Ooooh, pretty!

Look who has a new blog layout! It's not exactly what I had in mind, but it's way better than what was here before. What do you guys think? So, I made it to Day #2 of my 30-day goal. I'm pretty impressed. :) Yesterday I mentioned the fact that we recently bought a house here in Colorado and promised a few pictures. Check out what we have done to the kitchen. This is what we started with when we bought it:





Yeah, pretty crazy, huh? We bought a foreclosure, and the previous owners had totally stripped the kitchen. They took the cabinets, appliances, sink, light fixtures...everything. That's okay though, because I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted in my head and that was just less demolition for us to do! So, after painting the walls and buying new, well everything, this is what we have ended up with:





We still have some things to do in there, but for the most part it is done. I love everything about it! Our next big project will be the lawn. We have next to no grass, which really sucks...especially for the kids. Okay, especially for me, because I have to do dusty laundry every day!

So, what projects do you have planned?

On being a slacker and having goals.

Yes, yes, I have been the ultimate slacker. Here it is, 2010, and I haven't even posted a single thing to my blog. Well, that's about to change. For the next 30 days, I am going to post something every day. I've been thinking a lot lately about how much of a procrastinator I am. For example, my super-wonderful-awesomely-amazing husband's blanket:



According to Ravelry, I started it all the way back in October of 2008. It was supposed to be a present for our 5th wedding anniversary. As much as I love this man, this blanket is just not one of my favorites. I love the pattern, love doing cables...but each row takes me 15-30 minutes to do. Now, if I just sat down and did 1 inch every day, I could be done with the darn thing in a little over a month. But no, instead I look at it while I'm knitting him a hat, or think of it while I'm knitting a new pair of socks for one of the girls. Well, last night I finally pulled it out and worked on it. The smile he had on his face was enough to make me want to work on that blanket 24 hours a day to get it finished! So, guess what I'm going to be doing today? LOL You guessed it!

Oh, and guess what? WE BOUGHT A HOUSE! Yup, you heard me. Maybe if you're lucky, I'll show you a few pics of the remodeling we've done so far and share some of my ideas for it tomorrow. Don't forget to thank a vet!

Almost 2010

There hasn't been much going on lately. We did the Christmas thing for the kids, hubby is taking some leave from work to spend some time home, and I'm still working on school stuff. I'm really trying to finish hubby's blanket, but it's just so time consuming and tedious. I know he'll be excited to see it finished though!

We've been thinking about buying a house here in Colorado. We really do love it here, and we're ready to finally buy a house instead of rent. We're hoping to pay off some bills with our tax return, then buy. I guess we'll see how that goes. We've been looking at new furniture and trying to get ideas for remodeling. I can't wait to finally buy a house and get to doing some projects!

Well, that's really all I have for now. There's so much that is about to happen, it's really exciting. I just wish it would hurry! Don't forget to thank a vet!

Realm of Empires

My husband has been playing a game he recently discovered on Facebook called Realm of Empires. He is a fan of RPGs, but usually doesn't go for MMORPGs, like World of Warcraft and the like. He really likes the Elder Scrolls series and games like that. However, RoE seems to be different. In RoE, you create your own village, recruit a military, and build up your buildings and defenses. There are different realms (he is currently playing on Realm 4), and each village is run by another person. The game is played in real time, so your silver mine is always producing, and you are always vulnerable to attack. There are also rebel villages that can be attacked and plundered of their silver. If a player remains inactive for 14 days, their village is considered abandoned, and it is easily looted.

Realm of Empires promotes a social approach to gaming. In one of the beginner's quests, it is encouraged that you join a clan. Joining a clan is an advantage, as they can provide support, both in money and troops. Most of the larger clans require that you remain active in their forums, and each has their own set of rules of conduct. The clans have alliances and non-aggression pacts (NAPs), so it is important to read the overview of each clan before deciding who to join.

Another unique part of RoE is that it allows you to decide how much (or how little, for those who work a lot or have other obligations) you want to play. A person can play on a single realm and only check their village once or twice a day to build their empire. A person who wants to play more can have a village on multiple realms and join an active clan, allowing them to play to their heart's content.

I know that hubby enjoys the graphics, but I have to show how nice they are. Instead of being campy little flash cartoons (think Farmville), the graphics in Realm of Empires are more refined. For example, here is an example of a village that has been built up quite a bit.:



In the above photo, you can see that each building has a number attached to it. This allows you to easily see what level each item is, so you can recognize at a glance which need to be worked on. It's quite different from a starter village, isn't it?



Another thing that I love is the fact that it is real time, so the village changes with the time of day. Remember the first village I showed you? Well, here it is at night:



My hubby really enjoys playing this game, and whatever makes him happy makes me happy. Don't forget to thank a vet!

Veteran's Day

Today is Veteran's Day, so I want to take the time to thank each and every person who is or has ever fought for our country. This holiday has special meaning for me, as I am a military spouse, and as such am constantly surrounded by the most amazing people doing the most amazing things. Especially my wonderful husband, who has given up so much to join the Army and fight. He's been deployed multiple times and is gearing up for yet another deployment, this time to territory that is unknown for us. Every time he leaves it is hard on him, hard on me, and very hard on our 3 little girls. But they know their Daddy is a soldier and has an important job to do.

Many people don't know why we celebrate Veteran's Day on 11 November, so I'd like to share with you this article I found that explains it:

Back in 1918, in the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, a stop to hostilities was declared, ending World War I. An armistice to cease the fighting on the Western Front was signed by the Allied powers and Germany.

President Woodrow Wilson immediately proclaimed the day "Armistice Day," kicking off the annual commemoration on November 11. But over the years, with veterans returning from World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day — a day reserved to honor veterans returning from all wars. But 11/11 still represented the end of the Great War in the public's mind, and the date stuck.

In 1921, unidentified dead from the war were buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., Westminster Abbey in London, and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The tradition to honor those killed in the war but never identified continues every year in the U.S. The ceremony is held at 11 a.m. at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

Congress designated Veterans Day as a legal holiday in 1938.

For those of you who don't know, the picture at the beginning of my post is of the 4th Infantry Memorial at Fort Hood, TX. We were stationed there for 4 years and left in June. Keep those injured and killed in the recent tragedy there in your thoughts. It's hard enough sending your loved one off to war...we don't need to worry about their safety at home too.

Don't forget to thank a vet, today and every day.

Eeeeeek!

Okay, this is going to be short and sweet. I am freaking out! My mom will be here in just over 12 hours for her visit, and I need to CLEAN! There's laundry to be done, bathrooms to clean, and I still need to vacuum all the dog hair out of the cracks in the couch so she doesn't smother while sleeping in the sofa bed. Gaaaahhhhhhh! Time to crank up the iPod and tackle one room at a time, I suppose.

Oh, and I seem to have lost one of my freaking awesome Pasha stitchmarkers. Wahhhh!! I don't know where it could be! I'm hoping to find it while I'm cleaning the living room today. It was on my needles, but it must have slipped off when the girls were moving it around. *sigh* Oh well, time to clean! Don't forget to thank a vet!

Excited!

October is over, and now November is here. This year is just flying by. Some exciting things have happened lately, or are about to happen. First off, Munchkins 1 & 2 started Learn to Skate on Saturday! It's so funny watching them learn to ice skate. Bella did really well, and was even standing up on her own after falling down by the end of the lesson. Brooke...well...she really liked being on all fours and acting like a puppy. :) At least they had a good time. I just hope that Bella gives more of an effort next time. She tends to just give up when she can't do something the first time, and it's rather frustrating.

Another super exciting thing that's happening is Mom's visit! It'll be her first time to Colorado. I can't wait to have her out to visit. This will be the first time she's been to visit us since Kaelyn was born. We've been out there, but it's so much fun when she comes to us. She'll get here on Thursday, and I CAN'T WAIT! Well, I think that's about all for now. Lots of cleaning and laundry to do before Mom arrives! Don't forget to thank a vet!

Buyer beware, but I don't care!

Today I received my very awesome Reebok Authentic on field jersey in the mail. I got it off eBay for $50 (including free shipping), even though they retail for $300 everywhere else. Well, now I know why. Can you spot it?


If you are a true Steelers fan, you will realize that Polamalu's name is the wrong color. Rather than being bright Steelers gold, it's a more light brownish/dark gold. I can't really complain, because I got it for 1/5 of the retail price. At least it's not #43 with Ward's name above it or something! LOL At first I was pretty disappointed, but now I'm okay with it. I mean, I have an authentic jersey that I would have never been able to afford...even if it is a bit off. That just makes it unique, right? At least I can show my Steeler pride! :) Don't forget to thank a vet!

Look what I got!

I got the most amazing stitchmarkers from Weeones in the mail today!  She made them based off pictures of our Anatolian Shepherd, Pasha.  I think they look amazing, and I am sooo thrilled to death to have them!  Eventually I would love to have her make some more for me in other poses, and I would also love these pink woolly ones.  What better way to have my own flock of sheep than to have pink, fuzzy ones!  So, are you ready to see what I got in the mail?  First, a picture of Pasha:

Now onto the stitchmarkers!

Here's one on the Unicorn socks I'm working on, for size comparison.  Those are US 2 (2.75mm needles).

Don't forget to thank a vet!!

Birthdays, football, and more!

First of all: Happy Birthday Joey & Kaelyn! I'm a day late, but we were celebrating and just having a relaxing day at home yesterday! Yup, the hubby and our youngest daughter share a birthday. I woke him up at about 2:30 in the morning 2 years ago to wish him Happy Birthday, then told him it was time to go have a baby. After a lot of moaning and groaning, he finally got out of the bed, and I got to the hospital at about 8cm dilated. :) Nah, we weren't pushing it. Our youngest (and last) daughter was born about 30 minutes after we got to the hospital, and things have been all peachy since. Well...as peachy as life gets. LOL

On to football. The Steelers won again today, which makes me SUPER HAPPY! Something else that makes me super happy is my wonderful husband. His unit is having a day at the end of the month where the soldiers can pay a few dollars in exchange for being able to wear a jersey to work. If they don't participate, they have to wear their dress uniforms. We are avid football fans, but we've never actually bought any jerseys. So, being the wonderful wife that I am, I hopped on eBay to find a Dolphins jersey for the hubby. I found an orange Jason Taylor jersey for him, but we lost it at the last minute. I felt really bad and started looking for another one. Then, hubby utters the magic words “Why don’t you buy a Steelers jersey. I’ll sport that and then you can have it after.” :) Cue ray of sunshine as the heavens open up and hubby just one-ups my awesomeness. LOL I am now the proud owner of a Troy Polamalu home jersey that should be here in a week or so. Eeeeeek! I’m so excited! I was looking for any player’s home jersey, as I didn’t care which one I got. Getting one of my top 4 choices is just icing on the cake! My first choice would have been a Heath Miller jersey, as Heath just doesn't get enough love for his total badassness. There weren't any Heath jerseys within our price range, so we had to go to the number 2 spot - which just so happens to be a Roethlisberger/Polamalu/Ward tie. Whose jersey is the lucky jersey that gets to come live with me? Drum roll please...Troy Polamalu! Woohoo! I'm so excited! He is such an integral part of the Steelers' defense and team in general. Hopefully it will be here in a week or so.

I finally took some pictures of my recently finished knitting projects. I also started my first pair of 2-at-a-time toe-up magic loop socks. Whew, that's a mouthful, huh? LOL I'm making them for Isabella's Crazy Socks Day at school. So far 2AAT is pretty awesome. I'm excited that I'll be done with a whole pair when I finish, not just 1 sock. Ready for some pictures? Of course you are! First is my finished Column of Leaves hat:


Yes, I know, it's awesome. :) Next is Isabella's hat:


I know it looks like she's in trouble with her nose in the corner, but she's really not! Speaking of Isabella, here's the beginning of her Unicorn socks (Unicorn because I'm using Imagination sock yarn from KnitPicks in the Unicorn colorway, not because of the pattern name.):


Well, I think that's about all I have for right now. it's time to go pack lunches for tomorrow, then hit the showers with the hubby! Woohoo! Don't forget to thank a vet!

October!

I love October so very much! It is my favorite month of the entire year. October is like the kick-off of our celebration season. The hubby and our youngest daughter both have birthdays in October. On the same day! Then shortly after that is Halloween, which is always a fun time. November brings a visit from my mom this year, which we are looking forward to so much! This will be her first time to Colorado. She's going to have a blast out here. After that comes Thanksgiving and all the yummy treats and food I'll be making. Then...Christmas!! This family celebrates the Santa-Christmas, not the Jesus-Christmas. So we will be decorating the house and tree, making presents for each other, and just spending time together as a family.

Colorado is just beautiful this time of year. The leaves are turning marvelous shades of gold, red, and orange. Our oldest is taking a trip to a nearby pumpkin patch with school next week. She is really looking forward to that!

On the knitting front, I recently finished my Column of Leaves hat, along with the Trio of Hats I was making for the girls. It turns out the oldest doesn't want her pink hat anymore, which is fine because I made the youngest's hat a bit too small to cover her ears. So she will get the pink hat that the oldest wanted me to make, and oldest will get another one. The hat she asked for sounds like it will be a bit hideous, but if she wants it, I will make it. LOL I'll get some pictures of my Column of Leaves hat taken tonight when the hubby gets home so I can update Ravelry and post them here, along with a link to the pattern.

Well, I guess that's about it for now. My fingers are a bit too cold to type right now. I think I need to go cast on for the convertible mittens I want to make!! :) Don't forget to thank a vet!

An AMAZING Opportunity!

Wow - this just blows my mind! It is the chance of a lifetime for a fiber lover, animal lover...anyone who would love to have their own herd of Angora goats. Susie from Martha's Vineyard/Hudson Valley Fiber Farm is hosting the most incredible giveaway I have ever heard of. You have to write an essay detailing why you would love to have your very own small herd of Angora goats. Make sure to include why you think you deserve them and what facilities you have to help care for them (how many acres of land you have, etc.). Did I mention that she's also throwing in a custom-made run-in, courtesy of Sand Creek Post and Beam?! To get all the information, check out Susie's blog post HERE. Just in case something happens to that link, it's http://www.fiberfarm.com/2009/09/a-mighty-big-giveaway. Hurry!! You only have until September 16th to submit your essay!

If you win, make sure to send me lots of pics of your new furbabies! Don't forget to thank a vet!

September already?!

Holy crap! I can't believe it is September already! Labor Day is on Monday, and that practically marks the end of summer. Quite a bit has happened since my last post. The hubby had his ACL surgery on August 27th. All went well with that, but he was in a LOT of pain. Luckily, it is starting to feel better. His physical therapist says that his knee is healing very well.

We also got word that one of the pictures we submitted to the Anatolian Shepherd calendar of Pasha is actually going to be used! How freaking cool is that?! If you want to get your own copy, go HERE. They are only $20, and the proceeds go to a great cause.

Lets see, what else? Oh, I finally finished that second mitten for K. I just have to take pictures of them. I finally started B's hat. Instead of going to mittens after her hat, I think I'm going to do Iz's hat first. I also might look for a pattern for a scarf that has a place for hands, rather than making mittens for the girls. I'm not sure yet...guess we'll just have to see what kind of magic Ravelry holds.

I'm also looking for a job. I applied for one that I really want, but I don't know if I'll get it or not. Hopefully I'll finish my coursework with M-Tec by the end of next month and can start doing transcription. At this point I'm just ready to be making some money!

I think that's everything for now. Don't forget to thank a vet!

Second mitten syndrome

Most knitters have heard of second sock syndrome...the dreaded curse of not wanting to finish the mate to that wonderful sock you just knit. Well, I am having second mitten syndrome, and it's horrible! I've been working on winter gear for the munchkins. So far I have finished K's hat (that's a Ravelry link) and a mitten. I still have to finish the other mitten and start her scarf. Then I have to do everything all over again for B and Iz! Not to mention that I want to start the hat and scarf for myself soon! Hubby has also decided that he wants a new hat. I think we're going to make a trip to the LYS so he can feel some yarns and decide what he wants and in what colors. I also really want to make a Steelers scarf for game days, but that's kinda on the back burner for now.

In other news, Iz started Kindergarten last Tuesday! She had a rough first morning. I thought that she'd be fine since she had been in Pre-K for 2 years in TX. It's totally understandable though. New state, new school, new teacher. She's been doing really well. She seems to be a bit ahead of the curve since she has had 2 years of Pre-K. They are going to be doing testing soon, so we'll see how that goes.

The hubby has surgery on Thursday. He has a torn meniscus and torn ACL. We've been waiting for this to be taken care of for a long time now. I'm glad it's finally being done. In 6-12 months, his knee should be almost back to normal. It will never be 100%, according to the orthopedic surgeon, but that's okay. Anything will be an improvement over now.

Well, that's enough rambling for now. I'm going to go back to drooling over MacBook Pros. I'm thinking of making the switch to Mac. Now to save up the money to buy a new laptop! Don't forget to thank a vet!

Dog park fun!

We've been going to the Bear Creek Dog Park on Thursdays and Sundays to let Pasha have some off-leash time. It is SUCH a great park! She really likes it, and the girls have a great time too. It's a good way to get some exercise too. Here is a pic from our latest trip:


She was nervous about the water at first, but now she's a regular water puppy! We actually submitted this photo (and a few others) to an Anatolian Shepherd calendar. We're hoping that she will be included for next year. How cool would that be?! Don't forget to thank a vet!

Completion!

Yaaaay! I can't believe my socks are actually finished! There are quite a few things that are far from perfect, but I like them. I tried something different on each sock to get an idea of what works best for me. I think I like a sewn bind off better than binding off the way I normally do. However, I think I did the sewn bind off a little too loose. I had to redo the bind off on the first sock, and it still turned out almost too tight. I was worried that the second would be too tight, so I went really loose. Also, I almost ran out of yarn on sock number 2! So I didn't get to do as much ribbing on the cuff as the first sock. That makes it not stay on as well. I also need to do the ribbing with a smaller needle, which I don't have. Luckily I ordered a smaller needle from KnitPicks yesterday, along with some more yarn, so my next socks should tun out a bit better. Ready for some pictures? Here we go!




I'm really excited about my socks! I think next will be some socks for the girls out of KnitPicks' Unicorn. I'm also going to be making them all hats, scarves, and mittens, along with a set for myself. The yarn is on its way, so hopefully I can start soon! Don't forget to thank a vet!

Birthday goodness

Happy 3rd birthday to my adorable little Munchkin 2! She requested a green cake with pink flowers, so this is what I made her:


It's not worthy of Food Network Challenge or anything, but it's made totally from scratch and I'm pretty proud of it. It's been quite a while since I decorated a cake, so my skills are definitely rusty. I'd kinda forgotten how much I enjoy baking and decorating cakes. Might have to remedy that! Don't forget to thank a vet!

Hiking and a finished sock

We've been doing some hiking lately. On Saturday we went to Silver Cascade Falls with the munchkins and hiked the trail. The girls did a good job with the hike, considering it was about 0.7 miles round trip and a 198 foot climb. Pasha did a great job on the trail also. We were expecting her to be a bit more rambunctious than she was. Wanna see some pics? Of course you do!



On the knitting front, I FINISHED MY FIRST SOCK! Woohoo! I can't believe I actually finished a sock! There are some changes that I want to make to the other socks I make, but at least I have the basics of sock construction down. Well, kinda. LOL Here's what it looks like:



Well, off to go cast on for the mate to my first sock! Don't forget to thank a vet!

Making changes

I've been playing around with the colors of my blog. I'm not sure I like it yet, but it's getting there. Also, check out the new gallery for finished objects on the lower right. Believe me, I can't take credit for it. I got the code for it from a link on Ravelry to AliceInDilbrtlnd's blog. She's the genius behind it, and I hope she doesn't mind me stealing the code and tweaking it a bit to fit my page. That's all for now. :) Don't forget to thank a vet!

Whew!

We are finally moved and and somewhat settled in our new place. It is smaller than we were hoping for, but it will work for our first year here. We got Munchkin1 all signed up for kindergarten. Luckily the school right across the street is a great school with full-day kinder! Apparently that's hard to come by around here? I just have to get her in to the doctor for a shot, and she's all set! We have pretty much unpacked everything, although we are still trying to find places for a lot of stuff. This place is about 200 sqft smaller than our house in TX, so it's a squeeze.

I haven't had time to knit AT ALL since we moved in. Between the unpacking, cleaning, kid wrangling, and trying to get schoolwork caught up and finished, I've had NO time to myself. The hubby went back to work yesterday. Sometimes I take for granted what an amazing help he is to have around the house. I was able to get sooo much done while he was home and watching the girls.

Speaking of school, I am trying to do the rest of my program in the next month and a half! I have to work on it from dawn 'til dusk if I want to get it done. I'll probably have to get an extension though. :( It's my own fault for not pacing myself. I am a total procrastinator, so this really shouldn't surprise me.

It's time to get back to work, I suppose. Don't forget to thank a vet!