Secret Pal 10 Revealed and WOW!

Oh my dog. My last Secret Pal package came today. It was incredible! My spoiler pal is at thursday's journey and was wonderful to me. Holy cow. She wrapped the gifties up in tissue (which I enjoy but never do) and sent so many wonderful goodies.
Blogger only allows 5 pictures at a time, so although I have about 17 pics just from this package, I had to keep the number down. The card she sent said "Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still. -Chinese Proverb" with wonderful things inside including the fact that Thursday has signed me up to receive Interweave Knits! Wahoo!
This yarn from Knitpicks is not only a favorite colorway, it's also very soft. Socks, mittens? I shall have fun dreaming about this yarn.
Ok, this Hand Maiden yarn is fabulous. I wish you could reach out and touch it. It's 400 meters of 70% silk and 30% Seacell. I don't know how this knits up and I really don't care. It will feel wonderful on my skin in the process. Thursday told me there is a scarf pattern in the summer Interweave Knits that calls for this yarn. I believe all patterns should call for this yarn. Yes, it's just that soft.
Lion Brand's Lion Cotton is great Secret Pal! 236 yards of pure cotton. She also "scent" some wonderful Lavender soap and it makes me want to share it via smell-o-vision. This yarn is a wonderful change from Lily yarn, which I like but the color here is so much more vibrant. I really do love a good red and this one is good. I'm thinking of making another market bag out of it.

Thursday also sent me some wonderful scrapbook stuff including that wonderful blue bag, stickers, a frame, some lettering and fun scissors. She included the "Wendy Knits" book along with some letter K post-its and some lip "goo". When we opened the lip goo, Buttons asked "is that for me"? Guess I'll share.

Thanks Thursday!!! You really know my taste and went above and beyond and I am truly grateful. I can't wait to read more of your blog now that I know your identity!

Would you like to know who my spoilee was? Click on over to The Knitorious Mrs. B and give her a big howdy! She was fantastic to spoil and her blog is really fun.

Dishcloth Swap Questionnaire

Yes, it's another swap for me.

1. Do you knit, or crochet, or do both? How long have you been knitting\crocheting? I've been knitting for around 4 years. The first yarn I ever purchased was to learn to crochet a dishcloth, but I recently made it into a bib for my daughter. So I don't crochet, but maybe I will someday.
   
2. Have you knit dishcloths or dishtowels before? Yes.
3. What are your favorite cotton yarns? Is there a cotton or linen you’ve been dying to try but have not? Fave cotton yarns in general are Mission Falls cotton, and just good ole Lily washcloth yarn. I'm always into trying new yarns that someone really enjoys. I do like cotton blends like Wildflower and am anxious to try Knitpicks Shine, but I don't know as they'd make good washcloths. I'd also like to try some cotton chenille.
   
4. Are there any cotton yarns you don’t enjoy knitting with? Cotton in general can be very unforgiving, but there aren't any that really have me swearing.
5. What type of needle do you prefer using? (Metal/Wood/Plastic) Love my Denise needles, but bamboo ranks up there as well. Haven't tried Bryspun or Lantern Moon, but they both have me interested, those little devils.
6. What other projects do you enjoy knitting or crocheting? Hats, scarves, baby sweaters, bibs, (ok, lots of baby/toddler stuff), felted handbags. I'm going to start knitting some stuffed animals as well. I also am still entrenched in my first pair of toe-up socks. Sometime this summer I plan on starting Christmas stockings for my hubby and I after the fun I had knitting my daughter her stocking last summer.
7. Do you have other hobbies or enjoy other kinds of crafting? I like to think I scrapbook, but knitting takes up most of my crafty energy. I love taking pictures, watching movies and when my brain is working I also enjoy reading. Oh yes, I love to travel.
8. What kind of treats do you like? Chocolate? Candies? Nuts? I'm trying to be good, but chocolate is definitely my favorite. I adore genuine Belgian, but I think a Hershey bar is better than some very pricey chocolates. Yeah. I heart chocolate.
9. What colors are your kitchen and bath decorated in, if any? My kitchen is currently my least favorite room and I hope to paint it in the next year or so. Yellow would go with my kitchen now and later the best. The master bath (mine!) is celery green with light lavender and our other bath is wedgewood blue with brown. None of our rooms are country, but very casual.
10. What are your favorite colors and what colors do you dislike? I like most colors and in a washcloth I think funky is perfectly respectable but not necessary. I'm not the biggest fan of extremely muted colors (probably because I look so bad in them) but I don't go for super loud either. I would choose sage or celery green over olive or khaki green but I would oppose kelly green always. Oy. Don't worry too much about color. I'm truly easy to please.
11. Do you drink coffee? Tea? Other beverages? Decaf green or black tea with or without flavoring. I do enjoy Earl Grey and English Breakfast very much. However, one of my secret pals bought me green tea with pomegranate and it was lovely. There aren't many teas I haven't liked or wouldn't try.
12. Do you have any kids (human or pet variety!)? I have a daugther who will be three in October and a fuzzy wuzzy cat.
13. Do you have any allergies? Strong smoke sensitivity (asthma).
14. Please share 3 tidbits about yourself that you think your pal and other swappers might find odd or interesting. I've played a nun and a blind beggar in community theater. I worked at a knitting store before I even knew how to do an i-cord. I've seen every episode of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer".
    

Wordless Day (Can't seem to do Wednesdays anymore!)

Time Out

What do you get when you combine this book, guilt, a whiny child and a nosy retailer? A trip to IKE@! Magic 123 has been a wonderful resource and if you follow it I think it's very good. It's a time out method with some skill involved. Some of the things I've found most important are being consistent, staying calm, follow through and hugs. However, time outs (especially in public) are guilt inducers for me even though I know they work, every child needs discipline and in the end it's a positive thing.

I know it's hard to believe, but sometimes Buttons cries and whines. Ok, she's 2 so it's not so hard to believe. We were shopping with our friend B. and her two daughters who are all very close in age and want to do all the same things. Buttons wanted to push a cart around and I wanted her to stay in the cart. I was going to let her down after we had shopped for a little while, but she started the whining. One of the things I'm trying to convey to her is that whining will not get you what you want. So, I started using the Magic 123 system. She whines, I count one. She whines again I count two and up to 3 when she gets a time out. This becomes challenging in public because the child is not supposed to have any interaction during this time but I would never leave her alone. So, I have her safely buckled in the seat and put her next to a column and stood three feet away. She can see me, I can see her, but I'm trying my best to do a time out for her. She cries and says "mommy" and I'm doing best to stand my guilt ridden ground.

Next thing I know an employee comes up and asks Buttons where her mother is. I'm thinking ok, maybe she doesn't understand that I'm her mom since we do look a bit different from each other. Then I tell her I'm the mom and she's in a time out right now. The woman stares. Blink. Blink. Blink. Finally I say "It's ok." She continues to stare and then says "you will take care of her, right?" to which I reply "it's ok and yes I will take care of her". Then I surprise myself and stand my ground by waiting until Buttons' time out is over before I go to her. I didn't do anything wrong, damnit and I don't want Buttons thinking that if she cries loud enough to get someone to come over that I'll just cave. I can so easily cave on so much in my life, but I want my girl to feel secure and I think this is a decent way to do it.

I did go to her, gave her a big hug and let her know time out was over. She asked where her friends were and we went to look for them. I knew they aren't far because my friend is also a believer in this system, so she knew we'd only have time out for 2 minutes (1 minute for every year of the child). Buttons calmed down and asked for a snack. Ah yes, hunger can make anyone crabby. So, snacks were served, details given about future plans of the shopping trip. My friend asked the girls to raise their hands if they were ready for lunch. Oh, the hands went up fast. Time out forgotten. A little bit of my own guilt remains. Arrrgghhh.

Poetry Book Has Buttons Hooked

When Buttons first came home we received so many gifts. It was amazing. People we knew very well and even people we barely knew gave us wonderful things. Some were good for right away, some reserved for later. This book was given to us by a very sweet lady we didn't know very well, but she was excited for us.

When I first started to read this to Buttons, she really didn't get into it. However, now it's "I love poems Mama." We read one called "Yellow Butter" all the time now and it makes us laugh. I've heard that poetry is really great for young minds (old foggies like me too). It's divided into different areas like bathtime, animals, night-time, food and just plain silliness. There are a couple of rhymes at the end that are such sweetime bed-y bye poems. Anyway, I recommend this book.

5 Ways to Know You Spend Too Much Time at T@rget

5. When you pass the store and the 2 year old in the back seat squeals "are we going to T@rget now?"

4. On your way into T@rget, same 2 year old gives you a food order. (We've only had a snack in their cafe a few times, but apparently it's become tradition.)

3. During pretend play with stroller and dolls, 2 year old informs us she's going to T@rget. (Thankfully she tells me she's going to Tr@der Joes more often.)

2. I go with hubby and Buttons to T@rget and only purchase the detangler we went in for and I almost go into shock. I mean knowing what you're going to get, going in and just getting that item? Unthinkable. (P.S. Detangler ROCKS!!!)

1. While having a delicious ice cream treat at D@iry Queen (our local creamery was closed and we had promise a frozen treat) Buttons sees two people together wearing matching red shirts. They worked at the drugstore next door, but Buttons asked "do they work at T@rget?". Mmm-kay. Note to self: Less T@rget shopping.

ENFP

You Are An ENFP

The Inspirer You love being around people, and you are deeply committed to your friends. You are also unconventional, irreverent, and unimpressed by authority and rules. Incredibly perceptive, you can usually sense if someone has hidden motives. You use lots of colorful language and expressions. You're quite the storyteller! In love, you are quite the charmer. And you are definitely willing to risk your heart. You often don't follow through with your flirting or professed feelings. And you do break a lot of hearts. At work, you are driven but not a workaholic. You just always seem to enjoy what you do. You would make an excellent entrepreneur, politician, or journalist. How you see yourself: compassionate, unselfish, and understanding When other people don't get you, they see you as: gushy, emotional, and unfocused

What's Your Personality Type?

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday (er...Friday)

Housework Shmousework

Surely I am not the worst housekeeper, but I am far from the best. I'm continents, maybe worlds away from that. I have too much crap and no place to put it. I'd like to have organizing specialists come to my house and just do it for me. They would come in wearing white suits and by the time they're done, the suits would be dark and dingy but my house would sparkle and there would be a place for everything and everything in its place.

My mom is flying in today and I'm on whirlwind cleaning mode. Yes, I am currently procrastinating by blogging. However, when Mom is here, I won't have much time to blog, so I had to blog. (See how good I am at rationalizing? It's a very important part of procrastination.)

I also get bogged down in fairly useless areas while I clean instead of looking at the bigger picture. I was putting laundry away and found a few purses in my closet full of junk. I decided to clean out all of my purses and I did. Did the laundry get put away? Uh, no.

I am always overwhelmed by housework. It becomes this big dark storm cloud over my head and I just want to put up my umbrella and pretend it's not there. However, if I don't get started the people in white will come, but they will be here to help me save my sanity.

Suggestions, anyone? Yeah, I know... just do it.

(On a totally unrelated note, Buttons just asked if the embroidery picture of Dolly Parton from my previous post was me. Oh, the irony.)

Dolly Parton Role...A Bust

So my weekend had my stomach in knots waiting for news on my audition for a production of Steel Magnolias. I wanted this part so badly I could taste the grits. The news came today in the form of an e-mail. I didn't get the part. Apparently the director really liked my audition but felt I was just too young looking to be believable as the mother of 2 grown children. I guess looking too young is not a bad reason to be turned down for a role, huh? It's still hard, but I'm looking forward to auditioning again in the fall for a musical. Believe it or not, I actually gained some confidence in the process. I went into it thinking I had no chance, then feeling like I did really well and probably nabbed it. That's progress. I think I'll probably audition for more straight (non-musical) roles with much more aplomb.

Knit in Public Day

Today was "Worldwide Knit in Public Day". I didn't know that when I KIP'd today at the yard sale a neighbor and I had together. Thank goodness for knitting. The yard sale was pretty much a bust as far as selling stuff was concerned. The good news was I got a great deal on a toddler bed for Buttons, was able to chat without interruption to many neighbors, and finished another jester hat for a friend's baby coming in July. (Ok, I still need to sew it up, but the knitting part is done.)

Did you knit in public today?

Sweet Dreams to You

Me: May I have a kiss goodnight?

Buttons gives me a kiss then gives her arm a few kisses.

Me: You're giving yourself kisses? That's great. You deserve lots of kisses.

Buttons: I deserve you too, Mama.

Me? I'm still in a puddle on her bedroom floor.

Congratulations Stephanie, Joe and Leah!

Stephanie is a blogger I met in real life while she was waiting for her referral. Well the wait is over! Go get a peek at Maya Yi Mei. She's beautiful. What a lucky family!

Wordless Wednesday

There Ain't No Such Thing as Natural Beauty

Well, I went for it again. I auditioned for the part of Truvy Jones (Dolly Parton's role) in Steel Magnolias. Before I went, I decided if I don't get the role, it would be just as well since it would take up a good portion of my summer. Then I went to the audition. The director put us at ease, there were many talented and fun women there and I had a great time getting up there and doing my best former beauty queen with a southern accent. I am no beauty queen and I am not southern, but I think I did pretty well and if I don't get the part it won't be because I didn't do my best. And now I want it. So send the good vibes and if y'all want to throw luck my way, tell me to break a leg.

As for the family, one of Hubby's gifts to me for Mother's Day was a DVD of Steel Magnolias. Now, ain't he sweet? As for Buttons, she told me she didn't want me to leave this evening. Ouch. She does enjoy my new habit of reading all of her Olivia books in a southern drawl though.

Happy Anniversary!

13 Wonderful Years
(Almost 20 years together!)

The Final Answer to Why

We're outside of the grocery store.

Me: Look! There's a butterfly...oops it flew away.

Buttons: Why do butterflies fly?

Me: Well, I think they like to fly and they have things they need to do like find food.

(2 minutes pass)

Buttons: Why do they fly, Mama?

Me: I think it's fun to fly. Wouldn't you like to fly if you could?

Buttons: Oh yes.

(5 minutes pass as we wait in line to return some spices)

Buttons: Mama, why do the butterflies fly?

Me: Why do you think they fly Buttons?

Buttons (scrunching face in thought): I have ta look it up on web-site.

Let's Go Fly A Kite (3 Things About Today)

~We went to an FCC picnic today and flew a kite decorated by Buttons. Oh boy did she love flying that thing. It wasn't in the air for very long, but we ran and laughed when she ran away from the wind or dropped the string. She didn't care because it was all about just enjoying what was happening. When we had trouble getting it airborn, she told me the kite was having issues. Excuse me...issues? Oh, boy does she listen.

~She also made friends instantaneously with 3 other girls and they started playing their own made up game right away. All I could see was running around in circles, bumping into each other sometimes and giggling like it was the funniest thing ever. Sometimes I think I remember being that young.

~So, Buttons says other funny things that I know she heard from us like "I'm a big fan of movies" and she'll say something like "I'm a big fan of Caillou". Snort. We wore nametags today and in the car on the way home she was looking at mine and we were asking her what our names were and she answered correctly. Then I asked her what her full name was and she said "S as in Sam". Huh? I figured out she must hear me spell out our last name as I always do using names to emphasize the letters. I always thought she had regulation size ears, but now I know they're huge!

10 Things I Love About Summer

1. Buttons. I love watching her love summer. The sandbox and her little pool are two of her most favorite things. She also has a fondness for bopping carpenter bees with her father. That's their thing not mine, but I'm glad they have a "thing".

2. Music. Windows down, volume up, singing loudly. Blondie, Abba, Erasure...anything I can sing along with in the car and know at least the chorus very well.

3. Movies. There is something heavenly about going into a cold movie theater in the middle of the hottest summer day and needing a sweater when you're inside. I love coming out with the memory of the movie while the sun blinds me with its bright beauty. Sometimes the movies are even pretty good.

4. Gardens. I love seeing the flowers and picking veggies out of a garden. In fact, we need to plant some flowers soon. We just have our perennials up right now. The beauty of the flowers and the grass reminds me of when we lived in San Diego.5. Swimming. Yes, Buttons and I do it all year long indoors, but there's something about being outside at a lake, pool, or even just your own backyard mini-pool that screams summer.

6. Camping. Not that I've really done much of it since I married, but I love it. My family went camping every summer usually in a pretty nice but modest trailer. Hubby and I don't have a trailer, but we have a tent with very few camping supplies. I hope that as Buttons gets a little older, we'll go camping just as I did as a kid. Campfires? Hiking? S'mores? Sleeping hard in your sleeping bag? Oh yeah baby, I'm so there.
7. Grilling. Love the taste of charcoal, but with the ease of gas we wind up doing it more often. Ok, Hubby winds up doing it more often. Veggies and chicken are my fave, but I like grilled bananas too. Yes, you read that correctly...grilled bananas.

8. Shorts. Not on me, but I love to see Buttons and Hubby in shorts. I get to see how much she's grown from last summer when her legs are bare. Last year is was mostly knees and feet. Now she has legs! And Hubby in shorts? He has great legs.

9. Anniversary. Ok, technically ours was a spring wedding, but it's in June so I count it as a summer wedding. We were married on my grandparents farm on the most beautiful day in Michigan in 1994. I got the best one. (Raising Arizona quote.)

10. Food of summer. Watermelon, lemonade, sun tea, corn on the cob, potato salad. Need I say more? I am a foodie after all.

What's your favorite part of summer?