Big X-mas Wrap Up, Part II

Well all the gifts that needed returning have been taken back, the gift cards spent and the prime rib digested so I should get to putting us pictures and taken down christmas.

These sisters were my favorite gift this year

Pull them back and watch them race.

Here's dinner, it tasted just as good as it looked. But after all the messing around in the spice cupboard we went out and got one more christmas gift, thanx to the gift card Mac got us

All the important ones are stuck to the wall now.

While I didn't get yarn or any yarn gift cards, I got two books for Christmas. I've even managed to start another quick project that I hope to get done so I can get some use out of it. le Slouch!

Big X-mas Wrap Up, Part I

We had a good old time this Christmas with my folks here. From cooking too much food to silly gifts. The days leading up to christmas where filled with trips the grocery store and BBQ fun. The Hub and the Dad had way to much fun with grilled meat and open flames.

We made ribs two ways.

Did yummie BBQ chicken and then Ross tried his hand at the art of sausage making.

These are the "fresh" unsmoked sausages, both spicy and not so spicy before they went on the grill and a few hours later...

Here they are all smoked and ready to eat.

The holidays are all about food in my family!!!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone, just a day early!
ps it's my birthday today :)

Almost Christmas

Well its almost here, we've gone to the grocery store everyday since my parents arrived. Tomorrow is birthday and then christmas!!! Yippie

That sinking feeling.

It could be all the rain thats causing that sinking feeling and my house is finally slipping down the hill side or its the impending doom of the seattle trip. I'm generally in favor of flying the friendly skies and hitting up the evergreen state but its only a four day trip and then we turn around and have christmas. I'm a little stressed. Oh bother I'll be ok, the trip will be great, you can't see me but I'm making that if you take my picture I'll kill you smile, great just great. People I don't know or care about that much on the married in side of the family here I come.

Flat as a pancake

So this morning my "butt Light" went off while I was driving. No this isn't a warning that my butt looks big in these pants or that the driver of the car next to me is not paying attention because they are scratching their butt, but that I have low tire pressure. It looks more like a butt then a flat tire. This is quite normal when we're having bad or abnormal weather (tomorrows high is 72, Baghdad's is 67 just to put in perspective) so I just turned the stupid flashing beeping light off and drove on. After lunch though Steve called the lab to let me know, that it was in deed flat. Very very flat. UGH!!! So steve pulled the air compressor around front topped it off and I drove off, about two blocks until it started to loose pressure again. A nail was all it was, all patched and fixed for 14 bucks. But it just goes to show you that even your car will cry wolf.
Tomorrow, the hubby's birthday!!!

“Men seldom make passes At girls who wear glasses”

Thank you Dorthy Parker for that gem. It was new glasses day for me saturday. Big deal seeing as thats how I see. No contacts for me any more, they really bug me. So me and super high prescription popped into Lenscrafters to escape the terrors in the mall (grrrrr to x-mas gifts) and there they were on the wall..... still there waiting for me to take them home.

They have little black sparkles all along the top and on the sides. I finally have sparklely glasses.
I also got a second pair (ummm I have a special account from work to pay for this, so stop thinking I just won money off a scratch ticket and didn't tell the Hubby.) These are my "normal" glasses...hahahhaaa

Love them both, and since my prescription hasn't changed, or I'm in denial about it changing and haven't gotten my eyes checked again, I have 3 pairs to wear!!! this is fun.

Rules are meant to be broken

Out of complete and total boredom I broke my own "no knitting where coffee can not go" rule.........




thats my super high tech lab I work in. Hiding behind the knitting is a stack of old plates labeled "s. aureus, FREEZE" that hasn't happened nor will it, thats what grad students are for and I don't see any.

Not to jinx it..

...but come on already. We're super slow these days at the lab, and I don't know why. Its been cold and rainy, though not at the same time. Cold and dry one day and wet and mild the next. I guess the cows just aren't getting E.coli from each other any more. Here we test samples from both living animals, sent in from vets offices, and DEAD animals that we process here. Normally the bulk of work comes from the dead critters. We were to have this major "fall rush" which never seemed to happen, except from a brief push in October. mmmmm so that leads me to my next question what should I do with myself. Write out christmas cards, hit up amazon.com for gifts, or just sit here with blogging at work. I would knit but I do draw the line some where when it comes to big nasty germs and hobbies. I used to knit at the hospital but that was different, no bacteria just blood products and bodily fluids. I make it a rule not to knit where I wouldn't drink coffee, but x-mas cards they're fair game so don't lick them ok. Stayed up to watch the football game last night, grrrrrrrr I really wanted the tom brady to loose, grrrrrr. Oh well they'res always next week. Time for lunch!!

Updates...

Leaf Tie Cardigan


The Social Disease

Mint Chip

As promised the Mint Chip Pattern


Size:

One Size

Materials:

2 or 3 balls Lion Brand Lion Wool or another 100% wool worsted weight yarn

US 101/2 needles

4 Stitch Markers

1 button of choice

Gauge:

Not really a huge issue


Cast On: 39 Stitches, K in garter for 40 rows.
Pick up 20 stitches along left edge, 39 across CO edge and 20 sts along right.

Sides:
Join the sts and work in the round.
Round 1: PM, K 39, PM K20, PM, K39, PM, K20.

Continue until the bag reaches desired hight, remember it will shrink by about 25%.

Decrease before and after PM on the last 2 rounds

BO: BO the front 39 sts, place the next 20 sts on a holder, K39, place the last 20 sts on a holder.

Flap: K39 in stockinette until you're flap in large enough, keep in mind it will shrink a bit.

Strap: Pick up one set of 20 sts and knit in garter until you're strap is large enough for you. Graft the the other 20 sts.

Pocket: CO 39 sts and work in garter for desired number of rows.

FELT!!!!!, felt pocket unattached

Finishing: Sew pocket in to purse with tapestry needle and matching yarn.
Make short crochet chain for button and attach the button to the front.
Stuff full of goodies and wait for people to complement it.

Aftermath

Well the major November holidays are all over with. Thanxgiving, the real thanksgiving, and black friday. I hit the shops for about 20 minutes yesterday, drifting clear of the toys and kitchen area and was in and out with ease. Came home entertained Mikey's folks, laughed, and watched the look of motherly horror spread across Mom's face as they say things like "we saw a lot of action in (insert combat related story here)". We cleaned up, and sent the guest on their way home and waited.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, the food, the chatter and the laughter, but its also the time of year when people go away. It also marks the return. Two years ago was Ross' turn to go but with great luck he returned the weekend before his favorite holiday. This year was Tom's turn, well after dinner we took him and team mate to post and sent them on their way with a short goodbye, hand shakes and hugs. Wish them luck and keep them in your thoughts.

Today we indulge in turkey sammies with Evan and Mu and a little Nashville time tomorrow we CLEAN!!!!

Mint Chip

Its really been done for a long time I just never got around to adding the pocket and putting the button on. Well Sunday was a lovely 65 degrees so I sat outside and knitted, as well as finished my purse.



I will write the pattern and get it up this weekend.

Thanxgiving with a X

Well thanxgiving has come and gone, the damage has been done and the food on its way through the jujunum. As previously stated I wrote instructions for the party goers. Rule one was 10 lb turkey and pumpkin pie, instead I got a 19.96 lb turkey and dry pumpkin loaf. Grrrrrrr, we won't name names but come on people.

It was a beautiful turkey though. It took and hour and half for the oil to arrive, once again grrrrrrrrr. It arrived with the question of, "did you need this" No we were just going to bake a fried turkey.

After a good binding Edweena the turkey fit snuggly in her basket and went for a 400 degree dip. Out she came crispy and tasty. I miss the crap shot that is an oven turkey and the great ego boost when it comes out all nice and tasty, but I left this part of the meal to Hubby.



So even the great Evan as run into this strange food phenomenon too, the easiest thing you make is the biggest hit. I made cranberry sauce, one bag of the little red things a cup of sugar and some vinegar and ginger turns into......"ooooooo you MADE this" Yes and the stuffing, the potatoes and the gravy. People it doesn't always come in a can.

In the end it was all worth it though, or it just seemed like it after all that wine.

Pre-Turkey

Today is the weekend before Thanksgiving, which is traditionally Thanxgiving. I make dinner for my friends who will be heading back to their family homes for the calorie laden holiday. I've been doing this on and off since I had an apartment in college. This year we're breaking with the mold of Jenny-O turkey loaf and making that old southern gut buster, THE FRIED TURKEY!!! We assigned each dinner guest a few necessary ingredients and we'd do the cooking and provide the turkey fryer. ETA for food stuffs was 1500 (3pm for non-military reference) its 4:15, no calls of "the grocery is packed, we're running late." or "We're running late for reasonable reasons." Funny how turkey can't cook without peanut oil! For once these guys aren't getting a fully prepared meal when they just show up. I've taken a mess of pictures of Edweena (our 20lb turkey) so if this thing ever gets off the ground you'll get before and after, if not you'll get before and Mexican.

VEGAS!!!

A weekend in pictures


Ross at the Memphis Airport at about 8AM



We wrangled a Limo from the Airport to the MGM Grand since there were 4 of us in the first wave.



This is Mike's Default camera setting, I have about 8 pictures just like this.



I went to get a water and some BOOM, this was in the room. I was a little late to the game



Yes we're drinking before noon local time, it wasn't pretty.



The green stuff, absinthe.



MONORAIL, waiting the whole six minutes for the next train.


The weekend was great, lots of great photo ops, but this is the winner



GO, Mike.

Back Home

All home from the Vegas weekend, in all it was a great time. Now the clean up around the house begins. I need more time off.

Getting better

I'm getting better. This would be my answer to, "BRING OUT YOUR DEAD". I've got a nasty cough but my voice is getting there. I went to work of four hours to work up my 285 milk samples and hit the listeria enrichments (caution science talk) I worked up a few tests, assisted with the 48hr reads and then ran screaming from the building. Ok so it was more of a little mouse squeak. Went to target and blew a much of money for the vegas trip. OUch this thing is killing me. I came home, napped and then was extra lazy for the rest of the day. I have to be speaking on thursday because we leave to go to nashville and since the while lot are leaving early, its hotel room for us!!! Weeeee.

Lost.....

i have completely lost my voice. This has never happened to me, I've been raspy or horse but never once have I lost the complete ability to form sounds into words. Its pissing me off. I've drank about a gallon of hot tea, a full bear of honey and a whole squeezie lemon, still no dice. The gin and tonics may not have helped, the overly chatty friends, or the staying up late on time change day but come on, NO VOICE. The best I get are little squeaks, and a rocking smokers cough. Alas I'll just get a big over coat and a blond headed friend who does all the talking.

PICTURES

I have great light in my office, not as great as my kitchen, but not bad...

Lovely pinkish lace weight for a yet decided shawl

Ooooo this is my sale yarn, 500-ish yards of sportweight which itches to be made into something non-sock.


Finally I tried out my other lens from my film nikon and got this shot..