Warning: May Contain Knitting

  When everything is crap, the little things are just so much more exciting than usual. Take my hobby of knitting, for example. I was so happy to finish the back piece of a sweater that's been languishing for a while. I quickly started to front to keep my momentum going. There are 14 inches of boring before it gets exciting, so that's good knitting to take to work. Then Katrina says that one of her teachers is having a baby, and would I maybe knit something for her? Ooh, baby stuff- so adorable and quick! That's going well also. And those funky socks? Set aside so I can finish the baby sweater.

But what really got me excited was a yarn purchase. 

A little background: A while back, a friend hinted that they kinda wanted a blanket similar to the charity blanket I worked on last year. Who can blame them? It was gorgeous. So, I've spent a lot of time gazing at pretty yarn, wondering how I will come up with the funds for this masterpiece (considering I have an engine to pay for!). Good yarn ain't cheap. Non-knitters don't realize knitting a pair of socks usually costs $20 - $30 if you use quality yarn. And this blanket? About 9 pairs of socks worth of yarn. So last Monday, I was gazing at yarn again and came across something I had overlooked. A three pound ball of good sock yarn for $20. Three pounds! For twenty dollars! That's about 14 pairs of socks! JACKPOT! What's the catch? It's undyed. 

  Undyed yarn does not, in any way, present a problem. I love dyeing yarn. The problem is deciding on a color scheme. Any suggestions?

The color wheel is your friend!

Hey, how's that new engine working?

  I don't know, because IT'S STILL NOT HERE!

  Perhaps I'm getting tired of the crappy things that have been happening. Perhaps it's just PMS. But either way, I want my car back, and I want to see the grass, and I want a vacation from my life. 

2014 can suck it.

  On the bright side (there is always a bright side), it was really nice driving Dad's truck to my gig in a snowstorm.

 

  I'm going to go knit now. Because knitting is like Valium. (Even when you have to rip out and re-knit about 8 inches of a sweater because you can't do basic math.)

Sally

  It's not a decision I'm taking lightly, the decision to end a life. And it's not something you're ever "ready" to do. Especially since this time, it's not about quality of life. It's about bad behavior. 

  I love my cats, every one I've ever had. They are really like my furry children. But after so many years of litterbox issues, I just couldn't take it anymore.

 We said goodbye to Sally today. She was probably the cat with the most personality we've had. It's a good thing too, because she was definitely not good looking. Poor thing, living in Wisconsin without a nice fluffy coat of fur. That's why she always wanted to cuddle. Her favorite place? Inside your shirt. And she was always purring. Always. Such a happy cat.

  I feel like I'm the most horrible person for doing this. Like I didn't try hard enough, I'm giving up too soon. But we did try. We tried a lot of things, for a long time.

  I really going to miss you, Sally.

Crazy cat lady knit her cat a sweater.

 

To Bring You Up To Date

  One month later, and I'm still driving someone else's vehicle. I'm not even sure if the new engine has been ordered. But Dad's 4 wheel drive pick-up has come in handy after the several snow events that have happened in the last couple of weeks. 

And the heated seats are nice too. My next vehicle will definitely have heated seats.

I got this.

  On Tuesday, my wonderful daughter told me that I needed to take her shopping. Shopping for a warm hat that will stay on while she's skiing. Because Friday is the first ski Club trip.

Um. Really?

"Honey, do you not see the bins of yarn downstairs? I think I've got it covered."  

Teenagers!

Edited to add: Finished the hat at 5pm Thursday!

Straight down the crapper!

I knew things had been going to well lately. I got all content with my life, and that jinxed it!

My car died. It didn't slowly wither away. There was no reason to suspect a problem. It showed no symptoms, then BAM! It was gone. Well, not really BAM, it was more of a "CLACKETY, CLACKETY, CLACKETY, RATTLE, RATTLE, SILENCE" episode. And so there it sits, lifeless, in the driveway. 

The preliminary diagnosis is that the engine is dead. Gone. Seized up. Kaput. 

The treatment? Engine transplant. 

And so my life has gone down the crapper. We can't manage two car payments, and professional repair costs almost as much as a crappy used car. So, self-repair is Karl's preferred option. Yeah. Self-repair, to replace the engine. (Don't worry, I think he's crazy too)

It's still going to cost a bundle, just a slightly smaller bundle. Goodbye 2014 family vacation. Goodbye 2104 "mental health" vacation to New Hampshire. Goodbye new windows. Goodbye kitchen makeover.

Just kill me now.

In which I bore you with my boring life.

  It's the last day of 2013. I was going to write a nice long "year in review" post, but I don't have the time: there's a mountain of dishes to do, I have to take Katrina to Kohls to exchange a gift, and I have a LMS gig tonight. So, here's a review of what has happened since my last post

• We got a new hamster. His/her name is Sherlock/Shirley the Transgender Teleporting Hamster. The little guy/gal is not terribly tame, so we've not been able to tell if it's a he or a she. He/she's terribly cute and moves at lightning speed, so no photos. Here's a stock photo of this type of hamster though:

He/she's a Robo Hamster

•  At work, we worked tirelessly to launch a new website, and it's actually working! Orders are trickling in. Yes, it's an odd combination, but we combined the two stores onto one website - shopthehouse.com - kitchen supplies along with toys and games. Give the site a visit (it's still not 100% done, but we're getting there) and do some ordering! Chances are pretty good I'll be the one packing the order.

• It snowed.
• It snowed again.
• The cat is sick - I'm worried.
• Christmas was good.
• My birthday didn't exist because we spent it with Karl's family. But my Facebook friends made up for that with all their birthday wishes - Thanks!
• It's snotsicle cold right now
• I'm still not sure what day it is and whether or not I'm supposed to be going to work. It will take a while to get out of the "holiday rush" mindset.

And, that's about the extent of it. Wow, so boring. Sorry.

Happy New Year.