Year End and Year Beginning

Sorry for the long radio silence. Life has been crazy. School coming to a close and finals...OMG!!! Finals! After being out of school for 20+ years I have to say that I wasn't quite ready for just how much work school was going to be or for finals.

I can't believe that after a year that I am still unemployed. That has been really hard. I feel like my self worth has lowered because I don't get up every morning and go to a job. I mean, I do home school, but even with that I have fallen behind trying to keep up...if that makes any sense. I take care of my children, but I notice that I am not as patient as I should be because of how I feel. Of course, I am getting to that time in life when the change is looming on the horizon...

I really never planned on being out of work for a year. Of course, with the exception of people on Wall Street and the government, I don't think any of us expected the economy to tank this hard. It's Christmas time and I feel bad because I don't have the money to do the things I would like to for my kids or for D...and that breaks my heart.

Of course all of these things compound and grow and compound and grow...

I don't like the place that I am right now...my weight, my attitude...life in general. I am discontent and restless. I am sure that these things have to do with the fact that I have been unemployed for a year...it's a vicious cycle.

I am going to make some changes in January. Start out fresh...so cliche.

I think that I am going to take a page out of "Crazy Aunt Purl's" book and do a monthly check in...maybe more often. I have plans to take something very personal very public...well as public as this blog is...

For all of you our there coming for knitting content...I will have some to post soon. I am doing a couple of commission pieces and I will have the second done tonight/tomorrow morning and will post pics then.

You know the funny thing about tending to the dragons...it's a lot like herding cats sometimes.

Discontent

So sorry for the radio silence. Life and school have both been kicking my butt.  I had to accept that English Comp I and I did not have a winning relationship. I will be taking it next semester to offer more time and such to it. 

I have to say that Comp I was really a challenge and I think that if I had the opportunity to take it in a classroom I would find it easier. On line you are required to read everyones posts and respond to a minimum of three with 5 lines minimum response. It was very time consuming considering when you posted for the week it was usually 15 - 18 lines. I really have to say that I wasn't expecting it to be that time consuming. My bad.

There has been knitting, but not a lot, see reference to school kicking my butt.

Has anyone else out there had problems adjusting to the time change? I just can't seem to get my sleep regulated.

I am excited to say that I was approached by the wonderful women from Mockingbird Moon last week and was asked to work as the "Knit Dr." on Saturdays from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm. I will do my very best to live up to the name. I was humbled and honored.

Fair warning that there are no pictures and I am kind of blue so if you want to stop reading, now would be the time.

I find that I am really discontent these days. I can't seem to get focused or settled and I am just really not very happy right now. I don't know if it has to do with the weather, with my age, with the coming on of the change or what. I just know that I am not in a good place right now. I just want to survive the holidays and then make some major changes in my life.

Gotta go tend the dragons, they are close to breaking their chains...TTFN

MyMemories...Of Childhood and a Giveaway!!!!

Hello Readers!! 

At least I hope that there are readers...

Sorry for the delay, school, life and everything else is still running full tilt and I seem to be on the side line trying to find a place to grab hold and get caught up.

My kitchen reminds me of childhood right now. Over the last three weeks I have been putting up peaches, peach butter and peach preserves...a faint fragrance of peach comes off me right now...but the jars sure are pretty in my cupboard, and will be really nice this winter.

I have been on a bit of a knitting hiatus, I just really don't know what I want to knit right now...some times, when I finish something I get kind of lost trying to figure out what to knit next. I have been working on "Off The Deep End" though. I have joined it in the round and I think I even did it without twisting! I am actually on row three of the lace pattern and I am happy to report that so far the cast on and the joining in the round is the worst of it. The lace pattern has been very friendly so far.


I have also started the "Skinner" hat. I am doing it in an old colorway from Sundara Yarn called Aurora Borialis, it is almost a blue/black with little points of light here and there. I am just on the ribbing right now on size US 1 dpns. I am looking for my US 2 lace addis for the body. I put them up so I would know where they were...I may never see them again.

School is kicking my butt, ok, algebra is kicking my butt. I have faith though. I will be successful, I have no other choice but to succeed.

Now!!!! There has been much excitement here at the dragon barn! I was approached by a company called "My Memories" to do a giveaway of their scrap booking software. I have played with it and it is really very easy to use and, keep in mind I don't usually scrapbook, I could see where this is going to become very addictive. In just a few minutes I was able to put together four album pages using a template and my own pictures.

Don't be put off by my color choices. There are tons of different styles, textures, patterns and add ons. You can use a template or create your own. It is really fun.

This software is really very cool. It has a feature to make cards and calendars and all sorts of things and then you can print them off or save them to your computer or a flash drive. I really enjoyed playing with it and over the school break in November I fully intend to make my Christmas cards with it.

To enter to win a complete version of the software all you have to do it visit their sight at:
http://www.mymemories.com/ and look at the digital paper packs and/or the layouts that they have and come back here and comment about which was your favorite.

The website has a blog, they have youTube video tutorials and all sorts of things to help you along the way.

One entry per person, no later than 11:59 pm Sunday. I will use a random number generator to select the winner. I will announce the winner on Tuesday October 11 by 2:00 pm.

Good Luck! Thanks for reading! and TTFN

Updates..Knitting...School...Charity

Well, school is moving along. I seem to be keeping my head above water so far. Though to be honest, I don't think that there is really anything else out there but school work and house work.

Now, I posted before about Mockingbird Moon yarn shop, I would like to elaborate a bit about this shop. This shop is not only cute and friendly, but it has things other than yarn. There are stamps and some quilts stuff and the cutest little dog. I have to say a better behaved Yorkie I have never met. He was friendly and quiet. The wonderful ladies that run this shop also didn't mind that I had my very busy 6 year old son with me. He was allowed to play with the dog and not once was I made to feel bad for having a child in their shop. I wish I could say that about all the yarn shops that I go to...Sadly...I can't. If you happen to be in the Bentonville area you should go an see these wonderful ladies. Goodness knows that there are not enough yarn shops in this area.

I have been knitting. I knit a hat for my daughter S.

I have posted this on my Ravelry. It is the Naked Star Hat pattern and I enjoyed knitting it. After some of the more complicated knits it was a really nice breather.

I also completed Josiah's Star. This was a really fun project. It is modular knit so there is no sewing and when you are done, you are done!!

I'm kind of stumped as what I am going to knit next. I have been "stash shopping" this year and so far I have completed 7 or 8 projects...not too bad! I will be working on Off the Deep End and possibly my Swirl Shawl. I also have a fair isle cardigan that I may try and finish so I have a second sweater for the winter...who knows.

I hope to get Coming Home blocked this week. I will post pictures of the process and the finished object.

Charity...I don't get many responses in my comments but...I have a friend L that knits for the kids in the area and in Joplin. She is currently needing stocking caps and has a really basic easy pattern that she has given me. It can be knit either in the round or flat and then sewn up so it would be a good pattern for the beginner or the advanced knitter just needing to use up some leftovers.  If you will drop me a comment I will send you the pattern. Your email address with not be shared with anyone or used in any way. I just don't know how to add a link to the pattern right now but I will work on it.

Keep knitting, the weather here is definitely taken a fall turn and it makes it nice to knit something warm.

Gotta tend the dragons...TTFN



Mockingbird Moon

Sorry for the down time. I only have a minute right now, but I wanted to tell you all about the lovely yarn shop that opened in Bentonville, AR on Saturday.

The shop is Mockingbird Moon and it is a very nice and very sweet shop. The ladies that run it are sisters and their mother was in helping the on Saturday. I am happy to report that even with a downpour the shop was busy and very upbeat while I was there.

I hate that this is so short, but I only have a minute. I promise to post better in a couple of days. I have pictures and other stuff.

Take care. I'm off to tend the dragons...TTFN

Keeping Up

Well, school is kicking my butt. I am having a hard time keeping up with all of the course work, but I will get there.  I am happy to report that while I may not really understand why it works, I seem to have the basic how to do it down in algebra. At least so far. Now if I can just get caught up on the homework.

My computer class irritates me because right now it's all stuff I can do anyway. I have hopes of learning new and exciting things in this class though. Accounting Principles, lets just say accounting is not a fast class. I spent 7 hours working on course work for this class on only one chapter. I have an A, but still.

English Comp and Anthropology, I am so far behind on my reading it isn't even funny. I hope to get a dent in the reading this weekend.

Then you add all of this together with taking care of a house, family of 4, cooking, cleaning and doing laundry, well, it isn't pretty. I am not nearly as organized as I need to be or that I would like to be. I hope that I can get that under control soon.

D asked me this morning what was I going to do when I found a job and had to do all of this home work and the house work...I gave him the best answer that I could...

"I'll do it because it has to be done." That's all I knew to say and that's all I know to do...

I really wish just once in my life I could do enough well enough...

I hope that everyone had a great Labor Day weekend. We went camping and had a pretty good time. It was really weird. There wasn't hardly anyone at Mac's Big Rock this weekend.  Maybe 7 other campers. I guess that is a true sign of just how bad the economy is.  We did enjoy lunch at Cotton Eyed Joe's Barbecue. Absolutely awesome BBQ. If you get that way, Noel, MO, stop by. It is worth the trip.

Of course, Labor Day weekend is a bit sad for me too. My father died 2 years ago on Labor Day. I still turn into a 5 year old and would really like to know why he chose everyone else in the world but me. Sadly, I will never know.

While camping I managed to finish my latest Clapotis. It is really pretty and soft. I made it out of Fiesta Ballet yarn, 2 skeins, it is an alpaca/tencel mix. Very soft and it has a nice alpaca halo too it. How do I know it's soft?

R came over with Tomcat and I was playing with him, he is officially 1 month old in this picture, he was fussy and I was going to play peek-a-boo and tossed the Clapotis over him and tried to get it back.  He had actually grabbed the Clapotis and stopped fussing. We laughed and took it away from him, thinking it was just a fluke. He started to fuss and whimper, R gave him a Binky and he still fussed so in the interest of research we put the Clapotis back on him...Once again he dug his little fingers into the knit work and stopped fussing...We laughed about it again and let him keep it. Well this was Tuesday and the ladies of our group have graciously changed our night to Tuesday to accommodate a couple of us that went back to school. They are wonderful people. Tomcat got fussy, in went the Binky to no avail, we gave him the Clapotis...instant grab and quiet...All of the ladies were like, "It's the Clapotis! He has decided it is his!"


It is no longer a shawl...it's a super hero cape...boys don't use shawls...TTFN

Finally!

Finally!!!

It is finally off the needles! That's right folks, I have finished binding off the 1205 stitches of Coming Home

I promise, as soon as I get this thing blocked I will post some really good pictures of it.  I got to looking back and all the pictures show a different color of blues/green. I will take a picture with a real camera and not just a 10:30 pm picture on my Droid...

I have to say that this has been my most challenging lace to date. While I am ssssoooooo glad to be done with this piece, I have to admit I am excited with the idea of getting to start a new piece of lace.

The next lace on the needles is Off The Deep End.

It is named this as there was a 992 cast on. Also, after the first 3 rows...you join and knit in the round then you have to kitchner 200+ stitches. I am predicting that I WILL be able to do kitchner when I am done with this one. I will post pictures of it as soon as there is something worth looking at. At the moment I am about half way through row 2.

School update...

I am happy to report that I was able to turn in all of my work, on time, the first week. I received my grade in English Comp and was happy to have received 10 out of 10 possible.  Now if I can survive the math test on Wednesday I will be really happy.

I am finding that the online classes are more involved than I really expected them to be. That's ok though. It's amazing how much more appealing housework is when one is procrastinating. Tee Hee!!

Anyway, so far so good. It feels really good to have a purpose to my days. The days don't seem quite as blue as they were for now. I still have moments, hours and, lets face it, days that I am really, really blue. Some days that I still want to just tell the world to go away. I think it will get better.

Gotta get to homework, algebra - God help me, and housework. Both seem never ending. More soon and new gratuitous baby pics.

Gotta tend the dragons...TTFN