The Walk In

So around 5 on Thursday the power gave up the ghost. After flicking, and flashing the power lines down Lee Blvd. went down and went down hard. The neighbors with an electric stove, and 2 kids came for dinner which was cooked over a gas stove. All the flashlights were out, the last of the laptop batteries put into service for movies and an okay time was had by all. We were all fed and as warm as we could be. When the power turned on at 9pm hub and I jumped out of bed (we went to bed at like 8, figured it was better to read all snug in bed then on the sofas) and turned out lights and turn on dishwashers and house alarms. As we got all snug back under the hardly cooled blankets ready to drift off with sound of the fan running again (we're white noise addicts) the power goes out again. *SIGH*.
Needless to say NO one slept well. The non-coffee'd neighbors shuffled down the iced street to partake in the black gold that is french press coffee, and a warm breakie. By now however the poorly insulated house had dipped to a cool 59. I was wearing, in this order, underthings, leggings, long tank top, wool socks, jeans, long sleeve shirt, slippers, cashmere hoodie, cardigan, hat, scarf and topped with a blanket. With little to do, I tried to curl up on the sofa and knit. Hub got the stubborn gas fireplace lit, it had long ago been caulked shut, and the key lost but with some work we had fire. Needless to say the CO detector hung out with us in the living room. By now I'd packed up the contents of the fridge in the laundry basket and put in the garage, since it was a giant walk in refrigerator.
The freezer items went out on the porch, and the chest freezer stayed right were it was. In fact the ice cream and garden burgers are still out on the porch I don't feel like getting on the boots to get them yet. To keep the small amount of heat the fire place was making in the huge, dramatic, hard to heat family room/kitchen/breakfast nook we put a sheet. Just as we'd pulled the sofa's up to the fire and the chili was simmering on the stove it happened! The lights came back on!!!! Oh it was wonderful!! The heat, the light, the internets!!!! So we crossed our fingers and celebrated with chili and cookies.

Stock up on French Toast

There are few things that make me stay home. I grew up in the rainy state, learned to drive at night in the rain, went to college in place which had one snow every may and don't fear strange parts of town. Ice, that's a whole other thing. Car aren't made for ice, cars don't like it and I don't like it. Since about 8 am the rain has been freezing to anything which will hold still long enough.
The cars are covered too. The roads are still in good shape, but wait until the sun goes down. Every now and then the lights go off and the cable gets cranky. All cell phones are charged and flashlights are at the ready. I have milk, bread and eggs. I also have enough knitting to keep me busy for HOURS.

For sometime I've been using a small bubble gum pink Coach wallet, don't get me wrong I love Coach, but don't like all that pink. It wasn't so much a wallet as a little wristlet thingie. It has no pockets and is PINK! Two strikes. So I made a replacement that works a little better.
See just the right amount of pink, and little pockets to keep all the little bits apart. Its large enough for my cell phone too.

Sweet Time

The Great Sweater Remakes of 2010 are on their way. First step is total sweater destruction. I don't plan on frogging all the bad projects, a few are just going to get a partial rip, and other are getting the sewing machine. Really it wasn't painful at all, it really felt great!

The remains of a dead sweater.

Another thing that is taking its freakin' time, my orchid. All covered in HUGE fat buds just waiting to bloom. Good crap if this doesn't pop soon it might have to move with blooms. Wait, I see whats going on here. In the last move the two orchids (this one and the sickie one) the two African Violets and my peace lily got stuffed into a box and moved across country in a stupid hot truck. If the orchid blooms, I'll treat it all nice and stuff. Darn plant.

Bad Film Re-Makes

It seams that every time I turn around Hollywood is remaking a bad movie from the '70 and making them into equally bad movie from the 2000's or turning really good movies into blah films staring some big names. I've been inspired by the great big film guys on the left coast to remake something bad, something very, very bad. Ages ago I made a "Something Red" sweater from the lovely Knit and Tonic. Like lots of people, I love her patterns but like lots of people my body is um not any where near hers. I think we're about the same height but shes a weee wisp of a thing and in the "twin" department not the same. These days I've been trying to knit more user friendly sweaters, thing that I'll really wear and won't make people ask "did youuuuuuu make that". Of all the sweaters I've made I wear ONE. Since I'm 5' 2" but a 41 inch bust things don't always fit. When I make a sweater that fits the "twins" the arms are all hanging and the shoulders fall off. Out of shear grumpy-ness I just shove the ill fitting messes into the back of my closet. After lots of "What Not To Wear" and lots of reading of great sewing books, I'm on a campaign to re-make or fix all my craptastic creations and after that help myself make better sweaters and anyone who needs my help.

Oh did I show you this.....

A Pint is A Pound, The World Around

I'm always trying to think stuff up in my head to blog about, sometimes I even write them down in little books I tote around. Trying to sketch out ideas and adventures I've had. Problem is now-a-days I just don't do much of interest. Don't get me wrong I'm "always up to something" but I don't think any one cares to read about my adventures in laundry-land or the time I did dishes. Granted I do still do "stuff" other than house work. To keep my skills sharp and to avoid have conversations with the house plants I've been volunteering everyday at the post hospital in the lab. OOOOOOO-E, thats a strange world. Lots of people running around like chickens with their heads cut off who have forgotten how to multi-task and run more than one machine at once. Any-way, basically all hospitals have blood banks and blood banks need blood. So today was like TARP for the blood bank and guess who found herself having a pint drained.........
Giving blood is also my excuse to take a nap and eat cookies!!! Plus it's an effective and guilt free way to get out of a hard CrossFit work out.

For more squeamish member of the reading world, my lace knitting........

It's good to be back

Since I'm an "only" my folks come to me for christmas. This tradition started way back when we first moved to Lawton and really didn't have the time or money to travel to Seattle for the holidays. We had such a good time that year all stuffed into out one bedroom apartment and making do with two burners and a toaster oven that my folks come to visit ever year now. Well except for that year I went home during the Iraq deployment that resulted in my cousin asking were Hub was, "with his parents", ummmmm NO! It's just easier this way. Soooo this year was no different. Folks arrived, we had great foods, a great time and lots of good laughs (which including yelling at the buffalo) and some seriously good football watching.
The morning of christmas eve broke COLD and gray. By 8am the power went out and we still needed foods. After packing up the jeep we went to post got groceries and "power is out" supplies. This was just about 10 am and it was full blow blizzard. Sideways snow and wind. Frankie spent the whole day all covered up under his budgie blanket to keep warm, since the gas stove didn't work. But at 3 in the afternoon as I napped under the supper fuzzy blanket the power came back on. Christmas was a total snow day which was great.
Looking for cool things to do in Lawton, a few days after the "great christmas snow of '09" we headed out to the wildlife refuge. Lots of great pictures and lots of laughs. For New Year's eve we made rockin' chili and had the neighbors. The next day my parents left, and the same day that we left for Jonesboro, AR. for a good friends wedding. It was a long long drive but worth it.
SOooooo now I'm back in the real world. The x-mas decorations are slowing coming down, the laundry returning to a normal amount, and my sleep and eating habits returning to more healthy level. This includes some Crossfit workouts that are causing my muscles to hurt in ways that I didn't know was possible.
Got some project to show you, including the results of the "secret project", got pictures of the brand spanking new (not a refurb) sewing machine!!!!!!!!!! I'm beyond excited about this because it starts slowly and doesn't make any funny clunky-clunky noises.