My dear friend "rose" gave me my birthday present a little late. First off, it was wrapped in some beautiful fabric that I can make something out of, tied with real ribbon that can also be used.

Inside there was:

Knitpick Wool of the Andes Yarn - 3 of the Sapphire Heather, 1 Black Cherry Heather, and 1 Amethyst Heather. Gorgeous, gorgeous stuff.

There was also:

Sensual Knits by Yahaira Ferreira.

I have to tell you, this made my sucky day so much better, I can't even tell you. I have had so much crappy and when I get these little bolts of happy, I find myself fighting tears - grateful tears.

So now I am giddily considering the prospects of knitting a fab coat from my new book, and this gives me more incentive to go to the yarn fair in September (thanks for the tip, Karen @ Shall We Knit?).

I showed my sister in law the new book and stash (memo to self: take photos to update ravelry stash info) and now she wants to knit more than ever. Rose wants to coordinate some time with me her and my sis in law so we can both teach her how to knit. They both have more than that in common and I believe they'd get along famously, so I'm trying to figure something out that works for all of us (and then there's the equal challenge of finding a day where my health does not prevent me from enjoying my time with them).

Anyway, no need to get in that, I just wanted to crow about my treasures.

Being stuck in the house for the majority of my time has caused me to develop an Etsy problem. I've made a few purchases (which I am very excited about!) and have been surfing. I came across THIS father's day card, and I curse that I don't have the Y chromosome to pull it off. Because ha and HA. I actually giggled reading it.

I couldn't sleep well last night, no matter what I tried to do. Intermittent pain and nausea made life super extra fun. S didn't come home until 4 am because he had to work overtime, he was exhausted and more or less plunked down onto the bed and immediately began to snore. Which didn't help the not being able to sleep thing. Eventually I managed to doze off by itemizing the things in my house, one by one, until the banality of the task finally set my brain synapses on shutdown mode. Hey, you do what you can, right?

If anyone knows of any sightings on ebay or elsewhere where I can get my hands on a boatload of knitting supplies on the cheap, please let me know. I left most of my favorite things at the hotel back in March when I went with my daughter & mother, and the hotel staff has cheerfully not only refused to mail it back to me (even at my own expense) but it appears as though they have just tossed it out altogether. The manager was appropriately apologetic and offered me a discount on my next stay, because I was appropriately pissed off and gave him a polite but angry earful. I am REALLY good at complaint politics, and while I am heartbroken (I was almost finished my octopus!) I can't say no to discounted hotel stay (and it's a significant amount).

Back in April I got S the first 4 seasons of CSI (among a boatload of other things, because it was his 30th this year) for his birthday. We have slowly been plowing through them, skipping the ones we'd seen or sometimes re-watching them. We finished up and then he couldn't stand the idea of having to wait for the next giftable event to receive the next, so he went out and bought Season 5. So I've been watching them when he's sleeping, and vice versa. I've seen a LOT of season 5 on the telly but I don't mind re-watching, plus I have this illness where I actually *like* listening to commentaries on DVD.

So now I'm going to go fall asleep to that, or try to at least.

Can somebody wake me up when the Democrats get their acts together? Until then I'm on strike from the news because enough is enough.

So below is a photo of GIR in all his glory. I had to frog the arms once (forgot to change from blue to gray on shoulder part) and the tongue twice (the pink yarn I used is thicker gauge than the worsted used to make his body) but all in all, I think I did pretty swell!

Tonight was a meeting for K's first communion. It was the typical blar blar blar. I nearly fell asleep during the video, no joke. Then I talked Hammer into taking a spin with me through the drive-through of Tim Horton's because it beat her freezing her knickers off while talking with me in the parking lot. Apparently there is drama going on in the other Gr 4 class that doesn't involve either of our daughters, which suits me fine and is a nice change from the norm. However it also makes me pretty sad - ugh. Already, it starts.

My Dad is leaving for Brazil this weekend. He'll be gone for a while so in the meantime I have to keep an eye on my mom and her healing up etc. No word on what is going on yet, but I remain positive.

I have had serious bouts of insomnia, probably brought on from the stress of dealing with family member dying and my mother having issues.

Tomorrow I go for breakfast with Sir T, an event I am looking forward to because frankly I miss chit-chatting with him. Ok. Enough posting, I need to take a hot bath and uncoil all the tension. Breathe deeply. Wax on, wax off, Daniel-san. That sort of thing.

Ciao.

Today I:

- Managed to get the kids to school on time, in spite of all of us sleeping in.
- Got out of having to actually answer the phones by offering to take training on a certain aspect of the job I haven't learned yet
- Had to borrow the fil's car in order to get a friend from work so she could come over and make a soup to be judged tomorrow for entry into the "Soup's On" thing
- Comforted my daughter resonably when on the way to fil's house she tripped and fell all over herself, getting mud all over her new jacket and favorite jeans.
- Got the friend from work and got to show the kids my workplace. They were delighted that I had not only their photos up, but little things they had drawn for me were on display as well. It is one of those things that drive the point home to them that even when I'm at work I'm probably thinking of them.
- Made some kick-ass garlic cream soup. I can't even tell you how awesome it is.
- Disbursed a great sweet n' sour sauce recipe
- Got in a huge fight with my son when it was time to take friend home, as he wanted to finish watching a show. The words "I hate you" and "I wish you would disappear" came out of this boy's mouth. A bar of soap was considered for entry into said mouth but I decided to let it go. When we got home he mentioned he had had a really bad day and was tired and sorry and didn't really mean anything he said, etc etc. Man oh man. I didn't expect to hear that until they were into their teens. Isn't parenting fun?
- Got home and ignored the dishes in favor of sitting down with the kids and a book. Showers already had and pajamas on, you could see the remnants of a cruddy evening just uncoiling from them and releasing.

The really big thing I did all by myself:

- I managed to configure our wireless router so that all PCs in the house are now connected wirelessly. I also managed to set up an encryption for the wireless access in order to prevent others from reaping the benefits of our connection. I did this all by myself, within about an hour. I don't want to tell you how long today my S tried to get all this done. It was enough hours that a lot of swears were said when I told him I had it all figured out and working.

As a result, I am typing this from the comfort of my bed. Hurraz for progress, I guess.

Ok, time to finish up the last bits of GIR so I can stuff it and give it to sisterinlaw. Cheers~

For the first time ever, as in ever in my entire life, I bought a lottery ticket for myself yesterday. I don't know what impulses were working there, but it just seemed like the thing to do.

I'll let you know how it goes.

I am so sick and damn tired of snow it isn't funny.

In other news, I'm knitting GIR and I just finished one of his arms and realized I forgot to switch to grey after doing his shoulder in blue and now I'm all flustered and angry and I realize I'm going to have to rip it out but I just finished the damn thing and doing a four-string I-cord on 4 separate needles is HARD do you hear me????? The gad danged needles keep slipping and ARGH! If this weren't for my sister-in-law I would have done with it and feed the yarn to the cat already.

*heave*

*sigh*

Ok.

Today is the last day of vacation for the kids, and frankly I'm glad because they are driving each other and as a result ME up the bend. They stay at grandma's while I'm at work for the 5 hrs a day I'm required to go in, but the minute I'm home they are like rockets, ROCKETS I TELL YOU around the house. But ANGRY ROCKETS that shoot laser beams at each other all the damn time but the laser beams in this scenario are sharp pointy YELLING WORDS.

I have that stupid damn Amy Winehouse song stuck in my head and it won't go away and I want to gnash my teeth.

To end this post on a happy note I found out yesterday that one of my co-workers is having a baby in July. This is happy news because she's had some real trouble not only conceiving but managing to keep a baby in her belly over the 3 month mark. So hooray! I'm very glad for her as she is the type that truly wants a million kids and stuff.

Ok off to make breakfast for my family. Ciao.

Ugh. SNOW! Freaking. Snow.


Sigh.

I can't seriously be the only one that hates this weather.

In other news... my friends are going through the same hoops that S & I had to go through last year to get a Wii. Hopes up, hopes sunk. Hopes up, hopes sunk. Lather, rinse, repeat. My sister-in-law is doing what she can to help, and I assured them that we didn't end up getting one until Christmas was practically in our laps, but it got done. Still, I know how it feels to be in the uncomfortable position of simply not knowing if it will happen or not.

Speaking of sister-in-laws, I am knitting her a green version of the Jayne hat, taking a break from the sweater I was knitting because while it's beautiful, the lady who wrote the pattern was off by a few things and I had to do a lot of patch-ups where she missed stitch instructions etc. I figure it out but I need a breather. All that's left is the sleeves, and a hat is a pretty quick knit nowadays. I couldn't have said that a year ago - it took me a month to make my first hat - but now I can whip those up in a heartbeat.

Ok off to shovel the rest of my driveway and uh, go window shopping I guess?

Ciao.

I'm so excited! I finally got my invite to Ravelry!

For those of you not in the know, it's like facebook, but for knitters/crocheters. Because it's still in beta mode, you have to sign up to be invited. It took about a week or so for me to get my invite but boy am I excited! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

So because I'm crazy and also still not feeling well, watched V for Vendetta last night. After the brief power outage, that is.

Lights went off, the kids went a bit squirrely, and insisted we all camp out in my bedroom (I got a new bedroom set, by the by, and it is ten different kinds of awesome. S & I painted the room as well and now it feels like a refuge, which is incredibly important to me in ways you cannot imagine).

It's fucking SNOWING. Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh. I am so not prepared for this crap already. Sent the kids to school in winter jackets, hats & mitts, but lo and behold their boots simply do NOT fit. So guess who's shopping for boots this week? Not an easy feat when your daughter fits into a ladies' size 7 boot. Thank god flats seem to be in this season, I could not imagine spending a zillion dollars on flat boots simply because the only kind available are the super expensive sporty kind (which is almost what happened last year).

I want to go knitting shopping this weekend, although my darling S would say that it is crazy talk, and why do I have to have all this damn yarn, etc. Except that this mission is actually a mission to help Hammer learn to knit fair isle style, and therefore this is a purchase for the greater good. Is it my fault that in the process I will end up with a kick-ass skirt at the end of it? The greater good.

S really loves it when I rationalize things like that. Our conversations like these usually ends up with him laughing at me because I say it so seriously, like our life is a sit-com and I'm just churning out the lines. And he's my personal laugh-track. I haven't taught him to go "Awwwww" at the really sweet moments yet, but I'm sure we'll get there.

My cousin Lola just called & my uncle is doing much better, though he's hardly back to par, there's a long way to go there. I miss her.

Ok time to go do... stuff...

I'm not actually sick. I just have that Queens of the Stoneage song stuck in my head.

I want to knit this so badly I can almost taste it. It is beautiful and just the type of thing I would wear. I just need to find the right kind of yarn.

You would never know I got paid this week. Stupid bills. And signing C up for Guides. And a million other things. Siiiigh.

This just in: I have not fallen off the planet. I have just been extremely busy.

Wedding went over well, I was given many compliments no my role as MC so hurrah for that. Got to see some old friends I haven't seen in a long time, and scored some chocolate from Geneva - woo hoo! S got along famously with JD which was both hilarious and a relief. It makes things much nicer when boys get along. They bonded over food of all things, which I suppose is the typical Portuguese route.

Helped my sisinlaw make props and decorations for her workplace - they are having some sort of "stars" promotional event, so we decked the place out like an Academy Awards extravaganza. I had the brilliant idea to get some cheap Ken dolls from the dollar store and paint them gold, and prop them on stands. Voila! Instant Oscar. All of her employees are dressed up in formal wear for the event as well. It looks fantastic and she got a lot of compliments from their district manager, so she's happy happy happy.

School is in session next week - I can't wait to get back into routine. I love autumn, have I ever mentioned this? It's may most favorite of the seasons. October is my favorite month (ergo getting married in October) but in general I love the fall. The air just seems sweeter and full of promise. It is a time of new beginnings in a lot of ways, and to me it is the true mark of the beginning of a year. And school supplies. I cannot get enough of new school supplies. You thought my shoe fetish was bad - it doesn't hold a candle to the absolute need to get new school supplies. And I haven't been in school in a long long time.

Got the kids their back-to-school gear this weekend - phew. There goes all that extra money I was making doing overtime. Oh well, it is money well spent as far as I am concerned. The kids' shoe sizes multiplied over the summer. C is in a ladies' 7!!!! K is a size 4 boys which is ok by me, at least it's still easy to find shoes his size. C on the other hand - it is very hard to find something that isn't either a bajillion dollars, or comes with a six inch heel. Honest to Pete. Can't wait till winter... siiiiigh.

I should really be doing laundry right now but I'm sort of skivving off from it at the moment - there is so damn much to do around this house to set it back in order, and I'm just too tired from not sleeping enough lately. So I keep picking things up and putting them down again, wondering where to start. I realize that is a piss-poor way to make a wuss attempt at cleaning, but today I really don't care, so neener neener.

There was a mothers' get together last week that I missed - judging from the photos I missed a VERY good time. I'm sure the opportunity will come again though.

There's also something about autumn that makes me want to knit more. I have been scouring knitty & magknits to find a new project. I'm thinking about this because it is so fabulously ugly and crazy, how could I possibly not want to? Everyone should have a caution tape scarf, n'est-ce pas? I'm sorely tempted to make these for the kids as well. Who doesn't liken their kids to Thing One & Thing Two now and again?

Ok, I really must be going now. Laundry. Yes. That.

I drink much more than I ought to drink
Because it brings me back you...

I've had a strong craving to get very, very drunk, if only so that I can shut everything off for a while. Went back to yoga yesterday after taking a break last time around - my body was still in too much pain then. Yesterday was no different and I found myself having to take breaks between positions as my hips and lower belly region are still tender. Sisterinlaw was there as well and we went out for a light meal afterward, and then I hung out at her house a while. Talked a little, cried a little. She's also going through some rough things right now - March is a very hard time of year for her as she is still putting to paid her grief over her ex's death. I'm trying to think of something to do for her, take her to some distraction. We'll see.

A friend of mine is getting married in August - the 25th, to be exact, which is my father's birthday. While I'm happy for her, at the same time I think she's crazy to be planning it so soon - especially since she's marrying a Portuguese lad. You need at LEAST a year to plan those types of weddings. Part of the reason they are planning so soon however is because she is wanting to have another child, but wants to be married first. Her son from her first marriage will probably be terribly put out about that - he was more or less King of the Mountain all this time, and has had some trouble adjusting to two new step-siblings. A new baby in the mix would be pretty disconcerting, although in my deep down parts I admit that it (and a good spanking) is something he has had coming for a while now. This kid is trouble with a capital T - mostly because my friend lets him do whatever he wants and lets him walk all over her because she doesn't want to discipline him. Her first husband was pretty abusive and in her mind discipline = abuse - I'm sorry, but for some kids the corner isn't enough. Especially if you don't enforce it. What's hilarious is, she's a babysitter full time. She has no issue whatsoever with the kids she babysits - enforces good behavior, puts them in corners or timeouts or whatever - it's just her own kid.

I finished M's baby blanket, brought it to her and she loves it of course. She's getting antsy - only 6 weeks to go! I'm excited for her, but it's a little bittersweet. I choke that part of me down, because practical me knows things turned out the way they did for very good reason.

I am going stir crazy though. I need to get OUT - and can't really because S is on afternoon shift this week again, and while I could take the kids with me (and frequently do) I need ME time very badly.

C started taking violin lessons a couple weeks ago. She's actually pretty good at it, and about it. She practices every day without any prompting; partially I think it's because she wants to catch up to her friend's level. The teacher is super nice, and clearly knows what she's doing. Her methods make sense to a degree - Suzuki teaching is a much different structure to anything I've really been exposed to, but the theory is solid.

Hey you know what? I'm tired.

And yes, I'm aware that I complain too much.

Also, for an odd change, my email inbox yielded no new messages this weekend. Kind of creepy actually.