Finally Done.

This is defiantly in the Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Overdoing category of things I've done. I think I started this a few months ago and have completed some other projects in the meantime but it was way more work than I though it would be. The border is what killed me - you actually knit it back and forth around the edges attaching it to the edge of the shawl - but each row is 14 stitches and it's done hundreds of times. After I got it done I realized it was much bigger than I thought it would end up being and it's made out of merchanized cotton (from Peru if anyone is interested in that detail? No? Whatever!) which meant I could soak and stretch it even bigger. Which I did. 

The pattern is called Day Lily and you can make out the flower pattern with it stretched, in retrospect red was an unfortunate color for this pattern. You can see it better now that it's blocked but I've been subjected to opinions such as blood vessels, placenta and hamburger, not exactly the response one wants for over 3 months of lace work. So, why did I make a too big shawl even bigger? Because it will make a beautiful, handmade lace table cloth and I can get some real use out of it. David is working on my sun room and I'll use it out there once I buy a table and chair set to sit out there. And it will get some use - I make shawls but I"m pretty sure people use them to decorate with and not wear. The only time I've ever seen anyone wear a shawl is when they attend a knitting function and want to show off thier lace knitting skills. So, it's finally off the needles and now I can finish the other half done stuff that's laying around. 

My birthday was a very quiet affair, which given all the running around I've been doing lately was a welcome gift. My back is really bothering me today but I'm pretty sure it's due to all the monster driving I've been doing lately. I got a few fun things for my birthday - my sister and her wife sent David and I ancestry DNA kits so we can finally rule out the milkman........ just kidding!  I bought a few ebooks and thing on line, since we've been downsizing things buying more stuff just does not have much appeal lately. I think you get to a point in your life where you have everything you want and need and there's no point to adding more stuff. Unless it's yarn or knitting related. Then you can pile it on.

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors - Unless You Can Get Away With Poison.

So, when we bought the flip house we had to have a survey done - we usually don't but we needed to see where the property lines are due to an open foundation on one side and a passel of pigs (the human kind) on the other. We are putting in a fence on both sides as the foundation is a safety issue and the pigs - well, they're just an issue. We found that they had not only had their electrical pole placed on our property but their shed sits 5 feet over the line. The owner inherited the house from a relative - it's a cute little two story but it's stuffed to the rafters with crap. There's so much crap they had to put a trailer on the property to live in and of course, it's a crappy trailer. Sigh. David went over and spoke to them, they were moving to Wyoming but promised they would get the shed moved before they left. Yup. 

The problem is now the MIL who is a nasty old thing that comes down to feed the chickens they left and is currently cleaning out the trailer which we still can't figure out - the place is full of crap so it's kind of like putting lipstick on a pig, now isn't it? David got the electric company to put in a work order to remove the pole which hopefully will be coming down soon. The shed we are in a quandary about - the MIL is not letting it go, she came over to cackle at David that she was going to put a door on the side of it! She sits on the porch of the trailer and dials her phone while glaring - we've dealt with worse and it will get resolved but it's so annoying! And the more pressing issue is the shed sits right in the middle of the fence line, so we've been brainstorming trying to figure out how to solve this. I thought maybe since it's on our property we could jsut put a door on OUR side and use that 5 feet of space (put up a wall maybe?) as a garden shed which would be cute. But we're having a lot of trouble getting information on laws - the police and local magistrate don't get involved in property disputes so we're not sure if we can do that. 

But David continues to make good headway on the house, he bought the appliances already, we are still looking for kitchen cabinets and he's got most of the house sheet rocked and ready to be spackled. A friend of his who's a retired farmer comes down to help and he's enjoying the company. In return David has been helping him out fixing things around his house and I'm sure it makes the day go faster for both of them. David is also taking a little time next week to do my sun room, well, one of them. That I'm really excited about, just in time for the good weather. 

No Rest For The Wicked

One of the most stressful things about my job is it never stops - if there are no issues or calls, it's still there lurking the background just waiting to pounce. Even when I taught my first knitting class at the Pittsburgh Fiber Festival - I was so nervous I wouldn't do a good job and having to spend 15 minutes in the hall trying to reach one of my client's parents because that somehow became my responsibility on my day off did not, ease my stress believe it or not. Today, my vacation day and I spend the first part of it trying to straighten out yet another problem. It was not a huge deal, but honestly - I would like just one day that I was not texting or checking my email. Just one. Enough bitching. 

Overall my overnight in Shippensburg was fun - the pool was bathtub warm and there was a hot tub and I had them all to myself. I spent the rest of the evening reading, knitting, watching TV and eating burritos - life does not get any better than that. I slept in a little, drank coffee in bed, walked down to the dining room and had breakfast. We all watched Bill Cosby get convicted, then an interview with his lawyer and some woman lawyer that kept insisting that all 60 of his accusers are lying and they have some sort of agenda - uh, yep. I hope they lock YOU in a room with him sister, we'll see who has the agenda then. The things people do for money. But he's been convicted and that's what matters, 

So I took off around 10 and stopped at an antique store - I bought a bedpan that came from a mental hospital in MD from the turn of the century, sweet! Then off to the Yarn Basket for some yarn therapy. I took my time and just browsed and browsed. On the way home Is stopped in Frostberg - one of those places you always want to stop but you never have the time .Another yarn shop of course, I bought a skein of hand dyed local sock yarn - it was just beautiful. Home, home is good - the dogs greeted me like I had just come back from a year long tour of course and we went out in the yard. I unpacked and started the wash, on and on. I'll be gloating over my yarn for a day or so, I'm on a yarn diet for awhile - between the yarn festival, the knitting retreat and today I have more than enough. For now. 

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY

Actually, it's not my birthday yet. But I was thinking about it since it will be my birthday soon and I'm having an early celebration by staying in Shippensburg in a hotel with a pool (which I've already been in, thank you for asking) and then will be hitting my favorite out of town yarn shop tomorrow.  I know some people will say they aren't celebrating after a certain age but as far as I'm concerned I'm on the higher end of the birthday scale so I'll be celebrating whatever ones I have left. So, when birthdays hit around our house the one thing we always laugh about is Maureen, a customer David had in WV - Jackson will also start laughing if you you shriek It's My Birthday because.....

Maureen was one of the ones that decided she didn't want to pay David after he was done with the job. She was happy with the work, she had accepted the estimate (which he came in under) but she just preferred not to pay him. First we started off with complaining - the thing she complained about David pointed out he had actually done for free, it was added on and he had not charged for it so it would be hard for him to not get paid for something he didn't charge for. Then we did the Avoiding thing. Not answering the phone, not responding to bills, David went over there and it was excuse after excuse. Sigh. So, one night after dinner David called her - I think she had told him she was going to pay him and then was convieniently not home again. So she answers and we were not sure if she was drunk or what but she started screaming into the phone

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! ITS MY BIIIRRTHHDAAAYYY...... David put the phone on speaker and placed it on the coffee table. David, Jackson and I sat there in stunned silence while this woman carried on for a good five minutes about it being her birthday, David trying to speak just escalated it. I have to say that was one of the wierdest things that I've experienced, finally one of us laughed and she stopped. "who was that?" she demanded and then must've realized she was on speaker, said a bad word and hung up on us. We laughed so hard! So from then on screaming ITS MY BIRTHDAY is what David still yells if he doesn't want to do something and of course if it IS your birthday........

Philly

So, I started my week on Monday at 6:30am to see a client at 7:15 am, then to the office, then a six hour drive to Philadelphia for my clinical at McGee Ortho Hospital. First I will be bitching about the Sheratan Downtown which sucked. It was essentially a 2 day camping trip which cost about $550. The garage is under construction so it's Valet parking only ($42 a DAY), the room was $259 - they advertise some rooms for less  but it's just a ruse. since they're never available. I had decided to pack most of my food, usually when I travel if it's in a city I'll do that since I know by the time I get there I'll be too tired to find something to eat. Plus with my day starting at 7am I'd rather eat in my room and have my coffee there - but $259 will not get a fridge or a microwave. Or a Kurig.Or breakfast. Or Internet. Yeppers, that will run you $15 dollars a day. When I got to my room I found they'd given me a room with two king beds so I called down and got $50 a night off my bill.  And I brought a cooler with food that just needed to be kept cool, not refrigerated, I opened my K-cups and used a paper towel as a filter in that cheap ass coffee maker and did break down for Internet for one night since I had a butt load of paperwork to catch up on. In other words, camping.  Did you ever notice the more some hotels charge the less you get? And then they only booked me for Monday and Tuesday, which made me homeless on Wednesday - and there were no rooms available in the city. At all. 

I've done two days of my clinical so far and it's been great. We spend the day following a patient in the rehab, we can go through all the charts we want, we attend therapy sessions and speak with the nurses that work there. We are not allowed to participate due to insurance constrictions which is weird feeling. One of the things I've come away with is how your life can change in just one instance - there are a few spinal cord injuries that are due to simply....falling. And the results are devastating. For me in home care I can see how they struggle at home, the reality that no matter how hard you work, pray or try, there is no way to fix it. But this is the other end of it, before they go home - how much more is involved that just therapy - the family and staff meetings, the social workers, the therapists all working to get these people home to a new life - not a better one most of the time, but a different one. But it's not all hopeless, I had the privilege of see someone stand up for the first time since their accident - another person walking for their family, there is a lot of hope in that devastation. And a lot of ways the teach people to live well in their new lives.

So, while I had my internet for the night (and it went off EXACTLY 24 hours after I paid for it) I used it to book a hotel at Best Western that I have recently become fond of. They are usually a bit dated, but you know what - they're clean, the room is big with a table to eat at. I have a fridge, microwave, coffee maker, internet and I parked my own car for free. Breakfast in the morning if I want it - all for a third of the price. The downside is it's an hour drive in the morning with traffic, but it's just one more day so I can suck it up. The week has been tiring, but worth it, I've learned a alot and seen alot - I'm really grateful for this opportunity that Bayada has given me. 

Knit.

So, the year of travel continues, this weekend is the Spring break in Ligonier - it actually started Friday night but I was too tired to move. I had plotted out my work day perfectly arriving home around 5:30 but we all know what happens when you plot things out perfectly - I believe we are all familiar with the phrase "hell in a hand basket". Sigh. So this morning found me packing, trying to find my supplies and off I went. I was the last one to arrive - of course - but it was only a couple of minutes so no big. A couple of friends are also here which makes it more fun. The focus is on sweater making which might surprise some, but my history of sweater making is very hit or miss. I have made some sweaters that fit human beings and I have made some very very awful garments. My last attempt was a baby sweater that I ended up throwing out - it would have only fit if the baby hunched up on one side and dangled the other arm. 

I have some very nice linen yarn I got somewhere awhile ago, I had started a sweater but despaired and then just frogged it. This yarn was too nice for a disaster like that. Of course then I needed a pattern to fit the yarn and that took awhile. But I had it and after emptying out a yarn bag to tote it in headed up here. Kathy from Kathy's Kreations runs the weekend and she actually writes knitting patterns which impresses the bananas out of me. We went over how to gauge which is what I really need, a lot of my problem is my normal size patterns tend to end up Incredible Hulk style. So it was good. We had a long break, Ligonier is a lovely little artsy town with boutiques but I was so tired I took an artsy nap. 

After we headed out to dinner - lots of not good things for you and a beer, my favorite type of meal. Tomorrow is half a day, then home, half a day of work and then on to the next adventure. I am going to be gone for most of the next week and then after that no more traveling.........for three weeks. Bayada Awards Weekend next!

Cross My Palm With Silver

So, David managed to jinx us - he made the comment we need to start cutting back on spending, When we are mid point in flipping a house we get the point where we have more going out than coming in. David goes without a paycheck for up to five months and then gets one giant one at the end. We paid off the house we hold the mortgage on, which means we have income from that but it also ties up a very large amount of cash. We've asked that woman to please get her own mortgage but it's a no go, we will never do that again. But we have to watch our finances at this point but when you say it out loud........

I am still in the middle to all my traveling and so forth. I have the teaching gig behind me and then this weekend is the knitting retreat for Saturday and Sunday. Then Monday I take off for Philly to do my rotation for my CRRN, in June I have the test. We're planning on seeing Jackson, Brandi and the girls in July, then John retires in August.....I just live in my car at this point. I'm planning on staying overnight at the end of the week in Shippingsburg for the sole purpose of honestly, just sitting around and staring at my feet. I feel like all I do is work and run these days. Then to top it off we are having all sorts of weird things. David got pulled over for being over his inspection, one hundred bucks there. However he had to get the windshield repaired before can take it next week - ka-ching! We got a call from a collection agency that we owe Direct TV, apparently SOMEONE never sent back the equipment.......

The thing is none of this is unusual or catastrophic, I think it just feels that way when you're worrying, every expense feels likes it chipping away at your foundation. And then there's everything else - gas, food, utilities and they seem to grow every month. So we're deep breathing and trying not to overreact to everything, it will pass and I will just have to try to buy less yarn I suppose......

Food

I know I've talked about food before. A Lot. Usually it's me griping about my never ending battle with my weight or my misguided attempts at gardening - and yes I am going to give it another go again this year, thank you for asking. I'm sure you've also noticed the steady creep up in your grocery bill, David and I will often come back from shopping in distress - how can two people spend so much money on food? The answer is not that we're eating all the time - but we are eating very healthy and that, like dating your best friend's boyfriend behind her back is something you're eventually going to pay very dearly for. 

I can buy a ton of Little Debbie Snack Cakes for what I spend on a small bit of fruit, could fill up my trunk with potato chips for the price of all the fresh vegetables I go through. I eat very little processed food because I DO need to know what I'm eating, but it's insane what it costs. So for the past couple of weeks we are trying different things. One thing we are stopping is the weekly trips to Sam's Club - everytime we go we walk out 200 dollars poorer. We don't need giant tubs of anything, there are only two of us and I doubt there will ever be an oatmeal shortage. And I don't know about you but I tend to go off my list about 5 minutes into the store, that does not help. Especially since you are buyng bulk, 3 or 4 extra items can easily run $80. Years ago when then first opened the bulk item stores we had a membership and then took other friends and family members when we went shopping. We'd buy things with the intention of dividing it such as buying two types of cereal and then swapping half.  It worked well.

We've stopped shopping together - we are taking turns doing the shopping and that is starting to cut back. The other benefit is we are spending our weekends having more fun than doing chores. We usually spend Saturday shopping - and the other problem is since we're in the shopping strip we tend to go do more than food shopping. Another trip to Old Navy, the bookstore, Walmart. Then Sunday is just cleaning for me and doing the wash. Last couple of weekends we actually did stuff, last weekend we took the dogs to the gamelands for the morning, they loved it and so did we. And I'm comparison shopping. Trader Joes was surprisingly not too bad on my wallet - Whole foods unsurprisingly WAS. I also did a trip to Aldi's and found the prices were good but the selection was so-so. But all in all, we did get the cost down a good bit this weekend, hopefully it will continue to go down. 

Should I Stay Or Should I Go

I probably get asked once or twice a month if we're going to stay here. Usually it's when I'm talking about the house David is renovating or griping about what every part of my home remains unfinished, people will ask questions and then always say, "so, are you going to stay there?". I honestly cannot answer that now. We were going to stay forever in the last house and we were so serious we actually painted the walls colors other than light yellow and beige (FYI if you're selling your house light nondescript colors are recommended). But then the prices shot sky high so the For Sale sign magically appeared and we hit the road again. We had already bought this place for WAY more than we usually pay for anything so I think we were halfassed ready to skedaddle anyhow, we just needed that little push. 

If you ask me which house I wish I HAD stayed in it would either be the first house we bought in WV or the one in MaidsvilleWV. The first house on Arbogast Lane was the coolest one we've ever owned, 3 story modern with balconies on every floor and a river rock floor on the second story. We had rocks in the yard that were easily 10 feet tall and I have to say that was one of the most fun places we have ever lived.  The one in Maidsville - that was more of an emotional favorite. We were happy there, Jackson was home, Pearl was alive, people visited all the time to that house. David and Jackson hunted the game lands with their trusty dog, my job was still good and we spent most weekends either romping around the 6 acres, playing in the pool or hanging out at the bookstore. We sold it after Jackson left and moved to the Poconos for two years. I cried every week because I missed WV so much, it was an ache that never left. 

When we moved back we found the house in Gerards Fort, close enough to WV to keep the homesickness at bay, near the gamelands and the perfect size. And now we are here - I'm still a little on the fence at times, but overall I love it. We have the 6 acres again for me to explore with the dogs and it's just the right size. Right now I've been grousing because the house is on hold until the flip house is done and on the market. I know! But I can still grouse. As to whether this is it - if you ask me today, it is yes, but who knows down the road a bit. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. 

Just Finish It!

One of the most dreaded objects in the knitting universe is a UFO (Un-Finished Object). That's when you start a shawl, then get side tracked by a sock, you start another shawl and then are hunting around the house for enough yarn to make a sweater because you have the knitting retreat coming up next week in which the whole weekend pretty much revolves around making a sweater with set in sleeves. And then you have google What Are Set In Sleeves and then start rooting around again in both the basement and the internet because you're not quite sure if you have a pattern for that. You have a pattern for every other frigging thing in the universe, don't you? But not a sweater. Or you DID find a pattern but now the yarn you found there isn't enough of. Drinking only complicates matters and it is also how you end up with neon pink yarn so don't even go there. 

This morning I dug out all the unfinished projects just to get an idea of what needs to be finished - especially since I'll be adding a sweater to not be finished next week. I have 4 knitting bags going so now I'll have to find a 5th one to house the sweater I have no yarn or pattern for. The top two pictures are of the never ending Day Lily shawl - that got away  from me and is currently completely out of control. That picture is BEFORE I block it so you can figure it will be at least a third bigger than it is now. I have no choice but to finish it out since only have about 8 inches of border left. The good thing is once it's blocked the pattern will be amazing and I can use it for a table cloth for  a round table - it's made of mercanized cotton (from Peru if anyone is interested) and with a white cloth under it will look beautiful.

Then I have the two started shawls from the knitting classes. I had the finished projects done, but needed started for demonstration purposes. The Girasole is only on it's first pattern round so I could actually just pull it out - but I love this color and the pattern so it can hang out for awhile until I finish the Day Lily - which I will finish even if I die in the process. which I might. You know some people when you talk about dying are always like How Can You Say That, but all I can think is how can you not? Do you really think it's not ever going to happen to you? And I will tell you there have been days in the past few months if I dropped dead on the spot I would not have objected  - I'll hold the barrel steady for you. 

This is the almost done Easy Peasy Shawl 2.0 which I am using for the knitting group - one thing you learn about joining a group is not to bring anything more complicated than this. Everyone starts talking and it's impossible to count a row, especially with lacework so we all have our "group" projects to take for knit nights, we bring in anything complicated we need advice on or if it's done to show it off. 

This sock! This green sock! I think I started it on my way back from Seattle - it's just a plain green sock which is perfect for travel. Socks are complicated enough to be interesting, but not so complicated that you can't put them down when you need to. I'll probably finish the heel at home after I'm done with the Day Lily and then use that for knitting group once I'm done with the other shawl. So, now I have them all sussed out - I just need to find time to finish them. 

Curl Up and (Die)t

So - the good news is I've lost 12 pounds. The bad news is this is probably the 4rth time I've lost 12 pounds with another 25 (or so) to go. Again. I was fine until I hit 50 and then my weight crept up. and up. and up. The hardest part is is it's so hard to lose and so insanely easy to gain. And dieting is work! No more drive thrus or premade foods - I make everything from scratch because it has less calories and less all around shit in it. I fit my exercise in early in the morning, lunch, after I get home but still it comes off a few ounces here, a few ounces there.

But I continue on, after all the only alternative is to simply give it up and get super fat which I'm just not ready for. I've been doing the Weight Watchers with my sister and her wife and that helps - it's good to have someone in the fox hole with you, isn't it? 

I suppose that's enough of that, Molly got her stitches out today - David was a bit annoyed because he had to make an appointment and the only one they had was mid-day of course. Molly didn't even get out of the car! The vet was like it will only take a second - and it did. David opened the back doors of the van, held her still and two seconds later she was stitch-free. Oh, well that chapter is over and done with. 

Run Around You

Since the beginning of this year I feel like I never stop moving - it's been one event after another. The end of January I tell people I went back to LI for lunch which is essentially true. My father and stepmother had been working on legally adopting her granddaughter Rhiannon -and there it was. I drove to my sister in laws and us and her sister traveled to LI to be in time for the adoption. It was really wonderful and like all happy events well attended. It was ten of us, the judge, lawyers and pile of interns - and I now have a 16 year old sister, how great is that! February was a bit less traveled but still hectic. We are opening a new office which is wonderful - I'll be the closest one and my travel will be 45 minutes, half! But that also means opening new clients, signing off new staff,etc.... busy but worth the effort

In mid-March I jetted off to Florida for a long weekend, I hadn't seen my mother or stepfather for 4 - 5? years. It was short but very fun. They live in a nice over 55 community - it was a short visit but I packed a lot into it and managed to get a lobster red sunburn. We went out to dinner, to a bird sanctuary, shopping and lunch.  The pelicans were all over, such weird birds. For Easter I headed out again, this time with David in tow, protesting as usual he was too busy, I should go by myself...... just get in the car for crying out loud! Since I'd done a bunch of early visits we left early Friday afternoon so we would only have a couple of hours drive in the morning. Yes, I found a yarn shop thank you for asking. I shopped while crabby pants waited in the car then off we went. My dad, stepmother, sister and my brother also showed up so it was a very nice family meal. David as usual had a very good time and was glad he went.

Then this weekend of course the knitting festival. I've been preparing for weeks, but I've also been studying for the CCRN, working, taking care of the house, yada yada yada so when I set off yesterday it was more stressful than anything. But the classes went well and then I went out to dinner with friends, a well deserved beer and then shopping the next day. I now have a couple of week and then I'm off again - this time 3 days rotation in a rehab facility and then I took Friday off. My plan is a quiet hotel with a pool, a good book some yarn and sleeping in . Being busy is fun, but I'm more than ready for some downtime.

Teach

When I agreed to teach at the Pittsburgh Creative Arts Festival, not much was going on - easy easy. As of about a month ago my battle cry has been I Just Want To Live Through April - not that it's bad, just wildly busy. I did manage to calm down at some points and found that preparing a little at at time helped so when the day finally arrived I was more or less prepared. So I didn't think this was a bad idea until I was halfway here, then had one of those wonderful What The Hell Was I Thinking moments followed by How Can I Get Out Of This as I was driving around the block for the fourth time desperately looking for the front of the hotel. But I'm tougher than that and in I went - and I was not alone. Some of my knitting friends signed up for my classes since they knew it was my first time (ever) teaching and they could help if it got overwhelming.

When we were looking for the classroom someone asked me if I was scared - and I said yes I was - but life is pretty boring if you don't scare yourself once in awhile, isn't it?

My classes, thankfully were small - the first one was 8 people, the second one only 3 but I was fine with it. And it went fine! I only needed a little help and all of my evaluations were good - no one threw anything at me which I always consider a bonus and I managed to get through a total of 6 hours of teaching without throwing up or crying - all in all a good day! Two of my friends are also here and we went out to dinner last night and then will be going to the festival to shop. I stayed overnight since by the time I got done it was 7:30 so I'm glad I didn't have to drive home. What I get paid for teaching will cover part of this - depending on how much I buy today. Over all - I'm glad I did it - when I first decided to take on this challenge a local yarn shop owner gave me a 5 minute speech on how I SHOULDN'T do this - pretty much told me I had no business trying to teach and I would fall on my face, etc.....it was pretty scathing and to tell you the truth I no longer frequent that shop. The whole thing was mean spirited and that's putting it lightly. But there were many more people on my side - my knitting group with all of their advice and experience and Kathy from Kathy's Kreations who gave me an hour class on how to give a class - and I'm glad I went ahead and took the chance because now I can say I did it!!