Betsy

Did I ever tell you she has a name?

After a LOT of great suggestions, and a few trials...

Ruby?

Lucy?

Well, she was for a few days.

But as it turns out, Zach had it in his mind that she was...

Betsy.

Good ol' Betsy. Still coolest puppy ever. Sitting on my lap, whining like a fool because the husband (her favorite person of the 3) walked away. Its cool. I get it.

oh, and those super awesome pillow cases behind her? my new favorite things in the house, courtesy of the thrift store. They make me feel like spring really MIGHT be here!

We're out of Cocoa Krispies....

I'm not even sure if that's how you spell the darn things, I just know we had 3 boxes (dude, they were on sale) and now we have none.

I'm not normally a sugary cereal person. I like grape nuts, and wheaties, and multi-grain cheerios, and oatmeal with just a bit of brown sugar.

But cocoa krispies are my one weakness, on the oh-so-rare occasion that I break out of my cereal habits. Especially since last week I banished all 'junk' from the house in an attempt to get back on track with my "diet". So cocoa krispies were my one splurge. And since I spent the day with a feverish 3 1/2 year old boy (over 102 at last check) I just wanted some sugar-laden cereal. *sigh*

On the upside, I spent most of the day snuggled on the couch with him, which ain't so bad! It did however, prevent me from doing anything of purpose. Cleaning...laundry...cleaning...eating a meal, ya know those pesky things.

The good news? Raisin Bran isn't so bad, the boy's fever seems to be under control for the time being (motrin + tylenol = good stuff) and feeling better. (of course, he feels JUST better enough to be feisty and a bit cranky....but I'll take cranky and demanding over the ashy feverish lump he was most of this afternoon)

So if you have chocolate, enjoy some in my name. I'm off to help the husband wrangle the now erupting tantrum in the kitchen. (who knew that he LIVES to feed the dog, and if you take that joy away from him, woah boy!)

Though I shouldn't.....the husband is the reason I'm out of cocoa bliss....evil man.

Knitted Kitty Swap

I've been wanting to share this since last week, but wanted to wait until I was sure my partner received her kitty. (which she has, so let's proceed!)

A while back while browsing Ravelry I came across a group doing a knitted kitty swap. You knit the same pattern for the kitty, but of course using your choice of yarn, needles, "embellishment", etc. and then...swap!

Provided I'm not a cat person - I am, however, a knitting dork. ...and I'm a fan of the swap ;)

I thought it would be fun because even though you're working with the same pattern, you really get to tweak it however you wish and the possibilities are endless! (If you're on ravelry, click on the post title and it will link you to the group, you can see all the kitties that have been arriving and its amazing to see how they're all so different!)

Plus, I like that I have something that someone else MADE. And it was fun to see what would show up in the mail.

Would you like to see? Well, you're in luck!

Here's what I sent:

Her name is Scrap. Partly because of my other hobbies (scrapbooking and quilting) and partly because....well...when I first knit her up....she looked pretty sad! It was one of those where the ball of yarn looked promising, but for some reason once it was knit, it didn't quite live up to my hopes. Not terrible, just not quite what I was envisioning.

BUT....all of that was solved once she got a face and her new scarf.

Much better.

Not near as 'scruffy alley cat' looking now!

How else does a cat keep a scarf on?

And the best part? Here's what I got:

Princess

She is INSANELY soft! (alpaca...mmmmmmm) and a much prettier brown than these pictures show!

And she has adorable eyes and a pretty 'necklace' (its a collar I suppose, but its to pretty to be called a collar) with a little bell even!

she's quite at home, and currently sitting on my bookshelf. love her.

Because I care about your well-being

this seemed appropriate with Easter candy being consumed this week.

Fess Up...

How much of your kid's Easter candy have you already had?

I myself won't go into detail (partly because in my sugar induced fog, I can't quite remember...) but needless to say it was more than these two....

Bunny Pattern - V 2.0

Ok, remember way back when ::coughcoughdecembercoughcough:: I asked for volunteers to test crochet a bunny pattern? Well, between a bleak and gloomy winter, and a last minute "I don't like the way the head looks...." adjustment, its taken me this long to get to the test phase.

SO....this time we're ready to go! :) If you'd like to take 'er for a test run, shoot me an email or leave a comment here with your email. I'll be sending out text only patterns for now, as I'm currently writing/tweaking the version that will go to press. (aka: etsy shop) ;) But will get the official "pictures'n'all" copy to you within the next few days.


As a bonus? ...I personally think it would look awfully cute in an Easter basket. ...just sayin' ;)

You mean you QUILT them???

huh.....

really...

no one ever told me that part.

...or so it would appear

specs:
1. 'scrap' quilt for zach - hand quilting now, realizing I suck at hand quilting. hmm..
2. doll sized/mini scrap quilt - no designated owner as of yet
3. doll sized/mini scrap quilt - owner in mind
4. baby quilt for stepsister's new baby girl. ....trying to decide if I want to machine quilt it or try the sucky hand quilting. decisions decisions....

She needs a name...

Who's that you ask?

Her.

She has no name as of yet, but she's ADORABLE.

And GOOD. Holy cow, is this dog good. Provided she's only been 'good' for about 8 hours, but I'm crossing my fingers that its a sign of things to come.

She's so snuggly, and friendly, but not spazzy and wild. She's quiet, and even (so far) does well in her kennel. ...the only reason she's IN her kennel is to force myself to PUT HER DOWN and get her used to her kennel. She's probably been in there 20 minutes, and aside from a little whining at first, has settled down and appears to be snoozing.

And now, I'm off to 'rescue' her, and spend some quality time on the couch together. Probably try another couple of trips outside for 'business' sake. But pretty much, just watching her snore....

....I kinda like this dog ;)

But...this dog has no name. I'm tossing around a few ideas, but wanted to throw it out there. What do YOU think? Gimme your best dog name! I feel naked without having a name to give her!

*and excuse the crummy pictures, I wanted to get some, but in all the excitement didn't have time to take nice ones!

Bats in my Belfry

Sadly, I'm not speaking figuratively (well, that's arguable...)

Our cats "found" a bat this morning. (I'm using the word "found" in the sense that they helped it from this life, to the next, as cats like to do.)

So ok. A case of the eebie-jeebies for a few hours right? Right.

Until....this afternoon, when I couldn't shake the feeling that a bat in your basement, in March, just didn't seem like a good idea. Right? Well, according to Google, right again!

Now, using Google, you'll find 1,000 websites that say Yes! You should in fact have the bat tested for rabies. Wonderful! Thank you Google!

Unfortunately, what Google can't tell you is you'll spend an hour and a half, calling every county/city/regional office you can think of that's IN ANY WAY related to animals, pest control, and infectious diseases, and STILL not know where to send the damn thing.

I actually have....8 phone numbers, not including transfers, and menu options, that left me with no answers. ...and a bad case "oh my gosh! what just touched my foot???"

not good.

FINALLY, I spoke to a wonderful woman, on a last ditch phone number, who couldn't answer my question, but actually took my information, and called me back with my answer. I could have kissed her. ...Or at the very least, high-fived her.

So she starts "Ok, you'll have to overnight the bat..."

wait, what? overnight? like..in a box? like...through the mail? you can do that? Wouldn't you normally be arrested for something like that? She continues her instruction: "You'll want to double bag it, put it in a box with your contact information, and send that off to us - wait - the bat is dead right? We won't take live ones."

**Excuse me while I point out the obvious, ASSUMING the bat was alive - even so - after I execute the double bag, tightly sealed box, and 8+ hours transit time....I'm pretty sure I could guarantee you a dead bat. If a bat survived an oxygen deprived box for 8 hours, we've got bigger problems than rabies tests.**

But ok, ship the bat, double bagged, in a box, to this lab. No problem! I'm on it!

...mmmwell, 'I'm on it' in the sense that "I've written down all pertinent information, and I'm anxiously awaiting my husband from his dental appointment, at which point I'll instruct him on the proper way to ship a dead bat". That sounds more like it. I'm not touching it.

Only, it occurs to said husband, that the lab is only 40 minutes from us "Why don't I just DRIVE it down?" At which point I gave him the "you kinda worry me" look. But what can I say, he likes road trips, and as he pointed out, it will probably cost the same in gas, as it will to overnight the bat, so ok, have it your way. Go for it. Road trip dudes! ...creepy weird road trip, but hey, it made him happy. So be it.

Just keep it away from me.

So....dear friends. I'm now anxiously awaiting a rabies test result. Oh, let's pray its negative.

And I'm also awaiting my visit on Tuesday from "bat man". (Ok, I'm not actually sure of his name, but he deals with wildlife, and bat proofs homes, and the name - though started off on accident - is fitting, and shall remain as such)

But, the more I got to thinking, the more I thought it was highly unusual to find a bat in our house in March. August when windows are open and they're out and about? Not so alarming. March? "s**t, I bet we've got bats!!"

'Bat man' thought the same.

...S**T!!

So 'bat man' will be over to inspect our house, and discuss the possibility of 'sealing' our home. I have a sneaking suspicion, we have unwanted guests, and I know where they are. So until Tuesday, I'll be wearing my hair up, constantly swatting at the back of my neck, and sleeping with the covers up to my neck. No....ears.

In the meantime, enjoy my paranoia, feel free to make lame bat jokes at my expense, and please resist the urge to throw small furry looking objects in my direction - lest I pee my pants.

Thank you.