What's the German word for 'Headache'?

Because I can feel one developing even as I attempt to keep my cool.

Just once I'd like the world to operate in a sane and logical manner.

Apparently, I was supposed to work last night.....only no one told me, and no one thought to call me either. So my co-worker had to work a double, and I felt terrible and torqued all at once. I could really have used those hours. Plus, why did no one tell me? All my supervisor said when I told her I was available to work that day was "ok", which is what she normally says to acknowledge that I said something. She didn't say, "Ok, I'll put you on the schedule" or anything.

On top of that, her supervisor apparently didn't tell her about my time-off notice for my trip to see my dad, because she brought the schedule for the next two weeks and had me scheduled to work the day I fly out and the day after that! Now, I did as she told me to, she told me to inform him of the days I'd need off, so why didn't he let her know? Since she's the one that does the scheduling?

Plus, he's supposedly hired two new people, which is mental when we already have to double up on one shift at one of the locations!

More and more I think I really need to get a new job. I had planned on holding off until I could drop the application for the job in Germany, but I'm not sure if things will work out that way. Especially since, even if I get that job, I won't be over there until May or June. Of course, my frustration is based largely off how little people care about their employees, but hey, there's nothing I can do about that, is there?

As long as I'm making a half-way decent pay-check here, I'll stick with it. It's not a terrible job, and it pays the few bills I have (although, let's be honest, if I didn't live with my Granma, I'd literally have to choose between utilities and food, and that's if I was working a full 40hrs a week).

Sorry, I know you guys aren't on here to read my ranting.

So, I'm almost finished with Granma's shawl. I'd have finished it last week except I can't knit at work anymore. After that, I have to get my step-mother's cowl on the needles so I can get if finished. I'd rather work on my shawl, or mom's socks, but mom understands that I might not get it done in time. I really need to get some more stuff put up on Etsy, but I just haven't felt like making anything. I've got the stuff and the ideas, and I want nothing to do with any of it right now.

It's that massive headache I mentioned at the top of the post.

But, all hope is not lost! Starting January, I'll starting knitting for next Christmas, that way, by the time Christmas rolls around, I'll have everything ready. And my headache will be cut in half.

Hopefully, next year I'll be posting from Germany. Say a prayer for me, please? Hopefully everything works out.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and feel free to drop me a message!

Yours always,
Tara

Wishy-washy weather, yarn purchases, and knitters fatigue

Do you ever just get burned out on a project? I'm almost done with this blanket I've been working on! I've got one last panel to do....and I want to work on it about as much as I want to wear a miniskirt (which is to say, not at all). I mean, I'm so close to being finished it isn't funny, but I don't want to work on it.

Actually, what I want to do right now is go home and have a glass of wine, but that's not an option at this current moment.

The point that I'm trying to make is that I'm in a bit of a bind because I've got a scarf, two pairs of socks, a cowl, two shawls, a dress, a stocking, and a hat to make before Christmas and I'm still stuck on this blanket! I mean, really! Plus, I have a few tentative ideas for patterns rattling around (along with every thing else) that I'd like to test knit before I write them up.

I also have a necklace, two rosaries, and several pairs of earrings to get done.

I bought some yarn from knitpicks recently for the two shawls I've got planned, and I finally got the yarn for the bottom of the dress and the wings. The pattern calls for eyelash yarn, but they didn't have any, so I bought boa yarn instead, in a nice white color. It'll look good with the burgundy, and should have a nice effect for the wings.

The weather here refuses to make up it's mind. November 1st was frigid and windy. Since then, it has begun to warm up again. At this rate, I won't get to make use of my sweaters until I go to visit my dad. Of course, I'm still alternately freezing and roasting at work, so we see that nothing has changed there.

Anyway, that's what new, or on-going. I'll talk to you later.

Yours always,
Tara

Babies, blankets, and the fun of waiting

If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you know my mother is pregnant and ready to deliver any day now. This means a lot of waiting, and a lot of worrying. Because, you know, that's kind of what I do. Especially when family is involved. There's still no news on that front, but we're literally waiting for her to go any second now. Oh the joy.

In other news, I think I've just about finished the blanket that I started at the end of last month. I had hoped to finish it quickly, but I've been knitting non-stop since she found out she was pregnant and I'm having trouble slogging through projects. Even my socks, which I'm thrilled to be working on, aren't coming along as fast as they should be, even with me working on them sporadically. 

Adding to the problem is the fact that my knitting isn't done. One of my brother's requested a pocket watch for Christmas, so I abandoned the thought of knitting him socks in favor of the watch. That still leaves me with four pairs of socks, because my mom wants a pair, a baby dress, a shawl, a scarf, my socks, a large afghan (made in pieces) and a scarf that I've got rattling around in my brain. 

I've also got my eyes on some resin for jewelry making, more rosaries, and a knitted advent calender. 

Suffice to say, I'm a little anxious. 

I've also got my music boxes. 

The good news, I guess, is that I'm not going to St. Augustine this weekend. Like a lot of plans I try to make, it fell through. Aunt D won't be back from her home town until early in the morning, and she won't feel up to going all the way down to St. Augustine. 

This, truthfully, is probably a good thing. With Little Bird waiting in the wings for her grand entrance into the world, it's probably best I stay close to home. Even so, I am still a little disappointed. Instead, I figure I'll run into Savannah and do a little shopping, then get some craft projects hopefully knocked out, and see if I can't finally get the enormous box out of the middle of my room. 

My step-dad has a mini-fridge that he's going to let me have, so I also want to get a piece of vinyl or stone tile for it to sit on so it's not sitting on the carpet in my bedroom. This is fantastic because I'll finally be able to have a cold drink when I get home without having my alcohol in my grandmother's fridge. Given that she's a tee-to-taler, I generally prefer to keep my drinking to a minimum, and keep it out of her space. 

I might also stop by Goodwill, and see if I can't find any good jackets, cardigans, skirts, and jewelry that I can recycle and reuse. I've got a million ideas, and a million things I need for them, and very little money to spend on them. My hope is that, once I get the shop up and running, hopefully in late October/early November, just in time for the holidays, I'll be able to turn the money that comes in around and sink it into more crafts. Making things is almost addicting because there's always a new idea running through your head, a different way to color it, a different stitch pattern, or even a new technique that you're dying to try out. 

So yeah, hopefully, that's what I'll get out of it.

Yours always,

Tara

Inking bust, blanket progress, and rosary news

Saturday was a long, long day, and it was made longer by the fact that I was supposed to be getting a tattoo done....and it never happened.

I'm incredibly disappointed, not only that I didn't get my tattoo, but also that no one had the decency to call and let me know that they wouldn't be there. I had an appointment for 1pm, and of course, I showed up about 15 minutes early. The shop was closed, with a sign that said "Appointment only". Okay, no big deal, like I said, I had an appointment. I knocked. I waited half an hour. I called three times. The place looked like it had pretty much been cleared out. No one called me and said "Hey, we need to reschedule." or even, "you need to find a different tattoo parlor."

So, instead, the money I set aside for my ink is going to a trip to St. Augustine with Aunt D. We're going to go see the shrine to Our Lady of La Leche and the Mission there, and maybe see the Cathedral Basilica while we're there, if it's opened. They're restoring it right now, so we won't see the full splendor, but I heard it's worth visiting anyway.

I guess that's just how life works. I've already started putting back a little money again, and I've got a place in mind for the next time I care to try. Maybe I'll be able to go by the time my sister comes down to visit again. I'll probably head in about a week or two before with my mock up, and a few questions.

In other news, the blanket is still coming along at a slow but steady pace, which wouldn't be a problem except that Little Bird seems very anxious to enter the world. I'm expecting to get a phone call any day now saying that my baby sister is making her entrance into the world. I'd like to have the blanket finished by then, but I've got at least seven squares left, plus the final stitching to make sure it holds up.

I also bought the yarn for my mom's Christmas present today, as well as buying H's Christmas. I was going to make him socks, but he asked for a particular pocket watch, and as a lover of pocket watches myself, it's hard not to encourage that. I'm also looking at maybe visiting my dad this holiday season, which would be nice, except for the fact that I hate the cold.

Of course, I'll be honest and say I don't hate it near as much as I say I do. I just like to whine about it.

In other news, I got the beads for one of the rosaries I have planned today. Black glass pearls and dark blue drop-shaped crystals will look great with the Pieta center and the crucifix that I have to go with it, which depicts Jesus being taken down off of the cross. I'm hoping to get the beads for the Pope Francis/St. Francis of Assisi rosary tomorrow, and then I'll set them aside for my Etsy shop. I still have two crucifixes that I'm not positive what I want to do with them.

Let me rephrase, I don't have a finished product in mind yet. The centers I have will work fine with one of the crucifixes, but I think the other one might need something a little different. Either way, soon as I figure it out, I'll get the beads and get it made.

I've also got a few ideas rattling around for auto-rosaries, including one that can go on the steering wheel, which I liked because I don't feel comfortable handling beads while driving, but I also lose count if I'm not physically touching something. This is why I like to have an obvious difference between the Aves and the Paters. It makes it a little easier to use. The one I saw that hooked onto the steering wheel seems like it'd be a good alternative to my usual practice of using the knuckles on my fingers.

I'll be back on tomorrow to fill you in on my second RCIA class and my adventures with trying to find the right beads. Aunt D will be out of town, so I'm not sure if I'll hang around Downtown or not. I do want to get a wall crucifix, and I've been eyeing a couple of different ones at Saints and Shamrocks. We'll just have to see how willing I am to kill time tomorrow.

Goodnight all!

Yours always,
Tara

The Season of Pumpkin Everything is Here!

Did I mention how much I LOVE pumpkin? Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin coffee (PUMPKIN COFFEE!!!) and much much more! Pumpkin is one of the most delicious and versatile items to grow on God's green earth and it's lovely!

I was a bad girl. I'm trying to cut back on sugar and caffeine (this is not going very well), and today I said "screw it" and bought a pumpkin pie donut and an iced pumpkin coffee from Dunkin' Donuts. It was totally worth it.

Seriously, that was some good stuff.

But anyway, that's actually the most exciting thing that's happened to me today.

I didn't go to mass this morning. My midweek mass will now be on Tuesdays instead of Wednesdays, though if my boss decides to have me work on Tuesday mornings it'll go back to Wednesdays. I just can't afford to go every day, no matter how much I'd like to.

Anyway, there's really nothing to say. I finally finished the blanket square I was working on and have cast on another one. It's not as wide, so hopefully it won't take too long to knit it up. I'd like to finish it tomorrow if at all possible, and move on the the next one. I have at least four more left, and I'd like to be finished by the end of the month. Then I can move on to other projects.

I think I lost one of my double points for my socks though. It's not in the bag, so I'm hoping it just fell out into the floor of my bedroom. I just had it the other day, after all. If not I'll have to buy another set, which isn't terrible, I guess, it just puts me further behind. That's part of why I'm so anxious to finish this blanket. I feel like I'm falling behind, which bothers me greatly.

Anyway, good night all.

Yours always,
Tara

Minor frustrations, schedule changes, and why I treat holidays with kid gloves

I decided, looking at my progress and looking at how far I had still to go, that I would not be able to finish this blanket before the baby shower, though I should still have it finished before Little Bird is born....assuming she goes to term, that is. Therefore the new project is the music box. While this project does have some unique challenges of it's own, I'm fairly confident that I can get this finished by Sunday evening. I've got the music box movement, the book box, the little toy dragons, plenty of cardboard to hide the movement, and some nice paper to make the whole thing look a little more polished.

However, it occurred to me that it might be a tad bit dark inside the box, so I decided to look for a set of small, battery operated led string lights to illuminate it. It took forever to find a set that didn't cost a ridiculous amount and that would arrive before Saturday! I kept finding 7' and 3 meter sets. I need three feet not thirty feet! Ridiculous. Of course, now I have to borrow one of my mom's staplers which lays flat (so I can staple them in.) I also will probably do that with the little dragon that's going to be hanging from the top of the book, along with a little dab of hot glue, just to make sure he doesn't fly out of the box.

I have four or five little dragons and a tiny bird to go inside. I haven't even started on mine, but that's okay. I don't think mine's going to be as labor intensive. I've made backgrounds to go inside the boxes, and I'll measure tomorrow to make sure I size them just right before I print them.

Aunt D called me yesterday to let me know that, due to some up-coming event, our parish is only holding mass in the afternoons. I sort of already previous plans, so no mass today. I don't like that, not one bit, but I'll be going tomorrow, and that's what's important. Missing mass really does irritate me though. I like morning mass. It starts the day off nicely.

Of course, as mentioned in various posts, the holidays approach swiftly, and already I've begun to pace myself because if I don't, I'll burn out before the season even gets here, and then be even more of a Grinch than I naturally am. (Think about it, a largely introverted individual during the holiday season....yeah, nope.) I'm hoping that I can get this blanket off the needles and get my mother's Christmas gift on, then do Stepda's, and H's before Little Bird is born. Hopefully I can get P's knocked out too. I also have Granma's (which will take longer) and Hazel's. L's, Cas', and K's. Lots of knitting, very little time, and knitting burn out on the horizon. Here's praying that I'll finish it all.

I also have a stocking, an advent calender and all it's little ornaments, my socks, and a shawl that I'd really like to make!

It's enough to drive a gal mad!

Yours always,
Tara

Knitting, music boxes, and missing Sunday mass

Let's start with the last point.

I missed mass on Sunday. Actually, I missed the last half of mass on Sunday, due to indigestion. My breakfast, consumed as I dashed out the door 1 hour and 10 minutes before mass, just did not sit well, and I had to leave. I absolutely hated it, especially given the fact that I had no problems for the rest of the day. However at the time, while I suspected that was the problem, I wasn't sure, and felt it best I go home.

I hate that I missed mass. The entire thing irritates me just a tad, because I genuinely look forward to mass every week. I plan my Wednesday around being able to attend the morning mass, and my Sunday around the 10am mass. RCIA classes are starting soon, and my Tuesdays will be planned around RCIA. So missing, even if it's necessary, is not something I like doing.

Now, of course, on a weekday morning, I don't have to leave quite so early, only 40 minutes. I also don't have to drive around for 10 minutes to find a parking spot on weekday mornings, and traffic (though having slower speeds in some areas due to school zones) is better. Truthfully, if I just wanted to drive past the Cathedral it would only take 30 minutes. The extra time is to park, get inside, and have a few minutes to pray, meditate....and locate today's entry in the missal.

In other news, I'm still working on the baby blanket. I've made some slight adjustments to my mental plan for the next square, and hopefully it'll knit up faster, allowing me to move on to the next squares. I think I only need four more squares. I might do six more squares, plus the edging, but it depends on how it looks and how long it takes.

I also got my music box movements in the mail today. I ordered two music box movements in white cases the other day, "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" and "Puff the Magic Dragon". I'm going to get two of those boxes that look like books, and cut a slit in the "binding" for the windup knob to stick out. Then I'll build a little cover so that the movement doesn't rattle around, and it's hidden. Finish it with a little decorating and voila! a lovely little music box. Puff  the Magic Dragon is for Little Bird...or maybe I should say it's for Mom? either way, it's for them. I'm shamelessly admitting that "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" is for me. I love that song, and I think it'd be lots of fun.

Aunt D is back in town. I'll see her Wednesday at mass, which will be nice. I also have to stop by the college afterwards to see about registering for classes in the coming mini-mester. I don't know what all I'll need, and I hate calling them because I can never get through! And I'm not the only one! Sometimes they take weeks to get back to you....sometimes they never get back to you! Absolutely infuriating!

I'm hoping to stick to online classes, since I can work on them at work. They also tend to be a little easier in regards to quizzes and essays. I'll be honest though, I don't like school. I hate how people build college up, I hate how political it can be, I hate how many terrible professors have tenur (WHY?!) and how many of them can make your life miserable, and I hate how many people don't listen before they shoot off their mouth! I'm not speaking Greek, for crying out loud! We're in college! I shouldn't have to hold your hand and lead you through what I just said!

It's a pet peeve that was born in college-level English, when one of my class-mates would literally try to argue with me while saying the exact same thing that I was saying! I mean, okay, so sometimes I sound like I swallowed a thesaurus, but I do try to keep the more advanced words back because there's only so many times you can say "elucidate" before you realize that, apparently, this word was removed from the common lexicon. ("Lexicon" has probably been removed as well, come to think of it.)

It also doesn't help that the teacher had terrible tastes in short stories. The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant. Ugh! And we had to write an essay about an underlying theme! There is no underlying theme in that story! There's not enough in it for there to be an underlying message or theme. I apologize if any of you like it, but it's really not a good choice for that. Especially since she said she didn't want "thirty papers about the same thing"! Pick something else for the love of all that is good! Edgar Allen Poe would have been brilliant. Hans Christian Anderson, the Brothers Grimm, for crying out loud Aesop's fables have more meat to their stories! At least with those you can go with the main plot, or with the symbolism (the fox being chosen because it is commonly believed to be a "sly" animal, ect.)

The other problem is simply that people with degrees get better jobs, and get paid better, but I've met people with Doctorates and masters degrees and they're dumber than a brick! They have no common sense or practical knowledge. They test well, and maybe can bullshit a good paper (be honest! If you have ever written a 6 page+ paper, it's about two paragraphs of real information and six or more pages of utter tripe!) but they are completely unable to operate beyond that. But these people manage to get, and keep, good jobs with good pay!

Meanwhile, my dad knows a guy who's taught people to do a job for 10 years, and worked in that job in the military for 20+ years, who's being let  go because he "does not met the required qualifications" because now, after 10 years, they require a college degree! I just don't understand. I really don't. He knows what he's doing, he knows better than any one, and he's good at what he does. He's not that old, and he's in great health!

I don't understand a lot about our world. I don't understand why people can't pay their employees what they need to live, and not just survive. I don't understand why people make a big deal out of small things, and treat big things like they're trivial matters. I don't understand our world.

Anyway, I'm signing off for now. I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Yours always,
Tara Hills

 

I finished the pumpkin baby hat, with little I-cord vine and leaves. You can just barely see my long-suffering St. Patrick sitting underneath it in the picture. He goes with me to work every day, poor fellow. It's not too bad, I hope. He sits on the desk, smiling gently from his perch.

 

I've also almost finished reading The Bad Catholic's Guide to Wine, Whiskey & Song, which means I'll be moving on to The Bad Catholic's Guide to Good Living.

 

I get back to working on the baby blanket tomorrow, and I'm so thankful that the weekend is here! I have work to do on my room, more clothes to go through and so on, and I'm going to try and go to morning mass this coming Sunday. I usually attend the 10am mass, because I'm lazy and like to sleep in. It also makes it easier to avoid going to my family's Baptist church.

 

I'd like to start getting everything in order for Christmas soon. Presents, decorations, and such, all prepped and ready for the upcoming holiday season. I know I'm starting early, but I have too, with most of my gifts being hand-knits and with my appalling lack of decorations of any kind, I need to start now so I'm not perpetually broke when the holidays season does arrive.

 

I've got several books on my to-read list, including the Cape Light series, and a variety of Catholic books. RCIA classes start the week following next and I'm excited.

 

There are no Irish dance classes for beginning adults so far, which is disappointing, but not an insurmountable problem, by any means. Man made instructional DVDs for a reason, after all, and it would be more enjoyable than pilates I'm sure.  

 

There's a festival coming up that I'd like to go to. It's on the same ay as my appointment with the tattoo artist, but I'm sure I can work with that. I can go after the appointment, though it'll be nice if I can get a ride, and therefore enjoy the more spirited aspects of the fun without breaking my rule of no drinking after imbibing...even if I am still well under the legal limit. Unfortunately, I live with a tee-o-taler, and I hate putting my mom out. (Besides, if she wasn't pregnant, I'd be the Designated Driver. Or step-dad would be...)

 

There's not much else to say today. Hopefully there won't be any interruption in Saturdays with the Saints, but tomorrow will be kind of busy, so no promises.

 

Yours always,

Tara

Livestream issues and pumpkin baby hats

As usual, I pulled up the EWTN radio link to listen to Catholic Answers Live, only for what ever reason the link did not want to work, so I had to find a different link. Thank you Ave Maria Radio for your handy live-stream.

I set the baby blanket aside. I just don't have enough time to finish it, so I've casted on a baby hat in orange. I'll add a stem and leaves and make it a pumpkin hat. Little Bird is supposed to be born a little more than a week before Halloween, so it's appropriate.

I've just about finished reading The Bad Catholic's Guide to Wine, Whiskey & Song. I love this book! So does H, based on what she's heard from me. Apparently, the 7.1 liters of alcohol consumed by her Slavic ancestors at a normal wedding is something to be proud of. I can't blame her, I feel great pride at shenanigans of my Irish ancestors (as chronicled under Irish Cream, among other entries.)

I am so looking forward to the weekend, and, other than my mother's baby-shower, I have no plans what-so-ever. That sounds nice. I'm going to knock out this hat, work on that blanket, and sleep!

I'm not sure if I want to get up and go to mass in the morning or not. I'm tired, but I don't know if that's because I didn't get enough sleep, or if I've gotten too much sleep lately. All the joy of the human body.

My granma thinks I need to mention it to the doctor when I go on the 12th, but I really think it's just a cycle that I need to break. Get ten minutes too much sleep and you might end up feeling even more like a zombie than if you got ten too few.

I feel better when I drag myself out of bed, but I'm a lazy bum and don't get up if I don't have to. All the fun.

Of course, adding to my lethargy is the weather, with it's on-again-off-again raining. This is good at bedtime when I'm trying to go to bed, but not so much when I'm bored out of my mind at work.

There's a new program on EWTN tonight that I'm looking forward to called Catholics Come Home. It looks like it'll be good.

Anyway, I'm signing off for the night.

Yours always,
Tara

Blanket process, EWTN, and Saints Alive!

It's Wednesday, and of course that means dragging myself out of bed to go to morning mass. I've considered going more frequently, but gas prices always make me nauseous. I didn't really feel like getting up and going this morning, but when I commit something to my routine I like keep it, and mass always makes me feel better anyway.

Is it mass, or Mass? Help a clueless convert out, please.

Anyway, I was incredibly tired and cold! Autumn is fast approaching, as evidenced by the fact that I'm waking up cold even if it isn't all that cold when I leave the house to go to mass. This is why, though I love Autumn and love the appearance  of winter, I'm not overly fond of these season. Drives me nuts.

I'm investing in leggings and petticoats!

I wonder if women realize just how brilliant petticoats can be! They add two-to-three layers (tulle or cotton, but none-the-less) of material! You can't do that nearly as well with pants! Broomstick skirts, petticoats, and leggings! Layers make cold weather, not only tolerable, but even enjoyable!

I actually have a few things in mind that will look really lovely and keep me nice and warm at the same time, especially if I get the chance to visit my dad, which I'd like to do if the opportunity arises.

Anyway! The baby blanket. I've got the first seven blocks stitched together and have started on the eighth block. I'm both confident that I can finish in time and also terrified that I won't be able to because I'm estimating that I only need eight more blocks, but each block gets progressively larger as I go, and it doesn't include the lacy edge I'd like to add to the edge. I have three days left. Well, four if we count the main portion of Saturday because the baby shower isn't until that evening, but still! That means I have to crank out three block a day!

So I'm a little panicked, especially since I need to get this off the needles and get my other projects on the needles.

I'm thinking about putting the blanket aside and making the pumpkin hat, and then finishing the blanket over the next week. We'll see were I am tomorrow evening.

In other news, I've been enjoying EWTN a lot lately. Well, certain programs of EWTN, that is. I love Mother Angelica, and I found a new program that I really love called Saints Alive! tonight. I love programs like this! I was a history nerd in school.

Which is why history classes suck, because you grow up and realize that they lied to you! They ignored an entire side of the argument, forgot (how convenient *rolls eyes*) important events, and minimized (those bastards!) the contributions of people to suit their own view and it's so irritating!

*sighs* It's enough to make a body spit nails!

Anyway, back to knitting with me. Night all!

Yours always,
Tara

Feverish knitting and up-coming baby showers

Coming up very shortly, my mom is having a baby shower, courtesy of her friends. The following Sunday, she has another one, courtesy of her church. I have nothing held in reserve for either of these showers, but have already said I will attend the first. (I might skive out on the second, or buy some felt and make a birdie baby mobile or something.) However for this up-coming shower, I am frantically attempting to finish a baby blanket.

Not the giant patchwork afghan that I'm making that I hope to have finished before her first birthday at the latest. But I have, instead, started a new blanket to hopefully finish this week. Of course, rather than do the sane thing, that is, pull out the circulars and knit it in one big piece, I'm working it in several pieces. Several cabled pieces.

Basically this blanket will be a great big cable sampler that will wrap Little Bird up all snug and give me all sorts of practice on needle juggling. So far I've made four of the as yet unspecified number of panels and have used the honeycomb cable, the Stag horn cable, and the chunky braid.

I have about six colors in play, primarily in blue, with cream, tan, and silver. I'm going for an ocean feel. Besides, those are the colors my mother prefers.

I can't believe I'm defending my color choices on here. No body cares! Except apparently a lot of people care and I think it's ridiculous!

Anyway, it goes with out saying that my socks have been put on hold for an undetermined period of time until I finish.

Yours always,
Tara

p.s. I've been having a hard time getting to sleep lately. Any one have any suggestions?

When the end of a knitting project feels like a miracle...

You know you've been working the same six stitch cable pattern for much too long.

Thankfully, I've finally finished the stole, complete with reverse single crochet edge (kill me now) and washing and blocking. It goes off to it's owner on Sunday, and good riddance I say!

In a rare fit of productivity in my knitting, I finished the second bootie today and got started on my Irish Ale socks! Finally! I've been dying to cast these bad boys on since I got the pattern! I'm hoping I've got enough yarn, though I've been eyeing my ball of brown yarn suspiciously this entire time, and, as always, I'm more than a little worried that they won't fit right. They should, mind you. The sizing is for a women's medium, which is like a 7-9 or so, which means that they should fit perfectly on my size 8 feet. But I'm still nervous.

But that, dear readers, is sort of my default setting.

I rescheduled my appointment with the tattoo artist today. I think I mentioned yesterday that I'm going to be working full time again? Well, that means that I can't get the tattoo this week. Which works out alright because that gives me more time to squirrel money away for it. I don't know if I'll drop back to 32 hours when I start having Tuesdays off, or if I'll be switched to working Saturdays, but if the later is true I'll have to take that first Saturday off, because my appointment is before the end of the work day.  I suppose, if worst comes to worst, I can always call again, but I really hate rescheduling things, and it took us quite a while to find a date and time that worked for both of us as it was so....

Anyway, I did that earlier. I also got my earrings in today. I finally broke down and bought two pairs of Sterling silver earrings. Now my ears won't turn green. Overstock.com was a great help. I got two lovely pairs of earrings (a pair of silver four-leaf clovers and a pair of Celtic crosses) for the price of a pair at Claire's. This means that I can wear earrings in both of the piercings in my lobes without having greenish-gray skin.

See, the only pair of nice earring I owned were gold hoops, which is a problem (and not just because I'm not a huge fan of gold-tone jewelry), because there's enough danger of ripping my earrings out of my lobes with simple studs, never mind these dangly hoops!

Besides, I prefer to wear studs, unless I'm dressed like a pirate.

True story: During the Spring semester I was taking the Comp. 1000 course and it was the most boring class I had ever taken with the worst professor ever (well, tied with the Sociology professor from the previous semester). In a form of passive rebellion (i.e. would not get a black mark on record  or such) I decided to attend this class in various pirate-inspired outfits, complete with Sharpie Jack Sparrow Tattoo (the baby powder tattoo thing does not work very well in my experience) and various colorful scarves.

I passed the class with a C, which is hardly surprising given the number of times the program we were using for quizzes and tests would glitch and the general level of apathy that pervaded...well, everything.

That was actually the harshest review I've ever given a professor in my life. She was literally never there! She'd call roll 15 minutes late, and then vanish for 30 minutes (or more!) at a time! She googled every little question and I'll be honest, I'm surprised she even knew how to turn the computer on!

And don't get me started on the curriculum! Talk about going around your ass to get to your elbow! They literally showed you the longest way to do a series of actions within the programs (Microsoft Office) and the book! Worthless! Not only is it published especially for them (meaning you spend $50 on a book that you can't sell back or buy used or rent), but it is the worst book I've ever used! The glossary was joke, the index was pathetic, the instructions might as well have been written in Hebrew for all I could understand of it, and there was no "handy things to know" or anything!

I'm so glad I passed that class, even if I do feel like that grade was robbery. I'm just glad that I never have to take it again! And the program? Yeah, there was a disc so we could install it on our computers and work at home. I had to uninstall it after two weeks because I had so many viruses on my computer. I uninstalled it, ran anti-virus, haven't had any more problems with it. One of my friends from English the previous semester lost two computers after installing that program on it.

Anyway! You really don't want to hear me rant about the problems I had last semester, especially with the mini-mester right around the corner! I'm planning on picking up an on-line class or two, since I can work on those at work. And! Since I'm not at the Campus with He-who-shall-not-be-named I can work on it without someone breathing down my neck.

Seriously, I don't know what that guys problem is, but the people who have the most issues with him all seem to be white women.

Not like sexual issues. He's just an ass.

But yeah....either way, not taking that class, or any other classes at that campus again. I'd just about prefer to gouge my eyes out.

I'm going to sign off and get back to my socks! I'm hoping to finish them up by Sunday, so wish me luck!

Yours always,
Tara

A Truly Brilliant morning!

I decided to go to mass this morning, despite a late night (12:50) and having gone yesterday and I'm so glad that I did!

Immediately following mass I ran outside to put a quarter in the meter (mass ends about 7 minutes before 8, which is when the meter starts to really be an issue) and met a lovely lady who I shall simply refer to as Aunt D. Aunt D is new, and moving here shortly. I actually saw her at mass yesterday, but I was in a rush yesterday (bad Tara!) and didn't say anything. Today though, it turned out really well.

While we where talking, I was led to give her the Our Lady Star of the Sea chaplet that I made. I paid the meter and went inside to sit in front of Mother Mary and finish the rosary I had started to say before mass began (I can usual get a decade or so in before mass starts), and then Aunt D and I went to breakfast.

There's this really nice Parker's on Drayton that I call the Fancy Parker's because it's got all sorts of little gourmet or really high quality food items, and we went there and had breakfast. It was really nice because we sat and talked for about an hour before I showed her where Saints and Shamrocks (the closest thing we have to a Catholic bookstore, as far as I know) and then parted ways.

There are two things that make this whole thing so fantastic! Number one is how happy Aunt D was! She loved the chaplet! And was so happy to just sit and talk over breakfast. Second great thing is that I got an aunt out of it! I love when you just click with people and become friends! And when you become family? Brilliant!

Of course, I'm at work now. Speaking of! I just picked up 8 more hours so I am officially full time again! Isn't that great? And my boss and I have already talked about me having Tuesdays off come September for the RCIA classes.

There's also a place not to far from the church that has beginner's Irish dance classes about an hour before the RCIA classes, so I'm hoping I can take that, and the RCIA, plus pick up a class or two for the fall mini-mester at STC.

Yeah, I gave up on trying to be really sneaky about where I'm at. Anyone who knows South Georgia worth a fig knows where the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is. No point hiding it. I live within easy driving distance of Savannah, Ga.

Anyway. Aunt D and I also saw the strangest thing while in the Fancy Parker's. Giant Wooden Rosary beads. And I don't mean like the ones you get for teaching toddlers to pray the rosary (no, I'm not secretly looking at baby stuff in the hopes of one day having progeny of my own despite telling my parents and everyone else that I am "never having kids", not at all *pfft*) I mean like 4 1/2- 5 ft long rosaries made of 1/4 in to 1/2in wooden beads and a 2 1/2 in long crucifix. And it was white.

Weirdo that I am, I'm tempted to go back and get one, just because it's such an interesting rosary, though I'll be honest, I'd probably have it a week before attacking it with brightly colored acrylics. Either way, I'm leaving it be for now. I can probably make one myself, or find one else where cheaper.

Aunt D also gave me a lovely turquois and gold rosary over breakfast. We were talking about it (because of the giant wooden ones) and I mentioned my strange relationship with rosaries (I partially blame them for the fact that I'm converting) and she just pulled it out and gave it to me. It was nice. I'm going to pray with it tonight just for her.

We talked about a lot of things. Her daughter, my mother, my pub that I want to open, her parents, and it was brilliant! I'm so glad that it happened. Nothing like this ever happened while I was attending the Baptist church. I feel like today is just a taste of what might be in my future if I allow it to be.

I'm also incredibly thankful for second chances, because I could have given it to her yesterday, but because of my nervousness and rushing I missed the chance. But God and Mother Mary (yes, I know she had a hand in this whole thing, it's got her name written all over it!) knew that we both needed this, and it all worked out!

Aunt D is headed back to her home to tie up lose ends, and then she'll be moving to Savannah and I'm so excited! It'll be nice to know someone at the Cathedral when I go (Besides Mr. J, I mean. I don't see him every time). I'm thinking about maybe inviting Father Shrek over for dinner one day, but that I think can wait for a little while. It's not like I live alone, after all, and my granma might be opposed to that. I don't think she would be, but it's best to make sure, you know?

Downside to the new hours is that I have to reschedule my appointment with the tattoo artist. I don't really mind to much, I mean, those hours will help me out a lot, but at the same time, I'm really interested in seeing what she did with my (really pitiful) rough draft. and to talk color. Of course, H is still a little disappointed that I haven't gone to see her guy (because he's the best, obviously) but I like this place. It's where I got my first tattoo (same artist too) and I was really pleased with it. It's also really close to the mall, so when I (inevitably) get the munchies after getting inked, I have lots of options.

Also, I'm almost finished with the stole! I'm a little more than half-way through the crocheted edging and boy does that make me feel like I'm all thumbs! I miss my knitting needles! It's been a while since I last crocheted anything, so I feel so awkward! But it's good practice for that sweater I really want to make. As soon as I finish I'm going to finish the other bootie and then make my socks! Then a pair of mittens and a hat, followed by Christmas knitting! I've got the yarn and the pattern for a lovely butterfly shawl for my granma (she loves butterflies) and that's where I'll start. Then socks for Sasquatch, and part one of the knitted advent calendar, that is to say, the garland it sits on. Hopefully by then I'll have money again and can buy the yarn for Little Bird's Christmas stocking and P's socks, as well as the eyelash yarn for Little Bird's dress. I've also still got to make her pumpkin hat. That, thankfully, will not be as bad as that awful cabbage patch hat.

Wow, I've written a lot tonight. I am so sorry. You are all wonderful for reading this far!

So, question time! Have you ever had something happen that just had Mother Mary's hand-writing all over it? Have you ever had a priest over for dinner before? Let me know! I'd love to hear from you!

Yours always,
Tara

Birthday, boxty, and cleaning

So I am now officially 22 years old. Today has largely been marked by a degree of self-indulgence (hello four empty coke cans) but I have accomplished a few things.

I got up early and went to mass. Now whether or not I'll make it tomorrow morning as well is up in the air, but I do plan to. Honestly, getting up at 6am is not what I want to do, no matter how much I enjoy the end result (that is, attending morning mass). Truthfully, I can knock it back to 6:20, because I don't leave until 6:45 and 25 minutes is more than enough time, even on the morning when I take a shower.

But I got up this morning and went to mass. Then I went home and took an hour long nap because I had a hard time getting to sleep the night before and was still really tired. I'm hoping a shot of amaretto before bed will cure that problem.

After that I worked on my room some. I reorganized some shelves and pulled some books and clothes down to go to goodwill. I still have several more drawers to go through just puling out the stuff I don't wear to get rid of. And more books.

I will be honest, I struggle to get rid of books, even the ones I don't really like. It's just one of those things. I'm a book person. I mean, thinking about the Library of Alexandria makes me want to cry. All those books, gone. And it's even worse when you consider just how much work went into those books! They were hand written!

I've made a decent amount of progress though, so it's not too bad. I've got three boxes to unpack still though, not including my key-board that's sitting in the shed. I need to get the empty boxes out of the corner, and try to move the end table. I'm hoping to maybe replace it with a bookcase, albeit a thin one. Maybe it can hold the million and one odds and ends I have. I also have a bunch of knick-knacks that have to go.

To this day I still can't understand why having a statue of a laughing Buddha is okay but a saint medal is not. My mother gave me the little Buddha, but I bought the saint medal. Of course, now I have several of them, but the first one I bought was St. Catherine of Alexandria, patron saint of librarians and book-keepers.

My dad gave me the St. Barbara medal I have. She's the patron saint of the Field Artillery (and more besides, but that how I know her best). Then I got St. Patrick, and just recently St. Brigid and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. Mom never liked me wearing the St. Catherine medal. (but she bought me a laughing Buddha?)

Anyway! So as part of my dinner I had half a boxty. I've decided that, the next time I make these, I'm going to make them thinner. Also, my marmalade did not set, so I have pickled onions, and not onion marmalade. Still tastes good, but also still disappointing.

I've got a lot of cleaning to do tonight when I get home though. The exterminator comes tomorrow and I need to get it cleaned up so he can do his job, regardless of whether I'm there or not. This means that I need to get the pile of clothes on my bed bagged up to go, and get the pile of clothes on my floor sorted and put where it goes. I need to move my knitting tower onto it's new home, and maybe try to move entertainment center slightly so that I can get the last piece of it in place and out of the middle of my floor.

Of course, I'd also like to finish this stupid stole....so I'd best get to work.

Good night dear readers,
Yours always,
Tara

Kit-kat bars and thrice-cursed shawls

Stole, actually, but we're not here to be finicky, dear readers.

About a month before my mother found out she was pregnant, a lady at her church requested that I make her a stole for the Prayer Shawl Companion. I agreed...and promptly regreted it after the third week slogging through the thrice-cursed cabling on the thing! Given that she hasn't been at church and I've been working on other things, the stole has sat abandoned a mere 36 rows shy of completion. She was at church last week and inquired about it. I said I'd have it done by Sunday. That means 36 rows of the misery inducing cables, followed by a complete crochet edging and then washing and blocking. I'm also 10 rows shy of finishing a bootie for Shawna, which leaves me with one more to do and I'm frankly desperate to take a break and knit those Irish Ale socks!

I'm actually hoping against all hope that I'll finish the knitted portion of the stole tonight and then just crochet the edges tomorrow. I'd do it when I get home, but I want to go to mass tomorrow morning. I'll turn 22 tomorrow, and I'd like to start my birthday off properly.

We didn't go out for lunch after church, instead we went to dinner on Saturday. We went to the Macaroni grill, which actually probably wasn't the best idea given how hot it was. Heavy food on the hottest day so far? Not the best idea.

Sunday after mass I stopped by the store and picked up a few things, including hair dye. I'm trying to get my hair back to it's natural light brown color (or as I call it, mouse brown) and would prefer not to look to strange as my hair grows out. I got a natural henna dye, so it shouldn't damage my hair any.

I made boxty and onion marmalade today. I don't know if the marmalade has set properly though, and I'm actually really worried about that. As for the boxty, it was really good, but I don't know how anyone eats a full one. It fills you up really quickly.

Although that might just be because I don't eat a lot in one sitting unless it's Thanksgiving. And even then, I tend to nibble continuously rather than gorge.

Speaking of the coming holiday season, they have Halloween candy out already! YES! hello 2-for-5 kit-kat bars and mini peanut butter cups!

You see the kind of sweet tooth I have.

My socks are taunting me. Sitting there, just two little balls of yarn and two new sets of double points. Taunting me I tell you! But, the booties and the stole come first.

I found this rosary on ebay that I have my heart set on. Of course, as per my usual, I don't intend to bid on it until the last possible moment, even so, fingers crossed!

I'm signing off for the moment, but I'll talk with you later!

Yours always,
Tara

Snakes, Roses, Stars, and lot's of bread

 

Hiss! I'll bite you!

So, I'm trying something a little different with my pictures today. Bear with me, dear readers.


It's day 4 with no AC and a balmy 89*F, when last I checked the thermostat. We have all the doors thrown open and with that comes the risk of snakes. Which, wouldn't be a huge problem, except that we are in South Georgia, dear readers, and the last time we had a snake in the building it was a juvenile water moccasin. Not what you want to find in your place of employment, I assure you.


On a more pleasant note, I got a new rosary today.

Much better than the last one I bought, I don't feel like this one will break apart in my hands. The beads are wood, with little swirls carved into the sides (they're supposed to look like roses) and the entire thing smells like roses....or rather, like rose water. I've never found roses to be very fragrant, but if distilled in water there is a very distinctive scent. The weight of it is nice, and while it's certainly not my favorite rosary ever, I think it'll do nicely for everyday use.

I finally finished my hat. The pattern is called the Star of County Down and it took me two days of sporadic knitting to finish it. It didn't turn out exactly like the pictures. There's supposed to be small "holes" all around the outside edges, in between the points of the star. The holes are actually there, but for some reason you can't tell. I wet blocked it last night (on a dinner plate, as per their instructions) and wore it part of today (since I can't wear hats at work).

And yes, I did giggle like an idiot when The Star of County Down started playing on my iPod.

I love "Celtic" music. The High Kings, The Dubliners, The Young Dubliners, The Bollox, Gaelic Storm, you name it. I even like Dropkick Murphys, which has a bad habit of being unintelligible.

I did some baking this morning before work, as well as scratch making some mashed potatoes to make boxty with tomorrow.

And mash! two, three, four!

First off, let's give a round of applause to everyone who came before who had to cook. Scratch made mashed potatoes are brilliant....except when you have to mash them with an old potato masher such as the one seen here.

Great upper body work out though! Burn off the calories of those potatoes before you even get the chance to eat them! Of course we have a food processor.....somewhere. It was given to my granma by my mom and has never once been taken out of the box. I however have no idea where it is, and did not feel like trying to find it when the more *ahem* traditional tool was right there.

The entire point of making mashed potatoes from scratch, after all, was the clumpy texture that instant potatoes just don't have.

I'm pleased to report that, though I lack stamina and upper-body strength, I did manage to successfully mash the potatoes into the absolutely perfect looking product you see to the right!

Totally worth the extra effort! Nothing beats scratch made mashed potatoes, though I fully admit that I have no problem using instant and will continue to do so most of the time because, as much as I love scratch made potatoes they are incredible time consuming.

Of course, adding to the amount of time it took was the fact that I was also up to my wrists with a loaf of Old-fashioned Spiced Gingerbread and a loaf of Classic Irish Soda Bread.






In the mix



Getting hot in here

 



Ta-da!

 

 

 The Gingerbread is brilliant. Well, I say that, I haven't actually been able to cut into any of my new creations (which sucks) because they hadn't finished cooling when I left. So they're all sitting on the counter, wrapped in clean dish towels.  Based off the batter (and yes, I did lick the beaters like a small child) the gingerbread is really good, but also really heavy on the ginger. I just followed the recipe.


Dry ingredients first



Hot hot hot!



tad to dark on top, but still perfect!

The Soda bread looks really good to. My mom gave me a bag of the stone-ground whole wheat flour, so I didn't have to buy it. Apparently it's been taking up space in her cabinet for a while now. It only took 30 minutes to bake, so I might try baking a loaf every few days if it's good. I  bet it'd go really well with the recipe I have for Beef and Guinness stew I have. Last time I made the stew it was a little greasy from where I didn't drain the meat well enough, but this time I'll be better prepared. Of course, I have to cut the recipe in third because of how much is makes! But I'm sure it'll be great. 

I've decided to go to morning mass tomorrow because I have so much to get done. I'm going over to my mom's to make egg-rolls, and I'll take the stuff for the boxty so I can get those done to. When I get home I've got cleaning to do, and then I'm going to wash two of my new pint jars and make Onion marmalade. Unlike the stew recipe, which makes enough to feed a small army, the marmalade recipe makes enough for two little jars, which are then stored in the fridge. If I like it, I can always multiply the recipe and make a proper batch to be stored on the shelf until opened.

Anyway, I'm back to baby knitting, so I'd best get to it. A quick break for dinner, and then to work!

I'll talk to ya'll tomorrow!
Yours always,
Tara



Our Lady Star of the Sea chaplet and day 3 with no AC

I got the center and the crucifix for the Our Lady Star of the Sea chaplet I wanted to make today. It did indeed turn out to be a chaplet, and not a rosary, though it was sort of up in the air for a while, but given how long it would have been, judging off ten of the pearls strung together, it would have been highly impractical as a rosary.

The crucifix and center are both bronze, the chain and pins are iron that's been treated to look like bronze. It's not an exact match, but it's close enough. The 12 beads of the main section are fresh-water pearls, and the three beads connecting the center and the crucifix are mother-of-pearl. It's all nice and appropriately nautical, so I'm happy with it, even if I do think the mother-of-pearl beads might be a bit big. Besides, I kind of like the way it looks. Now I have to figure out who it's for.

Sometimes, I make things, just to make them, and I don't know who it's for or if it's for any one at all! Sometimes, the item becomes mine, sometimes, I figure out who the owner is, and sometimes I'm left with a funny feeling that it isn't mine.....but I don't know who it's for. Very frustrating. 

I'm still knitting away at my hat. I've got about 15 rows or so left, so I should be able to finish it before I leave tonight. Then tomorrow it's back to booties and mittens. *sigh*

In the spirit of today's episode of Mother Angelica Classics (yes, I have been watching Mother Angelica, and I LOVE her!) I have decided to treat my current frustration (i.e. knitting the same three baby patterns over and over) as a gift towards sanctification. This is not nearly as spiritual as it sounds, and is based primarily off the fact that if I don't think of it in those terms, I'll be tempted to strangle Shawna with the yarn!

Hey, I never said I was a good Christian, just that I'm trying my best.

It's really cool though, because I didn't even know we got EWTN at the house! I mean, I listen to the radio all the time on my computer, but we actually get the tv channel and it's kind of nice! I sat and worked on my hat for an hour earlier while watching Mother Angelica. Very enjoyable.

Friday promises to be busy. I plan on making Vietnamese egg rolls, going to mid-day mass, and making boxty and ginger-bread. Oh! and soda bread. I might do the soda bread and ginger bread tomorrow, along with the mashed potatoes for the boxty. Oh! And onion marmalade! I have a fantastic cook book of Irish recipes.

Buy it! I promise it's good!

 

I have no idea who David Bowers is, but I will forever adore him for writing this cookbook. It has the best recipe for shepherd's pie ever! And that's coming from me! I love shepherd's pie! It's like the ultimate comfort food (tied with Granma's spaghetti) and I could literally eat it every day of the week with no guilt. The first time I made the recipe from this book, I was sick with a small cold. First bite was pure heaven!

 

I pretty much just want to make every recipe in this cook book.

 

Except the oysters. I'm not very fond of oysters.

 

Anyway! Wow, that was off-subject. Sorry. I just really love to cook. I'll try to post pictures of my dishes, but I make no promises as to the quality of those photos. I'm not a photographer.

 

It's day three with no AC at work, but today I've got a fan, so it's not quiet as miserable. It'll probably be November before they get it fixed, and then the heater will go out! Ah well, such is life.

 

I might be back on again later this evening, but I don't know yet. Until later!

 

Yours always,

Tara



Baby hats, tattoo rough drafts, and the blessing of rain

First things first, yesterday I promised you a picture of the cabbage patch baby hat.

It is, quite frankly, a terrible picture. I've got it sitting on a pencil holder and the lighting isn't the best. Hindsight says I attached the pigtails too far up, and I should have made them longer, but I'm not fond of the pigtails at all anyway. The ribbons are light green with two-toned green shamrocks.

You can see my little St. Patrick smiling from where he sits over by my yarn.

I finally got a half-way decent draft of my tattoo design. Being unable to draw is terrible when you have a vivid mind because I know what I want it to look like, but I can't draw worth fish-sticks.

Like I said, rough draft. I'm hoping to put it on my back, just below the mid-point. I think they could probably lay the top line right on top of my scar, which would be nice. I plan on doing most of my tattoos in a cobalt blue, with a little red and maybe some green tossed in. I don't want it to be too big, either.

Our AC is still out at work, which makes the recent rainfall an even larger blessing than usual, having cooled the building enough to avoid heat stroke. I think it's about 80*F in here, which isn't really comfortable, but is cool enough that I'm not sweating like a pig.

I'm not very fond of the guy I'm working with this week. There's nothing really wrong with him, but he's a little condescending and is very knowledgeable about the world. He also likes to poke fun at my knitting, my little St. Patrick, and anything I say that seems naïve to him....which is probably 95% of what I say. Like I said, he's not really a bad guy, but he's not someone I'd choose to hang out with.

I'm supposed to be working on baby knitting for Shawna, but I don't feel like it at all. So tonight I'm working on a hat that I wanted to try. Hopefully I'll finish it tonight, and then I'll start on baby booties tomorrow.  Truthfully, I'm so sick of making the same three patterns over and over that I'm about ready to scream, but I really want to finish that soon.

The building is pretty empty because of the temperature and it's nice and quiet. Ms. L (the lady who cleans the building) is really happy that she got a new carpet cleaner. The other one hurt her back to use. Tomorrow I'll call my boss and verify my schedule this week, give what's going on here this week. I'd love to pick up a couple of extra hours if at all possible.

Anyway, I'll talk to you later!
Yours always,
Tara

I wonder if this is how my dinner feels

We have no air conditioning tonight, which means that the internal temperature of the building is a balmy 95*F and slowly dropping as it gets later.....and I do mean slowly.

Roasting alive aside, (which makes me wonder if this is what it feel like to be a chicken baking in the oven), let's talk about everything that's happened since Saturday. Well, Friday, really, since I didn't do a personal post on Saturday. Mainly because nothing really happened on Saturday. I got a birthday card from my dad (Thanks Daddy!) and got started on going through the enormous amount of clothes I have amassed.

Sunday was much more interesting. I went to the Latin mass at the Cathedral. It was really interesting, and I'll probably continue to go occasionally, but I enjoy the regular mass service as well. Next time, I'll be sure to grab one of the missals on the back table. I didn't even know they had them until right as service was beginning. Great time for them to make that announcement.

I stopped by the mall after church and had a gyro, then hit the craft store and bought some ribbon for the Cabbage Patch baby hat my mom asked for. I'll post pictures of it tomorrow. After that it was home for dinner (pizza) and a movie. I mixed up a quick little drink that I'm calling the Irish Mob. It's a twist on the Godfather (Amaretto and Scotch) that I made with Amaretto and Irish Whiskey. After eating, I settled down with my drink and The Boondock Saints for a late evening in.

This morning, I went with my mom and her friend to a 4D ultrasound. I don't know if any of you have seen a 4D ultrasound before, but it's really cool! You can see so much detail! We also found out that Little Bird isn't all that little! My sister is so long that she's pretty much folded double across my mom! She literally always had her knees up on her chest and had no where else to put them!

It was really cool though! She has a head full of hair, and a button nose and chubby cheeks and pudgy hands and it was awesome!

How cool is it that we have the technology to do that? To actually look into the womb and see a child with that much detail! We could see that she had her eyes open for crying out loud! We could see and recognize all of her little fingers and toes! We could see her face! Every little feature of her face, her eyes, her nose, her mouth, her cheeks, her chin, her ears!

Sorry, I didn't do much gushing at the time because I was too busy watching the screen. It was really cool.

Of course, now I'm a little worried that none of the mittens I made will fit...might need to buy a little more yarn for the Christmas dress too.

But! Little Bird is healthy, active, and adorable!

Anyway, I'm listening to Catholic Answers Live while sitting here waiting to go home. I've got two pairs of booties, one pair of mittens, and another hat to make for Shawna, a chaplet for Our Lady Star of the Sea to make, I'm planning on making a Christmas rosary, and all of my Christmas knitting. I'm going to start on Granma's shawl as soon as I finish Shawna's baby knitting, which will hopefully be Friday, and hopefully I'll be able to start on the Angel dress for Little Bird after she's born, give me a little bit better idea of what the size will need to be, and until then, I've got five pairs of socks to knit.

Still haven't figured out what to do for mom, and I've got a shawl I'd like to make for myself. Plus a hat to go with my yellow socks.

The good news is that I have plenty to do when there's nothing going on at work. The bad news is that yarn can be expensive. I've got my eye on some yarn at knitpicks. Next time they have a sale, I'm stocking up!

Yours always,
Tara

Tiny Saints, Bad Catholics, and Cabbage patch dolls

My Shining Light Dolls came today. I left St. Nicholas at home, but I brought St. Patrick with me. It's nice to have him sitting on the computer smiling at me while I work. It's silly, but it makes me smile every time I look at him.

I've also been reading more of my Bad Catholic's Guide series. I haven't finished Wine, Whiskey, and Song yet, but I'm also reading a little bit of Good Living. I adore the writing. The humor alone is worth the price, and you don't have to be Catholic, or even considering Catholicism to really enjoy them.

In other news, I've also started on a hat for Little Bird that looks like a Cabbage Patch Dolls hair. Pigtails and yarn loop bangs. Yarn loops! Do you have any idea how hard it was to get that awful loop stitch? Ugh! I was so thankful that St. Patrick is the patron of Ireland and has heard far worse than my grumbling as I tried to make this stupid stitch work. I finally got it right, and I apologized for my less than charitable thoughts toward the inventor of the Loop stitch, the writer of the pattern, and my yarn, but still.

While my tiny Saint keeps smiling, I'm sure St. Patrick himself is continually rolling his eyes at me.

I'm hoping to finish this hat before I drop my truck off to get the alignment fixed, that way I can give it to my mom along with the blanket I bought for Little Bird. It's purple and green and has two little birds at the bottom. It's so cute! And not pink!

Why is EVERYTHING for little girls pink? You have to wait until they hit 1yr. before you get other color options! (Unless you're buying green or yellow, green and yellow are, apparently, gender neutral.) It's a color! Why? Have I mentioned how much I hate assigning genders to colors?

Do you realize that pink was considered a boy color up until the 1950s? and that the only reason it changes is because the Nazis had homosexuals in the concentration camps wear pink triangles? Blue was a girl color, because it was considered calming and delicate.

They are colors! It doesn't matter pink or blue! It's a color! How ridiculous!

Not that I'm against pink. I mean, it's not my favorite color or anything, but I don't mind it. It's just that I find it ridiculous how all that you can find, for the most part, is a wall of pastel pink!

It's a bit much, by my way of thinking.

I did make an appointment with the doctor. It's not until September, but I'll be able to make it until then. I'm hoping that, if I watch what I'm eating, I might be able to avoid a repeat performance of this morning.

Truthfully, it was easier to make the appointment than I had thought it would be. The lady on the other line was very helpful, and it made it easier. I'm still not happy about it, but such is life.

I would appreciate your prayers, especially since I have to get up early tomorrow morning. I'm praying for a good day tomorrow. If I make it to morning mass, I usually have a good day after wards.

I'm going to call it a night, and get to work on that Cabbage patch hat.
Yours always,
Tara