Just asking

Just asking……..

So, is it bad to want to stick a sheep in your husband’s mouth at night in hope’s that THAT will stop the ear splitting, window rattling, wife annoying, no sleep here snore fest???  Yah….I thought so too…….dammit.  It used to be a race to see who went to sleep first.   Now it doesn’t matter.  Me, who sleeps like the dead was roused repeatedly by Tony the Tuba blowing solo all night long.  I couldn’t even get it together long enough to move to the couch last night.  I definitely see a nap in my future today.  

Christmas 2005

Christmas 2005

Well, the time is near.  The round guy, wearing a really bad suit is soon going to start making his rounds.  I hope everyone gets all their Christmas wishes fulfilled this year.  I have everything I want already.  

I have my health.  This I know because I have been through a gamut of tests these past few weeks and all the results have been negative for the big “C”.  I have a husband who loves me unconditionally and unceasingly.  I have healthy, happy children and two granddaughters that are a joy and a delight each and every day.  I have a nice place to call home.  I have goofy, silly, loving furkids.  

Just this past year, I located my long lost half sister.  She and I lost contact when our father passed away when I was 18 and she was 11.  Our reunion was joyous and I miss her everyday.  I wish we lived closer.  My family is actually pretty small.  It’s just me, her and one brother.  My brother and I have never been close.  I am closer to my brother’s wife than I am to him.  She and I get along very well, and often have long talks, or even no “talks” just comfortable being together.  

Every year, as my daughter is getting older, we are growing closer too.  The years were difficult with her growing up.  She, as a teenager, thought that she knew everything.  She was fearless and thought that she had something to prove to the world and set out to do just that.  It took her many years to come back to me and actually apologize for all the heartache she put me through.  That was a pivotal moment in our relationship.  She is a wonderful mother to my grand children.  I am very proud of her.

Tomorrow I’ll be laying out the spread.  Cooking the roast beast and all the trimmings.  I’m doing the bird a bit different this year.  I’m doing a honey brined turkey this year.  I got the recipe from Robyn, and she says it is delicious so if it’s not I’m blaming it all on her.  I can’t decide if I should even go to bed for a few hours nap, or just stay up and start the cooking marathon in a few hours.  

I long for Christmas’s of years past.  Those are the time’s I miss the most.  I have wonderful childhood memories of Christmas.  We had strong holiday traditions at my grandparent’s house.  I’d give anything for just one more.  I miss my gramps.  He was everything to me.

What a week!

I am SO glad this week is over! I have been through the wringer with doctors appointments this week. I feel like I have been violated! That said, I got all the yearly mandatory tests done for the year. Nothing like putting it off till the last minute. But hey, who likes to have their boobs mashed and other areas poked, prodded and q-tip'd........If you get my drift. The worst part of all of it is now I have to wait a few days to see if all the stuff came out normal. It's a woman's worst waiting game. Almost like waiting to see if you are pregnant, but if THESE tests come back positive, the outcome is not near as joyous as having a baby.

I have been Secret Santa'd to death this week. First off, my secret Spindler pal sent me some awesome gifts! I don't know how she knew what I wanted but she did good. She made me a wrist distaff from her handspun and also a nice warm knit hat. Good stuff! Then, my dish secret pal sent her gift.......When UPS delivered a box from Sephora, I was very curious but I had a feeling that it was from her because nobody else in my family would do such a thing. She sent me a whole bottle of Pink Sugar cologne. Her note said that she knew I could make the stuff myself, but that everyone should be treated to the original at least once. She is so right and I am so happy with it! Plus, I found out who she is.......Surprise for me, it is my favorite knitting guru Kristin aka Silver! She is such a sweet person in the first place that now that I know who she is, I am tickled to death! Thanks Kristin!!!

Tony is recovering from his wreck. The photos of his bruises are pretty spectacular. Pretty colors ranging from yellow to green and purple and violet red.

Spinning along, I got another hank done. It's a pretty nice little skein. Dyed with cochineal.
I like the dusty rose of it. Also, the skein I like the most so far that is TOTALLY all mine from sheep to spindle to yarn is below. Kinda funky this one. I love it and it is very soft and lofty. I love how the greens and golds and oranges and reds all blended together. I wish I had a bunch of this yarn but I'll never be able to duplicate it.

My blue mohair scarf is almost done. I had to frog it the first time when I got to looking at it and realized that somewhere along the way I had gotten off track with my pattern and the front and the back was all confused. This time it's perfect. I'll be glad when it is done. I am not a fast knitter by any means, so I have been on this project for a while. I'd like to be faster and knit every single day, but sometimes I just am too tired. Kinda like now. I should go knit awhile, but my feet are cold and I am not at 100% so I think this would be a good day to curl up with a good book.

Currently reading: A Good Yarn by Debbie McComber. About, of course, a yarn shop.

The soapy side of me

As usual, I always get orders around this time of year from people wanting gifts. I was packaging up a couple of orders last night and decided to take some product photos. I need to update them for my website anyway. Orders this time of year are great! Women love getting a basket of smell goodies as a gift, so if the gifter knows what particular scents the giftee likes the present is always a hit. Anyway, I just thought I should post some pictures here to show the "Bubble" side of me.

A soap stack of various scents.

One For All Body Cream on top is my formulation of a cream that is half body butter and half lotion to give the user a nice thick, rich body cream.

Goats Milk Lotion is a light lotion that sinks in quickly.

Velvet Body Cream is a middle weight body cream that can even be used on the face for extra dry patches.

My customers all have a hard time deciding which of the three products they like the best. Each one is unique and extra specially good in its own right.

2:30 am phone calls are never good news..........

Unless that is, you are normally awake at that hour and the people in your world know this fact.

That is no longer so in my world. So when the phone rang at 2:30 am Tuesday nite, I immediately went into the OMG mode. OMG did not begin to cover it! It was my husband on the phone. Calling me from the emergency room. He had been involved in a train wreck in the yard.

Now, to clarify, my husband is a locomotive engineer for Union Pacific Railroad, so being in or on a train for him is daily business. What is not daily business is being involved in a collision!

He said that he had his train "tied down" (in english that means brakes applied and not moving) and was standing inside the cab getting his stuff together to get off the train and go fetch another one. He said he could hear radio traffic of the switchman on the ground telling another engineer who was controlling another train to STOP STOP STOP. Well, for some reason, the other engineer did not stop and hit my husbands train. Hit it with enough physical force to shove it backwards several feet. That is a hard lick, because a locomotive weights several tons just by itself and what Tony was working with was two locomotives hooked together.

Anyway, he said that the impact from the other train caused him to be thrown forward into the control console. He struck his chest right over his heart area on a sharp corner of the console. Then he was thrown backwards against the power panels behind him. He said he was stunned for a few moments as he had no idea what was going on other than he had been hit! Due to the bright headlights on the other approaching train, he was not able to actually "see" them or judge how close they were.

He went to the emergency room for a check. They did xrays, ekg and of course the requisite drug test. Then he had to go back to the yard to reinact the whole thing for the paper pushers. He wanted to come home cuz he was hurting but they insisted that he stay even though he was totally not at fault and was the one who was struck. When he finally did get home on Wednesday morning he was starting to stiffen up. By the time he went to our own family doctor, he was seriously having some pain in the impact area and up across his shoulder and neck. Thank goodness it was just a minor incident!

People dont realize that they work around deadly, dangerous, unforgiving equipment out there around those trains. Men get killed everyday because of stupid mistakes. I dread the day I ever have to get one of THOSE phone calls.

BBBRRRRRRRR!!

We had our first skiff of snow last night. Not enough to keep our boys out of school (awwwww), but enough to cover the ground and close many schools around the state. I think snow is pretty, and now that I am not forced to get out and drive on it, I can tolerate it. To a point. I only say that because my husband does have to commute on it at times, just depending on how his work schedule falls.

Snow in the South is an amazing thing. People lose their fool minds. You should have seen the traffic and the crowds at the grocery stores. They acted as if we were setting in for a blizzard and the grocery delivery truck would have to dog sled in supplies. Sheesh! And don't even get me started on how OTHER people drive on snow. Now I KNOW that I suck as a snow driver and I simply do not do it. But some people must and they just don't get it. They drive like crazy people. I worry more about someone hitting me or Tony than I do about him hitting someone. (Gee can't imagine why I am terrified of that!) Needless to say, with my PTSD re: driving and traffic and auto accidents, I don't do well "out" when the weather gets nasty.

GO HOME PEOPLE!!!