Knittinchick's Musings

Motoring

2008-09-25T07:54:00.002-06:00

I have had some significant challenges with this blogspot and it's stubbornness in not allowing me to format things the way I need to. After consulting a web designer, a graphic person and a very skilled admin assistant (I love having great connections and friends), we all agreed that if I wanted novel things like spacing and formating, I should change the format. So I am over at www.knittinchickmusings.blogspot.com Come find me there!

A walk on the sketch side

2008-09-17T17:38:00.002-06:00

I work with a non-profit in Alberta which means that we are able to qualify to work for a casino every 12-18 months which brings in around $75,000 for two days of having volunteers staff a good chunk of the casino. I have incredibly mixed feelings about casinos and the social activist in me struggles significantly but... I thought I'd share with you some of the interesting things I encountered.

The man who was upset that he had to sign for winning $10,000 as he was still down... don't you understand?
The guy who offered to sell his body to the other cashier for more gambling money... hate to break it to you buddy but she'd rather invest $100,000 into a mortgage.
I obviously do not have a lucky streak about me. The people who cashed out their chips with me ranged from $3.50 to small amounts (in comparison) with the other volunteer who would cash out $6,500 at the same way that I would cash out $100.
Drinking alcohol, being with your drunk buddies and being up at 1:30 in the morning causes people to view their physical bodies as much more 'impressive' than they truly are.
At 1:00 in the morning, you might be tempted to sing along with the music that is being pumped out of the stereo system in order to stay awake... and to not be frozen by the air conditioning in there. This might not be seen as impressive by your other rather tired volunteers serving with you.
And finally, what we have always known... chocolate makes the world go round. After midnight and a chocolate bar enjoyed by all volunteer staff, everyone always gets happier.

Now if you'll excuse me, there are international students that have had any meals made for them for a few days and there is a bed calling my name.

The House of Knittinchick

2008-09-08T06:39:00.004-06:00

So... it would sound impressive if I made it sound like my knitting made me a cool person, wouldn't it? It seriously does make me cool and you are all jealous... just wait and see. I spent this weekend finishing off some Baby Surprise Jackets and they are so adorable, aren't they? They are knit in one crazy piece and then you have to figure out how they are put together. It doesn't reflect poorly on my intelligence if my international student figured it out in half the time it did me, does it? Anyways, hope your day and week is fabulous.

Stupid is as stupid does

2008-09-01T21:59:00.004-06:00

So... I'm a part of the Spirit Committee at work. I had this great idea that I would help them be more creative and creating a spirit of valuing people there (which is a good thing). I thought that caramel apples might be a nice fall touch for everyone to have on their desk this upcoming week as we serve children and youth at our organization. However, I did not think ahead. Demonstrated by:

Knittinchick suggesting this idea and being the instigator.
Knittinchick reassures everyone that it won't be a problem... we'll just use the crock-pot after work to make them
She forgets to check the recipe before suggesting this. Apparently a crock-pot won't get hot enough for caramel sauce.
She purchases everything on the long weekend for the 40 people who receive a paycheque at her work.
She realizes that she'll have to do it the night before going back to work.
Apparently a large batch of caramel takes a long time to get to the right temperature and consistency (note to self: buy a candy thermometer... those $10 would be well invested)
Start dipping the apples before it is really thick... apparently it will run off the apples and everywhere in the kitchen. Did you know that caramel makes a mess?
Knittinchick does this late at night when you have done a little extra exercise during the day to try and lose some of the 15 pounds and is starting to feel it everywhere in her body.
Knittinchick turns her home into a sweatshop with begging the students to help her pull these messy apples into bags.
Finally all of the apples are bagged up and sitting at the front door. Four baking pans look so pretty but trust me, they are deceiving... they all represent a ton of work!

The good news is that my students have now tasted caramel, know about the tradition of students giving their teacher an apple and Knittinchick is extra committed to losing the pounds. I don't think that I'll ever crave a caramel apple, caramel anything ever again!

Weekends rock!

2008-08-30T09:34:00.002-06:00

So... I have decided that I absolutely love long weekends. In my last job, there were weekend work hours so although we got the time off, it was never all together. Here are the fun things that I have discovered about not working weekends:

You see your neighbors... and don't resent the neighbors that are having a backyard bbq still going on at 11:00 on a Saturday night... you roll with it.
Coffee on a Sunday morning relaxing is heavenly.
Everyone else has the weekends off... I have had more knitting dates and bbqs with friends instead of always sending regrets. Colour me happy, my extroverted little self says.
TGIF takes on new meaning. It's all about making it to the end of Friday for your mini-vacay!
Getting together with your old friends from your old work has suddenly taken on new proportions... it's kind of a pain to try and find that works for both parties.
Relaxing over the weekends is fabulous, going to work with a clean house on Monday is great and a little weekday preparation means that the weekend is actually fun! (or productive when you are staining your fence...)

Enjoy the weekend. And relax and enjoy the two full days away from the office.

Excitement for this little chiquita!

2008-08-28T15:22:00.003-06:00

So... one of my coworkers called and begged another coworker to come in on her vacation to photocopy IDs of people who were going to volunteer with minors (insert police checks and child safety checks). This very tired coworker called me and asked if I'd like to be her BFF (best friend forever) and do the photocopying for her. I am not about working like a dog these days and being the rescue queen but someone is NOT going to work on their vacation on my watch! So I went in to photocopy ID. Easy, right? Well, in my usual way to make drama everywhere in my life, I had a little adventure....

The first coworker explained how to photocopy to me. I reassured her that I was ok with photocopying.
I started introducing myself to people and asking them for ID to insure that they weren't criminals (well maybe I worded it better). Did I mention that I wasn't wearing my work nametag?
I explain to them about what ID will and won't work... one government issued photo ID and one gov't issued ID such as health care, social insurance number, birth certificate. Some were prepared and others didn't know where their health care card was.... isn't that a bit disturbing?
I take all the piles to the photocopier and the receptionist shows me the special preprogrammed button for ID... wow, we are advanced!
No worries, I am rock 'n rolling.
What people are showing up to chat with me? Inside voice: please leave me alone so I make sure the right and proper photocopies happen. Outside voice, "Oh how lovely to see you. How are you?"
Then there are about 20 people who need photocopying explained to them and it executed.
No worries, now try remembering who belongs to what. Good idea to self: always check the photo ID first. And don't laugh that this guy's first name if Herbert but he goes by John. Your secret's safe with me.
Finish off and go home to relax... ignore the fact that you've only been photocopying for one hour!!!

Another day in the fantastically exciting life of Knittinchick.

Summer insanity!

2008-08-23T08:45:00.002-06:00

So... every summer I get caught up in the loveliness that is the farmer's market. Yesterday I went there and was reminded about how when I went there last year I had to leave because of a massive anxiety attack (insert: even more massive doses of gratitude and joy that I have passed through the valley of burnout!). So... I decided to celebrate by:

grabbing lunch at the Ukrainian food kiosk (I was on my lunch hour) served to me by a Mexican guy who is from the same city that my sister lives in... you've got to love irony!
having a homemade cupcake
stopping at the produce stand and buying two generous bags of peppers for only $6/piece
getting a couple baskets of peaches

Granted when I got home last night and needed to deal with the peppers and peaches, I wondered who in their right mind gets so excited about chopping them up and freezing them for the long winter. I do know that I'll enjoy them throughout the winter but I do this every year. Seriously! You'd think I'd learn my lesson.

Things you never knew

2008-08-19T19:33:00.002-06:00

So... I'd like to let you know what I have been learning about the different ways of this world. We are not all the same! Case in point:

Not every country flushes their TP in the toilet. Some put in the trash can.
Not every country eats bran muffins or cereal for breakfast. Many eat fried and smelly meats first thing in the morning.
Not every country embraces the sunny weather of the summer. Some use umbrellas to protect themselves against the sun.
Not every country considers the noise of eating a big deal.

Good thing we're not all the same! I realize that maybe I may have gotten stuck in my ways.... but we all love the same things: knowing that we're appreciated, a nice meal and fun with friends.

Yes!

2008-08-13T20:40:00.001-06:00

At risk of sounding like an pyramid-ish salesperson, I LOVE this post. You have to go read it. I think that Happy Geek has been inside my skin at some of those painful parties.

Boring, boring, boring

2008-08-11T21:30:00.002-06:00

I've decided that a commitment to healthy eating and walking most evenings after dinner is TOTALLY overrated. Seriously, I made a quinoa salad with fruit from the weight watchers cookbook tonight... and thought it was quite tasty. I now am speaking about quinoa (a healthy grain that is good for you). My poor international students. The Korean student (who is as skinny as all get out) who has a hollow leg had to stock up on a muffin after dinner while I was out of the house. Joke's on her though: it was made with Splenda and whole wheat flour!

You might want to send out some prayers for the students!

A little camping

2008-08-09T09:02:00.003-06:00

So summer is the season for camping, right? I thought that I'd get in the spirit of things as well and packed up my sleeping bag, an air mattress (that I need to return to my auntie and uncle), a good novel, a flashlight, a good chicklit novel and my spirit of adventure and made the big trek ... to the basement. It's the only way that I can sleep in the extreme heat right now. Yes, I realize that this does truly make me a Canadian but what do you do to survive the heat?

Just a lot of bull

2008-08-04T06:22:00.003-06:00

So... yesterday I went to a Rodeo and Running of the Bulls yesterday afternoon and evening. The afternoon was fun with typical rodeo entertainment but the evening's cold (incredibly cold and windy on the stands) interesting highlight was the Running of the Bulls. Here's the snippets that I observed:

There is a lot of liquid courage that goes on before the 70 participants go out to run.
'Zorro' was not the smartest runner... he tried to wave in front of the bull and hit the bull. Hello! That is not smart.
The guy adorned in the pink outfit complete with a barbie bicycle helmet with 70s inspired streamers, pink tights, pink top and shorts (for the support of breast cancer) looked like he'd be an interesting person at a party... but maybe from a distance.
Hitting bulls is not a smart move. They don't appreciate it and might just decide to come at you. Healthy fear is actually a good thing.
Most of the people (80%) were under 25 and male. Except for the 65 year old man who looked like he had just retired. Maybe he more courage knowing that he didn't have to check in for work on Tuesday morning (thank you long weekend).
The Fire Department and EMT/EMR team that was there were amazing. They dragged two injured people under the fence so quickly that you almost didn't know that they had fallen.
When they announce that there is a jackpot for the best runner for $1000 and you ask your friends incredulously, "Is that all?", check around you to see if everyone else is suddenly silent. They will all turn their heads quickly to look at you. Seriously, there was a guy that left in an ambulance and they didn't tell us that he'd be ok. $1000 wouldn't go that far in making you walk again.

SO... you go run with the bulls. It seems a tad crazy in my mind.

Stayin' alive!

2008-08-01T10:05:00.002-06:00

So... I was driving on the freeway to work the other morning and I noticed a great ad on the side of a bus that I thought was for a 70s type musical coming to the city. Thankfully traffic was slower so I was able to check it out. It said "Staying Alive" and I thought it was a John Travolta type person. Alas, no, it was just a hand with a rubber glove on it encouraging men to go for an annual exam to check for prostate cancer. Go ad people! You definitely got creative and I will not be checking out the ticket sales for this musical. Too many sopranos.

Train Station House

2008-07-26T08:26:00.003-06:00

So... if you want to insert some excitement into a rather normal life, host international students during the summer. Then you will get all sorts of interesting timelines for an 18 hour segment of time such as:

going to work early so you can go to the airport on Thursday for an early arrival of Student C, pick her up, get her settled and make sure that she's doing ok
have a farewell dinner of waffles and Maple Syrup (something Canadian at least...) for the Student B who is leaving on Friday morning.
sleep on the living room floor in a sleeping bag as there is overlap of one night
help Student A who is leaving for Banff for a three day weekend... help map out the one-way streets for them with their first international driving adventure
drive up to the airport again (hello to all you parking people I haven't seen for fourteen hours) and drop off Student B
as you are walking Student B to the group dropoff wonder why you're doing this

BUT... then as you hug the student goodbye, she can't stop thanking you for it... and I realize that my heart has turned over a bit. Yes... that's why I host international students and because they give me some mad money to go visit my sister for Christmas.

Respectin' the Professionals

2008-07-19T15:48:00.003-06:00

When the lovely naturopathic doctor tells you to take your herbal supplements with food first thing in the morning, she means it. If you try to outsmart her and take them on an empty stomach, you will pay the price. You will not only get acid reflux but it will move with a speed and force that freaks you out in rush hour traffic. You will be turning around and rushing home to get out of your brand new Jones NY suit and disinfect your car. You will then wear another suit to work and never, ever, ever take herbal supplements in a way that goes away from the directions. Trust me on this one!

Wild West

2008-07-11T07:19:00.002-06:00

You know you're in a city where it is located in the Wild West when traffic gets stopped for a long time and you think that it must be a funeral procession. Nope, traffic is being held up for about 50 cowgirls riding their horses to the next event in the crazy partying 10 days of celebration. Police escort and everything!

A little Adventure

2008-07-06T18:47:00.003-06:00

So... summer means water fun, right? Sure does, especially when you have friends who have a boat. Third times the charm with water skiing, right? Not so much. I almost got up yesterday after trying about 15-20 times. Did I mention that....

I am very sore today?
I almost got up on the water?
The four year old gave me advice on how to keep my skiis together?
I can barely move today?
The eight year old told me that I was almost there?
Next time I'm totally getting up on it?

I think that I might be determined to not let that water to overcome me. In the meantime, I can barely move but at least I'll have a good story for the watercooler on Monday.

Life Lessons

2008-06-28T08:07:00.005-06:00

So... I am going to astound you all with my weekend life lessons that I have learnt in the past two weeks. Hold onto your hats!

When the NY hostel that you are staying in is partially condemned, this is a good thing. The room that you stay in is clean, brand spanking new and there is an extra shower available in the morning to get ready.
It is always a good thing to go through big events that are hugely stressful snort, snort. That way when you start your new job and they have just gone through an office reno, it seems like small potatoes. While everyone is talking about how stressed they are, inwardly you think, "You should have seen the organizational move I went through three years ago."
Every workplace has their own culture. My old workplace was a Starbucks culture. My new workplace is a Tim Hortons culture. This is fine... but an adjustment.
It is always a good thing to listen to the news. That way when you are on the T in Boston, you would know why everyone is wearing their Boston Celtics jerseys... Oh, they won the National Championships. Oh yeah, I totally knew that. We joined in the celebrations anyways. When in Boston...
The best and easiest sort of change is a new pair of shoes. Otherwise, you will enjoy the new challenges and be stretched by them but be so tired at night that you will be spilling things on yourself and your kind hearted international student will kill herself laughing!

Back from the Big Apple!

2008-06-22T10:58:00.011-06:00

So... I just got back from an amazing trip to the Big Apple. Here's some highlights from the first night...

Times Square at night... a rush!

The M& M Store... who would know that you could fill a full three stories with M & M stuff!

Along with Yankee and Mets mix... even though it's not named that!

The evening was finished off with pizza at John's Pizzeria.

As we were eating our really yummy pizza, I looked around and noticed that it looked oddly familiar. I had seen this picture in a magazine article about a church that became a pizza place.

This was the first church of the denomination of church that I have been involved with for my full life. I couldn't believe how much it was full of serendipity. I'd say that it was a bit of a mecca but it was just too full of "Can you believe this?" to call it mecca. Cool... The evening was topped off with a very hot wait in the subway to avoid having to walk several more miles before bed!

"Life" happens

2008-06-15T21:47:00.002-06:00

There's a saying about life happening. Well, today it did... unfortunately, it decided to stop some functioning machinery of the household it a rather dramatic way. The good thing (er, not so good thing) is that it happened to my student. Imagine being in a foreign country, picking up the dreaded phone and telling your homestay host that you need her to come home quickly for an emergency. Not a great way to start a day. Good thing I was 20 minutes away! Double good thing that my quick thinking about Mr. Plunger and turning off water flow worked. They're right! "Life happens!"

Signs of a good friend

2008-06-11T08:23:00.003-06:00

I am such a big fan of the consignment store in the neighborhood. As I am seeing the nieces today, I thought that I'd pop in on Monday just to see if there were any $1 tees or something equally riveting. Although the clearance rack didn't have anything that worked for me, I saw that they had maternity clothes. One of my good friends is pregnant so I thought I'd check it out. I picked up a couple shirts for her. As she's close to the same size as me in non-pregnancy clothes, I held them up to myself to see if they'd work.

So as I'm purchasing these couple shirts, I notice someone that I know from church. Hmmm... would she notice that a singleton is purchasing maternity clothes? So, I say in an almost stage voice to the other employee helping me, "You know that you're a good friend when you purchase maternity clothes for your friend." Eeks... that could have been slightly mortifying!

Annie Liebowitz I am not!

2008-06-10T07:55:00.004-06:00

So... yesterday was an exciting day at the House of Knittinchick. A sock was finished for a birthday present at the end of June. This must be commemorated with a photo. Normal, yes? Well to knitters this is....

But my international student came downstairs while I was having a little photo session and just about lost it with laughter. She ran back upstairs to get her camera and take a picture of me documenting my sock progress. I'm a little worried about what her Japanese friends will think back home of Canadians! Oh well... it's just Canadian culture, right?

Advice for the sake of your cellulite!

2008-06-07T09:21:00.003-06:00

Cellulite is an often underrated commodity. This is something that makes hard, cold chairs comfortable, stretches out your jeans and makes eating cottage cheese rather comforting. Here are some things that you shouldn't do to threaten this commodity:

Do not get inspired by the others who are running by you when you are walking. You'll start running/walking and will start putting your cellulite in jeopardy.
Do not have a Japanese student move in with you who is so healthy that it is very inspirational to you to start eating healthy.
Do not start drinking lots of water... it makes you take Bio Breaks often which will eventually threaten your cellulite storage traps.
Do not get nervous before meeting with people that are going to find out that you resigning your job and have your stomach decide to have a 'nervous condition' day.
Do not run up and down the double set of stairs with heavy boxes when you are packing up your office. This will make your bottom, calves and thighs hurt in places where you have these little spots for that rainy day. Definitely don't accept anyone's offer for help.

You can thank me as you settle down onto the couch with extra potato chips and a big bottle of pop to 'celebrate' the heavy rain day of the weekend. Definitely avoid all the water, exercise and nervous stomach conditions that you would help you!

Times they are a changin'

2008-06-03T08:05:00.005-06:00

"Change is inevitable except from vending machines."-unknown. I love that! My life is a changin' these days. I've resigned my beloved job that I have had for ten years and am going to a new job that will challenge, stretch and develop me and my career in a new direction. Four more days in the office, seven more official days-the last being Staff Fun Day (how's that for planning?). Here's what I'm learning about change.

It's easier to talk about than to actually do.
People all respond differently to you when you announce this-there are naysayers, ignorers and then the truly kind-those that speak to you and provide closure for both of you.
The author Bridges was right-it's the transition time (before and after the change) that is way more difficult than the actual change.
Changing jobs means that you have to re-evaluate your wardrobe... and purchase grownup professional clothes. What not to wear would love my life right now.
Good shoes will make even the most difficult days better.
Your true friends stick closer than crazy glue during this season and are such a comfort and joy-they reassure you that you are doing the right thing.
The most important: coffee is an important part of change.

So... more to come in the future. But for now, I'm sticking to my knitting for a friend's birthday and working like a little beaver to finish well at my work. If you want more details, PM me and I'll bore you with all the details.

A little shopping excitement.

2008-05-30T15:38:00.006-06:00

So... I went out of town for dinner with a good friend last night. I had a couple of free moments so dropped by a gift shop. They had great buttons and I'm ready to be Cool Auntie Knittinchick... Aren't these adorable?

And then I found the motherload of a great Auntie gift... an educational book!

Won't I be popular at an eight year old's birthday party?

30... again!

2008-05-28T07:03:00.004-06:00

Today is brought to you by the number ... 60! That's because my Mommie Bargainista is 30 for double luck! So... happy for you Mommie. Remember when you turned 50 and we put a sign on your car and you drove all around your small town of 2200 people+200 dogs that said, "I'm 50 today!" That was fun wasn't it? Good thing you're not going to be mortified today by your loving children. Even though I was a bad daughter and didn't fix your tank top, there is a little package that should be arriving today. Here's a hint... it's good!

Hope it's a great day... if I was there I'd cook for you. On second thought, it might be better that I'm not there.

All a flutter

2008-05-22T07:57:00.003-06:00

So... I knit my mom a sweater for her birthday and for Mother's Day. BUT... I didn't do the armholes exactly right for her. This is not good. It's always nice to have both arms sticking out of your sweater. So, I'm supposed to be fixing it right now. However, the thought of fixing something is just not as exciting as starting something new. So, I've started on another sweater instead. How do we spell procrastination? Procrastination, thy name is Flutter Sleeve Cardigan. The good thing is that it has been raining outside (both for my lawn and for the sake of pursuing my procrastination project!) Maybe I should reward myself with a new project if I fix the old one? What will motivate me more?

Klutzy alert!

2008-05-20T12:22:00.002-06:00

If you happen to be cycling, running, walking or hanging out in the fabulous provincial park by my place, you might want to keep an eye out for me. I'm the one that is probably sprawled on the path with a bike sitting beside me. I guess doing a sharp turn on the only patch of gravel on the pathways is not the most intelligent move ever. The good news is that when you talk to seven year olds, they can identify with you!

Anyone have a child who needs to learn to ride a bike? I'm available tonight and would be a good teacher that identifies with their children. I'll also give them good advice about not kneeling too much after your massive wipeout!

Love Letter #4

2008-05-15T06:25:00.003-06:00

Dear men- I just want to let you know that I celebrate spring along with you. I am excited about less layers, sunshine, more exercise at least most days and being outside as much as possible. However, please keep your shirts on. I hate to break it to you but it isn't something that I appreciate. My averted eyes are not because I'm impressed-clothing covers up a multitude of sins. If you insist on wearing no shirts while mowing, running, cycling I will be forced to call Stacy and Clinton! Sincerely, Knittinchick

Exciting times for Knittinchick!

2008-05-13T10:59:00.002-06:00

So... in an effort to be an eco-conscious, exercisin' (insert: hopeful to tone up some cottage cheese on the upper thighs) and a budget savvy girl (have you seen the price of gas lately?), I rode my bike to work this morning. I know that I'm one of the lucky people who is able to ride a bike to work so I'm going to take advantage of it. BUT... you must be way more organized. Case in point:

KC has to pick two outfits last night-exercise duds not the hard part and then her dress pants, sweater and underwear that will compliment her curvy body. Do those clothes wrinkle badly? Nope... they can go in the backpack.
KC makes a pot of coffee first thing in the morning and then realizes that her travel mug of coffee will not be sloshing over her backpack clothes I'm sorry but I do not trust those 'leak proof' lids and holding a travel mug while biking might not be the best.
KC packs her dinner leftovers (lunch today), essentials from the purse, cell phone, work keys and swipe card into her backpack and is just about out the door when she realizes that she doesn't have dress shoes... runners always wipe out any style statements that your pants should be making.
KC bikes through a residential neighborhood instead of on the busy street with no shoulder successfully and then finishes off her bike ride across a field that isn't too muddy. She doesn't get enough speed on the final hill and just about eats tumbleweed but rights herself in time!

KC gets to work, changes and worries about her helmet hair. Thankfully she shows up before others so when they get there she can calmly say that she's trying to be as green as possible! Overall a success! We'll try for perfecting the backpack system tonight!

It's a wrap!

2008-05-09T06:27:00.005-06:00

So... after a few long days and later nights I finished the Woodland Shawl. It was so fun to focus on a friend struggling for more a few seconds here and there so I wasn't hurting! I came home on Tuesday night after an intense committee meeting re: budgeting and blocked the lace and it looked fabulous. It just goes to show that a beautiful pattern can make the most elementary knitter look great. Let's hear it for generous and gifted designers that post their patterns for free on the internet. Huzzah for Thrifty Knitter!

Just so you don't think that I'm altogether on my way to becoming a saint (I can hear my mother snorting her tea out her nose), I cast one on last night for me... because you know, it would be perfect for summer time dresses to cover up the upper arms. On second thought, maybe that is saintly to not ask people to see those bare white upper arms!

What didn't work!

2008-05-07T08:15:00.004-06:00

Shannon is hosting a What doesn't work for me Wednesday. I can get on board with that. Knittinchick's Life Lesson: Do NOT believe all the hype about skin care products. Case in point:

Knittinchick is depressed about her January skin and sees a great offer on tv (trust me... this never happens) for Proactiv and remembers several friends talking about how it worked for their teenage sons.
KC gets excited and orders the starter kit.
Three weeks later it arrives. Success!
I will use it before I go to work after reading the instructions. Did I mention that I was working in children's programming at the time? Did I also mention that I was in charge of leading the music and dancing part of the program for 70 hyped up Saturday night grade 4/5 kids?
No problems. I use the product all the face to be all cleansed and fresh feeling for all those lovely children hyped up on sugar and Saturday hockey/dance/entertainment venues.
During rehearsal I feel rather hot. I take off my sweater (don't worry, there was a tee underneath) and ask everyone if it is hot in there.
No... but have you looked in the mirror lately? You don't want to hear this!
Upon a rather depressing look in the mirror, I realize that my skin is having a massive allergic reaction to this skin product.
By the time the children arrive, I'm fully in the allergic reaction... as in eyes almost swollen shut, troubles talking and massively red bloated skin.... if you want to know how sympathetic a grade 5 boy is... present him with this situation!
SO... after leading all the music and dancing, KC goes home to bed with significant antihistamines. My roommate was a nurse and she kept me doped up all night-I had my very own Hitch moment.

Moral of the story: only use stuff on your skin that is for hyper sensitive skin. Don't try new products before an event. And say Thank You to the very kind Proactiv person when they reimburse your fees and apologize that you reacted so badly.

Wrapping up a li'l love

2008-05-05T13:54:00.004-06:00

So... I have been hearing other knitters talk about prayer shawls in podcasts and on other places. I decided to start a prayer shawl for a lady who I respect and love who is battling pancreatic cancer. I saw a beautiful lace pattern for a Woodland Shawl in handpainted, soft and beautiful Smooshy yarn (insert: no scratchiness at all!) I decided to just go for it.

In typical Knittinchick fashion, this lace pattern takes a bit of concentration to make the leaves turn out... one is starting while its neighbor is finishing. It is very pretty but is not a traveling project. You have to focus to execute the pattern well. Note to any of you that might be tempted to do this: It is highly recommended that you not take it to a coffee shop when you are talking to people about leaving behind painful pasts and leaving with freedom. It tends to take away some of the sincerity when you announce proudly after someone has poured out their hearts, "Knit five, yarn over...what was that you were saying?" Or while watching a heart pounding mystery or talking to someone on the phone.

While I knit away, I am praying for peace and healing for this friend. My more-curvy-than-normal body, hair that sometimes doesn't work and lack of cooking inspiration really seems small and insignificant compared to what others are facing these days.

Can you hear me?

2008-05-03T13:31:00.002-06:00

So... in my work, I deal with people a lot. I meet at Starbucks often (insert caffeine high perk!) to talk to people and use the phone A LOT! Often about confidential matters as well. So lately, I've been having some issues with my work phone. I bring to you the past two weeks of conversation:

Knittinchick: How are you doing? (normal voice)
response: I am having problems hearing you!
KC: Sorry, can you hear me now? (clear voice, a bit louder)
response: It's a bit better, but it's like you're talking through big static.
KC: My phone has issues. I'll make it quick. How is your cancer or heart attack or 'health' issues? Can I help you? (now yelling into the phone)
response: I can hear you now but there is something wrong with your phone.
KC: I'll email you about the rest of my thoughts. Have a great day (still yelling)

So after two weeks of yelling and rather infuriating frustration with my phone, I insist on the admin who does phone stuff at work replacing my phone. She and another coworker replace the headset but tell me that someone went into my phone and taped over the mouthpiece (as in they took it apart, used up some good quality tape and put it back together).

I'm taking ideas of ways to get back at my coworker. I'd appreciate something that has two weeks of pain for this coworker.

Shopping mall escapades

2008-05-02T08:36:00.002-06:00

So... I am a short person. This creates unique situations such as always having a stepstool in your kitchen, wearing heels to look professional (ha, ha... just to be seen) and being the end of funny jokes. But as I was at the shopping mall last night looking for a pair of pants-now that's depressing-looking at the 'junk in the trunk' with the abysmal lighting of change rooms-I was wondering about capris and long shorts. I know that the British What not to Wear girls would say no but what say you? Capris/long shorts?

Do they work for business casual?
Will they make me look shorter?
Where should the capris end? I know that they shouldn't look like flood pants but other than that, I'm at a loss.
Are they ok if you have curves?
Should I just avoid and get petite sized skirts for the spring?

I ended up getting a pair of pants on sale at Cleo and being surprised by an additional 25% off at the till so I forgot about my height restrictions until this morning when I started thinking about my spring/summer wardrobe. Hmmm... maybe I should just focus on that additional 25%.

The magnet's forcefield is in action!

2008-05-01T06:16:00.003-06:00

So... I seem to attract all sorts of 'interesting' situations to myself on a regular basis. I affectionately refer to it as the magnet in my head that creates fodder for my blog, the voices in my head and sometimes even parties. Case in point: trying to have a phone conversation with the new female Asian student who is supposed to be staying with me as of Saturday.

She calls me while I'm at a noisy chicks party last Friday night and she could barely hear me because of the laughter in the background.
I put on my sensitive hat and tell her to email me with her information so we could talk through email.... because you know, the phone is the hardest thing to conquer in a new language.
She doesn't have phone or email access where she's staying. I tell her "No worries." which promptly causes dead silence as I've used an idiom. I tell her to email on Monday.
Wednesday rolls around and I haven't heard from her yet. I think that I'll call the hosting agency on Thursday morning to get the email address or some way of confirmation.
The student calls last night (I cannot get her name because it is so difficult to understand) and is crying, telling me that she has no money and cannot afford to pay for homestay and needs me to call the hosting agency and convince them to be nice to her and even though she can't pay, let her stay at my home.
I try to calm her down. I tell her to not worry, it will be ok. I tell her that I will call the hosting agency but they will have gone home already. "No, no, they are there."
She will call me back. I call the hosting agency. They are gone. The receptionist says to reassure the student to not worry. I mention this is when it would be helpful if the student had good English to reassure her without having to explain it three or four times before she gets it... never helpful when you're hyperventilating.
When the student calls back, I tell her that I'll call the agency in the morning and she responds that she'll call me at 9:00. internal voice: they open @ 9:00... that won't be good.
"No call me at noon." dead silence "Call me at lunch" dead silence "Call me at 12:00." Bingo-we got a connection. "Do not worry. We will be kind." I think that the hyperventilation has calmed down enough to just be tears.

Wouldn't life be boring if it went the way it was supposed to? Instead of my life being a road map, it's more like a mapquest map of a new neighborhood... totally messed up but rather scenic and a good way of seeing the neighborhood. I don't need an entertainment budget... I have the magnet in my head to attract good times to me!

Thank you... I think?

2008-04-28T08:43:00.002-06:00

So yesterday at work, a really kind volunteer (he's about the age of my dad) told me that he liked me with a bit more meat on my bones. I know that he meant it as a compliment but it felt kind of backwards as in a smack upside the head. So I went home and had more fruit at lunch... and will be going for a bike ride today. Interesting motivation source!

Winners!

2008-04-26T08:21:00.004-06:00

So... I hope that I win something on Bloggy Giveaways but I have good news! The lucky commenter was #17 Shane who told us about her not-so-fabulous experience with giving a handmade gift. Congrats:-) I got such a kick out of the comments about your homemade gifts. I have the following pieces of advice to recipients of handmade gifts:

Don't throw it in the garbage while the giver is around... you'll get caught.
Don't tell a generous scrapbooker that you didn't want her to take pictures of her wedding-only the photographer is supposed to do that!
Don't tell someone that you wished you would have gotten a gift card instead after they have spent two months on the gift.

It just goest to show that my mother was right. Say thank you, show appreciation to the person and wear your nice pants not your rude pants when you receive a gift!

Li'l realizations

2008-04-25T07:47:00.003-06:00

Here's the following things that I have issues with this week:

All the time I've 'invested' on the Bloggy Giveaways... on the hope that the bloggers that allow Canadians into their contests will pick my name! Everyone who has US only contests say that it is because they don't want to pay the additional postage... but there might be a conspiracy here and they are just jealous that they don't get to live in Canada.
Spent $54 willy-nilly at one place... get this exciting purchase... on a tank of gas for my economy car! goes to show that being a geek and driving a small economy car is a good thing.
Feeling like I've gone backwards on my burnout recovery due to a serious lack of energy this week when I get home. Yesterday I slept for a bit after work so I'd be up to watching a new Grey's Anatomy. Really do med students actually steal rather utilitarian items such as bedpans for a salad bowl? I think not.
The snow that is taking its time in melting... please melt so I have more energy and can put the cushions out on my swing outside and be a cool person who knits and reads on her outside swing! yes, I realize the irony in this statement... it doesn't necessarily give you cachet b/c you are sitting outside while knitting-it is still knitting! I might even bbq for friends when the weather warms up!

But... then I realize that I have two friends who are facing liver cancer and spent some time in the hospital with a good girlfriend who just gave birth a preemie and who was just under 2 pounds when I visited them. Puts it all into perspective, doesn't it? I have so much to be grateful... Even though it's been a bad energy week, I know that it will progressively get better and there is always hope in the midst of toughie times! Hope you keep your perspective today-after all it is Friday!

Free stuff!!!

2008-04-22T08:59:00.004-06:00

So... it's time for the Bloggy Giveaways carnival that is so much fun. I am joining in the fun... I had a blast last time... and found lots of great new blogs and won three contests! I'm going to give away a copy of Knitting Rules that the Yarn Harlot wrote. It's funny, witty and extremely helpful to the starting knitter or the experienced pro. There is a legend about the Boyfriend Sweater Curse among knitters that says if you give a handknit sweater to a boyfriend... he'll probably dump you. So for this contest, you must:

tell me about a handmade gift that you gave someone that flopped! (as in... it was not appreciated)
provide your blog address or email address if you aren't a blogger
live in Canada or the US
enter before 7:00 MT on Friday night.

I'll post the winner on Saturday morning! Good luck:-)

Hope

2008-04-19T10:37:00.007-06:00

So... I have this mug that I'm drinking out of today that claims for good things to hope for. I thought I'd share with you the things that I'm hopeful about:

Spring arriving!!! Good thing I put out the summer furniture last week.

You just can't shake it!

2008-04-18T08:37:00.002-06:00

So... you do turn into your family members as illustrated by last night's visit to the nieces and nephews. There were four little ones under the age of five-I was tired after a few hours but my little love tank was overflowing. "Auntie Knittinchick, shall we do cheers together?" "Auntie Knittinchick watch me roll over this ball." "Auntie Knittinchick, I love you." and the best, "Dear Jesus thank you for Auntie Knittinchick playing with us and bringing me buttons for my collection!" However, I noticed that my Auntie, cousin and I all had a few things that we said... you grow into your roots instead of leaving them as illustrated by:

What's up pun'kin?
I need to hear the nice words before I refill your drink.
We clear off our plates before we get more.
Oh, eating your vegetables makes you strong and gives you good eyesight.
Clean up, clean up (sung outloud) but this was reprimanded by Spud who told me I was "singing it wrongly"
We all need to take our turns.

And last but definitely not least, "I love you!" which was said several times throughout the night to all kids regardless of behavior... This is a sure-fire way to guarantee that they say the same sorts of things to their kids!

Slashing!

2008-04-16T16:09:00.005-06:00

So... another sign that you live in suburbia is that the thought of slashing is a good thing and it doesn't remind you of a Stephen King novel. I went to the local kids' consignment store to get the cool pacifiers that have the little snap over them when they are dropped as children tend to do for a coworker's grandson's shower... life hasn't been that rough on me lately. (Don't worry... these along with the Squeaker runners are new!) But as I was leaving, I checked out the Clearance rack with the red slash which means 60% off consignment prices.

So... Auntie Knittinchick got for the low price of $8.23:

Gap t-shirt
Fisher Price t-shirt
OshKosh tricycle t-shirt
Denim dress
Denim jumper w/ tee
3 month sleeper
Short and tee outfit

Isn't that amazing? Bargainista would be proud:-)

Signs that I might still be an extrovert!

2008-04-15T08:12:00.002-06:00

For all of you that have known me for years, you'd identify me as an extrovert. I agree. However, this past fall when I was walking through the dark valley called burnout, I realized that I have a lot more introvert in me that was being ignored. So... I've been building in way more time to acknowledge this side of me. Last week I was alone for six days and realized that there is still a bit of extrover left. You know that you're in trouble when:

You think about going into work even though you sound like death warmed over... Do you think that they'll notice?
You have watched through a whole season's worth of NCIS in two days and start comparing yourself to the characters... seriously, there is nothing in me that is like Xeva, the Israeli Mossad secret agent. But when you've been by yourself for a while, you think that there are remarkable similiarities.
It seems like a remarkably good idea to go to the basement, get your old Cabbage Patch doll out and put all the baby knitted items and children's Make Believe Crowns on Stacey (the name of my doll) and have a fashion show and take pictures to make your blog postings look that much better.
You dream about a telemarketer calling you (even though your number is on the Do not call lists and is unlisted) just so you'd have someone to talk to.
You start making up stories about your neighbors-you know the vet's assistant... I'm sure that he is really a trainer at the zoo who works with the elephants training them to take over the city in an attempt for world domination.

Last but not least, when you are driving through the Tim Horton's drivethrough to get a cup of tea, you try talking to the lady behind the little box only to cough in her ear and you can almost hear her pulling out the Lysol to disinfect the airwaves. The upside is that I've never received such great and quick service:-)

WIPs

2008-04-10T15:35:00.008-06:00

So much of life is a WIP (work in progress), isn't it? Unfortunately this nasty cold/flu isn't progressing out of my body at least to the point of being able to go back to work but when my energy is high, I've been able to sit absolutely still on the couch and knit. (When I talk to coworkers re: certain projects on the phone, they are very quick to reassure me that they don't want what I have.) I bring to you the gallery of WIPs that have made it to becoming FOs (finished objects).

Wave Jumper out of sock yarn (one full skein and a leftover skein) for Baby H. who's coming in July. I can't believe I'm ahead of the game right now.

Make Believe Crowns for the nieces and nephews that I hope I can see next week if I'm better by then... from oldest to youngest (except for the baby... he doesn't need one).

One single sock (being modeled by my hand) that only needed 30 minutes of attention. Leftover yarn being put to use... it will be paired with another leftover sock-they'll be good partners for one another.And yes, my life is still a WIP-Bargainista's Flutter Sleeve Cardigan is progressing nicely but definitely won't be done before I'm better. The other good news about being very sick is that I've lost my appetite and my abs are getting phenomenal workouts with all the coughing fits:-)

Just another manic Wednesday

2008-04-09T15:01:00.002-06:00

So... the verdict is in-I'm sick, sicker than a dog actually. I was supposed to go to the doctor's office, get magic pills, go into work to pick up work computer and come home. No! In typical Knittinchick fashion, I had to make it more dramatic. Here's the manic Wednesday rundown:

Knittinchick sleeps through the night-cause for celebration.
Wakes up around 7:00 in case the walk-in clinic is open at 8:00. Turns out to be 9:00 but no problem, just go back to sleep.
She gets to the clinic at 9:05 and there are 20 people in front of her-who knew 5 minutes could be so important?
She stares down the dirty men who are reading a Maxim magazine that someone left on the table-there are children here folks! Seriously, one guy was reading it for so long, there could have been a hole right in his head.
The nurse calls her into the examining room and turns out-Knittinchick is known to her. She pours out her woes all the while Knittinchick is trying to place her. She asks Knittinchick to call her daughter but Knittinchick gives her a business card so the daughter can call her... aka-vague remembrances of daughter but not too clear
Doctor says you won't be speaking at work this weekend. Rest, a couple of drugs for the pain, not much but time can help-does swab for strep.
Knittinchick goes into work and leaves her purse in the car as she'll only be a minute.
After talking to boss and a couple others (who keep their distance and make sure that she hasn't touched any doorknobs-no hard feelings), she gets ready to leave... only to discover that she followed her protocol of always putting her keys in her purse before leaving her car.
$100ish later-there is a new AMA membership, a lockout on its way and a couple of on-the-fly meetings re: people covering for Knittinchick.
AMA delivers and shows up in 25 vs. the told 60 minutes.
Knittinchick heads to Superstore to get prescriptions filled and hits an amazing sale of kids' clothes as she's heading into Superstore. Amazing! All is fine with the acquisition of cheap baby gifts and snow pants for Momofthecrazies' Pink crazed girls for $2.94 each.

If only every day ended with a fabulous sale like that.

Conserving energy

2008-04-06T07:34:00.003-06:00

Dear Mr/Ms Energy Company President-I am sure that you were on a lovely beach in Mexico yesterday morning but I wanted to let you know that there was no power for 6 1/2 hours yesterday in the neighborhood that I live in along with the surrounding two neighborhoods. I know that it is Environment month and you were encouraging people to turn off their lights and power for an hour last week... but you must have thought that we didn't get the lesson to do it automatically for us for that long. Although this was a pain, I wanted to share with you some of the things that I observed that you might want to know:

Saturday is a day when most people vacuum, use power tools to build special headboards, do laundry and all of these activities were put to a stop with your energy conservation.
If you don't like spending money to line corporation's pockets and use VOIP (voice over internet protocol), you will be stuck without phone service.
With the increased hours, neighbors will have to start talking to one another in the street and will start talking about scintillating topics such as wondering if the hundreds of dollars of frozen food in their freezers will be lost.
The bride and groom at my church had no lights, power, sound system and instead had lots of romantic candlelight and a pastor impersonating a revival preacher from the 1930s.
For every hour that the power was out, the chance of there being a baby boom in 9 1/2 months grows rapidly... trust me, I've worked in children's programming.

I just want you to know that I wasn't upset just inconvenienced. However, I was fine because I am a knitter and a reader and these activities don't require power during daylight hours. Next time, could you have the power outage on Saturday night when I work to give me a few paid hours as a mini-vacation?

A 'not-so-typical' Friday

2008-04-05T07:51:00.002-06:00

So... yesterday was supposed to be a calm day. I had a quiet morning of responding to work emails, a lunchtime meeting, another afternoon meeting with a delightful 98 year old and then picking up an international student who will be living with me for six months. Right? Wrong, instead...

Knittinchick has a calm morning being productive while dreaming about her hair cut.
Her stylist calls her at the end of the morning and tells her that she is pregnant and moving to Vancouver. Knittinchick says all the right things like, "I'm so happy for you" "Congratulations" "I'll miss you" but all the time is thinking "What am I going to do now? I really loved the way you did it. You were so close to me. You used to cut hair and do makeup for the movie industry... that was making me seem cool."
In the remaining ten minutes before leaving for the downtown meeting, Knittinchick goes to the girl in the office with very nice hair and begs for all her hair secrets-shampoo, stylist, inspiration etc.
Upon arriving downtown for her meeting, Knittinchick realizes that she has 20 minutes before her meeting... perfect for a SB run. Oh no, they have a massive line. She runs across the street to a privately held family business for a cup of joe. No worries except now she's running back to the meeting place and when running into friends that she hasn't seen in months, she pretends to be friendly when wondering if the sweat stains will show at the meeting.
Meeting goes well... even ends early. Now Knittinchick is almost floating away for the need of a WC... stop at another coffee shop-no worries. After using their facilities when she's running out an older lady who she knows stops her and introduces her to all of her nursing school friends from 50 years ago... now she's pedal to the medal to meet her 98 year old friend.
Meeting with the 98 year old goes great... after Knittinchick has proceeded to get an unofficial, unguided tour of the facility after going in all the wrong directions.
Rushing to the airport to make sure that the international student will have a great first Canadian impression is waylaid by a serious accident on a major thoroughfare. Made it!
No worries... the flight is an hour late. Now what? No more joe... almost getting the caffeine shakes. Pick up a book and start reading it at the Meeting Place B... does it make it bad that someone had rather 'aromatic' body odours and she could barely keep from coughing and giggling at the same time.
After 75 minutes, Knittinchick keeps on checking the Arrivals screen. Meeting Place A is where she's supposed to be. So much for the great Canadian impression...
The female student's English name is Jake... often koreans don't ask Canadians before picking-no worries...
Knittinchick notices that there are MANY Asian females... she asks every female if they are Jake... no she didn't get too many looks like she had a second head.
Finally after humiliating herself many times, she gets Jake paged. A volunteer greeter brings over a guy... "I am Jake. I am happy to live with you." Knittinchick is basically speechless
Mental voices, "I am single. I'm not having a single guy close in age to me living with me. What will my friends at church say? How could this happen? I was so clear with the organization. What are they thinking?"
Knittinchick calls her coworker who is involved with the organization begging her with an overly positive voice, "Can you call the organization? Call you tell them that Jake is a guy? Can you get them to call me on my cell as I negiotate rushhour traffic on the freeway?"
The coworker delivers. The organization calls and asks if Knittinchick is sure it is a guy. Knittinchick reassures them that she only drank coffee that day... no liquor was involved.
After having dinner with her coworker and her female international student, Jake is fed, given a Tim Hortons (after explaining Roll up the Rim), driven another 40 minutes to the new home stay.
Another 35 minutes of driving later, Knittinchick comes home to her clean and welcoming home for her female international student and collapses on the couch.

Just another quiet Friday!

Hair issues

2008-04-04T09:40:00.002-06:00

The other day I was listening to a podcast from Boomama where she was talking about her hair issues and I couldn't really understand-until yesterday! I styled my hair like normal but instead of it working out, it was all girly, prissy fluffy and curly-yuk! I've decided that I need to go back to the stylist and beg her for a Kate Bosworth inspired look... Oh the magic that stylists need to perform. Can you tell it's Friday by the level of 'depth' this blog entry has inspired?

Love technology

2008-04-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

So last night I was in my adult ed class in webinar format and I realized that I have moments when I love it when technology doesn't work. We could hear the instructor but she couldn't hear us so the online discussion was restricted to online chatting. Guess what that means? Lots of mental focus while I was able to knit on my project from a one-skein knitting book out of sock yarn. A friend's baby girl that is due on July 7th will enjoy it. I love it! I also wore yoga pants and a white tank top that looks like white trash. Love online learning! For the record, I do not love technology problems when the power goes out, I can't access my online calendar, when html doesn't make sense, my work budget file mysteriously disappears... but for last night, I loved it!!!

April 1st

2008-04-01T08:36:00.004-06:00

I was careful as I came into work today... One year a couple of my coworkers disconnected my phone, internet, and power to my office along with some construction signs to make me think that they were finally fixing the heat in my office. It totally worked and caught me off guard. Did I mention that I had to come in early that day for a 7:00 meeting and that there was a major snow dump so I thought it might have been a power outage? Hmmm... maybe someone needs some April fooling around!

On a happy note, I was at the movie theatre to watch 21 yesterday (entertaining movie!) and saw this deal. Might be worth 'borrowing' one of my kids' friends and treating them to a $3 movie!

Signs that you might not be cool!

2008-03-31T10:50:00.005-06:00

I've had a few times this past weekend that have highlighted the fact that I am not the coolest. Here are some of the not-so-gentle reminders:

Went to see 21 on Friday night. I realized that most people there were under 18. The movie was sold out. So I (and my friend) went to Chapters instead.
Since I couldn't see 21, I will be going to see it this afternoon @ a matinee.
I got all excited about starting to get through my knitting project. However, I'm worried that I will run out of the special bamboo yarn before I'm done. I dreamt about running out of it last night.
Hit a special sale for a sweater. However, it is in the dreaming phase right now.

I don't know what's worse... the fact that I've arrived here or that I really don't care.

Spring is in the air!

2008-03-27T13:35:00.002-06:00

Spring is in the air! You can tell by the following signs:

Pussy willows at my auntie and uncle's this past weekend (or sold for $20/bunch at the florists!)
Tulips @ the grocery store-it might be worth the $4 splurge
Kids riding their bicycles-and me thinking that I should join them
People talking to one another on the street and smiling at one another
Knittinchick getting jealous of all the kids throwing rocks on the partially frozen creek and them going on little adventures so she decided to go on her adventure. This was found by Knittinchick kicking tree stumps, throwing twigs against trees and many rocks into the rapidly flowing river.

You should try the last one... it's great fun:-)

Prize day!

2008-03-26T17:57:00.003-06:00

So... today I was invited into a brainstorming meeting about how we communicate certain values of the organization. This group meets regularly and I thought that I'd amaze them with all the stickies (aka post-its) on the flip chart with all my fabulous ideas. Although I was able to generate the most ideas, I also received the most Fig Newtons (the prize for bad ideas... maybe to get them flushed out of your system) instead of Oreos (the prize for good ideas). Is there a hidden message here? Don't worry I snuck myself an Oreo when no one was looking....

A love letter

2008-03-25T08:33:00.002-06:00

To my dear central vac system-You are a fabulous part of my home. You faithfully clean my floors even when there has been disastrous baking incidents, bits of yarn from the latest project or lots of family over at my home. I appreciate you. I just want you to know that I will never forget to check the filter bag again as you taught me a lesson last night. The way dirt, dust and other debris flew out at me when I checked you last night fixed my little wagon... The extra detergent that I will put in with my yoga pants and hoodie will remind me to never forget you again. Faithfully, Knittinchick

My grateful list

2008-03-24T09:21:00.002-06:00

For those of you who know me, you know that this past weekend was a bit of a personal hurdle. Last spring the plan was to get married on Easter Saturday. But, life intervened and the plan changed. Add to that clawing my way out of personal burnout. The lessons are good things... but painful nonetheless. This past fall and winter has been such a journey of healing and this weekend was my last big significant hurdle. On Sunday, I was sitting in church with my aunt and uncle and I was overwhelmed by gratitude. I thought that I'd share my grateful list with you (they aren't all uber-deep):

My new friends. I have learned who my good friends are... they didn't mind being around me when I couldn't stop crying.
My family... they faithfully read my blog, let me be Auntie Knittinchick even though I'm just a cousin and let me just be me.
My personal faith... I wouldn't have made it through without it. It's amazing how the dark seasons make it so much deeper.
Knitting... Seriously, this has saved me thousands in therapy!!! When my concentration was shot and I couldn't read (a recipe was a challenge...), I could knit a sock or an afghan or a sweater (as I was getting better... this required reading a pattern!).
Chocolate-the darker the better. It's incredible how a little square of that can make the world look lots better and there is always new research coming out about how it is good for you.
Flannel jammies-a winter evening in a warm house when you are exhausted is only made better by a bowl of soup from your slow cooker while you're wearing flannel pjs.
Being saved from a marriage that would have been a disaster. Big picture... being single is blissfully peaceful in comparison to a bad marriage-and in my work I see a lot of those.
Laughter-even on the darkest days, I was looking for good laughs. I avoided artistic, broody movies and chose the funny ones that would help me see light in dark days.
Springtime. This year I have been craving the longer days (thank you Daylight savings) and the ability to walk, run (lol) and bike after work so I'm not worried about safety.
All my bloggy friends... you read my blog even when I struggle with html (who wants to learn that system?) and even post sometimes. You're awesome...

Have fun on your Monday. This is one of the first Mondays off that I have had energy so I'm going to pull out spring clothes, knit some Make Believe Crowns for the nieces and nephews that I'll get to see in the next few weeks. Have a great day!

What the world needs now

2008-03-19T07:33:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was one of those meeting filled, running around the city sort of days. So... I had an hour between all the work responsibilities and my adult education class (no this isn't a special needs class!) I needed dinner and decided to grab a bite in a nearby Chili's restaurant and sat in the bar (more friendly for a solo party) At 5:00, the quietness of the bar changed immediately and a hockey game was turned on. No problems... but the noise level significantly lifted. I had some other ideas of things that they could turn on in a bar to attract a more female audience:

HGTV-Home decoration, home fixer-uppers and your female audience would be there. However, when Mike Holmes comes on there might be a risk of a more male audience.
Knitty Gritty-Fun, hip Vickie Howell would attract a fun martini lovin' young knitting crowd. Although there might be a need for wet wipes for these knitters to keep their hands clean during the evening so they could knit.
Food Network-Following the life of famous chefs would be fun for women to compare notes. Except for when the shows come on about additives in food or dirty failing restaurants. Might not be the best for business.

On second thought, I think that I'll stick with my career instead of going into marketing!

My name is Knittinchick...

2008-03-17T14:11:00.007-06:00

Hi! My name is Knittinchick and I might have a problem... At least I don't hide it! As I was sitting on my couch last evening and had this revelation: Admitting it is such a good thing! Case in point:

Chair across the room:

Coffee table:

And there is the final artfully arranged yarn and wool. What you don't notice is that this ottoman is filled with ziploc bags full of Christmas gifts inspiration!

At least I'm starting to have success of the Pinwheel Sweater that is a baby gift for a ten month old and for me as well!

Getting ready for Easter

2008-03-15T08:43:00.002-06:00

Isn't it wild how early Easter is coming this year? A little bit of trivia for you: I don't think that it will ever be this early again. I have come up with some fabulous ideas to keep your Easter easy...

If you are like me and are crazy like I was last year this year I invited myself to my auntie and uncle's place and had twenty people coming over after working all Easter morning, I had to be organized. Bring in the beloved slow cooker. (This year I have two so I'd use both...) Make your stuffing in there. I cut all the bread the night before and had it sitting on the counter and then just throw in the liquid in the next morning. Plug in and then take everyone's compliments.
Be like the lady at the LYS who is giving her kids gift cards instead of chocolate. Less cavities, hyperactivity and running around.
Use your Swiffer wet mop refills to clean your car... it cleans it up so nicely and your car smells so pretty.
Take time to enjoy the view and knit a bit on your Pinwheel Sweater.

Have a great Easter! It should be nice and taste of spring-y!

Measure twice, cut once

2008-03-14T06:25:00.004-06:00

You've heard good planners and probably any DIYer say, "Measure twice, cut once." I've decided this can apply to other areas of your life such as being a good friend and picking up stuff for a coworker @ Costco.

Case in point: yesterday, a coworker asked me to pick her up a Blackberry when I went there. She asked if I'd have the money and I reassured her that it is not after the 15th of the month so I could pick it up for her. My inside voice was saying, "Don't you want to buy that yourself? That's a pretty big purchase?" She said that she thought maybe she had the cash for it in her purse and pulled out a $10 bill. Now my inside voice was wondering how to gently break it to her that you can't purchase a Blackberry for $10.

When I asked for clarification, she wanted blackberries-you know, the fruit. Two packages for $7.98 and we're happy. Again, measure twice, cut once! It tends to be a bit cheaper.

Enjoying the river

2008-03-13T13:06:00.003-06:00

I have had this tendency to run through life and try to multi-task which got me into some serious trouble... ie) serious burnout. As I am getting better, I have moments where I forget my lessons but yesterday was a good reminder. As I was rushing to my next appointment, I was rushing by a frozen river that is starting to melt and I sensed that it was time to stop and Enjoy the River. So I slowed down and was astounded by the beauty of spring. Make sure you take time today to enjoy the river!

At the car wash!

2008-03-12T07:47:00.003-06:00

I think that there's a song about "At the car wash!" but I was inspired by my last trip to the car wash. Here in Alberta, it is starting to show signs of Spring. Woo hoo! Although I am not delusional to think that there will be no more snow, I am LOVING the respite in the midst of it. However, this requires a trip to the local car wash... where I gleaned some wisdom that I'm going to share with you.

Don't go to the car wash on Friday afternoon around 3:00 when there is an open house of one of the businesses next door. People will park in lanes of moving traffic and you will almost play bumper cars with a parked car.
A car wash is busy when it is springy outside on a Friday afternoon... everyone else has noticed the great weather as well.
While waiting to enter the car wash, you can observe people. They do unique things while they think that you aren't looking. Think again folks, Knittinchick is watching you!
There is the guy who probably is OCD... he keeps on wiping his dashboard for the full fifteen minutes that you are waiting. Don't worry Mister, you've already got it clean!
Mr. Picking-my-Nose should figure out a way to be less in-your-face about his habit. Everyone can see you!
Mrs. Soccer Mom should not choose this as a time to empty her minivan's trunk. She is frantically cleaning and sorting, running over to the garbage can and then jumping into her van to move it forward. And I thought I had multi-tasking issues!
and my personal favorite: The construction guys that left their loader parked for a joint break should remember to put the brake on it... those babies can move at quite the pace towards a very expensive parked truck-probably their boss' by the way they were running after it to stop it just in time before it would have made a spectacular crash.

On second thought, I think that my car might need a loonie rinse today... I could use the cheap entertainment.

Springing forward?

2008-03-09T07:39:00.004-06:00

This spring forward thing is something that I am so happy for... in a few days. It reminds me of when I was an intern and I had a huge responsibility on Sunday morning. I was so eager to impress everyone as I was so green behind the ears (did I mention that I'm learning not to be a people pleaser?)... that I thought that I'd show up a half hour early. I got to work and was expecting to find the best parking spot but I had to park over a block away. You'd think I'd clue in at this point... So I diligently walked into work and came in and the place was quiet but full! As I was about to go into my responsibilities, some kind custodian looked at me and started killing himself laughing... "Knittinchick forgot time change! Knittinchick forgot time change! Good thing you have blond roots." I went down in folklore as the one who let Spring Forward get away... So I've had some well placed paranoia about it since then. Shows that there is a reason for so many depracating jokes about people who come from Saskatchewan!!! side note: no recipes this week or simplifying ideas. I was at a work retreat offsitie so no cooking happened!

Suburbia Reflections

2008-03-07T07:05:00.004-07:00

As a single chick living in the suburbs, I have special insight into some of the signs that you might be living in suburbia. Here are a few from my special sociological persective. You know you might be living in suburbia when:

There is a proliferation of Lululemon pants in comparison to say, office suits.
When the new neighbors move in and are playing their loud music the first night in a thank you party of sorts to all their friends who helped them move at an unreasonable hour such as 10:30 on a Friday night.... you start praying that they'll get pregnant soon and join the other lovely quiet neighbors that you have.
The number of wagons and jogging strollers outweighs the number of tax paying adults.
You know your neighbors names and like them and are 'concerned' when one of them is moving about who will replace them.
When an unfamiliar dog is wandering around the neighborhood, you and a neighbor try to be friendly so you can call the neighbors before the pound comes out.
A Friday night lineup is not in front of a club but rather at the local Blockbuster for people to rent their dvds for the weekend.
At the local coffee shop, you hear words like, "Home equity," "Landscape our yard this summer," "My commute is an hour long!" or my personal favorite, "My husband/partner just doesn't understand me!"

If you need to hire anyone else to do sociological research in your neighborhood, you might want to give me a holler! I promise that I'll come up with more fabulous thoughts!

Election lessons

2008-03-03T21:05:00.002-07:00

So today I worked at the polls in my neighborhood. We were overstaffed for the numbers of people showing up in our polls for most of the day and it was rather cramped. When you have been in this environment for a long time, you notice the following:

The lady who counts, folds and initials all of her potential ballots minutes before closely (we're talking 100s!) when it is obvious no one more than maybe 10 people will end up showing up causes you to question things. Why is she doing that?
If I wouldn't have had my knitting with me, I would have pestered everyone in the room into sharing their most embarassing moments.
You get the giggles over the craziest things.
You can understand bedsores... your butt, legs and back are so sore from just sitting and not being able to move... over-glamorized closet that we were in.
You can get a whole sock almost knit in this amount of time! Everyone will suddenly become intrigued by the magic of turning a heel... maybe they were bored but who knows? (I actually think that they were jealous of me...)

I did swear an oath of secrecy but I can tell you that the Green Party isn't getting in anytime soon!

Weekend Wonders!

2008-03-01T07:07:00.002-07:00

Let's all say it together. Weekends Rock! Let's keep it simple so we can enjoy them by:

Making Roast Chicken in our beloved crock pots. Put a fryer or roaster chicken (based on the number of mouths and/or desire for leftovers), season with salt and pepper and turn on low for 6-8 hours. To make it gourmet: quarter an orange and stick in chicken's cavity with garlic and dried rosemary. Thirty minutes before serving, cover with 1/2 cup of orange marmalade and 1 TBSP rosemary. Yum-ola!
Be kind to ourselves by making our housecleaning easier by tackling hot spots for 15 minutes a day.
Start piling up all the tax return stuff in a special place as it all comes available so tax return season isn't so stressful!

Enjoy your weekends... take time for something that renews you... like hanging out with your aunt and uncle along with knitting furiously on your colourwork finished up for next class!

Helpful Abbreviations

2008-02-29T14:34:00.002-07:00

At work, my boss is a very funny guy and tends to abbreviate all sorts of things so soon my coworkers and I are talking in shorthand in a way that would junior highers to shame. I was looking for a list of text message abbreviations and found these ones helpful. There are some that I laughed out loud but couldn't use in my work and then there were others that were a serious case of Potty Mouth.... my eyes bugged out of my head for a few minutes!

TBE-thick between the ears. I think that this is something that I'll have to refer to myself as soon!
TNA-temporarily not available. This would be something that would flow out of the TBE.
UPOD-under promise over deliver. I like to do this!
BCOZ-because.
IAM-I am tired. Story of my life.
P2C2E-process too complicated to explain. Most of life!
PB-potty break not peanut butter.
SBTA-sorry being thick again. Story of my life.

So... here's a recap of my day. SBTA, I M TBE & TNA BCOZ IAM. SBTA IAM on P2C2E. PB time. Basically, I'm happy it's Friday, I'm tired and a bit blond right now! Bring on hometime:-)

Make your opinion heard!

2008-02-27T20:59:00.003-07:00

I was sitting in a training session today for working at the polls on Monday and learned many valuable lessons. Hold onto your seats:

If you come into the polls eat beforehand. Ballots don't make good munching snacks.
Use the ballots provided and don't try to substitute your own version into them. There are many ways that they insure accuracy and it won't do you any good.
If you are a senior living in a retirement community, check before you brave the cold and ice. There is probably a voting centre in your building. Handy dandy!
Don't wear your political t-shirt, bring in a newspaper with a candidate's picture on it or try to sing a political party's theme song (do Canadian politics employ something like this?... I'm sure that the Americans do!). You'll have to turn your tee inside out, recycle your newspaper and have Simon Cowell give you a phone call to boo your singing!
You can enjoy a cell phone free environment when you go to vote... maybe you'll want to show up at the polls just for an environment free of annoying cell phone jangles.

All of my wisdom aside, I had a moment during the training when I was reminiscing of my trip to Africa this past summer. I was thinking about how people were so grateful that there were UN peacekeepers that oversaw their first democratic election in 15 years. (In the capital, we saw the UN presence everywhere to insure that the election's results were lived out.) Aside from all the corrupt practices, people were hopeful that their voices were heard for the first time in a decade and a half. I kept on thinking that we take it for granted and that 70% of our population can't be bothered to go vote.

Go vote! Make your opinion heard. Most of the time, no one is asking or if they politely ask, they are not listening anyways. So many people are dying for their voice to be heard... take the few minutes to do so. That way when the government does not do exactly what you want, you'll know that you took the time to be involved!

Lucky in coffee?

2008-02-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

I am happily a Starbucks fan except for during Roll up the Rim. I get this image of myself having a lucky cloud instead of a dark one over my head and I'm able to roll up the rim for something amazing. Here's what you really need to know:

Scrolling through the list and imagine yourself behind the wheel of a swanky boat (personally I dream of a not-so-economy car)! Yes, I need a new boat let's not think about the fact that I have to drive two hours to get to a lake and I don't have a truck to pull it with.
Figuring out a way to outsmart having to even purchase a cup of coffee. However, I think that after you pay for postage for a free cup, you might as well get the coffee along with it.
Wikipedia friends are spreading the news of Roll up the Rim to our neighbors. A little knowledge is a good thing!
You can check out your odds and where the big winnings are at the lucky (slightly crazed) blogger.

So... I promise that I'll take you for a ride in my new vehicle when I win it. Until then, keep your eyes out for a ramped up Knittinchick who needs to be cut off the coffee!

Monday Musings

2008-02-25T09:36:00.004-07:00

Before you all get jealous of me having Mondays off when you are trudging off to work or facing another long winter day with your preschoolers as Daddy goes off to work, I thought that I'd let you into all the wisdom (wink, wink) about life that I've learned with my wierd hours:

Having Mondays off rocks except for when you're going to work on Saturday afternoons and Sunday morning.
If you want to call a customer service agent before work, this works except for Sunday mornings. They are in bed... like everyone else.
There are perks to wierd hours: the SB drive through is not very busy before 8:oo on Sunday mornings, the bank drive through is abandoned and you don't fight rush hour traffic.
You realize who has wierd hours like you. This is sometimes not the greatest realization, like when your neighbors who are paying down copious amounts of consumer debt fast (good for you!) by tending bar on the weekends come home @ 4:00am and their three small dogs start greeting them by several yapping episodes.
Monday mornings are a good time to run errands. Most people are at work and the lineups are significantly smaller. However, if you're so bagged from your weekend responsibilities and cannot get out of bed until later in the morning, this is kind of lost on you.
Social events happen on Saturday nights way more than Friday nights. Trust me on this... I've become the "Why don't I make a fabulous entrance or exit?" person at several close friends and family events. You learn to make it look fun but really the extrovert in you is dying to know what you're missing out on when you leave.
The most important part: the grass is only greener where there is more water and care for it. I'm going to enjoy my Monday with some knitting time, a walk and dinner that's already in the crock pot.

Have a great Monday. This Monday is brought to you by Knittinchick's ADD moments of knitting this past weekend. (Note to you: they might become birthday gifts so act surprised if you're the lucky recipient!)

It's Saturday!

2008-02-23T08:06:00.003-07:00

Yeah for sleeping in! Yeah for wearing jammies until late in the morning. Yeah for keeping it simple. This weekend is brought to you by:

Oriental chicken-pull out your beloved slow cooker, put 6 boneless chicken breasts in there. Combine 1/2 cup of soy and 1/2 of honey with 2 tbsps of sesame seeds (if you have them) and spoon over each chicken breast or just dump it if you're in a rush! Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Serve with rice. (If you're feeling gourmet, add a small spoonful of crushed garlic and ginger from the fridge!)
Wax paper-If you are out of Swiffer replacements for your dry sweep, just put wax paper there. Cheaper, efficient and innovative are you!
Cupcakes-I love them. They are so cheerful and you can look so creative without too much effort. You can rip off all these ideas and look like you're the best mom or auntie.

Have a great weekend. If you want to be jealous, you can think of me today at 11:00 when I'm at dim sum with good friends.

A little planning goes a long way!

2008-02-22T06:44:00.007-07:00

Have you ever thought that you are more organized than you truly are? Case in point: if you haven't been running or walking as much as usual due to sheer exhaustion at the end of the workday, you may be more curvy than usual.

This means that when you are knitting a beautiful tank with zero or negative ease (non-knitter translation: body hugging) and you are more curvaceous, it will be too negative in its ease. Boo hoo!

But then... maybe it's more serendipitous than I thought... Bargainista walks way more than I do and isn't quite so lumpy-bumpy curvy. Mother's Day and Birthday season is coming up! Yeah for being 'organized.'

Have you ever noticed?

2008-02-21T06:35:00.004-07:00

Yesterday I was thinking about the things that I notice (maybe others don't but I do... who knows, maybe I'm gifted?)

When you wear a warm sweater with a tank top underneath it that is just for personal eyes only, the room gets extremely warm in a meeting full of men.
When you wear a cooler outfit based on the previous day's experience, all you think about is knitting a pair of the ever popular Fetching-must be for cold offices.
It's good not to send out a staff wide email to everyone about a very important deadline this week and then post the deadline as April 22!!!
Before starting the work toaster oven with your favorite Baked Mushroom Soup for 55 minutes and getting pulled into a conversation with a 'dynamic' individual on the phone... it's always good to remove the tupperware lid that was sitting on top of the toaster oven before having someone discover it 20 minutes later.
Before seeing one of your friends that you were teasing about wierd socks the other day, you probably shouldn't be wearing your running socks with a nice outfit.

I'm sure that you've noticed this happening to other people as well... thank you for not pointing and staring when you saw me processing these thoughts!

It's happening!

2008-02-20T07:00:00.004-07:00

Please insert ominous background music as you read this! I've decided that the truth about how you turn into your mother has decided to come nest and inhabit my body. For all the extended family who show that they truly love me by reading this, do not get too excited yet. Bargainista's sweet spirit, generous gift giver, remember-er of important details and supportive nature have not nested here... rather some of Bargainista's not-so-famous qualities. This has been driven home in the past few days. Illustrated by the following:

I noticed a sale the other day and it was only knocked down by $10... I thought in my inside voice, "Why don't you mark it down 75% and then call it a real sale!"
These words floated out of my mouth, "I just have to warn you, my brain does this wierd thing. When children whine, it turns off. When they ask nicely, it works." How many times did I hate that as a kid?
I was talking to a friend the other day and when I told her my supplements she warned me that I'd want to up my fiber. I thanked (eek!) her for the advice and read my cereal box labels for fiber content. That's basically potty talk!
I rolled up my plastic bags like my mother does. This was something that one auntie taught the others at their annual Get Together. When my sister or cousins and I get together, we like to go to new markets, explore, sight see and more active things. My aunties share about rolling plastic bags! (and I did it!!!!)
I called a friend today outside a natural health store to see if she wanted me to pick her up some multi-vitamins. This says something about my life that I was not asking her about something cool like purses on sale. No, Vitamins!
I was broke up a cookie into bite sized "I'll just have a smidge of this" pieces and proceeded to eat the whole thing, convincing myself the whole time that I'd stop after this smidge.

Hopefully this means that all the good, wholesome, endearing and sweet qualities will follow. Don't hold your breath... I think my sister got all of those ones.

Spring is in the air?

2008-02-19T07:47:00.002-07:00

I don't know about you but when it gets warmer outside (even for a mid-winter break), I get all excited. Here's what I'm thinking about these days:

Knitting a sweater for my mom for her birthday and mother's day. But the magazine and the yarn I ordered aren't here yet. I guess I'll just have to dream about it.
Knitting a sweater for myself. The pattern and yarn are here so alas, I must be selfish and knit for myself.
Knitting for the three babies that are coming soon. Must get done before the baby shower so I can deliver them ahead of time and be busy 'organizing my sock drawer' the day of the shower... women swapping death grip delivery stories... now that's a fun way to spend an evening.
Pulling my bike out of the basement (inspired by someone else who was smiling and biking). I didn't think about the fact that he was covered in slush and I don't like biking when I'm cold.
Spring cleaning-bwaah, hah, hah. And you thought that I actually was smoking dope there, didn't you?
Vacation plans let's be honest, I think about those all year long.

However, it looks like it will get colder at the end of the week. I'm going to pull out my slow cooker again, try a new recipe to dazzle you with at the weekend, enjoy my Family Day today (since Monday is my regular day off) and knit on my sweater for myself. I guess some things are never different-cold weather or warmer weather!

A letter to my nieces and nephews

2008-02-18T08:07:00.003-07:00

To the greatest nieces and nephews in the world (aka my good friends' and cousins' offspring); I just wanted to take this time to tell you that you are the greatest kids in the world. I love you with big hugs, high fives and lots of laughter. You are so much fun and you let me be silly in a world where there is way too much seriousness. You can always count on me to laugh at your jokes, play yet another game of dominos, get my butt kicked by you in Wii, brag about you, post your pictures and drawings on my fridge and generally be the greatest fan (that doesn't have to be) of you that you will encounter in this life. As many of you are growing up and starting to attend school or get into higher elementary grades, you can also count on me to celebrate your reading, attend and even smile through long school programs and cheer you on at any sporting event that you (not your mom... but you) invite me to. However, I want to let you know that there is something that you cannot count on me for. I have been hit up for all sorts of fundraisers and I want to let you know why I won't buy certain things. Please don't try to sell me:

Wrapping paper-I don't need this much wrapping paper. I buy my annual three rolls at IKEA post-holidays and probably will give you a present in a gift bag that your mother gave me at long past holiday or celebration anyways!
Frozen cookie dough-There is only one of me at my house and I don't need a big ol' tub of cookie dough. Do not try to make me more 'squishy' than I already am. As much as I love being an auntie, I would also like to meet Prince Charming someday and this will not help me towards this goal.
Chocolate bars, chocolate covered almonds or chocolate/yogurt covered something-See number two for squishy reasons. But this chocolate is really yucky anyways. It makes an Aero bar look like Bernard Callebaut.
Coffee beans/speciality tea-Although the local coffee shop looks like a great community partner and probably gets a tax write off for their donation of coffee to you, I have news for you. They gave you old, bitter and yucky coffee that they couldn't sell to un-suckered customers.
Coupon books-This includes the Entertainment book and the cheaper $15 one. These books are chock full of 2-4-1 deals. This is no good for your single auntie. No, they don't substitute them for 50% off for one person. I've asked. Although I am not opposed to leftovers (this is the only way that I get proper nutrition), I don't want a teen burger that has been sitting in my fridge for hours.
Family event coupons-As much this is something that would be useful for a family and might be a good deal, I'm not going to spend my Friday night with a bunch of families at laser tag, a swimming pool or mini-golf.

Just so you know that I still love you and believe in helping support schools and sports, I have two things that you can ask me to buy. Frozen pizzas (that are good) and magazine subscriptions. I'll probably purchase a knitting magazine subscription which will be a good thing for you as I might just make you a cool new sweater that is better than the Gap, Children's Place or Gymboree would provide anyways.

Love your proud and faithful auntie,

Knittinchick:-)

Simple Saturday

2008-02-16T09:04:00.003-07:00

Unlike my other weeks where I had great simplifying ideas, I'm just simple minded today. But here's a couple of things for you that are pretty cool... helping you save money easy!

Free Kashi Granola Bars-totally free. They send you a coupon for the full cost of the granola bars. And they're good for your kids... and you. I'm all excited about the Peanut peanut bars. My house is not nut-free-and that refers to peanuts as well!
Customized coupons-Unlike my cousin, Happy Geek, I'm not a good coupon clipper. But at this website, you can pick the coupons that work for your province and they mail them out the next day. I'm good to go with no effort!
Knit Picks Clearance-They clear out fabulous yarns and fibers at great prices. And because they love Canadian customers, they take care of things getting stuck at the border!

I'm more passionate about these things as it is towards the end of the month (anything after the 15th qualifies!) and I decided to redecorate my master bedroom and invest in RSPs this month. Bring on March! Have a simple and economical weekend!

Klutzy moments

2008-02-15T07:04:00.002-07:00

You might have hand-eye coordination issues if:

You are at a knitting class and are learning a complicated technique (the teacher told me it was hard!) and you are trucking along only to find out that you've done it wrong. Five tries later, you realize that you just can't get the only important stitch. You might need to go back in for remedial help!
You are always a bit cautious around tight parking spaces. After all you do drive a small economy car but it is only two doors and those doors are significantly bigger and tend to bang other vehicles... Or you just park farther away.
You are wearing your cute boots that extend a bit farther than your feet so you can have comfortable fashion. You can't get the washroom door open because you keep on pushing the door against your shoes.
Or... you're playing Wii for the first time and get smashed in boxing, baseball and bowling. Finally one of the players starts showing you how to do it... a kind hearted four year old.

I'm sure that you've all had these issues at one time or another, right? Oh, did I mention that I was playing against a four year old and a seven year old at my Wii escapade?

Inspirational? Gifts

2008-02-14T06:39:00.002-07:00

So... the holidays always bring out the holiday entrepeneurs who are happy to peddle their ideas that keep them up at night. Today's V-day is brought to you by:

Yes Dear Mug. This mug might be for the significant other that says this but you doubt the authenticity of their claims.
The fart machine. Obviously invented by a man!
Desktop Dodgeball. So you can insure that your sweetie wastes lots of time at work.
Knock 'em dead documents. So your sweetie can look important in meetings (I got a laugh from these).
Heartbreaker. For the low price of $2600, you can have a titanium hammer and heart to wear around your neck.

Hmm... I think that I could become an entrepeneur. I have lots of stupid ideas... now I just need to sell them to others.

Snow days

2008-02-13T16:01:00.002-07:00

You know that it's been snowing lots when:

It takes you 45 minutes to drive your morning commute of 7 minutes (light traffic) or 12 minutes (heavy traffic).
You don't have power at work for two hours due to heavy snow burning out transformers.
You actually feeling your arm muscles after shovelling your walk and two of your neighbor's walks (why did I choose today to be neighborly?)
You're relieved that you don't have to wash your dirty car b/c well, the snow took care of it.
You have a newly installed security system-you can see exactly who came up to your house and how far the flyer boy walked up your sidewalk.
You find it hard to be happy for your two coworkers who are in Vegas and Hawaii and accidentally forget to include them in your all staff email!
The most important thing: you're excited about baking some banana bread to make your home all warm and cozy!

24 Lessons for Life!

2008-02-12T07:03:00.000-07:00

I decided that I'm going to wish a bad case of hangnails or something of equal suffering to all of you who have ranted and raved about 24 over the past few years. I have chosen to not get involved in the weekly water cooler, online and f2f conversations about this show... Until this past Friday night when I was exhausted (thank you long recovery of burnout) and it was blizzarding outside. I stopped by the local VHQ (similar to Blockbuster but better deals!) and rented Season 1 of 24. It's addictive! I have to find out what happens next between 7:00 and 8:oo. But I have learned some stuff that I thought might be helpful for you today!

You can have a cell phone conversation that is deep and full of words of love and commitment while lying underneath a car.
Never trust someone with a gun... even if they seem nice.
Crisis brings out the best and worst in people.
People will do crazy things for $300,000 as the computer programmer did in season one.
Make sure that you always say, "I love you" as you don't know what will happen.
When you are lost in the wilderness, do not try to outsmart the GPS... or stop following the creekbed.
Don't try to cover up a conspiracy, it always comes back to bite you on the bottom!
Develop good friendships and keep those people close to you.
Sometimes people who seem a bit rough around the edges (like Keifer) are better than those that are slick and seem to have it together (like the Serbian meany-pants killers!)
And the most important, if you are knitting while watching a nail biter show like 24, make sure that you pause the show when you need to focus. Otherwise, you'll make a major mistake and have to rip out the last hour of knitting!

I leave you with a Flower Power Washcloth that was from the 24 watching marathon! Wouldn't that bring a smile to your face as you washed your face with it in the morning?

Knittinchick's Believe it or Not!

2008-02-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

Sometimes truth is really stranger than fiction. Case in point: This past weekend, I heard a true story of a guy who built a casket for his grandmother's funeral and was driving to pick up the body with this casket strapped to the top of the van. He came across an accident and is an EMT so he pulled over to help. Can you imagine what was in those people's minds when someone pulls up with a casket? After arriving to where the grandmother's body was, another uncle took over and had the casket in the back of his suburban. He got caught behind an avalanche and was delayed by several hours. They almost didn't make it in time for the service. Just goes to show that you can be late for your own funeral!

S4

2008-02-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

Simple, Stressless Saturdays and Sundays is brought to you by:

Southwest Soup. Into your beloved crock pot put: 7 cups of chicken stock, one chopped onion, a bag of frozen corn, a tbsp of crushed garlic, a package of you chop it up more sliced turkey breast (that you bought at Costco and threw in the freezer), a tsp of cumin, 1/2 tsp of oregano, two cans of green chilis and a can of rinsed chick peas or kidney beans. Cook on low for 4 hours and serve with grated cheese and crushed up tortilla chips.
Calling ahead. Now you don't want to be a pesky and rude customer but a polite call ahead to a store to see if they have your requested item could save you an hour of driving around the city.
One stop shopping. Start shopping at Superstore. You can get all your fresh produce, groceries, clothes, bedding and if you're really organized, you can have your photos done by the time you leave!

Have a great weekend. Stay warm and enjoy the fact that it's cold outside so that means you have to stay home!

Height restrictions

2008-02-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

You know you might be vertically challenged when:

You are making a staff presentation to everyone and go up to the moving podium immediately after your boss and have to move it down by at least a foot.
In a staff competition during the same meeting, you have to jump up when you find the answer. I got the answer but didn't jump up and yelled it out (forgive me for getting excited about a free fruit rollup!). People started heckling me and saying "She didn't stand up. She didn't stand up." Then you hear the ripple of laughter. Later on you find out that someone muttered not so silently under their breath that "She was standing. No one could see her."
You wear high heeled boots for big occasions so you can get respect and look all the guys in the eye. This tends to backfire with incredibly sore feet at the end of the three or four hours on your feet.
You are so disappointed when stores don't carry petite lengths... and you think about how much it would cost to get it hemmed or if your auntie or mom will be in town soon and whether they'd bring their sewing machine and hem them for you. How many times have I asked lately?
In order to reach the floor when you crank your office chair up, you have to have an incredibly thick reference book on the floor so your feet don't dangle above the floor.
Ten year olds start looking down on you.
You have to state that you are 5'2 and a half. It helps if you emphasize the half part. It usually gets you lots of respect....
Your house is well dusted... to the 5' level.
One of your nicknames is Short One.
Or... you come into your office and notice that the white board that you have right by your desk for brainstorming, reminders and phone messages has this line half way up with the words You must be shorter than this line to use this board. After having a good laugh, you realize that everything is in a perfect arch up to that line and that the board hasn't seen ink above the line. Brand spanking new above the line. You should see people kill themselves laughing when they come into the office.

V-day loves

2008-02-07T16:05:00.000-07:00

Ok... I have a chance to win a blog redesign... by a professional. I know that Blogger offers lovely options but I thought that I might be inspired to be cooler with a fun redesign. Thanks Laugh-a-daisy for the chance. She wants to know what my favorite V-day loves are: definitely not babysitting but rather Bernard Callebaut chocolate (trust me, it's the best chocolate ever!), new flannel jammies, bath bubbles (lots not little) and a yummy dinner that you can enjoy. Sounds like a plan, doesn't it?

Why you should be a knitter!

2008-02-07T09:41:00.001-07:00

I'm sure that you all want to be more like me but here are a few reasons that you should be a knitter.

I went to a continental knitting class last night and met some new people and the girl who sat beside me was uber cool. We hit it off and she's going to drop by my knitting group on Tuesday on the way to her knitting group... two doors down.
I have cool things to do while you are watching tv, cleaning your house, talking on the phone or being productive.
There are pretty yarns and fibers that you can touch. If you are tactile, this is a nice feeling to have.
You make new friends and you can talk about all sorts of things together before you even realize whether you have anything in common.
You can take your knitting to work on the weekends when you have to be available for those that might be in crisis. Since I am unable to do computer, phone or networking work during the quieter times, I pull out my traveling sock. People feel free to come and talk to you and will pour out their hearts because you are so non-threatening. Those that know you better tend to harass you but it's always worth a laugh or two!
If you are a reader and knitter, you can listen to an audiobook while knitting. If you are just a reader, all you get done is reading.
TV will be transformed for you. You can justify it as productive time as you'll be knitting on next year's Christmas list anyways.
The world always looks better after you've knit a few rows. You can realize that sometimes the best things in life require you to slow down.
You can wear fashions that are totally unique and no one else in your office can figure out where you purchased it.
The most important reason: you can be more like me! Crazed about something totally harmless and you'll give some of the best baby gifts.

Off I go to the non-knitting world with my message of knitting goodwill!

SO organized!

2008-02-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

Guess what? I won another li'l contest from Declutter It! Thanks Julie! I'm excited about having a Busy Body Book that will keep me organized. Yesterday she shared about Time Waster Tuesdays and one of them was mind clutter. I thought that I'd share some of my most recent random mind clutter-ers!

What street was the adult education class off of? Was it 24th or 36th Ave? Is the troubling part that I'm going to resemble someone who needs the special extra-wide parking space right by the door due to my mind not working?
Great! I made it in time for the adult ed class but forgot a bottle of water. When is break time? Will I have enough change in my purse for some water? Would it be rude to pull it out right now and start counting it?
What day is my doctor's appointment? Did I miss it? Is it the naturopath this week or the doctor?
What shall I share as the inspirational moment at staff meeting this morning? I am sure that my boss won't think that inspiration will be that I now have a Busy Body Book or that I'm glad that my clothes match today.
Do my clothes actually match today? Oh no... better do a bathroom walk-by before staff meeting.
I wonder if anyone will notice that I'm wearing my hand knit socks today. I love those socks and I wore my sweet Baby Mary Janes to show them off. Maybe everyone will look at my feet during staff meeting this morning and it will detract from the fact that I'm rather 'foggy brained' today.
Should I talk about how Jen's giveaway where I won an autographed Jeffrey Overstreet novel? No... the staff might be jealous of my blog-0-sphere self.
I wonder what I should have for lunch. I do have leftovers in the fridge but maybe there is a younger staff who needs encouragement today in the form of Quiznos.
But maybe they won't want to be encouraged by me after they hear my 'inspiration' for the day.
I wonder if I should talk to my doctor about my mind not seeming to work properly.

Anyways, I think that I'll follow Julie's fabulous advice to have a running list on her desk to put down ideas as they hit her so they don't contribute to mental clutter. Definitely something that I don't need any more of.

For your inspiration today, I thought I'd include a picture of some of the cutest hand knit Baby Uggs!

How to navigate V-Day week

2008-02-05T06:36:00.000-07:00

So... for my married friends, you might be wondering what you should and shouldn't say to your friends the week around Valentine's Day, especially the day of. I have a few ideas of things you might want to avoid saying in the spirit of saving you from a potentially embarrassing moment:

Tilt your head to the side and speak quietly when you say the words Valentine's Day. Your heart is to be sensitive and we may not have caught a man yet but we can catch that you feel sorry for us.
Drop hints several times about how expensive babysitters are these days (and how V-day books up quickly) and how it would be great if you had a friend who would just come over and spend the evening so it wouldn't cost you for babysitting.
Ask your friend to go lingerie shopping with you for your own little Valentine's Day entertainment and talk about your plans endlessly.
Attempt to set up a friend with your newly divorced friend who is suicidal the weekend before V-day or after.
Blather on and on about how expensive the flowers are that your husband or boyfriend or fiancee sent you and you don't know how you'll pay the groceries bill this month. I guess you'll just have to live on love fumes?
Send your friend links to eHarmony, LavaLife or talk about how you know one person who found someone who is really nice online. Your friend probably has way more stories of single friends who have flown to a city to visit a potential suitor that was met online only to realize that this guy has significant scary issues.
Have a friend's mother write you a letter about her newly divorced, big son who has five children between 2-10 and who loves Jesus, and his mother and would be ok with "popping by your workplace for a cup of coffee." After all, your singleton friend is good with children and these children need a mother, right? Then have this mother or her friend call your friend's coworkers to see why she hasn't called her son yet!

I am sure that you are an awesome friend and realize that your singleton friend is actually a super-duper catch and she's pretty ok with it. She's not opposed to being set up with a friend of yours that is healthy and normal but she's not desperate.

disclaimer: despite Knittinchick's vivid and sometimes disturbing imagination, none of these stories were invented for today's blogging experience:-)

A little field trip

2008-02-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

Sorry that my text is all squished together... I need to figure it out but seriously, I seem to have problems... I'm working on it! Did you get scared by an out-of-province car with stuff sticking out of it and people wedged in with IKEA bags cushioning them this past weekend? That might have been me.... but don't worry, it wasn't supposed to be that dramatic! In usual Knittinchick fashion, I decided that I'd try to do a little project that would be easy schmeezy. My master bedroom has never been the most gorgeous place to be in... I tend to make my Superstore decorating budget go to places like the living room where others will notice (I know it sounds shallow... but whatever!) But 2008 is the Taking My Life Back year. I am now going to have a cool master bedroom and do things that are taking my life back! So... I go to IKEA to get the Expedit bookshelf so my room. BUT they wanted to charge $80 for delivery. No worries, my dad is coming into town on the weekend. He can figure it out for me. So... Bargainista and Building Guy (the parents) come into town, we troll through IKEA for 90 minutes, I purchase the bookshelves twenty minutes before closing and we roll out the boxes to their car. We seem to be having some challenges getting both the boxes into the car. So... Dad feels sorry for me (did I mention that it was -25C outside?) and tells me to sit in the backseat. I'm sitting in the backseat with all sorts of bags, blankets and a bulletin board that Bargainista purchased for one of the people at work. Kind of like I've been packed in the back seat. So we cannot get the trunk shut now. Building Guy (after stopping to help the person who needs help but doesn't speak English.... did I mention that it was uber cold out?) goes back into IKEA to purchase $1.50 rope at the front cash register, we get it tied shut and figure that now... we had better hit the freeway and speed home. Building Guy can't fit in the driver's seat because we've pulled it so far to the front that I have to drive. After almost sticking to the street because it was so cold, we finally got the bookshelf into the house... and my dad woke up early on Saturday to build my bookshelf, put up some organizers. Oh yeah, he also put up the only carbon monoxide detector that needed to be wired in the basement instead of just plugging it in. My dad seemed eager to leave yesterday morning, I wonder why?

A little bragging!

2008-02-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

Ok... I won again!!! Seriously, you don't have a clue how exciting this is when you think that it is warm outside when it gets to -15C outside. I actually thought about not wearing mittens yesterday. Thank you to at Scattered Mom at Notes from the Cookie Jar for her generous Starbucks card that she's mailing off to me. She has very yummy looking cookie recipes on her blog-especially the picture that is up right now. I think that I'll have to try those so I can be the coolest co-worker, auntie and friend who brings yummy cookies instead of a boring broccoli/rice casserole to her friends that have had a baby. How can you not love someone who puts the word scattered to describe themselves too? I have to go to work now (try to hold your jealousy inside of you) but I think that there might be a couple of downtime minutes this morning. Must remember to pack my traveling knitting-Socks!

S4 weekend

2008-02-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

Simple, Stressless, Saturdays and Sundays: Before I astound you all with my incredible wisdom to make your lives easier, I want to say how much fun I had on the Bloggy Giveaways. I also won something. Thank you Sheila. She makes beautiful items that can be seen at her etsy shop. I am so excited about a beautiful necklace. My mother probably thanks you as well so I will stop talking to her on her long distance bill about how much I want to win and now I'll have a necklace that goes with everything. If you didn't participate this time around, you'll have to do it when it comes again:-) Also, I want to say the Pisceco won the Baby Uggs and a girl from a few blocks away from me won the Slow Cooker and Crazy Aunt Purl books. I even get to save on postage... she's going to get front door delivery... talk about Express Post! You guys all made my week so much fun through the great comments that you made:-) So here's the part that you've been waiting for. My ideas on making your weekend S4:

Quick fix chicken. Combine 1/2 cup french dressing, 1/2 cup apricot jam, 1 envelope dry onion soup mix in a bowl. Brush 3 lbs of skinless chicken with sauce. Put in slow cooker. Pour remaining sauce over. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Serves 6. My mom, Bargainista, made it at her work at a special needs group home and the clients went on and on and on about how fabulous it was. This is not the Gourmet Test Kitchen but rather the Real Life Kitchen.
Don't return your books late to the library. You'll end up $5 lighter in your purse (it was a lot of books for only one day) and you'll feel ripped off in a way that hits you at the core of who you are.
Turn your lights on low and pull out the candles when you're entertaining. This way no one notices the dust... not that I would ever know.
Take a basket when you go to your local grocery store. That way you won't be balancing a 2L of milk, an 8 x 10 picure frame (that was on a fabulous sale), a 5 lb bag of apples, a bag of salad, a big container of cookies, plastic box of strawberries and two packages of crescent rolls in your hands. Although if you're not so concerned about simplicity and more about social research, you'll learn lots about what people think of losers who have stuff hanging off them and are using their chin to balance everything!

Probably the most important part of an S4 weekend is to relax knowing that you won at the Bloggy Giveaways and that you don't have to spend an hour or two a day entering contests anymore!

My cross border ambassadorial role!

2008-02-01T08:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, ok I can hear my family shouting at their screens right now that the only thing that I would be a good ambassador for would be Starbucks. However, please hold onto your seats. My little contest that I'm running as a result of Bloggy Giveaways has reminded me of many of the things that I love about Canada (good to remember in the dead of winter!) Here are some of them in random order:

The Canadian Rockies. These are gorgeous, big, majestic and breath taking. I lived in Lake Louise for two summers and fell in love with them and they haven't grown old at all!
Victoria, BC. Buschart Gardens, all the flowers in residential neighborhoods, the architecture, the slower pace, the personal friends that I have there are fabulous.
Toronto. This is a big city but the world's most multi-cultural city. Within a three block radius from one of my best friend's house there is really great Lebanese, Carribean, Portugese, Indian and Italian food... and about five fabulous LYS (local yarn stores) within a 20-30 minute walk. Seriously! It's always an adventure.
Healthcare. This is not perfect but after a trip to the emergency room in the States this past summer (thank you health care benefits), I still received a remaining bill for $84. We get this taken care of here and up to a year for maternity leave.
Our fun little accents. I can hear it after being away for a while but it's just normal, right? We say please, thank you and sorry in conversation to people that we know and don't know yet. We don't necessarily mean it but whatever, it sounds nice.

Anyways, keep your eyes peeled for some of my favorite American things next week!

Childhood epidemic

2008-01-31T07:05:00.000-07:00

You have to hate winter... when all those bugs such as the flu, colds, pink eye, chicken pox, hand and foot (nasty!) and the dreaded lice outbreak. When I worked in children's programming, I hated the days when a mom would call me to tell me that their child had gotten sick a few hours after programs with a contagious illness. side note: I appreciated the Mom calling me (hugely) but hated that other kidos would be getting sick soon. I have a coworker who has let me in on another epidemic that is spreading pretty quickly. I am glad that I'm out of children's programming now. You might want to watch to see if this is something that your child has gotten. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6ylxWcwkUM

Cross border ambassador

2008-01-30T07:13:00.000-07:00

It is SO cold right now! I mean, it's really, really, really cold outside. When the radio announcer calmly announces that with windchill it's -50C, you know that it's dangerously cold. Thankfully I'm a knitter. Yesterday I wore my Tilted Duster that was perfect for keeping me warm. I have options of scarfs and wool sweaters. No worries about cooking in them like our Californian friends would. I have been wiling away the cold evening hours (knitting group was even cancelled last night due to the cold and we're pretty hard core!) on Bloggy Giveaways. I am so excited about everyone's generosity and have entered as many contests that will allow Canadians in. I even have my own contest just for Canadians that you should enter if you haven't already. However, in the spirit of building cross border relations, I am viewing myself as a bit of an ambassador of good will (note to my family: stop laughing!). I am going to run another contest for both Canadians and Americans.

The Canadians have to say their favorite part of the States and a place that they'd love to visit in the States.
The Americans have to say their favorite part about Canada and a place that they'd love to visit. If you are an American who has never wanted to visit here... you should. It truly warms up and we have some of the best sightseeing here.
Enter before Saturday, February 2nd at 7:00 am MT. My mom, Bargainista, will be visiting me this weekend and will draw names from a big mixing bowl (trust me, this is as techie as I want to be on the weekend!)

I will pick randomly out of the best responses and they will be the proud owner of hand knit Baby Uggs. I'll do them in the 3-6 month or 9-12 month size... whichever one you want. Ok go! Come back later on and I'll start posting about some of my favorite Canadian haunts and American shopping destinations and loves as well in the next few days!

This contest is now closed... Thanks to all of you for entering. Picesco is the lucky winner unless she doesn't respond. Thank you for all saying beautiful things about my country. You've made me want to fall in love with Canada all over again! Please continue to come back and build my self esteen by seeing my hit counter go up!

It truly is the small things!

2008-01-29T07:04:00.000-07:00

SO... sometimes the small things are important... more than we think they are. My personality type is ENFJ. Apart from being the best personality type-these people are the types who love the big picture, vision casting, teaching and inspiring. This is actually a good type of personality to have (if I must say so myself) and Oprah shares this personality type as well-because everything you read on the internet is true! I think that it's served her fairly well. The small detail-y details are often a challenge because they are not all that important and are 'inside the box.' I've noticed lately that I might need to pay more attention to the small details though. Here are a few reasons:

I spent over half an hour driving around when I was TWO blocks away from friends house. I had even mapquested them but didn't look close enough. I kept on looking for a landmark that would help out with my directional lack-of-focus! 90% of the time my philosophy of follow your nose works fabulously.... the other 10% is disaster.
I made a detailed list the other day for my errand running focus. It would be a helpful detail to remember it and take it along with me.
Returned all my dvds to the library to avoid late fees but left one of the dvds in the tv. I only noticed three days overdue. The lady who called from the library sounded apologetic like, "We noticed that you didn't have the dvd in the cover." However, I think that her inside voice was, "I don't know if you noticed that there are only about ten massive signs around the drop box reminding you to check inside your package before dropping it."
The last one is illustrated with a picture. You might be able to figure out what problem was with my lack of details...

My Mom (Bargainista) thought that I should title it "My Big Head" This truly was as far as the sweater would go over my head. I might have decreased a few two (or ten) many times. Back to the rippin' pond. Did I mention that this is a sweater that I have knit for myself making adaptations for a shorter body and some 1950s curves that I sport? Next time I'll remember the smallish detail of getting it over my head..

Maybe I'll remember to take my list with me next time! And remember to head over to Bloggy Giveaways to check out the more than 500!!! giveaways. If you haven't entered my contest, make sure you do!

Free stuff!

2008-01-28T09:33:00.000-07:00

Don't you love free stuff? I certainly do! There is a fantabulous carnival going on right now at Bloggy Giveaways where you can win free stuff. I'm in like... "A dirty shirt!" "A rat on a cheeto" "Someone who desperately wants to win something as well!" Since I am a blogger who loves my slow cooker (I know it doesn't sound glamorous but it is not much more work than a Wendy's drive through) and knitting (it truly makes you cool!) I thought that I'd have two books about my two loves. The Knitting book is not a pattern book but rather a great story of Crazy Aunt Purl who started knitting as a way of recuperating from a heartbreak. You'll love her perspective-laughing and maybe being even tempted to cry. I love anyone who can laugh at themselves.

I'll ship anywhere in Canada and all you have to do is leave your blog address or email address if you are not a blogger in the comments section. The contest closes at 7:00 on Friday night (MT) and I'll be randomly drawing a name for the winner. This contest is now closed and the winner has been notified by email. Unfortunately, my first winner was in the States and to ship books to the States is akin to taking out a second mortgage. Now my second winner is a Canadian and hopefully I hear from her before Sunday night. If not, you might have a chance:-)

Good luck!

S4

2008-01-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

Saturdays and Sundays are all about keeping it simple, right? So... I've decided that I will be sharing my ideas with you about keeping Simple, Stressless Saturdays and Sundays-S4! This weekend brings you:

Beef Dip. Pull out your slow cooker, put in a 3-4 pound chuck roast (cheap is good here!), put two cans of consumme, 1/2 cup of water and soy sauce along with a bit of crushed garlic, 1 tsp rosemary and thyme and some pepper. Turn on low for 12 hours. Pull the beef out and pull apart (it basically does this by looking at it), put out some buns and small bowls for dipping and a simple salad. Trust me... everyone loves it and you are not stressed!
Buying ahead. Hit the stores that have all their toys on sale right now. You will almost be paid for taking it off their hands (after all this is still from Christmas) and you'll have great little games for baby showers, kids' birthdays and for being the Best Auntie Ever! Case in point: little gifts for Tenderheart Niece and Mischief Magic Niece as well. $1.44 each.

Christmas flannel jammies are all on sale too. Why not pick up a couple pairs for Christmas next year along with a pair of cashmere blends socks for $2!!! The only problem is that you'll be tempted to take them out of the gift drawer for yourself.

So... go now, have a S4 weekend and make sure that you take time to keep it simple!

Jr. High Brain

2008-01-25T08:54:00.001-07:00

I worked in children's programming for so many years that I think that it might have permanently damaged me. Here a few examples from the past few days that probably illustrate this!

I was thinking about a children's networking event that I went to when someone showed their promo video for summer camp. They did it in an old-fashioned b&w movie style for their Super Heroes In Training camp. They had shortened this to an acrostic and every time it flashed through the screen (several times!) I got the giggles. What grade four or five boy wouldn't have the same thing happen to him? It still makes me giggle thinking about a summer camp like that.
I was buying groceries the other day and decided that I was going to be bad and buy Honey Nut Cheerioes and eat them on a weekday instead of a Sunday morning-the only day we were allowed 'naughty' cereals growing up. (I guess you aren't all that bad when you think that cereal is pushing the limits!) It made me feel rebellious and carefree. I am only 32 and have been living on my own for how many years?
Every time I hear the "Zaccheus was a wee little man" song, I can't take it seriously. If you've ever been around 4 year old boys for any period of time, you'll be ruined for this song.

I don't know if there's much hope for me. If you hang around too many boys in children's programming, there might not be too much hope for you either!

If I was queen of the world!

2008-01-24T07:40:00.000-07:00

I know that you are rolling your eyes at this thought but I've decided about some rules that I'd initiate if I was Queen of the World.

No one would ever be allowed to park in two prime parking spaces by just parking over the line. This big vehicles that are all worried about their paint jobs would just get a little zap when they tried to pull this.
People would have to leave short and succinct voice mail messages. That way anyone who struggles with slight ADD won't fall asleep during a long message.
Property taxes wouldn't be allowed to rise by $200 each year... but your value of the home would keep on rising.
Sidewalks would have to be heated so they would never have to shovel snow in the winter. It would just melt right off.
People would not be allowed to serve lame and weak coffee. Everyone would like theirs strong with a bit of cream... and instant coffee would evaporate into thin air.

Why is no one asking me to be queen of the world? I think that we'd have perky (due to the caffeine), happy (because of finding a parking lot) and productive people (because they wouldn't be spending their time on messages and shoveling their walks)! Come on... ask me what my other rules would be... I bet you really want to know.

Secret Smiles

2008-01-22T17:10:00.001-07:00

Don't you love it when you have a simple thing that makes only you smile? I have things that make me smile when I need a lift and no one else will know. I have something new to add to my list of Secret Smiles. Today's Secret Smiles is provided to you by my friend, Stud. I was telling a friend who is three years old the other night that my favorite pj's are red fleece ones with little Scottie dogs all over them. Her mom told me that they were just like Stud! Inside your head voice, "Do I tell her that pjs are not studly... at all. They're more along the lines of wearing at home when no one else is coming over?" Outside voice: "Stud!?! Hmmm. Interesting" Apparently they used to have a Scottie dog that was called Stud. So... last night I was at home after a perfectly relaxing day off and wanted to celebrate... along the lines of big time celebrations. I pulled out my pjs that are now affectionately called Stud and I wore them around the house with a secret smile all evening long.