I have some bad news

I talked to my Mom a couple of days ago and the doctors have discovered that Parker has a rare genetic disorder. It's called Medium Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency or MCADD. I know, that sounds really scary. If your curious here's a link. It's pretty serious, but manageable. If they keep a close watch on his diet and eating times he should be just fine. I'll let ya'll know if I learn anything new.

I have baby pictures!

Check this little guy out, he's so cute!

This is my little brother Steven, his girlfriend Jamie, and Parker Earl. Everyone is home, healthy and happy. The baby is doing very well.

Announcement!!

I am now an Auntie for the 14th time! My little brother's first child was born late last night.

Stats:
Parker Earl Liles (boy)
June 19, 2008 at 12:30
6 lbs, 5 ozs, 22 inches long
Curly hair and blue eyes.

I don't have any pictures yet. I'll upload something as soon as I get something from my brother.

I finally got out my camera and took some pictures. So would like to see a finished object or two?


Here is my hat:

Grumperina's "Odessa" in Misti Alpaca Worsted, size 4 and 6 40" circulars, using the "magic loop" method.

Here is the hat I made for my roommate Dave. I used the same pattern I made my hubby's hat from. Shown here. The yarn is Classic Elite Inca Alpaca color #3302, it's a pretty blue with green, I bought it at Nancy's Quilt Shop here in Vegas. I used size 8 and 9 40" circulars, also using the "magic loop" method.

This picture was taken at the Boulder City Ren Fair. I was so close to finishing the hat, I was weaving in the ends in the car on the way there.

Here's what I did:

With smaller needle cast on 104 sts, knit a 2 x 2 rib for 4 1/2 inches. Then switch to larger needle, ss for 2 1/2 inches. 6 decreases (k2tog) evenly spaced around, decreasing every row until 14 sts left, cut yarn and thread thru the remaining sts, pull tight, weave ends.


I still have a few pictures to show, but I'll hold off on those (so I'll have something to post about.)

Modus Operandi

I have a really bad habit of procrastinating on things. Things like laundry, filing the bills, writing in my blog... There's always a good reason for skipping, you know, something more important to do at the time. Then a a couple of days go by, then a couple of weeks or even months and suddenly you realize that you have no clean underwear or that its been three months you last posted anything. I keep telling myself I'm going to stay more on top of things, but it just never seems to stick. I blame it on my "artist's brain". So full of ideas for making pretty things that nothing mundane has a chance. Anyhow, life has been going OK. We just celebrated my hubby's birthday last week, he got a birthday dinner on Tuesday and a big BBQ in the park on Saturday. My job is going well, hubby's company has lots of work, the dogs are doing well and Dave is...well, Dave. I hope everyone out there in Blogland is doing well, too. I have lots of FO's to catch y'all up on, and some fun new projects to share. I try to post those soon, but...no promises. ;)

In the meantime, here's a picture to distract you:

Raspberry Cheesecake Monkeys

I finished my first pair of Monkey socks. I say "first pair" because I strongly suspect I will be using this pattern again. The yarn is from Sock Pixie in the "Raspberry Cheesecake" colorway. Size 2.5 mm dpn's.

I added leg gussets to the back of these socks too. Here's a close-up:

I love these socks!!!

One out of three

Not what I was going for. I'll admit, I over-committed myself. The only project I was able to complete for the Pahrump Fiber Arts show was the round ripple baby blanket. The Monkey Socks are really close, don't even ask about the hat. Angie, Mamie and I drove to Pahrump Wednesday to drop off the entries. The drop off place was The Quilted Dragon, this place is a beautiful little quilt shop. I bought some gorgous fabric. Anywho, our group has four entries. My crocheted baby blanket, a crochet baby blanket by Mamie, a crocheted turtle toy by Sandra and a pair of knitted socks from Angie. I can't wait to see how everyone does in the judging.

Here is a picture of my entry:

The yarn is TLC Baby in the "Snooky" colorway. Size G hook. It took 2 and a half skeins to made the blanket 45" across. I edged this with a round of reverse single crochet. I have a skeins and a half left so I'm thinking about making a jacket and hat. Any pattern suggestions (knit or crochet)?



This one is for my friend Tracy. The baby shower was this Saturday, so I wrote her an I.O.U. letter explaining that the blanket was entered in the Fiber Art Show and I would bring it to her afterwards, I included this picture of the blanket. She loved it and her husband was really flattered that I had made something for them that was so nice I could enter it in a show like that. It's really just a simple blanket, I'm happy he feels it's so special.

Baby fever

Have I mentioned my friends Liane and Josh? They had a baby girl at the end of December and she's beautiful. I went a little crazy and made several baby items for her.

This is the first set I made. A knitted cap and sock set. The hat didn't fit, but the socks do.

This set is crocheted. It's a bit bigger than the knitted set so it will be a couple of months before she can wear these.



Both set were made with leftover sport weight baby yarn from my stash. I don't know the brand name.

I also crocheted this little dress and matching shoes. The pattern is "Pink Parfait" by Rebecca Leigh, from Beautiful Baby Boutique. The yarn is Bernat Softee Baby. This is the 0-3 months size, but the baby is very, very small and my not be wearing this until she's about six months old.

This is the front.

This is the back.

I just love the shoes! I tempted to make another pair in black and white, I think they would be adorable. What do you think?

Happy Birthday Margie!

Tonight is our crochet group meeting and I got an email reminder that today is Margie's birthday. I'm thinking shots might be in order. ONLY 1 or 2, I have to be at work at 5 am tomorrow. Over the next few weeks we are training online with Pennsylvania, so we have to be logged in for thier time zone. Anywho, I missed last week's crochet meeting so I'm happy to be going tonight. I can't wait to see what everyone is submitting for the Pahrump Fiber Arts Show. I have some preliminary pictures of mine. Wanna see?


For the Crochet catagory:

A round ripple baby blanket. This is for my friend Tracy, she's having a boy in April. The yarn is TLC Baby in the "Snooky" colorway. Size G hook.

For the knitting catagory:

Grumperina's "Odessa" hat in Misti Alpaca worsted. The color looks a little turquoise here, but it's more of a country blue. I'm using the Magic Loop method. You can see I have a long way to go on this one.

Cookie A's "Monkey" socks. The yarn is from Sock Pixie in the Raspberry Cheesecake colorway. I'm using Knit Picks Harmony DPN's in size 2.5 mm. I love these needles! Thanks Sheri!! The first sock is almost finished.

For more info on these projects, visit me on Ravelry, I'm grandysdaughter there.

Ok, I'm off to work on these.

I'm back from Pennsylvania

I returned from my trip safe and sound. It was an enjoyable trip. I'm going to like this new job very much. Everyone I met at the company was nice and so helpful. The hotel they put us in is is a good place to stay; the Inn at Reading. Training went well; our trainer, Sherry is wonderful. I chaneled the harlot and convinced her to take a sock picture.

After work hours we did a little shopping. We went to the VF Outlet and visited Coach, Dooney Burke, Lee, Wrangler and more. I didn't buy any purses, but I did buy some jeans for my hubby, oh and some shoes for me. We also went to the Berkshire Mall, where I bought a pair of shoes and a pair of silver hoop earrings. Anybody seeing a trend here?

Sherry took us to West Reading one day for lunch and I was able to visit a lovely yarn shop. The Yarn Gallery. This is a very nice little store, the ladies there were very friendly and helpful. I bought just a little bit of yarn and some circular needles, I post more about those later.

I saw a celebrity?!

Any idea who this is? My traveling companions and I didn't have a clue, we had to ask. We knew he was famous because people were talking excitingly and taking his picture. So, I took a couple of pictures too.

Apparently, it's Flava Flave. He was on our flight to Las Vegas. After we picked up my luggage, Flave fell in step with Lynn and I on our way out to the parking garage. I asked him how his flight was. He said it was good but that he was just happy to be going "h-o-m-e!" I couldn't have agreed more.

One last comment; I was more excited to see Leslie's baby at the airport than I was seeing Flava. Leslie is one of the other trainees that was traveling with me. She talked about her baby all week, how cute he is and how much she missed him. I have to agree, he is a cutie, I'd have missed him too.

I'm off to freeze my butt off.

Well, I haven't done so well with my resolution to post at least once a week. I'll have to do a little catching up. Our crochet/knit meeting on Tuesday the 15th had 18 members in attendance! The most ever for our little group. It was so very exciting, several of them were newbies. I hope to see all of the new people come see us again. Our group is gearing up to participate in the 12th Annual Fiber Arts Show in Pahrump, NV. I'm very excited that our group will be represented.

Tana is doing very well. She saw the eye specialist this past week. We are treating the eye with drops to increase her tear production. This should help it self-heal. We'll check back in with the doctor in a month. If there is no sign of regrowth of the mass she probably won't need additional surgery.

Angie is loving her new job, I'm very happy for her.

And me, I'm leaving for Pennsylvania in the morning. I'm going to visit the companies corporate offices for orientaion and training. I'l be back late Friday afternoon. I'm a little nervous, but I'm also very happy to be returning to work. I will be working from home paying medical insurance claims and taking some customer service calls. I'm very interested to see how their program works.

When I get back I will post some FO photos for you. I've been working on some baby items for my friend Larry. I'm almost done with all her stuff. My friends Ryan and Tracy are having a baby too. A little boy due in April. I started a blanket for them. And my little brother is having a baby in June. We don't know the sex of that one yet. I'm contemplating what to make for him.

Well, ya'll have a good week and I'll see you when I get back.

Lots of good news!

First: Tana's stitches came out and the cone came off. She's doing very well. She will be seeing the oncologist soon.

Second: My friend Larry had her baby. A little girl, 5 pounds and 17 inches long.

Third: I got a new job! The best part is I will be working from home. I'll be going to Pensylvania at the end of the month for training. I'm so excited, I can't wait.

Fourth: My good friend Angie got a new job too!

We'll be doing some celebrating this weekend!

The "C" word.

The animal hospital called yesterday to tell me that the results came back on the mass taken from Tana's eye. It's Squamous Cell Carcinoma. While I was trying to breathe again, the guy on the phone asked me if I knew what those terms meant. Yeah, I know, its CANCER. My dog has skin cancer. That's one word you never imagine you'll hear associated with your dog. I'll have to take her to an oncologist for a consult. The vet said they'd probably want to do a "further resection" on her eye and "aspirate the lymph nodes on that side of her body". Another surgery, ugh. My poor puppy. I asked about further treatment and he really didn't know, that's why they're referring me to an oncologist. I'll keep you all updated as we go along here.

How about another random picture just to lighten the mood?



The River Walk in San Antonio. We went to San Antonio last year for Lynn's nephew's graduation from basic training at Lackland Air Force Base. We stayed in a lovely hotel right on the River Walk, it was so beautiful there.

Breakfast cookies

Every year when I was little my dad would make Bisquick sausage balls for breakfast on Christmas day. I've made it a tradition to make them for my family every year now. I love these things!


Bisquick Sausage Balls

1 pound breakfast sausage

3 cups bisquick

2/3 cup milk

4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese



1. Heat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease cookie sheet.

2. Brown sausage, allow to cool.

3. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. You will probably need to use your hands so make sure the sausage is cooled enough.

4. Shape into 1 inch balls and bake 20 to 25 minutes.

I hope you enjoy this one. Have a happy holiday! I'm off to finish shopping for presents!

All is well

Tana came home late yesterday afternoon. She is doing just fine and her eye doesn't look bad at all. She has a couple of stitches that will have to be removed in two weeks. In the meantime she has to keep the cone on her head to keep her from scratching the sutures out. I don't know how I'm going to manage to keep that thing on her for two weeks. I've already discovered that it makes it very difficult for her to eat and drink. The edge of it pushes her dish away when she puts her head down to eat. I fed her by hand last night and this morning. The water dish is rather large so when she drinks the whole cone has to go in which poors water down her chin when she lifts her head, but again a smaller dish gets pushed away. Any suggestions you have that might make this easier for her would be much appreciated. I did zero knitting and crocheting last night. I felt so bad for Tana, I took the stupid cone off and just held her all evening. I put it back on her before bedtime and learned that thing is a pain to put on. I have to carry her up and down the stairs too, because she can't see them clearly. Now you all know what a complete softie I am when it comes to my dog.

In knitting news: I finished Lynn's hat. Here's a picture.

He loves it. Now I'm back to work on the Devil Baby Blanket. The baby will be here by year end, so I better knit fast!

Tana's going to have a rough day.

Resting peacefully with no idea what's in store.

Isn't she cute? I'm stressing a little today because my baby has gone to the vet for surgery. She has a mass growing on her right eye that must be cut out. They are going to have to take a little bit of her eyelids to get all of the mass. The mass was growing so it was necessary to get it removed before it got to large and she lost the eye completely. They are cleaning her teeth while she under anaesthesia too. I'm anxious for her to come home. She's going to be mad at me for days though.

Doesn't it look awful?

She going to have to wear one of those cone things on her head and that is so going to piss her off. I wouldn't like it either. I'll post again when she comes home and let ya'll know how she's doing.

More sewing and some partying.

Our crochet group drew names for a Holiday exchange. I drew Margie. She is a knitter as well as a crocheter. I planned to make her a DPN needle holder like the one I made myself last week. Then I learned Margie would prefer one for circular needles. So this is what I came up with:

This is what it looks like all folded up. I crocheted the hanger for it as well.

This is what the inside looks like. I picked the skull fabric because of this. Go see, it's really cool. So I knew she'd like the skulls. Last night was our crochet meeting and gift exchange party. Margie loved it. I'm so happy.

The meeting/party was great fun last night. My dear friend and "adopted little sister" came with me. This is Nicki:

She's working a scarf for a friend of ours. This next picture is a newbie to the group (I'm sorry I don't remember her name), Margie, Sherri and Mame. Sherri drew my name, she got me an awesome set of Harmony Sock DPN's. Thank you!!

This is Sandra and Sandy.

This is Susan, Deb and Angie.

Everyone had a good time, as usual. If you haven't joined us for a meeting, you really ought to come down sometime. Every Tuesday night at the O'Aces on Cheyenne and Rainbow.

I got sidetracked

I was planning on writing a blog post, but when I logged into the computer, I got sidetracked on EBay looking at iPod cases. Who knew there were so many different kinds of cases? Leather, silicone, crystal, aluminum, acrylic. Hard case or soft? Do I want an arm band, neck strap, or a belt clip? Too many choices. I'll have to decide later my brain is too far gone from all the holiday shopping hubby and I did today. Besides, I don't have any money left.

I'm tired just thinking about all the wrapping we have to do now. How are ya'll coming on your holiday shopping?

The knitting on the new hat is going slowly and hubby keeps asking when it'll be done. He claims his ears are cold. I shouldn't have told him the hat was for him, he's gonna make me nuts until I finish it.

How about a random pic, just for fun?

This was taken in Amsterdam at Vondelpark in May of 2005. Awesomely beautiful, huh? That park rocked, it was so pretty there.

Do you like cranberries?

I thought I'd share my favorite holiday recipe for cranberry salad. I've always loved this stuff. My family made it for holiday dinners when I was kid and now I make it.

Cranberry Salad

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 20 oz can of crushed pineapple (drained)
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups mini marshmellows
1 12 oz container of whipped topping

Directions:

1. Wash cranberries and remove any bad ones. Coarsely chop cranberries in a food processor. Place ground cranberries in a large, non-metal bowl and stir in sugar. Cover bowl and refrigerate overnight.

2. Stir in crushed pineapple, chopped pecans and whipped topping. Fold in mini marshmellows.

Enjoy!

Prototype

I did a little bit of sewing today. Can you guess what this is?

It's a DPN Roll.

Those are US sizes 000 through 5 dpns. I have room to get sizes 6 through 11, including 10 1/2.

I made a fold down top to keep the needles from falling out.

The fabric is just some stuff I had here in my craft room. It came as a package with all three fabrics together. I'd bought it because I loved the color combinations. I'm glad i finally found a good use for it. I'm happy with the way it turned out, but I can definitely see where I'll make changes if I make another one.