Reality is the Only Obstacle
to Happiness! :)
Monday, February 27, 2006
*Warning* long post with pictures! :) But I think the end might be worth it!
Well, it's been a fun few days, let me tell you! The surprises started on Thursday with a generous gift from my Dad, and exceptional gifts from Dani (who also baked) and Mary and wonderful brithday wishes from all my friends!
On Friday, the actual B-Day, I was taken to lunch by the guys at work, I received a card from my cousin in France, a card and the cutest birthday bear from my SP7 (sorry, forgot to take a pic, but trust me - he's cute!), TWO e-cards from my Fiber Godmother - I especially liked the one sung to the tune of B-I-N-G-O! and piles of gifts from my Mom who simply doesn't know how to stop! The haul included a cift certificate from Flying Fingers (great minds think alike, right Mary?!) And the Lantern Moon gifties below - a rubber needle vase and a pair of Palm wood needles! Man, are these things smooth! You have to feel them to believe them!
On Saturday, I went with my Mom to the City (that's Manhattan to anyone reading this from out of New York) because I just HAD TO GO to the new Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square - it was well worth it! They don't sing there when it's your birthday - they SCREAM!!!! As in "HEY EVERYBODY! IT'S MY FRIEND VALERIE'S BIRTHDAY TODAY AND I WANT EVERY ONE TO SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HER ON THE COUNT OF THREE!!" All this while I'm standing there with a dish of ice cream with a candle in it and yea, everybody screamed back - LOL! It was fun, I love that stuff!
No, I'm not kidding - Geez, isn't he a cutie pie?And no, he wasn't coming on to me either!
Seriously, I can hardly remember what I had for dinner last night and he remembers me 26 years later - He was 8! We talked for a few minutes, he just moved back to NY from LA, and was on his way to an audition - he's an actor now... he gave me his
website address ...funny where life brings us!
Do you I suppose I should write to him?
GOLD!!!
Sunday, February 26, 2006
YES! I did it! 60"!!! Feast your eyes below!
It isn't perfect, but that isn't the point.
The point is - it's done, and it's done well.
Yea me!
They say it's your birthday!!!
Friday, February 24, 2006
It's my birthday too, yea! Yes it is!! I am 36 years old today and proud of it!
Last night I was treated to homemade sugar-free chocolate birthday pie complete with candles and song! Not to mention fabulous gifties!! Thank you Dani & Mary! I was so surprised and pleased - I almost wasn't going to mention the day at all, but I'm glad I did. When I blew out the candles, I didn't make a wish, because at that moment, I had everything I needed. (Although, should the opportunity present itself again tonight, I might wish for an easy/quick/successful job search! LOL!)
On the auspicious occasion of the 7th anniversary of my 29th Birthday, I thought I would share a few pics of me as a little girl. I always find it fun to see what my friends looked like before I met them - hope you enjoy it too!
....And if any of my friends are thinking of following along with pics of their own - I encourage it!
There have been numerous attempts to recreate it through the years, to no avail.
Whose idea was it to stick that bow square on top of my head..?
This was made by my mother - she swears to this day that she followed the pattern. I was 2 then, it would probably still fit me now! Anyone thinking "Gauge Swatch"?
so I went with both!
Olympic Update! ....4.5 Days Left!!
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Well, we have finally made it to 45"..... YEA! Hey, I might finally make it to 60" and finish this scarf after all! I wasn't so sure for a while :)Of course, there are a number of mistakes throughout. Well, at this point, less than five. I would have liked "0", but considering I am rushing this, and I am no expert to begin with, I'll live with errors in the single digits. In one place I reversed the Knits and Purls causing my seed stitch to look strangely like ribbing for a row or two... And there is one spot that looks like a miscrossed cable, or maybe an uncrossed cable, I'm not really sure, but I am leaving it as is. Why?
Two reasons:
1) It is sooooo far back now that frogging would put me out of medal contention. Hey - if the ice skaters can fall on their butts and still win a medal, I can have a miscrossed cable!
2) It happened because I was hanging out with my good friends who happen to be knitters. I should know better than to knit anything more complicated than straight stockinette when I am with them since we are such an animated bunch that I can't concentrate! When I look at this funny cable, I think of them, and that's cool.
Cue Warm & Fuzzy Feeling....! :)
Crap!
Monday, February 20, 2006
Crappity, Crap-Crap!
Last night, after a really great day hanging with my friends at a baby shower for Viktoria, I decided to stop at the food store. Well, the spot I pulled into was a bit tight, so I backed up to straighten out. Naturally, I was looking behind me as that is the direction the car was moving, and I hear crrrrrruuunnncccchhhhh!!!!!
I stopped immediately to see what happened, and there, hanging off my car, is my side view mirror! BROKEN. OFF. Hanging by a wire. Plllffffttt. There was a wooden stake in the ground to mark the end of the row so the snow plow would know where to plow and not hit a curb. And... I hit the stake. Oh well. At least I am OK and no people where harmed and no other cars were involved. It goes to the dealer on Tuesday to be repaired. Just another chapter in "The Adventures of Valerie"
Crap happens... :)
Fiber Godmother - You are AWESOME!
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Hey there y'all - check out the cool package I received yesterday from my Fiber Godmother and be jealous!!! LOL!Lessee, we start with a SUDOKU book! I have been meaning to try this out - my buds at work are very into it!; A bottle of Kookaburra Woolwash - yea! - I so need this!; there is some gum and candy which I will happily share with some very willing to oblige friends; and..... I usually like to save the best for last, but I can't decide which is better - the book or the yarn!! Yes! Yarn! Six (count'em SIX!) skeins of KnitPicks Wool of The Andes with two skeins each of Stream, Grass, & Avocado - I can't wait to felt something with this, I think I will make a stripey bag (I love felted bags!) and now the book which my clever FG knew I wanted from my Amazon list.... "Knit One, Felt Too"! I can't wait 'till the Knit Olympics are over and I can use this great stuff! (I may use the woolwash for blocking!)
Great job Fiber Godmother! Very cool yarn colors too, I like your taste! Way to go!!!!! Thank you!!
Valentines SP7 Package
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Remember that unopened box from the last post....?
Which promptly turned into this......!
And wait! There's more!
Ready for the list of items...? (You had better have a comfortable seat)
Here we go: Cute little Valentine's pen that has maraboo, a spring loaded heart, and bubbles (to blow!); a magnetic note pad for shopping lists (and not FOOD store shopping, CLOTHING store shopping!); Valentine's socks; the most adorable stuffed pink poodle, which just about matches the Olympic scarf I am knitting so he will be my mascott; two simmering melty things and a votive in 'chocolate souffle' and 'white chocolate mint cookie'!; sugar-free peppermint mints in a sassy little tin; little sweater needle holders from Clover; "winter Candy Apple" body lotion from Bath & Body (already in use by me - yum!); a very special little stiffened crochet box (did you make this, Jane?) which had inside a SUPER necklace for holding glasses or a badge at work (I'll use it for my badge); AND, two skeins of Lamb's Pride Worsted in Wild Violet!!!!!!!! and - oh heck - I almost forgot - the Burt's Bees set with Lip Shimmer, Hand Cream & Cuticle Cream - how did you know I wanted to try Burt's Bees?; and last (did you ever think I would get here?) but not least, a squishy pillow in the shape of a heart that has "Hug Me" embroidered on the front! And I DID FORGET the basket!! The Basket was part of the gift too!!
Jane Bond - you have completely outdone yourself! Well, worth the torture of holding that closed box in my apartment for a few days!!
I now know I am totally not treating my own Pals well enough!
I SO have to go shopping!!!
PS - to Janey Bond
Monday, February 13, 2006
I am largely ignoring it so I can keep it unopened until tomorrow,
but it is hard to do since it is SO HUGE!!!
Here's proof - 13" of olympic scarf with closed package!
I'm Cable-ing!!!! (Olympic Update)
Yea! I've done it - and it's pretty easy too! (and here's a secret - I'm actually really liking it! Egads!) I think it's quite nice and I'm really proud of it.
Right now I am trying to decide how many repeats it will take per night to get it to the length I would like it to be. And then I have to make the really BIG decision - to fringe, or not to fringe...? That is the question! LOL! I usually prefer fringe, but I don't know if this scarf calls for it. I have a few days to decide, or at least until I start the next ball. I really should cut the fringe first, just in case.
The hand dyed Malabrigo is making a nice unexpected colorway with the natural sections peeking through. It's about 13" now, more or less - but there is still a long way to go....
Go For The Gold!
Friday, February 10, 2006
Well, the Knitting Olympics have started - but I haven't... I was at work when the "Official" flame was lit (2:00p NY Eastern Standard) so I had to wait until after work to even think about it and then I needed food, and then I needed a gift for a friend, and so here I am now finally ready to start. OK, well, not start knitting, but start winding the hanks into balls (does anyone think I could have planned this better?) LOL!
In any case, I will start, and I will finish. And in time too. I will figure a way to do it and WITHOUT buying special yarn for the challenge (which is a challenge in itself)! I have beautiful Malabrigo wool that I bought months ago at Stitches East and never found a suitable project for - until now :)
Pattern is ready, needles are ready (both straight & cable), stitch markers, scissors, tapestry needle, pins for blocking - all ready. I guess I am ready too!
Here's to the Knitting Olympics with knitters all over the WORLD - 4000 strong - Team USA, Team Cable, and the many, many teams that have formed in solidarity across the blogging universe - Good Luck!
And ESPECIALLY to Team NEW YORK - we started late, but we will finish strong! Visit each other's Blogs and show your support! If you don't have a blog and want to email me about your progress, please do :) I will be happy to post about it so others can share in your accomplishments!
....and as famed Olympics gymnastics coach Bela Karoli might say... "YOU CAN DO IT!"
Felted SP - is That You?
So here are the details...! First - wrapped really nicely with an orange & pink tassel - was a set of knitting notecards and a cool looooong notebook for keeping knitting notes in! Great colors too! Then there is the really awesome Sugar Free candy!!! YEA!!! It's called "Almond Rocca" it's butterscotch toffee with chocolate and almonds. I am loving this - it's such a treat for me!! In one wrapped package were two skeins of RED Araucania Wool from Chile! I have never seen this wool in this color before - it's beautiful! 
And in the last package was another skein of yarn - in BLUE - from Classic Elite called "Star". It is cotton with just a touch of lycra in it for movement! The blue yarn was wrapped in this awesome scarf in a groovy MOD geometric pattern of blues and greens! When I took this out of the package, I spent 5 minutes twirling around the room with it. (And if you think that statement is a stretch, then you don't know me very well! LOL!) It's about four feet long. Here's a pic of me wearing it as a cape - I mean, what else would a mod super-chick use? When the weather warms up, I will use it more appropriately as a scarf or wrap. I really love it - it's very "ME"!
Thank you Felted SP - You did a great job!
PS - A public thank you to Dani for the giftie she gave me last night. I won't post a pic for certain reasons, but I wanted people to know about her extreme thoughfulness! Good luck in the UFOlympics!
Secret Pal Confusion....???
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Look what came in the mail for me yesterday!!!
Problem is - I don't know who it is from!! Now, I know it is from one of my Secret Pals, however - I have THREE this time - and I can't seem to tell which darling Pal sent this box of goodies!! 
I began to open it and looked for some type of card or note but I couldn't seem to find any and then I noticed a card that came in the regular mail from my SP7 Janey Bond!! So I opened the card (before I finished opening the box) and her card says she will be sending a giftie but NOT to open it before Feb 14th!! 
Ack! So now I have a half opened gift and I don't know if I should continue!! Here is a pic of the semi-opened package. There are some beautifully wrapped gifts that I am DYING to look at (not to mention some sugar free candy, which, I must admit, I already tried - YUM!) Who sent it? Can I continue to open...? PLEASE LET ME KNOW!
Team NEW YORK - Finally!!!
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Well, I just stopped by her site for an update ((WE ARE NOW 2500 STRONG!!)) and was led to this site owned by a Librarian who is keeping track of all the "Teams" and buttons that go along with them. I myself already belong to Team USA, The Cable Team, Team Cheese (well, I can't eat chocolate and I don't drink wine...) and was looking to join another (Team Junkie? Who, Me?) maybe Team NY - and then I find out - much to my Horror - that there IS NO TEAM NEW YORK! I mean, how could that be, it's NEW YORK people, the capital of the WORLD! Something had to be done - and so here it is...
Rules to join? Oh well, if I must: (you should meet 1 or all criteria)
1. You must live in New York
2. You must have lived in New York at some time in your life
3. You must have visited New York
4. You must have dreamed of living in or visiting New York
5. You must love New York
(no "borrowing" and bandwidth issues, OK ?), and display proudly on your blog!
We New Yorkers are a proud bunch!
If you'd like, leave a comment here - include your blog address - and I'll post a list of Team Members on the side bar so we can visit the blogs and cheer each other on!
GO TEAM NEW YORK!!
UPDATE: I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to get comments to appear on the individual post link thing - !$%$@^#&! sigh....
So, if you're coming here from another blog and want to comment, you can go here:
Girl Gone Mod and scroll down to the post or you can send me an email at: gidgetgirl66 @ yahoo . com ...SORRY!
Project Linus Blanket
My first Project Linus blanket!For those of you who don't know, Project Linus is a non-profit organization that gives handmade (only!) blankets to children in need. The children can be ill, or have experienced abuse, the loss of a parent, or any type of trauma. The blankets are a way of sending LOVE to these children in need. Here is the link to their organization: Project Linus
PS - No wool or wool blends allowed, man-made fibers and cotton only.
A good friend, the beautiful (inside and out) Rebecca is the Suffolk County, NY chapter coordinator. I am so happy to be able to help her in this special endeavor.
This blanket is beyond easy since it is all in garter, but it's still fun since every 7 rows you switch needles from #13 to #5. This creates a gentle ruffle effect. It's a quick knit, but it will probaly take me a couple of weeks since I like to do other crafty things in between knitting.
This week "other crafty things" includes making my own personalized needles & stitch markers with polymer clay - hey, everyone else is doing it, why not me?! LOL! I will post my creations a little later....
Off to get ready for the Superbowl - go Steelers!
Here's the plan:
I will knit during the game and watch the commercials, you know they are the best all year!!!
At half time, I will watch the Stones - They still rock better than most groups half their age!
In between, I will switch to Animal Planet's "Puppy Bowl" - beyond cute and strangely captivating - go puppies!!
You Guys are the Best-est
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
A big heart-felt thank you to my friends for the kind words! And to my SP as well for the cute little vintage pink poodle eCard!
They all really did help brighten my day! That, and taking the day off from work today - that helped a lot too! LOL
See you at the PL meeting on Thurs....
Missy - I don't do chocolate (sigh) but I will take you up on the hug - and Dani too! Hugs are THE BEST medicine!
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