Strange

I just had the strangest experience. I went to the gym for my yoga class and made a pit stop into the ladies room. As I was closing the door I heard a phone ring. Better yet, I heard someone in the next stall answering her phone. I assumed the only reason anyone would answer her phone while peeing would be an emergency. Nope, there she was discussing hair color or some other inane subject while we all went pee and flushed. I guess I should not have been surprised that she didn’t wash her hands.

Speaking of yoga class…I remember Yarn Harlot once blogging about how she would get competitive in her yoga class. I can soooo understand this! I see people who are older or heavier than me and they can get into a legs-over-the-head pose and I think that if they can do it then I should be able to. I also didn’t realize how far I had come until I stopped for three months. Bending over ain’t all it’s cracked up to be :-) So, I celebrated my inability to put my legs over my head and kiss my ass by eating a giant Milky Way!

Not much longer

We leave for Nebraska a week from yesterday and the baby is due next Friday. We are getting a little more excited but know that there is still a lot ahead of us.

You’ve probably noticed that I haven’t mentioned this adoption very much. The last time we were matched with a birthmother I expressed some frustration with the state’s archaic adoption laws and was publicly criticized for it. I’m sure the bitch opinionated person thought they were helping me but since they had no clue about the intimate, personal details of our situation they really had no right to critique my feelings. This time we are sorting through some crazy birthfather laws and will have our future hanging by a thread for many days after the birth. I have kept this frustration to myself. With all the pressures of an inept attorney and trying to support the birthmother I don’t need to deal with someone who insists on telling me how I should feel. I don’t mind someone sharing their experience if they do it out of concern and not cruel intentions. I don’t think this person is capable of that!

Anyway, on to happier things. The baby is going to be a boy. If she doesn’t deliver on the 24th she will be induced on the 27th. We are scheduled to leave for San Antonio on the 1st but will likely have to change our plans due to the legal waiting periods we were not aware of when we booked the tickets. We are very excited about going back to San Antonio but I know it is just going to make coming back here even harder. Charley contemplated sending me to SA alone (to save a little money) but I think he is afraid I will claim squatter’s rights and never leave; he knows that my friends will hide me! Packing has been interesting. I have to take both shorts and a snowsuit for the baby. I think we will end up shipping our igloo clothes home because I doubt we will need scarves and gloves in Texas.

I am itching to cast on a new project. The endless 2x2 ribbing is killing me. I swatched some Sonata yesterday to use in a Baby Cashmerino pattern but I really needed to use a size 3 needle and my only size 3 is bamboo. Cotton and bamboo are not a good combination for me! I didn’t even make it all the way through the swatch. I’m just not sure what I should buy because I need and love a super pointy tip. The other day I came to a realization of how much I have learned since I first started knitting. I pulled out my 16” Addi Turbos and couldn’t work with them – I had to use DPN’s. I thought back to my first time using DPN’s and how I frogged the little hat about five times before it hit the wall, needles and all. I never thought I would see the day where DPN’s were more comfortable than a circular. I’m pretty sure Big Boy is glad I got the hang of it too because he doesn’t really like ducking!

Rain Rain Go Away

…And don’t come back until I move away! It rains about once a week here. Normally I would not mind this but the school behind us has bad drainage on their parking lot, which means we have a pool of water in one section of our backyard. I say pool because Annabelle has made it her place to play. And, judging from the footprints on my carpet, she isn’t the only one!

The situation at the school goes farther than the drainage. Anywhere between 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. we are roused from our bed by the sounds of the trash pick up. The industrial trash pick up. The banging and clanging of a giant metal bin. Last night the weather was perfect for open windows, that’s until the 3:45 a.m. wake up call. I’m not sure what woke me – the sound of the metal or the sound of the elephants running for the window. I know what you are going to say – this is preparing us for the baby. However, the crying child is expected and they will eventually sleep through the night. The shaking of the house is not expected! And it won’t go away for another four years!

Speaking of four years – Big Boy has just been full of good news this week. Apparently we will be here for four years instead of the promised three. Then, he threw this conversation at me last night:

BB: Did you say we were having leftovers tomorrow night?
Me: Yes
BB: Why?
Me: Why what?
BB: Why are we having leftovers tomorrow night?
Me: Because you are going out of town and said you didn’t know what time you would be back.
Big Boy gets a look on his face that tells me he wants to say something. I start to think that it had better be good or he was going to get a frying pan upside the head.
Me: Just say whatever it is you want to say.
BB: Well… we are having an office Thanksgiving party on Friday and I forgot that I signed up for garlic mashed potatoes a long time ago.
Me: *shooting darts with my eyes* Well, at least you are giving more notice than last year. Do you have a place to warm them up if I make them on Thursday?
BB: Um, I don’t know. I think so.
Needless to say, I will be making potatoes early on Friday and carting them to base because I can’t very well make his co-workers eat cold mashed potatoes. Last year it was 7:00 p.m. on Thursday when he announced that he needed a fruit salad for Friday morning. I think he remembered to remove the price tag from the tray I made him purchase at the supermarket!

Just Shrug it Off

We haven’t heard anything on the contract. Our realtor says the family is still thinking. Could they think a little faster?

The shrug is done! This ended up being both easy and fun – a combination that doesn’t happen very often. Please excuse the fact that I am wearing the sweater over a blue sweater. I promise it was just for the photo – I am not fashion challenged! Details:

Yarn: Highland Wool from Elann in Claret
Needles: 9 & 10, Crochet Hook and Cable Needle
Pattern: Noro Kureyon Book No. 18, Pattern Y743. This is my bootlegged pattern that I got from the LYS. The Knitting Fever representative didn’t know that the pattern was printed in a book so he sent it to the LYS for free!

The directions are not terribly clear and need a little interpretation. The back is knit from arm to arm. Each arm is 16” and the back is supposed to be 28”. I ended up with 31” on the back so I had to rip out and settle for a 29” instead. It is a little big but once it is on with a long sleeved shirt it should fit fine. The edge is done by picking up stitches along the back and knitting in the round. The pattern calls for 2 repeats of the cable pattern and then 22 rounds of ribbing in the size 10 needles. I thought this would make it too big and floppy so I did 2 extra repeats of the cable pattern in the size 9 needle and then 10 rounds of ribbing on the size 10 needles. There is a crocheted edging so I had to learn a little crochet. It is a chain three, skip one, slip one. This didn’t translate into the directions I had for crochet so I had to improvise – I think!

I also whipped up this little hat on Sunday. Can you see the little leaves on top? And yes, it is posing on top of a wine glass. It is done in Knit Picks Shine Sport. I was very surprised that Big Boy let me make it – he put his foot down on the pumpkin hat! The weather is still in the 50’s in Nebraska so a cotton hat will be fine and we won’t all have to dress like snow bears. I did a couple of swatches for the baby tart hat from Knitty but just couldn’t get it to work out for me.

Now it is on to the Angelina jacket. I managed to get the exact gauge the pattern calls for but I am really afraid this is going to be huge. The down side to this pattern – endless rows of 2x2 ribbing on size 5 needles in a DK weight yarn. So far I have 22 rows done and it has taken me several hours to get there. This is going to be a LONG project!

A quick post

I am working on a post with photos but in the meantime... we may have an offer on our house... so, say your prayers, cross your fingers, cross your paws or dance around the daisies... whatever you do. We had a note on our showings account but we have not heard from our realtor yet. It has been a long weekend of waiting :-(

Big Boy knew when he married me that life would never be dull. About once a week I do something stupid to prove it! A few posts back I mentioned the spasm in my back. Well, it is actually… let’s just call it my very lower back. The other night I got into my tub… doesn’t it look romantic?

I had a magazine to read…

Then, Big Boy brought this in…
Normally I wouldn’t mind some company but Calvin had been outside…in the rain… are you getting the picture, or should I say smell?

Well, it was just a small distraction from my relaxation. I could deal.

I figured that a little generic Icy Hot best finished off a nice relaxing bath. It would certainly help the muscles. Um, here is a tip kids, never use Icy Hot on hot skin. Just as Big Boy had finished slathering me it started to burn. I don’t mean nice comforting warmth! I mean someone poured a pot of boiling water on me burn. So, there I am screaming about my “lower back” being on fire while Big Boy tries to figure out how to stop the burn. Nothing worked! Cold washcloths just served to hold in the heat. Big Boy fanning me just annoyed me. Finally he made me go lie on the bed and he turned on the ceiling fan. Calvin joined me on the bed. Not out of love and comfort but because Big Boy had brought me some ice cream. In our house ice cream makes everything better. When it finally cooled down I was numb. Yep, numb.

Because that wasn’t enough to undull our lives, yesterday the fence guy FINALLY showed up and while digging for a post he nicked a power line. Normally this would not be a big issue but it was raining. I turned off the items that would suck a lot of power and we contacted the power company. The prospect of my house catching fire wasn’t nearly as urgent to them as it was to me! Three hours later the power company showed up. Um, they sent the wrong guy. He had to put in an order for a crew to come back today to dig a hole in my yard so they could suck out the water and splice the line. He assured me that my house would not catch fire but we could possibly lose power before the night was out. Not to worry, they would send out someone else who could run a line from our neighbor’s house to our house so we could have power. I informed Big Boy that if our house caught fire I would be leaving for my house in Texas and he was welcome to join me if he wanted. At that point I didn’t particularly care where he lived while stationed here!

The fear of leaving my dogs alone in a house that may burn made me stay in all day. Since I didn't want to overburden our electrical system I sat and knit. I finished the shrug and today I have to sew the sleeves (I have to have natural sunlight to sew - I'm weird). It is really quite cute! I also swatched for the Angelina sweater. I am so excited to cast on!

Can I get an AAAAWWWWWEEEEE?

This is how I took out my stress last week…

The Baby Kimono is from Mason-Dixon. It is to keep our little critter warm – should he ever get here!
Yarn: Lamb’s Pride Cotton Fleece (I love this yarn!) in CW-590 Lapis. Good thing I didn’t mix it with another color though; the blue bled like crazy all over the towel!
Needles: Um, can’t remember. I think a size 6 maybe.
Accessories: I used two little plastic snaps on the inside to hold the whole thing together. The button is just for decoration. I think I bought it at Hobby Lobby ages ago.
I think I might have enough yarn left to make some little socks!

The sweater is from a Mac & Me pattern.
Yarn: Only Stretch from Schachenmayr in white, blue, green, orange and purple
Needles: Sizes 8 & 9
The sweater is in a size 4. The pattern was super easy but not for a beginner. The author of the pattern sometimes states that you are on the RS but that would only apply for a smaller size; in the size I was making I would actually be on the WS. This was a really quick knit! I still have to make a little tie for the front. I think I will make small I-cord in orange or purple. The sweater is supposed to be a gift for a little girl.






For those of you who are turned on by the novelty of fall, here is a photo of a tree in my backyard. We had a frost last week and it made most of the trees turn. Good thing Big Boy found the yard tools because we are in need of a raking. The downside to the pretty falling leaves, the dogs can now see all of the birds and squirrels hanging out in the trees and they are determined to have critter for dinner.

Unfortunately this week is not starting out any better. Frankly, I am sick of attorneys. They wonder why they have a bad rep…well, I know why.

Fun Stuff

In the past week I have run the gamut of emotions – sad, tired, frustrated…

But, who could be sad watching this…


Or this…

I’ve decided to start a new Meme. If you were on Survivor and could only take one luxury item, what would it be? For me, Baking Soda – you can brush your teeth, bathe and treat wounds all with one box! In times like that it is all about function.

So, if you want to play along, consider yourself tagged.

Oh Crap...

Hi all. I am still alive and nearly well. I have managed to put my lower back into spasm therefore not allowing me to bend over. I guess this means that unpacking boxes is out of the question for a while. That really sucks since the garage is still full and we are missing stuff inside the house… hmm… wonder what’s in those boxes marked Christmas Decorations :-) My parents taught me that letting other people do the work is for lazy people so it is hard for me to sit here and watch those boxes collect dust – damn them and their values!

For my San Antonio friends, we are planning to be there December 1-8. I may hit some of you for (and you know who you are) for some baby items so that I don’t have to cart them around the country. The base hotel is supposed to provide some stuff but there is no guarantee. Having to check my make up invades the space I would normally use for the baby crap stuff.

Here is the little hat in Baby Cashmerino.

Details:
Yarn: Baby Cashmerino in a blue.
Needles: Size 3 DPN’s. This is what the pattern called for but I wish I had done it in smaller needles. Working in Moss Stitch gave me a little different gauge.
Pattern: Moss Stitch Hat from Debbie Bliss’ Baby Cashmerino
Note: The hat is cute but the pattern sucked needed a little work. First, the pattern is for a 0-6 months size. That means that the hat is going to be large on a newborn since their heads are smaller than a 6 month old unless they have a pumpkin head like my husband. Second, the whole thing was done in Moss Stitch, including the cables. I changed it so the cables were in SS instead because a Moss Stitch cable looked stupid. Third, the pattern says to make the I-cord point by picking up stitches on the BO portion of the top. Um, ever tried to pick up stitches on something so small? So, I just made the I-cord from the few stitches left on the needle and then tacked it down on one side. It isn’t like the hat is going to be outside playing King of the Mountain or anything.

I am working on selling some of our household crap on Ebay. I needed to face reality that I would never wear those suits again. Even if I do go back to work, it isn’t likely that I will fit into that size 4 pant! Not to mention I have an entire closet full of stuff we don’t use and I refuse to unpack again in three years.

We have come across some legal issues with the adoption. We have a conference call today with all of the attorneys. Keep us in your prayers as we work through them. It is just frustrating stuff that keeps adding on to our legal bills and eating up our life savings. The San Antonio house is a giant monkey on our backs. In some ways it is good to still have that address in order to maintain our legal residency there but at the same time that mortgage is going to put us over the edge. Wait, if I start skipping meals to save money maybe I will fit into those size 4 pants again…hmmm…