Gingerbread Livin'

What do you do when it's -12 and way to cold to play outside? Well too cold unless you want to risk frostbite. Why you make a gingerbread house of course! We've been having freakishly cold weather here. It's about 8am here and it's -22 F, -42 if you factor in the windchill. That's way to cold for any sane person to be outside. Needless to say Shawn took Kaity to school this morning. No way was she standing outside to wait for the bus when it's that cold out.

Kaity and I started the gingerbread house after Bree laid down for her nap but Bree helped finish the house after she got up. I'll just post the pics so you all can see.

Told you it was lots of fun! We bought the gingerbread house kit at Sam's Club a few weeks back for less then $10. This thing is huge and actually smells and tastes like gingerbread. It's much bigger then any of the ones you can buy at Michaels, JoAnns, etc. for around the same price and those are super stale and don't have that lovely gingerbread smell....well at least the few I have bought haven't. The bonus was these came with 6 gingerbread snowman ornaments. Course there are only 5 in the picture because Kaity ate one.

The Wii has been a handy thing too since it's to cold to go outside and it doesn't look like there is any relief in sight. At least with the Wii you get some exercise while you play.

I'll be back in a few days with a knitting related post. I should have some FOs and most likely some goodies too.

Happy Crafting!

FO Report

As if Nintendo hasn't come up with enough stuff to entice me into buying a Wii....not that I've managed to get one yet. Wii's new game Wii Fit is the clincher for me. They turn exercise into a fun game. Must-Buy-Wii! I'm actually contemplating destashing some yarn to pay for said Wii, that's how bad I want one.

I finished the second Tidepool Rib Sock the other day.



I think they came out pretty good. I love how fast I can knit a pair of socks in the mediumweight Socks That Rock. I have more then enough left to knit a pair for Bree. I may have enough to knit a pair of ankle socks for Kaity. The stripes are matched up fairly well. It only took me ripping the toe out twice before I finally got the sock to behave. If I was smart I would have matched the two skeins of yarn or better yet, knit them both at the same time. They're close enough for me. I think I'll be getting more STR for winter boot socks.

I'm still working on the Everlasting Bagstopper...sorry no pics this time. I hope to have it done before the end of the weekend. The handles didn't work quite the way I had planned so I ripped back to the bag and bound off the stitches. I'm knitting both straps at the same time in garter stitch and will use my sewing match to stitch them onto the bag. I think that sewing the handles on will give them more strength.

We took Bree to the doc and everything checked out. She's not refluxing badly enough for it to show in the tests but the doc said that doesn't mean she isn't refluxing every now and then. The tests also show that there are no blockages so it appears we are in the clear. They did take blood to check her thyroid levels again.

I have my new sock project picked out. I'm going to use the Lorna's Laces sock yarn that I won from Knittech's blog contest to knit the Beaded Swirls Socks from HeartStrings FiberArts. Awhile back I bought some beads to make stitch markers and that didn't work out so I'm going to use the beads on the socks. I'll start those as soon as I've made some more progress on my TLE Swap Pals socks.

I've Been Tagged

Susie tagged me for a meme.  So here we go!

Here's the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post rules
2. Share 7 facts about yourself, some random and some weird
3. Tag 7 people at the end of the post and list their names
4. Let them know they were tagged by a comment on their blog.

These may be a tad boring!  Since I'm a rule breaker and a rebel I'm following the first two rules.  If you all want to play, consider yourself tagged by me.

1.  I've only been knitting for a year and I only knit a very small handful of dishcloths and 2 scarves before knitting my first pair of socks.

2. I spent four years on active duty in the US Air Force.

3. I'm only 4 classes away from having my Bachelors degree in Management/Computer Information Systems.  It's only taken me 6 years to get there.  Here's hoping it doesn't take another 6.

4.  I go absolutely crazy when the internet goes down.  I can live without a lot of creature comforts but I need my coffee and high speed internet.

5. I have a hard time making friends and have more blog friends then I do local friends....this could also stem from the fact that I just moved to a new state.  :~)

6.  My family drives me nutty from time to time but I would help them out in a heartbeat if they needed it.

7.  I love my kiddos like crazy but I don't want anymore kids.  Two is plenty enough for me.

Told ya they were boring!

Rockin' Girl Blogger x2

I'm blessed to have found such great friends.  A while back Colleen nominated me for the Rockin' Girl Blogger.  I meant to post and nominate others and for who knows what reason I totally forgot about it.  I even saved the button in photobucket. 
Anyways the reason I'm rambling is that I've been nominated again by Sue.  After reading her post, which made me smile with tears in my eyes I remembered Colleen's post.  Bad, bad blogger.  In my defense, I was probably sleep deprived.   :~)

I've only been blogging for about 8 months now and I've met some truly wonderful people and have made some great friends.  You're my friends and you'll always be there no matter where I move. 



I'm suppose to nominate 5 people....lets see if I can find a few that haven't been nominated.  :~)

I nominate:

Tammy

Knittech

Jen

Jennie

Sheila

Colleen can you ever forgive this poor brainless blogger for forgetting about your nomination?  :~)

I'm "R" Rated Baby

I seen this on Jennie's blog and had to go check it out.  Now I try to keep my blog fairly clean and try not to cuss too much.  I normally let your imaginations fill in the blanks.  Here's where I went to rate my blog.

This is what I got:

Why might you ask that I got an "R" rating, well according to the site it's because they found the following words:

Dead = 5 times, Pissed = 2 times and Hell = 1 time

Dang that's all that it takes to get an R rating.  Wonder what I'd be if they seen the way I talk sometimes.  :~)

Thought I'd share....it cracked me up.  I laughed my butt off when I seen the R rating pop up.

Playin' Along

I found this meme on Mommy Susie Knits, so I thought I play along.

In some areas there won't be 5 things.  Just for the fun of it, I've linked some of the stuff so you can check it out if you want.  None of these items are listed in particular order, I just put them in as I thought of them.

5 jobs I have had in my life
-- Stocked shelves at Kmart
-- Spent 4 years on Active Duty in the US Air Force
-- Full Time Mommy

5 films I can watch again and again
****I could add several more to this one.  :~)
-- Band of Brothers
-- The Hunt for the Red October
-- Any Harry Potter Movie
-- Gettysburg
-- McLintock!

5 places I have lived
-- California
-- Oklahoma
-- Texas
-- Mississippi
-- Idaho

5 TV series I watch
-- House
-- Lost
-- Monk
-- Psych
-- Dirty Jobs

5 places I have been on holiday
***We plan to hit up several more places after we've moved to Montana.
-- Yosemite
-- Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
-- Disneyland

5 things I do every time I am on the net
-- Check email
-- Check bloglines
-- Go out to ravelry
-- Surf knitting blogs
-- Reply to emails and blog comments

5 things I would NOT eat for anything in the world
*****Sue I'm with you on a few of these...Yuck!
-- Rocky Mtn Oysters
-- Snails
-- Meatloaf (I know I'm weird)
-- Sushi
-- Unidentified leftovers that have been in the back of my fridge for an undetermined amount of time!   :~)

5 places I would love to be right now
-- In California holding my new baby nephew Blake
-- Scotland
-- Ireland
-- Alaska to visit friends and seeing all I can see
-- In a fabulous yarn shop with absolutely no spending limit

I've Been Tagged!

Sue tagged me.   :~)

Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged
need to write in their blogs the 7 facts, as well as the rules of the
game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog.
You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so
they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.
Here are my
facts:

1. I served four years in the United States Air Force.
2. For the most part, when I was a kid I always lived in small towns.
3. I've only had two jobs in my 28 years of life, actually three since being. "Mommy" is a full time job.  But only the first two jobs actually put money in the bank.  :~)
4. I have more blogging friends then local friends.
5. I'm more of a dog person then a cat person even though I had several cats when I was a kid.  The cranky old fart that we have now is not mine.  Skitz is Shawn's cat!
6. I LOVE to read, though here lately knitting has taken away from my reading time.  I'll read pretty much anything I can get my hands on but my downfall is romance novels....I know, I know!  I'll try to redeem myself by stating I love a lot of classic novels.   :~)
7. I love to watch Discovery, TLC, A&E, National Geographic and the History channel on TV.  There is so much stuff to learn.

I should have posted the side note earlier but and posting it now.  :~)

Side Note:  Please do not feel obligated to play along if you don't want to.  My feeling will not be hurt nor would I get upset if you decide not to post.  If you'd like for me to not tag you with stuff like this, shoot me an email and I'll make sure that I don't tag you.  :~) 

Also if you weren't tagged but would like to play, feel free to snag the rules and post on your blog.

I'm tagging:
1.  Nell

2. Tammy

3. Jennie

4. Colleen

5. Cheryl

6. Tiennie

7. KnitTech

Are You Like Your Mom?

Gotta love blogthings.  :~)

You Are Totally Like Your Mom

You and your mom are practically clones. You think alike, and you even seem to read each other's minds. You're definitely you're mother's child... and that's just fine with you.

Are You Like Your Mom?

Knitting Survey

Knitting Survey

I saw this out on Sue's site and figured I'd play along.  :~)

Mark with bold the things you have knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn (kinda, the closest is Patons Soy Wool Blend)
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Buttonholes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener stitch
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/armwarmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

What have you learned to do that has marked a definite change in your knitting life?

I've learned how to wrap my yarn the correct way.  I've also learned that sometimes it's worth paying a little more for yarn and needles if it makes your knitting more enjoyable.  :~)