Where Oh Where

has my knitting mojo gone?  It must have sensed the warmer weather coming and headed back to cooler climes.  It certainly isn't hanging around here any more.

The hat I just cast on sits quivering, alone

as it sits on top of the test knit that I've lost the motivation to continue knitting after seeing that the colors did not go so well together,

which lays next to a newly cast on sock, that only got this far before being cast aside.

And they all sit on top of the long languishing Conwy sock...

I didn't even drag out the two scarves I have OTN.  In fact, the only thing I've wanted to knit lately is mitered squares.  So, I dragged out the other sock yarn blankie  -- the one I call the Family Blankie.

and got half a square knit.

If anyone has seen my mojo, won't you please send it home? I'd be most appreciative.

Have You Ever

Have you ever sat down to blog, and the words just won't come? Yep, that's where I am today. So, you just get to look at some pictures.

This is my Second Breakfast.  See, no matter how much I eat, I always end up getting hungry during church.  This morning, I tried to stave off such hunger by eating a second breakfast shortly before leaving the house.  These are my home made biscuits with my sister's home made blueberry jam.  They were good, but I still got hungry in church. 

The Cherry Chip hat.  I wet the ribbing down and bunched it in some, so it's not as loose.  I've got plenty of yarn left, and will probably do another hat with it.  I want to figure out a slouchy hat, since those seem to be in fashion these days.  Next hat, I will do the ribbing on size 3 needles. 

We went from snow on the ground two weeks ago, to plum blossoms today. 

I first noticed them this afternoon, but they probably have been blooming a couple of days now.

Right now only two trees are blooming.

But the rest have buds on them.  So do the pear trees. 

Rylea loves pears. 

 

And I love daffodils.  Except that daffodils mean spring is coming. And spring means summer will soon be here.  I hate summer.  To me, summer means endless, crippling, unrelenting heat, an acid that you can't wipe away.

Sheesh, I'm ready for fall already! 

.

A Rare Day Off

Animals just don't understand sleeping in.

We were supposed to have to work today, but they gave us a rare day off. We weren't going to get our steel shipment in on time, so we really wouldn't have been able to get anything done anyway. The way it was explained to me was, our suppliers didn't expect us to be this busy this early in the year, so they are having trouble getting our orders filled. Not just steel, but everything. So we didn't have to work.

But my faithful alarm dog went off at 4 AM just like every day. I got up and let her out. Then I got back up and let her back in. Then I got back up and fed the cat, who was expecting her breakfast at the usual 4:30 AM. On the way back to bed --again-- I had the delightful experience of stepping in a previously unseen pile of cat puke. Lovely way to start the day. I finally made it back to bed, and caught about another hour of sleep before I was up for the day at 6.

You know it's sad when you consider 6 AM as sleeping in.

Anyway, I finished the Cherry Chip hat.

And got it washed and blocked.

After further consideration, I probably should have done the ribbing on a size 3 needle, since it's a bit looser than I like it. Otherwise I love it. The fabric is rather lightweight, which is what I wanted. This hat will be good for chilly spring days, rather than freeze your *** off winter days.

Once the hat was done, I decided to go shopping in Greenwood.  We used to go there a lot, but for some reason, just quit going.  I hadn't been to Greenwood in ages.  I really hate shopping for clothes, but my wardrobe has reached the critical point, so off I went.

It's very frustrating to me, since I'm too old for the teenage *** look, but I'm not quite ready for Mammaw's cotton house dress either.  Nevertheless, I persevered, and managed to score some cute tops. I got this one at Cato.

and these two at J.C. Penney. 

I still didn't find a dress for church, but I can wear these tops with my blue jean skirt, at least until I find something. Oh, and I did get another pair of shorts, but they're plain and boring. Just the way I like them.

Once again, I struck out in the shoe department. I did score at Wal-Mart, though. See, a while ago, I decided to replace all my bath towels, since they are getting a bit bedraggled. I'd only bought one when Wal-mart quit carrying the ones I liked. But the Greenwood Wal-mart still had a few left, and on clearance at 50% off! Woo hoo!

Wow, I must really lead a dull life if I get so excited over new bath towels...

But here is something to get excited about:

Yep, the first season of The Big Bang Theory. This has got to be the funniest show since WKRP in Cincinnati. The Wal-mart here has seasons 2 & 3, but doesn't carry season one any more.  I love this show, and find it only slightly disturbing that I get all of Sheldon's jokes.

Bazinga. 

My final stop of the day was at Big Lots closeout store. I didn't buy anything, but I found a wonderful couch there. Soft and comfy and only $299! I promise you if I'd had a way to tote it back home, I'd have bought it right then and there.

And would have dared the dog to get on it.

And the dog would have ignored me, as usual. So, I guess it worked out for the best.

Dumb dog...

Batten Down The Hatches

She's gonna blow!

It's here, now, so I'm going to go hunker down in the bed with a flashlight, some knitting, and my MP3 player.

Don't 'spect to get much sleep tonight.

Be safe, y'all.

D Is For

Well, if C was for cat, then you knew D had to be for

DOG.

Yep, this is my Rylea. She is 4 years old and had less than a day left to live when I got her. I posted about it back then.  The vet said to her, "Your life just got a whole lot better."  Boy was he right.

I guess you could say, she now leads the life of Rylea. 

Banana Muffins

for my peeps at work. I'm going to get up early --very early-- in the morning and make Cheddar Sausage muffins, too.  I've never tried that recipe, so I hope it turns out OK. 

I guess we'll find out.

Music Monday

Today is Washington's Birthday. Not really. It's really tomorrow, but today is the day we celebrate it. I know most people say President's Day, but the LEGAL name of the holiday is still Washington's Birthday.

When I think of George Washington, and all that he fought to achieve, one certain group of brave men and women come to mind. It is they who fought, bled, and died to attain and maintain what Washington started.

It is in their honor that I present to you, the greatest song ever written.

Oh, What A Beautiful Day!!!

And that's what it was. Sunny, warm, with just enough breeze to keep it from being too hot.  And what did I do on this beautiful day? I sat inside and knit.

After church, of course.

The hat is coming along.

I really like the way the colors are coming out. It makes me think of eating Neopolitan ice cream on a summer day.  The only thing that concerns me is that it seems to be coming out kind of small.  It's not yet long enough that I can stretch it over my head to see, though.  Oh, well.  It'll fit somebody.

Look, another Friendship blankie sighting!   

I've gotten all the yarns I bought on my latest trip to Southaven added to it.  I haven't added all my new Cherry Tree Hill yarns yet, though.  I'm getting there.  I'm almost 1/3 of the way through.  I'd be farther if not for my stubborn insistence on not repeating yarns until I'm at least halfway done.  Any offers of leftover wool sock yarn would be greatly appreciated.  It only takes about 25 yards to make a square, so whatever you can spare, I'd love to take it off your hands. 

I did get Snow and Slider's tanks cleaned.  They got complete substrate changes, and the rest got spot cleaned.  True to form, I dumped about half a bag of aspen shavings on my freshly vacuumed carpet. 

Note to self:  In the future, vacuum after cleaning snake tanks. 

You'd think I'd have figured that out by now...

*Sigh* 

That Was The Plan

So, the plan was to get up and go to Batesville and shop this morning, but when I went into the bathroom to start getting ready, I got all gung ho and ended up cleaning the bathroom from top to bottom.  Except that I didn't mop.

I said gung ho, not fanatical.

It was actually cool enough that I was able to wear my new White & Nerdy hoodie,

 
but that didn't last long.  It got warm enough that I had to shuck it for shorts and a t-shirt.  It actually got so warm here, I had to break down and turn on my air conditioner.  I was miserable, sticky, and stinky. And just a week ago, I'd been complaining how cold it was.  That's winter in the South for you.
 
I love the feel of new fleece, before you wash it and it gets all hard and scratchy.  I wish they'd invent a fleece that stayed that way.   Funny thing is, as I was uploading this photo, I stared at myself for a long time, trying to figure out what was wrong with me.  I just didn't look right--aside from the fact that I'm apparently leaning to my left.  (I don't know if that was me, or the tripod.  It's frightfully hard to take decent photos of oneself using a tripod and a camera with a timer.)  Finally, it hit me.  I didn't have my glasses on.  That's what it was.

Just for the record, I don't really like that lipstick.  It's too dark, and not the right shade for me, but it's all I have right now.  My new Avon order should get here early next week (I buy from someone at work) and hopefully, the new lipstick I bought will be better. 

I looked out the window and spied with my little eye, these beauties.

 The first of the year.

I finally made it up to Batesville and did a little shopping.  I went to Wal-mart first, thinking that since Batesville is bigger than Grenada, they'd have more stuff.  I was disappointed.  They didn't have hardly anything compared to here.  I was going to pick up a couple of new bath towels, but their bath selection was pathetic.  So was their craft section.  They didn't even have a shoe department.  That stop was a total bust.

I left there and went to the outlet mall.  My first stop was the Wranglers/Lee jeans store, where wonder of wonders, I finally found some jeans that fit!  They only had two pair in my size, and I got them both.

I was fussing the whole time I was in that store, because everything was that "Instantly slims you" ***.  Pardon my French.  I don't want to be instantly slimmed.  I want to be comfortable.  Plus, everything seems to be going back to the hip hugger style.  Those just don't work well on my body.  They aren't comfortable to me.  I need something that the waist sits at my waist. 

Now, I know most people don't blog about buying new clothes, but for me it's such a rare thing that I had to show you the shirt I got.

I'd browsed several stores, and despaired of finding anything I liked, until I went into the Bass store and there it was. They had several things that I liked, but they were kinda out of my budget. Just the one top, and the pair of khaki pants I got to go with them were over $50, so I had to restrain myself.

I didn't find any shoes that I liked, though. I went into the shoe store, and the Timberlake boots I'd wanted had been marked down from $100 to $65, but they'd sold out of my size. Bummer.

I found some other boots that were similar, but as I was opening the box to try them on, I remembered the line from the movie The Blind Side. Leann takes Michael shopping and she said, "The store is where you like it best. If you don't absolutely love it in the store, you're not going to wear it". I looked at those boots and realized, I didn't absolutely love them. So I put them back.

I browsed a couple more stores, and not finding anything I liked, bought a large chocolate milk shake from Burger King and came on home.

Where I knit on the hat and watched Netflix streaming for the rest of the day.

And that was my Saturday off...

What did you do?

Slow Going

Somehow, it takes a whole lot longer to knit a hat in fingering weight yarn than in worsted. Funny, that...

But progress is being made. I've got about an inch of the ribbing done.

Just a few more rounds, and I'll have to decide if I want to make a patterned hat, or just a plain stockinette hat. 

Wonder of wonders, we have the day off of work tomorrow.  It's the first Saturday we've had off since before Christmas.  I don't know what I'm going to do with myself.  I want to go up to Batesville and go shopping, but I really need to clean snake tanks.  Snow and Slider need a complete substrate change, but the rest can get by with just a spot cleaning.

Then there is the cat box....

Hmmm, Batesville is looking better and better. 

Oh No She Didn't!

Oh yes, she did!

She cast on another hat--this time in sock weight yarn.

Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Cherry Chip colorway, on size 4 Harmony needles.

I was kind of surprised at how few patterns for fingering weight adult size hats there are out there. The few I did find, I didn't really like, so guess what? I'm going to make up my own.

The first few rounds will be K2 P2 rib. I'll figure out what comes next when I get there.

It's Here! It's Here!

The second fun thing I bought with my tax money is here!  What is it, you ask?  Well, I guess I've kept you in suspense long enough.  It is

a White & Nerdy hoodie! Just like Weird Al wears in the video. Well, almost just like. The words are a bit smaller, but it's close enough.

Because I like hoodies, and I like Weird Al, 

I've wanted one of these ever since I saw the video the first time.

Now, I just need it to cool off again so I can wear it!  Bring back winter!

Just for a day, though...

Haz Yarnz!

Though most of my tax return is used for catching up on bills, I always try to buy at least a few fun things every year.  The first thing I ordered was more Cherry Tree Hill Sockittome Select yarn from the closeout page.

They don't count as stash, you know.  Plus, being on sale.  How could I resist?

So, what did I get?  I'll show you.

First up for your viewing pleasure:  Peacock, Champlain Sunset, and Spring Frost.

And in this photo we have, Birches, Caribou Creek, Northern Lights, and Serengeti.  I thought about going back and getting even more, but apparently, they are sold out -- of the closeouts, that is.  But I've got quite a pile now, and just think of all the blankie squares I can knit from the leftovers!

I also got an e-mail telling me that my second tax return purchase shipped today.  Woo Hoo!  I can't wait to get it.  I'm not going to tell you what it is.  That would spoil the surprise, but here is a hint:




By the way, Vanessa said she saw TK at the store after work yesterday, and he was wearing his hat.  I guess he really liked it. He wasn't at work today, so I'll have to tease him about it tomorrow.   Oh, and I forgot to tell you...about The Other Rod's hat.  See, his nickname is Hot Rod (and for good reason, too, but I won't get into that here...), and the name of the colorway from which I knit his hat is Hot Red.  It just seemed appropriate. 

More tax money spending to come!  I'll keep you posted.

Happy Valentine's Day

I wish we could take cameras in to work. I don't know why we can't. I mean, it's not like we have any big secrets or anything. They just don't want us taking pictures inside the plant. Still, I would have loved to have captured the expressions on TK and The Other Rod's faces when I gave them their hats.

Vanessa got there first, since she comes in at 6 with me. She gushed appropriately over her hat and cookies. I took the little bear --who has finally been bestowed with a moniker, which I'll tell you about in a minute-- also, and she thought he was so cute. I was afraid for a moment that I'd have to give him to her, but no, he came back home with me.

He caused quite a stir among the guys.  TK wanted to know who he was for.  The Other Rod wanted to know who he was from.  Marcus also wanted to know who he was from, and I just replied, "From someone who thought enough of me to get me a Valentine, which is more than I can say for you!"  To which Marcus just ducked his head and went back to work.  What more could he say?  I wish I'd thought of that when The Other Rod asked.  I'd have told him that, too.

The little feller's name is Desmond Anthony Barber II, but I call him Kenny for short.  Now you may be wondering how I got Kenny out of Desmond Anthony Barber II.  Well, I'll tell you...that's just how my mind works.

Ah, but I digress...

I gave TK his hat and little pack of cookies next, and he asked, "is this for me?"  I replied in the affirmative, and he just kind of gruffly said, "appreciate it", but he couldn't quite hide the smile that crept over his face.

Then The Other Rod came in, and true to form, he was wearing a red shirt.  I gave him his hat and said, "I made this one for you, because I know you like red."  He, like TK, just said, "appreciate it" but he couldn't hide his smile either.

I hope they really liked them, and weren't just being polite.    

Oh and for the record:

Desmond--Desmond (Dez) Bryant
Anthony-- Tony Romo (whose real name is Antonio, but I like Anthony better)
Barber--Marion Barber (how can I celebrate a day of love without mentioning him?)
II--Felix Jones II


Later, I left work early, I told The Other Rod and TK that I had a hot date, but really I was going to the dentist.  One of my FB friends told me to go back tomorrow and tell them that I got drilled. That's a great idea.  I think I'll do that.  As I was walking out the door, Brian asked me where I was going.  When I told him I had a hot date, he said, "It had better be with me!" 

Yes, Former Group Leader Rod got some cookies, too.  He asked what kind they were, and I said, "What kind do you think?"

He said, "They look like peanut butter."  I replied, "Exactly!  I know what you like."  So Former Group Leader Rod was happy, too.

Seems everyone was happy today, except me.  Some years, I do OK on Valentine's Day.  Other years, it's a very hard day for me.  This has been a difficult year.  

Oh, I put on my brave face and smiled through work.  I put on my brave face and smiled through my dentist appointment --as much as one can smile through a dentist appointment, that is. I laughed, and joked with Vanessa and the guys, but my heart wasn't in it.

Now, this agonizingly long day is finally, blessedly over.  And I'm going to bed.

To dream of love--or as is more likely, dinosaurs, zombies, terrorists, or pedicurists.  Such is my life, and my sleep.

.

All Ready

for Valentine's Day.  Except for that piddlin' little detail about not having, you know, a Valentine.

I got two hats finished.  This one is for TK.  

And this one is for The Other Rod.

I had a little trouble with his hat. See, Rod likes red. I mean he really likes red. In all the years I've known him, I don't think I've ever seen him without something red on.  I really wanted to knit him a red hat. The only thing is, I didn't have any more red yarn, and I didn't have time to run up to Southaven and buy some. So, I copped out and bought some Red Heart.  Yeah, I know, but I doubt he'd know the difference.  Besides, if I'd bought him a hat in the store, it would be acrylic anyway.  So I got some Red Heart.

It was supposed to be worsted weight, but it was soooo thick-- almost a heavy worsted or light bulky.  It was like knitting with rope.  I probably should have gone up a needle size, but by the time I realized I probably should have gone up a needle size, it was too late to turn back.  If I'd had more time, but no, I had to get it finished today, so I can take it in the morning.  Still, it got done, and has been washed and dried to soften it up a bit. 

I didn't have time to knit Vanessa a hat, so I pulled this purply one out of the gift drawer.

 

I hope she likes it. I don't recall ever seeing Vanessa wear hats, but I wanted to make her something, too, since she's been such a good friend to me.

Finally, I made cookies. 

Chocolate chip for me, Brian, and The Other Rod,

and peanut butter for Vanessa, TK, and Former Group Leader Rod.  I got cute little treat bags to put them in, but I still have plenty left over.  Sigh, I'm never going to lose weight this way. 

At least it's going to be warm enough to walk the dog this week.  That's what I've been missing.  I love our walks, it's just getting up out of the chair that's the hard part.

So, who wants to call me every afternoon at 4:00 PM and tell me to get off my ***?   (Except tomorrow.  I have to go to the dentist.)

Plans

Secret plans...

So, I mentioned yesterday how Vanessa and I are going to make Valentine's Day stuff for The Other Rod and TK-- also known as our babies.

Today, I got the brilliant idea that I would knit them all hats, Vanessa included. Of course, I didn't tell her about it. It wouldn't be a surprise if I did. I ran home and cast on a Hurricane Hat.

The question is, can I get three hats and two batches of cookies done by Monday?

I must knit....

Knit like the wind!

Did You Know

that they have football shaped Oreos?

Yep, it's true.  I have evidence.

And they really do look like footballs.

Unfortunately, the evidence is rapidly disappearing.  Good thing I took pictures.

Look who else followed me home from the store.

 

I hadn't intended to buy him.  I was looking for those little bags to put cookies and candy and stuff in.  See, Vanessa and I are going to make up Valentine's Day bags for T.K. and The Other Rod --not to be confused with Former Group Leader Rod.  I'm going to make cookies, and Vanessa is going to get some candy.   The Other Rod likes chocolate chip cookies, and TK likes peanut butter cookies, which means I'll have to make a batch of each.  Then, I'll have to make another batch of peanut butter, because Former Group Leader Rod will have a fit if I bring cookies for TK and not have enough for him.  I've never seen the like the way that man loves cookies. 

So, I was looking for the little treat bags and wandered down the Valentine's Day stuff aisle.  I hadn't intended to buy the little bear, but when I picked him up, he was just so soft and squishy that I couldn't put him down again. 

I had to reschedule my dentist appointment.  Strangely enough, I saw Dr. Moody in the store, and he told me that he could have done it, but his crew didn't make it in.  He said that one of his assistants called him and said that her husband had told her that if Dr. Moody wanted her to come to work, then he could drive out and get her.  So, we're rescheduled until Monday at 2 PM, which means I'll have to leave work early.

I ain't complainin....

Finally, a few more snow photos.

And I have a feeling this won't be the last snow we get this year, either.


I think the North moved South for the winter.