Fabulous news!

The FDA approved the drug I've been waiting for!!!!! Biogen says they will have Tecfidera available in a matter of days. I already have my appointment for next week.

I was so happy I actually started crying. I had been hopping to my laptop all day constantly refreshing the news pages (it was almost like the last moments of a ebay item you really really want and constantly refresh to make sure you aren't out bid the last moment).

This means good things. With luck I will soon have my life back. I'm in the frenzy rush of trying to finish my show. After the 15th of April my life will be mine again. And perhaps by then I'll be seeing some results from the meds and stay up past 7:30pm.

Ten on Tuesday

10 Things You'd Do If You Won the Big Powerball Jackpot.

$338 Million dollars. What wouldn't I do? But I suppose I could narrow it down to the top ten.

1. Pay off our debt- mainly the credit card debt that three summers of unemployment has put us into. There's probably enough there to knock out the mortgage as well. 
2. New car for the husband- he has my old car and the thing is falling apart. It's on the verge of being a death trap. I'd really like to get him a pickup that has a full back seat (for car seats). I really like the one that has in floor storage too...I don't remember the truck. My car I love and I'd just do all the work to it that we've been putting off and a new set of tires.
3. Daycare/Kindergarten tuition- This is our biggest money suck right now. We pay more to our daycare each month than we do to our mortgage. And frankly the kindergarten program there would probably better for Little Dude, but the costs are killing us. I'd set aside the funds for these in a separate account and just pay them from there and not have to worry about it. 
4. The house- I would get This Old House to come on board and help us redo the house. Make the basement not leak. Give me enough hot water to fill the tub all the way. Finished walls, finished stair cases, finished floors. No plywood to be seen anywhere, except in the workshop. I'd have my studio/office. The kids would have their playroom. And we'd make it all adaptable and ADA compliant, so should my MS take me along the path of greater disability, the house would still be able to be home.
5. Set aside money for schooling- for the kids, for myself and my husband. Learning should never end. I'd probably start a scholarship or two.
6. Invest in the CNC machine- It's a project my husband has been dreaming of and planning for years. I'd like to make it happen. Maybe then he'd quit and do that for a living. Personally I think I'd push him to quit and then start a local MakerSpace. He's the kind of guy that has to be doing something.
7. Donate to MS research and assistance programs- no brainer on that one.
8. Make a large donation to the Hartt school- specifically in regards to the scene shop. Helping us along to a new space that is proper and safe (and has heat and a/c!) I'm terrified that we're going to get stuck building sets in a closet somewhere when they are tired of paying for this place. 
9.  Payback my parents for all the money they spent on my college, braces, etc...- it's the least I could do.
10. Buy yarn/fabric/craft supplies- with my studio done, and the bills paid, I think I could finally indulge in some artistic lovelies. I'd get my Kromski and buy all the sock yarn that I want. Get a good serger and proper dress form. Have a sewing cabinet made. Get some new brushes and paints. Buy a stock of some acid dyes and see where that leads. Oh if only.

I noticed after reading what others wrote...I never thought about quitting my job. I love my job. It keeps me sane (which is a very scary though). I'd just make it easier for me to do my job. I guess it's hard to shake off the practical Capricorn in me. 

Ten on Tuesday

10 Random Things On Your Mind

1.  How am I going to glue the new feathers on the parrots for my show. Hot glue dries fast but has too much dimension. White glue will take a while to dry. Hrm....must ponder.
2. Where am I going to scrounge up two more dollars for lunch?
3. My legs hurt. 
4. Pondering the best way to color glaze these flats. (can you tell that I'm at work?).
5. How to drill the slots in the balls for the ball joints without mangling my fingers as well.
6. We should be teaching boys not to rape instead of blaming the girls 'for getting themselves into those situations'. Yes taking pictures and videos was wrong, insensitive and stupid, BUT YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN RAPING ANYONE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!!!!
7. I'm craving Starburst.
8. If I mailed in my prescription over a week ago, they really should have it by now. Shouldn't they? I'm going to have to call and yell, aren't I? Ugh....I hate this.
9. Is it really only Tuesday?
10. That was the sorriest excuse for a bacon cheeseburger that I've ever had.

Ten on Tuesday

10 Favorite Things That Are Green

This was a tougher task than I thought it would be. I had pondered money as an answer but it truly doesn't qualify as one of my favorite things. I love having money but I hate the necessity of it. Money can do horrible things to people and make people do horrible things. I just couldn't rightly call it one of my favorite things. But here are the things that are my favorites amongst the greener hues.

Granny Smith Apples- my preferred apple. Not just for baking, and the smaller and more 'monster blood' the green the better the eating.

Green Grapes- My favorite snack when I was kid (perhaps explains my preference for white wines). I've expanded my grape repertoire since then but if I remember correctly, these are the only type of grapes I would eat as a kid.

Mint- I love mint. I still balk at mint tea but only because I now associate it with morning sickness. I love the smell and the taste and the tingle of it. And it pairs perfectly with dark chocolate, so what's not to love.

 Lime- And not just in gin and tonic. When out to eat I often request lime in my water rather than lemon.

Forest ferns- there is just something so beautiful about a deep lush forest blanketed with green ferns. *sigh* Now I want to go camping.

Emeralds- The deeper, the darker the better. I have no occasion to wear it, but I love my sparkle.

Leafy Greens- as in the kind you eat. I love salads full of exotic and rich dark greens. No iceberg lettuce for me. My favorite soup is seasoned perfectly with turnip greens. They are so good and so versatile.

Peacocks- varying shades of iridescent greens. Simply beautiful.

 Green Hornet- I love this movie. Stupid fun but it's one I turn to when I'm having a bad day.

 

 Green Day- Love the music and oh, Billie Joe...you may be an idiot but I love looking at you.

Happy Birthday to my Little Miss

(oops posting this a day late...her birthday was Friday the 8th)

My little girl two today, which I guess in some respects makes her a Big Girl.

 I'm still amazed at how big she has gotten. What a difference two years makes.

 

 Little Miss has a strong personality. She's a girl who when she knows what she wants, she's determined to get it. She's also a girl who understands the power of cute and isn't afraid to use it. (Unfortunately for her, Mommy is immune. I often tell her, "That look doesn't work on me. Mommy invented that look.") Little Miss loves books and being read to.

Likes: Kitties, Hello Kitty, Elmo, Muppets (knows Miss Piggy by name. Calls Beaker 'MeMe' and Animal "LALALA" because of this video), Mommy, Daddy, her brother, climbing, doing whatever her brother is doing, books and reading, her monkeys, her binky, Batman (her third word), babies.

Dislikes: Being told 'No', waiting, having her face wiped, loud noises (vacuum, screw gun, compressor), eating vegetables (unless they are pureed and come in a pouch), and missing out on what is going on.

I gave her a choice between cookies and cupcakes to take to school (daycare) and share with her friends. Little Miss requested cookies. And because I am insane I decided to take it to the next level. Hello Kitty cookies with flooded icing. It's a project I've been wanting to try for a while and this was a perfect opportunity (well it would have been more perfect if her birthday had been earlier in the week and I had the weekend to try this). 

No one had the Hello Kitty cookie cutter in stock, and not having time to order one online I improvised. I drew the face on an index card and cut it out. I cut around that pattern to cut the dough. Slightly more time consuming but effective nonetheless.

I will confess to using a sugar cookie mix. In a pinch it will do, and they really weren't too bad.
Once baked I piped the black out line with the stiff frosting.

Cute, no?

Then with the thinner frosting I 'flooded' the area of the face and the bow. After that I repiped the eyes and added the whiskers. I didn't get pictures of myself doing it because it is hard to do that and take a picture at the same time. I'll do more in depth instructions/pictures the next batch. I really like these and will be doing them again.

The room full of two year olds and their teachers thought they were fabulous. I'm rather proud of myself. Up close they're not fantastic looking but considering it was around midnight and it was my first attempt, I think I did a pretty damn good job.

The only problem is that I didn't get them packaged up before she saw them and the whole morning it was "Cookie. Cookie." I love ya kid, but no cookies for breakfast. Not even on your birthday.

Orange Update

As we come upon the one year anniversary of my MS diagnosis, I thought I'd do a little update on how things stand.

After being diagnosed we (my doctor, my husband, and myself) decided that the course of treatment I would take is a drug called Tysabri. Tysabri is given as an once every 28 days infusion. I loved the treatment. I had little to no side effects, noticeable improvement and I got to sit down for 3 hours at least once a month. Like most things, there are risks with the drug, but my team of heath care professionals have a system in place to monitor for them. The main risk with Tysabri is the potential to develop PML, The people who develop PML while on Tysabri have been exposed to a virus called the JC virus. Half the population have been exposed to the virus and don't even know it. It's not a problem unless you have issues with your immune system or are on immunosuppressents. While on Tysabri you are routinely checked for the JC antibody to see if you have been exposed to the virus.

Well, in the fall my test came back positive. The positive test combined with the number of infusions I had (risks of PML grow with the number of infusions to a certain point and then drop off) and the results of my MRI, led to the decision to take me off the Tysabri. Mid January was my last infusion. While I continue to take medications and supplements to treat my symptoms (I take 8 pills in a normal day), I am not currently on a disease modifying treatment. This is in part because I must wait for the Tysabri to leave my system, and partly because we are waiting for the release of a new drug.

That drug is BG-12...currently named Techfidera . (I think this is the 8th name for it). This drug is a pill. That right there makes it big news. Pills over self injectables and infusions. Studies showed that it reduces the relapse rate 53% and the risk of disability progression by 38% when taken twice a day. (For those who are counting, that would put my pill count up to 10 a day) The biggest problem right now is that another drug company, the maker of the widely used injection Copaxone, is trying to block it. Read about it here and here.  'Citizen's petition' my arse. They're scared because they know people will leave the needle for a pill. Who cares that when the two were compared BG-12 reduced annual relapse rate by 44% for the twice-daily dose in contrast to Copaxone's 29%. Nope. They're worried about their bottom line, while I'm worried about trying to live a 'normal' life.

So I'm waiting and hoping. And how am I feeling through all of this? What does all this mean for me on a day to day basis. Well, it depends on the day. It also depends on if I've remembered to take my pills that day. (I know, I know, but with two kids under 5 things happen) I'd say the toughest thing is the fatigue. There are many days I wake up tired. Not I-stayed-up-too-late-I-need-more-coffee-tired, but taking-a-shower-and-getting-dressed-are-olympic-feats-tired. And caffeine doesn't help the fatigue. Nor does the fact that my 20 lb two year old insist I carry her every where. (And once you pick her up she points and says "dat way!") On good days the spasticity in my arms and legs are a minor annoyance. On the bad days it's so painful I want to cry. When in a relaxed state (just walking around or sitting down) I find that I revert to holding myself in a tensed position...my hands are clenched and my legs/feet held in a position that stresses the muscle. I have to consciously relax my hands and feet all the time. On good days I barely limp...on bad days it's more noticeable. I'm not Quasimodo quite yet, thankfully. My balance is poor. It doesn't take much to send me reeling. The best way to describe it is that it feels like my inner gyroscope is broken. I have a cane that I use occasionally. Typically when I am out and don't want to look like I'm drunk. It also comes in handy at fiber festivals with the uneven ground and crowds, (nothing like a stick to beat them back from the last two skeins of sock yarn in your favorite color way.)

Since stopping the infusions my immune system has been haywire. Since the new year I've had two UTI's, chronic sinus problems, a day or two of vomiting, two bouts of pink eye, a severe sore throat and a 'cold' that had me bedridden for a full day. I'm often asleep shortly after the kids go to bed (hence the complete lack of blogging and crafting). There have been nights I've been out before they have. I know one night I fell asleep during the dinner hour. Another night when the Husband was working late I was so exhausted I was letting the kids watch a movie in my bed. I put Little Miss down and then laid down with Little Dude to watch the rest of the movie. Next thing I know he's asking me how to turn off the TV, which he does, then he goes potty, turns off the light and crawls in next to me. (Is this kid awesome or what?)

Brain wise, I've been having trouble focusing and finding the right words. I could always tell I was due for my next infusion when I started struggling for nouns. My husband tends to get impatient while I am mentally searching for words and tries to fill in, which just screws me up. I know I'm bad about interrupting people when talking but I know if I don't get the thought out in that moment, it will just be gone. (so please be patient with me. I'm not trying to be annoying. I just have holes in my brain). And there are other things I have to deal with because of the MS...insurance stuff, trying to wrangle my medications (8 pills a day....that reminds me. I gotta call that refill in), finding shoes that won't trip me, catheters, doctor's appointments, needles, insomnia, trying not to trip while carrying a child, trying not to trip while carrying a bucket of paint (did that on the drop the other day....thankfully it was on a part I had not painted yet.)

Wow this is a long post. It's not meant to be whiny, or please-pity-me. I just wanted to give a small slice of what it is like and what is going on. And why I've not been here.And now that you're up to date with all of that, we can get on with the crafty stuff (and the cuteness. Oh wait till you see the cuteness)

ok. off to bed.

Ten on Tuesday

10 Reasons You're Happy it's March

I have many, many reasons I'm happy that it is March.

1. What is that big, bright, shiny thing?!?!? OMG!! IT'S THE SUN!!!! I am far more productive when it is sunny out. One wonders if I would have been half as depressed as I was in my formative years if I didn't grow up in a place where the sun is lacking for weeks at a time. Along the same vein, would I have MS as well?
2. The new MS therapy I am waiting for is *suppose* to be released this month. (more on that later)
3. My Little Miss turns TWO!!  o_O
4. We are finally working on my set design and the stress and angst are coming to head and becoming something. I'm not sure if it will completely fail or be a success but the waiting is over.
5. I will finally be getting paid for the above.
6. I am only wearing about 5 layers of clothing to work, instead of 17. 
7. The potential to open the windows. Oh how I'm aching to open the windows and clean out the house.
8. We can start taking walks around the block again. The kids need to get out and burn off some energy and the exercise wouldn't hurt us either.
9. Flowers. (perhaps not but there is always the hope of). I try to remember where the crocus are in my yard and keep an eye out for them.
10. Girl Scout cookies. (come to me my Thin Mints)

This means war...

March is named after Mars (Ares) the Greek god of War and it seems very fitting to me. I'm feeling beat down, worn out and dammit I'm ready to fight back. 2013 was suppose to be better. I gave the year January to shake off 2012. February just ended up being a horrible month...we had a blizzard, I was sick (in bed all day sick), my husband worked crazy long hours, deadlines came up harder and faster after the shut down from the snow, both my kids got sick while my husband was 3000 miles away for work, and I didn't make it to knit-nite once the whole month. And to top all of this off, I am between treatments for the MS and feel like complete shit rather ailing.

All that being what it was, my plans for Finishuary were a failure. I was either too tired, too sick or in too much pain to get much crafting done. I did finish one of my father's potholders and almost finished another...until I discovered that the second one was too small. Frogged that and I have now nearly completed the second 'corrected' potholder. There is a rush on these since Dad so graciously pointed out that he burned himself the other day because he only had one of the good potholders (and it was all my fault). I told him that it was his fault for being a dumbass who touches hot things. Can you feel the love? I have enough yarn to make him one more, which will give him four in total. Though I ran into a minor snag yesterday with one of them. I've been trying to work on these everywhere and brought the project to the library on our family excursion. It gives me something to do while I keep eyes on two kids on opposite sides of the room. When I returned, it seems that some of the yarn was hanging out of the diaper bag when it was unceremoniously dumped on a chair in the living room. When I went to gather said project back up during nap time I thought it was odd that there seemed to be an end hanging out of the bag. I was working directly from the too small potholder to the correct one....there should have been no yarn end.
Then I looked closer....
and noticed the frayed nature of the end....
and the dampness of it...
and the compete absence of my fat black cat. The one that is the Brain in my Pinky and the Brain duo of pets. Yeah. That one.
It was fixable but rest ye sure that I am plotting my revenge.

I did manage to get some quilting done over the last month as well. The T-shirt quilt from hell has all it's machine quilting done. I just need to do the hand quilting in the squares and then the binding. Why, oh why am I hand quilting the squares? do you ask. Because I don't have a long arm sewing machine and it will be much, much easier to do the quilting pattern in there by hand then on my machine.

With spring on it's way, things are starting to look up. My husband's schedule is looking better for a while. Next month I (hopefully) will be starting a new treatment, and my design will be going up and not consuming all of my life. I have lots to write about and lots of ideas for changes. I hope you will all forgive the lack of writing and the many unfulfilled promises of regular blogging. I want to keep blogging, I just need to figure out how to fit it into the new 'normal', especially when that 'normal' keeps changing. 

So get your battle dress on...we're gonna kick some arse!

Ten on Tuesday

Today's ten is an interesting one...10 Things You Miss From Your Childhood. Having a 4 year old and a (nearly) 2 year old, I get to indulge in many of the pleasures of my childhood once again. My husband and I seek out and introduce many of the things we enjoyed as kids to share with our minions. Some they aren't ready for yet but are on the to do list. Though I urge everyone to indulge as well, even if you don't have children.

1. A fresh box of crayons- is there anything more beautiful then a brand new box of crayons. The neat rows of perfect tips in a rainbow of colors waiting to become anything and everything. I confess that I have a box of 96 that I have tucked away for all my own. 
2. Singing. Out loud. Everywhere- and not caring a damn if I was any good or not. Singing just for the joy of singing without an ounce of self-consciousness. I miss how good that use to feel. My son will spend days at a time narrating everything in song. I hope he never loses that.
3. Sunday dinners at my Grandmother's house- Every Sunday after church (when we did church) that is where we would be. On 'Special Occasions' we would eat upstairs but mostly we were in the basement. Of course if you listened to my mother we always ate upstairs if my uncle came because "Ma loves (him) best". Pasta was always on the menu. Only homemade sauce. Sometimes roast beef or chicken or even ribs. Plenty of bread and butter. And Soda...ah that was a treat. And either my mother or myself would knock over a glass....clumsiness is genetic.
4. Walking to the bakery across the street from Grandma's- Hand in hand with Sunday dinner was the bread and dessert of donuts and cookies from the Italian bakery across the street from my Grandparent's house. I always loved walking over with my Grandfather to pick up the fresh goodies and getting to pick what donuts and cookies I specifically wanted. (Peanut donut being my favorite). It's a restaurant now that is probably just as often frequented by the family. They actually keep an eye out on my Grandfather for us and keep my Mom informed on him. I have to say we were very spoiled by having a fabulous bakery so close and I often bemoan the lack of one my neighborhood.
5. Dancing around the living room like an maniac- I'm happy to say my son takes after me in this and my daughter is showing signs of following suit. My lack of balance and the death trap of toys that the minions leave all over prevent this from happening now. *sigh* I really need to go dancing. 
6. Good cartoons- The cartoons today suck. Especially if you don't have cable. I grew up watching Scooby Doo, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, He-man, She-ra-Princess of Power, GI Joe, Transformers and such. The only cartoon I'll let my kids watch that isn't on PBS is Busy Town Mysteries. Actually my son LOVES Scooby Doo. He's ripe for He-man and She-ra. heheheheh May the influencing begin.
7. Staying up late to watch a special show- When I was really little it was The Muppet Show. I remember being allowed to stay up and watch The Carol Burnett Show. There was something about not having all your shows on demand and having to wait for them and schedule your time around them. Especially the holiday specials. 
8. Camping- I loved camping. And we would do real camping. You know...with tents and sleeping on the ground and cooking on the fire and stuff. But there's something so wonderful about sitting around the fire and looking up and seeing so many stars. (now I'm getting itchy to go out into the woods....when it warms up)
9. Playing dress up- personally I never really outgrew this. We just call it cosplay now. You have to consider I work in a business where people are actually paid to get dressed up and play pretend.
10. Reading all day long- oh how I miss that. And on that note it's back to work (and listening to audiobooks)  ;)

Ten on Tuesday

10 Things You Always Have In Your Car

Ah my car. My poor, poor car. I love my Saturn but it's state, like the house, is at the mercy of the Desctructive Duo.

1. First aid kit- a must. I found a great one at Target years ago and it tucks nicely under the back seat.
2. Carseats- Obviously. The kids are far enough apart in age and size that as Little Dude outgrows his seat, Little Miss is ready for it. That has helped alot. The seats, however, have rendered my car unable to take on extra passengers...unless you are willing to get squished between the two seats. I will usually render up shotgun and sit between the kids. Being of petite stature, it is eaisiest for me. 
3. Tissues- For at all times someone has a runny nose due to cold and/or allergies. 
4. Bluetooth earpiece- it's the law. 
5. A mini flashlight- you never know when you may need a little light on the situation. Usually it spends it's time occupying Little Dude on the ride home. 
6. Mints-because, well, sometimes you need a little freshing up. Especially after a garlic laden meal.
7. Reusable grocery bags- unless we've fogotten to bring them back out to the car. They come in handy for a lot of other things as well. 
8. Stroller- we love our umbrella stroller. It's a Maclaren Volo and has held up beautifully through two kids.
9. Work stuff- either my tool box, tool bag, or just a roller tray and some brushes. I tend to always have some tools of my trade in my car. You never know when your scenic skills will save the day. 
10. Sharpies- because you never know when you may need one. Just hide them from the kids. 

I'm home sick today. Friday I had the rug pulled out from under me medically and I'm still processesing. And I'm in the throws of wrapping up this project. Excepting one night when I fell asleep with the kids, I've not been to bed before midnight for almost a month now. Soon...soon I can breathe again. And knit again. And sleep.
And speaking of sleep, I think it's time for another nap.

Ten on Tuesday

Today's Ten on Tueday...I can sum it up rather quickly

10 Tips for Sticking With Your Fitness Routine

Yeah. He said it perfectly.

Onto other things...I am on the verge of having my design done. Or needing to have it done. I'll write more about it as things progress but this process that I thought would be fun has been stressful and forcing me to call into question all of my supposed talents. But the director is apparently returning to the country today and therefore I can meet with her and get everything finalized. And then I can spend the next 4 months being heckled and tormented by my coworkers. So the blogging will resume shortly, until then I need to pull some brilliant solutions out of my arse. Too bad doing that won't make it smaller or firmer.

Happy Birthday to Me & Ten on Tuesday

Sorry this is being posted a day late. Yesterday was my birthday after all.

Today's Ten on Tuesday topic is very appropriate for the day. If you've been reading for a while you know that since my birthday is a week after New Years, I consider this date the start of my new year.

10 Goals for 2013

1. Knit more socks. I've deemed 2013 the year of the sock in my world. My boot socks are disintegrating.  I have one pair left without holes. Even my collection of store bought knee socks is starting  to shuffle off it's mortal coil. I need socks. And I want hand knit ones. 
2. Medical maintenance. This is what I am calling getting my treatment in order. Starting up my mail order account for my medications. Getting my files in order and having a system for keeping track of meds and doctor's appointments. I want to get this to store my medicines in my bedroom. I should order my medical alert pendent. And working my therapy exercises into my daily routine.
3. Cook more and with more abandon. I love to cook and once again we've fallen into a rut with meals in our house. I don't know why but it seems we can never think of things to have for dinner. I know we used to have a wide variety of meals and now it seems we have the same 4 or 5 meals. It's time to experiment again. Time to dig out the recipe books and just start making stuff.
4. More homemade food. This ties in with the above goal. I want to start making my own pasta again. We did make some breakfast sausage this year and it didn't turn out so bad. My father is really blazing the trail with this and inspiring me. I used to make soup all the time. I did make some blueberry jelly this summer and that made me realize I want to start home canning again. With the price of food and all the crap they put in things these days, I feel this is the direction I want to move out household in. Plus it's a great thing to teach the kids. 
5. More sewing. Setting up the sewing machine in my bedroom has really made this possible. I don't have to waste time setting up and tearing down and can grab some stolen moments here and there. I thoroughly enjoyed sewing their Halloween costumes and I've been working on the quilt for my FIL. I've got a quilt in the planning phase for Little Dude. 
6. Find new shoes. This sounds stupid but it's actually rather important. My go to shoes for years have been the Dansko Professional clogs. I love these shoes. But with the MS, they are a bit of a liability. There is a tendency for my ankles to roll while walking in them. It apparently is a common issue. What it means that I'll be walking along just fine and then suddenly flail around trying to keep myself from falling. With the MS, not falling becomes more difficult. The other issue with them is that though they wonderful insole support they are very heavy shoes. Which, again because of the MS, fatigues me much quicker. So I need to find a replacement everyday shoe, and I've not had any luck so far. I need something comfortable, that isn't going to trip me, works in most weather situations (the problem with Converse) and won't break the budget. If they make me a few inches taller that doesn't hurt either, another reason I love the Dansko clogs.
7. Less TV, more playing. I'm really trying to limit the TV watching in the house and doing more activities with the kids. Both kids are artistically inclined but Little Miss is still young enough that projects don't hold her attention too long and she still needs a lot of help with them. Little Dude will sit and color or paint for hours. I have pages and pages of colored pictures all over the house. This might be the year I teach him to knit. 
8. Work on the house. Need I say more. We have to sit and prioritize the to-do list and then get started. I'm starting to organize my ideas by room and I think it's time to start getting some actually design ideas down on paper.
9. Organize the photos. I've already started working on this project. I've started shifting all the photos to the server and separating them into folders by year and then month. I'm stumped on a system of renaming the actual photos. If anyone has suggestions, please share. I've started organizing my painting portfolio photos as well. It's a daunting project but it needs to be done. The next big step will be scanning in all the old photos.
10. More dates with my husband...without kids. We've had a few of these the last several months and are attempting to make this a regular thing. Now that the kids are getting bigger and able to amuse themselves it's time to focus back on our relationship. 

I'm sure there's a bunch of other things but this is a fairly decent overview of my goals. I like the Knitmore Girls idea of having a theme for the year as opposed to specific resolutions. I'm not quite sure what my theme for this year would be, but I'll keep you updated. 

Going forward....

Now that the weekend is here I have a moment. Jumping back into work full throttle without my meds that control the spasticity completely kicked my arse the last few days. I didn't realize how little I thought of the opera until I walked back into the shop and was reminded of what I was working on. It took a few hours to figure out where I had left off and see what was left to finish. But I've got more meds (yea!) and the opera is on track to be done (not soon enough), now it's time to look at all my crafting projects.

I'm currently trying to an inventory of my works in progress. My plan for the year is to spend the first few months finishing up what I've already started. That includes knitting, crochet, sewing and 'other' crafting projects. Last year I reassessed and ended up frogging several pieces. I couldn't believe how wonderful that felt. Sometimes you just have to accept that something isn't working and move on. Some of the projects I will resurrect and others are gone forever. One project, my red vest, I had started pre-babies, and it didn't work on what my body has become. And now that I am done having babies....(yes. done and done. The household can't handle anymore destructive cuteness) I can start knitting and sewing for my own body once again. When I'm not creating for the minions. Though Little Dude is on the cusp of learning how to knit, and my husband *gasp* even began to learn some crochet to help with the holiday gifting.

So this is where the work in progress list stands:
(though I must admit I like the label of Jasmin of the Knitmore Girls- PHD's Project's Half Done. It sounds so distinguished. Much better than the old label of PIGS- Projects In Grocery Sacks. I most often use WIP or the occasional UFO - UnFinished Object)

 Knitting:

• Hulk Smash socks- Double Heelix socks out of Skinny Bugga. First sock nearly done

• Batgirl Tunic- Anouk out of Cotton Classic. Back is almost done  

• Second Pillow- Made a pillow for my stepmother out of yarn recycled from her father's sweater. She loved it and I have enough yarn left over to make a second.

• Tilted Duster- now this is pretty much complete and I've worn it. All it lacks is the fabulous buttons I had picked out for it and promptly lost. Well, now they are found and want attaching.

Crochet:

• Double thick potholders- These were a Christmas gift for my Dad. Completed one and ran out of yarn while frantically crocheting on Christmas Eve. I had a friend pick up some more yarn for my while at the After Christmas sale at Webs. Dad has a very, very old set of these made by one of my Grandmothers out of 70's nasty acrylic...mainly because I think they were made in the 70's. They need to die, but he loves them. His new ones are made out of Cascade 220 superwash. I went with wool because of the fact that it is self extinguishing. 

Sewing/Quilting:

• Boy Scout T-shirt quilt-This project has been such a struggle. But I am at the quilting phase of it. I probably would have had it done if I didn't have a show to design.

Mending:

• Lots of things in the mending pile- several shirts including my son's favorite T-rex shirt, a few purse straps that need fixing, reattaching some velcro to a bib, repairing stitching on some cloth diapers, and several holey work shirts. I just need to sit down one day and hit the pile.

Other:

• Key chain boondoggle- remember these things from camp made out of plastic lacing. I made one of these for my Mom eons ago. It was probably about 10" long and she loved it because she could easily get her keys when they fall to the bottom of her immense purse. It died many, many years ago. I started a new one a few years ago. I bought two spools and started the cord halfway down each spool. I plan on making it as long as the lacing will last. The length was making it slightly cumbersome until I dug out some bobbins. Now I just need to sit and do it.

So that's what I've found in progress around my house. There's a few false starts  that could be included but I'll add those to the later list. The next few weeks my focus will be on finishing my set design, (oh by the way, I'm designing a show this semester) but once those plans are turned in, January and February are dedicated to wiping out this list.

Happy New Year!

It's a fresh new year and a fresh new baktun. I can't say that I will miss the last year. 2012 was not a fabulous year in our world, and not just because of all the morons who thought that the world was going to end. The year started out symptoms that lead to my MS diagnosis in March. It has been a whirlwind year of doctors, tests, drugs and therapy. Tweaking meds until we find the right dose. Needles and more needles. (I don't like needles). Just when I feel like I'm reaching some sort of new normal, the rug gets pulled out from under me. I became JC positive, which means my treatment could have fatal complications. So now more MRI's, because who doesn't want more MRI's. And my last MRI shows that it's working, sortof. Most lesions have halted, but one hasn't. Not quite sure what it means. My treatment also meant that I had to wean Little Miss at short notice. At work, the end of last season could only be described as a clusterfuck, and this year didn't start out much better. They changed our insurance plans, which they announced that same week as the recommendations for major cuts across the University came out. Once again, for the third year running, I was unemployed all summer. Little Dude's lottery number for the magnet school meant that he didn't get in and we continued to pay daycare costs that are more than our mortgage. The roof still didn't get replaced and the upstairs didn't get completed. My laptop died, we had it repaired and it died again. The cars have crapped out on us numerous times. Any extra money we've managed to accrue, has been eaten away by surprise expenses, often within a day's time. Newtown. Numerous hardships in our circle of friends and families. And to end the year on a high note, we discovered on Saturday that the kids picked up head-lice at school.  

Yeah, it was one of those kind of years. But it's time to shake that off, take a deep breathe and move on forward. And part of that is going to be this blog. It's gone through a bit of an identity crisis lately and I think I know where I'd like it to go. There's a lot coming in the new year that I want to talk about. So expect more posts and some visual changes as well.

I hope you all have wonderful year this year.

Our hearts are broken

There are no words for what happened yesterday. We are blessed in that it was not our town, our school, or our children, but this is an incredible blow to the state. I've not stopped crying over it, and keep scooping up my children to hug them tight. I cannot soapbox right now about guns and mental health care. Now is the time to grieve and show our support to the families who were ripped apart.

Ten on Tuesday

One big part of Christmas in my family is the baking, especially the cookies. We have some that are an absolute requirement and others that are made if there is time. Here's my top ten list:

10 Favorite Christmas Cookies

1. Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls- these are the most requested cookies in the house. Crunchy peanut butter and rice krispie insides drenched with chocolate. The year I entered these in the company bake-off (and won) I had a to make a second batch for the contest because my husband refused to let them leave the house.

2. Gingerbread cookies- a seasonal must. With or without the frosting.

3. Pizzelles- I have the iron and have inherited the task of making these since my grandmother passed away. In our family we don't add the anise flavoring, though occasionally we will dust them with confectioners sugar.

4. Butterballs-rich, tiny and delightful.

5. Chocolate balls/Whiskey balls- I can do these with or without the raisins but they are a must have part of the season. I remember that when I was little Mom would make a batch without the whiskey for the kids. Making these is how I learned about shot glasses and what 'a stiff shot' means.

6. Spritz Cookies- simple and wonderful....and addictive.

7.  The Peanut Butter Ones with the Hershey's Kisses- not really Christmas cookies but I like them anyway.

8. Thumbprints- Oh yeah...with raspberry jam, though equally good other jellies. And the crushed nuts are a must.

9. Plain old frosted sugar cookies- classic and fun. I have quite the collection of cookie cutters and I'm looking forward to using them with the kids as they grow up.

10. Peppermint bark- not a cookie, per se, but a must have part of the season. I'm addicted to mint/chocolate combination.

Ten on Tuesday

10 Things On Your Mind Right Now

1. The election- one of the two races causing me agida is all but over with fantastic results. The other I think we won't know until morning. 
2. My laptop- or how to replace the damn thing. It seems that it is included in a class action lawsuit for faulty product, so there is hope to have some money to help with replacement. 
3. This damn cough- I wish I could get rid of it. It starts in the fall as lasts most of the winter. I hate it. 
4. The quilt-My love didn't get the template cut for me today so I can't move forward on it. I had hoped to make some progress this evening while watching the election results. 
5. The next show- designs are in and I've got a bunch of creative problem solving before me, most pressing being how to achieve the wall paper pattern without going insane.
6. I hate iTunes- I'm trying to get some podcasts on to my stupid iPod and the whole thing is just a pain in the ass. Why won't it let me sort them so I can listen to them in order? Why??
7. It's too damn cold!
8. The Alan Dart patterns I just downloaded and all the holiday knitting I have planned. I've nearly all of my patterns. Need to get some yarn and some Eucalan.  (now what flavor to get)
9. What I should be working on right now...like maybe the above mentioned projects...or my sock project or spinning the lovely new fiber that just jumped into my hands this weekend. 
10. What will this next storm bring and do I dare to buy more food and freeze it? I've already have a bunch to go out on trash day tomorrow that falls into the 'questionable' category from last week.

I've been rather productive of late. After sewing the kids costumes I've got the sewing bug again. With Christmas coming I pulled out the quilt I started about two years ago. It is a T-shirt quilt for my FIL made from the shirts he and my husband acquired from years of Boy Scout camp.  Knit fabric is very finicky even with stabilizer on the back. I've had to rip all all the piecing I had done before. I'll have to cut some new sashing, if I have the yardage and start over. Once I have the template.

So I kindof fell down this weekend on the whole 'not buying anything' thing. I may have dipped a little more into the 'fund for shoes that won't trip or tire me' provided by my mother. I'm bad, I know. The first lapse was during Rhinebeck and the Skinny Bugga debacle at Cephalopod Yarns.This time it was Spunky Eclectic and Ball and Skein. I have a thing for Judy's colors at Ball and Skein. My daughter's room is based on one of her colorways, as in I actually pulled out paint chips and compared them to the yarn. This time it was a combination of the Medusa shawl pattern pared with the Glissade yarn in Elderberry. I fell and I fell hard. The yarn is to die for (I'm planning on this yarn in another colorway for a pattern I am designing.) the color, the luster, the feel. And I was smitten with the pattern. Not your typical lace, less flowery and more geometric. And being a fan of the old Clash of the Titans, who could resist Medusa. And then there's Spunky. I don't often leave her booth without something either from her or from JessaLu. I love JessaLu's bags. I only have two, but if I had endless funds I'd have at least 12. Everyone I know that has one of her bags, has more than one of her bags. I've not found any that are constructed half so well as her's are. Plus they are stitched on an old 1930's Singer. Those machines are awesome. I nearly fell for a bag out of Marvel fabric since my current sock project is called Hulk Smash, but I was wooed away by some fiber. I've been hunting for fiber to spin on my Moosie since I bought it at Rhinebeck last year. Such a fabulous spindle begged for some equally fabulous fiber. And this weekend it showed up in the form of some handpainted oatmeal BFL in a colorway called 'Hit with a Hockey Puck'. There was no saving me from that one.

That is all for now. It's cold in the basement where this computer is and I'm tired.

Well fuck!

If my last post seems like it ended rather abruptly, it would be because my laptop all but died on me. I am able to resurrect it for brief moments then the screen goes into and eerie graduated glow. And then not long after that the power went out. We were some of the lucky ones and it was only out for about 30 hours, (long enough to render everything in my big freezer questionable). It was a tad frustrating that everyone around us had power. We are in a section of about 40 houses that seemed doomed to power failures. Work shut down for two days and then the next two we were at 1/3 power, which meant a few lights, no heat, no compressor or saws, and no powered garage door. We ran a ton of extension cords and quad boxes all over the place to get the wifi working and power a few other things. The coffee pot was the first thing to find a functioning plug.

I did finish the Halloween costumes though. Granted it was in the wee hours of the night before and by lantern light, but they were done. And trick-or-treating did happen on the 31st in the evening as normal, unlike last year. The kids had a blast. I do have pictures...it's just getting them from the camera onto the server that's the tricky part. (Man I miss that damn laptop).

Got my MRI results but don't wanna talk about that right now. I'm cold and I'm tired. I just wanted to jump on and say that we made it through the storm safely and due to technical difficulties the full scale return of this blog is delayed. Again. (I kinda wonder if I even should bother.)

2012 is just not my year.

Frankenstorm

Ah, remember when the biggest concerns at this time of year were buying the right amount of candy and what costume to wear? Last year we had Snowmageddon. This year it's Frankenstorm. Hurricane Sandy is rolling into town and ruining our holidays. We packed up everything in the yard that could fly away. We cleaned up as much of the basement as we could, especially in the known water paths. Buckets are on standby near the sump hole. Candles and flashlights are at the ready. Grocery shopping was very light on the perishables. I've got my medication all filled and at hand. The tub is full of water. And now we wait.

In the meantime I am continuing to work on Halloween costumes, though the likelihood of it being cancelled again this year looks rather high. The dinosaur is all but done. I just need to add closures on the hood, tighten the wrist elastics, stitch close a few areas and clean up the thread ends. Little Dude loves it. I have pieces cut out for the mittens, but he's unlikely to wear them. I said we'd paint his nails purple so it matches the toe claws. He liked that. He's been practicing his roar for a while.

Little Miss's costume is a far greater challenge. Being trapped in the house (the roads are now closed) I'm having to punt in regards of pattern, material...basically everything. I do have some black material to work with, but no yellow. I'm wanting some yellow duct tape for the utility belt as well. She has pants that will work and I know where to get her some boots. It's really just the top and the cape. I'm even searching through our stuff to see what I can deconstruct. Why not just buy one, you say? Well, I looked into that. She's in that weird size between sizes. I ran into this with Little Dude a few years ago. The infant stuff is just too small and the 2T stuff is just too big. Don't worry. I'm sure inspiration will hit just as the power goes out.

I have been knitting a fair amount lately. I'm knitting Anouk for Little Miss in black and yellow Tahki Cotton Classic I had in my stash. Yes, she's getting a Batman jumper. It was her third word and probably the one she says the most after "No". The knitting is going well. There is some unpublished errata in regards to the 18month size. After doing a bunch of math and double checking the Knitty pattern (I had printed this up ages ago) I took to Ravelry. Apparently in the comments of the pattern there is a lot of errata that other knitters have found and corrected. It just hasn't been applied to the directions on Knitty yet. I don't know if the designer has just abandoned the pattern or what, but I find it more than a little frustrating. Other than that, it is going rather well. I'm nearly finished with the back.

update and Rhinebeck

Well. It's been interesting. I've had a few more laptop issues as well as work going from whirlwind to absolute cluster-fuck. There are big things going down at work, and that would be bad enough if we weren't trying to open a three shows a week apart. I've been dealing with more medical issues as well. This just isn't my year and the last month or so really highlights that.

But there are some good things going on. Good crafty things.

First of all, on Sunday I went to Rhinebeck with my girls. As per our usual routine, we were up well before the ass-crack of dawn and meeting at my house at 5 am. It's amazing I can get up and be somewhat together at that hour for a fiber festival, but still can't seem to be up and functional by 6am on work days. Go figure. About halfway into our road trip we stop at a Dunkin Donuts for bathroom and refreshments. I have issue with this particular DnD, in that they brazenly advertise hot apple cider on their door, yet never have any.

On the way up I finished my Tilted Duster. Well, it is nearly finished. The knitting is done and I wove in the ends in the car. All that is missing is the buttons. My fabulous, perfect buttons. I have no clue where they are. I tore apart the house looking for them. I half expected walk in the door and see them sitting there after the festival but no such luck.

First stop when we reach our destination is Pete's Famous Restaurant for breakfast. The food is great. The staff is wonderful. It is the perfect way to start our day. This year I went for the French Toast deluxe which include French toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, and ham. It's enough to keep you satiated and energized well into the afternoon.

Then it is off the the fairgrounds. This year they changed some things regarding the parking and the entrances. They switched the entrance and the exit, and I'm not sure it helped the situation. The parking volunteers this year were horrible. They didn't direct us at all. I think we ended up in vendor parking, but it worked out well for us. Apparently the day before everything was still a mudpit and lots of cars were getting stuck. I have to commend the fairgrounds for having a tow truck available to pull the festival goers out at no cost to them. Having been very close to being stuck last year, I think it was a good thing on their part. One hitch in the plans this year is that we went on Sunday. And while this meant we didn't have to fight the crowds and the grounds were a bit dryer, it also meant that the fairgrounds weren't open to us until 10am. A fact that we had over looked. We are still unsure if this is a change or we just spaced on this face. We have gone on Sunday in the past and from what we can remember we got in at 9 then. So we sat in the car and knit for an hour and in we went.

First stop was the Journey Wheel booth. These are the only spindles I own. I have three of them (maybe four?) I have a purple heart Midi, a cocobolo Mini and I picked up my Moosie last year. I love these spindles. I've not spun on the Moosie yet because I insist on picking up some beautiful fiber for it. I just haven't found what I'm looking for yet. I wasn't in the market for a spindle this year, but some of the girls were considering. From there we went to Little Barn. I was highly disappointed this year. I'm not sure if they were just depleted from the crowds the day before or they just didn't have much. I left without buying. From there we did our circuit of all the barns. There were a lot of lovely things to see, and touch, and smell. I had a list of several things that I was on the lookout for...many of which I didn't find. I had hoped to pick up some silk hankies to try my hand at spinning silk. Nothing really grabbed me. I was on the look out for yarn to knit up a Citron. I don't have a specific color in mind for this one, which is odd for me. I found one potential yarn at Cephalopod Yarns; I fell in love with the colorway but it was 70 yards short of what I needed. And it just wasn't worth buying two balls. However, I did not leave the Cephalopod booth unscathed. I trapsed away with two balls of Skinny Bugga, in Nebraska Conehead and Purple Soldier Fly, for my redo of the Double Heelix socks. (I have a fun plan for these. But that's a future post). Other than that, I didn't see anything that made my heart sing. I'm trying to only buy for specific projects. And I'm not really drawn to fiber since I still don't have a place to set up my spinning wheel yet. Being on severe budget doesn't help either.

There is one issue I do have to mention. Why. Why are there dyers who can't seem to get the vinegar smell out of their wares. There is one company in particular while I love their colorways, I can smell the vinegar before I even get into the booth. This year, it was like a punch in the face. It makes me hesitate a little to purchase from them. If they are skimping on the rinsing, what else are they skimping on? Does that make sense? And besides, if I'm going to be smelling that much vinegar it should be in the form of pickles.

The big difference for me this year is that I brought my cane. The MS has broken my internal gyroscope and the uneven ground really throws me off balance. I use the cane less to facilitate in walking and more to keep me from tipping over.  I managed not to fall, but my cane warranted me some odd looks. Most of them were questioning looks but some were outright hostile. Some of the joys of having an 'invisible' disability. Yeah I'm young and I look fine, but you have no idea what is going on with me. (enough rant. I could really get worked up on this one. another time.)

 In other crafty news I've been sewing. Halloween is nearly upon us and I am in full costume production. What has really helped is that I rearranged some furniture and set up my sewing machine in my bedroom. It's not ideal, but I can leave it out and set up without anyone 'helping' with things. This makes all the difference when it comes to finding time to sew. Little Dude had said all summer that he was going to be Darth Vader. Then about a month ago he decided he wanted to be a T-rex. My mom came to visit for a MS Symposium and we used the opportunity to get going on his costume. Little Dude picked out the main fabric, a lovely orange with a black batik effect. The rest we've been supplementing from stash. The spots, stripes and claws are from a purple satin I had on hand. Mom started the project and cut the pattern and fabric, and began sewing. Thankfully she did the zipper. I hate zippers. After she returned home the rest of the project fell to me. More details and pics to follow.