Holiday fun

This is me and my mom at her office X-mas party. It was pretty fun. They had good food and a Casino night with all proceeds going to the Children's Miracle Network. The only bad thing was the cash bar. I would have been ok with it but the drinks were ridiculously expensive. I paid 6.50 for a Malibu & Pineapple. That's worse than hoighty toighy places on SF or LA..


Monday my Mom,Aunt Leslie and Uncle Mark got to go to the local radio station's holiday concert. My uncle's piano company provided the piano for Ingrid Michaelson and Brandi Carlisle to play so they got tickets. It was pretty fun. Ingrid Michaelson was fantastic but after her set when I went to get her cd, it took sooooo long at the ATM (I think it ran on a 28.8 baud modem or something)and it was sooo crowded because she was signing that they sold out before I could get one. The Brandi Carlisle performed with the Indigo Girls, that pretty much rocked. At one point when we were going in my mom ran off and when I found her I had to tell her that with her haircut she cant just run off and expect me to find her at an Indigo Girls concert. After their set I bought a couple cd's for my mom. Then KT Tunstil performed and it was fun. She's hilarious. But I couldnt understand what she was singing on any of the songs I didnt know because the drums kept drowning her out.

I'm doing a good amount of crochet but I cant show or talk about it until its been given. I'm spending most of my time on Ravelry and I can't wait till it goes public. Then I'll be able to sell my patterns just through them and I think it will be better and less expensive than Etsy.

Vote fur mai Cheezburger!

moar funny pictures

Please Vote!

Happy Holidays!

Get Your Own! | More Flash Toys

Winter not-so-Wonderland

Things have been wacky out here lately. The weather as gone from 79 and sunny to 50 and windy/cold/rainy and a matter of days and it could go back next week.. I've been working on some crochet projects for christmas and Im almost done as long as I dont decide to do more. I'm also participating in a Secret Santa for my favorite crochet group on Ravelry, I even got the first part of my present from my secret santa. I'm not quite finished with my present to send out. But I hope she'll like it.

Today I went to the chistmas party for my pet-sitting job. They had it at PF Changs which was nice, but they had us out on their patio, I assume because it was such a large group. It was pretty cold despite the many heaters because the wind kept creeping in. It was kinda fun, I won a little prize for charades (a battery-powered shoe shiner, obviously been regifted at least once). And we had a Bad Santa game where we picked a present and people could steal it. I got a 7 piece Olive oil set, its a long plate for bread, and olive oil bottle little plates for dipping and a little holder. Nobody stole mine. It came from Costco so I'm going to try to return it as it just doesnt match any of our stuff and its not like we really entertain.

My mom has been ultra-sick for over a week, coughing, sore throat, ickyness, fever. I keep making her drink this Vitamin Waters either the Defense or Power-C and yelling at her if she tries to do too much. Hopefully I dont end up getting it. I can't afford to get sick.

Today Bob and I went to get our Christmas tree before my party. We went to Home Depot.Last year we didnt get one because we were moving and went to Sara's, so last time we got a tree was 2 years ago in San Jose. The Home Depot there put their trees in the covered nursery area. For some reason here they put them in the parking lot, uncovered. It was pouring rain today and frakking cold. I didnt think they would do this so I was dressed warmly with my warm coat on, but no hood and no umbrella. There was absolutely no cover out there not even while in line to pay or get the tree cut. I was so cold and miserable. Luckily the cashier worked pretty fast so it didnt take too long, but ick. I'm totally allergic to cold.

Back to crocheting...

Save This Cat

I actually found out about this organization from watching Celebrity Poker on Bravo but I love it and wish I could do more for them.

Things I am thankful for..

1. My Family- Tho they altenately keep me sane and drive me crazy, I think they are much better than many of the alternatives.

2. My Cats- When the world is crashing down around my ears and everything makes me want to cry one of those warm fuzzy things crawls in my lap or up on my chest and licks my nose and everything is ok again.

3. Ravelry- Finally a place to connect with other crafters and share my ideas and organize my yarn stash and projects and the Crochet Liberation Front and the Completely Pointless and Arbitrary Group Group are like my second families. Flaming Hooks and Cake!

4. World of Warcraft- ah WOW how do I love thee? You suck all my at home time and keep me endlessly entertained. While giving me time to crochet in-between fights and during Griffon flights.

5. Icanhascheezburger.com- Lolcats iz teh funneh.

Hmm Im sure there's more, and I could go into specifics but that would be long, and I could be crocheting and watching Ravelry Radar so ...kthxbai!

Zombie Apocalypse

51%

Drunk hand

Ok so every year I go crazy with the pumpkin carving. Last night I stayed up till midnight carving 9 pumpkins. And I didnt go easy way either. I'll post pics later. But any way today I haave "Drunk hand", on my right hand all my fingers but my pinky are numb, my fore arm kinda aches and I have as much muscle control as a Co-Ed after a raging kegger. It is teh suck. And this isnt the first time I've had this, pretty much every halloween after carving up my masterpieces I end up with this. I know I'm doing something wrong in the way Im holding the knife maybe. I dunno, has anyone else ever had this?

-Photos from Halloween have been added to my flickr page

Good news

I got another job. I'm working at a Relocation company. Pretty much its 3 agents; 2 full time, and one semi-retired; that specialize in working with people moving to Tucson from out of state. It's quiet, usually I'll be the only one in the office. But there's alot of organizing to do and I think I'll manage to keep myself pretty busy. It pays well and we're going to work out a way for them to pay for my health & dental insurance. I think if this goes well I should be able to get my finances under control in time to lose control at christmas.

I'm loving Ravelry. Not only is it a fabulous way to promote my patterns but its just fun to show off my finished works and see what other people are doing. And saturday I found the BEST group on there. The Lolravelers. A way to combine yarn love, and lolcat love!! It's enough to make me dizolv inta lolcat speek. I can has stitchez?

Speaking of cats and yarn. I do love my cats, but they really make it hard when I catch them (Pepper, Im looking at you) peeing on my yarn. Luckily it was cotton yarn, so I threw it in the bathroom sink with some soap and cleaned it. I hope it dries properly.

Since i got laid off I decided that the best way to make myself happy was to bake. So since then I've made, chocolate chocolate chip cookies, cranberry pumpkin pie, & cinnamon raisin bread. And I have a bunch more stuff to make more things. My big problem is baking makes me happy. But I dont necessarily eat everything I bake. So mostly I make my mom angry because I have yummy baked good around and she wants to lose weight. I need to find someone who likes to just eat yummy baked goods alot.

Movie Meme

stolen from Sara

AFI's top 100 movies. Bold the ones you have seen. Strike out the ones you couldn't finish. * the ones you have seen more than once. (Found via kmkat)

1. Citizen Kane (1941)

2. Godfather, The I've seen bits and pieces.

3. Casablanca (1942)

4. Raging Bull (1980)

5. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

6. Gone with the Wind (1939)* Over & over...

7. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

8. Schindler’s List (1993)

9. Vertigo (1958)

10. Wizard of Oz, The (1939)*

11. City Lights (1931)

12. Searchers, The (1956)

13. Star Wars (1977)*

14. Psycho (1960)*

15. Sunset Blvd. (1950)

16. 2001 : A Space Odyssey (1968)

17. Graduate, The (1967)

18. General, The (1927)

19. On the Waterfront (1954) watched this in an English class.

20. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)* Come on like you ccan go a christmas without seeing it.

21. Chinatown (1974)

22. Some Like It Hot (1959)

23. Grapes of Wrath, The (1940)

24. E.T. The Extraterrestrial (1982)*

25. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)*

26. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

27. High Noon (1952)

28. All About Eve (1950)

29. Double Indemnity (1944)

30. Apocalypse Now (1979)

31. Maltese Falcon, The (1941)

32. Godfather Part II, The (1974)

33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)*

35. Annie Hall (1977)

36. Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957)

37. Best Years of Our Lives, The (1946)

38. Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The (1948)

39. Dr. Strangelove (1964)

40. Sound of Music (1965)

41. King Kong (1933)

42. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

43. Midnight Cowboy (1969)

44. Philadelphia Story, The (1940)

45. Shane (1953)

46. It Happened One Night (1934)

47. Streetcar Named Desire, A (1951)

48. Rear Window (1954)

49. Intolerance (1916)

50. Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)*

51. West Side Story (1961)*

52. Taxi Driver (1976)

53. Deer Hunter, The (1978)

54. M*A*S*H (1970)

55. North by Northwest (1959) Saw this with my sister Sara at Cinespia, a thing where they show old movies at the Hollywood Cemetary.

56. Jaws (1975)* I think I watch this everytime it's on tv.

57. Rocky (1976)

58. Gold Rush, The (1925)

59. Nashville (1975)

60. Duck Soup (1933)

61. Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

62. American Graffiti (1973)*

63. Cabaret (1972)

64. Network (1976)

65. African Queen, The (1951)

66. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)*

67. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

68. Unforgiven (1992)

69. Tootsie (1982)*

70. Clockwork Orange, A (1971) And I will never watch it again. Ick.

71. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

72. Shawshank Redemption, The (1994)*

73. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

74. Silence of the Lambs, The (1991)*

75. In the Heat of the Night (1967)

76. Forrest Gump (1994)*

77. All the President’s Men (1976)

78. Modern Times (1936)

79. Wild Bunch, The (1969)

80. Apartment, The (1960)

81. Spartacus (1960)

82. Sunrise (1927)

83. Titanic (1997)* Ugh..

84. Easy Rider (1969)

85. Night at the Opera, A (1935)

86. Platoon (1986)

87. 12 Angry Men (1957)I'm sure Ive seen this, I was in a play of it in Junior High.

88. Bringing Up Baby (1938)

89. Sixth Sense, The (1999)*

90. Swing Time (1936)

91. Sophie’s Choice (1982)

92. Goodfellas (1990)*

93. French Connection, The (1971)

94. Pulp Fiction (1994)*

95. Last Picture Show, The (1971)

96. Do the Right Thing (1989)

97. Blade Runner (1982) This is just too convoluted for me.

98. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

99. Toy Story (1995)*

100. Ben-Hur (1959)

Hmm. I guess I have some movies to catch up on.

Woot! Etsy Love!

OMG! I've sold 3 patterns just this week!! I sold 2 Miss Leslie Ballet Sweater patterns and my very first sale of the Imaginary Tiger Friend pattern!! This is so cool, I hope it keeps going. I wish I could sell to retail stores but for now this will help with gas money.

And now the bad news. I just got laid off.. So now I have to look for another job. It is teh suck. Too bad I can't sell the patterns for gobs of money..At least I'll have more time to work on crochet stuff to sell on Etsy.

Ravelry

Im in!! So don't expect to see me for awhile, between this and WOW I dont think Ill be leaving my computer for much. If youre on Ravelry check me out, Im on as Craftkitten.

Finally a kindred spirit..

FO, Baby visit, and new store.

Finally finished the silk halter, didnt have enough yarn to make a dress but its a good tunic length. I still have to line it and add a zipper but that will have to wait till I can afford to buy fabric and a zipper. It's not like I can spend all this time making a silk top and line it with muslin or cheap cotton. So it will just have to wait. In other crochet news, I decided to make an Etsy shop to sell my patterns and stuff. I figure when the full website goes up I'll maybe make some of the things and sell the finished items there and link to the full site for the patterns.And today I made my first ever sale on Etsy! I sold one of my Bags by Numbers patterns.

I got a great little visit from My sister Sara, and my Niece Vivian this weekend. They flew down wednesday and then Richard drove down Saturday. She's getting so big and now she can smile and make googly eyes. Saturday night Sara, Richard and I went out to karaoke and let the grandparents babysit. It was fun and nice to get out.

broken

Well I got my injury.. My cousin Brian broke his collar bone and shoulder in a motorcycle accident a couple weeks ago, and my cousin Laura broke her foot... Now I broke... my baby toe. Not as glamourous but still a pain in the foot. And I can't do anything about it.
Nice huh? ugh..
Well on the crochet front Im still working n that Silk halter dress/top Im on the back now. I hope it works out. I think I'll put in a zipper on the side. Also, Im getting closer to having my website done. Grant, the wonderful webmaster, has been working diligently in between his multiple jobs and 6 month old baby Mark. I've finished some new patterns as well. Including "My Imaginary Friend Tiger" or Hobbes, and the "Haberdashing Collection"(Thanks to Richard for the clever name)
here's a peek at the collection...
Diamonds Hat

Abba-esque Hat

Cabled Ski Bunny Hat
Another new pattern is the "Summer Lovin Halter"..

Now I did make these things last year, but I just never got around to finishing the patterns. I'm working on putting an amigurumi collection together with the Seahorse, Starfish and something else, but I just have to think of something else good to make and write up. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

I HAVE A JOB!

I finally got a real "9 to 5" job!! I'm working at the same company as my mom, but in another office. It may only be temporary. The Branch Coordinator is taking a leave of absence for like 3 months so the receptionist is doing her job and I'm replacing the receptionist. Tho I will have 9-3 on Saturdays as my own, for the next few months I'll be working 40 hrs/week. I hope this will become permanent but I wont cry if it doesn't, Ill still be able to do the Temp thing. I can't wait till I get my first check so I can pay bills and stop worrying so much.

My brother-in-law Richard recommended I check out the local WAKA(World Adult Kickball Association) I thought that would be kool, he enjoys playing and being wacky with his fellow Awesome Helicpter Ninjas but I was kinda dissappointed when I loooked at the other teams, they all had boring names. Granted they can't all be as cool as the ninjas, but I was hoping for more imagination than "The Brew Crew". Bah, maybe when I actually have the funds to join I'll create my own team. I'll just have to start thinking of a good name.

and here's a quiz!

What kind of yarn are you?

What Kind of Yarn are You?

Baby AlpacaYou are beautiful and soft, if sometimes a little difficult. Nothing but the best for you, etc. Quality, but out of the league for the rabble.
Take this quiz!








Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Viv, books, and crochet disappointment.

My cute little niece came to visit this weekend, my sister & brother-in-law came too, but she was the most important part, and she'll tell you so too. It was fun holding her and cuddling her. It was amazing that she could be so upset one econd and I pick her up and hold her and she calms down, it was pure magic. Sunday night I took Sara & Richard for their first night out without Viv, leaving her with Grandma Susan & Grandpa Bob. We went out to karaoke, and found a decent place around the corner that does Karaoke every night. The second Sara & Rich left the table to sing a duet a couple young guys swooped in to hit on me. It was cute, they were young but I was nice to them even thugh I wasnt interested.

Monday I went in to OfficeTeam, which is a temp agency here. I signed up with them and took their assesment tests. I did much better than their average on everything except the 10-key numeric data entry, which I've never done before. Hopefully Ill be able to get some jobs soon. Thursday I'll be going in to interview at my mom's company for a job at one of their other offices. It may only be for 3 months while the other person is on leave, but it could turn into something. If not I can still do the temp thing with OfficeTeam.

Since I finished Harry Potter 7 I've been itching for a new book that I havent read yet.. And I had just received a great gift from the parents of those fabulous kitties in Vail(Victor, Mitzi, Puck & Lilli), they sent me a 30$ gift card to Borders! So today I decided to check it out. I got 2 books...


I read reviews for both of these in Entertainment Weekly and Ive wanted to get them since then. I hope theyre good.

While I was in the store, I went to look for crochet mags or new books. The magazines were sad. Only 1 crochet mag, "Crochet Today" which is a new one, but it's practically sponsored by Lion Brand, and it looks it.. I dont have a problem with inexpensive yarn, but I do have a problem when it looks "Cheap". The thing on the cover was bulky and unattractive and soooo boring. I didnt even pick it up to look inside. And all the other yarn related magazines have stopped even trying to include crochet anymore. So I went to check out the books, and I wasnt expecting much, it is a regular book store so they dont normally have a wide range of crafty books. Hell even the yarn stores here have hardly any crochet books. So I found this...

I remember when the knitting one came out, I was working at Knitting Arts and it made a big splash because it was soo new and different. But when we got her individual patterns which included some crochet things, I wasnt too impressed. So I went to this unsure what to expect. It was ok, it starts out way simple, which Ive come to expect from new crochet books. But then I started to recognize things. The garments were all unimaginatively named after the stitches they used, "Catherine-Wheel wrap, "Margeurite top" or whatever.. I was so not surprised when I flipped to the back to see the bibliography and the first thing there was "The Harmony Guides Vol6: 300 Crochet Stitches". I was kinda annoyed, because I could have written this. I've made tons of things using stitches from that book, its my bible. Ive gone through 2 copies already. I know there are crocheters out there that might not know how to make things up as they go along, and need patterns written for them but I just thought that someone with that big a name in the crafty world would try a little harder. Eithher that or I'm just too good a crocheter for those kind of books.. I just wish someone out there would make books for experienced crocheters that want to broaden their skills. There's soo many knitting books that are for advanced knitters but crochet books only seem to address beginners with some intermediate content. With the exception of thread-crochet. That is advanced and I highly admire those with the patience to work with such itty-bitty hooks and delicate work. My hands and sanity just can't take it. Well if you've been looking at that Loop-d-Loop crochet book but havent bought it yet, I recommend you just get the Harmony Guide Vol. 6 maybe even Vol. 7 220 more crochet stitches. You'll learn more from them than you will from the other and they're cheaper too.

Pbbth!

Well, now its officially depressing. Im now getting calls from the credit card companies demanding payment, and I can't even afford to pay half the minimums. All but 1 of my cards is late & over the limit and that one is exactly at the limit.. And I had an interview yesterday for a part-time kennel staff position at a cat shelter, and I probably wont even get that. Yup I can't even get a job changing catboxes. Wooo. And to add salt to my wounds, the one thing that has kept me from dying of boredom, playing World of Warcraft, has now been taken from me. I had it charging one of my cards like every 3 or 6 months I can't remember but times up now and I cant login. Sorry to bring you all down. If you want happy go read Sara's blog. She has cute baby pictures. I might have some cute baby pictures since Sara, Richard and the evercute Vivian are visiting this weekend. So dont give up on me, i might have something non-depressing to post soon.

Jerks

So today while I was walking Lenny, I noticed some jerks had TP'd the front yard of this house on his street. And they had it all over this spikey agave plant and in a tree and stuff. All I could think was what a pain in the ass it would be to try and clean that at night after it had rained, which Im sure it will at some point today... So Lenny and I went over and cleaned it all up. Luckily they didnt do a very good job and many of the rolls were still mostly together. So I got free toilet paper out of it!

In other news I finished HP7 but I will not be giving anything away here. That would just be evil. But I thoughly enjoyed it.

I'm thinking of taking my friend Mel's advice and setting up an Etsy store, even if eventually I just have it point to CraftKitten.com. Maybe I can even sell some stuff I make. It will have to wait awhile as I can't even afford to let it do a pre-auth on any of my credit cards at the moment. But I've got a couple overnight pet-sitting jobs coming up s maybe I'll be able to pay them this month. I watched this show on A&E the other day "Big Spender", where this guy comes in and tries to help you get a person's debt & overspending under control. Well this epsode was crazy this lady was truly an addict. Not only had she ruined her and her husbands credit, but she took out cards in her children's names and sibling's names and owed her parents money. Her debt was over $165,000 not including their mortgage. It made me feel better. im only like 10,000 in the hole. If I can ever get another job; which I've been applying to everything I can on Monster, CareerBuilder & TucsonHelpWanted.com; I might get out of this crap..

craft updates

Ok, I know I havent talked about it much, but I have been crafting. Im currently woring on a stew recipe to submit to AntiCraft. I know not even a crochet thing! But in crochet news, we can now mourn the loss of the Seahorse.. I was trying to write out the pattern and had it by the monitor but was having computer issues so I went out to the pool. The next day I found it like downstairs like this..

I do have more yarn and I did want to make another to test the pattern but still, must everything be a cat toy??

The other project I've been working on is a halter top or dress depending on how much yarn I have..

It's out of this gorgeous worsted weight hand dyed Tussah silk I bought at Knitting Arts back in Saratoga. Its very yummy, and I still have 2 more hanks that are about 335yds each.
Thats all for now..

More good news.

Not only am I behind and over the limit on all my credit cards, but I got the results of my recent Dexa bone scan. I have mild Osteopenia in my hip and moderate Osteopenia in my spine, so I have double the risk of a hip fracture and 4x the risk of a spine fracture. Maybe if I break my back I'll be able to pay my bills. FUN.
Sorry for the sarcasm and crappy news but sometimes you just need to spit it out.

The sky is falling

This isnt a great picture as I took it with my phone as I was driving home from Vail this afternoon. I was taking care of these adorable kitties Victor, Mitzi, Puck and Lilli. I took care of them previously in April and im lucky enough to do it again. While I was there a massive storm rolled in and I watched it with them from the back door. It was crazy windy and the lightning was fantastic, at one point I saw 2 bolts strike parallel to each other, it was crazy. But on my way home it was drier at first then I saw that.. It really looked like the sky was falling. When I got up to that area it really was falling. It was raining soo hard I couldnt see out the windshield, it was literally greyed out. When it first happened I slowed down even more than I had already and ended up on the side of the road without even trying. I freaked and called my mom and then realized that the side of the road was starting to flood. So I started off again behind someone who had stopped in front of me. I went through maybe one light and it got bad again and I saw an area that was paved where others were waiting it out, so I stopped for awhile. I got the defrost on and it let up a bit so I started again this time behind a neon yellow mustang. I knew Id be able to see it and if it could go through a puddle then Id know I could. Eventually I made it home I think id like to watch these storms from the comfort of my house from now on..

I've been tagged!

Mel of Remarkable Cow has tagged me with this lovely prize and I am honored. I think I now get to tag some lovely ladies I believe should be rockin girl bloggers as well. She already tagged my sister, Sara so thats why I wont tag her..

Teresa of Mary-Magdalenes Moments creepy blog name aside(EDIT:it has now been changed), she is my younger sister and a good crafty girl. You should see the adorable little dresses she sewed for Vivian (theyre marked as Teresa's dress 1-8)

Marie of Confessions of a Professional Yarn Fondler A great knitter and decent crocheter as well. She's a fabulous knit/crochet teacher and great with children. Her patience and grace are astounding.

April of The Weaving Inn A great blogger, her posts frequently make me rofl. She used to crochet alot but then was bitten by the sock knitting and lace knitting bugs.

hmm, i dont read enough blogs then I guess, since Mel & Sara are already tagged I guess Ill only tag 3 instead of 5..

Vivian is Here!!

Born 6/29/07 6lbs 2oz
OMG she's sooo cute. I can't wait till she can come home. Right now she's in the NICU since she was born at 34 weeks. But she's big for 34 weeks. We're hoping she may be able to come home by the end of the week.

Sara's Shower

So, its finally over so now I can talk about all the crocheting ive been doing for the last few months! I added links with pics to my completed projects. Vivi's Hobbes was a little hard on me since I had to use a smaller hook that with Marks because I used cotton this time instead of Cashsoft. Its still nice and cuddly tho. I kept taking breaks from it to make other little things, like the hats and little dress. I can't wait to see her in those. along with crocheted stuff I also gave her a pastel drawing I had done awhile ago for an art class, it just happened to be a still life of pumpkins!

So now what I'm doing is an amigurumi seahorse. i had wanted to do one forever ago, but couldnt figure it out. While working on Hobbes I got an idea so now Im trying it. I need to figure out a way to increase in a cone more evenly tho..Its making my head hurt with scary math. Plus the yarn i have to make it is Filatura Brilla so again with the small hook. =T
On the job front, I havent heard from any of the places Ive applied to in awhile including the vet I applied at and thought i did well on the interview.. Oh well. I also havent heard from the yarn store down the road, they got bought out and changed owners. So I thought Id see if the needed a crochet teacher, which they dont have. I guess they dont want one either. =T I might try advertising as a teacher, but I just dont want to end up driving all over for privates..

Title

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Imperial Majesty Jennifer the Somnolent of New Scagglethorpe Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

A friend of mine sent me this.. I think it fits. now if only that title came with land I'd be set.

On the crochet front, Im almost done with Hobbes so hopefully Ill have him ready for the shower. I take pics when he's done and post them after the shower.

My website is currently under construction, I cant wait for it to be going again. it needed a face lift and the time was up on the other server so I begged my friend Grant to fix it and he is also hosting it on his server. Once it's up I hope to send out brochures to stores to try and get them to carry my patterns and maybe Ill convince my lovely sister, Sara, who is a public relations queen, to write me up a good press release to send to the big crochet magazines so that maybe I can get some press.

Spector Trial

So, I watch alot of CourtTV, and Ive been following the Spector Trial. In case youve been living under a rock, this Music Mogul who was big in the 60's is accused of shooting Lana Clarkson, an actress who was in alot of 80s movies, in the mouth at his "Castle" in Alhambra, CA. The defense is just laughable so far. The lead council is more offensive than the defendant, so much so that after cross-examining only 2 witnesses he was yelled at by the judge for being a jerk and now he hasnt spoken since. No theyre trying to say she commited suicide. Yeah, she met some random weirdo and decided to go back to his place after a long night of work and blow her brains out with a gun that doesnt belong to her. One, women statistcally just dont shoot themselves in the head, especially in the face. Two, if you are going to commit suicide you do it alone, usually in a place you feel comfortable. But she may have been depressed at sometime in her life so she had to do it..

Just for the record in case there ever is any doubt, no matter how upset or depressed I ever get, I will not commit suicide. I know how much it can hurt the people I love and I wouldnt do that to them. Not to mention as afraid of the bad things that happen in life I might be, I still enjoy life too much to lose it. So now, if anyone ever claims that I committed suicide point them here.

Look before you leap.

I should have thought of that... I went on another interview today. The place was on the other side of town and it sounded like a distributor of stuff. I didnt think anything of it as one of my first jobs was with Mountain Man Nut & Fruit Co. working in a warehouse where they distributed bags of dried fruit, nuts and candy and then the sold it to local offices. Well I get there and at first I think its strange because one of the other girls there to apply in asking the receptionist questions on how to fill out the applications says that she didnt finish highschool in Mexico, and she barely speaks english. But I knew they were hiring for a variety of jobs so I let it go. The guy doing interviews comes out to take another girl and right away he turned me off. He reminded me of Aaron Eckhart's character in "Thank You For Smoking" but not as likable. So when my turn comes up I was good it was short and I end up with a 2nd interview scheduled for Thursday. Mostly its an all day thing where I shadow someone from 9-5. I said ok, and when I left I called my mom to tell her about it. So she went on Google and searched for the company. (what I should have done before applying but oh well)The very first thing that comes up is on a site called Ripoffreport.com. Where a guy details how he worked there did the 2nd interview where he didnt get paid. Ended up working 10-15 hour days, mandatory weekends and getting shorted on his pay checks. And after I talked to my mom more about it I realized this is one of those companies that sells random crap door to door to other businesses. Like the guy coming in to the store or office selling disney coloring books and crap. Soo I dont want to do that, so I will not be going to this "2nd interview". But I will certainly be googling before I apply for the next one.

In other news, I fell down the stairs yesterday while running out the door to do a doggy service. it was sooo not fun. I slip down the carpeted stairs and scuffed up my elbow and bruised up my thigh in a tame version of an injury I saw in "A League of Their Own". As far as crocheting goes, Im still working on Vivi's Hobbes, its slow going so it might not be given until she's here. But I have plenty of things ready for her Shower. Ill post pictures after the shower on the 9th.

Order your Craft Kitten Postcards now!

I just made a postcard on my Cafe Press store that has my "Here Fishy Fishy" pattern on the front of it. I think its cute. So tell your friends to order a bunch of them!

I'd rather be raiding WOW.

Well, where shall I begin. Im looking for a 2nd job now. Pet sitting sounds fun, but with gas they way it is, Im spending half my weekly paycheck on gas. And I still can't pay my credit card bills. I did plan on starting to sell my patterns to stores soon, but I can't even send a brochure because I can't afford to have anything printed, including the brochures. I dont mean to whine, it's just frustrating. Hopefully I'll be able to get a secretary job or something like that, even a part-time one.

In crochet news Im still working on the Hobbes for Vivi. Its going ok, but my hands have been hurting lately so working with cotton on a E is a little hard. Im not sure what is up with this pain, its in my fingers and it just aches and hurts to bend them. Its worse at night and when I first wake up. First I thought it might be from painting, but I havent done that in awhile. Then I thought it might be from driving, because I have a bad habit especially on longer trips, of clenching the steering wheel. But my daily trips to Vail are over so Im not driving as much, and Ive been actively trying to relax my hands while driving. I dunno, its driving me nuts.


So what I've been doing alot of is WOW, World of Warcraft for the uninitiated. It amazes me how diverse the people who play are, and from all over. One of the guys I play with alot is from Australia. He's wacky and says things like "Grouse", which means something like great or cool. And then theres a couple in Delaware that is sooo sweet. Then the annoying guy from the Caribbean that just got tossed from my guild for being mean to some of the other guildies. For those of you who know, I have a lvl 70 Human Mage named Wylow on the Cenarion Circle server. I just got my key to Karazhan the other day, after MANY many tries at Black Morass. I can't wait to start doing Kara runs with the guild. Here's me in my new Murloco's Tacos t-shirt.

Wackiness ensues

So I havent updated in awhile, shoot me. I thought the template needed updating, like it? I looked all over for free templates but they were all kinda either boring or not me. So I just made a header and footer in Paint Shop Pro, and put them in the minimalist template.

On the crochet front, I finished my Bollywood Bolero that I made out of motifs. (Pepper had fun stealing them from me, Id find them all over the house) I really like it, I wore it last weekend when I went to the Pima County Fair with Mom, Bob, my Aunt Leslie, and Uncle Mark. It was interesting. There was a small stage when we walked in that had either a really bad retired country band or bad karaoke, we couldnt tell. We looked at spas and motor homes, then we went to the animal areas, where the 4H kids show sheep, goats, cows, chickens, bunnies and other stuff. The bunnies were sooooo cute. Everything else just smelled bad. Tho, there were a couple of peacocks which were amazing. Then we saw a bit of a roping tournament, 2 people on horses and they rope the horns and ankles of a cow to stop it. They didnt wrangle them down or anything, when they actually got them. The one I saw that finished they just stopped and held it for a second. Still kinda weird tho. Then we went in and looked at the crafts, needless to say the crochet was not of the quality Im used to. Most of it was blankets, and I saw 1 either poncho or shawl that was uber simple open net. The exception of course being the doilies which, while not my taste were beautiful and well done. The cakes were really neat, so creative. It reminded me of the cake my little sister Teresa made for her birthday. It looked like a water park with little Teddy Grahams playing in it.It was sooo cute! I think she needs to submit one to her local fair. Later we walked through the game area and I played one of those squirt gun races. I won. My mom says I shouldnt have, that someone else finished first, but I must have been cuter. I always win at those things. So I got a Care Bear. I thought it was Wish Bear but it ended up being "Thanks-a-Lot Bear", while a non-traditional bear, it has all the official stuff on it.

In Craft Kitten news, Im working on a brochure to send out to yarn stores so they'll carry my patterns. I'm also desperately looking for someone to test my Hobbes pattern for me. I do plan on making one for Baby Viv, but Id like to have someone else test it. See how cute he is? Don't you want to make him? Email me jennifer(at)craftkitten.com and I'll send you the pattern.(replace (at) with @)

Adventures in Pet Sitting

So, I just got back from a week long 24hr pet sitting gig for 3 dogs.. 2 Bichon Freises and a Stafature Terrier. It proved 1 thing very clearly. I AM A CAT PERSON. I had no patience, i had no idea how to make them not drive me crazy, and I had no idea what they wanted at any time. I also just don't like being away from home and my kitties for so long. Apparently DeDe moped around the whole time I was gone. So I don't think I'm going to do 24hr jobs again if I can help it. I can handle almost anything for an hour or half-hour at a time. So since I don't have many nice things to say about my week, Ill post this thing I got in an email from my mom.Its a game. I got Debbie Reynolds. Don't know if I believe this life's a breeze thing tho.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

This is fun!....Ladies only!!! Ever wonder which movie star you are most
like? Don't read ahead please! Well, a team of researchers got together and analyzed the personalities of movie stars.That gathered info has been incorporated into this quiz.
There are only 10 questions so it doesn't take long. Number your paper from
1 to 10, then answer each question with the choice that most describes you
at this point in your life, and then add up the points that correspond with your answers.
Send this to all of your friends (including person who sent it to you) with your star's name in the subject line.
And don't ruin the fun by not responding. Don't look ahead or you will ruin the fun!

1. Which describes your perfect date?
a) Candlelight dinner for two b) Amusement Park c) Rollerblading in the
park d) Rock Concert e) Have dinner & see a movie f) Dinner at home with a loved one

2. What is your favorite type of music?
a) Rock and Roll b) Alternative c) Soft Rock d) Classical e)Christian
f)Jazz


3. What is your favorite type of movie?
a) Comedy b) Horror c) Musical d) Romance e) Documentary f) Mystery


4. Which of the following jobs would you choose if you were given only
these choices?
a) Waiter/Waitress b) Sports Player c) Teacher d) Policeman e)Bartender f)Business person


5. Which would you rather do if you had an hour to waste?
a) Work out b) Make out c) Watch TV d) Listen to the radio e) Sleep
f)Read

6. Of the following colors, which do you like best?
a) Yellow b) White c) Sky blue d) Teal e) Gold f) Red

7. Which one of the following would you like to eat right now?
a) Ice cream b) Pizza c) Sushi d) Pasta e) Salad f) Lobster Tail

8. Which is your favorite holiday?
a) Halloween b) Christmas c) New Year's d) Valentine's Day e)Thanksgiving
f) Fourth of July

9. If you could go to any of the following places, which would it
be?
a) Reno b) Spain c) Las Vegas d) Hawaii e) Hollywood f) British Columbia

10. Of the following, who would you rather spend time with?
a) Someone who is smart b) Someone with good looks c) Someone who is a
party animal d) Someone who has fun all the time e) Someone who is
very emotional f) Someone who is fun to be with


Now total up your points on each question:

1. a-4 b-2 c-5 d-1 e-3 f-6
2. a-2 b-1 c-4 d-5 e-3 f-6
3. a-2 b-1 c-3 d-4 e-5 f-6
4. a-4 b-5 c-3 d-2 e-1 f-6
5. a-5 b-4 c-2 d-1 e-3 f-6
6. a-1 b-5 c-3 d-2 e-4 f-6
7. a-3 b-2 c-1 d-4 e-5 f-6
8. a-1 b-3 c-2 d-4 e-5 f-6
9. a-4 b-5 c-1 d-4 e-3 f-6
10. a-5 b-2 c-1 d-3 e-4 f-6

NOW, take your total and find out which Movie Star you are:

(10-17 points) You are MADONNA: You are wild and crazy and you know
it.You know how to have fun, but you may take it to extremes. You know what you are doing though, and are much in control of your own life. People don't
always see things your way, but that doesn't mean that you should do away with your beliefs. Try to remember that your wild spirit can lead to hurting yourself and others.


(18-26 points) You are DORIS DAY: You are fun, friendly, and
popular!You are a real crowd pleaser. You have probably been out on the town your share of times, yet you come home with the values that your mother taught you.Marriage and children are very important to you, but only after you have fun. Don't let the people you please influence you to stray.


(27-34 points) You are DEBBIE REYNOLDS: You are cute, and everyone loves
you. You are a best friend that no one takes the chance of losing.You
never hurt feelings and seldom have your own feelings hurt. Life is a
breeze. You are witty, and calm most of the time. Just keep clear of back
stabbers, and you are worry-free.

(35-42 points) You are GRACE KELLY: You are a lover. Romance, flowers, and
wine are all you need to enjoy yourself. You are serious about all commitments and are a family person. You call your Mom every Sunday, and never forget a Birthday. Don't let your passion for romance get confused with the real thing.


(43-50 points) You are KATHERINE HEPBURN: You are smart, a real thinker. Every situation is approached with a plan. You are very healthy in mind and body. You don't! take crap from anyone. You have only a couple of individuals that you consider "real friends". You teach strong family values, keep your feet planted in them, but don't overlook a bad situation when it does happen.


(51-60 points) You are ELIZABETH TAYLOR: Everyone is in awe of you. You know what you want and how to get it. You have more friends than you know what to do with. Your word is your bond. Everyone knows when you say something it is money in the bank. You attract the opposite sex. Your intelligence overwhelms most. Your memory is the next thing to photographic. Everyone admires you because you are so considerate and lovable. You know how to enjoy life and treat people right.


Now put your Movie Star in the subject line, then forward and share with your friends, including the person who sent it to you.

I have a job!

Finally =) I'm working for a pet sitting service. They provide anywhere from 1/2hr visits to 24hr visits. So like midday dog walking or if you're going out of town and need someone to stay with your needy kitties or give meds or things like that. I start with my first client, Lenny the Beagle today. He needs his afternoon outing. Here in Tucson, you cant really just have a doggie door and also your little one to run around in the back yard.. There's the heat, and the coyotes. No joke they've been right below my window. So someone has to supervise outdoor activities all the time.

In home news, my mom started her job today too. She's working in a Real Estate office in Sahaurita, which is like a 40min drive. But it pays well and has benefits. Hopefully she's feeling better today, she's been sick all weekend. Ive had to do all the cooking and stuff, it was weird. Tho I did make some really good Buffalo Meatballs last night. The cat house is almost done, Bob is just putting up the chicken wire. He still needs to put up the outside door and the kitty door to the living room, then its ready for cat fun. Then Ill take some pictures.

Also in case you haven't heard, I'm going to have a little Niece! Pumpkin is officially a girl, Vivian Bliss Manfredi. I cant wait. My mom and I bought her a bunch of cute things at the 4th Avenue Street faire.

Time to go walk Lenny..

When not in Outland...

I do actually do things in the real world. Today we took a trip to Home Depot, probably our 3rd this week. My mom and I decided to buy some marigolds to put around my herb garden i planted. So we got this big flat of orange ones and 4 little things of yellow ones. Here's the herb garden...
In the herb garden I have catnip, spearmint, chocolate mint(i swear it tastes and smells just like chocolate mint!), garlic, oregano, cilantro, thyme, pineapple sage, regular sage and cinnamon basil.

I had a few marigolds left over, so I put the rest out front with some other plants my mom got for next to the front door.


We all decided that it would be nice to barbecue some burgers and hot dogs for dinner tonight since its nice outside. But just our luck, the barbecue that Bob had bought at Home Depot awhile ago and paid extra to have assembled was put together wrong. And when he went to turn on the gas he almost blew himself up. So he spent quite some time trying to put the barbecue together correctly, so he didn't have time to put the patio table together... So I became the Tool Belt Diva!


And it worked and everything I even climbed on top to make sure.



And after I had time to relax by the pool.

If you dont have anything nice to say...

Well sorry I haven't posted but nothing good has really happened. I finally picked out a bed I liked, and the dummy people never bothered to call us and tell us it was in. And I ordered a mattress from Sears and the dumb dumb lady who didn't normally work in that department ordered me a clearance mattress that isn't in stock and may never be.. Nobody bothered to say anything except to call 3 times to confirm the delivery and then not show up. Only after calling later that night did we learn that the warehouse had canceled the delivery until next Friday. I was very angry so I let Mom and Bob go to Sears the next day and complain. Seeing as we had just bought a HDTV, washer and dryer and having Sears install new AC and Heat, Bob was able to make them fix the problem. Unfortunately we had to order another mattress and still wait for it to be delivered Friday. But at least this one is in stock and WILL be delivered. But still it was very frustrating. Today they finished installing the new AC/Heat. I think it was the ONLY time Ive seen workers actually clean up after themselves. Like they actually vacuumed up they're mess and put the furniture back and everything. But I'm glad its done, because having 6 cats locked in your room from 7am-3pm is not so much fun, especially when you normally sleep until 12. I had a phone interview today with an insurance company that isn't liked by cavemen. It could be a good job, benefits, decent wage. But its a tad strict sounding. During training which will last 7-9 weeks, you are expected to be there 100% of the time, no exceptions. Not that I plan on playing hookie or anything, but I get sick sometimes and when I get sick, it ain't pretty. I really want a job where I'm allowed to be sick, where they don't expect me to come in when I'm oozing nastiness or burning with fever. I've had plenty of those kind of jobs, I'd like to think I can graduate from that. Well back to fun with kitties...

Most recent freakout

Well, DeDe managed to give me my latest scare.. Last night I couldnt sleep so I was watching some random thing at 2am, with her on one side of me and Oreo on the other. I was petting DeDe when I felt something funny on her leg. It was a big lump. I checked her other leg in case it was something that was supposed to be there and there was nothing on the other side. So I jumped up grabbing her and ran downstairs to my mom to get her opinion, all the while freaking out and near tears. She said we could call the vet that my aunt Leslie knows in the morning. So I go back upstairs and cuddle with her, scared and angry.. Then my mom comes back up and says, "They did just all get their shots. Didnt one of them have a reaction to shots before?" They did... It was DeDe on her last round of shots and I freaked out then too. Hopefully by writing this here I'll remember next time and save myself some adreneline.

In other news, Im still looking for a job. I have my resume on like 3 different job sites, and Ive applied to like 10 different things so far. I got a call yesterday for some interview thingie, but since it was on my cell phone while we were in the car shopping for a new bed, I didnt hear what it was really for. Somthing about insurance and seniors. They emailed me the particulars, and when I read it I knew it just was a bad idea. Essentially it was a Life insurance company that specializes in selling to seniors. That just sounded like some creepy place that takes advantage of senile old grandmas and steals their money.. So I didnt go. I know beggars can't be choosers but I just couldnt do it.

The Big Move

Well its been a fun 10 days... We left San Jose last Monday around 5pm. With our cars loaded so much we could hardly fit ourselves in there. Bob was also towing a U-haul. So we could only go about 45mph. Needless to say we didnt get far. We stopped in Buttonwillow about 11pm. The Kitties were ok, we drugged them..

I had Gato & DeDe, they slept the entire time. The next day was even more fun, not only did we hit the traffic of LA but it was raining and foggy and full of accidents. So instead of going 45mph we were going 10 if we were lucky. So we got to Palm Springs. DeDe it seems go accustomed to things..

Here she is on her own bed in the Motel 6 room. We then drove the rest of the way to our new home.

This is our front door.
Our first night at home, my mom and I went to the bar & grill restaurant we found when we were up here looking for houses. Its called "Chuy's Mesquite grill" Its fun, good music and the best grilled zucchini ever. This is their Chandelier..

How fun is that?

Yesterday, my aunt Leslie took me and my Mom to the Gem & Rock show.(when my mom asked if I wanted to go I totally thought she was talking about Jem the Truly Outrageous)It's suppoed to be the largest in the world. There was every kind of bead, jewelry, precious and semi-precious stones, geodes and everything you could imagine. And all at wholesale prices. I got this for only 80$


It's as big as my hand spread wide, and pretty heavy. At a store this would cost 250$ easy. Next year Im saving up so I can get a bigger one.

The kitties are very happy here. No more nervousness and they have so much room that they arent crowded together. Riker hasnt been pissy, and Oreo hasnt even looked nasty at DeDe once. I can't wait till everything is more together. I need to buy a new bed. I want a Queen Size now, and I need a new desk and all this other stuff.. But for now everything is good.. =)

Pretension

Pretension,nothing in the world bugs me more. Like in "Steel Magnolias", "An ounce of pretension is worth a pound of manure". I went to a cookie party last night and I made these very good cookies with white chocolate chips, walnuts and ground up bits of Malibu Rum flavored milk chocolate. They were good. There were tons of cookies so everyone was encouraged to take a few of each kind home. Well when this one girl was leaving, as she was told to take some of mine, she said "Oh no we don't eat white chocolate". As if it were below her. It just drove me mad. I don't care if its not "Real" chocolate. Who gives a crap? Its a bloody misnomer, don't blame the cookies! It was just a tiny little thing but pretentious jerks like that drive me batty. Maybe it's from my over exposure to goth posers but I can't stand pretension.

And no my yarn snobbery does not count. I don't look down on people who buy acrylic. I just feel sorry for them. And can't understand that if you can afford better why you don't get something that wont make you sweat. And the washable thing is not a good excuse, that's what cotton is for, and there are plenty of washables that have low acrylic percentages. RYC Cashsoft, or Debbie Bliss Cashmerino? These things can be found on sale. And Blue Sky Cotton is machine washable and dryable and comes in glorious colors for the whole family. So =P.

Pumpkin!!!

Ok, now that Sara has made her announcement, I can gush! I'm going to be an aunt again! They've nicknamed the baby Pumpkin, which is just so cute. Tho I hope its a girl cuz I just want to make all these cute pumpkin things, and if it's a boy I'm going to feel like the aunt in Christmas Story that made the bunny outfit.

Here's a couple hats I made for Pumpkin while I was at Sara's for X-mas.

I'm so excited. I'm soo happy for Sara & Richard. I know they'll make the best parents.

Time to play catch up

Whew, its been a crazy couple of weeks. We went to my sister, Sara's, for X-mas. It was fun, we made tamales from scratch. Sara did the hard work but we all assembled them together. My brother in law, Richard, made this heavenly green chili gorn chowder, that I have to get the recipe for.

When we got home from Sara's we packed up Bob's big truck and drove down to Tucson to pick out a house. The drive down took forever, because his giant, heavily laden truck was only getting like 9 miles to the gallon so we had to stop every hour to refill, and he could only go 60mph. So we had to stop in Buttonwillow for the night at a pretty janky little motel, that was supposed to be a 2 room suite. So that I wouldnt have to try to sleep next to Bob who snores like a freight train. But it looked like it used to be 2 rooms that they knocked the wall down between put 2 fulls on one side and a couch on the other. I tried to sleep for a little while, then moved to the couch. I was in a deep dreaming sleep when his snoring woke me up. I got so annoyed I went out to the car. Problem being it was 32 degrees out. I found myself reminding myself of Survivor Man episodes.Cocooned in the blanket, wiggling my toes, I was only out there a little while before my mom insisted I come in. She sat up with the tv on so I could get back to sleep. The next day we drove for like 12 hours or so to get there, my mom insisting she didnt need me to take over driving. So we finally got to my aunt Leslie's house at 10:30pm New Years Eve. We watched the ball drop and promptly passed out. My aunt Leslie, can rival us for animal love, while we have 7 cats, she has 5 dogs (3 Boxers, 2 rat terriers), 3 cats (2 siamese, 1 abyssinian), 1 bird, and 2 1/2 horses ( one of those cute miniature horses). So over the course of a few days we went to see 18 houses. We found 2 we liked and 1 we liked better. We put in our offer and got it.Here's some pictures...
You can't tell from this picture, but the security door has a Kokopelli on it. And just inside the front door, theres a mosaic of a kokopelli on the floor. It's a 1871 sqft house which is much bigger than we have now, and the lot is huge!



Here's the big kitchen, with pass throughs to the living and family rooms.






This is a tri-level with the master bedroom down stairs, and the 3(!) other bedrooms upstairs. I will likely knock the wall out of the 2 front rooms to make a larger room for myself. And we'll still have a craft room/ guest room.



This is the fabulous pool, doesnt it look like there should be a model sunning herself on that raised platform? There are spiggots there where water flows back into the pool.