200 Books in 52 Weeks

i'm a member of a group on ravelry that challenges you to read 52 books in 52 weeks. Last year i read 186 books. So i decided to see if i could push myself to read more this year.

Some of the books are re-reads, i can't help it. Some of them are Manga. and some are books i read at knitting night.

Most are library books - Library iz guud.

so here is my long list of the Two Hundred books i read this year =D

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Booklist

January
1 Stray - Rachel Vincent (1/1/10)
2 Magic’s Pawn - Mercedes Lackey (1/28/10)
3 Respect the Spindle - Abby Franquemont (1/4/10)
4 Werewolves - Dr. Bob Curran (1/5/10)
5 The Picture of Dorian Grey (1/6/10)
6 Vampires - Dr. Bob Curran (1/7/10)
7 Born of Night - Sherrilyn Kenyon (1/8/10)
8 Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson (1/11/10) Re-read
9 Zen and the Art of Knitting - Bernadette Murphy (1/15/10)
10 Crazy Aunt Purl’s - Drunk, Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair (1/21/10)
11 The Raven Prince - Elizabeth Hoyt (1/22/10)
12 Yarn Girls Guide to Knitting for the Season - (1/2?-10)

February
13-1 Dark Magic - Christine Feehan (2/2/10)
14-2 The Darkest Whisper - Gena Showalter (2/4/10)
15-3 Undead and Unwed - Mary Janice Davidson (2/6/10)
16-4 Flirt - Laurel K Hamilton (2/6/10)
17-5 Spinning Straw Into Gold What Fairy Tales Reveal About the Transformations in a Woman’s Life - Joan Gould (2/8/10)
18-6 Taken {Dark Elves 1} - Jet Mykles (2/9/10) re-read
19-7 Mastered {Dark Elves 2} - Jet Mykles (2/9/10) re-read
20-8 Salvation {Dark Elves 3} - Jet Mykles (2/9/10) re-read
21-9 Dissent {Dark Elves 4} - Jet Mykles (2/10/10) re-read
22-10 Discovery {Dark Elves 5} - Jet Mykles (2/10/10) re-read
23-11 Halfway to the Grave - Jeaniene Frost (2/10/10) re-read
24-12 Pack Challenge - Shelly Laurenston (2/15/10)
25-13 Go Fetch! - Shelly Laurenston (2/16/10)
26-14 Vampire Knight Volume 6 - Matsuri Hino (2/17/10)
27-15 Vampire Knight Volume 7 - Matsuri Hino (2/17/10)
28-16 Vampire Knight Volume 8 - Matsuri Hino (2/17/10)
29-17 Vampire Knight Volume 9 - Matsuri Hino (2/17/10)
30-18 Fairlytale Knits: 32 projects to knit happily ever after - Alison Stewart-Guinee (2/17/10)
31-19 The Mane Event - Shelly Laurenston (2/18/10)
32-20 Shaw’s Tail - Shelly Laurenston (2/19/10)
33-21 The Beast In Him - Shelly Laurenston (2/23/10)
34-22 The Mane Attraction - Shelly Laurenston (2/25/10)

March
35-1 Here, kitty kitty ! - Shelly Laurenston (3/2/10)
36-2 Dark Challenge - Christine Feehan (3/5/10)
37-3 The Firebrand - Marian Zimmer Bradley (3/8/10) re-read
38-4 Dark Fire - Christine Feehan (3/14/10)
39-5 A Treasury of Fairy Tales - Multiple Authors (3/16/10)
40-6 Percy Jackson The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan (3/18/10)
41-7 Percy Jackson The Sea of Monster - Rick Riordan (3/18/10)
42-8 Percy Jackson The Titan’s Curse - Rick Riordan (3/20/10)
43-9 Percy Jackson The Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan (3/23/10)
44-10 Born of Fire - Sherrilyn Kenyon (3/25/10)
45-11 Stepping on Roses Volume 1 - Ueda Rinko (3/28/10)
46-12 Stepping on Roses Volume 2 - Ueda Rinko (3/28/10)
47-13 Stepping on Roses Volume 3 - Ueda Rinko (3/28/10)
48-14 Peacemaker Volume 3 - Nanae Chrono (3/28/10)
49-15 The Moon Maiden and other Japanese Fairy Tales - Grace James (3/30/10)
50-16 The Complete Guide to Beading Techniques - Jane Davis (3/30/10)
51-17 Blood Sucker Legend of Zipangu - Okuse Saki (3/30/10)
52-18 Wicked Lovely - Melissa Marr (3/30/10)
53-19 Ink Exchange - Melissa Marr (3/31/10)

April
54-1 Fragile Eternity - Melissa Marr (4/2/10)
55-2 The Book of Five Rings - Miyamoto Musashi (4/4/10) re-read
56-3 Tempting Danger - Eileen Wilks (4/9/10)
57-4 kitty and the Midnight Hour - Carrie Vaughn (4/11/10)
58-5 I’m the Vampire, That’s Why - Michelle Bardsley (4/12/10)
59-6 Respect the Spindle - Abby Franquemont (4/26/10) re-read
60-7 Battle Angel Alita Vol 1 Rusty Angel - Yukito Kishiro (4/24/10)
61-8 Battle Angel Alita Vol 2 Tears of an Angel- Yukito Kishiro (4/24/10)
62-9 Battle Angel Alita Vol 3 Killing Angel - Yukito Kishiro (4/25/10)
63-10 Battle Angel Alita Vol 4 Angel of Victory - Yukito Kishiro (4/25/10)
64-11 Battle Angel Alita Vol 5 Angel of Redemption - Yukito Kishiro (4/25/10)
65-12 Battle Angel Alita Vol 6 Angel of Death - Yukito Kishiro (4/25/10)
66-13 Battle Angel Alita Vol 7 Angel of Chaos - Yukito Kishiro (4/25/10)
67-14 Battle Angel Alita Vol 8 Fallen Angel - Yukito Kishiro (4/25/10)
68-15 Battle Angel Alita Vol 9 Angel’s Ascension - Yukito Kishiro (4/25/10)
69-16 Battle Angel Alita: Last Order Vol 1 Angel Reborn - Yukito Kishiro (4/25/10)
70-17 Battle Angel Alita: Last Order Vol 2 Angel of the Innocents - Yukito Kishiro (4/26/10)
71-18 Battle Angel Alita: Last Order Vol 3 Angel of Protest - Yukito Kishiro (4/26/10)
72-19 Battle Angel Alita: Last Order Vol 4 Haunted Angel - Yukito Kishiro (4/26/10)
73-20 Battle Angel Alita: Last Order Vol 5 The Angel & The Vampire - Yukito Kishiro (4/26/10)
74-21 Battle Angel Alita: Last Order Vol 6 Guilty Angel - Yukito Kishiro (4/26/10)
75-22 Battle Angel Alita: Last Order Vol 7 Angel’s Vision - Yukito Kishiro (4/26/10)
76-23 Battle Angel Alita: Last Order Vol 8 Angel’s Duty - Yukito Kishiro (4/26/10)
77-24 Battle Angel Alita: Last Order Vol 9 Angel Goes Nova Yukito Kishiro (4/26/10) Last one my husband owns!!!
78-25 Don’t Talk Back to your Vampire - Michelle Bardsley (4/29/10)

May
79-1 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien re-read (5/1/10)
80-2 The Magician’s Nephew - CS Lewis re-read (5/2/10)
81-3 kitty Goes to Washington - Carrie Vaughn (5/12/10)
82-4 Betrayed House of Night Book 2 - P.C. & Kristin Cast (5/13/10)
83-5 Divine Misdemeanors - Laurel K Hamilton (5/15/10)
84-6 Pure Blood - Caitlin Kittredge (5/16/10)
85-7 A Fistful of Charms - Kim Harrison (5/16/10)
86-8 The Best of the Spirit - Will Eisner (5/19/10)
87-9 The Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring - JRR Tolkein (5/21/10) re-read
88-10 The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers - JRR Tolkein (5/24/10) re-read
89-11 Dark Legend - Christine Feehan (5/25/10)
90-12 Destined for an Early Grave - Jeaniene Frost (5/26/10)
91-13 Tithe A Modern Faerie Tale - Holly Black (5/27/10) omg so good!!
92-14 Percy Jackson The Last Olympian - Rick Riordan (5/30/10)

June
93-1 Valiant - Holly Black (6/3/10)
94-2 Bullet - Laurel K Hamilton (6/4/10)
95-3 Folk Shawls - Sheryl Oberle (6/4/10)
96-4 Chosen House of Night book 3 - Kristin and P.C. Cast (6/5/10)
97-5 Mortal Danger - Eileen Wilks (6/8/10)
98-6 Radiant Shadows - Melissa Marr (6/9/10)
99-7 Dark Guardian - Christine Feehan (9/15/10)
100-8 Dracula - Bram Stoker (9/15/10) re-read
101-9 Mina - Marie Kiraly (6/17/10) re-read
102-10 Lover Mine - JR Ward (6/18/10)
103-11 Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter -Seth Grahame-Smith (6/18/10)
104-12 Stolen - Kelly Armstrong (6/30/10)

July
105-1 Urban Shaman - C.E. Murphy (7/2/10)
106-2 Thunderbird Falls - C.E. Murphy (7/4/10)
107-3 Coyote Dreams - C.E. Murphy (7/5/10)
108-4 More Big Girl Knits - Amy Singer (7/7/10)
109-5 Lace Style - Pam Allen & Ann Budd (7/7/10)
110-6 Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion: An Anthropological Study of the Supernatural 5th Edition - by Arthur C. Lehmann, James E. Myers (7/11/10)
111-7 The Devil Inside - Jenna Black (7/12/10) re-read
112-8 Teach Yourself Visually:Crochet - Kim P Werker (7/12/10)
113-9 The Devil You Know - Jenna Black (7/13/10)
114-10 Silver Borne - Patricia Briggs (7/17/10)
115-11 Dead In The Family - Charlaine Harris (7/21)
116-12 On the Prowl - Patricia Briggs, Eileen Wilks (7/21)
117-13 Cry Wolf - Patricia Briggs (7/22)
118-14 The Darkest Prison - Gena Showalter (7/23)
119-15 The Darkest Passion - Gena Showalter (7/24)
120-16 Single White Vampire - Lynsay Sands (7/30)

August
121-1 The Darkest Lie - Gena Showalter (8/3)
122-2 Blood Lines World of the Lupi Book 3 - Eileen Wilks (8/5)
123-3 Her Vampire Husband - Michele Hauf (8/6)
124-4 Mona Lisa Awakening - Sunny (8/6)
125-5 Lord of Legends - Susan Krinard (8/11)
126-6 Dominknitrix - Jennifer Stafford (8/12)
127-7 Claimed By The Wolf - Charlene Teglia (8/14)
128-8 The Men Who Stare At Goats - Jon Ronson (8/17)
129-9 Batman: Arkham Asylum HC - Sam Keith (8/19)
130-10 The Sweet Scent of Blood - Suzanne McLeod (8/21)
131-11 The Hunter’s Moon - O.R. Melling (8/21)
132-12 Kushiel’s Dart - Jacqueline Carey (8/25)
133-13 Magic Bites - Ilona Andrews (8/26)
134-14 Dark Symphony - Christine Feehan (8/28)
135-15 Naughty Needles - Nikol Lohr (8/?)
136-16 Ghoulish Goodies: Monster Eyeballs, Fudge Fingers, Spidery Cupcakes, and Other Frightful Treats - Sharon Bowers (8/?)
137-17 Knitting Mochimochi - Anna Hrachovec (8/?)
138-18 Storm of Visions - Christina Dodd (8/29)
139-19 Storm of Shadows - Christina Dodd (8/31)

September
140-1 Zombie Felties - Nicola Tedman and Sarah Skeate (9/1)
141-2 Bite Me A Love Story - Christopher Moore (9/2)
142-3 Faerie’s Gone Wild - Michele Hauf, Mary Janice Davidson (9/3)
143-4 Infinity - Sherrilyn Kenyon (9/5)
144-5 Yummy ‘Gurumi: 20 Gourmet Treats to Make from the Yarn Bakery - Christen Haden (9/8)
145-6 The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman (9/11)
146-7 Marked - Elisabeth Naughton (9/11)
147-8 No Mercy - Sherrilyn Kenyon (9/13)
148-9 Ironside A Modern Faery’s Tale - Holly Black (9/14)
149-10 Sock Innovation - Cookie A (9/14)
150-11 Kiss of Fire - Deborah Cooke (9/19)
151-12 Midnight’s Master - Cynthia Eden (9/21)
152-13 Shakespeare In An Hour - Christopher Baker (9/22)
153-14 Storm Front - Jim Butcher (9/25)
154-15 Fablehaven - Brandon Mull (9/27)
155-16 The Battle Sylph - L.J. McDonald (9/30)

October
156-1 Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead (10/2)
157-2 Naruto On the Move Volume 39 - Masashi Kishimoto (10/3)
158-3 Wide Awake (Twilight FanFic) - ? (10/7)
159-4 Demons Not Included - Cheyenne McCray(10/7)
160-5 Teach Yourself Visually Sock Knitting - Laura Chau(10/7)
161-6 Knit Socks! - Betsy McCarthy(10/7)
162-7 The Hands of the Buddha: The Dhammapada, A Modern Interpretation - Susan Cogan(10/11)
163-8 First Drop of Crimson - Jeaniene Frost (10/12)
164-9 Stormwalker - Allyson James (10/14)
165-10 Frostbite - Richelle Mead (10/15)
166-11 Glass Houses - Rachel Caine (10/21)
167-12 Naruto Practice Makes Perfect Volume 38 - Masashi Kishimoto (10/22)
168-13 iDrakula - Bekka Black (10/29)

November
169-1 The Big Book of Paranormal Romance - Various Authors (11/2)
170-2 Kiss Me Deadly - Michelle Hauf (11/4) re-read
171-3 Fablehaven Rise of the Evening Star - Brandon Mull (11/4)
172-4 Vampire Knight Volume 10 - Matsuri Hino (11/7)
173-5 Vampire Knits - Genevieve Miller (11/7)
174-6 Charmed Knits - Alison Hansel (11/8)
175-7 One Skein Wonders Sock Yarn - Judith (11/?)
176-8 Without Reservations - J.L. Langley (11/19)
177-9 Eighth Grade Bites - Heather Brewer (11/20)
178-10 The Knitting Goddess - Deborah Bergman (11/20)

December
179-1 Vogue Knitting Shawls & Wraps - Vogue Editors (12/1)
180-2 Knit & Wrap 25 Caplets, cowls and collars - Nathalie Mornu (12/1)
181-3 Fool Moon - Jim Butcher (12/3)
182-4 Raised by Wolves - Jennifer Barnes (12/7)
183-5 Low Red Moon - Ivy Devlin (12/10)
184-6 Kaikan Phrase Volume 1 - Mayu Shinjo (12/13)
185-7 Kaikan Phrase Volume 2 - Mayu Shinjo (12/13)
186-8 Kaikan Phrase Volume 3 - Mayu Shinjo (12/14)
187-9 Kaikan Phrase Volume 4 - Mayu Shinjo (12/14)
188-10 Kaikan Phrase Volume 5 - Mayu Shinjo (12/14)
189-11 Kaikan Phrase Volume 6 - Mayu Shinjo (12/14)
190-12 Kaikan Phrase Volume 7 - Mayu Shinjo (12/14)
191-13 Kaikan Phrase volume 8 - Mayu Shinjo (12/14)
192-14 Kaikan Phrase volume 9 - Mayu Shinjo (12/15)
193-15 Kaikan Phrase Volume 10 - Mayu Shinjo (12/15)
194-16 Kaikan Phrase Volume 11 - Mayu Shinjo (12/15)
195-17 Vassalord Volume 1 - Nanae Chrono (12/19)
196-18 Shadow Kiss - Richelle Mead (12/21)
197-19 Apache Warrior - Carol Ann Didier (12/25)
198-20 Fablehaven Grip of the Shadow Plague - Brandon Mull (12/25)
199-21 The Vampire Who Loved Me - Teresa Medeiros (12/27)
200-22 Enchanting the Lady - Kathryne Kennedy (12/30)

my goal for next year is actually less than this, only 150. Since work has been cutting into my reading time. I figure if i make it yay, if not, i can still hit 52 for the year, anything over is a success!

Cheer!

so i finally finished my christmas knitting. After all the presents are open i'll finally share all my pictures. I don't want to ruin the fun for anyone!

I also finished all my christmas shopping! I was actually finished two weeks ago, Ross finished last week or so, if he's even done /sigh

Men.

Kae got to go to the school holiday shop and get presents for Ross and I, and one of the parent volunteers helped her wrap them =D

Other than that, work is busy.

Ack!!!

So November got sucked up by my deciding to do NaNoWriMo. I don't regret it, i started late and finished early. and now my book is hibernating until after the new year for editing.

I have christmas presents i "should" be knitting!

I thought i was doing well, and then i noticed today is December 1st, and that Ross' corporate christmas party is, well, in 11 days. So i started a shawl to wear for that, if i get it finished. if not, um..i have no idea what i'll do.

Mom's Saroyan is almost finished, i just need to do the decreases. The baby blankets are finished, the bibs are finished, i cast on the Homespun for Kevan and Laurel's christmas afghan yesterday.

But i'm still running behind, and work is getting in my way.

On top of that, i need to finish Book 2 in the Dresden Files - Fool Moon - by friday, because the library will not let me renew a book with holds on it. crappy.

le sigh

Helen

Being an author is like being in charge of your own personal insane asylum. ~Graycie Harmon

Helen is one of the "Bad guys" in my NaNoWriMo manuscript, she's also the most developed character.

She's completely freaking nuts. Which makes her so much fun to write!

As of last night, I'm at 28,466 words. I've reached the halfway point, and when i count how many pages I'm at almost 200 in word pad.

December will be for editing, and moving things around, adding details i think of now but can't go back to or I'll lost my momentum. and correcting historical dates i might have gotten a little off.

The Traveling shovel of death will be visiting soon, for one of my characters needs to die, he's annoying.

Another character will be killed, most violently.

And Helen, my dear Helen, will end up in the loony bin.

I figure, if Stephanie Meyer can do it, So can I!!

teehee

Typity Type Type

so i decided to do NaNoWriMo.

National Novel Writing Month. I watched people do it last year, and decided today, a week after it started, to participate.

I used to do a lot of writing, short stories and bad goth poetry.

So I started today, i took my idea and started my outline, and then monday i'll start my writing Monday.

I was supposed to get too 10,000 words by today, so next week i'll have to write 20,000.

Maybe i can, maybe i can't, but at least i tried =D

Oh Fudge!

ok so REAL fudge takes like, forever to make. it involves sugar and corn syrup and soft ball testing and way too much of my time.

so i cheated.

and since i got such a good response from the loverly ladies at knitting last night, i'm gonna share the recipe =D


Mint Faux Fudge

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 bag andes mint chips (or whole candy smashed into pieces!)
1 14oz can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
4 Tbs (half a stick) of unsalted butter

in a double boiler melt the whole bag of semi-sweet chips and 1.5 cup of the mint chips together with the 4 tablespoons of butter, slowly drizzle and stir in the condensed milk until smooth and well combined.

pour into a greased 8x8 pan (i used a toss away aluminum pan) and then let cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

the mint chips can be replaced with peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips and/or nuts =D

My Own Little Birthday

Today is my birthday.

I'm 29. Yup, a woman who freely admits her age! holy rusted metal batman!!!!!

i got a great haul for my hatchday too =D

My Father In Law Kevan sent me a Ball Winder and a whole set of 15 sizes of bamboo DPNS..yes yes, no more borrowing from Sharan!

The Husbeast got me the Sock Yarn One Skein Wonders books, and Greywalker, sounds good, in the right genre, go Ross! also got Kirby Yarn and a boatload of hersheys w/almond chocolate! (and my Zombies hate you because you're Awesome bookmark!)

I got 3, yup, 3, Barnes and Noble gift cards, i spent the one from Jennifer on a few books today, iDrakula (the story of Dracula told via texts and emails, it's actually very amusing) and Three paranormal romance novels, a mixed bag for me =P

I did some school stuff for Kae this morning (Halloween parade) and i got to pick up my paycheck, and then spent WAY too much freaking time renewing my driver's license. Homeland security has some really stupid rules regarding renewals. But it's taken care of until 2018...

All in all it's been a good day, gonna go to mom's to finish the birthday celebration tomorrow.

and to end a joke kae told me today.


Knock Knock?
Who's There?
Yogurt Cow

::Laughs Maniacally::

Five Years

Today my baby is 5

I promised last week I'd post pictures from her birthday party and such. so here they are =D

And then Sunday she got to go for a long bike ride and play down by the lake =D

She got a bike (it's very pink), helmet and pads, an ARMY of barbies, Beauty and the Beast AND the new Tinkerbell Movie. as well as a new Aquadoodle and a Crayola Glowstation, which she hasn't gotten to play with yet. We saved a couple presents for her to open tonight. She picked Pizza for dinner.

One Year

It's been one year since i quit smoking.

It's been one year since i started this blog (Give or take)

It's been one year that i've been going to Knitting group at the B&N on Wednesdays.

well crap this year has gone fast......

Halloween Vampire Swap 2010

I got my package pretty early this time around! from Pru182.

She sent me so much fun stuff, Stitch Markers, Beaded Bracelets, a pumpkin Keychain, a beaded/sequined mask, some pretty spiderweb earrings, absolutely scrumptious yarn! Chocolate...om nom nom nom.

and


A Bottle of True Blood! (Type-O....makes me want to pull out my cd's i haven't listened to since College!)

Also a very cute little halloween box stuffed full of fun stuff, little tarot cards more chocolate, pez.

and my hand-knit is a very warm pair of fingerless gloves, it's getting chilly, so they'll get used soon!

Thanks Courtney, i lurve =D


as for MY package to go out, i've got a bunch of little things pulled together already, and i'm about half finished with the hand knit item. I had started but guessed incorrectly on the measurements, so i had to frog and start over. but I caught up pretty quickly (even with work and my reading habit).

I'm at 161 Books for the year, though, i finshed reading Wide Awake, a Twilight FanFic that's 900 pages long, part of me wants to count it as 3 books. my goal for the year is 200+ books, based on that math, i need to finish 13 books a month for the next 3 months (not including the 6 i already finished for October). I think i can, I think i Can.

Saturday is Kae's 5th Birthday Party, expect a Blog entry for that =D

Books Books and more Books

it seems all i've been doing this month is reading.

I've finished 12 books this month already, almost 13. I got a nook two weeks ago and it's eating my soul!

I think part of the problem is also that i'm soooooo tired by the time i have a minute to knit because of the bratling and work.

I'm sure i'll adjust soon, seeing as how i get to start working on a project for my stalkee in the Halloween Vampire Swap on Ravelry. /cheer

I'm Employed!

So a couple weeks ago i got hired for JoAnn Fabrics, to work during season (but i've been told i have a fairly good chance of staying on after season is over). I worked yesterday (friday) and trained at the cutting table. They asked me when i went in to work today for a craft event!

Grandparent's Day!

so i got a couple more hours this week, and got to do crafted with little kids, it was so fun.

kaeley came in with Grandma Pam and made one too =D

though she didn't want to make it FOR grandma, it's hanging on the wall above her bed.

Ross said yesterday that my getting a job at JoAnns is like him getting a job at a Comic shop, the perfect job. I agree, it's not easy, but it's fun, and i'm just happy to be working again, even if it is only part time!

New (Used) Car

It's one of those things, just when everything starts to go right, something must go horribly wrong.

Last wednesday my car died, Eddie said when he looked at it that it's nothing major, but he would replace the engine. gak...that's nothing major???

so mom and i spend all weekend looking at cars, i do research, spelunk craigslist, vehix, the palm beach post classified. And i find a PT Cruiser i love! omg do i love.

Then Sunday mom goes to the Toyota dealership without me and buys a 2002 Buick Century. Now, i know i'm not supposed to look a gift horse in the mouth. It's a nice car, really. but it's not me, i hate it, it's huge, i didn't like driving mom's Taurus, why would i want to drive a tank? and mom's solution? i can drive her dinky ass 2-door Alero and she'll drive the Buick.

on the upside, the a/c works, on the downside, the radio doesn't. and all used cars are "as is"....blah.


at least kae isn't sick anymore, and i start work on friday

Sick Day Rant

Kae's sick, it was inevitable, they always get sick right after school starts, if i keep her home maybe the teacher won't get sick, she's preggo, and i know how much that totally blows.

so i pull out the parent handbook just to double check the "don't send your child to school if..." section.

Fever - Check
Cough - Check
Runny Nose - Check

but there are exceptions, persistent cough, runny nose for more than 3 days or something like that, but here's my problem and why i need to rant.

Kae can only miss 3 days of school per month or they boot her from the Vpk program.
her cough is going to turn into a runny nose, and her runny nose is going to turn into a persistent cough that will go away in about a week, it always ALWAYS does.

The only way to excuse the absences is to take her to the Doctoc and get a Dr's note, and fill out a form from the school about the absence. But we can't take her to the Doctor because we have no insurance at the moment, Ross didn't pick it up when he went back to Burger King. So no matter what I'm going to have to give kae cough/nose meds and send her to school, and pick her up early every day because after nap she'll be showing the symptoms, so she doesn't lose her spot at the school. It's either that or pay for a full day of VPK, not the 19 a day we pay as a co-pay from Family Central, but the 135 a day we'd pay without the voucher.

I know there really isn't much that can be done about it, she's sick, it was bound to happen, but how to you explain to a 4 year old that being sick isn't supposed to be fun, that she can't play she has to just rest and get better? she's already cranky and crying at me.

Ballet

my little girl is such a....girl!

she's going to Ballet class on Friday, to see if she's "mature" enough to hang with the big girls at the class offered at the school. I hope so, I did Ballet and Tumbling and all that fun stuff when i was her age.

Girl Scouts will have to wait until next year though, Pre-k isn't included in their age range chart. though there is a troop at the elementary school right next to the house, Daisy's will have to be next year.

I finished 2 of the cotton bibbies i've been making, well, finished is a relative term, they still need buttons and their patches, but the knit part is finished lol.

Yay and Stuff!

2nd week of school has officially started, Yesterday morning kae was just as excited to get up and get ready for school as she was last week.

Mrs. Deland finally got us (parents) a copy of their daily schedule so we know what hours to keep on the weekends, at least for lunch and nap. Let me just say they wash their hands a billion times a day! Kae also sings a little song while she's doing it at home

1 little 2 little 3 little bubbles
4 little 5 little 6 little bubbles
7 little 8 little 9 little bubbles
10 little bubbles making my hands clean

i thinks it's adorable!
Since Mrs. DeLand is preggo, and due in November, I've decided to knit her a cotton baby bib with a patch like the ones Sandi's been making, they're SO cute!

I picked up the yarn at JoAnns after my job interview this morning. Which, i'm happy to say, I got! I'll know by Friday if i start next week or in two weeks. It's not as much as I'd have been making working with Sandi, nor as many hours, but this is close to the school, and will fit exactly into kae's school hours. Which makes a bit more sense to me, i would have loved -Teaching- again, But this will just fit better into our schedules, especially since i won't have to rely as much on Mom or Pam or Ross to pick Kae up from school, which was my biggest issue. (Aftercare is freaking expensive!!!)

so Yay! and stuff =D

First Day of School

I cried.
She didn't.

Kids grow up too freaking fast, it seems like yesterday she was my little baby. Now she's running off without saying "bye mom, have a nice day".
Her teacher said she was pretty good, only problem was she wasn't used to any kind of schedule, she is, it's just not the same one. I'm hoping Mrs. DeLand will post the class schedule soon so we can stick with it on weekends.
She's been singing a song since we got home, "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Tells us your name, say it really loud and we'll do the same!" She also said they practiced writing.
And she didn't eat her lunch! brat.

As we were leaving she asked her teacher if she could come back tomorrow, Mrs DeLand was like..um...yes? lol it was pretty cute.

on a knitting note, i finished mom's Rose Colored Tank. Fits pretty good.

My First Sweater

ok so it's kid sized, but still, it's my first sweater, and it was almost instant gratification!

kae loves it, it fits, and it was easy

I used Red Heart Shimmer in Chocolate (almost 2 skeins) and size 8 boye fixed circulars along with the Lion Brand Pattern for the "Eyelet Yoke Cardigan"
kae picked a sparklie Diamond-like button, go fig =D

Summer Vacation 2010

we went to SeaWorld Orlando. In the 20+ odd years i've lived in Florida I'd not been to Sea World. omg is was so fun!
We got special tickets for the summer season, you pay half price but the tickets aren't good until after 3pm to close (10pm in the summer). It's Sea World After Dark...sound so special.
It.was.sweltering.

The underground viewing areas and the arctic areas were a godsend, it was COLD in those buildings.
But really we had a good time, Kae loved the Shamu Show, and the Manatees, and the Rays. (when we went to the library earlier this week she insisted on getting books about the animals we saw at Sea World, very cool) Actually the stuff she fought against the hardest in the lines was the stuff she talked about the most after.
My favorite was probably the Manta viewing area, or the Arctic Encounter stuff (Beluga whales are so cute).
All i could think of while watching the penguins was Mumbles in Happy Feet when he's trapped behind the glass at the aquarium. so sad =(

Which led to a long conversation in the car about how Dolphins are so smart some scientists consider then Non-Humans and how it's wrong to keep them locked up in theme parks. At least they get fed, a LOT, and they get space to play, which is more than some zoos to for more endangered species, like the Tiger at the Palm Beach Zoo /boggle.
All in all, it was really a fun day, Kae got a Sea World Barbie and fell asleep on the ride home still talking about how cool the whales were =D


and lest you all think me a slacker, i took knitting with me and knit in the car on the way to orlando, but i forgot my tape measure so i had to stop myself in case i knit the piece too long for my mom's tank top /sigh

Durf

anyone who watches, or is forced to watch ICarly, will maybe get the title for this post.
Carly convinces this kid that there is a number that comes between 5 and 6, called Durf, so he's forced to go to summer match camp, it's revenge on the kid for being so mean to Spencer. I know this because my daughter is 4 going on 14 and loves that show, even though we don't let her watch it often.

Mostly i just like the word. though sometimes i feel like i'm convinced of something that isn't real.

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Two nights ago i cast on a cardigan for kaeley, the Eyelet yoke Cardigan (free Lionbrand pattern) and i'm using Red Heart Shimmer in Chocolate. It's going so quickly i'm not sure if it really counts as knitting. I'm finished with the Back and the Left front already.

I wanted to knit her a cardi to wear with her school uniforms when she starts in August. Not that it'll be cold or anything to need one, but shortly after school starts it will be.

--------------------------------------------

I'm still trying to figure out her school schedule, i can't find it posted anywhere, the lady told me over the phone that it's from 8am-4pm..but school gets out at 2pm....why would she be there until 4?........arg!!!!

Once I know for certain i'm going back to work, to try and offset the cost of VPK, which they lead you to believe comes in a free option but doesn't. The school board here in palm beach, really sucks.

Tattoo Faerie KAL- Sign ups open

just a quick linky-doo to let people know about the start of this

here is a link to Jesse's Blog post about the KAL Sign ups

and a link to the Ravelry group where everything will be posted as well as extra info.
I've designed 3 patterns for this round, the Winter Girl Caplet, a Summer Girl Scarf and the Eternal Artist Mitts (pattern page not created yet)

I'm also making a set of Stitch markers as a prize for the FO thread for this KAL.

for round two i'll have the Shadowkin Shawl (based on Bananach) and the Changeling Shrug (based on Leslie and Irial in Ink Exchange).

It Stole My Mojo!!

the last few weeks have stolen my mojo, my knitting and spinning mojo.

but they're back!

i finished two projects today that i'd had sitting around taunting me, one for MONTHS!!
the Paining the Roses Red is now a Table runner to sit on top of the Victrola (a huge record player but the records are really thick, it was my grandmothers)
and i finished the "Mutiny on the Bounty" hat. it's an Inside-out Chemo cap, knit flat and seamed. Kae loves it, she claimed it almost immediately =D
Still plugging away on a couple projects, and i still need to finish spinning up Seth, i hope to get that done this week.

Adding two new patterns to my Ravelry has shown to be a problem, i'm still trying to figure that out, but the Summer Girl Scarf and Eternal Artist Gloves will be up soon. the Tattoo Faerie Knit-a-long starts soon!

Stoopid Skool

Kae's school confuses me.

their little automated message says the office hours are Monday-Friday from 8am-3pm.

But when i call any time in between those hours, on those days, no one answers the #$^@$% phone!

And when i go by, no one is at the school..no one...they have a summer vpk session but there are no cars there.......

They want payment for kae's vpk session a month in advance, which would be this week for school to start on August 17th, but no one is there to take it.

Let alone switch her from 6-hour to 3-hour like i've been trying to do FOR THE LAST TWO MONTHS...

/sigh

This no Caffeine thing is killing me.

**On a non-whiny note- i finished Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs yesterday evening, very good book, i'm so happy with this series, sometimes you get a romantic interest for a character you really like and you're not good with it, even if the author is, you think they could do better. That's not the case for me with this series, I'm just happy Samuel is happy =D**

To the question of your life you are the answer, and to the problems of your life you are the solution. ~Joe Cordare

It's been a really long week for me.

stress headaches, panic attacks, insomnia.

But today i came to a conclusion, i need to fix me. Before anything can change for better or worse, i need to fix me.

So i made a list, a list of things i can do to help fix me, things that don't involve making complete disarray of my life and home.

Diet. I know, this is a rough thing, especially for women, but it's something i need to do, instead of some fad diet though, I'm just cutting the crap, no more fast food, no more soda, cut as much processed food as possible. It won't just be good for me, but everyone who lives here.

Walk. I plan to get a pair of those fitness shoes and walk with Kaeley in the evenings after dinner. We've been talking about getting her a bike for her birthday, maybe I'll get one for mine a couple weeks later and we can do that too =D

Yoga. I want to get a yoga video (This one Actually) and do it a couple times a week. I think yoga will be good not only as exercise, but centering, calming.

Meditate. I used to do this regularly, my mind runs around a mile a minute so it's hard to focus enough for me to meditate, so I intend to use my spinning wheel for this. This means i plan to make at least an hour of time a week to meditate/spin.

Vitamins. My first job was working at a health food store, i learned SOOOO much. so along with my new diet of non-crap i intend to start taking a Multivitamin again. Along with St. John's Wort. I know most people think of St John's and say, "but that's for menopausal women" but it's not just. It helps with depression and mood swings that are brought about hormones. and since some depression is hormone based, I'll give it a couple months and see if i feel better. Since it's not a synthetic depression medication it's be easier for me, i hate prescription drugs.

Knit More. I know this seems sorta...off. since i knit a lot anyway. But more time knitting, keeps my hands and my mind busy, it helped me quit smoking almost a year ago. Going to knitting group is about the only real social interaction i have anymore, and i need that. Adult, in person conversation, and a couple hours to myself every week.

and the biggest one

Reconnect with my Faith. I'm not going to go into it, not really, let's just say I'm eclectic. and I've been slacking.

Not all who wander are lost
and sometimes you have to get lost to find yourself.

Tour de Fleece and my Slackerness

yeah, i'm a slacker.

Sunday our internet went out....again.
the modem was finally replaced, after almost two months of me calling comcast and saying, look, you've done everything BUT replace the modem, just give us a new one!!!!grr

and then some other things happened. It's been a very long week for me.

I haven't touched my spinning wheel since sunday. I think this disqualifies me.

I plan to finish up Seth and start on the Cobalt for my mom, but mostly i'm just dealing with a lot of personal stuff and knitting and spinning are taking a back seat until this either works out or explodes. there is no other option.

Tour de Fleece - Day 2

i've been pre-drafting my Seth Fiber all morning, so i can spin it up when kae is napping.
I really wanted to fit all of it on one bobbin, but i don't think it's going to happen /sigh

In talking with my friend Jess earlier about our daughter's and spinning, i remembered this little plastic wheel i found on ebay while i was shopping for my Kiwi

1960's Red Rider Spinning Wheel

and now i really want to get one for kae, i think she'd love it. so i'm "watching" the auction.

Tomorrow i'm going to be doing Spindle spinning since i only have 3 bobbins and i'm going to need one free for plying.

I plan to let Kaeley pick a blob of fluff from my PhatFiber box to spin up and make her a hair bow with, the pattern came in my box too.

I've got a Swatch of Aislinn knit up for the Tattoo Faeries KAL. I frogged and completely re-wrote my pattern because it didn't turn out the way i wanted. Now i'm working on getting the bead option placed where they look good.

Tour de Fleece - Day 1

Since i only have 3 bobbins for my wheel i'm going to have to manage my time very wisely, or switch to my spindles, except for my silk which i am already going to do on my spindle.

Today is the first day of the Tour and i'm starting with Seth
Seth is from the Tattoo Faeries KAL colorway options. I'm spinning him up to design a pair of fingerless mitts, but i hit a snag so i figured he'd be good inspiration.

By the time i'm through this his pretty artist behind he's going to be quite Dizzy. /scheme

Summer Girl

so i finished writing the pattern for the summer girl scarf, now i just need to get to micheals and pick up a tube of beads, i hate nupps. but the option is there for people who do like them =D
This is a scarf, but it should be light weight enough to be a great accessory in the summer, or tie your hair up with it, that kind of thing. Another pattern which will be released to the public after the Storied Yarns Tattoo Faerie KAL.

Going to start spinning up my Seth Fiber tonight to get the Fingerless gloves pattern written.

Bananach harassed me last night until i got up at 2am to sketch the shawl out.

I.Cannot.Draw.
But i was finally able to get some sleep after that.

My book reading has been hurting this month, since i've been knitting so much, i'm still on track for the 200 books this year, i just keep getting stuck on books i don't want to finish. They don't hold my attention long enough and i have to force my way through them. I need to learn to just let them go and move on.
Right now i'm reading Urban Shaman by CE Murphy, so far so very good. Paranormal Mystery, with a bit of humor to keep you from going ack, blood.

The biggest hit to my reading time (besides knitting) has been Kaeley's Summer Reading Program, through the Public Library system. it's a 10 hour program where they read or are read to, and at the end of the summer they get prizes. Kae's 5 of 10 hours finished as of this posting. We try and get in 15-30 Minutes every night, the problem is that kids books are so short, we have to read a ton of them, and we don't always fill up the time each night.

oh and my fun for the day, i got my hair cut!

Tattoo Faeries - Caplet Pattern

The Winter Girl Caplet!

I finally finished it and translated the pattern from Paula to Regular Knitter code, i have a bizarre form of knitting shorthand that i use when i write things down, mostly the problem is my handwriting =D

This is Based on Donia, the Winter Girl from Melissa Marr's Tattoo Faerie books, in Particular the book Wicked Lovely. I'm not going to post spoilers, but let's say that as Winter Girl, Donia lives in a world of eternal cold, ice and snow. I thought a Caplet would be fitting, I also took my inspiration for the pattern not only from the book, but the yarn Jess dyed up, and the book's Cover, the flowers.


Kae took the pictures, i love how she got her toys in
The pattern will be available with purchase of the Donia Colorway of Jesse's Storied Yarns Tattoo Faerie Knit-A-Long. After the KAL is finished in October i'll be releasing it for sale on Ravelry, along with the 2 or 3 other patterns I'm writing to go along with the event!

I think this may by my Christmas Party wrap with a little black dress.

My First Phat Box!

My Phatfiber box came yesterday!(but i didn't get it until today because I forgot to get the mail...drrrrr)!!! It's my very First box, and it's a very cool thing.

I got a few different sets of stitch markers, a little star from Crafty Dragon Creations, a pretty little flower from Wings N Scales, a PURPLE yarn ball stitch marker from YarnDemon Designs, a stretchy ring stitch marker from Dawning Dreams, and an Austrian Jasper and Gold stitch marker from Light Brown Hare.

Light Brown Hare also had a whole little folder of samples, Fingering Weight in 7 different colors! I got some pink "Petals" color from Serendipitous Ewe, some Titania Fingering weight from Cantrix, a mini of A Midsummer's Twilight from StrickenSmitten, Donia AND Ash from Storied Yarns, some "A Midsummer Night's Surprise" Handspun from Coolclimates Handspun Yarns, and A Midsummer Night's Dream by Color Bug Yarns, which came with a little glass butterfly attached.

A Pattern for Handspun Hair Bows by Treasure Goddess.

and FIBER!!
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" by Bitsy Knits, Mohair Roving by Avalon Springs Farm, Moonlight fiber by MamaJudes, Enchanted Embrace by Wild Hare (OMG LOVE!!), A Midsummer Night's Dream by CozyCove, a sample of some seriously bright Yellow bamboo by Silver Sun Alpacas, Elves and Fairies by Natchwoolie (soft and squishy!). And my absolute favorite, Enchanted Forest by Spinnerette Fibers.


Pictures to come later today =D

KIP Week - The End

Finally over (As of saturday, i know i'm a bit late). I needed to veg. I kept kae and i so busy all week, i just needed a couple days to recover.

Though i'm not really vegging. I'm almost done with my citron, just one more increase row and the ruffle left, i got a lot done on my Rose Colored Tank, mostly while watching Burn Notice here at home. heh.

But last night my yarn from Jess at Storied Yarns arrived. She and I are collaborating on a Knit-a-long! Donia and Bananach showed up yesterday, Ash and Seth should be here sometime this week, and i started writing my very first pattern last night. I'm doing a Winter Girl Caplet, a Summer Girl Scarf, and a pair of fingerless mitts. The yarn for the mitts is also part of a Spin-a-long (Seth is a pain in the @ss, but it's ok, he's Seth!). And by October i hope to have Bananach's shawl all ready to go.
The patterns will be exclusive to the KAL until it's finished in October, and then they'll be up on Ravelry, i think to purchase (but i'm not sure yet, either way, they'll be available in October).


I'm also gearing up for the Tour De Fleece! Thus far my list is:

Unseelie Court Batt - CorgiHill Farms - Team Tale Spin (Folklore and Fairytale Group)
Cobalt Glass - CorgiHill Farms - Team Savethebohopuppies
"Dragon" Colorway 100% Silk - Crazy Plum Ranch - Team Tale Spin
Pigeon Colorway - Gift from Sandi - Team Golden Treasure Coast (Local team)

seeing as how i only have 3 bobbins, i think the silk will be spindle spun, and the Unseelie Court batt is only 2 oz of fiber, i already spun up half of it. The Cobalt Glass is going to be as close to Malabrigo Lace as i can get it to make a citron for my mom with. and the Pigeon is BFL and will be my last leg of the race comfort fiber. Total that's 11 ounces of Fiber to spin.

KIP Week - Day 7

Not much happened today, it was kinda drizzly and rainy most of the afternoon, and like 90 something degrees by 11am. Yeah, so not diggin that. Kae, Ross and I went to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach. They're a rescue center for Sea Turtles. Inside is a museum of sorts, with fish tanks and lots of sea turtle skeletons. There was one for a prehistoric sea turtle called an Archelon, but the docent wouldn't let me take a picture of my knitting with it (no pictures inside) so i snapped one out front before going through the rest of the place.

Outside, it looks so different from when i went there as a child. MASSIVE is a good word for it. There is a play area for little kids, the Tanks with the rescue turtles in them, a Library, A hospital, and the main building with the museum and the gift shop. Unfortunately the petting tank was being cleaned. there was also a really REALLY sad, hurt turtle in one of the shallow tanks, he looked like he'd been hit by a speed boat prop. We didn't really let kae see that, she would have cried.

All in all it was a fun, if not short trip.

In other news, i'm 12 (long) rows from being finished with my Citron.

And Kae is now 2 hours into her 10 hours for the Public Library Reading Program. Who knew that if i handed her a stack of books and told her to read until the over timer went off she'd do it? /shrug

KIP Week - Day 6

So the plan was to get to the movies this morning, then the mall and the play area that looks like a giant breakfast serving. Didn't work out as planned. Ross decided to join us, and he talked kaeley out of the movies.
So we just hit the mall and the play area (I figure i'm going to beat Sandi anyway muhahaha).

First we got rather lost, seeing as how we walked right past the mall map.....twice....
But Kae had a blast, and while i get a point for it, really, the point is to have fun, and when she's having fun, so am I.
Amazingly she listened when i told her if she started grabbing kids we were leaving, there was no grabbing (every kid is her best friend, whether they know it or not). We were able to leave with minimal tears, and the promise of Pizza.
I also got my bonus point for the pic of Dave at the BK in Jupiter. My brother is a goof, he's also probably THE Funniest person I know, he uses humor to get through the tough situations in life, and he works hard, so i respect him, and pick on him like no one else will EVER be allowed to do.
So that's 3 more points today.


Tomorrow Kae and I hit the Loggerhead Museum and Conservation Center in Juno Beach. I used to go there for girl scouts, and when i was a little older to volunteer for Community Service in high school. I think kae will love it, she loves animals!

Saturday Knitting in Stuart (And maybe an emergency run to JoAnns in Jensen, i'm almost out the Victorian Rose Caron Simply Soft i need for mom's Rose Colored tank - These pictured wip kips)

KIP Week - Day 5

This morning Kaeley and i got up SUPER EARLY!! yeah, that's right, i got up early. why? because i promised my child i'd take her to the beach, yeah, that's right, you heard me, me and the beach became one...i hate sand, really, i do.

But kae had a blast, so it was worth it.

I also got a Knit in Public Hunt point for it, Two actually since i'm a Tree Hugging Dirt Worshiping Hippy and got a House of Worship point for it as well, SCORE!

after our adventure at the beach, and an entire bucket of sea shells collected to bring home, Kae and I hit Denny's to Break our Fasts. Mommy demanded French Toast! Kae at all her breakfast, and then we went home and she fell asleep on the couch watching Dora. Too pooped to pop is a good thing with a 4 year old!
I got a point at Denny's for a Sit Down Restaurant, and French Toast to boot.

I've been posting what the next day's plan is to give everyone a heads up and a fair(ish) chance to plan around me, Again, my points count for nothing, for me it's a way to keep Kaeley busy and not be stuck in my boring house all day.

So tomorrow (Thursday) the plan is to go to the Movie Theater at 10am to see the Free Family Movie at the Regal Theater on 4-41. Followed by playtime at the Breakfast Playground at the Wellington Mall, and the bonus point for Dave at BK when i pick him up from work tomorrow. for a recap, this is Movie Theater point, Mall point, Playground point, and the Dave bonus for Fast Food.

Friday we're going to the Loggerhead Center in Juno, they have a Museum inside and a conservation center outside that offers hour long class sessions for children. So that's a Museum Point and a School Point.

Saturday gonna go knit with the Chix with Stix in Stuart (bringing the Gailie too!) for my Knitting with a group that isn't my normal group point.

And the Awards dinner is Saturday Evening at the Panera on Village Blvd @ 6:30pm ish.

This has been such a fun week, and i've found in my research all sorts of fun FREE stuff kaeley and i can do all summer so she's not vegging in front of the tv all day. This is good, eet makes me happy. Ross is so jealous we're having fun while he has to work muahahahahaha