Ohio Road Trip: The Way Home - Part V

Our ride home was all well and good until we reached the Skyway into Chicago. I've got to say that it is the worst part of our trip. Over seven years motion sickness has been an ever increasing illness. It's to the point where I cannot sit in stop-and-go traffic for long periods of time. The nervous energy in Chicago, the methane from landfills, carbon monoxide from vehicles, and a jerking back and forth motion made me violently ill. This is why I hate the city of Chicago, and why I will never live there. It might be pretty, but it's not worth my health. San Diego, nor Madison are even close to the monstrosity of Chicago. I've been to Detroit, Portland, and New York City. None of those cities kill me more than Chicago. NYC has marks for the craziest traffic, but it never made me sick.

Thank goodness for the Des Plains Oasis! That was a stop I needed for some necessary walking. Nevermind food or any other sort of reason to stop, we were walking.

We decided to get food at Buffalo Wild Wings. Unfortunately we had to wait until Crystal Lake. Believe it or not those suckers are hard to find. We were originally thinking Hooters, but they weren't anywhere north of Rand Road. Well, Yelp didn't find one. The dinner there was very good. I had the Mango Habanero Chicken Salad. Mango Habanero is their best sauce for wings. It's just right. The Parmesan Garlic ones are good, too, but I prefer Mango Habanero. Of course the kid had a hamburger. Peter had wings and ribs. Everybody was happy.

While at BWW I text messaged my sister to see if Isabella wanted to spend the night. Izzy and Stephanie missed each other so much over the course of the school year. So, I arranged to have Izzy spend the night as a surprise to Stephanie. That was a lot of fun. Isabella played the "I miss mommy" routine, but this time we didn't give in. I read them the first chapter of Matilda. Then we played Phase 10, Uno, and Go Fish. Before bed we also did some yoga.

The next morning we were up and ready to go to church really early. I put on The Princess and the Frog for the girls. Who am I kidding? I put it on for myself as well. They were good. While they were here they saw Bailey and pet him twice. Izzy was so happy about that. Bailey is a good cat with the kids. He even rolls over to let them pet his belly. After church we went to the play ground next door. The kids had fun. We played red light green light, swung on the swings, climbed the jungle gym, slid down the slide, and even had some obstacle course races. Let's talk about the slides for a minute. I tried to go down the slide. To much sadness my hips barely fit in the first slide. The second slide was big enough, but how depressing is it to not go down a slide because you're old and fat? Ugh! The swings were much of the same. The back and forth movements made me very sick. That made me want to cry because I love to swing. We had fun anyways.

After the park we visited at Northwind Perennial Farm. The farmers market had officially opened that day! We went to talk with the vendors and take a walk on the grounds. They had some new paths there. It was amazing. We found frogs, koi, and kitties. Gordon is still the king of the farm! We had a good time there, too.

Then we went home. I had some work to do and they needed a rest! Shortly after we got home, I realized it was my night to do dinner. Holy smokes! So, we got back into the car and went to visit Wal-mart. This time I remembered to bring Stephanie's gift certificate from Christmas. She decided to get a playground ball, frisbee, and Headbandz. I picked up the ingredients to make stuffed shells, breadsticks, salad, and some fruit for dessert. While I made dinner we played Headbandz. Peter even played with us. That was such a treat. Amazingly enough Izzy, the 5 year old, won! I say amazingly because the game is for players ages 7 and up. Not bad for a little one, huh?

After dinner I took Izzy home. Then it was time for sleep.

I hope our adventure tickled your fancy, and made you laugh.
<3

Look & Feel

First let's take a look as to what my wallpaper has changed to this week.

October Giveaway

 It's ooky, spooky, and all together kooky. This is a kit to build 6 pencil toppers with pencils.

Enter by answering, what you or your child will be dressing up for Halloween? Please, leave contact information to claim your prize. (Giveaway open to US & CAN only, sorry.)

The winner will be given a number based on the order in which they posted. Then a number will be selected from the random number generator by by www.psychicscience.org on October 14th. A message will be sent to the winner.

Happy Autumn!!

Edit: I've edited this to include your choice of a 4 ounce Superwash Merino top or a hank of 258 yards of worsted weight handspun yarn. Pictures of this can be found here. Thanks for entering!!

Shop Update & More...

The first of many things, who won!?
The winner of the September giveaway is ::drum roll:: Little Miss S. Congratulations!! I'll be sending you a message shortly. Thank you for participating, everyone! Next giveaway will be next month. (Hint: Christmas is coming sooner than you think.) Yeah it might be a bit early, but have you ever seen a sheep dressed up as a pumpkin? Hmm...now this gives me pause. ::hamsters are turning the wheels in my head:: 

This past evening was the small shop update. I made the decision late in the game because of another doctor appointment and the events that followed. (Pinched nerve in my neck and back area required xrays. Groceries needed to be bought as well as prescription pick up.)

Grigoriy - SW BFL

In addition to the shop update, I've started a destash on Ravelry. There are some of my hand painted braids that didn't quite turn out the way I planned there as well as other dyers.

Oh, almost forgot to mention the sale going on at the shop. From now until 23:59 CDT on Sept. 23rd, there will be a roving and yarn sale. Buy one get the second half off on all roving. All yarn is 15% off.

This week I will be working on artwork for Peter's, my fiance's, shop called Storm Dragon Creations. He changed it, but I think it works out nicely. He'll be selling his own unique brand of stitch markers, row counters and jewelry. Be sure to read his item descriptions as they will be full of funnies, I'm sure.

Ecology & Me (part 2) will be coming very quickly. Thursday of this week, I will be joining a group of people in town to collect some Ratibida pinnata (Yellow cone flower) seed. My goal is to have some pictures taken during our lunch break for all of you to see.

Until then, have a wonderful weekend!

Sept. 1 Giveaway & more...

Here it is! This Spongebob Squarepants inspired giveaway includes approximately 50 yards of Jellyfishing in Rambouillet wool spun by mamatwitch and a coloring book with crayons.

To enter for this drawing please comment on this post as to which is your favorite Spongebob character. A winner will be chosen at random by pulling a name out of a hat. This event expires on Sept 10th. This is also listed on Giveaway Scout.com.

What's been on my wheel?

Cloudlover's 50/50 SW Merino Silk in Crusoe

Fall Creek Fibers BFL in Joanie

Fall Creek Fibers May 2010 Fiber Club (BFL Wool)

This week...

• It's been a rather interesting time as I headed back to work for the first time in two weeks. My vacation was very rejuvinating. More things seemed to be easier and doable since returning to work. 
• Thursday, was Stephanie's (stepdaughter) first day back at school. She is happy to be back, too. Her instructor started them immediately on reading 25 minutes a day. Homework on the first day! She's giving the kids a taste of what the real school world is going to be like. Hooray! 
• Yesterday I decided to scrap working on the Lady Sunshine Cardigan for now. My goal was to have it made for a Christmas present. Instead, I'm going to spin some new yarn for a cowl and headband. However, I did finish Isabella's (niece) birthday sweater. Uncle Glen's socks are coming along quite nicely as well. The heel has been turned, I'm working on the leg portion. It's my first pair of toe up socks. :)
• I am reading a few books for some independent study. The first is "Feeling Good," a self-help book for mood disorders/depression. It's reshaping the way I think about myself and the world around me. "Classical Mythology" is a Hellenic book I'm reading for a required book review on hearth cultures of the Indo-Europeans. The third is a writer's companion book. The book contains information on writing composition and grammar. Somehow I missed some of these crucial bits of information in high school and/or college. Either that or they simply didn't teach all of it. Both situations are highly likely. My secondary school was underfunded with a ciriculum that stunk worse than fresh skunk spray.
• The medications prescribed for shoulder tendinitis are kicking my butt! The muscle relaxer makes me sleep longer than needed. The anti-inflamatory also makes me tired. Missing a doseage is not a good idea either. The pain comes back and allows my migraines to sneak into the picture. Bleh, migraines! 
• Sneak attack food cravings came into play about five days ago. I wanted peanut butter cookies and/or Softee doughnuts. They have both been quenched, but now I want pancakes from IHOP. ::sigh:: No, I'm not pregnant. 
• I've begun playing World of Warcraft again. Greymane is my Alliance server. I'm thinking of going to another server for Horde characters, but not quite sure. It's not that I need it because my play isn't very often. Two of my characters were deleted for non-usage on Wyrmrest Accord. Either way my Draenai Paladin is now level 20! Hooray!! 

I've gotta get back to knitting some socks. Have a good weekend!!

"I'm five...I'm fine."

"Amy, why are you counting?" - Doctor
"No, I'm not." - Amy
"You just said, five." - Doctor
"No, I didn't." - Amy
"Yes, you did." - River

The winner of our last giveaway is (cue drum roll or current Dr. Who theme) Pixelated Mushroom. To the victor goes the spoils. Spoils being that sheepishly cute sheep pen, delightful dragon stitch markers and small sampler of handspun yarn. Congratulations!

For our next giveaway, stay tuned. You won't want to miss it. I hope to have it ready by mid August.

In other news:

• The injections to my shoulder are helping! Yay! I was able to spin for a half hour without pain. Hooray, hooray, hooray! Friday, they will take x-rays of my neck and we will determine whether it's back to work.
• As far as knitting goes, I've finished the first sleeve of Isabella's sweater and turning the heel on Uncle Glen's first sock. My first bit of knitting for today is going to be the gauge swatch for the Lady Sunshine Cardigan. 
• Peter made me breakfast in bed. He makes an awesome Dutch Pancake with warm cinnamon apple sauce. Oh yeah, I am in heaven. 
• In the wee hours of the morning I figured out how to better mix my dyes. However, it requires more and larger storage containers. That issue has been fixed. Ace Hardware carries Ball 1/2 gallon Wide Mouthed canning jars. I now have 12 of these puppies. 

RE: Collaboration (part 2)

Alrighty, ladies and gentlemen. It's finished the Pagosa Slouch is no longer a work in progress. This is the coolest hat pattern ever. If you love the color then you will have to stop into the shop in the near future. ArtemisArtemis has sent along 12 ounces of this colorway for me to spin up.

Recently, I had a custom order from Cloudlover made up. It busted it's way into my car this afternoon! Literally, it busted. I cannot believe how much fiber she managed to put into a single bag. :D It was truly a sight to behold. What a great way to end a crazy slow work day then a bag exploding of fiber! Not just any fiber, but Cloudlover colorway fiber! It was an amazing feeling.

The order was for

•  8 ounces of Rambouillet in Passion Fruit
•  8 ounces of Polwarth in Madeline
•  4 ounces of Merino/Tencel in Copacobana
•  4 ounces of Rambouillet in R'hyel 

all of which did not include our double dose of fiber club and a second order of Meadow in SW Merino. That all was packaged into a tiny bag (2 lbs 10 oz). So when I say busting loose, I mean busting loose. It felt like a can of the joke peanuts came pouring out and it was fantastic!

Work got a little goofy towards the end of the day, however. They caught someone stealing hot dog buns and hot dogs. Apparently LP and this woman got into a fight over it. That's when about 5 police officers entered the building in a rush to find LP. First of all, no one told me that this was going on. The officers looked to me as if I knew what was going on. Yeah, I wasn't any help and I felt so confussed. It wasn't until later after talking to a couple of co-workers I knew what was going on. That was like the 7 to 10 US Marshals doing the county wide old warrant walk through and ended up at my house due to an error of address. It's never a dull moment. When it is a little dull life makes up for it in big ways.

Now that I'm home it's time to get spinning. This weekend will be my very first craft fair. It's local and in a great location for all sorts of traveling summer traffic. The biggest chore is deciding what to take with, tagging them with new tags and deciding how to set it all up. On top of that is the banner/poster board design. Thankfully work was slow and most of the design work is done. Crooks and Ewes.
Come out and join me. All the information is available on my Ravelry group.

On to the inventory building!

July Give-away

Let's kick off July with a give-away!


















This give-away features a handmade wire orifice hook (by me). It is round semi-semi hard copper wire with several beads weaved in. It's approximately 6 to 7 inches long and perfect for any wheel spinner. Included in the deal is your choice of mini Japanese pencil erasers. These erasers and those rubber band animals are the latest and greatest fad of 2010. You can choose from the apples, dolphins or strawberries. If you would like to see a close of up of any pictures simply click them.

To enter for this simply make a comment on this post. A winner will be selected via random.org. They have an excellent third party drawing program. This drawing will end on July 15th, but there will be more to come. 

On July 1st I'm going to be making a major shop update. If you would like to see a small preview there are several photos up on my Ravelry shop page.