Productive of sorts

Sorry I've been quiet for so long. Its been a little nuts. Work has been busy. I've not been getting as much done as I would like. Some days its like running through porridge. The other morning the opening manager couldn't get out of their driveway because of the snow and called me to go open the store. Unfortunately I was still naked at the time and said it would be a little while. That just threw me off for the rest of the day. Its been nothing but Mondays in that building for a while.

I have been far more productive here at home. (when I'm not coming home dead tired). I finally finished a project for a friend of mine. She asked me to paint these little table and chairs for her grandchildren, design totally up to me. I obsessed over how to do it and ran through about 40 different and elaborate ideas until I settled on this. Simple but cute. The pattern is from some fabric I adore. I plan to use it on my walls somewhere in the house. I'm all but done with these. I just need to find a space to spray lacquer them. Its too cold in the garage and I'm afraid of the flammability factor in the basement. I'm a fireman's daughter and Dad would kick my ass if I blew up the house. I finished these while watching a Dark Shadows marathon of my own making. I'm almost done with Collection 2.

I've done some knitting but can't show it. Gifts. I know I'm suppose to be doing some selfish knitting but I'm struggling where to begin on that front. I had so much more to say but have forgotten most of it. I'm a bit spacey today. Toodles.

Chaotic Meanderings Of A Wannabe Dreamer

How fitting when a random generator hits the nail on the head. Today's title has been brought to you by the Blog Title Generator. The only thing closer would be the Chaotic Meanderings of a Premenstrual Migraine Ravaged Bitch Queen. Yes, today is not going so well. I started spotting yesterday and I have the migraine this morning. Apparently no baby for us. Plus I didn't sleep very well last night because of work. I either stressed about work or had work related dreams. Man that pisses me off. I had such a wonderful several days off...the first day back in a row of five and I'm already a ball of stress, clenching my jaw and tight little shoulders. Bah, screw them.

Being that this wonderful time of month is imminent for me, I want to pass on some sisterly advice. I haven't bought a pad or tampon in over 3 years! Yep. Not a single one. I use a menstrual cup and they are the best things ever. BEST. THINGS. EVER!!! Personally I use the Diva cup but here is also the Keeper and the Moon cup. Check out the links. I will say I have horrible painful and heavy periods...or rather I did. It hasn't cured them completely but they are shorter and lighter. And the best part is that my chronic girly infections (UTI's and yeast) have stopped. I sound like an infomercial, don't I. Sorry but I can't help but feel the need to share this advice. I could go on and on about my feelings about how menstruation is portrayed and we are taken advantage of by the "feminine product" industry, but I won't. I'll spare you that. Here's a great book on it though, aptly titled The Curse. Here is also a fabulous essay by Gloria Steinem that I first read in college: If Men Could Menstruate. It really makes you think, then it really pisses you off. I think I'm in angry feminist mode today. Must be the subscription to BUST that Obsidian Kitten got me. (btw, got my first issue, love it!)

Anywho I also make my own pads. . This is where I got the idea. I've altered their instructions a bit. I've ditched the whole terry cloth idea and make mine all out of flannel. I'm mostly telling you all this because I'm about to make a new batch and I so have to show off the fabric. I couldn't resist this fabric. I may go back and buy more to make some jammies. I know it is pink but it balances that out with Princess Leia armed with one hell of a blaster. Here are the other two fabrics I have used in the past. The ones with the cats say "glamour puss". They are so comfortable and it helps when you feel crap and are leaking like a sieve to know you are armed with Princess Leia packing a blaster or Glamour Puss gear. I'm planning on some leopard print but I am having trouble finding that in flannel. If you make your own just remember to buy regular 100% cotton flannel. NOT the stuff that is flame proofed for kids pajamas. We are trying to have less chemicals in our system. Not more.

I'm sure this whole post seems bizarre and messed up. You can can just chalk it up to being hormonal with a migraine on a lack of sleep if you like. Or just realize the freak in me is starting to show through.

Knits at noon

Good god how did it get to be noon already?!?!?

I do have some knitting to show. I finished the baby hat and booties as well as the blanket for our friends baby.

The hat and socks are from Debbie Bliss The Baby Knits Book and are done in Debbie Bliss Merino DK. I ran out of blue and had to frog the whole hat to cannibalize the earflaps to finish the socks. I knit the hat in the round as opposed to flat as the pattern is written. Why do seams when you don't need to? I also added a row of crochet around the edge of the hat to tighten it up.

The blanket had more adventure as well. Once again I ran out of the blue. But this time it was mystery yarn. All I know is that it was a kitchen cotton but couldn't find anything to match. I had intended for 5 rows of squares. Then I planned on the border with a verigated but nothing matched that blue. So I did a seed stitch border in the cream. That I know is Lily Sugar 'n Cream.

I have a few WIPs to finish but I am looking for my next project which has to be a selfish one. Hrm...what to knit. I'm always at such a loss when I finish a project. I sort of flounder around looking through my books and magazines until I get my needles going again. I'm often like that at the end of a show as well. Not sure what to do with all of my free time. I am making an effort to finish all ongoing projects around the house by April 1st. I have several furniture projects cluttering up the basement.

Bah!

The new yarn store near me is closed on Sunday's. Doesn't that figure. I'm also on the hunt for a pattern for my skein of Lorna's Laces sportweight. The intended pattern calls for worsted. So the hunt is on.

I've changed my colors again. These are much better. More icy, like outside.

Cooking and colors

As you can tell, I've been playing with my template. I'm not happy with the colors. I still want to create a three column template and I wouldn't mind a patterned background. I just need to figure out how the heck to do all that. In the meantime these lovely jars of my home canned goods have become sauce. My domestic superpowers continue unchecked as I made a pot of meatballs and used the extra ground meat to prepare a meatloaf to cook tomorrow night. I even wore an apron! What is going on here?!?...(and no Jenny I didn't weave in the ends as I went. I did on the black and red one though.) And my mother would be proud to know I was listening to my goomba cd while cooking all of this...all that was missing was some guys sitting around talking about whacking someone.

Ah Freedom

Sorry about the freakout on the last post. Its been a stressful week. Monday/Tuesday kinda went like this

7am: get up and go to work at store
6pm: get out of work head home and have dinner
7:30ish -9pm: lay down and try to get some rest
9:30pm- arrive at theatre and start painting
8am-finish painting and leave theatre
10am- fall into bed
1:30pm- get up
2pm- shower and get dressed
3pm- have your employee call out for the following day due to the impending snowstorm then your boss call and tell you the auditor is coming tomorrow and you need to be to work at 7 am.

yeah , it sucked... and worse yet. After driving to work in a snow/ice storm she never came!!! we did about $600 the whole day and they closed the store at 6pm. She's suppose to be there today and I am off today. Completely off. No theatre, no store, no driving to another state, no going to the hospital to have them shove stuff in me. Off and home alone with the kitties.

*sigh*

I may even scrub out the tub and take a bath with the lovely lavender stuff from Obsidian Kitten. Until then I'm in cooking mode. I'm making homemade sauce and meatballs and stuffed shells. I'm in a goomba mood today. So come on over and bring your knitting. Its all about good food, warm fires and relaxing.

ahhhhhhhhhhh

i just got a call that we will be (almost definitely) getting the auditor in the store tomorrow. damn damn damn. I'm there first thing in the morning. And my other full time person isn't going to be coming in due to the snow. Double damn. Can I just fast forward to Friday and skip all this???? Please!!! How come I never miss the auditor?

And now I have to be in an hour and half early.

Hey, guess what

Today is my little blog is 1 year old. Awww isn't it cute. Looking back I find that I haven't posted as much as I would have liked. I also need to be taking far more pictures. Those are goals for this year. I'm also going to whipping out a new look soon.


Just for fun, here is me on my first birthday. (look at all that hair! and all that pink!!) I love the demon-baby red eyes as well.

Today l learned...

that soy milk can get lumpy just like regular milk.

two more days...

just two more days to get the set done....

4 more until I have a true day off!

Domestic phase

I'm experiencing this weird domestic goddess phase. I decided to take last night off from painting since I was an hour late getting out of work and completely exhausted. I figured on a restful evening and an early start today. So I stayed home and did dishes (many that had been sitting there for a while), three loads of laundry (I even mended my love's torn clothing that I found when folding it!), unpacked the maternity clothing my sister-in-law gave me (she's cleaning out all that stuff and sent it in case I ever want it) and repacked it in a plastic bin, packed up the leftover's for love's lunch today and knit 2 squares of a new baby blanket. *whew* We never did manage to get to bed early, though I slept very well *wink, wink, nudge, nudge, know what I mean, know what I mean*

Today I was up fairly early and had a very productive morning painting before they had rehearsal. And I kept up on dishes. I also nearly made some bread but realized I didn't have time for it to rise. Its only a 5 hour break between painting shifts. I could have done much this afternoon, but decided to take it easy and knit while watching The Man in the Iron Mask. I'm just working on a baby blanket to go with the hat and booties. These are out of some random kitchen cotton (the natural I know is Sugar and Cream, the blue I have no clue). Isis grudgingly agreed to help model.

I'm starting to realize that I can stop and take some time for myself and don't have to be on the go constantly. It's a start. Well I must be off to eat before I start flinging paint again. Ciao.

Quasi-alive

Thanks everyone! I am feeling much better today. Not quite the way i want to lose weight though. And it put me a day and a half behind on painting. That's where I was for the last 13-1/2 hours. Lots of progress made but still very behind. The whole sick thing also has another negative aspect. I am a recovering anorexic/bulimic and the not eating for 2 days with lots of vomiting thrown in doesn't quite help in the recovery. I did eat some today. Not as much as I probably should have. But its a start. I'm a little scared to. Just like since the (stupid) traffic ticket I'm paranoid and think every car around me is a cop, I now think every food is potential poison. Or maybe my love was checking out my life insurance policies again. Hrm....

I did manage some knitting during my couch time yesterday. I finished the baby hat. Pictures as soon as it is blocked because right now it looks like its for a mutant baby.

ugh

apparently i'm dealing with a bout of food poisoning. I vomited from about 5pm last night until 8:30 this morning. I really should be painting but can't do much beyond lying on the couch. I'm slowly trying to reintroduce stuff into my stomach. The tea seems to be staying down and I may try soup shortly. What really sucks is having to take care of myself when I'm sick.

I hope all of you are well.

Thank you

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and words. In the end he didn't go with me. The procedure was *quite* uncomfortable. Without going into too much detail I have rather tiny anatomy. And when you try to put all those instruments in me, its not fun. I thought I would cry when the radiologist asked me to turn on my side. I felt like hell the rest of the day. Love did come home at lunch to see me, before I headed off to a hellish night at work. I won't find out any results until the end of March.

Yesterday went well. 13 hours of muslin covering and painting the set. I came home early today because I once again feel horrible. I wish I would just throw up so I can go to sleep. I wish my love were here to take care of me. He's away visiting his mum for her birthday and won't be back until Monday. (I stayed behind due to all the painting work to be done.)

I'm gonna crash on the couch for a while.