you think "I can replicate the pattern and make a new one for another little girl" or there is a decadent cake at a birthday party and you think "I will figure this out and make one for my best friend's birthday." Well, I had one of those moments at Ry's graduation. You see, his sister made a pasta sauce that is a family recipe (not their family, but still)…a secret family recipe. It was delicious but she could not tell us what was in it (being secret and all)...I know I tasted butter...and there was something sweet about it...probably just the tomatoes combining with the butter. Well, as soon I as found out that I could not get the recipe, I filed the taste and texture away in my mind and challenged myself to recreate it. I would figure out this recipe. Oh, yes, yes I would. The family the recipe comes from is Italian-American, thus it must be a traditional Italian recipe...a la Marcella Hazan (Polini, before marriage)...perhaps with a bit of tweaking involved, or perhaps that classic tomato sauce recipe in her Essentials book...Well my friends, as soon as I read a certain cooks recipe inspired by the Italian Goddess of Cooking, I knew, I just knew that was my recipe! So I say to you, my friends, ahh-HAAAAAA!!!! This was truly a Sherlock moment, soon I will be making the recipe I have found, and if it is substantially similar, I will post the link, because everyone loves a good red sauce.

* Original post edited by request

Not enough time in the day

There is just not enough time in the day for me to create everything that is dancing around in my head and still get work, school work, time with the dogs and time with Ryan into my week. If only I had a clone that could sit through my classes instead of me, I'd be golden. Anyway, I am in the process of making some shoddy cloth napkins. I say they are shoddy because three are one size and three are another size and, quite frankly, I don't care! They are just for us because I want to stop buying so many darned paper towels. I'd like to relegate the paper towel use to the exclusive arena of cleaning up any of Sam’s little accidents and/or the occasional dog sick. We already have quite a few cotton cloth hand towels, and some fancy napkins, but I'd like to make a slew of cloth napkins. Part of the sizing problem was haste and my lack of a self-healing mat so that I can use my rotary cutter. I know, I know, it was very shortsighted of me to purchase a rotary cutter and no mat, but what can I say? At the time I had already blown most of my craft budget on yarn! I also hear tell of these lovely plastic squares that you can use in quilting to make a perfectly square square! Imagine that! So, obviously, when I purchase my self healing mat, I'll need to get a couple of different sized squares in order to make a few different sized napkins. I think, once the summer semester is over, I will be crafting more, especially since Ry will still be studying for the bar, and it's something I can do quietly upstairs so as not to disturb or distract him. If things go according to plan I may even be able to open an etsy shop in time for the holidays. Wouldn't that be lovely? At the very least it might help pay for some small portion of the wedding expenses if any of it sells, that is.. In other news Ryan and I have decided that Saturdays will be our day together. “Special Saturdays” is what we have dubbed them, and last Saturday we when to the local farmers market and bought fresh lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries and rhubarb. (There isn’t a lot in yet.) On Sunday I made strawberry rhubarb pie, for the first time, and it was delicious. I’d show you a picture, but we gobbled it up! The only thing I would change in the recipe, is that I would bake it for longer than the recommended time, it was a bit too liquid at first (strawberries juice like a sonofagun) and had to go in for another twenty minutes; and I would add much less sugar, there’s just no need for it, the strawberries are already sweet and the rhubarb is tangy sweet, so I’d reduce the sugar by at least half. We also went to see Indiana Jones, great summer movie, perfect little escape on a muggy day! (Thank you!) Moving on, this Saturday evening we have friends coming over for a barbecue at night and we’ve decided we want to go back the market and get more lettuce, I also want to get more strawberries and rhubarb so I can make an upside down cake for barbecue. But other than that we’re not sure what to do. Maybe a picnic or maybe there’s a festival or something. I'll have to check into that...I think that the Taste of Amherst is happening that weekend, so maybe we will do that, if the weather cooperates. So anyway I had a weird dream last night that I was elected as a State Rep. All I had to do to be elected was give an impromptu speech in front of the five other Reps and then they texted me later that day to ask me for the correct spelling of my name so I could be put on payroll. I didn't even live in the town I was representing and they didn't care, just wanted me on payroll. When they texted me Ry and I were walking around some little woodsy town that I've never seen or been to before, holding hands. Very weird dream.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my Mom's birthday, she is fhshsimensna years old.


There is so much that I know and don't know about my mom that it is sometimes a little startling. I know that she is kind, she would give me her last penny if I needed it, even though it would mean she would have to do without for weeks on end. She is an amazing cheerleader, encouraging me along my way when I get lost or am bogged down by self-doubt. She has counseled me through fights with boyfriends, frustrations with school and conflicts in my workplace.

She listens to me and lets me ramble, she backs off when I am cranky,soothes me when I'm sad and laughs with me when I am happy.She did her best as a mother and helped my brother and I develop our personalities without question, she did her best to lead us away from bad decisions to help us recognize when we were being stubborn, unreasonable and, in my case, very very loud.


All this I know about my mom, but there are so many things that I don’t know about her when she was a child or a teenager. I know she and her brothers and sisters spent some time in a children’s home while her parents were separating. I remember her once saying that they tried to run away. I know that she deeply loved her mother, but that she was a Daddy’s girl. I know that at some point they moved from Brooklyn to California, but I don’t know how old she was when tat happened. I know that her sisters, like most older sisters, teased and harassed her and that she was deathly afraid to tell on them lest she suffer their wrath. I know that she met my Dad in Tucson, but I’m still not clear on what she was doing there. I wish I knew more about her when she was little, what she was like. Was she as quiet as is she is now, drown out by the loud boisterous people that surrounded her? Was she athletic? (I vaguely remember hearing something about running track and field.)


I imagine my mom was a sweet little girl always doing her best to behave herself and gain the favor of the Pop by doing so, with two fun-loving, hell-raising sisters and two big brothers. I imagine well groomed children at dinner and saying blessings in Spanish before meals and always coming inside before the street lights went out. I imagine this but do not know if it is true. I wish I knew more about Mom.

Happy Birthday, Mom. I love you.

Gym Story

The gym I go to is in the heart of the downtown area, it’s the only place to exercise that is within walking distance to many of the offices here, so most of the people that come and go, do so between noon and one, and are normal business type people. Occasionally though, you get a weirdie. For instance, a few days ago, a little old Chinese man in khaki pants, a white undershirt, wool socks and Birkenstock sandal was just pedaling away on the recumbent bike. That was the first time I’d seen him and haven’t seen him since, however seeing an aged Chinese man in street clothes pedaling his heart out on an exercise bike is a bit startling. Then we have the attorney who wears short-shorts (I mean really short, horrifyingly short) and reads the paper while he leisurely pedals along on a standing exercycle. There’s the runner who when he’s finished on the treadmill stretches out in front of the ladies on the elliptical machines in a desperate attempt to have someone, anyone pay attention to him. There’s a young man who, when he runs on the treadmill turns it up so high that he has to grip the back of it so he can keep up and force himself to continue to run. There are two ladies, one heavy one thin who discuss in the locker room how thin the one lady is and when they work out, the heavy one doesn’t even bother to put her hair up because she moves at a snails pace on the elliptical and therefore never sweats. I guess the thin one doesn’t have the heart to tell her, that she probably needs to get the old heart rate up to lose some weight. The best so far, however, was yesterday. Yesterday the all the elliptical machines were taken, so T and I did the stair climber, the bikes and the treadmill, kind of like a gym triathalon. We’re on the stair climber when suddenly someone’s cell phone rings. Yes, you read it correctly; someone had brought their cell phone with them to work out. I can accept that under certain circumstances, like you’re waiting for a verdict to be returned, your wife is due to go into labor soon, your husband is coming out of surgery (although I don’t know why you’d be at the gym instead of the hospital, but still) or something along those lines. So, the phone rings and I look over and it’s some forty year old faux-blond woman in fluorescent orange shortie-shorts and a white tank top, and she answers the phone. The ensuing conversation is something along the lines of a woman giving an order to either a dog or her husband. I’m going to guess it was her husband because she didn’t strike me as the kind of person that would train her dog to dial the phone that would take too much time away from her “me time”. Then she hangs up, tucks the bottom of her tank top into the top of her tank top…you know that look, that kind of ‘80’s dance video meets low-end prostitute look? (They used to do it with t-shirts in the ‘80s) The kind of look that a kid of a teenager could pull off, but on a a 40-something looks like a desperate attempt at trying to be young and super-hot. Anyway, that’s what happened, and then T and I went to the bikes. Then the phone rings, again and she answers it, again. On this call she is talking in all sweet sounds and words, I heard things like “I love you so much” and “Well that’s why I have all this love for you.” (This is clearly not a verdict coming in.) Then she does the unthinkable, she gets off the elliptical and sits on the weight bench in the middle of the gym to toss her hair and finish her call. She does not go into the locker room for a private conversation or even out to the deck to be alone. (There is hardly any one ever on the deck.) No, she makes herself as visible as possible by sitting on the weight bench in the middle of the gym. At first I gave her the benefit of the doubt, thinking she must intend to continue her workout after the call. Nope. She finished the call and then went in the locker room to shower, change back into her street clothes, and leave the gym. T and I looked at each other, and then suddenly T shouted, “LOOK AT MEEEEEEEE!!! LOOK AT MEEEEEEE!!! I’M VERY BUSY AND IMPORTANT!!!” Perfect.

In which Jenn gets a her hot little hands on a craft room

So, on Saturday, our roommate P moved out. (Who, for the record, is so selfish & nutty that he banned our friends J & M from coming to the house while he was living there, because he and J exchanged words,(J insulted P's ex-girlfriend and P insulted J's wife) and J apologized. However P wasn't satisfied so he told us that we could never again have them at the house while he was living there. Normally, I would not have agreed to this and would have told him where to stick it, but then Ry pointed out to me that he's on meds and keeps guns in the house, so I kept my mouth shut. So that's the back story about P.) There are three exciting things that come out of this grand move-out: 1) No more P, no more hippy friend and no more stinky tea that's on the DEA watch list!(that all counts as one as far as I'm concerned) 2) We get a dedicated guest room and 3) I get a CRAFT ROOM!!!! Glorious! I spent the day Saturday setting it up. (Truthfully it's not totally finished yet, I need to make up some curtains,get a more comfortable desk chair and slap a coat or two of paint on the walls and baseboards,but I didn't have the time for all of that because Sunday is study day.) Ry hauled two shelving units in and put them in the closet, which is where I have my yarn and fabric organized. I swept and mopped the floors, cleaned the window sills, washed the windows, dusted and organized. All of my woolen yarn is now neatly packed away into plastic bags so the moths won't get to it. I have WIPS on one shelf sock yarn on another, DK, Worsted and Aran weight yarn on their own shelf, and my novelty and cheap acrylic yarn has been segregated away from the good stuff. (I know Rev. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would have something to say about my malicious yarn segregation, but any knitter will tell you, it's not all created equal) All the yarn still in bags is on the top shelf. Then I put my sewing items on another shelving unit, Washed and unwashed fabric is separated out, WIPs have their own shelf, the scissor/zipper basket has a little home of it's own and I have a remnant bag as well. My embroidery floss is hanging from little hooks in the shelf as well. At my built in desk, I went all Martha Stewart-y and strung up my twine an ribbon and I have a couple of glass jars holding crochet hooks and some knitting needles.




I have what use to be P's TV shelf, holding my sewing machine, books and magazines as well as all my vintage and new sewing patterns.


(these pics are before the rug was put in) Ry put in an area rug that the dogs love and I have two big sunshiney windows in there so I can have a lot of natural light during the day. I just love it. While I was putting my room together, Ry was starting the guest room (which also needs paint, it's the most atrocious green I've ever seen in a room.) He swept, mopped dusted and cleaned his little heart out. He moved a dresser up there, all of our shoes, the spare bed and two night tables. We just need to paint and decorate..and put beddign on the bed.

This will also be our first time living ALONE together! Which we are both incredibly excited about. No more, "is this our milk?" type questions, because from now on the answer is "Yes,yes it is." In knitting news I finished the Anouk dress and Saartje's booties(did I already say that?) and I'm almost done with the embossed leaves socks.

I am casting on for the Belle Cardigan this weekend, I even did a gauge swatch!
I am knitting it off-gauge though because I kept reading reviews on Ravelry that it comes out way too big, so I'm knittign a smaller gauge and a smaller size, both in the hopes that the gym will have really paid off by then and it will be a near perfect fit. Oh yes, did I tell you? I found a gym near work, so I've been going on my lunch hour everyday since the 19th. I've already lost some weight! Hoo-ray! Deb really inspired me, she does an aerobics class on her lunch hour and is driven to lose weight. So, I hunted down a nearby gym and joined up, it's the favorite part of my day now. Except, of course, for knit-night on Fridays!

One last shot of my room.

Hi! I missed you!

Where have I bene and what have I been up to that I wasn't blogging regularly? Well, I've been busy! First it was finals, and then on the 17th Ry graduated from lawschool. It was so wonderful to see him in his cap, gown and hood. He looked so handsome. He also won an award, highest achievement in labor law! (So proud.) When his sister S saw him acceot the award she started crying and my FMIL got a little choked up. Me? I thought he was keeping it a secret, so I was excited when I heard, but couldn't beleive he kept it a secret from me! Well, as it turns out, he didn't even know, it was a surprise to all of us. Afterwards we had a drunken grad party at his parents house (just family). it was lovely, lots of food booze and good company, just what a grad party should be!
Then the following weekend we went to the MAss sheep and wool festival in Cummington Mass, where we watched the border collie trials and met up with my friends in the knitting group, Deb, MA and Lexi. I (of course) bought llama and some gorgeous alapca yarn, all natural and undyed, something about that espresso brown alapca and creamy white llama and alpaca really called to me. Then on Sunday we went to Ry's Aunties house for his cousin's girlfriend's baby shower. It was lovely Auntie really knows how to hostes a party! I knit Anouk and matching saartje booties. (pics will be posted soon) I think they were well recieved, she was so excited about all of her gifts it was hard to tell! When we got back I went upstairs for a nap, and then we went over to J&M's place for some drinks and didn't get home and to bed until 3am! MOnday was a study day (because classes started last week), and here I am today. Now that classes have begun, there's not much going on in my life, mostly because we're squeezing a semester of classes into less than 2 months. Can you imagine? The reading load is insane! Well, I'm in class right now, so I'm gonna split, talk to you soon!

No worries, I’m still here!

Hello, my friends. I've been missing blogland. As ususal, life (and Ravelry) got in the wayof some serious blog time. I have been knitting, though. I began the embossed leaves socks (which I will be making for Ry’s Mom because they’re easy and pretty), I’m also about halfway done with an Anouk baby dress. I did make some modifications to it. The original pattern calls for it to be a little pinafore, which meant that it was unattached on the sides and would have to be put over some kind of poufy dress. I did not like that, so I am knitting it in the round and then dividing it and knitting back and forth for the top. I’m using Blue Sky Dyed Cotton as the yarn, it’s my first time using anything by Blue sky, I have to say that I just love it. So soft to the touch, such delicious colors and such whimsical names! The dress is knit in pickle and circus peanut and the pockets will have flamingo colored flowers on an orchid background. I just adore the pattern and the mods were not a big deal. This baby dress has gotten me addicted to knitting for babies. They’re such fast little knits. A friend of mine suggested that perhaps I should just knit up little baby things, box them up and wait for more people to have babies. Not such a bad idea, although I don’t know how Ry would feel being overrun with baby knits! I other news, our roommate P will be moving out on June 1st, so we’ll (finally) have the whole place to ourselves. Which also means that the sunshine-y room upstairs that is currently being used for P’s plants will be my office/craft room. I am, of course, very excited over the prospect of this, as is Ry (he’ll finally have his office back). The first order of business will be to paint the room in something that will be both bright and calming, then I will make some curtains and set up the room. We will also have a nice big guest room (P’s old bedroom), which we will move the spare bed into, paint and furnish. This will be a nice summer project for all those weekends Ry will be his little patootie off. It’ll keep me busy and out of his hair and will allow me to have a nice, freshly painted interior. (Oh, did I mention I plan on repainting the bathroom, hallway and hopefully the kitchen and living room too? Yep it’ll be a whole new house, ladies and gentlemen!) Moving on, Mom and I got Ry his graduation gift this weekend. We gave it to him early so he could enjoy it before finals. We got him a gas grill, something he’s been wanting for a long time. He loves it and to “Christen” it he grilled up some delicious steaks from whole foods. Yum! The next night we had hotdogs on the grill. Double yum! This grill is so nice, even I might use it! I forgot to take some action shots of the first using of the grill, but I intend to either recreate it (by having more steak) or take other action shots. (Burgers, maybe?) This week is the last week of classes for Ry FOREVER, and for me, until the resume again in the summer. Next week begins finals, so I will probably not post again until afterwards. I had registered for and was hoping to see the Yarn Harlot in Noho this weekend, but unfortunately, I will be studying. Deb and MaryAlice will be there and they promise to tell me all about it. MaryAlice even bought me her book, so they could get it autographed for me. (Aren’t they the best?) Finals also mean no knitting group for the next three weeks…I am already going through withdrawals! The ladies in the group are great and our time together is filled with lots and lots of laughter. For the past two weeks MaryAlice was bringing in her spinning wheel, and she even let me spin some yarn! Now, of course, I want a spinning wheel. I even have it all picked out, so that it can be my gift to myself after the bar! I say after the bar, because I really do not need the extra distraction of spinning. I already have loads of fabric and knitting calling my name I don’t need that spinning wheel whispering to me too! Hmm, well sorry about no pics, I’ll go back through and update this post with pics. (If Blogger isn’t a pain about uploading pics like last time.) In the mean time, have a fabulous week!

Arizona, baby!

Ry and I went to Arizona for spring break, it was a whirlwind trip and, as always, it felt like it was just not enough time. Ry fell in love with AZ and just yesterday asked me when we can go back. I just laughed, he has to take the bar exam, and then we have a wedding to plan and save for! Silly boy. While we were in AZ we got to visit with Ry's friend D and his family, D & K have two kids and they are just absolutely adorable. I also got the opportunity to get to know my Cousin's Future Wife a bit better, she's a charming girl, a bit quiet, but than again my cousin and I tend to be loud and talkative, anyone who ends up with us would have to be a bit quiet. (and they both are!) We went to Tombstone, Bisbee and the Grand Canyon. The hotel we stayed at in Bisbee was The Copper Queen Hotel, which is haunted by three ghosts...and I know you're going to laugh (ahem, Grampa), but I swear the female ghost was in our room. All of the sudden at 2:30am I woke up from some extraordinarily vivid nightmares, I out on my glasses checked the clock and lay back down. Suddenly I was freezing. I felt like i was outside in 10 degree weather with nothing but a swimsuit on, that is how cold I was. Then I felt a cold arm lay over the top of mine and a cold hand squeeze my own. Needless to say I freaked out, I was yelping and kicking Ry, and he would not wake up...it went on for maybe 15 or 20 seconds and then it stopped. I didn't fall back to sleep until dawn (just incase she came back). I know it's my fault, see she used to conduct business in a room that was just a door down from mine, and apparently she was a Lady Of The Evening... Except I kept calling her a whore, but with a cheesy Boston accent, so a "Hooah". Pretty sure she didn't like that, so she woke me up. Well anyway, it was creepy, and weird, but kinda cool. From Bisbee we spent some time in Tucson and I showed Ry around my old haunts, we even went to Gentle Ben's! I haven't been there since my Dad was going to UofA! When we got back we spent time with my Grandparents and had a picnic and played some games and just generally relaxed and had fun, which is easy to do with them. Then Ry & I went to the Grand Canyon, he was astounded. His jaw literally dropped when he first saw The Canyon. It was great we had a picnic and went all along the South Rim. Then we spent some time with my grandparents, and Gramma and I dyed Easter eggs and ryan saw an old family video of all us cousins when we were kids. It was such great fun. We had a wonderful time. So, without further ado, here are some oice from the trip.



(at the canyon)

(the desert in bloom)

"Smelly cat, smelly caaat what are they feeding you?" ~Phoebe

I work with a person who smells. Bad. Really bad. Lest you think I am a small and petty person, let me say this: This is no ordinary b.o. It does not smell like sweat. I have lived in hot and sweaty states and been around my fair share of sweaty people. That is not this odor. This odor is acrid, it stings the back of my throat when I breathe it in. It is almost as though this person keeps the litter box in the closet with the clothes. The problem with this theory is that GP does not own a cat. I asked. No cat because of allergies. So where is this odor coming from? I cannot look this person in the eye and say “You know something, GP? You smell. I mean really, really smell bad. What’s going on? Are you ill?” I cannot say this anymore than you can look someone in the eye and say “Why yes you are quite unattractive. People do care, and it’ll probably be harder for you to be hired as say, a model, but not to worry I’m sure you’ll find love. There are plenty of other unattractive people out there, and if that fails your mother will always love you.” Um, no. That cannot be said, it can be thought, but never said. The odor ebbs and flows, today it flowed. It flowed right over to my cubicle, if it hadn’t been so chilly out, I’d have opened my window. However it was chilly and I was stuck, stuck with this odor choking me, stinging my eyes. Thinking about it now I can taste the odor in the back of my throat. It is truly an awful smell. I deduced today with the help of a co-worker, that it is a very bad case of Vinegar Foot. Feet that smell so bad it is like leaning over a vat of vinegar and breathing it in. That is the acrid odor. (That, by the way is what comes of buying cheap “leather” shoes.) Now my problem is that GP keeps a spare set of shoes at work. So, I ask you, how can I sneak into GP’s cube and spray down the spare set, wrestle the regular set off GP’s feet and spray those down all without GP’s knowledge? Horse tranquilizers? Tranquilizer darts? A quick bonk to the head? Let me know.

Swap Package Received!

I received my swap package today! What a lovely surprise at the end of a crap day! Claudia did a wonderful job with my mittens, they are the herring bone pattern in a lovely pale blue and plummy purple. I just adore them! They will go with EVERYTHING! She also sent me some Scottish and Welsh Yarn and most favorite chocolate, Cadbury's!! Thanks so much to her I just love everything, it really brightened my day. The package is wonderful, I adore it, but enough gushing, here are the pics!

Ugh

So I got up ths morning and decided to make a protein shake for breakfast. I took the shake mix, some milk, a banana, and some ice cubes, threw them in the blender and BAM! Deliciously good shake. I had a few sips and boy was it tasty. Then I gathered up my things and headed out the door to work. Ivery carefully placed the shake on the roof of the car and began throwing my bags onto the passenger seat. As I was moving Ry's driving glasses and repositioning my bag...WHAM SPLOOSH! The whole DAMN shake came crashing down on me. Needless to say not only was I mad that I was covered in banana protein milk, but I also had to change clothes, rise off my coat make another shake (this time just with mix and water to save time) and left late for work. Thank God it narrowly missed my hair, otherwise I would ahve been REALLY pissed!

On the knitting front, I finished the mittens for my swap partner, a pair of baby booties (which will be going on the feet of a doll, because the first one is not as good as I'd like it to be and Trish really wanted them) and the campfire socks. I'm startign a gauge swatch for a pair of socks for my FMIL and for a sweater (I know sweater season is almost over, but hopefully I'll have it done before the next sweater season).

7 Random Things About Me

I've been tagged by Deb, my fabulous knitting friend that quells the voice of reason inside my head and encourages me to buy more sock yarn!

Here are the rules, and they must be posted to your blog:

Link to the person’s blog who tagged you (see above).
List seven random and/or weird facts about yourself.
Tag seven random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
Let each person know that they have been tagged by posting a comment on their blog and also so they can look at your blog and not tag the same people all over again!

And now, my 7 things:

1. I used to know the entire soundtrack to Rocky Horror Picture Show by heart. I still know most of it.
2. I have always wanted to be a blond or a redhead, but I am completely terrified of doing it and then looking like a dumb ass.
3. I never EVER want to skydive. It seems to me there are better ways to spend $500 than throwing yourself out of plane. It's just not my bag.
4. I have always wanted to learn to ride horses, I must do this before I die.
5. I'm secretly obsessed with Japanese culture, particularly the history of the geisha.
6. I want to own a vineyard. Owning a vineyard would be my dream come true, it is something I have been wanting to do for a while, and I think we can do this. I almost have Ry completely convinced.
7. My two all time favorite movies are Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy and Pee-Wees Big Adventure. Don't get me wrong, there are a tons of movies that I love, but these two are tops, they always crack me up.

I have to think about my seven people, so I'll edit this later. Meanwhile, any volunteers?

Thank you!

Thank you everyone for your congratulations. We're really excited and I ahve already begun to overwhelm myself with planning the wedding. We've decided that the last two full weekends in Ocotber of 2009 look good. That, of course, may change but for now that's the plan. Truthfully, I think a winter wedding would be a lot of fun, but Ry is concerned about how a snowstorm might delay or even ruin our plans. I promise to post a picture of the rings, hopefully this weekend if my camera hooks up to my brand new MAC!

Yep, that's right, I now have a Mac Book. My old laptop finally "shit the bed" (as Ry likes to say) if had been going for a while. the bottom third of the screen ahd ben overtaken by horizontal white lines, rendered that portion completely useless unless I used wood clamps to correct it. The part of th power cord that plugged into the computer had to be propped up with pens, folded papers, etc in order for it to get power and then finally the power cord got so screwed up that without some serious fiddling I couldn't get any power. Well, that was the final straw. we talked about it and I got a new MacBook which we will be reimbursed for through the lawschool. WaHoo! It's so exciting I was almost tempted to ditch my knittign group to play with my new toy! But I restrained myself and decided that I can,. in fact have it all, I can go to knitting and get home, take out the dogs, have dinner and play! YAY!

In more wedding planning news, Ryan and I have decided to take the 29th of this month to go and check out three possible venues for this shindig and in the process we'll be having lunch with my FMIL (F, which used to mean Faux, will now mean FUTURE!) and Coffee with Ry's Uncle. I am looking forward to this. I feel like the 29th might be an auspicious day for us, being a leap year and all. We'll see. In the meantime I'm goign to try to keep the wedding planning stuff to a minimum here and a maximum at our wedding blog, which is listed in the sidebar. Feel free to check it out. It's not very full yet, but, then again, it's still early!

p.s. Mitten Pal #1, it's okay, I forgive you! (haha) I was just wondering if you fell off the planet or something. It's good to hear from you again, and congratulations on your wedding!

Engaged!

I'm sorry. I was a bad blogger last week. I have a good excuse, though....I got engaged! Ryan popped the question, twice! Here's the story:

We had our friends over to watch the “big game” with us and, after a loss by Ryan & J's team, Ryan began the clean up process while J&M left before any possible rioting would take place. After the clean up Ryan and I watched a little television and snuggled up on the couch together. In the midst of this television watching and chit chatting I looked up at him and told him that my hands looked old, that the palms are more full of lines than one of my friends who has a son Ryan's age. Well, he kept telling me that my hands did not look old and then he excused himself for a moment. When he came back he had two glasses of wine and sat down next to me and began telling me he loves me and that the people he has known with lines in their hands have always been good people, people that were always there to lend him a hand and help him, even though they didn't know how much they had been helping him, people that worked hard for what they had and were honest, good people. (Right then I knew he was leading to something, he kept putting his hand in pocket and looked nervous.)Then Ryan got up, walked around to the front of me and got down on one knee.He said "I don't have a lot of money, but would you marry me?" He cried, I laughed and told him that I, of course, would marry him! He looked so happy and said "Will you? Will you marry me?" "Yes! Yes, yes, of course I'll marry you!" And the rest of the night was spent celebrating!We opened the Champagne that Sarah and Kate gave us about a year ago and we just enjoyed the rest of the night. In fact, I called in late to work for Monday. Ryan gave me his signet ring that he received for his high school graduation and then he picked out an engagement ring that will actually fit my ring finger. Meanwhile I wore his signet ring on a necklace all week last week and Ryan gave me the engagement ring last night hen he took me out to dinner. He was so slick. He got me rambling on about candles and lighting candles and when he had me look to the back of the restaurant he put the ring on my bread plate. I turned back and went faffing on and on for about five minutes when I looked down and saw the ring. It's just beautiful. He propsed to me again (in a more casual way) and sl;ipped that beauty on my finger. He did such a wonderful job, and think I might be the only girl I know with two engagement rings. I love that guy!

New Fabric & Sock Yarn!

So I ordered some fabric from Sew Mama Sew on Tuesday, and it has arrived! I'm so excited, I ordered some fabric for a lap quilt from Bend the Rules Sewing Isn't it beauteous? I just love it, I also ordered some assorted fabrics for no project in particular. I'm currently using the blue and green fabric for a tablecloth, and the rest perhaps napkins? Pillows? Another quilt? I don't have it earmarked, I bought it because it was so lovely I could not help myself!

The other EXCITING news is that I just received my first skein of yarn from the Rockin' Sock Club. Can I tell you? I did a happy dance all around the living room when I opened that delicious package! The yarn is so beautiful and soft and lovely, I cannot wait to start knitting up a pair of sockies! I even let the dogs sniff the emergency mini skein of yarn. They both liked the the skein so much they wanted to eat it! It's wonderful! I'd post a picture of it, but I'm not sure what the rules are as far as doing something like that since it's an exclusive colorway. I'll have to check. But in the mean time, I'll post a picture of the gloves I knit for my Faux Sister-in-law, S. Oh! I almost forgot, here's a pic of the package my fabric came in! Never mind that book in the background, I was looking at recipes when the Mail-woman came. I was so excited, I cracked that package open and plopped the fabric down for a pic!
Ok, off to knit! Have a happy weekend!