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I added some hand dyed sock yarn and stitch markers to the Etsy store I set up. I would like to dye a lot more, but I have been so busy lately. You know, I was thinking today that I must thrive on being extremely busy. It is strange. For instance, after completing jr. college, I moved onto night school while working full-time. I was promoted to Business Manager at the company I worked for and completed the last year of my BS degree while working a minimum of 45 hours a week. Often times I worked 10-12 hour days and even one day on the weekend!! I remember spending my spare time doing homework and meeting with study group partners to work on group projects. However, I maintained an above 3.0 GPA. It was crazy!! I was once transferred to a job site where I drove for 1 hr and 45 minutes each way (this was after I received my BS) for 9 months. There were quite a few nights where I would get home around 11 pm (Yes. The job was salaried. Darn, huh?).

Quickbooks stinks! I am saying this because they won't support our software (2004 version) after June 1. This means that we cannot do payroll through them or run credit cards as before unless we upgrade and their software is expensive. My boss, in his annoying ways, loves to wait until the very last minute to do anything. It makes me crazy. So, with that in mind, today, I am waiting for a return call from him so I can continue with payroll. This is the last payroll run without the upgrade. However, because the check dates are June 1st, our tax tables are screwed up and I don't want to manually figure the taxes on everyone's checks. I called my boss this morning leaving a voicemail of his options and he still hasn't called back. We only have 3 more hours in this workday and I need an answer. I wish he would just upgrade as I have asked him to.

At least at lunch today, I was able to knit a few rounds on my sock. Aaaaahhhhh!! Stress relief!!!

Some yarn for your viewing pleasure.



I call this 'Shades of Scarlet'. You can find it at my Etsy store.

Camping (Picture Heavy Post)

We left Friday morning and came home Monday. Destination = Stanislaus National Park. We had fun.
Our camp site was a sandy spot surrounded by rock.


Hayden liked the tent. The first time I put him in it with the sleeping bags, he laughed, screamed, and crawled around. He was so excited.
He also liked to sit in his chair, attached to the truck's tailgate for short periods of time. This is also where he ate.



Hunter had fun too.
He really liked roasting marshmallows and playing around the water.











I was able to make some progress on the first sock. Rob did all of the cooking and dishwashing. That was a treat!! He cooked wonderful meals for us. The area was so beautiful. In order to get to the spot Rob chose, we had to use the 4WD and go down a really bumpy path. It was such a road that, even though it too has 4WD, there's no way we would take the Expedition through a place like that. It was a pretty crazy drive. It was fun!

Hayden did not like to crawl on the sand and I don't blame him. I won't go camping again until Hayden walks. It was a little tough having to hold and entertain him most of the time

Joined The Summer of Socks '07

Today, I joined the Summer of Socks '07 knit along. I have yet to figure out how to save their button to my server and post it on my blog for others to use. I wll figure it out when I get the time. When I joined, I marked that I would make a donation. I plan to donate some hand dyed yarn.

I was out sick the past couple of days. I brought the boys to daycare and slept a few extra hours Monday and Tuesday. I am not the type to nap during the day really, because I always have so much going on but I felt so crummy. I don't know what has gotten me, but I have been so exhausted and just not feeling right. I am a bit lightheaded and dizzy-like. You know when you are sick and you are here but not here, kind of in a surreal world? That's how I feel. My head aches. Ugh! I hope I don't mess things up too much here, at work.

Here is a picture of the yarn I dyed for my next pair of socks.



It is in various shades of blue. I like how it has a kind of faded blue jean look. The yarn is 100%superwash yard, DK. I plan to try my circular Addi Turbos again. I am determined to make them work because it is faster to use the circular than to use dpn's.

Hayden's birthday was nice. We had fun. He crawls all over now. Here is a pic of the little birthday boy.

Busy

I have been really busy lately. I haven't posted for a week. Our daycare lady has been on vacation for two weeks. I stayed home with the boys on Monday and Tuesday and have been busy at work, because of the days off (you know, I really could do this job in only 3 days a week, but like I said before, my boss wants me here full-time).

I have decided to frog the sock I have been working on. I haven't touched it because I was debating on whether or not to scrap the project. I haven't started any other knitting project because I will only work on one at a time. I fear that if I start other projects, I will have many unfinished objects sitting around the house. So, it is one at a time for me. Anyway, back to the sock, the ankle looks funny because I knit the sock too loosely. When using the circulars for socks, I knit too loosely, when using the double-pointed needles, I knit too tightly. I have to do something in the middle. My next project is going to be a pair of socks to be a gift, dk weight, with yarn dyed by moi! I dyed it up last night, hung it to dry, and will take pics of it this weekend so I can post a picture.

This weekend is Hayden's first birthday party!! He turns 1 on 05/22. We are having a party at my Aunt's home. I can't wait. I would like to take the boys in to get their pictures taken before we go to the party. I guess I had better get a move on and call to make an appointment.

BBQ Day!

I did not knit today at lunch. We socialized and ate teriyaki chicken, salad, and bread. Thanks to Gary. The owners have been away since Thursday. Yesterday, Gary mentioned BBQing today but I wansn't sure he was serious. He was and it tasted soooo good. That was really nice of him to cook for us. He is such an organized person and I really appreciate that when I get his paperwork. He was the same way with his cooking. He even had a timer to aid him.

I am not sure what we are doing for Mother's Day. I will have to get with my husband and find out.


"I finished playing the piano, come pick me up"



"I was grouchy and sick but now I am better"

No Knitting Today

I did not get to knit today, on my lunchbreak. I had to run to the store again (boy, this is getting to be an every other day thing). I was hoping to spend a couple of hours or so kitting because the owners are out today, taking some course somewhere. However, one's son is here and I am not sure how he will be with my knitting. It is the son who surfs the net most of the day (more than anyone else and gets paid more than anyone else to do so). I guess I will do what everyone else does when they finish their work, surf the net and try to look busy.

The boys are feeling better. Hunter is a little less grumpy. I am soooo glad for that!!!

Little Hayden will pull himself up and when he does not want to stand anymore he complains because he just hasn't figured out how to sit down gently.


"I am stuck standing here!"

Sock Progress

I have been making progress on the socks little by little. I am still on the foot of the first sock. I am a little worried because according to my Yarn Yardage Table Knit-Kard, the yarn I am using is about a DK to worsted weight yarn. Also per the Knit-Kard, I need about 275 yards for a pair of socks using DK yarn or about 240 yards for worsted for a medium pair of women's sock. I am using Schaefer Yarn's Lola and it only has about 280 yards and that is cutting it a little close. In my use of Addi Turbo 12" circulars, I have been knitting a bit loose (when I knit with double-pointed needles, I knit really tightly). It looks like my yarn leans towards the worsted as the manufacturer states and I will be okay. However, I don't want to try to knit a pair of socks and end up short on the last part of the LAST SOCK! I guess I should check my gauge and do some math just to be sure. Ugh! Maybe I just should have checked my gauge in the beginning but I was knitting socks and figured I could escape knitting a gauge swatch.



The boys have been sick lately. I believe this is why Hunter has been so defiant lately. You know when you are out shopping, you see a child totally acting up and you say to yourself, "I am glad I don't have a child who acts like that." Well, poor Hunter is THAT child when he is sick. Luckily, Linda is on vacation and they have been at their Grandma's all week. Grandpa also took today off to be with them I bet they are having fun.

A Break

Hunter has been fully testing me lately. He will do something like kick me. When I tell him not to, he does it again. He has been this way for about 3 days. It has been really tough to deal with. Hunter isn't usually like this. Rob said that he only acts whiny, needy, and/or defiant when I am around.

Sunday Rob took the boys to visit his Father in the hospital. The drive was about two hours each way so they were gone for about 5-6 hours. It was a much needed break for me. I finished the laundry and some other chores. I even made a casserole for Monday and another for Tuesday. I love dinners where all I have to do is pop it in the oven or even the crockpot.

I was able to knit for about an hour on Sunday while the boys were gone. I finished the heel and am now on the foot of my sock. I am hoping to work on it at lunch. However, it is the boss' son's birthday today and the boss wants to 'do something' for lunch. Hmmm. I don't recall us 'doing something' for other's birthday's here.

I noticed that I have been whiny in my posts lately. I have to knock it off. Who wants to read negative stuff?

I am thinking about joining the Summer of Socks 2007. I like to knit socks because they are quick (kind of) and they look cool with handdyed yarns. During the three month span of the Summer of Socks 2007, at the rate I get to knit, I may only make 2-4 pair, but hey, it will be fun. I am looking forward to seeing what other people are knitting. Someday I would like to knit the German Stocking by Cookie A. It looks very intimidating but isn't it cool!! Someday.

Garbage Day!

Today is what Gary, a coworker calls 'garbage day'. Today is the day we empty our garbages at work. It is the day before what he calls 'happy Friday'. I love happy Friday, don't you!?

I haven't made much progress on the socks I am knitting. Yesterday, I was able to knit for about 20 mins on my lunch break. However, Monday and Tuesday I ran to the store on my lunch and did not have any time to knit (don't you hate it when you are unorganized and have to return to the store to get things you failed to put on your original list?).

Things were pretty tough last night. Hunter isn't feeling well and he has been VERY, VERY NEEDY. He just wanted me to hold him. He woke up from a nap while I was doing the dinner dishes. I needed to finish. I can't stand dinner dishes in the sink all night. I don't want to attract mice or flies. He cried and that made Hayden cry. My husband was outside. I just scooped both boys up and held them. Hunter did not want me to do anything all night but hold him. Hayden wanted me to hold him too. This happens to me a lot but is really excessive when Hunter is sick. I get pinned to the couch by the boys.

Hunter is in daycare today. I wish that today was Saturday so I could take care of Hunter.

It is so very tough to work full-time, do chores, and take care of two little ones. I stress out on finishing my chores and find that I don't have time for other things like organizing the house. Oh there is so much to do. Often times, I wish I was a housewife. Then, maybe I could get things done. A nice thought but we can't afford it.

Hayden's Weekend

Hayden and I had a pretty good weekend. It was peaceful and for the most part, Hayden had me all to himself. My Mom joined us for shopping on Saturday. We went to Babies R Us and got Hayden a clever dish with a suction cup on the bottom and some other things. We went to Barnes N Noble and got him some books. Afterwards, I pretty much spent the day knitting while Hayden nursed and slept on my lap. I knew he had been coming down with a cold, so I don't think he was feeling well. That night I put him to bed and knit some more. I don't think I have ever been able to knit so much. I knit about 6" of the leg of a sock.

Remind me NEVER to go the the grocery store on the 1st of the month on my lunchbreak again!! There are much more people than I had ever seen there (in case you are wondering, it is the day when the goverment assistance recipients get their electronic food stamps or whatever they get). I went yesterday and while I was there, I even thought to myself that I was glad it was not the 1st. What did I do?! I completely forgot the date.

I saw this lady in an isle. Her daughter's shoe fell off and the lady was mean to her (she was about 8 years old). Just my luck, the lady got behind me at the register. Her daughter wanted something and the lady was really harsh, telling the girl that she could not have it. The girl reached for it anyway. I did not see what happended after that but I heard the girl scream and the mother yelled at her some more. The girl just kept crying and crying. It was a terribly sad cry. I thought of Hunter and how I couldn't let him cry like that. It hurt me. I couldn't help it, no matter how hard I tried, I just could not fight back the tears. The cashier, although helping the lady in front of me was aware of the situation (I think everyone within an earshot was). I could see that she too was not happy. I was embarassed for the cashier knew my tears were about to spill over at any time and she kept looking at me and the mother. Another cashier, who knows me, said 'hi'. I responded and looked away, knowing that he must have seen my swollen eyes. My vision became blurry from the tears, then it happened, they flowed down my cheeks.

I am the type of person who sometimes has a problem with my mouth. I just don't know when to keep my trap shut. I felt that as a mother, I had to say something to the lady. Granted, she would probably get angry at me and it wouldn't deter her behavior in the future, I was compelled to say something. Maybe, just maybe, it would plant a seed or even at least, embarass the lady to stop what she was doing and help her crying child. A debate went on in my head as I heard the girl cry without any end and I tried to hold back the rest of the tears. Finally, I just did it. I said to the lady, "I know it is none of my business, I have kids too. I saw you in the back of the store and you were mean to her, being mean to them does not help." She said something like, "Mind your own business. I will be nice to her when she can act right." I did not want her to think that I didn't know what I was talking about so I said, "I am educated, you know." I turned away and that was the end of it. The next time I looked back, she was holding her child.

I know the "I am educated, you know" comment was stupid, but it just came out. I read up on disciplining a toddler. When we were having trouble with my husbands kids during their pre-teens and their teens, I researched discipline from watching the Nanny and Dr. Phil to reading articles on the internet from Dr. Phil's website, psychology web sites, and even Christian web sites. None of them used such cruelty as a method of discipline.

As I left the store, I debated on waiting for the lady to come out, getting her license plate and calling CPS. However, she did not hit the child (as far as I knew. However, she did do something to make the child scream). I wondered if the child was a foster child because I couldn't see how a mother could do that. Then I came out of my little world and remembered how I have read and heard of stories where children were abused and even killed. It is just awful.

I called my husband as I drove back to work, told him what happened and sobbed. I fels so bad for that girl.