Don't we LOVE Monday's?

(a resounding) NO!!! Howdy peeps! Went to bed way too late last evening and its now 3:15pm and I'm dragging. Hopefully I can get to bed early this evening. Only trouble is, I want to start a crochet project. I've been asked to "test" a pattern from one of the "Crochetville" pattern designers. Her name is Kristie and that woman is amazing. She sells toys and patterns on www.etsy.com - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=26966 . They are very easy to follow and really cute stuff. Please have a look. Yesterday I finished a faerie pattern she had me test. I was please with the finished little faerie (see pix). Making toys is my favorite thing. We found a nice kennel where Harry Barker can stay when we need to go out of town. Its only $15 per night. We had a tour of the place. There are lots of people to interact with the dogs and cats and take them outside and play with them. We will leave Harry there on Sat. Sept. 2 while we go to the beach for one evening. Its been a year since we were last at the beach. We also have a reservation for him to stay while we are visiting Mickey Mouse in Los Angeles. Someone gave us a recommendation for a place to eat near Disneyland. They said the food was really good and its just across the street. We'll see. I really hate to try a restaurant someone recommends - they think its great and we try it and its crap. Of course the next time we see the person they ask what we thought of their "favorite" restaurant. Its really hard to say the food was crap. So you say, "it was ok". (I'm sure Judge Judy is going to pop up and say "LIAR"). A while back we (DH & I) decided we wanted to get laminate floors for our home. We had a "boutique" sort of floor place give us a bid. Holy Crow! The bid was over $11,000. A friend at DH work suggested we see Home Depot and get a bid from them. We went to Home Depot (they were having a 20% off sale) and talked to the flooring person. He said "Oh sure, we can do that, probably be about $4,500". We thought "WOW" that sounds more like it". Made an appt. for their person to give us a bid. Got their bid a few days ago. Even with the $20% off, the bid was $10,000. Holy Crap - I think I'm in the wrong business. Where do I sign up to install laminate floors! Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway) - we decided NOT to get the laminate floor! Instead we invested in a rug/floor cleaner machine thingy to clean the carpet. It heats the water etc. Its made by Bissell. Those folks have been in the business for years and should know what they are doing. $200.00 for the machine certainly beats $11,000. Whoever thought of putting beige carpet in a home should be drawn & quartered!!! Better go for now. -Stine

Where in world is Stine???

I'm baaacckkk! I just had a look and discovered that someone actually made comments on some of my comments. Who knew!?! But I've been gone so long, they have probably given up on this blog. Well, maybe someone else will discover it. We'll see. Where the heck have I been - absolutely no where. Going to work, at home, same old same old. Well not exactly the same. I did apply for and got a new job where I work. Same agency, different job. I was the Exec. Asst to the Administrator (color it very stressful!) I had the job for 5 years and 3 different administrators. With each successive boss, I liked them less and less. Then the woman who had the Permit Invoicing Coordinator position retired. I applied (along with 5 others) and got the job. I've had the job since March 27. Its to do with permits for gold mining, sewer systems etc. in the state. I'm still learning the job but I do like it much better than the old job (color it less stressful and a different - less trying sort of stress). I don't have to deal with folks all day long. Folks that always want something yesterday. I'm in my cubicle (cave) and can just do my work. Funny thing is, the new person they hired in my old job has managed to talk the powers that be into hiring two other people to help her do her job. Hmmm! Enough of WORK (a four letter word!) Something new with us - In March we bought a chihuahua puppy from a friend at my work. He is now 6 months old. Last week he was "taken off his roller skates" (he got snipped). He is doing really well and didn't have any problems. They also gave him a gps chip. Not that he is ever out and about on his own to get lost but better safe than sorry. His name is Harry Barker. I'll put his pix so you can see how adorable he is. This is Harry now (6 months) This is Harry Barker when we brought him home (7 weeks) He is such a sweety. Something else exciting - Dear Husband (DH) will be retiring last dayof August. He will be 62 Sept 1. We decided he was ready. He has been at his job for 25 years this month and he works very hard everyday - he works very hard physically also. We figured he should get out while he still was in good health and had brains left in his head. Sept 10 we will have a retirement do at a good pizza place. We're inviting about 30 people. Our son and daughter-in-law wiill be flying in from Indiana for the do. Then on Sept 11 DH and I will be winging our way down to Los Angeles to visit with Mickey Mouse for a few days. We haven't been down there in about 6 or 7 years. It was before they built the California Adventure part of the park - so however long ago that was. Recently I discovered the knit or crocheted toys called "Amigurumi". Its a Japanese word meaning crochet toy (I think). There are all sorts of folks making new patterns. Lots are for sale and quite a few patterns are available for free if you know where to look. If you are interested - join up on "Crochetville" and go to the forum. Look under original patterns. There are lots of new free patterns there. I really enjoy making the small toys (instant gratification). Most of the patterns call for yarn to make them. I like to make some of the toys with the #10 crochet cotton so the toys end up being much smaller in size. That is what I like, the small size. Good grief, where does the time go? Its way past my bedtime and 5am comes pretty early. Tomorrow is Thursday (nearly Friday) - Huzzah for Friday!! -Stine