Monday morning, painful

Here I sit at the computer again, thinking how to start this day out, It's weird weather again. Gloomy and gray and breezy. Suppose to clear up by midday ,will see.
 Woke up this morning with 9.5 on the Richter scale for a headache. Nasty migraines, still have plenty of stuff that needs to be gotten done before I head for the dark room and my bed.This headache doesn't like noise so the house is pretty much quiet except for the ticking of a clock and the furnace turning on and off. Very sensitive hearing today. Did take Mary to the Chiropractor, told him that I may seem him later on. Dr. Tom is real gentle with me , he knows I am afraid to have my mid -back adjusted , (I have had a heart valve replacement and my chest is wired shut).
  On the knitting front, working on my first pair of socks and a my umpteenth hat. Well because of head pain I'm making this short and sweet. I 'll talk to you later.

Friday, snow,, interesting.

I am sitting at my desk in the kitchen, working on a grocery list and my posting , when Archie comes in and bats the water bowl sending water all over the place, and then his food dish, (sorry cat, same food as yesterday, dry mix) and than tries to cover them up by scratching the floor in front of his food dish. (sorry , still see it). Concerning Archie, I came down stairs this morning to find a ball of Sugar and Cream hat I had left over from knitting a dish cloth strung out from the Living room through the Dining  room and into the Kitchen, said cat looking at me like "whoops I been caught sorry about that, actually it was Spazzy"
   Spazzy's place to eat her treats is on my desk, Archie leaves her alone there so she can eat in peace, she doesn't mind me sitting here working on the computer , she just flicks her tail in my face if I am bothering her.
It's snowing out now, just a dusting but the wind is picking up and the temps are dropping, now , I think I would like to be with Stephanie Pearl-Mcphee in the Dominican Republic, nice and toasty, with warm breezes and sunshine, well here I sit in the "frozen tundra" we call Wisconsin, sigh. Darling Daughter Sarah is laughing at me from Austin,oh well , wait till this summer.
 I have chosen two projects to work, for the next month, year, whatever it takes me, a sweater  vest  called Azteca from "Creative Knits"done in a heathered green and socks, oh , hmm the issue the sweater is in March of 2012.Back to the needles and such, also today is Malt Friday, making a chocolate malt for hubbys lunch, personally hot chocolate would be better, it's cold out there.Well TTFN.

6 more weeks of winter.

News Flash!!..... Punxsutawney Phil has declared there will be 6 more weeks of winter. Oh well , we will enjoy our January thaw and get back to winter next week. More to come.....
Found a good buy on sock yarn at Joanne Fabrics in Madison, I called the previous day and asked if they had this type and colorway, the gal went and looked and said that they didn't have it, something just didn't sit right with me, I thanked her and  finished what I was doing.The next day Mary and I headed in for some grocery shopping, and since I was in the neighborhood, I stopped in at that Joannes and looked at their sock yarn,lo and behold there was the brand and the colorway I wanted. hmmmm. I kept quiet about it till now. Of course, I bought the yarn and a few more other skeins. You know sock yarn doesn't count toward stash.
   Well I admitted defeat and the critters never did bring back my MP3 player hubby ordered me a new one from Overstock, should be here Tuesday,  I miss having it where I can listen to the radio anytime I want. Kinda reminds me of my first transistor radio, I remember carrying it around for a long time when I was a kid.You had only one ear phone and that wasn't the best quality. Well stopping for now have to make a trip to the local meat market and grocery store. TTFN.

Sunday, down and out.

Here I sit in my recliner.Sharing it with my computer and the cat. My gout has flared up, and I am not going anywhere I really don't need to. Gout is a funny thing most people think you get from any rich foods, it's a build up of uric acids in the joints and causes crystals to form. Did you know that stress along with things like coffee and soda can also cause it? Me neither, mine came as a result of a unpleasant experience of blood clots in the bladder caused by radiation to such area.Uric, urine back up. No more said. hurts like having a 2lb jelly jar fall on your foot repeatedly.
 The cat has moved, too much room being taking up by feet to suit his taste, calling DD to take said cat off of kitchen counter. He knows he isn't suppose to be up there.Never stops him though.Hubby is teaching the engraver a new language, Thai, a company requested some nameplates/tags for their machines.Should be interesting translating it in to the required commands needed.
   On the knitting front, working on some things for the Farmer's market and cleaning out the garage. Meg wants to use it  for her car.Okay with me it's getting everything out of there. I am going to have to call our recycling man have him come and pick up some of the things. Can't wait for spring, it's been a strange winter, and next week is our January thaw, weather is suppose to be in the 40's. the February's cold  blast.
  Talking about a garden and setting some flowers in the yard. see what this year brings.Oh with cleaning out the garage is an area we can set up the knitting machine and have space to leave a long table up for crafting .
Stopping for now will pop in later. ttfn,

R.I.P. David Beckett

On a sad note , my cousin David Beckett passed away on Christmas Day, doing what he loved , directing his church choir. His funeral will be Thursday January 5, 2012 , at 10:00am at Sacred Heart Parish of Ocean Beach In San Diego Cali. He will be sadly missed. His beautiful voice , his wit and his wisdom. He leaves behind a   daughter , Meryn Beckett. Please think of his family during this time. Meryn will be graduating from the Boston Conservatory of Music this Spring.

Monday?

Sure doesn't seem like Monday, more like a Sunday. Work tomorrow and Library for Mary which are Monday things, not Tuesday. We have had a few days of windy, cold weather , not much snow to speak of. The wind chill got down as far as 5 above 0. Tuesday promises to be warmer and not so windy. It's a good thing because I need to go to Arlington to look at a some bookcases and office chairs that someone has put on free cycle. I hopefully will come home with a office chair and a book case, giving chuck back his office chair and a bookcase for my knitting and craft books.
  The Green Bay Packers won against the Detroit Lions and So far the Badgers are holding their own against the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl.At present they are tied.
   Finished the Parisian slouch hat and working on some matching gauntlets, a Christmas present gone crazy.Have some what cleaned up my craft area,(bedroom) Now I am sharing it with a cat, who is in heat, poor Spazzy, (we will take her to get spade soon.) She has gone in heat more times last year than she has in the previous 3years combined.Time to finish up supper dishes and settle down to finish current project.Ducking on out. TTFN.

Friday , Finally Snow!!

Sure enough after a green/brown Christmas , we finally have snow, started just about 10:00am this morning how much and how long it will last will be another question. Mary and I went to the grocery store this morning and the roads in town where okay ,just not great. Coming home a squad car pulled out of the veterinarian's parking lot and followed us home, sure makes me nervous, don't know why.
  Friday is also "Malt Friday" hubby gets his malt at lunch time, today will be butterscotch .Mary helps me , she holds and carries it for me in the van.Than Mary has library today, she'll be helping them out for awhile.I'll be knitting and doing some basic cleaning. I have 27 skeins of Donegal tweed yarn , hubby found it on Free cycle. Now comes the hunt for the pattern, I'll show you when I get started.Right I am off , ducking out to hunt patterns , Hope you have a Happy New Year.

Thursday, way behind schedule

Life has been interesting at the Phipps household, Just as soon as my niece invited us for Christmas at her home, than  Chuck's company decides to do overtime, which is nice since we are a bit strapped for cash. But this means that if I go I either go alone or with Mary. In this case it was with Mary,The trip was pretty uneventful, we had a dusting of snow on Saturday the 17, and the majority of the roads we traveled where clear, We did run into a down power line in the Village of Lone Rock, and the roads we went were well maintained but just as soon as we  left the village, back on the highway it was cleared until we got into Muscoda, the streets hadn't been touched and made for some interesting going for the little amount that was on the ground, went to turn onto Becky's street and almost sled into the cemetery, a little unnerving, backup and went very slow down to her driveway, the streets where packed snow. The unique part is on our way home, the snow was almost gone, melted away, just a few hours later.Christmas will be a quiet affair here, presents opened on Christmas Eve and snacks and games , Christmas will be a simple dinner and the Packer vs Bears football game Chuck has to work on Christmas Eve day and the Monday after Christmas.For New Year's Eve he gets New year' day off and the Monday. The office people are getting 2 --4 day vacations .Means less cleaning for Mary and me.
I've learnt a hard lesson, do not put of going to see the dentist, I had two broken molars that ended getting pulled and a tooth that almost needed a root canal, ended up with a sore mouth and a huge bruise on my cheek and bleeding that  stops and starts. Thank heavens for tea bags, the tannin in the tea helps clots to form.Makes me really crabby, spent Tuesday night sitting up trying to get the bleeding to stop.I still need sleep and I am not getting my knitting done.
The Yarn Harlot has a good idea with the gift ideas I like most of them, I think my family needs to read the ones about doing things for your knitter so she has time to knit. (Hint, Hint).
Still haven't found my MP3 player, found my earphones and my glasses. oh well still looking

Saturday, raining puppies

Gee Whiz, almost came home from my Sister's with the cutest mixed breed puppy, cross between a Terrier and a Chihuahua, Black with the brown eye markings , he cozied up to Mary and fell asleep on her. Not quite 8 weeks old. However, knowing Simba's fondness for small things that squeak, he would be kibble.Poor baby ,not to tell what the cats would do, Spazzy might play mother, but Archie would totally ignore it. Puppies chew on everything and I drather not go through that again.Simba is king (at least he thinks he is, but we know it's really Archie). Had a  very good visit with my sister Kitty, and had lunch there, Pasty, was really good.it was made in a 8 by 8 inch pan not individual ones. No surprises in it, Meg went with us an can spot an piece of onion a mile away. That's why when I make something I know she will be eating, I cut them very fine, she never notices.
   Rob pulled the radio, cassette and cd player from the Suburban that Lee had at his place the radio and things are for Dani's Blazer, When she got from the Lee the previous owners took the radio and the speakers.Rob  knows how to put them back together, she will have sound now on that long drive to work everyday, 40 miles one way.
  Must say this, my van is back in working shape, the Good Lord was watching over us,the problem with the power steering was minor to what happen to the rear brakes, I felt like someone tapped me on the shoulder, when I talked to the Mechanic and had him take a look at the rear brakes, good thing I payed attention, when they pulled the back wheels off the brakes crumpled, no warning, I just had them checked 3 months before and they said they were fine. I had a vision of us going down the highway and having to stop fast and couldn't. Shudders. I think this will be my Christmas present Brakes aren't cheap. Just happy we are safe.
 I think I may have to do a cast of characters list here, DH-Chuck
                                                                                  Me-Kris
                                                                                   DD1-Sarah
                                                                                   DD2-Mary
                                                                                   DS-- Rob, Robi
                                                                                   Simba 13 year old cross German Shepard an Chow
                                                                                    Archie and Spazzy, our cats.
                                                                                    Meg - Adopted Daughter1,
                                                                                     Dani and Lilly, adopted Daughter 2 and her 
                                                                                      daughter, also, apartment renters.
                                                                                   Lee, family friend
                                                                                   Cathy , family friend
Well , for the most part , that's the people I write about. We live in south central Wisconsin, and right now it's cold as billy blue blazes, hubby is awake and so I am going to go bug him for awhile. TTFN

Tuesday"s here ,an away we go

Okay, car is going to get fixed, the sun is shining and it's a wee bit nippy out there, Rob is driving the mini van and I am following in Hubby's car , this should prove to be interesting. I have strict warnings about how not to drive his "baby". Just have to remember to pick him up at four.It will mean I will be without a car for several days, ouch!!, I feel like a teenager grounded to the house, hey what did I do wrong, this time.?
   WE have our final band practice for the season, Christmas Music, I am trying to get my Bass Clarinet to work so I can do the low part in the Nut Cracker, one of my favorite pieces during this time of year. The concert will be at the Good Samaritan Nursing Home very soon.Oldest daughter gave us a scare  with feeling sick, she called yesterday and sounded so bad, I wanted to fly to Austin and take care of her. Today she called and sounded so much better, a change in her meds and a new antibiotic seemed to the trick.Well back to a little house work and then to the knitting will talk to you later,TTFN.

Sunday eventide

Mary and I did the vacuuming at our job and now,my van has a definite problem, the power steering fluid is leaking like a sieve. One more thing to worry about , Telling Dani tonight that she must get off her duff and get her vehicle licensed and registered,  now. I am taking the van in to get it look at hopefully tomorrow, but will give our favorite mechanic a call in the morning. Still have to go clean some more this evening,helping hubby out. I drather be knitting.
   Knitting , I have a lot to get done in a small amount of time,I have some lovely Lion Brand Homespun , white with a gold thread through it, making a hat or possibly a purse, guess who didn't do a gauge swatch,oops. Some day I"ll learn, obviously not yet.Also some purple Coats and Clark, probably a slouch hat, and than their is Mary's Poncho,Well stopping for . TTFN

Still looking....

Okay , Sunday morning and I am in a funk. Seems I am losing things again besides my balance ,( Please Mister, Please return these things to me),So far missing besides my sense of humor and my Mp3 player is now my headphones and most of my sanity , I have things I want to get done before Christmas but need to do things like clean my house from stem to stern before Christmas, Things just seem too far over my ability to get things, come Monday Morning I am going to have to crack the whip. Gotta take a break and run Dani to work bbl.
Take care.

Ransom

The camera cord has been returned, no site of my mp3 player. Mary found the camera cord under her bobbin lace pillow. Pictures soon.
  Thanksgiving was quiet and peaceful considering I was up the night before with upset tummy. Rob's meatloaf came off with out a hitch , it was delicious, he says he has the recipe memorized but we will see the next time he goes to make it.The roast beef was a little tough , will be shredded for hot beef sandwiches.Ham came out good.Everyone was fed well. With enough leftovers to be creative with.
   Green Bay won the football game and naps were taken. I was blessed with having my kids taking care of the kitchen, Rob and Mary wiped dishes while Meg washed them. Meg is my unofficial adopted daughter. (Her mama might not be to happy about that.) Mary and I decided to brave the Black Friday sales , went in the afternoon to Half price Books and to Joanne Fabrics,traffic not too bad,it was busy in the Fabric store but we did get what we needed and left, saved about $132.00 spent around $26.00.Butterick patterns where .99cents
and the coupons helped. We are making  most of our presents this year.
  Well I am off, to try to do some knitting, not so much stealth but sort of, talk to you later, ducking out.

monday morning catchup

I have tons of laundry and a huge pile of dishes to do before any crafting (knitting , in my case) will happen. Feeling much better, guess the pills are working. Still have a lot to do Before Thanksgiving, Mary and I are going to try to make from scratch pie crust. This should be interesting. The formula is coming from Ree Drummond's "the Pioneer Woman Cooks" really like the book , have it from the library and I don't want to return it, but I will. Put it on my Christmas list. Hint!!
   Well not getting my desk cleared off or the grocery list or coupons found, so off I go, ducking on out will talk to you later.
   PS. Ransom note has been found for camera cord and Mp3 player, Waiting for further contact.

Busy day

Well the Breakfast With Santa, didn't happen like I would have liked, Saturday went well with the Rotary, But Sunday with Masons , normally I would of worked, but got down there and preceded to get sick. The new pills the Doctor put me on did a number on my stomach . I came home and went to bed, Mary came home with me, migraine there. According to Hubby we made around $1800.00 for the food pantry and the Veterans hospital, they have to split that.We had some extra food left over and the food pantry was happy to get that.Things are really tight .
   Mary and I making the majority of the Christmas presents we are giving this year, with some books thrown in. Won't tell you what we are making but it's using all of our crafting talents. It's getting late so I am ducking on out I'll talk to you soon.
PS, still looking for camera cable, must have absconded with my MP3 player.

Umm, What happen here?

I know, I know I promised I would add pictures and keep up to date on what was happening at  chez Phipps.Life happened, and I got caught up and carried away with the way things were going.Plus some down time for being ill.
   Let's see where to begin, we have a new renter in the apartment who happens to have a ten year old daughter, who keeps both Mary and I on our toes.She is hyper active, and is constantly moving,  Mary and I are trying to get her to slow down and look at things, Mary has taken the time to teach her how to draw and I'm trying to teach her how to knit.She pays attention when someone is  watching what she does and explains why things need to be done that way.She doesn't enjoy reading which , I have a hard time accepting, at that age my kids loved to read anything they could. She finds it a chore. So Mary and I are looking for the "book" you know the one that made you actually take off and read till it's done, no luck so far. sigh!!
   I have been off the knitting for awhile because of the pains in my hands, I have a cyst in the right palm that acts up if I knit too much and now the left is having issues with the tendons, I have to keep them warm. I have some craft gloves that help, but they interfere with typing,sent Mary on a mission to locate the camera cord in her room, sounds like a hurricane going through. I hate to think what it will look like if she finds it. Waiting patiently, sort of.
  " Breakfast with Santa" is this weekend, for a few hours today I thought I may miss it, my bleeding problem  reared it's ugly head. Hopefully got it under control. We have a rainy weekend for it, it's the open house weekend for the Christmas season in Lodi and also the opening weekend of deer hunting season. The Rotary Club will be helping on Saturday and Sunday it's the Mason's.Tonight is the "Spaghetti Dinner" Chuck is busy working in the kitchen at the Masonic Temple, washing dishes and clearing tables , he has the first shift  tonight.     This time of year is real busy in our small town, Lefse is being made by the Lutheran Ladies,The Methodist are having a Craft and Fiber store, We are having horse drawn wagon rides , decorating cookies with Santa, and the downtown is open for Christmas. I have a little trouble with all the festivities as it's not Thanksgiving yet and the local radio stations are playing Christmas music, our "Breakfast with Santa" money goes to the local food pantry and The Veterans Hospital in Madison, to the volunteers for the patients needs.
   
No  cable yet, still waiting,  Hopefully will have pictures soon, Have some projects I need to do, Talk to you later , ducking on out.

Monday, sunny days ahead

 Brisk temperatures this morning leading into a glorious sunny day, Looks like the standard for this week , Charlie was saying possible into the mid to upper seventies by the end of the week and no rain till some time next week.Why do I talk about the weather , helps me remember things that happen and also helps me plan my week.
  This weekend was lovely, we missed the wedding due to my reoccurring stomach problems. It's something I have no control over.Leftovers from radiation therapy.Events for the rest of the week, Mary and I are going for a hike at Palfrey's Glen she wants to get some photos for her digital imagining class for school.I would like to go the Farmer's Market this Friday, and I am going to ask sweetly if my Dearest Husband in all the world will go with me.(he reads my blog) Saturday I have Sam's club shopping to do, we go through Peanut Butter like crazy, and I need to pick up the Peter Pan 6 lb. can at least 4 of them. We do have a Costco nearby, but I have never been inside,maybe some day.Also paper towels , dog treats, laundry detergent and the like.
    Knitting has slowed down to a crawl, I just see too much to get done, and put the knitting aside ,well no longer,I will set aside a few hours every day to knit. It calms my nerves and I feel productive when I can see growth in something I've done.With housework I can do it all day and still have to repeat it the next day.Well I am going to leave off here, It's nearly time to fix lunch for everyone I will take time to knit today, I will, I will < I will. Ducking on out.

Thursday windy and wild

Doing some work outside, I heard a noise akin to a fizzled Fire cracker, you know the sound, like a fire cracker that want dud half way through. What was the source of the sound, the nearby walnut tree. The nuts were falling 2 to 3 at a time not with a gentle plop but a more intense thud. That got the attention of the neighborhood squirrel posse, They have been busy at the next door neighbor's hickory nut tree have a regular feast there, leaving the evidense  all over the sidewalks. Now they are bounding across the street and retrieving the green hulled walnuts back to my yard planting them there for futher treasure hunting during the winter, I am not sure how many walnut tree saplings I pulled up this year but there where a few.
 Charlie Shortino , predicted that the winds would pick up at 1:00 this afternoon and sure enough they did, not a gentle fall breeze but winds strong enough to knock the dead wood out of the neighbors very old maple tree again into my yard, not just your average branches, more along the lines of a fat "pound of love " baby yarn from lion brand or something akin to that. It's going to make a interesting night. We will see the damages in the morning.
  We have found  renters for the apartment. Thank heavens, good news ,  some sad too, there goes my hope for a yarn studio. We have known these young people since my Ds was in highschool and they have saved us at "Breakfast with Santa, many times  by pitching in and helping.Their daughter mentioned the fact now they wouldn't have far to go this year to help us.
  Dani is painting the apartment and doing some other cleaning they should moved in by October 15. More victims to teach knitting too brohahaha. Okay things are getting silly and I need to fix some supper I'll talk to you later.

Monday, quiet week, perhaps

The parade in Wisconsin Dells, was quite nice. The weather was co-operating with gray skies and a light drizzle. When the band had played and was packed up to go home did it decide to rain harder. So what is in store "The Soon to be Famous" , Christmas music, Tuesday night will be a trial run of  our Christmas concert.
   Mary is recuperating from dental surgery quite nicely, we allowed her to take things at her own pace , just reminding her occasionally to eat something. She is back in school and at week four her grades are good. She is taking a digital imagining class , maybe I can convince her to help me get some more pictures  on the blog.
  My friend from Alabama is going to be getting some fingerless Mitts in Notre Dame colors, and maybe a little something extra, I still have a box of books I need to send. it's her Birthday and her guy is giving her a very nice present a trip to the "big easy" and then on to Panama city for a Motor cycle  rally.Well I am off to do some knitting and see what other mischief I can get into. TTFN

Tuesday, ouch!!

This morning was a tough one. Started with trying to get Mary out of bed, she has a trip to the oral surgeon this morning to have 4 teeth pulled (3 wisdom , 1 12 year molar). I haven't had any problems getting her lately, usually I knock on her bedroom door and wake her up and tell her "I want to hear your feet hit the floor" as long as she is standing up she stays awake. This morning I was in a bit of a hurry so I just yelled upstairs as I did before, she says she didn't remember me yelling, even though she answered me. We weren't late, for some reason I kept asking her , are you you ready yet. That did it.
  She is home now, resting and is sound a sleep. Best thing thing for now.First thing she wanted when she awoke, was a large drink of water.
  We had a busy weekend , Saturday we went to the Sheep and Wool Festival, I am now the proud owner of a spindle and a signed copy of Catherine Friend's book "Sheepish", I kinda screamed 'I just finished reading that' I think Mary wanted to hide , oh well,I tend to embarrass my kids, on occasion, I get too excited.Onward,
We saw so many spinning wheels , looms and all the wool and roving you would want.I didn't want to leave.
We had plans to go to  a memorial service, at Circle Sanctuary, it was very peaceful, and very moving.Came home and wanted to sleep,
This weekend is a parade at  Wisconsin Dells, (not for Mary),next week Rob is going to see the Rheumatologist, he changed majors at school to IT, . Sometime here Hubby and Son are going to clean out the shop, I think we could have a impromptu garage sale as this weekend is Lodi fall garage sale days.If we wanted to work on the garage. Well Very Tired and I am going to Duck on out,TTFN