Too Much Time on His Hands

This guy has way too much time on his hands. He counts toilet paper squares as he uses them and has figured out we are all being short changed on the amount promised in each roll. Personally, my life was going along pretty ok without that knowledge.

It got me to thinking though about whether I've ever done anything that bizarre. Everything I come up with is more OCD-related than bizarre. Each and every time I fly, I MUST touch the plane as I get on it and it has be with my right hand. I've been on business trips and tried to casually touch it so as not to appear freaky to the flight attendants greeting me as I board. I kind of lose my balance a bit and make it seem like I must catch myself by "touching" the plane for balance sake. Now I'm not so subtle. If my daughter is on my right side, I'll leap sideways and push her aside so that I don't lose my opportunity. But that is just OCD/Superstitious weirdness, right?

Speaking of weirdness, did you catch that guy on American Idol that saves each and every finger/toenail since 2004 or something like that? He keeps them in a ziploc bag and he brought them to his audition. Obviously he was going to get on tv for that alone but is he ever going to get a date again???? Seriously. I was horrorfied!

Ok, so since I started this post about too much time on that guy's hands, it also got me to thinking about how I'm so glad in a way that I have the opposite problem. Currently, I have about 10 projects I'm ready to start. Do you do that? You get so excited about each of them but you need to hold back because you'll never complete one if you start them all. I want to make:

Simple Bibs from Bend the Rules Sewing by Amy Karol



Brick Quilt from Amy Butler (free pattern!)



The Purl Bee's Mary Jane Slippers



Susan B. Anderson's Elefante




And I'm working on a new purse design that is almost complete. And was just sent some fabulous sock yarn from Lauren. Thanks Lauren. Granny Apple Green is my new favorite color! And I still want to make that owl plushie that I mention in this post. I'm pretty sure it looks easy to recreate.

So many ideas, so little time......

Sickness

Winter. I'm ready for it to be over. We're all sick over here which is why I've been offline. MiniMe has pneumonia! MiniB has RSV. I have a sore throat. It's terrible to watch your children suffer. And B is out of the country on business so I'm going it alone. Well sort of. I'm so lucky that my dad came to stay and help! We are all set now thanks to his help. I broke down and purchased all new gear--2 humidifiers, ear thermometer, 2 Vicks plug-in inhalers, and Chap sticks (or plastics as MiniMe calls them). The kids are lathered in menthol and their lips are also protected (just in case!). They are sleeping among a humid mist of Vicks vapors.

Did I mention that Aspen (our dog) is also medicated? Yes, 5 pills per day. Poor guy has some serious allergies that we just can't figure out. He is getting terrible sores on his stomach and I'm uncertain what is causing them. We've changed his bed, his food, his treats, and I just don't know what it is.

No craftiness going on here. However, I have some Heather Bailey and Joel Dewberry fabrics that I won on Ebay. They are so gorgeous. I can't wait to show you! But I am tired and must get some sleep while the kids are asleep.

The Hunt for Pinky

Pinky. That is the name of the blanket my daughter carries around everywhere (see above image circa 2005 when she was so clean and new). I was flipping through pictures and Pinky is practically in every picture. If not being held, she's in the background. She even made an appearance in our annual 2006 Christmas picture.




We took a weekend trip most recently and left Pinky at the airport. We realized it when MiniMe started sucking her thumb in the car and said, "Where's Pinky mommy?" I panic. My heart beats and I'm frantic. MiniMe is so good about keeping track of Pinky that I tend to forget. So Pinky is not allowed to leave the house unless we're going overnight hence why she was out. I rack my brain. I knew I had taken pictures while we waited to get our luggage and Pinky was there. Here is the evidence.



I'm an Auntie Anne's freak. It is the only reason I get excited to fly. B made a trip to get us AA so I was rather distracted when we went from luggage to a bench to eat our AA and wait for B to bring the car. So I knew she must be there.

We take the closest exit and head back to the airport. We're about 15 miles away. We can't drive fast enough. MiniMe is so sad wondering if we will ever see her again. Her face breaks my heart as she silently cries and says "Oh Pinky I'm so sorry." I have mental images of another child taking Pinky home and not loving her. Or a janitor sweeping her up saying, "What is this stinky thing?" If Pinky could talk she would have screamed, "Wait family, don't leave me!" I kid you not. I had to stop this train of thought. "It's an inanimate object Carolyn," I remind myself. So why did I feel like crying like a child for my blankie? Because when I was little I had a doll that went on a trip with me and my suitcase was stolen from my dad's trunk at the mall. I remember the heartache of wondering where was my doll that night and quite a few nights thereafter. Can you imagine how a those parents whose children are taken go on?? I can't.

I can see the big white tents that are Denver International. We're getting closer. "Pinky we're coming!" my heart is screaming. Let her be there. You see I made Pinky and my daughter often tells people who comment on how loved her blankie is that I made her. She is like the family dog and because MiniMe loves her, so do I. In fact here is a pic with our dog Aspen covered with Pinky.



We're driving up and I see the bench where we had been sitting waiting with the luggage. I am getting out of the car before it even stops. B scolds me that I should at least let the car stop. I. am. on. a. mission. There is a family sitting there. I can't get there quick enough. I ask if they had seen her. No they say. I feel a lump in my throat and then I spot her. She had fallen behind the bench and was on the floor. Smart Pinky--hide and be safe. I grasp her. That family has absolutely no idea what that stinky little rag means. MiniMe sees Pinky in my hands and her face lights up. I never saw my doll ever again but I was able to reunite my daughter with her beloved friend. I don't care how crazy I am. It was worth it. Pinky is home and I am never taking my eyes of that rag in public again!

I've made a backup Pinky. That isn't the solution though. It is too clean and too new. MiniMe doesn't acknowledge it as worthy of being called Pinky so she calls it Pinky's Friend as if Pinky owns it and not her. What can I say? She's loyal.

Plushies Gone Mainstream

Iwas flipping through my Pottery Barn Kids when I saw that knitted plushies are going mainstream! Suddenly (or I'm just noticing) John Q. Public now realizes what we've known for a very long time--there is nothing more sweet, timeless, classy, and classic than handmade toys. Although these PB plushies are mass produced, they still have the made-with-love look . I like the owl. I'm pretty certain I can make a similar owl. So cute!

A is for Adorable

Ok, so I'm doing the Knittyboard ABC Along. I wanted to last year but it was closed to new subscribers. I had a hard time with A. But then I took this picture. I love it. MiniB discovered the baby in the mirror and then figured out he could see me by looking through it too. I just love his little distored face. He'd have a good laugh when he'd see me make funny faces. I wonder if the ABCs are supposed to be knitting-related? If so then I'm in trouble. I can't see knitting an Afghan just for a post. :)

Maybe they just need to be crafty ABCs. How's this? A is for accomplishment! Here is the quilt.



I'm not a quilter, though I could become one (this is fun and gratifying!). But what I have learned is everything I've done up to this point--the cutting (wrong terminology I know), measuring, the sewing, the pressing--isn't quilting. It is hard work, I know that. Now that the top is done is when the quilting begins. Is that true? I want to stipple this quilt, which I thought meant I could take it somewhere and get it stippled but is that the quilting part? So am I not a quilter then if I don't do that by hand or on my own machine? I don't understand. Do educate me if you can!

Maybe A should stand for Ambitious. Here I'm not even done with this quilt and this is the next one I'm eyeing. It's the free Amy Butler Brick Lotus quilt.

One of Those Weeks

Ican't remember the last time I've had a week like this--costly. I shared about our SUV. Turns out they fixed the airbag for $300 and then somehow found out our brakes were going bad. We took it for a second opinion and same thing. So that was another $500. This vehicle is only a 2004. But whatever, I'm grateful we got it fixed.

Our washer is still kaput. No telling what that one will come in at. They're ordering the part.

Then, this morning as I was toasting a bagel for my daughter, I heard a huge explosion with sparks flying and turned to see the sparks flying into MiniMe's hair. I screamed and ran for my girl because she was near the toaster. It was scary. Electrical issue. I'm just so very happy nobody was hurt and that a fire didn't start. My daughter is never in the kitchen with me that early. This was the one day so I feel bad that she was near the appliance. My toaster is, well, toast. The prongs on the plug melted a bit and the actual outlet is black and burnt. I wonder what an electrician will charge? It is just not my week.

And, to top it all off, our roof was leaking just a bit back, and what we thought would be a $300 job came in quoted at $1200. I know everyone has issues spring up like this but when they all come at once, it is frustrating isn't it?

On a happy knitting note, I finished a purse for my friend. IF YOU ARE EMILY, STOP READING THIS NOW. Knowing her as I do, she's still reading. Stop, seriously! Ok, this is the Emily purse--prefelt.

Work in Progress

Here are the first two rows of my quilt that I mentioned in this post. I'm working so very carefully for fear of messing up any little bit of it. I usually don't spend so much money on fabric so this one has me freaky and worried. I will work on it just a short bit and stop because I don't want to make tired mistakes. I think it is coming along well though!

There is something so gratifying about laying it out as you finish row by row! I haven't connected these two rows yet, they're just laying closely next to each other. Stay tuned!

And the Winner Is...

Susan at VanKnitty Fair! Congrats Susan. MiniMe picked Susan's name out of a hat. I'll have another giveaway in the next week. Stay tuned...

Lots going on around Chez IHeartYarn. Our washer broke. This is no surprise given my felting habit. This is the second time in a year. Sigh. So this is the morning MiniMe has an accident in bed. The repair man came and said it would be a week for him to get the right part. Did I hear him right? A WEEK? "Yes, a week," he replies so casually. "Do you not see the seven loads I have piled up here?" No joke. Seven loads. It hasn't worked for a week and the repair man was scheduled last week but conveniently never showed or called. But I'm not bitter. :)

So, I bag everything up and head to the laundromat. With a baby and a conference call for work that I have to dial in for, I really can't sit at the laundromat for seven loads. I drop off my laundry. I'm so weird about how I fold things. B had mentioned us dropping off laundry when I had MiniB but I refused because I just have visions of the laundry person washing my favorite jeans in hot and super dry cycle or something. Well, now with two kids, I don't care. I seek out ways to make life easier.

As if the laundry wasn't bad enough, the air bag light on my SUV is flashing. I decided to look it up and turns out it needs to be serviced IMMEDIATELY. What does this mean, immediately? Like I should step away from the vehicle and have it towed to the dealer immediately? Or I should attempt to get it in between my seven loads of laundry immediately? Or can this wait a week immediately?

The last surprise for the day is that I go to pick up MiniMe from school and pay for her schooling and they tell me I owe more than I thought we owed. I guess we have to pay for Christmas week even though she wasn't there. ARGH. Had I known that I would have had her there. What really bugs me about this is that they told me something completely different the week before Christmas when I asked.

Oh well. Tomorrow is another day.

Contest! Giveaway!

Happy New Year!

So, what do you think of the new look? I like change....sometimes. I'm thinking I like this redesign. It takes me a while to like new things. But I was desperate for a change.

Do you have any New Year resolutions? I have a few. 1. To be a better friend. 2. To lose the last of the baby weight. 3. To listen more. 4. To give my kids more vegetables. 5. To eat more salads. Anyway those are just the ones that come to mind. Regarding #1, I think I sometimes get so wrapped up in life, work, kids that are sick, laundry, and To-Do lists that I don't return calls as quickly as I should or take the careful time I should to nurture relationships that mean a lot to me. As for #2, well, it has been hard the second time. I can't say I've tried that hard but I'm making the effort now. My husband and I want to run a marathon this year. I ran one when I was 24. I know the training involved. I also know the payoff so I will try to get it done. Writing it out helps me feel accountable to it I guess.

Do you have any resolutions? I'd love to know them. So, in honor of the all things new--the blog look and a new year, I want to give something away! You've all read me rave about Brown Sheep Co's Shepherd's Shades. Well, I have two to give away, along with one of my felted purse patterns and some ribbon embellishment to match. Just leave a comment with your New Year's Resolution and I'll pick a name at random. You have until midnight on Friday to leave a comment. I'll announce the winner in a post either Saturday or Sunday.

Please note the Bloglines button I just added. I feel so dumb that I didn't know what a feed was until recently. I still kind of don't. Wikipedia didn't help me too much. Something about RSS and Atom. Blah blah blah. But how was I to know? When I like a blog, I just add it to my favorites. I feel so technically incompetent! I still have no idea if my feed is working. Fill me in if you have trouble. But I was looking at my stats and they seemed pretty high and then I added the blogline button and they tripled overnight! I had no idea. So I invite you to tell me who you are! I want to know and want to read your blogs too. I'd like to get a comment. Hence the shameless giveaway. :)