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!

Sock update!

I have officially overcome sock crisis #1! I went to use the restroom, and when I came back, Munchkin 3 had my sock in her grasp. I'm using the Magic Loop method to make my sock. She had ripped all the stitches off the one needle and had frogged about half the row. Now, this might not seem horrible to a more seasoned knitter...but to me? AAAAAARGH!!! I think I got it fixed with minimal sock damage. Here's a progress update:


It's coming along, slowly but surely. I haven't had as much time to work on it as I would have liked, but that's okay. Once we get moved in and settled, things should go faster. Don't forget to thank a vet!

We're in Colorado!

Wow, is it beautiful here! I haven't been able to concentrate on how pretty it is, because I had a helluva time trying to find us a place to live. That's all over now though. I found us an apartment. It's smaller than what we wanted and is an apartment, not a house...but it's a place to live! It's also in a great spot for us, which is good. This is what I have to live with for the next few years:


Horrible, huh? LOL The snowy one is Pike's Peak. It's not a great picture, but you get the idea. Well, off to put the kids down for a nap. Don't forget to thank a vet!

Sad days and a sock

We are leaving for Colorado in less than a week, and now it is time to start saying adios to the great friends I have made here in Texas. It seems that all of the original "Hoodies" are going there own way. One went to San Antonio, another went to Fort Bragg, we're going to Colorado, and another is staying here for a bit, then headed off to bigger and better things also. Then there's my best friend, Angel. Last night we had dinner together for the last time. She gave me the most beautiful necklace and wallet (which I will take pictures of and post later). We laughed, we cried...and we cried some more. They are headed to Georgia and off to much better things. Her hubby will be stable for 3 years, so no deploying. They really need the break from the deployments. Last night is when I realized why people remain friends, even after moving away. I've never really had a close friend that I stayed in contact with after moving. The only person that I would have kept in contact with is the hubby, and he comes with! Angel, on the other hand, is a different breed of friend. She's there when you need her, and not when you want to be alone. We've been through a lot over the past 3 years. She was there when I had Brooke, and through my pregnancy and the birth of Kaelyn. She helped me through my first deployment and kept my mind of the second. She is someone who will always be important to me, and I can only hope we are stationed together again soon.

Now, before I start crying again...LOOK AT MY SOCK!

I know, it looks familiar, doesn't it? Well, I frogged the first one that I had attempted and went with a different pattern. This time I'm doing The Humble Sock Goes Toe Up by Nikki Burns. I'm having a much easier time with it than the last pattern. I did yarn overs for the toe increases because I just wanted to learn the "how-tos" of sock making. For the next sock, I will definitely do another increase. I knew it wouldn't look great going into it, so I'm not that upset.

Well, off to have lunch with another great friend to say another farewell. Don't forget to thank a vet!

Complete insanity!

OMG! We move to Colorado in just over a week and haven't started packing or even found a place to live yet. It seems that every place we call about that we like has just been rented out. At this point I just want ANY house! We were pushed down the housing list for on post housing, which is dumb as hell.

On a bright note, I got the baby hat done for Munchkin 1's teacher! She loved it. The blanket turned into a burp cloth, since I ran out of time. I don't think she minded.

Well, time to go pack up the kitchen. Hopefully this means no cooking until we get to CO! LOL Yeah right. Don't forget to thank a vet!

Things to be grateful for

Life has been absolutely wonderful! The hubby has taken on a new role at work, and he is succeeding at it. I feel better about myself and have been working on taking better care of my body and mind. We have a few fun things coming up, like Field Day at munchkin 1's school, then her birthday this weekend. They're all getting sooo big! I decided to cut the baby blanket I was making for munchkin 1's teacher short and turn it in to a burp cloth to go along with the hat and socks. Time just got the best of me! Story of my life. LOL Anyway, I'm working on the border right now, so when it's finished I'll post pics here and on Ravelry. It's going to be so cute! This is my first time picking up stitches, so I hope it turns out okay.

Oh! We'll be moving to Colorado at the end of June. We decided to wait a couple weeks longer before making the move to cut down on the time that we'll be without a house up there. We're waiting for post housing to open up, so we'll see what happens! Hopefully we aren't living out of a hotel for months. That would be an adventure. Well, time to finish the blanket/burp cloth. Don't forget to thank a vet!

Blah

Today is just one of those pissy days. I had plans to do some shopping after the hubby got home from work, but that might not happen now because he had a craptastic day at work. It's not his fault, but I was kinda bitchy about it which makes me feel bad. The kids have been fighting with and fussing at each other all day. The stress of the upcoming move to Colorado is starting to weigh on me. I got a call today that said we might not get a house as soon as we had expected. Now it's back to looking for a house we can afford and hoping we find something very soon. There's still an entire house to pack, load, move, and unpack. I'm so looking forward to Colorado, but at this point I'm just over it. *sigh* Hopefully things will work out soon so I can stop stressing and focus on more important things. Blah. Don't forget to thank a vet!

Best Mother's Day EVER!

Yesterday was just a fantastic day. My hubby wished me a Happy Mother's Day first thing in the morning, then watched the girls so I could go out to dinner with friends last night. He took care of dinner for them on his own and made sure they were bathed and ready for bed before I got home. Then as we were lounging on the couch and talking, the doorbell rang. Standing at the door was a man holding these:


Aren't they gorgeous?! It was the perfect ending to a perfect day. Don't forget to thank a vet!

Wow, a month?!

Holy crap. I was doing so well updating this blog for a while. Then the hubby came home and that all went downhill! :) He's been home for about 5 weeks now and life has been just glorious! We went to NC for a week which was fantastic. We hadn't been home to NC in about 2.5 years. It was so great to see everyone and just have fun with friends. There was also some great news from friends and family up there. The hubby's mom is getting remarried, and she seems to be really happy. One of our best friends is FINALLY having a baby, after trying for a really long time. I need to get on the ball with knitting up some presents! I've done almost NO knitting in the past month. There's only about 6 weeks left before the munchkin gets out of school, and I still need to finish her teacher's baby blanket, hat and socks. Eeeek! There's just been a lot of distractions lately...and there are more on the way! Like this:


That is my new lathe and super pen making starter kit from Penn State Industries. It has everything you need to get started making pens, including the lathe, accessories, and enough blanks and parts to make 40 pens & pencils! Woohoo!! We just ordered it last night, so it will be a few days before it gets here. The hubby has a woodworking workshop out in the garage, so this will let me spend time with him without being in his way. I'm going to con him into making me a lathe table. :)

Well, I think that's about all that's new right now. I'm going to try to keep updating, but no promises as to how often. Don't forget to thank a vet!

So many updates!

Sorry I've been away for so long, but it's been for good reason! My husband is HOME! Yes, home. As in here, in my arms. Okay, not at the moment, but you get what I'm saying. :) It is so awesome having him home. He finally made it home on March 16th after being in transit for over a week. The wait was horrible but sooo worth it! Here's a quick shot of the sign I made for him:


Nice, huh? That's over 70 feet of homecoming goodness. On a sad note, the wind ripped it down before he got to see the whole thing, but he got to see pictures. We had also made a couple other signs that he got to see.

Since my husband has come home, we've started doing a lot of reorganizing of the house and cleaning. We're moving to Colorado in a few months and trying to condense our stuff to as little as possible! I took it upon myself to reorganize my knitting needles. I have the KnitPicks Options interchangeable knitting needles. They used to come in a book that looked like a planner, but then they went to a plastic storage case. I like the book idea, so I bought one. Unfortunately it wasn't as great as I thought. The book was a bit too small for what I wanted and had some zipper problems. So what did I do? I went to Walmart and bought THIS:


Here's an inside shot. Each set of tips has its own spot, plus a place for cables. I even have my sock circulars for Magic Loop in there! Check it out:


I am so in love with all the pockets and places to put things. I have the pattern for the socks I'm working on in the front pocket on the outside of the case. It even has some paper for jotting down notes and a pen holder, since it was originally a planner. The handles retract so I can stick it in my purse and have ALL my needles at my fingertips! Except for those that are tangled up in other projects, of course. LOL

Speaking of other projects, check out my first pair of socks! The pattern was written for toe-up, two-at-a-time Magic Loop, but I am only doing one at a time to learn. Here they are in Mermaid Lagoon:


Well, that's about everything for now. Soon my hubby will be getting his workshop together. I'll be sure to give you the tour and show off the fabulous things he makes me. Don't forget to thank a vet!

Waiting

My husband should be home in a few days. Yes, I said DAYS! We were hoping for a certain date, but I was told today that there was a sandstorm. They may not have been able to fly out, which means that they'll be here later. I still haven't heard from my husband, so I guess I'll just have to keep waiting. I'm really hoping to hear from him sometime tonight and for him to tell me he was able to get out of the country.

There's so much stuff left to do. I still need to clean the house and finish signs. However, I'm having a hard time getting motivated. I'm afraid that if I get everything done, his homecoming will get pushed back. Plus, I work better under pressure anyway! :) Back to work. Don't forget to thank a vet!

Busy, busy, busy!

Eeeek! We're getting so close to Homecoming! The husband should be home in less days than I have fingers. Woohoo! I still have a house to scrub, laundry to do, food to buy...all kinds of stuff. I received my order today, and the Imagination sock yarn I got from KnitPicks is even softer and more yummy than I had hoped! I just placed another order for some odds and ends and some more yarn, this time in Unicorn. Wanna see? Here it is:


Isn't it so girly and awesome?! I might make the girls some socks, but it'll probably end up as another pair for me. :) Well, back to work. Don't forget to thank a vet!