sick but busy

So out of no where a few days ago the fire monster and I got sick. She was even more whiny then usual and complaining about being cold...in the middle of august...in like 100 degree heat... so sure enough she had a temp. Next thing you know I am achy and miserable too. So the next morning I drug us into the minute clinic just to be sure and it is viral. So nothing we can do. But I have been busy going crazy in my head with all the things I would like to get done before I have my surgery. I had been saving some tins and containers for this..

I saw it in a magazine and pulled it out. I am going to send some of these to my sister for her craft room which she is almost done renovating. I also picked these up today on sale at Joann's...

I am not sure which I am going to use on my current project... will just have to wait and see.
Also my big sister thought of me when she went into this store in her town that has furniture that gets refurbished. These chairs were probably well over 50 years old and came from the fancy hotel that used to be in their town.

I sanded cleaned and spray painted them..

and am redoing the seats in this...

they will look like this when I am done..

I love them they have other ones set aside for me so I can pick one up here and there as I can afford them. I am very excited and love them. I am still not feeling great so I am going to bed early then off to my other big sisters early tomorrow for some family time.

fo traveling women shawl

just to give you guys a heads up I have added a few things to the blog. There are now direct links to my patterns and recipes to make it easier if you should want to find one. :) I thought that would be handy. I have been working out like a good girl and am good and sore although I did cook chicken fried steak for dinner..not healthy but delicious.

My poor hubby this is what he must deal with at dinner. It sorta reminds me of the commercials where the monkeys are riding on people and making them smoke. lol Poor benji. Now here is a pic of the finished product of my traveling woman shawl. and enjoy the cleavage shot now because my breast reduction is scheduled for aug 17 and I will be a c after that day So crazy excited about the fact that I will no longer have to lug my 36gs along to the gym.
The traveling woman shawl it is very nice. I beaded the bo edging. I had to block it twice because I pulled out the wrong spots and the little points still aren't super exaggerated. but oh well.

here is a pretty shot of the beaded lace edging.

and here it is on the back fence.
Now I am going to take a minute quick to talk to you about fruits and veggies. I always try to keep tons in the house and I refuse to buy bagged lettuce anymore. I have a system when I get home from the grocery store I fill a big bowl or sink with cool water and pour in a bit of vinegar and lemon juice. I soak them in thereto clean any dirt and grit off since vinegar is a natural disinfectant and lemon juice helps keep stuff from browning and then rinse them here is the stuff.

I always chop and prep everything right away. I love my salad spinner it was like 3$ on clearance and a big must is the plastic lettuce knife you see on the bottom it keeps you lettuce from browning and cuts through it like butter it is magic.

I rinse spin and put away in fridge. I get a great big Tupperware bowl of salad for 1$ instead of 3 for a bag. It stays fresh longer too and I know it is clean. I had two big bowls of salad for lunch today after bosu class.

I think my next post will be some new favorite things I have been finding :) Hope today is treating you guys well.

5 minute to die pot pie

This is one of my families favorite recipes and it is soo easy and soo good. All you need to make a pot pie is: some pie crusts I choose not to make my own usually I just by refrigerated and I will tell you that Betty crockers is the best it is flakier and more buttery then the cheepos (this one was made with cheepo brand), a big can of cream of chicken soup (or two small if you want to use reduced fat that works too), Some cooked cubed boneless skinless chicken breast ( if you are in a real hurry you can buy the precooked stuff I usually just toss a few frozen ones in the crock pot in the afternoon with a pinch of sea salt and some pepper) and some veggies. We use broccoli allot but I have used a can of veg all many times too you can use what ever you like. You put the first pie crust in your pie pan and then mix all the other ingredients and pour them in. Now when I was on bed rest my brilliant hubby who was learning to cook put some cheddar inside the broccoli chicken potpie before putting the top on this was historic and has happened ever since. Put on the top and pinch edges with fork trim and put a few holes. I went a step further and sprinkled some Italian mixed shredded cheese on top. Bake 400 for about 10-15 minutes or so until golden and beautiful like this...

doesn't that look yummy??? It literally takes like 5 minutes to throw together and can be ready in less than 30!! You can wow people with this one and it is such a cinch. I love it and any one who has had it or who I have passed the recipe on to loves it. It is even the most kitchen uncoordinated can pull this one off.

Hope you guys enjoy it.

pizza and beach what could be better...

Our weekend has been pretty good so far. Yesterday my hubby had to work all day so we got up did family zumba and then grocery shopped. When the hubby got home we made home made pizza. I use pioneer woman's dough recipe I have done it allot and it turns out great the way I speed it up is I turn the over to warm and I put the dough in there with a damp towel over it and let it rise. I get at least 3 good size pizzas out of the recipe. I can't find the recipe but it is 4 c flour 1 packet of yeast and 1 1/2 c warm water and 1/3 c oil. i turn the over to warm then pour the yeast into the warm water and stir it then mix the oil and flour then the water and yeast get mixed in I knead the dough. Pour a bit of oil into the bowl and then roll the dough around in it cover it with the towel and throw it in the oven for about 45 minutes, roll out and top. Another tip the crust can be kinda dry so I put butter or oil on the edge and I sprinkle with some parm (the cheapo powder kind)

This one is pesto, tomato and fresh mozzarella. Was delish. So yummy.




Soooo Yummy.

bacon cheese burger. I mixed ketchup and mustard for the sauce. I used left over ground beef and real bacon bits mozzarella and cheddar and this makes the pizza you will think that it is crazy but it is soo good...pickles.


Then we had a lazy morning at home where fire monster had a tea party

In the mean time me and sister had to get fancy hair.

and we spent the afternoon at the beach. Here is fire monster in true form just watching everyone and doing her own thing.

and Monkey butt trying to catch fish all day.

We also saw this little critter who got his self stuck in the garbage can. He was very cute and the hubby thought about helping him but he is a wild animal and can be very mean not to mention the fact that he was making very scary ungodly noises!!! Hopefully he got out naughty little bugger.

well I hope you all had a great weekend I am going to have some left over pizza and a cocktail and hang out with my hubby.

preview..

So the week has been just flying by here. Still no word from the insurance company (no surprise there) I did call and they told me to call back on Monday. I plan to call Monday tuesday..wed...thur.... and every freakin day until I get a yes :) I have been to four work out class's so far this week zumba and a bosu. I am soooo stinkin sore I can move but I really don't want to. But me and monkey butt are going to do family zumba tomorrow.

Other then that I have been working on a traveling woman shawl that I am making out of the bad juju yarn. It is coming along swimmingly. Yes I know that the color detracts from the pattern but seriously what else was I to do with bad juju fingering weight yarn?? So here it is and it suits it better then anything else I have tried to start with it.

If you look really hard you can see the life line I put in. I have never taken the time to do that before but I wasn't sure if I had enough yarn to do one more repeat of the first lace chart but I wanted to try and it turns out i didn't so I ripped it this morning and I got a few rows done before the life came a calling.
I will certainly do this again with a less busy yarn and maybe some beading?? Anyway I am going to go get my booty ready for bed. I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

fo ilene bag

I totally forgot to post my finished beachie bag photo. The pattern was the Ilene bag and it was made from sugar and cream with size 4 and 6 needles. I love love love this bag. I made it a big big so I can use it as a beach/gym bag. I love that the 1x1 ribbing on the handle looks like neat st st. I also had to learn the 3 needle bo for this project.

I have it crammed full of stuff in this photo for the beach. but I intend to make a smaller version for a purse I love it soo much. It is a great bag and I love the way it worked with the sugar and cream. I love the weight and sturdiness of the yarn in this pattern. It is truly great. I can't wait to make another.

I had my consultation with the plastic surgeon and it sounds great I am waiting now for the insurance company to make a decision on wither they are going to cover it. If you know me I am not a good waiter. So I stewed about it before bed and then I woke up feeling like I had been punched in the jaw. I must have been in full out stress grinding my teeth mode last night and popped my jaw out of line. I had a miserable day. I am back to the mouth guard at night I guess. I skipped the gym and sat here watching leap year (from netflix) and knitting traveling woman shawl out of my knit one crochet too ty-dy (or better known as the bad juju yarn) I will see how this goes it can always be a gift. :)

It is soo funny how I had to buy the bad juju yarn last year I thought the pansy color way was wonderful and couldn't wait to get it and it has caused me nothing but pain lol. So far though it seems to like being a shawl better then it has liked being a pair of socks. :) Well I am off to knit some more before bed. :)

Family fun weekend..

So I finally pined down my sister in law to get her to pick up her Lelah and try it on for a pic for my Ravelry account of coarse.

This is her in the finished product. I love that the lace design turned into little hearts since I knit it backwards. It was totally unintentional but was perfect for what we were going through when I knit it. I love it soo much.

When she came to get it I was at my big sisters getting ready to go to Lilith Fair. A all female concert which I got free tickets for from one of the hubbys co-workers. It was fun to get dressed up and go into the city with the big sis.

This is us on the front steps before we took off

Isn't she cute lol. We saw Courtyard Hounds ( the two sisters from the dixie chics project) they were what you would expect sweet and pretty but didn't cut it with out Natalie. Heart who rocked hard and my favorite Mary J blige. She was great she did my favorites of hers, a u2 song ,and stair way to heaven. Sarah McLaughlin was great too. We stayed for 2 of hers then beat the crowd

we got tons of freebies too a cute chevy bag, 2 moist towels, tampons, crystal light, luna bars, pads, degree body spray, 20 free itunes songs (non of the ones I wanted but its cool) and coupons.

but best of all I had tons of fun with the big sis. Here are our photos from the crystal light booth. It was a blast to hang out with her.

beach day

Today was a great day. It was all about family and beach. My sister came with my niece Megan and her friend Jenna. All us girls loaded up and went to the beach water park here in town. We sat out while the kids played, swam a bit, and I worked on this Ilene bag. It is a beach bag.

I am loving this bag. I just am using sugar and cream that I had laying around from dish rags. I love the pattern. I only use sugars and cream for dish rags usually but I love how sturdy it seems in this pattern. It was a super great day with my sister chatting and having fun and the girls had a blast with their cousin and auntie.
but poor Shelby got burned. I sprayed her down but the wind must have caught it. She promised that she had put sun screen on her face but she lied it looks the same as her back. Poor kid she has never had a sun burn before!!! But that was the one casualty of the day. I actually have plans with my sister for the rest of the weekend. I have beach again tomorrow and family dinner and then Sunday we are off to Lilith Fair. I am excited to get some sister time. :) I have such a great family that I love so much and I love spending a nice summer day with them.

As for fire monster well lol this was her right after dinner. She was casualty # 2. Have a great weekend guys

the stress knitting and surgeries continue..

I say we just get the crazy surgery talk out of the way right away and move on. So the dad in law is doing great. He is sitting up and off of basically everything. He had his ventilator off right away last night and he is spectacular. I had my appointment. with the doctor today to get a referral for my breast reduction she okayed me now I have a consultation with a plastic surgeon on Monday morning. Oh and when the nurse went to type my weight in I have lost over 10% of my body weight since my last visit so a thing poped up making sure they put in the correct weight that was nice after bieng platued for so long

Here is the fo pic from my some what cowl. I added on to the length and here she is.

My stress knitting is getting out of control. Here is the Lelah being blocked it is just lovely.

The color is beautiful ,the yarn is soft, and it fits like a glove lets hope it is well appreciated. As you can see there are the little lace hearts :) but since I finished that last night I had to start something new. So it was finally time for the all day beret.

I cast of 88 st instead of the 104 It called for because I have heard many complaints of too looseness and It is for monkey butt. It is cute it is cuter on her but she has a bit of a cold when she got home from her dads so she is already asleep. I will get a pic of her another day. I am going to rummage through my knitting stash now for another project and finish watching gone with the wind. I hope every one is well and if any one has any great breast reduction storeys share or advice I am all ears (or all boobs for now anyway) lol :)

Video from Yahoo!

sorry guys this is the best I could do for the link tonight. Phil you will be missed
Deadliest Catch Television show - Deadliest Catch TV Show - Yahoo! TV

http://tv.yahoo.com/deadliest-catch/show/41661/videos/20851652

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Yahoo! Video

progress

I kept smelling the distinct sent of my dad last night and I have to say it felt like a good omen. I woke up (way too early) feeling like everything was going to be just fine.So I spent 8 hours today in a waiting room while my father in law arteries replaced. It was a long tedious day of stress and anxiety. I worked on my sister in laws Lelah while channeling my gurus from afar and had her try it on I cut her face out due to the fact that well... she looked like hell. She was crying and under lots of stress so all faced will be blocked to protect the Innocent.

the pattern is a great one. I actually did it top down so the lace pattern is upside down which makes it look like hearts which I think is very fitting.

It looks great on her body and will be wonderful it is made from Elizabeth Harding kashmir so has some cashmere in it. The orangie glow is the stress and fear in the waiting room. I am glad to report that my father in law is off the ventilator, pace maker, and all heart regulating meds already the nurses say he is a ten out of ten right now. I am exhausted. I am very sad that I can't watch the last Phil deadliest catch tonight I am trying to attach a video I am not sure I can do it right.

I look forward to watching it with my sister this weekend and sobing like a baby. My love to the Harris family.

my knitting gurus..

So I am running low on books so I am going back to books that I lost my way on some how. I brought Eat Pray Love with me to the beach today. I started it when I was pregnant with fire monster and probably found something with zombies, vampires, werewolves,or bounty hunters to read. I am attempting to go back to it now.

I was reading along while sitting on the beach with the family today and Elizabeth Gilbert says" A great yogi is one who has achieved a permanent state of enlightened bliss. A guru is a great yogi who can pass that state on to others. The word guru is composed of two Sanskrit syllables. The first meaning darkness the second meaning light :out of the darkness and into the light. You go to your guru not only for lessons but to actually receive the gurus state of grace. If you yearn sincerely for a guru you will find one. The universe will shift destiny's molecules will get themselves organised and your path will soon intersect with the path of the master you need. " (those are direct quotes btw)

I was reading this and it dawned on me. I have gurus!!

When I was 23 with a less then one year old baby, a single parent working at caribou coffee as a part time gig. I was lonely and in a weird desperate place in my life. When I met the knit ladies. A group of women who met every week to knit. Little did I know they would be my gurus my life savers who would teach me and share thier state of grace with me. The main group of which were Amy (my twin who never fails to surprise me), Jean(my sister who is sooo magical and always glass half full), Lynn(my holistic adventurous yogi), and Valarie( my mom ). I wanted to knit with them so I taught my self from a book over the weekend and went to the next knit group. They helped teach me the rest. They are all special, patient, talented, wonderful, women who radiate kindness and light all around them.

They are everything that a guru is described as. They have seen me through single motherhood, marriage, bed rest, naughty babies lol, deaths of loved ones, births of loved ones, hair school, anything, and everything but as soon as I walk in and land in their warm blanket of love and kindness and start forming stitches to make some thing for someone I love, all the stress heart break anxiety melts away. I have to be the luckiest women ever because I have a village of gurus.

This is a picture I took, of the only picture I have it is Julie, Valarie,and Lynn. I had a hard time finding words to explaining each one they are all so brilliant and wonderful. There are many others who are wonderful and I love to over the time but people come and people go, we have moved coffee shops numerous times in the last year, but one thing is always the same I will always walk into group and have these amazing women's state of grace surround me and make me a better person mother Friend and knitter. I love and miss my gurus and don't see them nearly enough these days. Thank you my gurus for all the things you have taught me, all the hard times, and joys you have seen me through, all the times you saved me. I am definitely blessed to have you.

more stress knitting

Well we are playing the waiting game until Tuesday when the father in law has his by pass. I have been knitting up a storm. I knit Fire monster a skirt. I did the flora dress but made it into a skirt pattern.

I figured out my gauge and her waist measurements and co then knit until I could fit the headband I used for the waistband inside and knit back onto the beginning like a picot edge. Knit a few row then increased every 7 stitches and then every other row would increase 7 more until 35 were increased.




knit to the length I wanted and did the cute flower petal edging.

I love it and so does fire monster. It is cute and feminine. I have a appointment wed. with my doctor to see about getting a referral for a breast reduction!!! I am very nervous and excited but my girlfriend sherry said she would come stay with me to help after So that right there is worth it lol. I love my sherry. I will have to start knitting her a thank you gift.

Well I am off to knit and decide what to do with monkey butt she has the temperament of a rhinoceros in labor today!! I was going to go watch Johnny Lang sing tonight at a concert down the road with the family but am not sure that she is fit to be around any human beings tonight. Worst comes to worst I have a bath tub and a bottle of wine to keep me company lol. Have a good weekend guys

updates..

Well my hubby's dad went home until Monday when he will be checked back in and preped. They had to wait until the plavix wears off to operate. So now we will go back monday.

I have been doing tons of stress knitting. I made both the girls 2 summer sundresses but monkey butts is a shirt per her request. So here is hers.

the back
the front. You can see in the back ground the some what cowl blocking on the back porch. I ripped the bottom and knit a few more inches it fit like a dream. I have been in ripping mode. I ripped my first raglan leaf tea from last summer and am thinking of making it into a Lelah top for my sister in law. We will see. That was a bear to rip I will tell you that right now. but I must go I am off to drop monkey butt to her dad and then I am going to come home and work on fire monsters skirt I am knitting her. I am almost done and I started it this after noon!!! It seems like it will be cute :)

Bad news, good news..

So I guess I will give you guys the bad news first. My father in law who is 53 had a heart attack a few nights ago. He was transported a few hours to St. Cloud. They tried to place a stint it didn't work. He is going to have a triple by pass. We are going up to visit today with the kids so he can see them before surgery. And then my sister is going to keep fire monster day of surgery and monkey butt will go to her dads. I am sure he will be just fine. It is going to mean huge life changes for him and my step mother in law who will have to learn to cook with something other than LARD ( I know who still does that right lol) anyway keep us in your thoughts.

Other then that I finished my some what cowl and love love love it. I just last night ripped out the bottom seem to make it longer. I like my shirts a bit longer and I had a bit on my 4th skein left so why not. I still have two full skeins left so I will have to make something great with it :)

Here is two pic of it pre ripped bottom edge

I am tired and hungry and must eat before I head to zumba, then rush off for st cloud to see Danny. So I hope you are all having a great week and had a spectacular 4th. Probably wont hear from me for a few days.