Over on Thumper's Blog...

...I was reading about how there are a lot of homeless in her area and panhandlers. I read about how she trusts her gut instinct on who to give to. There are those looking for handout that don't really seem to need it as much as some others. It made me think about my own gut instincts regarding this subject.
HM gets pissy when I give money away, but I can't help myself sometimes. Even though sometimes there is more month than money in this house, we are NOT poor. We have lots to eat, bills are paid, house is warm, clothes are worn. We are rich in many ways if not financially. Do we have the right to hoard all our wealth (figuratively speaking)? When someone looks hungry and cold, should we just ignore them as if they are nothing?
There is the theory that the person you give to will just spend it on booze or drugs or smokes. Well, jeez if i was them I'd get high too!!! Holy crap..can you imagine being cold and hungry and dirty all the time? Ick!!! Altered state of reality PLEASE!! That said, the dirty bum stinking of alcohol, smoking a fag and also possibly reeking of his own pee, will not get my handout.
One night before French class I went to the Jean Coutou and grabbed a diet coke and a chocolate bar. Did I need them? No indeedy.
Outside was a man sitting on the sidewalk looking cold and hungry and tired asking for spare change. I was gonna walk on by because I had just spent my change and downtown has so many beggars etc.., but then I turned and gave him my chocolate bar. The look on his face was worth way more than that bar cost, thats for sure. Like the sun coming out from behind a cloud as he thanked me very very much. He got something sweet and I got that smile and a warm glow inside in return for that 2 for a dollar chocolate bar.
So my challenge to you, gentle swimmers, is to give. Give what you can when you can, but give. Remember always that but for the grace of the 'verse, go we.

Wednesday and break is 2 sleeps away...

2 more sleeps and then we have a full 10 days off school and waking up early (for those of us whose internal clock is set for noon). YAY!!!
Plans: Well, plans are always good..Actually we DO have one. Richard must see a client in Quebec City so we are turning it into an over nighter at our fave hotel. We leave Sunday , sleep over, he does breakie early with clients , I sleep, then we pack up and head for Valcartier for a day of sledding adventure. Seriously, looking for winter fun? Hit Valcartier, its not just for kids. There are runs I cannot make myself go on for the sheer terror. Husband man did one and won't again(The Himalaya). He screamed like a girl I swear. Valcartier is awesome in the winter AND in the summer its a gi-normous water park that you honestly may need two days to get enough of . We went one day and didn't even do all the rides and really needed to go back but couldn't which totally sucked. The kids have such a great time and the parents do too which is a nice change of pace. La Ronde is great and all but I get sick on some rides so its really not much fun for me. I will never say no to Valcartier in winter or summer. So, looking for a fun winter Canadian trip for March break? Valcartier.
The paint debate continueth: its a toss up between Benjamin Moore's Citra Lime pale green and a pale peach that I forget the name of but keep coming back to. HM say "The green is fine" and then goes off to do other things while I sit there and watch the light change and see how the color looks as time goes by.
I am seriously liking that peach. Its soft and non startling. I can see the green being too much and not soothing but it is cheery and refreshing which a morning/breakfast room should do right? Hard call. Ponderings continue.
I did a few more rows on the sweater. Gosh its looking lovely and so nice to the touch. I hope I don't screw it up. That would totally suck.
Todays schedule is laundry, of course. When isn't my life about laundry? I'm either loading or unloading a machine or folding or hauling the clothes down to the laundry room almost every frakking day. Grr. Thank Gods for TV so's I can watch and fold.. Or listen to Cast On via the 'net. Thats my AFTERNOON plan since I can never get moving in such a direction in the AM. Also HM has demanded that I purchase more Air Sponge deodorisers for this downstairs because he is revolted when a cat goes poo in the boxes and the aroma drifts out of the laundry room. Maybe if I brick up the doorways with Air Sponge deodorisers his sensitive nose would be appeased. Sheesh..like we don't all run for cover incase our flesh peels off our bones when he opens a bathroom door........

Tuesday pictures

I swear I rotated the photos but they won't load rotated and revert to sideways which is ticking me off. I apologise. This a morning time shot of the room and you can see the splotches of paint I chose and now reject. I have a sideways close up of the MacAskill print (Toilers of The Sea) that is the color inspiration for the room..soothing and serene yet cheery. Maybe a light mint green or soft peachy coral color......
The Sweater!! I have a couple of inches on it and the first color work bit is about 2/3 s done. What do you think?? The yarn is Berroco Ultra Alpaca and dreamy in the hands and on the needles.

Monday after rearranging stuff

This is the new view from the end of the living room which is now the dining area. This is my new comfy corner in the breakfast room before we moved a chair into the other corner for HM.

Day 26 and I think I am down another pound ..according to the scale yesterday I was 204. Yes! I will break the 200 barrier by Hawaii. I will!!! Thats my goal and if I do better thats great. Just as long as I break the 200.

HM is doing so well but since we didn't weigh him in the beginning we don't know what he's lost. But upon his weighing yesterday he near passed out. Much heavier than he thought and he felt kinda bad. Friday a client commented that he looked thinner and I looked at him Saturday and the belly has definitely shrunk. He says its the karate twice a week. When he exercises he loses weight easily. He's really lovin' the karate too so thats definite plus.

I finished the socks FINALLY Saturday night. They are far from perfect but they are done and have been worn already! Yesterday at the Montreal Knits meet up I casted on the sweater. Took me two hours just to cast on 180 stitches. I was talking tooooo much. Just ask the girls.

I had the idea to move the dining room furniture into the living room. Why? Because I CAN thats why. But mostly because the dining room furniture is just too big for the room. So, the room formerly known as dining is now a breakfast /sitting room and the end of the living room that was wasted space is now the dining area. I must say we are most pleased with the effect and sitting in comfy chairs, sipping coffee in the sunshine , knitting, and listening to the morning radio show together is really nice! We need a comfy chair for the living room now and a smallish table with chairs for the breakfast aspect of the new room lay out. And maybe some paint or wallpaper. Maybe a rug.... new window treatment.... I sense a trip to Ikea in my future. My Ikea senses are tingling..and I like it.

And now we are Friday

The end of the work week is here. Yay..
Next Friday, the second of March, is the first day of March break in our house. No more early mornings! I always say "Oh, boy now I can do fun stuff with the boys like sledding or going for walks..." but do I? Usually not. A suggestion for going on a walk usually get booed and hissed and by the time I have caught up in my day enough to say lets go coasting they are usually being punished for being hateful. Something that more outside time and exercise would surely reduce! Viscious cycle here? I do believe so.
The sweater I want to knit for Ben and which Ben wants calls for more yarn. Its a simple drop shouldered unfinished edges (they curl) sweater as opposed to the more old fashioned looking ones in my Zimmerman books. Do I buy more yarn or knit the less greedy pattern? I will decide by tonight and because I will be getting out to Effiloche and thats where the yarn is...if there is any left..
THE SOCK: the heel is turned and the gusset being worked. I WILL be finished by Sunday night come hell or high water.
My poor old dog Blossom is sadly neglected these days. Its too cold to go walkies and the road salt is murder on doggie paws. I know I could put boots on her or ointments, but who will do that for me? Its cold outside..I don't wanna walkies. She lazes around all day between trips to the back yard to litter the snow with more..deposits, sneaks the cats food which leads to more deposits, and basically she doesn't get a whole lot of attention because as soon as you do, she is stuck to you like dangleberries on a sheep. And after almost 7 years of her neediness, we are worn down. Husband Man has openly stated that he is looking forward to our dogless days, when ever they come and I am secretly thinking that as well. She is getting older (about 9 or 10 now)and has trouble with the stairs more. Temperment wise one could not ever have a more loving animal. She is the epitome of snuggly dog. She has no clue how to play fetch or any of the usual doggy games. Loves the snow, comes alive in the snow. Acts like a puppy in the snow. The rest of the year she pretty much just slumps around and poops. If we had a robbery she would help the robbers in case they might pet her. She may bark once a week tops and thats to tell me she's there and waiting for me to take her for a drive in the car. Never a peep is made if someone is skulking or there is a knock at the door like some dogs, and trust me, most times I'm glad. I guess we are just itching for more freedom from dog related tied downess and I feel guilty because as dogs go, she is the best dog ever for me. Except I am a cat person.
We lost a gourami fish last week. It had been ailing and finally died. Now a loach is acting ..odd. Less zippy than usual. The water tests are better than ever so I have no idea what the frak is going on now and can only watch and wait. Acting a bit stressed for some reason. Blue gourami and Angel fish are doing fine as is the bushy nose. Hard to tell because if he feels like you're watching him, he hides again. and we are luck if we get one or two sightings a week as it is. I will vacuum tank today and do a water change and see how that suits Loach.
Lets seee.....I have a hair appointment today for the first time since early December. Thats gotta be good. I think I am going to grow the hair out again to make for easy doings come summer.
Thats it for me. As you can see I am not in NS for the funeral of my aunt so I will probably be brooding on that today as well... and tomorrow. But it was a choice I made. Still not sure its the right choice but its made.

Yet Another Not-Quite-But-Almost Useless Skill

Homemade pointy sticks. I saw it on Glampyre and, well, you know I would just have to try it.

More stuff.....

I got some polymer clay today as well as some other stuff I probably really didn't need, at the Dollarama on cheminGascon. Never been in that one and it was pretty ok. I have 3 or 4 pair of knitting needles cut from doweling, sharpened and sanded. Now to make the knobs for the end with this oven hardening clay. The down side? Its not plain, but pre-worked with a pattern for people who are too retarded to make their own designs. I forget the term, but there is one. Anyhoo, I will just ball the whole thing up into ugly messy balls for knobs and maybe paint them later, if one can do that. I could find NO plain old Fimo in this town and don't want to drive to Montreal for something so small.
Also, and this may be dumb, but they had these little engraver pens that take batteries and I thought I could inscribe the measure of the needles on the sides with this gadget . I'm only out a buck if it doesn't work, but how cool is that if it DOES work?
I thought about getting the glass stones and magnets to make fridge magnets that have cutouts from the news paper or magazines on the back to make poetry magnets, but that was just a little too fartsy for me. I enjoy them, but the reality is I won't do it (make them) and will have wasted the time and money on buying the stuff (glass nuggets and magnets). So instead I just wasted the time finding the nuggets and magnets and then left them at the closed cash because by the end of the visit, I'd come to my senses. I am 2 bucks ahead of the game. wow.
Also got zipper bags for my stash to keeps it as moth proof and organised as I can.
Its a beautiful day today, by the way. Practically balmy. When I got home I vacuumed the main floor of the house and the basement. Muuuuuch better. Does anyone else ever vacuum their dining room table or is that a me thing? It was very crumby.

assorted stuff including a rant

I had nightmares about knitting, dieting and exercising last night....
What do you suppose thats about?winkwink
Since Saturday I have had some non allowable food choices snuck into my diet. Today I declare myself back on track.
I was very irked this morning and I really really want to thank my neice Scrappythebear of She Said, She Said for being my outlet. Sweetie, I think you may have saved lives by doing that. Thanks a bunch.
The whole world is kinda making me want to bitch slap it with its stupid crap like, in no particular order of importance: people who comment on my parenting skills and/or my children's non-perfect behaviour as if they made all the right moves when they parented, people that cannot accept that we ALL have frigging issues and are not perfect and just move on, ok??, the fact that we all spend more time talking ABOUT one another than really talking TO (not at one another, but with one another)each other, people that don't LISTEN to what you are saying so that they get your meaning because they are so busy thinking that they KNOW what you are saying and meaning, people that take what they read in the paper or see on TV as the gospel truth without kinda doing a bit of research to see if thats the whole story, people that parrot biased opinions like its is the gospel truth without checking their sources, whiners, enablers, people that cannot take responsibilty for themselves and create excuses, people that don't TRY to be better or do better or make anything better......
There is more but I can't come up with it right now. Also, I am fully aware that I have fallen into any and or all of these categories at one time or another and YES that pisses me off too. I am not on my soapbox and complaining about any one person or group without knowing that I am also that person or group.
These are just subjects that are picking at the scabs of my anger sores today and for that you may thank, in no particular order of importance: stupid people, the world, me, sugar cravings, PMS, winter, air, clouds, that noise my car makes that my husband says is nothing, the ozone layer, melting polar ice caps, my weight, my uterus, hormones, my up bringing, that I woke up today, that I was born.... among other things.
It may NOT be a good idea to put me on a plane back home for a funeral this week. Its just may not be a safe plan..
I feel better. Thank you all for bearing with.
In my gratitude I share with you now my salad:
mixed spring greens, broccoli slaw mix, sliced beets from a can, cucumber, dill and lemon light tuna from a can, a splash of vinaigrette. accidentally I made enough for about 3 people. Am trying not to eat it all.
Yummy and filling even though I still want to eat it all. I wish my family would like it too.
Tonight for supper (for the adults that is) we will have a recipe adaptation for fish and veggies in a skillet. Instead of tilapia we will use salmon. I forgot to buy summer squash so I will add frozen beans etc..or go back and get zucchini and the other summer squash... or not.
The theory of this recipe is that you sautee the veggies and stuff some, then put the fish on top, then cover and steam/sweat the whole thing until the fish is flakable. It may be yummy.

2 pre show pics and bad news this morning

We had excellent seats. For the most part it was a very positive experience. It was a bit long for Ben and he was ready to leave at the end but he did have fun and has talked about his favorite bits non-stop. Anyhoo..I am just too brain fried tired to write more.
I chatted with my sister this morning and found out that my ailing aunt passed away last night. I think she was ready, having disposed of her home and collectibles via auction this past summer. She was open about talking about the cancer and the chance it would start growing again. In 2005 she was diagnosed and not given until xmas, and told chemo would be a waste of her time. She had the chemo, and had another year+ when the cancer stopped. So she saw two more xmases than predicted, and time to settle her affairs, spend some time with loved ones, and say good bye.
My Aunt loved shiny things like diamond dinner rings and depression glass, She loved flea markets, auctions, and romance novels. She talked straight, called it as she saw it, and until she was diagnosed in Fall 2005 she kept a trailer in Florida for warm wintering like her sister Helen and brother in law Stan. She tried to get my mom and dad to come down for a visit too..free room and board and travel to Florida during crappy NS winter time. They turned it down every time. She still had a taste for life and doing, where as my dad and mom, while YOUNGER than she, kinda had settled into being home bodies though my Dad shares her love of reading and flea market bargains (of any kind no matter how wierd or useless.). She had a taste for the finer things like collecting amazing antiques that dealers begged her to sell. Her house was amazingly cool...big big with an inlaw suite for my Grandfather until he passed away when I was a teenager. the rooms were spacious and furnished with stuff that as a kid I found captivating and she shared her Harlequins readily with me when I was young.
Bye bye Aunty Geege. I will miss you even though I didn't get to see you often. Thanks for all you did for me during the University years. Thanks for being funny and quirky and madly attracted to shiny things. Thanks for always having a lust for life and fun even as an older person.

Good bye and have a great time.

Concert Good

Me tired..rocked and rolled all night..cannot party every day. Must..sleeeeeeepppppp.

GIBBER GIBBER GIBBER....

And a gratuitous Monkey shot.

..I am so excited that I can hardly speak..just gibber like an idiot. More so than usual I might add. Why?

Because we are going to the Bare Naked Ladies concert tonight!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOHOOOOO.

I LOVE them with a love that is at once and the same time wonderous..and a bit creepy. And I don't care!! I love love love them so. Since 1992. LOVE!

HM, Ben, and I are going. Now that in itself is a feat of sheer will and determination because work made HM go to Ontario this week. So at 4 AM this morning my guy left the house for the airpot...Ben and I will pick him up on the way to the concert this evening cuz he is flying back this afternoon..then once again he will fly out tomorrow morning and return on Wednesday. Hows that for dedication. I think he deserves a prize. Somebody give him one.

Yesterday was a laaaazzzyy day. Carpet was ripped out. TV was watched. Reading was done and a nap was taken. Lay-Zee.

Today I am so excited I can't focus long enough to do anything constructive yet. It might still happen..hard to say.

Ok..see I am gibbering.. OH My nephew was a back stage coordinator at the East Coast Music Awards this past weekend which is SUCH a cool gig. I am jealous as heck. I watched part of the show last night on CBC but got tired. I called my sister this morning and she said she saw his name in the credits..cool. He coordinated Jill Barber (awesome voice!) and The Divorcees. The Trailer Park Boys hosted which is only right I think.

Ok I have a question:

What The Fuck is up with the whole adding chocolate to cereal??? I have seen a couple of healthy looking whole grain cereals featuring chocolate in the grocery store and just now there was an ad for LIFE cereal with chunks of chocolate.

And we wonder why North America is a continent of bubble butts.........

The Hat She Is Finished

Pay no attention to the nutjob grin on the model's face. He doesn't smile like that. He was being a pain in the arse because I interrupted his TV time.

I didn't fully line the hat because he wanted it done for today. It was amazingly easy to pick up and knit along the edge. If I do another for this guy in the picture, I will add about an inch to the total length/height of the hat because he's whining...I mean... he made the constructive criticism that it may ride up and uncover his ears. The lining goes about half way up so the ears have the double layer of protection. being wool it may stretch out and not do the riding up thing. We shall see because it gets its testing TODAY!

Instructions for hat based on Elizabeth Zimmerman's instructions:

For man's big melon, cast on 100 to 110 stitches (I used a hundred but could have used a few more ) in worsted wool on a 16 inch circular needle (4.5mm). (guage was 5 stitches to the inch but I estimated the sheer enormity of the melon..next time I will measure!!) Knit a tube. When its long enough decrease the tube by your favorite method..I started with a knit 20 k2together but switched to dpn 's after k3 k2tog for awhile and then k1 k2tog until I had maybe 20 or so stitches left. Next time I will knit until I think ready for the k3 k2tog. Then I cinched stitches tight with a darning needle and the wool, fastening to secure on the inside. The top of the hat is not a smooth fit but thats what I wanted..those folds/gathers can help with escaping body heat on the slopes.

Uncurling the cast on edge, I picked up and knit with an alternate color and kept going until about half way up. Cast off, fold where colors joined and secure on the inside. Make model put it on.

This hat has unlimited potential for easy breezy fun knitting with patterns and permutations galore. Goddess Bless Elizabeth Zimmerman!!!!

Day 16

Husband Man has already needed to tighten his belt a notch and a coworker noted his face looked thinner...this after 10 days on the low carb-ish diet I have him on. For me...its the same old same old. Also, after a glorious couple of days with no new acne break out, the monthly hormal thing is happening so guess who has a new break out or 3. BUT I can squeeze back into jeans I wore at Xmas. One pair only if I go commando, but I will take what I can get. Was that TMI?
On the chest cold front...I am sooooo tired all the time. Been napping in the PM when I can and each morning cough up horrid alien stuffs. But other than that I am as right as rain if very cranky with the PMS etc.
I haven't been logging my food and water..but I am being good. Seriously...I am. Really.
Hat: I had to rip it back because I wasn't decreasing right. Now I still don't have it right but really don't care so progress is good. Will finish the outer hat today.
Sock: only a few rows done last night while watching Grey's Anatomy...I Meredith gonna come back from the dead? How can she not??? HM kept making comments at the TV like "Oh right..like ALL the doctors would be in there with her instead of out with patients etc" and I threatened him with a duct tape gag like I do to my Ex SIL, Joyce. I love her but cannot watch medical shows with her because she is a former nurse and critiques everything. Guys! Just shush and let me suspend my disbelief already!!
Kids are good. Ben has a punishment for telling a lie and throwing his supper in the garbage when noone was supervising. Cameron has been pretty good this week.
Monkey is full of beans. One wouldn't know he had surgery by the way he is tearing through the house and attacking all the other pets in attempts to get them to play. He even jumped on the dogs back as she strolled by this morning. Ride 'em, cowkitty!
Today we go do passport paper work and send it in if all goes well. Thats all we have planned.
Tomorrow I will accompany the family to the mountain because apres ski we will go to Friend's cono at Tremblant. How fun!!!! I like these folk so it is no hardship on my part at all. Plus, they are Italian and the food always rocks.
Sunday, maybe will take the boys to see Bridge To Terabithia. We shall see.
Boat news: HM talked to a boat mortgage person yesterday and we can afford a better boat than we thought. Hellllloooo Beneteau. My nerves are shot with the whole worry aspect of reducing our debt but then taking on a boat mortgage, which was part of the point of reducing our monthly debt.... OY! But the Money man (HM) says he has it aaaalll worked out. Summer plans abound and await finalisation and discussion such as day camp opportunities in NS for the kids, etc etc etc.
I think I need a drink.....

Happy V Day.....

......My funny Valentines, and you know who you are. All of you.
My human in person Husband Valentine got me a lovely perfume that I demanded, I mean, suggested. Crabtree and Evelyn Wisteria. I think its purty. My kids like it too. Very fem and girly. Most unlike me most of the time.
He didn't give me any ideas and since he's not into cologne, man lingerie and all that crap I got him what he really loves. Chocolate. A big ass bar of Toblerone with the valentinesy wrapper. then while at the grocery store I saw that new All-Bran cereal that lowers cholesterol, Guardian. It has a big heart on the box AND heart shaped cereal bits. Hows that for love in every bowl?? Plus, since I made him give up sugar and bread he's been really good but misses toast etc for breakfast. Thus, I relented. Hey...its romantic if you think about it...really hard and maybe squint a bit.
Hat progress: decreasing crown. Need to move it onto dpns now because its too small for the circular.
Sock progress: got another inch done today I think.
Monkey progress: he had his nuts cut today and is very tender and careful when walking around but boys oh boys was he glad to be home. I got lots of quality cuddles this evening before he disappeared to wherever it is cats go to nurse grudges and plot against ball stealers. He was also very popular at the veterinary clinic and got heaps of snuggles and cuddles all day. They sent him home with pain medication to be administered once a day. I've had a few cats "fixed" in my time and none got meds to take home for pain. Interesting! I am extra glad I clipped his claws last night, now.
Since I don't feel like discussing the piece of Toblerone I stole or the two chocolate chip cookies I snarfed back, since chocolate is the official food of valentines day, I have nothing further to add. Be well, my darlings, and don't slip on the ice and break your butts. XXXXXOOOO

Day 13

Water: 500 ml so far
Foodlog: 1 cappucino and two coffees
Benefits so far: my skin has cleared up alot compared to two weeks ago!!! Yay small victories!!
Things remain the same mostly. Almost No sugar, bread, pasta, rice, or potatoes I had that apple baba thing last week and an occasional bite of something forbidden like a noodle or such). Lot of low starch veggies and protein at meals...lotsa water...weight is still 209ish..more like 208 yesterday actually. Not much exercise ( I know!! Thats the BAD part) though. Have too many other things beckoning to me..
Like yesterday.. I vacuumed the basement family room, play room, and laundry rooms twice and then mopped the floors to further reduce dust and pet hair. The vac just does not get it all plus there were some spill marks on the floor where drinks had dripped. It looked nice and shiny and smelled better too. Also I openned the window down here and the laundry room door to the yard and had a bit of a cold breeze flowing as I Lysolled those area that suffer from mildew (which was bleached out in the summer). Occasional Lysol spraying seems to help with that so far. So all was fresher down here in the depths of the house.
Monkey knocked puzzle pieces to the floor multiple times and that required lots of stooping and stretching so I worked some squats etc into that chore. Also folded a lot of clean laundry that was waiting and produced more. Knitting was done on the sock ("The Sock" in my mind because it is going to take so long) also.
Hmmm what else..oh yeah. I still feel a bit chest coldy and tired so I had a nap in the afternoon before fetching the boys and making supper. Thats when all hell broke loose but I won't bore you. Suffice to say I went to bed early from being made cranky/disgruntled/emotionally tired.
So thats my days in a nutshell. I could fit the exercise in but honstly really don't want to and for that I have guilt and annoyance at myself for letting myself down like this. Plus I think i am cracking the floor. Eeep.
Today its frigging cold out (minus 23 Celcius this morning) and I have no desire to leave my cozy, less dusty house . The upstairs is still dusty though so I may attack that later with mop and vacuum. And fill the woodbox for the fire.
For the next half hour though, I think I will listen to Cast On and knit on this sock and be happy to do so.
Tomorrow is Monkey's appointment with the Vet for his neutering. Maybe things will settle down a little after that.
Who am I kidding?

Monday Update

Sunday was the Montreal Knits meet up at Cafe Castel and what a great turn out. New faces!!! A very friendly time and I look forward to the next one I can attend. I thank Peggy and Molly Ann for the advice before I embarked on my Fair Isle experiment with the hat I began Friday night while stitch and bitchin' at Effiloche.

The pattern is of a type of Norwegian style snowflake and wasn't toooooo hard to follow. i did make mistakes and had to go back and fix. Some got missed though, as I look at the finished band, but i'm not ripping back that far. Still looks good. I am content with my first Fair isle project. The color in the photo isn't very true. Its actually a dark navy blue as the main colorand a greyish blue in the pattern.

After I left the MKs I headed to Effiloche for YARN (and the appropriate bamboo circular needles). Yes! I made a purchase of delicious yarnage for my first sweater. It will be for Ben and the yarn is Berroco Ultra Alpaca. Deep red/burgundy is my main color and a denim blue heather tone that goes great with it will be knit in as a patterned band across the chest, either in a textured stitch or a color pattern. Not sure yet what I will come up with. I got to play with the swift and ball winder since the yarn was sold in hank skeins , not center pull. Now I have these tidy little wound balls to play with...heeheee.

I'm yarn contented. sigh....

What Would a Real Knitter Do?

I am in a funk. Lush yarns beckoned to me with their luxuriant fibers and sumptuous colors, and I purchased none.
WHY? Because I could not make a decision, thats why. Would I buy superwash wool to craft a sweater for Cameron or Ben? Or would I buy the cashmere, wool, silk blend aptly called Sublime, to make a summer sweater for myself? And how do I hide the evidence of such a large expense of yarnage? Because the good stuff ain't cheap. And someone who makes the money in the household would get a bit pissy at the expense.
No, I fought my urges and purchased the needles I needed to knit HM a double toque.
Feeling kinda crappy today so no knitting took place. Cammie has seen fit to spread the germs of his sudden cold.
sigh. I think a big bunch of luxury yarn would make me feel better.

Day 9....how time flies

I have not been doing my mile because I was busy etc etc...but the eating changes have remained.
So yesterday I drank my water (about 2 or 3 liters)...had squash soup for lunch, had chicken and salad for supper followed by pistachios (the crack cocaine of nuts in this house), a small amount of popcorn, and an apple.
Today:
Foodlog: 1 espresso and one cappucino,
Water: 750 ml
Workout; Probably not because I have a play room to organise/clean and laundry piled up.

Supper tonight is going to be an Eating Well recipe for Ropa Vieja, which is a lowish carb beef stew.
Richard commented last night that it had been a week since he had any chocolate..a record possibly. When he goes out for lunch he does eat carby things but tries to make better choices than before and has avoided desserts. He also admitted that it is kinda hard, no smug "This ain't so bad don't know why you always complained and then fell off the wagon.." comments at all. I gave him a little bit of what for because I have spent longer on this (technically he started on Monday, my day 5) so if anyone should be making comments its me BUT I am very proud of him for doing so well. He really is doing so well and makes no complaints. I hope the changes pay off for both our bodies. I know that even though I have consumed more caffeine thanks to Dirty Babe the new kitchen beast, I am also feeling less fatigue and bloating which I do experience with a carb rich diet. With heaps of carbs in my diet I would still get really bone numbingly tired and caffeine didn't help. I still need to work on portion sizes though. And stop eating when I am not really hungry just feeling munchy. Gum might help.
Hmmm...what else....OH did I mention my Zimmerman books arrived AND the instructions dor the hat I want to make are kinda there... basically the idea I outlined. I may get adventurous and try adding color to it with stranded knitting. Need my circular needle though..could not find one while shopping yesterday. Couldn't find polymer clay either so my homemade needles aren't made either. Grr..
I briefly mentioned the play room plan. Its not very messy but basically you cannot find anything and the organization of it has gone to pot... There is no school today so I will have helpers that are going to sort the communal toys, get rid of some, and organise the rest so that all the Lego are again together, cars with cars, blah blah blah. It WILL be done..eventually.
Tonight I am off to Effiloche and will most likely find my needle purchase THERE and perhaps indulge in some yarnage. I am looking forward to it so much because I really love the atmosphere of the place.

Oh Yummy

Put skinless boneless chicken thighs between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound out until bigger and thinner. Sprinkle with poultry seasoning or herbs of choice. Lay on a paper thin slice of prosciutto. Roll up the chicken into a little bundles. Drizzle lightly with a vinaigrette type salad dressing and Sprinkle with parmesan and bake at 350 until cooked.
Serve with whatever...we had salad.

Two Hour Tidy

The desk area in my dining room becomes a catch all for just about anything. I used it as an area to do my homework when in the Crescent Moon program but it became overwhelmed with everything else. It has been tidied (restacked and pared down) but never fully organized and decluttered until today. The kitchen phone is relocated to here now too.