Craftyminx

Did I miss a memo?

Since when does Oklahoma have monsoon season? I swear its been raining more the past 3 months than it ever has in this land of drought. I'm sure Al Gore would say it has something to do with the depleting ozone, but I digress. Today was quite the scary day for me. I've been sick since last Sunday and I woke up feeling worse today so I did something I hate to do... call the doctor. They got me in at 9:30. I called at 8:10. My doctor is 45 minutes away, in Shawnee and the torrential downpour of the morning had been going on for about 20 minutes.

It wasn't too bad until I was about halfway there then the rain REALLY started coming down. I was running late and cars were starting to pull off the highway. NOT FUN! I kept going...but at a snail's pace, slowly making my way down I-40. The roads in Shawnee were pretty flooded and I was scared to take my shortcut so I took the main exit. It didn't seem much better, but I made it to the doctor's office. I actually got to meet my doctor (after 5 years of being a patient) haha I usually see a nurse practitioner. I was in there for like 5 seconds he looked in my nose said "yeah, you have a TON of drainage! Let me fix you up." The nurse came back in and said, "sinus infection eh?" and handed me a prescription for a z-pack and some uber-decongestant and I was on my way.

Oh but that's not the end of my tale... sorry. It was still coming down super hard so I decided to get my prescription taken care of at the Walmarts (back woods folk add the s for some reason). I park relatively close to the store and find myself completely soaked when I enter the store. I had a rain coat on! I have no idea how it happened. So I got to sit there freezing for 35 minutes while they tried to get my insurance to go through. Ugh

The drive back was still scary. There were a few cars in the median that had probably hydroplaned. Thankfully, I wasn't one of them. It finally stopped raining about halfway through my drive. I'm glad to be home and very glad to have some drugs that will actually work on my stupid nose.

Labels: life

A few FOs

I did finish my yarn over cable socks in the violet's pink ribbon colorway. I love them and am wearing them right now. The short leg is perfect for me, I usually scrunch my socks down anyways.

Pattern: Yarn over cable five-stitch patterns from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch Yarn: Lisa Souza Violet's Pink Ribbon colorway Needles: US #1 Crystal Palace dpns

Started:1-1-07

Finished: 6-13-07

As I said yesterday, my mom was here for the weekend and we managed to get some sewing done. I made curtains for my bedroom. They will look better once I get a rod and drape an overlay on top of them. But that will have to wait until I have more money. Right now, these are great because they block out the light and make my room cooler during the day. They match my bedding perfectly.

I still don't have anything on my walls I need to get the hammer out.

Now for my favorite project. A shower Curtain! I fell in love with it the minute I saw it in the magazine. I knew mine would be made out of my favorite fat quarters and buttons so I could show them off all the time. It still needs to be hemmed, but I had to share, because I was feeling well enough to finish it today. This was my first piecing project and I am very pleased with the results all of my corners met up perfectly. It was a happy project and now I have a happy bathroom!

Pattern: Fresh Attitude from Quilts and More Magazine, Summer 2007
Started: 6-16-07
Finished: 6-20-07

Speaking of not feeling well... Here's a picture of the plague carrying furniture

I wish I didn't hate it so much right now. I should love it, but it made me sick. The recliners are lay-z-boy and are in perfect condition. The couch is going to need to be covered because its scratchy, but all in all they look great. Now if I could only kill whatever is living in them.

Labels: knitting, life, sewing

An awful excuse for an update...

I have done quite a bit of crafting lately. My mom was in town so we did some sewing projects. My favorite being a shower curtain. I can't load any pictures though, because I am not feeling up to finishing everything.

I got new to me furniture on Saturday from my aunt. These items had been locked up in a house for a few years and no on lived there for the past year. Before that the old lady's grandson lived there in squalor for a year or so. The poor house was completely trashed and everything was stained from dog urine. The furniture seemed ok it wasn't really stained and seemed to only smell musty. Fast forward three days... I can't talk because the furniture must be carrying some type of plague. We vacuumed it, steam cleaned it, and sprayed it with every type of fabric freshener/deodorizer/germ killer on the market. It still smells. The furniture is now the bane of my existence. I want to burn it or throw it out of my second story apartment window.

Labels: life

Fighting temptation in a storm of downfalls...

I opened the yarnpirate blog page at 8pm my time found the buttons and did a happy dance that I actually made it in for the club sign ups. I couldn't click though. I just looked at them for a moment and decided that I would have to wait. There will be other times to sign up. I had to fight the urge to spend. Not something that's easy for me.

I've been buying so much stuff lately. Clothing, shoes, yarn, apartment stuff. You name it I've HAD to have it recently. So you see, I had to say no to something. One thing I have been doing that is helping the situation a little is giving something away when I bring something new in. I've heard of people doing this and it is actually pretty freeing and it keeps the crap from taking over. Now I just have to work on not spending the money in the first place. I think its a stress thing. When I get stressed and can't control a lot of things, I buy stuff. I know, typical shopaholic behavior, right? Well its not that bad, and I hope it never gets that bad. I can control what I buy and how much. I always stop before a leave a store and try to ask myself, "do I really need this? Am I ever going to use/wear it?" If I have any doubts I usually put it back... usually.

And speaking of storms... (Ok so I just had to add that to my title because of this)
Gary England WTF?
Click and watch Then read...

We made it to the Daily Show, Oklahoma is moving up in the world! I saw this commercial the other day and it really made me laugh out loud, not only because of the first rate acting, but because of the status this state gives their weathermen. Gary England is a freaking superstar here... seriously... I can't joke about Gary England. And there are others that just try to be as kick ass. Like Rick Mitchell. Now this guy even has a tagline "Rick said it would..." I try not to watch, but local tv is like watching a train wreck sometimes.

Labels: life

10 rounds!

That's how much I have left to go on the violet's pink ribbon socks that I started in JANUARY!!! I would have finished them in a week or so if I actually had worked on them straight through. Life really gets in the way of my knitting. Pictures soon!

Labels: knitting

The Golden Compass

I love Philip Pullman and I can't wait for December and this movie to come out!

This is my daemon (you much have a flash player to see it). You find out your daemon on the website for the movie too. It even tells you what a daemon is if you haven't read the books. I totally recommend them, especially the audio books, because Pullman reads them.

Labels: movies

crazy weekend!

We went to see Ocean's Thirteen Friday night. It was soo much better than Ocean's Twelve. I'm such a movie whore, something I don't think I've shared yet. After that, we (Gypsy and I) went to Shawnee to visit friends we like hanging out with on weekends. Much festivities were had on Friday. Saturday was spent shopping and going to my knitting group. Gypsy agreed to set in as eye candy for the afternoon after blushing and pretending to run away from the crazy knitter ladies. haha. Knittingidiot brought me pretty yarn.

I got new shoes at Journey's!

I have to take them back though, they gave me the wrong size. But aren't the sheep cute?

Saturday night was spent with other friends in Shawnee. Again with the "festivities."

Sunday was rainy and deemed unpacking day. Yes I'm still unpacking! I found some amazing stuff in boxes that my mom had kept for me. Old cards, school papers, etc. And these things that my great grandmothers and grandfather made me throughout the years.

I also found these really cool decals from 1981. Isn't the artwork super cute?

Also... I managed to get some crafting in earlier in the week! I made my liquor cabinet curtain. Now you see it... Now you don't... I love that the fabric matches the cherry theme in my kitchen as well as the blue carpet and wallpaper. I bought enough to make an apron out of it as well. Sorry my pictures are kind of fuzzy. For some reason my camera wants to hate me occasionally.

Well I have some Pottercast episodes to catch up on and some knitting to finish so I'll post more later. I have three recipes to post at some point.

Labels: family, life, sewing, yarn

Wicked!

I finally got to see my second favorite musical. haha Yes, I pick favorites solely based on music. We sat in the pit! Our tickets said 3rd and 4th row, but we were pleasantly surprised when those were the first two rows. I was in the second row right behind the conductor. It was amazing! I don't know why I'm always afraid touring productions will leave me disappointed. They never do. If you think like me, and don't make it to Broadway every year, go to your local touring productions. They really are wonderful and I always get more disappointed when I walk out and am still in Oklahoma and not NYC. Oh well, someday.

I wore my Wicked sweater just for the occasion. Its really what I knitted it for in the first place so it had to be worn. Even if it was hot out!

Labels: knitting, musicals

Memorial Day

I drove to Indianola to see my parents on Saturday.

I love going to their place. Its so very pretty and they always cook amazing food--on a fire pit! Yeah they are real cowboys now. All the pictures from the weekend are here, but I'll share some highlights.

They live in a 350 square foot, one room, house. This is only temporary until they get a big one built. All of their stuff from the old house is still in the semi and the barn. It will set there until they have a new house.

My Aunt Teresa, Uncle Randy and their Grandson Skyler were there with us for the weekend. Its really a lot of fun with a bunch of people there. There's a travel trailer for guests and we all get to set out on the big porch and talk and get eaten alive by mosquitoes. I must admit I spent a lot of time playing Katamari Damacy on my PS2, I'm not much of a nature girl, my allergies don't allow it.

Sunday and Monday were spent going to some of my favorite places! The Fabric store in Eufaula, OK and a quilting store in McAlester. They really need a yarn store.

$1 fat quarters really are a downfall of mine and I don't even quilt. I think I just like all the colors and the reassurance that I could quilt if I wanted to. hehe I'm also a sucker for the vintage reproduction prints... so cute! I'm making a curtain for my alcohol cabinet and an apron out of the cherry fabric. I'm still not sure about the cowgirl print, I have it with a red background as well. Its so cute. I'll probably end up making pillows or something out of it or just pack it away and look at it occasionally.

There are quite a few antique stores in McAlester. My favorite one is in old town. Its two stories and PACKED full of things. It was closed for the holiday. But I did get quite a few new things from the other antique stores in the area.

I turn the radar on for any aprons, buttons, or other crafty thing and then I look around for other cool stuff.

Like this $2 vinyl stool that goes with my orange one in the living room. The knitting bag/stand is in perfect condition and its the kind with the pull through loop so you can close and carry it! Its soo going to be part of my Mrs. Weasley costume.

Another apron, my favorite smock style. This one is wraparound and it fits my big girl self. I love it! I also fell in love with these too expensive -- not antique, but reproduction canisters -- my mom bought them for me, because I'm spoiled.

Our last stop was the Dancing Rabbit. Its in downtown McAlester. I went a bit crazy but thankfully almost everything I picked up was 20 or 50% off, yeah I know Christmas! I only ended up spending $12. I'm really enjoying the pyrex juice pitcher.

I'm soo glad I got to spend time with my family. I really needed it. I honestly didn't think it would be this difficult being without them, I mean they did drive me crazy while I was living with them and I'm sure those feelings were mutual. Life is better... even great at the moment.

Labels: aprons, buttons, farm life, thrifty buys

I'm Back.... I'M BACK!!!!!

I cannot tell you how amazing it is to be back online and connected to my internet friends. I know that anyone who blogs will understand this. Its a different world without being able to blog whenever I want, or check my email as many times a day as I need to. I must not forget the ability to read everyone else's thoughts and crafty tips and tricks. I have over 300 bloglines to read eeeekk! I am very glad that it was just a minor problem and... it wasn't even AT&T's fault which makes me like them again. The person living here before me had all cable phone, internet, etc. Which meant that all the cables were still crossed in the outside box. Stupid COX they aren't good people at all and I'm very happy that I didn't have to go to them for internet, they are double the price.

Ok, get ready for some major catching up. I've got moving day pictures, pictures of last weekend at the farm and a few stories about what I've been working on at the apartment. WOO HOO! I have part of my life back!

Labels: life