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

Battles with wine corks, store news, and why I haven't been on lately

Wine corks are evil things. They stand firmly between me and the lovely fruit of the vine that is held within a fragile glass bottle. I have this ridiculous fear that I'll somehow manage to apply enough pressure while trying to remove the cork by myself that I'll cause the bottle to break. It's ridiculous, but it's still a fear. I'm not sure whether it's the thought of cleaning up all the glass, or the inevitable bloodshed that would come with it that frightens me, but I'm leaning more towards the glass shards that would need to be cleaned up.

Glass is one of the worst things to cling, second only to corelle ware which, when it breaks, shatters into billions of razor sharp shards that you will still be finding three weeks from now. I speak from experience.

But that's not the point. The point is that I just want a nice relaxing glass of wine, and fighting with the cork generally makes it a slightly less relaxing glass. Now I'm not a wine snob, in fact, I think it's ridiculous, but I do enjoy an occasional glass of a nice moscato or a sweet red blend. Muscadine, while not very well known, it seems, is also a favorite.

Regardless, I don't like fighting with corks. Obviously, I need to buy one of those lovely little corkscrews that make it nice and easy.

In other news, I made my first sale on my store! I'm so thrilled! So far I've had one "favorite" and one sale, but I'm hoping that some of my other stuff will sell. I've got to finish the rosary, and I've got a necklace that I'm working on, as well as a few more pairs of earrings to make, but I'm feeling really good about it. I mean, I sold something! I was so worried that everything would just sit there and nothing would happen with it.

I haven't been on lately. I've just been going through one of my phases where I just don't feel like talking a lot. Sometimes I want to talk to certain people only, and other times, I just can't bring myself to talk to anyone. Even myself. My mind just empties itself and all that's left is a tune to focus on. Sort of like a white noise machine almost.

Of course, added to that is some stuff I'm trying to plan regarding the quickly approaching month of December. Where did all the time go? I still have so much to do, and so little time, and, God help me, even less money.

Anyway, I guess I really just wanted to let you all know that I'm still alive and on here, I just haven't been up to posting anything. I've got some ideas rattling around inside my head, so we'll see where we end up.

Yours always,
Tara Hills

Saturdays with the Saints: St. Fabiola of Rome

Today's edition of Saturdays with the Saints is about St. Fabiola of Rome.

St. Fabiola, a Roman noble woman, was married to a vile man and obtained a divorce in accordance with Roman law. She then remarried contrary to the ordinances of the Church. She was not received back into the church until after the death of her second husband when she followed the influence of St. Jerome, and did public penance for her sin.

Following this, St. Fabiola renounced all earthly wealth, and devoted her substantial wealth to the needs of the poor and the sick.

She erected a hospital and cared for it's patients herself.

She moved to Bethlehem in 395 and worked at a hospice there, while studying the scriptures and working to fund the building of a large hospice in Rome.

She died in either 399 or 400.

Her feast day is December 27 and she is the patron of Divorced people, difficult marriages, victims of abuse, adultery, unfaithfulness, widows, and the hospice movement.

Until next time!

Yours always,
Tara

NOW OPEN!

Padrigin's Corner is now officially open for business!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PadriginsCorner?ref=hdr_shop_menu

So far I only have 6 items up, but I've got more in the works! Hopefully I'll be able to get the others up there soon! I've also got some ideas bouncing around inside my head!

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Yours always,
Tara Hills

Saturdays with the Saints: St. Jane of Valois

Today's edition of Saturdays with the Saints is on St. Jane of Valois.

She was the daughter of Louis XI of France and apparently was not very enamored with the glitter of court life. She much preferred to spend her time in solitude, praying and meditating. She was married to Louis, Duke of Orleans in 1486. He was an even bigger twit than her father, and shortly after he became king, he requested an annulment. Since he'd protested practically all the way to the alter, this was, of course, granted.

After that, she formed a religious community with a group of other young women called the Sisters of the Annunciation of Mary. She was buried in a vault at her church when she died.


Years later, the French revolution saw her disinterred, stabbed with swords, and burned.

Supposedly, her body was incorrupt at the time she was disinterred, and when they stabbed her body, it bled.

I don't know either way, I just know that approximately 200-300 years had passed between her death and the revolution.

Yours always,
Tara

A tiny Irish apparition and the dramatics that can come with my job

I've recently added a few new things to my little ( for now) collection of Catholic odds and ends. I've bought a small statue of Our Lady of Grace, the Shining Lights doll version of Our Lady of Knock, and tomorrow or Monday (depending on when I make it over there) I'm going to pick up a small statue of St. Patrick from Saints and Shamrocks. I'm actually kind of hoping they'll have St. Barbara as well, but if not, that's fine.

I also bought a second Shining Lights St. Nicholas. I figured it would be a good gift for Little Bird, while not being too Catholic, which would bother my mom. St. Nicholas and St. Patrick, she could probably live with. Maybe even St. Francis, though I'm not willing to bet on it. But um....any one else? Especially one of the Apparition dolls (Marian apparitions from around the world)....yeah, no. That's just a little too Catholic for my mother, I'm sure.

She gave away Christmas ornaments from Ettal Abbey because they had the Madonna and Child on them! I mean, okay, so they went to a friend whose family is Catholic, but still! Simple gold colored ornaments with the Madonna and Child. They were a set, two royal blue ones with the Abbey on them, two gold ones with the Madonna and Child. Explain to me why the Abbey is acceptable but the Madonna and Child is not?

Anyway, my huffing and puffing aside, I'm hoping that I didn't make a mistake and misjudge it....but mom knows I like the more traditional St. Nicholas figure (and always have) so hopefully it won't be a problem.

Oh! The drama of my job! So, first off, I'm not a secretary, but, for some reason, the wisdom of the people here says I am to answer the phone. Keep in mind, I don't know half of what we offer here, and I have trouble finding everything for the other half. So, I had a lady call wanting information I didn't have, and instead of someone taking and picking up the phone to take the call, I'm given a convoluted set of instructions on how to get to the information. Needless to say, it didn't work. And then! Not to long ago, I had a lady call her ride, loudly, asking where where they and didn't they realize she needed to be picked up 40 minutes ago, and they know that's when she needed to be picked up!

Ah, such fun.

I'll be honest, I like my job, even if the climate control leaves something to be desired and the communication breakdown is of epic proportions. I do still like my job, but some days.....some days would be better with something stronger than coffee.

Yours always,
Tara

A little bit of grumbling

So, I missed my usual Saturday post. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.

Seriously, I'm pretty bummed that I missed it. I think I might enjoy the Saturday posts more than you do, my dear readers.

Sometimes, I get annoyed by my own nature. Until I'm comfortable, I'll keep quite, and I'm always feeling out people, even years after I get to know them, trying to find the lines that cannot be crossed so that I can avoid them. At the same time, I refuse to lie, although one could argue that a omitting information is lying, when I omit information, it's usually because it's not mine to tell, or I'm just not comfortable with it.

We also have my need to remain polite, even when I'm telling someone off. I don't generally like people who push my buttons, though sometimes my anger, strangely, chooses to manifest as laughter. I know why. On one level I'm darkly amused at how rude, thoughtless, and idiotic people can be. Laughing in people's faces is generally an inappropriate course of action.

And then there's the worst part. Sometimes I just don't want to talk. I'm not upset, I'm not angry or anything. I just don't want to interact with....well, pretty much everyone. There's a few exceptions, but very few.

I feel kind of bad, because sometimes I'll take hours to return calls, emails, or texts just because I don't want to break my little bubble of isolation. I just need to retreat into my head for a while. Maybe read a book, maybe watch a movie, maybe have a drink, and just.....untangle myself. Untangle the knots I tie myself into trying to dance around the lines people draw without breaking my (admittedly flawed) moral code. Untangle my thoughts, and the different facets of my personality.

On one hand, I'm abrasive, sarcastic, a little rough around the edges. On the other, I'm reserved, polite, and awkward.....like a hand-cranked Victrola in a world full of iPods. Analogue in a digital age.

Hence, why I will probably die, old and alone, surround by cats.

Just kidding! Although I'm certainly not ruling "crazy cat lady" out of the possibilities for my future, I'd like to think I have a little more faith than to declare myself a spinster at the tender age of 22.

The problem is that there just isn't a polite way to say "I'm having a moment, please do not disturb unless it's an emergency." Sure, a lot of my friends understand. Many of them have similar personality quirks where they just need time. In fact, most people do. Maybe I just haven't figured out how to verbalize my issues yet.

Thanks for reading this.

Yours always,
Tara

P.s. The shop should be opening next week, when I get paid. There's a few...safety nets, so to speak, that I'd like in place first. But Padrigin's Corner will be opening on either the 20th or the 21st.