Snow!

Secret pal I know in my email I said we never have snow days - guess I didn't jinx it because we have to day off today!



And the snow is STILL coming down outside.......and I am miserable sick with a common cold (yay!) and not the same thing the rest of my family has had. That's not to say that I haven't been productive today. Our oldest has a birthday party to attend tonight and will be sleeping over (woot 1 less kid!) until tomorrow morning. Hubster is driving her there tonight as he took the Jimmy to work - 4wd. But I made a floating necklace and matching bracelet for her friend in her fave color - blue. The friend's not our oldests that is. :) By floating I mean I used clear nylon wire and crimp beads to make sections appear to float on the wire.



I thought I'd share my swap from the knit group dishcloth exchange. This is what I made.



And this is what I took home. It's a pot holder! Two garter stitch dishcloths knit in complementing colors and then crocheted together around the edges. The same color yarns used, the pattern, some candy canes and yummy Nutmeg & ginger body spray. :)



This is the other side of the pot holder.


To top off my exciting day we confirmed that the hubsters parents will indeed be taking the girls from Christmas eve until possibly the weekend of the 3rd. I love that they are retired and willing to take the girls for a week or to in order to spend time with them. Gotta dash almost time to get the oldest to her party!

And then there was one.......

As of right now I am the only one not sick or recovering. My hubby got sick this morning as I posted earlier. My middle monster has been complaining all week about her tunny hurting. The rule is 'if you haven't thrown up you are going to school'. So I sent her and then she didn't eat any of her lunch. Well for her that is guaranteed to make her throw up and she knows this. When I came in from the end of work my oldest was in the office complaining her stomach hurt. I asked if she thought she could make it to the end of the day after reminding her of the rule. She said yes and was sent back to class. I had some things to finish in the school for the youngest monster girls brownie meeting (secret santa gift to make). When I was done I put it in her locker and then found I had voicemail. It was my middle monster in the office sick. I sat with her for a few minutes and tried to get her to eat her chips from in her lunch as they were the mildest food in there. I finally made the decision to take her home and sent her to her locker. She then of course threw up on her coat and backpack and the hallway floor.

Being the smart mom that I decided to be I went to check on the oldest to see how she was doing. Her tummy still hurt and I asked if she was sure she could make it to the end of the day. She again said yes but when I felt her forehead it was warm. I decided to take her home early as well. Sure enough about 2 hours ago at least they both got sick.

Hubby is starting to feel better and is out at his computer - just in time for me to send him back to our bedroom. I get to sleep in the living room with the youngest as we are not sick. So I am crossing my fingers and knocking on wood that I will not catch it now. Hopefully the girls will be better by Friday. My oldest is supposed to be going to see The Tale of Despereaux with all the 4th grade classes at her school. Then all the classes have their holiday parties at the end of the day. Not to mention my family Christmas with my dad's side on Saturday...........EVERYONE has to be better by Friday!!!!! >.<

Jsut got off the phone and Saturday party has been pushed back a week due to weather and driving conditions for family coming from Chicago area. Ok they still need to be better by Friday for their parties I say. ;)

A Christmas Meme

I saw this on a blog that I regularly read and thought 'what fun'! *steals it for her blog* >.>
Enjoy. :) Oh and on sick people front in our house B is better but Hubster is now down for the count with the same thing.....and I am dragging from less sleep. :( I will kick some serious butt if I end up sick. I haven't thrown up since roughly 1995 - not even when I was pregnant all 3 times.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Both and sometimes wrapped and in a bag. I'm ebil like that. It depends on what I can get to the easiest in my closet. I have a box of bags from past years that we recycle and boxes as well. Only a few rolls of wrapping paper. So mostly its bags and tissue paper.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
We have this super tiny (maybe 3 foot) Christmas tree - artificial of course. I got the tree when my step-mom moved in before she married my dad. That Christmas our main tree was a "themed" tree - all purple and teal and NO family ornaments allowed on it. I pitched a fit (being 15 at the time) about wanting to have my ornaments on the tree - even dad's old beer ones from when he worked for a distributing company. I still use it but not as much as my cat attacked it last year. I have this super old tree topper that was my great grandfathers and is of course glass. If broken the cat would be finding a new home so not ricking either.

3. Why are you willing to answer these questions?
It's more fun than dong nothing which is what I'd be doing right now.

4. When do you take the tree down?
The past few years it pretty much as soon as possible. Last year was the day after Christmas.

5. Do you like eggnog?
I LOVE eggnog and drink it every chance I can get and yes I KNOW how fattening it is but it's a love thing. :)

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Hmmm tough choices probably my cabbage patch doll. I think I got that for Christmas.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
This year it is my cousin Kevin. We do a name exchange on my dad's side and I have no clue what to get him. I have to have it for this weekend of course. Looks like a visa gift card will be what he is getting.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
The girls - I have usually picked up many small items throughout the year for them and like this year misplaced them and can't find them. UGH.

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
We do not. But I heard this awesome idea of what to do with one until Christmas day. Typically you see all the people gathered around the manger with or sometimes without baby Jesus there. But since its not Christ mas yet you spread the wise men, the angel, and Mary and Joseph out on the lawn and leave the manger empty. You then move them closer to the manger the closer to Christmas it gets.

10. Do you send your card by mail or e-mail?
Hand deliver at Christmas parties if I do them at all.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Probably the year my mother in law bought me a dress that was 3 times to big. Instead of giving me the gift receipt I had to go with her to the store to "try" to find something I liked, that fit to replace it. Being a bigger girl that was hard. It seems like all the plus size clothing is super frumpy at stores like Kohl's (where my gift was from). I think I ended up with a shirt to replace the dress.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
White Christmas and Holiday Inn

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Whenever I see something at a good price that I know would make a great gift for someone in my family I get it.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Yes and I plan to this year with some items from a fundraiser that wanted our business at school so they sent a sample kit. :D

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
I have to pick one???? Wedding potatoes and my Aunt's sugar cookies. I have gotten the frosting now but can't seem to match the cookies.

16. Lights on the tree?
Yuppers

17. Favorite Christmas song?
White Christmas or the Trans Siberian Christmas music and can't forget Feliz Navidad ;)

18.Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Travel to our hometown as most family is still there and parties are all there. We make several trips as all parties are not on consecutive days usually.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer’s?
Pretty sure I can....

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Glass tree topper - old heirloom that I love.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Both because we usually have at least 2 parties on Christmas eve and then at least on on Christmas day. Or at least we open our presents at home that day.....if we are home.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Our town gets B U S Y because we have a big mall that people come to to shop at. Traffic is ridiculous. Or the people who insist on driving 20 - 25 in the snow because their car sucks but they have to be out driving to get somewhere - making you late to where you need to be (last night knit group :( )

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
My Holiday/Celebration Barbie ones. I now have too many to fit them on my tiny tree so they go on display somewhere the cat can't get them. Which means this year they will not be out. :(

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Hmmm Lasagna or stuffed shells - always have some pasta dish at my moms side and her broccoli cheesy casserole thing. Dads side - wedding potatoes. Inlaws was coconut cream pie but she doesn't make it any more.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
Yarn, yarn, yarn, spinning wheel, roving and oh did I mention yarn? :D

QOW #2

Part A:

Are you doing any holiday knitting?

Part B:

Have you finished?

A ~ Yes and no - not anything to give away to family but something for a Holiday swap at my knit group.

B ~ Yes I finished the dishcloth the other night and am now working on another to have for myself because the pattern is really pretty! It's the Doily Style Dishcloth from www.sugarncream.com or off the ball if you get that pattern or even in the 2009 Knitting Pattern-a-day catalog - where I used mine from. :)

Becca seems to be feeling better - no more getting sick today and no fever so she will go back tomorrow. I better get going or I'll miss getting to knit group on time!

Something fun & silly

Amy posted how she was Emmett from Twilight. I LOL'd a lot when I got my results and then told her we were made for each other. :D

Which Twilight Character Are You?

Created by BuddyTV

Day 18 or My weekend and then some......

The hubster tried to be nice and call Sprint on Friday about our phones and get mine fixed for the constant shutting off it does. Well it must not have been my day because whatever they tried to have him to over the phone locked it "in progress" on an upgrade but also put it into emergency mode (no calls but to 911). It was in progress most of the night and when we called again they said go to a service center, which of course the tech rep was already gone for the night.

The next day I dropped off my phone and hung out. The rep who has fixed my phone for me before for the shutting off thing said "you should only see the 'in progress' screen after having me work on your phone". Evidently it could take up to 4 hours to get out of the update screen and to shut my phone off until 5 pm. then check it to see if the update was done. If not shut back off and try again at 7. If not then call the service center. Nope at 5 and nope at 7. Called and then took my phone in to switch out the SIM card was the next suggestion he was given.

He then ended up with my phone over night Saturday. Because if switching out the SIM card didn't work then I was getting a replacement phone - as in DIFFERENT model. Yeah the SIM switch didn't fix it either so finally on Sunday afternoon at 4 I got the call to come get my phone. I was switched to a Nextel Motorola i560. Why a Nextel? Not sure since I no longer have 2way on my plan but maybe has something to do with it being easier to switch the contacts between the Nextel to Nextel vs. Nextel to Sprint. Eventualy (3.5 months!!!!!!!) it will have to switch over to a Sprint phone.

As much as I liked the Nextel and Motorola phones since Nextel and Sprint merged I have had a ton of trouble with my phone. I don't know for sure what I will end up with next but hopefully it will be less problems. And if not thank goodness for the insurance I pay for!

Then this morning we wake up to fine out that our youngest was sick during the night and we kept her home from school. She was mostly fine up until I noticed her fever was back again and when she tried to take her second chewable pill was sick again. Poor kid. She didn't feel like eating much today either and sill me when I ran to the store this morning did I get any ginger ale for her - no but I did get some crackers! And she kept those down most of the day. So another day off school and only 3 left after that before break. >.<

Knitting front ~ I completed a dish/washcloth for a holiday exchange our knit group is doing tomorrow. Now to add some goodies to the package and it will be done. Other than that nothing else has really been worked on. I started a washcloth at the last knit night. I picked up some more cotton yarn over the weekend and some new knitting needles. Some dpns (size 7, 8" and 2, 5") and a circular needle size 4, 32".

Welp I should head to bed now since I will have to get up early to get kids on bus and try to make a store run for ginger ale and remember it this time!


ETA: This is my 100th post woot!

Day 17.5 or Silly me I forgot the funny part......

So yesterday about the time that the kids would be getting off the bus and coming home there was a knock on my door. I look out the window and see some guy standing at the edge of my driveway, which meant someone was on my porch. Great the first thought was "that crazy Jehovah's witness lady is back again". Nothing against that religion - just that she has the worst timing on the days she comes here. Usually when I need to be getting in the shower to get to work, and ignoring her knocking only makes her open the screen door and knock on the front door. So I went and grabbed a hoodie to put on since I was in my pjs and answered the door. Well it wasn't the Jehovah's witness lady but a Navy recruiting officer. He asked for someone that had lived in this area a while ago and used my address for his info request. I simply stated that I'd lived in this house for 6 years now and that person would have possibly lived her before that (if during that time hubby would have been MAD lol). The poor guy felt like a smuck and then asks "so, you want to join the Navy?" To which I said no, not that I wouldn't serve my country in some form if I was needed to but I don't think that it would be the job or life for me in the long run. Not to mention that I am seriously out of shape for something like that. So he says he'll leave me a card in case I have any friends or family members who might be interested in joining. I told him I couldn't think of any at the time because there are quite a few already serving but thanks. His buddy ribbed him for "having the wrong house" for all we know (depending on how long ago it was) he could have had the right house.... But then they hung out in my drive for a few minutes after asking permission - to finish their ciggarettes before getting back into their car and ended up leaving before the girls got home.

So after that was all over I get online and im the hubby - so you want to join the Navy? hehehe

Day 17 or what the heck is this crap?

A while back we decided to upgrade our internet connection when a representative came to our door. We could also get money back in a check AND a visa gift card from if we got tv and kept it for the required period. So we went for it. A month later I was notified that our rebate was available - but not the visa card redemption yet. Redeem the check, get the check - still no visa. Cancel the tv service and ask about it - it's put through and we wait. That was the end of October. Still no visa as the estimated ship date was 11/28 I had the hubby call today about it. Guess what - evidently we were to be mind readers on how to redeem it because we NEVER were told we had to call them or anything like that. Oh and since we no longer have the tv service we cannot get the visa card because you had to keep it for a month AFTER setting up the start process in order to get the thing. Well if we had all the details in the first place we would have gotten it back in October. UGH. I still think they should give us an account credit since proper instructions were not given on how to get the visa card. But it won't happen.

Then the hubby called Sprint about our phones. We had Nextel before the merge and they worked great. After the merge they worked ok. After we switched to the hybrids - they sucked a$$ and still do even though we no longer have the direct connect portion of the service. A while back I broke the screen on my phone and took it to the service center to have it fixed - thank god for the $5 insurance. So it was fixed and back to me within about 45 minutes. But after that it would shut off and not turn back on. Shut off after I ended a call (nope didn't hold it down that long), shut off when I hadn't touched it in a few hours. I'd go to use my phone and find it was off and I'd missed calls. Then there is the dropping calls and being in digital roaming in our house - wth? So the person he talked to was super helpful and tried to have him update my phone while he was talking to her on another line. Well......it locked up my phone and now I have to take it to the service center to get it replaced......for the 4th time now. But the bright light was she said we are due for a phone upgrade in April not June like we thought. Get it earlier adn I am happy cuz that is only 4 months away. 4 months left with this stupid phone - YAY!

Other than that I felt like crap this morning and stayed home from work. No knitting as my hands are giving me problems right now. I'd say it was from Guitar Hero III but it's my left hand that is bugging me and I haven't really played at all before it started. I'd say bowling on Saturday but that was my right hand. Sadly I need to knit as I have a washcloth to make by Tuesday for the exchange we are having....maybe if I go slow I can get it done.... We'll see I guess. I frogged my start on the Hedgerow socks and have since restarted but have not made it into the pattern as of yet.

Day 16 or ARRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Well I can't really say this day started out going well at all. I got up early to help out a friend who needed someone to watch her son for a 1/2 hour before the middle/high school bus arrived. She had to be to work early and the normal person to do this was having car problems. Ok no big deal he is great when his younger sister is not with him - like today. Got him to the bus stop and the bus was 10 minutes late. No problem my kids all woke up early this morning anyways. But I felt like I got no sleep last night once I got mine to the bus stop I came back with every intention of sleeping until I had to go to work. Yeah didn't happen.

Work went well up to a point. I got there late as I could not find my phone at all. But then the hostess of the cookie exchange was talking about the cookies she had sampled and said one tasted like play-dough. So we asked her which ones and she said they were egg shaped and were like red and green........sound familiar?



Yeah it ended up being my cookies. Let me just say the cookies are not meant to be a super sweet cookie - even with the glaze. Plus I'm not sure mine turned out quite right. But we had a blast ribbing her for the rest of work. She felt super bad about it but I'm not the type to be easily offended on something like this. But how funny is that out of the 25 dozen cookies brought she insults mine to my face the next day. This was probably my bright moment of the day. She later admitted to drinking while trying them so maybe that might have something to do with why she thought they tasted like play-dough - or so she said. :)

Then comes after school and the kid I'd watched in the morning locked himself out of the house by forgetting his key this morning. No problem he hung out until mom got home. Then my oldest was to get here and take a shower so she could go join her Junior Girl Scout troop in serving dinner at the local high school. Well when I told her to go use my blow dryer she got the BRILLIANT idea to raid mom's drawers and find my smallest round brush and try to blow dry her hair with it. Yes I am a mean mom and have pictures of this! And I reserve the right to blackmail her with them later - I have more and better than these ones.

The brush. As you can see she was crying because she got it that tight to her head and it hurt trying to get it untangled. Most of the ends you see are from where she cut the hair.



The hair pile from where she cut her hair trying to get it off the brush BEFORE calling for mom's help.



The cut after the trip to the stylist - missing the WHOLE time she was to be on the Girl Scout field trip tonight.



Will they never learn that scissors are NOT an option for hair problems UNLESS mom says so?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?

Day 15 - long one :)

Tonight I tried an old family recipe for cookies. This past week I have been trying to decipher it as it is what I call a "mom" recipe. When I'd asked my mom for her recipe for her cheesy broccoli casserole, her response was "you take some broccoli, some rice, velveta cheese and cream of mushroom soup and put it together." No amounts specifically just "enough to cover the rice and broccoli" was what I got. When asked for further details she said "its different every time!" LOL

So the cookie recipe while not written by my mom as it is older than her I am sure, it has the mom style of how to make the cookies. I found out later that when I'd asked about the missing temp and bake time the the reason it was missing was because the cookies used to be deep fried. Ok them! But my laugh today was looking over the ingredients and when they go in - 2 of them listed evidently don't get mixed in or so it read. LOL But they look like they turned out good and the first batch of glaze that I sampled since I did it wrong - tasted right. I even got a little festive and added food coloring to the glaze. :) Recipe below the pics if anyone wants to try them out. Oh and a random jack pic cuz he was extra silly today.











Aunt T's cookies

6 eggs
5 C Flour
1 C Sugar
1/2 C Oil
1 t Vanilla
1 t Baking Powder

Glaze - powdered sugar and water

Beat eggs until lemon colored (at least 5 minutes) and add sugar, oil and flour. (And vanilla - mix hte baking powder with the flour). You may not end up using all 5 cups of flour in the mix. But mizture should be slightly sticky. If large eggs, use more flour. Roll out in long roll 3/4 in. thick and 1 1/2 long (individual cookies - mine were smaller as they normally are when I get them from family). Bake until light brown. Glaze with powdered sugar and water mixture.

Bake temp 350 - 375 for 20 - 15 minutes. I was told 20 - 25 but when I put it on 375 15 min. was all was needed to NOT burn the bottom.

Things I learned with this recipe - my new hand mixer can only handle 3 C flour in the mix and then I have to hand mix the last C with a spoon in to the mix. Using an electric hand mixer does not take 5 min. to get the lemon color for the eggs. No matter how much flour you add - you still need to flour your hands when rolling the cookies. My family only uses recipes to know the ingredients not how to make the dish/cookies, etc. Enjoy and if it's still confusing contact me and I'll try to guide you through it. :)