tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77218025927312764542024-03-13T05:37:06.108-05:00FiredUpFairy Knitsramblings and confessions of a knitting freakfiredupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.comBlogger171125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-76212535771253749282009-03-08T09:52:00.004-05:002009-03-08T10:13:59.997-05:00Saturday FunWe took Ant to Fossil Feat Tampa Bay yesterday. I thought it'd be a stretch, but possibly something he'd enjoy. Whew, did we underestimate him!! He spent so much time looking at all the different fossils, rocks and minerals. His favorite was the kids dig, a large sandbox filled with all types of fossils. The best part was that there was a table with paleontologists sitting there to identify the children's fossils for them. The man that Ant was sitting with seemed rather impressed w/ some of his finds. Ant managed to dig up a piece of ivory mammoth tusk, a leg bone from a giant giraffe, as well as an unusually large stingray barb. There were also tons of turtle shell pieces and rib bones from dugong (a relative of the manatee).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgke7ptq1CQ2kqazaNOXy0EHBmSXfycDv3fjNBIb09iu7jNFOoi89EKioh8vB5HydFJLmBugcaFrlw9EFgM8OHN39u2IB4SkwQGEKhGrLy4p2dfdoTt2Z2O7VUZGGEXzG8C-3ZSwEF_zFs/s1600-h/digant2.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgke7ptq1CQ2kqazaNOXy0EHBmSXfycDv3fjNBIb09iu7jNFOoi89EKioh8vB5HydFJLmBugcaFrlw9EFgM8OHN39u2IB4SkwQGEKhGrLy4p2dfdoTt2Z2O7VUZGGEXzG8C-3ZSwEF_zFs/s200/digant2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310832678958704082" /></a><br /><br />We came home to throw the football around the yard. I must say that playing quarterback the whole time has given me quite a sore shoulder this morning! And of course, since I'm out in the yard, and I'm anal like this, I had to pull up weeds wherever I found them. Look at these feet, people!! The sad thing is that this is <span style="font-style:italic;">with</span> socks and sneakers!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9MWpCS91eKNGq-FYo4UoQFBMHcyxmsfclbnGPZJria5ecdf8d63pMNKE61-raNWAm4CSYgNPbyiyGnef0KzrY3CJc7oWmojVL4BCKBzETJhhSxfS3P4792nrAxxh6fkQ-cdusBW_vE4/s1600-h/dirtyfoot.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9MWpCS91eKNGq-FYo4UoQFBMHcyxmsfclbnGPZJria5ecdf8d63pMNKE61-raNWAm4CSYgNPbyiyGnef0KzrY3CJc7oWmojVL4BCKBzETJhhSxfS3P4792nrAxxh6fkQ-cdusBW_vE4/s200/dirtyfoot.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310833416205744674" /></a><br /><br />I just finished the Rag Bath Mat last night. This photo is prior to casting off and adding fringe, but at least you get the point. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEVKcteU3ffi1x1hANvX6svfB1OXQP9apPNiHbd12q2xY9Rd9fkmFwk71ePQp1fvcoVoewchWjtqhgHl9IOX18vS1Rdhed-THeUHOorEzt1xeOaOmQltIusdPqt5TVrpshluQKcMVKgw/s1600-h/bathmat1.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEVKcteU3ffi1x1hANvX6svfB1OXQP9apPNiHbd12q2xY9Rd9fkmFwk71ePQp1fvcoVoewchWjtqhgHl9IOX18vS1Rdhed-THeUHOorEzt1xeOaOmQltIusdPqt5TVrpshluQKcMVKgw/s200/bathmat1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310835195013595666" /></a><br /><br />I've also still got Crown Mountain Fiber, I've Got You Babe, on the bobbin. I need to at least finish 4oz so that I can free up the wheel for the CJ Kopek roving that's coming for the March spin-a-long.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKVVQEmKDkUI2cKdEguTvEHJrXH2o-IT7_4OjO3cuBrVz_UI937fOl1WonplLVAlIWm7CeicRoEpS9E4cGWSW0D-ws5djPCSVS4XI52BhpTIlQjNlzQETgLFkx0aUCMTYKuzTB5BAhk-g/s1600-h/IMG_0151.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKVVQEmKDkUI2cKdEguTvEHJrXH2o-IT7_4OjO3cuBrVz_UI937fOl1WonplLVAlIWm7CeicRoEpS9E4cGWSW0D-ws5djPCSVS4XI52BhpTIlQjNlzQETgLFkx0aUCMTYKuzTB5BAhk-g/s200/IMG_0151.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310835196831687202" /></a><br /><br />Here's the startings of my second Nanner sock. It's coming slowly since I have so much on the needles. I'm also still working on Mystic Ice. At this point, I'm halfway through clue 5. Only one more clue after that. At this rate, it will be done at summer time~ DOH! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTrXVAupOUjkomq69nxvnbeobLxdVxf1XxonTwqBG5jNojclRZbhzyAvqEcAIZdbbsstybO7ONom6W8jZkPWoefPbD7q18porAzb8RUIA5USwGZoQlUCXxVBzvJHgVVXofRgtcJUMu1e4/s1600-h/febspin.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTrXVAupOUjkomq69nxvnbeobLxdVxf1XxonTwqBG5jNojclRZbhzyAvqEcAIZdbbsstybO7ONom6W8jZkPWoefPbD7q18porAzb8RUIA5USwGZoQlUCXxVBzvJHgVVXofRgtcJUMu1e4/s200/febspin.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310835184664320194" /></a>firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-3706607245835104282009-03-02T16:45:00.004-05:002009-03-02T17:56:56.841-05:00Bad Blogger!No cookie for me!! I said I was going to be more diligent w/ my blog, but alas, I've resorted to my old ways again! If I would post more regularly, my posts wouldn't be sooooo long! Duh! <br /><br />Acupuncture has been going well. I'm rounding out my first month of treatment including both acupuncture and herbs. I don't expect to be preggers this first month. But, I can tell you that I am feeling great! I've had much more energy and I think I've been more happy and peaceful. Yippee! And while the herbs aren't delicious, the more I drink them, the more I learn to ignore the "bleh". In fact, I'm drinking my Yang herbs now!<br /><br />In family news, Anthony just competed in his county's Prince & Princess pageant. Each 2nd grade class in the county votes on one boy and girl to represent their class in the competition. They get dressed to the nine's in tuxes and ballgowns, come out waving, bowing/curtsying, and then answer an interview question. Our lil' man was so handsome! <br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxmf_bf734JMma9W46j6Uzd6OW6232vMNEVPfBvCyfBulx1d-8gHSaRTbykghVwNSY45A_310tXNaBbAj6bOg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Yesterday, we hit the spring sale at Lowe's garden department. We purchased a flat of impatiens to plant around one of our oak trees in the back yard. If those work out, we'll be going back for more. We also planted pink and white kamachoes in the front yard. Citrus trees were on sale and I just HAD to have some! We picked up a Meyer lemon, Key lime, and tangelo trees. They smell sooooo sweet!<br /><br />I have been knitting and spinning quite a bit, but not enough to get anything done! I've had quite the urge to be working on all of those things. The problem is I can only do one thing at a time! If only I had octopus arms! It would make things so much easier! What have I been working on?? <br /><br />Mystic Ice~ this is not an updated picture. This was somewhere in clue 4, I'm now on Clue 5!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyz1zYMYdmNmvXEZQyp0eEADlDPSeVu8M1jdaK9VlqlZFQXyAygbWkkyew1qnN7XlO5I6K_D83UMU1EjyWz4AYC5eORd_Ym9L07IuRMGvUmA2e8eBrhLp52u3ePz1rPeDVHjgIpTSjGb0/s1600-h/MysticIce.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyz1zYMYdmNmvXEZQyp0eEADlDPSeVu8M1jdaK9VlqlZFQXyAygbWkkyew1qnN7XlO5I6K_D83UMU1EjyWz4AYC5eORd_Ym9L07IuRMGvUmA2e8eBrhLp52u3ePz1rPeDVHjgIpTSjGb0/s200/MysticIce.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308714143412383058" border="0"></a><br /><br />Drop Stitch Scarf~ knit w/ vintage Lime n' Violet, from their etsy shop<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRYN2IN0qrxn46ipzurLfOFQgGOeAxkCVRGc7KdiacAQV7uKYiikOfGfhZ-xws3ryWHB1ivT3AHRVNNoOxI-80hAGrCCmXq45WxeBxLBye1CTBOpv1C6ciSkl9y1EwSSAmIOqrIpclOgM/s1600-h/DropStitchScarf2.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRYN2IN0qrxn46ipzurLfOFQgGOeAxkCVRGc7KdiacAQV7uKYiikOfGfhZ-xws3ryWHB1ivT3AHRVNNoOxI-80hAGrCCmXq45WxeBxLBye1CTBOpv1C6ciSkl9y1EwSSAmIOqrIpclOgM/s200/DropStitchScarf2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308714148549641330" border="0"></a><br /><br />Not pictured... <a href="http://cocoknits.com/knit/interiors/ragbathmat.html">Rag Bath Mat</a>. I'm knitting this out of cheap twin sheets I bought at WallyWorld.<br />Also, my 2nd Nanner Sock. I started those EONS ago. Finished sock #1 a couple weeks ago after deciding I needed something new to work on. Now #2 sits neglected somewhere.firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-28640871482402249982009-02-16T08:23:00.005-05:002009-02-26T14:05:58.629-05:00Smellies for Sale!<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">It's really time I filtered out my ever growing smellies collection. US Addresses only, please. Shipping will be $3 for all imp orders and $4 for any bottles. I accept paypal. </span><br /><br />BPAL Bottles </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>$15<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">*between bottle's shoulder and top of label*</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>The Ghastly Garden<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>(LE 2007)<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>Archangel Winter (LE 2007)<br />Diwali<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>(LE 2007)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Possets 6ml Bottles</span> $8<br />*<span style="font-style: italic;">full bottles</span>*<br />Madame X (label has slight oil damage)<br />Bottled Happiness LE<br />Libby LE<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Violette Market (Vintage Violette Market)</span> $10<br />*<span style="font-style: italic;">full 5oz bottles</span>*<br />Beatnik<br />Daisy<br />Dark Fruit<br />Fairy Floss<br />Salty Dog<br />Lola (LE)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">BPAL GC Imps</span> $2 unless otherwise noted<br />Al Azif<br />Anathema<br /><del>Baobhan Sith $1</del><br />Black Phoenix $1<br />Dee<br />Delight<br />Djinn<br />Dove's Heart<br />Grandmother of Ghosts<br /><del>Hemlock</del><br />Kyoto<br /><del>La Belle Dame Sans Merci</del><br />La Petit Mort $1<br />Lilith<br />Lilium Inter Spinas<br />Loviatar<br />Lyonesse<br />Malice<br />Manhattan<br />Megaerea<br />Midnight Kiss<br />Nephilim<br />Nero<br />Nosferatu<br />Omen<br /><del>Pele</del><br /><del>Regan</del><br />Squirting Cucumber<br /><del>The Doormouse</del><br />The Mock Turtle's Lesson<br />The Temptation<br />The Unicorn<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">BPAL Imps LE Decants</span> $3<br />On Darkness<br />Lines Written Among the Euganean Sea<br />The Piper at the Gates of Dawn<br />The Sea Rat<br />Fire Phoenix<br />Water Phoenix<br />Metal Phoenix<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Possets Possettes </span>$1.75<br />Fluoxetine<br />Giddy<br />Midnight Mass at Old St. Mary's<br />Simulated Cupid $1 (label damage)<br />Perpetual Motion Machine<br />Maggie<br />Black Lamp<br />Strawberry Heart<br />Flossing<br />Indigo<br />Silver Carnationfiredupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-32597622480641112732009-02-05T16:13:00.002-05:002009-02-05T16:40:01.611-05:00Traditional Chinese Medicine**WARNING** This post may contain excessively girly information!<br /><br />So, if you read my previous post, you saw I was looking into practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). I had my first visit yesterday, with a doctor who's office I pass on my way home. It was a quaint, quiet office. Very clean and smelling of incense. But not a strong, patchouli type smell or what my husband would call a "hippy" smell. There was only one elderly gentleman in the waiting room and he was waiting for his wife.<br /><br />I didn't have to wait long before the doctor took me back to her office. She was extremely nice and very thorough. I can't even begin to tell you all the questions she asked! Some of which you probably don't even want to know, believe me! After going through a very detailed interview about various aspects of my health history, she took my blook pressure. I'm used to the cuffs they put around your arms, but she had a much smaller cuff that goes around the wrist. It was electronic and reminded me of a heart rate monitor. I didn't like her machine AT ALL! My blood pressure has always been on the low side of normal, but not here. She took readings on both wrists and both gave extremely high numbers, like 167/110. HOLY COW! That's not like me at all. She assured me that it happens to many people, including a priest she sees.<br /><br />After that she looked at my tongue and took pulse rates from several places on both my wrists. In TCM, the tongue can tell a lot about someone. I was familiar with this because of the books I'm reading. TCM is all about balancing your body's internal climate and the five organ systems which are: kidney, liver, heart, spleen, and blood. You don't want your body to run too hot or too cold. You don't want you chi to be stagnant, deficient, or excessive.<br /><br />My dr. could tell by my tongue and the respnses I gave during the interview, that my body tends to run warm. She explained that when she took my pulse, she was actually taking the pulse of each of the different systems. I, most definitely, have a deficiency in my kidney system. This is the system that is responsible for reproduction and life. But, she then told me that all of my pulses are slow for being as young as I am. Surprise! Even in the practice of TCM, my body is out of whack! We need to strengthen all of my systems, most importantly the kidney, in order to make my body strong enough to carry an egg. My body is not ready to be pregnant because it's not strong enough. I also need to get my blood flowing better. When I start menstruation, it lasts for literally like a day and a half, maybe two at best. I know this is not normal. And I've had a gut feeling all along that I probably won't get pregnant until that gets fixed. This is my dr's goal!<br /><br />We then went into the acupuncture room. I've had acupuncture before, so I wasn't too worried about it. She stuck me w/ about 14-18 needles. The one that I felt the most was on the bottom, side of my right ankle. When she stuck that one, I actually said. "Oh!". She told me that spot's a kidney spot. The ones that I feel most are responses to the systems that need the most help. Interesting! She placed a heat lamp over my abdomen, turned on relaxing music, turned off the lights, and left me to relax. Which of course, I could not do. I was too busy thinking of all the different things she was telling me and whether my responses to her questions were sufficient enough. Before I knew it, she was back in the room. Luckily, it was only to stimulate the needles and leave me there to relax some more. This time, I actually nodded off.<br /><br />Before I left, she mixed up a bottle of herbs for me. She created a powder with 8 different Chinese herbs. I have to mix this with 4 oz of hot water and drink it three times a day before meals. It looks like crap! It doesn't taste awful, but it's certainly not pleasant! It has the same taste as an herbal suppliment pill, except much, much stronger! It helps to plug my nose, but as soon as I let go and breathe, I still get the smell and feel the taste in my mouth. The herbs are supposed to help me bleed better, shed my endometrium lining, and then rebuild it. She directed me to eat hot (temp, not necessarily spicy) foods while I'm on my period to also help blood flow. After that, I need to eat lots of fuits, but no refrigerated. I also need to stay away from fatty meats.<br /><br />I go back to see her in about a week and a half. We need to figure out when exactly I ovulate, which is not an easy thing for me since my body is so kooky. Once we get that figured out, I'll have to come in for more acupuncture and different herbs. I feel hopeful talking to her. It also helps that I've been reading about it and know someone who's gone through the same process with successful results. If anything, I'm sure all the acupuncture and herbs will renew my body and give me a sense of energy, health and wellbeing. How can I lose??firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-72556425837496335392009-02-01T12:26:00.004-05:002009-02-01T12:49:45.766-05:00CachingWe headed out to the Flatwoods bike trails yesterday for some caching fun. We only managed about 7 caches before we had to head back. There were still a good 6 or so left, but Randy's sick and he was out of water and suffering dearly.<br /><br />While hitting up one of the caches, we heard a rustling in the distance. Turned out to be a lil' armadillo. But this bugger was not shy at all! Usually they scurry away when people are near. Not this guy. He walked right over Ant's shoes and was so uninterested in us that we were able to actually touch him! We were suprised that his armor is not exactly as hard as you'd think. His face was rather rat like and he had massive claws. It was pretty neat to be so close.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVB-8L4fy8xnqs1uvDj6wz4ZdmiEglDWrkTWO48HRp2anNZmZrVS33O8n0ylDLysEkGzXg5ZO2wfVaij7GO3fkIL1wCsFSJKFpn0pBjW0JtpS2K5OnnqnVjGPcff8NsB4loIlWIK_OoI/s1600-h/DSC03379.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVB-8L4fy8xnqs1uvDj6wz4ZdmiEglDWrkTWO48HRp2anNZmZrVS33O8n0ylDLysEkGzXg5ZO2wfVaij7GO3fkIL1wCsFSJKFpn0pBjW0JtpS2K5OnnqnVjGPcff8NsB4loIlWIK_OoI/s200/DSC03379.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297886360840185426" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaz84klDmmo7Ri6IwSMkxYABZD1dFLIf71IN9EIxFCuBzVu47yjYsMrv68gCpDkpLA0DR2y-p00KICDfjsoPrbdoOLZz6TUvOUmGAFVl7FFXpfk9QSsvm7schIfzkI8feOo0gRmC2fx2w/s1600-h/DSC03378.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaz84klDmmo7Ri6IwSMkxYABZD1dFLIf71IN9EIxFCuBzVu47yjYsMrv68gCpDkpLA0DR2y-p00KICDfjsoPrbdoOLZz6TUvOUmGAFVl7FFXpfk9QSsvm7schIfzkI8feOo0gRmC2fx2w/s200/DSC03378.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297886357739412306" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Unfortunately, our fun w/ the armadillo would soon turn to worry. We were distracted by him and then a nearby, dried up, pond. When we tried to find our way back to the trail, we couldn't. We walked back and forth, round and round. At one point we ended up near a fence behind a neighborhood. This was entirely wrong as we'd seen no neighborhood on our way in. Randy was getting frustrated and I was trying to stay calm. Afterall, we had Ant with us and we couldn't very well let him think we were lost in the woods. After about twenty minutes, or maybe longer, we finally got back on track. It was a bit scary for awhile there. But, I knew we'd manage to find our way out.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj32PxBqB4Y0XMd6i61l4x9feoK8sEHC3BzQyKHhRcRoPFpG0byRmncLtyYN1x76aXxRW4j_U_edZmpxgVnFJ6-bKo7dui4dXNlpOTBvcjdnwpkDr8a15qcZxYeL2imN2yMPZI1V0GzkM/s1600-h/DSC03377.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj32PxBqB4Y0XMd6i61l4x9feoK8sEHC3BzQyKHhRcRoPFpG0byRmncLtyYN1x76aXxRW4j_U_edZmpxgVnFJ6-bKo7dui4dXNlpOTBvcjdnwpkDr8a15qcZxYeL2imN2yMPZI1V0GzkM/s200/DSC03377.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297887276883477986" border="0" /></a>firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-24741513509088960052009-01-31T10:56:00.002-05:002009-01-31T11:20:31.702-05:00Trying AgainMany people know my struggles w/ fertility. We've been trying to conceive for two years now, to no avail. I was seeing a fertility specialist, but didn't get anywhere. He was not the kindest of men, nor did he share much information with me. The staff seemed incompetent and I was scared just sitting in one of their offices because of the area and the clientele. Apparently, the accepted any and all forms of insurance. Another issues, my insurance doesn't cover anything under the "fertility/infertility" umbrella, so I was paying completely out of pocket. The whole process became an impersonal, scheduled chore. So, last March when we decided to start looking for a house, I decided to stop seeing the specialist.<br /><br />When you're trying to get pregnant, everyone in the world has opinions and suggestions. I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "It will happen when it's meant to be", "As soon as you stop trying and forget about it, you'll get pregnant", "Don't think about it". It really gets quite frustrating. Not to mention that it seems to also be the time when all of your friends seem to get knocked up accidentally. It's not that you're not happy for them, because you really truly are ecstatic, it's that you're haunted w/ thoughts like "why not me? what's wrong with me?"<br /><br />Since we were purchasing our first house and I was starting a new job I did have a glimmer in my mind. Everyone says you'll get pregnant when you stop worrying about it. Well, now I have two new things to worry about: House, Work. How inconvenient would it be if I got pregnant when I started a new job and needed extra money to make a new mortgage payment?? How inconvenient and yet PERFECT!!!! This would serve as the perfect distraction and thus I'd get pregnant, like magic!<br /><br />NOT! This is indeed not how it worked out.<br /><br />Back in the fall, a former coworker of mine informed me that her daughter had finally got pregnant. She'd been trying with no luck as well. She had even gone through several rounds of IVF. My friend gave me the titles of two books her daughter recommended, both of which are about how traditional Chinese medicine helps with infertility. They get into the internal weather of your body and how to create balance through the systems using diet, herbs, acupuncture, and exercise. I read most of one of the books. It seemed very interesting, until I got to the foods suggested. They were a bit extreme and out there for me. Many of which I wouldn't even know where to find. So, I put it down.<br /><br />I ran into this former coworker again yesterday. Her daughter is due at the first of April and also mentioned that I should call her. My friend said that her daughter swore by the woman she saw. During her first visit, the Dr. placed a finger on her forhead and one on her abdomen. She then asked if the girl was in the water a lot because she has a cold womb. Turns out that she is always in the water, has been on the swim team and is an avid scuba diver. She received acupuncture and herbs from the dr. and continued to see her for 3 months. She had the girl rubbing castor oil on her tummy to help warm it up and she was drinking a tonic nightly. When my friend's daughter went in during the third month, the dr. told her that was the month she'd get pregnant. Sure enough she did.<br /><br />This had intrigued me yet again. I explained to my friend that I had seen an acupuncturist once, but he wanted me to come a few times a week for several months. At $70 a visit, that was way too much for me to afford. But, when I heard her daughter only went every other week, I decided to look into it again. Last night I spent quite a bit of time online researching local acupuncturists and practioners of traditional chinese medicine. I found one in South Tampa who seemed promising. There was an article in the paper about her and also a story on one of the news stations. I also found another which is located much closer, near work, and slightly less money. Both doctors emailed me back within twelve hours of my email to them. I think I'm going to try the doctor who's closer first because it's more convenient and slightly less money. I've asked to book an appt. for next week. I'll see how I feel after my initial consultation and acupuncture treatment. If I get a good read from her, I'll continue to see her. Her website does say that she specializes in women's health, which makes me feel good. If it all doesn't work out, I'll visit the other practitioner in S. Tampa.<br /><br />Here's to crossing our fingers and hoping all goes well. I've also decided to start making healthier choices. Not necessarily to aid in conception, but because I'd really like to slim down my figure like it used to be. I've cut out soda's and most of my snacks. Meals this week have consisted of fruit and hard boiled egg whites for breakfast w/ my morning coffee, mixed nuts for snack, yogurt and lunch meat for lunch, maybe another piece of fruit for snack, and then whatever Randy makes for dinner (it's always something healthy). We've been taking the dogs on long walks and I even dusted off the treadmill. Today we'll go geocaching which helps get in many miles of walking while having a blast at the same time. I know I can do this, I used to be a personal trainer afterall. It's just a matter of being disciplined enough to stick with it.firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-28927867931529286502009-01-25T13:49:00.002-05:002009-01-25T14:04:06.635-05:00Lazy SundayI'm still combating this damn sickness of mine. My poor head has been so clogged. It truly is a wonder how my body can produce so much mucus! But, anyway.....<br /><br />We've had a rather laid back weekend. We were planning on attending another Pits Pound the Pavement walk on Saturday. This one was to be held near Macdill Air Force Base in recognition of the troops. Unfortunately though, with my cold still persisting, I didn't want to go out there and walk w/ a cough and runny nose. Also, the Gasparilla Children's Parade was taking place nearby at the same time and we feared traffic would be a bear. Instead, Randy came w/ me to his sister's salon while I got my nails done and then we went driving around to different shops. Had a rather filling lunch at Vallarta's, played w/ the puppy's at the puppy store and checked out Pier 1's latest sale. By the time we got home, I apparently needed a nap. I sat on the couch in an attempt to read my book, Dead to the World, one of the Southern Vampire series, but only managed to fall asleep. Later that night, we hit Borders for chai tea lattes and the chinese ssotre for take out. Then we sat around some more watching The DaVinci Code. An overall relaxing day.<br /><br />Today, I'm home alone. Got the house all to myself. Randy was meeting up w/ Ant and Ant's grandfather to head out to the NFL Experience. That was pretty much going to be an all day affair. I'm going to enjoy the quiet while it's here. I started by watching The Grudge 2 on cable. I watched the whole thing, but I really can't tell you what it's about. I didn't get it at all. Perhaps that's because I never saw the first one. Oh well. Once that was finished, I took Janie and Roxy for a nice long walk. One would think that when you're almost home after a 3.5mi walk that your dogs would be nice and pooped, right?? Well, apparently NOT! We were so close to the turn for our street when I noticed one of our neighbors w/ her French bulldog. Janie and Roxy both went nuts pulling, Janie especially! I've never been yanked so hard! It was quite embarassing. Luckily the neighbor was really nice and didn't mind. Randy and the girls have met her before, so she had an idea who I was. Still, damn dogs, I couldn't believe it. I'm so glad I didn't decide to put on my rollerblades.<br /><br />So now, I've gone to the grocery store, started laundry, and have dishes in the dishwasher. Only thing left to do~ sit on my ass and knit!firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-11290182307647771832009-01-22T17:22:00.002-05:002009-01-22T17:37:18.599-05:00I have an excuse....I know one of my goals was to blog more. But, seriously, I have an excuse!<br /><br />I was having issues w/ my iBook. The battery/charging icon was alternating back and forth between the two and my monitor was flashing. Then on random occasions the whole dang thing would just shut off. We believed that maybe the power adapter cord was loose and jiggly. We would daily try finagling the cord just so, wrapping it around the laptop, nearby coasters, or whatever else we could manage to place the cord just right to make a secure connection. It was bad enough that I even ordered a new Macally power adapter from amazon. Wouldn't you know, same damn problems. I did some investigating online and concluded that it was the DC-in board, which is where the adpater plugs into the acutal laptop. There is a rather detailed, picture by picture, tutorial on repairing it yourself on ifixit.com and the part online is only $35. But, I couldn't bare try disecting my laptop. With my luck, it would surely result in disaster. I ended up taking it to the Genius Bar at our local Apple store. They had to order the part, which came two days later and they had my laptop back to me two days after that. I was quite impressed. AThe whole repair was $100, most of that labor, which I expected because I read how much of a pain it is to take apart these laptops. So, that was last week.....<br /><br />Then I was hit with the ICK! Last Friday I could tell I was coming down with something. I was exhausted, achey, and extremely congested. Didn't stop me from seeing Hotel for Dogs (funny movie, btw, cute!) and visiting the horse track w/ coworkers again (but only for a short time). I got worse as the weekend and the new week went on. Yesterday my ears started to feel funny. When I tilted my head to the right, I could feel pressure moving in my ear, in the same manner as water in a bottle would shift when tilted. At that point I decided to make an appointment for the doctor. This morning, I woke up feeling somewhat normal and considered cancelling my appt. Tara, though, being the concerened BFF that she is, insisted that I keep my appointment. Luckily I did. I feel like crap because I for good reason~ sinus infection as well as double ear infections! I am now under orders to take an antibiotic, mucinex, nasal spray, and use the neti pot!!! Could it get any worse?? Well, yeah, I guess it could have had I not gone in when I did.<br /><br />So, that's what's going on. My knitting has gone on the wayside since Christmas. I'm still stuck on Clue 3 (or is it 4) or my Mystic Ice. Not because it's hard. Just because its taking longer and longer to finish each row! I'm also going to frog my Mystic Earth. It's been hibernating and I already have a rectangular stole in a similar color green. I needed something a little simpler and quicker to work on, so last night I cast on a drop stitch scarf using old Lime and Violet sock yarn from back when they only had an etsy.com shop.<br /><br />This weekend we're supposed to attend another Pits Pound the Pavement dog walk. It's to be held outside the airforce base to support our troops. I'll have to see how I'm feeling by then though. Right now, I don't even want to think about it.<br /><br />On that note, I'm off to do some mindless knitting.firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-87122796515501170572009-01-08T17:00:00.003-05:002009-01-08T17:32:50.008-05:00Goodbye 08, hello 09Holy Cow! What's wrong with my blogging?!? Have I been a slacker or what? Perhaps my new year's resolution should be to blog more. No promises.<br /><br />2008 has come to a close and I must say that the year proved to be successful:<br /><ul><li>After ten years of teaching at the same school, I finally got a new job. My BFF and I left together and are continuing to do our thing at the new school We absolutely love it! While it was hard to leave our other friends behind, our new friends have been fabulous and we already feel like we've been there forever.<br /></li><li>This summer, Randy and I bought our first house. The whole process was an exhausting roller coaster and it's been quite a bit of work, but we are HOME!</li><li>Our family grew! No, I'm still not pregnant. But, we did rescue/adopt our pitbull Janie. She's brought great love and joy to the rest of us. Roxy took a bit to adjust, but loves her big sister all the same. Roxy is the adorable lil' sister trying to keep up w/ Janie while running through the yard. Too Cute!<br /></li><li>In July, I was able to visit our nation's capitol as part of a social studies training program through the school system. It was a short, and jam packed visit, but I loved D.C. </li></ul>So, what are we aiming for in 2009???<br /><ul><li>I'm hoping to get my etsy shop back up and running. I still have skeins of yarn here that need to be listed. I'd also like to start dying roving top for you spinners out there.</li><li>Speaking of spinning.... I'd like to dust off my wheel and get back to my neglected fibers.<br /></li><li>We'll continue to try conceiving. Hopefully those efforts will soon pay off. I'm thinking the time is right since we now have a house and I have the new job.<br /></li><li>Home, Home, Home. There are still many things we need to get done around our house and yard. That list is too long, so I won't go there.<br /></li><li>Be positive and appreciative. 'nuff said</li></ul><br />So, that's a start. I think it's a good start. If I do blog more frequently, as intended, we'll be able to see how much progress I'm making on the list. For now, at least it's in black and white.firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-70708220827798118692008-12-26T21:07:00.001-05:002008-12-26T21:08:49.557-05:00Got extra Xmas Money??Wyrding Studios is having a <a href="http://wyrdingstudios.com/available.php">great end of the year sale</a>firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-90625236334217911772008-11-27T09:42:00.003-05:002008-11-27T09:46:15.981-05:00Happy Thanksgiving!I'm thankfull for all of my family and friends. We're lucky to have it as well as we do, even when it seems we don't. On this day be grateful for all you have!firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-64997578992241975602008-11-16T09:51:00.001-05:002008-11-16T09:53:17.378-05:00Ooooh!Modish Blog has posted about their <a href="http://www.modishblog.com/modish/2008/11/the-november-gi.html">November Give Away</a>. The prize is $778 worth of homemade goodies! You should go and check it out.firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-870579719810324712008-11-09T16:29:00.007-05:002008-11-09T16:43:48.969-05:00Finished Central Park HoodieMade w/ Cascade 220 Heathers in Shire (I believe), which I purchased through Webs. I absolutely love it! It took under a month and a half, which may seem long to others, but for me, that's quite speedy! The cables helped to keep it an interesting knit, while the threat of cold weather helped to motivate me even more.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8huHHJVxRO8xKg7NI1x_jgiEgrdKl4MlqU8I04cfH90KqKqu-7e2hjBOCaycJXyhYKNMrJjdmP_xCujy8JNMw53OPtU0MzxY6SumfyijjG8IL6JVbUNQcGo-tRNEabgDY2sIFtwLAa6E/s1600-h/DSC03255.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8huHHJVxRO8xKg7NI1x_jgiEgrdKl4MlqU8I04cfH90KqKqu-7e2hjBOCaycJXyhYKNMrJjdmP_xCujy8JNMw53OPtU0MzxY6SumfyijjG8IL6JVbUNQcGo-tRNEabgDY2sIFtwLAa6E/s200/DSC03255.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266773401404963938" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBME9swNWpfdWTMuYJMfaAfBv8EZQZYa5T97f9VgSIP3XyblTpDIW9Uo3cSe0kDySTZ0qtD2SqKQvNuKmMUDHg757UmYhwzlUAxgWXFVBJUwfZiHvdDZFFzyNCHuegJp2FM_I_8fTXaR0/s1600-h/DSC03252.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 99px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBME9swNWpfdWTMuYJMfaAfBv8EZQZYa5T97f9VgSIP3XyblTpDIW9Uo3cSe0kDySTZ0qtD2SqKQvNuKmMUDHg757UmYhwzlUAxgWXFVBJUwfZiHvdDZFFzyNCHuegJp2FM_I_8fTXaR0/s200/DSC03252.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266773931906517170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikMzRS08OrPmAe6qKmOcwaFoNlTKOkzvz4KvlCMPfItSCZbyF0Y6Z6TNsErdoYgpL6zzWtFqN6-NsY9_bUoR1QyKRPl_X9Ko7IIpF2QUGGgVYYpXNYKQlEgVS7cm0KTshfgiTtvYcWdI/s1600-h/DSC03253.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 173px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiikMzRS08OrPmAe6qKmOcwaFoNlTKOkzvz4KvlCMPfItSCZbyF0Y6Z6TNsErdoYgpL6zzWtFqN6-NsY9_bUoR1QyKRPl_X9Ko7IIpF2QUGGgVYYpXNYKQlEgVS7cm0KTshfgiTtvYcWdI/s200/DSC03253.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266774325156391282" border="0" /></a><br /><br />But wait, there's more! Here is my, almost finished, clue 1 for Mystic Earth. This project has been put on the wayside due to my CPH. I also just signed up for Mystic Ice and happened to buy the yarn for that as well. Since winter is coming, I have a feeling, I'll be putting Earth away again so I can work on Ice to have this season.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicL0E7PRmDzn49CTYlixTIl7yuQVh91v1O7Uny2jEZSLGgB8UjEXqXTwgliXYnkk5xSiNfjbsiVf9gXA9OlGemUz5uqHv1QYPko2dFUQso0GvSmBEkPQS7DB6LSbj0JwSOi6E_qr8y4bg/s1600-h/DSC03256.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicL0E7PRmDzn49CTYlixTIl7yuQVh91v1O7Uny2jEZSLGgB8UjEXqXTwgliXYnkk5xSiNfjbsiVf9gXA9OlGemUz5uqHv1QYPko2dFUQso0GvSmBEkPQS7DB6LSbj0JwSOi6E_qr8y4bg/s200/DSC03256.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266775961417062610" border="0" /></a>firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-21740618763866907662008-10-09T17:05:00.003-05:002008-10-09T19:23:59.937-05:00Whoa! It's been forever!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZnlpHEs5Tb3UzWxd198bdtkmL69AhuPJZMb-AJT6kRz4av_JHUwTV1iR4D_H6vaD3tJh4iCPpDP3Lu8kLDwpXhtrhyphenhyphentQcl4fa7b_G6JcDfrTlBen1SUR5Irfp4ijkcmZbFDxRXG30B4/s1600-h/DSC03204.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZnlpHEs5Tb3UzWxd198bdtkmL69AhuPJZMb-AJT6kRz4av_JHUwTV1iR4D_H6vaD3tJh4iCPpDP3Lu8kLDwpXhtrhyphenhyphentQcl4fa7b_G6JcDfrTlBen1SUR5Irfp4ijkcmZbFDxRXG30B4/s200/DSC03204.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255313181069758850" border="0" /></a><br />Almost 2 months since my last post~ EEKS! I'm such a slacker.<br /><br />This is going to be a quick update.<br /><br />Work~ Tara and I are LOVING the new school! Our teammates are great, the administration is over the top organized, and the parents are helpful! The students are fun, full of personality.<br /><br />Home~ We are mostly, but not entirely, settled in the house. I still can't figure out what all the crap on the tile floors is, or how to scrub it off. The best I can manage is using a scrub brush and acetone. But it's a lot of work and it takes forever! I bought a Shark Steam Mop thinking that would help, but it really didn't. I'll have to check Home Depot's rental rates because they have those heavy duty floor scrubbers.<br /><br />Family~ All's well. Nothing new to report. Ant's birthday is in two weeks. He's going to be 8! I can't believe it. Not sure what we're doing for him because he's got a football game in his hometown (2hrs away) that Saturday morning.<br /><br />Knitting~ I've started a Central Park Hoodie with Cascade 220 Heathers in a gorgeous green. I've finished the back, the left side, and am almost done with the right side. I've also cast on the Mystic Earth stole. That one's slow progress though. Trying to get CPH done before FL's version of cold weather comes and goes in the blink of an eye.<br /><br />Dogs~ Roxy is still as goofy as ever. Janie, the pitbull, is simply wonderful and well behaved. They get along like sisters. Very well for the most part, but occasionally Roxy can be a bit of an instigator.firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-52123054847812917422008-08-15T20:24:00.003-05:002008-08-15T20:34:56.082-05:00Loooong Day!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnUuPt9YSBc87DmpVyBIMOOc8m_aPIgZzJNg00WbSKqrFIzzriztcA4CYezwkPJkxVZd1vHYwijRmXOP-nIuOAUBvWE-CpxmnDh3ail9eIpOzEUy4I7LcNPXI4q8Cl3b4liqPQ0pJxrE/s1600-h/DSC03125.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnUuPt9YSBc87DmpVyBIMOOc8m_aPIgZzJNg00WbSKqrFIzzriztcA4CYezwkPJkxVZd1vHYwijRmXOP-nIuOAUBvWE-CpxmnDh3ail9eIpOzEUy4I7LcNPXI4q8Cl3b4liqPQ0pJxrE/s200/DSC03125.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234920758122118898" border="0" /></a><br />It has been quite a day! Today we had the school's Meet n' Greet. I was at work for 12+ hours and I'm pooped. I've gotta say, the parents I met seemed really, really nice! Now, it could just be that they were on their best behavior. We'll have to see how their attitudes change once we get into the school year.<br /><br />So I come home to find my house a DISASTER! We decided since we had 30 days from closing on our house to actually move in that we would take our time. A little bit here, a little bit there. Well, now we have to be out in a week and both of us work regular jobs which leaves very little time to do the actual moving. Randy took a bunch of stuff over during the week and today he took over the dining table among other things. Unfortunately, our dining table has been the dumping grounds for things lately and without the table, those things are now dumped all over the place! What a cluttered mess!<br /><br />It looks like we're going to be moving all the major pieces this weekend. The floor guys come tomorrow to lay down our laminate, then we'll be pretty much ready to go.<br /><br />I was quite excited today when I opened the mail and found a $285 restitution check from the Jailbird! Whoo hoo! I do think this money will be used to adopt a doggy!! Randy told Ant I'd take him to the Humane Society tomorrow. And he did tell me that we could get another doggy when we moved. Sounds to me like this is just perfect timing. He knows better than to send me alone to any place where I could get a dog! I think that's just silently giving me permission to adopt :o)<br /><br />Alright! I'm off to finish that glass of wine now!firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-84792658949414549472008-08-10T07:50:00.002-05:002008-08-10T08:10:39.789-05:00New School Year!!Woo Hoo! I went back to work, grudgingly, on Friday. With everything going on at the house, it's hard to pull myself away (even tho' you'd think I'd want to by now!). It's okay though, because after 8 years of being at the same school, I've finally decided to move on!<br /><br />I was very nervous about starting over again. Luckily, my BFF/partner in crime, T, was coming with me. This whole thing was her idea, she twisted my arm. Another friend of ours had started at this school last year, so she kept putting the bug in our ears. T and I took her advice, interviewed together, and were hired on the spot. So, at least I know two other people in the building!<br /><br />The school is only two years old so everything is brand new. It is absolutely huge compared to my last school. The resources that they have are to die for and everything is SO organized! I wont even get started about everything their PTA does (or the fact that their PTA even has their own room to work out of)! We came from a Title I school which means that the majority of our students were on free/reduced lunch, very low socio-economically. We got extra funding for more support personell and also resources. But still, this new school has just as much, if not more. Our old school had a handfull of parents that were involved. PTA was litterally like 6 parents (that might be pushing it!). So this is a huge change for us. A welcoming change, as you can imagine.<br /><br />T and I eased right in with our teammates. They are all about our age and they're funny! Our team was giggling and making jokes throughout our 3 1/2 hour meeting Friday. I loved it. We didn't feel uncomfortable. We didn't feel like we don't belong. It was simply wonderful.<br /><br />I did feel behind tho' because most teachers had been in during the summer to work on their rooms. This was my very first day back and I was feeling the pressure. I still had to unpack all of my boxes that I brought from the last school. So, I spent my few meetingless hours unpacking and organizing. Then I ran into a problem. I realized all my boxes were empty and I was still missing many things~ crayons, markers, hole punchers, drawer tray organizer, a large 3 drawer roller cart! Uh-Oh! Panic mode. We looked everywhere and just couldn't find it. Luckily this school is so stocked w/ supplies that all I have to do is ask. But still, I'd like to find my things. I sent out an email to see if something ended up in someone else's room (it had happened to a few teahcers already). This morning I saw that one of the other 5th grade teachers has a roller cart in her room that she knows isn't hers; I'm thinking it's most likely mine.<br /><br />This weekend, I picked up some jungle print fabric to put on our ginormous wall-o-bulletin board. Seriously, this thing is floor-to-ceiling, the length of an entire wall! Our theme this year is Wild About Learning. We had done this theme at my old school, so I really thought I had more stuff to use. Sadly, all I can find is a border. I'll have to go shopping again.<br /><br />Anyway, it looks like we're off to a great start to the new year! I'm actually excited! It's been a long time since I could say that!firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-23097315951504835722008-08-10T07:42:00.002-05:002008-08-10T07:49:47.804-05:00house is getting thereI'm super tired, so this won't be much but a list of things again.<br />Added to our finished list:<br /><br />* all of the painting is done! and that includes EVERYTHING!<br />* carpets installed in Ant's room & craft studio<br />* fish fabric for curtains in Ant's room<br />* blinds for the 5 windows in the "party room"<br />* back door in "party room" is replaced<br />* dining floor mopped (still trying to get a layer of what we think is sealer off of it)<br />* new fridge<br />* new washer/dryer<br />* new lawn mower<br /><br />It seems like a short list, and I'm really racking my brain here. But, believe me, it's been soooo much work!! We started moving things over yesterday. Slowly, we'll get there. We have just under two weeks to get it all done before we get kicked out of our townhouse.firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-19886126662143821452008-07-31T08:30:00.002-05:002008-07-31T08:48:07.065-05:00well.....I was planning a photo update of knitting (or lack there of), but realized that my camera is sitting in the new house waiting for charged batteries. So, no knitting today.<br /><br />We've been working our asses of in the new house. Things we've done:<br />* Ripped up all flooring except the tiled kitchen/dining/addition<br />* Primed the addition and hall bath<br />* Painted the addition/dining ~ Coconut Creme yellow<br />* Painted Ant's room~ Waterfountain (pale blue) top/ Ultra Marine (bright blue) bottom<br />* Painted living space/halls ~ Caribbean Walk<br />* Attacked wallpaper we didn't know existed in the kitchen (still need to finish)<br />* Spent 3 days attacking the wallpaper border covered in layers of paint in my craft studio<br />* Replaced locks/knobs<br />* Cleaned toilets<br />* Purchased laminate floors (need to be picked up)<br />* Ordered eco-friendly carpet (made from corn) for the other two bedrooms<br /><br />Our carpets were supposed to be paid for by the bank due to the flooding we found at our final walk through. Well, the stupid listing agent who was in charge of that did NOT have her act together. The money had to be paid to Home Depot, not us. She claimed the bank needed to see photos of the carpet work done before they would pay. Home depot can't even order the carpet until they are paid! Catch 22, people! We went back and forth with her. She was talking in circles. She'd act all sweet and kind and then turn all bitchy in a flash. I got our realtor involved and she really put the pressure on the other agent. Then the crazy woman would call Randy and give him a completely different story than she told me or our realtor. Ooooooh. She was too much. Even sent me a super long email about how there are no bad guys, we need to act professional, blah blah blah, she's on our side (even tho' she told randy 5 other people were interested in our house), all woe is my, i'm working so hard, blah blah blah. WHAT-EV-ER!<br /><br />Yesterday she called and we finally got our check, paid to Home Depot. And, rather than being for the original $885, the check was for the ENTIRE amount of our carpet bill. Woo Hoo! That does not change my attitude toward her. When I met her at HD, she was all bubbly and sweet, giving me hugs. She acted like everything was a big joke and even played down the coversation she had w/ our realtor like they were best pals. I forced the kindness and rejoiced when I got my receipt and she was long gone! Happy to not have to deal with her EVER again!<br /><br />So, there's the update. I go back to work next Friday. I'd like to be excited about that, but we're so busy at the house that the thought is only causing me more stress.firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-14509213164230165042008-07-21T20:27:00.002-05:002008-07-21T20:53:35.944-05:00We Did It!We're finally homeowners! I was beginning to lose hope. I was in DC all week. Every time Randy called me it was a different issue.<br /><br />It started w/ a voice mail from the insurance agent saying that our policy was denied because of the age of our hot water heater. We got that all fixed and ended up w/ a better policy for less money. Hurdle one cleared!<br /><br />Friday, our realtor calls Randy and explains that we're missing the HUD-1 closing statement. She emails me an addendum w/ a closing date extension "just in case". Phone calls back and forth, the statement was coming from Miami, not here in Tampa and supposedly their system had gone down around 3pm. We did finally get our closing statement mid Saturday afternoon.<br /><br />Sunday evening, we have our final walk through. OMG! HELL! Randy was checking the back yard while Ant and I went w/ our realtor inside. Our first though was that it was awfully cool and something sounded as though it were running when our electricity should haved been shut off the last day of June! Ant takes one step in the hall and we found a 1/4" of water all througout the hall and in the bedrooms, the bathroom was even worse! The hot water heater busted! Since it's on well water and the electric was on, the water kept pumping! We were aghast! We didn't even have 24hrs to close and here we are w/ a flood!<br /><br />Many, many phone calls today. We were supposed to close at 11:30 am. That was NOT going to happen. The seller (Countrywide bank) came back w/ an offer~ replace the hot water tank, have everything cleaned and dried up, pull up all the floors, and throw in a home warranty covering all appliances/pipes/ac. Our agent explained that they really wanted to close today so we tried to push our luck. We retorted by asking that they also add the $2k that they overestimated for closing costs so that we could replace the floors. Got a call a few hours later and they agreed.<br /><br />Oh, but that was not the end of course... We then get a phone call saying the lender is not going to approve of us getting not only our $2k deposit, but an additional $2k for the floors. Option #2, lower the cost of the house by that amount. Okay, fine. Minutes later, another phone call. Nope that's not going to work. Since it's an FHA loan, all the paper work would have to be redone and ran through FHA. That would take at least a week. Option #3~ be given a credit for said amount to use through a contractor to replace floors. FINE, ets just get this done!<br /><br />We get to closing and had to wait for all the extra addendums and a new closing statement. We were surprised to see that our realtor and the title co. rep were the only other people there. The seller's agent was not there, nor was our lending agent. Then we run into another problem. They overestimated the damage of the floors, they'll only reimburse us $885. Sheesh. One thing after another.<br /><br />We get everything signed, leave, end up at the house which is a good 3o min from the title company, to check up on the cleaning/water heater process, and then the phone rings again!! We had to turn around and go back, they had just gotten the updated HUD statement and had to sign all the new ones. Grrrrr....<br /><br />But, it's over. We're all signed. The flooded mess is being taken care of and we're moving on! We're happy that they're replacing the water heater and giving us money for the floor, even if it's not the amount we'd asked for. We were already going to replace both of these things immediately anyway, now we don't have to spend the money on it. Always a good thing!!<br /><br />Tomorrow And and I will go measure and start primering the rooms that weren't affected by the flooding. We went to Home Depot (where are floor credit is) and looked at carpet for two of the rooms. I found an eco-friendly yarn that wasn't overpriced and I think we'll go with that~ GO GREEN! Our room and the living/dining area will be wood laminate. We brought home bamboo samples only to find that the ones we liked and could afford were too easily scratched. Also, it needed the glue which in and of itself is quite $$$. The wood laminate just seems more realistic, even though it's not as eco friendly. I tried.<br /><br />There will be before and after shots at some point, so keep your eyes out.firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-25479420849123397232008-07-11T15:11:00.002-05:002008-07-11T15:17:49.987-05:00Los Pantalones de MuertosOh sheesh! I thought I could pretend to be a <span style="font-style: italic;">sewer</span> (as I unknowingly plurked yesterday). Seamstress would be the correct word, but based on my sewing skills, I really am more of a sewer than a seamstress. This 1hr pattern took me, oh, 6 hours. A good chunk of that was spent ripping out seams! I was moving along so smoothly and only had hems to finish, when I help them up to find that somehow, my patners were completely ass backwards! I have no idea what I did wrong. It was a horrible debacle! After ripping out all seems but the crotch, I managed to turn myself rightside up again. The pants are huge on the account of my not preshrinking and the suggestion of my mom to go up a size to allow shrinkage. I'm pretty sure I could fit an elephant calf in here. Anyway, here they are in all their glory. I'm going to try again in the next size under.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnMn4WktPeA8zE3F4qrMpxGlN1tW5AW9alXCJLd6rU-ilPbLp8vMhw5Yeg1YQyNi3uSY3xicr99b5u6Vyyz-767u2wKjRdE17ZFBSRoa-_D04qDc5lwwMrNgXnk4RVkH37HT40gidKnZM/s1600-h/DSC02918.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnMn4WktPeA8zE3F4qrMpxGlN1tW5AW9alXCJLd6rU-ilPbLp8vMhw5Yeg1YQyNi3uSY3xicr99b5u6Vyyz-767u2wKjRdE17ZFBSRoa-_D04qDc5lwwMrNgXnk4RVkH37HT40gidKnZM/s200/DSC02918.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221853234566229474" border="0" /></a>firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-30572134983129163642008-07-07T13:50:00.005-05:002008-07-07T14:10:54.279-05:00She's Crafty!Here's just a quick update on some of my projects.<br /><br />First up, two FO's:<br />A pair of Monkeys using YP Patina and a pair of Anastasia socks using YP Icicle. The Anastasia's were my first pair of toe-ups! I loved it!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQn5YQmVxi27xqhoL9w2FxJ13XbzFYVATnD_gmSDtANyNdZl_J4SSDfNGAXPl_M29HGUsNfZ1eqEq1beHflum3GmcUKqVWjImykE08Tq_WkXWgtu0DHwt-Z5NbfcCGcap6WYgNr8dOlPk/s1600-h/DSC02895.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQn5YQmVxi27xqhoL9w2FxJ13XbzFYVATnD_gmSDtANyNdZl_J4SSDfNGAXPl_M29HGUsNfZ1eqEq1beHflum3GmcUKqVWjImykE08Tq_WkXWgtu0DHwt-Z5NbfcCGcap6WYgNr8dOlPk/s200/DSC02895.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220351232647608402" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbMDr9r23PkuPb2AF45znDr6KHmlB-4V4RmeFVqBe8Ox9-zWTxCJKTEMgG2hPd1aEtWwc6NiJo2VbJeetuk8Mrn8-QMZf-ZnmDAW8l7lMeaaJEpN8F1VR82xs92qUKJL6os9G1lNCPXQ/s1600-h/DSC02892.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbMDr9r23PkuPb2AF45znDr6KHmlB-4V4RmeFVqBe8Ox9-zWTxCJKTEMgG2hPd1aEtWwc6NiJo2VbJeetuk8Mrn8-QMZf-ZnmDAW8l7lMeaaJEpN8F1VR82xs92qUKJL6os9G1lNCPXQ/s200/DSC02892.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220351238692643602" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Next, my fabric haul from Jo-Ann's. I decided that I wanted to try to sew something w/ the sewing machine other than last Christmas's Dammit Dolls. I picked up these three fabrics:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHhnVPi7JvmmyPzNN2nXmPuKa_ZiHlmzpQ-Va2emK69jkM5L92ZDFxdlDk8zIieCbPvV-mGrZm_jukfh-3hyphenhyphencg1oEAIiANl8TKeSwwoZyoin56YgTmmq_qgb-wSFUKI8iIWyy77V2WdE/s1600-h/DSC02894.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHhnVPi7JvmmyPzNN2nXmPuKa_ZiHlmzpQ-Va2emK69jkM5L92ZDFxdlDk8zIieCbPvV-mGrZm_jukfh-3hyphenhyphencg1oEAIiANl8TKeSwwoZyoin56YgTmmq_qgb-wSFUKI8iIWyy77V2WdE/s200/DSC02894.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220348854616161442" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The two on the left will be pj pants and the far right will be the apron, also on the right.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUfinG8n6VvDwCai2TYp_As-s7cOBhmvo0JK3-DGk52N_wcL9iUwYS77eCzGm0XZ9juPhlPQ5S79A9N-T_2gktjgEzSyjh0fddL3Q-4oRa2H4hwJIPg33cJ4gZYtqYCqy_1EuqUotcCM/s1600-h/6764.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUfinG8n6VvDwCai2TYp_As-s7cOBhmvo0JK3-DGk52N_wcL9iUwYS77eCzGm0XZ9juPhlPQ5S79A9N-T_2gktjgEzSyjh0fddL3Q-4oRa2H4hwJIPg33cJ4gZYtqYCqy_1EuqUotcCM/s200/6764.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220348859081174050" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBOashHhCWg_n_Ez3ZhoA_nond1aqCXixHghOxe4dst23_l0jeF97rx6asPM7cCSyegoLPi3bYsh8PFcr6c6O89XmpaPSi_t-u1ZheaXWNq4VAeofOcKogdDWsrmzqKKGqpRLy1Q-JEo/s1600-h/3670.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBOashHhCWg_n_Ez3ZhoA_nond1aqCXixHghOxe4dst23_l0jeF97rx6asPM7cCSyegoLPi3bYsh8PFcr6c6O89XmpaPSi_t-u1ZheaXWNq4VAeofOcKogdDWsrmzqKKGqpRLy1Q-JEo/s200/3670.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220348857612537298" border="0" /></a>firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-21631214477838768582008-07-06T21:57:00.002-05:002008-07-06T21:58:29.345-05:00My Wordle<pre id="embed"><a href="http://wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/55394/My_first_Wordle" title="Wordle: My first Wordle"><img src="http://wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/55394/My_first_Wordle" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); padding: 4px;" /></a><br /> </pre>firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-59889148923433397762008-07-06T17:08:00.006-05:002008-07-06T17:43:41.599-05:00Our Weekend, in a QuickyRandy dropped Ant off with his mother on Thursday, so we had the rest of the weekend to ourselves. And boy, did we stay busy!<br /><br />We didn't have any big 4th of July plans. We could have seen my brother perform at Tampa Improv, but didn't want to fight with the crazy crowds and drunken tomfoolery. Instead, we took Roxy to the dog beach at Davis Island. She had an absolute blast! Two hours of running, swimming, romping with the big dawgs and playing fetch. She's a natural in the water.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbE2HZ4cIwteT61KltzglvQq2daXu8AbnobwTNlI2BbOg7vIlCqe8VSXbtdr_H2PT2N58axiSh0dKYm7-0QzWkV0986RabObb7stBogI824uE4fnC0Wg4Cxa5vVTJYSew1aHJcMWKqGk/s1600-h/DSC02888.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbE2HZ4cIwteT61KltzglvQq2daXu8AbnobwTNlI2BbOg7vIlCqe8VSXbtdr_H2PT2N58axiSh0dKYm7-0QzWkV0986RabObb7stBogI824uE4fnC0Wg4Cxa5vVTJYSew1aHJcMWKqGk/s200/DSC02888.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220027391028994402" border="0" /></a><br />Later we decided to head out to Honeymoon Island, catch a good tide, and try for some late afternoon fishing. This proved to be a terrible idea. I guess we didn't take into account the holiday weekend and the fact that the beaches are insane this time of year! We left empty handed. And after being at the beach twice in one day, we were cooked.<br /><br />Saturday~ I was excited because we were taking the kayaks out for the first time this year. I have no idea what we were waiting for! We went to <a href="http://www.weedonislandcenter.org/">Weedon Island</a> and checked out their 4 mile canoe trail. It was absolutely beautiful! We brought our fishing poles and saw the fish, but just couldn't seem to catch any of them. Much of the trail is down tunnels formed where the cypress trees formed canopies. Many of the tunnels are so narrow, we had to take apart our paddles and use only half. When we had gotten to the 1 mile marker, the skies grew dark and there was quite a bit of booming thunder. I'll admit, I was a bit scared being in the water with the paddle and our fishing poles~ seems like a good lightning target to me. I felt safer when we were inside the mangrove tunnels, but there was still quite a bit of open water. Luckily, the clouds and thunder blew by without so much as a drop of rain. Then the sun came out full force. Being the smart Floridians we are, we had no sunscreen, add to that the burn we had from Friday, and you have two extra crispy beet red morons!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh798QZyVaXtq58zb6JMX3xD0ABVHUVnVXicTdR4m89QiVKyFdyhDPGiwQESOzin4jWF6mcMNp9lvvMUYq0_QahVCiefK3QL8QZ1el0ci6qThj0aWA-JrFrfLPwx7YK5ifeRQSBvrv1UkQ/s1600-h/DSC02876.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh798QZyVaXtq58zb6JMX3xD0ABVHUVnVXicTdR4m89QiVKyFdyhDPGiwQESOzin4jWF6mcMNp9lvvMUYq0_QahVCiefK3QL8QZ1el0ci6qThj0aWA-JrFrfLPwx7YK5ifeRQSBvrv1UkQ/s200/DSC02876.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220030932207277298" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIpkMKJPg_qZkJhlq_OR5eoFluyCwdrC1GbJKaazpMz6wX0ok21-OPilMuvDHLcNaNsE2lmjtUgAREaCWL-Wi4FhSciG__FJxQWSuOv6Y8m1AwH2-EbxRyOfLVEiirEYnJr_vsp4jkkQ/s1600-h/DSC02878.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIpkMKJPg_qZkJhlq_OR5eoFluyCwdrC1GbJKaazpMz6wX0ok21-OPilMuvDHLcNaNsE2lmjtUgAREaCWL-Wi4FhSciG__FJxQWSuOv6Y8m1AwH2-EbxRyOfLVEiirEYnJr_vsp4jkkQ/s200/DSC02878.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220031479239881970" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />That brings us to today. We had asked my brother and his wife, my bf Tara and her husband to come to the dog beach. My brother had "too much to do", I think he was just blowing us off. But<br />Tara and Danny were game. Tara's got a Boston terrier, Booker. Booker is older than Roxy and she (or Ant) usually tires him out easily. It was also Booker's first beach trip! They brought my goddaughter Elena for her first beach trip too. Tara and Danny did not listen to me and weren't dressed for the beach! Tara had told me that Booker is afraid of the water and they have to force him in the pool. Well, all it took was one toss of the tennis ball and Booker was off! We couldn't believe it! Roxy came and went since she likes to see what the other dogs are up to. Booker was nonstop fetchmaster! He has a tiny little mouth and it took some work to grab the ball. At one point he was hitting it and hitting it but just couldn't grab it. What he did get was too many gulps of water. Danny and I watched him go down and then he didn't come up! His whole body was limp and his head was not coming up this time. Danny had to grab him and pull him out. Booker had a time out, he was a little dazed and confused, but ten minutes later he was back in the water looking for more tennis balls. What a trooper! Book really impressed us today! Then, typical Florida weather, the skies grew black, thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed. We had to call it a day.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mQDHK9iNacjzzk4qL2PfOl4Z3HqKbeTE9usGtcXEbBLQps7yEqjsr7BWAIdUHwVxvoQqBTZrNaqtSKTEsbtr8SEwXA4pBXXcfoTfP9mwAaqbKJu1MVSJunl5yN6_ACJaydVZ-lMlg3o/s1600-h/DSC02885.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mQDHK9iNacjzzk4qL2PfOl4Z3HqKbeTE9usGtcXEbBLQps7yEqjsr7BWAIdUHwVxvoQqBTZrNaqtSKTEsbtr8SEwXA4pBXXcfoTfP9mwAaqbKJu1MVSJunl5yN6_ACJaydVZ-lMlg3o/s200/DSC02885.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220035119317761026" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLcU4ZZMkOZbXJ6YnMmusAl_EQzLz-L_0ZoLC-7TN-f0SxHxnrDcNxT-Q8J-yKfPTQlc8B3R2-7RAsQXri7cOOyzzIzROCA6hbpfI7XjXFphEMpebVpbPf1_07uiGqs1qT6WI29Iue40/s1600-h/DSC02889.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLcU4ZZMkOZbXJ6YnMmusAl_EQzLz-L_0ZoLC-7TN-f0SxHxnrDcNxT-Q8J-yKfPTQlc8B3R2-7RAsQXri7cOOyzzIzROCA6hbpfI7XjXFphEMpebVpbPf1_07uiGqs1qT6WI29Iue40/s200/DSC02889.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220035132156149026" border="0" /></a>firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-70962541760472710472008-07-01T20:30:00.002-05:002008-07-01T20:47:54.406-05:00My Inner Farmgirl....Since it's summer vacation, I seem to have quite a bit of time on my hands. How to fill that time? Of course knitting and spinning... but then there's <a href="http://plurk.com/redeemByURL?from_uid=215816&check=-1814915109&s=1">Plurk</a>~ a microblog/social networking website. Through Plurk, Miss Violet started a group called <a href="http://www.moderngypsy.com/farmgirl/">The Plurkette Hencircle</a> a chapter of the <a href="http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/farmgirl-sisterhood/">Farmgirl Sisterhood</a>. People who know me personally may be reading this and thinking, "what the heck is she doing now?"<br /><br />I have been in Tampa for a very long time, 26 years long. And while there are some small farms in the area, and even larger farms in other parts of the state, I have never been much of a farm girl. Not necessarily a city girl, either... more like a product of suburbia. I was a brownie as a child, but only for a year.My mom has always been uber-crafty and she's alway had a green thumb. Dad, well, he can cook like nobody's business and he's pretty handy with power tools. Me?? well...<br /><br />I'm quasi-crafty like mom. I can't cook, but I can bake a helluva dessert. My thumb is some shade between green and brown. Since I've been living in various apartments for the past decade, there really hasn't been much room for me to grow anything other than your herbs and small flowers. BUT... we're getting a house which sits on over 1/3 acre, which is quite a chunk of land around here! My goal is to plant a vegetable & herb garden and make dishes from the plants I grow. I also have a sewing machine which only saw the light of day at Christmas time, and I'd like to put that to work. I'm always interested in making things for myself, but don't often put my interest into action. I'm hoping through the sisterhood, this will all change!firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7721802592731276454.post-19833763624211652002008-06-30T20:52:00.002-05:002008-06-30T20:57:40.212-05:00House UpdateWe met with the mortgage guy last Monday. Thursday, we found out he's no longer working for the company~ WTF?!?!?! Okay, so that just totally threw me! Just when I was starting to feel comfortable and more at ease with everything~ boom!<br /><br />Prior to this, we had all of our inspections done. These all turned out great. We have no major issues at all and several of the people who came out told us that we got a helluva deal on our house considering the amount of land and the neighborhood it's in.<br /><br />Thankfully, people at the mortgage company were on top of things. Turns out the girl in charge is actually an old friend from high school (i hadn't seen her since then). Today we met with the new guy assigned to our file. I immediately told him, "You're job today is to make sure I'm feeling comfortable about all of this by the time I leave." And sure enough, he did.<br /><br />If everything goes according to plan, we'll be closing 3 weeks from today! **crosses fingers**firedupfairyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14467864097423624473noreply@blogger.com1