Music is my boyfriend

I saw this meme a while back and thought it was pretty cool so I am passing it on....

If your life were a soundtrack, what would the music be?

Here’s how it works:
1. open your library (iTunes, winamp, media player, iPod)
2. put it on shuffle
3. press play
4. for every question, type the song that’s playing
5. new question — press the next button
6. don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool

opening credits: "Ask Myself"- Robin Thicke

waking up: "Lightning Crashes" - Live

first day at school: "Free Your Mind" - En Vogue

falling in love: "Vogue" - Madonna

breaking up: "Vision Of Love" - Mariah Carey

prom: "Crush" - Mandy Moore (I know....I have Mandy Moore music in my playlist.....)

life’s okay: "Yardie Bone" - Sean Paul

mental breakdown: "Angels Fall Sometimes" - Josh Turner

driving: "The Jump Off"- Lil' Kim (this is actually a fantastic driving song!)

flashback: "Humble Me" - Norah Jones

getting back together: "Everybody Needs Someone Sometime" - Jewel

wedding: "Smile"- One Blood (funny that band popped up...that is actually a group that is local to Negril, Jamaica where Doug and I got married...you will never hear their music on the radio but we bought every cd they had when we were there because we loved them)

birth of child: "Always Be My Baby" - Mariah Carey

final battle: "Lonestar" - Norah Jones

death scene: "Porcelain" - Red Hot Chili Peppers

end credits: "Cool to be a Fool" - Joe Nichols

Wow. I swear I didn't plan those in a specific order or anything, but some of those are just extremely appropriate. The fact that Mariah Carey came up twice is totally a coincidence. Of the 625 songs I currently have on my ipod, only about 8 of them are Mariah songs.

Ok, your turn! I tag Crystal, Morgan, Kim, Colleen, and anyone else who wants it!

Cast On

When I need cheering up there are several things I turn to aside from my fabulous support system of friends and family. I go browse knitting books at Barnes and Noble, pick up a couple sheets of scrapbooking paper at Michael's, look through the remnants at JoAnn's...basic retail therapy. The other thing that usually cheers me up is indulging is some good old startitis. We already know that this is a personal ailment for me, but there is nothing like starting a new project. Peeling the ball band off the skein, winding it and imagining the possibilites. I love the first cast on. That's when the yarn officially goes from being just a piece of string to an actual fabric. So when I needed some cheering up earlier this week what did I do?

I cast on.





Apologies for the mega dark picture but it was super cloudy yesterday. This is going to be the Incan Pullover from the spring/summer Knit Simple. The lavendar will be the contrast collar and sleeve edge and the darker purple is the body.

Thank you all so much for your kind words and emails. I appreciate your thoughts and prayers tremendously.

P.S. Like the new blog look? I can't take any credit...this is all the handiwork of Crystal who has improved my bloggy style by 110%. Thanks Crystal!

....

::warning-this post contains material that could be considered graphic::

I guess it's best to start at the beginning. At the end of January I received a positive test result from not one, not two, but three pregnancy tests. Doug and I were ecstatic. We had been trying for a few months, though not too seriously, just sort of a "see-what-happens" mentality. We told our immediate family right away, but decided to wait a while to tell our friends and coworkers to make sure everything was ok. Fast forward to today. I started out this morning having some light cramping, but the doctor had told me that was relatively normal during the first trimester so I wasn't worried. Then I noticed some spotting. Again, nothing to cause major alarm but I started trying to get through to the doctor's office just in case. The phones at the doctor's office were constantly busy all morning (turns out they were having a phone issue) as my spotting got heavier and could hardly be described as spotting anymore. I decided to leave work and just go in to the doctor's office to be on the safe side. They decided to order an ultrasound to see what was going on. When they did the ultrasound they found no evidence of pregnancy-at all. If a miscarriage was in progress they would have seen something, even if it was incomplete. So they ordered bloodwork so they could check the pregnancy hormone levels in my blood because they were concerned it could be an ectopic pregnancy. The bloodwork came back negative for the hormone. Ok, by this point I was not only upset but extremely confused. After much discussion and hypothesising my doctor concluded that most likely when I tested postitive in January that I was pregnant (one of the tests was done in my primary physician's office so it's hard to dispute) and that it was detected very early. This we already knew...we had determined that we detected the pregnancy within a week or so of conception. Most people don't realize they are pregnant until more like 4-6 weeks along. The doctor said that it is very common for women to miscarry extremely early in their pregnancies, some before they even realize they are pregnant, and that sometimes the miscarriages themselves go undetected. I had some very light spotting right around the time that I detected the pregnancy and I also got the flu right around then and had an extremely high fever for 2 days. These things combined increase the likelihood that I miscarried then and didn't even know it. I haven't had a pregnancy test since then...the pregnancy had already been confirmed so there was no reason to do more tests. So that's why I have gone so long without knowing that I wasn't actually pregnant. I'm not really sure how to feel about this. Of course I am disappointed....that goes without saying. But am I devastated? No. I feel a little betrayed by my own body for not giving me any clues that I was masquerading as pregnant, not actually pregnant. It does make sense though....the past two months I have been especially "tuned in" looking for the traditional signs of pregnancy-tender breasts, morning, sickness, cravings, food aversions, etc. and I have told my husband repeatedly that I just didn't feel pregnant. I convinced myself that I was having a lucky smooth pregnancy with none of the bad things. I guess in a way I sorta knew, but didn't. That doesn't make any sense....I know. The bad part of all this is that as the pregnancy (or lack thereof) progressed Doug and I felt more confident in it and had begun telling a few select friends in extreme secrecy. So now we have to explain that I'm not pregnant after all...oops? I know everyone will be very understanding and concerned and everything...it's just....I don't know.
I'm not really sure how to end this post. I'm fine, really. I guess I just need some time to process.

BTW, my apologies to any family or friends that knew about the pregnancy and find out about our bad news through this post. I'm sure you will understand that I am just not up to making a lot of phone calls tonight, but writing about it helps me deal with it a bit better.

Spring Swap Time!

For my pal, Petra: here are the answers to the questions for the swap!

Favorite vacation place? I love the outer banks....it is my favorite beach in North America. No matter how many people are there or how crowded it gets it still manages to seem peaceful. But favorite vacation spot ever? Jamaica! My hubby and I got married there and is one of the most beautiful and exotic places I have ever seen.

What is your most favorite memory you have from your childhood?

Do you have an Etsy shop and/or blog? I do have an Etsy shop, but there is nothing listed there. I have these big dreams to become an accomplished Etsy seller, the kind that is featured on blogs across the country and whose whole family income comes from the sales of her Etsy shop. But in order to do that you have to make the things to sell, and in order to do that you have to make the time to create things. At the end of the day I can barely muster up enough energy to take care of the household chores and make dinner, much less churn out crafts by the truckload. But one day.....

What's your favorite color? Yellow! I'm also found of pinks and aquas but I love the happy warm feeling associated with yellow.

What's your favorite color combination? That depends on my mood.....I like mellow blues and browns for relaxing and bright yellow pinks to liven things up.

What magazines do you subscribe to or buy at the newsstand? Um.... I am a serious magazine junkie! I buy UsWeekly occasionally, I buy KnitOne, Knit Simple, Vogue Knits, and Interweave Knits every quarter as soon as they hit the newsstand. I also subscribe to a plethera of random magazines. About two years ago I subscribed to a "blanket" subscription through some offer. Basically they give you subscriptions to magazines that you really want for a good price, but the catch is they also subsribe you (for free) to other magazines whose subscription rates are down. So I get some random mags like Fortune, Money, Sound & Vision, Hot Rod (for my hubby), and then some ones I actually read like Family Circle, Better Homes and Gardens, Woman's Day, Parents, Home, and Glamour.

What is your absolute favorite song? I am currently enamoured with that new song "Love Song" by Sarah ? The chorus goes "I'm not going to write you a love song...cuz you asked me to...cuz you need one...etc." I have also been singing an old Journey song a lot lately..."Don't Stop Believin' Hold onto that feeeeeeling!!" I love all kinds of music and have a new favorite song just about every day.

What is your favorite candy or snack? If I am in a gas station faced with a junk food conundrum I will usually go for the skittles or the combos (cheddar/pretzel). I love ribbon candy, but you can usually only find it at Christmas-time.

Sorry for the run-on answers....hope this is helpful!

Where is spring?

If it's the first day of spring, then why is it so flippin' windy outside

Today is my dad's 55th birthday! Happy birthday Daddy!! We took him some cake (German Chocolate, his favorite) and balloons in the hospital to celebrate.

Dad has been in the hospital since early yesterday morning. He went into the hospital because he had chest pains and passed out. When he arrived at the hospital the tests determined that he didn't have a heart attack, but they did want to put in another stent. While he was on the table getting the stent put in, he had his third heart attack in seven months. His first one was back in August, the day after my youngest sister's wedding. Since then he has had three heart attacks and six stents put in. We are all worried about him but trying to stay positive.

I babysat my little brother (he's 8) last night so Mom could stay with Dad in the hospital and Galen wouldn't stuck in a boring hospital room. Galen and Doug worked in the garage for a while and then played video games while I cleaned and did a little knitting. I hadn't knit in a while so it was very relaxing, which was just what I needed.

My people-eater still doesn't have wings...I started to cut them out yesterday and decided I'd rather do something less precise, hence the knitting. I think my next stuffie will be a ladybug with buttons for spots :)

Blog Love

I love sharing lesser-known but fabulous blogs with people who might not have come across them otherwise. I'm not sure if anyone ever follows these links (or if anyone even reads this!) but here aer some great blogs I'd like to pass along.

First up, Crystal's blog. Crystal has an shop that you should totally check out. Cute cards, gift tags, stuffed critters and so much more. Her blog features things about her every day life as well as all of her craftiness. Head over there before the 19th and participate in her Spring Swap she is hosting!

Next up, my sister just started posting again to her blog after a long blogless absence. Morgan's blog is mix of knitting and her ongoing games in World of Warcraft peppered with musings on life in general.

One of my favorite places to get recipes and sewing ideas is at One More Moore. Morgan is super creative with her recipes and makes the kinds of things you would see at upscale bakeries. I also love her aprons and other sewing things. She also has a shop that you should check out.

Lastly, this blog is pretty popular and you've probably come across it if you surf the knitblogs regularly. January One is a knitting blog with the most beautiful photography I've ever seen on a knitting blog. It probably helps that Cara is a professional photographer, but her pictures are amazing. Even if you don't knit or care about knitting blogs, you should check this blog out just for the pictures. Cara also just gave birth to her first little one, Meli, so pop over and wish her some good baby vibes.



I have a favor to ask of my readers...delurk! I'm just curious if anyone reads this, enjoys it, or has any suggestions for improvement. Please leave me a comment on this post even if it's just to let me know you are out there reading. I write this blog for myself, mostly, but I've been wondering latley if anyone else is reading. Let me know if you have any suggestions for improvement too, as I'd love to change things around a bit. So...leave a comment!



I have been sewing a bit the past few days. It's slow progress because I have to find stolen moments here and there, but here's what I have so far:

He is the One-Eyed, One-Horned, Flying, Paisley People Eater. Except that right now he isn't flying because he is still waiting on his wings. He also needs some stuffing, but I'll do that last. I love the eye-I used a new stitch, I think it's called the blanket stitch. I'm not sure about the mouth...truth be told, I almost left him without a mouth but then he wouldn't be a people-eater, now would he?

Uninventive Title

I always feel like I need to come up with a cute/witty title to my posts. I open up blogger to post and there it is, the subject box just leering at me. Why is that?

Can anyone recommend a good knitting podcast? I am just foraying into the world of podcasts and when I searched on itunes there are about a million of them. Any ideas?

I spent a good chunk of last week getting my yarn room reorganized and cleaned up. This is the new work area.

I moved the craft table across the room and I just love where it is now. Lots of natural light, easy access to most of my storage plus it overlooks my front yard and the road and I can watch the cars go by. I have been toying around with some ribbon and buttons...I don't really have anything in mind, but I have tons of both and thought I could make something with them.

I did pick up a fun fabric to play around with yesterday at JoAnn's.

I am going to attempt to make my very first stuffed creature. I'm not following any kind of pattern, just going to wing it. Wish me luck! I am going for a one-eyed, one-horned, flying pasiley people eater. :) If it comes out well maybe there will be more self-designed stuffies.

I also want to make more of these:

I made this felted flower from cut up strips of old sweaters that had been felted. It was super-easy and a lot of fun to make. I actually made it at a min-workshop at Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival last year. I've got lots of ideas for more felted flowers....I sewed a pin to the back of this one so I could attatch it to the purse of the moment or the outside of a plain coat to dress it up.

Speaking of Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival...it's coming up soon (first weekend of May). Is anyone out there going or interested in going? I'm planning on going up for just Saturday. I'd love to plan to meetup with anyone who will be there or carpool with anyone local going!

Sew and Tell

Ok, time for full disclosure. I currently have four sewing machines in my yarn room. Now to be fair, one of them belongs to my mother-in-law but it has been at my house for almost a year and she only uses it when we quilt together, so it might as well be considered part of my collection. So, without further ado...my own little version of show and tell:

First up we have my very first sewing machine. I picked this up at a yard sale about 6 years ago for twenty dollars. I had to have it serviced which cost about 30 bucks, but I'd still say I got a deal. I'm not sure how old it is, but it still works. Although it does take a little patience to get the thing threaded and the bobbin tends to be a bit tempermental, but it's not my primary sewing machine so it doesn't bother me.



Next up, my primary machine. Now I say primary, but this thing only sees action every few weeks when the mood strikes. It is the one that sits out on the sewing table most of the time, but it is usually wearing it's dust cover.


Next up, my mother-in-law's machine. Like I said, this one might as well be considered part of my collection. I think she has used it once on her own, but she doesn't really know much about sewing so she relys on me to show her how to use it. (Which is funny because I only barely know how to sew anyway!)



Finally, my most recent addition to the collection. This is one of my most proud bargain-shopping finds ever.

(Thanks to Chance for making the shot more interesting.) I know what you are thinking, that's not a sewing machine-that's just a table (and a pit bull). Where's the sewin machine? Well, I'm glad you asked....

It's one of those tables that folds up all neat but is secretly concealing a machine underneath! I found this at Goodwill for $10!!! I was so excited to find it just to have a relic like that in my yarn room, but I was convinced that when I got it home it wouldn't work. Nope, runs like a dream. I haven't used it though, because there is a spot on the cord where the wires are showing so I am looking for a replacement cord just to be on the safe side.

So there you go....my collection. It's a little weird to have that many when I hardly ever sew at all, right? My scrapbooking and knitting are by far the much more actively practiced crafts, yet...I can't pass up a sewing machine at a good price. I really really want an antique one. You know, the kind that you use a manual foot pedal and they are black and really heavy. Wow. That would be like the holy grail of sewing machines.

In other news...I went to my sister's last weekend for my nephew's birthday. My other sister brought her nephews from her husband's side with her which resulted in 4 kids there all under the age of 9. (Three of them were under the age of 5!) This little guy stole my heart...

That's Caden. He's 2 yrs old and is sooo adorable. He invented this fun game where he would throw his arms in the air and run at me and I would swoop him up. Then he would do it again and again.

So the hit of the party wasn't the presents or the cake. It was a simple cardboard box that my sister and nephew had turned into a pirate ship the day before. We spent a good ten minutes singing "A Pirate's Life for Me" and saying "Ahoy!" and "Arrrr, Matey!". The three youngest boys managed to all fit in the pirate's ship while Galen was the caboose.

Fun times! Morgan has some new knitting, but I forgot to take pictures to show here. I did however remember to take a picture of my only completed quilt.

This is hanging in my living room. (on my boring white walls...I want to paint them SO bad!) I made this in a class that I took at Cottonwood a few yeas ago. I think I completed the whole thing in less than a month. I don't think you can see the prints that well, but it had a sort of "Americana" theme to it.

My blog needs some major updating. I haven't changed anything in the sidebar in a long time. Look for some changes coming soon....