The Grass Is Greener.....

The grass must be greener on the other side of the fence. This (darn) rabbit arrived everyday at 6 am during school season. Mr. Bettis went wild. Barking and barking and barking. So when school was out, I (stupidly) thought, I will not put him out until 7 am. That way he misses the rabbit and he won't go on one of his barking rampages. Guess What? Apparently Mr. Rabbit has an alarm system that alerts him as to what time Mr. Bettis goes outside. He sauntered in our yard at 7 am. What is up with that? He nonchanantly nibbles on dandelion greens totally oblivious to Mr. Bettis and his antics. We have an entire yard of dandelion greens and this rabbit chooses to come here within 4 feet of Mr. Bettis who is in the fenced part of the yard.



Little Miss Gypsy (who weighs in at 9 pounds) chases Mr. Bettis (who officially weighs in at 124 pounds) up and down the steps and around the pool every morning. She yaps at him until he runs 3 laps. Then when he approaches her on the deck she yaps again. And he runs another 3 laps. This goes on for 15-20 minutes every day. She is his personal trainer. Mr. Bettis falls for this every day.
(I never said Mr. Bettis was very bright....LOL)




Mr. Bettis watching Mr. Rabbit or is it Mrs. Rabbit? Time will tell.

My dad called and said the Bear was on his way down as he just went through his yard. My parents live across the road. Sure enough, while I was on the phone with him, the dogs went crazy. Yep! There he was, running through our driveway and behind the neighbor's house.

The DH woke me up this morning to tell me there was a deer in the back yard. Mind you one of the neighbors has one of those plastic shooting deer things and I thought that was what he meant. After all, it was 5 am and I thought he was a bit groggy. Nope. It was a live doe munching away on the grass.



This is Mr. Bettis napping! On my furniture! Thank goodness I put a cover on it.




p.s. I believe we live in an animal sanctuary and as long as they don't move in the house, I'm okay with it.

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our wedding anniversary.



The DH was out scouting yard sales and the local farmer's market. He came home with corn on the cob to roast on the grill.






He also scarfed up 4 antique chairs for $5 a piece. They're painted black but when chipped a bit of the paint one can see Oak wood. They will be gorgeous when stripped. I love antiques.
A great anniversary gift.










The child worked very hard this year in her AP classess and received straight "A's" on her report card. She deserved something for her hard work and she's been wanting a bike.
The DH found this while yard shopping and he grabbed it. An American Eagle bike for $25! It is in excellent condition. She was thrilled and promptly went out for a bike ride. Congrats Savannah!



Last but not least I recieved these in the mail from Wendy. I begged and I pleaded for her to make me a set and she did. The socks are a perfect fit on these. They are lightweight and portable. She also included two tea bags as a little gift (ya gotta love knitters).One for night and one for morning. Thank you Wendy. I really enjoy the flower power sock blockers.

(I will consider these to be my anniversary gift to self)


p.s. Thanks to all who offered their advice on the sun poison. Believe me, I tried it all :) and it was appreciated.

It's Dad's Day

This is a tribute to all those dads who stood up to the plate of "parenting."

I give tribute to the men who have been there throughout my life.

To my great-grandfather on my mom's side who cuddled me and told me jokes when I was just a wee one. He made a wooden doll's cradle for me that I still own.

To my granddaddy on my mom's side who told me what life was like when he sold newspapers at the age of 9 yrs for 5 cents on the street corner to help out with finances at home. The stories of WWII and the Great Depression when sugar and gas were rationed and times were tough. He sang songs of this beloved country to me. I remember most, the Betsy Ross song. He told stories of his grandmother who had 19 children and how they lived in the mountains of WVA. He had a gift/talent with carpentry and made me the most beautiful play cupboard and table with chairs for Christmas one year.

To my Pap-Pap on my dad's side who taught me the true value/meaning of life and to appreciate my heritage and the honor of family. He told of hard times when he was forced to mine coal at the age of 12 to help with homelife. He taught me to appreciate our Earth and said, "No man owns the earth and yet they go to war over possession of land. No man will ever actually own land. It belongs to the Great Spirit."

He taught me to whittle with a pen knife and to have respect for others. His famous saying was, " A man is only as good as his word." A saying that I have applied to many people albeit man/woman in my own life.

To my own Dad. You taught me to laugh and have fun. You taught me discipline and manners. I remember you playing baseball and hide and seek with us. I remember you taking all of us to the drive-in theater, The County Fair, little bags of penny candy and the trip into town to see the Magician. You made me feel important by taking me to town at Christmas to help you get that special gift for mom. I was 7 yrs old at the time and mom was really surprised when she opened that new toaster and dress slip (well at least she acted surprised). In spite of the fact you knew it would never work, you still took me deer hunting after I begged to go. I chattered like a magpie (not a good thing for a hunter to have a chattering 8 yr old girl while deer hunting). I finally decided I would have more fun at the farmhouse helping mom-mom & pap-pap with the "Hunters' Dinner."

You read the newspaper funny paper to us every Sunday morning before going to church which helped mom. It kept us out of the kitchen while she cooked breakfast.

You taught me how to fly a kite and weed a garden ( I could do without the latter...ha-ha) There are so many wonderful memories; baling hay, making fudge (when mom wasn't home), snow ice cream, potato candy, sled riding, maintaining my bicycle tires/brakes/chain, teaching me to drive and not yelling when I ran the car through the brand new garage door. How to check the oil in a car (things a girl should know) and the ins and outs of building a house. I could go on and on. Your famous saying (and it is applied many times in my life), "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Thanks Dad, I Love You.

To my own husband who stepped up to the parenting plate to two little boys and then to our own two daughters. You worked two jobs and many long hours to feed, clothe and house this crew, we call a family. Sometimes it was difficult for you to find time to spend with us but somehow you managed.

You played ball and you taught them how to fly kites. You taught them to drive and you were very understanding through the eldest son's "need for speed." You went scouting (in sub zero temps to make "men" out of the boys.....LOL), fishing, band concerts, football games, baseball games, dance recitals, horse shows, church pageants, graduations etc., you managed to attend most of them.

Remember when you dug your good (rusted) saw out of the ground after a long, hard, snowy winter? You looked for that saw for months. The boys "borrowed" it to work on their tree house in the early fall and "forgot" to put it back. You weren't happy about the saw but you secretly told me, "at least they had fun." You never said much but you were sorry to see them "leave the nest when it was time for them to fly." You taught the boys to be "honest men" and the girls to be "independent women." You have supported them in everything they have accomplished and loved them along the way. Job Well Done!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY !!!!!!!

The 7 Day Itch

Remember in the former posts that I was going to get in the pool and have a nice swim and I was going to use suntan lotion? I planned to only be in the pool for 1/2 hour so I didn't bother with the lotion. After all, I tan. I never get a sunburn. Times have changed.
I have sun poison. Not just a little sun poison but A LOT! I am miserable. I burn. I sting. I ITCH! I should mention this is on my upper body. I spend my time sitting in front of the fan. I lay wet towels on it, I have lathered with baby oil and aloe vera and nothing seems to be working. I have even resorted to a concoction of yogurt and cornstarch. I have cut up t-shirts to eliminate sleeves, necks etc. I am now digging in the DH's shirt drawer for over sized loose shirts. The necessary garment (br*) has been eliminated. Desperate measures are in order at the moment.
I finally decided to start something new to take my mind from myself (any excuse will do). I started a wool sweater.

Unfortunately the more I knitted on it the more I thought of the I Love Lucy show where she gets a serious burn and then models a wool outfit. Makes my skin crawl. So I put that wool knitting WIP aside and decided a nice crochet doily would make me happy. I am almost finished with this and then it needs blocked.
I have to wonder though, why does every crochet doily have those teeny weeny picots on the final and very lo-o-o-ong crochet round?







This morning I'm trying to enjoy the cool temps (another desperate measure with the sun poison). I glanced in the window and there was Miss Phoebe. I grabbed the camera. The only thing separating her from the little birdies is the window screen.




Mr. Bettis saw me with the camera. He jumped and carried on like a bad kid wanting his picture taken. I told him to "SIT". It took several times of me yelling the word "SIT" in order for him to actually obey. He cracks me up, I think his one eye is cross-eyed.
He received a treat because he actually sat when told. Yeah, I know it took several times to get him to sit but Mr. Bettis thinks life is a hoot!


p.s. A friend thought I should've been a bit more photogenic and post pictures of my new "designer clothing." LOL Not Happening!

Hot & Getting Hotter

It's hot here. Supposed to get to 100 degrees here. Factor the humidity level and the heat index will be over 110. Whew! On to other news.

This little bunny has been named, Mr. Bunny Foo. He arrives every morning at 6 am to disturb Mr. Bettis. He sits within feet of the fence and grazes on nice fresh clover. I swear this little rabbit does it on purpose. Mr. Bettis then finds it necessary to bark. And bark. And bark. Mind you, it is 6 am. Not-a-good-thing. I am an animal person, so rabbit stew is out of the question. I just wish Mr. Bettis would stop barking and let him graze. Mr. Bunny Foo is unfazed by Mr. Bettis. Smart Rabbit.


Did I mention that it is hot? The afghan is in hibernation. Too hot on my lap to knit. So I'm knitting on little projects. Thank goodness for socks. I have frogged this sock 3 times.
I guess swatching a gauge would have actually helped.





I ordered yarn 2 weeks ago. I received all 5 boxes of goodies. Yes 5. Yarn Goodies from all over the place.
Lo and behold another box arrived. Uh-oh! I don't remember ordering yarn from Webs. I opened the box and it was to die for, 9 skeins of Comfort yarn. In my color. I was in love.
Oh my gosh I thought, maybe I did order it. I was so busy ordering from everywhere that maybe I actually did order from Webs. (what does that tell you about my yarn ordering habit?)
I dug through the box. Nope. Not mine. Belonged to a knitter in NY. So I called Webs. They suggested I send it back. I stammered and asked if I could keep it. The sales lady laughed and said yes and they would give it to me at the sale price and deduct the shipping. Woo-Hoo! This stuff was mine. All mine. I did ask if they had enough to send to the poor knitter -in- waiting. She assured me there was plenty for the other knitter. So I have cast on for a sweater for self.


This is where the DD will be spending this afternoon. She has a half day of school today and tomorrow.

Startitis .....again

Here we go again. Another round of Startits has hit! This is a stash buster of Wool-Ease Worsted. I thought about 100% wool but then I cannot imagine hand washing an afghan.
There's a KAL on Ravelry and the link to the pattern is here.









Little Miss Aurora seems to think I am making this for her so she can sleep on it. Sad thing is? She will probably be found napping on this when it's finished. On second thought I will probably find her on while it's in progress.






This is Savannah's Dream sweater. She wanted a sweater made of all of her favorite colors. I dyed this yarn just for her and it will grow up to be the Apres Hoodie found in the Interweave Knits 2008 issue.




I have no idea what is up with me and shawls in the spring. But I just had to cast on for another shawl. One would think that I should finish a WIP first before casting on but.........the yarn and the needles were begging to be used. So another shawl is in progress. This is alpaca lace that I bought at Stitches East 2007. ( see? I really do use the stuff that I buy:)
This pattern is the Bee Fields.



Ta-Da! I will have you know I finally finished something. The Doghouse dishcloth which is a free pattern. This site has quite a few free patterns.
Once I cast off, I knew this entitled me to start something new. But did that mean finishing a dishcloth to start a laceweight shawl of epic porportions? Well of course it did!
(have I mentioned that I have very little knitting logic in my pea-purl-sized brain?)

Lost Treasure

Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. We took our stimulus check and purchased an attic fan to conserve air conditioning usage. The DH installed the fan this weekend. Caused me to cringe a bit given his history with saws. (refer to Jan 2008 post for reference if needed)
Due to fuel prices and medical issues we are not taking a vacation this year. So we decided to invest our money in the pool. Little did we realize when the pool would make its' long awaited debut that it would be a lovely shade of algae green/black. Meaning? Draining the pool. It has been drained, scrubbed and refilled. We have not had this problem in the past. Although a few years ago the pool split down the side and flooded our entire basement/rec room. This happened 2 days before our scheduled vacation to the beach in 90+ degrees with humidity. Not pretty. The insurance took 1 week to come out and assess the damage. We were told not to move a thing. All well and good if it wasn't hot and humid. The smell was horrible and the insurance company had to pay 3 times as much for the damage because they told us to wait. Ah, well. On to more important things i.e. yarn.




Just so happens that I was surfing the net la la la la. I found my mouse cursor on Blue Moon. Lo and behold look what jumped into my cart!
The pink and purple is already cast on and is for the youngest DD a pair of socks.








Next thing I knew the mouse clicked and added these 2 skeins. I'm not so sure about the Thistle on the right. Not quite my color and the picture didn't show this to be bright (monitor thing I'm sure). But I'll find a use for it.
I'm making all of my Christmas gifts this year and I have come to a great conclusion about my yarn purchases. Here goes:
Knitter buys yarn.
Wrapped yarn package arrives in mailbox (which knitter is stalking).
Knitter gleefully unwraps package and said knitter feels as if Christmas has arrived.
Knitter knits the yarn into beautiful Christmas gifts for loved ones.
Loved Ones opens gifts on Christmas Day and admires with ooohhs and ahhhhs.
Knitter smiles and feels that Christmas feeling all over again.



While trying to find a new place to hide the stash. (I'm running out of room here). I happened to spot this suitcase sitting in the corner of the living room. My living room is in country decor.
Oh goody, an unused stash holder. I grabbed it, ready to open and stash my new yarn. Look what was inside! More STR (so that's where the pink granite color was hiding), lace weight and my miniature teddy bears that I made. This is like finding lost treasure. Maybe I need to make a treasure map for my stash.

Lil' Miss Teapot

I apologize for not posting. It's May and with an active teen, it's a busy month.

Little Miss Teapot received a new sweater. She is very happy and was pleased to get her picture taken on the antique cookstove. I used a skein of dk weight superwash that I dyed just for her spring sweater.

I proudly showed the daughter Lil' Miss Teapot's sweater and she promptly said, "lil miss teapot is chubby. But the sweater is nice."

I reminded her that Lil' Miss Teapot provides a lot of hot tea for her and she shouldn't say unkind things to Lil' Miss Teapot........LOL

The daughter is heading to the prom.

The picture doesn't do justice to the color of the dress. It is a creamy, soft yellow with a net overlay. The overlay fabric has glitter throughout. A friend

loaned the black gloves and rhinstone jewelry.

She has thick, waist length hair and every hairdresser we meet cringes when we ask if they will do an updo. So this year she did it herself. She did a great job and all her friends thought she had it professionally done. She has little rhinestone clips sprinkled throughout the top.

She had a wonderful time at the prom and the after-prom.

Oh.... to be young again.

It's a Monday!

The roof is leaking.

Just Stuff

Don't forget to go to lapdog creations and donate. It's for a very worthy cause.

Oh my gosh, just look at these adorable sheep markers. Anita made these and they're mine. All mine:) The detail is amazing. I love them. She also sent needle protectors as a thank you gift and my Knitting Daughter took off with them. She says they are wonderful. Thanks Anita, I will get them back. Now where did she hide them?






My love of making teddy bears continues. I ordered the stuff to crochet/knit mini bears. I have made jointed 2-3 inch bears in the past when I did teddy bear shows. I think I'm gonna like this little bear venture. It requires yarn, so why wouldn't I like it?




Remember my fall off the wagon last week? You know the post where I admitted that I ordered more sock yarn and I thought I needed t-shirts too?
Well the t-shirts finally arrived. They make me laugh. I like these shirts. Now which one to wear first..........

Check This Out

Do you love dogs? I mean, who doesn't right? Go to lapdog creations and join in the contest. It is to benefit abused and rescued animals. GO GO GO!


On that note I will post this picture of Mr. Bettis.

The Color Hole

Oh Looky Look!

Look what arrived today, Mouse stitch markers. I love them. They make me giggle. Unlike Mr. Smart Mouse (see post below) who caused hysteria.
I went to Anita at YarnDemon with the intent to get her adorable sheep markers. She was out of sheep but there were these 3 mice with their buck teeth and the cheese..........Oh my gosh, these are too funny for words.
After the fiasco with Mr. Smart Mouse, I had to have these.




I flipped them over and rolled on the floor with laughter. They have tails! This just cracks me up.

The detail in these markers is stunning.







She included this cute notepad. I never have enough notepads. You know, for when I realize I am not smarter than the pattern I'm working on.

Thanks Anita. I love it. I must have the sheep markers next.

Frog, Monkey and Bear......oh my

This is a frog. I know it doesn't look like a frog, but it is. I started this as a sweater and decided against it.

Okay, okay.........I'll admit the true problem. I started this a year ago. One of those bouts of "Startitis" on a spring day. I remember it was supposed to be a sweater. (What else could it be with 98 stitches and 1 inch of ribbing completed?) I have no idea what sweater. So it is now a frog.
Hello Frog!




This is a monkey. It doesn't look like a monkey but it is. Monkey socks by Cookie A. I have been wanting to make a pair of these for a long time and after I frogged the unknown sweater, I decided I needed a new project. Yes, another new project. Hey! It's spring! Refer to above bout of "Startitis" last spring. I hereby vow Monkey will not become a Frog.
Hello, Monkey!




This is a bear. Could you tell?



.

Captured!

CAPTURED! Yes, I am shouting with glee!

Mr. Smart Mouse has been captured. I am dancing a little mouse jig here. hee-hee-hee-hee

Thanks to all who gave their tips. From cheese smashed on the trap, q-tips dipped in peanut butter and lodged on the trap to locking the cats in the closet with the mouse, all of the tips were appreciated to capture the little beast. Cheese dipped in peanut butter was the capturing ticket for this unwanted house guest.

I am still trying to figure out why we have cats! Oh that's right, to pet them when they want petted. To feed them when they demand to be fed. (We have a lovely calico who will ever so kindly swat anyone who walks past her if there is no food in the dish.) To admire them in their sleeping state. To call them so they can choose to come or to just ignore the caller.

Our cats have no interest in the little furry creatures called mice but are mesmerized by the computer mouse on the monitor. They will bat at the computer monitor for hours but shrug off a mouse creature.

All in all I have concluded we have these gorgeous creatures called cats to admire. I have also concluded we do not own our cats but rather we are owned by our cats.

Wollmice er Wollmiese

While waiting for Mr. Smart Mouse to be trapped, I have been busy.

These are my Hartshorn socks. Made from Opal handpaint that a friend from overseas sent to me. Cabling without a cable needle is the best thing since sliced bread.

The Knitting daughter made the pattern marker bead for me for Easter. I love this row counter. Easy to use and very thoughtful of her to make this for me.



Mr. Smart Mouse better stay away from this skein of Wollmeise. It is not Wollmice!
I have been unsuccessfully trying to get a skein of Wollmeise. My friend, Sara, came through for me and kindly shared an extra skein from her Wollmeise Stash. It is Spice Market and I love it. Thank you, Sara.

I am (in)patiently waiting for Cookie A to put her new sock patterns online for this skein.





I composed a letter to Ms. Cookie A.

Dear Ms. Cookie A,
I am writing in sheer desperation. You posted on your blog that your new sock patterns would be posted online at the end of March.

It is very near the end of March. While you may be frantically trying to get the patterns online, I implore that you deprive yourself of sleep and expedite this process. I have a skein of Wollmeise that a friend willingly shared with me and this yarn is screaming to be cast on.

I need one of your new patterns in order to start the socks from the coveted wollmeise. I realize I have notebooks full of sock patterns from wonderful sock designers but I cannot visualize Wollmeise in one of the old patterns. Yes, I know I have recently downloaded patterns but I cannot possibly use one of those patterns for wollmeise.
I have placed an order for more sock needles. Forget the fact that I own many sets of dpns. They are in use. I cannot possibly work on socks in progress knowing wollmeise is sitting here waiting to be cast on.
Please, I am begging that you put your patterns on immediately. My needles are very greedy………
Yours truly, A Sock Yarn/Knitting Addict

p.s. I am giving Ms. Cookie A until April 1st to put the patterns online then I will have no choice but to send the begging letter :)

Check out chanknits page for a contest to celebrate her blogiversary.

Wanted: Preferably Dead

WANTED: PREFERABLY DEAD!

Suspect: Mus Domesticus alias House Mouse

Height: 3 inches not including tail (this is an estimate as I certainly did get out my trusty tape measure to get an accurate measurement)

Eye: Beady presumably black (hard to tell from the atop the kitchen table)

Feet: Pink and Tiny (remember? he was washing them, so I got a good look)

Hair color: grayish brown

BE ON ALERT! This suspect is quick on his feet. He is also very brazen. There have been traps set. He steals the bait and quickly gets away. Very elusive. House cats are useless in this capture.

If anyone has seen the suspect, please report to this homeowner immediately!

Mickey Does Not Live Here

Mus domesticus or otherwise known as "house mouse". While such creature may be adorable in red pants, white shoes and have the name, "Mickey", Mus Domesticus is forbidden from my domestic residence. Unless, of course it has been purchased as a stuffed fabric creature that brings a smile to a child's face.
However, a Mus Domesticus has decided to take up residence in my residence. And no, I don't mean a mouse named Mickey.

Here's the performance so far this morning:

Cast: Caretaker performed by yours truly
Mr. Bettis performed by himself, the oaf
Gypsy performed by herself
Cats? What cats?
DH performed by husband who swears we do not have any mice and refuses to believe that we do unless they come out and announce their arrival by parade, party etc.
Mus Domesticus perfomed by house mouse

ACT I
Dogs want fed.
Caretaker retrieves food bag from pantry closet (you wouldn't want anyone else to feed the dogs, would you?)
Caretaker pours food into dog dish and what falls out with the food? A Mus Domesticus! Or otherwise known as the ordinary house mouse!
Food bag drops to floor.
Caretaker (who is known to be terrified of a mouse) yells..........okay, more like screeches, screams or more commonly known as, going into hysteria!
Mus Domesticus sits there.
Mr. Bettis went up to it as it perched its' grey, little, disgusting self on the dog food dish and that dog proceeds to sniff it. Sniff it? Don't just sniff it, NAB IT!
Gypsy runs around barking because of all of the commotion.
Caretaker tries coax a cat.
Caretaker grabs cat who then proceeds to scratch Caretaker.
Cat jumps from Caretaker's arms.
Mr. Bettis chases cat.
Cat runs.
Another cat arrives on the scene.
Mr. Bettis chases that cat as well.
Another Cat runs.
Mus domesticus is now in front of the antique cookstove trying to hide in the brick flooring. He is, now get this, washing his front feet! He has beady malicious eyes and I'm here to tell you, if he was armed, he would be dangerous. This particular Mus Domesticus is not your ordinary house mouse.

ACT II

Dogs pace floor.
Cats have been successfully chased and are now hiding from Mr. Bettis
Caretaker? Well? She is shrieking uncontrollably.
Gaining composure, Caretaker quietly picks up the telephone.
Caretaker proceeds to dial the DH at work.
Caretaker screams into the phone to the DH that it is his responsibility to protect the domestic residence from creatures. Caretaker also informs the DH that said residence is not Noah's New Ark.
DH stupidly laughs.
Caretaker then proceeds to inform DH that if he kept it up he could find himself alone in the house with Mus Domesticus. As Caretaker explains, said residence is not large enough for herself and house mouse.

ACT III
DH assures Caretaker that he will see if he has traps.
Caretaker informs DH that while he may think he is playing Mouse-opoly, he will not assume that he has traps. He will stop on his way home from work and purchase traps. He will get up each and every morning 15 minutes earlier than his normal wake up time and check the traps.
After being threatened with other actions Caretaker could/would take, DH decides that he will follow through with his job of protecting the residence.
DH is still stupidly chuckling.
Caretaker is going through the house with a pan and knitting needles banging on the pan to keep the Mus domesticus at bay.
Mr. Bettis and Gypsy are outside.
And where are the Cats?

Well, this is Phoebe sleeping soundly. She is the only one I could find to get a picture. The other cat could not be found. She's hiding and sleeping. So much for cats in this house.










I will post the conclusion of this performance as it unfolds. The black bear (Ursus Americanus) has been seen hanging around the residence and I can tell you this much, the Caretaker is more afraid of the beady eyed monster known as Mus Domesticus than the Ursus americanus!