The Secret is Letting Go

liking...loving...

2007-04-16T17:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday:
I started reading Lisey's Story last night. It's been awhile since I read any Stephen King, and I had forgotten how his writing just draws you in. I'm not a fan of horror as a genre, but you can't get better than Stephen King when it comes to storytelling. I had this book on my mind ALL day today, I only read the first 50 pages or so last night but it really stuck with me. I have a feeling I'm going to have a hard time putting it down to get to sleep at a decent hour tonight.

I'm also loving this book and am currently knitting these socks in a fingering (really skinny, for the non-knitters out there) weight cotton/wool blend yarn in ivory, apple, yellow and a little bit of brown. Perfect yarn for spring!

Thursday:

So, yes, it's Thursday and I'm just now getting around to posting an entry I wrote on Saturday. Oops.

I have to add this amusing anecdote...I have some pictures of Bono hanging in my cubicle at work (among other things, it's not all Bono!) and a guy asked me today if that was my husband. He was dead serious, too! Hello!! How do you not recognize Bono?? And who does he think I'm married to that I have to snap photos of him as he signs autographs? It was funny. I just laughed and said, "I wish! That's Bono." If he doesn't know who Bono is I'm not going to be able to tell him in a way that's not going to reveal the depths of his ignorance. Really.

And for the record, I do have a picture of my actual, flesh-and-blood husband on my desk, too, and I pointed him out to the guy. No, it's not as prominent as my Bono photos, and no, there aren't as many pics of him as there are of u2, but I felt it important to point out that I do have an actual life, not just the fantasy one in my head where I get to run off with the band for good times and high adventures every night. Sigh.

another sunday...

2007-04-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

It kinda sucks having split days off, I feel like there's so much I need to get done and not nearly enough hours to do it in!

Of course, the fact that it's a sunny, gorgeous, blue skies spring day doesn't help. Can't I just hang out in the sun, reading, knitting and napping? Please?

Guess that won't work. I'm working on a rearrange/reorganize/fix-up of our master bedroom and bathroom and that's taking up most of my spare time. Which pretty much means I think about it alot while I'm at work. I really did plan on getting it done today, but my mom called and invited us over for Sunday brunch, and I couldn't figure out a way to say no. Hate that. Not that I hate going to my mom's, but there is just SO many other things I need to do.

Which of course explains why I'm here blogging instead of using the time I have to get some of those things done. Procrasination is my constant companion!

I am fully aware that this blog entry sucks, but it's what's on my mind so, there you have it.
Laters.

Easter/Sopranos

2007-04-09T18:35:00.000-07:00

The bunny came, left lots and LOTS of candy, and left. That pretty much sums up our Easter. It was nice, we didn't do much of anything, didn't even leave the house in fact, but sometimes that is nice.

Back to work this morning, after having the weekend off. It wasn't pretty, waking up at 4:15am. My Monday was not surprisingly underwhelming. Not too horrible, but I really wasn't into being at work and so kind of slacked off. A little bit. Sometimes you just have to put in your hours and do the best you can, without being a total overachiever, you know?

I'm much better at overachieving when it comes to knitting, I finished my latest pair of socks and got 75% done with another pair. Go me! I love knitting socks, they are small and quick and have an almost endless variety of patterns and pretty yarns with which to make them. I'm thoroughly hooked.

This is totally embarrassing, but I'm also kind of a little hooked on home shopping. I can't help it! It's just there, all the time, it's like having a new catalog to pick up and browse through at any time. It's really bad when you find yourself checking the QVC website during slow times at work to see what Today's Special Value is. Just thinking about it makes me feel old!!

So, I was one of the several million people who watched The Sopranos final season premiere last night. Did you watch it? What did you think? I like it, I think it laid a lot of groundwork for the 8 episodes to come. Lots of symbolism there, with the Monopoly houses, ducks and lakeside ponderings. I'd say one of the 4 people at the beach is on the way out, if there is a god it will be Janice and her big mouth. I just hope it's not Jan and Bobby's little girl, she is so sweet and yet Janice is so scary. Anyway, lots to look forward to there, David Chase does it like no other. I wonder what he has in store for his post-Sopranos career?

gratuitous Bono photo

2007-04-02T18:41:00.000-07:00

because, really. Are they the cutest couple ever, or what? I think they've been together something like 25 years, since they were kids in school together, and look at them still so in love. Seriously sweet!

finally!

2007-03-29T05:16:00.000-07:00

A Knighthood for Bono
from u2.com:
In Dublin this morning the British Ambassador, David Reddaway, presented Bono with an honorary knighthood on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen in recognition of his services to the music industry and for his humanitarian work.

‘What a great year for an Irishman to receive an award from Great Britain. ‘ said Bono after receiving the award. ‘The Peace process has proceeded to a conclusion, debt cancellation - started in Great Britain - has put 20 million African children in school, The Happy Mondays and Shaun Ryder have reformed, England's rugby squad entered Croke Park to thunderous applause, silence for God Save The Queen, then the Irish hammered them. I couldn't be more proud.
‘I would like to thank Her Majesty's Ambassador for pinning this award on me in my home town, and the band for not bursting my balloon.’

Family and friends joined Bono for the private ceremony at Glencairn, the Ambassadors residence – Edge and Adam were there along with Guggi and Gavin Friday.

The Ambassador said that the honorary knighthood recognised ‘Bono’s extraordinary and inspirational campaigning to fight global poverty and focus international attention on the plight of Africa; the AIDS pandemic; and the third world debt crisis.’

‘He has played a key role in persuading governments and international institutions to wipe out many of the old debts owed by the poorest countries. We in the UK particularly appreciated his work during our G8 and EU Presidencies in 2005, which we were determined would produce real benefits for Africa.

‘We are delighted that Bono has accepted this honour, and look forward to his continued efforts alongside ours to raise awareness and change policies to improve the lives of the poorest people in the world.’

crickets and cobwebs.....

2007-03-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

whew, it's been a while, huh? I'm sure I'm pretty much talking to myself here, but helllloooo if there's anyone out there! I've just been busier than busy, getting used to my new work schedule (waking up at 4:30am is killer, trust me) and working lots of overtime.

I've considered just not blogging anymore, since I don't have the time I used to, but I think for now I'm going to continue to try to fit it in. I haven't been writing at all during this little unplanned blogging break of mine, and I miss it.

I can't commit to having a great blog right now, can't even manage to find time to upload pics off my camera and get them put up here, but I will try to do better.

Today's my birthday, and has me looking back at the past year and sort of re-evaluating where I'm at. When I look back at my life 1 year ago and compare it to my life today, it amazes me. I am so proud of us, my family and I, for taking the leap of faith to leave our lives in MT behind and start over again here in the Pacific NW. It has worked out even better than I could have imagined, I can't think of a single thing that's NOT better now than it was a year ago. Of course, we still have friends in MT that we miss, and we still have to get back there to pick up our poor pet cat who has been boarding with friends this whole time, but for the most part we have started a whole new chapter in our lives and I have to say it again, it's better in almost every single way.

I guess you really can dream up the world you want to live in. I'm going to continue to dream out loud, I'm going to continue to believe that change really is possible, and that nothing is out of reach.

Thanks for being with me during this journey, it's been just about 2 years since I started this blog and in that time I've seen some of the best and the worst days and nights of my life. It wouldn't have been the same without you.

watch it

2007-03-02T22:40:00.000-08:00

If you didn't see Bono on the NAACP Image awards tonight, you need to. Seriously. Not a long speech, but a great one, and delivered with so much passion. Words can do it justice, check it out for yourself.
Here it is on youtube:
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENp7c6TtBHk
and here's a link to it in mp4 for your ipod viewing pleasure

http://www.sendspace.com/file/kd6ylv

2007-03-01T06:49:00.000-08:00

In case anyone is paying attention to me, don't! Wishful thinking had me convinced for several hours yesterday that it was in fact Thursday, which for the record it was not. The good news is, today IS Thursday, and the NAACP Image Awards is on tomorrow night, Friday, on Fox. Watch it, people!

Here's a pic of yer man from yesterday in New York where he went to a screening of the film Zodiac. A smile would be nice, but all in all I'd say the man is looking fine. yup.

Does it matter that I've been up for an hour and I'm still in bed? That I haven't taken my shower yet and I usually leave about a half an hour from now? Yes, it does. Somebody kick me in the butt and get me motivated, please! Stayed up way too late watching Lost last night, this new time slot the show is in is killing me. Gotta go!

2007-02-28T18:26:00.000-08:00

Don't miss Bono on the NAACP Image Awards tomorrow night on Fox. I'm going to go set my dvr to record it right now in case I forget to watch. I know some people that are going there in the hopes of a moment with Bono before or after the event, I hope you get your wish and I can't wait to hear all about it!

It's been a looong month, but I only have 2 days of training left. Starting Monday I'll be at my desk, in my cubicle, and on my own. I've kind of come to enjoy my training class, after spending 40 hrs. a week with the same 18 people for the last 4 weeks it'd be hard not to. Some of them I'll miss when this is over and some I will be only too glad to see the back of. Mainly I'm looking forward to starting my "real" schedule which will be earlier mornings and I'll be getting off at 3pm, which will be so nice. As it is, by the time I get home it's after 5:30 and by the time dinner is done it's just about bedtime. You know you're getting old when 9pm starts to feel really, really late!

So anyway, that's what I've been up to, and why I've been so quiet this month. I really think once I've settled into my new job, and once my brain isn't being overloaded with new info day after day, I'll be able to devote some brain power to writing and photography again. In that vein, I've happily stepped back into my role as one of the bloggers over at Larger Families, and I'm considering applying for another similar type blogging job.

no time

2007-02-19T22:03:00.000-08:00

That pretty much covers it, there are definitely not enough hours in the day for all I want to get done! I can pretty much get a handle on the things I need to do, but the wants...a lot of that is going by the wayside right now.

I'll just touch on some quick news...first of all, we have a 10 year old in the house! And yes, I took pictures of the birthday boy, and no, I haven't had a chance to get them off the memory card and onto the computer yet.

My job is going along great, we are in our 3rd of 4 weeks of training now and a lot of us are really anxious to be done with this and get started on the "real" job. I had sort of forgotten what a drama fest the whole workplace dynamic can be. It's amazing to me, all these people of different ages and backgrounds, but everyone still mostly acts like they did in high school. Scary!

I was knitting the first of a pair of socks for Barrett that ended up being Lilly's size instead, and even then they are barely big enough for her. Oops! It's not exactly good motiviation to jump right in with doing the 2nd sock, but I do enjoy having a nice small, simple project to work on during my breaks and lunch hour. I am seriously addicted to the meditative aspect of knitting, the next best thing would probably be rocking back and forth and biting my nails, and I think they pretty much frown on that in most parts of society. :)

There is a woeful lack of u2 news at the moment. Woeful for me, anyway, as I would be happy as a clam if I just had a short daily update from each of the boys, with pictures most days. C'mon people, I'm not even asking for pictures every day, just a short line or paragraph or 2 about what you're doing and how it's going and preferably how much you love and appreciate your loyal fan base. Is that really so much to ask? Bono? Edge? Larry....Adam....? Boys........?

Due to the combination of a lack of new u2 photos and a lack of new photos of any kind from my camera, and not wanting to post this entry completely nude of images, I give you one of my oldies-but-goodies, a picture of Bono with his oldest daughter Jordan. Don't tell me it's weird to post other people's baby pictures on my blog, even if you really think it is, lol!

(red)

2007-02-13T22:44:00.001-08:00

18.jpg, originally uploaded by (RED).

just one of many new stunning photos posted in the product (red) flickr group. Literally breath taking.

2007-02-12T18:31:00.000-08:00

no Grammy wins for u2 this year, which is just as well since none of the boys were in attendance. Even better than a grammy appearance, though, are these new pics of Bono and Edge taken in Dublin 2 days ago. Perhaps not the most flattering photo of Bono, I much prefer the crooked smile to the serious look and the orange glasses are not my favorite, but it is nice to see them anyway. Nice to know they're in Dublin, too, maybe they really are starting to think about maybe working on a new album one of these days? If only they could find Adam....I've said it before, I'm sure he's in a sarong on some private indonesian beach somewhere. Adam and sarongs go together, you know. Kind of like...well, kind of like Bono and the Edge I guess!

2007-02-08T19:48:00.000-08:00

I'm still here, it's just that my new job is kicking my butt and not leaving me a lot of free time this week. I'm really, really enjoying the job and it's not physically demanding but it's an intensive 4-week training course that we're (I'm in a group of 20 new hires) in the first week of, so lots and lots of information coming at us really fast. It's a different kind of tired, but tired just the same, lol!

I was a wimp and wore my glasses to work today. I'm doing pretty good getting used to my contacts, but there is a lot of computer work in my job and it was getting hard on my eyes to transition between reading the computer screen and then also doing a lot of reading on a projection screen for power point presentations. I gave my eyeballs a break. I hope I don't have a harder time with the contacts now that I've been without them for a day, though!

Did I mention I really think I'm going to like my new job? I'm meeting some cool people, too, although some of them lead lives of such DRAMA that they belong in a telenovela or something. Still, you can't beat the entertaiment value.

And, I just found out that Survivor Fiji starts tonight. I'm a sucker for Survivor, I've watched every season and I'm not about to start now after sticking with it for this long. That said, I'm going to go indulge in that now and then head to bed super-early tonight. Just one more day and then the weekend, woot!

My bookclub has an outing planned to downtown P'land for a "field trip" to Powell's on Saturday, I can't wait! I'll blog again soon, I hope. Mea culpa.

Gratuituos Bono (and some other guy) photo o' the day:

cute

2007-02-05T19:12:00.000-08:00

This is an adorably cute photo of Bono from yesterday. He was (is?) in New York for fashion week as his wife Ali's ecologically conscious clothing line, Edun, unveiled it's new line. Bono seems to have stayed out of the spotlight for the most part, but somebody managed to snap this pic of him looking over the balcony where he was hanging out and staying out of the way. Love it!!

new eyes

2007-02-03T14:35:00.000-08:00

Finally, after literally years of talking about it, I got contacts. I'm trying to get used to seeing with my new eyes, I think after a few days I won't even notice them anymore but right now I'm having a hard time convincing myself that I can actually see even though I don't have my glasses on. I think it's really just mind over matter!

That, and getting used to putting things into my eyeballs. That part is still kind of weird, too, but I guess it's all part of the learning process.

My other big news is that I got a kick ass job offer which I'd be nuts to turn down. Doubts about my mental state aside, I'm not THAT nuts, so I promptly quit my job at the airport and will start my NEW new job on Monday. I'm really looking forward to it!

Things are pretty quiet on the u2 front, although the Grammys are coming up soon and the boys have 2 nominations. Still no word as to whether they will be performing, but I kind of expect to see them there. It won't be as exciting as last year's Grammys, but it will be fun to watch all the same. I hope they'll perform Saints with Green Day, it's either that or MJBlige and One, and even though I love One I really don't like what MJ does to the song. I hated the Green Day collaboration at first, too, but it's kind of grown on me.

PS Can somebody help me out with my template coding? For some reason, as you can see, the sidebar is overlapping photos on the right side. Very annoying, and I'm pretty sure this is a new development. Anyone got any advise??

helllooooo, Bono!

2007-01-30T23:02:00.001-08:00

SH100382.JPG, originally uploaded by *RG3*.

Everybody's favorite Irishman, enjoying a break from the grueling life of a rock star for a chance to hang out with old white guys in pink painted offices. And somehow, he manages to make even that look like the place I'd most like to be right now.....

2007-01-24T03:33:00.000-08:00

Here's a little youtube gem for today...this is Pop Bono singing a gorgeous, haunting acapella version of "Mothers of the Disappeared". I have this on my ipod and watch it at least once a day. Enjoy!

500!

2007-01-23T17:17:00.000-08:00

wow, I just realized this is my 500th blog entry! I wish I had something very momentous, or at least a really good entry to mark the milestone, but alas I was just coming here to post a photo and a quick entry.

I started my new job at Starbucks in the airport today, it will take me a little while to get used to my new schedule but I hope it won't cut into my blogging too much. The airport is a great place to be, always people to watch and you never know when you might see a certain shortish Irishman passing through...

speaking of yer man, he was in Utah this week for the Sundance film festival, and is expected to make an appearance in Davos, Switzerland later this week for the World Economic Forum. I'd love a look at his passport, it must be chock full of stamps!

It was rumored last week, and announced this week, that Bono will receive a special award from the NAACP. This is a really special thing, and I'm sure he's thrilled to be honored this way. Fox will be airing the NAACP Image Awards live on March 2, and I'm sure I'm not the only one counting on and looking forward to a live speech from Bono.

That said, I have to go wash my world-famous green Starbucks apron. I will leave you with one of the most recent pics of one of my most favorite people, taken yesterday in Park City, Utah

it's official, and book club, plus blogger woes

2007-01-19T08:08:00.000-08:00

I went to the airport yesterday and got fingerprinted so I can get my security clearance for my new job. That was the first time I've ever been fingerprinted, I guess I'm officially "in the system" now. There goes my life of crime. {wink}

Seriously, this whole security clearace process has taken forever, and I still probably won't start work until sometime next week. It's been kind of a nice vacation, but I *need* to get to work and get a paycheck coming in! So, in the meantime, I've continued to send out my resume if I saw any job listings that interested me.

That led to an interview I did earlier this week over the phone, and a follow-up interview tomorrow. If they end up offering me the job, I will have to decide between the 2. Not a bad position to be in, but I am not the queen of making decisions. I tend to look at the "worst case scenario" and with something like this there's just really no way to know which job will work out better in the long run. Roll of the dice, maybe?

Last night was the first meeting of a new book club. I went, and met 6 other ladies of all different age groups and backgrounds. I think it's going to be a lot of fun, even though the book we decided to read is one that I have already read before. Being a fairly active reader, I guess it'd be hard to find something that I hadn't read, so I don't mind if we have to do that every now and then. It was nice to get out of the house and do something different, and I've always wanted to be in a book club.

Blogger hasn't been letting me post photos for months now, it's really really bumming me out. I can post a photo if I upload it somewhere else, but I should be able to upload them right here in blogger, and I can't, and it's grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Today, for the first time all week, the kids have school, even though it's a 2 hour delayed start. They have loved the little vacation, but it has totally destroyed any schedule or regular pattern to our days, so it'll be nice if they can eventually attend school regularly again!

That's pretty much it here. Things are quiet on the u2 front, way too quiet but I'm hoping that means the boys are working in the studio (or somewhere....) on a new album. [drool]

2007-01-17T22:07:00.000-08:00

We're not lost in a snowdrift! Just hunkered down at home, avoiding the nasty roads and taking advantage of school days and days off from work. We're unfortunately supposed to get more snow tonight, it wouldn't be so bad except the roads are already snowpacked and icy. Fresh snow + packed snow/ice=very very slick.

So, that's pretty much what's going on here. See why I haven't been blogging lately?

2007-01-07T11:13:00.000-08:00

Well, it took another 3+ hours of waiting and a late-night drive to a 24-hr pharmacy, but I did manage to get a couple of days worth of my meds. I took one last night and woke up feeling tons better this morning. Hopefully what I got will be enough to last until my insurance goes through, that should happen Mon. or Tues.
So, phew! I think I made it through another little crisis. Thanks for your emails, it helps so much to know I'm not alone!

2007-01-06T13:08:00.000-08:00

1. I got the job. I don't start for a week or so because it's at the airport behind security, so I have to go through fingerprinting and an FBI background check.

2. I'm still off my meds. Getting sicker. Getting more depressed. Can't believe I'm in this position again...

3. My sister told me yesterday that she is moving back to Bellingham. It has been so nice having her here, and seeing her a lot. What a bummer.

2007-01-05T08:54:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to say:

1. I'm on my way to a job interview. I'd ask for good luck vibes, but I'm not sure I want the job. I want the paycheck, not sure I want the job.

2. I finished my red/white/black striped socks last night, will post photos later! They are far from perfect, but much better than my previous (and first) pair of socks. This sock knitting thing is kind of fun, after all!

3. I'm out of meds. Pray one and all that my medical coverage will go through today (we've been wrangling and arguing and pleading with people for weeks, literally weeks, about this coverage and I think it's been sorted out. I think.). If it doesn't go through today, it's going to be a long weekend at our house. I'm scared.

4. That's all I have time for, off to my interview!

a new year

2006-12-31T21:57:00.000-08:00

I'm not really big into New Year's Resolutions, and in general I try not to look back too much in life, but at this time of year it's hard not to. 2006 was a big one for me, so here are some of the high points:

Spending hours and days at the beach with my family. There was one day in particular, where we set up our tent on the beach and stayed there all day and into the night. We had a big campfire on the sand and dug ourselves comfy recliner-shaped holes in the sand to lounge in. We gathered shells and sand dollars, and waded in tide pools.

Driving out of Great Falls, with my family and all our possessions in tow, listening to u2 and having one of those rare moments when you are so aware of a new chapter of your life beginning. Putting G.F. and all the bad memories there behind me and seeing it in my rearview mirror for the last time as we drove over the hill....

Learning to live in a "Big City" for the first time and finding out that it's not that scary, not that hard, and driving in traffic isn't that big of a deal.

And some little things that made me happy this year:

u2's new song Window in the Skies. I am still so loving this song. If they had to release only one new song this year, I'm glad it was such a great one! (for the record, I prefer to pretend The Saints Are Coming doesn't exist and certainly doesn't count as a u2 song. Green Day messed that song up so bad, and I can't stand to hear Billy Joe just when I'm grooving on some Bono vocals :shudder: )

Podcasts! At the top of my list right now: Ricky Gervais, The Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack, This American Life

Which, of course, leads me to: my iPod. I got a 30g video iPod, u2 special edition, and I love it. I use it every day, and I love it. I take it everywhere with me, use it not just for music and podcasts but audio books, games, tv shows, movies, pictures, home movies, and enjoying the knowledge that I have my own little piece of u2 with me at all times. It makes me happy. :)

Best TV show, hands down: Lost. I have also enjoyed The Wire, Dexter and 24 but Lost beats them all.

Books: I had this idea, a little over a year ago, to keep track of all the books I read in 2006. I've always been a big reader, but never kept track before. I'm proud to say that, despite all the moving and challenges I've had this year, I managed to keep track of and record all the books I read. Drumroll, please, Mr. Mullen:

I read 73 books, with 1 more that I'm in the middle of. I think in a normal year I'd have read even more, I have to say that picking up knitting again has really taken a chunk out of my reading time. I'm going to continue to keep track of the books I read, I really enjoyed doing it and in looking back over the list there are several that I totally forgot I had read.

And, inevitably, some of the low points:

of course, my father-in-law's death last month. My husbands father, my children's only grandfather. It's hard to believe he's really gone for good.

that whole crazy couple of weeks when I was (involuntarily!) off my meds. So, so sick, getting more and more sick and depressed every day. Living in a travel trailer, one with no toilet, a leaky roof, a soggy floor...all that was bad enough, but being off my meds, dead broke AND living in those conditions? I'm just glad, and still surprised, I made it through that one.

All in all '06 was more good than bad, and a vast improvement over '05. I'm looking forward to that trend continuing in the new year! I'm also looking forward to not moving this year, to continuing to search for the right job for me, to spending a lot of time with my family. I plan to keep on participating in the u2 fan community, keeping track of the boys and passing the time until the next album comes out. I plan to knit and use up a lot of the yarn that I spent the last 6 months or so buying. That yarn stash grows fast, a lot faster than I can knit it up!

I'm looking forward to another year of blogging, and of keeping up with all of your blogs. Thank you for reading and for commenting. Happy New Year!

2006-12-29T21:52:00.000-08:00

So, I've had a few days of resting, chilling, sleeping and vegging. I think I've offically recovered from The Holidays! Phew. Just in the nick of time, as my days off are over and I'm back to work tomorrow. At this point, with the busy-ness of the holiday retail season over, my job is basically done. I'm still getting a few hours here and there, and kind of hoping that a permanent position will open up. Of course I'm still holding out hope that I'll get the job I initially applied to this company for, but things are getting more vague in that direction and I have no idea if that job even exists any more.

In spite of that, I'm feeling really good about things right now and looking forward to 2007. '06 was such a huge year for us, almost every single thing in our lives has changed from what it was a year ago. It's left me feeling strong and really looking forward to year of putting down roots and building our new lives here. I'm so glad we made this move, it was so much harder than I ever thought it would be, but I'm so glad we did it. If I'd have known how hard it would be, I'd have never done it, which I guess is probably the case a lot of times and as good a reason as any to not want the ability to see the future!

talk about the longest night

2006-12-27T11:07:00.000-08:00

I slept 12 hours last night, and it felt so good! I feel like a new woman, and having the next few days off work to continue to recover feels great too.

Somehow, and barely, I made it through those last pre-christmas days of crazed holiday shoppers. We had people coming into the store at 6pm on Christmas Eve as we were trying to close, still looking for gifts. I thought I was a last minute shopper, and I am, but not *that* last minute.

We had a nice Christmas Day, despite an utter lack of restful sleep. Everyone kept expecting someone else to arrange the brandy for the egg nog, meaning we ended up with none. Sad, indeed! I'm sure there was probably a liquor store open somewhere in the Portland metro area on Christmas Day, but we couldn't find one. And a dry Christmas was had by all.

I worked bright and early on Boxing Day. The mood of my co-workers was so relieved to be almost giddy, it was like one big love-fest compared to the snarky backstabbing that went on all the previous week. The retailers bottom line looks great during the holiday season, but the stress on the actual store employees is huge, especially in a huge urban mall environment like the one I work in.

I'm still holding out hope for the job I initially applied for with this company, in the meantime at least I am bringing in a paycheck as they go through the final hiring process for the other positions.

So now I am rested and have a few days off work, and my plan is to hopefully get my house back under control. It is a shambles of scattered christmas gifts, piles of dirty laundry and messy bathrooms at the moment. Here's to spending the final days of 2006 cleaning this house that I am still so thankful to have! What a year it was, huh?

be kind

2006-12-21T21:13:00.000-08:00

If you're one of those millions of people who will be shopping in droves over the next few days, be kind. Remember that the people on the other side of the register are just that, people. We have families we'd much rather be with, too. We have plans and shopping and stresses of our own. Remember that a smile, a second of eye contact, a friendly word will make a huge difference to us. Be kind to us, and we'll be happy to try to answer your questions, find your "must-have" gifts, deal with your pre-emptive returns.

And to the person I talked to on the phone today, I'm sorry I wasn't more sympathetic when you said "I don't have time to come there and look at it, can you just tell me all about it and if it sounds like something I want, I'll just run in and get it". Between running 2 registers, trying to answer questions about products with which I have little to no familiarity, and ignoring my aching feet, I just didn't have much left for you. I hope you found the perfect gift for whoever it was you were buying for. Really, I do.

longest night

2006-12-21T07:41:00.000-08:00

Hey, guess what? We made it! After today, the days will start getting longer and the nights shorter. The Montana girl inside me is still waiting for winter to start, I'm sure this is the first time in my life I have made it to the winter solstice without having experienced the dazzle of sunlight on snow, the shock of slush in my boots, or the pink glow of snow-filled clouds at night.

Not that I miss it, very much, it just doesn't seem possible that Christmas is a handful of days away! For the record, and as per my usual, I have yet to purchase a single gift. I'll "git er done", hopefully sometime *before* the 24th.

The next 3 or 4 days are going to be busy ones for me at work. I've found the shoppers to be almost completely friendly and easy-going. I wish I could say the same for my co-workers, some of whom are, um....interesting. Whatever, I'm glad to be working and more than happy to have the busy days as the time just flies by.

Yesterday we went to my mom's and decorated gingerbread cookies. My sister met us there. Times like that are the reason we moved here, I'm so thrilled to be sharing holiday memories with extended family this year. So unlike last year.

Everyone had a turn with the camera while my sis, hubby and I watched the new u2 video over and over on my ipod, trying to name all the artists. We missed a lot of them, but it was fun to try and name them all. My baby sis new about 3 or 4 to each one that I knew. Doh.

(blogger doesn't want to let me upload photos right now for some reason, watch for them later)

2006-12-18T19:40:00.000-08:00

Once again, I've been lacking in the blogging. This time, though, I have a good excuse! While I'm still in the hiring process for that job I mentioned recently (keep those fingers crossed!), I've started working in another branch of the same company. Basically, I needed and wanted to get to work, and while they couldn't necessarily speed up the decision-making process for the management job I want, there is a need for short-term holiday help during this obviously busy next week or so.
Soo, long story short, I'm working. In a mall. Not just a mall, but "Oregon's Largest Mall!". Some of you, the ones who know me very well, will have a pretty good idea how I feel about that. Malls are high on my list of least-favorite places, right up there with the dentist and the vagina whisperer.
And now, I get to go there! Every day! In the busiest single week of the entire year! Yayy!!

One the up-side, it's a pretty fun job, I'm meeting lots of cool people (co-workers and customers alike) and most importantly, earning money. On the downside, apart from the very fact that it's in a mall, there are a couple of girls that I work with that are....um. How to say? Intolerable? Much in need of bitch-slapping? Cause me to bite my tongue in an attempt to stay civil? Something like that.

I just keep telling myself, it's a very short-term job, it's bringing money which we really need, and it's getting my foot in the door with this company which can only help me when it comes to the management job. I should find out about that for sure within the next couple of weeks, and in the meantime I'll have lots of great stories to tell.

Like the other night, when a trio of thieves hit us, did a classic distraction ruse and made off with 2 of those robotic automatic vacuum thing-y's.
Or how, when one of my co-workers was describing the zones of the store to me, he kept referring to certain areas of the floor as "hot lava". It just really cracked me up, when I was a kid one of my favorite games to play was "The Floor is Hot Lava" wherein we tried to navigate the house without ever touching the floor. I'm pretty sure at work they use the term to illustrate the boundaries of the zone, rather than as a challenge to my creative thinking, but I couldn't help but chart out a plan in my mind of how I'd get across that hot-lava floor without touching it at all. The huge Tempurpedic bed in the middle of the floor will help a lot.
Piece o' cake!

brilliant!

2006-12-16T08:24:00.000-08:00

What better way to start what is sure to be a hectic pre-holiday weekend than with the premiere of a new u2 video?
I love it! I'm loving Window in the Skies, and the video doesn't disappoint. Brilliant concept, excellent execution. Check it out, then watch again and see if you can find each of the boys. A new video, a great song, and a game of I Spy! Merry Christmas from u2!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VskbxuehP3I

just chatting...

2006-12-13T14:29:00.000-08:00

I've been keeping busy unpacking, rearranging things, and trying to decorate the house. I had a brainstorm today, I'm going to do our downstairs bathroom (the one on the main floor, making it the "guest" bathroom) in a cowboy theme. Is that corny or what?? I totally want to do it though. It must be the Montana girl in me, I love me some cowboys.

I'm slooooowly getting my crafting area set up. The budget is tight, but yesterday I got a 6' white bookcase for $5 at Goodwill, so that will help a lot in keeping my junk organized. Our bedroom is huge, so big that it's almost wasteful. I can't fill up the whole thing! We have our bed and tv in one area, and I have appropriated the other half of the room for my craft stuff. I got a really cool old table free on Craig's List, so I have that in there and now the big bookshelf too. The main problem I have in the bedroom right now is it is so huge, there are these massively huge expanses of bare white wall. I also have no curtains in there yet, just mini blinds, so that makes the window just another big white blank. It is not a very comfortable or cozy place to be! So I'm trying to come up with some ideas on wall decor, and I'm really going to get around to whipping up some curtains in the very near future.

Only 2 more days of school before Christmas break! ACK!!

all about the jobs...

2006-12-08T15:06:00.000-08:00

I know I promised photos a few days ago, and I'm still working on those. At glacial speed, evidently.
Just want to post a quick update to ask you, internets, to please cross all your crossables for me! I interviewed earlier today for a fun, very well-paying job. I really want this job! I'll be doing a 2nd interview early next week with the regional Big Wig, so I need all your +++++ vibes I can get. More on that later!

Larry's transfer finally went through so he's been cleared to start work at the new location tomorrow.

It feels good that things are moving ahead for both of us in the job area, it certainly takes a lot of pressure about Christmas off! He also got a tidy little bonus on his last check from the previous job, which doesn't hurt.

sad news

2006-12-06T12:50:00.000-08:00

I'm sure most people have heard by now, but they found James Kim's body about an hour ago. This is so sad, and such a senseless loss. I'm so sorry for Kati, and the girls. It's hard to imagine that something so simple as taking a wrong turn can lead to a tragedy like this.
I'm just so, so sad for those little girls who won't get to know their dad as they grow up. But they can always know that he died trying to save them.
:(

hello, and goodbye

2006-12-05T18:15:00.000-08:00

It's nice to finally have my husband home, and my whole family under one roof again! He brought goodies for the kids, and some of Papa's fishing poles and power tools in a big huge box that had to be checked and then lugged through PDX to the parking garage.

Once we got home I had a chance to read Papa's obituary, and found an online version of it. It's sad that I learned things from reading the obit that I didn't know despite being his daughter-in-law for 16 years. I'm glad to know it, though, and to be able to pass the knowledge and pride of their heritage on to them.

Here's a link in case anyone wants to read it. Larry brought home a very small selection of photos, on disc, from his childhood. This one is my favorite. If you're like me you'll drool over that awesome coffee table, but when you're done with that, my hubby is the youngest of the 3 boys, the curly-haired one sitting by his daddy's head.

small Kim family update...

2006-12-05T14:30:00.000-08:00

http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_120506_news_missing_family_tues.569404ac.html

KGW (local news) is reporting that searchers have found a pair of James Kim's pants. I'm not sure what that means, but maybe they are getting close! It's possible he's leaving a trail on purpose, or removed the pants because they were wet. I'm just hoping this is a sign that locating him is going to happen in the near future, before he has to pass another cold night out there.
In the meantime, I'm having a hard time getting on with things and not spending all my time at the guestbook on jamesandkati.com

I hope the family will realize, when this is all over, how much love and support they have gotten from people all over the globe through this. Seeing people pull together for a family they don't even know (in most cases), it really reaffirms my optimistic faith in humanity.
Hang in there, James!

randomly Tuesday

2006-12-05T10:09:00.000-08:00

It's a cold and foggy morning here in SW Washington today. I can't help but think of James Kim out there on that cold mountain, not knowing his family is safe and not knowing the way to go to get help. Hang in there James, help is coming to you!

My own husband is (finally!) coming home today after almost 2 weeks in Nevada. His father was buried yesterday in what I'm sure was an emotional graveside service at the Veteran's cemetary in Vegas.

I've been keeping busy thrifting (photos of some of my finds to come soon!) and getting things unpacked and just basically settling into and trying to fill up this big house. A lot of our things have been in storage since I packed them back in July, so it's really fun to be digging into those boxes and seeing all my "stuff" again.

I have yet to unpack my holiday spirit, you certainly wouldn't know Christmas is less than 3 weeks away by looking around my house. Partly it's not having Larry here, it's hard to make any final decisions about trees and such without his input. It's going to be nice to have him back and sharing those big life-and-death decisions with me, lol!

found!

2006-12-04T15:06:00.000-08:00

I hadn't blogged about this, but it has been constantly on my mind. I just watched a cnet press conference where they confirmed that they did find Kati and the girls, Kati evidently flagged down a search helicopter today and the 3 of them were rescued from a remote mountain area near where the majority of the searching had gone on.
According to that report, Kati said James left 2 days ago to try and walk out to get help for his family. The search for James goes on. I'm just so unbelievably relieved to know that Kati and the girls are found and are alive! The family was lost for 9 days. Can you imagine??
Please, find James and let the family be reunited. Please.

one more thing....

2006-11-29T13:28:00.000-08:00

Hello, everyone who has been googling "Jenn Wasserman" and/or "mountains of memories"! Somebody drop me a line and let me know what has prompted this sudden interest, please?

Just in case you don't know, you can read more about Jenn in some of my archives, but here's the story in a nutshell:
she is a former employer (and, sadly, friend) of mine who fired me without just cause and has basically been a thorn in my side ever since. The fact that the unemployment mediator sided with me didn't sit so well with old Jenn, so she's decided that the right (and good Mormon) thing to do would be to lie about me to prospective employers and sabotage my opportunity for gainful employment in scrapbooking-related jobs. Can you say lawsuit, anyone?? Cuz I can. ;-)

Now, somebody tell me, what's the scuttlebut and why are you all googling your way over here???

can you believe it?

2006-11-29T12:55:00.000-08:00

Two posts in one day?! Unreal, I know.

I'm obviously trying to find a way to juggle things and settle into our new life here in Vancouver. I've had to let the blogging slip a little bit, but I have been reading my bloglines faithfully and have full intentions of blogging more often as things settle down here.

The problem with the blog-break is that so many things happen, large and small, that it's hard to know where to start in terms of an "update"! I'll try to keep this brief.

We are really enjoying getting to know the community here, and are gradually learning our way around and meeting people, etc. Both boys started school today, and that went well. That goes a long way toward making this place feel like home. The girls will both be starting school in the next week or so, too.

Larry has been out of town and spent a grand total of one night here with us (more on that later), so that is really strange and hard on Lilly in particular. She misses her daddy, but she's doing ok and will be more than excited to see him when he gets back next week.

The weather has been weird, I guess. Coming from Montana as I do, it is not at all strange to have snow, and lots of it, in November. So the little dusting of snow we got here yesterday morning didn't really even register in my mind as a problem, but I guess it's all a matter of perspective. The snow was pretty, anyway, and if it caused enough problems for school to start 2 hours late, I guess that's ok too.

Tonight we're due for freezing rain, which is something I have never experienced. I'm thinking it will be pretty to look at, and ugly to drive on. I'm in the midst of a big-time job hunt, so I can't afford to be homebound for long!

Sadly, Larry's dad passed away early Monday morning. Larry has been at his parent's house since last Friday, so he got a chance to say goodbye and was with his dad as he died. It is sad, and hard, and I wish I could be there but I'm just glad Larry has been able to be with his mom and the rest of his siblings will all be there by the end of the week.

My kids are sad to have lost thier only Grandpa "Papa", but it is sort of abstract for them since they didn't see or talk to Papa very often. It's mostly sad for Larry to have lost his dad, and June to have lost her husband after 55 years of marriage. At least he lived a long life, and he's not sufffering any more.

So, that's really made this adjustment to a new house, new town, new life a lot harder than it had to be, but we're doing good and looking forward to the New Year.

Lots of knitting has been going on, too, not to mention all that's been going on in the world of u2, but that will have to wait for another day.

2006-11-29T12:46:00.000-08:00

The boys played Tokyo last night, not only that but they played Window in the Skies for the first time! Not only that, but we can all hear and (kinda) see the live version thanks to glory of You Tube. Here ya go!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lYm35ZjNDM

2006-11-26T13:44:00.000-08:00

for the first time in something close to 20 years, the boys played One Tree Hill live in concert. They've been rocking it out down in Australia and NZ, and what would a trip to NZ be without OTH?
thank god for youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sspVCKq-sm4

Window in the Skies

2006-11-17T13:34:00.000-08:00

sorry for letting my link to the new u2 song expire! While I was off house hunting peeps were here looking for the song. Sorry guys! Here's a new link, hopefully it will last a while longer. Everybody still love the song?? I do, more and more and more. It really stays in my head, something about that melody...
Window in the Skies on KROQ

still here...

2006-11-17T13:21:00.000-08:00

God, it's been a kind of grueling house-hunt for us. But finally, we're done. Papers have been signed, checks written, keys handed over. We'll be moving over the weekend. And over the mountains.

We tried really really hard to find a place here on the coast, but we just couldn't find anything that would work for us at all. So, after 4 months, we're leaving the ocean behind and moving east. But not too far, just a couple of hours, a small mountain range, and one state line.

Less than a week after finally registering our cars and the traumatic experience of turning in my Montana drivers license in exchange for a shiny new Oregon one, we are officially residents of Washington state.

Anybody out there in or know anything about Vancouver, Washington?? Tell me only good things, as I wrote the painfully large check that means we will be living there for the forseeable future. It's too late now to tell me anything bad about the area, lol!

One side note. I will be going back to work, and in advance of that I had someone call my previous employer to check what kind of reference she gave me. The bitch had the *nerve* to tell who she thought was a potential employer of mine that I was "rude" and "disrespectful" and that she fired me. This, after she lost a Worker's Comp hearing and mediation, on the issue. Not to mention the MT State law she broke by saying anything that could potentially deprive me of gainful employment. Fucking bitch. I'm just glad it wasn't an actual employer for a job that I wanted.

I'll tell you, people like that (Jenn Wasserman of Mountains of Memories Scrapbooks in Great Falls, Montana) must get some sort of thrill from being spiteful and hypocritical. She gives her religion, her family, and her business a bad name. I'm embarrassed that I ever worked at her store and considered her a friend. If I was a friend, customer, employee or family member of hers, I'd be very very careful. If you step over the line she will try to the bitter end to take you down. Ick.

Knit Mitt Kit Swap questionnaire

2006-11-13T11:02:00.000-08:00

if you're not my KMKS pal, feel free to ignore this entry, lol!

The Questionnaire:
What are your favorite colors?pinks, yellows, greens
Are you a new mitt knitter? yes
How long have you been knitting mittens?
I've never knit mittens before, ever!
Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn?
hmmm, I guess I'd say multi but really either one is fine
What fibers do you prefer in mitten yarn?
I prefer natural fibers in general. Wool seems like a logical choice for mittens, or a wool blend.
Where do you usually knit mittens?
I knit anywhere and everywhere
How do you usually carry/store small projects?
small project bags
What are your favorite mitten patterns?
I like fingerless gloves, flip top mittens, norwegian style mittens
What are your favorite mitten knitting techniques?
???
What new techniques would you like to try?
maybe colorwork? or felted mittens?
What are your favorite needles for knitting mittens?
I've not done mittens before, but I do socks using magic loop and that's how I prefer to do circular knitting. Longer length Addis or knit picks work great for magic loop.
What are some of your favorite yarns?
I'm not too picky, other than my preference for natural fibers. I love wool, like Cascade 220 or Plymouth Galway. Merino is of course a favorite, too. I also like other natural fibers like cotton, silk, cashmere, alpaca, etc.
What yarn do you totally covet?
I totally covet handmaiden sea silk at the moment. Also koigu, lornas laces, basically any of the more expensive one's it's hard to justify buying. Or the ones that I never see at LYS around here, like Cherry Tree Hill or Socks That Rock.
Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object?
As far as mittens go, I'd love to make a gorgeous pair of norwegian ones, maybe a EZ or Dale of Norway pattern with lots of colorwork and beautiful patterns.
Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)?
I guess I kind of covered that earlier. I love my Addi's, of course. I like a sharper needle vs a more blunt one. I like to do magic loop so I have to have a flexible cable and a smooth join. I do have a set of Boye's Needlemaster, and I have lost my longest cable for them, but they don't really work with Magic Loop anyway because of their weird join.
If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be?
I have no idea, lol!
Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack?
Peanut butter m&ms are my favorite candy
What’s your favorite animal?
I don't really have one I guess.
Would you prefer super warm mittens or something more like fingerless mitts?
either!
If you were a color what color would you be?
pink?
What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature?
the sea
Do you have a wishlist?
in my head I do, lol!

Window in the Skies

2006-11-07T10:19:00.000-08:00

the new u2 song, it debuted on US radio today. Didn't take too long before there was an mp3 circulating, thank god. So here you go, if you'd like a listen and can't wait for the official release:
http://download.yousendit.com/456BE4F817819500

I like it. A lot. I'm reserving my right to say I love it until I hear a more clear version, but I think it'd be safe to say it's an awesome song. And a very different sound for u2. I hear a lot of Beatles in it, I don't know if it's the timing or the bridges or what. That's not a bad thing. It's a u2 song, clearly, that sounds like no other u2 song.

That said, it'd be hard to not like a new u2 song. It can be a long, dry stretch between albums!

interesting info on the new U2 song...

2006-11-03T10:06:00.000-08:00

This is from the Adelaide Advertiser (the boys are, of course, in Australia to kick off the final leg of the Vertigo tour which was postponed last spring):

The other new song is Windows In The Skies. With soaring strings and a haunting piano melody. The tune is remarkably different to the stadium rock sound of their recent smash hit album, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.

It is huge but in a very different way and for a very different reason; Bono is learning to play piano."I think that's going to be our biggest song in a long time. It's a psychedelic pop song with 6/8 timing, you never hear that. It's very, very rare," he says.

"I've been taking piano lessons with my kids and every time I took a lesson, I wrote a song. I had eight lessons and I had eight songs."

They (his bandmates) were all like 'He'll never have any songs this time' and in I bring eight. Whoa! Of course, they have much improved it."

thanks to @U2 for the link to the article.

socktober is over...

2006-11-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

The whole reason I joined socktoberfest in the first place was because I have been wanting to knit some socks, but hadn't yet actually been brave enough to try. I have a large collection of dpns (double pointed needles, used to knit small tubular things like socks, mittens, etc), sock patterns, and of course the ever popular sock yarn.
So, I joined socktoberfest and I'm happy to say it was just the little nudge I needed to get me going on socks. I finished one pair for me, one sock for Lilly with it's mate still being knitted up, and a pair for Barrett that I sadly frogged yesterday but I'm still counting them because I did cast them on during socktober, and I will cast them on again. I just couldn't handle the guilt of working on them with Lilly's little mate-less sock languishing in my knitting bag.
From now on, it's 2 at a time for me if at all possible.
Anyway, I'm a sock knitter! I've been wearing mine constantly, except during washing and the day it takes to dry wool socks in this humid coastal area! They are cosy and warm and make me happy. They are also a little uneven and droopy, and one is noticeably larger than the other. Still, for a first pair of socks, not bad.

I have so many projects I want to do. Norwegian knitting has been calling to me, my kids are demanding hats, mittens and socks, my hubby even wants socks, and then there's all that holiday knitting to do....

I guess I took a break...

2006-10-29T18:01:00.000-08:00

didn't really mean to take a blog break for the past week or so, but I guess I did. We've been househunting, that pretty much takes up all our "spare time". Hopefully we'll find the right place for us soon!

In the meantime, I was inspired earlier today to make an entry about my favorite podcasts. This is something I've been meaning to do for a long time, but never quite got around to doing. I have a long and eclectic list of podcasts I listen to on a more-or-less regular basis, and I look forward each day to opening iTunes and seeing which 'casts update.

I listen while I do housework, I absolutely can't face a sink full of dirty dishes without my ipod on board. I listen while I walk, while I knit, while I cook. My little ipod shuffle has seen some pretty heavy use over the past year or so as a result. I do have a waterproof silicone cover for it, otherwise I'm sure it would have died long ago. Still, the headphones are wearing out, particularly the left one which has a crazy-making buzz in it. The "shuffle" feature doesn't work, the battery light works fitfully at best, and the "play" button has become temperamental.

A new iPod is in the very near future for me, I can't wait! I just found out about this case, which is perfect and definitely going home with me, too.

Ok, I guess I sort of drifted from podcasts to ipods there. Before I digress again, here are some of my favorite podcasts:

crafty/knitting 'casts:

Lost podcasts (yes, I'm a total dweeb and Lost freak and listen to these 'casts to fill the time between episodes!):

Misc.:

feels like the home stretch...

2006-10-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

We're coming into a big week, here in our little home next to the ocean. We've been waiting for this for a while, just kind of hanging here in a holding pattern, and now it's starting to feel like we're coming into the home stretch.

Larry's traveling to mid-Oregon this week for a job interview with a country club there. This is nearby where his aunt and 2 cousins and their families live, so he will get to visit them also while he's there. So, that's the first obvious Big Thing, as if he gets the job we will be moving to another part of the state. Honestly, I'm ready for that. I thought I'd be happy no matter where we lived as long as we were by the sea, but it's not that simple. Larry hates his job here, and that matters. He has to like his job, he deserves to do a job that he likes and feels challenged doing.

I hate to make the kids change schools in the middle of the year, but we've already made so many changes these last few months, I think they are just going to have to go along for the ride a bit further until we get where we can really settle, somewhere that we feel we can actually live for a few years at least.

Interestingly, on the same day that Larry has his job interview scheduled, there is a hearing going on in regards to my Grandma's estate. If all goes well with that, and let's all just cross our fingers that it does, the estate should be settled and we (the 9 grandkids) can receive our equal shares of the estate. It's been over a year since she passed on, everyone else (charities, trustee, etc) has been paid, it's just us, the main beneficiaries, that have yet to see our inheiritance.

Obviously this couldn't come at a better time for me and my family, as we will be able to finance our move and setting up house, etc.

So, yeah, it's a big week for us. We don't know which way it will go, with either the job or the lawyers for Grandma's estate, but I have faith that it will work out the way it's supposed to.

what do you know

2006-10-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

I got my meds, took my meds, and feel a million times better. How about that! Someday I'll address the issue of whether I want to be chemically dependent for the rest of my life. Today I'm just enjoying feeling better.

I didn't do a lot of knitting this week, mainly because of my massive headache that made moving my eyeballs extraordinarily painful, but I did do a couple of rows a day on my socks. Last night when Larry got home from work, I was sitting on the couch knitting. He said that was his first clue I was starting to feel better, not being greeted by the sight of me curled in a fetal position on the couch with a pillow over my head, lol!

So this morning, to celebrate the weekend, the return of the sun, and to say goodbye to effexor withdrawal syndrome, I cast off my socks! My very first pair of socks. I like them, although they don't fit exactly perfectly. Just like anything else, I expect I'll get better at it the more socks I knit. And even if they are a little baggy, they are warm and comfy and stripey and bright!
Lilly kindly "offered" take a photo of them for me, hence the shakey out-of-focus photo below:

I cast off at the ankle, so I have a decent bit left of each skein (I knit both socks at once from 2 different skeins of yarn). Someone gave Lilly the idea that I should make her a matching pair, and since there's not enough yarn there for another adult size pair, it's a good idea. I can probably make a pair of knee-socks for a 5 year old with what I have, and then we'll have mother-daughter stripey socks. What could be better?

And speaking of daughters, here is the older of my 2, modeling her birthday sweater. I'm proud to say I had it done, blocked, buttons and all, before her birthday. A pumpkin colored sweater for my first pumpkin baby!

brain shivers

2006-10-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

brain shivers...it's a term that is used to describe one of the many unpleasant side effects of effexor withdrawal. It's kind of a fun term to use as a blog entry title, when the actual brain shivers have reduced ones gray matter to gray jello. I can't think of a decent title, so brain shivers it is.

Despite my own little life-stopping drama that has been played out ad nauseum on my blog this week, the rest of the world has somehow managed to continue to function. It's quite a blow to my ego, frankly, that the world hasn't been brought to it's knees just because I have been, but there you have it.

So rather than bore and disgust you with further ranting and wailing about my own condition at the moment, here's some of the other stuff that has managed to, however briefly, catch my attention this week.

First of all, I wish desperately that I could do this justice, but I can't. If you're not already a huge fan of Emm Gryner, please head immediately to Scatter O'Light and read C's entry about Emm. More importantly, listen to the song. Just listen. If you're not haunted by Emm's voice, I don't know what tell you. Because I haven't been able to get that song out of my (admittedly fucked up) head since the first time I heard it. I can only imagine the rest of her music is just as moving, I look forward to someday being able to listen to more than 2 minutes of music between attacks of brain shivers.

Here's a photo from last night in London....when was the last time you saw such a cute couple?? They are adorable. Mostly because of how much B obviously adores Ali. I love seeing photos of them together. So sweet.

So, I'm trying to find some little things to enjoy in those moments that I'm not either unconscious, in the bathroom, or writhing in pain. Hanging in there, trying to distract myself, trying to remember that I'll feel better soon. I will, right? Feel better soon? Promise?

if you cared...

2006-10-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

I'm just about beyond putting together more than 3 coherent words in a row at this point. My physical symptoms of withdrawal are beyond anything I could have expected. Constant trips to the bathroom, nausea, chills followed by hot flashes, dizziness....I laid on the couch last night feeling simultaneously too hot and freezing cold. If I move my head too fast, the room spins.

Not that I'm promoting illicit drug use, but man. I would totally benefit from some good old fashioned weed right about now. Barring that, I'm starting to think someone in my state (physically, emotionally, mentally) might be better off in a hospital.

update: I just spent an hour or so reading some very disturbing info. about effexor withdrawal. Try googling it. Not only are my symptoms not unusual, they aren't even the worst of it. Some people have continued with these symptoms for months and years after quitting effexor. I will only continue to get sicker until I take some effexor. The good news being that I should start to feel better within a few hours after taking it, but the bad news is that I didn't get my meds in the mail again today, so it will be at least another 24 hours. Possibly another 48, if it doesn't come tomorrow. During that time I'm just going to get sicker and sicker.

not for the faint of heart...

2006-10-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

So, last month when I got my prescriptions refilled, the pharmacy screwed up and sent me half the amount they should have. It was my fault that I didn't notice earlier than I did, but be that as it may, the bottom line is that I've been without my meds (for the record, because it's not a secret or anything, it's effexor xr and it is an antidepressant. I've taken it for over 6 years, it works great, but only if I actually *take* it). I took half a dose on Friday, half on Sat, none since then. I was really really hoping I'd get my refill in Friday's mail, or Saturday's, but no. Sunday I just suffered through, counting on the package arriving on Monday. But....no.

Things are....interesting. I've never gone this long without it, since back in 2000 when I started taking this particular med. I've run out before, but never for this long.

Physically, I'm tired. Very sleepy. Waves of nausea that come and go. Light headed. Upset stomach. Dizziness. The worst physical part is the headache. The effexor withdrawal headache is like a migraine on steriods. It's a scary thing. Every noise just kills, and living in a tiny trailer that's really more of a camper with 6 people and a dog, there is a lot of noise. So a lot of pain. I've slept right through the alarm both of the last 2 days, so the kids have been over an hour late for school each day. Totally my fault.

Emotionally, I'm kind of a wreck. The irritability started on Saturday, and has just gotten worse. Last night and again this morning the dreaded Bitch Mother took over control of my mouth. I'm not normally a yelling type of mother, but you wouldn't know it if you'd been in this vicinity the last couple of days.

I'm also weepy, as in, I cried this morning when I couldn't find anything clean to wear. Again, not a normal behavior for me. I'm not really *depressed*, but I have moments of hopelessness, or wondering at the pointlessness of it all.

Mentally, I'm kind of in a really weird place. I've been having really, really vivid dreams, which isn't that bad. At least there's some entertainment value to the whole thing, right?

Let's all just hope those meds come today, because I really don't know now long I can keep this up. I'm trying to keep a sense of perspective, and constantly remind myself that this isn't my new life, it's just a bad patch and it will get better when I get back on my meds. But every day, it's harder to remember that. It's harder to concentrate, harder to care about the things that I know are important to the "real" me, harder not to just let go and fall into some bad place in my head. I've been there, and I don't want to go back. These last few days have been so hard, too, that I don't know if I have the strength left in me to crawl out of that place if I end up there. I'm just hanging on the edge right now, and holding on tight.

update: so. No meds today, either. Called the pharmacy (in Montana), they are sending them today. They're sorry for the delay. I bet they are, but not as sorry as *I* am, or anyone who has to live with me this week. When I saw the empty mailbox again today, I kind of lost it. Just couldn't stop crying for a few minutes.
Just as I was typing this, I was making Lilly a grilled sandwich, which I forgot about, until I saw smoke billowing out of the skillet. Turned down the flame, went to grab a spatula to take the (black) sandwich out, and couldn't find anything to take it out with. Not a spatula, spoon, even a knife. I had to take it out with a vegetable peeler. I couldn't even make this stuff up. A vegetable peeler. See how every single little thing is just so hard at times like this?
fuck,

news flash

2006-10-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

If, like me, you can't quite stomach Oprah enough to make it worth watching Bono on her show today, don't fear! Word is he'll be the guest on Larry King tonight, and while I'm not exactly a huge fan of Mr. King, I can at least stand to watch his show. Not that I don't already know most if not all of what Bono's going to say, it's just good to see and hear him no matter what he's saying (here's a preview of my best guesses about what we'll hear from him: Africa, poverty, 21st century, sexy, smart, red, politicians, money, aid, Aids, trade...)

birthday week

2006-10-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

It's here again, the official D****** Girl's Birthday Extravaganza. Lilly turned 5 on the 10th, and Britt 15 on the 12th. All those numbers add up to a lot of wrapping paper, cake and ice cream, and candle blowing.

My sister came out from Portland, we hadn't seen her for about 4 years so it was so nice to spend time with her. Now that we're all in Oregon we will be seeing a lot more of her!

We're having some gorgeous weather here on the Oregon coast, so we spent some time at the beach doing the usual beach-y things. In fact, we had such a good time at the beach that we failed to notice this was happening:

Oops. Good thing we live 2 blocks from the beach and have neighbors with big trucks, big enough to pull a 3/4 ton van, buried to the axle in wet sand, to higher and drier ground. It wouldn't be a special occasion in our family without some sort of minor emergency or other!

Monday TV news

2006-10-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

If you can stand to watch Oprah, be sure to check it out today as Bono will be her guest! I have to admit that not even the opportunity to see yer man is enough to get me to watch Oprah, I just can't stomach it. It is tempting, I love nothing more than hearing B's adorable brogue, but Oprah....ick.

edit to add: I don't know where I got the idea that it was today, but it's not, it's this Friday (the 13th! scary! lol).

knittin'...

2006-10-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

I spent most of the day Wed. knitting Britt's sweater, and it's finished! It still needs to be blocked, and we haven't chosen buttons for it yet, but the knitting and seaming is done. Done done done. Phew!

With that out of the way (and well in advance of her birthday, too!), I was free to start my first socks. I spent some time yesterday morning mulling over sock patterns, techniques and tutorials. Finally, I started. 2 at once, toe up, magic loop, and if you're not a knitter I know your eyes just glazed over, sorry! I think I have the technique pretty much figured out now, I only had to cast on (using this method) twice, the first time ending in a crazily tangled mess. Here's where I'm at with them this morning. This sock knitting thing is fun!

new u2 album...kind of

2006-10-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

The big news in the u2 world today is the announcement that a new "definitive Best Of" single-cd album will be released on Nov. 20th. From http://atu2.com:

"U2.Com has announced that U2 will release their third "Best Of" CD on November 20th. The album will contain sixteen previously released tracks and two new releases, one of which is the U2/Green Day collaboration "The Saints Are Coming". According to the story, both new songs were recorded at the recent Abbey Road sessions with Rick Rubin."

The announcement seems to have been met with mixed reviews from fans. It doesn't seem absolutely necessary for the band to release this 3rd "Best Of" record now, but it is always exciting to get new material from the band, and I'm looking forward to hearing that and also seeing what the band views as it's top 16 songs thus far. This album will complete their contractual obligation with Universal Records which stipulated 3 "Best Of" releases, so it will be interesting to see if they are planning a move from Universal.

In conclusion, here is a gratuitous, entirely unrelated photo, taken by my brother at the Oregon Zoo last weekend:

One Happy Sea Lion

2006-10-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

Just a random goofy pic from Portland last weekend. My brother, sister-in-law, Tucker and I walked from my mom's place to Powell's, and on the way we found this panhandler's sign discarded on the road. It was so funny, especially since my brother is a stylist and had just cut Barrett's hair an hour earlier. In case you can't read it, it says "I have an interview Monday. Need cash for hair cut. Thank you". I wonder how that worked out for the sign's maker?

Here's something cool...I took the kids to Astoria to get groceries this morning ($199...ouch), and on the way back I saw that there were people in and around a new Starbucks that was just built. I decided to swing through the drivethrough and reward myself with a triple grande mocha (no whip), and when I got to the drivethrough window there was a sign saying they didn't open until tomorrow. Before I could drive off, a guy came on the loudspeaker and greeted us. I said "Oh, I didn't know if you were open!" and he says "We sure are, and everything's free!". I really didn't believe him at first, but he convinced me. Cool! I got my mocha, and a cranberry orange scone. Since I had the kids with me, they also got whatever they wanted, so we loaded up with Frappuccinos, scones, doughnuts and steamers. I even got a free Starbucks travel mug, lol! That pretty much made my day, really. As my buddy Leslie always says, the only better than free stuff is more free stuff. ;)

socktoberfest

2006-09-29T12:13:00.000-07:00

So, yeah. I joined socktoberfest, and will be knitting my first pair of socks the very minute I'm done with Britt's sweater. While I was at the Yarn Garden in Portland I stocked up on some sock yarn. The gray/black/red stuff will probably NOT become socks, actually. The blue/yellow/black is what Barrett picked out for me to make him a pair of socks, and the others will be knit up into socks of some shape or form. Only 2 more days until October!

2006-09-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

First, some knitting updates....the biggest news is that I finally finished Lilly's starfish sweater! This was my first sweater, and it took me a couple of tries to get the neckband right, and a while to get the hang of the mattress stitch to do the seaming, but I'm finally done and she's wearing the sweater as I type this. Success, if not perfection, and that's ok with me. What with the striped shirt underneath and the striped rainboots on her feet, her new sweater really completes the look, don't you think?

Now it'll be back to work on Britt's cabled cardigan. I have the back, one side of the front and the beginning of one sleeve done, so I'd say I'm over the halfway point. Once that's done....socks!

Larry and I went for a drive to Longview, WA today, which was what enabled me to get Lilly's sweater done (he drove, I knit). While there we made the obligatory stop at Target, where I found ::::drumrolll:::::::

have you seen these boys?

2006-09-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

Today's the big day, finally, this new book is out! I'm wishing I could've stayed in Portland for one more day, just to get my hands on it. There isn't a book store in the Astoria/Seaside/Cannon Beach area that has it, not a single one. I'm so bummed! Really, really wanted to get my hot little hands on these hot little boys today. Patience is not my strong suit.

P.S. I found a bookstore in Manzanita, a little town down the coast a bit, that can have the book in for me by Thursday afternoon. I guess I can live with that. phew!

we're home...

2006-09-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

and the most amazing thing is that it really does feel just a little bit like home. As I drove through Seaside this afternoon, I had that "ahhh, home" feeling, just a little bit. For the first time I thought maybe, just maybe, we could actually learn to love it here, learn to make this our home.

The weekend was fun, all in all, despite the "fun" of driving in Portland traffic with little-to-no actual knowledge of where I was going most of the time. I'm learning, everytime I go there I learn a little more, get a little more comfortable with the city, so I'm getting there.

I went out the van this morning, ready for an early morning departure from the city, only to find a completely flat tire on the van. Hmmm. I always did mean to learn how to change a tire, but never really got around to it. I guessed I could wing it, and I did pretty good, except unbeknownst to me there is a *certain* spot where you are supposed to attach the bumper-style jack, whereas I thought you could just pretty much hook it on the bumper any old place and be fine. Um...no. Not so fine, but luckily no one was crushed when the van swayed back and forth then crashed to the ground. I really thought it was going to tip over, but it didn't. My faith in my own abilities was crushed, however, so I called a tow truck and eventually we were on the road. Nevermind that the spare was also flat, never mind that the guy at the gas station wasn't able to air it up for me (insurance reasons, what else). I aired it up, to the proper pressure no less, and we made it home, although several hours later than I had planned. Next up, get that tire fixed or replaced, toute suite!

Coming tomorrow, zoo pictures, an impromtu attendance at a book reading, and much u2 news.

good stuff

2006-09-22T20:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, so much fun and cool stuff going on this week!

First off, U2 fans like me are having a great week full of news, new products and lots of public appearances by the boys. It started with Tuesday's release of the ZooTv Live from Sydney dvd, which I finally got today and have only watched the first 2 or 3 minutes of it. For those that don't know, this is from their ZooTv tour of 1993 and has been a loooong time coming to official release.
Even more exciting is the awesome u2 by u2 book, which will be out on the 26th. I can NOT wait to get my hands on this book, it is going to be so much fun to read and admire all the photos. Did I mention I can't wait??

Tomorrow the kids and I are headed to Portland for the weekend. We'll be hitting the zoo, doing some shopping and I may head to the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival to see if I can score some cool yarn. All in all it's just going to be fun to get away for the weekend, I do wish Larry could go with us but he has to work.

I'll be back late Monday with an update!

by request...

2006-09-21T09:21:00.000-07:00

A Day in the Life of the Edge, Part 2

In which he fights with one and chases another member of the "Pavarotti", and discusses with Bono the pros and cons of swimming out to sea on day when they have a gig.

a little something for a rainy Wed. morning...

2006-09-20T08:05:00.001-07:00

At least, it's rainy here on the Oregon coast this morning. Nothing better than Part 1 of the long-awaited "A Day in the Life of the Edge", a film by Bono, to brighted an otherwise dreary midweek morning.

finally....

2006-09-19T06:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, here's the sweater Britt wanted me to make for her birthday (it's on the cover of the current issue of Knit Simple).

Here's the progress as of last week, I need to take another updated pic. Right now I have the back done and am about 5" into the left front. It's a fun knit, my first cables, and done with Plymouth Galway wool.

As much fun as I'm having knitting, and I really am, I miss scrapbooking and can't wait until we get settled and I can get all the rest of my crafting stuff out of storage!

There's lots of u2 news lately, not the least of which is the long awaited US release today of the ZooTv Live from Sydney DVD. Can't wait to get my hands on this!

Then next week comes an even more exciting release, also long awaited. Finally, the u2 by u2 book! I am so looking forward to getting this and sitting down for a looong read and ogle. I've been purposely avoiding most of the teasers and leaks that are floating around out there about this book. It's going to be great!!

On Monday (9/25) the boys will be playing with Green Day during Monday Night Football from New Orleans, in honor of the reopening of the Superdome. Not a bad way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first time the 4 of them played together!

They've been in the studio (not just any studio, but a certain Abbey Road!) for the past week or so, working on tracks for their new album and also recording a single with Green Day.

Add to that the fact that Bono has been accompanying Ali on the fall Edun launch, and it all adds up to a satisfying glut of u2 news and new photos lately.

Works In Progress

2006-09-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

[caution: knitting heavy post below!]

A couple of WIPs to show, but first one F(inished) O(bject). This Crest of the Wave stole has been finished for about a month now, just getting around to taking pics now. I used the Andes wool I posted about back in July, and very much enjoyed making this, my first lace project! It has a few mistakes, and the size is weird, but overall I like it and it comes in handy when beachcombing. I used almost 3 skeins, isn't it weird how the colors pooled in the 1st and 3rd skeins but striped almost perfectly in the 2nd?

I finished the stole just before our last trip to Portland, so while I was there I visited one of their many wonderful yarn shops (The Yarn Garden on Hawthorne, more about that below) and purchased the yarn to make a variation of this starfish sweater (my first sweater!) for Lilly:

Here it is in situ, the back, front and both sleeves are done but I need to get a #5, 13" circular needle before I can do the neck. So close to finishing! Again, there are mistakes, but it will be ok. I used the recommended yarn (Plymouth Wildflower DK cotton) but changed the colors a little. I really like the pink I chose, it has a strand of orange, a strand of red and a strand of purple along with a few strands of pink in it which gives it a really nice depth of color. I also changed the starfish/contrast color from yellow to orange.

Once I realized I was going to have to wait until my next trip to a (better than the one in Seaside) yarn store to get the needle I need to finish the Starfish sweater (after trying to knit the neck on a 16" circ and finding out just what a bad idea THAT was), I decided to start another sweater. This is one Brittany asked me to make for her birthday which is coming up in October:

{photos to come later, I've been trying all day to get Blogger to let me add more pics and it just won't. Blogger's way of welcoming me back, I guess!}

She chose the yarn, which is Plymouth Encore (100% wool) worsted in a spiced pumpkin color. As you can see, I've barely begun the sweater. It's the first time I've done cables, and that along with the the enjoyable yarn is making it a lot of fun to work on. I got the yarn at the local yarn store here in Seaside, after over an hour of shopping, debating, and deciding. This store does have a fairly decent selection of yarn, for a small-ish store, but oy. They are just NOT very friendly there, and utterly unhelpful. They had never even heard of the book Mason-Dixon Knitting (if you're not a knitter, you probably haven't heard of it either, but if you are, then you know it, it's hugely popular). They are just basically ICK and I hate to give them my money, but the only other yarn shop in the area is in Astoria and while they also have a decent selection, with TONS of patterns and very friendly and helpful staff, I don't get to Astoria very often.

The Yarn Garden in Portland, I have to say, is an absolute delight. If I lived closer I'd have a hard time not going there every day, seriously. What an awesome store! If you get a chance to go there, it's well worth your time. I'm hoping to make another trip to P'land in the next couple of weeks and I'm definitely going to try to set aside a couple of hours for Yarn Garden. Last time I even took my hubby along, they have a coffee shop attached to the store so he sat in there and read magazines while I shopped and drooled and basically wandered around the store in utter awe.

2006-08-31T15:02:00.000-07:00

ok people, I'm here! I'm sorry it's been so long, and I wish I had more time to write right now. Please hang in there with me, I'm looking forward to a time (soon!) when things will calm down and I'll have more time for blogging. I miss writing, miss reading blogs, and miss feeling the connection I have as a member of the blogging community.

For now I'll just give the briefest of brief updates. We are all doing well as we head into labor day weekend and look forward to school starting on Tuesday. We have been to the schools and met the kids' teachers, gotten the supply lists checked off, and are enjoying summer's last hurrah before the months of schedules, homework and after-school activities takes over.

We still haven't found a permanent place to stay, so for Sept. we have once again rented a small trailer by the sea. It has it's pros and cons, but nothing can really beat falling asleep to the sound of the surf.

We've been spending lots of time with family, and taken a couple of trips to Portland which is a great city. I'm starting to find my way around the city better, and on our last trip I hit a couple of yarn shops and a ginormous Goodwill. I also made a stop at the local scrapbook store north of Seaside in Warrenton, and I can't wait to get back to scrapbooking as it is a huge store with lots of great products. There is a small scrapbook selection at the local yarn shop here in Seaside, but just a very small one. The yarn there is a pretty wide selection, but the person working there who may or may not have been the owner was far less than helpful on my last trip there, which is a bummer. I'm all about good customer service, especially when I'm the customer, lol!

The big news in the u2 world at the moment is Bono's announcement that yes they ARE working on an album to be released in 2007! Which means probably a tour in '08. This is great news! In the meantime, I'm still pining away for Honolulu in December, but realistically I know that's not in the cards for me. Still, a girl's gotta dream. Pearl Jam, U2, Hawaii, December, it doesn't get much better than that, does it?

stay tuned...

2006-08-10T14:01:00.000-07:00

I'm still here and will be posting regularly again soon, I promise. Just not feeling a lot like blogging at the moment, so I'm taking a wee break. I'll be back soon with good news from u2, beach adventures, ocean wildlife, near death experiences and much more!

has it really been that long?

2006-08-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

I had great intentions of staying caught up on blog, thinking that my laptop combined with relatively easy-to-find wifi would make it possible. Ha!

It was a problem with the drivers on my wireless card, then a problem with the power inverter that allowed me to charge the laptop using the cigarette lighter in the car. Once that was sorted out, it was a case of not being within wifi range, or not having the laptop with me, or conditions being too wet and/or sandy for safe computer use.

Anyway, I finally have most of those issues sorted out, at least long enough for a brief, long overdue blog update!

After spending a few days camping out at the coast, we headed inland and spent 2 nights with Larry's aunt in Oregon's Willamette Valley. It was so nice to sleep in a real bed again, and I got all our laundry done, although it took me 2 full days to do it all! We had a great time with Aunt Shirley, and Larry's cousins and their families. I can't wait to get out there and visit them all again sometime soon.

On Saturday we got the call for Larry to start his new job the next day, so we high-tailed it to Portland to pick up our 2nd car (and my mother) and headed back to the coast.

My mom camped out with us for 2 nights and we had a lot of fun taking the kids to the beach, checking out some of the northern coastal towns, and laughing at the absurdity of the conditions at the campground we were staying at.

On Wed. I drove my mom back to Portland, which is a nice 2 hour drive from here. Early the next morning, after one last cold and uncomfortable night in the tent, we moved into a small camper/trailer that we are renting until we can find some housing in the town where Larry works. Right now rentals are hard to find, but in a few weeks the summer tourist season will be petering out and we should have our pick of houses to rent.

In the meantime, the 6 of us plus the dog are living in very cramped quarters. It's amazing how your frame of reference can change, though, after a week of camping out along the road. This place with 4 sturdy walls and creature comforts like electricity, a kitchen and bathroom, actual furniture to sit and lay on, seems like luxury comparatively.

Larry is finishing up his first week of work at an oceanfront resort/restaurant. He likes the work, and the company has lots of room for advancement plus nice benefits.

In the meantime, I haven't started looking for work yet as I'm not comfortable leaving the kids here alone with Britt in charge. School starts soon, so I will probably wait until then to look for work.

So for now it's lots of hours at the beach, it still seems like a dream that the ocean is just a couple of blocks away and we can go there as often as we want. Free! I can't even put into words how time spent at the sea soothes and heals me. I feel at peace there. I feel at home.

pictures to follow, pending blogger's cooperation!

last night...

2006-07-26T11:12:00.000-07:00

we're on the coast still, at a lovely campsite where we can listen to the surf as we fall asleep in the tent. I don't want it to end, but after tonight we'll be headed inland and I'll update more then.

we're here!

2006-07-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

Just a very brief post to say we made it to Portland late on Friday night and have spent today with my mom and brother and enjoying (??) being in the city. Too bad it's one of the hottest days of the year!

My mom and Britt and I went downtown today and saw Powell's (huge HUGE bookstore!) and I made a quick trip to knit/purl, a gorgeous Portland yarn shop. I'm proud of myself for not buying anything, but I did drool over a lot of beautiful yarn there. The ribbonrie/button emporium was closed, I can't wait to get there again some time.
Yesterday driving through the comparative barren wasteland that is Eastern WA in 100+ degree weather was a trial of endurance, but we all made it and no car trouble at all.

Monday we are headed to the coast and I'm so much looking forward to that.

I'm tired and overwhelmed so don't have a lot more to say right now, but we did make it and all is well. I'll update again as soon as I can, I have lots of great pics but my camera battery needs to be charged.

goodbye Montana

2006-07-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

wow, I guess a lot of you have been checking in on me, judging by the sudden jump in page views on my site meter. Here it is, the middle of our last day in Great Falls. We'll sleep on the road tonight (not literally, duh) and be at my mom's tomorrow. My brother has agreed to take care of Coco for us, which is a huge HUGE relief. He also lives in Portland, as does my mom, so we will be able to drop Coco off with him.

We'll be spending the weekend in Portland and then heading to the coast with my brother and sister in law (and 3 dogs) on Monday.

Just a few last minute things to take care of, things I meant to do earlier in the week and forgot, and we should be on the road in a few hours. Exciting!!!!

Sorry I don't have photos to share, I hate that I haven't posted any photos for so long but alas grabbing the camera hasn't been on the top of my list of things to do lately. I am going to make an effort to take lots of pics on the trip, though.

I also will be posting my exclusive, extra-special, hand picked my ME ME ME U2 playlist, what I'm calling my Gypsy Soul mix, of all my favorite versions of all my favorite u2 songs, but I can't do it justice at the moment so look for that in an upcoming post. I tried and TRIED to keep it small enough for 1 cd, but failed. It's as short as I can make it at 1.9 hours.

Looking forward to hitting the road with some awesome traveling music! See you guys on the other side of the MT state line...

on the move...

2006-07-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

I feel so bad for being a neglectful blogger lately. My mind is moving a trillion miles an hour as we get closer and closer to Moving Day, and it's hard to slow down enough to put together a thoughtful or even intelligible blog entry.

Less than 48 hours to go now, and I think things are coming together as well as can be expected considering we're moving 6 people and 2 animals across 3 states in 2 vehicles on a small budget. Anybody in between Great Falls and Seaside, OR want a lovely black cat or devoted dachshund??

I said the first of my goodbyes today, and it wasn't fun. It's going to be hard seeing the kids say goodbye to their friends, and Larry to his, before this is over and we're on the road.

I plan on blogging as much as I can during our trip and as we get set up in Oregon. We're planning to camp on the coast for a few nights at first, I'm so looking forward to that.

Oh, and good news, we packed the van with lots of room to spare so we can all breathe a little easier as we pack our clothes and camping supplies. I was sure we'd have way, WAY too much, but it's not too tight at all actually. Phew!

PS I couldn't let the day go by without announcing, proudly, that today is our 15th wedding anniversary! We got each other neither crystal, crystal, or watches, but we're setting off on yet another Big Adventure together, and that's good enough for me. Plus, later, I'll be able to pick out something I want and then remind him, in a timely manner, about today's lack of gift giving.

now THIS is cool...

2006-07-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my fellow u2-uber fan C at Scatter O'Light for posting this link. It's a phone call Bono made last night to The Mystery Train, a long-time radio show, during it's final airing. It's a funny little call, very typical Bono with lots of ummm-ing and eh-ing, some beautiful imagery ("I'm in France, under an orange mood, and thinking of Enniskillen"), impromptu singing, and a cute story of his youngest son John's birth. Definitely worth a listen, if for nothing else than to hear that particular gravelly Irish voice again.

Bono's phone call, mp3

recipes

2006-07-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

My grandma stored her recipes in a big plastic IGA bag. I found the bag crammed into a cupboard above her stove after her death, one of the few things my aunt's hadn't bothered to take for themselves. When I looked in the bag and saw it was full of recipes, I cried. I felt then, and still feel now, that the bag of recipes was somehow meant for me.

It's been a year since I found that bag, brought it home, and put it in a box in the back corner of my closet. Now that we're getting ready to move, I'm finally forcing myself to face the jumble of recipe cards, magazine pages, and newspaper clippings. It's not the recipes themselves that interest me that much, honestly. I'm not much of a cook, and despite this evidence to the contrary I don't recall my grandma being a wonder in the kitchen, either. Sure, she made great cookies and cakes. But she also regularly served us things like jello on a bed of lettuce, or canned pears with mayo on top.

What I was really looking for when I started sorting through those recipes was her handwriting. And it's there, a lot of it. I love it and I'm so glad to have these samples of her personal, unique scrawly cursive writing. But there's so much more of her in there than that. There, on the back of a magazine clipping, is a strange geometric doodle that immediately brought tears to my eyes. I had forgotten her habit of doodling while she talked on the phone. She'd have cheap spiral notebooks full of doodling by her phone, just something to keep her hands busy, not something she'd ever dream of saving or showing any one else.

Some of the recipes are written out on note paper that says "From the Desk of Peggy Madden" (Ritz Cracker and Date Goodies), and others are on letterhead from the newspaper she worked at for many years. There are a couple on bank deposit slips (Peanut Buttered Popcorn), and one on the back of a layaway receipt from the '70s (Dream Cupcakes). "Andy's Graham Cookies" is written, in green pen, on a page-a-day calendar page from Thursday, Dec 13, 1979. In the upper left corner that recipe holds some more of her doodling (this time, a bunch of "M"s stacked and sprouting off of each other. There's even a recipe for Oven Stew on the back of a to-do list that says "Dumb Things Peggy Must Do"!

There are newspaper clippings from the '60s-'90s, and even one from November 1959.

A lot of the handwritten recipes include little notations about who she got it from, like "Judy's Tuna Souffle" or "TV Scramble from Sue", and some are in someone else's handwriting altogether. I found several in what I recognize as my mom's handwriting, and even one (Jello Pretzel Salad) in my own writing!

There's a wide variety in the recipes themselves, too. Some things I'm sure she never made (Crab Wreath?), and a few that I specifically remember her making. It totally cracks me up, though, that there are no less than 23 different brownie recipes! The girl did love her some chocolate.

Another crack up came when I found a newspaper clipping from the local paper from Thurs, March 30, 1978. The recipe is for Watergate Cake (basically a white cake mix with instant pistachio pudding and a can of 7up added to it), followed by the requisite "Watergate Cover Up Frosting" (mix 3 envelopes Dream Whip with 1 cup milk).

Some of the recipes have no name at all, just a list of ingredients followed by baking instructions. Others are so splattered with oil, batter or drips of chocolate that parts are illegible, and there are a few where her handwriting is so bad it can't be read anyway.

I did throw away a lot of the old newspaper and magazine clippings, but I kept a lot of them too. Of course I kept everything with her handwriting, and some of the recipes are just too bizarre to be discarded. I knew it'd be hard to go through this bag of papers, and it was, but it was also fun and funny and gave me a real glimpse, maybe one last glimpse, of my grandma's day-to-day life. What a gift.

what I've been doing....

2006-07-11T15:31:00.000-07:00

Besides continually adding to this:

I'm finally getting a chance to look at my photos from the 4th, where we did this:

And later on went to the riverbank park and saw this:

In my spare moments, and lots of moments when I should've been doing other things, I've been knitting these:

I'm on a total dishcloth knitting kick right now, inspired by the book Mason Dixon Knitting and the Mason Dixon Knitalong blog. I've done several more than the 3 in the photo, as I finish them I've been throwing them in whatever half-packed box was handy. It'll be a nice surprise, when we're settled and unpacking, to find those pretty new dishcloths. And every new home needs some new dishcloths, right?

I also behaved very badly and was unable to resist this at the yarn store yesterday:

It is just too pretty and soft. I had to bring it home. I got 3 skeins of it, enough to do a good sized shawl/cape/wrap/whatever. I'm still deciding on a pattern but hope to get it started soon, it will make a good traveling project I think.

Things you learn while packing....

2006-07-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

1) the tangible extent of my 25+ years of U2 fandom fit in one smallish box and one poster tube. Looking at it packed up that way it just seems so small and....unimportant. If you thought that, you'd be wrong, though. So wrong. In the midst of the chaos that is my day-to-day life right now, that box and it's contents give me pleasure and a moment of peace. I can't even tell you how soothing it was to me to spend 5 minutes today putting their cds in order, chronologically, of course. To check that all the cds and dvds were in the cases, and check them all for major scratches or dirt. To smooth the magazine covers and carefully cross-check my itunes to make sure I have all the important stuff both digitally and on disc. I even dug through my memorablia box and looked at my autographed ticket stub for the first time in a year or more. It's still there, and it's still autographed, lol! Made me smile. And that means a lot.
I'm also in the process of making a dream mix playlist, all my favorite versions of all my favorite u2 songs. It's gonna rock. When I get it done I'll copy it to my ipod and a cd and that will further soothe my frazzled brain. It's the little things, right?

2) I have way, way, WAY too much craft stuff. Way. Too. Much. And I have been getting rid of a lot of it, I really have! But still. Way too much. At this rate our van will be completely full of craft stuff and family photos when we leave town, all the rest of our worldly possessions relegated to the (small) trunk of the car. Not that there's anything wrong with that....
The thing is, I'm not like a big old craft maven or anything. Sure, I've tried a lot of crafts over the years, but I'm not a huge hoarder or a Martha Stewart wanna be. I've done a lot of sewing, but had to purge my fabric stash when we moved to Alaska and haven't ever really built it up again. I have a little fabric now, 2 bags of polyfill, and one lonely Singer sewing machine (my surger finally died after a long and fruitful life). Likewise, I don't have a huge yarn stash. Knitting needles and crochet hooks just don't take up THAT much space, and what yarn I have fills one suitcase, that's it.
I guess I have to admit it's all that scrapbooking stuff. It really has a way of just growing and growing and growing...so much cardstock, so many different patterned papers. So many, many different adhesives, trimmers, scissors, pens, pencils, gadgets of all kinds. Drills and punches and punch-cleaner-outers. Stamps, mounted and unmounted. Rubber and acrylic. Mounted on foam, mounted on wood, mounted on plastic. Ink pads, ink bottles, ink cleaning solution. Pots of paint, pigment and mysterious crystals. Bottles of dyes, stains, cleaners and "refresher". God, it's so much, and but I hate to get rid of it all.

Add to that my quickly growing stash of vintage buttons and trims, and....well, it's too much. Way. Too. Much.

I have a feeling that I'm going to be out on the sidewalk the night before we leave, frantically trying to consolidate everything into as few boxes as possible in the hopes of somehow making it all fit.

Either that or I'll do like the pioneer women did, leaving a slew of cast off possessions along the Oregon Trail, things that seem so important now but somehow along the way turn into ballast that must be dropped.

firecrackers and ice cream...

2006-07-04T07:39:00.000-07:00

It's been at least half of forever since I posted. Don't worry, I'm still here! Just very, very busy packing, sorting, cleaning....the usual. We're having a yard sale this weekend, it's a lot of work but hopefully it'll be worth it and make a decent contribution to our Moving Fund.

A couple more weeks and we'll be headed west, we're going to keep going until our feet get wet, then stop. I can't wait to see the ocean again, and for the kids to see it for the first time! Britt was with us the last time we went to the Oregon coast, but she wasn't quite 2 years old and doesn't remember it at all. It's going to be SO great being there again. Hopefully we'll find a place to settle not too far from the coast, so we can go there lots. The idea of actually living on the coast and taking daily walks at the beach is something I fantasize about a lot these days!

Also, I can't believe I can actually say this, I finished my clapotis! Holy freaking cow, that thing goes on forever. I almost lost hope of ever finishing, but kept plugging away and it's done now. And thank god, because everyone needs a thick wool stole for the 4th of July, don't they? {rolling eyes} I haven't taken pics yet, but will do that soon as I'm sure to have the camera out today.

I'm taking a little break between bigger projects and knitting some dishcloths. I have lots of cotton yarn that I can use up, and they are easy and small enough to tote around with me and pick up during little breaks in the activity around here.

We're heading the 4th of July parade a little bit later, and then of course tonight we'll be watching the big fireworks display. My camera has a cool and nifty little "fireworks" setting that I can't wait to use again. Maybe this year I'll remember my tripod!

Happy birthday, America.

2006-06-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

I found it! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Phew. It was on my desk the whole time, buried under several layers of paper, photos, cardstock, scissors, pens, rulers, junk mail, a paper trimmer, a clipboard and I don't know what else. And yes, I did scream for joy when I found it, lol!

In slightly less euphoric news, I also quit my job today. As in, my new job, that I just started on Sunday. Which was of course my new OLD job, that I had last summer and then quit last fall when I couldn't bear the soul-sucking anymore. I guess my tolerance for soul sucking hasn't increased, and with all that's going on here regarding our move my tolerance for bullshit in general has reached an all-time low. So when I went outside to move my car, after being told to move it in a rude and humiliating manner, I got in and just kept driving, right past the parking lot where I was supposed to be, and all the way home. That was a couple of hours ago, I wonder if they are still waiting for me to come back in from outside?
This isn't going to look good on my resume, is it?

tragedy!

2006-06-28T19:12:00.001-07:00

There are so, so many things I could write about. Like:
~waitressing, why I love it and hate it
~moving, why my house is a sea of boxes with no destination
~kids, why they need a mother
~pets, why they are prone to heat stroke
~weather, why the extreme heat we're having is dangerous to pets, see above
~knitting, why I've been working on it for approximately 1393 hours and I'm only halfway done with clapotis
~crocheting, why babette the wool blanket is languishing away in a tote bag, most of her still in the form of unworked skeins of yarn
~scrapbooking, why I don't remember what that is
~Bono, why he's in St. Tropez and not a recording studio somewhere

But, no. I can't write about any of that because of the tragedy that has been unfolding in my house since approx. last Fri/Sat or possibly Sunday. My ipod is missing. It pains me more than you know to write that. One thing I really really hate is losing things. One thing I really really love is my ipod. Therefore, losing my ipod is almost too much for me to bear. I neeeeed it. I neeeed to have it. I want it. I've offered any of my children a hefty reward for it's safe return. I've looked everywhere. My life is officially on hold until I find it.

PS It's a shuffle (don't laugh) in a pink silicone case, earbuds attached but without the black foamy covers. Let me know if you see it, will you?

tragedy

2006-06-28T19:12:00.000-07:00

Monday, already!

2006-06-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

My first day back at work yesterday went well, if you discount the fact that I spent the day working with 2 hormone addled teenagers who passed the time by flirting in a particularly violent fashion. Picture much pinching and hitting, games of bloody knuckles and mercy, snapping each other with wet washrags, food fights....you get the picture.

Today, I'm so relieved to say, I will be working in the restaurant with my own husband and my pal Julie, so it is shaping up to be a much, much better day.

My mom is moving to Portland, OR as I type this, she is on the train and headed to her new job which she starts later this week. Since that is where she is ending up, and my brother and sister in law already live there, and my baby sis is planning a move there herself when she finishes graphic design school in a year, it's looking like that's where we're going too.

Lots of job prospects in Portland, and we have a few interviews for Larry already lined up for when we get there. It IS a big city, especially by Montana standards, so that will be a change, but I'm so excited and just can't wait to get there.

In the meantime, my immediate future holds lots of working and hoarding of money, packing and purging, purging, purging. Anyone want a pet rabbit and/or guinea pig??

finally!

2006-06-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

This is great news, something the u2 fan community has been speculating about and hoping for for years, and it's finally a reality! Check it out:

(06-23-2006) ZOO TV On DVD - U2.com*
ZOO TV On DVDEd. Note -- Wowwie Zoowwwie!!!‘Zoo TV Live From Sydney’ is set for DVD release in September. As well as the legendary live show, now digitally remastered, the new release comes with a bonus DVD of live tracks, mini-documentaries and the inimitable ‘Video Confessional’. Details here and here.

September is going to be a great month for u2 fans with the release (finally) of the U2 by U2 book and now the Zoo TV DVD release.

2006-06-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for all the kind comments and emails you sent! It feels good to know you all are pulling for me. :)

This is going to be a big adventure, and I'm excited about it! I took a temporary part-time job today so we can save money faster and leave that much sooner. It's going to be hard getting ready to move while working, but Brittany is such a help to me and I know we can do it. I'll be working at my former job, the same restaurant where my hubby cooks, as a waitress/barista/bartender. Picture sleepy airport restaurant and gift/coffee shop. It's easy work, but boring. That's the main reason I quit...boooooring. But I don't mind doing it again, for awhile, just to save money. And I can always knit or crochet during the really boring bits, right?

I had planned on having a garage sale next Saturday, but now I don't know if I'll be working but hopefully we can still have the sale. In the meantime, lots and lots of sorting, purging, tossing, and boxing up will be going on.

I'm ready for this

2006-06-22T20:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is going to be a long one. I'm going to indulge myself by starting the story from the beginning, or as close to the beginning as seems practical.

9 years ago we moved from our hometown to Anchorage, Alaska. We had met, married and had our first 3 children in that town, and our families still lived there. Leaving for AK was huge, a really big deal for me in particular as I had never lived outside that safe, hometown environment as an adult. It didn't work out so great, mostly it was my fault but I was young and isolated and deeply, deeply depressed so I try not to blame myself too much.

I'll skip alot of the detail here, but 2 years after we left for Alaska we had moved here, to Great Falls, and bought our first house thanks in most part to the money we got from the State of AK for the year we lived there. My grandma lived here, my mom, sister and brother all still in our hometown 3 hours away, and Larry's parents were there too.

Again, skipping a lot of detail, after living in the house for 3 years we found out it had a horrible, horrible toxic mold problem and fixing it would cost much, much more than the house was worth. Our children were sick, our son was in the hospital with asthma and pneuomonia. Lilly had a runny nose for the entire first year of her life, every single day. I was breaking out in hives all over my arms and legs. Our older son had a constant runny nose as well. Our older daughter had a sore throat for 2 years. 2 years straight,

We had to walk away, we lost everything we had put into the house, all the money and the dreams and the pride of finally owning our own place. The house is gone now, I try not to drive by it but I sometimes do and there's just an empty lot there now.

So now, 7 years after moving to Great Falls, we are alone here. Grandma is gone, my mom and brother are living in Oregon, my sister is in Washington. Larry's parents are in Nevada. We have no family left in the entire state of Montana. We have no house, no property. We're renting and barely scraping by and wondering what happened to the american dream. I'm still dreaming and wondering what I want to be when I grow up, and at the same time I'm starting to fear that at 34 I'm getting too old to start over again.

I haven't been working since last fall, after being an at-home mom for the first 10 years we were together I had been working a variety of part- and full-time jobs the last few years. But since last fall, since Grandma died and another school year started and I entered this period of deep soul-searching, I've been at home. It hasn't been easy, financially, but it felt important, and now I know why.

It was so I could have time to rest, reflect and figure out what is really important to me. It was my chance to take a deep breath before the deluge. It was the calm before the storm.

We found out today that the house we're renting has been sold, and we have to move again. We knew this was coming, or at least we suspected it. Even in the last 2 weeks, since the big storm that knocked down most of a tree in the backyard, our landlord's attitude has been...strange. The damage to the cables still isn't fixed, and our phone is totally out now. Turns out he is avoiding paying for the repairs and getting an arborist in to take care of the trees. We have to move. Now.

So. Deep breath. We're hitting the road. We're going to Oregon. We'll be gone in a couple of weeks. I'm happy, and I'm sad. I'm scared, and I'm excited. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm afraid of all the unknowns. Afraid of the big wide world. Afraid something bad will happen and I'll someday look back and wish we'd have stayed here. But in my heart, I know this is the right thing. I want more out of life than I'm getting in Great Falls, I want to know new people and see new things and have my mind stretched in ways that this sleepy Montana town can't.

Backtack3

2006-06-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

Since it *finally* arrived at it's destination (sorry it took so long, Angela!), I can post my contribution to BackTack3. I used this pattern from Allsorts, and made him out of a thrifted wool sweater that I felted. It made a very thick felt, since it was a thick sweater/jacket in the first place, and I think it ended up being perfect for a scotty dog. I hand sewed it, which is of course the beauty part of working with felt.

frogging

2006-06-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

I just frogged my clapotis. Sigh. I was almost done with the increase rows. It just wasn't going to fit on the needles I was using, they are way WAY too short and I don't have a longer pair that size. I tried to avoid frogging it, first I was going to buy a longer set of needles but I really can't afford that, so then I was going to set it aside until I could get a new set of needles, but I really wanted to keep working on it, so finally I just said fuck it and pulled it all out. Sigh.
I had also made at least a couple of mistakes most notably most of a row that was purled when it should have been knit. Ooops.
So I guess it's a good thing to start over, and with a nice loooong pair of size 6 instead of my nice but short bamboo 8s. I really don't like knitting with metal, but it's better than buying a new pair and they are pink so they match my yarn. :)

I really need to work on Lil's blanket, but dang, that clap is pretty addictive!

2006-06-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

It's been kind of a crazy rollercoaster of a weekend here. Father's day was fine, except my dh had to work so didn't get to spend the day w/the kids, and then our phone is out (still!) so he couldn't call and talk to his own dad, either. Unspoken but very much on our minds was the idea that this is likely to be his dad's last Father's Day. He is feeling better since stopping chemo, but the cancer is spreading so it's a double-edged sword for sure.

And then my mom got word that one of her lifelong friends died suddenly of a brain aneurysm. So that was really sad and of course my phone is out (still!) so I couldn't talk to my mom but only offer support via email, which is lacking emotion and warmth, to say the least.

But then! Mom emailed this morning to say she got a job she had traveled to Portland to interview for last week, and she starts at the end of this month! This was her third trip to Portland for job interviews and job hunting, so it's great that she finally found one that is a good fit for her. I can't believe she'll be in Portland in just a few short weeks, it has been something her and I have talked about for hours on end over the last year or so.

It's a great move for her, and also helps open the door that little bit more for us to maybe move there too. Although I'm not a big city kind of gal, I desperately want to move closer to family and out of the depressed economy of Montana. So Oregon is my goal, ideally near but not in Portland. And having both my mom and my brother living there makes it that much easier for us to get our foot in the door. It is *always* easier to move to a new place when you have family or friends already there, rather than just showing up in a new town knowing no one!

So my mom's good news is also a step towards my dream, too, and that makes it even better news. Also, it seems that my grandma's estate is having a final hearing next week and then it will be closed and things can be distributed. Meaning a tidy little trust fund for me to seek secondary education, and I have a couple things in mind. One being using the trust to fund our move to be closer to the school I want to attend, the other being using it for a short course of study abroad. Lots of possiblities!

In the midst of that, I'm alternating knitting which hurts my right wrist and crocheting which hurts my left. If I alternate days then it gives each wrist a little chance to rest up on it's "days off". I never knew I had such bad wrists! But both Babette and Clapotis (clap-o-TEE) are coming along nicely.

2006-06-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

One of my newest scrapbook pages. I'm forcing myself to use some of my lower-quality photos, of which there are hundreds and hundreds, and it is actually really freeing in a way. Starting with sub-par (blurry, poorly composed, whatever) photos kind of takes the pressure off the rest of the layout. I already know it's not going to be perfect, so I can just have fun with it and not try to strive for the Perfect Page. That's Lilly, by the way, and lots and lots of handcut paper. Really fun!

And now here is my crochet WIP, Lilly's Babette blanket. I couldn't keep from starting to assemble it, even though I'm nowhere near done with all the squares. The pattern (spring '06 Interweave Crochet magazine) has a diagram for the specific way to layout all the different-sized squares, so when I had a enough squares done to complete a few of the diagram's sections, I did it. I have taken a break from working on Babette for the last day or 2, partly because my wrists and elbows are really sore after a day of a lot of crocheting, and also I was running really low on yarn. Last night I was able to stock up (I'm using worsted weight merino wool) and got some new colors to add to the mix: more of the pink, golden yellow, taupe, red, and some aran that I'm going to dye with mango koolaid and hopefully get a nice mango-y color from it. I hope 2 packets of koolaid is enough??
And finally, I was able to get my hands on 6 skeins of this 100% wool yarn for 2.10 a skein! Way too good a deal to pass up. I think I will make the ubiquitous Clapotis, not sure how this yarn will work with that pattern but I want to join the ranks of every other knitting blogger and have a Clap of my own, so I think I will give this a try.

Blue Thursday

2006-06-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, first of all, I know I missed black/gray yesterday, but I just wasn't inspired by anything and even now I still can't find anything in that category that I feel like posting, so that's that I guess!

Blue, on the other hand, blue is all around and inspires me in almost countless ways. The skies, the sea, my babies eyes (and mine too, for that matter). My birthstone is blue (aquamarine, to be exact) both of my most favorite pairs of pajama pants are, too.

Here's another example of some beautiful blue:

2006-06-14T16:09:00.000-07:00

My first entry on the Larger Families blog is up, check it out:
almost perfect

That reminds me that I really need to get the LF button added to my sidebar. I hope you guys have been over there to check it out, those ladies are awesome writers and I really look forward to reading the new entries every day!

brown tuesday....

2006-06-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

day 2 of color week...little brown Coco, with her cinnamon-y coat and chocolate-y eyes, she's the first brown thing that came to mind.

white monday

2006-06-12T13:38:00.000-07:00

(One of my favorite things, a milk glass drinking glass I inheirited from my grandma. When we'd go stay with her or visit I would always want to drink out of this glass, it feels so nice in the hand with it's hefty weight and lovely bumpy feel. This sort of plain looking glass holds a very special spot in my china cabinet, I wish I had the nerve to use it "everyday" like she did but I'm too afraid of it getting broken.)

Stephanie of Little Birds and Mav of Port2Port are doing color week once again, and this time I'm joining in! At least, today I am, the rest of the week will just have be taken day by day. So today is white, and since I never have been much good at following directions I'm posting more than one photo. Welcome to white!

Now, I wouldn't say that washing dishes is one of my favorite things, but it is one of my favorite chores. I love the feel of hot, hot water on my hands, and the process of turning a jumble of dirty, messy dishes into neat rows and stacks in the cupboards. I tend to use too much dish soap as I love a thick fluffy layer of bubbles, it reminds me of snow and how a blanket of snow can make even an ugly patch of dirt look pretty and sparkly and magical.

And finally, a rather poorly lit and poorly composed photo of some of my favorite white buttons in my vintage button stash.

2006-06-11T15:41:00.000-07:00

You'll never guess what I just did! Backed up my hard drive. Pretty exciting, huh? Why don't you run and back yours up right now, I'll wait right here while you do it. Trust me, if you have a crash you'll be glad you did it!
I'm inordinately thrilled with myself for completing that little 6 minute task, mainly because I've had it on my to-do list all week and I can finally finally mark it off.

The other big (BIG) thing that's been on my list all week is cleaning my bedroom. I mean really, deep, way-back-in-the-corners kind of clean. Something I haven't done in way too long, and of course being not only a bedroom but also home office, crafting area, tv/movie viewing area, reading area and the main storage area of the entire house, there is all manner of things crammed into the nooks and crannies of this room. Scary.
But, I'm almost done, just one last little area to tackle and then it'll be done. Just think, 2 things marked off my to-do list on one day, and a Sunday at that!

Larry took the kids out for their weekly hike/jaunt through the wilderness, which is why I've been able to focus my energies on cleaning my room without a million interruptions. I've been viewing my u2 dvds while working, too, which is something I don't do often enough! It's amazing that parts of the Slane dvd still give me chills, after what must be 20 or 30 viewings. So of course, being in a u2 state of mind, I took a little jaunt of my own over to Pleba to pick up some new Bono pics and looking for a new desktop background in particular. Gotta love Pleba when you have a hankering for some pics of the boys! Here's a sampling of what I saw today, starting out with some baby u2 just to set the mood:
Then this awesome Joshua Tree era pic of Bono:

And since blogger evidently doesn't want me to post any further pictures right now, you'll have to head to Pleba yourself and find the Anton Corbijn pic of the band from last years official calendar. Thanks blogger!

2006-06-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

Aaaand, we're down again. Still having some connectivity issues at my house, I'm crossing my fingers that we'll have it all worked out on Monday when a crew from the cable co. will be here yet again. In the meantime, we're lucky that our digital phone line isn't down like the tv and internet are, and I'm still able to get online occassionally via my neighbor's wifi. Thanks for bearing with me through this, I really hope everything will be back to normal after the first of the week!

Kids stuff
Tuesday we're taking Lilly in to have another set of ear tubes inserted, and her adenoids removed. It's not a big deal at all, and something we've been through 4 times before, but I'm still not looking forward to it and just can't wait until it's over and she's out of the anesthesia. I won't find out until Monday what time she's scheduled to go in, and I really hope she gets in first thing in the morning because it's going to be so hard to keep her from eating or drinking anything beforehand!

This week we signed Barrett up for summer camp, it'll be his first time and he's really looking forward to it. I know he'll have fun, for the most part, but I keep thinking about how homesick he got when he went to Nevada with Larry, and I worry about him missing us and being sad. I do think it'll be fun for him, though, so we'll just have to hope for the best. I had a lot of fun at summer camp when I was a kid, and always thought it was something my kids would do, too, but so far Brittany and Tucker haven't ever wanted to go, so this is our first time as well. I'm going to send him lots of care packages while he's there, I remember my best friend growing up always got big packages from her mom while we were at camp, and I never did, and I felt so jealous of her. I want to be the mom that sends awesome care packages that the other kids are jealous of, lol!!

We also registered the 3 younger kids for the summer reading program at the public library, they are earning tokens based on number of pages read and so there is a lot of reading going on which is great. Lilly of course can't read, but anything read to her counts, so Barrett's been reading to her a lot which gives them both points. There are also lots of fun activities at the library planned to go along with the reading program, including a book club for the boys' ages, so it's nice.

Crafting
My main crafting this week has been continuing to work on Lilly's crocheted blanket. I actually took a break from it yesterday, but up until then I'd been spending at least a couple hours a day on it. I think I have about a third of the squares done, I haven't counted lately. I do know I'm getting a little low on wool and need to get some more, different colors. So far I have 5 colors going, and I really love how it's turning out.

I've also been recycling a little yarn, I was so bummed yesterday when I finally tore into this gorgeous teal 100% wool sweater from Ireland only to find that they had surged and trimmed every seam in the construction of the sweater, thereby cutting each and every piece of yarn and leaving me with a pieces a couple of feet or a yard long at most. Doh! So bummed, it is such gorgeous wool and I'm still going to work on unraveling it and splicing each strand of yarn together, but I'm not sure how it will work in an actual project, having all those little splices along the length of the yarn.

As of yesterday I am totallly, 100% caught up with all my assignments/projects in the scrapbooking world, and am looking forward to doing a little scrapping just for me before I get my July assignments.

U2
Just a couple things going on in the u2 world....it seems that an announcement of the rescheduled dates for the close of the tour may be getting close. U2.com had a brief statement posted yesterday thanking fans for their patience and said that an announcement is forthcoming. I hope that means things are going well for the sick family member.
Fans reported seeing all 4 band members in Eze, France last week, where Edge and Bono have neighboring homes. That seems to confirm what Bono said about getting together with the band this month and beginning work on their next album. Great news!!

Also, publication of the book U2 by U2, which fans have been waiting over a year for, is finally going to happen and a release date of Sept. 26 was announced by the publisher. I can NOT wait to get my hands on this book, finally!!!

2006-06-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

Finally, blogger is back online and letting me post! After losing my internet connection for the first half of the week due to some wind damage, one of the first things I wanted to do once we got it sorted out was update my blog. Of course it figures that blogger would be down most of the day.

So, yeah, we had this freakish wind storm on Sunday night and it knocked down some branches, most of a tree actually, in the backyard (right onto the new swingset, of course!), taking out our cable on the way down. I think we're back up now, although there are some other branches higher up that are sort of dangling now, so if we get another big storm....who knows.

So much going on here right now, I'll have to update in stages! First let me put in a plug for an awesome new site and group blog that I'm thrilled to be a part of. Larger Families (largerfamilies.com or largerfamilies.blogspot.com) is, in the words of founder Meagan Francis, for "anyone with three or more kids, who's thinking about having three or more kids, or who's curious about what it's like to have a larger family in today's smaller-family-centered society". Talk about an awesome group of women! In this group, I have one of the smallest families, which in itself is refreshing, lol! I encourage you all to go check out the blog, and take a look at all the contributors personal blogs through their profiles on the "meet the bloggers" page. Much more on this later, for now I just want to tell you all to go, take a look around, let me know what what you think. No matter how many kids you have!

On a more personal note, I was thrilled to get a lovely package from London (yeah, that London!) yesterday. My BackTack3 package has arrived, and inside was the cutest, fluffiest little while bunny rabbit. I adore her! She's been named Londonbunny, for now. Let me also just say that there has been MUCH debate as to not only her name, but where she should reside. If only she reproduced like real bunnies do, then maybe there'd be enough of her to go around, lol! Instead, she's mine, all mine, and keeping a watchful eye on my creative space.
Not only that, but my wonderful pal Helen included some cunniningly cute Japanese paper goods. Japanese+anything=cute in my book! The hardest part is going to be convincing myself to actually USE the stuff, and remembering where I've hidden it, because rest assured, if I didn't hide it it would disappear before the day was out.
Not surprisingly, blogger is not letting me upload a photo right now, but you can find one in my flickr account here.
Thank you, thank you, thank you a million times, Helen!!!

2006-06-04T19:41:00.000-07:00

Here's something fun I've been doing the past week or so. First I went to Goodwill and got this:

It was 3.99, marked half-price, so I paid 1.98 for it. It's 100% wool and from Italy. I unraveled it, starting by taking out the side seams and then removing the sleeves and unravled each sleeve, the neck, the back and front separately. I wound it around the legs of a little table I inheirited from my Grandma, then washed each big loop of yarn, hung it up to dry and then wound each one up into a neat skein like this:

Then, through the wonders of the internet and Craftster, I learned how to dye the wool using Kool-Aid. It was so much fun! And so easy. Ridiculously easy. I just soaked the yarn in some warm water, while that was soaking I mixed up 2 packages of Cherry Watermelon Kool Aid with some water and some vinegar, and heated it up on the stove. When it was almost boiling I turned off the burner, popped the wool into the hot Kool Aid and within a few seconds it had magically absorbed the color of the Kool Aid. I put white wool into a pot of bright red Kool Aid and 20 seconds later I had pink wool in a pot of clear water. It's alchemy, I'm convinced of it! So then I cooled it off, rinsed and re-washed the wool, hung it up to dry again, and got this:

That was so much fun, I decided to make some more. This time I mixed up some Berry Blue Kool Aid and (separately) some Mango, and dipped half the skein in each color, and got this:

For some reason this time the blue didn't totally soak up into the wool, there was some light blue water left, so I took the baby skein that came from the neck of the sweater, dunked it into the light blue water, and got a nice little light aqua skein. Blogger doesn't want me to post any more photos, though, so I will have to show that one a different time!

I'm also working away on Lilly's Babette blanket, I'm using 100% merino wool for it, but more of a worsted weight rather than the superfine the pattern calls for. I love how that wool feels going through my hands!

I've also been scrapbooking some, doing my June design team projects, and gearing up for summer vacation which officially began yesterday. I think I'm going to be a busy, busy girl for the next few months!

2006-05-31T17:24:00.000-07:00

Well! It seems I took an accidental few days off from blogging. Sometimes the days just get away from me, and while I've thought of lots of things to blog about I'll suddenly realize that I didn't actually write any of them down.

We had a relatively uneventful holiday weekend. Despite our big plans, the weather didn't cooperate and it was cold, rainy and windy all weekend. We stayed home for the most part, which is always fine by me as you know. We did go see Over the Hedge, which the kids loved and was evidently Plan B of many, many local families, judging by the huge crowds and sold out shows.

I've been keeping busy guiltily indulging in my new loves of knitting and crochet. Or more specifically, yarn. Total swoon. There is SO much gorgeous yarn out there! Who knew??

The guilt comes in because I have some pressing scrapbooking deadlines looming, and I've been basically ignoring their call as I sweep past my scrap table with some skein of yarn or other in my hand. Despite my best intentions, June first IS tomorrow, meaning a late night for me. When will I learn not to procrastinate?? You're right, probably never.

I've also been spending a lot (A. LOT.) of time at flickr lately. God, you go to that site and it just sucks you into these long strings and strands and unfolding pathways of photos. Must. Look. Away. Must. Not. Click. Next. Photo......it never works, though, and is an easy way lose an hour or 2 in the blink of an eye.