Fiber-y Goodness

Why is it, that when I don't sleep at night, I get the most off the wall creative ideas? The funny thing is, usually these are the best ideas that pop up.

So there I was, minding my own business, laying in bed, listening to the breathing of my husband. In.......and out.........for 2 1/2 hours. See, nobody ever can accuse me of being an early bird cuz I am definately a night own, but last night, I did make it into bed at a rather reasonable hour for me. I was snuggled down at around 1:30....am. This means that by 4am I am still wide awake. Meanwhile EVERYONE in the entire house is snoring. Husband, sons, dogs......all of them. The punks.

But laying there in the dark, like I said, does have an upside. Because while I lay there, unable to sleep, my brain ruminates. The topic of discussion last night was fiber. I was wondering if this gray fiber I have could be dyed. I think perhaps it would look cool dyed a dark blue or a dark green or purple. Then I got to thinking about that Ramb. that I have in the closet that was pissing me off already. If I wrecked it, no big loss right. How bout if I toss it in a dye pot? Sure! Why the heck not?? Besides, I have all those GROOVY colors. I have loads of soap colors! And they are all classified as dyes! D&C or FC&C Dyes!!! No cheap-o kool-aide dye for me, no sireeebob! Plus, if that fails, I also have CAKE DYE!! I can dye a whole bus load of fiber and still have dye left over I bet! This is what my 4am, no sleep brain is telling me anyways......

So, by this time, I have just about had it with the in and outs that my husband is doing. I get up. I get a drink and start to do a bit of dye research. HEH! Not a problem, I'm thinking. 5am, the phone rings......its the RR for hubs telling him he is called for his train......gee. I decide to do the whole good wife thing and make him breakfast, but knowing he gets a 2 hour call, I know I still have some time.

So, once I get him and all the kiddos off to work/school I think maybe I can lay down and have a nap. Nope........not happening. No sleep for you. My eyelids are not cooperating. And I am talking ZERO stimulation here.....no radio, no tv....just perfect total silence. ZEN even. I think, what the hell and I get up and dig out the wool and start the crockpot.

Once everything is rolling. I plop the wool in, drizzle in some dye, wait a while, take out the wool, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse and squeeze out the water. This is what I got.......Not bad for a first try.
I'm thinking fall colors next time. Russets, greens and beige-y yellows......ya think??

SEVEN THINGS

SEVEN THINGS

Seven Things I Hate Doing or Scare Me

1. I am scared of abandonment


2. High unstable places that I could fall off of terrify me


3. Driving in traffic and on the freeway scares me


4. Snakes scare me


5. I hate arguing with my husband


6. I hate drunks

7. I hate confrontation

Seven Things I Like

1. I like the ocean a lot


2. I like diet coke


3. I like to bake


4. I like to keep my hands busy


5. I like to read


6. I like antiques and funky kitchy things


7. I like good food

Seven Random Facts About Me

1. I have tattoos


2. I am a nightowl


3. I was born in California


4. I am a homebody


5. I have been married more than once


6. I only have one working vocal cord


7. I wear glasses

Seven Things to do Before I Die

1. Travel to the places in the world I want to see


2. Remodel my house to my exact perfect vision


3. Apologize to those I have hurt


4. Grow old with my husband


5. Write a book


6. Build the perfect garden oasis


7. Become a better Christian

Seven Things I Can Do

1. Problem Solve


2. I can make you laugh


3. I can cook


4. Remember facts


5. Make soap


6. Knit and Crochet


7. Tie a cherry stem in a knot with my tongue

Seven Things I Can Not or Will Not Do

1. I will not be talked down to or disrespected


2. I will not get a body piercing


3. I cannot dance


4. I cannot see those weird pictures that have a hidden picture behind all those funny colors


5. I will not skydive


6. I cannot tolerate child abuse


7. I will not cheat of my husband

Seven Things I Say The Most

1. Honey


2. I don’t care/it doesn’t matter


3. What you doing?


4. Are you hungry?


5. LOL


6. You think?


7. Where are you?

Seven Celeb Crushes

1. William Peterson (CSI)


2. Sean Connery


3. Orlando Bloom (Pirates of the Caribbean)


4. Tommy Lee Jones (Fugitive)


5. Sam Elliot


6. Robert Duvall


7. Tom Hanks

Seven People I Tagged to do This Quiz

1. Not hom


2. Not her


3. Not even YOU!


4. Should have tagged you……naw


5. maybe her….nope


6. nobody


7. not even them

Strange day..........

First off, I would like to put up a couple of pictures of two new yarns I have spun. The black and white single ply is Navajo Churro wool and the two ply gray is Lincoln wool. The churro had quite a bit of lanolin in it still when I spun it, it felt weird. A lot more sticky. The difference in the feel of these two wools is light years apart. The churro is very coarse.....not rough, but more dense and firm, almost reminds me of horse tail hair. In comparison to the Lincoln which was a lot softer and smoother. The churro also had a very long staple. 4 maybe 5 inches in length. I had about a good handful of each of the black and the white that someone generously gave to me to sample and I blended them together with a slicker brush before I spun it. I like how it feels. It is very "rope" like almost. I can see where this would be excellent wool for rug making. I have to work on spinning thinner. Although, really, since I don't like knitting with skinny yarn, I don't know why that would be important except when I ply it. As you can see, after I plied the gray Lincoln, it got very FAT.

So today was kind of a sucky day. I broke one of my spindles. I don't know if I killed it, or if it can be repaired. I was minding my own business, spinning a beautiful piece of cream Merino top. I had parked my spindle, and was drafting out some more of the fiber when DINK.....off shot my end hook. Somehow, the end of the post where the hook inserted into the wood sort of splintered off. I don't know if it is a design flaw or user error. My luck it is user error. I'm the kind of person that can tear up an anvil with a toothpick some days. I hope it can be repaired. Of my two spindles, it was my very favorite. What makes it so bad, is that I was outside when this happened and I lost the copper hook in the grass.

Well, baseball is over for the year. We have been playing since April. I think six months of the game is just about enough for one year. April '06 will be here soon enough. Then we get to start it all again. I don't know if there will be any Fall Ball next year as both boys will be moved up to the Pony League bracket. Preston had a super season. Today alone he hit 2 homeruns, with one being a grandslam. I think they better keep an eye on this kid. One day we might be watching him play in some serious ball games somewhere. He pitched well too. The boy has an arm that won't quit. Dad was catching for him, and he was throwing his pitches so hard that Tony's wedding ring got bent.......inside of the mitt. You think that is some heat?? I wouldn't want to have to be facing him on the mound. No way.

Talked with my sister today. I feel so bad for what is going on with her right now. It is as if her kids have absolutely lost their minds. They have been such GOOD parents to their 3 kids, and yet all three of them, in their own ways have seemed to go out of their way to destroy their lives. And it is all stupid things. It all goes back to the same old stuff. Stupid choices. Drinking. Drugs. Irresponsibility. The kids were raised so much better than that, but it just doesn't matter.

A parent can give their children only so much. We try to raise them in a good home. Provide for all their needs. Food, clothing, shelter, love, morals, boundaries, praise, responsibilities, consequences, faith, charity. Everything that one might hope to instill in a person to make them a decent person. A contributing member of society. And then, we set them free when they become adults. When do they lose their minds? At what exact moment does a child decide that despite all that they learned as a young person growing up, that all that is just a bunch of poo? I know I asked my self this very question when Brandon got into his own troubles. It's a slap in the face to a good parent. The ultimate screw you. So my sister has done the only thing she can do in this situation........she is letting them sort out their own messes without a whole lot of help from good old mom and dad. She is saving her own sanity by taking this route and I have to say that I think she is doing the right thing.

On the knitting front.........

I have given up on the baby blanket for Aliesa right now. 5 trips to the frog pond is plenty. I don't even want to think about it right now. I have moved on to my ultimate challenge. SOCKS. I started to try socks a few months ago. At that time, knitting with an octopus was beyond me, so I shelved that notion. Now, I think I may be ready to have another go at them. I know that I'll have to call on a few knitting pals for advice when I get to the heel. I have read the instructions on the pattern several times and I am not making any sense of it just yet. I am hoping by the time I get to the heel I will have had my light bulb moment.

tata for now...............

Trying to find NORMAL

Ya know, it comes to pass, that all persons must admit that they suck.  Well, ok,  I admit it…I suck at this journal writing thing right now.  Not that it matters.  I write this for myself primarily.  It has almost been a week since my last entry.  What, has life stopped for me since last Thursday?  Has NOTHING interesting entered my brain that I thought might be noteworthy and worth talking about?  Honestly?  Don’t make me answer that question………

Oh sure, I have had a couple thoughts flash through my brain pan.  One thought that I certainly do recall is why are 99.9 percent of the adult humans in my family so screwed up?  And, are there NO normal people in my family?  It is as if I live in the land of textbook psychology.  We could be the thesis study for the next graduating class at Harvard Med I swear to you.  If it isn’t depression, it is PTSD, or alcoholism, or drug addiction, or weight issues, or control issues or hording, or child abuse or sex/love addiction.  It is as if not a single solitary soul was spared.  

And why?  I often wonder how come all this is beget upon one small God fearing family?  We were raised in church.  Whooo boy were we ever!  The sun did not set on the week unless we went to church at least one time.  We were good little Catholics, we went to confession, we paid our offertories, our family took food to the sisters, and we even went to the dreaded Catholic school so we could be further immersed in the whole thing.  But it wasn’t enough.  We were not spared the angst of the human condition.

What happened while we weren’t looking?  Did someone take the dream away in the night?  I mean we were supposed to have the  “average American family” right?  You know, Ozzie, Harriet, Mike and Carol Brady, all that.  No damn wonder all us folks are so pissed off.  Hollywood showed us what we should have had, could have had, what SOME people DID have, all the while we sit in our single parent, alcoholic or drug addictive, homes, eating cheerios for supper on the living room carpet cuz there isn’t a dining room table let alone a 5 course meal set upon it.  

The expectations are just too high I suppose.  Maybe that is it.  Maybe my family ISN’T the strange one.  Maybe I just want too much.  Maybe what I perceive as normal (thank you ABC) just looked a whole lot better to me growing up than what I had.  But still…….I don’t think that explains why all this weird ass shit happens to my family.  

Maybe we are just more open about our stuff.  Maybe we just talk about it more to each other in trying to support one another.  

I don’t know.  For once, I would really REALLY love to know what NORMAL is.  I would love to live just ONE YEAR without any trauma, or drama or crisis or angst of any kind.  You know, have enough money to pay my bills on time, have plenty of groceries, gas and essentials like clothing and lunch money. Normal.  Not struggle.  Normal.  

What a great goal.  What a happy though……………..

They did what??????

Are you kidding me?  16 children?  Ok, someone please tell me, how does this make ANY sense at all?  This is the news of the day.  A woman, in my home state (God help me, it’s true), has just birthed her 16th child.  She is only 39 years old and she has only had 2 sets of twins.  You do the math…..she has been pregnant 14 times since she got married at the age of 17 and started birthing babies at the age of 21.  I cannot in my wildest dreams imagine how tired this woman must be.  Let me tell you, they have quite an interesting philosophy as to why they have so many kids.  Incredible.

They say that they have all these kids because it is the love of God that gives them blessings of children.  UUUHHHMMM……ok……but come on!  Me thinks that there is a bit too much lovin going on in that household.  

All of the children wear the same color clothing on each particular day of the week.  Each older child has a younger sibling “helper” to assist him with his or her “jurisdiction” read: chore duties.  The 13 yr old daughter cooks lunch for the crowd and the 14 yr old daughter cooks supper for the crowd.  All the girls wear white socks and the boys wear black.  To look at the family portrait, it is as if you are looking at little carbon copies of mom and dad just in stair step size.

O……….K……………….  I’ll happily keep the ones I have thankyouverymuch!!  

On a lighter note, some of my weeks TO DO list is getting done.  I have made soap this week.  3 new types have been added to the website.  Yippee.  One is ready for sale and two will be ready in a couple weeks after a good cure.  

I am making progress on the afghan.  I got some of the llama cleaned and carded.  I got the gray Lincoln spun.  

Not too bad considering that Malia has been sick this week and I’ve been busy tending to her.  She caught some nasty virus I suppose.  Had a fever and just felt yucky.  All she wanted to do for two days was sit on my lap and be held, so I wasn’t able to get a lot done.  Oh well, those things will be there tomorrow, but my sick baby girl needed her meemee.  

Good news!!  The nasty neighbors moved away!!  Celebration in the neighborhood!!  Now we pray for decent renters AFTER the poor home owners do tons of work to clean up the nasty mess these people have left for them.  EeeeGADS how do some people live like such pigs is totally beyond me!