Thursday, December 27, 2012

Another Year Gone...and Quickly!

Am I the only one who thinks 2012 has sped by?  I can't believe we are back to another year gone.  Hopefully, 2013 will be better than 2012.  This year has sucked financially for me.  I can't believe how awful shop sales are.  It has never been this bad and it had me seriously thinking of walking away from doing what I love.  I love my job but, here lately, not so much. 

I am working on crocheting a blanket for my darling hubby.  He has been pretty understanding when I haven't wanted to share my blanket that I made for us.  I grab it and go outside to sit on the bench and soak up the heat from my fire pit.  He finally got me one for Christmas after about 8 years of begging.  I think he finally enjoys it with me.  He is the one who has supplied me with lots of wood to burn and he even cut some of it up for me to start the fire with.  Nice guy.  He also bought me a fabric cutting table.  I have wanted one forever but, I knew with the price tag of the thing, it wasn't going to happen.  Then I was asked that question I positively hate..."what do you want for Christmas?"  and after hemming and hawing about what I wanted, I didn't know, it hit me, a fabric cutting table.  I love using my sister's.  She was given hers by her neighbor but, that doesn't matter, she has one.  So, I am ready for it to be put together and I can use it. So happy! 

We were given a huge recycling can by the trash people and let me tell you, I never knew how much stuff we were pitching into the trash until we started to use the recycling can.  I am not throwing away as much now, I am recycling like crazy and every week that huge sucker is full of recycling.  Pretty good if I do say so myself. 

I have been good, I haven't bought yarn on line in a month.  I had to buy homespun for his blanket but, nothing pricey.  My goal for the new year besides work on my diet some more, to not buy yarn and to use up the yarn stash.  Let's see how well that goes.  Should be fun to watch me try and do this. 

If anyone else wants to use their yarn stash up, you are welcome to knit along with me.  I had wanted to see if I could knit with all the yarn in one bin each month.  That didn't work out so well because I was sucked into crochet.  One of my on line friends is a crocheter and she does the most amazing work.  She made me yearn for my crochet hook.  Here I am now, sleeping in a wrist brace to keep my hands alive at night and I am on my 3rd blanket and yes, there are plans for a 4th blanket.  They seem to be very popular with relatives and friends.  :)  They are warm and snuggly. 

I have sock yarn galore around here and I want to knit more socks for myself.  Notice, I said myself and not others.  Those days are over since people can't seem to say thank you.  Two little words that mean the world to a knitter.  Another two little words we love is:  How much?  Yep, we like to be paid for our work.  Who doesn't? 

Have a safe and Happy New Year! 

Monday, December 24, 2012

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

I fell behind and only managed to send out 4 cards this year.  Yeah, I know, time just got away from me.  So, for those people who did receive a card...you are so lucky! 

Today has been lazy day here, which is nice.  We went out for lunch and then Gary had to get me the last of my Christmas presents.  He gave me a fire pit and had to get me some wood for it.  We used the fire pit tonight and finished off a bottle of red wine.  It was a nice romantic evening. 

I am crocheting a blanket for the hubby for his Christmas present.  He knows it will be his when I finish it.  I am on the 4th skein of yarn.  It is turning out really nice.  I am doing several shades of blue Homespun by Lion brand yarn.  I love the stuff, it is so easy to crochet with on a big hook.  This is my 3rd blanket to do.  I might even be doing more than this.  People seem to love having a hand made blanket from me.  They are so comfy and snuggly. 

Our family Christmas was a blast.  We had a great time and I came home with tequila and a tool set.  Yep, my own tool set.  I love it.  Gary came home with a set of towels.  He was happy with it.  I was shocked.  They are nice towels.  He said he had plans to use them since they are nice and soft.  Okay! 

I have drank more in the past few days than I have in 2 years.  I had several shots of my tequila with my brother and niece, then I had the wine tonight.  I have beer in the fridge and some on my kitchen table.  I was going to take the 6 pack of long necks with me to the family Christmas party but, forgot them.  Oh well, I guess, I can save them for another time. 

Stay safe and I hope everyone gets what they want this year. 

God Bless our men and women who are serving in our military. 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Hot Lemon Water on a Cold Day

I have my hot lemon water for this morning.  I am doing a two week liver detox.  It works well.  I have done this before and it does help me feel so much better.  At first, the bitterness was overwhelming.  Not so much anymore.  I am getting used to it.  Another great thing from this, it helps me lose weight.  Love that part, even better than the first. 

Today I will be working on the blanket.  I will be taking pictures and posting later.  Maybe tomorrow if I feel like it.  The blanket is very intense in colors.  Hubby says it is opulent.  Okay hubby.  I worked on it some last night in front of the tv.  I did manage to get two Christmas cards written out.  I know, I am slow going with them this year. 

I have to check to see what the high temp is supposed to be today and then decide if I am going for my walk or not.  Right now, no.  Not feeling all that up to it.  I was digging in my pantry for fig preserves.  We have so many jars since the tree went crazy with fruit this year.  I am sick of seeing the things.  So, I am now giving away fig preserves to all of my friends and family. 

I have to pick some lemons today as well.  I think one of my friends might be headed this way.  She doesn't know it but, she will be leaving with lemons and fig preserves.  She said her hubby loves the fig preserves.  I hope they like lemons since they will have those, too. 

I put the fleece sheets on the bed last night and realized quite quickly hot freaking hot they are.  I had to pull the top sheet off and put on a cotton sheet and then put the fleece top sheet on top of the cotton sheet to use as a blanket.  It worked out nicely.  We were cool and warm at the same time, not sweating buckets.  I am not a fan of sweating and then freezing from it.  Doesn't work for me.  I hate being really hot and I hate being really cold.  I like it temperate.  Yeah, I know what am I doing in Texas?  I wouldn't be any other place in the world.  I love Texas!  We are a friendly bunch of people but, don't cross us because we can get mean, fast! 

I had to battle Scavenger Kitty last night in bed.  She seems to think that the bed with the fleece sheets is her domain and she proceeded to make my life a living hell.  She crawled on me, tried to sleep on me, and kept head butting me most of the night.  That black and white bowtie nearly did me in.  She is a 15 pound cat who is very determined.  Crazy as can be.  If she doesn't want to move, kicking her off of the bed is not an option, she bares down and makes sure that no one is moving her with their feet.  Nope, not going to happen.  She has been known to bite toes.  Last night, she tried to bite my nose, which was it.  I booted her fat ass off of the bed.  She wasn't happy but, who cares. 

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Realizations

Today I woke up freezing.  It was freaking cold in this house.  We have not turned on the heater yet but, this morning warrranted it.  I woke up to a 64F house.  Cold but, not too chilly then my hands started to cramp and hurt.  Not a good sign, I was thinking the arthritis in the left hand would kick into over drive.  I gained this arthritis in high school when I injured my left hand playing my trombone.  Ouch.  It acts up during cold weather and when a bad storm is coming.  I knew I had to turn the heater on.  I came downstairs to let my dogs outside and then went upstairs to put some laundry in the machine.  I was out yesterday running around with my sister so, I have to do my Monday chores on Tuesday.  I looked and the temp was down to 63F.  So, I turned on the heater. 

I came back downstairs, checked to see if my coffee was brewed, yep it was, grabbed a Glucerna shake out of the fridge and had my breakfast.  By this time, I was ready to bundle myself up to go see what the temp was outside...34F.  Cold by South East Texas terms.  Being a Native Houstonian and Texan I knew it was bitter cold for me.  So, I grabbed my sweatshirt hooded jacket, put on my hand knit wool neck warmer, I am a knitter, you can bet I am going to have hand knit wool anything, and geared up for a walk.  I have to walk as my exercise.  I can't ride a bicycle with long pants on it, isn't going to happen with me getting my pants stuck in the chain.  Try to deal with that when the hubby is away from the house for work.  He is in Houston at a conference and comes home each night.  Usually he works from home by telecommuting.  I put on my mittens, they are a mismatched pair right now since it seems I managed to lose one of each.  One half of the pair is a flip top mitten and the other is a plain wool mitten.  The flip top comes in handy to change the selection on my Ipod.  The other, for warmth. 
 
I let the dogs back into the house, with a chicken twisty raw hide each and headed out the door for my mile walk.  I was all nice and warm.  I realized half way back from the second leg of my walk how wonderful it felt to be outside watching the birds fish, seeing my favorite chicken hawk all fluffed up on the light post hunting in the cold.  It is a beautiful bird that we look for every day.  It is still around and we think it has a partner and a nest around as well.  We are happy to see that bird.  Usually the bird is on the light pole next to the bridge I walk to.  It was across the street at another pole this morning. 

I left Ody home since I just didn't feel like dealing with all of his stops and I didn't feel like picking up dog poo in the plastic bag and then having to haul it with me the whole way to the bridge and back.  We have no trash cans along the route.  They should install some for the residents to have and this way, we can pitch the poo.  If they install a recycle bin as well then we can throw away our plastic bottles, etc.  It would be a nice addition. 

My back started to hurt half way to the bridge and then on the way back, it was really starting to kick into I don't want to move any further, I ignored the pain and continued back to my bridge.  My walk starts out at home, across the one bridge and then to the other bridge.  I then take a small rest break, stretch my muscles and then continue back to my bridge, check out the turtles and then head home.  It works out for me.  As I was watching the egrets and herons fish today I realized how much stress had been lifted from my body and my mind.  I hadn't been walking since last week.  I have been so stressed out that I feel like a damn teenager, my face is breaking out seriously bad.  That walk did me wonders.  I came home, all sweaty and stripped off of my extra layers, ran upstairs to deal with the rest of laundry, sat down to read a book on my touch pad.  Then I fixed myself some lunch and had a coconut water to replenish.  For lunch, I decided to add another cup of coffee to my meal.  I needed the warmth and the caffeine will help me deal with the rest of my chores for the day. 

Who knows, I might even find the time to crochet on the blanket I am making.  I was working on socks, finished one, and started to work on the blanket.  I need to finish that second sock.  I am doing better than usual since I do have the cuff part done.  Usually, I don't even do that. 

I have to water the lemon tree today before our freeze for tonight.  It is so big that we have to water it before a freeze to keep the sugar up in the tree.  We can't cover it anymore.  No way.  We also have a huge crop of lemons again this year.  I am giving away lemons and I have asked my friends to bring their 5 gallon buckets to come pick.  I am serious.  We have frozen lemon juice in the freezer from last year's crop. 

I also want to take the time to knit a friend's son some socks.  They won't be at her house for Christmas but, it will help her out some.  I have to paint the yarn and get it ready to knit.  I have his shoe size so, it will be a nice present for her. 

I have given up on charity knitting for other people these days.  I have no energy to knit mitts for anyone.  I can't force myself into action.  So, the groups that require these items...sorry.