Wow! What a week.

    Y’all have NO idea what a crappy week I have had. Well, some of you do and bless your large hearts for all the love and friendship you have shown me! I really don’t want to get into the particulars, but suffice it to say I had a really bad ego week. Just when I thought I couldn’t take anymore, ALL my WONDERFUL friends stepped up and showed me that I really am valued. Thanks to each and every one of you for being you!  Hugs and Kisses to you all!

 

Okay, enough of that…back to the vacation saga. I really am sorry this is dragging on forever. I swear I was planning on being done with this all by now. I should just drop the whole thing, but I’m too stubborn to stop mid-vacation! I promise, only one more vacation post after this one. Hell, at this rate, I’m going to need another vacation by the time I finish this!

 

Okay, so where were we?

 

Road Trip: Days 3, 4, and 5. March 24- 26

(Which are not really road trip days)

 

We spent these days in Phoenix visiting family. All in all a good 3 days: it wasn’t too hot, we got to spend time with my nephew (and his parents), hubby’s aunt, and I got to visit a LYS.

 

My nephew Ayden and his Dad Cliff

 

On the first day Hubby subbed for his brother at Ayden’s swimming lesson.  

 

Not that 3 year olds swim that well, but the whole purpose of these classes is for kids to be comfortable enough in the water and know enough to get them safely out of the pool if they fall in. I think this is a great thing. When I lived in Phoenix so many children fell into pools. In fact, once I was swimming with some friends and we watched a baby just crawl right into the pool! Can you imagine if we hadn’t been there? It makes me shudder just thinking about it.

 

After the lesson, we went out to lunch. I had a rather large, rather potent margarita; the first of what seemed to be a daily ritual in Phoenix. So, I went home and took a nap with my nephew. While we slept Uncle and Daddy put together the soccer set we had got for Ayden. When I woke up the boys were outside kicking the ball around and had already lost one ball in the neighbor’s yard. Boys! Once Ayden woke up his Dad and Uncle were nice enought to let him play a little.

 

 

Ayden scores his first goal!

 

 

The rest is just boring family stuff. We ate, laughed, enjoyed seeing each other, and drank. I drank a lot. Cliff  works as a sommelier at a local wine store called Enotria. As a result, he always has a few nice wine choices for us to enjoy when we visit. The bright side is Phoenix is at sea level, so I have a slightly better tolerance. Thank God! At night, when Ayden got his juice, Cliff would hand me a glass of “Chelle juice” (my family calls me Chelle) Thank God for Chelle juice and my BIL! J

 

On our last day, we took Ayden to his favorite place: the train park. They have an enormous playground and, of course: trains. Ayden loves to ride the train! Although, this year he was a little more into playing then riding the train,  Last year I think we rode the train 3 or 4 times and he still wanted more! This year he was more then happy with twice.

 

 

Ayden and Uncle getting ready to ride the train.

Two cool dudes, ridin the train, checking out the sites.

 

After the train park, I was able to make a quick visit to Jessica Knits, a LYS in Scottsdale. This is a cute little shop with a nice selection of yarns. They even had a fair amount of yarn on clearance. The staff was super friendly and spent a lot of time helping a new knitter. My only complaint is the yarn prices are on the shelves…sporadically. I would say at least half of the yarn was not clearly marked with a price. Although, it is in Scottsdale, so presumably cost is not an issue.

I purchased a skein of Cherry Tree Hill Lace wt. alpaca (on sale for $15) and a skein of Colinette Jitterbug

 

 

I LOVE the colors! I can’t wait to see how these look knitted up.

I only bought 2 skeins, partly because I didn’t know how much some of the yarn was, and mostly because the boys were patiently waiting for me in the car.

 

Well, that’s about it for the Phoenix part of my vacation. Next time: the trip home!

 

OH! I almost forgot: I got a 92.5% on my last Chem. test! WOO- FRIGGIN-WHO! I was totally sweating that one.  I was sick for a week and then I had a bunch of crappy work stuff happen and I couldn’t focus so I really didn’t study…at all. Apparently, I need to not study more often! Hooray for me!

 

You knew it wouldn’t last…

Well, I tried to post weekly, I really did. I swear. Damn life got in the way. Maybe I should shot for monthly posts …

Sit back, get comfy, grab a cup of tea or a nice cold beer, ‘cause this is may take awhile:

We spent the better part of the last couple weeks at the hospital with my dear MIL. She had been having shortness of breath (SOB is the medical abbreviation- not very original, but kind of funny). They have done test after test after test. It’s been very frustrating for all of us. Anyway, she started having chest pain (CP) , so they decided to do a heart cath. (basically they stick a long wire from the artery in the groin up to the heart, inject dye, and take pictures to see how the blood is or is not flowing).  Well, my MIL, who has NO RISK FACTORS AT ALL for heart disease, has pretty significant heart disease. At first they were concerned she would need bypass, but thankfully she does not.  She is now the proud owner of three stints in the main vessel that supplies blood to the heart and will be taking blood thinners and cholesterol medicine until the day she dies, which hopefully won’t be for many more years. That’s the good news.

The bad news: none of that resolved her SOB or CP. What the fuck?? As it turns out, after a few more days at the hospital and much more testing, her heart is fine. The new theory is she has really, really bad gastric reflux. They upped her meds and she is currently symptom free and vacationing in Italywith my FIL. Whew!  The really good news: although none of her symptoms were related to her heart disease, at least they found it. It would have been very bad if those blockages had gone un-diagnosed! Needless to say, we are all relieved and grateful. My MIL is the most awesome woman I know. It’s nice to have her healthy again.

There’s my excuse for not posting. It’s a pretty good one, don’t ya think?!

Moving on…

My last post was unintentionally divided into sections (class, dancing, knitting) I liked how that worked; so I am going to try to keep the same format going. As an added bonus: if you don’t give a rat’s ass about, say my Chem. class, you can scroll right on past. Because I am a little (okay a lot) anal I am going to proceed in alphabetical order: class (Chem.), dance, and knitting. I am also a little evil because this makes you at least glance at the ongoing drama of Chem. class, ‘cause I really want you to suffer along with me!

Chem.: What can I say? I got my first test back and I earned 84%. I’m a little bummed I didn’t get an A. Not just because I am an over-achiever, but because when I was done with the test I really thought I did well and because a couple things I missed I knew, I just had a little brain fart. Not the end of the world I know, but it still sucks. We do have three more tests and a final left; so I have plenty of chances to make it up. Yippee.

Dance:(in a sing-song 5 year old voice) I got new dance shoes, I got new dance shoes, and you-ou  don’t ! Nanny, nanny, nanny! Okay, you might have new dance shoes, but whatever; let’s look at mine shall we:

 hey, it’s hard taking pictures of your own foot!

I especially like this one. It shows my other foot with socks and jeans well: nice touch, no?

Aren’t they fabulous?? I finally bought the Werner Kerns I’ve been  lusting after since hubby got his pair. No, hubby did not get the same pair! He wouldn’t look good in strappy heals; he has a very manly pair, thank you very much. I had been procrastinating because they are a little on the pricey side (good thing I did, because I got them on sale), but after wearing them, I would pay full price in a heart beat. Trust me, they are worth every penny. Good news/bad news again:

Good news: I got them for 30% off because the store is closing (also bad news). They are the most comfortable shoes ever! I don’t even want to wear my other pairs. I love these shoes! They are so well made and so sexy. Hands down: The. Best. Shoe. EVER.

Bad News: They are the best shoes ever. I want more. Even if I could get more at 30% off, which I can’t because I took the last pair in my size, they are still not exactly cheap. Maybe I’ll get another pair for my birthday or ground hog day or something. For now, I’ll cherish these and pick up change off the ground in an effort to get another pair.

We were able to make it to the Denver Turnverein the last 3 weeks. We really like it there. The floor is nice, they play a good mix of music, it’s a great atmosphere and they have a bar! Nice! Not that we are getting loaded or anything (you try to Tango with a buzz, not good, someone could get hurt!), but a glass of wine or a beer is refreshing and tasty. It seems like the same core group of people every week, and we have already talked to a few of the couples, so we feel more comfortable each week. We are happy to have found a “home” to practice.

Knitting:

Still working on the never-ending ribbing on the sweater. I managed to get a fair amount done (like 4 inches) while Mom was having her heart cath. That’s the nice thing about tedious knitting; it keeps you busy enough to not go totally crazy, but it’s not too challenging and you can put it down anytime. Only a few more inches and then on to the sleeves, with any luck I should be done with this by NEXT winter!

 

Other projects: I have another section of Aliens in Spring done. I am almost halfway done having 2 ½ out of 6 Alien heads complete. I couldn’t be happier with the colors I chose; I love it so far.

When I was at the hospital with Mom, I ran out of the yarn I brought for my sweater. Instead of driving home to get more yarn, I started the Diamonds sock from More Sensational Knitted Socks. I am doing it in black and hot pink. So far I have the ribbing section of one sock done. I tried to take a picture, but it wasn’t working for me today. It’s not that exciting anyway: 1 ½ inches of 2 by 2 ribbing in black yarn…wow.

I have all but the thumb done on the first of hubby’s gloves. If I can just get that damn thumb done, I will be able to get going on the other one. The fingers/thumb are such a pain, I keep putting it off. I really need to get those damn things done.

However, it won’t be this week. I have a place on the upcoming blog tour for  Donna Druchunas’ new book Kitty Knits on March 7th.

I am planning on making a couple of little things from the book and of course I procrastinated and now I am pushing the deadline a little. The only knitting between now and then is from the Kitty Knits book. I do have one thing almost done and should be able to get the other done the next couple of nights at stitch and bitch. Sorry, I can’t tell you what. It’s a surprise.

Finally: hubby was kind enough to take me to the Alpaca Extravaganza in Longmont last weekend. Wow. The alpacas are so cute and soft. I wanted to take them all home.

 

 

 

The breeder was kind enough to let me and my friend Nissa feed the little guys. They weren’t so sure about us until we had grain in our hands. Then they were all about us!

 

 This guy is a Paco-Vicuna. I love his big brown eyes. The breeder says they are much softer then Alpacas, but he was a little shy and not in the touchy feely mood…too bad I didn’t save some of that grain! In addition to being softer, their fleece is also something like 10x more expensive then regular alpaca.

 This guy is a Suri. I love this picture. He looks like a little old man.

 

  Ah, the much lusted after “panda” alpaca. I totally wanted to steal this one. The markings are amazing. Unfortunately he was a little camera shy, and this is the best picture I have of him. I’d like to give a shout out to hubby for taking all the pictures: thanks babe!

 

In addition to all the alpacas, there was roving and a fair amount of alpaca products (socks, sweaters, teddy bears). There wasn’t as much yarn selection as I was hoping for, but they did have some. I bought a couple of skeins from a local farm: Kitchell Kriations. They had a few things the owner had knit and crocheted and it seems to work up nice and soft with  that nice fuzzy aura alpaca has . It was pretty reasonably priced at $6 per ounce, so I bought 4 ounces. I also really like the heathery gray color (most of the vendors only had shades of brown) I’ll keep you posted when I make something out of it.

Are you tired of reading yet? I’m know I am tired of typing! Good thing I had Sumnus to help.

 

Happy Leap Day! I hope you enjoy your extra day.

 

I kept my promise…kind of

I promised I would try to post once a week and tada! In truth it’s been a little over a week, but close enough. So, what’s been going on this week you ask?

First a few knitting updates:

I finished my second cupcake hat for a co-workers baby. Poor thing, she is having a little girl, not that having a girl is a bad thing. It’s already having 3 boys and having a 4^th and the 4^th being a girl that makes me feel bad for her. So, I wanted to make a super-cute girly kind of thing for her and I think the cupcake hat works perfectly.

The original pattern called for 80 stitches to fit 6 months to 2 years. As my friend is tiny, I decreased the number of stitches cast on to 68 to make the hat more suitable for a small newborn. I used Bernat Cashmere Blends for the hat. Can’t say it was my favorite yarn to work with, but the FO is nice and soft with just a little sheen. I wish I could have found the colors I wanted in something soft and machine washable. I feel like a little bit of a bitch giving a woman with 3 boys and a newborn a hat that needs to be hand washed, but at least it looks super cute! I hope it looks as cute on the little one.

Also, I got a little bug up my butt the other day and decided I needed to make Urchin with the Limari I purchased last week. It was a very easy knit and only took 2 hours, but I am not sure if I am in love with it. I love the color, but the hat feels a little big, and like the yarn is a little bulky. I might frog it, but for now here it is:

 

Note to self: need to get one of those glass mannequin heads for hat modeling and shaping!

 

Another of my current projects is the Alien Illusion Scarf from Stitch N Bitch. I am going through a stage in which I want to try every technique and I think illusion knitting is fascinating plus this a super cool idea for a scarf. While I loved the idea for the scarf, I was not crazy about the green/black color combo used in the book. The problem being I really believe the alien should be green. That left me trying to find a  contrast color. Finally, I decided on pink and green, so when Lenore  and I went to Brown Sheep I picked up the yarn I wanted and cast on for what I have decided to call Aliens in Springtime:

 

 

I have one section complete and am about halfway through the second. I love the way it looks so far!

Other Updates:

Dance:

Last week Hubby and I were planning on going to the Denver Turnverein to check out their Monday dance. According to another couple we dance with the Turnverein has a nice dance floor and the admission price is very reasonable. We are planning on competing in the Denver Star Ball in June and we need to find another place to practice. We were practicing at the rec center, but they won’t let us wear our shoes. They said our heals were pulling up with wood… ahem… bullshit I say! How on earth is my rubber heal getting in between the boards covered in varnish and pulling up the boards? And more importantly why doesn’t this happen at dance halls? Okay, moving on, I said we were going, but the weather kept us in. Damn snow! Hopefully, we can make it tomorrow, like I said we really need to practice. The plan is to compete in Rumba and the smooth dances: Foxtrot, Waltz and Tango. While we have the room to practice Rumba at home, the smooth dances require a much larger space then out 10 by 10 room. So let’s hope the Turnverein works out.

School:

Chemistry still sucks. While it is significantly easier only having one class, that one class is still Chem. The bright side is I feel like I actually know what the hell the instructor is talking about this time, but I’ll let you know how the first test goes in a couple of weeks. The other bright side? This is the second of three Chem. classes I need, so only one more after this one! Of course, the next class is organic, but let’s not discuss that right now.

Finally, I’d like to share with you the sad, pathetic creature that is our cat Devi right now:

 

 

Poor baby, she had a little scratch that she managed to lick absolutely raw. We had to put the collar on her to keep her from licking herself anymore, You can’t see it in the picture, but she has a huge bald spot: silly cat. Hubby has taken to calling her “Satellite”. Nice.

 

Yet another fun-filled semester

Yep, you guessed it, the spring semester started today. Yippee. The bright side is this semester should be much easier then last one because I am only taking one class. This is not by choice mind you, the other classes I need to take are not offered at times I am willing to take them at. No way I am working 12 hours then going to a 2 1/2 hour Calc class- not even I am that nuts! The other class options were at the exact same time as my Chem class. Yep, that’s right , more Chem. Did I say yippee? At least I have the same instructor as last semester so I am well acquainted with her teaching style. I even have the same seat as last semester. Of course, I had to give the kid that took my seat some serious puppy-dog eyes to get it back, as did the girl that wanted her seat back which I was now occupying, but I am not adverse to begging to have my seat back. ( I’m not at all resistant to change, nope, not me)

Consequently, I may not be posting as much as I have been recently, but I will try to post at least once a week…. I promise… well… I promise I will try.

Oh! I am so looking forward to Spring Break. Besides the obvious reasons, Hubby and I are planning a road trip to Phoenix to see our nephew (when I say Hubby and I, what I really mean is Hubby; I’m just along for the ride). Not that Phoenix is that exciting, but my nephew is and strangely enough Hubby and I both enjoy road trips. The really cool part is he’s planning some tourist-ie things for us: going to the Sand Dunes, the Grand Canyon and a few other monument/park things that I have never seen. It should be fun. The super cool thing is: Hubby is looking for LYS along the way, he’s even looking to see if he can find any mills! How cool is that? You gotta love a man that supports your addictions!

Speaking of yarn, as a parting gift today, I would like to share with you what happens when you leave cats home alone with mohair yarn somewhat accessible:

Lil Bastards! I love that Neko appears to be sticking his tongue out at me! I can hear them now:

“Silly Human. Did you think a bag was enough to keep us from your yarn? Hmpf! Shows what you know. Now, feed us some Kittie treats or the Alpaca yarn is next!”

 

Things that make me happy

Today was the first snow of the season here in Colorado. Yippee! I love the cold and snow. In honor of this occasion, I am going to share with you all the things that have me in such a giddy mood this evening. Enjoy.

The aforementioned snow! This is our pond in the backyard. As beautiful as it was this morning, the light coating of snow, like most Colorado snows, was gone as soon as the sun came out. No matter, it was nice while it lasted.

I work every other weekend, so a snow on a Sunday when I am at home is an event to be treasured. It gives me the perfect excuse to stay home and nest with hubby and the furry kids. The pictures that follow are proof of my perfect day.

Football. Above is hubby and Devi watching the game and keeping an eye on the fantasy football stats. Okay, Devi is napping, but she was paying attention, boring game. Nothing better then watching football on a cold day with hubby.

Well, that and baking the first (and possibly last) pie of the winter

 

Yummy! Pumpkin: hubbie’s fav. As you can see making a pretty crust is not my best talent, but I assure you it tastes good!

What could possibly make this day better?? Well, knitting of course! The cold weather inspires me, perhaps too much, to knit. I was feeling adventurous earlier and cast on for a pair of argyle mittens:

I am using a burgundy for the main color, grey instead of the lt. pink and lt. blue instead of white, all in Cascade 220. Hubby says they are Avalanche colors, perfect! I can wear them to the next game we go to……if I get them done….ever. As you can tell, I hit a little snag and didn’t get too far. I had to frog a few rows of the argyle. I have an excuse though, these are my first ever color work (besides stripes) and I am stuck. While I understand the concept of carrying colors and using bobbins, actually doing it has proven more of a challenge then I am up for today. So, the mittens are on hold until I make it to my The Lambshoppe with my SNB for some help. Hey, I’ve been productive enough for one day, no sense hurting my little brain! I am going to start a hat during the Bronco game though. Can’t watch football and not knit!

Two other little things to mention:

About the previously mentioned Chem. test….it wasn’t as bad as I thought.  83%!   I typically get upset about anything less then an A (Okay, I’m a little bit of an over-achiever), but given my fear of a C, I am perfectly content with the B…. for now. Big relief I tell ya.

Last, but certainly not least….. Hubby and I are hoping to compete this summer in the Colorado Star Ball, as amateurs. As I am sure you all are aware of, Ballroom dancing typically requires a gown, not just any gown, but a beautiful, sexy, dramatic gown. Well I found the perfect gown for me!!  I have a dear friend who is an extremely talented seamstress and has graciously agreed to make it for me. I am so lucky to have such talented people in my life!

Today I feel lucky in general. Happy and content to have a day at home with the man I love, and grateful for the time to do those things I like the best.

 

Paying the price

Well, guess what?

I totally bombed my Chem test today. After the test my instructor let everyone look at the answer key. I think my score was 75%. FUCK! Best case scenerio, if she gives partial credit I may possibly get 80%. Big difference between 75% and 80%. So here’s hoping for partial credit, but I’m pretty sure that won’t happen.

You know what really gets me about it? A couple of questions I missed were dumb mistakes, sadly that always happens to me. The other stuff I missed is material I was very confident with- it was the stuff I actually had studied. So even if I had studied more I would have still missed those questions. I guess I didn’t know it as well as I thought. FUCK! I pretty much have to ace the class from here on out to get an A, which I NEED. Did I say fuck???

 

Procrastination

Among my many personality quirks is the art of procrastination. I am seriously good at, almost perfect really. Take today for instance: I have a rather important (aren’t they all) test in Chem tomorrow and midterms in History next Wednesday. One would think I was hitting the books…..hard. Sad to say, that is not the case. Not that I haven’t been studying. I’ve just been taking breaks……frequent, long breaks.

*Justification Alert* I attended a study skills seminar last week, for extra credit of course. The very same study skills seminar I have attended for the last 3 semesters, with the very same information. Ugh!  Never mind, I digress. Any-who: according to the aforementioned seminar, when studying one should take a 10-15 minute break each hour of studying. So there!

Hmmm, my breaks have been longer than 15 minutes….  well, a girl needs to rest her brain!

And photograph her stash……

 I decided I was slacking on my stash photography for Ravelry, so today was a good day to catch up a little, what with me not studying and all.  As anyone with cats will tell you, they are some nosey little shits. They need to know what you’re doing, when, how, and why. Kinda like a kitty gestapo. Plus my little twerps love a good photo-op. As I was staring dumb-founded at the amount of cotton yarn I have acquired (what’s pictured does not include all my partial balls!!), Neko snuck behind the pile and, in a moment of weakness, I gave in and snapped a picture.  

In continuing with the study avoidance theme, I thought: Hey, that’s kinda cute, I should post that on my blog, thus allowing me to put off studying a little longer. Fucking Brilliant, I tell ya!

You know, I do think about Chem when I am procrastinating, doesn’t that count?? Not to mention I get a lot of house work done.

 

Meanwhile, on campus…..

Today the college was on lock down due to a bomb threat. My very first thoughts on the matter were: 1. Why don’t classes ever get cancelled on my class days? and 2. Guess someone else is pretty pissed about Blackboard! Yep, I’m going to hell.

Not to worry, no bomb was found and classes will resume tommorow. People really need to time these things better; if you’re going to make an idle bomb threat how about doing it during midterms?? I know… there’s a place reserved for me in hell right by the fire.

 

Top 5 things I hate about college

Okay, so today I am venting…. ready?? Below are, you guessed it, the 5 things that annoy me the most about college.

5. The cost of textbooks and supplies. $215.00 for a Chem book?! WTF!

4. Unprepared students. We are in the second week of class and some of my classmates haven’t even ordered their books yet! Now, this could be attributed to #5, but come on , budget and plan people. (For the record, most of these students are over 25) For that matter, students that ask for more time to do an assignment because they work. Yeah, don’t most of us?

3. Chemistry. They really should name it something a little more accurate. Like “Now for more Math” or “Like Math, but harder” As if it wasn’t bad enough, I had an asthma attack in lab today from the fumes. Sweet.

2. The on-line homework thing. Had it last year in Trig and this year in Chem.  Not that bad until they upgrade their system on the only day you have to do homework and your work disappears into the cyber-black-hole.

1. Blackboard. For those that are blissfully unaware of the joy that is Blackboard (BB), let me briefly explain. Historically, BB was used for on-line classes. Now, more and more teachers are using BB as a supplement to their classes, most often for quizzes and study guides. Sound great, right? Normally, I would say “Yeah”, unfortunately this week is not normally. Did I forget to mention that 12, that’s right 12, community colleges share BB? This week all the colleges went live. What does that mean? I can no longer log on to my classes, including my one class that is entirely on-line. (Hell, I can’t even let my instructor know I can’t log on) Good times.

Thanks! I needed that. As a reward for putting up with that I have added a pix of Neko the Naughty and his favorite toy, the kitty wonton. (sorry it’s so small, it’s all I can figure out how to do , I’ll work on it later…. have to go study.)

 

Classes Begin!

Today was my first day of class. This semester I am taking {gulp} 3 classes: Chem 111, US History, and Philosophy of Religion on-line. Philosophy of Religion seems like it will be a very interesting class, but wholly crap! you wouldn’t believe the writing that is assigned. I think that’s the greatest drawback of on-line classes, all your participation comes from posting. Although I suppose if you are a shy type it might be easier. Chem is, well, Chem. What can I say? You either like it or hate it. For the record I fall into the hate it category, but it must be done.

Now for the good news: I have a lot of assignment options in my history class. One of them, in lieu of a final, is a “special project”. So I’ve come up with a way to justify  knitting. I am going to make a Civil War era pattern. Perhaps a hat or some Victorian Mitts, something I will wear when done. It’s perfect! Now when I am knitting instead of studying and hubby says “Shouldn’t you be studying?” I can say “This IS homework!” 

Oh, don’t worry Linds, I will post pics this weekend! (Thanks for the suggestion)