Beltane Swap Package and More

so my desktop computer fried yesterday. We have a laptop, an HP we were gifted by the In-Laws. it's slow, and overheats, but it works for checking email and things. Though it doesn't like my Minolta...stupid thing.

I got my package From Jemgirl for the Beltane Vampire Swap group on Ravelry today. I have to share the goodness that came, i wanted to cry when i opened this package. She so spoiled the crap out of me.

There was chocolate too, that didn't really last long /blush.

I have a new computer coming around May 4th or 5th. Mom was uber nice and ordered me an Asus laptop. So no more video games for me, which makes me a little sad, but it's time to move on.

I applied for a couple more jobs today, including one working at Macy's setting up the displays. I think it sounds fun and i really hope to hear back from them.

Kae got signed up for VPK this morning, at the local public elementary school. Turns out, the vpk voucher only covers 3 hours of school per day. the other 3, have to be paid for. in a private care setting this could be upwards of $200 a week, in the public school setting it's only $95 a week. which is pretty good. But still expensive. I don't have the heart to keep her home for another year until she starts Kindergarden. She's so freaking excited about school, i want her to be excited about school she's going to be going for 12 years plus. (hopefully). So now I'm again frantically looking for a job so i can cover childcare costs.
The market here is still a pain.

As for my Knitting and spinning. I'm working on The Reading Shawl (aka the Stay Put Shawl) it's a super easy pattern, at least, until the Lace, I'm going to need someone to hold my hand through the chart. I've still not learned how to read one.
I'm spinning up some white misc. wool from my stash to try my hand at using koolaid or cake dye to color, it's for a swap hosted by the Bohemian Knitter Chic group on Ravelry. I'm also going to include some fiber from my stash.
The Spindlers group on Rav's May challenge is Paintings and Painters. I think i'm going to try for this. I'm totally in love with my Rose spindle from Grippingyarn. Next on my list from her is a French Spindle. The yarn is a bit thicker, but i like it.

Other than that. Just taking things one day at a time.

Paula

oh Drool

time for spindle porn!
This is my new Gripping Yarn Rose Spindle, it's made of Bloodwood. a Rose spindle is a combo of a Russian Supported lace spindle and a French hand spindle (thus far i like the French spindle part of it)The fiber was the packing peanuts, some very soft green Merino/Bamboo, probably not the best for practice, but it's purty and VERY soft! omg.I played around with it at Barnes and Noble with Sandi last night
I still need practice, it's so perfectly portable, i can do this in the car while waiting for Gigantor to get off work!

On the fiber front, i have an ounce of Mulberry Silk coming in a Dragon colorway from Plum Crazy Ranch It's part of my mother's day present from Ross and Kaeley, along with a Walnut Support Spindle (can we tell Ross is paying attention now!?)

I also got a store Credit for Corgi Hill Farms because of a mistake with her dying process, i love that AnnMarie is so conscious of these things and she'll do just about anything to keep her customers happy, i stalk her shop..all.the.time! I used the credit to buy a Babbling Brook batt.

My Demeter yarn won the Fiber Fancy Spin-a-long yesterday, it was a random drawing, so luck was with me! I don't know what my Fiber goodie prize is going to be yet, but it's shipping with my "Crow" Play in the Kettle Spin-a-long fiber.
and since I don't think i posted pictures of my Demeter Batt here we go =D


I finished knitting my French Press Slippers and just need to seam and felt them, should be interesting since i've never felted anything before.

Computerless

i have problems with hard drives most people don't have
my computer is dying
i can hear it
a little more every minute
it clicks and pings at me when i try and do just about anything
and now...now whenever i try and log into warcraft, it blots out my internet connection
and shuts down on me

luckily we have the laptop, so i won't be completely without computer, just without much of a computer, i can't really do much of anything on it but check my email. And Rav.

Tomorrow my mission is to get an external hard drive (ross has one, but it's full...with what i'm not gonna say, but he's a man, so you take a wild guess) to back up my 100gigs of pictures and ebooks. i have a very good friend who's letting me use his online storage system to back up my pictures and files i can't replace (pics of kaeley..i would cry, again..i can't lose her baby pictures again it'll break my heart). He's so getting these socks!

I guess i'll be getting alot of reading/knitting/spinning done until this is taken care of. who knows how long that will be.
on a not so depressing note
i knit up a head band for Kae using my very own handspun =D

My Addictive Personality

my husband says this constantly. that i have an addictive personality. That i can't NOT be addicted to something. I was a smoker, i quit (despite that it's better for me and our daughter...I'm a quitter because he still smokes..) I play video games in spurts. I'll play WoW or EQ2 for a couple months, cancel my account and go back after a few months. I'd buy one month cards if i could EVER freaking find them /Le sigh
Then i took up knitting, he blames his mother because she got me the Knifty Knitter looms that got me started "down the path of darkness". After a few months (and vast improvement) i decided i wanted to try spinning. I got a spindle, then i got another spindle, then i got a wheel, now I've ordered another (supported) spindle. i like both, I'm not snooty about it, they're both fun =D
I've been slacking on my knitting since I've been spinning so much. My only excuse is that I'm doing spin-a-longs that have deadlines. I have a baby blanket to finish, that's got a deadline too..oops.
And now mother's day is looming and I've yet to cast back on the Cloud Bolero for mom. or the French Press slippers (though i have an excuse for that one too, Sandi has my needles!)

And here is where my dad would say I'm making too many excuses. It's hard to multi-task with a 4 year old, yet that's all I really do. I can't read AND knit AND spin AND play on the computer AND take care of Kaeley all at the same time, there aren't enough hours in the day and i don't have nearly enough arms. Something gives. Some days it's my computer time, some days it's my spinning/knitting, but most days it's reading. And it's NEVER Kaeley.

Ever have those days where you just don't want to get out of bed? This is what gets me up every morning, with a "good morning mommy" and a kiss

Free Gift With Purchase!!

not really...gotcha!!!


So the guild meeting has been pseudo canceled. We're still going to be meeting at the Legacy place Greenwise Publix on Saturday, April 17th, around 11:30, for lunch, to discuss Guild Planning some more. We have some more stuff that needs to get ironed out before we start having official meetings...you know, like, where to meet..and bylaws...and actual Officers...stuff.

Other than that frustration, We went to get Kae's VPK voucher today. It was quite the ordeal. First, the building the office is in to GET the voucher, is huge, with poorly posted directions, the office itself is only open from 9am to 1pm monday through friday. We find the place, get there with a couple hours to spare, i pull out Kae's vaccination record (which counts as proof of birth, it was on the list) and the damn secretary wouldn't take it. The pediatrician forgot to put my name on the sheet. It's "an official document, i can't take it without your name on it" so i pick up a pen and start to write my name on it, she grabs the pen from me and says that will void it, i can't take it. So my mom (genius that she is) takes the paper, takes the pen, walks out into the hallway, and writes my name on the sheet.Now i don't know what this lady's problem was, i'm thinking her neon green weave was too tight, but the scene she caused because of this was just ridiculous. Her manager let our documents be accepted, really, it wasn't MY fault the pedi forgot to put my name on the paper. Needless to say, we got the voucher, and kae starts school in September!

Advent Children is really pretty in BluRay on a HD tv...really really.

I cast on the Cloud Bolero by Ysolda Teague day before yesterday, 24 rows in, i realize i've screwed up the back panel, my numbers were off, this will teach me to count after each row. Frogged, cast back on...soon, it's for mom for Mother's Day. I'm also making her French Press Slippers (thanks Sandi for the pattern!) for her Birthday. Both in blue, i loves my mommy.

I've been working on the Unseelie batt from Corgi Hill Farms for a couple weeks now. I've got 2 ounces spun up and i'm going to start the other 2 on a new bobbin, still trying to decide if i should ply it with this spiffy black thread or with itself.

Now back to my book, Tempting Danger (World of the Lupi book 1) by Eileen Wilks. so far i like it alot.

Ack! I'm Blue!

i decided to paint my toy wheel drop spindle, it was sorta boring. plain ol' boring wood. now it's blue and silver
and so are my hands
and kaeley
and the patio furniture

but it's much prettier now.
pay no attention to the unmade bed....
i know it looks funky, there is crackle paint on it, it makes it look "antique" when it dries, which is why it's hanging up, still drying.