Boxing Day

It's Boxing Day! I didn't get a chance to post for Christmas so I'm posting for Boxing Day, not an American Holiday but a holiday all the same.

First, pictures of the Christmas Pageant at DD's school.

Set: Maria Regina School Christmas Pageant 2007

Little DD sang in her Christmas Pageant and made me cry. What could be cuter than my little four year old, up there on the stage, hamming it up with the other cuties, singing her heart out?
And, sucking her thumb, right there on the stage, in front of countless hundreds.

She was great, sang, wasn't shy, a natural. She was also really tired!

Well, she's decided to kick the habit of thumb sucking. She sucks her thumb every 10-12 minutes and wants an American Girl doll. I told her I would take her to the store to get one if she would stop sucking her thumb. After 30 days of no thumb, we'll go. Much to my surprise....well, let's say it's been 2 days and I better start saving. She must really want this doll. Oh well, if it costs me $200 now, it's cheaper than a few grand for braces later!

Let's talk about my sewing and decorating projects:

I am planning a trip to Joann's to buy some holiday fabric, which is now on sale, for a tablecloth for the new table. That should be a quick and easy project for me to do on my sewing machine. Can't wait. Maybe I will stop there tomorrow on my way to work. I'll be late anyway, being I have a dentist's appointment in the morning....it's ALMOST on the way...sorta...

I don't HATE my downstairs bath, it's just the wrong color. Everything downstairs is a different theme. You see, when we bought this house, it had it's very own decor: 1980's beauty salon. There were aluminum, (chrome that is!) blinds. They matched nothing I like or have other than the mag wheels on my sports car which I don't have any longer being I'm wife and mother. I now have a minivan and a Chevy Equinox. ANYWHO, the living room was pink, baby pink. The house exterior was cloud gray. The windows were vintage 1950 single pane originals. The kitchen, yellow. The master bedroom had one wall entirely covered with...cork. Yes, one large bulletin board! The downstairs bath, baby blue. Floor, walls, everything. It had been done in 1999 and was functional and acceptable although poorly and cheaply done.

We painted the living room terra cotta, the kitchen, cream, the master bedroom, marshmellow. We painted the second downstairs bedroom mint and yellow with a Snoopy border on the walls for the baby. (DS who is now nearly 6). We added a room off the kitchen and painted that cream as well. AH, Benjamin Moore take me away.

The bath stayed. It's time to upgrade. DS tried to remove the border a bit and it looked ugly, I removed it a 'lotta bit'. The bathroom is a new WIP. More pictures to come. We had to make it acceptable for Christmas. Maybe I can make it a new shower curtain and a new curtain for the window when I get good at sewing?

This is going, so here's some eye candy for you....

Set: Punkin's Bathroom. Vintage light fixture circa 1999. 1980 Beauty Salon Collection

In knitting news: I have been working on Iris Afghan and Monkey Socks. BUT, I don't have any pictures. Things have been hectic around here. That's why this post is all over the place. Just a quick catch up.

Christmas Eve 2007

And so this is Christmas...and what have you done....another year older...and a new one just begun.

That song is so sad. I'm promising myself that I won't be sad this year.

Santa is coming, kids are very, very excited. DS thinks he's getting Rock 'em Sock em Robots and coal because he was good and bad. Litte DD thinks she's getting a bunch of dolls and no coal because she was good. She's also walking around telling us about the Peas on Earth to All People. Hmmnnn.

It's 46 degrees, no snow this year. Dry and clear. Santa should have no problem finding us this year.

Being there isn't anything good to show off, here's some Christmas Stamps, Holiday Knits:

All nestled and snug in my Christmas Cactus.

Merry Christmas from Joanne, Ricky, Rudolph and Clarice.

Stay tuned for the next post-where I tell you about my new table and my old bathroom...

Hmmmmmnnn...

See my Stansfield #12s Blocked!

Well the socks that made my hands red made nice pink bubbles when I gave them a bath. I stirred and I swooshed them around and rinsed them three times. I threw in an 1/8 of a cup of white vinegar and that seemed to help lots.

I put them on my Blue Moon Fiber Arts sock blockers and put them on a towel. They dried quickly and nicely and into the most beautiful shape! Me, the skeptic, 'why block socks'? Well, they come out great...and make for nicer photos than feet.

So lovely they were, so shapely, so beautiful, almost ... like roses.

Tomorrow, update on Iris Afghan, review of the yarn I used for these socks and pictures of my Monkey!

Blue Moon Fiber Arts Package Pour Moi!

Today, I went to my NYC office for a little Holiday get together for our staff. We all brought in goodies and lunch things to eat. We had pumpkin cake, carrot/jello salad, blondies, grape leaves, flan, banana bread, pasta salad, pizza and empanadas. Yummy!

Ok, I am done with NYC until maybe once in the winter. I came home to this.

My STR came today!

A nice big box, and this was what was inside:

Comon gang, Brenda Lee voices, please, "Blockin' around the Christmas Tree, have a happy holiday..."

And then I tried them out with Stansfield #12 knitted in the kangaroo dyer's yarn from Webs:

Don't they look delicious?

And, my Monkey, WIP:

And, some socks to be:

That Spinel (far left) is nice and green not nice and blue. It's calling to me...Here there be Dragons Sock pattern from the Keyboard Biologist?

Ah, life is good.

Merry Christmas to all of you in Sock Cyberspace.

A Winter's Day, in a Deep and Dark December.

Today, a dark dismal winter day, cold and damp Once again, I am not feeling all that well, scratchy sore throat, cough, sick. A dark winter day. This is what it's like in Alaska, I keep telling myself. It's only like this here for a short time. I think that I have SADD.

Now, back to our Broadcast, "Life in a Gameshow"

Yesterday, the kiddies and I enjoyed a visit from Elizzabetty. She brought over her game show toys to show us, the GPS and the new tires. We had tea and oatmeal raisin cookies for snack. The kiddies love her and wanted to show her all their toys, too. I was enamored with her new tires.

My minivan has beautiful bald tires. You know, God only created a few perfect tires. The others he covered with tread. See the nice hole in my front one? The air is leaking out and I'm skiddin'


Bridgestone Turanza 36k miles.

Click here for the Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread with Aquachutes! I love that word, I'll type it again, AQUACHUTES. Sounds like an amusement park ride, no?



I have to get new ones. This is a necessity. I could have a blowout. There is a Mavis Tire store across from the RR station in Massapequa Park. I am going to NYC tomorrow for our end of year staff meeting so it'd be a perfect day to get tires. I am dropping the car off there and hopping on the train and when I come home, I'll be driving on my new Goodyear tires with ... AQUACHUTES!


Last night, we took the kiddies to dinner. I wanted to try a new Chinese Buffet called Tian Tian that a friend recommended. I had the address, I mapquested it but couldn't find it. I told DH in the car, "See! Now if I had a GPS like Betty!" and he gave me that look that said, "you're out of control". We hit the regular buffet. "Good Taste". It's ok, the food is a little better than tolerable. The egg drop soup is good and I put wontons in it. The skin on the wontons is too thick for my liking but not all that bad. The ribs are good and they get stuck in my braces. The shrimp dumplings are great! The sushi sucks. I told them the sushi sucks. Oh well, the kids love it.


Last week, DS broke our cheapo dinette set that DH had from his apartment in Inwood, Manhattan days. We can't really raise the family on this especially now that we have homework, artwork and bigger kids that sit in real chairs. He broke it being out of control and falling. It looks like this now. It has those side leaf things that you can't lean on. Pay no attention to the garbage on the floor, I just wrapped some presents and have to clean up.




So, this morning on my way down to the RR station to purchase a ticket for tomorrow, I stopped in the furniture store and made an offer that they couldn't refuse. I got exactly what I wanted. Natural dinette, double pedestal table rectangular with rounded edges, 4 side chairs, 2 grown up armchairs for the mommy and daddy, dual butterfly leaf. The table stores the leafs underneath so when I have my husband's entire family over here we can all sit at the table. I have service for 12 as well from a previous appearance on a gameshow. This table is big, it's 42x60, good for everyday use. With one leaf, 72, with two leafs, 84. The room is 13x16, three walls of windows. This will go parallel to the 13' side which leaves little room for my glider.

Problem: I love that glider. I don't know what to do with it! It'll have to move..maybe to another room. Where am I going to knit!!!

We love this room, we live in this room. I built this room from the dirt up. We eat and watch tv in here and it's a shame that I didn't make it bigger. BIGGER is better.

So, I'll have to see how the furniture works. We'll need to get rid of that entertainment center and buy a 42 or 60 inch plasma for the wall to create even more space.....

Shall I have to make another appearance.

OK, OK, I know I have you in suspense. Wanna see my monkey?


it's going swimmingly and this pattern is great! Easier than it looks, for sure. (or, as DD says, "Shirr", she sounds like Marsha Brady sometimes. Not like a native Long Islander who would say it just like "SHORE" or "SHOE-AH".


Oh well, kiddies are at a birthday party, I'm not feeling that great, time to clean the house.

Stay tuned for an update on my monkeys and pictures of my sunroom with natural table.

I'm out of control.

My 100th Post - Monkeys, Pink Monkeys

This is my 100th Post and I'm going to show you a project that I started this morning.


Monkey Socks. Pink Monkey Socks. Lorna's Laces, color=Peach.

I know, it looks pink but I wanted PEACH. I know I spent $450 on a camera so I could show you stitch detail you'd think it'd get the colors right. Well, that's the color it is. It's supposed to be PEACH. I ordered PEACH and the yarn came marked PEACH and that's exactly what it looks like in person. IT"S PINK!

I like this yarn....but not alot. It feels and acts alot like Fortissima and costs a little more. I was expecting it to be more tightly wound. I must say, it does a very nice job of behaving itself, not like Tofutsies. It isn't splitty, it is nice and soft and even smells delicious not like sheep poop and vinegar. It's just all over nice and I will use it again...and again. BUT, It's not my beloved Cherry Tree Hill. I am totally in awe at CTH. I wanted to make this pair out of Burgundy CTH which is in my stash but alas, it's not wound. Don't get me wrong, I love STR, too. The one thing that makes me like CTH a teeny tad better than STR is the weight. I use STR lightweight and it's not skinny enough. I am weird and like to have tons of repeats and itty bitty stitches and STR doesn't do that. If I use my size zeroes it becomes too dense. They're still heavy. I'm thinking about trying laceweight to make socks out of. The colors are truly awesome though. CTH has nice colors too.

OK, you twisted my arm, I'll show you. Time to flash some of my stash.

I picked up some of this Sockittome stuff. I haven't used it yet but the sample that they had in the store was very nice AND, it was 20% off....

Earth, Birches, Wild Cherry

Below, we have some CTH that was 50% off....

Burgundy, Purples, Blues, Wild Cherry. I think that's what the middle ones are called. I will look again later.

One more CTH, Teal Green, making friends with some Wildfoote.

Not being able to resist a sale, I picked up another ball of Tofutsies in a tan/earthy color.

Not liking that lime color, I will give this one more go. It's splitty and it's nice at the same time. I did like the lime green socks more after I was done. They're nice lightweight summer socks but working with this stuff is the pits. The Wildfoote was also on sale but I think that I paid too much for it. It looks like pumpkin pie, nice fall color. My sister in law will like that color very much and I am thinking that Bluebell Rib from Sensational knitted socks may be nice for her.

Well, that's it for now. Back to the Monkey socks and the Iris Afghan that really hasn't grown much because I've been addicted to completing more socks lately.

Knitting Dilemma

Well, Stansfield #12 is now behind us. I had started working with my STR Ruby Slippers and had about 3" worth of Stansfield #16 but I sent it off to the frog pond. I started a monkey sock in CTH Old Rose last night, I did the ribbing and 22 rounds. Beautiful. Then, I had another knitting injury. I was using my size 0's Knitpicks. They're really tiny. Tiny enough that this was going to come out too tight. I didn't care, I was whaling away at the speed of light! I can't find the new ones, so why not use the small ones? Then, a mishap. You know, these Knitpicks needles are really sharp. Perhaps..too sharp? Well, I stuck it through the tip of my right index finger. A hole. Impaled. As DD would say, "I got blood". It is a tiny hole but those tiny holes hurt the most. OK, that gave me some time to rip that out. I want to make Monkey socks but I don't have a solid color wound up. I do have another order in with Bluemoon and I think I have some nice solids coming. I also have CTH Burgundy in my newly enhanced stash. Just not enough solids there! I am starting to like the solids more lately.

So, what to do?

I took out my yarn pail and went though it. I have CTH Burgundy, Lorna's peach (that is really pink) and a CTH teal. I also have Lorna's Douglas Fir which would be nice in keeping with the season. I have to look in the morning . . after my wound heals a bit.

Mail has been slow. Tomorrow, I will send out my Christmas cards. At least I'll be doing something on time. We may make some more soap.

In the meantime, I'll search the web for new sock patterns to inspire me and work on Iris Afghan tonight.

Stansfield #12 is Completed!

Hurray, another finished object to show you!

Pattern: Stansfield #12 from More Sensational Knitted Socks

Needle: Knitpicks Options, size 1, 2.5mm

Yarn: Valley Yarns Franklin, Cherries

Gauge: 7 sts per inch, 56 casted on

Date Started: 11/3/07

Date Completed: 12/6/07

They even fit! Well, I do think that I could've gone SLIGHTLY larger, maybe just a few more stitches. When I block these on my new sock blockers that aren't here yet, we'll photograph them again. I love them. I love the color. I love the yarn except that I am anticipating TONS of dye coming out of them when I wash them.

I almost entitled this post, "Want More Cherries" but I was frightened at what kind of hits I would get. However, this is lovely yarn and the color is just gorgeous and it feels lovely even though it hasn't been washed yet. I expect that it will soften up alot.

Well, time to go and rouse the children and get them off to school. It is VERY cold today, Jack Frost has been here and everything. It is only 22 degrees.

I am considering making a goal next year: knit 11 pairs of socks. Let's see how that goes. One a month and I'll give myself a month off for vacation. It's fun, sock of the month club.

Stay tuned for info on the next project, an update on the iris afghan and tales of woe from my aquarium.

Cross Stitch Suprise!

I promised a surprise and here it is:


So, what do you think? It's counted cross stitch that I finally had framed. The U isn't a mistake,there was no word "umbrella" stitched on the pattern, so I did it that way.

Now to find a place to hang it.

In other news, this is a quicky post so we need to cut to the chase:

1. Anyway, Stansfield #12 is nearly done and I will show them to you soon enough.

2. Work is still in the end of the year crazies but I have been able to come up for air every now and again.

3. I am frogging Stansfield #16. Two reasons: 1. I don't like what the pattern is doing to my lovely ruby slippers. 2. I needed the needle. That's right, I destroyed my 2.5 mm US Size 1 last night. Knitpicks is sending out a replacement. It's good that they replace them and it's good that I have two of each of the smaller sizes. The cable snapped at the join. The first one that broke (size 0) came unglued. This one just snapped at the join.

It's cold. Like 30 degrees. More bad things: the heater in my fish tank broke. I think it may've been broken for a few days. I am very unhappy about that because the heater is 16 months old and they last like, forever. I have to get a new one tomorrow and it's 22 degrees. I just boiled a pot of water on the stove and carefully added it to the tank. I also turned the heat in the room up a bit so they won't freeze to death tonight. I'll get them a heater in the morning.

Tomorrrow I am volunteering at the Church for the Christmas boutique. I have to help preschoolers select presents for their families. This will be from hopefully when I get there (7:50 AM? until 8:50AM) This isn't going to be easy work. One of the preschoolers is my own. I will also have DS there "helping" out. I have to drop DS off at school (across the street from the church where DD goes to school) at 9. Then, come home, work from home for a few hours, get DS from school at noon, take him to work with me, put him to work (child labor) and then DH will come and pick him up there. Somewhere in there, get the heater.

Should be an all around relaxing day, don't you think?

I know, all you mommies out there, this is the hard part about being a mommy. None of my time is my own. Even the fish need me.

Stay tuned, I think I'm going to flash my stash next. That'll make all of us feel better.

Stansfield #12 and the First Snowfall

Well, it is beginning to look alot like Christmas. This morning, I got out of bed and went into my bathroom and it was dark. I was thinking that maybe the inevitable happened. THE THING that will happen, some day, according to my DS who is only five years old and worldly. He often asks me, "Mom, when will the sun go out?". There was nothing coming through the skylight. I looked out my front door and saw it.
Frost on the pumpkin, snow on the grass. Oh my. Christmas is coming and I'm still doing Halloween.

Well, it's been a rough week. The Christmas HOLIDAY party was on Thursday night. That means that I missed knit night. I had not one drop of alcohol and was in bed by midnight. I had one of the worst hangovers that I can ever remember on Friday. Needless to say, we did not do alot of work that day. I went to bed at 5:30PM on Friday night and got up at 7:30 on Sat STILL with headache. By 11AM Saturday, I felt better. This is pitiful. My non-drinking ability is really slipping!

And, to get all that extra sleep Saturday night to 'catch up' really put the icing on the cake. I thought I would have Stansfield #12 done by now. Instead, I have a nice picture of the eye of partridge, nearly complete, heel to show you.
It is very lovely to look at, a treasure to behold. I am really liking this yarn but I wish that I made this sock a tad larger. Oh well, plenty of more chance to make socks, God willing. The heel isn't as durable as regular heel stitch but is IS pretty.

I'm going to get with the program and try and get this sock done within the next couple of days. I am thinking about sending Miss Ruby Slippers Stansfield #16 to the frog pond for being too big. We'll see.

Stay tuned, I have a special surprise FO to show you for my next post.

And, lurkers, you know who you are, I would be so happy if you would leave me a small comment. I like them, I get so excited, I jump up and down and say, "Ya hoo!" I know you're out there but you never say a thing. I want to know your thoughts, what you're thinking about my blog, all sorts of things!