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

Slogging Again

Well, vacation week is over and we're back to work. We had a wonderful time in Indiana with DS and Mrs DS! They took us to lots of spots they've found in their area. A couple of diners for a good omelette, a funny little sandwich shop with chewing gum stuck to the outside of the building. The gum was disgusting but the inside was great and good sandwiches. Went to the local Kitchen-Aid store and did a bit of shopping. Got a bit of a discount because Mrs DS's aunt works there. Thanks Auntie. Wish that I needed a counter type mixer! They had every color you can imagine - including the spring green that I like best! We went to a grist mill (think stone ground wheat & corn and the selling of same). We went on Monday and they had a sign on the door saying they were closed. But the door was ajar and we peered in. There was a voice hollered - "Come on in, I'm here". It was the miller and he showed us around. Half the ground floor had arts & crafts from local artists. Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway) we made several purchases! The mill was 4 stories high and was powered by the stream underneath the mill. The miller even supplements his electricity by powering his lights by the mill. We got to see DS's home and it was great! Beautiful hardwood floors and lots of beautiful woodwork. Met the granddog Lucy. We took plenty of bribes and now she loves us. We've already stocked up on treats & squeeky toys for Christmas. We even bought some "greenies". We heard those are "crack" for dogs! Heard that from a Vet! DS & Mrs DS will be visiting us over Thanksgiving. Yea! DSR (dear sister R.) and daughter M. will also be visiting over Thanksgiving. We haven't seen them in years. We are all very excited. In fact, since the whole family will be together at Thanksgiving we're doing double duty - we're going to have Christmas on the same day. Who knows if we will ever all be together again. Our parents are getting up there in years. Gotta go.

Flights East

Happy Friday!!! Didn't think it would eeeevvver get here!! Only have to get thru today, then we fly out tomorrow to Indiana to see our DS and his new wife and the granddog. Since we've never met the granddog we purchased things last evening that should make us pretty much the favorite grandparents - at least until something else catches her attention. I was told she likes treats and squeaky toys. We got a chew bone thingy, some little bones for dogs breath (with a little carrying case included in the box) and we got two squeaky toys. One looks like a polar fleece mouse (10" long) and it has a squeaker in its butt - and its lavender. The other has a round squeaky ball on one end and has a braided cord coming out of the ball for the "thrower or tugger" to hang onto (I guess) (it has a really annoying squeak - should make the granddog happy) . I figure the worse the noise the better the granddog will like it. Sort of like giving a drum to a kid - the kid loves it and the parents would truly like to kill you! I think we'll take our cd players for on the plane trip. We're "reading" Harry Potter's latest adventures. Flying is not something I enjoy so listening to Harry will be relaxing. I read the book when it first came out and bought DH the CD's for his birthday. As he listens and is done with a cd, then I listen. Its really nice to listen to it being read. I was listening last evening and it had me laughing outloud. If you've not read the book and plan to - don't read this next bit. Its was at the Weasley home and Ginny Weasley kept referring to Fleur as phlegm. Those who haven't read the latest Harry can come back now. Very funny bit, that. THursday evening is grocery nite. We went shopping for food we hope the house/cat sitter will enjoy while we're gone. The only things she asked for (after much prodding) was milk, coke, lunchmeat and Lays potato chips. We also got pizza, lasagna, chicken strips & something else but I don't remember. Ah, Ice cream & eggs. There should be something in there she will like. Plus the pantry is full. Oh, I have a recipe (of sorts) for you. I've no idea what the real name for this is but we call it: Eggs in a bag. heat a large pot of water to boiling, on the stove break 3 eggs into a ziplock baggie add whatever you like in an omelette we like mushrooms, green onions, jar bacon (the real kind) NOT bacon bits & a little cheese a little pepper and some basil or marjarom zip the bag almost closed, push out as much air as possible, then finish zipping squish all the ingredients together Put the bag into the pot of boiling water and let it stay there for 20 minutes. - if you have several folks and their baggies have different ingredients with their eggs, be sure to write their name on the baggie After 20 minutes, when they are all cooked, get your tongs and remove the baggies from the pan. Open the baggie and slide the omelette onto your plate. Its a nice compact size & shape. If you like, now is when to add that big bunch of shredded cheese & maybe a little salsa. Give it a try, its a great way for a lot of people to all have omelettes at the same time. Enjoy! Thats it for me today. I'll be back with pix of the granddog next week. Take care of each other.

Ming Wah

Good Morning. Just finished my latest Knitted Babe. Her name is Ming Wah. She is knit from Paton baby yarn. The yarn was very stretchy so it allowed a lot of stuffing. The little girly is a bit on the chubby side. Oh well, not everyone is thin. Lord knows I'm not. I had a hard time deciding how to make her eyes. I embroidered them. I like how they turned out. I knit her hair as I went along, rather than adding it to her head when she was all finished. This way she has no scalp showing. Only two days until DH & I fly off to Indiana to visit our DS and his wife and the "granddog". Oh that reminds me, we need to get some dog treats to take with us. I figure that is a good way to suck up to the dog - with goodies. Maybe a squeeky toy also, if we can find something fun. Been trying to decide what to take with me on the plane to keep me busy. It will probably be a small knitting project. Maybe I'll make a knit baby. I have a pattern I've been wanting to try but just haven't gotten to it yet. I crocheted a cute baby doll a while back and just made him a vest and hat. He is at the top of the page. His name is Earl. Couldn't figure out how to get his pix farther down the page. Have to work on that. My boss is gone all day today. That will give me time to get my desk all straightened up before we go on vacation. We'll leave for the airport on Sat. morning about 4am. We're going to take a taxi, rather than park our car at the airport. I think it will be less expensive that way. Our friend Edie will be house/cat sitting for us. Our crazy cat Ranger Bob will only eat canned food so someone needs to be at the house to feed him. Edie will get to try out the new beds we got for the extra bedroom. We really appreciate her doing this for us. Having someone at the house and feeding the cats is a big worry off our minds. Thats it for today. I'll be gone til Wed. of next week. Take care of each other.

Once More Into The Breech

Good Morning All - What a joke. I don't believe a single person has discovered this ridiculous blog of mine. But thats ok by me. --- Have you seen all the knitted babes over at the www.KnittedBabes.blogspot.com blog. What a fit. They are all so cute! I've nearly finished the body of my second "Babe". I'm using a thinner yarn this time so she will be quite a bit smaller. She will have an asian look as I'm using a light yellow yarn and plan to make her eyes look asian also. Not quite sure just how I'll do that. We'll see how she turns out. --- Its raining today. First we've had in quite a while. I'd forgotten what a pain in the tush it is to have to carry a bumbershoot. Plus there was a bit of wind as I was walking to the bus stop and now my bangs are all wonky. Of course, they will stay that way all day. Crap. --- My boss is gone most of today. I'm hoping to get my desk and such all tidied up today. Only one more week until we are on vacation for a week. I want everything at my desk all put away before I leave. DS says Indiana will be gorgeous this time of year with all the trees changing. --- Did I tell you we have a large portion of our Christmas shopping all finished? Stop frowning like that, your face will freeze that way! Yeppers, its true. Then next week we will receive our Christmas Club check from the credit union. Then we can get out those catalogs we've been perusing and order fun stuff for ourselves and our nearest & dearest. I already have wrapping paper purchased. Only need some ribbon and stickon type "To/From" labels. I can probably get them at the "Dollar Tree". I'm sure they have their Christmas stuff out already, or pretty darn soon. --- Better go for today. Gotta get started on the tidying up of the 'ol cubicle. --- Have a wonderful weekend! -Stine

Phew! Finally Friday!

Happy Friday all!!! Didn't think it would ever get here. Yesterday the boss sent out an email to all & sundry that on Oct 18 our Div would have a "Clean-Up Day". Its mandatory for everyone. No regular work on that day - no excuses. The Manager's are springing for pizza & soda. Two weeks before this takes place the Section Support staff will go thru their section & the common areas and put tags on boxes, piles of papers, etc. The tags will list who it belongs to. That person will have 2 weeks to decide what needs to happen to it - recycle, trash, storage, etc. If nothing is done with it by Oct 18 - it gets pitched! Since I'm in the Admin Section (5 people), There isn't a lot to do, other than our own cubicles. But there is a supply room CHOCK FULL of stuff. Well, I tackled that yesterday. I threw away lots of OLD stuff that had been on the shelves for years, straightened all the shelves, threw out old nasty binders, etc. Had my boss take a look and she actually hugged me. Well, it does look nice. Today I will be straightening my cube. I will be going on vacation the week of Oct 10 and I want it to look good before I go. Then when I get back it will be the week of "Clean-Up Day". I want all our (Admin's) stuff done well ahead of time. Then I don't have to worry about it any longer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm also going to start another of the "Knitted Babes" (see Grayling, above). But this one will be more with an Asian look to her. I need to figure out how to make her eyes look Asian. When I have knitted on her body to where her hair would be, I am going to knit her head the color of her hair. That way when I do add some hair she won't have scalp showing. I think I'll give her the typical square cut. Then I'll add a few pieces of yarn for her bangs. I think that will look cute. I meant to start on her this morning on the way to work on the train, but I left the body pattern at home. But I did have the pattern for knitting her a tank top, so I started on that instead. Better go knit on that top. Have a good Friday and grand weekend! -Stine

Grayling Starr

Good Morning! Wanted to share my latest knitting project. Her name is Grayling Starr. She is a "Knitted Babe" from the book of the same name. She is knitted in the round and her arms & legs are I-cord.

So mortified!

Last Saturday DH & I went to the coast for the day. After we got home we were really exhausted (fairly long drive) - so we went to bed early. Move on to Tuesday - today. I got an email from our DS D (dear son D). Always happy to get emails from him! So I opened it and he was asking how was the concert on Saturday evening? Concert, what concert? OH CRAP! He and his lovely wife got us tickets for a Lord of the Rings concert for our wedding anniversary. It was for last Saturday evening and in our exhaustion we completely spaced it! I called DH and told him about the email. I said "What do we do?" He said -well I won't tell you what he said. But I sent an email to DS and told him the truth and how terrible we both felt. (So embarrassing!!!) I offered to repay him for the tickets but he said "Its your gift and you did with it what you wanted" Well not really. We had every intention of going to the concert. I tried to be pitiful and tell him we are getting older and tend to forget things, but I don't think it did much good. More later.

Monday in the mines

I finally did it. I have my own blog and no one in the world will ever read it. Why in the world have I done this? I could never keep a diary when I was a kid or a journal when that was all the rage. I just never have a lot to say - on paper, or screen. I have no problem talking to people - unless I just met them and then I spend all my time trying to remember what their name is. I'm never successful at remembering names. I used to have a lot of penpals (about 35). But now its down to about 4 and I owe all of them letters. I'm just not in the mood to write letters. I email my friend G. We talk a lot. She just retired and is really busy most of the time so the emails have slowed down a bit. M (dear hubby) and I went to the coast on Sat. We stopped and had a nice breakfast at the Indian casino and then continued on to the coast. The weather was beautiful with just a touch of Autumn in the air. We hit the outlet mall - along with EVERYONE else in the state. I thought all the shopping was done for a while. I think there were a lot of tourists and they were buying lots. Good for them. Leave you money here and then go home. We had a Governor who actually said that, years ago. Well, when your state has no sales tax, people like to come visit. Lets see - my interests are reading, exciting movies, crafts - knitting & crochet - crafts in general. I made a "Knitted Babe" over the weekend. She turned out really well and she is pretty funny looking. I'll have to put a pix of her on this page - whenever I figure out how to do that. Things have been fairly crazy at work today. Only 3 weeks til our vacation. We're going to visit our son & new wife in Indiana - oh and our "Grand-dog" Lucy. Our son D said October in Indiana is beautiful. We've not taken a vacation in 7 months so we are really ready for some time off. More later - Froglegs