Current Mood: Joyous

What a week last week was. Nothing really brain consuming as much as physical mule labor. (I think I just called myself an a@@!) It was a really tough week. But I managed to make it to the end.

As part of our getting back on track Hubby and I have started walking again. We are doing it first thing in the morning, 6AM, and so far have managed a two mile walk each day. Now we are not tempting the fates by doing this every day only every other day but for us that is a great deal as we are by nature very lazy people when it comes to regularly exercising! But so far so good!

Katie has finished her first make up class and only needs to take the final. Down side is we have to make an appointment and then drive her to K-Town. So far nothing back from the teacher who is taking care of this for us and if we don’t hear anything soon she might not get to finish the second one she needs to take before we have to get her registered here for school. But even with the one she should graduate on time next year. Fingers crossed and a lot of hard work on her end of things!

Can’t believe we have only 3 weeks until vacation time! I am so ready, but that is not news to any one! We are once again heading to the Lodge in Tennessee for some family time and a week without cable or internet! I am ready for the down time yet hubby is already stressing on how to handle the load! I think along with my knitting I will do my genealogy catch up this trip. My father managed to get the records for his side all the way back to 1515! Unfortunately they are on non acid free paper and it is fading. I need to get it copied into the software program I bought so that I can back it up before his hard work is all gone! With all the free time I should be able to get quite a bit recorded!

Katie & Joshua both are bring friends so things will get loud and rowdy I am sure. But it sure does make for a good time!

I had a friend from work over on Saturday to help Hubby put his new car stereo in! It was my birthday gift to hubby and we wanted it installed right not our usual all thumbs! So I got some help from Dan who has done this several times! Lunch and a beer trade off! What a great deal! It is IPOD ready and the sounds are great!

Katie finally has a really neat butterfly on her wall. She has painted it blue, purple and silver! Now all we need to get done are the ribbons that will flow from the butterfly around the room. Then we can hang her stuff and she is all moved in. It has been a mildly tough first month with us all adjusting to the change. But it seems to be moving along. Still no word from her selfish mother but that was to be expected!

My knitting is slowly moving along. Baby kimono just needs its sleeves and to be blocked. I have finished a really cool dishcloth pattern and liked it so much I am working on a pillow following the same design just thicker yarn and larger needles!

I did receive some more stitch markers but don’t have a picture of them yet. They are sitting on my desk and I keep forgetting! I am still missing one set and I think I will pass on the next go around as I am very busy with my other swaps for the summer!

I have finished my HTML&CSS Intro class. I am now working on my PHP Intro and finding out all kinds of new things. It is a tad bit more challenging for me and I am really eager to throw in the MySQL in the next class!

Proverbs 1:5
A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Current Mood: Cool

Oh how I hate Mondays! Not because of going to work just don’t like the day!

This weekend was a very quiet weekend for us. Hubby had a nice Father’s day with most of the kids checking in on him. Katie gave him some really cool T-shirts and a new grilling apron to go with the grill I got him! He grilled us some big hot dogs and it was delicious!

I managed to get some things finished that are going into my swap packages, but alas I still have a bit more to do! My knitting is coming along and I am getting ready to step up and do some large items. A KAL (Knit ALong) for a vest and a cardigan starts in July. I want to learn and if I know others are working on the same projects then I have someone to go to for help when I get stuck! I am hoping I can find a yarn to do them in my stash as the cut off for no more yarn buying is the 21st and I really want to stick to my commitment of knitting only from my stash for the 3 months of summer!

I am also going to work on doing a scarf in fine lace yarn! The pattern is a simple leaf pattern and should work up quite quickly! I am using a smoky gray and can’t wait to see how much I love or hate using fine yarns. I love threads when I crochet so this shouldn’t be too different from that!

My shawl project is coming along quite nicely! I am about half of the way done and have set a deadline of mid July to be finished! Here are some recent shots of it! Keep in mind it is not stretched out yet so the design does not show up like it will when finished! And I am so hoping the yarn softens up once I get to wash it when finished as it is a bit stiff!

My washcloth knit along has been fun as I have made lots of really nice cloths that are being used both in the kitchen and bathroom. They wash up really nice and it is getting easier to decide which room a design will work best in. Here is the latest one I did. It is called Papillon Cloth and I love it!

I have also started a baby blanket in a circular design that I really like! But I do have until December to be done with it so no pressure on this one. It will be a great take along in the car for our summer travels as the pattern is simple and easy to work with very little memorization involved.

So now back to making cables (Ethernet that is) and getting the supply closet organized!

Psalm 103:13
“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.”

Current Mood: Joyous

What a sweet surprise this week all the way from Sweden and Lifecruiser! I got a box of goodies and have to share!

I got a really nice hat and just in time for summer. I had commented just this past weekend that I needed something new to shade my face from the sun when I go for walks! And here I now have a brand new hat and it even has jewels on it! Whoo Hoo!

I got some really great postcards, much needed coasters and a wonderful serving tray! The tray will most likely end up in the craft room because it is perfect to hold my beads while I am working on new projects. Deep enough they won’t roll out yet no so deep I can’t find what I need!

I have been blogging with Lifecruiser for quite some time now. Can’t remember when we first stumbled across each other but she has been a wonderful friend and a true blogging buddy! You rock Captain Lifecruiser and I am deeply touched by your gifts!

Isaiah 18:7
At that time gifts will be brought to the LORD Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned, from a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers— the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the LORD Almighty.

Current Mood: Playful

I have been really wanting the past year to buy a swift for getting all my unwound hanks of yarn in to manageable skeins to knit with. But they are so expensive and I just have not justified buying one. In the olden days you would have some one hold out their arms and then hang the yarn over them and wind the yarn into a ball. And hubby has been very gracious when asked but it is a time consuming thing and he is not always available.

But out on the Ravelry pages there is a thread about making one of your own. Some have used tinker toys, Legos, pieces of wood and more. But this site, webecca says had a really easy to follow plan to make a portable one out of coat hangers, clothes pins, elastic, a cardboard box, a lazy susan and a gripper.

I found most items and only substituted a coffee can for the cardboard box! It works beautifully and I am thrilled that I can start to manage those luscious hangs of yarn I have been hiding away in my stash. Here are some quick shots to give you and idea of what I did!

My Swift ready to go!

Loaded up with yarn.

The end result all wound into a ball!

2 Peter 1:16
We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

Current Mood: Tired

Been sort of obsessed with dishcloths lately. They are fun to knit, uses up lots of my colorful cotton yarn, helps me to learn more different stitches and best of all are a very quick and easy knit! But I now have to turn my attention to other knitting as I need to get some of them finished. A shawl, a kimono and of course a baby blanket!

I did tell that my oldest step-daughter is pregnant again, didn’t I? She is! Yeah! Due in December and hoping for a boy. Of course the big sister to be has asked her mommy to have 2, a sister for her and a boy for mommy! We just pray for a healthy baby and are happy for them!

I have almost finished my first online class. It is a HTML&CSS Intro class and has been pretty easy. But I needed to understand a few things on the CSS and this was the best place to start. I am enrolled in the PHP Intro and looking forward to making progress in that class. All very time consuming.

I have joined several swaps and look forward to them. It is fun to pick out things for people to send them knowing that when my package arrives it is like a unexpected birthday gift or Christmas. At least that is how I feel when I get mine! It is fun and very mysterious to participate in a swap.

I will be mailing out my scarf for my scarf swap soon. I love how it looks and it blocked up really nice. I have a few things to finish to make the package complete and then out the door it will go!

Things are pretty calm in the house having Katie here. She appears to be fully adjusted and is your typical teenager. Sleeps in till noon and on the computer for the rest of the day! She is willing to do chores when asked, puts her dirty clothes in the hamper and is ready to head out with Joshua at a moments notice! It is just so sad that her mother is such a loser and dumped her like she did!

Oh well time to go get things moving along. I am tired today and not feeling up to speed. I do hate the change of life as it just keeps on changing and I like to be the one making the changes, not my body! This will pass in a day or two, no doubt!

Jeremiah 31:34
No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the LORD.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”