it's official

It's a blizzard. And below zero. And bou-que of snow to boot. I formally issue a protest. All of Hardin Co is under a some or other 3. This means if they catch you driving without a valid reason (like going to the hospital with a woman who is about to give birth), they will fine you and probably send you home. I'm stuck in my apartment with supplies, you know, yarn, needles and good stuff like that. I have a ton of bread and bagels and plenty of milk, so you know that I am all set.

This past Sunday, I went to a Senior Recital for Amy L, who was a former Rainbow Girl with me. It was amazing to see her all grown up and performing so beautifully! She did not sing a single off note the entire performance and was singing in English, German and Italian (if I remember right). How impressive. I'll definately have to get back in touch with her and find out what has been going on since the last I saw her (summer '02, I think).

Stay warm and start your home projects that you've been putting off since forever. I know that I will think about it.

and now everything is back to normal

Or at least, normal as it ever gets! I have a shower that works, I'm much cleaner and I have new pictures. Life is getting better. I even snow blowed (is this an actual term or did I just make it up?) Mom and Dad's drive this morning, so I even got my good deed in for today, to boot.

As for the pictures, one is my office mate Jilli. She can be demanding at times, but is cute enough that I over look it.

View from my desk

So, last weekend, Friend Alison came up to visit and see the Bullriding that the family insurance business is co-sponsering. I thought that I would ball up and freeze right then and there! It was in the single digits, if that, and with the wind blowing, is was in the negative. Jason F said that it was heated this year, so I did not dress in layers. Mistake #1. Mistake #2 was just wearing my Converse low-tops with just one pair of socks. I believe that I am lucky to say that I have all 10 toes and both feet attached, but just barely! We arrived an hour before the riding started to get a good seat. I also brought my knitting along with me, since I knew that I would be an hour in waiting. My Aunt Lisa gave me crap about it, but then turns around and puts an order in for a scarf. Good Grief!

So, finally to the hot cowboy.... er, exciting bullriding part. These guys looked like puppies! I don't know if any of them could legally buy me a drink, but they were up there on top of these massive bulls, riding them for all they were worth. I don't know if I could ever let my kid do something that dangerous, but then these kids were probably over 18. Maybe. Any who, here is the only good-ish picture I got.

Some mama let her baby to grow up to be a cowboy

You know you live in the country when this is a good time had by all. Yee-haw.

i put on my big girl panties

and dealt with it.

Here's the thing with being an adult.... if something is broke, you are expected to fix it. This is fine, if perchance, it's a nail or a run in hose or even if your bra had a breakdown... I know how to deal with this. However, frozen pipes, mechanical things, cars and things of that ilk are waaaay beyond my fix-it ability. With this said, feel free to laugh at me during this next part.

This evening, I decided to take a shower. What a nice, lovely way to warm up after all this bitter cold, I thought to myself. So, I dig out new, fresh jammies, fresh towel, find my slippers and mosey to the bathroom. For those who have not seen this gem a bathroom, let me explain the setup. My bathroom is actually two rooms. There is no door on the outer room that contains the sink, a ventless heater (which makes my butt happy on a regular basis) and a cabinet and plenty of floorspace to set up my little clothes rack to dry stuff that will shrink in the dryer. Then there is another door to the left of the sink that is a closet where my toilet and shower (stand-up, sans tub, no wider than the law allows) reside. This water closet is actually over the back staircase up to my flat, which always makes me pause the ramifications of the floor failing just after I step gingerly into the shower. Onwards... So, this evening, I turn the heater on the highest setting, put down my jammies, turn on the shower and strip down to toast my rear in front of the heater and make it uber happy. Then I hear water on water and not water on vinyl. "Hmmmm..." I think to myself, "I don't think that sounds quite right." I go in to check out the shower and realize that there is an inch of water at the bottom of my shower that has a 3 inch lip. So I shut off the water and realize that 1)I was in deep sh*t, 2) I wasn't going to be warm, 3) I didn't want to deal with this, 4) I was unprepared to deal with a frozen drain. I really wanted a handy boyfriend at that exact minute. So I had to call Laura 1 and tell her my story in all my nakedness. After all, what else would a naked, unhandy girl do at that time? Laura 1 said that I needed to deal with this and I had to agree to put my panties back on and call my landlady who would have to have the deciding vote on what to do (what with her owning it and all). She seemed a bit flumoxed and thus I said that I would sponge all the acumalated water out of the shower while she chatted with a real fix-it-guy.

News flash, at 9:00 my landlady is coming over the sidewalk salt and is going to put it down the shower drain. I will be waiting for her with my pink sweatpants, orange long sleeve shirt and dark blue fleece cardigan on and my greasy hair pulled back. hmmmm.... sexy. I know how to win and attract friends. yeah.

it was soooo cold....

...I almost considered marriage. This is truly the single girls issue... no one to put their cold feet on while in bed in the dead of winter. I hate winter and all the crap (read: snow, ice, brisk winds) that comes with it. I now have to take my inflate-a-bed into the living room to sleep, since my bedroom is so cold. This is ridiculous! I firmly protest winter!!! grrr...

Did I mention that I have been giving quite a few speeches as of late? I spoke at a Mother's Club and the at the Professional Business Women's organization. If this keeps up, I will be on a speaking circuit or some crazy thing.

But, now for the super-exciting things in my life.... my knitting. I just started working with a new yarn that is bobbly and leaf green (so it has a few hues of green) and it looks lacy with just a stockinette stitch. Easy work, looks harder than it is, equals a lovely satisified feeling of contentment. ahhh.... This is such a cute yarn, that I think that I might try expanding to make a shawl with it. I'll have to see if I can make the gage to fit and give it a whirl.

warm orphans

Today is the day that I am sending out the scarves that the Knit Wits have knitted. I'm happy to say that 18 orphans will keep a touch warmer with out contribution. I have pictorial evidence, but lack a cord... maybe later.

Today Cousin Jamie thought there would be the makings of a farm girl for me. 5 of her minature horses escaped and were munching on grass in the yard. We ended up chasing them out into a field and eventually brought them back to the barn. I still think that she would have better luck getting a barn boy (in the same fashion, I want a cabana boy).

Well, it is the end of the business day, so off I must go.... take care!

The pictorial evidence is here.... several days late, but better than never!!!

crap.... on a stick

I've had a stickin' cold since the 8th and I need to be over it pronto. I actually lost my voice over the weekend and had to see the doctor for the good drugs for the sinus infection. Then Cousin Jamie is going to be gone all this week for Life and Health Insurance Class, which is so udderly boring, that I feel much deep pity for her. Oy vey.

Grandpa D had a trip to the hospital, which they made him have an overnighter. The flu will get you down when you are 84 and diabetic. He made it home and seems to be getting back to his usual (insert your own adjective here) self. I'm not sure how Grandma feels about that. I'm just sure that she is relieved that he got out of the hospital.

I'm still working on the scarves, so if you need to send me one so that I can send it to the orphans, get to it! Or you can click on the do-hicker to the right and get the address for yourself. The ability of speech is leaving... must go home soon!

Take care of yourselves and beware of sneezing folks.

weekend of bridezilla

I have decided that I never, ever want a big, white, floofy wedding. Ever. If I go crazy and change my mind, make me go to the Columbus Bridal Show for the entire 12 hours and I will suddenly come to my senses again. It was absolutely insane. My Friend Laura1 owns Bliss Honeymoons and Destination Weddings travel business and had a booth at the CBS and I helped work it for all it's worth. These people (brides and mothers of the bride and random people who were suckered into going with them) were hit over the head with the racket that we like to call 'Holy Matrimony'. And I spotted potential bridezillas. They are getting married in late 2008, have way too much detail done already (for the two weeks they have been engaged) and they have that glint in their eye. That evil glint that will only get eviller and glintier as time comes closer to their wedding date. I guar-en-tee. Scary.

Other than the scary brides, everything else went off without a hitch. Laura1 got a bou-que of appointments for her business and I had a lovely time with Heather H, who is a hostess with the mostess. Then I came home to Mom and Dad's and collapsed with a cold that kept me home on Monday.

Tonight is Knit Wits, so if you want to join, just let me know!

OH! Rodeo season is starting up. If you want to come along, just email me. It is for 8 Saturdays starting the first Saturday in February. It should be a barrel of fun!

7 months and counting

Over the New Year, I went to Chicago to visit and I stayed with Sweetie. I had a delightful time and really tied one on New Years Eve, though Friend Megan and just about everyone else did too. I believe my liver is slightly pickled from the experience. I also went to High Tea at the Drake Hotel downtown and enjoyed the aum-bie-ance of the joint. Flying home out of Midway was a long process, but Mom and Dad were nice enough to pick me up. And now back to the grind.

If you have made a red scarf for the orphan project, then some time in January you need to give it to me or mail it in yourself. Check out the link to the right and click your way to that mailing info.

As for the 7 remaining months until my 30th birthday, I still have yet to accomplish anything on my To Learn List. However, I am getting closer. Santa brought me mandolin books and a one-time certificate for a lesson. And I believe that I have talked my knitting guru Jane into a sock lesson. Cousin Jamie has promised riding lessons after giving birth for the forth time and I still have yet to nail Dad down for the long-ago promised shooting lesson. The motorcycle stuff will have to wait until warm weather. I get full-body shivers just looking at someone on a motorcycle this time of year (and yes, I saw someone just around Christmastime riding one).

So, until later, 'gator. Have a good New Year!

the wittiest knit there is

The annual Knit Wit's Christmas Non-White Elephant gift auction is now over. Over $300 was raised for charity and all of the ladies went home happy. I came home with knitting books, a notions holder, homemade jam & bread and homemade chocolates in a cute tin. The other ladies also made out well. Swell, infact, for some of the ladies. And while the fierce bidding was going on, everyone was working on a project. I had a delightful time. I can hardly wait for next year!

i'm a nerd and here is an example why

I have finished the baby blanket, after 4 months of knitting! I also now have the pictorial proof of said accomplishment. I know that it doesn't look like a typical baby blanket, but Cousin Nichole is a typical mom.

I think that the blanky will be big enough for 4 kids, but it will enough for him to grow into. And warm for winter! Good grief! I was sweating by the end everytime I knitted on it.

Friend Alison came up for a visit and we had a good time. We went over to Kenton and met up with the folks and went to a movie and Chinese buffet in Bellefontaine. The Holiday with Kate Blanchett and Camran Diaz was a fun chick flick. Other than that, we hung out and we didn't quite make it to the Regal Beagle. That will have to wait for another day.

The holidays are upon us and I am almost done with Christmas purchases.... just one or two more things. I promise.

Check out Princess Megan's blog about fruitcakes (no, not the ones you married/dating). As for more comments about married/dating, read Crazy Aunt Purl's blog and maybe you too can put forth your own dating horror story. I did date a married man for 1/2 of a date, until he told me he was married, but that she was in Canada and all he wanted was 'friends'. I asked to see a picture and he whipped it out with no hesitation. I don't believe that I left so quickly in my life and I can't remember any more if I saw him afterwards. I told Friend Laura about it(she had encouraged the date) and we were both outraged and I believe relieved (better to find the cretin out before the second date). I think that I left the country the following Feb. But that is another story for another time.