A liitle something about me and Chistmas

This has been making arounds so I thought I would jump on the bandwagon.

Christmas Meme
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. I really love being able to pick out paper once a year and wrap presents. Besides if the presents I received came in bags I would be very disappointed that there was no ripping or tearing involved. (and we all know how I can pout)
2. Real or artificial tree? Well if you ask the hubby it would be a real tree. As for me we have had a real tree for the last two years and I find them annoying. The only plus is that they smell good other than that they poke you, you have to remember it needs water, it makes a mess and then after the season you have to get rid of the thing. I am an artificial tree all the way and it would be a plus if it is prelit.
3. When do you put up the tree? Usually we put it up about two weeks before Christmas however this year we have no tree so we did not put it up…
4. When do you take it down? Right after Christmas before New years. We usually have an extra day off and out with the Christmas décor littering the house. (if anyone knows my husband they would be shaking their heads here)
5. Do you like eggnog? Sick. Seriously I know that this stuff can get you hammered and that may be a lot of people highlight to the family Christmas get together but for me pass the hot coco.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Wow this is a hard one. I do not know which one is my favorite but I will tell you about one of the best feelings I had. I remember one Christmas when I was little that we all got up and opened our stockings. After waiting hours, well what seemed like hours, for our parents to get up we handed out gifts. This year my mom decided that we should take turns opening presents, one person and one present at a time. Now there are four girls in our family and it was hard for me to wait because as a little girl I was selfish and wanted to open my presents. So there I was waiting for my sis Kristina to open her gift and decided, hey my moms back is turned I could get away with opening a present…so I went for it. I tore open a package (she did not turn around but now I know she knew what I was doing). I think it was a care bear pillow, it was happening fifteen years ago. (my sis Brenda got a matching one). I was never so excited and I wanted to jump up and down and scream ‘look at what I got…the best present ever’. But wait I could not do that I had to wait for my turn or suffer the wraith of my mother for opening up a present early…I remember that thirty seconds as an eternity but the longer I waited the happier I got. It was the best feeling about Christmas when I was little. I was and am so happy, so thankful and so lucky.
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes. My mommy got it for me when I got married. I love it.
8. Hardest person to buy for? My sister Joanna. I really love her but every time I have been shopping with her for the past eight years she only buys for her kids. Now don’t get me wrong this is great so I know what they want but as it comes time to get her something I never know what she would like because I have not seen the women buy something for herself in eight years…this is a problem.
9. Easiest person to buy for? My sisters Kristina and Brenda. Could do it with my eyes closed and hands tied behind my back.
10. Worst Christmas present you ever got? I remember my grandmother got me this pj set that was slash pjs/dress. When I opened it, I thought she had gotten me a navy and white plaid dress…hated it. But later my mom explained it was pjs then I loved it…
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? I mail all my Christmas cards. I only send them to my immediate family though.
12. Favorite Christmas movie? Don’t have one
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? In October or before if there is a good sale. I am my mothers daughter.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Never
15. Favorite thing to eat on Christmas? This year it will be everything since I am going to be home for Christmas. I think my favorite thing is dumplings. yummy.
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear. I think colored is tacky unless done all out. I really prefer my moms classic glass tree filled with beautiful ornaments.
17. Favorite Christmas song? ???
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I like to travel to be with the family but the last two years we elected to stay home. This year I am bring back the traveling baby and I am excited about it.
19. Can you name all of Santa’s Reindeer? Shit no.
20. Angel or star on top of tree? Star
21. Open presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning for sure. I like going to sleep the night before with anticipation and then waking up to opening up presents. It is a blast and so much fun to see all the kids opening them…
22. Most annoying thing this time of year? Christmas music. I honestly like listening to it but it gets a bit much when you start to hear it in every store and every station starting in November.
23. Do you decorate your tree in any theme or color? Nope…I am still too young to have enough to make a theme.
24. What do you leave for Santa? Coal.

Toilet

So I know that I have missed Pet Peeve Tuesday well for a month. I have had pet peeves come and go but just so you know that I had one of those moments this last month that made me really know in my heart that men and women are very different people.

Let me set the scene for you. As a favor for my hubby I went 'hunting' with him. (I did get to do a lot of knitting, so it was not all bad). This hunting involved getting up at three am and getting into the truck and driving to the lookout. This was super fun. Also included was three days of whispering because the Elk can hear us. By the way the Elk are at least five hundred yards away.

So all that hunting stuff is so much fun but living in the camp is really special. It is like a hotel. There are fires and two campers. We sleep in a 1970's pop up trailer. I am feeling special. But I should not complain because they built me a toilet.

Let me describe this luxury in the great outdoors. It is basically a ply wood box with a hole cut in the top. Although they said they built it for me they have been camping there for years and it is about seven years old. But like any good women does when nature started calling I grabbed my husband hiked up my skirt and went down to go pee. As my husband held the light and I did my business I said "Do you know what I am really scared of at this moment" (please take a sec and look into my mind...I was thinking a splinter) He says (as I am still on the pot) "Spiders? Small rodents? Birds?...how about the whole thing collapsing and falling into the hole?" Lets just say I have never went so fast in all my life.

So lets fast forward three days into the future. I have basically held my business at much as possible and was looking forward to being able to go home. Well as we are at our last meal, lunch, before we set off into the sunset. We shared camp with some nice men from the coast of Oregon. As one of the older men in camp look at me and says I saw you going down to the toilet this morning...(followed by some dirty jokes). His son looks at me and said "You use the old porta-potty in the woods?" I said "Where else am I going to go?" He concludes with "Well the toilet in our camper. All the girls go in there and there is a shower too." This may be the only time in my life I have been close to murder.

After three days with no shower having to shit outside in the woods when I could have used an indoor toilet I came to the moment of the Pet peeve.

I really gets to me when people assume you know something that you could never know. Really if I knew there even was a toilet in that camper the three days prior why in the world would I have been going outside?

A month

Wow it has been a month since I last posted. I don't know if I am cut out for being a blogger. I will try harder. (maybe that should be my new years resolution).

Any who I know you are all wanting to know what I am working one. I have a few projects that just needed to be blocked and they will be ready for pictures. However, I am working very hard on Christmas knitting. I am only knitting one thing but it is taking an eternity to finish.

Well lets get onto the embarrassing story because since you all know me there is at least one a week. But today I feel confident enough to tell you because I am looking good. (as good as an over weight 24 year old can look)

So this past weekend Jeff and I went to the movies. Not the dollar movies mind you we sprang (like kangaroos) for the real movies. Not only did we go to real movies we went to the show that was offered in 3-D (five dollars extra). Lets just say we went all out. (except the old husband would not let me get butter on the popcorn...one day I will brake him it is just a matter of time).

This is the first time I have been to 3-D. Well not really true I did go to a 3-D movie when I was seven in Disney but I cannot remember (Am I turning into Joanna, the sister that has no memories from our childhood?) so it is like it never happened. So there I am ready to see this movie and my husband hands me the glasses...

Sidebar I would like to believe that I am not a vain person. But you see I wear glasses and try to look good but if I look like crap I accept it and move on. So that being said lets get back to the story.

The theater is dark. I rip open the package and pull out the biggest set of glasses that I have ever seen. Now I have to put these wonderful things over my regular glasses. I cringe at what I looked like. Due to my curiosity I had to find out so this morning I took a picture of myself just so you could laugh at me, oh wait I mean with me...

Another night in the fog

I find the fog fascinating. Last night at about 10pm I was letting the doggies out and as I stepped outside my house I step into a blanket of fog. I do not know about you but before I moved to Oregon I had never been in thick fog before. So I called to Jeff in an impatient voice to get him to come outside (he may have thought it was an emergency but what is a girl going to do if she needs him to get off the couch and out the door)

As he comes outside I am moving (I would call it dancing except I do not know how to dance). I think I may have frightened my neighbors but it was a moment in my life where I just wanted to be a kid again and 'dance' in the fog...it really was wonderful. I love being able to let go every now and then.

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So I am going to take a moment to explain my recent blog slacking. I know that for a whole week I did not post. I am sorry world. (only about four people read this so sorry four people) but what do you write about day in and day out.

I really have nothing to tell you all. I am a bit quirky, I would say lovable but my life is boring. I sit behind a big desk everyday and unfortunately work. (well to be truthful it is not big but it is mine so I am happy about that) I will try to be better and post more often even if it is gibberish like the fog story above. That did happen but really did you even want to know that I was excited about the fog last night? No it most likely just turned me into a bigger dork in your eyes but that is OK...because I think I am OK with that.

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I have been knitting although there is not much to report. Last week I started about ten projects and frogged them all. It seemed like nothing was coming together for me. I want to knit so many different things that it is hampering what I am currently working on. I hope to have pictures for you this week. I started on a new scarf (imagine that) and I am currently stuck on the socks. I am going to get help tomorrow at the Knit Shop so I should be able to get on my way...

I hope you have a great Wednesday filled with fog dancing (a new trend) and no mean retirees...

Mean Retirees

Hello it is that special day again...Pet Peeve Tuesday....

So this morning I took a short trip down to the local Costco. The only other people that are able to shop at ten am on a Tuesday are Retirees. Now in my option you have two types of these people. Type A is the nice grandma/grandpa retire. Always nice with a smile on their face and nothing but time on their hands. (type A is my favorite). Or you have type B. Type B would be the mean old people who are mad at the world and think that it is your fault they are still alive. (this would be the ones I do not like).

So I have found through several experiences that all old people turn into Type B when they enter through Costco doors. It is an amazing phenomenon.

There I was with a heavy cart and trying to make my half an hour dead line...the retirees cut and zag...almost run you and your cart over. Then they get in front of you in line and are slow slow slow. Let just say that although I made my half an hour time line I may have had to take down a grandma or two...

So my pet peeve is old people who are mean in stores...seriously is it that hard to be nice and not have to almost kill me?

Friday

Its Friday!! I am so happy every week when this day rolls around. It is my $3.25 coffee day from my favorite place Midtown. It is one of the best secrets in Eugene and has the best coffee I have tasted in my life.

So now that the coffee is in my tummy it is seven long days until I taste that heaven again...until then.

I hope everyone has a good weekend. It is my favorite time of year here and I am looking forward to a nice long hike. I will try to remember to take the camera (which has not happened yet).

Dad's Sock Update

These are dad's socks for his birthday in less then one week. I do not think that they will be done. As these are my frist socks they are slow going but they are growing everyday. I will have them done before I come home for Christmas...well I hope I will have them done before Christmas.

Look at my Skis

My Skis are here. My skis are here. My skis are here...I love them and now cannot wait until the snow comes.

So we are going to get ski lessons so I can keep up with Brenda on the slops. (We all know she leaves people that cannot keep up).

And just in case you were wondering my boots are gray and my poles are gray also. A girl has to match. See you on the slopes. I will be the one tumbling down the hill :)

Pet Peeve Tuesday

I am here by installing a Pet Peeve Tuesday. Why Tuesday you ask. Well I have just settled in my work week and have a four day stretch in front of me until the weekend and this is the point where all the annoyances of the world come and bit me in the butt...so what was it this morning? I am glad that you asked.

On my way to work every morning I listen to the radio. Now I listen for the music not the crappy dj's (but that is for another Tuesday). So there I was singing and dancing in the car when a new song came on. I am grooving to the music when I hear sirens. Now I think I am being pulled over due to the fact that I may drive sporadically when dancing and singing to the music so I slow down, look in all the mirrors waiting for the cop to pull me over and bust me. Then suddenly the sirens fade and I realize that it was in the music.

Why or why do you musicians put sirens in your music? It gives us 'normal' folk a small heartache every time we hear your song. I know you are just expressing yourself through the art of mustic but I just don't want to freak out every time your song comes on the radio so please stop putting them in the background.

Now you may be saying to yourself, Kayla, you have to just remember that there is sirens in that song after hearing it about five hundred times on the radio. But I tell you now that no matter how many times that I hear a particular song I never ever remember that it has sirens in the background. So maybe it is just me but now it is another one of my pet peeves.

Jealous

So those of you out there who think I lead a charmed life, I am speaking to the three people who read this blog, you may have to rethink your position.

Although I live in the wonderful state of Oregon, have a great job and am a fabulous knitter the world turned on me yesterday. I know it is hard to believe but on thing after another is turning to poo. It all started with my dogs, both of them, deciding yesterday evening that life would not be complete without a good roll in dead deer. Now I know what you are thinking wow that smell must have been horrible and you would be right. I have never smelt something that vial in...forever.

You will be glad to know that we did wash them and they smell like man soap. (sorry that is all we had) and after washing anything they may have touched the smell is gone...Yippee!!

Hammer Time

So growing up my dad had these gloves...he called them hammer gloves. Whenever he had them on he said it was hammer time. I know it sounds silly but it always made me smile. (and in case you were wondering he was still doing it when I was 15 so it was a long standing joke)...
The gloves themselves were leather with the finger tips cut off. Now it might not have been the most fashionable article of clothing he owned but for some reason I will always remember the hammer gloves.
So when it came into fashion to have mitts (fingerless gloves for you who do not know) I had to knit them and tonight I finished my first one.

Pattern: Fingerless Garter mitts from
Oneskein by: Leigh Radford
Yarn: Natures Palette

Please ignore my man hands. Yes that is right I have man hands and I am sensitive about it. I know it would not seem like that with me posting this for the world to see but there it is...my hands are so big that I had to adjust the patten to fit my man hands...why I do not have dainty fingers I will never know. I will always envy you people with little fingers...
The only complaint is because I am a new knitter (only a few months now) it is not a perfect fit. In the future I will adjust my adjustments for fewer rows so they are a tad tighter but since that is the only thing that went wrong who can complain.
Any who moving on. I really love these. I love them so much that I am typing with one on right now (because I only have one done)...well I am off to cash on its mate so I can fulfill my childhood dreams of having my very own pair of hammer gloves (pink of course)

Here I come Michigan

Do you family remember what I look like? Well if you have been missing me, which lets be honest I know you have because I am rockin. Then you will be happy to know that I got my ticket to come home for Christmas. That is right I am coming back baby...I will be home for ten glorious days. Now I will still have to work a few hours a day to make sure everything is on the up and up but at least I will be home.

Also I am looking forward to all the unlimited knitting time that I am going to have. So excited I can hardly wait...

The furniture saga

This whole thing started when I decided that I wanted new table and chairs for the dining room. Now do not get me wrong I love the oak hand me down table with four chairs (for visual effect we made sure that nothing matched) but it was time that we grew up and got a real dining room set...then the saga began.

So this was about two years ago. I am blessed to have the most picky husband on the planet so the hunt for something we would both agree upon began. After seeing several high priced option I settled on Ikea.

Sidebar. So an annoying thing happened during this shopping extravaganza...why are tables cheep and the chairs outrageous. I would be standing in a store looking at a table saying oh that looks cute and what a steal at $$ but the four chairs are four times the price. Can someone please come out with a bundle deal...or maybe I just never knew that chairs are a big ripe off...

Back to the story at hand. So off we went to go to Ikea and find the table and chairs of our dreams. (well for the next five years or so)...then I found it. It was perfect. So there I was down in the warehouse and they did not have the table or the chairs. I got screwed.

But I am persistent if anything so back I went for the second time. Please keep in mind that this is a two hour drive each way. We checked the stock online they had the product. I was jumping up and down with glee. Then we get there and the harsh truth of online inventory hit us. They only had the table. So we took the table and ran...we would get the chairs another time.

Excited we drove back home and got the table in the house. Assembly is required but we were not scared. We ripped open the box got the parts out and discovered...no screws. And they are not just the kind that you can go to the store and get oh no they are special. So great just great screwed again. (no pun intended) So the after three weeks, lots of complaining I got a package with the screws. Yippee!! The table is together and looks like this... Next on to the chairs and what brought this story on in the first place. The chairs that look like this...

So Jeff was called to Portland today for a meeting and he is stopping to get the chairs. I am so excited that after months of looking at the table and not being able to eat at it that we are going to be able to...So excited in fact that I was jumping up and down...now lets hope that the nice lady on the phone was right when said that the store has twenty...

Also lets hope that the husband has the patience to get through Ikea in one piece. But regardless a real dining room here I come.

New new new...

So this weekend was interesting to say the least...

To start out the weekend we went to Bergs Ski and Snowboard shop here in town. We went in to talk about Cross Country Skies. We are looking at getting the Orbiter by Fisher. However, by the time we left we had gotten new downhill skies. I do not know how that happened except that the sales guy was great. The picture is to come...

Then when we got home I rushed to the mail box and found my new yarn. Now the description said it was a light tan color but it is green. My disappointment is huge but it will still turn out to be a great piece. I think I am going to make this. I hope it comes out as good as in the pictures.

I also started dad's socks...I worked my fingers to the bone and I have hardly gotten ahead. I went to the LYS and got some man color yarn to start. (however due to the selection I am relaying on the fact that he is color blind to help me out...there may be some orange involved in the colorway). I have pictures but due to the pathetic nature of my progress it will have to wait until next time...

So to wrap this up I stated two new projects and bought two new sets of downhill skies...what is wrong with me...I must have to much time on my hands...

P.S. I have not started on any Christmas presents yet...I might be in trouble. I do not think that I will be able to knit them. I need tobecome a little better at the whole knitting thing before I venture on a whole round of presents...but good news is we are starting to look for tickets to come home...if anyone sees a good deal let us know.

Where have I been??

So a few weeks ago I stumbled onto the esty site. Now I am addicted.

The site is made up of several individuals all selling there own handmade goods. It has everything too. So now I can get my craft fair fix without having to fight the crowds.

I really feel like this has been around forever and I had no idea about it. If you have not guessed it by now I am not the most savvy Internet person. I think I am still a little scared I am going to go to a bad site and then my mom is going to find our and I am going to be in trouble.

Any who...Please go and check it out...seriously one of the best sites ever...

Six dollar beers...

So last night the husband decided we should go out to dinner...so there we were at seven thirty at night in a restaurant sitting in the bar section (so he can watch sport and pretend to listen to what I say). So the next logical course of action would be to get a beer...do you have to drink if you are in the bar area...I think it is some unwritten rule...

Then suddenly one of my top ten biggest questions of all time sprang up and hit me in the butt...why the hell do restaurants never post the damn price of beer. Just in case you are thinking it is not on the regular menu but on the bar menu I looked both places...

So what is a girl to do about this great question...well look like cheap and ask the waiter how much it costs. Seriously if I am going to have to do this every time we go out to eat and avoid my husbands six dollar beer freak out (happened two weeks ago and an unnamed national restaurant) then I better grow thicker skin or start a petition...

So what do you think my dear one reader would you sign a petition with me to get the corporate heads to put the price of beer on the menu??

My 1st Fiber Festival

Last weekend I went to the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in Canby, OR. It was a great event. I felt like I was not alone in my knitting obsession and was surrounded by my people…alright let’s be honest I am too weird to have people...I can only hope and pray that I become good enough to be included in the knitting world. I have to get a lot better at knitting before that happens. Although I am yet to become one of them everyone there was super nice.



My wonderful friend Jenny went with me. It was great having a seasoned knitter. She also showed me the lay of the land. We went from one building to the next. It was amazing. There were so many knitters and spinners there. My eyes were open and I saw how large the knitting community is.



Since it was my first festival I felt the need to bring back some memories so I bought some yarn...

This yarn is from Laurel Ridge Alpacas in Oregon City, Or. It is so soft. This is the first yarn that I have purchases that is natural color. Was so happy with it that I also bought two in a dark brown.

This is a lace weight. (my first purchase of lace weight yarn) It is 100% Superfine Alpaca from Dicentra Designs.

This was my impulse buy. All I could think about is making fingerless gloves out of it. It is from Nature's Palette. The color is Odd Duck...kind of reminds me of me...

I love everything that I got but my stash is getting bigger and bigger...I cannot wait to cast on the fingerless gloves. They make me feel so eighties…and then all I want to do watch Girls Just Want to Have Fun. (One of the best movies of all time.)

In the beginning...

I never know how to start anything so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I have no idea how to start a blog. But I will just jump in…

Here is a little bit about me. I am a 24 year old mortgage broker. I moved to Oregon two and a half years about from Michigan. I have two dogs, Lydia and Maya, and one husband, JJ. A few months ago my friend Jenny introduced me to Knitting and I became hooked.

The urge to start a blog came as I started researching knitting on the internet. I read so many great blogs. The more I looked the more I found so I thought hell I can do that. So here is my attempt to do that; to share my thoughts and experiences. I hope that people read. I hope that it is interesting. I hope that I grow as a result of it.

So…enjoy

Just as an FYI I am a horrible speller and I am even worse at grammar. I know I should have paid attention in school but here we are...so please be nice!!