Sigh

Time flies.
3 hours on the sofa with 2 bottles of wine, candles, and a fire in the woodstove. Snuggling, talking, and reconnecting. Life is good on evenings like this.

Saturday afternoons...

I have wasted away the entire day thus far. I got up late, lounged with coffee and The Debaters on CBC Radio One, chatted with Mum on the phone, read some newspaper, ate, knit, cuddled cat, cleaned bathroom, and surfed the 'net. I am one lazy beotch, non?
Blossom's grooming appointment got cancelled until two weeks plus from now...I may find another groomer. :o( She deserves the attention she gets after she's clean and shaved and non-smelly and non-uber-shaggy and its been a long while. She in full coat and smelliness now, not that she stinks but its just that doggy aroma one doesn't love so much.
Hman is a bump on a log today. All suggestions of outings were met with the same disinterest and blase attitude, yet he was irritable and discontented in the house. He's having a nap now. I think he's still suffering from his burn out. No interest in his usually winter activities like skiing etc. None whatsoever. Its weird and sad.
I casted on my Snowdrift mitten and have cahnged the cast-on to the 60 stitches called for in the hand increases. I think it was designed for little gnomes rather than full growed women. Maybe be a problem and means I coulda made it with a heavier yarn after all instead of dyeing and buying yarns.
Oh well....

Be careful what you wish for....

Tonight I was going on an adventure. With my dear pal I was going to a show called Stand Up/ Strip Down, a stand up comedy and burlesque production. I was excited because I was going with a fun friend and I have never been to a burlesque show. It was gonna be a hoot.
Well, it started out according to plan. Then when I got to the friend's place to pick her up there was no place to park except the side of the street slated for snow removal. No plows were around and I thought I'd have time to leave before they came.
WRONG! We came out and NO CAR. Towed.
So we flag down a plow and askl what to do....he says call the city. So we called and they said it would have been tickete and towed to a near by street but it wasn't in the computer yet and all we could do is walk around and try to find it.
That got tired after about 40 minutes and we flagged a cab, finding the car quickly after that. Then we get downtown, and hour late for the show and there is nowhere to park. No where...snow removal tags were up and we couldn't risk another towing evn though they'd cleared the snow already. We even double checked with the city but the guy on the phone didn't recommend taking the chance.
So we headed back to the apartment for tea and cookies and tug of war with the dog and kitty cuddles and good conversation unti her husband came home from work and I figured it was time to head home, being close to midnight.
So, I was psyched for an adventure....just not the one I got!!

Progress....

I made it through the Weight Loss #1 program on my bike today for the 1st time. Thats 4 miles, baby.
I am proud of me.

How to Stay warm and reduce heating costs

Interesting! An article on Earth Easy http://eartheasy.com/article_stay_warm_save_energy.html

The Power Bill came.....

... and I am now furtively turning down all the thermostats and layering on more clothes. HOLY CRAP! Never seen a power bill that high before.
The plus side of turning the heat lower is that a hot cup of herbal tea will be so much more comforting. Ok I'm trying to put a happier face on this. Its been a cold winter and I got sick of been chilly all the time and set the 'stats at a crazed 20 degrees and left them there...NO SET BACK. The bedrooms were kept cooler of course, but the main floor has been at 20 for 3 weeks. I hope he doesn't catch on that its all my fault. I'm pretty sure that bigger TV has something to do with it too.
I better knit more socks.

Afraid of the water

I watched a documentary tonight about the global jellyfish explosion in the worlds oceans...eeek! I always hated those little mutha uckers but now I am very afraid.....Wild Docs: Jellyfish Invasion http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/wilddocs/2009/jellyfishinvasion/

Hump day not humpin' day

Look at this gorgeous sweater worn in the Joan Of Arc episode of Women Warriors by Lucy Lawless. I love the green and the great cables, the comfy casual look and the lower neck line of the hoodie style. Pattern plz, interwebs!?

Yesterday I had the kids in the school lunch and after school program (known here as "service de garde") and so had the day to myself. I did an errand, gassed the depleted family locomotive device, and went to Marie Michelle's place for a date with her Wii Fit. I was also hoping for some Albie love (I adore other peoples babies when they are such happy little goobers as Albert( pronounced Al-bear, plz)). I arrived and to my dismay NO ALBIE!!! WTF! He and his next eldest sibling were at day care. I did meet the eldest child for the first time but it just wasn't the same.
I do have to say that Wii Fit is very fun and a teensy bit snarky. I'd like even more if it was juuuussst a pinch snarkier. hahaha I did a balance exercise and it asked me if I trip a lot when I walk. HA.
It calculated my body's age as being 9 years older than my chronological age, which I thought was too kind. After a session, it came down to a year younger than my age. So...if I did a lot of sessions would my Mii crawl back into the womb? Anyways, it was a very fun way to try some yoga poses and attempt step aerobics and strength training exercises. UNLIKE video work outs, it allows you to correct your poses and postures to have a greater effectiveness by having you center your "dot" in an area. I thought this was a dandy feature if a pinch distracting in some of that activities. All said, it's a fun toy!
After a lovely lunch I came home, started spaghetti sauce, and took a nap. Last night I biked and this time made it to 3 miles on the easiest Weight Loss program before I collapsed. I distracted myself from the experience by watching a show about Joan Of Arc on TV. Lucy Lawless hosted and she had on the loveliest cabled hoodie. I really liked it (the sweater not the biking)! I am pleased that I was able to push myself to the 3 mile mark.
Baby steps...

Stupid Power Outage

Our new torture device...I MEAN exercise bike the Nordic track 300 or something like that from Sears. Its awesomeness all wrapped up in "Ugh!Sweat! Eeeew..."
I had a big ol' posting about all the fascinating doin's here chez nous, and then the power went off for about 10 seconds. DANG.
To recap: Exercise bike is installed in family room. Verdict: its harder than I thought! I am even more out of shape than Jabba the Hutt. its is sad, sick and wrong to be this weak and I am aiming to remedy that.
Dishwasher needs replacing. Verdict: Easier than thought..it will arrive and become one with the house on Friday between 12 and 5 pm. Thank the gods of home appliances for Sears.
Rhinoviruses: I might have one..Verdict: could be allergies, who knows? whaddo I look like a doctor?
Knitting machine for sale from someone I know and trust. Verdict: Hman won't let me buy it even though I promised many speedy pairs of socks. Poohead. Stupid bills and debt and economic slowdown and being responsible adults.
Knitting on needles. Verdict: still lovin' it. Mom's sweater is almost to the armpits and I await the needles by mail to commence the sleeves. How exciting! My worsted weight house socks are on the heel flap of sock two. All that Jane Austen movie and mini series watchin' is paying off big time. Yeah baby!!! I have terrible startitis and am being strong...won't cast on until Nordic Mitten knit along in February. Its so ahrd to resist the lure of the stash...just a wee cute sweater for my sister's friend's baby girl...ungh..so hard to resist..
That is all. Be well. Live long and prosper.

Thursday

Snowdrift Mittens: A Vintage Paton's Pattern
Lets see. Do I have anything meaningful or important to say today? Hmmm.....nope. Just the usual blather. Sorry but I do seem to be a bit of a blatherer. So dull...so boring...so suburban..so middleaged..Is 41 middleaged? I'm not sure.
The kids are at school and the temperature is not deadly cold for the walk to and from the place of learnin'. Niiiice. They get to blow off steam by doing that walk. Ben came home early yesterday with the shakes and a headache. An hour or so in bed made him feel better. Tomorrow there is no school thanks to a regularly scheduled inservice. As a result, Hman is taking the day off and escorting the wee hoodlums to the Auto Show in the city. They are beyond excited, especially to see the car that can go underwater. This means I will have a quiet time. Yay!
The Oscar nominations were revealed today. Most were pretty predictable but RDJ for Tropic Thunder???! Get outta here.
I went out last night to knit in NDG but the turn out was very small. Thats ok though. It meant that we were able to chat as a group, not many conversations going on at once and people getting left out or having to yell from one end of the table to the other. It was cosy. It was intimate. It was nice.
We had a knit along for january in the Noro Striped scarf. Mine was made for me so I'm not making another. February has been deemed the month fopr Nordic Style mitten knit along and the picture you see here is that pattern I have chosen. these will be a gift for my hairdresser nancy. She is very sweet, never makes me cry, and trims my bangs between cuts and refuses to charge me for it sometimes turning a simple bangs trim to a stylish blow out to pamper me (or to keep her reputation intact? can't have hair like mine be seen leaving the salon...whatever). I will use a dark grey for the dark colour and something in shades of pink and purple for the light colour. Aren't they charming? I can't wait to get going on them.
My friend Audrey got me addicted to the TV show Dead Like Me. Why are such good shows always cancelled? It SUCKS! Only two seasons and its gone. I'm left with issues left unresolved after marathoning through the episodes...did George ever reveal herself to her family? Will Daisy get shuffled off for causing too much mayhem? Will Mason try to mule illegals in his bottom ever again? Will Rube ever reap enough souls to finally fill his quota? Will Roxy shoot someone other than Mason? Thank Gods there is a movie coming out on video in February. I so need the box set.
My dishwasher is leaking worse than ever and the dishes are not getting cleaned very well. It is time to upgrade. So much for being virtuous in not booking a trip to the Bahamas, choosing instead to pay down debt with Hman's bonus. Our choices will be limited to what will fit in the space left by the old one. No remodelling is planned at this point in time. :o(
Will you be watching The Last Templar on NBC this weekend (25th and 26th at 9 ET)? I read the book last year and am surprised to see it as a miniseries on network TV. Wonder if it will be good..... How does Mira Sorvino, Oscar awarded actress, feel about doing a TV mini series? Interesting, non? Or not depending on one's perspective, I guess.
Have a great day.

Things that piss me off # 15,782:

Renting the BBC version of Pride and Predjudice with the scrumptious Colin Firth in order to get my historical drama fix, only to discover upon playing that it is dubbed in French.

HAPPY OBAMA DAY

Isn't this an exciting day? I will be glued to the TV thats for sure, watching the inauguration, something I have never bothered with in the past. It never seemed to matter to me before but THIS TIME is a monumental day.
As for yesterday, I totally copped out on Audrey and cancelled our date. I was just so friggin' tired right down into my bones. I have been fighting off virus symptoms for a week. They come lightly to tease at me and make me weak and then they go again. Scratchy throat, irritated ears, and sinuses. Also, its January and as we all know, I am part bear come January and practically hibernate. I slept for a good 4 hours yesterday afternoon (Hman arrived home early from work to find me and Newnie curled up on the couch, Flash on the back of it, and Blossom next to the sofa on the floor...all of us looking up at him with sleepy eyes. All he could do was laugh at us) and was still into bed and asleep before midnight last night. I am so lucky to have an understanding friend and a sweet husband.
Today it is Tuesday and although I am not working today, I let the kids go to the lunchtime and afterschool program at school. This means they get to play with school pals and I get an entire uninterupted day of peacefulness. It will be excellent and I can watch all the Obama coverage without any squabbling etc. Sweet. And maybe take a nap? Definitely get that laundry diminished....?
On the knitting front: I have used an entire skein of yarn so far on mom's sweater. This is exciting and also scary...will 3 skeins be enough for the main colour? I may need to get another just to be safe because I stll have several inches of body plus the sleeves to do.
Also, some of the gals and I have mentioned a desire to knit Nordic style mittens and so have declared February a knit along month for those interested in our two participating groups on Ravelry, North Shore Knitters and Effiloche's Unravelled Knitters. January was the Noro Scarf knit along but someone knit my scarf as a wonderful birthday gift (I love you, Geeta)so I haven't participated as planned. I will be making the mittens as a gift to my wonderful hairdresser Nancy. Between hair cuts I need to get my bangs trimmed up to 3 times, and she never charges me for it because we are friends and it only takes a few minutes, but its still her time and her skills being used so I am making her some awesome mittens. I just need the perfect patterns..and yarn..
Today I am ordering some Knit Picks stuffs...2 books (Harmony Guides "Knit and Purl" and "Cables and Arans") and some more needles. Yay!!! More pretty pretty needles. I need them to keep the gauge accurate in mom's sweater sleeves since I am using my lovely coloured needles on the body. the Harmony Options needles are the cat's ass let me tell you. Pointy but not TOO sharp, slick but still grippy enough not to lose my stitches, did I mention lovely to behold? LOVE THEM. I have the sock needles set plus some extra 2,75 mm sets since its my most used sock needle size, and at Xmas my darling got me the interchangeable circular set I was longing for and I love them. LOVE them. They are reasonably priced needles, you get 6 dPNs rather than the standard 4 or 5, and they are really nice in the hands. I'm looking forward to recieving my package!

Wintertime Blues

I have been fighting them off, but this last week of incredibly cold temperatures (for me) caused me to stay indoors as much as possible...even more than usual. I got out with my knitting friends but thats at night so no sunlight there. Now it has warmed up to minus 12 and I think today I need a walk or something to shake off the shack wackiness. I haven't worked since before Xmas, don't see that changing, and thats part of it too.
Yesterday to help beat our blues we went to Sears. We wanted to test out exercise bikes. I know I know..."But what about the elliptical trainer that you bought 2 years ago and swore to use?". I hate it. HATE IT. SOMEONE told me that the motion would be like the cross country ski machine gliders. Its not. Its totally running and this little fat duck don't run. NO NO NO. Biking though...now we are talking. I like biking. We tried out a recumbent bike and it was crazy uncomfortable for me because of my short squatty legs and I kept bumping my knees on the center console where the innards of the bike are. The Nordic Track bike with the "Soft Seat" was lovely. Easy to adjust to my height and no bike butt discomfort AT ALL in the time I was on it. Lots of settings and doo hickeys and programs too, like the weight loss program. Its was all Hman's idea out of the blue yesterday when he asked what kind of exercise bike I'd use and if I'd actually use it. We went onto the Sears website and took a peek and then decided to head to an outlet for a test. We had settled on the recumbent but in reality, it was the upright that we liked. SEE? It pays to shop. HA. We're saving 100$ over the one we had chosen before trying them out. We get it Friday I think.
After that we cruised the mall that Sears was in because we had never been in it. We left the kids looking at games and wandered across the hall to look at sparklies (diamond rings). My engagement ring broke years ago and I never got a replacement. Now, to cheer me up from time to time we go and look at shiny sparkly rings and day dream about someday getting me a new one. The problem is I have expensive tastes. I wonder if Hman will ever clue in that I could be tricked with cubic zirconia? I mean, they are very sparkly as well and its not like I'm an expert. I just know the style I like and its always about $5000. The store had a 50% off sale and I could have walked out with something gorgeous but it wasn't what i really liked so why bother. The one I drooled over was 3 nice diamonds in a row set into a really nice sturdy 14K ring. Would suit me to a frikkin' t. If it wasn't priced at over $5000. HAHAHA. While I'm dreaming I wanna pony, and a swimsuit model's bod, and long luxurious hair too... It was fun to try them on though and be dazzled by the sparkle. I was smiling and Hman was laughing because as he put it "You always do that...hone in on the most expensive ring without even seeing the price!! You know I will never pay that kind of money even if its marked down half price!!!!' to which I replied "No I didn't....the most expensive one we looked at was over 6 grand and I didn't like it. So there..I saved you about 500$ ! You should be thanking me and walking back in there to sell your soul and get me that ring! ". Oh the fun and games we play.
On the way home we decided that neither of us wanted to cook and so it was Chinese Buffet for supper at Chateau De La Lune. YUM. The kids were thrilled...they suckered Daddy into a game (that they are supposed to reimburse him for)and also got to eat out.
This morning went relatively smoothly. Cam had his usually litany of Monday Morning complaints...sore throat, headache, blah blah blah.. but Ben ACTUALLY got ready on time for a change and that meant no yelling and threats and tears this AM for which I was so grateful. Hugs and I love you's were dispensed instead of smacks and "So help me"s. Wonderful. I wish I could bottle easy mornings and store them up for future use so that every morning could be loaded with hugs, kisses, and I love you's instead of the urge to throttle and "I hate you! You're the worst mommy ever"s. I know it passes and when they get home at lunch its all better but I hate when we have those awful squabbles in the morning and they leave angry and hurt feelinged and I am SO GLAD to see the back of them. Yuck. Not what one bargained for in the parenting gamble. I'll take 'roses and sunshine' for 500 , Alex!!

Lets see...on the schedule for today is laundry laundry and more of the same and Audrey is coming over to knit and visit this afternoon. Yay!

January 18th

My kids are driving me up the effing wall. Bicker bicker bicker whine whine whine! ARGH!!! I just sent one to do homework and the other to occupy himself in his bedroom away from electronic devices such as TV and computer.
Work commenced on my mother's sweater. Its so pink..ugh. Dusty Rose rather, or as I like to call it "Old Lady Pink". I've done the ribbing at the bottom and am well into the stockinette body. 15 inches to the arm pit from the bottom, and then I get to cast on sleeves, for which I do not have the needles (Harmony dpns in 4mm and 5mm...a 16inch 5mm circular would be handy too, but not a total necessity). I will order them at the end of the month/beginning of February.
Newman is as wonderful as ever. Hman has encouraged bad behaviour such as biting and scratching in play and they have a terrific time, but I DON'T enjoy having my hand shredded by those now sharp claws. I haven't been trimming Newman's claws so that he can climb his cat tree, but I think I will have to start again no matter how much he hates it.
I finished one heavy sock and need to rip it back out, at least the toe area. Just not satisfied with it since I forgot to do the toe in off white like the stripes and heel, and also I knit too far for gradual decreasing and I don't like the fit. Ripping it back 2-3 inches and redoing the toe will fix that and make me happier so I guess I will do that tonight.
I am very dull today, huh?

More photos....

Boxing Day (see the hat on the baby? My work, finished Christmas Day night and dry by the time people arrived on Boxing Day...whew! A teal like Rowan Felted Tweed and an alpaca blend in tan and a PERFECT fit) and back-at-home winter fun. If you have a cat and don't have a cat tree, you are missing some cool acro-catics.

Newman is nutty for the thing, regulary zipping up to the ceiling and then launching himself at the diningroom table, and Miss Kitty has a fondness for its scratchybility and the lower shelf perch. Flash, as ever, is unamused.
We got it at Walmart for about 50$ and its been money well spent.

More Photos

Boxing day in NS with Family and friends, and my Newman. Look at that face...irresistable, non?

And now with photos..........

We have birthday loot (mine), Cammie's bday cake, hot tubbin' in NS and xmas morning smiles.

Its 2009

It has been for a week but I'm not the fastest horse on the track, know what I mean?

No real news except I have broken my own personal record for completing a sock: 2 days! I casted it on Saturday night (60 stitches with Opal 6 ply), knit ALOT on Sunday, a bit yesterday and finished 'er up tonight, casting on sock 2 right away. They are for Cammie as he is hand knit sockless although I have knit more socks for HIM than anyone else...the damn child's feet just grow like crazy. I have seen him fit into socks when I finished the first and have them be barely fitting when I finished the second! These one's may actually last the winter. BooYah! Ben still wears his first pair I made (second pair I ever made)in January 2007 and he fits into the socks I made for Cam last year of which i spoke above...they were really nice ones.

We are being warned that a snow storm is coming over night. So far we have been hits pretty easily in the snow department which makes my snow meltdown last month a bit premature and undeserved (maybe). PMS will do that to a girl. That and smirky snow plow drivers....grrrrrrrr.

I am going out tomorrow and investing in a baby gate for the laundry room door because my disgusting dog eats cat poo from the litter boxes. She spewed cat poo vomit all over the family room floor Sunday morning and has been suffering from noxious gas emissions, and as a grossed out family, we have had more than enough of her disgusting snack habits. NASTY. Why didn't i buy a gate before you ask? Cuz I kept forgetting thats why, especially when we were down to two outdoorsy cats that prefer to do their bidness outside. Now we have a 3rd cat of the more litterbox friendly variety and Blossom thinks she's died and gone to Cat Poo Buffet heaven...and yes I do sift the boxes frequently but she has a better sense of smell than I do and beats me to it. NASTY NASTY DOG!!

School started back today and it was blissfully quiet and angst free here Chez Nous once the kids were out the door. I almost cried with the relief.