Things around the house

I am cheap or frugal if you prefer, but I don't mind being called cheap.  If I pay for something I expect to get everything I paid for from that product.  I use Jergens lotion every single day, the original just like my Grandma had when I was a kid.  I get the pump bottles first because it's just easy peazy and second because  being a bigger size the cost is a better bargain.  I problem is at the end getting the last of the lotion out is tricky!  I stand them upside down on the counter, down some banging and pounding but I always know there is still some in there.  Well I generally move on to the next bottle and have been stashing the "empty" ones in my bathroom cabinet until I can come up with some clever scheme to get those bottles to give up the goods!  So guess what I did on Saturday??  I was on the last bits of a bottle and hadn't purchased another yet and was hard pressed to get lotion out of the damn bottle after my shower, so I gathered all that I had and headed for the kitchen.  Grabbed a knife, funnel and spatula and got down to business!  Bottles cut in half, scooped out and refilled the lotion container that I keep on the sink, but never fill because it's such a pain to fill! 

They are empty now!

Got more then I expected!

So on my list of to dos this past weekend I put crochet, I have been neglecting my hooks lately for no good reason, just nothing holding my interest I guess and I didn't want to start a new project with others still unfinished.  The new One Piece collection came in the mail on Friday so that meant DVD viewing, which  meant crocheting on the couch.  I pulled out my pillow cover to finish up the back panel.  Got it done and sewn together while watching the last of the DVD set yesterday afternoon and ta-da! Love it!

There are now buttons to hold it together :)

Rounded up some buttons to close it up and it's all finished and on the couch, though Kid did think it was a giant toy for him so I am hoping that the buttons are still attached to it when I get home!

Also played around with some beads.  Decided I needed a cute summer anklet and got to looking through my beads and thread.  Loaded the thread with the beads and crocheted around them and made 2 with simple button/loop closures.  Used things that I already had which makes my cheap side very happy and will definitely be making more!

#2

Has to go to Target on Sunday to get dog food and a couple of other things and had put Washi Tape on my list so I would remember to check for it there.  I found a roll in black with white dots for $2.99 in the scrapbook section which I was going to get and continued around to the next aisle of stationary and found the motherlode!  Ok not really, but they had 4 packs for $4 in 3 different color choices (though checking around the internet,  they actually carry 4 different color choices...sweet mercy!)  I got the turquoise/green combo pack and you can bet there are more colors in my future, I have a serious love for this stuff!   

The coolness that is tape!

So today is Monday and I am going to work on getting things done this week.  I have a new purse to start for Alysha with some really crazy expensive yarn she bought at the yarn shop when I was in Santa Rosa, I mean I'm scared to use it expensive, but that's what she picked and bought!  I will get picture of the yarn when I get home, I have it all wrapped in the bag out of cat and dog reach!

Listening to:  Far From Home by Five Finger Death Punch

Back from the North

Got no crocheting done while up in Santa Rosa, was pretty busy with the girl.  I did manage to get to my most favorite yarn  store  while there though and pick up some yarn for my Sister (we are doing a little swap this month) and just enjoyed all the lovely yarns they have.  Miss Brooke kept me busy and we had a great time hanging out.  She had a jumping party on Saturday and then we had a BBQ where I got to hangout with all 4 of my kids at the same time!  

Stopped jumping for a minute so I could take a picture.

We went to the river on Sunday so Brooke could play in the water.  Really such a pleasant trip this time.  Well other then my car not starting again after stopping at the rest area in Buttonwillow.  Good times I tell you!  Me and 2 dogs stuck in 112 miles from home and 300 miles from my Sons....good time to panic but I did not in fact didn't even cry (which surprised me) and after calling people for a bit of knowledge as to what I could do, I found a nice man that had jumper cables and I was on the road again.  Of course I couldn't turn off my car until I arrived in Santa Rosa which made getting gas a scary experience and not being able to pee for 300 miles meant no drinking or eating!  Oh how I love roadtrips!  Got there fine without an other incidents and parked my car until Saturday when my Son took me to buy a battery before the jumping party.  Buy battery, install battery car starts right up BUT won't stay running!  Oh lord, this is not going well.  Ok we decided, return the battery and get the car back to his house and see what's up.  Car won't stay running unless you keep your foot on the gas at all times, really makes for an amusing ride home!  Get to his house and think it's best to back in the driveway for easy access, car dies in the middle of the street, sideways and then won't start again!  Hilarious!  So we attempt to push the car by ourselves into the driveway, a bit uphill mind you...yeah never gonna happen!  It's hot outside, we are sweating like crazy and have to be at a party in like a minute!  New plan, let;s just park it on the street against the fence on the wrong side of the street, it should be fine we are only going to be away for 2 hours.  Push and maneuver my crazy heavy vehicle against the fence with much laughing from the both of us! Whew!  Later in the day with the help of a few others my car was up and running, apparently a small but important part was clogged up and by changing the battery made that small but important part stopped working!  Did get a new battery again on Sunday and get home without any issues at all!

River time

So that's it from my weekend and haven;t picked up a hook in days, well actually I did get a couple of squares done on the ride home for Brooke's blanket that I started last year.  I need to get settled down and get some crocheting done!

So with that I will get back to work!

Listening to:  Get Stoned by Hinder

Long time no see~

Things I been up too.  Not a whole heck of a lot I must say.  The girl leaves town and I do nothing, sad I tell you.  I decided to use up the super saver yarn I bought the day Katlyn flew out of town by making a pillow cover.  I didn't take pictures of it (that came out anyway) before it was turned into a big granny.  I am now in the process of making the back for it in the turquoise yarn you see in the picture.  It's a great project to work on while watching True Blood Season 4.  Yes, I am a year behind because I don't have HBO and wait for the DVD to come out and then am always sad that I don't have HBO!!!  Hurts even worse that Game of Thrones is also on HBO but I have to refuse to give my cable company anymore of my money!  So I just live with being a year behind other people and try really hard to avoid spoilers.  I am reading Game of Thrones right now, before watching any of the series but I have heard spoilers and am a bit disappointed.   I read spoilers for Doctor Who and fretted through all of the tenth doctor because of it.  Funny that I never knew that about myself before Doctor Who, I always liked knowing how things would turn out but then found that I was rushing through the episodes waiting for the spoilers that I knew about, not really that enjoyable.  Interesting to note, I don't consider reading the book first to be a spoiler.  Does that make any sense?  Of course it does, I read the book and then enjoy seeing how they turn it into a show.  The books are always better :)

Work in progress

How I've spent my nights lately.

 Now I have this pair of sandals, I bought them a couple of years ago and wore them for the summer and then the cold came I away they went never to be worn again.  While cleaning my closets a few weeks ago I ran across them and tossed them in the not keeping pile.  They hung around that pile for a good long time, with Kid dragging them out to play with and me just picking them up and moving them yet again.  I didn't think they were up to standard for the goodwill pile when I packed up those boxes and put them in my car. There they sat waiting to hit the dumpster when I got this idea.....hmmmm.  Yarn to match, check.  Cutely hooked up, check.  Attach to shoes....check!

Before

After!

A new pair of sandals, though after looking hard at them I think I should have gone with a bold turquoise or hot pink but them turned out pretty cute.

Dogs not caring about sandal crisis!

And there it is, my week past and now Monday is here again.  It's all good though, I have a 4 day week and leaving for Santa Rosa on Friday at the buttcrack of dawn!  Get to see my boys, bring my girl home and play with my most favorite granddaughter!  Yay me!  Pictures of all that goodness will surely follow!

Listening to: Rose Tint My World by The Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack

Top of the hump

Well it's a slow week around here, not sure why really just time feels quite slow.  And it's been getting hot, so my yarn usage has changed a bit.  I am making a small granny square pincushion with some mini hanks of yarn I got from a swap, I don't know what yarn it is but it's quite thin.  Really you would think after all these years I would know my yarn weights better!  I am going to say it's a super fine/fingering weight and I am using a C hook and making tiny granny squares!

Here's one and a second started

See how little they are and my hand feels stupidly huge holding such a small hook. Should have the fourth square done tonight and then the four of them whipped together.  Speaking of tiny hooks, the pretty rose I did on Sunday, well I decided it I would try it using embroidery thread.  Steel hook and some pink thread came up with this pretty little thing!

too bad I can't keep it here!

Just some tiny things I am working on while the weather is super hot.  I do need to get the strap done for Katlyn's bag and of course get started on the dress for Brooke.  I am going to go to JoAnn's on Friday a pickup the yarn for it and hope, hope, hope I can do it!  Here's the picture in the magazine which of course is from 2008 and the yarn that is called for has been discontinued, but I think I can easily find a substitute for it, so long as I remember my yarn weights!  :)

Brooke would pose exactly like this too!

Yay, update in the middle of the week!  Top of the hump, only downhill from here right?

Listening to: Somebody Told Me by The Killers

oopsy.....only a bit behind!

I love when a post gets so far away from me :) I posted the first 3 pictures on Friday morning intending to get a post up before the weekend or at least Saturday morning while I was sipping coffee at my leisure....ummm obviously didn't happen since here it is Monday morning and I am back at work! Oh well, what can I say. So onward with this post!

Let's back up a bit, Daughter of mine flew out on Thursday night to go up to her Dad's for a month. Let me tell you, that is a tough thing. I have been a single Mom since 2001 and my boys have all left home so it's been Katlyn and I for the last few years. We generally just hangout at home with each of us doing our own thing in separate rooms for the most part and our condo is a quiet place, but I can always hear her giggling at whatever she is watching or reading, kind of a background noise really, but it's always there. With her gone, the quiet is crazy quiet!  Fortunately I have Kid who will bark at outside noises and whine when Prue is sitting up on the table out of his reach.  Anyway we (the dogs and I) are not used to her being gone!  Not to mention that I usually bring Max to work with me and Kid stays home during the day with her and now they have to adjust to staying home by themselves for the next month. I did go and buy them each a new Kong toy to fill with treats and help with the aloneness.  Neither has separation anxiety that I can tell though and they haven't been too bad, but again it's only been 1 day (Friday) that they were home all day! Kid is notorious for getting into my yarn whenever we leave the house and so I have had to puppy proof all yarn spots, but he is awesomely puppy pad trained and I know there are none of "those" surprises waiting when I get home!  I am also making my outside time count, so if I need to go to the store for something I try to do it on the way home, so I am not coming and going.  Crap, this is my future!  When she moves out this is what I will be doing forever.........I need friends, too bad I am socially inept and hate people!

Ok so there it is, a long, long story about life at this moment in time, now on with the show!  Friday progressed nicely on Katlyn's bag and got the body of it all done and then remembered that she asked for a bit of siding, so did some measuring and hoping that I can get is worked up properly, becasue this yarn does not ripout easily! 

Friday progress

I planned on running into JoAnn's on my way home from the airport (saving gas AND the dogs anxiety) if I was done early enough, wasn't sure if security would let me wait at the gate with her until boarding (they did, yay!) I just went into pick up another skein for her bag, but figured so long as I was there I would wander a tiny minute in the yarn section.  Now I have stopped buying yarn unless I have an immediate need for it (haha, an actually project I am working on, because I ALWAYS have a need!!) but I was walking along the back wall just looking and found this:

Oh the colors are gorgeous!

Red Heart Super Saver in Peruvian Print

Yes it's SS and a bit stiff, but the colors in this just make me do a crazy happy dance!  No really, I have some mad love for these yarn and want to go buy all on the shelf and hoard the crap out of it!  I have done nothing with it yet other then rescue it from Kid who found it in my bag and ripped the label off.....puppies, you know I love them!  I am thinking squares though and I have a turquoise that matches to edge them in, I think I will work one up tonight and see how it comes out.  It will make a great throw in my living room since the colors work perfectly in there!

Saturday night I could be found here at the table working on the strap to Katlyn's bag with a Mike's Hard Lemonade....way too sweet I never actually finished it, switched to water to cut the sugar!

Tasty but sugar overload!

Sunday spent cleaning as normal, vacuum, laundry and the balcony.  Swept the balcony of leaves from the surrounding trees, which seriously I filled the kitchen trashcan with them, craziness!  I have to clean them up before vacuuming because I have a certain puppy who thinks leaves are great fun to play with and brings then in the house!

Certain puppy!  notice the leaves already falling again!

I was reading Lucy's blog and saw her pretty rose and stopped working on the strap and grabbed some yarn and whipped one up.  Super easy and super cute too!

Rose I made.

Sitting outside with yarn and hook, I love it!

Strap in progress

And there it is, a very wordy post with lots of pictures!  I am hoping that my week will be filled with lots of projects going and finished, I want to get started on a dress for Brooke as a birthday present, so that's next on the hook.  I left the pattern at home but will get a picture after work to show off!

Listening to:  Sexyback by Justin Timberlake

Monday is back!

Here we are with a tiny update of sorts!  I finished the striped scarf completely and the blocking made a great deal of difference.  I just need to get Katlyn to put it on so I can get a picture, it's been a bit warm around here lately and wearing a scarf is not on the top of her list!

Had a nice weekend, went to my Sister's for a Mother's Day BBQ on Saturday evening and did a bit of crocheting there.  She made a bag and asked me to whip up a handle for it.  Katlyn liked the bag and asked if I could make one for her.....by Thursday!  She's leaving for a few weeks to go up North and visit her Dad.  That means 3 1/2 weeks all by myself and then a 400 mile road trip alone with 2 dogs!  Sounds like it is going to be interesting!  I started working on the bag using RH Boutique Treasure in Abstract and man oh man I love this yarn.  It's an acrylic/wool blend and the colors just flow so wonderfully and are striping perfectly too.   So Mother's Day for me was spent in part crocheting :)

Hooking on the patio (just ignore the leaf mess)

Katlyn made us brunch and we just relaxed around the house, I was either reading A Game of Thrones (great book, haven't had a book take hold of me in a long time!) or crocheting while doing the regular chores of laundry and trash taking out!  We went up to JoAnn's to look for some fabric to line her new purse and a cute button for the closure and found both and she also got some barrette bases for some things she's making to wear.

Deathly Hollows Katlyn made for me :)

 Mother's Day presents from my Daughter

My new head!

So that's my weekend wrap up, I do need more pictures and I think more projects are on the horizon since the girl will be gone for so long!

Listening to: If Love Is A Crime (I Wanna Be Convicted) by Keel

Oh dear, where have I been?

Yeah it would be great to say I've been off on some exotic vacation but no that is sadly not the case.  Actually I have been doing nothing, well other then work and life.  I did finish the striped scarf but in all honesty that is really it.

 Scarf blocking, will be all done today, had to do it in sections because there is a puppy that runs wild in my house and pinning a wet scarf to my bed for a few hours was not really an option!

tis a sad picture!

 I made a little bow, really just playing around because I wanted to make a ring.  I like it, now I just need to turn it into a ring.  Tricky part that is though.  I think I will make some pairs and attach them to clips for hair accessories.

Cupcake was made for my Sister's birthday.  I just kinda whipped it up.  Nothing special, just thought a cute little something would be fun.

So there it is, my whole lot of nothingness of late...pretty sad if you think about it but I cannot seem to find my motivation for anything at all.

Listening to: Long Time by Boston