the blizzard

Well, we are under a blizzard alert until tomorrow morning. It started snowing in the middle of the night. It stopped/slowed down for a while and now it's really picked up again. It's nothing like the blizzard we had a couple years ago, but it sure is nice to have some moisture!

The people I work with are really great. They were worried that I might not make it to work tonight because

1. I feel like total crap and felt like total crap when I left this morning
2. It's been snowing since some time in the middle of the night, the blizzard warning and I live about 25 miles away from work

They were considerate enough to plan ahead and get someone to work for me. I'm glad they did, because I don't think I'd be able to make it in tonight. It's miserable feeling miserable. The roads were so bad and I felt so bad on my way home that I stopped at my mom's house and took a nap for a couple hours before I went the rest of the way home. Oh, and no matter what the weather, people still drive like idiots. They must have a death wish. OK, enough whining.

The dogs LOVE playing in the snow!

and by the way....

I don't think I ever posted anything about the Saint Patrick's Day parade last week. Time just seems to slip by. Patrick and Isabel were both in it, in separate floats. Isabel didn't last too long. She did a great job and looked so adorable. It was nice that she didn't walk the whole parade, then she got to come back and hang out with us and get some candy.

I didn't get to see Patrick when his float came by because he was on the other side of it, so I guess it's a good thing I saw him before the parade started. He's getting so freaking huge!

I don't know how it is that Nicky & I always get stuck next to the rudest or most greedy people whenever we are at parades, but that is how it happens. Oh well, we still had fun.

something, something, something

I'm sitting here trying to thing of something to update you all on. Well....I finished the mittens I was working on. Learned how to duplicate stitch to close holes and I am very pleased with that!

I'm working on a felted bag, getting closer to the "22 inches completed height before felting" every day. I also picked up a pair of socks I started a year ago. Oops. I think now I knit a little less tight than I did then, so my gauge is a little different. I'm not in the mood to take the whole sock apart just because now part of it may be a little looser. I'm knitting them toe up and the first one is done to the heel, so now I'm on the second. I remember how hard I worked to make those toes last year, making them over and over about 4 times. I'm just going to keep going to get these socks done. Once I finish the foot, which is just plain stockinette stitch, I'll switch to a ribbed stitch, so, if they are a little loose, there will be some stretchiness to the leg.

I have so much sock yarn and have so many great ideas for socks. Yep. Not really. Well, I just thought that I could share it with my nieces and make a little pair of socks for my nieces or one of them whenever I make myself a pair since I'll probably have leftovers. Maybe start with a pair of socks for Isabel and knit myself a pair of anklets with what is left (or knit as high as I can go). I just thought it would be fun to get more than one pair of socks out of my yarn at a time instead of having the scraps sitting around.

I'm going to go to a February Lady Sweater class starting Monday. There has been this yarn, the colorway is "rose garden", at the LYS that I have lusted over for about the past year and I never knew what to make with it. Well, I bought the last 4 skeins a couple weeks ago and I'm going to use it for my sweater. Can't wait!

I plan to get plenty of sleep today. I work tonight and did not work last night. I didn't get much sleep at all yesterday after I got off work. Maybe it's time to admit defeat and accept the fact (?) that kids don't care if I need to sleep and aren't going to be quiet and head for the ear plugs.

living and dying

Did I seriously have myself marked as a male? I just changed my profile picture and my gender said "male". Eh, whatever.

My new job is absolutely wonderful and I am so happy to be there. Everyone I work with has been so welcoming and so great. I guess that goes along with the line of work. One thing I learned in my small amount of time with Hospice is the way that you lived your life is the way you die. I wonder if the same is true with the people around you. What I mean is, if you are very work oriented or if you are very family oriented, are you going to be that way when your close family member is dying? I have seen both responses to the impending death of a family member and I have yet to come to the conclusion of whether or not it is the way that person chooses to live his or her life or if it is grief. I suppose it could be either, but who am I to know?

I was asked to work an extra shift this weekend - right in the middle of my orientation - which does seem kind of strange. I do feel very honored though because when the woman called me from work she told me that my supervisor said I was doing a great job and was very confident I could do it. They would rather have me work the shift than someone from a temp agency. I'm flattered.

I'm working on some mittens that I started in October or November. Hopefully I'll have them done this weekend so I can use them next winter. ;) So many other things had to be knit so they got put off. I still have to finish my mom's fingerless mitts that were a Christmas present. They are so detailed, that's why they are taking me so long. I get so far and I have to stop. I have some plans for Easter presents and have started on one. I have promised myself to at least finish the mittens before continuing the first Easter present. The other two I think will go rather quickly. Then a couple more. I think my list of things I'd like to knit will be never ending. I started my first pair of socks 10 months ago and have yet to finish them because I keep starting new projects. Errr. When is Easter anyway? 5 weeks. After that, a blanket for Isabel. I'm never going to stop!

Cash for Gold

Today I took my wedding rings from my first marriage to the pawn shop (again with the pawn shop). I have been hanging on to them for years -- just over 8 years to be a little more exact -- because I didn't know what to do with them. I've heard all of those cash for gold commercials and thought maybe I'd send them in. Then I did a little bit of looking around on the internet. I know you can't believe everything you read on the internet but I read about some people getting just a couple dollars for their jewelry or being told their package never made it to the cash for gold people. So I thought I'd take my wedding jewelry and the other couple things he gave me to the pawn shop. At least I'd get rid of them. Lucky me! I got $100! I used it to buy a little brown refrigerator I saw there last week. It looks just like the refrigerator my parents got for a wedding gift 40 years ago that they still have.


My dad uses it for beer, and now that is what my husband has in his.


I also used the money to get my hair re-colored:


Good day.

I am starting a new job in 2 weeks! I'm very excited about it since I haven't been very happy at my current job and I've been wanting a job where I feel like I'm actually being a nurse. I will be working for Hospice. I am very excited about this! My last day of work will be on my birthday!

I finished my last square for the afghan swap yesterday and it is blocking. I'm wanting to make more squares for my afghan to make it a bit larger. Hopefully with my new job I will have more spare time to knit and I can make more squares and put together some blankets for Project Linus. I also started on a sweater for Annette's dog. I'm hoping to finish it this weekend.

Here's a cute picture to end the blog with:

it's so hard

Being a step-mom is so hard. Sometimes (well, maybe most of the time) you feel so unappreciated. I try to do what's best for my step-son. I treat him like I'd treat my own kids; care for him like I'd care for my own kids.

Yesterday we did some pawn shop shopping. That is the best place to buy movies! Get used movies for really cheap! We think it's fun. While we were there a woman was there with some stuff that they weren't going to take. One of the things she had was a black leather jacket, size 12-14. They were going to put it in a free pile so she asked Patrick if he wanted it. He was so excited about it! I'll have to get a picture and post it. So, we got 3 movies, season 1 of Mind of Mencia (for Tom, not me) and a leather jacket for $20. Not bad. Then we had dinner at Waffle House. OK, just so you know, we don't spend all Saturdays like this.

Patrick's asthma was really acting up yesterday. He kept needing his rescue inhaler. Since I work at an allergy and asthma clinic and have taken the asthma educators course I was fairly confident with what I was doing. But he kept coughing and coughing. At 11 he was sitting in his bed coughing and crying because he couldn't sleep. I had given him his inhaler again. He finally coughed up some mucous. About an hour later he started coughing so hard he threw up. Tom thought we needed to take him to the ER. So I called the doctor on call. He thought it could be sinusitis or bronchitis, but without seeing him is not 100% sure, but the kid's nose is stuffed up like you wouldn't believe. So he called in an antibiotic and some prednisone and is going to see him tomorrow. Tom hasn't slept in over 24 hours. He worked late last night getting everything ready for inventory and had to go back to work at 3 AM for inventory, but after driving into town to the pharmacy, he had to leave without any sleep. Now he's just laying on the couch. Patrick's been asleep and cough-free for about 6-7 hours now - thank god! I just hope he keeps sleeping! He needs the rest!

I think I might be in need for a nap, too.

isn't she lovely?

I have my niece's sweater finished and a picture of her wearing it! She is absolutely beautiful! Both of my nieces are beautiful, but today I only got a picture of Adeline.

And a picture of the completed sweater.


After this I had the urge to knit my sister some awesome Valentine socks but I had to remind myself that I have 1 1/4 afghan squares to finish, and fingerless mitts, and mittens, other socks, and I don't know what else. But how long could it take???