Absent But Accounted For

The best intentions paves a road...

2012-01-25T17:12:00.001-06:00

Well, I have every good intention of getting stuff done over the weekend, and it just didn't happen. I guess the planets didn't align or something, but I was never able to meet with the organizer and I just stayed busy all weekend! I do have new lists though! I made lists of things that I want to get done around the house for each room and I have goals. I just need a timeline incorporated now. Here is a little of what I want to do, I am not going to give you all of it at once because it is a lot. I have a list will 12 different rooms and then I have a sub-list for each room. I don't want to overwhelm you (I do that to myself enough already). So, I will just give you a few rooms and a few lists at a time! (translation: heeeyy, I can totally stretch this subject out to a couple of different blog installments!).

My lists (and yes my sub lists):

Rooms that I want to tackle:

Living Room
Dining Room
Kitchen

The Sub lists:

Living Room

Clean off seating areas
Clean off tv trays and put them away
Place coffee table
Clean off media center
Put away Christmas totes (yes, everything has been taken down and is in totes in the corner)
Clean off bookself

Dining Room

Put Jayde's toys in her room
Put all crafty stuff in studio
De-junk computer hutch and move to basement
Clean out roll top desk
Clean off/out china cabinet

Kitchen

Dishes
Clean off/out microwave stand
Clean off island
Clean out pantry/lazy susan
Clean off tops of cabinets
Clean off top of refrigerator
Clean out "junk drawers"

So, that is the beginning of it, I can't believe I have had the guts to show you the before pictures, but hey...I warned you that I am a hoarder and I am working my way out of it! Hopefully this will motivate me to hurry up and show you the after pictures!

Until next time...don't let gravity get you down!!!!

Jules

On to the next great yarn adventure!

2012-01-20T06:55:00.000-06:00

Look, it's a little blanket baby! I hope it grows up soon!

Since I was so successful in a timely completion of my last blanket, I thought to myself "self, you should totally make another blanket, I bet you could do this one even faster, maybe shave off a whole week from you current record of 2 years and 1 week!" It just so happens that as I was diligently working on Pinterest (I've got to keep my boards full you know) I came across a beautiful blanket called the Wool Eater. I promptly jumped to the blog it was posted on (here) and they have started themselves a little ole crochet along (CAL). Well, I can't pass that up! I mean, it's almost like having a list of what needs to be done! I LOVE LISTS!!!

So, I got started on the little thing and it is looking so cute! However, I did start very late at night and I had to redo that blue round that I am working on twice before I finally figured out the correct way to handle it!

And, since I have the CAL, there is a handy dandy list telling me how much of my blanket should be done and when it should be done! I am so excited! I am a little behind, but since Paul is STILL out of town on his "quick 3 day job" that he left for over a week ago, I have some extra time to work on it this weekend! I hope to be all caught up to the current date by Sunday! Yay!

Here is the schedule, I just started it and I am already done with round 4!!

Of course, it will be more difficult and take longer for each round the bigger it gets, but that is okay, I am still excited!

WHAT'S GOING ON THIS WEEKEND?

I have tons of other stuff to get done this weekend. I am starting to work on the house, and I will be posting before and after pictures of each room as I complete them, even though the before pictures are completely humiliating! I always say I am a borderline hoarder...erm...yeah, I think I crossed that line! It looks so much worse in the pictures!! I even took pictures of my messy kitchen before it got cleaned! Ewww! I hate cleaning.

So, come back next week and see what I've been up to, I am actually doing quite well about photographing everything so at least you have some interesting pictures to look at!!

Finally finished!

2012-01-19T19:59:00.001-06:00

Well, I finally finished something huge! Well, huge for me! Two years ago while on my anniversary weekend at a B&B I started an afghan. I used the 10-stitch pattern and some awesome yarn that I got from Joannes.

Here is the yarn and the swatch from when I started.

The yarn by itself

This is the first part of it (notice the size with the dvd in the center for)

I then didn't touch it for a year!!! I decided that this year I was going to finish it, the size was just until I ran out of yarn and I had 4 huge skeins!!!

I finally finished it on 1/18/12!! The end result is 63" x 69"! (see the dvd to gauge the size of the blanket)? That is huge! I am using a ton of exclamation points here!!!! It is so soft and squishy and warm!! And it is the first thing that I have made for me in a long time! I am so glad to have finished it just in time for the cold weather we are having now.

This is the blanket folded in half on the couch with a dvd for size gauge.

I am quite please with myself, so much so that I think I am going to start work on another blanket, hopefully this one won't take me 2 years to finish! LOL

Dry Erase Calendar

2012-01-14T23:49:00.000-06:00

So, I was exploring on Pinterest and I saw this wonderful idea for a dry erase calendar.

Source: theaestheticwriter.blogspot.com via Julie on Pinterest

And, since my darling husband has the ability to forget anything said to him about what we should be doing and when...I thought it would be a great idea to have a calendar right where everyone could see it and could no longer use the excuse that they didn't know! It was either that or I was going to have to start having him repeat back to me what I just told him so I know he would remember it.

The one on Pinterest was made with paint chips, which is quite clever, but not something I have just laying about. So, I decided to modify it a bit.

I used a matted picture frame that I picked up from the thrift store for $4.98 (I really wish I had process pictures). I then took 2 pieces of 12x12 scrapbooking paper in the design of my choice (why should anyone else get to choose, I am the one making it). I taped the page together to make one large piece that fit in the mat that I wanted to use. I used a pencil and traced the inside of the mat so I would know how much space I had to work with. I then measured it off and made 2x2 squares (I did this in pencil). I had a bit of room left at the top of the page so I used that space to write the days of the week. I then went over the squares with a black sharpie. (curse it all that I didn't do process pictures, I am making one for my sister too, so I will add the process pics next week with hers).

I then taped the paper in place on the back side of the mat so it wouldn't shift and I put it all back in the picture frame. I then used black sharpie to write directly on the glass (it won't wipe off with your hand while you write, but you can erase it really easy with a Mr. Clean eraser) the month & year, numbering the days, notes on one side and grocery list on the other. I actually wrote the days of the week on the glass too because I didn't think about putting it on the paper before I got the frame put back together. I did make sure I put the paper as close to the glass as I could so I could make sure I was writing directly in the squares.

After I was all done I used some of the command picture hanging strips and attached it to the side of my refrigerator where you can't miss it!

Friday the 13th is a good day for me!!!

2012-01-13T23:22:00.002-06:00

Well, it has been 6 wonderful years with my wonderful husband! This is the first year it has fallen on a Friday since the day we were married. Yes, we intentionally got married on a Friday the 13th! It was a great day and a beautiful wedding!

It has not always been easy, and we sure have been through a lot of tough times together, but he is my rock and I know that he will always be there holding my hand through the fires! It has only made us stronger and happier!!

Tonight we went out to a nice dinner and then went to the hockey game and watched the Missouri Mavericks kick the Allen Americans all over the ice!!! We won 6 - 4! It was a great ending to a great day! And a great beginning to another fabulous year to come!!!

One more time!

2012-01-13T12:01:00.001-06:00

Working on the blog again. Actually I was starting another blog because I thought this one was consumed by the interwebs because I couldn't find it when I looked for it. But then when I started the new one and made my first post, this one popped up on my profile. So, here is my general post from the new on with the current ideas for my blog!!!

ABOUT ME

I am 41, my name is Julie or Jules it doesn't matter.
I have 2 daughters, 1 granddaughter, a great and tolerant husband 2 dogs and cat.
We live in Independence, Missouri, it is a suburb of Kansas City.
I work part time as an administrative assistant (they call me the den mom at work) and
I (attempt) to operate a yarn company from my studio at home.
I love to knit and spin and sit like a zombie in front of the tv.
I am a borderline hoarder. I say borderline because I am attempting to stop it now and I don't like to shop.
I have been married for 6 years tomorrow.
I suffer with occasional bouts of depression/apathy (I am just coming out of a 6 month one)
I don't keep a clean house, I let things get piled up and out of control and then I get overwhelmed and can't start anything.
I am the youngest of 5 kids
My mom and grandma moved here about a year ago and live about 5 minutes away from me and I run errands for them and help them out.
My husband has a job that he has to travel a lot, sometimes it gets me down.
I have never successfully written a blog, I always get distracted or just get writers block because I don't think I have anything interesting to say.

WHAT THIS BLOG WILL BE ABOUT

What is going on in my day to day life. The exciting and the boring.
Probably my adventures in house keeping and organizing (I am having a professional organizer come in and help me dig this mess out soon, I will probably talk about it).
My attempt to gain control of my financial life and get the hell out of debt
Me whining about numbers 2 & 3.
Probably there will be yarn and knitting as that is what I do a lot of.
Couponing! I am trying to learn to coupon (not like on tv, but just to save money)
Craft projects that I do, I am starting to do more and it is fun!
Things I have found on Pinterest (Pinterest has replaced Disney World as the happiest place on earth)
Things I have done with what I have found on Pinterest
Family - love them, hate them, love them more!
Health stuff - I say this because I have been trying to lose weight for 30+ years and I know I will bitch about it sooner or later!
Anything else that tickles my fancy or that you ask me to tell you about!

WHAT I WANT FROM YOU

Comments - if you are out there, and you are reading, say hi. I am convinced that I will be the only one who ever reads this, but I will be so excited if someone else does.
Suggestions - if you have questions for me or if you want my opinion on something or if you just want to know something from my vast pool of knowledge. Ask, suggest, input!
Money - give me all your money because I am so super awesome you want to pay me for my fabulous words!!
Humor- You see, I was joking on #3 and I want you all to know that I will use sarcasm, humor and/or ridicule to amuse myself here. If I offend you with that please let me know. I won't change it or stop doing it, but I will be more specific and include you personally when I ridicule!!!

Well, I think that's about it for now, thanks for taking a look around and I hope to see you around here again!

Jules

What's the happs?

2010-02-24T09:38:00.002-06:00

Sooooo...job hunting sucks! I'm just saying! Rejections, even the passive rejection of not getting any kind of acknowledgment on your resume, SUCKS! I mean it's one thing to not be qualified, or to not be the best applicant, but when you get nothing!!! It's like they are saying we didn't like the way your resume was formatted, so we are not going to even waste our time looking at it! Of course, the good thing is during this time that I have been out of work, my husband has had 3 jobs, each one better than the last! All with little or no effort. People who just know of him and have called him and offered him a job. In fact, this week his previous employer called and said what would it take to get you back even part time? So at least we have that.

Financially we are still pretty much hosed, but I have faith that things will work out eventually! I have to believe that, if I don't it freaks me out!

Knitting is going GREAT! I am knitting my poor fingers to the bone! I am trying to knit from my stash more, but I keep getting hat orders and have to buy yarn to make those, but I don't mind. Right now I am making 2 pairs of socks for Jayde. I am using 2 different colors of yarn and knitting 2 at a time. So far she has sock 1 and 1 of 2 pairs, but I should finish the 2nd socks today. I motivated Mariah to knit some to, so Jayde should have 4 new pairs of socks by the end of the week!!

Sick (no, really sick) and tired (I mean wiped out) of it!

2009-09-14T14:43:00.006-05:00

Well, it is another manic Monday! This weekend like too many to count before it was super busy! I actually said NO to a few invites because I just need to step back from the edge before I jump! On top of all the running around I have been doing for the past 3 months, I am sick. At first I thought it was allergies, because it pretty much started when I got back from Arizona. Now, I am pretty sure it has developed into a cold or a sinus infection. I was pretty miserable all weekend and I sure didn't want to wake up this morning. I am working at the law firm all week though, so I will be up and out all week.

Lets see, on the needles right now I have the Satin and Jeans Tote.

I saw this pattern in a magazine and really liked it and wanted to make it, but did not have it planned out. Well, this last week at my knitting group, a dear friend of mine named Chelle was destashing and she had purchased the yarn and pattern for this tote and she gave it to me. I am so excited about this bag that I have already started it!

I also just whipped out a little glass sweater type item. I was sitting here at my desk with my ice water and I just hate it when the glass sweats and it gets your desk all wet and ruins the papers that touch. It is downright hazerdous to the office worker. So, I grabbed my crochet hook and some 100% cotton yarn (very absorbent) and I made glass a sweater. It is pretty much a glorified can cozy, but I crocheted the top around a rubber band so it won't stretch out on my glass and will keep it's lovely figure.
Things are crazy right now, I have a lot of projects lined up and several home projects I would like to finish up. Mom and Grandma are coming to visit in October, so I am trying to get the house "guest ready" before they get here. Things will settle down eventually though! Please keep me and my family in your prayers! Julie

Date night and darn socks!!!

2009-05-24T09:58:00.002-05:00

Last night DH and I were supposed to go out with some friends of ours to dinner and then to go play some games back at their place, but one of them ended up getting really sick so they canceled on us. Then we got a call a little while longer that he needed to go to the ER and his wife does not drive, so DH and I went out and got them both and we were in the ER with them from 7pm until about 12:30am...a long night. I took my socks with me (great time to do nothing but knit) and I was cruising along on my socks when I noticed that about 4 inches ago, I dropped a stitch on one of my socks!!! WOW...let me tell you how bad that sucked! Since I was doing the 2-at-a-time, it would have been very difficult to rip back so many rows evenly to pick it back up, and it was so close to the ribbing that I just ended up ripping them both out there in the ER (grrrr). And since we didn't get home until around 1:30am, because when we were done in the ER we all went out to eat because none of us had eaten dinner yet, I haven't restarted them yet! In fact I am sitting here right now with my ball of yarn and my needles just staring at me, daring me to start a new pair...sigh!

Well, I am off to cast on and then dust the living room...yay!!! I think I will set a timer and knit for 20 minutes and clean for 10, that may be the only way I will get both done today. We are going to a bbq this evening and I won't be able to clean then (but I will be bringing my knitting :-)

Jules

Do you think this means I have problems?

2009-05-19T09:55:00.002-05:00

So last night I had a dream about knitting. Except it wasn't totally about knitting. I was at the beach with my daughter and she was playing in the water with the girls who's family was sharing the cabana. They were having a blast and I went over and started talking to the mom. She was sitting there knitting. Then I realized that I knew her, we went to grades school together and were friends back then. She was there with her husband and 4 daughters and she was pregnant with her 5th daughter. It was so great to talk to her and catch up and realize we had so much in common. She too had a knitting obsesssion, our kids got along great. We just really had a great time! We immediately became best buds and started spending tons of time together! She became my best friend and we had so much in common.

I realized that maybe I am missing a best friend who shares the same interests as me. I have several friends who knit, but I only see them when I am at knitting group. I have several close friends who I spend a great deal of time with who don't knit, and they don't get it at all. In fact, they usually make fun of me for knitting. That is tough. My oldest daugther is catching my knitting obsession, and she is one of my best friends, but she is also my daughter. I guess I am starting to feel very lonely. I know I must be isolating myself, but I enjoy my hobbies. I don't see any reason to have to give something up that makes me happy just so I can have a close friend. I want both!

Well, I guess that is what one would call my morning musings. Lame I know, but that is just what was on my mind. Thanks for reading!

Yard Sales, Graduation parties, Birthdays and Kickball

2009-05-17T22:34:00.004-05:00

So, this was a busy weekend. Saturday I got up early with Diehard and we headed to the Grain Valley City Wide Yard Sale. Let me tell you, we only went to a few of the sales and it was crazy. There were so many people you couldn't even drive through there. It took us 45 minutes to drive 2 miles when we decided to go home. We did get a few good things, but it just wasn't worth the stress.

Then I went to my friend Debbie's house for her daughters graduation party. Let me tell you, I don't remember ever getting money for graduation! That girl walked away with $1100!!! Hell, I was the only kid in my family to graduate from high school and I think I may have gotten a few cards and possible $20!!! My how times have changed! I mean when M graduated in 2007 I bought her alot of stuff to get her set up for doing hair and nails, but I didn't give cash. Grandma gave M $100, but that was pretty much it. Debbie gave Kris $500 and the rest of the family showered her in cash. I am not sure DH and I even got that much for our wedding! Oh well, I ain't mad at the kid! Cash out while you can, pretty soon she will be working and not making that much for doing 10 times as much work!!

After the party we went out to dinner with Diehard's brother and his wife. DH has been helping them work on one of their rental houses so they took us out for Minskey's YUM!! We had the baby Cricket with us and she was just as cute as could be. She ate pizza and then showed off to everyone how well she could walk. She has such a great personality! She makes the cutest sounds! We kept her overnight last night and she was such a good baby! She let me sleep until 9:45!!!

Then today we went to our neice's 5th birthday party! I didn't get a chance to get out and buy her a gift so we gave her a card with $10 in it. I felt pretty bad because it was a Tinkerbell party and everyone else got her all this great Tinkerbell toys. She opened our card last and she saw the cash and started jumping up and down and was so excited. She even had her mom take a picture of her posing with her cash!!! It was so funny! We took baby Cricket with us to the party too. She doesn't do well around new people, but she ended up warming up to a few of the relatives, and she loved playing with the other babies! Again, she was miss personality!!! She is just so cute and so petite that no one can believe that she is almost a year old, heck, I can hardly believe it.

M was here when we got home so we knitted a bit while baby Cricket slept and then they went home. I took a 30 minute nap and then we went over to Larry and Anna's for dinner and kickball. We have gone there for kickball a few times, but I have never participated. I am too old and too fat and too out of shape. This time Anna made me play though. I had a great time other than the fact that I was the last one picked for a team. In fact, I don't think I was even picked I was defaulted onto a team. Oh well, I had a good time and I know I will be sore tomorrow! This was a very busy but very fun weekend!!

My re-entry into the blogesphere!!!

2009-03-29T09:40:00.006-05:00

So, I have not blogged in about forever. Not that anyone really follows my blog, but hey you never know right. So, not real sure about what I previously blogged about. I know I tried to change blog sites so I could have a little more creative control, but I decided I was not an active enough blogger to actually justify the money I was spending on it, so I got rid of that. Not to mention, I really like the name of this blog much better. It suits me more.

So, quick (and let me really say QUICK) synopsis of what has been going on since I last blogged. M had her baby and now I have a perfect granddaughter. She is now 9 months old and has control of the entire family. M did not end up getting married. Her and Fiance have decided to wait until they can do it right. H is almost done with her1st year in high school. I have lost my job and have been home for the past 5 months and have actually (in the past month) managed to clean and organize my home. DH has traveled for about 3 out of the last 5 months and then quit his job and got another one right next door to where he was making more money and not traveling! He has been there for about a month now. My mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and had a single mastectomy and my dad was diagnosed with Lung Cancer and had a single lungectomy (that is a new word). Mom got better, dad did not and went back in the hospital a 6 months or so later with a HUGE brain tumor and passed away in October. The good news about that is that I had time before he got sick with the brain tumor that we were able to make amends in our relationship. That made is easier to bury him. He also got to meet his great granddaughter before he passed away. I think that about sums it up. There are a bunch more details, but if I get into them here I will be typing forever and I promised to make blueberry muffins for breakfast today.

Life is settling down now, I need to start looking for a job in earnest and get back into the world. I have enjoyed being home these past months though. Of course, the way the economy is going I believe I am going to have to find a retail job of some sort. Not that I am bothered too awful much by this, but I am not used to being on my feet for hours at a time, so I will have to adapt. Not to mention the hours will be different. I will learn to deal though. It is Lent now and I have given up frivolous "me" spending. This has been difficult for me as I normally just buy whatever I want whenever I want. But I am learning a valuable lesson and gaining some sense of self-control.

I have been knitting like crazy lately. I enjoy it more and more all the time. Over Christmas I had quite a little enterprise knitting mittens for people. I made the mittens Bella wore in the Twilight movie and they sold rather well! I woke up this morning and had a repeat order from a customer who lost one of her mittens this week and wants to buy a second pair (good for me, sad for her).

Other than that, things have been pretty calm. I will try to update more often. I really need an outlet here. Sometimes being home so much I think I am going to go crazy-er!

Thanks for reading!

Julie

MONDAY

2008-04-28T10:21:00.001-05:00

What a way to start out your Monday:
Phone rings:
Me: Hello
M: Hi mom how are you?
Me: fine, what’s up I am just leaving for work
M: Oh…*chit chat chit chat*
Me: blah blah blah
M: well I was wondering…
Me: yes?
M: how mad would you be if I got married and you weren’t there?
……..
……..
.…….
Me: what have you done?
M: nothing really…
Me: did you get married?
M: no, no, this is totally hypothetical
Me: so was the ferret, the tattoo, and the baby growing in your belly right now…
M: well, we were just thinking of going to the court house and getting married and I wanted to know if you would be upset if you weren’t there…
Me: well, I will take off work and I will be there, but I won’t get mad at you for getting married, you are an adult and make your own decisions, so whatever makes you happy.
M: so you wouldn’t be mad
Me: why can’t I be there?
M: well you can, I just wanted to know if you would be mad…
Where exactly did I lose control?
Is it normal to start a Monday like this?
Can I get a Mulligan?
sigh

Inconsistent at best

2008-04-25T12:21:00.010-05:00

That is all I can say about my blogging skillz.
Actually, that pretty much sums me up in a nutshell. I should add that to my blog description. It kind of goes with the rest of it doesn't it?
Ok, so, I think I have finally caught the "blog bug"!
I have found, and become addicted to...a blog. Yes, there is a blog out there that has grabbed and now held my attention for a bit now. I have not yet left her a comment, because I suck at blogging and I don't want her to see my pathetic attempt of a blog when she has the uber skillz that I envy. The blog to which I am in awe is http://www.crazyauntpurl.com/ . She rocks!
I read this book you see, and that got me there...but I digress. It all started on chilly evening at the Northland Stitch n' Bitch (see link here http://knitting.meetup.com/459/ ). I was attending my 2nd ever meeting and had a great time! Thanks girlz, you really know how to make a gal feel welcome! So, at about a quarter til 10 (just before the store was closing) I decided to shop (we all meet at the Borders bookstore). I just had such a good time I decided to reward myself with a new knitting book. I was browsing through all the great books they had there and I happened to see one called "Drunk, Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair" and it just looked kind of...freakin' hilarious! So, I made that purchase and promptly went home with my book (it does have patterns in the back of the book, it just delivers them with more finesse).
So, I plow through this book, and before you know it, the book is done with me. I say it like that because, you see, I am NOT done with the book! I want MORE! I am pretty pissed because it is a great book, it is WAAAAYYYY to close to real life, and it ends on a damn "touchy, feely, I discovered myself" note. EWWW! This gal is way to real to actually live "happily ever after". So I hunt her down on her website and I have been blog-stalking her. She doesn't know it yet, because I am too much of a retard to post a comment. Well, and in my defense, I just found her site like this week, so I am busy reading all of her archives...from 2005!!!! So, I am trying to find the time to read a month a day...damn...this girl can talk let me tell you! I asked a knitter who I used to work with about what she thought about her, and she said "she's too wordy"...um...hello! She writes! I think wordy is a good thing here!
So, in my cyber-stalking, I have opened myself up to what blogging really is...it's talking! And let me tell you, I can talk! I have always struggled with what to blog, nothing in my life really seemed important enough or special enough to actually publish on the web, hell, I don't even really keep a journal, too much effort. But, now that I see, what others blog about, maybe I can be a blogger. An honest to goodness, do people actually read this, who cares what I have to say, I stubbed my toe blogger! I just have to talk about everything.
BTW...I reread and now HATE my previous posts, but I am going to leave them because they will show how lame and pathetic my blogging attempts once were and from here on out we will see what a wonderful and stimulating conversationalist I really am!
So now that we have started with the basics...where my blogging roots have grown from...on with the blogging!

WORK

Yes, I do it too! I work at a law firm as a legal assistant/paralegal I have been doing this for about 3 years and I actually fell into it accidentally. However, it is interesting work and I just transferred from the Country Club Plaza location (translation: can't afford to walk out of the building) to the Overland Park office (translation: Office park no temptation if I don't leave the parking lot). However, on my 1st full day at the office, I wanted to run to the Walmart on my lunch break. I got directions and it was just up the street, so I hopped in my little car and off I went. I got exactly 1 block up the street (yes this is walking distance in appropriate shoes) and what did I see. JoAnn's! I never made it to Walmart, I was drawn into that JoAnn's and spent almost $100 on yarn. I had to reward myself for...um...for...well, for something great I did that day! I deserved it! Not to mention, most of the yarn I bought was for gifts for family members...except for that pretty bulky aqua colored yarn, it was going to be for a gift, then I decided it would make an excellent sweater for my first knit sweater project, which I fully intend to start before next Fall. How did this get away from work? Oh well, onward!

HOME

I LOVE my house! I think it is so cute! Of course, it is a mess! I am (as my key chain states) Domestically Challenged. I am the creative type, I create I don't un-create! So, I create the chaos and disorder in my home, but I don't un-create it! Seriously though, I get so completely motivated to clean and organize my house (yes, I even have clean dreams). I will be so pumped up and ready to go, but then I realize that I have another 4 hours at work and by the time I finish with the hour long drive home in traffic I just can't bring myself to do anything. It's all I can do to cook dinner for the clan. Speaking of...

THE FAM DAMNILY

I adore my family (insert mental image of June Cleaver in her heels and pearls serving dinner to Ward and the boys)! I have a fabulous husband whom I adore (2nd times a charm ya'know). I have 2 daughters. M - 19, high school graduate, cosmetology school graduate, and 8 months pregnant with my grandchild. She is living with her fiance at her dad's house, so I am not stressing about her right now. H- 14, her grades are getting better now, she struggled for a while, but she really seems to be getting it now. Don't worry, I will give everyone their own paragraph some other day. My ex-husband is pretty great too! It wasn't always like that, but things seem to work out and we are truly a dysfunctional family (he even went with my current husband and the kids and me on a camp out last summer). Yeah, my world is just that fubar!

Well, this has gotten pretty lengthy, so I am going to end it here for now, and honestly, I probably won't take the time to blog on the weekends. I would rather do it during the week, but I may surprise you!

Absent but accounted for...

2008-02-20T16:17:00.004-06:00

Not entirely, but I have been from this blog. The holidays caught me with a vengence and it really just spiraled out of control from there.

Here are some of my updates:

Mariah and the baby are doing great (see ultrasound pictures)

She is having a little girl, and is due in June. I am really starting to look forward to being a grandma. It appears that Paul is accepting it a bit more too. We took some pictures of Mariah's baby belly the other day (it has graduated from bump) and she is looking so cute. I can't believe she still has 4 months to go, she is pretty big. She would totally kick my a$$ for saying that. hee hee!

Well, more later. I have tons more pics and more info, just not on this computer. I will log on my laptop tonight and get some pics up here.

My new addiction

2007-12-10T12:04:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I started something new in the past week and a half...I am totally addicted to spinning. No, this is not something I like to do at the gym, and I don't even break a sweat when I do it. I have recently aquired a drop spindle and yarn. This is what it looked like in the beginning:

Then I made it look like this by spinning it:

And finally I have my 1st ball of yarn!

Isn't it beautiful? I feel like a new momma I am so proud! Now all it needs is a little color and I will make something with it. I haven't decided on what to make yet, maybe just a scarf. I just don't know .

I will keep updating my progress as I spin and dye more. I will post what I make too!

This spinning is all part of my evil plan to get my own spinning wheel and have sheep in the backyard someday. Actually, I really just wanted to rush out and buy a spinning wheel a few weeks ago, but could not justify the $400 - $600 investment with zero experience, so I contacted a gal I knew at Fairwinds Farms and bought 2lbs of wool roving and her husband makes these drop spindles and sells them for just $7 so I bought 3 of them so I could teach the girls how to spin too! The wool roving was only $20 for a pound (that is a killer bargin) which is why I bought 2lbs. Not to mention I wanted to have enough of it in case I screwed it up or accidently succeeded and made something wonderful. I think I actually landed somewhere in the middle there.

Anywho, off to spin some more! I am going to buy some kool-aid tonight and work on dying this and maybe dying some raw wool before I spin it...that would be so cool! Oh, but it is going to be messy! Sounds perfect for me!

How accurate are horoscopes?

2007-12-05T09:49:00.000-06:00

So I get this email today and it has all of these horoscopes in it. I look up those of my loved ones and my findings are below. As for me, I think it fairly accurate, you would have to ask my husband on some of them, but the personality traits...yeah that is me. Husbands is pretty accurate also, except he does not like to fight and he is definitley not lazy. He does enjoy a good debate (politics or something) but the rest of it is him to a T. D1, now hers is scary right. I tell you they have been in my house! These people watched my family when making these descriptions! D2 is grounded just because of the title of her horoscope. But most of it is accurate for her too! I wish these people would stop stalking us...it is kind of creeping me out. Have they been listening in on my phone calls? I think they are hiding in the mess in D1's bedroom...she is always saying she wants people to keep in her closet...they are watching us... This is me: CANCER - The Beauty MOST AMAZING KISSER. Very high appeal. A Cancer's Love is one of a kind. Very romantic. Most caring person you will ever meet in your life. Entirely creative Person, most are artists and insane respectfully speaking. They perfected sex and do it often. Extremely random. An Ultimate Freak. Extremely funny and is usually the life of the party. Most cancers will take you under their wing and into their hearts where you will remain forever. Cancers make love with a passion beyond compareSpontaneous. Not a Fighter, But will kick your ass good if it comes down to it. Someone you should hold on to! This is my hubbyman: TAURUS - The Tramp Aggressive. Loves being in long relationships. Likes to give a good fight.Fight for what they want. Can be annoying at times, but for the love of attention. Extremely outgoing. Loves to help people in times of need. Good kisser. Good personality. Stubborn. A caring person. They can be self centred and if they want something they will do anything to get it. They love to sleep and can be lazy. One of a kind. Not one to mess with. Are the most attractive people on earth! This is D #1: PISCES - The Partner for Life Caring and kind. Smart. Centre of attention. Messy at times and irresponsible! Smart but lazy. High appeal. Has the last word. Good to find, hard to keep. Passionate, wonderful lovers. Fun to be around. Too trusting at times and gets hurt easily. Lover of animals. VERY caring, make wonderful nurses or doctors. They always try to do the right thing sometimes get the short end of the stick. They sometimes get used by others and hurt because of their trusting. Extremely weird but in a good way. Good Sense of Humor!!! Thoughtful. Always gets what he or she wants. Loves to joke. Very popular. Silly, fun and sweet. Good friend to other but need to be choosy on who they allow their friends to be. This is D #2: SAGITTARIUS - The Promiscuous One Spontaneous. High appeal. Rare to find. Great when found. Loves being in long relationships. So much love to give. A loner most of the time. Loses patience easily and will not take crap. If in a bad awmood stay FAR ay. Gets offended easily and remembers the offense forever. Loves deeply but at times will not show it feels it is a sign of weakness. Has many fears but will not show it. VERY private person. Defends loved ones will all their abilities. Can be childish often. Not one to mess with. Very pretty. Very romantic. Nice to everyone they meet. Their Love is one of a kind. Silly, fun and sweet. Have own unique appeal. Most caring person you will ever meet! Not the kind of person you want to mess with- you might end up crying.

CRUNCH!

2007-12-04T14:32:00.000-06:00

OK, I went to the Chiropractor today. I LOVE my Chiropractor! http://www.aretehealthandwellness.com/index.html Dr. Page is a wonderful guy, and he makes me feel fabulous! Today I was having a lot of trouble with my lower back, so he worked on that quite a bit. Not a bad thing, lots of cracking going on, however, he used this laser today. It is called LLLT, low level laser therapy. It is used to reduce pain and inflammation. This was the 1st time he used that on me, and it really works! I am feeling a little sore, but I really feel like the pain in my back is reduced. He uses all kinds of techniques and really focuses on over-all wellness. So if you are needing a Chiropractor, I would highly recommend him. I found him through my insurance company. J~

Absent but accounted for...

2007-12-04T11:00:00.000-06:00

Well, that about sums me up. I am here but not there. I am not where I am supposed to be, but I know where I am. I am where I am supposed to be but not doing what I should. I am doing what I should but not when it should have been done. Yeah...that's me. J~