Still no pictures?

I know! I want to get decent pictures of what we've done around the house. It'll explain why my fingernails look like your mechanics. So embarrassing, but if I scrub any harder, it'll damage me.

A week! A week until we get the Frygirl. I love that kid. Her room isn't clean, yet, but I'm sure she'll be thrilled to help me. ::snicker:: I can't wait until she's here, I miss that little booger.

I miss her especially when I have to pick up after HER dog. ;)

On the post below, msnbc changed the picture, but the prior pic, if you mouseovered it, the caption read, "Uh-oh, Oscar's comming." Which I thought was a hoot.

Beware the Cat o' Death!

If you see this little guy, run the other way. He's cute, but not cuddly unless you're two to four hours from dying. Something funny, if you click here to the website reporting on Oscar, then mouseover the picture, there's a caption popup.

So, if there's a cat following you around, won't leave you alone, you might want to rethink your health-related lifestyle. Just sayin'.

I'm easily influenced.

Camie took the first test, so I had to, right?

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

I blame the above on a strong sense of fairness. Can't help it.

Then, the below I felt was a bit predictible. How did they know how short I am? Very odd, because I didn't put that in...

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Sort of ruins my good times sitting in a bar, drinking like a fish, hitting on the best looking guy there, saying "Well, I ain't no Mother Teresa." Obviously, I'll have to plan something different for this weekend.

Fry will want to know, all the TVs have been moved. Once I heal up, I can move her PS2 into the living room. The cable company is working on the digital cable in the area, so while the guy hooked it up this morning, the company isn't on the bandwagon. I'll check at three pm and grip at them if it's not done. The installer told me to, so permission to whine and nag.

Works are still in progress. I'm sealing the tile, thus, the stove is back in place. How nice! My stove gets a workout, and I'm wanting to get back to cooking.

Later: The cable guy called ME to check. How odd. I'm not used to customer service that provides service. We have HDTV!

You know I've been busy if it's been a week...

We were about two hours into grouting the kitchen backsplash when I told the husband, "Pay the man."

You see, in every DIY project, there's a point where an amature wakes up and thinks, "What the HELL am I doing?" Also, "Whatever made me think I can do this?" Thus, pay the man whatever he wants to finish this project. Since the grout was drying, we finished up. There'll be pictures, as soon as I can get more of this stuff cleaned. It's black grout and it's a lot like playing with Rit dye, the powdery stuff. It's worth it, the tiles and grout look great. Tonight, we're cleaning and sealing the tile behind the stove, just so we can move the stove from the middle of the kitchen back into its cubby.

Just to keep me from getting too bored, I've been painting what I can of the living room. The big deal was getting behind the piano painted, and behind where the armoire will go. All the other furniture is featherweight compared to the piano, and a lot less awkward, compared to the armoire. The living room will match the dining room, olive walls and cream ceiling.

Lucky graduated Beginner's Obedience school at Petsmart last night! That class was the worst he'd ever acted. Barking, trying to pull away from the leash, acting bananas in general. The ONLY thing to settle him down was saying "treat". I suppose it was my fault, I didn't walk him for a couple miles before class. Between cleaning grout and painting, I lost track of time. Hubs got great pictures. I'll post when they're developed.

Now, on to the yarny stuff. Sixteen days to Stitches, and I'm counting Wednesday because there's a lot of knitting to be done on the way there. At least eight hours of having to do nothing but sit and chat.

Last week, I went to three different yarn stores, just because I was in the area. I managed to exit Yarn Shop & More and Florilegium without buying anything. Florilegium was expanding their store space and had a bit of a low inventory. Totally understandable. They should be getting a few orders in a couple weeks. Meanwhile, I stopped by Knitcraft on Saturday after knit group. She had boxes of new yarn sitting out, including July's Lang Jawoll Aktion sock club. They're like potato chips. At first, I thought just one, but then... I have all of July's and think the little pictures don't do the yarn justice. Plus, I love the little 'giblet' of reinforcement yarn tucked inside. How funny!

On one of our many trips to Home Depot, we stopped by Michael's to get a doll hat for Lucky. While there, some Lion Brand Microspun in a buttercream color followed me home. It was on clearance, of course. I bought enough to make the Coachella from the summer Knitty. It's a pleasant diversion from the scallops of another shell where I have to count. If you listen, you can hear the snickers from my knit group. A couple of weekends ago, I'd cast on 232 stitches. I had to count them for accuracy, but kept getting distracted and had to start over. And over and over.

I'm going to have to take pictures at some point. Eye candy is always fun.

In which I'm lame and answer comments via post.

Ah, yes, Susan, but how about "Get mad, then get over it."--Colin Powell? Um hm, I'm totally over it. Today, I turned a man's hankerchef into a 'babushka' style hat and had Lucky wear it during our evening walk. There was some fighting to get it past the mouth, but I prevailed. How angry can anyone be when a beagle is walking around looking like a Russian grannie? Especially if the dog is a boy.

Don't be too impressed by my progress, there's been none in the knit arena in the past two days. Today, I walked Lucky in the am, went out for groceries, then cleaned up the bedroom upstairs for the cable guy. Is it ooo-la-la? Nope! That's where the cable box for the future HDTV will be. Heaven forbid SOME people watch History Channel on a crap tv.

I'm teasing the poor husband. We've actually jumped over technologies. We're going from CRT (curved out in front) TV to the HD with an LCD screen. I'm not exactly sure what the LCD is, just that it's great from any angle. Projection is great if you're right in front, not so if you're anywhere else. That's why it's cheaper, I'm sure.

That pole thing sounds like a good idea, Fry. Right up until you see the light pole out front looking like a curly fry. ::Snickers:: See? I do know what it's like to be so angry. Thanks for calling tonight! I LOVE Courage the Cowardly Dog, thanks for telling me it was on. I can't wait until "Dr. Gerbil"'s episode airs. That's my fave.

Oh my God, Chelle. HOW many weeks? No wonder for the past couple of days I've had the urge to pack. I can't wait to see how your Kasbah's Sunshine turns out. I'm wanting to see if you pick the true colors or if you go with that wonderful autumn palette that goes so well with your coloring. I'm also dearly wanting Mary to make one, too, in her colors.

So, because I LOVE to play with colors, let me pick my dream ones for you girls.

Here's Mary's:












And here is Chelle's:










This is much more fun than how I picked my own. :D

Today, we vote 'soup sandwich.'

There are times when all a gal wants is to drink her one cup of decaf a day while not drenched in sweat and smelling of dog poo.

Today, that was too much to ask.

I hate barking dogs, including our own. Especially if they continue the ruckus for at least 30 minutes. He had food, he had water, it was 8am. Between him and the cat nagging me for food already sitting in front of them, I'm going crazy. My temper is always better once my coffee is gone.

Sad to say, I did lose my temper a bit. Poor Lucky, but we all learned something today. Never throw a dog bowl full of water unless you want to be drenched. That, and my aim really stinks.

Stupid PMS.

So anyway, here's a nice change of subject. It fits tight, but well. :D I love it.


"Sunshine" from Rowan's "The Kasbah Collection"
Done in Rowan's Summer Tweed. My colors are different than the pattern because I shopped my stash instead of the store. Not easy, since Summer Tweed is irresistible to me.

What am I working on now? Other than peeling wallpaper in the living room? There's an adorable little shell in the spring or summer 2006 Cast Off. It's made up of entrelac-like seashells done in one of Prism's Stuff. I'll have to either search via Google again (first time didn't work) or just scan in a picture and post from that.

Saturday fun!

You Are a Key Lime Cheesecake

Unconventional and quirky, you live to shock people. You see the world in very weird ways. Sometimes you even surprise yourself!

What Kind of Cheesecake Are You?

Well THAT explains a lot. It's my husband's favorite. No wonder he has been able to stay married to me for so long. ;)

And, what kind of luck is this?

You Should Own a Beagle

Low maintenance, very friendly, and sturdy.

What Kind of Dog Should You Have?

I might not hate him after all.

While we're at it, this suited me to a T.

Your Mouth is a Little Big

You're not a total tell all, but you don't hide who you are either. You've struck a good balance between discretion and sharing. People know you fairly well, at least on a superficial level. But you save your most revealing secrets for your best friend... or no one!

Do You Have a Big Mouth?

Then, a girl has to wonder, "Just HOW cute am I, really>"

You Can Make 84% of Your Crushes Fall in Love With You

Admit it, you can seduce practically anyone. And sometimes you try just for fun. You're a total heartbreaker that knows when to play it cool. You are the type of person people go completely lovesick over. Just use your powers for good, okay?

Can You Make Anyone Fall in Love With You?

Considering I'm more good than evil...

You Are 42% Evil

You are evil, but you haven't yet mastered the dark side. Fear not though - you are on your way to world domination.

How Evil Are You?

For the last one, this one is oddly accurate. Very scary.

What Your Latte Says About You

You don't treat yourself very often. You find that indulging doesn't jibe with your very disciplined life. You are a very serious person. You don't have time for silly antics. Intense and energetic, you aren't completely happy unless you are bouncing off the walls. You're totally addicted to caffeine... but you like to pretend like you aren't! You are a child at heart, and you don't ever miss the opportunity to do something playful. You are dramatic and intense, but you are never moody.

What Does Your Latte Say About You?

Fulfilling a promise...

Oh nuts! I forgot finished objects. Ah well, that's a thing to do tomorrow, hmmm?

I suppose Fry's cover is blown by herself. Silly woman. I think the poor baby is homesick, but not bad enough to leave her beloved Gran and Pop. We were thrilled to hear from her tonight. Lucky is doing well, we've been watching the Dog Whisperer for tips.

Now then for the fun part, the computer. It's working so far, but I'm not taking it for granted again. Our prior Emachines was a dream, so I never suspected things could go very badly wrong. Was it Vista being version 1.0 as I'd though? Was it the hard drive as the Geek Squad thought? No. It was the 1 Gig of memory I'd added. A bad memory chip kicked my computer butt for a month. We went in, changed out the memory, and voila', we have all access. It took me a day to reinstall everything.

I know. Facinating. Somehow, it seems a lot more interesting when you're living it than when you're typing it. ;)

Mini-Post

Check last post's comments, Vicky. Also check back very soon for Lucky pictures. I also owe Chelle a few finished object pictures.

Every once in a while, I get a phone call, the mailman does his rounds, or something else happens reminding me there's a world beyond the computer. Also in the next post, how the computer has been fixed for now.

A bad week to stop sniffing glue.

Ok, maybe I'm joking.

Nope, I didn't go to the yarn store, but the check engine light came on again, so I'll be near there again tomorrow. Yay. Let's see if I can resist temptation yet again when I shell out more dough for a fix that won't work.

Much like what's going on with the computer. XP is working much better. Vista bites. But, it DID have a sound driver with it. I've worked and worked on getting an XP compatible sound driver (it makes the speakers 'go'), with nearly zero results. Every file I try to download or install gives me corrupt errors. The virus protection was turned off, I'd try saving to disk, then running from the website. Sometimes the saving worked, sometimes the running, but never both. I'm a few dollars and a couple of nerves away from getting an over the counter sound card, cracking the case, and slapping in the card.

With my nose to the keyboard, the house has been at a decline on the clean factor. Dishes have been done, some laundry, bathrooms cleaned. It's not all bad, hm? Hubs could have cleaned in here, but he was busy mowing and walking the dog. He's just glad it's not him fooling around with the computer. HE thinks *I* have patience. Ha! I'm stubborn, that's all. Maybe a little OCD on broken things I'm supposed to be able to fix, too.

Bedtime. There's a pickup to fix, a soundcard to buy, and yarn to drool on tomorrow.

It's ALIVE!

Cue the evil laughter...

I tried to like Vista, I really did. It had pretty colors. What else does a girl need?

A girl needs an operating system that is secure, but not so secure it won't let itself run. Make sense? The problems started out small, an application halting here, then another, until nothing worked. I'd get an error message like "Such N Such has stopped working", then get an option to report the problem and close the program, or just close the program. Then, that was all. No rhyme or reason.

Plus, something else really odd... Messages saying wireless computers were connecting to our system kept popping up. We do have a wireless router and it's not plugged into anything. Very strange.

Since my beloved hero of a husband works at a place with a Microsoft licence, I had him bring home Windows XP Pro SP 2. Just like our other computer that freakin WORKS. Ahem. It wasn't nearly as hard to format the hard drive as I'd thought. I also enjoyed formatting Vista off there. If it hadn't been so late, there'd been a louder war whoop.

In other mechanical news, the check engine light on the pickup came on. Owner's manual says it's low coolant or the catalytic converter. Our mechanic says it's probably a sensor, so I'm running off to see him at 2pm. Will I walk the block to the yarn store??? I want to, but shouldn't. My conscious is going "Knit from your staaaash, knit from your staaaaash." I'd added to the stash quite a bit in June and like to get all the spoils knit up before Stitches Midwest. (Yay!)

Today or tomorrow, I'll get the camera software installed on this and have a better update. Right now, I'm thrilled to have a decent operating system on here.

Whew!

Let's keep fingers crossed the computer doesn't let IE crash before I can post this. Gaw. I've had serious computer problems, as noted earlier, and am still fighting this thing.

Best Buy is of no use. Geek Squad is a useless group of men. The nice thing is, while they did no good whatsoever, they DIDN'T do any harm. I'll take whatever plus I can get at the moment.

This has been a busy week and a half. There's been lunches and dinners with friends and sister, family fun fests, pet fun, too.

There's not been much finishing until today. I've been working on something like this: http://carodanfarm.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/media/patterns/kasbahsunshine.jpg

(IE won't let me upload photos)

I am not a gal who can crochet. I'm so hoping that what I've done is somewhat decent. Anyone who can really crochet will either laugh at or pity me. Fingers crossed that my second crochet attempt isn't so horribly awful.

At any rate, I'm getting Hubs to bring home Windows XP pro service pack 2 so I can wipe this butthead of a computer and get it back to fighting speed. I don't know what the heck is wrong with Vista, but it's on a downward spiral. The security is so harsh, not even Window's own programs are allowed to run. Isn't that just wonderful? <-sarcasm