Addiction

I have an addiction. I mean more than just yarn, fabric and chocolate.

Tote bags.
I love me a tote bag. I recently purchased one in Vegas. It was a souvenir so it was not a crazy buy.
I received a clothing catalog today and on the cover was this sticker.

Of course I don't need anything but I considered looking through the catalog to see just on the off chance that I might need a new bag. Perhaps for crafting. Or something. Yeah.

Then I thought this would make a clever post and I should take some pics.... Then I realized I already had.

http://wordsbymlb.blogspot.com/2018/01/bag-lady-i-think-so.html

Well, some things never change apparently!

And I did look in that catalog and found a couple of clearance dresses and perchance a Christmas gift for a friend. Hmmmmm. Oh my....

What is it? A cross stitch story.

one of tye projects my mil gave me in a completely unopened state was actually one of two very difficult looking projects. I made up my mind to donate these treasures when Blueman mentioned how much he liked them and wished I would make them. Well, what's a wife to do after gnashing her teeth?

I took them to work and stared them both down during a lunch hour.  I chose what I thought might be the lesser of two evils. 

So what is it? Ring tailed mythical creature? 

Dinosaur (turn it clockwise)?

Weird noose?

Center section of a cello?

Here is my highlighted portion of the pattern. I can only do this if I highlight my stitches as I do them. Why, you ask? Because the colors in this (and there are only 20+) have six to eight in the brown range only! 

It's a good thing I love Blueman! If I can, I'd like to complete this for his birthday in December.
Happy stitching!

Facebook and age and stuff

I'm not on Facebook. Or Twitter. Or Instagram. Or snap whatever or things with inder in the name. I'm not hip, or current or whatever the kids call it these days. But through Blueman, I made the foray into Facebook looking for a family member. Obviously not a close personal family member as I cannot remember her married name. Ah well, it was interesting while it lasted.

I am not sure why I don't have/want an account of my own. I tried it for two weeks about 15 years ago but didn't understand about sheeps and farms and all that other stuff.

* * * * *

A couple of days ago, I gave my trainee my phone to put her number in for me. After she and the other twenty something got done making fun of the smallness of my phone, she put her name and number and even snapped a selfie. Smirky lips with a coworker in the back ground.  If someone handed me their phone, I'd be at a loss as to how to access stuff quickly. (I would eventually figure it out, I'm sure). But she just giggled over my tiny phone and ta da had it done right quick.

* * * * *

The baby of  our work group just turned 26. We were talking about her love of calendars so I mentioned a memory of being in my grandmas house with a fabric printed calendar on the wall, sometimes several years old. She didn't know so I said it was printed on burlap. She quizzically says, "what's burlap?"
Big sigh.

* * * * *

I'm from the Midwest where we say things in an old fashioned way. I told my friend that you always see something every whip stitch. She was unaware of this usage for the phrase whip stitch. I'm ancient these days, apparently.

On that note, I'll grab my cane, my corncob pipe, and head to bed. Maybe tomorrow knowing current events will mean more than what app does what... I shan't hold my breath.

Busy days

Drama at work, training folks, seasoned employees on vacation and implementation of new processes. By the time I get home, I find a spot for my weary body and I don't move.

I realized yesterday that while being a catalyst for change is electric and exciting, it's also exhausting.
But I'm still pleased that I'm making progress and in a way, I'm leaving my mark on my workplace. I mean more than just that dried cranberry that fell in a corner!

If only this were true.  I'm off soda again. Goodbye my sugar ridden frenemy. I'll miss you but I know you'll find me in a moment of weakness....

IN process

I am really only working about four projects and two are such part time that it will take weeks...months to complete.

Thus is my main project.

Started in May to have something to take to my knit/crochet group. It's been to a doctor visit or two and even further!

Almost across my lap in the truck on the was to Vegas!

Hard to see the difference unless you look at the strings along the side. I was about an inch from the strings before we left town but I managed a good foot or so on the drive up. I was able to see scenery and knit at the same time!  I'm thinking I might be halfway done.

Knitting is not for the impatient. I shall need the skills I've learned with these slow-boat projects in my work life. The mood has greatly shifted and all is not well. It's apropos then that the sermon Saturday night had a snippet that basically went like this: you don't know what aromas or flavors are in a tea bag UNTIL it hits the hot water. 

I shall try to remain flavorful and aromatic when swimming in the hot water of my job!

As a side note I did briefly consider how this would make a lovely cross stitch sampler!

James 1:2-3

Seep on with your flavorful self!

Chillin

I was the recipient of some free nail covering. It's butterfly wings design. I don't usually do more than make sure my edges are smooth, but I was chillin with the maternal unit and decided to put on some fingernail fun.

We eventually fell asleep together after just chillin. I was reading but he was not!

The baby just chillin against me in the recliner.

Notice his eyes are lowered in a very lazy way. 

I'll need to take this calm attitude into what may likely be a drama filled week.

Lovely L.V. Part two

The beginning of the Blueman group show started with is decorating ourselves in fluorescent paper streamers. This was the best part of the whole trip. The Blueman group rocks!

Tournament of kings banquet pre show shot. Hazzah!

Good food, entertaining show. Lovely time.

Okay. So at the buffet you can eat whatever you want. So, I'm not gonna lie, I had Chinese food for breakfast. The egg fried rice was like breakfast, right? (I also indulged in bacon, watermelon, and one day I had country fried steak.)

On my birthday I celebrated with a few tasty treats. The eclair was for my own Blueman. Chocolate covered brownie, Rice Krispie treat and the other goodies found there weren't awful!

Lovely Las Vegas part one

View from the hall to the elevators. Tiny window but I likely looked ou there every day.

View looking right from the 26th floor. Side note: it rained one evening. Rain from the 26th floor looks like snow! Way cool!

The slot machine where I won $10.25. I did this twice. I ended the day $4 to the plus side!

View looking down from the room. Four pools and a water slide. In the afternoon you could hear the music play from down there. Luckily it was good music!

Birthday stuffs, the final stuffs!

1/2 cheddar popcorn, 1/2 caramel corn. One of my faves appropriately called the 50/50. What else could I get for my 50th???

Blueman got me these pretty cubic zirconias. I wore them today and thought to snap a quick pic. The thing that stood out more to me? The gray in my hair. *sigh*. Hello 50.

Overall a good birthday weekend.

This was waiting for me when I got home. Card had a gift card inside. Woot!

Hazzah y'all!

Roadside pretty

I like to see how the side of the road is decorated.   Overpasses, on ramps or roundabouts, they are just interesting.

Buckin bronco roundabout in wickenburg

Giant Spurs in a roundabout in wickenburg

Rams? Right outside the Vegas strip

Nicely decorated overpass on the way in to Vegas.

Can't remember where in AZ. Nice on ramp deco in rock.

Road art. Very clever.

Good food

Went to lunch after a disappointing dmv visit.  I tried something new. 1/2 pound Rocky Mountain blt. Translated this means a boatload of bacon, some tomatoes, one scrawny piece of leaf lettuce, on toasted wheat bread. Dee lightful.

Egg map. US Egg. One of Bluemans favorite restaurants.

To Georgia.... I remember listening to this during roller skating parties. And when I hear it on the way to work, I try to sing along. The fast lyrics sure make your mind and mouth wake up!

birthday stuffs- the early stuffs

Bling it up, the card told me! First birthday card received Tuesday.

My mil sent me a card. I got it Wednesday.

Maternal unit knows we won't see each other on the big day so she gave me my card today. I bout cried. Sweet note on the inside.

This apparently came out the year after I was born. I like most versions of this song. Didn't Joan Jett do this?

A warm, soft and fuzzy

This post was delayed due to monsoon storm. Power flickered and went out and when it's 100+ degrees out you anxiously await the return of the a/c!  Just have three digital clocks to adjust and we are back in business!

I had finally found another 'skein' to finish this prayer shawl. It wasn't until I was finishing the border that I realized the slight color change. Can you see the stripe?  Darn dye lots!  I'm going with the 'I meant to do that' approach. Or maybe, 'I think it adds panache'.

Pickin up another finish!

i finished a few things recently. Finally. Having many projects means slow progress is made. Good news is I will only work on two while on vacation...well, unless I buy something on vacation!

Out if the cross stitch box from my mil, I tweaked a design slightly.

This picture was taken June 30. This was all my mil had completed before she put it away.  I worked on it for two weeks and then set it down while I read Patricia Briggs' Mercedes Thompson series.

I worried about that cat, but as soon as she was outlined, she was beautiful!

Molly was Bluemans beloved companion that alas didn't get along with my boys so we had to make her a single cat princess again. Miss you Molly girl.

Molly, you're a fine cat....

Haboob

being a Midwest gal, I'm used to rain, thunderstorms, tornados, and snow storms. So, if the sky darkened mid afternoon and looked like the middle of the night, I knew what to expect. But the other evening I was taken by surprise when the sky turned orange. Yup. It was another dust storm. A haboob.

I was too lazy to actually go out and breath the dust to get a better shot!

About 10-15 minutes and it was over. The only sign it had gone through is that dust fills your fingerprints on you car door...as though a dust monster tried to get in!