My new stitch markers from China! (See previous post for link to online store.) 

Peek-a-boo! 

Random pix: A gloomy day through the trees. 

Random pix: Some apples in my kitchen. (One is very ripe.) 

A Final Farewell

The internal conflict going on in my heart is almost too much to bare. Am I happy? Am I sad? Am I losing an old friend, or is this the beginning of a beautiful relationship? I don't know. All I know is my camera arrived this afternoon. My Olympus' journey has come to an end. First, his replacement:

This is Finepix. We are just now getting acquainted. I don't know much about him, and I have a feeling he could care less about me, considering he hasn't taken many clear pictures yet. He's so much more complex than Olympus. He's temperamental in a way that I have never known a camera. Maybe I'm just not experienced enough to handle him just yet. I have a feeling, though, that this might be the beginning of a beautiful relationship. We just have to get better acquainted.

Olympus...What can I say about you? You were my first good camera. You were my first digital. We took a lot of nice pictures together. Hey, in your day you were the best! The top of the line...But you've gotten old, and a little broken. Yes, I know it's my fault! I know I dropped you one to many times! I know I let little hands get a hold of you. For that I am deeply sorry. Don't think of this as goodbye, though. I'll always keep you in a special part of my closet. So now, dear Olympus, it is time to rest. You have had a long life, and you deserve it. In your honor, we (Finepix and I) have taken your picture for the first time, and, for the last...

Goodbye, old friend.

In Memoriam,

Olympus D-510

December 2001-December 2005

A view from one of Kate's deck. Smith Mountain, and Smith Mountain Lake. 

Some Thanksgiving Pictures

I've been holding off on posting b/c I'm waiting for my in-laws to e-mail me some of their pictures from last week, but here is what little I took pictures of with my broken camera:

(Above) Here's Aaron showing me a leaf. Last week he "discovered" leaves, and that they fly in the breeze when you throw them into the air.

(Below) Here's Sean playing on the steps. He loved being outside. (It was a pretty mild day, also, which is why they all were just in sweaters.)

(Above) I tried to get the boys to sit still so I could capture them together, but they wouldn't look into the camera. Behind them is Smith Mountain Lake. We are atop the party deck on Kate's pier.

And, as I promised, here are some pictures of the house I covet. This is the back side that faces the water.

And here is a side view of the house. Note the lake in the left half of the picture.

Not to change the subject, but I do have so good news: my new camera has been purchased and should be arriving here any day now. That means MORE PICTURES. BETTER PICTURES. MORE POSTS! I'm pretty excited! I'm getting a Fuji Finepix S5100. (Oooooh!) Also, I received my stitch markers from Arlyna's Closet. Did I mention them? I bought them two or three weeks ago. They came all the way here from CHINA!! I absolutely love them! When I get my new camera, which should be soon, I will post pictures of them. Why am I waiting for my new camera before I take the pics? Well, using the Olympus is just a big hassle now, as the zoom isn't working properly, and the battery door won't stay shut, which means it has been cutting out in the middle of taking the picture. I'd rather just wait. I will use this camera just one more time--to take a picture of the new camera. Think of it as a "Change of Command." (For those of you who have never served in the military, it's a ceremony where one commander is honored, then "passes the torch," so to speak, to the one taking over his job.) I feel it will be an appropriate way to retire the old, and bring in the new!

Okay. That's enough for now. When I get those pictures from Anne, I'll post them. (She actually took pictures of the important things, like the turkeys.) More to come...

Quickly...

I can't spend too much time here today. I've got laundry to do before we leave tomorrow for Kate's house. I did want to share some stuff, though.

First off, I've been working on a Christmas ornament for my husband's stepmom, Anne. She is crazy for Santa, and has an enormous collection of the Jolly Guy. I dabble a little in polymer clay, so I made her a Santa last year (which, sadly, I don't have a picture of.) He wasn't that handsome. He was lumpy. She still accepted him with a smile, but I'm not sure she was so impressed. So...I made her another one. Santa is a pretty fun subject matter. Also, she's so cool that I think she deserves the effort. So here he is.

Here is a picture of him hanging by his ribbon loopy thing:

...And, I am knitting. Right now I'm just working on a boring scarf for my oldest. I have to crank those out, as it is getting mighty cold here!

I'll be back next week with pictures of my vay-kay, and hopefully some FOs.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Guess What?

I stepped in a hair ball this morning before my first cup of coffee. I had to clean it up. (For those who don't have cat's, hair ball is just a fancy word for cat throw-up.)

But, that is not important! Today is a special day! Drumroll, please...

I finished that capelet I told you guys about!!!! Yay! It's a little snug, and emphasizes my boobs...But it fits!!!!!!!!!! Okay, here it is:

And here is a picture with me wearing it. (I'm sorry about the flash, but it was either I take the picture in the mirror, or struggle for a half an hour, trying to get an adequate one by pointed the camera at my breasts.)

Well, I guess it's good there is a flash. I haven't "put on my face" yet. :)

Do you remember when I said I made all my first mistakes on my first knitting holder? I spoke a little too soon. Here is my latest attempt at sewing a functional piece of pretty.

It starts out okay. The colors are a little much. My friend Shon and I agree that it would've worked if I left the pink out, just making it brown and blue.

Open it and...

Just take a look at that sloppy craftsmanship. My lines aren't straight, and I haven't gotten the hang of sew ribbon yet. (I can't keep it from puckering.) Maybe I need to take it a little slower. My next sewing project will be a coin purse. How's that? I can't mess up a simple little bag, can I?

Inside of the needle holder. 

This is the Knitting needle holder I made first. The colors are great, but the craftsmanship, not so. 

My ancient machine and current project. (See post below for explaination!) 

The Post I Promised...

...a day late. Oh well. Deal with it.

Well, this is what I've been doing with my time. First of all, I've been--you guessed it--knitting. As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm knitting an anthropologie-inspired capelet designed by Julsey723 on Craftster.org. Mine is definitely not as cute as hers. It's a start, though. Depending on the results, I might make another in a different yarn. Here's my progress so far:

In addition to knitting, I've been sewing. I can't remember if I already told my sewing machine story, so I guess I'll assume I didn't. Anyhow, my tale of woe started many, many years ago, before my first son was born. (He's now four.) My mother-in-law graciously gave me one of her many old sewing machines. I don't remember why. I guess I expressed interest in sewing. It was so long ago I can't remember. Well, she gave me one of hers, and it was old. I got it home and decided I was going to make our Christmas stockings. I used it once, then suddenly, it wouldn't work anymore. I didn't know what was wrong with it. I know absolutely nothing about sewing machines, so I couldn't even tell if it was something I was doing wrong, or if the machine was busted. So I put it away. For a while. Then I pulled it out again one day and thought I'd try to fix it. Again, I had no idea what I was doing, and the internet--the place I go whenever I have no clue what I'm doing--was no help. So I put it away again. For a long time. (Depressing story, huh?) Then one day, I decided I wanted to make my own knitting needle holders. I pulled out that have metal machine one more time, and this time, I was determined to find out what I was doing wrong. You see, the problem was it wouldn't sew. The needle would dip into the little hole to grab the thread from the bobbin, then just stop. This time when I did a search on the internet, it didn't let me down. I found many pages on troubleshooting a sewing machine and found the problem. Not only was I not threading the bobbin right, but I wasn't even threading the machine correctly. I was wrong on both accounts. So, I re-threaded the bobbin...and I re-threaded the machine...and I held my breath as I slowly pressed on the pedal...and...IT WORKED!! So, my stupidity has prevented me from sewing all these years. Isn't that sad? Just think of all the experience I would've had by now. Oh well. So, here is the top of a needle holding wrappy thing (you know, those roll-up holders). The colors--well, I could've picked my colors better. I was going for contrast. Remember that.

For some reason it is not posting the picture. Well, here is a picture of the first one I did. I made this one last week, and while the colors are awesome together, it was my first, so I made a lot of mistakes on it.

Okay, it won't post that either...I'll have to post these seperately...

Just a Quick Hello

I've been a little busy the last few days, so I haven't had the time to post. I'll definitely give a nice long entry tomorrow. For now, I thought I'd let you guys know what I'm working on. I'm attempting the Anthropologie-inspired Capelet by julsey723 on craftster.org. There is actually a KAL for it. It's pretty, huh? Mine definitely doesn't look so nice. But I'm not finished. I'll post a picture of my work in process tomorrow.

Other than that, I've gotten a good response on my Yoda doll on Craftster. Two other people actually followed my pattern! I'm surprised there's turned out so well! It is my first pattern, and I actually had to rack my brain to remember how I made. All is good, though.

Well, I'm really pooped, and I'm going to cut this short. More later...

The Creative Juices are Still Flowing...

So, I've been knitting:

I got the idea for this from Craftster. There were a few other crocheted and knitted Yoda's, that I just had to make one for myself. I'm not thrilled with the results--I think he looks more like a kindly old gnome, than a backwards talking Jedi Master--but he's okay for a first attempt. (With no pattern, may I add.)

Okay, since I've discovered that wondrous forum named Craftster, I've been crafting like a maniac, I tell ya. A maniac!. Today I worked on some Christmas ornaments and I painted a picture:

(A maniac, I tell ya...)

The downside to my craft binging is all the things I am neglecting to do--like clean. The living room is a total disaster. The kitchen--well, let's not discuss the kitchen. It's bad. Real bad. And these kids aren't helping. They are little destruction machines.

I didn't mention it in the last post, but this past Saturday I went to the Maryland Ensemble Theatre to see a little play called "Betrayal" by Harold Pinter. It. Was. Awesome! I've never been to a play like that before, so it was an exciting "first" for me. (Thought I'd share!)

Well, I'm off to--ick--clean. Until next time...

I'm Getting All Crafty Inside!

Alright, Craftster.org is doing these craft challenges where they give a theme, then craftsters create a object and post it on the message board. This month is reconstruction with jeans. Here is my submission:

I thought I might have a shot at winning...until I saw the woven tapestry by another participant. Ugh! Well, here is the link to my entry, in case your interested!

I don't have much time to write, so I'll post more tomorrow!

Yep...

I saw this quiz on Titanium Rose's page. It's pretty funny. Can you guess how I feel today?

You scored as Pissed at the World Cat. And here we have the next serial killer. Try having some cotton candy, it'll make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, Psycho. Pissed at the World Cat 67% Drunk Cat 50% Couch Potato Cat 50% Ninja Cat 33% Derranged Cat 0% Love Machine Cat 0% Nerd Cat 0% Which Absurd Cat are you? created with QuizFarm.com

Okay, so I had a bad day yesterday. Actually, it was good until I went to work. (Big, complicated, whiny story.) Hopefully today will be better!

Two posts in one day? Wow, you guys are lucky!

I just had to share. Crazy Aunt Purl posted her hor-o-scopes and mine was so dead on that I laughed and laughed, then I printed it out b/c I'm going to tape it to my locker at work. That should clear things up with those jerks who think I'm a bitch. (Okay, I am.) Check it out!

BTW, I'm a Capricorn. Obviously.

Bread, Glorious Bread!

I've been doing a little...baking. I wanted to try my hand at bread, and I was pleasantly pleased with the results! Now, in the picture they look a little burnt, but they're not. (My counter also looks a little yellow, when it is supposed to be white.) It's my camera. My crappy, broken camera. (And bad lighting.) Anywho, the bread tastes great, and really wasn't all that hard to make. It just needed a little time...(bad joke coming)...to rise to the occasion! (Har har har!) But seriously, bread baking is not back breaking. It really isn't all that complicated, either. Just takes some patience. If anyone is interested, in making this, it's called Challah Bread. (Go ahead, click the link. You know you want to.) Be warned, though, while this recipe isn't difficult, it is very time consuming. Expect to be hovering around the kitchen all day!

Okay, so I have been doing a lot of cooking and baking lately. You're probably wondering if I even knit anymore. I do. I took a few days off on account of my fustration with the stupid winter sets I'm making. (Boy, they are really pissing me off!) So, I'm taking a break from two-tone hats and scarves, and I am starting that sweater I said I was going to make for my boys. So far, it's going well! (This is the back.) I'm using some boucle I bought at Jo-Ann's Fabrics. It comes in this GIANT skein, and, yes, it's acrylic, but no, I don't care. It's going on my son, who is going to spill a million different sticky things on it, so it needs to be washable. (And I really don't have to explain myself to you.)

Oh, I registered at the Elann and to my great surprise, they sent me a little something in the mail...
Nice, huh? Of course, if I want to keep receiving the strand samples, I have to pay $20 a year. Not bad, I guess. What really impresses me, though, is their prices. They are very reasonable!

Well, kids, that's what's going on with me. Food and fun! And cleaning. (Oh, do you remember that giant pile of laundry that was taking over my life? Well, it is almost gone. Of course, now comes the slacking. In a few weeks it'll be monsterous again! ...No, no, I promise to keep on top of it.) And the holidays are approaching. (In retail time, the holidays are already here!) I'm so psyched for Thanksgiving! We are going to see my husband's father, I John just told me yesterday that they are having Thanksgiving at his Aunt Kate's. She live in Smith Mountain Lake, VA. She lives on a mountain and has her own pier off the lake. I'll take lots of pictures because this woman's house (and property) is amazing. I get green with envy everytime we visit there. (She has two, count 'em, TWO kitchens in her house! I only have one, and it sucks!) You'll see. You'll be sick with jealousy, too.

Alrighty. That is enough yammering for today! Have a great day, all!

Okay, yesterday was Halloween and I promised pictures. I was too pooped last night to post them, so here they are now! Ta-da!
 

For Aaron's mummy costume I painstakingly hot glued a spanish moss, gauze bandages, and strips torn from a white buttoned up shirt to some old clothes. I burned myself so many times I have lost count. One burn was particularly bad: 

Sean was a black cat... 

...And some people thought he was a girl... 

I decided not to get dressed up... 

Patiently waiting to leave 

All Saints Day!

Yesterday was chaotic. I had to make the costumes. I had to clean the house. I had to dress the boys for trick-or-treating. I had to go trick-or-treating. Then I had to make dinner. (Which was Beef and Provolone roll-ups. Good, easy food!) I was so exhausted I fell asleep on the couch while watching "The Family Guy." Today I will relax! And I'm gonna pick up the needles. (I've neglected them.) Wow. Having kids is hard work! But worth it. I had a lot of fun trick-or-treating with the boys.

Next, TURKEY DAY! (Gobble, gobble...)