The Adventures of Marshmarathon and KnittyKnurse

You Think You Know Me...

2011-02-19T11:08:00.000-06:00

This is just for funsies, to see how well you know me. These are things that I say, or have been known to say and pretty much outline the structure of my brain. Fill in the blank with what you think I would say. The person who gets the most right the firstest will win 50 awesome points. GO!

1) Texas Heritage ______________!

2) What an apartment locator would say ____________________

3) Cool _________

4) Listen to the message, ____ _____, _______ ________

5) Disco _________ is real

6) Your _________

7) ___________ beer

8) I like to picture Jesus as _______________________ (this can have multiple answers)

9) da wool, da wool, da wool is on fi-yah _____________________________________

10) I'm ________________ of here

11) If you use WebMD to research a health problem, it will say you either have _____________ or __________________

12) My most frequently used texting emoticon __________________

13) ___________________brings all the boys to my yard (easy. Can be anything)

14) When the world slips you a Jeffery, _____________________________________

15) Knitty__________ and Marsh________________

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

2011-02-06T12:20:00.000-06:00

The sun in shining, the air is warming, the birds are singing. I step outside and breathe in the crisp air wanting to spin around like Julie Andrews on a hilltop when I turn, and see...

...the neighbor's graffiti-ed refrigerator sitting in their driveway and hear their 2.5 year old roof tarp flapping in the wind, while their yappy little yap-dogs yap away at nothing as usual. I sigh, realizing the peaceful sounds will be short lived when the teenage boys finally wake up and decide to lift weights in their garage to the sounds of thumpthump gangsta rap most of the day. I glance down to see their white, male tomcat cower under a dented Trans Am watching my every move. We have a hate-hate relationship. I stamp my foot in a show of force as he flinches and arches his back. Yes, I hate you too.

This cat has decided to conduct his nightly kitty war meetings on my back patio. Most nights at 0-dark-thirty, I awaken to the yowling and growling of cat war. Once, there were even bloody cat prints on my patio. I used to get up, and charge outside armed with only a broom and brave the unmistakable pungent tang of cat spray to chase off the invaders. This no longer works. There are three of them. A tripartite of cat-ass-trophe (sorry for the pun. Couldn't resist)

I was advised to use everything from vinegar to citrus rinds to cayenne pepper to deter these feline hooligans, but deduced that all I was doing was marinating my patio. I placed cheap wire fencing around the patio, but they jumped it anyway and the patio just looked like a fenced concrete prison yard. I placed faulty, blinking, staked solar yard lights to confuse them. I filled the open corners in the fence with bricks, limbs and other yard crap to make it harder for them to enter my yard. I TRIED to play nice, I TRIED to deter rather than punish.

I bought...a BB gun.

Now before you sic PETA on me and fill my comment page with hate comments, I bought the lowest powered plastic pistol that shoots plastic BB's. It will do no more than sting for a few moments but still get my point across. I made use of it the other night with a long haired cat and can say that 1) he has not been in my backyard again and 2) I have seen him in other yards since and he is no worse for wear.

I just want to be able to sit on my patio and sip coffee without smelling cat spray.

Go ahead punk...make my day

Status...asthmaticus

2011-01-23T18:41:00.000-06:00

Miss me? Sorry about dropping a New Years flaming bag of blog post on your doorstep and running away into the night for 3 weeks! Yet here I am again to toilet paper your brain with my mindless drivel. For those of you who actually READ my blog, thank you...both of you.

I actually have been sticking to my New Year's resolutions. I am eating better, I have resumed running and am "working on" treating myself better.

Running: This is where the title of this post comes in. I've been jumping on the ~~hamster wheel of endless torture~~ treadmill and/or hitting the track about 5 times per week with maybe a hiccup or two here and there. I have a life, you know! don't laugh So far, I've mainly been walking but have incorporated more running. I have to say my fitness progress isn't as bad as the first time when I started from nothing, but it's still hard. Gotta start somewhere, eh? I restarted the Couch to 5K program. I am planning on running a half marathon in 2012, so I have plenty of time to train.

Food: As an AA sponsor is to an alcoholic, my Lose It! app is to me. In true OCD fashion, I enter what I eat and it calculates the calories for me. I can choose how many calories I need to eat to lose "X" number of pounds. It has charts and graphs and everything. The best part is my daughter uses it too and the program lets us see each others achievements! Of course, I can choose what I want to show up on her side. I may not want her to see the marshmallow and coconut microwaved concoction I came up with last night to use up the rest of my calories. ahem I was talking about eating better, wasn't I? Ah yes, I also go to the local farmer's market once per week for fresh veggies. I eat healthier things, it keeps me out of the grocery store a bit longer and I'm supporting local business. Win! I have lost some weight, which is making exercise MUCH easier. If you want to "friend" me on Lose It, look me up!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-05T05:46:00.001-06:00

Refresh Button

2011-01-03T06:45:00.001-06:00

Wouldn't it be nice to have an actual refresh button for life? Wait! Before you pull out that barely concealed box of Massengil from beneath the table, I meant RE-fresh, not unfresh! Douchebags... The attraction of the new year's resolution is the chance for a do-over, a second chance, an oops-I-crapped-my-life fix. So yes, I will be like most of the prattling, look-at-me blogs in the webverse and discuss all of the crap I plan on doing differently.

...and now for part two of the obligatory "look at the stupid stuff I did in 2010 and the different stupid stuff I'm going to do in 2011.

ahem.

1) Better food. I have a love/hate relationship with food. I'll admit that food does temporarily comfort me and sometimes when I find something particularly good, I eat too much of it and sit in my semi (food) drunken stupor with a silly grin on my face drooling into a cup. Unfortunately, this leads to unwanted weight issues. Well meaning people will say "you should just eat less and move more" or "it's all in portion control" or suggest diet plans. That's like suggesting to an alcoholic "perhaps you weren't aware that there are other beverages to drink. Here...have some apple juice." I am a well educated health care professional and I probably know a lot more about nutrition than the average bear. I'm just going to say that I'm taking more steps to eat healthy. I will make strides to have a better diet with less processed, artificial food and actually plan in advance that I will actually want to eat some food when I get home and have something in mind AHEAD of time. Why is it a big surprise when I get home from work and oh-my-goodness-I-need-to-eat-some-junk-food-NAO-because-I-didn't-know-I-was-going-to-have-to-eat-and-planned-nothing panic.

2) Improved fitness. This isn't saying much when compared with my current state. As I huffed around the track this morning, I wondered where the girl who ran the half marathon last year went. I liked her a lot better. She was a machine! Maybe an old Ford Pinto with a bubble hatch, but still a machine! I'm going to win her back like a bad romantic comedy. (cue Eye of the Tiger music)

3) Treat myself better and get off my own case. Have you ever looked at old pictures of yourself and wish you could have told that person that she's really cute and not at all as fat as she thinks? That she really has it better than she complains about? That she's sweating the small stuff? ::looks in the mirror and pastes on a fake, insecure smile:: Okay, I'm going to have to work on this one.

In short, for 2011 I'm going to be more awesome.

2011 Reboot

2011-01-02T11:45:00.001-06:00

Ah...the new year. A time when we can Ctrl + Alt + Del and try and reboot ourselves for the future. As much as I scoff about resolutions, (they are just so resolute!) I like to look forward to what this year can bring. Everybody gets so entrenched and mentally flailing during the holidays that the new year is like a deep breath of fresh air.

First, we must dust off the 2010 goals and see where we landed. Last year, I had fewer new year goals, thank goodness!

1. Be more social - Far from being a social butterfly, I did often resist my hermit-like nature. I feel like I grew closer to my friends. They really surprised me on Christmas Eve - a dark and stormy night. I hear a furious pounding on the door. Alarmed, I was thankful that my son-in-law the Marine was in my home at the time. I opened the door. At my feet were two boxes of Christmas goodies but no person/live body to go with them only the retreating stares of headlights in the rain. I called after the car "Who are you?". The car stopped, paused for a moment, then a hand ascended from the partially open door in full "bird" formation before hurrying off into the night. A big grin grew on my face. I never would have guessed that getting the bird and being called a "hoar" would be such terms of endearment...but...there you are. My friends are amazing.

2. Finish half marathon and continue running. Well, I DID finish the half marathon and got back out in starts and spurts occaisionally. I could make lots of excuses, but my inner drill sergeant won't let me.

3. Get through my daughter's wedding - done. over. finito. hasta la vista baby!

4. Simplify and de-stuffify my house/life - Over the course of the year, I did move out my daughter and took 3 TRUCKLOADS full of stuff to the Goodwill. The garage sale just wasn't happening. Too much trouble for too little money and now others can benefit from my castoffs. I can now park in my own garage!!!!

Next post will be about my goals for the new year. I'm still thinking about them. Right now, I just want to be more awesome.

Inner Drill Sergeant

2011-01-01T16:45:00.001-06:00

OKAY MAGGOT! YOU CAN GET OFF YER LAZY ASS, QUIT FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF AND GET OUT THERE AND MAKE YOURSELF HAPPEN!

I just feel so blah, so bloated and out of shape. I just want to stay inside and watch TV.

OH YES, BECAUSE THAT ALWAYS MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER RIGHT?

Well, no... but I am hungry. Food always makes me feel better. Food is comfort.

WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME EXACTLY HOW COMFORTABLE YOU FEEL IN YOUR OWN SKIN RIGHT NOW. DO THESE CLOTHES FEEL COMFORTABLE? DO YOU GET OUT OF BREATH WALKING AROUND THE BLOCK? REMIND ME AGAIN HOW GOOD FOOD MAKES YOU FEEL? HOW'S THAT NEW "EXPANSION PACK" THAT BEN AND JERRY INSTALLED FOR YOU?

Uh, no...but you don't understand...I've had a very stressful year. My daughter got married and moved away, my dog died, I'm still adjusting to a new job...

WAH! SHIT HAPPENS! THAT'S NO CALL FOR RETREATING TO YOUR CELLULITE COFFIN. PEOPLE GO THROUGH WORSE EVERY DAY. GET OVER IT!

I guess you're right. Are you sure you want to take on the plight of the lost Fantasia hippo? heh heh? Isn't Seaworld missing a manatee? Man the harpoon...

CRITICIZE YOUR LAZINESS, CRITICIZE YOUR BAD MOOD, HECK EVEN CRITICIZE YOUR MOTIVATION. THOSE ARE IN THE HERE AND NOW AND CAN BE CHANGED. WE WILL NOT JOKE OR CRITICIZE ABOUT FAT, BECAUSE THOSE ARE PAST CHOICES YOU MADE. WE WILL LEARN FROM THEM - YES! BUT LOOKING BACK WILL NOT TAKE US FORWARD. UNDERSTOOD?

Yes. Where do I start?

NOW. PUT DOWN THE CHOCOLATE AND STEP OUT THE DOOR.

but it's cold   -   DRESS WARMLY
I've been coughing   -   USE AN INHALER. YOU'LL LIVE
I look ridiculous   -   YOU WERE INVISIBLE BEFORE
my jogging bra doesn't fit   -   I DOUBT YOU WILL JOG, JUST PUT ON THE OTHER ONE
I'll be the cliche January 1 fitness restart   -   BETTER THAN NOT RESTARTING AT ALL

Okay...here goes nothin

Sick

2010-12-17T12:40:00.000-06:00

By dose is stobbed up ad I hab a fever. One of the drawbacks to being a healthcare provider - being exposed to all of the nasty germies. Sure, I wash my hands after each patient, I hold my breath when looking in a throat and ears, germicide spray the rooms and often clean my stethoscope after a sick patient but I still get sick. The good thing is that I usually know what it is and what to do about it, the bad thing is that I learned it from experience. And hey, I will NEVER get this particular virus again until the virus mutates enough to be recognized as a new virus! Why does that not make me feel better?

I'd like to think I could get a lot of knitting done when I'm sick, but frankly my hands and fingers (among every other joint in my body) is an aching, inflammed mess. Pointing and clicking is more my speed right now. I'm tempted to go to my parents new house and soak, neck deep, in their gigantic whirlpool hot tub. Problems with that plan: I wouldn't want to get out and would be a swollen pruny mess. Sea World would be called in anonymously on the tip that a giant flabby blonde manatee was beached in a hot tub. If I ended up spilling my Russian energy drink into the controls, it would take me back to the 1980's. (Name that movie)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-10T07:06:00.000-06:00

Well, maybe not completely wordless. Off this weekend for the fiber festival! Pic above is two of my besties at last years trek!

NaNoWriMo a No Go

2010-11-06T05:59:00.001-06:00

Due to circumstances out of my control, I haven't been able to participate in NaNoWriMo. Throw a healthy dose of life circumstances, Christmas knitting and just plain ol' nerves to the mix and there you have my excuse. Now I can quit obsessing over how much I'm NOT writing. Whew!

Why am I up at this hour on a Saturday? My nefarious partners in crime have coerced me into "wogging" at a local park. We call it wogging because we walk mostly and occaisionally jog. This way we can get it out of the way and have it not eat up a Saturday. What I need to mention is that it is now 40 degrees outside!

I also have a bridal shower to co-hostess today. I'll have to admit that forced social events always have me a bit anxious. Although most find these events fun, I always dread them especially when I'm in charge of games. Oh, I always end up having fun when I'm there, but I still dread it.

Well, gotta go hit the twack for a wog...

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-03T07:01:00.000-06:00

Oh no...NaNoWriMo!

2010-10-30T21:37:00.000-06:00

Okay, maybe I was a bit overzealous announcing I was going to participate in NaNoWriMo a mere 2 weeks before it starts. I can barely post to this blog once or twice per week with my uninteresting life much less write pages and pages of drivel. I have no plot, no characters, no outline...a big NADA! Instead of adhering to the rules, I may make my own word limits and just get myself to write SOMETHING.

I know that some people totally wing it and I'm sure their brains are rife with creative ideas and characters ready to spring to life. Some people already have pages and pages of outlines, character drafts, history research and plot twists. If the idea is to write about what we know, I'm in trouble.

Running has been a bust lately. My knee has been acting up and I don't want to chance it so I busy myself around the house and go walking.

Knitting is always ongoing. I showed you pictures of the wedding, but not the lace projects that consumed 8 months of my knitting life.

Eternity Shawl
Knit in Baruffa Cashwool and used about 730 yards or half a skein
Pattern: Shetland Triangle by Evelyn Clark

A Clump of Plinths (was knitting on this watching a Monty Python Documentary. This was one of the names they were batting around before "Monty Python" was chosen. I kinda liked it)
Knit in Kidsilk Haze in the Hurricane colorway with small beads in the outer border
Pattern: Melon Pattern for a Shawl by Jane Sowerby

and both

I am so done with lace for awhile and am glad to get some heavier yarn to use! I'll post other projects later. I have start-itis so bad right now I don't know what is going to make it and what will hit the frog pond.

Home?

2010-10-28T19:57:00.001-06:00

After 35 years of living in the same house, my parents are moving. Thankfully, they are staying in the same town, just a different house with a bigger kitchen, bathrooms and storage. I can't quite blame them. Their home was built at a time when the number of bedrooms far outweighed being able to stretch out your arms in your own bathroom. Having a place for us three kids to sleep was a little more important I guess. My dad found the confines of suburbia constraining. I guess you could say he would be happy to be put out to pasture where there is green space and not a cul-de-sac. After all, they are retired and deserve to have a home that doesn't need to be populated with kids.

I can't help but feel a surprising emotion of grief, which really caught me. This was the house I lived in from the age of 5 to 18 and then again from age 20 to 23. It's a part of my history that I took for granted. My parents did offer to let me buy the house. There was almost no hesitation as a quick "NO" escaped my mouth. THAT would be weird.

I walked home from primary school to this house. I had lots of sleepovers, birthday parties, and holidays here. I hunted Easter eggs in the backyard, climbed the tree in the front yard to throw china berries at the neighborhood kids, hid in the laundry hamper, carved my initials in my windowsill, buried a few family pets in the back yard, jumped to thwack the attic pulldown cord in the hall, learned to roller skate in the garage, learned to ride a bicycle in the driveway, had hippity-hop derby races in the front yard, washed my first car in the driveway and had my first kiss on the front porch. My daughter took her first steps in the same living room where I watched the Wizard of Oz for the first (and twentieth) time.

My parents are excited about the move, but I can tell they are having similar separation issues. My dad said "selling this house is like letting go of one of my kids". I replied "which one and which time?" We both laughed.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-27T06:59:00.001-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-20T06:53:00.001-06:00

What's a girl to do?

2010-10-18T18:21:00.001-06:00

Wow, my last post sounded a bit like I was a desperate, lonely, needy little thing. Yeah, I get a little mopey from time to time, but by and large I have a list of things that I want to do more of or get started on which is pretty exciting. Here's my action plan.

Blog - duh

Run - I really fell off the wagon HARD in this regard but have recently been venturing outside more often now that the weather is nice. No races planned, no pressure, just gettin' mah bootay out there.

Read - I bought a Nook which I love quite intensely right now and carry it with me everywhere.

Write more betterly-er - I may attempt to pull a Nanowrimo out of my butt this year, rather than just read about those who are doing it. It may be all crap and be about purple aliens who take over abandoned Walmarts and Kmarts as headquarters to rule the world, but I will do it. I also will not make you read it.

Draw - Yet another languishing hobby. I used to draw a lot more than I do now. Although I'm quite average and my attempts quite sophomoric, I enjoy it.

Home improvement - I want to rip out the carpet and have laminate wood flooring installed. I want to update most of my cheapo contractor light fixtures, I want new furniture now that I don't have to worry about pet hair, kid messes...etc. Did I forget to tell you that I had to put my dog down about 2 weeks after the wedding? She was 14 years old and was so arthritic and could not hold her bowel/bladder. It was so hard, but I now know I did the right thing for her. end tangent

I will also have to redo my daughter's room. I will need a gallon of spackle to start. The child tacked up EVERYTHING on the wall. Oh, and as a public service announcement: when you use Sticky-Tac on textured drywall and leave it there for 5 years, it will pull off half the wall with it when you remove it.

Knit - still knitting. It's my go-to leisure/stress relief and I LOVE my hand knit items and look forward to wearing them every year.

I'm sure there's other stuff: Gardening, eating better, winning that Nobel Peace Prize...but that's enough for now.

Learning to Fly SOLO

2010-10-17T21:47:00.000-06:00

I've been a single parent most of my adult life. I learned to be self sufficient, independent and ((gasp)) responsible. I brought home the bacon, fried it up in a pan and afterwards, when my daughter thought jumping on the bed was fun, cleaned the bacon vomit off the floor and cleaned bacon vomit out of her hair. My mother still sends me cards on Father's Day which I think is cute and sometimes depressing. Single parent I could handle. SOLO is hard.

After the emotional equivalent of clutching her bridal train down the aisle and into the get-away vehicle to go live with a BOY, I was left with the scary void that was my new companion. Me.

I felt like a child on their way to Kindergarten for the first time. Would I like me? Would I be nice to me? Would I hog all the ice cream? Absolutely. Now, before you guys call the men in white coats with the bouncy rubber wagon, just know that this is the first time I have TRULY been on my own. At every point in my life, someone has always been there with me. I'm not living with a parent, child, significant other or a pet of any kind. I was always the type of kid who played well by myself and didn't need a lot of interaction. Just knowing someone was in the other room was enough for me. I felt secure. This is weird. On second thought, have the white wagon guys on speed dial.

For some of you, this would sound like a dream! Wake up when you want, eat what you want, know that the milk would still be there at the end of the day (if that is how you left it). I too, was one of these dreamers when my child was young (and my then husband acted like a child).

The reality is that there's nobody to share things with. Sure, I can take a picture of my vulgar eggplant's produce and send it to people and get a "LOL" or a racy quip, I can watch a Netflix movie at the same time as my daughter and we can talk on the phone to each other while we're watching it, but it's not the same. Thank jeebus for technology.

Maybe God is challenging me to like myself first before bringing someone else into it.

Poop.

For some reason, I don't think giving myself a hug and saying a quick "I'm sorry self" will meet that criteria. This may take awhile.

Hey, wanna see some vulgar produce?

Dear blogspot...

2010-10-10T21:57:00.000-06:00

Thank you for eating the photos that took me 2 hours to choose and place in my last blog post. I will fix it later (which will take another 2 hours) but I'm tired and want to go to bed.
Check back later for a photo update

Gotta Start Somewhere...

2010-10-10T21:51:00.002-06:00

Sorry guys. I have been ignoring this blog, haven't I? Life got heavy there for awhile, but I'm here to restart this thing! My mantra lately has been "gotta start somewhere". Blogging, eating right, exercising...etc have taken a back burner to life events lately. Thanks to my blogger friends for encouraging me to get on the ball!

I know, I know... you want to see wedding pictures. Perhaps that's the easiest way to restart! Magek Photography were STUPENDOUS and took most of the wedding pictures you see below.

We went from this:

To this:

The day was surreal. The venue, Butler's Courtyard, allowed us to have the site all day including a quaint little cottage for the bride and attendants to get ready. The cottage was decorated with antiques and antique wedding items. Danicka and I were the only ones there for an hour or two and we had fun exploring and setting up. You'd think that 8 hours would allow plenty of lounging time before the wedding, but not with updos, nails, makeup, checking flowers, cake, setup...etc. The time flew by.

Finally, the time had come. But wait! I didn't have enough pre-wedding, pre-go-live-with-a-boy fun! Even though the wedding was at 7pm, it still didn't seem like enough time. I did truly live in the moment and enjoyed every minute, but I just wish there were MORE! Someone else had other thoughts.

Before the wedding, they even had a photo op holding hands around a corner. They couldn't see each other before the wedding and there were plenty of people there to make sure the lovebirds were in check.

The wedding planner arrived and we were summoned to the hall. This was it. That tiny baby I once kept in a cradle the size of a dresser drawer was walking to the hall in a white, poufy, marshmallow gown. Everything was going too fast. We were walking too fast, the music seemed like it was playing too fast, and people were taking their places too fast. Although I had a smile on my face, somebody juiced up the tilt-a-whirl that suddenly took residence in my gut.

Here I was, walking my only child down the aisle. I wanted to do this so badly. She was mine to give away, but I now know why fathers usually perform this task. Despite jelly-legs, tilt-a-whirl gut and a racing brain, I wouldn't change it for the world. I remember standing behind the curtain waiting for our cue: she was looking like a horse wanting to race to the barn and I was wanting to reign her in. I wish I could remember exactly what I told her, standing there at the precipice to the rest of her life. I know I told her that I loved her and that she was beautiful. I know I told her to take a deep breath. I also know that I told her my car was waiting just outside in case she changed her mind.

Suddenly the curtain opened and Pachebel's Canon in D began playing. I walked her to the front of the crowd to a handsome man in Marine dress blues (where was the "boy"?).

When the pastor asked "who gives this woman?" I was supposed to say "I do" give her a kiss, give the groom a kiss and step back to be seated. Simple instructions, right? They may as well have been given in Swahili. I said the "I do" and just stood there frozen. The pastor patiently waited and gave a little tight lipped grin to me to break me out of my stupor. Realizing my error, I quickly complied and sat down. My part was done and the rest of the ceremony wafted along from there.

The reception was wonderful. The wonderful folks at Butler's Courtyard took care of everything. I didn't have to worry about the punch bowl status, microphones that didn't work, flowers, food or anything else. Butler's was truly worth the money for everything they do. For all I knew everything went without a hitch they made it seem so effortless and magical. Cake, dancing, bouquet and garter throwing and the toast - all a part of a balanced wedding. I enjoyed it all.

It was time to let the newlyweds run away into the night. I jokingly tried to stow away in the back seat of the getaway car, we blew bubbles and the newlyweds were whisked away in what can only be described as a grand Lawrence Welk sendoff (and a one, and a two..)

Turning the corner, I sighed a big sigh and watched until I could no longer see their taillights.

The crowd seemed to disperse almost immediately and I was left with the staff people. The magic was gone. My daughter was the keeper of that magic and I was turning back into a pumpkin. My feet were also waking up from the magical spell and screamed in protest. We loaded up the car, I checked for forgotten items and made the lonely trek back home. It was in the car ride home that I realized I didn't get any wedding cake. My eyes filled with the first big tears of the day and I pulled into a parking lot and sobbed - big racking sobs and likely a very ugly cry. It wasn't the cake. It was the finality.

I took a deep breath, wiped my face and continued home. While unpacking the car I found the leftover cake and had a piece while sitting on the floor in my sweaty blue dress.

What happened next was the epitome of being alone. I.couldn't.get.out.of.my.dress. My zipper was out of reach. Someone had zipped me in and I now remember the last part of the zipper was particularly difficult. I struggled like Houdini trying to get out of a straight jacket, sat and contemplated the scissors on the counter. It was midnight and I couldn't knock on someone's door to get them to unzip my dress, or if I did would be very creepy. I even contemplated going to McDonalds and paying an employee five bucks to unzip my dress. I cried again and said a few choice words to punctuate the situation. I finally got a pair of vice-grips, clamped them on and with a little struggle was able to free myself. I laughed. I fell exhausted into bed. Vice grips are useful things.

Are We There Yet?

2010-05-23T16:45:00.001-06:00

No, not quite. The wedding shawl of DOOM is growing at a snail's pace.

At this rate, it will be a wedding kerchief! Since my daughter is not really wanting a veil, I'm trying to convince her she can wear this shawlette on her head Aunt Jemima style. She's not going for it. She also didn't like the idea of wedding cupcakes or a wedding pinata either. She never likes my ideas.

Running has been sporadic. As I was getting my gardening mojo going, I neglected running. Now that half the garden is going well and the other half is being eaten, destroyed or dying away I can start running again.

The local college track has been repaved and is verra nice now. I got out there last night and felt like a human sausage: fatty, bloated and stretching my casings. It didn't help that I had friends over for beer and pizza the night before. Ah well...gotta restart somewhere, eh?

Gardening is funny.

The good:
Tomatoes - Better Boy and Roma - lots o green globes on the vines. It seems they're taking forever to ripen. I so love home gardened tomatoes. If you've only eaten store bought tomatoes, I truly feel for you.
Mint - I have to cut it back as it's crowding other plants!
Cucumber - overflowing the bed and creeping out into the yard.
Eggplant - is trying. Putting on blooms
Meyer Lemon - Had to relocate after some nasty grackle birds got after it and scratched up half the maturing lemons.
Lavender - lookin' good but doubt I will get much bounty for dried herbs
Chard - Looks like it's going to pull through after some bug eating concerns early on
Basil - not going as gangbusters as I had thought it would
Rosemary and Thyme still healthy but not much growth in pots

The bad:
Strawberries - grackle birds again. They take 1-2 bites out of every strawberry rendering them unedible.
Lettuce - I let it go too far and now it's getting leggy and weird. Bugs trying to eat it too.
Mexican Lime - It's trying. I think there are 2 or 3 little tiny limes right now
Bell Pepper - looks scraggly and no veg
Dill - Half is good and the other half is being eaten by some small caterpillars which I think are some kind of butterfly. As much as I use dill, I will let them chow down on what they want

The ugly:
Onions - dead
Kale - So dead
Bok Choy - not a chance dead - eaten by something very hungry

If idle hands are the devil's playground...

2010-04-15T10:36:00.001-06:00

If idle hands are the devil's playground, he's got nothing to play with here! Believe it or not, my plants are still alive and some are thriving! I never thought I would love making plants grow.

These pictures were taken a week ago and the plants are even bigger! The cilantro has tried to bolt and my Better Boy tomatoes have really started to take off! I even have 4 small strawberries forming!

Thanks to the wonderful plants at Maas Nursery, even my Meyer Lemon tree is making baby lemons! Ignore the scaly alien hand in the background.

The gladiolus bulbs I planted in the side flower bed have just peeked above the dirt. I'll take pics as soon as they make something purty.

I have this old chiminea that I thought I would enjoy firing up and sitting beside on my patio, playing in the fire. I never got used to the smoke smell, so there it sat for years doing nothing. (I did enjoy setting things on fire in it though. Pyro much?) I decided it would make a better planter. Since it sits in the shade, I decided to plant impatiens and creeping jenny in it. I was so proud...

Then my daughter said "It looks like it's throwing up". Hmmm...she has a point. It's done. It stays. We will see what happens.

Running has resumed, just not as often as I would like. I had to back out of a recent half marathon. You see, the threat of certain death since I was so undertrained was a big de-motivator. My illness plus my Dad's hospitalizations really took a toll on my running. I'm just getting where I can run without using an inhaler. (Sorry, I get a mental giggle thinking about my chubby-chick self trying to run and snorting an inhaler with my flabby rolls flopping to and fro. Just imagine it in slow motion and it's funnier...really) Life just gets in the way sometimes. Note to self...don't sign up for these races so early.

Knitting - still knitting on woman-child's wedding shawl. I'm about 13 repeats in and it's still not big enough. The good thing about knitting lace is you get a lot more bang for your buck. More yards for less money for longer knitting time. The bad thing is, you're knitting FOR-EVER! Will get pics on here later at least to remind myself that it is growing, although very slow...

Where was I...

2010-03-28T10:36:00.002-06:00

Hey! Remember me? Sorry for the long absence, guys. Life has been getting in the way in good and bad ways lately.

The bad: My father has been in the hospital 3 or 4 times in the last month and a half for his heart. Without getting into all of the medical-ese and details (which I have a propensity to do) he had an irregular heart rate the likes could contribute to a blood clot. He went into the hospital to have a procedure to correct it and ended up having the complication of bleeding and a fluid collection in the sac that surrounds the heart which had to be drained by a tube. After discharge, the fluid persisted which kept the heart from being an effective pump and contributed to the beginnings of congestive heart failure which I was able to identify.

Now let me jump out of my nurse pants with my sub clinical explanation and jump into my daughter pants (don't look) to explain the other side.

it. scared. the. shit. outta. me.

My father is six foot one inch burly, country, Paul Bunyan (at least in my eyes) type of man. He tells stories of working cattle with his dad and brother sustaining injuries like a broken bone or a metal spike through his hand, splinting or tying it up with a rag and continuing to work as long as there was daylight. (Isn't my daddy the cutest little boy?)

Fast forward to his post-operative state enduring enough pain to make this larger than life man grip the bed rails with a furrowed brow requesting pain medicine. My stomach clenches at the very thought of it. He improved, was sent home but started to complain about things like being short of breath, coughing, swelling in his legs and sleeping in the recliner because it was easier to breathe. The parade of red flags was overwhelming. The nurse in me knew it was congestive heart failure and the daughter was scared to death. Thankfully, the nurse took over and in her best no-nonsense, boss-lady-nurse voice dispelled any excuses for the symptoms and demanded that my father go back to the hospital. Back he went, the fluid around his heart had re-accumulated so IV diuretics were continued for 2 days which relieved the problem.

To make a long story short, he is now back at home and doing well.

The good: I have a new gardening obsession. I have hauled, lifted, planted and bought more dirt, plants and bedding material than ever. I started reading Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. I now have two 4' x 8' raised beds for vegetables and I added a raised flower bed beside my patio with paver stones. I even installed a rain barrel to divert water from the patio gutter to be used for garden watering. I'm even growing flowers from bulbs, y'all! (Ignore the rusted back door. With an obnoxious large dog who likes to jump on the back door, replacing it would be an exercise in...stupidity)

My imaginary psychiatrist would say that I'm anticipating empty nest syndrome by feeling the need to nurture a garden. I say until you have eaten a garden fresh tomato (not the supermarket kind) you have not truly eaten.

I haven't been too scientific about the process. Basically, I buy a plant or seed I like, stick it in the ground and hope for the best. I visit my garden every day and see what's doing well and what needs help. I'm sure I will kill a few things. My daughter jokes that our house is where houseplants go to die. I own that. Failure to thrive due to inattention. It's getting better.

Cast list for my first EVAR garden:

In pots:
Mexican lime tree
Improved Meyer lemon tree
Mystery bulbs I found sprouting in the garage
Rosemary and German Thyme

In vegetable beds:
Better Boy tomatoes
Roma tomatoes
Eggplant
Bell Pepper
Peppermint
Spearmint
Corsican mint
Cilantro
Chives
Dill
Sweet Basil
Purple Basil
Italian Oregano
Aloe
French Lavender
Sweet Lavender
Kale
Texas Onions
Strawberries
Lettuce
Cucumbers
Bok Choy
Rainbow Chard
with a few Zinnias, Marigolds and Daisies cuz ima girl and they help deter insects

In my flower bed:
Red Honeysuckle - attracts hummingbirds
Pentas - attracts butterflies
will be planting Dahlia and Gladiolus bulbs soon

Belated Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-18T19:00:00.000-06:00

Running Gadgets/Gear

2010-02-11T17:00:00.000-06:00

I love gadgets. I can geek-ify just about anything.

I don't just have a yarn stash and a few projects going, but I have all of my yarn and projects catalogued, measured and fully documented on Ravelry.com. While looking through my yarn cabinet is fun, I can just refer to my online stash meter and determine how many yards of what yarn I have. I tend to be quite OCD about things. I've embraced it.

Running is no different. There are so many products out there with the promise of more convenient runs, easier runs, products to help stave away problems. Following are a few of the things I like to use:

Shoes: Brooks Adrenaline shoes. I'm sold. After buying shoes on my own at local sports outlets, a friend encouraged me to be evaluated and fitted for running shoes. Skeptically, I went to On The Run and was helped by a very young salesperson. I'm thinking that I have pairs of shoes older than she is! She watched me walk and trot in the store and went to the back and brought back several pairs of shoes. She said that I need a shoe for stability and cushion. The second pair of shoes I put on were Brooks. It's as if the clouds parted and the jogging fairy sprinkled magic fairy dust on my feet. I knew they were perfect. Sighing, I asked how much they were. "They're on sale for $70". I could have fallen out of my chair. Here I was paying about that much at outlet stores for inferior shoes. I'm on my second pair now. I'm a fan.

While we're talking about shoes, it's important to have some kind of identification on your person when running. Accidents happen. You can get a cheap shoe ID tag at any running store to store emergency phone numbers.

Socks: when I began running, I used my tried and true plain old white athletic cotton socks. True, cotton does absorb moisture, but it does very little to wick it from your skin. After prolonged running, you can get blisters from damp cotton socks. My fave? Thorlo. They have excellent cushioning at the heel and forefoot, but pull moisture away from my feet. I buy mine at the local Academy store. I've tried Ballega's and one other expensive brand that I ended up returning, and have always come back to Thorlo.

Shirts: For winter running, I have an UnderArmour long sleeved shirt. UnderArmour has been top of their line for years. Other cheaper brands try to replicate the heat retaining properties of Underarmour but miss the mark. The cheap substitutes are just that...cheap. I used to wear a heavy sweatshirt to run in the cold, but I get better movement out of my UA. And look how stylish I am! ;-) This is me after the Houston Aramco Half Marathon. It was about 50 degrees and I felt fine in only this shirt.

For summer running, I have a few short sleeved "tech" shirts that wick away moisture and allow ventilation. I was skeptical about "tech" shirts too, but like I mentioned before, cotton absorbs and holds onto moisture. After a long summer run, that cotton tshirt would be soaked and sticking to me. Not so with tech shirts. The hat I'm wearing to the left is an UnderArmour ventilated hat, perfect for warmer weather.

Running Bra: If you have a little more up top and don't want the girls flopping up into your face when you run, invest in a good sports bra. I've been using an Enell bra for about 6 months now and it holds up like iron.

Hair: Really anything so far mostly involving a ponytail and hat or headband to keep the hair and sweat out of my face. I had the opportunity to buy a Bondiband and love it. I used it during the half marathon to keep the wind off of my ears and keep the headphones in my ears and found the added benefit of wicking material. As if you couldn't tell by now, I'm big into wicking fabrics as I tend to be a big sweaty pig when I run.

Now, let's get technical. After running for awhile, improving time is a big motivator. The Nike Plus system links a little pod in your shoe to your ipod or iphone and can give you input as to your pace and time. It works off of your cadence and footfalls on the ground. The drawbacks are if you tend to change your strides, it makes it less accurate. You DO NOT have to buy the Nike Plus shoes. If you Google "Nike Plus hack" you will find all manner of ways to affix that little pod to whatever shoe you choose to wear.

Wanting more, I decided to purchase the Garmin 405 Forerunner. Although I do run with this almost every time (if it's charged), for the money it's really not that much better than the Nike Plus as far as the information you get from it. In fact, I used both to check accuracy and the Nike Plus wasn't far off. It's an expensive toy. Don't get me wrong, I love to use it and check my pace and speed, I just don't think it was quite worth the money.

Disney Retrospective

2010-02-05T11:11:00.004-06:00

Ordinarily, I shy away from large corporations whose sole objective is to separate you from your money. I try to aspire to the "Stickin' it to tha man" mentality by refusing to buy into huge money sucks just because the other lemmings are jumping off the cliff in droves. The big exception to this is Disneyworld. We affectionately call it "Dinny-whorl". Yes, that's us in the front seats of the Rockin' Rollercoaster in the pic below. We just had to do it...

Yes, I gladly handed over a couple of paychecks over to a large mouse last month and enjoyed every penny! Two years ago was our first trip. I had felt a bit regretful that I had never taken my child to Disneyworld when she was younger and thought taking a 17 year old would have less luster and child-like magic, but I was wrong. You see, it helps if its participants are just big kids themselves and we fit that bill just fine. We squeal with delight every time we see Cinderella's castle for the first time. If you can go to Disneyworld and not feel like a kid in even a small way, you are made of stone.

We like to go at the beginning of January which is an off season (read: cheaper) but is still decorated for Christmas. The lines are shorter, the lodging is cheaper and we can still fit it during a school Christmas break. We had taken advantage of a "buy 4 nights, get 3 free" deal which was SO worth it. At the end of this post I'll post some helpful tips for enjoying Disneyworld to its fullest.

I was a bit sad at the end of our little vacation. This may be the last vacation we take before she's a married lady! I'd like to tell you, dear reader, that I kept my cool about it, but I did cry the last night we were there. It couldn't be helped.

Tips for a great Disney vacation:

Go during off season - lines are shorter, rates are cheaper and it's a lot more bang for the buck
Get the Disney meal plan - We got the deluxe. One counter meal (like fast food), one restaurant meal (yeah, sit-down, cloth napkins and excellent food) and one snack per day. All meals include dessert and we usually boxed them up and ate the for breakfast or a snack later. The plan saves you money and pulls you out of the mindset that you need to get cheap, junk food at the park. We ate lamb, salmon, and steak and not just burgers and hot dogs. You can reserve your restaurant online now. So convenient. Guidebooks usually have a section about which restaurants boast certain Disney characters if you want to guarantee some photo ops with your child and their favorite character

Stay in the park - maybe a little more expensive, but worth it when you have to factor in rest breaks during the day. Just hop a shuttle bus to your lodging, take a nap then hit the parks again! You won't be in your room very much, so staying at less expensive sites is fine.
Get park-hopper tickets - These allow you to go from park to park as you feel the need. Bored with one park? Go to another.
Get a guide book - We're far from having the ill-fated "clipboard-o-fun" setup, but a decent guidebook can give you tips on what you want to see. This year, we used some great iPhone apps which were invaluable. Apps that show what the avg wait time per ride right now, dining menus, GPS enabled maps, parade/event times...etc.
Get fast passes to the rides you really want to ride early in the day and fill in with other shorter wait rides and shows.

My favorite memory from Dinny-whorl? Doing the chicken dance with my daughter and Goofy. Here's my daughter feelin' a little Goofy (haha, get it? wink wink, nudge nudge)

Empty Nesting

2010-01-30T10:24:00.001-06:00

The wedding planning is going well...that I can tell. Fortunately, my daughter has taken this task by the horns and is steamrolling the whole process. I am amazed at how decisive she is. I am used mainly for a sounding board or an opinion giver. She is really rockin' it. I am finding myself more and more amazed at what she can do. She has already gotten the bridesmaid outfits and shoes, toasting glasses, cake cutlery, centerpieces, spoken to a florist...the list goes on and on.

I'll admit, when they first made their plans of getting married known, I was not all on board for it. College students, getting married and making it on their own? I was quite the skeptic, a nice word for every cell in my being freaking the hell out. Every time she would need rescuing, I was thinking "how is she going to handle these types of situations living 2 hours away from me"? The same thoughts must have been going through her mind, because in the past couple months, she has been needing to be rescued less and less. She amazes me. I must have done my job well or am extremely lucky! I still wish they had waited a year, but I'm getting better about it.

I, on the other hand, am adjusting to empty nest syndrome more like a cow being lead to the slaughter...yeah...a little less well. As a young parent I remember agonizing over "when am I going to get my life back again?" Irony is a bitch. Parenting has been my life for almost 20 years. Now what??? Lively nights of BINGO at the senior center? ("Did you see that Pearl has a new troll doll as a good luck charm?"), or do I become a cliche of an early midlife crisis resplendent with a convertible car, wild hair and dressing as a 20 year old? If you ever see me wearing pants with "Juicy" on the butt, please slap me.

I'm still knitting the wedding shawl...s..l..o..w..l..y. I'm going to try and keep a journal before the wedding chronicling her past, feelings and events of the present and my hopes for their future. I'll give it to her with the shawl. See, my gift is not the shawl, but my time and effort. You're not just getting an item. Knitters understand this...it's not a quick craft. We deliberate on which yarn will suit the project best in a color we know the recipient will love. We diligently pick up the project and work on it at every opportune moment, stitch by stitch until it takes form. We agonize over mistakes and try to make it right. At some point along the way, we grow weary of the project but knit along anyway even though it doesn't seem to get any bigger. As we finish the item, we almost become a little sad that the process is over and wish we could keep the knit for ourselves. But, we give it away with a glad heart that the recipient will love it as much as we do. Wow. When I first started writing this paragraph, I didn't know it was going to be an analogy of raising a girl!

Time To Shake the Doughnuts...

2010-01-24T14:41:00.000-06:00

Yes, it's time to shake the spirit of doughnuts past right off my body. My plain glazed and iced cake doughnut booty needs to go. Now that the half marathon is over, I'm going to spend the next month SERIOUSLY trying to shed some pounds. You see, I want to keep running and am addicted to the 5K, 10K, half marathon schtick. It's got to be easier to run without carrying extra weight around. Imagine running around carrying two small (or one large) toddler(s) around...you get the idea. You would think that training for a half-marathon would be the ticket to shedding weight, but not so. Longer runs need more fuel and that becomes a delicate balance (or excuse). "I'm a runner, I need to eat this bread" didn't quite work for me weight-wise.

My secret, extra special, scientific, complicated way to lose weight? Counting calories. 1600 per day. Oh I'm sure if I wanted to do it "right" I could also measure protein, carbs, fat, fiber, intake of macro and micronutrients...but as much as like like to geekify everything, I won't follow it too long. As much as I hate to write down everything that goes into my pie-hole, it's the only thing to hold me accountable.

Someone once told me that the definition of crazy was to keep doing things the same way expecting a different result. So, my "theories" of eating whatever amounts of food I want as long as I ate quality food are out the window. Sure, I didn't gain as much weight eating quality (and some crappy) foods. I felt better and I actually pretty much maintained my weight for a year. Losing is a different story. I've already lost the few holiday pounds I had put on.

In wedding/knitting news, I started knitting my daughter's wedding shawl. She picked the pattern: Shetland Triangle by Evelyn A. Clark or Ravelry link here. I'm knitting it out of Baruffa Cashwool which is one of the softest and thinnest laceweight yarns I have knit with. It should truly be a shawl that floats/glides on air. It's inexpensive and a good value for the 1460 yards it contains.

Half Marathon

2010-01-20T18:00:00.000-06:00

I know, I've been a bad blogger. The half marathon was 3 days ago and I'm just getting around to blogging about it. Things have been quite busy around here at Casa del Marshmarathon! We took a vacation to Disneyworld (of which I'll also have to blog about later), holidays, training, continued planning of the wedding...and...and...I'm spent! Even as we speak, DD is coming in here to tell me that I'm supposed to go with her to the florist in about an hour to see about...well...flowers.

Back to the half marathon... I stayed in a hotel room in Houston so I wouldn't have to drive around street detours, get frustrated with parking and could just walk out of my hotel to the starting line. The hotel was very nice, but the open plan of the lobby and upper rooms was very noisy acoustically, and I didn't sleep very well.

The day of the race, there were so. many. people. It was crazy! We filled the George R. Brown convention center! We filled the streets. The energy was contagious. So many bodies ready to push the limits! We hear the starting cannon and cheer! It took me 20 minutes just to reach the starting line there were so many of us!

Miles 0-5 I felt great! The air was chilly but invigorating. I got to see the sunrise from an overpass over Houston. My legs felt strong and I only walked up a couple of inclines. I didn't make the mistake of starting out too fast. My pace was steady. I smiled at the camera, I took in my surroundings, I waved to folks on the side of the road waving and cheering us on. I took it all in and absorbed the experience of it. I felt very zen.

Mile 6-9 - okay, a bit of a challenge here. Focusing on breathing, walking through all water stops, and inclines. Legs starting to burn and not wanting to cooperate as much. Downed a gu pack (should be called "ew" pack) some water and some sport beans which does help. More people on the side of the road cheering now.

Mile 10-11 - Wait, what mile marker did I just pass? What's my name? Thankfully there are even more people and entertainment to distract the runners. Elvis impersonators, funny signs, cheerleaders, rock bands, balloons, noisemakers...much needed distractions from my own body's protests. Feet feeling the pounding. Walking a bit more now. See the 12 mile sign. Start to cry...wait...crying takes more air...STOP CRYING! Okay, crying over. THERE'S NO CRYING IN RUNNING!

Mile 12-13 - running through downtown again, lots of people. Can't think in complete sentences anymore. Focused. Can't even hear my headphones - take them off. Can't feel my feet. Hoping my foot shaped stumps can carry me across the finish line. See the finish line banner. Almost start crying again. Remember it takes more air and stop. Pumping arms to make my body go. Finish! Right after finishing I hear my name called from the sidelines. I see my daughter's face and we hug through a separation in the fence. I am crying now, so glad she came for me!

I am so glad I did this race. Do I want to do another? You betcha! Pain is addicting!!!

2010: The Year We Make Contact

2010-01-02T09:43:00.000-06:00

We all like fresh starts, so it's time for my 2010 list of resolutions improvements! Resolutions are usually too much to bite off, so I choose to set small reasonable/reachable goals for myself.

1 - Be more social - I have a natural introvert nature. Always have. I mean, I play well with others just as long as the group isn't too large, but many times I let my hermit tendencies take over. I don't want to be a social butterfly, because that would be impossible for me. That would be like asking the Pope to do standup comedy. ("A Rabbi, a Deacon and myself walk into a bar...") God made us all with unique qualities for a reason. We can't all be the life of the party, but I do need to make more people connections. I made some really great knitting friends over the internet who are now some of my BFF's in real life (IRL) also. (blows kisses to those who read this blog) To echo sentiments from some of my friends, "you need to get out more", which will help following the aftermath of #3 below.

2 - Finish half marathon and continue running - Sunday, January 17!!! I could have trained more, but I think I did pretty well for myself for where I am right now. I intend to continue running and will likely sign up for another half marathon after this one is over to continue the cattle prod to the buttocks motivation.

3 - Get through my daughter's wedding alive (or at least without threatening to mame someone) while she obsesses over invitations, decorations and accessories. I'm not a frou-frou wedding planner-type person. When I got married (long ago) I just told my bridesmaids to wear a nice pastel dress and they carried a single flower down the aisle. Although she is far from a diva bridezilla, the number of tiny, miniscule decisions that she's asking of me is enough to make my head spin at times. The other day, I told her she had 2 more wedding related questions/requests to request of me for the rest of the day and to choose wisely.

4 - Simplify and de-stuffify my house/life - I've already started this one thanks to Hurricane Ike. My garage is already full of crap to get rid of, but I want to go through my house and cull the things I don't need. The catch-phrase lately is "simplify" and I could use a little of that.

I also intend to continue working on last year's improvements. It's all about baby steps...set small reasonable goals for yourself one day at a time...one tiny step at a time. Right Bob?

Out with the old...

2010-01-01T19:34:00.005-06:00

I like that the new year is a time to reflect on the past year, condense it down to a manageable pieces, pick out the things you didn't like and try to make the new year better. Like jellybeans. I can do without the black ones in my life thankyouverymuch.

I'm not much of a "resolution" person. It's hard for me to say "I'm going to lose 20 pounds" or "my house will be clean every day" or "I'm going to teach pigs to fly". That just sets me up for failure and disappointment. Instead, I try to work on things. Even if I make them only a little better, it's still better right??? Let's take last year's list for example:

1 - blog more. - Done! More doesn't mean every day. It just means more.
2 - not have too many UFO's going at once. For the most part, I tried to have no more than 5 things going at once. Something easy, something portable, something challenging, something practical and a wild card.
3 - spin more. Again, "more" is a relative word. Compared to last year (before I got my spinning wheel) I did spin more...just not very much.
4 - Get this house decluttered after hurricane ike - Done! (with pics)
5 - Get back into running. I refocused my blog to include running...hence Marshmarathon was born. I then became inspired and kept up my motivation and continued to progress albeit quite slowly and often took a two steps forward one step back approach. Signing up for the Aramco Half Marathon was a good motivator like a cattle prod to the buttocks! Injuries be damned!
6 - Worry less and enjoy the little things in life - I lost my job in February when our company's contract lost the renewal and got another job which is less hours per week, easier but a little less money. So worth it!
7 - Go on a trip with my daughter. Uh...will have to settle for Schlitterbahn and shelling out the bucks for a wedding.
8 - Lose weight and eat healthier. Again, it's all relative. I think I lost a grand total of 10 pounds but hey...I didn't gain!
9 - Knit a little every day. Nope. Just didn't do this one.

10 - Knit more from my stash. I did do this one!

I still don't know what my New Year's list will be this year. Still workin on it!!!

Christmas Retrospective

2009-12-27T09:59:00.003-06:00

Christmas is over. Whew! This is the first year I didn't decorate. It wasn't really a conscious decision not to, but more like a daunting chore looming over our heads. We kept putting it off until it was no longer feasible to do so. I'm not a scrooge by any means, but the thought of hauling down the boxes and boxes of Christmas crap, taking all day to put it up and then thinking about having to put it all away after it's all said and done was not appealing. I also didn't have to stare at each ornament wondering if I should put it away for my daughter to start her new life with.

We did make gingerbread cookies on Christmas Eve. I even made Chris help a little. You will see no deformed ones. We ate them all. Well, we eventually ate the good ones too. I used the recipe from my Fannie Farmer Baking Cookbook and they were so tender and yummy! This cookbook is one of my most loved cookbooks of all time!

See the gingerbread man on the round glass plate with the very large, red sprinkled eye? That's Chris' contribution...a gingerbread man with pink-eye. If you look closely you will also see some cookies shaped like Texas. How many other states have cookie cutters?

Then there was the epic game of Risk. I have very little patience for long games but I loved that they were playing it in my home.

Christmas Day, we went to my sister's house where my 7 month old nephew was anxiously waiting for me. I am finally NOT SICK and can play with my little nephew!!! And yes, he is wearing the hat I made for him...see below.

Running? Let's just say that it takes a little more motivation to get outside in cold weather to run. Even with the perfect combination of clothes! But I don't like running on a treadmill, so it takes a little psyching myself up to get going.

Last but not least, I can show you what I have been knitting! I made a scarf and earwarmer set for my cousin, but I didn't get pictures of them before I gave them away. I was cutting it a bit close!

Ishbel by Ysolda Teague knit in Fearless Fibers laceweight merino yarn in the teal colorway. I made this for my mother and gave it to her Christmas Day. She loved it!

The shawl pin is from Nicholas and Felice and is gorgeous but I felt was a little large and heavy for this neckerchief sized shawl.

I finished my Mountain Form Slippers out of some Cascade 220 Superwash to keep my feet warm

Then I made a Cable and Seed Hat for my nephew out of some KnitPicks Swish Superwash. It used only a few yards short of the entire skein. The pattern doesn't have any identifying author/store on it. It took me about 2 days to make.

And...the last couple of days I have been working on the Urban Aran Cardigan that I am making out of Cascade Yarns Eco Wool in the Latte colorway. With all of the cables and this slightly bulkier yarn, it will be quite warm.

Here's Mud In Yer Eye!

2009-12-15T15:39:00.003-06:00

...and on the floor, and on the patio, and mainly on the DOG!

For the most part, I love winter. I love wearing sweaters and hoodies, snuggling up under my down comforter, wearing my various hand-knitted items and drinking hot tea. A chilly breeze is invigorating, a flurry of snow and I feel like a kid again. I would enjoy these things a lot more if I didn't have a 70 pound MUDDY dog yelping and jumping to the back window begging to be in the house. The other problem is that once in the house, she keeps wanting to go outside again. You know...checking for squirrels, barking at boogey men and chasing flying birds is of utmost importance.

My dog is 13.5 years old and doesn't act a day over 8. She still runs muddy ruts to and from her water, to and from both sides of the gate. And when she runs, she doesn't just get her paws muddy, but her entire chassis. My brand new patio is now covered in muddy footprints. That patio furniture and grill I was dreaming about getting? Cross them off my list. The leisurely mornings reading and sipping tea on my back patio? That dream has drifted away like a puff of smoke.

Cleaning my dog requires me to heft her 70 pounds of squirming dog mass through my house to bathe her. A towel, you say? You may as well give me a moist towelette...a cotton ball...it is of no use. I spent the morning spreading wood chips over the muddy areas. I have never tried this before, but found the idea on an online forum. I am SO hoping this helps! A muddy buddy she is not right now...

Knitting...er...Snow Day!

2009-12-04T14:14:00.003-06:00

They let me out of work early at 1pm. The roads are wet and snowing and the temp is supposed to make a quick dip below freezing to ice the roads nicely for us winter-illiterate Texans. The snow is beautiful floating down. I love the way snow dances on its way down not like the stoopid rain we usually have.

My daughter just got in her car to drive to her boyfriend's house...wait...no...FIANCE! ::strikes forehead with palm:: so I worry about her driving in this. Yes, by Canadian standards, Texans are winter wimps, but we don't have the de-icers like they do. We all act like igmos when the snow starts falling. We flap our arms and point to the sky and exclaim "look! snow!" (said in your best bubba voice) and just stand there and stare at it as if something strange like kittens or juiceboxes were falling from the sky.

So I'll take this early day off to work on some Christmas knitting...and to stare at the snow like an igmo...

Firsts and Lasts

2009-12-02T09:10:00.004-06:00

As parents, we like to mark the "firsts": first words, first steps, first day of school... We take pictures, make scrapbooks, keep programs and save little souvenirs of the event. Our mental archive is full of these occasions for access later.

Things that are harder to identify are the "lasts". Some lasts are worthy of celebration: last diaper, last day at daycare, last carpool. Other lasts are harder to take and a little grieving process accompanies each. Parents of teenagers witness these lasts early on with exponential increase in the latter teen years: last time she lets me have a mommy kiss when dropping her off at school, last school project I helped her complete, last slumber party...

Many times, we don't recognize the lasts when they occur. In the same pair of pants it helps cushion our grief for its loss if we're not aware of it, and make us wish we had cherished it more when it was still here.

Where is all of this coming from? My daughter's boyfriend proposed to her Saturday night. They plan on getting married next August. She will be 20. I...will be having regularly scheduled nervous breakdowns until then. This is where the flood...no...hurricane of "lasts" begins. Was it a surprise? No. They have been dating since she was 15. Through school changes, college, his bootcamp and going to school in Huntsville, nothing has drifted them apart. He's a good guy: a Marine, sweet, a Christian and absolutely adores her and her high-maintenance emotional ways. I truly love him like a son. BUT...and there is always a but...she is my

roommate and best friend and I'm having issues here. (gets up to get a hanky) I fully understand my charge as a parent is to raise her so she can make it in the world on her own. I GET IT. I'm all about that. But here I sit during the holidays realizing that it will be our LAST Christmas at home together. I GET that there will be other joyous events and holidays and this is BY FAR not the end...but I get to grieve, okay? I should warn you also, dear reader, that when I take down the tree and have to put her ornaments in a separate box, I will be a basket case. I WILL, however consciously cherish this Christmas as much as I did our first, but with a few more tears.

Turkey Trot

2009-11-29T09:10:00.003-06:00

No, I'm not talking about the intestinal aftermath of eating poorly prepared Thanksgiving day treats, I'm talking about Thanksgiving Day's 5K to benefit a local charity. It was 7am, a brisk 46 degrees and as it turns out, I was WAY overdressed. Not overdressed in that I was rockin' some formal attire, but that I had too many clothes on. What is comfortable sitting still is NOT what is comfortable running a 5K. Stripping while running is a bit difficult. Sweating is easier. I made a PR! 38:30 for a 5K and I didn't walk once (except briefly at the water station...can't run and drink yet) That may not mean much to you running types, and I'm sure you could achieve that time with a broken leg and with the flu, but I was pleased.

Thanksgiving dinner at my grandmother's was fun, and I could barely detatch myself from my 6 month old nephew. We played Farkle and ate too many desserts. Unfortunately, my family is full of excellent cooks. Good thing I made the preemptive strike on calories with a 5K before dinner, I could barely waddle afterward!

Running Hurts Every Time...That's Why it Works

2009-11-03T21:28:00.003-06:00

God must have a brain chemical devoted to pain amnesia. You know the one. The one that makes women partially forget what labor felt like? Well, he has an even more powerful one for runners.

The next day, we forget that running is uncomfortable. THE NEXT DAY! Something always hurts, taking breaths is a struggle, making the limbs obey is a struggle. We pant and gasp and walk like zombies back to our cars where we guzzle water. We get home and ice our knees or calves and moan. We sleep. Then, like the Etch-A-Sketch-for-brains we are we think "wow, the weather is great for running today". What sane person does this? (I say with an air of incredulity as if I AM sane)

The constant tearing down is what builds us up. Such an imitation of life, no? I need to write this so I can read it later for when my logical brain tries to tell me that running is too hard and I should stop.

The half marathon is in January. (insert panic attack here). I just need to finish... before the cripple cart comes and scrapes the rest of us off the pavement.

Back on Track

2009-09-14T10:17:00.003-06:00

What's worse than being down for 2 weeks with a back injury? Try coming down with the flu! THREE weeks I have been away from running. THREE!! At first, I missed running and felt an empty hole in my life, but the scary thing was...after awhile I got used to it. I got used to being sedentary to the point that when I medically improved enough to get back into running, I resisted at first. Part of my hesitation was fear of FAIL. I knew that after 3 weeks I wouldn't be able to run for crap, but the other part was...well...just...lazy. I don't want to be THAT person again. THAT shiftless blob whose arse could easily become one with the couch cushions. Add the half marathon looming over my head and there is my motivation. Don't get me wrong, my first two runs were pretty crappy compared to what I had been running, but actually weren't as bad as I had expected.

The two GOOD things that came out of my sabbatical were the two knitting projects I finished!

First is the lace Elm Row lace scarf from Knitspot knit with Dream in Color Baby in the Happy Forest colorway.

The next project has been languishing on the needles for awhile while I was working on other things. Spiral Eyelet socks knit in Sunshine Yarns sock in the Chocolate Covered Cherries colorway. The pattern is free! I love free. I finally have a pair of socks for myself! The pattern went rather quickly and the lace part was easy to memorize. The socks fit perfectly!!!

Aunt Flo Conquered

2009-08-29T21:23:00.003-06:00

I haven't posted about this before now, because I wanted to give it a couple months trial run before I give my final verdict. I can heartily announce that I have beaten Aunt Flo without surgery and without hormones. A little over 2 months ago I had a Novasure procedure done at my OB/GYN's office. (No affiliation, just a happy customer) If you are one of the happy peppy people who welcome your monthly girly time as a feminine renewal or a womanly catharsis ...there is no need to read any further.

I won't overwhelm you with the gritty details, but let's just say that Aunt Flo paid me a lot more attention than she used to. Exercise during that time was close to impossible and working a 12 hour shift during that time necessitated hourly trips to the bathroom.

The procedure was a breeze. They give you "milk of amnesia" (propofol) a very good sedative which knocked me out for the 5-10 minute procedure (see the website for more info). After "waking up" I actually felt fine...well, like I had about 2-3 beers, but fine. Afterwards, my daughter and I went to eat and went to the mall. (Don't worry, she drove) I would sit in the stores while she tried on clothes, but I still felt okay. After I got home, I took one pain pill and "slept it off" and didn't need anything else for pain after that.

Results? My first "period" afterward was one day of spotting. I missed my next period entirely. This was THE BEST thing I have ever done. I couldn't be happier. I still get PMS just as bad, but the bloating is a little better, and NO CRAMPS!

Aunt Flo? K-O!

On The Injured List

2009-08-17T10:46:00.004-06:00

My lower back has been bothering me the last couple of days so I've had to take a (hopefully) small hiatus from running. Rather than trying to think I know better than what my body is telling me, I decided to heal this little twinge rather than injure it further. THAT means that I've been knitting a bit more lately.

I finally finished my Empire Tunic. Yes, I'll wait while you flood my comment box with how closely I resemble the original model. I'll wait. Ahem. Well, it does seem to make the girls look a bit bigger. Anyway, the pattern was great and it fits perfectly, but I can't say I was too thrilled about working with Tahki Jeans yarn. I'm sure it's going to wear like iron and be the best thing to wear in Texas during the summer, but it makes my hands hurt to knit with it.

My next project? Girasole by Jared Flood. Possibly more ambitious than I know what to do with...but...meh...it's just yarn.

Losing a Heifer and Gaining Two Calves

2009-08-05T11:26:00.006-06:00

Okay, even though I live in Podunk-ville where the main Saturday evening entertainment is the lavish social galas at walmart (black wolf tshirt optional. Seriously, check the reviews on the tshirt. Too funneh), the above title is not a livestock reference. I AM referring to the newly forming lumps arising from mah pasty white gams as evidenced by the pictoral reference below. Wee-haw! Mah humps, mah lovely lady lumps...check it out! Is it wrong that I take satisfaction from flexing and touching my calves? It's like growing your own produce. It just makes you want to smile.

AND and and and I have gotten below a certain weight (which shall remain nameless), hence the "losing a heifer" reference. AND and and and I ran my fastest 2 miler last night, even if I had to walk a bit. My power song of the run? Jump by Van Halen. This well worn, high school head bangin', master-class air guitar and drum staple on my ipod did the trick. Just as I was about to walk as the music started to slow, I hear David Lee Roth's musical squeal shift my buns into motion. Go Marshmarathon, go!

On the knitting front, I'm still working on the Empire Tunic. It's cotton, it hurts my hands and it's not the best stuff to knit with...but you wanna see the carrot colored wonder yarn dangling on the end of a stick taunting me to finish? With 1717 yards of squooshy woolen wonder with colors like that of the surface of the sun and just as intense...I give you...Wollmeise lace!

This is wanting to become a Girasole SOOOOOOO bad right now, as soon as I can finish this tunic. Then...I'll be knitting on this for the next 10 years!

The W-I-D-E World of Running This Week

2009-07-21T20:10:00.002-06:00

Okay, I really need to lose some more weight if my running is to improve. Try running around with 50 extra pounds strapped to your body and run. This past week's run brought to you by Over Achievers Anonymous. I was off four days in a row. Thinking I could get some good runs in, I proceeded to get shoed up and step outside for a 2 mile run every day that I was off. Or should I say intended to run 2 miles?

Day 1 - thighs of steel carry me away! Two miles? No problem! (I lie...I still haven't experienced an "easy" run)

Day 2 - walked twice for a bit in the 2 miles with my running group. That's okay, can't win 'em every day!

Day 3 - walked three times in the 2 miles. Do ya see where this is going? Do you think I did?

Day 4 - daughter wanted to go running with me. Oh joy! We finally get to engage in the activity that she got me started into! At 0.64 miles I hit a friggin' wall. What?!? 0.64 miles? Frustrated with myself, I tried to run using mostly my thighs and butt and taking longer strides. Nope. Didn't work. Angry now I run several yards as fast as I can, legs turn to jello and gasp for dear life and walk the rest of the way. I guess it doesn't help that I was PMSing and had had spent 4.5 hours in a tire place earlier that day.

Okay, I know you're not supposed to feel like a failure for walking during a run but geez! I guess I can't do 2 miles back to back to back to back without a rest day. Sucks. Was trying to get up my miles too.

So today is a rest day (sticks out tongue). Thanks for listening to me rant.

Post Race Signup High

2009-07-17T17:04:00.002-06:00

I was up until 1:30am this morning so I could sign up for the Aramco Houston Half Marathon. I WOULD have been able to sign up at 12:01 am like the website said, but do you think that a million and one people were also trying to access the site at 12:01am having a seizure on the refresh button just as I was? Do you think the website crashed quite a bit even in mid registration? Do you think that the powers that be could have anticipated the frenzy? Really? Like, maybe they could have used something besides a Commodore 64? At 2pm today, 13,200 people are signed up for one of the races. This is going to sell out fast.

After springing out of bed at the crack of 9:45 and doing some fiddle-fart things around the house, I decided I wanted to go for a run outside. It was 12 noon. I haz teh dumbz. Knowing it would be a craptastic run, I went anyway in true stubborn fashion fueled by the high of signing up for a major race that I'm a little bit skeerd of. I don't know what I pulled outta my butt, but I ran 2 full miles at 12 noon in Texas in almost full sun. Three days ago I felt like I could barely make 2 miles on an indoor dreadmill! The body is a mysterious thing, but I think mine should be named Sybil.

I thought more about why I'm running and have come to this conclusion: I have to find my identity apart from being someone's mom or someone's nurse. My child rearing days are coming to a close and I'm feeling the vacuum start to pull at me. What is my life about now? Working and making money to pad my death bed in old age? Yay. fun. I guess this is why people have mid life crises, although I don't think I've quite hit my midpoint. I'm just getting a head start.

Actual Knitting!

2009-07-10T19:39:00.003-06:00

I finally finished and blocked my textured shawl! It's so soft and smooshy...of course...it's alpaca! I used Henry's Attic Alpaca Prime. This will be great to curl up on the couch with when the weather starts getting colder. As hot as it's been lately, I can only dream! I'll have to post the links later. The last part of a shawl seems to go on FOREVER!

In running news... I made it to 2 miles without walking...outside! Gasping? yes. Legs aching? yes. But I made it. It wasn't a fluke either because yesterday I ran 2.25 miles on the treadmill. I'm due to join up with a local running club this Saturday at 6:00am for a long run. I think that will keep me motivated as well. In one week the signups for the Aramco Houston Half Marathon will be up and I plan on entering. Sooooo...this may be a bit of a mid life crisis thing...running a half marathon...but at least it's not convertibles and wild behavior (more than usual). I'm serious when I say that never in my entire life do I remember running 2 full miles before!!

As the mother of a college aged child (gosh, did I really say that?) we tend to have a bit (a lot) of denial regarding their flight from the nest. I knew eventually she would leave home, but like Scarlett O'Hara "I'll think about that tomorrah!" Well, her current plan (that she recently burst my bubble with) would place her going away to college Spring of 2010. My sweet little bundle of joy that I can actually say I ENJOY playing room-mate to (except for the clothes and crap on the floor) will be leaving the nest in LESS THAN A YEAR. So, is a mid-life crisis warranted? You betcha.

Oppressive Heat + No Breakfast = Stupid Run

2009-07-01T09:03:00.004-06:00

I woke up a little late this morning and almost didn't go for a run. I remembered that it was supposed to rain and drop the temps a little bit so I consulted with my outside thermometer that read 77 degrees. "Ah perfect" as I laced on my shoes and quickly geared up for a run.

The cacophony of cicadas (say that ten times fast) should have been the first tip-off to how hot it was going to be. If you don't know what a cicada is, watch any movie set in the South during the heat of summer when folks were fanning themselves on the front porch drinking lemonade and melting into their rocking chairs. In the background you will hear this undulating chattering noise from cicada bugs. The chatter increases the hotter it gets...but I digress...

I remembered that I had forgotten to eat something as I approached the track but decided to soldier on. After a half mile, my legs decided not to cooperate as I was breathing in huge chunks of hot, humid air. The cicadas were now giggling at me and telling their little buggy friends. I dropped the Ullrey podcast like a hot potato as I could not keep up, and walked the remaining mile back to my house to ABBA. Dumb run dumb run dumb run.

In better news, I went to go see my sister and new nephew! I apologize to any bitter infertiles out there, but I leave you with my too cute nephew holding up his head. He is one month old today!!!

Power song of the day: "Fake It" by Seether

A New Member of the Mile High Long Club!

2009-06-22T21:38:00.004-06:00

I finally made it! I ran an entire mile without walking! I don't think I have EVAR done that in the history of my life even in school. In PE, I was usually one of the ones walking at the back complaining about having to run. Even in my adulthood I would joke that I couldn't run because my pantyhose might catch on fire. I.actually.like.running.now.

It was actually quite amusing this morning. I walk up to the track where 3 large football playa dudes were doing drills in the middle of the field. I meekly ask one of them "will it bother you if I use the track?". The biggest guy pipes up and says "go 'head on and get your exercise on!" (exact quote). As I rounded each quarter mile loop, the biggest guy counted them off for me "ONE!"..."TWO!" He didn't say three or four probably because he was into his own training at the time. When I finally finished the mile, I let out a whoop and kept walking and he retorted with an "alright!" The rest of the run I couldn't run past quarter mile because the sun was starting to beat down on me and I forgot to bring water. I didn't care. I just ran a mile!

I also went out and got a new "do" today and got about 8 inches of hair chopped off! Instead of a long swinging ponytail, I will have a ponytail nubbin. Then I went by Victoria's Secret where they were having a big sale, then went and joined my knitting friends. It was a good day. Oh! And I found the best T-shirt to go with my blog. I still need to lose a little more weight so it doesn't fit like a sausage casing. Perfect for Marshmarathon!

Run = Suck today

2009-06-03T19:07:00.003-06:00

Today's run sucked big time. My calves just would not cooperate and out of 2 miles I only barely trotted for 5 minutes. This pain was not working itself out by walking, so I listened to my body and went home. suck suck suck. I totally overdid it yesterday.

My sister had her baby (my first nephew) 6/1/09 and I went to see them yesterday. I blame the holding-a-newborn-baby endorphins for making me do something stoopid and running for 3 sets of 8 minute runs at a bit faster pace than my usual despite my calves protest. Did I think I could ACTUALLY progress as quickly as THE ULLREY wanted me to? Obviously not. I just hate to waste a day off from work by NOT running! suck suck suck.

But lookee!! My first nephew!

Why I Run (or try to)

2009-05-31T09:11:00.004-06:00

What started out as a challenge from my daughter to run a marathon, has blossomed into a compulsion to run. It's hard to explain, since I was previously a self-proclaimed loather of all things athletic. I used to be content to sit on my couch and watch the boob tube and knit and make fun of people who exercised. "yeah, I don't run because my pantyhose always catch on fire" or some other quip of its kind. However, when the dishes in the sink are even trying to reach their own height record and the laundry can create its own dead lift maximum, I find myself wanting to set my own personal records. Will I be faster today? Will I run longer today? The laundry and dishes and even the TV will be there when I get back.

Lacing up my shoes, I start to feel the adrenaline surge and I feel powerful. I step outside and breathe in the outdoors. It is easy to forget the dishes and laundry and work and have this moment for myself. I leave the phone, the internet and others behind me. The only person who needs me, is me right now. I am untethered. As I jog or walk, I feel the lifting breeze around me. Even at 85 degrees I am not uncomfortable. The scent of a backyard barbecue wafts around me and I wonder what the occasion could be or what they are cooking. As I round the corner, the fresh cool, clean smell of a nearby yard sprinkler invigorates me as I run through the halos of rainbows and smile to myself. I turn down my music player so I can hear the mockingbirds at play watching me from nearby trees.

A mile into my run, I hit my stride and focus on my rhythmic breath pairing with my footfalls on the pavement. I challenge myself. "Just a little bit longer" or "a longer stride" or "if I could just make it to that telephone pole". Although I still cannot run a full mile without walking a bit, I am feeling stronger with every day that I try. As I make the last stretch for home, I feel like a horse that makes sight of the barn at home and step up my pace for this last bit of the run. The clouds over the houses are alight with a pink and orange glow from the rising sun. I walk up the driveway to my house and although I have worked up a good sweat and my legs feel spent of most of their energy, I feel mentally lighter. I can now approach the rest of my day with a renewed focus. This is why I run.

Skinny Bitches Just Don't Understand

2009-05-28T19:38:00.004-06:00

I could come up with the lyrics to go with Fresh Prince's "Parents Just Don't Understand" song, but nah... I'll just have a little rant about skinny bitches who have always been skinny, don't know what it's like to have trouble losing weight and who look down their skinny noses at us overweight women. This rant brought to you by the letters F and U!

I have nothing against thin people, just thin people who think fatter people must be lazy or lying about what they eat/don't eat. Some of us really struggle with this.

How many times have I heard "just eat less and move more" or "calories in, calories out"? Way too many times to bitchslap someone about. Face it. Our bodies are not machines that leave the factory at a set point to burn a set number of calories per activity. Our bodies are meant to withstand famines and physical hardships and still stay alive! Metabolism is not a fixed variable. As females, our hormones actually encourage our bodies to deposit fat on hips, thighs and breasts so we can get pregnant or stay pregnant.

Many of my family members are overweight. Is it because we hork down McDonald's every day? No. I'm sure heredity plays a huge factor. I like to think that my Nordic fuel conserving ancestors could fall off of their Viking ship while their fat kept their body afloat and alive for 2 weeks without food on the high seas.

My body just happens to be great at fuel conservation. I did 17 miles last week and ate pretty healthy and did not lose an ounce. But you know what? I'm going to keep at it. "Can't" is not part of my vocabulary right now. Difficult? yes. Trying? yes. &*%$@? yes. I'm not making excuses for being overweight, but am trying to understand WHY. That's the only way I can try to improve it.

Inspired

2009-05-27T14:16:00.003-06:00

Spirit of the Marathon should be required viewing for all runners and wannabe runners. This movie is truly inspirational and presented from the perspective of elite runners and everyday people like me. I dare you to watch it and not have a little tear in your eye or at least a swelling of pride and inspiration.

Best line from the movie "People run the marathon to prove that there is still triumph and there is still possibility in their lives". This could not ring more true to me right now.

I share with you the theatrical trailer. The movie is a free instant view if you have a Netflix account.

Aunt Flo is a Ho - Ask Me How I Kno

2009-05-26T15:27:00.001-06:00

Ah yes...was it a coincidence that predictions were correct? Was it Murphy's Law? Leave it up to Aunt Flo to make her visit EARLY. Geez. I have half a mind to have the baby maker yanked! (Just half a mind, though...owie)

Well, today is a rest day on the running front. SOME rest day! Working 12 hours today and the first 7 were non-stop. I almost want to run just for the stress relief! Am I weird for missing my run on my rest days?

The good news is, two of my knittahs have started to run lately also. Bad news is, one of them fell during a run last night. Lets hope it doesn't discourage her for good.

You Can't Have a Superhero Without an Arch-Enemy

2009-05-25T11:16:00.004-06:00

Superman has Lex Luthor, Batman has the Joker...and Marshmarathon has the dreaded Aunt Flo. Having dealt with her for a number of years, I know how she operates and can almost predict her entrance, but it doesn't make it that much easier.

As with any arch nemesis, Aunt Flo usually sends some of her henchmen ahead of her to stir up trouble and weaken her foe before she attacks:

Bloatrix - has mighty powers of fluid shifting and retention and can slow things down to a measly crawl. She also has the power to split seams, pop buttons and cause sausage fingers.

Dirty, filthy, lying scale - has the powerful ability to change the gravitational pull of the Earth only when you step on a scale.

Gobble-lins - affect appetite centers of the brain, especially the chocolate gland in the cerebellum causing food cravings of massive proportions.

The Emotionator - perhaps the most evil of all the henchmen with the ability to swing moods so fast, it makes grown men cry.

I think all four were working on me today. I was so apathetic about going for a run this morning, that I stopped at 2 miles. My pace was crap, my "runs" were crap and my calves had no energy to push off. I was even talking smack to Ullrey on the Week 4 podcast. He would pipe in with "this next run is only 5 minutes, you can do it" to which I retorted "screw off!" After 5 minutes he would say "Great job! Now walk for another 90 seconds and we'll follow it up with a 3 minute run". "The hell you say" I spat...then tried to do it anyway. Sometimes a little verbal defiance helps with physical obedience. Ullrey to me is like Alfred to Batman. I don't always heed his wisdom.

Feeling a bit deflated, I went and bought groceries and an apple fritter (nom nom). Feeling guilty about the apple fritter, I decided to give it another 2 miles around the neighborhood to work off the donut. The first mile was great and the second mile was crap again. Oh well. Tomorrow will be a rest day (if you consider working a 12 hour shift a day of rest)

Power song of the day: "I Ran" by Flock of Seagulls

Work It! I'll put my thang down flip it and reverse it...

2009-05-24T11:52:00.010-06:00

There's nothing like a good Missy E song to get you in the running mood. What started out to be a rest day turned into a running morning. The weather was perfect with a nice breeze before the rain that I knew was coming. Despite 4 hours of sleep (I dunno why), I got out and did 4 miles and week 4 of the Couch to 5K podcast by Ullrey. Again, I should remind you dear reader, that when I say 4 miles, I end up walking most of that. Also, before you get jealous that I am on week 4, remember that I have been doing this for about 2-3 months. Yeah...I'm a little slow.

So, what's on my list of running necessities nowadays?

chapstick - preferably with SPF protection
sunglasses - ~~for looking cool~~ for protecting my retinas
ventilated hat - to catch the sweat before it runs into my eyes and shade the sun
iPod with Nike plus - for tracking my time, pace, mileage. This thing is so cool. I've seen mods for affixing the shoe pod in non-Nike shoes so you don't have to buy the special Nikes. At any time during your run you can press the center button on your ipod and a voice tells you how far you've gone and time and current pace. Accuracy? Meh. It's close enough for me. At the end of your workout she will tell you your stats. If you happen to have run your longest or fastest, you may get a verbal "atta boy" from Lance Armstrong or Tiger Woods.
Tech clothing - is becoming verra verra cool. Most days I throw on a comfy T-shirt and above the knee yoga pants, but on hot days a moisture wicking "tech" shirt is great! I also bought some "tech" socks that are supposed to keep your feet drier than cotton. Wouldn't you know they have some wool content? Duh.
Road ID - (no affiliation) You may laugh, but as I get my aged, ample rear on the track, I think about what if I have a heart attack or get hit by a car or pass out? This little bit of geekery has my name, birthdate, emergency phone numbers, blood type and allergies engraved on it. Kinda lame, but gives me one less excuse for running.

On the knitting front, I am getting SO CLOSE to having my house as it was before hurricane Ike. Just in time for this next hurricane season! I thought I would share some before and after pictures of my lovely room. BEFORE:

Insulation everywhere

You can see part of the ceiling hole in the upper left corner of the picture

AFTER:

I just love my new cabinet for yarn! It is the Linnarp cabinet by Ikea. It is a solid wood cabinet (except the back) stained red and is the perfect size. I'll bet you can't tell what my favorite color is!

The Adventures of Marshmarathon and KnittyKnurse

2009-05-23T18:57:00.005-06:00

WAIT! (insert superhero fanfare) What was that that just zoomed past at 4 miles per hour? Faster than a speeding tricycle, more powerful than a loco moron, able to leap small curbs in a single bound. Is it a gnat? an ice cream truck? NO! It's MARSHMARATHON!!! Yes, Marshmarathon...a strange ample woman who has an alter-ego with inflated delusions of running a marathon, with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal infants. Marshmarathon - who can change the course of mighty running tracks, bend nickel plated knitting needles with her bare hands, and who, disguised as Knitty Knurse, mild mannered nurse who knits with other mild mannered knitters...FIGHTS A NEVER ENDING BATTLE...OF FLAB, APATHY AND TO HAVE HER OWN WAY! And now, another exciting episode in the adventures of Marshmarathon...

Yes, I changed my blog title, so don't get all confuzzled. I just wanted it to reflect more of who I am now rather than "Knitterly Diversions" which is a milk-toast, golly-gee-willickers sort of title that I didn't care for much when I created it anyway!

What's behind the new title? My daughter talked me into an INSANE thing called a marathon in about 8 months. I had only been jog/walking sporadically for about 2-3 months when this idea popped up. I'm going to try to post semi-regularly to keep you apprised of my progress (or lack thereof).

I've been quite apprehensive about telling anyone about the prospect of a marathon because...well...I don't really look like the "runner" type. I'm a bit...more..."ample" you can say. Some days I feel like the female running version of the Stay Puft Marshmallow man...hence the name "Marshmarathon". I still have not told anyone in my family, except my daughter (whose crazy idea this was from the beginning). I wanted to avoid any negative comments or looks of incredulity. If you see me in person, please resist the urge to giggle and point. I'm fine being your source of amusement as long as I'm not aware of it.

I've been training more seriously for 3 weeks, jog/walking 4-5 days per week following a combination of Couch to 5K using podcasts from Robert Ullrey and Hal Higdon's plan for running. My hopes? Lose some weight, improve my time, and finish a marathon without dying.

I have bad days and good days and will regale you with tales of both. Today was a good day. It's good to start a new blog focus from the perspective of a good day. I was able to progress to week 4 of the Couch to 5K program! Woohoo! I even improved my best pace, although I'm not ready to reveal my pace to you guys. I'm only in competition with myself at this point.

SO...stay tuned to this space for continued tales of Marshmarathon and KnittyKnurse!

The Week's Best

2009-01-16T20:18:00.003-06:00

Best quote this week: "I'm impressed with the potential you see in me." ~Michael Scott from The Office.

Best thing I got this week: A roof! I've been waiting for 4 months to get a roof and I finally got one!! The crew showed up right before I left for work and by the time I got home the roof was finished and every scrap was cleaned up like they had never been there. It was like the roof fairy had come! But 4 months later? Was I bad? Too bad it was almost dark when I got home. It will be like Christmas when I can wake up in the morning to go outside and look at my roof. For those without ever having hurricane torn holes in your roof, you will never (thankfully) know...

Best comment made to me this week: one of my co-workers has noticed my weight loss! 15 pounds today!

New Years Resolutions

2009-01-02T13:05:00.002-06:00

Normally, I don't make resolutions...mainly because they are so resolute! I tend to think of it like pirates think about the topic of parley - more as a guideline than a rule.

1 - blog more. nuff said

2 - not have too many UFO's going at once. I tend to get overwhelmed when I have too many and don't get around to actually finishing much. I'm not going to set a limit because cast-on-itis can hit at any time.

3 - spin more. Well, since I just got my spinning wheel, this shouldn't be hard to achieve.

4 - Get this house decluttered when I finally get my third bedroom back from the devastation of Ike. I plan to make it more of a creative studio than a junk room.

5 - Get back into running. I always enjoy it, I always feel better after having gone running, then why do I avoid it???

6 - Worry less and enjoy the little things in life

7 - Go on a trip with my daughter. I would love to go to Hawaii. I guess that means I need another resolution. See next...

8 - Lose weight and eat healthier. Yeah, this turns up on my resolution list every year, but it's been a resolution I've been working on. I only gained 2 pounds over the holidays which is a record for me!

9 - Knit a little every day. Even if it's just 5 minutes

10 - Knit more from my stash. I seem to have gone into a yarn buying binge lately! I'm not going on a yarn fast because they just don't work and I end up binging...just like food.

Knitting Year in Review

2009-01-01T21:14:00.004-06:00

19 projects were finished in 2008 (listed below) and I became the proud owner of a Majacraft Rose spinning wheel! The wheel is the Christmas present to myself this year and I am still getting used to the whole process. The yarn is a little wonky but that just gives it character, right?

Anyway, I hope to have more knitted items this upcoming year. My queue is full!

To begin:

You Snag by ms. pixie riot

Calorimetry by Kathryn Schoendorf

My So Called Scarf by Allison Isaacs

Silver's Sock Class by Kristin Bellehumeur

Chevron Scarf by Joelle Hoverson

Knitted Lacy Round Cloth by Rhonda White

Mug and French Press Jacket by MK Carroll

Tribble by Abigail - 1870pearl

Baby Sweater on Two Needles (February) by Elizabeth Zimmermann

February Hat I used instructions from:
http://www.intertext.com/lauren/2008/02/february-hat-explained.html
using the gull lace pattern from EZ

Mary Jane Booties by April Cromwell

Gust by Anne Hanson

Broken Rib Tea Cosy by Pamela Henderson

Clapotis by Kate Gilbert

Felted Cable Bag #143 by Patons

Brea Bag by Norah Gaughan

En pointe -tossut by Ilu

Monkey by Cookie A.

Evangeline by Michelle Szeghalmi

And a partridge in a pear tree...

Parade of Christmas Knitting

2008-12-30T08:07:00.011-06:00

So, where have I been? Feverishly knitting up Christmas gifts! (see my Ravelry project page)I do this EVERY YEAR and always spend the last week knitting my fingers into a perfect gnarled claw. The thing is, I always start early enough, but somewhere in the middle I get that gift-knitting-melancholy that only a deadline can bring me out of.

So, I'm guessing you want pictures, right? Okay...you asked for it!

Our first model (yes, those are my sexay gams there) is wearing the En Pointe Slippers - Tossut by ilun handu duunaa (free pattern). Ilu is a Finnish knitter with a blog in both Finnish and English and always has gorgeous blog photos! I'm a sucker for blogs with great photos. Don't judge my "hurry-up-and-snap-a-pic-so-I-can-put-them-in-a-gift-bag-and-run-out-the-door" style. These were made for my teenage niece with the matching Brea bag below.

The Brea Bag (another free pattern) from Berroco, was a very fun knit and well written pattern which seemed to magically come together before my eyes. I had put off seaming (who doesn't) and had originally planned to line the bag, but time got away from me. She loved it and I couldn't have been more thrilled.

Our next knitted item, I nicknamed the "Felted Bag-O-Doom"(aka Felted Cable Bag #143 by Patons...my name sounds more interesting). This is a free pattern, but you must login to the Patons site in order to access their free patterns. It goes without saying that you must knit items much larger than they will be before you felt them. This bag seemed to take forever! I had originally started the bag as part of the Ravelympics Games to knit a project at Olympic speeds and have it done before the end of games. I didn't receive my yarn for several days after the games started and kind of lost momentum from there. After knitting the bag, with much trepidation, I gingerly placed the finished cabled Bag-O-Doom in the washer and stood over the it like an expectant parent checking after every minute of agitation. I actually had a cold chill creep up my back when the wool mess hit the hot water. The felting actually helped straighten out the wonkiness. I dried it on a sweater rack with a couple of wire mesh office trays to hold it open to dry faster. I think it turned out well.

Our next model (yep, my legs again) is wearing the Monkey Sock by Cookie A (another free pattern, of course) in Zen Yarn Garden's Bamboolicious yarn in the Down By the Bay colorway which was part of a Harmony Semi-Solid sock yarn club shipment. This yarn is so soft and was a joy to knit with. I did get a second sock syndrome and had put this project on hold while I worked on other things, but I loved how it turned out. After finishing both, I tried them on and seriously thought of giving my sister something store-bought instead because they fit my feet perfectly and felt so soft...which meant they would fit hers perfectly also. (pouts) I finished these while watching one of our favorite corny holiday movies, Mixed Nuts.

Last, but not least are the Evangeline fingerless gloves I knit for my daughter (free Ravelry download) out of Malabrigo in solid black. These are the gloves that sparked my last post. I knit my fingers to the bone at a feverish pace to get the wristwarmers finished in time for Christmas. I finally wove in the last stitch on Christmas Eve, trimmed the yarns and beamed at my accomplishment. Excited about this finished project, I enthusiastically tried on the pair of wristwarmers….only…
they.were.both.left.handed.gloves. (hangs head)
I made a right handed glove and gave them to her 2 days later. I'll just make another rightie and have myself a pair!

I am now, working on a Central Park Hoodie which is my first adult-sized sweater! I even made a gauge swatch and everything (gasp, horror).
Have a Happy New Year!

Yarn Foolery

2008-12-17T18:49:00.001-06:00

Now that it’s cold, my daughter is whining about me making her some wristwarmers when I have Christmas knitting to finish! (okay just half a sock) but still! I showed her the malabrigo I bought and she says “do you have anything softer?” I told her to go catch some angel farts and I would be right on that. I think she’s thinking of those fuzzy yarns that are so soft they snag on your hands. If she’s thinking of my Handmaiden Camel/Silk yarn, she’s crazy. She may be my only child but she can’t have that. I can see the headlines now:

“Another Obsessed Knitter Neglects Child”
-by Lotta Crylic

Authorities are tracking yet another insanely obsessed knitter bent on neglecting her child. Forced to wear hand stranglers of M-M-Malabrigo, the child is forced to share living space with what is referred to as “the stash”. Scientists believe the microabrasions found on the childs hands could be the result of either the alleged Malabrigo or aggressive video game play. We may never know. Unable to find the softness she so rightly deserves, this anonymous child sought the help of AFU news correspondent Lotta Crylic.

According to the child, she reports that the mother often engages in secret group meetings with other yarn-crazed women. These women often display knitting gang signs and have intimidating gang names like tehstix, TwistedTexan, MsLilly, Webecca, Kate and Tifftastic not to mention their matriarch, Mopknits. It is also confirmed that her mother has recently been on a yarn rampage in the Texas Hill Country with other random women she met on the interwebs, leaving her helpless 18 year old child home alone to fend for herself.

I went to speak with the mother who answered the door with two long metal spikes, trailing some yarn she had just disemboweled. I could see behind her some kind of primitive, wooden yarn-torturing wheel device and thought better of entering. I asked the mother if she would give up her Camelspun/silk yarn for this poor suffering waif to which she replied “frog you!” and slammed the door.

It appears that we may not have an answer to this epidemic of yarn-foolery. The subjects are left feeling fleeced and we have yet to find an antidote for this Mal-Abrigo.

Brandon Mably Color Knitting Workshop

2008-10-26T09:01:00.010-06:00

Have you ever wanted to dive into a pile of yarn and roll around in it? Well, short of rolling around, that's what we got to do at Brando n Mably's Color Knitting Workshop at Yarns 2 Ewe yesterday. I felt like a kid in an art class where we just got to play. Remember how free we were as kids and how excited we got with the giganto 64 color crayon box? We just grabbed colors based on how we felt, not based on trendy color combinations. Brandon Mably is the Studio Manager at Kaffe Fassett's Studio. He has an intuitive sense of color and a great sense of humor. In his words, he would rather dive naked into cold porridge than knit a solid color sweater.

The class was a lot of fun. First, Brandon discussed his color process. He does not use a color wheel. Many colors that exist in nature, paintings...etc do not follow the color wheel. Instead, he taught us to see color more in terms of values and tones. He also stressed how certain "ugly" colors come alive with the right color next to it. Color should induce a feeling. He slowly and surely deprogrammed us not to overthink our color choices.

Having never done colorwork before, I was initially focused on the technique of the thing. All of the colors, ends were quite fiddly BUT, I was there to learn something about color, so my tension and color changes were a little wonky. He also showed us how to weave the ends in as we knit which was a great trick. Who wants to use a darning needle to sew in all of the ends? With all of the colors we were using, it would have been a nightmare! Brandon was great about teaching and making sure to give everyone individual help. He even brought some things that he has been knitting on such as the stole above that was knit in a lovely, soft bamboo yarn.

The best part of the entire workshop was at the end when we all put up our swatches on the wall like children's drawings on parent night. Then Brandon went to each one and extolled the virtues of our color choices and how blah color choices were saved with the addition of other colors. We all beamed as he talked about OUR swatch. Would I take the class again? You betcha!

Unfortunately, the drive in Houston and sitting in cold hard chairs was not too kind on my back. I stopped by Walgreens on the way home and bought a strap on heat pad, Icy Hot and some stick-on heat pads. I plan to sit around all day. I'm not much good for anthing else! But it was well worth it!

Pumpkin Tea Cozy

2008-10-24T09:17:00.002-06:00

Pumpkin teapot
Originally uploaded by christijnp

Yay! It's finished! I'm not sure I crocheted the leaves right, but hey...they're leaves! I used the Broken Rib Tea Cosy Pattern from Pamela's blog and used the leaves and tendrils pattern from the Fall 2008 Knit Simple Magazine.

Just in time for cool weather, hot tea and the holidays!
Raveled here

"Back" to "Hooking"

2008-10-23T14:40:00.003-06:00

No, I am not, nor have I ever been a lady of the night. There's nothing like a provocative blog title to get your attention though! ;-)

I went home from work today because of my back and taught myself to crochet.
I must have pulled something outta whack while I was trying to disassemble my trashed, hurricanized patio that was just laying there killing the grass. I woke up sore this morning, but the 40 minute commute and trying to do my job just made it worse. To top it all off, my co-workers saw me cry. Don't you hate it when you get mad at yourself for crying, which only makes you cry more? They were sweet and understanding, but I felt like a bawling baby.

So here I sit, drugs finally kicking in, bored outta my gourd and pick up The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller. A few pages in and I'm crocheting! (okay, maybe it's the drugs but it makes me giggle that it looks like I typed crotch-eting) I'm making the leaves and tendrils for my pumpkin tea cozy. I'd take pictures but I can't reach my camera and my nurse (daughter) has left for work. So, I leave you a picture of my Wollmeise yarn club acquisition

I can haz dat nu choo toi?

Mushmouth

2008-10-20T21:09:00.004-06:00

Mushmouth
Originally uploaded by christijnp

Hobow abar youbou doobooing? (Fat Albert reference for you yunguns)

Methinks this tea cozy makes a far more entertaining hat, don't you think? What a schnoz on that puppy! (no animals were harmed in taking this photograph)

Okay, I'll share the real picture of its intended use. Far less entertaining. A tea cozy. I'm going to crochet some little leaves and tendrils to make it look like a pumpkin. Awww...

I got the pattern for the tea cozy at Pamela's Blog and am using the leaves/tendrils pattern from another pumpkin tea cozy from Knit Simple magazine Fall 2008 edition. Ravelry entry here. The Knit Simple pattern used way more yarn than I had. This tea cozy only used 45 grams of Cascade 220 which works out to be about a 100 yards of worsted weight. The pattern was knit in less than a day including seaming. Yay for instant gratification!

The Shins

2008-10-19T17:30:00.003-06:00

No, not the supa cool indie rock band, but the "oh my aching shins" variety. It seems that when I go on a jog/walk many areas of my body are in constant protest however, one usually protests more loudly than the others. Last week it was my knees, this week is my shins. I guess I need to go read about what to do with shin splints...

I'm trying something different this time around...I'm NOT weighing myself for awhile. I could easily get so caught up in the constant fluctuation of my weight that I forget the bottom line of this whole eat-healthy-exercise program. When I lose, I feel that I have achieved success and when I have gained/not lost, I feel failure. This is DESPITE what effort I have or have not put into a healthy lifestyle. I can't expect to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.

I also tend toward self sabotage. Sometimes when I lose weight I feel that I can get away with more and eat more. Then again, sometimes when I gain, I get frustrated and eat anyway. Bottom line...I need to outsmart myself. I'll let you know how that goes.

In other knitting news, I am knitting a tea cozy in orange yarn to look like a pumpkin for the holidays. I'll post pictures when I get a little further along.

Whose idea was this?

2008-10-14T17:57:00.002-06:00

Oh.... Mine....
So I started the Couch to 5K program last week with the help from a podcast from Robert Ullreys. I had started this before, but after week 1, I injured my knee (doing something else), then a post-surgical dog, then the hurricane, then all of the after hurricane crap...then... I ran out of excuses. Thankfully, Turtlegirl (insert superhero fanfare here) inspired me to start it again.

It's week 2, but I'm stuck on week 1 part of the plan. Why am I just now blogging about it? Because week 1 would have looked like this..."today(gasp) is (gasp) my (gasp) first (gasp) week (gasp) of (gasp) Couch25K (thud - as I collapse on the floor) You try running with 50 pounds of extra weight on you! My badonk-a-donk went donk. I felt like a fat-alanche was about to happen on my backside (It didn't...darn it. I checked.)

Clapotis part deux

2008-10-04T14:05:00.001-06:00

Clapotis part deux
Originally uploaded by christijnp

Clapotis #2 in Brooks Farm Four Play yarn. I love this color combo!

Mystery Stole 4

2008-10-04T11:33:00.001-06:00

IMG_2664 001
Originally uploaded by christijnp

Ah...yet another knitalong I can't keep up with.
This is the UFO from Mystery Stole 4 WITH BEADS!
I'm loving the beads right now, but this next section is without beads so it is going slower.

Stitch N Pitch

2008-05-24T09:42:00.001-06:00

Stitch N Pitch
Originally uploaded by christijnp

Take me out to the yarn store...uh...I mean...ballgame...
Had a great time at the Stitch N Pitch Astros vs Brewers game! It went to 12 innings before the Astros finally won! I'll have to admit that it was quite humid and warm which made knitting with wool a bit tricky.

The picture is of my Noro Striped Scarf in Noro Silk Garden

More Baby Hats....

2007-08-15T20:49:00.001-06:00

IMG_1061
Originally uploaded by christijnp

Okay I am so ready for people to quit getting pregnant! This is the fourth baby hat in the last year! This pattern is going very well though and is so easy! Yay more pink...

Pattern: http://www.touchinglittlelives.org/ellenhat.html

Yarn: Wool Bam Boo

Needles: Size 8 DPNs

Yay, more Christmas knitting!

2007-08-05T14:05:00.000-06:00

I'm still plugging away at the Irish Hiking Scarf but decided I needed to knock the hat out of the way so I could knit up the rest of the yarn with the scarf. I hope my sister meant it when she said she liked pink.

This is the Coronet hat from Knitty in a size medium. The pictures are unblocked. I figure I'm going to store them until Christmas and will block them when it is closer to time. I used Knit Picks Swish Superwash in the Ballerina colorway. It took about 1.3 skeins of yarn or 65gm (gotta love those digital scales). I did modify the pattern a bit so it doesn't flip up but stockinette starts directly from the band. It comfortably covers the top half of my ears and is quite warm.

I do have to knit another baby hat. This makes the 4th previous and/or current co-worker I've made a baby hat for just since March! No babies for years and then 4 in rapid succession. Whatever they're drinking I will have none, thank you. I've been cruising Ravelry for easy baby hat patterns but still have not decided yet.

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat...

2007-07-28T13:41:00.000-06:00

And so comes the parade of Christmas projects! These pics will NOT be on my Flickr account because guess who sees all of my Flickr photos? You guessed it...friends and family. They don't know about this blog, because it's generally my knitting related stuff. So, I can post my pics here, but my Ravelry account will have to display the generic "No photo until Christmas" clip art.

My next Christmas project is the Irish Hiking Scarf for my sister. This is my first try at cables and I LOVE them! Cables are so much easier than I had thought, and they make the fabric oh so sproingy (springy + boing = sproingy). I am also loving to knit with KnitPicks Swish Superwash in the Ballerina colorway. Not sure how it will hold up with use, but Texas winters are pretty short anyway. Dear sis and hubby moved about 3 hours away one month ago and being away from friends and family is difficult. I'm also going to make a Coronet Hat from Knitty out of the same yarn to go with it.

RAVELRY INVITE ARRIVED TODAY!!!!

2007-07-21T16:40:00.001-06:00

YAY!!! I finally got my Ravelry invite today!!! My username is KnittyKnurse. My daughter was startled to hear the hoots and hollers from the living room. The only bad thing about it (if it can even be considered a bad thing) is that I am TORN between Ravelry and the last Harry Potter book. I have been reading most of the day and paused to check my email. Naturally I couldn't keep my hands off Ravelry. I guess you could say that this is the best weekend ever!!!! Here's a pic of me in all my nerdiness adorned with knitting, while knitting, decked out in my Harry Potter garb at the midnight book party.

Still stalking Ravelry

2007-07-17T18:04:00.000-06:00

Okay, now I'm stalking http://www.ravelry.com/antsy to see where I am on the waiting list. There are only 285 people ahead of me on the list now. I can just see that Ravelry will hit about the same time the new Harry Potter book will come out! There just will not be enough time to do both!!!!

Gryffindor socks finished!

2007-07-11T21:22:00.001-06:00

Gryffindor socks finished!
Originally uploaded by christijnp

Gryffindor socks finished just in time! We're going to go see Order of the Phoenix this Saturday on IMAX!!! I am so stoked! (I am such a nerd!) The last 30 minutes or so are supposed to be in 3D! Then of course I will wear them to the book party at Barnes and Noble. We usually get to Barnes and Noble about 6 or 6:30 and are there until midnight. I'll take pictures

Started 6/20/07 Finished 7/10/07
Knitted with Sunshine Yarns in Gryffindor colorway. This is your basic sock with heel flap. I cut the yellow out of the heel but left a lone stripe at the toe.

Finished Harry Potter Sock

2007-06-27T21:21:00.001-06:00

Finished Harry Potter Sock
Originally uploaded by christijnp

Yay! I finally finished the sock! I had frogged it back once when I dropped a bunch of stitches and couldn't pick them up to save my life. (it was more of a furious raging ripping spree). Now I just have to finish the second one! I used the Sunshine Yarns in the Gryffindor colorway. I intentionally cut the yellow yarn out of the heel but left a lone strip at the toe. I only hope the second one comes out as well and for the book and movie release! I got the perfect Skecher mary jane shoes to show off my socks!

Clapotis C'est Fini!

2007-06-19T17:31:00.000-06:00

Started: April 2007-ish

Finished: 6/17/07

Yarn: Brooks Farm Four Play - Gypsy Heart 7 Colorway

Pattern: Clapotis

Knit on size 8 US Addi circular needles

Wow, this felt like it took forever but was fun to knit. I still need to wash and block it but I'm thinking about leaving it au naturale. Thanks to DD for modeling for me!

Baby cap

2007-06-17T22:11:00.001-06:00

Baby cap
Originally uploaded by christijnp

I started to make the lace baby cap from www.bevscountrycottage.com/lace-beanie.html
but I kinda messed up with a yarn over or two. I should know better to try and knit lace while watching TV. I decided to pitch the lace idea and finished in stockinette instead. I don't think (hope anybody will notice.

knit with size 6 dpns
Yarn: Baby Bee Sweet Delight Pomp color: Blueboy
Started 6/15/07
Finished 6/17/07

Box bag

2007-06-16T15:42:00.001-06:00

Box bag
Originally uploaded by christijnp

I made this using a tutorial from dragoknit.blogspot.com/2007/02/box-bag-tutorial.html
It measures about 8" x 4" x 4". I should have used a 14" zipper and it would have come out a little longer, but this will be perfect for carrying around a sock project. I really wanted a longer bag that would fit my Brittany needles. I'll try again with different sizes

Stalking Ravelry

2007-06-14T18:59:00.000-06:00

Checking my email box every day for a Ravelry invite. I can't wait! I love this idea!

Chevron scarf in progress

2007-06-10T14:20:00.001-06:00

Chevron scarf in progress
Originally uploaded by christijnp

Last Minute Knitted Gifts Chevron scarf in STR's Watermelon Tourmaline and Farmhouse. Yeah, I'm going along with the crowd but am so pleased with the color combinations. I'm also using Brittany birch needles size 5. I've been knitting this during my lunch breaks and outside on my hammock in the evenings. The yarn has a wonderful tight twist and is great to work with.

SSHHHHHHHH! Dont tell my mom!

2007-06-09T10:55:00.000-06:00

I couldn't even put this picture on Flickr because my mother would see her future Christmas present! Yes...it is a Clapotis from Knitty! I chose Brooks Farm yarn in the Four Play line in the Gypsy Heart 7 colorway - a blend of turquoise, purples and browns. The Four Play is a 50/50 yummy blend of fine wool and silk and it is wonderful to work with and uber soft! I am finally finished with section 3 and will be starting on my decreases soon. For the longest time it didn't feel like it was getting much bigger until recently. This is definitely a pattern I will make again (for myself) but sometime in the future. I have plenty other "wannas" to do. I will definitely use this yarn again - wonderful to work with and less expensive than Lorna's Laces and it comes from Texas! I'm also using stitch markers I bought from Hide and Sheep which are great to work with because they are lightweight, don't dangle or snag and best of all are beautiful, handmade and inexpensive. I heart Etsy.

Gryffindor POA Scarf

2007-06-05T19:16:00.001-06:00

Gryffindor POA Scarf
Originally uploaded by christijnp

I finished this scarf about 2 months ago, but I just now got around to posting its completion.

Yes, I am a big nerd and I had to knit a Harry Potter scarf. To be perfectly honest, it's one of the reasons I taught myself how to knit. Yes, I will be there on July 21 at midnight to get my book first (and probably stay up until all hours reading it). Hmmm....wearing a big wool scarf in July in Texas.

Future Chevron Scarf

2007-06-04T19:51:00.001-06:00

Future Chevron Scarf
Originally uploaded by christijnp

Well I jumped on the bandwagon and started a Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts in the almost cliche STR colors of Farmhouse and Watermelon Tourmaline. I just love the colors together! The yarn is so sproingy and cushy!

Beginner's luck...

2007-06-03T09:10:00.001-06:00

Finished first sock!!!!
Originally uploaded by christijnp

This is a post of my beginners luck sock. The sock that the knitting gods want you to complete to make you confident enough that you can make another. HA! It is knit with Cherry Tree Hill in the Monet colorway

A little over a month later I try my hand at another sock in a lighter weight yarn and get all confuzzled when it came to the turning o' the heel. I ripped back twice then could not pick up the stitches to save my life. In a fit of anger (or tantrum) I ripped out the entire sock, sat and pouted. I didn't even get a picture of the mangled mess (carnage) as I felt it would be too much for sensitive knitting viewers. Next time I will use a lifeline prior to the heel so I don't have to rip the entire cuff. I also found this site later on which would have helped immensely. http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/advanced_techniques/

I think I will go cry into my Chevron Scarf...

Harry Potter Scarf

2007-02-13T22:04:00.000-06:00

Yea! It's my knitted Harry Potter scarf! It's only about 1/3 of the way done. For my first project, I think I've done pretty well! I can tell the changes in my tension though. I'm addicted!!!

2007-01-28T10:06:00.000-06:00

Still knitting! I've become almost obsessed! I'm almost finished with my cousin's scarf and getting ready to start a new one. I'll post a pic later because my photo transfer software is being a butt right now

What is my new project? Well, being a self proclaimed NERD, I'm doing a Harry Potter scarf. More specifically, a Gryffindor POA scarf. I got the pattern from http://knit.atypically.net . It looks pretty daunting, but I plan on knitting on it until the book release or until it gets long enough for me. Whichever comes first. I also need to reread the other 6 books to get some of the details anchored in my head. There have been rumors about July and an October release date. 3 months is a big swing there! I could either be uber productive or uber rushed. You pick. Anyway will post pics later after I begin. I bought Boye's Needlemaster system yesterday (interchangeable circular knitting needles) for a whopping $70. It was cool because it has every size needle (except half sizes) from 1 to 15. Have I ripped open the package yet? No, because I saw in their ad for tomorrow that all knitting stuff will be 50% off!!!! So, I need to go purchase it for the 50% off and take back the $70 product. What a hassle, but a savings of $35! Woohoo!

2007-01-14T22:33:00.000-06:00

I took a knitting class with my mom yesterday which was kinda fun. Fun because I felt like such a dunce and uncoordinated and was able to make everybody else look like freakin' knitting geniuses. I got to one point that I had just royally screwed up and ripped out all of the stitches to start again. Just then the teacher went around the room so we could show what we had done. I raised my lonely loop on the single knitting needle and said "look what I done teacher!" (must be said speaking in a dunce voice while making a buck toothed grin). I was finally able to "get it" after I went home and dug out a knitting book and tried it a different way than the one she had demonstrated. Good thing this fuzzy eyelash yarn hides a multitude of knitting sins. The other good thing was that I was so intent on the knitting last night while watching reruns, that snacky TV food didn't even enter my mind. I guess it's true....idle hands ARE the devil's playground!

Here's a pic of what I have so far. One day it will grow up and be a scarf! Hopefully while we will have cold weather! (Have you figured out what my favorite color is yet?)

2007-01-05T21:43:00.000-06:00

I "felt" like I was committing a sin...
I just put a wool sweater in the washer....GASP....in hot water....GASP GASP and then in the dryer!!!
in...the...name...of...felting
BUT....nothing happened!
crap-ola.

now what?

Happy 2007!!!!

2007-01-01T17:22:00.000-06:00

Getting started in a new blog... I have other blogs for different reasons. I have a Myspace "space" to keep up with my daughter and to keep up with people who have Myspace accounts, I have a Xanga site to chronicle my weight loss issues...etc and now I have this little blog I'm going to use for my creative endeavors.

I dabble in many crafty things, but quilting has been a big thing for me in the last 10 years. Working with felt/felting is a new interest and I have also worked with tatting, crochet, knitting, beading, wearables and many other things that adorn the shelves and closet of my "creative studio" (sounds better than "craft room")

Unfortunately, I have not worked on much in the last 2 years. I have fallen into a small lull that I know I need to get out of. Enter ETSY. This site has given me more ideas (I've also bought plenty already). Watch out! It's addictive!

Anyway, I tend to be happier when I'm creating. So here's to 2007 and my creative mojo!

2006-11-16T21:46:00.000-06:00

New blog...more later...