Bump in the Road

Mom has been having a lot of hip/leg/back pain lately. It had been gettting worse. She figured theyed get it sorted out on her appointment in San Francisco, but didn't think it'd be anything big. Ijust got a text message from her saying that the "pain may be caused by lesion in sacrum. Admit to csuf med today. Not emergency, but timely. Pray that we figure it out. Please." Soooo that was quite the news. I'll be posting updates as I get them on her blog. www.myohmymm.blogspot.com

On Umbrellas...Sort Of.

Soooo it's raining cats and dogs here. Sure it's not Forks, WA but you get the point. Anyway. As a person who works at schools I would like to know WHERE parents get the bright idea to arm their children and send them to school with umbrellas? And WHY do so many of the parents get this bright idea? Children's spacial awareness is already limited, but give them another appendage with sharp points to bump into things (or other people?) When kids go out with umbrellas, they really are armed and dangerous. THEN as soon as kids get to where they're going, the promptly get the water they "protected themselves from" all over themselves anyway trying to get the stinkin things closed. Then they leave it dripping and wet by their desks, and one of the little geniuses decides to open his/hers in the classroom, consequentially setting off a chain reaction as each of his or her friends open their umbrellas too. Then someones umbrella breaks. On the way home, one child accidentally takes another child's umbrella leaving us to deal with the tears of the child whose umbrella is missing, because the only umbrella left has a name on it.

So Puuuhlease people, just buy your children a nice waterproof coat with a hood.

Ps. Today in the post office, this darling little girl walked up to the door with a penguin umbrella. Her mom closed her own umbrella, the little girl did not. The little girl then proceeded to take up valuable space in the crowded post office with her wet umbrella. Then the mother realised the situation and took he girls umbrella saying, "I'm going to close this for you...."
but she ended her statement with the horrible questioning "ok?"
This is a big no no in the interacting with children world...ending with a question mark instead of a "." tells the child this is up for discussion, tears and disagreement will get you the umbrella back. Which the little girl seemed to know. She disagreed and cried and to pacify the girl the mom gave the umbrella back. To be honest I would have preferred standing in a line with a mom I knew stood by her word and was teaching her daughter courtesy even if it meant her daughter cried (Plus, then i wouldn't have gotten so wet.)

Okay, I'm climbing off my soap box. Next time I'll take on rolling back packs.

Girl Goes to Hardware Store

On an early morning trip to the hardware store I had some thoughts. I'm sharing them with you. That is all.

1.) I think the word is out that Lowe's is getting the women's choice award. 99.9% of the shoppers I saw there were women. And all the help stations were "manned" haha get it? The nice thing is I still recognized most of the people at the help stations from when I was working there in 2005. I think they know how to retain employees.

2.) A girl wandering in the hardware store in moccasin slippers, jeans, and a hoodie lined with fuzzyness must scream USELESS! When I asked WHERE the brackets were for the fence I'm building the guy didn't just show me WHERE they were he, found what I needed and then proceeded to count them out for me too. (I offered to count, but he didn't seem to trust my skills.) He also told me to tell the guys building the fence to put the bracket on the posts first...I didn't waste my breath telling him that in fact I was building the fence.

3.) I like going to the hardware store with Luke. When we go together I get the luxury of maintaining high lumber standards (I get to reject the ones I don't like) without having to do all the lifting and moving and lugging. Luke just makes it look effortless, which is why I was quick to reject the 4th guy who thought I looked useless and was offering to help me pick wood. I kicked my self later as I was super awkward. I did manage to get the better wood though.

New Moon-My Very Own Wolf

I am quite the lucky girl in that I was at least able to con Luke into reading the Twilight series. (Well he listened to the audio books, but same difference right?) Because I am so lucky to have him interested, I did not want to discourage from enjoying the saga by going to see the movie before him. (He was driving with his brother Mark down to Grand Junction for Thanksgiving.) Part of my extreme excitement for this movie stems from the fact that I think Luke could fit in rather well with the Wolf Pack. That or the Wolf Pack was channeling him for their characters? While I don't have any pictures of Luke like that, I have this comparison:

It was hard to find a picture of Luke where he WASN'T smiling!He's soooo attractive! Yep, that's right, I get to marry my very own wolf! He's always warm, runs around in shorts when it's freezing out, has the reputation of going shirtless(my old roommates didn't hang out on his floor freshman year for nothing!) Swoon.

Oh yah, the movie was good too. The acting was REALLY cheesy at times...er...most of the time. But I think that's really why I like the book. Its sooo not real, but fun to pretend? The girls behind us who giggled every time Jacob showed up were mildly annoying, but can I blame em? I had my own sitting right next to me.

The movie made me want Stephenie Meyer to write more about what happens with the Volturi.

This movie made me like the guy who plays Edward less...but then I found out that he's Cedric Diggory...so then I was a little more patient and hope he gets better in the next two movies. The next movie is supposed to come out this summer! Cant wait! Luke and I will be married by then so we'll be able to go see it together! Woot!

One In Every Color-Tangle

Luke and I went to tangle, a yarn store on Grand Junction's main street. Upon walking in the door we saw:

Sweaters in Every Color at the door and on the tree, as well as mittens on a garland in every color! This snow man is only one color, but isnt it clever?

and YARN in every color! A bonus? They had Amy Buttler fabric!! Yum! Only sad point is they wont be getting her new line until January.

These awesome delicate looking giant snowflakes were on the wall above the yarn. Sooo cool!

A different Kind of Packing

On Wednesday we went on the best adventure to Horse Mountain Alpacas and visited Leah who showed us around the farm. Having recently become addicted to yarn and knitting, I have leapt at any opportunities to find out more about yarn and where it comes from . Neola met Leah at a farmers market and told me about it just so I could plan to make the trip. Jay, Neola, and Luke came with me.

Leah described the alpaca as being like cats, they're rarely the ones to come to you. Alpaca are, however, a little easier to catch. Leah is quite the expert at catching them!

The alpaca's fleece is soooo dense and much thicker than I had thought. My fingers just sank into the fleece.

Here is Leah letting me pose with this little guy! Isn't he adorable?!

Try 2. He wasn't so willing to listen to me.

Neola was very kind to take pictures while I gawked at the alpaca.

Leah told us that this guy likes to give kisses, and that it's the best way to coax him to come closer. Soooo...I kissed a girl ...and I liked it! Hahaha pop culture reference! Don't worry...you can tell by Luke's mildy disgusted face he's not especially jealous. I didn't get any germs, I inherited a rather large nose, and it turned into more of an Eskimo kiss.

I thought this chica was interested too, but right when I thought I'd wooed her...

She took a turn and went for Luke. I guess she knows a good lookin guy when she sees one.

Here's one of the babies. Sooo cute. OoooEEeeeh! Do you notice the fantabulously furry and lovable alpaca sized dog laying on the ground outside that fence? I'm not sure if that one is Max or Molly. They're companion dogs for the alpaca. (They keep the alpaca company, and break up any fights.) There's a board across the gate he's lying by because the way those dogs get from pen to pen is climbing up through the top gap. He's not supposed to get through that one. I'll believe it when I see it, but I'm still impressed.

Here are some of the nice male alpaca. They're kept in a separate pens. The girls are on the left. The more aggressive males have a nice cozy pen of their own.

Trying to make friends again.

So I guess high levels of testosterone in the males makes their fleece softer. Here Leah is holding him so I can feel the difference in this three year old males fleece.

These are the last two Pygmy goats, Christmas (the smaller dog), and Molly/Max. The Pygmy goats are in the same pen as the more aggressive alpaca. It's true, they can hold their own.

Here is the ornery guy himself and his buddy. The little play structure is for the goats. When they were younger, they climbed, now they sleep underneath.

Then Leah took us into the little side cottage/gift shop to show us several things. 1.) What the fleece looks like just after the alpaca is sheared (shorn?)

We also got to see lots of alpaca products and I even bought some yarn! I went with a white bulky. Wouldn't you know it, I forgot the name of the alpaca my yarn came from! Leah if you read this would you remind me?

Something I learned: Baby Alpaca doesn't really come from the babies. It can come from an alpaca of any age. Translation: Super soft is all that matters.

Giving Thanks in Alliterations

Fantastic Fiance
Continuous Crafting
Yummy Yarn
Done Degree
Faithful Followers (of my blog)
More Medically Sound Mother
Synical Sister
Dangerously Witty Dad
Friendly Future Family
Trusty Travel
Congenial Church Family
Wewarding Work

One In Every Color- Beads

Luke and I were exploring Main Street in Grand Junction. We stopped at Main Street Minerals & Beads.
Look at all the colors. It makes me happy they arranged them chromatically. :)

Only One Color?

Or maybe two. I was packing for my trip to visit Luke and his family in Grand Junction. I'm a visual kid so I layed everything out on the bed to make sure I had what I needed/wanted. I took a step back to survey the math and noticed my color selections were very one track...

PS. We're going to visit an alpaca farm tomorrow! WoooH!

Kool Mittens and MossCap

Remember this yarn?My friend (Valerie's friend) Laura commissioned me to make her some mittens. Here they are fairly big and bulky.I washed and dried the wool mittens and they shrunk down, and tightened up to fit a bit better. They're not quite felted...but almost.I made her this hat to match. As I was finishing the mittens the yarn spoke to me and told me that they couldn't go on to fulfill their lives without a hat to make them a set. The hat was improvised. Lets just say I learned a lot. My mom tried to swipe Laura's hat. I guess that means there MIGHT be one in order for her too. Good thing I like knitting so much.I also finished this hat a while back. It's the Foliage hat. I love the pattern. I couldn't think of a purple dragon so I named this hat Barney...but I don't think Barney has scales...any suggestions?

One In Every Color-Le Creuset

The other day I had just returned a purchase and thought I'd just stop in Sur la Table for a quick visit. One quick walk through and I realised just how MANY things they have their that come in every color! I asked the friendly staff if I might take pictures for my blog and they humored me saying yes. I took all kinds of pictures with my phone only to realise on the way home that I wasn't quite sure I would be able to get them off. Soooo I'm posting website pictures of the cool gadgets. You will probably see many more things from there but right now I'm just going to feature the brand Le Creuset. best known for their colored baking dishes, I became more enamored with their wood and silicone cooking utensils and accessories.

Just picture all of these goodies...

In all of these colors!Ok I was so bummed about not being able to use my pictures I finally remembered I could email them to myself!

Aren't they just delish!? I imagine food cooked with these utensils would even taste better!!

One In *Almost* Every Color- Corporate Logos

Aaron sent me this interesting graphic he found on Uniwatch. It's interesting to look at because there is a definate draw to those "power colors." It makes me glad my Etsy shop logo <here> is in pinks and purples! It also makes me wonder why not more green? Though I can see they left the favored John Deere logo off. That one is a biggie! Hah wouldn't it be funny if we could do this based on the clothes we have? Sure we can put our clothes in color order, but wouldnt it be cool if we could see them on a spectrum like this?

One of Fresno's Treasures

Dear Friends, Some of you may know about Petunia's Place and some may not. It is a fabulous children's book store on Bullard and Marks in the Pavillion West Shopping center.
This is the place you can go for story time or when you need to find all the variations of Fairy Tales. When you want a funny picture book that is great to read out loud when kids come to visit. Petunia's Place is where you go to find a gift that you can be sure the kid doesnt allready have. You can go here when youre trying to find something to get that tween reading. It is privately owned and when I was there I overheard the owners talking about how they're struggling to stay open and having a hard time competing with the big book stores. This place is a treasure. Even more so than the library, the people who work there can make excelent reccomendations and answer almost every question. I encourage you to take a field trip there to check it out. Go to Storyhour, one of their holliday events, or just stop by. Their phone number is (559) 438-1561if you need hours or directions. Basic information can be found at the Pavillion West Shopping Center website <here>.

Every Thursday and Friday: Storyhour at 11:00 AM

Sat. November 21, 2009 11:00 AM Seasonal Party- Youngsters are invited to join us for a delightful time to hear seasonal stories and create their own special craft

Sat. December 5, 2009 11:00 AM Author Fair Book Signing- Jean Chaffee, Margarita Engle, Dorina Gilmore, Doug Hanson

Friday December 11, 2009 11:00 AM Presentation and Book Signing- Oklin Bloodworth Music With A Kiddie Beat!

Saturday December 12, 2009 11:00 AM Story Santa- Youngsters are invited to join us for a joyous time with Santa to create fond memories and hear seasonal stories

Saturday December 19, 2009 11:00 AM Seasonal Party- Youngsters are invited to join us for a delightful time to hear seasonal stories and create their own special craft.

Pause for Pictures

A while back when I was visiting Moscow, Luke and I got together with our photographer to take some engagement photos. Mike and Cami Dean <here> are a fantastic husband and wife team I found online. The whole gallery of our photos can be found <here.> These are some of our favorites. We started at the University of Idaho Golf Course and then went on to the campus. I was thrilled at Mike and Cami's suggestion to go onto campus because my first day there I wandered the campus just trying to capture some of the beauty of bricks and tree covered pathways with my little 4 year old digital camera. That we might have some of the campus where we met as part of our engagement photos made me giddy!I like the pictures because not only are we on the golf course, the rolling wheat fields are in the background.

This building is one of my favorites on campus. The stained glass window, ivy climbing up the brick. Inside one can find marble stairs worn by decades of students' footsteps.

We had so much fun taking pictures that day! A big thank you to Mike and Cami for such wonderful photos!

The Web, I knit

Mrs Luedtke asked the question

"So where do you purchase your "yummy yarn" on the internet. How close have colors matched from the screen to actual arrival? Please, let me know your internet yarn secrets!"

Here is my EXTREMELY scattered answer:

So here's the deal. I'm kind of a yarn snob. And even a yarn store snob. Not that any one is better than the other, I just have a VERY strong preference. So, well, yes I do believe that some IS better than the other. But I also think to each his or her own.

Yarn choices are also made based upon what you will be knitting, who you are knitting for and it's function. Where and how you purchase them can be based upon whether your priorities like in cushioning the wallet or keeping small businesses open and supporting the independent crafter. I also like to factor in how soon I need (okay crave) the yarn.

Warning, I am about to reference The Yarn Harlot several times. Her calendar is a fantastic resource. I encourage you to ask for one for Christmas. Thank you Mark and Cindy! I didn't even have to ask! ;)

1.)In 1953 the first commercial polyester fiber was put into production by the Dupont company. With this invention began a knitterly debate about the pros and cons of man-made fibers and their use in knitting. The battle still rages to this day. When you're selecting yarn to make something for a baby (or anyone for that matter *) keep in mind that many synthetic yarns (like acrylic) are extremely flammable and shouldn't be used for things that babies will wear when unattended or for sleep(or around the campfire, at a candlelit Christmas service, when reaching across the dinner table with candles). Superwash wool can go in the washer and dryer.

My Vandal Fall hat and many other projects you may or may not have seen are knit out of Lynda's Superwash wool hand dyed sock yarn<click here>. Very soft, very vivid, very love.

2.) August 14 is love your LYS day. LYS=local yarn shop. Local yarn shops truly procide a service that is vital to knitters and you will NEVER EVER find it at JoAnnes or Michaels. At a local yarn shop you will find years of experience, camaraderie, and joy. When I was first in McCall and needed friends Luke said "Go find friends, go to a fabric store or something." Well I went to the fabric stores, they were cool and all, but when Lynda offered right then and there to teach me how to knit, and she showed me the table where people come in just to knit, my heart was won over. Friends, you will never find that at a mega craft store. If it means I pay more for yarn, I remember I'm getting much much more than yarn. On that note, Fresno does have very good local shops. I've rather turned into a hermit, sort of to my dismay. (I say sort of because Im really okay with it right now.) In my opinion Swatches has the most kindred spirit feel, but there is also Janna's (Fresno and Bullard) and Ancient Pathways (by St Therese, the Armenian Catholic Church.)

Okay so those were things I had to throw out there. Now on to how I buy online:

First, I have become a Ravelry <click here> junkie. It's like Facebook for knitters and crocheters. You can view reviews of gazillions of patterns, find free patterns, see how other peoples projects turned out if you're considering a patter AND get yarn recommendations. I can click to view the yarn the pattern uses and I can click on the yarns tab and see what other yarns have been used and how many times. If I click to see the projects done in the yarn I am considering and they all look funky, I search for the yarns that look good, or get used the most. THEN I start looking into it online. You can click the "Where to buy this yarn" link. I check out prices, color availability, etc. Sometimes I'll call around to see if I can find the yarn locally, other times I get it for 45% off (only happened once) and order it ASAP!

If I know that finding the right color/size is imperative and I need the advice of an expert with a large stock available, I call Wendy at The Websters in Ashland, OR. <Click Here> Wendy has been amazing. She helped me pick the yarn for Janice's Slippers when I told her I needed aqua and red for crocheting slippers, she helped me pick the yarn for Cindy's slippers when I said I need vibrant orange and pink in cotton, and she helped me pick the Navy Blue and Gold yarn for Henry's hat and mittens. When I call her with my request she goes on a yarn hunt, gathers them all together, then takes pictures of each of the color combos, and then emails them to me. Ooooh she is awesome! The colors are never "Dead On" with what I expect but then again I've always refused her offer to send me swatches because I am too anxious to have the yarn in my hands!