Frank'n Blanket

Yep. That's right. I have created................a monster of a blanket!


Now in my minds eye when I started this thing it was a fabulous piece of crochet work. All the crocheted blocks where the same size. All the stitches that bound those blocks together where evenly spaced. The color pattern was one to be admired and left one wondering "How did she do that?"


Ummm....that is not how my very first blanket turned out. I have affectionately dubbed this first blanket the "Frank'n Blanket".


My blocks are not the same size. My stitches to bind them together are at the very most functional.(far from being pleasant to the eye) My inner "Monk" I like to call it, just shrieks at me every time I look at it in detail. My Monk points out all the things (no straight lines, blocks not evenly spaced..you get the idea) that are "wrong" with it. And it sure as heck does not look like anything my mother ever made. How come mine turned out like the crocheted version of Frankenstein and my mothers always looked so easy and picture perfect?? Oh..yeah, that's right. She had way more practice than I did!!
Y'all, I weighed it today and it is 6 pounds!! I had to do a double take. Yep. 6 pounds. Man. That's like giving birth to another child!


My daughter says it has personality. My husband (bless his heart) says he will keep it forever!


What I like about my Frank'n Blanket is that it is the first I have ever made. It is the first one that I have ever completed. It was on my get accomplished this year list. It is heavy and very warm and was made with love. (smiles) That's what makes it the best.


So without further ado...let me introduce..... FRANK'N BLANKET

Pet Note

This has to be one of my all time favorite e-mails that goes around from time to time. Just thought I would post it to maybe put a smile on someones face today.
Enjoy!!

The following was found posted very low on a refrigerator door.

Dear Dogs and Cats:
The dishes on the floor with the paw prints are yours and contain your food The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate does not mean that is is suddenly your food, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the top of the stairs is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It Is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space that you are taking up, is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine/feline attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough.

Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:
TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:

(1) They live here. You don't.
(2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'-niture.
(3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
(4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don't speak clearly.

Rainy days and Sundays

This past weekend we had nothing but rain. Good for the ground but not so much in the way of doing stuff outside.

Despite the rain and cool weather we where treated to our local wildlife hanging out in the bay across the street from us. My husband was able to snap a few shots of our visitors and I wanted to share with you all.

The pelicans where doing some heavy feeding. (Pictured above is the flock of white ones) They would swim together and chase the fish into the corner of the sea wall and then dive after them.

They also came at the fish from the air. Diving out of the sky to hit the water with such force that it would sound like a thrown stone into the bay.  

Even the rain did not detour them. Make them abit soggy maybe, but still they stayed.

When the rain would let up, they would gather wherever they felt like to dry off.

They even had the attention of some of the "regulars" with all their noise and carrying on's!

Hormones running amuck

"We are drowning in a sea of girly hormones". A quote from my husband last night as we tried to find a more suitable way to keep from tieing up our daughter and duct tapping her mouth shut.

I know that this sounds really harsh. But for any of you who have had a 19 year old female in your home you know exactly what I am talking about.

This is pretty much how an average month goes with our hormonal daughter.

The first week that she is done with her cycle and back on the pill, she is mellow, loving, patience and pretty much all around normal.

Week two comes along and you start to see small changes. She gets annoyed at something that happened at work or the fact that she ran out of clean underwear.

Week three comes at us like whirling wind. She flys through the house hell bent on baking the first thing that comes to mind. One month she baked cupcakes, THREE different kinds of cheesecake  and cookies. This was all done in a one week time frame. Besides the baking  she also starts  turning into this crazy version of my daughter. Snappy at times, the patience she once had earlier went running for cover.
And the loving part?? Oh yea...she's got the loving part, TIMES TWO!! But not for Mom and Dad. For anything that resembles a man!

Week four finds our family tired, from all of her crazy pent up energy. We are stuffed with all the baked goods she has made, and if I hear one more time "That guy is so HOT I am gonna marry him" one more time I am going to scream!!!












Yes I love her to death. Yes she is one BC pills. (could you imagine her without them?) No I have not had a cycle since 2001  then the doctors put me on HRT therapy.
The hormones are all from her!! 

Here's to another month survived with girly!!! 

Goals

Goals.
Definition : the result or achievement toward which effort is directed

This past year has seen many changes for our family. Many goals that where made where meet and achieved.
The beginning of 2010 saw us packing up everything we owned and moving south across this country. A new place to live was found, and jobs where filled. We layed loved one's to rest, and helped the best we could with the one's that are left. We fulfilled all of the comments we made to others in a timely manner and even stole a few moments for ourselves.

Goals:
This year I am going to set goals for myself. Not many. Just a few. They won't be about loosing weight, eating better or exercising more. All of those are very good things to strive for in one's life.
No, for me it will be about "giving myself a break". My husband told me that last night as he held me in his arms while I broke down and cried. You see, I admitted to him last night just how much I struggle with my demons of the past.
Sometimes they are so overwhelming that all I can hear is their nasty voice in my head, tearing me down.

I could tell you the whys and what's of how they came to be there, but that will not help me obtain my goal.
"Giving myself a break" for me will be to live in each day. Rehashing the past does not change what happened and only serves to taint or ruin the day you are in.
My goal is to truly believe that I am all my husband needs, loves and wants. (not to give it the lip service of "I know" when he tells me) That I make him happy just by loving him. (not by what I cook or how I clean)
To believe that I am a good mom/parent. That I did the best for my kids when life didn't turn out the way I envisioned it.
To believe that I am as good of a person that I keep striving to be.
This road will not be easy. It will be measured in a day by day way, and sometimes hour to hour. I know I can do this though. I have already started with the beginning of the witch's new year. Some days are just harder to get through than others. But I will not give up! I will not loose myself again. This time, I am fighting every step of the way.

The other personal goals are directed towards my spiritual self. My continued study and practice of the Pagan way. I Just started receiving several of the books that I ordered on-line. Very excited about going through them and learning all I can.

Our family will see changes too this year. From my daughter finally getting her own car in a few months to the addition of another 4 legged friend.
We are moved, we are settled, and we belong here more than any other place I have ever been. It is time to get down to the "living" of this life.