Veteran's Day

First off, a huge thanks to those who have served or continue to serve our country. We would not be the nation that we are without those who chose to lay their lives on the line for us. For that, we are truly blessed. This is the first year that my grandpa, a Korean War veteran, is not here to be thanked. I didn't really even think about it until I tried to go to the bank. I really, really miss my grandpa, and I wish he was still here. Knitting content soon!

Halloween Pictures

The Monsterette as a princess: Me and Doc: I really love the mask I made! I got one of those plastic masks from Hobby Lobby. I covered it with some cool textured felt, added some sparklies, the pretty pink butterflies, feathers, and some ties. super easy, and I think it came out great! Some close-up pictures: Hope you all had a good Halloween! I think we are still recovering from the sugar coma over here. See you tomorrow!

NM State Fair

Lots of fun at the State Fair this year. I do wish I could go back, I missed most of the exhibits and didn't get any free crap! With the move, though, don't think I'll be going back. We'll see. Anyways, we had fun with what we did do! the Ferris Wheel whas the first request: After that we got some yummy funnel cakes and headed over to the petting zoo: The Monsterette had a lot of fun petting and feeding all the animals, and I'm always happy to pet a sheep! After a good handwashing, we took a break for some ice cream. Doc and I already finished ours: The Monsterette decided the best way to eat her cone was from the sides: Next was the Midway. I'll admit, I really don't care about the rides and games and all that crap. I generally avoid the Midway when I go to the fair, but Doc and his kids were all excited about it, so I took Joie on her first big kid ride: The Tilt-A-Whirl was always my favorite when I was younger! She looked scared pretty much the entire ride, but was pretty excited about it after we got off. And even after half of a funnel cake, an ice cream cone, some cheese fries, and cotton candy she managed to NOT get sick! I was pretty happy about that! She went on a few more rides, and then her and I sat down for a few minutes to let the "big kids" go on a few rides. Mommy took pictures: Well after bedtime and barreling into a major sugar crash, we all stumbled back to van to head home. All in all, a pretty good fair visit. I think my tummy is still recovering, though!

Sick & Tired.

I went to the Student Health Services center on campus yesterday to get my nasty cough checked out. Apparently I have bronchitis. The nurse gave me a prescription for some antibiotics which I meant to pick up today, but of course The Monsterette barfed all over herself as soon as we got into the Wal-Mart parking lot. Joy. So, I'll pick that up tomorrow. Hopefully it will make me feel better. Today I was planning on catching up on some much needed R&R, but no go. Oh well. There's always next Friday. I haven't been sleeping well because of my waking up frequently with coughing fits, and some craziness going on in my life. Oh hell, let's skip to the good stuff. My mom and dad are getting a divorce. Really, it's been a while coming, and it's for the better. But in the last week or so, a LOT of really messed up stuff about my dad has been coming into light. Apparently, he's been living a double life. I don't really want to get into the nitty gritty details, and most of you close to me already know them, anyways. But he's done some really hurtful stuff, not just to my mom, but to me and my siblings, as well. He's being a really big asshole, and I'm questioning if I really ever want to see or talk to him again. So that's been pretty rough. I'm not really sure how to deal with it all, I'm still in shock about a lot of it. All in all, it's been a really long week. Hopefully I'll be able to muster the energy to go to the State Fair tomorrow. On a more postive note, I did get new shoes today. Woot for new shoes!

Randomosities

Remember, tomorrow is the last day of the Army of Women contest. Get your blogs posted and let me know! Also, if you wanted to donate a prize for the goodie box, please get in touch with me. It would be much appreciated! Thought I would give a short "life" update. School has been going really well, and keeping me pretty busy. tomorrow I register for next semester's classes, which I am excited about. Been hunting for a job and a daycare for the Monsterette. I've been dealing with some rougher stuff, like my grandpa having cancer again, that is making life just a bit more stressful and not so fun at times. I got glasses. I was getting really bad headaches with all the time I've been spending at the computer, and I knew it had to be vision-related. They've helped wonders, and I'm getting over how old having to wear glasses makes me feel, and starting to kind of like them. I've been knitting on a hellacious project for The Hubbster. It's very cool, and he'll love it, but it has been driving me crazy. I just can't seem to get in the groove with this one. I'll be blogging more about that in the future, though. I think that's about it for tonight, it is late and I need to get some sleep! See you tomorrow!

One Last Question

I forgot one of the questions on yesterday's interview, so here it is. Sorry, Katie! Me: If you could go out to dinner with one person from history, who would it be, and where would you go eat? James: I'm going to have to say Jesus. Well, all the people there at the last supper. Me: But the question says just one person. James: Fine. Jesus. Me: And where would you go eat? James: Ummmm.... Denny's. Me: *Laughs uncontrollably* James: If I could have all the disciples, I would go somewhere fancier, just so I could here them say "Jesus, party of 14?"

Interview With The Hubbster

Alright, I recored this and am going to just write exactly what was said. Enjoy! Me: So James, what is the meaning of life? James: The meaning of life is to live. Me: Would you rather be a beautiful, talented, and happy drag queen in a stable relationship with a partner of similar traits, or would you rather be beautiful, in a straight relationship, but unhappy for the rest of your life? James: Well I guess it's all about happiness, so I'd go with the happy drag queen aspect. Me: James, would you rather have glorious, beautiful locks of luscious flowing hair and never be able to cut it, or would you rather be completely bald, but handsome? James: Completely bald and handsome. Me: Knit or crochet? James: Knit. Me: If Pinocchio said "My nose is about to grow," what would happen? James: Who asked that? Me: Autumn. James: Well that means he'd be lying or excited. One of the two. Me: *uncontrollable laughter* Me: Do you know the muffin man? James: The muffin man? Me: The muffin man. James: On mulberry lane, or something like that? Me: *more laughing* Me: If olive oil comes from smashed olives, where does baby oil come from? James: Alright, this isn't the James' obscure knowledge test! ...Smashed babies? Me: if a smurf is chocking, what color does he turn? James: White? I guess it depends on the race of the smurf. Me: Why do they have braille on drive-thru ATMs? James: For those blind drivers. Me: Tattoos? Have any? James: No. (side note: he wants to get one, though.) Me: New Mexico or Minnesota? Details. James: New Mexico for the mountains and the chile, Minnesota for the better education and United States. (side note for clarification: NM is kind of like a third-world country in some ways. That's what he means.) Me: What was the one silly/funny/serious thing that made you decide to marry your wife? James: That would have to be how fun and interesting our first date was. Me: No, I'm not elaborating. Me: if a hippo pooed while under water, would it float? James: The hippo or the poop? Me: Both. James: Is that on there? Me: No. James: I'm not answering that. Me: James, would you rather love and not be loved back, or be loved but never love? James: Who asked that one? Me: Autumn. James: Did she ask all of these questions? Me: *dirty look* James: I would rather be loved and never love. Me: What is your favorite color? James: It all depends on my mood. I don't really have a favorite color. It's somewhere on the cool side, greens and blues, but it all depends on what its on. If...well like I love the color of autumn leaves, I love the color of a sunset, those are all warm colors of course, but it all depends. Me: What is the weight of an unladen swallow? James: African or European? Me: Way to go baby! *high five* James: As a footnote to all of this, those were not the most informative questions about me at all. Very disappointed in you blog readers. Me: You can't insult my readers! James: Oh. Nevermind. Me: Well that was fun, don't you think? James: Like having teeth pulled without Novocaine.

More Yarn and Other Stuff

A few weeks ago, I picked up some yummy orange Shibu silk from the clearance wall at the LYS: I just couldn't resist it, I loved the juicy colors and the soft rawness of it. I have no idea what I'm going to make with it, but I bet it'll be scarfy. Any ideas? I bet it drapes like a dream! Hubbster has kindly offered to be the subject of my blog for one day, so let's ask him all kinds of weird stuff! He asked that I give a little background so we don't get a bunch of the same questions over and over. So, here's the general dirt on The Hubbster: He's 34, and is currently working on his bachelor's degree in Fine Arts. He loves painting, drawing, photography, reading, playing devil's advocate, discussing non-PC topics, and me. I told him that I would tell you guys you can ask ANYTHING, and he has to answer! And really, he's a funny guy, so this should be fun. Leave your question(s) in the comments, and I'll start making a list! You guys will also get the bonus of a few HILARIOUS pictures of him when I blog the answers. So go crazy! See you tomorrow!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Ugh, it's been a while since I've blogged. Sorry. Life has been REALLY hectic and busy, but really awesome, as well. A few weeks ago, The Hubbster quit his job. He really hated it there, and rightfully so. That, though, is a whole different story. So, a few weeks ago, we found ourselves with one last check in the mail, enough money to get us through August, and no income at all. Kind of scary. We sat down and talked about what we wanted to do- should we both try to work? Should he try to find a job that paid as well as the last one? We struggled with the ideas a bit, then came to the perfect decision for both of us. We're both going back to school. We might try to find part-time jobs, but we'll both be full-time students at the local community college. It looks like our student loans will be able to support us through the summer. Monsterette won't have to go into daycare at all, unless we decide to work. All in all, we're really happy with it, and family and friends have been very supportive. All of this has been a little stressful, but we're thisclose to being done with everything. I have very little left to do, just getting my student ID and that stuff. I'm officially a registered, full-time student. (For those of you wondering, I'm really close to finishing my classes for Cosmetology. Not what I want to do forever, but it's a great option for me right now.) I'm a little scared. A little excited. A LOT happy. We both are, and that makes life much more easy to deal with. So, until classes start on the 2nd, we'll been doing a lot of running around, filling out forms, and standing in lines. But it's good. I do feel bad about not blogging. More for myself than for you guys, even though I do love you guys. Blogging was a lot of my stress relief, my outlet to the world, my place to share my life with whoever wants to read it. to put myself out there, and to take a moment every day to write or share. So, I'm REALLY going to try to blog more. Life is going to be crazy, but I think everything will be okay. I hope so. I'll try to keep you all updated!

Sloppy Joes

I made sloppy joes for dinner tonight, and thought you guys might like the recipe! I've always made mine from scratch, using this recipe from my grandma. They really are excellent. Enjoy! Sloppy Joes 2 lbs. ground beef 1 1/2 C. Ketchup 1/2 C. chopped onion 3 Tbsp. brown sugar 1 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder 2 Tbsp. mustard Brown beef and drain. Mix all ingredients together, add water if needed to thin the sauce. Simmer about half an hour on stovetop, or in a crockpot for 4-5 hours. This recipe can be halved pretty easily, too. Yum!

Good Finds

Now that it's summer, the Hubbster and I like to go garage sale-ing on Sundays. Last week was our first real morning going out, but we hit a few good sales, and came away with some cool stuff. Among the finds were a little bag of dress-up beads for the Monsterette and a nice bag for me, probably a secondary knitting bag- when the big one is too big, and the small one is too small. The last garage sale we hit was a really nice lady with some cool stuff. (This is where I got the bag.) She had a whole box of yarn, most of it acrylic. I did, how ever, dig for some treasure, and got an entire bag of this for a buck: That, my friends, is Reynold's Lopi Wool. I got a little over 500 yards. For only a dollar! I was soooo stoked. I know I'm not supposed to be buying any more yarn, but that was just too good to pass up. I got to talking to her, and she knew me from my Etsy site. on thing lead to another, and I mentioned that I was trying to find good, natural soaps. Well, turns out she has an Etsy shop for that, as well! She gave me a whole bar of her lavender oatmeal soap for free, to try out. Is that awesome, or what?! All in all, it was a great Sunday.

A Day in Santa Fe

Happy Father's Day

Monsterette and I had a great day today hanging out with my sister-in-law. We went to the park, took a little trip to the store, got Chinese food for lunch, and came home to a much needed nap for all three of us. I made my first batch ever of red chile, and we had frito pies for dinner. It was pretty good! After Monsterette went to bed, we sat out on the balcony with some wine and talked for a while. Now, I'm pretty much ready for bed! Tomorrow she's leaving, and we'll be having some people over for a little nerdy gaming get-together in the evening. Bring on the Munchkin, the Gloom, and the Lunch Money!

In Minnesota

Yay, I'm here! The flight in to Minnesota went great, and the Monsterette was wonderful. I'm exhausted, but happy to be here! I'm not sure if I'll be able to get on every day and blog, but when I don't, I'll write them down for y'all. I'll be sure to have lots of fun lounging by the pool and hanging out with the family. Hope you ll have a good weekend!

No Time...

To blog tonight. I'm busy doing crazy shit, like sewing an entire outfit for the Hubbster, for an SCA event next weekend. Yes, I leave for Minnesota very early on Wednesday morning. No, I'm not even thinking about packing yet. I promise it'll be much less lame tomorrow. PROMISE.

Pudell-O

Every big family dinner we ate over at Grandma's included this magical bowl of goodness. It was always served with dinner, as a side. It was a creamy, citrusy concoction that was almost reminiscent of a Dreamsicle. For years, I thought my grandma had just invented this delectable dessert, and that all kinds of love, magic, and special ingredients went into it. Little did I know it was just some Jell-O, pudding, and Cool Whip. I made some last night, and although different from Grandma's, it's still delicious. Here's her basic recipe: INGREDIENTS 1 Box of orange gelatin 1 Box of lemon pudding (cook & serve, NOT instant!) 1 Tub of Cool Whip DIRECTIONS In a large bowl (needs to hold at least 6 cups), prepare Jell-O according to package, but use 3/4 cup of water (both hot and cold) instead of 1 cup. Put aside. Prepare pudding as directed on package. Pour into the bowl with the Jell-O and stir until completely mixed. Put in fridge and let set for a few hours, until firm. When ready to serve, spoon into bowls, and top with a dollop of Cool Whip. Alternatively, you can spread the Cool Whip over the top, while it's in the bowl, and serve it with dinner. Last night, I strayed from the tried-and-true recipe of Grandma's, and decided to use cherry Jell-O and chocolate pudding. It's still delicious, and much more decadent. I also got some vanilla pudding and peach Jell-O. Hubbster also suggested banana cream pudding and strawberry Jell-O. The possibilities are practically endless! I'd love to know if you make this, and what flavors you use!

Life.

I guess I don't really post often about my life and things going on here. Nothing too deep, nothing that's too "real". I guess i've always been like this, sheltered, putting up a wall. Cautious, too, about what is on the internet. but life is life, and you guys are my friends. So, here goes. Things have been a little hectic and stressful lately. at the end of February, the place where my husband worked for three years closed it's doors permanently. He applied to a few places in the same business, and the only one that really looked interested in him didn't offer him a job until his last day at work for the old business. Fortunately, they offered to pay him a dollar more an hour than he was making, and we'll also be able to get health insurance for the whole family. He says they seem like good people, and it'll be a good job. He'll be working less hours a day, but one extra day a week. (Before, he was working Monday through Thursday, now he'll work Friday as well.) It'll take some getting used to a more corporate environment, coming from the small and laid back shop he was at, but it shouldn't be too big of a deal. The thing that sucks, really, is he can't start until March 31st. That means we have a full month with no income. His old boss (who is a really great guy) did give him one weeks pay as severance, and off the books. He's applied for unemployment pay, but there's a one week waiting period before they'll send a check, which really means it'll be almost two weeks. This means we'll only get three checks total from them before he starts working again, and at about 65% of his pay before- not enough to support a family. His dad graciously offered to help out iwth money, but it still kind of sucks. I'm weirded out that he's been home all the time, and feel a bit overwhelmed. I'm stressed, as well, because finances is my job, and now it's difficult, because the money isn't there. on top of all that, he being here totally throws off me eating healthy, because he comes home with fast food and buys crap at the grocery store. I'm also starting to worry about the wedding shawl for my sister in law. I've finished 11 repeats out of 17, and should be able to finish it by next weekend for her shower. I'm just now getting to the point where the knitting for someone else is getting tedious and annoying. I want to knit for me, and only when I want to, not because I have to! Sometimes I wonder why I do this to myself. In addition, there's been all this drama about her shower, which is being held in Durango, Colorado. (Lord knows why when almost all of the attendees live here, in New Mexico.) There's been shit about who's going, and who's riding with whom, and I've been kind of stuck in the middle. All this, on top of wondering how much I really want to go anyways, has been stressful, as well. Ugh, I guess we'll see how it goes. I'm personally not looking to a four hour drive one way with someone I hardly know and her two pre-teen girls. I don't even know if I'll have my own bed in the hotel room! Although, the LYS in Durango sells Malabrigo... Okay, maybe this is why I don't blog about real life. I get all crazy and write forever. See you tomorrow...

Santa Fe

Another mini-trip to Santa Fe for us. For those non-New Mexicans, Santa Fe is about an hour north of Albuquerque, where we live. We lived in Santa Fe for about a year when we first moved here, but are much happier here in Albuquerque. Moving on... We go up to Santa Fe a few times a month to visit family and friends. The large majority of our friends live in Santa Fe, as well as my aunt-in-law, who is my acting mother-in-law. My father-in-law was in town and celebrating his birthday, so up we go! My mother-in-law is a great cook, which makes it fun to visit as well. The Monsterette always has a good time, and everyone is always happy to see her. Hubbster also works in Santa Fe, and commutes. It's a long drive every day, but so worth it to live here. It's much cheaper to live in Albuquerque, and we're a lot happier here. Both cities are beautiful cities, nestled against a mountain, with beautiful views. Albuquerque, though, has all the great stuff that comes with living in a big city. Santa Fe is a very tourism-driven town, and doesn't have much to do for locals. So, there you have it.

Valentine's Goodies

The Hubbster has always gotten me awesome gifts. I know the people at the LYS swoon over him, simply because he buys be knitting goodies. Good ones, too! He's very educated, and even can buy me yarn for a specific project. He'll even look through my ravelry queue! This Valentine's Day was no exception, and he wonderfully picked up on my new obsession of spinning. Look at this: This, my friends, is eight ounces of some super lush alpaca fiber. The color is jet black, and all natural. Ooooh, it is so frickin' soft. I want to wrap myself in it and roll around and drool. Awesome. I can hardly wait to spin it up! He also got me the new One Skein Wonders book, which is awesome. Lots of stuff in there that I want to make! It's a signed copy, too. How awesome is that?! My Hubbster rocks my face off. Isn't he great? More goodies are here, too, and I have a finished object to show off! Tomorrow...