Weekend Vacation

My husband had a five day weekend (he had to ask for two of the days, but they gave them to him no problem-- first time he's asked for off in a year and a half), so we went to Colorado. Here's a couple/few pictures from when we were there. Helen Hunt Falls.

A different part of it:

We didn't hike up it (I was wearing flip-flops).

Some from Garden of the Gods.... (Taken from inside the truck... in case you were wondering what the darker blue strip is on the top of the picture :P)

It is SO green there this year! I guess they are finally out of their drought there (now that we don't live there anymore) :(

Another big rock at Garden of the Gods. (From the truck..)

And another one...

This one is when we got out and walked (I wore my walking shoes this day). I didn't take any pictures of the classic tourist ones: Kissing Camels, the Balanced Rock, etc.... or of Pikes Peak. I do have a Picture Trail Album from when we lived there, that has all of those in it. If you would like to see more pictures. Turn up your volume, there's music too. :-D I am not a photographer by any means, but I thought I would share them with you, anyway.

I edited my profile picture. Since we don't have Koda anymore :( I thought I should put a different picture up. It's a picture I took of cactus (or is it cacti?) growing out of a rock. I figured since we live in the desert, now... I also added a new blog link in my sidebar: My Hook and I. I found her blog via Crochetville. Susan had posted about her 'Michigan Afghan'. Well being from Michigan; I of course had to go see why it was called a Michigan afghan... :P She didn't really say in her post; so I went to look at her blog, and the rest is history.... (Incidentally, it is called the Michigan Afghan because she started it on her vacation to Michigan. :P) I also added another blog: A Mom Living Life ~~ Hope you're not hungry.... ;)

More Boring Dishcloths...

For something to blog about. That's about all I have been doing lately. Besides working on the romantic shrug here and there. This one is a ballband pattern from the Peaches n Cream ballband. I added the border just out of my pea brain.

These are Idiot's dishcloths. Also from a ballband, til I realized I didn't like how the one side was thinner than the other so I went back to the old pattern I used to use. All these so far are for the Pass Creek Elderly Center. It's a KAL/CAL this month I am in.

This one is for my sister. To go with the crocheted one I did.

I cut my pinky finger today. :( We recently got a new steel grater (cuz our old one was SO rusty and falling apart, I was afraid to use it cuz of the rust...) Need I say more?... Well, I was grating carrots for meatloaf and whack! OOOOOOWWW! (I said a more colorful word than that, but I shouldn't repeat it... I hope my six year old didn't understand/hear it. He was my little helper today. I hiss/whispered it under my breath as I was walking away....) It hurt!! I put a band-aid on it right away. I could only find two band-aids~~ the one time I need one. I had to change it and use the second one, cuz it was soaked with blood. It doesn't hurt anymore (it stopped hurting about an hour or so later). But it is right on the last joint of my finger, and it is seriously hampering my knitability!! :( I think I am going to go get some Barbie band-aids or something. Then when I need one, there will be some. :P

I have been cleaning today. (Breaking News!!) :P I cleaned off the computer desk (mostly all my crap: dishcloth cotton, crochet hooks, patterns I printed out... books....) Cleaned off my dresser!!! Yay, me! And cleaned off the ironing board in my room. (Note to self: If you put it away right after you use it, stuff won't pile up on it!! And, yes; it is all my stuff...) Sigh. I need a craft room. Then there won't be piles everywhere. Only in my craft room. :-D (And I can keep the door closed.) I dusted the whole house, except the 17 yr olds room. He's old enough to do it himself. Swept and mopped the kitchen floor and entryway. (I found a cockroach on the floor- dead, but.... I HATE cockroaches! That is what started this whole cleaning frenzy btw...) It's okay. I needed to clean anyway. Tried to re-organize things on my kitchen hutch. My husband unpacked a box of stuff and kinda put it on there, but.... (I didn't like the way it looked.) Plus, it is REALLY old antique stuff, that I know one of the kids will inevitably knock off *somehow* and break... So I put that INSIDE the hutch, and tried to redecorate. (It doesn't look *much* better, decorating-wise, but... it's clean.) I need someone to help me decorate, I am no good at it.

Well I am going to go make a cup of tea. I hope summer is treating you all nicely. Or whatever season it is in your part of the world. :)

Goodbye, Koda :(

I took Koda back to the Animal Shelter today. :( I didn't want to, and I probably wouldn't have if my husband hadn't insisted. But maybe it was for the best. He wouldn't listen to us. And it seemed like he was getting worse, not better. I took this picture of him this morning. He will be four months old next week. The woman behind the counter asked me if I signed up for the free training classes they offered. (No, because after calling the number forty times and finally getting someone on the phone; she said--after a whole life story of all the dogs she has ever owned-- the next classes aren't til this fall. But, I did read Cesar Millan's books, and about three different training sites online....) I don't know if training courses would have helped him, or not. When the girl came to get him, he bit her. All she tried to do was pet him. :( (Maybe they will see why I brought him back, for theirselves; later...) Then she went to get the muzzle and he wouldn't let her get close to him. I picked him up and carried him to the back room. I hope someone (with no kids/ who knows how to handle a dog like him) good will adopt him. We had a rottweiler/black lab mix puppy who was like him, and wouldn't listen. We had to ultimately have him put to sleep. We didn't want to wait until Koda bit Eon-- like Buddy bit Eli..... It has been a hard, hard day.... :(

Dishcloth Tuesdays!

....and Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays.... :P I have been in the Dishcloth Tuesdays CAL over at Crochetville for a while now. Dishcloths are something I always like working on. Especially knitting. These two are knitted. The ballband dishcloth pattern I just recently tried. The red and green variegated is for my friend in Colorado. We went there this weekend for a weekend trip. I was on about the third band of 'bricks' and she said it was really cool. (The blue one was done, too. But she liked the other one better.) So I am going to send it to her. (With some other stuff.) I will probably be making more of these, and others. The CAL/KAL/SAL for this month at Crafting fo a Cause is dishcloths/hotpads/towels.

Here is one I started for my sister while I was in Michigan. It goes with her colors in her kitchen just about perfectly. I thought it was really nice but now next to the ballband ones I don't like it so much. I will probably do one in knitting, too. I ran out of cotton for it. It's funny, because I bought the pattern and cotton for it while I was in Michigan. Brought it home and couldn't finish it cuz I ran out. While I was in Colorado, I bought more; and finished it back home. :P I can't remember the name of the book it was in. But I am pretty sure it was on the Bernat site. Maybe not. I remember seeing it somewhere. It is on their site. Dishcloth You will need to be a member, but it is free. :)

I will have dishcloths going all over the country.... Colorado, Michigan, South Dakota. :P

I am almost halfway through the body edging on my romantic shrug! I am ** this close. I took it with me to work on while driving; until I couldn't do it anymore. I thought I would have more time to work on it while there, but.... (no waa- aaay....) :P I also started another shrug, the SSShrug. (That's Simply Striped Shrug.) Hmmm, I should have posted a picture of it here. It is on my ravelry notebook, if anyone is interested. :)

Green Cats: Dreams, Dogs, and Dishcloths...

I had a strange dream the other night, that we got a (mint) green, super fluffy cat. (It didn't have stripes like this one. :P) I got it from my sister; who didn't want/couldn't take care of it anymore (kind of like she didn't want Sierra anymore, maybe?). So we took it and it was going to be our twelve year olds' cat. Well the next morning, I got up and the cat walked into the kitchen. I said, 'Hi Kitty'. Then looked at our son and '(Gasp) Where has this cat been going to the bathroom at?! I have to get it a litter box!' 'And food. And a dish...' (Duh...) What a weird dream. I don't know where that came from. I forget if that was the night I took a muscle relaxer, or not... :P

I think Koda is getting a little better. (Maybe I am just not so stressed out about it anymore?) A couple of times I have said 'No', and he hung his head down like, 'Awwww, ma...' It was so cute. Then he does this thing with his lip. We call it 'The Elvis Thing'. 'Look, he's doing the Elvis thing! Come look!' :P He was doing it here in this picture (you can't see it very good from up top, it's the right side.) What a goofball. :P

He really stinks. He needs another bath. (Sigh...) Maybe it's time to let one of the older kids do it. And here are a couple of dishcloths I finished recently. The diamond one I've made before. The ballband one is one I have been wanting to try for a while now. It is super easy I don't know what I was afraid of. I like it. Same yarn used for both of these. The diamond blue var. looks brighter. Weird. :P

I am on the sleeve edging of my romantic shrug. Yay... Then on to the body edging, and I will be done. Hope everyone is having a good week so far.

I'm SO Happy!!!! ~ I Went To The Dentist...

Usually, for me; even thinking about going to the dentist would be an anxiety attack waiting to happen!!~~ After my last trip.... (Ugh...) But yesterday, I didn't have ANY cavities, and he said they all look great! Woo Hoo! I must be doing something right. (Wearing my nightguard every night, so I don't grind my teeth, and flossing every day?) Yay, me... Plus, I haven't been eating candy or gum (at all) like I used to. Or chewing ice cubes. Maybe it has all made a difference, too. In all my excitement, I crocheted a tooth! :P You can find the pattern here. I know, I'm such a dork! :P

RIP Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. I was shocked to hear about both of them. And I did hear about both of them, at the same time; too. We were driving home from the dentist, listening to the radio. It wasn't up very loud; and I said, 'Did he just say Michael Jackson is dead?' I was never a huge fan. I mean, I liked him when he was popular (I was a kid), when 'Thriller' and 'Billie Jean' and all that came out. But still, it's sad.

I hope everyone is having a good week; and has a great weekend coming up. :)

Progress on Romantic Shrug...

I finally got around to taking a picture of my progress on the shrug. I'm on the second sleeve, yay.... I tried it on, and it fits just a wee bit loose (but maybe that is how it's supposed to fit?) The sleeves are perfect though.

Koda is being pretty good, today. It's almost like he *knows* we have had it with him, or something. Or maybe he is starting to calm down (although I highly doubt that). He just must know when to be super sweet and cute, little brat. :P He's been laying right on my feet when I'm doing the dishes, or fixing dinner. And following me around. (One of the things he's doing, to be super sweet...) He's under my feet right now as I type.

I hope everyone s having a great week. 'Til next time~~ :)