Monday is new web comic day, Tuesday is new yarn day

Ok, only the first part of that is true. I haz new yarn! Granted, its a lot of Bernat Bling Bling and some odd balls of super bulky but yay! Why yay? Because it means I get to look them up on Ravelry and discover some new ideas for projects. Like a crochet pattern that I'd like to test even though I can't follow a pattern to save my life (nice picture though). In other boring news, skipped the breast cancer walk (long drive for a minimum of walking), my other projects are at a total standstill (other than dishrags), and the house is a disaster. Part of the last is not my fault, rotten kitchen drain had a clog and it of course chose after hours to blow. Literally. Flooded the cupboard. So I've been waiting for it to dry, all the stashed junk got to see the light of day, and my kitchen is inaccessable till it dries. Otherwise I'm ducking lysol, dishsoap, and vases. So I sorta have an excuse right? I did laundry at least! Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner, this year like every year I join my mother and aunt to take care of the family plots (plant flowers, add statues, etc etc). It's gotten to be something I look forward to. I enjoy seeing the two of them together, my mother seems so different but when they start interacting it's funny to realize they are sisters. Its kind of nice seeing that, my mother tends to be a bit standoffish. More good news? My grandma will be up next month! Yay! Not long, but long enough to see her and hug her. Which is always something :)

Short end of the hook?

A friend asked me to look for a pattern for her, shed had no luck and her computer hates her at the moment (got news for everyone, mines not too fond of me). So i started hunting through crochet, and im astounded by the vest patterns. They look so happy in them but they look terrible! Some of those I havent seen since Blossom aired. I mean a vest isnt the greatest item of clothing ever made but still that doesnt mean it has to be a shame to wear! I've gone through the knitted vests (looking for costume ideas) and while there were some bad ones, there werent anywhere near as many as there were for crochet. The question is why? There are some totally cute crochet items out there, why cant they make a good vest? Looking at the tops, i see so many I want (i cant do much beyond a granny square) but its just the vest that are bad...i guess its to outweigh the knitted blankets?

Mom Jeans

This seems to be a mom thing. We are either at that point where we have 3 pairs of pants and are constantly washing them, or we have just enough to get through and stop looking at clearance racks for our size because the kid(s) outgrowing everything again. I'm currently on the first right now, halfway between sizes so anything I buy of either or does NOT fit (and yes, cry like a baby while struggling to either peel them off my calves or watching them puddle between the knees). I'm looking at the slowly shredding material and thinking "I just bought these!" and remember, I bought them last year. We had a little extra from the paycheck, I had just torn out my 2 best fitting pairs of pants (yep, year old then too but I wore them daily) and he took me shopping. Full price shopping no less, because I found nothing at the thrift store. I hated it. I hated spending that much money on something when I knew it could stretch so much more on the kids clothes, on cleaning supplies, on groceries, on anything and everything else BUT me. I've reached that point again, and I'm getting very dismal about it. I'm stuck digging out pants that are too loose but wearable, pants that mean i cant sit down for an hour because they need to stretch out again. I'm stuck looking like that person you see walking down the sidewalk thinking to yourself "why doesnt she buy something that fits?". Now you know why. And it honestly tends to be a mom thing. My mother will sooner buy herself a new shirt and shoes instead of pants. Why? One pair of pants will match 3-6 of her shirts and shoes. She will wear them till they are air conditioned (torn out in the thighs, back pockets, all that area). She won't go out and buy a new pair unless she desperately is in need of them. So, I started bringing some from the thrift store (it wasn't something we were really doing, dad was and is a brand name everything man). Now I get requests from her. Its comforting to know that I can help someone out with mom pants, even if it isnt myself. Maybe thats what it takes, someone else to bull us into getting pants when we need them despite us protesting every step of the way. Till then, I'm suffering with my pants, please ignore me if I'm stuck wearing gym pants one day because we all needed socks and underpants again (thats something else that falls under mom jean catagory). I'm well aware those pants are better suited for someone half my buttcheek size, but until you take me shopping, stfu.

Updated Lifestyle

I feel like I've ignored this poor blog. These past few months have just flown by and I swear someone has been taking days out of my week. What doesnt help? How many interruptions a week can have. I house sit for my parents when they go out of town and that includes doggie sitting. Its mind numbingly simple to do, they know what they do all day all they need is food, water, and poop scooping (the inside one is more attention needful but the hellspawn takes care of that). Otherwise I'm bored to tears. Knitting time right? Wrong, I'm at that bordom threshold where nothing seems interesting. Add the health walks. I know you've seen them, community walks that want people to raise money or donate for such and such a cause, great idea. I did the heart walk with my sister (did we ever look classy, plaid pj pants and red shirts woohoo). Now the breast cancer walk, which again is a great cause. I have no objections to doing them, it's fun. I get sibling time (there wasnt a lot of that growing up, I was an absolute pest) and I get to see how many people are willing to come together for, in some cases, perfect strangers. Now I bought a small ball of Patons Cotton DK at the thrift store, of course I went on Ravelry to check projects. I discovered a few were used to make Tit Bits which is something I've had lurking in my pattern folder. While these are not for everyone, it might bring a smile to the face of someone whos faced down cancer. The notes Beryl Tsang wrote are touching, giggle worthy, and seem to embrace what most survivors seem to be. Maybe knitting for a cause can get me back on track, I need to fine tune that coffee cup cozy and the ugly hat needs finishing (along with countless other things). Hopefully more patterns soon! Unless I get distracted..then yeah...SQUIRREL!