Germany

We arrived in Cologne Germany on a Saturday.
Finding our hostel was NOT easy, so by the time we got checked in we were already tired and grumpy, but still wanted to get out and see a little bit of the city.
First stop, a beer garden for a late lunch/early dinner and then walked to the city center from there. Without a very good map, all we had to use as a point of reference was the peaks of the cathedral.

The Dom Cathedral is beautiful, with incredibly unique architecture, and absolutely massive.
Its as beautiful at night as it is in the day time

We spent Saturday through Tuesday in Cologne and a neighboring town, Aachen.
Tuesday night we went to Paris.
There is not enough I can say about Paris. Its beautiful, and the people are wonderful. That old stereotype that the Parisiens are rude? Completely unfounded from what I experienced. Seriously, I didn't encounter anything like that at all.
I absolutely loved the city and want to go back to visit again and again and again.
I think this is my favorite photo of the entire trip.

I'm home, and...

I'm going to be an auntie

And, I'm Off....

My flight leaves in just a little under 5 hours, so I'll be leaving my house in about 3-1/2 hours. My laundry is done, my toiletries are all together, I just have to throw them all in my bag still, do a couple little chores, and take a shower.
I am excited beyond belief, but its also completely surreal as though I'm not REALLY going to be in NYC tomorrow visiting an old high school friend. I'm not REALLY going to be in Germany on Saturday morning. I'm not REALLY going to be in Paris on Tuesday night. None of this is REALLY happening. But, I can't wait for it to actually happen, to see Germany and Paris and NYC.

I'll take LOTS and LOTS of pics and share some of my favorites when I return.

Au Revoir!!!

Debt and Travels

For over a year now I’ve been saying that I wanted to get my debt paid off.
I guess what started that was when I paid off my old car last January, and how liberating it was to have that big monthly payment go away.
I didn’t immediately set about paying down the debt. First, I went to Ireland.
It was an amazing trip, and well worth the money. Traveling is something that I’ve always wanted to do but something had always held me back. I’m not sure if it was fear, thinking I couldn’t afford it, or what. Something just always held me back.
Last year I decided that I was just going to do it, so I booked my trip to Ireland. Some people thought I was crazy for going by myself, but I think it was one of the best things I’ve ever done.
When I got back I did work more towards paying down my debt, for a while. Then crap happened. I had to make a last minute flight up to Portland, which was rather pricey and threw the budget WAY off track, and I never fully got back on track. Then, I had to buy a new car. Then, I found the airfare special to Germany, which was quickly followed by Christmas. Yes, I could have been more fiscally responsible and passed on the vacation and put that money towards my debts, but I couldn’t. The price was so low that I just could NOT let the opportunity pass. I NEED TO TRAVEL. I LOVE to travel.
On last years trip I had such a wonderful time. It was wonderful to throw myself into another culture, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Hell, I am doing it again tomorrow night.
So, yes the budget has derailed. It has crashed and burned like you would not believe. Not only have I not finished paying it off, but I’ve ran it up even more. Aside from my car loan, I believe I’ve added more than $1,000 to my credit card debt. Yes, things could be worse, but when i was so close to having it all paid off its frustrating to see it climb back up like that.
So, once I return from my trip I’m putting a budget back in place. I want to be debt free by the time Christmas rolls around. I want to get all of that extra weight off my shoulders. There really is no reason for me to be carrying this debt around in the first place. I make enough money and my expenses are low enough that I shouldn’t have any credit card debt. It truly is just irresponsible spending on my part..
So, once I return I’ll be paying off the credit card debt. I should be able to comfortably pay it all of by Halloween, Thanksgiving at the latest. Then I’ll celebrate with a short vacation somewhere. Maybe a long weekend to Canada, or perhaps to visit my birth father in Boston. Returning from that, I’ll take the money that had been going towards the credit card payments, and put it towards the car payment so that I can pay it off that much sooner.
I just want to be debt free.

So, I’m off on vacation. Tomorrow night Erin and I leave for New York where we’ll spend the day Friday before flying out to Germany that evening. We’ll spend a few days in Germany, then a few days in Paris before coming home. I’m so excited, but it’s also so surreal.
Its currently midnight. My plan was to come home after work, do my laundry and pack.
As I'm sure you can guess, that did not happen. I came home from work, and got an email from Erin that a few of our friends were getting together at the pub to see us before we leave tomorrow. I just got home. Still, no laundry is done. Not a thing packed. I'm going to be up all night. I won't have time to get much done tomorrow either considering that I am going in to work for a half day. I was planning on leaving at noon until I found out from a coworker that theres a "suprise" Bon Voyage pot luck for me tomorrow at noon so I'll be sticking around for that and probably won't get home until around 2 pm, then have to leave for the airport around 630. I can't imagine that I'll have much of a problem sleeping on the planes.

Procrastination

I did finally get out of the house Saturday and made it to Walmart and got a good portion of the stuff that I needed, and then made it over to Mervyns where I was able to get some good deals. Once I got home, I got nothing else accomplished.
Sunday I did get out and met Erin, my travel buddy, at Old Navy and Ross where we picked up a couple of tees and sweaters. Once I got home, I got nothing else accomplished.
My plan for yesterday was to stop at Target on my way home to pick up the last few items I need and then to come home and start doing laundry and packing. That plan went down the drain when my dad called and invited me to come over for dinner with him and his girlfriend after work. I didnt get home until 10pm, so once again I got nothing else accomplished.
Tonight I did go to the bank after work to put a travel alert on my account and then stopped off at Target, ULTA, and Walgreens to pick up the last few items on my list. Now, I'm sitting here watching Law & Order.
This is all that is left on my "To Do" list:
1 - cash in my jar of change at that machine in the grocery store
2 - finish some projects at work & set up the "Out of Office" on my email (that will be done thursday morning)
3 - laundry
4 - pack
5 - change the outgoing message on my cell phone so people don't expect a call back anytime soon "Hi, this is Vanessa and I'm in EUROPE!!"
6 - put batteries in the camera, travel alarm clock, cd player, all that stuff
7 - burn a couple of mix cd's for the trip. I'm wanting one with calmer music and one more upbeat. any song suggestions?
8 - finish photoshopping the last of those photos from the wedding I photographed 2 weeks ago
9 - put the photos on cd's and get them to the happy couple
10 - clean my bathroom
11 - return dvd's
12 - I know I'm forgetting something

Right now, I'm TIRED. I still need to take the trash out and get tonights purchases out of my car, but I'm considering just going to bed now and tackling it all tomorrow night and Thursday afternoon. I'm working a full day tomorrow but am leaving work at noon Thursday so that I'll have time to take care of any last minute details before leaving for the airport. My flight leaves at 815 pm, which means I need to be at the airport by 715 so I should leave my house somewhere around 630. Between now and then I have to do all of the above.
I am going to finish photoshopping the wedding photos and copy them to a cd before I go to bed so that I can at the very least cross those things off my list.

I just cant believe that I'm leaving in less than 2 days. Friday we have a VERY long layover in Manhattan, about 9 hours, so we'll be meeting up with an old friend from high school. After that, its on to Koln Germany and Paris France. YIPPEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

NO Motivation Whatsoever

Last night I went over to some friends house for some wine and to hang out with the girls. It was fun, we talked, drank wine, played Cranium. After a while though, the cats got to my allergies so I took a Claritin that my friends had in their bathroom. Wine and Claritin do not mix well for me. It wasn't very long afterwards until I was saying "I really need to sleep. NOW".
I stayed the night, got a decent amount of sleep, came home and thought it was great to be up early on a Saturday and that there was a lot I would be able to get done. I need to go to the store and get some items for my trip - little things like travel sized toiletries - and I'd like to find a sweater at Mervyns with a gift card I got back at Christmas. Part of the errands I wanted to run was to upload some photos I'd taken to Walmart.com so that I could pick them up in store at the 1 hour photo when I went there for the toiletries that I need to get. After uploading them I sat down to watch an hour of crappy Saturday morning TV, and promptly fell back asleep. For 3 hours. Its now 4:30 and I still havent done a single thing that I need to get done. Well, I did take a shower, but I'm still just sitting here not doing any of the following....
laundry
getting a white foam core board for photographing my jewelry
going to Walmart
going to Mervyns
putting gas in my car
packing
cleaning the bathroom

I leave in only FIVE days so I do need to get all of this done this weekend.
I am DETERMINED to not be running around like an idiot Thursday afternoon in the last couple of hours before my flight leaves.

I also have a couple of jewelry projects to complete before Thursday. One is for my mother, she'd found this watch on eBay that she wanted that was a regular watch face with a beaded gemstone band. Its really pretty. So, she bought it, paid for it, and waited for it to show up. And waited, and waited, and waited. The seller hasn't responded to any attempts to communication, and hasn't responded to the complaints that my mom has made directly through eBay. So, she calls me up to make her a replica of it. I think it will turn out nicely, I have some similar gemstones to what the woman used, but not identical. i'll post a photo of it when I'm done. Considering my lack of motivation, I should be able to get it done tonight while I sit watching movies and not doing the chores that I need to get done.

Amazing!

I LOVE The Amazing Race.
Considering how much I love to travel and how much of the world I want to see, it is the perfect show for me - 28 days of racing around the world.
My lovely cousin Erin is a fan of the show as well, and for the past year or two she and I have jokingly said that we thought we'd make a great team. I'm a bit more practical, can navigate well, find the cheapest and quickest routes between locations, stuff like that. Erin is the one who would handle the cultural issues better, she's GREAT with languages, speaks German, a bit of French, and a smidge of Arabic. We would balance each other out fairly well.
We've been saying that we'd be this great team purely in jest, never with any intentions of ACTUALLY auditioning for it. I have my job, and she has school, it really would take some fancy footwork to coordinate our lives to match the filming schedule and all.
Tonight we were at the pub, talking about our trip to Germany and Paris next week.
Out of nowhere 3 or 4 of our friends say that they think we'd be a great team for The Amazing Race. I take this as a sign that we need to apply.
So, I just have to find out when the next round of auditions are - if the auditions are in person or via videotape.
Sooooo, any suggestions on how to make an audition that grabs the attention of the casting directors?

Erin and I on my 30th birthday... I think we'd make a killer team.

10 days and counting

yep, only 10 days until the big Germany/Paris trip.
Just like last year with my trip to Ireland, the closer it gets the less real it seems.

The past week my Grandpa from Oregon has been in town visiting. Its been a good visit. Wednesday night we went to the Pub for a pint, some shepards pie and bangers and mash. It was fun, he got to meet some of my friends and understands why I like to hang out there. Then Friday night we had dinner at my cousins other grandparents house, and then Saturday night I hosted a big family dinner at my moms house. I made a great chicken and pasta dish. I'd seen two recipes online recently that I liked, but of course I couldn't find them when I needed them. So, I did the next best thing and threw together what I could remember from the two. I started out by cooking bacon, onion, garlic, and chicken in a sauce pan, then removed all of that and used the remaining bacon grease to make a roux, and thinned it out with some milk, marsala wine, and threw in a bunch of mozzarella cheese. Definitely not the healthiest dish, but damn it was good. To add some bit of nutrition to it, when I was cooking the pasta I tossed in some broccoli florets for the last minute or so.

Since he leaves early Monday morning, we got together for a family brunch this morning in Folsom and I was able to get some pictures of the family together. Looking at these photos this afternoon it struck me that he is my last surviving grandfather. Even though I'm sure that we'll have countless opportunities for more photos like this, I'm going to treasure these photos forever. The last few years have been very hard for him, starting with my grandmother being diagnosed with lung cancer and then watching him care for her while she was sick, and seeing how sad he was during those 2 years, and how devastated he was when she passed away last year, its so good to see him smiling like this again, and looking genuinely happy.

Me and Grandpa

Me, Grandpa, and my little brother, Ryan

Ryan, me, Dad, Grandpa

Grandpa

As it turns out, I'm alive and well after all

I am well on the road to recovery. Today was the first day in over a week that I've felt like an actual human being for the entire day. Even after a full day at work, I felt well enough to stop off at the pub for a while.
Saturday, I started out feeling fairly normal. Then I photographed the wedding and by the end of the ceremony I just wanted to crawl back into bed, but still had the ceremony to go. After a seven and a half hour day I stopped at a friends house on the way home so I could relax for a bit. It was great, we visited for a few hours, had a couple glasses of wine, and snuggled her puppy before I continued on home.
Sunday I was supposed to go pick my grandpa up from the airport along with my dad, brother and sister. I was so completely and utterly exhausted that I completely slept through it and ended up spending almost the entire day back in bed.
But, now that I'm back amongst the living I'll be taking Grandpa down to the pub one night this week for a pasty and a pinto and to meet all of my friends.

I'm Dieing

I used to look forward to sick days. In high school I actually liked it when I was sick and could spend the day on the couch, watching TV, taking long bubble baths, and sleeping.
Now, I hate it.
I have some nasty version of the flu and have been lingering somewhere between wellness and death for the past 3 days. During the night, I'm freezing cold and can't get enough blankets on me, but during the day I'm sweating hot. Each day the symptoms are fewer, yet I feel worse. I left work early Wednesday, stayed home today and will most likely be staying home tomorrow. This is not good news. I have to get better. I have to try on bridesmaid dresses tomorrow evening, photograph a wedding Saturday afternoon, and pick my Grandpa up from the airport Sunday morning then go to breakfast with him and the siblings, then on to my dad & his girlfriends Superbowl party.
I've been taking Airborne and its not helping one bit. It did help at first before this flu really set in, but now it does nothing.
I've finally resorted to my Grandmas old remedy. Hot Toddies. Hot tea, lemon, honey, and a fair amount of brandy. I don't know if its working, but it does seem to be helping with the headache a little bit.


On a completely different note, does anyone have any recommendations for good walking shoes?
Its only 3 weeks until my trip and I'd like to find a good pair of walking shoes that don't look completely dorky and won't tear my feet up (most shoes cut into the back of my ankles).

And to go even more off topic, I can't decide what to do with my hair.
My hair is a medium to dark brown, and back in October I had some blond streaks done.
Its time to do something more with my hair and I can't decide between putting more blond in, going back to brown, or red. Opinions?

I'm Home

I'm home. The trip was great. Very relaxing, and of course it was wonderful to see Grandpa and all of my relatives.
The scenery at my Grandfathers is absolutely amazing. From his deck there is a gorgeous view of Mt. Hood...


and you wake up to things like a herd of 25 elk in the driveway



and theres all kinds of old crap to take cool pictures of.
This is the windmill on my Grandpas deck

This is the wheel on an old 1919 tractor on the farm where my uncle rents a garage for his welding business

and this is said uncle, busy at work


I'm glad to be home, have bridesmaid duties this week, a wedding to photograph Saturday, and my Grandpa (yes, the same one I just got back from visiting) is flying in on Sunday.

Only 23 days until the big trip.

A Little Late to the Game

I'm supposed to be at the airport in about 4 hours, and I'm just now about to put my clothes in the wash. I have yet to pack a single thing. I always do this - wait until the very last minute to pack for my trips. I'm going up to visit my Grandpa and Uncle, only a short trip - a 4 day weekend. I'll be back Monday night so I don't need to pack (or wash) much.



Its only 4 weeks until my trip to Germany. Its coming up so fast that I almost can't believe that I'm actually going. Last night I went shoe shopping for the trip, figuring that I need a decent pair of boots for the trip. I went to Marshalls and they had a pair that looked like they would be perfect - ankle height, brown leather, Nikes with that little air cushion thingy in the heel, and they were on clearance for only $25!! HOWEVER, they didn't have them in my size. None of the 3 Marshalls I went to had them in my size. I'm hoping that the Marshalls in Oregon will have them.
While at Marshalls I spied some Converse on clearance for only $10. Now, this may come as a shock to most of you, but I have never owned a pair of Converse before.
Sorry, didn't mean to make you fall out of your seats like that, hope you're not hurt too bad.
Its true, I've never owned a pair of Converse. Even though they've been around for decades and were extremely popular when I was in elementary school and junior high, I've never even tried them on - I was raised on cheap-o Payless/K-Mart/Walmart shoes. If I'm going to spend $40 on a pair of shoes they'd better be pretty cute, and Converse never looked that cute for $40. But, since they were only $10, I tried some on. OH, the comfort! It was almost as though I had slipped my feet into a stick of butter. I grabbed 2 pairs. Because I was getting what was left of the clearance rack pickings, there wasn't a whole lot. I ended up with a grass green pair and these. They almost look like a faux Burberry plaid, don'tcha think? I don't know that these would be ideal for walking all over Germany and Paris, but I am now an official fan. Theyre definitely worth the $40, but I'll still be on the lookout for deals at Marshalls of course.

Just a bit of a repeat from my last post - be on the lookout for the announcement of the grand opening of my ETSY store. If you're not familiar with ETSY, head on over to WWW.ETSY.COM, "Your place to buy and sell all things handmade". I'll be launching the site soon, beginning with my jewelry and hopefully will get some of my photography on there as well. I've been busy making items to post and so far I have:
2 cell phone charms
5 zipper pulls
15 sets of knitting stitch markers
90 pairs of earrings
50 necklaces
1 bracelet (I should probably make a few more of these)
1 eye glass chain (only a little dorky)

Yes, there are 164 items for me to post. I won't post them all at once - that would take me FOREVER. Once I have the first 20 or so items uploaded, I'll announce the grand opening - my goal is to launch by Monday, February 5th. Be on alert.

Numbers..... and some rambling.

Days since last post - 18
Days until trip to Oregon - 7
Days until trip to NYC/Germany/Paris - 34
Skeins of yarn purchased since new "budget" was declared - 2
Knitting projects completed - 0
Beads purchased - about eleventy bazillion and one, give or take.
Pairs of earrings made - 77
Sets of stitch markers made - 5
Cell phone charms made - 3
Bookmarks made - 1
Necklaces made - 39
Bracelets made - 1
Number of all of these beaded projects that I've uploaded to ETSY - 0
Cameras purchased - 1
Pounds lost since 01/03/07 - 14.08
Rolling duffel/backpack purchased - 1
Hours of overtime I will have worked at the end of this pay period - 10
Times I've been asked to be a bridesmaid - 1

I haven't been up to a whole lot since the New Year.
I have started a new health plan, not a diet per se since I'm not doing Weight Watchers or Atkins or anything prescripted like that. I'm just trying to make logical changes in my eating habits - no fast food, more fruits and veggies, less carbs and more whole grains. Really just the logical more healthy choices, and so far its working. I've lost 14.8 lbs since January 3rd. Ideally, I would like to lose another 15 lbs before I leave for Germany, which is only 5 weeks away so it really shouldn't be that far out of reach.
I am really looking forward to the trips coming up. Next Friday morning I'll be going up to Portland to visit my Grandpa and Uncle. I'm not going for too long, just a 4 day weekend, so I'll be home Monday night. I'm really looking forward to the trip. Its so quiet and relaxing up there. I'm also dreading it a little. It will be my first trip up there since Grandma passed away last July and I'm not looking forward to seeing how different it is without her there.

The real countdown begins. The trip to Europe. Erin and I are too excited for words and we have a great itinerary in the works. We'll be leaving Sacramento on a Thursday evening and taking the red eye in to La Guardia Friday morning where we will spend the first part of the day. We're hoping to meet up with an old high school friend of mine for lunch, however she just had her book published so she may be off doing fabulously exciting (and well deserved) publicity appearances. Friday afternoon we'll head on over to Newark where we will depart for Cologne Germany and arrive Saturday morning.
We're thinking that we'll spend 4 days in Germany then 3 days in Paris before coming back home the following Saturday.

I'm so excited about my trip that I bought a new bag. I stopped off at Ross this evening with the intentions of looking for a coat. I was there New Years Eve weekend and they had a fabulous red wool peacoat for only $40 that I didnt get because I was trying to be budget conscious but its been in the back of my mind ever since. I was hoping that it would still be there, but of course it was gone. However, I wandered over to the luggage section. I really don't need another suitcase, but I've never really loved the one that I have. I was able to find a bag that seems like it will be near perfect. Its a rolling duffle that also fits well as a backpack. Yes, I did try it on as a backpack in the middle of Ross. Bonus? It was only $30.

I also got a new digital camera this evening. Theres one I've had my eye on for a couple of months, and was thinking of doing some comparison shopping before my Germany trip, went to Best Buys website and it was on sale for $110 off the normal price. SCORE. I should have it by next Thursday at the latest, so I'll have it in time for the Oregon trip as well. YAY!!

Last Sunday my oldest friend Caren called. Caren and I have been friends since 7th grade and aside from my cousin Erin, she is my closest friend. The type that you know you can call at any time for anything. When my Grandpa died I called her and all I said was "Its Grandpa. Can you meet me at Kaiser?". She raced straight over and I didn't even process until well after the fact that she was in the shower when I called and still had her hair in a towel when she pulled up to the Emergency Room. She is a beautiful person all of the way through and I am so grateful to have her as a friend.
Anyways, she calls Sunday morning and asks me to meet her at Cal Expo for the bridal fair because her and her boyfriend are engaged, and would I mind being a bridesmaid this August? Of course my crafty side kicked in as we're walking around the fair. We're looking at invitations, centerpieces, and as she's cringing over the prices of everything I'm reminding her just how crafty I am so it appears as though I may be making the centerpieces, favors, invitations, bridal party jewelry, and if the wedding is in San Francisco I may be doing the flowers as well. Also, the part I'm really looking forward to... I'll be taking their engagement photos. YAY! Maybe Dad will let me borrow his Nikon D100 again....

The ETSY site... ugh. I have been making quite a bit of product to post on the site, but am in need of a camera to get some decent photos to upload. Problem solved. Perhaps I'll take my jewelry up to Oregon with me and will be able to get the photos taken while I'm there. I'm aiming to have the site launched by the first Monday in February.

Greetings 2007

New Years Eve was a blast. I went out with Erin, Kelly & Stephanie for dinner at Tapa the World where we shared some tapas and had a couple rounds of Mojitos. Afterwards we adjourned to our favorite pub, Bonn Lair, where we rang in the new year. It was great, many drinks were consumed, and we all had a great time.

Now, some resolutions. first, I'd like to review my resolutions from last year:
1. QUIT SMOKING
Well, that didn't exactly work out. Back in early September I did give it a shot, but there was only one completely smoke free day.
2. LOSE WEIGHT
Yeah, didn't get that one done either.
3. COMPLETE THE AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION TOUR DE CURE BIKE RIDE
I'm 0 for 3 so far.
4. BLOG MORE FREQUENTLY
I did accomplish this one. I went from blogging once a week to about twice a week on average. Sometimes more, sometimes less (like the past couple of weeks).
5. TAKE A FABULOUS VACATION
Check! Ireland this past May was amazing. It was definitely one of the best things I've ever done and has inspired me to make travel a higher priority in my life.
6. START A ROTH IRA
Nope. Didn't do that either. Thankfully I do have other retirement investments.
7. PAY OFF MY DEBTS
I came so incredibly close. I was down to about $200 total debt when I bought my new car.
8. GET ORGANIZED
Nope.
9. BE MORE ACTIVE
Nope again.
10. GO SOMEPLACE I'VE NEVER BEEN BEFORE
Yep. Ireland, baby!
11. WORK ON MY "100 THINGS TO DO BEFORE I DIE" LIST.
I crossed out an item or two, but am not sure whether or not I added anything to it.
12. KNIT SOMETHING OTHER THAN A SCARF.
Done. I've made more than a few purses, a couple of ponchos, a top for Janae, some hats, and I am still working on my Viveka sweater.
13. DATE.
Nope.
14. READ MORE.
I did read more in 2006 than in 2005, but still not as much as I would have liked.

So, I was only able to complete 6 out of 14 items. Not good. I'm hoping to do better in 2007....

1. BECOME MORE FINANCIALLY AWARE.
I will be the first to admit that I don't know where the hell most of my money goes. I know that I have a considerable amount taken out of each check for my 401k and other investments, but even after that my take home pay seems to disappear way too quickly. I should be able to account for it in some way, but I generally can't.
2. LOSE SOME WEIGHT
I'd like to lose 20 lbs before my trip to Germany.
3. TAKE A FABULOUS VACATION
I'm thinking this will be an annual resolution.
4. GET OUT MORE
Its so easy for me to stay in and be a homebody.
5. GET ORGANIZED
I need to give this one another shot.

In addition to these, I think I may have to implement some weekly and/or monthly goals.
My goal for this week, to launch my ETSY site.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

I hope all of you are enjoying your holdiays with those that mean the most to you.

One thing about the holidays is that you often see family members that you don't have the pleasure of visiting with during other times of the year.

Last night I celebrated Christmas with my birth fathers side of the family. I only get to see some of these relatives once or twice a year. That can be a good thing. I had the following conversation with my aunt "C" (the wife of my youngest uncle) last night.

C: So, Vanessa, how old are you now?

Me: I just turned 30 this past August.

C: Ohhhhhhhhh. Thats not young.

The Countdown is ON!

Ideally, I'd like to have all of my Christmas shopping done by the 22nd. That only gives me 9 days.
I choose this date because I am of a unique family situation (mom, step-dad I grew up with thinking was my father, and a birth father). Anytime you have a family situation where some family members are here, some are there, and some are way the heck over there. My birth fathers family (grandma, her husband, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc - but not the birth father, he's on the other coast) all celebrate Christmas on the 23rd so I have to have all of their shopping done by then and if I'm going to have that half of the family done, I may as well have it all done so that I don't have to run around like an idiot dealing with the masses on the 24th.

At this point, I have less than half of my shopping done.

And NONE of my holiday crafts completed.

On the shopping list:
Grandma
Mom
Dad
Father (since he lives in Boston, I'd like to get his gift shipped off by this Friday to avoid paying FedEx prices)
Lindsay (21 y.o. sister)
Ryan (17 y.o. brother)
Erin (cousin)
Jeremy (cousins husband)
6 cousins (ages range from 8 to 17)

On the craft list:
Janae's afghan (6 y.o. cousin) - thankfully, this is about 1/2 way done and shouldn't take long once I actually sit down to work on it.
And there are a handful of friends and coworkers that I will be making or baking token gifts for.

I'm sure I'll get everything done in time, it's just going to be a bit of a challenge.

I do this every year. About a week or two before Thanksgiving I start thinking "I should start working on my Christmas shopping NOW so that I don't have it all to do at the last minute" I never actually start.

There is one slight reprieve though. I'll have Friday afternoon off from work, possibly the whole day if I can get my work done ahead of time.

In other countdown news, only 22 days until Erin and I leave for GERMANY AND PARIS!!!

Dear Santa,

I've been good this year. Really, I have.
Many great things have happened this year. I went to Ireland, I was able to go visit my grandmother a few times before she passed and was able to be with her during her last days, I managed to sell some of my jewelry (and one of these days, hopefully very soon, I will launch my ETSY site), I got a new position at work, I saw friends marry, my cousin Erin and her husband Jeremy moved back to Sacramento, I was able to test knit a pattern for Stefanie Japel, and I got a new car. I am generally happy with my life. On top of all of that, a friends mother who has had breast cancer for the past 5 years has gone into remission - something the doctors have been saying would never happen. I am very grateful for all of this.

However, I've also had to deal with a lot of crap this year. I got rear ended. THREE TIMES. My mom had to have angioplasty for the 2nd time in 3 years. My iPod was stolen. My youngest aunt and her 3 kids (ages 15, 14, and 6) were living with us for the past 3+ months (they just moved out last weekend. Thank God). My father increased the frequency of the "when are you giving me grandkids?" pressure. My knee problems seem to have increased in both pain and frequency. And, I've managed to break my digital camera.

Apparently I've dropped it a time too many and now the picture is slightly off from what is seen through the viewfinder. To get the picture I want, I have to go up and to the left a bit from my intended subject. Fun.
So, Santa, I really wouldn't mind it if you left a digital camera under the tree for me this year. Really, I don't need a lot of bells and whistles. I'm not asking for the Nikon D100 of my dreams. Something with 6 megapixels or higher, video capability, decent zoom, and macro settings would be GREAT! Something I can carry in my tote bag to Europe with me and take pretty pictures of the Eiffel Tower, the Cologne Cathedral, and Notre Dame.

Something like this:



Its the Kodak EasyShare Z612 and it has everything I'm looking for. 6.1 megapixels, 12x optical/4.2x digita/50x total zoom, equivalent to a 35-420mm lens focal length, 32 MB internal memory, rechargable battery and pictbridge compatible if I later decide to get a photo printer.
If thats not enough, it can take macro shots like this:



Thats a user photo from Amazon.com. Customer reviews on Amazon give it 4-1/2 out of 5 stars.
So, Santa, do you think theres room in your bag for something like this?

Mwah!
Love,
Ness

Something to look forward to...

I was having a rough week at work, and decided to distract myself with looking at possible vacations for next year.
I asked to two guys that I work with if they had any suggestions on where I should go. Their responses??
"Iraq" and, "North Korea".
When I told them that I would prefer to go someplace that was more hospitable to both Americans AND women, they said:
"Well, now you're just being difficult."
I looked at airfare to my top choice of destinations - Italy was ranging about $1,200 and up. Paris was about $800 or more.
Then I got the weekly Top 20 travel deals email from TravelZoo.com and one special caught my eye - Newark NJ to Cologne Germany for $198 roundtrip.
While Germany may not have been my top 2 or 3 choices, it is definitely on the list of places I'd like to visit eventually and at that price, there is no way I could pass it up. There are a couple of drawbacks:
1. I had to purchase the tickets by 12/12 so this does cut into my holiday budget ever so slightly.
2. I now have to find cheap airfare from Sacramento to Newark
3. I have to go the last week of February, so it will be COLD.

However, none of these are enough to stop me from going.

One of the best parts? My lovely cousin Erin will be going with me. This is going to be GREAT! As close as Erin and I are, we've never traveled together other than day trips around Northern California. What will be especially helpful is that she speaks some German.
Our flight will leave Newark at 7 pm, so we're considering taking a red eye into New York the night before so that we can spend the day in Manhattan prior to leaving for Germany.

We are SO SO SO excited!

update....

I'm still here, haven't disappeared or anything.

Thanksgiving was great.
I got up early and made my caramel apple pie. It was.... okay. Just okay. I didn't buy the brown sugar until Wednesday evening, so all that was left was dark brown so it had a bit more of a molasses type flavor, and I think I put too much brown sugar in the pie. It's definitely a recipe I'd like to work on perfecting.
Dinner at my aunts house was great. After dinner I was able to prevent myself from lapsing into food coma by knitting while watching the first season of Desparate Housewives with Erin & Jeremy.
The rest of my weekend, i did NOTHING. I was the perfect example of laziness. I just laid around and knit and watched television and movies. I was a sloth and it was great.

I may be planning my next international travel, nothing definite yet... I'm undecided.
For now, I'll just say Auf Wiedersehen

A Short Week.

I got my Vibe last Thursday, and I'm loving it!
I'll take a pic sometime soon and post more about it later this week.

This is also a short week for me, and I am very much looking forward to it.
I'll be working a half day on Wednesday and am off Thursday and Friday.

Wednesday afternoon I'll be baking desserts to take to my aunts house for Thanksgiving dinner.
One of my favorite pies is the Caramel Pippin Apple at Z-Pies, a GREAT gourmet pot pie shop in Placerville.
For Thanksgiving dinner, I'll be attempting my own version of a Caramel Apple Pie, complete with homemade caramel sauce. I'm thinking I'll be using a variety of apples. I went to Whole Foods this evening and picked up some Granny Smith, Fuji, Gala, and Pink Lady apples for the filling. Whole Foods didnt have any Pippin apples so I may stop by the Co-Op tomorrow night. I'd also like to try putting some Honeycrisps in it, but Whole Foods didn't have any Honeycrisps and I'm not sure where else I would be able to find them. Thats the only grocery store I can recall ever seeing them at. I considered grabbing an asian pear while I was at Whole Foods and mixing that in with the apples for the filling, but had second thoughts. What do you think? Should I mix one or two asian pears in with the apples? Any other suggestions?
I will be cheating by using a store bought pastry though. I'm not up to making the crust from scratch.

So, other than baking a pie Wednesday evening and dinner with the family on Thursday, I have no plans for my extra long weekend. I do know that I will go no where near a mall, Walmart, Kmart or Target on Friday though. I've never liked the "Black Friday" shopping sprees. I did it once when I was 18, and that was enough for me.
Hopefully, I'll get a lot of knitting done. I'm still working on my sweater, but am no where near as far along as I would like to me. I'm only about 90% done with the back portion - then theres still the front and the arms, then the blocking and the seaming..... and I'm supposed to have this finished by the end of the month.

Aaaaaaannnnnnnnnd, I'm dumb.

Saturday I went and test drove the Pontiac Vibe. I really like it, I think I could love it.
I'll be picking it up tomorrow, provided everything goes through with the financing.

I'm very excited, but still a little nervous. I've never bought a BRAND NEW car before.
Granted, I would have never given a Pontiac a second glance before. But, after researching it and finding out that it has a Toyota engine and transmission, I'm confident that it will be reliable and will last me a while. Provided that the curse of being rear ended has expired.

The test drive went well, I was surprised at how much "pep" the thing has considering that it has a four cylinder engine.
With the four cylinder Toyota Corolla engine, I'm looking forward to how much money I'll be saving on gas. My old Explorer gets about 14-15 mpg in the city and I can get 17-18 mpg highway. With the Vibe I should get about 30 mpg city and 36 mpg highway. Fantastic!!!
Sooo.... Saturday evening I'm test driving the Vibe with the sales woman, Barb. As we pull back in to the dealership I'm looking over the console and the lay out and asking questions. Like this...

Me: Whats this "18"? Is that the gas mileage? Because I thought that with the Corolla engine it was supposed to get something like 30 mpg.
Barb, in the most kindergarten teacher voice I've heard since, well, kindergarten: Honey, thats how many miles are ON the car.

Aaaaannnnnnnd, I'm dumb.
I mean, I KNOW that this is a new car but I'm just having a hard time comprehending that there can be that few miles on a car.

Rain

I always love the first few rains of the season. Lying here, listening to it fall on the large, heavy leaves of the magnolia tree outside my window. It always gives me the sense that everything can just be washed clean and made fresh.
I'm sure that by February I'll be cursing the rain, but for now, its comforting.

Friday Night Lights

Last night was my brothers last high school football game.
Unfortunately, they lost. Their heart just wasn't in it.
Earlier this week the team found out that although they had qualified for the playoffs, they wouldn't be able to play because of the incompetency of the schools athletic director. Twice during this season they had had new students tranfer in who were on the football team. The coaches all thought everything was good to put these new players in games. Afterwards they found out that the athletic director had failed to turn in paperwork to the league offices which made the players ineligible to go out on to the field. As a result, the team had to forfeit 2 preseason games and 2 season games. Even though the team was 7-2 on the field, they were 3-6 on paper making them ineligible for the playoffs.
The team they played against last night was undefeated for the season, and my brothers team started out strong, keeping the score even for the first quarter, but after a couple of 15 yard penalties for players dropping the "f-bomb" on the field (even though it was in their own huddles and not directed at anyone) they got discouraged and let the other team stomp all over them. The end score was 40 to 8.

In other news, I got my car back from the auto body shop last week and finally took it in to have the transmission looked at.
My mechanic came back with very bad news, more than I had anticipated. Not only do I need a new transmission, but something called the hub bearings is busted. I still don't understand exactly what that is, but if not fixed my right front wheel could fly off while driving down the road. Not good. Just to get the car up to where it would be safely operable would be about $3,500 (thats at my mechanics cost - he'd be cutting me a pretty sweet deal). To fix EVERYTHING thats wrong with it (including a leaking sunroof, the electrical to the antennae, and a few other minor things) would be another $1,000. Considering its a 1995 with over 172,000 miles, my mechanic doesn't think it would be a very good idea to put that kind of money into it. So, I'm going to test drive a new car tonight. I'd been looking at a used Toyota Matrix, but realized that the Pontiac Vibe is the exact same car (its a joint venture between Pontiac & Toyota) and a brand new Pontiac is actually a little less than a 2 year old Toyota, plus through my work I qualify for GM supplier discount pricing with Pontiac. This is what I'm test driving tonight...

Does it look too soccer-mom-station-wagon-ish??
I wanted to keep some of the roominess of an SUV, but quite so big and better gas mileage. So far, this seems to be the best to meet all of those criteria.
I swear, I am not driving a new car home tonight. I still have to clean out my Explorer so that I can trade it in and move some money around to make the funds available for my down payment.

P.S. Kimananda, I have an Apple iBook G4 and I LOVE it. I would like to get one of the new MacBooks though.

So... Tired.... Can't... Knit....

I was able to cast on Viveka last night and I got about 5 or 6 rows of the back done. But, thats where I stopped.

Tonight, I went to my brothers football game. His team (Valley Christian Academy) won, 48 to 13, and they're now guaranteed to be in the playoffs.

Soooo, for any of you here in the Sacramento area, next Fridays game is supposed to be HUGE. Its the last game before the playoffs and theyre playing against an undefeated team from Vallejo (my brothers school is a smaller division private school so the teams they play against aren't all local). The game is next Friday night, 7 pm at Oakmont High School in Roseville. if you can, wear burgundy. Its his team color. Tickets are only $6, and as an incentive there is a "50/50" raffle. Raffle tickets are $1 each and the winner gets half of the funds generated by the sale of tickets, the other half goes to pay for the teams use of Oakmonts field (again, small school... they dont have a field of their own). Tonights draw was for $114.

Seriously, come to the game next Saturday. Root for #88. Thats my baby brother. I'll have some assortment of noisemakers with me, I'm sure.

I did get a little knitting done during the game. I started "The Printers Scarf", its a simple 2x2 rib with some striping at the ends. So far, I'm not too sure about it. With the striping and the ribbing... well....... it looks a bit like an athletic sock. I may be ripping it out and starting over. Maybe a basketweave? I'm not sure.
Anyways, with all of the yelling and stomping and jumping during the game, I am TIRED tonight. I wanted to knit more on Viveka, but am just going to crash to sleep. I hope to get a lot done tomorrow, I'm supposed to have this bad girl done by the end of the month.

Also, the power charger for my laptop is fritzing out. As I was sitting here in my bed, it started sparking on me and damn near caught my quilt on fire. The cord near the doo-hickey that plugs into my laptop is melted and wires are exposed. I toyed with the idea of wrapping some electrical tape around it, but when I hold the melted parts together, it starts sparking pretty good. I guess I'll be going to Fryes or Best Buy tomorrow. Hopefully theres a non-Apple replacement. I just checked Apples website and a new charger is $80 AND all of the use reviews that are showing from the past week ALL say that theyre fire hazards and people are having to replace them after about 9 months. I guess I'm lucky that this one has lasted for well over 2 years.

I currently only have 50% battery power, so if I don't find a reasonable priced replacement tomorrow you may not hear from me for a while.

November

It's hard to believe that its only 52 days until Christmas.
Despite having so much to do between now and then, I was toying with the idea of participating in NaNoWriMo. Even though its only 2 days into the month, I was already stressing because I hadn't started writing yet - I was going to be doing that tonight. I have the general concept of my storyline down - it's an idea I've been working with for a few years now. I've even started a few times and have the various beginnings on my hard drive.
However, I quickly abandoned my notebook and pencil when I found out that November is also NaKniSweMo.
Back in September I decided that I wanted to knit myself a sweater, and decided on Viveka. I even ordered the yarn - Wool of the Andes in Amber Heather as the main color and Evergreen for the contrasting trim. I've been putting it off starting it though. I couldn't justify knitting something for myself when I have a number of items that are currently in progress or need to be done for someone else:
1. The socks. Those socks that I started back in September? I powered through that first one and got it finished in a reasonable amount of time. The second one? Not so much. I've started it, but have put it down so so so many times. I'm not even to the heel yet.
2. Shawls. I have two shawls that are in the works. Both are for myself - the ones that I started and didnt finish for B&K's wedding last week. I'm going to have a few holiday parties to go to in early December and would like to have at least the one made from the Bernat Boa finished to wear to the parties.
3. Janaes afghan. In the summer I started an afghan for my youngest cousin and planned on having it finished by now so that I could put it for part of her Christmas present. Again, I've been focusing so much on other projects, that not much progress has been done on this one, although I have gotten a little bit done this past week. I WILL finish this by Christmas.
4. "Neopolitan Handbag". I've had an idea for another felted handbag in mind for a few months now and wanted to use pink, brown and cream - like neopolitan candies - but, I couldnt find the right shades for the pink and the brown. While in South Lake Tahoe for a bachelorette party 2 weeks ago, a few of us went to the ONE yarn shop in SLT where they had the PERFECT pink, brown and cream. Naturally, I bought them and have them sitting here. I have yet to start the bag.
5. "The Printers Scarf". In preparation for the launching of my ETSY shop, my friend S, who is a graphic artist, designed some business cards for me. She was also able to get them printed at no cost in exchange for a knit scarf. I bought the yarn - Plymouth Yarn Baby Alpaca Worsted - now I just need to figure out the pattern. Find a pattern that would be appropriate for a man who is very stylish, or design something of my own? I'm thinking that with everything I have on my plate as it is I should stick with an established pattern.
6. Purple and Grey Felted Bag. I started this MONTHS AND MONTHS AND MONTHS ago. I got the body completed and am working on the straps. Then, its just a matter of throwing the thing in the washer. Hopefully I'll have this finished by Christmas and will be able to gift it to someone.
So, with the enormous list of WIP's staring at me blankly, I'm going to ignore it all and start on my own sweater. i even stopped and bought myself a pair of Addi Turbos for the special occaision.

Let the knitting begin!!

Feeling better

I am feeling better, thank you all for your kind wishes.
It always helps to talk to some great friends.

What else helps to make one feel better when they're down?
New yarn and a new project, of course.





Yes, its is fun fur. Bernat Boa to be exact. And yes, it is worked up on fairly big needles. Size 13's, so it should knit up quickly. It better knit up quickly. I'm hoping to be wearing it to a wedding I'm attending this Saturday.
I drew my inspiration from this. I've made a couple of minor changes. I couldn't stand to work with size SEVENTEEN needles, so I went with size 13's and I've doubled up on the yarn so that it will be extra plush. I'm hoping that it will also be a little extra warm since its been a bit chilly in the evenings lately. I'm also hoping that it will look extra cozy and be one of those garments that begs for people to touch it. And by people, I mean men. Single men.
Its a solid black, obviously, but I couldnt decide on what color ribbon I want to put on it. Should I go with solid black, red to coordinate with my dress (the shade is "off" just enough to potentially bug me), or the cream? I'm guessing that the black would be the best bet since my other accessories would be black, but I'd REALLY like to have a red ribbon to tie it with. I suppose I can look at another fabric shop or two in search of the perfect red ribbon.
Originally I was crocheting the "Celebrity Shawl" from the 2006 Crochet Pattern-a-Day Calendar (it was featured on Wednesday, May 10). I tried to find a picture of it, but wasnt able to. However, it is similar to this.
About a third of the way into crocheting the shawl, I'm unsure that the style of the shawl will match my dress properly. So I'm going to make the "Eve" shawl from Knitty. If I have the time, I'll make the "Celebrity Shawl" as well and then let a second party (Hi Erin and Maya!!) decide which one I should wear Saturday.

Melancholy

Fall is generally my favorite time of year.
Theres a crispness in the air that allows me to pull out two of my favorite clothing items - sweaters and hooded sweatshirts.
The heat is no longer so oppressive that it makes me too lazy to do anything.
For the first time in months, it feels "right" to drink caramel apple ciders.
Knitting is more enjoyable - the yarn is no longer heavy and hot.
Night time high school football games.
Falling leaves & their changing colors.
Cuddling up with my puppy to watch a movie.

Usually this is the season in which I'm the most upbeat and sociable. The season and its atmosphere just makes me want to be with the favorite people in my life.

Then something happens. A disagreement with a relative, a close friend, whomever or whatever, and the sadness settles in.
All of a sudden, all of the things that I dislike about my life become harder and harder to look past. Everything that I would like to change is seemingly larger and more complex than before. The lonliness is palpable, the debts seem to be astronomical, and even things that looked like great opportunities as recent as just a week ago now seem to be comletely unattainable pipe dreams - and all I want to do is curl up with a warm blanket and wait for the melancholy to pass.

'Tis almost the season...

If you are a close, personal, friend of mine you can expect something from HERE for Christmas. ESPECIALLY if you have a kid. Your kid will MOST DEFINITELY get one of those adorable little t-shirts.

Turn of events

It looks as though my car WON'T be totaled out after all. The initial repair estimate submitted to my insurance company is $1,500 less than the blue book value so they (insurance) want to repair it. Of course they said that could change if more damage is found underneath as the repairs begin.
In a way, I am genuinely disappointed. I was looking forward to getting rid of my SUV. I've had this car for less than 4 years and hhave been rear ended 4 times. 3 times this year alone. I swear, this car is cursed. Someone has put a hex upon it. I was looking forward to getting something a bit smaller and more fuel economical.... and most importantly, something that is not foredoomed.
Soooo, I'm trying to look at the bright side of this. I'm trying to view it as more of a reprieve from the monthly car payments, that my insurance will remain at a lower rate for a little bit longer, that I'll hopefully be able to save some more money for a down payment and then maybe 6 months or so from now, I can trade in my SUV for something like the Toyota Matrix. In the meantime, I still have that pesky transmission issue to deal with. I have yet to find out if it is the transmission or some sort of sensor or something else.

Update....

I took my car in to the body shop last week. The owner of the shop said that it is most likely going to be totaled.
of ocurse, I haven't heard the final word from my insurance yet. I haven't even been able to talk to my adjustor at this time.
I called the claim in to my insurance last Friday, the day the accident occurred, and my assigned adjustor called me on Monday. We've been playing phone tag ever since.
Hopefully we'll be able to connect on Monday and I'll know whether or not I need to start car shopping more aggressively.
I've been looking at the website of a dealership where a family friend works, and so far I'm thinking of either a Toyota Camry or a Toyota Matrix. Either one would be much much much more economical on fuel. Just from my rough estimates the amount of money I would save on gas would make at least 1/3 of the new car payment.

I've been working on some items to place for sale on etsy. I'm hoping to have photos uploaded and the items available by the end of the week. I'll let you all know once everything is up and running.

An eventful weekend

As I said in my previous post, I was rear ended again on Friday while on my lunch break. To make it even better, it appears as though the driver who hit me is uninsured, at the very least he didn't have proof of insurance on me at the time of the accident.
I left work a little early Friday afternoon so that I could go to my doctors because I think I hit my arm against the armrest because my right hand and forearm were numb and tingly all the way up to my elbow for most of the day Friday. I'll know more about my doctors diagnosis Monday afternoon when I go in for my follow up appointment. Also, ever since the accident I have been EXHAUSTED despite getting more than enough sleep.
Monday I also have to take my car in to the auto body shop and pick up my rental car. I'm thinking my car will be totaled out this time. After I got back to lunch Friday, a coworker went outside and looked at the underneath of my car. He said that it appears as though part of the frame is dented and with where stuff is crunched up theres a possibility that there could be a leak in my gas tank.
Heres some pics. I don't have a photoshop application to blur out my license plate. Please don't stalk me.


























Aside from my bad karma (haha!) I did have a great weekend.
My friends Shauna and Jesse were in town from Salt Lake City for the weekend. Shaunas birthday was last month, and I can now finally reveal the Top Secret Project. Because Shauna lives in a cold climate, and loves scarves, I made her the Short Row Rib scarf. I think she likes it:












Since Shauna and Jesse were in town only for the weekend we didn't get to spend a lot of time together. We had dinner Friday and on Saturday we went up to Placerville for lunch and walked around the downtown area for a while.
Saturday night I joined my mom and dad at my brothers football game.













and now, I'm just being lazy. Considering I have to take my car in to the body shop tomorrow afternoon, I SHOULD be cleaning it out. Especially since theres a very high probability that it will be totaled out and I won't be getting it back.

MOTHER EFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!!!

I was just rearended AGAIN!
The damage to my car is considerably worse this time.
I'm trying to get an appointment with my doctor for this afternoon and will need to figure out a time to get my car in to the shop to find out exactly how bad the damage is.

The Best Marketing Possible.

I've always been a "crafty" person.
In high school I would skip my science and gym classes to hang out in my ceramics classroom where I could sculpt a wall-hanging or throw a pot on the wheel. My ceramics teacher, bless her soul, didn't mind. Her theory was that if I was going to cut class I was going to do it regardless of where I went and she would rather see me making a pot than smoking it.
Since high school I haven't had access to a potters wheel or kiln, so my hobbies have changed.
Now, I occaisionally enjoy photography, once every few years I'll take a brush to canvas and attempt to paint something thats not hideous, I knit and crochet practically daily, and I do still make beaded jewelry from time to time.
Before I learned to knit last year, I would make beaded items regularyl. Most often, gifts for my cousin Erin. Being that she has extreme metal allergies and turns into a walking hive if anything is less than 24k gold, it would be of great cost to her to try to have any kind of jewelry collection. But, she still loves to wear necklaces. For several years now, its been standard for me to make her at least 2 or 3 beaded necklaces for her birthday gifts.
It pleases me to see that she wears these necklaces practically daily.
What pleases me even more is when she tells me that people compliment her on them frequently as well. Even when she was attending UC Hastings, which is primarily populated by trust fund kids who go to Greece on shopping trips. I wish I were kidding on that last bit. That statement is based upon an actual conversation I overheard in the elevator of the building she lived in in San Francisco.
Friday night Erin and her husband, Jeremy, joined me at the pub. She was wearing a necklace I had made her for her birthday this year - copper colored freshwater pearls with amber swarovski crystals. Once there, she received a compliment or two on the necklace, and in response she told everyone that I had made it for her.
Turns out that one of the other regular patrons has a daughter who will be going to Europe on an exchange program in January and it is customary for exchange students to trade gifts with their host friends and families. He commisioned me to make at least 10 necklaces for him to give to his daughter to take with her as exchange gifts.
Hearing that I was taking commisions, a couple of other patrons requested necklaces.
I believe that I will be busy with beads and wire for the next couple of weeks, thanks to Erin wearing my necklace. The best marketing possible.
All of this ties in with my recent decision to open a shop on Etsy.com .
i don't have any items listed yet, but as soon as I do I will be posting a link in the sidebar.

Inspiration...

I went to IKEA with Erin and Jeremy this evening. They have a beautiful new duvet cover with matching pillow shams that I think would be perfect to into an afghan or throw. What do you think?



It should also be fairly simple. I'm thinking it would just be single and double crochet. There would just be quite a few ends to weave in.
Its hard to tell from the phot, but it was a nice chocolatey brown, gold, green, tuquoise, a deep plum, tan, etc.


What do you think?

YIPPEEEE!!!

A short while ago I was contemplating over which sweater from the new issue of Knitty.com to make.
I'll have you know that I reached my decision and am making...

Viveka

last week I purchased the yarn and it arrived in the mail yesterday. I'll post pictures of the yarn later, when I've had the chance to photograph it in natural light.
Also, the Top Secret Project.... just a little longer for photos of that. I still haven't sent it off to the intended recipient because I keep forgetting to take it in to work with me so that I can mail it off.

The sock is coming along well, I'm almost done with the foot and then will begin the decreases. I'm hoping to have it done by Saturday afternoon so that my cousin Erin can try it on before I start the second one. I'm hoping to start the second one by Sunday afternoon, when I will be sitting in my favorite knitting spot, the pub, enjoying a pint and fingering weight superwash wool sock yarn.

I want to get these socks done, for two reasons.
First, so that Erin can have some supercool hand knit socks.
Second, so that I can start on Viveka. In all of the years that I've been crocheting, and more recently, knitting, I have only made two items for myself. About 8 years ago I crocheted a queen size bedspread out of kitchen cotton. This may sound like an odd fiber choice for a bedspread, but I'd made a dishcloth with it and the texture vaguely reminded me of the cotton chenile bedspreads by great-grandmother used to have when I was a kid. I immediately had to have a throw or afghan made out of it, and of course I went over the top and made a queen sized bedspread. It took FOREVER, and MANY full sized cones of white kitchen cotton.
The second item I made was the very first felted hand bag that I made bacck in January.
Everything else I've ever made has always been for someone else - either as a gift, or for commission, or for charity. I don't regret making the majority for everyone else, but it is most definitely time that I make a pretty wool sweater for myself.

Screensaver

Theres a woman at my work who has the "Scrolling Marquee" as the screensaver on her computer. Any time shes away from her desk, on break, at lunch, etc., it comes rolling across her screen....

"MY SONS CUTTER THAN YOURS"

I haven't bothered to tell her that it's misspelled. Its been this way for MONTHS.

Suggestions???

It's been a fun weekend....
Started early Friday by leaving work at 11 am for a farewell lunch for my boss. After working with her for the past year, it was sad to see her go but I do wish her well in her new position within the company.
Afterwards I went home, it was nice to be sitting in a bubble bath at 3 pm thinking "I'm still getting paid for another 2 hours".
Friday evening was Rhythm & Ribs with friends. We met up at the pub first then migrated over to Raley Field. There was a decent cover band playing, but not noteworthy enough for me to remember the name of the group. I sampled some ribs from a bbq company from Portland, OR. The sauce was great, but the meat quality was only so-so. After R&R, it was back to the pub.
Saturday, it was a friends 30th birthday and to celebrate her Scottish Heritage we made way to Dixon for the Scottish Games. Its always a good day when you're surrounded by men in kilts throwing heavy objects. After the games was a bbq at a friends back here in town.
Sunday, I got up early and took care of some chores around the house and spent the rest of the day knitting at the pub. It was a great day.

Now, the part where I'm looking for some suggestions...
My Scottish friend mentioned above will be entering the holy bonds of matrimony next month and the celebratory bachelorette party will be a weekend in Tahoe for the girls. We'll all be responsible for a meal and I have Saturday morning breakfast.
I've been looking at Epicurious and have found some recipes that sound great! Such as:
French Toast Santa Fe
Banana Stuffed French Toast with Streusel Topping
Creme Brulee French Toast
Blueberry Croissant French Toast

Theres also a few omelette/scrambled egg/baked egg dishes I've found that sound good, but I'm fairly good at making those type of dishes already and looking through those recipes was really just to give me ideas for different ingredients to toss in there.

So, any opinions on the linked recipes above?
Any suggestions on any other recipes that are quick and easy to make but yummy and decadent and seem like they took a lot of effort and time but really don't because chances are that I will be hung over and barely able to drag my ass out of bed.

The Top Secret Project is finished. One or two of you have seen it in progress, but the rest of you will have to wait a week or so for pics of the finished item. Personally, I'm pleased with the outcome. It's blocking as we speak.

The purple & charcoal felted bag? That hasn't gone anywhere. It's still sitting in my knitting bag.
Instead of finishing that project I've started my next one. Socks. I've started the first sock and so far, it's fairly tedious. Teeny tiny yarn, teeny tiny needles, teeny tiny stitches. I'm hoping that as I become more adept at it, I enjoy the socks more. There certainly is one thing to say about sock knitting - it's very compact and portable. It's also going to give me arthritic hands.

I like the sock yarn I'm using. I ended up not going with either of the ones I showed the other day. I just wasn't 100% happy with them, so over the weekend I found a pretty pink, blue and purple yarn. So far, I'm liking how its working up BUT I am only about a 1/2" into the ribbed cuff.

Completely unrelated, I'm in the mood for a pedicure. I'm also in desperate need of one.

Here Knitty, Knitty, Knitty....

The new season of Knitty is up, and can I just say how much I love it???
I LOVE the Viveka and Lucie sweaters and really want to make both. For myself, of course.
I hardly ever knit anything for myself. I am one of those knitters who always make things for others, and I don't mind. I like giving my family and friends hand knit items. Especially when they appreciate the time and love that went in to it, and most of them do. But, I think I am going to have to take a break from knitting for others and work on one of these for myself. Any suggestions on which one I should do first? Either way, I'm sure I'll be seen working on these at the pub this fall.

The Ivy wrap sweater is pretty cool too.

I'm tempted to make Avast for my father for his birthday in January... well, considering my "to knit" list, Fathers Day 2018 would be more realistic.

I'm sure my little cousin would love to have an Ayla bag. Again, with my to knit list, I'm sure I could have it completed in time for her first borns 1st day of kindergarten.

I don't know about this one, Intolerable Cruelty. I do love the design, it's just the style that I like... romantic, and curvy. But, I think my "curves" are a bit much for a KNIT skirt. My ass would look infinitely larger than it actually is.

Now, the pattern I take issue with....
I think Lizard Ridge is one of the coolest afghans I've ever seen. Absolutely beautiful. HOWEVER... 21 skeins of Noro Kureyon??? Thats about $180! For an afghan! Who on earth has $180 to knit an afghan?? Seriously, it is beautiful. I love the color changes of Noro Kureyon. I also like how that multicolored afghan is so brilliantly colored. BUT, if I had an extra $180 lying around, I seriously doubt that I would use it to knit an afghan. I'd probably go to Sephora or L'Occitane
I can only assume that its one of those project that you spend a year or more making, buying a skein and knitting up a square here and there as a diversion from other projects, put the squares away in your closet and one day you realize that you have all 24 blocks knit up and eventually seam them together.

Before I can make anything for myself though, I have a couple of projects to work on. First, an update on my recent projects.

The crocheted crib blanket for a friends pending niece? Finished! See....

Friend was pleased. I like how it turned out also. I love this pattern... its one of the free patterns available on the Project Linus website. Its called the Sideways Shell Baby Afghan. It works up fairly quickly, the pattern is an easy repeat - not so much so that its boring and overly repetitive though. Many times I've thought of making this with a bulkier yarn in more of an afghan size.

I also finished the Super Skinny Sari Silk Scarf. Its entirely possible that I may have gotten carried away, not paid attention to how long it was getting, and ended up with a scarf thats approximately 9 feet long. Keep in mind that its only 3 inches wide.


The felted messenger bag experiment that I've been working on intermitently since April? Lets not talk about that. All I'm going to say is that I see a lot of ripping out in my future.

The purple and grey round bag that will ultimately be felted?? Very close to being done. I'm working on the last i-cord handle, then it will go in the washer.

New projects?

A Top Secret Project is in the works, I'm a little over half way done and have a deadline looming so I'd better get cracking. I'll be able to show a picture around the first of next month. All I will say is that I LOVE LOVE LOVE the yarn I'm using.

After T.S.P. is completed and the purple & charcoal bag has been felted, I'm going to try my first pair of socks. These will be a gift for my lovely cousin Erin. I've bought 2 different yarns, the first was a very cheerful looking pink orange and yellow. Then I found a very pretty blue colorway that I think she'll like a lot. I'm just not certain which color I'll use first.


Once the socks are completed I'll be working on.... Viveka? Lucie? Bueller? Anyone?

Nuisances...

last week I had the pleasure of losing my wallet.
It had to have been some time Wednesday night. I remember having it that afternoon and I went straight home from work, then it was Thursday morning that I noticed it wasn't in my purse.
I figure it must have fallen out of my purse somewhere between lunchtime Wednesday night and after I got to work Thursday morning. I have a horrible habit of trying to cram too much stuff in too small of a purse. I've searched my car, the office I work in, my house. It is nowhere to be found.
I had about $40 cash, a token for a free beer at the pub, credit card, debit card, kaiser card, etc. I've canceled them all and requested replacements, so no worries there.
What I'm really frustrated about losing is all of my "frequent shopper" cards. My favorite LYS has a card where once you spend $200, you get $20 off your next purchase. I had about $150 on my card, thats gone. I talked to the owner and she was able to mark off the purchases I've made since they upgraded their computers about a month ago though, so that helps some.
There was also the card for the local drive through coffee shop, my next latte was going to be free =(
Then there was all of the gift cards I still had from my birthday - $25 for JoAnns, $40 for ULTA, $15 for Blockbuster and :::sniff::: $25 for Sephora. I think that one may hurt the worst.
But the most painful of this experience, my drivers license. So that I don't have to use any more of my personal time at work I'll be spending a good chunk of this coming Saturday morning at the DMV.

Ugh, I've been putting this off....

I've been having some problems with my car for a couple of months now.
Initially I'd put off taking it in to the shop because I was busy dealing with my moms angioplasty and then traveling up to Portland when my grandmother died.
Putting it off hasn't been too much of a hassle because my car still runs, its just that accelerating to above 50 mph can be tricky, the "overdrive off" light is constantly flashing and the "check engine" light comes on sporadically.
I'd been putting it off because when I initially called my car guy and talked to a couple of coworkers who are more mechanically adept than I am they all said it could be one of two things...

1 - The O2 sensor (whatever that is. its been explained to me but it left my brain as immediately as it was told to me) needs to be replaced - a quick, easy, and cheap fix. I like cheap. My mechanic estimates it could be as cheap as $50. I really like that initial price estimate.
2 - The whole transmission could need to be replaced. Again, my mechanic called around and the best price he could find on a rebuilt transmission for my car is $1,600. I do not like this initial price estimate. What makes it worse is that he said a rebuilt transmission comes with no guarantee. It could last for 5 years or 5 weeks. No guarantee. His suggestion in the event that I need a new transmission is to take that $1,500 and use it as the downpayment on a new car.

So, I've been putting it off and putting it off. Then I got my paperwork to renew my car this month. I have to smog my car this year and since my "check engine" light comes on, thats an automatic fail.
I'll be taking it in to the shop next week and as nice as a new(er) car would be, I'd like to put off buying one for a while longer. Ideally, I'd like to have a huge downpayment - about 1/2 of the sale price - and it will take a while longer for me to save that up. So (I use "So..." too much), please, everyone keep their fingers crossed that its just that pesky O2 sensor.

On a sidenote, I think I'm coming down with a cold. I'm stuffy, sore throat, tired, etc. I'd just like to crawl into bed and stay there for a couple of days. I have my dads birthday party this Saturday. Its his 50th, I'd like to be feeling like my normal self by then. I've told his girlfriend that I'll bring my Asian Noodle Salad, recipe below....

1 lb spaghetti (I've also used angel hair or vermicelli)
2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (1 tsp if you don't want it as spicy)
1/4 cup corn oil (I've also used vegetable or canola)
1/2 cup sesame oil (be sure to use the dark sesame oil - it makes all the difference)
6 tbsp honey
5 tbsp soy sauce (if you're concerned about sodium, opt for the low sodium soy sauce from Trader Joes)
1 tsp salt (again, you can skip this if you're concerned about sodium)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I love cilantro so I always put extra in)
3/4 cup chopped peanuts, unsalted (I generally use cashews instead of peanuts, but only because of personal preference)
1/2 cup chopped green onion (again I put in extra because I like it)
2 tbsp sesame seeds (again, I put in extra because I like it)

Cook spaghetti al dente and drain.

In a saucepan stir in red pepper flakes and oils for 2 minutes. Add honey, soy sauce, salt and garlic powder.

Stir and mix well with cooked spaghetti. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (I try to mix the pasta and sauce together the night before because the longer it sits the better).

When ready to serve, add cilantro, green onion and nuts to pasta, toss.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Also, when making for a party or pot luck of any type I'll double the recipe because it goes fast and if I'm taking it to a party the host usually doesn't allow me to take home any leftovers, ITS THAT GOOD.

On the quitting smoking... I've had a few hiccups. I went to a party Saturday night and smoked there and have had a few cigarettes each day since. Nowhere near the pack a day I was smoking before, but not smoke free like I'd like to be. I'm starting to wonder if I need to try that Welbutrin or whatever its called to help me wean myself off of smoking.

The Ultimate DIY

A while back I was taking a friend to IKEA to pick up a new futon. At the time I didnt know whether or not the futon would fit inside my SUV or if it would need to be put on the roof.
At this time I hadn’t washed my car in a while so on the way to my friends I decided to go through the self serve car wash to take off at least one layer of the grime.
As I pulled in to the bay a man came around telling me where the change machines were located, how much the wash cost and how much time you got. Initially I thought it was odd that there was a guy working at the self serve car wash, then he followed up by saying “I’ll wash it for you, for a small fee”. At that point I realized that he was a homeless person looking to pick up some cash.
I opted to wash my car myself since I wanted to put a little extra focus on the roof in the event that I would be putting a new futon on top, and generally with an SUV the roof is the least focused on part of the car when washing it since its never seen.
He was nice enough to chit chat with me as I was washing my car, asking if I liked to go camping a lot and if that was why I had an SUV.
Then he started with the personal questions.
Random Homeless Guy - So, do you have a boyfriend?
Me - No
RHG - Do you want one?

uhh... I think I see where this is going so I answer very matter of factly

Me - Nope.
RHG - really?
Me - really.
RHG - see, I graduated high school and I’ve got 8 years military and a couple years college under my belt...
Me - thats great!
RHG - I've been on the streest for 12 years now and I just need a good woman to take me in and clean me up, put my resume together, get me a nice suit and find me a job.
Me - uhhh, thats really one of those things you have to do for yourself and not have others do FOR you.
RHG - well, I’ve been praying on it here but nothings happening yet

at this point he pulls a bible out of his bag, one that looks brand new and the spine hasn’t even been broken yet.

Me - well, it won’t happen overnight. You can’t pray for it and have it fall in your lap, you have to put some effort in to it.

At this point I was done with washing the exterior of my car and decided to clean out all of the empty water bottles and soda cans that had accumulated in my back seat. Since RHG had been cordial enough, chit chatting with me while I washed my car I offered him 2 plastic grocery bags full of recycleables.

Me - here, you can have these. you can take them up and turn them in for cash
RHG - nah. but leave them there, theres guys that come around collecting cans.


I had so many mixed thoughts after this encounter.

First of all, I was incredibly dismayed that someone who served 8 years in the military is in the position to where they are homeless and have been living on the streets for 12 years. I notice that a lot of the people you see on street corners holding up signs are vets.
When you see the commercials for our armed forces they all say that they will help you to prepare for a career. Granted, the person has to be willing to put the effort in to continuing their career after their discharge. I just can’t help but notice how many homeless people are ex-military.

Second - I think this guy was in the position he was in because he was unwilling to put in any effort to be more.
While I wouldn’t give him cash, I did offer him recyleable cans and bottles that he could have taken in for cash and gotten something to eat from it. He just wasnt willing to take the bags of cans and bottles up to the store 2 blocks away where there was a recycling station.

Third - This guy is the ultimate DIY project. Take a man and try to mold him in to what you want. Not my idea of good boyfriend material. Also, this is a good example of why I’m single. I have no delusional idea that I’ll meet some guy and be able to mold him in to what I want. Men, and women, pretty much come “as is” and I’ve yet to meet anyone who I’d be willing to accept “as is”.
Some may say I’m picky, I think I’m just aware of what I’m willing to compromise on and what I’m not.

Day One

on the Nicorette.

Today wasn't too bad. I had one brief moment of anxiety this morning as I got in my car for my commute in to work and realized that I wouldn't be smoking in the car on my way to work this morning. I popped a piece of Nicorette in and worked my way through it.
After that, the day wasn't too hard. I made it through work okay, on my breaks rather than go outside with the other smokers, I sat at my desk and knit or surfed the internet.
I'm not using the Nicorette as much as I am other gums and mints. I've stocked my purse with the following:
Nicorette
Trident White Cinnamon Tingle Gum
Clorets Gum
Trident White Wintergreen Gum
Life Savers Orange Mints
Life Savers Sweet Mints
Ice Breakers dual pack Tangerine mints & gum (left at my desk)

I'm using the cinnamon gum more than anything else. The Nicorette bothers my stomach a little, so I've only had 4 pieces today even though the instructions say that for the first 6 weeks I should have a piece every 1-2 hours.

So for my commute home I was fine. No anxiety about not smoking during my commute, I did fine until I got home.

Having a cigarette and a cup of coffee with my grandma is something we do when I get home from work every day. This evening I did falter and had 2 cigarettes. I'm not going to let that be a sign of failure and lapse back in to my pack a day habit. 2 cigarettes in one day is much much better than 20.