Tangled Fingers Diary

The Christmas Takeover...

So this Christmas is finally over. I love me some Christmas but now that I have kids it is full of boxes, wrapping paper, shopping and all that annoying stuff. For me Christmas is being with family, and eating too much. Ah well. We went to Moms first. The trip? LONG. Driving down there takes 4 1/2 -5 hours normally. We finally made it to Moms after 9 freaking hours. Why did it take that long you ask? We got caught in a blizzard. They actually closed down I-29 near St Joe because 40 some Ass-hats can't drive in the snow but decided to try any way. Yup car pile up.  So we took the long way around St. Joe and finally made it to Moms. Thankfully no one in our vehicles were hurt in any way(although the kids probably thought that they were being tortured.) The kids got money for Christmas from mom (as did I, Here I come EZ DVD's!!!)
Lots of good food and loads of family time.  Once back home we spent the time unwrapping Santa's gifts and trying to weed my way through boxes. Then we made it to MIL's house where TONS of  gifts  were given (just when I thought that I would be done cleaning  up wrapping paper and boxes. Ugh.  Thankfully the takeover is done and the kids are starting to calm down.

One thing that Sissy got was very popular with Mother and Daughter...

yup, a sewing machine.  We are currently working on making a doll from Doodle Girl. I promise pictures as soon as the doll is complete. I still like my machine better but this one is pretty simple to use so it will give her a great starting point.
The princess got a tutu from her mama that is adorable...

picked up from here. She put it on and then promptly decided to vacuum...

I think that house work would be much better wearing a tutu. Don't you?
For stash enhacement I got some Orange colored Malabrigo for MIL's scarf. I know you are thinking Why? I have decided that I really would rather use Malabrigo since that is what she requested in the first place. I just have to decide if I want to sell the BMFA skeins or keep for a later project.
And finally. I got my hair cut! Took off 9 inches and donated them to the locks of love. My hair feels so much better now.
Look...

Off to do more sewing!
Happy New Years!!!

Holidayingly,
Dee

Its a sickness...

Halloween was fun. We went to my sisters place and trick or treated in the neighborhood. (the kids made out like bandits. We started late in an area that didn't have many trick or treaters so they got handfuls instead of one piece each.)

The Princess felt witch-y and even had a wart on her nose. (its on the other side of her nose)

That black speck on her nose is not dirt on your screen.

NJ enjoying being Lukes Father. (Push button breathing with the suit, makes for an AWESOME costume apparently)

My Pirate girl Sissy. She ran around brandishing her sword and yelling "Aaarrrr give me all yer candy!" Gotta love that girl.

Then there is the Dead bride. She has a hat that goes with it but she didn't want to wear it until her Aunt Sissy commented that she thought it was very cool. Kids.
That mime behind the girls? That is my Ham of a father. Every year for Halloween we get together for dinner after all the excitment of trick or treating.
And finally  Ziggy

There is my Ninja boy! He didn't last as long as the other kids. About halfway through I decided that the Princess had enough candy so I took her to my sisters house to wait for the older ones to get their fill of candy. Ziggy decided that he was done as well and came with me. Key then followed us in her Brittany Spears get up. (she swears its not Brittany Spears but come on. Look at her! hehehe)

I finally decided to pick up hand cards! I found a woman who was willing to sell me her cards for 25. since she had a drum carder now. So I now have a set of LeClerc Hand Cards For a really good price. I am planning on carding some of the roving that I got recently that is annoyingly compacted. (I may have just recently bought 2 lbs of fleece that will need carded as well but I am not telling)
I am also selling Babe. I just can not keep it. It was good starter wheel but I am very much enjoying the Clemes and Clemes so that will be my wheel. Now to get a skein winder.

Yup its a sickness.
Cardingly,
Dee

It tells fortunes too...

So last night I took my son to the store in order to pick up a birthday present for a little girls party. Well. There was a new toy out. It looks like a compact but it is a little electronic toy.  You push a button on said toy it tells you your fortune. I pushed the button to see what candy sweet fortune I would get and it said...

"You can only do so much"

I busted out laughing because frankly, who would expect that from a toy?! I know a lot of people who really could use that fortune, myself included. So today after I took NJ to his party, Ziggy, the princess and I went here

We ate icecream and giggled a lot.


Yeah so the Princess got a little messy.
I am currently taking a digital Photography class. (practicum is 5 credits and I needed 6 credits in order to get Financial Aid damn college.) The upside is that this class is great. I am practicing with the camera which is why these are black and white.

And who doesn't like to take pictures?!
I will be back soon with some real updates.
A VERY heartfelt thank you to all that donated. As you know, every little bit helps!
icecreamingly,
Dee

Mushrooms and socks...

School, for me, just started today. Already I am overwhelmed by the thought of actually going out and interpreting in the real world. Makes me want to hide. The good news is that I will be starting in the first year sign language class so they won't know if I screw up royally. Thank Goodness. But still scary none the less. I think that Mrs. C is putting me in the college for my interpreting work. Which is good because I won't be molding little peoples minds with bad sign language but bad because the woman is right there whenever she wants to pop in and say hi she can. ugh.

Anyway enough that. My head hurts bad enough right now. I am doing a couple projects right now that I am going to gloss over until they are further along. But I am crocheting a little monster guy out of some of the yarn left over from the Monkeys (which still need to be sent). He is turning out pretty well so far. Also I have some yarn that Miss V sold me before she named it (one of the perks of going to S&B with a yarn dyer/seller) that I am knitting a pair of socks. I am using a cable that I pulled out of the Knitters Bible up one side of the socks and then the rest is plain ol knitting. It is kind of fun to see how it is coming out! I will have pictures of those soon.

I have good news on the Sweater from hell! I am ON THE RIBBING! Frackin' finally. I tell you what it is taking forever. T tried it on the other night so that I could make sure that it was safe to start the ribbing and he pronounced it "rather warm". I also still think that sweater is going to be big on him (he would not let me measure him, it was "oh just make this size" you would think that would have clued me in not to make the damn thing). This is what I get for wanting to knit that man a sweater. Never again!

Here is something that I have finished however...

I was test knitting this for a woman on Ravelry. It is supposed to be Candy corn but I must have gotten rid of the orange I had so I substituted a fun yarn. It is crappy red heart yarn but the pattern made it fun.

I made a swatch! (I know it was difficult)

I think that it turned out well. The yarn itself is really itchy (like really super itchy) but I knit up this swatch, washed it and then wore it in my bra all day. I actually forgot that I was wearing it so it does soften up. I am still no where closer to knowing what it wants to be, but at least I know that it won't stay itchy anymore.

And finally...

Look at what I found growing out of the old tree stump in the front yard.

Fungusingly

Dee

 

The first day...

Today was the first day of school for the kids. They all got dressed up in their uniforms (Catholic school, gotta love it!) And posed nicely for mommy. They were very excited about starting school, especially little Isaac. This was his first day of Kindergarten (*sob* I was so pathetic after I left. You would think that after going through it with the older three I would be an old hand at it but noooooo)

Man they are so friggin cute!
Then when we returned and took their older sister to school

Not in Catholic School, (Very long and frustrating story) But equally as excited.
Not much else to report today. I did start a cute little crochet project, however explanation of that will have to come later.
Schoolingly,
Dee

Taught him well I did...

So last night was interesting. This big storm rolled through Omaha which of course knocked the power out on the block (I have tons of candles around the house for the simple reason that the power goes out a lot. ) So T and I went around the house lighting the candles and then he went on to tell the kids stories

Flash really is a wonderful thing isn't it. Otherwise my pictures would look like this

While they did that I went to the kitchen to start dinner preparations.  It is times like these that I am really glad that we have a gas stove.  I made cheesy potato soup  for the clan and knit on the monkey sock. Thank goodness that the yarn I chose is not dark.

After we ate and cleaned up dinner the kids got bored. Very bored. (funny side note: NJ went to get the kool-aid out of the fridge and freaked out because he thought that the fridge was broken. Once it was explained that the electricity was out and that the fridge was electric he felt better. Until he realized that he couldn't check the time because the clock on the VCR was broken. So again with the electric explanation. Took a few times of explaining things before he got it. hehehe)
So I helped Sissy with her knitting (she is getting a lot better at it. She keeps it up she will be ready for the purl stitch)  and taught NJ how to crochet!! He asked me if I would teach him. All that he knows right now is the chain stitch but he caught on to it quickly.

Look at the pride! right after that picture he decided that he wanted to give it to me as a bracelet. So...

Now I wear it proudly and get huge hugs everytime he sees it.
Of course the Princess wanted in on the action.

Much too cute for her own good.
I found the dyes that I got from All things Heather so now I am itching to try dyeing. The problem? No big pan or even that much space to do it in. Plus my lovely kitchen has a window but no way to open the damn thing. Some day.

Off to do more knitting! (made it to the heel flap last night!)
Teachingly,
Dee

On Life...

My Grandpa as a teen, Very handsome man!

I got a call from my dad today, and found out that my grandpa and grandma are not doing so well. Grandma went into surgery the other day and came out of it with a pinched nerve (or something not sure what is going on there) and is not able to walk right now. Grandpa has hives which are getting worse the older that he gets. So add to that the fact that he is Grandmas caregiver that is a lot for one man to handle on his own. He is having a rough time of it.

So healthy thoughts and love directed their way. Write your grandparents or parents a note, call them on the phone, make contact. They need it and love it.

I love you Grandpa and Grandma!!

Lovingly

Dee

I had some packages that I received in the mail today but I will write on them tomorrow.