Thursday, July 31, 2008

Dark Knight

My sister and her boyfriend were nice enough to sit for Pi tonight, so hubby and I could see Dark Knight. It's intense! I won't say more for fear of ruining it for anyone.

To Maribel: The pattern you asked for is the Seraphina Shawl. Click on the link to get to it.

I've mostly finished the Sambuca jacket by Doris Chan. Its even blocked! The only thing I need to do is find buttons for it. As soon as I can find and attach them, I'll take pics and put them up.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Dirty Grandma's Birthday

Today we had a belated celebration for Dirty Grandma's birthday. I think she's 83.

There was a crown.



There was a cake.



There was dirty dancing (that's not my hubby...that's my cousin's hubby).

'Nuff said as to why she's called Dirty Grandma, eh?

Friday, July 25, 2008

Favorite Colors Swap

Thanks for the push I needed to get a second opinion guys! Thanks to a referral from Karen, I have an appointment with a new doc in early August.

So, onto swap stuff. I sent my package to my partner over a month ago and forgot to post it. Duh to me.

Last month's swap was a secret one. No one knew who was sending them a package! We only knew who we were sending to. Sneaky, sneaky!

My swap recipient's favorite colors are pink, yellow, and white. What to do, what to do. At first I thought about making some kind of wreath with pink and white flowers with yellow middles, but then I saw this!


Holy cow, do I love this pattern! Its stupid easy and worked up in one evening. Oh yeah! One night projects are right up my alley!! I used a small amount of Caron pounder in pink. The lining is more of that flat maroon sheet (it gets around) and the handle is from Michael's. It comes in a pack of 2, but you only need one for this project.




I will definitely make some of these for Christmas. I think this is something my 20 y/o sister would actually wear, in a different color.

Everyone could use a hook case, so I decided that would be part 2 of my swap. I used the Aluminum Crochet Hook Case pattern by Priscialla Hewiit.



I made the inside as per the pattern but decided to make the outside with lined fleece instead of crocheting it since I had some pretty yellow fleece. I added a button closure and viola! It fits nicely into the purse.




Last but not least, I included Mr. Funky's Super Crochet Wonderful. With promotions and coupons I got this at less than half price!




Katoyia has 2 little boys, so I thought a book of crochet toys would be something she could really use. I also included 2 baby books for her adorable little boys.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Doc appointment

This might be TMI for some, so if you're not interested in reading about my reproductive health, go and read CNN or something equally as educational.

I went to the doc yesterday for my yearly exam plus to talk about my cycle issues. The waiting room was jammed packed with pregnant ladies. All of them round and glowing. *sigh*

Anyhoo, when it was my turn, I slipped into a sexy pink paper gown. Nothing screams "hot" more than the crinkle of that shapeless gown. The doc did his thing (giving me a great view of his toupe, which could really use an upgrade) and told me my pelvic position is good, uteris isn't tipped, and my cervix looks like a superstar. Great. Then I tell him about my wacky cycles and he tells me the same thing he did before. Its just a cycle change.

What!?! Two years worth of changing?

He doesn't seem to think that bleeding for so long is a problem. Even though I'm anemic and this much blood loss obviously doesn't help. Did he offer blood work? No. Did he offer a sonogram? No. Did he offer a "wow, that's gotta suck?" No. Know what his solution was? Birth control.

Now this doc has been my doc for 9 years. When I came back to Catholocism, I explained to the doc that I was morally opposed to birth control and would not use it. I also explained this when I got married nearly 3 years ago...I explained that my hubby and I are open to life, whenever God chose to give it to us...aka, we're open to pregnancy. You'd think someone would have written this in my chart. When I told him, yet again, that I'm opposed, he actually smirked at me and gave me a "you're one of those people" looks. I was furious. I don't judge him for prescribing it, but he's judging me for choosing not to use it. On top of that, birth control only MASKS the symptoms. It doesn't actually help you find out why there are irregularities in the first place.

After explaining that birth control is not an option for me, I asked him what we could do to find out what was wrong. He told me that I should focus on pregnancy because when I'm pregnant I won't have cycle issues and that maybe my issues will resolve themselves after a pregnancy. While I'd love to have a baby, this doesn't seem like the most responsible advice to give me about my super long periods. I'm waiting for my pap results and then will likely start looking into a second opinion.

I'm frsutrated that a doctor I've been with for so long is sugarcoating my concerns.

Whatever, its his loss. I'll just get into that sexy pink gown for some other doctor.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

It's 12:30 a.m. and I'm waiting for Piper to come home. I thought these days wouldn't come til the teen years! My aunt and uncle picked her up about 7 to hang out for a bit with Pi's cousin Michaela and they haven't gotten back yet. Since I'm waiting up, I'll share Pi's birthday.

She went from this:





to this practially overnight!



She turned 8 on Monday. I swear I feel like I gave birth to her yesterday. When I tell her that, she just rolls her eyes at me and laughs. She got some small things from hubby and I including a purse, some tank tops, and build a bear accessories. Her great grandparents bought her a new tv and everyone else gave her cash. Between her birthday money, allowance, and saved money from other holidays, she bought herself a Wii. I'm proud of her that she decided on a goal and saved until she reached that goal. If you haven't played one, you should try it at the video game store....its alot of fun!



I bought this bag from Katrina to give to Pi as a birthday gift. She loves it! She stuffed it with her towel and sprinkler things before we headed for the park today. (anyone notice how she's posed some of the amis I've made in the tree in the back? LOL).



Watching her grow is fascinating. Its surreal to see this amazing personality just blossom in front of my eyes. She's gone from a little bundle that only ate, slept, and pooped to this little person who has thoughts, attitude, opinions, and dreams. She talks about what she wants to be when she grows up! To hear her talk about her future as an adult is incredible! Man, I love that kid!

*yawn* I hope she gets home soon. I'm sleepy!

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Its Thursday already?

Damn, what a week! The last week and a half has been crazy, but I'm feeling a little better, so I can talk about it now.

Early last week, one of the doctors who works with my firm was killed in a plane crash. He flew his own planes and it nosedived when he took off. That hit us all hard...he was only 57 years old and a really nice man. Then later in the week, my FIL passed away after a long, difficult hospital stay. He'd been in the hospital since March. Please pray for the repose of their souls if you pray.

Then in the midst of all this, Pi's dad decided he was going to start major crap with me over the weekend. The situation is really making me consider going to family court to make a complaint. I haven't decided yet and its weighing heavy on my mind.

Lastly, I finally made an appt. to see my gyno. In May, I had a 22 day period, June was 17 days...and so far this month has only been 8, but the month is young. I've been really irregular for 2 years now, but the doc kept telling me I was just going through a cycle change. Last year, I insisted on having a transvaginal sonogram which came back normal, but my cycles are still whacked. After 2 years, I'm fairly certain there's got to be something more than a cycle change, so I'm going to insist on more testing. Dude, I'm only 27...its too early for problems like this!

So yeah, that's been my week in a nutshell. I went back to work yesterday after taking some bereavement days and I'm glad to be getting back to normal.

I've been working on this Haekelbeutel bag a little at a time. Instead of regular granny squares, I decided to use the Circle of Friends square after seeing someone else's bag and falling in love with the variation. I also only made 12 squares instead of 16 because 16 would have been way too large. I used an F hook and only worked through round 7 of the square pattern.

Heakelbeutal2

I lined it with more of that leftover maroon sheet. I actually tried taking the bag to the tailor to be lined, but the tailor told me no because it'd be too difficult! Hi and hello, you're a tailor! So I went home with more determination than ever and hand sewed the lining. It took me hours, but it was well worth it.

Heakelbutel1

I've been using the bag as my work tote and I've gotten oodles of compliments on it. I think these would make some good gifts for the tote loving people in my life. Its amazing what you can fit in here!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Cathedral Rose Window - completed!

Crocheting is one way I keep sane. I needed so much sanity this weekend that I finished the CRW. Really, it should have taken another 2 weekends, but I was working at it furiously.


This is what it looked like on Friday night.

IMG_0090

Here it is completed (even the ends are woven in). It measures 85"...over 7 feet!

WindowFixed


I'm glad to have it finished in July, since it wasn't done by July.

Today is Pi's birthday. Can't believe she's eight!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

M.I.A.

Hey peeps, sorry I've been M.I.A. this week. Lots of stress and lots of drama. I have FO's to show you, but I just haven't been able to muster up the gumption to get it on here. I'm about as emotionally drained as I've ever been. As soon as things calm down a bit, I'll update again.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Oh Baby, Baby (Image Heavy)

Oh man, I love 3 day weekends. One day for chores and the other 2 days for relaxation. We stayed up late and slept in all 3 days (staying up late means 11pm for me, lol). I crocheted on and off all weekend, but not on my CRW. I'm slacking.

Instead, I worked on the Pink Parfait by Rebecca Leigh. The pattern is in a leaflet called Beautiful Baby Boutique by Annie's Attic. This dress is for Katrina's baby, who will be born tomorrow!



My model's name is Teddy and Pi insists Teddy is a boy. She was fairly offended that I would put a dress on Teddy, but since he's in a dress, I'll call him Theodora for now. :)~



The dress is sized approximately 9-12 months. The pattern only goes up to a 6 month sizing, but I wanted something the baby could use when she was a bit older. I remember getting so much newborn stuff for Pi, but practically nothing sized larger than 6 months. I used a thicker yarn and went up a hook size to get the larger size.



The pink is Lion Cotton and the white is Sugar and Cream.



I love the pineapple design and it worked up very quickly. I love Rebecca Leigh's patterns!


I also recently sent 2 baby blankets off to a woman in CA who is collecting them for the NICU in her area. The NICU helped save her child's life and she is trying to pay it back by delivering 60 blankets by Christmas. I started these about a month ago and worked on them in spurts.
This one is just plain grannies in an unknown variegated yarn, pink Caron pounder, and white RHSS. Talk about stash busting. It measures 25x25.
This next one is from Precious Moments Doll and Afghan leaflet from Annie's Attic**. I used Joanns Rainbow Boucle and a J hook. Since I wanted it to be much smaller than the pattern, I cut down the amount of starting chains and did less pattern repeats. It measures 27x24 and is so so soft!


Close up of the stitch pattern

**That ebay auction is not mine nor do I know who that seller is. I only linked to show you the leaflet...I don't endorse this seller. Just in case, ya know?

Friday, July 4, 2008

Awesomely Retro

Not sure if I spelled awesomely right. Hmm...

Anyhow, I received my Singer sewimg machine manual in the mail and man is it retro! I haven't had a chance to try to sew yet, but just reading through the manual is alot of fun.

Look at these ladies about to enter a "new world of sewing enjoyment." Every last one of them is dressed in a skirt and tucked in blouse.



You can even sew with your heels on! Maybe no one else will find this as amusing as me, but I thought the retro-ness of the manual is great.



My dad is something of a "saver." I hesitate to use the word pack rat because that sounds disorganized and messy, which my dad isn't. Not too long ago, he was cleaning out his storage unit and found some old stuff of mine. First is a baby book my parents started for me, so I thought I'd share some retro Chris.

Check out that fro!



Now here's some not-so-awesome retro. I'm even a little embarrased to show you the extent of my obsession with....90210!

My dad found the playing card collection that was popular (please, please, I hope they were popular with more people than just me!) when the show was on-air.



I haven't gone through all of them, but it looks like it might be the entire collection of cards with a bunch of doubles. Holy cow, I was pathetic...granted, I was like 10, but still.

Now what the hell do I do with them?

I didn't make my self-imposed July deadline for the CRW, but I'm getting close. I'd say another weekend or two and it should be all done. I can't wait til that is behind me!

Happy Fourth of July my friends!