Feeling a bit better

You may know that I was struck down with the nasty flu and then a cold/phlegm thing. Just wanted to let people know that I'm feeling better.

I'm also less in the dumps. Since I got sick and stayed home from work for three days, I used up my tolerance for being at home alone (re: Hubby being away). By the time the weekend came, I was in the dumps big time.

Back at work on Monday, I was feeling like my ol' self by 10am. Nothing like dealing with the problems of other people to get your head screwed on straight.

Avoidance 101

Blogging, reading blogs, calling your friends and family on Skype, landlines, and cells, are all great ways to avoid sorting out the dreaded home office.

Blanket idea

I'm thinking of making a patch-work type baby blanket. Scraps of yarn made into squares of various stitches, sewn together in a pleasing design. I'm sort of excited about using up some scraps, choosing stitches, and laying out the design. I'm 100% not excited about the assembly. I really don't like sewing things together. Likely I will use single crochet to assemble them - less painful for me.

Stay tuned.

Other projects on the go:

black slouchy beret (on hold, not inspired to finish it)
toy pig
MezzoDiva's cardigan (spider web pattern)
baby cardigan (12 month size)

3:10 to Yuma

I finally saw 3:10 to Yuma! (refer to More about movies below) I flew to Winnipeg to visit Hubby on Friday. Air Canada has a great entertainment system that allows every customer to watch exactly what she wants on her own private screen. I was sitting in the middle seat right behind Business Class, so my screen was hidden in the arm of my chair, not on the back of the seat in front of me. The stewardess had to help me find my screen, so I got started on the movie a little bit late.

I watched 2/3 of the movie on the way to Winnipeg and the last 1/3 on the way home. Oh my, how I love westerns! I haven't been a particular fan of Russell Crowe before now, but he sure is a bit hubba-hubba in 3:10!

Good looking pizza

I made this pizza last night and it looked so good I had to take a picture! It tasted almost as good as it looked. It was missing just a little something... garlic? Goat cheese? Just one more ingredient would have made it perfect.

Pottery class therapy update

There was lots of laughing tonight at pottery class. It got my mind off things for a few hours. I have been missing my pottery friend who died a year ago this month. By the end of class he was on my mind and i was teetering on feeling down again. He was a risk taker in class and in life in some ways. He wasn't afraid to try something new. So, I shall stretch myself and try a couple of new techniques on some mugs. I don't want to go bigger and better. I just want my mugs to look different than they look now.

(I'm a little bit surprised how often my thoughts drift to him. I knew I would miss him. I knew it. I guess I just didn't know exactly how much I would miss him. It's a lot. A lot.)

little down

I'm feeling a little bit down tonight. Nothing is really wrong, but a couple of things in my life are a tad bit 'off' right now. That little bit 'off' makes it difficult to sleep. Lack of sleep makes it harder to get through the day.

I miss Hubby. He's very stressed right now and I'm worried about him. I feel helpless. There is nothing I can actually do to help him with the problem he is facing. I can only listen and support.

Maybe a little pottery class therapy will give me a boost.

More about movies

I just realized that I've probably missed my last chance to see 3:10 to Yuma on the big screen! It was playing at the Bloor Cinema last week. I must have been snoozing, 'cause I missed by two days! Crap! I'm really into Westerns and I have no idea how I didn't get my act together to see this on the big screen.

I'll be seeing Before The Devil Knows You're Dead on Friday. I love, love, love, Philip Seymour Hoffman. I might make it a Philip Seymour Hoffman weekend; he's in at least two other movies in the theatres now.

Hubby and I watched Fargo again last week. I'd forgotten how great that movie is. I love Margie.

I just saw, for the first time, To Sir, with Love on Sunday. I really dig Sidney Poitier and I can't resist the 60s music. I give it a thumbs up. (If my Hubby is reading this, he's rolling his eyes in disbelief that I haven't seen this movie before now. He believes that I am a bit retarded in the pop culture areas of my life.)

Holiday movies I saw: Atonement - great music and cinematography, but a wee bit slow for me; I am Legend - I loved it and really appreciated how Will Smith's character flutters on the edge of insanity. (Hubby was less enthusiastic about it.) I think there was one other movie we saw, but I just can't remember right now.

80 year old plumbing

Just before the holidays, our basement tenant told us about a not-so-pleasant smell that had started burping up from his toilet. Yuck! Around Dec 23 we thought we could smell a super bad fart up in our master bedroom. Neither of us had let one rip. Where did that smell come from? We suspected it was the burping toilet sending its strong fumes up the heating vents.

By Dec 26 I had discovered two small messes on the floor of the basement shower. Sewage back-up! We made a call pronto! On Dec 27 two strong Russians were digging under our porch.








They dug about 7 feet down to reach the old clay trap for our very old house. At a certain point they asked us to flush all the toilets twice. We went outside to check out the flow in the hole under our porch. One of the guys said, 'It was like Niagara Falls! It was really backed up in there!'. I said, 'Ya, but the American side, not the Canadian side.' We all laughed.

And then I wrote a cheque for almost $2800.

Hubby was a bit down about the whole thing initially, but before long we both acknowledged that it was the best of a worse case scenario. At least it didn't flood our basement.

Lots o' stuff

As promised, here is a mish-mash of updates and interesting tidbits.

Here's me cutting a delicious carrot cake I made for a Girls' Night at S's home in November.



Here are some of the carrot cake fans:



And another big fan:



She also likes Scooby-Do books and Spider Man! She's so cool! I dig her!

On a trip to Montreal earlier this year, I started working on creating a baby blanket pattern. I found the Catherine Wheel design in a book of trims and patterns. Here is a shot of the gauge swatch for the blanket.



Here's a picture of Hubby and our friends waiting for our Porter Air flight to Montreal.


I feel like I'm putting my neck out a bit admitting that we took Porter Air. I am only slightly ashamed to admit that it was pure luxury and I would do it again in a second. In the picture above we are sitting in the self-serve kitchenette in the Porter Air lounge with its unlimited and complimentary snacks and bevies. These are no cheapie snacks either - espresso, cappuccino, juices, trail mix, and quite yummy cookies.

They even served lunch on the plane with your choice of wine or beer! I was so excited that I took a couple of pictures! Here is lunch container:



Here is what was inside!



Hubby and I shared our sandwiches for a little variety. It was all delicious!

So, the Catherine Wheel baby blanket was born on our little adventure to Montreal. Here is the finished product and a detail shot:





This lovely green blanket has a happy home in Winnipeg with the scrumptious little daughter of my childhood friend.

Special thanks to my Knitomatic SnB gals for good feedback on this blanket. After searching and thinking and searching and thinking about the border, I took Haley's advice and went with a simple single and double crochets. Leona also gave me good advice about the tension and hook size. The second attempt at this pattern has been crocheted with Hook size I rather than H. (I haven't yet photographed the second blanket).

You may recall the beginnings of my turtle baby project. Here he is!



This critter was just sent to a sweet little Ladybug in Calgary whom I hope to meet someday.

There is more to tell, but my bed beckons. Plumbing stories can wait.

Lazy blogger

I've been a lazy, lazy blogger. I thought I would get some done over the holidays, but Hubby was home without his own laptop, so I had to relinquish all rights to my laptop since laptop = lifeline for Hubby's work situ. I read the New York Times and caught up on some crochet projects instead of blogging.

This wee entry is just to say 'stay tuned' for a HUGE entry coming this weekend. I have tons o' pics of crochet, friends, plumbing issues, and other fun stuff!

I like movies!

I like movies! I don't go out a lot to see movies in the theatre, but I do watch them on Hubby's super cable pacakage at home.

Movies I've seen lately:

You've Got Mail - I've probably watched this movie about 20 times. I used to own a VHS copy. For me, it's a girlie romantic movie I can 'watch' while I clean or bake. Last night it was on one of the super cable channels. I'd forgotten how romantic it is. I even cried a little at the end.

Terms of Endearment - Complete tear jerker. A full box of kleenex tear jerker. Also watched on the super cable. I love it.

Miss Potter - Surprisingly a sweet and inspiring movie. Also a bit of a tear jerker because of the twist of fate that Beatrix experiences.

New Waterford Girl - Love this Canadian movie! I stayed home in my pjs on Monday and watched this instead of going out to a weekly gathering. I found out afterward that there was a birthday cake and gift waiting for me at the gathering - oops!

Margot at the Wedding - I saw this at Canada Square. Nicole Kidman, Jack Black (LOVE Jack!), and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The story is so well written, acted, and so completely twisted that it made me uncomfortable. Great movie, but I don't think I could watch it again. Other movies I hold in this category: Seven and Boys Don't Cry.

No Country For Old Men - I can't say enough about the Coen bros! Love 'em! I saw this with Hubby in Winnipeg recently.

American Gangster - I liked it, but I don't think I would see it again. I also saw this with Hubby on an earlier trip to The Peg.

I'm looking forward to watching more over the holidays. Any suggestions?

Handkerchief

I use handkerchiefs. If you haven't figured it out already, 2D Girl has one eye. The other eye is artificial. My right eye socket, the one with the prosthesis, has always been a bit snotty and runny. In order to save some trees, I switched from tissues to handkerchiefs several years ago. I have some plain old white ones, but mostly I use some tie-dyed, funkified handkerchiefs to make things interesting. I always carry one in my left pocket.

I ended up on a bus this morning on my way to work. I usually walk or ride my bike, but it was just too icy and windy. I can't afford to fall and break my arm just before the holidays - I have too many cookies to bake!

I digress. I was lucky to get one of the last seats and like most Torontonians, I sat my butt down and stared straight ahead. As the journey dragged on, I noticed the man sitting to my left (my seeing side). I glanced over and something caught my eye - a huge drip of fluid on the tip of his nose. I realized that he must not have any tissues and I wondered why he didn't just surreptisiously wipe the drip on his sleeve. He just sat there and let the drip get bigger and bigger. By the time it reached his lip, I had clued in that he may not be in the best of health (general and otherwise). I reached into my pocket, pulled out my clean hankie and offered it to him. He wiped his nose and we had a brief conversation about how he was feeling a bit better today and that he got new boots just in time for the snow.

I'm happy my hankie has found another home.

Busy = piles

How does it happen that I find myself in the middle of two weeks with absolutely every evening jammed packed with things to do and places to be? Mostly it is pleasure and some of it is obligation. No matter what is scheduled the result is the same - I get behind in ALL my domestic needs (making nutritious lunches, washing dishes, ironing, doing minor cleaning, keeping up with the mail). Things start to pile up. I end up eating out more and more because I am never home to prepare a meal. Then I stop feeling like I want to go home because there is so much bloody crap to get done before I can allow myself to sit and rest.

Strategy: get up a little bit early tomorrow and get a few things done.

Easier written than done, but I shall try my best.

Cellophane update

I feel like I made a little bit of progress today on losing that cellophane wrapping. At work today I shared one tidbit about my weekend that I would consider personal. I shared it with my closest friend at work. Not all of my tidbits with all of my work pals. Just one tidbit and one work pal.

Progress.

Chillin post monstrual attack

I'm home alone tonight even though Hubby is in town. He's out with a friend having boy drinks and industry talk. I'm always welcome to join them, but I had another Monstrual Attack this morning and I need some quiet time. I didn't write about the monstrual attack I had two months ago - brutal. I'm a little surprised that I had another one so soon. Until September 2007 I had been monstrual cycle free for one year.

This morning's attack had a little less bite to it, but only because of Hubby's quick thinking and action. The second the cramping started he rushed to get the heavy duty prescription pills and a glass of milk. I was able to get it down and keep it down for a good 10 or 15 minutes. I think a little bit of the pill's magic was able to reach my cramping uterus.

I had an hour nap, took a shower, and treated myself to a latte and french toast at the end of my street. I was able to walk half way to work before I needed to get on the bus. I planned to leave work early, but I made it to 5 o'clock.

Cellophane

I notice when I am being too transparent. I notice it right in the moment when I am saying the words that I should just not say. I hate it. Immediately after the words have left my lips I want to grab them all back. I want to be more clothed. I enjoy being nude; I don't enjoy being naked.

As I get older, I feel like there are more things in life to hold precious, to keep close. I haven't had a lot of practice at that. I know how to change habits. I explain to people everyday how to change habits. I've done it in my life before. I want to change this habit of being a piece of cellophane.

Less cellophane.

More clothing.

Habit changing commencing.

Post Script on Chocolate Truffle Cookies

I took the cookies to a pumpkin carving get-together last night. They were a HUGE hit!

Chocolate Truffle Cookies

Cookie number 4 of the Cookie Challenge is a success!

Chocolate Truffle Cookies



These were fairly quick to make, if you don't mind the 30 minute cooling time in the fridge before you roll them into balls.
Good texture: slight crunch on the outside, yummy chewy on the inside.
Not too sweet (thumbs up!)
Nice and chocolaty (thumbs up!)
I would make them smaller next time, as they spread a bit more than I expected.

I will make these again for my Holiday gifts.

ho hum

I'm not really sure what this post is about. This morning I've been feeling ho hum one minute and optimistic and energetic in the next minute. My weekend seems like it will be nice a mix of chores and socializing, which is good. I like getting domestic things done, but it is so much work. It's good to break up the chores with fun stuff, little rewards.

It just occurred to me that perhaps my ho hum feeling comes from only having had a cup of coffee so far this morning. My cook, my favourite person, my Hubby is out of town for many months. I have to rely on my Self getting me fed now. If I don't eat regularly, I develop ho hum-ness.

[pause for nourishment break]

I just realized that I may have started choosing my meals based on what concoction uses the least amount of dishes. You see, we don't have a dishwasher. Dishes, dishes, dishes, every day, even after a simple snack. This everyday chore starts becoming a bore, especially when more than half of your house is still waiting to be cleaned up from the insulation installation that happened over a week ago. (Some clean up already has taken place, only to become covered in insulation dust all over again - sigh.) I feel sometimes I can barely keep up with the everyday chores, never mind the big jobs like cleaning up after a renovation type project.

On a brighter note, another baby has arrived in the world and I'll be packaging up a handmade blanket and card to send off to my friend, the new mother! I know she will love it and that her little ladybug will look gorgeous wrapped up nice in Italian cotton. I chose the catherine wheel design from a book and developed the pattern for the blanket myself (thanks to some Stitch N' Bitch women for their ideas and tips). I'm already working on a second blanket and getting the kinks out of the pattern. Sorry no picture just yet. It's too early on a Saturday morning to figure that out!

Progress has been made on the turtle baby; the tummy and shell are complete and the first little leg is started. Not sure if it will be together for next weekend, but I'll try.